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beplerblurbs · 1 year

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matching hats s.r.

pairing: unistudent!ricky x gn seatmate!y/n

genre: fluff

w/c: 2.1k

warnings: intentional lowercase, reader is shorter than ricky(?), not proofread

prompt: your seatmate ricky. reminds of you of a cat. you like to crochet during lectures and end up making ricky a cat beanie!

you and the rest of the students scamble off the cramped bus rushing to get to your classes. there's been a traffic with freshmen moving in and parents wanting to make sure they're prepared and such.

it was a little annoying because you knew your lecture hall was filling up with every second the bus was trying to reach the university bus station through all the traffic.

eventually you reach your lecture hall along with a cluster of other students for your arts history class, not the most interesting thing on 9 am mondays...

you entered from the back of the classroom, you see the professor preparing her lesson way at the front and the back of many students as they murmur amongst themselves.

with about 90% of the seats already taken, you wouldn't be surprised if you had to sit on the stairs at this point. eyes wandering for an empty seat, blond head stood out with no one beside one of his seats.

walking down the steps to reach the mysterious guy "sorry, but is this seat taken?", oh... he's so cute

with styled bleach blond hair, thick eyebrows, curious eyes, slightly ajar lips and neck tattoo saying 'role model,' you were taken aback by his good looks.

"no, take a seat" a warm smile welcomed you to your seat before he went back to looking at his laptop to prep for class.

just as you get out your notebook, your professor starts the lecture.

"good morning class, hope the travel to class was great considering the beautiful weather today," ironic considering you're actual trip.

the professor goes through the basic course breakdown to help everyone gauge expectations. you're already writing down due dates in your notebook's calendar. the prof seems really chill and you appreciate that.

she switches her slideshow to a large text that says 'introduce yourself to your seat partner and tell them a fun fact'

"you guys see the screen... do it, i'll give you guys 2 minutes" the class giggles at her bluntness.

you put down your pen to focus on this mysterious guy. he's confident and relaxed, he avoids making the situation awkward and goes along with the professor's request.

"hi, i'm shen ricky. i'm an international student majoring in performance arts and... my fun fact is that my friends said i resemble a cat earlier today" he smiles to himself, seemingly unexpected fun fact he chose to share.

"oh? i dont see it exactly... nevermind, maybe i just need to know you more to see it hah."

you on the other hand can't seem to not be awkward, trying to smile through it "uhm anyways, i'm y/l/n y/n, and i'm a student under the entertainment management program and this is one of my electives. my fun fact is that i love to crochet, you'll probably see me do it in lecture at some point."

"ah!" you were startled by ricky's excitement, "crocheting sounds so fun, i need to learn it at some point." you turn slightly pink, seeing someone be so interested in your seemingly boring hobby.

ricky continues on, "i think that just means we have to be friends and sit in class together so you can teach me," suddenly, ricky's hand as his phone out with his new contact ready to be filled with your information.

"sure!... this isn't like flirting or anything right?" as much as you were attracted to ricky's looks, you always set boundaries for yourself for comfort. you wouldn't let some new blond guy mess that all up.

he scratched the back of his neck, "oh no, not at all, but i really apologise that I came off that way. i'm actually interested in crocheting though!" his genuine tone was enough for you to forgive him and give him your contact.

"okay class lets start with the first lesson," before you could even give him your phone to fill in his number, the professor quiet downed the class.

unknown number: hi it's ricky, boy from arts history.

you take a bite of your favourite late-night snack, gummy worms. you had started studying a bit and took a break to go to your closest convenience store.

y/n: hi! its y/n, why are you texting at this hour? lol

you change the contact name,

ricky: sorry are you busy? I just wanted to make sure you still wanted to sit next to me in class on wednesday, if not thats fine!!

you giggle to yourself, why does he text cute too...

y/n: oh no worries, i just got my daily dose of gummy worms haha

y/n: but yeah we can meet up before class and sit together! i'll make sure i'm early next time...

ricky: lol yeah maybe to get a good seat, i'm usually in the library an hour before class

ricky: just lmk and i'll wait for you

and with that the conversation ended just as you re-entered your apartment to get back to studying.

hes seems so sweet compared to his cold appearance.

getting up early wasn't your favourite activity, but ricky said he would be in the library at 8 am (like a crazy man) so you decided to give him some company and teach him how to crochet.

you come in the library with an iced coffee in hand and leftover gummy worms in the other. a distinct blond head and neck tattoo became proportionate as you closer. "how are you so awake at this hour?" you yawn sitting in the chair across from ricky's.

he laughs, "i try to eat a full meal, i don't know if gummies and coffee count as one," you disregard it, "yeah, yeah.”

you set down your food and pull out two small bundles of yarn and two crochet hooks. "one for you, one for me. which colour would you like?"

"green please!" (i miss rijeong) you slid the pale pastel green bundle to his side of the table, leaving you would the baby blue yarn.

an insightful and detailed lesson on crocheting and somehow ricky's chain fell apart 3 times. he was genuinely trying. you thought it would frustrate him but him seeing you giggle at his mistakes made ricky feel warm inside somehow.

you sighed and made ricky put down his hands from crocheting. "we should got go to class now, i'll teach you another time. take notes for me as a trade?" it was an offer ricky couldn't give up, in his head it gave himself a reason to talk to you even more.

ricky simply nodded and put the yarn and hook into his bag. you guys walked out of the library, heading to the library with 15 minutes to spare.

during class, you spent most of it crocheting while taking in the information and ricky took notes on his laptop. yet he was the one not really listening, he was focused on how endearing you looked simply crocheting and listening intently. you didn't notice that though.

you ended up making some cute hand rags that you needed for your kitchen. "thoughts?" you ask ricky while showing off your 30 minutes worth of time. his signature sweet smile arose "very stylish, you're so cool." his non-chalant remark made you blush and shyly put away your pieces as the professor had ended the lecture.

"same time friday?" ricky said standing up, backpack slung over one shoulder, "same time every lecture," you confidently spoke, smiling and quickly going to your next class.

you weren't even in rush, your next class was in 30 minutes. ricky stood still in the lecture hall smiling to himself.

every lecture you began making random pieces, eventually making a sweater, a scarf, mittens, cup holders, and the list goes on. some of these for you, and some for ricky.

you stopped going to your convenience store at night, you became accustomed to ricky getting you some gummy worms the next day. in return, you got him and yourself iced coffees for the day. suddenly being awake at 8 am wasn’t so tough

as well, everyday you and ricky were texting more, hanging out after classes, usually to cafes. ricky was able to make a progress and finish a small square, but the focus needed made him want to take a break from the hobby. he said he preferred watching you crochet anyways.

this is what friends do right? hang out, talk and laugh, share sentimental stories, get each other small gifts, hug tightly goodbye, holding hands...

your boundaries were loosening up. however, with how much you enjoyed ricky being with you, you didn't mind it.

you were tapping your coffee lid as a fidgeting habit, ricky doesn't even acknowledge it. there was a comfortable silence as he scrolled on his phone and you looked out the window with the warm sunlight yet the dead trees and snow in the plant beds. the winter made the outdoors almost unbearable as you hated the cold, but you felt warm next to ricky…

you turn your attention to ricky and his relaxed state, focusing on his screen. "hm." you made a noise that caught his attention, he rose his eyebrows as he shifted his focus to you. he put down his phone and rested his chin on his hand, elbow propping him up.

"what you thinking about?" not phased by his flirtatious antics at this point, you didn't move. "i guess you do look like a cat,” you poke one of his cheeks. now he was confused, "all of a sudden?"

"yeah! like you have big doe-y eyes and your cheekbones kinda resemble the follicle cheeks... you just need the ears and whiskers." you eye-smile at the thought of rickys 'intimidating' face with cute ears and drawn on whiskers.

rickys ears can't suppress his feelings anymore, they grow bright red and he turns away, looking outside to the bright outside. "whatever." you knew he liked it but you let it go.

"we should go to class now," ricky stands up with his bag over his shoulder, waiting for you to pack up and walk with him to class. you reply a quick 'okay' before you stand up.

ricky already has his hand out for you to hold. you intertwine fingers with him and walk to your guys' class.

sitting in class you had some pink yarn in hand but you can't think of making anything other than those cute cat beanies you've been seeing online. mainly because you really wanted to see ricky in one.

it was simple and quick to make so you made two, matching hats make such a cute pair.

ricky was still actively committed to the deal where he does notes while you crochet. you hid the two pieces in your bag when he was focused.

"yah, what'd you make this time, i didn't even notice you finished it early"

you both walk out of class early and felt a strong wind chill hit both of your faces. ricky hides his face in the scarf you made before in class. "its so cold still, are you cold?" you see ricky's breath in the air.

"well i think this will warm us up," you smile pulling out the hats from your side bag pocket.

he makes a little happy 'o' face, ready to cherish the next crocheted piece you made. "ouu, what is it? what is it?" his eagerness made you smile big, and ask him to close his eyes.

he closes them quickly, eager to see what it is. you snuggly put on his cute pink cat beanie on his head, and then your own. "okay! open!"

ricky is completely whipped for you seeing your adorable face and a cute cat hat. "you're so cute, what about me? what do i look like?" he quickly pulls out his phone to swipe to the camera app and see what he got.

"the same one dork, aren't matching hats cute?" you can't even hide your smile, the cold was helping you look like your bright red cheeks were appropriate for the weather.

ricky had slowly begun to recognise your soft, vulnerable side had been coming out when you were with him. you were truly comfortable around him and it made him melt inside.

you suddenly felt your face smushed up against ricky's chest, a warm hug. "thank you y/n. it is cute" his little giggle came out as a vibration against your ear. you were also melting.

you look up at him and everything felt perfect. "hey ricky?"

"hm?"

"i love you."

a moment of comfortable silence, with the warmth of his heart heating up yours, you knew what he felt too.

"i love you too, y/n"

author's note: this ended up being longer than i expected........ i hope u enjoy the ricky fluff </3pls send in requests!!!!

#boys planet #mnet boys planet #kpop #lee jeonghyeon #shen ricky #zerobaseone #zerobase1 #zb1 imagines #zb1 #zb1 drabbles #zb1 x reader #zb1 ricky #zb1 scenarios #beplerblurbsfic

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jebewonmorelike · 1 year

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Charisma Boss Employee

wc: 3.5k (oh no guys, i'm only getting worse) pronouns: none used; n/a warnings: some angst; some fluff! this is a powerful one. some swears, mention of an ill mother, ricky's dad is mean :( but it's just a story! i'm sure ricky's real dad is very nice lol summary: when richboy!ricky crashes his car, his dad takes away his credit card and forces him to get a part time job at the diner-- and reader is the unlucky employee tasked with training him ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ CELEBRATORY FIC FOR RICKY TOP 9! This is an epic you guys. I think you'll really love it! For some reason, Ricky inspires some great plot lines for me. And I just love richboy!Ricky he's such a doll.

Ricky was not having a good day. In fact, Ricky was having a no good, very bad day and he was not about to be pleasant to the worker training him to make a vanilla milkshake.

“So you’ll pour the milk in with the ice, screw the lid on and shake the container,” you explain, handing the tall blonde boy next to you the carton of milk.

He takes it reluctantly, measuring the 10 oz. without much care and screwing the lid on.

“Make sure that it’s—,” you start to warn, but he’s already shaking the container…

And it’s contents has already flown out from the loose lid and drenched the both of you.

He winces, an exhale of an embarrassed laugh escaping his lips.

“Maybe if you took the sunglasses off, you would’ve been able to see that you hadn’t tightened the lid all the way,” you say annoyedly.

He shakes his head quickly. “I can’t take them off.”

But being covered in a mess that this stupid rich kid made has not positively impacted your level of patience for his ridiculousness, so you reach up and snatch the sunglasses off of his face.

“Hey! Give them back!” He protests as you run around to the other side of the counter with them, quickly closing the bar top on the counter so he can’t follow you. You watch as he attempts to open the passageway in the counter, but lucky for you he wasn't paying attention when you had shown him where the latch is.

"Please," he begs now, looking around frantically as he places his large hand above his eyes to seemingly block the view of his face. "Please, I don't want anyone to see me here."

You snort. "People see me here every day and I have yet to die of embarrassment."

"Yeah, well, I'm not like you," Ricky remarks snidely, sinking down below the counter to hide from customers.

How had this happened to you? You clocked in this afternoon with a pretty good attitude: this was the eighth-to-last shift you'd have to work before finally having saved enough money to buy the little red Kia Rio from the used car dealership down the road.

But that good attitude was suddenly shattered when you saw your boss standing in the kitchen with an older, professional-looking man in a suit and a tall, blonde boy wearing Prada sunglasses indoors. You weren't quite sure what was happening yet, but you felt a sinking feeling in your gut nevertheless.

"(Y/N), you're late," your boss said as you walked towards the little gathering in the kitchen.

Your brow furrowed in confusion. "What? No, I'm not; my shift doesn't start until--."

"This is the building owner, Mr. Shen," your boss introduced, cutting you off. "And this is his son, Ricky."

Your eyes widened, nodding out of respect and smiling politely at Mr. Shen. "It's nice to meet you."

"Sure," Mr. Shen replied flippantly. "Quanrui, say hello."

"Hello," Ricky greeted reluctantly, looking back down at his phone screen. You studied him for a moment, taking note of the dyed blonde hair, the Rolex on his lithe wrist, and the thin, delicate tattoo running down his neck behind one ear. The best way you could think to describe him was... punchable.

"You're going to be training Mr. Shen's son for the next few days," your boss announced. "Like I told you about last week."

"What!? You didn't tell me that--."

Mr. Shen cut you off abruptly. "As Tom here probably told you--."

"It's Tim," your boss corrected quietly.

"My son crashed his car last week on a midnight joyride around the city," Mr. Shen continued, glaring at Ricky, whose eyes were still glued to his phone. "So, as punishment, I've taken away all his credit cards and I've asked Tom if he could give him a little job here for a bit until he's learned his lesson."

"It's actually...," your boss laughed much too cheerily before he continued, "It's actually Tim, sir, but whatever you prefer is fine. Our shift manager, (Y/N) here, is so grateful to get the opportunity to train your very capable, and might I add handsome, son. Isn't that right, (Y/N)?"

"Well--."

"Exactly! Go grab an apron and a pair of ears for Ricky," Tim ordered you, as you ran to the corner of the room to grab the supplies.

"Ears?" Ricky asked suddenly, finally looking up from his phone.

"Oh... Yes, ears! The Hungry Dog Diner-- all of the waitstaff wear dog-eared headbands," Tim explained enthusiastically as you walked back over and handed Ricky the uniform pieces.

"Why did I invest in this business again?" Mr. Shen asked in an alarmingly genuine tone.

You watched as Ricky flipped the ears over in his hands, horrified. "Dad, do I really have to wear this?"

"Son... You are a terrible student, you can't take direction, and you have no work ethic. I'm not sure if you possess any skills at all," Mr. Shen announced harshly. "No other business is going to hire you except the ones that I own, so just make it easy on us all and put the ears on, Quanrui."

You had to work quite hard to keep your eyes from widening at Mr. Shen's rather stiff criticism of his son, especially in front of strangers. You couldn't help but wonder what he said when no one else was present. Ricky solemnly placed the dog ears over his perfectly-coiffed blonde hair, the loop of the apron finding its way around his neck.

In that moment, if he wasn't so positively punchable-looking, you might've almost felt sorry for him.

"Excellent!" Tim exclaimed, clapping his hands together in the midst of the looming awkward silence. "(Y/N), why don't you show Ricky the milkshake machine? That would be a great spot for that handsome face to be seen by customers!"

Ricky audibly groaned as you led him out of the kitchen to the front countertop area.

And now, here you are. Covered in ice and milk, holding Ricky's sunglasses and allowing the implications of the sentence, "Well, I'm not like you," to sink in.

"Bastard," you say.

Ricky's wide eyes appear from behind the counter as he sits up on his knees to peak out at you. "What did you just say?"

"You rat bastard," you repeat, staring him directly in the eye. "You're not like me? Then why are we both wearing this stupid apron and these ridiculous dog ears, huh? Why are we both working this annoying ass part-time job? Why are we both covered in milkshake ingredients?"

You're surprised when Ricky doesn't retaliate, just stares back at you in shock.

"I actually think we have a lot in common right now. The only difference being that, for the next six hours, I'm in charge. So you're gonna take off these sunglasses and make every flavor of milkshake absolutely perfectly, or I am going to fire you!"

Ricky blinks, tilting his head to one side curiously. "Would you really fire me?"

You stare back at him wordlessly, confused by his lack of anger.

"Even though my dad would probably sue you or frame you for some petty crime or something?"

Ricky stands up from behind the counter, nodding appreciatively. "That's kind of badass."

He takes your apparent inability to speak or move as an opportunity to grab his sunglasses from your hand. "I'm gonna get all of this milk off of me. I'll be right back-- and I'll put these away in my bag."

After another moment of temporary paralysis, you run to the customers' bathrooms and clean yourself up. When you make your way back to the counter, you watch as Ricky very diligently measures 10 oz. of milk into the shaker cup.

"Okay! Time to head out, Ricky," you call from the kitchen, panicking slightly when you're met with silence. "Ricky?"

You run from the kitchen to the countertop area quickly, just in time to see Ricky holding all of the quarters from the cash register in his hand and counting them with his fingers (and then recounting them when he loses track of the total).

You have to admit... He looks pretty cute like this.

Ricky had been a pretty decent employee for the rest of the day. He mastered a few milkshake flavors, he seated customers in booths, and you'd even let him close the register after proper demonstration. Quite honestly, he was nowhere near as incompetent as his father had made him out to be.

Not only that, but you'd found he was fairly easy to get along with when he wasn't being a spoiled brat.

Tip-toeing your way over to him, you lightly smack his upper arm. "Boo!"

"NO!" He shouts in defeat. "I ALMOST HAD IT THAT TIME!"

You can't help but laugh, holding out your hand for him to pour the quarters into. You count them in less than ten seconds and drop them back in the drawer.

"Whoah," Ricky says, shaking his head as you finish counting the rest of the coins. "I really don't have any skills, do I?"

"Stop that," you say, entering the final totals into the register and closing it down. "It's not easy. You'll get better with practice. Besides, I watched you do a bunch of things today that I would say required skills."

"Oh," he replies, clearly not expecting your kindness. "Thanks."

You smile. "Same time tomorrow?"

"TOMORROW!?" He exclaims, hanging his head sadly. "But we were just here today."

You chuckle. "Welcome to the working world, Ricky."

"Here you go, one strawberry and one cookie dough milkshake for the two runway models on lunch break," Ricky says, placing the drinks on the counter. The two girls giggle, cheersing and placing the paper straws in their mouths.

This week had gone quite differently than you'd expected. It seemed as if word had gotten out that a rich, handsome young man had started working the counter at Hungry Dog's and groups of girls had flocked to the diner the past few days to get a milkshake from Ricky.

Though very wary of being seen on his first day, Ricky was now eating up the positive attention. He didn't even seem to mind wearing the dog ears. He conversed easily with the customers, tastefully flirting even with the regular group of elderly women that came in for lunch every Thursday. He was a natural.

And you hate to admit it, but... it's irking you a bit. You'd been Ricky's go-to pal the first few days and you enjoyed joking back and forth with him. He'd shared a lot about his life with you, in the way that coworkers often do. He'd talked about school, his friends, and even his dad and you liked having these conversations with him. Everyone else that worked here before him had been so boring. But now every girl in the city was coming to the diner for a milkshake and vying for his attention.

Maybe you should have let him keep his sunglasses on after all...

"(Y/N)!" He calls, grinning. You put your rag down on the table you're cleaning and make your way over to the counter. "I'm sorry, I don't remember the recipe for the peanut butter chocolate milkshake."

"That's okay," you say, grabbing a glass and opening the cooler. You point to the peanut butter sauce, chocolate chips, and the peanut butter cups. "Three tablespoons of this, a quarter cup of these, and a good handful of these, too."

"He has such big hands though," the girl at the counter admires.

"Uh..." You look down at Ricky's hands by his sides. "Yeah, I guess. I hope you really like peanut butter cups."

He frowns when you meet his gaze. You start to walk back to the table you were cleaning when you hear Ricky again. "(Y/N)?"

You turn to face him, noticing he still looks kind of upset.

"Chocolate ice cream?" He asks quietly.

"Chocolate ice cream," you confirm, giving him a half-hearted smile as you resume your buswork.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Your eyes dart to find the origin of the sound, spotting Mr. Shen standing angrily in the doorway with your boss on his heels. "Quanrui, what on Earth is going on?"

Ricky blinks back anxiously at his father. "I'm--... I'm working?"

"No you're not! You're surrounded by girls," Mr. Shen replies, walking towards his son.

"Well, they are paying customers," Tim responds softly, scurrying behind Mr. Shen as the girls on the barstools at the counter get up and leave hurriedly. You walk over to the countertop area cautiously.

"This is supposed to be a punishment. Where is that worker who trained you?" Ricky's father demands.

You clear your throat and step out from behind him. "I'm here."

"What exactly have you been doing? He's supposed to be miserable! I mean, for god's sake, he's making a milkshake and he's smiling. Smiling!" Mr. Shen exclaims, a stern finger pointing at you. "That's not right."

You swallow, maintaining an even temper. "Is a frown more suited for milkshake-making?"

From the corner of your eye, you see Ricky's eyes widen a concerned amount.

"On Sunday, you said Ricky had no skills. You basically called him useless in front of people he'd never met before. And I thought, at first, that maybe you were right; an irresponsible rich kid cruising through life and he'd be a pain in my ass. But, honestly... He's been great. He can take direction, follow a recipe, clean a table-- hell, he can almost count change!"

"Well, I can count change, I just--."

"And his most notable skill: charisma. I mean, we haven't made money like this in years! There's been people flying in and out of here all week just to look at Ricky. I've overheard him talking to customers for the past few days and he's just really great with people," you say, not backing down.

"That doesn't make any sense! He barely says two words to me," Mr. Shen rebuts.

You want to hold your tongue, but, with everything going on in your life... you just can't. "Maybe you should think about why that is."

If people could explode from anger, Mr. Shen would be in pieces by now. "Is this true, Ricky?"

You look up at Ricky, hoping that maybe he could find it in him to stand up for himself-- especially after you'd just done the heavy-lifting for him.

But he's not looking at you. He's not looking at anyone. He's just staring at the floor.

Mr. Shen is frightening now as his voice comes out so coolly, "Tom, fire this worker at once."

Tim looks at you uncertainly. You're his best employee. But you know the chances of Tim sticking up for you are slim to none. You've fought this battle alone-- and for what?

"Just go," Tim says, mouthing an I'm sorry after.

So you go. You're running back into the kitchen, taking off your apron and throwing your stupid dog ears onto the floor. You're so upset that you don't hear footsteps approaching behind you as you walk towards the back door.

"(Y/N)!" Ricky calls, hand finding your shoulder. You turn around on your heels to face him.

"What?" You spit. "What could you possibly want? Huh?"

"I--... I wanted to see if you're okay."

"Okay? I just lost my job... for defending you, of all people! I must be crazy," you say, shaking your head in disbelief at your own actions.

Ricky's brows furrow in defense, his eyes a bit sad like they had been earlier. "Well, it's not like I made you do that."

"No, you didn't," you say, nodding as you understand the error in judgment you've made. "So, I guess I'll just get going."

"Oh, come on!" Ricky exclaims, not letting go of your shoulder. "You're telling me you liked working here all this time? You're way smarter than me-- shouldn't you be trying to go back to school?"

"My mom is sick." The words escape your mouth before you can swallow them back down as you watch the shock contort Ricky's face. "I was working here to save up money for a car so I could stay at the hospital even after the buses stop running."

He stares back at you; the silence, deafening.

"Good luck, Ricky," you say finally, pushing the back door open and stepping out into the warm, afternoon air.

Come to the diner, I need you to calculate our expenses for the month

You fired me.

I knowwwwww. I said I was sorry! But I really need your help. And I know you'd hate for this diner you've spent so many pathetic years of your life working at to close down :(

You are not helping your case.

I'm sorry, please just come as soon as you can

Fine.

So, here you are again thanks to Tim's text. Walking through the back door of Hungry Dog's Diner like you do every day. But something's off when you step inside. When you realize you can't hear any noise, you look around concernedly for a body-- any body would do to ease your anxiety.

Just then, Ricky walks into the kitchen. He smiles timidly.

"Hi," he greets, a little awkward wave accompanying the word.

"Hi," you return, unamusedly.

"Tim's out here," he says, walking out of the kitchen as you reluctantly follow. You walk past the counter and out towards the booths, Tim waving at you from one in the back.

But as you walk past the glass doors, you see something in the parking lot that has you frozen in your tracks.

There, in the parking lot of Hungry Dog's Diner, is the little red Kia Rio from the used car dealership down the road.

"Go look at it," Ricky says behind you, gently pushing you forward.

You run out through the doors and stare at it in awe before remembering who brought you out here to see it in the first place.

Turning around slowly, your eyes meet Ricky's. His bottom lip is between his teeth as he chews it in nervous anticipation. You step up to him, silent before smacking his chest with your hand, hard.

"Ow!" He yelps, rubbing the spot that you hit.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You hit me," he complains with a pout.

"Your dad gave you your credit card back, huh? You think you can just buy something for me and your dad can pay it off and all will be forgiven?" You accuse, tears quickly welling up in your eyes from frustration.

“No! No, no, it’s—… it’s not like that! I swear,” he claims, sincere eyes boring into yours. “I bought it with my own savings. It was... It was almost everything I had.”

You stare back at him wide-eyed for a few moments and then hit him again. “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU!?”

“OW!” He yelps louder, rubbing his chest once more.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” you say, a mixture of emotions now flooding your senses. “That’s—… It’s—… You didn’t have to do that.”

It hits you now— a wave of immense, conflicting gratitude and embarrassment. You’re suddenly wailing quite cartoonishly, tears running out of you so quickly you’re afraid you might form a puddle.

"I'm just really sorry. I should have defended you... and I should've stood up for myself, too. You've been really nice to me this whole week and I can't imagine I was always particularly easy to deal with," Ricky apologizes, swallowing hard before continuing. "You really need this and it's my fault you weren't able to get it on your own. I was actually gonna by myself a new car with the money, but... what would I have been using it for?"

"How did you know this is the one I wanted?"

He laughs. "Tim said you showed everyone that walked through the doors a picture of it at least once."

You smile sheepishly, before uncertainty causes you to sigh. "Still, Ricky, this--."

"Maybe you can just drive me to work from now on," he suggests, a shy smile now gracing his lips. "And we'll call it even."

"To work?" You ask, tilting your head.

He smiles. "Yeah. You're rehired. Duh. I, uh... I finally talked to my dad about everything. And I told him I would be really lost at Hungry Dog's Diner without you."

You smile, a blush creeping onto your cheeks. "I'll repay you for this. I promise."

"Go ahead, get in!" Ricky says with a laugh, reaching in his back pocket and tossing you the key. You run to the driver's side and fling open the door, hopping inside and turning on the car. Ricky gets in the passenger side and looks around appreciatively.

"Not a McLaren, but it's got charm," he says, nodding.

"I love it," you reply, grinning at him. "I really love it. Thank you."

"You know, I might need a ride other places once in a while, too, like... out to dinner?"

"Why would I drive you to go out to dinner?" You ask, obliviously.

He blinks back at you, waiting for you to comprehend.

"Oh!" You gasp, ears burning as you bask in the heat of his gaze. "Oh, um... I guess, yeah. Yeah, I could probably... I could probably drive you to dinner. And then eat dinner with you."

"Good," he says happily, grinning at you as he leans back in the car seat, flipping his sunglasses down over his eyes. "But since I'm actually broke now, you're paying."

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blue-orangeade · 1 year

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the boys planet contestants are so random because it's like. twitch streamer. i-lander. heterophobe. the voice kids vietnam (2016) contestant. 29-year-old twice-debuted senior idol, songwriter, and producer. fourteen-year-old. ollie.

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http-mianhae · 9 months

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brewing romance ༊*·˚ seok matthew

SUMMARY ➛ in which matthew has a huge crush on a regular that comes to the coffee shop he works at and after accidentally, somehow, without intending to (glares at zhanghao) hitting her up with a pickup line, he vows to never want to see her again. what happens when she starts working there the next day?

PAIRING ➛ seok matthew x fem!reader

GENRE ➛ coffee shop smau, crack, dirty jokes, matthew being a cute dork, may include jiwoong x seobin here and there, shuhua is in this and she's so mother, confrontational reader, reader is also a year older <3

THE GROUP CHATS

soobie-boobie

gucci gang

CHAPTERS

01 ➛ awoop! jumpscare 😨

02 ➛ fineapple

03 ➛ bitchin'

04 ➛ you can run but you can't hide (written, 0.9k)

05 ➛ matthew, the worst trainer in the world (written, 0.8k)

06 ➛ taerae malewife agenda

07 ➛ just you and me (written, 1.1k)

08 ➛ matthew's delulu era

09 ➛ taerae and y/n's divorced arc

10 ➛ tumbleweed

11 ➛ cupid by fifty-fifty

12 ➛ spawn point

13 ➛ never have you ever got spat in the face

14 ➛ different taste (written)

15 ➛ hao's very real very wise advice

16 ➛ coffee shop riot (written)

more to come!

please comment or lmk in any way for the taglist!

TAGLIST ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ @tocupid @cyberpunksunwoo @aerivrs @minhui896 @222brainrot

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gunwookrae · 1 year

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na kamden hcs

🤍 🤍 🤍 🤍 🤍

- holds your pinky while you walk together

- he loves to watch the sunrise with you

- always asks for your input on the rap he writes

- because of the height difference, he loovess to kiss the top of your head

- when you cuddle he loves to intertwine his legs with yours

- brings you a flower on each date

- love language is definitely quality time or gift giving: loves to hand make you small gifts and enjoys when youre together even when youre both doing your own thing

- his favorite date with you is going shopping for books or café dates

- loves to share things with you

- gives you his hoodies all the time

- king of piggyback rides

- loves to kiss your knuckles

- after a long day, he loves to rest his head into the crook of your neck and mumble how much he loves you into your ear

- when you play with his hair he melts

- def knows how to skateboard and loves to teach you and tease you when you cant do it right

- loves to drive with the sunroof open blasting music with you

- when you give him a pou plush he just "🤔😧🤭" (he keeps it on his bed)

- he makes up the cutest pet names for you like sunshine 🤍

- loves to praise you

- will literally show up at your door at 3:00am with his signature 😦 expression and just cuddle w u

#na kamden #jay chang #ricky boys planet #mnet boys planet #boys planet #boys planet imagines #imagine #sung hanbin #seok matthew #ollie boys planet #park hanbin #han yujin #wang zihao #boys planet jiwoong #Spotify

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incorrectbp · 11 months

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yujin: my lungs are decayed. my lungs are full of thorns and mildew. my bones are being held together by vines. i am fragile. be gentle with my corpse

zhanghao: you’re going to school whether you like it or not

yujin: i REFUSE.

#hearing about yujin and gyuvins school adventures is so funny #we have model student gunwook on one hand and “drew zb1s logo on his test paper” yujin on the other #im just glad they debuted #han yujin #zhang hao #boys planet #mnet boys planet #incorrect boys planet #incorrect boys planet quotes #incorrect kpop #incorrect kpop quotes #incorrect quotes #zb1 #incorrect zb1 #incorrect zb1 quotes

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ohdudedhesflirting · 1 year

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Everything about the final of boys planet that made me feel (good or bad) :

In remembrance of Moonbin

Zhang Hao & S Han Bin looks at each other during the signal song

Most of the eliminated trainees being there

Zhang Hao in his inrtoduction/ recap of himself when he played the violin

Jongwoo explaining he had always been lonely

All of the fans in the audience with their banner, voting

Haruto :( Wumuti :( Kuan Jui :( Woongki :( Mingyu :( Hwan Hee :( Seung Hwan :(

The modified version of Here I am for the stars masters

The letters of the star masters for the trainees "Your smile make people happy"

ZeroBaseOne/ZB1. Its not pretty but not as ugly as a wifi password typpa name, could have been better, could have been WORSE

Kamderella #KamdenYouWillAlwaysBeFamous

"My jelly noona" Seok Matthew, 2023

All of the PR videos are just some guys with a camera, a budget, and their little guy minds

Bummed that Matthew didnt get the killing part but Hao slayed it so (also kinda figured it out when they were pushing that narrative lol)

Jelly Pop was genuiely so cute and felt so good

Hot Summer team only thinking about foods when doing shopping for their pr video (they just like me fr)

The disclaimer before the hot summer video ?? Staff did NOT want to be associated with what the trainees did

Bummed that Ji Woong didnt get the killing part but it was expected. He truly slayed every little bit he had.

JiWoong vocals. Thats it.

The screams whenever Ricky performed ? So true

Just Tae Rae existence is a blessing and I needed to talk about it.

Staffs giving us the videos of the snoring that took place in the dorms. Truly exposed them.

The performance of Not Alone. I cried. Cried even more when I saw that the trainees were crying.

Learning that Zhang Hao & Jiwoong only started to talk to each other during the Say My Name era

Jiwoong debut !!!

Jiwoong forgetting the name of his group

Yum Seo breaking down when the debut of Gyu Vin was announced. At this point I was sobbingwith him

Gyuvin sobbing while learning the new, giving his speech while sobbing. I cried X100 harder at this point

Gun Wook : "Jun Hyeon I made it. Thank you so much" SOBS

Gun Wook : "I'm happy with just becoming friends with you" I was at my second pack of tissues

Ricky : "I feel awesome " (Please I would have loved Zhang Hao reaction with him taking the joke that far)

Him giving us the meaning of his tatoo (which mnet always covered up) ???

Matthew debut !!! Ppusamz will live on <3

Matthew having a snot problem during his speech

Jiwoong and Matthew <3

Han Bin pat to Matthew and their hugs

Zhang Hao ranking first (I did NOT expect that) (Not complaining tho cuz imagine a violin solo on his solo ???? Take my money) he slayed

Kuan Jui breaking down on the floor on the news of Zhang Hao #1 god im gonna miss them together so much

S Han Bin & Zhang Hao bowing to everyone simultaneously which made it look it they just got married

JiWoong giving butt pat to litteraly everyone when they were getting up the stairs

The eliminated trainees hugging each other

When the show ended and we saw ZB1 going down the stairs to hug the trainees my heart broke definitely

#i will miss you all #cant believe it is over #i need those pr videos tho #boys planet final #boys planet #mnet boys planet #mnet #zerobaseone #zb1 #zhang hao #kim gyuvin #seok matthew #kim taerae #sung han bin #ricky #park gun wook #han yujin #kim jiwoong

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mlnghieem · 1 year

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Boys Planet - Kill This Love G Team

#mnet boys planet #boys planet #boys planet gifs #global team #kill this love #blackpink #zhanghao #keita #wang zihao #seok matthew #chen quanjui #min #absolutely slayed #keita really formed a debut team ngl #literally on fire #kpop gif #my gifs #gifs are mine

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sorrowoodz · 1 year

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(🎧) boys planet icons | copie se estiver afim de descolar um piau

#mnet boys planet #boys planet icons #lee seunghwan #lee seunghwan icons #1the9 icons

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valssom · 1 year

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감각 따윈 없어, no more pain 어차피 너와 나는 love or hate

LOVE KILLA SEOWON EVERYONE!!

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incorrectplanet · 1 year

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wang zihao: you know, sung hanbin gets zhang hao flowers every day. I wish you’d do that too.

park hanbin: okay??

[the next day]

park hanbin: *handing zhang hao a bouquet of roses*

zhang hao: ???

park hanbin: listen I don’t get it either

#ah yes my favorite pairs #haobin and nugu haobin #the fact that that’s actually what ppl call them SENDS #rip nugu haobin u will be missed #k group #g group #sung hanbin #zhang hao #park hanbin #wang zihao #haobin #mnet boys planet #boys planet #incorrect boys planet #incorrect kpop

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beplerblurbs · 1 year

Note

hello ! may i rq some head-cannons for ricky and gunwook with a flirty reader ?

reactions to a flirty y/n

pairings: VERY SHY BOYS !! ricky x gn!reader, gunwook x gn!reader, keita x gn!reader, gyuvin x gn!reader

genre: fluff!!!!! suggestive in keitas, slightest suggestiveness in rickys

warnings: you drink in keitas, implying sexual activities in keitas??

w/c: 2k

authors note: hiiiii anon thanks for the first request i'll try hard to give what u asked for! i like doing these reactions in sets of four so i'll add keita and gyuvin :P its a little rushed so forgive me

ricky

it was korean thanksgiving and everyone had gone home. yet you and ricky being the only international trainees of your dorm, decided just to spend it together.

theres already been some tension during group practice, but nothing had been established. today you wanted to test the limits since it was just you two for a long weekend.

“okay everythings ready. we can start topping!” ricky cheered. you guys decided to do a pizza making competition, better tasting pizza wins, loser has to do something of the winners choice.

you guys start rolling out the dough and flattening it. both of you saucing your flat doughs at an equal pace. the similar pace had caused a conflict with the cheese though, you both grabbed it at the same time. your hand over his, but no one moving.

“you’re moving so quick, its not a timed competition,” ricky tried to be strong, but on the inside he was melting at your touch.

“mmm you should slow down too, your hand is really warm.” your sultry voice halted rickys brain function, it was enough for you to move his hand and take some extra cheese for your pizza.

he regained his composure and tried catching up to you because you were taking more toppings.

throughout, you kept knocking ur hip into ricky’s to distract him. he was playing along too, not without showing his blushing red ears.

“stop~ you’re so annoying y/n,” ricky grumbled, he was trying to put on his final details on his pizza but you kept tickling his sides softly. you were already done your pizza waiting for him to finish to put both in the oven together.

“okay…” you pout and turn to the counter sink, starting to wash some dishes. you knew he was joking but wanted to tease him a bit by acting upset.

“okay okay! i’m sorry, don’t be mad!” you felt ricky’s arms wrap around your waist, and the weight of his head on your shoulder, “get your saucy hands off me! freak,” you laugh and turn around, thankfully you had an apron on to stay clean. you both loved playful moments like these.

“i didn’t know you were so clingy,” you smile and poke his shoulder, “am i?” he genuinely asks, hoping your tone would indicate if his personality was a good thing or bad thing, “yeah but its cute so it’s okay… hurry! our pizzas need to be cooked!”

even though rickys ears are streaming from redness, he turns to quickly finish his pizza and you help each other put the pizzas in the preheated oven to cook.

once they’re done, you bring them out onto cutting boards, to cut and serve from the board since you guys were too lazy to plate it. your secret ingredient was brushing on some sweet and sour sauce on top of the pizza (a/n: its a really good dipping sauce u should try it).

ricky cuts up the pizzas and you both take a bite of your own pizza and then each others. by the time you’re half done your slice from ricky, he’s already finished two slices, relishing in your yummy cooking.

hes a talkative person but now that he knows he’s lost he can’t admit to anything. so you help him out, testing the upper limits of your guys’ relationship.

you come close to his body and lean over to whisper in his ear, “i really like you, ricky,” you can feel him tremble, gripping the counter, “but my pizza is way better.” you pull away, smirking knowing you’ve successfully broken him.

“god, you’re gonna kill me y/n.”

gunwook

"no, i swear he did it like this!"

"that doesn't make any sense though," you sigh, gunwook seems timid.

you were an established idol with 2 years of experience already. gunwook though? he was newly debuted and his manager said it would help solidify his reputation as an idol dancer.

right now, you guys were arguing between which move was correct to the original choreography video, your interpretation or his. its not exactly clear due to the low quality of the video, but the choreographer said he would come soon to help out anyways.

both you and gunwook were being stubborn about what you saw.

“i need a water break,” you walk to the back of the studio to get your waterbottle, gunwook does too.

you sit down on the bench nearby, gesturing gunwook to sit with you. he seemed afraid to go against a senior but didn’t want to stray from the choreo of an even more astonished kpop choreographer.

“look, i get it, you don’t wanna seem rude to me or our sunbae. so i’ll let you have the chance to fully explain why you think you’re right,” you close off your waterbottle and let him have the floor to talk.

he goes into detail about why his version makes the most sense and how well it relates to the story the choreographer is trying to portray. he gets up to show the dance move in slow motion

gunwook was both well-mannered and detailed, leaving no room for rebuttal. “wow, its like you’ve been on a debate team.”

“i have! we always won province championshi— thats not the point anyways y/n, do you see where im coming from?” he looks over his shoulder.

gunwook did have a fair point, he was also became more cute in your eyes. his passion for dance, his nerdy tendencies and his kindness kindled a warm flame in your heart. his attractiveness helped even more.

you stood up and walked up to gunwook, “okay, i’ll do it your way.” you leaned in closer to, his boba eyes widened as your face was mere inches away from his, his eys tracing down to your lips, “you’re lucky you’re cute y’know?” you know you’ve weakened him and let him go with a small smile.

“okay, let’s continue with practice,” your nonchalant manner caught gunwook off caught but he caught up to your pace when you played the music.

you adjusted to gunwooks moveafter practicing for about 30 minutes, and in the middle of cleaning the moves the choreographer came in.

you both bowed and dove straight into questions about the choreography.

“sir, gunwook and i were debating on this one 4-count, can you tell us which one in correct?” his simple nod led you to play the music and both you and gunwook show your two versions.

“wow, as per usual, y/n is correct. they’re very keen on the details and always on top of things.” the reassurance settled the debate between you two.

“ahh and gunwook convinced me i was wrong now we have to practice with my version.” you sigh and walked closer to gunwook, your presence seemed to be his weakspot, “maybe i shouldn’t let him off the hook very easily.”

the bright blush that gunwook’s cheeks grew was unavoidable. he couldn’t debate this one, he just accepted he was wrong. he found you really captivating and as a sunbae he had nothing but respect and attraction for you.

after practice, gunwook stopped you before you left with a snack from the vending machine in the building. “thank you for practice today y/n, i hope we can get closer m-maybe?” his nervousness at the end made him even more cute. he was whipped for you and no one could stop him.

“of course.” you smiled, taking the snack.

keita

keita was in the zone lyric writing for some upcoming collabs. he was an underground rapper and was seeking some inspiration, rather than being inside a cramped studio all day, he went to a pub.

it was moderately busy for a thursday night but keita was able to focus well. that was, until a bartender put a beer and some fries in front of him.

keita had already finished his drink but he never ordered another one. “oh sorry, i didn’t order this,” he tilted his head and pushed back the fries back to the bartender.

“sir, the pretty person there bought you this.” keita turns around to, well, you, a stunning person.

your attractive looks and sultry gaze as you stirred your own drink made keita blush and suddenly his hands felt clammy. he turns around to hide in embarrassment.

you frankly, find him endearing for it. you grab your drink and sit next to him at the bar. “hi handsome, got a name?”

keita tries to laugh off his nervousness, he didn’t want to ruin his chances by being weird, “keita, and yours is?” he tilts his head, “y/n.”

you end up asking about his notebook with lyrics and why he came out tonight and he answers with honesty.

“oh, for inspiration huh,” you say curiously, “maybe you’ll rap about me,” you giggle leaning in close, “you should memorize my face for better writing.”

you were coming on strong and keita couldnt handle his nerves, he wanted to show he could be strong too. he chugs his beer for some liquid encouragement, “don’t worry beautiful of course i will.”

your smile became bigger, not for the reason keita thought though. you took your thumb and wiped away the beer foam on his upper lip. he froze.

“sorry, you had a little something there cutie,” you lick off the remains off your finger.

keita grew even more red, not because of his asian glow but out of your bold flirting, he was loving the attention.

“you okay? nothing to be embarrassed about,” you say sipping your drink, “no you’re just so hot…” keita couldn’t believe how bold he was being now.

“maybe we can get out of here and see where this goes? how does that sound keita?” the way you said his name came out so seductive he couldn’t say no.

you took his hand and led him out the door, leaving the drinks and fries unfinished.

gyuvin

being a barista in a cafe near the han river was gruelling work because of how busy it gets during weekends and afterhours.

the nice part was always the empty hours, usually morning weekdays, this is usually when retired folks or people living near the river on their morning runs. this is where you can take things a bit more slow.

while cleaning a counter you saw a tall young guy with brown fluffy hair come in, particularly with a cute dog. “awww whats their name?” you tippy toe to get a better look at the dog from over the counter, “eumppappa!” the dog owner said excitedly.

getting a better look at the boy you realised he was really cute and you wanted to shoot your shot. but with the cameras on and your manager having a surveillance obsession, you couldn’t be too obvious.

the boy tapped his chin before making a decision, “uhm~ i’ll do a ice caramel latte.” you punched it into the register and grabbed a cup, “name?” and he told you.

“gyuvin… such a cute name,” your mumbling was loud enough to where you saw the tips of gyuvins ears get red.

he waited for his drink, sitting and scrolling on his phone. oblivious to his opportunities to talk to you while the cafe was empty. so you decided to take matters into your own hands.

“order for gyuvin!” you said loudly, he grabs a tissue before taking his coffee but you stop him, “oh i got a tissue for you,”

“oh thanks but its okay,”

“just take the extra then,” you take his hand and put the tissue in it.

he could see the black ink that spelled out your phone number. he looked puzzled,

“ma’am, someones number is on it.”

“yes its mine”

“oh what? why?”

“it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“no, why would someone give a stranger their num—“

“its because you’re cute and i wanna talk to you! just take it!” he was frustrating and embarrassing you at this point. gyuvin couldn’t be this oblivious, right?

“ohhh… you could’ve just told me. i think you’re cute too,”

nope, you were wrong, he was that oblivious.

“thank you but if my manager catches us, i’m screwed, go… go!” gyuvin wasnt catching the hint at first but then scrambled out with his dog.

later that night, he texted you and apologized for causing you trouble and you couldn’t help but laugh at his cute texting style and his apology

#boys planet #mnet boys planet #kpop #shen ricky #zb1 #zb1 drabbles #zb1 imagines #zb1 gunwook #zb1 ricky #zb1 gyuvin #kim gyuvin #keita ciipher #keita terazono #park gunwook #zerobase1 #zerobaseone imagines #beplerblurbsmultiple

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jebewonmorelike · 11 months

Text

Chocolate Milk

wc: 4.8k pronouns: none used; n/a -- reader has femme best friend warnings: angstttt, fluffy ending, matthew being mean, swearing, mention of alcohol, matthew is a stranger and reader has to live with him, financial struggle/unemployment, a few inappropriate jokes but nothing explicit (think pg-13), consumption of a concerning amount of chocolate milk over a 6 week period warnings for spicy cut-scene: suggestive/mature themes; minors dni (link is here and will also be in the fic for the appropriate context and placement; fic makes perfect sense without cut scene as well it's just for funsies) summary: a down-on-their-luck reader has to crash on bandmemberandgymrat!matthew's couch for the foreseeable future. a couple problems with this: matthew is incredibly hot and also a major asshole ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ OH MY GOD. IT'S DONE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO. I DID IT. THIS ONE NEARLY ENDED ME WOW I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED IT. i hope you LOVE it; matthew is for sure more like woohyun in this and he is hot and so mean and cocky and... enjoy this, please i'm begging you. <3

Why me?

You had been screaming this question over and over again in your head for the past twenty minutes. Your friend had texted you this afternoon that she'd finally found a contact who had a place for you to crash for awhile. The address she sent you had been a bit far away from the place you were currently crashing and you didn't have enough money for an Uber, so after an hour on the subway this evening and a thirty minute walk after that, you had finally knocked on the door of the apartment your friend had sent you to.

The boy that had opened the door, though shorter in height was muscular and sported several tattoos-- and you knew this because he had greeted you in a black, fitted tank top and boxers. Albeit, you had been quite a bit later than you said you would be, but the fact that he hadn't said more than ten words to you since you'd arrived with your suitcase in hand wasn't helping you to forgive his too-comfortable appearance.

Standing a few feet behind him in the kitchen area, you watch as the boy opens the refrigerator door. Fishing into one of the drawers, he pulls out a water bottle and tosses it to you.

He fails to warn you of the incoming object, however, and before you can scramble to catch it, it connects with your face.

You stare at each other for a long moment until you feel something tickling the skin beneath your nose.

"You're bleeding," the boy says, still expressionless as he continues to stare at you. "And you suck at catching things."

Bringing your hand up to your face, you run your fingers across the skin that is tingling under your nose. He was right: bright, red blood is coating your fingertips.

"Oh, um," you mumble, looking around for something to wipe your nose with. "Is--... Do you have a--?"

A tissue box hurtling towards your face shuts you up as your hands reach up in a panic to catch it.

"Better that time," the boy says, eyebrows raised ever so slightly in amusement.

Pulling a tissue from the tissue box, you dab it around your nose to remove the blood that is still flowing from it. You swallow nervously, glaring at the boy who has been nothing but rude to you this entire time.

He takes a sip from the glass of chocolate milk sitting beside him before placing it on the island counter that he's leaning against. "Is it broken?"

"What?" You ask, brow furrowing softly.

"Your nose," he responds, meeting your gaze again. "Is it broken?"

You frown. "I doubt it. It doesn't even hurt really."

"Damn," he says, shaking his head. "Disappointing."

Your eyebrows raise incredulously at the boy's words. "Were you trying to break my nose!?"

"Nah, of course not," he denies, turning to look at his right bicep. He prods the muscle before adding, "Just kind of pathetic that I couldn't, you know? Guess I've gotta up my reps from now on."

You're not sure when your jaw started dropping, but it clearly had no intention of stopping any time soon. "You--... You--."

Before you can say anything else, the boy places his empty glass in the sink and walks out of the kitchen area and towards his bedroom-- leaving you entirely speechless. After a moment of internally screaming 'wtf', you turn around to yell at him.

"HEY!" You shout, catching the boy just as he's about to shut the door to his bedroom. "What are you doing!?"

"Closing the door," he answers simply, starting to close the door again.

"Closing the--," you say, tongue pressed to your cheek as you look up to the ceiling and shake your head in disbelief. "This was a terrible mistake. I’m leaving.”

Walking towards the apartment door, you wrap your hand around the handle of your suitcase and pull it behind you. As you reach the door, you turn the knob and throw it open in a huff…

Only to suddenly feel your suitcase gain 100 pounds.

You tug at it uselessly to try to get it to budge, but eventually you are forced to give up and turn back around to see what the problem is.

Finding the suitcase handle, your breath hitches when you see a hand gripping the blue plastic next to yours. You follow that veiny hand up past the arm its connected to until you’re finally looking its owner in the eye.

You swallow hard, not knowing how to properly react as you pull the suitcase harder. “Let go.”

He does, but the sudden lack of equal and opposite force on the suitcase sends you flying back against the door— shutting it closed behind you in the process.

The boy steps towards you, your heart racing in response as your mind runs through all the possible ways he could kill you and dispose of your body.

Click.

His fingers turn the lock on the doorknob.

Clank.

He locks the deadbolt above it.

“PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!” You shout suddenly, no longer able to contain your fear.

He stares at you for a moment, face less than a foot away from yours. Then, he snorts. “I was actually trying to keep you from getting killed. I don’t know if you noticed, but this building isn’t in that great of an area. The guy down the hall got murdered at the vending machine at 10 P.M. just last week actually.”

You blink back at him, wide eyed.

“But if you'd prefer to go out there, I’ll just go ahead and open this door up for you and you can—.”

You turn around, pressing your hands against the door to keep him from opening it. “I’ll just… stay here. But only for tonight.”

“Sure you will.”

You frown, turning back around to face him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I know you have nowhere else to go, so,” the boy says, face expressionless. “You wouldn’t be trying to shack up on some rando’s couch for the foreseeable future if you weren’t.”

You sigh. The asshole is unfortunately right.

“I go to the gym early every morning and I have band practice until late at night-- which I missed tonight for you; who decided it was polite and reasonable to be two hours late without even sending a text," he says, walking back towards his room. “But what I'm getting at is: you won't see me unless you're trying to. So I'll know if you're trying to."

Scoffing, you stand there with your suitcase in this bastard of a man’s apartment-- completely helpless to the situation at hand.

“But if I hear so much as a peep out of you while I’m sleeping, you’re out on the street-- do you hear me?”

He doesn't wait for you to answer. Instead, he shuts the door to his room closed; leaving you alone in the combined kitchen and living area in the small one bedroom apartment. Resignedly, you slink towards the couch and sit down; finally pulling out your phone to text your friend after experiencing this utter disaster that she had set you up for.

BITCH WTF

???

this man is the rudest, most insufferable human being in the world. why did u tell me to go live with him

Matthew? Insufferable? Maybe a bit abrasive but...

he threw a water bottle at my face so hard my nose bled and then got upset when he found out it wasn't broken

Awww... I think he likes you :)

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? he's a fucking crazy person

You just don't know each other yet. Don't worry too much about it. You needed a place to stay and you got one... Beggars can't be choosers

watch it

Gn xx

You throw your phone down beside you onto the couch, lying down on your back as you curse your friend.

Matthew...

He hadn't even had the common courtesy to introduce himself. In fact, you would've gone on not knowing his name if it wasn't for your friend having told you just now.

Luckily, even in the strange new environment, exhaustion begins to take over after the long train ride and walk you'd been on all evening. Sinking into the old, leather couch and pulling the navy blue throw blanket draped on its arm over your body, you eventually drift off while scrolling through TikTok as the hum of the refrigerator lulls you to sleep.

A few days pass quietly in this way. Though Matthew had claimed you'd never see him unless you tried, you'd found it easy at first to get a glimpse of him when he came in through the apartment door around 2 A.M. every night. The click of the doorknob and clank of the deadbolt always stirred you from your sleep, though you'd keep your eyes closed as he walked past where you laid on the couch.

But one night, just as you were falling back to sleep after Matthew had come home about a half hour prior, you hear his bedroom door click open.

Curiously, you watch as Matthew walks to the fridge, opening the door and peering inside. In the refrigerator light, you can’t help but notice that his features are much softer and sleepier than usual.

“Stop staring,” he says suddenly, jolting you upright on the couch.

You stare at him wide-eyed in the dim light, not sure whether to deny his claim or not. “I wasn’t staring. I—.”

“So why were you pretending to be asleep, huh?” He challenges, eyes boring into you. When you fail to answer, he concludes, “That’s what I thought.”

Matthew sticks his head back in the fridge for a moment before resurfacing— a puzzled look on his face. “Huh.”

“What?”

He closes the refrigerator door, holding up the new carton of chocolate milk you had picked up from the corner store down the street that afternoon. “Where did this come from?”

“I got it today,” you answer with a shrug. “I saw you were out so I grabbed some on my way back here.”

Matthew blinks back at you for several seconds, the puzzled look on his face unfading even after your explanation. He walks to the cupboard and pulls out a glass, setting it on the table as he unscrews the cap of the carton and pours. "I didn't ask you to do that."

Your eyebrows raise in shock at his condemnation of the favor you'd attempted to do for him. "Bastard," you mumble under your breath.

"Don't waste your money," he says, bringing the glass to his lips and chugging the liquid in less than three seconds. "You're supposed to be saving it," he scolds as he sets the glass in the sink, walking out of the kitchen and back to his room.

"And go to bed."

That's all Matthew says before the door to his bedroom slams shut once more.

~super spicy cut scene 🌶️ HERE 🌶️... minors dni ... continue reading below ... rest of story makes full sense without additional scene so return here after reading or SKIP IF YOU ARE A MINOR~

You don't see Matthew again for another week. You've been exercising again, tiring your body out so you can sleep well on the old leather couch that you now call your bed. You wake up each morning and its as if the boy had never come home at all.

The only sign of his existence is another empty glass in the sink, which had undoubtedly been filled with chocolate milk the night before while you were sleeping just a few feet away.

You wash each new empty glass every morning. He must notice, but he never says anything.

You've applied to several music teaching jobs, but haven't made it past the interview stage for any of them so far. Most of them say they're looking for someone with more recent experience at this point. You're now considering branching out to any field that will hire you.

You're asleep by 10 P.M. tonight, a long walk that accidentally ended up being mostly uphill turning your legs to jelly as they melted into the beat-up couch. It's one of the soundest sleeps you've ever had, until a soft melody begins to wake you...

Eyes fluttering awake much to your chagrin, you look around the room expecting to see light flooding through the windows. You're surprised instead when the only light you see is leaking through a crack in Matthew's bedroom door.

The strumming of an acoustic guitar, accompanied by a gentle male voice is what must have woken you. You sit upright, wiping the sleep from your eyes as you grab your phone from the end table and check the time.

2:34 A.M. He must've just gotten home from band practice, you think. Why is he still playing?

Curiously, you stand up and tiptoe to Matthew's bedroom door. He hadn't shut it all the way and you can see him in the reflection of his standing mirror. He's wearing grey sweatpants and a black, fitted tank top as he works the guitar-- eyes closed and brows furrowed tensely as he sings with it.

He looks hot.

You shake your head quickly, expelling the troubling thought as soon as it pops into your head and correcting it:

He looks frustrated.

You listen closer, trying to catch the lyrics or the tone of the song. Matthew's voice is a lot better than you thought it would be. You had secretly been hoping he sucked so that you could hold it over the asshole's head forever. But he doesn't suck. And far from it...

But there is something slightly off. You place your ear closer to the door, trying to figure out what the problem is. As he holds out the last note of a particular phrase, it hits you.

And you accidentally hit the door, sending it flying open as Matthew's eyes meet yours through the mirror. You grimace awkwardly as he stares back at you unamusedly.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?"

You step into Matthew's bedroom, looking around through sleepy eyes at each corner. You were surprised to find he had a bed frame and not an old, messy mattress on the floor. He had seemed like the type.

"You woke me up," you say with a frown. "Why are you allowed to make noise while I'm sleeping?"

"Because I'm the only one paying rent," he says simply, raising a small glass of what looks to be whiskey to his lips.

Your brows furrow defensively. "I was going to help with rent."

"With what money?" He asks rhetorically, setting the glass back down on his desk. "Have you found a job yet?"

Chewing your cheek in defeat, you answer softly, "No."

"Mm," he hums in response, returning his attention to his guitar.

"But I've been trying," you add, folding your arms across your chest. "Really hard. It's just that my field is... saturated."

"Mmhm," he mumbles dismissively. You shake your head, rolling your eyes at the boy who you were now forced to coexist with.

"Whatever. I was actually gonna tell you you sounded nice," you say, walking back towards the door. "But you actually sounded pretty flat so. Choke on a dick."

You're just about to step back into the living area when Matthew calls softly behind you, "Did I actually sound flat?"

You turn around and nod at him, taking in his curious expression for a moment. "It's most noticeable on the ending pitches."

"I knew it," he says, sighing in defeat.

This is the first time you've ever seen real emotion from Matthew. He's definitely upset that he's not sounding the way he wants to. It's refreshing to see him give a shit about something for once.

"It's because you're lingering on your consonants too long," you advise calmly as his eyes meet yours. "You need to get to your vowels faster or you're gonna stay under the pitch."

His eyes narrow suspiciously. "How do you know that? What are you-- some sort of vocal coach?"

"Uh," you stumble, smiling awkwardly back at him. "Yeah, actually."

"No you're not," he accuses with a frown. "I've never heard you sing before. Not even once."

"Obviously. I'm not allowed to make a peep while you're here or you'll kick me out, remember?"

Matthew leans back in his desk chair. "You're being for real? You're really a trained vocal coach?"

You nod, pressing your lips together. "I'm also a jazz saxophonist. Turns out neither are very lucrative professions."

He's silent-- just staring back at you as if he's lost in thought.

"You have a good voice, though," you say, walking towards the door once more when it seems like he's not going to respond to you again tonight. "And I liked the song. But I think it could use some work."

You take one last look at him, his face soft and sleepy like it had been that night a few days after you'd just moved in. He's gazing down at his guitar, tapping his fingers against the body lightly before you finally close the door.

"Well I've been afraid of changing, 'cause I built my life around you..."

The lyrics flow out of you as the hot water hits your body and falls down to the floor of the shower beneath you. Matthew might live in a shitty apartment building, but one thing they did have...

Good water pressure.

"But time makes you bolder; even children get older and I'm feeling older, too..."

Thud.

You freeze as you hear a loud noise come from the other side of the bathroom door. A million thoughts race through your head, but one sticks out most of all: is someone else in the apartment?

Matthew wouldn't be home for hours. And you'd deadbolted the door to the apartment...

Hadn't you?

Fight response kicking in, you shut off the water and fling open the shower curtain. Wrapping a large towel around you, you open the bathroom door and step into the living area cautiously. Walking around, you look for any signs of an intruder but, after a thorough search... you don't find any.

What you do find is your phone on the ground next to the couch, when you were sure you'd placed it on the end table. But with the windows open and the summer evening breeze blowing into the apartment, you try to convince yourself as best you can that your phone has simply fallen off its perch.

Changing into your pajamas, you watch TV for a while before falling asleep for the night on your makeshift bed.

Bzzzzzz. Bzzzzzz.

The light buzzing against your chest wakes you up, looking around in a daze for the culprit. Finally, you locate your phone and bring it up to your face; blinking the sleep away as you read the screen as best as you can.

3:57 A.M.

Mom

Decline Accept

You decline the call quickly after reading the time, instead texting your mother:

i can't talk. what's wrong?

Your mom types back fast, as expected:

Nothing's wrong honey! Just wanted to give you a head's up that we had to put your dad's gambling debt on your debit card this month. Luv u x

Your heart jumps to your throat. "No, no, no, no, no," you whisper as your fingers frantically find your mobile banking app. You tap it open, clicking through to your account total which now reads:

-$3,367

Suddenly, you're nauseous and scared and devastated all at once. You had saved $300 in the time since you'd gotten your part-time job at the Italian restaurant around the corner from you two weeks ago. And just like that, you were in serious debt once more.

Would this nightmare ever end?

You're not sure when you started sobbing, but the tears are flowing and they're now a completely unstoppable force. Covering your mouth with your hand, you attempt to stifle the sound of your crying as much as you feasibly can.

But it's all in vain.

The door to Matthew's room flies open, anger radiating off of him. But then he squeezes his eyes shut tightly, reopening them after a moment to stare blankly back at you. He's unmoving as you continue to sob until he finally walks past you to the kitchen area.

Matthew opens the refrigerator door, pulling out a fresh carton of chocolate milk. He opens the cupboard and pulls out a glass before filling it up halfway. He returns to the carton to the fridge and walks over to where you're sitting on the couch, glass in hand.

"Because you're crying like a giant baby, I figured you might need some milk," the boy says, hand with the glass extending out to you.

His words are harsh and sarcastic, but his expression is surprisingly soft. You notice his hair is slightly messy from sleep and his cheeks are puffier than usual. He looks almost innocent...

"Do I have to beat someone up?" He asks quietly.

Suddenly, you realize: this glass of chocolate milk could be Matthew's version of an olive branch.

You take the glass from his hand, slowly bringing it to your lips and taking a sip. You hold the glass in your lap as you meet his gaze.

"I hope not," you say softly. "Considering you wouldn't even be able to break their nose..."

Matthew blinks at you for a few seconds before a sudden grin lights up his face. His smile is broad and happy and if you weren't already sitting down, it would've knocked you off your feet.

The crinkles in the corner of his eyes are youthful and endearing and the laugh that comes out of him is enough to light the entire apartment in the dark.

What the fuck is going on?

When he sees you staring back at him confused, he coughs lightly in what seems to be embarrassment as he averts your gaze. "Go to sleep," he says, walking back to his room quickly. "You can keep crying in the morning."

Though Matthew's words themselves aren't overly comforting, there's something behind them-- something in his voice or maybe the way he glances at back at you before closing the door-- that makes you think that the boy who had once been disappointed he didn't break your nose... might actually give a shit about you after all.

"HOLY FUCK!" You scream, bolting upright from your sleep the next morning when you open your eyes to Matthew staring back at you.

He smirks. "A good face to wake up to, right?"

"No," you say, gripping your heart with your hand. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I hope I didn't," he says, standing up from where he's sitting on the floor in front of you. "You're not getting a new couch no matter how much you shit on it."

"You're more chipper than usual this morning," you say, stretching your arms above your head before dropping them to your lap in sudden realization. "Wait... It's the morning! You're not supposed to be here!"

Matthew laughs, walking over to the kitchen island and grabbing his keys. "Come on. We're going."

"What?" You ask confusedly. "Going where?"

"To breakfast," he answers simply.

"Why would we--?"

"Because there's no food in the house," he answers plainly again.

You frown. "I was gonna go pick up some groceries yesterday, but--."

"But you didn't," he cuts you off again quickly. "So you have 100 seconds to get ready and then we're going."

You blink at him, wondering what on earth had gotten into this man.

"100... 99... 98..." Matthew begins counting down; the sudden pressure causing you to jump to your feet, grab some clothes from your suitcase next to the couch and run to the bathroom.

Panicking, you brush your teeth and wash the sleep from your eyes before changing into the jeans and shirt you had haphazardly plucked from your suitcase. Fixing your hair, you can hear Matthew still counting faintly from outside the bathroom door.

You fling it open just as he's about to say "seven"; brushing past him to grab your phone from the couch.

"Oh look at you," he says, a smug little smile on his lips. "So efficient with your time."

"Let's just go," you mumble, unlocking the door to the apartment and stepping outside in a huff as you watch the smile on Matthew's face only grow wider.

"Can I have your cream?"

Your eyes widen in shock. "My--... my cream?"

"Yeah, your coffee cream," he says, pointing to the tiny containers of milk creamer that you've left untouched next to your coffee cup. "If you're not gonna use it."

"I--... I am gonna use it actually, thank you very much," you huff out, trying to shake the image that Matthew had unknowingly created from your mind as you pick up one of the creamer packets and dump it into your coffee.

You look up at Matthew as you place the empty container down to find the infuriatingly attractive boy smirking at you-- teeth lightly biting down on the left side of his bottom lip.

"Did you think I meant something else?" He asks with a cocky chuckle.

You pour the second packet of creamer into your coffee, exhaling deeply as you chew your cheeks to keep yourself from screaming. "If you had, I would've poured this hot coffee down your shirt."

"I'll admit that's a very creative way to get a glimpse under my shirt," Matthew counters, leaning back in the booth seat and folding his arms across his chest. He positions his forearms just under where his pectoral muscles end, humorously trying to emphasize them for you.

It is unfortunately having its desired affect on you.

"If I had known that you stopping being so rude to me would lead to you amping up the inappropriate flirting I would've--."

"Tried to make it happen sooner?" Matthew says, raising his eyebrows in a challenge.

You pick up your spoon and dunk it in your coffee cup, stirring a little too aggressively as some of the hot liquid splashes onto the table. You're about to grab a napkin to wipe up the small spill, but a veiny, slightly-calloused hand beats you to it.

He dabs up the spill with his napkin and retracts his hand before meeting your gaze again. "I know you're in serious debt."

You stare back at him, not sure whether or not to deny his accusation. Ultimately, you're too curious to fight back. "How do you know?"

"You left your phone open," he says nonchalantly. "When I was getting ready to go to the gym this morning, your bank info was just lying there."

You laugh sadly. "Good thing I have nothing to steal."

"I thought you were working at that restaurant on 5th Street," he says, taking a sip from his coffee mug. "What happened to that?"

"Nothing happened," you say, staring into your own cup of coffee. "I'm still working there."

"And you haven't managed to save anything?" He asks, eyes free of their usual judgment. "Is that why you were upset?"

Slowly, you shake your head. Why you were about to divulge your personal information to a virtual stranger (albeit a virtual stranger that you live with) was beyond you. But you answer honestly anyway, "My parents charged their own debt to my account this month. It's not the first time they've done it. It won't be the last."

Matthew studies you for a second. "Does that have anything to do with why you had nowhere to live in the first place?"

"I was fine paying it off for a while, each time they'd add a new charge. I'd just spend a little less that month. A lotta less, actually. But I was fine," you explain slowly. "But when the pandemic hit, the arts school I was teaching at closed down. And so did a lot of other arts and music programs across the country. And I just haven't been able to find a job or recover financially since."

The boy sitting across from you is quiet for a few moments, taking a sip of his coffee and placing the cup back down on its saucer. You think maybe he's reached his talking quota for the day, when he suddenly says, "I know someone who needs a vocal coach."

You tilt your head curiously to the side. "Who?"

"Me."

Unfortunately you'd taken a sip of your coffee just before Matthew had given his answer. You choke slightly as the hot liquid goes down the wrong pipe from the shock; clearing your throat before responding, "WHAT!?"

"Someone whose band just got signed to a local record label is gonna need a good vocal coach, don't you think?"

You watch as a smile grows on his face; the sun suddenly making an appearance smack-dab in the middle of Joe's City Diner. It's impossible to keep the corners of your lips from also turning up when your roommate has suddenly decided to start being the cutest person you've ever seen before.

"That's--... That's amazing," you congratulate him. "Breakfast is on m--."

"Me," he says with a laugh. "It's on me. Unless we're dining and ditching. But I wanna be able to keep coming back here, so let's just let me pay, yeah?"

A little embarrassed, you nod in agreement. "Right."

"Plus, it's my way to convince you to be my vocal coach," he says with a smirk. "Is it working?"

You sigh, a small smile forming on your lips, too. "I dunno. I'm kind of out of practice at this point..."

"I'll pay you $75/hour for two lessons a week."

"Deal," you say quickly, hand extending across the table before you can even think it through properly.

He grins, taking your hand in his and shaking it. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"You as well," you say quietly, blushing as you retract your hand. “But… can I ask why? If you have $150 to spare, you could hire anyone. And, honestly, I thought that you hated me until... Until right now, actually. Why are you helping me?”

Matthew chews his lip for a second, folding his hands in his lap. “Because you bought me chocolate milk.”

A little pout forms on your lip as you try to figure out what he’s talking about. “What?”

“When I ran out,” he says, nodding simply. “You went to the corner store and got me a new carton. When you first moved in.”

You frown. “You told me never to do that again!”

“I told you not to waste your money again,” he says shrugging. “But it was thoughtful of you… and I appreciated it.”

You blink back at him, not sure what to say to his after-the-fact thank you. After a moment, you nod-- a small smile on your lips.

He takes another sip of his coffee. "And you're not out of practice by the way."

Your eyebrows furrow, wondering what Matthew means by this.

"I heard you singing last night in the shower," he says, smiling. "I knew for sure you weren't lying when I heard you."

Suddenly, you remember the thud you had heard while showering the night before. "YOU WERE LISTENING TO ME SHOWER!?"

Matthew laughs. "I forgot my capo at home and I needed it for band practice and--..." The smile drops from his face when he realizes what you had meant. "NO! No, oh my god, no. No, no, no-- not like that I--."

"Why so defensive?" You ask with a smirk, one eyebrow cocking playfully. "Just wanted to show you I can play that game, too."

You watch relief floods his face as he grins. "I'd ask you to put your money where your mouth is, but..."

"Asshole."

His smile exudes a bit of fondness now, much different from his smirk or his sunshine-filled grin. It's soft; warm. "You have a beautiful voice."

You look down int your coffee cup, bottom lip tucking between your teeth awkwardly. "Thanks."

"And if you sing while I'm home, I won't kick you out. In fact, that can be your rent payment."

You start to shake your head in protest, but he just laughs.

"That way I don't have to eavesdrop while you shower," Matthew jokes. "Unless you want me to."

"You've got to be kidding--."

"And maybe we can get breakfast like this more often."

There's a flutter in your heart again. Just like when he'd told you to go to bed earlier this morning. His words weren't flowery or overly emotional or caring in themselves...

But it's that look in his eyes; the tone in his voice.

"Breakfast and vocal lessons it is," you agree softly. "But I get to add something to the deal too..."

He smiles at you, brows raised in anticipation.

"You share your chocolate milk with me more often."

Matthew's eyes narrow as he studies you for a moment. You think for a second that his love for chocolate milk might be too strong...

But then he nods.

"Deal."

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