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jisungsplatforms · 3 years

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[Chapter I: Let’s Party!]

Pairing: Producer/Music Major! Han Jisung x Photographer! fem! reader

Genre: NSFW! Smut; non idol au, college au, strangers to lovers

Warnings: strong language, use of alcoholic beverages, drunken antics, ?? jackson wang is throwing a party?? (jk he’s not aljsks. changbin is tho), nothing filthy in this chapter, unfortunately :/ just plot build up

Chapter word count: 2.6k words

Taglist: @hyunjeongins @seungstarss @es-kay-zee @hyunjinsplaything @formidxble @freckledquokka (want to be added? send an ask or a dm! <3)

Haven University; school of the elite. From the academically inclined to the artistically blessed, only those who were gifted with such talents are accepted to augment their potential. The perfect school for the sensational.

...And like every other school with young hormonal adults, also the perfect school for a good fuck.

“Another outstanding submission, Y/n! Keep up the great work!”

You smiled at your photography teacher, Mr. Kim, bowing humbly as you thanked him. You were proud. Praise after praise for your picture taking skills only heightened your motivation to be the best even more. Photography has always been your passion. Ever since you were given your very first camera at the age of 5 years old- which, in retrospect, was actually a toy camera, you already knew that it is something you would want to pursue.

In the middle of your teacher’s praises with another student, the bell rang. “Looks like we ran out of time, folks. Great job again, Seungmin. Everyone, class dismissed,” he said, jokingly using shooing gestures. “Now hurry up and get out of my face, you delinquents. Lunch time awaits. Go replenish your life force.”

You began gathering your belongings, slinging your precious DSLR camera around your neck. “Outstanding submission, young photographer.” You heard someone say. You turned around to see Seungmin grinning at you.

You snort out a laugh. “Thanks. Great job to you too, Seungmo.” Seungmin was about to respond when your instructor’s voice interrupted.

“Oh. Except Y/n. Please stay a little bit after class, for me, dear.” You and Seungmin shared a glance, nodding for him to go ahead without you. He pats your shoulder, bidding you goodbye. You continued packing your things into your bag. As the rest of the students left the room, you walked towards Mr. Kim’s desk, waiting for his word. “Hello, Y/n.”

“Hello, sir. You wanted to talk to me?”

“Ah yes. I wanted to ask you this,” your instructor paused, sitting on his desk. “How much do you love photography?”

You paused, wanting to convey the exact feelings you wanted to express. “Photography is an escape for me,” you answered. “It’s another form of art that helps people convey the emotions and stories people want to tell. Some people express their emotions through music and lyrics, others through paintings, and others through dance. For me, personally, I’m not all that good in any of those aspects, sir. That is why I work so hard when it comes to this class, and in photography in general.” You unconsciously caressed the camera slung around your neck. “And to me, the stories behind a photo is a lot more intimate in a way that I just can’t explain.”

“Because...this is the only way for you to express yourself? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” You nodded. Mr. Kim hummed in thought. “I see.” He stood up and walked to you, placing his warm hands on your shoulder. “I admire you, kid.”

“You...admire me?” You were confused. The teacher admires his student? Isn’t it usually the other way around?

“Oh yeah. Is that hard to believe?”

“Uhm...Kinda, yeah.”

Mr. Kim laughed mirthfully, amused by your bewilderment and doubt. “Well, believe it. You have spunk. Soul. Your work impart emotions I have never seen from my other students before. You’re passionate about what you do, and I like that. You take digital arts very seriously.”

You laughed awkwardly, the amount of praise your instructor was giving you made you happy. “I do, sir. Kinda a shame not a lot of people even consider it an art.”

“Indeed,” he replied, sitting down on his desk. “Which is why I wanted to give you an impromptu assignment. I want to assign you a story telling type of assignment; to write a story using your photography skills, if that makes sense.”

“Hm, yes? I think I get a jist of what you're trying to tell me.”

“Excellent. I just want to use this to monitor your skills, Y/n. You’re a very talented person, the most talented I’ve ever had even. I just want to see how much of that potential you really have so I can help you blossom it into something greater.”

“Oh,” you draw out, somewhat understanding why he picked you. “I see, sir. I’m honored that you’ve picked me.”

“You should,” he joked. “Now, I want you to photograph the following- write or type this down before you forget.” You hastily whipped out your phone from your pocket. “Ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay. I want you to capture the perfect scenes. Give me something that gives you joy. Something that makes you emotional, good or bad or even both, if you can. Something you fear, and finally, something that you love unconditionally. These are all supposed to be different photos, by the way. Got that?”

You finished typing a few seconds later. “And...got it.”

“Awesome!” he smiled. “Just know that I’ll be giving you only 3 months to complete the assignment. I hope that this isn’t too much to ask of you, but I’m sure someone as ambitious as you doesn’t mind, right?”

“Nope, sir! Everything will be a-okay!”

“I’m glad! Now move along and get to the canteen already. I’m sure you’re just as hungry as I am.”

You giggled, making your way to the door. “Thank you sir! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Oh, finally! There you are! We were starving waiting for you!” You rolled your eyes at Minho, who immediately decided to pick on you the second you entered his field of sight.

“Shut up, you could’ve eaten without me you know?”

“Nah, cause what kind of friends would we be if you ate without you?”

“You just want to steal some of my food, don’t you?”

Minho scoffed and went quiet, prompting Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jeongin to laugh. “Caught you red-handed, Hyung,” Hyunjin teased, which backfired immediately causing him to chant an apology after Minho gave him a look.

“So why did you take so long, Y/n?” Jeongin asked.

“Oh, Mr. Kim wanted to give me an extra assignment.”

“Extra assignment?” Seungmin questioned. “What for?”

You shrugged, sitting down. “Uh, to test me? I’m not sure but I honestly think that there’s something more behind it. Not in like a bad way, just to clarify. I mean, he did acknowledge that I’m the best in his class after all.”

Seungmin snorted. “I just know you meant that unironically.” You jokingly blew a raspberry at him.

“Of course Y/n is the best!” Hyunjin stuck his chin up. “Let’s be honest, anyone could be the best if they use me as their model!”

“Hey, Hyunjin? You wanna eat this straw?” Minho threatened, making Hyunjin shut up.

“No...?”

“Good. Get off your high horse, prince charming.”

The three of you laughed. “Poor Hyunjin,” Jeongin sympathized sardonically.

“Hyunjin please stick to dancing and uh- not dying,” you said. “I still need you alive for some more upcoming projects.”

“For me too,” said Seungmin. “I might start using you as my model as well.”

Hyunjin fake cried, “Y’all just like me for my looks!”

“I mean, there’s no denying you are incredibly handsome but we like your personality too, Hyunie, don’t worry,” you cheered him up, then turned to Jeongin. “What about you, Yeni? How’re you holding up now that Lix is gone?”

Jeongin gasped. “I miss him! I’m so lonely now, especially when I have theatre! I feel so awkward now that girls swarm up to me instead- and you know I’m a shy boy!”

“Hey! At least you’re more popular now!” Minho laughed.

“Well, now we have no choice but to remember Felix in our hearts,” Seungmin replied.

“I’m not fucking dead. I just switched majors!” the four of you turned to see Felix pouting at you all.

“Well, you’re dead to me!” Jeongin wailed. “Going from a theatre major to a dance major. How could you?!”

Felix chuckled, sitting down between Seungmin and Jeongin. “I’m sorry! You know I’ll still see you though, buddy!”

“Why don’t you just switch to a regular vocal major next semester, Yeni?” you asked.

“Nah. I originally did want to go for just regular vocal studies but, you know, even if I did accidently sign up for the class, I ended up finding something else I wanna do. Plus, theatre is surprisingly fun! You know, find something new that’ll change your life every day.”

“Yup! Especially since they often collab with the dance majors so we get to see each other a lot!” Hyunjin beamed while Minho nodded in acknowledgment.

“Oh, speaking of dancing,” Minho chimed in. “You guys wanna go to a party I was invited to?”

“No,” Seungmin immediately responded.

“No, not you, I knew you would say no. I meant the others.”

Hyunjin nodded, “I was invited to the same party you’re talking about, so yeah.”

“Can’t,” Felix replied. “I’m still getting used to my new major and I still have a few assignments to catch up on.”

Jeongin hummed in agreement. “Same here. We have a play coming up soon and I’m a lead this time, so I gotta stay home to rehearse as much as I can.”

Minho made a stank face, “Aww. Lame.” He turned to you. “What about you, Y/n? You down?”

You thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

“Really?” All 5 boys looked at you incredulously.

“Yeah. I might find some inspiration while I’m there. Besides you know I’ll just be leeching off of Hyunie and Min the whole time.”

Minho and Hyunjin high-fived, cheering a quiet ‘yes!’ Hyunjin giggled. “This is great cause we might need a designated back up driver in case I get drunk and Minho-hyung abandons me!”

“Now that you’ve said that, I might seriously consider that,” Minho grinned. “We’ll pick you up at 8 sharp! Y/n!”

‘8:53pm’ You wanted to go home already.

The boys, true to their word, picked you up at 8:00pm. With little to no traffic- and the fact that Hyunjin actually got ready early so that they wouldn’t be an hour late- the three of you made it to the party around 8:20pm. Even then there were already a lot of people there.

“What the fuck. This house is huge!” you gawked. “Can you even consider this a house still?!”

Hyunjin shrugged. “I’d say this more of a mansion at this point.” All you do mutter a constant chant of ‘what the fuck. what the fuck’ over and over again. “Who’s house is this again, Minho?”

“Changbin’s, remember? Jisung said they’re celebrating in his house,” Minho replied.

“Well this Changbin dude is LOADED,” you mused. Even in the dim lighting, you could see the elegance of the house, which most likely costs more than your entire tuition. “I’d hate to be the one who has to clean up the place.” The boys lead you to the kitchen, helping you avoid the crowd cause, in your words, ‘ew yucky people’. There, they brought you to two men wearing all black, who were hanging out on the island counter. Their names were Changbin- the handsome rich boy who owns the house, the lucky bastard- and Chan- another handsome rich boy with the cutest laugh and dimples, both really sweet and hilarious men, whom you very much enjoyed talking to...

That was the last memory you had before it went downhill.

It took 33 minutes and 4 soju bottles later for Hyunjin to get drunk. Chan and Changbin were back at the booth, manning the song list for the night while Minho was somewhere with some guy in a red beanie doing absolutely nothing, so here you were: stuck babysitting your best friend. “Y/n! Y/n!”

You sighed hearing Hyunjin drunkenly call you. Again. “Yes, Hyunie?”

“I looove you~!” he sang while giving you finger hearts, rocking on the balls of his feet. You sighed again, rubbing your temple.

“Yeah yeah. I know. Love you too.”

“Y/n!” Your left eye twitched. You whipped out your phone from your bra to text Minho.

Me: You bitch.

Help me

Minho ho ho 😼: Hi

You glowered. You quickly glanced up to check Hyunjin, who was now sitting on the carpeted floor in front of you, counting his luscious black hair.

Me: He’s-he’s counting his hair… Please get him. It’s like watching a bird repeatedly hitting glass

Minho ho ho 😼: At least he’s not making any trouble now, is he?

He fucking jinxed it. Hyunjin stood up with a shocked look on his face. “What’s wrong, Hyunjin?”

“It’s my favorite song!” he cheered, starting to dance along. You have to admit, even when he’s drunk, he’s still an exceptional dancer. Texting Minho a quick ‘fuck you’. You put your phone back between your breasts to go back to monitoring him, preparing yourself in case you needed to tackle Hyunjin down.

“Heyyy, Y/n!” Minho suddenly draped his arm around your shoulder. Taking your eyes off of Hyunjin, you glared at your lazy, backstabbing friend, shoving his arm off of you.

“Asshole, you’re ten minutes late.”

“Oh I'm not here for Hyunjin. I need your phone.” You look at him audaciously.

“What the- why?”

“My-uh-phone died?” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Your eyes briefly flickered towards Minho’s friend, who, in return, looked down bashfully, red faced. Hm. Weird. You rolled your eyes, nonchalantly reaching into your shirt to get your phone. Minho didn’t even hide his grimace. He cringed, “It’s warm...and wet?”

“Shut up. I’m sweating, okay? And I don’t have any pockets on me.”

Minho nodded, going back to his little friend. Before you could scold him, you heard Hyunjin screaming. You turned around to find him running to the front door. Oh shit. You started pushing people to run after him

You groaned in disgust, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of here. You pushed your way out of the crowd, cringing at the feeling of touching numerous dirty, unknown people. Where in the world is the fucking exit? In the midst of the sweaty, drunken bodies, your eyes met. It was like time had stopped; no one within the vicinity seemed to not have mattered anymore. With just a smirk and a flirty wink from the chubby-cheeked boy in the red beanie, you knew…

...you just had to fuck him

Hold on, Y/n. Your friend might get fucking ran over! You snapped out of it. With a flustered face, you continued shoving your way through, wrangling Minho on the way. “Come on, fucker. You’re helping me. Let’s go,” you sneered while Minho complained.

After 30 minutes of chasing and wrestling, the drunken beast was tamed. The night ended with Minho driving you all home instead while you and Hyunjin cuddled in the backseat against your will. Minho took great pleasure in knowing that he wasn’t Hyunjin’s cuddle buddy, laughing every time you tried unlatching yourself from him, which made the long haired boy cry. Your sadistic friend dropped you home first, apologizing for not being much of a help tonight. “To make it up to you, I have something for you,” he suspiciously said, wiggling his eyebrows, before giving your phone back and driving off.

You relaxed on your bed, happy that you were rid of those dirty, smelly clothes. You grabbed your phone to text Minho. Assuming that the messages app was left on your conversation with him, you started texting, not paying any mind to the fact that the chat was blank.

Me: Thanks for taking me I guess. I didn’t get anything other than unwanted kisses from Hyunjin ew but it’s aight.

Speaking of aight…Do you think you can give me your friend’s number? 👁👁 The one with the red beanie.

Cause sir, not to be nsfw or anything but he is one fine ass man that I’d like to fuck

Almost immediately, the three bubbles appeared. You were surprised that Minho would reply that fast, thinking we was still on the road with Hyunjin. The reply you got, however, made your heart drop.

Min’s hoe: uh...hi? 👋🏻

this is minho’s “fine ass friend with the red beanie” 👁👁

Shitshitshitshit SHIT

[NEXT CHAPTER]

A/n: Sorry no smut in this chapter just plot build up :(( (which i’m a sucker for) and a lot of dialogue. But Trust me. Everything written in this chapter will fall into place with the future chapters. And who know, next chapter might be 🥵

#stray kids smut #stray kids fanfic #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #stray kids series #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz fanfic #skz smut #han jisung smut #han jisung series #han jisung scenarios #han jisung imagines #han jisung x reader #Late Night Indulges

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laurenairay · 3 years

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Take a Chance - D. Hamilton

Word Count: 12.7k

Summary: Ashley Miller is a Sunday-morning regular at her local coffee shop. Dougie Hamilton is the associate art curator who catches her eye.

Warnings: coffee shop au, some bad language, a lot of cute fluff, anxiety

A/N: This is my @hockeynetwork winter gift exchange fic for @huttons! I had a lot of fun researching & creating this fic gift, and I tried to incorporate all of the preferences you stated and that we discussed. This is very self-indulgent too, definitely the longest thing I’ve written on here, and I’m not going to go into the very niche research rabbit holes I fell down! Bringing this OC to life made me so happy, and I had a blast incorporating the coffee shop au element. I hope you enjoy this! 💚

Also tagging @danglesnipecelly, @texanstarslove and @itsbadgerbadgermushroom because they all listened to me stress while writing hah.

“Large latte for Ashley!”

Ashley Miller looked up from her laptop, smiling at her favourite barista at the counter. She got up from her table, leaving her laptop and scone briefly as she collected her drink, before heading back to her seat. Sunday mornings were the same every week – arrive at Storm Surge coffee shop when they opened at 7am, park herself at a table in the back corner, and consume a steady flow of coffee as she worked. Sure, her work might vary – teaching Medieval History at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill meant her lesson topics were all over the spectrum – but she just found that everything from writing notes for her classes that week to marking essays at the end of the semester became easier if she had the thrum of the coffee shop around her.

That, and she knew she’d just spend her entire weekend burrowed in her house if she didn’t get out.

Having moved to Raleigh 6 years ago to undertake her PhD, Ashley had accepted a teaching job at the very same university she’d studied at when she’d completed her studies a year ago, and she hadn’t looked back since. There was just something about Raleigh that she had fallen in love with, only a 30 minute drive away from her workplace, something that had spoken to her very soul, and actually being able to pass on knowledge about the subject that she was so passionate about made her so incredibly happy. Sure, her parents had never understood her love for 11th to 13th century European history (nor anyone else from her small town in South Dakota) but Ashley had never cared about that – New York had given her the opportunity to grow as a person during her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, but Raleigh had given her the opportunity to thrive.

And she would forever be grateful for that.

Sundays though…Sundays were something she cherished. This independent coffee shop had been a blessing when she’d found it early on in her PhD research, and they had never complained about her taking up a table for essentially the whole day (and she did pay for each of the many coffees she consumed). Baristas and bakers had come and gone over the past 6 years, but there were a couple that had stuck around recently - and a year ago when she officially became ‘Dr Ashley Miller’, her favourite barista Andrei had even given her a piece of chocolate cake on the house to celebrate. Storm Surge coffee shop was a home away from home.

Of course, there was another reason that Sunday coffee shop time was one of her favourite things in her week…

Tall Cute Guy.

He was a regular every Sunday morning, and had been for the past year - three Sundays a month he would order a mocha and an americano to go, but one Sunday a month he would come in an hour earlier and order just an americano, and drink it in the shop instead while reading an old paperback book. Every single time, like clockwork.

Okay, yes, that sounded a little stalkerish. But he was so cute. Ashley pretty much always had her earphones in playing music so she had never caught his name, but his blonde curls, pretty blue eyes and warm smile had caught her eye straight away. And he was so tall, she couldn’t have missed him if she’d tried. She’d never spoken to him, never even said hi in passing, but occasionally she would link eyes with him and he would smile at her. And that smile was enough to send her heart fluttering. Ridiculous really, but it brought her a little joy.

What was the harm in smiling back at a cute guy every now and again, right?

Dougie Hamilton walked into the North Carolina Museum of Art with a smile on his face. To be honest, it could’ve been for a multitude of reasons. His career was finally heading upwards, having moved museums to become Associate Curator of European Art a couple of years ago, and he loved his work. He had recently renovated his kitchen, which was now looking pretty sleek and awesome, if he did say so himself. His colleagues had genuinely become some of his closest friends, and he had a standing monthly poker night with several of them. But his smile today wasn’t because of any of that.

No, his smile today was because it was Sunday morning, and he’d just picked up his regular coffee order for him and his boss.

Speaking of…

“So, did you finally talk to your coffee shop crush, or did you just awkwardly stare at her like a weirdo again?”

“Oh fuck off,” Dougie grumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up in a fierce blush as his boss Jordie’s words.

It was far too early for this – he’d only just walked into their shared office for fuck’s sake! Jordie just hooted laughter at his embarrassment as he took his mocha from Dougie, making Dougie groan. “One day you’re going to have to talk to her, man. It’s just getting sad now,” Jordie teased.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t we have a museum to open?” Dougie scowled.

Jordie just beamed even more, wiggling his eyebrows as he left their office. Dougie groaned again, running his hands through is unruly hair before he sighed. Coffee shop crush. Hah. Jordie wasn’t wrong though. Not really. His crush…Mystery Laptop Woman…was one of the reasons he always volunteered to pick the two of them up coffee before the museum opened up on a Sunday morning. Jordie had come along with him only once to pick up their coffee, about 6 months ago, and ever since then he hadn’t let Dougie’s shy smile at her go. Of course, Dougie barely knew anything about her – only that she was always in early on a Sunday, always completely consumed by her work, and she had such a super cute concentration face, whatever it is that she worked on. He could never quite tell – sometimes she had a book or two with her, sometimes it was a stack of papers – but he knew for sure that she appeared to mainline coffee like a pro. Probably some kind of teacher?

He’d certainly never had a teacher that beautiful, that was for sure.

Her long dark hair was always down and always a little messy, like she ran her hands through it often (which she did, he’d noticed). Her warm hazel eyes were hidden behind tortoiseshell glasses, and her lips were always coloured in varying shades of dark pink and red. He’d only seen her standing a couple of times, but he’d caught enough of a glimpse of her long legs to have some very inappropriate thoughts. She just looked so kind, so friendly…and so beautiful. Dougie had never been able to catch her name though – she’d always had a full coffee or at least half a coffee left whenever he was in the shop, so he couldn’t even find out sneakily that way. But whoever she was, whatever she did, when he occasionally got lucky enough for her to look at him, her smile made his entire body light up like a fireworks show. It was a bit pathetic really, how much just a smile from her made his entire day, but he was a year into it now and he wasn’t going to stop that for anything. He had a great career, some great friends, and a pretty great life, even if he was tragically single.

What was the harm in smiling at a beautiful woman whenever he got the chance, right?

“Alright, we’ve nearly run out of time now, but just one final thing I want you to think about for Monday’s love in the middle ages class,”

On cue, her students groaned, making Ashley grin.

“Hey, I’m giving you a head’s up here – I could just let you walk into our general lecture blind?” she shrugged, teasing.

That got her a few laughs at least. She’d take that.

“Okay, so we know through our focus on the Medieval Expansion of Europe that one of the biggest tales about Eleanor of Aquitaine in the latter half of the 1100s was of her role in the courts of love. What I want you all to look into is whether these courts of love have the possibility of being a real thing, or whether they feed into the chivalric notions of her contemporaries and were fabricated from the courtly love dynamics of knights and maidens. Just to give us some talking points, okay?”

Her students murmured their agreement, with most of them writing down a reminder. That would have to be good enough for her. At least this way, hopefully someone would discuss the talking points with her in class – she’d found out the hard way last year that there was nothing worse for a university professor than completely uninterested students. She needed something to feed off.

“Alright then, class dismissed. Have a great weekend everyone!”

Ashley moved to her laptop, switching off the projected powerpoint presentation as her students filed out of the classroom, but jumped in shock slightly as she noticed the head of her department sitting in the back corner. How long had he been there?! What was he doing there in the first place? She just hoped her smile didn’t look as nervous as she felt, as he walked up to the front of the room.

Rod Brind’Amour was a legend in the History department for a good reason. His knowledge of military history pre-1800s was unmatched by anyone, but it was his research on the first and second crusades that had inspired Ashley through much of her PhD. Sure, he wasn’t her direct supervisor, but their work interlinked enough that she’d spent many office hours with him debating the second crusade with fervour. For such a big man, he was such a nerd, and he’d made her feel so welcome as soon as he offered her the teaching position at the end of her PhD, with the promise that she would be able to continue her research to inspire future minds. She had been so moved by his words that she hadn’t hesitated to accept the job. How could she not, when someone of his calibre believed in her?

One year in, she wasn’t regretting it at all

“Very smart, setting up some talking points for Monday’s class. I’m so glad I volunteered you to run this year’s Love in the Middle Ages lectures. You’re much better at them than I was,” Rod mused.

Ashley snorted, rolling her eyes playfully. Oh thank god. It’s true that this seminar was one part of the large mandatory Medieval and Early Modern Studies course…but it suited her perfectly.

“That’s because my research focuses on Medieval Queens and the exchange of power they brought to their marriage countries, whereas yours is the effect of each of the crusades through military history. Bleurgh,” she snickered, “Linking today’s Medieval Expansion of Europe class with the generic Love in the Middle Ages lectures on Mondays is just easy,”

“Speak for yourself,” Rod laughed, “give me military tactics any day,”

Ashley just grinned. Some things never changed. “Was there anything you wanted in particular?” she asked, packing up her laptop into its case.

“Just wanted to check in with you, in general,” Rod shrugged, sitting down on the edge of her desk.

Ashley couldn’t help but smile at the thoughtfulness. “I’m doing okay yeah, thanks. Last year’s first semester was more of a struggle for sure, but I don’t have that transition from PhD student and TA to full teaching this time round. I’ve definitely settled in quicker – and this batch of freshman feel a lot more engaged already,”

“That’s good! It definitely shows that you’re handling things well,” Rod nodded, smiling back at her, “But I meant in your life outside of the university too,”

Ashley frowned. What? “What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

Rod laughed softly at her expression. “I know last year you were trying to find your stride, but this year you’ve already got it, so I’m just checking that you’ve got things balanced outside of work too. It’s far too easy to make teaching your entire life – and I don’t want you to burn out,” Rod explained. “I value you here too much for that,”

Ashley’s heart melted a little at his concern, but she just shook his head. “I may not have much going on for me outside of work, but I do get out. I spend my Sundays in a local coffee shop,” she admitted.

Her mind briefly flashed to Tall Cute Guy, but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind before she started blushing. So not appropriate for work.

Rod frowned slightly, but nodded. “At least you’re getting out of the house. Just promise me you’ll work on finding time for yourself too?”

“I promise,” Ashley nodded, “I intend to be here for a long time, so I definitely don’t want to burn out,”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” Rod grinned, “I’d better get going – see you at the faculty meeting later?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Ashley grimaced.

Rod just laughed at her disgruntled face, lifting his hand in a wave as he left the room. As she packed the rest of her belongings, Ashley couldn’t help but to think over Rod’s words. Was she in danger of a burn-out? Surely not, so early on in her career? Maybe she did need more of a balance in her life…but how?

Another Sunday, another early morning. Sure, Ashley could give herself a lie in every now and again, but that would mean not being able to relax on her Sunday evening, to not have the chance to unwind and reset before the working week starts up again on Monday morning. Spending all weekend in her little 2 bed house wouldn’t do her any good, even as comforting as she’d made it.

Besides, Storm Surge coffee shop was such a part of her routine now, that it would feel wrong to not go in at her usual time. Seeing Andrei the morning barista, Marty the supervisor and Jaccob the baker (who occasionally popped his head out) always made her happy – and as Rod said only a couple of days ago, she needed to make sure she actually kept a balance in her life.

So, as always, just after 7am, Ashley walked through the coffee shop door. She’d skipped eating any breakfast this morning, intent on getting one of the shop’s amazing scones fresh out of the oven, and as soon as she spotted her favourite blueberry-lemon scones in the display, something in her chest settled. Yes, this was exactly why she came every week. This feeling of home.

“Good morning Ashley! Your usual latte?”

Ashley smiled at Andrei, nodding. “Yes please. And one of the blueberry-lemon scones!”

Andrei smiled even wider, if that was possible, and immediate set about inputting her order into the cash register. It was then that she noticed something new on Andrei’s nametag. A pink sparkly kitten sticky. Huh. That was new.

“Nice sticker,” she teased.

“Very sparkly, no? Marty gave it to me,” Andre nodded.

“Oh, Marty did huh?” Ashley grinned.

Interestingly, Andrei blushed. She knew she hadn’t been imagining things. The poor Russian guy just blushed harder, spluttering incoherently, until Ashley took pity on him. It wasn’t like she could be mean to Andrei – he was just too adorable.

“I think the sticker is really cute, Andrei. It was sweet of Marty to give it to you,” Ashley said with a fond smile.

“Thank you! I will tell Marty you like it,” Andrei beamed.

Bless him.

Andrei handed her a scone on a plate, allowing her to go to her usual table in the back corner, setting up her laptop while she waited for her coffee to be ready. She heard a door out the back open, and Andrei quickly slipped away, making her smile.

“AHHHHHHHHHH MR SVECHNIKOV!”

Marty. Ashley just giggled, shaking her head before putting her earphones in for her background music. Yeah, this coffee shop definitely felt like home.

She quickly got lost in writing her lecture notes, going off on tangents that she knew she’d have to rein in later when she edited. It was a full hour before she even looked away from her screen, only to see the shop busy and bustling, every single table full. What the hell? She looked over to see both Andrei and Marty working the counter, only confirming her suspicions that they really had gotten busy while she was lost in her thoughts. Wow. Full at 8am was a new one for sure. Maybe a convention of some kind?

And it was then that she saw Tall Cute Guy walk in. Today he was wearing a pretty blue sweater, bring out the beautiful blue in his eyes, making her smile on instinct. So cute. But then she noticed him being given just the one coffee…he was planning on drinking in, and there were no tables? No!

It made her heart clench to watch him looking around the coffee shop, becoming more and more disheartened…until he noticed her. Maybe, could she, yes. Ashley bit her bottom lip but tilted her head towards the empty chair at her table, earning the biggest smile. She actually did it. She actually offered him the chair at her table. Shit. Her heart started beating faster as he walked over, and she took her earphones out as he came to a stop next to her seat, looming over her.

“I, uh…do you mind if I sit with you?” he asked softly.

Huh. Such a gentle voice on such a big man. Yeah she could totally handle this.

“Please, go ahead,” Ashley nodding, smiling as she waved her hand to indicate, “it’s so busy in here today,”

Oh no. Was that too forward, acknowledging that they’re both regulars?

“Definitely busier than usual, eh?” he mused, “I’ll try not to disturb your work, I’ll only be here for about an hour,”

Ashley laughed, but shook her head. She was just glad he hadn’t been weirded-out by her acknowledgement. That would’ve been so awkward. Her stomach was filled with enough butterflies as it was. “You won’t disturb me, I promise. Sit as long as you like,”

He smiled widely at her, pulling out the chair opposite and sitting down, Ashley just quickly shuffling her papers out of the way for him. He nodded his thanks at her, pulling a paperback book out of his satchel. Then he cleared his throat, so she looked up at him curiously.

“I’m Dougie, by the way,” he said, almost a little shy.

Dougie. That was a nice name. Oh, wow, she finally knew his name! Ashley couldn’t help but smile at him. “I’m Ashley,”

He smiled back at her. “It’s nice to meet you properly,” he said happily.

Ashley just laughed, nodding as she blushed lightly. To have him acknowledge their smiling-from-a-distance definitely sparked something inside of her. Nice to finally meet him indeed.

They sat in comfortable silence, Ashley typing up her tangent notes so far for the morning, and she couldn’t help the feeling of contentment that sat in her chest. The cute guy she’d been smiling at for a year was sitting at her table with her…and it wasn’t awkward at all. In fact, it was really quite nice. And he’d introduced himself!

No, cool it, keep calm Ashley. No-one got anywhere by acting like a giddy schoolgirl. Play it cool.

That promised hour flew by far too quickly. Every now and again she would glance up and find his eyes on her. Every now and again she would glance up only for him to look up and catching her looking. Every time she would blush. Every time he would send her a wonderful smile. But all too soon her table companion was standing up and putting his book in his bag.

“Um…”

Ashley looked up from her work at him, a smile naturally spreading across her face at his nervous expression. Why was he nervous?

“Yes, Dougie?” she said softly, smiling at a little more at finally getting to say his name.

Dougie. Dougie. Dougie.

“I’ll see you soon?” he said, almost hopefully.

“I’ll be here,” she nodded.

Oh god. Well that was stupid. Of course she’d be here. Why couldn’t she just act smoothly for once in her life?

But then Dougie smiled, such a happy little smile that it made her breath catch in her throat.

“Until next time then,” Dougie murmured, “Bye, Ashley,”

“Bye,” she breathed, watching him walk way.

Well, that could’ve been worse. What a Sunday.

Things felt different after that fateful Sunday. Dougie (she knew his name!) hadn’t sat down with her again, or even sat in the shop again yet, but now…now he always made a point of waving at her, waiting until she had waved back to smile. Those waves sent her into even more of a tizzy, a light blush always on her cheeks, and she couldn’t help but cherish them. Maybe it was a bit pathetic, but he was so handsome and he noticed her. It didn’t hurt to pretend it was more than friendly acknowledgement, right? A girl could dream at least.

It was only Wednesday today, but that meant only one thing. Her weekly phone call with her mom. Knowing Susan Miller, Ashley could picture exactly what her mom was doing. Her phone would be propped up on speakerphone while she pottered around the kitchen, finishing off making dinner while also planning what desserts to bake at the weekend. Her mom led a simple life, a retired teacher herself (although she’d taught at the local elementary school rather than ever leaving town), but it was a happy life. And it was these phone calls that were the only thing that made Ashley miss home.

Nothing was the same as a hug from her mom with a slice of homemade apple pie. But those were the sacrifices she made for her love of Medieval History. They never stayed on the for more than half an hour, but it was just enough to fill Ashley’s heart, at least for a little while.

“And I swear, if he doesn’t stop leaving those nasty cigar butts on the front porch, I’m going to whoop some sense into him!”

“You’ve been saying this for over 20 years mom – I don’t think dad is going to change at this point,” Ashley mused, rolling her eyes fondly.

Her dad had been set in his ways for as long as she could remember. Nothing was going to change that, not even a little nagging from the love of his life.

“Yes, well, he could at least clean up after himself,”

Her parents really were ridiculous human beings – but they loved each other, and that was all that mattered. Even if her dad didn’t clean up his cigar butts.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you weren’t complaining about his cigar butts,” Ashley grinned. “Maybe threaten not to make that corned beef hash he likes. That might help,”

The laughter that flowed down the phone made her smile even more. Fuck she missed hearing her mom’s laugh in person.

“Oh I miss you sweetpea. Are you sure you’re okay down there by yourself?”

“Yes mom, you know I love my work and my life down here,” Ashley said, sighing softly.

Here we go again.

“I just worry about you rattling around in that old house by yourself!”

Rude. It wasn’t that old.

“I promise I’m fine!” Ashley insisted.

Her mom stayed silent, making Ashley bite her lip to stop herself getting frustrated. Her mom would come out with it eventually…

“I worry about you being lonely, that’s all. You’re such an introvert, you always have been,”

And there it was.

“How could I be lonely mom? I have great colleagues that I talk with. And I’m around students all day and I interact all the time with them! And the baristas at my coffee shop know me by name and we chat too,” Ashley listed.

“The baristas don’t count, Ash,”

Poor Andrei. He definitely counted. Ashley couldn’t help but giggle at the sigh in her mom’s voice though. “Okay maybe not, but there is a guy that I’ve talked to,”

“Ooh a guy?”

Oh no. Oh what had she done? She had to nip this in the bud now.

“No, mom, not like that, just a friendly face to wave at,” Ashley insisted.

Dougie’s shy smiles filled her mind, but she shook her head. Now was not the time.

“Oh boo, you should work on changing that,”

Hah. If only.

“You’re impossible, mom,” Ashley sighed fondly.

“I love you too darling,”

Today he was going to do it. Today Dougie was going to get to Storm Surge coffee shop a little early, get his americano to drink in…and hopefully sit with Ashley again. Ever since that amazing Sunday morning where she offered him a seat at her table (she offered him!), he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He could kick himself for not being able to do more than wave at her the past three Sundays, but even just the few smiles he seen in passing since have blown him away. Especially with that cute little blush she always had when she waved back at him.

But today he was coming in an hour before he had to get to work, just to have that chance to sit with her and talk with her. Was it a little desperate? Sure. But Dougie never claimed to be anything other than desperate to get to know the beautiful woman he’d only ever seen in passing until now. His schedule didn’t usually allow him the chance – every Sunday the North Carolina Museum of Art opened from 10-5, and he usually got there just after 9 with coffee for him and Jordie, but every fourth Sunday Jordie came in a little later, so Dougie took the time to sit in and read a little before heading into work…and it was the fourth Sunday today. He could only hope that all the nerves and butterflies would be worth it.

Oh fuck, what if she wasn’t even there?

No, she would be. She always was. Enough stalling.

Still…

Dougie walked into Storm Surge with a little ball of nervous anxiety in his chest, praying that Ashley wouldn’t stray from her routine, until he looked over into the back corner…and there she was. He waited until Ashley looked up at him to wave at her, earning a sweet smile and a wave back. Wow, her blush really was so sweet.

“Dougie! You must be drinking in today, yes?”

He snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Andrei’s voice, quickly nodding. “Yeah just the usual americano, thanks,”

“You got it,” Andrei nodded, beaming at him.

Dougie quickly paid and moved to the end of the counter to wait for his coffee. The shop was only half-full at this time in the morning, unlike last month, so he didn’t have the excuse of busy tables. Maybe…he could just walk up to her, right? He could take that chance, right? Yeah, he could do this.

“Here you go!” Andrei said cheerfully.

“Thanks,” Dougie murmured.

The barista gave him a strange look at his distracted tone, and Dougie knew that Andrei was watching as he walked over to Ashley’s table…but here goes nothing. He could totally do this. He was an adult. He paid his taxes on time and everything. He could definitely ask a pretty woman if he could sit with her again.

“Hey, Ashley,”

She looked up from her laptop with a bright smile, making his breath catch in his throat.

“Dougie! Hi!” she said happily.

She remembered his name! Wow. No, focus.

“Do you, um…do you mind if I sit with you again?” Dougie asked.

Oh god, why couldn’t he just sound cool for once in his life? Why did he always have to be the least smooth version of himself that he could possibly be?

Ashley took one look around at all the empty tables and blushed even more, before she bit her lip and nodded. “Sure, go for it,”

That was a good sign, right?

Dougie sat down with a nervous smile, putting his coffee gently on the table.

“So, um, how have you been?”

Ashley looked surprised (oh god, was she only being polite before?) before that melted into a pleased look. Okay, he could work with that.

“I’ve been pretty good thanks, yeah. I’m just revising the list of essay topics that I’m giving my students on Monday, so not too much work to do today thankfully,” she said, “How about you?”

“I’ve been alright yeah. Work has been a little nuts with the new exhibition at the museum but it’s all come together really well!” Dougie said, beaming. What? Could a man not be excited about artwork? “what do you teach?”

Ashley smiled shyly, looking a little hesitant again. Dougie couldn’t help but frown a little. Had people made her feel awkward about her work before? That wasn’t okay! “I’m a Medieval History professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My general focus is on the power of Medieval queens, but I teach everything from the expansion of medieval Europe to love in the middle ages, as well as on the general medieval and early modern history modules. I did my undergraduate and masters degrees at NYU, but I moved down here for the PhD opportunity. It’s now my second full year teaching and I just…I love it so much,”

A PhD?! Holy shit, that’s impressive. Wow. Just…wow. How could she be any more perfect?

“That’s incredible!” was all that Dougie could say.

“You don’t have to pretend, I know having a PhD isn’t exactly the coolest thing in the world, especially in medieval history,” Ashley mused.

Well it was definitely pretty fucking cool to him, no matter what other people had ever said to her. “I’m definitely not pretending, I promise. Medieval history is fascinating,” he insisted.

Ashley pursed her lips like she didn’t believe him, making Dougie laugh.

“I’m serious! I may not have a PhD but my masters thesis was a specialism in Rembrandt’s work. I’m a total art history nerd – 14th-17th century in particular,” Dougie explained.

Come on, let the nerdiness pay off for once…

Her face immediately lightened, her mouth forming into a surprised ‘o’, making him laugh again. At least, he hoped it was a good surprise?

“One of the classes I’ll be teaching next semester is Italian Renaissance and European History to 1650,” she murmured.

Holy shit. What a match up.

“Told you I wasn’t pretending to be interested,” Dougie grinned, “I’d definitely love to learn more about that class when you start it,”

Ashley blushed again, but her nervous smile had shifted into a full beaming smile, and his heart could only just about take it. Then she froze slightly, blinking, as if she’d forgotten something. What?

“Sorry, did you say museum earlier?” Ashley said suddenly, “like, you work at a museum?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m an associate curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art,” Dougie nodded.

He did his best not to puff out his chest in pride. He’d worked damned hard on his career and he was proud of it.

“I just…wow, I wouldn’t have expected it,”

Dougie laughed, raising an eyebrow at her sheepish smile.

“A guy who looks like you, like such an athlete’s build…oh god, sorry, that’s so rude of me,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

But Dougie just laughed, shaking his head. “Believe me, it’s far from the first time I’ve heard that,”

And never with such appreciation of his body either…

Look, he knew how the world perceived him on first glance. Tall, muscled guy, blonde hair and blue eyes, probably an all-american jock right? How he loved proving them wrong.

“Still doesn’t make it okay,” Ashley winced, “so I’m sorry,”

“Apology accepted,” Dougie mused, “I love my work, so it’s fun surprising people. Especially people with similar interests,”

Ashley bit her lip again but nodded and smiled, tilting her head to show she was listening. Wow, he could definitely get used to her looking at him with this much interest.

“Like I said, I’m an associate curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art. I’m actually Canadian, but I finished my masters degree in Boston and went straight into working at the MFA, but after working on a brief project in Calgary, I realised I wanted to work more in my specialist interests, y’know? So I applied for a role at the Museum of Art here, and became the associate curator of European Art. It’s…it’s everything I could’ve wished for, when I was studying,”

Dougie took a sip of his coffee while Ashley processed that flood of information, hoping he hadn’t come across too strong. People really did tend to zone out when he talked about his work…but hopefully because she also had an interest in European history and art, she wouldn’t be put off?

“I can definitely relate to following and achieving my passions for a niche subject,” Ashley grinned, “and I love that you love it so much. It’s rare, to find someone who gets such genuine joy out of their work. Even though work can sometimes be super stressful,”

“Stressful, but worth it. Especially when a new exhibition comes together so well,” Dougie agreed.

“Oh?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dougie licked his bottom lip, trying not to look too nervous. This exhibition is such a big deal, and it had been such a lot of work. He could get a little excited about it now, right?

“Yeah, I’ve been working solidly for the past few months on the new exhibition – it’s opening next weekend. It’s a collection of Italian Renaissance Art,” Dougie said, a little hesitant.

Hesitant…because maybe that was a bit flashy? Did it sound like he was bragging? He really hoped not – not just because he was so proud of his work but he genuinely did want to excite Ashley…

“Oh no way! Really?” Ashley gasped.

Dougie bit his lips to control his grin. Oh thank fuck. Finally, someone he could actually impress with his love of art history. “Yeah, last quarter the museum acquired over 30 paintings from the 14th century from various collectors and this will be the first time they’ve all been together in the same room,”

“I bet they’ll be so beautiful all together after so long,” Ashley said, her voice a little wistful.

Wistful? He could fix that. Maybe. Yes, this was the perfect opportunity…

“Maybe we could…I know this might feel a little soon, but I’m…

Dougie trailed off with a frustrated groan, making Ashley giggle. For once, just once, let him be smooth! He took a deep breath, before trying again.

“Would you like to come to the exhibition opening with me?” he asked softly.

Ashley’s jaw dropped slightly, but she quickly nodded, making Dougie’s heartbeat kick up a notch. “Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got a plus one as the associate curator, and there’s no-one else I could imagine going with. I think you’d love it,” Dougie explained, “and I’d love to show you the artwork,”

Was that too desperate?

“I’d…wow, I’d love to go with you,” Ashley said, her expression shy but pleased.

Shy but pleased. He could work with that.

“Great, it’s a date!”

Oh God. Dougie could only freeze…but then Ashley smiled. Huh, maybe not so cringey?

“A date huh? I’d love that too,” Ashley said shyly.

Oh thank fuck. Ashley just giggled at Dougie’s blush.

“Give me your number and I’ll text you the details?” Dougie suggested, trying to salvage at least a little bit of his dignity.

As Ashley took his phone from him and entered her phone number, Dougie could only sit in shocked silence. He’d done it. He’d actually asked her on a date. On a date where he could impress her with a topic they both loved so much. All he had to do now was not fuck it up.

That wouldn’t be so hard, right?

Ashley had been in a little bit of a daze when Dougie had left for work. He’d asked her on a date. On a date! And they’d exchanged numbers, Dougie having sent her a little smiley face so she had his number in return. She was just thankful that there wasn’t much work for her to do that day – there was no way she wouldn’t been able to focus otherwise.

And then throughout the week, they’d started exchanging cute little messages. Just sweet little things, like how was your day? and look how cute this dog is and I had the loudest school tour group come through the museum today and which of these texts is going to give me the worst teacher rating? – it was all silly and sweet and fun, and Ashley couldn’t remember the last time that the potential of a relationship had excited her so much.

There was just something about Dougie that made her heart beat a little faster every time she thought of him. It was bad enough when he would smile at her in passing in Storm Surge…but now, with every little text, she felt herself smiling even more than she could’ve imagined, like a giddy little schoolgirl with a first crush.

Because at the moment, it really was just a crush. They hadn’t gone out on their first date yet – in reality, they’d only sat together twice, with one of those times essentially being the exchange of their names. They’d only had one conversation in person. And the texts were so sweet and lovely…but they were just texts. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself and get her hopes up, you know? God knows that had happened enough times.

She couldn’t help but hope that finally, she had met someone with real potential. Dougie made it easy to hope.

Ashley supposed that their first date would be the real test of whether she’d just built up all the excitement of Tall Cute Guy in that coffee shop fantasy in her head, or whether he was the real deal. Their conversation in person on Sunday had been such a good start, but fuck please make him the real deal.

Was it really that much to ask?

Finally Friday rolled around and she was finished with work for the week. Well, mostly. Ashley had just come out of a bi-monthly faculty meeting and just had to check some emails before she could go home for the weekend (and to shave her legs because she found the cutest dress for her date on Saturday) – but as she got to her office, she noticed that Rod had stopped in the doorway, waving to some of their colleagues as they strolled past. Hmm.

“So…you’re looking incredibly chipper for someone who just got out of a tedious faculty meeting,” Rod teased, leaning against her doorframe.

Ashley just laughed, rolling her eyes fondly as she sat at her desk. “I don’t know why you complain so much – you’re the one who runs them,”

“Not through choice, I promise that,” Rod mused, shaking his head, “But you are looking extra cheerful today. Just feeling a little nosy, I guess,”

Ashley bit her bottom lip, hesitating. Should she tell him about her date? It’s not like Rod was a gossip…and it’s not like she had a whole host of friends to tell…

“I may or may not have a date tomorrow night,” Ashley eventually admitted.

His eyes immediately lit up. Oh God.

“Ooh a date, exciting!” Rod gasped dramatically, fanning himself like a southern belle.

“Oh my god, shut up,” Ashley giggled. That could’ve gone worse – but his excitement definitely lit up the butterflies in her stomach all over again.

Rod just laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just glad you’re giving someone a chance to sweep you off your feet,” he teased, “Who is he and where is he taking you?”

“He’s a guy I met in that coffee shop I go to on a Sunday, and he’s taking me to the new Italian Renaissance exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art,” she explained.

And she couldn’t wait.

“A cultured guy or a try hard?” he smirked.

“A cultured guy,” Ashley giggled, rolling her eyes, “he’s actually the associate curator who worked on setting up the exhibition,”

“Don’t we all love a man who knows his history, even if it is art,” Rod grinned, winking dramatically, earning another giggle, “Let me know how the exhibition is - I know my wife would love to go if it’s any good,”

“I’ll give you a full review on Monday,” Ashley agreed, nodding.

“And a full review of your date,” Rod grinned.

“Okay, out, out. I need to finish these emails before I leave,” Ashley laughed.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Rod mused, “If you need anything, even an escape clause tomorrow night, send me a text, okay?”

Her heart softened a little at his kind gesture, and she found herself nodding. “I don’t think it’ll come to that, but thank you, I appreciate it,”

“Any time,” Rod nodded.

Ashley bit her bottom lip to hide her grin as he shut the door behind him on the way out, and the butterflies in her stomach were still there. Saturday night couldn’t come soon enough.

Tonight was the night. Ashley only had a few minutes left before her uber arrived to pick her up to take her to the museum, and she couldn’t resist having a final glance in the mirror by her front door. She’d had a little panic over what the hell the dress code would be for a gallery opening, but after Dougie confirmed it wasn’t black tie, just formal dress, Ashley had consulted with some of her college friends (who were buzzing about the fact that she was actually going on a date), and decided that a midi cocktail dress was the way to go.

And she’d found the perfect one.

The dress she’d picked out in a local boutique was a beautiful forest green colour, complimenting her dark hair and hazel eyes perfectly. It fell to the middle of her shins, as her friends had recommended, and had thick shoulders straps, no sleeves but a neckline with a deep enough v that it should a little cleavage (classy cleavage of course, very sophisticated in her opinion). Her favourite part though was the Marilyn Monroe-esque twirl to the skirt – something she’d tested out several times already – and she just felt glamorous in it. She’d straightened her usually-messy hair and put on a little make-up too, to match the effort she was making with the dress. To be honest, Ashley felt beautiful, and she honestly couldn’t wait to see Dougie’s reaction. It was a hell of a lot different to her usual Sunday Storm Surge outfits, that’s for sure.

Soon enough, her uber was pulling up outside of the Museum of Art, and she thanked the driver as she got out. Thankfully, Dougie was already waiting at the top of the steps for her, and the smile that he sent her way made her breath catch in her throat. Ashley took the time to check him out as she walked up towards him, and she felt those butterflies start up again. He was wearing a gorgeous navy blue suit with a white shirt and grey tie, bringing out the colour of his eyes beautifully, and the stunned expression on his face as he looked at her made her blush a little. That was a good reaction, right?

“Wow. You look…amazing,” Dougie murmured, looking her up and down with awe.

Definitely a good reaction.

“You look really good too,” she grinned.

Dougie grinned back at her, before offering her his arm. “Shall we?”

Ashley fought not to squeal as she tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. What a smooth move. “Lead the way,”

Dougie walked her inside, picking up a glass of champagne each after they dropped their jackets off. Then they were off. The two of them wandered around through the exhibition, Dougie guiding her and giving her the most indepth information she could’ve possibly hoped for. She’d never had such a personal tour like this, and he was so shy yet so knowledgeable that she couldn’t help but to drink up every word. This was what she had hoped for out of tonight, that passion coming through Dougie, and she was receiving it tenfold.

“This one is one of my favourites. Batoni’s The Triumph of Venice. There’s just so much going on, and I swear I notice something different every time I look at it,”

Ashley looked at the painting, taking in the many figures, the details, the colours, and couldn’t help but smile. It truly was a masterpiece.

“Oil on canvas? Maybe…early 1700s?” she guessed.

“Fuck that’s hot,” Dougie breathed.

He immediately flushed bright red, making Ashley giggle. Good to know that her vague art history knowledge was paying off. And that she could make him react like that…

“I love all the finessed detail in this one. Especially on the carriage – it’s exquisite,” Ashley murmured, looking back at it.

“Isn’t it?” Dougie grinned.

Ashley squeezed his arm gently, smiling up at him, earning a happy smile back. He was so clearly in his element, and she was loving every second. The way his entire face lit up when he talked about art…there was something just so beautiful in that. Those beautiful blue eyes were even more alive than ever, that spark of passion adding such a gorgeous element, and she really wanted to see more of it. That was a good sign, right? That she was already imagining more.

They moved on to the next painting, and Ashley’s breath caught in her throat. Wow.

“And this…this is the star of the collection. Giotto’s Peruzzi Altarpiece, the only complete altarpiece by the artist outside of Italy,”

Her jaw dropped a little. That was a big deal. “The only one?”

“The only one,” Dougie nodded.

“Holy shit,” Ashley mumbled, eyes wide.

Dougie grinned at her. “My sentiments exactly,”

“All of that gold. So much gold. And the details in their faces. Holy shit,” Ashley murmured.

“One of my favourite frescos, and I get to see it every day,” Dougie sighed happily.

“Well count me as jealous,” Ashley teased, nudging him with her shoulder.

Dougie just smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. He was just so cute.

“Would you, um…would you like a new drink?”

“Sure, another couldn’t hurt,” she nodded.

It’s not like she drank champagne that often after all. And it was a special occasion…

They stayed in the museum for another hour, looking over some of the art again as well as mingling with Dougie’s colleagues (including a mostly silent guy Dougie introduced as ‘Foegs’, who gave Dougie a double thumbs up when he thought she wasn’t looking, and a very enthusiastic big blonde man named Jordie, who she learned was Dougie’s boss – which, wow). Their conversation just flowed, and the doubts that she’d had earlier were easily shoved to the back of her mind.

She’d never thought it would feel so natural spending the evening arm-in-arm with a guy, but Dougie had just blown her away.

All too soon, it was time to leave the museum though, and while Dougie got their jackets, Ashley opened her phone to request an uber. 5 minutes away. Perfect.

“I had a really great time tonight,” Dougie murmured, when they were waiting outside.

His own uber was only a couple of minutes behind hers.

“Me too,” Ashley admitted, smiling up at him, “Thank you for inviting me,”

“There’s no-one else I would’ve wanted to take. I just glad you enjoyed it,” Dougie smiled back.

“I enjoyed spending time with you. The exhibition was just a bonus,” she said softly, looking up at him through her lashes.

Holy shit she just flirted. Blatantly flirted. Too much?

But then Dougie blushed a little, before a small smirk spread across his lips. “Yeah?”

Ashley just bit her lip, nodding. Dougie’s blue eyes flashed a little darker, sending a hot jolt running through her body. Oh wow. Just like that huh. But then her phone buzzed, the uber car pulling up to the curb, breaking her out of her thoughts just before they started to spiral.

Calm down Ashley, it’s only the first date!

She waved at the uber driver to signal that she’d seen him before turning back to Dougie. “See you tomorrow?” Ashley asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I’ll be starting work a little later on the one off, as it was the exhibition opening tonight,” Dougie nodded, “I’ll be there,”

Ashley grinned at him, before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his cheek, laughing softly as his jaw dropped.

“Bye, Dougie,” she said softly, walking over to the car.

“Bye,” she heard him murmur, just as she closed the door.

“Hot date?” the uber driver teased.

“The hottest,” she grinned back.

That earned her a laugh, and she couldn’t help but smile as the driver pulled away from the curb. Ashley glanced out of the window, only to see that Dougie hadn’t moved at all – other than his fingers brushing over where she’d kissed his cheek, a hopeless smile on his face.

What a first date indeed.

To: Ashley

From: Rod

So how did the date go?

To: Rod

From: Ashley

The exhibition was incredible. You need to take your wife, for real.

To: Ashley

From: Rod

I actually meant the guy but sure…

To: Rod

From: Ashley

He was a perfect gentleman and…amazing.

You’ll get your full gossip on Monday.

To: Ashley

From: Rod

Boo fine.

I’m glad you had a good time though!

See you on Monday

“I had a really great time tonight,”

“Me too,”

“I had a really great time tonight,”

“Me too,”

“I had a really great time tonight,”

“Me too,”

Wasn’t the saying that if things seemed too good to be true, then they probably were not?

Ashley had gone to bed feeling over the moon, elated, bubbling with excitement. But when she’d woken up, it was like a dark cloud had settled over her, a heavy rock of anxiety sitting on her chest. Everything had gone so well last night. So well. Too well? This wasn’t the first time that she’d gotten her hopes up only to have things fall apart around her – and her hopes had skyrocketed last night. All she felt was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it made her feel sick.

That niggling negativity had swum around her brain over and over again, and she hadn’t been able to shut it off – not when she showered, not when she got dressed, and not when she sat on the sofa debating whether or not to actually turn up at the coffee shop.

Was this really what things had come down to? Tempted to break her solid routine, the exact routine she’d had every week, just because a guy made her nervous? Was he really that important? Was she really that much of a coward?

She sat on the sofa so long that she passed the time she would normally leave. Hell, she passed the time she would normally be sitting down at her usual table. Oh god she couldn’t take this. It was too much. Her legs bounced nervously as she pulled up the message thread she had with him, typing out a message to cancel…

…and then she deleted it.

Fuck that shit. No matter how anxious this whole dating thing made her feel, nothing was worth this. She couldn’t just not show up, that wasn’t right. That wasn’t her. Fuck this. As quickly as she could, Ashley grabbed her laptop and her handbag, driving as fast as she could to Storm Surge.

When she parked her car, she noticed that she had a few texts from Dougie. Oh god.

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Hey, I’m coming a little earlier than usual today!

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Are you running late?

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Are you coming?

Oh god. Ashley winced, practically running to the shop, immediately spotting Dougie at her usual table in the back. The sheer relief on his face made her wince again. Fuck. His expression dimmed at little, but she quickly ordered her usual latte from Andrei, who looked an interesting mix of confused and concerned, but she headed over to Dougie without hesitating.

“Hey, um, sorry I’m late,” she murmured, setting her coffee and her laptop down on the table.

Dougie frowned at her briefly, clearly taking in whatever the hell her face was showing.

“Is everything okay?” he asked softly.

Ashley bit her bottom lip, hesitating. Might as well tell him the truth, right?

“I, uh, I was second-guessing everything?”

“Second-guessing?” Dougie asked, frowning harder.

Ashley just sighed. “Yeah, um, it’s dumb. I just…it all seems too good to be true? I woke up feeling like I’d gotten my hopes up and…fuck, I’m sorry. I just feel stupid now,”

Looking up at Dougie’s sad face immediately made her regret telling the truth, but it was too late now. Fuck. Why did she have to ruin everything? The fact that he was staying silent just made everything worse. Should she just go?

“What do you want to do now then?” Dougie eventually asked “or do you not know?”

Ashley swallowed heavily, looking down at her hands briefly. Hah. The million dollar question. “I know that I like you?” she offered.

Dougie huffed a laugh. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to get mad if you don’t want to go on another date,” Dougie said with a sad smile.

Oh god that was worse. He should never sound that disheartened – it wasn’t right. And it was all her fault.

“Would you even want to go on a date with me again when I’m this much of an anxious mess?” Ashley sighed.

After last night, this really wasn’t where she’d seen her day going. Self-sabotage was a bitch. But it was her own damn fault. It always was. But then Dougie reached his hand forward, fingers brushing over hers lightly to get her attention, making her blush as he smiled a bit more genuinely.

“Yeah, I would like to,” he nodded, “I had a really great time yesterday night, and I still want more,”

Oh, so maybe she hadn’t ruined everything then. What? Well shit, she was grabbing this second chance with both hands.

“I had a great time too,” Ashley admitted, blushing a little bit more, “even with this stupid anxiety,”

“Good. That’s…that’s really good,” Dougie laughed, “well, not the anxiety part, but I’m going to prove to you that this isn’t just getting your hopes up,”

“I’d like that,” she murmured.

Dougie smiled at her, a truly genuine happiness, making her breath catch in her throat. Fuck she didn’t deserve this. But there was no way she was going to let herself ruin this, not now.

“Maybe we could just talk for a couple of hours before I have to go into work? Have some coffee, a couple of those delicious blueberry-lemon scones, and just see where things go?” Dougie suggested.

Ashley nodded, the tight ball in her chest immediately loosening. God, he was such a nice guy. “I’d definitely like to get to know you more,” she agreed.

“Scones are on me then,” Dougie grinned.

Hope. A second chance. Bring it on.

When Dougie eventually walked into work, his shared office had more people in it that he cared for. Well, okay, that was a little mean. But right now was not the best time for the combination of Jordie and Foegs as well as Sebastian and Teuvo, especially not when all four of them had met Ashley last night. Not when they were all so intense. Not while things were still so tentative.

“So, how did it go?” Jordie asked excitedly, “it looked like the two of you were having fun!”

And here we go.

“Well last night, at the exhibition, went really well, but…”

Jordie and Foegs frowned as he trailed off, Sebastian and Teuvo just looked confused. Dougie sighed and sat down heavily at his desk.

“She was really hesitant this morning. Like, so full of anxiety that she almost didn’t show up for coffee,” he admitted, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.

“What do you mean?” Jordie asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“She thinks it’s too good to be true?” Dougie winced.

Foegs looked a little stunned, Jordie’s jaw dropping. But then Sebastian jumped to his feet from where he was sitting on Jordie’s desk.

“Well then you’ll just have to sweep her off her feet!” Sebastian said firmly.

Really? Dougie sent him an unimpressed look, but Sebastian’s pout stayed serious as Teuvo giggled.

“As much as I hate to say it, Sepe has a point,” Foegs shrugged, making Sebastian stick out his tongue at him, “the two of you looked like you’d really hit it off when we were all talking, and the fact that Ashley did meet you this morning means a little anxiety shouldn’t stand in the way,”

“Take her on another date. Wine and dine, man. It’s a classic for a reason,” Jordie added, nodding seriously.

Well shit, if Jordie was being serious then maybe it would work.

“Thanks guys,” Dougie murmured, smiling softly.

“Anything to land you the woman of your many dreams,” Jordie beamed.

Dougie just blushed. Sebastian wriggled his eyebrows, Teuvo just punching him on the arm. It was almost a nice moment.

He waited until Foegs, Sebastian and Teuvo had left to start working before he pulled his phone out, biting his bottom lip as he thought of what to say.

To: Ashley

From: Dougie

Hey, I’m glad I saw you today.

I hope you’re still doing okay.

How do you feel about getting dinner with me?

Dougie jiggled his leg nervously as he logged into his computer, waiting with baited breath for any reply.

And then eventually, his phone buzzed. Ashley. Thank god.

To: Dougie

From: Ashley

I’m alright thanks. That scone definitely helped ;)

I would love to get dinner with you.

Dougie couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Good. This was good. They exchanged a few more messages, eventually figuring out that because of his next few late nights with the exhibition and her essays she had to mark, neither of them were really free until next Saturday. A whole week away again. Fuck. No, this was going to work. Dougie knew it was worth it – and if she needed him to text a lot over the next few days to remind her that he was all in, that he wasn’t just going to disappoint her like those other guys, then he absolutely would.

Wine and dine next Saturday. He could absolutely do this.

“Hey, what was the name of that place you took your wife out for date night a couple of weeks back?” Dougie asked, looking up at his boss.

Jordie’s face lit up. “Oh man, it was so good…”

As Dougie promised himself, they kept texting throughout the week. He told her fun stories from visitors to the exhibition. She told him silly comments her students made that she couldn’t respond to without laughing in class. He told her all about his time in Boston. She told him all about her time in New York. He sent her a picture of the cutest trio of dogs his neighbours adopted. She sent him a picture of a sunset that took her breath away. Things were…good. He was just glad that Ashley seemed as enthusiastic as she was before their first date.

All he could hope was that he was proving to her that he was different. That he was serious about giving their budding relationship a shot. He hadn’t bonded with someone as quickly as this, as deeply as this, ever – so he wanted to see where it went. The unknown with Ashley genuinely excited him, and he wanted her to feel the same excitement.

He could only try to be good enough to deserve her.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Dougie was a nervous wreck. He’d left work exactly on time for once, Jordie giving him a thump on the shoulder and Foegs a thumbs up (he mostly ignored Sebastian and Teuvo’s shimmies), racing home to change into a nice sweater and his favourite pair of smart jeans. Casual but like he cared about making an impression. That was what he was aiming for.

And then Ashley arrived 10 minutes early, just after he’d arrived himself, looking nervous but happy in the prettiest baby blue tea-dress he’d ever seen, with her hair curled and wearing a pretty pink lipstick. Wow.

“You look beautiful,” he blurted.

Oh god. Mr Smooth, again.

Ashley just blushed, smiling up at him. “Thank you. I love your sweater,”

Dougie blushed in return. What a pair they made.

“After you,” he said, opening the restaurant door for her.

As much as her anxiety had worried him, he was so glad he didn’t give up – she was absolutely worth it. They were lead to their table, Dougie being a bit extra and pulling out Ashley’s chair for her, but the giggle he got in return was what he was aiming for. Wine and dine. Sweep her off her feet. That’s all that he wanted to do, and if it was working then he wasn’t going to stop now.

“I was thinking we could split a bottle of wine tonight, if you want?” Dougie offered.

“Yeah that sounds good to me,” Ashley nodded, “Maybe a white wine?”

That was more than okay with him. Red wine made him a little…over the top? He definitely talked too much when he had red wine, he knew that much, and he wanted to save at least a little dignity tonight. Hopefully, at least.

The wine was ordered, and by the time they each had a cold glass of sauvignon blanc, Ashley looked as relaxed as Dougie felt. He could only hope the rest of this night turned out the same way.

“So did I tell you what one of Rod’s students said to him yesterday?”

Dougie grinned, shaking his head. “No you didn’t!”

Ashley grinned back. “Well…”

They talked for hours, sharing stories about their jobs, their interests, their families, not stopping when any of their three courses came, not hesitating even once. Nothing was awkward in the slightest – their conversation just flowed like they’d known each other for years, and Dougie’s heart was just so happy. This was everything he’d wanted for so long, someone he could truly been 100% himself with, and he couldn’t believe that she seemed as into him as he was into her.

How was this possible, after only two dates?

Time flew by so fast, too fast, and they did eventually have to leave their table, even as much as Dougie didn’t want the night to end. He just felt utterly consumed by her, completely and utterly lost in her very being, and he didn’t want this feeling to stop for anything.

It probably didn’t help that they’d split three bottles of wine though.

It wasn’t enough to make either of them sloppy drunk, not with the delicious food they’d eaten, but Ashley was definitely a bit more giggly than usual, and he was definitely smiling like an idiot.

“I wish your uber wasn’t on its way,” Dougie sighed, when they were outside.

“I’m actually not a far walk from here, so I was just going to walk home?”

At this time of night? Absolutely not! Ashley saw the look of indignation of his face and burst into laughter, making him blush (again). What? He wasn’t wrong for being worried about her getting home safely.

“You could always walk me home?” she suggested.

Oh. Oh. Oh yeah okay, he could do that.

“Yeah, definitely,” Dougie nodded quickly.

Dougie’s heart started beating a little faster as she looped her arm through his, and it was all he could do not to smile at her too helplessly. How did she manage to affect him like this? He’d never fallen so head over heels so quickly. And she seemed completely oblivious to how gone he was for her – in the most innocent of ways.

They walked slowly, leaning on each perhaps a little more than they would without the wine, but it just meant that they had more time for talking. Dougie was blissfully happy to let Ashley rant about the indignity of the black myth surrounding Eleanor of Aquitaine, taking in everything that she was trying to teach him. He loved how much she loved her medieval history, just like he loved his art. It was quirky and different and so unique to her. And honestly, he could picture them doing this together for years, discussing their passions and their love for their careers and…

“Okay this is me,” Ashley announced, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Dougie looked up at the old two-storey home with a smile. So this was her home. Pretty.

“That wasn’t so bad a walk,” Dougie grinned.

“I feel bad now though, making you get further away for your own journey,” Ashley frowned.

But Dougie shook his head. “It’s fine really. I’m sure there are plenty of ubers still running around here,”

“Well…”

Ashley trailed off, biting her lip, making Dougie smile. What was on her mind?

“You can stay, if you want?” Ashley said, a shy smile on her face.

Oh fuck. Stay? Ashley saw the shock on his face, before she blushed furiously, quickly shaking her head.

“I have a spare bedroom! I swear I didn’t mean it like that,” she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Dougie couldn’t help but laugh, tugging her hands away gently. Not that he was opposed to…sharing a bed with her, but that wasn’t the vibe of tonight. Tonight was for building them up, getting them to a more comfortable level. And fuck did it feel good tonight.

Waking up to see her first thing in the morning would only be icing on the cake.

“I would love to stay, as long as you don’t mind,” he said softly, brushing his hand against hers.

Ashley inhaled sharply but nodded, wordlessly reaching in her handbag for her keys. They stayed silent as they walked into the house, Dougie barely moving a foot away from her as she showed him the kitchen, the bathroom and then the spare bedroom. He could do a proper tour in the morning, he knew that. He was just a little stunned that he was even still with her, to be honest.

“So here’s some basketball shorts that my cousin left last time he visited. I don’t have a shirt big enough for you though,” she apologised, handing him a soft bundle.

Dougie just shook his head, smiling. “This is more than enough. I usually sleep shirtless anyway,”

Ashley’s lips parted a little in surprise, her eyes glazing over slightly, making Dougie grin as she shook her head as if to clear it. Good to know he had that effect on her.

“There are spare toothbrushes under the sink from when I last when to the dentist’s office, so help yourself to whatever one?” she offered.

Dougie just nodded, squeezing her hand as he walked into the bathroom. He willed himself to retain at least a little bit of chill as he got changed, quickly washing his face and cleaning his teeth with one of the toothbrushes she’d offered. This was all still a little bit surreal, being honest. But he was going to seize this with both hands – this was a chance he was never going to get again if he fucked up.

Ashley couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off him as they swapped places in the bathroom, and Dougie tried not to grin as he flexed his abs a little, making her blush. He could have a little fun, right? Especially since he knew the boundaries he needed to stay behind, he wasn’t dumb.

By the time he’d put his phone on charge and folded his clothes onto a chair for tomorrow, and then headed back out into the corridor, Ashley was back, dressed in a cute little pair of shorts and a giant t-shirt. Oh wow, he could definitely imagine her wearing his t-shirt to bed one day. No, not the time!

“Hey,”

Ashley’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he couldn’t help but smile down at her.

“Hey,” he murmured.

“See you in the morning?” she said hopefully.

Like fuck he was going to leave. “Bright and early,” he nodded.

But when she didn’t go anywhere, her hand moving to rest on his bare arm, Dougie couldn’t stop himself from stepping towards her. Fuck. She inhaled sharply, but didn’t push him away, and that was all he needed.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked lowly.

Ashley’s lips parted in a soft gasp, but she nodded. “Yeah, please,”

Dougie raised a hand to cup her face, giving her one last out, but as she raised up on her tiptoes he didn’t hesitate any further. He leant his head down, and pressed his lips to hers softly, barely able to stop the moan that wanted to tear from his throat. Holy shit. Ashley clutched at his biceps, leaning up into the kiss even more, making Dougie’s head spin as he kissed her softly, slowly, over and over again. This was so not what he expected from tonight, or even hoped for, but fuck did it fill his body with butterflies. Holy shit, kissing her was everything. Eventually, he brushed his tongue against hers gently, before pulling away, knowing there was a stupid smile on his face.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Wow,” she nodded, laughing softly, “That’s one hell of a goodnight,”

Dougie laughed softly too, pecking her lips in a soft kiss one last time before stepping away. She leaned against the wall, looking a little stunned, making him grin as he walked into her spare bedroom. If he didn’t walk away, he knew he would do something stupid to break them out of this perfect little sweet bubble, and that wasn’t what he wanted. Not tonight.

Tonight had been perfect.

Ashley woke up slowly, a little groggy, feeling like she was forgetting something. Then she heard the bathroom door opening, and everything came flooding back to her. Dougie was here. He’d stayed over after their date last night. They’d kissed. Holy shit. Holy shit. She took a deep breath to calm herself, fingers rising to her lips without a second thought, and it was all she could do to smile.

Dougie had kissed her. And it was everything.

She squealed softly into her pillow, feeling stupidly giddy, before quickly picking out a cute jumper and her comfiest skinny jeans to wear. She could hear him moving in the spare bedroom, so she quickly darted into the bathroom, washing and then brushing her teeth, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face at the sight of the toothbrush that Dougie used resting in the holder. There was just something about it that felt right.

She took a deep breath, running her hands down her sweater to smooth it, before she headed out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. It didn’t take long for Dougie to join her, and he accepted the glass of juice that she passed him with a smile.

“Good morning,” he murmured.

“Good morning,” she said softly back.

Dougie seemed to hesitate slightly, before his face became determined. She didn’t have time to ask him what was wrong before he leant down and pressed his lips to hers in a firm kiss. Ashley whimpered softly into his mouth, earning a soft noise back, and it was all she could do to clutch at his sweater. Holy shit. This was just as incredible and sweet as she remembered from last night. Wow. Dougie cupped her face with his free hand, thumb brushing over her cheekbone as he slowed the kiss down to a few gentle pecks, before he pulled away with a smile. Ashley just smiled back up at him, a little overwhelmed in the best way. Wow.

“Coffee shop?” he said.

“Yeah, if that’s alright,” she nodded.

He understood her routines. And he didn’t care that she wanted to stick to them. How could she not appreciate that?

Dougie just nodded in response, smiling as he sat down at her kitchen table, taking a sip of the juice she’d given him. “I wouldn’t mind changing out of last night’s clothes though. Not really my vibe,” he teased.

Ashley giggled, understanding perfectly. It wasn’t her vibe either.

“I could drive you over to yours, to get a change of clothes, and then we could head to Storm Surge together?” she suggested.

“Yeah? You want to walk in together like that?” Dougie asked, a little hopeful.

Holy shit, that would be one hell of a declaration. But…

“Yeah, I want that,” she nodded.

The grin that spread across Dougie’s face made the butterflies in her stomach worth it.

“Let me just put on some mascara and lipstick, and we can go?”

“Sure, whatever you want,” Dougie smiled.

Now that was a dangerous thought.

All too soon, Ashley was parked down the street from the coffee shop. She took a deep breath, Dougie sending her an encouraging smile, before she steeled herself and got out of the car. This was nervewracking. Storm Surge was her home away from home, her safe space, her comfort, and now she was completely changing the status quo. But as Dougie walked to her side, smiling down at her with such hope in his eyes, she knew it was worth it. He was worth it.

“Ready?” Dougie asked, holding out his hand.

Holy shit. Bring it on.

Ashley smiled up at him, taking his hand in hers, embracing the butterflies that came with the warmth of his grasp. They walked to the coffee shop together, Dougie squeezing her hand gently as she opened the door and walked through.

“Ashley! And…Dougie?”

Andrei’s gasp made her blush, Dougie just laughing. Then Andrei’s face broke into a huge grin, and he spun around.

“Marty! It’s happened! It’s finally happened!” Andrei yelled into the back of the shop.

What the hell?

A door slammed open in the back, and then Marty came barrelling out. He took one look at them holding hands before punching his fist in the air.

“LET’S GOOOO!”

Ashley flinched at Marty’s loud voice, but couldn’t help but giggle when he bounded over to Andrei, swinging an arm over his shoulders.

“Finally! Do you know how long we’ve been rooting for you two?” Marty beamed.

Oh god. Ashley blushed furiously, as did Dougie, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Was I that obvious?” Ashley asked shyly.

“Both of you were. It was so frustrating but so sweet,” Marty shrugged, Andrei nodding enthusiastically in agreement. “We just hoped you guys would take a chance,”

Take a chance. Hah. That’s definitely a good way to describe it. And he was so worth taking a chance on. Dougie smiled fondly down at her, before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Well I’d say our second date went pretty well,” Dougie said softly, squeezing her hand.

Ashley smiled back, nudging him with her shoulder, earning coos from Marty and Andrei.

“Okay, you two are giving me cavities,” Marty said cheerfully, not even slightly annoyed, “Coffee and anything you want to eat, on the house. I need to tell Slavs – he’s going to be thrilled!”

Ashley just giggled, leaning into Dougie’s body as she looked over the cakes and pastries on display. Being with Dougie, this fledgling relationship, was scary – but it was also so exciting. She couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This was the start of something amazing, she just knew it.

#my writing #winter gift exchange #hockeynetwork #dougie hamilton #dougie hamilton fic #coffee shop au #yes i do have a medieval history masters how can you tell?#mildly self indulgent and super fluffy & cute #the research holes i fell down were unbelievable - and yes all the courses and all the job titles are all real things #dougie hamilton x oc #dougie hamilton imagine #dougie hamilton fanfiction #hockey writing #hockey fic #hockey fanfiction #nhl writing #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction

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talesofealdancynedom · 3 years

Photo

Professor Hara Fyrstan, in fairy robes; remastered concept.

Tale 31: If We Lost The Sea Wives (chapter 1 - Northland Family 1/5 ) part 7. Stories of Magic Forests

no warings

Hara Fyrstan tends the Fey Conservatory, with great care; He was a prodigy, filling the role his grandfather once did. In fact, they weren’t too different from each other, in looks, roles and personality. Both red haired, grey eyed, fey loving, Northland bred passionate professors. Both with big hearts, and equal compassion for all living things; Including fey. This due to both of them being born, and raised, in the farthest North West tip of Elden Kingdom: The magic Isle of Isfisceard. This mystical ancient place, had the most magical sea in the world. Every inch of the village and islands, was coated in fey. It made the people invested in their land, and its connection to fey of the sea. Naturally, this included Hara and his grandfather, Saturn.

The fey conservatory of Pepperidge academy, which was used for rehabilitation and education, was Grandfather Firepot’s greatest accomplishment. It is a school treasure. All teachers, students, and fey; enjoyed the peaceful atrium. It is a glass walled, three stories tall, magic garden withing the school. Hara dreamed of this job, ever since his grandfather told him stories about it. It inspired Hara to work hard in his Northland schooling, to immigrate to to The Grand West, just for the position. When Hara got there, he made the most of his success. Pepperidge Academy’s infrastructure, community, and fey, received only the best love and care from their new head seer. Hara had gone so far, as to make all of Pepperidge a protected magic forest, like his ow. He had quite the reputation after only a year’s employment. Hara was incredibly thankful for his grandfather, who helped inspire and teach him.

The conservatory didn’t just hold and heal ferries and wonderous plants, but also aquatic fey; Fish children, Sea wives, or Daughter of The Sea, as Hara knew them. As a mage of the Northlands, Hara should have a complex and deep relationship with the daughters of the sea, but instead his qualms with the Fish Kingdom came from one of his students; Rah Wintersleep. Rah was also a mage, but instead of a seer of magic knowledge like Hara, he was charmer that sung spells. Rah was also a storm-breaker, that caused epic storms when magic flowed through him in times of joy. He was working on controlling it, with a storm staph. Rah was not only Hara’s responsibility as a student, but had fallen into a trap Hara’s kin often do; Loving a maiden from the waves. Sorry, mister of the waves. While preparing food for the fey, in the back room, Hara got to over hear Rah, and his true love, Fish Prince Broc. Hara spied on everyone who came into the conservatory, in order to protect the fey and students.

“The selkie your mother made, which you suggested to her; I think she’s actually infatuated with our witchery teacher.” Rah said. He was charming the small pearly cuttle Kraken in the fountain. Hara perked up at the word Selkie.

“Oh, yeah. He’s probably going to love her back. Selkies often suffer from Stockholm’s syndrome, so it’s nice to see a little sister find actual true love; Instead of being kidnapped.” Broc smiled. Hara was too busy in school for seal gawking, back home. Rah and Broc’s conversation was making him nostalgic. As if the distant tune of proverbial bagpipes, was calling him hither.

“Now that you’re my queen in waiting, and the wolf kingdom fell into disrepair, I worry for my mother.” Broc continued. “She always frequents the Day Veil of men, but now mages have made the Beast King’s more willing to see view humanity in person. I doubt people will take kindly to a ghostly giant mermaid, or bewitchingly radiant maiden. I don’t want to be Fish King so soon. I will worry for all my new daughters, while I mourn my Mother and little siblings.” Broc said. Rah hugged Broc, to comfort him.

“I’m sorry I’m too young to be queen of a fey kingdom yet. I worry I’d be a bad fish Dad; No one can top your father Lyra… Besides; your mother, father, and family are very well loved. It would be a tragedy to all who adore the water’s fair folk. I can’t imagine life without ocean fey. All beautifully crafted, and sweet of song.” Rah said. He was getting sad, which was unusual. The two of then gazed into the pool of miniature kraken, nuzzled together like gannets.

Hara slumped. Imagining the world with fewer fey, was a chilling thought to someone who spent their life learning about and helping them. The thought that the bays of Isfisceard, could no longer echo with the haunting melody of the fish children, seemed unnatural. The ocean would have no song, no feminine beauty, and no more wonder. Hara considered if he had taken it all for granted. Rah’s words made him think of home, and all it’s verdant cliffside isles. Home would be nothing without the Sirens on the oddly formed sea walls, mermaids in the rivers and glens, selkies on the beaches, or krakens listening in the deep. The smell of sea salt, vibrancy of the hills, wool of sheep and music of home. Hara wilted at the thought of all that vanishing. It made him feel like life was short, and that he wanted to see it all again. The fey of the fish kingdom, were the ones that inspired him to study and conserve fey. They taught him he was a mage, and how to interact with the world of magic. Hara wanted to experience that again. All of this in the span of the ten minutes it took to pour milk into little labeled saucers for the pixies.

After the school day was done, Hara went to his dorm, to see his dragon princess trying to cuddle Woodwick. Hara had become a queen in waiting himself, but to the Dragon Kingdom; Fleoganan was his true love. She was an optimistic idiot. Which is an underappreciated quality in people. Hara’s heart filling with love when embracing her, combined with a day’s brooding, reminded him that his family hadn’t met Fleog yet. They had already shared the undying true love’s spell, and Grandpa knew nothing of it. Then Hara saw Woodwick, innocently preparing for tomorrow’s lessons. Woodwick also remined Hara of home; He was technically Hara’s adoptive uncle. Woodwick was one of the last two fountain nymphs, which grandfather had found on a black market. These Naiads turned the flowing pools they bathed in, into water that could heal any wound. Yet, Woodwick’s dream was to be human; And due to his value, grandpa adopted Woodwick, and kept his identity secret. This gave Woodwick his dream, by fooling everyone. Nymphs can be very convincingly human. In fact, the unpublished research grandpa Firepot left to Hara, on Woodwick’s desire for humanness, helped Hara conserve local fey. It gave common folk, including wizards, empathy towards fey, similar to mages.

When Woodwick and Hara first met, it was on a road trip to the family beach home. They spent time packed into a hot car, after being picked up at the Main Northland Station. Their little home was in the middle of nowhere, as Isfisceard was an isolated heritage village, by the Fish Gate into the Shadow Veil of fey. The small house was on a sandy beach, along the main road into the cove. South of the magic academy and village, west of the train station. Hara was not fooled by his grandfather’s insistence that Woodwick was just a tween he adopted. Hara, though a child, was an avid seer mage; He knew a fairy when he saw one. Hara never asked why Grandpa adopted a fey, and never mentioned that he knew. Woodwick had just become a normal member of his family.

It was official; Hara missed his. He hadn’t seen his grandfather, or parents, since he graduated and arrived in Pepperidge. Hara decided he wanted to visit home, the next chance he got.

“Woodwick, I want to go home for the semester break; Want to come? Fleog, you have to meet my family.” Hara chimed.

“I’m not particularly interested.” Woodwick said. “Then again, it would make your grandfather very happy.”

“I can’t believe your not homesick. I keep forgetting that under all that professor, is a fairy.” Hara sighed. Woodwick as a fey, lived a timeless state with no opinions of past or future. Missing something, would require opinions regarding the past.

“Well, now that I know seeking a familiar face is human thing, I may consider myself persuaded.” Woodwick responded. He wanted to be human, and was very assertive about it. There was a time he was also convinced he was a real boy, and not some changeling. He was focusing too much on the words, and not enough of the familial aspects. Hara apologized, and made the plans. He felt good about visiting his safe, unchanged, childhood home. That was on a specific abandoned beach, close to the fey of the sea.

NEXT--->

#art #tales of ealdan cynedom #short stories #story 31 #hara #firepot #WoodWick #rah #broc #fleog

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emilycollins00 · 4 years

Text

A3 actors! Art in bloom

Type: One shot

Pairing: Miyoshi Kazunari x Reader

Theme: Passion / Art / Clash

Contrary to what many people and even classmates of yours thought, being an art student was not something you should chose to do lightly.

Sure, it seemed enjoyable, cute even. But no one ever talked about how many hours you would spend with a single portrait, drafting about abstract concepts or trying to discern at two in the morning whether a sculpture should turn more sideways or look at the ground to create a deeper perspective.

Art was wild.

But you loved it and, why not admit it, you took it pretty seriously. Maybe a tiny bit more than most people.

That’s why you had always liked how Kazunari Miyoshi, although being the loud person he was, frequently went on and on with you discussing ideas when there was some debate in class. That brain of his was something else. His works and usual approach when mixing modern and traditional Japanese culture fascinated you. It really did.

But that had been changing lately, and it angered you.

Up until this year you hadn't really cared about it. Everyone had their right to live however they wanted after all.

However, without being able to tell when it began, you started casually observing him. You watched him talk to your other classmates as soon as the lecture, frowned as he concentrated on the draft they had one hour and a half to finish or taking selfies and live videos of the works you all were demanded to do. You even discovered yourself staring and how the sun caressed his profile first hour in the morning.

He had a nice profile.

By that point, something inside you was getting frustrated. He participated in class and attended to the lectures, but at the same time…? you felt he was starting prioritising social media over art, or looking for people for one of his popular mixers, like so many of your other classmates, who had most likely entered this major without much thought, did.

You would understand if he would have a part-time job, but the thought of him being able to do so much more and deciding to stop midway left you speechless.

You wished for him to take more things seriously.

“Miyoshi, were you able to clean all the supplies from last class?" you called him out between the break. Everyone in class traded places to carry the main boxes with brushes, paints and whatever main source they had to work with each week "Our teacher told me to take some clay from there. I'm planning to use them for my final project, but I can't seem to find the key in the secretary office”

The university student lifted his head from his mobile and tipped on his chin, trying to remember "Supplies from...? Oh man, THAT is why I had them in my working space!” He palped his jeans looking for it “My bad, I was totes in a hurry and just closed as soon as we were done!”

You contained an exasperated groan “Why would you get the key unless it was to clean the practice room?”

Kazunari laughed nervously under your intimidating glare “True, true! It's just that I was talking with some friends over the phone and they were in a hurry so…” he showed you the key taking it out of his pocket, maybe to show that at least he hadn’t lost it “Do you need them now? I could go clean for you”

The vein you had tried so hard to maintain calm popped altogether. Not wanting to keep talking, you rapidly grabbed the key from his hand and headed to take the supplies. God grief how you hated that carefree attitude.

……………………..…….

“No prob, dude! Next time just hit me up with a DM and I’ll come running to your uni here! In exchange, I’ll need your help to finish the flyers so…”

Recognizing the flashy voice, you slowly looked behind, witnessing the blond with another person. Was he meeting with people to play around here too?

You couldn’t believe it. You all had your final projects deadlines almost spitting in your faces! That’s why you had to come to this other university to ask for permission to use a kiln for your final, as you didn’t have lectures prepared today and your university didn’t have any. Didn’t look like it was Kazunari’s case.

“Uh? No way, Y/N-pyon!” he waved at you with both hands, confirming it was you indeed, as he got closer “Looking fleek today too! What are you doing here in Yosei?” the person walking next to him whispered something “They’re a friend from my major Tsuzuroon, I told you about them, dude!”

You mentally scoffed. Without returning his greet and turning on your heels, you headed for the teacher’s office.

“You said friend but…” Tsuzuru squinted his eyes, watching you leave “…It doesn't look like they like you very much”

“No worries! Nowadays they are always like that. But their works are so lit! Y/N-pyon is the ultimate remix of you, Ten-ten and Yukki!”

“That’s… not a good thing, Miyoshi-san”

…………………………………………

“Y/N-pyon, about-”

“Miyoshi, sorry. I am on my way to Yosei University to finish my work and unlike your usual approach of work to play, I actually don’t have time to waste”

“Uh? My works are…”

“Are what? I’ve been seeing you doing half-assed things all over the semester. This last week you didn’t even come at the afternoon lectures” you were pretty sure this was just you venting at this point “You’re amazing Miyoshi, I honestly think that, so why? If… If you only put more of yourself into it, your art would be even more unbelievable!”

He went quiet, a rare sight.

“Art it’s not something you just do for laughs; I thought you were one of the few people here that felt the same and-” the phone in your bag started ringing. Head teacher. Inhaling deeply, you answered it “Yes?”

“Y/N-san? I am so sorry. Could you come to Josey university?”

Losing the eye contact you had been maintaining with the blond boy, your heart sank as you heard the words ‘kiln’ and ‘malfunction’. “…Please tell me my final project is ok”

……………………………….

You stood in silence, looking at the mess when you heard a knock at the door.

“I know I shouldn’t have followed and am expecting you throw me out the door but…” you didn’t move an inch so Kazunari took that as a free pass.

Just as the teacher told you, the electricity in the small building had had an issue and there had been a combustion, meaning, the sculpture you had kept here while working for weeks was now cracked and in shreds. You sniffed, brushing away the tears that were trying to come out from your eyes. All your hard work. All the time spent, had been for nothing.

“The Kiln is burnt. I don’t have anything good to save” you felt emotionally exhausted “Damn, I should have used air dry clay since the beginning… or not tried to sculpt anything” your vision became blurry again “I don’t know why do I make everything more difficult that it is”

Kazunari contemplated the situation, studying the seemingly full cracked sculpture from afar.

“Teach probably told you she would wait for you to turn on the work, right?” He saw you vaguely nodding you head “You got this!” he put his hand on your shoulder, you barely glancing at him “Look, If you still wanna use this base I’ll go ask for some moisturize and clean water to mix. Then I will maintain the upper part as you work down there, not bad idea right?”

You stared at him, finally grasping that he had come all the way here and was now trying to help “Why are you here? I… was being a busybody telling you how to work in our major” you had realized you had crossed the line back then.

Kazunari laughed, shaking his head “You were not saying anything that was a lie though, I don't want to admit it, but it’s true I've been a mess for a while”

“I guess parties require a lot of work” you bite your tongue hard. He was being a decent person trying to help and you couldn’t stop for two seconds to pick on him? You wanted to punch yourself.

“Mmm? Ah, our theatre troupe is almost opening for performance and the next troupe is on practices so flyers and scripts are running at full gas”

You stopped looking at your sculpture. What did he just say about a theatre?

“…What?”

“You’ve never come, Y/N-pyon? Mankai company is the best theatre in Veludo way! You totes should come, I’ll even send you the tickets for our new performance!” before you knew it, he had already DM you what you imagined was all the background information.

The moment you unlocked it, you almost dropped the phone. The photos and drawings of the posters were amazing, and you just knew who it had done “You… never said you had a job”

Kazunari considered what you pointed out. Mankai had managed to recover from what they needed to pay but they still didn't have enough founds “I’ve never thought about our acts as a job thought”

Your mind was a mess. Being an actor and doing publicity didn’t count for him as he studied? No wonder he usually left early! Now you felt even worst. You had behaved like a… “Uh, are these original templates?” you browsed over the performances’ posters, each one more astonishing than the other “This is… wow and this one?”

He blinked, noticing how the tone of your voice was now more soothing. You had somewhat calm down. He would high-key enjoy hearing you talk to him like that more often “Hey, enough about me. We have work to do”

You agreed, putting away your phone “You’re right but again I… I am sorry, Miyoshi. And thanks, for staying”

“No prob, Y/N-pyon!”

“Would you tell me what I could do so you stopped calling me that?”

“Eeeeeeh why? I think it fits! It's super-duper cute, like you!”

Thump!

No. You told yourself.

Coming back to your senses you told yourself the warm you felt in your cheeks was due to summer starting earlier. It definitely wasn’t because of Kazunari smile directed at you, helped you or how the sun reflected on his perfect profile as you both started working on your work.

Art was wild… but it was also an evocative of feelings.

_________________________________________________________

This one has been a difficult one! I wanted Reader to kind of clash with his mindset

Hope you guys enjoy it. Have a wonderful day! 💕

#a3 #a3! act! addict! actors!#A3! Actor Training Game #a3!#a3! game #kazunari miyoshi #a3 kazunari #reader insert #reader #kazunari x reader #a3! kazunari #miyoshi kazunari x reader #kazunari miyoshi x reader #one shot #a3 tsuzuru

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nymp21 · 4 years

Text

Secret Crush

You’re the youngest Danvers (Alex biological’s sister) and you move to National City to study. What will happen, when you’ll find out you have a crush on one of your teacher. And that teacher is Lena Luthor herself. Your sister besfriend.

Gifs are not mine

Pairing : littledanvers reader x Lena Luthor

Warnings : English is not my langage and eventual smut later in chapters

Part 1

You were currently eating your breakfast with energy when Kara came of the bathroom. She was making up her hair. « Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you at Uni (Y/N) » « No thanks Kar’! I will go there by bus. It will be more normal than being drop by Supergirl flying » you laughed. « I meant by car » she responded, rolling her eyes. You were leaving with your sister for one week now and you could say Kara was very cool !That’s why you pick your super sister when you had to choose where to live during the semesters of your degree. And because Alex was living with Maggie so…technically you didn’t have much choice. You were preparing a master degree both in litterature and business (you wanted to be an editor.) and National City had got the best college to finish your studies. Today was the first day of the semester, and you knew you would have so much works to do to succeed and pass. « Anyway, do you need something for lunch ? O can make you a sandwich » « With butternutt ? » « Of course ! Who do you think I am ? » she said with an amused smirk. You smiled at her response : « you’re the best sister but don’t say that to Alex, she will be mad at me. » She chuckled and started making your food for lunch then she gave it to you. You took it, thanked her and grabbed your bag. « See you later Kara » you said. « By sweetheart… call me if you feel nervous or anything » « Kara i’m not a kid who is afraid of the first day at school anymore. » « Maybe, but you’ll always be our little baby danvers » she said with a smirk. You groaned and closed the door behind you when you heard her laugh. She is such a dork. _________________________________________ It was the last course of the day. Your firsts were very interesting and you find yourself doing some research at the Library between two of them. You were so concentrated, you didn’t see the time fly and you were late. So you ran in the corridors of the college, cursing between your teeth for being such an idiot ! You opened the door of the room, where were sitting the others students who stared at you instantly. You were quite shy in public so you felt embarrassment rushing through you. « Well ! Welcome to business course. Glad to see you know punctuality. » You turn you head to your right, to see the most beautiful woman you ever met. Her eyes piercing as hell were as blue as the see that you could drown in them. Her hair was perfectly made, and her lips were as red as a rose. She was breathtaking, and you didn’t know how to make words. And you were blushing with shame as you heard some of the other students chuckle at her ironical comment. « The cat got your tongue ? When we are late, we apologise. »she said. And you seemed to come back from your starring « I’m sorry I was in the library, I didn’t see the time. » She starred at you with a strange smile on her lips and you felt more uncomfortable. « Well, Miss I’m happy to know that you seem to be a good student by already making research at the libraby. » You heart skipped a beat. Her smile were so intimidating and… sexy. What!? Stop thinking with your hormone (Y/N) ! She is your professor for godsakes! « You can sit. As I was saying to your classmates,I’m Lena Luthor. I will teach you business course this semester. » Holy shit ! Your professor was Lena Fucking Luthor ! Not only one of the most intelligent woman of the city… even the world -You have read all her articles and you admired her - but also Kara’s best friend ! She was supposed to present her to you tonight at game night. She had said : « I’m sure you will like each others. You have so much in common . Yeah… the college for example. Man this will be so awkard ! Plus, you didn’t imagine that your sister’s best friend would make you blush so hard. She was very intimidating in her black dress and high heels. Your shyness was showing as you set at a free chair trying to be discrete. « As you may know, I’m the CEO of L-Corp which means I can handle a society. » she continues as if nothing as interrupted her. « So I expect you to be as serious as possible this semester. I will show you any mercy. » If her smile could make you think she was kidding, her eyes were dead serious. Then she began her lesson, with some definitions. You were happy no one were paying attention to you and, you show yourself very attentive, because you didn’t want to make her say any other comment about you. She was very passionate and interesting as you could imagine. Kara was right when she said she may seem cold at first. She seems so indeed. But when she talked about her job, she has a bright smile. The two hours spent like it was ten minutes and then you were getting out the room, deep in your thoughts. How would you do to avoid game night ? Because you couldn’t do game night with your professor right ? This situation was making you uncomfortable and stressed for an unknown reason. Well, you were not a relaxed person and this would be awkward. Plus she made you blushing and you hoped she didn’t notice it ! Yes she was very intimidating and you were very very embarrassed in front of her. —————————— The doorbell rings and Kara opened the door as you put the chips in a bowl. You didn’t succeed to avoid game night. Kara was good at convincing you with her puppy eyes and her « please, please, please,please,please,please » so annoying you were obliged. You sighed as you put the plate of pizza on the table, with the chips. Luckily for you Lena Luthor hasn’t confirmed her presence tonight. Apparently she wasn’t sure she could come. Kara was upset bit you were relieved and hoping she wouldn’t make it to game night. But you were stressed anytime the doorbell rings. Winn was already there. You liked him. He was your favorite nerd. You had many things in common and he was like a brother to you. « Hi Winn ! » you heard « Hi baby danvers ». And you feel Maggie kiss your cheek. « How was this first day in College. » « Great » you responded. « Just great ? » she frowned. « She didn’t say much to me earlier. Maybe she found a boyfriend or a girlfriend and it was love at first sight» said Kara ,bringing the wine Alex had give her on the table and smiling at you. You rolled your eyes. Kara and Maggie were constantly teasing you about a potential boyfriend/girlfriend. The Did want to see you with someone. This was quite annoying, and they knew that. « Maybe some wine will make you talk » Maggie said with a smirk. « Oh no Sawyers I forbid you to get my sister drunk tonight !» told Alex as she embrassed you in her arms. « Hi sweetie. Don’t let them tease you. » « I don’t. I just plan to bit them at the game tonight. » « You wish baby Danvers. I improved myself since last time and you’re not ready for my skilled in monopoly. » You laughed. Maggie was a total looser in monopoly because she didn’t like the game. But you appreciated the effort she maid to try to win. You knew she wouldn’t make it. You were unbitten at this game. But in opposite she was an absolute killer at Jungle Speed and Kara was the queen of the time’s up. « How can you improve skills at monopoly… it’s nonsense » comment Winn. « (Y/N) is just better than you. Accept it. » You smiled wild at the comment and out your tongue at your sister’s girlfriend.

“So childish” She replied.

Then you heard Lena came in the apartment. Honestly, you didn’t know why you were so embarrassed. You didn’t know if it was because of her humiliated yourself in the morning, because of her finding out that you were her best friend’s little sister or because of the strange feelings you had around her. “Hi Kar’. Sorry I’m a bit late.” “Not at all !” your sister replied. “Plus we were teasing (Y/N) about her first day at National City College today. She didn’t tell that much” GREAAAT ! Thanks Kara. You felt Lena’s gaze fell on you and you refused to look at her. But you clearly heard her smile in her comment : “Is that so ? Well I can tell you that she was late at business course today.” Ok now you were blushing hard. And you saw confusion in your sisters eyes. Confusion that vanished as Lena added : “I Know it, because i’m her professor. We met today, although she didn’t tell me she was a Danvers.” This time you looked at Lena, and to your surprise she was smiling warmly at you. “So nice to meet you (Y/N) Danvers !” “Oh hum nice to meet you Miss Luthor.” “Please call me Lena.” “All right... hi Lena.” And then, Game Night began. You first played at Uno, Maggie won with a big satisfied smile. Then you started the serious game : The monopoly. The game lasted one hour and half and at the end, there were just you and Lena. You were surprised that you didn’t feel awkward anymore. On the contrary you were concentrated on the game and motivated to beat your sister’s best friend. But she had the same motive. This was tense until Lena took your last streets and you didn’t have any more money. “I... lost ?!” you said at disbelief. “I knew you couldn’t win tonight Baby Danvers !” told Maggie. “Oh shut up !” “ To your defense (Y/N) you played well and wisely. And as your teacher I couldn’t lose could I ?” You looked at Lena which blinked at you with a smile. You blushed at the compliment and you didn’t see that Alex noticed this but she didn’t tell anything. Then you helped Kara store the room. You decided to do the dishes. You were washing the same bowl for like 2 minutes, lost in thoughts. The evening went better than you’re expected. Lena was very nice and you enjoyed played with her. You almost forgot that she was also your professor because she didn’t act like she was. You admired her more than before. She was very smart, her warming smile was so beautiful. You became to realize that you were crushing hard on her... Oh God, why ! Later everyone was leaving. You waved at Winn, took Maggie and Alex in your arms as they left the room. Lena was the last to stay. “Well, it was very amusing Kara, as always.” “Thank you for coming. I’m glad you could meet (Y/N). It’s crazy that you’re also teaching her business. I hope you’ll tell me if she causes you some trouble.” She was kidding of course. You were quite serious at school and she knew that. Lena smirk at you. “Oh she’ll behave I swear. But I’m glad she is my student. She is smart.” You blushed hard at her comment et they smiled at you. “Yeah, She is.” Kara responded. “Well I gotta go. See you later Kar’” She enlaced your sister et then came to you. “See you at college (Y/N) hope you won’t be late this time, or I’ll have to punish you.” She said with a smirk and then kissed you on the cheek. The teasing and the kiss made you so dizzy as she left. Yep you were crushing hard. God you were in trouble.

#lena luthor x reader #reader x lena #readerinsert #babydanvers #danverssisters kara alex #lena luthor #lena luthor imagine #supergirl

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axwalker · 4 years

Text

Tears in heaven 5: Move on

Synopsis: Alexis O’Brien is about to get married but memories of her old life are coming back to haunt her.

MASTERLIST

Pairings: Liam x MC Drake x MC (TRR)

Warnings: NO ONE UNDER 18 should read this story. This is an 18+ blog. This story will deal with very dark subjects such as death, severe depression and suicide attempt (among others) if you’re triggered by any of those issues, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS STORY

To catch up: Masterlist

A/N: The story will go back and forth between three different periods of time (2010 / 2015 / 2019)

A/N: This is a filler chapter... I hope you enjoy it :-)

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Word count: 4,795

Songs inspiration: Tears in heaven by Eric Clapton

THANKS TO: @burnsoslow for beta reading and correcting so many mistakes. I love you!

And to @pedudley your feedback gives me live!! I LOVE YOU BOTH! ❤️❤️❤️

May 2015

After spending one and a half months on Bastien’s couch, Drake had decided to get a job working on the docks. He knew that getting exhausted by the manual labor was the only way to get a few hours of sleep at night. He also became a regular customer at the local pub. Every day after work, he went and drank himself into oblivion. Many times during that month, Drake had thought of coming back to Cordonia, but every morning he decided to stay, paralyzed by the fear of her hatred. He was empty, a living corpse. His family was still present in his mind every single day with the same painful intensity, especially Tom, his little boy. His grief vacillated between a deep sorrow to a burning rage that consumed him more and more every day. He felt angry with anyone and everyone. More than once, he had picked fights in the bar trying to punish himself.

But that day it wasn’t supposed to happen. That day was supposed to be his last day in Andalucía. Olivia had called the night before and told him that Alexis needed him desperately, that she was destroying herself. He hung up to buy the plane tickets. In spite of what had happened between them that last day, everything that had been said and done, he needed to be with her. His judgment had been clouded by their last fight, but he understood now that he had reacted too fast, that she hadn’t been in her right mind. That they were meant to survive the pain together.

Drake barely remembered how all hell had broken loose. He knew he had drunk more than usual, anxious about seeing her again. He remembered that he had put his phone next to him, the phone with all the pictures of his son on it. He recalled that the man next to him had taken it and made offensive comments about Alexis, whose picture was the screensaver. He remembered the sound of his phone smashing when he had tried to get it back. Everything was blank after that. He had woken up in a cell with a black eye and a broken nose. Thanks to Alexis, he spoke Spanish quite well, so he understood the guards when they told him that the other guy was in the hospital due to a minor concussion. The lawyer that Bastien had gotten him, Alvaro Díaz, informed him that the other man was the son of a reputed local congressman. Mr. Díaz did everything he could, but the judge was a personal friend of the politician, so Drake had been sentenced to one year in prison. He had called Olivia and told her that he couldn’t come back without giving her more explanations. It was useless to tell them where he was and worry Alexis when she couldn’t do anything about it. He hadn’t been able to protect her from the pain back then, but he would protect her from that now.

September 2010

Drake was making coffee for both of them. He was working the morning shift at the clinic, and Alexis had an early class. He could hear the noise coming from their room all the way in the kitchen. He smiled to himself. Alexis was always late and made a racket when she got ready. He took both their coffees to their bedroom. She was cursing in front of the mirror trying to apply mascara as she brushed her teeth.

He smirked at her, nodding his head towards her toothbrush, “The coffee will taste like crap now, Lexie.”

She tapped her forehead with her palm. “Shit! You’re right!”

He watched her look for her shoes all over the room until she found one under the bed and the other in the closet.

“What’s going on, baby? You seem more agitated than usual.” She was putting her tennis on quietly. He sat next to her on the bed.

“Hey, talk to me, Lex.” He placed his hand on her thigh. “What’s going on?”

She was going to wait until that night to talk to him, but he was her husband, her best friend. And he could read her like a book. It was better to get it off her chest now.

She bit her bottom lip. “I’m late.”

He laughed, taking her in his arms. “You’re always late, but your teachers always seem to forgive you, Lexie. Don’t worry about it.”

She shook her head no. “No, Drake. I’m late.” She gave him a knowing look.

Drake took a second, but he finally understood. He took a deep breath before he spoke. “Have you taken a test?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Do you have one?” he asked as he placed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes - I was going to take it later, but I guess I’ll do it now.” She stood up and went to the bathroom after she took the test out of her backpack.

She came back to the room with the test in her hand and placed it on the table next to her bed. Drake took her arm, pulling her into his lap. For three minutes neither of them said anything, too nervous to talk. When the phone went off announcing the end of their wait, Alexis stood up and looked at the test.

“Well?” Drake couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer.

She barely nodded, still too overwhelmed to talk. He jumped off the bed and swept her off her feet. She looped her arms around his neck, roaring with laughter.

“You have no idea how happy you just made me, Lexie.” He steadied her with his arms and kissed her passionately. His heart was about to burst with happiness.

He cupped her face to kiss her again and noticed the shadow in her eyes. “And you? Are you happy about this?”

She honestly didn’t know how to answer. “I’m feeling so many things that I might explode, Drake. I don’t even know how this happened.”

“You do, Lexie. I told you it broke.” One passionate night after too many whiskeys, their condom had broken, but they had been too caught up in the moment to care.

She sat on the bed. “I don’t want you to think I’m not happy, Drake, because I’m ecstatic, but I’m also worried. I really wanted to finish school first, get my degree, get a job in a publishing house, write. We wanted to travel together and enjoy our married life. We’ve only been married for two months … And …” she sighed, “so many things.”

He felt guilty. She looked extremely young in her tennis shoes and a ponytail. Of course it was easier for him. He was 25, not 21. His seven-year degree was almost finished, and thanks to Liam, he had traveled all over the world. She had done none of that. He was dying to have a kid with her, but he’d wait if she wasn’t ready.

He sat next to her in the bed before affirming, “We’ll do whatever you need to do, baby. It’s your decision.”

She shook her head no. “I want to keep it, Drake. I’m sure of that. I’m just nervous … I guess.”

“Come here, baby.” He leaned his back against the headboard, and she climbed on top of him. He stroked her hair and her cheeks soothingly. “I get where you’re coming from, Lexie. Completely.” She nodded against his chest, and he held her tighter. He wanted to show her that he understood her fears and that they were going to face them together as a team.

He wasn’t a man of grand romantic gestures, but he loved her like crazy and knew her better than anyone. She needed to be reassured, she needed to know that she would still be able to fulfill her dreams.

“What if I call in sick and you skip school? We can spend the day together and talk about options.” He took her chin with his fingers, turning her face towards him. “But I want you to know that even if you have to stop for a semester, you’ll go back to school. I swear, Lexie. We’ll manage.”

She grinned at him. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one, baby. I love you so much.” He kissed her, then he placed his hand on her lower belly and added, visibly touched, “I love you, too.”

Her eyes watered; her heart was so full it could explode. She was still a bit stressed about the future but not worried anymore. “We love you so much already - you have no idea, my little peanut,” she said, placing her hand on her belly as well. She yawned.

He looked at her, concerned. “Are you tired?”

“Remember when you told me last week that I seemed tired lately?” She looked down at her belly. “I guess now we know why.”

All his instincts screamed to protect her. He undid the covers and put the blankets over them; she snuggled against him. He wrapped her in his arms and leaned to kiss her forehead. “Sleep a bit, baby. I’ll be here next to you.” As he stroked her face while she fell asleep, he thought about how happy he felt. He knew he had many joyful moments to come, but he had never felt so happy as he did right then with the woman he adored in his arms and their baby on his way.

April 2019

Alexis was deeply nervous about the party. She looked at herself in the mirror again, trying to ignore the knot in the pit of her stomach. It was going to be the first time in more than four years that the three of them were going to be together in the same place. She hated herself. Drake and Liam had been good friends all their lives, and now, thanks to her, they didn’t even speak to each other. If she hadn’t been so weak after his death, if Drake had come back for her, if Liam hadn’t helped her so much, maybe everything would be different now. She tried to put her lipstick on, but her hand was shaking; she was extremely anxious. She took a deep breath to calm herself. His return had opened too many old wounds. Too many memories that would have been better to leave buried. Especially at this time of the year when that dreadful date was approaching. She took another sharp breath and stopped her tears; if she thought about her son, she wouldn’t be able to leave the bed. With a steadier hand, she applied the rest of her makeup and went downstairs to meet Liam.

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Liam put on his cufflinks and his tuxedo jacket; the Beaumonts had decided to throw the most elegant anniversary party of the year. He poured himself a scotch while he waited for Alexis. As he sipped his scotch, he pondered his upcoming encounter with Drake; he was apprehensive about seeing him again. It was undeniable that he missed his best friend deeply. However, he was aware that there was nothing he could do about it anymore. As much as he hated the idea of Drake despising him, it was the price that he had had to pay for Alexis and he didn’t regret his life with her. After all, he had been in love with her for almost 10 years.

If Drake loved her as much as he claimed, he’d have to recognize that she was alive and well thanks to Liam. It had been Liam’s love and strength that had helped her to rebuild herself after Tom had died and Drake had left. Drake and Alexis weren’t good for each other anymore. That’s why he had given Drake her letter that day. He still felt guilty about it, but he couldn’t admit the truth - not if that meant he would lose her.

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Drake sat in his jeep waiting for Kiara; he knew she would be right there in exactly 10 minutes. She was always punctual, unlike Alexis, who was eternally late. That flaw had been the source of countless fights during their marriage. Conflicts that inevitably ended the same way: with both of them in bed being even later to wherever they were going. He wasn’t even that irritated by it, but he loved to tease her and see the fire in her eyes when they fought.

He sighed, wondering when he would stop comparing Alexis to any other woman he dated. It wasn’t as if he was still in love with her. It was just that Cordonia had brought back a lot of memories that he thought were forgotten. His thoughts inevitably drifted to Liam. He didn’t know how he would react when he’d see him again. One side of him wanted to demolish his ex-best friend. The other side was painfully aware that without Liam she would be dead. That side couldn’t help but to be grateful to Liam; he didn’t dare to imagine a world without Lexie in it. He saw Kiara leaving her house and got out of the car to open her door; he smiled to himself, thinking about how much Alexis hated that gesture.

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Alexis sighed, slightly irritated; she hated to wait until someone else opened the car door for her. It was a waste of time, but Liam was a genuine gentleman; he couldn’t conceive of not doing it, and she didn’t want to fight for something so futile. Besides, she was going to be the Duchess of Valtoria soon;, the earlier she got used to all the etiquette rules, the better.

When they entered the ballroom, the herald announced them. She hated the spotlight, but she wore her best smile and took her fiancé’s arm. No one could have guessed how uneasy she felt inside.

“Liam Fabien Rhys, Duke of Valtoria, and his fiancée, Lady Alexis O’Brien.” Liam took her hand, and they went down the stairs together.

Drake was nursing a whiskey at his table when he heard the announcement. His stomach did a flip at the herald’s words, but it was nothing compared to the moment when he saw them together. They looked perfect for each other. He was regal in a perfectly-tailored tuxedo. She looked … gorgeous. She was wearing a white dress that highlighted her tanned, soft skin. Her shiny hair was cascading down on one side of her elegant neck, as her full lips were tempting him with a deep shade of red.

“I wish I could get some Bordeaux.” Kiara’s voice broke the spell.

“I’ll go to the bar and ask for a glass,” he offered, standing up, anxious to go anywhere far away from them.

Bertrand greeted them by himself; apparently, Savannah was occupied with other guests. Since Alexis had gotten engaged to Liam, Savannah had been polite but cold and had avoided the couple as much as she could. Alexis didn’t blame her; she probably would have done the same in her shoes. Francesco soon joined them, and their conversation turned to their negotiations with Italy and the Commerce treaty the country was signing with Valtoria. Alexis knew they could talk business all night long. She turned her head, a little bored, and there he was, next to the bar, sipping a glass of whiskey distractedly. Her heart skipped a beat. She blushed and turned her head back, immediately grabbing Liam’s hand; his strength was the only thing that could help her get through that hellish party.

Drake came back with a glass of Bordeaux for Kiara and a tumbler of whiskey for himself. Kiara looked around the ballroom, admiring the decoration.

She suddenly squealed, “Mon Dieu, Drake! C’est ma collègue ! Ça alors!” (God, Drake, that’s my colleague. I can’t believe it!)

Drake liked Kiara. She was smart, warm and beautiful but that habit of changing languages every five seconds really unnerved him. He was going to ask what the hell she had said when she took his hand and dragged him to the center of a ballroom. Drake understood who she was talking about when it was too late. Before he could prevent it, Kiara tapped Alexis’ shoulder. She turned her head and went pale.

“Coucou, ma belle! (Hi, darling) I knew it was you!” Kiara hugged Alexis affectionately.

Alexis was unable to speak or move; Drake’s gaze was fixated on her, and Liam completely paralyzed her.

She barely heard Max scream, “Drake!” He hugged an unresponsive Drake, who was as numbed as Alexis. “Fuck, man! You look great! I missed our midnight talks, buddy!” Seeing that his three friends were still in shock, he extended his hand to Kiara, trying to dissipate the awkwardness. “Hi! I’m Max Beaumont and this is-”

“The Duke of Valtoria, I know. We translate a lot of documents for the duchy at the agency we both freelance for, n’est-ce pas, Alexis?” (isn’t it true?) Without letting her answer, she proceeded, “I’m Kiara Theron.”

“I’m charmed to make your acquaintance, Kiara.” Liam gave her a charming smile. Then he turned to Drake. “Hello, Drake. It’s been a long time.”

Drake looked at both of them contemptuously, his fists balling. “And a lot of things have changed since then,” he growled.

“Oh! You know each other!” Kiara exclaimed, excited that her date knew one of the most important men in the country.

Drake scowled, “We used to. A very long time ago.” Alexis lowered her eyes, blushing.

Maxwell was desperate to break the tension, so he decided to change the subject. “I don’t know if Sav told you, Drake, but thanks to Liam’s support, the Parliament passed a new law legalizing gay marriage. Rash and I are engaged!”

Drake grinned; if anyone deserved to be happy, it was Maxwell Beaumont. “Congratulations, Max. I’m actually very happy for you both.”

Kiara was curious; they had been working together for a year, but Alexis was extremely discreet about her personal life. “I didn’t know you were a noble, Alexis,” she inquired.

Drake snapped, “She’s not; she’s just marrying one.” No one missed the bitter tone in his voice.

Alexis squinted at him angrily before answering, “He’s right. I’m not. I’m as common as they come.”

Kiara understood that something extremely odd was going on, and she wanted to know what it was. “So, you know my boyfriend, too?”

Alexis felt a pang in her chest. Someone else was being possessive of him. Someone else was calling him her boyfriend. She swallowed before she could speak. “As he said, we did a long time ago.”

“Ki knows everything about my past. We don’t keep secrets. She knows I’m getting a divorce.” Drake was well aware that he was being an asshole, but it was driving him mad the way Liam had possessively circled her waist with his arm. “Alexis was,” he smirked at Liam, “well, she is still my wife.”

Kiara was a lot of things, but she wasn’t stupid. He had never called her ‘Ki’ before; it was obvious that he was trying to make his ex-wife jealous. They would have to talk; as much as she liked Drake, she didn’t want to get in the middle of something so complicated.

Maxwell tried to lighten the atmosphere again. “What kind of documents did you translate for Liam?”

Kiara and Liam engaged in the conversation, but Alexis and Drake didn’t exchange a word. She feigned interest in their discussion while Drake excused himself and left the group to talk to his sister. He couldn’t bear to be next to them another second. Liam gave Alexis a reassuring look. He hated to see her so anxious.

Soon everyone was dancing. Alexis felt safe in Liam’s arms. He was sweet and gentle and treated her like a princess. She needed his love, his protection, and she loved him back; she was sure of it. That’s why she didn’t understand why seeing Drake troubled her so much.

Drake sat at the bar alone while Kiara danced with Maxwell. When he was married to Alexis, he enjoyed dancing with her because she loved it passionately. Back then, just seeing her move and making her happy was incentive enough for him. But those days were gone. He didn’t dance anymore.

He leaned on the counter and took a swig of his whiskey. He was trying very hard to avoid looking at the dance floor, but it was stronger than him. He felt a mix of rage and sadness seeing them together, seeing the woman he had sworn to love forever in the arms of the closest friend he had had. Drake saw Liam glide her across the dance floor assuredly, and then lean his lips towards her ear telling her something that made her smile.

His heart broke a little when he saw her face. She tried very hard to hide it behind a beautiful smile, but it was obvious that she was suffering. All the makeup and fake grins in the world wouldn’t be enough to deceive him. He knew Alexis inside and out. She was still in deep pain about their son, but instead of accepting it, she was trying to bury her real feelings as deep as possible. He was aware that when something was too difficult for her, she chose to ignore it in the hope that it would disappear. In the past, Drake would force her to face it, to deal with it, but Liam had the same tendency to ignore what he didn’t want to see. It couldn’t be healthy for either of them.

Suddenly she raised her eyes and looked at him, too. They stared at each other intently, both of them feeling their hearts racing and their stomachs fluttering for a few seconds. Alexis shook her head, breaking the spell. She said something to Liam, and they went back to sit at their table. She sighed, exasperated at herself. She desperately needed to sign those divorce papers and never see Drake again. Liam was rubbing her arm absentmindedly while he talked to Francesco. That’s what she needed: Liam and a new life. Her marriage and her responsibilities as a duchess would keep her too busy to think. Drake should stay where he belonged, buried in the past.

She saw Olivia on the other side of the ballroom and decided to go and apologize for her outburst at Maxwell’s loft. She was about to reach her friend when the band started to play a song, their song. She hadn’t heard Crazy Love in five years, and she wasn’t ready to hear it now. So she turned around, trying to locate the nearest exit until she finally saw one. Once outside, she leaned against one of the walls of the gardens and sighed, relieved. In that moment, she saw Drake sitting on the stairs. She hesitated for a second, finally deciding to sit next to him.

“The song?” he asked. When she nodded quietly, he added, “It hit me too. I hadn’t heard it in five years.”

“Me neither; I can’t seem to be able to erase it from my playlist, but I never listen to it.” She sighed before adding in a low voice, “There’s a lot of things I can’t do anymore.”

He looked at her, and for the first time since he had come back, he saw a glimpse of the old Lexie.

“Same for me.” He gave her a sad smile. “I can’t stand watching Seinfeld anymore.” He sighed, thinking of all the Saturday mornings they had spent in bed making love and watching endless Seinfeld marathons.

“Indiana Jones.” She bit her bottom lip. “Even a commercial for it makes me anxious.”

“Stargazing.” The last time he had gone was with Tom and Alexis for her birthday, only a few months before his death. “And I haven’t read Mark Twain again,” he said carefully, aware that he was approaching dangerous territory.

Her breathing accelerated, but she forced herself to say, “I can’t say his name. I haven’t said it once since the accident.” Her eyes teared up.

His heart broke for her; he wanted to hold her and make the pain go away, but he knew he couldn’t. He had tried very hard in the past, in those few months they were together after his death, and it had been impossible.

He wiped her tears with his thumb instead. “You have to try and talk about him, Alexis. I know it’s horribly painful, but ignoring it won’t make it better.”

“Because living among his things like you do makes it better?” she snapped. “No, Drake. Nothing will ever make it better.” She couldn’t avoid crying any longer.

He circled his arms around her shoulders. “I know, Alexis. Believe me, I know.” His embrace had something extremely reassuring. He smelled as he had always smelled, of sandalwood and cut grass. His strong arms around her made her feel safe and nostalgic. She let herself go in his arms, crying for Tom as she hadn’t allowed herself to do for a very long time.

“I just miss him so much; it’s terrifying.” He kissed the top of her head but didn’t interrupt her; she needed to talk. “Sometimes I’m having a good day and then a small detail, like a firefighter’s truck in a movie, brings it all back. I feel like that first day when I got the news. The pain makes it impossible to breathe, to function.” She turned her head towards him; he was watching her with so much tenderness in his eyes that she felt compelled to continue, “That’s why I avoid saying his name or anything that could trigger a memory of him, of us.”

Drake frowned. “You can’t live avoiding everything, Alexis.” He paused; even if he wanted to know the least possible about her relationship with Liam, he needed to be sure she had someone to talk to. “Don’t you talk about him with … Liam?”

“No, I get too sad, and he worries too much about me.” She stopped, thinking about the other reason. “Besides, I feel disloyal-”

Drake stood up; he was fuming. “This isn’t about him, Alexis. It’s about you! And if he thinks that it’s disloyal talking about your own son, then he’s a bigger asshole than I thought he was.”

She stood up as well. Her eyes had tears of sadness mixed with tears of fury. “Who the hell do you think you are? You come here after five years to tell me and Liam how to manage our grief? I was going to say that I felt disloyal towards you, talking about our son with Liam. And I don’t even know why. I have all the right. He was the one watching me cry myself to sleep. He was the one comforting me night after night. Fuck! He was the one who saved my life. The worst part is that I wanted so badly to have you instead. To have your arms, your words consoling me. But YOU WEREN’T THERE. You promised you would always be there for me, and then YOU FUCKING LEFT!” She was so angry she barely realized she was shoving him.

He held her wrists to stop her, and the momentum pulled her close to him. The electricity between them was almost touchable; they were trembling with fury. Their hearts raced as their eyes sparkled with fire.

“You know damn well why I left! Did you forget what happened? Because I sure as hell haven’t!” As he spoke, his face got closer to hers. He could smell her perfume, see her lips only a few inches from his. He let her wrists go and cupped her face, but she turned around.

“I know why you left, but I never understood why you didn’t come back.” She looked sad, broken.

He tried to approach her again, but she took a step back. “I know it took me long, Alexis, but I did come back.”

She shook her head; five years was too long, wherever the reasons he had had.

“Am I interrupting something?” Liam had stepped out to the gardens, looking for her.

“No, we were just talking, but there’s nothing else left to say. I was about to go back to the ball.” She walked towards the door, but Liam stood in the middle of the garden looking at Drake.

“Actually, Alexis, I would like to speak a moment with Drake. If he doesn’t mind.”

Drake smirked, “Of course I don’t, Li. Why wouldn’t I want to catch up with such an old and loyal friend?”

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melissanovels · 4 years

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♡ Chapter 4 of TRANSIENT TIME TRAVELLER is out! ♡

○ Read on my Website ○ Read on Tumblr (below) ○ Read on Ao3 ○ Read on Royal Road ○

TTT is an LGBTQ+ historical fantasy novel about Aida, a time traveller hellbent on proving the innocence of a 1,200-year-old dead queen, and Lorian, an escaped princess-turned-officer who wants to drain the royal blood from their body, & the two coming together with the help of their mischievous future selves.

♡ Reblogs are appreciated! ♡

Read Chapter 4 Below:

She flipped through the third history text she’d finished that week, trying to spot any more clues she’d missed. It was lunch time, so she’d yet again found herself in the campus library instead of the dining hall or open piazzas with the other students. She’d tested the librarians and found that not many of them came around this corner of the ancient building. It let her eat her lunch of bread and butter in peace.

She pushed up her glasses as she leaned over her spine-broken books. It’d been two weeks since the semester started and she’d already finished all of the reading and had a head start on her essays and future projects, giving her ample time to read up about her new country’s history. One of the key aspects of wanting to get into Durante Academy was this library. More than 40,000 books were archived here. Everything from pre-classical recipes to first editions of history texts. She’d discovered a new biography on Eve’s life. Her favorite color? Burgundy. Aida couldn’t wait to buy a dress in that deep shade of royalty.

But she was getting nowhere today. Not only did this volume not have the answers she was searching for, there was a bug burrowing into her brain.

She hadn’t spoken to Lorian since the day they first met. It shouldn’t have mattered, being that he’d only done her a favor. She couldn’t remember a lot about what happened because she’d gotten completely baked, but she remembered that they’d bonded, right? That’s what people did, right? Or acquaintances at best. Her sisters often talked to one another about school, boys, girls. Their favorite actors and which ones they wanted to marry, what they wanted to be when they grew up. They’d never asked Aida what she wanted, never cared about her passions, but this boy had. That had to account for something, didn’t it?

So why hadn’t they talked since?

And why the fuck did it bother her so much?

Someone giggled. Down the aisle of books, three girls from one of Aida’s history classes were hiding. They had their hands cupped to their mouths as they whispered and pretended not to be looking at Aida. As a distant grandfather clock chimed for one, they ran off, their black dresses catching on their long legs.

Aida bit hard into her bread and chewed the tough crust so she couldn’t hear her thumping heart.

It didn’t bother her.

They didn’t bother her.

Her stomach growled in upset, so she organized her borrowed books and readied to leave. All she’d managed to find today was a new spelling of Queen Eve’s name—“Eta,” though scholars said this might’ve been a nickname used only by her loved ones—and, unfortunately, a new drawing of the Colosseum’s interior.

She didn’t know why she put so much time into these dead monarchs. Who were they but people who started and ended wars, who fucked and died vigorously and left palaces as their tombstones? The crown was now tolerable at best. No ruthless killings of Visatorre in the Colosseum, none that were publicized. She was able to go to school now, it wasn’t banned anymore. So why put all this time and energy into a system that didn’t give a damn about you in the first place?

“Aida?”

She started. She recognized that voice, and all of her nagging suspicions and fears suddenly disappeared with her upset stomach.

Lorian bounded up the library steps two at a time to meet her. He was waving, like she wouldn’t see an officer coming at her. Well, officer-in-training; she couldn’t let him get a big ego around her. “There you are!” he said, and took off his hat in a bow. “Good afternoon. Did you have lunch yet?”

She shuffled her books together and wiped any sort of emotion from her face. “How do you keep finding me? Are you spying on me?”

“Of course not. I’ve heard from the teachers that you enjoy spending your afternoon’s here, and I had a free afternoon to myself, so I decided to come find you.” He looked around without his eyes catching on anything. “A little medieval here, is it not? Different from the newly upgraded buildings.”

“A building built two hundred years ago with history dating back to the Classical era is medieval? No.”

He smiled that smile of his that irked her. “You have me there. So, have you learned anything more about Eve?”

She was surprised he remembered that. “Not much, only that—”She checked her notes. “People who loved her called her ‘Eta’, like how some Aldaían call their spouses ‘ama’ for ‘beloved’. That’s not well-known.”

“I didn’t know that, and I’ve been taught a lot about Roma’s history. You know, I didn’t know that she’d killed King Julius II’s wife. I was taught she’d killed him.”

“He’d killed himself a few days later. That’s what the books say, anyway. What books did you read from that? I’d like to research that topic. Most books say the opposite.” She started putting away her books. “Back when we were indulging in unfavorable substances, I pegged you as someone who didn’t know much about Eve.”

“I was…incapacitated at the time. Do forgive me if I said anything too obtrusive to you. I don’t remember much of what happened.” He looked around the now empty floor. “Please keep that night confidential. I don’t want it to harm either of our reputations.”

“What, two young people enjoying one another’s company with a natural reserve akin to morphine?”

“I mean two young people spending their time in…a woman’s bedroom. At night. It’s highly provocative, and I didn’t mean anything by that.”

“It was my dorm room, but sure. I’m sure that Roman standards suggest you spending your time elsewhere.”

“Please, don’t think me immodest, Miss Mirko. Aida,” he corrected when Aida gave him a look. “That had been my first day on the job. I’d…left my home quite suddenly not too long ago, and I was still getting my bearings when I was allowed entry as an officer for this prestigious Academy. I sought only to do the right thing, though I did enjoy our company that evening.”

“The evening spent with me talking at you for three hours straight about shit only I find interesting.”

“On the contrary. I found much of what you told me quite interesting. I was true on my word about never meeting a person as outspoken as you are.”

“Because the upbringing was that bad?”

He only nodded. “Very.”

“Then that’s something we have in common.” She stood on her tiptoes to put away a book on a high shelf. Lorian went to help but stopped once he realized she had it.

“Were you taught history in school?” Aida asked.

“In my teachings, yes. I didn’t really go to school, I was more so homeschooled. Why?”

“Because not many of us were lucky enough to be taught history. The good stuff, anyway. The shit that makes you think. A lot of what’s done in Bělico is taught orally. That’s how it was with me before I pushed for secondary schooling. Some of the schools don’t accept Visatorre into the school system. They’re still stuck in the past. I was the only one in my graduating class. It’s why I care so much.”

“That’s quite admirable. Not many people our age are adamant about getting the word out like you are. Most people just learn what’s needed to pass and carry on.”

“It’s the stuff that everyone should know about. What else we gonna learn about? The current royals? Gag me, I can’t stand them.”

Lorian offered to place one of the books on the high shelf. Aida tried it herself before giving in and lending it to him.

“Do you know if…the Bělico queen has done anything?” Lorian asked. “You’re from Bělico, right? Is she alright?”

“Queen Beatrice?” Aida asked. “Fuck no. I haven’t even seen the queen in person and I lived there all my life. She’s just like the queen here.”

“How so?”

Aida gave him a curious look before carrying on. He was a part of the royal guard, how did he not know about political affairs? “All they do is sit on the sidelines while their husbands do all the work, and it’s terrible work. Absolutely dreadful. If I were queen, I’d be like Queen Eve, who got shit done during her lifetime. Irrigation? Reconstructed. Trade routes from here to Aldaí? Reinvented. She’d helped to fund the first school for the blind, did you know that? She was interested in eyesight in a time which eyeglasses hadn’t been invented yet. Roman scholars would lead you to believe the good and loyal Romans did all that, but no. It was done by a queen whose city no longer exists. I’d honor her by doing everything she couldn’t do and more. I’d rework the entire system of Lyrica.”

“Will you now?” Lorian asked, leaning down to meet her eyes.

She tasted a sense of sarcasm on his tongue. She fought against it and stared into his eyes. It was hard, doing that with some people, but not so much with him. “Yeah, I will.”

“How—”

“I’d fix the school systems first. All children deserve to be taught, and it’d be the easiest change from a financial standpoint. Aldaí is progressive when it comes to this, so we can leave that to Prince Zaahir and that new princess he married. What was her name again? Beatrice and Lu…”

“I-I don’t recall,” Lorian said quickly, “but I agree with you. Aldaí is very progressive.”

“So then, if we can work out some type of stronger alliance with them, we then get to work on local modernization through the help of showing that the crown actually gives a fuck about us. We never see the royals, ever.”

“They do make public appearances from time to time,” he defended.

“Yeah, bullshit, I’ve never seen them. If anything, they only visit the biggest, strongest cities that’re pouring lyria into their pockets.”

Lorian shrugged in agreement. He looked like he had more to say on the matter but kept quiet so as not to interrupt her.

“So, I’d make them do more public showings. It might make the extremists angry, maybe make them more targets than they already are, but the monarchies have to show the people that they’re fighting for them. It’s exactly what Eve did in Siina. She was such a vocal, public figure, always visiting street markets and meeting with the people. And how do they do that?” She pointed at Lorian.

“I haven’t the faintest—”

“By listening to the people, yes, thank you. Open up more administrations and city councils so the people can be more in charge of their fates than the fucking officers and Constables frightening us into submission. No offense.”

“None taken.”

She looked down at one of her history texts. “We’re in a golden age of the world. No one is fighting one another. We’re not wasting hundreds of gold lyria on war strategies or extra officers. The last one was back in, what 1137? Twenty-two years ago? Back when we were babes? And that was just a fourteen-month fling where important Bělican crops weren’t being properly regulated across the sea because of unforeseen trade agreements. It left Roma without sugar for nearly a year. You see, I could change the world if I was given the chance, but I can’t do that because I have a fucking circle on my forehead!”

Her voice travelled across the library, skipping up the stairs and across the aisles of hidden knowledge. Lorian pressed his thin lips together, pretending he was an officer for the crown and did not enjoy breaking the rules.

Aida cleared her throat. She was getting ahead of herself again. She was going to push him away by being herself. She dialed it back. “The only chance I have is to become a historian. I might not be able to get a job right away, but when I graduate with a diploma from this Academy, I know someone out there will take me seriously.”

Lorian gave that considerable thought before nodding to himself. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I take you very seriously.”

“Course you do. The first time we met, I was fucking naked.”

“E-excuse me, I averted my gaze. I have values.”

“Like a true gentleman.”

Lorian opened his mouth to say more, then caught on whatever she’d said and smiled. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

She smiled back at him. She didn’t know what she had with this officer-in-training and why they clicked as well as they did—he was charismatic, helpful, charming, kind, easy-going. Everything she wasn’t. She hadn’t seen him in action, but he was probably good at his job, and had more friends than he knew what to do with. Total opposites in every regard, aside from the fact that they could share a blunt and be perfectly content with simply being near each other.

She frowned, not knowing why that made her so sad.

The heavy, wooden double doors leading to the main halls opened, and one of Aida’s advisors, Mister Omar, came out. He had a note in his wrinkled hand and his balding head was sweating from getting from his officer to the library before lunch period ended.

Lorian stepped back from Aida, self-conscious about how close they were to someone’s eyes. “Well, I should be off, then.” He bowed and put on his hat to cover his eyes. “Farewell, Miss Mirko, Mister Omar.”

“Farewell,” Mister Omar said, and watched him leave before whispering to Aida, “Miss Mirko, I just received a letter from the dean. He said he wishes to speak with you as soon as you’re available.”

“What does he wish to speak to me about?” Aida asked. “I was just getting back to my classes. You can’t fight me for choosing to spend my lunch here.”

“I don’t believe it’s about your elongated breaks in this great Rosalia Library,” he said, trying to be funny and failing. “Uh, no. Well, here. You can read it for yourself, but it came with a message saying to come to him before the end of the day.”

Aida took the letter.

In Regards to the Termination of Aida Mirko’s 6-Year Scholarship

She covered her mouth. Something inside of her split open and was releasing a foul rot in the pit of her stomach. Her hands went cold, her face hot. She strained her eyes to see if anything more had been written on it, but that was it. A simple declaration that had taken all of her hopes and dreams into bettering herself and the world and throwing it out like an unwanted child.

She ran. Fighting on her cane to make her go faster, she broke around the corner and ran out of the library. She wouldn’t read the rest of the letter. There wasn’t any time. She’d go to the dean and fight. She’d demand her right to be here and fight. They wouldn’t take this knowledge away from her, not now.

She pushed through the pain and trotted down the wide marble steps from the cloister into the open courtyard. Here, students in black and white uniforms continued their lunch in peace. Girls decorated flower crowns and boys tackled one another to the grass like toddlers. A couple flirted with one another near the well in the center of the yard. Aida ran past them all. This was all a mistake. It had to be.

The dean’s office was one of the older buildings covered in ivy, right beside the church that students seldom used. At the front gates, two statues of lions acted as guards for the door. Two actual officers stood watch over the building at all hours of the day. The leather holding the rapiers on their hips were worn from use.

Aida forced the wheeze back into her throat. “I have…a letter from the dean. Open the gates. Please,” she added, wondering if these grown men would care for novelties like “please” and “thank you.”

The two men looked at one another, then shrugged and went to open the gate.

She barreled in before they fully opened the door and knocked furiously on the knocker. Beside the dean’s home was his personal horses and carriages. Aida had locked-on to his carriage, as she’d thought about egging it multiple times, but beside his carriage were two other carriages she didn’t recognize. They had the King’s Lions engraved on them in gold: a Constable carriage.

“Fuck,” she cursed, then shook the thought out of her mind and knocked louder. “Dr. Falco!” she announced. “Dr. Falco, it’s Aida Mirko. I’m a freshman who just started this year. You called to speak to me. May I please come in?”

The door unlocked twice, and one of the dean’s maids welcomed her with a bow. “Hello, Miss. What was it that you wished to—?”

Aida let herself in.

“Excuse me, Miss!”

It was a magnificent house that smelled of syrup and old collections. Books on shelves she could never reach and busts of naked men and women from a tainted royal line. Walking around a terribly gaudy zebra pelt, Aida snaked into the main room and knocked on the door.

It opened upon her third knock.

Dr. Falco was sitting in a large chair behind a mahogany table. Around him were papers and texts, and behind him, a map of the world was centered between two windows. Bělico in the west, Aldaí in the east, and Roma centered amongst it all, even though the Earth was, in fact, a sphere, and nobody was truly in the center of anything.

Between Aida and the dean stood three men. Two wore the same uniforms and pants as Lorian, but their ages and medals told her they were actual officers, not ones training to please the king and queen.

The other man, one with curly brown hair and golden aiguillettes and sashes across his jacket, indicated who he was immediately.

The Constable looked down at Aida with hollow eyes. They were cold and dark, as if he was looking at a sheep ready to be slaughtered. He set down the document he was reading and turned to face her. One hand went to his waist belt, to his rapier handle which shone gold in the sunlight. “Welcome, Miss Mirko,” he said.

Aida gulped at him knowing her name. Constables were leaders of twenty, sometimes thirty men in Roma, and with the air of stuffy egoism on him, this man was probably high in rank.

She swallowed back her fear. “Why was my scholarship terminated? What have I done wrong?”

“That’s the thing. Have a seat, my dear.”

She didn’t.

The Constable waited. “My name is Carmello Carmine, right-hand Constable to Her Majesty the Queen.”

She didn’t blink.

The Constable narrowed his eyes, then focused on her cane. “I’ve been informed that your scholarship to this school was for six years based on the principles of your excellence in history and language as well as your race and upbringing.”

“And?” she said, itching to fight him for how he said that.

“And a law has just been put into place to make amendments to that initial proposition. Under the new, current law—”

“What law?” she interrupted. “I never heard anything about that in the paper.”

“The law,” he pressed, “indicating that it is unjust to allow a student any favorable outcomes when it comes to the acceptance rate to any Roman academy.”

Aida looked over the letter about her scholarship expulsion. “So what does that mean? I’m still enrolled into the school, aren’t I? I earned it. I left everything I had for—”

The Constable picked up his paper again. “The dean and I were going over your academia records and attendance rates.”

“I’ve been to every class!” she said. “I even started doing extra credit!”

“And,” he said, ignoring her, “unfortunately, we’ve concluded that your grades do not meet the qualifications to earn the scholarship for the next six years. Unless you can come up with the funds to attend this coming year, which we’ve estimated that someone who’s living on-campus would come up to 510 gold lyria, we unfortunately cannot enroll you into Durante Academy at this time.”

Aida tried doing the math in her head, hating herself with how long it was taking her. She thought it cost 450 gold lyria per semester, not 500 and change. Her mother didn’t even make that in a year with the farm. For six more years, at 500 gold lyria a semester…

She dropped her head. “I don’t have that kind of money.”

He lowered his paper. “Then I’m sorry to deliver the news—”

“But that’s not fair!” she exploded. She tried digging for any sort of advantage to keep her at his level. It was like fighting with her mother. Her eyes were watering.

“—that after this semester—”

“No!”

“You will no longer be able to attend Durante Academy as a student.”

Aida tried to read her letter again, searching for a loophole that already made her acceptance to this Academy shaky, but she couldn’t think. No matter how much she fought these people to be seen as equal, it’d never happen. It’s what Queen Eve had tried to fight for and failed. It’s what people like her had fought for for centuries and failed. All because of these kings and queens and these rules they bent to make their world more hateful.

She grit her teeth. In history, they said that the Visatorre queen had killed the king’s wife. Others said she’d killed the king. Aida had never believed either statement, but now, feeling the anger pulse in her ears, her eyes water in front of four men aiming to hurt her, she wouldn’t have blamed her for wiping people like this off the face of the fucking planet.

Holding back tears, she threw her walking cane at the Constable, scattering their papers and spooking the Constable backwards. “Fuck you! Fuck you and the crown you serve! All of you deserve to be buried in the Catacombs for the amount of shit you do for us!”

“Good God, Miss!” he said, staring down at her thrown cane. “Control yourself!”

The other officers unsheathed their rapiers, but the Constable held out his hand to make them put them away. “Miss, do you realize what you’ve just—”

She spat on the ground, cursed their mothers, and left, tears steaming from her bloodshot eyes.

“Miss!”

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. She’d worked for years to get here, she’d dedicated her life to this cause she believed in. She was to learn all this new information she was hoping to uncover about Eve and for this stupid bullshit country, but she hadn’t done shit.

Her mother was right about her.

She left the house through the back, through the gardens and near the horse-drawn carriages. She didn’t want those damn officers seeing her like this, and she didn’t want to be seen leaving the headmaster’s home in tears.

The chickens in the nearby coop clucked at her. The hens pecked at the ground while their rooster counterparts watched from the top of the coop.

The door to their coop was left open, letting them roam the contained land.

Aida cast a seething glare at the house behind her, then at the carriages left unattended.

Then she crawled into the chicken coop and started collecting her throwing eggs.

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erascrhead · 4 years

Text

November Ice Breaker Tag Game

loI was tagged by the lovely @bnhastanning! I’m sorry this took so long - I’ve been procrastinating all of my work and i had to take care of it before did this but now? watashi ga kita motherbuckets.

November Ice Breaker

1 - What was the last thing you were really excited about?

Not gonna lie, things are a bit bleak at the moment, but I suppose I was very happy because I did really well on my last lesson test in my Japanese class and I raised my cumulative grade by a whole percentage! I am not very good at it but if I do decently for the rest of term I think I can make my way up to an A-, which would be really cool!

2 - What do you wish someone taught you long ago?

Don’t be so singularly focused on your goals and responsibilities that everything else is removed from your life. Most of my middle and high school career, I was focused only on achieving what I needed academically and extracurricularly, and pushing myself beyond what I really could handle, that I ended up overworked and lonely. If it puts it into perspective, in my 10th grade year, I not only had multiple people ask me if I had taken a semester away because I had spent so much time hiding in the library, but I literally gave myself an ulcer from stress and taking on other people’s responsibilities because I had painted myself into a position where I was never allowed to refuse. While I did get to achieve beyond what I ever could have dreamed of (and I’m really proud of myself for that), theres a lot of my adolescence that I have a sort of phantom nostalgia for, and that’s something I really regret.

Your life needs to have balance to it. Make sure you find that early on, and understand how to equally prioritize your own well being with what you want and what other’s want from you.

3 - What are some of your guilty pleasures?

Not doing the reading for class lmao. As someone who never once skipped the reading until I graduated HS, skipping some of the reading in college, when I end up having around cumulative 500 pages per week is quite nice. I wish I had something less goody-two-shoes but I do nothing and also have zero (0) shame.

4 - What topic could you give a twenty minute presentation on without any preparation?

There’s a couple of different things I could talk about in differing qualities ranging from classical ballet scores to a linguistic breakdown of a hamilton song, and of course I could go off about bnha for a long time, but I’m gonna go with a fun one.

My most fun answer is that I could talk about racism and race correction in Harry Potter for like three hours. Black Hermione is god tier fanon, and JKR’s attempts to race correct her make me really frustrated, not only with the problems with the action itself, but as well with the nonchalance she attempted to do it with. I have a bit of a ‘cheat’ on this one, because last year I wrote a ~5000 word academic research paper on the subject. I was already really passionate about it before that though (that’s why I wrote it in the first place); the only difference now is I can spit out narrative and numerical facts™ off the cuff, and my argument would be better organized.

5 - What scene in a movie or tv show gives you goosebumps every time you watch it?

I don’t really have an answer for this, which is kind of sad but also hilarious considering what my parent’s jobs are. If I had to pick something, I don’t really have a scene in particular, but the movie Amadeus (the extended directors cut edition) is one of my favorites that leaves me breathless in the best of ways.

6 - What were some of your favorite holiday traditions growing up?

One of my favorites is that every year since I was little, my mother and I would pick out either 1-3 new ornaments for our tree. I remember being little and walking into the Macy’s Christmas section and just being dazzled by the lights, and typically, we would pick out some white and gold porcelain birds. As I got older, are choices started coming from more small time shops, like a kiosk in hawaii or a small knick-knack shop near the place where we occasionally ski in the winter. For me, it’s really the act of going and picking out something beautiful with her that’s really nice.

A newer tradition is that every year I bake chocolate-chip bread pudding in a dutch oven. I am, unequivocally, the best baker in the family both immediate and extended, though not the best chef, and this became a hit around the time I was 15. It’s just really fun to make -- I like to belt out to Christmas songs while I bake.

7 - What book had the most significant impact on you?

HARD QUESTION. There’s a bunch of different ways I could answer this: the impact on the way I think, the first chapter book I read on my own that helped me discover my love of reading, my favorite example of intricate world building? I have a lot I could say. The direction I’m going to go for is the impact on my writing, and the one of the first books that really made me marvel at the beauty of words, just as they are. My two runners up are The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson, but my final answer is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

Representation aspects aside (but also, yes!), this book was one of the first books that made me feel emotion for the words themselves. It’s more of a character study than it is plot driven, and as a kid who grew up loving action adventure fantasy novels, I think that’s one of the reasons it really stood out to me. I pulled an excerpt, just to give the gist:

I stared at the reproduced mural in the book -- but I was more interested in his finger as he tapped the book with approval. That finger had pulled a trigger in a war. That finger had touched my mother in tender ways I did not fully comprehend. I wanted to talk, to say something, to ask questions. But I couldn’t. All the words were stuck in my throat. So I just nodded.

One of my favorite things now is to play with words, to roll them around on my tongue and isolate their melodies, placing them in them in rhythm to a beat only I can hear, and I think that this was the first book that showed me how to do that.

8 - What weird thing do you have nostalgia for?

So I went to a small school for all the way up until college; about 45 kids in my sixth grade class, 22ish in my homeroom/main class. There were four kids, including me, that had an aptitude for math, and understood the lessons without being taught them, and so what my teacher would do is give us the homework packet for the week and send us out to the outdoor benches next to our classroom to complete it during the period. We, being 11, would goof around Monday through Thursday and do the entire packet in the Friday period and then turn it in. Not the best teaching decision (i wish i had been taught the next year’s material tbh) but that’s not the point.

It was just a year, but those periods felt so untouchable and surreal and innocent. I remember, the school was so quiet, and it was just us, and we were just kids who were getting away with not learning math for a whole year, and it felt like the greatest victory in the world.

9 - What's a problem you have, that might be entirely unique to you?

I don’t know how unique it is, but the intensity with which I currently need to pet a dog is unparalleled.

10 - What are two of your favorite snacks?

I literally eat an apple with peanut butter on a daily basis I cannot emphasize this enough i am, a slut, for peanut butter.

There’s also this specific Costco Brand trail mix that I literally have eaten so much of that I got nauseous. We love Kirkland Signature™ up in this house.

That’s all! I’m tagging @kicheetah @teamstevesass @stark-tony @bakugox @rabbitproduce @pixie-witchery @joeytrlbiani @queenangst THOUGH NO PRESSURE and also anyone else who wants to! Have fun!!

#literally feel no pressure to do this!!!!!#i have a BUNCH of new moots and i want to learn about them!!! how was your day dears!?!!? i want you to feel validated!!!#and i want to catch up with all my old moots!!!! how are you doing loves?!?! its been a while and i miss you <333 #yaya rambles #tag games

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nsheetee · 5 years

Note

Can I make a request? Jaehyun x reader high school rivalry au. In which Jaehyun & reader are rivals in school when it comes to academics but one day they were informed they had to team up for a quiz bee against other schools. Some sort of enemies to lovers au I guess? 😅 THANK YOUUU!!

a/n: ugh I imagined Jaehyun in glasses throughout this entire thing and it killed me 😅 also, to include the academics and quiz bee part I wrote this based around debate team, that wasn’t exactly what you asked for but I hope it’s okay!

(warning: mentions of doyoung, jungwoo, and sicheng /swearing / y’all make out a bit in the end)

alright so let me tell you about your high school’s debate team

the team is as old as the school itself, but during doyoung’s sophomore year, he was given the title of president of the debate team

(the first time a sophomore has been given the position, and he made sure everyone knew about it too dfbhjh)

every since then, the team has TAKEN OFF and made some amazing accomplishments

doyoung crafted the team into what it is today

sicheng as head of research (and official tea-spiller of the team)

jungwoo as doyoung’s assistant (a.k.a. doyoung’s emotional support boy)

…and you and jaehyun, some of the best debaters doyoung has ever seen

your passion paired with jaehyun’s charisma and mixed in with both of your quick mouths was a sight to behold for judges

despite this, doyoung was very unwilling to let both of you stay on the team

because you fucking HATED each other

despite the amazing skill of teamwork you both possess on stage, the debate team meeting room was a nightmare

screaming matches every other day

snapped in half pencils

many, many, MANY disagreements

and how did it start?

during freshman year, your first class in your first semester of school was math- your teacher seated you next to jaehyun :)

every morning at 8am you had to deal with his whining about being tired or how the material was “too easy” :)

and then when you got your first tests back, your grade was one (1) point lower than his :)

and jaehyun says :)

“oh man, that sucks. you should’ve taken up that tutoring offer I gave you”

:))))))))))

and ever since then, you couldn’t stand his big head with his too-clear-to-be-natural skin and his smile that he sent you every time doyoung agreed with something he said instead of one fo your ideas

but you loved debate team, you were all such close friends (despite someone who liked the act up) and those big dumbos were your everything :’)

now, it was the beginning of doyoungs senior year

as the debate team teacher sponsor quietly cried at the thought of doyoung leaving, doyoung was more focused on who would take his spot next year

jungwoo and sicheng were both great candidates, but everyone knew that the only people who could even come close to filling doyoung’s shoes were you or jaehyun

and when doyoung told you both this after a debate team meeting, the tension between you two quickly escalated

“now, I expect both of you to get along; at least respect each other. if one of you is the captain then you have to be able to listen to them and right now…. the last thing you do is listen to each other” doyoung explained

with that thought, you and jaehyun made your way out of school

“ya know if you could just listen to my ideas every once in a while maybe we wouldn’t be in this kind of mess” jaehyun pointed out as you walked down the empty halls

“I could say the same thing to you” you snapped back and he suddenly stopped walking

“… is this what doyoung is talking about? I think… we both love debate so much, that we just don’t know when to stop” jaehyun laughs and you feel slightly uncomfortable with this seemingly truthful side of jaehyun

he legit doesn't seem like he’s about to laugh at your face

he just seems like he wants to stop arguing

he does, he’s actually really tired of arguing with your cute face everyday :(

you don’t know how far you can trust jaehyun, but you’ve spent years working by his side

there has to be some sort of connection between you two that allows both of you to work together so successfully

after you tell that to jaehyun, he slowly agrees

“how about this….” you start “after team meetings, we can go to the library and try to… not hate each other”

jaehyun scrunches his face

“the library? how about… the cafe two blocks down?”

you were about to snap at him about “what’s so wrong with the library? huh?” but you took a deep breath in and out

if you were going to stop fighting, change had to start somewhere

“okay, let’s go”

so you and jaehyun hang out at this hole-in-the-wall cafe after debate team meetings for a few weeks

you didn’t necessarily make your meet ups known to the other team members but…

you didn’t really want to have the whole team freak out over what could possibly be perceived as dates

cuz trust me

they TOTALLY looked like dates

jaehyun would buy your drink for you

(until one day he confessed that you drink was hella expensive and you rolled your eyes and started buying his drink from then on)

in return, he would help you on all the math concepts you didn’t fully understand

(you had flashbacks to the first class you had with him when he offered to tutor you but you shook that off)

and when your your brain was completely fried, he would listen to you talk about anything and everything

or if on one particular day you weren’t in the mood to talk, he would fill up the cafe with his low laughter and stories of the stupid things he and his friends do

(when the baristas found out y’all weren’t dating they started making bets on when one of you would confess ewfheb)

your relationship with jaehyun changed from snappy and argumentative to something like a friendship

and this was obvious to the rest of the debate team members

they were soooo relieved that y’all weren’t fighting everyday

and that they could spend the meetings getting prepared for competitions rather than settling your arguments

but of course, sicheng was a little too curious about the sudden change in behavior from you two

and he followed you guys after a meeting one day

he watched from outside of the cafe where neither of you could see him

he was shooooook

you guys looked so,,.., weird when you don’t fight but it was even weirder to see you laughing at something jaehyun said and leaning into him as you looked at his papers

he was ssososososoos sure you were dating

(although sicheng was awesome at researching stuff, he seems to have forgotten to confirm his sources on this one…)

(because you were not dating at all)

(yet…)

sooooooo fast forward to the next weekend, there was a debate team competition a few cities away

the school allowed the team to travel and stay over night at a hotel in that city

so the team packed up their things and took the long bus ride and settled into their hotel rooms once they got there

you were flipping through the tv channels in your room when your phone vibrated

with a text from jaehyun

“come meet me in my room”

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) hehe

it was against the rules that your teacher sponsor set before you left for the trip

but you were sure the teacher was already passed out in their own room and that if you were quiet and careful, the other team members wouldn’t hear you walking out of your room and into jaehyun’s

jungwoo, doyoung, and sicheng already broke the rule that the teacher had set for them

they were chilling in doyoung’s room, finished take out on the floor between them and face masks on as they relaxed

“I keep texting jaehyun to come join us, but he’s not picking up” jungwoo frowned and sicheng snorted at that

“what’s so funny?” jungwoo asked

“we’re on a trip away from home with our own hotel rooms and little to no supervision,..,.. don’t you think jaehyun and y/n would take this opportunity to mess around?”

the room suddenly went very quiet as jungwoo and doyoung stared at sicheng with wide eyes

“…what?” doyoung asked lowly

“oh come on…. you guys seriously can’t tell me you haven’t seen how much closer they’ve gotten-”

“that’s because I told them that one of them would have to be president next year and they need to get along” doyoung defended

“yeah, that’s why they were getting real cozy with each other in a cafe after one of our meetings” sicheng absentmindedly stated, looking at his reflection on his phone as he tapped around his face to settle the mask in

tea? spilled

sicheng’s job? completed

jaehyun and you? in trouble

back in jaehyun’s room, you quietly close the door behind you as you make your way in

jaehyun lays on his bed with only the light from the bedside lamp illuminating his face

his pajamas have little clouds and sheep on them and you take a moment to tease him about it as you come closer

he grabs your hands and pulls you onto the bed next to him and you both settle down to watch tv

both of your hearts are pounding so loud you think the other can hear it and you squeeze your hand into a fist to keep yourself from physically freaking out

jaehyun was right there… right next to you

if you turned your head, he would be only a few inches away

“there’s nothing to watch?” you ask, trying to get your mind off of your thoughts

“nothing seems interesting… let’s do something else instead”

and that’s how you end up making out with Jaehyun :-)

your lips are moving against each others and your hands are gliding down to wherever you can touch

he rubs your sides and when you react with a small moan he pushes you down and the kiss turns from a “wanting” type of kiss to something slower

like jaehyun wants to savor this moment of your kiss pressed to his for the very first time (it wasn’t the greatest setting or situation for a first kiss but hey, y’all take what you can get)

you barely notice doyoung, jungwoo, and sicheng storming into the room, turning on all the lights and standing in front of the bed, hands on hips or crossed in front of their chest, their face masks still on and frowns settled underneath

you and jaehyun separate from each other in fright, awaiting to be yelled at by doyoung, but instead you break out into laughter at the appearance of the three of them standing in front of you

“when I told you guys to get along, this is NOT AT ALL what I meant”

#jaehyun #nct jaehyun #jaehyun fluff #nct soft hours #nct x reader #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct au #nct drabbles #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun au #jaehyun drabbles #jaehyun x reader #nct fluff #jaehyun soft hours #enemies to lovers au #bulleted au

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notapaladin · 4 years

Text

when i kissed the teacher

“back on my obsblood bullshit” i say, as though i ever actually left. ANYWAY. Teomitl is your averagy student, taking an Overview of the Aztec Empire course for much-needed credits. Unfortunately, Professor Acatl is distractingly hot. He’s probably out of Teomitl’s reach, but when has that ever stopped him? (Never. It’s never stopped him.)

There’s porn in this! As always, it can also be read on AO3.

Jaguar Bro: I’m dead

Jaguar Bro: this is how I die

Jaguar Bro: Local Man, 18, Found Dead On University Campus

Holder of the One Braincell: what is it now

Snacts (snake facts): have line of sight, can confirm he’s dying

Snacts (snake facts): ooh, a double facepalm!

**Jaguar Bro has sent aHHHHHHHHHHHHH.png**

Jaguar Bro: Gaze upon the agent of my demise. Overview of the Aztec Empire professor.

Snacts (snake facts): damn

Snacts (snake facts): is it too late to sign up for that course??

Holder of the One Braincell: .

Holder of the One Braincell: nope

Holder of the One Braincell: nope nope nope nOPE

Holder of the One Braincell: THAT IS MY BROTHER

Snacts (snake facts): congrats mihm your brother can get it

Holder of the One Braincell: asdfghgFFGHGFGHJK

& &

Teomitl was definitely going to die. Right here, right now, in the middle of his Overview of the Aztec Empire lecture. They would find his corpse later and Mihmatini would laugh at him. At least it was a crowded lecture hall; between that and the air conditioner having been stuck at subzero for the past hour, he could be assured that nobody was actually in the mood to notice the state he was in. He shut his eyes as though it would help.

Nope. He could still hear him. Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

Professor Acatl’s voice caressed his ears, making him shiver no matter how deeply he tried to burrow into his hoodie. “...believed to have arrived in the Valley of Mexico in roughly 1250 AD…” History wasn’t his strong point, but with a voice like that—warm, resonant, clearly and utterly in love with the subject matter—he didn’t care. He could listen to Acatl read the phone book and be happy, never mind something the man was actually passionate about. And when it came to Nahuatl, where the professor’s voice took on the steady assurance of a man speaking his mother tongue...

The white girl on his left poked his arm. Heedless of his glare—he’d been occupied, damn it—she hissed, “You got a pencil?”

He blinked at her. Who uses a notebook and pencils? In this decade? Really? It took a minute of blind rummaging in his laptop bag to produce a pen, and that was after pulling out and discarding two spare flash drives and a folding knife. She flashed him a tired smile and a grateful thumbs’-up; if Acatl hadn’t been at the front of the room, he’d have offered more than a nod in response. She was cute, if not exactly his usual type.

Acatl was gesturing at the next slide in his powerpoint presentation, and he made himself actually pay attention this time. He definitely wasn’t going to impress him by visibly zoning out in the middle of class. Not for the first time, he was glad he’d picked a seat three rows back and to the left; if he’d been in the front row, there would have been trouble. He took notes on autopilot, eyes on Acatl instead of his laptop screen. He could fix typos later, when he wasn’t watching Acatl move. The man was gorgeous, all long limbs and shining eyes. Sure, the entirely monochrome suit was a little old-fashioned—he even wore a tie most days, though the knot was invariably crooked in a way that made Teomitl ache to fix it for him—but the ponytail wasn’t. He’d spent a lot of time fantasizing about running his fingers through all that wavy hair.

As well as...other things. Peeling that suit jacket off, yanking that collar aside to bite his pretty throat, being pressed back against the desk and hearing that voice turn heavy as Acatl breathed, “I’m sure there’s something we can do about those grades…” (Never mind that, a month into the semester, he was comfortably staring down at least an A. He could pretend differently if it got Acatl to spread him out on top of the nearest flat surface.) Acatl had shown up one hot day minus the jacket, sleeves rolled up past his elbows, and he swore he’d nearly passed out. He hadn’t taken any notes that day.

Even the memory made him swallow against a pulse of heat in his gut. No. Bad. No boners in class. Not again, at any rate.

The worst part, he decided, was that he could have handled it if Mihmatini’s older brother was just hot. He was used to hot. Sure, he’d still spend a lot of time daydreaming about all the things he wanted to do with (and to) him, but it would have been bearable if Acatl had just been a handsome face and slender, elegant body, instead of also being...kind. Patient. Seemingly unflappable, or at least Teomitl had never seen him do more than glower classroom disruptions into submission. He’d only ever heard him be less than professional when Mihmatini was in the room, where they displayed a teasing sort of fondness that struck Teomitl to the core even though it wasn’t even directed at him. I want it to be. I want to make him smile like that. I want to make him laugh. I want to…

An orange flash in the corner of his laptop screen drew his attention to his DMs.

Snacts (snake facts): looking a little dreamy there :)

Jaguar Bro: fUCK OFF, NEZAHUAL

Snacts (snake facts): is that the way you talk to your best friend??

Jaguar Bro: I don’t see mihm here

Snacts (snake facts): TT_TT

He huffed at his screen, knowing that Nezahual was lounging in his customary back-of-the-room seat and smirking at him from on high. Knowing you since we were five will not stop me punching you in the dick. Don’t push it.

“...And so they settled here, right where we’re sitting.” Acatl paused. “Well, not right where we’re sitting. Back then, this area was still underwater. Which brings us to the next point of today’s lecture—geography. Yes, you do have to know this.” His gaze swept the room, grave, but there was a light in it that made Teomitl feel a little faint. He clearly loved his class.

Dear god, help me survive this semester. With superhuman effort, he turned his focus back to Google Docs. Maybe, if he applied himself, this crush would fade by midterms.

& &

Midterms passed in a blur. His feelings, meanwhile, did not. He was pretty sure he’d done alright on his tests and essays—at least, as sure as he could be given how much studying he hadn’t done. His focus had kept wandering back to the assigned reading for Acatl’s class, remembering that voice patiently going over the same points. His notes had been...less helpful, in comparison.

God, he hoped he hadn’t embarrassed himself during the test. Acatl had smiled when he’d handed his paper in, so maybe. Maybe there was a chance. He just knew he couldn’t sit and do nothing.

I’ll just have to go and see.

He timed his arrival carefully. This close to the end of Acatl’s office hours, nobody would interrupt him. Not that Acatl was much sought-after anyway; he knew the way to the man’s office, but it was a long trek through winding corridors and water-stained wallpaper before he reached a door that had been left ajar, plain except for a simple nameplate. From inside, he could hear the familiar sound of halfhearted typing.

Steeling himself, he stepped inside. There was Professor Acatl, alone. Next to the sight of him—hair pulled back in a messy tail, sleeves rolled up, tie loose, wearing reading glasses which was just unfair—the surroundings faded. He was only dimly aware of the rest of the room, all dark paneling and overcrowded bookshelves. Acatl had made a vaguely attentive noise when he’d entered, but he wasn’t looking at him. He had to say something.

“Ah...Professor?”

Something more intelligent than that.

Acatl looked up from his laptop; the action made his glasses slip down his nose, which was entirely too endearing to be allowed. “Teomitl?” Oh no. He was smiling, that reassuring little quirk of his lips he had for his better students. “I’m surprised to see you here. Nervous about your grades?”

He had to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth to respond. “Uh. Y...yes.” And other things. There were condoms burning a hole in his back pocket.

“Well.” Acatl settled himself more comfortably in his chair, studying his face. “I can tell you right now, your midterm went very well. And you’re a business major, aren’t you? Ever considered switching?”

For you? All the time. Constantly. Trust me, you could have me any way you want—oh, you mean majors. Same answer. Moreso once he’d realized the way his fellow business majors tended to treat non-business classes as free credits, as things they didn’t have to work at. After knowing how much Acatl loved his subject matter and wanted to share that enthusiasm, seeing it slighted infuriated him. But the fact that Acatl had been paying attention... “Mm-hmm. How did you know?”

Was that a faint tinge of red along his cheekbones as his gaze slid away? Dear God, it was. “Mihmatini...mentioned it.”

He loved Mihmatini. He was going to buy her something designer, just for this. “Oh. I...I do love history—especially your class! If it weren’t for my brothers…”

Acatl’s gaze turned serious as he met Teomitl’s eyes. For a moment, he seemed to be about to reach for him, but then visibly thought better of it. His voice took on a faint edge. “...You don’t need to let them define your life.”

He remembered half-overheard conversations and thirdhand gossip—rumors that Acatl’s parents had wanted much better for him than an overworked university posting. Mihmatini had been much more forthright. “Our parents nagged him to join the army like Neutemoc until their dying days. But he loves his job, so…” He’d nodded at the time, unable to imagine loving anything that much. But now he was in Acatl’s office, surrounded by books and stone knives, being looked at like something precious, and he thought he was starting to understand. “No.” He felt himself smile. “But I do need to prove that at least one of us is better at running the company than our father was.”

Acatl was smiling back, not looking away even as he closed his laptop and stood up. They were roughly the same height; Teomitl had a moment to register the warmth in his brown eyes before a hand was laid on his shoulder and he promptly forgot how to think. “I have no doubt you will. I think you could do anything you put your mind to, Teomitl.”

His hand was warm on Teomitl’s skin. There were faint calluses there, unusual for a history professor. He wanted to feel them everywhere. “...Professor.” It came out half-strangled. Kiss me. God, kiss me.

Acatl flinched minutely, withdrawing his hand. Seemingly heedless of Teomitl’s internal turmoil, he hastily turned his attention to sweeping his computer and a handful of scattered papers into a messenger bag that looked like it had seen better centuries. “I should—get going. Yes.” And then he was moving, angling to slide past him, and Teomitl knew he was going to lose his chance.

He reached out, caught hold of his tie, and drew him in. One kiss. Just one, and either he’d be rejected or not but at least he’d know where he stood. At least he could have this. Acatl froze at the first touch, and he had a brief impression of wide, stunned eyes before his own slid shut and their lips met.

Soft. His lips were soft, and warm, and unmoving against his. For a split second he despaired—he’d misjudged, Acatl would be horrified, any minute he’d be shoved away—and then Acatl made a soft sound and tilted his head, and those lips were turning pliant as a shaky, disbelieving hand came to rest at the small of his back. Oh. Oh, this was how it felt when Acatl kissed you. His glasses were in the way and a loose strand of hair was tickling Teomitl’s nose, but that didn’t matter. It was perfect. Emboldened, he dropped his hands to Acatl’s waist and tugged him in, rewarded almost immediately by the eager press of Acatl’s body against his and an unmistakably hungry noise.

I could die happy. He knew he was embarrassingly hard and there was no way Acatl couldn’t notice, but he didn’t care as long as the man didn’t stop. When he coaxed Acatl’s mouth open and was duly backed against the desk, feeling the wood dig into his spine, he couldn’t stop the moan that pulled itself out of his throat. Yes, more of that, please.

Acatl wrenched himself away, so suddenly that Teomitl was left gasping. He watched as Acatl raised a trembling hand to his reddened lips, gaze falling to the floor. His other hand had a white-knuckled grip on his bag, but that was shaking too. His glasses had left red marks on the bridge of his nose. “I—you—“

He should probably apologize. He couldn’t bring himself to form the words. What came out instead, far more snappish than he’d intended, was “I’d do it again.”

Acatl sucked in a harsh breath. He still wasn’t looking at him—but he wasn’t running, either, or telling him to leave. His voice sounded raw as he sagged in the doorway. “We really, really shouldn’t. My job…”

It wasn’t a no. He could work with that. Slowly, carefully, he reached to touch his hand. “I won’t let anyone find out.”

For a second he thought it would work—and then Acatl pulled away, face a carefully blank mask that displayed nothing of whatever he was feeling behind it. “I—I can’t. I’m sorry. You’re my student, Teomitl.”

He had to swallow around the sudden lump in his throat, feeling a traitorous prickle start up behind his eyes. You knew this was coming, idiot. You knew he’d be the good, principled man he is and turn you down. You shouldn’t even have come here. “...Alright, then.” He was very proud of himself for keeping his voice steady.

As he turned to go, Acatl caught his gaze and held it. His voice still shook, and there was definitely a blush tinging his face, but his tone was firm. “Come back. After the end of the semester.”

My god. He had to make himself remember how to breathe, never mind form words. He wants me. He wants me. Or at least...he’s willing to talk about wanting me. “...I will.”

It was a few weeks. He could wait a few weeks.

& &

He could not, in fact, wait a few weeks. It was, oddly enough, easiest to handle in Acatl’s class, where at least he could see the man—could drink his fill, even though they couldn’t touch, and know Acatl wouldn’t forget him. Sometimes Acatl met his eyes and turned away, and he knew he was remembering the kiss. It sent fire through his veins every time. Yes. Look at me. Love me. And when he crossed and uncrossed his legs in the front row, Acatl’s eyes flicked to the movement. Maybe it was mean of him to tease, but he wanted—and Acatl had been the one who’d told him to wait. Look at what you could have, Professor. All this for you.

It was easy to be confident in front of Acatl. In his other classes, he burned. Paying attention had never been harder; while his body was physically present, his mind kept flashing back to Acatl’s hands, Acatl’s mouth. It was bad enough that his friends noticed, and Mihmatini—who, as far as he knew, did not exist socially during class times—messaged him in the middle of one of their shared lectures.

Holder of the One Braincell: teo. are you like

Holder of the One Braincell: ok??????

Jaguar Bro: fine, why?

Holder of the One Braincell: bc you keep spacing out? you never do that

He stared at his screen. Sorry, I can’t read poetry without hearing your brother’s voice would not go over well, but he’d never been good at lying.

Snacts (snake facts): I think he’s in love

Jaguar Bro: no???? i’m just tired

Jaguar Bro: too many essays

Holder of the One Braincell: ok ok, take care of urself!

He’d never been more grateful for Nezahual. Despite the man’s stated insistence that he never lied, after one too many creative omissions of facts Mihmatini had adopted the position that everything he said was probably bullshit. As long as Teomitl didn’t give him the reaction he was looking for, Mihm would never suspect him. Maybe one day I’ll tell her. But not now.

The semester oozed onwards until finally—finally—it ended. Teomitl picked his outfit for his last day of Overview of the Aztec Empire with more care than he’d ever done in his life. He rarely wore skinny jeans, but it was the clearest please-peel-these-off-me indicator he could give. Judging by the minute widening of Acatl’s eyes when he sauntered in to hand in his final essay, it worked.

And then he had to wait. Once again, he timed his arrival for the end of office hours, knowing that Acatl would keep to them. Knowing—dear God, knowing that Acatl was waiting for him. By the time he pushed open Acatl’s door, he was wound so tightly he felt like he was going to vibrate out of his skin.

“...I’m here.”

Acatl had risen from his seat at his approach. “...So you are.” He swallowed visibly before slowly, deliberately, taking his glasses off. “Lock the door behind you?”

He locked the door. For a long moment, they just stared at each other. There was an inkstain on Acatl’s cheek, and golden flecks in his brown eyes.

He really wasn’t sure which of them moved first, but then they were colliding and he didn’t care anymore. It was deliciously easy to press Acatl back into his chair and straddle his hips, feeling him arch under him as they kissed. When he slid a hand up into his hair, Acatl made a frankly incredible sound that went straight to his cock, pulling a growl from his own throat.

“Later,” Acatl gasped when Teomitl left his mouth to devote attention to his neck, “we really should talk about—this.” Given that his hands had wound up on Teomitl’s ass and squeezed encouragingly when he kissed a spot just under his jaw, it would probably be much later.

Teomitl made a noncommittal noise. Acatl’s throat deserved much more focus than anything involving words, and when he fumbled the first few buttons of his shirt the man trembled under him. It was intoxicating. He slipped his fingers inside and the heat of Acatl’s skin almost scorched him. He wanted to taste.

He ground down against the bulge in Acatl’s slacks, and the chair creaked alarmingly. They both froze.

Acatl almost laughed. It sounded strained. “Ah. We should...move.”

Pulling away was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but then he was settling himself on the edge of the desk and feeling Acatl’s gaze sweep slowly up his legs. He couldn’t help but smirk through the heat in his own face; Acatl looked downright debauched. Flushed, half hard, shirt partially undone—it made something hot and possessive coil in his gut. “See something you like?”

“Jesus Christ, yes.” Acatl shoved himself up out of his chair; Teomitl expected more kisses, but then his mouth found his throat instead and he made a breathy, desperate noise at the first scrape of teeth. He hoped it left a mark; for a moment all he could do was dig his nails into Acatl’s shoulderblades and shudder. Unlike him, Acatl clearly had no problems talking, though his voice was rough as he breathed, “Swear to God, from the moment I saw you—“

Teomitl hiked a leg up around his hips; in a minute he knew he’d be begging for Acatl to tear his clothes off, but right now he just wanted to be closer. “You could have had me. We could have been—ah—“ Acatl was mouthing a bruise into the base of his throat, sending shockwaves through his veins “—doing this all semester—“

Acatl’s hands slid up under his shirt, making him arch with a gasp as his fingers found suddenly-sensitive nipples. “We could not have.” It was a growl. “But now…”

“Please.” Even to his own ears, his voice sounded raw. He was so aroused it actually hurt.

Acatl drew back a bit, but he was only going for his pants; when Teomitl wriggled half out of them, baring skin, he made a noise like he’d been punched and kissed him so roughly it was almost a bite. His hands were already at his hips when he breathed, “I—how do you want—?”

He didn’t need to think about what he wanted. He’d spent too long fantasizing about it. “Bend me over.” It came out shaky. “Bend me over on this desk and fuck me until I scream.”

Acatl paused. Teomitl saw the exact moment his words sunk in, because he went red. “...Oh, god.” He dropped his head to Teomitl’s shoulder, taking a slow breath. “I’ve never—“

What. Has anyone ever seen you?! But saying that wouldn’t get them anywhere, so he ferreted out condoms and lube from his pockets. He’d never been more grateful for planning. “Do you want to?”

Thumbs pressed into his hipbones hard enough to bruise, and he bit back a cry. This was going to be incredible. Acatl’s words came out ragged. “Yes.”

And then he was being rolled over, and had barely enough coordination to kick his shoes off and consign his jeans to the floor. Acatl’s hands skimmed slowly over his thighs, and he shivered. Oh, Christ. But then they paused, and he propped himself up on one elbow and twisted around for a look at Acatl’s face. The hunger in his eyes was exciting, but his hesitation was not. “I won’t break.”

“Hmm.” One hand left his skin and came back cold and slick, trailing lightly over his entrance; when a finger slid in, he almost collapsed back onto the desk. “Good?”

He bit back a whine. Barely. Not because it felt like anything much yet, but because it was Acatl carefully working him open—and then another finger joined the first, and he savored the stretch. “Oh, fuck yes—ahh…” He’d managed to angle his fingers in exactly the right way to send sparks up his spine, still slow and deliberate and hot. “Professor, please.”

Acatl snarled, rough and wordless, and gritted out, “Don’t call me that here.” His fingers curled, and Teomitl keened. “Say my name.”

“Acatl,” he gasped, breathless—those amazing, maddening fingers wouldn’t stop. And then, “Acatl, I swear to God if you don’t fuck me—“

He tore the packet open with his teeth, promptly dropped the foil, nearly dropped the condom too, and swore viciously. Teomitl, viscerally aware of his current position, managed not to laugh. But then the condom was in place and his fingers were gone—oh, he was empty—and Acatl’s cock was replacing it in a slow, smooth thrust that had his eyes rolling back in his head as he sank back to the desk. Fuck. Fuck. I am not going to survive this.

Acatl’s voice was raw by the time he spoke, hilted as deep as he could go. Teomitl trembled; he’d never felt this full before. “Christ, you’re like a vice—“ He sounded like he needed a minute, but he was still rocking his hips, little tiny thrusts that made Teomitl gasp and clench down around him because it wasn’t nearly enough. He needed more. He needed everything.

He swallowed, throat gone dry. There wasn’t enough room for him to get much leverage pinned against the desk; he knew that whatever Acatl wanted to give him, he’d have to take. “Move. Move.” He knew he sounded desperate, and didn’t care. So he shifted his weight, grinding roughly against the desk; when Acatl groaned and sank back only to thrust in again, he knew he’d done it right. “Harder.”

“Fuck, Teomitl.” Acatl set a hand on the desk, bracing himself, and Teomitl had a moment to think oh, thank god before Acatl was giving him exactly what he’d asked for—more of that, and harder, slow deep thrusts that sent rolling waves through him and straight to his cock. He made an incoherent noise and muffled it with his forearm; the walls were thin around here, and he was pretty sure he’d feel bad if Acatl lost his job over this. Eventually.

I’d get you a better job. No, I’d keep you at home, my kept man, eating caviar and reading all the books you want and fucking me just like— A particularly hard thrust jarred a cry from him, and he panted out “I—“ before even figuring out what he was going to say, but then Acatl just kept up the pace and he cut himself off with a broken moan. “God—that, just like that, faster.”

“Like this?” Acatl’s voice was a savage thing, all raw edges and need, and the hand that came to rest at his hip grabbed almost hard enough to hurt. And then he was doing just what Teomitl asked for, and Teomitl felt the edge loom. “Is this what you like?”

Closer. Closer. But it wasn’t enough—fucking hell, it wouldn’t be enough just to get fucked, rubbing himself desperately against the desk. He needed Acatl’s hands. “Touch me. Please—“ He was begging. He knew it. He didn’t care, because it got Acatl’s hand to leave his hip and wrap around his cock, pumping him until the skittering sparks up his spine overflowed and turned his world white. He felt himself squeeze around Acatl’s hard flesh, heard an answering gasp at his ragged, muffled cry.

And then he was oversensitive and shaking, but Acatl kept going. Teomitl shuddered, toes curling, and braced himself against the desk; finally, after a small eternity, Acatl spent himself with a groan. Hot breath washed over the back of Teomitl’s neck, but he didn’t mind in the least.

His brain still felt fuzzy. It took a few seconds of silently working his jaw to find the capacity for speech. “That...was…” The best fucking thing ever. Absolutely indescribable. I should tie you to my bed and never let you leave. His thighs were sore as hell and would undoubtedly bruise, but honestly? It was worth it.

Acatl’s voice was soft, but the hand that stroked his spine gently was even softer. He sounded tender, and it tugged hard on Teomitl’s heartstrings. “...You are incredible.”

He said nothing. Words seemed to have fled. It wasn’t until Acatl pulled out, making them both shudder, that he managed, “I still want more.” Not just here. Not just—a fling, your dirty secret.

“Teomitl!” It was almost a laugh, and Acatl shook his head ruefully. “I do need to recover, you know. Things happen once you leave your twenties behind you.”

“Not like that!” He flexed his thighs experimentally. God, he’d be feeling this for weeks. But there were things he needed to say, and this wasn’t a conversation he could have in his current state. He needed pants, for one thing. But even after he cleaned himself up and got mostly dressed, he still wasn’t sure how to say it. You’re kind and intelligent and devastatingly handsome and I want to see more of you. He swallowed, finding it impossible to look directly at him. “I—let me take you out to dinner?”

Acatl was blushing again, but his smile was radiant. “I’d like that.”

& &

Holder of the One Braincell: would you happen to know anything abt why my bro is walking around w/love bites

Holder of the One Braincell: grinning @ his phone like an idiot

Holder of the One Braincell: his NEW phone, btw, bc SOMEHOW he was induced to replace the cracked one from 2009 w/the latest model iphone?

Holder of the One Braincell: WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT TEOMITL

Snacts (snake facts): I can’t help but notice that dear teo has changed his facebook status :)

Snacts (snake facts): and my, what’s this on your instagram account? whatever were you doing at the beach with mihm’s favorite brother??

Holder of the One Braincell: T E O M I T L

**Jaguar Bro has left the chat**

#obsidian and blood #teomitl #acatl #teocatl #mihmatini #nezahual #not work safe #paladin writes stuff

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itschimmychimchims · 5 years

Text

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

♡ seokjin x reader

♡ smut, college!au, bestfriends!au, growing up after that

♡ smut, slight dirty talking, angst, mentions of divorce

♡ I really don’t see a lot of pictures, fan-cams and stories or posts about my boy Seokjin, so this one’s for him. I really can’t even express how beautiful this giant human bean is and I only want him to be the happiest, brightest star ever sobs!!!!!!! Hope you guys like this suuuuuper long one-shot HAHA, enjoy!!

—

Did you ever have those friends you missed more than anything, remembering their name and having distinct memories of just small moments with them; Not whole scenes but snippets of a life long past, and a feeling of longing to go back and refresh your mind, painting a more complete picture or to find those missing pieces?

Seokjin was that friend. And there he stood, right in front of me, 5 years after we had last spoken to each other, in my cafe. His bright honey-brown eyes, his lips and the way his hair was lightly tousled to reveal a bit of his forehead - they were all the same. The only thing that had changed was that now the air between us was colder than that which strangers shared.

“Hi.”

10 years ago. That was the first time I met Seokjin. We were in our tenth year of high school, paired together for Home Ec class elective. Our school had just changed its system, making all students take one course that contributed to Holistic Education. I liked food and making it, so Home Ec was an obvious choice. None of my friends liked it, taking Wildlife Studies or Astrology instead, leaving me completely alone in the foreign class. Everyone had already found their pairs while I sat in the front corner, waiting for the teacher to assign me to another group or session with another lonely soul.

“Hey, do you have a partner yet?” A voice from beside me says and I snapped back to the real world. Surprisngly, it wasn’t the homeroom teacher but a jock-vibe guy who had already put his bag down on the space beside me, easing into the seat.

“No, I took Home Ec alone.” I answered truthfully.

“Great, so did I. Let’s partner up, I can’t afford to switch sessions because I have extra credit.” He smiles at me, his voice unwaveringly confident, as if I’d already said yes. It intrigued me.

“Sure.” I nodded, shimmying to the side to give him more room to get his notepad out of his khaki backpack.

“My name’s Seokjin, but you can just call me Jin.” He smiles again, extending a hand. I took it, smiling back.

“Y/N. Nice to meet you, Seokjin.”

—

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” Jin said in an annoyed tone.

We were at a party thrown by one of his friends, Taehyung. He was a happy-go-lucky, mysterious soul, throwing parties every other week, most likely in hopes to meet one particular person. He had a somewhat Gatsby-like resemblance. Taehyung was nice.

“Why? You’re tired?” I asked, as I finally finished my first cup of vodka-punch that night. Jin and I had been playing billiards with two of our friends, Hoseok and Jungkook. As I was waiting my turn, a few guys had come up to me in their drunken state, coaxing me to follow them up into one of the rooms for a supposed “good time”. Jin had glared at them and told the juniors to scram. Ever since then, Jin had seemed rather on edge. By then, he had probably downed more than 5 cups of that vodka-punch, plus the few shots that Hoseok had egged him on to down with him.

“I’m just not feeling it.” Jin said, putting his empty cup down on a random table, already full of empty cups. I hadn’t caught on to what had pissed him off so much, so I brushed it off.

“Let’s go to the roof for some air, you’re just annoyed because it’s too warm. You get like that sometimes.” I said lightheartedly, trying to make him less annoyed. Having known him for almost 5 years at that point, I knew him all too well.

With that, his expression did relax a little and he let out a sigh, signalling his compliance with my suggestion. We walked up to the roof, where the air was crisp and there was a small breeze that ran through my hair. I still had long hair back then. Up on the roof, we weren’t the only ones, but it was still a lot less noisy than the EDM-fuelled mosh pit downstairs. The faint sounds of a couple more-than-making-out could be heard, but at this point it was already a norm at parties like that in college.

Jin and I shared a plush sofa and a comfortable silence.

With Jin, it was always very natural and never awkward. Even when we’d disagree with each other on many things, one thing we always agreed on was to talk things out until we were okay again.

“What’s up, Jin?” I asked, putting my hand on his knee. “Why’re you moody all of a sudden?” Seokjin’s brows furrowed slightly as he shook his head.

“It might be the alcohol. The shots with Hobi might have been a bit much after those vodka-punch cups.” He said in a low tone. Somehow, it wasn’t convincing.

“Kim Seokjin.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve known you for 4 going on 5 years. You drank half a barrel of beer and downed 7 tequila shots, didn’t puke and was still clearheaded enough to do a math question. You can’t be hammered over 5 cups of vodka-punch and a few watered down shots.” Seokjin pinched his nosebridge.

“Damn this friendship.” He rolled his eyes. I scoffed, but continued waiting patiently to answer my question with a proper response.

“I didn’t like those drunk guys.” He said carefully.

“The ones that were bothering me?”

“Yeah they killed the mood.” He replied simply.

“Yeah a little. Don’t worry about retards like that, let’s just enjoy ourselves.” I told him, patting his leg. He seemed to be in a better mood so I changed the topic.

“Where are you headed after graduation?” I asked. We’d never really talked about it. Jin and I talked about our dream jobs and what we wanted to achieve but I never heard any concrete plans from him.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t even know if I still want to open that restaurant. College makes you just rethink it all, you know?” Jin said. In front of others, he was always the joker, the positive soul, cracking jokes with his never-ceasing confidence. That’s why I relished the moments he chose to confide in me his fears or insecurities. I would always bring him through his thought process, breaking every thought down and slowly leading him back to his goals.

“Why are you rethinking it?”

“To be really honest, cooking’s a hobby. I mean, I love it, and I’m good at it...” Jin began. “...but I’m good at things that make money too, even if I’m not crazy about it.” I knew what he was talking about.

“So it’s stability and the mundane, versus instability and passion.” I summed it up. He stares at me, nodding.

“You always know what I mean, and I love that.” Jin remarks, throwing his head back on the sofa, letting out a sigh.

“Your parents want you to get into Finance again?”

“Yeah. And I’m starting to see why. Maybe it’s because I have to be somewhat independent soon, and I keep hating the idea of struggling to make ends meet.” He admitted. “I’m thinking way down the line too... like when I settle down.” The last sentence caught me off guard. Jin talking about settling down sort of threw me off, because somehow, I knew that as a friend, it wouldn’t be me. And that sombre realization made me question why I felt upset at that.

“Do you even have someone you like, Jin?” I joked. “Out of the 2000 girls you’ve managed to sleep with this semester alone, of course.”

Jim chuckled, swatting my thigh.

“No, not really.” He sighed once again. “You know my ideal type for fucking around and settling down are different.” He then shifted to me, a different look in his eyes.

“You aren’t one to talk.” Jin said. “I know you’ve slept with a very consistent type - brown hair, slender legs, broad-shoulders...”

“I don’t have a consistent type-“ I argued but Jin cut me off.

“Then tell me what you look for in a guy you sleep with.” Jin challenged. I had actually never thought about how I chose the guy I slept with. I just ended up liking the vibe.

“You know I just go with the flow, and if I like it or if I’m down, I’ll just see what happens.” I tried avoiding the question but Jin wasn’t having it.

“C’mon, you know I’m not buying you bullshit. Quantify, qualify.” He egged me on, squeezing his hand on my knee. I thought about it for a while.

“He has to be funny.” I started.

“Okay, that’s pretty simple.” Jin remarked.

“...and has to be good-looking. By my standards.”

“Not like that’s the hardest thing in the world.” He earned a smack from me for that comment. Jin chuckled but let me continue.

“I think I do like broad shoulders, you’re right.” I admitted. He smirked at me, giving me a I-know-you look, adding, “And nice lips.”

“And well, he and I have to at least be able to have a proper conversation before we get down to fuck.” I said. “I don’t like mindless one-night-stands very much, so if I get a relationship or even a friendship out of it, I’d like that.”

Jin pondered over what I’d said for quite a long time, and I saw his expression change after thinking.

“What, do you have someone you’d like to recommend to me?” I said half-jokingly. Jin turned to me and tilted his head, as if he was biting on his words, unsure of whether to let them loose.

“Hey, Y/N,” Jin began, a lot of hesitation in his voice. It was extremely unlike him.

“Say it already, you’re killing me over here.” I said, a little uneasily.

“Sleep with me.” Jin finally said. My mind did a double-take. That was an understatement. It performed a whole circus acrobatic routine.

“Don’t mess with me.” I rolled my eyes, punching Jin on the shoulder.

“No, I mean it.” Jin said, with no humor in his eyes. “We both know what we like and don’t like. I literally fit all of your criteria. You fit all of mine-“

“No I don’t, you like girls like Seolhyun-“ I argued feebly.

“Have you looked at yourself, Y/N?” Jin asked. “You’re literally gorgeous. Like anyone in that room would have dropped dead to have a chance to fuck you.”

“Shut up, Jin, that’s not the least bit true. You’re saying that because you’re my friend...” I huffed, standing up. Jin followed suit. “...who is also trying to get me to sleep with him.” Jin grabs my wrist lightly to stop me from moving.

“I’m not saying that just because I want to sleep with you. Have you heard what your exes have had to say?” Jin began. “Even if they were salty you broke it off with them, they felt like they were below your league anyway.”

“Jin-“

“Sleep with me. We’re graduating, let’s just fuck it up one time before we’re off to the real world.” Jin almost pleaded. I sighed because I actually contemplated the idea. He did make sense - we had known about each others’ sexcapades all too well, the good and the bad. We were comfortable with each other and all... but we were friends. I hated the thought of that changing. I also felt like I hated the thought of him just wanting to sleep with me, and not place me under the category of ‘settling down’. Though, I’d never admit that to him, or myself at that moment.

“Jin I don’t want us to change. We’re good like that. We’re best friends now, I don’t want this to disappear and get awkward.” I sigh. Jin puts his hands on my shoulders.

“It won’t, it won’t, I promise.” He tried to reassure me. “You know I’m really good at making things not awkward. And we’re already so comfortable with each other, this won’t make a huge splash.”

There was silence for quite a while as I pondered, and that was probably the first unsettling silence we had shared between each other since the start of our friendship.

“Okay.”

Jin’s eyes lit up, and he smiled at my acceptance. I never really noticed until then that his smile was so fucking beautiful. He then pulled me in closer by the waist, knowing it turned me on.

“I’ll make it worth your while.” He murmured. In a matter of seconds, his lips press onto mine, a little hesitant at first, but it feels phenomenal. It was as if an invisible barrier around us had been shattered. Jin hungrily sought my lips now that he had a proper taste, gripping my neck, closing any sort of gap we had between us. We fall back onto the plush sofa, only intensifying whatever had transpired between us. I climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders I admired so much. Jin cursed after a while, as he shifted and he brushed his growing erection under me. “Let’s get out of here.”

He held my hand tightly as we went back down to the party. Thankfully, nobody spotted the both of us as we quickly fled the scene. Jin revved up his car and drove off into the night with his hand on my thigh, squeezing it occasionally.

“Aren’t you going a little fast, Jin?” I add nervously as he breezes past blocks.

“Would you rather I fuck you into my backseat?” Jin asked, cocking an eyebrow, no humor in his eyes. The look meant he meant every word he said and that sent a tingle down my spine. I stayed silent as he rushed back to his apartment. Thank god he lived near Taehyung.

We had barely even made it past the front door before Jin’s lips had crashed onto mine again, pinning me to the living room wall. Jin had carried me, propping my legs to wrap around his waist, letting his hands unbutton my shirt. His tongue ran over my bottom lip, stopping to let his lips take over. He paused to slip my shirt off completely, taking in a breath as he saw my torso for the first time. I felt his teeth graze the side of my neck, and I had unintentionally let out a soft moan.

“Fuck, you’ll make me cum with those sounds.” Jin hissed, now moving with added urgency towards his bedroom. Throwing me down on his bed, he quickly removed his shirt as I shimmied my skirt down. Thank god I wore matching underwear that day, and the sight made Jin curse again.

“Take them off for me, Y/N.” Jin whispered as he kissed my lips softly. I smirk slightly, slowly pulling down my bra straps as he watched, his eyes gleaming. He licks his lips as I discard the last of my underwear and comes closer to me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” Jin said, taking my breasts into his hands, kissing the swelled skin.

“Only you would compliment me just before we sleep together.” I joked, and he chuckles lightly before kissing marks onto my abdomen. His fingers trail downwards, slipping inside me with ease due to how damn turned on I was ever since he had asked me to sleep with him. Jin hissed, relishing the feeling of his fingers inside me. I bit my lips, stifling a moan but that only made him thrust his fingers deeper inside me.

“Don’t be quiet about it, Y/N, I know you’re loud in bed.” Jin says, smirking as I arch my back to feel him more. I let out a string of moans and pants as his pace inside me increased, adding on to his sinful lips leaving trails of its presence on my skin.

“Fuck me already, Jin.” I whined as his fingers soon weren’t enough to satisfy the burning inside me.

“Anything for you.” Jin chuckled, slipping his fingers out of me. He licked his fingers slowly, making me almost moan at how deliciously erotic it was.

“...but I want to hear you beg.” Jin growled, putting his thumb on my clit, circling it in a painfully slow manner. I hissed, gripping his hand.

“Please.” I cried as I bucked my hips, only to be met with nothing as he pulled his fingers away from me.

“Ask me nicely, Y/N.” Jin said, his tongue tracing an unknown pattern on my left breast, sucking it as I panted harder.

“Please Jin, I need you inside me, please...!” I cried out and Jin chuckled again, finally taking off his boxers. His slender fingers pumped his shaft slowly a few times before he teased my literally soaked core with his tip. I moaned from the contact, and gripped the sheets as he eased into me. Jin let out a loud moan as he filled me inch by inch.

“Fuck, you feel so fucking good.” Jin growled, bottoming out inside me. His forehead rested on mine, as we both caught our breaths and slowly adjusted to the feeling. “I hope you’re ready to be fucked into oblivion.”

Jin’s thrusts started off a little slow. I had told him once before that it hurt so much because one of my exes just started thrusting without warning and I was so sore, having not even reached an orgasm due to the pain. Slowly, however, his thrusts seemed to quicken in pace as I tried to move in unison with him, wrapping my legs around his hips.

“Shit, I can feel you clenching around me.” Jin moaned, abs tensing as he rammed inside me. I arched my back in an attempt to feel even better, knowing it would probably hurt in the morning.

“Jin please I need... harder...!” My words came out jumbled and rather incoherent but Jin seemed to understand what I was saying, so he increased his pace once more, slamming himself into me at a relentless speed, harder and faster. His fingers snaked downwards, playing with my clit, applying just the right amount of pressure to keep me swooning.

“You like that don’t you, baby, me touching you like that? I can feel you clench on me so fucking good.” Jin grunted as he planted rough kisses on my collarbones. “Keep clenching like that and I’m going to cum so hard.” That sent even more tension down to my abdomen. Suddenly, I held Jin’s chest, slowing his movements. He raised his brow in a slightly questioning manner.

“Let me ride you, Jin.” I panted, giving his plump lips a small kiss, which he deepened as he allowed me to adjust positions. “I know how much you love the view of this position.”

“You really know how to make a guy’s dick twitch.” Jin growled, pushing me down on him, making me gasp. “Fuck.”

I rolled my hips and slowly got used to the movement, and Jin leaned back against the pillows, letting me do whatever I pleased. His head was thrown back, the glistening sweat making his dark hair stick to his face slightly. His lips were ajar, slightly pinker due to the amount of kisses he had peppered my body with.

“Do you like that, Jin?” I asked, trying to increase my pace, feeling my orgasm build up quickly as soon as I found the right angle. “Do you like it when I bounce on your dick so well?”

“I fucking love it, please don’t stop.” Jin moaned, gripping my hips so roughly I knew they’d bruise the next day. “You know me so fucking well. You’re fucking me so good, baby, keep going.” His gruff words were doing wonders for my building climax.

“I want to see you cum on my dick, baby. I want to see your fucked out face when you make yourself cum using my dick.” Jin grunted, jerking his hips upwards to help me along with my journey to euphoria.

“Fuck, Jin, I’m gonna cum-“ my orgasm came earlier than expected. It was almost as if I was attacked by a whirlpool of psychedelic colors, white flashes consuming my field of vision. I cried out his name like a mantra as pleasure engulfed my nervous system and all my senses. He continued thrusting upward until I had motioned I wanted to climb off of him from oversensitivity. He already knew.

“May I have you in my mouth, Jin?” I whispered, taking his shaft, still coated in my orgasm, and pumping it a few times - hard. He let out a hiss as he nodded. I did my best to look as innocent as possible, knowing he did like when girls played innocent while doing the most obscene of acts.

“You can fuck my mouth, Jin.”

That was when he lost it. He was a moaning mess, thrusting between my lips, throwing his head back and gripping my hair lightly. I realized after a while that his hand on my head was to make sure he wasn’t too rough on me, and it made my chest clench slightly. Not long after, I felt his abs tense and he slowed his movements, unsure. I nodded at his hesitation, remembering how I had complained about a one night stand exploding inside my throat without any warning. Jin let out a long moan and a sigh as he climaxed into my mouth, holding my head steady by my cheeks. I let myself rest in his palms, swallowing his load.

“You know what that does to me, don’t you.” Jin licked his lips, unable to hide his smile as he came close to me, kissing me on the lips almost hesitantly.

We shared a few more kisses before Jin stood up to grab some towels to clean us up. I had never gotten cleaned up by anyone before in my life after sex, so this felt somewhat intimate.

“Are you staying the night?” Jin asked, tossing the towels into the laundry basket. He slipped on a loose pair of jogger pants and I put my underwear back on, not bothering with my bra. He passed me an old shirt and smiled as I put it on.

“Yeah, can I?” I asked, brushing my hair a little.

“Sure.” Jin replied simply, sitting down beside me on the bed. “You look good with my shirt on.” I scoffed, pulling the covers close and shifted till I was in a comfortable position. Jin laughed, wrapping an arm around my waist as both of us went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed and a text from Jin saying that he had someone to meet, so he’d left first, but I could use the shower or whatever I needed. After my bath, I’d gone to the kitchen to maybe get some milk but I saw that Jin had made some sandwiches for me. It was such an... intimate gesture, but I brushed it off, texting him thanks.

—

About three days later, I bumped into Jungkook at school. Or, well, more like he literally ran his entire body onto the locker beside mine, waiting for me to notice him.

“What the-“ I jumped at the sound of metal beside me, finally seeing Jungkook approach me after the loud bang.

“Y/N!” Jungkook panted dramatically. “You need to hear what I’m about to say.”

“What, did someone die? What’s with your drama-like entrance.” I laugh, stuffing my books into my locker. Closing it, I lean against my locker and waited for Jungkook to speak.

“Did Jin happen to say anything to you?” He paused and asked.

“Nope.”

“Oh man, I’m sure you’ll be annoyed too.” Jungkook scoffed. “Everyone knew except me and you.”

“Knew what?”

“That Jin and Rae are dating!” Jungkook exclaimed. He said it so loudly some other kids turned to look at him. I was a little too shocked to care. Shocked and honestly hella offended.

“Don’t fuck with me, Kook.” I hissed. “You better not be joking.”

“I wish I was.” Jungkook sighed. “They started dating like 4 or 5 days ago. They were talking before that too but I didn’t know they were actualy dating.”

4 or 5 days ago... that was definitely before we slept together that night. The rage in me bubbled and threatened to boil over. I was pissed beyond anything - partly because he didn’t even mention Rae to me and partly because I was the presumed side fuck.

“Where the heck is Jin now?” I grit my teeth and stood back up straight to face Jungkook.

“Aww man, you look mad, Y/N...” Jungkook said slightly cautiously. “Is it a good idea-“

“Where is he?” I demanded, shooting Jungkook a harsh glare, and he gave in. He told me Jin was with Hoseok at the garden study area. I immediately stormed over to where he was, not caring that Hoseok had shot me confused panicky glances.

“Kim Seokjin, we need to talk.” I huffed, folding my arms.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jin said casually, as if he had done nothing at all. Maybe in his mind he really didn’t think he did anything wrong to begin with, but I didn’t care - I was fuming.

“I need to talk to you alone.” I emphasized the need for Hoseok to go, or for Jin and I to leave to talk privately. Hoseok tried to get up to leave, but Jin sat him down.

“Let’s go to my car. I was about to head off anyway.” Jin said, packing up his things. We both walked in stony silence, with Jin shooting me worried glances from time to time. Once we got into his car, I exhaled sharply.

“Hey Y/N, what’s wrong?” Jin asked, putting his hand on my knee, turning to face me. I move his hand off, folding my arms tightly, glaring at him.

“When were you going to tell me about Rae?” I snapped at him. Jin’s mouth opened a little, clearly not expecting that question.

“Oh fuck... um.” Jin stuttered uncharacteristically, running his fingers through his hair nervously. “I can explain.”

“Okay, so explain.” I hissed. “Explain how you started fucking with this girl, dating her, and you suddenly come crawling to me asking me to sleep with you, all this time not mentioning a single thing to me.” I got so mad I started to tear up, and it wasn’t because I was sad - I just was so frustrated for reasons I couldn’t place.

“Y/N...” Jin mumbled, clearly trying to make me less angry. He tried to hold my hand, but I swatted it away, stonily seething at him.

“Just try to fucking explain.” I growled.

“Okay okay okay.” Jin said softly, not trying to touch me anymore. “We started talking a month ago, and we kind of clicked. Like on a nice kind of level. And we did hook up, but it was once, and she kind of had a boyfriend at the time. She told me she’d break up with her boyfriend, because she really liked me, and I think I really like her too...”

“So while you were waiting, you come and fuck me?” I yelled.

“No that’s really not the case...” Jin scrambled for an answer and I could tell he was extremely distressed.

“That person you met the morning after we...” I trailed off.

“That was Rae.” Jin admitted softly. He knew I was seething and his apologetic admission didn’t make anything better.

“Wow, Jin.” I was now full on crying tears of anger, sadness and some other horrible emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. “I thought I meant more to you, seeing how we’ve been friends for 5 fucking years. I can’t even look at you right now.” I attempt to open the car door and leave but Jin locks the door.

“Don’t leave Y/N, please, I’m sorry I wasn’t upfront with you.” Jin grabs my wrist, turning me to face him again. “I’ve never really met any other girl that clicks with me as much as her... other than you, of course.” The tears come down even harder now, and I finally decide to break the barrier that I’d avoided for so long.

“Then why didn’t you choose me, Jin?” I ask. “You clicked with me. You and I were a thing first, Jin.” Now Jin looked even more guilty.

“Y/N...” Jin looked like he was sorry, like he was pitying me and I hated it. I yanked my hand out of his grip.

“I’m done. Don’t speak to me ever again.” I growled, manually unlocking the door and storming out of his car. As I walked away, I felt arms wrap around me tightly.

“Please, Y/N, I can’t lose you. I’m sorry, I fucked it all up, we shouldn’t have slept together-“ At his words, I turn around and slapped him in the face out of anger and disappointment. He held his cheek but didn’t protest, still trying to hold onto me.

“Sleeping together wasn’t the fucking mistake.” I growl. “It was me believing you thought of me as a friend. And I was naive enough to go along with it all these years. It was a mistake trusting you.”

“Don’t say that, Y/N...” He pleaded, and I could see he was sorry. But it didn’t matter. “You mean so much to me. I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m so sorry. Please, I can’t lose you.”

At that moment, I heard someone call Jin from behind him. It was her. Rae. She was an average student, and she looked decent, but she always felt off to me - never genuine enough.

“Oppa!” She called out, coming closer. “What’s going on?” Her fingers wrap around Jin’s arm. I yank my hand out of Jin’s frozen grasp.

“I’m talking to my friend, Rae-“ he began.

“No, he wasn’t. I’m not a friend.” I say harshly, walking off. The last thing I saw before I walked was Jin’s crestfallen face. I’d forget a lot of Jin and I’s memories but I’d never forget that face.

Graduation came fast and everything was just a blur of me moving through classes, eating, sleeping, repeat. It was the same routine every day, I refused to meet Jin and I’s mutual friends for fear he’s try to talk to me. I’d changed my number because he kept calling. I hardly returned to my dorm because Jin came occasionally, asking me to open the door and talk. I shut myself off as much as possible from Jin. After a while, I think he got the message, so he stopped trying too.

—

Fast-track 5 years, I lift my head up to see the one face that had haunted my thoughts for the first time in forever. It was 3.38PM on a Thursday, and the cafe was quiet, only the sound of slow piano music in the background. Not even my breathing because I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing the moment I heard his voice.

“It’s been a while.” Jin chuckles nervously and softly, the sound not fully registering as real in my head. The crinkle of plastic he was holding brought me back to reality. He was holding a pack of cookies in his hand.

“Ah, those-“ I said quickly, trying to be normal.

“Yeah, I uh, wanna get these.” Jin cleared his throat, putting the cookies on the counter. “And an iced americano please, I’ll be having it here.”

“That’ll be seven dollars.”

“Here you go.”

“Thank you, please have a seat and I’ll serve you shortly.”

Jin turns his back on me, walking to a convenient table and put down his work bag. He takes out a laptop and starts typing away as I prepare his coffee. My mind is in a whirl as I tried to process my current reality. I muttered a soft prayer to keep my shit together until he left.

“Here are your cookies and one ice americano, enjoy.” I say almost robotically. Jin looks up at me with a small wistful look.

“It’s rather quiet, would you come sit with me and catch up for old times’ sake?” He requested bravely. I saw his fingers twitch, a sign that he was nervous. After a short hesitation, I nodded slowly and he immediately stood up, removing his things from the chair opposite him.

“Please.” He gestured to the chair. It was painfully formal. I took my seat and removed my apron, putting it on the chair backing.

“How long has the cafe been open? It’s your own cafe, right?” Jin began.

“Yeah, it’s mine.” I say rather proudly. It took me 3 years to set it up, with my parents’ help of course, but I’d paid off the loans I’d gotten from them recently so it really truly was mine now. “I’ve been open for almost two years now.”

“Business is good I presume.” Jin said, smiling slightly. His smile was something I never even knew I missed, but a part of me softened as I saw the corners of his lips turn up as he bit into a chocolate cookie. I remembered he liked the ones I made one time at his place.

“The cookies are delicious, just like before-“ Jin said, but he caught himself before he said anything to make the conversation even more awkward.

“Yeah, I’m quite proud of my bakes.” I said softly, feeling quite stiff, so I crossed my legs, hoping to feel less awkward. I figured I should make some sort of conversation.

“What are you doing now?” I asked. “I never found out whether you got into finance or not.” Deep down, I knew he’d probably have gone with what his parents wanted. I had always told him the restaurant dream was something he could always go to if he didn’t have the balls to go against his parents earlier in life.

“I’m a consultant for gourmet restaurants.” Jin said simply.

“Wow.” I said, genuinely surprised. “That sounds like fun.”

“I do like my job, actually. At least I’m putting my degree to good use.” Jin chuckles softly again. His eyes flicker over my appearance, resting on my hand suddenly.

“Oh, you’re...” His voice trailed off and I look down at my fingers in confusion when I realized I was wearing the ring my parents gave to me recently for my birthday. It wasn’t a flashy ring but I kept it on so I wouldn’t get hit on by random office workers when I worked at the cafe.

“Oh, no no, I’m not-“ I stumbled over my words. “I’m not married, this is a birthday gift from my parents. It just... keeps the creeps away.” There was a short silence before Jin exhaled a little sharper than before. It sounded like... relief. “I didn’t have time to date since college.”

“Ah, sorry, I just assumed-“ He began, running his fingers through his hair.

“No, that’s the intended effect, it’s okay.” I reassured him, not wanting this conversation to become even more awkward than it already was.

“How about you? You ��settled down’ yet?” I try to lighten the air with a small nervous chuckle. Jin’s face falls a bit but I could tell he was trying not to make things too awkward too.

“I actually got divorced a year ago.” He said, sighing a little but breaking into an awkward chuckle. “So, no, I guess you can say I’m not settled down just yet.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry... I didn’t mean to-“ I panicked at the new information. Jin had gotten married, and recently (not really recently) got a divorce. It was a lot to process.

“No, it’s okay, it’s all in the past. I’ve come to terms with it.” Jin said simply, smiling at me and taking another bite of a cookie.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask what happened?” I ventured rather bravely into the unknown quicksand that was this conversation. I felt like in an hour or two, I’d probably never see Jin again anyway, so I might as well find out a little more.

“No, I don’t mind.” Jin said, smiling a little. “I’m glad you want to know more about me now.” I look down, and am very sure I blushed slightly.

“I got married to Rae a year after graduation, quite fast if I had to say so myself. But I really thought she was the one. I’d just started out on my consulting career and I had to work quite a number of late nights and she and I started to argue a lot more about my working hours. Rae worked at her father’s company so she had a lot of free time, so she kept complaining about me not spending enough time with her.”

“Ah, she didn’t understand...” I remarked casually and Jin nodded.

“She was really unhappy and every time I’d come home, she’d be drunk off some expensive red wine. She would drunkenly berate me for loving my job more than her and that she regretted breaking up with her boyfriend for me.”

I scowled. I really never liked that girl. “That’s horrible.” I frowned.

“It’s okay, I guess it was my fault too that I was so busy. I was really happy one day though; I finally got a promotion. It was for my current position now, which is regional manager. I came home to her already asleep on the bed, so I didn’t tell her about the promotion. Then her phone started ringing. I never looked into her phone or her things, mostly because I never had the time, but I trusted her.”

I gulped a little, kind of guessing where the story was going.

“I saw the caller ID by accident, and the caller was named ‘Sexy Oppa’. Feeling a little off, I picked it up, and the person on the phone asked Rae if she was free tonight after I fell asleep, and that he missed her in his bed.”

I shook my head, biting my lip.

“I’m so sorry, Jin.” I said softly. I saw a flash of pain flit over his calm expression, knowing this would have been a huge hit to not only his ego, but his hidden romantic heart. Deep down, he believed in marrying one person for life, and to have that dream shattered would have been devastating for him.

“No, I... I’m okay.” He said, trying to smile. “Deep down... I think I knew. I just didn’t want to face it.”

“I divorced her 8 months ago, even though she didn’t want to.” Jin said, leaning back in his chair. “I guess, that was my life so far. Just a mistake.”

“Don’t say that.” I said sharply. “Don’t say your life was a mistake, just because some chick didn’t understand you wanting to chase your goals.” His eyes lit up at my words.

“You...” He chuckled again, this time without the nervousness. “Always say the right things.” I follow his chuckle as well, sitting there with him in one of the most comfortable silences we’ve shared in half a decade; for a few seconds at least.

“I know it’s really forward, but...” Jin started. “Let’s catch up over dinner. I think I owe you at least that much.”

“Jin, you don’t owe me - or anyone - anything.” I shook my head. “I hope you know that.”

“Regardless, I’d like to talk more over dinner. Reconnect, you know. It’s been five years. And I-“ Jin said, stopping, hesitating, then suddenly mustered up his confidence.

“I’ve missed you all these years, Y/N. Every single day.” He said, now without any signs of nervousness. He meant it. I hesitated, but I knew this was the last chance I got to quell my blurry nightmares that were my memories.

“I... missed you too, Jin.” I said softly, looking down at my fingers now.

“Let me bring you for dinner tomorrow night?” Jin suggested. I nodded, and we exchanged our new numbers. I noticed Jin’s pause as he stared at my number on his phone.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, I just... I’m happy.” He said, smiling genuinely at me. My heart swelled almost painfully, because I knew I felt the same.

“...Same here, Jin. Same here.” I murmur.

“Thanks for giving me a chance, Y/N.” Jin said, finishing his americano and standing up. I followed, standing too.

“Thanks for... coming here.” I stammered, not really knowing what to say. Jin smiled again, then we shared another few seconds of us just staring at each other, not really registering this was real.Then, Jin pulls me into his arms and hugs me. As I inhaled from the surprise, I smelled his fresh cotton scent with a hint of orange. He was warm, and he was exactly the same as he was all those years back. Like nothing had changed. I was about to hug Jin back when he pulled away slowly.

“It was nice seeing you, Y/N. I’ll call you about tomorrow.”

—

The next day, Jin told me to text me my address and that he’d pick me up at 7. My head felt a little giddy like I was getting ready for a first date. I paused. It kind of was a first date. Jin and I never really ate alone together out at a nice place. The most we’d ever done was just grab some takeout and camp with Hoseok and Jungkook at someone’s place. Sometimes he’d eat over at my place but he would be coming from late classes or after-dinner hookups, and I’d already eaten, so he settled for sharing some ramen.

For the 5 years, I never really dated anyone either. I did go out to dinner with some of my friends’ recommendations but they never made it past the first or the very rare second date. It never really felt right. I put on a simple black dress and a nice pair of gold earrings and black short heels. And a cardigan in case I got cold - and to be honest I didn’t even know where we were headed. I just liked the idea of eating out with Jin, because we hadn’t done so in so long. Or ever.

He was punctual, and at 7, I heard a car pull up near my sidewalk. I spritzed on some perfume and left the house.

“You look great, Y/N.” Jin said warmly as he got out of the car to open the passenger side door. He was dressed in a grey suit and a plain white shirt underneath. It was so casual but also pretty dressed up. It matched his now light-brown hair perfectly.

“You too, Jin.” I smiled and he took my hand, leading me inside his car. Once we were inside, we set off, with me asking him where we were headed.

“I hope you still like pasta. I booked a nice Italian place by the river.” He chuckled in reply.

At a stop light, he gestured to the backseat, and when I turned around, I saw a small bouquet of white baby’s breath, wrapped in brown kraft paper, and tied with rustic string and a soft pink ribbon.

“Seemed fitting, so I got you some of your favourite flowers too.” Jin said.

“Thank you...” I murmured, admiring how thoughtful he was being. I wasn’t used to it at all. “And thanks for remembering all that. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, don’t worry.” Jin said, putting his hand on my knee softly.

When we got to the riverside, I gawked at the natural beauty of the restaurant’s rustic outdoor setting. There were wooden tables and chairs, lit up by an endless string of fairy lights. The scent in the air smelled of pasta mixed with the freshness of the river. The sound of the small waves crashing served as a background to the soft chatter of the restaurant.

“This place is... wow.” I told Jin when we were seated.

“Yeah, I’d seen reviews on social media a few months back. Thought to give it a go, but it’d be sad to come alone with no one to appreciate it with.” He said a little wistfully.

“Well, here we are.” I said lightly, trying to diffuse the tension. The waiter came with the menus and water.

“Did you see what’s good here?” I asked Jin, rifling through the menu. Everything seemed pretty amazing and but it was quite expensive and I wondered if we were splitting the bill.

“I heard the pesto is good. I’m getting a seafood marinara.” Jin said, smiling. “And if you’re worried about the price, don’t. I’ll get the bill, okay?”

“Jin, no, it’s expensive and you got me flowers and-“ I protested. But Jin touched the top of my hand.

“I really want to, okay? Don’t worry about it.” Jin smiled at me reassuringly. “If you feel so bad, you can bake something nice just for me at the cafe.”

I stared at Jin incredulously but sighed in defeat, nodding. We both ordered our food and during the wait we fell into a rather pleasantly comfortable conversation. We talked about his work, his best and worst clients, some were downright nasty but most of them were grateful that Jin had come along. He seemed to be good at his job, and he seemed to enjoy it too, which was the most important. I told him about the cafe, and how business was good, and I was so lucky to have gotten the cafe spot after pitting myself against a pack of desperate entrepreneurs. I had even laughed at some jokes he cracked. It felt so natural.

“Ah, our food is here!” He said excitedly. The pasta looked amazing and tasted exactly how I expected it to, perhaps even better.

“It’s been a really long while since I’ve taken time to just enjoy a nice dinner like that.” I mused, eating another spoonful of my pesto pasta. “Thanks for dinner, Jin.”

“Anytime, really. I’m so glad we can just go back to being...” Jin hesitated a bit, then continued, “like this.” Not wanting to spoil the atmosphere, I didn’t comment on the pause. I just enjoyed the meal and the scenery surrounding the both of us.

After dinner, Jin had driven me home. He had to park a little further because all the lots had filled up nearer to my house. I told him to drop me off, but he insisted on walking me back, flowers in hand.

“Tonight was really nice, Y/N, thank you-“ Jin began, but was cut off by a flash of lightning and thunder, jolting us back to reality. In a matter of moments, we could feel the rain pelting down on us.

“Ah, shit-“ both of us cursed and made a dash for my house for shelter.

“Ah, Y/N, can I-“ Jin hesitated, not stepping in my house just yet.

“I’m not making you stand out there in the rain, please get inside.” I insisted, holding his arm and pulling him past the doors. Jin’s hair had gotten soaked from the rain, turning a little darker. His white shirt and grey suit had also suffered from the sudden downpour.

“I’ll get you something to change into.” I said quickly. “You can just sit on the couch, it’s fine.”

Jin hesitated but sat down anyway, removing his blazer and setting it on a chair along with the flowers. Emerging from my room, I gave him an oversized shirt and some baggy shorts.

“You can wait for your clothes to dry while wearing these.”

“Thanks, Y/N.” He said, smiling again. “I’ll use your bathroom to freshen up if you don’t mind.”

I shook my head, grabbing a drink of water before going back into my room to change. By pure habit, I forgot to lock the door as I was changing and suddenly, whilst my I was only clad in my underwear, Jin knocked, opening the door and calling my name then freezing completely as he registered my half naked form.

“Oh Y/N.” Jin gulped a little. “I’m so sorry-”

“I mean, it’s not like you haven’t seen everything already, it’s fine.” I said, trying to laugh it off, quickly putting on my shirt and shorts. Jin sort of just stood rooted to where he was behind the door.

“You called for me?” I asked, bringing my hair into a loose ponytail.

“Ah, I was going to ask you if you had any a kettle for warm water. Or a dispenser.” He said nervously, most likely still affected by what had just happened.

“Yeah, of course, give me a mome-“ I said, stepping past his seemingly frozen figure but I was stopped by a strong grip on my waist.

“Y/N.” Jin said, his voice now deeper but full of hesitation. “I-” I knew where it was going.

“If you want to sleep with me, Jin-” I was interrupted by his lips meeting mine. It was surprisingly gentle. It was soft, slow and warm. I could smell him and I felt his arms pull me closer to him. But I snapped out of that little dreamt moment fast, pulling myself away from him.

“Jin-” I began, but Jin spoke first.

“I didn’t just divorce Rae because she cheated. I could have stayed. I could have done things to make it up to her. I could have forgiven her.” Jin said, rambling. “But I didn’t want to stay with her. Did you know why?”

I didn’t answer. I merely stared at Jin with a slightly shocked look.

“Because I couldn’t get your damn words out of my head.” He said, running his fingers through his semi-wet hair in frustration. “Why didn’t I choose you? Yeah, why didn’t I? I’d thought about this for so fucking long. I think deep down I knew I liked you. I loved you. I convinced myself for ages it was platonic, like how a brother loved his younger sister. That night at Taehyung’s party, when those drunkards hit on you, I was convinced my annoyance came from my need to protect you in a sibling kind of way. But now I know it was just jealousy that ate away at me. I think I knew from the moment you said yes to sleeping with me. I didn’t have the balls to just fucking admit it, and I fucked it all up.”

“Seokjin...“ I murmured, not really knowing what to say.

“I thought the feeling would go away because I thought I genuinely loved Rae. In some ways, I did. I loved how she made me feel, how I could forget about you for moments when I’m with her, but you’d always come back to my mind. It was always you, Y/N.” Jin whispered the last sentence to me, holding my face in his hand. He was so close I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks.

“I asked our friends, seeing if anyone had even heard a whisper from you since graduation.” Jin explained. “I asked everyone. It was really only two weeks ago that one of Jungkook’s old pals had stumbled upon your cafe due to its good reviews and he had told me he saw you. I did some digging and realized the cafe was yours.”

“Digging?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“I asked my consultant connections.” He said, lips turning up a little. “I finally found you, after like a whole 6 months. But I really didn’t have the courage to go in. I passed by so many times, catching glimpses of you working your ass off with only 3 other part timers.” Jin had a wistful look on his face, his hands now holding mine tightly.

“I was scared that you wouldn’t want to see me. That you still hated me for fucking everything up 5 years ago. That you’d be happy and married and... happy with someone else.” He said, voice breaking slightly at his last sentence. “My heart really sank and dropped out of my ass when I thought your ring meant you were married.”

My breath was trembling from the weight of all the emotions that flooded my being. It was so much to process. After 5 years of me running away from my own truth, it slapped me on the face that night. And that truth was that this whole time, I only had space for Jin in my heart. That was why all the dates didn’t work. That was why I never bothered to look for him because I was so hurt.

“It was always you, Jin.” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “It was always you. And I never admitted it, but I loved you. I hated the fact that you chose Rae over me. I hated that you hid it from me. I hated how I loved the way you had touched me and made me feel that night, only to find out you thought it was a mistake.” The words wouldn’t stop coming and the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. I started raising my voice at Jin, all my pent up anger and disappointment for 5 years finally unleashing.

Jin could only take whatever I was saying, never letting go of my hand.

“I hated how you didn’t even consider settling down with me. I hated how you didn’t even come after me that day. I hated how you stopped trying after a while. I hated how you took 5 fucking years to come tell me this.” I cried, hitting his chest. “I hate that even after all this time, yesterday, today, tomorrow, it’ll always be you.”

With that, Jin took my lips as his once again. This kiss was gentle too, warmth enveloping me like a blanket. I had no idea how long we stood in our spots, just letting our lips show each other how much we had missed each other. We had so much hesitation in the start, but slowly, it grew more heated. Jin’s thumb pressed my chin down slightly, making my lips part so his tongue could sneak inside. Jin pushed me against my dining table, making me sit on it and wrap my legs around his hips as he deepened the kiss.

“I missed you so fucking much, Y/N.” He murmured against his kisses. “You have no idea.”

“You don’t have any idea how much I’ve thought about you, Kim Seokjin.” I whispered, tugging at his shirt. “So much.”

“Are you okay with this...” Jin hesitated, pausing all his movements. “The last time we did this, it ended up with us not talking for half a decade.”

“As long as you aren’t seeing any girls I don’t know about, I really doubt we’re going to repeat what happened.” I said, pulling him closer to kiss me again. He relaxed, taking that as a yes, and took off his shirt. I took a few moments to marvel at his physique that had barely changed. If anything, he looked better than ever, sculpted and toned. His skin was lighter than I remembered.

“I think I want to have a chance to admire you too.” Jin whispered, slipping his nimble hands under my shirt, taking it off me. He let out a sharp breath, continuing with the removal of my shorts too.

“I shouldn’t have even put them on.” I muttered, using my legs to tug Jin’s hips so he’d be flush against me. He grunted at the friction it caused to the growing tent under the shorts.

“I want you so badly, I really might not last long if we do it-“ Jin said nervously.

“Honestly, same, so please just fuck me already, Jin.” I told him blatantly. Jin let out a half moan at my words, lifting me into his arms and put me down on my bed.

“Let’s see what I’ve been missing.” He mumbled as he planted soft kisses on my inner thighs. I whimpered at the warm pecks, whining as they got nearer to where I knew I was already ready for him.

“You’re so wet, fuck...” Jin cursed as he removed my underwear. His fingers run the length of my slit, collecting some of my arousal. He licked his fingers, not breaking eye contact with me and I stifled a moan from how fucking hot it looked.

“You taste just like before - so damn delicious.” He moaned, pressing his tongue on my clit. I couldn’t help but buck my hips upwards, but his hands kept me down. I whimpered for more. Jin quietly complied, letting his tongue roam the expanse of my sex, toying with my clit, just knowing it drove me insane.

“Please, Jin, I need you inside me. Please...” I begged, tugging his hair a little.

“Anything for you.” He whispered, his breath tingling my core. Jin stripped his shorts off, revealing his member, already leaking and extra hard. He had scurried off, quickly grabbing a condom and put it on in a flash.

“I’d ask you to suck me off first but I really don’t think I’d last that long.” Jin muttered, pumping himself a few times before teasing my entrance. I moaned, pushing my hips against him, engulfing his tip slightly. He groaned at my unexpected movement, pushing all the way inside. I threw my head back, feeling the stretch.

“Fuck, you’re so tight. Fuck, I could cum right now.” Jin hissed, slowly moving to let me adjust. I soon grew impatient again and moved my hips, signalling for him to move. Jin’s pace was slow but he hit me hard in places I forgot I had. His hips had my vision blurred from pure ecstasy.

“Jin, you’re going to make me cum so hard like that.” I moaned, pulling his hips with my legs. He quickened his pace as I clenched around him harder and harder. “Oh god-“ I was cut off as Jin placed his lips to mine again - a gesture so intimate to me.

“Fuck-“ Jin moaned as he continued to thrust into me, his pace now unrelenting and I knew he was as greedy for release as I was.

“Let me ride you, Jin, please.” I said, pushing myself off the bed to top him. Jin nodded, sitting up as I straddled him. Repositioning him inside me, I rolled my hips quickly, making Jin close his eyes. His hands gripped me harder as our movements went faster and faster.

“I’m cumming, Jin-“ I cried, letting my orgasm take over. Jin’s hips started thrusting upwards, his lips sucked on my neck and his hands enveloped my breasts as he helped me ride out my orgasm. “Ah, ah- Jin, ah- fuck...!” My cries were drowned out by his lips on mine once again.

“I’m so close, Y/N, I’m so close to cumming because you’e clenching me so fucking hard now.” He grunted, his hips not letting up until he pushed himself over the edge. I kept rolling my hips, making sure he came just as hard as I did. His head was thrown back and his sweat rolled down in small beads as he reached his high.

“I can’t believe this is real.” He said, chuckling softly, resting his forehead on my shoulder. After a few moments, he gently moved me so that he could pull out of me. Jin discarded the condom swiftly and neatly, then came back to join me on the bed. I’d gone to get warm wet towels to clean ourselves up and he thanked me with a kiss. He pulled me into a tight embrace, and I smiled - genuinely for the first time in so long.

“Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and till we get wrenched apart by wolves or zombies when the apocalypse strikes... it’ll still be you.” Jin mimicked my words from just now, kissing my hair softly.

I do have that one person whose memories in our past had faded to mere flashes of discomfort. And that person was Jin. But that was okay with me because now, we were going to make new memories. Together.

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