#the surfing is reminding me of his the series
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Jae Won said I’m done with the military, and I’m going to get myself a boyfriend before I have to get a job. I’m using all the BL techniques. Wiping his mouth? Check. Sharing ear buds? Check. Finding reasons to touch his body? Check. Beach trip? Check. What’s next?
#the eighth sense#jae won x ji hyun#ji hyun x jae won#I’m very much loving this show so far#the surfing is reminding me of his the series#which I also loved#I love the ocean#I love the surf lessons#I wish I could surf#so difficult
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and they were roommates - ch. 7
pairings: jungkook x reader/taehyung x reader
genre: strangers to lovers, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, eventual angst, eventual smut, fluff, pretty much everything . college!jungkook AU, college!taehyung AU, tsundere! jungkook, warm personality taehyung, slowburn
word count: 32.8 k (😏)
series summary: it all started with a rejection from your longtime crush, jeon jungkook. you decided to confess to him on your last day of high school. after a harsh rejection and a rough summer dealing with the heartbreak, you were starting anew once your freshman year of college came. you were going to be sharing an apartment with two other roommates that you don’t even know. what a surprise you’re going to be in for once you find out it’s the one and only: jeon jungkook and kim taehyung.
ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7
It’s around 8 in the morning when you wake up from your slumber. You’re greeted with a shock of pain shooting through your head and your body is feeling as if it’s floating on water. “Fucking hangover.” you grumble to yourself. You press a hand onto one of your temples.
You managed to get up from your comfy bed and walk to your desk drawer, where you found a small bottle of pain reliever pills. You pop two of the capsules into your mouth, washing it down with a random bottle of water you had on top of your desk. The hangover wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. After all, you were able to sober up a lot faster than your friends did.
You were about to lay back down on your bed until you felt your stomach rumble. It was making gassy noises and hunger cues at the same time. Great. I have to shit and eat. You open your bedroom door and are met with the smell of a rich, salty umami scent surfing around the apartment floor. The smell caused your stomach to growl even more.
Before you went to check out whoever and whatever was in the kitchen, you used the restroom to release whatever your body wanted to waste out. After brushing your teeth and washing your hands, you applied heavy concealer where Jungkook had left his hickies on your neck from last night. You entered the kitchen and caught the sight of Taehyung stirring a large pot of miso soup with a ladle. Jimin was already sitting on the table sipping the soup. When Taehyung notices your presence, he greets you with his signature grin. “Morning, __. Sleep well?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Woke up with a slight hangover though, so I just popped some pills. Do you guys need some?” you ask the two. Jimin shakes his head, rejecting your offer. “This soup is enough to cure me.” He says after swallowing down the rest of his bowl. “I’m good too but thanks for asking, ___.” Taehyung softened at you just being…you. Considerate, selfless you. It was one of the reasons why he fell in love with you. His stomach flip flops after he is reminded about the realization from last night.
“Do you want some miso? It’ll help with rehydrating yourself.” Taehyung offered. You accepted his offer and joined Jimin at the table. “Can I sip on some of your water?” You ask Jimin. “Go ahead.” You gladly reach his large glass of fresh cold water, and your ‘sip’ turns into you finishing it completely.
“So, I said you could have a sip, not finish it.” Jimin stared at you as if he wanted to kill you. “Relax, I’ll refill it for you.” You chuckle, and went to the sink, refilling the water that you indirectly declared was half yours now.
After Taehyung serves you a medium-sized bowl of miso, he joins the table with you and Jimin with his own bowl too. He chose to sit next to you. You give Taehyung a grateful smile. “Thank you so much for the meal, Tae. I’ll eat it well.” Taehyung ruffles your hair and gives you a gentle pat on your back. “Enjoy.”
As per usual, Jimin rolls his eyes at Taehyung being oblivious to his own feelings. There was a comfortable silence in the kitchen. Jimin was just scrolling through his phone while you and Taehyung were devouring the miso.
While Jimin is scrolling through his Instagram stories, he sees that Namjoon has posted a couple of things on his story. Jimin skips through the ones of him just recording the party, and himself with his friends. Jimin was about to just skip his story entirely until he gets to a post of you and Namjoon posing in front of the mirror together. He had arm around you and you were holding up a peace sign. His eyes widened at the sight. “Wow, not Namjoon already posting you on his Instagram story.” Jimin excitedly shoves his phone in front of you.
When you see the picture, your face heats up. “Oh, yea that happened.” You say sheepishly. Taehyung tried not to get jealous but he’s just naturally a jealous person. It doesn’t feel good for him to see you potentially seeing another guy, especially upon recently learning that Taehyung indeed has strong feelings for you.
“Well? Are you just gonna say that? What else happened?” Jimin pressed. You debated on telling the boys that Namjoon had asked you out on a date later this week. You felt shy to say out loud that you were going on a first date with someone…ever. Namjoon is your first ever real date. You’ve kissed only two people in your life; Kim Seokjin, and one guy you had lost your virginity to when you were a third year in high school. His name was Hwang Hyunjin. You and Hyunjin were not an official couple. It was more like what they call nowadays; a “sneaky link”. Hyunjin was attracted to you, you thought he was hot enough to fuck. The two of you were just horny teenagers and wanted to get your virginities over with. It was just sex and kisses, no dates and no feelings. Hyunjin ended up transferring to a new school for his senior year and you haven’t heard from him since.
You decided that you shouldn't make it a huge deal to hide the date from them. “He, uh, actually asked me out on a date later this week.” You confess. Jimin’s eyes immediately fixated on Taehyung's reaction. Taehyung tried to get himself to say something. Anything. But he felt as if his throat was closed.
“That’s…great, __. Are you excited?” Jimin began. You nodded. “Yeah, I am. He seems nice.” You didn’t want to admit that he was your first date ever because you knew they were going to just tease you for being an inexperienced loser. “He’s supposed to text me later today to confirm the time and date.” You added. You chugged down a large spoonful of your miso.
Taehyung remained silent. He wasn’t heartbroken but he felt challenged. If Taehyung wanted you, he had to get you one way or another. He doesn’t know if he should suppress his feelings or express it the best way he can.
Suddenly, the three of you heard a bedroom door opening. It had to be Jungkook. Your stomach felt as if it was fluttering with anxiety. This would be the first time you would be facing Jungkook since you decided to end whatever relationship the two of you had. Enemies? Frenemies? Whatever the title was, you didn’t want anything to do with Jungkook for right now.
It came to your surprise when it wasn’t Jungkook who entered the kitchen. The three of you made eye contact with a foreign figure standing in the kitchen entrance. It was a girl. A pretty girl. This pretty girl was wearing an oversized black t-shirt. Your stomach and heart dropped in realization when you knew who the shirt belonged to.
“Morning.” she spoke out, giving you guys a short bow. She looked a bit nervous, as if she was meeting Jungkook’s parents. The three of you didn’t verbally say anything; you all slightly bowed back to her. “Would it be alright if I grabbed some water from the sink?” she asks, while playing her fingers. Taehyung motioned her where she could find the cups. “Go ahead.” He said.
She smiled at him graciously, and grabbed herself not one but two small glasses. She filled them both up with water and gave you guys one final bow before walking back to Jungkook’s room. The slamming of the door brought the three of you back to reality.
“Uhm.” Jimin starts. “Yeah..” Taehyung continues. “So, does he do this often?” Jimin asked you both. Taehyung shakes his head. “This is the first girl he’s ever brought back.” He informs. The emotion that was coursing through you was a mixture of pain, jolt, and numbness. “She’s pretty.” You admit. Jimin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she is but..aren’t one night stands supposed to not interact with household members? That’s like against the law of hookups.”
Taehyung snorted at Jimin’s sentence. “You’re so dumb.” He playfully hits his head. “Jungkook though? He’s really entering his hoe phase now. About time.” Jimin sighs in relief, crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned back into the chair. It was silent for a few seconds. Jimin sat up quickly at a realization. “That’s why I heard moaning when I came home last night. I thought it was Taehyung watching porn.”
You managed to crack out a chuckle at Jimin’s abruptness. Jimin is the comedic relief in this household that you, Taehyung and Jungkook needed.
. . .
When Yeri returned back to Jungkook’s room, he was still asleep. He was snoring quietly, his pink lips slightly parted. He was shirtless and bottomless underneath the covers. Yeri sat on her side of the bed and simply stared at Jungkook. She was in awe at his natural beauty. She could stare at him for hours. When Yeri took notice of him at the party last night, he was all she could stare at all night. His beauty was striking. When Yeri knows she wants something, she gets it. And that’s exactly what went down last night.
Jungkook leant down to whisper in her ear and ask if she wanted to go back to his place. Without even thinking about it, she agreed. Yeri and Jungkook took an Uber back to the apartment. On the way there, the two of them were in a heavy makeout session throughout the entire ride. Poor Uber driver. At least the heavy tip Jungkook left for the driver made up for the trauma. The rest of the night was pure bliss for Yeri. She hasn’t cummed that many times in a one night stand since…ever. Jungkook was a god with his fingers, mouth, and with his dick. Yeri took a glance at her thighs to see if he left any marks on her. He was kissing them like crazy last night. She was met to see no hickies on her thighs, or neck or anywhere.
Yeri knew that Jungkook shared his apartment with roommates but when she saw you in the kitchen with the other men, she wasn’t expecting one of his roommates to be a woman. And Yeri recognized you too. Yeri has only known Jungkook for twelve hours so she knew that it wasn’t any of her concern of what kind of people live with Jungkook. However, when she had seen Jungkook at the party, she knew that she did not want to use him to be any kind of a casual hookup. She wanted more.
Jungkook’s eyes began to flutter open from his sleep. He was a light sleeper so he could feel that someone had been in his room and observing him. When his eyes fully opened, he was met with the sight of Yeri staring at him. He almost screamed, if he was being honest. He wasn’t expecting her to still be here when he awoke from his slumber.
“Why hello there, Jungkook.” She cooed at him. She handed him a glass of water and two pain reliever capsules.
Jungkook stared at her for a bit. He didn’t understand why she was still here and giving him pills and water as if she was his girlfriend or something. “Thanks.” he muttered and hesitantly took the water and medicine.
He gulped it down and placed the empty glass on his nightstand. “How did you sleep?” Yeri asks. She reached down to tuck a piece of his jet-black hair behind his pierced ears. Jungkook shuddered at her touch. Her hands were freezing cold.
Before he could answer, he looked around his bedroom. Their clothes were scattered throughout the floor. The messiest his room has ever been in awhile. He hates mess. He hates anything that isn’t in his order.
When he attempted to sit up, his back instantly began to sting. It was as if his skin was ripped open. He hissed in pain and attempted to turn his head to examine the cause of the pain. Yeri got up from the bed and went to look at his back for him. When she noticed all the scratch marks she left on him, she winced hard.
“Oh..I’m sorry. Seems like I scratched you a bit too hard.” She flashed him an apologetic smile. His mind flashbacked to Yeri riding him and digging her nails, piercing through his skin, from her pleasure.
He cringed at the memory, not wanting to reminisce on what the two of them did last night. He felt awful to admit that he was embarrassed his drunk self caused him to engage into another hookup. Two hookups in one night was an extremely rare occasion for him.
Over the summer, prior to beginning his freshman year at Konkuk, Jungkook decided to gain sexual experience to prepare himself for the college girls. He found girls on Tinder or Hinge that were willing to fuck and fuck only. As much as Jungkook tried to act like he didn’t care about girls and dating, he knew that he didn’t want to waste his college years without any sexual experience. He wanted to have stories to look back on, like Taehyung did. Jungkook didn’t like catching himself trying to follow Taehyung’s playboy footsteps however it was hard for him. Both Jungkook and Taehyung were extremely popular with women and it was overwhelming trying to contain the amount of attention the two of them had.
“S’okay.” he mumbled back to Yeri’s apology. He got up from his bed and reached into his drawer to look for an outfit to change into. “I saw your roommates. They were eating in the kitchen.” Yeri mentioned. Jungkook silently panicked to himself. Everyone met her already? Why would she go into the kitchen and introduce herself?
“Are you hungry? We can join them in the kitchen, if you want?” She continued to talk. Jungkook wondered to himself why the hell Yeri won’t stop talking. He put on a gray plain sweatshirt, solid black boxers and matching gray sweatpants. “I, uh, actually have to be somewhere and am running late.” He indirectly asks her to leave. Yeri gets the message clearly. “So you live with her then?” She asks without any context. Jungkook cocks a brow up. “Who?”
“The girl in the kitchen. I saw the two of you going somewhere in private last night.” If she was upset, she wasn’t showing it. “Oh. Her. She’s just my roommate. Needed to talk about her boy problems and came to me for advice.” He fed another lie. Yeri took a second to process what he said. She had a feeling that Jungkook wasn’t telling her the full truth. She remembered seeing you look annoyed with him and vice versa.
“I see. Just wondering.” she ends the conversation. “So, I guess I’m going home in my Playboy bunny costume then?” She asks rhetorically, expecting Jungkook to give her an outfit to go home into.
“Oh, sorry.” Jungkook went digging into his drawer to find a pair of shorts that he hoped would fit Yeri’s petite frame. He found a pair of biker shorts that should be able to fit Yeri. “Try this on.” She slides the shorts on. They were a bit loose on her waist but the oversized shirt she had on should be able to cover that. Jungkook then went into his closet and grabbed an unused trash bag. “You can put your costume inside this.” “I’ll order you an uber right now too.”
Yeri’s expectations for him were met expeditiously and she gave Jungkook bonus points for the trash bag. “Thank you.” She gives him a soft smile, which he returns back. “I’ll be going now. Hopefully, I’ll see you around to return your clothes sometime?” She asks with desperation laced in her tone.
Jungkook nodded in agreement. He had actually no plans to get in contact with Yeri again. He just needed to release the sexual frustration that was left in him after not being cum from the hookup with you. However, Yeri was wearing his most favorite black shirt so he definitely wanted that back.
“Can I walk you to the door?” he offered. “Of course.” Jungkook opened his bedroom door for Yeri and the two of them made their way to the apartment door. Jungkook took a quick glance into the kitchen as he and Yeri walked past it. You were no longer in the kitchen. It was just Taehyung by himself and he was washing the dishes.
When Yeri grabs onto the doorknob, she gives Jungkook one last look. “See you around, Jeon Jungkook.” She gives him one final flirty smile and exits the apartment. Jungkook breathes out a breath he was holding in.
“So you’re hooking up now?” Taehyung approached him, slapping a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, Tae. I know I shouldn’t do that. I won’t do it again.” Jungkook apologized. “What? I’m not upset. I’m beaming with joy! See?” He flashed him a toothy grin.
Jungkook smirked at his brother. “Very funny.”
“So...how’d you guys meet? What’s her name?” Taehyung gave Jungkook a hyped up smile, finally happy that Jungkook is doing ‘regular-guy-things’ and not just sitting in his room doing homework and watching anime all day.
“This is where I stop talking to you.” Jungkook attempted to flee away from his annoying step-brother, but Taehyung wasn’t having any of that. “Bro, just tell me. I promise I’m not gonna stalk her or anything like that. Yet.”
“What?”
“Kidding. Now tell me her name.”
Jungkook sighs in defeat. “Yeri. Just Yeri, I don’t know anything else about her. I literally just met her at the party last night.”
As Jungkook said that, he was on his phone as if he wasn’t paying him any attention. This ticked Jungkook off. “How are you gonna make me tell you stuff about her when you’re on your ph-“
“Got it. I found her Instagram. Lee Yerim. Must go by Yeri for short.” Taehyung interrupted and shoved his cellphone in front of his face. Jungkook didn’t care to look at her Instagram page that was right in front of him. He doesn’t care about Yeri.
“I didn’t ask to see her Insta, dude.”
“You don’t wanna follow her? At all?”
Jungkook groaned in annoyance. “I’m not like you. I don’t crawl back to every woman I touch.”
Taehyung clicked his phone’s off button and tucked it into one of his pockets. He chuckled at Jungkook’s shade. “When are you gonna meet someone you genuinely care about?” he asked abruptly.
Jungkook was taken aback by his question. “Why are you asking this?”
Tae shrugged. “I just would like to see you experiencing love. Or a crush. Or even tolerate someone.”
Jungkook’s jaw clenched a bit. Jungkook can’t remember the last time he felt romantic emotions toward someone. It’s not like he doesn’t do romance, though. It is just not a priority for him right now. He doesn’t prioritize anything that doesn’t benefit himself or his career in any way. Besides, love hasn’t done anything spectacular for his life. Love is like an estranged parent for him: knows it exists, but not familiar to it.
Jungkook is aware that his estranged relationship with love is why he has a cold personality. The closest person in his life that he can confidently know that he loves is Taehyung.
“I don’t have time for love.” He simply answered. Taehyung let out a breath. He knew he was going to say that. Jungkook doesn’t make time for anything that doesn’t have to do with his studies or work.
“Love doesn’t care about timing. You can’t always push the thought of a relationship away.”
“I can do what I want.” Jungkook stubbornly continued. Taehyung rolled his eyes at his brother. “You’re so annoying.” Taehyung walked away from Jungkook and made his way towards his bedroom. “I’m gonna get ready for work.”
Jungkook stared at his figure until he disappeared into his bedroom. After being left alone, he released a long breath of air. Taehyung and his weird questions reminded Jungkook of you. He remembered the question you had asked him a while ago: “Are you content with your life?”
Jungkook still doesn’t know the answer to that question.
. . .
It was the next week, a Saturday afternoon, when you were in the middle of cleaning your room until you heard a ding sound from your phone.
You walked over to where you had left your cell phone charging on your bed.
Namjoon: So how does tomorrow at 5pm sound? Dinner on me.
Your heart quickened at Namjoon finally texting you. You would be lying if you said that you weren’t waiting on his text all day. You didn’t want to respond right away, it would look too desperate.
Instead, you immediately texted Hoseok.
you: guess who’s going on a date tomorrow :)
Immediately, he responded. Typical Hoseok.
hobi: uhm WHAT..
with who???
you: guess 😝
hobi: taehyung ??
You groaned in annoyance. Taehyung and I will never happen.
you: no. -.-
hobi: then i don’t care
you: LOL ur so annoying. Do you remember the guy I was dancing with last night?
hobi: wait him? he’s actually so fine. GO AHEAD 🥸
you: hehe thanks :) I can't wait to see where he’ll take me.
hobi: bring protection <3
you: i don't let them hit on the first date 💋
. . .
“You know Namjoon and __’s date is today, right?” Jimin joined Taehyung in the living room. “Yeah, I do.”
Jimin searched for a sign of jealousy on his best friend’s face. “So, what do you think of the two? Think they’re cute together?” Jimin decided to play with him.
“Yeah, they’re alright.” Taehyung replied dryly. “Hey. Cut it out,” Jimin snapped. Taehyung looked up from his phone and shot Jimin a bewildered look. “Fuck are you talking about?”
“Cut your little act. I’ve been your best friend since we were fucking five. Do you really think you can hide shit from me? I know you like __. Heck, I’m shocked that no one else caught onto it because you make it obvious as hell. When she enters the room, she’s all you’re looking at.” Jimin spat. He was beyond irritated at this point. “Why are you just gonna sit there and let your feelings continue to build up?”
Taehyung remained silent. This time, he didn’t want to lie and say that he didn’t like you when he really did. And he was desperate to talk about it with someone. Someone he trusts.
“She’s my friend,” He starts off. Jimin was about to call him out again until Taehyung continued.
“And I don’t want to ruin the friendship we’ve built together. Plus, she seems happy dating around right now.”
“I don’t understand. Are you admitting that you have feelings for her?” Jimin asked for clarification.
Taehyung takes a deep breath. He’s nervous as fuck. Jimin will never leave him alone once he confirms it to him.
“I do.”
Immediately, Jimin jumps to his feet and runs toward Taehyung, plopping his butt down the couch, next to him.
“Finally! Fucking finally! When did you come to your senses?” Taehyung couldn’t help but to laugh at Jimin’s excitement. He expected Jimin to be happy but not this happy.
“Last night, I guess? I don’t know man. We were just on the way home after the party. And I felt…just so happy doing the most mundane thing with her.”
Jimin smiled in pure genuinity at hearing his best friend babble himself over you. As a good best friend would be, he wanted his best friend to be happy more than anything.
“Wow, this is so crazy, Tae. My boy is in love.” He sings out ‘love’. “Please shut up.”
Jimin topples over in happiness and laughter with Taehyung. “So, what’s next now? You’re just gonna continue being her friend? Even though it'll literally kill you on the inside?”
“For now, yes. I don’t wanna overwhelm her. She’s probably just trying to date around and live life. Doesn't wanna settle down with a simple guy like me yet, right?” Jimin groaned as soon as he finished his sentence. “With that mentality, you will never have a girlfriend. Tae, you have a good personality, good looks, and have a great sense of humor. You have the golden trio! Why not use it to your advantage and get the girl? It’s not like Namjoon is her boyfriend.”
“I just need to be sure that our friendship is ready to go to the next level. I don’t want to just confess, and make it awkward for us if she doesn’t feel the same. Also, you can’t forget that we are literally roommates. It would be a stressful living situation for not just her, but you and Kook would be affected as well. There’s a lot to consider here.” Taehyung rambled on. He knew he was making valid points. Potentially dating your roommate is one of the most awkward and stressful decisions anyone could make. Jimin could see where he was coming from.
“You’re right. Sorry for pestering you about it, I’m just excited to be right about you.” Taehyung snorted at that. “Dickhead.”
“Do I actually only stare at __ when she’s in the room?”
“You literally drool.”
Jimin suddenly had an idea. But it was a bad idea. It was…sort of manipulative. And this idea hit him out of nowhere. Seeing the way Taehyung lit up talking about you, it was something Jimin had never seen before. Like Jimin and all of their highschool population, they all knew that Taehyung used to be quite a player. Therefore, the sight of Taehyung genuinely liking a girl was very new and refreshing. And as his best friend in the whole world, Jimin has the right to do anything to make his friend happy.
. . .
Drip.
A singular droplet plopped on the top of your head. You looked up to the sky, only to be met with incoming dark gray clouds. Fuck. Of course it would rain right now.
As if on cue, one singular droplet turned into two, three, four and many more.
The smell of wet concrete and humidity filled the air. The rain began to drench you. You sighed heavily with great annoyance at this inconvenience. The bus stop you were at had no benches nor a shelter. It was just a pole and a sign. You held your hands up above you, as if you could successfully umbrella yourself on your own.
You checked your cell phone for the millionth time, hoping for a text from Namjoon…again.
Your date was supposed to start thirty minutes ago. You were waiting outside for him, mentally giving him the benefit of the doubt. But you knew he wasn’t coming. He didn’t even have the audacity to call or text that he wasn’t going to make it. You felt humiliated and angry. You’ve never been stood up before and you didn’t know why or if you did anything for Namjoon to ditch you.
You sigh of defeat and begin to make your way home. Even though you were literally at a bus stop, you felt that walking in the rain would match the mood you were feeling. A bit dramatic of you but it was suitable for the situation.
As you were walking, a dark, moody presence was felt behind you. Its presence was so calming yet uncomfortable at the same time. And familiar too.
The rain that was drenching you seconds ago came to a halt.
You were looking down at the ground as you turned and you were met with a pair of black Doc Marten boots. Immediately recognizing whose shoes it belonged to, you looked up and was unsurprisingly met with the sight of Jeon Jungkook, holding an umbrella above you.
You and Jungkook remained in intense eye contact. Your breath was hitched in your throat. This was the last thing you would’ve expected to happen to you. He was the last person you would expect to hold an umbrella for you.
“Hi.” Jungkook spoke. “Hi.” you say back, looking intensely into his soulless eyes.
It was extremely uncomfortable to be alone with him after what happened at the Halloween party. You had been successfully doing your best to avoid him. It was still hard for your mind to wrap around the fact the two of you had hooked up together.
“W-what’s up?” You croaked out. “I’m heading home.”
“So am I.” He said. “Let’s go home together.” Jungkook stood beside you, trying his best to make the umbrella completely cover the both of you. Your heart was beating erratically right now. Jungkook remained quiet as the two of you walked together. “Wait, weren’t we just at a bus stop?” Jungkook halted. You hesitantly nodded. “Then why are we walking? Let’s just head back to the stop. I’m sure the bus will be coming soon.” He said monotonically. You followed him as if you were a lost puppy and the two of you sat on the bus stop bench.
The awkward tension was thick enough to slice your skull open. Your heart’s beating only got quicker and if you felt as if you could faint at any moment. You hated this; why is he here? Why is he talking to you as if nothing went down between you both? You wanted to so badly run away and never come back to your apartment.
The bus finally arrived after what felt like an eternity. Jungkook got up and motioned you to get in first.
You sped away and hopped on the bus and tried to sit as far as you could, hoping that Jungkook would get his own seat.
Unfortunately that did not happen.
“What are you..” You stammer. Jungkook closed his umbrella and readjusted his sitting position.
Jungkook stared straight ahead from his seat, as if he didn't have a single thought running through his head. Soon after, you felt the bus rumbling. As the bus drove away from your stop, you looked out the window.
Just five minutes ago, you were waiting impatiently for your date to arrive, you gave up and tried to go home alone but now you are taking the bus home with Jeon Jungkook sitting right next to you.
It has been a couple of days since the Halloween party incident and you have done a great job at distancing yourself from Jungkook. You hadn’t spoken a word to him since then and have not seen him physically. It drove you a bit mad, though. Not seeing him, not having any contact with him while trying to avoid making the apartment’s tension awkward. You were willing to take the Halloween incident to the grave with you.
“So, I’m guessing the date didn’t go well?”
You snapped your head to face him. “Huh? What makes you say that?” You scoffed.
“If it went well, you wouldn’t be riding the bus home alone right now, would you?”
You scoffed again, completely blown. “This guy..” you mumbled under your breath. “What if I took the bus alon to meet up with him? I’m going home the same way I went. Alone.” you lied. It was for your pride.
“Why would a guy let his date go home alone?” He asked. Why is he asking so many questions? Why does he want to pick on you so bad? Wasn’t the Halloween incident enough?
You decided to ignore him. You weren’t going to feed into what he wants to hear. Silence fell between the two of you for a moment.
Not wanting to sit in silence with Jungkook, you opened your bag and reached your earpods. As soon as you were about to insert a pod into an ear, the annoying boy spoke again.
“Namjoon isn’t a serious guy.”
This got your attention. “What?”
“Going on a date with Kim Namjoon and expecting anything after is like waiting for world peace to happen: impossible. You should’ve known better.” He scolded you. Your eyebrow twitched upward. “Why are you telling me to do better? It was just for fun.” You lied again. You were embarrassed to admit that you were hoping your date with Namjoon would turn into something new and exciting and serious.
“Frat guys are a waste of time. They are not fun nor serious. Don’t waste your precious time with them.” He continued.
This made you angrier. Why does he care so much?
“Well, I got stood up. So, it doesn’t really matter anymore. You won’t catch me trying to hang out with a frat guy ever again.”
You didn’t like that you were venting out your feelings to Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook was the last person to care about your feelings and thoughts on just about anything.
“You can’t just let any guy date you. You have to be careful and selective with whom you choose to date.” Jungkook annoyingly analyzed. You chuckle at him. “What are you, Aristotle? No, he just faked his personality at the party to get himself some pussy.” You shot back. This earned an arrogant smile from Jungkook. “Maybe so.”
“Where did you come from?” You decided to prompt. Might as well try to continue whatever conversation the two of you were sharing. “Just errands.” He cracked his knuckles. Something tells you that Jungkook was doing more than errands. Perhaps he went out with the girl from the party that he fucked last night. You hate the fact that you still feel hurt whenever you think about Jungkook doing things with another girl that wasn’t you.
“Are you okay?” You turned to look at Jungkook. You were shocked to hear him ask you this type of question.
“Why are you asking?”
“Just answer me.”
You gulped down saliva and nodded. “I’m fine. Not my fault that he didn’t have the balls to tell me he didn’t wanna go out anymore.”
Jungkook liked hearing that you weren’t gonna let Namjoon ruin your mood. It made you seem strong. “Was he gonna be your first date?” He continued to ask. Suddenly, this bus ride felt way too long. You didn’t know that Jungkook had such a nosey side to him.
Immediately, you became defensive, like always. “Hey, Jungkook. I’m not this bitchless loser you are making me out to be. I’ve been on dates before,” you lied. “I’ve been kissed before, I’ve had sex before, I’ve done everything, okay?” You said a bit too loudly. You tried ignoring the stares you were getting from other bus passengers. Jungkook stifled back a laugh at your irritated response. “Everything?” He repeated.
You couldn’t help but wheeze out a brief laugh. “Shut up.” You groaned, biting your lower lip to restrict more laughter to come out.
“I am still doubting it. You have no game.” It was as if Jungkook’s favorite game in the world was to get under your skin and you despised how easy it was for you to give him the power to constantly and consistently piss you off.
“Really? Do you remember Hwang Hyunjin? He was one of the cutest guys in our grade,” you looked Jungkook straight in the eyes. He was still facing straight but it seemed like he was listening. “Well, we fucked back then. And when I say fuck I mean actually fucked. Like dick-inside-vagina fuck.” Again, you got more stares from the person sitting in front of you. You returned back a scowl.
Jungkook slowly began to face you. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. Hwang Hyunjin used to be one of the guys that every girl in their school wanted. It was like a competition between him and Jungkook on who was the most popular guy in their grade. Jungkook didn’t give a single fuck about him but Hyunjin constantly tried to belittle him to make him feel better about himself. At first he would try to bully him for being the smartest student in their class and for Jungkook’s preference of sitting alone everywhere. However, Jungkook had to teach Hyunjin a lesson on not to mess with him; a violent lesson.
After that, Hyunjin kept his distance from Jungkook for the rest of the school year; all the way until his transfer to a different high school in the middle of their third year. He was surprised that you were previously sexually involved with Hyunjin. He wasn’t exactly the nicest guy nor was he the type of guy he thought you would go for.
“You…used to sleep with Hyunjin?” He asked. You nodded proudly. “Wow. Maybe you are dumb after all.”
You rolled your eyes heavily and didn’t feel like continuing this conversation with him anymore. “Why don’t I remember seeing the two of you interact?”
“We weren’t in a relationship. Just fuck buddies or whatever.” You mumbled. You have moved on from Hyunjin after he transferred but the memory of Hyunjin’s commitment issues and his treatment towards you still hurts to remember.
You thought that he could’ve been the one. However, he strictly wanted your fling to be sexual only. No strings attached whatsoever. But in your head, Hyunjin was the most ‘thoughtful’ guy you had ever known. He was ‘thoughtful’ enough to worry about you to make sure you don’t get hurt or get led on this situationship. You thought he was careful, articulate, and set on what he wants in life. You thought he cared about you by the way he would caress your body and leave sweet kisses all over you after sex. You thought he cared about you by the way he would give you secret winks at the school hallway, as if he was flirting with you. You thought he liked you by the way he would moan your name and your name only during sex. He would say how good you felt, how good you tasted, how your kisses are the best. You thought he liked you when he would act like he didn’t know you at school. He was just trying to protect your identity, right?
Hwang Hyunjin was not thoughtful. He was not careful, not articulate, and not set on what he wanted. He didn’t care about you nor did he like you. It was all in your head. As if your situation wasn’t any more cliché, Hyunjin was just a popular guy hooking up with a not-so popular girl and he was too ashamed to be associated with you. When in the privacy of your childhood bedroom, that was when he was being his true self. Outside of those walls, he was ashamed of you. Embarrassed of you. He just wanted you for sex and sex only. He used you and a part of you—no—all of you knew that. You just thought, in your little idealized mind, he actually wanted you at all.
And that’s what hurt you in the end. Your fantasies.
After Hyunjin, Jeon Jungkook returned to the picture:
It’s common knowledge that Jungkook was the genius of your high school. He was too focused on his schoolwork to have fun and date around. And you had admired that about him. Jungkook was one of the many school’s heartthrob, but he was the top. The ultimate one, the one that every single girl in Busan knew of and wanted. Due to his prestigious awards and national acknowledgments, your entire hometown knew of Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook was not only idealized by you but every other girl who had a crush on him. You thought he was mysterious, suave, introverted, and humble.
The Jungkook that you know as of right now is still the same introverted intelligent guy but he’s abrasive, cold, and self centered. He’s not emotionally intelligent. He only thinks for and about himself. He’s extremely blunt and honest with his words and he doesn’t know how to read the room. He has the beauty and the brains but you’re not sure if he has the basic foundation of being a good person.
“I’m guessing your type is selfish assholes.” Jungkook spoke. You smirked. “I mean yeah, I used to like you, right?”
Jungkook's eyes darkened at that, slightly intimidating you. “What? Are you not a selfish asshole?” You edged. “I don’t care what you think of me. I could care less of what anyone thinks of me. If you want to think of me as a selfish asshole, then go ahead.” He hissed. He was so irritated with you.
“I don’t have to think about it, I know it. And you’re also someone I was dumb enough to like. You even said so yourself.”
Jungkook looked confused. “You said you don’t like dumb girls, remember that?”
“You’re expecting me to remember any conversations I’ve had with you?”
“I’m not the one who’s trying to engage in conversing with you. You chose to sit next to me and ask about Namjoon. Maybe go sit somewhere else so you can continue to forget about this conversation too.” You couldn’t help your anger at the moment. Jungkook gets under your skin so badly, as if he yearns to piss you off. You’ve never had anyone push your buttons the way Jungkook did.
Jungkook remained silent yet continued to stare at you. A new, indescribable emotion quickly flew through him when he saw the way your lips were pouting softly and seeing the way your eyebrows were crinkled in frustration. He had to hold back a chuckle seeing you so upset with him. You looked as if you were a child that was denied candy. Jungkook kind of melted in a way seeing you in this state. “Didn’t realize you were so whiny,” he continued to tease.
“Jungkook, I swear to god if yo-”
Two small bottles of banana milk and strawberry milk were shoved in front of your face. “Pick one.” He interrupted. You quickly shut up and angrily eyed the two milks. “Why?”
“You don’t want them?”
“No, I do, it’s just…,”
“Just what?”
You gave him a suspicious look. “You poisoned them, right?” This earned a hearty chuckle from Jungkook. “Look at you being a comedian.”
You pouted again as you snatched the banana milk from one of his hands.
“I’m done with boys.” You say out of nowhere. This gets Jungkook’s attention. “What do you mean?”
“I’m done with boys. I’m…not going on another date with a guy unless I truly know him. You know, I’m here to get good grades, make memories and have fun. Not to waste my time on dudes who just want to dip their dick in anything that has a hole.” You vented out once again. “And I meant it when I said that I was done liking you. In case you remembered what went down on Halloween. I don’t know you well, therefore there is no use of me to continue liking you. I hope that we can move forward from what happened on that day.”
Jungkook, stunned, stared at you. He had no idea what to say. He suddenly felt a bit intimidated to be sitting near you. Especially since you brought up that forbidden night between the two of you.
And then, he too, felt pity towards you. The past few months he had gotten to know you had been full of arguing and distance. Here you are, apologizing to him for simply liking him—or liked—him and not knowing him well. Jungkook felt uncomfortable. He didn’t like that you were still being kind to him after everything he’s done to you.
“I’m sorry you haven’t seen the real me yet. I’ll work on that.” He replied.
You gave him a perplexed look. “Real you? You mean you aren’t an asshole?” Jungkook let out a laugh at that, rolling his eyes. “You’re the asshole.” He mumbled.
“Are we on good terms now?” Jungkook bored his doe eyes onto yours. Of course, he’s still gorgeous, that’s never going to change.
“Yeah. Good terms. Good roommates!” You grin. Jungkook rolled his eyes at you again. “Good terms, good roommates. Okay.” And the two of you shared a kind smile with each other.
“Konkuk University.” An automated voice called out the next stop. “We’re home.” You say. The two of you get up from your seats and ride off the bus.
Jungkook felt a sense of satisfaction in his chest after the two of you agreed to remain on good terms. Before, he felt as if he was walking on millions of eggshells around you, trying to avoid the extreme tension between you both. He didn’t want to live in a household where he needed to avoid a single roommate that hated his guts. He didn’t want that energy soaring through the apartment. And so, he needed to reach good terms with you. Not just regular okay terms, it needed to be good for him. For some reason, he didn’t want bad blood between you and him.
It was just you and him walking together towards your apartment. The rain turned into a slight drizzle, pitter pattering on the pavement. Jungkook whipped out the umbrella and placed it above the two of you again.
“It’s just drizzling.” You say.
“Don’t ruin the moment.”
. . .
It was one in the morning when Jungkook was interrupted by his studying when he received a text message from a random number. He dropped his pen on the desk and picked up his iPhone.
unknown: what are u doing tomorrow?
He raised a brow up. Who could be texting me? I have everyone’s number saved.
He decided to reply back to the mysterious human. Maybe it was just a bot?
jungkook: Who is this?
Almost immediately, the person/bot responded.
unknown: wow are you seriously asking this
Jungkook was starting to get annoyed. He wasn’t in the mood to play games, he has a fucking exam tomorrow. He thought that maybe his roommates would know who the mysterious number was. Maybe it was a friend of theirs?
He got up from his desk and opened his door. You, Jimin and Taehyung were in the kitchen baking brownies. The three of them offered Jungkook to join but he declined the offer. “Do any of you guys know who the hell this number belongs to?” He showed the contact to the three, furrowing his brows in annoyance.
“No idea, Kook.” Jimin answered. You and Taehyung shook your heads, also not knowing who the number belonged to.
“Seems like you should know who they are.” Taehyung smirked. Jungkook tilted his head, still thinking about who it could be. “I seriously save everyone’s number, brother. It might just be a bot or someth-“ The mysterious number double texted.
unknown: its yeri. We exchanged numbers the other night? lol.
Jungkook’s confused expression turned into a solemn deadpanned look. “Nevermind. I know who it is.” Jungkook sighed.
“Well who is it?” Jimin asked as he licked raw brownie batter off the mixing spoon. “None of your business. I’m going back to studying. Let me know when the brownies are ready.” Jimin didn’t let him walk away so easily. He jumped on Jungkook’s back, causing an uproar from him. “What the-“
Taehyung joined in and grabbed the phone from him while Jimin physically held him back. “What are you assholes doing?” Jungkook shouted. You were stifling back a laugh at the sight of Jungkook being thrown around.
“Well well well. If it isn't Ms. Yeri hitting you up, eh?” Taehyung cooed out. He reread Yeri’s text over and over. A grin spread on his face. Taehyung was happy that Yeri and Jungkook were still keeping in contact. Finally a girl that could make him happy, right?
Your heart admittedly sank at hearing that sentence. It was obvious that Yeri must be the girl that Jungkook slept with from the Halloween party. You could tell that she was into Jungkook at the night of the party but you didn’t think that the two of them would still keep in contact after the party. He must really like her.
Jungkook was finally able to push Jimin off of him. “She’s the one hitting me up. I had no idea she had my phone number.” Jungkook groaned. He took a quick glance at you and Taehyung. And another quick glance at you.
“Well we aren’t gonna let you leave until you respond to her.” Jimin jumped on his back again, causing Jungkook to whimper in pain. “You’re so heavy, Jimin.”
“Quit stalling and text her back already.” Taehyung snapped. “I’m not stalli-”
“Now.”
Jungkook snatched the phone away from Taehyung and quickly replied back a “hey yeri” to her. “Okay, I replied.” The two boys gave a congratulatory slap on his back, grinning from ear to ear. “Look at you! Finally hitting it off with a girl. Don’t they grow up so fast, Jimin?”
“They sure do, Taehyung.” The boy's unseriousness caused you to giggle. “You guys are traumatizing Jungkook.” you say. Jungkook nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re traumatizing me. Why are you two happy that you are traumatizing me? I’m supposed to be studying.”
“Fuck you and your studies and come hang out with us.” Taehyung sneered.
Jungkook wanted to kill himself. It is now close to four in the morning and his three other roommates were up laughing their asses off at a movie Taehyung had chosen. It was supposedly a comedy but it was anything but funny. Jungkook just wanted to desperately go back to his room and continue studying. And it didn’t help that Yeri wouldn’t get the hint that Jungkook didn’t want to be texting her at the moment. He was sending the driest texts and she would still find something else to talk about.
yeri: So what are u up to right now?
Jungkook rolled his eyes. She’s already asked this question like five times now. He caught sight of your eyes drifting back and forth into a slumber. It was as if you were trying hard to fight the sleep away. No one else noticed this but Jungkook.
jungkook: Watching a movie.
yeri: oh cool! What's it called?
jungkook: Idk.
At this point, you were averaging a couple seconds of sleep, and returned back to watching the movie. Taehyung and Jimin still had their eyes glued onto the screen, fully awake, like children who didn’t want to go to bed at all.
yeri: we should watch a movie together! How does tomorrow night sound?
Jungkook’s eyes widened at the text. Yeri boldly just asked him out on a date. He didn’t know what to say. He has never been asked out on a date before. It wasn’t like he was nervous or anything but he hardly knows Yeri. Jungkook debated whether or not he should even agree to the date or not.
Taehyung turned his head over to glance at you. You were in the middle of sleeping. Your lips were slightly parted open, with just a trickle of drool dropping down from your lips. You were snoring as soft as a baby. Taehyung’s heart clenched at the sight of you deep in sleep. This was the second time he had seen you like this. He doesn’t think he will ever get tired of this view of you looking so gorgeous. It’s all he can look at. The movie wasn’t as interesting as seeing you subconsciously away from the world.
And then out of nowhere, you screeched out a heavy snore. Immediately, Jimin yelped at the horrific sound. “What the fuck?” Taehyung bursted out laughing, not being able to hold it in. Jungkook too had a smile twitching from the corner of his lips. “Has she always been a snorer?” Jimin asked in a whispered voice. “Yeah. She snores pretty often.” Jungkook answered without a second thought. Taehyung and Jimin gave him a shocked stare, as if they weren’t expecting him to know that.
“What? She literally lives right next to me? Our walls are thin.” Taehyung and Jimin nodded understandably. Still, Jungkook found his cheeks warming slightly at them being surprised of Jungkook knowing a sleeping habit of yours.
Your loud snores shifted into soft purrs. “Let’s wake her up after the movie ends. There’s a few minutes left.” Jimin suggested. Jungkook kept glancing back at Yeri's text. It was just there staring back at him, taunting for a response. He didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to go but he hardly knew Yeri at all. All they did was hookup once and now she’s asking to go out on a date. Okay, so maybe Jungkook wasn’t cool with the idea: He’s a practical guy. He sees himself going out on dates with women he’s physically, emotionally and sexually attracted to. He has to like her looks, like her personality, and see himself sleeping with her at some point. He’s not into wasting his time on just any girl.
Suddenly, Jungkook remembered his conversation with you on the bus earlier. You apologized to him for liking him. Apologized. As if you liking him was some kind of crime.
You apologized for not liking the real Jungkook, just the version you liked in your head. It was at that moment that Jungkook thought to himself that your mentality was more mature than it seemed. You gave up on your longtime crush on him and accepted to be friendly with him, even after the messy hookup the two of you shared on Halloween. He thought to himself that if you can give Jungkook another chance of being “friendly roommates” then he can give Yeri a chance of possibly showing a different impression of herself. Jungkook was ready to reply back to Yeri’s proposal.
jungkook: Okay. When and where?
When he locked his phone after replying, his breath halted at a weird sight in front of him.
Taehyung wasn’t watching the film on the tv screen anymore. He was watching you sleep. He was watching the way your chest heaved up and down. Taehyung was absorbing the view of you sleeping because it was such a precious sight to him. Seeing you so quiet and away from the world was like a new kryptonite unlocked.
Jungkook immediately caught on that the way Taehyung was staring wasn’t like his usual self. He knew that this was different. It was as if he didn’t want to believe the sight that was in front of him was real and happening.
Jimin stood up from his chair and stretched big. “Movie’s over, guys. I’m gonna do my skincare routine and then knock.” Jimin’s voice woke you up. “Damn, I was trying hard not to sleep.” You yawned. Taehyung smirked at you. “You were snoring, by the way.” Your eyes widened and you threw your head back out of embarrassment. “Fuck, you guys should’ve woken me up as soon as you heard me snoring. You know snoring is bad, right? I’m basically choking on my spit.” Taehyung chuckled at your dramatic response and reached out his hand for you to grab, to get you up from the chair.
“Okay, drama queen. Go to your bed. I got to work in a few hours, I need to sleep badly.” Taehyung pulled you up from your chair. You pouted at the nickname he called you. “Fine. Goodnight, boys.” You waved at Jungkook and Taehyung before walking slowly towards your bedroom. It was just the two brothers left.
Jungkook felt uneasy at the moment. He witnessed Taehyung giving you a longing glare as you slept. Taehyung began cleaning up the dishes that were scattered throughout the living room, humming a little song to himself. Jungkook found himself thinking about the way Taehyung looked at you. He can’t seem to think that the way he looked at you was actually sincere; as if it held a meaning to it. With the way Jungkook had studied Taehyung's past history with women, he was feeling a mixture of being bitter and confused. What is it about you that has Taehyung acting not like himself?
. . .
It was around 5 o’clock in the evening when Jungkook entered the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water. He was dressed and ready to head out to his movie date with Yeri. He wasn’t looking forward to it, as expected, but he didn’t want to flake on Yeri.
You were completing an assignment on your laptop at the kitchen table as he was getting his water glass.
“Heading out for the night?” You asked him without looking up from your laptop screen. Jungkook took a large gulp and nodded. “Mhm.”
“Lucky you.” You chuckled. “Are you studying for once?” Jungkook asked. He walked over to take a glance over your screen. You were writing an essay and he saw that you were about 10 pages in. “Wow, ten pages?”
You nodded and sighed in exhaustion. “Yeah, it’s some dumb critical analysis essay I have to write for my women and gender studies class. It has to be at least 15 pages.”
Jungkook's eyes widened. “I don’t think I’ve ever written that much before.”
“Yeah well that’s because you’re a dumb little STEM major. You have to code an entire website and create a whole new periodic element for homework, right?” You joked. Jungkook grabbed your earlobes and lightly pinched it, earning a loud yelp from you. “Shut up, undecided major.”
You rolled your eyes as a response and reverted back to writing your essay. “So where are you going?” You asked. Jungkook hesitated and thought if it was a good idea to tell you about the date. Not because he thought that you would be sad or anything because according to you, you are “over him”, but because he didn’t want you running off to tell Taehyung and Jimin about the date. Knowing them, they would persuade Jungkook to keep seeing Yeri.
However, he couldn’t come up with an excuse. “I’m hanging out with some friends from my internship.” He lied. You snorted. “Friends? Since when did you have other friends aside from Yoongi?” You laughed. “You don’t know my personal life.” He defended. “You’re right, I don’t but I know for sure that you’re too much of an antisocial asshole to tolerate having more than one friend. You can barely stand Taehyung and Jimin.”
Jungkook hated knowing that you were right. Maybe you knew him better than he thought. “Are you lying about your whereabouts, Jeon Jungkook?” You turned to face him. With the direct eye contact, Jungkook found himself stuttering and trembling on what to say. He’s a terrible liar.
“N-No, I’m not. You’re being nosy.” He groaned, chugging down the rest of his water. This caused you to stand up from your chair and you began to face Jungkook directly. “Tell me the truth! Are you going to sell some drugs?”
I wish I was, he thought to himself. “___.” He warned. “Are you going to meet up with someone?”
Before Jungkook could reply, you noticed something sticking out of the pockets of the puffer jacket he was wearing. Immediately, you snatched the mysterious items out of his pockets and inspected it.
“___, give me that!” Jungkook snapped, trying to reach over your shoulder to grab them out of your hands but you were able to run away from his reach.
You glanced over at the two movie tickets in your hands. “You’re going to the movies?” You giggled.
Jungkook pursed his lips together in annoyance and snatched the tickets out of your hands. “You make it hard for me to be nice to you.” He sighs in frustration. “You have two tickets too, so you’re going to see it with someone.” You teased. “Is it with Yoongi? Does Hoseok know? Hoseok will get sad knowing him. He gets FOMO so easily.”
Jungkook decided to tell the truth since he doesn't know what other lies to say since he knows for sure that you would most likely blab to Hoseok about the movie. “No…I’m going to see it with just a girl I met.”
Your eyes widened at hearing that. “A-A girl?” You stuttered. “Like a…date?”
Jungkook nodded. He examined the look on your face however you had an unreadable expression. “Oh geez, sorry about keeping you here then. You should probably head out now, right? Wouldn’t want to keep your date waiting!” You forced a smile on your face and shuffled your way back to your laptop to continue writing your essay.
Jungkook stood where he was, not knowing what to say or what to do next. Jungkook found himself wanting to stay home and preferring to spend his night sleeping in bed, reading his manga or even continuing to stay in the kitchen with you to bug you some more and chat. However, he knew that you were right. He had to leave soon or else Yeri would be waiting for him for too long.
“Just don’t tell my brother or Jimin, please. I don’t want them to bug me about it.” Jungkook pleaded. You nodded in agreement. “I understand.”
Jungkook shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. “Okay, well I’m leaving now.”
Jungkook was about to leave until he heard you calling his name. “Jungkook!” He slowly reentered the room.
“Good luck on your date.” You gave him a soft smile.
Jungkook simply nodded back and left.
. . .
Jungkook had been gone for over two hours now and you were still stuck on page 10 of your essay. You couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of Jungkook going on a date with someone. It was even harder to swallow the fact that that someone isn’t you.
You hated to admit it but getting over Jungkook wasn’t going as easy as you thought it would’ve been. Of course you are aware of the fact that Jungkook would never like you back and that you only liked an idealized version of Jungkook, however you still held strong romantic feelings for Jungkook either way.
The past two hours, you kept comparing yourself to the girl that he went on the date with. Was she prettier? Was she smarter than you? Did they meet through his engineering classes? What does Jungkook like about her? Was he having a good time right now?
Your heart clenched at the possibilities.
“Hey.” You heard a voice coming from behind. You jumped and turned your head to see Taehyung smiling at you.
Immediately, you returned a genuine smile back at him. “Hi Tae!”
“What are you doing?”
You sighed. “I’m just struggling on this essay. I haven’t written anything.” Taehyung snaked an arm around your shoulder. “Well, when exactly is this essay due?”
“Tomorrow, I think? I was on a roll but now I’ve lost all my concentration.” You pout. “Hm. Maybe some fresh air will do you some good?” Taehyung suggested. He began to snake both of his arms around you, constricting you in a tight embrace.
“If I were to agree to go outside, where would I go?” Your voice cracked from Taehyung’s tight hug. “Maybe to walk to that new sushi restaurant that just opened up by our place? With your favorite roommate?” You snorted at him and pushed his arms off of you. “
I guess my mind would appreciate a nice dinner break.” You hummed in pleasure. “Let’s go, then! I’ve been dying to take you ever since they opened last week!”
You were shocked to hear that. “You were waiting to take me?” Taehyung affirmed by nodding his head. “Oh!” You laughed nervously. “Well, let me go ahead and quickly change into something suitable for our sushi adventure!”
You ran off to your room and changed out of your comfortable hoodie and sweats and transformed into a nice jean mini skirt, oversized sweater vest and into a pair of black loafers.
“Honestly, you mentioning sushi has my stomach already growling like crazy.” Taehyung chuckled at you. “Come on, let’s go.”
As you both walked down the street together, you began to observe the beautiful city that engulfs you. The high-rise apartments, the hustle and bustle of the college town you grew to love living in. Being outside was enough to reduce the inner stress you had going on; the essay, the upcoming exams, and…the unfortunate heartache of Jungkook being on a date with someone. You’ve realized that the feelings you harbor for him were a lot harder to let go than you thought it would’ve. At first when it was just a little highschool crush, you were able to like him from afar. It was more of a physical, vain crush. However, you live with him. You have gotten closer to him in a more intimate way compared to the high school crush. Yes, he’s still an asshole to you. Yes, he’s closed off and doesn’t seem interested in getting to know you past as being his roommate. It hurts. And you’re trying to let go, you really are. What else can you do to help yourself get over him quickly?
“We’re here.” Taehyung brought you out of your endless thoughts. He held the door open for you as you entered the sushi restaurant. The scent of the raw fish, ramen broth, and cooked rice infiltrate your nostrils. “God, it smells amazing here.” Taehyung chuckled at you admiring the restaurant. “Hopefully the food is just as good.”
“Hello, for many?” The hostess asked. “For two, please.” Taehyung answered. “Follow me.”
As the hostess led you and Taehyung to your tables, you hesitantly stared at Taehyung as discreetly as you could. Suddenly, you could hear Hoseok’s voice in your head, remembering all the nonsense he would say to you about Taehyung.
“How haven’t you hooked up with him yet? He’s so good looking!”
“Taehyung seems to care about you a lot”
“You guys are practically Han and Anna from Frozen; always finishing each other’s sentences and getting excited over the littlest things and you both enjoy each other’s company like crazy.”
And then you remembered what Chaeyoung said from a previous phone call,
“___, you’re telling me that you’re just friends with a beautiful man like that?”
Some of your closest friends kept pushing you to get with Taehyung and you just never saw him that way. But why? They were right; Taehyung is good looking, he does care about you, and you guys get along extremely well together. Did you just not allow yourself to see Taehyung past friends for the sake of your feelings for Jungkook? Admittedly, if you had met Taehyung first, he would be the one high school-you would’ve been crushing over. Taehyung is kind hearted, mature, he is beyond artistically intelligent, he cares for others and financially provides for Jungkook. You looked up to him in so many ways, he inspires you to be a better version of yourself. So, why didn’t you find yourself romantically attracted to Taehyung?
Taehyung pulled the chair out for you. “Why thank you.” You giggled. “Absolutely.”
The hostess leaves you both with the silverware and menus. “What sounds good to you?” Taehyung asked as he scanned the menu.
“You.” You smile.
Taehyung chokes on air. You slightly chuckle at his cute reaction and hide yourself in the menu. “How unexpected of you to say, y/n.” He blushes. “I don’t know where that came from, honestly.”
“Neither do I.” Taehyung blushes as well. You could feel your chest tighten at the adorable sight of Taehyung looking shy and awkward. “You look cute when you blush.” You admit. You wanted to see him blush harder and so he did. Taehyung bursted out a nervous laugh and pressed his palms against his cheeks. “You’re making my cheeks burn, y/n.” His box-like smile appears.
“Okay, I’m done..for now.” You give him a reassuring smile and look down at your lap. You honestly don’t know where the sudden flirting came from. You meant in a playful friendly way however you didn’t seem to mind if Taehyung was to take your flirting seriously. Which he didn’t really seem to since he was laughing and smiling along with you.
The thing with Taehyung was that he had an incredibly comfortable aura to him. You felt safe with him, you felt at ease. Maybe that was something you were looking for in an amicable way? You had your two childhood best friends abroad, living their own lives. Sure, you had Hoseok, however he is a busy individual and is often spending his free time with his boyfriend, as he should. You felt lonely and your heart was yearning for someone to confide in, hang with, be yourself with. Taehyung simply checked all those boxes. For now, you had settled with the fact that Taehyung was who you needed for amicable and sanity reasons. Any other feelings would come naturally if it was meant to be for.
Your server approached you and Taehyung and offered you both water and if you guys were ready to order. After ordering your choice of dishes, you were back in a comfortable silence. “Tell me how your week has been going.” Taehyung asks, taking a sip of his water right after. “Mm…not much honestly. Just been going to classes, studying. Nothing interesting.”
“What do you mean ‘nothing interesting’, didn’t you have a date earlier this week with that guy from the party?” Taehyung brought up Namjoon. Your face dropped in annoyance at the memory of him ghosting you so suddenly. Especially when he seemed so interested in you from that night. “Let’s just say that the date didn’t happen. He kind of…ghosted me.” You admit, biting your lip from remembering how embarrassing it was. Taehyung’s eyes widened. “He what?” You nodded, validating his disbelief.
“Yeah, believe me I was in shock too. I have no idea what I did.” Taehyung scoffed at you. “I could bet you a million dollars that it wasn’t anything that you did; it was just Namjoon being the typical frat boy slash fuck boy that he is. He’s a dickhead and I don’t know why I encouraged him to ask you out.” Taehyung spat. “You encouraged it?” You asked in shock. “Yeah, he kept asking Jimin and I if you were single and if it was alright for him to ask you out, since he knew you were our friend.” Taehyung could feel the warmth of anger in his chest as he spilled out what had happened at the party.
You responded with silence. Namjoon’s sudden rejection hurts less now however Taehyung’s anger made you feel slightly guilty. Not because you thought you did anything wrong but because you didn’t want to be a reason as to why Taehyung would hold anger against a good friend of his. Taehyung tried to read your expression. He could tell you had some guilt mixed with embarrassment. “Are you okay?” He asked. He leaned and tried to attempt to reach for your hand but he went against doing so.
You nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile. “I’m okay. I was able to get over it well.” Taehyung let out a sigh of relief. “It’s his loss.”
You chuckled softly at that. “His loss, indeed.” Taehyung leaned back against his chair and was trying to read your expression again. He could tell you didn’t want to continue talking about this and so he changed topics. “Well, are you interested in anyone else?” You choked on a little water and gently coughed.
“Geez, Tae. Nice change of topics.” You laughed awkwardly. Taehyung shrugged it off and smirked at you. “I’m just in my gossip era.” You rolled your eyes at him and dabbed some water from the corner of your lips with a napkin. “Uh, no. I’m not interested in anyone. I’m trying to enjoy my single life.” You answered. Taehyung could only nod at that. Of course he wasn’t expecting much of an answer from you. He knows you’ve been through a lot with Jungkook and now with Namjoon. He just wanted reassurance that there wasn’t any…competition in his way.
Actually, he wanted to double check if Jungkook was no longer an option for you. “So…anything going on with you and Jungkook?” He asked again. Your eyes widened at his abrupt question. You didn’t expect him to suddenly mention his brother out of nowhere. “Taehyung..” You started off. He locked his dark brown eyes with yours, not afraid of how intrusive his question was. He was set on trying to get you to see how he feels for you one way or another.
“Uhm..” You hesitated. “I mean there was always nothing going on between us. However, if you meant to ask about my previous feelings for him then…I don’t think I like him that way anymore. I see him as just an acquaintance and roommate. I’m sure the same goes for him. And…yeah.” You finished. Again, Taehyung was trying to read your expression, your tone, your body language. From the way you didn’t look directly into his eyes when you answered, the way you fiddled with your fingers, the way you chewed on your bottom lip when you were thinking of your response, and the way your voice sounded defeated, as if you had lost something you didn’t want to lose, was enough for Taehyung to know the true answer lying underneath your surface.
You were lying.
You still harbored feelings for his brother. You don’t see him as just an acquaintance and roommate. He doesn’t know what you see Jungkook as but it is certainly not as platonic as you’re making it seem. He could feel his chest throb in pain slightly at the realization. Taehyung had no idea if Jungkook’s feelings towards you were mutual or not because he never seemed to care to notice or study the way Jungkook was around you. He was certain that Jungkook most likely saw you in a platonic way. From what he knows of, the two of you don’t spend a lot of time together. Nor do you both talk to each other one-on-one a lot. Taehyung thinks that the kind of relationship you and Jungkook have is currently a contractual mutualistic relationship: you guys are supposed to just put up with each other’s antics and that was that.
“I see.” He forced a smile onto his face. “Are you comfortable living with us three guys still?” You laughed at his question and nodded. “Of course. I love you guys.”
Taehyung leaned forward to you again and this time, he actually reached his hand out to yours. You gladly gave your hand to him to hold. “I couldn’t have chosen a better roommate to deal with our bullshit. We love you too, y/n.” Your heart glowed at Taehyung’s sentimental confession. “Awe, Tae..” You cooed softly.
“Okay, I have one family-sized sushi boat and your sides for the lovely couple here.” Your server interrupted and placed a large wooden boat of the gorgeous raw fish onto your table. You and Taehyung gave each other a look and snorted at the ‘couple’ remark. However, you indirectly agreed to go along with it. You figured that couples usually receive free dessert at the end of the dinner either way. “Let’s dig in, shall we?” You eagerly smiled at Taehyung. He returned the gleeful expression and the two of you pigged out together.
. . .
How can a 115-minute movie suddenly feel like an eight hour shift?
Jungkook was feeling incredibly bored out of his mind as he watched the sci-fi movie that Yeri had picked out for them. He looked over at you and could tell that she was very into the movie. Her eyes were locked onto the film and was mindlessly chomping down the bucket of popcorn she was hoarding. Jungkook wanted to melt like the butter on the popcorn and slither his ass out of the theater.
He would rather spend 115 minutes walking barefoot on the asphalt in the middle of the summer than be here on this date he didn’t want to go on. Jungkook had tried to give Yeri a chance to redeem herself but she just wasn’t…interesting. Nothing about her was intriguing to Jungkook. He asked her questions to attempt to get to know her. She’s in college studying to be an actress, she’s a part time pilates instructor at a nearby gym, she’s also a full-time content creator on YouTube and likes to make makeup tutorials and skincare videos. She likes horror and sci-fi movies but Jungkook prefers rom-coms. She likes to spend her free time outside in the city and bar hopping with friends, meanwhile Jungkook prefers staying in and isolating himself in his room. She doesn’t like to fraternize with anyone that isn’t wealthy, socially popular, good-looking, or just anyone that isn’t similar to her lifestyle and interests. She’s shallow and vain and Jungkook wasn’t vibing with that.
When Yeri told him about her close friend circle, it raised a huge red flag for Jungkook. He was familiar with her groupie. They were all influencers that posted beauty and fashion content, only dating within their wealth level and socialite class. They would still talk bad about other students on campus as if they were still stuck in their high school bully era. After getting to know all this about Yeri, Jungkook was quite ready to ghost her as soon as the movie ended.
All of a sudden, a jumpscare happened on the screen, causing half of the theater to scream and throw their popcorn in the air. Yeri was one of the few who screamed and instinctually clenched her arms around Jungkook’s.
“That was so scary, Jungkook.” Yeri pouted and buried her head into his arms. Jungkook responded by rolling his eyes but didn’t mind letting Yeri borrow his arms for a bit. He looked around the theater to see what appeared to be other dates, and the women were grabbing onto their dates like Yeri was. He grew to be even more annoyed with Yeri. He didn’t like how typical she was. She was like every other girl. Nothing special about her. It’s harsh but true, according to Jungkook.
He suddenly found himself comparing Yeri to you. Would you react the same way Yeri did? Would you hold onto him during a scary scene? Jungkook can confidently say that the answer was no.
You wouldn’t react the same way. You wouldn’t hold onto him. No, you would be asleep halfway through the movie and the jumpscare would awaken you from your slumber, and you would jump and scream obnoxiously. You would spill whatever food was on your lap and you would most likely run away from the room. Had you been watching the movie in the comfort of your apartment, instead of running away from the room you would just turn the movie off and change the mood by making an unfunny joke to ease up the tension. That’s what you would do. And for some reason, Jungkook found himself smiling and quietly laughing at the imagination he created in his head.
Yeri could hear Jungkook chuckling to himself and gave him a concerned look. “Jungkook? Why are you laughing? The main character’s best friend just died?”
Jungkook immediately shut up and cleared his throat. “I just thought of something funny.” He answered. Yeri curled an eyebrow up. “What were you thinking about?” She whispered. Jungkook shook his head. “It’s nothing. It’s just that this scene reminded me of an inside joke between me and a friend.” He lied. Yeri just nodded understandably and refocused her attention back to the movie.
Jungkook allowed another smile and a snort to escape from his lips before making himself regain his attention back to the “heartbreaking” scene of the death of the best friend.
. . .
“I had fun tonight, Jungkook.” Yeri shyly smiles at him. Jungkook forced a smile onto his face. “I’m glad. I had fun too.” He lies. “Thank you for walking me home.” She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “Not a problem.” He replies dryly. Yeri stops at a large modern looking building. “This is my dorm building.” Jungkook nods in response. “Goodnight, Kook.” Jungkook tried his hardest not to physically cringe at the nickname she decided to give him. He managed to wave at her. “Goodnight, Yeri.” He began to turn around to walk to his apartment but Yeri called out to him and ran to grab his jacket. “Wait,”
“Hm?”
“Do you want to do this again sometime soon? Maybe next week?” She bit her lower lip in anticipation. Jungkook could see a shimmer of hope and a dash of nervousness in her eyes. He genuinely did not know what Yeri saw him and why she still wanted to continue seeing him. He tried his hardest to remain stoic and dry with her to show his lack of interest but she wasn’t getting the hint. He tried to think of a good response that will give a hint of rejection without straight up saying so.
“I’ll see. I have a lot of exams coming up so I’ll let you know when is a good time to meet up again.” Jungkook answered. Yeri remained quiet for a moment before nodding in agreement. “Okay, sure! Text me when you make it home safely!” She waved at him. Jungkook smirked. “I only live about five minutes walking distance from here. I’ll be okay.”
Yeri chuckled, “Alright, fine. But let me know when you’re free again!” She reminded him. Jungkook simply nodded and began to trail away from Yeri. “Bye Jungkook!” She unnecessarily yelled out. He was only a few feet away. He gave an awkward smile and waved back at her, and began to speed walk.
His speed walking shortened the walking distance by half and he was able to make it home comfortably. He entered the apartment and was met with the sound of laughter and the smell of alcohol. He took off his shoes, slid his feet into his house slippers and headed into the living room. He saw you, Taehyung, and Jimin sitting in a circle. It seemed as if the three of you were just talking and spending time together. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of FOMO. He would much rather have spent his night like this than be out on a date with a random girl.
“Hey, Kook is home! Where were you tonight, young man?” Taehyung slurred. “Uh, I was just out with Yoongi.” He chuckled nervously. He shared a quick glance with you, and you gave him a reassured look; a look that said he was okay and that no one knew of the date.
“You need to stop hanging out with Yoongi and hang out more with your brothers and y/n.” Jimin slurred out, taking a quick swig of soju. Jungkook shared another glance with you. He looked confused. “Why are they drinking?” He asked. “Jimin begged Taehyung to share a drink with him and well…one drink turned into many. I’ve just been here giving them company.”
“Jungkook! Come have a shot of soju with us!” Jimin patted on the ground for him to sit. “Uh, I think I’m just going to call it a night. I’ve had a long da-,” Jungkook got interrupted by Taehyung’s loud groan. “Oh my god, we don’t care, come over and sit with us now.”
Jungkook squinted his eyes at his brother in annoyance. You stifled back a laugh at this interaction. “You’re taking a shot with us too, miss y/n.” Taehyung targeted you. You gave him the exact same annoyed look that Jungkook had given him. Regardless, Jungkook listened to his two seniors and sat where Jimin had patted him to sit in. He sat between you and Jimin.
You scooted your body away from Jungkook little by little. “Now, take a shot.” Jimin slammed the shot glass onto the coffee table. “Here’s your shot glass too, y/n.” Jimin handed yours. Taehyung administered the pouring of the shots to you and Jungkook. You both turned to each other hesitantly. “I just wanted to give them company.” you whispered to Jungkook. “And I just wanted to go to bed.” He whispered back. “I’ll take my shot if you take yours.” You suggested. Jungkook just sighed in response. “There’s no such thing as saying no to these two.” He groaned. You both tapped your shot glasses onto the table and then threw the alcohol down your throats, earning a loud sound of approval from the two best friends.
“Let’s go! All of the roomies are getting fucked up tonight!” Jimin yelled. “Uh, I’m just going to take this one shot with you guys. I still have that paper to write and I have class tomorrow morning.” You halted the two boys from encouraging drunkenness from you.
“Me too. I have an eight AM class.” Jungkook added. Jimin rolled his eyes at you both and some fingers through his dark locks. “You goddamn scholars.” He cursed under his breath. “Do you work tomorrow?” You asked Taehyung. “Nope. I’m off from work and I have a late afternoon class so I get to sleep in!” He and Jimin dapped each other up, earning a scoff from Jungkook.
“Hey, by the way, where were you guys earlier today? I came home and the apartment was silent.” Jimin asked you and Taehyung. “Oh, Tae took me out to try the new sushi place that opened up in town! You guys seriously should go sometime soon, it was so delicious.” You were bouncing in excitement as you bragged about the restaurant. “Oh, and if you want free dessert, you should go with a girl. Our server thought that ___ and I were a couple and they gave us a slice of tiramisu cake.” Taehyung looked over at you and you both laughed at the memory.
Jungkook darted his eyes between you and his brother. “He thought that you both were a couple?” Jimin repeated back, laughing along. “I know right.” You cackled. Jungkook remained silent as three of you guys laughed. He began to glance at the way Taehyung looked at you. Lately, he has been picking up way too many weird signs from Taehyung when it comes to you.
Logically, if Jungkook could sense that his brother was acting differently around a certain girl then he would conclude that he is interested in her but Jungkook couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of Taehyung being interested in you. Not that there was anything wrong with you, it was just that he didn’t think of you being the type to sway Taehyung. Jungkook simply thought you two were not romantically compatible. Jungkook may not know you that well but he certainly knows his brother.
“Taehyung, let’s go take a smoke outside real quick.” Jimin stands up from the floor and massages his butt. “Fuck, my ass is so sore.” He mumbled. Taehyung got up and was beginning to follow Jimin from behind until he took a quick glance at you and Jungkook sitting together. He felt a small ache in his chest from the thought of leaving you two alone. Especially with him knowing that you very much still had some feelings left for Jungkook. They’ll be alright.
Taehyung and Jimin go out to the balcony and shut the door behind them. “Since when did Taehyung smoke?” You ask Jungkook. “He occasionally smokes whenever he’s drunk. But I’ve seen him smoke out of stress too. He just does it when he feels like it.”
“Ah, I see. I’m kinda like that too.” You chuckle. Jungkook snapped his head towards you and gaped his mouth open in surprise. “I wouldn’t take you as the type to smoke.” He curled his lips up at your confession. “It’s my little personal secret. I’ve been smoking since I was 16.”
Intrigued by this, Jungkook leans his body back, using his wrists to hold him up. “Now what caused 16-year old you to pick up cigarettes?”
You smirked at him. “My parents were going through a rough patch together. They were literally on the brink of divorce and kept dragging me into their problems. It was way too much stress for me to harbor as a high schooler that was also dealing with pounds of homework and exams every week. Luckily, they were able to work things out because they went to counseling but as of today, I like to puff puff a little bit sometimes to relieve some stress.”
Jungkook nodded understandably. He had no idea that you had gone through some family hardships as well. “I see,”
“So I’m the only one that knows this secret of yours?” You nodded. A part of him was a little pleased that he was the only one who knew.
“I’ve never tried it before.” He says out of the blue. The two of you shared eye contact at that. You were quizzically checking him out, wondering if he was hinting something. “Well, I suggest you not to do it. Once you try it a few times, there’s no going back.”
Jungkook had an idea but it was an extremely bizarre one. He didn’t know where the idea came from or why it was created. But he was amused at the thought of it and didn’t mind encouraging the idea to blossom. “You could do it with me. Just once wouldn’t hurt.” He suggested but it came out more as a question.
Your eyes popped open. “What?”
Bashfully, Jungkook looked away. “Nevermind.”
“Wait, no! I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just surprised that you would consider doing it with me. I mean…”
Jungkook made eye contact with you again. “If I was to try a cigarette for the first time, you’re one of the people I’d be okay with trying it with. I’d be okay if I was to do it with Jimin or Taehyung too. You’re my roommate, so I kind of trust you too.”
You nervously looked away and had to release an exhale that was being clogged inside of you. “Oh, sure! Of course, I get it. I trust you three as well.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. By Jungkook admitting that he would want to experience something, anything with you meant that he was admitting that he felt comfortable with you. That he trusted you. Despite your history together, you didn’t think that Jungkook would carry intimate feelings of trust and comfort around you. Was it because he sees you as more than “just a roommate”? He sees you as something more? Like a friend?
“Let me know when you would want to do so.” You said. Jungkook nodded. “Sure.” A slight comfortable silence fell upon you two. “Do you want to take another shot?” You asked. Jungkook thought about it before he agreed. “It’s not like they’ll know we took another one.”
“But this is actually my last one. After four or five shots, I’m done.” You warned. “Four or five? You’re such a lightweight.” Jungkook teased. “How many shots does it take for you to get wasted?”
Jungkook calculated in his head for a moment. Taehyung used to throw parties whenever their parents were out of town back when he was in eighth grade so they’ve both had a bit of experience with alcohol. “I’d say around ten is when I’m beginning to feel a buzz.” Your mouth dropped. “Ten? For a buzz? That’s borderline alcoholic.” Jungkook smirked at that. “Yeah, well when you’ve been drinking for as long as Taehyung and I have then you’d know.” “Well then tell me how long you’ve both been drinking for.”
“Since I was thirteen. For Taehyung, since he was fifteen.”
“Thirteen? Fifteen? That’s insane.”
He shrugged. “Well, our parents were barely around to notice. If they were around, I doubt that they’d care.” You gave him a sympathetic smile. “Also, we went to a rich private school so a bunch of kids like us began drinking at an early age. It was the privilege and the fact that almost all of our parents were wealthy assholes that didn’t give a fuck about us.” You groaned at Jungkook. “You’re being such a downer. You’re making me sad.” You whined. Jungkook let out a chuckle and ran fingers through his hair. “Alright, I’ll stop ambushing you with my depressive lore.” You both laughed together.
You liked this. You liked being able to be civil with Jungkook and laugh about things together. You liked whatever kind of moment was happening between you both.
You hesitated on whether or not you should bring up his date. You didn’t want him seeing that you cared to know about every single detail that happened tonight and you didn’t want him seeing that you were a little bit jealous too.
Suddenly, Jungkook’s phone buzzed. He reached his hand into his pockets and brought the phone out. It was an Instagram notification from Yeri’s account. He clicked on the notification and saw that she had tagged Jungkook onto her story and posted a picture of their two drinks and the singular bucket of popcorn and she had captioned it with a heart.
Jungkook let out the most irritated groan of his life. How did she even find his Instagram account? He never followed her and she never followed him? His username was very discreet, it did not explicitly say his name. It was actually an extremely long username: @abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz.
“What’s wrong?” You asked as you finally took your second shot. “Nothing.” He mumbled. “What? Tell me.” You edged.
Jungkook debated on telling you. He didn’t know if you would be a good confidante for this certain situation for many obvious reasons. However, you both agreed to remain just friends right? A civil relationship with each other? Once he had decided on telling you, the patio door opened and Jimin and Taehyung stumbled back inside the living room.
He gave you an apologetic look. Maybe you didn’t need to know and it was the universe telling him so.
Taehyung took a quick glance at you. You looked annoyed. Not at Jungkook, not at Jimin, and not at himself. It seemed as if you were annoyed with yourself. You were looking down at the ground and picking at the rug on the floor. “Are you okay?” Taehyung asked, placing a hand on your knee.
Jungkook and Jimin peer over at this, with Jimin smirking to himself and Jungkook keeping his eyes glued to his brother’s hand. You fixed Taehyung with a brief smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just going to call it a night, I’m getting tired.” You fake-yawn. Taehyung nodded understandably and withdrew his hand from your knee. You get up and stretch. “Goodnight guys.” You wave to the three roommates and begin to drag yourself to your bedroom.
Jungkook watches you as you disappear into the doors of your room. He could tell that you weren’t being truthful with the way you quickly came up with an excuse. You didn’t appear to be sleepy a minute ago. He didn’t want to stay and hang out with Jimin and Taehyung alone for the rest of the night. He knew that they would pressure him to drink more and he would eventually oversleep his classes, his job, and it was also a weekday. There was no need to be drunk this early into the week. “Be right back.” He muttered to Jimin and Taehyung. Jimin watched Jungkook leaving. He didn’t think too much into it. He turned his attention to Taehyung.
“I saw you placing your hand on ___’s knee earlier.” He cheesed. Taehyung groaned a jumble of words that Jimin couldn’t comprehend for the life of him. “I didn’t understand a single word you just said.” Jimin laughed. “Sorry, it’s just all those shots we took back to back that are catching up to me now. Everything’s spinning. All I can think about is ___. Where is she? Is she here? Does she know?” Taehyung rubbed his hands all over his face as an attempt to get himself together.
Jimin laughed even harder. “You’re a mess. She’s not here, it’s just you and me. Keep your voice down.” He chuckled. “Since when did your tolerance get better than mines? Fuck, I’m so out of it.” Taehyung groaned even louder. “Where did Jungkook go?” Taehyung asked. Jimin looked towards his bedroom door, which was where he assumed Jungkook went. “Probably went to bed. He said he’d be right back but you know he didn’t want to hang. He’s spiritually an old man.”
“Does ___ know?” Taehyung mumbles again. “Know about what?” Jimin scooted closer to him.
Jungkook opened the door of his bedroom and was heading towards the bathroom until he heard Taehyung’s constant repetition of “does ___ know?”. He stopped in his tracks, and stood right outside of the bathroom door. There was a wall blocking and separating the living room from the hallway that contains the bathroom and the bedrooms, therefore Jungkook couldn’t be seen from where he was.
“Just say yes or no, Jimin.” “Taehyung, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Be specific.”
Taehyung let out an irritated groan. “About you-know-what. About me. About me and her.”
Jimin shushed him, in case either Jungkook or you could hear. “No, man. No one knows except me. I’m the only one. No one will ever know between us two.”
Taehyung’s drunken eyes looked up to meet with Jimin’s exasperated expression. “You promise?” He slurred. “I promise.” Taehyung smiled in satisfaction. “I’m sorry for being a mess right now.”
Jimin snorted. “You’re always a mess.” “Says the one who is a college dropout and is crashing at their best friend’s place.” The two of them laughed together. Jungkook remained where he was, in confusion. What was Taehyung talking about? What was going on between you and him that you didn’t know about? That he didn't know about?
“Should we go to bed?” Jungkook heard Jimin asking Taehyung. Without hesitation or thinking, Jungkook ran back to his bedroom, no longer needing to urinate. He heard the shuffling of their feets dragging on the floor. Jimin put Taehyung to sleep and walked back to the living room.
. . .
It was a week into Christmas break when Taehyung had the idea for the group to go ice skating. “The place is open until 10. We can get food from the convenience store afterwards. Come on, it’s only 6:30, we have time to get ready!” He eagerly said. You sipped your peppermint tea and thought about it. “I mean, I haven’t properly enjoyed myself ever since the semester ended. I’ve been rotting in bed ever since I submitted my last final. I’m down!” You agreed.
Taehyung smiled at you and then turned his head towards Jimin and Jungkook. “I’m down too. I have nothing better to do tonight.” Jimin said. “Why is it that it’s down to you for the last vote? Why do you always have to be such a grandpa?” Taehyung pestered his brother. Jungkook couldn’t hide the smile that crept to his face. “This grandpa was planning to go on a jog before dinner and bed.” He ran a finger through his now silky dark brown hair. He dyed it dark brown last week after feeling like he needed a change with his appearance.
“Well now you can spend it with ice skating instead. Come on, you can even bring Yeri with you! You two have been inseparable ever since she came over for our Thanksgiving dinner.”
You couldn’t help but to shudder at the mention of her name. You didn’t expect for Jungkook to continue dating her after the movie date but he is. She’s been coming over to the apartment almost every single day. Your bedroom was right next door to Jungkook’s and you could hear her giggles, their conversations, their snores when they slept. It was as if you were given a sneak peek as to what hell must feel like.
Jungkook looked down at his phone and opened his text messages with Yeri. She had been begging to hangout today and do something. She was texting him nonstop and kept mentioning how bored she was and how she missed him as if they didn’t see each other less than 24 hours ago. Having a girl like Yeri by his side was tiresome. He knew that he'd rather go ice-skating and bring Yeri than have to hear her blowing up his phone with whines and complaints of wanting to do something throughout his peaceful jog, his peaceful dinner, and his peaceful bedtime.
“Sure.” He said. Taehyung smiled, in shock seeing that he actually agreed. He thought that having Yeri in his life was causing him to become more social. “Let’s leave around 7.”
Jimin immediately got up to get ready with you following behind. Taehyung looked at Jungkook and smirked. “I see Yeri has your shell opening up. I like that.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “She isn’t opening my shell. I just feel like ice-skating.” Taehyung shrugged. “You’re still going out more ever since you started dating her.”
Jungkook didn’t care to explain anything to him. He doesn’t know what goes on in his mind and what goes on between him and Yeri. He doesn’t need to know that they only have a sexual relationship and that Jungkook doesn’t harbor an ounce of romantic feelings towards her. He doesn’t need to know that Yeri is in a one-sided situationship with him. Taehyung doesn’t need to know anything.
“If you think so.” He bites the inside of his cheek and stands up. “I’m gonna get ready.” He walks past Taehyung and texts Yeri to get ready.
Why do I feel like I will never be able to understand him, Taehyung thinks.
. . .
You fell on your ass for what felt like the fiftieth time. “I can’t fucking skate!” You cried out, holding back a laugh. Jimin skated towards you and reached his hands out to pick you up. “Why do you keep falling? Stop embarrassing us.” Jimin teased, causing your laugh to burst out of you. “I’m trying!”
You were having a great time. Seeing families, friends, couples being together made you sonder with happiness. Something about being able to be silly and kid-like without embarrassment made yourself feel as if you were on cloud nine.
You attempted to continue skating after Jimin had helped you get up. Each time you attempted, it got easier for you. You didn’t mind falling, you liked the “trial and error”-ness. You looked ahead and saw Jimin and Taehyung holding hands and skating together. You giggled at them. Seeing the two having fun together made you miss Jihyo and Chaeyoung. Every winter break, the three of you would ice skate, sled, drink hot chocolates, bake cookies together, and rewatch all your favorite holiday movies. You spent more than half of your life with them and this was the longest you have been apart and with minimal contact too with the time difference and busyness.
You knew that Chaeyoung was coming home in less than two days and Jihyo would arrive the day after to spend Christmas with their families. No plans were fully confirmed since they would also be busy during their holiday break with their family. Your prior blissful mood transitioned into disappointment.
You decided to attempt to catch up with Jimin and Taehyung to get your mind off of your dear friends. You attempted to skate faster and successfully did so.
Taehyung felt you bump against his back. “___!” He reached an arm backward to pull you from his behind and place you next to him. “You got better at skating.” He complimented. “I think I got the hang of it this time. I always remember during the season but then once winter is over, it’s like I get rusty for a bit.” Taehyung nodded understandably.
You heard a loud giggle coming from behind you. You turned to check quickly but was met with the sight of Yeri and Jungkook skating together. He was holding her hand to keep her steady but her legs were wobbling like crazy. “I can’t do it, Kookie!” She yelped out. You internally cringed at the nickname she gave him. You also internally winced at the inevitable heartache seeing him like that. Seemingly happy with the small smile that curled up on his usual inexpressible face.
He looked happy. He looked like he was enjoying himself for once. You studied his smile to question whether it was genuine or not. You felt terrible wishing for the latter. He deserved happiness. He deserved to be with someone that made him feel out of the world. He deserved good things and good people in his life, despite all the shit he emotionally burdened you with.
You hoped that his relationship with Yeri would eventually cure you with the hopeless crush you still held onto him. You forced yourself to look away after what felt like an eternity watching them.
What you didn’t notice was that Taehyung was watching you watching them. He noticed the hurt that was gleaming in your eyes. The yearning, the pain was written all over you. He was so pleased with Jungkook putting himself out there that he forgot to take account of your feelings towards them. He didn’t want your mood to be sour for the rest of the night, he wanted you to have fun. He wanted to see you happy.
“Hey you.” Taehyung nudged. You looked up to meet his eyes. “Wanna race?” He suggested, raising his brows. You smiled and nodded. “From where to where?”
Taehyung hummed, calculating where to end. “Let’s stop at the exit door. Loser buys the winner hot chocolate.” He pointed at the hot chocolate stand that was just outside of the rink. “On the count of three.” You say.
“One,” You start
“Two,” Taehyung continues
“Three” You shout. Taehyung is already speeding ahead of you, causing you to shout curse words at him. He laughed and looked behind to see you failing to catch up.
“Is that Taehyung and your roommate racing each other?” Yeri asked Jungkook. Jungkook turned his head to where he could hear the commotion going on between you two. You had a beaming grin on your face and was attempting to pull Taehyung backwards to make him lose the race. Taehyung’s box-shaped grin was plastered onto his face and he was giggling non-stop. “___, you’re cheating!” He laughed hard.
Jungkook couldn’t look away. He didn’t know why or what was making him not want to look away but he felt as if his eyes were glued onto you and Taehyung. He felt that same uncomfortable feeling washing through him. He felt a knot forming in his stomach and a sense of unease at the same time. Jungkook couldn’t comprehend for the life of him as to why he couldn't shake the unexpected pang of–whatever it was that he was feeling– away.
Yeri eyed Jungkook as he watched you and Taehyung racing. She noticed the way his jaw was slightly clenched and the way his hand that was gripping onto her arm to help her skate was tightening around her. “Jungkook?” She nudged him. His attention resumed back to her. He tried his best to give her a smile. “Hm?” He said.
“You okay?” She asked. “Yeah, I was just looking at them racing. Seems silly to race on ice. They could get hurt.” He lied. She only nodded, not knowing what else to say. She looked over at you and Taehyung again and caught sight of you both already off the rink, and were removing your skates.
Taehyung reached for your hand and dragged you to the hot chocolate and pastry stand that was outside of the rink.
“Don’t you think they could be cute together?” Yeri asked Jungkook with a playful smile on her face. Jungkook couldn’t help but to scoff out loud at that. “She’s not Taehyung’s type.” He clarified. Yeri gave him a confused glare. “What do you mean? She’s pretty. And they seem to get along well.” Yeri explained. She studied his face again but she couldn’t make anything out of it. It seemed as if he was in deep thought yet at the same time it looked like he didn’t care about the topic. His stare was completely blank yet it could be interpreted in many different ways.
“You don’t know Taehyung like I do.” He defended. Yeri decided to leave the conversation at that. “Wanna get hot chocolate too?” She asked, looking at him with pleading eyes. Jungkook shook his head. “Not in the mood.” He said dryly.
He felt bad being suddenly passive-aggressive towards her. He didn’t understand why he was being like this either. “Let’s sit for a bit.” He began to hold Yeri’s hand and pulled her to the benches.
Yeri begins to scroll on her phone meanwhile Jungkook’s eyes automatically drag itself to observe you and Taehyung again. The two of you were sitting on a bench across from them. You were showing him something on your phone. Whatever it was that you were showing, he was laughing at it. His laugh was contagious and it made you laugh harder. “I was dying at that video for a good hour yesterday.” You breathed out, trying to catch your breath. “Send that to me, send that to me.” Taehyung said.
Jungkook didn’t miss that Taehyung was slowly attempting to scoot closer to you, to the point where your left knee and his right knee were practically touching and your shoulders were a good millimeter apart. “Oo, let’s take a picture to post on my story!” You squealed. You hold your phone out and Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to close the minimal space that was between. He presses his cheek against yours and poses with his eyes squeezed shut and a peace sign held next to the other cheek.
You beam at him and post the story. “You look so cute!” You squeal again. Jungkook couldn't help but to laugh to himself at the sight that was in front of him. He was in denial for the longest but he admits now that Taehyung was indeed attempting to flirt with you. He knows his flirtatious tricks and anyone with a human brain can comprehend that he is blatantly flirting with you. He knows you’re too oblivious to this because you are an oblivious person in general. Jungkook knows you’re too naive to understand that Taehyung was being a little too touchy for someone he considers to be “just a friend”.
Just because Taehyung was flirting with you doesn’t confirm that he’s doing it out of a genuine romantic interest, Jungkook thinks. It could be because he is simply in a flirty mood or maybe he just wants to see if you would fold for him like how other girls do. That's what the old player Taehyung would do.
Jimin interrupts Jungkook’s thoughts and plops down next to him. “Are you ready to go? I’m starving.” Jimin sighed out. He reeked of cigarettes. “You’re smoking too often.” Jungkook lectured him. “I got nothing better to do with myself. I’m in my flop era or whatever the kids say these days.” He runs a finger through his hair. Jungkook chuckled at him. “I think you’re doing whatever you can to cope.” Jungkook comforts. “I’m ready if they’re ready.” Jungkook nudges his chin toward you and Taehyung that were still in the middle of a deep conversation, probably not even noticing Jimin and Jungkook right in front of them.
Jimin chuckles and sighs in amusement. “They’re so silly together.” Jimin mumbles under his breath but Jungkook picks it up. Jimin searches for a piece of gum in his pockets. He shoves a piece into his mouth and throws the wrapper to Taehyung’s head, getting your attention. “Let’s go eat.” Jimin shouts. Taehyung looks at you, inverbally asking if you are good to go. You nod in agreement. “Convenience store right?” Taehyung confirms.
“Yes!” Jimin jumps. Yeri checks out Jimin walking towards you and starts to poke your body, just to tease you. Taehyung joins along and starts to pull onto some strands of your hair. You attempt to shove the boys off and fall into a fit of laughter. Yeri couldn’t help but feel jealous seeing how well you got along with them. Yeri was aware that Jimin and Taehyung were extremely close to Jungkook and desperately wanted to get close with them, as a way to make herself feel accepted into his circle.
The three of you were already walking ahead, leaving you and Jungkook behind. Jungkook was just staring at the bench where you and Taehyung were sitting a second ago. “Let’s go, Kookie.” Yeri nudges him. He simply nods and stands up. “Sure.” He walks ahead, leaving Yeri alone.
She grew irritated with Jungkook. A while ago, Jungkook was being gentlemanly with her and was seemingly having a good time with her. She doesn’t understand what suddenly went wrong with him for him to be so cold and distant now.
Jungkook stops in his tracks and turns behind to see why Yeri wasn’t following him yet. “What’s wrong?” He asked. She shakes her head, not wanting to bring it up. “Nothing.” She gets up from the bench and catches up with him.
The rest of the night was spent with a brief convenience store run, a brief ‘dinner’ together inside of the apartment, and a brief conversation before everyone went to bed for the night.
. . .
“Are you sure you don’t wanna spend Christmas and New Year’ with us, ___?” Taehyung asked for the millionth time. You nodded. “I’m very sure, Tae. I’ll be okay. I’ll make sure to enjoy my week alone.” You reassured. Taehyung clenched his jaw, feeling hurt that you were going to spend the holidays alone. Your parents went on vacation in Bali, wanting to spend the holidays with just them two.
You and your parents were never that close when it came to quality time. They were supportive, attentive and loving parents but when it came to family-bonding quality time, it was practically nonexistent. It was what you grew up with. This was the norm for you. It was disappointing, of course, but that’s how it was.
Jihyo suddenly came down with a terrible cold and was unable to come down and spend the week with you and Chaeyoung’s family dragged her down to Busan to spend the holidays with her grandparents. To be honest, you were kind of expecting her to offer you to spend the week with her and her family since they know you well and love you but she didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t on her mind and you didn’t want to burden her to make her feel as if she had to ask and invite you.
It was Christmas Eve and Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin were on the way back home to Busan to spend their holidays with their family–Jimin spending it with the brothers’ family. Although Jungkook didn’t verbally express it, he too felt bad leaving you alone for the holidays. He didn’t know much about how your family functioned but he was curious as to why you weren’t going to be spending it with them.
Jimin gave you a pitiful look and hugged you. “Okay, well we should be leaving now. Our bus departs in 30 minutes.” Jimin said. You hugged him and chuckled. “Go on then! Let me know when you guys make it safely! I’ll be sure to update you guys on what I’ll be up to so you guys won’t be too worried.” You pulled away and nodded. Taehyung didn’t say anything but gave you a forced tight-lipped smile. “Alright. Merry Christmas, ___.” Taehyung walked over and hugged you tightly. You returned the tightness. “Merry Christmas.” You whispered.
After Taehyung finally pulled away, you glanced over to Jungkook. He was glaring at you back. You weren’t able to understand the look on his face but you could swear it seemed as if he too had a look of pity. “Merry Christmas, Jungkook.” You said. You didn’t know if Jungkook wanted a hug from you as well so you decided to just wave.
“Merry Christmas.” He replied, holding a hand up. After a slightly uncomfortable silence, Jimin goes ahead to open the front door and heads out first. Taehyung gives you a final smile before he follows behind. Jungkooks remains where he was for a little bit.
“Let me know if you need anything.” He gives an actual wave and exits. He closes the door slowly and softly.
You were now finally left alone for the entire week and you had no idea what to do now. The void of being alone hasn’t hit you yet and you hope it doesn’t ever or else you would end up crying yourself to sleep.
. . .
“Boys, over here!” Jungkook heard his mother calling out to him. His mother and Taehyung’s father were standing next to their large black SUV, waving at them. “We’re home, Kook.” Taehyung mumbled sarcastically to him. Jungkook smirked, shaking his head at him. “So glad.” He replied back.
Jimin ran up to their parents and hugged them. “It’s been so long, Mom and Dad!” Jimin cheered. He liked to call their parents mother and father since they practically raised Jimin along with Jungkook and Taehyung.
“Oh, Jimin! You get so handsome every time I see you!” Jungkook’s mom pinches his cheeks.
Taehyung’s father pulls Taehyung in for a hug and pats his back. “My son, welcome home.” He smiles. Taehyung fakes a smile back. “Missed you, dad.”
After greeting Jimin, Jungkook’s mom pulls him in for a hug and kisses his forehead. “How have you been, my son?” She grins at him. Jungkook thinks to himself that being away from college has made his mother and Taehyung’s father extra affectionate with them. “I’ve been good. How have you been taking care of yourself?” He asks. She shrugs. “I’ve been picking up on yoga and pilates. It’s been relaxing me from my usual heavy workload.” She smiles.
Jungkook noticed that there wasn’t a driver to pick them up like usual. Everyday, on his commute to school or anywhere else, he would have a driver to drop him off and pick him up. “No driver today?” Jungkook asked his parents. Taehyung’s father shook his head. “We both had the afternoon off and decided to get you guys ourselves.” He smiled.
Jungkook and Taehyung looked at each other in surprise. “I see.” Taehyung said. “Come, let’s go have lunch.” Jungkook’s mother held onto him and pulled him to the car. Jungkook certainly wasn’t used to the sudden physical touch his mother was giving him and the sudden quality time as well.
. . .
It was now dinnertime and Jungkook, Taehyung, Jimin, and their parents were all sitting at the table together.
“Tell me about your living situation. Are you guys enjoying living together?” Jungkook’s mom asked Jungkook and Taehyung. Taehyung nodded. “Yea, I’ve trained Jungkook well. He cleans up after himself, he’s a great cook, and he likes to hang out with me and Jimin whenever he isn’t busy.”
Jungkook’s mom darts her eyes between the three. “Jimin?” She asks. “Mhm. Jimin is living with us for the time being.” Taehyung clarifies. Jungkook’s mom mouth gapes open and turns her attention to Jimin. “Oh really? Jimin, what happened to your schooling? Are you not going anymore?” She asks.
Jimin debates whether or not he should be honest with them. Taehyung and Jungkook’s parents were a lot like his parents in the sense of needing their children to attend prestigious universities, getting good grades, and getting a good job after graduation.
“I’m taking a short break from school. I was feeling a little overwhelmed with the strict academic regulations that came with being a pre-med student. I feel like I need to be mentally prepared and confident with my decision to study medicine and I was not.”
Taehyung’s father nodded understandably. “Of course, studying medicine is a serious decision. You’re going to be saving lives. You made the right decision, son.” He boasted. Taehyung gave a quick glance to Jungkook. He was already returning the same look he had: shock. What was going on with their parents? Had Taehyung or Jungkook told their parents that they wanted to take a break from school, they would most likely faint or die from a heart attack.
“Do you like living with our sons?” Jungkook’s mother asked, giving Jimin an amused smile. Jimin chuckled, looking at the two. “Yeah, they’re the best. They and ___ made me feel very welcomed into their humble abode.” He smiled.
Their parents gave him a perplexed look. “Who’s ___?” Taehyung’s father asked. Jungkook stopped chewing his food and only stared ahead at his mother who was giving him a confused look. Taehyung turned his head to Jimin and silently cursed him out. He explicitly told him during the busride to not bring you up to them. He knew that his parents wouldn’t be okay with a woman living with him and on top of that, they would know that Taehyung was struggling to make ends meet when it came to rent. It was their decision to cut them off financially, therefore they had no need to know what was going on in his life financially-wise.
“Uh-,” Jimin stuttered. One thing about Jimin was that he was a terrible liar. He couldn’t lie for the life of him. “____ is Taehyung and Jungkook’s next door neighbor! She comes over often and hangs out with us. She’s very nice.” He spat out. Jungkook let his silverware clang onto his bowl of soup and groaned out loud. Taehyung blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips.
“What? Are we not allowed to know about the kind of new friends you’ve made in Seoul?” Taehyung’s father protruded. “Yeah, tell us about ___. We would love to get to know your new female friend that is very close with you guys.” Jungkook’s mother chimed in. Taehyung chuckled nervously. “No, of course we can talk about ___. Like Jimin said, she is very nice. She’s a good friend of ours. She goes to Konkuk with us.” He explained.
Jungkook’s mother nodded. “What is she studying?” His father asked. “She’s studying to be a doctor.” He lied. If he was to expose that you were an undecided student, their parents would immediately disapprove of you. It would be worse than being a gap student, like Jimin.
Taehyung’s father nodded in approval. “Smart girl.” He smiled. “Yes, very smart indeed. Is she originally from Seoul?” Jungkook’s mom leaned close to the table, seemingly very interested in learning more about you.
“She’s from Busan like us. She actually went to the same school as Jungkook.” Taehyung nudged him. Jungkook choked on the soup he was trying to swallow. “What?” He muffled. “No way! What a funny coincidence! Jungkook, is she a good friend of yours too?” His mom grinned.
He tried to swallow the rest of the liquid and pondered on the question. “Uh, I guess, yes.” He answered. “That’s so nice. We probably know her parents well.” Taehyung’s father nodded. “Oh, I don’t think so. She doesn’t come from an affluent family. She’s kind of…regular.” Taehyung said.
He winced at the usage of “regular” to describe you but it was the only word he could think of for his parents to understand you and your background. It was the only word they’d understand.
“Oh, I see.” She nodded. “She must be pretty, right?” This caused Jungkook and Taehyung to both choke on their food and Jimin to snort out a laugh.
“What did I say?” she asked, worried as hell.
Taehyung’s father chuckled at his sons. “They’re blushing, love. She must be very pretty indeed.” He teased. Taehyung dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat. “Why do you guys care?” He said with a muffled voice.
“We’re just curious.” She edged.
Taehyung tried to brush off the question but Jungkook’s mother kept pestering. “She’s as pretty as every other girl in the world.” He tried to play it off. His father chuckled at his choice of wording. “To me, that translates to she’s pretty to you. Do any of you boys like her?”
Jimin laughed harder. “Dad, stop.” Taehyung hissed. “Is she in Busan for the holidays? We would love to meet her, you should invite her to spend New Year’s with us!”
Jimin answered for them. “She stayed home for the break. Her parents are out of town.”
“Jimin-,” Taehyung warned. “So you mean to tell me that she’s alone for the holidays? Why?” Taehyung’s father asked, with concern. “No idea. We had asked her to spend the holidays with us too but she insisted against it. The three of us didn’t want to leave her behind too.” Jimin continued to yap on. Taehyung pinched his leg and he yelped from pain.
“Taehyung, Jungkook? Do invite her to come down and spend the week with us. We would love to have her here.” Jungkook’s mother suggested. “I-I think she will be okay. She might have other plans made and we shouldn’t disrupt that.” Taehyung said.
“But-,”
“Mom, just drop it. She’s busy with another family that lives in Seoul. She told me herself. Don’t get worked up over it.” Jungkook chimed in. His mother remained silent but nodded. “I just think that no one should be spending the holidays alone. I recommend you guys text her and make sure she has company of some sort. Especially since she’s a woman living alone. Who knows what could happen to her.”
That was probably the last thing the three of them wanted to hear. Although they felt reassured enough by you that you were going to be okay alone, they should’ve considered the fact that you were still a woman residing alone for a week and any weirdo could possibly hurt you and if not that, you were going to feel lonely regardless. Why would they just be okay with leaving you alone?
The three of them remained silent for the rest of the conversation. Taehyung’s father got the hint that they were now preoccupied with the thought of you being alone and decided to change the topic for the rest of dinner.
“Are any of you boys seeing someone?”
Jimin turned to look at Jungkook. “Jungkook, are you seeing someone?” His mother gasped. Jungkook kept his head down at his soup and remained silent some more. “You are?”
“I’m not seeing anyone.” He lied. “Who is she? Who are her parents? Where is she from?”
Taehyung chuckled at him. “Her name is Yeri. They’ve been seeing each other for over a month now. She’s nice.” He answered for him. Jungkook kicked his legs under the table and Taehyung let out an abrupt chuckle.
“I can’t believe how grown our son has gotten. He has his first girlfriend.” His mother cooes to her husband. “We would love to meet her whenever you’re ready to introduce us to her. I know it won’t be for a little while longer since it is still so new and fresh.”
Jungkook suddenly felt hot with irritation. Where was all this coming from? His parents suddenly showing an interest in his life? To Taehyung’s life? Why are they abnormally understanding of Jimin's drop out situation? Why now? Why now after he’s been gone for months that they suddenly want to act attentive and caring?
“What’s going with you both?” He asks. They give each other a perplexed look. “What are you talking about, son?” His mom asks innocently. “You know exactly what I mean. Why are you guys being like this? What did we do? What do you want from us?” He hissed.
Taehyung wanted to attempt to control him but to be honest, he was quite relieved that he took the initiative to say something. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic with his parent’s sudden switch up.
His parents remained quiet and uncomfortably looked at each other. Jungkook and Taehyung could sense tension oozing off of their silence. They knew that something was actually going on.
The father cleared his throat and dabbed the corner of his lips with a napkin. “I think it’s time we tell them.” He said sternly. Jungkook’s mother didn’t react. She instead responded by taking a long chug of her red wine.
Her sweet mother demeanor switched into a cold yet seemingly anxious attitude. “Tell us what?” Taehyung asked.
“I’ll say it.” Jungkook’s mom spoke up. Her voice was deep. She darted her eyes between her son, Taehyung and Jimin. Her eyes softened as she glanced between the three boys she deeply cared for and loved.
“Two months ago..,” She started off.
“Two months ago…I got diagnosed with stage two cancer. Breast cancer.” She stated.
All of a sudden, Jungkook felt as if his chair was sunken into a black void that was hungry to capture him. He felt as if he was disassociated from where he was. Is this a dream? Is it reality? Is he somewhere in between? Did he hear her correctly?
Is this actually real life?
With the silence in the room, you could hear a pin drop. You could hear thoughts.
“Your mother has her first chemotherapy session scheduled about two weeks from now. Doctors say that it is still possible they can remove the tumor inside.” He spoke up.
Taehyung slightly turned his head to Jungkook, if he could figure out whatever was going through his head. If he even had anything going through his head at all.
His face was as white as the wall, lips as white as him. His doe eyes were a combination of grief, anger, shock, and nothing at the same time. Jungkook could throw up at this very moment.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me this sooner?” He whispered to her. She looked at him with regret and with pain. Pain for her only child having the bear this kind of news.
“I figured it could wait. I didn’t want this to distract you from your studies.” She said matter-of-factly. Jungkook slammed his silverware to the table.
“It took for you to get cancer to suddenly care about me? Care about my feelings? Consider me into your life for once?” He spat out. She jumped from the sudden harsh words he said to her.
“Now that you’re sick, you want to suddenly act like you have a son to talk to?” He continued. He tried to fight the tears that were threatening to spill but he couldn’t bear it anymore. He was destroyed. He was furious. He couldn’t even look at her without wanting to say bad words.
“Jungkook-,” Taehyung’s father tried to get him to stop but Jungkook seriously could not manage to stay in the same room as her. He stands up from his seat and storms upstairs to his bedroom.
“Jungkook, come back please.” His father yelled out for him. Taehyung watched him as he left. He understood where this was coming from. It was a mixture of grief of the devastating news and it was a mixture of him genuinely being furious at how his mother was acting like everything was fine between them when it just wasn’t.
Jungkook slammed his door and sat onto the side of his bed. He expected the rest of the tears to fall out but it felt as if he finally became mentally strong enough to block it. He was struggling to catch his breath, to catch a single ounce of a breath to exhale. His chest felt as if he swallowed a flame, growing hotter and painful to withstand.
He didn’t have the capacity to think rationally, act logically, and be stable. He was dealing with a surge of insanely different emotions and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to see his mother, he didn’t want to see his step-father, he didn’t want to see Taehyung or Jimin or have either of the two come to his bedroom to confront him. He didn’t want to be here. Not at this home, not in Busan, all he knew was that he wanted to be as far away from here as possible.
Without thinking, he grabbed his duffel bag,–which luckily hasn’t been unpacked yet–his phone, keys, and wallet and immediately left his childhood bedroom. He stomped down the stairs, not caring if they could hear him coming down, and headed straight towards the front door.
The nearest bus station was a 30 minute drive, about a two hour walk from his house, but he didn’t care. He stormed outside of the house, ignoring the calls from his mother and father.
Taehyung remained where he sat, knowing that Jungkook would be too stubborn to listen to him. He knew that Jungkook was just in shock and just wasn’t handling the news in the best and mature way.
“Where could he possibly be going at this time?” Jungkook’s mother breathed out heavily. “Relax, he probably went on a walk to clear his mind. Give him some time to breathe.” His father soothed.
“Taehyung,” His mother called out. He managed to look up from his plate and made eye contact with her. “Please call Jungkook if he doesn’t return within an hour.” She pleaded. Taehyung nodded in response.
“Promise me? It is almost sunset, he shouldn’t be walking in the dark all alone.”
“I promise.” He croaked out. Jungkook’s mother places her head into her palms and lets out an exasperated sigh. The table was filled with a painfully awkward silence. Jimin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was suddenly missing his own home—the home where he is disowned from.
“I’m going to get Mirae to clear our plates if we are all done eating now.” Taehyung’s father spoke up. Mirae was the housekeeper.
“Mirae, come please. We’re all done here.” He called out, after using the silence as a collective response.
. . .
After an hour and a half of speed walking, Jungkook finally made it to the bus station. His shoulders were aching, his legs were throbbing, and he was sweating like crazy. He felt pity for the people around him that could smell his sweat from walking over 20,000 steps across town.
He approached the guest service desk. “Good evening, do you have an available ticket for a bus to Seoul? Soonest one, preferably.”
As he was walking to the station, he decided he would head straight home to the apartment. He didn’t want to spend an entire week with his mother and pretend that everything was fine when it wasn’t. He didn’t want to spend Christmas and the New Year’s and pretend that he was having a good time when he wouldn’t.
“The next bus to Seoul is arriving in twenty minutes. You’re lucky, there was one available seat left. Would you like to purchase it?” The attendant asked. He immediately reached for his wallet and handed his credit card, not caring about the price of the ticket.
After purchasing his ticket, he sat at the nearest bench and closed his eyes.
All he could replay in the back of his mind was the sight of his mother at the dinner table. He didn’t realize how frail she appeared, how deepened her wrinkles grew to be, and how pale her skin was. Her hair was thinner and grayer. She barely touched her dinner as well. How could he have not noticed how sick his own mother looked? His own mother was sick with cancer and he didn’t even notice it.
His guilt shifted to resentment; how could she suddenly want to repair their damaged relationship now? Why now? Why after being diagnosed with a sickness does she suddenly want to make things better between them? Why didn’t she care prior? Would she have still reached out if she was never sick? Would she still care about him?
He refused to let the tears that were pooling fall. He didn’t want to care about this. He didn’t want to admit that he is still a hurting child inside. He is still a young boy that misses and needs his mom. He didn’t want to be that boy anymore. He wanted to be the 20-year old man that was a college student, living on his own, and heading off into the real world.
Jungkook suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his hands. Taehyung was calling him.
After letting the phone ring for several moments, he decided to pick up.
“What?” He said.
“Where are you?” Taehyung asked. He sounded as if he was keeping his voice hushed, as if he didn’t want anyone to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Jungkook debated for a moment if he should just straight up tell him. He decided to lie. “I’m going to Yeri’s.”
“Yeri’s? What, why?” He stuttered. “I, uh, don’t think I can handle being around my mom right now. Yeri’s with her family in Seoul for the holidays, so I’m just going to spend the week with her.”
Taehyung sighed against the speaker. “Kook, your mom is sick. She…she needs you right now? Don’t do this.” He said quietly. Jungkook assumes that his mother is nearby and Taehyung didn’t want her to listen to the phone call.
“She’s got you, your dad, and Jimin. She’ll be fine. She didn’t need me before and she certainly doesn’t need me now.” He spat out.
Taehyung remained silent on the line, not knowing what to say to convince Jungkook to come back. He didn’t know what to say in general.
“Alright. Do what you want. Should I tell our parents you’re with Yeri?” He asked.
“I don’t care. Tell them whatever you want, I couldn’t give a single shit.” Jungkook hangs up without letting Taehyung say anything back. He swallowed the guilt he felt after talking to Taehyung so harshly. He knew that he shouldn’t take his anger out on him. Jungkook didn’t know how to handle this situation at all. He just wanted to leave Busan. He wanted to be home.
. . .
It was 11 o’clock at night and you were awake, with a sheet mask on, painting your toenails, and were on your third glass of red wine. Faye Webster was playing on your speakers in the background and you were humming along to the lyrics as you lightly brushed your pinky toe white.
You were in a blissful mood; tipsy with wine, good music and good wine. Your chicken you ordered for delivery was on the way. Maybe this week alone wouldn’t be so awful after all. Maybe a week to yourself was what your soul was craving.
Your phone was on DND, the LED living room lamp was cozy and warmly yellow. You were in paradise. Although at the same time you did miss the boys. You missed the chaotic energy they brought. You missed the Friday night movie watches, the constant bickering, the smell of Taehyung cooking dinner, the gossip you shared with Jimin, and the rare presence of Jungkook.
You could only hope that they were enjoying their time at home. You missed Busan like crazy and wish that you could be back in your hometown too.
You chugged down the rest of your wine and immediately began pouring yourself another glass. Being wine drunk was the move for tonight’s solemn mood.
Your last toenail was painted and you placed the toe dividers in between. You sighed in delight and sipped your wine gracefully, still humming along to the song playing.
Your relaxed mood was paused after hearing the sound of someone knocking on the door. You perked up, knowing that your fried chicken had arrived. You waddled over to the door, and eagerly opened the door.
Your breath was caught in your throat as you were not met with the sight of the delivery man. You were met with the sight of Jungkook.
“Jungkook?” You gasped, still in disbelief that he was here right in front of you.
“Hey.” He said.
You couldn’t manage to say anything else. You could only just stare at him. He looked physically exhausted. His hair was disheveled and looked greasy. His lips were cracked and dry and his eyes had dark bags hanging underneath.
“Come in.” You said but it managed to come out as a question. He entered the apartment and removed his shoes. He walked straight to the kitchen right after and grabbed a glass cup. He poured himself water from the sink and chugged it down in one second. You were still staring at him in disbelief.
“Um…can I ask why you’re home so soon?” You asked. He observed your shock-ridden face that was being covered by the sheet mask you had on your face. Your hair was tied up into a low bun and was pulled back by a plush headwrap with kitten ears attached to it. You had on your pink gingham patterned matching pajamas and he looked down to your freshly painted toenails and the toes being separated by the divider. He let out a chuckle at your relaxed appearance.
“Sorry for interrupting your self care night.” He smirked at you. You embarrassingly walked away and headed back to the living room. Jungkook followed you. “Whatever.” You mumbled to yourself. Your solo night was now ruined by Jungkook’s random return.
You reached for your wine glass and took a large gulp. Your palms were suddenly sweaty and your heart was beating fast. You were nervous. You were now no longer alone in the apartment. It was just you and Jungkook.
“Why are you home?” You asked again. Jungkook shrugged. “I didn’t want to be there anymore. I felt like coming back.”
You stared at him down, still extremely confused. All you could think to yourself was why. Why, why, why? What happened?
“Does Taehyung know you’re here?” You asked. Jungkook shook his head no. “He doesn’t. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell him I am. He thinks I’m somewhere else.” He shoved his pants into his pockets and kept strong eye contact with you. He knows you’re confused and that you must have thousands of questions running through your mind right now.
You nodded in agreement. “Are you going to stay? The entire holiday break?”
Jungkook nodded. “Oh.” You manage to say. You couldn’t hide the disappointment laced in your voice. “Again, sorry for interrupting you. I should’ve told you I was coming.” He ran his fingers through his greasy hair.
“Don’t apologize. This is your home too. You can come and go as you please.” You chuckle nervously. You were extremely nervous to be alone with Jungkook for an entire week. This reminded you of the time when Taehyung was gone for a weekend to go interview for his candidacy as a recipient of the ‘best film’ award. You and Jungkook were in a heated argument, like usual, and you remember how awkward it was to be alone for a weekend. Now, it was for a whole week. Seven days.
“You want to join me? I’m just drinking wine and listening to music.” You offered, trying to break the awkward tension that was brewing. Jungkook debated for a moment. He didn’t know if he was in the mood to socialize anymore for the day. He was on a crowded 4-hour bus ride, and desperately craved to be back in his bed after a long day of commuting.
Despite that, he felt bad to decline your offer. “Sure. Do you mind if I shower first? I’m pretty gross and greasy right now.”
You immediately reassured him. “A-Absolutely, go ahead and shower and do whatever you need to do. No rush!” You blabbered. Jungkook gave you a curt nod and dragged his duffel bag and himself ahead to his bedroom.
You breathed out a long stressed out sigh. You reached for your phone and tracked your chicken which was beginning to take too long to arrive. The driver was five minutes away.
You groaned into a pillow, not caring that you were staining it with your sheet mask serums.
. . .
After forty-five minutes passed by, you were gnawing on your third chicken leg with Jungkook devouring the food as well. He didn’t realize how hungry he had been. He barely ate the entire day.
“This is some of the best chicken I’ve ever had in my entire life.” Jungkook said with his mouth full. You chuckled as you were chewing. “This is my go-to chicken restaurant. They never miss.” You dabbed the corner of your cheeks with a napkin and rinsed the chicken down your throat with a nice cold beer.
You shouldn’t be mixing alcohol right now but you forgot that you had ordered beer with the order and didn’t want to mix fried chicken with wine; it wasn’t a good match. You were slightly past tipsy and entering drunk territory.
Jungkook was also drinking his beer of the night. A fresh hot shower, fresh pair of pajamas, a cold beer, and crispy Korean fried chicken was the perfect way to end his shitty long day.
The two of you were devouring the chicken in a comfortable silence. Faye Webster was still playing quietly in the background. “I like Faye Webster too.” Jungkook said.
Your eyes widened. “You listen to her too?” He nodded. “I like to play her music whenever I study or read. Keeps me focused.” He said. You couldn’t help but to smile at that. “That’s so cool. I haven’t met anyone that also listened to her. She makes great music.”
Jungkook nodded in agreement. “Same here. Sucks that she probably might not ever tour in Korea.” He sighed, tossing a chicken bone into the box.
“Never say never.” You wagged a finger at him.
The two of you were sitting quite far apart; both sitting on each end of the couch. He was freshly showered and the entire living room was filled with the scent of his shampoo. He smelled like fresh and clean laundry. You admired the way his damp wet hair stuck to his forehead and how his ends sprung and curled outwards.
Another comfortable silence fell upon.
“So, how was your short time with your family?” You asked, trying to make some conversation. After all, you did invite him to hang with you.
Jungkook took a gulp of beer and pondered on how to respond to your question.
How straight forward should he be? He has come to the conclusion awhile ago that you are someone who is trustworthy and someone easy to confide problems with. You are good at comforting others. However, he constantly mentally struggles whether the two of you are considered to be ‘friends’ enough to discuss any dilemmas with. The two of you have a weird so-called friendship.
However, despite all the complications, he’d rather communicate honestly to someone who wasn’t biased to his family for once.
“If I had to describe it in one word, it would be: weird. It was weird.”
“How come?” You pestered.
He sighed. “They were being abnormally…nice for once. Like they were trying to act like actual parents and wanted to know what we were up to since we last chatted. Immediately, that was a huge red flag for me because since when did they care about that, right? What other way was there to describe that other than weird? It was so weird.”
You cocked your head to the side. “I see.” You nodded. Jungkook continued on.
“It was such bullshit. They picked us up from the bus stop themselves and actually sat down to eat dinner with us.”
You were in shock hearing at how distant and fucked up Jungkook’s relationship with his parents was. The fact that he was shocked that they ate dinner with them said a lot.
“Eventually, I made them stop the bullshit. I asked them why they were acting so differently and comes to turn out that my mother has fucking cancer.” He said nonchalantly.
Without hesitation, you immediately got up from your spot and sat right in front of Jungkook. “I’m sorry, what? Your mom has cancer?” Your eyes were wide open, with your heart thumping against your chest from the shock.
“Yeah, stage two breast cancer. She’s known for two months and broke the news over dinner.” He chugged another gulp of beer. He could feel his chest burning from the emotions arising again and his eyes stinging from the tears threatening to form.
“Oh, Jungkook…” You cooed. You hesitantly placed your hand above his hand, debating whether you should touch it out of comfort. You decided to just place your hand over his forearm.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, I’m truly so sorry.” Your eyes met with his and Jungkook could easily read the immense sympathy you had for him. Your eyes looked glassy, as if you were going to cry.
He shook his head and let out a cold laugh. “Is it bad that I’m so fucking pissed at her, ____? I’m genuinely so furious with her. Why is it that now after finding out she’s sick, she wants to become more present in my life and start wanting to know how I’ve been? She has never cared before so why should she switch up and care now?”
You allowed Jungkook to continue venting. You knew he had more to let out of his system.
“Am I a bad son for storming out after she broke the news? Was I supposed to get over it and stay for the rest of the break and be there for her? Am I in the wrong for being upset?” He was fuming. His nose was turning pink from his arising emotions and he continued to withhold the tears. He refused to cry. He refused to cave in.
“You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel. I think you have every right to feel this way,” You started off, beginning to rubbing circles on his forearm with your fingertips. Jungkook looked up to make eye contact with you.
“I also think you’re in shock and this is you reacting out of shock and the lifelong resentment you hold against your mom. The shock is coming out of worry and fear. And you carry worry and fear over your mom’s news because you love her despite the resentment. You love your mother and you’re scared to lose her. You also have so much reason to be furious at her as a secondary emotion.”
“I don’t want to worry about her, she’s never worried about me. She practically let me raise myself. Taehyung was more of a mother to me than she was.”
You stopped rubbing circles and removed your hands from his space.
“Do you want to hear advice or do you just want a friend to listen to you? I can do whatever you need.” You asked. Jungkook could only stare into your soft and kind eyes. He didn’t know how to answer that. He’s never been asked that before.
The fact that you called yourself his friend comforted him slightly. He needed a friend by his side.
“I don’t want to talk about her anymore.” He firmly stated. Jungkook’s an avoidant person. When he struggles with an issue, he pretends it doesn’t exist.
You could tell Jungkook was truly hurting from this. You could see the pain tattooed in his eyes. You also didn’t want to force him to talk about something that was distressing him and that he was clearly still in the process of accepting to believe.
“Let’s finish this bottle of wine together, yeah?” You smiled at him. He tried to suppress the smile that was trying to respond to yours but he couldn’t. It’s something about the way you always manage to get his soft emotions out of him that he can’t hide well.
. . .
Throughout the week, you and Jungkook were co-existing well. The two of you would accompany each other during breakfast and dinner, and occasionally grab iced Americanos for lunch.
There was a holiday market on campus and you invited him to tag along. The two of you spent a good hour at the market and checked out everything together; even playing the Christmas-themed arcade games provided.
You continued your Christmas tradition of watching classic holiday movies in your coziest pajamas while eating fresh baked cookies and hot chocolate. Normally, you would do this with Jihyo and Chaeyoung and had assumed you would continue the tradition alone this year but Jungkook surprisingly joined you.
Jungkook was beginning to grow comfortable with considering you as an actual friend and not just someone whom he likes to bicker with. He liked your company. He liked how you used him as Jimin’s replacement to discuss any gossip and how you used him as Taehyung’s replacement to become the chef of the household. He cooked everything for you; breakfast and dinner. He realized while he was cooking breakfast one morning that one his love languages for his friends was doing acts of service. He liked cooking for you, he liked helping Yoongi out with any assignments he had trouble with, he liked doing extra household chores to make Taehyung’s day easier whenever he had a busy day of working and going to school, and he liked tagging along with Jimin to the gym to spot him during their weight lifting sessions, even tags along without Jimin asking.
He didn’t regret leaving Busan. He knew he needed time away to process and needed time apart from his mom to understand her and her reasoning on why she did what she did. After all, she can’t just ignore the emotional negligence she’s done to him since he was a child. He was enjoying his break back at home.
It was New Year’s Eve morning when you and Jungkook were sitting at the table and enjoying each other’s company as per usual.
“I forgot, will Tae and Jimin come back tonight or tomorrow morning?” You asked Jungkook. “I think tomorrow morning. My parent’s usually like to throw New Year’s parties and probably want the two to celebrate with them and their asshole friends.” Jungkook sipped his tea.
You chuckled at how nonchalantly he insults people. “Do you want to come with me to Hoseok’s New Year’s party? He texted me about it last night. It was a last minute he and Yoongi made.”
Jungkook immediately nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been missing Yoongi like crazy.” You gaped your mouth open. “Are you actually missing someone? That’s crazy.”
Jungkook tossed a raspberry at you. “I’m not an emotionless psychopath, ___.” He rolled his eyes. You groaned in annoyance. “I don’t know why you can’t admit that you indeed are an emotionless psychopath.”
“Just because I’m not nice to everyone doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart.” He argued. “I think it means you have unsolved trauma you need to get through.” You argued back, causing Jungkook to snort at you.
“Therapy is expensive, being an asshole is free.”
You laughed at him, shaking your head in amusement. “Let’s leave at around 10:30.” You suggested. He nodded in agreement and went back to reading the news on his phone.
You suddenly got a Facetime call from Taehyung. Excitedly, you answered quickly.
“Good morning, ___!” Taehyung beamed at you. This was the first time you were seeing his face after he left to go home. The two of you continued to text everyday but this was the first time he called to Facetime after being gone throughout the week.
“Tae! What’s up! I’ve missed you a lot.” You smiled at him. Jimin popped his head into the screen and waved at you. “Jimin! Hi, I’ve missed you too!” You grinned at the two.
“We just wanted to say hi on the last day of the year. We miss you too. Wish you were spending the New Year’s with us but we’ll be back tomorrow morning. We were supposed to be back today but my parents want Jimin and I to stay and hang with them and their asshole friends.” Taehyung said. You choke out a giggle, remembering how Jungkook said the exact same thing a minute ago. A reminder of how closely similar they can be.
A text from Jungkook slides to the top of your screen:
jungkook: Remember, they don’t know I’m here.
You quickly text back a thumbs up emoji and return back to the video call.
“So, where’s Jungkook? Is he still asleep?” You asked. “Oh, he’s not here in Busan. He went to spend the holidays with Yeri and her family. I have no idea where in Korea he’s at.”
Your face fell at what Taehyung said. You peered over to look at Jungkook and he was still just reading the news on his phone, as if he didn’t hear Taehyung.
You felt so stupid to remember that Jungkook had a whole girlfriend. He’s barely mentioned her the entire time he’s been home.
“Oh, right. Well, I’ll probably text him to wish a happy new year’s after midnight. How have you guys been, what were you guys up to all week?” You quickly dismissed the Jungkook topic.
Jimin groaned. “Tae’s dad asks us to play golf and tennis with him every morning at the country club he goes to everyday. Then, in the evening, Jungkook’s mom asks us to go to her pilates and yoga classes with her. We’ve literally been exercising every single day. Three entirely different sports and exercises everyday. At night, Tae and I try to sneak out and get drinks and go to clubs to let loose.” Jimin whined. You giggled at them.
“That actually sounds like a lot of fun, I wish I could attend pilates classes for free. It’s such an expensive hobby.” You chuckle. “At least we burn so many calories a day that we have extra space to drink our sorrows away.” Jimin groaned again. Taehyung chuckled and nodded in agreement.
“Wish you were here, ___. How have you been spending your break? Enjoying the silence in the apartment? Do you keep the door locked every night?” Taehyung pestered you.
“I’ve been having a great time alone. I spent Christmas with Hoseok and plan to spend tonight with him again. He and Yoongi are throwing a party.” You lied. You didn’t want Taehyung to have the idea that you spent Christmas alone like a lonely loser.
“Ah, I’m so glad he’s giving you company. Let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m always here for you.” Taehyung urged. Jungkook tried to hold back a scoff at his obvious desperate attempts to woo you over.
“I promise, Tae. See you tomorrow, okay? Thanks for calling to check in.” You smiled and waved.
“Taehyung and I are gonna head out to the club with his dad now. Wish us luck. See ya, ___.” Jimin hung up on the call before you had a chance to say something back.
You sighed in happiness, realizing that you truly missed the two and enjoyed seeing their faces and hearing their voices after so long.
“Why do you look so happy? You missed Tae-Tae?” Jungkook mocked you. You rolled your eyes at him, already annoyed. “I miss both of them, not just Tae. What’s with everyone thinking I like Taehyung or something?” You groaned.
Jungkook snapped his head up at that. “Who thinks that?” He asked. “Literally, everyone. Hoseok and my friends Jihyo and Chaeyoung, too. Hoseok even has the audacity to think that Taehyung has some kind of crush on me. Ridiculous, right?”
Jungkook kept quiet for a second but laughed it off. “Extremely ridiculous.”
For some reason, this annoyed you. “‘Extremely’? Is it that weird if someone like Tae was to like me? As if I’m so unlikable or something?” You spat. Jungkook laughed again, not expecting you to get so heated at that.
“Did I say that? Tell me what exactly I said that hinted at that?” He snickered. You scoff at him. “You said ‘extremely’ really honestly. I could tell by the way you dragged out the word. You said ‘extreeemeleey’.” You mocked.
Jungkook was growing to be more amused with you. He didn’t know you had a dramatic side to you. “As if you are such a catch yourself! I’m surprised you even have a girlfriend that can handle you.” You pick on him.
It took Jungkook a second to remember who you were even talking about. He hasn’t thought about Yeri since the ice-skating date. He doesn’t even remember if he’s replied to the last text she sent.
Admittedly, Jungkook felt bad that he cared little about Yeri. He knows that she’s a nice girl and genuinely deserved better than the treatment he’s giving her. It’s clear she wants more than sex from him. He made a mental note to have a chat with Yeri about their relationship after the New Year’s. He knows that he can’t be the one to give her the kind of relationship she’s seeking for and that it was shitty of him to lead her on like this for so long. Maybe he really can be an emotionless psychopath.
“Didn’t highschool you harbor a big ass crush on me? Clearly, I must be a catch.” He teased. Everytime Jungkook mentions your stupid crush on him, you mentally kill yourself. What in the world made you think it was a good idea to confess to him on the last day of school? Why were you so confident that you wouldn’t run into him again after graduation? You should’ve known that you were going to lose your freshman dorm and end up living in an apartment with him and his brother somehow.
“Why don’t you go tease your girlfriend instead of teasing me all the time. Do you even know what she’s up to lately? You’ve barely even talked about her and haven’t heard you talk to her on the phone or anything.” The bickering continued.
“Why do you care though?” Jungkook’s smile grew bigger. You couldn’t help but laugh along with him. The lover girl in you couldn’t help but get butterflies at the grin he’s giving you. It’s rare to see Jungkook smile but it’s even rarer to make him smile. You forget how pretty his teeth are and how gorgeous he looks when he’s smiling.
“Stop smiling at me, you look like a creep.” You lied. Jungkook snorts at you and goes back to reading the news on his phone. You take the opportunity to secretly admire him and his beauty. God, you hated how he still makes you feel like that giddy high schooler all over again. It wasn’t fair.
What will it take and how long will it take for you to get over that stupid feeling he makes you feel? When will it hit you that Jungkook is into someone else, someone that isn’t you? Your heart panged at the constant reminder that Jungkook once had your heart and stomped all over it til it was no longer existent and relevant in his eyes.
. . .
“___! You’re here! And…Jungkook too?” Hoseok gave you a confused glance.
“He had nothing better to do and he said he missed Yoongi so I had no choice but to drag him.” You whispered through your teeth. Hoseok nodded understandably.
Hoseok’s apartment was surprisingly packed. You didn’t realize how many friends he and Yoongi collectively shared. It was around 30 people together inside their large studio apartment.
You and Jungkook had pregamed together before heading out to Hoseok’s. You both took three shots of soju together and made small conversation before leaving. You were feeling happily buzzed right now.
“Let’s take a shot together, my love.” Hoseok handed you a small plastic shot glass of a mysteriously pungent clear liquid. “What is this? It smells so strong.” You scrunched your nose. “Tequila. Don Julio Blanco.” He smiled at you mischievously.
“Oh, you want me fucked up tonight.” You chuckled at him. You both clinked your cups together and tossed the hot liquor down your poor throats and poor liver.
“I’m thankful for our friendship, ___. We only met a few months ago but you’re already one of the most important people in my life. I love you.” Hoseok pulled you into a tight embrace. “I love you too, Hobi. Thank you for being my friend. To another year of friendship.”
Hoseok kissed your temple and leaned down to whisper against your ear. “I have something to tell you but I’m afraid you’re going to kill me.”
You chuckled and leaned into his ears. “Nothing you can do could possibly make me hate you.” You began to mentally prepare yourself for whatever he was going to tell you.
“Promise?”
“Depends on what it is.” You smirked. “Namjoon is here.”
Your smile dropped instantly. How the fuck is he here? “How the fuck is he-”
“Some of Yoongi’s friends spread the word to him and next thing I know, he’s here with them.”
You groaned out of annoyance and stress. “Fuck me.” You sighed.
“I just wanted to let you know in case you run into him.” Hoseok gave you a sympathetic glare. “Thanks, I guess. I mean, I wasn’t really into him like that either way, it’s just going to be so awkward if I was to run into him after he just randomly ghosted me. I don’t know what I’d even say to him.”
“You don’t owe him an explanation. He does. So, don’t feel obliged to make conversation if you do happen to run into him. Just stick by me and Yoongi’s side the entire night, we’ll look out for you.” Hoseok reassures you.
You nod in agreement. “I’m gonna go greet my friends that just walked in, give me a second, okay?” Hoseok patted reassuringly on your shoulder and walked past to greet his newly arrived guests.
You sighed in annoyance to yourself, not knowing what to do as you were left alone. Jungkook went off to find Yoongi. You looked around the room to see if you could spot Namjoon.
Luckily, you couldn’t see him anywhere. Hopefully, he left for the night?
It was creeping to a quarter past 11. You caught sight of Jungkook and Yoongi in the middle of a conversation. You didn’t know how to distract yourself by looking all lonely so you reached your phone and randomly scrolled through different apps.
After a few minutes of doing so, you decided to go to the cooler and search for a drink to emotionally rely on for the time being. As you were searching, you reached for a Wild Basin Mango Mai Tai seltzer. Your hands were grabbing to the can until another hand suddenly reached over the same seltzer can.
You looked up and were unfortunately met with the sight of Namjoon.
“Great.” You mumble to yourself.
“Hey, ___! Nice seeing you here.” Namjoon chuckled nervously. You flashed him a fake smile and instantly stopped reaching for the drink. “H-How have you been?” Namjoon attempted to make conversation with you. You couldn’t help but to scoff and roll your eyes at him. You tried to walk away from him but he chased after you.
“___, wait please. I can explain, okay?”
Namjoon led you to a quiet corner and placed your back against the wall. “Seriously, I can explain.” He pleaded.
“I don’t think I want to hear your excuses tonight, Namjoon.” You tried to walk away but Namjoon gently stopped you. “Seriously, give me just a minute of your time to explain. I promise to leave you alone after.” You held his right hand up, as if he was genuinely swearing to do so.
“You have five minutes.” You crossed your arms.
He breathed out and scratched his neck. “Well, I don’t really know how else to explain it but…I swear I was serious when I asked you out on that date. I had true genuine intentions. I was really into you that night we met but…I was sort of blackmailed to not go on that date with you?” He admitted.
Your heart sunk at that. “I’m sorry?” You asked in disbelief. Namjoon nodded understandably. “I know how crazy that fucking sounds but I swear, I was told to not go on that date with you from a friend of mine. He said he would make the date wouldn’t happen under any circumstance. And he’s a pretty scary guy so I just did what he told me. I know I should’ve told you this as soon as he threatened me but he said not to tell you and … now here we are.”
Namjoon looked genuinely sincere. He had a worried expression mirroring his eyes. He wasn’t avoiding eye contact with you or anything that expressed that he could be possibly lying. You could sense in your gut that he was telling the truth.
“Who told you not to go on that date with me?” You asked.
“___, I wish I could tell you but I can-”
“If you want me to forgive you, tell me who told you, please. Please Namjoon.” You begged.
He remained silent for a moment, obviously mentally debating whether he should confess or not.
“Promise you won’t confront him about it? I feel like he had good intentions with the blackmailing, I genuinely trust that he must’ve had a good reason to do so. Don’t confront him, please.” He pleaded.
You nodded in agreement. “I promise.”
Namjoon sighed, to prepare himself. “It was Jimin.”
You gape your mouth wide open. “J-Jimin? Are you serious?”
Namjoon reached his hands into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He went into his text messages and shoved his phone in front of your face. “Read the texts.”
Jimin: Joon, you busy?
Namjoon: Nah, not really. What’s up?
Jimin: Meet me in front of your apartment in ten minutes. got a huge favor to ask you
“He came over to ask me to not show up to our date. He said it was important and didn’t give a clear enough reason as to why. He just kept emphasizing how important it was and that he would eventually explain why but he never did. I swear to you, ___. I seriously didn’t mean to ghost you like that.” Namjoon explained.
You took a moment to absorb everything. As expected, you had thousands of questions running through your mind: Why would Jimin want your date with Namjoon to not happen? Why would he set you two up together to only make him ghost on you like that? Why would he comfort you as if he wasn’t the reason as to why the date never happened. Why would Jimin do that?
You grew to be extremely irritated. You didn’t want to bring this negative energy into the new year. This was a problem for next year you to handle. Tonight, you wanted to just enjoy yourself.
“Thank you for telling me this, Namjoon. Seriously.” You smiled. He returned the grin at you. “You don’t hate me, right?”
You chuckle at him. “Not anymore.” The two of you chuckle together. “Let’s go back to where everyone is.” You suggested. You pulled on his arm, making him be dragged from behind.
Jungkook caught sight of you pulling Namjoon back to the crowd and immediately felt himself grow to be confused. “Is that Namjoon?” Jungkook asked Yoongi. Yoongi swiveled his head to check out the direction Jungkook was facing. He saw you and Namjoon in the middle of the conversation, drinking seltzers together.
“Yeah, some of my friends brought him along. I guess the frat king had nothing better to do tonight.” Yoongi turned his attention back to Jungkook. He was still eyeing you and Namjoon down. Yoongi knew that Namjoon had randomly ghosted you the day of the date and knew that Jungkook would naturally be feeling slightly overprotective over you. Yoongi knew that despite Jungkook’s cold exterior towards you, you held a soft spot in him. He could tell by the Jungkook’s eyes softened whenever he was around you, the way his defensive avoidant traits have diminished and how he’s become more open and welcoming to allow you in his trusted circle.
“You’re not going to get drunk and shit on her again, right?” Yoongi teased. Jungkook chuckled and swirled his tongue around his inner cheek. “Nah, not anymore. We’re…she’s a friend to me now. I don’t do that to my friends.” Jungkook said, shyly.
Yoongi felt proud of Jungkook. He can see how Jungkook is shifting away from his angsty teenage self and is trying to transition into an emotionally composed man.
It was now five minutes until the New Year countdown. Hoseok had passed out hats, glasses, and glasses of champagne to everyone. After passing everything, he walked over to you and Namjoon. “Nice to meet you again.” Hoseok flashed him his best fake-smile.
Namjoon obliviously smiled at him back and waved at him. “You too! Thanks for hosting this party.” He gave him a curt nod. Hoseok smiled again and nodded. “Of course, thank you for coming! Make sure you get your New Year’s kiss for good luck!” Unbeknownst to Namjoon, Hoseok lightly pinched your elbow, causing you to yelp. You gave him a death glare but he didn’t bother to give you a glance. “I’m going to look for my New Year's kiss partner. See you next year!” He joked, giving you a quick wink before disappearing into the crowd.
You glanced at Namjoon and nervously chuckled. “That’s Hoseok, by the way, if you didn’t know. He’s one of my best friends.” Namjoon nodded. “Of course, I remember him from the Halloween party. He’s Yoongi’s boyfriend or something like that, right?”
“Yeah, he is.”
There was a slight uncomfortable silence between the two of you. All of a sudden, the room was filled with countdown chants.
“Ten, nine, eight, seven…,”
“___?” Namjoon faced you. You looked up at him. “Yes?”
“Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year’s!”
He looked down to your lips and his eyes were asking for permission to kiss you. You didn’t know if it was the alcohol hitting your system all at once or if it was the fact that you had forgiven him for what he did but you decided to not give a fuck and not make the kiss a big deal.
You gave him a single nod and he immediately bent down to plant a gentle and soft kiss on your lips.
It was a sweet kiss. He didn’t try to barge his tongue down your throat nor did he try to slobber your face full of his saliva.
You hummed in pleasure and kissed him back, cupping one of your hands onto his face. Namjoon breaks the kiss after a few moments and flashes a soft smile at you. “That was nice.” His eyes turned into crescents.
You giggled and nodded in agreement. “It was. Happy New Year’s, Namjoon.” You held your champagne glass up to clink with his. “Happy New Year’s, ___.” You felt the need to clarify your intention of the kiss. “That was just a friendly kiss, right? Just so that you could get good luck this year?”
Namjoon’s grin grew wider and nodded. “Yeah, just a friendly kiss.” He understood why you asked the question and felt the same way about you; just friends.
. . .
It was the next morning. The first morning of the new year. You were awake at 7 in the morning with Jungkook. You were slightly hungover but luckily you had remembered to take Tylenol and drink water when you had arrived home at two in the morning.
Taehyung and Jimin would be arriving home in an hour and Jungkook had asked you to help freshen up the apartment with him. Strangely, Jungkook had barely said a word to you all morning. Just a gruff “good morning”.
“What’s gonna be your excuse when they see you home already? You gonna say you came home last night or something?” You asked, as you were fluffing the couch pillows. Jungkook shrugged. “I guess so. I got nothing else to come up with. I’ll say I came home right before midnight.”
“Yeah, that’s smart.” You nodded.
Jungkook continued to sweep the floor in silence. You could sense that something was up with him. He was avoiding eye-contact with you and you felt as if he was purposely physically distancing himself from you. “You okay? Hungover or something?” You asked.
Jungkook snorted at that. “You forget that I have a way higher tolerance than you, ___.” “Right, I completely forgot you’re the king of alcohol, my bad.” You rolled your eyes.
Jungkook was starting to feel bad that he was being moody with his hot and cold emotions towards you. He didn’t want to continue his toxic habit of giving you the cold shoulder and taking his feelings out on you. He wanted to try and actually treat you like the friend you are to him.
“Are you back together with Namjoon?” He finally decides to ask. You swivel your head to his direction and feel yourself become speechless.
“I saw you with him last night. You guys seemed friendly.” He continued to say, without looking at you as he swept the floor.
You mentally debated with yourself. Did he deserve to know or care? He wasn’t even that close with Namjoon. Did he see you two share the kiss?
“He found me at the party and asked me to hear his explanation as to why he ghosted me. I decided to forgive him.”
Jungkook nodded, still feeling unsure. He wasn’t sure if he was okay with you surrounding yourself with people like Namjoon, from the perspective of a friend and the perspective of a man who knows how other men operate.
“Well, what was the reason?” He asked. You instantly got reminded of the fact that Jimin was behind the reason as to why he flaked on the date.
You felt your face turn pale and cold from the anxiety and confusion. You still can’t pinpoint on why Jimin would go out of his way to sabotage a situation that he encouraged to start in the first place? Did Jimin have bad intentions against you? You didn’t know if you should confess to Jungkook and if you did, would he even believe you? Would he gaslight you and claim that Namjoon was making it up and that you were being too gullible? However, you felt that if anyone would truly understand where Jimin was coming from, it would be either Jungkook or Taehyung.
“It’s gonna sound crazy…like really fucking crazy. But he explained to me that he was told by Jimin to not go on that date with me.”
Jungkook shared a similar wave of confusion wash over his face. His eyebrows furrowed furiously with his pink and plush lips gaped open slightly. “Yeah, weird right? I can’t pinpoint a single fucking reason as to why Jimin would go out of his way to do that. I can’t think of anything that's valid enough to hijack a date that he knew I was looking forward to. Especially since he was the one who got us to get to know each other at the Halloween party.”
Jungkook agreed with you. He couldn’t think of anything as well. “Just ignore it, ___. I’m sure Jimin did it for an urgent reason. Forget I even asked about it.” He tried to reassure you. His eyes darted over the clock that was placed on the wall, hinting that Jimin and Taehyung’s arrival is coming near; about less than thirty minutes from now.
“But–,”
“If I hear anything from Jimin’s perspective, I’ll be sure to let you know, okay? I think the place looks clean enough. Thanks for helping.” He gives you a forced smile and nods curtly.
You decide to go along with Jungkook’s suggestion for the time being. You could tell that Jungkook is trying to avoid the topic. He had a cloud of tense aura surrounding him. After being acquainted with Jungkook for some time now, you knew when and when not to press his buttons.
“Alright…just text me when the boy’s arrive. I’m gonna go shower real quick.” You leave before he could respond.
Jungkook sits on one of the reclining chairs and simply stares at the wall. He gets lost into his thoughts about possible reasons as to why Jimin would sabotage your date. He has this uncomfortable feeling brewing in his gut. It was as if Jungkook’s gut knew the answer but he mentally could not pinpoint it for the life of him. He didn’t like how much he was bothered by this new information.
Jungkook let out a heavy breath and felt conflicted with himself. He knew that he wanted to intervene but also he knew that he shouldn’t. Nothing in this situation required his immediate attention at all. But something in him compelled his need for action. He needed to know and he needed to know now. He needed to help you get closure for this. Thirty minutes suddenly felt like thirty hours. The seconds were going agonizingly slow.
“What’s up, Kook?” He heard his brother’s voice through the speaker of his phone. “Huh?” He said.
“You…you just called me?” Taehyung said, with confusion laced in his tone. Jungkook was in his head about this that he didn’t realize he had unconsciously called Taehyng just to see how far away he was from home.
“Right, s-sorry. I must’ve butt-dialed you.” Jungkook hung up immediately. He felt pathetic. He felt as if he was beginning to go crazy with the way he was so pressed about this. Jungkook decided to go and cook a quick breakfast to welcome Jimin and Taehyung in order to distract himself and to make time go by faster.
During the cook prep and the actual cooking time, thoughts and possible explanations as to why Jimin would force Namjoon to ditch the date plagued his mind: Did Jimin suddenly find out something was wrong with Namjoon? Was he toxic? Did he have an infamous cheating history? Was he protecting you from something? Something so serious that he had to stop the date from happening?
His blabbering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. He was welcomed to the sight of Jimin and Taehyung stumbling inside the apartment with their heavy luggages.
“Kook?” Jimin grinned. He jumped into his arms and embraced him tightly. “Kook, what are you doing here!” Jimin placed his hands onto his shoulder and pulled him back into another embrace.
“We thought you weren’t gonna be back until tomorrow?” Taehyung didn’t look as shocked as Jimin. He appeared to be genuinely confused and in utter shock.
“Well, I-”
The sound of your squeal interrupted Jungkook’s explanation. “You guys are back!” You jumped into Taehyung’s arms, launching him enough for him to almost fall backwards. “What a nice welcome.” Taehyung chuckled, wrapping his arms around your waist. He felt his heart soaring at the fact that you immediately ran to him first and welcomed him in such a wholesome way.
Jimin chuckled to himself at the sight and shook his head. “Where’s my hug?” He fake-pouted. You pulled yourself away from Taehyung’s embrace and pulled into Jimin’s arms, a bit hesitant. Jimin didn’t sense your reluctant energy that was obviously oozing out—at least in Jungkook’s perspective.
“I’ve missed you too, Jimin!” You smiled at him. Jimin ruffled your semi-wet hair and pulled you back into a side hug. “Tell me everything. Tell me how your entire week has been without us three.”
You nervously darted your eyes towards Jungkook for a second before clearing your throat. “It was great, y’know? Got some real needed alone time and spent Christmas and New Year’s with Hoseok, as you already know. Other than that, I had a good time. I’ve missed you guys like crazy.” You tried to steer the conversation away from your so-called “alone time”.
Jimin turned his attention back to Jungkook. “Right, we completely forgot to continue our conversation. When did you come home? Like Tae said, we thought you weren’t gonna be back til at least tomorrow?” Jungkook wasn’t nervous nor was he scared to lie to them.
“I came home last night around 9-ish. Yeri’s family went to celebrate the New Year’s with family in the area so I decided to come home that same night.” Jungkook said. He darted his eyes between Jimin and Taehyung to see if they believed a single thing he said. Jimin was nodding his head, as if he didn't doubt him.
When Jungkook moved his eyes to Taehyung, he seemed bothered. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his eyes were a chilling almost-black color. “So did you spend New Year’s with Yeri’s other family as well?” Taehyung asked.
Jungkook paused. He didn’t bother to look at you because he knew that you were already looking at him, eagerly seeing what he would say. Would he tell the truth or would he lie again?
“No, I spent New Year’s with ___.” He said.
There was a brief silence between the brothers. It was a silence that only the two of them could feel. As if they were the only ones who could feel the sudden tension brewing between them.
Jimin could tell that Taehyung was bothered at the fact that you and Jungkook spent the night together unknowingly. He didn’t really get why Taehyung would feel bothered at that since everyone knows that you and Jungkook would never get along no matter what, right? Assumingly, the night was spent with unstoppable bickering and negative tension.
“You didn’t spend it with Yeri?” Taehyung asked again. Jungkook shook his head. “She wanted to spend it with family and well, I…wanted to accompany ____.” He said. Taehyung’s Adam-apple bobbed up and down.
“Right,” He started off. “I’m glad you kept each other company.” Taehyung looked between you and Jungkook and reached for his luggage. “Breakfast smells amazing, Kook. I’m gonna go settle my things in my room and come back out to eat.” Taehyung rolled his luggage away from the kitchen and headed towards his bedroom.
You could tell that something was off with Taehyung. His entire mood did a whole 180. “Let’s eat, guys.” You suggested, to ease the tension that was beginning to affect you and Jimin as well.
The breakfast between the four quickly aided to resume the usual comfortable vibe with everyone. Jimin and Taehyung filled you and Jungkook in on how their week went in more detail. Their Christmas and New Year’s went by smoothly, they talked about the horrendous bruise that Taehyung got from straining his calves during a pilates session with Jungkook’s mother, how Jimin got along surprisingly well with Taehyung’s father’s golfing buddies, and all the girl’s numbers that Jimin and Taehyung received from their secret nights out clubbing. You shared in every detail how you spent your week except you left out the minor fact that Jungkook had been with you throughout all of those events: the wine nights, the holiday market stroll, watching Christmas movies till you knocked out, et cetera. Jungkook was with you throughout all of that.
The recollection of all those memories as you were sharing them made you unconsciously smile from ear to ear as you blabbered on. You didn’t realize how nice it was to have had Jungkook’s presence with you the entire time. In fact, it made you feel as if you got to know him better in a more intimate and vulnerable way. You were able to fully get along and connect as people, as roommates, as friends. You no longer view Jungkook as the handsome stranger that you just randomly harbored a crush on for years. You knew him as your anti-social yet dorky and nerdy roommate who lived in the bedroom next to yours that had a great taste in music, is a phenomenal cook, a person who loves to provide acts of service for those he cares about, is a genuinely intelligent person when it comes to the books but not so smart when it comes to real-life and its complex problems and people. All of that and more made you start to love Jungkook not in a romantic way but as a person. As a friend.
Breakfast wrapped up nicely, with Taehyung claiming that he needed to take a nap or else “he would die”. You decided to go back into your bedroom and catch up on your current read of the month. “Do you guys need help cleaning?” You asked Jimin and Jungkook. “We’re all good here, ___. Thanks for asking.” Jimin smiled softly at you. You returned the smile, ignoring the slight discomfort as you made eye-contact with him.
After breakfast, Jungkook had volunteered to help Jimin clean up. He decided that this would be the best way to corner Jimin and get him to spill the truth as to why he sabotaged your date with Namjoon. He tried his best to just not give a single fuck about this but he truly couldn’t. Something was gnawing at his gut to fulfill the need to know what happened.
The two were at the sink; Jimin was washing and Jungkook was drying.
“So, did you enjoy your stay with Yeri and her family?” Jimin asked. Jungkook nodded. “It was alright.” He said.
“Do you see yourself getting serious with her? Like full commitment?” Jimin looked at him, giving him a cheeky grin. Jungkook snorted at that. “Slow down there. I don’t even take myself seriously, what makes you think I’ll take someone else seriously?” Jimin chuckled at him. “It wouldn’t kill you if you actually had feelings for someone, Kook. It’s okay to allow yourself to feel sometimes.”
Jungkook ignored him. “How are things going with you?” Jungkook changed the subject. Jimin chuckled again, aware that Jungkook was purposely avoiding the topic. “I’ve been okay. Going back to Busan made me realize how confident I am in my decision to drop school and move in with you guys for the time being. Busan is not for me right now.” Jungkook nodded understandably. “I know we’ve said this a million times but you can stay for as long as you’d like. We love having you here.” Jungkook said. Jimin smiled at that.
Jungkook was having trouble coming up with a way to nonchalantly bring up the topic. “How was the New Year’s party? Did you hang with Yoongi the entire night?” Jimin asked. Jungkook mentally thanked Jimin for bringing up the party as it can lead to the perfect segway to mention Namjoon’s appearance at the party.
“I did, actually. You know me too well. Yoongi’s my only friend.” Jungkook fake-chuckled. “Did ___ have a good time? At least from what you saw?” Jungkook’s immediate thought was the memory of you and Namjoon in conversation.
“I think so. She was with Hoseok and his friends the whole night,” He started off. He decided it was a good time to mention Namjoon now. “I saw her with Kim Namjoon too.” He finally said.
Jimin stopped washing a cup that was in his hand. He paused for a second but remained avoiding eye-contact with Jungkook. “Namjoon was there?” He asked.
“Yeah, I guess word spread real fast about Yoongi’s and Hoseok’s party.”
Jimin nodded slowly. He didn’t know what to say. “___ and Namjoon were talking?” He asked again.
“Yes. It was an odd sight to see. From what I remember, Namjoon ghosted her after a planned date, right? At least that’s what Taehyung told me. He told me not to mention Namjoon in front of ____ anymore out of concern that it would bother her.” Jungkook continued.
Jimin managed to look at Jungkook. “Uh, yeah, he did ghost her.”
Jungkook was debating whether or not to bite the bullet. “Huh,” He said.
“Do you happen to know why he would do such a thing?” He finally asked. Jimin’s face turned slightly pale. If there was one thing Jungkook knew about Jimin after a decade of friendship, it was that Jimin was a terrible liar, especially under pressure. He breaks easily.
“I have no idea. That’s something Tae and I have been wondering too.” He stuttered slightly. Jimin’s sudden change in demeanor confirmed to Jungkook that Jimin for sure had something to do with the sudden ghosting of Namjoon. Namjoon wasn’t lying to you after all.
Jungkook suddenly felt confident enough to continue pressuring Jimin into telling him the truth now that Jimin was vulnerable enough to crack.
“Huh. That’s weird.” Jungkook was fake-pondering. Jimin shared a confused glare. “What do you mean?”
Jungkook shrugged. “I mean, I heard something weird from ___, that’s all.” Jimin turned even paler. The water from the faucet was still running and Jimin was holding the same mug from earlier in his hands.
“What did she say?” Jimin asked, with his voice getting low. Jungkook confidently gave Jimin a firm stare. His eyes darkening and his amused mood from earlier was dispersing into a somber glare.
“That you told Namjoon not to go on the date.”
Jimin remained silent. His silence confirmed it all.
He remained speechless for another moment before suddenly turning off the sink. His wet hands gripped onto Jungkook’s wrist and he pulled him to the front door. “Let’s take this outside.” He muttered under his breath.
He dragged him outside of the apartment before softly shutting the door. Jungkook wasn’t scared nor confused. He was eager to hear what Jimin had to say.
“Explain exactly what she said.” Jimin looked afraid and helpless. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were gleaming with fear and anxiety.
Jungkook sighed. “According to ___, Namjoon approached her at the party and apologized for not going on the date. He blamed it on you. ___ told me that Namjoon told her it was your doing as to why she got ghosted.” Jungkook explained.
Jimin ran his sweaty fingers through his hair. “Listen, Kook. I have a good reason as to why I did that. I didn’t do it out of malicious intent towards ____ whatsoever. But I can’t tell you nor can ___ know too. I really can’t.” Jimin pleaded.
Jungkook shook his head. “Look, I know ___ and I aren’t the bestest of friends but I can feel how confused, shocked, and hurt she is. Imagine finding out that one of her good friends was behind the reason as to why her date got ruined. Especially by the same friend that set her up with the guy in the first place.” Jungkook reasoned. “I don’t know if you noticed but ____ has been a bit distant from you ever since you came back home. I don’t want either of us to live in this kind of uncomfortable environment.” Jungkook continued.
Jimin took a moment to absorb everything Jungkook said. He felt extremely conflicted between doing what he should or shouldn’t do.
“Do you know if Namjoon told her anything else?” Jimin asked. Jungkook scoffed. “Is that all you care about?”
“Just tell me, Jungkook.” Jimin snapped.
After a moment, Jungkook shook his head. “That’s all she and I know.”
Jimin placed his hands onto Jungkook’s shoulders. “Listen to me Kook. What I’m about to tell you, you have to swear and promise me that you are not going to tell a single soul about this, okay?”
Jungkook was suddenly nervous. He didn’t know exactly how to prepare himself for the information he was about to receive.
“I want to promise that but it really depends on what it is, Jimin. If I think it’s something ___ should know about then I’ll tell her.”
Jimin shook his head. “I swear to you that this is something that ___ shouldn’t know about. At least for now.”
Jungkook cocked his head to the side, out of confusion. “What is it, Jimin?”
Jimin continued to mentally debate with himself for another minute or so. He kept running his fingers through his hair and letting out exasperated sighs over and over again.
“No one else knows this, okay? Not even Namjoon,” He starts off. Jungkook was listening patiently.
“I…I told him not to go on that date because of Taehyung.” Jimin says. Jungkook’s entire stomach dropped. “What do you mea-”
“Because… of Taehyung.” He repeats. “Because Taehyung likes ___.”
Jungkook felt as if he had dissociated from reality for a second. Was this real? Was what Jimin said real? Was he in a dream? “What?” Was all he could bring himself to say.
“Taehyung is in love with ___.”
#bts#jungkook#jungkook smut#hoseok666#jin#hoseok#jhope#bangtan boys#namjoon#twice bios#jeongguk x reader#jeongguk#jeon jungkook#kim taehyung#taehyung#taehyung drabbles#taehyung scenarios#jungkook y/n#jungkook scenarios#bts masterlist#bts gif#bts smut#park jimin#bts jimin#kim namjoon#seokjin#bangtan#kim seokjin#jin scenarios#min yoongi
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night walks masterlist
Updated: 3/10/24 (art)
mood board by @milla-frenchy 🖤
This is an AU moreso than a series. Very little plot. Joel, an older neighbor you've been walking with late at night, asks you into his basement to sell him weed. Turns out he's a little obsessed with you. You find him irresistible, despite your initial efforts to stay away.
OVERALL WARNINGS: Non-outbreak AU, drug use, Dubcon, unsafe P in V, dirty talk, stalking
LATEST: Beach Walks
gif by @iamasaddie. see bottom of post for more art
reader curated spotify playlist
MAIN TIMELINE
NIGHT WALKS (2k) - ORIGINAL. Joel gets you in his basement and you fuck.
"Deleted Scene" - Joel reveals his breeding kink.
Night Walks 2 (1.9k) - When you don't come back for more, Joel takes matters into his own hands.
Night Walks 3 (1.4k) - Joel breaks in and has his way with you. (Darkest)
Liquor store run-in (350) - You run into Joel in public and he gropes you.
Night Walks 4: All dressed up (1.3k) - You run into Joel at a gas station and end up fucking him.
Restaurant drabble (400) - You run into Joel when you're out with your friends.
Night Walks 5: Harder (2.8k) - You get jealous. You hang out and can't get enough of him.
BLOW (2k) - You do a line of his dick then give him an amazing blow job and later he puts it in.
Night Walks 6: Morning After (900) - You wake up at Joel's and he's not ready for you to leave.
Night Walks 7: Soaked (3.5k) - You're still there and it's storming so you stay for a while.
Night Walks 8: Menace (4k) - You're set up on a date, but Joel reminds you why you want him.
Interludes: 4th of July (200?) - You go to the pool. POV: Neighbor (Ethyl).
Night Walks 9: Late Night Dip (2.3k) - You go to the pool and he dicks you down. Interlude: ✨Ethyl's house.
Beach walks - Prequel (3.8k) - Joel is acting shady and you hook up with someone else.
Beach Walks (7k) - Joel can't let you go. ✨surf shack lore
HCs, ALTERNATE READERS & TIMELINES ⤵️
Headcanons
NSFW Alphabet - Various HCs in a standard format.
Pregnancy - How would he react to pregnancy?
If someone refused him - What would Joel do if someone flat-out refused him and really didn't want it?
Alt. timelines (AUs of AU)
PREQUEL: Night Gawks: Before Night Walks (450) -. Joel notices you as soon as you move into the neighborhood and jacks off.
FUTURE: Sleeping beauty (750) - You and Joel have a consensual non-con agreement. He breaks in, chloroforms you, ties you up.
FUTURE: Day walks (150) - You and Joel are out hiking and he's being irresponsible.
night caulks (100) - Joel being a rascal
ALT: Leopard print (4.5k)- ft. Tommy
DIFFERENT READERS (AUs of AU)
(2003) Night Chalks (400) - Joel takes a liking to Sarah's engaged teacher and starts to seduce her.
Night Chalks 2 (380) - Joel gets her in the back seat of his car.
(2008) Night Talks (2.8k) - Joel gets Sarah's best friend high and takes her virginity.
(2018) Night Drives (1k) - You order a lyft after a girl's night out and end up in Joel's basement.
Misc: If you're desperate: Dr. Rock has NW roleplay (1st person)
NIGHT WALKS GHOSTFACE
Every inch
Every inch 2
Every inch 3
main joel miller masterlist
Art & Visuals
TRAILER (video) by @iamasaddie
POV Ring doorbell by @swedishscumfuck.
Joel on vacation w/ blurb.
Man cave/basement floor plan
Booty text by @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog and @missannwinchester
meet me in the moonlight by @iamasaddie
mood board by @milla-frenchy
gif by @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog
Pumpkin mood board
beach walks collages by @lunitawrites
nw collage by @selfproclaimed-moviecritic
beach walks by @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog
sleeping beauty by @milla-frenchy
✨night walks vibes by @xdaddysprincessxx
#joel miller x reader#night walks!joel#joel miller smut#creepy!joel miller#dark!joel miller#neighbor!joel miller#toxicanonymity ☠️#pedro pascal fic#joel miller masterlist#toxic masterlist#nightwalks☠️#tw flickering#💝
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Unexpected Part 2
Pairing: Rafe Cameron X Reader
Summary: You and your friends blow off some steam at the boneyard but a certain Kook seems to be all you can think about.
Chapter Warning: JJ is kind of a douche, Angst, fluff.
Not beta read we die like men
WC: 2,018
OBX Masterlist - Series Masterlist
The first thing you noticed as you slowly reached consciousness was that someone was gently shaking you and calling your name. The second was the feeling of sand and salt air blowing directly in your face and a chill from a breeze that reminded you that you had apparently fallen asleep outside. When you groaned as you stretched, the voice that had been calling your name had you snapping your eyes open as you abruptly sat up. Rafe laughed at you, "Oh, good sleeping beauty is awake.” He slapped your leg with the back of his hand. “Let’s go. The sun is coming up. I’ll give you a ride home.” Without waiting for an answer, he started off towards where he left his truck. Last night came flooding back to you as you watched his retreating form, and you quickly scrambled up to follow him, not wanting to have to walk or skate back to your house.
Crawling into Rafe’s truck, you are once again surrounded by his woodsy scent, and it makes you feel kind of lightheaded. You toss your board into the backseat and lean your head against the window, watching the sun rise as Rafe slowly makes his way to your house. You can’t help but notice how the rays from the morning sun reflect across his face, highlighting his sharp features. You get so lost tracing the contours of his face with your eyes that it takes you a moment to realize that he has caught you staring. Warmth quickly spreads across your face as you avert your eyes and quickly look out the window. You hear Rafe let out a quiet chuckle, and you brace yourself to be called out for staring at him like some kind of crazy person, but it never comes. When you realize he isn’t going to make fun of you or call you out, you feel yourself start to relax. As Rafe pulls up to your house, you break the comfortable silence. “Thanks for distracting me last night. I know you weren’t planning on dealing with my pathetic problems or sleeping on the beach.” Rafe glanced at you as he slowed the truck to a stop. “To be fair, I tried to wake you up, but you weren’t budging. What was I supposed to do? Leave you alone on the beach.” You laughed as you exited the truck and made your way to the front door of your empty house. Rafe rolled his window down and yelled out to you as he started driving away. “I’ll see you around, Sunshine!” A smile found its way onto your face as you made your way inside and slipped into the shower.
The next few days were crazy with work. Thank God you lived three blocks from the shop. You loved your job, especially getting to teach little kids how to surf, but having to deal with annoying tourons trying to hit on you while you were just trying to do your job was getting on your last nerve. You stumbled into your house after finishing your shift and made your way to the shower. After washing your hair and the sand from your body, you pulled Rafe’s hoodie on with a pair of shorts and crawled into bed. It still smelled like him, and if anyone asked, you would absolutely deny it, but you couldn’t stop thinking about him. You wanted to find a way to thank Rafe for listening to you whine about your problems and giving you a distraction the other day, so you decided to make him a bracelet.
You had made bracelets for all of your friends over the years, and you made the majority of the bracelets that you wore every day. You figured he would probably laugh and throw it away, but it would make you feel better knowing you gave him something, and money was tight, so you pulled out some blue string and started forming a bracelet. You attached a sunshine charm to it just to make a jab at the nickname he had for you, and once it was finished, you attached it to your other bracelets so you wouldn’t lose it and you would be sure to have it on you the next time you ran into him.
You must have dosed off because you woke up to your phone ringing. Blindly, you reached for your phone and answered it, hearing John B on the other end of the line. “Y/N/N! We’ve been trying to get ahold of you all day. Are you still coming over to pregame the bonfire?” You quickly scrambled off your bed. “Shit! I’m on my way.” John B chuckled at you as he hung up. You quickly ran a brush through your hair and applied minimal makeup. You went back into your room to grab your skateboard, but quickly realized it wasn’t in its usual spot. You made your way downstairs to the living room to see if you left it by the front door, but quickly realized that you must have left it in Rafe’s backseat. You smacked a hand to your forehead, knowing you didn’t have a way to contact him. Cursing to yourself, you slipped your phone into your pocket as you made your way out the door to walk to the chateau.
As you were making the walk to John B’s house, your phone vibrated in your pocket. Seeing a text from an unknown number, you furrow your brows as you open it, immediately laughing as you see a short video of Rafe falling off your skateboard when he tries to stand on it. Accompanying the video is a short text. “How in the hell do you ride this thing everywhere?” You quickly text him back. “How did you get my number? I’ve been looking everywhere for that! I figured I must have left it in your truck the other day. Please don’t hurt yourself lol” As you see the chateau come into view, your phone pings with another incoming text from Rafe. "Aw, do you care if I get hurt? That’s adorable. I may or may not have stolen your number out of Sarah’s phone while she was in the shower. I figured you would like to know that I still have your board. I guess I’ll just have to see you again so I can give it back to you.” You smiled as you snapped a quick picture of yourself and sent it to him. “I would hate for you to break that pretty face on the pavement because you can't balance on a piece of wood. It’s fine, though, because I forgot to give you your sweatshirt back, so we will call it even.” You quickly receive a reply. “So what I'm hearing is that you do think I'm pretty. You can keep the sweatshirt. It looks better on you anyway.” You smile down at your phone as you feel your face get hot. You shake yourself out of it. There is no way he is actually in to you. This is probably just because he is feeling bored, and messing with you is entertaining for the moment. But part of you can’t shake the idea that maybe there is something there. You quickly tuck your phone back into your pocket as you make your way around the back of the chateau and towards the voices of your friends.
Your friends were already well on their way to tipsy as you made your way over and plopped down on Cleo’s lap, laying your legs across Pope. Cleo wrapped her arms around your waist as Sarah handed you a mixed drink, knowing you couldn’t stand the taste of beer. You fell into an easy conversation with Pope about how things at the house were going. Then Kie piped up from where she was sitting cuddled up next to JJ. “We were wondering where you’ve been. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” You chuckled, shaking your head. “I’ve been around. I've been busy with work, and I’ve just had a lot on my mind; I needed to spend some time by myself.” John B notices you becoming uncomfortable and quickly changes the subject. As you sit and laugh with your friends, you find that you don’t have any hard feelings towards Kie like you thought you would. After all, it’s not her fault that JJ obviously didn’t want you back. It was just going to take some time to get over the hurt you felt. Then, JJ’s eyes caught on the hoodie you were wearing. “Nice hoodie. Is it new?” You pulled the sleeves down over your hands as you looked to the side of JJ’s face, giving the semblance of making eye contact without actually having to. "Yeah, something like that.” JJ’s eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to ask what that meant when John B decided to cut in, announcing that it was time to head to the boneyard.
The boneyard was packed as usual. You spent some time dancing with John B and Sarah while JJ and Kie were wrapped up in each other, and Pope was talking Cleo's ear off about god knows what. After the current song ended, you made your way over near JJ and Kie and sat down in the sand. You looked around at everyone having a great time, and you couldn’t help but wonder what Rafe was doing right now. He was probably on a date or partying with Topper and Kelce. Against your better judgment, you pulled your phone out of your pocket and pulled up your text thread with Rafe. You snap a quick picture of the fire with everyone dancing in the background. “Have you even been surrounded by friends but somehow still feel completely alone?” You wait a few minutes for a response, but you start feeling like an idiot for sending the message. As you go to put your phone back in your pocket, it starts to ring. You hesitate, but swipe the screen to answer it as you quickly stand and walk away from where JJ and Kie are sitting. “Hello?” You hear loud music and voices in the background. Rafe’s voice comes through the phone. “Where are you right now?” You hesitate before answering. “I’m at the boneyard with my friends.” You wandered away from the noise to try to hear Rafe better, but all you can hear through the phone is the loud noises that are surrounding Rafe. You try to ask him where he is and why he is calling you, but the line abruptly cuts off. Frowning, you look down at your phone as you start to make your way back towards the party.
You head back to where you left your friends, but when you get there, they are nowhere to be seen. You look around, but you don’t spot any of them. Just as you decide to go find where John B parked the twinkie, you feel someone grab your hand. Startled, you whip around, swinging at whoever was grabbing you. You weren’t planning on coming face-to-face with Rafe. “God damn it, you scared the shit out of me!” Rafe dodges your swing, raising his hands in mock surrender as he chuckles at you. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, Sunshine. Where are you going?” You look around to see if you can spot your friends again. “I was looking for my friends, but I don’t know where they went. I figured I would go wait by the car until they were ready to leave.” Nodding, Rafe catches your eye. “If you want, we can get out of here. I could give you a ride home, or we could go grab some food. I distinctly remember saying something about needing to return your death trap of a skateboard next time I saw you.” Smiling, you agree. You resolutely try to ignore the butterflies that form in your stomach when Rafe grabs your hand and leads you away from the party and towards his truck.
Next
Tags: @starkeys-world @nnarellia @iluvanakinskywalker @maybankslover @hazzarules @my-fabulousness-has-arrived @fishingirl12
#rafe cameron#rafe cameron x you#rafe cameron x reader#rafe cameron smut#rafe obx#rafe x reader#rafe x you#rafe outer banks#rafe smut#rafe imagine#outerbanks rafe#rafe cameron imagine#rafe cameron fanfiction#rafe fanfic#rafe fic#rafe cameron fic#drew starkey#drew starkey x reader#drew starkey fanfiction#outerbanks smut#outerbanks imagine#outerbanks x reader#outerbanks fic#rafe cameron thoughts#rafe Cameron smut#rafe Cameron x y/n#Rafe x y/n#mine#my writing#Niko writes
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SEVEN [THE INBETWEEN] - IN LOVING MEMORY
PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader
SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[2.9k] A week after John B and Sarah were lost at sea, you and JJ navigate a new living situation and unsuccessfully avoid the inevitable grief process, leading to a private memorial as you honor a fallen brother.
WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mentions of death, grief avoidance
NOW PLAYING‧₊˚
A/N‧₊˚ I think these little 3-chapter pauses between each season are gonna be my favorite things because it focuses sooo much more on just TR and JJ <3 but this first one really focuses on their grief over John B
˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗
IT’D BEEN A WEEK SINCE JOHN B AND SARAH DISAPPEARED. Shoupe said that the department wasn’t calling the search off just yet but you knew they weren’t looking. There’d been no updates, no boats out on the water — it was as if the entire station had retired.
Metal clanked against wood as JJ set the wrench down on the work table — music playing lowly in the background as the blonde worked on your car. The two of you were in John B’s Surf Shack at The Chateau, the car halfway pulled in so JJ could work outside of the heat, but the sun was relentless. The hood was flipped up as the boy inspected and toyed with the parts — sweat dripping down his forehead from his damp strands of hair, shirt long abandoned as he stood only in a pair of army green cargo shorts and his signature worn-down, unlaced combat boots, shark tooth dangling from his neck.
“Are you gonna keep staring or do you wanna help?” JJ asked, leaning his hands on the exterior of the car, eyes squinting from the sun as he looked up at your figure that was sitting on top of the worktable, feet swinging as you watched him.
“When I tried to help, you told me to, and I quote, ‘sit my unhelpful ass down somewhere’.” You reminded the boy, cocking your head as you took a sip of the beer you’d retrieved from the house.
“Maybe because when I asked you to hand me the box end wrench and you handed me a pair of pliers?” He sassed back, standing from his leaned over position and walking closer to you, snatching up his own beer and taking a long swig.
You shrugged. “Same difference.”
“Hate to break it to you, princess, but no it's not.” JJ chuckled, leaning against the work table. His eyes drifted down to where you were scratching your ankle as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I told you like ten times to stop scratchin’ it. It ain’t gonna help.” He reprimanded, setting the beer down and taking your ankle in his hands, leveling it in front of him.
You groaned as he swatted your hand away. “But it itches, so bad.” You whined. “Probably because you did it with a needle and pen ink.” You pouted, both of you inspecting the small, scraggly ‘P4L’ tattoo on your ankle. “How come yours doesn’t itch?” You asked, referring to the matching tattoo the blonde had done on himself.
“It does.” He told you, pulling out a small thing of vaseline from his shorts and scooping some up on one of his fingers. “I’m just not a pussy.” He joked, side-eyeing you as he gently applied the jelly over the artwork.
Just then, Marley came running into the shack, almost knocking JJ off of his feet. You bursted out into a fit of laughter as the blonde steadied himself, staring down the dog. “You fuckin’ mutt…” He muttered, letting your leg swing back towards you gently.
“Hey,” You warned, plucking his arm. “Watch it, or I’ll have her piss on your pillows.”
“Yeah, yeah…” He waved off, walking out of the shack and into the afternoon sun. "I'm takin' a breather from your piece of shit on wheels. That thing needs way more than TLC..." He told you over his shoulder. You quickly hopped off the table and followed after him, whistling for Marley to follow your lead.
"Don't blame my car because you have the skills of a mechanic from Craigslist." You defended as JJ led you all the way down to the boat pier behind The Chateau, both of you sitting down on the wood, kicking off your shoes to let your toes hit the water. Marley laid down behind you two.
He chuckled lightly before you fell into silence. That’d been happening a lot lately. It wasn’t uncomfortable, though. In the week you and JJ had been learning to live together at The Chateau, you’d grown to just sit in silence with him. Quiet mornings, lazy nights. Neither of you had to speak or force a conversation — just bask in the company of one another, knowing you still had someone.
There were days like this — where things seemed almost normal, but only for a moment. But then it was as if you’d both simultaneously realize that nothing was normal and it probably never would be ever again, that realization never failed to cast a cloud over the atmosphere.
John B was gone. He wasn’t on another marathon from DCS, he wasn’t out cleaning boats to keep the lights on at The Chateau — he was just gone. And something inside of you felt so empty. Ever since you were kids, toddlers, it was always you, John B, and JJ. And even when you made each other mad or sad, you always came back together in the end.
Now, it was just the two of you. Sure, you had Kie and Pope but that was different. John B was their friend too but there was a deeper grief that they couldn’t understand. But JJ could.
“You remember, in third grade, when John B asked out that girl and she told him no ‘cause he had cooties?” JJ asked, a small smile on his features as he stared down at the water. You laughed, shaking your head.
“And when he tried to hug her she screamed and the teacher gave him a lecture about consent.” You laughed, looking up at the sun. “But maybe he needed it. I remember after, he apologized and shook her hand instead.”
“She still wouldn’t go out with him, though.”
“You wanna know something funny?” You asked, turning to face him as he looked at you. “I ran into her when I moved to Figure Eight. She lives on the lower end now. It’s so crazy because she ended up getting chlamydia from some guy and then passed it to his best friend.”
“Holy shit.” JJ laughed loudly, his bright smile on full display. You wished to see his smile like that more often. JJ usually tried to seem happy and carefree, but it was a sight to see when it was genuine. As his laughter died out, he had a look of contemplation on his face.
You nudged his shoulder to gain his attention. “What're you thinkin' about?”
He bit the inside of his cheek for a moment, eyes scanning your face. You didn’t know what for. Then he reached into the pocket of his shorts, hand fishing around for a moment before he pulled out something — a pastel green dog collar with a heart shaped named tag. He laid the object out in his grease covered palm and extended it over for you to see.
Your eyes fleeted between the collar and his face, a look of nervousness as he avoided your eyes. Taking it from his hand to hold in both of yours, you huffed out a laugh. There were ridges on the edges, as if the fabric of the collar had been hand-cut. “...Did you make this yourself?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing.” He dismissed, scratching the back of his neck and attempting to seem nonchalant about the gesture. “I wasn't doing shit, got bored. If you, uh, if you turn it over-” You wasted no time, flipping the name tag to the other side, eyes landing first on the ‘if lost, please call…” note then drifting lower to see ‘P4L’ engraved in the metal beneath your phone number.
“Um, yeah that.” JJ finished. “It’s honestly nothing. It's fine if you think its stupid, I just figured-”
He never got to finish his nervous rambling as you pulled the boy into a hug. His arms staggered before hugging you back, going around your waist and almost pulling you into him. “Thank you.” You mumbled into his neck. "And it's not stupid. I love it." You could feel small tears leaving your eyes and making home on his sweaty skin, you just hoped he didn’t notice.
“Are you crying?” He asked, pulling back from the embrace and taking your face in his hands. “Oh, shit. Please, don’t cry.” He panicked, using his thumbs to wipe the tears from your cheeks, leaving grease trails behind in their wake, the gesture making you chuckle sadly.
You don’t know what made you cry. You hadn’t cried in a full week. “Sorry, sorry...it's just that everything is so messed up.” You sniffed. “I wish I could go back to last year. Before my dad died, before all that shit with Rafe, before my mom became someone else, before John B...” You choked out, trying to remove your face from his hands but he wouldn’t let you. “If finding the gold means losing the only people I have left one by one, then fuck it.”
“We don’t know if he’s, y'know.. they’re still looking-”
“No, they’re not.” You scoffed. “They just don’t want to tell us that. Because if they do, they know we’ll start looking for ourselves and they’ll have four more dead kids on their hands.” You doubted, struggling to hold back more tears. JJ simply used his hold on your face to pull your head into him. Something about the gesture made you burst out into sobs, muffled by his chest. Most people would find such a genuine, serious gesture from JJ Maybank odd or rare. But in all your years of knowing him, JJ understood emotions better than most people, he just lacked the ability to show them sometimes.
He was there when they found your dad’s body, all of your friends were. The police only let you through because you were his daughter but when the wind blew the tarp off of his bloated, pale body, JJ was the only one who threw all caution to the wind and ducked under the caution tape, weaved through like ten police officers and caught you before you fell to your knees in the sand.
JJ was one of the most empathetic people you knew, but he’d never cater to his own needs as much as he did for others.
“I miss him, too.” He said solemnly, taking a shaky deep breath. “Believe me, man.” He scoffed, but his voice wavered prompting you to lift your head to look up at him, sniffling. “Bree was my brother. I can’t even tell you how many times he was just there for me. He got me out of a lot of shit and I always gave him shit for it. He would always tell me he just didn’t want me to end up like my piece of shit father and I was always such a dick about it. I knew it was because he cared but I…” He sighed, wiping the stray tear that had fallen from his eye with the butt of his palm. “I just wish I had been a better friend. I know I get us into a lot of shit and I’m impulsive and-”
“You were a good friend.” You cut off his monologue of martyrdom, sitting up straighter to look at him directly, using one hand to cup the back of his neck as you spoke. “John B loved you. Yeah, he might’ve gotten a little pissed whenever you got all trigger happy-” You joked, eliciting a small laugh from JJ. “-But he always understood that’s just who you are. He always cared about you all the same. He would’ve done anything for you.”
“And now he’s…shit, he’s gone.” He sniffed, wiping under his nose as he avoided your eyes, a frown on his face. “And I don’t have anyone like that anymore.”
“You have me.” You smiled pitifully. “I may not be a six-foot, brunette male who's oddly obsessed with bandanas but I think I can fill his spot. Make it work, somehow.” You joked playfully.
JJ scoffed, shaking his head. “Nah, you have your own spot.” He told you, his blue eyes finally finding the courage to meet yours again. “No one could replace Bree. Or you. You were the two people I never wanted to lose in life. And now he’s gone and I don’t know what I’m feeling or what the fuck to do about it because I’ve never felt it before. And sure, I want to fight for him and get the gold back but now I’m scared that that might mean we lose someone else and I don't know what I’ll do if the person we lose is you.”
You shook your head, pressing your forehead against his. “You’ll never lose me. Even if I’m not here.” You reminded, fingers scratching at the hair on the nape of his neck. “And even if John B is gone gone, he’s still here. Probably telling us to grow a pair, right now.” You chuckled despondently, both of you somewhere between laughing and crying.
All of a sudden, a wet, rough tongue hit the side of both of your faces — Marley apparently feeling left out from the exchange. The action had the two of you pulling apart, shielding your faces from the attack of dog kisses. She was like a light, her typical high energy making you feel just a little less sad inside. “Alright, alright…” You said, lightly pushing the dog back as she panted and wagged her tail so fast it made her whole body wiggle.
Just then, you realized you still had JJ’s gift clutched in your palm, peering at the object before beckoning Marley to come closer and commanding her to sit. She was still panting, mouth open and tongue out as you buckled the collar around her neck, adjusting it to fit and spinning it so the heart tag sat where it was supposed to, her name engraved in JJ’s handwriting.
As soon as your hands were off of her, she turned her attention to JJ, burying her head in his lap and rolling over on her back, wanting the blonde to rub her stomach. It was like she knew he’d made it for her.
“She must like you.” You said, voice a bit scratchy now.
JJ shrugged, caressing the animal’s stomach with a small smile on his face. “I guess she’s alright.” He trailed off playfully. You admired them for a moment, the sight making your nerves settle in a way they hadn’t been able to in the last seven days.
For a moment, everything was calm. This was peace.
“Hey, JJ?” You piped up, the boy’s eyes leaving the dog as he looked at you in a questioning manner. “I know we’re waiting on Kie and Pope to actually memorialize JB but would you want to do something, just me and you? Not to leave them out or anything, I just thought we could, I don’t know, mourn him differently. He was a part of us.”
He pondered on the idea for a moment before nodding. “Yeah… yeah, I think he’d like that.”
You simply nodded in response, getting up from the dock to go into The Chateau, not even bothering to put your shoes back on. Entering the house, you looked around for something that sparked an idea on how you could honor John B. You spotted an empty glass bottle — write a note and send it out to sea? No. That didn’t seem right.
Still looking around, your eyes found two tealight candles on the coffee table, untouched and never lit. You hadn’t recalled them being there before. Picking up the two candles in one hand, you headed back outside, the sun beginning to set and casting an orange hue over the water in front of you the closer you got to JJ and Marley.
Sitting back down, you handed one of the candles to JJ. “Just something small.” You told him, the blonde taking the small candle from you and reaching into his pocket to retrieve the lighter he typically carried with him. Marley had her head in his lap, less energetic than she was just minutes prior. Her big, puppy eyes just watched the two of you light the candles as the sun got lower in the sky by the minute.
“Should we, like, say something before we let them go?” JJ asked, eyes on you.
“It’s up to you.” You shrugged. Just then, Marley got up from his lap, running through the grass and to the trees. You didn’t bother to chase her, she always came back.
JJ’s fingers of his free hand drummed on his thigh as he thought. When he finally had something, he shifted his weight and held the candle carefully in his hand. “To Bree.” He started, voice shaking. “My best friend, my brother, and the unluckiest guy I’ve ever met. I promise to not pimp your shortboard.” He said, looking at the flame swaying from side to side, before looking at you, waiting for you to say something.
Your nerves jumped a bit, not really knowing what to say. You figured something was better than nothing. “To John B. One of my greatest friends, my trauma twin, and the best DCS fugitive I’ve ever met.” You spoke, looking out at the sunset.
“Love you, man.” JJ finished, reaching his long arm down to gently set the candle on top of the water, watching it slowly drift away. You followed his lead, having to bend down a bit further to let the candle hit the water safely. Both of you sat silently, watching the two miniscule flames drift further out with the waves. You wondered how far they would make it before they went out.
Suddenly, the patter of paws came running back, Marley wedging her way between the two of you with a stick between her teeth. The dog got dangerously close to the edge of the pier you were sitting on before letting the stick drop from her jaws and hit the water, sitting down between you and JJ as she panted.
You heard about cats leaving gifts for people of significance, maybe this was her version of a candle. The action made you and JJ look at each other before laughing and hugging the dog in sync. She reveled in the attention, tail wagging ferociously.
You and your friends had a long way to go before anything would feel okay again. But just having each other was enough, right now. You couldn’t rush grief. You’d just have to let things take their course and hopefully one day, John B wouldn’t be such a sad memory.
feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.
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#jj maybank x reader#svn#jj maybank#jj mayback x reader#jj mayback imagine#jj maybank fluff#obx jj x reader#jj maybank smut#jj maybank x you#jj maybank imagine#obx jj#obx jj maybank#jj maybank fanfiction#jj maybank outer banks#jj maybank angst#SoundCloud
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CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪
(Book #1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen's Club series)
𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ plz
strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!reader
Chapter 002: Wing Man
You start your first night of work. Eddie requests a private show. But not for him; for his friend — a rich and lonely bachelor who can’t seem to get over his ex.
* = somewhat smut
** = smut
↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014**, 015, 016**, 017, 018, 019, 020
word count: 7.2k words
NSFW — lap dance, steve creaming his pants, abusive relationships, talks of trauma, steve and reader trauma dumping lol
pairing: lonely bachelor!steve x fem!exoticdancer!hargrove! reader (and lowkey eddie)
author’s note: yes we get with steve before we get with eddie, but we will get there okay??? 🫣🫣🫦 also don’t tell me you guys wouldn’t homie hop in hawkins because these men are SO FINE
tags: @changemunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n
“Let me see you dance I love to watch you dance. Take you down another level, and get you dancing with the Devil” -Wicked Games by The Weeknd
♡
A sultry black set.
A hot pink set with bows. Caribbean blue. Army green for the military men. Some cuffs. Personal wet wipes. Sanitizer. And lastly, a stethoscope to play the part.
“I can’t believe you accepted a caregiving job,” Max scoffs as you both make your way out of Scrubs 4 Less. “Do you even have healthcare experience?”
Your stepsister loved to mask her prying with carefully crafted screening questions. Even if they sounded pessimistic.
“Sure I do,” you shrug. “Remember that summer I cared for Great-Aunt Dotty when she had Parkinson’s? Figured maybe it’d be similar.”
“I guess.”
You take it upon yourself to remind Max that you are certified in CPR. And with that cert, you saved numerous people from drowning as a lifeguard. Of course that was for one year during high school, but it was experience nonetheless.
"Well, what about the heavy lifting?"
"Easy. All in the legs." you pat your thighs. Despite being calm on the outside, you are getting nervous now. About everything.
"Takes a lot of core strength too. And upper body."
It's like she knows what you actually will be going to be doing. However, there are parallels between both professions, and you made sure you made a choice like that so you wouldn't have to lie as much about the physicality of things.
"You seemed to have gotten the job pretty fast,” Max notes.
"Nursing homes are really short staffed. Especially with the pandemic and everyone leaving from all the burnout, they’ll take anybody who qualifies."
"Did they even determine if you do?"
"Are you questioning my ability to take care of people?”
You know you’re being manipulative. You can spot a manipulator from a mile away. But this little white lie is for you and Max’s own good. Even if it means selling her a fake story. Even if it means lying. Living a double life.
“An abusive home life and all-timers isn’t comparable.”
“Have you considered that some people with Alzheimer’s are combative as well?”
“And you had to accept the graveyard shift?” she pries further, ignoring all your valid points.
“It pays more,” you answer sharply, readily. “Two dollar shift differential.”
“Oh my god, we’re practically millionaires.”
The sudden change in Max's behavior is really catching you off guard. She was optimistic on her birthday. A little withdrawn when the weekend was approaching. Now the pain is evident it is almost unbearable. Sure, Billy isn't a problem anymore, but with all of his chaos, Max has found solace in using her hobbies as coping mechanisms. Her body needs that adrenaline, and now you have cut off access to all of it.
Max can't go surf. She can't run around freely just yet because she doesn't know good routes and trails. She doesn't have friends in the area besides you, Robin, and Vicky. She misses Donovan.
Max is hurt. You know she is, but you don't blame her. Still, you’ve had it.
“Hey.” you snap.
Max halts. She knows she went too far.
“I know it's sucky... the situation we're in right now," you sigh. "But I'm doing this for us, remember? It’s temporary. We just need a soft place to land, and this is paving the way towards that.”
At least that’s something you didn’t have to lie about: It’s a sacrifice you were making for her.
———————𓆩♡𓆪—————-
Orientation day comes in a blink of an eye.
Eddie is giving you a tour of Hellfire while discussing how his particular ‘system’ works. You’ve got to give him credit. His system makes sense.
“I don’t ask my girls to pay to dance here,” he explains. “I just think that’s bogus. Also, it’s Hawkins. Not that many competitors, so if I let you dance here, you’re automatically staff.”
You two walk down the hall. Eddie shows you where you would clock in and out, promising you your punch-in code by the end of the week. You learn that everyone gets paid out every Friday, because in Eddie’s words, “fuck that biweekly shit”. Tips go home with you every night, but you are expected to help tip out staff members patrons don’t really see or interact with. Therefore: Jonathan’s girlfriend Nancy whose House Mom, Henry, and Argyle. The boys make their money from bussing and serving. Jonathan earns tips from POTIONS.
“I figured as much.”
You graze your hand along the kukris on the wall as Eddie talks. He stops to take note of it and gives you a boastful smile.
“You like ‘em?”
“Yeah, they’re pretty cool.”
“That’s the perk of owning your own business,” Eddie says exuding a lazy stretch to graze the kukris himself. “You choose where the money goes, when it goes, how it goes.”
He ponders for a while longer.
“Most of the time at least.”
Clearly a majority of the money also went to the chicken wings.
Eddie leads you to back of the house where he then proudly showcases his wing menu to you. There’s the Hawkins Hot Chick for Nashville inspired hot chicken. Chicken Strippers for the picky eaters. And the ‘Hot As Cluck’ buffalo wings with spice scales named after Metallica songs: Fuel (mild), Fight Fire with Fire (medium), Creeping Death (hot), and The Unforgiven (Extremely hot). All are served with one’s choice of carrots and celery or crinkle cut fries on the side.
“Crinkle cut fries are the best kind of fries,” Eddie states. “Ain’t that right, chef?”
“Ay ay!”
One chef. For the entire back of the house. Though that seems like the textbook definition of a staff shortage, the friendly Latino man with long, black hair that he concealed with a hairnet and baseball cap most likely had it covered. He flashes you a kind grin with kind, hooded eyes to match, quite possibly revealing to you that he’s likely stoned out of his mind. But if it helps him through the shift…
“Argyle’s the man,” Eddie explains. “Pitched the chicken wing idea to me when we were both blasted.”
Suspicions confirmed.
“Is it just Argyle?” you inquire waving hello to him.
“Sometimes Eds helps out back here too,” Argyle answers for him. “Like when we’re really fucking shlammed, he’ll come back here and help cook.”
Argyle turns to you. You smile at him.
“But most of the time I got it,” he says. “That man’s got enough on his plate.”
“Yeah, Argyle’s a beast,” Eddie confirms. “Don’t know what I’d do without him.”
While Eddie tidies up back of the house, you and Argyle converse with one another. He’s 28, produces music on the side, and learned how to cook from his mom at the age of three. California native as well. By observing the mini station he has set up, you notice that Argyle keeps a stash of Yerba Mate with him at all times, and some bud in his mini gym bag. You also learn that he and Eddie often take breaks together, hot boxing one another’s vans as if it were some sort of competition. But, as Argyle had mentioned, with how much Eddie currently has on his plate, those joint breaks (no pun intended) have been pushed to the backburner.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Hargrove,” Argyle concludes. “Excited to have you on our team.”
“Likewise!” you shake his hand with a smile. “Looking forward to bugging you for chicken wings.”
“You bug me all you want, mamas,” he insists. “I’ll make you allll the chicken wings in the world.”
“You a flats girl or a drumstick girl?” Eddie questions.
“Flats,” you respond instantly.
You receive a distraught gasp from the cook while Eddie cackles.
“Atta girl,” Eddie smirks patting your back. “I knew I liked you.”
“BLAS.PHE.MY!” Argyle screams. “Drumsticks are where it’s at bro.”
The three of you argue back and forth about chicken for the next couple of minutes, Eddie sticking beside you through and through. Though play-fighting with your new coworkers seems meniscal in the grand scheme of things, you reveled in it. It’s the first time in a while you felt a sense of community outside your sister. You wanted to savor it, especially since you know that this is temporary.
“You’re a red flag, Hargrove,” Argyle jokes, clutching his chest. “You were perfect in my eyes until you said you were a flats girl.”
“Well it’s a good thing she’s mine and not yours,” Eddie jeers.
Your heart flutters. Eddie and chicken wings. You’ve GOT to be in heaven.
“Alright, word,” Argyle calls after Eddie as he pulls you away from the kitchen. “Word. I’m still gonna spoil her with food like she’s mine though.”
“He’s such a flirt,” Eddie says to you once you’re both out of earshot. “Endearing and endangering at the same time.”
“All in good nature right?”
“‘Course!” he exclaims. “We’re all about respecting women at Hellfire. Everything’s lighthearted banter.”
And you’ll revel in that too. Especially since ‘respect’ and ‘lighthearted banter’ weren’t things you were able to experience at home.
“Also!” Eddie adds. “Respectfully… Wear something simple but classy on Friday.”
“Ooh,” you chime. “Simple and classy?”
“Yeah, I’m talking neutral tones. Red lipstick also preferred but you can do whatever you want. I’ve got something I need you to do for me on your very first day.”
I’ll do anything for you, Eddie. Your intrusive thoughts are starting to take over.
———————𓆩♡𓆪—————-
It’s Friday night now and everyone is in their respective stations preparing for the rush. Argyle is prepping the fryer while Chrissy flirts with him for nachos. She waves at you with her fingers and gestures that you can have some too. You smile and mouth a, “thank you” to her.
You really like Chrissy. Of all the dancers you’ve seen so far, she is the most memorable. She is charming and sweet, soft but firm with her boundaries. She has regulars lining up for her daily, all with different types of quirks and interests. But Chrissy somehow fits all of their molds, just by how fast she can switch from doe to siren depending on her audience. You want to be just like her.
You and Eddie stop by the kitchen before heading off to finish orientation. There are chicken wings — flats only, of course — on the line waiting for you with a note scribbled on the back of an old ticket order.
“Shy Girl<3”
“Eat up, mamas,” Argyle encourages you. “Gonna need the energy for tonight.”
“Yeah!” Chrissy cheers. “It’s Fridaaay!”
You thank them before heading out with Eddie once again. Eddie steals a flat from you and flashes a thumbs up to the cook before you two leave.
“Mm,” he approves. “Fight Fire with Fire Buffalo.”
You are just about done with wrapping up orientation training and ready to start the first night on your own. That is until Mike Wheeler, Nancy’s younger brother and bus boy, comes along and interrupts Eddie’s train of thought. You walk with Eddie in silence, munching on your food while Mike relentlessly hounds him about bringing his girlfriend into the club. She is 18 but Eddie is refusing.
“But but-” Mike stammers. “The club is already eighteen plu-”
“But nothing,” Eddie interrupts. “This is Hellfire Club. Not babysitting club.”
“Well I’m 19 and you let me work here. Why does it matter if she’s 18?”
“Because you’re a dude, Wheeler,” Eddie hisses in return. “It’s different for the ladies.”
Not willing to risk any liabilities, he leaves Mike with just that. You follow Eddie, fiddling nervously with your hands as you watch him tsk and shake his head in disapproval.
“I can’t have teenage girls in here,” Eddie mutters. “That’s just blatantly obvious right? Or have I lost it?”
“No, right. Totally!” you agree.
Eddie has another rule. No strippers under the age of 20. Anyone under, including ages of 18 and 19 are children to him. He admits that he gets squeamish when guys bring their younger looking girlfriends into the club. You assume it pertained to his colleague’s girlfriends too.
You walk past the bar with Eddie, waving hi to Jonathan as you did so. Dustin is at the bar as well but is too busy to say hello. You manage to glance over and watch him fix his hair, trying to look his absolute best while FaceTiming his Mormon e-girl from Utah, Suzie. After eavesdropping for the past couple of days, you pick up that she insists on video chatting with Dustin every time he is at Hellfire to ensure his fidelity. Suzie wanted to be his “only wifey” to which ‘Dusty Bun’ assures her that she is.
“Uh oh,” comes a voice ever so soft it sounds eerie when it echoes through the club. “Someone’s in a bad mood today.”
Slithering into your periphery is the same tall, lean guy that you ran into earlier last week. Today he's sporting a white tank top that revealed a couple small tattoos scattered around his body, black pants that were tight enough to be yours, a loose wallet chain belt, and chunky work docs. His gorgeous blonde hair looks attainably messy by what you suspect is mousse. He smells of beer and cigarettes tonight, his tired eyes a precursor to his lust-filled gaze. A poster boy for all the men you wouldn’t want to bring home to your parents is none other than,
“Henry Creel,” Eddie says. “Mike’s just picking a bone with me. Have you met Hargrove? She’s our newest dancer.”
It’s seemingly Henry’s first day back. From the first day of orientation to now, you’ve only had run-ins with Jim, the older gentleman who is also a bouncer. Jim spent years with the Hawkins PD, but after a scandal that only Eddie and his peers seem to know about, Jim found a home protecting young women at the Hellfire Gentlemen’s Club. The only place that gave him a chance.
You like Jim. You like everyone here. You are also ecstatic to see Henry again, this time as a dancer. You can see the excitement blooming in his eyes, with a steady increase in his pupil size by the second.
“Well, well,” Henry smirks. “Look who decided to join us.”
You two shake hands again.
“Henry’s my other bouncer,” Eddie explains, but you already knew that. “He’s my right hand man. He’s tiny but mighty. Could snap bones in an instant.”
You peer over at Henry with shocked eyes, to which Henry acknowledges with a dramatic bow.
“You’ll see it,” Eddie hovers a hand over your back. “I sure hope not anytime soon, but there’s always that one douchebag.”
“And they always underestimate me too,” Henry says. “I get a nice kick out of it. It’s a win-win.”
Henry is certainly not beefy, but judging by his muscle tone and sharp upright demeanor, he can put up a fight. Dude seems like he does a lot of the dirty work for Eddie. He can get away with it too.
After bidding ‘see you later’ to Henry, you continue walking with Eddie.
“So,” he starts. “Did you put together a cute simple outfit for tonight?”
“Mhm,” you nod.
“Good,” Eddie says. “I can tell it’s gonna look amazing. I dig the red lipstick and the choker.”
Eddie wanted classy so you gave him classy. Underneath the cloak, you are sporting a lacy black set with a matching black choker and classic red lipstick. Your hair is straightened tonight since beach waves are your signature.
“You want a sneak peak?” you smirk.
Eddie quirks up. “Oh man, do I? Let me at it.”
You take off your cloak to reveal what you have underneath.
Eddie stops in his tracks, taking in the sight in front of him. His gaze is both soft, yet lout. Delicate in the brows, yet carnivorous in the eyes. Slowly, his jaw lowers, uttering a silent gasp as he fully processes the sight of the vixen — you — in front of him.
“Jeez…” he strains. “You look…”
You blush. Electricity whirls through you as Eddie continues to relish in your beauty.
“Showstopping,” Eddie finishes.
He reaches his arms out and you take them, letting yourself fall into his chest as he pulls you to him. During the embrace, he sets his lips beside your cheek, brushing against them delicately as he gives you a verbal kiss.
“Mwah!” he exclaims, leaving you longing for a stronger peck. You feel like you’re on a cloud when he spins you to get a full 360 of your look. “I was expecting like a light color, or pastel…but black — black is your color.”
“Yeah?” you reply. “It’s not too edgy? Choker and all?”
“A lil rough around the edges won’t hurt,” the club owner approves. “He’s gonna love it.”
You follow closely behind. “He?”
Your first client. You had a feeling that’s what Eddie had planned for you today, but reality didn’t sit in until right now.
"Ever given a lap dance before?" Eddie inquires.
"Yeah, but not in this setting."
He seems amused with your answer. Eddie smirks as he gives you a nudge. "Perfect."
You two are walking down the corridor now, down to an isolated room at the end masked by a beaded curtain. You’re unsure if the goosebumps that form on your skin is because of the slight chilliness of the club or because you were walking into a seductive hideout with the boss you had the hots for.
You two stop just a yard short of the curtain. Eddie turns to face you.
"I've got a buddy named Steve. Not short for anything, his parents just... loved the 80s." he chuckles. “You’re giving him a private show tonight. One hour.”
Eddie’s buddy. The pressure is on. The name rings a bell, you believe Dustin was talking about him the first day you set foot in Hellfire.
“Oh,” you say. “I think I heard your friend Dustin talking about him last week.”
As if it were some inside joke, Eddie sighs and rolls his eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” Eddie mutters. “Don’t even get me started on those two.”
Eddie motions you forward, extending his arm to signal an “after you” gesture as you proceed into the private show room. The beads of the curtain carelessly clash into one another as Eddie saunters in.
"Anyway, Steve has been going through it lately. His lady left him for another dude, he lost his job because the city wanted another basic coffee shop instead of a place to rent cheesy B movies…and the last time he worked in the food industry he had to wear a sailor’s uniform, so he’s since opted out.”
You wander around what was going to be your office for the next hour as Eddie aimlessly takes his own path and furthers his lay-down.
“His folks want nothing to do with him because he doesn't wanna be nepotized by them. When he’s not working, he’s babysitting — you guessed it — Dustin and the rest of the boys when they’re not here or playing D&D with me. Oh yeah, and on the topic of girlfriend, he hasn't gotten laid in a fat minute.”
Eddie pauses.
"It's kinda depressing,” he says. “Now that I say it all out loud.”
He makes a sharp turn and walks toward the boombox he kept in the corner of the room.
"That is depressing," you mumble nonchalantly, as if you yourself had not been laid in a fat minute… contrary to your obnoxious brother’s popular belief.
“How do you sleep at night knowing you’re a fucking slut?” Billy’s voice haunts you.
You’ve only had one real boyfriend and Billy knew that. And that boyfriend, shortly after he left you for the girl he told you not to worry about, admitted that you were simply a placeholder for him. They’re happily married now and it tortures you knowing that being the first choice was never in the cards. Billy knew that too and used that backstory to fuel your insecurities. Billy knew you hated feeling used, yet brought it up every chance he got. Making his victims feel small, that was the source of his power. You shudder it off.
You watch as Eddie plays around with the boombox, ensuring that the aux chord was working along with all its other components.
"Tell you what," Eddie begins to barter. "You give him a good show, you can keep a hundred percent of your tips tonight. Consider it a sign on bonus."
“Wow, Eddie really?” you exclaim. “That…helps me out a lot. Thanks so much.
“Of course, doll,” Eddie grins. “Happy to help.”
Eddie finishes up tidying the room before walking back over to you.
“I can’t get over how amazing you look,” he adds one last time. “You’re gonna knock his socks off.”
“Thank you, Eddie,” you thank him one last time.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
He lingers for a while longer before going outside to look for Steve. Meanwhile, heart’s-a-fluttering you try to acquaint yourself with the place, choosing a seductive song of your liking before getting prepped.
Wicked Games by The Weeknd.
More ruckus sounds from outside of the show room. You assume your client has arrived.
“That’s the boy,” Eddie confirms. “BRB-right back.”
You excuse your boss as he makes his way over to his friend. While you wait, your mind begins to race. Does your outfit look okay? Does your breath smell? Do you smell? Despite all the wardrobe and wellness checks you’ve done, your mind is insistent that something else was off. To calm your nerves, you decide to take a quick gulp of Bombay Sapphire, a gin Eddie had provided for the room, before Steve walks in.
Liquid courage. May help with the performance too.
“There he is,” Eddie cheers as the two men greet each other outside. “What took you so long?”
“There was uh, traffic,” a softer voice responds.
“I call bull.”
The two talk a bit more, voices too quiet for you to make out what they’re saying. That, or the sound of your heart pounding against your chest drowned out their conversation. Steve sounds friendly. Timid, but friendly nonetheless.
You listen in on Eddie’s spiel about you. He called you stunning, explained that you just moved from California, and that you are exactly Steve’s type. Whatever that could possibly mean. You then hear Eddie go over the rules. No touching you without consent. No verbal or physical harassment. No sexual intercourse. And to tip generously.
“She sounds lovely. Thanks for the run down, Eds.”
“‘Course. She’s all yours, Big Boy.”
The beaded curtains clash once more.
In walks a man around Eddie’s age, late 20s, early 30s with sleek mahogany hair and slight puffy eyes. He’s sporting a gray North Face sleeveless jacket with a plain black shirt underneath and denim blue Levi’s. He’s a lot more preppy than you thought he would be. Steve’s reaction to you was similar to that of Eddie, despite how different they seem from each other.
“Hi,” he greets you.
“Hi,” you smile. “You’re Steve?”
He nods shyly. “You’re who they call Shy Girl?”
“That’s meee.”
It doesn’t take a body language analyst to see that Steve is guarded. It takes another fragile, sullen demeanor to know one.
“Are you one of Eddie’s shy friends?”
The comment earns a laugh from Steve. “You think I’m shy?”
“Just a little.”
He attempts to mask a gulp. “I’ve just never gotten a lap dance before.”
“You think I’m supposed to believe that?”
You stalk towards him and rest a hand on his chest when proximity and Steve himself grants you permission. You sink your palm in deeper when you pick up he’s receptive to it.
Oh yeah, that’s all gin.
“With your handsome self?”
Steve’s blushing now. “Yeah…strip clubs are kinda not my thing. They’re starting to be though, cuz I always come and support Eddie.”
“What a nice boyfriend,” you joke.
“Eddie and I do have a budding bromance,” he admits with a laugh.
“Boy I’d love to be in the middle of that,” you tease him honestly.
Steve is left stunned and speechless while you grab his hand and lead him to the futon in the middle of the room. He attempts to relax, exhaling the tension out of his shoulders and manspreading as he watches you encompass him. You walked in a slow circle around Steve as the music starts and he peers up at you with curious eyes. Alas, you stop in front of him, cupping his face softly in your hands and synchronizing your hip movements to the rhythm of the song.
Relate to your customers. Talk to them. Build a connection with them, you think to yourself.
“So how’s your day been?”
Steve cracks a faint smile. "Good, how's yours?"
"Good," you chime as you slowly lower yourself onto his lap.
Steve sharply inhales, sucking the tension he had just released right back into his body. You shake your head in disapproval and stroke his face calmly.
“No, no,” you coo. “Just sit back, relax. You’re safe with me.”
“I’m safe with you, huh?” he responds in an is-that-so kind of fashion. “You seem like pure danger to me.”
“Oh, please,” you snarkily disregard his comment. “I’m an angel.”
“In a place called Hellfire?” he challenges you. “I find that hard to believe.”
Steve wants to touch you. So bad. But he refrains. You feel it in his levitating palms, resting just inches away from the small of your back. You start to lightly ride his thigh, hoping to catch his palm in passing as you move your hips about. Instead you’re met with something hard at the base of his pants, an outline and protrusion that wasn’t there before.
Steve looks down and acknowledges it with a shrug.
"Sorry," he chuckles. "It has a mind of its own."
You laugh faintly in return. "It's okay. I'd say it's responding appropriately."
"Yeah?"
"Given the circumstances," you say as you grind slower, deeper. "Yeah."
"Well, that's a relief."
Steve is cute. And a polite man who values your consent was sure to receive it. You two lock gazes before one of you dared to speak again. It all feels like a blind date, and you’re two giddy young adults.
"You..." you start. “You can touch me if you’d like.”
"Really?" Steve asks. "Usually dancers don't let you do that."
"It depends who you ask," you smile. "Consent is subjective...and you have mine. C'mon."
He obliges and starts to graze your ass softly with his hands. You run his hands through his hair, then along his neck without lifting them. A muffled moan is slowly released from his mouth.
"Shit," he sputters. "Feels really good."
He tosses his head back.
"You make me feel so good."
"Aww," you grin. "Me?"
"Yeah you," his voice is deeper now. Huskier. "All because of you."
His hand moves upwards towards your bra and he begins to fiddle with the straps, and then the clasps. You continue your steady grinding, rolling your hips to the beat of the music, tossing your head back for the full effect while Steve holds back the urge to cup your perfect breasts in his kneady hands.
A whimper escapes Steve’s mouth when you find the sweet place to roll, resting a palm over his abdomen for leverage.
“Needy, are we?” you tease him. “Needy for me, Stevie?”
“So fucking needy,” he breathes, a nervous gulp swallowing another sneaky groan. “You’re gonna be the death of me, woman.”
I’ve got my heart right here, I’ve got my scars right here.
Suddenly, you cease the grinding, going from cowgirl to reverse. Grabbing a hold of both his knees with the back of both your hands, you sink down to the floor, knees bent, slightly out turned. Your hands move from his knees to encompass his elbows, accommodating the playful headlock he abruptly decided to have you in, watching you squat down beneath him.
“Mmm,” he hums. “You’re so fucking pretty, baby.”
His arms creep from the sides of your face to the front of your face. You crane your head upwards, peering up at him and refrain from shivering when he brings an arm across your neck. His other hand rests on your face, stroking it tenderly.
“Get up here and, ride my thighs again, please.” he pleads. “It was feeling so good.”
“Okay,” you oblige before standing back up.
“Before you do though, let me get a good look at your ass.”
You stand there for him, bending down ever so slightly so he could run his hands across your back. He grabs a fist full of your hair gently with one hand and strokes your ass cheek with the other.
"Wow," Steve hums as he runs his fingers along the birth mark on your lower back. "I like this birthmark."
"Yeah?" you say. "Some people have said it looks like a tramp stamp."
"It's cute," Steve insists, pulling you onto his lap. “It kinda looks like a bat."
He points to where the wings would be and the fangs and you laugh. No one's admired your tramp stamp-esque birthmark the way Steve did.
"Thanks," you reply. "My brother has a matching one."
You pause.
"Sorry, that didn't sound all that sexy."
Steve tosses his head back and chuckles, hand resting firmly on your ass again. "You look sexy talking regardless, so I don’t mind.”
The chemistry between you and Steve feels so natural. You know if your nurturing heart felt like this with all clients you would be in big trouble. This profession isn’t for everyone and you realize that. But you decide to realize everything else later. Meanwhile, your focus right now is pleasing Steve.
You resume the thigh riding per his request, and chase your own subtle high as you did so. Steve whimpers and whines, seeming to long for you even more with every stroke of his hair, every brush against his cheek, every steady and calculated grind against his—
"Woah, are you okay?"
Suddenly you’re cut off by Steve abruptly pushing you off his lap. When you peer over at him, his face has gone completely red.
Did you do something wrong? Did you violate a boundary? Millions of thoughts race through your head. You can’t get fired on the first day of your new job…
"Y-yeah, I'm fine, I just..." Steve stammers, flushing a deeper red hue with every word. “I... uh, kinda came in my pants."
"Oh..." you begin.
"I am so sorry," Steve sighs. "Embarrassed is an understatement. I’m such a loser.”
You two start frantically talking over each other, one extremely apologetic, another sympathetic to the concerns. Again, it’s like you two are clumsy young adults on a blind date set up by your bold friends.
"It's been a while... so..." Steve stammers.
"Steve," you stop him.
"And..." he cuts out.
"It's okay," you reassure him. “It’s okay, Steve. If you need a break, we can stop.”
“Sounds good,” he agrees with a resigned sigh, the red colored flush migrating to his ears. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
You go to put your cloak back on again and strut towards the gin. Perhaps offering the man a drink would help loosen up his nerves.
"What should we do with the allotted time left?" Steve wonders eyes following you. He’s rubbing his knees anxiously with his palms. “Eddie has this room booked for an hour. He needs to think you're doing splits on my dick or something or else he won't be satisfied."
Laughter erupts from the deepest parts of your belly at Steve's comment. Steve can't help but laugh as well.
"Hm, we can wait a bit and I can give you another lap dance?” you suggest. “Or a strip tease?"
You weren't used to those words coming out of your mouth, so you attempted to make it sound as normal as possible. Wow, you really just gave a lap dance. And someone came from it.
"Do you think..." Steve inquires. "That we can just... talk?"
----
So you and Steve do exactly that. You talk about your families, and your aspirations, your deepest fears, and your core values. Steve Harrington isn’t the loser he thinks he is. He’s a really cool guy. But deeply misunderstood.
“So you and your brother have similar birthmarks?” Steve questions.
“Yeah,” you confirm. “Except his is on his belly. We literally took the term identical twins to a whole new level.”
He laughs.
“Your brother sounds cool.”
“He was.”
Steve gasps in astonishment.
“Oh, my god. I’m sorry. Is he…”
“He’s not dead. Just an asshole.”
The color returns to his face. He exhales steadily and shakes his head. You find his reaction funny, despite how twisted that made you sound.
“Dead to you though?”
“Pretty much,” you giggle. “Dead to me.”
You two do a cheers to that with your alcohol-filled glasses and take another painful sip. It burns.
“Tell me about yourself now,” you prompt him.
There’s a dramatic pause.
“Well,” Steve begins. “I’m an only child. So eyes have been on me for as long as I can remember. What’s Stevie up to? This is what we expect of him and this is what happens if he’s not what we make him out to be. It didn’t take til young adulthood to realize that I have been living in my parents’ shadow. I don’t even know what I like.”
Steve spurs on about how he has struggled with his identity, going back and forth between if what he was pursuing was a desire of his or his parents’.
“And for a while I thought I knew who Steve was. Until I lost myself again in a girl named Nancy.”
“Aw,” you pout.
“A girl,” Steve pauses waiting for you to catch on. “Named Nancy.”
Your eyes widen. “House Mom Nancy?!”
Steve nods as you slowly piece things together.
“So Jonathan’s girlfriend is your…”
“Ex girlfriend,” Steve confirms. “Small world, huh?”
You suppose it wasn’t good that Hawkins is so small. You’d hate for someone to recognize you when you’re taking a casual stroll outside.
Nonetheless, you push that concern to the side and continue your conversation with Steve.
“What happened?”
“Some petty high school shit,” he explains. “But it’s always been her. She made me a better me. The closest to Steve that I’ve ever felt.”
“Wow,” you say. “So you saw a future with her?”
“Marriage, kids, everything,” Steve confirms. “Then she decided I wasn’t what — who — she wanted.”
It’s silent for a while. Steve shakes his head bitterly and downs the rest of his drink. You slosh yours around waiting for him to speak again. Besides, if you did, you’d end up ugly crying about your ex. And no one wants their stripper trauma dumping on them when they’re supposed to be performing.
Thankfully, Steve is the first to speak again.
“Yeah, Nance. She looks… she looks happy,” he turns to you with dismal eyes. “I don’t ever wanna get in the way of that.”
“Do you ever see her here?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, she’s in the back being House Mom, making sure all the girls are taken care of and all that. And I’m sure she doesn’t come up front because she knows Eddie has been trying to play wingman.”
You chuckle. “With a stripper?”
“With anyone,” Steve chuckles. “God that sounds awful. I sound like a loser.”
“Would you stop saying that?” you snap. “You are not a loser, Steve.”
“I know I’m not a loser. Just feel like it sometimes. Especially when it dawns on you that you’ve been living life for other people.”
“I kinda know how you feel.”
You two lock eyes again. Steve rests a hand on top of yours, intertwining your fingers briefly before he begins playing with each of your fingers one by one.
"I guess…going back to the previous topic…” he proceeds. “If I could change anything about myself, I would've done more of what Steve wants to do. Not what Todd and Marsha want Steve to do. Or what Tommy H. and Carol want Steve to do. Because maybe then Nancy and I would’ve been endgame. Or maybe Allison. Possibly Tammy? Who knows? See? Everyone’s world but Steve’s.”
"Steve," you start. "I hope you realize that I have no idea who any of these people are. It’s kinda hard to keep up.”
"And that is such a relief to hear that," he sighs again, this time in exasperation. "I just feel so free talking about them to someone who doesn't know who they are. Hawkins is small, you know. And it’s good that the only bias you can form is in my favor since you only know of me."
You offer him a consoling pat atop the hand, to which he responds by leaning his head on your shoulder. With how tender everything has been with Steve, there’s a temptation to plant a delicate kiss on his forehead. But you stop yourself.
"I'd like to know you, know you, though,” you find yourself saying.
He gazes up at you. You two smile at each other.
“I’d like to know you more too, Shy Girl,” he answers. “If you’d let me.”
“Duh, it’s what I just said.”
He chuckles. “You’re not saying that for the tips?”
“No. Just human to human.”
You stroke his cheek longingly, running your hand along his stubble.
"It's also been a while since I've gotten laid too," you admit. "And I've got a lot of pent up stress I need to release. You seem like a trustworthy person to do that with.”
The energy changes. Steve’s grip on your hand tightens.
"Oh yeah?" He rubs your thumb with his and soon you find yourselves holding hands.
"Yeah.”
“Sounds like we have a deal then, Shy Girl.”
Before Steve gets any ideas, you interrupt him.
“I don't wanna have sex at work," you admit. "Especially not on the clock."
"Oh, yeah I didn’t think it’d be now. Some people do find that hot though.”
"It's my first day. I can’t disappoint Eddie this early in the game.”
"You're kidding."
You shake your head.
"Wow, I would've thought you've been doing this a while."
You blush. "Thank you. But nope, you’re my Guinea pig.”
Steve continues to gawk in amazement. Then he reaches for his wallet, grabbing a huge wad of Benjamin Franklins and handing it to you.
"Tell you what," Steve bargains. "You buy yourself something nice, get your bills paid, and come through in a couple days. The roomie won't be home so we'll have the place to ourselves. We can get takeout or something too. Whatever makes you comfortable, of course.”
You bite your lip. "I'd like that."
“Good. I’d like that too.”
———-
"So, how was it?" you hear Eddie ask Steve.
"Dude...I just about creamed my pants," he says as you hold back laughter. "You got yourself a good one."
"Nothing's ever too TMI for you, Harrington," Eddie says. "But thanks for the imagery."
"Yeah. I gotta get going now. I got laundry to put away at home. It's been piling so much I think it's going to tip over."
“Roger,” Eddie says before bidding him goodbye. “Oh, speaking of which, did you tip her good?”
“You bet I did. Woman like her needs to be spoiled rotten.”
————
You make your way back to the dressing room after saying bye to Steve and finishing the flats Argyle had specially made for you. At your locker, you subtly attempt to count the hundreds Steve gave you for his lap dance and talk session. The man left you 10 of them. A whole band.
You were stunned. What did King Steve do for a living anyways? It didn’t matter to you. You had enough for groceries, gas, and a portion of your rent, all earned in an hour’s work, and all yours to keep as Eddie insisted.
The realization makes your heart skip a beat. You and your sister were good for the next few weeks.
Knock, knock.
“Don’t freak out ladies, it’s just me!” Eddie shouts from the other side of the door. “Put your cloaks on I’m coming in!”
You watch as the girls scurry to get their covers back on. The amount of respect Eddie has for his dancers is insane. Perhaps it’s common decency but it was such a striking difference than what you were used to. It warmed your heart in a way, but also made you sad. You deserved this respect all your life.
When Eddie finds you, he starts towards you, a look of approval spread wide across his face. As deeply as you wanted it to be because he found you attractive, you infer that it’s because you’re bringing in good business — and that you’re good, given a small amount of experience with the pole.
You two are face to face now. Eddie speaks up first.
“Steve, uh,” he says. “Steve really likes you.”
“Oh really?” you smile. “I’m glad.”
“You’re just a natural, Shy Girl,” he compliments you. “Everyone’s just raving about you.”
“Yeah?”
“Based on what I’ve seen so far and what Stevie told me, yeah,” he confirms. “But I guess it’s no surprise. Shy girls are almost always the freakiest, huh?”
You try not to laugh while you’re witnessing the imagination of your boss running in the complete opposite direction of what really happened between you and Steve. Nevertheless, you let him. You didn’t mind taking up space in your dashing boss’s mind.
“You should come to work a little early next time you’re on,” Eddie says. “I’d like to take you to lunch.”
Heat spreads across your cheeks. “Really?”
“‘Course! I do it with all my dancers as a welcome thing. I’d like to know more about you. You’re more than just a pretty face and someone who simply works for me.”
‘I do it with all my dancers.’
Your heart sinks. Back to square one.
Eddie clears his throat.
“Anyway,” he says. “I’m gonna head out now. Gonna go see the lady friend. I’ve got Johnny boy, Argyle, and Henry holding down the fort.”
The tinge in your heart intensifies.
“Oh, sounds fun!”
“Yeah, I rarely see her cuz she bartends. Even though we work similar hours we work opposite days. But she got first cut tonight so I’m heading over.”
“Have fun, Eddie.”
“I sure will,” Eddie says. “Goodnight, Shy Girl.”
“Goodnight, Eddie.”
Eddie soon disappears out of sight and now your shift seems ten times longer. Regardless, you stuff your tips into your tote bag and prepare to meander around the club, enticing other bachelors for a dance.
Without Eddie around, it seems less exciting.
“Doing it for Max,” you remind yourself while fixing your hair in the mirror in front of you.
You reach for your phone to see the amount of time that has transpired since the private show with Steve. But the clock wasn’t your concern when your Home Screen lights up.
Your heart nearly sinks to the floor.
Billy Hargrove
1 Missed Call
Billy Hargrove
iMessage: 1 message
You open it.
What the actual fuck.
#the babyboyification of steve harrington#daddy eddie#eddie munson fanfic#stranger things#eddie munson smut#Steve#steve harrington#Steve harrington smut#Steve and reader#Eddie and trader
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still into you
pairing ↠ ethan landry x (f) reader x jj maybank
genre .. warnings ↠ smut, angst, friends to lovers, childhood best friend!ethan, unprotected sex, mentions of a ghostface attack, violence, mentions of alcohol consumption
summary ↠ when ethan visits the outerbanks with his friends, he doesn’t expect to find you there. you don’t expect to see him there, either, but trying to reconcile during a series of ghostface attacks is harder than it seems.
wc ↠ 6.3k
author’s note ↠ pt. 1/4 of the still friends, not lovers series. feedback is appreciated!
Summer break was en route.
Everyday was summer break with the pogues. Impromptu escapades around the island and treasure hunts that took you across the ocean, to your parents’ chagrin.
Anything to spite them. Six years later and you still didn’t appreciate being bulldozed eight hours away from home. Alas, your ailing grandmother was dying, and you were an optionless fourteen-year-old. Not that you didn’t care about your grandmother. Matter of fact, it wasn’t until she passed and all the grief wore you thin that you fell out with your parents.
They just didn’t understand that you were an adult. You were more than capable of making your own decisions. Sure, plenty of them were careless, but half of it was their fault.
That said, you fell in love with your life in the Outer Banks. The reckless exploits and dangerous feats. Your toes in the sand and the sun in your eyes. The splashing and surfing.
You fell in love with something else, too.
An engine resounded down the street and you turned, catching an eye full of dirty blonde while the ground reverberated beneath your feet as JJ parked in your driveway.
“Dude,” you started, jogging over to your best friend. “Didn’t I tell you that you can’t just speed through here?”
“Damn, y’all strict on Figure Eight,” JJ retorted, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth. “Hop on, everyone’s waiting for us and I told ‘em we’d be there in an hour.”
Your brows furrowed in confusion. “Fuck, did I forget to mark another scavenger hunt in my calender?”
JJ’s sunglasses fell onto the bridge of his nose and he made no move to fix them, chirping, “You know, I was actually thinking more of a beach day. Surfing and sunburn. That kind of thing.”
You huffed, “Because you always forget to wear sunscreen. Why do I have to be the one to remind you?”
“Uh, because we’re best friends and you love me,” JJ said, flashing a full set of teeth.
You rolled your eyes, backing away from his bike (and ignoring the warmth spreading through your chest). “Don’t move. I’m going to throw on my bikini.”
JJ shouted behind you, watching you run up your front steps, “Yo, could you bring some sunscreen?”
You shook your head in disbelief, vying against a beaming smile for control and losing miserably. When you were safely in your room, you rummaged your drawer and exited in your favorite, racy orange bikini with a beach bag slung loosely over your shoulder.
Your father was currently occupying the living room and you parted your lips to tell him bye, opting to get out of there as quickly as possible after you spotted the scowl on his face, but he stood squarely in front of you.
Oh, brother, you thought to yourself. This guy gave other overprotective fathers a run for their money.
“That boy is on my lawn again,” he hissed indignantly.
“Yes, I know,” you chirped offhandedly. “And the longer you stand in front of me, the longer he’ll be waiting out there.”
Your father wasn’t pleased, if the disdainful glance he cocked you was any indication. “Your mother and I don’t like you going out with those kids. You know this.”
“Yes, I know, you hate pogues. We’ve been over this,” you droned, fighting a roll of your eyes. “Sorry to break it to you, Dad, but I’m a pogue!”
“It’s not about kooks or pogues - it’s about keeping you safe! This family has been troubled with enough grief,” your father shouted.
You bristled, raising your voice even louder, “For fuck’s sake, Dad. We’re just going to the beach! Don’t you see the bikini? The worst case scenario is I drown.”
Your father opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off.
“I’m not a kid anymore, Dad. If I want to hang out with people from The Cut I will and there’s nothing you or Mom can do to stop me,” you seethed, stepping around him and slamming the door on the way out.
Fortunately JJ was right where you’d left him and his eyes flitted over to you when he heard the loud, forceful slam of your front door. Your obvious shift in body language coupled with the less than faint shouting he heard told him everything he needed to know.
“Get me far, far away from this place,” you grumbled, mounting his bike and wrapping your arms around his waist snugly.
JJ revved the engine for effect, like he was trying to make a statement. “Let me guess - your old man old-manning again?”
“Yeah,” you huffed. “No worries. My mom will probably be home soon and they’ll talk about how much of a thorn in their side I am together.”
Pulling out of the driveway, JJ quipped, “They’ve got the house all to themselves. Maybe they’ll make another baby so they can finally stop treating you like one.”
You grimaced at the idea. “And risk having it turn out just like me? I’m sure they’d rather chew bricks.”
Your best friend clenched his jaw. He couldn’t even count on both hands anymore the amount of times he’d thought of pummeling your father to the ground. Something about the guy and how he treated you just triggered a different dimension of rage.
The beach was all the fun you could ask for. Sarah and John B decided it would be a great idea to bring water guns without telling anyone and ambush the other five of you. You slipped off your flip flops to travel faster, hot sand scalding your bare feet.
Had JJ not shoved you out of the way, you would’ve been blindsided by the volleyball hurling your direction.
“Sorry!” came a distant voice, jogging over to check up on you.
When their face came into your vision, you saw their eyes widen and their lips split, but you spoke before he got the chance, “Ethan?”
JJ whispered in your ear, “You know this uncoordinated klutz?”
Ethan whispered your name.
Longing possessed you and you threw your arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Tears threatened. The sun was your best friend, his warmth spreading through you. Feelings hit you like a freight train. “I thought I’d never see you again,” you whimpered.
Ethan gently placed his arms around you, unsure of where to put his hands. You were very exposed and he didn’t want to touch you in any of the wrong places. But Jesus Christ you were working the hell out of that bikini.
Something switched in Ethan when he saw you. You didn’t at all look the same as when he’d last saw you six years ago. For one, you were taller and your hips were a little fuller now. You were a grown ass woman.
Ethan’s eyes flickered. It’s been that long?
Holding you in his arms, sensing his heart race, he wondered why all those feelings he had for you never changed.
JJ cleared his throat and you shuffled back a couple of feet. You awkwardly introduced, “Oh, um, JJ this is Ethan. We were best friends when I lived in Manhattan. Ethan, this is JJ - my new best friend.”
Ethan smiled sheepishly, stretching out his hand. “Nice to, uh, meet you.”
“Yeah, man. Something like that,” JJ replied, forcing a grin while shaking Ethan’s hand for the most fleeting of seconds.
Feeling the tension, you glimpsed back at the pogues and said, “Jay, Kie looks like she’s struggling with something and Pope and John B are fussing, and I don’t see Sarah or Cleo, so...”
JJ glanced towards the ground, chuckling. “Yeah, I should probably go help her with that. I’ll get outta y’alls way.”
You called behind him, “No, wait, it’s not like that!”
“I’m going,” JJ replied without looking back, taking off his cap and tousling a hand through his blond hair.
You blew out a breath, turned to face Ethan, and froze. For a second, you were borderline catatonic. You couldn’t even breathe. Like the fish were sucking up all the air. You gathered the strength to ask, “What are you doing in the Outer Banks?”
“Oh, for summer break my friends and I wanted to go on vacation together. I didn’t think I’d see you here since, you know, you never told me where you were heading. Or said goodbye.”
His obvious disdain weighed on his tone and you understood every bit of his feelings, but the gleam of yearning in his pretty brown eyes betrayed the hurt.
“You know I wanted to,” you replied, taking a step closer. You were panicking, worried your best friend hated you like you thought he would have. If you could even call him that anymore. “I desperately wanted to stop the car then and there and run the whole way to your house, but I couldn’t do that and I’m sorry.”
“Yo, who’s this?” came a masculine voice. You immediately noticed the dude throwing an arm over Ethan’s shoulder, about his height, give or take.
Five more people followed. You assumed correctly that they were the friends he spoke of. Good to know someone’s been keeping you company, you thought to yourself.
Ethan made a face and hurriedly gave them your name before introducing, “This is Chad, my roommate. Mindy, his sister. Sam, Tara, Anika, and Quinn.”
Your eyes widened when you laid eyes on Quinn.
You almost spoke, but Ethan beat you to a word. “Hey, can I talk to you alone for a second?”
“Yeah, sure,” you said, furrowing your brows, but following him nonetheless.
Once his friends were out of earshot, Ethan asked, “Could you please not say anything about Quinn being my sister?”
You made a face. “What - why?”
Ethan searched his brain for a convincing lie and came up with, “Nobody knows and we made a bet about who would slip up first.”
You didn’t question the authenticity of his words. Why would Ethan lie? “Good luck with that. You were never the lucky sibling when it came to bets.”
Ethan chuckled. “I’ve changed. And I can sell a good lie. For example, my name’s Ethan Landry and I have no siblings.”
“Okay, Ethan Landry, no siblings,” you quipped. “Your friends are waiting for you and mine are waiting for me. I’ll catch you later?”
Ethan bobbed his head. “Yeah. Sure. That’s cool.”
“It was nice seeing you.”
“Nice seeing you, too,” Ethan replied.
You watched him walk away, getting a view of his sexy back and broad shoulders. He sure did change, that was for sure. Holy fucking shit.
You walked back over to the pogues, oblivious to the huge grin you were sporting. Maybe you would notice it once your cheeks started to hurt.
Cleo had returned with Sarah and was sitting on the cooler. “Who’s that?”
“Some asshole with really bad aim,” JJ replied with a straight face.
You cocked him a glance, hissing, “JJ!”
JJ threw up his hands, but didn’t back down. “You didn’t see the way he threw that ball. Even my nephew has better eye-hand coordination.”
Pope nodded his head in agreement. “I mean, it was a bad throw.”
John B winced, adding, “Yeah, you’ve got to admit it was kind of off.”
You rolled your eyes.
Nightfall came down. You’d been tipsy by dusk, thanks to your best friend’s idea of a good time. Everyone was officially spent, ready to sleep in till noon. Your legs ached from running all day like the police were hot on your trail.
Approaching you while you were helping your friends pack was one of Ethan’s friends, specifically his roommate. Chad, if memory served. He spoke your name and said, “Special delivery for a special lady.”
Your eyes flickered in surprise.
Chad handed you a card as if he was doing business with you, shot you an inviting smile, and leaned into your ear to whisper, “Just in case you need help finding your way.”
Then, he was gone.
Sarah was amused. “What was that all about?”
“Yeah, what’s on the card?” asked Kiara, draping a duffle bag over her shoulders.
You stood there, eyes flitting down to the card in your hands. There was an address scribbled in black ink, with a little note at the bottom and a smiley face. Whenever you’re ready, you can knock.
You vaguely recognized the address as one of the houses along the shoreline. That must have been where they were staying. And Ethan was indirectly inviting you to come see him?
“Nothing important,” you lied, swiftly shoving the card into your bag. If you noticed the way JJ’s eyes lingered over you, you didn’t say anything.
That night, you hardly slept. Your mind was roaring and your thoughts were restless. For a second, you thought Ethan hated you, just like fourteen-year-old you dreaded. But he invited you over. That was definitely his doodle and handwriting. There was no way it was a prank.
When you did finally sleep, you dreamt of him. Bonding with your childhood best friend and making up for lost time. You dreamt of professing your love to him like you never got the chance to and kissing him like you’d always wanted.
All you could see was the stars in his eyes for a minute. It made no sense for you to still be head over heels for Ethan after all these years. But all that history was conflicting with your current feelings and it was like a head-on collision.
Crash and burn.
After a sleepless night, you were at the chateau bright and early. Apparently John B had a lead and another day spent looking for treasure didn’t sound like the worst thing ever.
Especially considering you were trying to take your mind off of recent events.
Sirens blared down the street, making each of you turn your heads. One by one, you saw police cars zipping down the roads. You shuddered. You were getting deja vu.
Confusion tensed Pope’s features and he squinted at the sight. Only the seven of you typically merited that level of attention, though as it turned out, they had a new target. “Is that a parade?” he asked.
John B gave him a look. “Really? You think parades go that fast?”
“Nope. That’s a full-blown cop inroad,” JJ replied, watching the column of cars disappear.
You furrowed your brows, wondering what had them up so early.
Perfectly on cue, Kie, who had been noticeably late, hopped out of her car and sped up the porch like lightning. “You guys aren’t going to believe what I just heard,” she panted, dropping in a chair.
“What happened?” you asked.
Kie caught her breath before replying, “Before I snuck out, I overheard my parents talking about how a friend got attacked last night by someone in a Ghostface costume, but survived.”
“Ghostface?” JJ repeated, throwing you a glance. “Ain’t that like that Stab shit you watch?”
You bobbed your head, keeping quiet. You watched way too many scary movies for this kind of bullshit. You’d heard of the original attacks in Woodsboro, but you never expected them to come to you. A different kind of fear choked your lungs.
Kie continued, “I drove by the scene on the way here, and you know what I hear Shoupe saying? It’s probably one of us damn pogues.”
“Well, his opinion of us is in the dirt,” Pope muttered under his breath.
You pulled out your phone, pretending to get a notification. All you cared about right now was making sure all of your friends were safe. The old and new ones. You grabbed your keys and blurted, “Gotta go. My dad wants me back home. See you guys later!”
Before anybody could protest or remind you of today’s plans, you were already halfway to your car.
Sarah glanced between her friends, confused, and asked the question everyone was thinking to themselves, “Since when does she listen to her dad?”
Speeding back to the beach, your thoughts were with Ethan. Obviously some random kook had been attacked, but you wanted to make sure the news reached him - and his friends - in time. You’d just gotten your friend back. You couldn’t have him added to the list of casualties.
You double, quadruple checked the address when you parked in the driveway before you ran to the front door. Your heart was racing. Every second spent waiting made you nauseous.
When the door opened, you saw Ethan. You didn’t even give him a chance to speak, pulling him in for a hug as you heaved a breath of relief. “Thank goodness, you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” Ethan said, hugging you a little more comfortably this time. “I’m guessing you heard the news too, huh?”
You bobbed your head, pulling back. “Yeah. I came as soon as I heard. I wanted to make sure you weren’t left in the dark.”
“That’s, uh, thoughtful of you.”
You grinned sheepishly.
Ethan mirrored your smile. To say things were awkward would be the understatement of the year. He added, “I think we should talk.”
You chuckled nervously, looking down at your toes. “Kinda overdue, huh?”
Ethan pointed backwards with his thumb, replying, “I’ve got a beach for a backyard and nobody’s back there.”
Glancing down, you gulped. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. When did Ethan Bailey get hot? You banished the thoughts immediately. Priorities, girl. Priorities, you chided to yourself. Hoping he hadn’t noticed your distracted gaze, you chirped, “Sounds good.”
Ethan beckoned you inside, shutting the door behind you, and brought you towards the back. You briefly greeted his friends when you passed them on your way out, the distressed looks on their faces not being lost on you.
You breathed in the fresh beach air when you stepped outside, opting to abandon your sandals on the patio so that you could bury your toes in the hot sand again.
Minutes of just wallowing in the silence together passed. Maybe it wasn’t exactly silent, but peaceful. You could hear seagulls cooing and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore before drawing back into the ocean.
“I’m not mad,” Ethan said after a prolonged pause.
Your eyes darted to his face. “Why?”
Ethan was looking at you with unfathomable tenderness, like you created the very sea rushing before your bodies. There was something reminiscent in his stare. “Because you were fourteen. Your hands were tied.”
That was true. You couldn’t get that day out of your head. Driving past his house with your fingers flat to the window like you were trapped in the backseat of your parents’ car, watching him obliviously help his dad out in the yard for all of two seconds before the sight was gone.
And you never saw him again. Until yesterday, of course.
“I heard from your neighbor that your grandma was sick,” Ethan whispered.
Your heart was taut with emotion, a weight sitting squarely on your chest. “Yeah. We left as soon as we got the news. She, uh… she passed away four years ago.”
Ethan’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry.”
“We were expecting it,” you said, not that it made it any better. Tears burned your eyes, but you fought them with all your strength. You remembered spending every waking hour in that goddamn hospital. “She wasn’t getting any better. She was dying and she knew. After she passed, I had a falling out with my parents. All things considered.”
Spotting the petulant look on your face, Ethan was quick to slip his fingers through yours in consolation. You fought a smile. That always did make you feel a bit better. “If it helps, I lost someone too.”
“Who?”
Ethan heaved a breath. His face was dark for a fraction of a second before he confessed, “Richie.”
Your heart dropped. “No way. Are you serious? What happened?”
“He was murdered. Last year,” Ethan whispered, wistful. “Stabbed.”
That made you even more sad. You’d always liked Richie. He was like the older brother you never had and the sole reason you loved horror movies.
You squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry,” you crooned. “Did they catch who stabbed him?”
“My dad says they’re working on it,” Ethan said quietly.
“They better catch them.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, mood shifting. “Would’ve made a difference if I had you to lean on.”
There was a sinking feeling in your chest, but Ethan didn’t give you the chance to speak.
Ethan gave you a knowing look, pulling you flush to him, and said tenderly, “You have nothing to feel guilty about. If you’re guilty, then I’m guilty. I wasn’t there for you either. But we have each other right now.”
You locked eyes with him, wanting to be everything he needed. You would hurt twice as much if it meant you could take away all of his pain. “That’s all that matters.”
One second, you were staring at each other, sporting beaming smiles. And the very next? Your lips were locking.
Kissing him was even better than you used to (and admittedly still did every now and again) dream of. It was slow and sweet, like you were taking your time with each other. Your heart thudded.
Pulling back, the two of you giggled. Ethan confessed, “I’ve always wanted to kiss you like that.”
That made your heart do somersaults. Like twenty. “Me, too.”
You were giddy with excitement. Ethan took your hand in his again and walked with you along the shore, chatting with you about everything under the sun. Like old times.
There was no doubt that you missed Ethan. He was your person and you were his. It felt euphoric to be in his arms where you’d longed to be for six whole years. And it felt… right. Almost as if you’d left your heart with him.
Maybe you did. A piece of it, at least.
When you returned, he brought you to a hammock. All he could think about was you. How you laughed at all his stupid jokes. She still has a mesmerizing smile. He was squinting at you, deep in thought.
You sat on the hammock, peering up at your best friend. “Why are you squinting at me?”
Ethan was smiling like an idiot. “The sun’s in my eyes.”
You gave him a look, baffled. Both of you were in the shade. The tree that the hammock was hanging from served as a great shelter. Then, you realized he was talking about you.
Heat filled your cheeks. You wrapped your legs around his waist and steered his head towards your face, kissing him again. You just couldn’t get enough.
First, it was steady and gentle. You were kissing each other with all the affections you had to give, feeling every inch of your bodies burn with want and passion. Ethan’s hand slipped down to your hips, holding you still. He sucked on your tongue and you moaned, tightening your legs.
In a matter of seconds, the mood shifted.
A gasp of surprise escaped you when Ethan pushed your back to the hammock and trapped you under his weight, only slightly rougher than before. His lips bruised your neck, marking you for all the island to know who you belonged to.
Your dad was going to go ballistic when he saw those, but ironically, he wasn’t who you were worried about.
Ethan caught your worries in his palm and crushed them. All you could think about when he kissed you was how badly you needed him to mend the ache between your thighs. Your skin was on fire, your heart skipping a beat the closer he got to your waist.
Anticipation was killing you softly. Ethan glanced up at you and asked, “Can I take off your shirt?”
You nodded. You didn’t trust yourself to speak.
Ethan grabbed your shirt and you briefly sat up while he pulled it over your head, revealing your lacy black bra. His mouth was watering.
His stare combined with his lack of speech or action made you slightly self-conscious. “Are you just going to look at me?” you prodded.
“Sorry. It’s just… you’re beautiful,” Ethan whispered, breathless. “I have to stop and marvel for a second.”
You playfully rolled your eyes, though you couldn’t battle the smile on your lips.
Bringing a hand behind your back, you unclipped your bra and let it drop, throwing it somewhere on the hammock. You desperately pulled Ethan into you, sucking a bruise onto your neck while he made a noise and kneaded your breasts.
Nobody could see you. You were in a little nook by the shore, cloaked by trees. As far as you were concerned, it was just you and your best friend. And the sea.
His body was so warm in your hands, so sensitive. You saw him shudder and suck in a breath every time you marked him, sinking your teeth into his skin. Your lips felt like silk and the sensations were colliding.
Ethan tapped your bare back, making you grind to a screeching halt. You immediately pulled back, wanting to be sure you hadn’t hurt him, but he was quicker. “Are we really doing this?”
“If you want to, yeah,” you told him, brows furrowed. Then, you asked, “Do you not want to?”
Ethan hurriedly explained, “No, I want to. But I’ve never done this before.”
“Really?” That surprised you. He kissed like a pro. And with how confident he was, you would have never guessed. Plus he was fine as hell. Girls must have been throwing themselves at him.
Ethan sat to your right, more than a little flushed. “Yeah. Never gone past third base. I mean, I had all the chances in the world, but I didn’t want to.” Because I was waiting for you.
“That’s okay. Everybody moves at their own pace,” you reassured him, smoothing a hand down his thigh.
His eyes darted to your hand. “What about you?”
You laughed, though it was nervous. The body count conversation. Your favorite. “Well, I’m not exactly pure anymore. I lost my virginity to Topper Thornton. Not my favorite guy in the world. Then, I fucked some dude whose name I don’t remember. And finally, I fucked my best friend.”
Ethan reeled his head. “The one that hates me?”
You blew out a breath. “Yeah. The one that hates you.”
“Well,” Ethan started, sporting a wry grin. “Fourth time’s the charm?”
You giggled, grabbing the back of his head and kissing him again and again. Until your lips were swollen and Ethan decided he wanted to kiss something else.
Sucking in a breath, you parted your legs for him, your panties now tossed into oblivion. Ethan, knees buried in the sand, met your eyes and said sternly, “If you want me to stop, don’t be afraid to tell me.”
You bobbed your head. “Okay.”
Then, he was eating you out.
You made a noise at the sensation of his hot mouth against your warm cunt. He was licking and sucking, his tongue out to devour you whole. Your chest heaved when he rounded your clit, making your pussy tighten.
Ethan’s big hands were holding your thighs on either side of his head, his firm grip keeping them locked in place. You couldn’t move them if you tried. His strength was a little more arousing than you cared to admit.
If you were counting, you’d only been eaten out once before now. Both times by your best friends. Jesus fucking Christ, they didn’t miss with the foreplay.
Muscles tensed in your thighs. Your whole body was awake, far from numb to the sensation. You were so sensitive that even his brushing lips made you tremble and try to squirm, but Ethan had power over your entire body. Including its movements.
“Shit. You’re really good at this. Like,” you stammered, your words canceled by a moan. God fucking dammit. You couldn’t even speak.
That was the kind of control he had over you.
Ethan was getting hard watching you break at his mercy, his half-hard cock aggressively twitching in his pants. He didn’t want to bust a nut in his pants, but he neared dangerously close every time you called out his name.
Your anchor was his hair, fingers tangled through his fluffy head. You needed to feel like there was something to ground you. Every time you closed your eyes, you were convinced you were levitating. And every time his thumb circled your clit, you winced your eyes shut.
She tastes like heaven, was all Ethan could think. He didn’t want to stop. Not until you’d come undone in his arms, crying out his name. If nothing else, he wanted to make you scream.
You were already halfway there. For fuck’s sake, it made no sense how quick he was to finish you. You were so aroused, so full of wanting. Your body was calling out to him.
So was your heart, but you tried to ignore her. She didn’t know what the hell she wanted. Or what the hell was good for you. Nor did she care.
Fuck, you were so restless. It was too much, but not enough all at once. You didn’t understand. How could your body be so conflicted? Your heart was already warring with itself. No man should have had this kind of power over you.
But Ethan did. The ecstasy he made you feel was otherworldly, like the gods had sent him to you and it was no coincidence that you’d met again. Like we were meant to be.
“Baby, I’m so close,” you rasped, losing your grip. Your vision was blurring and everything was hazy.
Ethan perked up at the little name, but something about it - combined with the announcement of your impending orgasm - made him pull out all the stops. His hand abandoned its clutch on your thigh, fingers slipping into your cunt.
You cried out when his thumb brushed your clit again, but nothing could prepare you for the pair of fingers between your walls, coating themselves in your slick. Throwing your head back, you balled your hands into fists. You were broken. So fucking broken.
“Eth,” you whispered, because it was all that you could manage. You desperately endeavored to meet his movements, grinding your hips into his mouth. Your body was begging for release.
Ethan was more than happy to give it to you. His tongue lingered at your clit, applying way too much pressure to be safe, and it was enough to finish you then and there. You shook with climax, trying to fight him away, because you couldn’t handle the overstimulation.
Slumping on the hammock, your whole body went limp. Your lips parted in a loud, euphoric cry of his name, weakness gathering in your eyes as you tried to get over the high of your orgasm. It hit you like a damn freight train.
For a second, you couldn’t speak. You could hardly breathe. Ethan pulled back, admiring his handiwork. He all but came in his pants.
You blinked a couple of times, sensitive tears in your eyes. “Jesus.”
Ethan perked up. “How did I do?”
All you could do was give him a thumbs up. Your throat was hoarse from screeching his name and you more than likely needed a glass or two of water.
“Can I fuck you now?”
“You can do whatever you want with me,” you replied without a second of hesitation.
There was a smile on Ethan’s face before he pushed your back to the hammock for a third time (not that he was counting) and kissed your neck. You gulped, aroused. Not only at the feeling of his teeth in your neck, but his hard cock.
He couldn’t believe how naked you were in front of him, only for him. Taking you on a hammock on the beach was something he would have never imagined. Not even in his wildest dreams.
Ethan stripped out of his clothes, leaving you to watch with bated breath. Your heart stopped when you caught sight of his dick, curling tall against his stomach. He had no business being this size.
“That is going to take me out,” you said, almost a little worried.
“I was hoping that I could take you out,” Ethan quipped, always having time to make silly jokes no matter the occasion. Only he was half serious.
“You are,” you exhaled. “And you can.”
Ethan smirked. Everything was falling into place.
You gasped when he finally penetrated you after what felt like ages. Ethan whimpered, slowly sinking into you in fear of hurting you, but he couldn’t wait to move. Your pussy gripped him immediately, throttling his cock.
Wrapping your legs around his waist, you pulled him into you, deepening his position. When he was finally buried to the hilt inside of you, the two of you let out a noise of perfect sync.
“Holy shit,” he hissed, grabbing at your thighs and finding purchase in them.
You were extremely sensitive from climax and felt so overcome, but a little bit of your fight returned when you remembered you were his first. “How does it feel?”
“Tight,” Ethan staggered, breathless. “Really tight.”
You hummed. “What else?”
The only way Ethan could see this was as you trying to break him back. “Warm. And wet. Holy fucking shit.”
You smiled contentedly. That was what you liked to hear.
Ethan found a rhythm, particularly one that made your eyes roll. For a virgin, he wasn’t as bad as some of the other people you’d slept with. For one, he wasn’t jack-hammering you.
It felt so good for him, but he wanted to make sure that the feeling was mutual. Ethan locked eyes with you, asking, “Is this okay?”
“Baby, this couldn’t be better,” you panted, grabbing onto his forearm.
That was a great answer. Ethan leaned into you, resting some of his weight on you, and kissed you with desperation. Like he would never get the chance again. You moaned into his mouth, fisting your fingers through his hair while your other hand raked down his back.
His eyes winced shut at the feeling of your nails in his back, but there was something about the pain that was also pleasure. Plus as long as you were enjoying yourself, he couldn’t give less of a damn.
If you wanted to use him for your own pleasure, he was more than content with that. He wanted to serve you. He wanted to be everything - and the only thing - you needed. Your friend and your lover.
But you were also so snug around his cock that he was going to bust. Luckily for him, you were close. The previous orgasm helped him make short work of you.
Ethan grunted, all the heat going straight to his dick. “Where do you want me to cum?”
“Flip me over,” you said through ragged breaths.
Ethan’s eyes widened, but he followed your commands. You cried out when he flipped you over, spread your legs apart again, and stuffed you full of his cock again. You were floating on a cloud. There was no way this was really happening.
A couple more thrusts was as long as you could hold out and you came again, your orgasm ripping through you. Your hands bundled into fists, gripping nothing in particular.
That was all it took to finish Ethan. He wallowed in the godly sight of your ass and your pussy squeezing him for dear life, and he pulled out at the very last second, releasing with a deep sound rising from the very back of his throat. You could feel his cum on your ass.
Ethan collapsed over you, his weight on your chest. Both of you spent a moment catching your breath, completely and thoroughly spent. You smirked at the blank look on his face and panted, “Home run.”
The joke took Ethan a second, but once he understood, he burst into a fit of giggles with you.
Both of you got cleaned up and removed all evidence of sexual intercourse. Then, you decided to walk the shore again, arm in arm. You leaned against his chest, smiling.
Ethan couldn’t get enough of you. Just the sight of you made his chest warm. He whispered softly, “You have a really pretty smile, you know.”
You parted your lips to reply, but before you got the chance, you felt something scrape at your shoulder and cried out in a mixture of pain and shock.
Turning, you saw a masked figure holding a knife. You gulped.
Ethan exclaimed, “Run!”
You grabbed his hand, pulling him with you. Like hell you were leaving him alone with a psychopathic killer. Unfortunately, Ghostface gave chase.
“Baby,” he started. “Run back to the house.”
You gave him a look, shouting, “And abandon you to get murdered? New plan.”
“Listen to me,” Ethan said sternly. “Go back to the house. Tell everyone to lock the doors. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
You shook your head. Tears threatened.
Ethan grabbed your hand, kissing the back. “I love you. Do this for me. Please.”
You heaved a breath, finally nodding. “Okay. I love you, too.”
Then, you split up, darting back to the house. You didn’t look back. You were too scared of seeing something worthy of haunting you in your nightmares.
Ethan hid behind a cart, obscured from your view. Ghostface came up to him, lowered their knife, and Ethan hissed, “What the hell, Quinn? This wasn’t a part of the plan.”
Quinn snatched off her mask, seething, “That bitch almost exposed us yesterday. She could have ruined our plans.”
“But she didn’t,” Ethan spat back, full of vitriol. “I’ve got it under control. I told her we’re in a bet. Don’t fucking hurt her. She’s off-limits.”
Quinn obviously wasn’t pleased, throwing back on her mask and walking away without another word.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair. Finding you here was both a blessing and a curse. He didn’t need you to be collateral damage. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he mumbled under his breath.
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Amnesiac (Rafe Cameron x Reader)
WARNINGS: eventual NON-CON, eventual DUB-CON, violence, public sex, memory loss, underage drinking, drug use, non canon ages, kook!reader
➥ banner by @maysdigitalarts | divider by @firefly-graphics
➥ series masterlist
summary: “There’s something wrong with your love story, baby...”
After a surfing accident leaves you with little to no memory of everything that happened before that day, you start to wonder if the blond in what little memories you do have is the same one who claims to be your boyfriend.
~
Rafe’s voice was soft in your ears as he told you to watch your step, and his hand on your arm kept you steady as he guided you inside the impressive house. You knew that it was meant to be comforting, but you told yourself that it would just take some getting used to. Despite what the doctors said, and what he himself had confirmed, he was still a stranger to you.
A beautiful stranger, but a stranger, nonetheless.
The entire ride to his house, you hadn’t been able to stop staring at him. His sharp jawline, his long lashes, the pink of his lips and the way he worried the bottom one between his teeth. You reminded yourself that it was rude, but occasionally he would turn to glance at you, the sun reflecting off of his blue eyes as he drank you in.
Was it strange to say that the hospital had brought you more comfort?
Upon waking up, there hadn’t been a single thing you could recall. Not even your own name. The sterile white walls were anxiety inducing at first, but the more you stared at them, the quicker it took you to realize where you were. You were in a hospital. You couldn’t remember if you had ever been in a hospital before, attempts at trying to search your memories only bringing forth frustration.
You had looked down, taking note of the scrapes and bruises on your arm with a frown. It was easy to deduce that you’d been in some kind of accident, and that assumption made your heart rate spike. It was enough to send the monitor into a frenzy, and your eyes were wide when a nurse came running in. You were shocked to see her, and she looked shocked to see you awake.
Everything after that was a blur of physicians and tests, and a doctor who told you what you’d already guessed.
You’d been in an accident, a surfing accident to be more exact, and he hadn’t been shocked when you confirmed that ‘no’, you didn’t remember a thing. Not even your own name. He was happy to tell you it, and the sound of it did spark some familiarity within you, but it still tasted odd on your tongue. He told you that you’d gone down hard, a rough wave basically slamming you into the rocks.
He didn’t need to voice it because the look in his eye and the tone in his voice said it all.
It was a miracle for you to be alive.
“Tell me,” he had hummed, shining a light in your eyes. “What can you remember?”
Wracking your brain was almost painful, and the monitor had picked up on your increased heartbeat as your breathing started to grow heavy. You blinked, tears of frustration kissing your eyes before shaking your head.
“N-nothing,” you had whispered.
The sound he made was one of disappointment, and you swallowed.
“I had expected that. Still, I’d hoped that…well…”
He’d trailed off, jotting some things down.
“There’s a strong chance it’s not permanent. Overtime, things may come back to you, some slower than others, and some not so much,” he assured you.
You had absentmindedly nodded at that.
“When can I go home?”
It was such a strange question to ask.
You didn’t even know where home was or who else was at home. Did you live alone? With your parents? Did you even have parents? Siblings? Lingering on it for too long made your head hurt, and you pressed your fingers to your temple.
“You’ll need to sign some things first, like filling out your emergency contact for one…”
He had continued at your look of confusion.
“You don’t have one,” your frown deepened at that “…but luckily your boyfriend was the one who found you. He brought you in, and so we’ll need you to put his name down for when you inevitably come back for more tests and as we monitor your progress.”
Boyfriend…?
“Boyfriend?” you had questioned.
The older man had chuckled at you.
“Yes, you’re very lucky. If it wasn’t for him, who knows what might’ve happened. He’s barely left the hospital since you were admitted. He and his family have been very worried.”
He had turned away to say something to the nurse, leaving you with your thoughts. No memories came forth at the thought of a boyfriend, and your frustration grew. How strange it was that you had an entire life that you couldn’t even remember.
When the doctor stepped outside, you heard him talking to someone. Another man. The low timbre of his voice had carried, and you struggled to stand. Looking through the window of your room was the first time you’d seen him, and when he turned to look at you through the glass, his face had touched on something familiar within you.
They parted ways, and the younger blond slowly made his way to the door. You were still when he poked his head inside, the barest of smiles on his lips. Again, something about his face did strike you as familiar, and that made you relax a bit. However, you couldn’t stop yourself from taking a step back when he fully made his way inside, dirty blond hair curtained along his forehead.
Something about him was intimidating, and it had nothing to do with the fact that you didn’t recognize him. There was a harshness to his face that unnerved you, steel blue eyes almost…cold. A low chuckle left him as you warily eyed him.
“They’d said that you wouldn’t remember, but…I had hoped…”
His brows furrowed as he stared at you, and you felt yourself relaxing more at the worry on his features.
“I’m Rafe,” he had softly told you. “Your boyfriend.”
Even days later, as he brought you home, it was still hard to believe that he was in fact your boyfriend. Truthfully, you didn’t know why. You had looked in the mirror a few times during your stay at the hospital, and it wasn’t like you thought you were ugly. He certainly didn’t intimidate you in that respect, but there was just something about him that you found hard to pull your eyes away from.
Something about him struck you ass off, but so far, he had been the only one who could answer any questions you had about yourself.
“They’re dead?” you had quietly repeated days before, sitting across from him on your hospital bed.
Your hands were in your lap, and although you could see the way Rafe’s had been twitching to hold yours, he respected your discomfort.
“You were 11…and it was a really bad car accident.”
The knowledge that you didn’t have parents, hadn’t had any for years, had caused a cold sickly feeling to twist in your gut.
“You have pictures of them,” he’d said, making you look up. “Do you want me to bring them tomorrow?”
You had nodded without hesitation, and you’d been relieved for more reasons than one when he did just that. His shoulder had brushed yours as you flipped through the album, none of the pictures sparking anything within you. Rafe knew the context of each and every one, pointing at them and recounting stories. You were shocked to find him in a few too, pointing at who he claimed was his father and sister as well.
“What happened to me after they died?” you had asked.
Rafe had sighed, closing the photo album and setting it aside.
“You were adopted by some family friends of theirs,” he started, and his tone prepared you for what he’d said next. “They provide, but your relationship could be…better. They’re actually on some cruise, right now.”
He had shrugged, and your lips had parted.
“You stayed at our house, a lot.”
And that was where you found yourself after you were finally released.
Rafe was close to you, hand grazing your skin as he gave you a tour. You could feel his gaze on you, watching and hoping for some recognition, no doubt. You had no choice but to disappoint him though, shrugging at him with a sheepish smile. Shockingly, he didn’t look all that upset, reaching out to brush his thumb along your jaw, a look in his blue eyes that you couldn’t place.
“That’s okay,” he gently told you. “Maybe you’ll remember…maybe you won’t.”
He smiled then, fingers grazing the back of your neck, and a shudder passed through you.
“We’ll just have to make new memories.”
The hallway was dark when you came out of the bathroom, an unfamiliar t-shirt hitting your knees. You suspected that it belonged to Rafe, and you forced yourself to be okay with that. Even if your memories never fully returned, you’d have to get used to everything about your life again eventually.
And that included your boyfriend.
You could hear voices coming from downstairs, and you were cautious in approaching the stairs. You recognized the man next to Rafe as his father, an unfamiliar dark-haired girl at the table too. The conversation dwindled as you neared, and Rafe was quick to get up and grab your clothes from your arm.
“You gave us quite the scare.”
Rafe’s dad approached you, and you glanced at his son as he disappeared towards what you guessed was the laundry room. You turned back to the older man as he pulled you into a hug.
“Ward,” he said after a while of you just staring at him.
You nodded, eyes glancing towards the other occupant.
“…and that’s my daughter Wheezie. You used to babysit her, actually.”
“Oh,” you chuckled, albeit nervously.
“My wife, Rose, will probably be down in a minute,” he told you, gently guiding you towards the table. “God, I can’t imagine what could’ve happened if Rafe hadn’t been there with you.”
You sat down on the other side of Rafe’s chair, slowly returning his smile when he sat down too.
“Uh…yeah,” was all you could say. “He said that I was out for…a week? 4 days, something like that?”
Rafe rubbed circles into your back, and you didn’t miss the way his sister frowned at the sight.
“6 days,” he murmured to you, fixing you a plate.
“So, you don’t remember anything?” his sister asked, finally speaking up.
You shook your head, and there was a deep frown on her baby-ish face.
“You didn’t even remember your name?”
Ward scolded her, but you answered anyway.
“Nothing,” you sadly said. “The doctor had to tell it to me.”
“Everything will come back with time,” Ward assured you just as what you assumed was his wife came down the stairs.
She introduced herself, worry as clear as day on her face as her husband confirmed your memory loss. Dinner was mostly centered on you, questions thrown at you by Rafe’s sister, Wheezie. You didn’t mind it much, hoping that maybe her curiosity would eventually spark a memory or two.
“I didn’t even know you guys were dating,” she’d said at one point. “You always acted like you hated him.”
Her comment had you looking up with a slight frown, turning to Rafe when he angrily said her name. You watched the way he glared at her before returning to his food. Was that true? You supposed that she would know, and you found it odd. Did you really used to act like you hated him? It was hard to imagine that. Not only because he was supposedly your boyfriend, but also because Rafe hadn’t been anything but kind to you.
You couldn’t imagine anyone hating him.
When dinner was over, Ward collected all of the plates. Rafe’s hand was on your arm as he guided you upstairs, wishing the rest of his family goodnight. You didn’t have a choice but to follow him, quiet as he led you to what you surmised was his room. Your lips parted at the sight, and you nervously looked to him.
“Um…”
You watched Rafe laugh to himself, shaking his head.
“Sorry,” he said. “Habit.”
“No, I get it-.”
“I’m basically a stranger to you,” he interrupted, pulling you down the hall. “Of course, you would want your own bed.”
Your heart sank, and you realized that you felt bad. You were Rafe’s girlfriend, had been for a while it seemed, and he couldn’t really treat you as such because of the accident. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of him as he showed you around the room, pointing out the bathroom. He told you that you both could go by your house and get some of your clothes one day, and you could tell by the way he’d hesitated that he’d wanted to kiss you before wishing you a goodnight.
“Goodnight,” you quietly replied back, and Rafe lingered in the doorway for a moment or two before finally leaving.
You took in the room with a small sigh, wondering how many times you’d been in here and just didn’t remember it. Being in this house and with Rafe’s family definitely pulled at something in your brain, just there beneath the surface, and it bothered you. It gave you hope that your memories would come back eventually, but it did nothing to ease your frustration.
You made your way to the window, looking through the blinds and into the yard. Rafe had mentioned to you that you didn’t live far from him, and considering the nice house and neighborhood, you wondered if you grew up nicely too. Figure 8. That’s what he’d called it. You repeated it aloud to yourself, saying it a few times before something finally clicked in your mind.
“The Cut,” you whispered to yourself.
Figure 8 was one side of the island…and The Cut was the other.
It was the only thing you could remember at the moment, but it was something, and it gave you hope. Movement in the yard caught your eyes, and you focused on a figure walking across the lawn. She looked familiar, and just when you got your hopes up, you realized that you knew her from the pictures you’d seen in your photo album.
It was Sarah.
Rafe’s other sister.
It looked like she was sneaking into the house, but it seemed that your room light caught her attention. She stopped where she stood, looking up at you with wide eyes, mouth falling open in shock. Rafe hadn’t exactly told you how well you knew her, but if the expression on her face was anything to go by, you’d say you knew her very well. She stared up at you for what felt like a long time before she seemingly sprinted inside.
You weren’t entirely shocked when you heard footsteps quickly making their way up the stairs. However, you could hear the other girl being intercepted. It sounded like Ward, and you could hear him telling her that you needed plenty of rest. You weren’t able to swallow down your sigh of relief, moving to turn out your light.
These past few days had been nothing short of overwhelming. You felt like there was just too much information to take in, and as much as you’d love to get reacquainted with Rafe’s sister, you really just wanted to call it a night. You hoped that by the time you woke up, you’d remember something else.
After all, you didn’t exactly enjoy staying in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by nothing but strangers. The biggest stranger of all being the one who called himself your boyfriend.
You dreamt of blond hair that night. Blond hair and the smell of the salty ocean. It was so vivid that when you woke up, it was still on your mind, and you came to the conclusion that it must’ve been a memory.
“The beach?” Rafe asked as he drove you to your house.
You tried to pay attention, tried to remember the route or even hoped that it would bring forth another memory.
“Yeah,” you said. “I remembered the water…and your hair.”
You were staring out of the window, and you could feel Rafe’s gaze on you. You confirmed that you were right when you glanced at him. His arm rested on the back of your seat, and his fingers danced long your skin.
“My hair?”
You nodded with a hum.
“Blonde…and not super short, but not long either.”
You eyed his hair then, frowning a little as you recalled the blonde hair from your memory. It seemed blonder, but that could’ve been the sun. Rafe didn’t respond to that immediately, simply gazing at you while also managing to keep his truck straight on the road.
Rafe simply hummed before turning away.
Your house was just as impressive as his, and you watched in awe as he grabbed a spare key from under the mat, letting you both in. You were distracted by the inside, looking around and taking it all in, almost in disbelief that you grew up here. However, the pictures on the coffee table and fireplace mantel said so.
Rafe seemed patient enough as he watched you look around. You took note of some shoed by the door, and you got the feeling that they were yours. When you finally looked at him again, he was holding his hand out towards you. You hesitated, unintentionally, of course. It all felt so strange and weird, but you told yourself that there was only one way to get past all of that.
Tentatively, you took Rafe’s hand, allowing him to lead you up the stairs.
You weren’t quite sure what you were expecting your room to be like, but it surprised you, nonetheless. The small surfboard in the corner wasn’t shocking though. After all, it was a surfing accident that had caused all of this.
“Your other one got wrecked in the accident,” Rafe told you, following your gaze. “Broke right in half.”
The visual was enough to make your heart skip a beat, and when you turned around, you noticed that he was pulling things out of your drawers to take. You decided to follow his lead, albeit unsurely. You didn’t really know what you liked, and you got the feeling that Rafe could sense that as he approached you.
“Here,” he said, grabbing a pink dress.
It was strapless and casual and much softer than it looked.
“You always look pretty in that,” he quietly told you, playing with an errant hair.
At that, you looked at him, startled by just how close he was. Rafe ran his eyes over you, gaze heavy, and you blinked before awkwardly looking away. It seemed unfair almost that he was so comfortable with you while you on the other hand…
You couldn’t help but eye him as he turned back around, gazing at the back of him.
It was still quite unbelievable to you that he was your boyfriend. The evidence was there. The familiarity, his family, his knowledge of you, but still. You didn’t know if it was how he looked or his attitude or what, but now you found yourself curious.
“How did we start dating?”
He straightened at that, looking at you, tilting his head.
“I don’t know why, but I just find it so hard to believe that you’re dating me. I want to know how it happened,” you said with a shrug.
Rafe exhaled, putting some clothes down onto the bed before nearing you. There was the faintest of smiles on his lips as he took a shirt from your hand, folding it. It was contagious, and you slowly returned it.
“Well,” he started, gazing at you from beneath his lashes, and you couldn’t deny the way it made your stomach twist. “I’d had my eye on you for a while.”
You blinked, scrunching your nose up at that.
“Really?”
Rafe nodded before moving back to lean against your bed, intense gaze fixed on you.
“I wanted you,” he said with conviction. “…and I always get what I want.”
His tone was teasing, but something about it unsettled you even though you didn’t know why.
“Persistent?”
“Proactive,” he replied with a shrug.
He folded your clothes into a neat pile before placing them in a nearby bag. Now that you had started the conversation, you had more questions about your relationship. Rafe had said that sleeping in his bed was a habit, and you couldn’t help but wonder what else you did in his bed. It wasn’t weird to question just how serious your relationship was. After all, you wanted to be prepared.
Not to mention, if this past week or so was anything to go by, Rafe was an amazing boyfriend to you. Even though it wasn’t your fault, you knew you’d feel bad if you discovered that he wasn’t experiencing certain things he was used to all because of your accident. You were getting to know him again, sure, but it didn’t change the fact that he still felt like somewhat of a stranger.
Holding his hand would take some getting used to, let alone…anything else.
“What was I like?” you eventually wondered. “You know, before the accident.”
You leaned against your dresser, gazing at pictures stuck in your mirror. Some were of you and Sarah, sometimes Wheezie. Your eyes were drawn to a few that featured some people you didn’t recognize, a naturally tan girl with long wavy hair featured in many.
“I guess I should say what am I like,” you corrected, looking at Rafe.
His gaze was on the pictures you were just looking at, eyes almost icy in nature before they softened on you.
“You love being outside. That’s how we got in this situation,” he lightly said. “You’re a pescatarian. That’s why I didn’t put any meat on your plate last night.”
That piqued your interest.
“You love animals, and you are probably the sweetest girl I know,” he continued, reaching out and pulling you towards him.
He let out a soft laugh, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d say it sounded bitter.
“You get along with…just about anyone,” he almost seemed to sneer. “Almost to a fault.”
You frowned at that.
“What do you mean?”
“It means that there are some people on this island who aren’t…good,” he whispered to you. “They don’t have your best interests at heart, and the sweet girl that you are…”
His fingers grazed the back of your hand.
“You didn’t see that until it was too late.”
You wanted to ask him to elaborate, but not only did the topic seemed to sour his mood, forcing him to brush by you and continue packing, but you also wondered if you really even wanted to know. Here you were with the option to not know about any hurt that had been done to you, and you were really about to ruin such an opportunity. You didn’t know who Rafe was talking about, nor what he was referring to, but you made the decision then that you didn’t want to. Besides, there was a chance it would come back eventually, anyway, and you didn’t see the point in spoiling your ignorant bliss.
For the first time since your accident, you were grateful for the memory loss.
Turning away from Rafe, you made your way to the other side of your room. You opened your closet, taking in the rest of your clothes with a grimace. It was clear that all of this had been picked out by you, but you found yourself overwhelmed. Luckily, a plain white tee on the floor caught your attention, and you bent down to pick it up.
You eyed it with a small frown, turning it over. It was clearly a men’s tee, the size and style telling you that it didn’t belong to you. The obvious answer was Rafe, and you stood, still eyeing it as you walked towards him. You could see that some initials had been written in the tag, the so much washing and detergent had faded them a bit.
“Do you want this back?”
Rafe looked over his shoulder, and you frowned at the way his face fell. His blue eyes gazed at the t-shirt for what felt like too long, and you almost started to ask him if he was okay when he threw you a perfect smile. Rafe reached for it, fingers brushing yours as he took it.
You were startled when he leaned in to place a kiss on your cheek, but you told yourself that it was habit for him, and at one point, it had been habit for you too. You felt your face warm up.
“Thanks, babe. I had been looking for that.”
You watched as Rafe balled it up, proceeding to shove it to the bottom of the bag. The smile you he threw you was comforting, and when you turned back to your closet, you could feel the heat of your boyfriend’s gaze on your back.
#rafe cameron x kook!reader#rafe cameron x reader#dark!rafe cameron x reader#obx fic#rafe cameron#drew starkey fanfiction
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instead of you [part twenty-nine] || l.mh
pairing: [best friend’s brother] lee minho x college!reader ft. han jisung
summary: you didn’t expect to spend your summer pretending to be your best friend’s girlfriend- then again, you didn’t expect to fall for your best friend’s brother, either.
warnings: swearing, menstruation, minor injury, description of injury, blood, mentions of sex (mdni)
word count: 5.4k
a/n: revamped my tom holland series from my main blog ( @wazzupmrstark ) to try and motivate myself to finish it!!
a/n pt. 2: in this series minho and jisung know how to swim and enjoy it lol also if any old 5sos stans are reading this, they're staying in the same treehouse from The bali trip sdkfhds
series masterlist | early access to the next chapter on ko-fi
“Do you ever think about anything else?” you mumbled in annoyance.
“Do you want me to be honest?”
You shoved him, glaring hard. “You’re asking to be caught,” you whispered, eyes widening when he didn’t deny it. “What, you want him to find out?”
“Might be better than sneaking around,” he reasoned.
“We’d still have to sneak around. Your other brother and your parents can’t know,” you reminded him.
“Yeah, I guess.”
He didn’t seem convinced.
“What, do you not like me acting like Jisung’s girlfriend? Are you jealous?”
“That’s not what I meant,” he countered defensively. “I just thought you might feel bad going behind his back.”
He had you there, the bastard. “You already know I do. But I don’t want to lose my friendship with him over it.”
“He’s going to find out sooner or later.”
“Why, you’ll tell him?”
Minho rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Neither of you had the advantage here and he knew that. Telling Jisung meant you’d both lose something.
You considered telling Minho that you’d also decided that you should stop sleeping together altogether, but he was already moody and you didn’t want to worsen it. You’d tell him later, when he was less defensive.
-
You slept for eleven hours straight when you finally made it to Bali.
Everyone was staying in the same accommodation again, but this time it was like a treehouse with separate rooms connected by rope bridges.
Jisung was relieved that you were finally able to sleep and rewarded you with homemade chili when you woke up.
“Is it good?” he asked, sliding onto the barstool next to you.
The kitchen was situated in the middle of the treehouse, sharing space with the common area on the other side of the deck. Despite it being open to the forest, you thankfully hadn’t been visited by any of the bugs or wildlife who might’ve been lured in by the smell of cooking food.
“Everything you make is good,” you answered, spooning another bite into your mouth.
“That’s not true.”
“Yes it is.”
“You’ve helped me through a lot of trial and error with recipes, don’t forget.”
You nodded. “You’re right. I suppressed that.”
He rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless, pleased that you were enjoying your lunch.
“What are we doing today?” you asked.
“Still not reading the itinerary, I see.”
“My bad.”
“We’re going surfing.”
“Wha- I don’t know how to surf!” you cried.
“We’ll teach you!”
“Oh my god, this is a nightmare,” you groaned to yourself. “We’re going to be active all day and you fed me chili? What’s wrong with you?”
You were half-kidding, mainly annoyed with yourself for not checking the schedule on your own. You shoved the bowl across the counter towards your best friend and stood from the stool. He’d finish the rest.
“When are we going?”
Jisung was hesitant to answer, probably knowing you wouldn’t like what he’d say. “In like an hour.”
“Jesus Christ,” you muttered, turning on your heel to run back to your room and change.
You ran into Felix as you rounded the corner, accidentally bumping your nose on his shoulder.
“Woah, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Ask your brother, I’m not speaking to him right now.”
You brushed past him, only to hear Jisung muttering an explanation behind you. “I don’t know, I just told her what we’re doing today.”
An hour didn’t give you much time at all to get ready. You needed to dig through your luggage to find a bathing suit, find something to wear over it, put sunscreen on- you also needed at least twenty minutes to wrestle with a tampon so that it wasn’t painfully uncomfortable when you walked or sat or did literally anything. You’ve tried using tampons a dozen or so times, and not once has it been a pleasant enough experience for you to want to repeat. You knew people who swore by them, wouldn’t use any other product but you were not one of them. Maybe your pussy was broken, or maybe you were just doing it wrong, but you always dreaded using tampons and this was not an exception.
Of course you’d get your period when you’re going to the beach of all places. Just your luck.
You didn’t even want to go surfing, but you weren’t going to be that girlfriend that didn’t participate in family activities, especially since your fear of heights already had you sitting out of things. No, you would be the fun girlfriend that tried new things, that had a good attitude about it. It’s what Jisung deserved.
The resort that rented out the treehouses was right on the beach so it was just a short walk to the shore.
Dom and Nikki set up a spot to lounge a few meters away from where the waves were breaking so they could watch you all surf. Nikki had even brought one of her nice cameras to take pictures of you all. “I don’t have anywhere near enough pictures of this trip,” she’d said when the boys protested. They’d appreciate it a lot more when they saw the action shots later on. You watched as she set up a tripod in the sand and adjusted the legs to make the platform level before screwing the Nikon onto the plate.
Minho organized the board and wetsuit rentals at the little hut by the sand dunes that was associated with the resort. He was the most experienced surfer out of the four of you so you let him choose a board for you. After speaking with the guy working the booth they’d both decided on a foam longboard. The thing was huge. You had no idea how you were supposed to handle something so big, but Minho and the guy had assured you that bigger was better for beginners.
The three boys chose funboards, which were apparently the next size down. You felt a little embarrassed about being the only noob, but you knew you’d be a lot more embarrassed if you tried to use an intermediate board with no experience. You could already see the crowd of people surrounding your lifeless body on the beach.
“What size wetsuit do you want?” Minho asked.
“Um, I don’t really know how the sizes work,” you admitted.
Your eyes flitted to the man behind the desk who briefly looked you up and down and said, “I got you.”
Somehow he was able to determine your size just by looking at you because the one he picked fit like a glove.
“Just put the sleeves over your shoulders like this,” he demonstrated. A quick glance at the lanyard around his neck told you his name was Banyu, at least that’s what was scrawled in the open space in dry-erase marker. “And then pull the body of the suit upwards. The sleeves on your shoulders should create some resistance and help the rest slide on.”
He stepped back to let you do the rest and then showed you how to zip it up. “Like this,” he said again, pulling an imaginary zipper up his back. You did as he did and raised your arm above your head until the zipper wouldn’t go anymore.
“Perfect! You’re already a natural.”
“I don’t know about that,” you chuckled. “I bet you’ll see me eat it in about ten minutes. Maybe less.”
“Do you need a lesson?” Banyu offered, “I’m off for lunch in like thirty minutes. I’m certified to teach beginners, but I won’t charge you or anything.”
You were about to accept when Minho spoke for you.
“We’ll teach her, bro. Don’t worry.” He sounded cheery enough, but you could see past the smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“You’re not qualified, though,” you pointed out, mostly just to get under Minho’s skin. Banyu shrugged as if to say you had a point, but didn’t add his two cents. “They seem to really want to teach me,” you sighed, “but thank you. Although, if I’m still shit in a couple hours I might just take you up on that. And if I die out there, it’s on you.” The threat was directed at Minho and he knew it.
“You look great, babe!” Jisung exclaimed suddenly, finally coming to your rescue. He wrapped an arm around your waist and pinched your hip. “Wetsuits are definitely your thing.”
“Ji!” you groaned, cheeks warming. “My entire body is covered.”
“Yeah, but the thing is skin-tight,” he mused cheekily, smirking when you covered your face with your hands.
“Can we go now?” you hissed.
You were completely mortified to have this conversation in front of a stranger even if it was all part of the act. You’d never be talking to Banyu again, no matter how cute he was.
“Thanks for everything!” Jisung said brightly and turned to help you with your board.
It was pretty heavy which you found strange since it was supposedly made of foam. To be fair, it was about nine feet long, which called for a good amount of foam. Still, you were out of breath by the time you reached the edge of the water.
“He thought you were cute,” Jisung teased once you were out of earshot.
Felix nodded in agreement but Minho didn’t acknowledge the statement at all.
“You think that about everyone.” You shook your head and brushed him off. “You’re biased.”
“Okay, but I’m right this time. Even Lix agrees.”
“Yeah, but I’m staying out of this, for the record,” Felix added.
“Whatever,” you muttered.
The four of you had stopped just in front of the water to make final adjustments when Jisung told his brothers to go on without you, explaining that he’d teach you the basics and that there was no reason to wait up. Minho looked like he wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut and followed Felix out into the waves.
“You okay?” Jisung asked, checking on you as always. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
“I do want to,” you assured him. You were getting better at lying to your best friend but the thought didn’t give you much comfort.
Although it wasn’t that you didn’t want to try surfing. Surfing was something you always thought would be cool… to do someday. But you didn’t want to try it now. Learning how with just Jisung might be fun, but here you had an audience and that was what made you nervous.
“I’m just a little nervous.”
“I know. You’ll be fine, though. I’ll be right there with you,” he insisted, taking your hand and giving it a squeeze. You nodded, you trusted him. You trusted Jisung with your life and if he thought you could do it, then you’d give it a shot. “So first things first, you’ll want to wrap that velcro strap of the leash around your ankle so you don’t lose your board when you fall off.” You dropped your surfboard in the sand next to you and did as he said, still listening as he talked. He did the same and placed his board next to yours as he fastened his own leash to his ankle. “You’ve boogie boarded before, right?”
“Yeah. I used to do it a bunch as a kid.”
“Surfing is similar in the way you catch a wave,” he explained. “We’ll paddle out to where Minho and Felix are and when you want to give it a try you’ll paddle with the wave just like you would on a boogie board and stand up when it picks you up and crests.” He huffed and straightened up again, giving you a look. “You’re not going to like the next part.”
“What? Why?”
“We have to practice standing up.”
You immediately understood why he’d said you wouldn’t like it And he was right. “Right here? On land?”
“Yes. It’s the most important part of learning.”
You wanted to put up more of a fight but didn’t want to make a scene so you merely grunted in displeasure before mirroring Jisung’s movements and lying flat on your stomach on the board. He showed you how to “pop up” a couple of times before he instructed you to try it yourself. There were only a few aspects of your form that he corrected before deeming you ready to get into the water, something you took pride in.
“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at you as you waded into the ocean together.
You knew he was just complimenting you to fuel your ego and boost your confidence but you didn’t care. It felt good to hear.
It took a good fifteen minutes to paddle all the way out to where Minho and Felix were waiting for waves. You were exhausted by the time you reached them. Fighting the current and dodging waves at the same time was a lot harder than you anticipated. Jisung was able to duck dive the waves with his board since it was smaller and he was strong enough to push the nose of it beneath the water, but you were stuck facing them head-on. Every time they’d crash into you the force would send you backward and you were forced to make up the distance by paddling twice as long.
You weren’t sure how you were supposed to catch a wave and stand up on a board after this… and then paddle back to do it all over again. Why did people do this again?
Minho and Felix greeted you happily when you and Jisung joined them, offering you both high-fives. Felix immediately launched into a story about how he and Minho had wiped out already while Minnho turned his attention to you. He gave your board a nudge with his knee and smiled encouragingly.
“Ready?”
-
“You know you’re supposed to stand up, right?”
“She’s learning, Felix, give her a break!” Jisung yelled defensively.
You sighed when you finally reached the group again, having paddled all the way back after taking another wave on your stomach. You’d managed to catch a few, you were just having trouble with the standing component, the main component of surfing.
“You’re doing great, babe,” Jisung added when you rejoined them.
“You don’t have to lie.”
“I’m not lying! It’s not an easy thing to learn, just take your time.”
You took a deep breath and nodded, slumping forward on your board like you were hugging it. You closed your eyes as the tide rocked you gently, secretly wishing to be on the shore with Nikki and Dom. You were soaked, cold, and sticky with salty residue left behind by the ocean’s foamy currents. You honestly couldn’t wait to get back to the room and shower but you were trying to stick it out for Jisung’s sake.
“You okay?” It was Minho, who had somehow made his way over to you. You didn’t bother opening your eyes, not wanting to confront the sight of him in his skin-tight wetsuit any more than you already had to.
“Peachy,” you replied.
“Do you want to take a break? I could sit here with you for a while if you want.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I might sit the next round out but I’m okay by myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” you assured him. “I like watching you guys have fun.”
“Suit yourself.”
You relayed the same message to Jisung when he offered to take a breather with you, lifting yourself up to watch them catch a few more waves. Minho went first, likely claiming seniority over the twins, followed by Jisung, and finally Felix. Each of them were able to stand for at least a few seconds, usually lasting until the swell subsided.
“They’re just good at fucking everything, aren’t they?” you mumbled to yourself.
After Felix wiped out for the third time in a row they paddled back over to you, shouting for you to trade places with him.
Jisung waved his arms at you like you couldn’t see him from thirty feet away and cupped his hands around his mouth to yell at you. “Come on, benchwarmer, he’s tagging you in!”
“What’d you just call me?” you shouted back.
“You heard me! Get over here, slowpoke!”
Felix gave you an apologetic look as he took his spot beside you and slicked back his wet hair.
“Why do they need a third person?” you grumbled. “Can’t we both take a break?”
He shrugged. “They must think you’ve rested long enough.”
“Whatever. Thanks a lot.”
You were relieved to hear Felix laugh as you paddled away because you were worried he might have taken your sarcasm to heart.
“Welcome back,” Jisung said warmly and leaned across the space between you to kiss you on the cheek.
It felt a little embarrassing to put on the act in front of Minho who already knew you weren’t actually dating but Jisung didn’t know he knew- and it was all so complicated that you’d rather not think about it at all. Of course, that wasn’t an option so you settled for what was second best, which happened to be pushing everything down as much as humanly possible.
“Call me a benchwarmer again and I’m cooking dinner for a week when we get home.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!”
“That’s… a punishment?” Minho asked uncertainly.
“Yes,” both you and Jisung answered simultaneously.
Minho nodded unsurely at first, then his eyes lit up as if he suddenly understood. “Right, ramen for breakfast.”
“I can’t believe you remembered that,” you admitted in surprise.
“It’s kind of a hard thing to forget, baby,” Jisung pointed out. You glared at him and he immediately averted eye contact. “Anyway, how should we do the line-up this time?”
Minho and Jisung agreed that you should go second just in case something happened during your turn, that way they’d be able to reach you from either side. Once that was decided, they played rock paper scissors over the first and third spots. Minho won and picked first again. Typical.
The current had picked up in the time it took to divvy up the line-order, which meant that bigger waves were starting to form in the sweet spot the boys had scoped earlier. Both of the Hans seemed to take this as a positive thing, but it made you even more nervous.
“We need to start before someone comes and tries to take our spot from us,” Minho said. He seemed to notice the anxiety written across your face and softened a little. “We’ll be right there, okay? No need to worry.”
Easy enough to say, you thought to yourself. You forced a smile and gave him a thumbs-up.
Jisung coached you while you waited for Minho to take his turn. You knew he was trying to be helpful but it wasn’t making you feel any better.
“Remember, once you feel the wave pick you up, pop-up on your feet.”
“I know what to do,” you reminded him, “I’m just scared to do it.”
He rubbed your back soothingly. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, I know you’re just trying to make me feel better.”
“Don’t think too much about it, okay? Just let your body do its thing. Let your reflexes do the thinking for you.”
“I don’t know if I can not think about it.”
Your best friend hummed knowingly. “Overthinking is a talent of yours.” He dodged your attempt to splash him, giving you an offended look. “I was just telling the truth!”
“Yeah, well next time keep it to yourself,” you shot. “But I don’t think I was built to surf. I don’t have good reflexes like you guys do. I’ve never been athletic, you know that.”
“Plenty of people who aren’t naturally athletic become good at sports through practice!”
“Yeah, but I doubt that’ll happen for me in the span of a single afternoon.”
“Not with that attitude it won’t!”
Your shoulders sagged, knowing he was right- at least partially. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry for being a bummer.”
“Don’t be. I know you like to get into that head of yours,” Jisung said with a grin. “We’re supposed to be having fun. You don’t have to stand up at all today if you don’t feel ready. Don’t let Felix’s stupid comment get to you if that’s what it is. He’s an idiot and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
You chuckled appreciatively but your attention was torn away before you could respond. It was Minho calling to you from the shallow end, asking if you were ready.
“Yeah, sorry!”
Jisung patted you on the back and gave you a thumbs up. He wished you good luck and gave your board an extra push to propel you in the direction you needed to go.
You took deep breaths as you paddled out to where Minho had just been before he took his turn. By the time you reached it, your stomach was in knots and you were trying not to think about all the possible ways you could hurt yourself with little success.
Thankfully, a lot of surfing was a waiting game. You had to wait until you paddled out all the way to the surf, wait your turn, wait for a wave that was strong enough to pick you up. Most of surfing was not surfing in the same way that most of fishing was not catching fish. Unfortunately, though, you didn’t get much of a reprieve once you got into position. The ocean was choppy, meaning good waves were readily available for the taking.
You didn’t want to wait too long and hold up the boys or risk the chance of getting into your head again, though you weren’t quite convinced you had gotten out of your head, so you took the first big wave that hit.
The first part was easy enough. You’d compared it to boogie boarding, just with a bigger, more awkward board. It was a little more difficult to propel yourself with a surfboard at the speed needed to keep up with the wave due to the sheer weight of it, and you weren’t all that fit, but it was a simple adjustment to make and you caught on to that part quickly.
You could already feel the adrenaline coursing through you as your board cut through the water. Trying to take Jisung’s advice of doing before thinking, you pushed yourself up onto your knees and then your feet one at a time. It wasn’t the smoothest pop-up, but you’d done it! You’d gotten up and were actually standing on your surfboard. You could barely hear Jisung and Minho cheering over the sound of the rushing water but it made you smile nonetheless. Even their parents were cheering you on from the beach.
The whole thing lasted maybe a couple of seconds before you lost your balance and fell off but you counted it as a win regardless, especially since water didn’t even go up your nose. When you surfaced, Minho was already making his way over to you.
“That was great!” he complimented, beaming. “Are you okay? Didn’t hit your head or anything, right?”
“I’m good, thanks. Do you think your mom got the picture?”
Minho laughed. “I’m sure she did.”
You nodded in acknowledgment and tried to lift yourself back onto your surfboard, only for your palms to slip and cause you to fall back into the water. This time you did get water up your nose and you cursed as you ducked under again to try and get it out.
“Oh shit, what happened?” Minho asked, unable to conceal the mixture of concern and amusement in his voice.
“I don’t know,” you explained, trying again. Same results. “Fuck me,” you hissed, rubbing your wrist.
“Right here?” he joked, knowing full well the comment hadn’t been directed at him.
“Shut up.”
“Can you not push yourself up?”
“I’m trying.”
“I can see that. I wasn’t being condescending, I was genuinely asking.”
“Oh,” you whispered, face warming with embarrassment. “I haven’t had this problem before! I don’t know why I’m having trouble.”
“You’re probably getting tired and sore,” Minho reasoned. “We’ve been out here for a while.”
He swung his leg around so that he could easily slide off of his own surfboard and into the water with you. You were confused until you felt his hands on your waist.
“Ready, one, two, three-”
You jumped on three and Minho helped lift you back onto your board, this time successfully.
Your face burned and you couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
-
“I don’t know how much more of this I can do,” you admitted to Jisung once the rotation was complete and you were back in the line-up.
Minho was out doing his turn again and you were up next but you could barely keep yourself upright and your muscles were protesting even the smallest amount of movement.
Jisung winced at the stiffness you were exhibiting like he knew what you were feeling. “Yeah, you’re going to be really sore tomorrow. I still remember waking up the day after my first time surfing. Felt like I got hit by a bus.”
“Awesome, can’t wait.”
“We’ll all be feeling it tomorrow, don’t worry. It takes a lot out of you.”
“I’ve gathered that.”
“Why don’t you do one more and then call it a day?” he suggested. “We’ll grab Lix again and you can go rest with mum and dad on the beach until we’re finished.”
Hanging out with just Jisung’s parents didn’t sound all that appealing to you but you figured it would be better than pushing yourself too hard out here and getting dragged up to the shore half-conscious by one of their sons later on.
It turned out that your next turn would’ve been your last whether or not you wanted it to be. Somehow you had enough strength left to stand up on your board again but then as soon as you wiped out and tried to get up you accidentally stepped on something sharp. You couldn’t tell what it was but it felt like a rock or a piece of coral and it hurt.
You weren’t sure if you were bleeding but the pain wasn’t subsiding so you knew you would need to check it out anyway.
The boys knew it was your last turn so they didn’t question it when you swam past Minho all the way to the shore, dragging your board behind you. You hoped they couldn’t see you limping when you got out of the water either. You tried not to make it obvious but it was hard when you were favoring one foot over the other and practically hopping your way up to Nikki and Dom.
“What happened?” Nikki asked, immediately standing to meet you halfway.
“I, um, stepped on something out there, I think. I don’t think it’s serious but I can’t put any weight on my right foot so I thought I should get it looked at. Do you know if there’s first-aid anywhere around here?”
She nodded and took one of your hands even though you were dripping wet and she was completely dry. “I’m sure the lifeguards have a kit in their lookouts. And if they don’t have what you need they can point us in the direction of where to find someone who does.”
You let her lead you along the beach to the closest lifeguard chair where the on-duty lifeguard stuck his head into the little booth to call one of the off-duty guards out. You assumed he’d seen you limping up to the stand, knew you’d need help, and recruited backup to deal with you while he kept his eyes on the water.
A tan, lanky boy who looked to be about your age popped his head out of the booth and lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at you. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask “what’s wrong”, to which Nikki loosely explained what happened.
He straightened up from where he had been leaning against the wall to actually come down and assess you, telling you to take a seat on the steps of the stand as he knelt in the sand.
“What’s your name?”
“Y/n.”
“I’m Amir. I’ll try and get you patched up.”
“Thanks.”
He couldn’t be older than twenty-five, and you doubted he had any legitimate medical experience aside from mandatory first-aid training, but his demeanor relaxed you a bit. His air of confidence was reassuring rather than off-putting. You were glad that he didn’t seem nervous or panicked over your injury, you figured that must be a good sign.
“I saw you out there,” he remarked casually as he gently lifted your ankle. “First time?”
“That obvious?” you joked.
“Not at all, you’re a natural,” he lied, smirking to himself.
“That’s why I ended up here, right?”
“All the pros get roughed up, just part of the process.”
“Must be doing something right, then. Good to know.”
You watched as Amir unzipped his fanny pack and pulled an antiseptic wipe and a tube of Neosporin out. He used the wipe to clean the wound first, the sting of the rubbing alcohol making you wince.
“Sorry,” he apologized with a grimace of his own. “Worst part’s over, though. You’re not bleeding too bad, either, which is good. We actually see this a lot.”
“What do you see a lot?” you asked, still unsure about what had happened to your foot.
“Looks like you stepped, or rather jumped, on a sea urchin. Its spines broke off into your toe.”
“What?” you gasped.
“It’s not serious! The urchin isn’t poisonous or anything, we’d know right away if it was. It’s easy to treat, it’ll just be uncomfortable and might take a bit to heal.”
“Do you think the sea urchin is okay?”
Amir laughed at that, giving you a funny look. “That’s what you’re worried about?”
“I-I just feel bad. I hope I didn’t kill it.”
He waved it off as he applied the Neosporin and wrapped the top of your foot in a bandage. “I’m sure it’s fine. Sea urchins are durable. They can regrow their spines like lizards can regrow their tails.”
That made you feel a little better.
Amir tapped your ankle to signal that he was finished and held out his hand to help you back up.
“You’re good to go, y/n.”
“Thank you!”
“For treatment, if you’re able to, soak your foot in Epsom salts a few times a day. That should help the spines in your skin dissolve.”
You shuddered at the thought but nodded and thanked him again right as the Han boys joined you and Nikki at the lifeguard stand.
“What happened?” Jisung asked, taking both of your arms and looking you up and down for any sign of injury.
“Stepped on a sea urchin when I jumped off my surfboard,” you muttered.
“Oh my god, are you okay?”
“I’m embarrassed, but I’ll live.”
“Does it hurt?”
“I mean, it isn’t comfortable.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he demanded.
“I didn’t know what happened! I just knew I’d hurt myself but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal and it isn’t! The lifeguard said so himself.”
“Stepping on a sea urchin sounds pretty serious,” Felix chimed in from behind his twin brother.
“Okay, well it’s not like I could communicate what had happened from all the way over here when you guys were in the water,” you said defensively. “I didn’t want you to worry either. I know you would’ve wanted to come with me and I didn’t want to cut your surfing short.” The last part was directed at Jisung specifically. He knew you were right, you could tell from the look in his eyes.
“I-”
“Jisung,” Nikki pressed, giving her son a look, like she was trying to remind him that he was arguing with his injured girlfriend right in front of the lifeguard stand and looked like a major asshole. “Let’s go back to our spot.”
You thanked Nikki for taking you to get first-aid and then lagged behind the rest of the Hans as you made your way back over to Dom.
Minho hung back with you, quipping, “looks like you’re making friends with everyone today, huh?”
You weren’t in the mood for whatever underlying implication he was trying to make so you just brushed him off.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re nice to people.”
“And when you look like you do,” he added.
“You and your brother are exactly the same,” you groaned.
He looked affronted by this claim, holding a hand to his chest. “What do you mean?”
You dropped your voice lower so that only he could hear you. “You both think everyone’s into me.”
“Most people are.”
“You just proved my point.”
lmk what you think i always appreciate feedback!!
add yourself to my taglist here!
#instead of you stray kids#instead of you skz#iou stray kids#iou skz#stray kids x reader#skz x reader#stray kids x female reader#lee know x reader#lee know x female reader#lee know x bi!reader#stray kids series#lee know series#lino x reader#lee minho x reader
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Pt I australia but i've never been there
A lot of my lovely maggots are Australian, it appears, judging by the number of Australian families I was just randomly adopted by. So this one goes out to you all, but very especially to Arthur (@howmanyholesinswisscheese) and to his grandmother's boyfriend Brian, who reminds him occasionally of me. I'm truly honoured.
Disclaimer: I did my research on tumblr, pinterest, and the first result of a couple of Google searches, because I'm thorough like that. I say part I because there is a lot.
I'm not sure what Australia is, because the education system failed me. They said it was a continent. But then a country. I figured it was both.
Unfortunately, then I learned about Oceania. Which I had thought was a made up undersea kingdom in that Barbie a Mermaid's Tale series, where people surf. But the continent is Australia and Oceania. Or not.
They have Prime Ministers. I know this, because one ate a raw onion which became instrumental in his later sacking, and another demanded to know what the odds were of a Prime Minister drowning.
He then drowned. Or maybe vanished into the Barbie kingdom of Oceania and became a merman. We will never know, because his body was never recovered, so my money's on the merman theory. Australians proceeded to name everything to do with water after him, from swimming pools to ships, because Irony.
H2O Just Add Water was set here, I think. I am not sure what that is, aside from a show where contact with liquid dihydrogen monoxide causes bodily transformation into a mermaid. Do the Australian mermaids not drink water? Not knowing any personally, I can't ask.
Aside from the concerning number of merpeople, there are also a concerning number of spiders. I love spiders, but apparently the ones in Australia will eat your flesh. After I watch Good Omens S2, I suspect I will welcome this fate.
For morons like me who see a spider and go AWW, Peppa Pig's episode on teaching kids not to be afraid of spiders was banned in Australia for endangering children and not being appropriate for Australian audiences.
Sydney is a place and it has an opera house. Melbourne is a place and it has a stadium (of what sport, I am unsure). Queensland is a place and it has Arthur's grandmum's boyfriend Brian.
There is a thing called Milo, and it is a brown powder that I assume is edible. Mums say to add a teaspoon (hence why I assumed edibility) and the children add a truckful. I infer it is nice.
There is marmite. I have known this for a while. Tourists spread a lot of it on their bread. This is a mistake. Do not. The original ad involved someone eating marmite happily, and their partner kissing them on the mouth and proceeding to gag violently. It is fermented beer waste. You either hate it or love it.
There is fairy bread. If you have sticks on it you are a monster. If you have balls on it you are smart.
I'm already writing part II. humans bewilder me.
#good omens mascot#now in the...#australian fandom#it's a thing guys i swear#australia#aussie#australian#marmite#fairy bread#milo powder#queensland#sydney#melbourne#onion#australian pm#barbie#barbie the mermaid tale#mermaids#merfolk#an australian thing apparently#h2o just add water#australia memes#australia funny#well not really#it's all REAL#so#mascot#maggots#asmi#weirdly specific but ok
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august
genre: angst
au: high school au, summer love au
warnings: swearing
word count: 0.8k
pairing: gn!reader x lee minho
song: august by taylor swift
mini series: cruel summer // august // betty // cardigan // the 1
a/n: the reader for this is not the same reader for betty or cardigan. this reader is minho’s summer friend.
SO MUCH FOR SUMMER LOVE AND SAYING “US”
This love has been living on borrowed time. You knew that the night you kissed Minho, his lips sticky with the bubblegum bubble you popped. It was a stupid decision, yet he kissed you back.
Kissed you until your lip gloss got lost among the splatter, until the remnants of his strawberry-flavored gum found their way into your mouth, until you both forget how quickly this has to end.
That didn’t seem to matter. Sand dune chats and bottled sunscreen burnished the days golden, pilfered wine and tangled bedsheets left the nights in a thick haze. Walks on the pier became a ritual, and you eagerly waited for him on the bench underneath the streetlight every evening. Whenever he draped his arm across your shoulders, you knew you had him. After many summers of pining, Minho is finally yours.
You throw his duffel bag into the trunk of his parents’ minivan. Suitcases pile on top of one another, and last-minute miscellaneous items have been shoved into tight corners. For the next nine months, his family’s beach house will sit empty and you’ll drive past it every day when you go to school. It’ll be your only connection to him in your hometown.
“You’ll call me, right?” you ask him. “Being busy with a school isn’t an excuse because I know you don’t do homework.”
“I finished all my summer reading. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
You groan, eliciting a smile from him. “Call me, okay? I wanna hear all about your fancy high school and your city friends. You never tell me anything. C’mon. It’s not fair at this point.”
“Alright,” he laughs, putting his hands up in defense, “I will. I’ll see you next year.”
Barely audible over the breeze, you say, “I’ll miss you.”
“Here’s something to remember me by then.”
He tosses you a half-empty pack of his signature bubblegum, and you catch it with two hands. You could buy this at any surf shop, but you can’t help but hold it close to your heart. When you wave goodbye to him and his family, the gum burns in your palm, reminding you that he’s still with you. You won’t chew on any of the gum; you’ll leave it in your nightstand drawer, look at it every night, and wonder how why you didn’t kiss Minho sooner.
For two weeks, you wait for him to call you. He sends curt texts every once and while about being busy unpacking or getting ready for his classes, and you reply with updates about your own life. The ice cream parlor’s new seasonal flavors, the mind-numbing chapters you have to read for English, and the seagull you fended off are just a few of the stories you send.
However, you can’t wait forever. You’re so relieved when he picks up.
“Hey! How’ve you been? I missed you.”
Something rustles on his end, muffling his voice. “Hey. Uh, been better, I guess. First week of classes, so you know.”
“Oh, I forgot you start earlier than us. First week isn’t too bad, right? Just syllabi and introductions. So, any plans for a Friday night? If not,” you slyly say, “you can come visit me for the weekend. There’s hardly anyone in town, so we can try all those tourist trap restaurants you wanted to go to.”
“That sounds fun, but I can’t. I'm heading to a party right now, so I’ll call you back?”
You feel yourself wilting but put on a bright voice for him. “Yeah, sure! Tell me everything tomorrow. Have fun.”
He ends the call, and you sink into your mattress. It’s too early to go to bed, but part of you wants to sleep the time away. Instead, you sneak downstairs to the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of red wine. Something light, something to remind yourself of Minho. You scroll on your phone until your eyelids droop and then curl into bed. Your dreams are sweet, ocean waves and Minho kissing you relentlessly.
Even though Minho said he would call tomorrow, your phone vibrates, the name minho lighting up the room.
“Hi,” you whisper, trying to conceal your sleepiness. "How was the party?”
“I got back together with my ex—”
“What?” You didn’t know he had an ex. You never even knew he had dated someone before.
“—so this is it for us. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but the party and—”
You hang up and stare at the ceiling, now fully awake. Tears well up in your eyes and glide down your cheeks when you blink. Your face grows hot. Are you sad? Embarrassed? Angry? You can’t tell, and that somehow makes everything worse. You loved him for ten years and only had him for June, July, and August.
Only for the summer.
‘CAUSE YOU WEREN’T MINE TO LOSE.
#stray kids#skz#lee know#lee minho#stray kids imagines#skz imagines#lee know imagines#lee minho imagines#stray kids x reader#skz x reader#lee know x reader#lee minho x reader#stray kids scenarios#skz scenarios#lee know scenarios#lee minho scenarios#stray kids angst#skz angst#lee know angst#lee minho angst#stray kids au#skz au#high school au#summer love au
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Hey, idk if you're still writing for JJ, but I thought maybe seeing The Joker and The Queen by Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift would be really cool for him!! ❤️
The Joker and the Queen - JJ Maybank
Summary: Reader and JJ spend the afternoon together.
A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out...also this is pretty short, I kind of just wanted to capture like, the chill acoustic vibe of the song with JJ and the reader just like spending time together.
TS Anthology Series
✰ you see the best in me, the joker and the queen ✰
The sun coming in through the open window felt warm against JJ's face and sunburned shoulders. He'd been out longer than he planned to be the day before, surfing with Kie and Pope and not bothering with sunscreen despite the many reminders Kie provided. In a couple more days, when the coconut oil and apple cider vinegar had healed the angry red skin on his shoulders and back he'd have a few more freckles to mark his body. There was a spattering on them on the left shoulder, peeking over his collar, somewhat obscured by the sunburn but you were meticulous in your detailing.
When you looked up from the canvas you were working on you realized JJ had closed his eyes, chin resting against his hand and his face turned just enough that the sun was shining on it. His hair looked blonder than it had been two months ago but then you'd been FaceTiming him and looking through a phone screen would never do JJ the same justice as sitting across from him.
"JJ," you called his name gently, watching him nod in confused half-wakefulness before sitting up a little more and opening his eyes, "we can stop." You offered.
The request to paint him for a synchronous art class that you were taking over the summer wasn't all that unusual. Half your portfolio was portraits of your boyfriend. Sleeping, surfing, partying, you'd even drawn him eating cereal once when you were trying to practice sketching in motion. You had already sketched out the painting on your canvas, posing wasn't necessary (or possible because you knew JJ to have little patience for sitting still) but you'd asked him to sit just long enough that you could work on coloring. You wanted to get everything just right. You had hundreds of sketches of JJ (or at least that's what it felt like) but you couldn't seem to get any of them perfect. There was always something missing.
"I'm good," he promised, tired eyes blinking slowly as he spoke. The sun felt so warm, he knew he was dozing off but he was trying desperately not to. He wanted to sit still and do this for you. Every time you asked to sketch him, he barely lasted ten minutes before he was fidgeting. And he knew it was irritating because everyone always said so (not you, but Kie and Pope and Sarah and John B and Cleo...everyone). You were so talented and sometimes when he saw your art he couldn't believe that you were wasting your time on someone like him. It was a self-deprecating thought but he had plenty of them all the time.
"We can take a break?" You offered, dipping your brush into the pinkish beige that you'd mixed for his sunburn shoulders.
"No it's okay," he yawned around the word okay, meeting your eyes when he heard you laugh in response, "I'm just kinda tired."
"We can do something else?"
He shook his head and then brushed his hair out of his face, "isn't this due thursday night?" He knew it was, or at least part of it. He'd been in the room on Monday night during your last zoom class and had listened to the professor give out the homework for Tuesday through Thursday. You'd been laying on the couch with him, camera off and mic muted, and he'd been tired and close to sleep then but he was sure he'd heard your professor say that part of this was due Thursday.
"I've got another day," you promised, leaving your painting to come over to JJ. The sun felt warm on your back and shoulders as you stood in front of JJ's chair, leaning down and taking his face in your hands, "we can just chill, if you want?"
He looked ready to protest but thought better of it, "can we go to the beach?" He asked, tilting his head up to look at you, eyes half-closed.
"You think you can stay awake that long?" You laughed, kissing him before pulling away.
"Totally," he promised, though you knew it was doubtful that he would even last through you insisting on putting sunscreen on him.
#outer banks fanfic#obx imagine#outer banks imagine#jj maybank fanfiction#jj maybank fanfic#outer banks fic#outer banks fanfiction#obx fanfiction#collecting stories imagine#jj maybank imagine#jj maybank blurb#jj maybank drabble#jj maybank x reader#jj maybank x you#jj maybank x pogue!reader
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Surf's up - Ashton Irwin
a/n: possibly thinking of making this into a series?
Word count: 1.4k
Where you go to the beach, and you encounter a very sexy australian surfer
contents: fluff, swearing, weed use
Surfer!Ashton x Reader (fem)
You were always a fan of the beach, the way sand felt on your toes, how salty the water was... But, since your family went on a holiday every summer, it turned out to be a bore.
"y/n y/l/n! you are going to the beach whether you like it or not!" Your mother exclaimed. You rolled your eyes. "I don't get why you force me to do these things." You exclaimed.
You felt like a teenager again, being pushed into trips with your family, the problem was, you were an adult now, and still were being treated like a kid.
"Fine, but I won´t have to stay with you guys the whole time! Deal?" You asked your parents. "That´s fine." Your dad replied.
You finally got to the beach house. Immediately you put on your bathing suit and went to the beach.
One of the things you enjoyed the most was making sandcastles, even though you were 20 now, this reminded you the most of your childhood, comforting you in ways that touched your soul.
While you were making your sandcastle, someone bumped into it, destroying the whole thing. "What the fuck? Watch where you´re going!" You screamed. "Sorry..." You heard a voice from above you.
You looked up, and there he was, his brown hair, lightened from the sun, his tan skin, slightly sunburnt, and the most beautiful green eyes you´ve ever seen.
He reached down with his hand, pulling you up. "I´m sorry, I can help you rebuild it?" He said. And he had an australian accent. God damnit.
He looked you up and down. He was thinking the same as you, your hair was curled from the salt water, your delicate face, and the way your coverup hugged your body made him stare.
"It´s fine, don´t worry about it... I´m way too old to be making sandcastles anyway." You rubbed your hand at the back of your neck and laughed. He smiled back.
"I think it´s adorable." He winked. You started blushing. "Are you from around here?" He asked. "No i´m just here on vacation with my family." You replied.
"Oh... that´s too bad." He uttered. You raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Why´s that?" You asked. "I was just wanting to know you better." He smiled. Your legs went weak.
"Well, I think i´d like to get started by knowing your name first, mystery man." You laughed.
"The name´s Ashton, what about yours?" You grinned. "I´m y/n, nice to meet you." You stuck out your hand, into his, creating an awkward handshake.
"I don´t know if this is too sudden, but... Would you like to hang out at another beach tonight with some friends? It´s something casual, just a few buddies." He asked, tugging at his green choker, with a pearl on the center. "Yeah, i´d love to." You replied.
"Awesome, would you give me your number so I can give you the info?" He questioned.
"Yeah, no problem, my phone´s just in my bag, i´ll go get it." You turned around and walked to your beach chair. Ashton turned around, trying not to stare.
You gave him your number, and to text it to know if he got it right. You recieved a notification saying "Hello, nice to meet you, y/n." You smiled.
"See you tonight then." You smirked, showing the dimples on your face.
"See you." Ashton said. When you left, he couldn´t hide his joy, wiping the smile off his face.
The evening came, you went to go take a shower, wondering what would happen tonight. You washed the salt off your skin and shampooed and conditioned your hair.
You finally picked out an outfit. A white skirt paired with a pink bikini top.
You braided your hair and put on some mascara, breathing deep. "We´re just gonna hang out", you told yourself.
Meanwhile, Ashton was at Calum´s house, accompanied by Mike and Luke, were getting ready.
"So... you finally got yourself a girl?" Calum asked Ashton. "She´s not my girl, she´s just someone I met, we´re just gonna hang out." He replied.
"That´s not what you sounded like when you were describing her to us." Luke said.
Michael teased Ashton, repeating what he said. "Oh! She´s so pretty! She seems perfect." He exclaimed while putting a hand on his forehead.
"Shut the fuck up dude..." Ashton said, combing through his hair and putting on a floral red shirt.
It was finally time, the sky was clear and the night was warm, Calum, Mike, Luke and Ashton were sitting around a campfire at the beach, waiting for you, listening to the crackling of the fire.
You arrived, walking, since the beach was not far from your house and Luke was the first to see you.
"Dude, is that her?" He asked Ashton. All of them turned to look at you. "A bit out of your league, don´t you think Ash?" Michael punched him in the shoulder. "Smokin´ hot." Calum agreed.
Ashton ran up to greet you, and you both hugged. "Hi." You giggled and looked into his eyes. "I was thinking you would never show up, you look good." He laughed.
Luke looked at the boys. "We´re literally a collective third wheel right now."
He held your hand to bring you to the other guys, they all stood up and hugged you, then you all sat down around the campfire, you were sitting in the middle of Calum and Ash.
"Guys, this is y/n." He said, introducing you.
"So, what brings you here to our beautiful beach hangout spot?" Calum laughed, taking a drag of his joint. "Well, i´m here with my family on vacation, not really by choice. But I got invited by Ashton here, so it´s not that bad." You winked.
"How did you two meet?" Michael asked.
"I was just surfing on the beach, and I knocked over her sandcastle." Ashton laughed. "Yup, true story." You agreed.
"You smoke?" Calum asked you. "Occasionally..." You smiled. Calum laughed and passed the joint to you, the light dimming down with the wind.
Calum passed you the lighter. "Ash, can you help here?" You asked. He put his two hands over the joint while you light it. Looking at you, thinking about how lucky he was to have met you. You took a puff.
"Thanks." You smiled up at him. "No problem." He blushed.
Calum looked over to Luke and whispered. "You could cut the tension here with a knife." Luke giggled.
Luke whispered something in Calum´s ear. "Well, we´re going inside, we´ll let you two be." Calum exclaimed. Michael also understood the message, and left with them.
You looked at Ashton, and he shrugged his shoulders. "You can finish it." You told him, passing the joint to him, watching him take one last puff, throwing it on the sand.
"I have an idea." Ashton smiled. "What?" You asked him. He took you by the hand and dragged you close to the ocean.
"Let´s jump in." He told you. "Are you crazy? it´s like 10 PM." You laughed at him.
"Who cares? I promise to save you if you drown." He told you. You punched him in the arm. "That´s not funny!" You laughed. "It´s a little bit funny." He replied.
"Okay fine, but baby steps." You told him, taking off your skirt. He froze, and you smiled. "Hey, my eyes are up here." You laughed. "Sorry."
He took off his shirt and took your hand.
He tricked you, he picked you up and ran into the ocean with you, as you screamed and laughed. "Ashton! Put me down! I don´t wanna wet my hair!"
You both splashed in the water together, fully submerging yourselves.
You came up for air, so did he. "Too late, princess." He smiled.
You couldn´t even be mad at him, he looked so beautiful in the moonlight. His hair going curly after it got wet.
He took your face in his hands and pulled it closed to your face. "May I?" He asked. You smiled and nodded.
He placed a kiss on your lips, momentarily breaking because of the force of the waves, but kissing again after.
You both got out of the water, and you started running. "Where are you going?" He asked you. "Come get me and you'll see!" You shouted.
Ashton ran after you, and soon enough he caught up and wrapped his arms around you. "What was that?" He asked you, turning you to face him. "Wanted to feel you hold me."
"There's more than enough time for that." He smiled and kissed you again, more passionately.
"I'm so glad I met you, y/n." He told you.
"Me too, Ash."
#5 seconds of summer#5sos fanfic#ashton irwin#ashton irwin x reader#ashton irwin fanfic#5 seconds of summer fanfic
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Assumptions (Part 6)
Rewritten/Edited. ~2.8k words
Master Page
Surfing all morning had been the perfect distraction from the numbness that still edges against you when you are left alone. A few days have come and gone since the revelation of the bet. You had thrown yourself into working extra shifts and finishing two series. You exhale, resting your chin on your knee while sitting on your beach blanket, watching your friends surf.
Sarah shares the blanket with you, quietly observing John B surfing wave after wave with contagious happiness until the silence threatens to consume her whole. John B had shown up with her this morning, and everyone is okay with her joining. You are aware that you have missed out on some things by fake dating Tyler and avoiding Rafe like he is the plague. But even this surprised you when you had jumped out of Kiara's car to see her and John B by the Twinkie looking head over heels for the other.
“You do not seem as put off about me and John B as the others were.”
You smile a little and look over at Sarah. “You seem happy together. Who am I to decide who can make John B happy?”
She smiles brightly then. “Thank you.”
A comfortable silence fills the air as she stretches out in contentment. You exhale, rolling your head back along your shoulders, pushing the thought of Rafe away at the mention of being happy with someone. It is absurd how rooted he is now in your everyday thoughts. It had been random interactions and lunch, but he still was true to his reputation and sunk his hooks into you like every other girl.
“You should come by Tanneyhill one day for us to hang out and swim,” Sarah suggests. "I think it could be fun, Kie could come as well."
You smile at the thought. It seems like a great idea, but you know who also resides at Tanneyhill. Sarah being his sister is not something you plan to hold against her, but it will make things difficult.
“Not happening, Sarah.” You soften your tone and peek at her. She glances at you, concern flooding her features at your change in attitude. You tear your gaze away from her, ignoring the sting that follows at the reminder of Rafe’s betrayal. “Um…” You roll the confession around in your mind before looking at her again. “Rafe, Topper, and Kelce made a bet that Rafe could get me to have sex with him by the end of the summer.”
“What?” Her voice morphs to outrage as she gapes at you.
You shrug. “He didn’t win.”
She exhales, running her hand through her blonde locks before shaking her head. “He’s an asshole.”
“Agreed,” you laugh a little and look back at the four pogues surfing as JJ cheers Kie on through a larger wave. “Rafe is backing off for now. I lied and said Tyler Andrews and I are dating.”
“So you aren’t?” She asks, a teasing smile on her lips.
You shake your head, blushing a little. “No, it was a hookup and a few fake dates. He likes another girl, Emma Williams,” you look over at Sarah, and she nods that she knows her. “We were going to fake date for the rest of the summer, but then I saw how he looked at her, and I refused to date him after that.”
She elbows you with a giggle. “Playing matchmaker?”
“Something like that,” you agree, a smile on your face as you remember the look on Tyler’s face when he saw her. “I think Tyler liked me, and we would have fun, but he did not look at me like he looked at her. So, for now, your brother thinks I am dating Tyler, and he is not happy about it, but he knows he can not do anything about it either.”
“Serves him right,” she mutters and grabs a handful of sand to let it fall between her fingers. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you.”
"He will find out eventually. Rafe typically gets what he wants."
You scowl, looking out at the water. "Yeah, I've noticed."
“Sarah!”
You both turn to see Rafe and Topper walking from the parking lot.
“It’s like you say his name, and you summon the devil,” you mutter, and she snorts.
“Stay here, I will handle this.” She stands, dusting the sand off her hands and legs before moving toward the pair. John B would not ignore Topper's presence, and you are correct as the pogues are moving back to shore together. A loud groan escapes you as you stand and dust the sand off where needed. You join Sarah, leaning into her side a little, knowing how vicious Topper and Rafe can be when provoked, and five pogues would provoke them even if you are on your side of the island.
“What are you doing, huh?” Rafe asks. “Slumming it with these pogues?”
“That is none of your business,” she sneers, crossing her arms over her waist.
Rafe’s gaze flickers to you, and he smirks, dragging his thumbs across his lip before clearing his throat. “At least I would have made some money if I had slept with one.” His blue eyes flicker over you as he smirks. “Isn’t that right, Baby?”
A chain reaction happens next as JJ surges past you and Sarah to land a hard punch to Rafe’s jaw. Topper begins to intervene, but John B shoves him back away from JJ and Rafe. You reach for Sarah, and she does not turn around, but her hand grips yours.
“JJ!” You yell for him as he lands another fist against Rafe’s face. The kook would surely sport a bruised jaw over the next few days as his head jerks to the side.
“JJ, stop it!” Kiara yells beside you now. Her tone matches how you feel watching them fight.
“John B!” Sarah yells. “Topper, stop!”
Topper lands a fist against John B’s ribs, and he groans before swinging at Topper’s face. Your attention shifts to the other fight pair as Rafe lands a punch on JJ’s ribs.
“Not again!” Kiara turns to look at Pope with wild eyes. Pope joins the fray to try to separate John B and Topper. He could not stop both fighting pairs, he would need help, and it is your fault JJ is fighting anyways. You exhale harshly before moving to do the same for JJ and Rafe. You ignore Kie and Sarah's protests at you getting involved.
You barely miss JJ’s elbow as he shoves Rafe backward after a hard punch to Rafe's face that splits his lip. Rafe’s lip starts to bleed as he staggers back from the shove. You take the opening to plant yourself between them. Both of your hands are planted against JJ’s chest.
“Walk away JJ,” you say, your eyes frantic as you search his face, but he is staring at Rafe. His chest is heaving for air, and his fists are tightly curled against his sides. "JJ!" You reach up, touching his face and turning his attention to you. “Walk away, please. This is a public beach. There are children here.”
He seems to snap out of the daze and looks around, noticing the families staring and gathering a few feet back. All sharing worried looks, whispering, and clinging to their children.
“Please, JJ for me,” you beg, knowing that the Kildare Sheriff's is likely already on their way. "Think about it Jay, the cops are probably already on their way. This is Rafe Cameron, he won't go to jail like you will."
He nods before walking backward with his hands up until Kiara is between you and JJ.
You turn to Rafe, fire in your eyes as you glare at him. “How fucking dare you?” You whisper harshly. “This is our beach, The Cut! You have no right to be here.”
He stares for a moment, before he shrugs, shaking his head. “I don’t care.”
“I can see that,” you hiss before moving forward to shove your hands again his chest. “Get out of here Rafe. Now! Go back to Figure 8, and don’t come back to The Cut again.”
“Or what?” He asks, his hands circling your upper arms to hold you there. His glare intensifies as he stares down at you like you two are the only ones on the beach at the moment. “Come with me.”
“No.”
His hands grip tighter, but his gaze does not stray from you. “Come with me, and I will go.”
“This is not an opportunity for you to bargain with me!”
He smirks, rolling his shoulders. “Sure it is, Baby.”
You glance back to see Topper and John B are at a pause while Sarah tends to John B’s injuries, and Topper glares at them a few inches away. His bottom lip is swelling, and he is sporting a cut right below his eye, which serves him right for being an asshole. Topper’s blue eyes find yours, and he smirks. You turn back to Rafe when his thumb begins to stroke the inside of your arm.
“Come with me. Or I tell the sheriffs that JJ attacked me and started this whole fight." He leans his head down as he speaks so only you hear his next words as his lips brush the shell of your ear. "There are plenty of witnesses that saw it, Baby."
You close your eyes and drop your head. “Fine, but I will go with you only. Topper can fuck off."
Rafe laughs, before turning his head to look at Topper. "Thanks for your help, Top. Go take care of that lip."
He shrugs before throwing a menacing glare at John B and going.
“I’ll be back,” you say over your shoulder to your friends, who all immediately start to protest. “I’ll be fine!” You turn back to see Rafe smirking at them. “Wipe the smirk off Rafe, or I stay.”
His facial features shift before he reaches for your hand.
"I said I would go, I didn't say you could touch me."
You pull away from him and slap his hand away. JJ laughs from behind you, and you hear Kiara admonish him with a sharp shut up.
“Don’t touch me again,” you say, your tone harsh as you ignore them in hopes of another fight not breaking out. "Go!" You gesture towards the parking lot. "You are getting what you want, as per usual."
He leads the way up the beach and to the parking lot before he turns to you. “Fine, but you'll have to touch me.”
“That’s not what… no,” you say, shaking your head as you look at his motorbike before taking a step back.
He smirks. “You agreed, or we can go back down there and wait for the sheriff."
“I hate you so much,” you snap, and take the helmet he holds out. You pull it on as he straddles the bike. You move closer and to bike, but before you can get on he reaches up and snaps the buckle in place under your chin. "What about you?"
"I didn't plan on this, despite what you think."
"Whatever." You scoff before climbing on behind him. He does not comment on your doubt, but reaches back and pulls your hands around to brace against the gas tank. The front of your body presses to his back, and that burning feeling resumes as he turns the bike on and leaves the beach and your friends behind.
Once you are at Tanneyhill and he has parked, you are off and pulling the helmet off your head. He studies you as you shove it harshly against his chest.
"Why in the hell did you bring me here?"
He shrugs, looking up at the massive white house. "I wanted to show you what I can give you."
You scoff, pacing away from him. "Fuck you, Rafe."
He leans against his bike, his gaze raking over you before he has that coy smile on his face. "Come inside. We can talk."
"I don't want to go in there."
His eyebrows rise before he turns to get back on his bike. "Then we go to the police station."
"I hate you so fucking much!" You snap before walking towards the front door. His laughter follows you before he does. He reaches past you, opening the front door before motioning you through.
"Up the stairs. First door on the right."
"I'm not going to your bedroom."
"Yes, you are," he responds. "My dad and Rose are here."
You shove his hands away when they reach for you again before following his instructions.
“Is this why you brought me here? To lock me in away in your room?"
He shakes his head as he opens his bedroom door and lets you in. "No."
“Then why?” You ask, crossing your arms over your waist before turning to him.
“I miss you."
“Oh my god,” you groan and tip your head to stare back at him. “I don’t understand you at all.”
He rolls his eyes. “Stop being dramatic.”
You sigh, shaking your head, and walking to look out the window of his bedroom, before turning to him. “Are you planning to hold me, hostage all day then?”
“Maybe,” he mutters before moving off the door to come closer. You stare at him, aware that you are unable to go anywhere as his hands grip your waist, and he looks at you. There is something in those blue depths that tugs at your heart strings. “I want you to give me a second chance.”
“No.”
He groans, his forehead dropping to yours. His breath fans over your face as he squeezes your hips.
“Rafe, I have a boyfriend.”
“That’s a lie,” he grounds out, and you push a hand to his chest, making him take a step back. “Try again.”
“Excuse me?”
“I saw Tyler and Emma together last night. So, either you lied, or Tyler is cheating. Either way, Baby, it doesn’t look like that relationship is going to work.”
“Damn it,” you groan and move to sit on his bed. Your palms press to your face as you try to think of a way to redirect his attention elsewhere.
Your options are limited, he has leverage that he can use against JJ any time he wishes or at least until the injuries fade. But you know Rafe and you know he will know no bounds until he gets his way. The only way to end this once and for all is to give Rafe what he wants and that is you. For one night, to save your best friend, you would allow Rafe to do whatever he wants with you.
You lift your gaze to him as you lean back on your palms. A poker face takes over your features, schooling the plan in mind. Your plan is mad, but it is the best option you have. “I want half.”
“What?” He asks, tipping his head and bringing his fingers over his lips.
“I want half,” you say as gently as possible. “I want half of the $10k.”
He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth as you begin unbuttoning your cover-up.
“You can have me here and now, but I get half. I have a college fund that could use it.” You look him in the eyes, your own blazing with anger. “The summer is not over yet, and Midsummers is not for another couple of weeks, so why not get something out of this as well?”
He clears his throat, his fingers flexing before he nods. “Deal.”
“And then, this stupid idea of you dating me is gone. We have sex, and that is it.”
“No,” he says, stepping back then.
You lift your gaze to his and pause on removing your coverup. “No?”
“I want more than that.”
“Why?” You ask, annoyance clear in your voice.
He shakes his head, walking away from you before turning back. His hand rakes through his hair in an equal measure of annoyance and anxiety. “I don’t want this to be a one-time hookup, Baby. I want all of you.”
You roll your eyes. “Not an option.”
He moves closer until he is standing against your legs. His hand is warm as he touches your neck. His thumb drags across the rim of your chin before moving to tip your head, so you look at him. “You can try to fight this thing between us as much you want, Baby, but we both know how I make you feel. Bet or no bet, you were mine the moment I started pursuing you.”
“Rafe-”
“No,” he says, cutting you off. “You won’t win this one. I want you, all of you, and I am going to get what I want.”
You reach up to move his hand from your face, but he tightens his fingers on your chin to keep your gaze on him.
“That little blip of whatever the hell we were was nothing.” You hiss.
He laughs, his chest shaking before he stops. “Wrong again. You’ve been mine for fucking weeks.”
Your lips part to try and change his mind, but you pause at the look on his face. Rafe Cameron was the kook prince that got whatever he wanted, and you knew it. He had his sights set on you even after everything. “Fine,” you hiss. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”
In your mind, you hope it will not last long. Rafe did not date, and you were the worst kind of girlfriend. He would get bored and move on in a few weeks.
“Now,” you whisper as you shed your cover-up and reach to untie your bikini top. “Are we doing this or not?”
Part VII
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A Hundred Ways to Become a Wayne
batfamily + oc insert
tw: none
wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!
want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!
this chapters kinda short but I wanted the ANGST to have its own moment lmao, loved leaning into damian’s insecurity for this one
also thank you dami for refueling bentley’s incredibly irrational and borderline stupid idea making tendencies
part nine
❝ PITY ❞
THURSDAY — AUGUST 6 — 5:11PM
BENTLEY DIDN’T SLEEP AGAIN AFTER HIS NIGHTMARE, AND NEITHER DID BRUCE. Instead, they went back to the cave after a while and sat with Dick. All of Alfred’s swabs and tests came back clear, which meant he hadn’t been injected with, inhaled, or even misted with any kind of toxic chemical that could do this to him. (Bruce had told Bentley about fear toxin, an inhalable chemical one of their past villains used that made a person live through their worst fears in their head.) A quick comparison of current Dick’s vital charts and past-Dick-on-fear-toxin’s charts looked freakishly similar, despite one major change: he didn’t have any fear toxin in him.
Which meant, if it wasn’t chemical, he was being attacked psychologically. Somehow.
All signs pointed to it being the Secret Keeper, but she hadn’t done anything to anyone besides plaguing them in bad dreams, much less knocking them out without touching them and wreaking havoc on their brains for six hours. (Which was how long Dick had thrashed and cried and whined for in his unconscious state.) On hour seven, he went limp and still, which probably meant he’d tired himself out.
Bentley didn’t go to school on Wednesday or Thursday, and he didn’t sleep Wednesday night, either. Bruce didn’t seem to mind (he actually seemed a little relieved) and Bentley didn’t want to risk seeing the Secret Keeper out and about. His teachers posted his classwork online, anyhow, so he wouldn’t miss any schoolwork. He spent the better of the two days switching between using Tim’s old computer to do his schoolwork, playing red light green light around the Manor to avoid Damian, drifting down to the cave to check on Dick, and attempting to take power naps that never lasted that long.
Not to mention being texted… like a lot. Ot started when Nico texted early Wednesday morning to ask if he was okay, and why he wasn’t at school. Bentley simply told him he had been sick the night before. (Technically not a lie.) Then Nico took it upon himself to text Bentley all about their environmental science class, even including pictures of their worksheets, and had also taken it upon himself to ask how Bentley was feeling just about every hour. (He always just said better than last night.) Then, Bentley got a text from a random number at lunchtime on Wednesday about how Damian was, quote-on-quote, so creepy. And only ten minutes later and lots of confusion from Bentley did that number come back and say, oh yeah, it’s asten, got your number from nico. heard you were sick. sucks dude.
While Asten wasn’t as incessant about asking how Bentley was doing as Nico was, he did tell him about Spanish class and rant about Ms. Venetstantos making him speak Portuguese every day. And he decided Bentley was a good outlet for all things conspiracy and detective-y, because he kept sending him random articles about metahumans and missing people and Secret Keeper sightings and typing long, drawn out theories about what was going on that ranged from plausible to outright impossible. (Bentley only pretended he read the ones about the Secret Keeper.)
He didn’t remember until those texts that he and Asten had both put detective as their dream job on their get to know me sheets. (Nico had pointed it out on the second day of school when the teacher put those up in the hallway.) He was obviously getting started early. The amount of recon and web-surfing and conclusion drawing he did reminded Bentley of Tim.
Speaking of, Tim and Jason and Steph and Cass had all shown up at the Manor Wednesday and Thursday. Which was strange, considering they’d all been avoiding Damian like the plague. But he didn’t mind — he liked having everybody home.
Bentley started to get really worried about Dick when, on Thursday at five in the evening, (42 hours after Dick had collapsed on Patrol.) he was still laying in that same bed, not thrashing like before, but tossing and turning, still visibly distressed.
He’d been long since changed out of his Nightwing uniform and into some loose sweats, and was connected to drips and other things to keep him hydrated and nourished in his unconscious state. Bentley had finished another color-the-map geography paper about an hour ago and made his way back to the rolling chair stationed next to Dick’s bed.
He had no earthly idea what was wrong with him, but he wished it would all stop. It'd been hard enough seeing Dick during a nightmare he could wake up from — but now, when he was trapped in his own head and no amount of yelling or shaking could snap him out of it, it was practically a form of secondary torture for the entire family. Tim had retired to the Batcomputer, trying so hard to find some kind of solution, or at least a case of something similar, and Bentley didn’t think he’d been upstairs since Dick collapsed.
As of now, five in the evening on Thursday, he, Bentley and Dick were the only three in the cave. Alfred popped in and out often, and Bruce a little less often.
Bentley was sitting next to Dick’s bed, telling him about all the texts he’d been receiving. (Alfred said talking to him would help, so Bentley was trying his best.) He’d taken to telling him about Asten’s conspiracy theories and the new group chat he’d been added to not three minutes ago, with Nico and Asten, in which they were arguing about the possibility of said conspiracies and asking for Bentley’s input. (Asten’s conspiracy about aliens swapping a human’s brain for an alien brain via something he called ‘materialization tech’ and endowing them with the power of the stars being the origin of metahumans was the one on the table now. It was already segwaying into metahuman world domination.)
But eventually, even with the group chat blowing up his phone with the probabilities of metahumans turning the country into a dictatorship, he fell quiet and just took to holding Dick’s hand. He didn’t scream when he grabbed it, at least. But it didn’t seem to make anything better, either.
He was just debating on whether or not he should try to wake him up again when a voice sounded from the doorway of the medbay:
“Hey, Bentley,”
He glanced over, brown eyes locking onto Tim’s icy blue ones. He looked exhausted. Bentley knew he’d been working hard on the missing person and metahuman cases before this happened to Dick. But now? Bentley wasn’t sure if self-preservation was even on his radar anymore. He hadn’t seen him ingest anything other than coffee in a solid two days (given he very well could have when Bentley wasn’t around.) and he was pretty sure sleep wasn’t even a thing he thought about anymore. Though he looked like he needed it.
“Hey,” Bentley replied quietly, slipping his hand out of Dick’s and pulling it back to his lap.
“Doing okay?” Was Tim’s next question, and he moved forward just enough to rest a hand on the top of Bentley’s head.
He shrugged. “Have you found anything to help Dick?”
The weakly plastered-on content expression fell off of Tim’s face. “No. I haven’t been able to find anything.”
Bentley said nothing, but looked back at Dick, who was moving his head back and forth with soft whines.
“Is he going to die?”
It was a heavy question, yeah, but a question that had undoubtedly been floating around in all of their minds since his unfortunate patrol. With all the metahuman stuff out of the way, Dick would technically be classified as in a coma. And lots of people who went into comas didn’t come out of them.
Bentley heard Tim let out a puff of air.
“I don’t know,” He said, hardly a whisper, letting his hand move down Bentley’s head and rest on the back of his neck. “He’s stable, even if it looks like he’s in pain. It’s not ideal, but it’s… better than anything getting worse, I guess.”
Bentley nodded slightly, and hoped that Dick would get better soon.
He heard someone walk across the room on the other side of the cave, and both he and Tim glanced over just in time to see Damian disappear back up the stairs to the Manor. When had he come down there? He wasn’t down there five minutes ago.
“Maybe you should talk to him,” Tim suggested after a quiet moment. “He might actually open up to you.”
Bentley glanced over at him skeptically. “Damian? No he won’t.”
Tim snickered. “That kid would never in a million years cuddle up next to anybody sick like he did you. And he definitely wouldn’t get up in a hospital bed with any of us except, maybe Dick.”
Bentley said nothing. He did kind of miss Damian. Like, the old, not-angry Damian, that took him around the Manor to do things and actually talked to him.
Bentley shrugged. “I’m afraid he’s gonna stab me.”
“Aren’t we all?” Tim snickered. “Seriously, though, he cares about you. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
“I know, but…” Bentley trailed off, glancing down at his hands.
“There’s still a chance,” Tim finished his thought. “Yeah, I know.”
Bentley said nothing.
“It might be good for you to go upstairs for a while,” He continued, and Bentley glanced back up at Dick, who was still shifting uncomfortably in the bed. “I’ll sit with him.”
Bentley nodded. He wasn’t really in the mood to argue, and he needed to finish his schoolwork anyway.
He pushed himself out of the chair and bid goodbye to Tim, heading back up to the Manor. He took to reading the group chat messages he’d missed on the way through the house and up the stairs. Nico was currently trying to explain to Asten that aliens couldn’t use technology he’d made up, and he was arguing that they could because they could read everyone’s minds.
Bentley had nearly made it into his room when he bumped right into someone.
“Sorry-“ He muttered, glancing up from his screen to meet Damian’s ice cold blue-green eyes. The assassin’s glare alone shut Bentley up.
Damian walked past him with nothing more than a faint scowl, heading for the stairs.
He wasn’t planning on talking to him, but it was a better opportunity than seeking the angry assassin out.
“… hey, Damian?”
Bentley turned on his heel, and Damian did, too, shooting him another dagger-like-glance.
Bentley wanted to recoil and say nevermind, but that wouldn’t be very helpful. “What’s wrong?” He asked instead, really focusing on the fact that Tim said Damian wouldn’t hurt him.
“You should know well enough, Whittaker,”
Bentley nearly flinched when Damian used his last name instead of Bentley like he always did. Why in the world would he know what was going on when Damian wouldn’t tell anyone?
“I don’t…” Bentley blinked, searching Damian’s face and then looking at the floor when the unpleasant expression got too reminiscent of his father’s. He knew what that expression meant. And coming from Damian, it made him want to cry.
A moment of silence passed, and when it was clear Damian didn’t intend on speaking, Bentley muttered in a tiny voice: “You’re mad at me?”
Silence.
Bentley thought and thought and thought about all the interactions he’d had with Damian before he started getting upset, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember doing anything wrong. He’d asked Damian to teach him about throwing knives, but he’d told him yes. (He hadn’t done it yet. Was it maybe Bentley’s fault for never asking again?) He didn’t think that was enough to make Damian so upset for so long.
Bentley wished he could bring his knees up, but he was standing, so he wrapped his arms around himself instead. He hoped Damian couldn’t see the slight wetness brimming in his eyes at the very prospect he’d done something so bad the assassin didn’t even want to talk to him anymore and he didn’t know what it was.
He looked at the floor in a vague attempt to hide it. “What did I do?”
“Exactly what you’re doing right now,” Damian replied bitterly, in a tone that literally made Bentley want to start crying. “You weaseled your way into this family with nothing more than pity. All you have to do is shed a few tears and you have the whole household at your feet — the only reason you’re here is because my father and brothers feel bad for you. Because you’re exactly what your father trained you to be. A manipulator.”
Bentley did flinch, that time, like he was dodging knives made of words. It wouldn’t be any use — Damian never missed.
“Your relationships are built on pity, your place in this family is built on pity. Even Drake has contributed more than you, and I’m not shy about discussing his obvious inferiority,” Damian spat. “I am a Wayne by blood and I have to work to be part of this. If I had even considered doing anything like you did with your father, considered betraying this family like you did, they would…”
Damian trailed off.
“You don’t deserve to be here. It’s pity that’s keeping you in this house, pity that’s holding your relationships together, and once that pity is gone, what’s going to be left? Nothing. Because pity is all you are. Pity is what you’re built for, and once it’s gone, you’re going to be left with nothing, useless, just like your father created you to be.”
Bentley watched through blurry eyes as Damian turned and continued down the stairs like he hadn’t just dispatched a carefully-sharpened killshot right through Bentley’s chest.
Damian didn’t want him there.
Thank goodness he was right next to his bedroom, because he hardly had time to get inside and close the door before he started crying.
Everything Damian said was right — he was in this family out of pity. If it weren’t for pity, none of this would’ve happened.
And Damian didn’t want him there. This was his worst nightmare. Tim was wrong, Damian had hurt him.
He walked over to his bed in the dark — the lights were off but the sun was still somewhat out — and curled up in a tiny ball in it, covered his head with the blankets, and cried.
Dick had been taken in when he had nothing, and became Robin to help Bruce fight crime. Jason got taken in off the streets and became Robin. Tim got taken out of a neglectful household and became Robin. Damian got shipped here from overseas to be Robin. Cass, Duke, Steph, Barbara, they were all superheroes, crime fighters, vigilantes.
What the hell did Bentley have to do to make himself deserve being a Wayne?
Become a superhero?
—
dedicated to @sassenashsworld 💚
—
tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)
@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @cademygod
#bat family#batboys#batfamily#batfam#batman#oc; bentley#oc; bentley whittaker#mb; a hundred ways to become a wayne#ov; secret keeper#ov; the secret keeper#ov; charlie reins#alfred pennyworth#bruce wayne#barbara gordon#oracle#dick grayson#nightwing#jason todd#red hood#cassandra cain#orphan#tim drake#red robin#stephanie brown#spoiler#duke thomas#signal#damian wayne#damian al ghul#dc robin
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Picnic - Inside Hyrule series pt. 4
Content: In the Hyrule after the Calamity, you have to be careful on where you decide to have a picnic.
Author's note: I miss Guardians, don't you?
Y/N. No shipping, simple draft.
Inside Hyrule series is a a series of oneshots, in no particular order about YOU in the world of Zelda! Just imagine... how it'd be to have adventures with your favourite hero and princess? How it'd be to travel alongside Link? Do not expect a cool, intricate plots, it's just something to help you (and me by writing and imagining it) to relax and have a nice moment.
Divider by: ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴇʏ (Tumblr)
"We should really take a break, my legs are killing me," you almost begged to Link as you put your hand on a trunk to support you as you moved your feet to relief pressure. The boots you were wearing were comfortable enough for hiking, climbing and running, but that didn't mean that you were freed from the pain of traveling tirelessly.
Your adventure partner had been walking a few steps in front of you for a while. You had suggested a break a few kilometers ago, but either he ignored you or didn't hear you at all.
The usual jovial Link had been really quiet since the moment he had a flashback near the Royal Ancient Lab Ruins at North Hyrule Plain. Every single time he was reminded of everything he lost it made him go into a silent, depressive mood. Something that happened more often than not. You tried to help Link, but the truth is that it was too painful, even for you since you also lost there, even more so because he knew everything used to be special to him and he didn't even remember what it was.
"Oh, sorry," he quickly said. "I was lost in thought."
"It's okay," you responded, clearing your throat. "Why don't we make a picnic or something?"
"Sounds good," he shrugged. "Lunch is on me, I have some special ingredients I could use."
"Special ingredients you don't want me to ruin you mean," you chuckled.
"You said that, not me," he chuckled back.
You both chose a small grove close to the Hyrule Garrison Ruins as the picnic place, it was covered enough to eat in peace while protected from the hot sun. As Link prepared dinner in an improvised fire and a pot, you cut two trunks to use the logs as benches with Link's axe, then you took the little chestnuts that fell from the leaves. They'd make good dessert for later.
You had to admit Link was an excellent cook that could do a lot with scarce ingredients, but it was still a surprise to watch the warm, creamy, tasty-looking soup he had prepared with a hearty radish, a voltfruit, hydromelon and a bottle of milk.
"Remember Ashai?" he asked as he stirred the soup.
"Oh, yeah, the 'Voe and You' class teacher," you answered, taking your boots off while sitting on the log, the grass was pleasant on the soles of your feet. "It was such an interesting experience."
"Well, she gave me this recipe. She also has cooking classes."
"Really? I didn't know, why wasn't I there?"
"You were Sand Seal surfing with the kids," he shrugged.
"Oh, right. Those kids do know how to surf on sand since young."
Link passed you a bowl with the deliciously hot soup, the steam giving you a whiff of the tastiness. He sat at your side and you noticed he was waiting for you to eat first.
"Go on," he smiled. "I want to see how good is it."
"So you're already sure that it's good, uh?" you smirked. "Alright..."
Your mouth was flooded immediately by the sweet taste of the pink cream and the soft cut vegetables. You could taste each one of them, creating a balance that your tongue was grateful for.
"So... it's good," Link laughed, watching your expression and spooning his own soup.
"Very much so, I won't doubt you again," you smiled.
As you ate, your body felt more revitalized. You didn't ask because you didn't want to lose your concentration while eating, savouring every single bite, but you assumed the soup had some health properties. You weren't a stranger to potions and food with attributes that could help in your journey, like allow you to bear extreme temperatures. That or you had been starving more than you thought and your body was reganing energy.
"Thanks, Link, you just saved my life," you complimented him. "I'm not full yet so I'm gonna have seconds."
"Go ahead," he replied with his mouth full.
You stepped forward to the pot and grabbed the soup ladle when a faint red light, a laser, appeared illuminating the tree in front of you.
"Hey, Link, take a loo..."
Your whole body went down, pushed suddenly, and your face hit the ground, but the leaves and grass saved you from hitting yourself hard. There was an unexpected surge of heat and blue light, and the trees in front of you fell, burning. A heavy weight was on top of you and you felt Link's hand on your head, clutching you down. The dirt that entered your tongue resulted in an awful contrast to the previous delicious taste from the soup.
"What's wrong with you!?" you exclaimed, frowning. Link didn't seem rushing to get off you and now the soup was completely to waste! Now the big hearty radish was lying on the grass. However, a metalic, mechanic sound was heard behind, and a beeping followed by the same red laser appeared, pointing exactly in front of your face at the ground.
"Go, go, go," Link muttered as he raised to his feet and pulled your arm with so much strenght that you thought he'd tore it from your shoulder. That's when you saw it: a gigangic, spider-looking machine that was now pointing his laser directly to Link's back, shining in red, color of malice.
"Uh..." you muttered.
Before you knew it, Link grabbed you from your waist and behind your legs to carry you over his shoulder and run away without much effort. The machine immediately changed its aim while moving its legs forward.
"What the fuck is that!!?" you screamed, clinging to Link's shirt. The beeping sound got faster and the machine shot a blue laser that Link managed to avoid only for a few centimeters, hitting a Fallen Guardian and burning the grass and moss growing around it. You understood then what it was and cursed yourself for not recognizing it before, how the hell were you supposed to fight that away?
"They're faster than I remember!" Link exclaimed as he rushed to hide in the ruins. His statement was proven true when the Guardian shot another beam, but this time it hit close to Link's feet and the resulting explosion made you both fly in the air a few moments before hitting hard the ground. Link didn't let go of you, so you both rolled on the dirt until you stopped. Half of you was lying on top of him as he had tried to break your fall with his own body. You both growled in pain while you moved off him, a sharp, deep pain whent through your nude ankle when you were about to stand up.
"I can't..." your voice was hoarse. Link glanced at your foot quickly, as the Guardian was again pointing at you both with the laser.
"Fuck..." he muttered as he pulled you and helped you reach behind a wall of a destroyed tower. The quick steps to that place made your ankle scream in pain and you fell to the ground, panting.
"That thing is gonna keep following us, I'll have to get rid of it," Link said, rushing, pulling the sword he didn't remove from his back. But that was all he had. It wasn't even a good sword, just one he had found at an abandoned outpost. The Guardian made some metalic noises, it wasn't going to be long before it found you both.
"You don't even have a shield," you complained, putting your hand on your ankle, that action itself hurt like hell and you started to feel it swollen. It was probably broken.
"There's no choice," he stated and moved outside the safety of the wall. You saw the red light reflected on the skin of his face and golden hair. "I'll keep it here, you find a way to escape!"
That didn't sound like a plan. Link didn't know what he talked about most of the time, why would you listen to him now? You didn't know about this life of his, but his past lives had the Triforce of Courage, not Wisdom. Fighting was his thing, not strategy, and the latter was what you needed the most right now.
As you listened to Link's shouts, you used the wall to support yourself and walk, ignoring the ache, to the shambled interior of the tower, where a pile of bones rested with some flies around. However, among the corpses and rotten meat (you realized soon it was from an animal's, probably work of Bokoblins), there was a single Wooden Bow and three used arrows. How lucky.
Hopping on one foot, you took them all and moved to the ruined staircases to get close to the single square that used once to be a window. You went up the stairs sitting while putting one of the arrows on the bow. The sound of metal against metal, the constant beeping and explosions was all that there was around. Link wasn't going to make it alone and unequipped. When you peeked through the window, Link was hitting with all his strenght the Guardian's legs in a desperate attempt to incapacitate it, but it didn't take much for the machine to grow them back and keep on advancing. Everything had a weakness, but what was that thing's? Link had managed to fight Guardians off back when he was a soldier, such a disgrace he probably didn't remember how to do it. You definitely didn't know. You saw the single eye, maybe that one? If it wasn't, at least you'd make him stop shooting.
You aimed at your target and shot an arrow. The machine stopped for a few moments before continuing and you repeated the same process.
"I told you to leave!" Link yelled as he hit the Guardian's leg with the sword.
"Since when do I listen to you!?" you screamed back, shooting another arrow and incapacitating, again, the machine only for a few moments.
"You should've this time! This motherfucker's gonna kill you!"
"And you!"
"Why can't you ever list-!?"
Link was interrupted when the Guardian slapped him hard away with the leg that had just grown, throwing him to the ground. You had no more arrows left and your eyes moved to an abandoned, rusty Traveler's Spear stuck in stone wall. You had to use your whole weight to unpin it and then you climbed the destroyed wall. Link's sword was meters from him on the ground, having been smacked out of his hand, and the Guardian had managed to pin him down with his leg and claws. The beeping sound started again and you saw once again how the laser pointed at Link's head while he struggled in vain to get away. You had to act now.
"Hey, over here!" you yelled as you threw a laying rock, rubble from the wall to the Guardian, which caught its attention. You saw Link's scared expression when the machine this time was pointing at you.
"No, go away!" he shouted, but you ignored him. When the Guardian raised his single eye to properly aim at you, you jumped from the wall with your hands gripping hard the spear and used all your strength to stick it inside its eye, sucessfully, just as Link had taught you. The Guardian instantly started to malfunction, moving and turning around erraticaly as you hung from the spear with both hands; however, your sweat was affecting your grip and you prepared yourself to fall painfully to the ground, except that once you slipped Link catched you, ran, panting, towards cover and put his hand on top of your head when the Guardian finally exploded, only leaving metal clinking behind.
You both were breathing heavily, covered in dirt and sweat, and you peeked over Link's shoulder, clutching his shirt in a fist.
"Is it over?" you asked.
"Seems like it," he responded, breathless. He removed his arm under your knees when you moved your good leg to go off him, then you sat on the ground with his help and Link followed you tired.
"I told you I had it," he rubbed his eyes. You frowned at him when you recognized his frustrated expression.
"It didn't seem like it," you objected, raising an eyebrow. Slowly, the pain in your ankle was starting to flare up now that the adrenaline was disappearing. "A thank you would be enough, you're welcome. You taught me some battle techniques, didn't you? Why don't you ever trust me?"
"You could've died," he pointed out.
"And you too."
"So? Does that matter how? I was technically killed by one of those shits a long time ago," he exclaimed, you were slightly taken aback.
"And Zelda saved you, don't waste that opportunity," you slapped his shoulder, still frowning.
"Opportunity for what?" he rebutted, opening his palms, his hands resting on his knees. "To watch what my defeat caused to this place? To wake up with all my friends, who I don't even remember, all dead? The princess captive who knows where? The destroyed...?"
"Hey, hey, okay, I get it," you shushed him. "You lost a lot, great. But now you're here and, yeah, and even when you won't be getting everything back, at least you have a second chance to redeem yourself. Don't let Zelda down." You patted his shoulder. "You aren't alone, I'm right here and, see? I saved your ass," you stated, firmly. You wanted to find more comforting words for him as Link didn't seem convinced at all, but your ankle was really aching. "But, right now, I'm gonna be cargo for you," you complained, rubbing the injury. Link sighed.
"Let me see."
You removed your hand so Link could check the extense of the damage. As he grabbed your ankle softly, you kept talking:
"You've been looking after me all this time," you spoke, softer this time. "Although you're not in the best shape to take care of someone. You've always done that," your voice trailed off at that one, the image of all his past lives you met before appearing on your mind. "Now It's my turn, let me enjoy my moment in peace, okay?"
Link half smiled and shook slightly his head.
"Seems like it got a bit crushed with the fall, but it isn't broken, you'll just need some rest," he responded, standing up. "Let's go to Hateno."
You nodded, pushing your lips together, and took the hand Link was offering you as support to raise to your feet.
"I hope you have more ingredients for that soup. That stupid Guardian didn't let me finish my lunch," you complained while putting your arm over his shoulders, Link was already sliding his finger through the map in the Sheika Slate.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do," he chuckled.
#legend of zelda#the legend of zelda#zelda#link#botw#tloz#inside hyrule series#queen-freya fic#botw link#y/n#link x y/n#link x reader
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