#I’m so close to walking my happy ass over to the piercing studio near me

[thembohux]

Impulse piercing?? Impulse piercing this afternoon??

#lita talks #dntrblg #I’m so close to walking my happy ass over to the piercing studio near me

[harryandmolly]

fear and loathing in mandeville canyon *6*

summary: Shawn & Lilly, derailed, detoured, but maybe not destroyed

warnings: language, not all fluff is fluffy (ya feel?), a chapter pic that walked into my hands and curled up and fell asleep

wc: 3.7k

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Lilly’s eyes slide shut. There’s no fighting it now, not when he’s kissing her throat like this, mouthing at her like a melting ice cream cone.

She kind of feels like one. It’s summer in Southern California, even though it’s May. They’ve started sharing Lilly’s balcony bedroom and can’t agree on whether to keep the doors open when they sleep. She still gets weird about the bird that flew in and woke them up that one time by shitting on her yoga mat. He likes the nature sounds, though. It reminds him of Pickering even more than his place in Toronto does. They’re not actually secluded out here but it feels like it sometimes, in a nice way. 

It also doesn’t help, he supposes, that every mosquito in LA county finds a way to get under their sheets and bite her, and only her, when they leave a door or window open for airflow. He tells her it’s because she’s so sweet. She swears at him.

She won the battle last night, so the doors and windows are closed. The air is stagnant. In such an old house, the central air isn’t great. They’ve kicked all their sheets off and are down to their underwear. He likes the way her skin tastes a little salty-sweaty. 

He’s not after anything other than holding her. In the few weeks since they’ve started back up again, their sex life has been borderline out of control. Shawn is chalking it up to lost time.

He likes the way she sighs and slips her fingers into his hair like she’s resigned to his attentions. He keeps his hands north of her underwear, conscious of not making her feel like she’s merely an outlet. He’s just… happy. He could count on two hands the number of nights they got to sleep in the same bed before they broke up. This is the height of luxury for him.

Shawn murmurs contentedly into the column of her neck. “Your skin’s so soft,” he whispers, skimming his nose beneath her jaw, “How do you get it like that?”

She giggles. He’s on fire, pleasantly burning.

“You saw my truckload of sheet masks. They’re not for decoration.”

Shawn pulls his head up, flipping his curls out of his eyes. He overdoes it, still used to having a lot more hair than he does now. She smooths it away for him.

“I’ve been bad lately,” he confesses, wrinkling his nose, “I ran out of the stuff Anna gave me like a month ago. And I do sheet masks a lot more when we’re touring, being on the bus and shit.”

Lilly looks crestfallen. Shawn lifts his brows in question.

“The only reason I’m in bed with you is to steal your outrageously expensive skincare.”

Her convincingly innocent expression goes impish so fast he’s glad he didn’t blink. He grunts and skims his teeth against her jaw as he laughs, swatting at her ass.

“Are you gonna share your masks or what?”

Ten minutes later, he has one of her terrycloth headbands pushing his hair back and Lilly almost sitting on his bare chest as she carefully presses the slick sheet to his face. She taught him how to make little cuts along the forehead, eyes, lips and jaw to fit it to your face best. It’s still too small for his giant head, but Lilly’s determined.

“There,” she declares, scooting back over his ribs. Shawn lifts his hands to her thighs, rubbing them softly as he watches her apply her own, expertly snipping the center of her nose flap to fold it up and out of the way of her piercing.

Shawn shuts his eyes and lulls himself further into this intoxicating calm with her.

“What’re these supposed to do?”

“Brighten, boost collagen, support cell turnover.”

Lilly flops on her back beside him. She nestles into the sheets and groans like they haven’t been lying in bed all day. She sneaks her fingers in between his. His nose twitches as he tries not to smile and fuck up his mask.

He rubs his thumb against the back of her hand.

Her whisper is quiet, strained. “Stop making me smile, you’re going to fuck up my mask.”

+

It’s Shawn’s turn to make breakfast. So, eggs.

Lilly swings her legs against the counter as she sits across from him, curating a playlist because you know when you just wake up and it’s a Beach Boys morning?

Apparently it’s a Beach Boys morning. Shawn has no arguments. Even if he did, he’s too distracted to voice them. It’s arriving today, all of it. As much of a professional recording studio as can be packaged and very carefully, very expensively delivered to their rental. Lilly’s been trying to keep him engaged since they woke up, they even braved taking their first masked walk around their neighborhood. Apart from the possibility of a rogue and well-hidden phone camera, he thinks they made it out without being spotted. As far as Shawn can tell, the internet thinks he’s in Toronto. He’s comfortable keeping it that way.

Turns out even aside from worming back into Lilly’s life, LA was a good idea. His team came up with a whole plan to keep him busy and keep him recording, but it would’ve been much harder to execute if he were a country away. He has Zoom sessions with producers lined up and instruments being tracked at other home studios, all the ones he can’t do himself, anyway. Now he just needs the equipment.

Shawn is folding spinach, mushrooms and onion into what he hopes is omelet-shaped eggs, kind of, sort of, when his phone buzzes hard against the granite.

“Ohmygodthey’rehere,” he hisses, barreling toward the front door without shutting off the burners, leaving Lilly swearing at him in his wake.

The proceeding half hour of large, larger, and largest Pelican cases being hauled into the living room is torture. It’s like if you had to watch your mum and dad bring all the presents from downstairs and stack them strategically under the Christmas tree before you got to rip them open. Once the delivery guys leave, they spend another half hour wiping down every square inch of the case surfaces with Clorox and taking stock of the equipment.

Shawn looks to Lilly, pained and squirming. She snorts.

“Go for it, champ.”

Shawn descends, Lilly close behind him. In another two hours, they spread everything out on the floor in relative chaos and exhaust themselves to the point of near panic.

Shawn scrapes his hands over his face and into his hair, grabbing at it to ground himself. “We just… I dunno, we gotta call Andrew or Teddy or somebody, we can’t do this alone, it’s too much.”

Lilly sits on her knees in front of a case full of long polls on stands that he can’t remember the name of. She makes a sour face and her high ponytail bobs against her cheek. His stupid sentimental heart swells.

“I hate it when you make me the positive one. Shawn, it’s fine. We need food, we need coffee, we need a strategy, this is fine. This is fine!” Her pitch rises noticeably at the end of her short pep talk. It’s distractingly anxious.

Shawn looks around hopelessly at the thousands of dollars of equipment strewn across the living room floor until she drags him by the wrist into the kitchen. They pass on their now sad and definitely burnt omelet and order from Eggslut, promising each other that they’ll have Sweetgreen salads for dinner.

Back on the floor, barefoot and hungry, they toss ideas back and forth between bites of brioche egg sandwiches. By the time the tater tots are gone, Shawn is off the ledge, coaxed slowly and with care (and carbs). 

The plan is, essentially, a giant blanket fort. Since the living room is at the back of the house away from the street and the pool, it’s nice and quiet, but they need absolute silence for a clean track. They scout out a cozy corner, working around the baby grand, with enough room for the mics and recording equipment, plus a couch for Lilly if she promises to be very quiet.

“Ok so if we get the C-stands up around eight and a half feet, that should clear the mics,” Lilly declares, dragging sound-deadening furni pads out of another case.

Shawn’s head falls back. “C-stand. That’s it. Shit, I couldn’t come up with it earlier.”

Lilly winks and begins sorting them by size. Shawn turns to a case of C-stands and plucks one from a folded bunch. Within 25 seconds, he’s struggling, kicking at the legs and turning dials that don’t seem to do shit.

Lilly’s little hands appear in his view as she gently handles it, demonstrating the way the legs swing out and the stand rises. 

“You’re so handy,” he praises teasingly, slipping his fingers between hers. She willingly releases the stand and slides around behind him, shrugging her arms around his stomach. He tries to peer at her over his shoulder and wonders if she can feel the way his pulse increases.

“Sorry, did you say ‘handsy?’” she murmurs, pushing her fingers beneath the elastic of his gym shorts. He holds his breath, muscles tensing everywhere. Just as soon as she’s there, suddenly she’s gone, nibbling away at his shoulder blade as he whistles an exhale through his nose. He chuckles and turns in her arms.

“Guess I gotta be the brains and the braun on this one,” Lilly says, lifting onto her toes and pecking his lips. Shawn grunts, looking to hold her a little longer, but she squirms away.

Lilly got her Beach Boys after all, on the house speakers at an almost egregious volume. They continue working, stringing up furni pad “walls” on C-stands and gathering extra throws and rugs from around the house. The problem is the fort’s ceiling.

“We can suspend them from the chandelier, as long as some of the weight still rests on the walls. But how do we get up there, can you reach? No. Wait-- no, no, is there a ladder? There has to be a ladder,” Lilly rants, turning circles beneath the chandelier until Shawn intervenes, catching at her arm.

“I’m your ladder.”

Lilly blinks, then squints. “Terrible plan.”

Shawn balks. “Great plan!”

“What, you’re gonna lift me? For minutes on end? It’s going to take a while.”

“You can sit on my shoulders. And that way I can keep you company,” he quips with a crooked grin. He likes the way his smile makes her smile.

“Shawn, no, you haven’t even been working out recently, and--”

Her realization of her own mistake takes over her face. Now that she’s made it sound like she doesn’t think he’s capable, he won’t leave it alone until she lets him prove it. She sighs.

“I can do it, Lill, you’re really not heavy. C’mon, I can always put you down. It’ll be fine!”

She cringes. “Famous last words, Mendes.”

Shawn corrals her with confidence and kisses until she’s sitting on the edge of the bar counter with her legs out as Shawn crawls beneath her and into position with her thighs on his shoulders. 

“Three… two… one…,” Shawn grunts, ignoring Lilly’s persistent “oh god, oh god” muttering under her breath. He uses his lower body to press himself to stand. Lilly squeaks a little, clenching her legs tightly against his chest. He squeezes his hands on her quads with a little laugh.

“Told you. Did you seriously think I was gonna fuckin’ drop you?”

“I didn’t think you’d mean to,” Lilly mutters. She tugs once at his curls and presses into him again, giving him a feel for just what all those tree poses were for.

“Giddy up.”

One step at a time, they waddle beneath the chandelier. Lilly hooks up the loops she ingeniously sewed onto the furni pads to heavy duty Command hooks and sticks them up to the ceiling, one by one. The final pad goes up and the world goes dark.

“Oh my god,” Lilly breathes.

Shawn exhales. “We fuckin’ did it.”

Lilly lets out a squeak and smacks at his chest. “High five me!”

“I can’t see you!”

With a final uncoordinated scramble, Shawn kneels and Lilly stumbles off his shoulders. They fall into a puddle, enclosed in the quiet darkness.

“Thank you,” Shawn whispers, reaching out to touch whatever he finds. It happens to be her belly, where her shirt has ridden up. Her abs contract. He fights a goofy smile, even in the dark.

“I knew it was important to you.”

Shawn seeks her out. He can’t help it. He wriggles around until his head replaces his hand on her stomach, and links their fingers.

“I need to ask you something.”

Shawn looks up where her face should be in the blackness. He nods.

“How… many songs are about her? I just need to prepare myself for it.”

Shawn wishes he could see her face now. He thinks her voice is steady, but he can always read her face better. Whatever it is, it’s always in those big blue eyes.

“A lot,” he says honestly, “I went on a writing spree when we first got together. It was confusing, I think, because there was so fuckin’ much going on in my head. But writing about her helped… I dunno. I think it distracted me from how I still felt about you.”

He feels her swallow, but doesn’t hear it. The panic starts to rise, pushing him to keep talking.

“I don’t know what recording these songs is gonna feel like, Lill. I’m scared there isn’t gonna be any life in them. Because I don’t feel those things anymore. That’s why I left.”

Lilly sits up. Shawn’s head slides into her lap. His pulse is in his ears. He’s sick to his stomach.

“How do I know you didn’t say the same fucking thing to her when you left me?”

There’s no anger in it, just hurt. Shawn sits up, shaking his head, even though he knows she can’t see.

“Lill, please, I’m sorry. I really am. Fuck, I know it’s… it’s shitty. I can’t pretend to get it from your side. And I really don’t want to hurt you again.”

Her huff is aggravated, but she’s not running. He clings to hope.

“Well, it’s gonna hurt, Shawn, there’s kind of no getting around that if 90% of your album is ‘I finally got the girl’ songs.”

Shawn knows very little about life in general, he recognizes that, but he knows better than to argue the percentage right now. Tentatively, he reaches for her, finding her knee.

“Tell me what you need.”

“I don’t know,” she snaps. Shawn draws his hand back and feels his chest tighten. It can’t end like this. Not after everything.

“Ok,” Shawn breathes, nodding to himself, ready to collect his shredded dignity and search on his hands and knees for the flap of furni pad they designed as the door.

Her hand stops him. She grabs at him clumsily in the dark, then finds his wrist. She can probably feel his pulse in her small fingers.

“You know I’d never, ever tell you not to record a song, right?”

There’s a desperation he barely recognizes in her voice. He nods until he remembers she can’t see him.

“Yeah, Lill.”

“Because I wouldn’t. I’d never try to take something like that away from you. I know you would sooner die before putting anything on a record that you don’t think belongs there, and it belongs there because you love it. I’d never want you to put that aside for my feelings.”

“I know,” he whispers tenderly, smoothing the pad of his thumb across the tendons of her wrist.

“Ok,” she says, creeping back toward calm, “Good. Then… do what you’re gonna do. Make the best fucking record. And we’ll figure it out.”

Shawn ducks his head. He knows ‘lucky’ doesn’t begin to cover it. But now when he writes, he works on finding a bunch of other words to help him get there.

Lilly exhales through her nose. It’s quiet for a few long seconds. Until--

“I’m so getting producer credit for all this shit, by the way.”

+

“This was a bad idea,” Lilly groans.

Shawn looks over at her. She’s shrugged into a ball in the front seat of his rented Range Rover. Her knees cover her masked face. Her eyes dart anxiously.

“Stop doing that,” he sighs, reaching over with one hand and pushing at her knees, “The windows are tinted. You’re wearing a mask. I’m wearing a mask. It’s fine, honey.”

Even with half her face covered, Lilly looks skeptical. He leaves his hand on her thigh and rubs circles with his thumb while they sail down an uncharacteristically empty Mulholland Drive.

Shawn was desperate to get out. They’ve barely left the property in six weeks, an unignorable reminder of their privilege. But while Lilly would very happily never see a human again as long as she lives, Shawn is a Leo.

“Yeah, and?” he prods after she reminds him of his astrological sign over post-workout protein smoothies.

“And that means you are not a happy camper without a spotlight. In your case both literally and metaphorically.”

He laughed and kissed her. She let him.

But the drive was a tough sell. Even though he promised they wouldn’t get out anywhere, even in a socially distant setting, it felt like a risk to Lilly. It took the reassurance of the windows and the masks to even get her in the car.

Now that they’re here, Shawn feels something heavy in his chest dissolving that he didn’t realize was there. He sings along to Spotify and drums on the steering wheel and points out crazy houses as they wind through various canyon neighborhoods, Lilly’s favorite.

“It took what, two days for pap photos to show up of you guys walking around her neighborhood in Miami? That was Miami, Shawn. How do you not expect paps to be stalking every tinted-out Range Rover within 5 square miles of Beverly Hills?”

Shawn’s thumb stills. He tilts his head back and forth at a stop sign, stretching his neck.

“We called them.”

Lilly looks up at him. “Hmm?”

“The paps in Miami, they were there because our teams called them.”

Lilly’s brows pull together. “But there were pictures almost everyday. For like, a week.”

“Yeah,” Shawn sighs, “I know.”

Lilly is silent and contemplative. He starts up the soothing rubbing of her skin, even if it’s more effective for him than for her.

“It’s just that if they do happen to find us, that’s it. We’re officially on the radar. Everyone will know you broke up, everyone will know we’ve been staying together. For weeks, Shawn. It sends a very clear message.”

They roll to a stop at a light somewhere near Outpost Estates. Shawn tugs his mask down below his chin.

“I’m prepared for all of that. It’s ok if you’re not, if you’d rather keep it quieter this time, I totally get it. Things are… different now. But you’re not my dirty little secret, Lills, you never have been and I will never let you feel that way.”

Lilly cedes, dropping her own mask and wetting her lips. “I don’t want to… hide. I just want you to be prepared for the fact that a lot more people are going to be mad at you for leaving her for me than were mad when you left me for her.”

The light turns green. Shawn bites his lip and presses the gas. They drive in silence for a while.

“Did I scare you?”

Shawn startles a little at the sound of her voice and cracks a little smile.

“No, baby, you didn’t. I mean, I know the deal by now. It’s just… so fucking unfair to you.”

Shawn finds a quiet little cul de sac that backs up against a wooded area. He parks and turns the music down.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Lilly pleads only half playfully, “I know fandom at least as well as you do. It’s ok.”

“But how?” Shawn insists, squinting at her, “How is it ok? The things people say to you, and you’re not even a public figure. How does it not get to you?”

Lilly smiles sadly. “It does sometimes. But I decided a long time ago that you were worth it.”

The guilt weighs heavily all over again. Leaving her feels unfathomable now, like it wasn’t a year ago that he did it, but ten years. That was a stupid kid version of him then. He knows so much better now. He hopes he does.

Shawn links their fingers and draws Lilly’s knuckles to his lips. He watches her over the top of them. She sinks happily into her seat and goes a lovely shade of pink.

“If I wrote down how many times I day I think about how fucking crazy I am about you, the world would be out of paper.”

Lilly cackles, tossing her head back. Her laugh makes him laugh.

“What?” he giggles.

“What a line!” she crows.

“That wasn’t a line, that was from my deep and lyrical heart!”

“That was the line-iest line that has ever lined. Shawn Mendes, you smooth motherfucker.”

He rolls his eyes but can’t stop grinning. “Shut up. I’m never saying anything nice to you again.”

“Mmm, you can’t help it, honey, you’re Canadian.”

He huffs an exhale through his nose and closes his eyes. Her thumb is soft and warm against the back of his hand.

“And apparently really fucking crazy about me,” she adds softly. He tilts his head and opens one eye to look at her.

“I am. Can’t remember why though.”

Lilly’s lips pucker as she considers a thought. Shawn’s legs tingle.

“Put the seats down in the back and I’ll happily remind you.”

Shawn feels his eyes go comically wide. Lilly’s lips spread into a Cheshire cat smile.

“You’re kidding. You’re not kidding?”

“I’m actually super not kidding.”

He hears her laughing as he leaps out of the car and crawls into the trunk to put the seats down. She doesn’t stop until the trunk closes behind them and his lips are on her earlobe.

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[onewfantaesy]

so they actually disliked each other to begin with? why? how did they make friends? how did they end up dating? was kibum like, i hate his perfect fucking face?

Enemies to Lovers AU 

They debuted in the same month, both in dancer roles, both highly praised for their skills. By all accounts, they should have been friends. And when Taemin first met Kibum, he thought they would be friends.

It was at a variety show recording just a few weeks after their groups both debuted. They had been encouraged to dance against each other; it was silly and fun, or at least Taemin thought it was, and he was so excited to meet someone other than Jongin who was as into dancing as he was. He thought Kibum was amazing, thought he could learn so much from him, because Kibum was a couple years older and he thought he was cooler and he wanted so badly to just make friends. It had proven to be quite the difficult task after he had debuted - making friends.

But Taemin won that little dance competition, so when Taemin tried to talk to Kibum between recordings, he was instantly snubbed and given a dirty look because Kibum was upset and eager to prove himself and just overall not in a very good mood that day to begin with. He’d hurt his back the day before during practice, the painkillers were wearing off, and now he’d been out-danced by a kid. He was just not having a good day, and he took it out on Taemin by being a bit of an ass in the hallway.

And it started a ripple of effect of Taemin being snarky the next time they ran into each other, then Kibum retaliated the time after that, and soon enough, they both were being bitchy and calling each other names backstage whenever they saw each other.

And for four-and-a-half years, they continued outwardly hating each other. It was almost a joke, it had become entertaining to so many people so quickly, because they originally had been just so bad at hiding their emotions towards each other. Fans caught the dirty faces, the snarky words, and the ranting to other members about how annoying they thought the other dancer was. Show hosts picked up on it and started asking questions, and with very little time to prep a professional answer, these two teenagers just would answer, “He’s annoying!” “He’s a brat!” “I can’t stand him!” “I don’t wanna be anywhere near him!”

In a way, it gained both groups a lot of attention early on, having this dancer rivalry. Their little feud was well-known and quickly blew out of proportion, to the point that managers were insisting they play it up and exaggerate everything to get more attention. So they both did, but neither of them had any idea the other was also just being extra mean and extra annoying because of the managers. They both thought the other just genuinely hated them.

Then one day, by complete coincidence, Kibum just happens to be walking by after a variety show recording, after a full day of Kibum and Taemin going back and forth with each other, after a full day of Kibum being completely ruthless with Taemin because he’d had a bad week and sometimes taking it out on Taemin was therapeutic, in a way. And could hear Taemin’s voice, and he almost turned around entirely because he was annoyed with him and didn’t want to bother with him anymore today. But then he heard the catch in Taemin’s voice and the muffled way he said, “Mommy, I don’t get why he hates me so much.”

And Kibum stares at this door. This door that’s separating him from Taemin’s voice, that’s hiding Taemin from everyone else, and he realizes it’s a janitor’s closet. At first, he thought it had been the dressing room for Taemin’s group, but he can hear their obnoxious laughter from around the corner, and now he’s curious. Because it’s him Taemin is talking about, it’s obviously about Kibum. Who else would he be talking about?

So Kibum just wiggles the handle and walks inside. 

A quick, muffled, “I gotta go, bye, love you,” is said, and Kibum watches Taemin shove a cellphone in his pocket and swipe a sleeve under his eyes before he turns around. Taemin immediately glares at him, and he tries to step around Kibum, but Kibum just closes the door and stands in front of the doorknob.

“What do you want?” Taemin snaps.

“Who were you talking about?” Kibum asks, tilting his head.

“Fuck off.”

Kibum just runs his eyes all over Taemin’s face: the way his eyes are rimmed red and his lashes are still wet, the little freckle on his nose, the way his eyebrows barely exist without makeup, the way his lips are pulled into a stubborn little pout. 

“How are you so fucking pretty all the time?” Kibum scoffs, his voice soft.

Taemin just sucks in a gasp.

“What?” he scoffs back. “Get the fuck away from me!”

Taemin tries to push past him, tries to leave the tiny room, tries to get away from Kibum. But Kibum is confused and curious and he hates when he doesn’t get an answer to a question.

“Who were you talking about?” Kibum repeats. “Tell me.”

“Who the fuck do you think?” Taemin challenges. “The cameras aren’t here, just let me go.”

“What’s your secret?” Kibum asks. “To always being so pretty?”

“You’re insane,” Taemin scoffs.

Taemin finally pushes past him and leaves the room, and Kibum can hear him stomping down the hall. Kibum huffs, and he’s right back to being annoyed. But now he’s overly curious, so he spends months trying to corner Taemin away from the cameras, trying to question him. 

Then finally, right after Taemin’s nineteenth birthday, Kibum corners him after another variety show recording and just smiles at him. Watches the way Taemin pouts and frowns and glares at him.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Taemin whines, turning to look around the room they’re in this time. A spare dressing room. Empty aside from the few makeup brushes that got left from the last group’s stylists. 

“Happy birthday.”

Taemin’s head snaps back, a confused look on his face, and he looks at the little box Kibum is holding out. He takes it cautiously, runs his fingers over it, then opens it slowly.

“Earrings?”

“You just got your ears pierced, didn’t you?” Kibum says. “For when they heal up. They’ll look good on you. But I also got you something else.”

“What is it?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Fuck you.”

“Just close them.”

“No!”

So Kibum leans forward and kisses him. Not on the mouth. Just on the cheek, just a quick peck, and Taemin jerks back and flinches and his eyes go wide.

“Happy birthday,” Kibum laughs, and he leaves a still-confused Taemin in the empty dressing room, blinking several times in a row, quickly, trying to compose himself.

Because his heart is racing in his chest, and his lungs feel like they can barely hold in any air, and he swears he’s going to pass out. Because Kibum kissed him. Kibum kissed him. Kibum kissed him.

He couldn’t wrap his mind around what was going on. Suho finds him eight minutes later, questions him on why he just disappeared, and drags him out to the van so they can go back to the dorm.

“Kibum kissed me,” Taemin mumbles in an airy voice, letting Suho drag him around the studio to leave. 

“He what?” Suho gasps, stopping and making Taemin run into him and then holding Taemin’s arms.

“He kissed me,” Taemin mumbles, still blinking too fast. “And gave me earrings. For my birthday.”

“Did he hurt you? Did he do anything to you? Are you alright?”

“I’m just confused.”

“We can talk when we get home,” Suho says quickly in a hushed voice, and he keeps a firm arm around Taemin’s back to guide him out to the van where the other members are already waiting with the managers.

Suho brings Taemin into his bedroom as soon as they get back to the dorm, shuts the door, tells the others to leave them alone for a little bit and kicks them away when he knows they’re trying to listen at the door. 

“Did he touch you?” Suho asks in a quiet voice, sitting Taemin down on the bed and holding his hands. “Did he do anything to you that hurt you? Made you feel uncomfortable? Did he harass you?”

“He just kissed my cheek,” Taemin says. “It didn’t really make me uncomfortable or anything. I just - I just-”

“It’s alright,” Suho says softly. “You can tell me anything, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I just don’t understand why he’d kiss me,” Taemin says. “Or give me a birthday present.”

They spend a while just talking about things, and Suho lets Taemin stay in his room and talk about anything he wants. And Suho, who’s actually friends with Minho, sends him a series of texts essentially asking him, “What the fuck does Kibum think he’s doing to one of my kids?”

It leads to Kibum somehow getting Taemin’s number, which leads to them texting each other for a couple days, then calling each other, then Kibum eventually tells Taemin to meet him at a coffee shop one morning.

Taemin wears the earrings Kibum got him. Kibum notices. Taemin buys Kibum a latte. They go back to Kibum’s car and kiss each other for thirty minutes in a dark parking structure. Kibum gives Taemin a hoodie to wear home.

“You’re infuriatingly pretty,” Kibum tells him between kisses. 

It makes Taemin giggle, a little nervous still, and wholly unexperienced when it comes to navigating any sort of romance.

“Is that a good thing?” Taemin whispers, pulling back and licking at his lips. They’re starting to feel chapped.

“A great thing,” Kibum assures him, moving a hand to brush Taemin’s hair out of his face. 

“Do you still hate me?” Taemin asks, goosebumps rising on the back of his neck and all up his arms as he feels Kibum’s fingers run along his forehead.

“I don’t think I ever really did.”

Taemin smiles at him, giggling a little, and retreats into the hoodie Kibum gave him to wear. He can’t get enough of the way it smells, buries his nose in the collar, twirls the drawstrings in his fingers.

“I think I like you a lot,” Taemin whispers, the words muffled in the fabric.

“I think I like you a lot, too.”

It makes Taemin feel warm and fuzzy and giggly, especially when Kibum leans over and kisses his cheek again. 

#taemin #key #shinee #taekey #enemies to lovers au #hello anon

[shaekingshitup]

Disclosure

This is my submission to the Quarantine Writing Challenge Hosted by myself & @chaneajoyyy​

Fandom: Black Lightning AU

Pairing: Anissa “Thunder” Pierce x Grace Kim

No Warnings. A/N at the bottom. 

February 03, 2004

Anissa was in her element. Granted, she wasn’t the best at four square; but right now she’d found a groove. Everyone else on the court saw it and they were doing all they could to break her streak. No matter who had the ball last, it always ended up volleying right back into her square. She was too focused to worry about that. At this rate she’d be the talk of the school by the end of lunch time. Or at the very least, she’d be the talk of her classroom...for a few minutes before they settled back in. But who cared?! She was queen of the moment and as a matter of fact she was

“Hey Nissa!” she heard from the other side of the playground near the water fountain. She glanced in that direction to see Sam waving at her. She was next to a short Asian girl who Anissa didn’t recognize. 

“GOT HER!” yelled Chris as he skimmied the ball straight into her square. 

“Huh?” Anissa questioned re-setting her eyes on the game. She dove low to hit the ball back but she couldn’t get enough bounce in it for it to count when she tried to send it to another kid.

“You’re out!” Chris yelled. Anissa smacked her dirt slicked hand to her forward and groaned. Her reign was over and at the hands of that stupid Star Wars nerd. I guess that was fourth grade for ya. She stalked off the court towards the water fountains. Instead of greeting her friends, she gulped down as much cloudy water that her stomach would stand. Standing upright, she used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth and approached Sam who was now accompanied by Jaz, Marissa and the unfamiliar Asian girl. 

“SAM! Did you see me playing four square?!” She asked throwing up her arms. Before the other girl could respond she went on, “ I was on a roll! How could you?”

“I’m sorry,” Sam shyly responded to the ground. “I just wanted to introduce you to Grace. Grace this is Anissa. Anissa, Grace. She just moved here from Korea.  Anissa put aside her stank attitude momentarily to great the other girl. 

“Hi Grace.” she said giving a weak smile to other girl. 

“Hi.” smiled back the other girl. 

“Are you in fourth grade too? Whose class are you in?” Grace nodded her head and then she started speaking to Anissa. The girl was differently speaking English. But, Anissa was thoroughly confused. She’d never spoken to anyone with an accent like that. 

Oh my God. What is she saying? I have no idea what’s going on. Should I just nod and smile or should I just say forget it. 

There was a pause. It was Anissa’s turn to speak.

".. I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?"

Anissa tried to listen more intently but processing this girl speaking was like hitting all of the buttons on the keyboard at once and expecting a novel to be written. 

Smile and nod. Just smile and nod 

"Uh huh" Anissa threw in.

Ooooo that was good. Smile, nod "uh huh" and you're good.

There was silence and Anissa realized it was her turn to speak again.

"YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S COOL!" "Hey I promised Kiana that I would help her.. over there.. on the other side of the playground. Bye!" Anissa dashed away just as the bell rang and summoned her back to class. 

Great! Now you ring?!

-----------------

PRESENT DAY

"Baabe! Have you seen my wedges?" Grace called out into the apartment. 

"Baaaaabe!" She yelled again. Getting nothing in return, she ventured upstairs to the bedroom. There she found Anissa staring at her laptop with her Beats Studio 3 headphones at full volume. Grace could hear the rnb all the way from the entrance of the door. 

She leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms. Anissa looked up and saw her sexy and pouty girlfriend looking back at her. She slid the headphones from her ears.

"Wassup?" She asked with a sheepish grin. Grace rolled her eyes. 

"My wedges" Grace said trying not to become agitated. This interview was important to her and she didn't want to be late or pissed when she arrived. 

"They're in your bag in the backseat of the Honda. If you wear those wedges all the way to L.A. you will not be happy and I know how much this means to you. Wear the slippers to the car and change before the meeting."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Grace mumbled. Anissa rolled her eyes as she climbed out of bed. 

"I have those sometimes," she joked back. She pulled Grace's barely five foot body into her arms. "Breathe, Grace. Match me."

Anissa inhaled for two counts, held it for an additional two and exhaled for two more before she started again. They did this three times until she could feel the stress leave her body.

"Okay go ahead and go." Anissa said smacking Grace’s butt to get her moving.

"Woww when I met you you couldn't even understand me. Now look at you! I'd say I trained you well," Grace laughed. 

"IT WAS THE FOURTH GRADE. LET IT GO GRACE!  When we go to Korea at the end of the year, you'll see how hard it will be for people there to understand me and you're gonna eat your words," Anissa exhaled through her nose loudly and walked Grace back down the stairs towards the front door.

"Korean people are nice. They would never do that!" Grace replied. 

"Last time I checked Korean people were human just like everybody else girl. We'll find out in six months. Now go!" Anissa handed Grace her purse and pushed her out the front door.

"Fine. I'm going. I'm going." Grace righted her self and took one more deep breath before she turned to head for the garage.

"Excuse you! I have to wish you good luck first," Anissa declared causing Grace to turn in her slippers again. Anissa kissed her on the forehead. 

"Good luck!" She whispered. 

"Thanks babe" Grace said heading to the garage. When she got in her car she placed her purse in the passenger seat and double checked that her wedges were indeed in the backseat. There she found Anissa's gym bag. 

Grace pulled it into her lap and confirmed that her wedges were in there. So was a bottle of water, her laptop, some of her favorite snacks, a pair of sunglasses and a note.

"Grace,

I know for a fact that you're going to kill this job interview. This is one small step which you've already conquered. Remember to breathe and just be yourself. The hard work you've done thus far proves you're more than capable of this. To make sure your eyes stay on the road, I've included my favorite pair of sunglasses to see you in. I packed some sweets in here because you're my sugar. But don't worry there's some salty stuff in here tooo because you can throw shade with the rest of em! Above all else, I give you my love. Remember who you are G. 

See you soon ❤

-Nis

P.S: I made you a playlist of some of my fav rnb women killin it to get ya motivated. It's called "By the Grace". GET INSPIRED BABY!"

Grace laughed as she brought up the playlist on her phone. She really did have the most thoughtful girlfriend ever.

----------------------------------------------

A/N: SO, this was actually a request combined with the show I most recently binged. My best friend and I literally met back in 2004 when she moved from Vietnam and I really couldn’t understand what she was saying. I would legit act as I wrote Anissa anytime I saw her. Fast forward to today, we are absolutely not dating nor do we live together. But, a lot of people often think we are because of how close we are. When I was watching Black Lightning with my mom and this scene came on

my mom deadass looked from the screen to me and then back to the screen. Although she’s not allowed to ask me anymore, I already knew what that look was about and it just made me laugh my ass off. I told my bestie about it and now for shits and giggles sometimes I will just call her Grace. So, when I saw this #ThunderGrace image for the ILLustration options, I thought this may be fun to write. Hopefully someone likes it. (:

#quarantine writing challenge #thundergrace #black lightning au #anissa pierce #grace kim #wlw

[svnthxsense]

interstellar

GENRE/RATING: Angst, drama, fluff | PG-13 WARNINGS: Fem reader, cursing, family issues, mentions of divorce, (almost?) motorcycle accident, mentions of blood, slow burn, two (2) make-out scenes SUMMARY: Na Jaemin was no longer the boy you remembered from third grade. He was troubled, rough around the edges. But somehow, with every odd run-in you two shared, you managed to bring out the brighter side in him. You and Jaemin were not star-crossed lovers, but your relationship may just become something interstellar. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Don’t @ me, Jaemin would be a soft ass badboy okayyyy. The ending is a bit rushed imo and this whole thing is definitely not my best but hopefully it’s bearable :/ This is a standalone in my Neo Tech High School Series. Song rec → 💿 WORD COUNT: 10.7k

[third grade]

“Welcome!” Your father beamed towards the next family who entered the quaint studio with their young son. You stood beside him, offering a warm smile to the little boy who seemed vaguely familiar to your young eyes. “I’m Tim, the head leader here. Were you interested in hearing more about our program?”

“Yes, we would love to hear about it.” The lady tugged at her husband’s arm, ushering him towards you and your father. The little boy trailed behind them, wide eyes observing the vast studio around him. Photographs of happy children littered the walls, all within the setting of the camp that your father ran.

It was your first year as a regular cub, being that the younger kids were sorted into the baby cub group. You were excited to say the least, ready to take on more responsibility and show a good example for the other kids.

“For the first time cubs, it’s recommended that they take part in a two-week program where we teach children the importance of teamwork and survival skills. The first week and a half are mostly training here at the studio and then we have a three-day retreat to end it.” The woman nodded back intently, focusing on the details of the itinerary while the man’s eyes wandered the room. He was distracted, zoned out. That seemed to be how he always was these days, especially around his wife.

“However, we do have a longer program that meets the whole summer. We do frequent retreats and community service events.” Tim finally pauses to look down at the little boy, a sweet smile appearing on his face at the sight of such an innocent angel. “What’s your name, buddy?”

“Jaemin!” He exclaimed brightly, making a peace sign with his hand and causing the adults around you two to chuckle. “I’m turning 9 in August.”

“You don’t say! My daughter is the same age as you.” Tim gestured to your small figure standing next to him, and Jaemin looks at you with wide eyes and puffy cheeks. You felt a nudge at your side, and step forward to greet Jaemin.

“I’m Y/N,” You introduced yourself quietly, waving over at him. He smiled at that, waving back with as much enthusiasm as he had when he proudly announced his name. “I hope you join our program!”

Jaemin craned his neck upwards, looking at his parents with a hopeful expression. His mother easily gave in, nodding happily at her son before taking the sign-up forms from your father. You were excited, him being the first sign-up of the day that would be in your cub group.

“I’ll see ya next week, Y/N!” He was walking away, hand-in-hand with his mother but still managed to turn around and give you one last wave as he called your name.

During the first retreat, you had the time of your life. While the sun was up and beaming, your cub group went down to the river for some fishing and canoeing. Having friends around your age enjoy these activities just as much as you did was something unforgettable.

After the sun had set, your father and two assistant leaders had made sure that the bonfire was burning big and bright. You and the other cubs sat in a circle around the fire, enjoying your sandwiches in a timely manner so that you’d have time to make s’mores. Excitement bubbled in the air, the conversations between your fellow cubs roaring loud over the crackling fire.

You sat next to your father, directly across from Jaemin. Once the graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate were brought out, every kid seemed to be jumping in their seat. It was your umpteenth time making these treats, being that your father always carried some traditions of camp into your home life.

So when you noticed Jaemin, tears swelling in his eyes, holding a stick with a burnt marshmallow, you immediately found yourself drawn to his side. His eyes were puffy by now, and you could tell he was holding back the actual sobs that he wanted to indulge himself in.

“What’s wrong, Minnie?” You asked with concern, putting your hand on his shoulder. He wiped his eyes with one hand, smiling when he hears your nickname for him. You had never called him that before, but he liked it.

“I keep burning the marshmallow,” He admitted quietly in defeat, showing you the charred piece of fluffy sugar on his stick. You grab another stick from the pile beside you, putting another marshmallow towards the top and gesturing Jaemin to move closer to you.

“Hold it farther away from the fire, like this.” You showed him your positioning, holding the stick a few inches from the flames. He watched you intently, mimicking your stance with nothing in his hands. “This way the marshmallow will be golden, not burnt.”

You pulled the stick away from the fire, and lo and behold the perfectly toasted marshmallow that made Jaemin’s eyes light up. Then, you placed it atop of a single graham cracker and finished it off with a small piece of chocolate followed by the final cracker. Rather than eating it like most kids would’ve done, you simply held it out to Jaemin.

“For me?” He asked, eyes wide and tone shocked. You giggled in response, nodding once and dropping it gently in his open hands. Jaemin happily took a bite, a delightful sigh leaving his lips after he tastes the delicious treat. “Thanks, Y/N.”

During every retreat after that, you and Jaemin would always find yourselves sitting together during the bonfires. S’mores were always your favorite part of it, and it became Jaemin’s too. He got better at roasting the marshmallows every time, but he didn’t dare tell you that. He liked having you around to help him.

[eighth grade]

It was the summer of eighth grade when people started noticing that the change in Na Jaemin’s personality was not a phase. You couldn’t pinpoint a certain point in time where Jaemin’s characteristics had taken a complete 180. Rather, over time, he had become quiet and closed off.

Parents and kids alike blamed it on puberty and went about their day. You weren’t much different, assuming that this was a normal part of growing up and not everyone acts the same way as their 10-year-old self would. Maturity came with change, and that was that.

However, after almost three years of the same icy treatment, the rest of the school community had already accepted who he was becoming. This new Jaemin was one that not many recognized.

His warm, bright smile would infrequently appear in small grins. His kind, caring manner was replaced with a detached, blank look in his eyes. Everything had built up within the last three years, and no one was quite sure as to why.

If the circumstances were different, you might’ve talked to him about it. However, ever since your dad had to shut down the summer camp, you and Jaemin hadn’t spoken much. The most conversation you’d share was a quick ‘Excuse me’ in the hallways. You hated to admit that you missed him because you were certain he didn’t feel the same. If he did, he would make an effort to talk to you, right? And after all, helping him make s’mores was certainly not a big deal.

At least that’s what you told yourself.

[junior year of high school]

"You’re not seriously saying that Lucas is a better player than me, are you?” Hendery asks incredulously, flailing his hands around as you two walk down the many flights of stairs at Neo Tech. You roll your eyes in response, shoving him away with one hand once you reach the second to last landing before pausing to look at the awestruck boy.

“No, I’m not saying that. All I said was,” You continue to walk down the stairs while talking, not even bothering to wait for Hendery to catch up. Some students can’t help but stare because his eyes are damn near bulging right out of his head. If there’s one thing that you didn’t want to hurt, it was his somewhat tender ego. “His handles are unbelievable. I mean, think about it-”

Damn stairs. As soon as your right foot comes down to the last step, it lands weirdly and causes all balance to rush out of the bottoms of your feet. Before you can stop yourself, you already feel the rush of your body jerking forward as it makes its way to the floor. Only it doesn’t.

Your eyes are still screwed shut when you feel two hands wrap securely around your arms, holding you in your spot with a firm grip. Breathing out a sigh of relief, your eyes flutter open to reveal none other than Na Jaemin. Trying not to let your eyes widen is a bit of a struggle, considering he’s literally keeping you from falling to the ground and his infamously emotionless face looks quite beautiful up close.

“Be careful,” He remarks in a hushed tone, sighing before letting you stable yourself on the marble flooring. Your eyes, for some reason, glaze over his pierced ear. Two dangling earrings hang from his cartilage and earlobe, and you curse yourself for finding it so attractive. Meanwhile, Hendery stands frozen in his spot on the stairs, watching this whole predicament unfold because quite frankly, he doesn’t know what else to do.

Jaemin doesn’t say anything else, nor does he give you the proper opportunity to forge some type of response. He’s already making his way up the stairs, not sparing a second glance at any of the students who pass him by. Subconsciously, you smooth your hands over your forearms where Jaemin was just holding you. It stirs up some kind of emotion that you can’t even cognize, but the only emotion visible from your face is complete and utter shock.

“That was some shit straight out of a drama,” Hendery comments, bouncing down each step until he’s level with you. Silence. He had to tap your shoulder a few times before you respond, but you can’t seem to focus on a single thing. “Y/N, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m fine,” You grumble, continuing on your way to class while Hendery watches you walk away. Curiosity laces his mind, but he knows you won’t be able to tell him how you feel. It was obvious that you didn’t even know yourself. And talking to Jaemin was definitely not an option, the kid barely spoke two words to anyone on a good day.

You, on the other hand, cannot seem to concentrate on your in-class research report for World History. The effort is there, but every sentence you jot down seems irrelevant or wrongly-worded. It’s frustrating, and even more so because if it weren’t for your little run-in with Na Jaemin, you’d probably have a much clearer head right now.

Such an insignificant, minuscule moment should not affect you the way it does. His chiseled features and strong grip should not be so addicting, but you find yourself wanting that same sensation again. The way your heart raced at such a simple action was an adrenaline rush you’re struggling to shake. You had a feeling, though, that this run-in would not be the last.

By the time the classes are dismissed, the light rain is now a relentless pouring. To make matters worse, you had forgotten to return a book to one of your teachers so you didn’t have the option of catching a ride with one of your friends. You weighed your options carefully as you walked towards the exit- you could wait for Hendery to finish basketball practice and ride with him, or you could grit your teeth and walk to the bus stop.

For one, your phone is dead so you have no way of asking how long he’ll be or if he even stayed for practice in the first place. Secondly, the desire for the comfort and warmth of home is too tempting, so you continue on your way. You do have an umbrella, but it’s quickly rendered useless when you shove the door open and are met with the insistent downpour of water and the sharp roar of thunder.

As you stand there under the covering of your school’s arch, the other glass door to your right opens swiftly. Oh my god. Yet again, your eyes meet Jaemin’s slender figure clad in an oversized hoodie with a bomber jacket thrown lazily on top. His honey-brown hair peeks out from underneath the hood as he pushes his fringe away from his eyes with one hand.

It must be obvious you’re staring, though he doesn’t turn to look at you. Instead, he eyes his motorcycle sitting a few feet away by the curb. He contemplates a moment, an exasperated sigh falling from his slightly chapped lips.

“What’re you still doing here?” It doesn’t come off as rude, but his tone can’t be mistaken as anything more than curiosity. You gulp down on nothing, and you’re not sure why. He’s the same boy who burnt his marshmallows, the same one who insisted you called him Minnie during your retreats.

Except he wasn’t the same boy, not anymore.

“I forgot to return something to Mr. Park, and everyone knows how talkative he is.” You stop yourself before you overshare, with him nodding in response. As much as you’d like to be brave and stride into the rain with no hesitation, catching a cold was not on your to-do list. “Do you think I could- uh- borrow your phone for a minute? Mine’s dead and I need to call a cab.”

He nods again, digging into the back pocket of his jeans before passing his phone over to you. His lock screen is a simple, preinstalled picture and just what you expected. Your fingers hover over the numbers splayed across the screen, just about to press the circular green button when the loud crack of thunder rips through the air.

Your body reacts before you do, your hands twitching and flailing until the phone goes crashing to the ground. Upon impact, it makes a swift cracking sound and you’re sure that you’ve shattered his screen. Horror dawns upon your face while Jaemin just stares blankly at the phone.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen!” You rush out, stooping low to the ground to scoop the phone and shattered glass into your hands. The screen is black now, completely lifeless other than one neon green line that surely isn’t supposed to be there. “I’ll pay for the repair. God, I’m so fucking clumsy.”

“It’s okay, Y/N.” It’s the first time he addresses you as your name since you were twelve years old, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t missed hearing it from him. He gently plucks the phone away from your hands, wiping the tiny pieces of glass away cautiously before slipping it into the pocket of his hoodie.

“Well, if you want, I could give you a ride. You won’t exactly keep dry, but at least you’ll be home quicker.”

And there it is- a glimpse of the considerate boy you once knew. Not the one that rode his motorcycle to school and came late every day, not the boy who’d talk back to anyone who dared to offend him, just Na Jaemin.

“Yeah, that would be great. Thank you,” You mumble, hands smoothing over your light jacket though it wasn’t wrinkled in the first place. He jerks his head in the direction of his motorcycle, silently as a command to follow him. Both of you sprint over to it simultaneously, the rain already starting to seep into your clothing. He passes you a helmet before steadying himself atop the motorcycle.

You’ve never ridden one, and you certainly didn’t expect your first experience on a motorcycle to be with Jaemin. Did you mind though? Strikingly, no. When you finally get the helmet situated snugly on your head, you climb onto the bike and inch yourself closer to Jaemin’s body.

“I- Is it okay if I hold onto you?” You ask, arms still hovering at your side. He simply reaches around to secure both of your hands around his slim waist before revving the engine to a start.

The rain has let up just a bit, though you’re certain if you don’t change into dry clothes soon, ill-health would surely be the outcome. Your house isn’t far from school, though, thankfully. Reciting your address to Jaemin, you ready yourself for the motorcycle to jerk into motion.

When it does, you only let out a quiet gasp of surprise as Jaemin zooms away from the school. He must sense your shock because he slows down the bike once you’re on the street. Wind whips past the both of you regardless, a stinging sensation beginning to pinch at your eyes. Everything around you seems to go past in a blur of grey, even cars.

The grip of your hands around him doesn’t loosen, even at red lights, but he doesn’t seem to mind. It isn’t until he’s pulling into your house’s driveway that you find yourself loosening your grasp with a breath of relief. That same adrenaline rush is back- but whether it’s from the joyride or from being so physically close to him, you’re indecisive. 

“Thank you, Jaemin.” You unclasp the helmet and tuck it safely into his hands, the roofing of your house providing some covering over the two of you. His eyes snap up to yours when his name slips past your lips, and he almost wishes you had called him Minnie. This is ridiculous, she probably doesn’t even remember, he thinks to himself.

“No problem,” He returns, the engine of the bike sputtering to life again. Part of you wants to invite him in, but the words don’t dare come out as you watch him back out of the driveway without a second glance. And just like that, he’s gone. 

[two days later]

No other interaction between you and Jaemin occurs in the days that follow, besides the sideways glances you’d sneak in the hallways. Hendery pesters you about it insistently, but you can’t bring yourself to say anything. Because, really, what was there to say? You get a certain feeling that feels like some type of drug whenever you’re with him, and you can’t help but want your childhood friend back?

The backstory alone would be too complicated to rehash, especially since the two of you gradually grew apart and you can’t pinpoint the reason why. Deep down- very deep down, your pride was a bit wounded. What made him stop acknowledging people’s presences in the first place? Especially someone he practically grew up with.

You deny yourself the entitlement that comes with the thought because he doesn’t owe you anything. He doesn’t owe it to you to talk about everything that goes on in his head. He didn’t owe it to you to be the same boy he was in third grade. You know this. Yet you can’t help but wish differently.

“Y/N, you’re late! Take a banana and run to the bus, honey.” Your mom passes you the fruit, already clad in her pantsuit and sipping her usual morning coffee before she goes off to work. Frequently, you’re already out the door by the time your mother is just about ready to leave. It seems today that you were running on the same clock. Only running on her clock would result in you missing first period.

“Remember that your father and I will be away until tomorrow!” She calls, but you can’t find it in you to stop and listen.

You take her advice though, shoving the banana into your backpack before haphazardly slinging it over one shoulder. The usual weight of your books is significantly lighter due to the fact that you decided to leave most of them in your locker, and you almost thank the heavens that you did. Running with a 15-pound backpack would be an arduous task that you would like to avoid.

The morning air is crisp as ever, applying the slightest chilling sensation to the apples of your cheeks as you sprint out of your house. Since you’re so late, the buses’ usual route has reverted to its express one- and the stop near your school was always skipped. At this point, you don’t have many options. Cabs are nearly impossible to catch at this time of the morning, so rushing over there seems to be the only choice.

The running doesn’t last for long though; you’re slowing down to a fast-paced walk after the first avenue. By now, you’re using one hand in a clumsy attempt to unzip your bag for the damn banana. The neighborhood is relatively quiet, and you recognize this street for never having much traffic.

You’re still walking hurriedly while rummaging through your backpack, eyes trained on the pens and crumpled papers that clutter the inside of it. Looking both ways, as your mom always said, while walking proves to be an important life lesson.

“Watch out!” You hear someone scream, but before you can look up, a sharp pain shoots through the entirety of your calf. The cement street is hard and jagged when you land on it hands-first. Your palms immediately feel like they’re pulsating, a whine of pain leaving your lips. “Oh my god, Y/N? Are you okay?”

Oh. It’s Jaemin- and he practically ran you over with his motorcycle. He drops his hold on the handles, causing the bike to plop to the ground with a soft clang. He’s at your side as soon as you look up, eyes wide and concerned.

“Your hands are bleeding,” He comments, taking your hands into his own and examining the droplets of crimson that trickle from the scrapes on your skin. There’s a stinging sensation, but the ache you feel in your leg is much worse. You motion to it helplessly, gritting your teeth in an attempt to dwindle the discomfort. “I have to get you to the hospital.”

“N-No! It’s not that serious.” Though your reaction shows otherwise when Jaemin wraps an arm around your waist and hoists you onto your feet. The contact makes you feel that same rush again, but the ache you feel in the muscles of your leg overpowers any other sensation you feel.

“I’m not asking.” It’s a firm, concrete statement that you know he will stay true to. Even an idiot could tell that you need to consult a doctor. You doubt anything is broken, but you’re certain that this pain is not something you can just shake off. “I’m gonna hold you, but try walking a bit and tell me what hurts the most.”

You’re in no position to argue, so you do as he says and tentatively put one foot in front of the other. There’s a pointed ache that runs from your knee all the way to the heel of your foot that makes you wince. Jaemin’s eyes, softer and somehow browner than you’ve ever seen them, watch you carefully.

“My knee and my ankle.” Your voice comes out strained and shaky. Jaemin feels his heart hammering against his rib cage. Holy shit, I just ran her over. His thoughts are incredulous- all those days he sauntered into school not giving a shit about what time it was, his karma comes in the form of hurting you.

"I’ll call the school later and tell them what happened. For right now, we have to go.” With one strong arm still wrapped around you, he walks you over to his motorcycle. Getting you on it and situated is a bit of a hassle, but he doesn’t complain. All you can do is gaze over at him as he throws one leg over the seat and twists one of the handles as the engine emits a soft roar.

The ride to the hospital is quick, both due to its location and Jaemin’s speed. It didn’t make you feel unsafe, even though he was surely driving over the speed limit the entire time. In fact, you’re starting to realize that Jaemin makes you feel safe all the time. When you almost fell down the stairs, when he drove you home in the rain, and now.

“Good morning, Miss L/N. First and foremost, we need to contact a parent or guardian as per protocol. If you could just confirm your emergency contact’s number,” The doctor says as he looks through the papers attached to his clipboard. You recite your mother’s contact information and notify him that both of your parents are on a plane and wouldn’t be back till tomorrow.

“Are you immediate family?” He questions Jaemin, eyeing the boy up and down. A familiar twitch in his brow has you answering the doctor for him, knowing that Jaemin was never one to tolerate bad manners and would combat them with his own. You’d seen it a couple of times- one time when an upperclassman bumped him in the hallway and refused to apologize to create a more masculine image for his friends. Jaemin ended up busting his lip.

“This whole thing was my fault, doctor. I wasn’t looking where I was walking and his motorcycle hit my leg. He insisted he take me to the hospital.” Your eyes flicker to him for a moment, seeing the cold glare he still holds against the middle-aged man. The doctor contemplates for a moment, before nodding and muttering that he could stay if he wanted.

“Well, your injuries aren’t too major. Nothing is fractured, but I believe you may have a patellar contusion. The healing time isn’t so bad, but it’ll probably be swollen and in pain for at least a week.” He flips through the pages on his clipboard again, skimming through your medical records and the X-Ray images. He goes on about prescribing you an anti-inflammatory medication with a higher dosage than over-the-counter meds and warning you about how much to take.

You nod in understanding and try your best to keep up with his rant because all you want to do now is lay down and rest. The nurse had already given you a pain killer, so the sharp pain you once felt has now simmered to an uncomfortable soreness. It doesn’t subside, but you are beginning to grow accustomed to it.

Minutes pass as you and Jaemin sit in silence, the doctor having left after his prognosis. One of the nurses pops in, notifying you that they were able to get in touch with your mom and that she had gotten someone to pick you up. Out of all the people you thought you’d see though, you’re surprised when Jaemin’s mom rushes to the nurses' station and hurriedly tells them your name.

“Mom?” Jaemin calls, slowly walking towards her. She breathes a sigh of relief, scribbling onto the discharge form before making a beeline to where you sat. She still looks the same as you remembered her, a few more wrinkles here and there but generally a familiar face.

“Honey, how’s your leg? I’m sorry this happened.” A hard glare makes Jaemin avert his attention elsewhere, already anticipating the lecture he’ll hear later. His mom never liked him driving a motorcycle, but it was the one thing he and his father bonded over. The one thing they had as father and son before the fighting got worse and worse.

“Don’t be! I should’ve looked where I was going,” You offer immediately. You’re sure she wants to say something else, but you quickly grab your bag and try to hoist yourself up.

“Let Jaemin help you. Your mom asked if you could stay with us until your parents get back tomorrow,” She explains, taking your bag from your hands and walking towards the elevator. Jaemin comes to your side, linking his right arm through yours and setting a slow pace as to not cause any discomfort.

As you feel the same rush of adrenaline course through your body due to the proximity of you and the guilty-looking boy, you can’t help but feel happy that you’ll spend more time with him. There’s no time to contemplate why your mom decided to call Mrs. Na, or what would become of today. All you can think about is how safe yet scared you feel around him.

[later that night]

“Are you sure you’re okay with sleeping on the couch?” You ask from your spot on Jaemin’s bed, already feeling weariness settle into your bones. His mother offered you his bed before he had the chance to, though he showed no signs of protest once she had. Only a nod of agreement.

“Yeah,” He replies as he scours through his closet to find a change of clothes. You’re surprised when he tosses you a hoodie and sweat-shorts, looking down at the bunched up clothes that land on your lap. He turns back towards you, having his own set of garments picked out in one hand. “Those clothes don’t look comfortable enough to sleep in.”

Subconsciously, you gaze over your outfit- dark washed jeans and a simple blouse. He’s right, you realize, and you’re too tired to argue. The mattress felt soft and welcoming underneath you, his fluffy duvet being especially tempting to envelope yourself in. The room around you seems very much like Jaemin now, Egyptian blue painted walls and black decor- everything down to the duvet. It’s a dark color scheme, but you can feel how much it matches him.

“I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” He throws a polite smile your way before strolling out of the room and closing the door behind him. The silence settles in around the room, and after you’ve comfortably changed into the clothes he gave you, you’re left with your eyes wandering in latent curiosity.

There’s not much personality to his room, not anything distinct at least. It’s simple and straightforward, much like him. However, your eyes lock on a cardboard box sitting atop his desk. It’s a little worn, the corners dented and softened from years of prior use. You know this is wrong, a complete breach of privacy. However, your hands work before your conscious does, and now the opened box reveals all of Jaemin’s childhood memories.

They’re mostly photographs with some miscellaneous items mixed in- such as a small toy truck, a pair of black-and-white dice, and a beaded bracelet you recall seeing him wear at camp. This much should satisfy your inquiring mind, and you’re about to slide the lid back on when a certain photograph catches your eye.

You immediately recognize the way your hair falls around your face in two french braids and Jaemin’s brightly smiling face next to yours. Both of you have marshmallow smudged over your lips, but the happiness that radiates from the glossy picture has you smiling to yourself. Things were much simpler back then- a burnt marshmallow was the cause for angst rather than the pressure of getting into top universities and having no idea of where your ambitions would lead you.

Lost in thought, you don’t even realize that Jaemin’s mom had stumbled into the room. It’s only when she clears her throat quietly that you clumsily drop the picture back into the box from your red-handed grasp. She smiles your way, mindlessly moving towards you until she sees what you’re looking at. Her eyes water a bit, her forefinger tracing over Jaemin’s smiling face. Though she hasn’t aged much, you can tell by the deep-set lines in her forehead that appear ever so often and the exhaustion hidden behind the brown irises of her eyes that life hasn’t been kind to her lately.

“God, I miss him like this.” She’s talking to herself more than you, but you listen anyway. You want to hear more, want to know how she’s coping with her son’s isolated ways. “He was the happiest little boy. I rarely see him smile like this anymore.”

It feels wrong for you to comment, and you don’t know what to say anyway. So you let her continue, wanting to provide some sort of comfort for the woman who always showed so much kindness to you when you were a child. You hadn’t conversed with her much over the years, but there are multiple memories of her treating you and Jaemin to ice cream after a long day at camp cooped up in the confines of your conscious.

“I’m glad he still has you, though, Y/N. With what his father and I are going through and all. It’s good he has a friend.” When she says this, you feel your heart pulsate. A look of surprise wiggles its way upon your features, but you quickly disguise it as a polite nod. You feel the urge to egg her on further, feeling that all the information you so desperately want to know is at the tip of her tongue. “You were always good for him... Do you know that I catch him making s’mores sometimes? He roasts the marshmallow over the stovetop when he thinks I’m not home.”

For some reason, tears threaten to form in the corners of your eyes at her sudden confession. Are you supposed to know this much now? Probably not. But you do, and there’s no going back now. Her words haunt your thoughts for a few more moments, her gratitude for him ‘still having you’ makes you feel all too guilty.

“Mrs. Na, I can’t possibly lie to you.” Her face contorts in confusion, the lines in her forehead reappearing when her brows knit together. “Being honest, me and Jaemin haven’t talked since dad’s camp closed. Other than polite small talk, of course. I don’t know what’s going on with him, and it might not be my place to know, but I’d like to be there for your son.”

She processes your words for several silent seconds before a bright, all-teeth smile graces her mouth. It reminds you of Jaemin, and how he always smiled just as brightly.

“Oh, Y/N. I shouldn’t have assumed, but a mother knows what’s best for her child. And right now, I know he needs someone,” She begins, and continues until every noteworthy detail has been said. Everything from her separation and ongoing divorce process with his father to the extra hours she picked up at work to the father-son bond that keeps Jaemin hanging onto his motorcycle- everything is new to you. It’s a lot to take in, but it seems like it’s an even heavier weight to unload for her.

“It’s a lot, I know.” By now, you’re laying down in bed comfortably tucked away under the, just as you anticipated, fluffy duvet. His mother sits at the foot of the bed facing you, as she finishes her long recollection. “Thank you, Y/N. I really hope he lets you in.”

Slowly, she stands up from her position on the bed and tiptoes out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. You replay her words over and over in your head until sleep tempts you to close your eyes.

“I hope he does too,” You whisper to yourself.

[next morning]

"Good morning, sunshine.” Jaemin groans in response to his mother’s comment as he trudges towards his beloved espresso machine. He mutters back a ‘good morning’ in a husky, deep tone that makes your mouth open a bit in surprise. Thankfully, neither he nor his mom notice as they continue walking around each other and reaching for their respective breakfasts.

Jaemin takes his coffee black with so many shots of espresso that you don’t bother to count and enough sugar cubes to make your teeth ache. His mom, on the other hand, opts for a simple herbal tea that’s caffeine levels pale in comparison to her son’s. It’s amusing to think about this contrast, but it further feeds into their family dynamic. In comparison to your family, you think the differences make everything more unique and unparalleled. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks, sipping his coffee quietly and taking a seat next to you by the kitchen island. The room is illuminated with the natural sunlight that’s typical for Saturday mornings, and his skin looks so smooth that you’re sure photoshop couldn’t make it better. It’s unfair really, how ethereal he looks after just waking up.

“Not gonna lie, it was pretty bad when I woke up, but I took some of the meds the doctor prescribed and it’s not half as bad,” You answer. He nods in response before returning his attention to the coffee cup in front of him. There’s not much else to talk about on his side, but you have much more information than you started with and the temptation to strike up a conversation with him is as strong as his coffee.

You’re still wearing his clothes, finding them much too comfortable to switch to your other outfit. Prior to today, you never quite understood what was so appealing about wearing a guy’s clothing. Sure, it was comfortable and you’d stolen a few shirts from your ex-boyfriend at one point, but it didn’t make you feel giddy like other girls had described. Now, though, you feel warm underneath Jaemin’s lingering stare.

“You look nice it this,” He expresses his approval, fiddling with one end of the drawstring that hangs from the hood. It’s a mindless action, but not one that goes unnoticed on your part. His hand stays frozen once at the end of the drawstring, but it’s only a few moments until he’s pulling away. You don’t realize you’re holding your breath until he does, the quietest sigh filling the air.

“Y/N, honey, your parents should be getting to the airport soon. Do you need any help getting your stuff ready?” His mother singsongs from her position in front of the sink. On your way home from the hospital last night, Jaemin had picked up a toothbrush for you and that was all you had besides your other clothes and schoolbag. You know you can manage, and you wouldn’t want to cause her any more trouble so you politely shake your head. 

“That’s okay, I’ll be fine.” As you carefully place both feet on the ground, gauging how much pressure you could put on your leg without it hurting, Jaemin silently watches you trudge back to his room. Although it was only for a night, having you stay with him made the house feel less lonely. Not to be confused, Jaemin adores the company of his mom most of the time, despite him not showing it.

The house just felt a little less empty with you there. He had someone to take care of, a weird responsibility that he never thought he’d enjoy. It could be the variation in his lifestyle that makes it so appealing. His mom, when she was home, was always the one to dote on him. The change in dynamics of someone else needing to be taken care of makes his insides feel warm. He liked nursing your injuries, he realizes.

The feeling kind of scares him, wanting to be around you this much. After all the years it took him to become so detached from everyone else, it’s completely unfair for you to barge into his bubble and churn up his emotions. At least that’s what he tries to convince himself as you appear from the hallway with a fresh morning glow that he didn’t quite notice before.

[a week later]

Today, the empty feeling resounding in Jaemin’s house makes his knee bounce in anxiety. Although he never admits it, being alone gets to his head more often than not. Ironic considering he shuts himself away from others, but his thoughts nonetheless. His mother’s working a particularly long shift at the office, and the silence that beckons his thoughts leaves him frustrated.

So he does what he always did when he missed the feeling of his family being whole- he grabs the keys to his motorcycle and strides outside. Memories of his father always burst into his head as when he rides, and he longs for the days when his father spend time with him. Ever since his parents separated, he became an afterthought to his father with his new girlfriend and all. To say that he’s bitter and emotionally damaged from it is an understatement.

The evening brings the sun closer to the horizon, a beautiful orange color painting over the entire sky. It’s barely past seven, but the exhaustion he feels from being completely alone prompted his first stop: a local cafe.

Normally, Jaemin prefers making his own coffee to avoid the judging stares of people behind him when he recites his order. Now, though, he needs to be away from the seclusion of his bedroom and drinking one of the only forms of sanity he knows of. The drive is quick being that he, again, doesn’t obey the speed limit. The cops never seem to catch him or care enough to pull him over though.

The shop is fairly popular among the people in your neighborhood, a lot of the high school students frequenting here for study sessions and dates. Small chairs and tables line the perimeter of the shop, the outside seating area extremely well-known for its view of the sunset. However, Jaemin knows he’ll probably grab his coffee and go.

You’re at the cafe, too. Though, Jaemin doesn’t notice at first. You’re at the front of the line when he just walks in, but he recognizes your figure all too well. As you recite your order, one out of many boys sitting in the booth nearest to the counter sits up in his seat. Jaemin’s right eye twitches as soon as he recognizes him- Moonbin.

He’s handsome, tall, and charming. It was no surprise when the upperclassman had asked you out and you happily accepted. The two of you made numerous happy memories for quite some time. You remember hearing horror stories from other girls who had their hearts broken by upperclassmen, but you were convinced that Moonbin was different. That is until he broke it off only to pursue the new transfer student, Tzuyu. Heartbreak had been a foreign feeling for you as you’d never developed such strong feelings for someone in your previous relationships, but it was a feeling you grew accustomed to as you moved on.

Jaemin manages to sputter out his order hurriedly, his eyes locked on you as you take a seat at one of the small tables opposite of Moonbin and his friends. He can hear the snickers from the older boys as Moonbin confidently strides over to you with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He doesn’t sit down, but his figure looming over you is enough to make you look up in surprise. 

“Y/N, it’s been a while.” His smile is sweet and welcoming, though you now know better than to believe his act. Sure, Moonbin isn’t a complete asshole, but his intentions always ran far deeper than the overly-friendly facade he puts on. “Ah, are you here all alone?”

You gulp in response, eyes locked on your coffee cup as you sit in silence and wish for the humiliation to be over. Moonbin only grins, placing his hand softly on your shoulder to ensure that you’re paying attention to him. It makes Jaemin’s blood boil, though he can’t explain why. As soon as the barista calls out his order, Jaemin grabs his drink haphazardly and makes a beeline to your table.

“What a shame, pretty girl. You know, we could always-”

“Hey, babe. Sorry, the line took forever,” Jaemin interrupts before he can help himself, sliding into the seat opposite you and making Moonbin’s mouth drop slightly in response. You’re just as surprised, eyes wide like a deer stuck in headlights. This isn’t happening right now. Moonbin and Jaemin are somewhat acquainted. His friend, Eunwoo, is the one Jaemin had punched in the mouth. “Moonbin. Nice to see you.”

His tone is deadpan and exactly the opposite of the polite words he speaks, but it’s such a Jaemin type of saying that you allow yourself to grin over at him. By this time, Moonbin’s friends have gathered behind in out of curiosity. Their presence forces Moonbin to finally respond, the same friendly smile wringing his lips tight. It’s forced. Everyone in the cafe can pick up on that, yet no one says a word.

“Right. Well, I’ll see you around, Y/N.” With that, he pivots on his heel and stumbles out of the cafe with his friends trailing behind him. There’s a certain sense of pride that Jaemin feels as they do, like he’s successfully taken care of you again. And maybe, just maybe, Jaemin enjoyed being envied by someone as popular as Moonbin.

You gently push your hand towards his, covering the dorsal side of his hand with your palm. The sudden contact makes the lonely feeling in Jaemin’s heart all the less prominent, instead igniting a hazy, elated feeling deep within his chest. The smile on your face is breathtaking; it makes him feel like the only person in the universe at this moment in time.

“Thank you. I really don’t know why I froze up like that.” You shake your head lightly but the smile still tugs at your lips. You still can’t describe the adrenaline rush you get when you’re with him, just that you want to feel like this a lot more. He makes you feel so much more alive; there are so many things you haven’t explored but his presence makes you feel safe during times of adventure. It’s a peculiar feeling that you hope he’ll be okay with, because, after your night at the Na household, you find yourself wanting to be around him a lot more than before.

“You’re welcome,” He replies back, mirroring your smile with a kilowatt one of his own. It’s the first time you’ve seen him smile this way since you were kids, and you almost want to take a picture because it’s just so beautiful. It makes him look kind and compassionate, contrary to the icy expressions that everyone has grown used to. It reminds you of what his mom said, on the verge of tears when she spoke about how emotionless he’s been lately.

Though it might be a stretch, you begin to think that Jaemin is indeed opening up to you. And you couldn’t be happier.

[three days later]

Following the cafe fiasco and all the weird run-ins you’ve shared with Jaemin, you finally convinced him to let you take his phone in for repair. Though he protested the whole time, you ended up paying just as you promised. With his phone back up and functioning, he began to text you every day. Sure, the conversations often lacked depth, but it was something. It gave you hope.

{21:06pm} Jaemin: Look out your window. The stars are so pretty.

You did as he said, staring in amazement at the constellations and pops of light that contrasted against the deep blue sky. The sky was clearer than usual that night, the rare sight of the little sparkles in the night making you smile to yourself. Each star burned so brightly, and you wonder what kind of righteous act one did to deserve this type of view. It was unbelievably enchanting, the patterns of stars that covered the entire skyline.

{21:09pm} Jaemin: Hope you’re enjoying. They reminded me of you. Goodnight.

[four days later]

The whole world seems to be collapsing in on Jaemin. His breath comes out in short pants as he desperately throws the covers off of his bed and paces around the room. His mother stands in the doorway, tears streaming from her eyes consistently. She tries to offer words of comfort, but everything sounds muffled under the pounding of Jaemin’s heart. It’s all he can hear, and he’s desperate to make it stop.

‘The divorce is finalized.’

Who knew words could send someone into overdrive? The walls he had built up to protect himself, those words managed to break them down. He knew the day would come that his family would never be whole again, but he never mentally prepared himself for how it would actually feel. The immediate response to the situation is rage.

He picks up his beloved box full of memories that sits atop his desk, throwing the lid off and swinging the box until every photograph and trinket is on the floor. They didn’t matter anymore. His mother pleads for him to stop but her begging goes unanswered. Tears are starting to blur his vision, his face scrunched up so that they wouldn’t fall freely. The pounding sound he hears only gets louder and louder, so loud that he can’t take it anymore.

Without a word, he brushes past his mother’s figure and sprints to his motorcycle just as he had whenever he felt lonely. Only this time, he felt suffocated. Not from love and concern, but from the crushing feeling of his hope being lost. He would never get his dad back, not how he used to be at least. His mother trails behind him helplessly, one hand over her heart and the other muffling her sobs.

“Jaemin! Jaemin, please!” She screams over and over as he gets on the bike, revving the engine to a start while haphazardly slipping his helmet on. The comfort from just being on the piece of metal calms some of his emotions, the tears no longer forming or falling. He gazes back at her with an expression that his mother reads as reassurance. He hopes she gets the right message, that he’d come back and he’d be safe. But he couldn’t stay in that house any longer, not right now.

Though she’s still crying, she nods at his silent message and watches her son pull out of the driveway before regretfully trudging back into the house.

Jaemin isn’t quite sure where he’s going, and he stops to contemplate this fact while he’s at a red light. During times like this, what was one supposed to do? He wants to scream and cry all at once, but he couldn’t think of a place to do so. Out in the open is definitely not an option- he’d rather skip the pitiful stares from strangers. Ideas jumble up in his head, making him wince from the overwhelming mix of emotions and thoughts he possesses.

And then suddenly, everything becomes crystal clear. There’s only one thing he can think of that makes the empty feeling subside: you. The traffic light turns green but he decides to pull over at the next corner anyway, fumbling to pull his phone out of his pocket. His fingers move quickly over the keypad, your name floating at the top of his screen.

{18:45pm} Jaemin: Where are you right now? I really need someone. 

Your eyebrows furrow when you look down at the screen, a strange feeling that tightens in your chest makes you grab your phone hurriedly to type a reply. In other circumstances, you would’ve waited as to not seem desperate. But Jaemin never talks like this, and you can’t help but be worried that something’s happened.

{18:45pm} Y/N: I’m at home. Did something happen??

Your anxiety only grows as minutes pass and Jaemin hasn’t replied. You subconsciously nibble on your fingernails, staring out the window in your kitchen without a word. The ticking of the grandfather clock against one wall almost drives you insane, but there’s no other sound that could be heard with your parents out to a company dinner.

A wave of relief washes over you when you hear the familiar sputtering of his motorcycle engine from inside. You practically rush out to meet him, the dim lighting of the setting sun making his skin look unreal. Only he doesn’t look like his normal self. His eyes are the slightest bit puffy, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he throws his helmet to the ground.

“Jaemin, what’s wro-” You’re cut off by his hands wrapping around your waist, pulling you toward his body. Jaemin knows his next action will have consequences, but the urge to do it suppresses his sanity. The pounding in his head becomes less and less audible the closer he gets to you, and it stops completely when he presses his lips against yours.

Your eyes are wide while his are shut tightly. The feeling of his lips on yours is better than you could’ve ever imagined, though. So you kiss him back. It’s a desperate, rushed, feverish kiss that still manages to leave you breathless. You didn’t even realize you’d been moving at all until your back meets the wall of your garage, hands tangling themselves in his hair.

But there’s a certain aura that exudes from his body. While you’d love to keep kissing him, you know that something is wrong. Convincing yourself that talking to him will be more helpful than this, you slowly pull away from him to meet his watery eyes.

“Jaemin,” You whisper softly, holding your hand up to caress his jawline. His breathing becomes uneven again, the tears that well in his eyes slowly escaping his grasp. The sight makes your heart ache as he slowly makes his way towards his beloved motorcycle, you trailing behind him. “Jaemin, what’s going on?”

“My parents- they-” Each time he attempts to finish his sentence, it’s cut off by a choked breath. Though the pounding is gone, he’s left with a mess of emotions that he can’t help letting out. Everything he’s bottled up since he was thirteen, it’s all going to come pouring out. “Their divorce is finalized.”

Your eyes grow even soften at this, reaching to place your hand on the small of his back. He’s crying freely now, not caring how vulnerable or pathetic he might look. However, you would never think of him like this- not with everything that’s going on and how long he’s concealed his feelings. You wish he could’ve just let you in, but you ignore the thought and focus on the situation at hand. 

“I shouldn’t miss him. Your father was more involved in my life than he ever was. But why does it hurt so much?” His rant begins with this, but the things he says get worse and worse. You can feel the sense of abandonment that must’ve dawned on Jaemin long before. You can feel the betrayal and confusion in his words. “Was I not good enough? Did he ever love me? I’m his son for fuck’s sake!”

His hands hold the motorcycle in an iron-tight grip before he flings it to the ground out of frustration. Kicking it once, twice, until you’re attempting to pull him away from it. You can’t stand the thought of him doing something he’d regret, not if you can help it.

For a moment, he resists. Your strength is no match for his while he takes his anger out on something he held so close to his soul. Determination boils within you as you finally force him back towards you, stumbling back towards the stairs of your porch. He falls into your arms with a defeated cry, his shoulders slumping as he sobs into your chest. You feel your own tears starting to build up seeing him so raw and troubled just begging for comfort.

“I don’t understand, Y/N. What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing, baby. You did nothing wrong,” You quietly assure him, using your thumb to draw circular patterns into his shoulder blade. The small gesture comforts him nonetheless, his loud sobs turning into hiccups. You continue to hold him like this, him sobbing into your chest and you running your hands over his back in some sort of attempt to calm him. 

It’s nearly eight o’clock by the time you get him into your house. The utter exhaustion that weighs his whole body down has him slipping into a peaceful slumber soon after he lays himself atop the cushions of your couch. Your parents stroll inside the house not long after, surprised to see that more grown face of the boy they used to know laying tranquilly on the couch.

“What’s Jaemin doing here?” Your dad whispers, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge before turning on his heel to look at you. Thankfully, neither your mother nor your father are making assumptions as to why he ended up here while they were out. Bless their hearts.

“His parents finalized it...” You trail off, a look of realization crossing over both of their faces. Not much needed to be said. The harsh reality is that many families deduced what was going on in the Na household as they saw less and less of Jaemin’s father around the neighborhood, until his appearances eventually didn’t happen at all. The whispers could be heard all around town as Mrs. Na would attempt to carry out her daily tasks at the grocery store or even at the hair salon.

“That poor boy.” A deep frown settles on your mother’s face as she looks over at his sleeping figure, a muffled snoring audible from your spot in the kitchen. The soft look on her face reminds you of the many times you’d come home crying because of a bad grade or when you’d tell her that you didn’t get picked first for kickball.

“This must be so rough on him,” Your father comments with a sympathetic tone. Though it’s not completely obvious, you know your father feels commiseration deep within himself. The boy he practically watched grow up, the one he taught how to make a fire and how to properly row a canoe. The realization of all this hits you all at once, your mind swarming with possible ways to execute your plan.

You were going to remind Jaemin that although his family might never be the same again, you would always be there to attempt making the void feel smaller.

[a week later]

“Seriously, Y/N, where are you taking me?” Jaemin questions from behind you, the makeshift blindfold of a scarf being the only thing keeping him from seeing the scene painted around him. He knows you’ve brought him to some sort of field, that much being obvious from the crunch of branches under his feet and the lingering smell of fresh grass that whisks through the air.

“Just a bit further,” You sing with the hugest smile on your face. It’s the first time Jaemin lets you force him out of the house since that day, and the heated kiss you two shared still hasn’t been up for discussion. However, the thought hadn’t quite crossed your mind in the midst of wanting to pull off this one act of kindness.

An uneasy feeling bubbles within the pit of your stomach as you finally reach the bonfire your dad has set up. He’s sitting silently on one of the three camping chairs laid out, his eyes perking up as he sees you two approach. You hold your index finger to your lips, signaling for him to keep his silence to which he nods at obediently.

“Open,” You whisper next to Jaemin’s ear, untying his blindfold in a painfully slow manner. At first, his face is blank, and it makes your stomach churn in fear that you’ve gone too far. But then it happens- you notice the creases starting to form on the sides of his eyes before the tears start welling up. And then the signature, kilowatt smile that you knew as a child makes a cameo appearance.

“You guys didn’t have to do this,” He grumbles, wiping a stray tear from the soft skin of his cheek. Your father’s belly laughs sound through the air, making you and Jaemin giggle at the very sound. There’s something simple, Jaemin realizes. The comfort of being around you and your father- he couldn’t quite explain it, but he had felt it ever since he was in third grade. He feels it now, at this moment, too.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a family bonfire without some s’mores. I’m gonna run to the main building, they have a convenience store in there,” Your father elucidates before hauling himself to his feet and breaking out into a jog. It leaves the two of you to take the unoccupied seats illuminated by the crackling fire. The warmth radiates onto your skin, and it feels so much like home that you close your eyes and smile to yourself.

“Y/N?” He hums close to your ear, the deep tone of his voice sending shivers down your spine despite the heat from the fire. Your eyes flutter open at the prompt, humming in response before your breath hitches when his face comes into view just inches from yours. “Can I kiss you again?”

There’s a grin on his face that you’d love to punch off, but being that it’s Jaemin you find it hard to act on that inkling. It’s a guilty pleasure relishing in how handsome he is. You nod once, holding the side of his face with one hand and closing the little distance between your faces.

Your first kiss with Jaemin was heavy, rushed. Trying to keep up with his pace was difficult, and you were one step behind for most of it. That’s not to say it was a bad kiss, but you knew the raw emotions behind it were the cause of such rash actions. At the moment, it was what he needed. Your lips clouded his haunting thoughts, and he felt content with that.

This time, though, his kiss is much different. He takes his time drinking in the flavor of your peach flavored lip balm, his bottom lips fitting perfectly between yours. It’s a push and pull between your mouths, his tongue darting out the tiniest bit when you draw his face closer to yours. You respond immediately, lips parting just enough for his muscle to delve deeper.

It seems to last forever, and you don’t mind a bit. The sensation makes it feel like fireworks are exploding within your chest with every second that passes. You feel his jaw muscles tense and move with every single one of his motions as you continue to kiss him until you have absolutely no air left in your lungs.

Begrudgingly, Jaemin pulls away from the heat of your lips and leans towards the heat of the flames. His lips are quirked up in yet another grin, but you don’t mind this one half as much.

“Thank you, for everything.” His head turns towards you momentarily, and you take the opportunity to peck his lips once as a way of saying ‘you’re welcome.’ His thank you doesn’t satisfy him, though, so he continues. “Being here with you and your dad- it just means a lot.”

You can deduce that he’s still struggling with communication, being that he’s locked himself away from it for so many years. But he’s trying, and you’re trying. And that’s all that matters.

“You always have a spot at family bonfires.” He smiles at the declaration, chastely kissing the tip of your nose out of pure affection. He never felt the need to be so touchy until he reconnected with you, and suddenly all he wanted to do was be close to you- physically and emotionally.

“Ready for s’mores?” Your dad calls, pacing over to his chair with a plastic grocery bag in one hand and a bunch of sticks in the other.

You and Jaemin throw a knowing glance at each other, before grabbing the needed components and recreating the happiest moments of your childhood. The stars burn almost as bright as the other night, captivating Jaemin’s attention as soon as he dares to look up. The constellations always fascinated him, and he always admired how a star was beautiful on its own. But its life seemed even more beautiful when burning next to a number of bright stars. He contemplates this over in his head as the night rolls on, with you cuddled into the side of his chest and the warm lighting that emits from the fire illuminates your face in the most breathtaking way.

Life will never be the same as it was, he realizes. Jaemin knows the memories are all he can cling to. But the moments in life he plans on spending with you- those are what he wished upon shooting stars for.

#nct #nct dream #jaemin #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct reactions #nct fluff #jaemin fluff #jaemin scenarios #jaemin imagines #nct oneshot #jaemin oneshot #nct angst #jaemin angst #neo tech high school series #fic: interstellar

[new2fivesauce]

Please Don't Regret Me - 2. Hotel Management

Please Don't Regret Me - 2. Hotel Management

Warnings: Mild cursing

Words: 3660

February 2018.

The day had finally come. 5SOS was going to announce their third album and their first single. Nelle was so proud of them. It was the first time in their career that they were actually fully satisfied in the way their album was being produced. Not that they didn’t love their first two albums, but something about this upcoming album was making them all anxious and excited for what was to come.

They were in Los Angeles today. Nelle hated Los Angeles; Luke had agreed with her when they had landed just that morning.

A large amount of people were bustling around the studio where the guys were going to go live to announce their upcoming track. Nelle caught Michael and Calum at the food table stuffing their faces. She checked her schedule on her phone and saw that they had missed lunch time.

A delay in their flight had thrown off Nelle's whole schedule and she was not happy about it. Usually in cases like this, she was able to make do, but something about California always threw her off.

“10 minutes till!” a deep voice called from somewhere. She rolled her eyes. There was nothing for her to do; not on days like this when the band had other people pick out their clothes and do their hair, pushing her out the way.

She stood in the corner of the room, where she had a good line of the green screen that had been put up. There was a sofa in front of it and two side tables. Microphones were being tested. Calum and Michael had been moved from the food table and some girls were rolling lint rollers over their clothes to get any crumbs off.

“Would you like a chair?” a voice came from Nelle's right. Turning to the figure, she realized it was just the guy in charge of all this. He was less than 6-feet, probably by an inch or so. He was tan with sandy blonde hair in a man bun. The man bun was not a good look, at least on him. She shook her head.

“No, thanks. I’m good standing. We had a long flight in from Home. Sitting is just gonna make my ass flat.” She stated. The guy laughed.

“You’re their assistant, right?”

Nelle nodded.

“Cool, cool, cool.” He started rambling, pulling out a small notepad from his back pocket. He droned on about meetings and video conferences, making sure that Nelle was getting it all down in her own planner.

Someone called five minutes and he still wasn’t done. Nelle tried her best to appear interested. She already knew all about this and how they were going to announce the future track and blah blah blah. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable when she felt like someone was looking at her. She nodded and smiled at this manager guy, who’s name turned out to be Josh, before maneuvering her eyes around the studio.

Her amber eyes met with some baby blues and her body signed in relief when Luke beckoned her over.

“If we're done here, Josh, my guys are needing me. One minute till, right?” she exclaimed, taking his hand and shaking it once before crossing the room to Luke and Ashton without looking back.

Ashton was smirking at her as she came up to them. His dimples on the left super prominent and his hazel eyes were sparking with mischief.

“Ash said you looked like you were drowning.” Luke said quietly, his eyes flickering over to where Josh was now boring someone else. Nelle snickered but thanked the gods for her guys looking out for her.

Ashton was about to comment but was then hastily taken away by one of the girls that had cleaned Calum and Michael. Luke jumped back at her brashness. He didn't liked being touched. It caused his anxiety to act up.

“Hey, it's okay.” Nelle cooed. She stood in front of the blond giant. “Inhale. Exhale.” She repeated this multiple times. She’d forgotten to make sure he’d taken his anxiety meds and was pretty sure he had forgotten too. There was just something about California. She shook her head and continued to soothe Luke down.

Luke did as he was told, closing his eyes to calm himself further down. He didn’t flinch when he felt Nelle's cold fingers brush his curls behind his ears. He’d been growing it out, deciding that it was time for a new look. New album, new style. Nelle hadn’t liked it at first and made sure he knew it, but he guessed she was okay with it now since he hadn’t heard a snide remark about it in days.

Nelle’s fingers trailed down and fixed the collar of the white button-down the stylists had picked for Luke. It was silk and she knew Luke was going to be itchy from it later. Sweating in silk made him irritant. She mentally added baby powder to her ever growing list of items the boys needed. She adjusted the buttons on the shirt as well, buttoning up an additional one so he wouldn’t be showing too much chest. She didn’t like this stylist team sexualizing the band, especially Luke as he had body confidence issues.

Luke opened his eyes as Nelle rubbed some wrinkles out of his shirt. She was lost in concentration, he could tell by her blank, glassy eyes. He gently grabbed her hands by the wrists and held them still between them.

“Thanks, babe.” He whispered to her before dropping her hands to her side. He stepped backwards with a sly smirk and wink before walking over to his bandmates.

Nelle stared after Luke in confusion. He never called her anything but Nelle.

--

Calum looked at Nelle through the full-length mirror of his hotel room. She was propped up against the headboard of his bed, flipping through the channels.

“…and then he says thanks babe. Like what the fuck? Calum… it was too weird. He… it’s LUKE!!”Nelle tossed the TV remote onto the bed, clearly frustrated. Calum furrowed his brows as he adjusted the belt to his pants. He took a step to admire his outfit. He nodded at himself and smiled to check his teeth.

“Has he been acting weird to you? Look…” Nelle held up her phone to her best friend. Calum neared the bed and tried to decipher what she was showing him.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to show me.” He admitted, staring at her phone and seeing a jumble of words that didn’t make any sense to him.

“Oh.” Nelle said sadly and then pulled her phone back from Calum’s face. “It’s a list of your medications. Luke’s anxiety meds changed last month. Do you think that’s got anything to do with… wait… he didn’t even take them today. Fuck.”

She rapidly texted Luke a reminder to take his medications as well as Michael. Michael responded with a thumbs-up emoji but Luke left her on Read.

“Nelle… I think you’re overthinking this whole… uhh… thing. Luke is just Luke and sure… maybe his pills got him acting a bit strange, but I wouldn’t read too much into it.” Calum declared.

Nelle considered what he said. She scoffed. Calum shook his head with a small chuckle.

“Are you sure you don't wanna go out with me and Ash?”

Nelle shook her head. “Nah. It's a quiet night in for me tonight.”

------

Nelle shuffled to the hotel room door as the knocking on the door went from short pauses to rapid urgent knocks. She tripped on her Nike slide as she tried to put it on. It contorted to her foot as soon as she unlocked the door and pulled it open. Her eyes went from looking at the middle of a chest and upwards to a boy’s face with blond curls and blue eyes.

“Uhh… you’re not room service.” Nelle mused. Luke cocked his head to the side, surprised not knowing what Nelle looked like once she retreated from her work day.

He’d never seen her not dressed up and tidy. Before him stood a girl with basically a rat’s nest on her head; he assumed this is why it was called The Messy Bun. Her amber eyes were behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and she was wearing gray sweats that hung low on her hips with a black Hanes tank. Luke quickly averted his eyes back to hers when he noticed her nipples and possibly a nipple piercing protruding through her thin shirt. He didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.

“Sorry.” He apologized, not really knowing if because he was not room service or because maybe he’d been caught eyeing her up and down. Nelle’s facial expression looked more serious than anything so he guessed that she hadn’t seen him gazing at her. “My thermostat in my room is not working.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. He held up his room card key, marked with a purple smiley face sticker.

Nelle sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders.

“Are you sure?” she asked. Luke paused for a second before nodding his head. Nelle rolled her eyes. “Fuck… okay.” She looked down at her attire. “Let me just change and I’ll go downstairs and get you another room.”

She began to close her door, but Luke shot his hand out and stopped her from doing so. The truth was he couldn’t get her out of his head… not since their announcement of their new track. The way she’d pushed his hair back and the way her fingers had left hot lingering trails as she had fixed his shirt. That was hours ago, but he could still feel her touch. He didn’t understand these new emotions. Sure, Nelle was quite a looker and he had looked at her before… but something was different about her. Something now intrigued him and he needed to figure it out. Maybe four years later he was finally developing that crush that both Michael and Ashton had had when they had originally met her.

“Can’t I just stay here for the night?” he asked. This time it was her to tilt her head in confusion.

“In my room? You want to take my room?” she asked, her voice raising an octave.

“Not take it, just… can’t I bunk with you for the night? I mean, we’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

Nelle finally noticed Luke carrying his duffel bag. She kept all the guys’ main luggage in her room to coordinate outfits and usually only left them with their duffels that had their sleeping clothes and hygiene products.

“Where are the boys?” she asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Luke; he was an okay guy, but in all these years of touring and hotel living, they had never shared a room. Not even when they could only afford one room! In those days, he and one of the guys would sleep in the tour van/bus/vehicle. She was hoping to lead him to one of his mates rooms and not share a room.

“Well, you know where Michael is. Finding his flavor of the night.” Luke replied. “Ash and Cal went out for sushi or something, but I’m sure they’re gonna meet up with Mike afterwards. I would really just like a quiet night in, ya know?”

Nelle eyed Luke suspiciously. Luke knew she was looking for a reason to not let him in, so he crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Nelle scoffed, but with a small smile, hesitantly pulled the door open to let in the giant.

Luke didn’t know what he was stepping into as he walked into Nelle’s room nervously. He expected for there to be more mess, but for handling four men’s luggage and her own, the room was basically spotless. It smelled of something familiarly sweet, almost like red Pop Rocks. Luke didn’t realize it at the time, but Calum also used the same Bath and Body Works Watermelon Lemonade lotion as Nelle.

Nelle walked past him after shutting the door. She had an assortment of stuff laid out on the king bed and she pulled everything to one side to make room for Luke. She plopped a pillow down the middle.

“My side.” She indicted with her hand the side of the bed where she moved all her things. “Your side.” She waved over the now blank space of bed. Luke nodded obediently and dropped his bag on the floor where his side was. He was already dressed for comfort in basketball shorts and a regular t-shirt, so he plopped himself where Nelle told him to be. He leaned back on the headboard of the bed, crossed his feet, and didn’t know whether to make conversation or not, so stared at what Nelle had playing on the TV.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine? You watch this?” Luke questioned after a couple seconds of watching and realizing who the characters were on the screen.

Nelle looked up from her laptop. She was in the same position as Luke, but her computer in her lap. She pushed her glasses up her nose some and smiled at the TV.

“Yeah, it’s my favorite show. I got Michael into it” she stated before going back to what she was doing. Luke shot her a small smile but slowly let it drop when he saw that she wasn’t even looking at him.

She was working furiously on her laptop. Coloring coding items on an Excel spreadsheet and then switching screens to type on a word document and then watching some lanky man in a sweater vest and back again. She’d occasionally push her glasses up her nose and scrunch her face up when something across her screen went wrong.

Luke tried to figure out what she was up to but couldn’t make up all the jumble on her screen and pushed out his mind that Nelle was a very pretty girl. He was about to ask her what she was working on when there was a tap on the door. Nelle looked up from her screen.

“Now that should be room service.” She stated. She looked at Luke expectantly. He pointed at himself.

“You want me to get it?” he questioned as another light tapping was heard. She nodded. “Uhh, okay? Sure…”

He slowly raised himself from the bed and dashed to the door. Nelle went back to concentrating on her work, but was quickly interrupted by what sounded like silverware tinging and crashing down on something metal.

“Holy shit…” an unfamiliar, kind of raspy voice said. “I mean… crap. I’m not supposed to curse at work.”

Luke chuckled and said hi.

“I can’t believe I'm delivering room service to Luke fucking Hemmings. This. Is. The. Best. Day. Ever.” Nelle heard the girl say. Her stomach suddenly grumbled and she silently wished that the interaction would quickly finish.

Luke chatted with the girl for a bit and just as Nelle thought he was going to close the door and bring in the food, she heard him ask “Do you want to take a pic real quick?”

“Oh my God!! Yes! I would love to but since this is a high profile hotel and lots of famous people stay here, we are not allowed to have our phones on us while on shift. Thanks for asking. Enjoy your meal.”

“Whoa… hold on though.”

Luke rolled in the food cart and stopped it at the foot of the bed. Nelle looked at him annoyed, not because he was interacting at a fan but because she hadn’t eaten all day and she could already be halfway into her grilled cheese that she ordered thirty minutes ago.

“Nelle! Do you have the Polaroid camera?” Luke asked her and was heading towards the corner of the room where she had all the luggage and bags. She jumped up the bed quickly.

“Do not touch anything.” She reprimanded him and he quickly stepped back with his hands in the air. She rummaged through her daily backpack and pulled out a mint green Fujifilm camera. It was covered in stickers that the boys had placed on it during their years of touring. She checked the little counter on the back.

“Girl’s in luck. There’s two more left of this cartridge.”

Luke beamed at Nelle. “Do you mind?”

Nelle rolled her eyes, only wanting to be eating her dinner, but she reluctantly walked behind Luke to the door of her room.

The girl was still there waiting on pins and needles. She was about 18 or 19 with tan skin and long black hair pulled back into a pony tail. She was wearing the hotel uniform but her feet were clad in a pair of Converse.

When Nelle came into the girl’s view, her eyes quickly flickered between the singer and assistant. Luke noticed it quickly.

“Uh, this is Nelle. She’s the band’s assistant.” Luke clarified. The girl nodded excitedly.

“No, yeah, I know! Hi!” she turned her attention to Nelle. “I'm Steph. I love you! I mean… you are a style icon and I follow you on social media. You’re great. You make those sweatpants look good, I mean… ugh. I’m blabbing now.” She giggled.

Nelle thanked her with a wide smile. Luke looked so confused. This girl was drooling over Nelle and all he got was a smile. Nelle quickly took a picture of Steph and Luke and then Steph insisted on taking one with Nelle instead of another with Luke.

“Don’t worry, I'm not allowed to say anything about celebrities in the building until after they checkout.” Steph assured them as they stood in the doorway of Nelle's room. Once they bid each other goodbye, Nelle slipped around Luke and went straight to the food cart that was beckoning her.

---

The room was dark but for the TV that was lowly playing Juno. It was the movie Luke and Nelle had finally agreed on watching after binging a season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and splitting the room service that Nelle had ordered.

Nelle was curled into her pillows, dozing off as she watched Ellen Page on screen. Luke was in and out of sleep. His body now taking a bit over half the bed. His left arm was stretched over the pillow barrier Nelle had put up and his hand was mindlessly playing with the drawstring on Nelle’s sweatpants. Nelle wasn’t bothered with it though. She was too tired. Calum’s I wouldn’t read too much into it kept ringing in her head.

Her eyes had closed for a couple minutes when the sudden loud ringing of her hotel room phone went off. Nelle jumped as did Luke. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard an actual phone ring. Nelle sat up and picked up the receiver.

Luke tried to listen to the conversation but kept getting distracted by Nelle’s face. She looked exhausted. She slumped her shoulders as she hung up the phone. She stood up from the bed and pulled what looked like one of Calum’s hoodies over her head and body. Luke eyed her curiously as she grabbed something from one of the bags.

“I'll be back.” She whispered and then left without explaining anything.

---

Luke was wide awake now. He kept looking at the red numbers on the digital clock to the television. She’d been gone five, ten, fifteen, twenty, now twenty five minutes. He was becoming uneasy and he couldn’t sleep knowing that she was not in the room. It was almost two AM. Where could she had gone?

Thirty minutes passed and he thought about looking for her but before he could sit up the door card reader beeped and then the door opened. Luke heard the locking of the door and then Nelle walked in, kicking off her slides and pulling off her hoodie. Her shirt rode up a bit and Luke caught a flash of the bare skin of her stomach and a belly button piercing before Nelle pulled her tank down. She saw Luke was still awake as she made her way back to her side of the bed.

“Where’d you go?” Luke asked, pulling the comforter over her body as she adjusted herself back into the position she’d been in before she had left. Her eyes closed for a moment before answering.

“Had to get Cal and Ash from the lobby. They are fucked up.” She stifled a yawn. Luke suddenly felt annoyed and slightly angered. He glanced at the clock across the room. 2:36 am.

“Is that in your job description?” Luke asked. Nelle shrugged her shoulders.

“My job is to assist and I was assisting on getting them to their rooms.” She nonchalantly told him. This riled Luke up more.

“I don’t think you should have gone to get them. They’re over 20 and fully capable of going to bed themselves.”

This caused Nelle to laugh.

“I don’t exactly have a 9 to 5 job, Luke… and besides, you saying that kinda makes you a hypocrite. I can’t tell you how many times I've had to get your drunk ass from a hotel lobby or answer your late night texts and calls and have to pick you up like I’m your personal uber. It’s whatever. Let’s go to sleep.” Nelle let out another yawn and reached down by her knee where the remote to the TV was.

Luke stewed in her words but found it hard to let it go. He wanted to go off on her, but she turned off the television and the room was suddenly dark. Luke couldn’t see her beautiful, weird amber eyes anymore or her pretty hair or her light freckles across her nose and cheeks.

“You deserve better.” Luke whispered to her, hoping for her to still be awake. And she was because she whispered back.

“Yeah… maybe I'll quit one day, baby. ”

#5 seconds of summer #5sos #luke hemming imagines #luke hemmings #calum hood #ashton irwin #michael clifford #please dont regret me #5 second of summer imagines

[mainly-kpop]

Personal Canvas

Thank you @bts-army46 for this request we had some confusion but I hope you love it all the same, as always requests are open to all ❤️❤️

She walked down the street to the little tattoo studio close to her apartment, to say she was nervous would be an understatement, but she had always wanted a tattoo so there was no chance of backing out now, it had been booked for weeks now all she had to do was show up. She stood in front of the little building, black paint chipped at the sides from the weather changes, a large wooden frame with ‘Jinx Tattoos’ above the small and freshly painted door, she breathed in deeply before exhaling and pushing the little creaky door open. She bit her lip suppressing a smile at the sight that greeted her, the little tattoo parlour was warm and cosy inside, the little desk at the front nothing special, the shelves behind however, they were covered wall to floor with nerdy things. Harry Potter wands and books, DC and Marvel comics along with random paintings and drawings, she took a minute to enjoy the art, clearly made by the tattoo artist. She looked through a little window seeing a woman lying in a chair getting stabbed by a needle repeatedly, she seemed to be fine laughing and flirting away, she looked up at the artist to see, one of the most beautiful guys she had ever seen, covered in tattoos himself, she couldn’t help but wonder if some of them were self done. ‘Damn, he's gorgeous’ she thought to herself before going to sit down on one of the little leather couches waiting anxiously for her turn.

‘Okay and as I said before, just keep putting the cream on, take care of it, don’t place it in a lot of water for too long, and all touch ups are free so if you see something out or place let me know I can fix it. Nothing is too little, if you’re not happy let me know it’s on you for life not me!’ He spoke with a light hearted nature, the woman laughed admiring her new ink agreeing and listening to what he had to say. She gave him the money and bid him good day, promising to come back and show him when it healed, once she was gone his attention turned to her.

‘Hey Y/N right? I’m sorry the last appointment ran over a couple minutes, cherry blossom on your rib and down your side, correct?’ She just nodded unable to speak she was far too nervous, usually for a first tattoo people go for little things like words on their wrist, something on their arm not a full cherry blossom tree on their rib, she was crazy. He handed her a form to fill out while he traced the design for her.

‘Okay come on through!’ He spoke cheerily easing her ever so slightly. She walked into the room looking around shyly, he started fiddling with equipment pulling protective sheets out, it suddenly all got very real and she let out a shaky and panicked breath, he must have noticed because he stopped what he was doing walking over to her.

‘Hey, don’t be scared, it’s fine really, trust me, take your time but you will need to remove your shirt soon...’ He spoke looking her over, she was by far the best looking customer he had the pleasure of seeing in a while, not that he usually paid much attention to his clientele but the fact she was so shy and timid intrigued him even more. She nodded removing her jumper and t-shirt covering herself, he wrapped his hands around her wrists pulling them up above her head, she blushed and avoided eye contact.

‘Don’t be shy, you look amazing like this.’ She couldn’t decided whether he meant restrained, hands above her head, wrists in his fists, or just shirtless, either way it stroked her ego. He placed the transfer paper on her rib stroking down it slowly, making sure all the ink sat on her skin he pulled it off slowly admiring the drawing before insisting she look too.

‘It’s beautiful, I can’t wait to see it finished.’ He smiled at her sudden excitement grabbing her hand and leading her to the chair helping her lie down.

‘Okay, I’ll do the first little line, let you feel it, if it’s too much let me know and I’ll stop.’ He spoke suddenly very serious, she took a deep breath hearing the needle start, she felt a sharp scratch on her side, that was nowhere near as bad as she thought it was going to be.

‘Not so bad right?’ He spoke pleased she didn’t jerk away from the needle like many have before, she smiled down at him finally able to look at him while he worked. His brows knitted together, concentrating on the pressure he pressed the needle with. His dark hair stayed put, except one little clump that fell down his forehead, touching the little eyebrow piercing, there was nothing about him that she didn’t find attractive.

‘Did you do any of your own tattoos?’ She spoke suddenly, she thought after she broke the silence, she could have scared him, caused him to jump. He stayed calm and collected, continuing to dip the needle in ink and stab her over and over.

‘Uhh a couple of them, nothing you can see right now though...’ He spoke with a smirk, she frowned, the hell does that mean?

‘And by that you mean?’ She said moving her arm under her head, lifting it to see him ever so slightly better. He looked away from the tattoo for a second looking her in the eye, he bit down on his lip smirking again, god she was glad he wasn’t tattooing her leg or something, being in only her pants right now would have been embarrassing.

‘I mean, they’re not on places you can see right now, maybe another time?’ She blushed finally realising what he meant, was this a proposition for her to see him nude? Not like she would mind of course...

‘You seem to be taking this rather well so far, do you need a break or anything?’ He spoke, they had been there for an hour or so already, but she was feeling fine so far.

‘I’m okay, but if you want a little break I’m okay with that.’ She smiled realising, it was probably getting a little taxing for him to be staring at one place so long, god knows she hated working on the same thing for hours on end. He nodded relieved, cleaning the needle off and placing it down sitting back in the chair.

‘I have to say, I’m impressed with you.’ He spoke looking directly at her, she furrowed her brow, he smiled warmly letting a little chuckle out at the same time. ‘I just mean, you didn’t seem like the type of girl to want a tattoo, let alone be able to sit through the pain for an hour easily, it’s impressive.’

‘In all honesty I thought this would be awful, but maybe I hyped the pain up so much it seems like nothing to me now.’ She shrugged not really phased, the pain was bad there was no point in lying but it wasn’t even half as bad as she would assume it to be. She looked up at him but his eyes weren’t on hers anymore, they lingered over her body, her bare chest and her inked side, she shuffled slightly under his gaze.

‘What is it?’ She spoke worried thinking maybe she was bleeding out or something, that could be possible right?

‘It’s nothing really, I’m just admiring your blank skin, you’re like a full blank canvas, I’d love to just put my designs all over it.’ She thought about it for a moment, she wouldn’t be opposed to it, any excuse to see him more often would be a blessing.

‘So why don’t you?’ He chuckled slightly making her prop herself up on her elbows, he looked at her for a moment before realising she was serious.

‘You are full of surprises, let’s see how we get on with this before you go promising me a canvas shall we?’ She nodded slipping back down, letting him continue doing his job.

‘You need to stay still if you keep squirming it’s going to slip, we don’t want it to slip now do we?’ it had been a couple months since they met, and in this time she had become addicted to the tattoos, it could be him, but she would continue to blame the tattoos. Currently she had four they were working on the fifth, all the designs were Jungkooks own. His drawings, his imagination come to light, all over her body.

‘No sir, we don’t.’ He paused for a moment, the nickname drilling through his head, he had to find a way to get her to call him that more often. Currently he was sitting perched behind her, she was bent over the chair legs spread, anyone would think it was sexual walking in right now. The needle pressed just under her right ass cheek inking a pretty rose into her upper thigh, it was his favourite so far, he was proud of this one. He was especially proud of the fact he got her to agree on the placement.

‘good girl, now stay still.’ She hoped he couldn’t see the little damp spot clearly on the crotch of her panties, it wasn’t the tattoo she was getting turned on by, it was him, everything about him just riled her to the point of frustration, she couldn’t deal with the fact he was so close to her ass, that he could slip his hand down and cup her through her panties whenever he felt like it, she wanted it and the fact he would not was driving her insane.

He pushed her underwear slightly out of his way, making space for his hand to rest comfortably on her ass, it was innocent he would swear to anyone who asked. With the hand he had resting on her as he squeezed gently while pulling the skin up so he could work, she let out a moan as he squeezed her ass covering it quickly with a cough. He heard it god did he hear it, the thought of her enjoying this as much as he was made his dick twitch.

‘Back again are we?’ She rolled her eyes at the pest she had come to know over these past few months, she came for one tattoo six months ago and was now almost covered with pretty designs and detailed patterns, she was a whole new person and she loved the confidence it gave her. Sure people stared but she couldn’t care less and that’s what she loved about this.

‘You made the appointment idiot, you know I wouldn’t let you down.’ She smirked handing him her jacket. She sat down in the usual place signing the form without looking at the tattoo or placement, she trusted him. He took the form with a smirk on his face taking the template and motioning for her to stand.

‘Take your trousers off babe, this is going on the front of your hip, leading to your pubic bone.’ Her eyebrows raised, another below the belt? This guy wasn’t very subtle, she shrugged unbuttoning her jeans slipping them down her legs, she pulled the side of her panties down letting him slot the template on her crotch.

‘Okay, pre warning, this is going to hurt around about this area, but around here it’s going to feel really weird and quite nice, so bare with me, keep still and I’ll sort any uh... Issues later.’ She nodded not 100% sure what he was talking about but rolling with it anyway, she assumed it meant touch ups so just went along with it. Like he had mentioned, the area where her hip bone is hurt like a bitch, she was rather ticklish there so keeping still was a whole task.

‘Okay, I need you to take this leg out of your pants and you can use the rest to cover your junk.’ She nodded smirking at the use of the word junk, she slipped her leg out sitting back down where she was making sure to keep everything covered. He started the needle again pressing it against her skin, his face closer than she would like to her crotch, she took a breath calming herself down, ‘this isn’t sexual’ she repeated over and over in her head. A tingle shot from her pubic bone to her core eyes popping open, why did that feel good, it shouldn’t feel good, it can’t feel good. It happened a couple times over causing her to whimper slightly, he was so close.

‘I know baby I know, bare with me.’ He spoke soothingly, he knew, that’s when it finally clicked to her, he was offering her relief of the sexual tension this was building up inside of her, he was offering her sex and that sent another thrill through her. He ran his finger over the seam of her panties pushing them further to the side, rolling them almost completely off, they covered very little and she wondered the point of them still being there.

‘can’t I just take them off?’ She whimpered, the thought of having him between her legs and not actually doing anything was causing her to squirm, and in turn causing him a lot of stress.

‘Princess, if you can keep still for me, I’ll do whatever you want, don’t make me tie you down.’ Her breath caught in her throat, throwing her head back, only a little bit longer, he was almost done, so close to being over. She had managed to calm herself down ever so slightly and he sensed that, he wanted her on edge the whole time, ready for what he was going to give to her, he wanted her begging. Quickly he brushed his finger over her clit, almost ghosting, if she wasn’t so turned on she wouldn’t have felt it, but she was hyper aware of everything going on down there. He smirked at her groan of impatience and frustration.

‘Five more minutes princess, I’m almost done.’ She spread her legs further realising if he wanted to play, she was more than willing to be part of this little game. She looked up at him, false innocence tattooed across her features.

‘Hurry sir, I’m getting impatient.’ She spoke pouting, where that came from was unknown to her but the fact it made his eyes roll back and a soft groan escape his throat was satisfaction enough for her.

‘You’ll be the death of me.’ He muttered turning the needle back on, sending vibrations through her pubic bone making her throw her head back, she would regret teasing, he would make sure of it.

He stood up not 5 minutes later tidying everything up, placing the protective layer over it, proud of his handy work, he stood leaning over her lips ghosting over hers. ‘It’s finished.’ He whispered lips brushing hers in the process, she tilted her hips up to connect with his, letting her eyes roll back feeling the friction of his jeans finally.

‘Was I a good girl? Are you going to play with me now?’ He pinned her hands to the bed she was sitting on, restraining her, a false dull even bored look painted across his features.

‘You see baby, you still moved around a lot, squirming, whimpering, teasing me, turning me on, that’s not what good girls do, no baby, you need punishment.’ He walked away casually pulling the blinds down and locking the front door, no more customers today she guessed. He motioned for her to lie down on the bed cuffing her to the little shelf above her head, if she tugged to hard the shelf would easily come clean off. He placed a little lace blindfold over her eyes stopping her from seeing almost everything, she could see partially, but it was obscured.

‘So I’m not allowed to see or touch you? No fair.’ She pouted making him chuckle, dragging his pointer finger from the top button of her shirt down to her panties, holding on by one leg.

‘No need for pouting baby, you can see all my secret tattoos another time.’ He drawled, trying to focus on anything but the hem of her pants slipping slowly. Leisurely he unbuttoned her shirt, button by button, taking his time to enjoy every curve and dimple in her body. She whimpered and squirmed under him trying to create friction anywhere, anyway she could. All her moving caused the fabric of her pants to fall completely allowing her to flick them off her leg, landing unceremoniously on the floor in the distance. He raised his hand gently smacking her thigh causing a yelp to echo through the small room, followed by a tut from him.

‘So impatient, and here I was wanting to take my time with you.’ She arched her back searching for his touch, unable to find anything she sunk back down defeated and huffing.

‘Don’t take your time, fuck, just fuck me.’ She begged, he smirked finally hearing what he wanted. He ripped the rest of her shirt open little white buttons flying around the room, that would be a nightmare for the cleaner later. She felt his warm lips connect with the chilled skin of her stomach trailing down slowly nipping at her opposite hip bone, the one that hadn’t been attacked for 2 hours with a needle and ink. He relished in the moment admiring his art work scattered across her now naked body, the cherry blossom cascading down her side, the rose peaking out from behind her ass as she lifted her leg. The words tattooed on her wrist with little butterflies scattered around it, detailed sketches littering her arms and last but not least a humming bird, painted all colours feathers falling from its wings tumbling towards her inner leg. It was his favourite so far, he was rather fond of it.

‘So needy, say it one more time baby? Let me hear you beg for me one more time.’ He trailed his finger ever so gently down past her clit trailing through her arousal getting it wet enough, he placed it right next to her entrance waiting for the words to tumble out of her mouth.

‘Please, just touch me, or fuck me. Anything please I want you so bad.’ That’s all he needed to hear, thrusting his finger quickly and deeply into her smirking at the way she arched her back, at the whimper that tumbled out her mouth, he placed his mouth on hers silencing her moans momentarily before forcing a couple more out with a swift movement of his finger.

‘More Jungkook, give me more please.’ She moaned pulling at the cuffs to try and touch his shoulders, he pulled her lip between his teeth chuckling slightly.

‘Greedy girl, whatever princess wants she gets.’ He teased pushing another finger inside bringing her closer and closer to the edge. She cursed and moaned into his mouth, getting closer and closer, feeling the heat build in the pit of her stomach. Her back arched as her orgasm hit her like a brick wall, no noise coming out just, breathy moans her body convulsing against his hand, his fingers slowed, but never stopped.

‘Stop please, please stop.’ She whined, trying and failing to crawl away from him, he placed his hand on her waist stopping her from moving.

‘I don’t think so sweetheart, it’s my turn.’ He pulled the blindfold off her eyes, giving her a second to readjust to the light before unbuckling his belt. There was something so arousing about looking up at this fully dressed man, tattoos, sweat glistening on his forehead, sleeves rolled up past his elbows, while she lay there, fully naked fully on display for him. She clenched around nothing waiting patiently with an out of place innocence in her eyes. He took his dick in his hand, stroking it a couple times before slipping her to the edge of the chair, placing himself at her entrance.

‘Stop teasing me, please.’ She jerked her hips towards him forcing the tip of the head in ever so slightly, he let out a moan feeling how warm and wet she was around even that small part. He muttered a ‘fuck’ under his breath thrusting himself into her painfully slowly, she sucked in a sharp breath adjusting to the intrusion.

‘Can I move?’ He breathed out, hardly above a whisper, she nodded forcing him into action. He started off gentle trying to search for that sweet spot, she let out a low moan pulling at the cuffs around her wrists as he hit it.

‘Fuck Kook right there, shit!’ She gasped, he smirked placing a delicate kiss on her lips, in vast contrast to how rough his hips started to pound into her. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to his end, wanting her to feel as good as he did he placed the pad of his thumb on her clit. She bucked her hips at him finally giving it some attention, she could feel the fire bubbling inside of her, ready to let go at any minute.

‘Tell me when baby, I want to hear you say it, I want to hear you tell me.’ She rolled her eyes back, dirty talk was never her thing, but then again neither was being tied up, and here she was.

‘I’m so close, I’m Jungko—fuck!’ She screamed walls tightening around his dick, back arched and small whimpers falling from her lips, his hips didn’t slow, they kept their pace him chasing his high.

‘Cum inside me baby, I want to feel you cum, fuck you’re so big.’ She moaned in his ear, his eyes rolled back, hips stuttered as his body collapsed on top of hers, fully spent. He took a couple moments to gather his breath back, pulling out slowly.

‘fuck, I won’t get tired of seeing this.’ He spoke looking down at her fully bare in front of him as he buttoned his trousers back up, he unlocked the cuffs rubbing her wrists as she pulled them down to her chest. He wiped her down letting her get herself dressed again, he began cleaning up the mess he could see, saving the cleaner literal nightmares.

‘So as I always say, look after it let me see when it’s healed and I’ll book you in again when I have a new idea.’ He spoke formally, doing his job once again, the only change to the usual routine was his hands gently rested on her hips under her shirt, lips pressing to her neck between words.

#bangtan #bts #bts one shot #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook #bts smut #bts imagines #smut #bts fluff #tattoo #request #requested #requests open #fic request #fic rec

[storiesaboutcole]

Request 8

 For anonymous: Could you right about getting involved in an accident and that you woke up in a hospital not remembering Cole? Thank you!

On the car ride over to the late night show studio, Coles’ nerves were ablaze and anxiety sizzled every cell of his body. He was trying to show a rather cool exterior, but you knew him too well to know that he was a nervous wreck as he tapped his fingers on the palm of your hand, staring out the window mindlessly. 

When you arrived the venue, you and Cole were surprised by how massive the crowd waiting outside was. Some of the people in the crowd had handmade signs proclaiming their love for their favourite Riverdale cast. It was surreal to see people you knew being idolized at that level. “This is it,” Cole exhaled. 

“Nervous?” you whispered when you realized that Cole was fidgeting.

“Just anxious,” Cole muttered, as he kissed the back of your hand. “I’ve been to many interviews, but I feel especially weird about this one. I just don’t know why. I just feel like something is not right...”

“Weird?” you chuckled. “Don’t overthink it. You’ll be fine. As always,” you reassured him, as you kissed his cheek. “Ready?”

“I guess so,” he smiled.

The car let you right in front of the crowd huddling around the reception area. Cole’s manager tried to immediately steer Cole away from the crowd as soon as he stepped out of the SUV. You discretely followed his manager closely from behind, as always. To the fans, you were invincible - just someone from the management team, to which both you and Cole were thankful for. 

You saw how excited his fans were to be near Cole. You held your ground a few feet apart from Cole as he signed a few autographs by the sidewalk.

The paparazzis were there too, hovering in the front line as they pushed some of the fans behind them so they could get a good shot of Cole. The fans were not very happy about it though. The large clusters of fans began to retaliate as they pushed forward so they could hover back to the frontline. You watched the security moved forward to stand in front of the group of fans to keep them back. A few tenacious fans managed to escape through the swarm to step in front of Cole. 

“I’ll sign for everyone. Please don’t push,” Cole politely said to his fans. It was like they went hysterical. They just kept on pushing forward, trying to break the human barricade.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! No pushing!” Cole’s manager was snapping.

The fans were in a dither having their idol so close to them. They didn’t even seem to listen to the security guards when they told them to stay back. You began to worry when you saw the energy of zealous crowd growing.

“Cole, I don’t like this, Let’s get out of here,” his manager told him, concern of her star’s safety. Cole nodded and looked at you as you were now being pushed behind by fans who surged forward when they realized that Cole was walking away to get into the venue. The press was behind the crowd now. The curious and eager fans in front of you were pushed by other fans from behind, and with nowhere to go, they bumped into you. You were pushed back so hard that you lost your footing. 

“Y/N!” you heard Cole called out your name as he was being escorted away by a security guard.

You landed on your ass hard, and in that moment, you realized that you fell into the lane of the traffic. Confused, you stared at a pair of headlights baring down on you. You started to get to your feet, but the SUV didn’t have enough time to slow down. You heard the tyres squealing, and the next thing you know, you fell to the ground again. And then you saw blackness.

...

It hurt. There was only pain. Your head hurt and you felt nauseated. Your eyes peeled open and there was a shining light that hurt your eyes. Hating the brightness that was piercing your brain, you whimpered. Your mind in a fog, you felt your hand being touched. 

‘Y/N? Hey...” Your mind felt so slow. You watched in horror as a man you didn’t recognize kissed the back of your hand and then your forehead. 

‘Where am I?” you asked with a groggy voice. Where were you? Panic washed over you, making you to sit up too fast. Your head hurt. Really hurt. Yelping, your head crashed back onto the pillow. 

“Y/N...” the hand holder exhaled, his eyebrows all furrowed, like he was in pain himself as he watched you. Who is he? You saw him pressing some buttons next to you and you saw a doctor and two nurses walked into the room shortly after. The hand holder resigned from holding your hand as he gave way for the doctor to see you.

“Hello, there,” she smiled. “I’m Jenna, your doctor. How are you feeling?”

“Urgh.”

“I can see that,” she chuckled before adding, “Do you know your name?”

“Y/N,” you answered easily.

“Do you know where you are?”

“A hospital, I guess? Why am I here?”

“You’ve been in an accident, she said, pulling a chair up to your side. “You hit your head hard, broke your leg, but, there isn’t a permanent damage.” Panic hit you hard, when you realized that your leg felt numb. You couldn’t feel your left leg. And you began to cry. 

“Y/N,” the guy rushed back to your side, stroking your hair. You blinked and looked at him, and then to your doctor, and to him again. The doctor’s eyebrows were pulled together by confusion. You wanted to ask her so many things, but she spoke first.

“Do you know him?”

You shook your head, as you scanned his face multiple times. The guy snapped his head up and glanced at the doctor in horror. The guy had green eyes as you watched them welled up with tears. The expression of his face was purely hurt. But you really had no idea who he was, or why he was there.

“Do you know what year this is?” the doctor asked again.

“2010.”

The doctor maintained a poker face. 

“Y/N...” 

You were so glad to see your mom standing at the door frame.

“Mom...” you exhaled, sobbing. Not understanding what had happened.

“I am so glad you’re okay. We were all so worried about you,” she hugged you tight. “I am glad she’s okay, Cole. Thank god she’s okay!”

“Who’s Cole?” you asked in her tight embrace. You could feel your mom intensely froze. She then held your head in her palms.

“Honey, you don’t know Cole?” she sobbed. 

You shook your head, glancing at the stranger that was standing next to you.

“Is he Cole?” you asked again. “Was he the one who brought me here? Did you save me?”

Your mom reached out for his hand as he was inconsolably crying. He could barely look at you now. He looked like he was so heartbroken but you had no idea why.

“Honey, Cole here is... He’s your boyfriend,” your mom cried.

“Boyfriend? Mom...” you couldn’t help but chuckled. “You know my boyfriend. My boyfriend’s Tom.”

You then realized that Tom was not in the room and you began to panic. “Where’s Tom, mom? Does he know that I’m here?”

“Alright. I think Y/N here needs to rest,” the doctor said. “Mrs Y/L/N, Cole, can I have a word with you guys?”

...

It took you three days to fully understand your condition - you had a freak accident. It was a miracle that you were still very much alive. The doctor also said that you were in a state called retrograde amnesia. The funny thing was you remember all of your family members, your childhood up until when you were in college, up until 2010. Everything else was just a blur from there.

It was actually 2018. At least that’s what you were told. To everyone else, you lost your memories, but to you, you lost 8 years of your life. The doctor reassured that your memory would come back, but you were not as optimistic.

You learnt from your mom that you and Tom broke up in 2011, although you were positively sure that you were still madly in love with him. And you had a difficult time to digest that Cole, the stranger who was always at the hospital, was your actual boyfriend. 

Your mom insisted him to be around as much as your family were. You could see that she was treating him like a son she never had. You could see why though. Cole was sweet and funny. Kind but sensible. Charming, with a smile that simply could light up the entire room. You learnt from your mom that he was an actor. You met him at an art gallery and the two of you just fell in love at first sight. Looking at Cole still felt so foreign to you. You just couldn’t feel that feeling that you were supposed to be having about him and it’s frustrating.

Another month went by and it was your last day in the hospital. Your mom was happily helping you pack all of your stuff into a suitcase. 

“Is he still here?” you asked.

“Cole? Why, yes, honey. He never left the hospital. He still feels guilty about what happen to you, that poor boy.”

“Can you tell him that I’m okay? That he could uhm... go home?”

“Go home?” your mom gave you a look. “Listen, Y/N, you two shared an apartment together. His home is basically your home.”

“What, mom?! I can’t... I can’t stay with him! I don’t even know him!”

“Y/N... you should try to get to know him. You know, fall in love with him again. i mean, just look at him. Isn’t he a handsome young man?”

“Eww, mom! Stop!”

“What? It’s not like you were not madly in love with him before! He’s all you talk about.”

“Really?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t fancy those-”

“Hey,” Cole suddenly appeared. “The nurse said you’re good to go.”

You were struggling to balance yourself on the crutches when you suddenly turned around that you almost fell. 

“Whoa, easy there,” Cole immediately ran up to you so he could prop you up. His touch sent a jolt of electricity to your body and it was making you flinch. You could see from the corner of your eye that your mom was enjoying what she saw.

“I was just telling Y/N that she’s gonna love recovering at home with you,” your mom chuckled.

“Mom...” you whispered but she purposely ignored you to her delight. 

...

You didn’t recognize the place at all. Not a single thing that filled each corner of the apartment gave any meaning to you. Everything was just a big blur again. Cole gave you an ample space to get familiar with the place though. You forced yourself to deal with the situation with an open mind. That was the place both you and Cole called home anyway. 

There were photos of you and Cole stuck on the fridge - a concrete evidence that you two were really together. You barely recognized yourself in the pictures. You were happy. So happy in fact. And so full of love and life. And Cole was looking at you no differently from the way he’s been looking at you since you woke up at the hospital - full of admiration, warmth and certainty. Like he was so in love with you. Your eyes welled up as you felt terribly sorry for Cole. As much as you wanted to love him ‘again’, you knew deep in your heart that you couldn’t yet.

“That was from our trip to Thailand.”

“We’ve been to Thailand?”

“Yes. You chose the destination,” he smiled, before adding, “Ah! This one is from Christmas last year. I got you a puppy.”

“I have a puppy?”

“Yeah. You named him Monkey. Because he likes to make weird barking sounds. Almost like a monkey.”

“So where’s Monkey?”

“Oh, he’s with my brother Dylan. I’ll get him back tomorrow.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yes. A twin actually.”

“Oh, wow! You’re a twin?” 

You didn’t realize that your eyebrows were all scrunched up as you were learning about your present self and Cole.

“Do you want anything to eat? I can order in some Chinese food that you love so much.”

You didn’t remember liking Chinese food.

“I’m not hungry. Thanks. So... where’s my room?”

“Your room?” he glanced at you with furrowed brows.

You nodded.

“I hadn’t thought... I thought we’re gonna...”

“You know what, Cole. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t realize you... I mean, we, only have one bedroom,” you sighed. “I can sleep on the couch.”

His green eyes welled up within seconds. His lips were trembling and you immediately regretted your words. You felt weird. Uncomfortable.

“Cole, I didn’t - I’m sorry.”

“You really don’t remember anything, huh?” he swallowed. A tear fell on his cheek. You felt really awful for hurting him again.

You only shook your head.

"You should sleep in the bedroom. I’ll take the couch,” he said with a sniffle, as he wiped off his tear off his cheek.

“Cole...”

“It’s okay, Y/N. I understand. You’re different now. We’re different now. I can’t act like nothing has not changed,” his voice was trembling, almost sounding like a beg.

“I’m sorry...”

Cole fell on the couch and started burying his face into his palms. He was crying. Really hard like he was losing it. You joined him on the couch, leaning in closer. His body started to curl as he buried his face into your lap.

“I thought you were gonna die,” he howled out. “You were just lying there in a pool of blood... You were barely moving. I was just so scared.” Everything just kept on overflowing from his mouth. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Even if it means that you wont remember a thing about me. About us. I just don’t want you to die.”

You felt helpless as you tried to console him by rubbing his back, but that made him cried so much harder. 

“Fuck... I just love you so much, Y/N. We had plans. We were gonna get married. Have kids. Move to the suburbs.”

“Cole...”

“I know I am a stranger still to you right now. And if you want me to stay away, I understand. I’ll do it. For as long as you want. ”

“Cole... I... ”

“I know. I know. I am so sorry, Y/N. I won’t talk about this anymore. I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t guarantee that my memories will come back...”

“I know that, Y/N. I know.”

“But... we could start over. Maybe get to know each other again. You know, like this is the first time...”

“But what if you don’t love me the second time around?”

#cole sprouse x reader #cole sprouse imagine #cole sprouse fiction #cole sprouse #riverdale fiction #riverdale jughead #jughead jones #jughead riverdale

[thepatricktreestump]

Saudade: Ch21

As the week went on, you felt like things were finally falling into place. That connection you had lacked with Josh so many times before was just now being restored, and it felt like for once, you could really do this. While you researched about all the steps you should take while preparing for your pregnancy, Josh was right beside you, both of you talking about several options you had in the planning process. While you were still wary about all of this, actually having a fucking kid, much less raising them with Josh, you felt like it was right. Maybe this was what could finally repair your relationship, something that could bring you together, make you rediscover your love. Although, it was Jenna who finally pulled you back into reality one night when Tyler and Josh were recording in the studio and she was left alone with you on the couch, the same couch where you had first confessed everything.

“You are going to tell him, right?” she asked.

“Hmm?” you looked up from your coffee cup, making direct eye contact with her for the first time today.

“Josh,” she stated. “He has to know it’s not his child, right?”

“Oh I don’t know,” you shrugged. “It’s not like he’d ever have a way of actually figuring out unless they did a DNA test or something.”

“Y/n,” Jenna narrowed her eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“Look, this is all Josh has ever wanted. Did you see how happy he was when he found out? And he’s been talking to me about all these things he’s so excited to do like getting the first picture of the ultrasound and figuring out what it’s genitals are and sappy shit like that. Okay? I’m not going to ruin this for him,” you argued. “It’ll be fine. Besides, I feel like things are finally turning around for once. Josh and I had actual fulfilling sex. The first time since he left for tour, Jenna.”

“I’m happy for you,” she insisted. “Really, I am. But come on, you know this isn’t right.”

“It feels right,” you sighed.

“Isn’t that what you thought about fucking Brendon behind Josh’s back too?” she challenged. You stared at her, instantly embarrassed, face turning red. “You can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?” you groaned. “All I’m doing is taking the situation I’m in and making the most of it, alright?”

“So you’re not going to tell Brendon either I’m assuming,” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Fuck no,” you replied. “He’s trying to maintain a stable relationship with his new girlfriend Sasha or Sarah or whatever her name is. I’m finally getting along with Josh again. I’m not going to ruin things.”

“You expect him to just never find out that he got you pregnant?” Jenna wondered. “And  on top of that, expect Josh to believe it is his kid?”

“You make it sound like I’m lying to everyone,” you complained.

“That’s because you are!” Jenna crashed back into the couch cushions, closing her eyes, trying to compose herself. She took a deep breath. “You need to figure out something.”

“I already did,” you answered. “You just don’t like my solution.”

“How can you just throw all your morals out the window like that?” she inquired, staring at you, barely even able to talk. “Josh has done everything for you and this is how you repay him.”

“I could’ve gotten an abortion but I was considerate,” you defended. “You think I even want to have this kid? I’m doing it for Josh!”

“For Josh or for you?” she bit her tongue before she could speak anything else.

“For both of us,” you explained. “That’s how this whole thing works you know.”

“So what’s he going to do? Marry you, have the baby, and live happily ever after?” she took a deep breath. “All you’re doing is trying to cover your ass so you don’t end up alone.”

“You don’t know that,” you objected.

“You sure?” she challenged. “Because correct me if I’m wrong, but Josh is not going to want to be anywhere near you after he finds out the truth, and Brendon’s already preoccupied with his new girlfriend.”

“What the fuck?” a new voice couldn’t help but keep quiet, and both Jenna and you whipped your heads around to find Tyler, standing at the end of the hallway, jaw dropped.

“Tyler,” Jenna tried to take a calm approach. “Listen, this is just girl talk-”

“No,” he shook his head. “No. I heard what you were saying. I know what’s going on.”

“Tyler, listen please,” Jenna insisted, but he kept shaking his head.

“Really y/n?” he stared at you, shocked and disappointed and broken on the inside. “An abortion? Cheating? Lying?”

“It’s not what it looks like,” Jenna continued to vouch for you but Tyler kept shaking his head in disbelief.

“How long have you known?” he demanded, locking eyes with Jenna.

“I didn’t even know until just a little while ago I mean I swear it’s not like I was helping her or anything I didn’t mean to-” she stopped as soon as Tyler walked towards both of you, making her freeze up immediately.

“I knew something was up with you and Brendon,” he narrowed his eyes. “And then you were trying to hide that pregnancy test from Josh, in our bathroom, goddammit. No wonder you wanted to get an abortion. It’s not even his kid, is it?”

“Shut up Tyler,” Jenna begged. “Look, it’s not like y/n wanted this.”

“Why? What happened? Brendon was just dying to have sex with her? Raped her or something? Oh I’m sure. That’s why she faked sick and dragged Brendon down the aisle at the awards show. That makes so much sense,” he laughed darkly. “Jesus, you know I tried telling him? So many times y/n. Especially at that awards show. And every single time I brought it up, Josh would shake his head, going on a long spiel about how you would never do a thing like that, and how much you missed him when we were on tour, and how sweet you were. Bullshit. I could see right through you.”

“Tyler,” Jenna warned but he closed his eyes, continuing to shake his head.

“If I knew anything good for Josh, I would’ve just told him to forget about you,” he muttered, looking into your eyes, sending chills up your spine. “That very day he came to the studio and told me about what a nice girl he met in the coffee shop so many years ago. I could’ve saved him.”

“Please tell me I’m dreaming,” you barely whispered, hoping this was some twisted nightmare repeat from the past. But everything felt very real.

“Even after the paparazzi and that huge scandal, you’d think he’d finally get it through his thick skull by now,” Tyler scoffed.

“Would you just quit it already?” Jenna finally decided to stand up from the couch, approaching Tyler. “Keep it to yourself, okay? Let y/n do what she wants. It’s her problem, her mistake, her choice.”

“Yeah but it’s my fucking best friend,” Tyler challenged. “That’s the guy I’ve been looking out for all these years and you think some stupid slut is going to come along and all of a sudden I’m going to cave in and decide that I’ll just watch him crash and burn for once? Huh?”

His words stung so bad you could feel the tears start to surface in your eyes, your fingernails digging into the flesh of your palms, your jaw clenched hard. You all stood there, letting Tyler’s words sink in, when all of a sudden, you heard footsteps from down the hall. “Hey guys!” Josh greeted happily, walking into the room with a cheery smile. His grin faded as soon as he saw the expressions on your faces, his eyes softening. “Uh, why so gloomy?”

“Nothing,” Tyler grumbled. “None of your business.”

“I’m just not having a good day,” Jenna came up with a lie. “Times have been rough for me lately.”

“Aw I’m sorry to hear that,” Josh frowned. “Anything I can do to make it better?”

“It’s alright,” she insisted. “I think Ty’s taking me out for some ice cream after this. Hopefully that will cheer me up.”

“Okay,” Josh nodded. “Uh, it’s time for some piano again.”

“Cool,” Tyler faked a smile. “How about you go back in there and I’ll catch up with you soon?”

“Sounds good,” Josh agreed, racing back down the hall.

“Don’t you fucking dare tell Josh,” Jenna warned, gaze piercing his. “It’s not your secret to tell.”

“He deserves to know,” Tyler argued.

“And y/n deserves to tell him,” Jenna insisted.

“Fine,” Tyler huffed, finally turning to you. “You either tell Josh the truth by the end of this week, or you bet your ass I will. Understand?”

“Yeah,” you swallowed hard.

“And don’t you fucking dare think about hurting that kid,” Tyler instructed. “Regardless of who the hell it belongs to, it’s Josh’s now, and if you so much as lay a finger on it, I swear I will ruin your life. That baby is Josh’s pride and joy, and if you think about messing with it, I will end you.”

“O-okay,” you stammered out, swallowing uncomfortably.

 Tyler walked out of the room and back down the hallway to the recording studio, and you could see how tense he was, the anger still boiling up inside of him. You blinked twice, hoping, praying this was all still a dream, but it wasn’t. It was very much real. You felt absolutely sick to the core, and you felt a familiar lurch in the pit of your stomach, immediately staggering up and rushing to the sink. You gave into your gag reflex, feeling the bile rise in your throat, puking again into the sink. You soon felt a gentle hand rubbing your back and comforting you, brushing your hair out of your face, shushing you and telling you it was going to be okay. You groaned, closing your eyes, wishing you could just disappear, someone rubbing a soft wet towel over your mouth and cleaning you up.

“Don’t worry about it,” they insisted. “I’ll talk to Tyler.” Of course it was Jenna.

“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” you sobbed, tears resurfacing onto your face. “God I’m better off dead.”

“Hey, sweetheart. Don’t say that,” she whispered, rubbing your back carefully. “Tyler was just pissed off, he overreacted, I’m sure he didn’t mean any of it.”

“I don’t see why not,” you sniffled. “All of it’s true.”

“Y/n,” Jenna’s voice softened. “Don’t think that. We’re going to get through this, I promise. I’m right there beside you.”

“That’s how Tyler reacted,” you whispered. “Tyler.” You took a deep breath before finding the courage to turn around and look her in the face. “Just imagine Josh.”

“Calm down,” she mumbled, hugging you tight. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

When you got home that night, things were anything but okay. Tyler’s words were constantly echoing through your head. You couldn’t get the stale taste of vomit to rinse out of your mouth. All of Josh’s words just went in one ear and out the other. Your head was spinning still trying to decipher whether this was just another crazy dream. Everything felt overwhelming and terrifying and miserable. When you got home, Josh was pestering you with questions, continuously asking you what was wrong or if he did anything, but you couldn’t even find the words to answer. All you wanted to do was be alone. You felt like you had to get yourself away from everyone and everything, try to save them from the walking disaster that was yourself. Everywhere you stepped it seemed as if destruction followed, hurting each person you ever cared for or loved.

Alone. Cold. Desperate. That’s how you felt. No matter how many times Josh tried to hug you, kiss you, ask if you were okay, that feeling never went away. If anything, it only multiplied, again and again until it consumed you fully. It was as if you were drowning in this struggle, the storm of it all finally downpouring onto you, washing you away into the deep. You were such a fool for thinking that things could actually go right for once. It seemed like yesterday everything was fine, like you could finally see the light at the tunnel, that there was hope for you and Josh. Oh if only you knew how wrong you were. Now, right now, was one of the worst feelings you had ever experienced in your life. Everyone hated you. Jenna lying in between her teeth, Tyler shouting at you, Josh oblivious as fuck, and now a baby, whose entire life would be cursed because you were going to be its mother.

”Please y/n,” Josh begged that night, curled up to your side, pleading for you to answer him. “Say something. Anything. Let me know you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry for everything,” is all you managed to choke out, your inaudible apology barely escaping your lips. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“For what?” Josh wondered, eyes hungry and thirsty and just as desperate as you were to fully understand everything that was going on.

“For everything I’ve done,” you whispered. You closed your eyes, heart crumbling, one hand on your stomach as you dared to open up your lips one last time that night. “And for everything I’m about to do.”

#saudade #saudade ch21 #I've given up on tagging #if you want to read this #then just fucking go on my blog #or masterlist #idk maybe i'll tag this later #who knows #stay street frens

[littledonkeyburrito]

I need to start coming up with more creative titles for these.

Ever kissed anyone with a nipple piercing? Not that I’m aware of, but there’s a couple of people that I’ve made out with and never seen shirtless, so who knows

What about a lip piercing? No

Nose piercing? I don’t think so

Did you sleep alone last night? Yep

How are you sitting? Cross legged on the couch

Where is your family? Probably in their respective homes

Do you plan on sleeping in tomorrow? Always

What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Sleeping

Waiting for something? A call back from any of the companies I’ve sent resumes to

How many people did you kiss last summer? I think it was only one actually, but there was a couple more that were summer adjacent.

Was yesterday terrible? Yesterday was fine

Did you reject or accept your last friend request? I accepted it but I probably shouldn’t have bc tbh I think she’ll get pretty annoying on my facebook (ex work colleague)

Do you like pretzels? They’re fine but they’re totally overrated by america

Do you wait until you’ve completely finished a certain makeup product before you buy a new one? I don’t buy makeup products

Would you say that people consider you a major flirt? I don’t know. You would have to ask “people”

Do any of your friends have children? Not yet

If you have a girlfriend/boyfriend, how long have you been together? I do not

Did you wake up before 8 AM this morning? I sure as fuck did not.

Do you wear eyeliner? Nah

Whose wall have you wrote on today? Nobody

Would you rather cry in public or make someone else cry in public? Neither, both are super awkward for me

Would you rather sleep for 3 days or stay awake for 3 days?

 I feel like I’ve done both before. Depending on what I’m doing, both have their pros and cons

Would you rather be just rich or rich and famous? Just rich

Who will you be sleeping with tonight? Nobody

Last person to make you laugh? The internet

Do you look at older pictures and laugh? Depends on the picture

When will your next kiss be? no idea

Have you ever truly thought you knew who you were going to marry? No

Do you have anything that belongs to a partner or an ex partner? No

What would you say if someone told you they were in love with your sister? That I don’t have a sister

Has anyone called you babe or baby in the last two days?  No, I’m not sure anyone’s called me that ever and I’d prefer it stay that way

Do you still talk to the person you last kissed? Currently waiting to see how long it’ll take him to message me first for once. So, kinda I guess

Who was the last person of the opposite sex to be in your bedroom?

 Um well technically my apartment is a studio and my landlord was here like 20 minutes ago so I guess it was him. But the last dude to go in the actual bedroom area was the guy who stayed with me a few weekends ago from Madrid.

Did you see your best friend today? No. We live on different continents

Are your ears pierced more than once, if at all? Just the one in each ear

If you wear skirts, are you more likely to wear leggings, or go bare? I don’t wear skirts

Are you addicted to texting? No, but I do prefer to message at least one friend every day

How many times do you knock on the door? I don’t. I stand outside and text them and wait for them to open it.

If you could move somewhere else, would you? Well I’ve sent a couple of resumes to companies in Panama and if I get offered a good job with a decent salary then I’ll definitely consider moving there.

Did you kiss or hug anyone recently? No

Does your phone ring in the middle of the night? Not since I left Australia. Was a pretty common occurrence there with my job though. The worst was when I was really tired but had to take the work phone home with me and one of my staff would call just after I’d fallen asleep and I’d still be confused as fuck when I answer but have to try to play it cool and not let them know they woke me up. Was even worse when it was a client calling...

Is there anybody you’re really disappointed in right now? No..?

Is there someone you will never forget? Many people

Can you live a day without TV? Yeah

Do you swallow gum when you’re done with it? I don’t like chewing gum

Any plans for this weekend? Nope

Have you seen anyone lately that you don’t get along with? No. There’s nobody that I don’t really get along with, especially not in this country.

Who was the last person you rode in a car with that’s not family? I think the last time I was in a car was my transfer to the airport in panama. I don’t have a car here and nobody I know has a car. I always just walk or get the metro. I don’t even usually get cabs here.

Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh? Nah

Is there anything stressing you out currently? My bank balance is gradually getting lower and lower and I don’t have a job yet.

What kind of mood are you in today? Average. Not happy, not sad

How late did you stay up last night and why? Maybe 10 or 11. I was pretty tired from doing nothing all day

Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed? I think the longest I ever actually slept with him was like 4 hours. Always had to go sneak back into my room before anyone woke up.

Are you mad at anyone? No

Did the last guy/girl you kissed have any piercings? No

What is the name of the last band you discovered? Not a band but I came across Alvaro Soler and I really like his music

Would you rather go to a Katy Perry or Taylor Swift concert? No thankyou

What pattern do the sheets on your bed have? The sheets are white. The doona is white with blue diamond patterns on it

Are your days full and fast-paced? Only when I travel

Do you call any of your friends by their last name? Yeah, my old flatmate usually goes by his last name. Made it a little weird when he had family visiting because I could either 1) refer to him by his first name, or 2) use his last name and have everybody he’s related to turn around and look at me

Have you ever gotten lost in a department store? El Corte Ingles. The floors are too big. I usually end up giving up which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it’s kind of expensive there.

How long have you had the shirt you’re wearing? A few years I guess. I don’t remember when I bought it

Are you a slut? Depends on definition

What happened last time you got drunk? I drank beer with people from the office and then I went back to their apartment which was kind of like a staff apartment and a couple of the bosses lived there too. Drank some more beer, did some cocaine, patted a dog and cut my thumb on a beer can.

When’s the last time you straightened your hair? I don’t think I ever have. My hair is pretty straight on its own.

What do you want right this second? I wouldn’t mind a glass of coke

What were you doing at 10:00 this morning? Sleeping

What cell phone company do you use? Vodafone

Do you wear a bath robe? No

Do you know anyone autistic? Yeah, a few

How about someone bipolar? I think so

What do you want your job to be when you’re older? Please offer me suggestions because I have no fucking idea

What are you listening to? Nothing in particular

Does the last person you texted smoke pot? Idk. Probably, a lot of people here do bc it’s legal. He’s my landlord though so it’s not like he’s going to tell me that information

What did you wear to bed last night? My pyjamas

Who’s in the room with you? Just me

Have you ever liked someone older than you? They’re generally older than me

Do you like men with beards and goatees? Stubble is goooood. Depends on the guy though

Where do you live? Spain

Do you always lock your door? Yes. It auto-locks anyway, but I deadbolt it too.

Do you smoke cigarettes? No

Is your birthday in a winter month? In Australia, yes. Here, no.

Do you have siblings over the age of 21? Yes.

What is the last letter of your middle name? L

Have you ever skipped school just because you were tired? I skipped plenty of lectures at uni in favour of sleep. Probably a contributing factor to the failing of classes and dropping out.

Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? Yep

When was the last time you were told you were cute? Probably in Panama

Do you like Chinese food? Yes. The food when I was travelling in China was insanely good.

Have you ever trusted a guy when you shouldn’t have? Yeah I guess so

Do you have a brother? What’s his name? Sam

What time is it? 7:44pm

Is your phone close to you? It is under my left thigh (almost my buttcheek) so I can feel if anyone messages me.

What woke you up this morning? I suppose I had enough sleep

When did you last use a straw? I have no idea but you just reminded me that I bought straws recently and haven’t used any yet so I’m gonna start drinking my alcohol with straws now. Well, not right now bc I don’t want to drink tonight, but whenever I next drink at home I’ll use one.

Have you ever driven without a license? I originally learned to drive in a Mini Moke in my Dad’s backyard (he had 3 acres) when I was maybe 10 years old. So obvs I didn’t have a licence then. Also the brakes in the car didn’t work so we basically had to make sure the dogs weren’t near us 

What color shirt are you wearing? Grey. With a red/black checked hoodie over it

Do you have a ceiling fan located in your bedroom? No

What are you most looking forward to tomorrow? My life is super boring so the only thing I’m doing tomorrow is going to the post office to pick up whatever I was left a slip for.

Have you cuddled with someone today? No

Have you spoken to a relative on the phone today? No

Do you use the toilet paper with the colorful designs on it? I use the cheapest toilet paper that doesn’t feel like sandpaper. I’m not going to pay extra for colourful designs when I’m literally just going to wipe my ass with it.

What was the first thing you ate today? Spicy noodles

Do you have anything more important you should be doing right now? No

Have you set an alarm today? No

Do you keep up-to-date with current news and events? I don’t. I made a decision during a low point a few years ago to cut negative things out of my life. So I unfollowed a bunch of people on tumblr and I stopped keeping up with news because it was just making me depressed. Occasionally I google to see what’s up with my province and that’s about it. Otherwise I see what I really need to see on facebook/tumblr.

When was the last time you visited relatives? I visited my dad a few days before I left Australia

Is chapstick a necessity for you? Sometimes, yes. But if I stay hydrated enough then it’s not really an issue.

Name the last 6 people you texted/messaged:

Gabriel

João

Maggie @aturinfortheworse

Aman

Anna @intimidatethevoid

Bear

(this is a slightly unusual bunch since only half of them are people I regularly message)

How did you meet #3? Highschool

What’s #6’s middle name? No idea

Who have you known the longest out of your 6? Maggie

Who have you known the least out of your 6? Anna 

How do you know #5? Through the group chat we’re in with Maggie and Bear

Where does #1 live? Somewhere nearby. I don’t know exactly

Is #1 your best friend? No, he’s my landlord

Who on your 6 doesn’t have a job? Maggie I think..? Not sure about Bear and Anna. Also not 100% sure on João

Does #5 have their drivers license? I believe so

Would you ever live with #2? Lmao I almost do. He’s my next door neighbour.

Why did you text #4? Because he messaged me first so I replied obvs

Do you miss #3? Yeah, come to Spain you loser

Is #6 a stoner or alchie? Not anymore I don’t think

Have you ever danced with #2? No, I’ve met him like twice for us to pay our bills (our apartments run off the same metre for water and electricity)

Have you ever done anything sexual with any of them?                           Well Aman is my ex so yeah

What would your life be like without #1? I would probably live somewhere else

Is #2 your best friend? No

What do you love about #3? So many things

What do you dislike about #3? So many things. (kidding)

What is #5’s weakness? Difficulty sleeping?

What kind of car does #4 drive? I remember it’s a little black sedan but I don’t remember what type of car it actually is

What would you do if #3 & #6 were dating? Uhhh nothing probably. I’d be surprised but they’re both good people so I’d let them go for it.

Does #2 have a boyfriend/girlfriend? No idea

Have you ever seen #1 cry? Fuck no that would be weird

Have you ever kept a secret from #5? No

What is something special about #4? He’s very attractive.

Does #2 have any special talents? No idea

In one word, describe #6. Teddy

Has anyone in your top 6 hurt you? Who? Uhh no..?

Have you ever fought with #6? No

Is #1 a musician? Not that I’m aware of

How old is #4? He’s 27

Would you ever kiss #5 (if you haven’t already)? Probs not, soz bro

#Maybe I should take the most out of context quote from my answers and use that as the title #yeah I might start doing that #this one would be #They’re fine but they’re totally overrated by america #The floors are too big #It is under my left thigh (almost my buttcheek) #Also the brakes in the car didn’t work #I’m not going to pay extra for colourful designs when I’m literally just going to wipe my ass with it #These are all valid potential titles

[5hfanfiction]

Love Will Remember

Chapter Twenty One: Snow Globe Memories

Camila POV

I groaned and slowly let my eyes flutter open and close before I adjusted it to the daylight that seeped through the blinds in my room. Waking up was no longer a pleasure that it once was. I no longer woke up to entwined limbs and my beloved arms wrapped around my waist, all I got now was duvet and more duvet. I sat upright and flung the duvet off my frame. 

Waking up can be really ruthless, especially if your dreams were better than the reality which you live in. It was better because the dream was where I still had her, where I could kiss her and hear her tell me she loved me as much as I wanted. But do you want to know the saddest part of it? Eventually the memory of the dream will dissipate and all you’re left with is the void and hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach that yearns for what the dream once had. It was the only proof that the dream happened.

I sighed and got off the bed and padded into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and crinkled my nose. “You look like shit, Camila.” I brushed my teeth. I lacked the energy nowadays to do anything remotely ‘normal’. Though Lauren and I seemed to have been building a friendship again, I couldn’t help but want more. I wanted Lauren back, my Lauren. Not the one that belonged to everyone else. I wanted the one who loved me but I couldn’t help but feel as though she was never going to come back. Ever.

I stripped off my clothing and hopped into the shower. The hot water cascaded down my body and caressed my skin. Water was always peaceful to me. The shower was my solitude, the only place I could get away from everything, but it was also the place where every thought rushed into my head and I couldn’t help but spend many minutes contemplating everything.

After a few more minutes of pondering life’s greatest mysteries, I turned the head of the shower off and wrapped my towel around me. When I stepped out the bathroom fully clothed, I was greeted to Dinah, my best friend sitting crossed legged on my bed with a tray beside her and what I assumed to be a present in her lap.

“Happy March 3rd, Chancho!” she beamed at me. Dinah patted the bed, gesturing that she wanted me to take a seat. I’m not one of those people who scream bloody murder if they don’t get a party when it’s their birthday or the usual cake, ice cream and a shitload of presents. All I wanted was to just forget about this day but I couldn’t. My life alone reminded me of this day. It wasn’t just the day I was born but according to my beloved father, it was the day my mother was taken away from the earth. Oh how I longed for it to have been me because I would’ve avoided all the pain and heartbreak and hurtful words my father spewed at me during my lifetime living with him.

“Dinah..” I began but she brought her hand to cover my mouth.

“Listen, before you say anything, Chancho, please hear me out,” she pleaded and I sighed behind her hand and nodded. “I know how much you loathe today, but listen to me. Today isn’t a bad today. It’s the day one of my best friends; my partner in crime, the Walz to my China was born. It’s your 20th birthday, Mila. Its twenty years of your selflessness, of your golden heart and cheerful smile…It’s twenty years of Camila,” she smiled. “And it’s not a bad thing because you mean so much to me and I love you so much, Chancho,” she said tearfully whilst looking at me. I couldn’t help the tears that escaped my own eyes, I never thought about my birth this way before. To me, it was always a burden to everyone around me. My father sure made a swell job of remind me about that.

I pulled Dinah into a hug. We both turned into sobbing messes for some reason. “Thank you, Dinah for always being there to cheer me up. Especially in these trying times. I know I could always count on you, CheeChee. I love you.” I sobbed into her shoulder. She was rubbing little circles in my back.

“No matter what happens, I’d always be here for you. I love you,” she said. After a couple more minutes of sobbing into each other, we pulled away. Wiping her eyes, Dinah laughed. “We’re so dramatic.”

I chuckled. “That we are,” I turned to look at the food on my bed. “Did you cook this?” I asked after popping some bacon into my mouth. “I just want to know how long I have to live.”

She pouted and playfully shoved me. “You’re mean. To think I got up at the ass crack of dawn, got out of bed, showered and had to painstakingly order this from La Casa de Jauregui just for you. I am appalled,” she scoffed and laughed. We both went into a fit of laughter. Of course Dinah wasn’t going to cook. The girl hated cooking besides making sandwiches because she had to survive of course, but other than that, she never ventured into the kitchen unless Ally or I were in there.

“I appreciate it nonetheless, Cheech,” I took her hand in mine and gave it a light squeeze. After I was done with consuming the scrumptious breakfast of bacons, eggs and my favourite; a Cabana along with some green tea, Dinah placed the gift that she had in her lap in mine.

“For you, my lady,” she said in one of the worse British accents ever causing me to chuckle.

The younger girl knew just how much I hated receiving presents, especially if they were expensive because Dinah always bought things that were pricy and my gifts, could never be as good as hers. “Chinaaaa, you know how I don’t like presents.” I whined.

She shook her head. “Shut up and open the damn gift!” She demanded and I sighed heavily. Of course I couldn’t deny her gift. Upon tearing off the banana gift paper (Dinah knows me so well), I was greeted to a blue book that had the words; “Sometimes our memories may fail us because we’re only human but the one thing that doesn’t change is pictures. They capture the moment, a moment that we wish we could live in forever but it’s just not possible. Things change and people change but pictures don’t,” it was written in Dinah’s cursive scrawl. I ran my fingers over the words and what it said was absolutely right. The only things you have left of some memories are just pictures.

Do you ever scroll through your phone and see a picture you have no memory about but it’s just there in your gallery staring at you? Yeah, our memories are unreliable but pictures hold steadfastly to every single moment that we once shared with someone we loved or just random strangers in the background or even selfies.

I flipped through the pages of the book and every single picture made me cry. It was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received from someone. “Thank you so much, CheeChee. This is perfect.”

***

It was nearing closing time at studio and I was super tired. I couldn’t wait to head home and bury myself under my sheets. I finished up editing the few pictures I had to do. I grabbed my leather jacket and threw it on. Before leaving, I went to look for Meryl.

“Hola abuelita. I’m about to head out. Is that okay? Or do you need me to do anything else?” I asked my adoptive grandmother.

“No, it’s okay Camilita. We’d see you tomorrow, yeah?” I nodded. “Have a good night, mija. Love you.”

“I love you too. Good night,” I bade her farewell and exited the studio. On my way out, I bumped into Ally. She had a huge smile on her face. I hadn’t seen her or Normani for the day and neither did Lauren call or even text me all day. I had hoped she would’ve remembered something about me today even though a part of me knew she wasn’t going to.

“Camila, hey! I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I’d come and walk you home,” she said in a high pitched voice but I felt like there was an underlying message behind her tone.

I rested my hand on her shoulder. “You okay, Ally? You’re acting strange,” I asked the shorter girl. She assured me that she was fine but her eyes were glancing everywhere but at me. “Okay…” I said suspiciously.

She patted her pockets and face palmed herself. “Damn it! I forgot my phone at work. Can you walk back with me to get it?” Ally asked and I just shrugged. It was either this or being home alone in my room flipping through Dinah’s scrap book and crying my eyes out. We then headed in the direction of the diner where Ally and I both worked.

We engaged in light conversation. She informed me that she met this guy, Will at the diner one day and he asked her on a date. I was happy for her, believe me, but every time I saw a happy couple, I couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that I felt because that used to be Lauren and I. I didn’t even know if there was ever going to be 'Lauren and I’ ever again but I still held onto that little ray of hope that one day everything will be okay.

“We’re here,” Ally said snapping me out of my inner turmoil.

I nodded. “Okay. I’d wait outside.”

“NO!” she yelled and I jumped in surprise. “I mean..no. It’s cold out and it might take some time to find it. So come in,” she pleaded. Ally was acting really strange tonight and I didn’t know what had gotten into her.

“Okay..” I said and Ally took a deep inhale of breath before slowly opening the door. The diner was pitch black and I heard shuffling on the inside. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought Ally was taking me here to kill me but I knew my little nugget and she would do no such thing. After walking in, I heard footsteps and a loud crash, the lights flickered on and I was greeted to, “SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAMILA!”

I let out an ear piercing scream and nearly fell back through the doors. Landing on my ass, I clutched my chest and breathed heavily. “Oh my gosh!” I scanned the room and saw the girls, the Jaureguis along with my favourite Jauregui in her wheelchair grinning at me, some of my co workers, Perrie who was grinning widely at me and Camila Mendes who was slowly getting up from the floor and rubbing her ass. I guess the loud crash was her falling. A happy birthday banner was draped over a table of presents; there were yellow and blue balloons everywhere. I wasn’t expecting anyone to do this for me. Well I hoped they wouldn’t have because I wasn’t in the partying mood; but I was grateful to have all the people I cared about here.

I was pulled up by Taylor Jauregui who was biting back a laugh. “You okay there, Mila?” I shook my head laughing.

I was brought into a group hug by Dinah, Normani, Ally, Perrie, Camila Mendes, along with Taylor. “So I guess this was why you were acting so strange with me, eh Ally?” I asked playfully and she smiled shaking her head.

“I’m sorry okay. I can’t lie or keep secrets. I swear I was about to explode.”

“That’s our Allysus. Such a good kid,” Normani said as she ruffled the older girl’s hair. “I’m sorry for avoiding you all day, Milz. But this took a lot of planning and last minute gift shopping. Don’t panic, they’re not that expensive.” Normani clarified.

“Speak for yourself, mine isn’t,” Cami exclaimed. “Hey, Mila. It’s so good to see you! I missed you,” she wrapped her arms around me. “You got a lot hotter from the last time I saw you,” she said when she released me, looking me up and down, causing me to blush.

“Happy Birthday, Camila. You didn’t even tell me today was your birthday. But it’s so good to see you again,” Perrie said as she wrapped her arms around me.

“Thank you, Pez. Shouldn’t you have known after checking my records?” I asked as we pulled away from the hug.

“Oh. Yeah. You’re right,” she laughed. Taylor butted in and pulled me away.

“That’s enough hogging, Camila. Lauren needs her now,” I felt my heart rate speed up at the mention of my ex girlfriend.

She was sitting there in her wheelchair looking effortlessly beautiful. The green eyed goddess donned a band tee and some ripped jeans but one of the pants’ legs was cut short to accommodate her cast and only one side of her combat boots. I had to stop myself from ogling her.

Lauren was conversing with her mother but stopped and looked at me. Her green eyes locked with mine and she sent me her signature smile. “Yep this is how I’m going to die,” I thought. I could honestly say right now that I was never going to get over her if she still had such a huge effect on me. Lauren still had me wrapped around her finger and I did not care one bit.

“Happy birthday, Camz,” she husked when I was in close proximity of her. Taylor and her mother left us alone to prepare the food or something around those lines. I wasn’t sure of anything because I was too lost in these emerald orbs.

“T-thanks,” I stuttered out after a few seconds of silence. She giggled and handed me the gift bag she had in her possession. “What’s this?” I asked dumbly.

“It’s a present. Funny story, I went to this antique shop to buy you a present, after Dinah told me today was your birthday and I was told that I never came to collect a parcel and this was it,” she scrunched up her eyebrows. “Dua said I was planning to get you this a while now for your birthday.”

“Lipa Antiques?” I asked and she nodded. I remembered how Lauren used to take me there whenever her friend, Dua called her to tell her about some cool new item they got. My ex was always a kid in a candy shop whenever she was in there.

“Open it,” she requested, so I did. When I opened the gift, I saw the most beautiful snow globe ever. I may have been very biased because it was a gift from the person who I held very dear to my heart, but it was really beautiful. In it, there was a picture of Lauren and I on our first date. It was the cliché picnic on a beach and she managed to get someone to snap a picture of us.

That day, literally was one of the best moments of my life. People may have thought we were moving too fast, and that I was confused because Lauren was the first person that showed me some sort of love but it wasn’t that. I knew I loved her. I had already been living with her and the girls for a few months. Everyone seemed to had known that we had feelings for each other, but we were too oblivious to see it.

There was a button on the side of it, so I pressed it and to my surprise, the one song I hadn’t heard or listened to in forever, was playing softly in a piano version. I heard Lauren gasp softly. “That…that song,” she said and I looked at her. “It’s been stuck in my head all day. I don’t know the words just the tune.”

I sighed heavily and began to sing. “Now’s all we got and time can’t be bought. I know it inside my heart. Forever will forever be ours, even if we tried to forget. Love will remember” I whispered the ending. The fact that Lauren didn’t even remember something so dear to us, broke my already heart even more. As soon as those words to the song escaped my lips, an expression of shock was plastered on Lauren’s face. “It was our song.”

“I-I don’t know what to say…I d-don’t remember,” she whispered sadly.

“Of course you don’t, Lauren! I don’t expect you to remember anything about me,” I bit out harshly and stormed off not before giving her back her present. I don’t know what had gotten to me but at that moment, I couldn’t take it. This was the song that had been blaring through the speakers in the movie theatre when Lauren asked me to be her girlfriend. This was the song we sung alone to for most of our road trips; the song we sun before our lives was turned upside down.

I saw the hurt in her eyes before I stormed off but I forced myself not to care and to apologize. The girls watched me storm off but didn’t try to stop me which I was grateful for because I wanted to be alone.

It was cold out, but I didn’t care. I found a chair and plopped down. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed heavily. The guilt started to seep in. I shouldn’t have reacted like that, Lauren didn’t deserve it and it wasn’t her fault if she didn’t remember me. My body sunk into the chair and I shut my eyes tightly to prevent the tears that were definitely going to fall.

“I’m sorry,” I didn’t have to open my eyes to know who it was. “I’m sorry I don’t remember you, I’m sorry I’m hurting you, I’m sorry I’m not the same Lauren you were in love with,” I heard her sigh heavily. “And I’m sorry I can’t bring her back to you,” her voice broke at the end.

Upon opening my eyes, I saw the girl in her wheelchair directly in front of me, she looked broken, sad. I just wanted to pull her into my arms and whisper sweet nothings into her ear. But she wasn’t mine to do that to. “It’s fine, Lauren. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It was rude and uncalled for.”

“No it’s not fine, Camila! I’m hurting you and I don’t want to do that,” she let out frustratedly. “I hate that I can’t remember you because god how I wish I did. I wish I remembered what it felt like to love you and for you to love me back. I wish I remembered Camila. But I can’t and it hurts. Because no matter how hard I try, my fucking memory fails me.” I was going to stop her rant but it was better to let everything out and to just clear the air. “I can’t even explain how every time I look at you, I feel my heart somersault. I can’t explain how I yearn to be around you, I can’t fucking explain why all I think about is you!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I’m so confused, Camila,” she sighed and combed her fingers through her thick, raven hair. “And I can’t explain why I’m saying all this, but please don’t hate me for not remembering you. I’m trying Camila. Please don’t give up on me,” she begged. I saw tears running down her face.

I couldn’t help it anymore; I got off the seat and hugged her as best as a person could whilst hugging someone in a wheelchair. “I won’t give up on you, Lauren. I’m sorry.” I whispered in her ear and pulled back after a couple seconds into the hug. She wiped at her eyes and reached for my hand.

“I’m sorry, for everything, Camila,” she said and I shook my head.

“Don’t apologize, Laur. It’s going to be okay.”

She sighed heavily and nodded. From the corner of my eye, I saw Don and Meryl walk into the restaurant, choosing to give us some privacy. Lauren pulled out the snow globe again and gestured for me to take it.

“I don’t know if you like it or not but…” I cut her off.

“I love it. I’m sorry if I made you think otherwise. It’s such a beautiful gift, Lauren. I always wanted a snow globe and this…it’s perfect. Thank you,” I smiled and she returned it. “Let’s head back inside, yeah?” I asked and she nodded. I got up from the chair and headed into the diner with Lauren following suit. I couldn’t help but feel, especially after what just happened, that maybe things between Lauren and I would eventually work out.

Meryl and Don greeted me and wished me a happy birthday. I had no idea they were in on this as well. All my life I loathed my birthday but after Lauren came into my life and these amazing people, it slowly but surely would turn into something I would look forward to.

“To Camila,” Cami said whilst holding a glass of champagne. Everyone else raised their glasses to me. I felt so awkward because I hated having all this attention on me, but I kept looking into my green eyed beauty’s eyes and ignored everyone else around us.

“To Camila,” my loved ones responded.

*** So guys, what’s your thoughts on the chapter? And your thoughts on the story so far? Don’t forget to comment or vote.

PS. For all of you who’s out there in the path of Hurricanes Irma, Katia and José, please stay safe.

Wattpad: Commander_Camren

#UPDATE #series #g!p #camren #romance fluff #submission #Love Will Remember

[cityofnumbersix]

Electric Moment Chapter 3

READ ON AO3

MOTHER POST

--

Momo Yaoyorozu often felt as if her world could only be best described as a frozen pond. A chilling abyss, beneath a thick layer on impenetrable ice that which only hurt to touch with the tips of her bare fingers. If she placed her palm flat open it, pushing in an attempt of escape, her skin would merely stick to its surface.

That is the price she bared. For this life, for this name. She was stuck in an eternal purgatory with no means of crossing over into the other world. This lifestyle was her shackles, her name the chains that bound her to the floor, and sometime there felt as if there were no means of escape. She would cry out, beg, plead, but only in the sanctuary of her own mind.

On the outside she was the tall and recluse daughter of the Yaoyorozu household. Her hair was always neat, nails always manicured, clothes always ironed and pressed, modest and delicate. She was the picturesque definition of elegance and refinement, and it drove her insane with grief. She didn't want this, she'd never wanted this. To play this part, to be this person. She had lost her freedom far before she was even born, and it was hell on earth.

The bathroom overflowed with the sounds of running water, the quiet sir of the near empty lavatory drowning in waves of water as they hit the porcaline basin, bouncing off its surface, striking its edges, before twirling down the drain with ease. A wealthy person privilege, water wastage, what a hypocrite she was, but Momo felt as if it were all she could do in order to conceal the shaking exhales escape her lips, the wheezing of her chest as she tried to swallow down the overwhelming emotions that threatened to explode fourth from within her.

Momo Yaoyorozu's world was a frozen pond, and she was drowning from beneath its surface.

Staring back at herself through the mirror, droplets of water slipping along the contours of her jaw, slipping from her brow and down her cheeks. She blinked, her own reflection distant like the look in her eyes. Her face seemed far less red now, which was an improvement. God forbid that she walk into that hall and people could see her for what she truly was, human, filled with emotions far from those of the rest of them.

"I have to go out there...I have to...they're waiting..." she whispered to only herself, moving to stand straight, adjusting the way her dress sat upon her hips. It was a navy blue, silken and elegant. Perfect for the occasion. She may have even liked it otherwise, if not for the occasion.

Momo took a washcloth from her bag, patting her face dry gently, before replacing it back. Now she would go.

"Okay?" Came the simple question as she made her way out, it's asker moving themselves from their place against the wall by the women's bathroom door.

There he stood, handsome as ever, Shouto Todoroki, her best friend, and her fiancé. Though the later was merely a formality in their eyes. They'd grown up connected at the hip, always finding their own forms of entertaining around various office buildings and meeting halls. When Shouto had come out, she was the first and only one to know. When Momo cried, Shouto was the one to wipe her tears, but not today. She couldn't present herself as weak. She had to be strong, they both did. For each other.

"Mm." She simply hummed in response, reaching to take his hand in hers, twisting their fingers together in a familiar and comfortable fashion. His hair was slicked back, the eyelashes long and endearing. Sometimes she felt like if she could fall for him, even if only in a superficial manor, mixed with her platonic adoration. Maybe she could marry him, but she knew she surely couldn't, "Just wanted to make sure I look my best for my husband-to-be."

Shouto let a small smile appear upon his face, a soft chuckle escaping between his lips, an action so intimate it was only ever really reserved for Momo. God how she paid for the day he would share it with someone far more worthy.

"You don't have to pretend you're happy Mo, we both know this isn't the ideal situation for either of us."

"I..." Momo began, gently crossing the space between them so that she could lie her forehead upon his, "This is fucking awful. What is this really going to do for our future? How are you so calm?"

Shouto hummed softly against her nose, running his hand along a stray hair that fell loosely from Momo's up do, "I don't really mind the idea of spending my life married to you Momo, I wouldn't want it to be anyone else."

"Liar." Momo teased lightly, tears still threatening to fall down her cheeks, "What do you think that boy you're talking to would say to that? What are you going to tell him? 'Hey, I actually am a flaming homosexual and I think you're amazing, but I'd like you tom meet my mess of a wife Momo, how about we have some tea?"

Shouto laughed a little louder this time, hand reaching up to pinch at Momo's cheek, "You're not a mess. Well...your massacre is bu-"

"What?!" Momo panicked instantly, pulling herself back from Shouto's arms, hand hovering over her face in sheer horror. She couldn't walk into their engagement party in such a state. Her parents would never let her hear the end of it.

"Kidding." Shouto teased, a product even more rare, even more hidden from plain view. Momo huffed out a sigh, reaching to slap him hard upon his shoulder.

"God, why do you have to do that?" She groaned out, holding her fist against his chest in a threatening manner, yet after a moment, she simply let it fall, rolling her eyes as she smiled at Shouto lovingly.

"Now c'mon future Mrs Todoroki, we can't keep people waiting."

And just like that, Momo was back to envisioned the pond, but at least for now, she wasn't hitting at it's icy surface alone.

--

When Katsuki awoke that morning, it was to the relentless ringing of his pre-set alarm, which only worked to make him irritated, regardless of it's reasoning. He wasn't sure how he felt really, about joining Electric Moment, about playing his music in front of crowds of people, but he'd made his decision, and today would solidify it. His first practice.

Katsuki pushed himself up from his pillow, lulling his head forward, covers falling from his bare chest to pool around his waist. He held him weight upon the palms of his hands, groaning in response to the morning sun as it trickled in from between his hooded eye lines, slipping between the gaps of his lashes.

"Katsu-chaaaaannnnn, you have to be at the studio by ten, remember?!" Mina's voice pierced through the heavy wood of his bedroom door, her fists colliding with it's surface in rhythm with her words.

"Shut your hole you alien fucker! I'm awake!" He screamed back, head only pounding for a moment longer, before he was pushing himself to his feet, pyjama pants sitting low upon his waist.

Katsuki reached for his phone, pulling it from its charger and staring down at the screen. A bunch of useless notifications, messages from Ochako -begging for his forgiveness most probably, she'd been receiving the silent treatment for days since the Snapchat incident. Katsuki was a private person, she knew that.

Speaking of which, his phone was once again bombarded with a series of Snapchat notifications from none other than the infamous Red Riot, who of which Katsuki had discovered, was one of the members of the band. Supposedly he'd meet him the night they'd rocked up to his performance in Roppongi, but Katsuki hadn't paid much attention to the group, other than the fact that they looked like a bunch of losers.

The guy hadn't given his room to breath since. He wasn't sure exactly why Mina had bothered to ask for it on his behalf, especially seeing the UFO bitch hadn't even bothered to add him herself, but that he really cared. He didn't wanna see anymore of her face than he already had to. Yet, this Red Riot dude was constantly bombarding him with what Katsuki considered to be pointless bullshit. Pointless bullshit that he hadn't bothered to reply to out of a hope that he might get bored and actually fuck off.

Alas, on the daily he seemed to receive snap after snap of random horse shit. A picture of the sky, a picture of the kids goofy face and messy red locks amongst a tussle of pillows and bedding, pictures of random neighbourhood cats, gym shots of what was actually a pretty attractive body, but Katsuki would rather die than ever admit that those thoughts had passed through his mind.

Today it was a couple snaps from the night prior. Short videos of Red Riot and two other people playing video games on a small tv, plus a picture of a messed table of beer cans and debris. Then there was a single snap from this morning. It was a picture of a can of coffee, sat neatly upon a base guitar. So Red Riot was the bassist, huh?

The snap didn't move. Katsuki hadn't met someone that used infinite snaps as much as this guy. However this time it gave him the opportunity to read the caption connected to the picture. The words, "First day back cant wait to work with our gorgeous new guitarist ;) ;)" only managed to process an odd feeling in the based of Katsuki's abdomen that he'd rather not acknowledge.

"Katsuki! C'mon!" Mina's voice broke him from his screen, causing the boy to throw his phone towards his bed, scowling in the direction of the door.

"One more time you extraterrestrial moron and I'll come out and kick your fucking ass!" Katsuki growled back, stalking towards the door.

"Fight me you overgrown valcro strip! I'm not scared!"

Katsuki hisses under his breath, glaring in the direction of the door. Sometimes he scorned himself for ever agreeing to room with Mina Ashido. At the time it had been his only convenience. She was looking at a place with cheap enough rent, close to book stores and cafes so it would be easy enough for him to escape and study nearby if need be. It was two floors about a Family Mart, and reasonably large for something so cheap. They later found out that it so happened to have something to do with a recent tenants death, a large stain hidden under a devilishly large rug being all that now hid the evidence. She was a girl, which was a plus, and she seemed more invested in building a friendship rather than anything else so he wouldn't have to worry about awkward one-sided romance. It worked, even if she was incredibly irritating at times.

He glanced over at his phone, the image of Red Riot's most recent snap, still turning in the back of his eyes as he attempted to process what he was suppose to do with that particular piece of information. He'd sent it to Katsuki directly, and with further inspection, it was a part of his story as well. Why had he felt the need to say something so fucking stupid? Why did he want Katsuki to see it?

Katsuki dragged his bottom lip through his teeth, reaching to grip his phone in his hand, glaring at it fort a short while. It wasn't like it was the first time someone had said something nice about the way he looks. Fuck, he got it all the time. Of course he did, Katsuki knew he was attractive and people would be fucking stupid not to see it.

Yet, it was hardly ever someone he was going to have to interact with on a regular basis. It was always people in bars, sometimes people on campus. It's not like it should bother him, except it did. Except this guy was kind of cute from his pictures and something about this situation left his body warming in an odd fashion.

Well fuck this. If this guy thought he was gorgeous, two could play at this game.

--

Eijiro let a reserved sigh escape his lips, pressing his head back against the wall of the studio, his base sitting neatly in his lap as his eyes wandering over the screen of his phone.

"Hey Eji, wanna stop talking to your boyfriend and actually get some practice in? Midnight's gonna be here any minute." Denki exclaimed from his place upon a small platform, head hanging low off it's edge as he lay on his back.

"Says you bro" the redhead retorted, sticking his tongue out from between his sharpened teeth, "Plus, I'm not talking to him anyways."

"Not opening your snapchats?" Kyoka quarried, stepping towards him, looming over her friend with a teasing smirk, a series of chains and crosses from around her neck, dangling towards his face.

"He is..." Eijiro huffed, peaking up at her from beneath his eyelashes, "He's just not replying to them..."

Kyoka let out a minute, pitied sound, kneeling before Eijiro, blinking her heavily coated eyelashes at him, a long section of studs from the back the back of her boots digging into her tight-clad thighs, "Don't worry Ejirou..." she spoke, placing her hand upon his shoulder, "I still love you. You can have my attention."

Eijiro moaned, throwing his phone to the side, "Why are you lesbians always so mean?"

"Awful generalisation my man." She responded, moving to push herself back into a stance, "Now put your phone away. He's gonna be here soon regardless."

Eijiro only grumbled to himself, his eyes glossing over his base as his fingers moved gracefully along the strings, not quite flicking hard enough to play a note, merely testing the waters. A small notification tone from the direction of his misplaced phone, draws him from his daydream. He slips the device back in hand, eyes widening as he stairs down at it's screen. Surely this couldn't be right. An app glitch, or his over active imagination.

(Snapchat) Katsuki Bakugou 9:56am

Eijiro felt he might choke from the sheer excitement he felt in that very moment. He knew in retrospect it probably wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a snapchat from someone who was now a member of his band, but it was a snapchat he felt as if he had earned from an extending amount of effort.

Letting his fingers slide across the glass of his phone screen, he stared down at the loading snap with a profound intensity. Then it was there, loaded and ready for him to see with his own two eyes, and my god it was beautiful when he did.

It was a simple picture of the other male, the plastic lid of a hot drink pressed against his lips. His eyes were intense, rested behind a large pair of eyeglasses, hair ashy and messed upon his head, but he still appeared put together, which was something that Eijiro could admire. His joy was fleeting however, as the picture only lasted around four seconds before it disappeared forever, leaving Eijiro groaning in disappointment. He despised short snaps. It never gave his brain enough time to process what he was looking at before it was gone completely.

Maybe Bakugou was just shy? That would be kind of cute actually. He did kind of have that air about him. When they'd all met, he never really made eye contact at all, and his over-aggressive responses might have been the result of a complex? He could picture that. Though it would make things difficult for Eijiro himself, who in contrast never shied away from anything or anyone. He'd never been good at understanding how to interact with people that weren't open the way he was. It's part of the reason he and Mina had become lifelong friend's straight from middle school. It had taken him a few months to even get use to Kyoka's quiet demeanour, though now that they were friend's it was hard to get the girl not to interact with him, maybe if he was lucky it would be the same for Bakugou?

--

It was only about another twenty minutes before Bakugou arrived, and by arrived, Eijirou meant shoved. They'd all been sitting around Kyoka, listening to her practice the vocals to one of their songs, Hanta strumming away in time, when a bundle of blond hair and pale blue sweater landed on the floor, directly in front of the door. His loud cries poured throughout the room as he screamed up a storm of profanities, pushing himself to his feet almost as soon as he'd landed.

Normally, for any other group of people, this would have been quite intimidating, but for one, his anger was not directed in their direction, and two, the person who appeared through the doorway next was the person that they all truly feared.

Slipping in after Bakugou came the group's self assigned manager and the scariest person they knew, Nemuri Kayama, otherwise known as Midnight. She managed many of the more popular bands signed to their label, so at the time when they'd been informed that they'd be working under her, they'd been ecstatic. However, then they actually had to start working with her.

Next to someone as seemingly placid as the bands handler, Shouta Aizawa, who's anger only reached it's peak very rarely, though that was a rather terrifying concept in itself, Midnight seemed to live in a perpetual rage. Maybe it had something to do with the stress of the job, or the fact that her outfits always seemed to be far too tight -a lack of blood to the brain can do some pretty intense shit to people. None of them ever really seemed to question it however, instead choosing to just attempt to stay of far on her good side at all times as they good, which Katsuki, having only been introduced into the band a few days ago, arriving at his very first practice, seemed to have not gotten to memo.

"I believe this belongs to you Kyoka-chan?" Midnight stated simply, motioning her hand towards Katsuki as he continued to yell in her direction, but phasing his tantrum out completely.

Kyoka chuckled slightly, moving to step away from her mic stand, slipping herself from the small platform with a little more effort than the other' side usually did, simply because of her short stature.

"Actually ma'am, he belongs to Mina." She explained, pressing her fingers through her bangs.

"Ah." Midnight agreed, side eyeing the angry boy, a smirk pulling upon her lips, "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Bakugou hissed audibly, stripping forward towards Midnight without hesitation, which had ever other person in the room stepping in the opposite direction, faces scrunched up. You never stood against Midnight, they all knew that. Denki knew from experience actually. Kyoka spent about half an hour just attempting to will his knows to stop bleeding while her friend clung to her, crying in her arms.

They all watched in horror as Midnight drew her knee up, the tip over her knee-length boots flying to hit Bakugou directly in the abdomen, sending him flying back, clenching his stomach tightly as his body toppled to the floor.

"Now what did I tell you in the hallway about speaking to me in such a manor?" She growled, stepping towards his crumbled form, "Just because these hooligans chose you, doesn't mean I will keep you around if you don't behave yourself."

Eijiro flinched from beside Hanta as the sole of Midnight's boot ghosted over Bakugou's face, his body instinctively stepping forward, Hanta's hand pressed against his chest stopping him in his tracks.

"Fucking bitch..." Bakugou groaned, pushing himself onto his knees, eyes glaring into the woman as she loomed over him, "Not my fucking fault you! You bumped into me!"

"You spilt cheap coffee over my new dress." She retorted nonchalantly, her finger's digging into her own hips.

"You kicked me in the fucking face!"

"Now we're even." Midnight stated, stepping back from Bakugou, causing Eijirou to go lax against Hanta's palm, "Now go grab your shit from the hallway. I want to hear you play."

--

Watching Bakugou step upon the platform near the instruments, brushing past Eijiro's base with the confidence of someone who knew they already had this in the bag, was one of the most attractive thing's that Eijiro had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. His dusty-blue sweater was cosmetically torn in a few places, sneaking a peak at the skin beneath, his ageing converse almost matching in colour from years of use. He'd removed his glasses, something that Eijiro hadn't minded either way. Her was gorgeous, and Eijirou had to hold himself back just enough that he wouldn't visibly swoon.

Then he began to play, paying no attention to the group before him, not even Midnight who sat higher than the rest upon a stack of cases, watching him with a questioning glare.

The sound of the music thumbed through the small room. No fear of radiating outside the soundproofing that's lined the walls. He played well, holding his guitar loosely as his fingers moved with intent, so naturally that Eijiro began to question if the boy had been playing since his childhood, something that the rest of them hadn't had the pleasure of saying for themselves.

Eijirou couldn't hold back the smile the began to form upon his face, eyes eyes cleaning in adoration. How was a guy this cute, also this good? He continued to smile as Bakugou's eyes drew up for just a moment, meeting Eijiro's, glossing over his face and body, a small smirk pulling onto the blonds lips, before he was looking down again. Eijirou was fucking destroyed. What was that look for? Had it actually been at him?

Kyoka however, appeared even more mesmerised than himself. Her lips were moving silently, cheeks a dusted rose, but not for the same reason that Eijiro's were. He didn't think she was even blinking, too caught up in watching Bakugou play. Then she began to sing, starting off softly, before singing loyd enough for the rest to hear. They turned their heads toward her, but Bakugou didn't stop playing, only continued, eyes pressed shut.

"We gazed into the telescope, hoping to know things we didn't know..." she sang, projecting her voice, her eyes still stuck on Bakugou as she did, "We gazed into the telescope, hoping to know things we didn't know. We looked for those faint glimmers of light that seem to illuminate the darkness and the pain we discovered through this, I still remember to this day, and this comet we call "the present", I'm still chasing alone to this day..."

Midnight's eyes glossed between the pair. From Katsuki who stood sharp upon the stage, playing with the ferocity of a lion in heat, dominating the stage in a way that even alone sent shivers through her body. The she gleamed towards Kyoka, who's voice rang through the room like a choir all her own, lips moving with words she obviously knew. It was outstanding, watching cooperation so natural between a pair that had never worked together before. It was a sound that Midnight never wanted to hear end. Her lips forward yet another smirk as the song rang out, Kyoka's voice going quiet and the playing stopping not long after her singing. Katsuki looked up, meeting his eyes with the younger girls, their intensity fleeting.

"Bump of Chicken..." Kyoka muttered, her cheeks growing warm as she suddenly noticed the gaze of those around her, "They're my favourite..."

"They're alright..." Bakugou replied, rolling his eyes slightly as he pulled the guitar from around his form, "Masukawa, the guitarist...I like his sound..." he said, quieter this time, as if he was embarrassed to even say it.

"And I like yours." Midnight suddenly chimed in, jumping from her place to land smoothly upon her feet, her eyes watching Bakugou like a hawk after it's prey.

"You're in you little idiot. Now you better get your ass working. You shit's have a come back performance planned for two weeks time."

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Notes

Their studio is in Shibuya, which again is a district in Tokyo. It's one of their bigger ones, and I'm probably going to mention it a bit, because these guys like to spend time there. Especially Kacchan.

Family Mart is a chain of convienience stores, and tbh they're probably my favourite. Waking up in the morning and entering a Family Mart to get a piece of chicken when you're having a bad day will always 110% make it better.

Also Bump of Chicken are a japanese rock band. Their music is some of my favourite stuff ever, so you should definitely check them out if you have the time! The song I used was Tentai Kansoku, from their 2002 album Jupiter.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG ON YOUTUBE

#electric moment #chapter 3 #electric moment chapter 3