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#i always loved taking notes in class and then like
littlexdeaths · 2 days
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strange love - s.h.
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king steve harrington x loser fem reader
everybody wants to know, if we fucked on the bathroom sink…
18+ ONLY MDNI
warnings: underage drinking (everyone is 18+), mean!dom steve, steve is a major asshole, public sex, light degradation kink, unprotected piv sex, cream pie, steve makes reader cry, some good ole’ angst
a/n: this is a reworking of my first steeb fic i ever wrote on my old account. i hope you enjoy xx. and thank you to @stveharringtn for looking this over and hyping me up. ily cherry 💕
based on strange love by halsey
word count: 2.4k
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You shouldn’t have come to this stupid party.
And you wouldn’t have, if Steve hadn’t practically begged you to make an appearance. It was only going to lead to more heartbreak for you, having to watch him flirt with every girl in the room. The night would end with you going home alone, wondering why you weren’t good enough to be on his arm.
Despite all that you go anyway, your heart severely outweighing the logical side of your brain. You even made sure to wear your best dress, hoping it would capture his attention. But the male didn’t glance your way the entire night, and you felt utterly defeated.
Why you didn’t leave after an hour of being ignored is beyond you, a small part of you still holding out hope. Leaning against a wall in the hallway you watch with disdain as your classmates drunkenly grind on each other. It was one of the last parties of the summer before college classes started, and everyone seemed to be making the most of it.
Everyone except for you.
“This was a stupid idea,” you mumble to yourself, glancing down at your drink with a deep sigh. Swirling the now lukewarm beer around in your cup, no longer interested in people watching. Drunken laughter pulls you from your sulking, watching in utter annoyance as Tommy attempts a keg stand in the middle of the living room.
A large crowd has surrounded him, giving you the perfect opportunity to find Jonathan and leave.
However, feeling a piece of paper being slipped into your hand stops you dead in your tracks. Your eyes searching for the source of the note. A familiar flutter starts in your lower belly as you catch sight of him, the male now halfway up the stairs. You quickly unravel the crumpled page to find a few words written in his messy script.
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You immediately crumple the note in your palm, downing the rest of your beer before you make your way up to the second floor. Despite the large and somewhat confusing layout, you navigated the dark halls with ease. As you knew the male's house far too well now, having found yourself in his bed more times than you liked to admit.
This wasn’t supposed to happen like this, it was only meant to be a one time thing. To get back at your cheating asshole of an ex-boyfriend, Troy. After finding him tangled in the sheets with Vicki Carmichael at a party quite similar to this one. All because you weren’t ready to have sex with him. As much as it stung, a bigger part of you was incredibly relieved.
Something never fully cliqued with him, and deep down you didn’t want him to be your first. Troy and Steve were very good friends, and played basketball together. So it seemed fitting to ask Steve to be the one to take your virginity. Telling yourself it would royally piss Troy off, knowing you’d give it up to Steve and not him. But the truth is you’d always secretly had a thing for Steve for years.
That was your real reason, not that you’d ever admit it.
Steve was more than happy to fulfill your wish, not knowing your motive behind it. But what neither of you expected was that he would keep coming back for more. Once he had a taste of you, he couldn’t get enough. You had him wrapped around your finger, without even realizing it. However you both made a promise to keep the whole thing a secret, any plans of revenge now being thrown out the window.
Now that you weren’t dating Troy you had gone back to your quiet loser status, which you much preferred anyway. But Steve couldn’t have that ruining his reputation, so instead of arguing you went along with it. Agreeing to a secret friend with benefits relationship, despite knowing you’d want more. Feelings aside it didn’t stop you from hooking up with him multiple times a week, which brings you back to the present.
Your breathing was labored, partially due to the hand covering your mouth. You could hear the bass of the music from outside the bathroom door, so there was no need to be extra quiet.
But with Steve it was a necessity… especially in such a public place. Where anyone could press their ear to the door and figure out what was happening.
You found yourself bent over the bathroom sink, Steve fucking into you with such a ferocity it made your knees wobble. He had barely let the bathroom door shut before he was on you, tugging your panties down your legs. Tugging his shirt over his head, not bothering to take off his jeans in his impatience to have you.
“God you’re such a little tease you know that? Wearing this fucking dress, getting me all worked up.” He growled in your ear, whimpering against his hand as he pounds into your soaked heat.
The male is gripping your hip so hard you know he’ll leave bruises behind, but the harsh action only turns you on more. Knowing how desperate he was to have you, made you putty in his strong hands. Your own hand drifts between your thighs, finding your bundle of nerves and encircling it with your fingertips.
Glancing into the mirror in front of you, you watch his face as he continues to ram himself inside you. His honey brown hair sticks to his forehead, no longer styled in the perfect swoop he had it in before you entered the bathroom. His dark eyes meet yours in the reflection, a knowing smirk playing on his lips as he watches you intensely.
“Hm, look at how pathetic you look honey… letting me use you like a whore.” He grunts, leaning in closer and tugging on your earlobe with his teeth, “But you like that don’t you? You like being my whore?”
You find yourself nodding, unable to speak. Partially due to the hand still covering your mouth, but you knew even if it wasn't there it wouldn’t have made much difference. The male had fucked any logical thoughts from you at that point.
But you can’t deny the way your body reacts to his words, your walls tightening around him at the mere mention of belonging to him… and him alone. Something Steve doesn’t miss either.
“That’s cute baby…” he chuckles, letting his lips graze along the exposed skin of your throat. “Glad she knows exactly who she belongs to.”
Tears of pleasure blur your vision, mascara streaming freely down your cheeks. Your fucked out reflection stares back at you as he continues to pound into you from behind. Hooded eyes drift to gaze at him once more, seeing how his mouth falls open in a moan as you continue to pulse around his cock.
His sun kissed skin was beautifully flushed, his days spent as a lifeguard at Hawkin’s community pool were treating him extremely well. It made you want nothing more than to leave a trail of dark bruises along his freckled neck— effectively marking him as yours.
But you knew that couldn’t happen, he wouldn’t allow it. His reputation as the town’s local biggest player was far more important to him than you could ever be. At least that’s what he wanted you to believe.
You watch in awe as his head tilts back, exposing more of his throat to you. His adam’s apple bobs as he moans, fighting the urge to push him against the wall and taste the sweat that’s coating his skin in a glossy sheen.
Steve just looked so pretty like this, on the edge of release. While you had witnessed it many times now— part of you still was so mesmerized by him.
You can feel your orgasm bubbling up inside you, continuing to rub your clit faster. You cry out against his hand, the whimper of his name now muffled by his palm. Your eyes nearly roll back as your orgasm crashes over you. But Steve doesn’t let up his pace, your knees almost buckling as he fucks into you harder.
“I know you can cum harder than that honey, do. it. again.” He growls lowly in your ear, dropping his hand away from your mouth.
Quickly knocking your own out of the way to continue rubbing your overly sensitive clit. You’d barely come down from your first high before he had you hurtling towards another one, his cock hitting that sweet spot inside you with acute precision.
Your eyes meet once more in the reflection, a cocky expression crosses over his features as you feel yourself falling over the edge again. Gripping the counter with both hands, biting down harshly on your lower lip to stop the scream that wants to escape your lungs.
In your euphoric state you don’t notice the way Steve’s eyes watch you possessively, pride filling his chest knowing he’s the only man who has ever seen you like this. The only man to ever make you feel this way, and he planned on keeping it that way. Selfish as it was.
The blissed out look on your face is the thing that finally breaks what little composure he had left. The male burying his face in the crook of your neck as he paints your inner walls with his release. Stilling his hips at your deepest point, in an attempt to keep his cum buried inside you.
Steve’s secret way of marking you as his.
As both of you attempt to catch your breath, the sounds of the party carry on as if nothing happened. When Steve finally releases your hips, you grip tighter onto the counter to support yourself. Knowing your knees were far too wobbly to keep you upright. A soft whimper leaves your lips as he slides out of you, suddenly feeling empty. In more ways than one.
The male is quick to tuck himself back into his jeans, roughly pulling your panties up your legs. You can feel his cum beginning to pool in the lacy material, the dirtiness of it makes your body feel hot. You let out a shaky breath, turning to face him as he finishes tucking his polo back into his levi’s.
“Wait a few minutes before you come back downstairs, yeah?” Is all he says before he’s slipping out of the bathroom, running a hand through his tousled locks.
The door closes softly, and that familiar feeling of shame washes over you again. You shouldn’t be surprised by it at this point, as your little hookups always ended the same way.
With Steve thoroughly pleased with himself, and you all alone.
You can’t stop the moisture from flooding your vision, carefully sitting down on the edge of the tub. Gripping the hem of your dress in your fists as you ruin whatever makeup was still left behind. Shoulders shaking as silent sobs rack through your chest.
In that moment you made a promise to yourself, you wouldn’t let any man— especially someone like Steve fucking Harrington make you feel this way again. It wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it.
You continue to let the traitor tears fall for a while before returning to your feet. Glancing back in the mirror you barely recognized yourself, your usual bright eyes were dull, bloodshot and puffy. The little makeup you had done was now smeared across your cheeks. With a frustrated sigh you attempt to collect yourself before returning to the party.
Cleaning the black streaks from your face, adjusting your rumpled dress until you looked somewhat presentable. Taking a deep breath you finally leave the safety of the bathroom, descending the carpeted stairs on shaky legs. No one pays you any mind as you make your way back into the sea of people.
But what you find in the living room feels like a punch straight to the gut.
Steve is on the couch, another girl already straddling his lap with her tongue down his throat. His large hands that were previously gripping onto your hips were now splayed across her bare thighs. Inching higher and higher up as she tangles her fingers in his hair. You can only stand to watch for a moment longer before bolting out of the room and into the kitchen in search of another drink.
Thankfully the room was almost empty, except for a familiar brunette who was sipping on a can of Pepsi. You don’t say anything to him, grabbing an open bottle of vodka off the counter and bringing the rim to your lips. Enjoying the familiar burn as you greedily gulp down the clear liquid at an alarming fast rate.
Jonathan looks at you concerned, immediately rushing to your side in an attempt to grab the bottle from you. You quickly dodge him, shoving him away with a dirty look.
“Jonny stop! I’m having fun, see?” You roll your eyes before dramatically taking another large swig. Your best friend had seen you drink plenty of times before, but never like this. He knew you well enough to know there was clearly something wrong.
Before you can go back in for another drink he grips onto the base of the bottle, wrestling it from you with a grimace. Before slamming it back onto the counter, making you wince slightly at the sound of the impact.
“That’s enough now. I think I should take you home.”
His tone is stern, but laced with worry. You find yourself pouting in response, a small hiccup leaving you as he sighs. The only reason Jonathan was even here in the first place was to be your ride, he hated these parties. And he especially hated Steve Harrington.
But he was your best friend, and he would’ve done anything for you. And right now anything consists of getting you home before you do something stupid, “Fine dad… take me home then.”
Jonathan rolls his eyes at your childish behavior before wrapping his arm around your waist to help guide you through the house to the front door. The vodka you had just chugged was definitely starting to take effect, as you stumbled alongside him. Now suddenly a lot more grateful for his help.
What you don’t notice in your tipsy state was a pair of honey eyes watching you both from across the room, jaw clenched in jealousy as Jonathan helps you out into the warm summer night.
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499 notes · View notes
starillusion13 · 3 days
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Stay with me
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request: "can you do a yungi x y/n one where they're in college together kinda like a childhood bsf to lovers but poly?"
Pairing: Yunho x reader x Mingi
Genre: Fluff, Friends to lovers, College Au
Warnings: they are caring bestfriends to you, mention of insult/body shaming in public by your family, reader feeling insecure, isolation, hints of skipping meals, childhood love and mention school bully and violence (just few words). Just a cute friendship to love.
W.C: 4.5k
Note: please I want to thanks to people for reading and reblogging. Reviews are always appreciated. Spread love not hate. My first Yungi fic😁.
Network: @cultofdionysusnet @k-vanity
Now let's take a moment to appreciate my dear friend @dreamsoffanfics Thanks for helping me out and being my proofreader. A dear friend indeed <3.
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"She isn't coming again today..." Yunho said and sat beside his friend. The other glanced at him and looked over at your place beside him where you usually sit.
It's been weeks that you were skipping university classes without any proper reason, just texting them that you are not feeling well or you have some important stuff to do. But not clearly explaining anything — that even you are texting them the next day. They are sick and worried for you as it's normal for your childhood best-friends to be like this.
Whenever they ask you to go to your place, you quickly respond with a negative message that you have somewhere to go or someone to meet.
Nobody knows what's the actual matter with you.
"Do you think we should go over to her place and check on her?" Mingi asked while tapping the pen on the desk.
Yunho nodded before pulling out his phone to check for your message but nothing was there to his disappointment. "I am really worried about her. She has never been like this. I don't know why but after returning from her hometown, she is acting weird."
"Did her parents tell her anything again?" Mingi rested his elbow on the table and leaned to his side.
Yunho made an unsure expression to his question and dropped his shoulders. He shook his head when he remembered the last interaction with you when he met you at the convenience store.
…..
"Y/n, why don't you say no to your parents directly? I'm sure that they won't be denying it."
You sighed and turned towards him before picking up the nearest packet of chips in the basket,"And you think that? You are so wrong, Yuyu. They don't care about my opinions."
"But you can try explaining them. I'm sure they will understand." Yunho placed a milk package in the basket to which you glared at him and he sent you his puppy eyes, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"That's a baby milk product."
"But you are still a baby." He said and held back his laugh.
This was his common teasing with you in every place and anytime you are having any serious conversation with him and whatever, however and whenever you are with him. You would feel relying on him the most. The bestest friend indeed. There’s a continuous warmth radiating from him for which you feel loved and secured. His big frame whenever he engulfs you in a hug, there’s a silent promise to you — that no matter what he would be there for you.
…..
He sighed when he imagined your face – irritated but laughing with him for the last time that day. After that day, you went to your hometown as it was the end of exam season and you didn’t meet your family for a long time. Last break, you were sick and had so many pending projects for several events that you opted for staying back on campus and completing them before it was too late.
It was late afternoon when they both finally had their last class and packed up their bags to leave the university. Anyways, they were not actually planning to stay there though. Mingi texted you a lot of times during the classes but some you ignored and to some, you replied with one word or just some common usual replies.
They both checked the timing and went towards the parking lot. Yunho took out the keys from his jacket’s pocket and Mingi was quick to enter the passenger seat. Both of them were in a hurry. They were eager to meet you. Before starting the engine, Yunho sighed deeply. A look of worry was visible on his face.
“I hope she is fine.”
Mingi nodded and patted his shoulder, “I’m sure, she is.”
…….
“Yah! Min…did you just eat my snacks yesterday?” stomping your feet, you reached the living room and stood in front of said man and glared at him.
He was so into the video game that he didn’t see your anger but just waved his hand and tried to push you aside. You hit his hand and the controller fell from his hold and sulkily he looked at your face.
“I was about to win the game.” He whined and leaned back into the couch.
“And I am about to eat you if you don't give me my snacks back.”
“Which one?” He furrowed his brows and crunched up his nose. “I’m gonna tell Yunho to buy them for you on his way back home.”
“No. Why’ll he buy it? You ate them and it’s your responsibility to buy them. And you know very well which snacks I’m talking about.” You pulled him up and dragged him towards the door, he was whining on his way but you ignored him and gestured to him to hurry up. “Don’t give me faces.” You folded your hands.
“But that store is far away.”
“And you know how to drive.”
……
While driving to your place, they stopped by some places to buy flowers, chocolates, ice cream and your favorite foods. When Yunho took a box of chocolates, he smiled at the thought of your smiling and excited face after receiving it. He puffed his cheeks and grabbed some other things as well.
Similarly, Mingi was smiling all the way when he bought your favorite ice-cream. He knew how you would jump on your feet after seeing it. He couldn't content his own happiness while buying it.
Apart from all these, they still called you to check on you. Yeah, after ignoring a few calls, you finally decided to pick up. The line was silent at first but then they heard shuffle sounds from the other side, Yunho was quick to speak into the call.
“What are you doing, y/n?” His voice was soft yet demanding.
They heard your deep sigh before your voice, “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean by you don’t know?”
“If I was really doing something then I could have told you. I was just laying on my bed and …..thinking.”
Actually, that was the main thing, they wanted to know whether you were at your apartment or not. If they would have asked you directly, then you could have got the hint of them wanting to come over to your place and you would have quickly made up a reason to avoid them.
Why actually were you avoiding them in the first place?
“Okay, then keep laying down and think.”
Yunho glared at Mingi at his weird reply but the latter just blinked at the phone in his hold and at him. They heard your chuckle and a little smile appeared on their faces. Atleast, you laughed— maybe a little.
“Why did you call me? Where are you both?”
“We are–”
Yunho cut Mingi’s answer, “hanging out.”
“Oh…okay. Have fun!” you tried to sound more enthusiastic but they could feel the sadness.
They didn’t drag the conversation because they knew that in a few minutes, they would be at your place and then you couldn’t ignore them or their questions. And this time, they would be surely erasing all your worries and sadness.
.
.
.
Almost after fifteen minutes, you heard your doorbell ring. You groaned at the thought of someone coming to your place at this time and you glared at your bedroom door. You got up from the bed and yawned before stepping in front of the mirror. You made a disgusted face at your reflection and combed your hair with just your fingers.
The bell rang again and you scoffed before mumbling under your breath while making your way towards the main door.
“Let me see whether I look like a human or not or it won't be my fault if you get scared.”
You peeked through the peephole and you were surprised to see your bestfriends standing at your doorstep on the other side. You quickly opened the door and your round eyes were staring at them.
“You both? Here…now?” you asked but slowly moved aside to welcome them inside. Mingi gave you the flowers they bought for you and smiling, you took them. You noticed paper bags in their hand and after closing the door, you followed them to the kitchen when they placed the bags on the kitchen counter. You stood beside Mingi who gave you a bright smile and started taking out the items from the bag. Your eyes were recognizing each little thing was your favorite as if they bought things for a child who was whining for all their favorites.
He grabbed the ice-cream bucket and turned towards you, “This was the last box and I quickly bought it for you. I hope you won't be angry with me again if I ever eat your snacks.” he took the flowers from your hand and tugged them in the vase on the counter top.
“Mingi..” You groaned but quickly took the tub from his hand. You wasted no time and opened the lid. You watched Yunho place some things inside your refrigerator but he approached you with a red box in his hand. You furrowed your brows when he placed it in your free hand.
“Chocolates for my cutie.”
When you noticed the ribbon on top of the box, your eyes went wide, “Don't tell me you went to that store to buy this. This is so expensive.”
“But you are more expensive.” He said and raised a brow at you, challenging.
You laughed at his antics and shook your head, “You both are spoiling me too much.”
“Of course. We love to spoil you.” Mingi said with a smug look.
Your couch had a lot of clothes and books so you asked them to follow you to your bedroom. They both were quick to trail behind like lost puppies but they exchanged looks because they both were hesitant to ask you about the time after returning from your hometown.
Entering your bedroom, they found out that it looked like as if some disaster happened over there. You were never that messy and disorganized. You rolled your eyes at the mess but offered them the free space around the bed.
You scooted towards the headboard and they placed themselves close to you. You offered some chocolates to both of them and you scooped a spoon full of ice cream and put it in your mouth.
“This will always be my favorite.” You offered two separate spoons to them and extended your hand so that they could eat the ice cream. They took small bites.
“So why are you here suddenly? You didn’t even inform me before coming.”
“Because you wouldn’t have allowed us to come here like other days.” Mingi muttered and kept staring at you. Hearing those words from him, you avoided his eyes at any cost and looked down at your lap. You were guilty but also the reasons for which you were avoiding them were running across your mind.
You bit your lip and wanted to disappear from their gazes. But Yunho scooted closer to you. You felt his knees touching yours and his warm hands grabbed your chin to make you look at him.
“Look at me, Y/n. What’s the matter?”
You avoided his gaze but only to make eye contact with Mingi. You closed your eyes and cursed yourself for behaving like this. But no matter how you feel like running away from them, you still want to stay close. You want to hear their soothing voices talking to you. Spend time with them.
“Y/n…” Mingi pronounced your name softly.
You took a deep breath before looking at him and then to Yunho. Your eyes wandered around his face. A perfect, sweet, soft and confident person in front of you. Excellent in every aspect. Good looking, handsome and tall just like Mingi but who is more intimidating than him.
Yunho’s eyes wandered around your face, he was searching for your discomfort, your sadness and what was the reason you were ignoring him and his friend.
“Am I really not good?” You asked him in a hushed voice. Your shaky pupils and lips between your teeth was making him hesitant.
Why was he feeling that? Is he worried or angry? Angry with you? Because you ignored him all these last days?
“Who said that? You are the best.” Mingi rubbed your back and your body shivered under his touch. Yunho cupped your face in his palms and stared at you, urging you to speak more, “Tell us please. Why were you avoiding us?”
“I didn’t avoid you. I was thinking…”
“You think a lot. What were you even thinking?” His thumbs caressed your cheeks, slightly brushing your lips. Your tears were lining your eyes. You didn’t mind crying in front of them, you have cried before since middle school until now, you have cried to both of them but they never judged you.
But his heart was aching to see you like that, so vulnerable in his hold. You held his wrists tightly when he gave you a small smile.
“I’m feeling insecure lately. Don’t feel like doing anything.”
“Why?”
“This break, I went to a family function with my parents and all my other cousins were present there too.”
Both of them nodded and let you continue. You bit your lower lip and stuck it between your lips.
“They pointed out to me how I have gained weight and also I’m just an average student in my university unlike others there. They were all too pretty and all had boyfriends so they called me the ugly one. Maybe, I am really how they see me.”
“No Y/n, you are not. Don’t take those words to heart. Ignore them.”
“But I can’t, Mingi. Those words are hitting me as if I can still hear them telling me those things repeatedly. You know what's worse about this. My mom laughed with them, she was supporting their accusations.”
“I never liked your mom.”
You turned to Yunho when he said that and you raised your brows, “She didn’t like you either. She always thought that you were a bad influence on me. But she just let me be friends with you only because you are rich.” Then again you turned towards Mingi, “About you, she thought you were some sort of rebellious kid like a gangster because she always saw teachers complaining to your parents regarding your fights.”
“It’s your fault. You are the one who threatened me not to tell your mom that those students were disturbing you so when they didn't stop. I knew I had to beat them.” Mingi smiled after recalling those beautiful memories.
He added, “And that’s how we became friends. Remember?” You nodded while remembering those happy days. Yunho was holding your hands in his and Mingi patted your head, “We missed you these days. You were not talking with us.”
“I was searching for a boyfriend.”
“Really?” He asked you and hesitantly looked between Mingi and you, you felt him squeezing your hands. You nodded but sighed again, “Kidding. I was…isolating myself.”
“Why am I like this?” You asked with a whisper.
“But who would ever love to have an ugly girl like me as their girlfriend?”
“Like what sweetie?” Yunho questioned. ”And don’t even question yourself. You are perfect.”
You took a few seconds, collecting your thoughts. Yunho and Mingi wait patiently, Yunho running a soft hand through your hair and with his other one entangling his fingers with you. You inhaled softly and lifted your head up to make eye contact with both of them. Your mind was hazy with lots of thoughts.
“I feel so pathetic. I feel like I can’t ever do anything correctly. Why do I feel like this? I get overwhelmed by little work and this college stuff. I can’t handle the gossip about me and I feel like I fail at everything. It’s just… too much.” A tear slid down your cheeks and Yunho looked at you with eyes that held so many emotions.
He would do absolutely anything for you, if only it meant it would guarantee your happiness. Mingi was the same, he would again beat anyone for you. He would go to any extreme end just to ensure your well being and that you are smiling.
After all, Mingi first fell for you on the day when he first beat a boy who was making fun of you in front of the whole class. You were crying and he had enough, so he punched the guy across his cheek but the way you stared at him after that, even when he was getting scolded from the teacher, that's when he couldn’t help but smile at you and you gave your bright and wide smile.
That smile did something to him.
He fell in love with you. But you both were just kids.
So, you both became best friends.
Yunho was a transfer student who was a shy and quiet one in the beginning. And somehow they both were placed at the same bench, they quickly became friends. He joined the dance club after exactly one year of friendship with Mingi. Yunho was quick to become a social butterfly. He knew everyone around the school, mostly because of his dance club membership.
But there was this one thing. Even though he got compliments from others, he always wanted to hear your comments on his dance moves and if you ever said just a word like ‘good’, he would smile foolishly as if he achieved something. After every performance, he would search for you in the audience and could find you clapping excitedly at him with Mingi beside you.
You didn't know but whenever you were not around both of them their main topic was about you. They used to talk about you with admiration and love towards you. This was the main reason for them to become friends. And they followed you to the same university.
And they still think about you like that everyday.
“Oh Y/n, you’re not pathetic. Not at all. Everyone has different capabilities, and that’s completely fine. You have so many talents, so many amazing people around you who appreciate you. And you are so beautiful. You’re our girl aren’t you? The only one for us.” Yunho looked at you expectantly with an adoration in his eyes.
There was a look of worry on their faces similar to whenever you felt sick and he would rush to your place to take care of you and soon after Mingi comes with medicines and food.
You looked away, not meeting his eyes but Mingi caught your eyes and raised a brow. You quickly replied, “Yes, yes I am.”
His breath hitched when you said those words while staring at him. Both of their hearts felt warm but there was something more, they wanted to say. Something that they think of now is the right time. Maybe…there's also uncertainty in the air.
He beamed with delight. “That’s right baby, you’re our girl, and always will be.” Mingi added to his friend's words, ”We’re here to take care of you. I know things are hard, but I will do whatever I can to make it easier for you.” Your heart aches from the care you’re being shown. You love your bestfriends so much.
You hold so much love and respect for them that you’re not sure how to even contain it. You just feel like exploding with affection. When you again felt like crying on the thought, Mingi pushed a spoon full of ice cream in your mouth, “The ice cream is melting like you.”
“Mingi…” you whined with teary eyes. They both laughed at you when you snatched the tub from him and placed it on your lap.
“Y/n, can I ask you something? Please don’t hate me or him after this. But I really want to tell you this. Can I?” He asked.
“Of course, Yuyu. you can tell me anything.” Mingi wiped your tears and you smiled towards him before turning your whole attention on Yunho. Your eyes eagerly waited for him to say whatever he wanted and he glanced at Mingi who nodded and looked back at you. Yunho again held your hands, squeezed them a little and brought them to his lips. These sweet gestures were common to you from him but you felt so nervous this time. Your heart beat increased with every second.
Is he going to end your friendship after this? Are they tired of your dramatic breakdowns?
“Will you be our girl, Y/n?”
You blinked at him and looked at them confused, “Am I not already?”
Mingi chuckled, “Not that silly. Will you be our girl? Our girlfriend?......Please.” he whispered the last part.
For a moment, you thought that they were joking but when you found them staring at you expectantly, waiting for your answer.
“Are you joking?”
“No…”
You quickly turned around and hugged Mingi, “Please tell me. This is not a joke.”
“It’s not.”
“Then, am I dreaming?”
“No silly, you are not.”
You raised your head from his shoulder, he was still moving his hands up and down your back, “Yunho calls me sweetie and you call me silly. This is not fair.”
And here you go.
Mingi cupped your face in his hand and pressed a soft kiss in the middle of your forehead and smiled dearly at you, “You are my silly girl. My silly…only mine.”
Yunho rolled his eyes, “Don't gatekeeper her to yourself. We agreed to mutual this between us. I said ‘our’ specifically but you are saying only yours.”
You looked between both of them and licked your lips before muttering slowly, “Are you pitying me?”
“Y/n…” Yunho called your name with love and held your hands before shaking his head, “we all are different in our own ways. And you are perfect for us. We have seen the imperfect you…the real you. We have seen the ugly versions of you and also the pretty versions of you. But we loved the unfiltered version. The version which felt like you were mine. You are mine.”
“Why do I feel like you are calling me ugly but in a sweet way?”
“Maybe I am.”
“Yuyu…” You hit his arm and continued, “I will ask Mingi to beat you.”
He scoffed, “He can't because he is too weak.”
The latter laughed when you stuck out a tongue at his friend.
“But……isn’t it wrong for both of you to love me? What will others think?”
“I don’t care about others. Are you uncomfortable with this? Say it, Y/n. Are you?”
You shook your head when Mingi turned your face to him, “We want to hear you. Say it please.”
“No. I’m not. I’m happy……I like both of you.” You muttered under your breath.
“What? I can’t hear you. Did you hear something, Yunho?” Mingi creased his forehead and asked his friend who pulled you on his lap and leaned your back on his chest and held both of your hands in front and rocked you in his hold. “No, Mingi I didn’t hear anything.”
“Yeah. because I didn't say anything.”
They both started laughing loudly when they saw you shyly looking down and Yunho rested his chin on top of your head, “But I love my sweet girl the most.” he placed a kiss and softly confessed, “I love you, Y/n.”
You held his hand and played with his fingers. You felt him nuzzling into your hair when you closed your eyes and smiled, “I love you too, Yunho.”
Mingi scooted closer, sitting in front of you he cupped your face and you quickly looked at his face expectantly when he confessed, “I love my silly girl. I love you so much, Y/n.”
“And I hate my snacks thief. I love you toooooo, Mingi.”
He chuckled and pressed a soft kiss on your forehead and nose, filled with overwhelming love and care.
“Now come on, Y/n. I know you aren’t eating properly these days. So let’s eat the food we bought for you earlier.”
“ I don’t want to eat. I’m not hungry.” You smiled brightly and looked at them with a fake pout.“But thank you for all the love and care. I’m so full with it.”
“Uh uh, don’t give me that look. You’re eating, and that’s the end of this conversation.” He said in a stern voice before standing up. You crawled away from him when Mingi caught you in his arms and stood up holding you bridal style and heading to the kitchen, trailing behind Yunho who was singing your favorite song.
Mingi placed you at the table, letting you watch the other one prepare plates. You were swinging your legs back and forth, already feeling so much better and humming the song with him. Mingi went back into the bedroom and came back with the ice cream tub to put into the fridge and sat next to you. He joked and sometimes said some nonsense to make you laugh and you giggled uncontrollably.
He could see the little you laughing with him in the classroom.
“You are finally mine, Y/n. The girl I adored and loved for all these years. The girl whose smile I love the most is smiling at me and sitting with me not as a friend but as my girlfriend.” He held your hand and kissed your knuckles.
“I’m so happy that my bestfriend is my boyfriend and you are the one who can only annoy me and steal my snacks. Oh wait! You have to buy me more snacks now or I am breaking up with you.” You faked a shocked expression.
“Not sorry to disturb you but she is our girlfriend. My best supporter. Here comes the food.” Yunho swirled on his feet and placed the food dramatically on the table, having the silliest look on his face.
You screeched with laughter. “Yunho, my jealous baby.” He sat across from you and pushed the plates towards you both.
“Oh? Now I’m your baby. Last time I checked it was you who bought baby milk products. ” He grabbed his fork and pointed at you with squinted eyes as if he’s in deep thought. You let out a scoff at his antics and he raises an eyebrow at you, “I didn't. You were annoying me.”
“Oh…okay..now let’s talk less and eat more..”
You excitedly nodded and dug into the food. Their eyes followed your actions and they shared looks between them with little smiles appearing on their faces. They nodded towards each other and started eating the food with you.
And they promised to themselves that no matter what the situation is, they will always stay by your side. They still kept the friendship letter from you which you gave them for the first time during Christmas and they would always fulfill your wish.
‘Stay with me……always.’
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Taglist: @mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @anyamaris @yeoobin @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @dinonuguaegi @oreharuuu @hwanring @sanwifesstuff @kiwiisnthereoops @kiwiraccoon @hyuukah @kazscara @aceofspadesbiofalltrades @nvdhrzn @meowmeeps @vtyb23 @haechansbbg
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245 notes · View notes
woncoyo · 2 days
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☁️⠀࣭⠀𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖽𝗒 𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖾𝗇𝗁𝗒𝗉𝖾𝗇
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pairing: all members + fem!reader genres: fluff, headcanon, they're silly silly in love. warnings: none. word count: 1948.
author's note: if this headcanon seems familiar to you, it's likely because you came across it on my old blog (chacottone). i'm reposting it with a few changes.
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( HEESEUNG ) Even though he's a terrible liar, he pretends not to know the basics of math just to hear you talk for hours. At times, you stumble over certain concepts, yet he subtly guides you towards the correct answers. Ultimately, he ends up aiding you more than you aid him, and upon realizing this, you say, "I feel so stupid! I'm teaching you everything wrong."
“Of course not, princess! You're smarter than you think," he protests, instinctively placing his hand atop yours. "We're mutually assisting each other, you see?"
You swallow hard, the warmth of his touch lingering as the endearing nickname 'princess' resonates in your mind. Taking command of the situation, Heeseung retreats slightly, straightening himself in the chair beside you. “So, what are we-i mean! where were we?"
"Analytical Geometry," you murmur, indicating a specific passage in the book and inadvertently brushing against Heeseung's fingertips as you withdraw your hand. He attempts to suppress a smile, but fails, turning his head to the side and nibbling on his lower lip.
( JONGSEONG ) No one can ever find out that Jay paid the class representative to pair him up with you on the chemistry project; that would be too embarrassing. If he wanted to spend time with you so badly, he could have just asked you out like a normal person. However, he thought it would be too difficult given your popularity and the numerous guys chasing after you. Jay had to be clever to get to know you better.
"So, about chemical kinetics, what kind of movies are you into?" he asks, acting as if what he just said made any sense. You raise an eyebrow at him, finding it amusing how Jay nervously bites his cheek.
"Romantic comedies, I suppose," you reply with a shrug.
"Cool! Did you know there's a romantic movie marathon next weekend?" he mentions, attempting to maintain a relaxed posture as he scribbles something in his small notepad.
“Actually, I wasn't aware of that," you say, tilting your head to the side. "Why the sudden interest? Planning on asking me out?" Your question catches Jay off guard, and you smile at the effect you have on him.
“Yes... I mean, if you're up for it... no-do you… want to go out with me?”
( JAEYUN ) Getting out of football practice was quite the ordeal for Jake, all because he didn't want to miss your study session at the library. With a physics test looming tomorrow, Jake didn't need to brush up on a subject he already had a firm grasp of. However, he understood your struggles in that area and how tough you could be on yourself when things didn't click. That's why he pretended to feel unwell to leave practice early and "coincidentally" ran into you at the library.
"Sure, you can sit here!" you exclaim, taken aback by his presence. "Thought you'd be at practice.”
"Left early to study for tomorrow's test,” Jake shrugs, pulling up a chair close to yours.
"As if you need it," you tease. "Your grades are always top-notch."
"Yeah, I know," he responds, placing a hand over his heart, oozing confidence, as you playfully nudge his shoulder. "But I meant that I wanted to study with you…"
Your cheeks flush almost instantly, and you try to mask your embarrassment by burying yourself in the book in front of you, murmuring a hesitant "okay, then.”
( SUNGHOON ) He's feeling like the cleverest guy in the world for persuading all his friends to help him orchestrate a plan to be alone with you. It took countless text messages pleading with Heeseung, Jake, Jay, Seonwoo, and Jungwon to create a study group — since that's the only way to catch your attention — and then have them all cancel at the last minute when Sunghoon and you are supposed to meet.
“They’re running late…” you remark, glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time since your arrival.
"They’re not coming anymore," Sunghoon announces matter-of-factly. "Seems like there was some unexpected issue.”
"An unexpected issue involving all five of them at once?!" you widen your eyes in disbelief. "That's so weird."
"Not really," he says, rearranging the books on the table. "These guys are pretty irresponsible when it comes to studying. They're probably off having fun somewhere.
With a furrowed brow and arms crossed, you mull over Sunghoon's statement. Then, an idea strikes you. "We should do the same thing, don't you think?"
Sunghoon promptly closes the book. "You're absolutely right."
"But we also need to do well on Friday's test…" Seeing you hesitate, Sunghoon quickly reassures you, as spending time with you outside of school is something he's been longing to do.
"You'll do great, don't worry," he confirms, "plus, we can always study tomorrow. The good thing is that everyone will come… I guess."
Still feeling nervous, you bite your lower lip, debating whether or not to skip a day of studying. However, Sunghoon's hopeful expression starts to bolster your confidence. "So, what do you want to do?" You ask.
"Jesus Christ! I literally have a list of things I wanna do with you—I mean! To do in this city!"
( SEONWOO ) Respectfully, Sunoo is fed up with hearing about the conservation of mass, but because you're the one explaining, he silently endures. Spending Saturday studying for a test he knows he'll fail wasn't part of his plan, but being with you was, even if it meant sacrificing a night off locked indoors.
"Are you paying attention?" you inquire, noticing your friend's absent-mindedness. "Am I just talking to myself here?"
Sunoo snaps back to attention at your words, attempting to mask his lack of focus when he sees your irritated expression. "I'm paying attention!" he insists.
"What did I just say, then?" you ask, arms folded.
"Um… you were talking about how mass is created and destroyed during a chemical reaction," Sunoo mimics your posture, speaking with false confidence.
You sigh, "I literally said the opposite."
"I got mixed up! I'm just tired…" he reaches out to touch your hand. "Let's do something else, hm?"
"Only after you get this right. Then we can do whatever you want," you state firmly, and your friend grins in agreement.
"You should've said that sooner!”
( JUNGWON ) Your failure in last week's oral exam was the perfect excuse for Jungwon to invite you to study with him. Obviously, the goal isn't just to learn about the properties and graphs of exponential and logarithmic functions; Jungwon truly wants to forge a connection with you.
"Want to make this more interesting?" Jungwon suggests, noticing your disinterest. "We study for fifteen minutes straight, then take a five minute break to get to know each other better.”
"You want to get to know me better?" you furrow your brow, surprised by what he just said. After all, Jungwon is the smart, popular guy everyone admires, so why would he want to get closer to someone like you? His invitation to study together already caught you off guard, but you assumed it was just a gesture of kindness.
"Of course I do!" he says confidently. "I've been wanting to be friends with you since you first arrived at school, but you've always kept to yourself.”
"I'm a bit... reserved," you admit, and Jungwon nods understandingly.
"But that doesn't stop me from wanting to get to know you."
Your cheeks flush, and despite your usual reluctance to open up about yourself, you agree to his proposal. "Sure, let's give it a try.”
( RIKI ) He's on the brink of failing, and you simply can't bear to see your best friend struggle. That's why you scheduled a study session at your house, which didn't sit well with Riki. The reason behind his dissatisfaction lies in the fact that you, indirectly, are to blame for his potential failure.
Every day, you sit facing Riki in class, and every day, he is battling to focus because your captivating perfume and mint lip gloss steal his attention. He gets lost in thoughts of you, and by the time he snaps out of it, class is over. So, under these circumstances, how can he possibly concentrate on whatever you're saying right now when you're so close?
"Do you understand what I said?" you ask, shifting your attention to your friend, who appeared to be listening attentively. "Hmm, seems like it. So, let's have a little quiz!”
Riki takes a deep breath, attempting to refocus on the main subject.
"What's the primary component of plant cells responsible for photosynthesis?" you ask, your tone serious.
"Mint lip gloss," he responds without thinking—or perhaps thinking too much, but about the wrong thing. "No! That's not what I meant to say."
You arch an eyebrow, realizing your friend must be weary from studying. "Need a break? We could play video games for half an hour and then get back to business! But be aware, I'll be tacking on extra study time for it," you warn, rising from your chair.
"I'm screwed.”
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© woncoyo
167 notes · View notes
rkivepetals · 2 days
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Happy birthday
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THE SECRET HISTORY DRABBLE IS HEREEEEE GRAAAAHHHHHHHHHH
they’re so cute I’m gonna throw up and I’m not even kidding
Professor!reader x husband!jungkook (they’re so in love it’s sick.)
They’re trying to celebrate oc’s birthday in this one but she is so busy ;-;
It’s completely safe for Ramadan btw cause like it’s pure fluff fluff fluff
Enough ranting yall can read now
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“For today, I’ll be sending off the assignment in your mail, so make sure to read through it and submit the key points.” You say in your microphone, piling up your classics. “I’ll see you next week,” You say to your bored class and exhale, hanging your bag on your soldiers and taking your brown overcoat, walking out of the lecture hall. “Hi!”
Jungkook smiled, wide and toothy. You smiled, “Hi.” He cleared his throat, taking out a bouquet of lilies, “Happy birthday, honey.” Your smile widens, glancing at the pretty lily bouquet as you take it. “Thank you.” He smiled, sweet and gentle. You both walk out, hand on your waist, “how was your lecture?” He asked, taking your books and overcoat from you.
“Boring. As usual.” He clicked his tongue, “Your students don’t deserve you. If you were to be my literature professor, I’d write poems on you.” You laughed, slow. Glancing at his pretty face, he has put an extra effort to look more boyish. Whenever jungkook came to pick you up, he never came inside and was mostly in his work attire. But when he came in today, he chose to wear denim.
“I don’t see you wearing denim much.” He hums, “I wanted to look young.” You sneered, “You already look pretty young. No one cares in here, except when you’re handsome.” He tightened his hold on you, pulling you a bit closer as you slightly stumble. “What are you—“ “Professor Jeon!”
You slightly frowned and looked up at a bunch of students, mostly girls. Eyeing you, your lily bouquet and then your husband with your coat and books. “Yeah, what is it?” They smile, and it sours you. These were the type of girls who’d stick chewing gum on your coats, rip up pages, and annoy you in class. “I was thinking…are you going to give extra content for notes?”
You sigh, “No, I told you. The mail I will be sending will have an article. That’s pretty much it.” Her eyes lingered on jungkook and so for the people behind her. “Oh, alright.” Jungkook didn’t give a mind to her and her friends, he was focused on you, a little flutter in pride of your fixed and intimidating professor side. “Is he your brother?”
She smiled, jumgkook frowned, “what?!” He offensively scowls at them as you sigh, “No. He’s my husband.” Their smiles fade, turning into rude scowls. “Oh.” She pressed a sarcastic smile onto you, “I see.” She cleared her throat, “then you must have a child as well.” Jungkook raised his brows, “No. And I think it’s very rude of you to be invading your professor’s personal life.”
The girl behind her scoffs, “If you don’t wish to be questioned then why come and pick her up? It’s not a lover’s spot, it’s a university.” Jungkook glared, sneering in sarcasm. “I should ask you the Same when you kiss seven dudes in a row.” You gasp, “jungkook!” He didn’t budge, not once.
They glared at him, “Well I think Mrs Jeon your husband is very very rude.” You held jungkook’s hand, squeezing it, assuring him to not say anything. “You’re not that sweet either. Please go back to your classes.” The boy rolled his eyes, “we just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” You smiled, “thank you so much.”
And they glared at your husband and left while murmuring under their breaths. You sighed and looked at him, “Why did you argue with them?” He sighs, gaze softening at your face. “They’re annoying. How do you deal with them?” You shook your head and continued to walk out of the uni. “Youngblood, always on the edge.”
He sneered, “It’s not like we’re fifty or something, darling.” You chuckled, feeling his fingers intertwine yours. “I booked our favourite restaurant for your birthday. Your friends are also coming, we shouldn’t be late.” You sigh and glance at his appealing face. “But I have work.”
He looks over at you, “But today is your birthday! It can wait, right?” You nervously scratch your neck, “I don’t think so. I need to write an email for my students, the submission date is tomorrow, so I don’t think we could celebrate.” Your heart broke seeing his saddened pout. You both were ahead of his car, he sighs, looking down at the ground in defeat.
“But I invited everyone.” He murmured as you placed your hand on his back, “Maybe you should go and I join in later?” He chuckled, “Are you crazy? It’s your birthday, I did this all for you.” You sigh, “It’s really important, Jungkook. You just saw how crazy the students are.” He moans and leans on his black Maserati, folding his hands, all your books and overcast at the roof of his car.
“What if we both go together after you’re done?” You thought for a moment, “But you invited everyone.” He clicked his tongue, “They can run themselves, but I’m not going alone. Not without you.” You sigh, “Y’know it’s very childish, you should go. I swear I’ll join in.” He shook his head, “Nuh. I’ll give my card to Mom, she will handle your friends. Or maybe we could have a little date at home?!”
You giggled at his excitement, “Fine. But first, let me complete my work.” You say and go to the other side, to sit in his car so he can drive you home. A home is a new place for you, after Contemplating so much, you finally decided to move into his brought house after it was on rent for about two to three years. And your mother’s house sits there quietly, you often visit it when Jungkook and his mother go on calculated vacations and when you’ve too much work and use it as an office and sleep there for days.
It’s a little cocoon of your own. But if you could say honestly, the lake, the Ivy, the tall trees and the warm wood just bring you as much comfort and love. What makes you even more fuzzier is that it’s your husband’s own house. He worked day and night to buy something like this, something that could make your poetic soul wiggle in happiness. You smile, seeing the lake still and your home just not too far away from it.
Jungkook parked his car to the side, as you opened the door and walked out, taking your bag and books and he followed behind with your coat. “It’s a little cold nowadays.” He says, brushing past your fingers, a thing he usually does when he wants to hold your hand. You hum, smiling at his big fingers holding yours delicately.
As if you were made of glass. It’s always the etiquette he held, the delicate touch and hold he offered, he never wend through all the way forcing and pushing you, grudging you in his embrace or something. That was not his thing. His thing was delicate soft touches, hand holding, small caresses, sweet kisses, drinking wine, eating together, taking Polaroids of you.
“It’s going to be fall soon.” You say, caressing his dainty thumb as he hums and nods his head, “And the time of our wedding anniversary.” You chuckled, “Right.” Stepping onto the small set of staircase, you wait for him to jiggle the keys and open the door so you can go in. “I promise I’ll be quick.”
You say, removing your bag and unbuttoning a bit of your shirt. Removing your shoes and going to the bathroom on the hallways to wash your face and clean your glasses. Jungkook drops on his set of couch, a little exhausted from work. “Do you want some wine, sweetie?” You cleared your throat and wiped your face, “no. Just coffee.”
You say and clutch your hair in a bun. Wearing your glasses and coming out, softly locking the door behind you. “I’ll be in our room, upstairs.” You say as he hums, “Coming up with your coffee!” You slightly smile and take your classics, thumping down to the stairs and up in your room. Sighing before you open the door and quickly turn on your old laptop which you took from taehyung, you yawned a little.
Clearing your throat as you turn on your lamp and open the windows, Letting some fresh air in. It was turning dark, you needed to hurry. Screeching your chair closer, you open all the books and fix your glasses, typing furiously. Jungkook came, a little late though as you figured out he must’ve given his card details to his mom. “Coffee~”
He sang and placed a big glass of black coffee with a straw in it. Then he placed a bunch of washed and dried strawberries. You smiled at him as he softly pecked your head, “I’m waiting, take your time.” You hum and sip your coffee, god bless Jungkook and his soul for providing you with the sacred coffee because you would’ve slept the whole day in. “Are you done?”
He asks, pouting at you focused. “Not yet…” he hums. It’s just been barely fifteen minutes since he stepped in. He exhaled and gazed at the boring ceilings. Deciding to change instead. He got up and took out a pair of brown pants and a white shirt. Looking at you one last time, he went inside the bathroom. When he came back, the first thing he asked was are you done yet.
“Not yet Jungkook…” he sighs, pouting as he steals a few strawberries and plops on the bed. It was almost eight p.m. he used his phone relentlessly, read books, and slept. And you were still not done yet. Every fifteen minutes he asked if you were done with your work. You sigh, smiling proudly as you click on the mail button.
Sighing in relief, you quickened your pace and turned off the laptop, cracking your fingers and closing your books. “I’m done!” And the next thing you heard was his snores. You sigh, walking over to a deep-slept Jungkook, a few buttons of his shirts undone, book sprawled out on the side. You smiled softly and leaned in to kiss his head.
Feeling a little bad that he couldn’t celebrate your birthday with you. Your stomach grumbled, it had been past eleven. The restaurant must’ve been closed by now, you softly massage your temples and decide to take a shower first. Seeing how in peace he is, you’d wake him up when you’re done cooking. Taking your steps further toward the wardrobe, you halt.
Jungkook held your hand, “won’t you see what gift I got you?” You smiled, looking over at him. “I thought you were asleep.” He hums, getting up, “I was but…” he cleared his throat, “close your eyes.” You chuckled, “What did you get me, c’mon.” He clicked his tongue, “Eyes close first.” You rolled your eyes, “fine!”
“Open!” He clapped, and you did. Examining him up and down as you frowned, “Where is it?” “Me. I am your gift.” You rolled your eyes back to your skull with a smile, he laughed, “Look there.” He turns your body toward your desk as you gasp, a mechanical vintage keyboard is placed there. “Shut up.”
He laughed, “It’s original.” You place your hand over your mouth, you’ve wanted one for so long. You turn to your endeared husband, throwing yourself in his arms, “I love you!” He giggled and held you close, you clutched onto him tightly. “I love you more, sweetheart.” He swayed you in his arms as you excitedly touched the keys.
“This is gorgeous!” You yelled monstrously as he chuckled and hurriedly opened his bedside drawer, taking out his Polaroid camera. “Y/n.” You looked back at him as he clicked the picture. “You like it?” He asked, looking over at your wide smile and shaky pupils. It’s rare to get you jumping like a little girl, he’s very assured he might be the only one to get you happy to this extent.
“I love it!” You hug him again, kissing his cheek with a smooch. He smiles like a stupid boy In love, “I also ordered a new laptop for you, I know you need one.” You looked at his face, hugging him tight again. What else could you ask from your life? “You take so much care of me.” You say while looking into his shaky pupils.
He softly tugs your cheeks, “It’s because it’s my responsibility.” You smiled, leaning in to softly kiss his lips as he gave you back the sweetness of his tongue. Kissing your forehead afterwards. “It’s too late to go have dinner.” You looked in his eyes, a little saddened. He sighs, “Well, then would you want to have some steak?”
You smile and nod, “Yes.” He chuckled, “I’ll order some food.” You hum, “I’ll go take a shower meanwhile.” You say and turn to your wardrobe, taking out your crème silk nightgown and going into the bathroom for a shower all while Jungkook orders some food for you both. When you were done, you immediately went down knowing he told you he was in the hall.
Turning off the lights as your footsteps thump in the quiet hallways, Jungkook serving some food with the television on. “Did you shower, already?” You nod, “Yeah.” You sink on the couch beside him, patiently waiting for him to serve you as he did so. Juicy stake with peanut-flavoured chickpeas and lettuce. “Wow.”
You comfortably fold your legs and take a big satisfying bite. “Is it good?” He asked, spreading homemade garlic butter on your piece of stake. “It’s delicious.” He hums and sinks in just like you. Watching a random movie as you both enjoy your past birthday meal, considering it was already past twelve. You sat and ate in silence, usually, you banter about preferences but today you were just too hungry.
The white wine on the side gave you just enough reasons to shut up. You sip the last bit and exhale in content. “Are you satisfied?” He asks, opening another thermocol box. “Yes, all the back cramps were paid off.” He chuckled, opening a small perfect red ganache cake. You smile, reading what has been written on it with white frosting.
Laughing out loudly afterwards, “Thirty-one and still hot.” He reads as you laugh, giggling with your chest. Taking the wooden spoon, you take a bit of it and forward it to Jungkook. He licks it clean, “it’s tasty.” He says as if he wasn’t expecting much. You taste yourself and scrunch your nose, “strawberries.” “You don’t like it?”
“No, I like it.” You say and curve your spoon for a bigger bite, nodding your head when your tastebuds are satisfied. Shivering at the cold breeze that came directly from the trees around you, you rub your arms. He puts down the cake, none of you had a sweet tooth. But Jungkook still preferred to get cakes on birthdays for a little celebratory treat.
You sigh, taking your feet up on the soft material of the couch. Husband scoots closer as you place your head on his shoulder, watching the screen ahead of you. Eyes drowsy, Jungkook wraps his arm around you and pulls you closer. You hid yourself in his white shirt and closed your eyes, tired of all the work that you’d been putting through the whole day. He softly caresses your slightly wet hair, kissing your head afterwards.
“Tired?”
“Hm.”
He exhaled, turning the TV off and picking you up, walking toward your bedroom upstairs and dropping you on the bed gently. You squirmed, you weren’t asleep yet. Whining at the loss of comfort as he wrapped a thick comforter around you and you finally stopped, joined by him again as you immediately clutched his torso, feeling at most home. “Good night, love.” You hummed without a word and slept, draped with arms full of love.
101 notes · View notes
sinsirellaxx · 23 hours
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I love love love your toxic Slytherin boys series. Can you write how they would react if you tried to give them notes (aka constructively criticize them in bed). I think it would be cute/funny. ILY!
Slytherin boys – you (respectfully) criticize them in bed
Warning: Toxic boys and slight smut here and there
A/N: I'm sorry, this isn't as funny and cute as I initially wanted it to be – but I hope you still enjoy it! Love you too! ❤️
Mattheo …
… is shocked. He’d be deeply offended but instead of blowing up or trying to argue he’ll just have to prove that he is unmatched in bed. Whatever you tell him, he’ll disprove. If you tell him that he should pay more attention to your clit, whenever he goes down on you, he would do exactly that. But with a twist: he’d not stop until you were crying from being overstimulated, the muscles in your thighs spasming – your body completely shutting off.
“Already tired, love?” He’d murmur breathlessly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “We’re just getting started, doll. You’re in for a long night.”
Theodore …
… blinked at you when you told him he was always too rough. “Too rough?” He questioned; his brows raised. Your cheek flushed red as you fidgeted in front of him, slowly nodding your head as you confessed that it hurt sometimes.
“I’m sorry for hurting you, tesoro.” He whispered softly, tracing your jaw with his fingers before taking a hold of your chin. “I’ll be more careful. Sometimes I just can’t help it – I get lost in the feeling of you.” He mumbled seductively as he lifted your face to kiss you.
Lorenzo …
… scoffed when you told him that he was bad with his fingers. He glared at you as you apologized, telling him that you didn’t mean to offend him. Lorenzo would not touch you for days. He’d reject any advances from you and watch your face fall every time.
He’d wait until the perfect timing until he made his move – which was in class. You were sitting next to him at the far back of the classroom. Enzo moved his right hand to your thigh, the corners of his lips twitching as he felt you flinch and tense up. His fingers teased the hem of your skirt before moving his fingers towards your panties. You tried removing his hand from advancing any further, but he managed to slip his fingers under the cotton fabric, slowly teasing your slit.
He'd show you how talented he was with his fingers. He was an excellent pianist after all.
Draco …
… is offended. No matter how nice and careful you were about it Draco was mad. He’d be ashamed. Instead of trying to listen to you he would completely reject whatever you have to say.
He wouldn’t initiate intimacy for the next few weeks either and would always find an excuse. “I’m not in the mood.” “Not now.”
He would be so petty about the whole thing. You would have to pull him aside and talk to him about it, reassuring him that he was great.
Blaise …
… laughed out loud. When you repeated what you said and told him you were being serious, he stopped. He didn’t know what to say either but after gathering his thoughts he asked you to exactly tell him what you want before removing his shirt. He’d not let you leave before you hadn’t told him how you liked it.
Tom …
… threw you on his bed before you could even open your lips to speak. He read your mind – which he occasionally did – and was shocked to hear you weren’t completely satisfied. He had taken offense to your thoughts and the only way for him to forgive you is to make you regret thinking them.
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little-diable · 16 hours
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There's just something about you – Professor!Austin Butler (smut)
Well well well, ofc I {as somebody who has a massive prof!crush} had to give in and write this. I think this has potential for a part 2, so please tell me how you feel about that. Please like and reblog if you enjoyed reading this, your comments keep us writers motivated! Enjoy my loves. xxx
Summary: The reader works as Professor Butler's teaching assistant. The two are about to take a trip with his class when she gets sick. While staying with him for the weekend the two finally give in to the pull keeping them chained together.
Warnings: 18+, smut, piv, oral (f), professor x TA relationship, quite fluffy
Pairing: prof!Austin Butler x fem!TA!reader (3k words)
picture credit to the original owner
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“Alright, listen up!“ Professor Butler’s voice echoed through the room. His words were followed by instant silence, forcing all eyes towards the handsome professor. She stood close to him, not enough to feel his body heat clashing against her, though just enough to hyperfocus on the scent of his expensive cologne – a scent she’d always pick up on, no matter where she was at.
“As you all know, we’re leaving for our trip next week. (Y/n) was kind enough to take over the bookings, but we need you to find one or two people to share a room with. Please send (y/n) an email til Monday, so we can avoid any confusion when we check in. If you have any further questions about the trip or concerns, feel free to reach out to one of us.”
She had joined the faculty as Professor Butler’s PhD candidate and teaching assistant a while ago, slowly having to adjust to being around a man like him. At first, (y/n) had struggled to focus, fighting against the urge to stare at him at any given chance, but slowly she had gotten more and more relaxed around him, actually getting to enjoy her interactions with the young professor. 
“Please don’t forget your homework, alright? I’ll see you all next week.” The room was filled with loud noises as he ended the class, forcing the students to their feet and out into the hallway. (Y/n) busied herself with his notes, rechecking them before she allowed her gaze to find his bright eyes. “You did good today, (y/n), if you feel comfortable enough you can gladly do next week’s class on your own.” 
“I don’t think I feel ready to do this without you yet.” His big hand found her shoulder, leaving her torn between focusing on the feeling of his thumb softly stroking the fabric of her blouse, and the intense eye contact he now held with her. For a second, neither of them spoke, leaving (y/n) to wonder what he was thinking about. 
“Alright, but you’re by far better than me at catching their attention, I hope one day you’ll realise that.” Professor Butler’s raspy chuckle had an addicting effect to it, leaving her to avert her gaze as he took a step away from her. “Chinese takeout while we grade the essays?” 
……
She woke with a pained whine as her hand reached for her phone, trying to read the time. It was Saturday morning, two days before they’d go on their short trip, but her body was clearly fighting against all plans, making her suffer from a sore throat and a blocked nose. Curses wanted to claw through her, cursing fate for pushing her into her misery. 
(Y/n) had been looking forward to the trip for a while, excited about spending some more time with Professor Butler outside of his office and the room he was teaching in. Secretly she had hoped for some more calmer moments where they could go back to sharing information about one another that had nothing to do with their research or their university work. Hopes that were now evaporating into nothing but cold air. 
For a moment, (y/n) pondered over her choices, but her fingers had already started to move before her mind could protest, opening the email app. With a few quick words she sent her professor a small warning, telling him that she was sick and would most likely not be able to join on Monday. She felt pathetic for the wave of hurt and exhaustion flushing through her, leaving her trembling body to search the warmth of her bed. 
It didn’t take long for her phone to go off, forcing her glassy eyes to read his reply. Simple words told her to give him a call with his added number to the email. Perhaps it was the fault of her cold, perhaps it was the fault of her hazy thoughts, whatever it was, it stopped (y/n) from overthinking, clicking on the number before her anxiety could get the best of her. 
“Morning, (y/n).” His raspy voice shot shudders down her spine, momentarily letting her eyes flutter close. She repeated the greeting while internally cringing at the raspy sound of her voice. “Oh sweetheart, you sound horrible.”
Heat rose to her face at the pet name, having to forcefully stop herself from gasping. She could only let go of a hum, not trusting herself to speak coherent words he could easily pick up on. 
“Are you still living alone?” A while ago (y/n) had told him about her struggles to find a roommate, unsure who to pick as she had high priorities she didn’t want to let go of. Once again she hummed, wondering where he was taking this conversation. “Alright, I want you to pack a bag. I’ll pick you up in a few, you’re spending the weekend with me, I can’t go on that trip without you. We’ll get you back to your healthy self in no time.”
“Professor,” she sat up as she tried to protest, having to drown out the sinful thoughts instantly flushing through her mind. “I don’t want to take up any of your space, and you could also get sick. I’ll be alright here, don’t worry.”
“No, you’re staying with me. I won’t accept any protests, (y/n). What’s your address?”
It hadn’t taken long for them to end the call, for her to take a quick shower and to pack a bag. Her heart kept racing in her chest, urging her to move, to be smart about the things she packed. She barely got any time to overthink as he had arrived at her place rather quickly, but now as she was sitting on his couch, wrapped in a blanket, (y/n)’s thoughts finally caught up with her. 
Austin – as he had asked her to call him – was all too gentle with her, tending to her every need with worry tugging on his features. (Y/n) could only guess that she looked as horrible as she felt, tired eyes barely managing to stay open, and yet she didn’t want to miss a thing, cherishing the chance to be so close to him. 
“How about we watch a movie before I make some soup, huh?” Austin plopped down next to her, tugging on her legs to place them in his lap. (Y/n) allowed herself to study him for a few seconds, his blonde hair had that slightly unruly touch to it, blue eyes focusing on his TV. He wore a simple white shirt that perfectly stuck to his muscles, paired with blue jeans that gave him a different touch to the version of him who always wore suits in class. 
“Sure, I’m good with whatever.” He shot her a quick smile that left her trembling, having to calm her racing heart with her grasp on the blanket growing stronger. She barely managed to pay the opening sequence of the movie any attention, getting lost in her thoughts as his thumb stroked the soft skin of her ankle, holding onto her as if he was scared she could slip right through his fingers. 
For the first time in years, she felt an unfamiliar kind of safety wrapping itself around her, clinging to her like a second skin made to protect her, to cherish her, to perhaps even love her. 
……
Quiet steps carried her towards the big kitchen, engulfed in darkness as (y/n) started the kettle, hoping that another cup of tea could finally lull her to sleep. She was too deep in thought to notice his approaching figure, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed in front of his naked chest. 
“You alright, sweetheart?” (Y/n) jumped at the sound of his raspy voice, pressing her hand to her chest as she turned towards him. A laugh clawed through Austin, guiding him closer to her with slow steps. “Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you.” 
(Y/n) had to turn from him, trying to focus on the almost boiling water as he came to a halt behind her, reaching for another cup. His naked upper body was pressed against her back, one of his arms found its way around her waist to keep her close to him. Goosebumps covered her limbs, silently whispering to her, guiding her hand to find his. 
No words were spoken between the two as she poured the hot water into the big cups while Austin reached for the teabags. He loosened his hold on her as if he was begging her to turn around, to get lost in the bright eyes that reminded her of warm summer mornings spent at the beach, getting lost in daydreams that felt more real than memories of things she had lived through. Her body urged her to move, to lean against the counter with her eyes finding his features, wandering over his handsome face. 
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, (y/n)?” She didn’t trust her voice, knowing that she’d most likely make a fool of herself, but the two hands finding her waist, keeping her caged between his tall frame and the counter, encouraged her to part her lips. (Y/n)’s eyes focused on his neck, on the golden necklace he wore, dangling from his neck like a pendulum about to give her a glimpse into her future. 
“I,” a shaky exhale left (y/n), trusting her mind and heart to guide her. “I keep thinking about how comfortable I feel here. Thank you for letting me stay with you, Austin.” 
She expected him to shoot her his signature smile, to pull away from her to reach for his cup. But he kept close to her, hand slowly moving up to her face, cupping her cold cheek. He forced her to look up at him, making her breath hitch in her chest as she watched his gaze flicker between her eyes and her lips. 
“I tried to stay away from you, but you’re not making it easy for me, sweetheart.” (Y/n) got no chance to reply, silenced by the feeling of his lips finding hers. Ever since she had joined his team, (y/n) had imagined this very moment, wondering how his lips would feel pressed against hers, how he’d hold onto her as they got lost in their kiss. But this was so very different to all these daydreams, more intense, more exciting even. With his hands finding the back of her thighs, he helped her onto the counter, allowing himself to stand between her thighs as they kept kissing. 
“Now you’re definitely getting sick for sure,” (y/n) mumbled the words against his lips as they parted to catch their breaths. Austin’s raspy laugh echoed through the kitchen, bright eyes burning her skin as if she was caught in a wildfire, about to burn to the ground. 
“For you I’ll gladly take on the struggles of being sick.” His words left her heart roaring, lips finding his once again. Their tongues met in a teeth clashing kiss, wordlessly managing to communicate their longing, the desperate need they had fought against these past months. “I need you to be honest with me, do you want this? I don’t want to pressure you, sweetheart.”
“Take me to bed, professor.” (Y/n)’s smirk grew wider as his pupils dilated, picking her up without another warning. She had her legs wrapped around him, face buried in the crook of his neck. Within seconds they found themselves in Austin’s bedroom, he didn’t give her much time to take in the big room, the pictures gracing the walls, fully focused on him as he pressed her down on the mattress. 
Austin kissed his way down her throat as if he was following the trail of a treasure hunt, high on the adrenaline of the search. (Y/n) trembled beneath him while her fingers tugged on the hairs at the nape of his neck before moving down to his muscular shoulders. Somehow it felt as if they had done this numerous times before, knowing exactly how and where to touch one another. 
He parted from her to pull her shirt over her head, focus instantly drawn to her naked chest. The way Austin was staring at her made (y/n) feel as if he was marvelling at a masterpiece, a creation of old times the human mind barely managed to understand. Carefully he cupped her breasts, groaning at the feeling of her soft skin pressing against his. They held eye contact as he brought his lips back to her skin, sucking on both nipples before kissing his way down her stomach. 
“Austin,” (y/n) choked on his name, begging him to keep on moving, to touch her where she needed him the most. 
“Talk to me, sweetheart, what do you want?” His voice grew lower with every spoken syllable, pushing heat down to her core. She felt her walls clench around nothing, begging him to finally fuck her. 
“You, all of you. Please, I need you so badly.” Without speaking another word, he ripped her panties from her hips, letting his fingers explore her arousal-covered folds. His name rolled off her tongue, she arched her back at the careful touches, trying to shuffle even closer. Austin could do whatever he wanted to her at that very moment, she was putty in his hands, his to toy with, his to use for his own pleasure. Whatever he wanted, she’d do it, if he kept on touching her like this. 
“Will you let me taste you? I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.” (Y/n) could only nod her head, letting go of a breathless gasp the second his rough tongue brushed through her folds. Austin moaned at her taste, he wrapped one arm around her thigh, keeping her pressed to him while the other hand found her clit, rubbing the bundle of nerves with his fingers. Within the first seconds of him touching her, (y/n) had known that she wouldn’t be able to hold on for long, overstimulated by his touches. 
No longer could she spare her hurting throat any attention, no longer did she struggle to breathe on, all she could do was focus on him, on the way he dipped his tongue into her tightness, how he added more speed to his movements, pushing her closer and closer to the edge.
“You taste so sweet, I could stay like that forever, if you’ll let me.” She moaned at his praise, fingernails scratching at his skin to try and hold on. Her legs were trembling from the strength she used to curl her toes, unsure how much longer she could stop herself from giving in to an intense orgasm. 
“It’s alright, cum for me, show me how pretty you look when you cum for me.” Austin’s words pushed her into the open arms of her orgasm, calling out his name as he kept circling her clit with a smirk glued to his lips. He watched her every move, every micro-expression he could pick up on, fully mesmerised by the beautiful woman he had wanted to pull closer for months. 
“Oh god,” (y/n) panted the words, drawing gleeful chuckles from Austin as he let go of her. Her glassy eyes watched him undress, gaze wandering down his muscular upper body, past his six-pack to his sweatpants. His cock sprang free as he stepped out of his clothes, a sight that pushed heat straight down to her cunt, needing to feel him buried inside of her. “I need you to fuck me now, I can’t wait any longer, Austin.”
“Mhm, such a desperate girl, we should teach you some patience one day.” He reached for a condom, rolled it down his cock and positioned himself between her thighs. With her hand finding the back of his neck, (y/n) pulled him back down for a kiss, distracting herself from the slight pain as he pushed into her, having to adjust to his size. For a second, they held still, clinging to one another to let go of a few deep exhales, fingers interlaced to try and keep themselves grounded. 
“Move, please, professor.” Austin let go of a growl at the use of the title, building a comfortable rhythm that allowed one another to get used to the sensation. He was careful with her, not daring to hurt her when she was still sick, not fully able to guide her body. But the blissful expression tugging on her features was enough to calm his racing heart, finding enjoyment in the way she clung to him, how she seemingly felt the same pull he did.
They were a mess of tangled limbs, of moans blurring together, of hearts beating in sync, a match so perfect neither of them wanted to break out of their very own bubble. Their bodies met with every thrust, bringing them closer and closer together, while their eyes found back together. 
“My pretty girl, I don’t want to let you go again.” He murmured the words against her lips, luring a soft chuckle out of (y/n). 
“Don’t let me go, don’t you dare.” Her head rolled back as his cock nudged her swollen spot, leaving him grinning in success. Austin kept staring down at her, trying to burn every passing second into his mind, praying that he won’t ever forget about this night. 
“Touch yourself, make yourself cum on my cock, sweetheart.” With a gasp leaving her, her fingers found her pulsing clit, moving quickly to give her the needed push. He fucked her through her second orgasm, letting go himself as she relaxed beneath him. 
Austin clung to her as they both tried to catch their breaths, only parting as they managed to break through the hazy fog wrapping itself around the two lovers. He threw away the condom before he returned to her, cupping her now warm cheek to pull her in for another kiss. 
“How about a bath?” She could only nod as he picked her up and carried her into his bathroom, while making the silent promise to cherish her for as long as she’ll let him.
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mins-fins · 2 days
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OH FUCK YOU CUPID! [PREVIEW].
❝may the best man win!❞
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SYNOPSIS: where resident "cupid" zhong chenle wants to cause mayhem, and maybe start a fight too, so he sets up three of the most competitive guys he knows with none other than you. now— they are at each other's throat trying to get your attention, and also score a date with you.
PAIRING: lee jeno, lee donghyuck, & na jaemin x male!reader
GENRE: university au, romantic comedy, sort of matchmaker au??, actually theres angst too, three stubborn boys fight over a very confused one, 00z (besides renjun) going insane over a MAN
WARNINGS: swearing, explicit language, unrealistic romantic situations, childish behavior, somewhat possessive behavior, mentions of sex but no smut, mentions of drinking, an abuse of italics, lots of date crashing
WORD COUNT: 1.5k (preview) | est. 12k–15k (full fic)
NOTES: if you can forgive me for not updating for like two days, take this as my little apology 🙁 yeah so this spawned out of ANOTHER draft i began that hasn't been touched since december, but i reread it and i just sort of changed up the synopsis and love interests!! yeah anyway this is isa's multi-pairing debut, but this is also only a preview, the real thing is much more messy! i can't promise WHEN it's going to come out because i genuinely do have a lot going on.. but it is halfway done! um yeah tysm for waiting for me!! alright bye😖
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YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN CONFUSED LIKE YOU ARE NOW. when you heard a knock on your door, accompanied by the sound of two muffled voices bickering behind it, you expected it to be one of your classmates, chenle and jisung coming to ask for another stupid favor, or your lab partner coming to get extra notes for your project. you usually don't let people into your dorm after six pm, mostly because after six pm is time you spend strictly studying, and you do not need distractions when you're gonna be up all night losing sleep.
but no, none of that, you guess you aren't that good at predicting your fate.
when you open the door, rubbing your eyes, which hurt from the hours you spent staring down several biology papers, you pause at the sight before you.
there are three boys there, two of them going back and forth whilst one stands silent between them. their arguing must distract them enough that they don't notice you standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them like they're crazy.
"um".
why do you say um? maybe the general confusion of the situation is what makes your brain short circuit in that very moment, but you don't exactly have any actual words you can say. there is no reason these three very attractive guys should be at your doorstep at this time.
as quickly as you utter that word, you regret it, because the two formerly bickering guys turn their heads right towards you, gazes focused on you and only you.
suddenly, it feels like all of your senses heighten, your hands become sweaty, your breathing seems to become louder, and your face heats up to the point that your sure steam is going to start pouring out of your ears.
of course, you recognize the three at your doorstep, but the situation still doesn't click for you.
on the left is na jaemin, resident pretty boy na jaemin, the two of you had a political science together in your sophomore year, and while he did always seem to want to be more than friends, you chalked that up to his habit of looking like he's in love with all of his friends. his flirtatious words and romantic references never meant anything to you, because he's like that with every other pretty guy that goes to your school.
in the middle is lee jeno, class crush lee jeno, you know him because of a get together renjun forced the two of you to be apart of way back in your freshmen year, and while jeno is nothing short of beautiful, he's nothing like jaemin. jeno is less obvious in the romantic department, of course he has so many people falling at his feet, and you can't blame them. he's gorgeous, a true work of art, and the two of you have been told on certain occasions that you'd be a great couple, but nothing ever seemed to come out of that.
and on the right, lee donghyuck, star student lee donghyuck, always the top student, always wins the awards, you unfortunately know him the best out of the three, considering the two of you spent all summer together. it didn't go as well as you wanted it to, some things happened between the two of you that you don't feel like explaining right now. you haven't had a genuine talk since school began, both of you trying hard to erase that little summer fling away from your minds. you think he might be a little insane, much too smart for everyone's own good, but you can't look past his ethereal beauty either.
so what are these three doing on your doorstep on a school night?
before you can ask that exact question, donghyuck answers it for you.
"i'm here to take you out on a date".
you almost collapse onto the floor.
jaemin's eyebrows furrow, and he's quick to turn and glare at the older. "no you're not!"
"yes i am! i got here first!"
"you did not! and even if you did y/n doesn't want to go out with you—"
"i suggest you watch your tone, na".
you blink, dumbfounded at the news bestowed upon you. the two continue their back and forth argument, and your face only heats up more as it dawns on you that they're arguing about you, about taking you out on a date.
you don't know how you stand your ground.
"you too?" you barely manage the words, feeling as if you were about to pass out at any second, and you point your index finger at jeno, the most silent of the bunch.
he only nods. "i was hoping saturday..?"
"that makes no se— wait, you were hoping WHAT!?"
jaemin's screech is enough to make the once stone cold jeno flinch. a look of offense crosses the older lee's face, and any tranquility he had disappeared in an instant. "y/n and i are going out saturday".
"says who!?"
"says me?"
"he didn't even agree to your offer" donghyuck glares daggers at jeno, who imitates his gaze. he's pissed, and so is jeno, and so is jaemin, all three of them are pissed. "don't get so confident".
"it doesn't matter" jeno answers like it's a matter of a fact. "he likes me more than he does you".
"oh yeah?"
"yeah he does" jeno whispers as he leans closer to donghyuck, the words a taunting mantra to the younger, who looks seconds away from punching him. "he wouldn't go on a date with you even if you offered him a hundred dollars".
"you should really watch what you say".
"really? i'd love to see you even try and land a punc—"
"who sent you three here?"
your question is enough to get the two to stop arguing, and they slowly move away from each other. jeno pokes his tongue against the inside of cheek, and donghyuck just crosses his arms, an eye roll accompanying his action. jaemin gives the two a judgmental glance before focusing all of his attention on you again. "chenle".
"chenle?"
"well chenle told me—"
"chenle didn't tell you anything".
"how are you so sure? if i remember correctly, you said you weren't into y/n" jaemin grits his teeth, eyes pointed at donghyuck, who scoffs, humored by the words.
"since when? i'm the only one hear whose ever done anything with y/n, you're too busy around with other guys and jeno's too much of a coward to confess".
"please, coward? if you're so in love with y/n maybe you should've told him that instead of ghosting him, that's pretty cowardly behavior".
you watch the three begin going back and forth, absolutely speechless. why are they fighting over you? why did chenle tell them to come here? why does this have to happen right now?
"i— um, shit uh" you awkwardly chuckle, hoping you don't sound as pathetic as you feel. "maybe we can chat about this tomorrow yeah? yeah! right, um, goodnight!"
you don't think twice before slamming the door on their faces, locking it behind you. you slide down the door and collide with the floor, face red, thoughts all over the place, and only one sentiment echoing in your mind.
you are going to murder zhong chenle.
"great job, hyuck, you scared him off".
donghyuck finds jaemin's audacity hilarious, so hilarious he even laughs. "i scared him off? if anything jeno did!"
"i didn't do anything" jeno argues, he really doesn't how the younger is speaking to him at the moment. "your just mad y/n's gonna end up going out with me instead".
"woah woah, who said that?"
"i mean.. we all know".
"whose we?" donghyuck challenges. "because, and don't take this personally, you couldn't even confess to the guy before this, what makes you think he'll want to go on a date with you?"
"you know your really getting on my nerves right now".
"okay okay you two" jaemin curses in his mind, how did he end up being the most sensible of the three? "don't start anything physical, it's y/n's choice at the end of the day.."
"which is why it's stupid of donghyuck here to think y/n wants to go anywhere with him".
donghyuck rolls his eyes again, but instead of looking at jeno this time, he looks at jaemin. "no, he's right, it's y/n's choice, and i'm gonna do everything to make sure i'm the one he's with on saturday".
"get over yourself" jeno remarks, glancing over at your door. "your not going to end up with him".
donghyuck hums, a snicker added onto it. "alright then, watch me prove you wrong".
"i'd love to see you try".
jaemin looks between the two, oh this is bad, this is very bad, but he isn't about to let them be able to take you out before him.
"may the best man win, then" jaemin gives the two overly aggressive pats on the back before turning around and walking the other way.
he doesn't care, he's getting that date.
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floralcyanide · 1 day
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ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴘʀᴏꜰᴇꜱꜱᴏʀ!ᴊᴏʜɴ “ʙᴜᴄᴋʏ” ᴇɢᴀɴ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ
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Today is your first day pursuing your Master of Arts in History, and the first day you meet your advisor, Dr. Egan, Professor of History.
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pairing: professor!john "bucky" egan / fem!reader
warnings: none
author’s note: peep the somewhat grey hair edit of bucky I made lol, this is such s elf indulgent au because I am a history major looking to go into my master's and also I want to be a history professor so yeah ((: I will either write this as an actual fic but idk yet!! enjoy (:
masterlist | divider credit: @cafekitsune
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✦ It’s your first day on your path toward your Master of Arts in History. You’re meeting with your advisor today, who will help you on that very path and hopefully guide you to its end with success.
✦ Apparently, your advisor is prevalent around campus despite you never having a class of his. Your university is quite large, so even though your focus is American History, and so is his, it’s not unheard of to never have met him.
✦ He wasn’t too into social events held by the history department, which is understandable. You loved attending them in your later years of being an underclassmen. But they can be overwhelming at times. 
✦ You wrap your knuckles against the wooden door before you, and before you can finish knocking, a tall, salt-and-pepper man swings the door open with a dazzling smile.
✦ “Welcome, I’m Dr. Egan. I’ll be your advisor for the rest of your time here on campus.” He offers a hand for you to shake, which you happily take. His grip is firm, but so is yours. You were taught to look someone right in the eye while shaking their hand firmly- but not too firmly. Dr. Egan picks up on this.
✦ You’re one of three female history majors in the entire department going toward a Master’s and one of about twenty altogether in the major. So, of course, you’re going to need a firm handshake and steady eye contact to get ahead in your field.
✦ “Quite a handshake you have there,” Dr. Egan says, taking a seat behind his desk. He waves a hand for you to sit in one of the chairs in front of it. “Thank you,” you say, “My grandfather taught me always to have a perfect grip.” “Your grandfather was right,” Dr. Egan nods, “because in this major, being an equal with the males will take you far.”
✦ Your grandfather and father were history buffs and even lived through major historical moments, like the World Wars. So your goal in life is to teach others about what they loved so dearly and went through so harshly.
✦ Your mother had you just a few years before your father was shipped off to England, so you spent the beginning of your school years without him. Your grandfather filled in the gaps you missed from your father, thankfully. Sadly, your grandfather passed just last year, but you aim to carry his legacy and intelligence.
✦ “I’m aware, unfortunately,” you grimace at the thought of the male-dominating discipline, “But I’ve made it this far, and I’m not backing down.” “Great, I’m glad to hear that. Especially since you’re the first student I’ve ever advised for a Masters.” “Really?” you ask, a little surprised, “Then we’ll do this together.”
✦ Dr. Egan winks at that and dives into what research will be required for your first paper. The topic is based on the thesis statement of your final project, a little warm-up, as Dr. Egan called it- to the real deal at the end of your two years of studying. You go on to tell him that you want your thesis to be about the pilots of World War II, but you don’t elaborate on why. 
✦ Dr. Egan tilts his head at you when you don’t explain why you chose that exact topic but let it go. He’s had to learn that everyone has skeletons in their closet, as well as personal things, and not just him.
✦ You can’t help but take in his appearance. His outfit consists of a brown tweed blazer and a white button-up with black slacks. His hair is curly and graying on the sides, and he has a faint stubble with a notable mustache on his upper lip. Dr. Egan held himself carefully but confidently, like he’d been hurt by something but still had an ego of sorts. It reminds you of your father and grandfather. You weren’t sure why.  But you’re going to figure it out.
✦ Dr. Egan is in his 40s now and picked up college again after leaving the military due to PTSD. He eventually got his Ph.D. in History and is now a professor, and has been for a few years now. He enjoys his job. Dr. Egan (or Bucky, as we know him) loves that he can focus on American History without living through it, so he teaches it. Bucky tries to avoid WWII as a topic because he doesn’t want students and staff to know he served. He thinks it will hinder their outlook on him. 
✦ Bucky has only known you through letters and now an hour of talking, but he already expects a lot from you. He knows you are skilled and passionate about history. When you look at him, though, he feels you can see right through him. Bucky doesn’t know how to gauge that quite yet.
✦ You bid farewell to Dr. Egan after about two hours of getting to know each other's basic info as well as what’s expected of your MA in History. You leave, letting out a deep breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding as you walked out of the office. You’re still nervous, but not about your Master’s anymore- it’s about how you’re going to manage the next two years with a man like Dr. Egan.
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ashtheketchum · 3 days
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How they met you Bayverse TMNT
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A/N: I kind of felt like writing something with the turtles again. :3 In my private time I have written a lot about them (especially about Donnie) and I could publish my stuff here :D (Picture from Pinterest!)
Warnings: Mention of weapons and violence
__________________________________________
Leonardo (Strangers to Lovers):
On the night patrol, Leo had decided to split up a bit
On the roofs, he looked closely at the streets and alleys to ensure the safety of the city
At a traffic light, Leo saw you
You were standing next to an older lady and you were chatting with her as you helped her across the street
Your smile was gentle and loving as the older woman laughed with joy
Leo looked at the scenario for a while before you and the older woman walked across the street
When you were on the other side, you waved to the older lady and then continued on your way
Leo briefly looked after the older woman before following you over the rooftops
He followed you until you were at your apartment and put some food out for the street cats
With such a simple action you had Leo's full attention and he was happy that there were still people like you
He made it his own mission to take care of you
Raphael (Cinnamon roll and Guard dog):
Raphael spotted you while he was on patrol
You were backed into a corner and threatened with a gun. The thief wanted your valuables and all your money
Raphael immediately intervened by throwing his sai so that the weapon was knocked away by the thief
Then he grabbed a few bricks and threw them down to knock out the thief
The thief ran away while you still stared up to see your savior
Raph saw a dark corner where you couldn't see him and he jumped into it
"Give me back my weapons."
You had thrown them into the shadows as you silently looked in his direction
You thanked him several times before you stood up and tried to walk towards him, but Raph immediately growled loudly, making you jump back
"Can I meet you again?" you asked him
Raph just huffed before climbing up and leaving you alone
Donatello (Sexy sassy and timid nerd):
Donnie sometimes sneaked into famous universities (without Leo knowing) to see what it was like at a public university
He also saw you quite often during class
Donnie found you very interesting, even though you never really listened, didn't take notes, and never participated in class, you got good grades and got through every class
You were quite popular, with the boys and girls, but you had rejected everyone
One day Donnie had put his number in your bag, hoping he could get to know you better
He knew it was risky, but he wanted to try it. His brothers simply weren't allowed to know
Of course you found his number and called him immediately, but it was a video call
Donnie had always taped up his cameras, but it still scared him. Then he answered
You talked for a while and he had to spend a really long time proving that he didn't go to your university but was homeschooled
You had a good time and even became friends
Donnie found himself admiring you as you still had your camera on and sometimes smiled into it
Michelangelo (Aggressive chihuahua and calm giant):
Mikey had spotted you when it was Halloween and everyone was out celebrating
He snuck out and tried his luck at talking to you. He always got along well with his looks, including you
You had put on the Hogwarts uniform and even had a wand
Mikey complimented you and you had a very long conversation, which you both enjoyed
You told him that his costume looked incredibly realistic, to which he could only giggle nervously
"I've been working on it all year, little one."
His little nicknames for you always made you giggle and his heart fluttered every time he heard it
But when Mikey was whistled back by Leo, he staggered towards you in disappointment before disappearing into the crowd so that no one noticed him anymore
You were disappointed that he had to leave, just like Mikey was disappointed to leave
Since then, you came to the place where you met every day and Mikey saw you there all the time
But Leo had forbidden him to talk to you
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abbysbraids · 2 days
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Classmate ellie hcs
who falls in love with you the first time she laying eyes on you ,she can’t stop thinking about you always wondering what your doing who your thinking about how you look like
who secretly watches you during class when you meet her eye contact she quickly looks away shit she just got caught you staring at her she must think I’m a weirdo
little does she know you fell for her harder you knew she also liked you too but you always were too scared to do anything about it , you couldn’t stand seeing her with other girls in your class talking and laughing you want her to be yours no needed her to be yours
Ellie who doesn’t pay attention in class instead draws you in her journal and writing poems about you , she feels your eyes on her blushing at the thought of your sweet smile how could she fall for you were you even into girls? Did you like her back ?
You got her snap from one of your classmates you want to talk to her to love her , too nervous to text her for a couple of days but it’s was the weekend just having a boost of confidence you decided to text her a simple hey
“ hi it’s y/n from you class:) “
her heart raising as she sees your name on her phone how did you find her ? She wasn’t complaining tho , fingers shaking as she types a response
“ hey of course I remember you , your pretty hard to forget pretty girl “
The nickname almost had you fall to your knees luckily you catch yourself in time to reply
“ your not so bad yourself ellie always seeing you staring at me in class liking the view?
“ uhh sorry it’s not in a creepy way your just too gorgeous i can’t help it sometimes
“ it’s okay I don’t mind I like your eyes on me it’s flattering:)
“ not to be too forward but are you free for a date this week totally okay if your not
“ I would love that how about tomorrow 7?
“ yeah that workers for me where’s your place so I can pick you up princess
you tell her your address screaming from the nerves of seeing her tomorrow what was gonna happen?
Note: sorry for kinda a late update so fucking tired from test 😔pls save me I’m so done pls anyways might make a part 2 of this if you guys enjoy this that’s it bye babys take care of yourself drink water and eat a snack if you didn’t today ily mwah 💗🫶🏻
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saythenametotheworld · 15 hours
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Message in a Bottle [1]
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Genre: strangers to lovers; fluff; slow burn Pairing: Choi Seungcheol x Reader Warnings: mature themes, sloooow burn, suggestive Notes: 19.7k words, song prompt was Message in a Bottle by Taylor Swift. Synopsis: Seungcheol likes his coffee dark and iced; you like yours creamy smooth and searing hot. Your differences, mutual interests, and love for coffee bring you close together. It was all fun and games until you fell madly in love with a Choi Seungcheol whose heart still belonged to someone else.
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It was crowded when you went for your usual coffee run at the cafe across the street from your university. The rain was pouring hard and for you, the unexpected downpour was today's bad luck because you didn't have an umbrella with you. Fortunately, your jacket kept you warm and some nice schoolmate shared her umbrella with you on your way to the cafe. The ambiance is nice, like always and you're thinking about staying until the rain passes, maybe catching up on the book you were reading. But judging by the number of people present in the cafe right then, you figured you wouldn't have a chance to even open a book. Initially, you assumed most of these people were taking a quick shelter because of the rain, but when you noticed the large number of girls with their giggles and chatters, you figured out what was going on. Today is Saturday, the day when the cute part-timer will be here. Of course, you should have expected the place to be full with zero vacancies.
Right then, you spotted a corner table where a guy sat quietly by himself, a book covering his face as he read. You grimaced at the way he was holding the book at eye level with one hand. To you, that's the most uncomfortable way to read, especially with a hardcover book. But hey, each to his own, right? You shouldn't judge people just because their ways aren't what you're used to. Especially right now when you're in dire need of a seat and he has a table for two by himself.
"Hi, excuse me? Are you alone? Do you mind if I sit here?" you pleaded, your tray heavy in your hand and not because of its actual weight but because you were being really careful not to spill the mug of hot coffee. The guy didn't even look up from his book when he dragged his glass slightly towards him, a gesture telling you he was making space for you on the table. "Oh, thanks, you're a lifesaver!"
You set your tray down and placed your orders on the table before a service crew came over to take the tray. As you settled down, you fished the Kindle from your bag, glancing at his book to see what he was reading. "The Republic by Plato? Are you a student here?"
He peered at you over the book, lowering it slightly to reveal a set of big, round, dark brown eyes and arched eyebrows. You grinned sheepishly, now realizing that your attempt at small talk was a bad idea. First, he probably wanted some peace and quiet, too immersed in his book and didn't want to be disturbed; second, you're not even fond of making casual conversations with strangers in the first place.
"Oh, sorry. I had to read the same book last semester for class so I just assumed you're a student here too," you explained.
"You're a senior?" he asked, lowering the book on the table for a moment. You were able to take a good look at his face which bears somewhat exotic but good-looking features. He had a prominent nose, and pouty lips that caused his jaw to clench when they were pursed. "That's a requirement for senior Political Sciences students."
"Yeah! Yes, I am," you smiled, nodding as you stirred your steaming coffee so you had an excuse not to look him in the eyes. He seemed older than you, you could tell by the way he was sitting and his manner of speaking. Also because of the way he's not dressed like guys your age. "How about you?"
That was your low-key attempt at asking his age.
"I graduated a few years ago," he shrugged before taking his iced coffee and sipping from the glass straw.
"Ah, I see, you're an oppa," you noted, nodding again as you blew on your cup. You stopped in your tracks, realizing belatedly the implication of your reply. You looked up at him and sure enough, he had a confused smile on his lips. You briskly sat up and shook your head and hands at him. "No, no, I mean, like you're older than me. That's all. I'm not trying to flirt or anything."
He just nodded with his eyebrows, smiling wider with his lips together before returning to his book. "What's your name?"
You fumbled with the thoughts in your head, suddenly forgetting your own name upon being asked what it was. After clearing your throat to silence your crazed brain, you told him your name and threw in that you're a senior Linguistics student.
"Linguistics have Plato?" he asked, referring to the subject you mentioned a while ago.
"No, but I took an elective."
"Hmmh, you seem to have plenty of time," he replied, eyes still glued on his book. "Seungcheol."
"Huh?"
His eyes fluttered to you. "My name. It's Choi Seungcheol."
"Oh, I wasn't ask— I mean, yeah, nice to meet you, Seungcheol-nim."
Seungcheol flattened his lips together in a smile before shifting his gaze back to the book. You smiled back, although his eyes had already left you. After that brief exchange, you both plunged into your own worlds, reading books in two different mediums, immersing yourselves in two different types of literature, and drinking coffee at two different temperatures. The little nook you shared was quiet, even with the chattering around the cafe and the consistent giggling when the handsome part-timer would smile at a random someone among the customers. You were so immersed in your own little world that you lost track of time, only realizing how long you've been sitting there when you touched your cup and it has gone cold. Seungcheol's spot in front of you is empty. The rain has stopped too, leaving a mist behind that fogged the glass.
"Okay. I will stop here because I have self-control and John Green will still be here when I come back to it," you whispered to yourself, like a mantra to keep yourself from using up all of your time doing something you consider to be unproductive.
As you tucked away your reading tablet, you spotted a piece of untouched donut on the table and a note with it that said: It was nice to meet you, Y/N. - SC
"You ate it? You ate it?!" Seolhee, your roommate, hollered at you when you told her about meeting Seungcheol and the donut he left for you. "You ate a donut from a stranger?"
"Technically, he's no longer a stranger. I already knew him when he gave me that."
"Yeah, for three hours!"
You sighed, lying on the couch. "You're missing the point."
"No, you're missing the point. You ate food left to you by a stranger. What if he was some creepy old guy who's slipping chemicals on women's food and then abducts them?"
"Okay. You do have a point," you told her, sitting back up again. "But first, he's not creepy old, maybe like three or four years older. Second, it was at The Coffeehouse. What kind of psycho kidnapper would abduct women in broad daylight and in a crowded cafe? And third, he just didn't strike me as a bad guy. I mean, he seemed completely normal, educated even. And you know I have a good eye for people."
"Yes, you have. But you can't entrust your safety to intuition alone. For all we know, it could be a ploy. Get you to warm up to him before he abducts you and leaves you in a ditch, naked and lifeless."
You shook your head. Criminal Psychology had Seolhee thinking the worst things about people, but you don't blame her because she obviously had a point and you were admittedly being naive when you did what you did. Still, you stood by your initial impression of Choi Seungcheol; he's a decent guy.
"So, is he handsome?" Yoori asked, just as she had finished doing her makeup in front of the mirror.
"Yoori!" Seolhee chided but your other roommate just shrugged.
"What? If you're wrong, and he really was a decent guy, then we have to know if he was good-looking enough for our girl."
"Why does that matter?" Seolhee questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Because he might have a crush on her. He left y/n a donut and a note. That's something a guy won't do unless he has a reason to."
"He's old."
"No, he's just a little older," Yoori corrected, jumping over to your side of the couch. "So, how much older is he? You know, older guys are way more attractive. They're mature and open-minded. Sometimes they can be a little intense too, but that's the best thing about them."
"Intense?" you asked and she scooted closer to whisper in your ear.
"Oh, you know..." In a lower but clearly audible voice, she said, "Intense and experienced."
"Okay. You're done," Seolhee announced, tapping your shoulder repeatedly. "Get up and go to bed. You have class."
But Yoori grabbed your head and locked it in a hug. "Hey, don't baby my y/n. She's old enough for that conversation! She even brought a guy here before!"
You slipped away from her grasp and ran to your bedroom, shutting the door behind you as you heard them bicker. It's one thing to live with roommates, but it's another when said roommates are two people with different personalities who are dating steadily. Seolhee and Yoori are such people. You liked living with them but ever since you moved in, they started treating you like their very own daughter even when you're literally the same age. You gotta admit though, it feels good to be taken care of.
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Your coffee runs went on as usual; just dropping by to grab a cup and then leaving. Sitting around a cafe isn't really something you habitually do, especially when you're alone. Even though you were curious about Seungcheol, you never thought about sharing a table with him again or turning your spontaneous acquaintance into an actual friendly relationship. Admittedly though, each time you went to the cafe, you found yourself looking around to see if he was there but so far you haven't seen him again since that one rainy Saturday. You assumed he wasn't a regular but it could also be the timing of your visits. Either way, he only ever crossed your mind when you're at the cafe. Then two weeks in, it got to a point where your eyes automatically scanned the cafe in search of him and when you realized that you had subconsciously associated him with the cafe, you felt like a foolish teenager with a massive crush on someone.
"I gotta stop doing that," you chided yourself after you walked inside the cafe and did your routine quick scan of the place.
"Doing what?" Yoori asked, both her and Seolhee casting curious gazes at you.
You shook your head and nervously replied with the first excuse you came up with, "Talking to myself."
You looked for a vacant table while your roommates ordered the food. As you did, you spotted the corner table you shared with Seungcheol and found him sitting there by himself, reading a book. Seeing him there made your heart race, an unfamiliar kind of nervousness creeping into your chest. Seungcheol looked unfamiliar too, as if it was the first time you'd laid eyes on him. But then again, you never really got the chance to get to know him properly, let alone take the time to familiarize what he looks like.
"Who's that?" you heard Seolhee ask and only then did you realize you were staring at Seungcheol.
"No one," you said briskly, sounding defensive. You folded when Seolhee gave you a skeptical gaze. "I mean, someone. That's the guy I told you about. Choi Seungcheol."
"Choi Seungcheol?" Seolhee grimaced but Yoori gasped. "That name rings a bell."
"Seungcheol? The donut guy?" asked Yoori to whom you responded with a nod. "Well, isn't he a looker?"
"He is, but stop looking. You guys are embarrassing," you scolded quietly, tugging Yoori's hand to sit her down. You talked about random stuff for a while, eating your second breakfast between conversations. Yoori, however, can't seem to get over seeing Seungcheol for the first time.
"You should go say hi to him or something," she chimed when she caught you staring in his direction for the nth time. You chuckled incredulously, acting like you just heard a ridiculous suggestion.
"Why should I?" you questioned, hiding your nervousness behind your mug as you sipped from it.
"You can't stop looking over there. You might as well just approach him."
You didn't, of course. But you saw him stand up and get ready to leave. Just as he was passing by your table, he gave you a smile and an acknowledging nod that you returned politely. It was a fleeting exchange, almost unnoticed but you knew your friends saw that. As soon as he was far enough, Seolhee tapped your arm.
"I know that guy. Choi Seungcheol, was it? He's friends with the professor I am currently working for as a TA," she announced.
"He is?" you questioned, glancing briefly at Seungcheol who's now standing by the doorway, chatting a coffeeshop staff. "Does he teach?"
Seolhee crossed her arms over her chest, thinking. "I don't think so. From what I know, he's probably a lawyer or something. He graduated law school here three years ago and he's older than us by... five years, I think?"
"How do you know all that?" asked Yoori.
"I told you, he's friends with the prof. He comes by sometimes and they chat. Sometimes I hear them talking so I pick up things. They seem close too. They're probably related."
You just shrugged, intrigued to know a little about him but you're also less curious now that you know he's not only older but old enough to have a decent job and have his life figured out. Now that you've thought about it, you realize he's an intellectual. He went to law school, reads Plato to pass the time, and even has a professor for a friend. You can claim yourself to be an academic but not to that extent. Choi Seungcheol is in a different league and your tiny little crush on him faded after finding out how much gap the two of you have, both in age and way of life. You don't even want to begin imagining the possibility that he's wealthy too.
Studying is hard, but for someone who's got nothing else going on with her life, you've grown to love school and studying. College life gave you enough to live a fun life; classes, friends, and hobbies, even dreams and aspirations. It has its advantages but it also has its drawbacks that you dislike so much, like deadlines and homework. As you sat on a tall stool by the long window table at The Coffeehouse, you glared at the words on your computer, muttering curses under your breath. It was late in the evening when you arrived with heavy feet, having no choice but to do your homework here because your roommates had a little party going on in your shared apartment. You had a written task you forgot about and only remembered when a friend from the same class mentioned it to you earlier that evening. Now you have to pull an all-nighter to finish a ten-page in-depth analysis of a famous speech. Is it possible to finish in one night what would have taken at least two days to complete? You blew the hair out of your face again, squinting at the words while a part of the speech played on a loop through your earphones. You could swear you've memorized every word uttered by this person, even the timing of the pauses and the occasional clearing of his throat. If this goes on, you'd go nuts. Time check, 12:45 midnight.
"Okay! Four pages: done, six more to go," you blurted, stretching your arms to start typing again. Downing more of your hot coffee, you focused on the sounds from your earphones. Oblivious to your surroundings, you have cut yourself off from the world, eyes not leaving your screen while you type everything that comes to mind. And when you finally wrote the last line for your paper, you raised your hands in the air to celebrate. Even boasting to yourself when you see the time. "2:15? See, finished it in five hours, no sweat."
You pulled the earphones out of your ears, breathing a sigh of relief as you reached for your cup. Only then did you notice several empty cups sitting next to the warm one you just touched. A strange thing to see because you don't remember ordering this many. Come to think of it, you never ordered a refill but your coffee stayed warm and full the whole time you were working.
"You did great," said the man sitting one chair away. You recognized Seungcheol, eyes fixed on his book while leaning on the backrest of the stool.
"Seungcheol-nim..." you trailed off, wondering if you were right to think he had been reordering your coffee while you were working on your assignment. "Have you been here the whole time?"
His eyes fluttered over to the empty cups and to you, then back to his book. "I was here before you."
"No way, have you been refilling my cup?" you questioned when you noticed that he was drinking iced coffee.
He flipped a page and exhaled. "You look like you could use a few more cups while working," he replied.
You felt your cheeks flare, making you stare into your computer screen then shut your eyes to calm down. If there's one thing you're shy to admit, it's the fact that your heart is fragile for even the smallest acts of service. Imagine this much thoughtfulness from someone you just met? And someone really attractive at that? You'd be head over heels in no time! That can't happen!
"Why though?"
Seungcheol shrugged. "You were too passionate with what you're doing. I was touched."
You weren't sure if he was joking but that made you laugh. "Well, thanks? I guess? I appreciate it."
He gave you a brief glance and nodded. "Anytime."
You looked around the cafe, taking notice of the students with their laptops and sleepy eyes fixated on their screens. It was quiet but you could almost hear the chaos in your fellow students' heads as they worked and studied. Other customers were just lounging, but most of the people there were college students.
"Wow, this place looks miserable," you sighed, returning to your own laptop to save your work. "I guess it's true what they said about this cafe."
"What do they say?" asked Seungcheol, closing his book and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked warm in his brown coat, and you were reminded of the age gap again when you compared his coat to your cartoon sweater. Does he not even dress casually when he lounges at a cafe late at night?
"They say this place becomes a graveyard after midnight," you replied, chuckling. "I mean, every student looks close to dying. Including me."
Seungcheol smiled. "Back in my day, this was a pork belly barbecue restaurant."
"It was?" you questioned, genuinely amazed. But then a snort came out of your mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that you sounded so old when you said, 'Back in my day'."
Seungcheol chuckled this time. "To be fair, it has been a while and this place looks nothing like it did before. Here, let me show you."
He fished his phone from his coat's pocket and toggled on his screen for a moment before leaning closer to show you a photo. It was of him with some other people and he looked younger in it. You assumed it was when he was still in college and took notice of the place around him. It was a bit shabby, with smoke around, writing on the walls, and barbecue tables all around. It looks nothing like the posh and clean interior of the cafe now.
"This was six years ago while I was in undergrad school. Different, isn't it?"
You nodded in agreement, genuinely impressed by his revelation. "It is. Hard to believe this was the same building." You looked around the cafe. "What happened to that restaurant?"
"The owner passed away a few years back," he replied. "The building was renovated shortly after."
"Well, damn. That got sad pretty fast." You flattened your lips together. "You looked cute when you were a student though."
Your last comment made Seungcheol chuckle. "Thanks?" he replied, sounding unconvinced.
"Right, by the way, if you don't mind me asking," you began, moving to occupy the seat between the two of you. "What do you do for a living?"
"What do I do?"
You nodded with enthusiasm. "Yeah. I have this friend who said you were close with a professor she was assisting. I got curious about your job because you have this academic vibe."
Seungcheol's shoulders rocked as he laughed. "Do I now?"
You smiled sheepishly. "No, not really. But you seem like one. Given your choice of books and professor friend."
He nodded affirmatively. "I can see how you came to that conclusion."
"See, even the way you talk is intelligent," you commented and that seemed to have caught him off-guard, making him laugh shyly and look away for a second.
"Do you always speak that way?"
Your hands flew over your mouth, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Why? How do I speak?"
"Like you're empowering people by praising them too much," he replied. "Or do you do it unknowingly?"
"Is that how I sounded? Wow, that explains a lot of things," you blurted, recalling all the times you got unwanted attention from guys who claimed you were flirting with them.
"Like what?"
"What?" you retorted, refusing to answer honestly.
"Never mind, but to answer your question, I'm not really an academic, whatever you think that is." He paused and appeared to hesitate before saying, "I'm a liar."
"A lawyer?"
"No, a liar."
"Yes, a lawyer," you repeated, chuckling as you took a sip from your still-warm cup of coffee. "I figured that much after finding out you went to law school."
"You know an awful lot about me," he quipped so you shook your head in denial.
"No. Just that bit." You paused, realizing you knew more than that bit. "And your professor friend. And maybe your... age... too..."
"My age? Were you curious about my age?"
Yes. "No," you lied, laughing derisively. "It just came up during the one time when we talked about you. Once."
Seungcheol chuckled heartily. "Alright, if you say so."
You were still reeling in embarrassment when your phone buzzed, signaling a message from Yoori. She was asking if you're still out and when you'd be back so you took that as your cue to leave.
"I have to go. It's way past my bedtime," you quipped, pointing at your wristwatch. That prompted Seungcheol to check his too.
"Yeah, looks like it." He smiled at you, a friendly smile that you knew you'd be seeing again sometime. "Good luck with your assignment."
"Ugh, don't remind me." You rolled your eyes as you finished packing up your stuff. "See you around, Seungcheol-nim."
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Your little meet-ups with Seungcheol were spontaneous and mostly happened when you least expected it. But over time, you got familiar with his patterns and found out he was there at random but at specific times of day; either late in the morning or late at night. Most of the time, you catch him there late in the morning, in the quiet nook he seemed to have reserved for himself or the long table by the windows. Whenever he sees you walk in by yourself, he offers to share his table where you would lose track of time just talking. The subjects of your conversations were random, often mundane but interesting enough to keep discussing. In these encounters, you found out how, despite your differences in preferences, you share common interests in literature, coffee, and music. He still speaks like an older guy, and his insights were interesting. More often than not, your opinions agree with each other. On the rare occasions when it doesn't, you're always the first to call him out, sparking a friendly debate that lets you in on his deep thoughts about the matter. While the age gap isn't that much and most people his age are good enough with technology and trends, Seungcheol admits he does not indulge too much in such things. This became something you would always tease him about.
"Is this seat taken?" you asked the moment you caught him by himself at his usual table. He panicked at your arrival, closing his book at once and hiding it under his hands.
"No classes today?" he casually asked but you already have your eyes on the book he was hiding. You sat across from him and placed your stuff on the vacant chair.
"Not until 2:30. What's that you got there?" you hinted, grinning mischievously before trying to snatch it. Seungcheol was quick to hide it and pretended not to know what you meant, looking around stupidly. "You don't have to hide it. I know that book. I saw it when I came in. I thought you're not a fan of romance novels?"
Seungcheol quietly took the book out of his coat and placed it on the table with a flustered expression. "I'm not but I do read a few. And this is a good book."
You grimaced. "Wait till you finish reading it."
"I have actually. I like to re-read this from time to time," he confessed, clearing his throat as if he was embarrassed to say what he just said.
Now you're straight-up giving him a judging gaze. "No, you don't."
"I do."
"But it's terrible. The author portrayed love in the most clichéd way possible and she wrote the most boring main character ever with no character development and ended up leaving everything behind for a guy. She started as a damsel in distress that needed saving and she stayed that way until a macho male character saved her. So boring."
"I disagree. The story is set in the 1500s when opportunities were scarce for women. She was denied a lot of things and had to live a life mapped out for her by society and other people. Her love interest was a man with access to limitless privileges. And while I do admire headstrong and independent female protagonists, I also think it's alright to get out of a bad place with someone else's help."
"I have to admit, that's a good point. But that's not the only problem. The author wrote a perfect love interest. He's too nice and charismatic. Also consistent and cares about her thoughts et cetera. He's too good to be true. And the way he pined for her and never gave up on her? Unrealistic! That's where I draw the line."
"I thought you didn't finish it?" he teased. "You seem to know the story better than I do."
Rolling your eyes, you crossed your arms over your chest. "I had to force myself to finish it because it was for an assignment. I remember writing an analysis and a vicious critique on it."
"Did your professor agree with you though?"
"Hah! Of course not! But she still gave me a good grade for my work. Her insights were the same as yours, actually. Obviously, people can have different opinions about the same things. So, you're entitled to your own opinions just as I am to mine," you replied, chiming as you recalled that particular time in your life.
"Have you ever been in love?" he asked, as if challenging you to argue your claim.
"I have. That's why I know the author made a fantasy version of love."
"You don't know that. What's fantasy to you might be reality for her. Or to whoever it was that she got the inspiration from."
You scoffed, "Seungcheol-nim, love is subjective. You can continue enjoying that book. You don't have to convince me. My last relationship showed me an entirely different version of romance. While he seemed like the man from the novel at the very beginning, with his handwritten letters and sweet-smelling flowers, it took him four months to show his true colors. He dated three women while we were together. Three! And we're all from the same university!"
Seungcheol looked appalled. "He did?"
"Yes! Gosh, he was an absolute jerk. I always wondered how he got away with it for that long."
"That's relatable, somehow," he commented, making you snigger.
"What? You got cheated on too?" you asked but then you saw him hesitate so you shook your hands at him. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. I'm only comfortable telling you about my ex because I believe more people should know what a scumbag he is."
He laughed upon hearing that. "Alright, but did that last relationship change how you think about love at all?"
You crossed your arms over your chest and confidently said, "Of course not. All I got from that experience was that he was a jerk, and love is a different experience each time. I know not everyone will treat me the same way. I've had good relationships before that."
"If any of it were good, it wouldn't have ended and you wouldn't have met your last ex." His comment made you scowl and snicker.
"So you're like a love expert now?" you teased so he laughed heartily. "I mean, I had no idea I could talk to you about love and romances like this."
"Honestly? Me too," he laughed, tapping the book on the table. "This book has this effect on me, I guess."
After a few more criticisms about the book, you and Seungcheol let the hours tick by just talking. Lunchtime came soon enough and you had to leave first because you made plans with some friends to eat lunch together.
"Ah, can I get your number?" he asked just as you were about to leave. He handed his phone to you and added, "If you don't mind."
"Yeah, sure," you told him, taking his cell to type in your number. You've been talking and hanging out with Seungcheol for almost a month already, but this is the first time he asked you for your number. Not that he has to because you two never really needed to talk remotely. Thinking about it now, you don't really have anything to talk about on the phone. Maybe that's why he never asked for your number before nor did you wonder why you don't have his. Sure, you follow each other on social media, but asking for your number means you are closer now and will probably start texting each other.
You were right. When you got home after school that day, you received a text message from him, introducing himself and asking you to save his phone number. Turns out Seungcheol is going out of town for work and wants to keep in touch.
Seungcheol: Execs are boring. I could use someone to talk to.
You: it's okay to admit that you chose me because you don't have other friends
You grinned mischievously after sending your reply, happy to tease him. You once asked him why he's always alone when you find him in the cafe and the subject ended with you concluding that he had no friends. It has since become an inside joke between the two of you that you would sometimes tease him about.
Seungcheol: I do have friends but I'll admit I enjoy our talks more than with any of them.
You: Okay, Seungcheol-nim.
Seungcheol: Speak comfortably, y/n. You don't have to keep calling me Seungcheol-nim.
You: ??? You: I'm used to it now tho You: It would be weird to start calling you oppa LOL
Seungcheol: Why is that weird? I'm older so technically, I am your oppa.
Shock triggered your hand to lose grip on your phone and send it falling on your forehead, making you yelp and sit up from the bed. Groaning, you pressed the throbbing space between your eyebrows and picked up the device to reread Seungcheol's message.
"Wow," you sneered. "Choi Seungcheol, you handsome specimen, you better not be flirting with me."
You: Alright, then, Seungcheol-oppa.
"Because I will flirt right back," you mumbled, unable to hide your grin.
You had no idea at the time that your little nook in the cafe was about to expand and take up a bigger space in your lives.
Texting Seungcheol was funny to you because it eerily felt like an email correspondence. He sounded serious all the time and formatted his texts in a standard manner. He's too formal and rarely ever used emojis. He reacts with a plain 'hahaha' and the best you can get out of him is a 'lol'. It was probably because he's a lawyer; the formal nature of his job must have influenced even his basic activities, like casual chatting and texting. Surely it has to be that because there is no way he's too old to know how to use emojis or any slang. After all, five years ain't that much of a gap.
Seungcheol: Yes, it is extremely boring but this will all be over tomorrow so I'm holding out.
You: damn You: 1 more day of listening to old men talk all day? You: couldn't be me. You: I'd be gone on the first day. props to you for surviving the past three days tho
Seungcheol: lol hahaha
"Eh? Did he really just 'lol hahaha' me?" You squinted at your screen, glaring too much that you thought your eyes might bore a hole through your phone. Your thumb tapped the call button before pressing the device to your ear.
Seungcheol picked up almost immediately, clearing his throat on the other line before greeting you with a "Hello?"
"Is now a bad time for a call?"
"The day is over and I'm in my suite now so no, it's not a bad time."
You nodded, although he couldn't see it. "Good. My fingers are tired," you lied because you thought it would be rude to tell him you can't handle any more of his boring standard text formatting.
"Really? You could just tell me, you know. We can call it a day. Get some rest. Talk again tomorrow."
His voice reverberated beautifully in your ears; calm, well-articulated, and soothing, like mellow music playing in a cafe. That alone was enough for your heart to feel at ease but he just said you can talk again tomorrow. He's saying he wants to continue your little chats. He's enjoying your company even though it's only through the phone. Maybe you're right, but maybe you're reading too much on something that has no meaning at all. Either way, your heart swelled with excitement and joy along with a tiny ache that you can't explain. You knew this feeling since you've felt it before. The friendship you have with Seungcheol is starting to make your heart flutter.
"Hah!" you scoffed at your own thoughts. "Alright then. Good night, Seungcheol-nim."
"Or we could talk now too! Now!" he blurted in a panic, making you laugh. "I mean, if you're not tired yet. We could keep talking. Isn't this better than texting?"
"It is," you agreed. "But what can I do? It's already past my bedtime."
Seungcheol chuckled. "I thought your bedtime was at 3?"
"It's constantly changing. It's the era of drastic changes, Seungcheol-nim. Adaptability is a good edge," you jested. You can hear him laughing from the other side and couldn't help grinning to yourself. He sounded so humored that you felt a little proud of your wit.
"Right," he said as he stopped laughing and cleared his throat. "So is it your bedtime yet or what?"
"No. My bedtime changed thirty seconds ago. Adaptability, you know."
He went on to laugh again, making you grin fondly. It wasn't even that funny but he's laughing like he's in a standup bar or something. Either way, the sound that's filling your ears is also making your heart feel full.
The next morning, Seolhee complained about you being a tad too loud last night with your laughter and giggling. That caught you off-guard, making you hide your phone after sending a reply to Seungcheol's message.
"Sorry. I was on the phone with someone," you confessed, scrunching your nose cutely as you watched Seolhee take her seat on the dining table.
"Have you started seeing someone again?" she speculated. "You talked for hours last night so it must be serious."
You shook your head. "No, duh. It's just Seungcheol-nim."
"Choi Seungcheol?" Yoori asked, placing a plate of side dishes on the table. "You're dating Seungcheol now? Good for you, girl!"
"What? No!" you strongly denied. "We were just talking. It was a friendly chat."
"Friendly chats don't go on until past midnight, y/n," Seolhee hinted, giving you a knowing look. "Whatever it is that you think have with him right now, you better confirm it before you go falling for him. I know he's charming and all that but safeguard your heart."
Yoori hummed affirmatively. "She's right but falling for him is not that bad an idea. He seemed nice."
"He does seem nice but you have to first make sure you're on the same page. The earlier you know, the better. You can't wait until you've fallen for him before you ask what his intentions are."
You would never bring up relationships with Seungcheol, especially between the two of you. It would only make things awkward between you if it turns out he was just being friendly and even more so if you find out that he was looking to date you. Why? He is a wonderful guy, but there are a lot of things to consider. You don't know his background despite knowing his hobbies, his dislikes, his habits, etc. You can't help but think Cheol had been hiding behind a persona the whole time or that he isn't willing to properly open up to you. Sure, you're up close and personal, but there's a fine line between who he is with you and who he is as a person. Somehow it felt like you knew a lot about him but not enough to really know who he is.
So you sat in front of your computer, looking through his Instagram account for any clue about his life. Based on the dates of his posts, he rarely updated his feed and probably never used the site that much. He had random pictures posted there but he didn't have one of himself except on a handful of group pictures. His profile picture isn't even of himself but a dog.
"So he has a pet, huh?" you mumbled, smiling at the pictures of a cute Maltese dog. "Of course, he has one. He looked like the kind who would have one. I wonder who takes care of it when he's away or when he's at work."
You were still scrolling through his posts when your phone buzzed, signaling a message. It was Seungcheol. "Wow, you really should not speak of the devil."
Seungcheol: Any plans tomorrow night? I have two tickets to a concert. You can have the other one if you want it.
You grimaced. "Or you could just invite me to go with you like a normal person."
You pouted as you thought about what to say but then something in your mind clicked, sending your heart on a rampage. Could it be that he's inviting you to go with him? Obviously, he is, right? He said he had two tickets and he'll give you one. That's it, right? That's the invite!
"Oh lord," you blurted, closing your laptop and tucking it into your bag before you went running out of the cafe. You typed in a hurried reply as you walked briskly back to your shared apartment.
Barging into your apartment and closing the door with a loud slam, you stared wide-eyed at Seolhee and Yoori who looked back at you curiously.
"I think Seungcheol-oppa just invited me out on a date."
"And?" Seolhee asked while Yoori was suppressing excited squeals.
"And I might have said 'yes'."
Seolhee was stern about your ambiguity. You said you were invited, but you also said it wasn't an explicit invitation. Still, she helped you prepare for the date along with Yoori who was just leaping with joy.
"Remember, he didn't say it was a date. So don't overthink it," Seolhe told you while styling your hair on the night of said date. "As long as he doesn't say it out loud, there is no real relationship between you other than a friendly relationship."
"Remember also to enjoy the night," Yoori interjected. "Don't let negativity ruin the experience."
“Now, where is he? Didn’t he say he’d pick you up?” Seolhee asked as soon as you were ready to leave. Dressing up took a while because you couldn’t decide which dress to wear and what look to go with. It’s a classical music concert and the dress code was black tie. Thankfully, your roommates were eager to help.
“He should be here by now,” you replied, glancing at the clock on the wall. At that moment, the doorbell of your shared apartment rang.
Cheol was dashing in his suit. He had always looked attractive in casual clothing–a shirt, a jacket, or a layer of coats and shirts. But seeing him all dressed up made you giddy. Even his hair is styled neatly. He greeted your friends and had a small talk before you got into his car. You know he drives a car, but you've never really seen him in it. When you pointed that out, he said the cafe was close by so he always walked there. 
"Are we neighbors?" you had asked.
And he replied with, "No, not really. I go the opposite way from your apartment. So, we’ve been meeting halfway all this time."
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The concert was fancy, not your type of scene but you enjoyed it nonetheless. Even the people looked wealthy. It was a hall filled with all kinds of people who exuded an air of elegance, power, or authority about them. As if that’s not intimidating enough, you and Seungcheol had to sit in a private booth on the second floor, away from the regular crowd, with just about five other people there with you. They said your guts would know if you’re somewhere you shouldn’t be, perhaps that’s why your belly is turning. 
You weren't poor, but you're not rich enough to afford these types of pastimes either. Your parents are self-made businessmen who are earning enough to be in the upper-middle-class society. Still, even an occasional, super rare splurge on shopping is a luxury. Thus, you started to wonder what Sungcheol does for a living. Is he self-made? Do lawyers earn a lot? Or did he come from a wealthy family? It must be his family because operas and classical music are usually acquired tastes.
The concert ended and was met with a standing ovation. Heck, even the way these people clapped was elegant, like there was a certain discipline to it. No cheering, no hoots and whistles, just synchronous, pleasant-sounding clapping. 
You were still clapping when you felt Seungcheol’s shoulder on yours. He was leaning to your ear, whispering, “Come meet my parents.”
“Your what?” you blurted, surprised. Before you could utter another word, however, Seungcheol was already tugging on your waist, ushering you toward the other side of the booth. You spotted two elders who you assumed were his parents. With them was a younger man who just said something that made the elegant lady laugh.
Then the younger man caught sight of you and smiled widely. “It’s Seungcheol!”
“Mother, Father,” Seungcheol greeted as soon as you got closer to where they were standing. You clenched your fists, hoping to stop them from jittering. “Good to see you.”
Mother? Father? Don’t people usually call their parents ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’?
“Hello, hunny,” his mother beamed, welcoming Seungcheol in her arms when he moved to hug her. And while his father was shaking hands with him, his mother eyed you curiously. “And who is this lovely lady?”
“Oh, um–”
“This is my friend, y/n,” Seungcheol introduced. “She’s joining me this evening.”
“So I see,” the Mother chimed. She glided over to you for a quick embrace. “It’s nice to meet you, darling.”
“It’s good to meet you too,” you replied with a smile. “You raised an excellent man.”
His mother laughed heartily, flattered. “I wouldn’t boast about it, but he did grow up excellently.”
You shared a giggle before Seungcheol’s father spoke to you. “Are you a friend from work? You look quite young to be a lawyer. Fresh from the bar exams, I take it?”
“Uh, no,” you replied, trying your best to not appear nervous. “I’m actually still a student. AB Linguistics.”
“Ah, I see,” his father hummed. “Linguistics? That’s a good program.”
“Thank you, sir,” you beamed. “I enjoy it very much.”
“As you should. Seunghan here is pursuing Linguistics too. He’s in his fourth year.”
Seunghan, Seungcheol’s brother smiled widely at you. You smiled back and said, “I’m in my fourth year too.”
“Really? Wow, are we the same age?” he asked, genuinely amazed. He turned to Seungcheol. “We’re the same age? I almost called her Noona.”
Seungcheol was about to respond when a woman interjected with a cheery greeting. It was the cellist from the concert, the star of this event. She first went to greet Seunghan and then the parents.
“Thank you so much for coming,” she told the father, who smiled in response.
“It was an impressive performance. You did well,” he praised. 
“Mom, you’re glowing,” she told Seungcheol’s mother. “You look even prettier than the last time we saw each other.”
“Oh, you sweet little fox,” his mother chided, but she was giggling and touching her face. The woman’s statement seemed to have flattered her more than when you said her son was excellent. And she called her Mom, she must be family.
“Oppa!” she exclaimed, leaping a little to wrap her arms around Seungcheol whose arms were still around your waist. You got pushed aside, violently, and fell on the floor with a thud. 
Embarrassment made your cheeks flare as you hurriedly stood. Seungcheol helped you up, worriedly asking if you were alright. 
“I’m sorry,” the other woman apologized. “I didn’t think that would happen. How clumsy of me.”
You smiled half-heartedly, looking away from everyone’s worried gazes. “I’m fine,” you told Seungcheol who was still eyeing you with concern. You patted your dress down, feeling extremely shy. 
Then the woman held out her hand, “I’m Mina. Nice to meet you.”
You stared at the hand for a moment before taking it in yours and telling her your name. “It was a great concert. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you liked it,” she smiled, then looked at Seungcheol. “Is she your friend? I’ve never seen her before.”
“She is,” he replied curtly. You couldn’t help noticing Mina’s elegant demeanor. She exuded elegance and class that you’ve only seen on TV shows about rich people. The way she spoke was beautiful and enticing. Even her motions were so fluid and beautiful, plus her mannerisms were cute. It was like being in the presence of someone who is hundreds of times better than regular people–than you are.
“Anyway, thanks again for coming, oppa,” Mina told Seungcheol, patting his shoulder before placing her hands on both. She flashed a sweet, coquettish smile and leaned to kiss Seungcheol on his cheek. “See you again soon?”
“Okay,” Seungcheol replied, flattening his lips into a smile.
Mina turned to you, her hand sliding naturally on Seungcheol’s arm and linking it there. “It was nice to meet you, y/n. Good thing you’re not dating because that would have been so awkward.” She laughed.
"No, we're just friends,” Seungcheol iterated.
“I know. You already said so, oppa,” Mina beamed. “I have to go. Thanks for coming and see you next time.”
She then fled the booth, leaving you and Sungcheol there by yourselves. His parents left a while ago, telling you to catch up with Mina. Seunghan didn’t stay for long too, and left shortly after their parents. Your eyes flitted over to Seungcheol who was still looking at the door Mina exited on. You even witnessed the heavy sigh he let out a few minutes later before turning to you.
“Shall we go?”
You nodded in response. He offered his arm for you to hold on to and you did just that as you walked out of the booth, to the hall, to the lobby, until you reached the entrance where his car was being driven out of the parking lot by the valet. The first few minutes of the ride home were quiet and it was stressing you out. He should at least say something to fix this awkward atmosphere. Maybe, you should. But you had no idea what to talk about.
Should you ask him about his family? Or Mina? What do you have to lose? He brought you here so he should expect you to have questions. This is one way to get to know each other, right? Right.
“How do you know the cellist?” you began, eliciting an inquiring hum from Seungcheol. “Mina, the cellist. You seem to know each other.”
“Ah, her,” he acknowledged, pausing. “Yeah, we knew each other. We used to be in a relationship.”
You expected this to be the answer, but it still shocked you to hear him confirm it. “I see.”
“We broke up a long time ago. She had to leave and study music abroad. It couldn’t be helped.”
“Mmhmm,” you hummed. You couldn’t say anything because your mind was focusing on the slight but stabbing pain in your chest. You were, in fact, feeling a little jealous. Mina was everything you’re not. She’s close with his family too and they have a history. Maybe Seungcheol was just being friendly, after all. 
When you arrived home, your roommates were excited to hear about the date, but you told them you were tired and wanted to sleep. As thoughts floated through your mind endlessly, you wondered if he brought you to the concert as a decor to make his ex jealous. That made you even sadder but you told yourself you were overthinking it and you know he is not that kind of guy. 
And then again, if you think about it, did you really truly know him that well?
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You hadn't heard from Seungcheol for a while after the concert. Sad, but it was fine too because you weren't really looking for him. You had a crush on the guy, but it was over before it got deeper–which was good because now you don’t have to think about him all the time. School was demanding enough, you can’t have a guy distracting you from that.
And yet, despite your constant denial, not a day passed by without Seungcheol crossing your mind. What can you do? You don’t just forget someone overnight, especially if you like that person. Funnily enough, thoughts of Seungcheol never distracted you from your studies, instead, they made you want to work harder.
That said, you sat at a table at The Coffeehouse with a classmate to work on a project. His name was Jinwoo and he’s been flirting with you all semester. In fact, he paired up with you on this project just so he could spend time with you–he said so himself. He’s alright; charming, smart, and cute. Although you had no intentions of going out with him yet, you thought it would be fine to see where things would go. Especially with Seungcheol out of your hair.
“Seungcheol-nim?” you blurted. You were just thinking about Seungcheol when you realized the person who approached your table just now was him.
“Hello, y/n. How have you been?” He was asking you, but his eyes were fixated on Jinwoo, who only noticed Seungcheol when you called out his name.
“I’ve been well,” you replied hesitantly, recognizing his intense gaze on your classmate. “This is Jinwoo. We’re working on a project together.”
“A project?” he asked, his face softening as he glanced at you. “Good. I texted you.”
“Oh, you did?” You fished your phone from your bag and saw that he did message you; one from last night and another a few hours ago. “Sorry. I was working on school stuff. I haven’t been checking my phone much.”
“Alright. I won’t disturb you. Good luck,” he smiled.
“Yeah, I’ll text you later.”
“You don’t have to. But I’ll call you after dinner.”
You tilted your head in wonder. But you still said, “Okay.”
And he did, he called you at around 8 that night and asked how your day went. It wasn't strange to tell him how your day went. That had always been your topic every time you called each other at night. But Sungcheol seemed overly interested in it today. He kept asking more questions instead of responding to your answers with a few accounts of his own day. When he seemed to have run out of anything to ask about your day, he asked about your partner on the project. 
"So, do you always get paired up with that guy?" 
Your brows creased. "That guy? Jinwoo?" 
He changed his question. "Never mind. How long have you been working on that paper?"
 "Just a few days,” you replied, lying down to stare at the ceiling.
"Three days?" he asked from the other line.
"Now that you mentioned it, yes, it's been three days. How'd you guess that?"
Sungcheol huffed. "I just did." 
"You just did?"
"We haven't talked for three days, so I just pieced it together."
"I see," you hummed, nodding even though you know he can't see it. You squinted your eyes, realizing something in his tone and attitude ever since you started this conversation. "Seungcheol-nim, is this an interrogation?"
"And there's that too," he sighed from the other line. You can almost picture how his already pouty lips are pouting even more along with the creasing of his forehead. 
"What?" you asked.
"Seungcheol-nim."
"Huh?"
"Seungcheol-nim. When did you decide to go back to calling me that?"
"Oh, that? Just recently."
"Why is that?"
Because you found out his ex called him oppa and is still calling him that. "Just because. It shouldn't matter. How I address you is not that big of a deal."
"It's not?"
"No. It's not."
"Alright."
"Alright."
"Alright..." he echoed. You had nothing else to say to that, so you just breathed. The thoughts swimming in your head don't make sense, but you let them keep your mind busy instead of overthinking this whole conversation with Seungcheol. He's gone quiet too, probably running out of anything else to say. Or probably thinking random thoughts like you are. But it looks like he didn't want to end the call and of course, you don't really want to either.
"Seungcheol-nim?" Breathing. All you can hear from the other line is breathing; deep inhales and calm exhales from him that make you assume he had fallen asleep.
"Are you sleeping?" you asked but again, all you could hear was calm breathing. You pictured him on his bed, one hand pressing the phone on his ear and the other resting on his abdomen. You pictured the rise and fall of his chest with every inhale of air that you can hear. You pictured his face, peaceful and handsome even with his eyes closed. These are the thoughts and images that filled your head as you closed your eyes and fell asleep to the sound of his breathing
Your phone was dead when you woke up in the morning, making you wonder how long were you on the phone with Seungcheol; if he really was asleep the whole time, or if he woke up and hung up sometime in the night. As soon as you turned it on after a quick trip to the bathroom, you found a message from him.
Seungcheol: Working all day today. Cafe tonight? My treat.
You smiled as you typed a reply saying 'yes' to meeting him tonight. The bounce in your steps and the chime in your voice did not miss Seolhee's radar and she ambushed you at the breakfast table.
"You look like you had a good sleep. I thought you said you're done with Seungcheol?" Seolhee began.
"And those two correlate because?"
"Because Seungcheol is obviously the reason why you're smiling today."
"What makes you think so?" you retorted, trying to squirm out of her grasp. You wouldn't lie to her but you would never admit it either, especially after you gave them a whole spiel about you not settling for a guy who seemed uncertain about his intentions. 
"I just know."
"You're too confident," you jeered, poking a sausage with your fork and taking a bite out of it.
Seolhee chuckled. "Whatever you do, don't get hurt. I'll kill him myself."
You chortled. "That's weirdly reassuring. Thanks."
You couldn't wait for your evening class to be over and run to the CoffeeHouse. It was an embarrassing thing to admit because only a few days ago, you were upset and told your roommates you didn't want anything to do with Seungcheol anymore. And yet, here you are, back to acting like a giddy teenager.
Seungcheol: Are you still in class? The cafe is closed.
"Damn it?" you muttered upon reading Seungcheol's text. The class just finished and you were walking out of the classroom with other students. As you typed a reply, you noticed Jinwoo walking with you.
"Hi. A little update on our paper," he began, standing in front of you and walking backward so he was face-to-face with you while talking. "I've proofread the entire thing and fixed any error I could find. It's pretty much ready for submission."
You beamed at him. "Thank you, Jinwoo. Do you think it's okay to submit it earlier than the deadline?"
"Knowing Professor Choi? He'd be singing our praises all semester for our punctuality and whatnot."
You giggled, finding his sentiments accurate and funny at the same time. "I bet he will. I'll trust you with it alright?"
"You know you can," he chimed, the lilt in his voice was endearing. "Listen, there's a party at the Delphi this Saturday. Would you like to-"
"Seungcheol-nim!" you called out when you spotted Seungcheol by the gate. He found you among the crowd and waved at you with a smile. The pleasant sight of him smiling didn't last long though because seeing Jinwoo made him scowl.
"The cafe is closed?" you asked as soon as you were within his reach. "Why though? The cafe never closes."
Seungcheol sighed, eyes focused on Jinwoo who was still tailing behind you. "Yeah. Something about a sanitation check. I'm not sure. I just found out about it."
"Did you ask Mingyu?"
"I did. He said it was a sanitation check but he wasn't sure either." He exhaled before shifting his gaze on you. "Do you have other plans tonight?"
You gawked at him for a second and then realized Jinwoo was still there. Seungcheol must have thought you had plans with him.
"No, I don't," you replied then turned to Jinwoo. "Thanks again, Jinwoo. Let me know if Professor Mich says anything about the paper."
"Yeah. Okay," he blurted, backing away. "See you tomorrow."
You smiled at him and beckoned at Seungcheol who was still wearing a deadpan expression. When you've walked far away enough from the gate and Jinwoo had gone his own way too, you tugged on Seungcheol's coat.
"Everything okay? We could just go home, you know. Try again tomorrow?" you asked, thinking he was miffed about the cafe being closed.
"It's alright. There are plenty of other cafes around," he replied, forcing a smile. "Are you okay with walking around tonight? I would have brought a car had I known the Coffeehouse was closed."
You rolled your eyes. "Duh. Let's go."
And thus began a spontaneous night out. Seungcheol suggested you go for a walk to the next cafe but your conversations proved to be too much fun when you missed the cafe and even missed your apartment. It was funny to both of you and you would go on to continue walking until you reached a quiet neighborhood. You climbed the uphill stairs and watched the cityscape from there.
"Seungcheol-nim, what was your dream?"
"My dream?" he asked. surprised.
"Yes, as a child. Your current job, is it what you dreamed of?"
Seungcheol leaned on the railings and gazed at the city lights. "Not a lawyer, for sure. I kinda just had to do it because everyone in the family is doing it."
You rested your chin on the cold steel bar of the railings. "So what was it?"
"A teacher."
Your eyes widened. "A teacher?"
"Yes." He chuckled. Your eyes appreciated how the wind blew his hair out of his face. "A college professor, actually. My uncle was one and he was my role model. I was set on being a teacher before I entered college but as you can see, I'm not."
"How about now? I'm sure you still have time to change careers."
"Nah," he shrugged. "I'm content with where I'm at right now."
"But do you want it?" 
Seungcheol looked at you, pursing his lips as he nodded. "Of course. And if I don't change my mind about it in, say five or more years, I might consider shifting."
"It shouldn't be so hard, right? I mean, you're already a lawyer. You can teach criminal justice or something like that."
He smiled at you, impressed by your input. "Yeah. Something like that."
You wiggled your eyebrows. "I bet you'd be a really cool teacher."
Seungcheol frowned. "You said I'm boring and speak like an old man."
"The old man part was a joke and even if you're the boring kind of teacher, you'd still be cool because handsome teachers are cool."
"You think I'm handsome?"
You started laughing a little too loudly after he caught you off-guard. "Did I say that?"
"You didn't but you were implying it."
"You lawyers like to twist people's words, don't you?"
Seungcheol shrugged, chucking his hands in his coat pockets. "Only when it's advantageous. And there was no need to twist anything. The implication was clear."
"Okay, I'm gonna go," you chuckled, walking back down the stairs. Seungcheol followed behind you with a smile. "Oh, and we should drop by the coffee shop. I need caffeine because I've been home all day and there's no coffee at home."
"Isn't it too late for coffee? Don't you need to sleep?" he asked, casually catching your elbow when you lost your balance on the steps.
You felt the way his hand clenched on your arm, impressed by the strength of his hold. Then your mind embarrassingly flashed an image of his muscles underneath his coat. The amount of times you saw him in t-shirts sometimes had you gawking at his strong arms but only now did you start imagining how it would feel like to be locked in those muscles.
"Decaf?" he prompted, making your eyes flutter back to his face. You pulled your arm back and continued walking.
"Yeah. Decaf."
You shook your head a few times, trying to erase the image of yourself in his arms. It was embarrassing and you were worried that he could see through you. He can't obviously, but you still wish you were not giving off any signs. You refused when Seungcheol offered to walk you back to your apartment but he insisted on it, saying it would be dangerous for you to go alone. He must have thought it was weird for you to decline because you never did that before. If he did think that, you'll never know because he never said so.
"What's your dream?" he asked, breaking the silence between you while you walked down the quiet streets.
"Like a dream job?" you questioned, briefly glancing at him to see him nod. "I'm not sure. I actually don't have one. But I was thinking of establishing a tutoring clinic like my mom has."
"A cram school?"
"Yes. My only dream was to be content and happy with my life; to live in the city in a cozy apartment, tending to plants, and reading books. But of course, none of that is possible without an actual job and I thought my mom's job was cool, so I was considering doing what she does."
"You'd make a really cool teacher."
You snorted. "I'm not gonna be a teacher. More like an instructor."
"Aren't they the same thing?"
"They are kind of the same thing," you laughed shyly. "But they're different too. I don't know. I haven't given it much thought. I think I'm just living for the now, going where the flow takes me and not taking control of my own life. It feels awful sometimes."
"How is that awful? Going with the flow is actually smart. Knowing what you want your life to be is good too, even if the path towards that hasn't been planned yet."
You shrugged. "I guess you're right. But I think I'm just lucky enough to not worry about my future as much as other people do. No one's pressuring me into anything, not my parents, not the society."
"Yes. You are lucky."
You pointed to the apartment complex in front of you. "I'm here. Thanks for walking me."
Seungcheol smiled at you, reaching to tuck a few strands of hair behind your ear. "Good night, y/n."
"Good night, Seungcheol-nim."
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Is there any way I can get you to drop that?"
"What? Seungcheol-nim?"
"Yes."
"What else would I call you?"
"You didn't seem to have any problems calling me oppa before?" he complained, looking away as he scratched his nape and muttered. "I liked that better."
"What was that?" you asked when you didn't catch his last sentence. He glanced back at you.
"I said you can call me Cheol."
"I can? But you're older than me."
"It's alright. You said how you address me is not a big deal."
You beamed happily. "Alright, Cheol."
“Alright, y/n.”
You beamed. “Alright.”
“Alright…”
Like Hazel Grace and Augustus, alright has become your always.
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Imagine living in a big city, with lots of massive stores, and massive buildings, but you still bump into an ex from three years ago? Baffling. But then, here you are, awkwardly sifting through shelves for a bottle of mayo while your ex asks you how you’ve been.
“I’ve been well, Yeol. Thanks for asking. Now would you please go away? I’m busy.”
Yeol just chuckled, amused. “I see you haven’t changed one bit.”
“I have. I don’t care about anything you have to say anymore,” you retorted but it only made him laugh harder.
“Gosh, y/n. I really fumbled you, didn’t I? You’re so endearing. It’s a shame you had to find out about the other girls.”
In the past, you would have kicked his shins, but you don’t even want to give him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of you. You turned to face him, gave him a deadpan expression, and said, “Move. I need that one there.”
Yeol moved one step aside, letting you take a product from the shelf behind him. As you were examining it, he crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “By the way, I heard you’re seeing someone now. Is it true?”
You scowled, but you didn’t meet his eyes. “It’s not true.”
“It isn’t? That’s good. Save yourself the trouble. Choi Seungcheol and Song Mina are trying to get back together.”
You froze in your tracks, your hand hovering by the shelf as you were about to put a product back in it. Yeol, oblivious to your shock, continued. “From what I heard, they’ll soon be engaged.”
“How did you know?” you asked him, forehead creasing with curiosity and annoyance.
“I know a friend of Song Mina’s. I got to hang out with her the last time she was in Seoul,” he replied but you shook your head at him.
“No. How did you know about me and Seungcheol?”
Yeol touched his chin to think. “I heard from a friend who told me he’d seen my ex-girlfriend with Lawyer Choi.”
“That’s all?”
“He said you two seemed close and asked if I knew you were seeing him. I told him I didn’t, of course. I had no idea what you’ve been up to since we broke up.” Yeol was still talking when you pushed your cart and walked away. He called out your name but you ignored him.
Seungcheol is trying to get back with Mina; why didn’t you think that’d be a possibility? He must still have feelings for her. And if they’re engaged, then it’s fine too. The news made you sad, but at least it was clear to you now that his intentions weren’t to date you or anything. He wanted you as a friend, that's it. Nothing more. At least you now know which place you’re allowed to stand on in his life. If you keep letting yourself mistake his actions for affection, it could end badly for you. 
Resolute, you decided to limit contact and meetups. It's inappropriate to keep seeing him regularly when he's trying to win his girl back. There will be no more late-night talks, no more meeting up for coffee, and no more hanging out until late with just the two of you. You’re drawing the line for Mina and him to get back together. And most importantly, for yourself to stop falling for him even more. 
Although you’d like to completely avoid him, you couldn’t. Seungcheol never said anything about liking you or trying to date you. So you can’t hold it against him if you develop feelings for him. That’s on you. Plus, you liked being friends with him and he seemed to like that too, so you’re cutting yourself some slack and allowing yourself to at least enjoy your friendship. You feel a little terrible, some itty bitty heartache but it’s fine. Everyone does.
“How are things with Mina?” you had asked him once when you ran into each other at the CoffeeHouse. He had been caught off-guard, but he just shrugged it off.
“We’re working on it,” was what he told you at the time.
“Good for you,” you had replied, although you didn’t mean it.
Over two weeks, you counted all the times he invited you out but you refused: four. You did fewer coffee runs and spent less time in the cafe. You focused on your other hobbies and hung out with your other friends. Whether or not he noticed the shift in you, you wouldn’t know because you never got the chance to talk about it.
“Ready?” Yoori asked, her head peering through the doorway of your bedroom. “Our ride is here.”
“Yeah, I’m just looking for my tumbler,” you replied, going through your bags.
“It’s in the car already,” she prompted, picking up your backpack on your bed. “Let’s go!”
You followed her through the apartment and outside where you saw Seolhee standing by a familiar car, and talking to an even more familiar guy.
“Ah, there they are!” Seolhee exclaimed, beaming at the two of you. “Shall we go now?”
Your eyes were locked on Seungcheol, confused and curious about him being here. He just gave you a smile and a small wave before taking your backpack that Yoori handed over to him. While your friends excitedly occupied the backseat of Seungcheol’s car, you waited for him to load your bag in the trunk and make his way to you.
“Good morning,” he greeted, looking cheerful and excited. “Are you ready to go?”
“What are you doing here?” you questioned sternly.
“What do you mean? Yoori invited me.”
You scowled. “Why would she do that? And why would you say ‘yes’?”
At this point, Seungcheol looked genuinely abashed by your confrontation. “Honestly, I have no idea why she did, but I said ‘yes’ because it sounded fun.”
You sighed, shoulders sagging as you contemplated whether going on this trip was a good idea anymore.
“Y/n, is everything okay? If it’s uncomfortable for you, I can cancel. I’m sure I can come up with a good excuse–”
“It’s fine, Cheol,” you said through gritted teeth. “Let’s just go.” You turned to open the car door but Seungcheol grabbed your arm before you could.
“Hey,” he called, his voice filled with worry. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” you exhaled.
“I meant between us. If you don’t want me here, I’ll just go.”
You took his hand off your arm and forced a smile. “Everything is fine, Cheol. Let’s go have fun.”
Yoori and Seolhee had no idea that you’ve been trying to avoid Seungcheol, and that was obviously why they thought inviting him to your weekend camp trip was a good idea. In the car, Yoori explained that they ran into Seungcheol at the grocery store and invited him to join you on this trip, even quipping that you all could use a free ride.
The ride to the campsite was noisy, with both Yoori and Seolhee singing to the top of their lungs. At one point during the two-hour travel, you forgot about your issues with Seungcheol and managed to have fun with everyone. Seungcheol was mostly taken aback by the energy from you and the girls, but he seemed to have had his fun too. By the time you arrived at the campsite, you were all full with the food you bought at the rest stops. None of you were tired though because you immediately got to work on building tents and setting up your area.
Seungcheol was tasked to set up the barbecue table after you girls realized how much easier it was with a man around to do the lifting and assembling. When you were done with your tent, you approached Seungcheol by the bonfire with a bottle of water. He looked like he had run a mile, with his sweaty forehead and messed up hair. He even took off his jacket, revealing his muscular physique in his tight dri-fit shirt. Had he always been this hot? You knew he was handsome but did he have to be hot too?
You cleared your throat to prompt him so he immediately noticed your presence. Looking away because you couldn’t help staring at his arms, you handed him the bottle of water.
“Thanks,” he chimed, taking the bottle and opening it.
“Tables gave you a hard time?” you questioned, eyeing the table that was standing on crooked legs.
Seungcheol gulped down half the bottle and let out a big ‘ahh’ after. “I’ll admit, I’m not so confident with this kind of task.”
You scoffed, rounding the table to the crooked leg. “I can see that.”
“But hey, I did well with the chairs,” he beamed, pointing at the chairs. “Don’t you think so?”
He was gleaming with pride and you couldn’t help smiling at him. He’s so endearing and he’s not even trying. “Yeah, good job, Cheol.” 
You showed him how to fix the table and you were amazed to find that he was eager to learn.
“Guys! You should get ready for the boat!” Yoori called after a few minutes. You waved your hand in response then turned to Seungcheol.
“I hope you brought a rashguard,” you told him.
Seungcheol tilted his head in ponder. “Well, Yoori said I should bring one so I did. But I still haven’t been told why.”
You scowled. “What do you mean? Did you come here without knowing what this trip is?”
Seungcheol shrugged and looked at the tents around. “It’s a camping trip.”
“My god, Mr. Choi Seungcheol,” you sniggered. “This is a wakepark.”
Of course, the campsite didn’t look like a wakepark. If it did, Seungcheol would have figured it out. But if one were to take a quick hike up the hill and descend on the other side, he willl find a massive lake there and a wakeboarding facility. Seungcheol was amazed when he saw it and uttered praises about the location and safety concerns.
“I don’t do much water sports,” he told you as you were queueing for the safety check.
“Have you tried wakeboarding before?” Seolhee asked.
Seungcheol had an exhilarated look on his face. “I haven’t. This will be my first time.”
“Oh, you’re gonna love it,” Seolhee lilted. “I was scared to do it at first, but it was really fun.”
Yoori scoffed. “Which is why this has become our favorite weekend activity.”
Your friends were first to be briefed and while you waited below the platform, Seungcheol leaned to your ear to ask, “Is this what you do for fun?”
You looked up at him at shrugged. “Not all the time, but I do like wakeboarding.”
“Hmm. You didn’t strike me as the type to like extreme sports.”
You rolled your eyes and chuckled. “First of all, this isn’t that extreme. Second, since when have you been making assumptions about me?”
“That will be from the moment I first met you,” he grinned.
“Is that so?” you teased. “How many times have I proven your assumptions wrong?”
“So far, you’ve only been proving me right,” he crooned, looking pleased. “Ah, right. Except today. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks,” you deadpanned. “Since you’re not so big on water sports, what do you do for fun?”
Seungcheol paused to think and then replied, “I go to shooting ranges with friends. Sometimes golfing. It depends on the company I have, really. I mostly just do what they want to do.”
“Like right now?”
He nodded. “Yes. Like right now.”
Seungcheol said this was his first time wakeboarding and it showed when he did it for the first time. But then several times later, he has shown proficiency on the sport. In no time, he’s wakeboarding on obstacles and doing it flawlessly. While you who’s not a first-timer would rather avoid obstacles.
“Whatever happened to the safety issues you were pointing out when we got here?” you taunted when he came back from his 17th time on the board. Was it 18th? Honestly, you’ve lost count already.
“Seolhee was right,” he reveled. “This is fun.”
“I know, Mr. Sportsman. But this is where the fun ends,” you announced, motioning to the sky and the setting sun on the horizon. “This place is closing.”
“So they said,” he replied, sighing. “We should come back here next time.”
Is he saying he wants to come back with you? He said ‘we’, didn’t he? 
You shook your head to get rid of your intrusive thoughts. “Yeah. For now, let’s change and go back. We’re having barbecue.”
Seungcheol was talkative on your trek back to the campsite. He’s going on and on about how thrilling wakeboarding was and how he’d love to do it again. He was even describing the experience and the tricks he did and almost did. Listening to him was heartwarming, like talking to a child adorably blabbering about something he likes.
“I take it you don’t get this much thrill in your life?” you guessed, giving him a probing gaze.
“Absolutely not.”
“Then, I guess you need to have more adventurous friends.”
“I guess but…” he trailed off. You waited for him to finish his sentence, but he didn’t.
When you reach the campsite, your friends have got the fire going in the barbecue and they wave at you to join them. Seungcheol said he needs to put away his stuff first so you went ahead without him.
“He really kept going, huh?” Seolhee asked as you sat in front of the table. “Until closing time?”
“Yeah, he was like an energetic toddler,” you quipped, laughing fondly. “You should have seen how sad he was when it closed.”
“He’s so much older than us, but he’s so cute, isn’t he?” Yoori chimed before leaning close to you and nudging your elbow. “Also, you two look cute together.”
“Friends, Yoori,” you iterated. “We’re friends.”
“Whatever you say,” she teased so Seolhee scolded her. You stuck your tongue out at her, happy that Seolhee took your side.
“Hey,” Seungcheol prompted from behind you before sitting on the chair next to yours. “I just noticed we only have two tents.”
“Huh?” You glanced over your shoulders to where the tents were set up and saw that you did have two tents only. “Oh. Oh no.”
You looked at your friends and Yoori just shrugged and told Seungcheol, “I must have forgotten to tell you to bring one.”
“Well, we’re not gonna share a tent,” you told them in a matter-of-factly tone. “I mean, duh?”
“Of course. But where would Seungcheol-nim sleep?” Seolhee asked.
You looked at Seungcheol who seemed as lost as you were. Surely you can’t share a tent with your housemates either. Yoori and Seolhee like to get intimate whenever you come to this place. You don’t know why this place specifically and you’re definitely not curious enough to find out. BUT maybe they’ll reconsider just this once?
“I can just sleep with you–”
“No!” Yoori and Seolhee interjected simultaneously.
Yoori giggled shyly. “You two can share.” You were about to protest but she spoke over you. “You’ll be in sleeping bags. Just scoot far from each other. Your tent is big anyway.”
You looked sideways at Seungcheol who shrugged and then said, “I can sleep in the car.”
You nodded. “Or we can rent a tent. They must have one in the reception.”
“Reception is closed,” Seolhee said, sheepish.
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You could swear your friends are purposely trying to get you and Seungcheol to sleep in one tent. But when you checked the reception area, it really was closed. Seungcheol can’t sleep in his car. It’s uncomfortable and you’d feel bad if he did. Had you known he’d be joining you, you would have planned the trip properly. Although you knew you would probably refuse to go if you knew he’d be here too. 
Before you spend the entire night contemplating the matter, Yoori manages to convince you to share the tent. Between you and Seungcheol, you eventually end up agreeing that neither of you is uncomfortable and you are both willing to share the tent.
“The kimchi is amazing, Seolhee,” you told your friend.
“Thank you. We have plenty at the apartment,” she chimed.
You turned to Seungcheol. “Seolhee’s grandma owns a restaurant in their town. Her food is out of this world amazing.”
“Really? We should go there sometime.”
There he goes again with his ‘we’ declarations. It makes you hope that there really is something between you and he feels it too. But that’s just wishful thinking. He’s actively trying to get back with his ex, he shouldn’t be hanging out with you like this. And then again, maybe he’d rather hang out with you. Maybe he’s decided that he likes being here better than anywhere else. And maybe you’re overanalyzing things so much so that you’re starting to think delusional thoughts.
No. Delusions are things that aren’t real. His jacket that he wore on you because he was worried you’d be cold was real. His hand over the backrest of your chair was real. Your bodies leaning toward each other whenever you laugh was real. The jokes you had to whisper to each other because only the two of you would understand them were real. Seungcheol is very real. So maybe, just maybe, this was something worth overthinking about.
“Okay! The bottle has spoken and it picked you, y/n,” Yoori announced, pointing the tongs at you. “Truth or dare?”
The food has long been devoured and you’ve gone through bottles of alcohol already. Seolhee suggested you play a game of Truth or Dare, so here you are.
“Truth!” Seolhee shrieked, which was very unlike her but she was too inebriated to care.
“Do you…” Yoori began, standing up. “...like someone who’s here right now?”
You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “I didn’t say Truth.”
“Dare it is then!” Yoori declared, clearing her throat. She wobbled a little but regained her balance after shaking her head. She looked at you and then at Seungcheol then back at you again. “I dare you to kiss the person you like here.”
“We agreed no kissing dares,” you told her calmly so she sat and pouted, sulking.
“You’re no fun.”
You laughed at her and glanced at Seungcheol who was laughing too, probably amused by your drunken girlfriends. He’s mostly quietly observing, laughing here and there, and responding only when he’s talked to. During the game, he would only pick Truths and answer questions close-ended. Still, he didn’t seem bored, if anything, he looked like he was having lots of fun.
“Ah, crap. We’re out,” Seolhee said after pouring beer into her glass only to find that it was empty. “Ah. Y/n, I dare you to go buy more beer.”
You scowled. “Seriously? Haven’t you had too much?”
“Not nearly enough, love,” Seolhee replied, shaking her head and then laughing. You looked at Seungcheol, wondering how he was reacting to this. He just shrugged.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Go!” Yoori scolded, drunkenly shooing you away.
“Yeah! Go!” Seolhee giggled and the two of them chanted happily. “More beer! More beer! More beer!”
You rose to you feet to leave and Seungcheol grabbed your wrist. “Wait, are you going down all by yourself?”
“No, dumbass,” you scoffed, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. “You’re coming with me.”
The convenience store was a little far from the campsite, about a ten-minute walk down. You and Seungcheol were talking as you went, laughing in between jokes. The cold autumn air of late September was chilly, but you’re warmed by his jacket over you. Your cheeks are hot too and you’re not sure if it was the alcohol or the proximity between you and Seungcheol as you marched down the sidewalk. Your shadows were on the road, separate but they fuse with the slight tilt of your head in his direction. Even that was making you giddy. Damn. It really must have been the alcohol.
You were still looking at your shadows when he said, “Look at the sky!”
“Where?” you asked, looking up at the sky only to find nothing but darkness up there. “There’s nothing there.”
“I didn’t say there’s anything up there,” he giggled and it was such a cute sound to hear. Alcohol loosened him up a bit and it had him giggling and laughing at the littlest things.
You gave him a deadpan expression. “Wow. Funny.”
He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again and looked at the sky. “Oh wow, I think it’s raining.”
As if on cue, the rain started pouring from the sky. You squealed when big raindrops fell on your head. Seungcheol took you by the wrist and you followed him running to a nearby waiting shed. Laughing, you both stumbled into the shed, patting down the rainwater on your clothes. 
“Gosh, we should’ve just taken the car,” you blurted, peeking at the sky from under the roof.
“We had beer,” he replied, reaching to the top of your head to pat your hair back. “I don’t drink and drive.”
“But you’re not drunk.”
“I’m not irresponsible either,” he retorted, chortling at you. You were looking up at him, eyes gleaming.
“Wow, you’re very large.” Your comment came out of nowhere and even you was surprised you asked something like that.
Seungcheol flashed an affectionate scowl as he laughed. “Large?”
“Yeah, like you’re tall and your build is large,” you explained, shivering when the wind blew. “I knew you were bigger than me but I didn’t realize you were this big.”
Seungcheol chuckled. “Come here.” He tugged on your arm, pulling you in front of him so he could stand behind you. Then you felt his body pressing gently over you along with his pair of muscular arms wrapping around your waist.
Your heart skipped a beat before raging wildly in your chest. “Cheol?”
“Hmmh?” he inquired, placing his chin on the top of your head.
“What are you doing?” you asked, trying your best not to let your voice crack with nervousness.
“Helping with the cold,” he replied, taking a deep breath and then exhaling. “Damn, I think I had one too many beers.”
Seungcheol kept breathing in and out, steadying his breath as he fought against his tipsiness. You tilted your head back, urging him to get his chin off of your head. He did so and then leaned his forehead on your shoulder instead.
“You shouldn’t have drunk if you can’t hold your liquor,” you chided softly, almost in a whisper since his ear was close to your mouth.
“No, I can hold my liquor just fine. I just–” he paused to exhale and then continued– “I just need a second.”
The rain was loud against the roof and the wind was cold but your heart was warm; it was swelling with emotions, all leaning towards falling in love with Seungcheol. Surely you can’t do that, right? You’ve done well making sure you don’t fall for him even more, but now you’re back at one.
“Seungcheol?” you called softly, lifting your shoulder slightly to prompt him. “Hey.”
“Hmmh?” he responded, gently pushing you away when you moved to get him off your shoulder. “Sorry.”
You turned to face him, staring up at his sleepy expression. He beamed, eyes almost closed. It must have been the alcohol, or it could simply be the overwhelming emotions filling your heart to the brim. Maybe it’s his gentle smile and his eyes that are as beautiful as himself. Whatever it was, it made you take a step towards him, hold onto his arms, and then tip-toe so you could press your lips on his.
Seungcheol froze on the spot, eyes widening in surprise after your sudden action sobered him up. But it was only for a second. He kissed you back, holding your cheek so he could pull your face closer. Your grasp on his arms tightened as you tried to steady your body in your tiptoes. Seungcheol must have noticed you struggling to stand because he wrapped his other arm around your waist, keeping you in place.
A few seconds later, he exhaled sharply into the kiss and you could feel the temperature rising. It made you pull back, breaking the kiss. Seungcheol looked taken aback when you did.
You stuttered. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.” 
“Are you okay?” he asked and you nodded in response. Seeing that, Seungcheol leaned to kiss you again. The warmth emanating from his body, plus the delirious feeling of his lips on yours made you close your eyes, immersing yourself in the kiss once more.
This time, you parted when you were both ready, forehead pressed together as you catch your breath. Seungcheol’s eyes were closed, and you were staring right at him as the situation slowly sunk in. You took a step back, forcing him to let go. 
“Choi Seungcheol,” you called out. Seungcheol looked at you, curiosity evident on his face. “You should probably stay away.”
“What?”
“You shouldn’t stay so close if you don’t plan on staying at all.”
The face Seungcheol made upon hearing that shot an arrow straight into your heart. For a second there, you had expected him to finally put a label on your relationship. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“I’m sorry, y/n,” he said, his voice apologetic and regretful, sending another surge of pain in your chest.
You were worried that you might cry, luckily, you didn’t. As you waited for the rain to stop, you both stood at the opposite ends of the waiting shed, not saying anything. The pitter-pattering of the rain kept you sane. When it finally stopped, you walked back up the hill, Seungcheol following closely behind. At the campsite, you found that Yoori and Seolhee have deserted the bonfire so you headed to your tent. Realizing that you were supposed to share it with Seungcheol, you mentally cursed yourself.
“Fuck it.”
You hid in your sleeping bag, facing the tent so you didn’t have to see Seungcheol or interact with him at all. But hours passed by, and you lay there with your eyes wide open, unable to sleep because of the thoughts floating in your head. Seungcheol didn’t enter the tent and several times you wondered where he was. 
He’s probably in the car. He won’t possibly sleep outside, right? Right. And so you forced yourself to sleep, hoping the hours tick faster so you can go home and get over everything. When the first light peeked into the seams of the tent, you rose to your feet with a heavy body and an even heavier stride. The first thing you thought of was Seungcheol as if you hadn’t already been thinking about him all night. He was in his car, sleeping in the reclined driver’s seat. He must have been uncomfortable there.
Yoori and Seolhee are still asleep so you took it upon yourself to pack up your stuff. You packed the trash away and brought the dirty containers to the wash area so you could wash them. Halfway through, Seungcheol arrived.
“Do you need help with that?” he offered but instead of answering, you left the dishes half-done.
“Take care of it then,” you told him before walking away to take the trash to the recycling area. Yoori and Seolhee soon woke up and you all agreed to eat breakfast at the rest stop.
The silence between you and Seungcheol was the loudest in the car. You knew your friends noticed that, but they were nice enough not to pry. Instead, they minded their own business, flirting and being rowdy in the backseat among themselves. Several times they would prompt the two of you to let you in on what they were laughing about. Seungcheol would respond just to be polite, while you gave the most half-hearted reactions. When you arrived home, the girls thanked Sungcheol and hauled your stuff into the apartment.
As you were getting out of the car, Seungcheol tried talking to you. When you ignored him and went for the door, he grabbed your hand, squeezing it firmly.
“Please?”
You feel pathetic enough as it is, you don’t want to linger any longer. “There’s nothing to talk about, Cheol. It’s fine.”
“I just want to apologize, y/n. I overstepped.”
"It's okay. I should be the one apologizing. It was me who kissed you after all, so, I was the one who overstepped," you professed, not looking at him out of embarrassment. 
"Don't be. I didn't mind it."
"Thanks," you muttered, getting ready to get out of the car. "This was fun. Thanks for everything."
Seungcheol’s face darkened with concern. "You mean the camping trip, right?"
"No, I meant all of this. Everything that we did, everything we shared, it had been fun and I would probably miss all of it but it shouldn't be that hard to forget," you replied, holding his gaze for the first time since that kiss. Seungcheol's mouth opened and then closed again. You felt even sadder, knowing he didn't want you the same way you wanted him. "Goodbye, Cheol."
"Wait, y/n," he called, so you stopped opening the car door. "Can't we be friends? We were good friends, right? I really enjoyed hanging out with you."
"I liked hanging out with you too but things will never be the same between us, Cheol and you know it." Seungcheol released your hand and you felt your heart shatter into tiny little pieces. Seeing how he's just letting you leave, you figured this was all your fault for falling for him when all he wanted from you was friendship.
He didn't even say goodbye when you left and as soon as you were inside the house, you broke down crying. Luckily, Yoori and Seolhee were there to comfort you, staying right next to you as you cried your heart out. It was ridiculous and you're telling yourself that you shouldn't even be sad about it. How can your heart break over something that was never about romance in the first place? To him, it may have not been about romance, but to you it was. He shouldn't have reeled you in like he did. You should have just ordered a takeout when you couldn't find a seat in that cafe. You shouldn't have joined him or eaten the donut. You shouldn't have met him at all.
"Imagine breaking up with someone you never dated? Couldn't be me," Seolhee jeered, getting a glare from Yoori.
"Hey, she's heartbroken enough as it is. Don't rub salt in the wound."
Seolhee just scoffed. "What did I tell her? I told her to make sure they were on the same page before she fell for his charm and all! Look at the mess he left her in!"
Yoori sighed, still holding you in her embrace. "To be fair, he did tell her he hasn't moved on from his ex and they're trying to fix it. So romance was obviously out of the table for him right now."
“Then why did he keep hanging out with her? He may have been clear about where his heart was but you and I, including him, know their coffee runs and all that meeting up are intimate enough to be called dates!"
"Seolhee, sweetheart, you can't hold him hostage for something he can't control. Yes, he's accountable for y/n's heartbreak. Yes, he got her hooked with his charming personality. And yes he was a jerk for still hanging out with another girl when he was trying to get back with his ex. But nowhere in the equation did he explicitly mention the possibility of dating y/n. He was nice and apparently, he liked talking to y/n. Our girl fell in love, he had no control over that."
"We kissed," you croaked, sniffling into the blanket.
"You what?" Seolhee asked, confused.
"Well, I kissed him, actually."
"And he kissed you back?" Seolhee interrogated so you nodded.
Yoori let go of you and stood with her arms over her chest. "I beg your fucking pardon?"
"Babe," Seolhee blurted, holding Yoori by the arm. "Calm down."
"I’m calm. But he… He's dead," Yoori attempted to go to the door but Seolhee managed to stop her.
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Seungcheol sat on the table opposite Mina, absent-mindedly slicing his steak. His mind was elsewhere entirely, while Mina was rambling about her trip abroad. His lack of attention was unusual, even for himself, especially since he had been looking forward to this dinner ever since Mina's last concert. But why is he thinking about an entirely different girl from Mina, in an entirely different setting from this fancy hotel restaurant?
"Oppa," Mina prompted, taking notice of the steak that has now been reduced to tiny, uneven little pieces. Even the vegetables have been sliced the same way. "Are you alright? You seem spaced out."
Seungcheol heaved a deep sigh upon seeing the state of his food. "Yes, I'm fine. Just not hungry."
Mina pouted cutely. "You should have ordered a salad or something."
"You're right, I should have," Seungcheol grinned.
"You weren't listening to the waiter so I ordered your usual." Mina looked worried. "Are you sure you're okay? We could meet up some other time, you know."
"I am, Mina. I'm sorry if I'm not fun to be with right now."
Mina just nodded and continued eating. "So, as I was saying," she began, falling back into a long monologue about her latest trip abroad.
Seungcheol watched her speak, recognizing the delight in her voice and the way her cheeks lifted whenever she smiled, as well as the slight annoyance on her face when her story included something bad that happened there. He watched the woman he knew so well, trying to find the reason he was sitting here in the first place. Seungcheol knew it was love. He had loved Mina for so long and so much that he couldn't even look at other girls. Even when she broke up with him, he couldn't bring himself to move on and find someone else, someone better, someone who wouldn't do to him what Mina did. He waited for her to come back because she was all he wanted, the one he loved most. It was pathetic, but he didn't care. He told himself he could wait until she was ready, and he did just that, not listening to any of his friends or his self-respect. He loved Mira, and only Mira.
But why does he keep picturing you in your usual spot at The Coffeehouse, reading your books on a small tablet? Why does he keep imagining you rolling your eyes at his lame jokes and making him laugh with your witty remarks? Why does he still clearly remember how it felt kissing you in that waiting shed, with the sound of the rain draining the noises of his pounding heartbeat?
"Oppa," Mina prompted again, this time she looked annoyed.
"Yeah?"
"Are you even listening?"
"Yeah, no. I'm sorry. What was that?"
Mina huffed. "Nevermind. I'll tell you when your mind stops flying out to space."
Seungcheol was holding Mina's hand as they walked out of the restaurant, with her giggling about the good food and him nodding along. That's how it should be, the two of them hand-in-hand and together. That should make him happy because that was what he wanted. Still, he was struggling to find contentment. When he got home that night, he had to grab a can of beer in an attempt to help him fall asleep. His mind is still filled with thoughts of you, especially the part when you last saw each other.
He loves Mina, he knows that. But he felt like crap for hurting you. Seungcheol knows he's a jerk, alright. You were right, he shouldn't have stayed that long if he wasn't planning on staying at all. But he saw you as a friend, a good friend he can talk to comfortably without the pressure of being perfect. You made him laugh easily, made him drop his guard down without warning, and crept into his heart like it was only natural to do so. He knew this could happen at one point but after you found out he'd been trying to get back with Mina, you drew the line and told him you could be good friends without any expectations. He had been blind to see that you've already gone past being friends. Now he's losing his mind over you, replaying the kiss in his head and reliving the day he let go of your hand to never see you again. He's thinking about you but he can't erase Mina for someone he recently just met, regardless of how wonderful it was.
"Ah, fuck," he muttered, massaging the bridge of his nose in an attempt to alleviate his headache.
Seungcheol kept seeing Mina after that, and he was under the impression that they were back together already. She hung out with his mother a lot and discussions about marriage were being brought up but he was unenthusiastic about it all. He was too busy trying to get you out of his head, which he kept failing miserably because the effort only made him think about you more.
"What are you thinking about?" Mina asked, tracing lines on his chest.
"A lot of things."
"Can you stop thinking about them for now?"
"I don't know. I'm trying."
Mina propped herself up on her arms, smiling as she straddled Seungcheol again. "I could help," she grinned, grinding on his crotch.
"Mina, we literally just finished—" Seungcheol was cut off when Mina leaned to kiss his lips.
Right. This is what he wanted, to have Mina back in his arms again. This should feel right. Seungcheol decided to ignore the alarms ringing in his head as well as the weird feeling in his gut that he shouldn't be here at all.
"Mr. Landlord!" Mingyu greeted when Seungcheol walked into the cafe. "I haven't seen you in a while."
"I got busy," Seungcheol replied, smiling at the younger man behind the counter. "Everything good here?"
"Perfect," Mingyu smiled, turning to make Seungcheol's usual drink order. "Are you looking for y/n?"
Seungcheol realized he had been looking around the cafe and cleared his throat to shake off the shame of getting caught. "Has she been here at all?"
"Oh, she's here all the time."
"All the time?"
"Yes. She's here almost every day. I talked to her once and she said she's working on the final editing for her thesis."
Seungcheol nodded. "I suppose she is."
Mingyu glanced at the door when it opened. "There they are."
Seungcheol head has never spun that quickly; it hurt his neck a little. And seeing you walking inside the cafe with Jinwoo from one of your classes made him scowl.
"Oh," you blurted, stopping in your tracks as soon as you saw Seungcheol by the counter.
Seungcheol gave you a timid smile before Mingyu tapped on his shoulder to give him his order. "Right. Thanks."
He turned to you, smiling and then sighing. "Good to see you."
You just responded with a slight bow of your head and Seungcheol went on to find a vacant seat. He sank into the chair, taking his book out and covering his face as he scolded himself for the stupid line. You were standing right there, he could have asked to talk to you properly.
"'Good to see you'? Unbelievable," he muttered, shaking his head and putting his book back down. He would soon regret it because he could see you and the guy you were with laughing together from the window table, far from where he was. He couldn't help admiring your smile, realizing just how much he missed it. But his face darkened at the sight of the guy's arm resting on the back of your chair.
"Don't punch someone, Mr. Landlord."
Seungcheol jolted when he heard Mingyu's voice in his ear. The latter just laughed heartily, placing a plate with a donut in it right in front of Seungcheol.
"It's on the house. The owner saw you come in. She's probably hoping for a discount on the rent."
"Tell her thanks and that it's not gonna happen," Seungcheol jeered and Mingyu raised a hand on his forehead as a salute.
"Will do," he chimed, tucking the tray under his arm. "Oh, by the way, I think that guy likes y/n."
"How do you know that?"
Mingyu scoffed. "Everyone likes y/n. She's popular at school. They even have a title for her."
"What's the title?"
"Million Dollar Smile. She's the university sweetheart. I have friends from the school who are head over heels for her."
Seungcheol smiled absent-mindedly, repeating your title in his head. It suits you because you have a radiant smile that he now can't get out of his mind.
"The other day, he gave her flowers," Mingyu said, souring Seungcheol's mood. He saw the frown on Seungcheol's face and thought he didn't believe him. "It's true. I was here when he did it. I don't think y/n likes him though. She left the flowers on the table."
"Then why are they still together?"
Mingyu shrugged. "No clue."
Seungcheol sighed and hit Mingyu's abdomen. "Are you here to gossip? Don't you have work to do?"
"I just thought you'd like to hear updates about her," he complained, massaging the part where Seungcheol hit him. "Why are you so mad?"
Mingyu marched back to his post and Seungcheol went back to his book, trying to ignore your presence and failing because he ended up just stealing more glances. You didn't linger for long though, leaving the cafe with your friend after you were done with your coffee. Seungcheol could only get peace of mind then. Or so he thought. You came back alone and sat on the chair opposite of his.
"What's your deal?" you asked, looking annoyed.
"What do you mean?" Seungcheol asked back, trying to appear calm despite being surprised by your sudden appearance.
"You wanna talk to me, say it. Stop acting like a stalker."
"A stalker? I wasn't acting like a stalker," he denied, chuckling. "You were sitting within my line of sight. I can't be blamed for that. And I was here first. You have no case."
"Are being a lawyer on me right now?"
"No,” he replied briskly. “Yes, maybe."
You huffed, leaning on the backrest of the chair and crossing your arms over your chest. "Is everything alright with you?"
"Yes. Everything's fine," Seungcheol replied, smiling at your warmer attitude.
"You look…” you paused, shrugged, and added, “I don't know, different?"
"Different how?"
You shrugged. "You look like you haven't slept properly. You got thinner too and a little paler than usual. Were you sick?"
"Did it always feel this good to be cared about?" Seungcheol blurted out before he could think twice about it. He saw your brows twitching and felt nervous about what you were going to say next but you just looked away. "Don't mind me. What about you? How are you these days?"
You huffed. "If you're so curious then you should have texted me."
"You told me to leave you alone."
You glared at him. "No, I didn't."
"Pretty sure you did," Seungcheol smiled. "You just used different terms."
"And you were dissecting my words."
"Nothing much to dissect when it was staring me right in the face."
You huffed impatiently, standing up from your seat. "I didn't come here to get smart with you, so goodbye."
Seungcheol grabbed your hand. "Coffee? Won't you at least have a cup?"
"I just had one."
"Yeah, I saw that. Were you working on a project again with that guy? Jinwoo, was it?"
"Why do you care? I never asked you if you're back together with Mina."
Seungcheol's hand on your wrist twitched. You were right to ask that. Why does he even care? He has Mina. He shouldn't be acting like this anymore.
"Don't stop coming here just because I come here, Cheol. This was your favorite spot. I'm graduating anyway so I'm pretty sure I’ll stop being around much."
"No. I—" Seungcheol sighed, letting go of your hand. "Okay. It was nice seeing you again."
You gave him a small smile before walking away. Seungcheol sat there for the next hour, staring into nothing with muddled thoughts and a weird aching in his heart. He kept telling himself that he shouldn't have let your hand go for the third time around. But how stupid was he to think that?
It was only when his phone rang that he stood up and left. Mina called and asked to meet him. He drove down to a restaurant, wondering why Mina was inviting him out to another dinner. It was with their common friends this time and she was gushing about some really good news.
When he got there, Seungcheol was confused to see his girlfriend sitting next to a guy, smiling happily with her hands wrapped around his arms. She spotted Seungcheol and waved happily.
"Oppa! You made it!"
You recognized the guy as the pianist who always accompanied Mina on stage. He was smiling at him too with the same glow of happiness as Mina.
"Come join us! Everyone's here," Mina said, running up to Seungcheol to guide him to a vacant seat. But he didn't budge. "What's wrong?"
"What's this, Mina?" Sungcheol asked, sighing in frustration. 
"My friends. They wanted to meet you."
Seungcheol sighed again, grabbing her by the wrist and walking out of the private restaurant. He stopped in a quiet hallway, looking at Mina with conviction.
"Are we doing this again, Mina?" 
"What is?"
"Who was that guy?" he spat and Mina laughed incredulously.
"That's Hyungjae. My pianist."
"Your pianist?"
Mina shrugged. "We're kind of seeing each other but it's not serious."
"Mina you were with me just a few days ago. You were in my bed!"
"I know! And I loved that," she smiled, placing her hands on Seungcheol's chest. "I love you. You don't have to worry about Hyungjae. He's just temporary."
"Are you seriously doing this again? Am I supposed to turn a blind eye while you go sleep around with just anyone? And you asked me to come here so you could introduce me to your friends? What do you take me for, Mina?"  Seungcheol grunted, swatting her hands away. "Do you see how messed up this is?"
"Oppa!"
"Let's stop this."
Mina’s face contorted with annoyance. "What do you mean? You can't say that!"
"Why not?”
She shook her head. “You can’t break up with me! Who do you think you are?”
Just like that, he’s had enough. Seungcheol walked away, completely ignoring Mina's nonstop calling. He found his car and drove a long way without an actual destination. But when he saw the Coffeehouse, he stopped right in front of it, sighing as he watched it from the side of the road. He wasn't expecting to see you there at all, smiling while talking to someone on the phone. He couldn't hear you but he was smiling along, content with the sight of your bright face.
Seungcheol was a fool. All this time, he had been blindly going in the wrong direction. He didn't want Mina because he still loved her, he wanted Mina because she was familiar. He had been chasing the empty shell of the love he used to have. He had been focusing too much on what he lost that he failed to acknowledge what he found. You. He found something really beautiful in you. He was realizing just now that he was in love with you after all. You were so graceful and pretty, like a breath of fresh air. He was enamored by you, not because you were alluring or sexy, but because you were smart and spoke kindly even when you were speaking carelessly. You were beautiful to look at, and even more breathtaking to listen to. Seungcheol was an idiot. He knows that now. He knows he would be an even bigger idiot if he let go of something as beautiful as this. But after hurting you, even though he never meant to, Seungcheol knew he couldn't just walk back into your life like he was welcome to do so anytime.
Your phone call ended and you chucked your device back in your bag. As you were turning to leave, Seungcheol panicked. Getting out of his car, he called out your name as loud as he could. 
“What the–” you blurted, surprised to hear someone shouting your name. When you spotted Seungcheol walking towards you, you scowled. “Choi Seungcheol?”
“Hi,” he sputtered. He held your hand as soon as you were within his reach. “Can we talk?”
“Now? I’m kind of in the middle of something–”
“It won’t take long, I swear. I just need to tell you something.”
You glanced inside the cafe and then at Seungcheol. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry,” he confessed, almost out of breath. “I’m so sorry. Can we do this again? Let’s try again, can we?”
“Cheol, what do you mean? Where’s Mina? What happened?”
“She’s gone, y/n. It didn’t work.”
You retracted your hand from his hold, glaring at him as you stepped back. “Are you serious? Did you come here because it didn’t work out with Mina?”
“What? No!” he denied strongly, reaching for your hand again but you backed away.
“I don’t think we should be talking right now, Cheol,” you told him, genuinely concerned. “You don’t seem to be in the right headspace. You’re not even acting like yourself.”
You were right. He was rash and impulsive. This was unlike him at all. “I’m sorry.”
You were about to speak when a group of people walked out of the cafe laughing and chattering. Seungcheol recognized his uncle among the students.
“There you are, y/n. We’ve been waiting for you inside. What took you so long?” the Professor asked. Then he noticed Seungcheol there so his face glowed. “Seungcheol! I didn’t expect to run into you here!”
“Uncle,” he said meekly, eyeing you curiously. “I was just passing by.”
The elder man laughingly walked up to Seungcheol, giving him a pat on the shoulder before proudly saying, “This is Attorney Choi Seungcheol. He’s an alumna of our university. My dear nephew.”
A chorus of ‘Nice to meet you’s was heard from the group, to which Seungcheol replied with, “Good to meet you too.”
“How do you know y/n?” the professor asked Seungcheol who seemed to hesitate.
“He’s an acquaintance, Prof,” you replied curtly.
The elder nodded. “Very well then. You should join us for dinner. My students just passed an important exam so I’m treating them to dinner.”
You panicked. “I think Mr. Choi is busy–”
“I’d love to, uncle!” he chimed, grinning. “I brought my car. The rest of them can carpool with me.”
“Good. Good. Let’s go.”
The group proceeded with excited chatter while you lagged behind. Seungcheol hesitated to speak to you and as he was about to try, you shook your head to dissuade him.
At this point, Seungcheol is improvising–something he’s never done in his life before. He’s hoping that it’s worth it.
[To be continued in Part 2]
34 notes · View notes
starryriize · 2 days
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Darling, do you have any K soft thoughts?
In a brainrot because of him
delulu thoughts | k
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╰┈ ⋆。˚ 🪼genre: fluff!
╰┈ ⋆。˚ 🪼author’s note: YES i love him so much actually 🤭 also he was my pick in i-land!!! idk why but this took me forever :(( here you go, love🫶🏼
🫧laur's taglist: @chiiyuuvv @cherrycolaberry @leehanascent
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✧ the type to walk closer to the road so that you’re safe!! always keeps his arm wrapped around your waist🫶🏼
✧ he would definitely teach you how to dance!🥹 he’d be incredibly patient with you and would hype you up even if you only know the chorus :((
✧ he’s always flirting with you whether it’s a compliment towards how you look or a wink towards your direction!!
✧ being with k, he takes you on very special dates that range from stargazing to painting! you both did painting on some pottery and now you have adorable matching mugs for your morning coffee🫶🏼
✧ surprises you after class with a snack and his open arms!! walks with you hand in hand back home while asking about your day and then you guys make dinner together 😭🥹 (pure bliss btw)
✧ the type to do workouts with you and helps you when you’re not doing them correctly!! would 100% let you watch him work out and then he’d say something cheesy like “you’re my lucky charm” (stop he’s a romantic fr idc)
✧ uses his height over you as an advantage for kisses and to just get things off the shelves for you! wydm you can’t reach the bowl for your cereal? 😭 also lets you get on his back especially if you went to work in heels!! think of the my demon piggyback scene- yeah that’s what k does (this is a green flag in my book)
✧ helps you find your glasses when you misplace them and in your blindness, can’t seem to find them!! once he does find them, he even wipes them clean for you :(( 🫶🏼
✧ when shopping for outfits, he’ll definitely have an opinion on what looks good but he will always be complimenting you!! “does this look good?” “mhm yes. that looks beautiful on you.” and you look at him, a smile overtaking your face😭🤭 most of your shopping sprees end up like this (he’s just so in love!! can you blame him?)
✧ making breakfast with him?? it’s literally bliss and chaos! has you sit down while he makes pancakes- specifically puts them in a cute shape with your favorite fruits🥹 (he’s so thoughtful)
✧ overall, dating him is so much fun and he’s always thinking of you!! he’s the greenest green flag ever 🫶🏼 (thinks abt marriage with you a lot btw)
🫧join laur’s taglist!
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mixelation · 7 hours
Text
i guess this is canon to mutagenicity in that it's an AU i ave where minakushi are alive but: i headcanon they're narusaku shippers (NOTE: this is not actually a narusaku premise)
okay. so in canon we know kushina told naruto he should find a girl "like her" to marry (who knows what that meant???) and also minato's first question upon meeting sakura was "is this your girlfriend." so i think we can conclude that both of them have ideas about naruto dating and what that should look like (although note i won't write them as assholes to their own kid, so they're okay with naruto going with something besides from their Ideas as long as it makes him happy)
anyway. in mutagenicity, naruto still likes sakura in a very kiddy-crush way. he admires that she's intelligent and he likes her hair. he likes when he gets a glimpse of inner sakura.
so from his parents' POV, from ages like 8-12 naruto is always talking about how sakura-chan is THE smartest in class, and how he catches her secretly laughing at his pranks even though she pretends to be a teacher's pet. around ~10 he starts sighing over how pretty her hair is, and also 10 is around the age where sakura breaks up with ino and her Feral Mean Girl act becomes more apparent and naruto thinks this is SO cool.
kushina is absolutely smitten with the idea that naruto likes a girl with weird hair and that he's defensive of people making fun of her face. she thinks sakura's personality would be a good balance for naruto. she likes the gumption of sakura being from no-name clan and deciding her rival is the yamanaka clan heir. she ships it, okay. naruto should go for it. kushina wants a daughter-in-law ASAP.
minato is a little more level-headed, but he thinks naruto's crush is very cute. he does hope sakura will give naruto a chance. he ALSO feels weird about putting them on the same genin team.
kushina, heart eyes: YOU'RE PLAYING MATCHMAKER???
minato: no, the.... the simulations for potential teams..... indicated this is the best combination.....
kushina: BECAUSE THEY'RE IN LOVE!!!!!!
except it takes like six months and then naruto stops talking about sakura with hearts in his eyes. like he's FRIENDS with her and still talks about her a lot. but there's a clear shift in his attitude towards her. the crush part of his feelings is weaker
kushina: YOU GOTTA KEEP AT IT IF YOU WANT TO WIN SAKURA-CHAN'S LOVE!!!!!
naruto: y-yep..... my crush on sakura......
he dates hinata briefly in his teens and kushina is like "??? WHAT HAPPENED TO SAKURA, WHO IS THIS?" (minato: who is THE HYUUGA CLAN HEIR?) eventually they break up and naruto is like "actually i think i am gay" and kushina is like ".........but can sakura still be my daughter?"
she gets sasuke as a second son, which is awesome, but like. she wanted to braid hair.
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pepprs · 6 months
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ok. giving myself 4 minutes to make this post and then i finish my homework. i just am so deeply miserable. i really think i made a mistake. i should not be in grad school. i only took a year between this and undergrad and i am still so burned out and mentally ill. im working full time. im only taking one class and this program is supposed to be so good and aligned with what i want and all of that. but i just cant stand having homework. i just cant stand it. i think i am not cut out for academia even though i work in academia. i think i will never get better as long as im still living at home but i have to get better before i can no longer be living at home but i cant get better until im not living at home and every day i still live at home saps away at my will to live quite literally. i should not have started doing grad school without regaining my will to live. without restoring my love for reading and writing that i used to have voraciously when i was younger and less deeply miserable. without recovering from the burnout. i think i made a mistake. i need a masters degree so bad so that i can be safe but i need to not have fucking homework when i already struggle to get through my days without school. i feel so stuck in my life and hopeless and helpless. i dont know what to do
#purrs#i cant drop out or anything because. lol and this class isnt even that big of a deal like i TRULY am freaking out over nothing. but my life#situation is so bad rn bro like i cant get my parents to take me out to drive and i cant get myself to get my parents to take me out to#drive and every day i am guilt tripped berated etc etc and i feel like i am never ever ever going to be able to have my own life where i a#stable and safe and happy. it can happen for other people except for me and my siblings. i dont know. im not explaining anything well.#i just cant do this. i need to not have this one more thing on my plate but i have to because if i dont have a masters degree in my field i#am nothing even though everyone is telling me that isnt true and all of them are credible but im just so mentally ill i cant believe anyone#and icant accept any advice or hope or whatever good about me i just. am stuck. this is as good as it gets and its not even good.#delete later#that was 7 minutes not 4 and i didnt even write anything substantial. nutshell. i just have been so fucking depressed lately oh my goddddd#this is maybe too strong of a thing to say but like. i know it isnt technically neglect if i am an adult but... i think i may kind of be#neglected by my family in some ways a little bit and always have been but like. emotionally. like in the ways in which im never a priority#and the things i need are seen as burdens etc etc. and theres nothing anyone can do about it even myself because im an adult but like lol.#24 year old dependent moment <3#well there is one thing i can do about it as an adult actually. its called move out. but that requires strength i will#never possess unfortunately due to the inherent flaws in my character and constitution so. guess this is it lawl 🥰#side note (and i swear im done after this lol): i think i was doing a lot better mentally over the summer. funny how when the semester#starts i get depressed and the depression just gets worse and worse until the end of the semester 😻 funny how this is my seventh year like#this. willingly subjecting myself to this. that should be a clue no? but i love my job and if i could just have my job and be stable in it#would be happier but also im lying to mysaelf and i will always be unhappy but its because of my mental illness not my job being bad or#anything its like. i am just sick in the head with impostor syndrome and thats how i got myself into this whole mess. lol#well that and the not moving out thing which is partially my fault but also because i live in hell as described earlier! <3
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femme-malewife · 1 year
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I think me and Duck were switched at birth or something LMAO
All of my siblings are amazing at art, don’t even need to try. But I can sing and dance. Hell, I made the highest choir that a freshman could get into back in high school choir tryouts, and then in my second year I was in the highest choir + I tried out for a “show choir” (which was singing and dancing, only 10 - 12 girls could get in and only 2nd highest and highest choir girls can try out) and made that as well.
Meanwhile, Duck’s amazing at art and their siblings are good at singing...
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figofswords · 2 years
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one of these days somebody is gonna murder me during crit
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