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captainfern · 1 month

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You Know You're Right

Captain John Price x fem!reader

["You Know You're Right" by Nirvana]

[18+]

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• summary - an argument with your bodyguard ends a lot differently than you anticipated lol. • rating - 18+ • wordcount - 6.6k • warnings - fem!reader, thick girl friendly ofc, bodyguard!price, protective/jealous!price, oral [f!receiving], angry!sex but not really, he calls you a slag once i'm so sorry but he doesn't mean it i swear, unprotected (obviously) piv, reader has a breeding kink but price is like babe chill, but he also has one, so uh yeah breeding kink (obviously), reader is on contraceptives tho x, dirty talk, praise, degradation, strong language, 99% porn 1% plot • also to note: reader is a wealthy woman in the english countryside. sorry to all my american cuties but you can be a sexy british heiress for a while x

and the uniform stays on 🙏

my contribution to @glitterypirateduck price writing challenge for this month. sorry for the lack of work recently. uni's a bitch. and sorry for any mistakes lol anyway enjoy x

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You don't know how long John Price had been your bodyguard for. You honestly couldn't recall the amount of days, weeks, months, years it had been since you had first met him.

Of course, you remember the day itself, the events, the moment you first met him. A crisp, autumnal morning with the trees around you alit with oranges and reds, and you stood on the front steps of your grand country estate as a couple of military-grade hummers pulled up in front of you.

You remember a few armed men spilling out onto your driveway, clutching M16's or AR15's or whatever the fuck they were because you weren't paying attention to them. You were paying attention to the man that followed behind them.

A man who, as the armed soldiers-of-sorts fanned out and scanned their surroundings, approached you with a warm smile that melted the early-morning chill from the air. With deep eyes that heated you more than the fuzzy housecoat you had bundled around you.

He offered his hand, and you shook it. His hand was warm too.

And the way he spoke– oh fuck, his voice. Flint striking steel and fire crackling from it's spark. A smoker. A man who, all so suddenly, sounded much too experienced to be the bodyguard of a wealthy woman in the English countryside.

"John Price," he had introduced. "S'a pleasure, miss."

You then smiled politely in return and introduced with your name. He chuckled lightly, commenting something along the lines of oh, I know who you are, miss which made your body grow even warmer.

You had looked up, ignoring the fact he was still holding your hand gently in his, and gestured to the three young men who were pacing around the front of your house, weapons drawn. "Will these gentlemen be staying with you for the entirety of your stay?"

He shook his head ruefully. "No, miss. They'll be gone within the hour. Just ensuring they know their way 'round in case they need to get here in a hurry."

You looked back down at him, arching a brow and finally removing your hand from his. He dropped his arm with a clearing of his throat, bringing his hands up to clutch the top of his vest.

"Will they need to get here in a hurry?" You challenged, almost jokingly, but John saw no joke. A joke about your safety is no joke he'd dear indulge in.

"No," he said sternly and quite quickly, you remember. "But it's just precautions. No, don't you worry, sweetheart. You're in safe hands. I assure you that."

Sweetheart.

Perhaps you remember the first meeting with John Price because it was the very first time he referred to you in such a way. Sweetheart. Now, a little over a year later, he still refers to you as such, but also–

"Morning, love. Sleep well?" He'd ask when you emerge from your bedroom in the morning.

Or,

"There she is. Rough night, pet?" He'd quip when you finally decide to show yourself about late-afternoon after a night out with your friends.

Or even,

"Need a hand with that, darling?" He'd offer when you found yourself struggling to carry the many shopping bags through the door.

Oftentimes, the way he spoke to you, the way he referred to you, was like you two had been married for years. And it wasn't only the way he spoke to you that had you going to bed giggling and kicking your feet like a girl with a crush.

Lingering touches and long hugs and kisses to the top of your head. John was always so warm and welcoming. His presence crackled like a fire in winter, lulling you to sleep or to a state of comfortability. If it was any other man, you wondered if you'd be weirded out by the closeness of him– but because it was John, everything just felt... right.

Riding horses in the springtime, and he'd assist you into the saddle with big hands running down your sides and legs, settling you onto your sturdy steed with a squeeze to your knee. He'd ride on a seperate horse if you wanted to canter through the forest; or he'd walk alongside yours if you were only taking a lazy stroll across the pastures.

Swimming in the summertime, and he'd smooth oils across your exposed skin. You'd revel in the way his large palms moved against you, such a strong man being so incredibly gentle. He'd watch you swim, his eyes occasionally darting up and around, before settling back on you again. He always declined to join you, angling that silly little boonie hat of his over his eyes to shield the sun's rays.

Keeping you warm in the wintertime, letting you snuggle up beneath furs and blankets on your couch while he chopped firewood outside, bringing the axe down again and again until he had enough kindling to keep the fire running for days to come. You'd watch him work up a sweat, muscles stretching and contracting beneath his shirt. Your entire body would flush with warmth.

But sometimes... sometimes the two of you didn't get along so well. And it wasn't your fault, you didn't think. You honestly found Captain John Price so confusing at times, especially now that the two of you had known each other for quite some time.

Partying with your friends, and you'd attract the attention of some poor man who didn't know what he was getting himself into. He'd smile at you, offer you drinks or a smoke or whatever you wanted, his hands beginning to wander as the music seemed to grow louder and louder and the colours around you blurred together. You'd laugh and dance and sing with your friends, this man actively engaging with you and–

It never lasted.

Price would swoop in. Sometimes before the stranger could offer you a drink, sometimes after. Sometimes the man never got the chance to even speak to you, with your bodyguard planting himself firmly in front of you and blocking your would-be pursuer.

You were never one to complain. After all, it was his job to protect you. But you didn't like when, after getting home in the early hours of the morning, he would roughly escort you to your room, ensure you wouldn't be sick, then leave without another word.

He'd be better by the morning.

And this became a cycle. A cycle of trying to combat the winds of a hurricane. Impossible, really. You just had to brace yourself.

But you were sick of bracing yourself. You were sick of getting fucking cock-blocked by your ex-military bodyguard. You were an absolutely gorgeous, rich woman living on her own in the countryside, and you fucking deserved to find someone. You, frankly, deserved to get fucked.

"I'm going out tonight," you told Price as you emerged from your bedroom. You were already dressed, looking impeccable as always.

Price lounged in one of the chaises positioned in the hallway outside your bedroom. He glanced up from his phone, glanced back down, and then did a double take. His eyes shot up again and he immediately pocketed his phone as he got to his feet, knees cracking with the speed of it all.

"I– you said you were just going out for a few drinks with friends?" He countered, eyes skimming up and down your frame. But not for any longer than a second, you don't think. Forever the gentleman, his eyes honed in on your face, his gaze already beginning to melt the icy facade you'd put in place.

But you steeled your nerves.

"I am," you said with a smile.

"You're going into the city? I'll have to organise a driver–" Price began, but you cut him off with a shake of your head. You didn't live too far from the main city, but it was still a significant drive for simply a few drinks.

"No, no, we're just popping into town," you said, referring to the small, quaint town less than five down the road. "Having a few drinks at the pub. Nothing big."

You and your friends were regulars at the pub. And John frowned. He knew that the other regulars– a group of men you'd become familiar with– would also be there.

You clocked his frown and your smile grew. "What's the matter, John? Am... Am I not allowed to go?"

He huffed. "No, you can go, but just let me–"

"Oh, no need," you said with a batter of your eyelashes. You told him you'd organise your own driver. "And you don't need to come. I'll only be a couple of hours."

John's jaw tensed, and you could see the muscles moving beneath his facial hair.

"No," he said firmly. "I'm coming."

Your smile faltered. "No, you're not. I'm fine, John. Have a break. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be back before midnight–"

"That doesn't make me feel better," John growled. "I... I have no problem with you going out, but I need to come with you. I– I am coming with you, end of story."

Your smile had disappeared completely now. You then looked him up and down. He was dressed how he usually did, even around the house. A suit complete with the trousers and white dress-shirt. But he wore his kevlar vest over top, and with a belt stocked with a couple of sidearms and ammunition, he didn't exactly look inconspicuous. At least he wasn't wearing his boonie hat.

"Price..." You began. "Please, just... I'll be fine, okay? Can you just let me do something on my own–?"

"No."

You frowned. "John–"

"It's my job to protect you, is it not?" He cocked his head, daring you to challenge him. "You hired me to protect you. You pay me to keep an eye on you since there are a couple of real fuckwits out there that would want to hurt you, right? So why the fuck would I let you leave here alone?"

He took a step forward, opening his arms in a gesture of so?

Your frown deepened. "I deserve some privacy, you know. I appreciate that you look out for me, but I want to be able to enjoy myself in public without..."

John waited, but urged a mocking, "Without...?"

You scoffed. "Without you hovering over me. I just want to... enjoy myself, okay? I want to meet people–"

"Oh," John suddenly said, and his tone was less of realisation, more of discovery. "I see."

You scowled. "What?"

"You want to get fucked, is that it?"

Your mouth dropped open. "I–"

"No, no, it's okay, sweetheart. It's okay," he tutted, shaking his head as you stood there, embarrassment suddenly festering in the pit of your stomach, as he appraised you like you were a whole new person. He sighed. "You want me gone so I don't stop the lads from flocking to you. Is that it? You want me to let you go out on your own so you can get one of those boys to fuck you?"

The shame in your stomach, pulling and pushing at your conscious, fizzled out and was instead replaced by a new flame of self-determination. You took a step closer to your bodyguard and jabbed a finger into the taut material of his tac vest.

"You have no right to tell me who I can and cannot fuck, got it? I can do what the fuck I want. I'm a grown woman, Price," you seethed. "Secondly, yeah, I might just get one of the guys at the pub to fuck me. I bet they would, you know. I bet he'd bend me over his knee and–"

"Stop talking," John rolled his eyes, and the gesture made you a whole lot angrier. But he continued before you could say anything else. "You're not going. You can throw a fit if that's what you want, but you're not going."

Throw a fit. You wanted to slap him for that. But you didn't. Even though you were growing angrier and angrier at the man before you, there was something inside your brain that prevented you from going that far. Maybe it was the fact that... seeing him so protective of you... made you feel...

You shook your head to send the thoughts away. You're meant to be angry at him, babe.

"Fuck you," you spat, since those were the only words that managed to come to the forefront of your mind.

He grunted. "Yeah, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? Just a needy fuckin' slag looking for a quick fuck–"

You raised your hand to slap him. You wanted to strike your palm across his handsome face. A slag? Who the fuck does he think he is–

Price grabbed hold of your wrist before you got within inches of his cheek. And, quickly, you realised you'd made a huge mistake.

In seconds, he had your soft body pinned against the wall beside your bedroom door. He pinned you there with his body, hard and firm against yours, one large hand holding your wrist and nailing it to the wall, while the other grabbed your other wrist and held it by your side.

His face was close to yours. You could smell him. Rich oud, the warmth of some sort of spice note, expensive tobacco–

Your core fluttered.

Oh, fuck off–

Price shoved a knee between your legs, parting them and forcing a yelp from your throat at the way he dragged himself impossibly closer. The taut muscle of his thigh beneath you made you scream within your head, silently begging that the warmth of your clothed cunt didn't give anything away because-

You were fucked.

Fucked off, yes. Angry at him, yes.

But he was also turning you on in a way that no man has ever done before.

"D'you want'a try that again?" He whispered, the words ghosting across the heated skin of your face.

When you didn't respond right away, he pushed his knee up higher, shifting his hips closer to yours, humming out an impatient, "Hm?"

You shook your head.

"Didn't think so."

You frowned. "You're such an arsehole."

"I know," he said, words hushed. "But you fucking love it, don't you?"

The both of you paused. Breathing jaggedly, you looked at each other for what felt like an eternity, a storm passing between the two of you, complete with the crackling of thunder. You could feel him breathing against you, and you willed yourself not to look down at where your bodies were flushed together. Instead, you remained calm.

You watched the way his eyes darted across your face. How they lingered on the curves of your cheeks, or the part between your lips. His eyes scanned over your nose, your eyes, your everything. You could almost hear his brain trying to keep up.

You could feel your core growing warmer and warmer, arousal pooling and no doubt tangible. Without a doubt he could feel it against the material of his trousers, soaking through to his thigh. It was already drenching your underwear, and probably ruining his suit.

God, you loved him in a suit.

"What are you waiting for?" You whispered your challenge, suddenly overwhelmed by the heat between you.

Price groaned and he released his hold on your wrists. Instead, he grabbed the fat just above your hip in one hand and wrapped the other around your jaw, before he was pushing forward and slamming his mouth to yours.

•º•º•

John Price didn't know how long it had been since he fell in love with you. He honestly couldn't recall the number of days, weeks, months, years it had been since the moment he first saw you.

But of course he remembers what the day was like– how beautiful and welcoming and soft you looked, bundled in your expensive housecoat with a sliver of your leg exposed to the chilly autumn breeze. He remembers the bright smile, tired but bright, you had offered him as he walked up to you and extended his hand. He remembers the way your hand felt within his, and how he didn't want to let go.

He remembers how his heart lurched in his chest when you introduced yourself, and he recalls feeling nothing but sincerity for the fact a pretty woman like you needed to be protected by someone like him. Oh, but how gorgeous you looked when you thanked him for his service. The almost-guiltiness didn't last for long.

You were always so sweet to him. Even when he put you in your place, told you what you could and couldn't do for your own safety. You were constantly being kind to him. Respectful and polite and understanding.

You were such a good girl.

And as the days passed, as they blurred into weeks and months and finally a year-ish together, you got all the more sweeter. But–

But you now knew him. You knew what made him tick. You knew exactly what to do to get your way. Saunter through your home with a pretty, coy smile and a soft hand on his bicep and of course, sweetheart, we can go into the city today. Or a well-cooked meal of his favourite food, paired with a pint if you really wanted to get into his good books, and okay then, love, I'll call your driver to take us.

You knew how to deal with him. And he let you, of course.

But as the months went by, Price couldn't help but grow resentful. His pretty girl, being chatted up by some absolute mingers in a big-city nightclub. Or maybe even the village idiots down at the local pub. How dare they?

He found himself growing more annoyed that they approached you, instead of worried that they could cause you harm. Sure, they were still a threat, and Price was doing his job. But also, also, they were encroaching on what was his. What belonged to him.

His good girl.

And he supposed he should have seen this coming– an argument bubbling up and over about it all. About how he was always there when you just wanted to socialise and have a good time. How he was always turning guys away from you. It wasn't fear, and John understood that. But he was firm in his thinking– you were his.

Oh fuck, you even looked gorgeous when you were angry at him. When you were spitting and hissing like a feral cat, and even with your claws unsheathed and swinging right towards his face, he found you to be the most ethereal being on the planet.

His pretty girl.

He didn't mean to call you a slag. Of course he didn't mean it. His anger conjuring into stupid fucking words that he couldn't keep hidden in his head. And even then his anger wasn't to you, but to the local fuckwits who haunted the village pub in the hopes of spending time with you.

Delusional cunts.

When John caught your wrist and pinned you to the wall outside your bedroom, he didn't mean to escalate things. He was angry at himself, angry for saying such filth to you. But then–

But then he felt it. His heart hammering wildly against his ribcage and your chest rising and falling rapidly. He felt the way you squirmed against him, how you arched off the wall and how your barely clothed pussy seemed to throb against the muscle of his thigh. He could feel your warmth through his trousers, feel your need.

His needy girl.

And he was more than happy to indulge you. Hell, he was more than happy to indulge himself.

•º•º•

John's mouth on yours was hot. Liquid heat passing between you, sparks flying as he pulled you closer by the hand on your jaw. He split your lips with his tongue, pushing inside with just as much strength as you anticipated. His lips against yours smeared your gloss, sticky and sweet, mixing with the spit that threatened to drip as he licked into your mouth again and again, chasing the taste of you.

You moaned into it, eyes shut and hands wrapping around his neck. Fingers delved into his hair, tugging and pulling and angling his head to get yourself closer. He groaned in response, pushing his pelvis closer to yours, and you could feel him growing in his suit trousers.

Then, you began to move. You followed him blindly, your eyes still closed as you attempted to keep up with the languid rhythm of his tongue. He licked at your teeth, your tongue, your lips, committing your taste to memory.

You'd never been kissed like this before.

You were walking backwards, guided by Price's large hands. He had two hands on your waist now, holding you flush to him as he slowly edged you back, back, back until the backs of your legs bumped into something. Your bed.

You broke the kiss, surprised, and turned your head to the side to see that yeah, he'd navigated you both back into the warm, lovely-smelling oasis of your bedroom. As you looked to the side, your bodyguard continued his mission, dragging his lips along your jaw and then latching his mouth onto your neck.

He groaned, tasting more of you. He'd imagined what you'd taste like, imagined the saltiness of your skin his lips. He now knew what your mouth tasted like. All was left now was–

John forced himself away, grumbling to himself and gently pushing you back onto the bed and into a sitting position. You smiled up at him, and he shifted to stand between your parted legs, cupping your face in two hands. He bent down to place one last kiss to your lips, before slowly– with cracking knees and a shallow grunt of effort– he lowered himself to his knees.

His hands dragged down your body. They rolled over your shoulders and arms, skimming lightly over the curves of your breasts and stomach, running over the fat of your hips and thighs. When his knees hit the, thankfully carpeted, floor, he gripped your knees and gave you a couple of comforting squeezes.

"Alright, sweetheart?" He asked, voice husky and full of yen– desire and longing mirrored in his eyes.

His eyes on you, his hands dragged back up your thighs and to where your skirt sat bunched a few inches below your hips. He pinched the fabric, toying with it while waiting for your response.

You nodded at him. "M'alright."

"Can..." He dropped his eyes for just a second to look at your skirt, before raising them again. "Can I take this off, please?"

You nodded again, followed by a whispered yes, please. You then raised your hips for him to pull the fabric down and away from you, shuffling back to rip it down your legs and fling it across the room. You giggled at his enthusiasm as he returned to his original position.

Price groaned low in his throat and leaned forward, holding your thighs apart. Your underwear still on, he pressed his face against you, his beard tickling the softest part of your inner thighs. His nose pressed onto your clit, his lips placing a kiss to your clothed core. This forced a moan from your throat, and you gripped your duvet for some kind of stability.

He kissed at the patch of arousal that had bled through during your altercation in the hallway, his nose nudging against your clit as he decided to swipe his tongue against you. He groaned and you keened, a high pitched mewl, your legs twitching either side of his head.

"Pretty girl..." He whispered, the rumble hitting your clit and making you mewl out again.

He kissed at your clothed cunt again, tongue smoothing along the thin cotton fabric until the entire area was wet with his spit and your arousal. Your legs twitched beside him, pleasure sitting fuzzy in the base of your tummy, and you wondered– no, you knew that he could probably make you come in your fucking underwear.

But he didn't. Whether you were thankful for that or not, you weren't entirely sure. But he eventually, and rather torturously, pulled away for long enough to pull your underwear down your legs. He let it fling from your ankles, not caring where it landed, before he was pushing back between your legs once more.

This time, he licked a fat stripe up your cunt before latching his mouth to your clit and sucking. You cried out, a hand shooting down to grab hold of his hair, fisting it tightly as he laved his tongue over you. His mouth was hot, burning at your core, but your body had now been set alight– the flame of pleasure coursing through your veins, heating your body. Your legs trembled now, thighs flexing either side of his head, his facial hair scratching and tickling you all at once.

John's movements were quick. Quicker than you expected. He seemed desperate for it as he licked back down your cunt and stuffed his tongue into your hole– in and out, in and out– before curling and repeating the process. You moaned at his well-timed movements, never leaving you dissatisfied or overstimulated in the slightest. Price was amazing.

He kneaded the fat of your thighs as he ate you out, enjoying the softness of you around his head. His cock was hard and leaking in his trousers, and one of the reasons he wanted you to quickly come on his tongue was so that he didn't bust a fat load in his fucking briefs. He couldn't handle that today. Not when he'd been waiting so long to have you.

"John," you moaned, stretching the syllables. Your hips bucked, his nose catching your puffy clit. You ground against him, moans bubbling from your throat as you tossed your head back. You rode his face, locking your ankles together at his back and anchoring yourself with one hand on the bed and the other in his hair.

He moaned in response, eyes on the way your body writhed above him. He loved the way you bucked up, wriggling in search of your coming high. Fuck, you looked gorgeous.

John screwed his eyes shut and focused on curling his tongue in and out of your sopping hole. He felt his cock twitch. If he looked at you again, he was sure he'd come.

You moaned sweetly above him, orgasm building tight in the base of your tummy. You continued rocking your hips, the mattress creaking quietly beneath you. But the sounds from your mouth, coupled with the wetness of Price's mouth on your pussy, was all that rang true in your ears.

"John, fuck– oh fuck, please–" You mewled, edging on a whine. Desperation was creeping in. You hurtled towards your high.

Then, you felt deep vibrations rock through your core (unbeknownst to you, John had mumbled a that's it, come for me, baby against your hole). The band of pleasure inside you snapped, and with one last push of your cunt into his face, you came.

You moaned John's name, head still tossed back as pleasure fizzled through you. Your thighs clamped down on either side of his head, your chest rising and falling rapidly as you came on his tongue. John happily buried himself deeper into your heat, tongue licking you slowly through your orgasm.

He had looked up, chanced it, and watched you come. He managed to hold on and not come in his briefs, but he could feel the front of them growing tacky with his precum.

A few moments later, ensuring your orgasm had been well wrung from your beautiful body, John withdrew from your cunt. He unbound himself from your legs and got to his feet as you blinked up at him, dazed and fuzzy.

"Feeling good, sweetheart?" John asked, gently and carefully guiding you further up the bed. You crawled with him until your head hit the pillows at the top of the bed and John knelt between your legs, his hands rubbing circles over your bare thighs.

"Yeah... good..." You replied lazily, eyes dropping down to where you could see John's cock straining in his trousers. The sight made you moan, and you attempted to sat up, but Price stopped you.

"Hold on, sweetheart..." He murmured, placing a kiss to the top of your head before helping you out of your top. In companionable silence, he discarded the garment and went to work unclipping your bra, letting your breasts spill out as he discarded that too.

He groaned, happily to himself, reaching forward to roll one of your pebbling nipples between his fingers, his other hand groping the opposite breast.

"Fuckin' beautiful..." He muttered, and then leaned forward to kiss you.

You tasted yourself on him as he guided you back down. A soft tang, a subtle sweetness in his saliva. You moaned, fingers once again moving to card through his hair and stroke the back of his neck, just above his shirt collar.

While you kissed, Price slipped one hand between you and unbuckled his belt. He let the belt hang open while he deftly unbuttoned his trousers and peeled them open just enough for him to reach into his briefs and pull his cock out. He hissed into the kiss, his hand on his own achingly hard cock causing pre to dribble down his shaft.

"Fuck..." He muttered into your mouth, and you pulled back, shifting to look between you. The image of your bodyguard still dressed in his uniform, but with his thick cock hanging out, was a sight to behold. You moaned, hips bucking involuntarily, the heat of your cunt coming within centimetres of the head of his cock.

Price moaned loudly, immediately dropping his hand to fist the base of himself while positioning his hips against yours. He ran the leaking tip, ruddy and flushed red from his arousal, through your soaked folds. At the same time, you both moaned.

"Oh my god," you breathed, still looking down. Price, eyes on your cunt, continued to smear pre along your slit, running his cockhead up and down, revelling in the way your arousal leaked around him.

"S'alright, pretty girl..." He uttered, not looking up from where he circled his tip around your hole. "S'alright... I'll make you feel good. I'll make you feel good." Then, he finally looked up, eyes boring into yours. You felt your stomach flip as he smiled warmly. "That's what you need, isn't it, sweetheart?"

His words dripped mirth. You whined, knowing where he was going with this.

"Just so desperate for some cock, s'that it? S'that what's got you all riled up?" John poked fun at you, referencing your argument beforehand.

You gave in and nodded, shifting your hips and catching the tip of his cock against your entrance. It made both you and Price release sounds of pleasure, but he held strong, gripping himself at the base and pulling his cock away an inch.

"Use your words," he instructed, voice husky, ash-laced. "Use your fucking words, love. Tell me how desperate you are for my cock. How much of a fucking whore you are for it."

The unexpected degradation punched a moan from your lungs. You babbled, "Y-yeah, fuck– need your cock so bad, John, please."

"Yeah?" Price teased, running the head of his cock up and down your folds again. "You need this cock?"

He pushed the head of his cock into your hole, and you moaned, arching your back. But he stopped there, the flared tip of him laying dormant inside. Your cunt fluttered around him, arousal leaking down the curve of your arse. You whimpered, attempting to push your lips down onto him, but a firm swat to your thigh had you pausing in place.

"S'this the cock you need?" Price asked, voice dark. "Or 're you wanting t'get fucked by some stranger? Want one of the lads down at the pub to fuck this tight cunt? Eh, sweetheart? That's right, isn't it? Actin' like a fuckin' slut lookin' for a quick fuck–"

"No, no, no, please–" You said quickly, trying not to get distracted by the way Price's accent was strengthening as your cunt fluttered around his cockhead. "S'only you! Need you, John, please. Only need you 'n– fuck, only need your cock."

Price growled, pleased, having itched that jealous spot inside him. That's right, that's what he wanted to hear.

His good girl.

"That's fuckin' right, baby. Good girl–" John pulled out and then pushed back in, slowly parting your walls for the girth of his cock. You moaned and he leaned forward to kiss you, being as gentle as he could while splitting you open. He murmured against your lips, "That's a good girl. Yeah, that's it, sweetheart. Doin' so well..."

The buckle of his belt clinked as John picked up his thrusts, stretching you apart on his cock. You could feel the bunched fabric of his trousers and briefs against you with each of his thrusts, and when he curled over you to kiss you, the feeling of his dress shirt and tac vest against your bare chest had a shiver rippling through you.

He kissed you hard, just as he had done in the hallway. This time, a bit of saliva did escape your mouth, rolling from the corner as you parted your mouth to moan, Price's tongue licking over your lower lip as the head of his cock punched up against the base of your cervix.

Just like everything else about him, the sex was hot. Price radiated warmth. The space between your bodies was heating up, and you could feel the light sheen of sweat covering your skin. Beneath his beard, Price's cheeks began to burn read, a bead of sweat trickling from his hairline. His hips moved quickly, but with precision, shunting you deeper and deeper into the mattress, making it squeak and groan.

His cock hit all the right places, too. Your walls hugged him, tight and hot and wet as he plunged up against your womb. John could feel you squeezing him. Feel the sheer hold you had on him, physically and otherwise. He grunted and groaned to himself, his balls already beginning to tighten, his lower back starting to strain from the effort.

"John..." You whined, second orgasm already fast approaching. You felt yourself beginning to tighten up again, your muscles pulling taut as the band of pleasure in the base of your abdomen began to expand. The drive of Price's cock was pulling it further and further. You were so close.

And when you were this close, John always seemed to know what to say and do to push you off the precipice.

Expertly, your bodyguard moved his arm downwards to press a couple of fingers to your puffy clit, rolling it beneath with a gentle stroke. He drew gentle circles that made you spasm beneath him, a panting moan filtering from your parted, spit-covered lips.

He continued the drive of his hips, cock hitting the best spot inside you. Bursts of light, of pleasure, appeared behind your fluttering eyelids, the intensity of it all making it hard for you to keep your eyes open. But you did– you forced your eyes open, lids drooping. You locked eyes with Price, and he smiled down at you in a way that was probably meant to be comforting, but it only turned you on more.

"My sweet girl, just look at you," Price cooed, still slamming into you. "So gorgeous. Such a pretty girl, an' you look even prettier getting stuffed with my cock, don't you?"

You nodded, delirious now. You wanted nothing more than for him to come inside you and–

The thought made you moan loudly.

He chuckled. "S'that right?"

"John, fuck–" you moaned out. "Fuck, please–"

Come inside me, you wanted to beg him, but the tip of his cock at the plug of your womb and his fingers on your clit had your vision whiting out as the band in your stomach snapped again.

You came hard. Legs locked around his waist, the fat of your thighs and stomach rippling with his strong movements, you came. Arousal gushed out around his cock, the sensation forcing an unexpected whimper from you. The slick walls of your cunt clutched the girth of him, squeezing with each fluttering pulse of your erratic heartbeat. Fuzzy pleasure washed over you and, just like with his mouth, he stroked your clit through your orgasm and stopped right at the brink of overstimulation.

But you gained no mercy after coming.

John redoubled his efforts. With two strong arms either side of you, he rutted into you with renewed energy, now chasing his own high. His balls, almost painful at this point, smacked against the plush curve of your arse, with the head of his cock leaking inside you.

Oh fuck, he wasn't wearing a condom.

He knew you were on contraceptives. Of course. He knew almost everything about you now. But the thought–

"John–!" You all but sobbed, wriggling beneath him, becoming impatient. Not because you wanted it to end, but because you wanted him to end inside you. "John, please come inside me."

"Fucking hell," he grit out between clenched teeth, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Stuffing you full of him. Coming right up against your cervix, flooding your womb. Filling you out, watching you grow fat with his kid. Laying claim to you, how you were truly his. His pretty girl. His good girl.

Not today.

But the thought alone had Price coming.

"F-fuck, take it, sweetheart, jus'– fuckin good girl, take my cum, baby–" Price muttered, pumping his hips as he came. He filled you with the same kind of warmth he radiated. Comfort and security, maybe.

You moaned quietly once Price'd emptied himself inside of you, and you relaxed your legs so he could flop to the side. Cock still inside you, softening just a bit, Price curled you into him, his face resting in the crook of your neck, your legs entangled.

The two of you caught your breaths, breathing in each other's scent and the pungency of sex. Your eyes opened and closed lazily, the heat of Price's body lulling you to sleep. But you forced your eyes open when Price pulled back– only to change positions. His suit rustled as he pulled you in against him, and you wished you could run your fingers through the hair on his toned chest.

After a little while, you felt Price kiss the top of your head.

"Feeling alright, love?" He asked, and the sincerity in his voice had butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

"Yeah," you replied. "More than alright. I... thank you."

"Thank you," Price said, nuzzling into the top of your head.

•º•º•

The two of you basked in each others company for what seemed like hours before a buzzing broke the haze of whatever dream you were living. Peeling yourself away from Price for a moment, you reached over to your discarded purse and fished your phone out, finding it alight with missed calls and messages from your friends.

You almost felt guiltly.

"Cancel," John grumbled below you, seemingly already knowing what you were looking at. "You're not going out tonight, are you?"

"No, 'm not feeling up to it," you said, smiling.

John, burying himself into the crook of your neck once more, arms wrapped securely around you, smiled too.

•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•º•

this was the first long-ish fic i've written in a while so forgive me if it wasn't my usual best lolol. anyway thank you for reading and make sure to go check out the other @glitterypirateduck submissions for this writing challenge

lots of luv <3

#captainfern #captain john price #john price call of duty #price smut #captain john price x female reader #captain price smut #captain john price smut #captain john price x you #price call of duty #call of duty #cod smut #captain'snirvana

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apute11as · 3 months

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I hate it when she makes you laugh ~ Leah Williamson x CEO!reader

Summary: You get a new assistant and let’s just say Leah isn’t very good at hiding her jealousy.

Warnings:⚠️ None i’m pretty sure :)

word count: 2032

Author note: Based on THIS request (so sorry it took so long) Also, Leah never did her ACL, Covid never happened.

————

You had inherited an investment firm from your late grandfather 3 years ago when you were just 21. You had turned the the small town business into a multi billion dollar company, earning you a lot of attention from magazines, social media and other people in the investment industry.

Your mother had passed away when you were 15 and it was her father that owned the company so when he died, it transferred directly to you.

Being in the position you were, meant that you met with and attended many events with A-list celebrities, some of them being athletes. That was how you’d first met Leah, the two of you bonded over your shared distaste for the food menu, both agreeing you’d much prefer some toast over the variety of fish on offer. You’d laughed, drank and danced together throughout the night before she invited you back to her apartment, an invite that you gladly accepted.

You woke up the next morning with a fluttery feeling in your chest and a familiar ache between your legs, that told you enough about your night. The two of you had met up constantly after that, although you both had busy schedules. You’d ended up meeting her teammates and parents after a month of dating and safe to say they loved you.

——

Now, 2 years later you were 24 and she was 26 and you’d been officially dating for almost two years now. Life was blissful, Arsenal had just recently come second in the WSL (something you’d decided was a good result, much to your girlfriend’s disagreement) and all was well.

As for your company, the recent incline of growth, your advisors had insisted you get an assistant. You’d assured them that it wasn’t necessary and would just be a waste of time but after some convincing you reluctantly agreed. The interviewing process to find one was tough. You’d gone through several applicants before finding the right

one (you were particular in your choices of company). After a gruelling process that took more several hours, you finally decided on an assistant. Ava was 21, fresh out of Uni and had little experience. Despite this, you saw some of your younger self in her, admired her ambition and also she could hold a somewhat interesting conversation. Many of the applicants lacked personality and motivation, they were robotic and boring.

With that being said, you hired her. She fit in well into your life, as you were very precise in your task doing and a control freak at heart, something she seemed to understand all to well, considering she’d prepared your weekly schedule perfectly on her first day. You came home that day a little earlier than normal due to Ava’s organisational habits, surprising your girlfriend with the rarity of a home cooked meal on a weekday. The two of you discussed your new assistant over the warm lasagne you’d prepared for dinner. Although you saw Leah’s reaction as one of support and warmth towards your new employee, in reality she could feel the pangs of jealousy in her upper stomach as she listened to you ramble about how great Ava was and how much easier she’d made your week.

——

It was December, usually a quiet period of business as many people chose to save for Christmas and there weren’t many properties being sold. However, this year it was unusually busy, meaning you were staying out later and later in the office.

Leah didn’t mind this of course, she was more than understanding, knowing the pressure and stress your job brought. She waited up for you every night with a warm meal (takeaway or microwave as she was a horrendous cook). So when you came home at quarter to midnight after a long day, she was waiting for you.

The sight you saw upon entering your shared penthouse was one of Leah asleep on the sofa. Her blonde bangs stuck out in all directions as she was out cold, an episode of greys anatomy playing softly in the background.

“Oh my girl” you spoke softly, caressing her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open as she took in her surroundings.

“Hi baby” she husked in a sleepy voice. “Have you eaten? There’s leftover pasta in the fridge I somehow managed not to burn it” she smiled to herself

“Thank you my love but me and Ava ordered food in a couple of hours ago” you replied returning her smile, hand drifting onto her shoulder.

“Oh right okay” she grumbled, shifting her body weight so your hand dropped down.

“I’m going to get changed into something comfy okay? Then we can cuddle” you left, oblivious to your girlfriend’s growing jealousy.

“Mmm” she hummed, eyes fixed on the television screen.

——

When you returned, you expected her to be asleep on the sofa but, as you’d went into the bathroom to freshen up, she’d crawled into your shared bed and was sat up on her phone.

You put down your toothbrush and shimmied your way into bed next to her, attempting to cuddle up to her but you were surprised when she shoved you away.

“You don’t smell like you” she complained. “Your perfume is vanilla, you smell like flowers it’s like a 16 year old” she scoffed

“Oh that’s odd, probably Ava’s perfume, she asked me to try and see what I thought. You don’t like it baby?” you questioned frowning at her body position, as she’d now turned away from you.

“No I don’t like it” she snapped, turning out the light and going to sleep

You were unsure what caused this sudden outburst but you knew Leah and knew not to push at it when she was in a mood so you let yourself drift slowly into sleep, making a mental note to bring it up tomorrow.

Her alarm went off bright and early at 7am as she had morning training. You decided to get up with her, despite not having to be in the office until 11am for a meeting. You went through the usual steps of your morning which involved showering (Leah opted against as it was easier to wait until after training), breakfast, dressing and prepping yourself for the day.

Leah was behaving seemingly normal this morning, whatever her issue was yesterday had appeared to have subsided. She hugged you from behind, adorned in her training gear, as you prepared breakfast tortillas for the two of you, wearing a black pantsuit yourself.

“Morning beautiful” she husked into you neck

“Morning my love, do you want ham or just cheese?” You questioned her preference as she was indecisive.

“what no peppers?”

“Do you like peppers Leah?”

“No” she mumbled into your back

“Then no peppers” you titled your head to crack a smile at the blonde

“Weird you’re not trying to sneak vegetables in me today” she laughed

Just as you were about to respond, you were interrupted by your phone blaring from its place on the counter.

“You get it babe, I’ll watch the food” she assured

You silently agreed, shifting to the counter to grab your phone, not bothering to look at the caller id before picking up and not bothering to realise you had speaker on.

“Morning Miss Y/L/N, I’m so sorry to bother you on your morning off” sounded Ava’s voice on the other side of the phone

“Sorry one second Ava I put you on speaker by mistake” you laughed shuffling into the bedroom and shutting the door, completely missing Leah’s expression shift to one of anger and her knuckles turn white from how hard she was gripping the frying pan.

Leah could hear the two of you conversing loudly in the other room. Although you’d turned Ava off speaker, she could still hear your responses. The conversation sounded awfully friendly for one between boss and employee, especially considering you’d been complaining to her this morning about how stressful today was supposed to be as you’d had a meeting with an important investor.

You snapped her out of her thoughts as you giggled like a school girl, laughter Leah interpreted as flirtatious. She was furious now, she trusted you whole heartedly but she didn’t for one second trust Ava. Also, although she’d never admit it, her insecurities in herself and your feelings toward her, played a big part in her jealousy.

——

You wandered out of the room a few minutes later, smiling at your phone as you’d realised that the meeting you’d been trying to get for weeks with a new client, had been arranged.

“You two were laughing an awful lot in there, what was so funny?” questioned Leah in a harsh tone.

“Oh haha nothing Ava just messed up something small with names and was calling to correct it” you laughed

“Hmm usually correcting something small doesn’t take a 10 minute phone call” Leah bit back.

“Noo but she did also tell me that the meeting with UOC inc. went through, we have some of their top board members coming in next week!” You beamed, proud of the accomplishments of your company.

“That’s amazing baby I’m so proud of you!” Leah smiled, pushing down her jealousy to be happy for you.

——

It was on Friday when her jealousy of your assistant finally came to your attention. You and Leah had somewhat of a Friday tradition between yourselves, where she’d meet you at your office at 7pm with food (usually a salad or sushi as she was on a strict diet plan). This happened every week without fail, no matter what the other had going on, even if that meant pushing it forwards or back a few hours, it still happened.

She’d stopped off at dominoes today as an extra treat to show how proud she was of you, after you texted her to say that UOC inc. were open to a deal that would see the company progress even further. She parked her car in your private parking, greeting Roman (a member of your security) on her way in. Excitement filled her body, she couldn’t wait to kiss you, to tell you how thrilled she was and how much she loved you. However the sight she was met when she opened your office door caught her off guard.

You were sat in your desk chair, Ava sat in the corner on your arm chair as the two of you laughed at a TikTok on her phone, a sure sign that you were definitely not just working late.

“Leah hey! Oh my god I didn’t even realise the time” you chuckled, checking the expensive watch she’d bough you last Christmas.

“Sure you didn’t, what’s she still doing here?” She snapped, gesturing harshly at Ava who had paled under the defender’s cold glare.

“She was just showing me something Leah, don’t be rude!” you cautioned, taking a tone of your own.

“Seems like she’s been showing you an awful lot lately doesn’t it and now she’s here, now, on a Friday?” She explained.

It finally hit you, her hands were balled into fists, eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, Leah was jealous of Ava. You could’ve laughed at the irony but that would only provoke her more.

“I’m so sorry, I’ve eaten into your time y/n! Especially considering you’d planned to share it with your girlfriend. My boyfriend will be here in just a minute, thank you for the chat, I’ll see you Monday!” She blurted, shuffling awkwardly past Leah and practically bolting down the corridor.

“Boyfriend?” Leah huffed out.

“Yes Lee, boyfriend. I can’t believe you were jealous of my straight employee, who’s basically a teenager” you laughed openly at her.

“Ugh you’re so annoying” she sulked

“You’re so cute when you’re jealous baby” you cooed, pinching her cheek

“Oi get off” she slapped your hand away, rolling her eyes

“Is that for me” you beamed, gesturing to the bag of food in her hands.

“Not anymore” she sassed

“Oh yeah right” you scoffed, making a beeline for the bag, wrestling her to the floor.

“Hey you idiot” she giggled, a smile replacing her previous frown as you sat on top of her, making grabby hands at the food.

———

thank you for reading! <3 My requests and Dms are both open (even though it could take a little time for me to get around to) :)

#woso x reader #woso #woso imagine #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson #leah williamson imagine #england women #lionesses #lionesses x reader #arsenal wfc #arsenal wfc x reader #arsenal x reader

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secondhandsorrows · 4 months

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Ways to Create More Active / Less Passive Protagonists

Recently I made a two-part post on passive protagonists, so what better day than today to get into some tips to help make protagonists less passive? This post will be relatively short — uni is a big ol' pain right now.��Enjoy ~

Tip #1: Remember to give them a goal that matters to them.

What does your main character want? A goal is something that your character wants to achieve. It may not be the only goal throughout, and it usually gets resolved at the end of the story, whether the protagonist achieves it or not. It can be tangible like solving a crime, paying off a debt, reconnecting with a family member, or saving the kingdom. It’s completely unique and personal to that character. Ask yourself (or rather, your character) just how much they want/desire this and would do anything to acquire it. What does achieving this goal mean on a personal level to them?

Tip #2: Identify the driving force that’s motivating your protagonist.

Underneath this want/desire, is the character’s motivation for it. As your protagonists goal(s) is the destination, motivation is the number one fuel that drives them to achieve it. It can be anything from survival tendencies, a psychological need, or made out from something internal such as backstory.

What you can do to make their motivation more felt is by connecting their present ambitions and desires to significant moments in their past. As an example: if your protagonist is driven by a desire for wealth, uncover the childhood experiences that helped shaped his hunger for comfort and achievement— thus allowing readers to sympathize with his coming from a state of lack and revelational need to be content with the wealth he already has.

Tip #3: Think about all the threats and dangers that could arise… and throw them straight into your protagonist’s face.

Hey, life ain’t ever easy. It’s especially not much easier in a novel, whether you’re writing an action-packed thriller, a fantasy saga, a cozy romance, or a light-hearted coming-of-age. Every kind of story has some kind of conflict. You should introduce challenges for the protagonist that not only threaten the protagonist's external goal, but also their internal struggles. Push them out of their comfort zone! Also consider what will happen if they fail and what will change if they succeed. Let those stakes gradually elevate, and force them to confront their fears and darkest truths.

Tip #4: Bring on the domino effect: allow the protagonist to influence the story.

We’d want to ensure that the protagonist is not a passive observer, but an active participant in shaping the narrative. In both the short-run and long-run, your protagonist’s actions will influence and affect the world around them. Their decisions, actions, and reactions should ultimately have consequences that ripple and escalate through the story. By having this sort of chain of events, you not only drive the plot dynamic, but also emphasize the protagonist's agency in shaping the course of events.

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malehypnofantasy · 8 months

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Casey pretty much loathed the life he got to endure in uni. The past 3 years has been nothing but hell for him with all the isolation, bullying and the way some of his professors turned out to be major dickhead that either treated him like crap or took credit of his brilliance for themselves when they wouldn't even be able to finish their researches without his help or insight. He hated the fact that despite being smarter then most people, he's overlooked and swept aside just because he doesn't have the authority or the look that could help him gain the spotlight he knew he deserved. Until one eventful night when he turned 21 and his body started to glow in the middle of the night while his jackass of a roommate Ethan slept like a log as he's too spent after fucking his girlfriend like rabbit in the opposite bed.

The following morning, Casey realized that something clearly is different from the way he looked in the mirror. He's more.....radiant, and his eyes sparkled brilliantly under the bathroom light. That's when all in a sudden, Lila, Ethan's girlfriend, appeared right next to him as she opened the bathroom door

"Happy birthday Casey. You probably haven't fully realized it but let me help you out," she said with a rather monotone voice as she suddenly grabbed Casey's head and her eyes started to glow

Flow of memories of ancient practices and secret tradition of his family freely went right into his brain, injected his head with ideas and capability beyond his usual mortal knowledge. His whole body radiantly glow as the memories filled every corner of his body so he could wield the magical power that belong to his family since he's a responsible adult in their eyes upon celebrating his 21st birthday. When Lila eventually dropped to the floor as the messenger that possessed her went away, Casey looked at her with different gaze. The once unapproachable and mean cheerleader co-captain now looked like nothing but a distraction to him, so he forcefully woke her up and made her leave the room with not a single word said. The recently powered magician then turned his attention to his douchebag of a roommate, smirking at his slumbering muscular form that would soon become his plaything

Truth be told, Casey utilized the gym rat's body as his lab rat. He doesn't know how far of a control he can wield and exercise upon other people or what kind of other powers his body can manage, but another messenger from his family already informed him that he doesn't necessarily have the physical prowess to handle too big of a power so he needs to not only train his magic, but also his physique. But before working on his physique, he decided to test how far he can control another people through his words and Ethan came in handy in that regards. Ethan was unaware this whole time that he has been subjected to mind conditioning by Casey. As Casey mentioned his trigger word, Ethan instantly fell asleep despite several seconds before he just intensely cheered for a football team he's rooting for.

Casey then decided to execute his plan as he planted this idea to Ethan that he's been gay all along and he only can get hard while serving Casey. The ideas of girls repulsed him. The idea of disobeying Casey terrified him and his biggest joy in life is to do things in accordance to Casey's order. Casey then told Ethan to also set a "smokescreen" while in public or with other people as to not raise any suspicion and would only be his devoted self when Casey and him are in private or when Casey said his trigger word. As the jock snapped awake from his slumber, his eyes softened upon seeing Casey as he addressed him with respect and slight fear

"Oh Master, very sorry. Did I fall asleep here when you want to watch TV? Please, don't hesitate and sit down here, Sir. I'll scooch to the floor,"

"Calm down, Ethan. No need to do all that. I just wanna ask. Say, aside from me as the all powerful controller, who's the strongest guy in this school that you know?"

"Physically or socially, Sir?"

"Hmmmm...both,"

"The Dean and the Provo----"

"Not them, dummy. The students, I meant,"

"Ohhh the students. The twins in Pike are certainly the craziest in terms of physique, one of them got stabbed and then beaten the shit out of his stabber and 3 other guys----"

"Sounds like a threat,"

"---while socially, Ben Richards clearly bodied everyone. Part of the billionaire Richards retail & real estate family and his uncle is a high-ranked DoD officials, a decorated and highly respected war hero,"

"Not even the frat president, huh?"

"Nah, he's just Ben's pawn. Ben's too lazy to do anything by himself. He'll prefer someone worked it for him,"

"A pawn to do all his bidding, huh?"

"Yep, you got that right,"

"Well, what do you think if we paid a visit to meet Ben, do you know his whereabouts?"

"Not really, but I can ask around,"

"Then ask around. I would like to meet with him in private,"

Read Part 2 here

#main arc #male mind control #mind control #male hypno #male hypnosis #personality change #casey's arc

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hoonvrs · 10 months

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HOLD ME TIGHT — S. JAEYUN

req for 1k event!

PROMPT [ one, 19 ] picking up your partner and spinning them around in a hug to show them how much you missed them [ one, 20 ] aggressively cuddling your partner so they can't get out of bed

PAIRING jake x gnr

GENRE est. relationship, fluff

WARNINGS swearing

W. COUNT 0.6k

S. NOTE writing these aren’t helping my delusions

you hadn’t seen jake for almost two weeks now. your schedules just didn’t seem to make enough time for either of you recently, him with his idol duties and you with your university obligations.

its simple to say you both missed each other. a lot.

once the stars aligned perfectly, the second you both found a break in-between your hectic lives you both made plans.

what better is there to do with the man you love that you hadn’t seen for too long than a date at home where you can both be openly clingy, or more you. jake has never been shy to show affection towards you no matter where or who he is with.

it was easy to decide to have the date at your apartment, you didn’t want to share your boyfriend with six other men for a single second, they’ve already seen him enough.

when you heard the doorbell ring, you sped to the door opening to find the blonde puppy you’d been missing dearly. you ran into his hold, wrapping your arms around his neck before feeling your feet lifted off the ground, “jake!”

the giggly boy continued to spin you both in circles, “i missed you so, so much baby!”

“i missed you too!” you finally feel him put you back down, quickly pulling on his collar to give him a peck, quietly laughing as he tried to chase after your lips. “come in, we have the whole day.”

“if im being honest, i don’t want to do anything today except cuddle.” he smiled, grabbing your waist to sway you two together.

“you read my mind,” you grabbed his arm, pushing him onto the couch where you had already prepared snacks and blankets with a list of movies you were planning to ‘watch’ ( or where you and jake talk using the tv as background noise. )

being able to finally talk to each other face to face and be able to feel each other was different to the phone calls you squeezed in every now and then.

this felt better, closer.

catching each other up on new things in your respective lives, telling him about the new gossip from your uni group even though jake has never met them a day in his life without caring for the time.

“oh shit, it's almost midnight.” he whispered under his breath, looking at the missed calls and messages on his phone, “i need to go, love.”

you tightened your hold around him rendering him unable to get up, “no, stay here with me,” you whined, you weren’t ready to be away from him again for a long time, “and you said you don’t have anything important tomorrow either.”

huffing, he still tried to pry your arms from around him, “babe come on, i promise i'll come see you when i have another free day.”

not feeling your hold loosen any time soon, jake slowly stopped trying to fight against it even though he was barely putting in any effort before. “if you really loved me you’d stay here.”

“you’re manipulating me!” he exclaimed, pointing a finger at your face whilst you tried to hide in the nook of his neck.

“be a man and make a decision!”

you could see him from the little slip past his collarbone opening his phone and sending a message to a contact that looked awfully a lot like a cat. “you’re a horrible woman.”

“and you’re a horrible man, that’s why were perfect for each other,” you laughed, pulling him in for a kiss knowing you won, “so what’s you’re decision?”

“don’t act like you don’t already know!” he grabbed you, surprisingly pulling you closer than you were before. “now get back to cuddling me or watch me leave right now.”

“okay, you big baby.”

perm taglist @mesopret @tnyhees @haknom @shinsou-rii @redm4ri @lacimolela @llama-lyna @chiyuv @lazysmushi @flwoie @kocokookie @kyexvly @seongclb @dammit-jjk @flwrshee @produmads @teddywonss @aleiouvre

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wordbunch · 1 year

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Winter Forest (Legolas x f!reader) > part II

PART ONE HERE

PART 3 HERE

a/n: here’s the second part!! firstly, thank you all for the kind comments on the first part, and I’m beyond happy you enjoyed it! secondly... I’m really sorry for making you wait for ages for the second part, I was super busy with uni. however, the third and final part is more than half written already, so, stay tuned 😁 I hope you enjoy this one too, do let me know about it ❤️

warnings: none! the smallest bit of angst if you really squint, but still mostly wholesome. (is Pippin a warning? he might be.)

SUMMARY: [Y/N], Lord Elrond’s daughter, and sort of a wild-card, and prince Legolas form a close friendship from their earliest childhoods. This story follows significant moments between them and how their relationship progresses over time. This part happens during the ring quest!!! slow-ish burn, friends-to-lovers, mutual piningggg 😌

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

F I V E

(a/n: right after the mines of moria)

“I think even your father back in Mirkwood can hear how you are breathing right now, my friend,” [Y/N] stated, attempting in vain to lighten the mood. She wasn’t even sure what she thought or felt at the moment, but she was utterly terrified. After all, they had just encountered an ancient demon that she and Legolas had only heard about in stories, and then they lost potentially the strongest member of the Fellowship. To put it mildly... things didn’t seem to be going swimmingly.

“I am just unsure how to...process all of this at the moment,” Legolas muttered, his breathing just a bit faster than usual, but [Y/N]’s ears picked up on it effortlessly. “I never thought it would be so real.”

“Neither did I,” the girl confessed, carefully approaching the blond elf. “But here we are now. Maybe we shouldn’t have wished for a great adventure when we were merely children,” she attempted to make Legolas at least smile a little bit, but he seemed to be still absolutely overwhelmed by all the recent events. How does an immortal being process sudden death anyway?

“Perhaps you should consider getting some rest? Do you think you could maybe sleep for a little bit, now when we make camp?” [Y/N] suggested in a very concerned voice, not used to Legolas being in such a mood, but it was more than understandable. Quite frankly, she herself wasn’t sure how she was holding it together.

“There’s no need,” Legolas’ eyes finally met hers, only to see the same distress and fear in her own eyes, “you know I need very little sleep anyway.”

“Yes, I do know that we do not require sleep in the same way that humans do, but after all of this, I really think it would do you good to get some rest, Legolas,” the girl persisted. “I will be right here and nothing will happen,” [Y/N] went on with a gentle hand rested atop his shoulder. Her expressive eyes burned into his. He could never say no to that look.

“I suppose we could stand guard later in the night, when the others grow too tired,” Legolas exhaled, at last giving in to his friend’s concerns. In that moment, he wished it was just the two of them somewhere far away, and alone together, so he could just melt into her arms. And not be beside himself with fear, especially the fear of something indescribable happening to [Y/N].

“That sounds alright to me,” [Y/N] nodded, a small smile almost creeping up onto her face. He said we, she thought, giddy like a child. It wasn’t anymore “you and I,” it was the two of them together. She couldn’t describe how and why it made her feel all sorts of things, but there was something about it.

The girl led him to where she had intended to sit down for a short while and plopped down on the ground. Legolas followed wordlessly, resting his head on her lap and sprawling out across the grass. He suddenly became aware of the immense tiredness weighing down on him as he let out a long sigh. Although he was lying down on the ground, he felt like he had never been more comfortable; among the impending disasters, a moment of serenity. Of comfort and warmth. Of home. [Y/N] brushed her slender fingers through his hair slowly and soothingly, and Legolas enveloped her other hand in his as he allowed himself to close his eyes and drift off.

[Y/N]’s heart fluttered, but she kept her breathing calm for Legolas’ sake - after all, he could hear even the smallest of sounds perfectly. She draped her cape over his shoulders - he probably wouldn’t get cold anyway but... just in case.

The blond’s breaths became even and calm quite soon as the girl kept absentmindedly raking her fingers through his hair. For just a moment, she allowed herself to feel. Everything around them was terrifying, life-threatening, unpredictable. They had lost Gandalf already, who knew what else was coming? Her mind was racing, but Legolas slightly moved and she came back to reality. His brows were furrowed in his sleep, and she ran a gentle hand across his cheek.

“Sleep, my star. sleep. you’re safe,” she muttered in elvish, as if they were back home. She couldn’t help but wonder what would it be like to fall asleep so close together, time after time, away from life-threatening situations and what felt like the world’s ending. But now everything was too risky and too dangerous to allow love to come into play as well. They were risking so much already - it wouldn’t be wise to put their hearts on the line as well. What good would it do to confess to any feelings, when there was a high chance of something tragic happening to her during the quest (along with everyone else involved), and then she would just leave Legolas hurting? He had lost his mother already, [Y/N] had lost hers too – it was better to put love aside and focus on surviving. And stay as close as possible to Legolas at all times, treasuring the time they can share, if nothing else.

Best she could do for now was hope for a good outcome of the quest, and then afterwards to, potentially, handle the matters of the heart.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

S I X

(a/n: not any specific event, just sometime during the quest)

“My lady” [Y/N] heard a hesitant little voice appear from somewhere between the trees. She was sitting down, stitching up a part of her tunic that got slashed through during the last orc encounter. The rest of the fellowship were who knows where. Hopefully safe.

“Yes, Pippin?” she smiled warmly at the hobbit as he made his way to her, clutching something behind his back. “Strange seeing you without Merry anywhere in sight.” Pippin let out a breathy laugh.

“I was actually hoping to talk to you, my lady,” he confessed, looking down at the ground and then back at the elven lady.

“Of course. And there is no need for formal titles, I am just me,” she smiled reassuringly.

“Sorry,” he muttered, almost blushing. In a millisecond, he offered her a bunch of forest flowers that he had been hiding behind his back – he’d spent all morning finding the most beautiful ones. “These are for you.”

“Oh, my goodness! They are beautiful, Pippin! thank you so much!” [Y/N] gasped out in surprise, gathering the flowers in her hands. “That is very nice of you, I shall not ever forget it.”

“I’m happy you like them,” Pippin smiled bashfully. “And actually, I was going to say that, lad-, [Y/n], I have taken a liking to you and, well, I just wanted to let you know. In case something goes terribly wrong – I’m not saying that it will, but-”

“Pippin,” [Y/N] spoke softly, laying a hand on the hobbit’s shoulder, “I greatly appreciate your honesty and I applaud your courage, and you are wonderful, but unfortunately I am already courting someone else,” she stated sympathetically. Leaves rustled in the background as Pippin offered her a sad smile.

“I… didn’t know that, my lady,” he stood as tall as he could to hide his disappointment, “But thank you for the kind words.”

“Thank you for the flowers, once again,” [Y/N] replied and pulled the little hobbit into a brief hug, so as to console him at least a little bit.

“If anything happens to your mystery lover,” Pippin began after letting go of the hug, “you know where to find me!” He gave her a silly wink and he was off, leaving [Y/N] equally amused and confused by the situation. Hobbits, she muttered to herself.

“You are eavesdropping,” she claimed in a sing-song voice in the direction of rustling leaves. Indeed she was right, a moment after, Legolas emerged from that part of the forest.

“I was merely looking out, you were quite unguarded,” Legolas murmured, hiding his awkwardness with a small cough.

“I was not alone. And even if I was, you know better than anyone that I am able to defend myself.”

“I am aware of that, but I am also always happy to assist you.” Legolas seemed crestfallen as he sat down next to the girl. He was feeling as though the sharpest arrow had pierced through his heart – his closest friend had given her heart to another lucky person. Immensely lucky person.

“You are… “ he began hesitantly, “you are courting someone? I was unaware of that.” He looked down at the ground, too saddened to look up and meet [Y/N]’s eyes.

“What? No!” she laughed after a small shock. “Firstly, you know I would share any important information, such as that, with you. Secondly, I spend the most of my time in your company anyway – how would I have the time to entertain another?” She lifted up his chin with her index finger gently and graced him with a fond smile. She knew him well enough to recognize the sadness in his eyes instantaneously. “And third, I had not the heart to tell Pippin that elves and hobbits could never possibly be happy together. I wished not to completely crush his hopes. Admittedly, he showed extraordinary courage just coming up to me and telling me all that.”

“Of course. It was foolish of me to think otherwise,” Legolas retorted, his skin almost burning in the place where [Y/N]’s fingers had been a moment earlier. He tried to conceal a relieved smile, but he was certain that she could see straight through him.

“Nothing to worry about,” she mused as she returned to her stitching of the tunic. There was something in the air, she half-expected Legolas to continue speaking, but then… nothing.

The blond was feeling immense relief, but something prevented him from confessing to any feelings at all. It was clear as a day, it had been, for a while, that he was completely and utterly in love with [Y/N]. But in the face of dangers, of battles and the threats they were facing on the daily… he couldn’t bring himself to risk their hearts as well. If something happened to him – he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving [Y/N] hurting. If something happened to her, he had no idea how he would carry on. For the time being, maybe it was best to not burden her with his desires of the heart, and then break hers when something terrible inevitably happens. For now, he decided, he will do everything in his power to protect her and stay close to her, and then, someday, when the quest is finished, converse about the feelings that had been sitting on his chest for hundreds of years.

He fell silent and fished around one of the pockets of his tunic until he gripped an all-too-well known item: the rock that [Y/N] had given him hundreds and hundreds of years ago, on the day they first practiced archery together. It was like a token of reassurance and, hopefully, good luck – she was there. She was fine. She will be there for many more years to come.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

S E V E N

(a/n: after the battle of minas tirith)

In [Y/N]’s humble opinion, the battle at Minas Tirith was the ultimate craziest thing she had ever done. She couldn’t even wrap her head around the fear that consumed her, the dangers all around her, the amount of weapons that were swung around and the number of fired arrows. The horrible weather wasn’t helping either, but as the battle started to die down, in favor of the side she was fighting on, surprisingly… she realized she couldn’t see Legolas anywhere. And generally he was quite easy to spot, and she had great eyesight after all. Maybe it was the fear blocking her senses, her heart increasingly pounding in her ears. The girl frantically looked around, standing on her tiptoes for added height, as she turned her head left and right searching for a head full of platinum blond hair. Nowhere to be seen.

I should have told him, I should have told him, I should have told him that I loved him, she scolded herself relentlessly as she searched around one of her pockets for a broken little arrow shaft. She let out a little exhale as she gripped the familiar artifact, one that she had saved hundreds of years ago, for then-unknown reasons, when the prince had first showed her how to shoot a bow. Twirling it between her fingers, [Y/N] allowed her aching legs to take her around the chaotic battlefield in search for the elf whom she held deeply in her heart. He cannot be gone… right? His skills are almost unparalleled, he’s fast and agile with unbelievable reflexes – he couldn’t have been fatally injured… or worse? The elf swallowed thickly, looking up into the ominously dark sky, praying desperately to any and every heavenly being there was. With unshed tears in her fiery eyes, she marched on towards the stronghold, hoping to at least spot some familiar faces that could direct her to wherever Legolas was. If he still was. She almost winced at the thought, but bit her lip and went on.

The kill-count that Legolas had going on with Gimli was all but forgotten as he took off running to the highest vantage point he could find, hoping to spot [Y/N] somewhere. Firstly, he couldn’t believe that the two of them had separated on the battlefield to being with, and secondly, he scolded himself a little bit for it. He skipped multiple stone steps at a time, no matter how slippery they were and how many people he had to expertly avoid – his heart was racing and [Y/N] was the only thing on his mind. She couldn’t have been terribly injured, or anything like that; she was an incredible fighter and the two of them had trained together all their lives, pushing one another to their limits. Oh, what he would give to have her safe in Rivendell right in that moment, away from death and destruction. No matter how big of a crowd, Legolas always succeeded in finding the elven girl rather quickly – she was the one who always drew his sharp gaze to herself without even trying – but this time there seemed to be an exception. She seemed nowhere to be found.

Too many things were happening at once and Legolas just wanted to shut his eyes and find himself in [Y/N]’s warm embrace, yet again, breathe her in and finally confess to her every deepest desire of his heart. Every single magical thing he had been feeling towards her for who knows how many years. He had to stop trying to interpret her actions and words for him, stop trying to discern whether they were romantic or not, just seize the moment, and be outright. After all that had happened during the quest, he stopped thinking of love and war as equally dangerous. There was uncertainty in both, chance of getting hurt, but war wasn’t home. [Y/N] was home. Love was home. Love was [Y/N].

Having found a high enough spot to look over the battlefield from, Legolas’ eyes started searching around frantically, and his heart almost stopped dead when he noticed that one girl slowly but surely making her way through a sea of soldiers. He took a shuddering breath and called out her name as clearly as possible, and a couple times just in case. She stopped in her tracks and looked around, searching for the source of the sound as she clutched the tunic over her chest. It was unmistakably Legolas’ voice, and she thought her heart would jump out of her chest as she noticed him standing up on a half-ruined stone staircase. She didn’t know whether her relief or her joy were larger, but it didn’t matter much anyway – she just wanted to get to him as soon as possible. Pushing through people, dead orcs on the ground, mud, discarded weapons, she got nearer to the bottom of the broken staircase just as Legolas had basically jumped down as fast as possible. In the blink of an eye, [Y/N] was holding tightly onto him trying to steady her breathing and her hands wandered over his back, arms, neck, hair, anything she could feel to assuage herself that Legolas was still very much alive and well.

He gripped her into the world’s tightest embrace, feeling like an enormous weight had been lifted off of his chest.

“I thought, I-“ she staggered out, having pulled away to slightly to look up at his face. “I thought I might never see you again,” she croaked out, voice breaking at the end of the sentence as some tears were set free from her eyes. Legolas wiped them away softly with his fingers and gently slid them down the girl’s cheek. His eyes burned into hers.

“I am here, my flower. Alive and well,” he gave her the warmest of smiles, “and I am most pleased to see that you are, as well.” The blond almost laughed out of sheer joy and relief. Only [Y/N] could notice a tiny tear or two hiding in the corners of his eyes. In order to stop herself from fully breaking into tears completely, she put a hand over her mouth and instantaneously Legolas pulled her into another bone-crushing hug. His strong arms were securely wrapped around her waist and steadying her shivering body, and Legolas, searching for some comfort and reassurance himself, buried his face in the crook of her neck. It was utterly unimportant that both of them were rain-soaked, ashy and dirty; he pressed his face into her soft skin, heartbeats finally evening out, even thumping in sync, after all the stress they had went through. There, on blood and rain-soaked ground, moments after one of the most terrifying events of both their lives, Legolas managed to finally muster up the courage to leave a warm, gentle kiss somewhere above [Y/N]’s elegant collarbone, as a small affectionate token of what he hoped was to come, a brand new chapter in their story. Love before war, love during the war, love after the war.

Naturally, he would have to eventually state his feelings clearly, but for now… this was the very first step.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

“and your laugh is like the spray of the sea, your head is a star between my hands, the world grows green again when you smile” (Octavio Paz)

“I carry your breath in my hands / like warm sun at dusk. / Your laughter vines through my hair, roots growing into my heart.” (?)

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

#winterforest #legolas #legolas x reader #lotr fanfic #lotr x reader #lord of the rings #lord of the rings imagine #legolas imagine #legolas fanfiction #lotr #pippin took #gandalf #Thranduil #lord of the rings x reader #trop #rings of power #rop #the rings of power #from my pocketses

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chenouttachen · 26 days

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so i spent my weekend writing 10k words of student comments and i’m coming down with something that’s making my throat desperate to escape my body BUT i have made progress in my thoughts on the pit babe dirty dancing au

okay so this au does not follow the plot of the movie - it takes characters and events as gentle guidelines and possibilities.

Charlie has just recently landed a summer job at Tony Chen’s vacation resort. He’s been looking after his younger brother Jeff for a while now, and he makes a deal with Tony to let Jeff stay at the resort during his summer break from uni. Charlie is working as an events person - running activities with the guests. He is immediately enamoured with Babe, who is a dance instructor.

Babe is in struggle city - he’s been dreading coming back this summer after a drunk hook up with Way leaves him mpregant (i’ve just decided now that yes, we’re keeping the omegaverse. although it could also work with Way just being a really shitty ex). Way is Tony’s nephew and cares about little except his reputation. He wants nothing to do with Babe and the pup. Babe doesn’t want to keep the pup, but cannot afford the procedure. He is, of course, smitten with Charlie, but can’t find it in himself to act on it because he’s very guarded at present.

Jeff, staying under the radar, doesn’t move around the resort much. He mostly sticks to employee areas and stays as far away from Tony as possible (he’s grateful to be here, but does NOT like the man). When he does venture out, he finds himself unconsciously drawn towards events that Alan is running, though he buries his nose in his book any time he thinks the older man might look at him.

Alan is the leader of the dance crew and a mentor to all staff (who aren’t loyal to Tony). He’s been working at Chen’s for years and has a loyal customer base who buy private lessons from him each year. He also runs accessible lessons for everyone at the resort. He has a firm rule about not getting involved with the guests (prior experience has taught him it’s a bad idea). He notices that Jeff is almost always around his activities, though he never participates. He mistakes Jeff for a guest (a very, very pretty guest), and despite the inexplicable butterflies he gets in his stomach after the 5th time he catches Jeff staring, he confronts Jeff and tells him that he either needs to participate in the activities or find another place to spend his time.

Jeff is mortified and immediately takes off. A couple of days later Charlie takes him to the staff’s party house, where the dance crew are relaxing and having fun. Jeff is in flustered awe of everyone’s moves (Charlie is too, make no mistake. Especially when Babe asks him to dance). It takes a while, but eventually Alan notices him. The older man is frustrated initially, thinking someone (probably North) has brought a guest into their zone and is going to get them in trouble.

He tells Jeff that he can’t be there, it’s for employees only. He’s very firm about it, and Jeff is so uncomfortable he can’t find the words to explain. Charlie is quick to realise, rushing over and slinging an arm around Jeff’s shoulders. He explains their situation, and Alan visibly relaxes (and it has nothing to do with the way his heart has been jumping in his chest like a goddamn kid). He apologises to Jeff, who just shrugs. Alan asks him to dance, but the younger man just shoots him a filthy look at leaves. They dance together a few nights later for the first time though and boy oh boy is that an experience for all involved.

Our other friends, all whom are of course included, take on various roles in this mess.

Sonic - a dance instructor who can charm and flirt his way into making everyone feel comfortable and included

North - he does a bit of everything. he’s Babe’s cousin (Babe got him the job), and he helps carry guest’s bags, shows people around, helps out the waitstaff some nights, runs around behind the scenes for activity leaders, etc. He’s been in love with Sonic since the first summer he worked here, but doesn’t think the other man has ever thought of him that way. (He’s wrong, obviously).

Kenta - is Tony’s long-suffering son. He carries out the old man’s wishes and actions, even when they go against his own morals. He is not in high standing with the staff. He stays on the off-chance that Tony will leave the resort to him when he retires (though it seems more likely the bastard would leave it to his asshole cousin or sell it outright).

Kim - a guest at the resort. He’s looking for a relaxing holiday after a very stressful working quarter, but, after seeing something he shouldn’t (maybe an altercation between Kenta and Tony), he somehow finds himself caught up in the drama of the staff.

Dean - a new dance instructor. It’s his first year at the resort, but he thinks he’s hot shit. He tries to push Sonic out of the spotlight to seize his moment, but Alan shuts him down real quick.

Winner - a waiter on staff. and just generally an asshole to everyone around him.

Pete - technically a guest, but is scoping the resort as a property he could buy and rebrand. This technically poses him as an enemy, but Kim is the one who connects the dots that this could be a good thing for everyone - Pete buys the resort, Tony’s out of the picture, Kenta could run things differently and they could fire all the absolute assholes that work there.

Way - as previously stated, is Tony’s nephew and does the dirty work that Tony thinks Kenta is unsuited for. He is also paraded in front of the bigwigs a lot. He and Babe had been friendly for a few summers, so when they meet at a party just before summer and drunkenly hook up, he thinks nothing of it. But when Babe tells him he’s mpregnant he’s sent into panic mode and back peddles out of that relationship so fucking quick. He has ambitions to run the resort.

And that, my friends, is all I’ve got. Please enjoy and run rampant with it. You can also talk to me about it!!

#disclaimer there is a 1% chance i will write anything from this au #it will live in my head rent free but never make it onto the page #the fact i finished it takes a village is a goddamn miracle #so if anyone else wants to take a stab please go right ahead #pit babe the series #pit babe #alanjeff #charliebabe #kimkenta #sonicnorth

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dragonheart2497 · 4 months

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Sigh multiple recent events have made me think so much about how much I appreciate my cat, Uni, she literally considers herself my guardian and has stayed on her post by my side for 4 years now

I’ve got 8 months until I move out, and I’m gonna miss her immensely and I’m so worried she’s gonna miss me just as much.

I’m so freaking grateful that she’s such a healthy cat, and even tho she’s not always the most affectionate she’s always present for me. I cry at least once a month thinking about how I’d be so lost without her

She thinks I hate baths as much as her so she cuddles with me after I get out of the shower She chirps to check on me when I have coughing fits She stands watch at windows and doors most days She sleeps by my feet every night to watch over me

Uni’s my little guard cat and I hope I never take her for granted

#Dh rambles #Cat #cat appreciation #cats #pets

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lily-blue · 2 months

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13 reasons why | reason no.12: they care about their customers' health

☆ characters: barista!seokmin & uni student!you (Dahee - ‘99 liner) ☆ genre: coffee shop au, slice of (uni) life ☆ summary: after a failed mock-test makes you realise that you aren’t ready for your midterms, you do everything you can to cram the curriculum before your exams; even if it means consuming too much sugar and caffeine that Seokmin simply can’t turn a blind eye to ☆ words: 8,7k ☆ taglist: @dat-town

➼ chapter index

You were the first person in your family who had gotten into university or decided to pursue any kind of higher education, really, once they received their high school diploma. Hence, the pressure to perform exceptionally had been huge from the moment you had submitted your application. Not because your mom and dad were the typical Asian parents who tried to live their life through their children, demanding success where they had failed, but because most - if not all - of your extended family members thought that the money your parents spent on your education was a waste. And they never failed to bring the issue up during birthday celebrations and other family gatherings that for some reason none of you were allowed to skip. Feeling too young and powerless each and every time, your good grades were your only weapons with which you could shut them up.

However, recently, you had gotten pretty immersed in your new hobby, which obviously had a negative effect on your studies. It had started out innocently: about a year ago, this lovely coffee shop you and a few of your university friends frequented had thrown a free open mic night and you had performed an original song. Obviously, the lyrics had been heartfelt albeit amateur, the beats hadn’t always blended together nicely and your singing voice had never been trained, but you had enjoyed every second of the show and the audience’s supportive reaction. The staff had also been super nice, hence you hadn’t hesitated to sign up for the next occasion. And the occasion right after. If you had wanted to be honest, there couldn’t have been more than two events throughout the year that you hadn’t attended. You loved writing and singing your own songs too much.

Your improvement was undeniable, but it had taken a lot of effort and time, which you didn’t always have. Or more like… You shouldn’t have had if you had still taken your studies as seriously as you had done at the beginning.

In your defence, you hadn’t noticed how far behind you had fallen in your theory class until your professor had given you all a mock test two weeks before midterms and you had gotten back your results five days before your actual exam. You had scored twelve points out of fifty. Yet, even with the proof on your desk that served both as a reminder and a motivator, even a day later when your initial shock should have died down, you still couldn’t believe how miserably you had failed.

You let out a groan as you flipped another page of your notebook, trying to find those notes that could have helped you understand the slides on your laptop to no avail.

Why had you thought it had been a good idea to draw musical notes and treble clefs in your Theories of Applied Chemistry notebook? At least, the half-finished lyrics made some sense; you could never know when inspiration hit.

Trying not to mull over the horrible life choices you had made in the past few months four days before your midterm exams, you turned another page and sighed. You reached out to your cup with your eyes on your messy handwriting and took the paper straw between your lips, resisting the urge to chew on the soft material between two sips. This action wasn’t as de-stressing anymore since plastic straws had become a public enemy. You would have rather not had the paper melt in your mouth quicker from your saliva.

The unmistakable sound of the end of your straw meeting an empty cup genuinely surprised you even though, in the back of your head, you knew you had been in the coffee shop the whole day and it must have been over an hour since your last order. Cramming and not falling asleep from how boring these theories were didn’t fit into the same sentence without caffeine.

It would have been easier to raise your voice and ask for a refill like you had done numerous times already that day, but your body could have used some exercise, so you decided to stand up and walk towards the end of the line in front of the counter. This way, you could also take a look at their pastries and sandwiches, soothing your hunger past your usual lunch time. You had been so focused on your useless notes, you hadn’t even noticed you had unintentionally skipped your favourite meal of the day.

The line in Coffee Carat was a bit longer than usual as it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon when many locals spent their time in cute coffee shops whether with friends, potential lovers or partners. For a brief second, you let yourself wonder when you would have the time to go on lovely coffee dates with a guy who awoke butterflies in your tummy, but you pushed it aside way before it was your turn to order. You didn’t have time for relationships. Your hobby had already taken up a lot of your non-existent free time and look where that had gotten you.

‘Excuse me, miss. What can I get for you?’ The barista behind the counter cleared his throat, making you realise that it might not have been the first time he tried to get your attention. Still, the smile on his face looked genuine, hence you pushed your slowly growing anxiety down and offered him an equally honest albeit tight-lipped grin. It was the best you could do under pressure.

(One of the customers behind your back made sure that you knew that unlike the barista, he wasn’t paid to be patient. Jerk.)

‘I’d like to have a Vanilla Sweet Cream cold brew and two pieces of ChocoLate,’ you pointed at the chocolatey cupcakes behind the glass display, smiling as you skimmed through all the creative names they had for their sweets. It was just another thing you liked in this particular coffee shop.

One could have said that staying at the same place that had caused your demise was stupid, but you really liked the atmosphere of Coffee Carat, and the small stage in the corner actually kept you motivated: looking at the equipment, you knew exactly what you might have needed to give up on if you hadn’t put yourself together. You would have rather never sung again then let your family members roast your dear parents for paying for your university just so you could fail your classes.

You really hoped things wouldn’t have gone that far, though.

‘If you do not mind my suggestion, let me recommend you one of our decaffeinated drinks instead or something with less sugar and caffeine. I could not help but notice that this is your sixth cup today and while it is none of my business, consuming so much…’

Although the barista’s voice was gentle and he used formal language, his lengthy analysis on your coffee consumption made you feel as though you were at one of your obligatory family gatherings, hence you zoned out for a second.

‘...they are both very delicious. What do you think?’ His question reached you in an unstable state of mind, your head full of memories of your aunt Yeojin comparing your future career options with your Chemical engineering degree to those who worked at Olive Young. Like you would only be able to sell perfumes and scented body lotions with the knowledge you were trying to acquire while you were a university student.

‘I think your boss wouldn’t be too happy to hear about you refusing to give your customer what she ordered and getting all personal with her,’ you spat, a tad dramatic even to your own ears, but it was already too late. The words were out of your mouth and they weren’t kind. No, they were nasty like you were one of those entitled Karens you liked to laugh at when you were watching Youtube videos.

‘Actually, I am pretty confident that Seungcheol hyung would also refuse to give you your sixth cup of cold brew in less than six hours,’ the barista insisted, and you pressed your lips together to avoid saying something you most probably would have regretted the next second. Especially because you liked chilling and studying at Coffee Carat and you loved performing your songs on their open mic nights. If this Seokmin guy had been on a “hyung-dongsaeng” basis with his boss, you should have tried to refrain from getting on his nerves.

So you cleared your throat and softened your voice, determined to save what could still have been saved after your bitchy comment.

‘Look, I appreciate your concern and your boss’ concern, too, it’s touching, seriously. But next week is midterms week and I really need to shove months of skipped lessons into my brain this weekend if I want to be able to study for my other tests as well,’ you pleaded, and it should have been ridiculous, how you needed to beg for that vanilla-flavoured cold brew you had just ordered when it was one of the more pricey items on their menu. Shouldn’t they have been happy that you were willing to pay for it six times on the same day? (Another life choice you were most likely going to regret in the near future.)

‘Well, I’m also a uni—,’

‘Dude, can you just shut up and do your job? Give her her freaking coffee and let us move on with our lives. I don’t have all day,’ the same jerk from before spoke up, leaning closer to the counter and simultaneously invading your personal space by putting one of his palms on the wooden surface.

You were about to remind this impatient dude of public manners when the look on Seokmin’s face filled your throat with guilt, rendering you speechless. He looked so defeated, you had this inner urge to apologise for this whole scene your actions had created and ask if he had been still okay with preparing you one of the low-caffeinated drinks on their menu, but it was too late. He sucked it up and nodded with an obviously forced smile. Then, he turned his back to you and started to make your cold brew.

The entire time you were staring at the barista’s back, there was this teeny-tiny voice inside of your head, nagging you to apologise, but a part of you also felt that saying sorry might have made things more awkward and you hated the thought of making the situation worse. Therefore, you shut up and swallowed your own discomfort in order to help everyone forget this unnecessary ordeal easier.

‘Thank you,’ you mumbled under your nose when you eventually put your hands on the tray that had your coffee and chocolate cupcakes, then slid the small amount of change you had gotten back into the tip jar they had next to the cash register. You usually didn’t entertain the tipping culture even at diners where the food was otherworldly because it wasn’t part of your culture, but this money went for the events they organised in the coffee shop - including the yearly charity gift exchange in December -, so it did make you feel a tad better.

Though, you were relatively under the weather during the rest of your stay at the homey café. You kept stealing guilty glances at the busy barista and at one point you became so distracted by the self-blaming thoughts in your head that you ended up going home hours before closing time, which had been your initial plan for the day.

You would have liked to say that your shame kept you away from Coffee Carat until the next open mic night, but the atmosphere at the coffee shop was perfect for studying and a lot more motivating than your dorm room or the school library could have ever been. Therefore, after a more or less relaxing good night sleep, you gave yourself a peptalk in your tiny bathroom and left the building before your roommate woke up.

You took a seat in one of the corners half an hour after opening and started your day with a big cup of Coconut cold brew and a chicken-mayo-tuna sandwich that was closely the best sandwich you had ever tasted in your entire life. You had three whole PPTs to relearn that day and while the amount didn’t sound too draining at first hearing, each one had at least thirty slides, so you knew there was another long day ahead of you.

Taking a sip from your drink, you let out a content hum and opened the first document. It was useless stressing over inevitable inconveniences, so you decided to get down to work. The less you pondered over the seemingly impossible task ahead of you, the easier it became to concentrate on your studies. If you had learned anything since you had started university, it would have been how taking one step at a time worked best for you. You got overwhelmed so easily whenever your focus was on how much more you needed to do instead of just working through your endless to-dos slowly yet steadily.

Three hours and close to forty slides later, you decided to take your first study break and ordered yourself a slice of well-deserved mango cheesecake along with your third cup of caffeine-infused refreshment. Since you hadn’t seen the barista from the day before when you had arrived early in the morning you didn’t think too much into how unhealthy your order was until someone put them on your table and you took a quick sip from your drink. It was subtle, but it tasted sweeter; upon close inspection, it also looked a shade darker than it had done the first two times.

The furrow between your brows deepened as you took another tentative sip. It took you a few seconds to realise what the problem was. Though, the realisation did hit you the moment your eyes met the barista who had served you.

‘Look, if I fall asleep over my laptop and fail my exam, not only me, but both of my parents will be dragged through the mud at every family gathering for at least a decade, so please, for the love of God, bring me the cold brew that I ordered,’ you begged, a little dramatic and a year ago, when your grades had been a lot better, you might have called the barista out on caring about your health a bit too much (or maybe on taking an interest in you), but right now you weren’t so entertained by his behaviour. Sure, too much caffeine was bad for you, it wasn’t like you hadn’t known it before he had mentioned it the day before, but it was only for one week. You only had to pull through this one week and then… Then, you could have come up with a better study method than cramming at the last minute and drowning yourself in a dangerous amount of cold brew.

Agrr. Why was this guy so difficult? It was only your third cup that day, and you hadn’t had that much of a hard time falling asleep last night. These should have meant something!

‘I obviously don’t know too much about your situation…’ Seokmin started, tentative with the way he chose each and every word as though he could sense that it was a very sensitive topic for you and you weren’t just throwing around big words to justify your obsession with these drinks. You gulped and didn’t cut him off, which he clearly took as encouragement, because his smile turned from solemn to caring. ‘But I’m also a university student. I’m currently doing my masters, so I know how these weeks can be. Especially when you care about your performance.’

Stealing a glance at the black screen of your laptop, suddenly you felt like your break was taking too long even though you knew it wasn’t true. You had been working hard in the past three hours and you couldn’t have pushed aside your studies a mere ten minutes ago. Still, the reminder of how much more you needed to force into your schedule today if you wanted to score high on your tests made you more anxious than anything. You had no idea where this conversation was going, but you didn’t like it one bit.

You wanted to tell him to get to the point and leave you alone. You also wanted to get a new drink, but you demanded neither. Mostly, because you felt like the latter was a waste of your breath and the former would have sounded like something your aunt Yeojin would have said and that thought alone unnerved you a lot. You just wanted to be left alone.

You put your empty hand on your keyboard and pushed a random button. The screen with the second PPT on came back to life immediately.

‘What I’m trying to say is… there are better and more effective ways to study last minute,’ the barista said and you sighed, disappointed with the way your coffee’s sweet taste lingered in your mouth. You liked sweets. You believed that consuming sugar kept you energised, but it was still off-putting. Most probably because it wasn’t what you had wanted to reward yourself with and only a few were cool enough to like these kinds of unexpected surprises. You definitely weren’t one of those go-with-the-flow girlies. Especially when you considered how much money you had left at Coffee Carat in the last twenty-four hours.

‘This is what’s working for me,’ you retorted half-heartedly, with one eye already on the next slide about LCP theory. ‘I don’t have time for experiments.’

You were harsh, you didn’t need to be a genius to be self-aware, but every word that had left your mouth was true. The last weekend before midterms wasn’t the most ideal time to find those study methods that worked best for you. You had to push through these upcoming days with what was familiar and most importantly, with what was working for you.

‘I could help with that. Not to brag, but I’m pretty awesome at time management, too,’ Seokmin said with his full chest, which kind of made it sound like bragging, but you didn’t call him out on that. Instead, you cut off a bite from your mango cheesecake with your fork and lifted it in front of your slightly parted lips.

You slid your gaze from your laptop to the barista as you pulled the dessert off the cutlery.

‘I have seven exams next week. It’s too late to chance tactics,’ you claimed, overly sure in yourself. What he was offering you might have helped in the long run, taking he was telling the truth and wasn’t exaggerating, but you had too much on your plate at that moment to even play with the thought of considering it. ‘Knowing myself, I’ll order some more in an hour or so. Please, make sure to prepare my drink correctly.’

Inwardly, you were proud of how calm your request sounded despite the unwanted attention this barista was constantly giving you that weekend. He was nice, you had to give that to him. Your mother would have definitely liked him for looking out for you even after you had refused to listen to him (and not just because she preferred green tea over coffee every hour of the day), but at that moment, a knight in shining armour was the last thing you needed. It didn’t matter that he was handsome.

Where that last thought came from, you had no idea, but you quickly shook it off. Whether he was easy on the eye with his sharp nose, puppy eyes and that lovely mole on his cheek didn’t matter. Your studies did.

Hearing the barista’s defeated sigh, you fought the urge to praise him for finally getting the memo. You would have liked to think that you were a nice person and it was only your nerves being on the edge that turned you into such a menace. You would have also liked to think that Seokmin was partly at fault. He was too nosey for his own good.

Whether he was so pushy with other customers, too, you didn’t dwell on it. These details had no significance to you, because they could have only led you to massive overthinking and the capacity of your brain was already close to its limit. Ligand close packing theory; you had to focus on ligand close packing theory.

An hour and a half later you were still very much awake when you got the low-caffeinated version of your beloved coffee and a sugar-free croissant on the side; however, close to eight in the evening, when your eyes became way too heavy to keep them open without some extra help, you welcomed the espresso on the house with a satisfied smile on your face. As you were taking one small sip after the other while hovering over your notes, you noticed that cutting back on your daily coffee intake helped with its effectiveness a tiny bit. Not that you would have ever said that out aloud.

You refused to say that out aloud.

You had one written exam on Monday because you had taken Western European business and management as one of your electives that semester, and you were happy to start with such an easy, computer-based exam as the instant results - you scored 95 points out of 100 - gave a huge boost to your confidence. You felt almost invincible as you waltzed into Coffee Carat around two with your laptop and your notes for tomorrow’s oral exams.

‘I’d like to have a decaf vanilla latte and three of those Unstoppaballs,’ you said as soon as it was your turn in front of the counter, your mouth watering at the sight of the white chocolate and orange flavoured balls.

‘No cold brew this time?’ Seokmin’s sassy question was more shocked than teasing, and you just shrugged with a hidden smile in the corner of your mouth. You still didn’t feel like you could admit that sometimes less was more, but your order could have been taken as a white flag, so did you really need to spell your surrender out to him to understand? Nah, he wasn’t stupid. Pushy? Hell the freaking yes. But not stupid.

Based on what you had seen of him since you had become a regular at Coffee Carat, he could pick up on social cues just fine as well.

‘I’m feeling energised today,’ you decided to entertain him a little while you were looking for your wallet in your backpack and received your order with the same, subtle smile on your face before you took a seat at one of the empty tables in the back where you could study in relative peace. Sure, you couldn’t have made people stop talking around you like in the uni library just because you were sitting in the corner, but you preferred the light background noise to the silence anyway. It helped you concentrate; whereas, your thoughts were usually all over the place when you had nothing to shut out.

Doing a silly little dance on your chair as you were waiting for your laptop to turn on, you allowed yourself one sneaky glance from above your shoulder at the barista, who was busy preparing the next customer’s drink, then fished your notebooks out of your backpack and got down to work. If you could successfully answer all three questions at the end of each one of your slides by eight, you would have two extra hours to prepare for your Theory of Applied Chemistry test on Wednesday. Not an easily achievable goal per se, but you wouldn’t have called it impossible, either.

Dead set on your goal for that afternoon, you had already worked through two third of your notes when your stomach gently reminded you that you needed more fuel to keep up the good work. However, before you could have finished up the quiz you were using to test how much of the lesson you remembered, someone placed a Chocolate latte and a banana cupcake between your laptop and your abandoned tray.

‘I didn’t order these,’ the words were out of your mouth before your brain could have made the assumption that both the drink and the snack were on the house, because things like that never happened to you. Sure, you were pleasant to look at in a gentle, less outstanding way if your parents and friends’ opinion was anything to go by, but in today’s society it was rare to approach someone just because. Meeting strangers was easier online, and most people still met their future significant other through friends.

You shook your head when you realised you were overthinking it. A future significant other? What were you thinking?

‘I know,’ Seokmin gave you a sunny smile, his cheeks a tad rose-tinted close to his ears. ‘I was just thinking… So, you are doing so good so far without deliberately poisoning yourself. What else could deserve a reward if not that,’ the barista semi-asked, semi-exclaimed with a soft giggle, making you feel less offended than you had been when the word “poison” had fallen from his lips. Tsk, as if a week’s worth of excessive amounts of coffee had ever killed anyone. He was such a drama queen material, it was laughable.

‘Thanks?’ You tried to show your gratitude without making it sound like you were suspecting him of doing something inappropriate, like spitting into your chocolate latte because you had been talking to him from such a high horse the last two times you had crossed paths. ‘Isn’t it too much sugar, though?’ You raised a brow while you reached out for the drink.

You put the straw between your lips and took a huge gulp from the latte. It tasted delicious, a lot less sweet and a little colder than you had initially thought. Neither of these two was a real complaint, though.

You didn’t expect the genuine laugh that Seokmin gave you when your unintentionally sassy question registered in his brain. And you anticipated it less when your lips curved upwards due to how dorky he looked with his crescent moon eyes, all thirty-two of his teeth more or less on display.

‘I made sure to get you one of our new, sugar-free cupcakes. And the sweetest thing in your latte is the chocolate itself. A mix of cocoa powder and melted chocolate actually,’ he said, his smile not wavering as he added: ‘I do like to think that I’m a man of my word, so no, it’s not too much sugar. I wouldn’t do that after all that scolding,’ he reassured you as he lifted his hand to his neck and scratched the sensitive skin under his ear a couple of times.

‘It does sound less hypocritical now that I heard your explanation,’ you agreed with a soft hum, offering him a bite from your cupcake that he declined with a light shake of his head.

You were contemplating whether you should have A) asked him what you could have helped him with as he was clearly stalling by your table, B) said thank you for the freebies once again before the silence could have stretched too long or C) reminded him that your midterms took an entire week, hence you still had a lot of studying to do that afternoon.

In the end, due to your indecisiveness, it was Seokmin who broke the silence first.

‘I actually have something for you. Let me grab it real quick, it’s in the changing room,’ he said, and before you could have objected or even acknowledged his words, he was on his way to the staff only area.

Since you had read many YA books when you had been in elementary and high school, you had a couple of ideas of what could have been going on, but all of your groundless fantasies failed you when the barista rushed back to you and your gaze finally fell upon an ordinary albeit new-looking notebook. Confused, you looked up at Seokmin with deep furrows on your forehead and between your eyebrows.

‘What’s this?’

‘Study materials,’ he stated, like it should have been obvious. You reached out for the blue notebook with half-curiosity, half-scepticism and skimmed through the first couple of pages. There weren’t many texts in it, but the pages that were filled were filled with an unexpectedly beautiful handwriting. ‘You said you don’t have time for experiments, so I made sure to pick the most effective study methods for your exams.’

‘You made this for me?’ You asked, and in any other situation, you might have felt stupid for asking about something so obvious, but at that moment you were incapable of forming any other sentence. He had mentioned it earlier that he was also a university student, which meant that his midterms were either around the corner or at the same time as yours. He was also working at Coffee Carat in his free periods, which left him with less free time than most students in your program had.

Yet, he had put great effort into searching for healthier studying methods for you: an almost complete stranger with non-existent coffee addiction. His thoughtfulness, albeit unnecessary, pulled on your heartstrings.

‘Yeah. I think you should start with the Feynman Technique even if you don’t have anyone to talk to, because that works for the majority of people and we wouldn’t want you to lose time on techniques that might not work for you during your exam week, but I made lists of pros and cons at the end of each technique with a short summary, so you can choose whichever you like, obviously,’ he rambled as he stepped beside you and leaned a tad more into your personal space, so he could flip the pages of the notebook in your hands, showing you what he was talking about.

You especially liked the little drawings around the pros and cons lists.

‘I…’ you cleared your throat, looking for the right words. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

Seokmin offered you an understanding smile and upon realising how close his face was to yours, he straightened his back and took a step further from your chair. Or so you assumed because you didn’t want to think of the possibility that he might have put distance between the two due to your gaze unintentionally falling on his lips. Nah. You had not done that, you had just not.

Had you?

‘You don’t have to say anything. I just hope it’s helpful, and that I didn’t cross any boundary. Again,’ he assured you at the same moment a female barista called for his name from behind the counter.

Seokmin snapped his head in the petite girl’s direction, then looked back at you and the blue notebook in your hands. With a smile, he bowed slightly, urging you with his eyes to go back to your latte and studies.

‘Hwaiting!’

The cute, balled up fists the barista gave you left you speechless.

And as determined as you were to not waste any time that afternoon, so that you could have some extra hours to prepare for your Theories of Applied Chemistry exam, as badly you had lost track of time after your conversation with Seokmin. You were aware that it hadn’t been his intention to burst your serene bubble, but you couldn’t help yourself. You just had to see every page, study every study method he had picked for you before you would have gone back to your notes.

This was how you had royally messed up your study schedule once again. Just when you had gotten on the right track after long weeks of procrastination. A shame, really. You were kind of disappointed in yourself when around closing time, you eventually left the coffee shop.

So to say, you were surprised when you got back your test results and you managed to score at least a B on each one of your exams would have been an understatement. You were beyond speechless and absolutely thrilled at the same time. It was almost overwhelming.

It was also most definitely the result of both your hard work and Seokmin’s help with finding the right studying technique, because those endless slides you needed to work your way through had become much easier and faster to memorise after you had started to explain the topics to your rabbit plushie in the simplest way possible. You had also adjusted the famous Pomodoro Technique to your own aims and needs and had taken a ten-minute-break after every fifty minutes of cramming/studying. It had been intense, but it had been worth the back pain and the temporary sleep deprivation.

Since most of your professors had opted for paper-based written exams, it had taken a whole week to get your grades, but that meant that the day you heard back from your results, you were more or less back to normal: you drank only one cup of coffee every morning and ate less sugary goods despite how much you loved their taste. You also tried to sleep at least seven hours each night after you had spent the previous weekend in bed (safe for those inevitable occasions when you had needed to eat, drink and use the bathroom). Long story short, you had enough energy to take a small detour on your way home, visiting Coffee Carat with one purpose in mind.

You wanted to thank Seokmin and maybe brag a little about your academic achievements.

Practically vibrating once you realised that the barista was indeed working, you waited for your turn in front of the counter impatiently yet respectfully. You had already shown this guy your shameful Karen side; you didn’t want to remind him of how you could be on your worse days. Especially not on a fantastic day when nothing should have been able to ruin your mood, not even the long line at your favourite coffee shop.

‘Hi,’ you greeted the barista immediately, your happy smile wider than he might have ever seen, which should have been a warning sign to tone it down a little; however, you were too thrilled to act like a normal human being with a healthy amount of inhibition.

Luckily, instead of looking at you weirdly, Seokmin decided to match your vibe.

‘Hi there. Are we having a good day today?’ He inquired despite the smaller crowd behind your back. ‘What can I get for you?’

‘An ice chocolate, please, and a mango-peanut butter sandwich,’ you ordered and waited until he reached for the metal tong to grab your sandwich before you casually added: ‘By the way, I passed each one of my exams with flying colours. Your notes helped a lot. Thank you.’

And just like that, the easy part was out in the open. However, it was only a tiny part of the real reason you had come to the shop on a day when you had no classes to study for, no open mic night to sing at and no friend to hang out with. Obviously, your gratitude was bigger than a few nice words.

‘I’m happy to hear that. I could tell you were working really hard,’ he praised you, making you feel not only better in your skin, but more confident as well. Therefore, even though you had had the perfect plan (giving him your number by writing it on the napkin you would get), you simply blurted it out:

‘Do you want to grab some food together after your shift ends?’

You didn’t take it into consideration how flirty it might have sounded until the word actually fell from your lips and one of the customers gasped behind your back. That, completed with the shocked look on Seokmin’s face, gave you a reality check.

You cleared your throat and made a poor attempt at concealing your embarrassment with a forced chuckle.

‘I mean, to celebrate. The food is obviously on me, but I don’t expect anything in return. It’s just a friendly hangout, two university students bonding over their exams and such… Yeah, no biggie. Just some street food if you like street food…’ your ramble went on and on, losing its sense because come on! Which Korean didn’t like street food? You were so ridiculous.

‘I like street food,’ Seokmin cut you off with the most adorable, amused smile while he put your sandwich on a tray and started to work on your drink.

You pressed your lips together, cheeks heating up in embarrassment and gratitude. So he was down for it, that was good. That was awesome.

‘And I finish at six, which means…’ He looked at the clock on the wall, moving his lips a bit, indicating that he was counting under his nose. ‘In one hour and thirteen minutes. Is that okay with you?’

The best thing in post-midterms week was that most of your professors turned their classes into a huge discussion about your typical errors, therefore you didn’t have any or had very little homework. Thus, you had, for once, all the time in the world.

‘Sure. I’ll be sitting there, catching up on some Thai series,’ you informed him, and quickly paid for your order before you took the tray and walked up to your usual spot, in the corner of the customer area.

Your little celebration with Seokmin had been more than nice. You enjoyed talking with him a lot more than you had anticipated actually, because initially you had thought you wouldn’t have had many topics to talk about besides school and coffee.

How wrong you had been!

The guy was wonderful. He had matched your excited energy about the smallest wonders in life such as bumping into a random kpop concert in the street, sung his heart out with you when the trainee-looking teens covered songs you both liked, hadn’t made any comment when your eyes had craved the food more than your tummy and even eaten your leftovers like MVPs did instead of telling you to stop buying new stuff when you still had food in your hands. Your wallet might not have been particularly happy about this habit of yours, but your heart had fluttered throughout that night. Seokmin was amazing.

An amazing friend, and someone you could have pictured falling in love with with time.

And that was the main reason why you encouraged the slowly building bond between the two of you instead of taking a step back. You texted him at the most random times of the day about the most random things you saw, you listened to him when he needed an outsider’s opinion instead of someone’s from their enormous friend group and slowly became an active part of his everyday life.

That was why it didn’t surprise you when during the next open mic night at the coffee shop, he walked up to you before your performance to wish you good luck and took it upon himself to give you the first compliments as soon as you walked back to your table, enjoying the rest of the show.

‘The bridge came out very nicely, I wouldn’t have guessed you were still struggling with it on Monday if you hadn’t told me,’ he offered you his most brilliant smile, taking a seat by your table and sliding a slice of cinnamon cheesecake towards you right after.

You cut a biteful off it with your fork and lifted the first bite in front of his mouth. Smiling, he leaned in to take it, but instead of wrapping his lips around the sweets, he took your wrist in his hand and redirected the cutlery, so it would be facing you. After a snort, you dived in for the dessert with an amused eye roll and completely destroyed it.

‘Thanks,’ you mumbled with your mouth full of cake. ‘For both,’ you added as you wiped your lips clean with the back of your hand and stubbornly offered the second bite to the boy. As much as he liked to point out that he could eat and drink at his workplace for free, you also liked to emphasise the fact that it could only be free to you too if he had taken at least one bite or sip. It put your mind at ease.

Getting a shy smile instead of a response, you finished the slice in relative silence, because neither of you wanted to disrespect the artist on stage with a full on conversation, then you let Seokmin go as he had to finish his shift and help the others with packing up the equipment before he clocked out for real. Usually, his shift ended around six when he was taking the afternoon shift - sometimes sooner when he couldn’t work full-time due to his classes -, but one of his coworkers, Minghao, had gotten sick this morning, hence he had promised to stay an extra hour and help with the event. His reasoning? He would have checked your new song out anyway.

‘Wanna grab dinner with me tonight?’ You asked him when he jogged back to your table half an hour later in his street clothes, the light shade of pink on his cheeks deepening more because of his hard work than because of your question. After all, it had been two weeks since your first dinner together, so he had had plenty of time to get used to your more relaxed behaviour.

You were a whole other person when you weren’t constantly on edge because of your poor grades and the mental image of the disappointed look on your parents’ face didn’t haunt you. You were a friendly person. Not as extroverted as Seokmin and nowhere near as funny as his friend, Kwon Soonyoung, but nevertheless a pleasant company.

‘Sure. It’s on me tonight. I want you to try my favourite dumpling shop,’ he agreed easily, waiting for you to pack your stuff comfortably before he took your tote bag from you.

Your heart fluttered when the boy even held the door for you on your way out despite his noisy friends’ hollering.

If you had been a regular at Coffee Carat before, you basically moved into the building once your friendship with Seokmin turned into a crush. Not necessarily because the barista felt the same way about you, but because as soon as you had acknowledged your feelings, texting with him daily hadn’t been enough. You needed to see his face, the way his eyes lit up at the smallest wonders of the world - such as the little girl with the adorable pigtails who dared to pick a fight with Seokmin’s lawyer friend because of a joke he made about Joshua, or the first piece of perfectly baked chocolate brownie -, the way he smiled at every customer even when they were rude and entitled and of course, the way he looked at you when you chose a less extreme drink for your second coffee of the day than your go-to cold brew.

You had fallen too deep.

And yet, you made absolutely no attempt at getting out of the hole or pulling the guy down as well, at the bottom of the pit. Instead, you busied yourself with your notes as you always did and chose to concentrate on your upcoming finals. There were two more weeks before the first exam; however, this time you wanted to be more organised and prepared.

‘Hey there, how is it going?’ Seokmin’s question reached you before his steps came to a halt at your table; the ease he pulled the chair next to you out for himself doing funny things to your heart.

After a quick glance at the clock on your toolbar, you realised that it was already time for his lunch break, which meant you had been at the shop for almost four hours. You shouldn’t have taken as many breaks as you had allowed yourself that morning. You still had so much to go over according to your new study schedule, argh.

‘I think I overestimated myself,’ you confessed with an inaudible sigh, pushing your plate with your leftover cupcakes on it towards the barista despite the food container in his hands. You had bought more than you could eat with him in mind, as the blueberry cupcakes always sold out within an hour, and you knew he loved them a lot.

‘How so?’ He inquired while he reached out for a cupcake, shoving it into his mouth with a content hum before he even opened his home-packed lunch. In the back of your head you wondered whether he could cook or it was someone else who had made it for him, but you quickly pushed that thought aside. It didn’t matter. You knew for a fact that he was single, so whether it was one of his friends or someone who might have had a soft spot for him just like you did shouldn’t have concerned you at all.

You refused to let the possibility make you bitter when he deliberately spent his lunch break with you.

‘I put too many things on my to-do list for today. I barely finished one third of it and it’s past one already,’ you decided to focus on your conversation, pouting slightly as you took a sip from your cold lemonade. It was more sour than you preferred, but you had wanted to give it a try when you had seen the recommendation on the counter.

‘You still have weeks, though, right?’ He inquired, his worry only evident in his voice due to how familiar you had grown with his habits in the past few weeks. If it hadn’t been for that time when you had accidentally knocked the porcelain plate off your table and reached out for the broken pieces on instinct, you wouldn’t have been able to tell just how serious Seokmin’s question was.

He was anxious on your behalf, worried that you might not have had enough time to revise without pulling those awful all-nighters most university students did. That you might have had to break your promise and go back to your old habits to make more free time where there wasn’t any.

‘Two. I know I can make it, it’s just… I’m a little distracted today. I overestimated myself, that’s it,’ you were quick to reassure him, refusing to turn back to your laptop like you had done so the first couple of times the barista had invaded your personal space during your studying sessions. Back then, you had thought he was annoying, but nowadays labelling his persistence cute sounded more fitting.

He made your heart flutter.

‘Does that mean you might have the time to go on a week-long vacation with my friends and me after exam week? No retakes?’ He diverted the topic smoothly, making you let out a scoff somewhere between an actual scoff and a chuckle.

‘Hopefully. But aren’t all of your friends in a relationship? Why would you want us to be the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth wheel in the group?’ You teased, even though you had never spent enough time with his friends and their significant others to know how they acted around other people. Were they into PDA? Were they comfortable with intimacy only in private? As far as you could tell, Soonyoung was the only one who couldn’t keep his hands to himself when his girlfriend was around, and Eunseo rarely left her own shop during open hours.

‘If you ask me, Joshua and his new girl might not even last until our finals week. Anyhow, everyone having a partner is exactly why I want you to come with us,’ he explained between two bites, finally opening the baby blue food container and diving into the homemade kimbap rolls. They looked appetising.

‘Oh? So I’d be your partner?’ You teased him further, genuinely enjoying the fact that you could get more information about how he felt about you without acting suspicious. It worked out perfectly for you, hence you would have been stupid to let an opportunity this amazing go just because you were lowkey afraid of him getting the wrong (correct) idea and head on rejecting you. ‘Shouldn’t you have asked me out on a date first?’

If you wanted to be honest, you were unsure where your overflowing confidence was coming from, but it wasn’t like you were a coward in the first place. It was just new that you showed any interest in someone, and based on how movies and dramas portrayed young love, you kind of expected to be more insecure about the truth. Still, here you were, raising your brow at Seokmin in challenge as though it wouldn’t have hurt if he had laughed in your face.

The choking sound that escaped the boy’s mouth pushed your heart into a slight palpitation, but he put himself together before you could have reached out to him and patted his back a couple of times to help him spit out the food that stuck in his throat.

‘I mean…’ he started once he gulped down a huge amount of water from a water bottle you hadn’t even noticed before, too distracted by his home packed lunch.

Seokmin’s beautiful eyes were red and shone with unshed tears as he looked at your face, the subtle smile on his lips almost bashful even without him lifting his hand to his nape to scratch it out of embarrassment.

‘I was planning to ask you out after your finals, so I wouldn’t distract you unintentionally, but for some reason Hoshi hyung is in charge of the reservations and he wants to know whether you come or not,’ he explained under one breath, pointing towards the edge of the counter that was closer to the staff only area.

Despite your unhealthily high heart rate, you turned your head towards the direction the boy was showing you and there he was… Kwon Soonyoung in all his glory, staring at the two of you with his phone in his hand like he was about to record your interaction in any minute. You furrowed your eyebrows when your eyes met and he wiggled his eyebrows. Weird.

‘He said he would ask you himself if I didn’t man up and I just… You might not believe it, but he would totally do something like that, and I didn’t want you to hear it from him that I have had this embarrassing crush on you since our first open mic night and…’

You were speechless; meanwhile, Seokmin kept rambling, repeating bits and bobs of his cute and most probably accidental confession here and there. He told you how touching he had found your first song, how he had doubted for a very long time that someone like you could still be single, and how the closer he had gotten to you, the more afraid he had been to lose your friendship.

You were speechless, and he wasn’t.

Unsure where it would have been appropriate to cut him off, you decided to take control over the situation quite literally and took Seokmin’s hand in yours. Then, the combination of the firmest gentle squeeze you could manage and your sweet, encouraging smile did the trick: the world quieted down around you with the barista’s mouth hanging open.

‘Would you like to grab some food with me after your shift? This time, as a date,’ you asked, enjoying the confidence that came with knowing exactly how Seokmin felt about you. The lack of fear of rejection was deliberating.

And so was the eager ‘Yes’ that followed your question not even a second later.

Giving another squeeze to the boy’s hand, you stole a glance at the deeply invested Soonyoung by the counter and made a mental note to thank him for his unintentional match-making before the two of you left the coffee shop that afternoon.

He deserved your gratitude, all the praises and maybe, a free brownie, too, for turning the likely impossible possible for you.

➼ next reason

#seventeen scenarios #caratwritersclub #seokmin x reader #seokmin x you #dk x you #dk x reader #lee seokmin #dk #ssbyme #seventeen series #coffee shop au

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