[ 12:23PM ] “You did what?” Yoongi asked again from the other line.

You did a cautious glance around you, careful not to make your voice too loud before you answer his inquiry since you were afraid that potential nosy co-workers will be able to eavesdrop. “I put a picture of the two of us.”

“Where?”

“Beside my monitor.”

“With only you and me?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t speak for about three seconds, causing you to think of all the possible worst scenarios that could bloom from your confession in that short amount of time. “What picture?”

You cleared your throat. “In the steak house this year.”

Ah, the ever so famous steak house picture. When you uploaded that on your IG account, specifically as a story, you got a bunch of replies from mutuals, all asking if you and Yoongi were finally dating after being close friends for God knows how long. You couldn’t blame them for thinking in such a way, considering that your smiles in the photo were too big to not be suspicious of—not to mention your heads too that were pressed together as you sat side by side, actually waiting for your other high school friends to arrive in the restaurant you planned to meet in. Some may even argue that your arms were linked beneath the view of the camera or perhaps your hands were intertwined.

“____—”

“It’s just a repellant,” you assured him immediately before he could protest.

“Huh?”

“A repellant,” you inhaled, “you know… like something to keep other people’s noses in my business. They just keep on setting me up with this one guy in the other department, Yoon. I couldn’t help it!” you practically hissed the last part, finally standing up and walking away from your desk to have some privacy.

“So, basically, what you’re saying is—you’re using me as a cover-up boyfriend?”

You pursed your lips. “Yeah, basically.”

He snorted at the ridiculousness of your actions. “Why me? You could have chosen Taehyung. The both of you would look more convincing.”

“Taehyung’s seeing someone. I wouldn’t want to cause complications in case this backfires.”

“And you didn’t think that would happen with me too?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re seeing anyone as well,” you reasoned. “I mean, you aren’t, are you?”

“Nope.”

“See? How could you anyways? You’re a freaking surgeon. You have no social life.”

“Uh, of course, I still have a social life?“

“Just because you see inpatients almost everyday via appointments doesn’t mean you have a social life.”

Yoongi laughed, a low kind of one that inevitably makes a grin appear on your lips. “Keep that attitude up and I’ll break up with you.”

You raised your eyebrows at the retort, intrigued by his fast agreeableness. “Wait a minute, does that mean you’re okay with this?”

“With the whole fake boyfriend stuff?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yeah, sure. It’s just a picture.”

“And also fake relationship stories—just a heads up.”

You could see how he might have rolled his eyes at that statement despite only hearing his voice from the phone. “Okay, whatever, use me all you want.”

You squealed, visibly jumping and swaying side by side in giddiness. “Really?”

“Sure. Ruin all of my chances of ever dating someone.”

“Come on, it’s just going to be for the meantime—”

“I’m kidding.” He cut you off with a snort. “Dating is out of the picture too with my hectic schedule. So, do whatever you have to do.”

“For real?” you exclaimed again.

He laughed at your reaction. “Yes, ____.”

“Ah, I owe you so much, Yoon!”

He fondly made a sound of approval. “Treat me to dinner later for the first installment of your payment. I have some spare time.”

“Alright. I’ll treat you to anywhere you want!”

“I’m going to hold onto that.” He chuckled. “Anyways, is that all you called me for? I have to attend a conference in a few minutes.”

“Yup. That’s all.”

“Okay. See you later then.”

You nodded, the big grin still on your features. “See you. Looking forward to it.”

Yoongi hummed in a soft manner before hanging up.

As you began to stride back to your workstation, happy because of the success of your plan to convince him to agree in being your cover-up boyfriend, you walked past Jihye, one of your said nosy co-workers who seemed like she overheard a part of your conversation, smiling at you.

“Was that your boyfriend?” she asked.

You placed your phone back inside your pocket, a new type of giddiness erupting inside your chest. “Yeah.”

“Ooh, are you two having a date?”

You nodded in a seemingly proud fashion. “It’s just dinner.”

“Still, I’m jealous.” She sighed dreamily and teasingly at you, causing you to chuckle while she went on with her agenda before stopping by to engage in small talk.

You stayed in your spot longer than intended, thinking about the events that may happen because of your desperation to not be linked to that other person in the office—but you didn’t really care, to be honest, knowing that if it was going to be Yoongi, everything was going to flow smoother than reckoned.

At least, that’s what you thought.

note. just a very short drabble inspired by a scene in yumi’s cell ! hehe

THANK YOU FOR READING & FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED !♡(ˆ‿ˆԅ)

SAVIOR.

the one where it was either seokjin or jeongguk who was going to advance to the next game.

━ seokjin & jeongguk (platonic jinkook)
━ 1.4k words.
━pg-15
━ angst; squid game au; inspired by a tiktok comment i saw recently that i cant remember specifically where :<
━warning/s: taking place in the marble scene of the series so… character death obvs | also,,, my writing is rusty lmao so this might be really really bad and feel really really rushed as well lmao (i really just wanna post this so dont mind me yall ahsjsahsaj)

Jeongguk could only stare at Seokjin once the announcer stopped informing the players of what the next game was going to be.

He couldn’t determine what Seokjin’s expression meant; all he could see was how the guy’s eyebrows rose and how his lips somehow turned upwards in a slight smirk, as if he was actually amused by the unexpected turn of events and not frightened nor conflicted by it like all the people in this makeshift village were feeling after hearing about the mechanics of the next game they were going to partake in. But in the decades they have treated each other as brothers, worked together and trusted no one as fully as the rest among the crowd of strangers and desperate people like them in the four days there were stuck in this arena, Jeongguk no longer questioned Seokjin’s calmness with regards to what was supposed to take place in the next 30 minutes.

“What game do you want to play?” Seokjin asked finally, turning his eyes to him with a lopsided smile.

Jeongguk didn’t answer. His hands only clenched into fists.

“Should we just play the classic one? The one where we guess if the number of marbles in our hand are even or odd?”

“I want to choose another player,” Jeongguk said, his head however directed to the masked guard in charge of them and not at Seokjin.

As expected, the masked guard didn’t reply, didn’t even make a subtle movement of approval or disapproval for that matter, and before Jeongguk could decide to march up to the person and demand that his request be acknowledged, Seokjin weakly held his shoulder in warning, knowing that there was nothing they could do to change the course of their ‘fate’.

“Jeongguk—”

“We’re supposed to get out of here together,” Jeongguk explained agitatedly. “How the fuck is that going to happen if we’re supposed to be play as opponents.”

“It’s not like we ever played as partners prior.” Seokjin snorted. “Besides, you can’t honestly believe that, do you?”

His frustrated expression faltered, replaced with confusion and outraged at the nerve of being asked that question. “What?”

“We knew right from the beginning that there was only going to be one winner in this competition, Guk,” Seokjin explained with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s not like they were going to let us bag the 45.6 billion won as a pair. I thought you understood that when we went back here.”

“I did.”

“Then what’s with the showcase of attitude?”

“Showcase of attitude?” he repeated. “Aren’t you angry at the fact that we’re supposed to kill each other right now? Why are you making it seem like I’m overreacting and throwing a fucking tantrum, huh?”

Seokjin sighed. “We’re not killing each other.”

“Oh,yeah, we’re just letting the other get murdered, is that it?”

“Jeongguk—”

“I’m not playing this game with you,” he hissed.

“Well, I’m not letting the both of us get killed too.” Seokjin huffed, nodding towards the huge LED timer hanging on the wall. “We’ve already come this far. I’m not going to waste the opportunity of either of us joining the next round just because the situation isn’t ideal. We have 28 minutes left. What do you want to play?”

“There has to be another way, Hyung.”

Seokjin frowned. This was the first time he actually saw Jeongguk looking defeated and worried over the time they had to compete in this messed up competition. “Don’t worry,” he said instead, plastering another smile as he jiggled the black pouch full of marbles playfully to him, “I’ll go easy on you.”

“Don’t… don’t do that.”

“Does that mean you’ll go easy on me instead then?” The playful tone was still there.

“Hyung,” he gritted his teeth, more seriously now, “promise me you won’t go easy on me.”

“Alright,” Seokjin nodded and even held his pink out, “I promise.”

Jeongguk didn’t bother answering after that, just letting out a gust of frustrated breath as he felt that he had no choice but to comply due to Seokjin’s firmness about the matter.

The thing was though—the both of them always knew who had the upperhand when it came to games or anything in general, really. Right from when they were kids, it has always been Jeongguk who was hailed the winner or the best among the two of them; he was a naturally skilled kid after all, the type to always be the best in anything he pursued. However, in Seokjin’s defense, the reason why he lost most of the time too wasn’t because of the fact that he was bad himself which made winning easy for the younger man, but because as predictable as it was, Seokjin purposely didn’t try that hard for the result to be always in the favor of the former as well, something that Jeongguk only began noticing when he reached 17 years old and realized that there was no simple way in prevailing against him, ultimately causing Seokjin to finally fight fair.

That was why Jeongguk also didn’t want to play with him. He knew what Seokjin was going to do even at situation like this where his own life was at stake, and he didn’t trust him enough to not do otherwise.

“You cheated.”

Seokjin glanced up from looking at their palms, that same amused smirk conquering his lips. Jeongguk just guessed the right number group that Seokjin was playing with, wagering with an amount that was exact to it too. “Shouldn’t I say that between the two of us?” he asked, already pouring the last marble—the single only one that was left in his possession—to Jeongguk’s pouch.

“You… you’re doing it on purpose,” Jeongguk breathed out, his hand shaking and pulling the pouch closer to him in attempt to haul it farther from Seokjin, but he didn’t move it fast enough to prevent the latter’s movements for it to be of any worth. “You never play fair. I’m not a fucking kid anymore for you to do this to me—”

“I didn’t cheat, Guk—”

“You fucking did!”

“How? Can’t you see that you deserved this win?”

Jeongguk was beginning to burn in rage. Because of Seokjin, because of the stupid game, because of their choice to go back here, because of the reality of what’s about to commence—

“It’s okay, Jeongguk.” Seokjin interrupted his train of thought, hurriedly yet gently enclosing the small bag black containing all the marbles inside Jeongguk’s fist. “You deserved it.”

“What?” he exclaimed, eyes glaring at the older man, eyes watering at the thought of losing him. “How in the hell is this okay? Do you even fucking realize what—”

“—I do.”

“What?” He shouted in complete resentment now, not stopping himself from letting all his emotions out.

Seokjin smiled, in a manner that showed only sadness and annoying authenticity. “Hyung will do it, Jeongguk.”

“What?” he repeated for the nth time, knees seemingly buckling with his tears finally falling on his cheeks.

“LetHyungdo it,” Seokjin said. “It’s okay.”

Jeongguk couldn’t help but suddenly grasp Seokjin’s collar harshly, pushing him against the wall in violence that made the guard automatically point his gun at the side of Jeongguk’s head, an action that the latter didn’t care about. “Are you fuckingcrazy?” he snarled.

“It’s easier this way.”

“No!”

“It’s okay, Jeongguk,” Seokjin grabbed his hands on his shirt and forcefully removed it, “it’s okay.”

“No,” Jeongguk shook his head rapidly, trying still to stop Seokjin while he walked to the guard to present his empty pouch, “I won’t let you do this—”

“You won.”

“Hyung—”

“Hyung will do it.” He finished again, one last turn being done before his hands rose up to grasp Jeongguk’s shoulders tightly. “You won it fair and square. So, make sure to win the rest of the game too, alright?”

“Hyung…” Jeongguk practically begged, but Seokjin only patted his back and immediately showed the empty pouch he had to the masked guard to declare the loser of the game. He, on the other hand, couldn’t move his feet even if he wanted to; he understood that maybe this has always been Seokjin’s plan all along—to help him in the games but never succeed it with him.

Jeongguk felt Seokjin squeeze his shoulder again and he stared at him with bloodshot eyes.

“You did well, Guk,” he said, another squeeze until he retracts his arm back to his side. “Thanks for playing with me for the last time.”

As the guard lifted their weapon, Jeongguk’s gaze shifted from Seokjin’s face to the gun, the finger on the trigger being pressed in what looked like in slow motion.

Unthinkingly, Jeongguk ran towards Seokjin.

BANG!

The two of them staggered.

A long silence.

“Player 091, eliminated.”

THANK YOU FOR READING & FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED!♡(ˆ‿ˆԅ)

LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME. (2/2)

“the one where jeongguk finds himself choosing you.”

━ boyfriend!jeongguk x reader
━ 1.1k words.
━pg-15
━ fluff, light angst, established relationship au
━warning/s: mentions of near death experience | continuation of this drabble!
━ requested by anon for the ‘drinks and drabbles’ drabble game !! 

jungkook + hot chocolate with whiskey (lmao) + part two to love me or leave me where maybe jungkook does go back to the reader bc he does love her but he’s almost too late bc she almost d*es or something along those lines pls

“guk? earth to guk?”

jeongguk snaps out of his daze and looks at myeonhee who was staring at him worriedly. he smiles and places the can of beer he has been holding back on the table before he rubs his face, taking deep breaths.

“i’m sorry,” he says, “i’m just kinda out of it. what were you saying again?”

“did you and ____ fight or something? you always look so shitty when that happens,” she teases.

he leans back on his seat.

truth be told, he hasn’t been telling myeonhee of your hard feelings when it came to him spending more time with her. he thinks it would just bring more complications and would only make his head hurt more, and he really was hoping that somehow you and myeonhee would turn out to be best friends in the end too as the thought of his girlfriend and best friend being best buddies was a great thing to really happen.

“yeah,” he sighs. “actually, i think i should call her.”

“sure.” she shrugs, carrying on drinking while jeongguk goes to the balcony of her apartment to call you.

when he called, he definitely wasn’t expecting to be greeted by a foreign voice instead. he wasn’t expecting to be told that you were in emergency room, alive and well—thank god—but was bearing minor injuries due to almost being hit by a drunk driver on your way back home after buying something from the convenience store.

in that moment, it feels like his surroundings begin to shift in slow motion as his stomach drops, and he didn’t need to hear more before he ran back inside and told myeonhee that he needed to go and see you, explaining in gibberish that you were in the hospital and that you needed him, and she nodded, saying to update her on what happened when he got there.

“will you be okay here?” he still asked her in worry and she smiled, gesturing for him to go.

“yeah, i’ll manage, guk. just go to ____.”

now, jeongguk’s standing by the door of the emergency room, just arrived and is staring at you as you talk to the doctor, looking bored and at the same time miserable. you look fine, he really was grateful for that, though there were still some bandages over your elbows and knees, the material of your sweatpants dirty and torn off, your shirt dirty as well.

“____!” he calls and you turn to him, raising your eyebrows and then furrowing them, hastily looking away. “are you okay? does it hurt? what happened and—”

“i’m okay,” you say, giving one final smile to the doctor who took care of your wounds for you.

“okay?” jeongguk repeats in a scoff. “they said you almost got hit by a car.”

“yeah, well, i didn’t.” you tell him. “why are you even here, anyway? aren’t you supposed to be with myeonhee?”

“you almost got hit by a car.” he repeats it one more time, like it was enough explanation. “why wouldn’t i be here?”

“you’re not my boyfriend anymore.”

his face hardens at that. “i still am.”

“no, you’re not. so, please, just—” you try to get him out of your way as you hop off the hospital bed but your legs buckle and jeongguk’s quick to hold onto your forearms, supporting you.

“i am,” he firmly says. “now, don’t be stubborn and wait here while i get a wheelchair.”

you don’t answer nor look at him, but you stay put when he hurriedly goes to get a wheelchair indeed, coming back to you and literally forcing you to go sit. he’s even the one who takes care of your discharge papers and pushes you out of the hospital and to his car, which you tell him again and again that you didn’t want to get into since you much prefer to take a taxi home.

“get in.”

you cross your arms. “no. take me to the entrance, i want to get a taxi and—”

“____, i swear to god.” he groans and moves in front of you, crouching down. “please, i know you’re still mad but can you get in the car first so that you can go home?”

“no.”

“yes.”

“no.”

“say no one more time and i’m carrying you my—”

“no.” you glare at him.

jeongguk puffs his cheeks and tilts his head before suddenly hooking his arms behind your back and knees, keeping his word and abruptly carrying you to the awaiting passenger’s seat. you complain further, demanding that he puts you down but he ignores your protests, instead just focusing and successfully placing you inside his car, even being the one who puts the seatbelt in.

“comfortable?” he asks as he finishes locking it in.

you look at him. “i don’t want to be here.”

“you don’t have a choice.”

“this is basically kidnapping.”

“babe, come on,” he sighs exasperatedly, “what do you want me to do? i’m sorry for what i did earlier, okay? it was a dick move but stop making it complicated for me to bring you home.”

you continue staring at him. “how did you even know i was here?”

“the nurse answered your phone when i tried calling you.”

“why were you calling me?”

“because i wanted to say sorry.” he crouches down again beside you outside the vehicle so that you two can be in level with each other. “i’m really sorry if i make it seem like i choose her all the time. it’s just that… we’ve been best friends since we were kids—she dealt with a lot of my shit back then so i always feel the need to return the favor.”

you sigh, looking at your fingers. “i know. i was just… tired, and i wanted to spend time with you tonight but…”

“yeah.” he smiles sadly. “i was an asshole, i know.”

“good.”

he chuckles and gets your hands, making you look at him again. “do you forgive me now, baby?”

“i… i don’t know.”

“okay, that’s alright. but will you at least let me stay with you when i take you home?”

you purse your lips, glancing at your intertwined hands, his thumb rubbing the back of it gently.

“sure.”

“will you let me kiss you too?”

you’re back meeting his eyes and you can feel your face heating up. “okay.”

jeongguk smiles and leans up so he can kiss you, his mouth lingering on yours longer than you expect, and then he pulls back, kisses you one more time and gazes at you.

“i’m really glad you’re okay, you know. i don’t know what i would have done if you weren’t.”

you inhale deeply. “me too.”

he grins. “let’s go home, baby?”

you nod and he stands up, closing the door and jogging to the driver’s seat, wearing his seatbelt before he gives you one last smile and drives.

note. i hope this lived up to everyone’s expectations i was surprised when a lot just asked for a love me or leave me sequel because it was,,, meh JSKAJSJA anyways, i hope you’ll like this one too !! feedback is so appreciated as always hehe and thank you for reading

Hate you more - kinktober - day 22

Jin X reader

Hate sex

Kim Seokjin. Even the name made you boil with loathing. He was loud, narcissistic, and obnoxious. Yet somehow everyone around you loved him. They craved his attention, swooned when his eyes met theirs. Everything about him was infuriating. Which is why you’re not exactly sure how you ended up bent over the cleaning supplies in the dorms cupboard for the third time this week as he railed you from behind.

It started after a night in with the boys. You had gone round to play video games with Jungkook and Tae, but he was constantly around. You were sat mid Mario Kart race when he entered the room placing himself on the armrest of your chair

“I see you’re losing Y/N” He taunted. In actual fact, Tae was far behind you, but he only cared about making you feel bad. The others had said that you were looking too far into it, all a joke on their hyung’s part but you were convinced it was part of some unspoken vendetta. No one believed you though, after all Jin would never want to make someone feel bad. The small smirks when someone comes to his defense tell you otherwise. You elbowed him in the ribs, making him fall from his perch and then ignored him for the rest of the race.

You placed a very close second, losing to Jungkook. The night had continued in much the same way, each of the boys had come home and joined you in the living room. Your casual gaming day became a full-blown game night. Someone suggested playing Mr and Mrs, Jimin and Taehyung going first. The only problem with that being they were on the same wavelength every answer had matched, meaning every turn lead to you and the rest of the boys having to drink.

Next the 94’s took their turn, not quite as consistent as the soulmates but still close. They failed on two answers: who is the better rapper (opting for each other), and who is better in bed (opting for themselves). At this point you were relatively tipsy having played another drinking game before getting to this point. Your head a little hazy, you hadn’t realized who they chosen to be your partner until it was too late.

As expected you and Jin answered every question differently. Neither willing to concede that the other might be better at something. The boys original plan had been for you to find some common ground, an answer that matched… a compliment given… something. They got nothing. So, they devised another plan. Jimin spilt his drink on the tiled floor, pretending to be a lot more drunk than he was. Namjoon offered to help him clean himself off, asking Jin to fetch the cleaning supplies for the floor in the meantime. Jungkook and Taehyung grabbed you, pushing you into the small supply closet and face first into Jin’s chest. The door slammed shut behind you.

“Guys this isn’t funny” you whined, banging on the door. It was no use. A note slid under the door.

“Reconcile your differences, we will come back for you later’

You’d let out a huff and made yourself comfortable on the floor, dragging your knees into your chest.

“NAMJOON-AH…. YOONGI-AH… THIS ISNT FUNNY.” His grating voice reverberated around the room.

“Would you just shut up!” you snapped, “They aren’t gonna let us out, all your doing is giving me another fucking headache.” He looked at you curled up on the floor and shrugged, not really caring what you thought.

‘JUNGKOOKIE-AH, YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME HERE” he shouted for a little longer before realizing they really weren’t coming back. He lowered himself down to the floor across from you and assumed a similar position, except he’d been staring at you. “This is your fault you know?” he accused. You scoffed and met his eyes.

“Oh do share how you think this is my fault, oh-wise-Seokjin” you lifted your head to meet his stare. It was clear he hadn’t appreciated the sarcasm dripping in your tone, but he replied anyway.

“If you didn’t have such an abrasive personality, I wouldn’t hate you half as much and they wouldn’t have deemed this necessary” his matter of fact tone had pissed you off so much, you’d leapt to your feet, furious. His mirrored your action, getting right up in your face challenging you to come up with an excuse.

“If you weren’t so self involved, you would see that the world doesn’t revolve around you asshole” you were breathing heavily, vibrating with anger “maybe you should consider that my personality isn’t abrasive, I just don’t worship you and that frustrates you to no end” his eyes flitted away from you gaze for only a moment before he had scooped you into his arms. Lips desperate against yours. All the anger being taken out in this one intimate movement. The two of you had come away chests heaving, just as the door was opened by a very afraid looking Hoseok. You had shot one last glare at Jin before storming out of the dorm that night.

Now the two of you were in the cupboard once again, this time by choice. It was the only place the boys wouldn’t look for the two of you. They never cleaned the dorm themselves; it was the perfect place to hide. Jin had you bent across one of the shelves. Back pressed firmly in to the wood as he thrusted into you, taking out all of his frustration at you on your dripping pussy. One hand was wrapped in your hair pulling sharply, as the other rubbed furiously at the sensitive bunch of nerves between your legs. Your hands sort purchase on his biceps, grasping so hard the half-moon prints from your nails were sure to leave bruises.

You found it very therapeutic to let out your anger this way. Seeing his stupid face contorted in pleasure, ruining his perfect façade mad you hornier than you thought possible. The shelving unit shook with the force of each push. The occasional cleaning product falling to the floor around you. Jin’s hips stuttered as he reached his high, releasing his cum deep inside of you. The relief on his face made your stomach flutter in what you believed to be disgust. Once he had regained full function his hand pinched at your clit, rubbing, flicking, and stroking until you came on his softening cock. He helps you to your feet without a word, grabbing a clean rag and handing it to you before he zips himself up and walks out of the small room. You follow shortly behind after smoothing your hair and dress. You walk into the kitchen to find the maknae line staring at you.

“What?” you question.

“You know if you wanted to keep that a secret you probably shouldn’t do it in a room that shares walls with most of our bedrooms” Jungkook’s tone is nonchalant, earning him snickers of approval from his band mates and intense blush that creeps up your face.

Masterlist

Taglist

@sweeneyblue1@adventuresinwonderlust

@samros95@thedarkwinterrose

Please?

Cheating trigger

Only angst

<1300

“I just need you to stay… please” Jungkook pleaded, grabbing onto one of your hands while the other reached for the door. You shake yourself free from his grasp and storm out of the door, slamming it behind you. Jungkook fell to the floor, you can hear his sobs as you make your way down the drive unsure of where you are going but knowing you can’t stay there. You find yourself on Namjoon’s doorstep, unsure of how you got there, numb to you other surrounding.

“Y/N? are you okay?” Namjoon’s face crease in concern as he opens the door to your obviously dishevelled appearance. The tears fall freely from your eyes as the anger fully dissipates from your mind leaving only the pain behind. Joon pulls you into his arms and shuts the door behind you. He helps you to the sofa before running into his kitchen for water and tissues.

You’re not sure how long you lie there. Curled into the foetal position, finding minimal comfort in hugging your knees to your chest, recounting every step of the argument in your head. No matter how many times you replayed it, it made little sense. Once your calm enough to speak you recount the argument to Namjoon.

Jungkook had been in the shower when you arrived home, following a long day of press junkets he often relaxed this way. So, you set about putting away his things and trying to help him out for the night. That is until you came across a frilly pair of panties in the bottom of his bag. At first it left you confused, and then fuming. Without thinking you stormed into the bathroom where your boyfriend stood dripping wet and more than surprised.

“Babe is everything okay?” his brow furrowed in concern as he reached a hand to caress your face. You pulled back away from his grasp and had instead forced the offending article of clothing into his palm.

“Whose are these?” your voice was barely above a whisper, but the venom behind it had struck fear in Jungkook’s soul. He looked from your burning eyes to the small piece of fabric. He looked confused, his little bunny mouth frowning as he tried to work out what he was looking at. “I found them in your bag, don’t try to lie to me, who are you fucking” you’d spat, the rage coming to the surface at what you had thought was an attempt to play dumb.

“I have no idea whose they are, do you know how many people have access to my bag every day?” he tried to calm you down, he moved to place his hands on your shoulders, get you to look him in the eyes but you’d refused. Stormed from the room in search of other ‘proof’ you’d been sure was around somewhere.

“You must think I’m the most gullible idiot.” You yelled over your shoulder at him before heading into your shared bedroom. He’d followed quickly behind after pulling on sweats and a Tee.

“Y/N calm down I know nothing about the panties, I’m actually a little hurt you don’t trust me.” He tried to grab your arm, to halt your search but it was too late, you’d found exactly what you hoped you wouldn’t. Once you unlocked his phone you found the message he clearly had meant to delete.

Her: I left a little souvenir in your bag (wink) we should do this again sometime.

The revelation had made you stop in your tracks, uncertain how it’d gotten to this point, less than an hour ago you were convinced you’d been in the happiest relationship in the world. It felt like glass shattering. Tears sprung to your eyes, but you’d forced them back, not willing to let him see that he’d made you cry. Instead you lashed out. You’d pummelled his chest until you had no more fight in you, and he stood there and took it, knowing he’d been caught in his lie. When your hands hurt too much to continue, you’d sank on to the bed and rubbed at the sore bits.

“Baby…” Jungkook started.

“Don’t baby me” you mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes as he’d tried desperately to connect with you.

“Y/N” he sighed “she… I…” it was clear he hadn’t thought of an explanation, or at least a lie for the message you had just seen.

“Does she mean something to you?” you whispered.

“What?” you were unsure whether he hadn’t heard you or couldn’t believe you’d ask him that, but the lilt of confusion filled you with rage once more.

“Does she mean something to you?!” the scream tore through your throat as you flew from where you were perched.

“No, of course she doesn’t” the response had been immediate, so fast you were sure it must’ve been true, and that’d made it so much worse.

“Then why risk it? Why risk everything we have built together on someone like that. Nothing could make this better believe me, but to throw EVERYTHING away for a cheap one night.” For the first time since the fight had begun, you’d met his eyes. He looked like a kicked puppy. He’d had the audacity to look like he was being told off for something he hadn’t done. It’s that look that had finally pushed you out of the door. “I can’t look at you right now, maybe not ever”

“Come on Y/N let’s talk about this please… I can’t lose you” his voice cracked as you reached for your coat.

“You should’ve thought about that before you ruined everything.” Your hand was on the door knob as he made one final attempt to make you stay.

“I just need you to stay… please.”

By the time you had finished recounting the story, tears were flowing freely down your face. Namjoon handed you another tissue and pulled you into his arms. You knew it was wrong to be here with Jungkook’s best friend after such a big argument, especially knowing the loyalty they share as a band, but you couldn’t find yourself being able to care. That is until a knock came at the door. Namjoon met your questioning expression with is own sheepish eyes before moving to let Jungkook through the door.

“I’m sorry, he was going out of his mind, I just meant to let him know you were okay, I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to turn up here.” Namjoon apologised before leaving the room giving you two space. Jungkook moves to sit next to you on the sofa but you back away from him, making sure you have a safe radius between you. You play with your thumbs, waiting for him to speak, wondering what he thinks could possibly make this situation any better.

“I’m sorry” it’s barely audible, but it doesn’t matter, you could’ve heard a pin drop in that room right now.

“It’s not enough” you whisper back.

“Please just come home… I just need you to come home.” He reaches out to take your hand and you let him, not sure the contact makes a difference at this point.

“I’m not sure where home is anymore.” Your answer is honest. Your home was broken at the same time as your heart. You see the pain in his eyes when you look up, but he seems to accept his fate. He lets your hand drop back into your lap and curls into himself. The two of you sit there for a while, completely unsure of where you can go from here.

These writing prompts (requests open until Nov 29th)

Masterlist

Sweet like candy - kinktober day 5

Taehyung X reader

Smut/food play/Dom!Tae/semi public

The party had been going for hours now. The boys were celebrating the end of tour and a new award. Sat in the kitchen, you watched as Tae got pulled from person to person, occasionally sparing you a reassuring look. These massive big hit parties weren’t really your thing especially when your boyfriend barely had a chance to see you. With a huff you peel your eyes away and scan the room. Everyone was heading towards being a little too drunk. Your eyes landed on the large ice chest next to the dessert table. It was filled to overflowing with drinks and ice lollies.

You made your way across the room to grab one of the treats, careful to avoid the stumbling masses. Ice lolly in hand you found yourself a new corner to zone out in. You’re playing a game on your phone when it vibrates.

T: stop that

y/n: stop what Tae?

You look up from your screen to see your boyfriend glaring at you from the bar.

T:  you know what you’re doing

y/n: I really don’t babe

his eyes move from yours to your lips and back again and the realisation hits you. He is getting turn on watching you eat the ice lolly. So you decide to put on a show. Slowly you lick up the side, not breaking eye contact, you then take the phallic object and push it deep into your throat. Tae’s eyes widen at your actions and he quickly scans the room, ensuring no one else is watching your performance. Luckily he seems to be your only audience. You watch as he shifts uncomfortably, trying to rearrange himself without drawing to much attention to himself. The people he had been talking to look concerned with his sudden change in demeaner, he waves them off and turns back to you just in time to watch you bite the end off the ice lolly and wink. You stand and walk towards one of the more private meeting rooms, knowing full well he would follow.

“You’ve been naughty baby” his voice is practically a growl when he walks in behind you. He immediately pins you up against the large table in the centre of the otherwise bare room.  His lips capture yours passionately, desperate to satiate his need to be close to you. “How did you think you’d get away with something like that, in front of all of my colleagues? Are you insane?” he wraps his arms around your waist and lifts you on to the table, scrunching your dress up in the process. Your hands immediately go to flatten the material back down, but he pushes your hand away.

“Tae, anybody could walk in” your voice hushed with worry.

“But baby you were so willing to put on a show out there…” his lips trail up your thighs making you shiver. “If they walk in they walk in… I need them to know you are all mine.” He pulls your dress all the way so its up, covering your eyes. Before you get a chance to move it away a freezing sensation hits your belly button making you squeal.

“What the hell was that Tae?” he chuckles as you squirm away from the sensation.

“well you enjoyed teasing me with a popsicle, I thought I’d return the favour” he uses the treat to trace a line up your stomach, followed closely by his tongue. The quick temperature change makes you shiver. His free hand takes the fabric of your dress from your face, so you clearly see what he is doing to you. He brings the lolly down dragging it along the centre of your already soaked underwear. You wriggle as the ice hits up against your sensitive clit. Seeing the discomfort cross your face makes Taehyung’s eyes light up and he presses the dessert firmly onto your nub. The sweet sting draws a small moan from your mouth.

Your underwear sufficiently ruined, Tae moves the ice lolly to your mouth forcing you to take in the taste of yourself.

“Keep this here or you’re in trouble when we get home” he warns, you nod obediently as he finds his way back to between your legs. He pulls your panties down and tucks them away in his pocket.  His long fingers drag along your slit gathering your arousal before plunging two deep inside of you. The stretch burns and you long to call out, but that risks you dropping the sweet from your mouth. The glint his eyes is evil as he begins thrusting relentlessly. Your jaw aches from keeping the frozen treat in your mouth for so long, cheeks flushed bright red both from the temperature and your boyfriends ministrations. You look so desperate for relief but all it does is spur him on more. Right as you feel your high approaching, he retracts his fingers and you clench around nothing. The impending orgasm fading almost as fast as it had built. He removes what remains of the popsicle from your mouth and licks it himself.

“You know I think you’re right this is a little public… we will just have to finish at home” he winks as you let out frustrated sigh. He helps you readjust your dress and you move to take your underwear back from his pocket. “Actually I think I’ll be keeping these for the rest of the party” he says moving out of your reach. Before you have time to protest he opens the door and heads back into the party.

Kinktober

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Rough day - kinktober day 3

Yoongi 18+

Praise kink/ foot fetish(kinda?)/fingering

All female recieving

Work had been long and unfruitful. Everything you had tried to achieve had been thrown back in your face. You’re close to tears when you trudge through the front door of the house you share with your husband. To your dismay he is nowhere to be found. You settle yourself on the sofa wearing only one of your husbands oversized shirts. You’d grabbed a sandwich and soda on the way, unwilling to put anymore effort into your day. You must have fallen asleep like that because the next thing you know Yoongi is crouched in front of you stroking your hair.

“Long day my love?” he asks moving to sit at the end of the sofa, laying your legs out on top his lap. He grabs one of your feet and kneads the days stress away as he listens to you vent. When you finish ranting you can feel all the tension drain from your body. You move to get closer to him, wanting nothing more then to make him feel better too, but he stops you.

“Tonight, I just want to make you feel good princess, can you let me do that?” his eyes search yours looking for approval and you nod, submitting fully to whatever he had planned. He continued kneading your feet, bending his head to press soft kisses all the way up to your ankles. Slowly his hands worked their magic all the way up calves to your thighs. His touch was unparalleled. Occasionally he would bring his fingers close to your core making you shiver but never quite touching you. Eventually he shifts you, so he is sat behind you, your head lying back on hi shoulder as he bites small marks into your neck. Massaging your shoulders and whispering sweet affirmations in between nips.

“you’re so pretty angel… look how easily you mark for me… you’re so precious to me…. I love you so much y/n” each phrase makes the blush on your face deepen; praise is not new from Yoongi, but it made you feel special every time. You moan at a particularly sharp bite and he uses the opportunity to slip a finger into your mouth, you suck on instinct. He watches you eagerly. Loving how you were always ready to please him even when it was supposed to be all about you.

He took the, now spit covered, finger from your mouth and moved it between your legs, using the moisture to rub at your hardened nub. You rut into his hand excited from the sudden escalation of the massage you’d been receiving.  He chuckles at your impatience and brings his other hand down to play with your folds, dragging two of his fingers through your arousal. Once coated he plunges both inside of you, your hole burning with the sudden intrusion. The sweet mix of pleasure and pain pushed you closer and closer to your high. Your reaction only served to encourage your husband, as he moved his hands faster and faster. Your legs shake as you reach your climax, fresh arousal coating Yoongi’s hand. When he is sure you are finished, he removes his fingers from you and licks them clean.

“Wait here angel, I’m going to run you a bath,” he lays you back on the sofa and hurries off in the direction of the bathroom.

Kinktober

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6 of the kinktober slots are still open for requests!

Hoseok X reader
Anonymous sex

You’d been staring at the seductive stranger for a while now. Dressed in a tight black shirt and tighter black pants, something about him was calling to you. The ornate glittering mask he wore hid his identity from you, the only clear features his pouty lips and piercing eyes. Like pools of melting milk chocolate, so warm and inviting, familiar even. His hair was carefully styled into a quiff, a few messy strands tumbling onto his forehead.

You take a sip of your drink, willing yourself to suddenly gain the courage to talk to the man who kept pulling your focus before someone else stole your chance. You doubted your ability to manage a conversation. You felt severely underdressed in a sea of overwhelming ball gowns and excessive masks. Many people had gone as overboard as possible on the masquerade theme. All the women you had seen had feathers or pearls or gems adorning their facial decorations. Yourself, on the other hand, had opted for a cheap party city mask you grabbed on the way out of work that same day. For days you had um-ed and ah-ed about even coming to this party. Your friends had finally won you over, before abandoning you immediately on entry.

You down the remainder of your drink and turn to move towards him, the warm liquor spurring you… only to find he’s gone. You scan the room for where he might’ve disappeared but come up empty. Your chest deflates and you start to sulk, wondering just what to drown your sorrows in next.

“Can I get you a refill” you jump at the sudden intrusion and the perpetrator laughs. His laugh is truly infectious, and you find yourself laughing along at your silly reaction, until you face your new companion. It’s him. You attempt to stammer a response but have to settle with holding out your glass a little and nodding. He takes it from you and wraps an arm around your waist, leading you to the bar. He hands your glass to the bartender and orders you both the party cocktail.

“You look so stunning, I just had to talk to you” he whispers in your ear, making the hairs on your arms stand to attention. “How does someone in such an understated look manage to steal attention away from everyone else at the party?” you’re very glad that the mask is hiding the blush that creeps up your cheeks at this point. You suddenly feel very emboldened by the anonymity of it all.

“I could say that of the mysterious stranger I’ve found myself glued to all evening; you certainly know how to draw the eye.” You flirt shamelessly with the brunette, not sure what you are hoping will become of this evening. He grasps your hand and pulls it tenderly to his lips. The bartender brings back your drinks and you use it as an excuse to shy back into yourself for a moment, savouring the sweet burn trickling down your throat. He finishes his drink quickly and takes hold of your hand once more.

“Shall we dance?” he doesn’t really wait for a response before leading you into the centre of the dance floor. All eyes are on you as he sways you effortlessly across the floor. Giggles fall from your lips with every twirl, until he stops abruptly. His eyes met yours as the only warning before his lips crash into yours. He pulls back, breathing hard. His gaze meets yours asking for approval. You bite your lip and nod. It’s all the answer he needs as he takes your hand and the two of you flee the party.

It isn’t until the two of you are hidden away in an alley 2 blocks from the venue you realise you never asked his name…. And he never asked for yours. The thought chills you as his mouth trails down your neck. His open mouthed kisses set your skin on fire wherever they touch. You find yourself melting into every caress of his hands as they make their way down the velvet of your dress and under your skirt. You suddenly find yourself glad you hadn’t worn a gown like the other women.

“So wet already” confidence drips from his tongue as he feels the damp line along your slit. “What a dirty girl, you don’t even know who I am and yet you’re soaked through” you should be embarrassed by his words but the secrecy of your identity empowers you, instead preening at the degrading comment.

“So what if I am? Don’t act like you don’t feel exactly the same” you brazen statement followed by even bolder action as your hand moves to cup his growing erection. He lets out a grown at the contact, biting into the soft skin of your exposed cleavage. Clearly growing tired of the teasing, his fingers find their way under your panties. His digits dip through your arousal before landing on your clit, pinching the sensitivity nub roughly. A cry falls from your lips. The stranger smirks before moving to rub soothingly, leaving only pleasure from the pain.

Your mouth falls open, small moans tumble out as two of his fingers thrust in and out of you, his thumb keeping up with the relentless pace in your clit. Just as you feel your high approaching, seconds from the edge, he pulls away leaving you to clench around nothing. You whine at the loss, grabbing to pull him back to you. He presses against you, letting you feel just how hard he is. You take your cue and twist so he is now pressed against the wall instead. Using your clutch bag as a cushion, you kneel in front of him. He wastes no time freeing himself from the confines of his tight slacks, dick slapping against his stomach.

Your mouth waters instantly, unsure how far you’ll be able to get before your gag reflex forces you to stop. He was larger than the others you’d been with…. Not that there had been many, honestly this is beyond out of character for you. Still, as intimidating as his size and your inexperience was, you forged ahead licking one long stripe from the base to the tip. He shivers at your action, hands coming down to tangle in your hair, urging you on. You brace yourself on his thighs, feeling the muscles tense as you bob your head over his tip. You take about three quarters of his length before it feels like too much.

You hold intense eye-contact as you start to move your head faster, the beautiful sparkle now darkened with lust. Spit and precum accumulates around your mouth as you take him closer to his edge. You stop when he taps at your head. You release him and wipe your mouth with the back of your wrist.

“So stunning in everything you do” he coos pulling you back up to his level and pushing you up against the wall once more. He pulls at your underwear letting it fall to the floor, and you step out of them, enjoying the freeing feeling of the breeze hitting the damp folds of your vagina.

He brings your leg up to rest at his hip and lines himself up. You bite your lip in anticipation. He starts slow, the stretch burns a little but feeling so full negates the pain. You let out a long moan as he slides to the hilt, giving you a second to adjust before thrusting up into you. You’d both been worked up well enough that getting you to your end didn’t take long. A few well placed surges of his hips, hitting your sweet spot hard. As you come undone his thrusts become sloppy struggling a little to support your weight and his own.

Once you’ve come down enough to hold yourself he pulls out, finishing himself with a few final strokes. His cum hits the floor and you mourn the waste for a moment while he tucks himself away. His lips find yours once more before he reaches up to remove his mask.

“My names Hoseok by the way…”

Childhood crush Hoseok…

Big fancy city boy Hoseok…

It had been years since you’d seen him. He’d moved to Seoul after senior year, saying goodbye to him had broken your heart. But you hadn’t been ready to tell him how you felt then…. And you certainly weren’t ready now. He looks confused as you stumble back from him

“Do you know who I am?” he questions, reaching forward to take off your mask, but you back away futher. It figures he hasn’t guessed who you are. I mean you couldn’t tell by the sound of his voice and you had changed a lot about yourself since then.

“um… I’m sorry I should… Go” you stammer pathetically, abandoning your underwear on the floor and running away hoping he wouldn’t follow.

Kinktober

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@adventuresinwonderlust@samros95@thedarkwinterrose@sweeneyblue1

I like the story of this one… I might continue it maybe

DIY - kinktober - day 20

Tae X reader

Mutual masterbation

Watching your boyfriend game was becoming tiresome. You’d been sat in his room for almost an hour now and every time you asked him if he was nearly done, he flashed you that boxy smile and said

“Just one more round baby” each time you’d rolled your eyes and continued scrolling through the variety of social media apps on your phone. You glance up to see him clicking on the start round button yet again. Frustrated, you decide it’s time to take matters into your own hands. He is too busy barking commands at his party to notice as you slip out of your shorts and panties. The sound of his commanding voice aiding your arousal, even it wasn’t aimed at you like you wanted.

One hand falls between your legs, while the other found its way under your shirt to play with your nipples. You tentatively dip a finger inside of yourself, coating it in your own arousal before bringing it out and circling your clit. Little breathy moans escape your lips as you put on a show, mostly for yourself at this point as Tae can’t hear you over Jungkook shouts. You bring your fingers back to trace the line of your slit before pushing two back inside of yourself. This time your whine was louder. Tae’s head cocked to the side, he muted his headphones and tried to work out what that sound was, only to hear you whimper his name.

His head turned to you just as his character was killed on screen. Not that it mattered, his interest in the game had quickly faded hearing you. He removed his headset and watched you as you pleasured yourself, your eyes squeezed shut as you focused on the feeling. He couldn’t help himself, he moved towards you hand out-stretched, eager to replace yours with his own. You opened one eye as you felt him make contact with your thigh.

“uh-uh you didn’t want to pay me any attention, now I’m doing it myself. Go back to your little game” your hand comes out from under your shirt to shoo him away. He grabs it and kisses along your arm, eyes begging forgiveness. You remain cold and pull your arm free, flipping him the bird before focussing back in on you own pleasure. He sits back in his gaming chair resigned to watch. He releases his dick from his own shorts and strokes in time to the thrust of your fingers. The knowledge that he is watching you only turns you on more.

“Come on baby, you can take more than that” his voice is low and husky, his eyes transfixed on your dripping pussy.

“I thought I told you I was doing this alone” you quip, but push a third finger in anyway, the small stretch only adding to the sensation as you curl your fingers into your g-spot. You look at him through hooded eyes, watching the way he bites his lip. His left-hand grips onto the arm of his chair so hard the knuckles have gone white. His right-hand services his cock, rubbing faster as he gets closer to his finish. The sight is more than enough to have you coming undone. Your free hand moves to rub furiously at your clit. The tension in your stomach builds until you can’t hold it anymore, the flood gates open. You shake from the release.

When your eyes come back into focus you can see cum leaking down the side of Taehyung’s hand after his own orgasm. He wipes the translucent liquid with a towel from the floor before moving to lean over you.

“You have my undivided attention now baby, let me be responsible for the next one… and the next one…” there is a mischievous glint in your boyfriend’s eye as he lowers his head between your legs.

Kinktober

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@adventuresinwonderlust@samros95@thedarkwinterrose

Yoongi X reader - married
Wax play, ice play, f!oral, unprotected sex

This had been the worst fight the two of you had had in a long time. Yoongi was due to set off on a new world tour within the next month and he kept bringing home the stress of rehearsals with him. Every time he came home he either collapsed on the sofa and stayed there until long after you gone to bed, or forced himself through dinner with you snapping at you when you asked questions he deemed too overwhelming for his current mental state. You know he didn’t mean it, often apologising as soon as he realises how short he had been with you, but after two weeks you’d had enough.

“STOP IT!” you shout after the twelfth grumbled reply of the evening “You have been awful to me for weeks now, and I get it you are stressed but did you ever think maybe I have bad days too?” he glances up at you from under his bangs before excusing himself from the table and locking himself in his home studio. You let out an exasperated sigh before throwing the empty plates into the sink, chipping one in the process. The flood gates opened then, and you retreated to your shared bedroom, safe in the knowledge that your husband would not come to bed until after he was sure you were asleep.

You must’ve passed out while crying. When you awoke the sun was streaming through the crack in the blinds, Yoongi no where to be found. He must have come in at some point though because your jeans had been removed, and you were tucked in with your favourite blanket and the teddy bear he bought you for your first date. You cuddle the small toy close before unravelling yourself and going in search of your missing spouse. You walk out into the living room but he’s not on the sofa. You search further into the house, heading for his musical sanctuary. That’s where you find him. Curled up on the small leather sofa in the corner usually reserved for when you want to watch him work. Soft snores fall from his mouth, he looks so peaceful there, finally relaxed. You crouch by his side and try to wake him, eager to sort through any lingering contempt from the night before. However, when he doesn’t stir, an evil idea forms in your head.

You run back to the kitchen to receive your weapon of choice. The ice cubes burn your hand a little as you rush back to mess with the man you love. When you return, he has turned in his sleep, giving you the perfect access to your target. You almost abort the plan when you see his angelic face, mouth slightly agape, he just looks so cute. But the ice is staring to drip out of our hand so its now or never. You take one of the cubes and rub it gently along the back of his neck. He lets out a small moan in protest to the damp sensation. The noise only spurs on your mischievous replacement for an alarm clock. You drop two ice cubes down his back, knowing how sensitive he is. The sudden damp wakes him up immediately and you rush to hide the evidence, slipping the remaining ice cubes into your mouth, not having an exit strategy for him awaking so fast.

The bleary man eyes you suspiciously, looking at your blown-out chipmunk cheeks. While tired he is not stupid. His eyes squint as his hand reaches out to push your cheeks together. One of the cubes falls out of your mouth and he laughs shaking his head at your antics, felling the tension break between the two of you. You stick your tongue out, the last remaining block of ice proudly sat in the middle. He pulls you in to kiss you. The two of you pass the cold shard back and forth until nothing remains. You pull away a little breathless, resting your forehead against his.

“I’m sorry for shouting at you baby” you whisper, genuinely sad that you’d snapped knowing how hard he’d been working.

“Don’t be silly, it’s all on me. I should never be that short with you ever. I love you far too much to ever make you that upset.” His hand caresses the side of your face as you cling to him, happy to finally be talking through the rising resentment.

“I love you too… so much” tears sting your eyes again when you think about how much your going to miss him when he goes on tour, knowing that part of the argument was pushing each other away in preparation for the long separation.

“Come with me?” he asks for what must be the hundredth time since the tour was announced. You sigh about to refuse again, you couldn’t just up and leave your job and friends, especially with how busy he would be, but his lips press against yours to halt your response. “Please, I don’t want to leave you again, I can’t” his eyes plead with yours, a sadness planted deep within them.

“Maybe” your voice is barely above a whisper, but it’s all he needs for now “Maybe for a little bit of the tour at least” you clarify, but it doesn’t matter, because he knows you, once your resolve budges an inch he can run with it for a mile. He sweeps you into his arms, all sleepiness worn off. He carries you back to your bedroom as you squeal for him to release you. He dumps you on the bed and is instantly covering your body with his. He places kisses along your chin and down your throat before pulling your hands away from your sides and above your head. He secures them with the handcuffs that had become a permanent fixture to your headrest.

“Now I think it’s time to get you back for the rather rude awakening this morning.” He pulls your shirt up your body, so it pools around your extended arms and crawls back off the bed. Reaching into your box of toys he pulls out a candle and lighter. “Fire for ice… what do you think Jagi” his voice dropped an octave as he set the wick alight and waited for wax to start dripping from the top. You squirm in anticipation as he moves the candle over your body. He tests the temperature on his own skin before letting it hang freely over your stomach.

*drip*

The first splatter of warmth hits your stomach and you let out a moan.

*drip*

*drip*

The next two hit your thighs, close to your core. His free hand moves to play with the drying wax connecting the small trail of dots, his fingers getting dangerously close to where you wanted them most before he pulled them away and moved the candle to a new target. The wax was flowing a little quicker now, he took the opportunity to write his initials across your chest before blowing out the flame and placing the candle on the heatproof mat on your dresser. He signals you to stay still and exits the room. You close your eyes awaiting his return, enjoying the feeling of the cooling wax on your skin.

You hear him return but don’t bother to look. Your trust in him is complete, unwavering. A trust you regret just a little when the ice I dragged slowly across your heated flesh. Your eyes fly open, glaring at the cocky smirk now on his face.

“What happened to the fire?” you question trying to sound annoyed and failing miserably. His freezing touch prevents you from actually being upset. Too turned on to even keep up your fake argument. He pulls the cube down from between your breasts to your pussy, holding it just above your slit and letting the cool water mix in with your juices. When that cube was gone Yoongi reached for another one from a glass on the side. Placing it on his tongue he tucked his head between your legs and blew a cold wind over your still heated skin. One arm wrapped around your thigh the other snaking underneath him to play with your folds. Once his mouth is almost as cold as the ice he licks up your slit before sucking on your clit.

The severe temperature shift made you shiver with pleasure. His mouth moves expertly against your clit, drawing nonsensical shapes in your skin. Two of his fingers tease your entrance, their tips dancing in and out of you but never enough to cause the stretching burn you craved from them. Your about to whine for what you want, not above begging after the taunting he had put you through, when he surprises you by pushing three of his digits inside. You let out a high squeak at the sudden intrusion, the burn almost too much. Almost. You grind down as far as the handcuffs will let you. He chuckles at your eager reaction, pulling his hand back as much as far as you advanced.

“Please” the plea left your mouth almost involuntarily. He pumps his fingers languidly in and out. His digits curve expertly against your sweet spot.

“Please what Jagi… tell me what you need” he places kisses on your thighs and waits for your response.

“Fuck me… hard, make me cum hard all over your cock” your filthy mouth makes it impossible for him to hold back any longer. He rips his fingers from you almost painfully. He unlocks your hands, flips you over, and removes his pants. You grip onto the pillows as he lines himself up. He thrusts into you hard, pistoning his hips like a man gone mad. The feeling is incredible. One hand reaches round to play with your clit as the other wraps in your hair pulling you up flush against him. He places small kisses along your shoulders in between the grunts leaving his mouth. Your orgasm builds quickly in this position. The combination of the angle and his ministrations on the bundle of nerves between your legs has you almost screaming as the pleasure overtakes you, your husband not far behind as his hips stutter.

He cuddles you close as the two of you fall to the mattress, exhausted. When your highs fade, he moves to grab your recover kit, using a plastic card to remove the dried wax from your skin and rubbing the areas with a soothing moisturiser. He places kisses to the slightly pink skin and pulls you favourite blanket back around the two of you as you fall into a late morning nap. Back in his arms where you belong.

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@adventuresinwonderlust@thedarkwinterrose@samros95

Pairing: OT7 x M!reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff

A/n: Wow, a once in awhile post? Maybe I’ll continue, it depends if I get inspired to write again!! Anyway enjoy!!!

Summary: Be careful who you love and be careful of others feelings, because in this world each heartbreak chips away at your emotions until you feel empty. (In other words, another AU similar to Hanahaki but not)

Prologue

The (h/c) haired man looked blankly outside the window, feeling numb and empty. There was no joy or sadness watching the birds fly in the beautiful sky as sunset, that he used to love so much, turned to night. There was nothing, and he wished he could hate it. But he couldn’t, right now he was just an emotionless doll waiting for a doctor to fix him and the man only wished he listened to his mom when she said to be careful. He laid down and closed his eyes to remember what brought him to the cold white room of a hospital.

The world was both lovely and cruel as humanity evolved where feelings and empathy mattered more than anything. People were more considerate on who they truly loved as they learned that each heartbreak will take away emotions from the person who has been hurt. Luckily, it wasn’t something small like unrequited crushes or small fights with a friend/lover or something unavoidable like death taking away a loved one. No, when someone you love and hold dear betrays you or crushes your heart and trust is when your heart is chipped, the more important they are in your life, the bigger the chip. Of course, the world has found a way around a feeling empty forever. If it’s a couple of chips then simple therapy and medicine will help heal you with time but for more severe cases and those who are completely empty, there is a procedure performed where doctors will piece and fix the broken heart but at the cost of the memories of those who broke it. May it be parents, lovers, best friends, anyone who hurt the person will be forgotten. 

(Y/n) learned to be careful from his mother as his father left them when he turned 5 and saw his mom become less caring, not completely but her love became less apparent. While his father was never there enough for (Y/n)’s heart to chip, his mother suffered greatly, she got better after a few years but she had told him to make sure that the person he chose to love was true and to never hurt them like his father did to her.

He knew to be careful who he gave his heart to but then in college he met someone who made his heart beat fast, Kim Seokjin, an acting major who was slightly older than the other. They hit it off when they were paired up for a scene in an acting class, and were often teasing each other and trying to get the other to break character in class. On one of their practice days, Seokjin took the other back to his dorm to practice where he met his 6 bandmates. The 6 were enamoured by the scene they performed and cheered for their hyungs. After that, the (h/c) male often visited the dorms to hang out and cheer on his new friends as they trained and debuted. 

(Y/n) found that hangouts were either loud and exciting as a whole or small group or a quiet one on one with a member. Of course, the male was never with one member for too long as another would join soon after, pouting (mostly the maknae line) and wanting attention. This escalated to a day where they all fought for (Y/n)’s attention and while the other found it flattering, it got tiring dealing with the same squabbling and confronted them about it. It led to the band looking away and turning red from embarrassment as they sputtered excuses. (Y/n) expressed his concerns of him not wanting to ruin their band if they’re going to fight because of him and he’s willing to leave them alone if he’s causing them too much trouble. They quickly went to him and tackled him to the ground in a group hug, yelling not to leave and saying it’s because they all were trying to court him and see who he would choose. 

It was (Y/n)’s turn to flush red and let out a small “oh”. He then started to laugh, much to the others confusion and hurt. (Y/n) apologized and quickly explained that he didn’t realize that they were actually flirting with them and felt stupid(to which all of them denied and said he’s amazing). He admitted to having crushes on all of them but didn’t want to choose and hoped they would rather be friends rather than someone getting hurt if he chose only one. They all cooed at his sweetness and shared a look and nodded. 

They said they’re willing to share if the other will have all of them and (Y/n)’s eyes widened as he asked if they were sure. The boys answered him with kisses making him laugh and kiss them back with the same enthusiasm. They were the happiest men in the world. This was it, this was love, it was all theirs to cherish and to hold.

Until… The love slowly disappeared.

Sequel to I know, You probably should read this to understand what’s going on.

Pairing: Past!Jung Hoseok x Male Reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort

TW: small unhealthy coping habits

A/N: Each side has slight differences in time period. Requested by @stan-joonies​, hope you enjoy! Thank you for requesting!

(Side: Hoseok)

Hoseok laid on his bed in his new apartment, staring blankly at the ceiling. It’s been a couple months since his and (Y/n)’s break up and in those couple of months so much had happened. (Y/n) had the managers change schedules so they wouldn’t see each other and even asked them to prevent any meetings and collaborations with him, he had to move into a shared apartment with Jimin and Taehyung, Mina and (Y/n) “broke up” but they still hang out and while Hyuna wanted to stay together with Hoseok, he couldn’t find the love he once felt for her or the strength to stay with her and ended their relationship after a month of trying.

Just thinking about it made him tear up again and he ended up scrubbing his eyes to try to stop them but it was useless as he ended up sobbing. He only stopped when he heard knocking on his bedroom door.

“Hobi-hyung?” A voice called out before the person opened the door and walked in.

Hoseok looked to see that it was Jimin and Taehyung. They sighed and laid by his sides, trying to comfort him with cuddling.

“Hyungie don’t you want to eat? Jin-hyung came over and he’s preparing some lunch.” Taehyung asked.

Hoseok shook his head and continued to stare at the ceiling.

“Please? You haven’t eaten a proper meal in weeks. And Jinnie-hyung wants to see you!” Jimin tried but was only met with another shake of Hoseok’s head.

Taehyung sighed, “Fine, we tried to do this the easy way. Jungkook! He refused!” He yelled. 

Hoseok looked at him in confusion before Taehyung and Jimin leaped up and wrapped him in his blanket as Jungkook came in and lifted him up.

“Hey! What are you- No stop! I don’t want to do anything!” Hoseok tried to get out but the blanket acted as restraints to prevent him from struggling.

Jungkook carried him to the living room where he saw the rest of the members waiting and sat him down on the couch beside Yoongi and Namjoon. Jin came in and put a plate of food in front of him before sitting on a chair with Jungkook. Hoseok freed himself and crossed his arms, pissed at his members for going against his wishes.

“I’m not hung-“ he said but was interrupted by Jin.

“Eat.” Jin said looking at him expectantly.

He shook his head so Jin got up and took a spoon full and lifted it to his mouth with a ‘smile’, “I said. Eat.”

Hoseok shivered at the look he was getting so he opened his mouth to have Jin shove the spoon in. He choked at the forcefulness but swallowed the food.

Jin rolled his eyes and offered the spoon, “Now do you want to feed yourself or do you need me to keep feeding you?” He asked.

Hoseok took the spoon with haste and started eating to please his hyung, Jin smiled and sat back down. It was uncomfortable as his members watched him eat and when he finished, he muttered a thank you and got up but was stopped as Yoongi and Namjoon took his hands and pulled him back down.

“We need to talk.” Namjoon said.

Hoseok shook his head, “There’s nothing-“

“Bullshit. Ever since you and (Y/n) broke up, you’ve been sulking. While it’s okay to do so, you’re not getting better and you need to stop wallowing in guilt and self-pity and try to move on because it’s affecting the whole group.” Yoongi said bluntly.

“Hyung!””Yoongi!” The others hissed at him.

Yoongi just shrugged, stood up and set a hand on Hoseok’s shoulder, “No, he needs to wake up. Us babying him and sugar coating everything isn’t going to help him. Hoseok, You need to move on and learn to forgive yourself.” He sighed.

Hoseok took a sharp intake of breath as tears welled up in his eyes. He knew Yoongi was right but it hurt to try to move on and he didn’t know how. 

He let out a small sob, “How can I? How can I forgive myself when even (Y/n)-hyung, the most forgiving person I know, can’t forgive me?” He cried.

Jimin and Taehyung moved and hugged him as he cried. 

“(Y/n)-hyung may not forgive you. But do you think that you wallowing in self pity and guilt is going to change anything? What’s done is done, hyung. You need to learn to let go of your past with him, learn from your mistakes, not stay stuck in what you could’ve done. Right now, he’s hurting as much as you are but he needs to heal from his hurt before he can ever forgive you and you need time to figure out what you need not what you want.” Namjoon spoke softly.

It was quiet for a moment saved for Hoseok’s sniffles. 

“I don’t even know where to begin with.” Hoseok said quietly.

The small response was enough to make the others smile, “We’ll help you. Remember you never walk alone.” Seokjin said with a giggle and earned collective groans and giggles.

Hoseok smiled softly. Who knows? Maybe one day it’ll be better and (Y/n) will find it in his heart to forgive him. But for now, he’ll make sure to become a better person, someone worth forgiving.

(Side: (Y/n))

(Y/n) smiled in his cup of tea as he listened to Mina rattle off about her new choreography that was a little too hard. They had “broken up” a half a year ago but said that they’ll maintain their friendship which they did well. He chuckled as she groaned and laid her head down on his dinner table and sighed.

“Anyway, that’s how my part of life is going. Other than that the girls understand why I’m uncomfortable with Hyuna and don’t force me to interact with her more than I need to, thank god, but she still apologises from time to time. I don’t think I can forgive her though.” Mina said, getting quieter towards the end and putting her head down on the table.

(Y/n) put his cup down and reached over to pat her head, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. As long as you could work with her, you don’t have to forgive her just yet. You need time, we need time.” He spoke softly.

Mina looked up and smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes, “How are you doing? Is everything fine with BigHit? The boys? You haven’t spoken about them in so long.” She asked.

She saw how his eyes hardened and looked away, “The company understands my problem with working with Hoseok and does well with keeping us separate. The boys on the other hand, I don’t really talk to them at all. The first couple months, they comforted me and such but at some point they would always want to talk about Hoseok and how he is when I don’t ask and some point I asked them to stop and that I don’t want to talk about him. After that, I just haven’t wanted to hang out with them because they would always look at me with something of pity and I know that they wanted me to just talk to Hoseok. I get that they want to help Hoseok and he’s their friend but it hurts that they forget that I’m their friend too and that they expect me to forgive him just so everything can go back to the way it was.” He ranted quietly but no anger can be heard only sadness.

Mina frowned at his rant. It wasn’t hard to notice how the other changed and it concerned her to a degree. He wasn’t as outgoing or as nice to people as he used to be. (Y/n) had become less trusting and closed himself off from everyone else, bitter at the world.  She remembered clearly when one of their other friends asked why he said that he trusted people too much and it hurt when it backfired on him. His fans noticed how his music turned into a darker theme than the lighter tones he used to produce, how his Vlives became quieter and less. 

“(Y/n)…” She sat up and looked at him, “Listen I’m not trying to be mean but you can’t keep letting Hoseok’s mistake affect you. You need to let go of your anger at yourself and him, not necessarily forgive him but look how you’re letting it affect you! You pushed away your best friends instead of talking to them. You used to be able to talk to people you had problems with and fix them, not run away from them as soon as you were scared of being hurt.” She looked at him with concern.

(Y/n) sighed, “It’s not easy. I can’t- I can’t forget how no matter how I tried to talk about my concerns with Hoseok and how he still-“ he paused, and tried to clear the limp in his throat that formed, “How it didn’t matter. How in the end talking and trusting got me nowhere but hurt.” He whispered. 

Mina went to where he sat and rubbed his back, she knew he still hurt from everything and it’s about time he confronted it. But she also knew that he needed time away from things that reminded him of Hoseok and asked their companies in advance for a vacation.

“Not everyone will do that to you (Y/n). You need to learn to trust others again. I know it’s not easy but it’ll get better, you’re right that it’ll take time so,” she paused to get something from her bag which got him to look at her as she pulled a plane ticket out, “Go take some time to yourself to find some peace. God knows I am.” She smiled.

He took a look at it confused, “But I still need-“

“BigHit gave you the green light saying it’ll do you some good to take a month off since you don’t take any breaks. At all. So travel for a while. That ticket to Hawaii is for tomorrow.” Mina smiled and got up to leave.

(Y/n) got up still stunned, “Wait. I-um. Thank you for-“ Mina interrupted with a giggle.

“No problem, think of it as a way of me paying you back for being my friend. Now go pack.” She shooed him before leaving.

“Oh and (Y/n)?” She called out before closing the door, “Talk to the other boys when you get back at least. Talk about what hurt you when you were with them, make them understand okay? You’ll at least do that for me?” She asked.

(Y/n) paused and nodded. She smiled before closing the door.

(Y/n) smiled and shook his head at her kindness. He went to his room and fell on his bed, looking at the ceiling before holding his ticket up to look at it, some time away will do him good.

He wondered what he would do for a month but didn’t let his mind wander too far, he had some packing to do. After all, he knew Mina was right, he needed some time alone to help him move on if being around here didn’t. Who knows, maybe he’ll find some peace being alone. 

A month later…

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x Male Reader

Genre:Fluff, Angst

A/n: Thank you @ kurochan3  for requesting! I was going to post this on Christmas but was busy sorry! Happy (late) Holidays!

(Y/n) watched with a fond look as his love walked down the aisle with a dimpled smile, eyes warm and full of love. He didn’t want to cry at how beautiful the male looked in front of the others as the other stood in front of him and shooting a big smile before turning his back to look at the girl he was marrying. He Looked down so no one could see his smile turn into a frown and schooled his expression and looked up with a teary smile. 

As the vows were said, he closed his eyes and reminisced   his time with his best friend.

“When we met it was like a scene from a movie. It was fall and the leaves scattered on the ground, a cup of coffee in hand and I was reading on my phone.” 

A five year old Namjoon sat under the trees, busy reading a book his mom bought him instead of playing on the playground with others. A thermos of hot chocolate sat by his side, and he picked it up, drinking slowly from it, still reading and ignoring his surroundings. Namjoon didn’t notice another child coming up to him with a curious smile. 

“Hey!” The child yelled, startling Namjoon and making him spill a bit of hot chocolate on himself.

Namjoon winced at the heat while the other child quickly stammered out apologies,

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to be friends. Does it hurt? I’m sorry!” The child bowed.

Honestly, Namjoon wanted to cry a bit at the chocolate burning him but he saw the other tearing up. He quickly took out napkins his mom gave him and wiped his shirt and offered another one to the other.

“It’s okay. Don’t cry, look it doesn’t hurt at all!” He comforted with a smile.

The child didn’t look convinced so Namjoon smiled even more, “I’m Namjoon! You wanted to be friends?” He asked

This got the other to smile and nod happily, “Yes! I’m (Y/n), I’m seven. What book are you reading? Is it good? Is there a hero? A prince? Oooo what about a-“ (Y/n) asked excitedly.

Namjoon answered the questions with the same enthusiasm and the two sat with each other until their parents called them to go home. The two begged for a play date to which Namjoon’s mom was surprised since Namjoon didn’t prefer to play with other kids but because the two kids hit it off so well, she agreed with a smile.

“Our days together as friends, was amazing and you supported me for anything and everything and soon enough, I fell in love with you.” 

The two highschoolers talked about a book they read as they walked together to lunch.

“I’m just saying Joonie, you could write something better. You’re so smart that you skipped some years of school and your poetry and songs are so lovely and well thought out.” (Y/n) argued.

Namjoon blushed at his words and shook his head, “I don’t know. I don’t think I could stand writing a whole book, at least poetry and songs are quick.” He said.

(Y/n) eyes lit up, “Then, how about becoming a song producer! You’ll be so successful that others will buy all your albums and want you to write songs for them.” He encouraged.

Namjoon looked at him with thought and a blush at the amount of support his friend always showed him. He knew (Y/n) was genuine but also loved seeing him flustered so he gave him a smile, “Only if your beautiful voice is there to sing my songs then maybe I’ll be a producer. After all, I need someone cute to sing since I can’t at all.” He hummed.

(Y/n) turned red and stumbled over his feet and glared as Namjoon paused his walking to laugh at him. 

Namjoon thought he got him there but (Y/n) just smirked, “So I’m someone cute?” He questioned.

Namjoon choked on his laugh and quickly looked away but a hand took his and turned him around.

(Y/n) has a fond look on his face, “Don’t worry. I think you’re pretty cute yourself.” He said.

Namjoon blush turned even redder but he didn’t let go of (Y/n)’s hand as they continued walking into the cafeteria in a soft silence.

“You’ve always took care of me and showed your constant love for me.”

Namjoon sat in his studio, working on his latest song when someone bursted threw his door and hugged him from behind, “Joonie! The love of my life, my soulmate. I have come to make sure you don’t starve to death and overwork!” (Y/n) said with a giggle.

Namjoon blushed and laughed at the other’s cuteness. He turned his chair around and looked at (Y/n) with fondness. (Y/n) set the food on the table and tackled the sitting male and kissed him with a chuckle.

Causing Namjoon to laugh and half heartedly push him away, “Okay, okay! Thank you, my love.” He said.

“How’s the new song going? Can I listen?” (Y/n) asked excitingly.

“It’s going smoothly since I had inspiration. Here.” Namjoon said and put headphones (Y/n)’s head.

(Y/n) listened with his eyes closed and smiled as the demo played. When it was done he smiled at his boyfriend, “As always, it’s lovely!” He said and kissed him.

“Through our fights, we grew. Through the hard times, we fought together.” 

(Y/n) growled as Namjoon yelled at him, “All I wanted was to come home and relax with you (Y/n), and you come at me with all this bs saying I don’t love you?!” 

(Y/n) pulled his (h/c) hair as frustration and anxiety built up, “You said you would be here for dinner but instead you were with her! It’s been months since we had time together for a date because you’ve spent time with her instead of me!” He cried out.

Namjoon glared at him, “I can’t hang out with others now? God, you act like I’m cheating on you! Just for a couple missed dates? It’s like you haven’t known me for years! You know I wouldn’t do that.” He scolded the other.

(Y/n) looked away, “The Namjoon I know wouldn’t have been so condescending of how I felt. The Namjoon I know, would have noticed earlier how agitated I’ve been with the missing time. The Namjoon I know wouldn’t promise me dates he knew he would miss and would call when he knew he would and not make me wait hours alone at a restaurant! The Namjoon I know wouldn’t have forgotten our anniversary!” He whispered getting louder with each sentence, pausing when he heard an intake of air from the other and calmed himself.

He gently brought his phone out and showed the picture to Namjoon causing him to stop breathing, “The Namjoon I know wouldn’t have lied and cheated on me. But I guess I never really know you, did I?” He said with heartbreak.

(Y/n) walked to their bedroom and left the stunned male alone. He grabbed his bag he already prepared and passed Namjoon one last time before saying quietly, “The article said that you wanted me as your best man, to save you the trouble of the public questioning you, I will be just that. Just your best friend, nothing more and as your best friend, I hope you two will be very happy.” He said and left their apartment.

Namjoon fell to his knees and sobbed because he knew he messed up and it hurt because no matter how much he hurt (Y/n), the (h/c) haired man cared about and loved him.

“I love you, Lee Hyuna, and I’ll never leave your side.” Namjoon finished with a big smile.

After the vows, the priest asked if anyone objects to their union. People’s eyes turned to the best man, knowing the history between the two but (Y/n) just smiled and stayed quiet. The ceremony ended and everyone cheered as the couple walked out to live their happily ever after. 

(Y/n) clapped and waved as the couple waved goodbye. A hand was on his shoulder and he looked behind him and found Seokjin staring at him with a pitting look. 

He led (Y/n) away until they were alone, and pulled him into a tight hug, “We’re alone now, it’s okay to cry. You’re so strong, but it’s okay to let go now.” He said quietly.

Suddenly the tears he held back, leaked out and like a dam, it broke loose and (Y/n) held his friend with dear life and sobbed and screamed until he couldn’t anymore.

(Y/n) brokenly whispered in his friend’s chest, “Cheers, to those who moved on.”

His love married someone else and (Y/n) was left with nothing but heartbreak.

Nigerian Queen (bts imagine)

Anonie asked:

Could you please do a BTS imagine when they find out your Nigerian and their reaction to your culture?

________________________________________

In relation to BTS and the Bighit company, i am The directors assistance for international affairs of everything outside of career but not in America. I’ve been working with these boys for at least two or three years now and kept up the most professional and casual relationship you could possibly have with with their fame.

Because they’re so interactive with the path of their career I’m often sitting in a meeting room discussing plans for the future with them. And while it all laughs and bazaar goes, they actually do want to see a lot of these girls go through. And that’s where I come along.

“ so honestly with the amount of saved up expenses we have you guys could definitely do a charity concert if you wanted to.” I informed the boys White have been away at my computer figuring out all the estimated pricing.

“ with the location of the charity concert play into affect into if we’re able to do it or not?” Namjoon asked lean over to look at the screen

“ Of course it does but really you Donely have to worry about the venue not really the country it’s in.” As I was disgusting logistics with him my phone lit up with a notification but of course I didn’t notice. Who did notice however was Hoseok, he grabbed my phone and his eyes go wide with surprise.

“Jasmine! You’re a twin!!” He shouts and shocks me out of my focus. I turned him to see the surprise look on his face as he stares at my screensaver.

“Yeah, i have a twin sister, you didnt know?” I say sarcastically because of course they didn’t now. I’ve done a pretty good job at keeping a lot of my personal life a mystery, just cause I was raised to not give out family information to everyone.

“ Oh oh let me see let me see!” jimin take the phone from hoseok and they all huddle over to she me hugged up with my twin sister back in our hometown.

“ yeah where I come from twins are very common.” I should drug and amusement while they stare in awe.

“Wait where are you from?” Namjoon asked with a tilt of the head

“Im actually Nigerian, more specifically the Yoruba reigon” i explan to them and collectively they all started with a mirage of questions

“Wait seriouly? How come we never knew you were Nigerian?” Yoongi concern was shared amongst the group.

“ I always wondered where that accident came from, but it’s hard to tell because you already have a accent from speaking a foreign language.” Namjoon noted and i just shrugged it was no big deal to me but i guess it was to them.

“ I don’t know I just never had the means to talk about my origin like that” you said causually. Just then, jimin Closed my computer and slide it over to the side. “Well the time has come that we learn how you are. You are our family” i chuckle, thinking that this was a Ludacris situation but everyone seemed to be on the same page except for me. So, I better catch up.

“ all right all right, I give. What do you all want to know?” I lean back and accept their plans.

“ all right that’s more like it, let’s start off with the basics. What. Is. Your. Name.” Seokjin starts it off

“ well for you guys my name is Jasmine but my birth name is Jaiyesimi, I’m named after my grandmother”

“ what about your twin?” Jimin asked “Sukanmi, or Kacee, im older than her by like 5 minutes maybe”

“Wait how did you find your way in korea then?” Jin asked again and that kinda stumped me

“You know, I actually dont know, I traveled alot once i finished college and some how ened up here.”

“You said twins are common in Nigeria?” Jungguk interjected.

“Yeah, it feels like ever other pregnancy are twins, my grandmother was a twin and my father is a twin as well.” They all they are in all like I’m giving them the secrets to eternal youth. Yoongi anf hoseok were gooing back and forth with the picture.

“ what about the food, do you know any recipes?” Jin asked

“ well, yeah, all the recipes my mother and grandmother know so it’s really just a call away, but I haven’t cooked in so long so I wouldn’t trust my skills at making a good meal at all”

“YOU HAVE TOO!” Yelped jungguk which created a snowball effect of them requesting different meals and dishes to be made. Luckily one of the members had a level head and save me from the chaos.

“Okay okay lets not get ahead of ourselfs though” Yoongi hushed them and i just sat there feeling awkward with being but on the spot.

“What about dancing?” Jimin asked

“Oh now i girl can dance, thats was like half of my childhood because my uncle was a musican.” I smile reminising on the old days i used to sit out in front of the house dancing with my sister and cousin as my uncle and his group play all types of songs.

Hoseok takes my hand and looks my in the eyes before saying “you just gave us some very interesting information here jasmine”

Uh no thats when i saw my mistake “oh i mean no no i can dance at all, worst dancer with two left feet. Nothing interesting there” everyone break into a roar of laughter at my fails attempt to save myself.

I just shake my head at their laughing, grab my computer again to continue what we were originally doing. “ come on let’s go back to making these yearly goals, you little pains in my neck” i said this lovingly ofcourse.

We soon got back on track after that, but little did I know they would be taking a lot more interest in me as the years go on in my employment continues.

_________________________________________

You know what I really like writing scenarios now.

Bai for now

xxihavenolifexx:

Jin may as well be the CEO of Bighit now. The dude literally gives no fucks anymore.

Bang PD who? I only know Kim Seokjin, CEO of Bighit Ent.

timetojk:

Jimin: Me and Jungkook are so in sync, we even finish each other’s s-

Jungkook:

Jimin:-sssssss-

Jungkook: [sweats nervously]

Jungkook: -sssomebody once told me,

Smoke and Mirrors: a magician’s trick, the art of making an entity appear to be floating through the use of smoke and mirrors. In figurative speech, something which, once examined, is proven to be an illusion. Like the moon reflected on water, or a flower reflected in a mirror. Unable to be touched.

Description: Listless idol Jeon Jungkook has lost his creative spark. Something just feels…missing. And between jet-setting across the world and constantly evading public scandals, Jungkook’s life up until now has felt like a movie. One thing Jungkook can count on, however, is video games. Y/N has been gaming forever. And when a new VR game called Arcana is released, both Y/N and Jungkook are all over it. But what will become of Jungkook’s online persona when life forces the two to work together? And will Jungkook manage to keep his identity a secret from one of his closest Internet friends?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x (gender unspecified) Reader

Word Count: 12.1k

Tags: Solo Idol!Jungkook, Gamer!Jungkook, Makeup Artist!Reader, Manager!Seokjin, Florist!Hoseok

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently

A/N: Haha….ha….ha….um, well this is awkward isn’t it? I haven’t been active on here in a long, long time! But God does it feel nice to return. In the time I’ve been away, I’ve been working on a lot of things at once. Too many chefs in the kitchen, except the chefs are projects/responsibilities and the kitchen is me and is also on fire. I think right now more than ever, I’ve leaned into writing to help me feel a bit better about the world. So if this story can make you happy that’s honestly all I can ask for. I don’t think I’ll be keeping a posting schedule, as that feels like too much for me right now, but maybe in the future I’ll come up with a schedule that doesn’t feel overwhelming! Regardless, I’ve missed you guys and I’ve really missed posting my writing here. I hope you all still remember me! And I hope you enjoy this story. Really. As always, please feel free to send me any thoughts or concerns! Questions, critique, comments: send them all my way! I can’t wait to get chatting with you all again.

And I’m on Twitter! I’ll put the link here if you want to follow. I’m very active over there!

- Mercury

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Masterlist

“On God, if you don’t start healing me-!”

“I’m working on it! Christ.”

“Well work harder, damn. Tiki’s about to go down,” you say, gritting your teeth as you whip around toward the dragon staring your party down.

It circles you, never once looking away, several stories tall with glowing yellow eyes that seem to leave trails behind in the darkness of the cavern. You feel at once impossibly small and impossibly fragile in front of such a behemoth, all purple scales and saliva stringing across pointed fangs.

“Just focus on offense for now,” says Sapphire, grunting as he lunges sword-first toward the dragon.

Your brows shoot sky high as Sapphire, a DPS like you, runs straight for the enemy. His silver knight’s armor clanks in his wake. “Wait!” you call, but it’s too late. Your teammate has his sword plunging in and slicing out and slashing wild before you can even prep your next spell. “Jesus, Saph!”

You hear his laughter like bells echo through the cavern, seeming to bounce against the domed ceiling and drip like water from the clinging stalactites. “Tiki! Distract!” you call as the dragon whips wildly: first toward Sapphire and then toward you. “Shit,” you whisper, examining your mana with a hiss. “I need a second to recover!”

Tiki, a massive green orc and also your team’s tank, rushes in with his battle axe. Upon the first hit, the dragon writhes in pain and turns toward Tiki, ire in its yellow eyes. Tiki says nothing, just lets out a string of labored breaths as he swings his heavy weapon. Sapphire is quick to attack at the dragon’s heels. The dragon opens its mouth to spew flames across the charred cavern, aiming right for Tiki, but before it can Zero finally heals him with a flash of white light and a bolt straight to his broad green chest. You jump, turn to the side to see Zero is standing beside you about twenty feet from the dragon.

“Get spelling, Nova!” he shouts, long blonde hair flying in the breeze his spell created.

His voice, deep and gruff, doesn’t suit his pretty, dark-skinned elven body: particularly the well-rendered female…curvature. Every time he talks, it takes you off guard. You shake it off and nod once.

“Loli! Get punching!” you call to your resident monk as she idles near the dragon’s tail. She says nothing. You sigh, rest a hand on your hip. “Loli!”

She jumps to attention. “Sorry! My roommate needed me,” she says with a laugh, rubbing the back of her half-shaven head.

“Tell her to piss off!” calls Tiki as the dragon, halted by Zero’s healing spell, recovers and swings a mighty paw his way.

Your mana is finally restored and, shutting your eyes, you summon a bolt of ice. With a shout, you spin your staff over your head before slamming it down with a thunderous clap. Ice splinters dizzyingly fast from the ground beneath your staff and crawls like frost until it hits the dragon, stunning it still for a few seconds.

“Health’s low! Saph, go for the kill!” Lolita shouts as she lands a solid punch on the dragon’s belly that shatters your freezing spell.

Without waiting a second more, Sapphire shoves his sword into the dragon’s heaving chest as it writhes from pain. It looses a cry that sends vibrations through the cavern. A few rocks tumble from fissures in the cave walls, and a stalactite cracks and careens toward the ground where it explodes into shards.

And, with that, the massive beast falls to its stomach, its head clunking to the ground in front of Tiki’s feet. The ensuing silence rings in your ears as the five of you stand completely still, waiting. It wouldn’t be the first time an enemy has fallen only to reveal a dormant ability that results in a second battle. None of you says a thing until the massive body before you begins to dissolve into pixels, leaving you with only the skull as a prize and a bag of loot in place of a carcass.

Lolita is the first to break the silence with a loud hoot. “Wooh! Hell yeah!” she shouts, clapping her hands.

You chuckle, lean on your staff. “Loli, you can only celebrate halfway since you missed half the fight,” you tease with a fond sigh.

She rushes toward you, wipes off her blue robes and crosses her arms. “My roommate came in!”

“And you didn’t warn us,” Zero chides as he smooths a few flyaway hairs, smiling. That model of his is just too pretty…

“I-,”

“Guys!” Sapphire shouts, jumping once as he examines the loot bag. “Look at this!”

You spin your staff in your hand and jog to stand beside the knight. His red eyes are bright, digging through the bag until he produces in one gloved hand—

“Is that a Philosopher’s Stone Fragment?” asks Tiki, similarly enraptured as he comes up beside Sapphire’s flank.

Sapphire nods. “Which means—,”

“Which means we’re one step closer,” you say, and you lock eager eyes with Sapphire who only nods. “Well shit!”

“Also means we were right to come this way,” Lolita says, holding up one finger as if correcting us. “And whose idea was that?”

Zero shoves Lolita by the head and turns back toward the loot bag. “Anything else?” he asks.

Sapphire digs around before shrugging. “A shield,” he says.

“Don’t need it,” Tiki says.

“And…mm…,” he pauses, brow furrowing as he pulls out a piece of paper. He purses his lips, runs a hand through his blue-black hair, cocks his head to the side. “Schematic?”

“For what?”

“Oh!” he exclaims, turning to you as he hands you the paper. You look it over and scoff. “Superior elemental staff.”

“Cuts down the mana I need to do spells,” you say, rolling your eyes as you pocket the paper. “Coulda used that today.”

Sapphire claps your shoulder. “Next time! We’ve still got three fragments to find before anyone else does.”

You nod. “Well, with that settled…,” you begin, itching to use the bathroom.

“Ah! You gotta leave?” asks Sapphire.

You nod. “Got work in the morning.”

“Eugh,” he sighs, shoulders slumping. “Me too.”

“Me three,” says Zero.

“Ah, the working world. We’re lucky, huh Tiki?” Lolita says with a wistful sigh as water from overhead drips onto her shoulder. She jumps a little, but settles easily. “Don’t you miss your reckless college days?”

You laugh. “I only graduated last year,” you say, turning toward Sapphire. “Speaking of which, Saph did you ever go to school?”

He stiffens. “Ah, uh…,” he begins, glancing at his feet. He’s quiet for a moment. “No. Not past high school,” he says with an almost sheepish nod.

You don’t say anything, but it seems like there’s something he’s keeping to himself, something he doesn’t want to share. Sapphire is always like that, but this feels a little different.

“Hm,” you say, sensing his discomfort. “Welp, I’m gonna peace out for the night. Message me when you guys wanna go for the next fragment. I’ll keep researching where it might be.”

“Mm, sounds good,” says Tiki. “I’m starving. Loli, wanna get some food?”

Lolita glances at Tiki out the corner of her eye. “You mean, like, real food?”

Tiki sighs. “Obviously real food. I don’t wanna waste money on game food.”

She laughs and nods. “Alright. I’ll meet you at your dorm.”

“Mm.”

Without another word, both Tiki and Lolita blink out, leaving nothing behind them. You turn toward Zero and pat his back. “Sorry for getting on your case tonight,” you say. “I was worried Tiki would fall and then…well, you get it.”

Zero shrugs, examining one of his perfect fingernails. “No, I wasn’t on my game tonight. I’ll be better next time.”

“Me too,” you say, waving as Zero too blinks out.

You turn toward Sapphire and offer a smile. “Sorry for asking about college,” you say.

He stiffens, brows raised. “Hm? Oh, no it’s fine,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile. “It’s just, uh…well, you know my dad always wanted me to go to college so…”

You wave your hands, shake your head. “Forget it, alright? I won’t bring it up unless you do first.” You smirk. “You played tank tonight, didn’t you?”

He laughs. “Yeah, a little.”

“Don’t do that shit,” you say, but you can’t help your smile. “What would we do if we lost you in the middle of a battle?”

You can see his posture go a little straight. He turns to you, blinking. “You…?” he begins, but cuts himself off with a laugh. “Ah, mm, well…I’d better get going.”

“Mhm. Message me if you get any new info about fragment locations,” you say, then chuckle. “Or if you just wanna talk about The Bachelor or something.”

He laughs with you. “I don’t watch The Bachelor!”

“Well, whatever you watch!” you call as you jog a few paces away. You offer a wave which Sapphire mimics before pressing the disconnect button on your headset.

You shake your head, disoriented as you return to your bedroom, your window sitting before you, the outskirts of Bucheon spreading out in spindly arms around you. Your head throbs a little and you wince, removing your sensor gloves and setting them gently on the light wood table beside your computer. You guide one of the philodendron leaves to the side so it won’t tickle the gloves. You shuck off the sensor jacket too and leave it draped over the back of your gaming chair. Slowly, you return your attention to the window, smiling down at the sea of lights undulating in the dark. It’s a nice evening, you notice as you press the pads of your fingers to the cool glass.

Your phone, until then sitting dormant on the tabletop beside your potted jade plant, pings to life with a notification. Your eyes widen and you grab for it, stretching your torso as you do to work out your aching muscles. Tonight’s session with the group had gone long, and the fatigue on your back is severe from slumping in that gaming chair like a shrimp. And even though you have to move your upper body to activate the full range of Arcana’s sensor controls, your ass feels like you’ve just sat through back-to-back, four-hour lectures.

BeastSlayers™

SacredSapphire: miss u guys already :-(

You laugh, watch as Tiki begins writing a message in response.

TikiTikiRoom: ..

TikiTikiRoom: dont be soft bitch ill kill you

You pad down the hallway, watching your phone as you stumble through the dark apartment with one hand on the wall bracing you. You connect your phone to the TV speakers and play some lofi something or other, bop your head as you enter the kitchen and flip on a flickering yellow light. You rifle through the freezer, produce a cherry red popsicle. You press it to your lips and smile.

Lolovely: I haven’t even made it to Tik’s dorm wtf why are you being sappy already?

CodenameZer0: Looool, Saph? More like SAP.

TikiTikiRoom: press f

SuperNova: I think it’s sweet :’)

SuperNova: Wanna voice chat?

SacredSapphire: nonono

SacredSapphire: someone’s coming over lol

Lolovely: ominous…

You chuckle and take a bite of your popsicle. But as you do, the thing turns to mush and slides from the stick like slop, staining your white shirt and your lips red. “Shit!” you exclaim, then rush to the freezer.

With a sigh, you notice that a layer of ice is frosted over the back. And as you jam your hand in, you can feel that the temperature is higher than it should be. Hence, melty popsicle. You groan, take to it with a knife from the creaky drawer. You chip away at the ice and keep chipping until the back of the freezer is visible once more.

“Cheap piece of crap,” you mumble, kicking the fridge with your socked toe.

You return to the group chat to a slew of messages.

TikiTikiRoom: WAIT SAPH DO YOU HAVE A BOY/GIRL/THEYFRIEND??

TikiTikiRoom: IM GONNA HAVE AN ANEURISM

Lolovely: !!!!!!!!!

Lolovely: ??????

CodenameZer0: Hohohoh

CodenameZer0: Could it be?

SacredSapphire: NO!!

SacredSapphire: i don’t have a boy/girl/theyfriend! i’m too busy, rip

SacredSapphire: it’s just someone

SacredSapphire: don’t worry about it lol

Lolovely: sus…

Lolovely: nova’s better at this stuff

Lolovely: interrogation

Lolovely: think if i scream hard enough nova will come back?

Lolovely: NOVAAAAAA

You laugh and take a few photos. First of the old laminate floor which now resembles a crime scene in cherry popsicle red. Next of your shirt, now streaked in slush. Third, of your face, lips stained like you’ve smeared lip tint on your skin. You pull a pout before snapping the shot, then send all three together.

SuperNova: I crave death.

SuperNova: Stupid cheap fridge. Freezes over literally monthly.

SuperNova: I hate it here.

Lolovely: oooh that pic…

Lolovely: kinda….sexy hehe

SuperNova: ???

You set your phone aside and take to cleaning the floor. Last thing you need in this shithole is an ant infestation. Your music bumps gently through the sound bar beneath your TV. Sure, your apartment is decked out in tech, but the place itself?

You glance around the kitchen, a sanitary white with pretty fixtures, and suppress a sigh. It’s all for show anyway, this apartment. Like almost all the others in the area, it only looks nice. The reality, however…

Well, it’s melted popsicles and a shower that only runs lukewarm.

You check your phone with a hip against the countertop.

TikiTikiRoom: lewd lol

SuperNova: Shut up lmao nothing lewd about my shitty fridge.

SuperNova: Anyway, no I’m not gonna help you bully Saph.

SuperNova: Leave him alone or I’ll bite your ankles.

Lolovely: !!!

Lolovely: qu'est-ce que pas?

Lolovely: Nova…you’ve been defending Saph lately…

Lolovely: hold on i’m seeing something…

CodenameZer0: Don’t threaten my ankles.

SacredSapphire: nova baby ur the only loyal one here

Laughing, you type your response and make your way to the couch, falling flat on your stomach with an unpleasant thump.

Jeon Jungkook sits still, swiveling in his gaming chair with a soft smile as he watches the messages surge through the Discord group chat. Even though they’re busy teasing him, Jungkook can’t help the swell of fondness in his chest for his group mates. He leans back precariously far, the room nearly pitch black save for the shifting LEDs on his keyboard and the purple screensaver on his monitor.

SuperNova: It’s you and me, Saph.

SuperNova: Now come here and get your kith :3

Jungkook chokes a laugh with his hand, covering his mouth as his eyes squint. He tosses his head to the side, lets out a sigh. Quietly, he touches the photo you sent and lets it spread across his screen. He chuckles, examining your expression. Displeased, you eye the camera with furrowed brows and a pout. Briefly, Jungkook considers telling you it’s cute.

But he quickly clicks out of the photo, clears his throat, and catches up with the chat.

CodenameZer0: God, barf.

TikiTikiRoom: no kithes for zero

Lolovely: lolol i want a kith :(

SuperNova: Get in line then. Saph first.

SacredSapphire: i….*blushes*

SacredSapphire: N-N-Noona!

CodenameZer0: FUCKING BARF GOODBYE

Zero’s icon goes offline and Jungkook laughs in earnest now, his head lolling back. But before he can respond, the door to his studio opens with a robotic jingle. He jumps a little, turning his whole body toward the door. He nearly falls off the chair as he swivels.

In the doorway, Kim Seokjin shuffling across the threshold with two cups of coffee in a carrier. He looks a little disheveled, hair windswept and eyes scanning the room round and round. His gaze lingers here and there: resting on Jungkook’s wall of figurines, then on the futon still pulled down and covered in a messy heap of sheets, then on Jungkook’s face as he sits perfectly still, perfectly redhanded. Jungkook’s mouth agape, his fingers poised to type another message to the group chat, his computer monitor showing no lyrics, no notes, no Ableton. Just his screensaver.

Jungkook had planned to pull up his WIP song before Jin arrived, but the opportunity to do that has long since passed.

“Uh…,” Jungkook says, dumbfounded with round eyes glowing in the flashing keyboard lights. “Hey, Seokjin.”

Jin’s nostrils flare, his expression fiery. His attention flashes to the sensor gloves, the controllers sitting beneath them, the sensor jacket left astray on the ground, haphazard.

“Jeon Jungkook-,”

“I can explain!”

Seokjin glares at him, cocks one single brow. “Uh-huh?”

“I…,” Jungkook begins, flustered as he rises to his feet. He feels like he’s in school again. Seokjin’s gaze is disarming, intense, and his knuckles are white as he crushes the cardboard handle of the coffee carrier. “Uh…I was taking a small tiny little break.”

“A small,” Seokjin begins, placing the coffee on Jungkook’s work desk and resting his palm beside it, “tiny,” he continues, leveling his eyes with Jungkook’s, “little break?” Jin’s jaw is clenched.

Jungkook swallows hard. “Mhm…”

Jungkook expects Seokjin to bare his canines, to sneer at him, to scold him to kingdom come. But his manager simply eases into a sigh and leans away from Jungkook, rubbing his forehead. It’s clear the will to fight with Jungkook is slowly leaking, and before long Seokjin has fallen backwards onto the futon, crushing the blanket mountain in his descent.

“Listen,” Seokjin says, fatigue in his voice. “You’ve got…so much going on in the next few months, you know?”

“I know!” Jungkook says, quick to sit beside Seokjin, brows knitting. He feels like a kid again, and the disappointment laced through Jin’s words feels like his childhood. “Trust me, I’m not just…like, procrastinating. It’s not that.”

Jin eyes him sidelong. “Then what is it?”

Jungkook stiffens, his back straight as a board. He clears his throat, stares at the coffee. “Let me get those,” he says, rushing to his feet with a clumsy stumble and grabbing the coffees before returning to his spot beside Jin. He hands Jin a coffee, expectant and, begrudgingly, Seokjin takes it and sips.

“Don’t avoid the question,” he says, stern. “If anyone’ll understand, it’s gotta be me, right?”

Jungkook nods. “No, you’re right!”

“Like, we’ve gone through some hard shit and where have I been? Right behind you. From day one,” he says, leveling a serious look at Jungkook. The lighthearted mood has fled from the room through the cracks in the walls. “All I’m asking is for you to put in the effort.”

Jungkook sighs, rests his forearms on his knees, laces his fingers around the coffee cup. He stares at the space between his toes. “I just…,” he begins, voice choked with insecurity. He doesn’t want to say it. In fact, he’d rather do just about anything else.

Because, after all, saying it means it’s real.

And if it’s real, then it’s a real problem.

“Listen,” Jin begins, patting Jungkook’s back. “I get it. Making music…it can be really tiring, right?” he says. Jungkook can only shrug. “And sometimes you might not feel like you can do it. Like you don’t have the inspiration.”

“Mm…”

Seokjin gives another pat, stronger this time. “But that’s how life is, Jungkook. Work doesn’t just wait. You’re an adult now. You’ve got adult responsibilities. And when you make a passion into your full-time job, you kinda sacrifice the freedom. Deadlines are a thing. You can’t just…be flippant and casual about it.”

“I’m not being casual,” says Jungkook, and for the first time since Jin walked in his voice is strong and steady. He sits up straight and meets Jin’s imploring eyes.

Seokjin offers a small smile. “Good,” he says. “I trust you. And, you know, you’ve got a whole team of producers behind you who wanna see you succeed. All you’ve gotta do is call.”

“I know.”

“You’re not doing it alone, alright?” he asks, and Jungkook’s throat tightens a little. “That’s the good thing about making your passion into your full-time job, huh? Now…well, now it’s not just your responsibility. It’s divided.”

“Yeah.”

“Well…,” Seokjin says, patting his thighs as he pushes to his feet. “Just wanted to drop by and check on you.”

Jungkook offers a smile and nods, standing with his manager. “Yup.”

“You do remember what’s on deck for tomorrow, right?” asks Seokjin, cocking a brow as he takes another swig of coffee.

Jungkook nods again. “Screen test with the drama people.”

Jin smacks the side of Jungkook’s head and crosses his arms. “Not the drama people!” he says, rolling his eyes. “It’s IJBC.”

“IJBC, right,” Jungkook says as he tenderly rubs the side of his head. “I remember.”

“Do you even know the name of the drama?” The younger boy falls silent, sheepish. “It’s called Give Up Generation, Jungkook.”

“I remember,” Jungkook says, pouting a little. “I just…forgot for a minute.”

Jin can’t help chuckling. “Get to bed early then so you don’t have dark circles,” Jin says with a smile, nodding as he turns toward the door. “Ah!” Seokjin pivots around, casting a disdainful look over Jungkook’s shoulder at the foldout futon. He pulls a scowl. “Sleep at home tonight, will you?”

Jungkook chuckles. “Alright. Stop nagging now,” he says, patting Jin’s back as he guides him out the door and into the hallway. “Bye, Jin!” he calls, not awaiting a response.

Slowly and with his head down, Jungkook shuffles back inside and slumps into his gaming chair, staring at his screensaver. He heaves a deep down sigh, lets it escape through his lips nearly pinched shut. Like exhaling cigarette smoke.

His phone pings to life with an incoming message.

SuperNova: Alright, I had your back before but I don’t cosign the Noona Agenda. I don’t even know if I am your noona.

Lolovely: seconded.

Lolovely: plus it’s icky.

TikiTikiRoom: boooooo

SuperNova: Wait, I think I just heard something in the hallway. Hold on.

Lolovely: SCARY!

TikiTikiRoom: burglars lol

Lolovely: ctrl z yourself, tiki

Lolovely: what if it is though…?

TikiTikiRoom: doubt it.

SuperNova: !!!

SuperNova: Lol it was a package…?

Lolovely: so late…?

SuperNova: Yeah…Lemme open it hold on.

The next message that comes through is a photo you send. Jungkook sits up straighter, opens it quick, and grins once he realizes what it is. A cardboard box, relatively big, sitting torn open on your kitchen floor, the photo features a look inside at several pretty makeup palettes and brushes. Jungkook doesn’t know the names of everything he sees, but he knows why it’s a big deal.

SacredSapphire: !! they finally sent it!!

SuperNova: They did!!

Lolovely: wait what? what did who send?

SuperNova: Lol, sorry. Uh I guess I only told Saph. But the brand I’ve been communicating with actually sent me a PR package! I’m gonna use it on my next job.

SuperNova: This shit’s super expensive too, so I’m lucky I’ve been in contact with a rep.

SuperNova: Gotta use the best to be the best!

TikiTikiRoom: i forgot ur a makeup artist lol

TikiTikiRoom: .-.

SuperNova: …

SuperNova: We’ve been group mates for like four months jfc

SuperNova: Anyway, yeah I’m glad. I guess they sent it to the wrong apartment? So my neighbor brought it over. He just got back from work.

Lolovely: neighbor?

Lolovely: cute neighbor?

SuperNova: He’s like seventy so no, not really my type.

SacredSapphire: nova, that’s super cool. i’m sure you’re gonna get big gigs soon.

SuperNova: Well, I can hope haha.

SuperNova: No, well…all I can do is work hard.

SuperNova: >:-)

All you can do is work hard, huh?

Jungkook tosses his phone to the side and rubs his hands up and down his face. He pinches his eyes shut and relaxes into the back of his chair, feeling the lull of sleepiness finally pulling at him.

And instead of going home like Jin asked, Jungkook simply pads over to the futon and, without moving the blankets, collapses atop them and falls asleep where he falls.

“I’m very sorry.”

“No…uh, no it’s fine.”

“Of course, you can keep the fees or whatever.”

“Oh, um, I…no, I’ll refund those too.”

“Really? I’ll give you a really good review!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m really sorry.”

You sigh, plant a hand on your forehead and heave a sigh. Forcing a smile, you shake your head and press your phone into the crook of your shoulder, bending down to give your fiddle-leaf fig a hose down with your watering can.

“It’s fine. Things come up, you know?”

The girl on the other side of the phone, a young independent model going in for headshots, had called you an hour ago and had spoken at length about why she has to cancel her appointment with you today. How the photographer did this or that, how she actually watched a few tutorials online and figured she could do it herself, how she felt so so bad. You feel bad for her, of course. Kind of.

“Listen, I’ll give you a shoutout on my page, alright? I’ll tag you in my story,” she says.

You shake your head. “No, that’s fine. Just, um…you know, take care. Remember to clean your brushes.”

At this, she laughs. “Thanks for being so cool. I was actually super nervous to call and cancel. I’ve had to cancel a few things like this before, and I’ve had bad experiences,” she says. “Anyway, I’ll recommend you!”

“Alright.”

“Thanks!”

You nod as she hangs up the phone. Gently, you rise to your feet and set your watering can aside on the kitchen table. You set the phone beside it, pausing to glare at the black screen. Well…there goes your Sunday. You turn over your shoulder, pad to the window, crack it open a little. A bracing breeze whistles through, cooling your skin. You shut your eyes against it — only for a moment — before you turn on your heel, shove your feet into your sneakers sockless, swipe your phone and house keys, and shove out the door.

The florist’s is a healthy walk away, but the weather is nice enough and you’re too tired to brave the subway even if it’s only a few stops. You pass buildings and parks as the landscape becomes more and more urban and the high rises look like they could puncture the cloud layer. Before long, you’re standing in front of Happy Garden and, stepping through the sliding doors that are always left open and all-but nonfunctioning with the lush green plants climbing all around. You breathe a sigh of relief, pat your chest a little as the fresh, grassy scent settles your heart.

You aren’t there for more than half a minute before Hoseok stumbles out from the back room, grinning wide with a bouquet of hydrangeas in his hands, wrapped in butcher paper and twine. He curves around the stumbling greenery littering every surface and encroaching on every walkway and comes to a stop in front of you. He smiles.

“Hey,” you say before he gets the chance. You hold up one limp hand in a lazy wave.

He glances up and down, from your head to your toes, and sighs. Still holding the hydrangeas, he rests a hip on the checkout counter and cocks a brow.

“That is the opposite of encouraging,” you remark with a scowl.

He chuckles, pats your arm. “What’s up?” He jerks his head toward the front of the store where bouquets are displayed and you follow behind him as he leads you there. “Unsuccessful raid?”

“Contrary to popular belief, my life doesn’t revolve around video games, actually,” you say, but his laugh wipes the grimace from your face.

His fluffy hair bounces as he bends down to add the hydrangeas to the display and when he stands upright once more he crosses his arms. “You know what I mean. You’ve been in here a lot lately.”

“Pardon me for trying to raise plants,” you say with a pout.

Again, he laughs. “Jesus, stop trying to pick a fight!” he says. “You must be in a really bad mood if you’re here acting like this.”

“Well what’s that supposed to mean?” you begin, outrage all over your face, before locking eyes with Hoseok and composing yourself. You sigh, nod your head. “Yeah, no I’m being annoying.”

He smiles, heart-shaped, and the apples of his cheeks grow rounder. What a joyful guy, you think to yourself with a wistful sigh. “Tell me about it then.”

He pulls one of the empty display boxes over and offers you a seat as he begins tending to the plants all around. You oblige, settle in, and sigh again. “It’s just…everything kinda feels like a dead end right now.”

“Hm?” he asks over his shoulder, graceful hands guiding a waxy leaf back in place.

“Like with my work,” you say, then shake your head. “No, that’s not it. Not entirely.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…things are okay, you know? I’m getting PR gifts. I’m growing my following on Instagram. I’ve got consistent clients,” you say, nodding. “Like everything is fine, you know?”

“But something feels…missing maybe?” Hoseok offers as he moves to spraying the ferns with water.

You shake your head. “More than that, it’s…like, I feel like I’ve hit the ceiling of what I can do, you know? Like what if this is the best I’ll ever do?”

“Is that bad?” he asks.

You sigh. “Not bad, just…disappointing,” you say. “I wanna work on movies. Red carpets. Editorials.” You rest your chin in your hand and your elbow on your knee. You stare up at Hoseok, now trimming brown leaves from another plant across the store. “I don’t wanna be stuck doing birthday parties forever.”

Hoseok hums, turns toward you with his hands in his apron pocket. He offers a smile. “You sound like a brat.”

You stiffen, eyes wide. “I-,” you start, but there’s really not much you can say to retort. So, softly, you slump once more and shrug. “Yeah…”

“And if you keep that attitude, you’re never gonna be an editorial makeup artist. I can promise you that,” he says with a nod as he approaches once more and crouches before your knees, still smiling. “Everyone has to grow somehow, you know? Be grateful you’ve got opportunities to build your resume.”

You nod. “Yeah.”

“What brought all of this on?”

Shrugging, you glance away toward the big croton plant in the corner, basking in morning sunlight, leaves all stiff and red and green. It’s a pretty plant. You tilt your head to the side, stare longer.

“That model bailed,” you say, but you’ve almost forgotten the self-pity of a moment ago. You stand to your feet and wander toward the plant, hitting halfway up your thigh. You crouch before it and look it over. “Hoseok, this is a really big croton.”

He laughs. “Mhm.”

“How much?”

“With the pot and given its height, it’s going for thirty-five-thousand won.”

You raise your brows. “I expected worse.”

“We’re fair here!” he protests, wagging his finger at you as he comes to stand beside you.

You smile softly, run a finger along the edge of a leaf. “It’s really pretty.”

“Suits you,” he says.

Without noticing, your anxiety begins to subside. “I think I’ll take it.”

“I’ll give you five-thousand off since you’re having a bad day,” he says, patting your back.

You turn to him with a smile. “Thanks.”

He chuckles. “I’ll loan you the dolly so you can get that thing home. Just bring it back before two.”

You stand up, stare down at the plant, nod once. “Mhm.”

Hoseok makes his way toward the cash register, punches in a few numbers. You linger a few steps behind, still staring at the croton. You get a good feeling off that one. Hoseok would tease you if you said as much, but you know when to listen to your intuition.

“Your big break will come Y/N,” Hoseok says as he rings you up, not once glancing to meet your eyes. “Just keep going.”

Jungkook sits with his head leaning against the rattling van window, eyes half-shut. Seoul blurs past him in shades of silvery grey and it’s all he can do to keep himself from falling asleep. For all his nagging, Seokjin had been right about one thing: Jungkook was sporting purplish bags beneath his eyes from a restless night’s sleep. Jin sits beside him now, frowning at his phone as he scrolls through Twitter. He’d given Jungkook a very stern talking to once he’d seen him, and really Jungkook deserved it. He knows that.

“Your voice is in good condition, right?” asks Jin.

Jungkook sits up straight, clears his throat. He shrugs. “Yeah. Why?”

Still stewing over his phone, Seokjin waves his hand without looking up. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jungkook sighs, leans back once more, gazes out the window once more. His phone buzzes once and he grabs it quickly, eager to distract himself.

BeastSlayers™

SuperNova: [image attached]

SuperNova: check him out OJO

Jungkook clicks the image you sent and chuckles as it loads up. The photo features nothing of you save for one hand, reaching out from behind the camera, throwing up a peace sign. Behind your hand, a houseplant. A pretty big one at that.

Jungkook smiles and drafts his reply, but the others are quicker.

CodenameZer0: Another plant? Lol isn’t your apartment overflowing with them by now?

SuperNova: Hush. Look at him.

LoLovely: cute!

LoLovely: does he have a name?

SuperNova: I don’t name my plants.

TikiTikiRoom: lol

TikiTikiRoom: because THAT would be weird

CodenameZer0: At least Nova can care care for a plant in the first place.

CodenameZer0: Let’s be honest here, Nova’s probably the only one among us who is even remotely responsible enough.

SacredSapphire: Nova it’s cute!

SacredSapphire: name him after me ;3

SuperNova: Sapphire?

SacredSapphire: hmmm say my name hehe

CodenameZer0: STOP IT FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST

CodenameZer0: IF THE FLIRTING DOESN’T STOP I’M GETTING YOU A TWO-WEEK BAN ON ARCANA

SacredSapphire: SHIT okay okay, let’s just take it easy

SacredSapphire: talk this out like adults…

SuperNova: Once I’ve finished setting up my new plant, I’m gonna play Animal Crossing. Anyone free to join? I’ve got oranges and mums.

SuperNova: Also had a meteor shower last night and have leftover star fragments first come first served.

The offer is tempting, to be sure. Not only would he receive star fragments, he’d be able to wander your island with the others. It might feel like you guys are side-by-side for real. Jungkook reaches into his backpack, slumped between his knees, and rifles around for his Switch. But as he produces the case, Seokjin shoots him the evil eye.

“If you’ve got time to play games, you’ve got time to review your lines,” he says, cocking a brow.

Jungkook sighs a little, slides the Switch back inside his bag. “I’ll look them over again.”

“Good.”

He takes one last look at his cell phone, checking the group chat with a frown that pinches the sides of his lips.

TikiTikiRoom: MEMEMEME

TikiTikiRoom: if any of you fakes get there before me ill go apeshit

TikiTikiRoom: i need so many

LoLovely: don’t need fragments, just wanna see ur cute face hehe

SuperNova: /blushes

SuperNova: I’ll open the gates once Sapphire Junior is nice and settled.

CodenameZer0: I’ll come too. I wanna shop.

SuperNova: Can’t you be cute like Lolita?

CodenameZer0: /gags

SuperNova: You coming, Saph? I’ll save a few fragments for you.

TikiTikiRoom: FAVORITISM

SuperNova: I am transparent about my favoritism toward Sapphire.

SuperNova: Because he is indeed my favorite.

LoLovely: *shocked pikachu face*

SacredSapphire: soz :-( i can’t

SacredSapphire: working

SuperNova: :-(

SuperNova: Next time we’ll all come to your island.

Jungkook tries not to feel that twinge of melancholy that tugs at his chest. That one he always gets when his friends go out for barbecue or grab drinks and hit the karaoke rooms. The one that feels like he’s really, deeply, fundamentally missing out on something important.

No, he doesn’t feel it. Instead, he focuses his attention on the printout Seokjin had given him three days ago. He scans the lines over and over, committing them to memory.

“No! That’s the thing, she didn’t even tell me!” says the girl below your brush.

You attempt to guide the highlighter across her cheekbones, but before you can make contact with her skin she’s jerked away once more, talking so animatedly that you can’t even tell if you’ve made her eyebrows even.

“That’s shitty,” says her friend beside her, likewise preoccupied as Jieun struggles to match her skintone.

The two of you lock eyes, both hovering over the two women as they chat over matching cups of coffee. Jieun puffs out her cheeks, raises her brows, and goes back to work, smoothing foundation on to the client’s chin with a brush.

You stand in a nice apartment — all marble floors and high ceilings and windowed walls overlooking Seoul. When you’d gotten the offer for a Seoul gig with Jieun, you’d been hesitant. The subway ride is long and you prefer to stay relatively local. But something made you agree. You don’t know exactly what. Call it divine intervention or epiphany or Jung Hoseok, but the words just keep going had been replaying in your brain since you last saw your friend. The pair of women — likely in their thirties — had booked both you and Jieun to do their makeup for a Sunday luncheon.

“And you know she’s looking out for him,” says Hyejin with a scoff. “As if I’m gonna bite the kid’s head off.”

“Maybe you will,” jokes the other woman, laughing just as Jieun reaches in to apply some liquid blush to her cheeks. “You know she’s got a soft spot for him.”

“Yeah well it’s a soft spot in all of our wallets if he doesn’t get his shit together,” says Hyejin, sighing. There is real woe in her expression and you can feel from the shift in atmosphere that things have turned serious. “He’s talented, you know? But…sometimes I think she goes too easy on him,” she continues, and this time her tone is decidedly softer, the movement of her face less pronounced.

You use the opportunity to work some powder beneath her eyes with a sponge. “Well, that’s motherhood for you,” says the other, flippant.

“Have you seen what the folks are saying on Twitter?” asks Hyejin as you apply shadow to her eyelids. “About his voice.”

“Hm?”

“Well some of his bigger hate communities have been compiling all the footage of his stage mistakes and they’re spreading it around,” Hyejin says with a huff. “Stupid, honestly. They’re making it out like he makes those mistakes all the time.”

“Netizens are like that, Hyejin,” says the other woman, now easing into her chair with her eyes shut as Jieun can finally get to work setting her base.

“Still…”

“Nowyou’re the one defending him,” she remarks with a laugh.

“It’s not that,” Hyejin says, scoffing. “It’s just…like if he doesn’t prove himself soon, all those commenters are gonna have more ammunition, you know? Which is annoying for all of us.”

“Sounds like you care a little bit.”

“I dont.”

“Hm.”

You focus on Hyejin’s full lashes, applying mascara with delicate, steady strokes. She hums a little as you use the pad of your fingertips to tame stubborn eyeshadow into blending more seamlessly. It seems, at least, that the conversation has died down. For that, you are very grateful.

“Say, do you two know anything about k-pop?” asks Jieun’s client.

The two of you lock eyes once more. It’s true that you are well-versed in pop culture: video games, TV shows, YouTube drama. But you’d be lying if you said you tune in to Inkigayo every week. And despite Jieun’s age and her trendy look, you know she’s not the type to keep updated on current idols. And you see in her brown eyes your own shock mirrored.

“Um…no, not particularly,” you answer for the both of you. Jieun releases a breath she’d been holding and smiles her thanks. “Do you two work in the field?”

Hyejin waves her hand and sighs. “Don’t go bothering them with those sorts of questions,” she says, and you notice for the first time the easy poshness that this woman has. Even with her head tilted back and her eyes shut tight, she seems sure of herself.

You envy her just a little for that.

“What? They’re young,” says the other woman, grinning with her eyes shut as Jieun works on her eyeliner. “You ever heard of RTE?”

“Hey now,” says Hyejin, warning in her voice.

“I’m just curious,” the woman continues with a sigh. “Look us up if you haven’t.” The woman chuckles, reaching out blind to smack Hyejin’s upper arm. “Hey, maybe even tweet something nice about our artists!”

“Knock it off and let them work,” Hyejin says, prying open one eye to meet yours. She offers a smile, apologetic, and sighs. “She’s just playing around. You can ignore her. It’s what I do.” She nods her head and leans it back once more.

Quietly, you get back to work. But you can’t help but feel like this woman’s incredible presence makes you paler somehow.

“What’s the point if it makes me unhappy?” Jungkook shouts, brows knitting, eyes growing watery. “The money, the lifestyle…what good is it?” his voice settles into a bare whisper, cracked.

“You only say that because you’re young! You’re stupid! You’re naive! You think things work out just because you want them bad enough?” says his costar, glancing down at the script every now and again as the two stand across from one another.

The set bustles on behind them, crew carrying tall lights and fixtures as they scuttle by. But Jungkook and his costar — a man named Namjoon acting as his older brother — continue their scene under the watchful eye of the cameras, trained right on them. Less of a screen test and more of a chemistry check between actors, Director Lim watches the monitor closely with his scrabbly chin in his palm.

“So what if I fail?” Jungkook asks with a quiver, referencing his script once to make sure he got the line right. “What’re you gonna do? Tattle on me to Dad?”

“I won’t have to,” Namjoon says, sighing as he grips the bridge of his nose. “He’s got his watchdogs trained right on you.”

Jungkook stiffens. “He’s been…following me?”

“I told you you’re too naive for the real world, Jiwon.”

Director Lim claps his hands and in an instant the tension and the scene are broken. Jungkook takes a respectful step back from his costar, and Namjoon offers him a bow of the head. Jungkook returns it, fighting off a nervous grin, and turns to the director as he circles around the equipment to stand in front of them. He’s a middle-aged man, handsome in a way with salt-and-pepper hair and eyes that seem to grab you and hold on like a snare. Jungkook is pinned in place like a bug in a shadowbox.

But Director Lim’s face splits in a crooked smile and Jungkook feels himself ease, exhaling long and slow. “Great job, boys!” he says, clapping both of their shoulders. “You were selling it well.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Jungkook replies too quick, like an eager child.

Director Lim chuckles, pats him again. “I’m praising you, kid. Don’t look so scared.”

He swallows hard. “I…I know. Um…thank you, Sir.”

Behind the trio, a group of stylists cart a rack of costumes quickly to the other side of the set, snagging the back of Jungkook’s shoe as they do. Jungkook stumbles to his knees, caught off guard, and the girls jerk to a stop as they catch themselves on the clothing rack. The two stare down at Jungkook, wide-eyed, and each of them covers their mouths. Immediately, they bow their heads in apology, both muttering sorry, so sorry almost too quietly to hear. Jungkook shakes his head and stands to his feet.

He too bows his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been standing there,” he says gently, hoping to assuage their concerns.

But the girls remain bowed, as if too afraid to even lift their heads. Jungkook, puzzled, leans down slightly to meet their eyes, but they glance away so quickly that he can’t even get a proper look at either of their faces.

“Um…it’s really not a problem,” he says, but before he can say more Director Lim approaches with a grim severity in his eyes. Jungkook, quick to stand up straight and face the director, stutters a little as he settles himself in front of the stylists. “It’s no big deal,” he says to Director Lim, but it’s like the man can’t even hear him.

“We were distracted, Sir,” says one of the girls, raising her head slightly to meet Director Lim’s gaze. “We are very, very sorry.”

“It really isn’t-,” Jungkook begins.

“You think it’s appropriate to crash into my actors? In the middle of a conversation about their performance?” Lim asks, but it’s clear the question isn’t meant to be answered. His tone has shifted into something cold. “You could have very well injured Jungkook.”

“I’m fine-,”

“But what if you weren’t?”

Jungkook shuts his mouth, staring helpless at the girls as they both stand up straight once more, eyes on the floor and hands knitted in front of them. He feels a hand on his back between his shoulder blades and jumps a little, turning quick to find Namjoon standing close.

“Don’t,” is all he says, voice terse and so quiet Jungkook almost doesn’t hear it, before dropping his hand and taking a half step back.

Jungkook’s jaw clenches, his hands work into balls as he stares. The lighting is low, dramatic as if a scene composed by Lim himself. The two girls lift only their eyes to gaze up at him.

“We’re very, very sorry, Sir,” says one of the stylists, guiding a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

“Mhm,” he says, looming. “Make sure it doesn’t happen again. Can’t afford to replace two stylists and a makeup artist in the same week.”

Jungkook simply stares, Namjoon’s warning freezing through him like ice. His limbs feel leaden. And as the two girls rush off, dragging their rack behind them, Jungkook focuses again on Director Lim.

He swivels back around to the two actors with a bright, fatherly smile. “Pardon me,” he says, waving his hand with a warm laugh. “Gotta keep the crew in check otherwise they’ll slack off.”

“Ha,” Jungkook puffs out in response, smiling in turn.

Namjoon hums a little. “Why don’t we try the reconciliation scene?”

“What in the world do you mean?” Hyejin yells into her phone just as she ushers you into her apartment. You eye her as her face grows red, her brows coming together. “He’s not quitting!”

Hyejin pauses to offer you an apologetic smile. She’s dressed in a modest pajama dress, padding barefoot along the cool marble floors. She leans against the arm of a nice black leather sofa, raises a hand to her flushed cheek, looks at her toes with vexation. Carefully, you set your makeup kit on her kitchen island, meeting her eyes with raised brows as if asking permission. She waves her hand, nods once before pinching the bridge of her nose between her index finger and her thumb.

“Listen, we knew Lim was difficult. But this is a huge opportunity for his career.” Hyejin rubs her kneecap, massaging. Her short hair falls along the line of her jaw as she dips her head in a deep sigh. “I know you know that, Seokjin. But you’re his manager. You’ve gotta keep convincing him.”

You begin unpacking your things, setting them neatly along the edge of the countertop, and try not to eavesdrop as Hyejin continues letting out chopped sighs. You can hear her fidget around the apartment behind you. She’d called you again, only a few days later, to secure you for another important event. A meeting, she’d said. You didn’t want to agree. Wanted to say you were too busy, that the commute was too much.

“Hey,” she whispers behind you. You jump, but turn nonetheless to find her cupping one hand over the phone’s receiver. Her eyes are severe, jaw clenched. “How long can you stay? This call might take a while.”

You raise your brows, think back over your schedule. “Hm…,” you respond, then shake your head. “I’m free all day. But…when’s your meeting?”

She stiffens, eyes flashing to the clock on the oven. “Shit,” she mutters. She approaches you with a frown. “I’ve only got two hours to get everything ready—Yes! Yes, I’m still here Seokjin. Stop panicking, for Christ’s sake—,” she says, her shoulders pinching. She glances at you again. “Um…”

You glance around the apartment. It’s spotless, as usual. But you spy in the corner beside a massive potted umbrella tree a taupe pantsuit, hanging beside a steamer. You’d have thought someone in her position would have sent it to the cleaners to be properly steamed, but perhaps it had slipped her mind. With the way she’s pacing around the apartment, still dressed in her pajamas, you wonder if perhaps she’s not as put together as you thought.

“I’ll steam that,” you say with a nod, pointing to the suit.

She stares at you, wide-eyed. “Oh, no. You don’t have to do something like that-,”

You shake your head. “No problem. What else do you need done here?” you ask, consulting your wristwatch with a hum. “If we keep it light, I can have your makeup done in forty-five minutes.”

She blinks at you. “Uh…well…,” she begins, then jumps a little as a voice in the phone shouts loud enough for you to hear. “No! No! Can you relax? I’ll talk you through it in just a minute! I’ve gotta sort some things out,” she shouts back at the phone. She turns her attention back to you with a sheepish smile. “Um, I need to steam the suit, wrap the fruits — they’re a gift for the client —, call the restaurant to confirm the reservation, shine my shoes, organize our documents chronologically and set them up in a binder,” she says.

You have to admit that the sheer volume of busywork has you taken aback. But you steel yourself with a bracing sigh, nod once, and offer her a smile. “Consider it taken care of,” you say.

“Ah! I…I really feel bad dumping all of this on you,” she says, crossing her arms with knit brows. “Normally I’d have my assistant doing all of this, but she’s ill.”

“Not a problem,” you say, smiling once more. “Just take care of your phone call and leave the rest to me! As long as we’ve got forty-five minutes for makeup, we’ll be fine.”

She lets out a sigh that seems to deflate her, shoulders slumping as if in profound relief. She nods once, smiling, and turns on her heel. “I’ll be in my office, alright? I promise I’ll be out in time!”

You give one wave as she rushes through a clouded glass door and shuts it behind her. You roll up the sleeves of your sweater and get to work on the suit.

Two hours later, and you’re accompanying Hyejin out into the apartment hallway. She pauses as the door clicks shut, waiting for it to give a chime, and turns to you with a sigh. She looks pretty. You had to rush a bit once she emerged from her office, and after taking care of the other chores you found it difficult to focus on her makeup, but you’re proud enough of your work given the circumstances. You’ve managed to match her eyeshadow to her pantsuit with gentle oranges and reds.

Since you were rushing to finish everything in time, the two of you hadn’t had a chance to exchange words. Perhaps you are curious — just a little — about the emergency she had to quell over the phone. Or maybe you just want a proper thank you. So you linger beside her in the well-lit hallway, you let your eyes wander to a potted fern in the corner by the elevator, wait for Hyejin to say something.

“I’m sorry,” she says, sighing. She glances at you through her lashes.

Your eyes go wide. “Hm? What for?”

“For having you do all of that,” she says, flitting one manicured hand. “I feel guilty.”

You shake your head. “No,” you say with a smile. “It’s no problem at all, honestly. You had me booked for an hour and a half anyway.”

She sighs again. “I really feel bad.”

“Don’t worry about it…,” you say, eyeing her. She crosses her arms, vexed, and purses her lips a little. “Um…was that call about an artist?” you ask.

She snaps back to herself, glancing at you. “Oh? Yes. That was about our biggest artist actually,” she says. “I think I’ve got it taken care of though, thanks to you.” She guides the two of you to the elevator. “I’ll pay you extra, alright?”

You laugh. “No, no. It’s fine! I’m just glad it all worked out.”

She stares at you, scanning you for a very long moment as the elevator rises to your floor. You try not to fidget, not to shrink under her scrutiny, but you feel yourself recoiling just a little. Her gaze is intense, knowing, as if she can see right through you and she’s looking for something. And as the elevator arrives, she gives a hum that sounds contented and you wonder if she’s found it.

Jungkook glances around the empty pavilion, scanning the cobbled streets for any sign of escape. From above, a dark mage is laying waste to the small shanty town. Not a single player has ventured out this way, all following a lead in the Elysian Forest to the west. But after you had mentioned a tip you got from researching at the Library of Arcana, you’d suggested visiting the seaside nook on the far south of the map. A legendary evil slumbers hidden, you’d recited over voice chat with a laugh, Sounds about right.

Only now, Jungkook’s alone. His hands are sweaty around the controllers in his palms and the realistic graphics are serving only to make him more nervous as the mage swings low near the central fountain and sets off a spray of fire just in front of him. Jungkook can almost feel the heat.

Jungkook had set out to do some scouting. Nothing extreme. Just a simple peek about, seeing if he could find any clues. He sent a message to the group chat, but he hadn’t waited on a response before he signed in. He’d had no idea that the Big Bad herself would come flying from the fountain the moment he touched the water with his sword. And now she’s circling him like some sort of hawk. Quickly, Jungkook calls up his inventory menu and searches through his items. A few extra swords he picked up, some ritual herbs, his old chainmail armor, some healing potions and…

The fragment…

If this mage takes him out, he’ll end up dropping his entire inventory. Including the fragment.

And by the time he can make his way back over here, other players will have come running from the commotion.

And the fragment will be gone.

“Shit,” he hisses out, dismissing the menu and focusing back on the mage as she releases a chilling cackle.

The quaint village is smoking, with thatched roofs catching fire and whole storefronts crumbling into piles of simmering stone. The sky is nearly blotted out with ash, and all he can see is that mage, swirling around up there in billowing black robes and shiny white teeth exposed in a wicked grin.

Jungkook glances over his shoulder toward the street he’d taken in to the village, but it’s too smokey to see anything more than the outlines of ruined buildings. There’s no way he’ll be able to navigate his way out of here without a lantern. And if it’s this smokey, he’s absolutely positive that nearby players have noticed. Which means more competition.

And more people to snatch his fragment when he falls.

The mage gives a cry, shouts her line, “Not enough yet?!”, and swoops down at a dizzying pace. Jungkook stumbles back, but he’s not fast enough. She’s approaching in a dark blur, too quickly for him to counter. A flash of regret washes through him as he squeezes his eyes shut inside his VR headset. He doesn’t want to see this.

He waits for a tense moment that way, anticipating the melancholy piano chords that accompany in-game death, but none come. Instead, he hears very keenly the sound of the mage grunting as if in pain. And, in an instant, he opens his eyes wide to see standing on the other side of the fount

Request: fluff: Friend group travelling (wherever inspires you most! I’m thinking someplace like Hawai where they visit secret beaches and stuff! Site-seeing in the city could also be interesting!). Jimin and and OC know eachother through friends. OC is independent and not TOO into the whole adventuring deal but does it to enjoy some quality time with her friends. Jimin is flirty and playful and makes the trip all the more interesting for her. (I don’t know how you want to set it up but maybe two friends are dating and they invite their two seperate friend groups on this trip to meet. Or maybe it’s a wedding and OC is a bridesmaid? Anything works honestly!) - @silviasgotyourback

Description: You’re not too keen on…you know…risk-taking. In fact, it scares you to your core. But when your close friend Kim Namjoon gets in your head, you agree to a crazy trip to Fiji with him and his pals. But what happens when one of those pals – specifically Park Jimin – sweeps you off your feet not only figuratively, but literally?

Word Count: 15.8k

Pairing: Jimin x (gender neutral) Reader

Tags: Office Worker!Reader, Choreographer!Jungkook, Producer!Namjoon, Non-Idol!Au, Kinda Enemies to Lovers?? Haha idk

Genre: Fluff and angst, fluffy ending

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol

A/N: Wow what a long break I’ve taken haha! But I’m back (kinda) to post some one shots (slowly)! I’ve been working really hard on my graduate school writing sample and auto statements, and I’ve just started my senior year of college AND started a new job so I’ve been incredibly busy! I apologize nonetheless for my absence. It’s felt horrible being away. Very guilty lol. Anyway, thank you my dear for requesting and for being so so so SO patient with me. I hope you like the result!

Also, if you want to follow me on Twitter please do so! My handle is @/nirvana_namu. I would post a link, but rumor has it Tumblr killed links and I’m not taking any chances.

- Mercury

You’re not sure why you agreed to this.

Standing at the tippy top of a mountain, looking out over the entire surf as it roils in the golden island sun, you watch your best friend get strapped into a harness with a laugh that echoes through the humid air. His gaze is focused downward, along the slope of treetops leading to the water. A zipline. A really steep, really fast one. One of the longest in the world! Namjoon had proclaimed with no small measure of wonder in his round eyes before you’d boarded the plane side by side only a day prior. If you weren’t so scared, you’d want to paint it.

You really don’t know why you agreed to do any of this.

The vested employee adjusts the straps secured around Namjoon’s hips, tugs them once or twice — not nearly enough by your standards — and mumbles something unintelligible into the receiver of a walkie-talkie. Enveloped in greenery, Namjoon pauses to turn and look at you and, upon snagging your eyes, offers a big, stupid, dimpled grin. He waves one hand over his head at you as you wait to be loaded into the next harness. And it looks like his eyes are squinted against the sun, but really they’re squinted from the sheer force of his joy. A joy too big to be contained in a smile alone.

That’s exactly why, you think to yourself with a grimace as you shamble forward along the worn footpath, second-to-last in line, arms crossed over your torso as if they can protect you from whatever fresh hell Namjoon’s planned out.

The employee pats Namjoon’s bare shoulder before releasing him and sending him speeding down the swaying cable with a scream so loud it pierces your ears. His body falls out of sight for a frozen millisecond before the cable gives a mighty bounce and his head reappears, bobbing up and down as he slides toward the bottom. You wince, more out of fear than discomfort, and pause to peek over the edge of the loading platform, following the line of the cable all the way to the bottom. Your heart races as your eyes trace the dense tree line, seemingly endless, and the sheer drop that had claimed Namjoon just seconds before.

And that’s when, as you sweep your twitching gaze out behind you, you lock eyes with Park Jimin. Standing behind you, the very last of the group to depart down the cliffside, his lips are quirked into a smirk that reads cocky and his brows are raised, unyielding eyes stuck on you like tree sap. Of all people to be stuck with on the top of a mountain…

Your face goes hot and your spine stiffens by a few degrees. You stare back at him, trying to discern any measure of fear in his smiling expression, his half-exposed teeth, his rosy cheeks, his teasing brown eyes. But instead all you see is, as usual, a perfect facade of composure.

Well, that and a sinfully handsome face.

He saunters up beside you, scans you from head to toe, and hums a little. “Nervous?” he asks, as if he doesn’t already know.

You clear your throat, fan yourself with your hand as a futile defense against the jungle heat, and nod your head once. “Mm.”

Upon hearing your response, Jimin’s demeanor shifts a little. He uncrosses his arms and his smirk slips, brows raising. He leans closer to examine your face and you avert your gaze, heart hammering. “Whoa, you’re actually spooked, huh,” he remarks before glancing around the platform. “Shit, I don’t think the guide’s gonna let you turn back now.”

You’d expected him to make fun of you, perhaps laugh at your weak constitution. But this…

This is new.

Though well-meaning, Jimin’s words serve only to set your palms sweating and your heart racing faster. Your throat feels a little funny, tight like asthma. You shift your weight from foot to foot. “I-It’s fine,” you mumble, sliding past him as the employee beckons you forward with a lazy wave. “I’ll just…do it.”

Jimin hangs close behind you as the employee begins strapping you in, not sparing even a single word for you. “Hey, uh, my friend’s a little nervous,” Jimin says lowly to the young man working on hooking the harness around your hip. He glances up to meet your eyes before looking toward Jimin. “Any way you can, like, go gentle or something?” Jimin offers a convincing smile, the kind of grin that could get anyone to do anything.

The employee surprises you by releasing a puffy laugh and straightening to his full height, pausing to pat the dust off the backs of his legs. He chuckles and pats your back. “I can’t control the cable,” he says, then pauses for a moment to think. “But…,” he continues as Jimin turns pleading eyes his way, “if you’re feeling really nervous, I’ve heard it helps to shut your eyes and count to ten. Like, tell yourself you’re definitely gonna do it once you reach ten and just…go.”

You swallow hard and inhale sharply through your nose. “Alright,” you say, but his words have fled from your brain as soon as they’d been uttered. Your voice is shaky. Almost as shaky as your hands as you raise them to grip the straps of your harness.

Have you always had such a strong grip?

Your brain goes a little fuzzy, looking out over the precipice on which you stand, unsteady feet and rushing pulse. It’s dizzying. Like the world is spinning, but you’re not spinning with it. Or perhaps you’re spinning and it’s the world that’s gone still. Either way, the stretch of trees extending far beyond the tips of your hiking boots looks like it’s swaying on an axis, and each blink tilts the view some different way. You wonder if you’re breathing enough, or maybe too much, because your head is spinning. Like when you stand up too quickly after sitting for a while. You wonder if you’ll pass out before you reach the bottom.

If you reach the bottom.

Jesus, you hadn’t even considered the possibility of this stupid cable snapping. It doesn’t look too stable, upon closer inspection. Bouncing in the breeze. And as the employee finishes strapping you in, you pause for a moment to move your legs about and find, to your horror, that the straps are slightly loose.

Oh God.

You’re gonna throw up.

“Hey,” says a soft voice from beside you.

You feel a warm hand slide along the skin of your upper back, resting to cup your shoulder. Slowly, you turn your toward Jimin, standing with one arm wrapped around you and the other braced on his own knee so he can level his eyes with yours. He’s smiling a little. A different one this time, a soft one. The wind blows his dark hair from his eyes and carries the scent of his cologne. Somehow, you feel yourself relax a little against his side.

“It’s gonna be okay, alright?” he asks gently, and this is an entirely new Park Jimin to you. A tender young man with kind eyes. He smiles again and gives your shoulder a squeeze. “I’m right behind you.”

And for some reason, that comforts you. You don’t have time to dissect it however, as the employee takes up your other side and raises his brows, asking silently if you’re ready to go. Of course, you aren’t. How can you be? But again, Jimin squeezes your shoulder and seizes your attention with another smile, this one turning his eyes to crescents as he nods his head.

“Um…yeah,” you say, taking a moment to focus on your breath.

“Remember,” says Jimin as he steps away from you. “Count to ten, okay?”

“Okay,” you say, shutting your eyes.

One.

You’re gonna do it.

Two.

On ten, you’re just gonna go.

Three.

It’ll be fine.

Four.

Joon did it, and he’s fine.

Five.

And Tae before him, and that guy Jimin brought.

Six.

Nobody’s died yet.

Seven.

You can do it too.

Eight.

And even if I’m scared, at least you’re not alone up here.

Nine.

Jimin’s right behind you.

Ten.

Your scream rips through the valley below.

And, seconds later, so does your unfettered laughter.

You met Park Jimin on the worst day of your life a month ago. Freshly laid off from your job as a financial analyst — a job which Namjoon disliked from the start —, and disappointed by a string of bad dates after a catastrophic breakup, you’d agreed to meet up with a few college friends for a drink at your local stomping ground. You’d found Jimin sitting in the middle of a smoky bar with a girl on one arm and a guy on the other. Gross, was all you’d thought in passing. You’d paid him little mind, too busy wallowing in your own self pity to think too hard about any one thing, but it seemed he was incessant on grabbing your attention by any means necessary.

You’d sidled up to the bar, awaiting Namjoon’s I’m here text, and had only just ordered your drink when the strange young man with the unusually bright smile took up the space beside you. Now alone, he offered you a grin and his hand for you to shake. For a few seconds, you only stared at his outstretched palm. At the lines cutting across it. What was that long line called? The life line?

Eventually, however, you realized he wasn’t going anywhere, planted firmly in the wobbly barstool to your right, and you relented with a handshake. But that wasn’t what this stranger was after. He yanked you just a little once your hands connected.

“Hey, honey!” he said as he pulled you in toward his chest, sweeping you up in a tight, firm hug that knocked the wind from your lungs.

You were neither playful enough nor drunk enough to reciprocate and instead sat there stiffly, arms pressed against your sides as the stranger with the cute face hugged you close. Over his shoulder, you locked eyes with the girl who’d previously ornamented his left arm, watching you keenly, and it didn’t take you long to understand what was going on.

“Dodging an ex?” you whispered without moving your lips too much.

You felt a wave of shivers trace up your spine and it only took you a few seconds to realize why. It was just the sort of thing you imagined Hanseul doing if he ever bumped into you…

He chuckled. “Two, actually,” he responded as the young man he’d been entertaining also lifted his eyes from his drink to give you a once-over.

You sighed. “You’d better be buying my drink,” was all you said as the two of you broke away.

He’d laughed — that melodic sort of laugh that made you feel a little floaty — and rubbed your shoulder with a grin. “I’ll buy you twenty,” he joked, sliding the bartender a bill as he returned with your cocktail.

“So how’d you manage to get caught up with two exes at once?” you asked, nursing your glass.

He rubbed his jaw and shook his head, smiling at the bar table before him. “They were friends to begin with,” he said. And when you said nothing, only recoiled slightly, he met your eyes with a bright laugh. “C’mon don’t give me that look!”

You cleared your throat, turned away, and worked your straw between your teeth. “I dunno, sounds like maybe you brought it on yourself then,” you said, taking a healthy sip.

The stranger laughed again — more like a disbelieving scoff — and adjusted one of the several rings on his slender fingers. “Well I didn’t ask the two of them to come out tonight,” he said with a shrug. “And besides, neither of them looked unhappy to see me.”

“Ugh,” you mumbled, eyeing him sidelong as he chuckled.

He smirked and leaned across the bar toward you. “What?” he asked, and something about the heavy-lidded look he gave you, the simmering something in his eyes, made your pulse quicken. He rested his cheek in his hand and cocked his head to the side, now close enough to smell a whiff of his cologne. “You think I’m a bad guy?”

You swallowed hard before downing the rest of your drink and slamming the glass back on the bar. You waved the bartender over and pointed to the empty glass. Wordlessly, he began fixing you a replacement. You peeked back at the guy to find him smiling at you, musing perhaps, with the strangest mix of curiosity and pity in his expression.

You were definitely going to need another drink.

“Do good guys usually do stuff like that?” you asked, watching the bartender as he shook your drink around his metal tumbler.

He chuckled. “Can goodness be quantified by things like who we date?” he asked.

You stiffened. “Not by who you date,” you continued, shaking your head as memories of your own ex resurfaced. “But who you hurt, sure.”

He rolled his eyes, swiveling in his barstool to look at you head on. “Why’s it my fault who gets hurt?” he asked.

You cocked a brow. “You…can’t be serious…” But from the expression he wore you were certain that he was indeed quite serious.

He shrugged. “It’s not my intention to hurt someone, so why do I have to take responsibility if they get hurt?” he asked, then smirked and gave your thigh a nudge with his knee. “The way I see it, if you get hurt you’re the one whose expectations were too high.”

“That’s gross,” you said, inching away. You were inclined to simply leave, abandon this conversation and the bar at large and call it a night. But the bartender wasn’t finished with your drink and you weren’t about to piss him off. Not on a day like today. “If you’re dating someone, you’re committing to them.”

“What about polyamorous people?” he countered with a smug grin.

You rolled your eyes. “I’m not talking about polyamorous people. I’m talking about monogamy.”

“But why does everyone expect monogamy?” asked Jimin, tossing his hands up in the air with a breathy laugh. “Anyway, I always make it clear from the start that I’m not the kind of person who wants to be…well, you know…,” he started, then furrowed his brow and waved his hand. “Like, in a relationship.”

You sighed, nodded your thanks to the bartender as he slid you your drink, and watched as Jimin again offered cash in return. “And that’s fine, but you can’t expect someone to stick around and be okay with that.” You rubbed your temples as memories swirled together. “Be okay with half of you.”

If you really loved me, you’d understand that I could have any person in the world and you’d still be my number one!

Scumbag.

This gave him pause and, slowly, he shifted his eyes your way once more, scanning you. “Half of me?”

You nodded and downed a gulp of your drink with a wince. “Giving half is fine if the other person is giving half too. If you both only expect half,” you began, then ran your hands along your neck. Your skin was feverish, alcohol making your head light. “But if one person wants more, it’s not fair to string them along.”

He stared at you gravely, eyes hard and jaw set, and furrowed his brow. “That’s too old-school,” he said.

You huffed and crossed your arms. “It’s not old-school!” you said, wagging a finger at him. “It’s about respecting the other person enough to let them go when you realize you can’t be what they need.”

He pouted a little and rolled his eyes. “You sound ancient,” he said, then paused to give you a knowing smirk. “Wait, don’t tell me,” he began, scooting closer with a conspiratorial look. “You were scorned by your ex. Like…I dunno, like they cheated or something. Broke your heart, ruined your trust, blah, blah, blah. And now you’ve got this vendetta or something because you got hurt.” He grinned and wiggled his brows.

You stiffened, eyes wide, and stared at him. “I…,” you began.

He laughed from his gut and nodded. “Ah, nailed it, didn’t I?” he asked.

There was a cruel edge to his teasing, an ill-intentioned bite that felt like it was made to injure. You couldn’t quite put your finger on why, but you knew you felt it in that hazy bar, surrounded by throngs of people gathered here and there, enveloped in smoke and conversation. But like a heat-seeking missile, it seemed his words were engineered to uncover the softest parts of you and destroy them.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was something else, but your eyes welled with tears and your throat constricted. You stared at him, this stranger who had pegged you without err, and felt the weight of your frustrations pressing down on the tops of your shoulders like sandbags. And as he perceived the shift in your expression, his own face changed from a cold sort of scrutiny to a round-eyed concern that washed away all evidence of his previous behavior.

“Oh shit,” he said, standing up and blocking your face from view. You felt a few hot tears spilling over and were quick to wipe them, but the humiliation was there on display whether you cried or not.

He’d gotten you.

Luckily for you, Namjoon’s timing had been particularly impeccable that day and he’d barreled into the bar with a lopsided grin and clapped both you and the stranger on the backs, Taehyung and Yoongi sauntering behind him. You’d startled a bit, jumping slightly at his approach, but once again luckily — or perhaps unluckily — Namjoon seemed to have little regard for the poor mood he’d stepped into and didn’t seem to notice your glassy eyes as you buried your nose in your drink.

“Well jeez, look at you two already getting acquainted!” Namjoon exclaimed with a big laugh.

You paused your sipping for a moment to slide only your eyes up toward your friend. “Huh?”

He blinked down at you, one hand still clamped onto the stranger’s shoulder, and raised his brows. “Didn’t I tell you I was inviting some work friends?”

You spat your drink, sending droplets of sweet alcohol splattering across the bar. Quick to right yourself, you faced Namjoon properly and, sputtering, replied, “Him?”

Namjoon laughed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you guys didn’t introduce yourselves,” he said, adding theatrics to his heavy sigh. “This is Park Jimin. That choreographer I’ve been telling you about? He’s coming with us to Fiji.”

Still coughing up the remains of your rum and Coke, you pat your chest. This was the kind-hearted dance major wunderkind who dazzled everyone at Namjoon’s entertainment company? This was the kid who, at the age of twenty-four, had more accolades than both his predecessors combined? This was the guy who befriended all the trainees and brought them sports drinks during long days of practice?

This was the guy you were going to spend two weeks with on an island in the middle of the Pacific?

Namjoon, standing between the two of you, moved to taste your drink and as he leaned forward you locked eyes with the acclaimed young choreographer over the plane of his back. Park Jimin stared at you with wide eyes and lips parted as if to speak. But even after Namjoon had straightened up and begun complaining about your drink order, Park Jimin, still with mouth agape, said nothing.

And so, as you go ripping through the jungle on a wobbling cable, screaming and laughing and crying just a little, you wonder how exactly that very same Park Jimin is the one who comforted you into taking this leap of faith. Below your dangling feet is a patchwork of different greens, all bleeding into a motion blur as your body is propelled down toward the bottom platform. As you slide along, you can just see Namjoon’s figure, reduced to a small silhouette amongst the trees, as he stands waving like mad at the edge of the platform. Laughing, you shoot both hands above your head and wave them around, causing you to sway on the cable. Startled, you quickly return your hands to gripping the straps near your chest.

You feel like a bullet whizzing through humid air and then, all at once, friction takes hold once more and you seize, eyes squeezing shut from the whiplash, head throbbing just a little, suspended over the platform. You are greeted by a chorus of applause and hollers of encouragement as the employee begins the process of disconnecting you from your harness and, as your feet land stiffly on the concrete slab, you lift wild eyes to meet Namjoon’s. You find him still with that grin plastered across his face, hair windswept, shirt askew.

“Wow!” is all you can say as the group laughs.

Namjoon smiles and claps your shoulder. “Right?” he asks and you can only nod and turn your eyes back up toward the cliff from which you’d descended.

Now far too distant to discern amongst the foliage, the loading platform sits somewhere lost in green. And, without meaning to, your mind wanders back to Park Jimin and you wonder idly if he’s counting to ten.

Sunset drenches the island as you lounge on the warm sand, leaning back on your elbows with eyes half-shut as you gaze out at the glittering ocean touching the horizon line. The sky is darkening by degrees, with vibrant reds and oranges spreading like watercolor into the navy blue edges. And for a blissful moment, you’re alone with it. Alone with the profound. And you’re not thinking about the new job you’d taken, or the text messages Hanseul left you this morning, or the bills you know you’ve got to pay soon. You’re not thinking about anything.

It’s beautiful.

Of course, it’d be more beautiful with a pina colada, but you don’t let your mind linger there too long. After all, Namjoon said this trip was supposed to be about adventure and ‘finding yourself’. You aren’t sure how much of yourself you can really find at the bottom of a fruity drink.

Namjoon invited you on this trip a year ago. He’d done it in typical Namjoon fashion: calling you up at two in the morning and rambling incoherently for a while before eventually getting to the point. You’d become so used to his pipe dreams that you’d half expected this plan to fall through like the others. The second the words left his lips, you’d rolled your eyes.

“What I’m saying is,” he began, breathless over the phone, as you push yourself up onto your bottom, bed sinking beneath you, “let’s go to Fiji.”

“Joon…,” you groaned. “Please, I have work tomorrow-,”

“Listen, fuck your job,” he said and you could practically see him waving his hands like a man gone mad. “This is important. Like…might be the most important thing we’ve ever done together, you know?”

“Where is this even coming from?” you asked, stifling a yawn. You glanced out your window and saw the city painted black, pinpricks of yellow office building lights.

He sighed. “I was looking up tropical music for this new song I’m working on for the trainees and I stumbled upon this incredible video about Fiji.”

“Like a generic white girl vlog?” you asked with a laugh, but Namjoon seemed deathly serious as he remained silent. You paused a moment. “Wait, you’re like…for real with this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, of course.” He was quiet. “I just…I dunno…I guess, while we’re still young enough to do it, I wanna experience something incredible. While we still can. While things are still like this.”

“What do you mean?” You raised a hand to open your window, let in some cool night air, but as you jammed your hand along the pane, the thing only rattled dumbly in response. You huffed, focused.

“I mean life is transient and nothing’s guaranteed,” he said. “Who knows who we’ll be tomorrow, you know? Who knows how long these moments will last?”

You stilled for a moment, staring out your closed window, hand still poised to force it open. You glanced over your shoulder at your tiny apartment — clothes strewn over every piece of furniture, easel gathering dust in the corner of your living room, unused for the better part of a year, paintings still unhung propped against walls on the floor — and couldn’t help but sigh. As silver moonlight filtered in through your curtains, you felt an unfamiliar tug in your chest. A longing that didn’t make sense.

You had the job, the boyfriend, the social life…

You had it all.

But why did Namjoon’s words make you feel so hollow?

And before you even realized what you were doing, you replied, “How much is it gonna cost?”

“What’re you thinking about?” asks a soft voice from beside you.

Startled, you scramble slightly, sending a spray of sand flying through the air. You sputter a little, having inhaled too quickly for your lungs to handle, and squint against the golden sun. But as you settle enough to face the person beside you, you’re surprised to see it’s Jimin. Sunset drenches the expanse of shoreline, catches in the ends of his black hair, outlines the side of his rosy cheek as he gives you an easy smile.

You raise your brows. “Hm?”

He chuckles, rubs the back of his neck, and shrugs as he digs the heels of his hands into the sand, leans back on them. “Just…looked pensive.”

“Pensive…,” you repeat, mulling it over. You purse your lips. “I guess just…thinking about this trip.”

“What about it?”

“Just…why I even bothered coming,” you begin, then chuckled and eyed him sidelong. “You saw how I was today. The whole…adventure thing isn’t really my scene.”

He smiles, revealing on closer inspection one charming crooked tooth, and tilts his head to the side. “What do you mean? You looked like you were having the time of your life!” he says, nudging you with his elbow.

You smile at your knees, now pulled toward your chest, and sigh. “Thanks for saying that, but you know I was a mess.”

He pouts a little. “You weren’t.”

Glancing his way, you find him with furrowed brows staring distantly at the ocean. “Mm…,” you mumble in response.

He sighs. “You were scared,” he begins, then shrugs. “But you did it anyway. What’s so bad about that?”

You sense that he’s perhaps talking about something else while talking about you. Like he’s saying two things at once. But you don’t bother prying. Instead, you simply sigh and join him staring at the surf.

“It’s beautiful, huh?” you remark as the two of you sit side by side. And there’s a gentle sort of quiet between you, one you never expected to share with someone like Jimin.

But somehow, here he is. And looking at him as he watches the waves splash forward and recede, you can’t help but feel a little guilty for your attitude towards him. Guilty for the dread you’d felt as you boarded the plane behind him. Guilty for the scowl you’d worn as he walked beside you on the trail up to the zipline today. Guilty for the complaints you’d aired to Namjoon about him.

“Yeah,” he says with a pleasant, lazy smile.

Birdsongs welcome you to the fresh island morning. Lazily, you roll onto your side and peel your eyes open, straining against the sunlight pouring in through your ocean-facing windows. You yawn, pushing yourself up onto your bottom to stretch sore arms above your head. You twist your torso this way and that, crack your knuckles, point your toes as you extend your legs before you. The room is filled with bright morning light, all hardwood floors and tapestries on the walls. You glance around your bedroom – one of eight private rooms in this massive Airbnb – and realize with a start that this is the first morning in years that you haven’t immediately grabbed for your phone to check for work emails.

You expect, perhaps, to be unnerved by this. This lack of structure, lack of organization.

But, perhaps more unsettlingly, you are…

Surprisingly calm.

You shake your head and pad on bare feet into the bathroom beside your room. As you brush your teeth, you lock sleepy eyes with your reflection and can’t help but crack a little smile. For the first time in a long time, you look like you’ve had a proper night’s sleep.

You emerge in the living room a few moments later to find Taehyung – Namjoon’s stylist friend – and Seokjin – Namjoon’s actor friend – still sleeping on the couch, the TV still droning on as they’d likely forgotten to turn it off. And, standing in the kitchen by himself nursing a cup of coffee and a calm smile, is Namjoon. He’s caught a bit of a tan, glowing in the gentle sunlight, and his eyes are warm and fond as he looks out across the living room at his friends.

As quietly as you can manage, you maneuver around the sleeping boys and take a place beside Namjoon, resting a hip against the marble counter. “Morning,” he says softly.

You nod once. “Morning,” you repeat, and hold your hand out for his mug of coffee, wiggling your eager fingers. He chuckles and relents without much fight, offering the handle to you carefully. You take a warm, welcome sip and sigh. “How’d you sleep?” you ask.

He hums a little and adjusts the sleeve of his loose tee. “So tired I didn’t even dream,” he says with a laugh.

Smiling you reply, “Me either.”

He eyes you with a knowing smile and squints a little. Like he’s teasing you. “You like it here, don’t you?” he asks.

You roll your eyes and give his shoulder a healthy shove. He laughs in response, but says nothing more as you sweep your gaze out toward the wall of windows leading down to the beach. It’s immaculate in the morning time. Not a single silhouette dots the shoreline, only fishing boats just beyond the surf. Tourists are still asleep, you reckon, and you feel a little proud to not be one of them sleeping away the most beautiful hours of the day. You can see faint traces of clouds ringing the horizon, and the pastel yellows of sunrise giving way to the azure blue sky.

“It’s…really nice,” you admit with a nod, sipping the coffee once more. And, without meaning to, you think of Jimin yesterday. His hand on your shoulder, his comforting words reminding you to ground yourself before you floated away. “Yeah…,” you add, concealing an unintended smile.

Namjoon, however, has always been the smarter one out of the two of you and, predictably, he catches this shift in your expression and turns to you head on with raised brows. “Whoa!” he remarks with a grin. He points to your face with his index finger. “Look at that!”

You swat his hand away with a laugh and roll your eyes. “Lay off, alright? I’m having a good time. Isn’t that the whole point?”

He chuckles and sighs as he rests once more beside you. Gently, he lifts a hand to softly pat the top of your head. You’re certain your shock registers plainly on your face as he pats again. “I’m proud of you,” he says.

And in the simplest of phrases, he’s managed to pluck something profound from inside of you. You don’t need to ask to know precisely what he means.

Why does it make you want to cry?

“Morning,” says a quiet voice from behind Namjoon and, leaning slightly so you can see around your friend’s broad chest, you notice Jimin standing there and can’t help but smile.

He glances between Namjoon and you for a few seconds, brows lifted as if in question, before Namjoon clears his throat and wordlessly excuses himself, snatching his coffee on his way back into the living room where he begins rallying the boys awake.

You sigh, running a finger along the countertop’s perfect edge. “What’s on the agenda for today?” asks Jimin as he settles beside you.

You pause to think. “Um…,” you begin, tapping your lips with your fingers. “I think…,” you continue, musing as you begin to work your lower lip between your index finger and thumb. “Something about ATVs.”

But before you’ve even finished your sentence, Jimin has seized your hand in his and is now standing so close you can smell the scent of his detergent wafting up from his pajama shirt. He stares down at you with heavy-lidded eyes and a smirk, gaze flashing around your face before landing on your lips as he pulls both your hands down toward your shoulder. Your heart begins to race, eyes wide, skin hot where his fingers touch yours, and you swallow hard as he chuckles a few times, his breath fanning out across your warm face.

“Sorry,” he says, voice low and breathy. “It was distracting.” He then drops your hand and swivels on his heel, back toward the hallway from which he’d come. He pauses, however, to shoot you a wink over his shoulder. “Hard to focus when you do that,” he says, tapping his own plump lower lip with his fingertip before offering a wave and meandering down the hall.

And you stand there dumb, heart pounding so loud you can’t hear the crashing waves just outside the window.

You were shocked when you found out Hanseul had been messing around behind your back. Gutted, really. If it hadn’t been for Hanseul leaving his Instagram logged on to your phone, you’d probably never have found out to begin with. He’d always been that sort of guy, though.

Reckless.

And how very cliche, you’d thought as you read through months of exchanged messages, that he’d exchanged you like a used car for a newer model once he’d gotten tired of you. You dragged your finger almost lazily across the screen, brows raised as you rested on your couch, reruns of The Office blending into background noise. And where perhaps you’d expected hurt and resentment, you found only a grim acceptance.

Of course, you thought to yourself with a strange chuckle as you read the most recent message. A sappy sort of love IM that made your stomach churn. Riddled with sentimentality and grand platitudes, the messages reminded you of the ones you’d exchanged with Hanseul in the beginning. The ones that made you hopeful. Of course.

Somewhere amongst that grim acceptance, however, was something you didn’t expect. Something primal. A sort of fear that had no name.

Fear, perhaps, of the implications.

Fear of all the things that would have to change, all the comforts you’d known for years chipping away like old paint left on the wall too long.

And so, like a house of cards, your world shook and crumbled mightily down to its very foundation.

You’re slack-jawed as you stare at the row of ATVs standing equidistant before you. Eight identical machines pointed down the rolling hills behind you. An instructor standing with a grin and hands on her hips as she watches you scan the locomotives with your eyes wide and round. Beside you is Namjoon, smiling too broadly for his face to accommodate, with Seokjin and Taehyung drowsily fighting yawns. Jimin stands on your other side, arms crossed as he smirks at the ATVs like he’s done it all and seen it all before. His friend Jungkook is practically vibrating with anticipation, and Hoseok – another choreographer from the company – stands whispering in low tones with Yoongi, the young PD Namjoon never stops talking about.

The imposing green trees sway in the breeze around you: all potential threats as your group nears the line of ATVs. You wonder just how long you can manage on one of the things before hitting one of those tall waving trees. Anxiously, you glance over your shoulder at the hills extending as far as you can see. More possibilities for horrific injury.

As you tromp through the yielding sand underfoot, you feel someone step closer to you and you don’t need to lift your eyes from your boots to know who it is.

“You know, if you’re scared-,” Namjoon begins, but you silence him with a look, gaze severe.

He raises his hands in surrender before chuckling and patting your shoulder. He says nothing more as he swerves around you to hook his elbow around Taehyung’s neck. The two, laughing, continue toward the row of ATVs. Taking a moment to manage your breath, you press your palm against the rubber handle. You shut your eyes.

One.

You’re getting on this fucking ATV.

Two.

You’ve come this far, you can’t chicken out now.

Three.

You always chicken out.

Four.

When was the last time you did something that scared you this much?

Five.

Well…yesterday.

Six.

Before that though.

Seven.

When was the last time you took a risk?

Eight.

When was the last time you did something you wanted to do?

Nine.

Something you really wanted…

Ten.

You take a long inhale, nod once, and swing your leg over the side of the ATV. With both shaking hands gripping the handlebars, you glance to the side to see everyone else has mounted their vehicles, except for one. Jimin stands at the end of the line, talking with the guide too quietly to hear, but the way he’s waving his hands makes it seem like there’s a problem. The guide glances around, brows knit, before shrugging his shoulders and cupping a hand around the side of his mouth to shout.

“Hey guys! Looks like we’re one ATV short! Someone’s gonna have to share!” he calls, and grumbles resound around the group.

Beside you, Namjoon and Taehyung complain about having to share, both clearly not too keen on offering Jimin a spot on their ATV. You briefly feel bad for him, standing on the edge without a place to go to. You wonder if he feels left out, or if perhaps he’s considering staying back so the guide can show you the way. Without meaning to, you turn your head and lock eyes with Jimin and the instant you to you wish you hadn’t. Because now his eyes have lit up and his face is splitting in a small, hopeful smile.

And you know you’re cooked.

With a sigh, you raise your hand and wave it like mad, beckoning Jimin over. After all that, the breathing exercises and everything, after finding your courage, here you are handing over the reins.

“You can ride with me,” you say with a sigh as Jimin emerges at your side, smiling bright.

“Thank you,” he says with a laugh before hoisting himself up behind you.

“Oh!” you exclaim as Jimin rests his hands on his knees, right beside your thighs. He leans around your side and eyes you with wide brows. “I figured you’d wanna drive…,” you say, face going hot.

He blinks at you for a moment longer than normal before splitting into a grin and nudging your hip with his knee. “Well why would I do that?” he asks, rolling his eyes. “You looked really determined.”

Just like that, he understands exactly how you feel.

Startled, you turn to face him halfway, twisting your torso awkwardly as you lock eyes. He’s still smiling, still bright. The apples of his cheeks are redder than yesterday, and the bridge of his nose. A sunburn. He looks peaceful. As if he trusts you to drive this massive machine. As if it’s not even a thought that’s crossed his mind.

As if he never even considered taking this ATV from you.

“You guys ready?” shouts the guide with a hoot.

The boys around you holler their responses but you stay silent, still just staring at Jimin as he shields his face from the sun with one hand, still smiling, still peaceful.

You grip the handlebars and kick the ATV to life.

You first met Namjoon when you were in high school. He was a grade above you, so you’d never had reason to speak with him. Aside from passing him in the halls every now and again, you didn’t really interact with him at all. But things changed when he approached you after class as you finished cleaning off the blackboards. You’d stayed behind not because you wanted to, but because your classmate had pawned their classroom duties on you after a miserable game of Gin Rummy at lunch. You hadn’t protested much once the responsibility had fallen on your shoulders.

Another excuse to avoid going home.

Bony knuckles rapped against the blackboard beside your head and you jumped out of your skin, releasing a scream several octaves higher than you anticipated. But as the moment of panic passed, you realized with a start that the one who’d roused your attention was indeed upperclassman Kim Namjoon. And there he stood with a small dimpled smile and gentle eyes scanning you. You weren’t sure what he was looking for when he looked at you, but the way he tilted his head to the side made you think that perhaps he’d found it.

“Hey,” he said, face outlined by the last golden rays of autumn daylight.

You swallowed hard and took half a step back toward the podium. “Uh…hi…?”

“This yours?” he asked, dangling a sketchbook before you with one hand.

It took you several moments of squinting at the Strathmore sketchbook to realize that, in fact, it was yours. Your name was right there in the right corner where you’d scribbled it a month ago. And there was the tear in the cover from when your mother had tried to rip the thing from your hands – unsuccessfully.

A rush of fear swelled through you and you snatched the pad from his outstretched hands like you were a prisoner and he was offering you food. Scared he’d rescind his offer if given even a moment to think it over. And as you clutched the thing to your chest, you scanned him with narrowed eyes.

“Where did you get this?” you asked. You were certain you had kept it safely in your bookbag since lunch. But glancing at the bookbag again, you found it surprisingly empty.

Namjoon raised his brows and raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said, then chuckled with a shrug. “What kind of thief would return the thing they stole anyway?”

You paused for a moment, brows furrowed, before sighing and nodding. “I guess that’s true,” you admitted before gently guiding the sketchbook back into the mouth of your backpack. “Um…,” you hedged as you turned back to the guy. You held out your hand to him and he rolled up the long sleeve of his uniform cardigan to take it in his own. “Thanks,” you finished with a shake.

He shook his head. “Don’t mention it,” he said, laughing a little. “Had to ask around to find out which class you were in though.”

You felt a warm bloom of embarrassment and pulled your hand away, shoving it back into your pocket and averting your eyes. “I don’t have a job or anything,” you said.

He blinked at you. “Hm? What’re you talking about?”

You rubbed the side of your arm and shrugged. “My family’s kinda poor too. Like, we do fine, but my parents are really serious about money so…,”

“What’s your point?” asked Namjoon with wide, curious brown eyes.

You stared at him for a moment, puzzled, before continuing. “Aren’t you gonna ask for, like, reward money or something?”

He released a booming, chesty laugh before waving his arms like mad and shaking his head. “No! God, do I look like a thug to you?”

You eyed him from top to bottom and shrugged. “I don’t really know what a thug is supposed to look like.”

He sighed and gripped the bridge of his nose between his fingertips. “Forget the money,” he said, pausing to give you a warm smile. “I just wanted to meet the person who made those drawings.”

You went stiffer than a board. For a moment, time stood still. Namjoon froze before you, the gently falling leaves outside the classroom window froze, and you froze too. Like your feet were rooted to the ground.

“You…did you look through it?” you asked softly, too horrified to raise your voice above a bare whisper.

He nodded. “Of course,” he said. “I was looking for a phone number or something on the inside flap, but then I got distracted by the art.”

“You…”

“You’re really talented,” he said, offering another big smile. “Like, you could go pro if you wanted to.”

You swallowed hard, your throat constricting, and chucked the dirty blackboard eraser on the podium with a puff of fine dust. Without another word, you zipped up your backpack and slung it over your shoulders. You walked past him quickly, not even sparing him a glance, and walked faster when he followed you, calling after you and begging you to turn around.

Namjoon followed you around for a month after that: waiting outside your classroom after school, catching you off guard as you sketched in the courtyard during your lunch break, walking his bike behind you as you led the way to the bus stop, cheering for you at the sports festival and causing you to miss the volleyball coming straight for you. Every time he’d come around, you’d turn grey with horror and you wouldn’t say a word. But luckily for you, Namjoon said plenty enough for both of you. It was always, When are you gonna join the drawing club?or,You should start working on a portfolio, or, If you love art so much, why aren’t you applying to an arts college?

You didn’t bother asking how he knew where you were applying. As you’d gotten to know him, you’d begun to understand his uncanny ability to secure sensitive information from teachers. It seemed they all loved him about as much as you despised him. Not long after that comment, you finally began responding when he spoke to you. And you even began bickering like real friends.

After a while, you grew accustomed to him being around all the time. To the point that, when he graduated a year before you and went on to pursue a degree in music, you’d felt almost lonesome without him. And to the point that, when you texted him about your choice to pursue a degree in business, you were almost relieved when he caught the late bus out to your house to scold you.

One day you’re gonna snap, he’d said that night in a moment of calm. You’re gonna finally have enough of living for them. And it’s gonna hurt when it happens. Bad.

But the scolding had never been enough.

Because, in the end, that persistent fear ran like still waters through your body.

You’re realizing more and more that it’s the same fear. That it’s always been the same fear. Back then when you were so scared of losing Hanseul that you considered not even telling him you’d found the messages. In high school when you were too scared to show anyone your sketchbook. Even now, as you straddle the vibrating ATV, Jimin’s arms wrapped lazily around your middle as he giggles behind you, you’re scared to make a single sound for fear of messing up your focus on the hills before you.

If you really think about it, it’s all the same.

When you boil it down to its core, it’s always been the same.

Fear of fucking up.

Like you’ve been walking a tightrope from the start, and any small misstep will result in you plummeting, face first, into the ground below.

Your knuckles go white against your skin as you clutch the handlebars. Stiff, you follow the guide as he vaults over a hill, having no choice but to do the same. You launch your ATV over the sandy bump, sending both you and Jimin flying through the air. And even though a part of you expects to go splat in the dirt, after a few weightless seconds of flight, the two of you return to earth in one piece. This time, it isn’t Jimin’s laughter that startles you.

It’s your own.

“Holy shit!” Namjoon shouts as he runs toward you, face covered in fine dust. He grins at you like you’re his child, and as you slide off the side of the ATV, he sweeps you up in a big hug, laughing. “You did so good!”

You laugh too, patting his flexed bicep, and lean away slightly to get a better look at his dirty face. “God,” you say with a laugh, running the pad of your fingertip along his cheek, leaving behind a stripe of clean skin. “You need a shower, Joon.”

He nods and peels himself away, turning his attention to Jimin behind you. “You don’t look so good,” he remarks with raised brows.

And as you turn to see for yourself, you notice that in fact Jimin doesn’t look so good. Up until then it had been all laughter and smiles and playful squeezes, but now that he was standing in the dirt, arms crossed, leaning back against the ATV with his helmet in his hand, he looked…less than pleased. He watches you and Namjoon with narrowed eyes.

Oh God, you think in a moment of blind panic, I bet he wanted to drive the ATV after all…

But the moment Namjoon approaches and claps his hand against Jimin’s shoulder, the latter perks up and his eyes go bright once more. He turns a grin towards you and offers a big thumbs up. The sky above his waving hair is a perfect blue, and the sun is unrelenting, but somehow his smile is brighter. Carefully, you join the duo and pat the ATV with a sigh. Looking at it now, it doesn’t seem so scary at all. And after all the tips your guide had given throughout the course, you feel ready to do it all again if you get the chance.

Jimin eyes you with a fond smile. “How’d you like it?” he asks.

You hum. “It was…really exhilarating,” you say with a grin. Gently, you reach out your hand for Jimin to shake and without missing a beat he laughs and takes it.

But instead of shaking it, he gives a sharp yank and you go tumbling into his chest. Heart hammering, you struggle to regain your footing, but before you can process what’s going on, Jimin wraps both arms around your back and holds you tight. You’re sure your face reveals your chagrin, so you’re careful to keep it buried in his chest. And although it’s muffled through the fabric of his shirt, you can hear Jimin’s heart thumping quick.

“Thanks for letting me ride with you,” he says quietly against your hair.

You swallow hard, nerves making your hands sweat, and nod once. “Um…yeah, of course.” You can’t help the nervous laugh that escapes your parted lips and, hesitantly, you reach around to pat Jimin’s back with one hand. “It was fun.”

He backs up with a smile, but keeps one hand on your shoulder. “Yeah. Let’s do it again when we get home.”

You laugh again, eyes wide. “Are there ATV courses at home?”

Jimin pauses, purses his lips, and shrugs. “Let’s find out.”

Namjoon snaps his fingers. “Shoot! What time is it?” he asks, brows knitting.

You check the watch around your wrist and squint at it, but it’s hard to focus on anything with Jimin still touching you. “Um…half past two,” you say, brain foggy as Jimin steps closer.

He glances over your shoulder to stare intently at your wristwatch. Easily, he slides his hand along your shoulder blades before letting it rest at the small of your back. You can feel the ends of his hair tickling your hot cheek. He hums a little beside you and nods once, as if he is simply verifying the time. Perhaps he is simply doing that.

“Shoot!” Namjoon exclaims again. “If we don’t leave, like, now we’re gonna be late for snorkeling!”

Without meaning to, you slide your eyes toward Jimin and raise your brows only to find him staring at you with the same expression. The two of you share a knowing look before breaking into small smiles.

“Wouldn’t wanna be late for snorkeling,” Jimin says under his breath as Namjoon jogs back toward the guide, all the while frantically miming with his hands.

You grin. “God forbid.”

Hanseul said something once that really stuck with you. Not the sort of sentimental thing that you thought might’ve stuck with you, but something entirely mundane. Something trivial, something said in passing.

It was a Sunday afternoon. Neither of you had work, so you’d decided to take a nice long drive through the city. The sky was endlessly blue and beautiful, and even though you were just one car in the infinite stream of vehicles on the highway, you felt somehow free. With the windows rolled down all the way and music bumping softly through Hanseul’s car’s speaker, you remember shutting your eyes and just…breathing for a minute. And that was enough.

“Jesus Christ!” Hanseul shouted with a belabored sigh, and your eyes snapped open once more. You were quick to locate the source of his frustration and found, merging into your lane from the right, a massive freight truck. “I will never understand the hubris of semi drivers who think it’s a good idea to pass other semi drivers.”

Settling your racing heart, you sighed and breathed a laugh. “Impatience I guess,” you remarked, but he was prickly beside you and you knew he wasn’t finished.

He scoffed. “As if passing that guy is gonna get him there any faster,” he said, then rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Everyone should just go their own pace.”

And with that, he stopped talking. And you returned to leaning your head against the passenger doorframe, gazing out at the line of cars entering the highway.

The sun is white hot on your bare skin as you tread water, face bobbing just below the ocean’s surface. Floating like a buoy, you squint into the endless blue to catch a glimpse of some wildlife. It’s not as easy as it looks on Instagram, that much is clear to you now. The waves waves are gentle but restless as they rock you around and the plastic of the snorkel pushes uncomfortably against the sensitive skin of your lips. Your arms and legs are still sore from the previous day’s hike, and now your thighs ache from gripping the ATV. But somehow, despite the hardiness of it all, as you float parallel to the ocean floor, you can’t help but stare with wide-eyed wonder every time a flash of red fin or plume of underwater dust catches your eye. And so, mystified, you swim onward.

You feel someone swim up beside you, but it’s too much labor to look and you can’t tear your eyes away from a particularly beautiful fish cresting over the top of some coral beyond your fingertips. It’s only when that someone taps your shoulder that you finally snap from your daze and, blinking quickly, burst out from beneath the water and shove your snorkel to the side. Fearing catastrophe, you turn gasping toward Jimin as he wades beside you with a grin.

And your heart settles down.

You pat your chest a little and sigh. “Jesus,” you mumble.

“Scared you?” he asks, and from this close it’s hard not to get caught up in the brown of his eyes, in the wet ends of his dark hair as they dangle just above his eyebrows.

With the saltwater and the sunlight kissing his skin, he’s practically glowing.

You shake your head. “What’s up?” you ask.

He points with one finger toward the water below and wiggles his brows. “You wanna go down with me? The instructor said it’s really awesome.”

You stare at him for a long moment, trying to discern any malintent or ulterior motive and, upon gleaning none, settle for a nervous, breathy laugh. “Ah, I dunno…,” you say, rubbing your nose with the side of your finger. You look away, toward Jungkook’s fins as they flap violently against the glassy surface of the water. “I’m happy just looking from up here.”

Jimin hums a little. “You sure?” he asks, eyeing you like he knows something you don’t. “You seemed really into it when I came over.”

You swallow hard and your mouth tastes like seawater and anxiety. “No, I’m…,” you start, but it’s weak. The sentence trails into nothing.

He smiles bright enough to blind and you almost have to shield your eyes. “Come on,” he says, offering his hand toward you. “We’ll go down together and come back up together. I’ll hold your hand the whole time.”

You stare at his outstretched fingers, pruny and slightly sunkissed, and ponder for a moment. Were you always so tepid? So lukewarm? Wasn’t there ever a time in your life when you did things just because they sounded fun? Thinking back, it’s hard to pinpoint the precise moment you became so pragmatic, so afraid. Perhaps when your parents told you a career in art wouldn’t work out for you. That you didn’t have the stuff. Perhaps even before that.

But deep down, buried deeper than you’d like you admit, there’s a part of you that’s always wanted to zipline through the jungle. To ride ATVs. To see the coral up close.

That slumbering part of you is beginning to awaken.

And you wonder as you take Jimin’s hand with an uncertain smile if this has been your pace all along.

He giggles and the two of you dive in unison. You follow the instructions the snorkeling teachers gave you on the boat, and you hold your breath just the way you’re supposed to. Nonetheless, the deeper you swim, the cooler the water becomes and the more your nerves begin to rattle.

Only this time, you don’t find it unpleasant. Not at all, actually.

Because Jimin’s hand is warm.

The two of you coast to a stop in front of the vibrant red coral as a school of orange fish rushes by in a wave. You both reel back for only a moment and then, catching each other’s eyes, exchange the biggest smiles your snorkels allow. And boy is Jimin right. It is awesome. You swear you’ve never seen colors like this. Juxtaposed against the perfect blue all around, the coral reef stands like a mountain underwater, fish flying like birds around the jagged pink peaks, hiding in the deep purple. Anemones wave so close you’re tempted to touch them, and as you lean closer for a better look, you see a red seahorse nestled beside a green sea plant. As if sensing you there, the tiny fish scoots out from its cover and makes its way toward you. Eagerly, you extend your index finger and the creature nudges you just slightly before continuing on its way to the other side of the coral barrier.

Your heart is pounding, racing like a sports car and loud like one too. You turn toward Jimin with eyes blown wide and he’s grinning at you, so fond. He gives your hand a squeeze and you can’t help but squeeze back. Wordlessly, he jerks his head toward the surface, and the way the water plays with his hair makes it look like silk. You’re distracted for a moment by how beautiful it is, how beautiful he is, but he squeezes your hand again and once more jerks his chin upward. Ah! You need air!

You only realize it as Jimin makes a motion toward the surface, but now that you’re conscious of it it’s all you can think of. Q

A/N: I have this story originally on my new Wattpad account: @a_sad_pandas_corner, where I will poste the episodes of this series more frequently. So if you want to keep up with the story I recommend you read it there :).

Chapter: Day 1 - The Mystery-man

Genre: Loverboy!Taehyung, Fluff, Angst, smut

Paring: Taehyung X reader

Word-count: 4.3K

Warnings: Sexual content, groping, kissing, pinning, parent-problems, splitting parents. 

Summary: Only few can keep the good and the bad people apart in one look. When your first look upon Kim Taehyung found place, you thought you knew which of the two he was. Some people are wrong in those moments and will move on, but you aren’t ‘some people’ and that has gotten you at wrong places.

Masterlist

Twelve and a half days ago…

 It’s about 11 pm when you hear them again, yelling at each other with all the rage of the world. You’re sitting on your bed, looking down at your hands as you try to ignore all the noise coming from outside your room. Something breaks downstairs, sounding like a vase or maybe a glass? You grab your phone, which lies besides you. You turn up the volume of the music you’re listening right now, focusing on it. It’s now on its highest volume, the noise now making crunching sounds through the song. It’s almost irritating to listen to, but everything is better than the yelling voices of your parents. You lay yourself back on your bed, hiding under your blankets as you close your eyes. Just try to ignore it.

 You were never the type to be influenced by anyone. A strong person, that’s how you saw yourself a year ago. That was until your parents started to have certain problems with each other. Well… these problems were always an issue. It was only until their buckets were full and the ‘issues’ couldn’t be ignored anymore. It was actually about 10 weeks ago that your father called its quits with your mother, after about 2 years of couple’s therapy. Your house fell apart and you are caught right in the middle of it. And of course, that isn’t even the issue. It’s their problem, not yours. But when your mother wakes you up in the middle of night, crying about your father and only talking bad about him, that does make you very sad.

 Why can’t she fucking move on already.

 You suddenly hear a door being slammed close, sounding like the front door. You quickly get out of your bed, holding your phone in your hand as you look out of your window. You see your father walking away from the house, kicking some bushes on the sidewalk out of rage. Your eyes are looking sad as you see him walking away for the hundredth time in the past few weeks. Splitting parents always have business to take care of, like the economic aspects. But they can’t agree on anything. Your mom doesn’t really have a great job, being an elderly-caretaker. And she loves her job. She is one of those people who only wants to give and loves every single human being. She judges no one and wouldn’t want to lose a single soul out of her life. Your father, on the other side, is a train operator and has a solid income. Together they could afford this house. But since my mom can keep the house, she would have to pay it herself, though she obviously can’t. So now they argue about that, along with my mom who just wants her husband back in her life.

You see him turn a corner, now showing his angry-looking face for a split second. He just goes away like that, not caring

 ‘He hasn’t even said goodbye to me’, you whisper to yourself as a tear makes its way down your face.

 You start focusing on the stars, which shining as pretty as always. Your family falls apart and you can’t do anything about it. How things like this can make a strong woman like you, make you cry on a beautiful evening like this. You often blame yourself for making it so personal, to feel so sad about it. Like it’s your own fault for making it influence you. ‘Your father is an asshole’, you hear as your mother comes in. You put off your earphones as you face her. Her eyes look tired as she sits down on your bed and starts to cry. ‘He has a girlfriend (y/n), the same woman from 4 years ago. He has cheated on me’, She almost yells, her face resting in the palms of her hands.

 These nights always go like this. She gets mad at your father for some reason and you have to find your way through it. You love your dad and your mom equally. They don’t understand that, sharing everything with you and slowly makes you broken inside. You would never share your problems with your child like this; you simply don’t know what to do. You feel guilty, sad and just want to get away from the situation. But that’s not today, because your mother needs you. And that’s what you’re going to do. You will hear everything and you will ignore the way you feel about it. Because your mother has no one to turn to, she is alone in this and you’re the only one she could let her heart out to. Even though it makes you sad, you will let it be.

 ‘Hey, you okay’, Jimin asks you as he approaches your desk, sitting right next to you. You lift your head up from your desk as you had taken a small nap. ‘Yeah, just tired. That’s all.’ You stretch your back as you let out a yawn, now facing Jimin. He smiles at you, making you a bit happier too. He always has the ability to do that, make you happy on moments you thought you couldn’t be.

 His hand makes its way to your neck, slowly massaging it. It’s really his thing to do when he notices you aren’t feeling that well. He just doesn’t use any words, because if you wanted to talk about it, you would’ve done that by now. So instead he just tries to sooth you with his hands and it truly does miracles. It’s a warm feeling that starts to glow right by your heart, a good friend. A friend you’ve known since second grade when he came live here with his family. He couldn’t really speak any English, since they are from Korea and were trying to seek that ‘American dream’ elsewhere. When you look at Jimin now, you see happiness, and that is way of an improvement from when you had just met him. He was such a scared little boy. You were the first one to try to make friends with him, but that was because you were quite an outsider too. Together you’ve grown and you’d never want to lose him.

 ‘Talk to me when you’re ready’, He says with his soothing voice, before loosing his grip on you as the professor walks in. The class begins, finally a moment you can stop thinking about all the bad things.

 ‘Sooo… Tonight’, Jimin begins his sentence, looking with bright eyes at you. You huff as you shake your head, remembering your promise to him. You open your locker, changing your books for the next class ‘Applied Psychology’.

‘You better keep the promise’, He says as he punches your shoulder. You scoff, giving him a sarcastic expression. ‘Yeah Jimin, I will wear that playboy outfit, but I swear if you don’t I will-‘. He interrupts you by blocking your mouth with his hands. ‘Silence my child; you know I’m a hoe; of course I will come dressed up like a stripper. How could you doubt me’, He says and he has a point. If someone is a diva, it’s this mess beside you. You shake your head out of disbelieve at what he just said before you start licking his hand, wanting him to let you go. ‘Hey! You dirty girl, save that for some dick’, He yells as he tries to dry his hand on his jeans. You look at him with mischief, winking at him before making your way to your class.

 ‘See you on 8 pm at my place’, you yell at Jimin before disappearing between the crowds.

 ‘Hey mom, tonight is that party I talked about. So I will go to Jimin around 8 to get dressed’, you say mindlessly as you walk into the living room. She hums, focused on her laptop, seeming to play some game. You sigh to yourself, putting your back on the dining table before getting a glass of milk out of the kitchen. She doesn’t really have any attention for you anymore. You don’t blame her though. She has it difficult. ‘You know (y/n), that skank your father is now with has mental issues. She has borderline your father told me 4 years ago. She had said she would try to find someone’s weakness and use that to get what she wants.’ Your mother starts telling. You immediately feel miserable; you don’t want to hear this. You don’t care and your mother shouldn’t either.

 ‘So? That’s his problem and maybe this woman has changed’, you try to reason. Your mother shakes her head. ‘No this woman tries to break this family.’ You scoff. ‘You didn’t need that woman for that’, you say like it’s obvious.

‘(y/n), my life is a complete mess because of this. It hurts and I don’t want to do anything.’ You want to go away. ‘I don’t want to fucking live anymore (y/n), I can’t see any reason anymore.’

And suddenly your rage goes from a zero to a hundred.

 ‘Don’t fucking joke about that shit mom, you fucking have me. You need to get over your sorry self. It’s your own fault for being in this shit, you could’ve been over this for weeks, but you don’t do shit. You just keep on playing the victim’, you yell, anger dripping off of your words. You can’t take it anymore. Everything, why hasn’t it stopped yet. Why can’t your mom get over it and try to rebuild her life? It has been 2 months already, maybe even more. She keeps on asking my father these questions and she keeps on getting bad answers, because he IS getting over all of it. He is moving on, he wants a new life. She keeps on making you meddle into it and you’ve never asked for it. ‘Mom I can’t do this today, I’m going to Jimin’, you say before storming out of the house, taking your back with you. You go to the nearest bus stop and take the first bus to Jimin’s neighborhood. You put your earphones in, put on some sad music and jus let yourself cry. You need to let it out; you don’t care what other people think. Holding it in it never the right option, is what you’ve learned. Fuck everyone, all toxic people. They just need to go out of your life and annoy someone else.

 Your body stiffens up as you feel a hand being placed on your shoulder. You turn around to the person as you pull your earphones away. It’s a guy, an unfamiliar guy. His eyes look worried, as he seemed to have asked you something. Your heart starts to race as you remember that you were just crying your eyes out and you immediately start to dry your tears. You laugh slightly out of shyness, not knowing really what to say at this point accept ‘Sorry, had a bad day.’ His face clears up a bit as he sits next to you. ‘Good, a beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be crying like that’, he notes as he helps you cleaning your eyes. You look at him with aw as his soft hands make their way across your face.

 He is around your age, probably older. His skin looks soft and has a caramel tone. His eyes are a bit moon-shaped and they spark joy, like Jimin’s do. Your eyes scan his hair, beautiful and puffy, his lips also look so plump and kissable. He is a gorgeous human being, that’s for sure. He even knows how to dress and that’s not something you could say from many men. His hand is still caressing your face before slowly letting go, smiling at you as he does.

 ‘You a bit better?’ he asks as he sits back a bit, looking you up and down for a split second. You nod, blushing a bit. He laughs slightly as he grabs your cheek, squishing it in a cute manner. You whine a bit, hating it when people do that but still smiling because it’s this guy. ‘Oh! Whining now? I see how it is’, he says as he laughs. You look up at him with mischief, your body leaning up against him as you flirt a bit. How can you blame yourself? He is hella handsome.

 You suddenly hear a voice calling a street, being the street you need to be at. You quickly push the ‘stop’ button, signaling the driver to stop by the next bus station. ‘Sorry, this is my stop’, you say to the unknown man. He scoffs as he stands up, making way for you to come by. You show him a small smile as you try to walk past him, but he grabs your arm, making you turn around. His face is suddenly very close, making your eyes widens and heart to pound very quickly. He now shows a smirk before saying: ‘I hope we meet again.’ He lets go of your arm and you almost stumble away, still catching yourself as the bus stops. Your heart still pounds like crazy when you step out of the bus. You turn your focus to the bus, trying to catch a small sight of the mystery man. He sits on your old place in the bus, smirking down at you and sending you a wink. You huff at the sight, did that really just happen?

 You continue your way to Jimin’s house, being only 20 minutes away. It’s at this point that you try to get that guy out of your head and to focus back on the real world. It’s about 5 o’clock; you went away from home early because your mother made you crazy. Now you’re here without your Halloween costume and without any other items to stay over at Jimin’s. Great, I should’ve thought this through before I stormed out of there.

 You arrive at the apartment complex. You walk up the 4 stairs to Jimin’s floor and clock on his door. It takes a bout a few seconds before someone opens the door. It’s Jimin, seemingly just gotten out of bed. He has a questionable expression on his face.

‘Why so early?’

‘I didn’t want to be home’, you simply say. There is no need to lie to him, he knows your struggles and you trust him enough. ‘I forgot my costume though’, you confess, having a painful expression on your face, because you know he wouldn’t be happy to hear that at all. And you were right, because his face went from worried to very unimpressed. ‘You serious (y/n)’, He says with much disappointment.

You look at him with the saddest eyes you could possibly make. He shakes his head. ‘No, that face isn’t going to work on me.’ You start to pout, hoping he will buy it. You even make a step closer, grabbing his arm. ‘I had to storm out Jimin, please forgive me…’ you say as sad as you could. He sighs as he looks at you for a few seconds more. He then nods for you to come inside. You immediately smile as you do a little dance before going inside. ‘You’re the best!’

 ‘What will you wear though’, Jimin asks as he walks to the kitchen, making some tea for you to calm down. ‘I don’t know, I don’t think I want to dress up anymore’, you confess, sitting down on the kitchen counter. He looks with a quite shocked expression at you. ‘No no, you’re going in a costume’, he says, pouring hot water in a cup, ‘you will look bad beside me honey.’ You scoff, like you care about that. You always look bad beside him; he’s one good-looking boy. ‘I look like this Jimin, maybe you can paint my face like a clown, that I am anyways’, you say, making Jimin laugh. ‘You are speaking facts.’ You make a offended-noise, slapping his shoulder before taking the cup of tea he had just prepared for you. ‘That’s good enough I guess’, Jimin says, ‘And if you just loose the leggings, shorten that skirt a bit and make that shirt a crop-top, it should work.’ Jimin looks at your body as he pictures it in your mind before nodding to himself. ‘A sexy clown.’ You laugh at his comment, shaking your head.

‘Sounds like a plan then.’

 ‘You sure 10 pm isn’t too eraly’, Jimin asks as the both of you walk up to a big house. You pull your shoulders up, but when you come closer to the house, you already see many people inside. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem I guess.’

You ring the doorbell before waiting for someone to open the door. You can hear the loud music from the inside, people dancing and laughing. People are quite early partying already, maybe even drunk. Then you know a party is good. The door opens and you see Joy standing in the opening. She has the classic cat-woman outfit on and it hugs her body on all the right places. You immediately feel Jimin making a step closer, making you huff. Sometimes he is such a dog for anything sexual and not only with girls. But that’s him, a great but sexual best friend. And not even one time has he tried anything with you, being in a more of a brother-sister relationship. That would just be unnatural.

‘Joy, looking great as always’, Jimin notes as he takes another step closer to her. Her expression becomes smiley and a bit shy, like any other girl reacts on him. He really is one of the good-looking men on school and you being his best friend, does put some pressure on you some times. There are always rumors about you two being together, girls are therefore jealous on you. You got used to it though and you would never let yourself being driven away from Jimin. He is your best-friend-soulmate.

Joy let’s the both of you inside, immediately stepping into a whole other universe. Everywhere around you are people in costumes, ones more serious than the other ones. Mostly it’s just sexy and skintight costumes by the girls and very simple costumes or the guys. Everyone seems to have a great time, dancing on the beat of the music and others just kissing one another in some corner. It’s a good party, you can tell, what’s quite rare. Some people really just don’t know how to throw one. Ones Jimin and you went to some party where people were just playing games on the ground, no music and a bit alcohol. Jimin and you just went outside and held your own party with some beers and night-talks. Actually one of the most rememberable moment with Jimin, how lame that party even was. Great talks are hard to forget.

‘I’ll get us some drinks’, Jimin yells over the music, before leaving you in the crowd. You just walk over to a couch, which was half-covered with kissing teenagers. A few years ago, you would’ve stayed away from these kinds of scenes, but you’ve learned not to care about it. Jimin always just takes you to all the parties and you’ve actually met a few people because of that. You’ve made more friends and you’ve become more social.

You let your gaze scan through the room. The house is quite big, being a single house and Joy having rich parents. She often throws parties like these, since her parent let he. One of the perks of being rich I guess, though it’s quite sad that her parents don’t really care. They never had really cared, Joy once told you when she had thrown another party, being drunk as fuck and telling you all her secrets. She also told you she had a big crush on Jimin, but that she isn’t trying to be friends with you because of that. She genuinely thinks you’re cool, so now you’re friends.

Your eyes fall upon a group guys in the corner, seeing Jimin merge between them with his two drinks for you still in his hands. He greets a few guys and then reaches one particular guy, Jungkook. Jimin always loves to come closer to this guy at parties, for intimate reasons. It normally takes about 30 minutes until they had gone off to some corner of room, but this time it apparently took about 3 minutes. You laugh to yourself upon seeing the two already kissing, Jimin pushing Jungkook away and probably telling him that he has to bring the drinks to me. You see Jimin walking back to you, a happy expression across his face.

‘You horny bitch’, you yell at him as he gives your drink. He just winks at you before heading off back to Jungkook, who receives him with open arms. You scoff before drinking your drink and standing up. You go take a little walk through the crowd, looking for someone you know, which you for some reason don’t find. The bodies around you just jump around you on the music as you try to get through them and to not let your drink fall, which fails.

‘Fuck’, you curse to yourself as the drinks falls over your white shirt, which is now see-through. You quickly try to make your way to a bathroom, so you could try to clean it. When you find a bathroom, you open it, being lucky no one is in there kissing or anything. You close the door behind you and all the music has suddenly become silent. Only faint noises could now be heard, locking you in a quiet save-space. Again another universe where you could take a break from the loud people. Though you’ve just been here for a few minutes, so much rest is not needed. But you can’t really find anyone you know; you mostly see a lot of freshmen, new faces actually. It’s a chance to meet new people, but you’re not really up for that. You weren’t really up for this party anyways, not after last night, no. You’d rather just be in bed, watch some Netflix maybe. But Jimin wanted you to come with and maybe some distraction wouldn’t hurt.

You get a tissue and try to clean your shirt, looking at yourself in the mirror as you do so. Suddenly the door opens, making you turn to the person.

‘What?’

The now familiar face stands in front of you and your heart immediately begins to pound faster. It’s him, the mystery man. His skin is still as beautiful as ever, his eyes and his lips still so remarkable. His face turns happy the moment he sees you, but also surprised and probably mirroring your face. He recognizes you, you think at least. He is easily recognizably, being in a Joker-costume but only having the slightest of make-up on. You are in full-covered clown make-up, making it a bit harder.

‘It’s my cry-baby!’ He exclaims as he closes the door behind him, walking up to you. ‘And you’re the mystery-man!’ You say in the same tone. He smiles with much joy, looking you up and down. He gives you a satisfies expression, grabbing your waist as he pulls you closer to him. You let out a little squeak, as your face now looks shocked by being this close to him. ‘I guess you’re now the Harley Quinn to my Joker, hmm?’ His voice is suddenly very deep, his face so close to yours as he barely touches your lips. You swallow, mouth watering by the beauty of this man. You allow yourself to let your hands slide up his torso. You want to feel him closer to you, the attraction is not normal. You feel his hands do the same thing, hands dragging up your skin and feeling every curve. Your whole body leans into his touch, maybe even pleading fro more. His expression is dark and even devilish as he shows a smirk.

‘You want more’, He notes and you let out a sigh upon feeling him grabbing your ass, squishing it softly. You haven’t let yourself being this open this quickly before, but you don’t think you will regret this. You let your hands slide down to his belt, slowly rubbing what’s under it and you can feel it grow under your tough. It was now his turn to let out a growl, pulling you closer as he curses: ‘Shit baby, you really are a horny bitch aren’t you.’ You’ve never been called this before, but you don’t mind. You only get wetter upon hearing him calling you things. You want him, now.

His lips finally touch you, as he had kept on teasing you. His kiss is filled with lust as he backs you up to the bathroom wall. He pins you up against it as you arch yourself into his body. You both breathe loudly into each other’s mouth, kissing with much passion, his hands holding yours high above your head. His kisses turn passionate and before you knew, were his lips on your neck. You feel your body rill by the feeling, knees feeling weak, as you want him to just fuck you against this very wall. You want all of him right now, dick pounding into you.

He suddenly lets you go, stepping away from you. He smirks down at you as you look confused back at him. He suddenly has your phone in his hands, your eyes widen as you try to grab it away from him. He just holds it very high in his hands, as he seems to dial someone. ‘Give back!’ You yell, jumping to get the phone, but he is too fast. He runs around as you follow him through the bathroom and when he is finished, he gives your phone back like nothing has happened. You frown at him, checking your phone on what he has just done.

‘That’s my number’, he says when you see he has called someone. You cock your head to the side. ‘I thought it would be nice to know you first before I-‘, he grabs your waist again and pulls you close, his lips beside your ear, ‘fuck you real good.’ You feel another wave of pleasure going through your body by hearing that sentence.

He lets you go again, winking at you before disappearing out of the room, back into the crowd. You just stand there, clothes everywhere and make-up ruined.

‘He really is something.’

Hope you liked it! ~

alexlwrites:

Reaction:Yoongi meets you in a meet and greet and you have a child withyou.

A/N:Just a quick little work that I thought would be funny. I’m open to new requests <3

°•. ✿ .•°

 Now, Yoongi loved his fans, he really did. Army was everything to him.

Well, almost everything. His dog was also a big part of his life.

But anyway.

Army was an intrinsic part of who he was and he appreciated every single fan with enough power to light up the city of New York. 

But still, after a couple hours of meet and greets and a few hundred faces, the mind starts to wonder and people start to blurr. He would like to say that he remembered every single fan he greeted, but that would not be realistic as he was just one little man with limited storage space in his brain. Sometimes he forgot some, but he liked to believe that the feeling lingered.

But you… Damn, you he wouldn’t forget.

Keep reading

Part two is up!