[1:54 a.m]

the tiny fan blowing air towards the two of you somehow cannot beat the heat that gathers all around in your shared bedroom. blankets were tossed off of each other’s practically stripped-down-naked bodies in futile attempts to regulate body temperatures, yet your boyfriend thought the best solution was to snuggle closer to your sweaty body.

“please woo, spare me from this scorching prison,” you whine from between his arms.

“don’t be dramatic,” jungwoo mumbles into your shoulder, seemingly unaffected by the heat that is practically causing your room to steam in the hot summer night.

“if this is being dramatic then you’re a broadway actor,” you scoff, releasing yourself from his inferno of a grip to get up and turn the fan onto the highest setting. clambering back over towards the bed and flipping your pillow for the millionth time, you turn over and mumble another ‘goodnight’.

it’s when you feel a hand crawling across your stomach and hot lips pressing themselves once again between your shoulder blades that you give up on your cool-down ministrations and fact reality that you will never have any personal space with jungwooaround.

[1:21 pm]

mark has a habit of hugging you at random times. you don’t mind though, seeing how happy he is each time he wraps his arms around you.

[3:38 pm]

haechan is sitting on the couch in the dressing room when you enter. you decided to surprise him before a show, having not seen him for quite a while due to quarantine. you rush over to where he is sitting, and when his eyes land on you, he gasps and opens his arms wide.

“hihaechan,” you giggle as he eagerly pulls you into his lap. you play with his hair as he he cranes his neck up to look at you.

“i missed you so much,” he pouts and you kiss him. he buries his face into the warmth of your chest as he continues to hold you. “you smell nice.”

his grip on you is so tight you can’t help but beam at the fact he has been so eager to see you.

[4:11 p.m.]

the sun was just setting on the horizon when you visited him. you come over frequently, as the breaks in both of your schedules line up, allowing you guys time to see each other. the apartment is empty when you first walk in and all the lights are off. you chuckle, knowing he’s in his room doing whatever he does in his free time. it’s different each time. you kick off your shoes and walk to his bedroom, where you can hear quiet music playing.

his back is turned to you when you enter, only to quickly swivel around in his chair at the sound of your entrance.

“hey, sorry for not knocking.”

“that’s alright,” ten smiles. “i knew it was you when i heard the front door open.”

he was wearing an apron, with splotches of paint scattered across the fabric. in his hand laid a palette, filled with mellow colors of blue, black, green, brown, and white.

“were you expecting me?” you ask, pulling around a chair and sitting backwards so your head leaned against the backend.

“i always do,” ten responds, a teasing quip to his tongue.

you roll your eyes at his playful mannerism. it’s amazing how fast your heart beats whenever he opens his mouth, despite how often you visit. you guess you’re not used to it yet. maybe you never will be.

you fold your arms along the rear of the chair, chin resting atop of your hands. the sky is painted pink and yellow, casting a warm shadow onto the canvas in front of ten. within the intricate lines and sketches drawn in black, a woman is displayed, painted with the most detail and color.

“she’s beautiful,” you remark. ten’s eyes follow your gaze to the drawing, and the corners of his mouths quirk up into a smile.

“she reminds me of you.”

you let out a giggle of embarrassment and hide your face in your arms. ten bites his tongue to hold his excitement in.

“what movie should we watch tonight?” you ask, choosing to disregard ten’s last flirty comment for the sake of your composure.

“i was thinking pride and prejudice,” he states after a couple of seconds. ten sets down the palette and brush in his hands and replaces the two objects with your face instead. a quiet gasp leaves your lips at the proximity of your faces. “how does that sound, my lovely elizabeth bennett?”

you bite your lip and grin at the man awaiting an answer in front of you. the heat emanating off both of your faces is enough to warm you from the evening breeze seeping in from the cracked windows in his room. touching your nose with his, you can’t contain the grin that spreads from cheek to cheek as you whisper against ten’s lips. perhaps you could get used to this feeling after all.

“that sounds like a grand idea, mr. darcy.”

haechan: this date is boring

mark: this isn’t a date. i told you i was going to the store

haechan: then why did you invite me?

mark: i specifically said “don’t come with me” and you said “fuck you, i can do whatever i want” and followed me here

taeyong: hey guys, what are some cute things to call your girlfriend?

jungwoo: sugar

mark:honey

doyoung:flour

johnny:egg

doyoung: 1/2lbs butter

johnny:stir

doyoung: pour into pan

johnny: preheat to 350 degrees

— BOOKWORM!

pairing: jeong jaehyun x reader 

genre: fluff | wc: 0.3k | disclaimers: none

[ : ]

jaehyun strides the streets of seoul. he watches as the autumn leaves fall with the gentle breeze surrounding him. before he knew it, he stares at the library’s window in front of him. he finds himself examining the book display. jaehyun’s eyes lit up as he noticed the book you’ve been wanting for days. for the past week, he’s heard you talk to your friends frequently about this certain book. jaehyun knew you had a big passion for reading - he always found you nestled up in your nook, smiling to yourself as you read quietly.

when you first met jaehyun, he teased you constantly about being a bookworm. it was never ill-intended, more of an inside joke between you both. jaehyun slowly fell in love with the way your eyes sparkled in a library. day by day, he’d buy you books and leave it on your desk right before class started. your first date was in the library, the quiet atmosphere gave jaehyun easy access to absorb your beauty in your favorite place; maybe even your second home.

you hear your shared apartment’s door twist, you look up to see jaehyun with a bag filled with books. you could hardly contain your happiness, as you jumped up from your seat, running over to him. jaehyun watched your excited expression, his heart throbbed with happiness. he cherished you with everything he had, you were his heaven on earth. jaehyun couldn’t help but buy you anything that reminded him of you, as long as it made you happy.

as you opened the bag, your eyes widened at the sight. jaehyun bought you the book you’ve been dying for, added along with some books he thinks you’d love. as you read the introductions, you feel hands wrap around your waist. you feel jaehyun lay his chin on top of your head, looking down at the book and reading along with you.

“do you like it? i hope you do, i browsed around and picked the ones i think you’d like.” you feel him grinning, causing you to smile yourself. “these are perfect! thank you love, genuinely.” you felt so lucky to have such an amazing person in your life.

“anything for you.”

yeah, jaehyun was head over heels for you.

a/n: hi! thank u for all of ur notes & reblogs, i appreciate it sm!! also, feedback + tips are always welcome! don’t be afraid to reach out :D

© jjaehyuk, 2021. all rights reserved.

[10:24 am]

#8 hospital au + #63 everybody knows/mistaken couple + Pediatrician!Johnny

warnings: implied chronic illness, language

~~

As the words fell resonated around the room, you watched the woman in front of you. The sob that came from her was like a knife to the chest. Her husband wrapped his arms around her, trying to give her comfort while his own heart was breaking. They were lucky to have each other to lean on.

It never got easier to share the news with families. With only a few words from you, their entire world changed, shifted in ways that you couldn’t understand.

You clasped your hands together, trying to hide the tremor that was working its way to the surface, “I’ll let you guys have some time. The nurse will follow up with you in a few minutes, please let him know if you need anything from me.” Turning from the couple, you bit your lip to keep the tears that were brimming in your eyes. “Hey, Mark,” you greeted the young nurse who had been hired just a few months prior. “Give the couple in there 10.”

Mark knew more than anyone that diagnosis like those were hard on families. They hoped for the best but lived with the reality of the worst.

“Is it?”

You shook your head. The rates were unspeakable. To say those little words again would have you sitting over a bathroom toilet your entire lunch break. 

“Just make sure that they have all of the information they need. If you need anything from me, let me know.”

His eyebrows pinched together slightly as he nodded, “Sure, but- um-” you watched as he shifted nervously on his feet, “Are you-”

“I’m fine,” you tried a smile. “Just a headache. Nothing some Tylenol”-and a long nap- “won’t fix.” Departing with a pat on the shoulder and a tight grimace, you made your way to your office. If you got there and locked the door before anyone saw you then you could have your cry. 

The door of your office didn’t budge as you jiggled the handle. “Please,” you attempted to open it again. “I just need you to work with me.” Locked. “Stupid piece of shit,” you gave the door a hard kick. 

“Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but maybe don’t take it out on yourself,” Johnny Suh leaned against the wall next to you. “I mean. I don’t think you would like me to have to take a look at you, would you, Doctor L/n? I, of course, have no qualms.”

“Leave me alone, Doctor Suh,” your turned your face away. He couldn’t see you cry. If he saw just how vulnerable this part of your job made you, he would just use it against you.

His heat and warm scent enveloped you as he moved in closer, “Come now, Doctor. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that maybe your first judgment of me was wrong.”

You shook your head refusing to answer him. Just opening your mouth you knew that the frustration and anguish you were feeling would come pouring out. The door knob jerked again and you slammed a palm against the door.

“Y/n,” oh no, he was using your first name. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just,” you sniff. “This stupid door locked me out of my office again.” A tear fell down your cheek and you tried to wipe it away before he saw. 

Johnny’s hand came up to rest on your arm, “Come on,” the light pressure of his hand guided you away from you door, “Don’t cry.”

Just like a man to not want you to show any emotion because it made him uncomfortable. Johnny is a doctor; he should be able to handle an array of strong emotions. So should you. You shouldn’t feel that much pain anymore. You should be able to disconnect from those emotions while you are at work.

“I don’t know what’s running through that beautiful head of you, but whatever it is, you’re wrong,” the door to a separate office swung open and Johnny quickly led you inside. “Here you go, sit.” His hands slid down your arms, guiding you to a plush couch. “Now you want to tell me what’s actually going on?”

You lip quivered as you tried to suppress a sob. Dark eyes caught yours as Johnny’s finger caught your chin, tipping it up so he could take in your face. A deep furrow pressed in between his eyebrows. His concern finally broke through your barrier. It didn’t matter that he may use it against you, you had to get it off your chest, “He’s one Johnny.” You raised a hand to cover your gasping breaths. “One. And I had to tell his parents that.”

“Shh, shh. It’s okay,” his arms reached for you and pulled you into his chest. “I understand.”

He would, wouldn’t he.

“I know that it hurts to give them that news.”

You shook your head, “I shouldn’t still be feeling this way. I have done this long enough that there should be a disconnect.” His shirt crinkled under the grip of your hands on his back. How was it that the one guy you were always trying to avoid was the one to comfort you then?

“I disagree,” his breath covered the top of your head. “Being able to empathize and sympathize with our patients makes us more humane. It makes the hard time seem less daunting and the good times even better. If we disconnect our patients don’t feel like they are being taken care of or like we just look at them like another lab experiment.” You sank further into him as he rubbed a hand up and down your back. His fingers made small circles across your spine every time your breath hitched and you had to wonder why he did that. “Every single one of your patients love you because you connect with them beyond just a diagnosis. You work yourself to the bone and then you put in more work to check up on families and kids that came in here months ago. Parents appreciate that and kids know that you are one of the safe adults. In this field there is nothing more important.”

“Thank you,” it was a soft whisper into the crook of his neck, but you knew he heard.

He hummed lightly, “They don’t understand how much it takes out of you. But I do. So today, I am your doctor.” Pulling away from you he brushed away the hair and tears that stuck to your cheeks. “As your doctor, I am prescribing you one nap and two Tylenol.”

“How much medical school did it take you to figure out how to make that diagnosis?” you blinked up at him as he pushed you to lay down on the couch.

Grabbing a small pill bottle from his counter he shook it lightly and grabbed a bottle of water, “I think it was my third year.” He smiled down at you, and though you would never admit it out loud, it was kind of nice. Johnny was a nice person to have as a friend.

“Really,” you tucked your hands under your head. “I think it was my second year.”

“I knew you were the smarter one,” he set down the bottles and stepped toward the door, “Though I think that was always obvious. I mean I can’t be the pretty and smart one, can I?” You laughed a long with him. Even through the ache in your head, it did make you feel better. Johnny really was a miracle doctor. “Get some rest, find me later.”

“Thanks, Johnny.”

“Anytime.” The door clicked shut behind him and with a smile on your face you drifted to sleep.

The sly smirk Mark gave you when you wander back to the nurses station an hour later dropped when Johnny wandered up and squeezed you shoulder, “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, thanks,” it wasn’t hard to give him a smile then. "I may have to invade your office more often.“

He shrugged, “Feel free to use my couch anytime.” And he walked away from you. No, you didn’t look at his butt, you were looking at the piece of paper he had tucked into his back pocket.

Mark screeched in your ear and you turned to find him quickly typing in his phone, “What are you doing?”

He hid his phone behind his back, “Nothing.” Red colored his cheeks as you continued to stare at him. “Glad you’re feeling better.”

He may have avoided your scrutiny then, but if the looks that nurses started throwing your way meant anything, he would be hearing from you again later.

Next to you, Next to me

4. Coffee Shop AU + 60. Poorly Timed Confession 

Flowershop owner!Taeyong x Cafe owner!Reader

Warning(s): language

~~

“So what do you think?” You passed the cup over to Taeyong. 

A frown settled on his lips as he looked down at your creation, “You’re sure you’ve done this before?” He watched you skeptically. 

So latte art wasn’t your forte, that didn’t mean that he had to make it seem like you had just done a crime against humanity, “I swear, I have,” you leaned over the counter, pushing the cup a little closer to him, “I know it’s not the best looking, but I promise you that it is going to be the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had.”

He hummed, pushing his open laptop to the side to grab the cups with both hands and bring it to his face. There was something so nerve racking about watching the man take a deep breath of the hot drink before taking a large swallow. His face puckered slightly and he yanked the cup from his mouth. 

Had everyone been lying to you before?! 

Your mom swore that it was good, and though your brother didn’t drink coffee, he liked your tea and pastries. 

“I’m so sorry, you don’t have to drink it. I’ll work on it. Here give me the cup,” you reached across the bar to grab the cup that he pulled from your reach.

“NO!” he yelled, “No, it was just hot. I didn’t think about that before I took a big drink.” And you thought that you saw a faint smattering of red on his cheeks. He quickly took another drink, “I love it.” He smiled at you and you tried to believe it, but it was hard when you could see how hard he was trying to make everything seem okay.

“You don’t have to lie to me. Even if my coffee isn’t good, I plan on still opening the café. I put in too much time and money for this to fail.”

Taeyong frowned again, “I’m not lying to you. You’re going to be great. And hey, you’ve already got one customer.” He pointed to himself, “You know I’m right next door, that’s why I came over, because I’m nosy. I’ve seen you here the past few weeks and curiosity finally drew me over.” The smile on his face eased your nerves and you were starting to trust the truth behind his words.

“Right,” you looked across the road to where the small flower shop sat. Taeyong shuffled his feet and you remembered that he probably just stopped by to say hello, not sample your sub par coffee. “If you want I’ll get you a lid for your coffee and you can be on your way.” He was probably busy and didn’t want to be gone long.

“Oh- yeah,” he tucked his hands in the flower shop logoed apron he wore, “I’m sure you’re busy getting ready, didn’t mean to pull you from your work.”

“You didn’t,” you pressed the plastic lid on the cup. Taeyong grinned shyly at you as he made his way to the door, “Feel free to stop by anytime.”

He tipped his head at you, “I will, thank you for the coffee, it’s delicious.”

Yeah, maybe it wasn’t so bad.

~~

“Wait, wait, wait, you went to SSU too!” you grinned at the man across from you. Taeyong had become your first regular customer. Well, your only customer, considering that you weren’t open yet. Every morning since that one two weeks earlier he stopped by like clockwork.

7 am, he knocks on the door and you unlock it for him,

7:02 he hands over the menu you were working on and orders something new, 

7:05 he takes one sip of his drink gives you his first thoughts

7:06 you chat with him about whatever is on his mind as you go about setting up tasks you have to do for the day

7:15 he goes back across the street and you only catch peeks at him through the window until you leave or he closes 

 The same thing for almost two weeks. You couldn’t even be upset that the man was getting free coffee and pastries off of you. He was good, attractive, company that you grew closer and closer to inviting to dinner with every passing day. 

“Yeah, I got my degree in horticulture and botany. I wanted to stay close to home, but branch out some. I graduated about four years ago.” 

Delight and shock lit up your face, “No way, me too. I bet we passed each other on campus or maybe even had a class together.”

Taeyong watched you calmly, a somewhat knowing smile on his face, “We may have had a business class together once.” He shrugged. 

“It would be like fate,” you pushed the chocolate croissant he ordered with his tea over to him and took his dirty cup. 

He chuckled softly, “Yeah.”

“Speaking of fate,” you checked the notepad you had sitting next to a cash box on the counter. “I have finally set a date for the grand opening.” A small squeal left your lips and you jumped in place. “It’ll be next Friday!”

Taeyong blinked owlishly at you before a grin crossed his face, “That’s amazing! And so soon, but amazing! I’m so happy for you.” You thought that he was going to jump over the bar and hug you. You wouldn’t have been complaining, if he had. Instead he ripped the croissant in half and offered one part to you. “This calls for celebration!” You would have rather had dinner with him, but he was still here and happy for you, so you couldn’t complain. 

“Thanks, Tae.” You said through a mouth full of bread and chocolate.

He raised his half in toast, “Just doing duties as a friend and neighbor.” 

And maybe something more? You had thought about it a lot over the past few weeks. He seemed to like you. There was nothing stopping both of you from just exploring whatever chemistry there was between you both. Still that little niggling of fear crept it’s way in and no one likes to be rejected. Plus, you are so busy with the store opening, it’s just not a good time to ask him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” You watched him open the door, letting in a cool breeze that smelled of clean air and fresh cut grass.

“Not if I see you first,” he took a bite of his croissant and strolled across the road, taking your heart with him.

~~

He wasn’t there. 

It was the day of your grand opening and he wasn’t there. 

T-1 minute until everyone around you watched as you cut the small ribbon that crossed in front of your café. Taeyong literally worked across the road, how could he not be there?

You needed to try to get rid of the hurt. If you didn’t, then no one was going to think you were very happy about opening the shop you had spent weeks working on. 

“You ready, darling,” a stout old lady who was a part of the city board stood next to you.

You gave her a grim smile, “Of course.”

“Oh dear, I know that there are a lot of emotions that come with this, but try to focus on the happy ones.” She shoved a pair of scissors in your hands that had to have been made for giants. “You’ll be busy enough with the new cafe, don’t worry about having too much time on your hands,” she laughed good naturedly.

“It’s not that, it’s-”

“Wait!”

Your head snapped up as the voice met your ears. A car door slammed and you saw Taeyong round his small pickup truck. In his hands was a large bouquet, along with a picnic basket. There was a grin on his face, but you could sense the urgency of his steps as he got shuffled up to you. 

“Shit,” his glasses were skewed on his face as he finally stood toe to toe with you. “So, I totally meant to be here before now.” He set down the basket and held the bouquet out to you. “These are for you. Um- congratulations on opening your shop and I’m so proud of you.” He patted around his pockets. “I have something to say to you. I wrote it down. Well, you see, I was wondering if- You know I have been wanting to do this for weeks, but was nervous and then this morning it hit me that I could ask you here.”

“Taeyong,” you stopped his rambling.” Thank you for the flowers. I appreciate them, but I don’t have enough hands to hold them and cut the ribbon.” 

“Right,” he grinned sheepishly, “I’m holding you up, sorry.”

You grinned back as the crowd started counting down, assuming you were finally ready to open shop. 

Hesitating a second after they said one, you threw another glance at Taeyong, “And I like you too. So yes, I will go on a date with you.”

The ribbon split in two just as his mouth did and you laughed as he wrapped you up, spinning you around in a circle. “Now?” He looked hopeful.

“How about after we close tonight?”

“But the wine will get warm.”

“Lucky for you, I know a nice new café that has the perfect industrial fridge for that.”

“I may have to check it out,” Taeyong linked a hand through yours. And you tugged him to follow the people that had started to trickle in. 

“I think you may just like it.”

“I think that it will be my favorite place to be”

“Oh really,” you raised an eyebrow at him. “Why is that?”

“Cause I’m next to you, standing next to me.”

Yeah, your heart was in good hands.

heebie jeebies.

pairing : fratboy!mark x sororitygirl!reader

genre : fluff, fluff, fluff, and fluff!! crack, college!au

warnings : drinking, profanity, mentions of cheating, adult jokes (under 18 pls dni)

word count : 10k (sorry i got carried away lol)

summary : HOEPROTOCOL:ACTIVE. Main objective? Protect Princess Karina from the Black Mamba, obvi. And please- don’t jeopardize the mission just because Mark Lee from Public Speaking class is coming your way.

—–

Sighing, you exchange glances at Ryujin, Lia, Giselle, and Yeri. They already look exhausted, all ears and advice to the girl with long black hair. It’s been an hour since you all arrived at Nu Chi Tau, they are hosting the semester break party. It’s that time of the year, when the students finished their semester finals, it’s time to loosen up after all the mathematical equations stuck on their head, or those sociology theories, or heck, maybe the vitamin contents of a basket of oranges.

“Karina, honey. You’ve been downing your 6th glass of beer tonight. You might wanna slow down now.” You start, touching your friend’s shoulder. She looks absolutely stunning tonight, but hammered as fuck, only letting out a little chuckle from her lips.

Ryujin and Giselle can only shake their heads. They literally did this 2 days ago, when Karina was bawling her eyes out at the sorority dorm, she didn’t get up from her bed, except she had to pee. You and Yeri had to drive to the nearby McDonalds, getting her comfort food, McNuggets with honey mustard on the side. Lia was in charge to stash her some chocolates, to supply some serotonin up in her pretty brain.

For tonight, you and the girls actually promised Karina to accompany her in the dorm while the rest of the house is partying. But then suddenly she jolted out of her bed, showered, and put on one of her best dresses, the glittery purple one. Sis really said “I’m getting fucking ripped tonight.”, and told all of you to dress up and put makeup on.

And yet, here you are. With your other 4 pretty friends. One is heartbroken-drunk. The rest of them are only here for moral support, not even bothered to find some boys to be tormented or girls to talk with. Just vibing in the dark blue velvet couch together, right in the middle of the living room of some frat house.

Karina sniffles, it looks like she ran out of beer. She starts to turn her head left and right, looking for some beer keg for her to kick in. “m’getting more beeeeer..” she said, completely hammered.

Lia sighs, seizing the red cup from Karina’s hand. Shaking her head, Lia nags, “You are not getting more, miss. I am sending you to detention.”

“No, ma’am. I will not. But please don’t send me to detention, ma’am.” Karina pouts, with her glimerry eyes, drunk Karina is something else. You chuckle at them, then go back to scanning the whole living room, packed with dudes and girls, dancing and grinding to each other. On some occasions, you may spot a wild Hendery Wong chugging a whole ass Tequila bottle with Yangyang, Chenle, and Renjun in the background chanting “Chug! Chug! Chug!”.

But today, all you can see is a pack of dudes playing Just Dance on PlayStation 5 or whatever. You thought you saw Ten Lee from Psychology major, playing a tight match against Taeyong Lee from Fine Arts major, but then a boy caught your eye.

“Girls, the fucking snake has landed. I repeat, the fucking snake has landed. Activate the hoe protocol. I repeat, activate the hoe protocol.” You quickly announce your friends. In a flash, they tidy their hair and dress up.

Jeno Lee. A boy from the Nuclear Engineering major. He had the AUDACITY to cheat on your best friend, with an unknown girl from his class. Karina found out and dumped his ass, but still, crying and heartbroken. He begs for her forgiveness, but you and the girls forbid her to get back to him. And now, all you wanna do is just lit his fucking ass on fire.

“Roger that. Y/n and Giselle, bring the Princess faraway from this fucking Black Mamba. Far, far away. Please, I can’t stand this man and I will personally whoop his ass and-”

“ROGER THAT, RYUJIN. I think we all agree that we can jump him afterparty. I say we tie him into a tree, yes?” Giselle cuts off, giving a hand gesture for Ryujin to calm the fuck down.

“I have a better idea, do y’all maybe wanna cut off his-”

“Okaaaay maybe we can activate the protocol now.” Yeri joins in, cutting Lia off before she can continue her words about slaughtering something.

Karina, still dazed, not knowing what is happening. She is being dragged by you and Giselle, into a whole new part of the frat house that can only be unlocked when you go straight ahead from the huge ass ping-pong table in the middle of the goddamn house. The girls separated ways to activate the protocol, to spy on Jeno and distract Karina. But knowing Ryujin, she probably would’ve lit Jeno’s ass on fire right now. But no, she can’t jeopardize the whole team right now. Jumping Jeno is the final stage. Not now.

You, Giselle, and Karina are currently in the kitchen right now. Sitting on the top of the kitchen counter, eyes closely watching Karina chugging a whole ass glass of water. She needs it right now, considering the amount of alcohol running through her systems. You scan the whole floor from the kitchen, you probably just know a few faces, but not all of them. Giselle is busy typing on her phone, probably just busy tweeting on her Deadpool stan account.

Sighing, you come down from the counter, start rummaging through the fridge. One by one, you gain more and more information from frat life. Turns out these are what they consume on the regular : milk; leftover orange chicken from panda express; watermelon that is gouged out, probably with a fucking soup spoon (who the fuck eats watermelon with a fucking soup spoon?); burnt out cheesecake; frosted flakes (why the fuck do they put a whole ass cereal in a fucking fridge?); a few rotten veggies; quinoa; a fucking candle, a fucking TV remote, and a whole ass ipad pro. Yes, and an ipad pro. Inside a fucking fridge. In conclusion : men are weird.

Disgusted, you quickly shut the fridge door and glance at Giselle and Karina. “I’ll never open a fucking frat fridge again, ever.” you announce,

Karina just laughed a bit, she’s probably not sober yet. Giselle just snickers at you without looking up from her phone. “Tell me about it.”

“It’s so fucking weird, they literally put everything in there. There’s a whole ass ipad in there. And worse, a fucking watermelon, gouged out, I don’t know what these men use- but it looks like they used a fucking garden shovel.” You explain, complete with a gesture that you are purely disgusted.

Looking at you directly, Giselle is convinced. She is now doing the throwing up expression, and proceeds to hold up her index finger. “Hold up, let me tweet about it. Men are fucking gross. Tweet. Tweet sent.”

Giselle and her twitter wonders, you can only roll your eyes about it. The reason you use twitter is to thirst over Sebastian Stan, and maybe to retweet memes and collect them.

“Uh yes, about that- That’s me. And I use a spoon. We’re men, but not that barbaric.” You hear a voice from your back. Oh god. Giselle just gasps, while Karina is downing another glass of water.

The embarrassment. You can’t even cope with it anymore. You’re just ready to apologize to whoever it is, and probably drag Giselle and Karina out of the kitchen to find another place to hide from Jeno the fucking Black Mamba. You turn around slowly, tidying your hair. Well at least if you’re going to be embarrassed, you’re gonna look good.

“Look, I’m terribly sorry, I just thought it was weird to eat a whole ass watermelon with a-”

It’s Mark Lee, from the public speaking class. International Relations and Affairs major.

“-oh it’s you. Should’ve known you’re that kind of guy.” You’re relieved to see him. You once used to be a partner with him in public speaking class, he’s a great guy for an assignment. Responsible and filled with ideas.

He giggles, his blue hair is half wet, probably because of the sweat that he produced, considering the frathouse is fucking packed. His earrings and necklaces really complemented his green sweatshirt.

"Yeah. I’m actually the only one who eats the watermelon here. Everyone else is just hooked into either junk food or overpriced organic shit.. Except for Johnny, he has a wholeass Frosted Flakes stock for a year, Kellogg’s sent him because he was wearing that damn Tiger costume in a Halloween party, posted it on Instagram, and tagged Kellogg’s. As for Xiaojun and Hendery, they can live with Bella’s food.” he explains, with a canned beer in hand.

“Who is Bella?”

“She’s our lovely dog. During a party like this, we keep her on the second floor. Specifically in Lucas’ room.”

“So, if Lucas brings a girl upstairs, then Bella will be watching?” You raise your brow at him, he chokes on his beer.

“Technically speaking- maybe. Wh-why would you wanna know that?” He asks back, coughing from the drink that he choked on.

You just chuckle at him as a response, while being mesmerized by his choice of outfit. Pretty neat for a frat boy who is recently just confessed that he is the one who eats a watermelon like a fucking wild beast. He rubs his neck, looks more flustered than before.

“Um, Y/n.. I know it’s probably gonna sound weird but..” he starts, looking down on you, since he’s a little taller than your figure. You wait in anticipation, the party itself is already shit once Jeno comes crashing, and you did insult the entire frat kitchen though, so nothing’s gonna surprise you anymore.

He glances at Karina, who is currently holding her own head like her life is depended on it. Giselle, on the other side, is busy taking selfies, probably sending snaps to that one boy named Shotaro, who once sent an entire box full of glazed Krispy Kreme to your dorm. He’s a sweet boy, and probably is out somewhere in this frat house, dancing his ass off like his rent is due tomorrow.

“See, my friend, Donghyuck- or maybe you girls just know him by Haechan, he saw your friend there, and he wants to get to know her.” He says, pointing at the girl in a glittery purple dress, who is now done holding into her head like her life is depended on it, is now back to chugging water.

Your eyes follow his fingers, and you’re thinking real hard. Is it the right time to introduce Karina to a new guy? Are they gonna make it? You made a mental bet to yourself, she ain’t gonna budge. A part of her still wants Jeno back, but it is mandatory to follow the new rules that you and the girls made : Jeno Lee is fucking canceled. But it’s probably good for the distraction part. But poor Haechan, he’ll be a rebound.

“You sure? My girl Karina here just broke up with a fucking snake. Or maybe you boys just know him by Jeno. Think your friend can live as a rebound?” You lift your eyebrow at Mark, he takes another sip of his beer.

“Affirmative. Jeno’s one of us, but after hearing the news about the affair, I now believe that he is a shitty man.” He answers, and you nod. Finally, a boy who knows the clear line between wrong and right, not caring whether Jeno is one of his frat brothers or not. This man has a brain.

“And about Donghyuck.. Well, his head is practically made out of rock. He is capable of not giving up on someone. I’m sure he’ll work it out, he won’t be a rebound.” He continues,

Okay. Now you’re convinced. But if so, why is he not here? Why did he send Mark from Public Speaking class to talk to you instead of himself?

“And where is that friend of yours now? If he doesn’t really give up on someone, can he just come over and talk to Karina himself? Instead of sending his friend to talk to her friend?” You ask, glancing at his beer. “Anyway, where did you get that? All I see is just beer keg, not the canned ones.”

He looks down on his hand, glancing at the beer that he holds. “Yeah no, I bought this myself. Beer from the keg tastes like shit.”

Damn straight. That’s why you decided to avoid the goddamn beer that Karina’s been drinking. It tastes like shit. It has always been. Kudos to him for understanding.

“Donghyuck is watching from afar. He said he will come over once the introduction is completed. I’m only a messenger here, to notify you to notify your friend so she’ll be notified that a boy would like to get to know her.” he continues, and you just shrug.

“D’accord, monsieur. I will notify my friend so she will be notified that a boy would like to get to know her.” you answer, copying his tone from earlier. He chuckles, fishing out his phone out of his pocket. He’s probably busy notifying his friend that you’ll notify your friend so she is notified that a boy would like to get to know her.

“Uh, one question.” You hold your index finger up, gaining his attention from the phone. He nodded his head, “Don’t y’all got some bro-code in this house? Like, is dating one brother’s ex allowed?”

Mark laughs, “Jaehyun is the president this year. This bro-code doesn’t exist, not on his watch! If you decided to break a girl’s heart and one of your brother is willing to make her happy, then it’s your fucking problem. The whole house has nothing to do with it.”

Informed and satisfied, you mutter him a small “Okay”, and shuffle back to Karina, whose face is now fresher than before, probably all the water she chugged like her life depended on it has finally put an end to the alcohol running (but Yeri, as a med student, swore it doesn’t work that way). Seeing you, she flashes a smile.

“Hi there, pretty, is that your boyfriend?” she starts, pointing at Mark, who is now glued to his phone again. Ah yeah. Yeri is correct, the water doesn’t work that way towards the beer, but at least she is getting better.

You throw a stare at her, “No. But he has a friend that wants to get to know you. Like, right now.”

You can feel that Giselle is putting down her phone, scooting over, closer to you and Karina. “See, Karina, my love, every gentleman wants a piece of you! You don’t need that snake.”

Nodding, you approve of Giselle’s word of wisdom. “Gigi’s correct. This is your time to shine, boo. Remember, activate the hoe protocol, right?”

Karina grins at the two of you, tidying her dress and coming down from the kitchen counter. “Yeah. Okay. Bring him. Anyway, how do I look?”

“Perfect. Okay, Y/n, bring him in.” Giselle answered, sweeping Karina’s hair to the side.

Affirmative, you stick a thumbs up to Mark, who is now standing right beside a boy who is dressed in a pink-white checkered shirt and a white t-shirt underneath. You swore you almost cackled when you first saw the way his pants and necklace matched Mark. So, those frat boys also have friendship outfits or what?

Receiving the signals, Mark pushed his friend lightly while saying something, probably some good-luck spell or something. Haechan takes light steps toward you, Karina, and Giselle. The way he walks really indicates that he’s pretty confident. Probably the type to smooth talk his way out of something.

As Haechan approaches Karina, you signal Giselle to scram together or something, to leave them with their moment, but of course, you still gotta keep tabs on her sometime, because she is in no condition to be left alone completely. You’re preparing to take your leave from the kitchen, but Giselle still managed to pull you closer, whispering something.

“You mind babysitting Ms. Yoo with her new man? I gotta grab something real quick.”

You eye her, “Giselle, you know what, if you really need to see that Shotaro boy somewhere in this house, I completely understand. You don’t really need to say that you gotta grab some-”

“OKAY Y/n, I’ll see you in a bit. You know what, maybe you can have some fun with that canned beer guy-”

“Okay, Giselle. Just get lost before I change my mind.” You cut her off, she responds by giggling and makes her exit. She’s probably right, spending time with Mark from Public Speaking class won’t be bad either. But probably not, since he’s probably not interested, and you’re definitely not the type to chase boys around.

You sigh. Trying to leave the sight of Haechan and Karina giggling together like 12 years old. Ew. Karina has cooties. You can’t help but notice Mark again, who is about to leave the kitchen area with the same canned beer he held a few minutes ago. He mutters something, but you can’t seem to hear what he’s saying, since the goddamn music from the big ass speakers is practically covering the whole house. Gulping, you finally believe that he’s not interested, because he just walked away from the scene where you’re a third wheel.

Defeated, you sigh while walking to the white dining room, staying true to your purpose of the night : watching Karina like a fucking eagle, while the rest of your friends are probably getting Tequilla shots with Hendery, or probably planning Jeno’s embarrassment scene, or probably joining the Just Dance competition with that Shotaro boy. Oh well, only god knows it.

As you sit on the dining chair, you can’t help but notice the big ass pizza box sitting in the center of the dining table. A piece of pepperoni pizza won’t hurt, you thought to yourself. You finally stretch your hand to the brown large box with large pieces of pepperoni pizzas inside it. You’ve always loved pepperoni pizza, especially when someone would accompany you to eat one.

Checking every bit of the pizza, you choose the one with 7 pepperoni pieces on it, you already counted each one of them, the rest only have like 5-6 pieces. As you take a bite from the pizza, you hear a notification sound from your phone, it’s a message.

Mark from Public Speaking class : wya? still cookin’ in the kitchen? thought you want some canned beer

You chuckle at the message. This guy is pretty cute, he really paid attention to what you said earlier. You type back to him using your left hand, for your right hand is holding a piece of a big ass pizza.

Y/n : haha yeah im at the dining room
Y/n : the pizza’s great, im starving
Y/n : you literally left the crime scene as soon as they linked up

You put down your phone, still munching on the pizza that you grabbed a while ago. Watching Karina and Haechan from afar, like a goddamn mother whose job is to spy, but spying after her daughter. They look like they’re having the conversation of their life. Okay. Good for them. But you can’t help but feel jealous, you want what they have, but with who?

“Really can’t believe you took the one with the most pepperonis on it. I was marking that one, but you stole it.” You hear a familiar voice resonating through your left ear, and then to your right ear. Someone sits in a dining chair beside you, placing a tall canned beer on the table, right beside your phone.

Chuckling, you know who exactly it is. You turn your head facing him, his lips forming a wide smile, and his hair is already swept to the side, no more signs of sweat rolling down his forehead. His eyes glued to the pizza box, completed with his hand reaching to the biggest slice on the box.

“Hey, first come first serve, you know. Like I said, you fled the scene.” You let out a giggle, finally finishing the pizza slice on your right hand, but you left out the crust on a piece of tissue. Still staring at his facial features, he’s actually very attractive when up close.

He turns his eyes from the pizza to you and lets out a little chuckle. On the other hand, you can feel your heart beating very fast.

“Did I? I was heading back to my room, getting some more canned beer for you. I thought I already told you, though?” He answers, while munching the pizza.

Oh shit. He’s cute. Adorable. Lovely. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Even if he’s munching a goddamn pizza like a fucking kid. Absolutely stunning. You just know that moment, you’re probably getting the cooties from Karina, and this is the side effects. Crushing on Mark from Public Speaking class.

And that’s when you realize that he was actually muttering something to you, not some random words, right before he left. You just couldn’t hear him earlier. You can feel the nervousness kicking in. He’s just too good to be true, right now. A model student living in a fraternity house, cute, caring, responsible, creative, a gentleman, he’s absolutely perfect. His only flaw is he’s eating a fucking watermelon with a soup spoon. Other than that, he’s definitely getting straight As in your book.

“Oh really? I didn’t hear it. Why thank you for the fancy drink, kind sir. I find that very gentleman of you.” You smile at him, reaching for the beer can.

“Anytime, my lady.” He replies, laughing, before he takes a bite of his pizza.

My lady? Did he just- did he just call you- my lady? You swear that you’re about to burst. Well, if he wants to do it that way, you can too.

“Well, cheers to Haechan and Karina. Cheers to you too, my kind sir, for making a lady’s heart happy.” Popping the beer can open, you wink before you gulp it.

He lets out a laugh, while his pizza has already disappeared. Little did you know, his heart beats so fast as well. Putting his hands together, he brushes the pizza crumbs off his hands, while eyeing the pizza crust you left on a piece of tissue.

“Yo, dude.. You don’t EAT the crust?” he asks, pointing at the pizza crust.

You peek at him behind the canned beer that is right in front of your face, “Yeah, dude. What about it?”

He giggles, letting out a little burp in between his little giggles. Adorable. Even if he’s burping, and if most guys do it, it’s fucking disgusting. “Let me have it, I’m still fucking hungry.”

You laugh, setting your beer aside to the table. Letting him have your pizza crust, you also question him, “Why don’t you get a second slice, dude? This box is hella loaded.”

Shrugging his shoulder, he finally takes the crust to his mouth, with his joyful expression on his face. It’s such a sight to see, a boy with a cute smile, eating your leftover pizza crust happily. You don’t wanna freak him out, so you decided to open your phone instead of watching his cute face all the time.

You have new messages.

Pressing the passcode, you open the message app, specifically the girls’ group chat whose name is HOEPROTOCOL:ACTIVE.

Ryu-jean covey : so no one’s gonna talk about the fact that y/n is jeopardizing the mission
Ryu-jean covey : sis really said fuck watching karina imma bout to get married
Ryu-jean covey : WITH THE FRAT GUY FROM THE PHILOSOPHY CLASS?

Ryu-jean covey sent a photo.

Gigi had it : ryujin he’s from biology class tf
Gigi had it : THEY LOOK CUTE THOUGH

Lia seydoux :wait
Lia seydoux : is that mark lee
Lia seydoux : idk how much weed did y'all smoke but he’s from public speaking class

Gigi had it : my bad

Yerimiese : do i need to remind y’all that men ain’t shit

Ryu-jean covey : damn right men ain’t shit

Lia seydoux : men ain’t shit but felix lee is tolerable

Yerimiese : y’all have fucking cooties and it shows

Gigi had it : jealousy is a disease bitches get well soon xoxo

Ryu-jean covey : shut up giselle ik ur somewhere out there with osaki

Lia seydoux : shut up ryujin ik ur somewhere out there flirting with yeji

Ryu-jean covey is typing…

You chuckle, reading the group text from the top to bottom. Seeing the girls argue about things is a sight you see almost everyday, no matter where. You scroll back to the top, clicking on the image attachment that Ryujin sent. It’s a picture of you and Mark laughing in the dining chair, right where you are right now. The image quality is quite low, considering the low light and the fact that it was taken from afar. You look around, trying to spot the girls one by one.

Karina, by the counter with Haechan, check.

Ryujin, out in the living room by the stairs, typing vigorously on her phone, with Yeji by her side, check.

Lia, nowhere to be found.

Giselle, nowhere to be found.

Yeri, nowhere to be found.

You just shrug it off, replying their messages.

Y/n : yall just jealous i get a man who would bring me a goddamn canned beer straight outta his room when the kegged beer tastes like piss

Yerimiese : bad taste, y/n. bad taste. get yourself a man who would bring you a whole-ass pyramid made of gold

Ryu-jean covey : so it be like that huh lia? you thought i didn’t know you went UPSTAIRS with felix?

Reading Ryujin’s messages, you glance around. Right. You can’t find Lia anywhere.

Yerimiese : shame on yall for not beating the snake’s ass
Yerimiese : smh these lovesick girls

Ryu-jean covey : you want me to do it right now?

Yerimiese : RYUJIN NO

Gigi had it : RYUJIN NO

Lia seydoux : RYUJIN NO

You’re about to hit send as soon as you’re finished typing the same exact message your 3 friends sent, when you suddenly hear a loud crash from the living room.

Startled, you and Mark turn your heads in sync to the living room direction. That one true fear you and the girls have, come true.

“Shit.” you curse, glancing back at your phone,

Yerimiese sent a photo.

Yerimiese : YALL BEEP BEEP SOS 911 GET HELP SEND DUDES

You sigh loudly. Loud enough to make Mark turn his head from his own phone to you, “Something wrong?” he asks.

You glance at him with a worried expression. “I.. I gotta go, and can you send dudes?”

Mark blinks and smirks. “Send nudes? Damn, Y/n. I know that you’re getting impatient but I really didn’t think you’re that kind of-”

“Dudes, Mark. Send me some dudes to the living room. Ryujin jumps Jeno. They are in a fight. Right now.” You look at him dead in the eye.

This is not the time for him to misheard your statement. And you can see it right on his face, embarrassed, and flustered.

“Oh- Sorry. I misheard. Shit. Oh yeah- right. Send dudes. Wait up, I’m gonna get Johnny to settle things-”

You nod, and sprint your way to the living room. To your horror, the brutal imagery of Ryujin stepping on Jeno’s back while pulling his hair comes true, what Yeri sent to the group chat got nothing on the vivid view you see right now.

The crowd goes wild, chanting “Ryujin! Ryujin! Ryujin!”, while the others chant “Jeno! Jeno! Jeno!”

You can’t believe you’d be today years old to see Ryujin actually jump this boy. That’s a rare occurrence, but the chances are never zero. That’s literally it, Ryujin pulling Jeno’s jet black hair while shouting a few curse words, while Jeno winces in pain, trying to shield his head from Ryujin’s hands, but fails miserably.

You quickly run to Yeri, who is still frozen in her place, “How long has this been going on?” you ask her, and she just shakes her head in panic, placing both of her hands on your shoulder “Goddammit, Y/n, I can’t think right now! Is this my fault, I shouldn’t have sent that! I was just messing with-”

And then you remembered something you left on the kitchen, “Fuck, Yeri, I left Karina in the kitchen- She’s half drunk, I can’t leave her!”

Yeri, who is now panicking, can’t even imagine her own panic flooding through her blood right now. First, she probably trigger the fucking physical fight between Ryujin and Jeno, and now, this too, you accidentally left Karina in the kitchen.

You run as fast as you could to the kitchen while Stupid Love by Lady Gaga is blasting through the goddamn speaker. Yeah. So true, Lady Gaga, Stupid Love. Especially when it’s blasting through the air while Ryujin is involved in a physical fight. As you make your way to the kitchen, you spot Mark with Jaehyun, Kun, and a tall, blonde, and gorgeous man running to the living room, who you believe is Johnny or something.

Nice, he’s such a guy with great ears. He listens well to you, he’s sending dudes directly to the fight, what a nice boyfriend material- wait. Are you imagining things right now, while one of your friends is involved in a goddamn catfight that consists of hair pulling, and the other one is half drunk sitting in a kitchen counter? Goddammit, Y/n. Get a hold of yourself.

Finally arriving at the destination, you spot Karina still sitting on top of the counter, with a glass of water beside her. Haechan, who is standing right in front of her, notices your presence and waves at you, “Hey, Y/n. I was looking for you for a bit, I need to go check on the living room, Mark summoned all the brothers to the living room at once, but I don’t want to leave Karina alone so I had to-”

“It’s okay, Haechan. You go, I’ll be with Karina. Thanks for watching her.” You cut him, assuring him that you’ll take over. He nods and gives Karina a smile before he runs off to the living room.

You sigh in relief. How nice. Mark and his lovely friends, such a gentleman. Unlike the goddamn Black Mamba. You sit by the counter beside Karina, offering her more water. You love your best friends more than anything, and you want the best for them. And right now, probably not letting Karina know about Ryujin and her snake-wrestling fiasco is the right thing to do, you all can just tell her the next morning.

“Where did Haechan go?” Karina asks, eyes heavy like a sleepy girl,

You smile at her, “He needs to take care of a few things, he’ll be back.”

Karina giggles, “He’s a nice guy.”

Her words bring your mind to the other nice guy, who eats a watermelon with a goddamn soup spoon. You can’t help but smile with her, head leaning to each other’s shoulder like true sisters you are, not by blood, but through good vibes.

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy.”

———-

You wake up to the blaring sound of Giselle’s alarm, it’s birds chirping uncontrollably. At first, it was mesmerizing and relaxing, like you’re in the middle of a garden of dreams. But then it comes crashing in, the sound of the chirps are no longer relaxing, it’s annoying.

You and Lia have been assigned to the same room with Giselle from the beginning when you joined the sorority with the girls. But you’re never used to her goddamn alarm. The room was quite big for you three to have beds of your own, unlike the apartment you used to live in before joining the sorority, where you used to be roommates with Yeri, who is now rooming with Ryujin and Karina in the house.

“Giselle, can you tell your goddamn birds to fuck off? My head hurts.” You grunt, barely opening your eyes. Giselle hums on her bed as a response and shuts her alarm off, while Lia is still sleeping soundly.

You try to shut your eyes again, hoping for another sleep. But it seems like the universe won’t let you, especially since the sunshine trespasses your shared room through the curtains. It’s closed though, but the sun manages to barge in unbothered.

Tossing your body back and forth, you notice Giselle still lying on her bed, smiling at her phone like an idiot. Probably on her Deadpool stan twitter again, or maybe her daily good morning texts with Osaki Shotaro. Or maybe she just stumbles upon some juicy memes on tiktok she is about to send to you.

Finally giving up another hour of sleep, you check your phone for new notifications, or maybe if you don’t have one, you can just simply open Instagram, seeing the wild shit that went down last night in Nu Chi Tau house. But it says otherwise, you have new messages.

Mark from Public Speaking class :dude
Mark from Public Speaking class : haechan told me he has a date with ur friend today
Mark from Public Speaking class : u wanna tag along and spy on them?

A wide smile formed on your face. Ah yes. Lazy sunday with Mark from Public Speaking class slash from Nu Chi tau slash the one who eats watermelon like a freak, spying on Haechan and Karina. What can be more interesting than that?

Y/n : count me in

You smile and get up from the bed, gaining interest from the girl whose alarm is annoying. She glances at you as you walk to the door,

“Going somewhere, Princess?”

“Spying on Karina and Haechan.” you shrug,

Giselle groans, “Goddammit, Y/n. Let them be, they’re adults for god’s sa-”

And then her expression changes, mouth forming ‘O’ as she changes stance on her bed, from lying down to sitting up. “My bad, whatever your Mr. Public Class planning for the date with you, using the excuse of spying on friends, go for it.”

You roll eyes at her as you continue to step out of the bedroom, “It’s not a date. We’re just gonna see how Haechan and Karina are doing.”

Giselle just smirks. “Whatever. You know what- I’m starting to think that Haechan is the wingman here-”

“Yada, yada, yada, Giselle. Me and Mark are just friends. We’re just helping our friends.”

“Friends that might end up kissing each other, sure.”

You close the bedroom door behind you. Friends? Really? You and him barely know each other, just classmates from Public Speaking class, and maybe helping mutual friends out. Though deep inside your mind, you wish what Giselle said earlier come true, even though just 70%. Wait. That percentage is kinda high.

Making your way to the bathroom, your phone rings as a sign of a new message.

Mark from Public Speaking class : great! i’ll pick u up after haechan leaves

————

“And when you said spying, this is exactly what I did not have in mind, Mark.” You say to him as you try to adjust the black bob wig on your head, “By the way, where did you get this wig? It’s odd to see that you are THIS well prepared.”

Mark scrunches his nose, probably adjusting his fake mustache. He shrugs, “Last year Hendery went as Willy Wonka to the Halloween party. Don’t ask me why, he just did.”

“Goddammit, dude. We spy on Haechan and Karina, who are going on a date. Not a goddamn drug transaction.” You stare at him and his stupid white cap and his stupid mustache. He looks like somebody in his 40s looking for sugar babies.

“Speak for yourself, Edna Mode. You had a choice to look obvious as hell, but you did get along with my plan.” he stares at you and your stupid black bob wig (which Hendery wore to the Halloween party), completed with round sunglasses and a black coat.

Stupid Mark and his stupid plan. Stupid disguise. Why did you agree to do this in the first place? Well maybe yes, you have that tiny itsy bitsy crush on him, but did you expect him to be this weird? Nah. But the fact that you and Mark sit in a diner booth that is located 3 booths behind Haechan and Karina’s says otherwise. You must like him A LOT that you had to do this.

You and Mark keep covering your faces with the menu with the constant gaze to the couple, spying on them as they laugh together, and telling stories one to another. You and Mark are waiting for the juicy details like maybe brushing hands to one another or sharing milkshakes, but that scene just won’t come out.

After ordering 3 to 4 servings of french fries, you and Mark finally give up spying on them, it’s their first date, yes. Juicy details rarely come around on the first date. “Should we give up? It’s their first date.”

Mark turns his head to you, hands scratching his philtrum, probably itching from the stupid mustache he wears. “Yeah. What am I thinking? This is so weird.”

You laugh, “Yeah. My head itches, how did Hendery manage to wear this all night long?”

He laughs, “Rumor has it, he has a stone scalp. Let’s get out of here, I’m starting to get bored.”

You agree with him and make your exit to his car, taking off the so-called disguises one by one to the backseat as he does the same, then proceed to sit in the driver’s seat with you right beside him.

“Now what?” he asks, eyes on his driving wheel.

“I don’t know, dude. You drag me into this.” you tease him,

“Goddammit, woman. Come on, give me some suggestions.”

“Well, I’m lacking of sleep this morning, Giselle and her goddamn alarm-”

“Ah.. I see.. Do you wanna.. Like.. sleep together? SHIT that’s not what I meant-”

You widen your eyes at him, “Mark, can you stop being a horny teenager for like- 3 seconds?”

Mark covers his eyes, “That’s not what I fucking meant! Ah fuck, I made it sound weird.”

You laugh. He’s jumbling over his own words, battling his own mind, “That’s not what I fucking meant, I swear! I was asking if you want to like take a nap together because honest to god- I don’t have THAT intention with you- I just-”

You laugh at him again, he’s so fucking adorable. You just know it’s him, he’s such a sweet gentleman, and try to ignore your thoughts about what he accidentally said. His real intention is to take a nap together. A nice, innocent, great nap with a friend. That’s all.

“Yeah, Mark. A nap would be great.”

He smiles, “Thank god you understand what I mean. And please don’t take this the wrong way- I don’t want to make you uncomfortable so you can maybe sleep in Haechan’s bed.”

“Okay.”

“Ah shit I’m so sorry for making this weird… If you want to go home, it’s alright, I’ll drive you home- I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess-”

“Mark,”

“-yes?”

“Shut up and drive to Nu Chi Tau before I drag you to my sorority house. You know that Irene, our president, eats boys, right?”

He falls silent. Probably remembering how scary Irene is when she’s angry, she once fought Taeyong and Kun, for the prank war that was conducted between Nu Chi Tau and your sorority house last April. Needless to say, she was not pleased. The prank war ended when Nu Chi Tau’s swimming pool was fizzing with glitter bath bombs with your house’s signature pink color. It took them days to clean up the pool full of bath bombs.

“Oh yeah. Right.”

And with that, he shifts his gears and heads to his frat house as fast as possible. On the way there, he tells you how much he lacks sleep too, since he had to clean the house this morning after the goddamn party, especially when Ryujin and Jeno’s catfight broke a bottle of Grey Goose, shattering everywhere along with the spilled vodka, he had to prevent Jaemin from licking the goddamn liquor on the floor.

He also tells you how Johnny suggested that Ryujin and Yeri should be banned from Nu Chi Tau for 3 weeks, and how he and Haechan defended the girls, because Karina, obviously. And you wonder, if Mark did that because of you too. Did he? Or didn’t he? All you can do is just hope for the sake of your tiny itsy bitsy crush on him.

As soon as you and Mark arrive at Nu Chi Tau house, your entrance is welcomed by a few whistles from his frat brothers, only to reveal themselves as Lucas, Jungwoo, and Yuta.

“Good lord, Mark, it’s 2 PM, and you’re already getting it?” Lucas teases you and Mark as you both climb the staircase, you just flip him off. “At least we don’t have Bella watching.”

“Hey! That’s an honor, if Bella is watching!” Lucas and Jungwoo laugh as they kick their feet on the couch, watching Top Gear or something in TLC. Yuta gives Mark a look, “My baby brother, don’t forget to use protection!”

Mark groans, “Goddammit, I told you all we’re just gonna take a nap until Haechan gets back from his date!”

They just laugh it off, as you both enter his shared room with Haechan and Taeil. Pretty much the same as your room back in sorority house, a spacious room with 3 beds along with wardrobes and study desks. You spot Taeil studying on his desk, with his airpods on. He’s startled when you and Mark entered the room, staring at both of you.

“Oh boy. Do I need to get out-”

“No! No, no, no! Carry on! We don’t do what Lucas does every Saturday, we’re here to take a nap!” Mark quickly explains to Taeil, who looks skeptical, but he carries on studying.

You quickly jump to the bed nearest to you, placing your head on the white pillow. Mark chuckles, “That’s my bed, but it’s okay. You go ahead, I can just sleep in Haechan’s.”

You quickly sit up, “Ah sorry, it’s fine, I can take Haechan’s-”

“No, no. You go ahead.” He smiles, as he lies down on the bed beside you. You smile back at him and sink your head back to the pillow, finally getting some peaceful nap after this morning’s re-sleep failure.

——–

You open your eyes, and the first thing you see is Mark. Startled, you quickly get up from his bed, and watch his sleeping figure on Haechan’s bed. You check your phone, it’s 6.03 PM, and a few missed calls from the girls. New messages? You name it, there are 54 new messages from the group chat.

You don’t want to wake him up, so you decide to sprint out of the Nu Chi Tau house as fast as you can before the girls can blow your phone up any longer now. Thank god the universe is on your side, because Mark’s frat brothers on the ground floor are pretty preoccupied in the kitchen and you can successfully escape.

The trip to your sorority house is not that long, 7 minutes if you sprint, 15 if you walk.

And when you arrive at the door, you can see 5 girls line up at the entrance, with hands folded in front of their chest. You gulp, you’re pretty sure there will be a hell of an interrogation tonight.

“Miss girl, did you use protection?” Giselle starts, you let out a heavy sigh. “Goddammit you guys, I was not-”

“So you mind telling me why were YOU in Nu Chi Tau for 4 hours?” Ryujin continues, and the other girls nod.

Wait. How the fuck do they know that you were in Nu Chi Tau? You literally told Giselle this morning that you were going to spy on Karina- who is now standing right in front of you with 4 other girls, still wearing the same outfit you saw earlier, nothing else. How did they-

Oh yeah.. Fuck iPhones and their Find Friends feature. You forget that you and the girls linked on the Find Friends feature, they can see you wherever you go when they need to know where you are. You gulp, trying to make up an excuse,

“I was-”

“Spying on me, I know. You look like young Edna Mode, having lunch with your sugar daddy, Y/n. Can’t believe you wore that hideous wig.” Karina rolls her eyes,

“You what?! Goddammit Y/n- why would you- ugh, I can’t even finish the sentence.” Lia responds,

And all you can do is blink and crack an awkward smile. “I just wanna make sure you’re having a good time, bestie.”

“Well it looks like you were the one who is having a good time, miss girl. You were missing for HOURS only for us to find you in Nu Chi Tau.” Yeri adds,

You groan and stomp your feet, “Let me clarify. There was nothing happening today except me and Mark spied on Haechan and Karina, and then we went to his house to take a goddamn nap. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Taeil! He saw us sleeping our ass off!”

They chuckle, “We’re not buying it but we totally ship you with Mark, it’s so cute!”

You shrug and roll your eyes, then proceed to head upstairs to wash up. As if it’s that easy. You do like him though, and your friends are blessing you with it. But what about Mark, does he feel the same, though? Again, you and him started as classmates, and then now your mutual friends kinda go out together. Does he see you more than that?

——–

Mark feels something touching his nose, as he opens his eyes, the first thing he notices is Haechan- or he just calls him Donghyuck. His finger poking Mark’s nose bridge like he’s trying to awaken a cat.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Mark startles, getting up immediately, and then stares at his watch, it’s 6.54 PM. He looks around the room, only to meet with Haechan, still wearing the outfit that he saw today, and Taeil, who is now sprawled across his own bed, face covered in his Quantum Physics book. He’s looking for Y/n, but it seems like she is now long gone.

“Your Cinderella left, she’s now at home. Karina told me.” Donghyuck sits on his bed, scrolling through his phone.

Mark gulps, but then can’t help but smile as he glances at his bed. Still messy just like somebody just slept on it a few moments ago, and he can’t wait to go to sleep on it, with the scent of Y/n’s hair sticking on his pillow.

“By the way, dude. If you want a fucking double date, just tell me. It’s embarrassing to see you looking like a man in his 40s with his sugar baby, who happens to be a younger version of Edna Mode.”

Hearing it, Mark can only pinch his nose bridge. Right. That was embarrassing. But he can’t help but think of the event that you spent with him today, it was so fucking eventful.

“Yeah, shit, sorry. I was running out of excuses to hang out with her.”

Donghyuck chuckles as he puts away his phone, “Dude. We were supposed to help each other out, remember? I’m your wingman, and you’re my wingman. Just ask her out or something, I’m pretty sure she’s into you!”

Mark smiles like a fool. “You think so? I don’t know if I was being self-absorbed, but I’m sure she’s into me, like-”

Donghyuck laughs. “There you go! Come on, man!”

“She gives me heebie jeebies, man. But, in a good way.”

Donghyuck lifts one of his eyebrows, “Elaborate?”

“Y’know.. Heebie jeebies… That jittery feeling. But with her, it’s some good heebie jeebies.”

Donghyuck shakes his head, “Mark, you’re weird but I get it.”

———

Sipping your iced coffee on the kitchen counter, you scroll past your Instagram feed, but all those interesting posts just can’t seem to avert you from opening user @onyourm__ark over and over again. You can’t help but stare at his video post from 7 months ago, having a pool party in Nu Chi Tau house, hands linking with Xiaojun while jumping to the pool.

You continue to scroll past his profiles, trying your best to not be stalker-ish by accidentally pressing like on any of his posts.

“Ah, would you look at that… Lovergirl, stalking her Prince Charming on Instagram. How cute.” Karina chimes in as she places her dirty dishes on the sink.

You quickly put your phone away, turning your head to her, “My, my, isn’t it Miss Karina, who went on a date yesterday.”

She chuckles, “About that,”

You glance at her, “Yes?”

“Donghyuck- errr- Haechan thinks that you and Mark should tag along on our next dates.”

You choke on your iced coffee, “Me and who?”

“Mark. Mark Lee. Lee Minhyung. From your Public Speaking Class. From Nu Chi Tau.”

“Karina, dude, you’re not trying to pull a joke on me, aren’t you?”

She shakes her head. “Why would I?”

“I- I don’t know what to say-”

“For fuck’s sake, Y/n. You like him, don’t you? Just go for it, Jesus Christ.”

You blink. You do like him. Maybe is this a sign from the universe that you and Mark should date? Probably, “Yeah. I like him, though.”

She sighs, “Finally. Goddammit.”

You smile at her, unaware of your phone screen, where you accidentally liked Mark’s post from 2014, where he ate salmon with his brother.

On the other side, at the same time, in a different place, Nu Chi Tau’s living room, a blue haired boy is screaming with joy. He was lying on the couch, scrolling on twitter, probably gonna end up collecting memes. But by the time a notification from Instagram is stating that user @thisisnotyn liked his photo, he jumps and clicks on it immediately.

Xiaojun notices his frat brother dancing in the living room like a worm in heat. He’s watching from the stairs as he comes down, Jaehyun makes him go for a grocery run again for the 4th time this week. But this time, he prefers not to bring Jisung and Chenle along, because they’ll be back with 8 packs of oreos and capri suns, again.

“Did somebody accept your marriage proposal?” Xiaojun asks as he fishes out his car key out of his jeans,

Mark turns his head to Xiaojun like a happy puppy, “Dude, she liked my photo from 2014! She visits my Instagram profile!”

Xiaojun is purely confused, “Was that supposed to be significant in your love life with her?”

“Dude, if she visits my Instagram profile THAT deep, it means she’s interested!”

The blonde boy just rolls his eyes as he walks straight to the door, “I hope it’s true. If not, Mark, please, go to a therapist.”

Mark doesn’t care, he’s still joyful. As Xiaojun walks out of the house, Donghyuck rushes downstairs, “Green light. Karina and Y/n said yes.”

With that, Mark couldn’t be more ecstatic. He’s up there in cloud 9.

——-

Since then, Haechan and Karina have been inviting you and Mark to tag along with them. Literally every Friday evening, the four of you always see each other. It all started with the pancake double date, trip to the supermarket just to grab a few drinks, and many more.

But then, you and Mark have been sneaking around a lot too, he started to ask you to go on a late night drive with him a little more often now. It has been going on for 2 months now, and you’re still not sure if he sees you as more than a friend.

Your phone rings, bursting your bubble of thoughts. Ah, speak of the devil. It’s Mark, calling you, in the middle of the night,

“Yeah hello, very ethical, Mark, calling someone in the middle of the night.” You answer the phone with a sarcastic tone, which he’s already used to all of it by now.

“Well maybe if you just look out of your window when I fucking throw rocks on them, I wouldn’t.”

Your heart skips a bit. He what? You quickly leave your big ass textbooks that are lying on your bed and rush to the window. He’s literally right there, wearing the signature green Nu Chi Tau varsity jacket with his hand holding up his phone beside his ear, looking directly at you.

“God- what the fuck are you doing in here? You’re trying to be eaten by Irene, are you? You know if she sees one Nu Chi Tau boy, she will combust-”

“Yeah. I know. So won’t you come down and save me from being eaten by Irene?”

“Yeah, she won’t be able to eat you if I eat you first.” You laugh at him, sticking out your tongue.

“Hey! You-”

You hang up the call and quickly open the bedroom door, leaving the sleeping Giselle and Lia behind. They’re sleeping so soundly after Seulgi and Yeri practically dragged their ass to the tennis court, to play against them.

You run your way to Mark, who is now sitting on the wooden bench that faces your bedroom’s window.. He smiles, like a goddamn fool, but you like it the most. He’s very cute.

“Hi, Mark from Public Speaking class, what brings you here?” You nudge his shoulder playfully as you sit beside him,

He looks at you, and you feel like the whole world is doing its favors to you. It’s one of the best views you’ve ever seen in your life. While seeing you in the middle of the night is considered a regular thing for Mark, actually seeing you this clearly face to face, especially in your own sorority’s house lawn is something he does for the first time. At midnight, he usually sees you in the dark, inside his car, while he’s driving and you’re busy queueing the songs for the drive.

“I- uh.. Um.. Aren’t you cold?” He stammers, taking off his signature green frat varsity jacket, only to reveal he’s wearing a black sweater underneath.

“Uh- no, it’s okay-”

Too late. Mark already snakes his jacket around you, covering your shoulders with the arms of the jacket.

And you can feel your heart beating unusually fast, cheeks spreading heat so rapidly. Little did you know, Mark shares the same experience as you right now. Especially when his arms brush into yours, it feels like you both are going to combust together.

“Okay, dude. State your business or I’m calling Irene.” You joke, trying to relieve the tension,

Mark chuckles. “God- you’re really ruining the mood, I’m trying to be romantic.”

HE WHAT? You almost pop your eyes when he says that, trying to believe what you just heard, and all you can do is just blink, while Mark is now shifting his glance to the sky, trying to avoid your gaze.

“You keep calling me dude, for god’s sake! I can’t let myself stuck in a fucking dude-zone forever.”

You’re still silent. You don’t know what to say, you just can’t believe what you just heard, over and over again. Did he just- did he just fucking-

“I- Um.. Uh.. It’s embarrassing, I-I know, but I just want to let you know, Y/n. That I.. I.. I like you so much,” he stutters again, “and um.. I got this funny feeling when I’m around you- you- you give me heebie jeebies.”

Still no response from you, still trying to convince yourself that this is not a fucking dream.

Mark sighs and starts to grab his own hair in frustration, “Fuck. Now I just ruined our friendship by telling you that I like you- goddammit why am I so reckless? Shit, Y/n, if you don’t feel the same way about me, it’s fine- I swear it’s fine. Oh god- fucking Mark Lee you can’t keep your mouth shut for-”

And while he’s blabbering on his own, you finally take your chance to actually hug him tightly, with his frat jacket still attached to your body. With it, he freezes on the spot.

“Am I giving you the heebie jeebies?” You feel your heart warms as your face fits perfectly on his neck,

And now it’s his turn to fall silent. As a fucking rock.

“What happened? Heebie jeebies got your tongue?”

After the last taunt, Mark pulls away from the hug and cups your face as he squishes your cheeks,

“Can I kiss you?” he asks, and you slowly nod.

He pulls you in for a kiss, and you feel like the universe is once again in your favor. His lips are so soft, and taste like watermelon. You can’t even begin to describe the feeling, it’s so comforting, and joyful.

Ah, is this what love feels like?

You pull away from the kiss, staring at his red face, and laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asks as he lets out a little chuckle,

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t expect for you to like me- I thought it was really a one-sided crush but I was oblivious as fuck.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I was scared of being too bold or too obvious but here you are.”

“Really? Name one thing you hinted.”

He sighs as he starts counting with his fingers, “Dude, I literally asked you to spy on Haechan and Karina when it’s fucking ridiculous. I fucking ask Haechan to ask you and Karina on a double date. I literally drove 7 miles to the taco bell just because you tweeted that you want some taco monstrosity down your tummy. Dude, I poured the maple syrup on your waffle in literal heart shape and you didn’t notice-”

You cackle. Yeah. The waffle one, that’s the best, you thought was drawing a butt on your waffle, but now you know.

“Wait, that was a heart shape? I thought you drew a wholeass butt!”

“Dude, not cool.”

“Hey! You told me I called you dude so many times, and now you call me dude! Do you wanna go back to dude-zone?”

“No, ma'am.”

You laugh, “Stop calling me dude!”

“Okay,babe. Is that what you want now?” He says, placing a soft kiss on top of your head.

Babe. Oh wow. Maybe it is time for your soul to ascend to the sky, isn’t it?

“Shut up.” you pout,

“God, if you keep pouting like this, I’m afraid I need to kiss you again-”

“YEEESSSS!!!” You both hear loud cheer and applause from the sky.

Oop. Is it the universe applauding and cheering for you both, or-

As you both look up in horror, you see the least sight you want to see right now. Your bedroom window is full of girls including Giselle, Ryujin, Karina, Lia, and Yeri. But someone you expected the least actually makes an appearance, Irene Bae.

“Congratulations!” They shout from upstairs, and all you and Mark can do is just freeze on the spot.

“Hi, Mark Lee. Nice to know you’re now dating one of my sisters. Now please get lost before I come down to drag your ass back to that damn house.” Irene speaks, and needless to say, Mark is scared shitless. He’s terrified.

“Yes, Irene.” He nods as he looks at you,

“See you tomorrow, babe. I gotta run.”

You chuckle at him as he is now a goner. He literally sprints his way out of the lawn, terrified of Irene Bae. You stare at the girls’ crowd on your bedroom window, facepalming yourself in frustration, “You girls! I’m having a moment!”

They just laugh and tell you to get inside and spill the full tea. You agree and head inside, totally aware of the frat jacket you’re currently wearing, feeling content as ever as Mark’s scent lingers around you. What he doesn’t know, the heebie jeebies also get into you whenever you’re near him.

On the other side, Mark is running for his life, completely delighted. Intentionally leaving his jacket to you is another strategy to sneak in the middle of the night to the house again, maybe right after the date during the day. Mark feels nothing but heebie jeebies full of happiness.

Masterlist

Moon Taeil

coming soon!

Johnny Suh

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Lee Taeyong

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Nakamoto Yuta

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Qian Kun

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Kim Doyoung

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Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul

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Jung Jaehyun

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Dong Sicheng

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Kim Jungwoo

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Lucas Wong

coming soon!

Mark Lee

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HOEPROTOCOL:ACTIVE. Main objective? Protect Princess Karina from the Black Mamba, obvi. And please- don’t jeopardize the mission just because Mark Lee from Public Speaking class is coming your way.

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Hendery Wong

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Huang Renjun

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Lee Jeno

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Lee Donghyuck

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Na Jaemin

busy boy. | fluff, angst, college!au [2.5k]

inspired by chloe x halle - busy boy. basically playing around with the local campus playboy, na jaemin for months is not the best thing, not the worst thing either.

Liu Yangyang

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Zhong Chenle

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Park Jisung

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Osaki Shotaro

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Jung Sungchan

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© 2021 Spectracully, All Rights Reserved.

there’s always a tug at your throat whenever you want to say something but shouldn’t. you say it anyways, “i think we should call it quits, this relationship isn’t going anywhere.” across from you, jeno sets down his water, apparently unfazed. he blinks once, seems to process what you’ve just said, and shifts in his seat ever-so-slightly. his demeanor is collected when he replies, “why do you think so?” but his fingers start ticking on the table, a bomb waiting for you to set it off. “because we want different things from our lives.“ he swallows thickly and his fingers stop tapping, “that’s not true, you know that.” you look away from him, severing the tension for a split second before bringing your eyes back to his in a calculated motion. he doesn’t like how it seems like you’ve been preparing for this moment; moreover, he dislikes the thought of you planning this out so thoroughly. “what am i gonna do with my kids while you’re out drinking till 3 in the morning?” jeno sputters, “hey, i wouldn’t— why would i—” but you cut him off, “do you expect me to clean up your messes until you’re dead? is that what you think of me?” your aggravated tone is the flip to the switch, and the bomb goes off. “gaslighting? really?! i can do that too. you never cared for me anyways, you always put yourself first—“ you stand abruptly, the chair behind you falling to the floor. a solemn look smooths over your face and you move quietly to pick up after yourself. jeno watches you warily, albeit fuming, from his seated position as you stand and make leave for the door. “where do you think you’re going?” even with your back turned to him, your face remains still and emotionless. “to collect my things.” another step forward and his stern tone pulls you a step back. “you’re not going anywhere.” you turn stoically to face him. jeno is now standing with his fists stressing the table’s surface. his eyebrows are creased, frustrated tears running down the sides of his cheeks. he shakes as he grabs the glass of water he was drinking from. with one forlorn look at it, jeno hurls it into the wall behind you with full and unadulterated force. something about the way you don’t even flinch gets to him and he crumbles, entirely. jeno’s been running from this day ever since you first agreed to go on a date with him. he knows all too well that his highest highs have always been with you by his side and his lowest lows have been marked without your presence. you’re still in the room, by his side, gloved hands picking apart the shards of glass from his grimy floor. his muscles tense as he realizes the day has come when his worst becomes too much for your benevolence. jeno glances as you discard the gloves into the trash, hoping to relieve his stressors with your forgiving visage. instead, your blank expression cuts him open wide, exposing him to his own vices, ripping the bandaid clean off. he stands still, but he writhes. he stares at you silently as you exit, but he’s screaming your name over and over. he moves his gaze to the floor, now clean of hazard, but he’s bleeding, all over, all at once. the click of the door sounds, and he knows with a sinking sort of feeling that you’ve left him to rot, a wound he’d inflicted upon himself.

celeritas - kim jungwoo x gender neutral reader(teaser)

masterlist

⇢   synopsis: celeritas; speed, swiftness. windswept hair and ripped jeans. kim jungwoo, mysterious neighbour and alleged street racer. just what secrets lie within this man? and can you match his speed?

⇢   release date: some time in april, exact date tbc

⇢   expected word count: 4k-8k

⇢   teaser word count: 0.9k

⇢   trigger warnings for full fic: car accident, blood, non-serious injury, swearing.

⇢   trigger warnings for teaser: blood, non-serious injury

⇢   a/n: this is my piece for the racer au collab, originally hosted by the lovely anie

send me an ask or message to be added to the taglist!

“Jungwoo?” you asked, peering at him. He was clearly trying to hide himself, but you knew it was him. You unrecognised his lips, and hoped that wasn’t creepy, but what deterred you was the swelling around the left side of his jaw. “Are you okay?”

“Hey, Y/N. I’m fine.” He tried to give you a reassuring smile, but winced as the action twinged his swollen features. 

“You don’t seem too fine,” you commented, trying to peer at the rest of his face, under his hood. 

“I’ve had worse,” he shrugged, wincing again. “Look, can we go inside?”

You frowned, pulling open your apartment door before ushering him inside and pulling down his hood, acting fast and catching him unaware, only to gasp at the state of his face. Along with his swollen jaw was a black eye, and a gash across his forehead that had recently ceased its bleeding, judging by the dark, dried blood around the site of injury 

“Oh my god, Jungwoo, what happened?”

“Listen, I said it’s fine-”

“Come on, let me patch you up.” You grasped his arm, marching him towards the elevator, and he got the message that his protesting was worthless and you wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. Once in your apartment, you pulled a chair out from your kitchen table and pushed Jungwoo firmly down onto it, before digging the first aid kit out of your cupboard. 

Jungwoo was silent through the whole affair, and you sensed that some of this was surprise. It didn’t seem like he was used to this - being taken charge of, that was. He seemed like the type of guy who took charge of everything and everyone he encountered. Well, you supposed, he had met his match.

He was a good patient, and only flinched once, when you brushed his wounds with an antibacterial wipe. Finished your cleaning and bandaging, you leaned back against your kitchen counter, eyeing the man up. He said nothing, simply looking back at you with an undetectable look on his face. His lips were set in a straight line, though his eyes were soft.

“Do you want a drink?” you asked him eventually, breaking the silence. “I have decaf coffee, tea, hot cocoa-”

“Hot cocoa, please!” Jungwoo interrupted, looking excited all of a sudden, despite his injuries. You nodded, and went to prepare two hot cocoas. Silence fell again, and it was a strangely comfortable silence considering you were near-strangers.

“So,” you spoke after a few moments, “I know I said I wouldn’t ask questions. But I did just fix your face, so I think you kinda owe me a little explanation.”

“Hey, hey. This face? Could never need fixing. You can’t fix perfection.”

You gave him a look. “You’re avoiding the subject, Jungwoo.”

“Alright, alright,” he raised his hands in surrender. “I’m a street racer.”

You paused for a few beats, looking at him. Searching his face for any sign of amusement, waiting for a gotcha! 

It didn’t come. “A street racer?”

“You don’t believe me?” he asked. He sounded genuine enough. You were left wondering whether he was, in fact, a street racer… or a pathological liar.

“You don’t look like a street racer,” was all you said, as you handed him his cocoa. He took a sip.

“Then, what do I look like?” he questioned. A model, you thought. Outwardly, however, you simply shrugged, and tried to hide your blush by taking a sip of your drink, which was far too hot. “You can come see me in action if you want, baby. I’m racing again tomorrow night, midnight.”

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. “Follow a mysterious man, who I’ve found covered in blood on two separate occasions? Come on. Even to you, that must sound a little shifty.”

Jungwoo shrugged. “You’re the one who invited me into your home, babe.“

You sighed -  you couldn’t really fight him on that one. You wrapped your hands around your mug tightly. “I don’t know anything about you, Jungwoo. I don’t even know your last name-”

“Kim,” he interrupted. “Kim Jungwoo.”

You roll your eyes. “Fine. Well I know your last name, now. But still. How do I know you’re even telling the truth?”

Jungwoo smiled, his lips twisting upwards in the corners in the most endearing way possible. He looked into your eyes. “Y/N. Darling. Why would I lie?”

You give him a cynical look. “Really, Jungwoo? There are some serious creeps out there. Creeps who tell many different lies for many different reasons. And none of them are good reasons.”

“Just trust me, okay? Take a leap of faith.” You raised an eyebrow at him. Most creeps weren’t this pretty. “A leap right into my arms,” he continued, stretching his arms wide as an invitation.

Snorting out a laugh, you delivered a shove to his shoulder. Gently - you didn’t know the extent of his injuries. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Midnight, right?”

“Midnight,” he confirmed. He smiled at you, in a way that you couldn’t help but smile back. “See you then.” 

With that, he was gone, leaving you alone in your kitchen once more. Jungwoo always seemed to come and go, much like a tornado, leaving you shell-shocked and windswept in his wake. Street racing, hm? You shook your head to yourself. Just what were you getting yourself into?