The mate of the Luna, the one true moon princess, is the Alpha and everyone knows it will be Kim Namjoon... Except it isnât. When the ritual is complete, the moon princess kneels before Park Jimin and upends her packâs predictable hierarchy.
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. MINORS PROHIBITED. I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY INTERACTIONS WITH PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18. NO EXCEPTIONS.
series â masterlist
PART I: The Alpha
PART ll: The Challenge
PART lll: The Terms
Part lV: The Secret
Part V: The Champion
Part VI: The Praetor
Part VII: The Luna
Part VIII: The Kiss
Part IX: The King
Part X: The Revelations
Part XI: The Claiming
Part XII: The Legend
â notes â
These are little ânotesâ about the characters and the universe. Includes things like âask my muse/ask my charactersâ and other interesting tidbits and perspectives on the world of The Alpha.
The Throne
How Wolves Age
About the Change
Clans in The Alpha
Shifting Mechanics
Bangtan Formation
About Lunas (Part 2)
The World of The Alpha
Kim Seokjin: Male Omega
Jiminâs âPrior Experienceâ
Namjoon and Yunli (Part 2)
Yoonji and Taehyung (Part 2)
How the Alpha Command Works
The Role of Omegas in Wolf Society
Titles and Roles in The Alpha (Part 2)
On Betas + Jimin/Joon Family History
Wanna Know Why Jimin is The Alpha?
How Jimin and the Luna Smell to Each Other
Why Did the Pack Underestimate a Silver Wolf?
Pack Social Structure and the Alpha Command
Mates, Customs, and Wolf Relationships (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6)
How Jinâs Male Omega Pheromones Work (and Why TaeYoonKook Were Unaffected in That Scene)
What the Members Look Like (Human Form) in the Alpha Universe
Wolf Forms of Jimin and the Luna Wolf Forms of All Characters
Beautiful Drawing of the Characters in their Wolf Forms by Little Hummingbird Luna and Silver
Fabulous Alpha Inspired Nail Art by Bells
Gorgeous Moodboard by mikrokosm
Gorgeous Moodboard by eugeneflakey
Gorgeous Moodboards by claude-y
2nd Gorgeous Moodboard by mikrokosm
3rd Gorgeous Moodboard by mikrokosm based on Chapter VII: The Luna
Gorgeous Yunli and Namjoon Moodboard by thislilbabyisafreak
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Read Chapter One here, Chapter Two here, Chapter Three here.
A/N: Hello again! This is just a short epilogue to give this story a nice happy little ending. Obvious canon divergence, but if there are some logical inconsistencies about the house arrest deals that were offered during Captain America: Civil War, I apologize it has been literal years since Iâve seen it. Enjoy!
Feel free to send me some requests! As always, thanks for reading and please like and/or rebog!
Pairing: Steve x Reader
Tags: angst, slight fluff
Word Count: 894
The leaves fell gently outside and you groaned at the thought of having to rake the yard again. One of the upsides to marrying a super soldier was that you almost never had to do yard work. But it had been months since youâd last seen Steve and you knew the yard was just one more thing youâd have to clean up by yourself.
âAll right, câmon.â You stepped out of the car and turned to help James and Sarah out of their seats. After you set her down on the driveway, Sarah ran excitedly up to the door, giggling along the way. James ran after, shushing her as he caught up to her. You furrowed your brow at them as you closed the car doors. The past few months had been difficult for them without their father, but they had recently stopped asking where he was and when he would come home. You assumed that they had finally understood that you didnât hold those answers, but something about their behavior struck you as strange.
You shook the feeling aside as you opened the door to the familiar house. You had decided against moving, despite your previous claims to do so. Moving on seemed so much easier before you actually had to do it. You convinced yourself that is was a logical decision, since it wouldnât make much of a difference: Steveâs absence would be just as painful here as it would in another house. But deep down, you knew that you could never bring yourself to move on from Steve; the ring that was back on your finger was proof of that. Your attention was drawn away to Sarah, who was now running around the house, peeking into every room. Before you could question her, James ran after her whispering her name harshly. You walked into the room after them.
âWhat is going on here?!â You asked, incredulously. Sarah looked at you excitedly, still smiling, but James looked down guiltily as if caught. âWell?â You asked when neither responded.
âIâm looking for Daddy!â Sarah explained.
âNo, honey,â you sighed, crouching to her level. âDaddyâs not here.â
âNo, but heâs coming!â She insisted. Before you could break her heart again by explaining he wouldnât be coming home any time soon, Sarah continued. âHe said so!â You stilled and your expression hardened.
âWhat?â
âSarah, shush!â James whispered. You turned to look at him.
âWhatâs going on? Did you speak to your father?â You asked.
âYeah! We saw him after school!â After Sarah explained, you sighed in frustration, looking down. You had been ten minutes late to pick up and had never taken Steve off of the schoolâs pick up list.
âWell, what did he say exactly?â You asked James.
âJust that he was coming home soon,â he mumbled, looking down at his shoes. âAnd that he missed us.â
You swallowed thickly before rising to your feet before speaking. âOkay, go wash up and Iâll get you both a snack.â As soon as they were out of the room, you pulled your phone out to dial a number youâd called in months. After a few rings, he picked up, but you spoke before he could even say hello.
 âYou canât just show up out of nowhere after all this time and speak to the kids without me,â you say. You intended to sound firm, but the thought of him on the line unsettled your voice and softened it in a way that you hated. When he breathed out your name, you screwed your eyes shut, willing yourself to be firm. âYou canât tell them youâre coming home. If you tell me that, I know that itâs just a platitude; a nice thing to say to shut up. But the kids are different. They actually believe you!â Angry tears pricked at your eyes, threatening to spill.
âI meant it when I said it to you and when I said it to the kids: Iâm coming home.â His voice was soft but sure. If you didnât know better, you would have sworn he meant it. You sighed, recalling all the times those exact words had been empty promises.
âIâve taken the house arrest deal,â he explained. Your heart skipped at thought: if it were true, you could finally be a family again. âI just canât go without you and the kids anymore.â His words struck deep and for a moment you let yourself believe it. But you steeled yourself again, thinking about all the times you had begged him to take such a deal, just for him to explain that he needed to follow his cause.
âHa,â you scoffed. âIâll believe it when I see it. And until then, Iâve got two kids who are still hanging onto empty promises from their father that I now have to deal with. I mean, what am I supposed to tell Sarah when she asks when youâre actually coming home?â You asked, frustrated. At that moment, you heard a knock at your door that echoed over your phone. You swallowed, trying to keep your hopes down, but you couldnât help the skip in your step and the hopeful smile that spread across your face as you went to answer the door. Then you heard his voice over the phone echo and from outside the door.
âYou can tell her right now.â
~~
Forever Tag List: @dewy-biitch
Only Heart Tag List: @pixiehex1985 @lilulo-12 @blue1928
Seeing Red: Chapter Four [Bob Reynolds x Enhanced!reader (F) ]
Summary: A spontaneous moment of breaking and entering at the newly-inhabited Watchtower leads to a chance encounter between yourself and a mysterious man named Bob. One touch and he knows your darkest secret, but instead of turning you in, Bob claims you're "one of us". Can the uncontrollable power within you help you find where you truly belong, and along the way, perhaps lead you to the love of your life?
Characters: Bob Reynolds, Female reader (nickname Ember), John Walker, Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Ava Starr, Alexei Shostako, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (mentioned)
Warnings: child abuse, SA (vague mention), mention of self harm and food insecurity. Drug use. Mental illness. Homelessness. Eventual smut.
Word Count: 5.4k
Song Inspiration: The Red by Chevelle
A/N: I'm excited, y'all. The progression of the story just makes me so happy and I'm stoked for you to see these two learn and grow together!! The domesticity is just off the charts. I'm beyond excited that Avengers Tower fits are BACK BABY!!! Thank you to every singe person who has read and commented and shared this story. I adore you. More soon!! And maybe chapters more often??? We shall see. đ
Chapter Four | Chapter Five>>>Coming Soon!
Seeing Red Masterlist | Full Masterlist
________________________________________________
Previously:
âHey, Bob,â you said softly and his gaze flickered to you. âAll that talk about burgers has me craving oneâŚâÂ
He grinned at the thought, the joyful light returning to his eyes just as youâd hoped. âWe could order delivery. Thereâs a place with really good burgers and milkshakes, too.â
âSounds like a plan,â you smiled back, bending down to get your bag and slinging it over your shoulder.Â
You still held Bobâs hand in yours, pulling him in the direction of the stairs that led to what was quickly becoming your shared safe space. And no matter what happened next, for now youâd hold on to that.Â
___________________________
âThis show is so strange,â you declared before glancing over at Bob. âBut I like it.â
Bob grinned over at you. âIâm glad.â
After your intense afternoon chat along with officially meeting all the New Avengers, you were in desperate need of some quiet time. Once youâd arrived back at Bobâs living quarters, as promised, he pulled up an app on his phone and showed you all the options to choose from that could be delivered to the Tower. Bob was also curious about any allergies or preferences you had, making sure to get you exactly what you wanted.Â
When the app alerted that the food had been dropped off downstairs, you followed Bob to the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor where a man in a security uniform handed off your food. The security guard quickly retreated with a weird look in his eye, almost like he was afraid of Bob. The concept of fearing the Bob who stood before you still seemed ludicrous, but it was true that you hadnât seen every side of him in the short time youâd known him. Even Bob sharing what had occurred six months ago still sounded hard to imagine.Â
Riding back up to the seventeenth floor, you and Bob settled on the couch with your food and while he had given you countless other options of shows to watch, you wanted to stay on theme and see what this Bobâs Burgers show was all about.Â
Hours later, you had been sprawled on the couch with Bob, enjoying the strange show that even got more than few laughs out of both of you. It was a nice break from reality. You had yawned a few times and when Bob caught you again, he sat up and searched the nest of blankets for his phone to check the time.Â
âMan, itâs already 11 oâclock. You must be tired,â he said, reaching for the remote. âYou should go to bed.â
You groaned, burrowing your neck into your sweater. âIt seems crazy to be tired again after waking up so late.âÂ
Bob shrugged. âItâs okay. Your body still needs sleep. Go ahead.âÂ
Still, you resisted. It had been such a nice evening.Â
âWe can watch more tomorrow,â Bob assured you as a means of encouragement.Â
âOkay.âÂ
You carefully extracted yourself from your blanket cocoon and stood to stretch.Â
âYouâre not tired yet?â you asked, picking up the wrappers from dinner and a few snacks youâd eaten later on.Â
He lifted a shoulder, âNot really. But Iâll turn in soon enough.âÂ
âOkay. See you in the morning,â you said through yet another yawn as you walked past him.Â
Bob chuckled lightly. âSleep tight, Ember.âÂ
Depositing the trash in the kitchen garbage, you offered a wave and headed to the bedroom.Â
_____________________
Another strange dream lingered as you tried to extract yourself from the tendrils of sleep. This one contained dancing hamburgers and fries doing the limbo. What the fuck. Opening your eyes, it was less jarring this time to see the clean, spartan bedroom that you were temporarily inhabiting. Memories of the night before rose to the surface, a smile stretching across your face at your time spent with Bob. It still baffled you that he actually wanted you around and how he had stood up for you, even against his friends. You didnât want to cause any issues amongst the newly assembled Avengers, but it felt nice for someone to have your back.Â
Slipping out of bed, you left the bedroom and peeked around for the man in question. Not spotting him, you tip-toed to the second bedroom where he must have been sleeping. The clock on the microwave showed that it was just after 8 oâclock in the morning so you hoped it wasnât too early for you to be up and about. Maybe Bob wasnât an early bird. Still, your curiosity got the better of you. You knocked lightly, not wanting to wake him. However, the door had been ajar already and your knocking opened it further.Â
âBob?â you called out, still hearing no response.Â
The thought occurred to you that he had left his quarters and your stomach clenched at the idea of being left alone, unable to leave. You then heard a soft snort and the rustle of clothing further in, so you dared to enter the room. Bob was fast asleep in a recliner chair with a video game controller resting on his lap. The TV he faced glowed dimly with a rotating screensaver. There was a window with the curtains drawn in this room so you could see clearly the state of where Bob was staying and your eyes grew wide.Â
âBob, what the fuck!â you shouted before you could stop yourself.Â
He jolted awake with a start, sending the controller flying and nearly toppling the recliner with him in it.Â
âWhat? Whatâs wrong?â he replied, sleepy and confused as he scrambled to his feet.Â
âBob.âÂ
He rubbed his eyes and then spotted you standing before him. âEmber, hi. Whatâs happening? Whatâs wrong?â he asked again, trying to straighten his twisted and rumpled clothes.Â
Hands on your hips, you took another look around the room and he followed your gaze. âThereâs no bed in here, Bob. You said I was staying in the second bedroom. You gave me your room?âÂ
âOh,â he replied, his cheeks dusted pink. âUmâŚI donât remember calling it a bedroom, just that I was staying in the other room, soâŚâÂ
You quirked an eyebrow skeptically in response.Â
Bob just shrugged. âReally, itâs fine. I usually sleep here in the recliner or sometimes on the couch. Even in the common room or the theater room, it varies. I donât really sleep well so I just take what I can get,â he confessed. âI spend most of my time in here, though. Keeps me occupied.âÂ
Now looking around more closely, you understood what he meant. âCan I snoop?â you asked directly, waving a hand at the many items you were curious about.Â
He huffed out a laugh. âYeah, go ahead.âÂ
The recliner and TV were in the right corner nearest the door and the entire left wall had built-in shelves mostly filled with books but other items were mixed in, too. Straight ahead on a chest of drawers was a large wire cage with a bed of sawdust shavings and a plastic igloo.Â
âIs there something in there?â you inquired, pointing at the cage.Â
âHm? Oh, no, not right now,â he informed you. âI watch Yelenaâs guinea pig when she goes on missions, but sheâs back now, soâŚitâs empty.â
You nodded slowly, your eyes wandering. The far right wall had a long countertop built in with a desk chair pushed in. On its surface was an amalgamation of what looked like different projects in process. A leather craft making kit, drawing pencils and a few sketchbooks, beads of different colors and letters including some already made or nearly completed bracelets. What last caught your eye was a basket of yarn. Picking up the needles with a tangle of yarn connecting them, you turned to Bob with a smile.
âYou knit?âÂ
He shrugged, bashful. âI tried. Iâm not very good at it. Iâm not really good at any of it, but my therapist recommended I try new things and Yelena wanted me to have something to fill my time when theyâre away, soâŚâÂ
You nodded, lifting the wound ball of yarn and a sudden flood of a memory hit you.Â
âAt, umâŚone of the places I stayed at for a few months as a kidâŚthe mom liked to knit. She didnât like me very much, though,â you smiled wryly. âShe made me hold her ball of yarn and she got angry if I held it too tightly or too loosely or if I fidgeted too much. So, I got really good at sitting perfectly still. I only singed the yarn one time on accident, though,â you said as a joke but looking up at Bob, his brows were drawn in concern.Â
Reaching out, you placed a hand on his arm and smiled.Â
âBob, itâs fine. I got over it, I swear.âÂ
He gripped your hand tightly, inhaling sharply and then letting it go. âI wish you didnât have to.â
Threading his fingers with yours, you drew him closer. âI know. But we canât change our pasts, can we?âÂ
Bob shook his head. âI can get rid of it, though,â he offered, reaching for the yarn, but you held it out of reach.Â
âActuallyâŚall that time watching her made me curious, so when she was gone, sometimes I would knit a few rows and I got pretty decent at it. Of course, I had to unravel it before she noticed, but still. Itâs been a while, but Iâd like to see if I remember how. Maybe you could join me,â you said, trying to entice him with the ball of yarn held before him.Â
Bob let out a sad smile. âYou donât have to teach me. I donât want to keep something around that makes you sad or force you to help me.âÂ
âYou didnât, Iâm offering,â you assured him, taking a step forward. âBesides, isnât it better to make good memories and replace associations rather than avoid them forever? Will I never wear a knitted item of clothing ever again?â you asked dramatically, lifting the the ball of yarn to rest the back of your hand on your forehead, leaning back like a damsel in distress. âOnly you can save me from the lingering memory of singed yarn stench.âÂ
He burst out a laugh at that, taking the ball yarn from you. âYeah, I guess youâre right. Maybe I could give it another go.âÂ
âGood!â you called out, dropping his hand to grab the basketâs handle. âBut first, breakfast.âÂ
âAmen to that,â he agreed, patting a hand to his flat stomach. âIâm starving.âÂ
âPancakes?â
âWaffles?â he counter offered. Â
âBoth!â you declared with a air-pump of your fist, leading the way to the kitchen.Â
____________________________
Bobâs small kitchenette was lacking the ingredients for either pancakes or waffles, so the pair of you trekked down to the larger shared kitchen along with the basket of knitting supplies. You dropped the basket on one of the chairs and stepped up into the cavernous pantry for the items you needed. Bob watched in awe as you deposited the ingredients on the counter and searched for a frying pan and a mixing bowl.Â
âYou can cook?â he asked with a smile.Â
You shrugged, âI can cook a few select things really well, the rest I can muddle my way through with a recipe or figure it out somehow. I was a fry cook at a small diner out west for a few months. Well, I actually started out washing dishes and bussing tables, but I worked my way up.âÂ
âWow. Was that the kind of job you were going to look for here in the city? The cooking, I mean?â Bob inquired, settling on a barstool across the island from you so he could watch.Â
âI thought about it,â you confessed. âBut in the past Iâve also been a superstore door greeter, worked on a farm mucking out horse stalls and harvesting vegetables to sell. I tried working retail for one day. Absolutely never again. Most jobs teach you a little something, though. I even worked as a rodeo clown for one season. Iâm not eager to repeat that one.âÂ
Bob laughed at your job list. âYeah, I know what you mean. When I was pretty deep in my addiction I somehow got a summer job as a sign twirler dressed like a chicken outside a bail bonds place. Not my finest moment.â
âOh god,â you said with a laugh. âThat would be quite the sight, Iâm sure. But weâve both survived somehow, huh?âÂ
He nodded slowly, eyeing you in what looked like admiration. âYeah. Somehow.âÂ
You found a bowl and whisk along with a waffle iron and an electric griddle, which was better than just a frying pan. Setting it all on the counter, you reached a hand out to Bob.
âCan I borrow your phone for a minute?âÂ
âYeah, sure.â Bob handed over the phone after unlocking it for you.Â
âThanks. I just need to glance at a recipe. I canât remember the exact amountsâŚâÂ
Finding what you were looking for, you searched the drawers for measuring cups and spoons and started combining the dry ingredients. Bob watched you intently, brow furrowed as the batter came together with adding wet ingredients to the dry.Â
âDo you want to know the secret to perfect pancakes?â you asked conspiratorially with a smile.Â
Bob nodded, shifted closer in his seat.Â
âYou mix the batter until there are still a few streaks of flour. Donât over mix it cause as you portion out the pancakes, youâre still mixing with the ladle as you go. Also, make sure your pan or griddle is hot enough, but not too hot. I like to flick a few drops of water on it to make sure. The droplets should dance on the hot skillet. Wanna try?âÂ
He looked hesitant, but Bob nodded and slipped out of his seat to join you in the kitchen.Â
Bob cupped his hand under the running faucet and then quickly tossed the water on the warming skillet. He jumped back a bit when the droplet danced and steam began to rise. You laughed in surprise as well, setting a hand on his arm.Â
âThatâs perfect. I think itâs ready. Do you want to make the first pancake?â you offered, gesturing to the batter.Â
He considered a moment and then shook his head. âI want to watch you do it first.âÂ
âOkay,â you shrugged, giving his arm a squeeze before letting go.Â
Using a fork, you speared a pat of butter and ran it across the surface of the skillet until a sheen of grease covered it. Grabbing the ladle, you scooped some batter and poured it onto the hot surface into a perfect circle, then repeating the process three more times before pausing. Bob was watching you intently.Â
âAnother tip for pancakes? Donât touch them or try to flip until the bubbles pop and the holes stay open.â
Bobâs eyes widened, clearly a little confused.Â
You laughed at his expression. âDonât worry, Iâll show you. Will you keep an eye on them while I start the waffle batter?â you asked, handing Bob the spatula and he looked at it like the utensil might bite. âItâll be fine, I promise, Bob.âÂ
He held your gaze a second, but finally he accepted the spatula, keeping his eye on the pancakes from that point on.Â
With another bowl, you peeked at a recipe and made a similar batter to the pancakes, but for waffles it was a little thicker. With the waffle iron heating, you kept an eye on Bob with a smile.Â
âHâhey! I think itâs doing itâŚâ Bob got your attention after a few minutes.Â
Glancing over, you noticed that Bob was right. The bubbles had risen to the surface and popped, leaving small holes on the batter.Â
âNice eye. They look perfect. Go ahead and flip,â you told him with an encouraging nod.Â
Taking a deep breath and with concentration, Bob slid the spatula under the first pancake and then tipped it back on the skillet onto the uncooked side.Â
âAwesome! Keep going,â you told him with a smile. âIâm gonna start on waffles. I think weâll have plenty leftover, but theyâll heat up well later.âÂ
Bob offered a sweet smile and turned back to his task of flipping the pancakes and then pouring more batter. Once the first batch was done, you showed Bob how to use the spatula to peek underneath until the first batch of pancakes were nice and brown. You handed him a plate and he stacked them neatly before going back to flip the second batch.Â
You focused on the waffles and soon you had a stack of your own. Searching the fridge, you found some bacon and preheated the oven to cook it evenly that way. In between pouring waffle batter, you also washed some berries and put them in a bowl along with some syrup to heat up for later.Â
Lost in your tasks, you briefly glanced over and caught Bob watching you. âWhat?âÂ
He just grinned. âI donât know how youâre doing all these things at the same time. I havenât moved in the past half hour except to flip.â
With a laugh, you shrugged. âI donât know. It takes some practice I guess.âÂ
Before your words even landed, a voice rang out from the hallway, startling you both.Â
âWhoâs cooking and are you sharing?â Yelena said as she rounded the corner, wearing lounge pants and a hoodie.Â
Bob looked to you before answering and you shrugged. âYeah, thereâs plenty. Enough for everyone, if they want,â you replied.Â
Yelena tilted her head in surprise, smiling at Bob with the spatula in hand. âSmells really good. Thank you. Iâll let the others know,â she said, pulling out her phone.Â
You were just pulling the bacon out and turning off the oven when you heard other voices approaching.Â
âBob is cooking? When the hell did that happen?â said Walker loudly.Â
âHe has some help,â you replied, peeking around Bob so the super soldier could see you.
âOh. Makes sense,â he muttered, turning back to his phone.Â
âNo, IâIâm just flipping, she made theââ Bob tried to give you credit, but you placed a hand on his arm and shook your head.Â
âItâs okay. No need. Itâs a team effort,â you smiled.Â
Bob placed his hand on yours a moment before a loud, male, Russian voice filled the cavernous space.Â
âAh, finally a proper breakfast! A feast of warriors. Well done, Bob,â Alexei spread his arms wide, his tattered robe not quite covering the white tank and boxers he wore underneath.Â
âDad, could you please get dressed before coming out? I told you so many timesâŚâ
Yelena covered her hand in embarrassment.Â
âThat robe looks old enough to be from the former Soviet Union and it also needs to be disposed of like a bad regime,â piped in Ava, stepping up to the island wearing a simplified version of her super suit. From what you gathered, she needed a suit to keep her body stable.Â
As Bob flipped the last pancake, you pulled the sheet pan of waffles and pancakes that you had put in the oven to keep warm. Setting everything on the island, you pulled out plates and silverware and turned off the appliances.Â
âEveryone dig in,â you spoke up and the Avengers swarmed with declarations of thanks. âThereâs coffee and orange juice, too.âÂ
Bob, you noticed, took a step back and started filling the dirty bowls in the sink with hot water and soap.Â
Stepping up to his side, you stopped his movements with your hand on his. âThat can wait. Come have breakfast with me. Weâve earned it.â
He caught your eye lift a corner of his mouth. âOkay.âÂ
You tugged him by the hand toward the already formed assembly line. Grabbing a plate, you added two pancakes and a waffle to it and handed it to Bob. You did the same for yourself and added your toppings along with filling a glass of orange juice. He followed you towards a couch and you sat together, placing your plates on the coffee table.Â
The team ate heartily, muttering how good everything tasted between mouthfuls. It felt nice to give back to people who you still had a hard time believe would help a stranger like you. Bob was enjoying the fruits of his labors as well, which made you smile the most.Â
With full bellies, you sat back a moment and Bob slumped next to you, turning his head. âThat was fun. And delicious. Thank you for teaching me,â he said at a whisper.Â
âAny time. And youâre welcome,â you assured him.Â
You reached for your dishes to stand and clear them, but Bob objected until Yelena spoke up over you both.
âAh ah ah! You cook, we clean. You two sit down,â the blonde former assassin demanded, stacking your plates with hers and forcing Alexei to do the same and follow her. Â
Bob fidgeted with his sleeves and you were no less relaxed, feeling uneasy when there was work to be done and others were still busy. Reaching for the basket, you pulled out a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles. Looking at the tangled lump connecting the needles, you turned to Bob.Â
âWould you be heartbroken if we unraveled this current project and started a new one?â
He huffed out a laugh, startling Walker who stood nearby. âNo, thatâs fine. Iâm sure itâs just a knot at this point.âÂ
âHmm. Weâll seeâŚâ you said, pulling the needles free and attempting to untangle his project. âPull out your phone, we can look at video tutorials. Also, I may vaguely remember the look of certain stitches, but I have no idea what they are called,â you confessed.Â
A few YouTube videos later, you now recalled the terms of âcast onâ and âpearl stitchâ along with a few others. Having watched and then demonstrated a few times, you handed the needles to Bob. He attempted to copy your movements while also muttering the stitching rhyme youâd heard in one of the videos.Â
âGo through the front door and round the backâŚpeek through the windowâŚand off jumps jack!â Bob repeated, focusing on the tips of his needles and then squinting in confusion. âWaitâŚI think I missed a step.â
Bursting out a laugh, you leaned closer to see where he had gone wrong and tried to correct it.Â
âToo bad we only have one pair of needles. Itâd be nice to have metal ones, cause Iâd hate to ruin your wooden needles on accident. Maybe we could geââ
âHere,â Ava said, standing startlingly close to you and in her hand were a pair of metal knitting needles. You hadnât even noticed her enter the room and considering the indiscernible expression on her face, part of you thought this might be a threat. Those metal needles looked a little sharp.Â
âOhâŚthank you. Are you sure you donâtââ
âNah, Iâm good,â she spoke up as you tried to resist. âI prefer crocheting, anyway.âÂ
Once you accepted the needles, the British brunette took a seat on the chair nearby and pulled her current project out a tote bag. She straightened out her skein of yarn, grabbed her hook, and before long, her hands were in motion with considerable speed.Â
You and Bob watched her for a moment, then turning back to your own project.
âHow....how is that different than what Iâm doing?â Bob asked Ava, his voice just loud enough for her to hear.Â
âKnitting versus crocheting? Thatâs a good questionâŚâ Ava leaned forward with yarn in hand.Â
With surprising patience, she explained the different tools between the two and how crocheting resulted in a tighter weave. Some yarns were better for one than the other and she mentioned how Bobâs tension might be a little too loose. After a lot of starts and stops over the course of a few hours, you and Bob both had a few inches of knitted yarn.Â
âHey, look! Weâre doing it!â you proudly exclaimed, holding up your knitted project and then pointing out Bobâs progress.Â
He beamed at your praise, a grin stretching across his handsome face.Â
âLetâs keep going a while longer and then maybe later we can start on a new color and try a different stitch,â you proposed.Â
Bobâs eyes widened at the thought of complicating the project when heâd only just caught on to the current stitch.Â
âItâll be fine, trust me,â you teased, bumping your shoulder to his with both pairs of hands occupied with needles.Â
He nudged you back. âOkay.âÂ
When lunchtime rolled around, no one was particularly hungry yet, but Yelena had prepped some sandwich fixings and laid out some veggies and hummus for people to snack on.Â
âWow, that almost looks like youâre making something,â Walkerâs voice rang out as he entered the room wearing gym clothes. âWhat are you guys making anyway?âÂ
Bob had paused in his knitting, blinking over to you. âUhâŚscarves?â you answered and he shrugged in agreement.Â
âYeah. Scarves.âÂ
âHuh,â Walker said in reply, reaching into the fridge for a water. âSo, EmberâŚyou seem like a good cook from this morningâs spread. Iâm making dinner tonight. What are your thoughts on garlic bread?âÂ
Startled a moment, you set down your knitting and then let out a wide grin in response. âI am so glad you asked, Walker. Because I happened to have some very strong opinions when it comes to garlic bread. Are you prepared to hear them?â you narrowed your eyes in challenge.Â
The super soldier sat on the opposite couch and lifted a hand with a beckoning gesture. âHit me with it.âÂ
Strangely enough, one of your specialties happened to be garlic bread, so once prompted, you let out your entire tirade about the proper preparation and ingredients for the Italian side dish, in your opinion. A loaf of French bread was your preferred choice (ironic, considering it was an Italian dish but you stood firm on your choice of bread) and rather than splitting it in half lengthwise, you chose to make individual inch-wide slices. You liked to mix softened butter (not melted) with fresh garlic as well as garlic salt and a hint of parsley. There was no such thing as too much garlic. Each slice got a smear of the garlic butter and then the loaf was wrapped in aluminum foil and baked for ten to fifteen minutes until the butter melted.Â
Walker sat back, a little stunned for a moment before he replied. âHuh. Yeah, okay. Iâll try it your way,â he said with a shrug, then getting to his feet and heading toward the elevator and, you assumed, the gym.Â
Ava kept her eyes on her crocheting project but you spotted a smirk on her lips. Yelena had been working on a mission report on a tablet, but paused to witness your garlic bread tirade and she now met your gaze.Â
âI think you may have won him over,â she said with a cheeky smile.Â
You shrugged. âI guess weâll find out.â
Bob held his pile of yarn in his lap and sat back, looking your way. You caught him staring and he held your gaze for once, unashamed.
âWhat?âÂ
âHow did you come up with that?â he asked, cocking his head to the side. âWhat makes you so sure itâs the best?âÂ
You grinned at his quiet challenge and you returned to your knitting before answering.Â
âI worked at this hole-in-the-wall Italian place in the midwest for a few months. They had their way of making garlic bread, but one day I decided to experiment a little. I thought they might fire me for it, but instead they tried it. You know what the chef said?âÂ
Bob shook his head, his full focus still on you.Â
âHe said âwhoever it is that you marry will be a very lucky manâ,â you quoted with a grin. âBecause of that garlic bread.âÂ
Attempting to hide a blush, Bob ducked his head as if continuing his knitting was the most important task.Â
âWell, now Iâm all the more curious,â Ava piped in, eyebrows raised in your direction.Â
Shrugging, you set your knitting aside and raised your arms up to stretch. âI think I need a break. Maybe move around a little?âÂ
Having recovered, Bob turned to meet your eye. âYeah. Me, too. I think Iâm getting a blisterâŚâÂ
Bob held out the wounded digit as evidence and you gently ran a finger over the raised skin on his left hand. âOuch. Yeah. Time for a break. Maybe we could walk around a bit? I havenât seen the whole towerâŚâ you suggested, putting away the yarn and securing both of your ongoing projects.Â
âSure. Letâs go.âÂ
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Having already seen the ground and second floors during your theft escapade, Bob started on the third floor with your tour. There was a gym on that floor along with storage for the teamâs suits and laundry facilities. Most of the fourth floor was Walkerâs quarters and the fifth was currently unoccupied. Floor six housed a large theater room.
âI forgot that you mentioned the theater. It must have comfy chairs for you to fall asleep in them on occasion,â you said with a jab of your elbow.Â
Bob grinned. âYeah. They recline and thereâs always a pile of blankets somewhere in case one of us gets cold. Yelena has been bugging Valentina about putting in a popcorn machine.â
You laughed. âLooking forward to it. I have no doubt in her skills of persuasion.âÂ
âWise,â he replied. âSo, the seventh floor is Ava and eight is under construction. Iâm not sure what the plan is there. Alexei has nine and Bucky stays on the tenth floor, when heâs here. UmâŚâÂ
Bob had noticed that you had stopped walking by then and he turned back in confusion.Â
âWhatâs wrong?âÂ
âDoes she ever come around? Valentina, I mean?â you asked.
âI donât know,â he confessed with a shrug. âI mean, I assume sheâs in the building at times cause she owns it, but Yelena and Bucky have made it really clear that sheâs not allowed to have any contact with me. You knowâŚ.after what happened. I donât know why she would want to, considering, but none of the team trust her or want any contact beyond necessity, soâŚâÂ
You slowly stepped closer, choosing your words carefully. âWill I ever meet Valentina?âÂ
Bobâs entire demeanor changed at the idea, straightening his spine and clenching his jaw. âNo. She doesnât get to meet you.âÂ
âWhyâs that?â you asked, slipping your hand in Bobâs and feeling the tension radiating off him.Â
He shook his head, looking down at your joined hands. âShe, uhâŚI just know, she would see your potential and somehow exploit it for her own personal use. Itâs what she does.âÂ
Tilting your face until you caught his eye, you could see the anger he still held after what she had done to him.Â
âOkay,â you agreed, giving his hand a squeeze. âI trust you.âÂ
Bob pulled back slightly, searching your face for any hint of a lie. âReally? Do you?âÂ
You quickly nodded. âYeah. I think when someone grows up the way that we both have, we get pretty good at assessing risks and reading other peopleâs intentions. I knew pretty quickly that you were one of the good ones, Bob.âÂ
Bob frowned a moment, staring into space while deep in thought. âYeahâŚbut what does it say about me that I thought I could trust Valentina initially? Or how I could get caught up in her feeding my ego to turn me intoâŚthat other guy?âÂ
You considered that a moment. âI think it shows that after everything youâve been through, still, you want to believe the best in people. Thatâs not a bad thing. Some will definitely take advantage of it. That doesnât mean they get to take away your kind heart.âÂ
He ducked his head, hiding a smile. âI hope youâre right. And I knew the same thing about you when we met. That you were a good person in aâŚnot-so-good situation.âÂ
You beamed at him, tugging his hand as you headed toward the elevator.Â
âSo, uhâŚletâs see, where did I leave off? Bucky. So, the eleventh floorââ
âActually, I think Iâd rather see the rest of the tower another time. How about we go back and watch more Bobâs Burgers? I have to know what happens now that the kids are stuck at the mortuary.âÂ
Bob laughed at that. âThatâs a good one. Okay.âÂ
Hitting the button to recall the elevator, you were silent a moment.Â
âItâs too bad, though,â you spoke up and he looked at you, curious. âIâd love to offer Valentina a nice, extra warm, lengthy handshake for herâŚgenerosity,â you said menacingly.Â
Bob caught the threatening gleam in your eye. âSheâd certainly deserve it.âÂ
You both smiled at the thought as the elevator rose to the seventeenth floor.Â
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Chapter Four>>> Coming soon!
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Yeah, I'd give Val an extra-spicy handshake, too, if I could. đ¤ So?? How sweet is Bob for giving up his bedroom? I kinda love that she calls him out on it. haha. I confess, I am no expert on knitting or crochet so don't yell at me. :) However, I do take my garlic bread seriously, and I will not hear a word against it. Also, yes, I did indeed have a chef/boss tell me that in real life. 𤪠Slightly inappropriate but I took it as a compliment. đ I'd love to hear your thoughts!! I adore you all. THere's a lot more story coming and I can't wait to share it with you!! I'm toying with the idea of more than one chapter a week, if I can swing it. đ Let me know if you're up for that! â¤ď¸
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If you'd like to keep up on this story, you can follow me on AO3 or Wattpad under the same username. Also, you can follow my reblog only sideblog where you can turn on notifications for @aoyhfic-reblogs. I will only reblog each new chapter once.
Seeing Red: Chapter Two [Bob Reynolds x Enhanced!Reader (F)]
Summary: A spontaneous moment of breaking and entering at the newly-inhabited Watchtower leads to a chance encounter between yourself and a mysterious man named Bob. One touch and he knows your darkest secret, but instead of turning you in, Bob claims youâre âone of usâ. Can the uncontrollable power within you help you find where you truly belong, and along the way, perhaps lead you to the love of your life?
Characters: Bob Reynolds, Female reader (nickname Ember), John Walker, Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Ava Starr, Alexei Shostakov, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (mentioned)
Content Warnings: child abuse, SA (vague mention), mention of self harm and food insecurity. Drug use. Mental illness. Homelessness. Eventual smut.
Word Count: 3.3k
Song Inspiration: The Red by Chevelle
A/N: I'm so excited to share more of this story! This chapter does get a bit heavier, with the reader's backstory. Please heed the warnings and take care of yourself. I appreciate you all reading, commenting, leaving kudos on AO3, all of it. This story and these characters have my heart. Bob Reynolds deserves the world. đĽş
<<<Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three>>>Coming soon!
Seeing Red Masterlist | Full Masterlist
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Previously:
You heard a male scoff. âWait a minute, I donât thinkââÂ
âWalker, leave it. Heâll be fine,â Yelena cut him off, handing him the medical tape to help her. âWeâll see you in a while.âÂ
Bob nodded to her, keeping his eye on Walker and putting himself between you and the other man until you turned the corner.
__________________
Once the elevator doors closed, Bob reached for the buttons for each floor but you held out a hand to stop him.Â
âWait!â And he obeyed, looking quizzical. âYou donât have to do this. Help me, I mean. I appreciate you not turning me in, but Iâm not looking for handouts. I can take care of myself,â you assured him, rolling your shoulders back in a show of confidence.Â
Bob nodded, pursing his lips before speaking. âI donât doubt it. And I wonât keep you here if you donât want to stay. Iâd like you to, though,â he said softly again, his gaze downward as if perhaps to hide a blush. âAnd anyway, you should at least take some snacks to go. We have enough to feed a whole army and itâs on Valentinaâs dime, soâŚâÂ
You squinted in thought a moment. âYou make a compelling point. And Iâm never one to turn down free food,â you confessed. That got the slightest smile out of Bob, warming some hollow spot inside you.
âSmart move,â he said, reaching out and illuminating the number sixteen before the elevator began to rise.Â
Bob stepped back to lean against the wall and you did the same, your hip resting on the perpendicular wall.Â
âSoâŚâ you spoke first, alight with curiosity now that you werenât in trouble. Maybe. âIndestructible, huh? Doesnât that make you a superhero or whatever? Why werenât you off with the Avengers before?â
He huffed out a wry laugh, shaking his head. âUmâŚthatâs just a guess. The indestructible part, but past evidence shows it might be true. Not sure how far theyâd let me push thatâŚBut Iâm no hero. Itâs all kinda complicated, but the short answer is it wouldnât be safe with me out there.â
Your brow furrowed, now with even more questions. âIt wouldnât be safe forâŚothers?â
Bob nodded. âYeah. Maybe. Itâs too risky right now until we know more. The doctors are hoping to figure it out, anyway.âÂ
Oh, god.
âLikeâŚtheyâre experimenting on you?â you replied, your chest tight.Â
âOh, no! Not like that,â Bob raised a calming hand, picking up on your concern. âNot the medical doctors. I meant like the shrinks and therapists. My issues are moreâŚmental. Although one of them did draw my blood one time, soâŚâ he trailed off, gazing upward in thought.Â
âOh.â
When you didnât question him further, Bob picked up the conversation. âYou donât like doctors?â
Shaking your head, you picked at the skin near your thumbnail. It was a habit you were trying to break but the scabs were evident of your lack of progress.Â
âYeah. Me, too. In fact, I donât even like walking past the labs, but the exposure is good, I guess. It was a rare chance that I saw you at all. Lucky you,â he said, lifting a corner of his mouth.Â
âYup. I get all the luck,â you muttered sarcastically.Â
Reaching the sixteenth floor, the elevator doors slid open and you followed Bob down a hallway that opened up to a large space filled with couches, a large oval coffee table, and floor to ceiling windows beyond showing the lights of the city at night. It was an incredible view and you were awestruck, stepping forward for a better look. You could see the tiny yellow taxis still driving around in the wee hours of the morning in the city that never sleeps. Nearby was the Chrysler Building with a few windows illuminated even at this hour.Â
âNot bad, huh?â Bob said quietly, stepping to your side.Â
âNot bad at all,â you echoed, taking in his profile and relaxed stance. With hands in his pockets and slightly slouching, it seemed like he was trying to hide in plain sight. Not wanting to draw attention, but now, with the city forgotten, you couldnât stop staring at this unassuming man. Your savior who claimed to be no hero.Â
âSo what sounds good?â he asked, turning away and climbing a few steps up toward a sizable kitchen that you hadnât even noticed yet.Â
There was a marble-topped island with a built-in sink and barstools on the nearer side facing the kitchen. All the appliances looked to be state-of-the-art with plenty of cupboards for dishes and mugs. Bob walked to the far left of the cupboards to an unassuming door but once he opened it, beyond were multiple shelves packed full of every kind of snacks and shelf-stable foods you could imagine. It looked like a corner convenience store in there.Â
Bob looked your way and saw the almost panic in your eyes. âCrazy, right? Kinda overwhelming,â he admitted.Â
Your stomach grumbled then, heat rising in your cheeks. So embarrassing.Â
His brows furrowed in concern. âHow long has it been?âÂ
Mouth gaping open in surprise, he sounded like he knew. Bob knew what true hunger felt like. âA while,â you admitted.
He nodded. âUmâŚI can make some suggestions, pick out some of my favorites?âÂ
âSure,â you said with a small smile, relieved.Â
Bob grabbed a nearby box of granola bars with only a couple rattling inside and started adding in a few of other items he liked, narrating as he went.Â
âThese little cheese and cracker packs are really good and if you like spicy, these wasabi pretzels are awesome. Some packs of trail mix with the M&MsâŚ.oh, and some pop tarts, of course. Strawberry or cherry? Iâll add a few of each. With the frosting, naturally, cause the others taste like cardboard. What elseâŚâ he trailed off, still searching the shelves.Â
You laughed, which brought his gaze to you. âI think thatâs plenty for me to choose from. Thank you for the suggestions.âÂ
Bob smiled sheepishly, walking through the doorway and closing it behind him. Placing the stuffed box on the counter, he turned to the fridge and opened it to a display of different bottled drinks and other snack foods along with a vegetable drawer of colorful freshness. Bob picked out a few apples and grabbed a handful of bottled waters as well to set next to the box. Still in motion, he pulled off two bananas from a bunch on the counter and added them to the stash.Â
âGod, this is like a weekâs worth of food,â you joked, picking through the box to choose a few items.Â
âThatâs the idea,â he replied, not a hint of humor in his voice and when you finally looked his way, his expression was serious. Intense.Â
Then it hit you. âNoâŚâ you shake your head. âI canât take all of this! I thought you were just giving me some options, and thank you for that, but no, itâs too much. I just stole from them! IâŚI canâtââÂ
âYes, you can.â Again, he was dead serious, staring you down.Â
You hesitated, feeling the prick of tears threatening behind your eyes and you blinked repeatedly to keep them at bay. You swallowed through the thickness in your throat, trying to form a response when you were saved by voices coming from the elevator again.Â
Yelena rounded the corner, now wearing a tank top with her superhero suit pulled down to her waist and a bandage on her forearm. She was joined by a different woman with dark hair and also wearing a black suit but an armored sort with charcoal plates on top, lights around her wrists and neck, and some sort of leather skirt. Her British accent caught your ear and she sounded confused.Â
â⌠just found her stealing and said what, exactly? âHelp me?ââ the brunette exclaimed, then spotting you and Bob across the room.Â
Yelena raised a hand to her, âI donât know the full story yet, but weâll talk about it, okay? Walker says he wants to wash the blood out of his precious beard so heâll be a few more minutes. And Alexei already passed out cold, I think, so weâll fill him in later.â
âBucky?â Bob asked, nervousness returning to his posture.Â
The blonde shook her head. âHe left directly from the mission to D.C. for whatever congress shit he still has to do. Iâll loop him in. But first, I need to eat or this chat is not happening.âÂ
As the two women entered the far end of the kitchen, Bob tilted his head toward the seating area and tried to shove the box of food your way. You shook your head in defiance and he squinted, smiling at the silent competition between you. He raised two fingers and then pointed to the couches. Letting out a sigh, you gathered his meaning and picked out two itemsâa bag of wasabi pretzels and an appleâalso accepting the bottle of water he gave you. A tight-lipped smile lit up his handsome face and he took one of the bananas for himself before leading you toward a place to sit.Â
You chose a comfy chair near the windows with a full view of the room and Bob sat on the end of a couch nearest you. He pretended to focus on peeling his banana, but his eyes flitted to you every few seconds until you finally took a giant bite of apple and chewed it loudly with your mouth open. Bob smiled in satisfaction and broke off a piece of banana to pop into his mouth. You shook your head in disbelief, although you couldnât help but return the smile.Â
Yelena plunked down her cereal bowl and peanut butter toast on the coffee table along with a mug of coffee, collapsing on the far couch. The mystery woman soon joined with her coffee and breakfast, eyeing you carefully as she took a seat.Â
Everyone ate silently for a few minutes, the only sounds being sips and chewing. Then came the noticeably loud crinkle of the wasabi pretzels bag you opened. Popping a few in your mouth, you chewed while considering the unique flavor. Bob raised his eyebrows, as if to ask your opinion. You frowned with an impressed nod and he smiled. You offered him the bag and he took a couple.Â
Yelena had watched your exchange with curiosity and now no longer ravenous, she opened the dialogue.Â
âIntroductions first, I suppose. Maybe you know who we are already, but I wonât presume. My name is Yelena and this is Ava,â she said, indicating to the brunette woman who nodded. âWalker was the man who was bleeding from the head. And youâve met Bob, obviously. Whatâs your name?â
âEmber,â you replied, giving the same nickname you shared with Bob. Best to keep it simple. Wiping the wasabi dust from your fingers on your pants, you reached for your water.Â
âEmber. Alright. Are you from the city?â Yelena asked, taking a sip of her coffee.Â
You shook your head. âNo. Iâm not really from anywhere. I moved around a lot growing up and Iâve been traveling the past few years. Just got here a few weeks ago.â
She tilted her head then. âI see. So you werenât here whenâŚâ she trailed off, meeting Bobâs eye.Â
Bob shook his head quickly.Â
âHuh. Alright. You address that later, then,â Yelena said, still speaking to Bob and he nodded.Â
You were confused, but she moved on to another subject.Â
âMay I see the pills youâve stolen?âÂ
Heat flaring in your cheeks, you pulled the bottle from your bag and tossed it towards the former assassin, which she swiftly caught. Opening the bottle, she poured out the pills onto the glass coffee table and your stomach flipped at the idea of being without them again. Bob leaned forward and took stock of the medications. Yelena looked his way and he nodded.Â
âI asked her what she took and it looks accurate. All sedatives. Only a few of each. Not worth a whole lot,â Bob answered. âUnless you need them,â he added, leaning back in his seat and meeting your eye.Â
Yelena scooped them back into the bottle and set it down. âSo, why did you take them? Is it connected to what Bob mentioned?â
You hesitated, staring at the half empty bag of pretzels before setting it down.Â
âListen,â she spoke, more gently this time. âWeâve all been there. The memories of the worst thing youâve ever done or seen or experienced. Itâs not Bobâs fault and it sucks, but weâre all working through it. All of us have done some really terrible things. We wonât be shocked or judge you. But if weâre going to avoid turning you over to the authorities or decide whatever happens next, we have to know why you stole and why you might be dangerous. For everyoneâs safety.âÂ
Glancing Bobâs way, you shrugged and he nodded. You gathered the stretched out shirtsleeves of your hoodie in your hands and took a deep breath.Â
âI donât remember much before the age of seven. Except pain. And heat, I remember that. I was in a group home. I donât know how I got there or what happened to my parents or if I have siblings. They wouldnât tell me. They claim I was surrendered and no one was coming for me. Maybe thatâs why they chose me. Or us. They said it was vaccines and medicine they injected us with but who knows. After, they would watch us to see what would happen,â you spoke evenly, keeping your gaze on the floor except the occasional glance at Bob. He had his jaw clenched and his hands were in fists, clearly upset by your admission.Â
You swallowed and spoke on.Â
âOne night I had a nightmare and woke up screaming with my bed on fire. Except I was sitting in a circle of the sheets that hadnât burned. They threw water on me and put out the fire, checking me for burns. I was fine. They put me in a special room alone and waited for it to happen again. It didnât after a few weeks and I guess they got bored of me. It was a fluke, maybe. Unexplainable. They figured I got into matches and made up the nightmare. They gave up on me and put me in the foster system. A few small things happened during that time. An older kid tried to hold me down and his hands got third degree burns. A foster parent somewhere else locked me out one night and I got scared and melted the garbage can I was hiding behind. None of it was easily explained, but it also didnât point directly to me. Until I was eleven.âÂ
Your hands trembling, you reached for the bottle of water and took a drink, now realizing it was warm. Warmer than room temperature. Taking in a shuttering breath, you tried to calm yourself. One last piece of the puzzle.Â
âI was in one home for a few weeks and things were okay. The wife thought I had a fever and that I was sickly or something so she kept me home from school a lot. That was fine, cause being alone was better most of the time. One afternoon I was there alone and the husband came home from work early. I was doing homework at the kitchen table when he came in. He sat down and I got up to leave and he âŚtouchedâŚhe triedââ
You swallowed repeatedly, trying to get enough control to finish it. To say the words. But you had to just move on.Â
âThe memory Bob saw was the home that I had burned down in one blast. I didnât mean to, butâŚhe died. The wife came home and found me standing in an untouched circle of linoleum and called me a demon. She tried to get me arrested but there wasnât any evidence of arson, not that the police could understand, anyway. They put me in a different home and then another. I bounced around a few more times, but by the time I was fifteen, I was done. Iâve been on my own since then, getting by. I self-medicated a lot, but I also had a lot of bad results. You never really know what youâre getting with pills on the street. Sedatives dull my reactions just enough, so Iâd steal a doctorâs prescription pad or get an appointment with the right words to say so theyâd prescribe some. I wasnât seeking pain pills so most wouldnât suspect. When I was really desperate I broke into a few pharmacies. Got caught one time and went to jail for a few months. And here I am,â you threw your hands up in a shrug, relieved.Â
The room was silent and when you braved a glance, you saw Ava staring into the depths of her coffee mug, but not drinking. Yelena was leaning back against the couch, her gaze on the ceiling, hugging her middle. You were shocked to spot the bearded man, Walker, seated on a barstool at the island with his head in his hands. It seemed that heâd caught enough of your story to have a similar reaction.Â
And then Bob. He was bent over with his head on his knees, hands clasped at the back of his neck. Your heart ached at the sight. He was clearly in distress just hearing your story and something told you that Bob was a sensitive soul. Tentatively you put your hand on his shoulder lightly. He unfolded then, tear-filled eyes meeting yours.Â
âIâm okay,â you mouthed, trying to lighten the mood with ridiculous jazz hands. It almost worked, a choke-sob escaping his lips.Â
Bob dried his face with his sleeves, turning away from the other women. Yelena exhaled loudly and finally sat up to face you.Â
âYup. Sheâs one of us, alright,â she confirmed, meeting your gaze. âIâm so sorry that happened to you. And Iâm sorry to bring it all up again. We can talk about next steps, but I will have to talk to the others before making any decisions. Where are you staying right now?âÂ
You shifted in your seat. âUmâŚwith a few other people in a condemned building on 39th. Just until I find some work,â you spoke, your voice wavering.Â
Yelena nodded. âAre they any of your things there youâd like to have brought here? We have plenty of room but Iâm not sure any other floors are ready forââ
âWhoa, wait a minute,â you interjected. âWhat? Youâre inviting me to stay here? Why?âÂ
âShe can stay with me,â Bob spoke up, âat least for now. If she wants. I have a spare room.âÂ
Bob turned to you, awaiting an answer, but you were still wondering why any of this was happening.Â
Yelena stood and walked over to occupy the chair next to you, scooting it closer. âLookâŚyou donât know any of us. Not really. We can have a big trauma dump sharing session later, if you want, when they all get here so youâll see how truly fucked up we all are. I donât think it will take long for you to seeâŚyouâll quickly understand how much youâll fit in here. That is if you want to stay. Weâre offering a place for you here because we can. Like Bob said, youâre one of us. Besides, Valentina can afford it. She has no say in who we invite. We help who we want to help. So, itâs up to you.âÂ
She held out the bottle of pills to you and slowly you reached out to take them.
You held Yelenaâs gaze a moment, then Avaâs and she smiled a tad. Even finally catching Walkerâs eye was met with a nod. Bobâs expression was one of hope. You wanted that hope. Maybe it could be contagious. It was crazy. These heroes offering to take you in, a complete stranger. Even a possible danger to them. And yetâŚ
âOkay. Iâll stay for a bit,â you conceded with a nod.Â
Bobâs sweet face stretched into a full-on, wide, toothy smile and god, if that wasnât the most beautiful sight. And maybe one that you could get used to, given the chance. Only time will tell.Â
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Chapter Three>>>Coming soon!
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Woof. That was a lot, right? Kinda dark. How sweet is protective Bob, though??? 𼚠My heart!! I'm a slut for "forced" proximity so yeah she conveniently needed to stay with him. We'll see what happens. đ I'm excited to see their relationship evolve! I hope you are, too. Thank you to those who have taken the time to comment, reply, leave kudos, etc. I really appreciate you. â¤ď¸
If you'd like to keep up with this story, follow my reblog-only account @aoyhfic-reblogs and turn on notifications. You can also follow me on AO3 or Wattpad, if you'd prefer. Any feedback is appreciated.
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Summary: A spontaneous moment of breaking and entering at the newly-inhabited Watchtower leads to a chance encounter between yourself and a mysterious man named Bob. One touch and he knows your darkest secret, but instead of turning you in, Bob claims you're "one of us". Can the uncontrollable power within you help you find where you truly belong, and along the way, perhaps lead you to the love of your life?
Warnings: child abuse, SA (vague mention), mention of self harm and food insecurity. Drug use. Mental illness. Homelessness. Eventual smut.
Song Inspiration: The Red by Chevelle
Authorâs note: Holy shit, Iâm just as surprised as anyone that the inspiration came and I grabbed hold of it with enough motivation to write it. đ Iâm so stoked about this series. Thunderbolts has fueled my previously dormant Marvel love exponentially. And my newly discovered love for a character named Bob. I hope youâll love him in this story like I do.
How to be notified of new chapters:
-- Follow me on AO3 and bookmark if you like what you read
-- Follow me on Wattpad or bookmark I guess? I forget. đ
-- Follow my reblog only account here on Tumblr @aoyhfic-reblogs and turn on notifications (I will only reblog new chapters there once)
I'll be posting here on Tumblr first, since I can schedule those beforehand. Posting to AO3 and Wattpad usually happens same day but later on.
I do have an ancient Marvel tag list that I might add on here just so my peeps know I'm not dead. 𤪠And surprise! I'm writing again. I will not be adding to that tag list, however, Only those listed above are ways of notification.
I'm super excited about this story and I'm nervous/excited about posting fan fiction again cause it's been a whiiiiiile and I feel like things have shifted in a lot of ways. I dunno.
Please let me know if this character and/or this story piques your interest and once I start posting it, comments and feedback are very much appreciated. đ Also I have a Lewis Pullman-centric sideblog cause I'm OBSESSED so if you wanna freak out with me gimme a follow at @lewis-bob-rhett đ¤
To my OG Marvel friends, if you've stuck it out with me, thank you. I adore you. If I've tagged you and you do not wish to continue to be tagged, please let me know. Also let me know if your username has changed.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Qualityâ Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
The mate of the Luna, the one true moon princess, is the Alpha and everyone knows it will be Kim Namjoon... Except it isnât. When the ritual is complete, the moon princess kneels before Park Jimin and upends her packâs predictable hierarchy.
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. MINORS PROHIBITED. I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY INTERACTIONS WITH PERSONS UNDER THE AGE OF 18. NO EXCEPTIONS.
series â masterlist
PART I: The Alpha
PART ll: The Challenge
PART lll: The Terms
Part lV: The Secret
Part V: The Champion
Part VI: The Praetor
Part VII: The Luna
Part VIII: The Kiss
Part IX: The King
Part X: The Revelations
Part XI: The Claiming
Part XII: The Legend
â notes â
These are little ânotesâ about the characters and the universe. Includes things like âask my muse/ask my charactersâ and other interesting tidbits and perspectives on the world of The Alpha.
The Throne
How Wolves Age
About the Change
Clans in The Alpha
Shifting Mechanics
Bangtan Formation
About Lunas (Part 2)
The World of The Alpha
Kim Seokjin: Male Omega
Jiminâs âPrior Experienceâ
Namjoon and Yunli (Part 2)
Yoonji and Taehyung (Part 2)
How the Alpha Command Works
The Role of Omegas in Wolf Society
Titles and Roles in The Alpha (Part 2)
On Betas + Jimin/Joon Family History
Wanna Know Why Jimin is The Alpha?
How Jimin and the Luna Smell to Each Other
Why Did the Pack Underestimate a Silver Wolf?
Pack Social Structure and the Alpha Command
Mates, Customs, and Wolf Relationships (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6)
How Jinâs Male Omega Pheromones Work (and Why TaeYoonKook Were Unaffected in That Scene)
What the Members Look Like (Human Form) in the Alpha Universe
Wolf Forms of Jimin and the Luna Wolf Forms of All Characters
Beautiful Drawing of the Characters in their Wolf Forms by Little Hummingbird Luna and Silver
Fabulous Alpha Inspired Nail Art by Bells
Gorgeous Moodboard by mikrokosm
Gorgeous Moodboard by eugeneflakey
Gorgeous Moodboards by claude-y
2nd Gorgeous Moodboard by mikrokosm
3rd Gorgeous Moodboard by mikrokosm based on Chapter VII: The Luna
Gorgeous Yunli and Namjoon Moodboard by thislilbabyisafreak
SEBASTIAN STAN as JAMES "BUCKY" BARNES (and his killing close-ups)
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (2021), dir. KARI SKOGLAND
1x04 "The Whole World is Watching"
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
canât stop thinking about husband!yoongi who also happens to be a ceo, the very reason why he has the ability to spoil you rotten whenever he wants to.
âyoongi, come on!â you call out to your husband, seeing him still sitting on a chair while youâve been here in the pool for a considerably long time now, expecting that he was going to join you shortly after like he said earlier.
however, itâs been roughly ten minutes now and heâs stuck there on his patio chair, scrolling through his phone and enjoying the bottle of wine he opened before you dipped yourself in the water.
âi change my mind,â he says, a bit sheepish. âthe water looks cold, babe. i donât think i want to.â
you roll your eyes, swimming closer to him. âthen why did you even book us a suite with a private pool?â
âbecause i know youâd love it.â he smiles. âand also because i was expecting weâd swim in the daytime.â
âwhatâs the fun in that?â
âuh, perhaps, feeling fresh and cool andââ
âbabe,â you cut him off, leaning now on the edge of the pool, âjust join me.â
âyes, maâam.â
you laugh as you see him hesitantly standing up and taking his shirt off, soon going to the steps of the pool where it leads him deeper and where youâre already waiting for him as well.
yoongi childishly holds out his hand to you, which you take with a laugh, helping him to fully sink himself in the water.
âfuck, itâs cold,â he says with a grimace and a shiver, something that makes you grin, immediately putting your arms on his neck and wrapping your legs around his waist once he goes closer.
âyouâre so dramatic.â
âit is, though. look, i have goosebumps.â he raises his arm and you glance at it, snorting.
âokay, point proven, big baby.â
yoongi looks at you and breaks off into a big smile, chuckling and encircling his arms on your waist, giving your lips a quick kiss.
âenjoying this trip so far?â
âyup.â you nod.
âgood.â
the both of you kiss again, this time much longer now, with yoongi angling his face to the side so he can do it better, one hand resting on your cheek, his thumb lightly rubbing against it.
you can feel your heartbeat escalating at just the feel of him this near, your skin touching and bringing a little warmth in the cold water. it makes yoongi think that he should have just done this much earlier rather than prolonging it from happening because of his laziness at the thought of taking a shower after this.
âthanks for bringing me here,â you murmur against his mouth, your own curving up in a smile. âi never thought weâd actually go overseas for our anniversary.â
âitâs not like we havenât done it before.â his hold on you tightens as you place little kisses on his jaw down to his neck, eventually settling on leaning your head on his shoulder. âbesides, i think i need to make up for the fact i forgot last yearâs anniversary.â
you laugh at the memory. âitâs okay. you already told me that you forgot it because our wedding date and the day we started dating confused you. plus, you took me to that restaurant i love.â
âstill though⌠the first year is supposed to be memorable.â
âno, it isnât. the first yearâs supposed to be the hardest.â you pull back to smile at him. âso, you get a pass.â
âthank god,â he jokes and chuckles, you doing the same.
âbut seriously, yoon,â you play with the hair on the back of his head, gazing at his eyes, âthank you. you always go ahead of yourself just to do things for meâto make me happy, you know?â
âwhy are you thanking me? itâs what iâm supposed to do.â
âno. you could have been a shitty boyfriend, and then a shitty husband but... youâre just the best. youâve given me everything i could possibly want and been the man i needed. iâm so lucky to have you.â
yoongi gazes at you in absolute awe, that amazing feeling again spreading in his chest and making him feel all giddy and happy.
he wasnât lying when he said that thanking him wasnât needed, but the acknowledgement and the appreciation youâre showing surely makes him pleased, heart getting bigger because of it.
âyouâre drunk, arenât you?â he nevertheless asks though, teasing and taking the opportunity of you being lovey-dovey, that you hit his bare chest without hesitation.
âiâm serious,â you whine.
âi know, baby, which makes me glad. but itâs only what you deserve, okay? the reason why iâm doing this, i mean. youâve been there for me tooâwhen i was in the worst place, when the company almost went bankrupt⌠you were the one who picked me up to my feet, loved me unconditionally. so⌠letâs be real. iâm the real lucky one here.â
you smirk, fondly staring at every feature he has on his face, smiling wide. âare we just going to start saying our vows again?â
he snorts. âsays the woman who started being sappy.â
âdo you want me to apologize for letting my husband know i love him?â
âno,â he shakes his head, not helping himself as he leans closer to you so that he can place his lips over yours again, âi love it when you say that you love me.â
âand i really do, you know. iâll never get tired saying how much i love you so much,â you agree almost immediately, melting into the kiss again.
he hums contently, caressing your sides. âi love you too, baby. youâre the reason why i thank the heavens for being alive every single day.â
under the stars and the moon that night, until the moment the two of you decide to take that intimate moment right there inside, it feels like a second honeymoon with yoongi.
you know heâs a busy man, a workaholicâand yet the fact that he can spare this much time for you to make you feel loved on the very same day you got married, makes you think all over again how fortunate you are to be with someone like him who works hard for you both but never forgets to cherish you.
⏠Summary | You have no idea how you ended up here. It all started with an innocent date, which escalates into something more. Something that is not quite so innocent. But he gladly follows your lead, always ready to give you everything that he could offer, knowing thatâdeep downâthis is exactly what you wanted all along.
⏠Title | What You Wanted
⏠Pairing | Kim Hanbin (B.I.) x reader
⏠Genre | Smut, PWP(?), Virgin!reader, Boyfriend!Hanbin, First Time
⏠Word count | 10,060 words
⏠Ratings & Warning | 18+/Mature; a bit of a plot if you squint, explicit sexual scenes, including: soft dom Hanbin, shy reader, dirty talk, swearing, stripping, kissing (lots of them) and making out, dry humping, groping, grinding, manhandling (kind of lol), finger sucking, fingering (female recipient)/finger fucking, hand job, long foreplay, breast play, nipple play, biting, pinching, first time sex, praise/praise kink, protected sex, minor aftercare, post-coital cuddling
PSA: @maddiekookmin on Wattpad has stolen one of my fics, Make an Offer specifically, and uploaded it to their Jimin series, pretending that itâs theirs!
They shamelessly copied everything word for word, even my authorâs note at the beginning. Thereâs also other fics listed in this âseriesâ that I suspect to be stolen as well (at least one has been confirmed by a mutual).
Please look through this list and see if anything is familiar to you and inform the original writers so we can get this sorted out.
Iâve left a comment on their page calling them out for the theft, now we have to wait and see if theyâll do the right thing or if Iâll have to take matters into my own hands.
Hereâs the link for their series, do NOT harass them, just simply point out that this is not their original fic.
youâve co-hosted a podcast with namjoon for three years; have known him even longer. the two of you have always been the picture of platonic, but that hasnât stopped the internet from doing what the internet does. the shipping? a little weird at first, but you can understand it: two attractive twenty-somethings always in close proximity to one another, obvious (platonic!) chemistryâpeople have created ships for less. the fanfiction, though? also pretty funny⌠until you canât stop thinking about it. đď¸
pairing: namjoon x f. reader
genre: podcast, friends to lovers au; crack, smut, fluff
rating: explicit. minors do not interact.
warnings: parasocial relationships galore, a m*n with a p*dcast, author abuses italics, swearing, alcohol, reader uses a pseudonym/nickname (piper) because writing the meta fanfiction scene would've been too weird without one and i refuse to use y/n, dialogue-heavy but it is a fic about a podcast, everyone is down horrendous, mentions of social media & fake r*ddit posts, ex-boyfriend yoongi but in a good, healthy way. let me know if i missed anything but mostly this is just two goofballs not realizing they're in love with one another.
smut warnings: kissing, oral sex (f. receiving), fingering, unprotected vaginal sex (fiction), protected vaginal sex (nonfiction), a lil squirting, mild degradation, mentions of a p*ss kink but there is no actual pee i promise (...lest?), i didn't intend to write size kink but it's namjoon so it just showed up anyway, slight dom!joon, everyone orgasms.
wordcount: 17.5k
credits: this was entirely inspired by that one episode of the basement yard where frankie reads the smut fic of him and joe, so credits to both that author and that podcast. spotify, for their podcast name generator. astro-seek for helping me drag namjoon astrologically. an extra special, gigantic thanks to @effortandmore for writing the meta fanfic (3k of it, no less!) and not batting an eye when i said it could have pee in it as a joke. this is as much yours as it is mine. finally, @hot-soop and @the-boy-meets-evil for reading this over for me and telling me i'm funny.
author's note: happy birthday, indigo! here i am to validate every fear you've ever had that the people you write porn about may one day read it. live and on air. :)
Youâve co-hosted a podcast with Namjoon for three years.
You can learn a lot about a guy in that amount of time.
None of it is especially salacious. You know all about his family and his dog and the brand of recycled paper towels he insists on buying in bulk. You know what heâd written his grad school thesis on and what heâd looked like in the thick of it, when he was staving off his fifth mental break of the week. You know how fidgety he gets when itâs closing in on Friday night and heâs got a dateâhow much he stresses over which restaurant to pick, which cologne, which expensive cashmere sweater to wear.
You also know what the internet thinks about him. Intimately.
Kim Namjoon, according to the internet, is peak husband material. He has cheeks ripe for pinching and thighs small countries would go to war to defend. He has a lap that doubles as a seat and dimples people want to get baptized in. He has Instagram selfies with hundreds of thousands of likes and comment sections full of intelligible keysmashes, especially the ones he posts from the gym.
Kim Namjoon, according to the internet, is a man written by a woman.
Looking at him now, you arenât sure thatâs true, you think people just need to raise their standards. Namjoon is just⌠Namjoon. Heâs intelligent and kind and up to date on modern feminist theory, is all. And, sure, maybe in the current political landscape that puts him far above the rest of men, but the way the internet has latched onto him is a little concerning.
âThereâs another post about whether or not weâre dating,â you say, pushing your glasses up the bridge of your nose.
sooo letâs be real here, we ALL think theyâre dating, right??
Posted by u/pod-shipper 2 hours ago
Just like he always does, Namjoon huffs out a soft laugh, makes his way around to your side of the table. Puts his large hands on your shoulders as he leans in close to read from your screen, snorting every time he reads a sentence he finds particularly amusing. Whichever cologne heâd chosen this morning is, admittedly, very nice.
Itâs sooo obvious, especially in the episodes they film and post on YouTube. The way they look at each other?? I donât even look at my HUSBAND like that! (+1264)
âł omg ur sooooo right! i could MAYBE buy that they arenât full on dating, but theyâve def at least slept together. Namjoon is so đĽđĽđĽ (+791)
âł um how can namjoon be dating her when heâs already married to me đđ (+3)
âł For the millionth time, can we not speculate on their personal lives? This is weird and reinforces really harmful ideas that men and women canât just be friends. (-51)
âHow come they never talk about how hot you are?â
You can tell by the look on Namjoonâs face that he hadnât meant to say thatâor, if he did, he didnât mean to say it like that, with an entire pout, eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline. âCursed to be ugly and dumb,â you joke to ease the sudden tension, reading the comment that simply says youâd have to be the dumbest person alive to not sleep with Namjoon.
He scrunches his nose at that. Returns to his side of the table. âYeah, I donât think so, lots of people havenât slept with me.â Starts to unpack all the gear from his bag before he says, âHey, all that stuffâdoes it bother you?â
âWhat do you mean?â you answer, the corner of a protein bar stuck in your mouth. Namjoon always insists on recording at the most inconvenient times.
âPeople thinking weâre together,â he clarifies.
You shrug. âI dunno. Not really. Comes with the territory, I think, not to mention how much you love to overshareââ
âHello?â
âIâm just saying,â you retort, hands raised in self-defense. âThere really was no need for you to mention you blew your grad school stipend on a porn scam.â Namjoon looks affronted, like he canât believe youâd stoop so low as to bring that up. âOr that you lost your virginity at fifteen.â
âWe have a relationship podcast,â he states simply. âThatâs kind of what we do, right? Talk about relationships? And the spectrum of human sexuality is part of that.â
You slump back in your chair as you quirk an eyebrow. âNo one said it wasnât, I just said you overshare. Which you do.â
âAnd thatâs why thereâs a dozen Reddit posts a week discussing whether or not weâre dating? Because I overshare?â
âYeah, exactly. Thatâs the kind of behavior that leads to parasocial relationships. People latch onto that shit. Makes them think theyâre your friend.â He glares. âDonât give me that look, you know Iâm right. Itâs bad enough youâve word-vomited all this highly personal information about yourself, but to not even do it under a pseudonym? Itâs like youâre begging for trouble.â
Another comment he doesnât even realize heâs making: âI donât beg. For anything.â
To this day, youâre not sure why Namjoon asked you to co-host a podcast with him.
His reasoning had been simple: âYouâre my best friend and we donât agree on anything.â Hard to argue with that. Namjoon has seemingly endless patience, even in the face of things he shouldnât entertain, and you⌠do not, to put it simply.
Youâre not a cold person. Your fuse isnât short. Youâre just a little jaded, is all. Have far less propensity for bullshit than Namjoon does, so the two of you play well off each other. You end a sentence with a well-punctuated full stop and Namjoonâs right behind you to sigh and say maybe you shouldnât be so hasty, not everything in the world can be so black or white.
Except some things are. Somewhere along the way, the podcastâwhich Namjoon had affectionately named Place Him Gently in the Garbage, even though some people should be shoved in there with forceâhad picked up a following. A big one. And now, every week, youâre inundated with emails ranging in severity. Sometimes people just want to vent after their tenth bad date in a row or share funny stories, and Namjoon lets you take the lead on those, but sometimes itâs a little more serious. Thatâs where Namjoon shines, all that endless patience, and people love him for it.
âWhatâs on the agenda today?â he asks, accepting a thick stack of papers from Jungkook.
Ah, Jungkook.
You arenât sure what he actually does. Some kind of social media manager, which is obvious from the wildly out-of-context clips he posts of you to TikTok, and itâs his responsibility to go through the thousands of emails you get from listeners, but aside from that all youâve got are your suspicions that he just sticks around to swindle Namjoon out of more and more money.
âIâm in a silly goofy mood,â comes Jungkookâs reply, and you let out a witch cackle as Namjoon winces. Nothing good ever comes of Jungkook being in a silly goofy mood, and thatâs quite alright by you.
Fifteen minutes later finds you with a camera in your face that you greet with an unamused, flat stare. Jungkook is used to it by now. Just films for a few seconds before turning his attention to an unaware Namjoon. Head down, pen and highlighter going a mile a minute as he pores over the stack of papers with all the doggedness and eagle-eyed stare of a literature professor.
Thatâs the thing about Namjoonâhe takes this really seriously. So do you, but not in the ways Namjoon does. Heâs all skill and determination and youâre color commentary. It works. It clearly works, so you arenât too bent out of shape about it, but sometimes you worry. Namjoon takes this really seriously and sometimes you worry that he takes it too seriously, that he carries the burdens and worries of all these strangers, that heâs trying to solve and fix things that arenât his responsibility to solve and fix.
So he takes it really seriously and you donât take it as seriously as you maybe should, and everything is by design. Balanced.
Twenty minutes later finds you staring across the table at Namjoon, who asks, âAre you ready?â and does one last equipment check before he launches into, âWelcome back to another episode of Place Him Gently in the Garbage with Namjoon and Piper. Whatâs new with you, Pipe? Any fun news?â
Pipe. It drives you nuts. Feels like nails on a chalkboard. âI see you almost every single day,â you respond dryly. âBut for the sake of entertainment, Iâm thinking about getting a cat.â
âA cat?â Namjoon parrots, and his eyebrows disappear beneath his fringe because he knows what that means.
Youâve co-hosted a podcast with Namjoon for three years, but youâve known him even longer.
Since your first year of college, which is also when you met Yoongi. Yoongi, your ex. Yoongi, the person youâd been with for six years and had planned a life around. Yoongi, now one of your closest friends, because the two of you still love one another but no longer in that way, which is fine. But alsoâYoongi, allergic to cats.
So, yeah. Namjoon knows what that means, and he has the good sense not to mention it. Unlike him, youâre intensely private and keep your cards close to your chest. Your listeners donât even know your real name, let alone that youâd gone through a breakup a year ago.
âWhat kind of cat?â he continues, like his entire world hasnât just been turned upside-down.
You shrug. âEh, I donât know. Probably one thatâs been in the shelter a long time, I guess. Iâm not too fussy, you know?â
âRight, a cat is a cat,â Namjoon says, thinking heâs done something. You and Jungkook gasp at the same time. âWhat? Why are you giving me that look?â
âBecause thatâs a fucked up thing to say! A cat is not just a cat. They have little personalities, just like people. Youâve gotââ
âBut you just said youâre not fussy,â he interjects. âAnd I know they have personalities and that you have to find one that suits your lifestyle! Like, you canât have one of those really cool cats that likes to go kayaking and shit, itâd never workââ
âWhat does that mean? Why couldnât I have a cool cat?â
âHey, all you cool cats and kittens,â Namjoon mocks, and you can tell he thinks heâs done something again, but his impression falls flatter than flat. An awkward silence fills the studio. He coughs. âAnyway. Do you have pictures?â
âYeah. I also have a list of candidates ranked by how cool their names are. Number five, Casserole.â
âThatâs cute.â
âMhm,â you agree, âbut Casserole is a kitten, and Iâm not sure Iâm ready for that kind of responsibility.â
âThey do say you should adopt kittens in pairs.â
âAnd thatâs how they get you. You want one kitten and they talk you into two, and before you know it youâve got, like, twelve cats. Number four, Party Girl.â
âSick name.â
âNumber three, Toddler.â
âToddler?â
âNumber two, Flat.â
âJust Flat? Understandable.â
âAnd, finally, number one: Human Torch.â
âYoooo.â Namjoon laughs. âYou have to adopt Human Torch. Let me see.â You pull up a picture on your phone and hand it over. âOkay, for our listenersâHuman Torch is a young, male Domestic Short Hair. He has stripes. I donât know what thatâs called.â
âTabby,â Jungkook chimes in.
âJungkook says heâs a tabby. Heâs cute. Adopt him.â
You return your phone to your pocket. âMaybe. I still think I want an older cat, but Iâll consider it. What about you, though? Any new dating horror stories to share?â
Ah, the dating horror stories. Your most dedicated shippers are convinced theyâre fake, that Namjoon just makes them up on the spot to keep them off your trail. If only. Not in the if only they were fake and Namjoon and I were actually dating kind of way, but the holy shit one of my closest friends is a fucking disaster and itâs a little embarrassing kind of way.
âNot really,â he answers. âIâve got a date this Friday, though. Trying to decide if dinner and a movie is too boring.â
âItâs a classic for a reason. What are you gonna see, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3?â
âThree?â Namjoon emphasizes, truly sounding scandalized. âSince when are there three? I havenât even seen one or two.â
âOkay, first of all, the original is a classic and itâs a crime you havenât seen it.â
âAnd second of all?â
âThere is no second of all. Repeat point one.â
He snorts. âIâm not gonna see that, anyway. Maybe the re-release of Howlâs Moving Castle.â
âSubbed or dubbed, though?â
âAre you trying to get me canceled?â
âAbsolutely.â
âI like both,â he chickens out. âNow, letâs stop wasting time and get to the point of the show.â
âTalking about cats is a waste of time?â
âIâno, weâve just got a lot on the agenda today.â
âLike what?â
âWell, thereâs lots to talk about on the celebrity frontââ
Namjoon loves this part. As esteemed and educated as he is, not even he is immune to good old celebrity gossip. (Inside him there are two wolves.) Lives for it. Texts you about it at all hours of the night. Sends you links to Reddit threads with hundreds of comments. Has more opinions on Celebrity Big Brother than he does on Ludwig Wittgenstein, sometimes, and when thatâs the case you know youâre in for a long evening. Youâve never even seen an episode of Celebrity Big Brother.
But Namjoon loves it, so youâve become fond of it by association. Reminds you a bit of Yoongi and his love for sports and sports anime.
ââone should we start with?â
âWhatever you want,â you answer, because you havenât been paying a lick of attention and you arenât sure it matters anyway. Namjoon can talk to a wall on a good day, but heâs an entirely different beast once mundane, innocuous celeb gossip gets involved.
And even though you hadnât been paying attention, it seems like this was the right thing to say, because Namjoon smiles so wide his dimples crater his face. âCool. Letâs start with Taryn Manning. Did you see that bizarreââ
âWho?â
âWhat?â
âWho is Taryn Manning?â
Namjoon looks a little dumbstruck. Even Jungkookâs arching an eyebrow at you. âAre you serious? She was in Orange is the New Black and Crossroads.â
âThe Britney Spears movie?â
âYeah.â
âOh. Weird, okay. Continue.â
Your co-host shoots you a very pointed look. âI will, thanks. Anyway, she posted a video on social media talking about this affair she had with a married man. Like, she pulled over on the side of the road to record this. Said she canât stand the manâs wife because she called her a quote-unquote lunatic.â
âIâhuh, thought we werenât supposed to say that anymore. Alright.â
âBut wait, it gets even more bizarre. Listen to this quoteâand this is direct. This is a direct quote from the video, I canât stop thinking about it: âDonât you ever threaten me when your husband came to me to get his butthole licked.â Can youââ
âWhat? Namjoon, what in the fuckââ
âItâs crazy, right? She was gonna buy this guy a boat.â
âNamjoon, this is a family show, you canât just talk about ass-eating unprompted.â
âNo itâs not.â
âWell, you still shouldnât talk about ass-eating unprompted. Itâs unbecoming.â
âYouâre unbecoming,â Namjoon fires back, because he canât help it. The words are out of his mouth before he can think. âSorry, that was out of line.â
You sigh. Know whatever look Jungkook is catching on his camera right now is exasperated and pointed, the corners of your mouth probably tugged up just a hint. âUnbecoming, like I said.â Namjoon scoffs. âAnyway, so this actress was gonna buy this married guy a boat and was eating his ass?â
âYeah. Apparently it was her friendâs husband? They all went to a Taylor Swift concert together.â
âJesus, this keeps getting worse. Big year for Hollywood cheaters.â
âIt is, right? Cheaters and divorces. Something in the water, I guess.â
âI saw the astrology girlies saying a bunch of planets are in retrograde, soââ
âCan you explain that to me? Like, what does it mean for a planet to be in retrograde? Why is it causing divorces?â
âI donât know, Iâm not an astrology girlie. Thatâs why I said the astrology girlies. What are your big three, though?â
âWhatâs that?â
âYour sun, moon, and rising signs.â
âHow do I find that out?â
âUgh,â you intone, âdonât worry about it, Iâll do it myself. What time were you born?â
Namjoon rattles off a time.
You grab your laptop. Pull up the page, type in Namjoonâs date of birth and birthplace, and wait. Then youâre staring at a circle with a bunch of lines in it that also donât make a lick of sense to you. You roll your lips to keep from laughing and school your voice into something deadly serious. âBad news: it says youâre a virgin.â
âVirgo,â Namjoon corrects, not taking the bait. âI already knew that.â
You scroll a little further down the page. âYour moon is in Sagittarius. Oh god, listen to this, theyâve got you pegged: âThe greatest need is to always search for something. In order to feel safe you need a philosophy or beliefâââ
âHaaa, thatâs notââ
âââYou need to have a goal or mission that gives your life meaning. Your faith must be voluntary and it is a paradox that fighting against dogmas may lead you to other dogmas.â Yeah, thatâs you.â
âThat could apply to anyone,â he argues. âThere are seven-billion people on this planet; Iâd imagine a sizable amount of them would say that also describes them.â
âHm, sounds like your faith in astrology is not yet voluntary. Did you know youâre a Scorpio rising?â
âNo. Iâm sure youâre gonna tell me all about it, though.â
You smile. âCorrect. âPeople with Scorpio on the Ascendant need to fight against dark and destructive power in their life.â Is that true?â
âYeah, youâre the dark and destructive power. You keep sidetracking me and we need to get to the point of the podcast.â He grabs the stack of papers Jungkook had given him. Looks more highlighter than paper, if youâre being honest. âI guess Jungkook thought we needed a lighthearted kind of day.â
âThat was nice of him, considering what he gave us last week. I guess weâre allowed to have faith in humanity today.â
To your left, Jungkook scoffs.
âAlright,â Namjoon starts, putting on his Very Serious Podcast Guy voice, âfirst up weâve got a question from one of our listeners in Canada. It says, âHi, Piper and Namjoon. I recently agreed to go on a blind date with a friend of a friend. She said he was a bit old-fashioned but really talked him up so I thought I was in good handsâand then he showed up to get me in a â67 GTO and exclusively referred to me as doll. He didnât use my name once. Iâm torn, because he was really nice and I had a good time otherwise, but this is weird, right? Should I see him agaiâââ
âNo,â you interject.
âCan I finish?â
âYou donât have to. This guy sounds greasy.â
Namjoon pinches the bridge of his nose. âAnd why is that?â
âIgnoring the fact that this guy has arguably one of the lamest classic cars around, he didnât use their name once? Not once, in all the time they spent together? Thatâs really disrespectful.â
âSome people are just pet name people,â Namjoon argues.
âWith absolute strangers, though? Itâs really giving the impression that he didnât even know it, not to mention some people are uncomfortable with pet names. The whole shtick is super lame.â
âI agree it sounds a bit misguided, butââ
Ignoring Namjoon, you say, âSorry you had to go on a date with the ghost of less-cool James Dean. Into the garbage he goes.â
And, just like heâs done a million times before, Namjoon rolls his eyes and says, âIf you really like this guy and want to see him again, a bit of communication will go a long way. Tell him the pet name made you uncomfortableâif it didâand offer to pick him up for the next date. I donât think heâs completely destined for the garbage, yet.â
âYouâre just saying that because you donât have a license. You probably think a 1967 Pontiac GTO is the pinnacle of romance. Thatâs probably like picking someone up on a Specialized Aethos to you, eh?â
âThatâs a fifteen-thousand dollar bike, Iâll have you know.â
You groan. âOh my god.â
Ep: #183 - Namjoon is a Virgin
I think Namjoon had the right idea on this one. Sure, the car can be considered lame, but I think a lot of men are deeply insecure and therefore overcompensate when it comes to dating. Women are hard to impress when they have unlimited options. You have to stand out, so Iâm glad he advocated for him. Piper can come off like such a misandrist sometimes. (-649)
âł just shut up bro namjoon would fuckin hate u (+204)
âł Imagine caring about something like this when theyâre getting a cat together đ (+19)
You think about the cat thing for nearly a week.
Adopting a cat is certainly not the worst idea youâve ever had, and truth be told itâs been a little lonely, living by yourself. No more Yoongi in your space; no more Holly. So, having a new little friend around might do you some good.
Itâs justâ
Itâs a big commitment, and thereâs also the dog sitting-shaped elephant in the room. Ending things on good terms means youâre still Yoongiâs second-choice sitter whenever he has to go out of town, and while you love Holly dearly (the two of you had adopted him together, after all), heâs a lot like his father in a lot of ways.
Should I get a cat, you type out, and itâs only been in Yoongiâs inbox a few seconds before the most unflattering picture youâve ever taken of him is flashing across your screen.
âAre you dying?â you ask, because Yoongi doesnât call you for much else.
And you already know what his response is going to be. âWeâre all dying.â
âLighten up, Yoongi. One might say being so existentially nihilistic before noon causes wrinkles.â
Thereâs a split-second pause. âItâs nine p.m.â
âSure, but itâs before tomorrowâs noon, so it still counts.â
âWhatever. Listen, before you adopt that cat, I need a favor.â
âYou going out of town again?â
âYeah. Shouldnât be long, though. A week at the most, five days if Iâm lucky.â
âThatâs fine, bring him over whenever. Yijeongâs busy?â
This pause is far, far longer. âNo,â comes Yoongiâs eventual response, but itâs slow. Unsure. A two-letter word has never taken so long to say in the history of ever. âHeâs, uh. Coming with me?â
Oh, you think. This is where your ex awkwardly and hesitantly breaks the news of his new relationship. Youâve known this day was coming, and this is what you get for staying friends with him. âThis is a fanfiction plot,â you accuse. âHot, mysterious man moves into a gaudy apartment complex after ending a long-term relationship and meets his equally-hot and mysterious neighbor and they fall in love.â
âIâthatâs notâmy apartment is not gaudy.â
âYes it is. Thereâs a giant gold bust of a weird bird in the lobby.â
âWeird bird?â he parrots. âItâs a swan.â
âI see youâre not denying the in-love-with-your-neighbor accusations.â
âAm I on trial?â Yoongi retorts, and itâs such a Yoongi thing to say when what he means is, is this okay? He means, are we able to talk about this without it being weird? He means, I wonât ever say as much out loud, but your acceptance means a lot to me, and Iâd like for you to give me this.
So you lower your voice and soften the edges because itâs not really something to joke about, and you say, âNo, of course youâre not on trial,â and Yoongi knows what you mean. âAnd if you were, you'd get locked up for fifty years. You canât lie for shit.â
Thereâs a beat of silence before he clears his throat, mutters a thanks that is so quiet you almost donât catch it. âSend me pictures of the cats.â
Later on, once youâre freshly-showered and tucked into bed with a candle and a book (Eloge de lâamour by Alain Badiou at Namjoonâs insistence and request), your phone buzzes with a text from Yoongiâ
Yoongi: toddler is a fucking hilarious name for a cat but so is flat
Yoongi: itâs a tie for me
You: Okay well pick one đ
Yoongi: yijeong says get both
You: Both???? Is he paying my vet bills?
Yoongi: kinda out of line to proposition him for money. flat is also good with dogs, js
You: If heâs now being raised by you two, my perfect, well-behaved son is probably long gone. Does he even count as a dog anymore?
Yoongi: me and yijeong both say fuck off
Yoongi: holly too. he says he doesnât miss you anymore and heâs not coming over now
Yoongi has added Yijeong to the group
Yoongi has changed the group name to #ThirdWheelChat
Yijeong: Please donât drag me into this. Also I did not say âfuck offâ
You have changed the group name to People Who Have Seen Yoongi Naked
Yoongi: fuck you
You shouldâve known something was going on with Jungkook, because itâd started like this:
(When you and Namjoon started the podcast three years ago, it was in the living room of his apartment.
Surrounded by books and plants. He loved to record in the afternoons back thenâNamjoon loved to say it was because of his grad school schedule, but youâve always suspected he just wanted to preen in the golden hour light, much like heâs doing now.
âIs this really necessary?â Jungkook whines from his spot on the couch. Heâs already swindled Namjoon out of two bags of microwavable popcorn and three cans of sparkling water. âItâs a Saturday afternoon; I could be doing something so much more fun than this.â
Namjoon scoffs. âAre you saying this isnât fun?â
âYeah. It sucks, actually. This couldâve been an email.â
And because Namjoon is accomplished, mature, and absolutely incapable of not taking Jungkookâs bait, the space between his brows creases as he sends a murderous glare Jungkookâs way. âStop eating my food, then. And drinking my drinks. And lounging on my couch like thatââ
âIâm not lounging,â Jungkook argues.
âYouâre manspreading all over the leather!â
âThis is how I sit!â
âWell, knock it off! My couch is only for fun and people who think Iâm fun!â
Jungkook rolls his eyes. âSo you fuck on it?â
âWhat?â
âWhat other fun things could you possibly do on a couch?â
Namjoon blinks. âWatch⌠watch a movie?â
Jungkook groans, throws himself backwards against the pillows as if heâs suffering a Victorian ailment. âJesus. No wonder you canât score a second date.â
âOkay, that was a little uncalled for. There are a ton of reasons a person might not want a second date, and no one is obligated to go out with meââ
âUh-huh. Anywayââ
You clear your throat. Try to hide your own can of seltzer youâd taken from Namjoonâs fridge in the midst of his and Jungkookâs bickering. âNot trying to be rude, but I have an appointment at the shelter at three. If, yâknow. You wouldnât mind speeding this up a little.â
âOh! Yeah, of courseââ
âOh, so youâll speed this up for her but notââ
Namjoon pinches the bridge of his nose. âShe,â he begins, jerking his thumb in your direction, âisnât needlessly complaining and actually has someplace to be.â)
It was just a quick little rendezvous in Namjoonâs living room to come up with a rough draft for the following monthâs episodes. He couldnât do it over text because heâd fallen down the steps at his office and landed on his ass on the corner of a step and his phone had been in his back pocket. Cracked clean in half. And he couldnât do it over email because heârightfullyâknew Jungkook would ignore them because he has his inbox set up to send all of Namjoonâs personal emails to the trash.
But Jungkook holds onto things like that. Grudges. Loves to let Namjoon think bygones are bygones and pop up a few days later with some evil scheme. Hence:
âWhat is this?â
Jungkook smirks. Rocks back on his heels. âItâs fanfiction.â
âI can see that, but⌠why?â
This is where Jungkook shines: the ominous, cheshire cat grin; the aw, shucks demeanor that gaslights Namjoon into thinking Jungkook couldnât possibly be fucking with him. âWell, you were having trouble coming up with ideas for episodes, and thereâs an email in there from someone whose partner reads really expliââ
âJungkook, this is fanfiction about me.â
You canât help the laugh that escapes you. Of all the weird shit youâve seen on the internet (and thereâs been a lot), fanfiction of people you knowâyour friendsâwas something youâd managed to escape. Probably by virtue of not knowing anyone famous enough to warrant fanfiction being written about them.
But you shouldâve known. You really, really shouldâve known.
âOh my god?â
Youâre not sure who says it. Could be you or Namjoon, but the sentiment is the same. He mouths a what the fuck at you thatâs met with a shrug. Youâre in uncharted territory now, too. âWhere did you even find this?â you ask, taking the stack of papers from Namjoon. âAnd why did you print it out?â
âBecause Iâm going to track down whoever wrote it and get them to autograph it. Then Iâm going to buy a nice frame and hang it on the wall behind him, so we never forget this historical moment in Place Him Gently in the Garbage lore.â
âItâs a podcast,â Namjoon deadpans, âhow can it have lore? And how much lore can there possibly be?â
âItâs the internet,â you concede. âThe lore possibilities are endless. Donât tempt them.â
Jungkook nods sagely, well-versed in the degeneracy of the internet. âYeah, thatâs how you end up with shit like 4chan.â
â4chan? Thereâs Space Jam porn on there.â
As the youngest, all Jungkook can do is roll his eyes. âSometimes explaining this shit to you feels like trying to teach old people how to rotate PDFsââ
Namjoon scoffs. âIâm not that bad. I know how to rotate a PDF.â
Wow, Jungkook mouths. âAnyway, back to the fanfictionââ
âI donât want to talk about it,â Namjoon interjects. He looks at you. âItâs weird, right? Like, itâs weird that people have written this about us?â
About us.
Your scope of the world narrows to the size of a pinhead. Itâd just been about Namjoon before. This is fanfiction about me, heâd said, and you hadnât been included in that. Now itâs written about us and youâre included.
âIâwhat?â
âItâs about us,â Namjoon repeats.
Jungkook rolls his lips. âItâs about the two of you fucking, to be specific.â
âCan you notââ
âFucking a lot,â Jungkook continues. âSo much fucking.â
Namjoon looks at you, and itâs all you can do to keep from laughing. The look on his face is pure bewilderment, both that Jungkook has cooked up this idea and is hell-bent on executing it and that he remains employed. And maybe itâs a little bit of nerves, too, because neither of you are ignorant of the risks. Reading fanfiction about yourselvesâabout the two of you as a couple, specifically, or at least two people who have sexâis weird. Not something you can unread.
And maybe itâs because youâre so determined to not make it weird that you send Namjoon a cheeky, exaggerated wink, shrug your shoulders, and say, âIâll need a couple drinks, but Iâm down.â
Jungkook throws his head back and cackles wildly, and that look of bewilderment on Namjoonâs face morphs into something else. Trepidation, maybe; definitely disbelief, because sometimes he lets himself get swept away in Jungkookâs schemes, but itâs rare that you follow suit.
As Jungkook continues to laugh, you wonder if you shouldâve said no.
Namjoon has two stipulations: the two of you have to film the episode completely alone, and he, too, needs to be a little drunk.
The latter? Piece of cake, considering Namjoon has become some sort of whiskey aficionado in recent years. His drinking is streamlined and to the pointâhe knows exactly how much and what to drink to get him where he wants to be. You canât say he isnât efficient.
The former, though? Borderline impossible. From the second Namjoon states his terms, Jungkook is having none of it. Argues that heâs the one who found the story and the one who cleared it with the author, so he deserves to witness the fruits of his labor.
âNo,â Namjoon repeats for the nth time, âno way. Iâll barely be able to do this with just her, let alone both of you.â
And thatâthat doesnât bother you, right? You force a laugh, because why would it bother you?
There are few secrets between you and Namjoon, except your respective sex lives have been staunchly off-limits. Namjoon could be a virgin for all you know, and as you study himâthe way he keeps bobbing his leg, the slight shake in his handsâyou wonder if thatâs the reason heâs being so weird about this.
Itâs just a story.
Fiction.
Most people donât have to worry about someone writing stories about them fucking their friends. If they do, you reckon even less actually read them. So, sure, itâs a little strange, but people from all over the world send in stranger stuff all the time, donât they? Itâs literally the reason youâre in this predicament.
Eventually Jungkook agrees. His whining has gotten him nowhere, so he just throws up his hands. Posts a cryptic little âu guys wonât believe what the next patreon ep is lmaoâ that sends the internet into a frenzy. Doubles your Patreon numbers almost immediately, and both you and Namjoon do a good job of pretending the pressure isnât overwhelming.
Jesus. You have to read explicit fanfiction about yourselves. On camera.
Namjoon gets caught up with work and isnât available until the weekend, so youâre forced to sit with the nerves for a few days. Not too bad at first, but youâre nearly coming out of your skin by Thursday with the need to know. Youâre well-versed in the world of fanfiction, but this is fanfiction about you: your name, your likeness, maybe even your personality.
What will they know of Namjoon, though?
Will they get it right, the way he looks with his jaw clenched? How impossibly deep his voice can go, both when itâs raspy with sleep and when heâs fully at ease? Will the Namjoon in the story be closer to the Namjoon you know, or the version of himself he presents to the public?
And youâve known him a long timeâlong enough that there are few secrets between you, but you donât know the most intimate parts. All the parts the internet loves to speculate on. All the little gaps that, apparently, need to be filled in by fanfiction.
Will they know what Namjoon looks like when he gets off?
No, you scold yourself, jerking awkwardly like youâve been burned, and neither will you.
Because you are not going to think about this. Your thoughts are not going to go there. Namjoon is your friend, and youâve listened to him scold an endless amount of men on the podcast for exactly this behavior. Sexualizing their friends. Youâre not going to do it, too.
Maybe thatâs why youâre kind of seeing double when it comes time to record. Namjoon needed an extra shot and offered you one as well. Youâd necked it without a second thought and now youâre here, trying to ignore the slight tilt of the room as Namjoon adjusts the camera.
âHowâs the shot look?â he asks, gesturing vaguely behind him at his laptop screen because Jungkook had refused to lend you his fancy cameras if he wasnât allowed to be involved.
Itâs a completely normal question.
Itâs a question youâve asked and answered a million times.
Exceptâthereâs something horribly distracting about Namjoon in this moment. The outline of his back muscles through the thin fabric of his t-shirt. The way the sleeves are tight around his biceps. Heâs always been a gym rat, always carries around a protein shake that smells and looks completely foul, but you canât remember it ever being this obvious.
And you take too long to answer, because Namjoon straightens up just enough to send you a concerned look. Which does not help. You are not imagining what else might cause his brows to pinch like that, what might have his lips parting, have sweat dotting his hairline.
You swallow. Hard.
âLooks fine,â you manage to say. Heâs still staring. Are you on fire? You feel like youâre on fire, which would make sense. Would explain Namjoonâs sweating and concerned stare and the fact that he cannot stop staring at you. âMaybe a tiny bit to the right if weâre being picky,â you tack on, hoping itâll break whatever spell the two of you are ensnared in.
It works. âTo theâthe right, yeah, makes sense,â he rambles.
He moves it an inch to the left.
â
Things are tense, to say the least.
Recording hasnât been this awkward since your first episode, or maybe ever. Youâre sat across from one another like you always are, and usually Namjoon would be making quip after quip by now, talking endlessly until Jungkook shushed him long enough to get the intro filmed. Now, thereâs just silence.
âShould weâŚ?â Namjoon startles. Bangs his knee on the underside of the table and drops a string of curses. âSorry, are youââ
âIâm fine,â he says, cutting you off. He gestures vaguely toward the camera. âIâll just⌠yeah.â
Showtime.
You wipe your hands on your jeans, unsure of when they got so damp. Unsure of when youâd grown so nervous, too, because youâd been fine an hour ago. Had strolled in with two cups of tea and a little too much confidence, giddy at what you were about to do.
Maybe the nerves had shown up alongside the alcohol. This sounds reasonable, and you do not, under any circumstance or for any reason, think about Namjoonâs back. Or his biceps.
Namjoon makes it through the intro, dimples deep and wide as he smiles, and you also donât think about the way his voice cracks and gets a little breathy when he introduces you. Itâs only because heâd been drinking, and the flush on his cheeks attests to that. The same flush that creeps down his neck, still a little sweaty; disappears beneath the hemline of his shirt.
ââJungkook had. Right, Piper?â
Now itâs your turn to startle, and thereâs not much you can do to hide the obvious except ask Namjoon to redo the shot. Because itâs bad enough the internet already overanalyzes every move you make, every word choice, every instance youâve stared at Namjoon a second longer than they thought you wouldâthis is a blatant display of⌠affectedness.
âSorry,â you say, âI wasn't paying attention. Can we redo it?â
Youâre expecting a playful scolding. A ha ha, get it together, because thatâs what you usually get. But thereâs nothing aside from Namjoon studying you and nodding. Asking if youâre okay. Saying, âIs thisâthis is weird, right? Is it too weird? Maybe we shouldnâtââ
An out. Namjoon is giving you an out, and you should take it, you know you should take it, so thereâs absolutely no reason at all you shake your head and say, âNo, no, itâs fine! I think Iâm just a little, uh. Drunk?â
âAre you sure? We canââ
âItâs fine, Joon,â you insist. âBesides, itâll be good content, right?â
âGood content,â he parrots. âYeah, for sure.â He fidgets in his seat, runs his hands down the span of his thighs. Very, very thick thighs. âIâll grab us some water.â
You faceplant onto the table as soon as heâs out of the room. When did his thighs get so thick?
But the water helps. Cures whatever strange, insatiable thirst has come over you, because you feel much more human after a few glasses. Less drunk, too, which makes sense. Yoongi could barely escape your drunken, horny wrath when the two of you were together, so you chalk it up to a Pavlovian response.
Namjoon does the intro again. Introduces you strong and steady, not a hint of nerves, and explains, with a fresh blush taking over his upper body, what the episodeâs going to be about. âSomeone wrote fanfiction about us,â he says, scratching at the back of his neck. âItâs, uh, pretty explicit. Jungkook thought itâd be funny if we read it.â
You snort. âHe might get fired, depending on how this goes.â
âHe should get fired regardless,â Namjoon deadpans. âAnyway, we have permission from the author to read this so donât come after us, and, as always, weâll put all the credits in the video description.â
âSpecial shoutout to Jungkook, though, who was not allowed to be here with us for this momentous occasion.â
Namjoon laughs. âIâm sure heâs having plenty of fun at home.â You both pause. âThatâs notâIâm not implying anything with that! I just meantâyou know, like. Heâs hanging out and enjoying his day off.â
âUh-huh.â
âMoving on. I have two copies of this. Do you want your own?â
You grin, wicked and wide. âNah, just read it to me.â
âMaking me do all the work,â he huffs. âTypical.â
âThereâs a stack of papers in front of you that might say otherwise.â
Itâs clear you catch him off-guard. He cocks an eyebrow, opens and shuts his mouth a few times like a goldfish. An obvious question sits on the tip of his tongue: You think youâd be in charge? Instead he coughs, jerks his head to the side, and says, âI guess weâll see.â
It sounds like a challenge.
Thirty seconds is all you get before Namjoonâs shuffling his stack of papers and clearing his throat. Asking if youâre ready and jumping right into it once you say you are. Reads the first few lines like theyâre some old lecture notes, and theyâre conservative and safe-for-work enough that you start to relax.
And then Namjoon reads, âA louder one wonders if Namjoon is a pet name personâif heâd call her âhoney,â or âgummy bear,â âbabe,â or âbaby,ââ and you choke.
âGummy bear?â
Namjoon laughs along with youâthe weird one that almost sounds like a dog panting. âYou want me to call you gummy bear?â
âI want you to call me a Lyft,â you snark. âIâm leaving.â
He continues:
And thatâs how it starts, wandering thoughts, wandering fingersâthe first time Piper comes to the thought of Namjoon calling her baby, pushing inside her, showing her that he definitely doesnât beg, but she does⌠Well, sheâs a little ashamed. Sheâs apparently got a reputation to maintain, anyway, not to mention a friendship.
His eyes leave the paper and lock onto you. âOr maybe youâd prefer baby?â
âFuck off.â
Weeks after that first time, itâs become a habit, thinking about Namjoon as something more than a friend. Itâs confusing and a little mortifying and itâs starting to affect her in ways she hadnât expected. When they record, she feels fidgetyâsheâs jumpy when he gets close, has all the stupid obvious tells of an unwanted crush: her breath hitches when he whispers (why the fuck is he whispering in her ear, anyway? Doesnât he know what that does to a person?) inside jokes to her so Jungkook canât hear, her heart rate spikes when their fingers accidentally brush, she feels itchy and hot and a little embarrassed whenever he holds eye contact with her. Itâs terrible, and itâs only made worse by the way heâs doing all of those things more than usual.
Or, at least she thinks he is, thinks sheâs not imagining the way his eyes linger on her more than she can remember happening before or the way sheâs caught him staring at her lips when she chews on the end of her pencil mindlessly.Â
Youâve completely forgotten how to breathe.
Namjoonâs staring again. You need to salvage this. Heâs only on paragraph three and youâre already squirming in your chair and imagining things that are not appropriate. So you roll your lips, return his teasing. âWell? Do you stare at my lips?â
It works. âNo,â he scowls.
âYou sure?â you joke, morphing your face into something half-pout, half-duck face.
âWeâre never gonna finish this if you keep making comments.â
âYou started it,â you point out. âGo on, then.â
Thereâs some dialogue. Some prose that hits way too close to home, has you wondering who on earth wrote this and how they plucked every single thought from deep within your psyche. A pang of fear that maybe you havenât been as subtle as youâd thought all these years. A moment to confirm to yourself that, no, you havenât been harboring a secret, deeply-buried crush on Namjoon.
Then he readsâ
And then he kisses her. Itâs greedy and hot, his lips like a branding iron. She moans a little against her better judgment when he licks at the seam of her mouth, and in return, she can feel Namjoonâs lips curve into a smile against her own.
Itâs better than sheâd been imagining it, really. Heâs a good kisserâfirm at the right times, soft when she needs it, careful but not cautious. He holds her jaw with one hand and keeps her right where he wants her beneath him (as if sheâd want to move, anyway).Â
When their lips finally part, he rests his forehead on hers. Itâs intimate in a way she hadnât expected, and he looks at her as if sheâs the answer to every question. Finally, he whispers, âWhatâre we doing, Piper?â His lips are still wet and pink and a little swollen from kissing, and she barely hears the questionâsheâs too busy thinking about kissing him again, about pulling his plump bottom lip between her teeth, teasing andâŚÂ
âKissing,â she says finally.Â
âWhat do you want?â he asks, sinking to his knees in front of her. And if that alone isnât an answer to his questionâŚ
âWhatever youâre willing to give,â she replies. It feels like sheâs wanted this forever, this and so much more. Once she got the idea in her head, itâs hard to know if she ever felt differently, ever truly thought they could just be friends. Or, if in the back of her mind, in the dark corners that she never lets see daylight, she always knew she wanted Namjoon. Always knew she loved him.
âand everything goes right out the fucking window.
Namjoon sits with those words for a moment. Scans the paper in his hands and frowns a little when he confirms what you already know. âThe rest is, uh. Porn.â
âThat is why weâre here.â
âLast chance to back out.â
âIâm not scared,â you lie. âAre you? Youâre the one who keeps stalling.â
He huffs. âYouâre a pain in my ass,â he retorts, and then nothing is all that funny anymore.
Because Namjoon was right: the rest is straight-up porn. Heâs barely able to read the part where he goes down on you with a straight face, turning a deep shade of crimson. Stutters through the part where you pull his hair, and that is not something you needed to know about your friend. You think he loses his grasp of language entirely when he reads, âWhen he slides a long finger into her and brushes past her most sensitive spot, she arches into him and lets his name fall from her lips in a soft cry. Piper, notorious skeptic, is a babbling, trembling mess as she gets closer to her orgasm,â because all the words are garbled together, producing nothing but gibberish. You think heâs ready to keel over and die when he reads, âNamjoon pulls away briefly, lips slick with her juices, and licks over his top one, pausing to tell her how good she tastes before he dives back in.â
âThat was nice of them to include. I appreciate their attention to detail in regards to my personal hygiene.â
âThis is so embarrassing,â he whines.
You roll your eyes good-naturedly. âGimme. Iâll finish it.â He hands over the papers immediately.
Except you regret it immediately. The words youâre staring at are not words you ever thought youâd read or recite in your entire life. Not even for a million dollars. âOh,â you say instead.
âSee? Not as easy as it looks.â
âThis is really embarrassing,â you confirm. âI might need another shot.â
âY-yeah. Alcohol sounds good.â
Namjoon staggers forward obligingly, looks completely fucked out and pliant, willing to do whatever she asks. She remembers the sounds he made when she pulled his hair, wonders if he likes being bossed around, if he wants her to tell him what to do, to be a little mean to him. Maybe itâs different from her dreams, maybe he will beg her. She wants him so badly, sheâd do anything for him. So, she pulls his briefs down to expose his absurdly large member, already mostly hard, and slaps it. Gently at first to see how heâll react, and when he shudders and jerks his hips, she does it again, a little harder.
âLook at you,â she whispers, âsuch a needy boy.âÂ
He whimpers at that, eyes pleading. âPlease, PiperâŚâ he whines.
Â
âPlease what?â
âPlease let me fuck you,â he begs.
She wants to, wants him so much, wants to feel him stretch her open, and from the looks of his cock, thick and long and drooling with precum, he could.
âShould I?â she asks. She musters all her confidence to keep the condescending tone up. It feels wrong given how desperate she is to get him inside her, but it also seems to be getting him worked up and equally as desperate. âDo you even know what to do with that big, stupid cock?âÂ
Namjoonâs cock twitches, and he begs, âIâIâll fuck you so good, PiperâŚ. I know how, I promise. Just⌠please?â
âOh my god,â the two of you say in unison.
You so badly want to ask if this is biographical. How Namjoon feels about a little degradation; what heâd do if someone actually called his cock stupid. Ifsomeone has called his cock stupid. You dare a glance at him and conclude that someoneâs had to. Namjoon just has that kind of energy.
But you canât ask because itâd be weird, so you keep reading.
âHow do you want me?â she asks softly when their lips part. Thereâs a wild look in his eyes, like heâs processing all the possible options out of everything heâs considered. And then it occurs to her. âHave you imagined this before? Thought about how youâd fuck me?â she teases him as she stands, stepping into him. Piper pushes one hand through his hair, brushing it back off of his forehead and wraps her other around his dick, squeezing a little for emphasis on her words.
âYes,â he groans as she strokes him, thumbing at the head of his cock.
âTell me what you want, then. Want me on all fours for you? Want me to show you how itâs done, to let you lay back and ride you so you donât have to put in any work?â
Namjoonâs breathing is getting heavy, pupils blown wider with each suggestion.Â
âI told you!â you shriek, laughing in between the words. âI told you IâdâŚâ And then your gloating tapers off, because what happens next has your brain malfunctioning.
âAll of that,â he whines as she lets go of his hair and brings her hand down to run a fingertip over his perineum. âWant all of that. Want to bend you over the table and fuck you right here. Hear your sounds in the microphone.â
Even in her dirtiest thoughts about him, she hadnât considered the microphone, hadnât considered recording it. When she thinks about it though, it makes sense. Namjoon is exactly the kind of person that would get off to someoneâs voice.
So, she does. She makes a show of turning around and slowly bending over the table, sliding her upper body across it carefully until she can reach her microphone and turn it on. When she says into it, âWhatâre you waiting for?â she sees over her shoulder the way that Namjoon shivers.
This is⌠not good. Youâre never going to be able to look at a microphone the same way, which is extremely not good for a person who supplements their income with a very popular podcast that requires them to speak into a microphone for extended periods of time.
This is very, very bad.
Namjoon must be thinking the same, because he lets out a strangled a-haaa thatâs less of a laugh and more a plea to God, the gods, the entire gamut of higher powers that might be able to save him. No oneâs going to, you think, staring down at the paper again. This godless piece of fanfiction will be preserved on the internet forever, will be seared into your mind forever, and no amount of praying is going to erase it.
âI should, uh. Just read the rest, yeah? Get it over with?â
âMhm. Yep. Yes, please.â
Donât say please, you almost say. You canât take it; not after what youâve just read.
So you put on a show. Steel your expression and your nerves and take it seriously. Use voices and sound effects and desperately try to stave off the awkwardness you know is inevitable because a smut fic is probably only going to end one way, and thatâs with you acting out Namjoon having an orgasm.
Maybe youâll have another one, too, if the author is nice.
Itâs sweet, she thinks, the way heâs easy for her, takes his time with her. Strokes his fingertips along her sides and kisses the back of her neck reverently. As much as she loves it, part of her hopes heâs not always like thisâhopes heâll give as good as he takes, hopes heâll put her in her place. She can feel his cock hard against the cleft of her ass, not even inside her yet, and still, she thinks about next time and the time after that.
âStill okay?â He breathes into her ear as his tip rubs against her cunt.Â
âYeahâwant you, Joon.âÂ
âNever thought Iâd hear you say those words.âÂ
âI never thought youâd record them,â she teases, eyes glancing up to the flashing light showing the mic picking up all of this as he starts his slow slide into her.Â
Piper falls even further forward when he bottoms out, letting her forehead rest on the table. Heâs whispering filth in her ear, about how he has something to prove, how sheâll never want anyone after this, how no one can fuck her the way he does.Â
She hates that heâs right.Â
Each stroke brings a new sensation: sparklers, butterflies, nerve endings on fire as he fucks into her and licks and sucks at her neck, her shoulders, her ear. Piper canât even think, and this is what people mean when they talk about being fucked stupid, she decides.Â
Itâs perfect.Â
Every time she thinks sheâs getting close again, he changes something: fucks her a little shallower, moves his hips just a little, slows down, speeds up⌠Itâs driving her crazy.Â
âCome on,â she whines. âIâm so closeâŚâ
At least she can tell he is, too. No longer able to sustain the dirty talk, heâs breathing heavily, letting out broken moans and sighs of her name. Heâs moving rhythmically now, thrusts consistently faster.Â
âOh, fuck, Piper,â he groans, âGonna cum.â
One of his hands finds her clit and he rubs careful circles over her, bringing her to her peak along with him, no more teasing.Â
When she comes, itâs with a loud moan into the studio mic, and that seems to be what tips Namjoon over the edge, too. His hips stutter into hers as he comes, her cunt clenching around him for what feels like forever.
You deserve an award, you think. An Oscar. You didnât even groan when you had to read the word âcunt,â and thatâs a feat in and of itself.
âIs it over?â Namjoon asks, words muffled by the hands covering his face.
âNot quite,â you answer. âThereâs some aftercare, and at the end you ask if Iâll piss on you.â
Namjoon gags. âI asked you whatââ
âTodayâs episode has been brought to you by Stamps-dot-comââ
HOLY SHIT THE NEW PATREON EPISODE????????
Posted by u/pod-shipper 4 minutes ago
NO WAY. NOOOOOOO FUCKING WAY DUDE THEREâS NO FUCKING WAY THEY DID THIS AS AN ACTUAL EPISODE WHAT THE FUCK WHAT HTE FUCK WHAT EHTU FKF DFGLKDG;L (+705)
I wasnât sure if they were messing around before, and I was quite critical of the âshippers,â but now Iâm pretty convinced. (+423)
âł weâve been telling yâall for YEARS đ¤ (+197)
âł Glad youâve seen the light, u/RandomAcorn2058! (+5)
âł ugh. they werenât messing around before and they arenât messing around now. do you guys not listen to what they say? namjoonâs been dating, and piper got out of a six-year relationship just over a year ago. if theyâve had something going on for âyearsâ that means theyâre both cheaters, and thatâs a really shitty thing to assume about them. not to mention it makes the entire point of the podcast moot. (-63)
Why do you guys think Jungkook âwasnât allowedâ to be there? (+314)
âł So they could fuck lmao itâs so obvious (+329)
âł because itâs awkward af? would you wanna read porn about yourself w all your coworkers in the room? (+2)
âł the âitâs awkwardâ excuse is sooooo lame heâs the one who found it and is the one who edited the episode, heâs gonna see it regardless. (+15)
âł Tbh Iâm more curious about how he even found it to begin with? Do they have a throuple thing going on? Like, why was he looking for smut fic about his bosses? (+38)
You do not get through recording unscathed.
You are very scathed. Perhaps the most scathed a person has ever been.
Jungkook texts the group chat sporadically throughout the week, cracking jokes and making memes at your and Namjoonâs expense which is par for the course and shouldnât have you off-kilter, but something inside you feels deeply wrong. Feels like someoneâs given you devastating news; feels like it used to back in uni when you knew youâd failed an exam and were just waiting to see how badly.
It both helps and doesnât that the internet is so invested. All the clips Jungkook keeps posting have re-doubled your Patreon numbers, and jumping up a tax bracket never hurt anyone, you included. But all of those jokes and memes largely went unanswered by both you and Namjoon, still too close to the incident to find the humor in it from the other side.
The two of you had sex.
Not literally, of course, but you figure you might as well have with the way youâre feeling. The way youâre avoiding one another. Someone wrote a story about the two of you having sex and you both read it and something about that, days later, feels really fucking unsettling.
In a bad way? You arenât sure. Itâs not like youâre mad or upset or any other synonym. You just feel⌠off. Itchy from the inside out, and thatâs far from the norm in your and Namjoonâs friendship. In all the years youâve known one another, youâve never once avoided each other, including the time youâd set him up with a close friend and he showed up 45 minutes late to their date and ghosted after.
(Unsurprisingly, that friendship had not lasted.)
Maybe itâs because Yoongi had always been there as a buffer. You arenât of the belief that men and women cannot be platonic friends, but being in a years-long committed relationship nixed a lot of awkward interactions and assumptions off the bat. Even Namjoon had known Yoongi first. Had introduced himself to you in your shared 100-level psych course with a, âHey, youâre Min Yoongiâs girlfriend, right?â because they ran in the same underground circles and Namjoon had idolized him from afar for years.
Pretty fucked up, then, that Yoongiâs off in Los Angeles with his hot new boyfriend and youâre on your couch, Holly at your feet, pointedly ignoring your texts.
âIâm gonna get a cat,â you say to the dog, trying to redirect his attention when he starts chewing on your sock again. Holly doesnât offer any input, of course, and heâs a lot like his father in that way. âI canât believe you have a stepfather. Youâre a proper child of divorce now, Min Holly.â
There are a pile of unread texts you continue to ignore in lieu of showing Holly pictures of adoptable cats. A few more memes from Jungkook, one from Namjoonâs new phone asking to move the recording date a few days because âsomething came up at work,â one from the food delivery service you admittedly use too much offering 10% off your next order, and two from Yoongi. This reminded me of you, the first one says beneath a picture of an ice cream cone on the ground, and another one of him holding a water gun that says send me a picture of my son or else.
You eventually reply back with a picture of your middle finger, Holly nothing but a blurred brown blob in the corner of the frame.
Thatâs how it goes for the better part of a week. Namjoonâs work issue lasts four days. He doesnât offer an explanation and you donât ask for one, you just wait for the all-clear text and try to quiet the nerves once you get it.
Youâve never been nervous to see Namjoon before.
The more popular the podcast became, the more money rolled in. The more money that rolled in, the more you could afford nicer things. That meant going from recording in Namjoonâs living room to a bona fide office space. Third floor, an expanse of windows and natural light, thirty-five minute commute by train.
Today, it feels more like thirty-five seconds.
You can hear Jungkookâs witch cackle from the stairwell, and your mind fills in the blanks of Namjoonâs exasperated sigh. It helps, your brain reminding you that you know these people. You know this is Jungkookâs late gym day, so heâll be in a pair of sweats and a hoodie that drowns his frame. You know that when Namjoon has work issues and feels like an inconvenience, he always shows up with two boxes of baked goods from the bakery near his place, and you know both of them will save the best donut for you.
So you walk in and Jungkookâs in a hoodie and sweats just like you expect him to be, and there are two boxes of baked goods next to the coffee machine. Both of them say hello and wave and, for all intents and purposes, everything is normal.
Except it isnât.
Because Namjoon looks⌠different.
Not in a bad way. Not in a bad way. He almost always dresses nicely, always looks polished and put-together, usually because heâs either going to or coming from campusâfitted shirts, either of the tee or dress variety, and earth-toned cardigans; tailored trousers that are sometimes corduroy; polished loafers. Sometimes, if heâs feeling extra casual, a stark white pair of tennis shoes.
Today, he wears none of those things.
No, today torture comes in the form of form-fitting jeans and a t-shirt a little oversized so he can roll the sleeves. His hair is brushed back off his face instead of parted down the middle. Heâs wearing gold jewelry that glints in the sun. A pair of off-white Converse high-tops. And, much to your horror, heâs also wearing his glasses.
According to the internet, Kim Namjoon is peak husband material, which you can usually ignore, but not when heâs wearing glasses.
You avert your gaze, convinced youâll burst into flames if you stare too long, not to mention Jungkook will notice and thatâs a ribbing youâd rather die than take. So you avert your gaze and pointedly ignore Namjoon, whoâs talking about his work crisis to no one in particular. Something about a co-worker going on an unexpectedly early paternity leave, and Namjoon being asked to cover some of his courses until they could find a more permanent fix.
Jungkook asks a question you donât catch. Because paternity leave means his co-worker and his partner had a baby, presumably via old-fashioned methods, and itâs not a direct mention of sex but itâs close enough to send you into a coughing fit you have to blame on your donut. Neither of them buy it, but Namjoon is a good enough person to look genuinely concerned. Reaches out, probably to slap your back, but the thought of him touching you is just⌠too much.
So he barely gets out an, âAre you oââ before you choke down whateverâs left in your mouth and cut him off with a, âYep, all good!â before youâre scurrying off to the opposite side of the room like a little rat.
It doesnât get any better.
Both of you are so stilted and awkward during recording that Jungkook has to be the voice of reason and call it, suggest trying again tomorrow. Luckily he has enough b-side stuff he can release if need be, Namjoonâs work emergency providing a decent cover, and he sends the two of you home for the afternoon with all the exasperation and incredulity of a disappointed parent.
Thirty-five minutes back home.
Thirty-five minutes to sit in the embarrassment of not being able to do your job. Thirty-five minutes to catastrophize and wonder what youâre going to do if you canât get it together. Namjoon will keep the podcast, of course; youâll be replaced with someone else. Maybe someone less cynical, maybe someone more, but undoubtedly a man. After this mess, you canât imagine Namjoon would want another female co-host.
But as embarrassed as you are, your traitorous brain keeps thinking about Namjoon.
Thirty-five minutes to think about his glasses and his rolled-up sleeves and the way the denim of his jeans contoured perfectly to his thighs. Thirty-five minutes to think about, âPlease let me fuck you,â he begs. Thirty-five minutes to squeeze your thighs together and overanalyze the way he stumbled over his words today; how he could barely make eye contact. Thirty-five minutes to draft a dozen resignation texts and delete them all.
You groan, head thunking against the train window. Youâll take a cold shower as soon as you get home.
Thatâll cure you.
You get home and walk Holly so long he gives up halfway through and you have to carry him back to your apartment. You take a cold shower and actually find it pleasant once the initial shock wears off, so it doesnât work to keep all your rogue Namjoon thoughts at bay. You make a simple dinner and donât think about Namjoon sitting you on the counter and having his way with you. You tuck yourself into bed far too early and consider going back to therapy, because clearly something very, very bad has happened to your psyche.
Needless to say, nothing cures you.
But itâs a new day, and youâre determined to get your shit together. Yesterday was a fluke, because youâre so normal and so capable of being in the same room as Kim Namjoon.
Exceptâyouâre not.
Jungkookâs there when you arrive, mindlessly scrolling through his phone. Barely looks up at you to say hello, and barely returns it when you do. You double-check the time, because you can count on two fingers the amount of times youâve shown up and Namjoon wasnât already there, jotting down extensively-detailed notes, circling and highlighting and chasing down Jungkook to ask questions.
âWhereâs Namjoon?â
Jungkook shrugs. âDunno. Not here.â
You roll your eyes. âSuper helpful, thanks.â
Jungkook rolls his eyes right back. âYou donât pay me enough to also be his handler.â
You bite your tongue. Arguing with Jungkook means youâve already lost the war. Not worth it. But it still eases your worries a bit that he doesnât know any more than you do. That Namjoon hadnât only texted him to say why he was running late because he didnât want toâor couldnâtâtalk to you.
So you wait. And you wait and you wait and you wait. Jungkook lets you talk to people on his dating apps and tells you about his new gym routine until your eyes are glazing over. Orders food delivery for the two of you because he gets hungry after an hour and had already eaten what was left of the snacks before you arrived. Cracks a joke that isnât really a joke about calling the police, because Namjoon still hasnât shown up and he hasnât said anything and none of your texts are showing as delivered.
Youâre halfway to hour two when the office door bursts open and Namjoon stumbles through, soaked with sweat and stammering over apologies.
âI am so sorâI broke my phone again so my alarm never went off and then I missed my bus? And apparently theyâre not running the regular bus schedule today so the next one was a half-hour wait, but then IâŚâ
You donât catch the rest, because Namjoon is covered in sweat and breathing heavily and a week ago you couldâve survived this. A week ago you wouldâve cracked a joke and handed him a towel and told him to get to work. A week ago you would not have been paralyzed in your seat, transfixed on the sweat rolling down the side of his neck.
You are fucked beyond belief.
Jungkook elbows you in the ribs, bringing you back to reality. â...even paying attention?â You startle, face warming in embarrassment. Namjoon still isnât looking at you. âThis is so sad to watch,â Jungkook mumbles, and thankfully itâs only loud enough for you to hear. âLike some stupid shit you only see in nature documentaries.â
Well, you canât really argue with that, now can you?
But youâre a professional above all, so you hum an acknowledgment and take your regular seat. Pointedly ignore Jungkook. Wait for Namjoon to assume his position as well, and youâre surprised to see the space in front of him empty. No notes. No script. Thereâs just⌠nothing.
âAre you okay?â you ask, gesturing to the space in front of him when he seems confused. âI donât think Iâve ever seen you without a stack of notes in front of you.â
âI forgot them.â
âDonât think Iâve ever seen you do that, either.â
Your tone is light and airy, not at all accusing or confrontational, but Namjoonâs jaw clenches nonetheless. He scoffs, fires a shitty little, âWere you not paying attention when I was talking about what a horrible fucking morning Iâve had?â at you that makes even Jungkook flinch. A few moments of stunned silence, and then, âOh fuck, Iâm so sorry, that was rudeââ
âYeah, it was,â you agree, and all of a sudden you feel too big for your body. Feel like there are ants beneath your skin, feel like everything is wrong, and you donât want to be here anymore. âItâs fine. Letâs justââ
Namjoon looks like he wants to argue, but he just sighs and says, âIâyeah, okay.â
This is where Namjoon would usually launch into the intro, a dimpled smile already plastered on his face thatâd drop as he discussed another failed first date with that brand of self-deprecation that makes him so endearing. This is where heâd say what have you been up to, Pipe, and youâd try not to groan because how hard could it possibly be to add one more letter, another syllable, but Namjoon seems incapable of it. This is the part that, for three years, has been seamless and easy and instinctual, just two friends having a conversation.
Thereâs a red light on your microphones that indicates youâre recording. Itâs on and it mocks you, because Namjoon is not doing the intro or telling you about a failed date. He doesnât use that cringey nickname. He doesnât say anything at all. His mouth opens and shuts and no words come out. Whatâs worse is that you know exactly why he canât speak, because youâre thinking about it, too.
âSo, uh,â you begin, and Jungkook makes a gagging sound from behind you. âCome here often?â
Namjoon ignores you. âRight, right, the introâŚâ He sucks in a breath. âWelcome back to another episode of Put Him in the Trash, Iâmââ
âJoonââ
âNamjoon, and my co-host here isââ
âJoon, thatâs notââ
âPiper. Wait, why are you looking at me like that?â
âThatâs not the name of our podcast.â
âHuh?â
âYou said Put Him in the Trash.â Namjoon just blinks. âItâs Place Him Gently in the Garbage.â
âIs it? Since when?â
âSince forever?â
He looks at Jungkook, who is hiding behind his hands. âIs she right?â
A beat of silence. âI canât do this,â he half-shouts, half-whines. âAre you two going to be like this forever? Because if you are, Iâm quitting. Iâm so serious. Iâm gonna quit. I canât take it anymore. The two of you are insufferable.â Another beat of silence, before Jungkook stands at full height and lords over you and Namjoon. âForget today. Just go home and try again on Monday. This is soâIâm seriously gonna quit.â
Yoongi comes on Saturday afternoon to pick up Holly.
Yijeong isnât with him, which is almost disappointing. Now that heâs dating again, you were looking forward to seeing just how awkward it could get with the three of you in the same room, but he looks good. Refreshed. The trip clearly did a world of good for him, and you canât even bring yourself to crack a joke at his expense.
He, however, has no such hang-ups. âYou look like shit.â
âWeird way to say thank you.â You click your tongue and look down at Holly. âDo you see how your father treats me? You should bite him.â
âMy son would never. But also, thank you.â He flops onto the sofa. âYou do look like shit, though. You wanna talk about it?â
âNot with you, preferably.â
âOh, gross, is it a dating thing, then?â
âIâno.â You pause. Itâs not a dating thing, but you still feel like youâve got motion sickness whenever you think about it. How would you even begin to explain this to Yoongi, anyway? Someone wrote a porn fic about me and Namjoon. You remember Namjoon, right? Namjoon, that Iâve known and have been friends with since college. Yeah, that Namjoon. Anyway, someone wrote fanfiction about us having sex, and it fucked me up so bad I can no longer be in the same room as him.
No fucking way.
âYou look like youâre holding in a fart.â
âYou know, Iâm getting really sick of you. Did you just come here to insult me?â
He snorts, but his smirk dissipates a few seconds later, a familiar seriousness filling the void. âWeâre okay, right? Was the Yijeong thing too soon?â
âNo,â you answer immediately, leaning over to flick him on the forehead. âWeâre fine, and if youâre happy, then Iâm happy for you.â He still looks doubtful. âYou want me to start singing âI Will Always Love Youâ or something? Itâs just⌠weird work stuff.â
âDepends. Are you singing the Dolly Parton or Whitney version? And real work or podcast work?â
âPodcast work, and obviously the Whitney version.â
Yoongi seems surprised by this, eyebrows disappearing beneath his fringe. âLike, the podcast with Namjoon?â He presses his tongue into the fat of his cheek when you nod your head. âNot gonna lie, I didnât think that was possible.â
âLike I said, itâs weird. It wasnât, like, an argument or anything.â
âHow weird?â
âYouâre so fake, Min Yoongi. You act like youâre so distinguished and above drama, but really youâre just as hungry for gossip as the rest of us.â
He shrugs. âIâm not denying it.â
God help you, youâre going to rip off the band-aid. âSomeone⌠Jesus, this is so embarrassing. Someone⌠wrote? Fanfiction? About us.â
âAbout you and Namjoon?â
âYeah.â
âOh my godââ
âAbout us⌠uh. Having sex? Specifically.â
âOh my godââ
âJungkook found it and thought itâd be funny if we read it for an episode.â
âOh my god?â
âSo we did? And it was really weird, which I expected, because Iâve known Namjoon for a long time, and I never, ever thought about having sex with him because we were together and me and Namjoon are friends, so yeah, it was fucking weird. But now⌠I donât know. I canât stop thinking about it? And now we canât even be in the same room as one another.â Yoongi is a concerning shade of red. âSo our show is gonna get canceled, because we can only release b-side stuff for so long until people realize somethingâs up, and it was Namjoonâs podcast to begin with so obviously Iâll get firedââ
âOh my god, you want to fuck Namjoon.â
Yoongi sounds like a strangled cat when he says this, which does not help the way you feel like youâve been hit square in the face with a frying pan. âNo,â you argue, though it sounds more like a question. You do not want to fuck Namjoon. âNo, no. No. Itâs just because it was weird.â
âDid you forget I dated you for six years? I know what you look like when you want to fuck someone.â
âYouâre telling me you wouldnât be weird if someone wrote fanfiction about you fucking your friend?â
âNot if I didnât actually want to fuck them, no.â
âYouâre a liar. Get your dog and get out of my apartment.â
Yoongi laughs as he stands. Pats you on the back in the most condescending way youâve ever had someone pat you on the back. âLet me know how it goes. No need to give me credit for your moment of horny clarity.â
Min Yoongi is a bastard.
Unfortunately, as you come to find out, heâs also a correct bastard.
You want to fuck Namjoon.
Which is⌠not great, you have to admit, considering he can barely stand to be around you, so you take another cold shower and decide youâre going to take this to your grave. Youâre going to spend the rest of the weekend getting your shit together, and youâre going to show up on Monday and be a consummate professional. Youâre going to look at Namjoon and say, ha ha, isnât it so funny someone thought we would have sex? I donât think about it at all because I am so cool and normal about it.
Youâve got it all planned out. Youâre going to show up fifteen minutes early with your own box of pastries. Youâre going to look nice, if not a little pretentiousâmaybe a nice sweater. Youâre going to be prepared with notes of your own. You might even be nice to the villain of the week so Namjoon doesnât have to pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh at you.
And then someone knocks on your door.
You find Namjoon on the other side, and all your plans immediately go to shit.
Has he always been this tall? You canât remember. You canât remember a lot of things, including how to speak, because Yoongi had launched you into a crisis of epic proportions and now hereâs the source of it, standing right in front of you. With all of his⌠height. And thighs. And that heady, musky cologne he always wears, that you can still smell now even though thereâs an unfortunate amount of distance between you.
âUh, hi.â
You blink. âHi,â you parrot, and itâs a little insulting how one single word seems to have sucked up all of your brainpower. âNamjoon,â you tack on, not awkward at all.
âSorry to just show up,â he says, scratching at the back of his neck. Very bad idea; makes his biceps bulge. You barely swallow your whimper. âItâs justâmy phoneâs still broken, and it felt bad leaving things how we did? So I was hoping we could talk.â
Talk. Namjoon wants to talk to you. Normally: not a problem. Currently: big problem. You manage a nod, open the door wider to let him in, and you donât think about how jarring it is to have Namjoon in your space. You donât think about how your legs feel like jelly all of a sudden, or what itâd be like if Namjoon bent you over the couch, or the kitchen counter, or theâ
You cough. âDo you want anything to drink?â
âOh, sure. Maybe just some water if you have it.â
If you have it. What kind of person doesnât have water? But you tell him to make himself comfortable and get him some anyway, and you mull too long over the size of the glass. Ultimately decide on a smaller one, because if things get unbearably awkward you can excuse yourself to the kitchen to get more.
âI havenât been here in a while,â Namjoon says from the living room, and when you look up heâs sorting through a stack of books near the window. Some heâd lent you months ago, notes jotted in the corners, sticky notes in the shape of sea animals on important pages. âYou ever wind up reading this?â
The Idiot. Namjoon had raved about it when he was in the midst of his 19th century Russian phase, right after heâd read a bunch of Tolstoy and Pushkin. You shake your headâthough, judging from the title, you wonder if someone hadnât written your biography.
âItâs good. If you have the time, you should definitely give it a shot.â
âYeah, of course,â you say, handing over his water. You take a seat in an armchair, pull your knees to your chest. Namjoonâs still looking through your books, isnât looking at you, so it feels safe to say, âYou wanted to talk?â
âYeah.â He moves to sit on the floor, massive thighs spreading until heâs comfortable. Thank god he canât see the look on your face. âI just wanted to make sure weâre alright. Things have felt pretty weird since we filmed the, uh.â He coughs. âThing.â
âRight, yeah.â You realize heâs waiting for an answer, and you offer up a very rushed, âWeâre fine, Joon.â
âAre you sure?â
Yeah, youâre sure: sure you absolutely cannot be having this conversation in the safety and sanctity of your own home. Itâs tainted now, contaminated by all your uncontrolled horny thoughts about the man in front of you. Youâll have to fumigate. Might have to pick up and move, actually, or call an exorcist.
âIâm sure,â you assure him. âThe⌠thing⌠was weird, but itâs fine. Temporary.â
âDo you think we shouldnât have done it?â
Thatâs the million-dollar question, isnât it? Because, in isolation, reading a porn fic about yourselves wasnât a big deal. No one got hurt. Everyone who needed to be consulted was consulted. The episode made the two of you a lot of money, and Jungkook even promised to send some of it to the author, so your bases are beyond covered.
So, should you have done it? There wasnât a good enough reason not to, because the story itself was never the problem.
The problem is staring you right in the face. Itâs sitting on your floor, a book cracked in half at the spine and forgotten in his lap. The problem is looking at you like you hold all the answers to the universeâs secrets, and itâs no small thing to be looked at like that. The problem is that Namjoon is looking at you like that from across the room but youâre wondering what itâd look like from on top of you.
The problem is that youâve co-hosted a podcast with Namjoon for three years, have known him even longer, and youâve just realized today that you want to have sex with him.
And you canât say that, can you, because Namjoon came here to fix things which really does not lend itself to a hookup. Namjoon cares about your friendship and your working relationship so much he came here to try and salvage it, so youâre going to keep your mouth shut. Youâre going to say, âI think itâs okay that we did,â and leave it at that. Because it is okay.
Because youâre the problem.
It feels like a small victory when Namjoon sags in relief. When he exhales and says, âOkay, good, because I think so, too.â
âIt made us a lot of money,â you tack on.
Namjoonâs eyes widen as he laughs. âRight? Like, that was almost too much money. Just to watch us read porn?â
âAbout ourselves. I think that was the selling point.â
He stands. You do, too. âNever thought Iâd be doing that,â he says, returning the book to where it belongs. âDefinitely the most embarrassing thing Iâve done for money.â
âBeing a man with a podcast wasnât embarrassing enough?â
He snorts. Gets closer to the door. âHey now.â Youâre going to survive this. âThanks for entertaining me, by the way. For a second there I was really worried weâd fucked it all up.â
Just the ending. Just one more thing to say and youâll be done with this, and then you can take your third cold shower in recent memory and triple text Yoongi with a full-fledged mental breakdown. Maybe heâll bring Holly back and you can register him as your emotional support animal.
And Namjoon must sense the awkwardness thatâs crept back in, because he tries to cover it with a joke. Says, âHaaa, like youâd actually piss on me, right?â
Except it sounds like heâs got a mouth full of marbles.
Itâs no wonder you mishear him.
Because he says like youâd actually piss on me but you hear like youâd actually kiss me, and there isnât a universe that exists in which the following makes sense: you, stunned into silence in the doorframe, Namjoon saying his goodbyes, you thinking fuck it, last chance and saying, âYeah, Iâd kiss you.â
Namjoon stops dead in his tracks. âWhat?â
Your entire body is on fire. âIs, uh. Is that not what you said?â
âI donât think it matters anymore what I said.â
âIâd argue that it does, for the sake of my digniââ
âYouâd kiss me?â Namjoon⌠doesnât look put off of the idea, which is surely a point in your favor. Interesting to note that his diction is crystal clear, now. Bastard. âYouâd kiss me right now?â
Thereâs also no explanation for the way you say: âItâs only been an option for ten seconds and youâre already begging for it?â
Youâd say thereâs no explanation for the way Namjoonâs jaw clenches, the way he repeats I donât beg for anything, but maybe the simple fact is: the two of you want to fuck each other. And, judging from the way Namjoon crowds your space, keeps dropping his gaze to your mouth, it seems very likely to happen.
All that fixating youâd done on Namjoonâs thighs was wasted, you think, as you take in the shape of his mouth. His lips. The way his tongue darts out to run along the bottom at the last second before he reaches out, tilts your head up, and finally presses his mouth to yours.
And youâve got to laugh, because no piece of written fiction could ever accurately portray what it feels like. How soft his lips are. The way he touches youâgentle, but still dominant enough to have you moving the way he wants, have you backing up into your apartment so he can smile against your mouth as he closes the door behind him.
No piece of fiction would get it right, the way youâre unsteady on your feet, breathless at the way Namjoonâs kissing you. How he only breaks apart long enough to ask where do you want me in that throaty, deep voice of his. How youâre so overwhelmed you canât decide: unsure if you want to waste the time itâd take to get to your bedroom, but if itâs only going to happen once, wanting to make it count.
So you decide to risk it. Plant your hands in the middle of his exceptionally broad chest and push him in the direction of the hallway, and if the two of you canât wait, canât control yourselves, well.
But the story had gotten one thing right: Namjoon does kiss like a branding iron, hot and greedy. Namjoon kisses you like thereâs nothing else he wants to do in this lifetime, and it makes you dizzy. Has you off-kilter, stumbling into the wall as you try to remember where the fuck your bedroom is and why itâs so far. Just like the fictional version of you, you also moan when he licks into your mouth.
âShould I do it the way we did in the fic?â Namjoon asks as the two of you cross the threshold into your bedroom, a cheeky grin on his face. âDo it like this?â he questions, pushing you gently until youâre on the back in the middle of your bed, chest heaving as you lift your head to look at him.
Namjoon is so, so big from where you lay, just hovering at the foot of your bed. Cheeks ruddy, bulge prominent. âWhatâd you say you wanted?â
Takes a second to remember how to breathe, let alone what youâd read. What do you want, Namjoon had asked, right before heâd sank to his knees in front of you. âWhatever youâre willing to give,â you answer.
Namjoon smiles. Puts one knee on the bed, and the way it dips beneath his weight is unsettling. Why does he have to be so fucking large. âThatâs right, baby.â Christ, you think, because thereâs another thing that fic had gotten right. No one on earth would be immune to Namjoon calling them baby in that tone of voice.
The riposte biting at the back of your teeth gets swallowed whole as Namjoon grabs your ankles and drags you to the edge of the bed. âMay I?â he asks, hands poised above the waistline of your leggings. You nod, and Namjoon drags down your underwear with them. âFuck, look at you,â he groans, awe creeping into the edge of his words.
âYou want me to do it the same way? Hm? Youâre being awfully quiet; thought you were giving me shit about being the one in charge,â he chides.
Because youâre short-circuiting. Namjoonâs on his knees, just like youâd envisioned, and his mouth is dangerously close to your cunt. How can you be expected to think and speak under these conditions? But if Namjoon can find the brainpower to be a bastard, so can you, because what youâd read and the way heâd reacted can both never be forgotten. So you thread your hands into his hair and pull. The resulting moan is enough to sustain you for years.
âAre you gonna keep running your mouth, or are you gonna make me come on it?â
He blinks. âJesus Christ.â
Thereâs precedent. Fictional Namjoon ate you out like a man starved, like he couldnât get enough. Had fictional you writhing and insatiable, so itâs a lot to live up to, but it doesnât deter him in the slightest. He hesitates for only a second, giving you one last chance to back out before the two of you set every last boundary on fire, and then heâs settling between your thighs and making you see stars.
Now you know what itâs like. Now you donât have to rely on fiction, and it doesnât matter because itâd never compare to the way Namjoon feels as he works to bring you to your ruin. The way he flattens his tongue to lick long, thick stripes; the way his lips suction around your clit. The way it feels when he groans against your core. The way he says, âFuck, you do taste good,â like thatâs a completely normal thing to say. Like he doesnât know exactly what heâs doing to you.
But you need more and Namjoon knows it. His mouth doesnât leave your cunt for a second, but his fingers find your mouth, so you put on a show. Wrap your lips around them, suck on them the way heâs doing to you, make sure theyâre slick. Namjoon groans again, doubles his efforts. Slides one thick finger inside of you and barely lets you adjust before heâs adding a second.
In an embarrassingly short amount of time, Namjoon has you unraveling. Presses incessantly on a spot that has your vision whiting out. Has you trembling, a little panicked as you say, âJoon, fuckâNamjoon, waitââ as it builds and builds and builds.
You might black out for a second, because you come to and Namjoon looks⌠stunned. He looks like he canât believe any of what just happened, and you blink a few times, try to come back into your body, and when you regain enough consciousness, youâre extremely aware of the large wet patch beneath you.
âUmââ
âHoly shit.â
âNamjoon, thatâs notâthatâs embarrassingâcan you grab aââ
He shuts you up with a kiss. Presses the taste of you into your skin, and all those silly protests die in your throat, because if Namjoon was needy before, heâs desperate now. Covers your body with his own, hips dipping down low enough to press his erection into the juncture of your thigh, and the weight of him is delicious. Has you fisting the fabric of his t-shirt to pull him closer, has you pulling it over his head, his pants following. Has your hands skimming down every thick part of his body until you reach his cock, hard and aching and slick with pre-cum.
âI need to suck you off later,â you say, done with overthinking. Time to just be honest, and Kim Namjoon has a dick you need to feel down your throat. âRemind me.â
He whines, thrusts into your hand a little harder. âHow could I forget that?â
âDonât know. Didnât know if this would be the only time,â you answer. âDid you bring a condom?â Namjoon nods, fetches one from his wallet and rolls it on.
He hovers above you again. Looks nervous, all of a sudden, like he canât tell his lefts from his rights. All out of sorts. Youâre about to tell him itâs fine, you donât have to do anything he doesnât want to, donât have to do anything at all, when he says, âIt doesnât have to be.â You just stare. âThe only time.â
Thereâs a conversation to be had. You know that. Both of you clearly have feelings you need to talk about and sort out, but you reckon they can wait. Theyâll still be there in the afterglow, in the morning. So you nod, say okay, Joon, and kiss away the insecurities that still linger.
You think about the fic. Think maybe Namjoon would appreciate it if you cracked a stupid joke, just like heâd tried to do earlier. âHas anyone ever called your cock stupid?â
He laughs, breath fanning against your skin. âNo. Wanna try it and see what happens?â
Might as well. You try to remember the exaggerated tone of voice youâd used. Repeat the lineââDo you even know what to do with that big, stupid cock?ââand wait.
Thereâs a beat of silence, and thenâ
Namjoon swallows thickly. âI, um. Unfortunately, I think that really works for me.â You laugh. Pull him closer. Wrap your legs around his waist as he starts to move against you. Has jokes of his own. âPlease. Please let me fuck you.â
You roll your eyes, laugh tapering into a giggle. âDo you know how?â Namjoon nods, looking all too much like a puppy eager to please its owner. âDo you promise?â He nods again. âOkay. Okay, come here.â
You expect him to move fast; expect the first time to be frenzied and a little awkward. It isnât. Namjoon lines himself up and pushes the smallest bit inside, and then heâs leaning down to kiss you. Threads your fingers together, squeezes your hand. Pushes further inside and mumbles praise just beneath your ear.
Itâs dizzying, the amount of care Namjoon handles you with. How soft he is. Does nothing to ease the discomfort of the stretch, the overwhelming fullness, but he talks you through it. Tells you how good you feel, how beautiful you look. Spills a lot of words youâd probably be embarrassed to hear and heâd be embarrassed to say if this was any other time, but in the heat of the moment it all just works to unravel you faster.
He bottoms out. âOkay?â he asks, and youâre rewarded with a dimpled smile when you say you are. Namjoon is a devastating kind of beautiful.
But, as he gives you time to adjust and you give him the all-clear, he also fucks like a demon. What once was hand-holding is now your wrists pinned to the bed, your body caged beneath him as he rolls his hips at a pace that has your eyes rolling back into your head. Youâve been deceived. Lured into a false sense of security.
Itâs almost a shame this isnât being recorded, because you want to memorize all the sounds Namjoonâs making. Want to hear them for the rest of your life. Donât want anyone else to be the reason he sounds like this, and as he ups his pace and presses his lips to your neck, you donât want to sound like this because of anyone else, either.
Maybe one of those times in the future, you can talk him into it.
Namjoon reaches down, rubs circles into your clit. Every time you think you might be close, he pulls his hand away, smiles like the devil. You let him have his fun for a while, let him think youâre keen to lie back and take it, and then you tighten your legs around his waist and flip him onto his back.
He doesnât think itâs very funny. Looks up at you all bewildered. âWhatâre youââ
âYou were taking too long,â you snark. âFigured Iâd take matters into my own hands.â
âYeah? Shit,â he says as you begin to move. âFuck, baby, like that. Ride me just like that.â
You do. Donât change a thing, because Namjoonâs cock is long and thick enough to hit exactly where you need it to. You can feel yourself clenching, feel yourself getting wetter, and the sight of Namjoon beneath you does nothing to stave off the inevitable. He looks even better than youâd imagined: skin flushed, eyes squeezed shut, head thrown back, sweat-slick. You want to make him cry. Want to give him the entire world. You will.
Namjoon thrusts at the same time you roll your hips, and thatâs what does it. Has you crying out, has stars flashing behind your eyelids. Has you saying fuck, fuck, fuck as he drives you over the edge for the second time. Has you on the brink of oversensitive as he thrusts a few more times to chase his own end, almost delirious at the way Namjoon moans as he spills into the condom.
Has you swooning, just a bit, at the dopey way Namjoon smiles at you, eyes half-lidded and crinkled at the corners.
âWas that okay?â
You snort. âYeah, Iâd say it was decent.â
âMaybe next time you could pee on me,â he jokes.
You whack him on the chest. âSure. Or we could record it.â
Has you a little shocked at the way his cock twitches inside of you at the mention of it.
On Monday, you donât wear a pretentious sweater.
When you stroll in, Jungkookâs already got the best donut shoved halfway into his mouth because heâs a shithead. He eyes you warily, probably hoping with all his hope that you spent the weekend finding God and getting your shit together.
And then he realizes youâve got on Namjoonâs hoodie and he nearly chokes to death.
âWhat the fuck are you wearingââ
Namjoon appears at that very moment, and itâs so hard not to take credit for the way heâs glowing, the dazed smile on his face. But Jungkook notices, because Jungkook notices everything, and his gaze darts between the two of you: your hoodie, Namjoonâs face, your face. He opens his mouth, something inappropriate bound to spill out, but Namjoon beats him to the punch. âReady?â he asks you, and you nod.
Itâs seamless.
No hiccups, no awkward stuttering. Namjoon gets through the intro without a hitch, and it feels exactly like it used to. Just two friends having a conversation. Itâs obvious Jungkook still wants to say something, but after suffering through last week, he stays quiet lest he makes it worse and sends the two of you back to the bad place.
âHow was your weekend, Pipe? Do anything fun?â Namjoon rolls his lips, tries not to laugh.
So you play along. âNo, not really, just some dog sitting. How about you?â
âOh, you know me. Had another first date on Saturday.â
âDid you? Howâd it go?â
âPerfect.â
Itâs a blessing Jungkook isnât filming this, because your eyebrows raise so far they nearly disappear from your face altogether. There isnât even a hint of hesitation in Namjoonâs voice, and although you wouldâve described it the same way, hearing him say it with such conviction has you a little stunned. âWow. You gonna see her again?â
âYeah,â Namjoon says, sharing a private smile with you. âI think I am.â
who the FUCK is namjoon dating
Posted by u/pod-shipper 7 minutes ago
This has honestly ruined my entire day. I thought all the stories he told about dating were a bit⌠Like, what kind of guy has a podcast about relationships but canât seem to be in one? But you could just HEAR it in his voice how much he likes this woman he went on a date with over the weekend and Iâm sick to my stomach. (+2195)
âł bro you and me both đ i genuinely thought him and piper had something going on fr (+1302)
âł Seriously might stop listening because of this! Any woman with self-respect would never let their partner host a podcast with someone theyâre obviously in love with. If he gets serious with this woman, Piper will be gone within 6 months, mark my words. (+927)
âł I wouldnât worry about it too much! My cousin works at a really nice restaurant in the same city Namjoon lives in, and she said she saw this âdateâ on Saturday and that it wasnât anything serious. (+788)
âł Piper got a cat and Namjoon finally got a second date. Face it, itâs over. (+325)
âł cannot believe him and piper arenât dating.. do you think i should delete all my tiktok edits? (+4)
âł this is unhinged lmfao i thought yâall hated piper? youâre in here bitching abt her being a âmisandristâ every week and now ur gonna stop listening bc namjoon isnât dating her? pick a lane and stay in it (-64)
Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts, and reblogs/shares are always welcome! I appreciate you very much~ âĄ
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Go ahead and watch my heart burn
With the fire that you started in me
But I'll never let you back to put it out
Johnny Storm needed to grow up, according to his sisterand brother-in-law. Johnny Storm was an alpha who used omegas, who cycled through them like they were flavours of the week and Sue was tired of it. In order to keep track of him and maybe get him to settle down, Sue pulls a few strings and has a new omega hired as his personal assistant, one who holds little regard for Johnny.
He sees the omega as a challenge; she sees him as a child she needs to babysit.