* / 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞

"Between you and me, I'm really glad you were able to cheat the system," Aleyna says, whispering it in a faux conspiratorial tone. "I'm sure those strays appreciated the help too," she adds with a warm smile. At his words, she couldn't help but look up at him with fondness in her eyes. "You're important to me too," Aleyna admits, letting the comfort from what he was saying wash over her as she listens intently. She never likes to talk about her problems, mostly because she doesn't really feel like people needed to be weighed down with what was supposed to just be on her shoulders, but she trusts Jae, and she appreciates the fact that he listened to her and the fact that there was an attempt of organization when it came to her usually scattered thoughts. "That wheel might just come in handy someday," Aleyna says with a light laugh. "I don't know, I'm starting to think you don't even have a bad side, Jae," she teases him because she can't even remember a time she and Jae butted heads over anything the whole time she's known him. "You know what, you got yourself a deal. Pinky promise and kiss it to seal it," Aleyna grins, reaching out her pinky to make their deal official in her eyes. She could feel her breathing start to get shallower at his questions and when his eyes moved down, her face started feeling much hotter as she remembers how his lips and his hands had been all over her that night, not just his gaze. "Maybe you should just wait for tonight so I can show you instead," Aleyna teasingly says, the comfort in his presence bringing out a much more playful side to her. She knows he wants her to spell it out for him, and yet she wants to tease him even more, to see how long they can skirt around talking about what it was they both wanted now, while she saved the actual dirty talk for later. "Anything," she confirms in a whisper, inhaling sharply at the feeling of being pulled back closer to him. With his hand on her waist and the look in his eyes, Aleyna couldn't help but lean in, moving her lips close to his ear, feeling more confident, more daring, sexier because of him. "We both know I can handle it," she smirks, her eyes moving down to rest on his lips, as she bit down on her lower one. She was getting hot and bothered already and they weren't even doing anything yet. Maybe it was because she knew the things they were capable of, what they have already done, and will do again. Maybe because she could remember so well how good he had made her feel, and how good it made her feel to make him feel good. Aleyna moves to rest her hand on his thigh, her heart thudding in her chest, as she leans in even closer. "Have you thought about it since that night? Have you thought about me?" She whispers.

Jae chuckles lightly, nodding his head and thinking that in the grand scheme of things, he wouldn't really change anything. "It was easy for me. I used to like cats more than I liked people," he joked, even if he was probably the same now. Being emotionally transparent has never been an attribute of Jae's, because, in many ways, he's used to compartmentalizing his feelings before they're ever said out loud. In many ways, it makes him a better listener than a talker, careful with his words and never saying too much, finding his problems no reason to be a burden on anyone else but himself. "Exactly. And if you don't like what you get, you can just spin it again," he adds lightly. "Yeah? Keep thinking that, me and my ego thank you." There's teasing laced in his tone. He knows there are a few girls around town who'd disagree, not that anyone could blame them. "Deal," Jae remarks with a grin, linking his pinky with hers, before taking the opportunity to pull her against him for a kiss. He brought his lips to hers for a moment, only to feign realization as he pulled away. "Oh, you meant kiss the pinkies, didn't you? My bad," he responds with a grin, although it's obvious that Jae doesn't hold any remorse for his actions. If this weren't her place of work, where literally anyone could walk in, he'd do it again. But the air grows heavier anyway, especially when he can't bring himself to pull away. Especially when all her words sound so sweet to his ears, the way she blushed yet could be so brazen with her eyes. "I'm impatient," he counters, even if it's all in jest. Really, he likes teasing her, seeing how far he could go without crossing a line, just to get a reaction out of her. "Can you? I was just getting started," Jae adds, a smirk of his own on his face thinking about what he would do. He likes this side of her, indulging in the fact that he got to see her more confident, sexual side. Their night together was a surprise, memories proud back by this very conversation, and while Jae knew that it was usually the sweet girls that went wild, he'd be lying if he hadn't thought about it before this either. "I'm thinking about it right now." His eyes are shameless in looking at her, especially because he's seen it all already. "I can't get the image of you on top of me out of my head," he says lowly as if there are people around ready to interrupt. He liked the game she was playing, the teasing, and the push and pull. And of course, who would he be if he didn't play right along? Jae leans in, tilting her chin up slightly only for his eyes to drop from her lips downwards. "They're all faded away," he mumbles, eyes following his own finger as he trails over the area of her neck, purple marks he'd left behind on the night of the party long gone after their night together, lingering with his gaze as a light smirk forms on his face, finally looking at her once again. "I'll make them darker this time."

closed starter for @jaehyunxlee

"I wouldn't have dated her if I knew she was a fuckin' lunatic, Kay," Jae retorts, rolling his eyes. She's right, but he won't admit to it because it's already enough being attached to her without bringing the bull into things. "I'm not doing anything. All she wants is attention, and I have no problem pretending she doesn't exist after that bullshit." It's not like he thought much about Eve after their breakup anyway. Sure, she cheated, but it was useless getting mad about it, and he'd very happily moved on, despite her finding a way to be a nuisance. "She can go help that Garrett dude cheat on his next girlfriend for all I care."

Despite knowing Jae almost her whole life, Flora still found herself pulling a face at his unabashed boldness. A part of his general personality, but she still had to feign horror. It was always a game Flora was playing, acting like sometimes she didn’t enjoy the attention - most of the time, she didn’t, but it was Jae. She couldn’t think of a time in her life that she didn’t have a crush on him. And yet, that didn’t stop her from being the asshole she was known to be, “God, don’t get me started right now,” she mumbled under her breath, rubbing at the bridge of her nose like talking to Jae physically pained her. Truthfully, she wanted to hide as much of her face as possible - as much as Flora pretended she was emotionless, she was almost constantly on the verge of a breakdown. This moment, Jae flirting, just because he could, was far from helpful. Inhaling sharply, Flora finally tugged her hand from her face to blink, frankly, stupidly at Jae’s hand in her own. Or the other way around, really - her hand was in his. “Jesus Christ, what’re you doing?” The lack of attempt to pull away probably said far too much. Usually she would, but she was bad when taken by surprise - she was a preparation person through and through. There was nothing that could prepare for this. “Stop, neither -,” Reaching forward, Flora angled to lower Jae’s hand that'd pulled out his card, flashing him an incredulous look, “Seriously, what’re you doing? I was trying to annoy you, this isn’t turning into a date or something. Can’t you just be annoyed like a normal person? Most would say I’m very off putting - be put off.”

When Jae was comfortable with someone, he was often too comfortable. Of course, he knew the line, but what was the harm of flirting or being bold with her when they'd already seen each other naked? He only thought it was funny that she continued to pretend otherwise, which is why it was so easy to take every opportunity to tease her or fluster her somehow. He watches her as she forces both of her hands up, brows furrowing at her expression, except as much as her words said she didn't like it, he could also see her making no move to stop him. "We've done a lot more than hold hands, Flora. Besides, I can't let you get lost, this is the solution," he teased, shaking their intertwined hands slightly. Jae didn't think much of anything going through her head, and even as she tried to stop him and the card in his hand, he slid it to the cashier anyway, his physical strength enough to overpower her with ease. "I'm paying for the bag, obviously," he says, figuring it would make the whole process where she comes up with about 20 comebacks to everything he says before eventually leaving the store anyway. He shrugs, because this isn't really a date, right? This is Jae being friendly, even if his version of it is extremely skewed. "I think the effect has long worn off of me. Maybe it's because I know behind your quips you like my company anyway. Don't you agree?" He's known her long enough to reach the assumption that most of her brazenness is just an act, because in what world would they have landed in bed together had she actually hated him?

"Now you're just messing with me!" She laughs it off, even though it's taking every ounce of effort in her to stop herself from imagining it. It's far-fetched—no, impossible—so there's no point to it, even indulging herself in thinking of something ridiculous like that. She wholeheartedly Jae only says these things for the joke of it all, nothing more. She playfully scoffs at his words. "Yeah, I'm a great cuddler, too. I'm not scared." Jae gives great hugs, so she can imagine he's a great cuddler, as well. Anyway. She mentally pulls herself out of her own head back to the topic at hand and focusing on keeping a cool and collected demeanor (even though she's alternating between succeeding and failing, it's giving her a whiplash). The way he rolls his eyes makes her smile. "Okay, listen, I have an idea. How about we both work on relaxing a little. It's fair, no? Whoever fails should do something for the other, what do you say?" She offers her hand as if to seal the challenge. "Unless you're not up for it..." she adds. She takes the glass of water from him. "Thank you. I'm okay! I promise! I mean, I was just coughing. It happens to anyone. It's not strange or anything," she rambles, reaching to drink water to shut herself up. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm still alive," she jokes, and just as she feels like she's come down from that embarrassing moment, he reaches to tuck a loose strand of her hair back. Her eyes are fixed on him, the gesture making her momentarily short circuit. She smiles, forcing herself to break eye contact, hoping he didn't see her freeze like that. "Is my hair a mess?" She absentmindedly reaches to fix it. It's in a messy bun, but she thought it was okay.

"What do you mean? I'm being serious." And he is. Except Gracia probably won't believe that, and it won't deter him in the slightest. She's never noticed the way he looks at her, and blatantly checks her out whenever there's a chance, so all of his flirting, of course, goes right over her head. Jae would end up being more taken aback if she took him seriously at this point. "Really? Prove it," Jae says, leaning in just a tiny bit more, a cheeky look painted over his features. "Of course, I'm up for it," he mutters, bringing his hand to hers. Now he'd just not relax thinking about how he had to relax. "Of course, it's not strange. What do you think caused it though? Just so I can make sure it doesn't happen again," Jae asks, as if he doesn't know he's the cause of it. Looking down at her slightly, he shoots only a feeling glance at the sight of her hair before focusing back on her face. "Nope," he says lightly, not moving his hand just yet. It's typical of him to be focused, enough to notice the smallest little changes in her. The way she froze, tensed up, had this panicked little look in her eyes whenever he tried anything too touchy. "You look good, Gracie. Relax. You'll already fail our challenge," Jae says, chuckling and taking her hands into his and pulling them away from her hair.

"That's smart," Aleyna replied, laughing lightly. "Wait, how come you guys weren't allowed pets?" She curiously asked, head tilting to the side. A warm smile then formed on her lips at his answer because while it hadn't been her choice to make, she was still happy for Jae, that he didn't have regrets about what his life has become. "I do," Aleyna immediately replied before taking a deep breath. "I just... um-- Honestly? I... don't really know where to start," she admitted, frowning slightly. "It's one thing to know that I want to work in music, but then it's another thing to figure out in what specific aspect. There's the most obvious choice -- which is being a musician, but there's also composition. There's production and sound engineering. There's radio. There's scoring. There's game audio designing. I even wanted to try my hand at learning how to DJ and Aslan's been helping me with that, so that's another one to add to the list. There's just... there's so much that can be done and..." Aleyna let out a sigh, her shoulders dropping. "It's just... it's really overwhelming to think about and being here is... safe," she admitted. "And I'm happy, you know? I'm really, really happy working here, but I also know I can't work here forever. I don't want to work here forever. I just... I need to figure out what it is I actually want to do first," Aleyna murmured, another sigh escaping past her lips before she winced slightly then looked up at Jae with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to lay all of that on you," she sheepishly said. "Get bored? I don't think that's possible," Aleyna teasingly said, her smile growing. "Mark my words, Jae. You'll sing for me someday. I'll make sure of it," she added, laughing lightly. Her smile turned softer at his compliment, the unexpectedness of it causing her cheeks to flush. At his light touch, Aleyna inhaled sharply, memories of their night flooding her brain. "No," she finally whispered, heart thudding in her chest as she looked up at him. "That's not the only thing I want to do," Aleyna admitted before swallowing thickly, body leaning in so she could be closer to him. "I also want to do all those things we did last time. The things you liked, the things I did," she whispered, her smile turning more playful before she bit down on her lower lip. Much like that night, she had only grown more confident as the night went on, and Aleyna had to remind herself of restraint, because of the turn her mind was quickly taking. "I can also do... anything you want to do," she murmured, leaving the heavy implications of her words in the air as she pulled away from him slightly with a playful gleam in her eyes. "Just ask," Aleyna said with a sweet smile.

"Both of my parents worked a lot, and they figured that Issy and I wouldn't be able to do it alone," he answers, the truth of the matter always coming down to how busy everyone was. In hindsight, maybe they were right, considering Jae was just as busy and rarely home until nights when he was younger, so committing to a pet would've been too much, and his sister was involved in her whole pageant thing at the time. It didn't stop him from going after what he wanted though, even if the strays only stuck around for a couple weeks each. Jae nods, listening to Aleyna's words, letting her finish without making any move to interrupt. At her apology, he can only laugh and shake his head. "What do you mean? You're important to me, Ley, outside of us having fun." He means that, because although Jae is often seen as someone with a one-track mind, he'd like to think he was someone who was caring, and maybe even a good listener. "I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to give everything a try. If you learn how to DJ and like it, it could be something you do, and then when you're ready, you can give the next thing a try. Put all your choices on one of those wheels and spin it to see what's next if you can't pick," he jokes lightly. He can't say his methods would be the same, because Jae has always operated on a strict plan, finding comfort in having a rigid structure. It wasn't just his career, it was his entire life. Even if he was careless and did what he wanted, there was always an element of planning, or forethought to what he did. "That's because you've only seen the nice side of me," he jokes, even if it's true. Her best friend had a point, though Jae would never admit it out loud. "Let's make a deal then. You figure out what's next in your life, and I'll sing for you." He almost chuckles, because as much as he'd seen, as so not demure as she was in bed, Aleyna still continued to have this aura of innocence, unable to spell it out that wasn't in a vague, indirect way. It was cute though. "What things?" Jae asks, feigning ignorance as if he already doesn't know. "There are a lot of things you do that I like, maybe you should be more specific for me," he adds, grin playing at his features as he shamelessly looks at her. His eyes flicker down, to her lips, to her neck, to all the places he'd kissed the last time it was the two of them together. "Anything I want to do?" he asks, repeating her own words. He chuckles, shaking his head "You shouldn't say that, I have a very dirty mind. I'm not sure you can handle it," Jae responds, tugging her right back close to him just as she pulls away, one of his hands settled firm on her waist as his gaze returns to her eyes, darkened and full of mischief.

LOCATION: around.

Aleyna listened intently to Jae, happy that he was sharing about his past like this with her, giving her a sneak peek as to why he is the way that he is. She found herself nodding along to his words, agreeing that a career in music definitely comes with a lot of risks, even understanding why he couldn't justify it. "You know, I can see that so well," Aleyna said, laughing lightly. "You with all the cats, making sure they're okay and fed," she added with a warm smile. "Do you believe that things always end up the way that they're supposed to? I guess that's, um, that's my way of asking if you're you happy with where you are now?" Aleyna softly asked. Her life had only one path and she knew that from a young age, and for that she was thankful, because she could only imagine how scary it must have felt to reach a fork in the road with two great choices ahead of you, knowing whatever you choose will dictate how the rest of your life is going to look. She just hoped Jae didn't have any regrets about it. "Good answer," Aleyna grinned. "I don't think that's too vain. But then again, I haven't heard your singing voice yet. Is that what you're going to show me next?" She teasingly asked, lips parting to let out a laugh. "I really don't think I'm smart enough to pull any kind of trick on you, Jae," she said in between her fits of laughter, having long since accepted the traits she had been born with. Her laughter tapered off as her gaze lowered towards the keys and their fingers on them, and a softer smile formed on her lips as she slowly moved her hand closer towards his. "You can hear it now or..." Aleyna started to say, pulling her eyes away to take a peek at him and realizing that was a mistake. He was so close, and the sudden urge to close the distance between them like they did that one night they shared flared as she gulped. "Or... um, we-- I--" She was losing her train of thought, especially as her pinky reached his, the note staying in the air as Aleyna's breath shallowed. "Or maybe, um... tonight?" She finally asked, her voice a whisper.

He remembers having a lot of expectations put on him as the oldest child, the only son. Music was something his parents had put him through to make him a more well-rounded individual, and neither he nor they expected him to grow to love it. "My parents never let us have pets growing up, so maybe it was my way of cheating the system," he lets out a chuckle, shaking his head at that being his act of rebellion in the midst of striving for perfection as a child. Jae pauses at her question because it's not something he likes to think about. It's the smile on her face that stops him from immediately questioning what happiness even is. "I think so. Maybe as happy as I can be." It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't entirely truthful. "What about you? I know the store is nice, but do you ever think you'd want something more?" Aleyna was pretty, and charismatic on top of her talent, so Jae figured it probably wouldn't be that hard for her to strive for something bigger in music. He lets out a laugh at her words because he can't even remember the last time he sang for anyone. "I can't show you all my cards yet, Ley. If you find out all the great things about me, you'll get bored quickly," he retorts with a joking grin. "Of course you're smart. I don't think you give yourself enough credit for how good your memory is." Even if he tended to think he was smarter than everyone else, given how often it was the case, he didn't believe that Aleyna was quite as incapable as she maybe made herself out to be, especially considering she was creative-minded anyway. Jae watches as she stumbles, resisting a grin as he keeps his eyes focused on her. "Tonight, huh?" he says mindlessly, the finger that was once lingering over the keys beginning to trail over her hand and then up her arm, eyes following his own hand as it finds its way to her shoulder, toying with the fabric around it. "Is the guitar the only thing you want to do?" Jae asks as he looks at her again, even if he's far too perceptive and already knows the answer. He likes that Aleyna gets shy, even when he's seen all of her to the fullest degree, and there's the selfish, teasing part of him that wants her to spell it out.

Talking to Jae makes Juniper want to rip the hair out from her scalp - maybe if she does, he'll think she's too crazy to be worth the trouble of trying to befriend and just give up. She doesn't want this - doesn't want another friend to worry about, constantly; another person she can disappoint, another person she thinks about as she stares up at her cracking ceiling and go through everything she's said that day, embarrassing herself in the process. "Fucking - forget it. You're nothing but a pebble in my shoe." It's short - blunter than her other words, less drawn out - June adjusting her strategy, seeing what'll hit. It doesn't last long - because June has to speak whatever she feels, "You're still dealing with people's problems - just not their personal shit." June points out, then pauses before saying, "Then I'll haunt your fucking cats. I'll break in - am I still fucking dead in this scenario? - and knock all the shit over in your house and blame it on them." Just his tone towards her pisses her off - because if he'd just back off, there'd be nothing for him to be concerned about - not about her, not about her shitty roommates, not anything. "Oh, I'm sorry," June turns around - it's more like a hobble at this point, poking a finger firm into his chest. "I didn't realize I'm fucking - concerning. That my living situation's shitty and scammy - you're so right Jae! Let me take all fucking - six dollars to my name and move out. Let me just fucking - abandon the people I actually like - because they're rats!" She knows that's not what he meant, not what he's saying at all - but twists it that way; mentally, vocally. "I know my shit's not ideal - but I'm not fucking asking you to care. I'm not the one practically fucking salivating for a fucking - friendship, here - so you can make yourself feel good. Does helping me make you feel like you're doing a fucking, community service?" June inhales - sharp, before crossing her arms. "I've changed my mind. You can either - leave me here, or fucking - piggyback me to the nearest bus stop."

There are so many better things he could be doing right now. Having a drink. Having sex. Sleeping. Anything would've been more ideal than standing out on the pavement as the sun sets, and June continuously throws insults at him. It's not that it hurts him, because he hardly cares what she, or really anyone else thinks, it's that it's just a waste of time and energy. "You remind me of one of them anyway, so I guess it isn't that far-fetched. It's a lot of work though, for someone who's supposed to be a pebble in your shoe. If you want to spend time with me, you don't have to break into my house to do it." After a while, Jae started to tune June out, because he was pretty sure most of what she said was bullshit anyway. A defense just to have one, just because she had this innate need to talk back. "Sure, you might as well put the six dollars you have into something worthwhile. Though since you have fifty fuckin' roommates and that much money to your name, I'm guessing money management isn't on your side," he retorts, because the slight jab is an easy one for him to take when she insults him every chance she gets. "Are you done?" he asks, glancing blankly at her once she is done with her tangent. "You ran your, or whoever's bike that is, into a bush because of me, so it's only fair that I help you. If I wanted to make myself feel good, I think I'd rather help just about anyone else, Ridley." It wasn't as if he associated her with the kind to ever say thank you, especially to him. He rolls his eyes because she continues to appear ridiculous in his eyes, and he doesn't plan on wasting away his entire night arguing with her in the middle of the street. So Jae disregards every word June says, tucking his arm under her knees and lifting her off the ground before she has room to make things hard for both of them. "My car is two blocks away, so get comfortable," he grumbles before beginning to talk. He didn't want this any more than she did, but at least moving would get the both of them out of each other's sight quicker.

"To what? Test it? You want to test it?" The questions shoot out of her lips one after the other. His bold words shock her to the point she realizes her reaction only afterwards, which makes her sit up straighter as she laughs it off, in an attempt to keep cool and collected, despite having already made a fool of herself. "I mean, we shouldn't test it because you'll lose. I don't want to hurt your feelings!" she jokes, trying to brush off her initial reaction like it was nothing. Jae's a jokester, she's known him for so long that he always joked with her, even though his words tended to be bold sometimes, but it's all part of their friendship. "That's crazy, because I'm betting on you." She laughs, pulling her legs up against her chest as she rests her head against the sofa. Because of the way she grew up, Gracia was stubborn when it came to asking for help, despising the idea of ever becoming someone's burden or the object of their pity. She was used to taking care of herself and she was capable of that. Jae's next words make Gracia choke on the muffin as she's swallowing it, and she starts to cough a few times. "I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm alright," she says, clearing her throat as her cheeks turn hot. She'll blame that on the fact that she was just coughing. "Sorry about that. Yes. Yeah, I make great food. And desserts. Thank you."

"What do you say? Just for a night?" he asks, as if she'd ever agree. Gracia is so shy and innocent in his eyes, Jae can't even fathom a reality where any of his attempts would be successful. Though, it's not to say he hasn't imagined it, in several different ways. "C'mon, Gracie, I think my ego is big enough to handle it. Maybe you're the one who's scared that he'd end up preferring me. I'm a great cuddler,." Jae points out. He rolls his eyes at her counterargument, because any signs of him genuinely flaxing were yet to be seen, especially considering he had a vet to run. He'd never been the kind of person to fold under pressure, maybe because his life had been living constantly under that due to what was expected of him. To be perfect, and great, and whatever bullshit that entailed. Jae knows what it's like to do everything alone, so of course he doesn't want her to live the same way. "You sure? Here, have some water," he says, picking up the glass on the coffee table and handing it to her. He knew his words were usually a bit much, but it was how she fed into his inhibitions that only made him worse. "See why I have to worry about you?" Jae jokes, as if her reaction was something to cause concern, taking the chance to lean in and tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

Flora can’t help it when she blinks, somewhat stunned. Not that it should be a surprise - not many people have the audacity to talk to her the way that Jae does. At least, not after getting to know her. She wants to blame it on the fact that he’s friends with Viktor, but realistically the answer seems to be very much just how Jae is. “I’m what?” She blurts, face scrunching into a look that can only be described as disgust. Truthfully, it has nothing to do with Jae - the idea of falling for anyone is horrifying to Flora, “Yes, Jae. Your sickening personality has charmed me, mind and soul.” The same pinched look remains on her features as she watches him observe the bag, the price tag, carelessly dangle it between them. For no reason whatsoever, it makes her blush, and that alone makes her want to yank the bag over his head. “Riddle me this; do you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice?” It’s the first thing she can think to say instead of humouring his question. Holding her hand out, Flora waits for Jae to hand the bag to her, avoiding eye contact like the plague.

Of course, Jae had always been the forward kind, even in normal conversation. He didn't like to sugarcoat or play vague, because he had always figured it was just a longer way of trying to make his point. He does enjoy teasing Florence though, having known her long enough to be able to tell what her reactions will be easily. "It charmed your body, we both know that much," he retorts, shameless in the way his eyes checked her out, grinning just a bit seeing the twinge of red on her cheeks. Jae had already noticed the store wasn't particularly busy, so who cared if he flirted a bit? It's not like it was anything new between them. "Of course not. I know you're not tired of it either, Flora. See how nice I make your name sound?" He lets out a laugh seeing her hold her hand out, knowing that she wanted him to hand the bag over, but instead, he takes the very hand she's extended into his, dragging the both of them towards the register. "Pizza or burgers?" he asks mindlessly, pulling out his card from the back of his phone to pay.