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@jwsflower
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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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02:48 â” park gunwook
park gunwook x reader
youâre set on playing some more games of valorant, and gunwook is trying to change your mind.
general genre/warnings ┠established relationship, fluff, suggestive, lots of kissing, hickey momentâŠ, valorant mention
word count â” 800 words
a/n ┠happy birthday @shegotthewoobies <3 ily and i hope you like this drabble :DD if you enjoyed reading, please do reblog & leave feedback!
want to be part of my taglist? send me an ask! masterlist
gunwook wishes he isnât the needy type. the one who can handle the distance. the one who can keep his hands to himself. the one who can fall asleep without you by his side. he hopes he can be the one to fulfill your every request, regardless of the hours or miles it may take.
he likes to think heâs made for you, but the reality is that he needs you.
before gunwook left for work, he promised you a few matches of valorant. his busy schedule didnât give you two enough time in the day to spend with each other. all you had were hours made for sleep. although you understood gunwookâs schedule, only wanting him to rest before another day filled with work, he couldnât share the same sentiments as you. all he wants is to be around you; intertwine fingers, and graze his lips over the expanse of your skin. despite your protests, it all falls on deaf ears as he cuts you off with a single kiss before taking his leave.
yet, work is spontaneous. heâll never know if itâll be a day where he waits for hours to pass by or to chase them.
gunwook tried to conceal his fatigue, peppering your face with kisses before telling you heâll shower before he hops on the game. despite your worried eyes, he leads you to your chair before making his way to the washroom.
although he was tired from todayâs work, he enjoyed the few matches he got to play. regardless of taeraeâs trashtalk, matthewâs missed shots, and taeraeâs partnerâs whines, his stress levels subsidedâall thanks to you. still, he couldnât fight off the exhaustion.
âhey, i think iâm done for today,â gunwook says, earning a series of groans.
âno! we canât end here. i mean, we canât end on a loss!â regardless of taeraeâs attempt to make him stay, he already closed the game.Â
âbye guys.â he doesnât wait for another word to leave his friends before he drops the discord call. as he looks over to his right, he sees your screen is on the lobby. he stands up from his seat, expecting you to take your leave until you pull out your phone.Â
âhey, let him go to sleep. iâm down to play some unrated. but if you guys find someone else to fill, iâm also up for more ranked matches.â
gunwook canât help but pout. he shouldâve known that you would play a few more games. after all, youâd always try to find time in the day to play. yet, he wishes you could read the words in between his farewellâhey, letâs go to sleep.
a hum leaves you. âokay, let me try to ask my friend if they want to play.â
for a moment, gunwook considers going to bed, leaving you one kiss before you can continue playing. this is your time to destress. but his feet take him to where you are and his hand quickly reaches for your mouse so that he can mute your microphone.
you move your headphones to the side. âhey, what are youââ
his arms find their spot around your waist. âbaby,â his whine has you holding your breath, âcanât you play some more games tomorrow? i missed you.â
âgunwook,â a shy giggle leaves your lips, âiâll just play one or two more games. iâm pretty sure matthew and taerae are trying to find someone to fill.â
then, he nestles his face into your neck. while his nose grazes your skin, you let out a quiet exhale. but the moment you feel his lips, your eyes shut close. out of instinct. out of comfort. out of desire.
âcâmon, iâm sure theyâll understand.â his lips continue to cover every inch of your neck as his hands sneak under your shirt, fingers drawing shapes on your hips. gunwookâs persuasion is hard to ignore.
feigning ignorance, you say, âbut i wonât get to play tomorrow. just one game.â
he musters a sigh and you think you won the battle, until his lips latch onto your neck. blunt teeth scratch against your skin as his tongue darts out, sucking in the spot. a soft moan leaves you as you throw your head back.
taeraeâs shouts leak out of your headphones but you have no interest in hearing what he has to say.
gunwookâs lips leave you and you try to steady your breathing. you hate his effect on you. âcâmon, letâs go to bed.â
you need a few seconds before you swallow your shame. âto sleep?â
he giggles before he pulls back, allowing you to meet his gaze. âdepends if youâll quit valorant now or later.â and when you spot the smirk that rests on his lips, you donât think twice about disconnecting from the call without saying goodbye.
taglist: @kflixnet @blankjournal
YOU, ME, AND BULBASAUR
genre. fluff. warnings. neck kisses. gunwook is extremely cute and i'm extremely delusional and in love with him. mention that reader wears makeup and dresses. pairing. gunwook x fem!reader. wc. 700. request. no. a/n. i saw gunwook like indirectly kiss taerae's neck and it made me think of just how much of a neck kisser he would be đ and if you know me you know i'm a neck girl and that just made me so delusional like i'm feral rn it's not okay??? also can we talk abt how fucking cute gunwook's rosy cheeks are LIKE HES THE CUTEST EVER IM GONNA CRY.
âwhy are you getting all pretty? you going somewhere?â the tired husky voice of your boyfriend makes a smile start to form on your lips. gunwook had been sleeping peacefully until 2 minutes ago, hugging your pillow to his chest, still tangled under the sheets. you wished you couldâve stayed in bed with him, but you had a meeting early in the morning.
âjust a work meeting. wish i couldâve slept in with you, wook.â you glanced up at him apologetically through the mirror, frowning at his sleepy pout and messy hair.
ânot fairâŠâ
âi know, baby. but iâll be back in 2 hours and then we can cuddle.â you assured him, finishing the last touches on your makeup and hair. you turned around to face gunwook properly, ruffling his bed head as you stood up.
âcanât you just stay?â gunwook asked, following you to your closet like a lost puppy.
âitâs an important meetingâŠâ you tried your best to stay firm and not let your boyfriend have so much affect over you. but it was hard, especially when he started planting small kisses on your neck as you sifted through your hangers to find a dress. you felt a small nip land to the dip in your shoulder and neck and you gasped.
âgunwook!â you hadnât realized he was this clingy this morning. he didnât stop despite your reaction, pressing a softer kiss over the spot he had nibbled. you willed yourself to not get too focused on his lips on your skin, to instead figure out what you were going to wear to your meeting. but he made it so hard to even remember why you were trying to get up in the first place.
âwouldnât you rather just stay here? with me? and bulbasaur?â he pleaded, pressing a kiss to your neck between each word. you smiled at the mention of his bulbasaur plush that you had gotten for his birthdayâ he slept with it every night, opting to cuddle it when you couldnât sleep with him.
you gripped the side of a navy blue dress, hanging on your last thread, gunwook seconds away from snapping it. was the meeting more important than your clingy boyfriend? did you actually want to spend the morning in a room with a bunch of grumpy middle-aged men when you could be cuddling with your boyfriend?
âyouâre lucky youâre cute in the morningâŠâ you sighed, dropping your hand from the dress, and your boyfriend knew he had won. you could feel his victorious smile against your neck as he pressed one last kiss behind your ear. and then he started steering you towards the bed until you both fell onto the soft mattress, him laying on top of you. he nuzzled his face in your chest and closed his eyes, completely content now that he was sure he had you for the entire morning.
you looked at his sleepy face, dark hair falling over his eyes, cheeks dotted with rosy stains, cherry lips formed into the most beautiful smile. you brushed his bangs away from his face, feeling his warm skin underneath the palm of your hand. god, he took your breath away even when he wasnât doing anything.
âsince you made me miss my morning meeting, at least give me a kiss.â you nudged his chin with your hand, and he opened one eye to look up at you. he didnât waste time after hearing your request, quickly picking himself up to hover over you and press his soft lips to yours. he sighed, finally being able to taste your lip gloss that he had watched you apply minutes ago. he had been tempted to steal a kiss from you then as well, but he was considerate enough to not ruin your makeup until he was sure you were his for the morning.
gunwookâs lips always felt like pure bliss against yours. the weight of his body on top of you was like a weighted blanket, and you were determined to not move from the position for at least another hour. gunwook was right, you would always much rather spend the morning with him⊠and bulbasaur.Â
âł zerobaseone taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @okshu,, @chewryy,, @haecien,, @sobun1est,,
@emmylksblog,, @talkingsaxy,, @thesunsfullmoon,, @chenleszone,, @sxmmerberries,,
@talking-saxy
WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME ?
genre. fluff. warnings. gunwook's a lil tease and lots of kissing. mention of superman gunwook cosplay (very much needs a warning). pairing. gunwook x fem!reader. wc. 739. request. no. a/n. we did it guys we're finally writing for zb1???? i never thought this day would come đ
âUgh, get off me.â You groaned, attempting to shove your boyfriend off of you, but failing miserably. Gunwook seemed deaf to your plea, and only tightened his grip on you, nuzzling his face in your neck.
âNo, Iâm tired and youâre comfortable.â
You let out a loud over dramatic sigh, glancing down at your boyfriend who easily covered your entire body. He was significantly taller than you.
âDo you have to lie right on top of me?â You asked quietly, sneaking a hand into his hair since you had such easy access.
âYes.â He mumbled into your shoulder, eyes fluttering closed. Minutes passed by in silence as you continued to scroll through your phone, making peace with the situation. Gunwook seemed a little too quiet, though, and you looked back down at him. He was all curled up comfortably on top of you, legs tangled with yours, arms tightly holding onto your waist. He looked so peaceful.
âAre you asleep?â You whispered, poking his cheek. He groaned quietly, tightening his grip on you and shaking his head.
âNot yet.â He lifted his head slightly, making eye contact with you before winking smoothly, which made you scoff and look back to your phone.Â
He frowned, âWhy are you ignoring me? Youâre probably just going to go watch edits even though your boyfriend is right here.â He complained. His former tiredness seemed to have slipped away.
âIâm not.â
âYou are.â He insisted, âYou were watching them earlier. You even searched them up.â
âI did not! They just show up on my feed.â You knew that you would ultimately lose in this battle, but you were determined to defend yourself for as long as possible. The truth was you had been watching edits of Gunwook on purpose, but who was to blame you? He was the one who had dressed up as Superman after all.
âIt showed up because youâve searched for them before.â He giggled against your neck. Your lips tugged upwards just slightly, endeared by his every mannerism. But you wouldnât give up this easily. Gunwook had you wrapped around his finger, but your pride was still at stake.
âI only watch them because you would sulk if I scrolled past them. Theyâre not even that good.â You rolled your eyes to further sell your disinterest in the topic.
âI saw your saved folder.â He whispered, mouth right next to your ear, practically kissing it. Your eyes widened as your fingers slipped and your phone dropped. It landed on Gunwookâs back, and he let out a small âowâ. You had no time to apologise verbally, only rubbing your hand quickly over the spot your phone had hit.Â
âYou did not see the folder!â You panicked, trying harder again to push him off of you. You cursed him in your mind for being so dedicated to building muscle at the gym with Matthew. He was too heavy for you to even budge.
âJust admit you like watching the edits, and Iâll get off.â His lips lifted in a mischievous smile.Â
You sighed, screwing your eyes shut as you mulled over your two options. Continue to deny and keep your pride, or admit to it and endure his teasing.Â
âFine. I guess I do occasionally watch them.â You confessed, rolling your eyes as he let out a satisfied giggle.
âThere. Was that so hard?â He beamed at you, finally crawling off your body to lie down on the other side of the bed.
âYouâre impossible.â You muttered, rolling to your side, facing away from him. You had about 30 seconds of peace before you heard the sheets rustling as Gunwook scooted over to you again, lying his head down on the pillow as close to you as possible.
âGo away.â You urged, keeping your attention off of him for as long as possibleâ which was extremely hard, especially when you could still smell the shampoo on his hair from his shower earlier.
âNever.â He vowed, an annoyingly cute giggle escaping his lips and breaking every ounce of your willpower to continue to ignore him. You turned around, not wasting a second before peppering kisses all over his face. His laughter was uncontrollable and extremely contagious, and soon, you ended up on top of him, collapsed from your attack of kisses. You hugged his waist and buried your head in his chest, mirroring the exact same position he had been in minutes before.
âł zerobaseone taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @okshu,, @chewryy,,
the psychology of strawberries â [s.qr].
SYNOPSIS. besides being your friend, kim gyuvin also holds the existence of being the worst matchmaker in history. the last guy he set you up with ended with a permanent ban from the arcade. the one before that caused you to file a restraining order. which is why when he tries to set you up one last time with his best friend, you understandably shut him down.
the problem isâ why the fuck didnât gyuvin tell you that his best friend is actually the prettiest man in the world? the most charming idiot to have graced your mortal existence? maybe if he did, you wouldnât have to resort to pavlovian tactics and strawberries just to bag him. if he did, then you wouldnât have to hide the fact that youâre kind of balls-deep in love with his friend.
PAIRING. shen quanrui x female! reader. GENRE. college! au, (anti) matchmaking! au, strangers to friends to lovers, eventual secret relationship. romance, humor, fluff, suggestive, older! reader, this is just lovelicky propaganda. sue me. WARNINGS. swearing, explicit language, mentions of sex, making out, making out in public, an almost car crash, stalking (not from any of the leads), erratic behavior (mostly from our lead), ricky in a floral shirt, black haired ricky and bathrobe ricky jumpscare. WORD COUNT. 21k.
TAGLIST. @lovialy @sarang-ae @khaelscafe @jenodreamer @lovelyrickyz @ciaoui @spjhyn @chwesuh-imnida @kgneptun @hanstarrs @dvalitaes @younxii @haesunflower @cyberpunksunwoo @tlnyjoong @bobabunhee @elavin @sassybakaaa @wishfulthnking @lvieee
NOTE. there is evident lack of plot in this. unless you consider thirsting over ricky as plot, then thereâs a lot of plot. youâre welcome. feedback and comments are always appreciated, and i hope you enjoy!
AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE, THE PROSPECT OF MEETING A NEW GUY STOPPED BEING A POINT OF INTEREST OR ANTICIPATION. It has now become a harbinger of horror, an inevitable car crash simply lying in wait. Gone are the days where youâre looking forward to the first kiss on your porch and doorstepâ now, you donât even care if you share the same hobbies or not, if you click well or not, neither if your personalities match or not.
Your only hope is that they donât end up being a stalker or a slob or someone with severe anger issues. And thereâs only one culprit for this seemingly permanent shift in your psychology.
âIâm not going on another date! At least one that youâre setting up.â
âCâmon!â Gyuvin clings onto your arm, preventing you from leaving the classroom. Heâs crouching on the floor. Your face crunches up, looking down at him like heâs a piece of gum stuck on your boot sole. âThis will be the last time. Please? I showed him a picture of you and he thinks youâre cute.â
The sole reason why Kim Gyuvin can get away with anchoring you by the arm with his entire body weight, why he can get away with setting you up with douchebag after douchebag, is because heâs a family friend, and youâve known him for eight whole years. These tantrums are normal, but the sudden growth spurt he had in ninth grade makes him occasionally forget that youâre still two years older than him. You were already walking before he was even born. This bitch thinks he can make you do what he wants.
âGet off! Are you trying to dislocate my shoulder?â
The moment you raise your free arm to a fist, he releases you from his clutches and puts his arms up innocently, still crouched on the floor. You click your tongue with a sneer, brushing down your sleeve. Anyway, does he have amnesia? Has he forgotten how the last blind dates went?Â
âYour friend Jaeryeong also thought I was cute,â you start. âReally cute, in fact. To the point where he wouldnât leave me alone and I had to file a restraining order against him.â
Now, heâs finally looking guilty. Gyuvin clear his throat and jumps back up to his feet, straightening his clothes and not daring to look you in the eye. âHeâhe had some issues that I wasnât aware of and Iâm sorry for thatâ but Ricky is different! Heâs not some weirdo! I promise you that heâs a good guy and heâs good looking andââ
âYou said the same thing about Do Hajun,â you cut him off. âSure, he was pretty good looking, but he got so mad at a claw machine and started assaulting it in public. I got banned at the Game Plaza, Gyuvin. Iâm not allowed there anymore. I was the top scorer at DDR there. I canât maintain my rank there anymore because the last guy you set me up with had problems with his temper.â
He looks even more guilty now. Your glare softens because itâs not entirely his fault. But this time the guyâs name is Ricky. That sounds like a fuckboyâs name. A fuckboy who probably wears snapbacks and jeans a little too low. Youâre not taking any fucking chances.
âOkay,â Gyuvin breathes out. âI understand that I may have made some bad matchesââ
âSome.â
âA lot of bad matches,â he corrects, sheepish. âBut thatâs just because so many people want to date you! If you think about it, itâs your fault for always attracting weirdos! Iâm just the connecting bridge and messenger! Iâm sick and tired of my friends asking me to set you up with them too!â
âSo why the hell are you trying to do it again?!â Man, youâre getting tired. You asked him to meet you in your lecture hall after class because you wanted to check up on his project, but the moment he came in, he tried throwing you into the sharks once again in an instant.Â
You dig into your bag for a piece of candy, unwrapping it and popping it into your mouth with an unamused expression as Gyuvin tries his damn best to market his friend to you. âThis will be the last one, I promise! Ricky is my best friend and I can assure you that heâs a decent guy. Heâs hot. Heâs got a car. Didnât you say before that you wanted a hot boyfriend with a car?â
âIf heâs so hot then why are you so desperately trying to sell him off?â
You werenât born yesterday. Hell, you were born earlier than this matchmaking scammer and he regularly forgets about that. âWell,â he starts, clearing his throat. âHeâs my best friend, but I need my solo time too! If he gets a girlfriend, then maybe heâll stop showing up at my apartment every Friday night andââ
âThatâs enough.â
You stuff a piece of candy into his mouth, promptly shutting him up. His eyes are wide, shock quickly morphing into a grimace when the flavor finally kicks in. Durian. Serves him fucking right.Â
âGo set your friend up with someone else. I called you in here for a different reason, Kim Gyuvin.â Nothing like dropping his full name and reminding him that youâre still his upperclassman as a cold splash of water to the face. Gyuvin flinches, suddenly straightening himself. âHowâs your project going? You only have two months left to finish it. I hope you didnât forget.â
His face tells you that he forgot about it, but not totally. Heâs reluctantly chewing on the candy you force-fed him. âIâveâ Iâve already picked out a place. Hadong Country in Gyeongsang. Iâm planning on going there next week.â
âAlright, good.â You leave him with a pat on the shoulder. âTell me once youâve set the date. You should worry about your term paper instead of mine or your friendâs love life. Getting us to date wonât pull up your GPA, Gyuvin.â
âButââ
âNo, thatâs enough,â you shut him down. âIâm not dating this Ricky guy. Thatâs final. Nothing you can do or say will change my mind.â
Famous last words. Little did you know that youâd be eating that very statement by the weekend.
ONE OF THE PRIVILEGES YOUâVE GOTTEN FROM SUCKING UP TO YOUR PROFESSORS SINCE FRESHMAN YEAR IS HAVING FULL LIBERTY OF USING THEIR OFFICE AS A HANG-OUT SPOT. The air-conditioning here is better than the classrooms or students lounge. You can even raid their snack pantry as much as you wantâ grabbing a handful from the candy bowl, now filled with pink wrappers of some strawberry hard candyâ and stuffing them into the small pocket of your bag to restock your portable stash.Â
âDoes Prof Yoon know youâre the one that keeps vacuuming his candy bowl?âÂ
The question comes from Hanbin, whoâs just as shamelessly making himself a cup of coffee with the facultyâs machine. The both of you are regular freeloaders at the office. A well-earned privilege, youâd like to say.
âHe knows,â you reply, snatching a box of pepero for good measure. âHe lets me get away with it because Iâm his favorite student.â
Thereâs one more freeloader. Hao is sitting on the cushy sofa set funded by the studentâs tuition fees, sharing a conversation with Mrs. Lee, and the two of you join him not long after. âYou three are supervising some of the freshmen this year, right?â your professor asks, and her question is met with a set of artificial positive responses. âI guess I can look forward to some of their outputs then,â she leaves with a hearty laugh and a hard pat on Haoâs back. You wince.
âWhy is an old lady so strong?â he laments once Mrs. Lee is sure to have returned to her cubicle. Hanbin is feeling and probing around his spine in case it got broken.
âI hear sheâs a member at the gym Jiwoong goes to,â you say. âScary woman. Thank god weâre on her good side.â
Complaining about your professors in hushed voices while being in their office is a rare skill the three of you have mastered over the past two years. The two elicit murmurs of agreement with your statement. âSpeaking, how are your kids doing?â asks Hanbin. Kids, referring to the eighteen to nineteen year olds under your care for their term project.
Hao takes your pepero stick offer before grumbling. âI donât get why we have to supervise the freshmen when he have our own assignments and projects to deal with.â
âBecause Mrs. Lee will give us extra points for our class with her if we do,â you remind. âGyuvin is doing the bare minimum. At least he now has a location settled down.â The project is for their required course in community development. The freshmen are tasked to select a rural area in the country and do a needs-based assessment survey on it. You did the same when you were in your first year. Mrs. Lee is also the head of the university extensions office. You three have theorized that sheâs just using this annual assignment to update her data inventory.
âGunwook is too passionate. He wants to go all the way to freaking Mokpo.â
âAt least he sounds hardworking,â you say, disregarding Hanbinâs stress over an inevitable five-hour drive. âWhy canât Gyuvin be the same? All he does is set me up with terrible men and barge into my family dinners.â
You say that, but everyone who knows you knows that Kim Gyuvin, despite being generally annoying, has burrowed a soft spot in your heart. Unlike Hanbin and Hao who missed a 40-point quiz for Mrs. Leeâs class to join a random play dance competition at the plaza (they won), you didnât really need the extra points merit, so you had no intentions on volunteering to be a supervisor in the first place.
But when you caught whiff of the news that your poor, poor younger friend of eight years still didnât have a senior-supervisor for the project, you somehow found yourself in front of Mrs. Leeâs office cubicle and signed up at the last moment.
Which is also why youâre up at 5 a.m. in front of Gyuvinâs apartment building on a weekend, no breakfast in the stomach, just to accompany him to Gyeongsang for this god forsaken community development project.
âMorning.â
Gyuvin greets you with a yawn and a heavy ruffle on the top of your head, to which you respond with a side kick to his ass when he walks past you. âYouâre late,â you scold him, and though you want to continue berating your dear friend, two more familiar-looking people emerge from his buildingâs entrance.Â
âOh, this is Taerae and Matthew,â Gyuvin informs you offhandedly. The two give you a mix of polite nods and smiles. You sort of know Taerae because you shared a class with him last semester. Matthew is just the guy you see at the campus coffee shop at least once a week. âTheyâre going to be my survey assistants. More people means more ground to cover at once.â
âHowâd he scam you two into agreeing?â you ask.
âHeâs buying me lunch for a week,â Taerae replies.
âI just wanted to go on a road trip,â Mathew says in a tone too bright for five in the morning.Â
You let out a huff of air. Your backpack is getting a little heavy on your shoulders, and all you want is to finally reclaim your lost weekend. Meaning, getting on the road as soon as possibly is priority number one. âSo, are we commuting?â you ask. âWe should get going then.â
âOh, no,â Gyuvin replies. Heâs already noticed your impatience, and has found himself standing behind you, taking your bag off of your bag so that you donât snap at him for the next statement heâs about to say. âActually, weâre waiting for one more perââ
A car horn cuts him off.Â
âWell, nevermind. Heâs here.â
At that moment, a way too expensive looking car drives up to the porch of Gyuvinâs college-level priced apartment building. This is looking way too out of place. Matthew lets out a whistle when the car stops in front of you. âThis kid just got his license exchange and the first thing he does is show off,â Taerae snorts. What...what does he mean? Is this your ride? Is this the (at least seventy-thousand-dollar) vehicle thatâll be driving you all the way to the outskirts of Hadong County?Â
The variables donât click, but your surprise doesnât end there. Because the person that emerges from the expensive looking ass carâs driverâs seat isâ by farâ the prettiest person youâve ever seen in your twenty-one years of life.
Whoa.
Not even those thick, dark shades can obscure that god-sculpted looking face. They only make his nose bridge look even sharper, and youâre trying your damn best not to stare at those full and cherry-painted lips. Holy shit. Platinum blonde has always looked tacky to you, but now you have to re-evaluate. Oh my god. Kim Gyuvin has a friend that looks like this, and all heâs done is set you up with guys that canât even fucking compare.
Walking statue of a man closes the car door behind him with a click. âGet in,â he says. Holy mother of god, youâre light-headed. Your brain is fuzzy. Youâre about to pass out.Â
âRicky! Youâre late! How dare you keep the madam waiting?!âÂ
Things start happening a little too quickly.
Wait a secondâ
âShotgun!âÂ
That name.
âFuck off! Letâs play for the seat!âÂ
Sounds Very.
âRock, paper, scissors, shoot! Rock, paper, scissorsââ
Veryâ
âPaper, scissorsâ shoot!â
âfamiliar.
âDammit,â Matthew grumbles in defeat, joining Taerae in the backseat. You stare at the fist you have held out since earlier. Rock. Rick. Ricky. This guyâs name is Ricky. Isnât that also the name of Gyuvinâs best friend? The best friend he was trying to set you up with? This is Ricky? This absolute god of a fucking man whoâs looking at you with an ounce of confusion, still holding your fist up after somehow winning all rounds of rock, paper, scissors with nothing but a rock, is the Ricky you turned down a date with?
You were correct to assume that his name gives off fuckboy vibes. The problem is, he looks like a really, really hot fuckboy who you donât mind ruining your life in exchange for three months of fun. Shit. You think you just made eye contact with him through his thick-ass sunglasses. He nods a little with a small, awkward smile before disappearing back into the driverâs seat.Â
Fuck. He knows. He definitely knows you wrongfully rejected his ass without even meeting him. Gyuvin, that snitching son of a bitch.
âHey.â
With a heavy grip on his shoulder, you stop the said snitching son of a bitch before he can escape into the backseat. âWhat?â Gyuvin raises a brow. The audacity of this guy.
âWhat was your best friendâs name again?â
âRicky Shen. Shen Quanrui. Shim Cheonye. Pick one.â
âIs that...the sameâŠ?â
âYes, that guy is Ricky.â Thereâs an impatient honk from the car. You pay no mind, more concerned about the absolute fucking catch you totally drove away, and that regret is seeping through you expression, failing to wiggle out from Gyuvinâs notice. âWhy do you ask?â Are you regretting turning down my offer last week? his face seems to say. You want to hit him. Yes, you are fucking regretting it, but thereâs no way in hell youâre giving him the satisfaction of knowing.
âItâs just a little awkward,â you say. âCan you switch with me?â
âMatt hyungâs gonna throw a fit if I take your seat,â he simply hums, opening the door to the front seat on your behalf with a courteous bow that drives you further into annoyance. âNow hop in. Weâre already behind schedule.â
Youâre the bigger person here so you decide against throwing a tantrum. Begrudgingly, you enter the passengerâs seat, trying to ignore aphroditeâs reincarnation sitting right next to you, and prepare yourself for the three-hour drive or torture because you totally screwed over your chance of having him.
âWoohoo! Road trip!â
âWeâre here for my project, idiot.â
âPlease tone it down, Iâm trying to sleep.â
Itâs fine, you cross your arms, wiggling uncomfortably on the soft seat. Itâs totally fine. None of Gyuvinâs friends have been decent so far. Yes. You shouldnât judge positively too quickly. Maybe the only thing this one has going for him is his face. Maybe his personality is just as shitty as the last ones and youâve completely dodged a bullet.
A very pretty bullet. The pretty bullet is looking at you through the rearview mirror. Oh god, why is he looking at you? Heâs got his sunglasses down and those eyes are practically staring into your soul.
âUm,â Ricky clears his throat. âYou should put on your seatbelt.â
That rasp shouldnât be as attractive as it is. Fuck. This man is a walking heart hazard. âOâoh, sorry!â Youâre stupid. Your brain is fried. You fumble with the dumb seatbelt, forgetting how it works, and mentally swearing at yourself in the process.
âDo you need any helpâŠ?â
Fight or flight instincts kick in. You smack away Rickyâs attempt at a helping hand. His eyes are wide in shock. Your eyes are wide in shock. You want to throw yourself out of this vehicle right now. âItâsâitâs fine!â Finally, you manage to put on the seatbelt. Ricky is a mix of confusion and offense when he starts the car, more on confusion, but thatâs alright. The aftermath of him pulling a k-drama move and helping you with the seatbelt would have been worse. You would have disintegrated right then and there.
Your only source of comfort is the backpack that youâre hugging for your dear life. The entire ride is excruciatingly awkward because the three boys at the back have fallen asleepâ a state you also wish to be in right now, but thatâs quite frankly impossible because youâre a million times more conscious about your physical appearance right now with a literal angel next to you.Â
Heâs not asking why youâre pressed so far up against the door. For safety reasons, you tell yourself. The air around him just subconsciously feels a lot hotter despite the air conditioning literally blowing cold air to your face.
âWould...would you like some?â
But that doesnât mean you could stomach this awkwardness, either. Two hours have passed and neither of you have said a word to each other. Youâre a fistful into your candy stash and it feels rude not to offer anything to him when heâs been driving for so long.Â
You have a cautious arm outstretched, a pink wrapper dangling between your thumb and index finger. Ricky peers down for a split second, a rumble from his throat before saying, âNâno, itâs okay.â The candy disappears into the crevices of his car. You dip your head down, trying to feel around for it, and Ricky continues talking. âUm. I mean. You donât really have to force yourself to get along with me, seonbae. I already know that you donât really like me.â
At that moment, you snap your head up. âWhat?â
Maybe you shouldâve been more careful because you scare the shit out of Ricky and the car swerves off the lane.
Screech!
âAh,â he exhales, parking the car at the edge of the road after nearly killing you all. âThat was close.â How the three kids in the back are still asleep is beyond you. Theyâve got their necks twisted in all the weird places and youâre pretty sure Matthew is drooling.
But the source of your adrenaline right now isnât the near death experience.
âWhat do you mean you know that I donât like you?â
Translation: what exactly did Kim Gyuvin say to this guy?
âYou...turned down the blind date Gyu tried setting up,â he says. Well thatâs because Gyuvin never showed you a picture of his face! Instead of using useless words to try and convince you to say yes, he shouldâve just sent you his instagram and called it a day. âThis car ride must be awkward for you, sorry. Iâll try to get to Hadong as soon as possible.â
Heâs sweet and polite too! God, youâve completely screwed it over. You spend the rest of the car ride overthinking and feeling sorry for yourself. The moment you arrive at your destination, you eject yourself from the car instantaneously. âAlright, weâre wasting daylight. Letâs get moving!â you clasp your hands together, hurrying your barely-awake lackeys into the town.Â
With five people, the surveys and interviews get done quicker than expected. At one point, while you were surveying a marketplace owner, your attention got inadvertently distracted by spotting Ricky from the corner of your eye helping out an old lady with a cart and you nearly had a meltdown. Again, why didnât Gyuvin introduce you to him before your impression of his friends got screwed over by Jaeryeong and Hajun and all the fucking rest?
âWhat a sweet boy,â says the marketplace owner. He is a sweet boy. That sweet and insanely handsome boy couldâve been yours (not guaranteed).
âHey!â Gyuvin snaps you out of your daze. You look up, crouched underneath the shade of a tree. One of the locals was kind enough to give you a tour of their plum fields in the village, but youâre a little too rattled to actually appreciate the green scenery. âThe ahjumma gave us some plums to taste!â
âYouâre a bad person,â you suddenly say. Gyuvinâs face distorts in offense.
âWell, if you donât want any plums, you can just say so, meanie.â
Maybe you are a meanie, but youâre still not over everything today. While the four boys are fucking around from a bit of a distance, youâre still crouched down and absentmindedly petting a stray cat and moping. Matthew says something you canât hear, and the three burst out laughingâ only the three at first, because Ricky looks lost for a second, blinking with a dumb smile, before joining their laughter only a beat late.Â
Oh no, heâs cute. Oh god, youâre falling. Oh man, youâre a goner.
âTime to go home!â
Itâs around four in the afternoon when you finally finish. Youâre all gathered around Rickyâs car again, ready for another grueling drive back to Seoul. âGo sit in the back. Iâll drive this time,â says Taerae to Ricky, and there starts another rock, paper, scissors battle for who will take the front seat.
Unlike earlier where you won without even realizing there was a game, you lose even after praying to all the gods you know.
âNice!â Matthew cheers, not even giving you a shot of negotiation because he quickly disappears into the car. Youâre looking at Gyuvin, painted in shock and disbelief. Before you know it, youâre wedged into the backseat, in between the two men youâd like to be around the least at the moment.Â
Yours and Rickyâs shoulders are touching. This is worse than earlier. He looks just as uncomfortable as you areâ arms resting on the open windowsill, head uncomfortably craned away from you and giving you a full view of the tattoo trailing down his neck. Something snaps in your brain. This is your nth breakdown of the day.
âLet me in your candy stash.â
Gyuvin gives himself the liberty to zip open the front pocket of your backpack while youâre hugging it in your seat. The sound of you swatting his hand away seems to catch Rickyâs attention, so you give up defending your property and let Gyuvin snatch a handful of the strawberry-flavored sweets from your bag. âThis tastes gross,â he says with a grimace. âSo artificial. Blegh.â
You suddenly hear a gasp from your left. âHow can you say that?â Youâre shocked to find out itâs from Ricky. Heâs been relatively quiet all this time. Gyuvin sure knows how to get into everyoneâs nerves. âTake it back.â
âIâll take it back if you dye your hair black for a day.â
A harmless fist zooms in front of your face. âNow way.â Ricky is hitting Gyuvin.
âGross, this is so gross.â Gyuvin is hitting Ricky back.
âSo what.â
âIâm telling your mom about this.â
Your existence is forgotten and your breathing space in between these two relatively large men has significantly diminished. Your face is burning. You canât do this anymore so you clear your throat, causing Rickyâ whoâs leaned a little too close, fist in the air mid-punchâ to suddenly tuck himself back into his side of the car.Â
It becomes quiet again when Matthew and Gyuvin slowly doze off to sleep.
Gaze flitting to the front, you notice that Taerae is quite preoccupied with swearing at another car that just overtook yours. You take this as an opportunity.
A slight nudge to his arm, you hold open your palm without looking at Ricky. Itâs a handful of the strawberry flavored candy he was so staunchly defending against Gyuvin earlier. He mightâve rejected your offering earlier, but youâre damn bent on ending this day by fixing his impression of you, even if itâs just a miniscule improvement.
Heâs got his head trained down, staring at your offering with a face laced with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and uncertainty before a hesitant hand plucks out a single wrapper from the pile. âThank you,â you hear him say softly, and you donât miss the tiniest smile playing on his lips when the sweet touches his tongue, poking against the inside of his cheek and you feel somewhat offended because a damn piece of candy can elicit such an expression on his face when you canât.Â
Itâs not stiff like the numerous bouts of awkward eye contact youâve been sharing without end. Itâs not forced. Itâs not uncomfortable.
Itâs an expression that makes you feel all the more regretful because you probably wonât be seeing him ever again after this.
âDid you see that guy?! He honked at me! He fucking honked at me!â
But maybe thatâs a good thing. Because maybe then, youâll be forced to stop lamenting the chance you completely wasted.Â
MAYBE YOU SPOKE TO SOON. Itâs the afternoon of a Friday, not even a week after your one-day trip to Hadong County. And Fridays are your cheat days to take a dip into your allowance for some well deserved milk tea at a bougie cafe next to your university.
What isnât part of your usual Wednesdays is the inexplicable, one in a million chance that youâd be bumping into Ricky Shen again.
âOh.â
Youâre about to enter. Heâs just about to leave, pushing open the door with one hand and holding a bright pink drink with so much whipped cream which looks particularly out of place against his all-black ensemble. The only common denominator between the both of you is the look of surprise youâre both sharing.
Ricky recovers before you do. He steps aside, giving you space to walk in while holding the door open. How the bare minimum is making you weak in the knees, you have no idea. âThâthanks,â you give him a smile and walk forward, before putting yourself to a stop and spinning around. âOh, wait. Have this.â
You dig into your pockets and drop three pieces of strawberry candy onto his hand. You donât miss the way his eyes sparkle. âThanks. See you around.â He leaves. You feel like youâre on top of the world.
From now on, youâre gonna stuff all your pockets with strawberry-flavored candy (courtesy of Prof Yoon from the faculty office) until Ricky gets brainwashed that your presence doesnât bear awkwardness or discomfort, noâ you are a good person. Your presence brings with you strawberries and sweetness. That one psych class you took last semester is finally proving itself to be useful. Ricky will fall in love with you through Pavlov and classical conditioning.
Is this ethical? Probably not. Will this work? You donât bet on it, but his cute smile makes it all fucking worth it.
That is if a miracle happens that you somehow end up seeing more of each other. You sigh, waiting for the buzzer to receive your order. You remember that Ricky is a freshman, meaning you have zero chances of sharing classes with him, and your only mutual friend is Kim Gyuvin. Youâd rather kill yourself than give him the satisfaction of knowing that you have a crush on his best friend.
Well, thereâs also Matthew and Taerae. After your trip to Hadong, you somehow got added to a group chat with the two of them. âSame age friends have to stick together!â says Matthew. Youâre not sure if youâre already at the point of calling them friends, but you are having dinner with them later, so thatâs something. But no matter how much you want to gush about your feelings for the light-haired boy, you donât think you can out yourself to those two just yet.
The buzzer vibrates in your hands. You stand up to get your order, only to be stopped by a familiar face that youâre not quite happy to see.
âIâI didnât follow you here, I swear!â
Your expression sours. That last time you saw him was approximately three months agoâ when you threatened him with a fake restraining order after Gyuvin and Hanbin helped you move into a new apartment.
âJaeryeong.â You feel your blood pressure rising from the mere utterance of his name. âIs a restraining order not enough for you? Do I have to put you in jail so you can finally learn your fucking lesson?â
He looks rattled. âI heardâ I heard from Siyun that the document is fake!â
Well, damn. You click your tongue. You thought itâd work for a little while longer than this. Maybe you should get a real RO next time. âSo does that give you the right to keep stalking me, you damn creep?â Youâre getting a headache. This guyâs appearance just makes you miss Ricky even more (gentle remember that Ricky probably doesnât give a shit about you, nor does he think about you as much as youâve thought about him within the past six days of your acquaintance).
âI really didnât follow you here! This was just a coincidence!âÂ
âSure,â you wrinkle your nose. âWas breaching my privacy and following me all the way to my parentsâ place a coincidence too?â
Maybe riling him up is a bad idea, but youâre not exactly the best at interpersonal relationships (case in point, Riky Shen). But this is also a public place, so if he does pull anything dangerous, one of the cafe patrons is likely to take a video which you can use against him. Jaeryeong has his jaw clenched, visibly grated. âLook, I came up to you today to try and clear our misunderstanding, but if you keep on being a little bitch, thenââ
âThen what?â
Youâre surprised to hear a much welcomed voice from behind you.
âWhat are you gonna do?â
The last person you expected to swoop in and save you from this clingy freak is your senior whoâs been out of reach for months now because heâs dying in post-grad.Â
Kim Jiwoong suddenly tucks you behind him, wearing the facade of intimidation to scare off Jaeryeongâ which, for some reason, ends up working because he runs off without much of a fight. âIâllâ Iâll talk to you later!â he says before leaving. Jiwoong lets out a sigh and turns around, looking at you with both disappointment and concern.
âYou shouldnât provoke guys like that. Who knows what couldâve happened to you.â
âI couldâve handled it even without you, seonbae,â you tell him. His gaze softens. You give him a bright smile. âItâs nice to see you, too.â
You know that Jiwoong is incapable of getting mad at you. The both of you catch up in the cafe once youâve finally gotten your drink without any further interruptions. Whatever Gyuvin is to you, thatâs who you are to Jiwoong. He was your project supervisor when you were a freshman, randomly assigned by a roulette, and somehow, you two still keep in touch two years later.
The both of you settle on a table inside the cafe. âHow are your classes?â he asks. You reply with a bitter grunt, and thatâs enough of a response for him to laugh and understand.
âBy the way,â you rouse, spinning the remnants of the drink in slow spirals. âSeonbae. Youâre close with Gyuvin, right?â
If your memory serves you right, youâve seen them talking a couple of times with each other before, eliciting your utter confusion before ultimately finding out that apparently, they attended the same local dance studio before along with Hanbin and Hao for a period of time. âWell, sure,â is Jiwoongâs reply. That was just the lead-in question to your actual main question, which isâ
âHow about...his best friend?â you add. âAre you close with him too?â
You can see it in his face. Heâs connecting the dots. Youâre fiddling with your drink cup, nervous. The moment things click, Jiwoong unleashes a knowing grin.
âAre you crushing on Ricky?â
Well, damn. He didnât need to be so blunt about it.
âAndâandâand what if I am?â Smooth. Very smooth. You clear your throat, tugging on your collar to let some air in while Jiwoong stirs his americano with the straw, chin resting on his palms, evident amusement playing on his face. âSo, anyway. Iâm taking that as a yesâ you are close with him.â
âSure,â he hums. You want to sock him in the face.
âWell, is he anything like Gyuvinâs other friends,â you question. âLike Jaeryeong, or Hajun, or that one guy that told me to âsit pretty and shut my mouthâ because thatâs what a woman ought to do?â
âNo, no. Ricky isnât anything like that,â he replies. âHe looks a little intimidating, but heâs a nice kid. I donât even think Iâve ever heard him raise his voice at anyone.â Ricky does seem pretty soft spoken and itâs hurting your heart. This doesnât go under Jiwoongâs radar. He laughs at your misery and your shoulders slack. âHis only flaw is his overconfidence, I think. Next time you meet him, you should compliment his face.â
No, but confidence is attractive. Overconfidence must mean extra attractive, right? Yes? âThanks for the tip,â you grunt. âBut can you not tell Gyoob that I sort of have a thing for his friend?â
This brings Jiwoongâs brows to a furrow. âIsnât he hell bent on marrying off Ricky?â
âYes. Well. There was a situation.â You donât intend on telling Jiwoong about the said situation for the sake of your pride. He looks curious, but thankfully he doesnât try to prod. The only thing that matters right now is that Ricky is Jiwoong-approved, and thatâs good enough of a reason for you to pursue him under Kim Gyuvinâs nose. âAnyway, please keep this a secret.â
âWhatâs in it for me?â he asks.
âThe continuation of my respect,â you flatly reply. Jiwoong, again, laughs and assures you that his lips are shut and sealed.
SOMEHOW, YOUâRE INVITED TO A BARBECUE DINNER AT MATTHEWâS BACKYARD. How long have you known him? Two weeks. Who else is invited to the dinner? His friends of two years the least. Youâre not sure how you ended up here. Maybe youâre more charming than you thought. Maybe thatâs why you keep attracting weird men.
But Matthew isnât weird. Heâs a little loud and a little too energetic for you to keep up with sometimes, but heâs nice, heâs polite, and youâd introduce him to your cousin if heâd let you.Â
You show up to his front door step with a convenience store bag full of canned beer. Youâre still not sure what the occasion is, but alcohol is always a good gift. âYou made it!â Matthew greets you with a half-hug, and upon entering the premises of his home, you spot Gyuvin giving you an unabashed look full of judgment while Matt takes your present out of your hands and into the cooler in the backyard.
âSince when were you two so chummy?â Gyuvin asks with narrowed eyes as he leads you to where everyone else is.Â
âScared I might replace you in your friend group, Gyu?â you taunt.
âNo. Iâm scared of being the middleman again if Matthew hyung falls in love with you,â is his painfully honest answer. The yard is smoky and warm, familiar faces here and thereâ Hanbin being one of them, who graces you with a look of confused concern upon hearing Gyuvinâs words. âHyung, you donât understand my pain. I keep setting her up with my friends, but theyâre never good enough for her. At this rateââ
At this rate, youâre gonna be needing a warning whenever Ricky suddenly appears in front of your visionâ one of the people you preemptively deemed ânot good enough for youâ only for it to bite you in the ass.
In fact, he may be too much for you, because for a second there, you had the presupposition that he might be walking up to you. That delusion is quickly evaporated into the barbecue smoke because heâs looking at Hanbin, not you.
âHyung,â he says. âWoong hyung needs help with the grill.â
âOh, Iâll be right there.â
In between, Gyuvin has somehow disappeared, leaving you alone with Ricky and the unreasonable amount of feelings you have for him. Itâs been a good week since youâve last seen him. Heâs wearing a thick red jacket and that same look of awkwardness whenever youâre around. âHello,â he greets you softly with a nod.
âHi,â you do the same. Itâs excruciating. Itâs painful. Thereâs a sizzle in the air, music from the stereos, and the loud, rambunctious noises expected from a group of eight, nine boys. Yet itâs everything quiet in between the both of you.Â
But after that tense greeting, thereâs a shift in his gaze, a change in his posture. Heâs clearing his throat, balancing himself on the heels of his feet with tightly pressed lips resembling that of a smileâ almost as if heâs expecting something from you.
Oh, you realize. Oh, heâs too cute.
Without much of a thought, you dig into your coat pockets.Â
âHao!â you call out in a hurry, running off to the long picnic table where the rest are all gathered. Your heart is racing. Your heart is racing like crazy. âThereâs still two faces Iâm not acquainted with yet. Whoâs this?â
While Hao introduces you to Gunwook and Yujin, your eyes flit over to the spot youâd left behind. Ricky is still standing there. Heâs staring down, eyes trained on his cupped palms. âRicky, come carry the cooler!â Taerae yells out for him, snapping him out of his daze. Thereâs a faint tinge of pink painting his ears when he strides off, fists closed with the same shade painting his knuckles. Your pockets are a lot lighter now. If you were him, you would have quite honestly fallen for yourself.Â
Dinner starts. You ask Yujin why heâs friends with a bunch of old men. âTheyâre obsessed with me,â is his reply, and you canât debate with that. Not when five of them are suddenly yelling at Jiwoong for saying you should all play some drinking games to heat things up. It gets settled when Yujin and Gunwook are given glasses of apple juice, and the word âgoraeâ is now being repeatedly thrown over the table.
One thing youâve noticed is that Ricky is always a beat and half slow. Itâs stupid adorable. Gyuvin passes the never-ending whale baton to him and he just continues the beat without saying anything, looking around like a lost cat, before letting out a noise and collapsing against Hanbin the moment he realized he just lost.
Thatâs it. You canât take this anymore. Heâs pocket-sized. Youâre stuffing him inside your pocket. It doesnât help that his flushed face makes him look exactly like the strawberries he loves muchâ matching the red of his jacket, and itâs driving you insane.
âYou really do have a massive crush on him.â
Jiwoong invades your alone time once things have settled down a bit. Youâre in the living room, sitting cross-legged on the floor right in front of the sliding doors to the backyard. No, youâre not sitting here because it gives you a nice view of Ricky chasing Gyuvin around with his jacket as a makeshift weapon. Thatâs not true at all. âSay it louder, will you,â you grunt when he takes a seat next to you, hitting the corner of your beer can with his before he takes a swig.
âI donât have to. Not when youâre already practically outing yourself with your staring.â
You frown. âIâm not that obvious.â You double take. Then bite the inside of your cheek. âHey. I think Iâm screwed.âÂ
Jiwoong shakes his head with a laugh. âRicky is cute, isnât he?â
Case in point, him doing that scrunchy face, gummy smile, when he suddenly bursts out laughing. You nod somberly. All Jiwoong does is make fun of your demise.Â
Still, you think youâre being subtle enough. Ricky is slow. He told you this was his strength and weakness when Gyuvin asked you to tag along with them on a shopping trip one time. But for someone whoâs usually programmed to be in slow motion, he sure is quick to catch onto things when you donât want him to.
âSeonbae.â
His voice is soft, unassuming. Youâre both standing in front of Gyuvinâs apartment one late Friday afternoon. Youâre holding open one of his hands, cupping his knuckles from underneathâ something youâd never have anticipated to have the privilege of doing maybe three, four weeks priorâ dropping five pieces of candy onto his palm without much of a thought.Â
âYeah?â you hum.Â
He closes his hand and stuffs the fistful into his coat pocket, a completely blank and innocent face, before askingâ âdo you like me?â
Now, this wasnât in your monthly fucking bingo.
You stifle back a choking noise, completely caught off guard. âHâhuh?â Jiwoong was right. His only flaw is his overconfidence. You have no idea how to slip away from this unscathed. âWhatâ what makes you say that?â
Ricky blinks at you. âYou always give me snacks.â Youâre pretty sure candy doesnât qualify as snacks, but you digress. âDonât...donât they say the way to a manâs heart is through his stomach?â
Unfortunately for him, youâre swearing by a different psychological tactic. âWâwell, I always have a lot of candy with me! For my blood sugar, you know?â you sputter out the first excuse you can rummage from your short-circuiting brain. âAnd...and after finding out you liked strawberries a lot, it would be rude and selfish not to give you any if I have them, right?âÂ
Right? Please agree. Please stop asking any more questions. Ricky is pondering over your words, seemingly deep in thought with pursed lips, until those said pretty lips part open to say, âOh. Oh, I get it.â You donât know what he gets, but you roll with it. âThen again, it also doesnât make sense if you like me.â
The fuck does he mean that it doesnât make sense if you like him? Youâd kiss his face right here and now.
âYou turned down that date, after all.â
Insult to injury. He doesnât know that was the biggest regret of your life. You bite down your tongue and exhale sharply. âAh. Donât overthink it, Mr. Shim,â you tell him, finally knocking on Gyuvinâs door after standing in front of it for a good ten minutes. âOverthinking causes stress. Stress will give you wrinkles.â
âItâs okay,â he says, turning over the door upon hearing a click. âIâm still handsome when Iâm stressed.â
You breathe out a sigh. This is the man youâre down bad for. This is the man youâre helplessly pining for.
âI think youâd be more handsome with black hair.â
Surprisingly, that statement comes from Gyuvin and not from you. He opened the door just at the right momentâ an unimpressed look on his face upon seeing his unannounced visitors. âWhy have my Friday night invaders tripled?â he laments. Tripled? You donât ask and let yourself in despite his protests.
âIâm here to check on your term paper,â you inform, kicking off your shoes at the entryway.
âIâm here to play games,â says Ricky, doing the same.
âIâm here to play games too.â
For some reason, Gunwook had the same idea as you two to terrorize Gyuvinâs sacred Friday nights of solitude, but managed to act on it before anyone else. Heâs already settled on the floor of the living room like itâs his own, legs outstretched, switch controller in his hands. âHyung, letâs play!â he calls out to Ricky. Gyuvin reluctantly tells you to sit down before he grabs you two drinks from the kitchen.Â
âYou know what, I forgot to ask.â Gyuvin settles down two glasses of juice onto the coffee table with a suspicious eye directly zeroed in on you. âWhy were you two together outside?â
âSeonbae and I happened to meet each other downstairs,â explains Ricky. Which was true. You did somehow bump into each other at the building lobby, Ricky nearly closing the elevator in front of your face in the process.
âRight. I told you Iâm here to check on your paper, and Iâll be off once I do exactly that,â you tell him, mentally thanking Ricky for the save. âYou had a month to write so it better be decent. Give me your laptop.â
Gyuvin smacks his tongue, but does as you say anyway, while the other two boys loiter around the floor and fuck around with Gyuvinâs switch thatâs connected to the TV. Theyâre playing a Mario game. You pay them no mind, ignoring the non-human noises they make once Gyuvin reappears with his laptop. He warns you that this is still his first draft, but you didnât need that premise. The first page isnât even formatted correctly. Youâve got your work cut out for you.
âHey, hey, move over! Let me playââ
Again, you pay no mind to the noise. Itâs mostly coming from Gunwook and Gyuvin because Ricky is quiet when heâs focusedâ in this case, focused on hopping over some goombas. Heâs got a thin pair of glasses perched on his nose, lips pursed unconsciously into a noot noot, and fuck heâs so cute, and â no, youâre not paying attention to him. Youâre paying attention to your juniorâs paper. Youâre proofreading. Simply proofreading. You highlight some errors here and there, marking some corrections.Â
Yet again, you donât pay attention to the noise Gunwook and Gyuvin are makingâ
âAh. Iâm killing Gyuvinâs brothers.â
âbut Ricky suddenly makes a quiet remark, and you snort very, very loudly in response.
You slap a hand over your mouth. That wasnât funny. That wasnât funny at all and the other two didnât even seem to hear it. âWhy are you laughing?â Gyuvin looks at you, offended by the sound you just made. âDid I write something wrong in the analysis? Why are you laughing?â
âN-no, itâs justââ Your throat rips into a cough because itâs not easy to suppress a fit of chortles. Ricky looks so proud of himself, youâre going to cry. Youâre near choking and Gyuvin hops onto his feet and makes a beeline for you in a flurry.
âYouâre so mean! Give me back my laptop!â
This isnât a misunderstanding that you intend on clearing up, so you let him run off with his laptop back into his room to revise in private after youâve disrespected his work. Gunwook stretches up too, saying that heâs off to buy some snacks outside. âDo you want anything?â he asks. Ricky is feeding you his juice and patting your back because you canât stop coughing. âOkay. Ginger candy. Got it.â
Gunwook has left. Gyuvin is holed up in his room. And the fact that you and Ricky are alone in the living room right now isnât helping the state of your lungs. âAre...are you okay?â Ricky, the sweet, sweet angel, asks with those giant boba eyes and soft voice. You want to bite down your sleeve and chew it right off.
âIâmâIâm alright.â No, youâre not. Youâre sitting way too close on the floor, knees bumping, and the game over screen being reflected on the television right now is a perfect rendition of whatâs going on inside your head right now. âWhew. Iâm fine. Iâm perfectly okay.â
You honestly have no idea how youâve managed to keep it together these past couple of weeks. You donât know how you havenât jumped this guy yet. The video game is forgotten, and Ricky is scrolling through his phone. Heâs wearing a melon green sweater which, objectively, is an ugly ass color, but Ricky somehow pulls it off and looks extra fucking soft in it and youâre not godâs strongest soldier.
He lets out a soft laugh, notices you staring, and tilts his phone and scoots closer for you to see a dumb Tik Tok video. Your shoulders bump. You make a comment that fails to register to your own ears. âBy the way,â he starts. He places his phone face down on the tabletop. Whoa, this is a little dangerous. He shouldnât be pouring all his attention into you like this. âAre you free this weekend?â
You blink. Your brain is jumping into conclusions. âWhy?â
âWell,â he fumbles with the tips of his sweater paws. Youâre going to eat him. âMy uncleâs resort is opening a new branch, so thereâs an opening party. Everyone else is coming, including Gyuvin. Itâd be nice if you can come as well.â
âOh,â you open your mouth. Youâre a little surprised. âThanks for the invite, but I donât think Iâm fit for those kinds of events, you know?â
This is quite a bit of pressure. Ricky tilts his head, failing to understand what you mean for a second, but when he does he exclaims, âoh! Donât worry. We donât have to join the formal event. We can just eat dinner and mess around at the beach. The actual party will be boring, anyway.â
âAh.â Heâs an angel. Heâs so sweet. It hasnât even been long since youâve somehow been absorbed into their tight-knit group. Youâre not sure how it even happened.
Well, you were already friends with half of them separately. Gyuvin has been buzzing around you since he was eleven and you were thirteen. Hanbin and Hao have been your academic ride or dies ever since you met them in the first week of classes. Jiwoong has been a force you could lean on the moment he took you under his wing for your first major project in university.
And RickyâÂ
âTell me if you want to come,â he smiles. âSo I can reserve a room for you.â
Maybe this was bound to happen eventually.
âIâm done!â
Gyuvin has finally emerged from his room, stomping back to you and Ricky before slamming the laptop on the table before you. âI edited it. No more errors now. Praise me,â he says proudly. You give him a suspicious glance, sliding the device closer to you. âThis oneâs good, right? Tell me itâs good. Donât laugh. Laughing isnât constructive.â
Ricky is curious and pokes his face closer to yours, and you flinch. âYou misspelled âdebilitating,ââ he says. You gasp. Ricky, once again, looks so proud of himself. Gyuvin wants to die.
âGive it backââÂ
He snatches the laptop once more and starts aggressively typing next to the both of you. At the same time, Gunwook finally returns with a bag of miscellaneous snacks. âSeonbae, here you go,â he tosses a full bag of ginger-honey candy to you, which you now have no use for because you have stopped coughing.
âThanks,â you gruffly say. When you stuff it into your bag you notice Ricky staring at you. âDo you want some?â you ask. He doesnât answer your question but says something else entirely.
âYou donât need that anymore.â
Your eyes widen when Ricky snatches the bag of candy from you. He promptly opens itâ moving quicker than youâve ever seen him before, and rips open a piece before tossing it into his mouth.Â
Youâre in shock. What is he doing?
âHey, thatâs not for you!â Gunwook protests. Ricky responds by simply pelting him with another piece. Gunwook is speechless. Then retaliates by throwing a candy bar from his 7-Eleven bag to Rickyâs chest. It bounces onto his lap. Ricky grabs another piece of candy to flick at Gunwook. They start fighting. Gyuvin notices the fun and abandons his paper to join in.Â
This isnât how you planned your Friday to end up like. Then again, you didnât plan on developing a crush on your friendâs best friend either, so you canât really say anything else.
HANBIN HAS BEEN WAITING IN YOUR BUILDINGâS PARKING LOT FOR A GOOD TWENTY MINUTES NOW. Youâre already late for the event, so might as well make the most of your tardiness. Iâm still getting ready, you shoot Hanbin a text. You keep messing up your fucking eyeliner, and thereâs no way in hell youâre showing up to that damned, bougie ass event in front of Ricky with assymetrical eyeliner. His are always perfect and you donât want to lose to that.
âDude, we might miss the buffet!âÂ
Itâs Matthew yelling at you when the tinted front seat window rolls down as you sprintâ heels on, mind youâ to the car. âThe place is a resort! Theyâre never running out of food,â you yell back while throwing the backseat open and then throwing yourself inside.
Youâre breathing quite heavily. âAre we ready to go?â asks Hanbin, and you shoot him a thumbs up. Youâre too busy catching your breath to notice Yujin also co-occupying Hanbinâs car.Â
âNoona, how long did it take for you to get ready?â he asks.
âThree hours,â you reply with a grunt. Itâs a little hot so you open the windows, letting some air in. You canât risk your makeup melting. You need to be extra pretty tonight to stand a chance against all the rich people flooding that place.
âReally?â Yujin does the same. âI canât tell.â
Youâre speechless. You hear Hanbin swallow down a giggle. Matthew isnât even trying. This highschooler just roasted your ass. You need to put him in his place. âWhy are you out here on a weekend?â you click your tongue. âYou should be using this time to study.â
âI study enough already,â he protests.
âWhat was the Gyeongbokgung palace used for during the Joseon Dynasty?â
Yujin freezes. âWow,â he says robotically after a significant pause, just as mechanically turning his head to the window. âThe night air is so fresh.âÂ
You donât grill him further because Yujin is rightâ thereâs something different about the wind wafting through the atmosphere tonight. You let yourself sink into the carseat, let the breeze cool your cheeks, eyes fluttered close, until you reach your destination. The resort is far off from the cityâ the seaside, obviously, but you donât see the shorelane just yet. Only a towering building illuminated with warm flushed lights as the car drives up to the entrance, surrounded by ferns and foliage and an air of complete refinement.
The foyer floor is so shiny that you can see the chandelier reflecting from it. Are you allowed to step on this? Is this legal?
Upon entering the function hall however, your nerves become nothing. You already see a handful of people being completely, strikingly, and obviously out of place. All for different reasons.
You see Gunwook near the live band, somehow holding a conversation with two men that appear to be twice his age. Gyuvin and Jiwoong have comparatively way too much food on their plates as they camp right by the buffet. Hao is currently talking to a security guard while a suspicious looking vase is sticking out of his pocket. The only person that would be blending in well right now would be Taeraeâ if he wasnât wearing that bright purple suit ensemble.
Damn. You shouldnât have been worrying so much about being a fish out of water. These guys are way worse than you.
âI thought you werenât coming.â
But of course. Thereâs one guy that looks like heâs completely at home.Â
Matthew greets Rickyâs arrival with a half-hug, and the other two boys do the same while you respectfully stand and stare. Respectfully. Yes. You pay no mind to that dangerously unbuttoned-button down under than dangerously low-cut blazer. You are the embodiment of peace and serenity and giving him your business as usual smile. âHey,â you say. âSorry weâre late.â
When Ricky returns your stiff smile with one of pure ease and kindness, you swoon like a fucking loser. âYeah,â Yujin inserts. âShe was taking so long to fix her face.â
Your smile stiffens further. âI did not take so long, haha, what are you talking about.â
Yujin gives you a look. âYou said you took threeââ
And there goes your hand over his mouth to shut him up. âHaha. Letâs go eat, Yujinnie. Didnât you say you were starving?â Yujin muffles something out. You pinch his arm. âThanks for the invite, Ricky! Weâre off to sweep the buffet now!â
âWaitââ
You book it. Well. As fast as you can book it with these damned heels and with a large shoulder bag weighing you down because youâll be staying here overnight for free. Does the bag match your dress? No, it does not, but you donât know where your room is and youâre not well enough to talk to Ricky at the moment, so you suck it up and stress-eat at the buffet table with the Yujin you kidnapped. âWhy were you so embarrassed, noona?â he innocently asks while stuffing his cheeks with some meat skewers. âYou look pretty tonight and itâs all thanks to your hard work.â
Who has been teaching him these backhanded remarks? Who has been negatively influencing this child? You grunt and put a scoop of mashed potatoes on his plate, much to his displeasure, and continue eating your own damned meal.
âHey, can you take a photo of me?â
The moment youâre done with your not so pleasant meal, youâre skewed away by Matthew who wishes to hire you as his photographer. After that barbecue dinner last time, Matthew swore that you take the best photos of him and his entire IG feed for the past month is credited to you.Â
You look at him, displeased because youâre not wearing the appropriate attire to lay on the floor to ensure the best angles. âGo stand by the window.â Still, you take his phone from him and make do with what you can. âWhatâs your password again?â
âHao hyungâs birthday.â
âGot it.â
Now, stretching your legs and getting into various lunging positions arenât easy to do when youâre wearing a long and silky dress. But you are a woman of commitment, and your bag is weighing you further to the ground as you take a low-angle shot of Matthew. âOkay, now hold your necktie. Now look awayâ perfect. Thatâs it. Next one.â When you try to get up, gravity decides that it hates you. You wobble on the stilts of your shoes, nearly stumbling back, but you feel someone grab onto your arm and pull you up before your ass kisses the ground.
âWhoa, please be careful.â
Itâs Ricky. Of course, itâs him. When you look up, heâs got his eyebrows knitted together out of concern, strands of light wavy hair perfectly falling over said eyebrows and your breath hitches in your throat a little.
Heâs got his other hand held out, and heâs probably expecting you to take it to balance yourself to your feet, but you refuse to be a predictable woman.
Instead, you give him Matthewâs phone and help yourself up. âThanks. Iâm fine. Just slipped a little.â You have no idea why youâre acting coy right now. Maybe itâs because heâs being a little less cute tonight, being a little more dangerous insteadâ flinching the moment you feel his feathery touch on your shoulder as he removes the weight of your bag from your person, before passing it to an attendant that he calls over with a single look.
âCan you bring this to Room 207? Thank you.â
No, no, no, this is too much. This is too much for you. Why is he trying to be smooth? Why is he trying to swoop you off your feet without taking any responsibility?
âHyung, Iâll take your photos instead,â he says to Matthew, whoâs been watching the spectacle unfold and you pray to god that your unsubtle thirsting wasnât too noticeable. Matthew doesnât say anything about it, though. You assume youâre in the safe zone because all heâs doing is complaining when Ricky takes way too zoomed in photos of his face. âThis is a new trend. Just trust me.â
âSure? Okay, go on.â
You take this as an opportunity to escape, only to be called by Gyuvin back to the buffet table because, âhave you tried their gambas?! This shit is fire!â
When an old guy took the podium, you all took this as your cue to exitâ scattered off either to the beach, bar, or your Ricky-sponsored rooms. You have an entire room for yourself because thereâs no way in hell youâre sharing a room with any of those stinky boys. Your exhaustion is aching for a shower, and so you grant its request, and by the time youâre done freshening up and changing into a more comfortable set of clothing, you receive a text from Hanbin that theyâre all gathered at the beach.
âAh. The wind is cold.â
Wearing a thick jacket out was the right choice indeed. You stuff your hands into your pockets for warmth, feet sinking into the sand as you watch the mess before you. Theyâre all either running around, drawing things on the ground, or lounging on a picnic blanket under the starlit horizon. âSit,â says Jiwoong, tapping the empty spot next to him, and you oblige with a yawn. âItâs only eleven. Canât believe youâre sleepy already.â
âIâm getting old,â you tell him, letting your head drop onto your shoulder as you hug your knees. The rest are by the shore or in the water. You have no energy to join in at this point.
Jiwoong makes a distasteful noise at your statement. âWhat does that make me?â
âA fossil.â You yawn once more, craning your neck to bury your face into his arm. âIâm so tired.â
He chuckles. âAre you fine with Ricky seeing you like this?â
âPlease be quiet.â This time, you sneeze. Right into the sleeve of his shirt. Then you sniffle. âHeâs not even here.â Jiwoong is disgusted. He tips you off, picks up your wrist, and uses your hand to wipe off your âgerms,â or so he says.
âYouâre lucky he didnât see that. Where is he, anyway?â
The question is answered by Gyuvin when his energy finally gets exhausted from splashing around, flopping onto the blanket next to you and Jiwoong. âHe was still in our room when I left,â he says, out of breath. âI think he wanted to rest for a while.â
Gradually, the rest start to gather too. âWe havenât taken a group photo yet,â Hao brings up. âHeâs gonna sulk if we take one and heâs not here.â
Itâs as if you just got recharged with a full eight hours of sleep.
âIâll go get him,â you say, promptly standing up. âI need to pick up something from my bag, anyway.â Total lie. Jiwoong sees right through your bullshit and his teeth are showing through his smile. You flip him off and start making your way back, stumbling when Hanbin asks if you want him to accompany you, bringing back the hop in your step when Gunwook tells him, âsheâs a big girl, she can handle it herself.â Youâll get back at him for that later.
Two-one-three, two-one-three, two-one-three, you repeat the room number in your head as you go down each door in the hallway, ringing phone glued to your ear to inform Ricky that youâre going to barge into his room, but heâs not picking up. Maybe heâs asleep? Probably. Thereâs no response when you knock on the door and slot in the key Gyuvin gave you, and youâre met with dim lights and an eerie silence the moment you crack open the door.
âRicky?â you call out. Thereâs no response.
The light from the hallway leaks in to illuminate an empty bed. Huh. Where is he? What rouses even more questions is the odd positioning of what should be a bedside table, for some reason positioned at the foot of the bed and a few feet away from the open bathroom door. Thereâs also a mishmash of things stacked on the tableâ books, folded shirts, magazines, and some of which have fallen and scattered to the floor.
But those arenât the only things on the ground.Â
You quickly bring a hand to your mouth. âOh,â you wheeze out. âOh my god.â You try to cover it up with a cough, but itâs too late. A snort managed to slip through.Â
âStop laughing,â he protests from the floor. How could you hold it in when Ricky is right there, lying curled on the ground while hugging what seems to be his knee, bathrobe-clad, with papers and magazines scattered around and on top of him. A memo sheet is stuck on his cheek. His back is turned to you. His buzzing phone with your contact name on it is next to his head.
How the hell did he end up here?
âAreâare you okay?â you manage to say as you crouch down next to him. He doesnât budge when you try to roll him back. He lets out a grunt and tells you to leave him alone. âI canât, I was ordered to pick you up. What are you trying to hide? Why wonât you look at mââ
When you finally roll him to his back, you realize why.Â
âOh no.â
Rickyâs got a hand hovering over half of his faceâ the wrong half because you can very clearly see the red gash running down his right temple, but thatâs probably not what heâs intending to hide. Heâs got his brows in a sad and shameful furrow, glaring eyes refusing to look at you, and you can see the shades of pink coral and pink on his cheeks, slipping through the gaps of his fingers.Â
Heâs pink. Heâs so pink.
âDonât laugh,â he grumbles. âItâs not funny.â
You might as well eat him whole, holy fucking shit.
âNâno, youâre right. Itâs not funny. Iâm not laughing.âÂ
Youâre damn near about to break into a coughing fit again with how hard youâre trying to suppress your giggles. Based on the evidence laid down at the crime sceneâ namely his still damp hair, scanty bathrobe, misplaced furniture, and the mess of it allâ Ricky was likely trying to take post-shower thirst traps while Gyuvin was still out so he wouldnât be made fun of.Â
Slipping and hitting his head on the tableâs edge in the process was probably not part of his calculations. You fear you mightâve been the unintentional cause of this because you gave him a surprise call earlier.
âLetâs get you up, big boy. Grab my hand.â
Begrudgingly, he lets you pull him up. You instruct him to sit on the bed while you call room service for a first aid kit. The wound on his forehead doesnât look serious, but you decide to apply some ointment and put a bandage on it just in case. He winces when you clean the dried blood off with water. God, heâs too fucking cute. Your gushing is ruined by an incoming call.
âHanbin,â you greet, wedging the phone between your ear and shoulder because youâre still trying to patch up the poor boy. He scrunches his nose when the ointment touches his wound. âWeâll be there in ten minutes. A minor accident occurred. No, you donât have to come up here. Ricky is physically well and alive.â You canât say the same about his emotional state though. Heâs been quiet and frowning this whole time. âSay hi, Ricky.â
You pass him the phone. He looks at your phone wielding hand, a contemplative expression, then takes it. âDonât come,â is all he says to Hanbin at the other end of the lineâ a little too gruffly for your likingâ before tossing it off somewhere onto the bed.
Rickyâs eyes snap up to look at you. Maybe youâve been taking this situation a little too lightly.
âIs it done?â he asks in that same tone of voice, andâ oh. Oh, no. Youâre in a tight spot. Figuratively and literally because Ricky is leaning back against the bed, you slightly leaning into him because youâre simply, very innocently trying to bandage up his temple, and the most comfortable way to do it is having a knee propped up on the mattress, face hovering dangerously above his.Â
When you unavoidably make eye contact, you flinch and feel your bones rattle.
Oh.Â
Your gaze falters and your swallow down your dry throat, watching as the bathrobe slips down from his left shoulder in real time. Thatâs it. Youâre gone. Your brain has stopped working. Youâre starting to miss cute Ricky who gets excited over your strawberry candies. Where is he? Where did he go? This Ricky is a little dangerous. This Ricky feels like heâs going to fucking eat you alive.
âYâyeah. One sec.â Youâre not sure if you even managed to secure the bandage on his wound because the moment your skin touched his, you immediately flung yourself back from a ghost burn. âDid...did you hurt yourself anywhere else?â you ask. He shouldnât be looking at you like that. Why is he looking at you like that?
The brief silence that follows swallows you whole.Â
âIâm not sure. Can you check?â
Then spits you right back out because crazy fucking bastardâ what the fuck does he fucking mean by can you fucking check?Â
âOh, um.â Dry. Your throat is dry. Does he want you dead? Is that it? Does it not matter whether or not you get out of this room alive? You donât like thisâ whatever this is because you donât know whatâs wrong with him tonight. Did he get a concussion when he fell? Do you have to go take him to see a doctor?Â
Maybe itâs you that needs to go see a doctor. Because youâre pretty damn sure that this heart rate is nowhere near normal.
Knock, knock, knock.
âWeâre coming in.â
Karma acts quickly because you stumble back and nearly collapse into the floor as well. The door cracks open and you grab onto the nearest thing for balance, which, in this case, is a curtain you almost tug off from the window out of sheer force. âRicky slipped and hurt his head,â you blurt out the moment Hanbin and a few others enter the room. Rickyâs face drops into betrayal. Self-defense. You needed a diversion.
Taerae and Gyuvin are the ones that came with Hanbin, the former taking a long look at the room and its inhabitants. âOh,â he says after acknowledging the mess on the floor and the bandage on Rickyâs forehead. âOkay, Humpty Dumpty.â
Gyuvin lets out a snort. Ricky chucks a pillow in their direction. Thank god for their interruption because you donât know what would have overtaken you had they come five minutes later. âNo wait, did he really slip?â Gyuvin asks, a little too giddy and giggly about the whole ordeal. âDude, did you fall over while taking thirst traps?â
And youâre subsequently kicked out of the room while Ricky gets dressed into something more decent and gets made fun of by Gyuvin and Taerae.Â
âTook you guys long enough.â
Youâre all back at the beach now with a grumpy Ricky in tow. Gyuvin immediately runs off to snitch on his best friendâs misfortune to the rest. Heâs sulking, you notice, face down and hands stuffed in his pockets as the cool breeze flutters his hair in its embrace. âQuit making fun of him!â Hanbin scolds, and you spot Jiwoongâs expectant expression to tell him what you were up to alone in Rickyâs room.
Nothing You were up to nothing, you send the message through your glare. You couldâve been up to something had those three not interrupted, but would you have survived that? Your eyes flicker over to Ricky, whoâs trying to push Gyuvin off himâ traces of the tension and danger from the hotel room completely gone without a trace that you fear you might have just been imagining it out of the sheer feeling of want you harbor for the guy.
âCâmon, letâs take a picture!â
Before you know it, youâre gathered by the shore in a bluf, feet sinking into the sand, and you feel yourself bump into Ricky at the very moment the camera flashes to capture the scene.
âHey, this one came out nicely.â
It did. Youâre not sure about the rest, but this photo deserves to be tucked into your wallet and kept in a capsule.Â
Ricky is standing next to you, the tight frame leaving no gap or space in between. Youâre both smiling a little awkwardly. Itâs cute. You keep staring at it until your attention is pulled away by the very man himself.
âYou owe me something,â is Rickyâs introduction when he saunters over to you. You raise a brow, closing your phone. Looks like heâs finally gotten over what happened earlier. Gyuvin has finally stopped teasing him by moving on to messing with the sparklers Gunwook brought. You can hear their shouts and laughter from afar, but itâs all muted down.
âWhat do you mean?â you ask.Â
He takes out one hand from his pocket, an open palm outstretched. Heâs looking at you expectantly in wait. You break out into a soft laugh and shake your head. Maybe your candy-related scheme worked a little too well.
âI didnât think I was contractually obligated to do this now,â you hum, fishing out a few pieces of candy from your sweats before dropping them onto his hand. âMaybe I should stop.â
âYou canât just start something by yourself and suddenly stop all by yourself. Thatâs not fair,â he complains, accepting your offer. âYou have to take responsibility.â Only if he takes responsibility for your poor and shriveling heart. His tone is light, a smile playing on his lips, and at this pointâ youâre sure this isnât just a crush anymore. You might just be a little in love with Ricky Shen.
YOU HAD NO IDEA HAO WAS SO INFORMED ABOUT PROF SHINâS MAKEUP PREFERENCES. Itâs her birthday this upcoming week. You three freeloaders need to keep sucking up so you can maintain your office privileges, so you decided to buy her a present. Hanbin is unavailable, so itâs just you and Hao browsing the boutiques downtown, and you narrowed down your scope (and budget) to just buying her makeup.
You pull out a bright red lipstick from the display and show it to Hao. âWhat about this one?â you ask. Hao puts on a look of disapproval.
âShe doesnât like wearing bright colors. Maybe something more on the nude side would be better.â
Well damn, okay. You put the rejected stick back with the rest of its friends. The next one you pick out is also rejected because itâs glossy. âProf Shin prefers matte,â he further reasons. And now youâre starting to question exactly how and why he knows this. Hao doesnât humor your queries, though. You settle with a nude Laneige matte lip and a matching blush as a bonus.
âWeâre done here, right?â Hao asks after you two pay for the gift.
âHold on.â Youâre stopped by a certain item on display near the check-out counter. Youâre convinced that youâve definitely gone off the deep end at this point. The thoughts blurring inside your head the moment you laid eyes on the strawberry-flavored lip gloss for sale are a little too insane, even for you. Youâre not buying this. You donât even use gloss. This is crazy.
âThank you, please come again!â
You exit the store with your gift for Prof Shin and a new lip product. You are stressing yourself out.
The buzzing of your phone forces you out of your existential crisis. Itâs Gyuvin messaging the group chat. âHey,â you tap Hao upon reading the message. âWe donât have anything else to do right? You said you have extra gift boxes at home.â When Hao asks why, you show him Gyuvinâs message.
[gyubie cutie: no one wants to send off ricky at the airport with me? :( damn i really am his only friend].
You reply that you and Hao are on the way. You know that Ricky is leaving for a quick vacation to Shanghai today (two weeks before the semester ends, mind you) after an impulsive decision involving alcohol the other day with you and a few of the guys. At one point they suddenly became all emotional and the topic of their families were brought up. Ricky woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a phone screen that tells him his flight has been booked.Â
âWell, I guess Iâll just go,â he said over hangover soup and aspirin, as if he doesnât have exams in two fucking weeks, and as if Shanghai is just a bus ride away. Sometimes, youâre surprised with how easy going he is. The flight is at an awkward timeâ Thursday mid-noon, so itâs no surprise that no one else is free to see him off. You didnât mention anything about wanting to send him off and neither did he ask you to, so you thought why the hell would you do that unless you want to expose your ass full of feelings. But Gyuvin presented the opportunity. Who are you to turn it down?
âOver here!â
You spot Gyuvin waving at you two from a distance with outstretched limbs. You preemptively grab a handful of candy from your pocketâ battle ready because itâs been getting harder and harder to pass these to him subtly as of late with the amount of eyes constantly on youâ but you donât find the mop of blonde anywhere, even when youâve finally reached Gyuvinâs spot.
âHas Ricky left already?â you ask, brow raised. Youâd be pissed if Gyuvin baited you two here only for the guy to have already left.
âNo, no. Heâs here,â he assures. âHeâs around here somewhere. He bought some snacks not too long ago, but some girl stopped him to get his number. I lost him because seeing him get hit on made me gag so I had to look away for my safety.â
Well, thatâs both assuring and not. Then you remember you have no right to be jealous because Ricky Shen, as suspiciously as he may be behaving as of late (case in point, accidentally seducing you in a bathrobe the other week), he is still not your damned boyfriend.
âOh, there he is.â
Ricky who is not your boyfriend arrives, and the first thing he does is make you feel so fucking sorry that he isnât.
âWhoa.â
No wonder you werenât able to spot him right off the bat. His attention-seeking light hair is gone. No, he hasnât shaved itâ he dyed it freaking black and he looks so fucking good. âOh, uh,â is how you greet him. The words have completely dried out from your throat. Ricky is looking at you expectantly. Your mouth is hanging open pathetically. âWow.â Your eloquence is award winning.
He laughs. He wants you dead. âDoes it look weird? I needed natural hair for visa requirements.â
âNâno,â you sputter out. Gyuvin goes on to brag that he was right that Ricky would look great in dark hair and Hao proceeds to try and touch said hair, only to get his hand smacked by the hair-owner, while youâre still temporarily incapacitated to say or do anything. You donât get to say anything, because the clock strikes twelve-twenty, and Ricky has to go
âHave a safe flight, dummy,â Hao bids Ricky off with what you can only describe as a glomp, only to be assaulted by Gyuvin immediately after. Youâre standing there awkwardly like a fourth-wheel, hands tucked behind your back because you canât find the timing to say your farewells, and you missed the timing to pass the candy to him earlier after being so rudely jumpscared by his new look.
When Ricky finally manages to swat and push them both off, his eyes flash over to you. Your mouth curls into something sort of a smileâ youâre not completely sure. Ricky takes a step forward to engulf you in an embrace.
Oh. Oh, so weâre doing this now, you think, eyes flying wide open in surprise with a pathetic squeak. âThanks for seeing me off,â he murmurs softly, and you can feel his voice vibrating into your skin and penetrating your bones. You canât even reciprocate because he locks your arms tightly against your own body, and you feel his fingers unclasping yours behind your back, allowing him to take the strawberry pieces you intended to give, before pulling away with a dumb grin. âWant anything when I get back?â
You try to blink away the violent shock tremors youâre feeling right now. âIâveâ Iâve always wanted to try the sun cakes there.â Deep breathes. Youâre normal. Youâre totally normal.
Ricky takes his carrier from Gyuvin, sending you a small smile. âIâll buy you a hundred.â
âDonât overdo it,â you let out a breath. God, he drives you insane. âSafe skies. See you when you get back.â
The moment Ricky boards the plane, Gyuvin turns around to ask you two what you should have for lunch. âWhy are you so happy that your best friend is gone?â you ask with narrowed eyes the moment you three settle with the first food place you see at Terminal 1 of the airport. âDo you secretly hate him? Is that it?â
âHeâll be gone for two days max, give me a break,â he grunts. âAnd tomorrowâs Friday. That means I can get the whole evening and weekend to myself without anyone barging into my apartment.â
Your friendâs joy is reflected with how energetically heâs inhaling the bowl of stew. âDonât get ahead of yourself. Iâm gonna do a progress check on your paper tomorrow.â Gyuvin sets down the bowl, looking at you like you just sentenced him to prison. Hao is minding his own business and enjoying his meal. âWhat? Donât tell me you forgot that your deadline is in two weeks. Iâm checking it tomorrow, so make sure itâs at the very least decent.â
When Gyuvin tells you to stop nagging because it reflects your age, Hao had to stop you from throttling the man.
Anyway, the day passes and youâre at Gyuvinâs apartment to check on his paper.Â
âWhy are you smiling at your phone? Damn, sheâs finally lost it,â he says over another meal. You finished giving him your feedback and decided to just have takeout dinner with him. While eating, however, you received a text from Rickyâ a photo of his own meal and a thumbs up above the plate of skewers. Itâs been a day, but you can barely feel his absence with how heâs been texting you every hour from the moment he landed.
[ouricky: (photo attached) touchdown âïž].
[ouricky: (photo attached) this looks like u].
[ouricky: are u asleep yet?]
[ouricky: gyuvin told me ur at his place. tell him to eat shit for me].
[ouricky: (photo attached) dinner w my sister đ our meal is better than yours].
âWhat the hell, did you get a boyfriend?â You look up from your phone to find a very judgemental Gyuvin. âAfter rejecting all my attempts to set you up for romance? This is a personal attack. Youâre buying ice cream later.â
If only he knew you were texting his best friend. Not that you have any intentions on telling him.
âHey, why do you smell like strawberries?â Gyuvin asks after your meal, right when you decide to retouch your makeup as you ready yourself to leave. âIs that the candy you always bring?â
âItâs my new lip gloss,â You show off the pink bottle. âIt tastes like the fruit too.â
âWhoa, thatâs cool,â he snatches it from you, examining it a little too close to his face to sniff it. âWhereâd you buy it? Do they have one in mango?â
While trying to convince Gyuvin that he should maybe purchase actual mangoes instead of planning on eating an entire bottle of mango-flavored gloss, you also try to convince yourself that you definitely did not make this purchase yourself to try and seduce his friend. Ricky isnât even here. Youâre not wearing it for him. Youâre wearing it for yourself.
âIâm off! Iâll take you to the store next time.â
When you defend yourself and your new lip gloss against Jiwoongâs judgment the next morning, he tells you that Ricky probably doesnât feel the same way as you do. That you probably shouldnât think too much of it and hurt yourself with your expectations. But at this point, itâs reasonable for you to start overthinking, right? Right? What does Jiwoong know, anyway? Heâs not Rickyâs mother. Rickyâs mother is on a yacht with him right now, and you know because he just sent you a video and youâre damn near the precipice of falling headfirst into the depths of thinking he might just like you too.
âI just donât want you to get too ahead of yourself and end up getting hurt.â
Assuming youâre right and Ricky does like you backâ when the hell could it have started? The barbecue at Matthewâs? That one evening at Gyuvinâs apartment? That night in his uncleâs resort? You have no idea, much like how you have no idea how you somehow got absorbed into their mess of a friend group.
But a few little texts and inexplicable bouts of skinship here and there isnât enough to set you way too far off-the deep end. The way he looks at you might just be your imagination. Jiwoong could still be absolutely correct and youâre just tripping over your own assumptions.
Youâre not that quick to listen to your intrusive thoughts. Youâre still a little reasonable. Thatâs why you havenât fallen to your knees and blurted out your insurmountable feelings for him yet.
What does set you off to state beyond help, however, is a sudden phone call later that same Friday evening.Â
Morning, rather. Specifically at four in the morningâ waking you up from your sleep by its incessant buzzing. âHello?â you groan into the mic, voice still croaky and eyes barely open. âWhatâs up? Why arenât you asleep?â You have no idea why Ricky is calling you right now. The moment you hear his voice through the line however, you feel all five of your senses suddenly snapping wide awake.
âI thought itâd be a waste to spend my time here asleep,â he says with a soft chuckle. Oh, holy fuck itâs too early for this. Youâre not mentally prepared for this kind of voice from him yetâ low, almost a deep rumble, reminiscent of thunderstorms and clouds, only amplified by how heâs practically whispering into the core of your being through the phone.Â
You pull your blanket down and roll over to the side to give your heart a chance to breathe.
âYet you decide to call me at four in the morning instead of doing something more worthwhile,â you click your tongue, and you only hear Ricky laugh in response. âAre you planning on extending your trip? Whenâs your flight?â
âNo, Iâm leaving later. I still have to prepare for finals,â he replies. âFlightâs scheduled at 11 p.m.â
âAh, thatâs too bad,â you say. âIâm pulling an all-nighter at the library tonight. Deadline to catch. I donât think I can see you at the airport this time.â
âThatâs alright,â he hums. âNext time you can just come with me to Shanghai.â
You pause. Wait. Wait a minute. âHaha, yeah, itâ it would be nice to visit your hometown with the rest of the guys, yes.â Thatâs what he probably meant. You probably meant all of youâ many, pluralâ not just you and you alone. Haha. Of course.
But when Ricky takes a while to reply, you start to overthink, start nipping on the skin of your lip so hard that blood might draw.
âYeah,â he says after an awkward beat. âWith the rest of the guys. Yeah.â
You really need to hear Jiwoongâs voice of reason right now. Because all youâre hearing is the sound of your own heartbeat inside your ears like a hyperactive drum.
âAnyway, you must be tired. I should let you sleep now,â says Ricky after ruining all your chances of falling back asleep. You canât. The best you can do is get up before the sun and go on with your busy day so as to not think about this conversation too much.
âYou should be the one sleeping,â you manage to reply. âDonât forget my sun cakes.â
âMhm. Gânight.â
Crazy. This man drives you fucking crazy.
You donât return to sleep after that.
âOkay,â is Jiwoongâs expert opinion after telling him what happened later that same evening, having dinner with him at a McDonaldâs near the city library. Heâs put his kiddie meal on pause while you were telling him about Ricky Shen and his demonic antics at four in the morning. Heâs got his elbows on the table, fingers interlocked, and staring at you with a look so serious he might as well be diagnosing you with a disease. âI think youâre right,â he continues. âMaybe he does like you.â
The shriek you let out is almost inhuman.Â
Jiwoongâs lips quirk into a smile and he goes back to eating. âI told you! I told you I wasnât overthinking things! My lip gloss purchase is justified!â you proclaim. Jiwoong tosses a fry into your mouth to sedate you, and it works for a few chews until you start yapping again. âBut, god, now what? Heâs returning later or tomorrow. I have no idea how to face him.â
Your phone vibrates a message. âIs it Ricky?â he asks in an attempt to tease you, but all your face does is turn sour upon reading the text. âNo? Who is it?â
âWoong,â you say, setting your phone on the table. âAre you busy this evening?â
He furrows his brows. âI was planning on writing my paper. Why? Is there a problem?â
âGreat. You can work with me at the library the whole night.â
When you slide your phone over across the table, Jiwoong understands.Â
[jaeryeong: can i see you tonight? please? it wont take long. i just need to make things right].Â
âHeâs a persistent fucking cockroach.â
You grunt, taking back your phone. âYou should report him,â he says, and youâve completely lost your appetite. âScreenshot his texts and block his number. Iâll accompany you to the station if you want to handle this legally.â
âNo, itâs fine,â you scrunch your nose. Heâs a wimp, according to his ex-friend Gyuvin, so youâre sure he isnât gonna hurt you or anything. And your exams are coming up, so you donât want to deal with processing this entire thing while youâre already academically burdened as is. âBe my bodyguard for the night. If he tries anything, I can just throw you at him and run away.â
Jiwoong doesnât approve of your methods, but doesnât argue anyway. After eating you both finally head to the library where youâll be cooped up the entire nightâ tucked in the corner in your own respective cubicles.Â
Your friendâs worry starts stirring whenever he sees you check your phone every hour or so. He pulls back the desk chair upon noticing the serious look on your face, turning over to your direction in concern. âIs Jaeryeong texting you?â he asks. âDid he follow you here? Should I call the police?â
âNo,â you reply. âRicky sent me a photo of him at the airport. Heâs wearing ear muffs. Heâs so cute. I canât do this anymore.âÂ
Jiwoongâs face falls to an expression reminiscent of death and stops talking to you after that.
Well. You have been receiving texts from Jaeryeong, but you havenât opened them in case he gets motivated by the fact youâve read his messages. You still donât know how he and Gyuvin ended up being friends, but then again, Gyuvin was friends with a group of delinquents in high school. He wasnât part of the group. He just thought their vibe was cool.
âHey.âÂ
Itâs twenty minutes past twelve, Ricky is probably still on the airplane, and you havenât eaten anything since your 6 p.m. dinner. You poke Jiwoongâs arm, to which he blatantly ignores. âIâm gonna get something from the vending machine. Keep ignoring me and I wonât buy you snacks.â He says nothing but follows you when you get up, and you sneer at the man following you with a silent tantrum. âQuit sulking,â you tell him as you punch the numbers for coffee on the machine. âYouâre not cute enough for that.â
âIâm sorry for not being Ricky,â is the first thing he says to you after two hours of silence. âYouâre wearing that scheming lip gloss again, but heâs not even here.â You frown. He laughs and takes your place in front of the vending machine by cordially bumping his ass into yours the moment your drink falls down the chute. âYour phoneâs flashing by the way. I think Rickyâs calling.â
You look down, bringing up your phone, and sure enough calling ID âourickyâ is giving you a call.Â
Heâs calling. He is calling you.
Your eyes flash back up to Jiwoong, widened in surprise.Â
Why is he calling you?
âDid he send a message in the group chat that he arrived?â you ask, suddenly panicking as the phone relentlessly vibrates in your hand. âHe didnât, right? Why would he call me first? What time is it? Wasnât his flight just an hour ago?â
âFor someone whoâs been pretty confident that Ricky likes you back, youâre sure acting funny,â he hums, leaning against the vending machine and taking a sip from his cold brew while youâre having a mental breakdown. âAnswer it. Go on.â
ââIâm scared!â you exclaim. âWhat if instead of saying hello I end up blurting out that Iâm in love with him and ask him if he feels the same way?!â
You take too long to make a move so the phone line gets cut off. But when Ricky calls again, Jiwoong wastes no time to snatch your phone from your hands, click answer, and put the damn thing on loudspeaker for the entire fucking world to hear. What the hell are you doing? your scrunched up face says to him. Doing you a favor, his arrogant eyebrows reply. You attempt to snatch your phone back, arms in a desperate move to retrieve to deviceâ
âHello?â
âbut they freeze mid-air at the sound of Rickyâs voice blurring through the speaker.
Jiwoong grins. You slowly get your phone back and press it to your ear. âYes. Hello. Whatâs up?â You give Jiwoong the nastiest glare you can muster, but flinch back the moment you hear Rickyâs voice again.
âAre you still at the library?â he asks.
âYeah.â You elbow Jiwoong when he laughs at your sudden switch-up. âWhy?â
âCome down.â
What?
âIâm outside.â
Itâs almost stupid how your body starts moving on its own.Â
The cold air bites your skin the moment you break past the doors, met by the dim sky and muted sight of the empty plaza square outside the library entryway. But itâs not completely emptyâ no. Ricky, whoâs supposed to be still on the plane ride back to Seoul, is standing five feet away from you, eyes flickering up from his phone the moment you arrive, a slow, soft smile blooming on his face and cheeks.
You see the suitcase next to his feet. Jiwoongâs words echo in your headâ maybe youâre right, he said, maybe he does like you. Itâs not just a maybe anymore. Itâs not just your mind making things up.
Ricky, who is supposed to be in the air halfway between Seoul and Shanghai, went straight from the airport to the city library just to see you.
Youâre usually the one doing dumb things because of him. This time, itâs not you.Â
Itâs him.
âHey, are you crazy? Did your flight schedule change?â You stomp towards him, closing the gap between the both of you with big strides and quick steps. âWhy didnât you update us? Jesus, you gave me a scare when you said you were here.â
Rickyâs only reply is a laugh, and your intent to scold him more gets stuck in your throat and you stumble a little when you abruptly halt right in front of his feet. You look at him, batting your eyes in an attempt to blink away the possible pink and hazy filter youâre seeing him with, but it doesnât work. He is just this pretty. He is just this dreamy. He is just soft and soft and soft when his eyelashes flutter above his big, dark irises as he looks at you, when his stained hair frames his face a little too perfectly, when the corners of his lips lift ever the slightest to resemble a smile.
âThatâs not how you usually greet me,â he says. âArenât you going to give me anything?â
Your heart stirs. âWhat?â Arenât you supposed to be the one asking that? He promised to buy you a hundred sun cakes, and youâre pretty sure those wonât fit inside his one suitcase. âOh. Oh, wait.â You pat around your pockets, only to realize you left all your candy in your bag back with Jiwoong.Â
âSorry,â you tell him, feeling a little guilty. âI was in a rush to get down. I wasnât able to bring any with me.â
Instead of responding with disappointment, Ricky just hums and leans a little closer. âReally?â He suddenly nudges his face into yours, noses bumping, and your eyes widen in surprise. âBut you do have something else.â
Heâs close. His face is hovering a little too close to yours to be smiling cheekily unaffected like that. You can feel his warm breath on your lips and youâre starting to feel dizzy.Â
âIt smells sweet,â he says and you thinkâ oh. Heâs not good for your heart.
Maybe itâs because heâs officially driven you to the breaking point of being crazy, or maybe itâs because the cold has completely frozen all the sane parts of your brain, but the words youâd usually keep tucked between your thoughts and confidentiality suddenly come stumbling out of your mouth before you can stop yourself.
âDo you want to know if it tastes sweet too?â
You gasp after realizing what you just said. You look at Ricky with a face aghast with surprise, jumping back because holy fuckâ why did you say that? Why? Youâre crazy. Youâre stupid. You bite down your bottom lip and taste the dull flavor strawberry mocking the tip of your tongue. Youâre insane. You have officially lost it.
If you were Ricky, youâd probably call yourself crazy too, but he doesnât do that.
Instead, he does something even crazier by taking your offer and pressing his lips against yours.
It doesnât register that Ricky just kissed you until after the fact, and youâre staring at him with wide, blinking eyes, lips feeling fuzzy, head afloat beyond reach, and himâ at an armâs length awayâ eyes averted with pink strawberries dusting his cheeks, much like the color slightly glazing his lips, as if he wasnât the one who just pulled your trigger.
He ran his mouth about taking responsibility the other day.
Youâre going to show him responsibility with your mouth.
âSâsorry, that was too sudden, I justâ mmphâ!â
Two months of pining after him come crashing down the moment you pull him by the collar to finish what he started and godâ his lips are softer than you thought, sweeter than you thought, and itâs not just the strawberry lip gloss smudged between your teeth and tongue, melting into what you can only describe as the best fucking kiss in your entire life.
Ricky pulls away to breathe. You chase after his lips once more in a short-winded daze, only to stumble into his chest and he catches you by cupping your face to press another kiss to your mouth. âAh. This is bad,â he murmurs between barely parted lips. âI donât think the candy is gonna cut it anymore.â
For a second there, you thought he was gonna say that youâre a bad kisser.Â
âYou should greet me like this from now on.â
YOU WAKE UP THE NEXT MORNING VIA SUFFOCATION FROM THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE AND A TEXT MESSAGE FROM A PESTERING RAT. Blurry eyes and barely conscious, you try to roll over on the bed but physically cannot with how Ricky is squeezing your torso with his arms, his nose buried against your nape as he curls up into you from behind.Â
You cannot move. You try your darndest to wiggle an arm out because your phone is incessantly buzzing on his bedside tableâ the only thing from your belongings that you brought with you last night because your haul to the library was left behind with Jiwoong, whoâs probably the one texting you right now for ditching him.
When you finally retrieve your phone however, it is not Jiwoong whoâs texting you.
Itâs Jaeryeong. Squinted eyes read [how could you replace me with a grey-haired twink???] and [donât even dare try contacting me, bitch] and the first thing you feel is confusion. Then you remember that Jaeryeong is a freak and probably followed you to the library that night, and saw you making out with Ricky in front of a public educational building.
Well. At least that stopped him from bothering you again. The question now is whether or not you should tell Ricky about this.Â
âIâm going to kill him.â
You do tell him, in between washing his hair in the bathroom to get the remnants of spray stains out of his hair because Jaeryeongâs comment pissed you off. âIâm gonna kill him the moment I see him,â says Ricky with a lovely towel wrap on his head. Youâre looking at him through the mirror and the scary face heâs trying to put on is promptly negated by his spa-day look.
âDo you even know what he looks like?â you raise a brow, freeing him from the towel head to reveal a damp mop of light hair. You throw away the muddled towel and grab a fresh one to dry his head.
âIâll ask Gyuvin,â he says, face covered by the towel, and you snort.
âI think weâll have a problem with that. I was kind of hoping to keep this secret for now.â
Ricky suddenly throws his head back, causing the towel to fall to the floor and the top of his head bumps into your stomach. âWhy?â he asks, upside down, big brown eyes staring right into your soul like a premeditated attack shooting you square in the chest. He canât pull this move. Thatâs illegal.Â
âBeâbecause Gyuvin is annoying and he wonât let me hear the end of it,â you manage to say. Youâre not going to fold. Youâre not going to give in. âYou know how I turned down that blind date with you right?â
The mention of it prompts a frown to tug on the corners of his mouth and itâs the second onslaught against your heart. âRight,â he huffs, lifting his head up to turn around and face you, looking up with a displeased expression, yet his actions say all but displeasure when he tugs on the hem of your shirt, pulling you towards him so he can lock you in place with his arms around your waist.
âQuit pouting,â you tell him. It hasnât even been twenty-four hours. Youâre not sure if youâre gonna last a month with him being like this.
âGyuvin said you thought I was ugly,â he says. âThatâs why you said no to the date.âÂ
All the adoration you feel gets extinguished in an instant.
You have never heard a more blasphemous statement your entire life.
âI never said that!â you shriek. âThatâs not true at all! I didnât even know what you looked like until we met for that Hadong trip that day!â
Ricky winces at your sudden volume and youâre quick to simmer it down and apologize by hugging his head to your torso. âOh god, Iâm so sorry,â you say. âI turned down the date because your best friend has traumatized me with all the previous blind dates heâs tried setting up. Jaeryeong isnât the only disaster Iâve experienced. Every single guy heâs set me up with has been trash, so I thought youâd be just like the rest too.â
Maybe this isnât a conversation you should be having in the bathroom of his apartment, but you digress. Ricky unburies his head and looks up at you once more. âSo, am I?â
Again. Youâre going to fucking eat him one day. âNo,â you cup his face. Youâre perfect, youâre an angel.â Maybe if youâd given him and Gyuvin a shot that day, then maybe your first meeting wouldnât have been as awkwardâ but either way, regardless of the situation, youâre pretty sure youâd still somehow eventually find yourself falling for this loser.
You lean down, ready to dip into a kiss, only to hear an alarming noise outside the bathroom door.
âRicky! Why didnât you tell us you were back?!â
Oh, for fuckâs sake.
Youâre pretty happy that Ricky is quick to listen to your request because he immediately scrambles to his feet and tells you to stay inside the bathroom for the time being. âHey, heâs not in his room,â you hear Gyuvinâs voice from outside, followed by Yujin suspecting that Jiwoong lied to them, followed by Gunwook saying that Ricky is definitely around, evidenced by his unmade bed and half-unpacked suitcase.Â
âIâI think Iâd have to lock the door,â he mumbles to you, holding the doorknob and ready to leave. âWhat if they suddenly barge in?â
âItâs okay. You should go out before they actually barge in while weâre both still in here.âÂ
Cue heavy knocks against the bathroom door. âRicky! Are you in there?â Ricky grumbles out a swear and quickly slips out of the bathroom, a click on the knob, and youâre officially locked inside your boyfriendâs bathroom within the first twenty four hours of dating him.
Now, this is just great.
You have the privilege of eavesdropping into their reunion through the muffled audio on the other side of the door. âWho were you talking to?â you hear Gunwook ask.
âMy...myselfâŠâ Ricky answers, and you feel excessively sorry for him so you decide to repent by cleaning up his bathroom. The problem is, even after youâve finished cleaning, youâre still stuck inside because for some fucking reason, those three have no intentions of leaving.
âHey, should we order some food?â
âOh! Sounds good!â
âLetâs watch a movie, Iâm bored.â
[ouricky: iâm so sorry they just wonât leave đ]
You slump to the floor, back sliding down the shower glass. Maybe...maybe this is your karma for turning him down the first time and asking him to hide your relationship. Honestly, you should have known it wouldnât be easy to keep things hidden from seven pairs of eyes (Jiwoong knows and has sworn secrecy in exchange of being his research lackey). Itâs especially difficult considering youâre chronically touch-starved and must always have Ricky Shen around you to hold. So when you have another barbecue dinner at Mattewâs the weekend before your finals, and when Rickyâ out of a newly formed habitâ tries to greet you with a kiss on the face right in front of his fucking friends, you panic and end up shoving the poor boy, causing him to kiss the floor instead.
Your mouth is wide open. âOh. Oh my god, Iâm so sorry.â Hanbin and Hao hear the very distinct thunk and start questioning.
âWhy...is he on the ground?â Hao looks down to see Rickyâs half-alarmed, half-confused face as he half-lifts his body off from the floor. Your face is burning. Oh god.
âHeâs repenting,â you say through your teeth.
Ricky tries blinking away the shock.â...Yes...I made a mistake.â
Youâre going to lock away your strawberry lip gloss from now on. Itâs too hazardous. Hanbin tells you that âfriends should get alongâ and asks you to help him set the table, leaving behind Ricky whoâs being pulled back to his feet by Hao. When you see Jiwoong, who saw the whole thing, at the table looking at you with an insufferable look on his face, you flip him off.
âAre you in a bad mood today?â asks Hanbin as he passes you a stack of paper plates. âYou keep butting heads with the boys.â
Youâre speechless. You canât even defend yourself if you wanted to so you resign to mumbling out a bitter apology and equally bitterly start arranging the plates on the table, much to Jiwoongâs pure and raw amusement.
When you guys start eating, you even make sure not to sit next to him. You are instead sitting next to Gyuvin, and Ricky is sitting in front of him. Theyâre both bickering over something againâ chopstick-fighting against each other over the table while you half-listen to Matthew whoâs sitting on your other side, complaining about Prof Shin and her impossible exam coverage as you clean off your plate.
âYou took her class last year, right? Which lessons did she focus on?â he asks.
âReview the most recent ones. I think she just took five or six questions from the earlier lessons,â you reply, grabbing a slice of the gyukatsu you bought and heated up as a potluck, and absentmindedly place said slice on Rickyâs plate.
It gets quieter all of a sudden.
Ricky, Gyuvin, and Matthew are all looking at youâ one more alarmed than the rest, and the realization drains all the blood out of your face.
âYujin, you should try this too!â you try to play it off, placing another piece of gyukatsu on Yujinâs plate, whoâs sitting right in front of you. And for good measure you do the same to all of the plates within your arms reach, all while swallowing down the desire to bury yourself into a hole, never to emerge ever again.
âWhoa, thanks.âÂ
This whole secret relationship thing is harder than you thought, and Ricky is very visibly sulking that youâre giving away his current favorite dish to just about anyone. Looks like you have a grown man that needs to be coaxed back into affection tonight.
Jiwoong tells you that you should just come clean and stop making it harder for yourself. You firmly refuse because even though you are having a lot of trouble and even though you definitely want to kiss Ricky and his pretty face without the fear of getting walked in on by his friends who donât know the concept of privacy, this set-up is still better than the bane of your existence, Kim Gyuvin, making fun of you until the day you die.
The said bane of your existence treats you all out to another dinner because he finally got his grade for his community development project. He says you have no choice but to come since youâre the reason he got an A.
Itâs an easy dinner. You and Ricky even agreed to arrive at separate times with him tagging along with his hyungs, and you chaperoning the children while waiting for the rest of their arrival at the chinese restaurant. The problem comes when they arrive. Specifically, when Ricky arrives because for some god damned, unplanned reason, he arrives wearing the same distinctly floral-patterned short-sleeved button down youâre wearing.
âOh.â
He doesnât even fucking wear florals. Why did he decide to switch up today?
Never had you thought that the day would come where youâd be begging to bring back toxic masculinity, but here you areâ mouth agape, aghast, and awkwardly standing from your seat at the round table because the shirts are way too obvious to be left unnoticed.Â
âTake it off,â you immediately demand. âThis is absurd. Take it off and quit copying me.â
âWow, are you two couple-shirting?â Taeraeâs comment stirs a faint blush on Rickyâs cheeks. Why is this idiot blushing?Â
âIâm sorry to inform you, but Rik wears it better,â says Gyuvin.
Youâre thankful that the same-shirt fiasco ended there. You try to ignore Ricky throughout dinner, but god damn it, Gyuvin is rightâ that shirt does look pretty damn fine tucked into his slacks and framing his broad shoulders like that and itâs making you angry.
Ricky catches you checking him out from across the table and you catch him subtly smirking. Oh, what a psycho. Youâre not letting him off.
âIâm going out for a bit,â you announce, standing up quite loudly with how your chair scrapes against the floor. âNeed fresh air. Be back in a bit.â Thankfully, they donât stop you when you retreat to the cluster of grass and trees and plants tucked in one corner of the outside parking lot of the restaurant. When you take out your phone and prepare to send a message, the person you intended to message has already walked into your field of vision.
Ricky leaves the restaurant not long after you did, looking around the lot until his eyes land on your little corner, a sparkle in his eyes, and he jogs his way right over to you.Â
âAh. Not today.âÂ
You hold up a hand in front of your face and Rickyâs nose bumps into your palm when he leans in to get a bite of your lips.Â
He scrunches his face, wincing backward, confused. âYou have wronged me tonight, Mr. Shim,â you say, dropping down your hand to complete your cross-armed display of beration. âYou should reflect on your actions before trying anything funny.â All Ricky does is blink at you with those pretty brown eyes and noâ youâre not going to give in. Youâre biting down your tongue very hard so you donât get swayed by those dangerous weapons (said pair of pretty brown eyes).
Ricky takes a step closer, or maybe he tugs you closer to him because you suddenly feel a pull on the belt loops of your trousers, face hovering just a few inches away from yours, pressing his lips together into a pout as he tries to get you to give in to his whims, but you are immovable. You are a mountain. You are this close to squeezing your eyes shut because heâs making it very hard for you right now to not kiss his stupid face.
When that doesnât work, he resorts to his other weapon. That is, being sickeningly shameless.
âI didnât mean to wear the same shirt as you,â he says, voice low. âShould I take it off?â
Thatâs it.
You hit his chest with a closed fist. âOw!â Then you use the same hand to grab a fistful of that darned shirt and slam your lips against his because who are you kidding? You are not godâs strongest soldier. If Ricky bats his eyes at you and tells you to jump off a cliff, you might just do it.
When you hear him grunt into your mouthâ something snaps. You pull him in deeper, other hand fixed on the back of his neck, the taste of strawberries mixing with spit and short breaths and the only time youâre letting him off is when you get lightheaded from the lack of fucking oxygen.
You pull back with a gasp. Ricky is flushed scarlet and his eyes are out of focus. âWow, um. Uh.â You wipe off the smudged lip gloss from the edges of his mouth. He looks like heâs about to pass out.
âYou two are so fucking disgusting.â
The sudden sound of Taeraeâs voice feels like a bullet to the head.
Your face freezes. Your neck creaks, turning to the right, and you see Taerae standing a few feet away from you two, arms crossed with a face wound up in revulsion and sheer judgment and now you feel like the one passing out. You feel five years of your life getting scraped off against a sandpaper bed in real time. You want to fucking die. âHâhyung,â you hear Ricky say. âWhatâwhat are you doing here?â
âThe guys are wondering where you two went, so I went out to check,â Taerae simply says, scrunching his nose before continuing. âI really did not need to see that.â
You feel the heat running up to your forehead. Oh god. Maybe you shouldâve learned your lesson the first time you got caught making out with him in public. âIââ you start, a single syllable falling out of your throat before your mouth completely dries up. What are you even supposed to say in this situation? How do you explain to Taerae that this is not what it looks likeâ even thought this is exactly what it looks like?
âItâs alright. You donât have to explain. I knew all this time that you two have a thing.â
âHaha.â Youâre sweating. Youâre sweating so bad. You feel Ricky squeezing your sweaty hand. God, youâre totally screwed. âWhat are you talking about, Tae?â
âI heard your conversation in the car on our trip to Hadong like two months ago.âÂ
Well, shit.
âI woke up when Ricky nearly killed us all on the road. You two are the most unsubtle people Iâve ever met. Quit looking surprised. Do I have to mention the way you eyefuck him whenever youâre in the same space? Girl, youâre not fooling anyone.â
You peer at Ricky and he looks a little too happy to hear that. Youâre dizzy, youâre nauseous, and you want to sew Taeraeâs mouth shut right now. âDoesâŠdoes anyone else know?â you ask, scared, and you tug Ricky out of your unhelpful corner and start heading back to the restaurant before someone else comes out to look for you.
âWell. Iâm not so sure. Theyâve never brought it up when you two arenât around so I donât think so,â Taerae replies, and you let out a sigh of relief. âI think Gunwook is onto you, but Gyuvin for sure doesnât know.â
âOh, thank god.â
Taerae raises a brow. âWhy are you even keeping it from him? Itâs not like heâs gonna disapprove or get mad. In fact, itâll be his dream come true since heâs been trying to sell Ricky off since last year.â
The restaurantâs lights get brighter as you walk towards it. âIâm not hiding it because Iâm scared heâll get upset. Iâm hiding it because heâs gonna rub it all in my fucking face and I have way too much pride to deal with that, thank you very much.â Ricky laughs. You shoot him a dirty look.
âOkay. I get it,â says Taerae. âYouâre not a normal person either. No wonder you get along with everyone.â
âHyung, that includes you too.â
âI know,â he huffs. Youâre in front of the restaurant entrance now, and you make sure to wedge Taerae between you and Ricky for an extra safety layer. âI donât think doing that is going to help, but whatever. This is none of my business, so you donât have to worry about me telling anyone that you and Ricky are datingââ
âYou and Ricky are dating?!â
Well, shit.
Maybe youâve been out for too long. Because thereâs suddenly seven people right in front of the restaurant doors, probably on their way to look for you, only for you to come walking back and getting absolutely fucked in the ass in the process.
Gyuvin was the one who made the very astute observation. His eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open in disbelief. You shoot Taerae a look. He presses his lips together and feigns innocence. âOh. What are you all doing out here?â he says. So much for not telling anybody.
âYou!â Gyuvin ignores him to point an accusatory finger at youâ âand you!â âdoing the same with Ricky as the shock completely penetrates his facial muscles. You swallow, eyes flitting over at Ricky and the both of you share the same guilty look. âWhat do you mean youâre dating? What?! How?! Since when?!â
Gyuvin throwing a fit aside, what bothers you more is how completely unfazed the other six areâ even Yujin. What the hell? Jiwoong is given. He looks like heâs having the time of his life. But why the hell is Matthew looking at Gyuvin like heâs about to laugh? âCâmon, man. Theyâve been together since the first barbecue dinner obviously. How could you not notice?â he says, and now youâre just as alarmed as Gyuvin is.
âSeriously?!â your poor friend looks betrayed, but youâre in a state no better than him because what the fuck is Matthew saying? Heâs way off the mark but have you seriously been this fucking transparent all this time?
âI donât think so. Iâm pretty sure they started dating when we went to the resort,â inserts Hanbin, and youâre absolutely at a loss. âThe phone call, disappearing off together like tonightâ the hotel room. Iâm surprised you didnât catch on, Gyu.â Hao agrees. Yujin nods and says âwhy else would you spend three hours just getting ready for a lame event,â and you want to melt into the ground.
You canât do this anymore. You want to go home.
âNo!â Gunwook butts in, refusing to be left out. âTheyâve been together since that one night at Gyuvin hyungâs apartment! I bought noona a pack of candy for her cough and Rick immediately got jealous. They even showed up together. Iâm telling you. Theyâve been together for longer than you all think.â
At this point, you have no idea how to diffuse this situation. Theyâre all arguing about when or how you and Ricky got together. Jiwoong is laughing his fucking ass off. Taerae is trying his best to act like heâs had no part in this. Gyuvin looks like youâve just twisted a knife into his back.Â
âCan...can I say something?â
Itâs Ricky who speaks up and puts everything to a halt. They all look at him. You look at him. He clears his throat, slipping past Taerae so he can reclaim his rightful spot next to you, and makes your face flush a thousand degrees when he shyly hooks his pinky finger around yours and says, âYouâre all wrong,â he says softly. âItâs only been sixteen days and twenty hours.âÂ
Oh.
Itâs quiet. You canât look at him. You have your face turned down in a heated embarrassment. You physically cannot look at him and everyone else and the fact that none of them are saying anything is making things all the more worse.
Kill me. Just kill me now.
âHyung, youâre so lame,â Yujin breaks the silence of dread. And just like that, they go on as if nothing just happened.
âHey, did we split the bill?â
âOh, Gyuvin paid for it all.â
âIâm riding in Bin hyungâs car!â
âThanks for the meal! You three get home safe!â
Youâre in a daze. These fuckers just gossiped about your ass and called it a day.Â
Youâre not sure if you should be relieved or offended that they didnât dwell any more on the topic of your relationship. They leave you behind with Gyuvin and Ricky, whoâs legally obligated to drive you both home, and itâs so eerily quiet that you want to die. âIâllâIâll sit in the back,â you say, oddly reminiscent of your first meeting with Ricky, and Gyuvin simply sits in front without speaking a word to you. You fear he might actually be upset that you didnât tell him.
Oh no. You make eye contact with Ricky through the rearview mirror as he starts driving. Do something. What should I do? I donât know! I donât know what to do either! and you cut your conversation short the moment you hear Gyuvin scratching his throat clear, and you jolt and straighten yourself in your seat like a guilty convict on the way to the station.
You end up not doing or saying anything until you finally reach your apartment. Ricky attempts to get out of the car to walk you to your door, but you stop him with one look because you feel bad enough as is to leave Gyuvin in the car alone. âThanks. You two get home safe,â you say before shutting the door. The moment you close it, however, the passenger door clicks open in its place.
âHold on.âÂ
Gyuvin is out of the car, and you stop in your tracks to turn around and face him, pressing down your lips together because god, you feel so fucking bad. He should be making fun of you right now, not looking all serious! He should be gloating and rubbing it in your face that you shouldâve just taken his offer!
Heâs got his arms crossed and looks disappointed. You see Ricky peeking out from the rolled down window in concern, ready to step in in case things get ugly. âI knew youâd be into him,â Gyuvin finally says. âI told you, heâd be different.â
Wait. Wait a minute.
Suddenly, heâs grinning again. A stupid fucking devious grin and you feel your soul escaping from your body. âDid I scare you?âÂ
Oh no. Youâre not dealing with this shit, youâre absolutely not dealing with this shit at all.
âIâm going inside. Good night.â
âYou shouldâve just taken my offer the first time!â
âShut up. Shut the fuck up.â
âAnd you shouldâve told me you changed your mind. Maybe if you did, you wouldnât have had to wait for two months before you started dating himââ
âIâm not listening, Iâm not listening!â
âThis is what you get for not trusting me!â
âLeave me alone!â you shriek, stomping up to your building entrance while Gyuvin happily chases you down, and you struggle to press the right numbers on the keypad so you hiss out a swear.Â
âNo way. This is too good. Iâm telling your mom about this,â he grins. You want to cry. âOh, and I can take the bus from here. Ricky, come out of hiding and help your girlfriend get inside her building! She looks like sheâs having trouble opening the door.â
Itâs almost ridiculous how the urge to throw yourself onto Ricky overtakes you the moment he shows up, but youâre not giving Gyuvin another reason to make fun of you until the day you die. You tell Gyuvin to fuck off and he tells you to not have too much fun before finally going away. Youâre tired. Youâre absolutely tired, and you let out a groan into Rickyâs chest and let yourself sink into his warmth the moment youâre sure Gyuvin has left the premises.Â
âItâs open,â he says, prompting you to get inside but you donât budge.
âYour friend is annoying,â you muffle into his shirtâ the damned floral shirt that started tonightâs cataclystic mess.Â
âHeâs your friend too.â You let out a grunt. Ricky soothes circles on your back and lets you throw your silent tantrum a little longer. âGyuvin is right though. You shouldâve just said yes the first timeâ ow!â
Rickyâs appalled confusion when you land a hit on his chest almost makes you feel a little better. The problem is, you did the same thing earlier and pulled him into a scandalous kiss immediately after, so heâs once again staring down at your lips like heâs waiting for it. Holy shit. Your psych class didnât warn you about this. This is a little insane.
Your powers are too strong. The power of strawberries is too strong. But youâre not thinking straight right now, emotions at a high after the events that unfoldedâ so you donât think and give him exactly what he wants, ending the night with the sweet taste of tart, and another breathless exhale brushing over his now swollen lips. âI think Iâve brainwashed you,â you say in between bated breaths. âMaybe itâs not me you like. Maybe itâs the candy and the strawberries. You should cut off on the sweets.â
âThatâs not true,â he grunts, pressing in another kiss, pulling away with his teeth grazing your bottom lip with a tug. âI liked you from when Gyuvin told me about you. I like you. I like this.â
Well, thatâs one way to drive a woman mad. Gyuvin was right. Maybe you shouldâve taken that first chance when you had it, but it doesnât really matter anymore because either wayâ youâre certain that the outcome would be the same.
âOh, what the fuck? Gyuvin just texted.â The door is still still left hanging open, and youâre still pressed up against him when you look down to check your phone. âThat son of a bitchâ he sent a photo of us just now to the group chat. Is he still here?â
âLeave it.âÂ
Ricky pulls you back when you turn and try to look for the nosy bastard whoâs probably snooping around. He tips up your chin. âOne more,â he says, leaning in for yet another kiss as if your lips are the candies you always give him in bulk, like he canât function without it anymore.Â
âYouâre getting greedy,â you say.
âYou keep spoiling me,â he mumbles, feeling his lips graze over yours for the nth time. âYou make me lose control of myself.â
Whether you met him earlier or later, youâre pretty sure youâd still end up falling horrendously for Ricky Shen. And youâd still end up doing all the same dumb things you did just to get to kiss him like this over and over again.
the psychology of strawberries. © hannie-dul-set, 2023.

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summary : you got a new chapstick for your boyfriend to try
genre : suggestive, fluff, ricky x gn!reader, drabble, established relationship tws : kissing asf, pet names, suggestive author notes : was thinking about this while showering lmfao word count : 0.2k
âricky,â you said as you approached the man sat peacefully against the soft plush of the sofa. you stopped in front of him, ricky letting his phone fall down to his lap. as he looked up at you, you continued, âi bought a new chapstick.â
âthatâs nice, baby. what kind?â
you smiled innocently, feeling his hands trail over your thighs and pulling to get you to come down onto him â just as he liked â the closeness was comforting.
âguess!â
he rolled his cat-eyes at you, smirking as you got comfortable. you closed your eyes and puckered your lips, awaiting his kiss. his quickly pressed to yours before pulling away. you watched as he licked over them briefly, throwing out his guess, "strawberry?"
you shook your head, "try again!" you suggested, taking the reins and grabbing his cheeks to pull his face back to yours. your lips connected almost as if they were never apart. you found it silly how well you two could fit together, moving with perfect precision and team work. his hand moved up your arm, ghosting around the base of your jaw to keep you steady. his other hand rested on your hip, squeezing the skin gently. he detached momentarily, moving down your face, jaw and neck â which was being forced to the side by that perfectly placed hand.
your breath was heavy, stomach in knots, skin left with a yearning every time he'd move on. he was against your collarbone when you finally mumbled out his name, earning a hum in response as he never stopped his ministrations, leaving glistening marks in his wake.
"i d-donât have any chapstick on."
reblogs, likes and comments are greatly appreciated! thank u!
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MANEATER | SIM JAEYUN (M)
PAIRING: virgin!jake x yn (femreader)
SYNOPSIS: in which jake is tired of being a virgin and you're asked to help him out.
WARNINGS: smut so MDNI! vrignity loss, oral (m and f receiving), unprotected sex (be safe out there), creampie, riding, multiple orgasms, etc. cursing, words like slut/whore, BARELY PROOFREAD
WC: 5k, lowercase intended
MESSAGE FROM NIC: here it finally is!! (sorry for the delay) my first piece of smut,,, hope it's what everyone imagined đ (also tysm for 2k notes on the teaser ahh!!) big thank u to my stella, @karinasbaby for encouraging this fic, one of my biggest supporters ilysm. pls be kind as this is something new for me BUT feedback is super appreciated, tell me what u liked and didn't like! (respectfully) also reblogs would be nice as well so feel free to drop one. love u guys sm đ«¶đŒ
jake sim was a virgin. a pitiful, pitiful virgin. and itâs not like he was ugly. not even close to that. jake was an attractive guy, easy on the eyes. and his flirting? a real smooth talker he was.
it was as if 2000s chad michael murray possessed his very soul every single time he would chat up a girl at a party or in class.Â
so why couldn't he ever close the deal? how did he find himself in a steamy makeout session one second and then the next the girl is storming out of the room in disgust. every. single. time.
oh yea, because he was a fucking virgin. a pitiful, pitiful virgin.Â
it seemed like girls these days wanted a man in charge. someone who could help them live out their fifty shades of grey fantasies. jake would like to think he could do that for them but how could he ever learn if no one wanted to give him the time of day? what happened to the girls that would spread their legs for anything and anyone?
all jake needed was one chance. one chance to stick his dick in a hole and he can move on with his life.Â
his friends didn't make it any better either. he was getting tired of hearing all about their wild sexcapades every week and having nothing to contribute to the conversation.
but they donât intentionally leave him out or make him feel bad about his lack of experience. they even try getting him with their past hookups because you know, sharing is caring right?Â
âdude no way you fumbled sora. sheâs a real slut i was so sure she would let you hit,â sunghoon says as heâs unwrapping his sandwich then taking a bite. âbro i didn't fumble anything. it's the same shit every time, once i tell them im a virgin they dip,â jake responds while he steals sunghoonâs sandwich and takes a bite for himself.
sunghoon doesn't even argue, his best friend is clearly in distress and is need of some food. âshe started ranting about how she doesnt âdoâ virgins because they get attached and she thinks im gonna become obsessed with her or something.â
âwhy do you even tell them youâre a virgin in the first place? if that's the issue why even say anything at all?â heeseung questions with a mouth full of the same sandwich that somehow now ended up in his hands.
âbecause if he cums in .2 seconds then the girls are gonna think heâs a bad fuck. there's no winning here.â jake nods in agreement with jay's statement as he watches jay snatch the sandwich from heeseung and finish it off.
this is what is so beautiful about their friendship. they share everything with each other, the main things being girls and food. unfortunately for jake, bites of food is all he gets.
â-----------------
âoh fuck!â jakes pants while bucking his hips forward. vision blurry, drool pooling around the corner of his mouth. he genuinely feels like his soul is leaving his body and he wasnât sure this was even real life anymore. to ground himself and bring him back to reality, he tries looking around the room to find something to distract him.
he doesnât want to cum embarrassingly fast and he does NOT want to be seen as a bad fuck. out of the corner of his eye he spots a baby yoda squishmallow in the corner of the room, its sparkly eyes watching jake get his dick sucked for the first time.
itâs kind of weird but he finds comfort in the plushie and focuses on it to keep him from fucking exploding.Â
now you might be wondering how he got here. in a hot girlâs room getting what he swears is the best head in his life (not that he has anything to compare it to.) the answer is jay, his best friend in the entire world who he now owes his first born to.Â
âher nameâs yn. just text her and ask when she wants to meet. i told her you were a virgin already so donât worry about that,â jay explains as heâs scrolling through your profile showing jake what you look like.
silky, flowy hair, curves to die for. to say youâre gorgeous would be an understatement. the whole ordeal seemed too good to be true.
âshe wants to fuck me? even after hearing iâm a virgin?â jake asks after grabbing his milk tea from the counter and walking towards a table.
jay simply nods and throws a look towards sunghoon, signaling him to explain the rest as they all take a seat. âyea thatâs kind of her thing. she loves virgins. like, her body count consists of only virgins.â
jake was perplexed by the situation. surely heâd hear about a beautiful woman who only drops her panties for inexperienced guys roaming their campus.
heeseung then speaks up, as if reading jakeâs mind, âshe goes to the college in the next town over. around a 20 minute drive.â before continuing his sentence he shifts his eyes towards jay and sunghoon. eyeballs darting back and forth.
some unspoken dialogue is happening between the three as they sip their sweet drinks and jake just has to sit there and watch. minutes go by and jay clears his throat and sighs, finally breaking the silence.
âshe uh, actually took all of our virginities back in high school. thatâs how we know her.âÂ
pause. the fuck? he knew his friends all have gotten their dicks wet for the same girl before but at the same time? jake couldnât believe what he was hearing. i mean, he did only just meet them three years ago, whatever they were up to before then he canât judge.
he supposes desperate times call for desperate measures, and jake is sure he wouldâve ended up in the same situation soon if they werenât handing you on a silver platter to him.
âso⊠you guys had a foursome for your first times??â
heeseung instantly chokes on his boba as jakeâs arm receives a punch from jay. a faint giggle is heard from sunghoon, âthis bitch is choking on some balls.â
ignoring heeseungâs dramatics jay clarifies, âno you idiot, she took all of our virginities separately. we werenât as desperate as you were.â
âand like, that pussy is so heavenly. iâd be pissed having to share her with another guy at the same time.âÂ
âroger that, brother.â
jake looks towards the two, sunghoon rubbing heeseungâs back trying to calm him down from his almost near death over some balls.Â
âcare to elaborate?âÂ
âman why do you think weâre all sex crazed freaks? her pussyâs got some voodoo magic in it or something. our manhood didnât begin when we watched porn for the first time together, it started with her,â jay pauses and shifts in his seat, slight discomfort in his lower region.
he looks up and pinches his nose, âfuck iâm getting hard just thinking about it.â sneaking a peek at jayâs lower half, jake can see his friend chubbing it up in his pants. nothing heâs never seen before honestly.Â
but what he hadn't seen before was how his friends were reminiscing so hard on a hook up the way they were right now. and the fact that their origin story of discovering their high libidos is all because of you? he was scared shitless of what he was about to get himself into.
-------------------
fast forward to some exchanged texts between you guys, jake found himself in your room with his pants around his ankles getting the life sucked out of him.
he quickly discovered you were very straightforward and to the point, immediately sending him your apartment address and what time to show up.
jake couldnât argue though, all this talk about how you were gonna âchange his lifeâ and shit got him real worked up. he appreciated the fact that you skipped the small talk and went straight for his dick.
upon arriving and stepping into your living space, your lips smashed onto his and he was pushed down onto the bed. no hi, no hello. just your lucious, full lips swapping spit with his.
his hands instinctively flew to your waist, his digits gripping your plush skin as you straddle him. jake felt so in his element in the moment. making out? this is where he excels. he could do this all day if he could.
but he was here on a mission and heâll be damned if he leaves without fucking you. or you fucking him. he was honestly down for whatever. you could ask to peg him and he would say yes.
you can sense his impatience, his face twisting in pleasure trying to savor every moment while the cogs are turning in his head, awaiting your next move. every squeeze he gave signaled that he wanted to get things moving.
you make your way down his body, peppering kisses any and everywhere leaving his skin burning. jake couldnât believe what was about to happen.
in less than a minute he was about to get his first blowjob ever. what does he do? where do his hands go? what if he chokes you? what if he passes out from the stimulation?
before he can think of anymore what to doâs and what ifâs, your mouth is on his dick and jake is seeing stars, figuratively and literally. he takes note of the little ones taped to your ceiling and thinks itâs cute.
the pink walls and plushies surrounding the two of you is such a stark contrast to your personality, or what little jake knows of you. but hey, he likes a woman with some duality to her.
âyou can put your hands in my hair.â
jake finally takes a look down at you. pupils blown out, lips a bit swollen from all the sucking. you looked so, so pretty like this. he can only imagine what you look like with his cock in you.
trembling hands grab at your hair, slightly pushing you further down and a gagging noise emerges from the back of your throat. oh shit. your nose is practically meeting his pelvic bone and you arenât letting up.
fuck it, jake thinks to himself. he was done with being patient. he starts fucking up into your mouth relentlessly, chasing the orgasm he was delaying. and you just let him.
youâre merely a hole for him in this moment and you could care less. his dick may be average in size but the girthiness of it was so delicious, you couldnât get enough.
to make sure he reaches his high, you reach for his balls and start playing with them. his erratic thrusts combined with you squeezing his genitals he twitches in your mouth and his cum is shooting out, pooling out the sides of your lips.
and you donât stop there. you keep going and going and jake actually feels like heâs going to pass out. âokay, okay please please!â you swallow everything he gave you and finally let him go with a pop to come up for air.
you get up and see him lying there on your bed, unmoving. eyes closed and mouth agape barely taking breaths. one might think heâs dead but this was typical.
once a guy gets to cum in a girlâs mouth for the first time they donât know what to do with themselves. nudging him with your knee he breaks out of his trance with a lopsided smile adorning his face. god heâs adorable.
before you can suggest a break he immediately grabs you by the hips and flips you onto your back. your shorts go flying onto the floor behind him and he spreads your legs wide to prop them onto his shoulders.
his tongue immediately attaches to your clit and he starts licking you all over. slurping and sucking, as if this was his last meal on earth. he was desperate to get you to cum the way you made him and it was showing.
jakeâs eating you out a little too expertly to your liking, as if heâs done this a million times. you wonât judge if he has, youâre literally the last person to judge someoneâs sexual history but how is he still a virgin if he eats pussy this good?
he mustâve been met with horrible women who just used him for his mouth and left him dry. you wouldnât do that to him though, poor guy doesnât deserve that.
he inserts two fingers into your hole while his mouth was still working your clit. jesus christ. you didnât notice before but his fingers were so slender and long, reaching places your own didnât. âam i doing okay? kind of my first time.â
oh? so this was his first time eating pussy. you simply give him a nod of approval, not being able to utter a word as he dives right back in.
in all of your sexual encounters, never has there been a guy so willing to return the favor. and the fact that you didnât even have to ask? where the fuck did jay find a guy like this? was he aware his friend was a fucking certified munch?
determined to make sure you cum, jake inserts another finger and moves his fingers in an upward motion, trying to find your spot. at least thatâs what wikihow told him how to do it.
the sound of your moans and the taste of your pussy on his tongue simply feel amazing and he feels like he could come alone like this. at this point youâre panting and riding his fingers and god itâs so hot. youâre so hot.
jake finds himself humping into the mattress, trying to aid his painful hard on heâs grown since going down on you.
his wrist begins to ache with how fast heâs pumping into you but he doesnât give a fuck, heâll do anything to see what you look like when you reach your high.
âoh god, iâm, iâm- ahhh!â you come undone onto his mouth and hand, lips forming an o shape with the most pornographic moan heâs ever heard and he silently releases his load along with you onto the bed.
jake makes sure every single drop of your delicious juices are all licked up, driving your oversensitivity.
âso? how was i?â
you take a look at his annoyingly cute face and heâs licking all over his fingers like a lollipop. cute. gaining some of your composure, your eyes spot a wet spot on your sheets.
âwait, did youâŠâ
âoh. sorry about that. i couldnât help it.â jake explains with a sheepish smile and a scratch behind his head. not only is this guy a munch but he came untouched while tongue fucking you. you werenât even sure guys like him existed, like at all.
without speaking another word, you grab the back of his neck and smash your lips onto his. tasting yourself on him has you wet all over again and you both begin to undress each other.
you detach yourself to take your shirt off and he pauses to fully look at you, drinking in every inch of your body. hands grab at your boobs and he pinches a nipple, a small moan escaping your mouth.
your body was literally to die for, the pictures on your profile barely doing you justice. and to finally be able to feel all around your curves and give your boods and ass tight squeezes was a dream come true for jake.
(he may or may not have been jerking off to the few posts you have up, counting down the days of you guys finally meeting but you didnât have to know that)
you also took a moment to admire his body. to say jake was sculpted like a fucking greek god was an understatement, sporting a six pack and biceps to die for. veins running all over his arms and hands.
deciding itâs finally time to do the deed, you switch positions and motion for him to lay on his back. âare you ready?â
âwait! what about a condom?â
âiâm clean and i know you are soâŠâ
âright.â
you throw your legs over his waist, now straddling him with your vagina inches from his cock. âokay, take deep breaths. iâm gonna slowly go down alright?â
jake throws a thumbs up and eagerly nods. in a moment like this he doesnât fail to be endearing. you could literally just eat him up with how cute he was. your pussy was about to anyway.
you lace your fingers with his and slowly lower yourself onto him. thereâs some intimacy with your actions and jake finds comfort in your eyes, looking at him adoringly.
it was finally fucking happening and jake couldnât believe it. he was about to become a man. and the fact that it was you taking his virginity, a gorgeous woman who doesnât care that heâs inexperienced and lets him hit it raw. it's really all he can ask for.
once your walls are wrapped around his tip, jakeâs a goner. the little sweet moment you two shared is thrown out the window and he starts bucking his hips up into you, hard and fast.
his hands find purchase on your hips and heâs gripping them so hard you're sure there will be bruises tomorrow. you wanted to start out slow as it is his first time but it seems his thrusting says otherwise.
you press your hands against his chest and begin to move rhythmically in sync with him. jakeâs eyes immediately roll back and his breathing quickens.
his hands fall to his side and he lays lifeless beneath you, letting you take full control.
all he could do was stare at the spot where his dick entered you and it was making him even more hornier. he couldnât tell where he ended and you began.
your wetness didnât help anything either. the squelching sounds indicated that you were very much enjoying this as much as he was.
âfuck you feel so good baby,â jake moans. the pet name that slips past his lips and it doesnât go unnoticed but you also donât question it.
for some reason the simple word made your heart jump. guys always called things like babe or even whore when they really let loose.
those never got to your head, you know they couldnât really control themselves in the moment and you let them have their fun.
but jake has been nothing but kind to you this whole time, like he knew you were doing him a service and not the other way around.
this only fueled your desire to ensure that his sure first time exceeded his expectations so upped your menstrations. you quickly changed your pace to grind forward, backwards, and in circles making sure his dick felt every inch of you.
jakeâs mind was reeling, his breath caught in his throat. he feels as if his dick was about to fall off with the way you were moving.
your body leans forward and you begin to kiss at his neck, leaving hickeys everywhere. your hot breath near his ear sends him into overdrive, must be a sensitive spot of his he never knew he had, but also how could he have known?
his hands that were once gripping the sheets meet your ass and he starts to guide you up and down his cock. you both were about to reach your climaxes, your pussy clenching with every move.
âiâm- where? fuck! where do i cum?â
âinside. cum inside me please.â
inside?? his first time cumming from sex and you were gonna let him do it inside of you? jake swears you couldnât be any more perfect than you are right now.
you knew you threw him for a loop and honestly yourself as well. pushing these thoughts towards the back of your head you start riding him aggressively, even faster than before. âfuck, jake iâm cumming!â
âme too baby oh my god!â
and there was that damn pet name again. it makes your heart leap out of your chest and sends you over the edge.
the knot in your stomach snaps and jake follows shortly after, his load shooting into you. it pools out of you and you donât hesitate to swipe some up with a delicate finger and bring it to your mouth, mirroring his actions from earlier.
your eyes meet his fucked out ones and you smile down at him, admiring the masterpiece of lovebites you left all over him. his vision was a bit blurry but he catches the way your lips curled upward, flashing your pearly whites.
jake finds himself instantly becoming hard again, call him easy but when a pretty girl is smiling at him like that after fucking him, can you really blame him?
you move yourself off of him and jake was fully expecting you to kick him out now but instead you position yourself on all fours, your ass in the air inviting him in.
âfuck. youâre into anal?â
you turn your head sharply to look at him over your shoulder, raising an eyebrow to question what he just said. the look you give him says it all and jake takes the hint and positions himself behind you.
âcan we try anal next time though?â
an exasperated sigh leaves your lips and you reach over to grab his dick, inserting him into you. âumph! okay sorry.â
upon entering your pussy, jake relishes in the feeling of it. being inside your heat again leaves him breathless for the nth time today.
in and out. in and out. he tries to match his breathing with his gradual strokes. his member is extra sensitive right now and heâs trying not to lose himself. the impatience he had earlier has now moved onto you so you decide to take matters into your own hands and start fucking back into him.
your ass is now meeting his hips and the sound of skin slapping echoes in your room along with your moans. jakeâs body is flailing from the sudden impact but he grounds his hands around your waist and grips the shit out of you.
he notices bruises forming on your skin but he canât for the life of him let go. oops. heâll do his best to remember to apologize for them tomorrow.
when thereâs a good pace between the two of you, you fling yourself upward, back meeting his chest and the new angle has him reaching spots he didnât before.
you take one of his strong arms and place it around your neck, having him choke you as you ride him like thereâs no tomorrow. jakeâs brain begins to turn to mush and he feels like heâs even more turned on at the revelation of one of your kinks.
and at this point youâre fucking onto him so hard, so good, he didnât want it to end. âshit. shit. i love your pussy so much baby.â jake whines into your ear, meaning every word he said.
is it crazy to say you love someone upon meeting them for the first time? well, their pussy. yea. maybe. but who gives a fuck.
he was a man possessed by you, by your pussy. in this moment he truly believed there was some voodoo magic going on down there and he was blessed to be experiencing it.
you clench at his words, and your heart flips once more, prompting you to draw him closer to you (if that was even remotely possible)
the closeness of your bodies creates another intimate moment shared, kisses stolen from one another, hands tangled in his hair.
âiâm close,â he whispers in your ear, his breath leaving tingles down your spine. the hushed whispers you exchange contrast the sporadic thrusting thatâs happening.
determined to reach your second high of the day, you push jake onto his back and settle yourself onto your knees, continuing to bounce up and down on his cock.
âyea just like that baby, shit shit shit iâm cumming, iâm cumming!â
jake opens his eyes to watch the scene unfold before him and god was it something. your back arches as you take his cum in you once more and your screams fill his ears, signaling you orgasmed right after him.
this moment alone is better than porn itself, and jake savors every bit of it. thereâs absolutely no way he can even bring himself to type ânsfwâ in his twitter search bar ever again after this.
you hover yourself over him leaving just the tip inside before sliding right back down, pushing his seed back in while it gushes around his cock leaving jake wanting, no needing, a third round with you.
but to his dismay you roll yourself off of his body, landing on the mattress next to him.
âso⊠how do you feel?â
he releases a long exhale he didnât know he was holding, âfantastic. 10/10 experience. would do it again.â you simply giggle at his response with a shake of your head, getting up to gather your clothes.
âwait! um, could we do this again?â
you playfully roll your eyes at him, leaving his question unanswered as you begin to dress yourself.
â-----------------
sat in his computer chair, jake is finding it difficult to finish this stupid ethics assignment. how is he supposed to argue about the death penalty when you straight up almost murdered him with your pussy less than 2 hours ago?
heâs sure his professor wouldnât appreciate if he wrote that he doesnât give a fuck about someone serving their punishment if the culprit was you, but honestly speaking heâd let you get away with just about anything. you were an angel sent from above to him who could do no wrong.Â
the way your soft lips wrapped around his cock while your innocent (not) eyes bored into his soul. the way you licked and kissed every single inch of his body, leaving nothing left untouched. and god, the way you worked his dick? how was he supposed to move on from you??
you were an insatiable, sex-crazed goddess. a once in a lifetime experience he was so grateful to have.Â
his thoughts are interrupted by a loud knocking at his door. two seconds later, jay trails into jakeâs room followed by dumb and dumber, all of them having a snug look on their faces.
they make themselves comfortable before they get right into the interrogation. jay leans against the desk, sunghoon sits in the bean bag situated in the corner, and heeseung sprawls himself across the bed.
âso virgin, how was it?â
 âwasnât i right about her pussy?âÂ
âwhere did she make you cum?âÂ
eyes rolling in the back of his head, jake takes a deep sigh before answering their questions. âone, iâm not a virgin anymore so stop calling me that. two, it was absolutely fucking amazing. literally would give up heaven for it. and three, she had me cum in her. twice.â
heeseung shoots up from his position, jaw dropped and eyes wide. âyou came in her twice?!â the boys all share a bewildered expression on their faces, dramatic as always.
jake just shrugs at them, what? didnât you usually let guys cum in you like the freak you were?
jay slaps his hands down on jakeâs shoulders, aggressively turning the computer chair towards him. âjake. buddy. yn has two rules.âÂ
sunghoon suddenly appears on jayâs left, âone. you canât cum in her. you can cum anywhere BUT inside of her.âÂ
heeseung follows and is now on jayâs right side, âand two. she doesnât repeat fuck.â
immediately following this revelation thereâs silence. complete and utter silence. the gazes they hold are intense and uninviting. as if they truly couldnât believe you let their best friend whoâs never felt the touch of a woman break one of your rules.
their eyes say it all, they love jake to death and are happy for him, like seriously happy and relieved heâs finally entered manhood. but really? none of them got to do what he did? what was so special about him?
you donât even know the answer to those questions yourself. maybe it was the puppy eyes or his whiny moans that made you feel like you had him in the palm of your hands.
his eagerness to pleasure you but to also receive reminded you of the sole purpose of why you only go for virgins. they made you feel wanted while also letting you be in charge. call it selfishness but why canât a girl have the best of both worlds?Â
and youâd never admit it, but jake was one of the best fucks youâve had in a while. he never tried to be someone he wasnât, just authentically himself. a pitiful, pitiful virgin. and he was proud of it.
it was refreshing to fuck someone who didnât have some sort of ego right after you were done with them. immediately bragging to everyone what you two did and acting like they could pull any girl as if you werenât doing charity work for most of them.Â
with all of this in mind, of course you let him cum in you. he was doing so well for you, how could you not reward him? had to let him do it twice to drive it home.
and seriously, what kind of guy gives you a tender, sweet goodbye kiss and thanks you for defiling him? you didnât regret your decisions with him but they were definitely scaring you.Â
never have you ever been this intimate with a guy, but jake was different. you felt it. and what you did next didnât scare you as much as your recent choices with him.
*ping!*
the staredown between jake and his friends comes to a halt and he digs his phone out of his pocket to check it. sliding up, he sees the message appear on his screen:
you: are you free tomorrow?
he glances at his friendsâ expectant eyes and throws them a smirk. looks like he gets to break that second rule of yours.Â
© fakeuwus 2024 do not repost, translate, or plagiarize
TAGLIST: @alvojake @jaylaxies @ikeuverse @pprodsuga @criminalseung @slut4hee @wonuqrtz @sansluvr @juniorjuneper @hoonven @sunshine-skz @luvyouloser @cha0ticpisces @no-daddy-just-issues-148 @hoseokteardrop @jakehooni @minniejenseo @niniissus @capri-cuntz @simpjay @chansloverr @esloao @strawbrrycuteblog @enhaslxt @vveebee @sakanelli-afc @felixbrownies @yunjinswifee @bobaikeu @minaateez @river-demon-slayer @sjylouvre @nyxtwixx @wonderlandless @eddieeddiesblog @moon4moony @skzenhalove @na-x2 @binniesbabe @monstaxdirtywonk @lauover @iheartjayke @jwsflower @notevenheretbh1 @rik1zzluv @ang0308 @kpopaussieline @jaehyuniewifeu
Jake (your roommate) who has oral fixation who can't help but want to suck on your nipples and clit anytime and anywhere he wants (in school, in his car, in cafes, in your dorm). And as the helpful roommate, you try to wear clothes that would give him easy access all the time.
-đȘ» hiiii i misseddd putting req here đ„čđ«¶
hi againđȘ»anonđ„° iâve missed your reqsđ„čđ«¶đ» oral fixation jake has me weeeaaaaakkkkđźâđš I kinda went off the deep end with this one. I couldnât help myself. this request is so *chefs kiss* and bless kay for helping me with the title for this đ€đđ
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taste of you: sim jaeyun
pairing: jake x afab!reader word count: 2.9k
For as long as youâve known your roommate, heâs always had an oral fixation even before he became your roommate too.Â
You and Jake attended the same college. You would always pass him in the hallways on Mondays and Wednesdays and have Chemistry with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Man always had something in his mouth to chew on.Â
Gum, the ends of his pens and pencils, the bottle cap to his water bottle, straws from his drinks, the plastic spoons, knives, and forks from lunch, the strings to his hoodie, the plastic on his cup if he didnât have a straw, and hell, even his fingers if there wasnât anything else. You could tell just from staring at him across the lecture hall that he had this fixation.Â
Fate brought the two of you together when you posted an ad on the campus bulletin board about looking for a roommate after your old one moved out. Jake was the first to respond to the ad, and since you already knew him, you disregarded the other applications. Jake was moved in within a week.Â
His oral fixation was a lot worse than you thought and was tame while on campus. Jake had the same normal habits on the things he chewed but added a few things: his shirt while sitting on the couch watching TV or playing on the PlayStation. The cord to his headset when he played on his PC in his bedroom. The cord to his phone while it charged and he was scrolling through social media. Your fingers, lips, tongue, nipples, and clit.Â
Crazy, right? It didnât start that way, his mouth on your body parts. It wasnât a thought in either of your minds until you came home one afternoon after work and took a shower, not bothering to put a bra on afterward, letting the girls have some time to breathe. So you walked around in your shorts and oversized tee shirt. Jake returned home a couple of hours later from soccer practice, wanting nothing more than a nice shower and a good meal. So you told him to shower and that youâd cook for him. Jake couldnât hide the smile had, being so happy and lucky you were his roommate.Â
Jake didnât even notice you werenât wearing a bra until you stood from where you sat on the couch, your nipples poking through your white shirt. The hoodie string Jake had in his mouth fell out as his eyes were glued to your chest, watching how grazed your shirt as you walked around the couch and towards the kitchen. Jake quickly jumped up and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it. Splashing his face with the water of his shower, trying to push the thoughts of your perfect nipples being in his mouth. The way he would bite, lick, and suck on them.Â
Jake had to lean his body against the cool of the tile wall to get his body temperature down but failed miserably as his thoughts continued to run in his brain. Thinking about the ways your cunt would ride his cock as his mouth worked on your tits. Before Jake knew it his hand was wrapped around his hard cock, biting his lips to keep from moaning as he pumped himself til his cum was dripping down his hand. Jake prayed and prayed that once he was out of the shower you could have put on a bra. Because itâs an asshole move to think about your roommate like that, right? It crosses your boundaries and thatâs the last thing Jake wanted to do.Â
But to his dismay, you still stood in the kitchenâŠbraless. Once you noticed he was out of the shower, you called him over, âJae, I made pasta for dinner and this cake for dessert. Come try the icing and tell me what you think?âÂ
Jake swallowed, knees weak as he slowly walked over to you. Your long hair was now pulled into a loose ponytail and oh man was it driving Jake up a wall. His eyes wandered everywhere, to your nipples, your earlobes, and the cute spot between your shoulder and neck. His mouth watered as he looked back and forth, wanting to pin you to the kitchen counter and place his mouth all over those parts. His dick was hardening and he was doing everything to try and keep you from noticing.Â
You got a spoon from the drawer and scooped up some of the icing and held it to his mouth, âSay ahh!â you said cutely, taking notice of the small pink tint on his cheeks as he slowly opened his mouth taking the spoon in.Â
Jakeâs eyes widened as you pulled the spoon away, âGoddamn, YN, this is fantastic!â Jake loved your cooking and baking. It made him even more excited to eat the pasta and have a dessert to look forward to.Â
You noticed some of the icing was on the edge of his lips, you giggled softly and reached up, âYouâre so messy,â you teased him, taking your index finger and sliding it across the edge of his lip.Â
The moment you touched him it was over. The feeling of your finger on his lips even if it was just the slightest touch sent him into a frenzy, his mouth was opening, head tilting to the side to wrap his lips around your finger, his tongue licking up the icing you wiped away and then sucking on it. His eyes closed tightly as he softly grazed your finger with his teeth. Jake didnât know what came over him, but the moment he realized what he was doing his eyes shot back open and connected to yours.Â
You werenât surprised and showed no sign that it bothered you that he was currently sucking on your finger. Instead, you gave him a small smile, inching your middle finger to his lips. Jake was the surprised one but opened his mouth anyway, letting you slip your middle in with your index.Â
You always teased Jake about his oral fixation, always giving him some type of hell for chewing up specific things. Like the amount of phone chargers youâve had to rebuy him, and the amount of headsets Jake had to get replaced from chewing on the cords. The amount of gum packets that lay around the apartment just for him. You found it cute to tease him. And you never knew you wanted your fingers in his mouth until right now. Which is why it didnât bother you. Honestly, your fingers were better than the cords and other plastic things that would eventually ruin his pretty teeth anyway.Â
Youâd be lying if it didnât turn you on. Jake was hoping for it, truly. Keeping eye contact with you as he wraps his tongue around your fingers, sucking on them and biting them softly. If you continued to let him chew on your fingers, he was going to lose all control.Â
âI know you want to do more than just suck on my fingers,â you whispered to him. You already knew he was hard as a rock and your panties were soaking, âWhy donât you take what you actually want?âÂ
Jake didnât hesitate to pull your fingers from his mouth, his lips attaching to yours and sucking on your bottom lip as his hands slid to your thighs, picked you up, and set you down on the countertop, biting hard on your lip, âGive me your tongue,â he hisses between his grip on your lip and only let go once he saw the muscle slide out of your mouth and taking it in his. Jake was in pure bliss getting his oral fixation off on something other than random small items. His cock twitched hard at it too. It was everything he could have wanted.Â
As he continued to suck and bite your tongue, his hands slipped under your shirt and slid up, his hands stopping at your tits to rub at your nipples, making them perk up more. You knew Jake was preparing them for his mouth, his skin sending a chill down your spine and goosebumps on your skin, hardening your nipples even more, âfffuuuccckkkk,â he hisses after releasing your tongue from his mouth, dipping down in the same movement of lifting your shirt over your breasts and attaching his mouth to your right nipple as his left hand continued to pinch at your other nipple.Â
You moaned his name and gripped his shoulders as his tongue flicked your nipple, as his teeth bit down on the sensitive nub and lips wrapped around it to suck. He moved back and forth between the two, not leaving one out. You already knew your cunt was soaking the countertop and you think Jake knew too. Mostly by the way his hands moved to cup your ass and slide underneath you. He let out a groan against your nipple before removing his mouth and scooped you up, quickly turning in the other direction and laying you down on top of the kitchen table. He kissed you again, sucking your bottom lip back into his mouth in the same motion of his fingers looping between your shorts and panties to pull them down.Â
Jake sank to his knees as your shorts and panties hit the floor, him spreading your legs wide to give him better access to your cunt. His mouth watered at the sight of your sopping pussy, your slit dripping out your hole and onto the table. Fuck it was making him dizzy.Â
âFuck youâre so sexy,â he breathes, sticking his tongue out to lick up your hole to your clit, stopping there to take the bud between his teeth and lips. Jake sucked, licked, and bit your clit until you came into his mouth. He didnât even stop there, no no. He wanted you. Wanted his shower fantasy to come true. So he pulls you from the table and onto the floor with him, quickly removing his sweatpants and boxers and moving you into his lap.Â
You rode him as his mouth worked on your nipples again, moving between them both and stopping every few minutes to kiss you and suck on your lips. You even shoved your fingers into his mouth a few times as you fucked him. This kept going until you came again and he was cumming deep into your pussy.Â
It was safe to say you both would have a major mess to clean up in the kitchen. And even have to reheat the pasta.Â
This was only the start of Jake using you to get his oral fixation in. You gave him full permission to use you as he pleases to get his fix. Jake would be stupid to turn it down.Â
It benefited both of you, truly. You both had the benefits of this new agreement. He would get his oral fixation and other sexual needs met, youâd also get your sexual needs met on top of saving money from having to replace the items heâd normally chew on.Â
The only terms were he could only have your fingers and lips in public, but could have everything else in the safe space of your shared apartment, or either of your cars, or if no one else was around.Â
Again, Jake would be an idiot to turn it down.Â
He forced you to move to the back of the classroom room with him so he could suck on your fingers during lectures without anyone noticing and anytime he wanted.Â
Youâd sit in his car with him during lunch or before his soccer practice so he could make out with you and get his mouth on your tits.Â
Then at the apartment? Heâd spread your legs.Â
One of Jakeâs requirements was you having to wear specific clothing for him to have easy access to while at the apartment. Loose tee shirts with no bra. Any type of shorts or sweatpants or skirts with no panties underneath.Â
It truly was a dream come true for Jake. The best roommate he could ask for. This whole dynamic worked for the two of you. Both parties were getting pleasure and their needs met while maintaining a good friendship with each other. It was perfect. So completely perfect.Â
Your favorite thing was when Jake would return home from his other classes or work and immediately sink down to his knees in front of you saying, âI need your cunt in my mouth right now,â or lifting your shirt off your body instantly and saying, âI need your tits against my tongue.â Or your personal favorite thing heâd say is, âI need you on my cock as I suck on those pretty tits of yours.âÂ
Again, so so so perfect. YetâŠ
âŠwhen it came to matters of your heart, you started to love him. You had your suspicions on whether you were actually gaining feelings or if it was just the sex and the way heâd work his mouth on your body that was making you confused. But your feelings became apparent and so clear to you when one day you lay on the couch, scrolling through TikTok to watch the latest trends when Jake stumbled into the living room. He had a hard time at practice that Saturday morning, beating himself up over not making the winning score during the practice match against another team. Jake slid himself under your arms and just laid his head against your chest and got himself comfy on top of you, making no moves to undress you to get his fix. âI just needed to be close to you right now,â was all he said as he snuggled his face into your breasts and slid his arms underneath you, squeezing you tightly to him. He wasnât horny or anything, just genuinely wanted to be with you. It took everything to keep your heart from fluttering. From it completely busting out of your chest as he slowly fell asleep on top of you. You were done for. You loved him.Â
And oh god did Jake fall so hard in love with you too. How could he not? You accepted his oral fixation and even let him get his fix by using your body. Yeah at first it was strictly to get his fix in, the sex just being a bonus, but the more time that passed, the more he fell. He would get so drunk of your scent as he worked his mouth and cock on and in your body. You became his every waking thought and not just in ways to get his oral fixation needs met. He wanted to spend time with you. Take you on dates. Show you off to his friends. Yeah, having a roommate who gave into his oral fixation was such a hard flex. But to call you his girlfriend who also gives into his oral fixation, was an even bigger hard flex. Jake knew he loved you when all he wanted was to be in your arms after his terrible practice that morning.Â
It took a week later for him to confess.Â
His cock was buried so deep in your cunt, his mouth biting and sucking on your ear lobe as you screamed out his name loud enough for the neighbors to hear. It was as good of a time as any, Jake thought, what better way to confess his love for you while being balls deep inside you?
âBe mine,â he moans into your ear, detaching his mouth from your lobe and lifting you up from the couch in a swift motion, rolling the two of you into a sitting position with you in his lap. Jake bites at your skin between your neck and shoulders, his hands shoving you down onto him to press his cock even further into your cunt, âbe mine, please,â he says between each suck, kiss, and bite at your skin.Â
You couldnât believe you heard the words escape his mouth, not knowing if you heard him clearly or not, âWhat?âÂ
Jake released your skin with a pop, his hands moving to your tits, squeezing them together and giving them a lift up, licking your nipples then biting them softly, âI am in love with you, I canât stand not actually getting to call you mine,â he sucks one nipple into his mouth, bucking his hips up into you, being so lost in the taste of you, âBe mine. Be my girlfriend.âÂ
Your fingers tangled into his hair as you bounced on his cock, throwing your head back, âYes,â you moan, âYes, Jae, yes. I love you too. Iâm in love with you too.âÂ
Jake quickly switches the positions again, pressing your body against the coffee table by the couch, fucking into you with everything he had. He kissed you with so much love and want and need. Being so happy he could finally call you his. You finally being more than just his roommate/fuck buddy that gave into his oral fixation.Â
He bites down on your bottom lip and pulls it as he comes undone, his hips snapping to a stop to press his cock against your cervix hard, his cum filling you whole.Â
Jake releases your lip and smiles down at you, his eyes wandering to every part of your body he had his mouth on, loving the way his teeth marks look on you. On his girlfriend. Thank god you ended up being such a good roommate.
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â perm taglist: @alvojake @ikeuverse @woniebae @shawnyle @kangnina @jwnghyuns @in-somnias-world @zyvlxqht @aaa-sia @wonniethepoo @addictedtohobi @eneiyri @sparklovespink @skzenhalove @fakeuwus @cherry-park @vousty @ladyartemesia @psh9 @cmoundiamante @enhaverse713586 @wondipity
LIVE NOW ! âïž | a yang jungwon smau.
PAIRING. idol! jungwon x gamer! fem reader.
SUMMARY. hybe debuts a gaming coed group. jake and ni-ki end up streaming along with them on enhypenâs days off & the rest of enhypen following soon after. but you end up catching jungwonâs interest.
GENRE. smau, crack, fluff, idol x gamer, comedy?, some angst.
WARNINGS. swearing, kys/kms jokes, suggestive jokes, jealousy, im not a big gamer, so if things are wrong, pls bare w me. đđ»
FEATURING. y/n as cqq0906 on xhs, enhypen members, taesan of bnd, intak of p1h, wonbin of riize, ningning of aespa, chaewon of lsrfm.
TAGLIST IS OPEN.
PROFILES ⊠gamers | enha house
&
CHAPTERS
000. prologue.
001. says the minecraft geek.
002. copy that mr leader.
003. a win is a win.
004. ur so delusional.
005. hehehehe.
006. thereâs a what?
007. someone save jungwon.
008. heh⊠whoops.
009.
i hit 100 followers the other day, and wanted to make this request a gift for everyone! iâm not sure about the updating schedule, so weâll see! pls reblog if you see this. đđ»
sending to ⊠@enhaas @starchasing-cryptid @wonhes @lavendersloane @academiq @addorations @laylasbunbunny @winuvs ( send an ask, dm or reply to be added ! )
kiss cam
pairing: yang jungwon x fem!reader
genres: fluff, frenemies to lovers, high school au, basketball au
wc: 3770
warnings: profanity, mentions of kidnapping
summary: you were fully prepared to spend valentineâs day alone. yang jungwon was fully prepared to blow your mind.
note: i know iâm off season but i still hope yâall enjoy <3
masterlist
It was Valentineâs Week and you were absolutely, extremely, horribly miserable.
You didnât particularly care about the celebrations, but the feeling of loneliness first began to creep in when the student council appointed a Valentineâs Day Dance committee and made them decorate the entire school.Â
There were banners and streamers hanging everywhere. The culinary club was selling heart-shaped cookies and the broadcasting club was busy urging students to get their dance invites every few hours. You wished the PA system would malfunction and they would finally shut up.Â
Some boys even had the genius idea to capitalise Valentineâs Day and ask people out on behalf of the students who paid them for their services. They called themselves Cop-Your-Crush.Â
Classes were being interrupted all day long. You were witnessing a grand proposal being made multiple times a day. Just today, you had seen three girls being asked out and each proposal had been better than the one before.
Karina got asked out through a song the choir group sang for her. She quite literally burst into tears because her boyfriend, Soobin, still remembered the song they had first kissed to.Â
NingNing got asked out when a member of Cop-Your-Crush sweet-talked Mrs. Kim into letting him take over her presentation. Heâd prepared a cute montage using the pictures provided to him by her boyfriend.Â
Yeji got asked out by the cheerleaders. They had prepared a special cheer for her, courtesy of Heeseung, also a member of Cop-Your-Crush, and his girlfriend, Chaewon, who was cheer captain. They were both Yejiâs best friends and had spared no expense in helping her boyfriend deliver a memorable proposal.Â
You thought the entire concept was corny, but it would have been nice to have someone ask you out too. You didnât even have any expectations. Just a simple Hey, will you be my date to the Valentineâs Dance? would have sufficed.Â
Needless to say, you were irritated and cranky. You were debating begging your mom to let you skip school tomorrow. It was the thirteenth of February, so Valentineâs spirit was definitely going to be at an all-time high.Â
You slammed your locker door shut. Slumping against it, you clutched your books to your chest and sighed deeply. If only you had the courage to ask your crush to the dance. It was sort of surprising that he still didnât have a date.Â
He was really attractive and really popular. You wondered whyâ
âKeep moving, dummy,â a voice popped from behind you, and you couldnât help the groan that left your mouth. Deciding to not acknowledge the person further, you pushed yourself off the locker and turned to leave in the opposite direction. However, they seemed to have different plans for you. Throwing an arm around your neck, Yang Jungwon twisted you around and said, âClass is this way.âÂ
âPiss off, Yang,â you snapped, trying to not stumble as he dragged you along.Â
âAre you coming to the basketball game tonight?â Jungwon inquired.
He wasnât much taller than you, so when you glanced up at him, you found your faces only a few inches apart. âWhy?âÂ
âWeâre playing Riverside High. You know thereâs a bet between our schools, right? Losers have to jump in the lake at midnight.âÂ
âOkay. Let me know if you lose and Iâll meet you there to enjoy your humiliation.âÂ
Jungwon narrowed his eyes and flicked your forehead. You let out a sound of protest and slapped his hand away. âYou think youâre so funny.â
âI think I have better things to do,â you retorted. âIâm supposed to pick up my sister after her soccer practice and drive her to her friendâs house for a sleepover.âÂ
âThat can be taken care of,â he answered immediately. âRiki will do the chauffeuring in your place.âÂ
You snorted. âNo.âÂ
âCâmon!â Jungwon complained, moving to stand in front of you. You crossed your hands and raised an eyebrow. âI need you at the game tonight.âÂ
âWhy?âÂ
âBecauseââ he hesitatedâ âbecause we always win when youâre watching from the stands. Youâre our lucky charm.â Â
Jungwon was making absolutely no sense. The Bears of Eastwood High were one of the best. They didnât require lucky charms to win games. Besides, youâd never benefited from the so-called fortune Jungwon claimed you possessed. He definitely had an ulterior motive for wanting you at the court tonight.Â
âYou won the Christmas game,â you pointed out. âI wasnât there that day. I was with my family at my childhood home.âÂ
âWell, I thought you were at the game,â Jungwon corrected. âThatâs why we won.âÂ
You sighed and rolled your eyes. Stepping past his figure blocking your way, you said, âYou need to get rid of these superstitions.â Â
âPlease!â he begged, following after you the way a lost puppy would. âWinning tonight would give us a ticket to regionals! Canât you let me have this?âÂ
The desperation in his voice was so evident that you couldnât help the crack that appeared in your resolve. You werenât one to believe in luck, but you still carried an Omamori to stay safe.Â
You hadnât exactly been the recipient of any good fortune lately, but your life had been sailing smoothly. Come to think of it, youâd probably subconsciously begun to depend on the charm.Â
You were a hypocrite for making fun of Jungwonâs superstitions.Â
âFine,â you relented. âIâll come. Butââ you added immediately upon seeing a wide grin replace the pout on his faceâ âafter Iâm done with my chores. Iâm not leaving Hyeri with Riki. He crashed his car into a trashcan last week. I was with him. My life flashed in front of my eyes.âÂ
Jungwon looked slightly amused. âDo you think you might be able to make it before half-time?âÂ
âEasily.â
âNice,â he popped. The two of you had arrived at your classroom, so he ruffled your hair and bid you goodbye before making his way towards his friend group. âI owe you one.â
âYeah, you do,â you muttered to yourself.
You finished dropping your sister earlier than expected.Â
Her soccer practice had run short and when youâd checked your watch after seeing her off, youâd realised that the first quarter of the game would be ending in a few minutes.Â
You glanced up at the screen displaying the scores as you walked into the gymnasium.Â
8-3. Eastwood High in the lead.Â
Good luck was a scam. Shaking your head, you searched for your best friend, Eunchae, in the stands. Your eyes stopped on a girl who was aggressively waving her hands in the air.Â
You smiled and waved back, making your way to her.Â
âI was worried youâd be late,â Eunchae said.Â
You hummed. âHyeri finished her practactice early so I was able to get here quicker. I donât even know why Jungwon asked me to come. Weâre in the lead.â
âBetter safe than sorry,â she popped. âSecond quarter just started. We should pay attention.âÂ
You turned to look at the court. While youâd been talking to her, Riverside had scored a 3-pointer. Eastwood was only 2 points ahead now.Â
You could hear both schoolsâ coaches screaming despite the loud noise of the audience. Cringing a little when Mr. Jung blatantly cursed at Jungwon and told him to get his head out of his ass, you decided Eunchae had been right about being better safe than sorry.Â
âTimeout!â Riverside Highâs coach yelled. âTimeout!âÂ
The whistle rang and the playing 5 went jogging over to the sidelines. Jungwonâs eye caught yours as he scanned the stands and you waved at him awkwardly. He smiled and waved back, looking rather relieved to see you.Â
âYou guys are so cute,â Eunchae commented.
You whirled on her. âExcuse me?âÂ
âIâm just saying!â she exclaimed, raising her hands defensively. âJungwon and you would make a really good couple.âÂ
âWhat makes you think so?âÂ
âOther than the fact that heâs completely whipped for you?â Eunchae shrugged. âYouâre into him as well. No! Donât give me that look! I know you are. Iâm not fucking blind, Y/N. You say heâs annoying but I donât see you pushing him away. I think you love the attention he gives you.â
You crossed your arms over your chest, suddenly feeling awfully exposed. âYouâre delusional.âÂ
âAm I though?â She raised an eyebrow. âYou both are together all the time. You can pretend all you want, but I know your petty and childish banter is just a cover for the horrible amount of flirting thatâs hidden underneath.â
âI donât flirt with him!âÂ
âHe flirts with you and you entertain him! You claim to dislike him but hang out with him at school everyday! An idiot could tell by looking at you how much you enjoy being around him.â
You glared at Eunchae. âI donât appreciate being psychoanalysed.âÂ
âYou just donât appreciate the truth.â She shrugged. âI donât know whatâs stopping you from asking him out to the dance, but I hope you come to your senses. You donât wanna regret missing out on someone who cares so much for you.â
Thankfully, the whistle rang before you could formulate a reply. The game began again, and you focused your attention on the court.Â
It was Eastwoodâs way and the ball was in Jungwonâs hand. He aimed high and his eyes set on Jake who was standing at the far end of the court. However, instead of throwing the ball with all his might, he only flicked his wrist.Â
The ball bounced between a Riverside playerâs legs, and Heeseung, who was waiting a little behind him, grabbed the ball immediately. Instead of dribbling, the boy passed the ball right back to Jungwon.Â
Jungwon caught it without stopping and sprinted to Eastwoodâs side of the court. Your jaw dropped when you saw him manoeuvre his way through Riversideâs defence so flawlessly. Even though youâd watched him play multiple times, youâd never really been able to comprehend how good he was.Â
Heâd covered the court by himself without needing to stop or backtrack. It was as if he knew the opponentâs move even before they decided to make it.Â
The crowd went wild the moment Jungwon executed the layup effortlessly. The whistle for half-time blew a few moments after and Eunchae turned to you.Â
âThat was so good!â she squealed. âHe could go pro so easily!â
âHe could,â you agreed. âHe really is very good.â
You had to admitâwatching Jungwon in his element made your heart beat at speeds you didnât even know it was capable of reaching. You convinced yourself it was the adrenaline and the anticipation from watching the game. Your dad never sat still whenever he watched his favourite team play in the World Cup.Â
âItâs time for the Kiss Cam.â Eunchae nudged you with her elbow. You turned to look at the big screen hanging from the roof of the gymnasium. The camera focused on Juyeon and Chaeyeon. The couple grinned and pointed at their recording on the screen in excitement before the latter grabbed the formerâs collar and pulled him into a kiss.Â
You felt a smile form on your face. Youâd always thought the two of them were one of the cutest couples in your school.Â
The camera then focused on Mr. Hwang, your biology teacher, and Mrs. Jung, your calculus teacher. You hooted and joined everyone else in the stands as they encouraged the two teachers to kiss.Â
Whoever had decided the Kiss Cam victims was a genius. Mr. Hwang and Ms. Jung were the youngest faculty members in your school. It was a popular opinion amongst students that they looked cute together. Some even placed bets on whether it would be Mr. Hwang to make the first move or Ms. Jung.Â
Naturally, the two of them didnât kiss. They just smiled in embarrassment and waved at the camera, asking it to focus on someone else instead.Â
You waited eagerly to see who the drone would target next. A jolt passed through your body when you saw yourself on the screen.Â
Eyes widening, you shook your head and tried to tell them that you were single. The camera didnât move despite your protests, instead zooming out to include Eunchae in the frame instead.Â
You paused.Â
Looked at her.
Considered.Â
Raised an eyebrow.Â
âIâm down if youââ
âTo your left, you idiot!â she exclaimed, grabbing your shoulders and whirling you around.Â
Yang Jungwon was standing in front of you with flowers in his hands. His hair was dripping with sweat and his cheeks were flushed. He was panting, but there was a shy smile on his face.
Your heart stopped as he got down on his knees and the entire gymnasium burst into cheers.Â
âHey,â he popped.Â
âHey,â you answered with much effort. Then added stupidly, âYouâre on your knees.âÂ
âNo comment about the flowers?âÂ
âNot when youâre on your knees for me in front of the entire school.âÂ
âOooh, I didnât know you were so kinky.â
âI didnât know this was why you begged me to come to the game.âÂ
He laughed and the sound was like music to your ears. You were nervous. You were rambling. There was no way he was going to ask you to the dance. He wouldnât be stalling so much if he was. He wouldnâtâ
Oh.Â
He was giving you time to wrap your head around what was happening. This was clearly intended to be a well-planned surprise meant to catch you completely off-guard. Heâ
âYeah, I wouldâve been really bummed out if you hadnât shown up. My efforts would have been for nothing.âÂ
âSo Iâm not actually your lucky charm?âÂ
âOf course, you are. I feel the luckiest when Iâm with you.â Your chest swelled with an emotion you couldnât identify. The gymnasium faded into the background and all you could hear was the sound of your heart thudding against your ribcage and Jungwonâs voice as he asked,Â
âWill you make me lucky again by accompanying me to the Valentineâs Dance?âÂ
The game had ended twenty minutes ago.Â
Eastwood had won by 10 points. Youâd thought the difference was pretty good but your Mr. Woo, your schoolâs coach, didnât seem to share your opinion. Heâd claimed that Riverside never even should have been able to get within 15 points of Eastwood.
Heâd been especially tense in the second half of the third quarter when the opposition had begun scoring back to back baskets. It had all worked out in the end nonetheless, all thanks to Yang Jungwon, the MVP of the match.Â
You still couldnât believe heâd asked you out and you refused to believe heâd done it in such a grand way.Â
He was the definition of a jock and goofed around in school all day long. He was charming, sure, but youâd never known he was capable of pulling off something this big.Â
Youâd never even suspected he was a romantic.Â
Your phone dinged and you unlocked it to check who was texting you.Â
[eunchae]: wya?Â
[y/n]: parking lot!! are u here? iâm leaning against my car
[eunchae]: noo iâm home :( btw are u still waiting for him??Â
[y/n]: yeah he asked me to but the team hasnât come out of the gym yet
[eunchae]: yikes i heard mr. woo was hella mad we only won by 10 points.. maybe heâs yelling at the players right now
[y/n]: iâm p sure he is LMFAO
Your fingers hovered over your phoneâs screen as you waited for Eunchae to type her reply. However, before she could send it, you felt the device being grabbed from your hand.Â
âWhat theââ you started, but relaxed when you saw Jungwon standing in front of you with an amused expression on his face. âYang.â
He quirked an eyebrow. âSomeone could have easily kidnapped you, you know?âÂ
âWe live in the most boring part of the town.â You snorted. âBaek Seung threatening to chop his neighbourâs tree on local TV was the most interesting thing that happened this year.â
âThat doesnât mean you shouldnât be on your guard,â Jungwon said and moved next to you, leaning against the side of your car as well. He was wearing black sweats and a red hoodie. He smelt of cheap soap and his hair was damp, making you realise that he had probably showered. âBesides, Baek Sung actually followed through. We have a real criminal in our ranks.âÂ
âDidnât you literally let five sheep loose in our middle school three years ago?âÂ
âThat was just a harmless middle school graduating prank.â
âThereâs no such thing as a middle school graduating prank.â
âTell that to the current 8th graders who are planning their prank. I hear theyâre going to stuff the hallway outside the principalâs office with helium balloons so she wonât be able to leave.â Â
You stared at him, a small smile playing on your lips. Jungwonâs eyes dropped to your mouth for a millisecond before he looked into your eyes again.Â
âWhy did you ask me to the dance?â you asked and turned on your side to face him. It was a stupid question but you were genuinely curious.Â
Eunchae was right before. Jungwon flirted with you all the time and you always entertained him. You enjoyed the attention he gave you. But if this thing between you was just platonic, and if it was never going to progress into something real, you needed to know now.Â
You didnât want to hope and wait for something that was never going to happen.Â
âSunoo said I was an idiot for not shooting my shot with you,â he replied and turned on his side too. âHe threatened to make a move on you if I didnât get my shit together before Valentineâs Day.âÂ
You snorted.Â
âOh, also,â Jungwon added. âI really, really like you.âÂ
You felt a tidal wave of emotions override your senses. Euphoria, nervousness, breathlessness, giddiness, uncertainty and this inexplicable urge to squeal washed over you.Â
Your heart went haywire inside your chest when Jungwon leaned closer to you and dipped his head so that his face was right in front of yours.Â
âYouâre blushing,â he whispered.Â
You squeaked and buried your face in your hands. He grabbed your wrists and gently moved them out of the way. âCan I kiss you?âÂ
âI think that would be a health hazard,â you croaked, looking at anywhere but him. âMy heart is beating concerningly fast right now. What if I drop dead?âÂ
âI can do CPR.âÂ
The corner of your mouth quirked up in a small smile. Your heart beat slowed down and you began feeling at ease. You wondered if Jungwon could tell that this was the first time someone had confessed to you.Â
The entire concept of dating and being in a relationship was foreign to you. You doubted Jungwon had much experience in the field himself since heâd only had one girlfriend in kindergarten, but he seemed confident.Â
You trusted him to take over the wheel and guide you through the strange waters of love.Â
âOkay,â you breathed and closed your eyes. âKiss me.âÂ
His hands cupped your cheeks, his soft lips brushing against yours. You sucked in a breath and just stood there, not really knowing what to do.Â
Your hands itched to grab onto something, so you shifted closer to Jungwon and clutched the front of his hoodie in your fists.Â
He smiled against your mouth as you rose on your toes and tilted your head to the side.Â
But then you realised something and hastily broke the kiss. Jungwon stared at you in confusion, but before he could ask what was wrong, you blurted, âI like you too.âÂ
There was a pause. He didnât say anything for a long moment, so you clarified, âI thought I should make that clear. I mean, you confessed but I didnât confess back even though I feel the same way and what if you thought I wasnât into you. I am into you, by the way. Iâve been crushing on you since forever but I never knew how to say itââÂ
Jungwon swooped in for a second kiss and you melted in his arms. You could get used to the feeling of his lips on yours. They fit together perfectly. Â
âYou are so cute.â He giggled after detaching his mouth from yours. Resting his forehead against yours, he continued, âEunchae told me last week. She urged me to confess because she knew your stubbornness would never allow you to make the move.âÂ
âWhat?â you exclaimed, jerking away from him. âWhereâs my phone? Give me my damn phone, Yang!âÂ
He grabbed arms before you could lunge at him and search him for your device. âRelax!â
âIâm going to kill her!âÂ
âWhy?!âÂ
âBecauseââ you sputtered, struggling to get out of his gripâ âbecause itâs embarrassing! I was pretending to not like you but you knew I was crushing on you the entire time!âÂ
âItâs not embarrassing!â Jungwon said. âItâs normalâY/N stop!âÂ
You let your body fall limp in his arms. âIâm going home. Iâll see you tomorrow.âÂ
âYouâre seriously not going to let Eunchaeâs nosiness stop us from having our first date, are you?â Â
âWhat?â you asked and moved out of his grip.
He shrugged and shoved his hands into pockets. âItâs nothing special. I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for some food.âÂ
âOh,â you replied blankly. âDonât you have a celebratory dinner with your team though?âÂ
âI can ditch them.â Â
âYou shouldnât.âÂ
âLet me correct myself: I already ditched them. I want to spend tonight and celebrate with you.âÂ
Your heart swelled with happiness. âReally?â When was the last time someone outside of your parents prioritised you? You genuinely couldnât remember.Â
âOf course. Do you wanna get some McDonaldâs?â
You nodded, but before he could make his way to the passengerâs seat of your car, you said, âJust so you know, I feel the luckiest when Iâm with you too.âÂ
Yang Jungwon kissed you for the third time, and by no means was it the last, or even close to the last one you shared that day. Â

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teeth
âlet's play together, you make me so thirstyâ
pairing: vampire!heeseung x reader
synopsis: you were not thrilled about the move in of your new neighbour. mostly because he was so strange and seemed to be hiding something dark. and partly because you couldnât stop yourself from getting closer to him because of your unwanted attraction. you were determined to expose his dark secret and get rid of him once and for all. but, it was proving to be a difficult task because he was just so irresistible..and needy.
genre: enemies to lovers, vampire au
warnings: lots of suggestive content!!(read at your own discretion), blood, alcohol, getting trapped in a lift, making out, teeth and biting(obviously)
note: this is like my first time writing something suggestive so i was a little nervous, but i think it turned out well! there's no smut tho. teeth is such a freaky song teehee, i hope this gives off the same vibes. listen to the song while reading this, enjoy!
word count: 5.2k
if you liked it please reblog or comment to give me your feedback! <3
fairy lights strung across the hallway cast a warm glow on the gaggle of your neighbours crammed into the shared corridor. plates heaped with enough food to feed a small army overflowed from a makeshift table, the air thick with the aroma of baked ziti and something suspiciously like burnt brownies.
it was the monthly floor potluck, a supposed chance for neighbourly bonding. you, however, stood alone by the shoe rack, arms crossed and a scowl firmly in place.
the source of your discontent? lee heeseung, the new resident in 3B. he'd moved in a week ago, and in that short time, had managed to charm the socks off everyone else. mrs. kim from 3A gushed about his "angelic smile," mr. lee from across the hall swore he'd single-handedly fixed the perpetually leaky faucet, and even the ever-grumpy mrs. park from 2B had softened to his "polite demeanour." you, however, weren't buying it.
there was something⊠off about him. he was a little too pale, a little too perfect. the way his eyes seemed to glint in the fairy lights sent shivers down your spine, not the good kind. maybe it was the way he never seemed to eat anything, politely declining every dish offered with a charming smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. or maybe it was just a gut feeling, a primal instinct screaming that there was more to heeseung than met the eye.
as you nursed your lukewarm coffee, heeseung materialised beside you, a plate piled high with (uneaten) pasta in his hand. his smile, as always, was dazzling.
"hey there! i'm heeseung, from 3b. iâve been meaning to meet you for a while! everyone's been raving about you."
you narrowed your eyes at him. "is that right?"
he chuckled, a sound a little too melodious. "absolutely! they say you make the best chocolate chip cookies on the floor." he gestured to the burnt offering on the table. "though, these brownies look like they could use some work."
a sarcastic snort escaped your lips. "they're mrs. park's. apparently, baking isn't her forte."
heeseung's smile faltered for a brief moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before he recovered. "well, maybe next time you could bring your famous cookies," he suggested, his voice smooth as silk.
you raised an eyebrow, suspicion solidifying in your gut. "maybe i will," you said, your voice devoid of warmth.
heeseung seemed to hesitate, the air crackling with a strange tension. then, with another dazzling smile, he excused himself and moved on to mrs. kim, who was already gushing about his "nonexistent" culinary skills.
you watched him go, a cold dread settling in your stomach. he might be fooling everyone else, but you wouldn't be swayed by his facade. there was something about heeseung, something dark and unsettling, and you were determined to find out what it was.
weeks bled into months, and your suspicions about heeseung only intensified. he'd become the bane of your existence, a charming yet infuriating shadow that seemed to follow you around the building. every potluck, every hallway encounter was a constant push and pull between your icy suspicion and his playful facade.
he revelled in teasing you, his compliments bordering on flirtatious. "looking lovely today, arenât you?" he'd purr, his eyes gleaming with an amusement that sent shivers down your spine. you'd counter with sarcastic remarks that usually sailed right over his head, leaving you more frustrated than ever.
one particularly rainy afternoon, you were rushing down the hallway, arms laden with groceries, when the treacherous floor betrayed you. your foot slipped, and you went sprawling towards the cold tile. but before you could hit the ground, strong arms wrapped around you, pulling you upright with surprising ease.
for a moment, you were trapped in heeseung's embrace. your ear was pressed against his chest, and a jolt of fear shot through you. there was no comforting thud of a heartbeat, just a chilling silence. his touch was icy cold, sending a wave of goosebumps erupting across your skin.
you scrambled away from him, a mixture of terror and anger twisting your features. "don't touch me!" you hissed, dropping a bag of groceries with a clatter.
heeseung straightened, his smile unwavering. "whoa there. just trying to be a good neighbour."
you glared at him, your voice trembling. "there's nothing neighbourly about you, heeseung. what are you?"
his smile faltered for a flicker of a second, a flicker you caught this time. but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual charming facade. "just a guy who likes to help out a damsel in distress," he said, his voice laced with amusement.
but the amusement didn't reach his eyes. they held a glint of something predatory, something that confirmed your worst fears. he wasn't normal. and whatever he was, it was becoming increasingly clear that he was toying with you.
you grabbed the remaining grocery bags, clutching them tightly to your chest as if they were a shield. "don't think this is over, heeseung," you hissed, your voice surprisingly steady despite the fear gnawing at your insides. "i'll find out who you are, and i'll expose you."
he tilted his head, a playful glint back in his eyes. "is that a challenge, darling?" he asked, his voice a low murmur that sent shivers down your spine. "be careful what you wish for. you might just find out more than you bargained for."
with that cryptic message hanging in the air, he turned and sauntered back to his apartment, leaving you alone in the hallway, the weight of his words and the chilling memory of his touch settling over you like a shroud. you were determined to unravel the mystery of heeseung, but a new, terrifying question gnawed at you: were you prepared for what you might find?
sleep evaded you that night. the unsettling encounter with heeseung replayed on a loop in your mind. you tossed and turned, the silence punctuated only by the rhythmic tapping of rain against your window. finally, unable to bear the tension any longer, you crept out of bed and tiptoed towards the door, hoping to get some fresh air.
just as you were about to unlock the door the âdingâ of the elevatorâs arrival stopped you in your tracks. who could it be this late at night?
peeking through the peephole, you were met with a sight that sent a fresh wave of terror coursing through you. heeseung stood casually a few feet away from your door, the rain slicking his dark hair back from his forehead.
he was whistling a cheerful tune, completely oblivious to your scrutiny. but what truly sent shivers down your spine was the state of his hands. they were stained with something dark and viscous, drying in the cool night air. it looked⊠suspiciously like blood.
the blood ran cold in your veins. just as you were about to pull back, heeseung paused, his head tilting ever so slightly as if he could sense you watching. a slow, unnerving smirk spread across his face, his eyes seeming to lock with yours through the peephole. how? it was impossible.
panic clawed at you. you stumbled back, adrenaline flooding your system. you had to warn the others. heeseung couldn't be trusted.
the next day, you stormed into mrs. kim's apartment, her usual cheery demeanour replaced by a frantic urgency. you blurted out everything â the coldness, the lack of a heartbeat, and the bloodstains you witnessed the night before.
mrs. kim, however, listened with a furrowed brow. "blood? are you sure, dear? heeseung wouldn't hurt a fly."
heeseung, conveniently appearing in the midst of your outburst, played the part of the concerned neighbour perfectly.
"is everything alright here?" he asked, his voice dripping with feigned innocence. "seems a little tense."
mrs. kim just dismissed him, shaking her head with a small chuckle, ânothing dear, itâs not important.â
his smile was disarming, his eyes brimming with feigned innocence. "oh i see. what were you two talking about so intently then?"
you glared at him, your voice trembling with barely contained anger. "i was just telling mrs. kim about your⊠unusual habits." you recounted the previous night's events, your gaze flitting between mrs. kim and heeseung.
heeseung chuckled, a light, airy sound that sent shivers down your spine. immediately, his expression morphed into one of concern, looking at mrs kim. "hasnât she been acting strangely lately? maybe a little⊠stressed?"
his words stung. he was twisting the narrative, making you seem paranoid and delusional. your frustration grew, your voice rising as you tried to explain what you saw, but your neighbour's eyes held only pity and dismissal.
mrs. kim patted your hand soothingly. "maybe you're just a little stressed, dear. heeseung's a good boy, always looking out for everyone. don't you worry about him."
shame burned in your cheeks. you were alone, your warnings falling on deaf ears. heeseung's smile widened, the glint in his eyes predatory.
"see?" he said, his voice low and menacing, but directed only at you. "sometimes, silence is the best policy."
with that, he turned and sauntered away, leaving you trapped in a nightmare you couldn't seem to wake up from.
back in your apartment, you sank onto the couch, a defeated sigh escaping your lips. you were alone, your suspicions dismissed as paranoia. but the image of heeseung's bloodstained hands, his chilling smirk, burned into your memory. you wouldn't give up. you had to find a way to expose him, to prove to everyone that the perfect neighbour was nothing but a monster in disguise.
the bass vibrated through the floor, the air thick with sweat and the sweet scent of spilled cocktails. you were lost in the music, laughing with your friends, a rare moment of reprieve from the constant worry that was heeseung. the tipsy buzz from the vodka-cranberries only amplified the carefree feeling, pushing his unsettling presence to the back of your mind.
tipsy from a few too many drinks, you excused yourself, needing a momentary escape from the pulsating heat of the dance floor of the club. the cool night air was a welcome change as you stepped into the balcony, the cityscape shimmering under the neon glow. a sudden prickle ran down your spine, making you stop mid-step. it was the distinct feeling of someone's gaze boring into you, a predator sizing up its prey.
your heart hammered against your ribs as you spun around, searching the crowd. there, leaning against the wall opposite the club entrance, stood heeseung. his perfect features were cast in shadow, but the glint of his eyes in the darkness sent a shiver down your spine. he held a drink in his hand, his knuckles white around the glass, as if tightening his grip to control himself.
the moment you locked eyes with him, the air crackled with a tension so thick you could almost taste it. it wasn't just fear this time. there was a strange undercurrent, a dark energy that seemed to emanate from him.
your mind, fuzzy from the alcohol, couldn't quite grasp it, but your body reacted instinctively. panic surged through you, erasing the tipsy haze. this wasn't the charming neighbour; this was the dangerous entity you'd glimpsed before.
you didn't waste a second. turning on your heel, you practically sprinted back into the club, weaving through the crowd. your breath came out in ragged gasps, fueled by a cocktail of fear and the alcohol throbbing in your veins.
with a desperate lunge, you pushed open the nearest door, the sign above it proclaiming it a restroom.
just as you fumbled for the lock, a strong hand shot past your shoulder, wedging itself between the door and the frame. you froze, staring in horror as heeseung casually pushed his way in behind you. he slammed the door shut with a sickening thud, the lock clicking ominously behind him.
he cornered you against the door, his body acting as a wall and a scent that was both familiar and strangely intoxicating. the air crackled with unspoken tension, thick with the remnants of your fear and an undeniable spark ofâŠsomething else.
âwhat do you think youâre doing?â, you winced at how weak your voice sounded.
he leaned impossibly close, his breath chilly against your ear. he seemed to be tipsy as well, with the way he stumbled and invaded your personal space.
the alcohol loosened your inhibitions, and his voice, usually smooth and playful, now had a dark, alluring edge to it.
"you looked beautiful dancing under those lights," he whispered, his words sending shivers down your spine. "such a shame you seem to hate me so."
his nearness was overwhelming. you couldn't feel any heat radiating from his body, but the way his lips brushed against your ear sent a jolt through you. his voice, usually smooth as silk, now had a rough edge, sending a shiver down your spine that wasn't entirely unpleasant.
your mind, fuzzy from the alcohol, struggled to process the situation. he was terrifying, yes, but a strange, confusing attraction warred with the fear simmering beneath the surface.
your gaze latched onto the physical beauty in front of you - the sharp angles of his jaw, the way the moonlight glinted off his dark brown eyes. all the warnings you'd tried to ignore hammered against your intoxicated mind, but for some reason, they held no power in the face of the undeniable magnetism of the man pinning you to the door.
âwhat do you want from meâ, your words came out in a hushed whisper, scared as if speaking any louder would ruin the moment.
his gaze flitted down to your lips as he got closer to you, now only a breath away. he leaned closer, the scent of something foreign, yet oddly alluring, invading your senses.
his gaze dropped to your lips, painted a soft pink from the drinks you'd consumed.
before you could register the movement, his lips were on yours. the kiss was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions â the initial shock giving way to a surge of heat that defied logic. his hand slid down your back, pressing you flush against the wooden door.you clung to him, a confused mix of fear and a thrilling sense of forbidden desire coursing through you.
the kiss deepened, becoming desperate, hungry. he tasted of something sweet and metallic, a strange anomaly that sent a jolt through your system. you ignored it, caught up in the intoxicating whirlwind.
his body was freezing cold, save for his lips, his skin a contrast against the heat from your body which made a wave of concern rise up in the back of your head. but it was all forgotten as his hand moved to your neck, his fingers trailing a chilly path before dipping behind your ear.
you gasped at the sudden feeling, and heeseung took the opportunity to let his tongue enter your mouth. the kiss got messier and hotter, as if he was trying to devour you whole.
he rained kisses down your jawline, each one a searing brand against your skin. his touch sent shivers of anticipation down your spine, your breath hitching as you felt his teeth graze a sensitive spot.
it wasn't a bite, not yet. it was a brush, a feather-light caress that sent a jolt through your system. but it wasn't just the touch. there was something⊠different about his canines. they were sharper, pointier than human teeth, and the sensation sent a wave of surprise through you.
he froze, the movement of his mouth stopping abruptly. his breath hitched in his throat, coming out in ragged gasps like a predator startled mid-hunt. his eyes, locked on your neck, flickered with a mix of hunger and⊠something else. a flicker of remorse, a struggle you couldn't quite decipher.
the tension in the room was suffocating. you stared back at him, your mind a tangled mess of confusion and desire. but before you could form a question, before you could understand the shift in him, heeseung pulled away. his grip on your neck loosened, replaced by a cold indifference.
his eyes, once filled with a dark desire, now held a chilling emptiness. the warmth of his body vanished as he stepped back, leaving you feeling exposed and vulnerable. he stared at you for a long, agonising moment, his eyes unreadable.
then, in a swift movement, he turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving you pressed against the door, the memory of the heated kiss a stark contrast to the cold dread settling in your stomach.
the heat of the kiss still lingered on your lips, a confusing memory tainted by the chilling realisation of what he truly was. you cradled your neck, the phantom sensation of his sharp touch lingering long after he was gone.
days bled into a strange silence. the unsettling encounters with heeseung, once a daily occurrence, had vanished. you wouldn't normally miss his presence, but the sudden absence gnawed at you with an unsettling curiosity. you found yourself glancing down the hallway at his door more often than you cared to admit, the memory of the stolen kiss replaying in your mind in a confusing loop.
the thought of venturing to his apartment, of seeking him out after the charged encounter in the washroom, sent a jolt of nervous energy through you.
shame burned in your cheeks at the memory of the heated kiss, a stark contrast to the chilling way he'd left you. yet, a sliver of concern gnawed at you. his absence was unnerving.
finally, curiosity, laced with apprehension, won over your better judgement. you stood outside his door, heart hammering a frantic rhythm against your ribs. taking a deep breath, you raised your hand and knocked tentatively.
the silence stretched for what felt like an eternity before the door creaked open a sliver. heeseung stood there, his face pale and drawn, dark circles smudging the area under his eyes. he looked⊠unwell.
"heeseung?" you ventured, surprised by the concern that slipped into your voice. "are you alright? you look terrible."
he didn't answer, just stared at you with an icy indifference that sent a shiver down your spine. the playful glint in his eyes, once so unsettling, was replaced by a hollowness that chilled you to the bone.
heeseung scoffed, a harsh sound that scraped against your nerves. "i'm fine. now leave."
the hostility in his voice stung. the concern you felt evaporated, replaced by a cold anger.
"look," you snapped, "i just came to see if you were okay. but clearly, you don't want the help."
he scoffed, a humourless sound. "of course not. why would i need help from the likes of you?"
he slammed the door shut before you could retort, leaving you standing alone in the hallway, the echo of his harsh words ringing in your ears. shame burned in your cheeks, a confusing mix of hurt and anger churning in your gut.
how dare he act like you were the villain? he was the one who made your life a living nightmare, the one with secrets that sent shivers down your spine.
scowling, you berated yourself for your momentary lapse in judgement. you hated him. you had to.
he was a danger, a monster in disguise. yet, the flicker of something vulnerable you'd glimpsed in his eyes, the way he'd pulled away so abruptly⊠it was a confusing puzzle you couldn't seem to solve.
heeseung stumbled out of his apartment, a desperate lurch in his gait that spoke volumes of his weakened state. he fumbled with grabbing his keys, nearly dropping them, before finally unlocking the deadbolt.
he needed to get out, anywhere but the suffocating confines of his apartment. he threw a glance down the hallway, hoping for an empty elevator, but his luck had run dry. the red "in use" light mocked him above the metal doors.
he slammed on the button, urgency pushing past the haze in his head. as the doors dinged open, revealing you standing there, his heart sank.
heeseung flinched back, shuffling into the corner like a wounded animal. "get⊠out," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper.
"seriously?" you scoffed, following him with your glare. "that makeout session in the club must have been rough if you can't even stand the sight of me now."
heeseung remained silent, the effort of breathing stealing his focus. you rolled your eyes, muttering under your breath about his lack of manners. you turned away, choosing to ignore him.
suddenly, the elevator lurched to a halt, plunging the cramped space into slight darkness. a metallic groan filled the air.
"great," you sighed, reaching for the call button. "looks like we're stuck."
a strained voice answered through the speaker, informing you that a technician would be on their way shortly.
"shortly?" you groaned. "how long is shortly?"
"it's hard to say, ma'am. there's been a minor fault in the system."
you groaned, sinking down onto the floor.
heeseung remained silent, his body trembling. every passing second felt like an eternity. hunger gnawed at him, a primal urge clawing its way to the surface. he gritted his teeth, fighting against the monstrous transformation that threatened to take over.
"hey," he rasped, his voice barely a whisper.
you shot him a sceptical glance. "what?"
shame burned in his throat, but the need for survival outweighed his pride. "do you⊠by any chance⊠have any blood on you?"
you leaned closer, your suspicions finally confirmed.
"about time you admitted it," you cheered, a triumphant smirk creeping across your face. "i knew you weren't normal."
heeseung let out a dark chuckle, a sound devoid of humour. "don't get too excited," he rasped. "you shouldn't be so happy about this."
"oh, come on," you scoffed. "spill it. what are you? some kind of freak?"
a tense silence followed, broken only by the hum of the faulty elevator. finally, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper.
"vampire."
shock flooded your system. it was one thing to suspect, another to hear it confirmed.
"no way," you scoffed, refusing to believe it. "vampires don't exist."
but his next words sent a shiver down your spine. "the reason i stopped you at the club⊠it wasn't because of the kiss. it was the smell of your blood. it was⊠intoxicating."
"ever since i've met youâŠ" he began, his voice surprisingly soft despite the edge of desperation in it. "the smell of your blood, so sweet, has been driving me crazy. so different from anything i've ever encountered."
he paused, a tremor running through his voice. "for years, i've resisted feeding on humans. morality, you might call it. i rely on animal blood, a poor substitute at best. but your bloodâŠ" he took a shaky breath, "it was like a siren song. after that night, i canât even smell any other type of blood without my stomach churning in disgust."
you listened intently, a strange fascination battling with the fear that coiled in your gut. this wasn't the heeseung you knew, the playful neighbor who reveled in teasing you. this was a creature raw and exposed, driven by a primal need he could barely articulate.
"years," he continued, his voice cracking slightly. "years of animal blood, a constant reminder of what i can't have. but then youâŠ" he trailed off, the echo of that night in the club hanging heavy between you.
a shiver ran down your spine, but it wasn't entirely from fear. there was a vulnerability in his confession, a desperate need for something more than just sustenance.
"the challenge," he said, his voice gaining a tinge of bitterness. "the forbidden fruit. maybe that's what drew me in at first. but thenâŠ" he hesitated, a flicker of something akin to shame crossing his features.
"then what?" you prompted, your voice barely a whisper. this wasn't how you'd imagined confronting a vampire, yet here you were, drawn into his story.
"don't you see?" heeseung's voice rose, a tremor of desperation colouring it. "you make me weak, vulnerable. yet, your defiance only intensifies the pull. you're everything i shouldn't want, everything i crave."
the revelation sent a jolt through you, a terrifying mix of fear and⊠something else. the line between predator and prey seemed to blur in the confines of the elevator. you were trapped, yes, but there was also a strange sense of being held hostage by a creature consumed by a desire he both craved and loathed.
the silence that followed heeseung's confession stretched on, thick with a tension that was no longer just fear. you understood him, perhaps better than he understood himself.
taking a deep breath, you surprised yourself by what you said next. "maybe thereâs another way."
heeseung's head snapped up, his eyes searching your face in the dim light. "what do you mean?"
"i can help" you held out your wrist, the moonlight filtering through a crack in the elevator door illuminating the delicate veins beneath your skin. "you said you needed blood. maybe i canâŠ
he recoiled as if struck. "no. absolutely not. i won'tâ"
"heeseung," you interrupted, your voice firm despite the tremor in your heart. "look at me. i'm not scared. in factâŠ" you hesitated, a blush creeping up your neck. "maybe i⊠feel the same way."
the air crackled with a new kind of tension. heeseung stared at you, his face a mask of disbelief. "the same way? how?"
"like you said," you whispered, "forbidden. a dangerous attraction." you met his gaze, holding it with a newfound resolve. "if this is what you need, i⊠i consent."
heeseung's breath hitched. shame flickered in his eyes, quickly replaced by a raw hunger that made your own pulse quicken. "but," he said, his voice low and urgent, "i need more. much more. and from⊠a different place."
your stomach lurched. "different place?"
a flicker of vulnerability crossed his features. "my apologies," he murmured. "to properly sustain me, i need⊠the jugular."
the word hung heavy in the air, a primal request that sent a wave of apprehension through you. the image of a vampire sinking its fangs into someone's neck flashed before your eyes. but then, against your better judgment, you found yourself nodding slowly.
a surge of relief, tinged with desperation, washed over heeseung. he moved towards you, a predator closing in on its prey. the closeness brought back a memory - the night in the club bathroom, pressed against the wall, his chilly breath on your neck.
he trapped you against the corner, his body a wall of heat, completely different from the other day where he was freezing.
"please," he rasped, his voice raw with hunger and a strange, desperate plea. "i can't control myself much longer. let meâŠ"
his voice trailed off, replaced by a whimper that both shocked and ignited something within you. this wasn't the cold, calculating heeseung you'd feared. this was a creature on the brink, his monstrous hunger battling with a threadbare shred of control.
"alright," you whispered, the word leaving your lips before you could overthink it.
he didn't hesitate. he leaned in, his movements a blur of desperation. kisses, hot and wet, rained down on your neck, each one a branding iron leaving a fiery mark. you closed your eyes, bracing yourself for the pain. but it never came.
instead, as his fangs pierced your skin, a jolt of something unexpected surged through you. it wasn't pain, but a warmth that spread through your body like liquid fire. your mind grew hazy, your senses overwhelmed by a wave of pleasure that originated from the very point of contact.
he moaned, a deep, primal sound that echoed in the confined space. "so sweet," he whispered, his voice thick with desire. "the best i've ever tasted."
he drank deeply, his body trembling with each intake. you could hear him purring, a low rumble that resonated deep within your core. the pleasure was overwhelming, a dizzying mixture of pain and pleasure that left you gasping for breath. your mind turned hazy, each noise tumbling out of his lips sounding like liquid gold to you.
when he finally pulled away, breathless and satiated, he looked at you with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine. he languidly licked away the remnants of blood from the wound, his warm tongue sending a jolt of electricity through you.
he didn't stop there. he swiped at the blood that trickled down your collarbone, his tongue making a suggestive swipe against your skin. a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes, and you couldn't help but lean closer, a thrill coursing through you.
the jarring hum of the elevator coming back to life jolted you both from your current position. heeseung, his fangs retracted, quickly pressed the button for your floor. a strange mixture of fear and elation bubbled in your chest, a sensation as unfamiliar as the pleasure you'd just experienced.
he turned to you, his eyes searching your face. "are you alright?" his voice was concerned, a stark contrast to his needy whines just moments ago.
you hesitantly reached for your neck, expecting a throbbing pain. instead, you found smooth, unmarked skin. a gasp escaped your lips. "it⊠it healed?"
heeseung nodded, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "vampire saliva," he explained casually. "has a few⊠interesting properties. speeds up healing, for one."
a blush crept up your cheeks as you recalled the wave of euphoria that had washed over you during his feeding. "andâŠ" you stammered, "the pleasure?"
"speaking of pleasure," heeseung's voice dipped to a husky whisper, "vampire saliva has another... side effect."
he leaned closer, his lips brushing against your ear. "an aphrodisiac," he breathed, his words sending a shiver down your spine. "especially potent when mixed with a good dose of desire. all thanks to those initial kisses on your neck i had planted.â
"so that's whyâŠ" you mumbled, suddenly embarrassed.
the elevator doors slid open, revealing the familiar hallway. you stepped out, feeling oddly energised despite the ordeal. a playful smile tugged at your lips.
"so," you said, turning to face him, your fingers playfully tapping his arm, "how do you plan to repay me for that little⊠service?"
heeseung raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. before he could answer, he leaned down, his lips brushing against your forehead in a sweet kiss. pulling away, he grinned, his fangs catching the dim light playfully.
your heart hammered in your chest as he took your hand, his touch sending a spark of heat through you. stepping closer to your apartment, he winked.
"let's discuss repayment options in private, shall we?" he said, his voice dripping with a promise of things to come.
he took your hand again, his touch surprisingly warm despite his vampiric nature. before you could respond, he gently steered you towards your apartment, leaving you breathless and caught in the undercurrent of a dangerous, exhilarating game you'd just begun to play.
as you fumbled with your keys, trying to unlock the door in hurry, he leaned down next to you and murmured, his voice a low, suggestive rumble.
"i'm sure you taste just as good everywhere else."
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challenge accepted.
PAIRING... coach!sunghoon x player!reader | GENRE... established relationship! au, fluff, humor, romance | WC... 1.1k | challengers inspired iykwim :))
youâre annoyed. actually, itâs not just that. youâre peeved. youâre agitated.Â
youâre hot.
and youâre waiting. waiting for the stupid coach that your parents hired in hopes of fixing the slump you were currently in.Â
another player, another perspective, and another chance, is what they said.Â
how unnecessaryâa true waste of moneyâyou think. you were more than capable at playing tennis, why in the world would they ever think you needed another extra hand? a pitiful stepping stool for the toddler. everything felt like such a chore.Â
you feel your skin prickle at the heat. a bead of sweat forms at your temple. you sigh.Â
you uncross your arms and stop tapping your foot in hopes of finally loosening up. itâs not like you needed to wait for permission to startâyou could easily warm up on your own.Â
letâs just get this over with. make it hell for your coach in hopes they never want to teach you again. then youâll return to playingâstrugglingâ as usual and your problems will be solved. not really (being in a slump was so very difficult) but at least without a pity partner.Â
while stretching, your eyes wander across the complex. you usually didnât come to play in the afternoon, opting to practice earlier in the morning or later at night.Â
you immediately perk up at the sight across from youâsomeone leaving the courts with their duffel bag slung across their shoulder.Â
a bright grin stretches across your face.Â
jake.Â
a seasoned player only a year older than you and quite frankly, cute.Â
you feel like a middle school fan girl, waving enthusiastically back as he winks at you. you make a mental note to ask him to hit together sometime soon.Â
âyou play for the game or for the players?âÂ
you stiffen at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, turning around only to be greeted by an unpleasant sight.Â
or rather, a not so unpleasant sight. dear goodness, of course he had to be attractive. unfortunately very so.Â
you ignore his comment as your eyes narrow. âyou must be-â
âyour new coach. you can call me sunghoon.âÂ
he extends a hand and you wrinkle your nose at the gesture.Â
thereâs no way he could have been more than three years older than you. you expected some old, sunburnt scruffy looking man. not someone who looked like they just stepped off the cover of vogue or something.Â
ây/n,â you state simply while ignoring his hand. you needed to show him his place, establish the fact that you certainly werenât happy about the whole situation.Â
he coolly retracts his arm to set down his polished bag, âhow long have you been playing?â
âlong enough to not need help from someone like you.âÂ
he quirks an eyebrow, beginning to stretch next to you. a whiff of his scent fills your nose. you huff, he smelled way too good to be on a tennis court.Â
âreally? thatâs not what your parents told me.â
âmy parents donât know anything.âÂ
how good was he, anyway? so far, it seemed like he was underestimating you.Â
once he finishes warming up (and you finish sizing him and his expensive gear up) he gestures toward the court.Â
âalright then. three laps. no cutting the corner.âÂ
you roll your eyes before starting.Â
when you finish, attempting to keep your breathing even, you reach for your water.Â
a hand snatches your wrist, effectively cutting off your motion. you feel your hair prickle at the sensation.Â
you look up, surprised at his sudden action. his cold eyes glinting as he stares down at you.
âdid i say you could drink?âÂ
âdid i ask?â you mutter under your breath as you turn away to calm your sudden racing heart. as he grabs his racket, you do the same.Â
âletâs start with down the lines.âÂ
you cross your arms like a little child. âthatâs all for warmup? you must not know how we do it here. i need to at least stretch my hamstring, calvesâŠâ
you stop once you notice the expression on sunghoonâs face.Â
âyouâre cute,â he chuckles and you snort.Â
âand youâre too young to be referring to me like that. how old even are you, like twenty-one?â
âtwenty two,â he corrects you.Â
âclose enough. youâre not even older than me by that much.â
he ignores you, moving to the opposite side of the court. you glare at him indignantly.Â
âi first just want to get an idea of how you play,â he calls out. ânow, service line.âÂ
only after a few sets does sunghoon come over to your side of the court. youâre immediately on guard, watching his every stride.
âif you bend a little more, you can generate so much-â
âi donât need you to fix my form,â you immediately retort. without saying anything, he comes behind you.
again, that distracting scent fills all your senses.
âforehand,â he orders. his voice being so close to your ear makes your shiver. when you donât move, he does it for you.
his touch is lightâhis body a little too close for comfort to yours, maybe. but from the outside perspective it just looked like a coach fixing their studentâs form.Â
thatâs all it was, anyway. right?Â
âyou see?â
you swallow, âright.âÂ
he lingers for more than a second and you swear heâs so close you can feel his heart beating in his chest before he finally lets go.Â
âbetter.âÂ
he swallows harshly and you hate how you canât help but stare at his adamâs apple bobbing.
by the end of the lesson, youâre sweating thoroughly. although you like to blame it on the heat.
sunghoon, infuriatingly, looked never the better. the same as when you first started the lesson with his perfectly styled hair and immaculate skin.Â
you guzzle down water, ignoring how some of it runs down your neck. you also ignore the way you can feel sunghoonâs eyes stay on you.Â
as you finish packing up, youâre startled by his sudden movement. he closes in on you as you freeze, eyes widening. one of his hands lean on the pole next to you. youâre not sure if itâs his or your heavy breathing filling your ears.
until he gently picks a leaf out of your hair.Â
âthat wasnât too bad. see you next week, then?â
youâre speechless, he only grins. Â
you just watch as sunghoonâyour new coach?âgrabs his stuff and struts off.Â
as you angrily stuff your things into your tennis bag, you mutter under your breath.Â
oh, how sunghoon irritates you. his cockiness while still being so young only fueled your aggravation. he made you want to show off, play better, be better. all in hopes of showing him that youâre good enough. you donât need his help. or his devastatingly handsome face and quick brain.Â
you gasp at the thought, horrified. and almost sink onto the bench.Â
you fell for it.Â
sunghoon was exactly what your parents wanted for you. and he wasnât leaving anytime soon.Â
a/n âž wow jae actually posted?
MAIN TAGLIST âž @precioussoulofmine @kynrki @heesterical @nvertheless @duolingofanaccount
@hoeshii @love-4-keum @luvhyun3 @dimplewonie @who-tf-soddhi
@microwvdstrawb3rri3s @asteria-wood @noajakah236482 @enhacatalog @june-pop
@ohsjy @ashtxrie @isoobie
@kflixnet
Ë àŒâĄ âïœĄË Kiss Kiss!
àŒ*Â·Ë alternatively , how they kiss you and what kissing with them feels like
Contains ÊÉ suggestive for some of the members
àšà§ Heeseung
âžAlways has hands on you whenever he kisses you , mostly on your waist or cupping your cheek , sometimes both. His kisses are slow and sensual , not rushed at all , but so slow that he always gets lost in them. He wants to take his time kissing you , be it when you're alone or around his members. When he has the time to see you , he will take his time to kiss you and if anyone dares to butt in , they'll be met by a nasty glare . âžHe's also the type of person who'd use his tongue as the kiss progresses to a point where you guys are straight up French kissing , he just loves the feeling and how erotic the kiss is but he prefers to kiss you like that when the two of you are alone or behind closed doors.
àšà§Jay
âžHe always holds your chin when he kisses you , titling your head up with the tips of his fingers and he'd use his thumb to pull your chin a little down to open your mouth. His kisses are also slow and sensual , another one who likes to use his tongue but he only kisses you like that when he either : feels jealous , extra romantic or just to catch you off guard. âžHis kisses in public or in front of the members are almost non existent, he likes to keep it behind closed doors but that doesn't mean that he won't peck your lips.
àšà§Jake
âžHis kisses are needy and rushed , he can't help himself , he just always gets so excited when he kisses you :( He always says that he will die if he didn't get at least 10 kisses per day. Another one who loves to use his tongue but also his teeth , or rather have you bite his bottom lip. He just loves it so much because it's so hot to him plus his lips are so plump , how can you not gently bite into them? âžHis hands are quite literally roaming your body , he doesn't have a favorite place to hold you , he just loves touching your body. His hands would always start on your waist before they'd roam around.
àšà§Sunghoon
âžHe's the type of guy to gaze into your eyes before kissing you, his thumb rubbing into your cheek and his other hand on your hips to pull you closer to him. His kisses are a little rough yet sensual, he loves sucking on your bottom lip and graze his fangs on the surface. âžHe prefers kissing you behind closed doors , most preferably having you sitting on his lap so his hands can move from your waist to your thighs.
àšà§Sunoo
âžHis kisses are so sweet and soft , always giggles in between kisses and you can feel him smiling into the kiss. He absolutely loves kissing you and he absolutely does not care if the members are around or not â he'll get his kiss. âžHe loves to hold your hand while kissing or holding your cheek , moving his fingers to tuck stray strands of hair behind your ear while kissing you. He also loves it when you hold his cheek
àšà§Jungwon
âžHis kisses start with pecking your lips multiple times before giving you one long kiss, a kiss that has you gripping his shoulders to steady yourself. He always catches you off guard with his kisses , they're either soft or rough. âžAnother one who prefers kissing you in private and gives you shy little pecks around others until he just doesn't care anymore, he'd even purposely make a loud "Mwah" sound just to annoy the others.
àšà§Riki
âžHis hands are always on your waist or hips , he loves how his hands perfectly fit there , as if it was their purpose to hold you there. His kisses are playful and a bit rough. He doesn't have much experience with kissing , he does try to be careful but sometimes his teeth do bite your lips on accident. He makes up for it by pecking your lips multiple times in a row. âžMost of the times his hands are on your waist or your hips because he prefers kissing you when the two of you are laying or sitting on the couch/bed , but when you guys are outside and he wants to steal a quick kiss â he'll tilt your chin up and lean his head down to quickly kiss you.
DODGING THEIR KISSES â ìíìŽí
enha x gn! reader. in which âžâžÂ you dodge away when they try to kiss you. genre: fluff. cw: kissing. wc: 1.1k.
you were lying in bed, mindlessly scrolling through your phone when you felt the bed dip beside you. âready to sleep?â heeseung asked, crawling into his usual spot beside you. you nodded, putting your phone away on the bedside table. âcome here.â heeseung said softly, pulling you into his arms. he was about to press a goodnight kiss to your forehead like he always does, but you quickly moved away, dodging his kiss. heeseung stared at you, his brows furrowed together as a million thoughts swirled through his mind. were you upset? mad at him? did something bad happen? the worried frown on his face was enough for you to break your act. âsorry seungie, it was just a prank.â you smiled apologetically. heeseung let out a breath of relief, âyouâre so funny.â he said sarcastically, but his arms pulled you back in, pressing a kiss on your forehead. âplease donât do that again.â
âhuh?â jay looked at you with nothing but pure confusion when you sidestepped him to dodge his kiss. you looked back at him with your best poker face, taking in a deep breath as you tried to hold back your laughter, but he took that as a sign that you were mad at him. âlook, iâm sorry, but i was really hungry!â he rambled frantically, âiâll go buy some more for you tonight.â now it was your turn to be confused. âwhat?â âarenât you mad because i ate your leftover pizza?â â...you what?â âiâm sorry!â jay quickly apologised, pulling you into a hug. âplease donât be mad.â he mumbled against the top of your head. you blinked, taking a moment to comprehend his confession, and when you did, you let out a laugh at the unexpected turn of events. âso⊠youâre not mad?â jay asked, perplexed by your reaction. âno, but you better buy some pizza for dinner tonight.â
âi got you a drink.â jake said, âmemorised your order and everything.â he added with a proud smile. âoh, thanks!â you said gratefully, about to give him a thank you kiss, but you had to stop yourself, remembering the prank you had planned. jake noticed your hesitation and leaned in, but you caught on and turned your face away from him. âno kiss?â jake teased, placing his hands on the armrest of your chair and leaned in even closer. your eyes widened at his sudden proximity, and you looked away, knowing well that you would give in if you stared at him for even just a moment longer. jake chuckled and moved in even closer, his face was now only inches away from yours. âletâs see how long you can resist me.â jake whispered, his eyes bore into you with a cocky tilt of his head. and of course, he gets exactly what he wants.
sunghoonâs face dropped into a frown. âhey, not nice.â âhuh?â you looked back at him with a innocent smile, as if you didnât just intentionally dodge his kiss. sunghoon leaned in again, and you quickly backed away, biting the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from laughing. âhey!â sunghoon laughed, âwhy are you doing this?â âdoing what?â he rolled his eyes and tried to kiss you again for the third time, to which you skilfully swerved past. âcome on!â sunghoon groaned, looking at you in frustration. you laughed as you took another step away from him, but he didnât let you get far, pulling you back in with an arm around your waist. âwhere do you think youâre going?â he didnât give you a chance to react as he grabbed you by the jaw, claiming your lips with his. when he pulled away, there was a satisfied smirk on his face. âthatâs more like it.â
sunooâs mouth was wide open when he realised you had just dodged his kiss on purpose. he immediately gives you the side eye, looking you up and down. âdid you just dodge my kiss?â he asked in disbelief, his hand covering his mouth. âwhat?â you feigned innocence, pressing your lips together to stop yourself from laughing at his dramatic reaction. âfine, if thatâs what you want.â sunoo huffed, turning around with his arms crossed. âno kisses for you today.â your mouth widened at his words, âno! ânoo, iâm sorry.â you tried to reach for his hand, but he quickly pulled away from you, a pout on his lips. âno holding hands either.â luckily, it only took you a few minutes of doting over him to win him back, and you made sure to shower him with kisses and hugs just so he would stop sulking.Â
jungwon was confused at first when you dodged his kiss. he was just going to give you a small peck but you turned your head away, so he thought that maybe it was an accident, and tried to give you another kiss. when you dodged his second kiss, he starts to get worried. âwhatâs wrong?â he asked, eyeing you carefully. ânothing.â âdo you not want to kiss me?â the saddened look on his face made you falter, and you were torn between continuing the prank and peppering him with kisses. jungwon took your silence as a yes, and his shoulders dropped dejectedly. âcan I kiss you? please?â he asked softly, his eyes looking at you pleadingly. you pouted, feeling guilty about the prank and immediately gave him a big hug, âiâm sorry won, it was just a prank. of course you can kiss me.â jungwon let out a sigh and shook his head in disappointment. âyou better give me lots of kisses now.â you laughed, happily complying to his wishes.Â
âoh, so is this what weâre doing today?â riki eyed you in amusement when you had dodged his third kiss that morning. âwhat do you mean?â you looked at him innocently, but there was a playful smile on your face that he knew too well. riki grinned widely, slowly making his way over to you with his arms outstretched. âletâs see just how many kisses you can dodge.â you ran away quickly, laughter filling the air as he chased you down, and when he finally got his hands on you, he started to tickle you relentlessly, making you double down in laughter. âs-stop!â you breathed, trying to push his arms away. riki finally stopped, resting his hands on your waist so you canât run away. âare you still gonna dodge my kisses?â you shook your head, taking a moment to catch your breath. âno. you win.â riki smiled triumphantly, diving down to give you a small peck on the lips.Â
Bsd cats!! âĄ
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selfish | aki x f!readerÂ
Itâd be bad. No IUD, no condom, no birth control, no nothing, not to mention that the two of you were supposed to take things slow. This isnât what you had discussed when you talked to each other about your limits a week ago. But Aki can tell youâre currently out of your mind, helpless with arousalâalready fucked stupid even though heâs barely fucked you at all, only giving you the tip.Â
Youâd let him do anything right now.
(Or: After a lot of persuasion, Aki finally learns to take what he wants.)Â
8.5k words of pwp with feelings, cisfem reader, references to an established relationship backstory (this is set loosely in the Bluebird universe, but you do not need to read Bluebird to understand this fic â more details on this in the endnotes, if youâre curious). NSFT tags: vanilla sex, pussy job, âjust the tipâ, oral sex, unprotected sex, creampie. Warnings: While the sex is consensual, please be aware that the reader does beg Aki to ignore some pre-established limits (and he gets horny enough to agree). 18+ ONLY.
When you and Aki decided to take the leap from complicated friendship to even more complicated romance, it had been a hesitant, difficult decision. There were many things that made the idea of a relationship seem futile, with the biggest one being his imminent death sentence from the Curse Devil. Aki knows that youâve been dreading his passing for a long time now, knows that itâd be cruel to ask for your heart if he canât give you a life in return. And as much as heâs wanted you for a long time nowâhasnât ever been able to kick the thought, not through cigarettes or work or even other womenâthere are few things heâd hate more than leaving you alone in two years, left with nothing but wasted time and a pile of ash.
So when you said to him that itâd hurt less to stay friends, Aki agreed. And he was ready to let you go then, because the last thing heâd ever want to do was hurt you. But youâd also been so close to him when you said this, watching him with tender, conflicted eyes as you brushed the hair out of his face.
Akiâs not a selfish man, but it did something to him, seeing you like that: finally in his arms, but so hurt, so hopeless. And he knew it was unfair, knew he had nothing to offer you, but he still couldnât stop himself from pressing his mouth against yours and kissing you the way heâd been wanting to for years.
And you let him.
Keep reading
this is so good.
SLEIGHT OF HAND | LYNEY
summary you will not let lyney get to you. unfortunately, lyney already got to you the moment you met eyes. after all, what is a magician if not an expert in stealing hearts?
or, local sumeru architect goes to fontaine looking for inspiration and comes out of it with three rainbow roses and a crushing magician.
warnings 13+, gn!reader, follows the fontaine archon quest, so there are major spoilers throughout the entire fic! MURDER (lyney trial spoilers) + feminine french pet names ough + bff!Aether loml + sweet talker lyney + KISS SCENE (suggestive)
notes 8K words. thank u to my french bff art @aanobrain who said lyney is a magician he would say mon lapin đ€§â€ïž + other various french pet names. thank u to ellie hyomagiri & earthtooz too for hyping this up, my supportersâŠ
â500,000!?â
Sumeru streets are always bustling with its peopleâfrom children skipping around the neighborhood to frantic scholars who zip back and forth before returning to their homes when the moon is high. However, the sun is beating down on everyone right now: street vendors are making a profit, dogs are barking as they play fetch with laughing children, and you stand across the blond traveler and his floating companion.
You wince at the volume of Paimonâs shrill voice, inciting bypassers to send miffed glances your way. Embarrassed, you cover the side of your face with a hand, whispering, âIsâis that not enough? I canââ
âNo, no, itâs not that!â Paimonâs arms flail around, eyes blown comically wide. âItâs just, you know, more than what we earn from our daily commissions combined!â
âOh, I see.â you nod, relieved. âWell, I can lowerââ
âNo, no, no, no,â Paimon interjects hurriedly, and even the traveler shakes his head. âPleasure to do business with you! Paimon and Aether, at your service!â
âReally?â you canât believe your luckâthe traveler himself agreed to escort you to Fontaine! Or does it count if Paimon agrees on his behalf? âThat's a relief. Even Katheryne of the guild had a strange expression when I posted my commission.â
âItâs probably because of the amount of zeroes you mightâve accidentally put,â Paimon murmurs.
Aether tugs on her foot as if warning her. âWe'll be leaving soon. Are you prepared?â
âOh, yes. My stuffâs over there by the bench, you see?â
Aether and Paimonâs faces simultaneously fall. âAll of that?â Paimon starts counting it, gaping when she has four little fingers held up.
They sure complain a lot. âYou can still back out.â
Aether takes a deep breath, making his way over to your luggage. When he brushes past, you hear him chanting 500,000; 500,000; 500,000 under his breath. He wordlessly carries all of them, his chest puffed and expression grave.
âTheyâre heavier than I thought,â Aether wheezes out as Paimon flits worriedly around him. âHow long are you going to be staying in Fontaine?â
âOh, just a day or two, maybe,â you say, taking pity and taking one bag from him. âMost of whatâs inside are art supplies.â
âAh,â Aether says.
â500,000,â Paimon reminds him.
âWeâre close,â Paimon says, flying back to where you and Aether are still walking behind, him heaving and you offering water now and then. âI saw a huge ravine-looking view! It was like a city on a waterfall!â
âR-Really?â Aether puffs out a breath, sweat rolling off his temple.
You tried prying some of your bags away from him when it seemed like there were monsters up ahead, but he refused instead to fight them with one hand on his sword. He still won. You guessed that he was trying to make traveling easier for you, yet all you felt was immense worry.
âAre you feeling okay, Y/N?â Paimon asks, floating beside you. âYou look unwell.â You should ask your companion that, instead.
âIâm a bit nervous. After all, itâs my first time traveling outside of Sumeru.â You smile, patting her head. She doesnât seem to mind, beaming back. âBut I need to get out of my comfort zone to be better, right?â
âThat's right! Paimon has a feeling youâll enjoy Fontaine!â You and Paimon glance at Aether when he heaves a heavy breath, yet he only waves the pair of you off with his free hand. âBefore you know it, youâll be itching to travel again once youâre back in Sumeru.â
âI'm only there for work. I just need to learn a lot, and then I'll enjoy it.â
âStill a student through and through, huhâŠâ
âI can see it,â Aether chimes in, looking all too relieved to rest his arm finally. âI can see Fontaine up ahead.â
You feel the cool breeze brush against your face, a refreshing change from the past hours you and the other two have been trudging through the desert. You could strip off layers and dive if you could. You can make out the harbor even miles away, pouring water out like an endless waterfall stretching for miles.
Arriving in Fontaine is introducing yourself to the rustle of layered skirts, the water-kissed smell, and citizens left and right babbling about tragic endings and thrilling climaxes.
Aether sets your bags on the floor with a heavy exhale. Paimon feeds him with another jug of water.
âI guess weâre here now.â You pull out a heavy pouch youâve been keeping in one of the bags Aether had been holding over his shoulder. Paimon takes it with greedy, greedy hands. âThank you for keeping me safe and carrying my luggage, Travelerâ are you even listening to me?â
âThereâs a girl over there,â Aether says, now staring ahead.
You and Paimon turn to look; sure enough, someone is standing by the edge, looking forlornly over the water. Half of her foot is off the platform, making Paimon fidget.
She gasps. âShe isnât going to jump into the water, is she? Maybe we should go check on herâŠâ
Halfway through Paimonâs sentence, you gathered the courage to speak to the girl with the cat ears.
âHey, miss.â Her ear twitches. âIs something the matter?â
She turns, looking faintly surprised. If you werenât so close to her, you wouldnât have been able to tell there was a change in her expression. âI'm fine. thank you.â
âOh.â Now things are a little awkward. âIs there something in the water youâre looking at? You might slip if you keep tipping forward.â
She peers below, unworriedâsilent.
âAs long as youâre okay, I guess,â you sigh, awkwardly hovering above her shoulder when realizing it might come off strange if you touch her. âIâll leave you be.â
Her lips twitch, something close to a smile. You donât stick long enough to admire it, heading back to Aether and Paimon and shrugging at their inquisitive looks. âShe says sheâs fine.â
âI think itâs time for me to separate,â you say. âI want to take all of it in as much as possible. Paimon has my payment. Thank you both so much for keeping me safe.â Mostly Aether, though. But Paimon was there, emotionally.
âItâs no problem,â Aether says, his smile warmer than when you first met him. âStay safe out there. You can look for us if you need anything else.â
âI donât always pay 500,000 for each of my commissions.â
Paimon wilts. Aether flushes, stammering, âNot what I meant.â You laugh heartily as they wave when you walk off to the aquabus, hopefully, prepared for what Fontaine will give you.
Your sketchbook is a page away from completion when you hear about a magic show at the Opera House. Not that it was hard to missâeveryone and their grandmothers were prattling about nothing else but the entire day.
Fontaine is known for its love for dramatics, but the twins they keep mentioning must be a one-of-a-kind spectacle to have half their regionâs population speak about them so reverently.
After wandering for hours, taking in the endless sights of fresh water streaming and grand castle-like modern buildings, you find yourself in the Fountain of Lucine. Youâve heard of Fontaine being somewhat titled the âCity of Love,â but seeing couples surrounding each nook and cranny of the tourist spots was still astonishing.
(You console yourself by thinking that thereâs something romantic in sketching frantically while the rest of the crowd are sucking faces.)
To your luck, you spot three familiar heads in the fountain plaza.
Aether senses you before you can even say anything, glancing to the side and smiling when you wave at him.
Paimon flutters excitedly. âY/N! We didnât think weâd see you again this early. You look like youâre glowing.â
âWas it that obvious?â you laugh sheepishly. âFontaine is beautiful; I couldnât even stick too long in one place before I see something else that catches my attention.â You look to the girl you met earlier, who nods politely. âHello. Are you three acquainted now?â
âMhm!â Paimon says, hands on her hips. âThis is Lynette! Sheâs inviting us to the show theyâre holding here!â She gasps, âSpeaking ofââ
âAh,â Lynette says quietly, âI couldnât get an extra ticket. Iâm sorry.â
Lynette is the magician you keep hearing about? With her seemingly reserved personality, you wouldnât have guessed it. âOh, no, itâs fine. I wouldnât want to impose.â
âPaimon,â Aether speaks up. âThey gave you your ticket, right? Why donât you just float next to me or sit on my lap?â
Paimonâs eyes sparkle. âGreat idea! That way, I can give my seat to Y/N, right?â
âYou guysâŠâ Your chest feels warm as Aether hands you one of the two tickets in his hand. âYou really didnât have to.â Is this what 500,00 gets you? The loyal companionship of Aether and Paimon?
âItâs a good idea,â Lynette says. âMy brother wouldnât want you to miss the show. Heâd be devastated.â
âIf you insist, then I suppose I canât refuse.â Aether and Paimon do a cute little cheer. âBut I need to return to the hotel; I canât be watching a magic show carrying all these.â Surely Aether can understand.
Later, with your hands finally empty and charcoal-free, you rush back to the Opera Epiclese, the person standing guard kind enough to open the doors despite being a minute late.
âWelcome, one and all, to the Opera Epiclese!â The audience roars with cheers as the spotlight illuminates a figure on the center of the stage. You hurry to your seats, brushing past Aether and Paimon. âI am the star of todayâs show, Lyney.â
Lyney bows, then stands upright with a Cheshire cat grin.
The thunder of the crowdâs applause is deafening. If you werenât able to see it, youâd think that you hadnât been clapping at allâsenses numbed and your fixed stare all on the boy on the stage.
Your eyes catch on the small braid on the side of his head before the gleam of his eyes hypnotizes you.
Heâs handsome, you think dizzily at the back of your head.
âDonât blink,â he says, his voice lower as if meant to be a whisper, âor else you might miss it.â
The show proceeds. A dove soars away from inside as he flips his hat; you flush at hearing the soft laughter that slips from him after. The cards that materialize out of nowhere descend to the floor. His fingers shuffle the cards while talking to keep the audience satiated; they fly off his hands, yet he doesnât lose focus, stretching them mid-air with a sleight of hand. They fall apart and come together neatly and precisely.
His stage presence is demanding. It would be as if Lady Furina herself would accuse you of committing a crime if you were to look away for even a second.
Then, when he scans the crowd, busy twirling his cards in his fingers, his gaze catches your awed ones.
Something in the air shifts. Or maybe itâs that it slows.
A card slips from his grasp. A mistake. He blinks and breaks eye contact, laughing heartily to play it off. But you donât believe itânot when you swore your limbs locked in place as well when lilac drilled into your soul.
You breathe, hands bracing against your chest. What was that?
You wouldâve played it off as something you imagined if not for Lyney continuing to glance at you occasionally. His slip-up had been forgotten, as though it was all part of the show.
(Is it also part of the show when it seems heâs unable to tear his eyes off of you?)
Of course, the twins prove their worth. They showed you exactly why the people of Fontaine adore watching them through theatrical magic, cards in their sleeves, and defying logic.
Youâve shuffled to the edge of your seat as Lynette disperses into bubbles and comes back alive. Youâve held your breath as Lyney emerges from the box across he was in a moment earlier.
Youâve also been witness to the murder of Cowell.
CRASH.
The shatter of glass resounded along with the horrified gasps of the audience. Sickeningly enough, you could almost hear the crack of bones if you hadnât been crying out in alarm. Yet, as they gape and shriek over the sight of a limp arm popping out, you find your gaze tracing back to Lyney, who stands motionless in front of the box.
When Lady Furina points fingers and has everyone siding against him, the guards escort the audience from the Opera House. All evidence presented left Lyney in a spotlight unlike his performance: with a disgusted and unamused crowd. Even you have to agree that it isnât looking well for his case at all.
Yet all you can think of as you leave the room is that Lyney looked as terrified as everyone else wasâmuch too raw of an expression for someone to accuse him of anything at all. He looked young and scared.
(His hands were shaking.)
The rest of your Fontaine trip is admittedly duller when youâre a little more familiar with its city and donât have a yapping little fairy and a capable Traveler by your side. Itâs hard not to hear chatter about the events that went down: Lyneyâs trial, Aether volunteering to be his lawyer, and the truth behind the real murderer.
It solved a case beyond the murder of Cowell. Fontaine sure has its mysteries, and the crowd sure loves them as they would a magic show.
You keep your hands busy. Last night, you found yourself thinking back to the magic show, to deft fingers weaving through cards, to violet eyes that kept on flickering to you. By the time you snap back to reality, youâve subconsciously drawn shapes and lines that suspiciously look like the magician himself: the curve of a smile, piercing eyes, and you entranced by it all.
Flustered, you crumple his face staring back at you out of sight. Yet you canât bring yourself to throw it away.
You shove the last bit of garlic baguette in your mouth to furiously bat these unwanted thoughts away.
âIsnât that Y/N?â Paimonâs voice is unmistakable, a short distance off.
You jump out of your skin, spinning to see Aether and Paimon waving and walking over to you. You thought they'd already left Fontaine after that; you wouldnât blame them if they did.
âY/N! We havenât seen you since the Opera House performance,â Paimon exclaims, twirling around your head like a thrilled fly circling a trash can.
You hold onto her back, hoping sheâll stop making you dizzy. âWe were escorted out before I could say goodbye. I couldnât watch the court trial but heard it all turned out fine.â
âThatâs right!â Paimon nods proudly. âPaimon helped a ton during it; you shouldâve seen it! What have you been doing?â
âI found a fellow architect while visiting the cafe nearby, and we chatted for hours,â you say, remembering that your voice is hoarse for that reason. You also donât tell them you couldnât get a certain magician off your mind. âI learned a lot. I donât regret coming here one bit.â
Paimon says something else that youâre sure youâve nodded absentmindedly at while your gaze wanders over to the two familiar people a few feet behind, watching you three with cat-like eyesâand itâs not just because of Lynetteâs unique features.
âThose are the magicians, right?â you gesture behind Paimon and Aether as if you havenât already familiarized yourself with their faces.
Paimon nods. âUh-huh. You should introduce yourself! They look like they want to talk.â
Something about that feels foreboding. âUm, no, itâs fine. I donât want to be rude and interrupt your conversation.â
âNo,â Aether says firmly. He seldom speaks; you might as well play along if he says so. âBesides, Paimon is right. Lyney wants to talk to you, you know?â
âOh, yeah! He kept mentioning seeing someone sitting beside us! And it couldnât have been Neuvillette because he said it was an unfamiliar beauty that bewitched this weak magicianâs heart.â Paimon nods, even recalling how heâs enunciated each syllable theatrically.
âIâm sorry?â you blurt. âLyney recognizes me? What did I do?â
âPaimon thinks itâs because Lyney is curious about who Lynette met! He was like that with us, too.â Paimon changes her pitch to match Lyneyâs. âAre these your friends, Lynette?â
Aetherâs eyes feel like they know something you donât. âIt wonât hurt to strike up a conversation with Lyney. Heâs been shaken up since the trial.â
Thereâs something unspoken hidden in his words. âWhat does that mean?â
Paimon doesnât wait for an answer, grabbing you by the arm and dragging you to where the twins are waiting. Aether chuckles as he jogs behind.
âPaimon, Aether,â Lyney says, almost sly, âYou havenât introduced us to your friend here.â
âPaimon can do it!â She floats on top of your head and does a bit of jazz hands. âThis is Y/N, the one who commissioned us to escort them from Sumeru up to Fontaine.â
âGenerously,â Aether adds.
Itâs a little embarrassing to have the legendary Traveler and Paimon introduce little old you to a famous magician such as himself, but his grin is still excited.
âFrom Sumeru?â Lyney repeats, smiling wider when you nodâas if that crumb of attention is enough for him. âI see.â
He performs a bow around the same height as where your hands rest; he takes one, kisses the back of your palm, and smiles against your skin. âIâm Lyney, and she is my sister, Lynette.â
âItâs nice to see you again.â You smile at Lynette, who nods in return. Lyney straightens to look at his sister.
âWe met when the Traveler and Paimon just arrived at the harbor,â Lynette sighs even without looking at her brother.
âItâs a pleasure to meet you,â you say, meeting Lyneyâs eyes. The spot where he kissed is still warmâtingling. âYour show was incredible, despite what happened. Iâm glad that the truth revealed itself.â
âThank you.â Lyneyâs gaze sharpens. âI saw you at the performance, yes. I was worried for a second you might steal the show if you were to come up on stage.â
You blink. âAre you sayingââ
Lyney grins, âI apologize that the night had to end that way; it mustâve been horrifying. Say, what if I give you a little show right now to make it up to you?â Did he make it up to each one of his audience, too?
This is not a man acting âshaken up,â as Aether put it.
âYou really donât have to.â You glance at Aether and Paimon, silently asking for help; however, theyâre too far gone, urging you to say yes with gestures and encouraging nods.
Lyney tilts his head, demanding your attention on him once more.
You sigh. âI would love to see it if you donât mind.â
âOf course!â Lyney looks like heâs the sun bursting personified. âIt would be a pleasure, ma chĂ©rie. Not to worry, itâs nothing life-threatening. I just need you to focus on me.â
Not that itâs hard. The others have become a dull buzz in your mind as Lyney holds your gaze. âOkay.â
Lyney smiles, much softer, satisfied. âGood. Now,â he tips his hat, ârecently, Iâve received a little lesson from someone about the language of flowers. Are you familiar with them?â
âNot in Fontaine, no,â you mumble, watching his hands closely. You were expecting a rabbit to hop out of that hat any second now.
âShame. But I suppose I wouldnât want to spoil the fun.â Lyney snaps his finger, then deposits his hand inside his hat. âHmm⊠Oh? Somethingâs not quite right. Would you mind looking into this hat for me to see if the flower is here?â
You hesitate. The hat is so close to him.
Swallowing, you nod, leaning in to inspect his hat at a careful pace. All you can sense is the faint scent of heat Lyney is emanating, the breath you two share, and the pounding of your chest. You swear you could also hear his, matching yours.
âThe hatâs empty.â
Lyney smiles wider. âYes, perhaps because you already have it.â
You jump back in surprise, your hands patting your body to see where he could have snuck the flower in. With your frantic movement, the flower falls off from what seems to have come from your headâLyney catches it.
His mouth carves into a smirk, leaning to invade your personal space, his free hand coming up to tuck hair behind your ear. âCareful.â
Your face is burning. Plucking the flower out, the delicate and tender pink sears into your palm. âWhat does this flower mean?â
âWhat does it, I wonder?â Lyney whispers thoughtfully. âI suppose youâll have to tell me once you find out.â
And when he inclines backward, it feels like you can breathe again. Time flows normally, and the people passing by seem much louder than beforeâas though youâve surfaced from underwater.
Lyney clears his throat. âShame I havenât prepared myself a grand show for you, but I suppose that would call for another time, wouldnât it?â
Lynette is looking at Lyney as if he is stupidly amusing.
âThank you,â you say, burning, burning. âFor the show, I mean.â
âThat was a little weird,â Paimon whispers to Aether, but she is terrible with keeping volume and has everyone turning to her with varying expressions. âP-Paimon means that was good! Wow, Lyney! Isnât that a different flower you gave us? Thatâs the flower Charlotte was talking about, right?â
âRainbow rose?â Aether supplies.
âYes! It meansââ
âAhem.â Lyney is quick to interrupt. âLynette and I must take our leave now, if you donât mind. It was fun catching up with you two.â You have to hold your ground and not look away when he hones in on your figure. âAnd itâs a pleasure meeting you. Donât be a stranger. Look for me if you want more.â
His smile is a little devilish, you now realize.
âBye,â Lynette says blankly, following after her brother, who seemed to be hurrying to exit.
His ears were red.
âYouâre still staring.â
âI am not,â you rebuke hotly, flailing to cover Aetherâs mouth with your hands. Yet all it does is bring your attention back to where Paimon and Aether are staringâthe rainbow rose on your person.
Paimon and Aether yelp when you drag them away despite Lyney having already left the scene.
âHeyâ! Donât just go dragging Paimon around like a balloon like that! Did Lyney get to your head that much?â
âHe did not.â
Paimon tilts her head, frowning. You shy away from her worried gaze, glaring at the flower instead. You still donât know how Lyney managed to get it there; you hold it to your chest, where your heart is racing miles per minute because of his stupidly smug smile.
âWhat does this flower mean, Paimon?â
Paimon seems elated to be of help. âEasy! Charlotte told us that Rainbow Roses mean âpassionâ and most notably âromantic encountersâ!â
âPassion,â you curse. The rose seems as if it is staring back innocently, unknowing of the turmoil youâre going through because of it. âRomantic encounters.â ugh.â
You can still remember how Lyneyâs eyes twinkled as you felt his breath against your face.
âOoh, he thinks he can trick me. He thinks he can affect me just because it pleases him to do so. Iâll show him. Iâll show him! I am not a blushing maiden!â
âYouâre already very affected by this,â Paimon says, yet itâs lost by your newfound determination. Two can play at this game.
Youâve definitely been staying in Fontaine longer than what you told Aether and Paimon, but you canât leave yet. Not when you found yourself walking to a flower shop to purchase a vase, fiercely digging through soil, turning gentle when your fingers reach for the Rainbow Rose. Not when you see it in the corner of your eyes as you try to sleep, and you find yourself daydreaming about a charming violet-eyed virtuoso.
Itâs for research, you excused lamely at the hotelkeeper who didnât ask why youâre extending your stay. In truth, not that youâd tell anyone. It was because you were hoping for another grand show from him. A farewell show for youâclosure.
If you were to travel back home and get too drunk to think straight, Kaveh would learn about your crisis (romantic awakening?) and laugh at your face.
In hopes of looking for your Fontaine architect friend, you spot Lyney instead, on the side of the street surrounded by cheering kids. They clap and jump, and Lyney laughs. âOne more, one more!â
âAgain?â Lyney does an exaggerated sigh. âIâm starting to run out of cards in my sleeves. Iâve guessed my entire deck from your hands by this point!â
âBut, Mr. Magician,â one of them whines, pouting up at him and blinking, âwe want to see more! We want to know how you do it!â
âAlright, how about this, hm?â And then Lyney peers right at you. Ironically, youâre the one startled when youâve been watching that entire spiel, and he hasnât acknowledged your presence beforehand. âY/N, would you mind giving these children a little show with me?â He gestures for you to come closer.
âWhat show?â you ask suspiciously, taking slow steps in case he pulls out another flower out of nowhere.
âYou donât have to worry,â Lyney laughs. âWill you be my assistant for this show? You are very familiar with this trick.â
âPlease, we want to see!â
You falter at the little kidsâ excited grins, especially when paired with Lyneyâs pout and round eyes. âOkay, tell me what to do.â
His eyes do the little gleam again. âStand in front of me, mon lapin.â
Your heart is skipping beat after beat, making itself known as you shuffle until Lyney is directly behind you.
âRelax, chĂ©rie, you just need to stand still.â Itâs a little hard to relax when you feel his breath against the back of your neck, but you wonât give him the satisfaction of admitting that, so you keep your chin high and relax your shoulders. âGood.âÂ
He begins to speak louder to his awaiting audience. âI know itâs hard to keep your eyes off this beauty before me, but watch the hat for a surprise, alright?â
He flips it for his little audience, one hand resting on your waist and the other extended to hold his top hat. The proximity is almost suffocating. You watch with bated breath, and they complain about it being empty.
âOh, is it?â Lyney hums, twirling the hat until itâs flipped upside down, presented right before you. âPerhaps I need my assistantâs help.â You snap out of your daze when you realize heâs talking to you. âY/N, do me a favor and show them the flower inside.â
You reach inside the hat and, much to your surprise, feel a stem. You pull it out; the Rainbow Rose stares back at you, almost mocking you, saying he did pull out a flower out of nowhere. It's this trick again.
The kids gasp in awe and confusionâitâs all the same for Lyney, who snaps his fingers and creates magic like he was made to. Like magic was for him to summon with his hands.
âWhat? It was empty!â
âWhere did that come from? I was watching Mister Magicianâs hands the whole time!â
âAre you a magician, too?â
âNo,â you say lamely, holding the rose, feeling Lyney still patiently standing behind you. Heat crawls up your neck. âNo, Iâm not. Itâs all Lyney.â
âItâs all me,â Lyney echoes in amusement. âYouâre quite magical yourself.â Finally, he spares you, pulling away to stand beside your figure. He doesnât take the rose backâmaybe even give it to one of the children. He knows exactly what heâs doing. âThatâs enough for today. The sun is setting, and your parents might get worried.â
They pout and slump their shoulders, but Lyney has this older brother's sternness to him that has the children scurrying back home anyway.
You then realize having to stand in front of Lyney was unnecessary.
The flower is warm. Lyneyâs eyes slip to yours.
âI didnât even have to stand in front of you like that,â you complain, heart inclined to race off your body.
âYes, but I feared that I would slip up again if I were to catch a glimpse of your face,â Lyney admits smoothly. His lips curl into a smirk when you stare wordlessly. âWhat? Donât believe me? I had to improvise when I saw you watching from afar.â
âA great magician such as yourself? Making a mistake? I doubt it.â
âYou already have such high expectations placed on me, chĂ©rie,â Lyney says, his smile easy, but his ears are a little red, poking out from his hair. âThatâs no good. With no audience, Iâm just plain âLyneyâ to you.â
âNo trickery? No cards up your sleeves?â you play along.
Lyney doesnât miss a beat. âNo, though I do have a few more roses begging to be held by your hands.â
âThey can keep begging.â Lyney grins wider when you glance down at his hands. âDo you give them off to everyone you meet?â
âWho do you take me for?â Lyney isnât offended; he laughs, delighted. He is preening under the sunsetâor maybe itâs your attention. âOf course not. At least, not like this.â
You stare, unimpressed. âSure.â
âSo cold, chĂ©rie,â Lyney sighs, plucking the stem from your fingers to slot it behind your ear. It seems he likes doing that. âHere I am, trying to get you to warm up to me, and you treat me like this.â
âYou donât have to. Iâll be going back home soon anyway.â
Lyneyâs expression shifts into something more unrecognizable, his eyes dipping down to somewhere below your nose. âOh. Avoiding attachment?â
You nod.
He grins, and heâs still so close. He knows how to entrance his audience, pulling you in until you forget to resist. Always watch the hands; yet Lyney could be digging a dagger to your side at this moment, and you wouldnât even notice.
âIâm flattered you even want to avoid me because you know youâd get attached,â he purrs, tilting his head. Is Lyney just big on personal space?Â
âDonât assume,â you retort. âI know how guys like you think. Even a magician as great as yourself canât trick someone whoâs already seen through it.â
âIt would be easier if it were just a trick, wouldnât it?â Lyney sighs, much to your confusion. âI take it that someone has told you what this flower means?â
Youâve nearly forgotten all about it. âYes.â You find yourself unable to look directly into his eyes. âI know.â
But even with that, you can still feel his heavy gaze, pinning you down and threatening the strength of your knees. You suppose it comes with being a performerâwatching his audience carefully, pinpointing each micro expression to say the right words.
âThere doesnât have to be any attachments.â
âWhat are you trying to say right now?â
Lyneyâs reaches for your hip, sharing your gaze like he doesnât know how to do anything else. âThat you enamor me. That I am holding back from wanting you. I know you feel the sameâyou can never hide anything from a magician. But if youâre concerned,â he mumbles, âthen this doesnât have to mean anything. You may call it infatuation.â
You want to laugh. Or maybe you want to cry. Most of all, you want to nod helplessly, wrap your arms around his neck, and give in. Itâs hard not to when he looks at you like that. âYou want me that bad?â
âI almost want to disagree.â
âAlmost?â Lyney gets closer, and you stop him with a palm on his chest. âWeâre outside.â
Lyney grins. âHave you forgotten what Fontaine is also known for? No one would bat an eye. Love is in the air, and all that.â
âAbsolutely not.â
âSo still youâre letting me?â
You laugh this time. Letting him, as if you arenât the one itching to pull him close and find out what heâs like behind the curtains. âAre you asking me as plain old âLyney?ââ
Lyney brightens, clearly pleased there wasnât a ânoâ. âYes.â
âNo tricks?â
âNo tricks. No strings.â
You let him lead you away into some dark alleyway. He kisses you like he was longing to do so all his life. You have only met him that fateful day, not even a week ago. But you claw at him like you get itâlike heâs ruined you for anyone else the moment you shared gazes in the Opera House.
Romantic encounters, you quietly recall as Lyney swipes a thumb over your aching bottom lip.
You donât see Lyney the day after that. And for some reason, it makes the itch worse. (Perhaps itâs because youâve gotten a taste and canât get enough.)
Itâs mostly your fault, the sudden disappearanceâyouâve cooped yourself up in the hotel room, buried your face in pillows, and screamed. You berate yourself for giving in, but another part of youâone thatâs louder than any other thought in your headâwants to do it again. Wants to hold his handsome face in your hands and have him kiss you breathless. That was nothing like you had ever felt before.
You groan. Itâs another new day. You might as well make some progress with your portfolio.
Thereâs a CafĂ© youâve been visiting more often than not. Ordering a drink and spending a good chunk of your day sketching the view. Instead, you find yourself staring at Aether, Paimon, and Lynette seated at one of the tables.
Lynetteâs eyes flick up to yours as she sips tea. She murmurs something to the other two, and you watch with amusement as Aether and Paimonâs heads snap to face you.
You let your gaze wander, eventually landing on Lyney, who is reciting his order with his charming-act-on smile, who is present because of course he is. You want to turn and run away, but thatâd be letting Lyney win, and youâre nothing if not stubborn and prideful.
âY/N!â Paimon greets once youâre within earshot, kicking her feet happily. âGood morning! What are you doing here?â
âBreakfast,â you reply, waving at them. Aether pulls a chair from the other table and gestures for you to sit. âDid I interrupt something?â
âNope!â Paimon swipes a fork from the table and digs in on the Ile Flottante, leaving nothing for Aether. âLynette and Lyney told us about another show theyâre holding to make up for the previous one.â
âMouth full,â Aether reminds her, a little too late as the Ile Flottante spews from her mouth.
âReally now? Maybe I can pay properly for a ticket this time,â you laugh, nodding at Lynette. She smiles faintly, hiding it behind the rim of her cup. Lynette sure is the polar opposite of her twin brother.
A shadow looms from behind, the silhouette of a figure with an unmistakable top hat. You tilt your chin and see Lyney peering down at you with a sweet smile. You will yourself to keep your gaze focused on his eyes only and nowhere else below the nose.
Speak of the devilâŠ
âSweetheart,â Lyney says instead of exchanging pleasantries like a normal person.
âLyney,â you reply in kind. Then you look away upon realizing that Aether, Paimon, and Lynette had been silently watching the exchange with muted, stunned expressions.
Lyney, holding a tray of drinks and food in both hands, scoots the chair next to yours with his ankle. âI wasnât informed that Y/N would be joining us,â he says, setting the drinks and plates down like a waiter with a flourish. âYou can drink mine. Let me order another.â
You hold onto his wrist as he makes his way back. He turns to you, surprised. âLet me at least pay for my own breakfast.â
Lyney grins, delicately withdrawing from your grip. He places a loud kiss on your hand. âDonât worry about it.â And then leaves, because he canât take no for an answer.
âIs it just me,â Paimon starts as you resign yourself to finishing Lyneyâs drink (Itâs your favorite, the one you always order), âor is Lyney acting weird around Y/N?â
Aether laughs. âThere's definitely something going on. Donât end up staying too long in Fontaine, now. What was it you told us? âA day or twoâ.â
You huff, your face turning unbearably warm. âShut up, you two. I am here to do research, not to find a summer fling.â Youâve already failed, but they donât need to know about that.
If you were to touch your lips with your fingers, youâd think of no one else but Lyneyâs hands on your hips and his mouth swallowing your words.
Lynette clears her throat, a quiet but noticeable thing. âDonât be fooled by my brother, Y/N.â
âOh, donât worry. Iâm still keeping my safe distance.â
She shakes her head. âThatâs not what I mean. Donât be fooled by my brother.â She stares at you from the rim of her cupâsomething about that has you listening obediently. âNo matter what he tells you, he always cares too much. No matter what you may think, he always gets hurt first.â
âThatâs notâŠâ You canât imagine that. From the start, itâs always felt like he was the one who could do what he wanted.
No tricks.
Lynette is his twin, after all. She knows him best.
No strings.
Defeated, you sip on the straw with the same fervor of an aggravated hilichurl, and thatâs the end of that.
Conversations during breakfast are much lighter when Lyney returns with a full meal as his treat. Celebration, he says. Celebration for what? Who knows? Lyney winked, but his glance directed to you said enough.
âYou say that you donât want to get attached, but youâre awfully close to the Traveler, of all people,â Lyney says offhandedly once the others have left for their own matters.
You lean against your seat, grinning. âAre you jealous?â
He doesnât say anything, instead upturning his nose as if scrambling to regain control. You laugh, oddly endeared. Lyney turns his head away, trying to hide the smile that curls his lips upon hearing it.
âHey,â Lyney says seriously, reaching for your hand. âWhere have you been yesterday?â
âWhy? Missed me?â
And because heâs Lyney, he takes his time kissing each of your knuckles. Itâs more intimate than the whole âno stringsâ arrangement you agreed on, but you suppose Lyney thinks that any physical attention is free reign. âWhat would you do if I said yes?â
âYouâll be fine,â you say slyly. âYouâll have to get used to it if you want to risk your heart just to get laid.â
He rolls his eyes, tugging you closer. âIâm not risking anything to get laid. Do you think so lowly of yourself, chĂ©rie?â
âIsnât this all there is to it? Physical attraction,â you ask, genuinely confused.
Lyney blinks. âOf course, butââ His eyes flicker down, and his words trail off.
When you speak, you feel your breath bounce back from his skinâa testament to your proximity. âLyney,â you whisper. For what? Urging him to continue? Urging him to close this distance? Youâre not sure, either.
You have so much to ask. What do you mean? Why canât you finish your sentence? Why donât you just kiss me already? But itâs hard to speak; Lyneyâs name is all you can think of.Â
You whisper his name again. His grip on your hands tightens and loosens, a frustrated frown creeping up his brows.
Your hand shoots out to reach for the back of his head and give in. He flinches for a second before relaxing completely.
His lips almost taste sweeter than his words. Almost as sweet as how he finds purchase on your waist and holds your chin during every kiss.
You pull away to breathe, missing how he leans closer to chase after you and pouting when he canât. âYeah. ThatâThat didnât have to mean anything. I just wanted to know what it felt like again.â
âYeah.â Lyney licks his lips, his gaze unable to tear away from where yours are swollen. âYeah, I know. You taste like my drink.â
Really, no oneâs surprised you gravitate towards each other again, feeling like youâre soaring and melting into a puddle at the same time. Lyney doesnât touch you where you both know would cross the line, but he grips near possessively to what he can, as if breathing you in and worshipping your skin.
You know after this, heâd go back on stage, fooling his audience with whatâs invisible to the average eye, as if this never happened. You know this because this is your deal: satiate the feverish attraction you have with each other and leave once youâre satisfied. (But you also know that youâll be thinking of his touch and his lips while you stare at the vase beside your bed.)
Lyney is a magician, first and foremost.
He hooks you in, and keeps all your attention to himself like heâd die without it. Then he disappears with a snap of a finger. Heâs finished his trick, leaving you befuddled in your seat with more questions than answers.
As you drift off to sleep, all you can think of is that there are two roses now.
âBrother.â
Lyney looks up from where heâd been entertaining Rosseland, seeing Lynette with a stern face. âWhat? What happened?â
Her tail flicks. âYou said you werenât going to get attached.â
Lyney exhales softly, his eyes slipping shut. âIâm not.â
Lynette finds herself smiling softly. âI may just be your assistant, but you canât lie to your own twin.â
He buries his face in his hands. With his sight gone, images of your face while whispering his name flash in his mind. His eyes fly open, mortified, his whole face red. âI donât know how it happened. I didnât think itâd be deeper than that.â
He was the magician in this, but it felt as if you were the one who tricked him instead.
Itâs been two weeks since you first arrived in Fontaine. By this point, youâve grown more familiar with its views than your own city. Having Aether, Paimon, Lynette, and even Freminet around doesn't make it any easier for you to feel at home.
And then thereâs the Lyney Situation. You meet up most nights, more than that when heâs free from shows. He keeps seeking you out, and you keep letting him in. There was one night where Lyney spent the night instead of heading straight to the doorâand those nights turned into two, then three, and then he finds any excuse to keep doing it.
Itâs not like you could stop. He told you look for me if you want more, and you always want more, because how could you not? Lyney treats you like heâs never had to take care of anything more precious but still manages to render you breathless like youâve never experienced thrill the way he gives it to you before.
But you still have to go back home. And Lyney still has his own life, has his secrets. He feels untouchable even when your arms are wrapped around his neck.
No strings attached can still work for summer flings, doesnât it? And what are summer flings, if not just that?
Lyney hovers above with his hands caging your face. Heâs grinning so wideâand youâve seen all kinds of smiles on him with your time spent together, but it was never this genuine.
âYouâre bad for me.â He says it like a confession, a prayer.
You raise an eyebrow. âWhat did I do to you?â
His hand trails down until heâs rubbing shapes on your hips. âMake me feel like Iâm myself whenever Iâm with you.â
At your silence, Lyney clears his throat. âBut itâs not like that, donât worry. I just meanââ
And how does that even make sense? He pours his heart, then later reveals itâs nothing but a decoy to keep this facade realistic.
âOh,â you say.
That was the final act youâd been waiting for. The final trickâthe farewell show.
And so you pack your bagsâshoved your sketchbook back inside, face forward, and promise not to look back. Leaving Sumeru hasnât even been this hard.
Aether and Paimon shouldnât be surprised if they find you missing; theyâd been the first to know that your stay in Fontaine isnât meant to last forever. And youâve warned Lyney about this. Avoiding attachments? It felt more like running away from your problem.
Lyney is a busy man on his own; youâre nothing but some architect from a different region who happened to get caught up with him at the right time.
You sigh and call for the aquabus.
A hand clasps around your wrist, pulling you to collide against a familiar chest. Lyneyâs eyes are wide, almost insane. Sweat clings to his forehead, and his breath comes in frantic pants.
âW-Whatââ
Lyneyâs eyes search your face. Or maybe itâs him trying to convince himself that youâre right there, in front of him. âYou didnât even tell me.â
âIâIâm sorryââ
âWere you just going to leave like that? Donât you think I at least deserve a farewell?â
âLyney, Iâm sorry. I know, that was stupid.â You havenât seen him with an expression like this beforeâso raw and broken, begging to be glued together with your hands. âI didnât want to formally say goodbye because I knew I'd want to stay.â
âThatâs stupid,â he repeats in agreement.
You breathe shakily, eyes scanning the stunned crowd. Whatâs The Great Magician Lyney doing here? Holding some stranger in his arms? That must be what theyâre thinking.
âHow did you even know I was leaving?â
Lyneyâs eyes cut down to his hand, gripping a crushed rose. âI was paying a visit to an empty room.â Embarrassed, he tries to toss it away, but you take it before he can.
You wordlessly place it in its home: the spot behind your ears. You donât tell him that the two other roses he gave you serve as bookmarks in the sketchbook youâve used all up in Fontaine. Where youâve drawn his face more often than not.
Lyney groans in frustration, his hands curling around your waist. âIs staying so bad?â
âItâs not like Iâm leaving forever.â
And then you notice Lyneyâs hands. Theyâre shaking uncontrollably, not unlike how it did during that incidentâand with it came the frantic exhales, as if natural human breathing alone is already hard enough for him.
âOh, Lyney,â you say softly. You drop your bags and embrace him fully.
He doesnât hesitate in pulling you closer, burying his face on your neck. âDonâtâdonât,â he gasps, âdonât just try to leave like that.â
Itâs hard seeing Lyney like this. Heâs usually so composed and easy-going. He gulps in a deep breath, and his voice cracks as he calls for you. This must be something out of his controlâsomething deeper than the back of his stage.
âY/N,â he whispers.
âLyney,â you call back as gently.
He swallows your surprised noise with his mouth, moving against you like youâre his last meal on Teyvat. Heâs still shaking, but it has subsided the longer you stay pressed against each other. Youâre not sure if itâs his Pyro vision or if itâs your skin burning at the thought of Lyneyâs skin against yours. Itâs searing.
This is different from the last kisses you shared.
Passion, you think dizzily, breathless from his hunger. This is passion.
âWhat was that for?â you ask, embarrassingly winded.
Lyney brushes his thumb over your bottom lip. He looks sad. As though he only comes alive when youâre with him. âA kiss to make up for your absence in the following weeks.â
âI can always come back,â you say. âNo, I will come back. I promise. I just need to get home for a bit.â
âOkay.â Lyney nods, exhaling heavily. âYeah. I know, I understand. Once you come back, come straight to me, alright?â
âOf course.â You lean in to kiss his cheek. Youâve never done it before because it always came off too intimate. And judging by the blush that explodes on his face, he thinks the same.
It all doesnât matter. The line has been crossed days ago; youâve just been turning away from seeing it.
He kisses you again. Then again. âHave a safe trip,â he says in between kisses. âI almost wish you commissioned me to escort you, regardless of the price.â
âWhat, you want 500,00?â The aquabus has arrived; Lyney grips you a little tighter, childishly willing himself not to see it.
â500,000 kisses, and more.â Lyney rests his forehead against yours, his captivating eyes keeping you still, the way it always does. âBut you can give me that when you come back.â
( Before they were taken away from the stage for an investigation, Lynette comes up to her brother and asks, âWhat happened back there, Lyney? I thought you were about to twist your own fingers.â
He is unsure how to tell his sister that he saw your awed expression and nearly lost his wits.
âIt was nothing,â Lyney admits, his face growing hot at recalling his slip-up.Â
It wasnât out of embarrassment, noânot when the memory of your wide-eyed beaming expression and how his mind blanked along with the skip of his heart plagued his mind.
âIt was nothing,â he repeats numbly. Itâs not. It was the start of something. )
a/n ok just a quick rant this fic BROKE ME. it was like every other day i hated then loved writing this fic. im not used to writing fics this long so pacing is not my forte </3 but i just feel proud of myself for finishing this so HOPE U LIKED IT. if ure still reading until here ily â€ïž
more a/n two lyney fics and two kissing scenes. i canât even lie to myself. everyone can tell.
more more a/n it was halfway through writing this fic that i rewatched the magic show and only noticed lyneys hands were shaking and i GOT SO SAD OMF đđđđ



