daph୨ৎ

JAMES

JUHOON

SEONGHYEON

KEONHO

The rush in the main hallway is always a headache. It's loud, suffocating, and smells faintly of cheap floor wax and too many different body sprays.

You’re just trying to focus on the lock combination beneath your fingers, tuning out the slamming lockers and chatter around you, trying to get through a day that already feels too long. You're completely in your own world when the sudden, sharp sting of a hand slaps your ass.

You gasp, the sound catching violently in your throat as you whirl around.

“Remember how much you liked that?"

"What the fuck Kai," you hiss. "I never liked it, you perv. And you lost my perfect ass the second you fucked Mina."

He doesn't even look guilty. He just leans against the locker grid, entirely too comfortable. "y/n, what did you expect? I’ve got needs."

"You’re right." you let out a cold, humorless laugh, tilting your head up to look him dead in the eye. "Honestly, it’s on me for expecting any form of critical thinking from a guy who’s nineteen and still struggling with his high school classes."

The smirk drops off his face. A flash of ugly anger crosses his features, the bruised ego of a boy who isn't used to being told no. "What did you say to me?"

Before you can pull away, his hand darts out, fingers snatching rough and tight around your wrist, ripping your bracelet straight off your skin.

You gasp, a genuine flash of shock hitting you. "Asshole."

"Ya want it back? Hm?" He steps closer, crowding your space, mocking you as he stuffs the jewelry deep into his pocket. "Okay. Come and get it."

You give him a look of pure disgust. You refuse to let him see the small tremor in your hands. "No. But maybe I’ll have you expelled for sexual harassment instead."

"Nah." He steps even closer, his shadow completely blocking the hallway light. The smell of his expensive cologne feels heavy, suffocating. "You know my dad funds the school too much to let that happen—" He leans in, lower, dropping his voice to a sickening murmur. "Come on, y/n, don’t play. I know you still want me."

James had been standing at his locker right next to yours for the last two minutes, quietly enduring the exchange. He looks like he always does—gritty, tired, the dark fabric of his jacket smelling faintly of the gym. And he’s completely fed up with Kai’s weird behavior.

Without a warning, James moves.

He shoves his hand straight out, aiming for the back of Kai’s head, and slams it hard into your open locker door. The sound of metal meeting bone echoes down the corridor.

"Fuck!" Kai hisses, his hands flying up to cup his nose. Blood is already leaking through his fingers. "I'm shooting an ad tomorrow, asshole!"

James doesn't even look at him as Kai runs off down the hall, cursing up a storm.

For a second, the hallway feels entirely empty. Your chest rises and falls, your heart hammering against your ribs. Your eyes meet James’s, they linger there for a second too long before you take a step closer to him.

"James," you say, a small, tentative smirk forcing its way onto your face to mask how badly your adrenaline is pumping. "Did you just save me?"

He doesn't look at you. He doesn't even look pleased. He reaches into his locker with a cold, uninterested shrug. "Your fuckboy was blocking my shit."

"Uhm, not my fuckboy," you clarify quickly, crossing your arms.

James doesn't say anything. The silence between you is heavy. He snaps his locker shut and just walks away, his long strides tearing down the hallway.

You blink, panic flaring in your throat, and follow him nervously. "Well... you know, you’re in a very good position to help me," you say, trying to sound happy, trying to sound like the girl who always gets what she wants.

Nothing. He keeps walking, his boots clicking against the floor. You have to jog a little to follow close behind his shoulder.

"Uhm, hello? I’m talking to you."

Suddenly, James stops.

Before you can even register the movement, he spins on his heel, his hand slamming into the locker right beside your head. The impact makes a boom against the metal, the sheer force of it pushing you backward until your spine hits the lockers.

You freeze. You are suddenly, dangerously aware of how close he actually is. You can taste the heat radiating off him. You can see the faint, dark bruise blooming under his eye.

"What do you want?" he asks, his voice low, scraping out of his throat like sandpaper. He looks like he just wants to get this whole thing over with.

There’s a long, agonizing pause. You two just stare at each other. Your eyes track the sharp line of his jaw, the irritation in his dark eyes, before you finally find your voice.

"Look," you say, looking up at him through your eyelashes. For a split second, that confident mask slips, and you look at him almost like you expect him to feel bad for you. "Kai hasn’t left me alone since we broke up. He follows me around school. He shows up at my house sometimes."

James’s eyes darken, a tiny shift in his posture, but his face stays a blank slate. "I got nothing to do with that though?"

"I know you don’t," you say, forcing a small smile back onto your face, trying to regain control of the room. "But I wanna change that. Maybe you could make him leave me alone."

"We don’t even talk."

"I know," you say, the smile growing a little wider, more confident. "It’s because he’s scared of you."

James lets out a dry, breathy sound that isn't quite a laugh. "How am I supposed to help you with a guy I don’t talk to?"

"Well, since you asked," you say, the excitement finally bleeding into your tone. Fully convinced he’ll say yes. "You’re gonna talk to me. Walk with me to my classes, sit with me at lunch... and just be with me all day!"

James tilts his head. The shadow of a smirk plays on his lips, dangerous and mocking as he looks down at you. "So you want me to be your fake boyfriend."

Your cheeks instantly flare hot. You look away and clear your throat. "N-no..." You scoff, trying to sound indifferent. "No one would even believe we were together. Less boyfriend... more guard dog." You nod your head, smiling again.

James leans in.

He goes so low, so deep into your space that your breath hitches in your throat. For one terrifying second, you actually think he’s going to kiss you, right here in the middle of the hallway. But he stops just inches away, looking dead into your eyes with a cold, unyielding finality.

"I’m not your bitch, y/n."

He pulls back and walks off, leaving you entirely breathless, words dying on your tongue as you watch his retreating back.

But three paces away, the sharp buzz of a phone cuts through the air. James stops. He pulls his phone from his pocket, his shoulders turning rigid.

Landlord: FINAL EVICTION NOTICE HAS BEEN EMAILED!!

Landlord: Locks changed, and belongings were moved.

James stares at the screen, the reality of the text sinking in, before he shoves the phone away and heads straight toward the exit.

"Hey! Where are you going? We still have classes!" you shout after him, watching him dismiss the school entirely.

And of course being you, and because you refuse to be left behind and unanswered, you follow him.

The air here is thick with the stench of sweat, and copper. It’s loud. The crowd presses in close around the makeshift ring, a suffocating wall of noise and flashing phone screens, screaming for blood.

In the center of it, James is fighting for his life.

He’s covered in dirt, his skin slick with a sickening mixture of sweat and deep crimson. His chest heaves violently. He has his opponent locked tight in a suffocating headlock, muscles straining, veins popping along his neck as he tries to end it, but the grip slips. The elder fighter drives a brutal, heavy punch straight into James’s side, right where a bruised rib was already screaming.

James loses it, the air exploding from his lungs as he stumbles back.

The crowd erupts into a feral roar.

"That’s what I’m talking about, baby! Take him down!"

"Finish him!"

The opponent goes crazy, pumping his fists, absorbing the chaos as he shouts back at the screaming crowd. "Yeah! Come on!"

James doesn't move. He watches him, one hand pressed hard against his ribs, breathing heavily through his nose, tasting dirt and iron. He doesn't have time to recover.

They collide again, and the violence is frantic. James takes a hard hit to the back, a blinding punch cracking straight across his face that sends spots dancing in his vision. As the guy lunges forward, aiming another devastating shot at his nose, James’s instincts finally kick in.

He darts his hands out, grabbing the man’s wrists to pin them, and hurls his own forehead forward, cracking a brutal headbutt straight between the guy's eyes.

The man staggers, and James instantly moves behind him, forcing him into a tight arm lock. He has him.

Then, the guy turns his head and spits a mouthful of warm, thick blood straight into James's face.

The sudden, disgusting distraction works. Before James can clear his eyes, a sharp blow drives straight into his throat. James chokes, stumbling backward, a raw, strangled sound tearing from his throat.

James straightens up, forcing his spine straight even as his vision blurs. He uses the back of his dirty forearm to wipe the slick blood off his eyes, his jaw setting into something demonic.

The opponent runs up, thinking he’s won, but James moves faster. He lunges, grabbing the man by the shoulders, and drives his knee straight up into his face.

The impact is sickening, the sound of cartilage cracking echoes over the shouting. The man collapses instantly, dropping heavily to his knees.

James stands over him, chest heaving so hard his bare shoulders shake, barely keeping himself upright. He reaches down, fisting a handful of the guy’s hair, and yanks his head back forcing him to look up.

The older man's face looks horrible, dark blood pouring out of his mouth, but he lets out a wet, twisted laugh.

And that’s when you walk in.

You step through the crowded, dim exit, the noise hitting you like a physical wall, and you freeze. You watch from far behind the crowd, your eyes widening in absolute disbelief as James brings his fist down. Once. Twice. Multiple times. He punches the guy's face in with a cold, rhythmic cruelty until the older man goes completely limp on the dirty concrete.

The crowd splits in half, a chaotic symphony of people cheering or booing because James won. James stands in the center of the madness, a dark, breathy smile crossing his bloody lips as he looks around, watching everyone go completely crazy for him.

Then, his eyes scan the back of the room. And he sees you.

The smile vanishes instantly. His face turns completely stone cold. He doesn't care about winning or the cheering, he shoves through the wall of bodies, a terrifying force of nature, and grips your arm tight, pulling you entirely out of the place and into the cold alleyway outside.

"What the fuck, y/n? Why’d you follow me?" he snaps, his grip tight enough to leave a mark as he drags you away from the door. "You need to leave now. It’s not safe for you here."

You try to catch your breath, your heart hammering against your ribs from the pure shock of what you just witnessed. "Well, you didn’t answer me at school, so I just—"

"For fuck's sake y/n, are you always like this? Hm?" he shouts, his voice echoing off the brick walls. He is visibly annoyed with how stuck-up you sound right now. "You need to stay out of my life. I got my own problems to handle, I don’t need some little rich girl following me around because she needs help with her drama."

"Illegal fighting problems?" you say, the adrenaline making you fire right back at him.

James steps closer, towering over you, the stench of blood and sweat radiating off his bare skin. "Lower your voice."

Your breathing slows a bit, the initial anger fading as you actually look at him. In the dim light, his dirtied up state looks even worse. There is blood everywhere, his and someone else's—and dark, ugly bruises are already forming over old ones that have been there for weeks.

"Mm, fine... i’ll stay quiet," you say, tilting your chin up, forcing your voice to stay confident as you take a step toward him. "Either you be my guard dog... or i’ll just turn you in."

James freezes.

"Which one sounds better, hm?" you say, your voice dripping with a teasing, dead serious malice. "Guard dog... or prison bitch?"

The silence that follows is thick. Both of your breaths are loud enough to hear in the quiet alley. James looks around, his dark eyes scanning the empty street, genuinely trying to calculate which option he’d rather take. For a moment, he actually considers letting you turn him in, he was that sure that being your little pet would be worse than anything else.

But then he thinks about the eviction notice. He thinks about having nowhere to go.

Finally, his jaw tightens. "Fine. I’ll do it."

A triumphant smile spreads across your face. You look up at him, entirely back in your element. "Good boy."

You turn to walk off, but before you can take a step, his bloody hand darts out, grabbing your wrist in a iron grip.

"But," he rasps, his voice dangerously low. "I need a place to stay."

You stop, staring at him, trying to read his expression, not knowing if he's being serious or not. "Why can’t you stay at your own place?"

"I need a place, or no deal," he says, his eyes unblinking, dead serious.

You hesitate. You almost think about changing your mind, the thought of him in your house is a lot. But then again, you think about Kai showing up at your house, lurking around your property. It wouldn’t be so bad having someone like James around to keep him away.

"Fine..." you say, rolling your eyes dramatically as you pull your wrist from his grip. "You can stay at my house."

You smooth down your clothes, fixing your purse over your shoulder, but your eyes can't help but slide over his bare, bruised torso one more time. The contrast between your clean life and his broken one is staggering.

You turn on your heel and walk off, leaving him in the alley.

When your car pulls up, James stops. He looks up at the house, his eyes tracking the massive columns and the sweeping architecture, taking it all in. It’s huge.

"Let’s go!" you say, rushing ahead, but when you look back, you watch as he hesitates to step any further onto the property. He stands at the edge of the driveway, looking around, almost like he’s calculating whether he’s even good enough to come inside.

“James…”

Your voice snaps him out of whatever mindset he was trapped in. He blinks, pulling his shoulders back, and you both continue to walk through your front yard, up the stone stairs until you reach the massive front door.

"Why do you seem so scared to come in?" you tease, jingling your keys to mask the sudden flutter in your chest. "Don’t worry, you’ll get your own room and everything."

He keeps his gaze fixed on the back of your head, following close behind you. "Nice."

"My walk-in closet."

James stops dead in his tracks. "You’re serious?"

"Mhm! Don’t worry, it’s really big," you say, tossing your purse onto the entryway table as you walk. "I just gotta hide you from my dad. But if we’re in my room by eleven, we should be good."

You keep walking, your voice echoing slightly in the high ceilinged hallway. "He’s always working, and before you say anything... no, it doesn’t bother me."

You flash a bright smile, turning around to face him just as you reach the inner doors.

James just stands there, watching you with an expression that reads you like an open book. He lets out a dry, quiet scoff. "Yeah, sure."

He doesn't press the issue, but his eyes linger on the empty, quiet house. "So, uhm... what does your dad do again?" he asks, taking one last look at the pristine walls.

"He’s a district attorney." You look back, smiling up at him.

James freezes completely. Every muscle in his jaw goes rigid. "Fuck."

"Don’t worry... I'm not a snitch, you can trust me," you say teasingly, stepping further into the warmth of the house.

"Do I even have a choice?" he asks. He’s still lingering by the threshold, his dirty jacket contrasting violently with your white molding, still hesitant to fully walk into your world.

"Nope!" you reply easily.

James finally takes the final step inside, closing the heavy door behind him with a soft click. "You’re very bossy, you know?"

"Yeah... that’s what people always say about a girl who knows what she wants," you say, tilting your chin up.

James looks around the house a bit more, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Then, he turns his gaze back to you. You're already watching him. He takes a slow step closer, entirely too close, until the space between you disappears. You instantly look down, suddenly hyper aware of his breathing, trying to avoid the heavy, awkward tension of this whole thing.

For a moment, neither of you move. You just stay there, staring at each other, the silence thick enough to choke on.

"So, where’s the shower?" he asks, his voice dropping low.

"Come on," you say, turning on your heel and walking away a little too fast, desperate to escape the suffocating closeness you two were just trapped in.

You lead him upstairs to the bathroom, and he steps inside, the bright vanity lights catching the raw cuts on his knuckles. Without hesitation, he immediately takes off his dirty shirt, tossing it onto the tile floor somewhere. He walks around the marble bathroom, looking around like he’s trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Yoo, how does this thing work?" he asks, peering into the massive glass shower.

You walk in a moment later, leaning against the doorframe. "Never used a shower before?" you tease.

You step directly in front of him, your shoulder brushing his bare arm as you reach for the sleek shower handle. "On," you say, switching the water on. "Off," you say, turning it back.

But you aren't looking at the handle. You've had your eyes locked onto him the entire tim, and James hasn't looked away from you, not once. The awkwardness from the hallway slips away, replaced by something much heavier. It feels like a game you guys have been playing, eyeing each other down through your lashes, trying to see who will be the first one to break eye contact.

James breaks the silence first, a lazy smirk pulling at his lips. "Are you gonna watch or something?" he teases.

"Nothing to see," you say dryly, keeping your gaze steady, refusing to back down.

"Mm, sure," he says, taking a half step closer, his bare chest nearly touching you, entirely trying to provoke a reaction.

Your heart takes a violent leap, and you decide to end the eye tag game before you lose your mind. You shove a clean towel into his chest. "Enjoy your shower."

You turn and leave, shutting the door behind you. Behind the wood, you can hear James letting out a low chuckle to himself. He runs a hand through his hair, genuinely not knowing what the fuck he’s got himself into.

You’re in your bedroom, organizing your vanity and trying to distract yourself, when the door clicks open. James steps in.

The towel you gave him is wrapped low around his waist, dripping water onto your hardwood floor. His skin is scrubbed clean, but the bruises across his ribs look even darker now, raw and exposed.

"Nice room," he says, his voice cutting through the quiet as he walks around, touching the delicate trinkets on your shelves with his rough hands.

"First girl's room you’ve been in?" you joke, trying to ignore how massive he looks standing in the middle of your space.

"Very funny," he mutters, stopping to look at a photo on your desk. "You’re just the first one who’s so... extra."

"Mm. So you must be pretty boring, hm?"

"Yea, and scary, remember?" He turns around, taking slow, deliberate steps toward you, using his height to crowd you against your bedpost.

You let out a laugh despite yourself, slipping past him. "Please. I remember you thumb sucking your way through kindergarten..."

You look back at him over your shoulder, your lips curling into a confident smile. "I’m not scared of you."

James drops his gaze, a sudden, unreadable shadow crossing his face before he looks back up. "Yeah, well... don't be so sure you know everything about me."

The words hang in the air. You both stare a little longer, the playful energy shifting into something deeply loaded.

"Your clothes were disgusting, so we’ll have to get you some new ones." you say, breaking the tension and offering him a small smile.

James’s posture goes rigid, his jaw tightening. "I don’t need your charity."

"It’s not charity," you counter smoothly, crossing your arms. "Just a makeover!"

"Okay," he says, stepping in close again, his eyes locked onto yours as he tilts his head down. "So... what are you gonna do to me?"

"You’ll see.”

Walking into the main hallway together, your arm is looped securely through his, and the contrast is loud enough to make people stop and stare.

"So what do I even have to do?" James asks, his voice low, barely cutting through the crowded halls as you two walk.

"Just stay with me," you say, a bright smile gracing your lips. It hasn’t left your face since you arrived at the front gates, fueled by the sheer thrill of the game.

You’re so focused on him that you don’t even notice Kai staring off to the side, leaning against the stairs, watching the two of you approach.

"Damn, y/n. I see you found a placeholder," He scoffs, his voice dripping with a bitter, bruised ego. "Are you really that desperate?"

You look over. He has some random girl clinging to his arm, but you don’t recognize her, and you genuinely don’t give a fuck. You don’t even give him the satisfaction of a verbal response. Instead, you just look up at James with a knowing smirk, silently sending him off toward Kai like a weapon you fully control.

Kai acts all confident when there’s a crowd watching, but deep down, he’s scared out of his ass. Especially in this exact moment.

"How about you fuck off, dickhead," James says, taking a heavy step directly into Kai’s space. They’re about the same height, but the difference is that James isn't afraid. The absolute lack of fear makes him tower over Kai completely.

Kai tries to laugh it off, stepping closer to seem less terrified than he actually is. "What, are you her fucking dog now, or what?"

"Just leave her alone, okay?" his voice dangerously quiet, dropping an octave. "Only time I’m gonna say this shit."

James starts to back up, turning his torso to face you again. But the second his back is turned, Kai snaps, letting his ego blind him as he hurls a messy punch right at the back of James's head.

"JAM—" you shout, the panic flaring hot in your throat.

But James is already moving. His reflexes are terrifyingly fast. Before the fist can even connect, he moves, catching Kai’s wrist mid air and violently pinning him back against the metal stairs he’d been leaning on. The sound of Kai’s spine hitting the railing is loud.

"Don’t fuck with me Kai," James hisses, his grip tightening until Kai’s face goes pale.

"I—I'm sorry man. Really," He stammers, the confidence draining out of him instantly.

James lets go, shoving him back slightly with a look of pure disgust. Kai immediately takes off running down the hall practically crying, the random girl scrambling to follow after him.

A breathy chuckle escapes your lips as you walk up to James, your chest humming with adrenaline. "That was so good. You have him running like a little pussy."

James doesn't laugh. He turns to you, his eyes dead serious, entirely unamused. "You’re gonna need to learn to protect yourself, y/n."

"But why when I have you?" you smile, completely missing the dark, protective hint in his tone.

James stares at you, his chest rising and falling. "Yeah. And when you don’t have me anymore?"

The words catch you off guard. A small pout forms on your lips, your voice shifting into a teasing, almost sad whine. "Wow. Are you trying to get rid of me already?"

"Just saying..." He looks down at you, his gaze heavy with a reality you haven't had to face yet. "There’s always gonna be more people like Kai."

You both stand there in the middle of the corridor, taking in the weight of his last words. The silence stretches between you for a second before James breaks it.

"Come on," he says, his rough fingers suddenly wrapping around your hand, pulling you along with him.

"Hey—I have forensics!" you protest, your heels clicking against the floor as you try to pull away from his grip. "Where are we going, asshole? And can you let go?"

"Shut up."

And you do—reluctantly, your heart doing a strange, stupid flip at the feeling of his hand entirely swallowing yours.

He drags you all the way to the school's old gym, pushing the heavy double doors open. When you're finally inside he lets go of your hand, a little too harshly.

"Ow," you mutter, rubbing your wrist.

"Fighting clean isn’t gonna work when you’re up against pervs like Kai," James says, entirely ignoring your complaint as he reaches down, pulling up his sleeves and roughly running a hand through his hair. "So you gotta fight dirty."

You slowly set your bag down on a bench, looking around the space, a nervous curiosity settling in your stomach.

"Come on, I’ll show you your first move," he says, gesturing with his chin for you to stand directly in front of him. You step into his space, the smell of his clean soap from this morning hitting you instantly.

"You be Kai. I’ll be you," he says dryly, his dark eyes locking onto yours. "Try and kiss me."

You let out a loud giggle, completely unable to take him seriously. You just stand there, waiting for the punchline, but James doesn't blink. He just waits.

Playing along, you lean in, only moving the top half of your body in a joking, exaggerated way.

James instantly backs up, a flash of genuine irritation crossing his face. "What are you doing?" he asks, almost offended by the lack of effort.

"When are you gonna show me the move?" you fire back, crossing your arms.

"When you actually try and kiss me," he says, his voice snapping sharply through the quiet gym.

You freeze, staring up at him, the smile dying on your face as you realize he isn't joking. "Are you fucking with me?"

He doesn't answer. He just gives you a slow, provocative head tilt, an invitation.

Fine. You take a step closer, your heart suddenly hammering against your ribs. You raise your hand, your palm sliding against his sharp jawline, and you lean in for real. Your eyes flutter shut, your breath brushing against his lips—

And right before your mouth can touch his, James moves.

His hand darts out snatching your arm, twisting your body until you're forced into a tight, inescapable joint lock. You're forced face down, your breath exploding from your lungs, with James hovering dangerously close above you, his chest pressed against your back.

You let out a loud grunt, completely blindsided by how hard he went. "WATCH IT, JAMES! This sweater is expensive!"

"This is a joint lock!" he shouts back, his voice right next to your ear, mocking your high-pitched tone perfectly. "It’s about leverage." He applies more pressure, pinning you effortlessly.

"OW!"

"So even a little thing like you can defend yourself," he murmurs, his breath hot against the back of your neck. He still doesn't let go, holding you in place just to prove his point.

You start to frantically swat at his arm with your free hand, trying to get him off. "Okay, okay, I get it!"

James relents, starting to pull away, but you both try to move at the exact same time. Your foot slips. You stumble backward with a gasp, and James immediately lunges with you, his reflexes kicking in to keep you from crashing to the ground.

Your back hits one of the thick concrete pillars, and James is right there trapping you against it. His large hand is planted firmly on your waist, his fingers digging into your skin, while you’re holding onto his forearms for dear life, still shaking from almost falling.

Both of your breathings are heavy, ragged, echoing in the empty gym. You look up, your eyes wide, and find him staring down at your lips.

James is the first to snap out of it. He pushes himself off you, clearing his throat as he realizes the dangerous position you guys were just trapped in.

"Alright," he says, backing up a few paces to create space. "You’re gonna do it to me now."

He drops into a loose stance, his dark eyes tracking your movements. "Ready?"

"Alright," you say, trying to shake off the heat in your cheeks, still struggling to take the whole thing seriously.

James steps forward, his large hand coming up to gently cup your face. The second his palm touches your skin, you immediately grab his wrist, twisting your body just like he did to you, and hurl him forward into the exact same joint lock.

James lets out a low, surprised grunt. "There ya go."

"It’s about leverage," you mock in his exact deep tone, pulling his arm a little higher as a triumphant laugh bubbles up in your chest.

He wiggles out of your grip effortlessly, stepping back with his hands raised in mock surrender. "Okay, okay," he says, a faint, breathless smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, you need to work on that."

You stay there together in the quiet gym for a while longer, classes completely forgotten. He helps you with more moves, teasing you every time you struggle badly, but beneath the grunting and the burning muscles, for the first time since this whole thing started, you find yourself somewhat enjoying each other’s presence.

Later that day, the massive dining room feels entirely too quiet. You and James sit at the dark wood table, eating Chinese takeout from cardboard containers.

Except you aren’t really eating. You’re just moving the food around with your chopsticks, your eyes tracking the quiet, efficient way James eats. The guilt from his confrontation with Kai earlier, the raw reminder of the violence he walked into for you creeps heavily into your chest.

"I'm sorry about Kai," you say, the sincerity catching in your throat.

James finally glances over at you, his dark eyes unreadable for a split second. "It’s whatever. I already know what you people think about me."

You look at him, instantly offended, your chest tightening. "What do you mean, 'you people'?" You already know exactly what he means, but the sharp reality of it stings too much to let him see it.

He looks back down at his food, entirely nonchalant as he takes another bite. "Rich kids."

You let out a sharp breath. "Okay, well... I don’t think I’m like him?"

You say it out loud, but it sounds more like you’re trying to convince yourself than him. James doesn't answer. He just stares back at you, a low, quiet chuckle escaping his lips as he watches you struggle with the realization.

Your shoulders drop. "Okay... maybe I am a little too privileged."

"A little?" he teases, his lips twitching upward.

"But Kai just acts like such a tough guy," you say mockingly, scrunching your face up as you lean over the table. "But really, he’s just this—"

"Insecure little bitch," James finishes for you.

The bluntness makes you stop your thought, a genuine laugh bubbling up as you look at him. "Yeah."

"I’d like to see Kai in a street fight," he says, his gaze locking onto yours, the amusement clear in his eyes.

You laugh, the tension completely breaking as you try to form words. "Can you imagine that? He’s like... the human embodiment of a porcelain vase. Someone would raise a fist and he’d probably shit himself" You wave your hands around, perfectly mimicking Kai’s frantic, spoiled gestures.

James chuckles, leaning back in his chair. "Nah, he’d be like ‘yo, you mess with me, you gon be hearing from my lawyers.’" He throws his head back, doing his own mocking impression.

"And then his nose gets all fucked up and he can’t model anymore," you add, tears practically forming in your eyes from how hard you're laughing at how pathetic your ex truly is.

Then, the heavy sound of the front door clicking open echoes through the foyer.

"Y/N?"

Your dad's voice cuts through the air like a knife.

The laughter dies instantly. You gasp, standing up so fast your chair scrapes loudly against the hardwood. Panic floods your veins. You frantically grab the edge of the long tablecloth, lifting it up. "Get down!" you hiss to James.

James is already moving, but the command makes him snap his head up. "You know I’m not your actual dog, right?" he murmurs, half serious, half joking just to keep you from completely spiraling.

"Do you want to get caught?" you whisper sharply, entirely unamused by the joke.

"Alright... geez," he mutters, dropping to his knees. But before his head disappears beneath the heavy fabric, he looks up at you through his eyelashes, his dark eyes flashing with mischief. "Woof."

You smack his shoulder. "Ow," he huffs, finally disappearing under the table. You let out a quiet, stressed chuckle just as the nerves come rushing back, your dad’s heavy footsteps entering the dining room.

"Hey, papa! You're home early!" you say, forcing the brightest, most natural smile you can manage onto your face.

"Yeah, I had to uh—" Your dad walks into the room, but he stops dead in his tracks, his eyes falling directly on the second plate sitting next to yours. "Who’s this plate for?"

"It’s for you! Aren't you hungry?" you ask, your heart beating so violently against your ribs you’re sure he can hear it.

"I am," your dad says, chuckling softly as he steps closer. "But it looks like someone else has already been eating from it?"

"Oh! I was just... making sure it tasted good."

He nods slowly, taking a seat directly in front of the extra plate. "Is it good?

"Yes!!" you say, entirely too enthusiastic.

Underneath the table, James quietly shifts his weight, sliding his large frame further away so your dad's legs don't accidentally brush against him.

"So, how was school?" your dad asks, pulling the container closer.

Suddenly—thud. James moves too fast, his head striking the underside of the table, causing the entire surface to jump.

"Ow, ow!" you shout instantly, throwing your hands down to steady the dishes, trying to cover the sound.

Your dad blinks, completely startled. "Oh, I'm sorry... did I kick you?" He immediately reaches down, his fingers grasping the edge of the tablecloth to lift it and check.

"No, no! I’m fine, I just hit my leg!" you blurt out, gently pushing his hand away. "School was great, dad. Really great."

You take a sharp breath, trying to redirect his focus before he looks down. "So, uh... how’s work?"

Under the table, James is frozen. His head is trapped right between your thighs, the heat of his breath rising through the fabric of your skirt. To keep himself still, his rough fingers reach out, idly tracing the tied ribbon of your knee high socks. The touch sends an electric shock straight up your spine.

"Oh, yeah," your dad sighs, rubbing his temples. "We’re looking into this illegal street fighting thing. The attorney general wants us to crack down on it. It’s very—"

Hearing the words street fighting ring, James tenses. He flinches, his foot knocking into the table frame again.

"Oh... ow!" you shout, your voice high pitched. You plunge your hand beneath the cloth, your fingers grabbing a tight fistful of James's thick hair, pulling just enough to give him the hint to stop moving.

"Oh, my knee... it hurts so bad," you whine to your dad, finally letting go of James's hair and giving the back of his neck a warning smack.

"So..." you clear your throat, “What’s so bad about these street fights?"

"Well, people are dying, y/nnie," your dad replies heavily. "I mean, this is uncontrolled stuff. There’s no protection, no protocols... you know."

Beneath the darkness of the tablecloth, James slowly shakes his head, silently disagreeing with the clinical way your dad is describing his world.

"Not to mention there are illegal bets. It’s dangerous stuff," your dad continues, shaking his head. "But enough about that. You know, I haven't seen Kai around lately. You guys okay?"

James lets out a very soft, vibration of a chuckle against your leg, his thumb brushing your skin.

"Uh, no. We broke up," you say, keeping your tone completely uninterested as you try to steer the conversation back. "But... how often do the fighters actually die during those fights?!"

"Too often," your dad replies quickly, clearly not wanting to bring his brutal work talk home to his daughter. "I thought you and Kai were doing great. What happened? Want to talk about it?"

"No."

James smiles in the dark, his palm resting warm and heavy against your shin, listening to every word.

"Well," you say, the panic making you desperate to get your dad out of the room. "If those fights are so dangerous, maybe you should go back to your office and start working on your case!"

Your dad pauses, looking up at you. He knows you inside and out, and he can tell something is entirely off. "y/n... What’s up with you?"

You take a deep, shaky breath. "Nothing! I just... I’m trying to help. I want you to do good dad!"

The praise works. You feed his ego just enough to keep him from overthinking the situation. He buys it, his posture relaxing, but before he can question you further, the sharp ring of his cell phone cuts through the dining room.

He pulls it out. "Oh, it’s the attorney general."

"See!" you point at the phone.

"So, I gotta go," he says, sighing as he stands up from the table. He looks down at you one last time, adjusting his suit jacket. "You sure you’re gonna be okay here?"

"Yes!" you smile, nodding rapidly.

"Okay... I love you."

"I love you too! Be safe!!" you shout toward the hallway, listening intently until the heavy front door finally clicks shut and the alarm system arms itself.

The second the coast is clear, you drive your foot forward under the table, kicking James's back.

"OW!"

James scrambles out from beneath the tablecloth, you stand up and slam both hands onto your hips, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

"What was that for?" he snaps, standing up to his full height.

"People die in your fights," you say, your voice dropping, the weight of your dad's words finally crashing down on you.

James rolls his shoulders. "Yeah. So? Why do you care?"

"Tuh—I don’t!" you stammer, crossing your arms tightly. "I just..."

"What, you worried about me?" James asks. He takes a slow, deliberate step closer, that dangerous, teasing smirk spreading across his lips.

"NO! Definitely not... I just—"

"Aww. The spoiled princess has a soft spot for her guard dog—“

"Shut up!" you snap, tearing your eyes away from his to avoid the sheer intensity of his gaze.

"Mm," James murmurs, looking around the room. "I thought you said your dad is never around?"

"He’s usually not," you say, the words tumbling out before you can think. “Normally, we could walk around naked and he wouldn’t even know..."

You regret it as soon as the words leave your mouth.

James freezes, a slow, incredibly wicked smile spreading across his face. You try your hardest not to smile back, your heart hammering against your ribs. Before he can utter a single word to tease you about it, you hurl your hands forward, pushing him out of the way, and run straight toward the safety of the stairs.

"Naked, hm?!" he shouts after you, his deep voice echoing up the stairwell.

"SHUT UP!" you scream back, slamming your bedroom door shut behind you.

Inside your massive walk-in closet, you can hear James shifting around. He’s walking around the racks, idly smelling the expensive perfumes, trying on random accessories, and picking up whatever shiny, ridiculous trinket that happens to stand out to him.

Meanwhile, you’re out in the bedroom, pacing in front of your vanity. You're supposedly getting ready for bed, but you find yourself lingering in front of the mirror, smoothing down your hair and adjusting your silk pajamas, making absolutely sure you look good for whatever stupid reason.

Eventually, the closet door clicks open. James wanders out to see what you’re up to, and you immediately scramble, finding a spot to sit on the edge of your mattress to look nonchalant.

He paces the floor, still taking in the sheer size of the room, looking around the high ceilings as he makes his way toward you. "So your dad's never really around," he starts, his voice low in the quiet room. "What about your mom, hm?"

You stiffen, your fingers gripping the silk of your sheets. "What about her?" you ask, your tone immediately dropping into something flat, entirely uninterested in continuing the conversation.

James stops pacing. He looks at you, picking up on the sudden shift in the air, and raises his hands defensively. "My bad. We don’t gotta talk about it," he says, exaggerating the apology. He really wasn’t trying to be an asshole, he was genuinely just curious.

You swallow the lump in your throat, looking away. "No, it’s fine..."

It doesn't sound convincing at all.

He noticed the look that crossed your face the exact second he mentioned your mother. He saw how fast you scrambled to pull that thick, untouchable guard right back up, the one you worked so hard to build.

You take a quiet breath, forcing your eyes back to his. "Yeah... uhm. She died giving birth to me."

The smirk drops completely from James’s lips. "I'm sorry," he says, his gaze never leaving yours.

He really hates this—all this emotional, heavy stuff just wasn’t something he was used to handling. He’d learned at a young age that the only way to survive was to keep your guard up and never let it fall.

Watching your armor slip right now, he feels entirely out of his depth. He doesn't know what to do with your sadness.

You don’t respond to the apology. Your eyes dart around the bedroom, desperately trying to avoid looking at him. You are fighting with everything you have to keep your mask intact, you definitely do not want James of all people to see you break.

But he notices anyway.

The mattress dips as James finally sits down on the edge of the bed beside you, his large frame grounding the quiet room. "You okay?" he asks. The roughness is gone from his voice, replaced by a quiet, genuine effort to show that he actually cares.

You look at him, the fragile smile returning to your face. "Yeah..."

You mean it—not completely, but you’ve grown up learning how to hide the ache better than anyone else.

"But it’s just..." You look down at your hands, your voice dropping to a whisper. "I don’t know if you saw, but when Kai was bothering me by my locker yesterday... he snatched my bracelet."

"Oh, yeah. I saw..." James murmurs, his brow furrowing slightly, not fully understanding the real reason you were bringing up a piece of jewelry right now.

"Well," you say, your throat tight as you stare at your bare wrist. "It belonged to my mother."

James freezes. The reality of the words hits him like a physical blow. He looks down at your lap, his jaw setting as a sudden, protective anger flares in his chest. "I’m sorry, y/n," he says, his voice rough. "Don’t worry. He won’t be bothering you anymore."

You let out a hollow, watery breath, trying to shrug it off. "It’s fine... I don’t need it anyways."

"Hey..."

Before you can pull away into your own head, James reaches out. His large hand extends, resting warm and remarkably heavy against your bare arm. The touch stops your thoughts entirely. "It’s okay," he says softly, his eyes locking onto yours with a terrifying amount of sincerity. "And if I can... I’ll get it back. Okay?"

You two just stare at each other. It’s the same intimate linger you always exchange, but this one feels entirely different. He isn't crowding your space or trying to provoke you like he usually does, but as you look at him, you realize you're starting to feel closer to him just in general.

Panicking at how fast your heart is beating, you abruptly break eye contact, clearing your throat. "Okay. Well... bye," you say, waving him off dramatically to break the tension.

James lets out a low huff, a familiar smirk crawling back onto his face as he gets up from the mattress, heading back toward the closet door.

"Night, princess," he says teasingly over his shoulder.

"Goodnight, puppy," you tease back.

The next morning, the kitchen is quiet. You’re standing by the counter, setting up breakfast for the two of you, slicing fruit and arranging the plates before he even comes downstairs.

You’re just placing the last bowl down when a low shadow falls over you.

James sneaks up behind you, his presence entirely too quiet for a guy his size. Before you can even turn around, his deep voice murmurs right against the shell of your ear. "Surprise practice session... three... two..."

He’s already moving, his large frame shifting to lock you into some new fighting position.

Startled, your brain scrambles, and you don’t even react immediately.

"One," he finishes.

With a practiced fluid motion, he grips your torso and hurls you completely around to face him. The sudden force sends you stumbling back until you're leaning hard against the kitchen wall behind you. James instantly crowds your space, hovering over you, his hands gripping your waist firmly to keep you pinned.

Your breath hooks in your throat. He’s standing so close you can feel the steady heat radiating off his chest.

"Remember what I told you to do when I try to kiss you?" he asks, his dark eyes dropping to your mouth, his own breathing heavy from the sudden exertion.

You swallow hard, nodding your head.

James immediately takes that nod as an invitation. He leans in closer, his large hand coming up to cup your face, tilting your head up.

You let him get entirely too close this time, so close your eyelashes practically brush his cheek before your instincts finally kick in. You hurl your weight forward, catching his wrist and twisting his arm back into the exact joint lock he taught you.

A triumphant smirk spreads across your face, pure pride flaring in your chest.

But the victory dies instantly. Before you can even celebrate, James lets out a low huff, shifts his body, and slips out of your grip effortlessly. He spins you around, pinning you chest first against the flat wall with your arm cranked tightly behind your back.

You can’t see his face anymore, but you feel him lean in close from behind you, completely taking control of the room again. One of his hands keeps your arm locked securely against your spine, while his other hand stays heavy, on your side.

You turn your head slightly against the drywall, catching your ragged breath. But the second you move, James grips your hip and turns you to face him again, pulling your stomach flush against his. His hands never leave your waist.

The kitchen is completely silent except for the loud, ragged sound of both of your breathings. The air feels thick. Neither of you move. Neither of you pull away. Instead, you both just start leaning in again, your eyes locking, getting entirely too close.

Panicking, you hurl your hands against his chest, pushing him off playfully. "Fuck off, James," you say, a breathless smile forcing its way onto your face.

James lets out a low laugh, stepping back a couple of paces, his chest still heaving.

"Okay, but seriously," he says, his voice dropping into that strict instructor tone. "Don’t let your guard down, even if you think you have the other person pinned."

You smooth down your shirt, your heart hammering against your ribs as you take a slow, deliberate step back into his space. "Okay, well... let’s try again," you say teasingly, tilting your head.

"Mm, can’t." James lets out a faint smirk, reaching past you to grab some of the grapes you put out, popping one into his mouth.

You blink, disappointed. "Why?”

"Gotta prep for this fight I have tonight," he says.

The playful energy drains out of you instantly. Your voice drops, getting incredibly soft, a sudden ache settling into your chest. "Can I come?"

James’s smile drops the exact second the words leave your mouth. He stops chewing, his entire demeanor shifting into something heavy.

You both just stand there in the middle of the kitchen, staring at each other, you looking up at him with genuine, unmasked concern, and him silently debating whether letting you come is a good idea or not.

Then, that dumb, frustrating grin returns to his face, masking whatever he’s feeling. "Hell no."

You roll your eyes, a sudden wave of hot, anxious anger making you snap. "Maybe you shouldn’t be going either then," you say, your voice rising.

"Well, I need the money," he says, turning on his heel and walking off toward the living room. "Can’t stay here forever y/n," he adds sarcastically over his shoulder.

You stomp to the edge of the kitchen, watching his retreating back, your throat tight. "Well, you better be back before eleven!" you shout out after him.

"Whatever!" he shouts back, the front door clicking shut moments later.

You stay there by the counter for a long time, the breakfast entirely forgotten. Your hands are trembling slightly against the marble counter as you take in the fact that he’s actually going back to that horrific place tonight.

Ever since your dad mentioned that people die during those fights, the reality of what James does has been clawing at your brain, stressing you out entirely more than you ever wanted to admit to yourself.

It’s late now. The television you left on for background noise is a low, unrecognizable murmur against the quiet of your bedroom, barely heard as you try to focus on finishing up your homework.

Then, the sudden, sharp scrape of metal cuts through the room.

Your window slides open. Your heart takes a violent leap into your throat, your mind immediately screaming that it’s Kai fucking around again, but the anger dies the second a heavy, shadow drenched figure stumbles over the sill.

It’s James. And he’s covered in blood.

He clearly lost his fight tonight, and every single inch of his body shows it. He’s leaning heavily against the window frame, his chest heaving.

"Your dad's home. I couldn’t go through the front door," he rasps, his voice thick and scraped raw, completely dismissing how entirely fucked up he looks and feels right now.

You hurl your textbooks aside, immediately scrambling out of bed and rushing over to him.

"Oh my god..." you whisper, the words catching painfully in your throat as your hands hover over him, terrified to touch him. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Dude had brass knuckles."

A cold dread settles into your stomach. Gently, you grip his uninjured shoulder, walking his trembling frame over to your bed and forcing him to sit down. James lets out a low, agonizing groan as his weight hits the mattress.

"Let me see," you breathe, stepping between his knees. Your fingers tremble as you gently tilt his chin up, forcing his head back to get a better look at the deep, ragged gash splitting the skin near his hairline.

"y/n, I'm fine. Chill," he mutters, his bloody hand coming up to push against your shoulder, trying to create distance.

But you don’t move. "James, you are bleeding from your head," you say, your voice cracking, sounding dangerously close to a cry.

You drop to your knees, pulling out the first aid kit that’s been sitting untouched under your bed. Your fingers fly through the plastic containers, desperately digging through the wraps and ointments to find something to clean the wound.

Above you, James sits heavily, his breathing ragged as he painfully peels his heavy jacket off his shoulders. When the fabric drops, you catch sight of a massive, deep purple bruise already blooming violently along the entire side of his ribs. You freeze, staring at the damage, swallowing hard as you try your absolute best not to panic.

You finally find an antiseptic wipe and stand back up, leaning into his space to press it against the cut. But James flinches, still trying to pull his head back, trying to push you away.

"I don’t need your—" He cuts himself off with a sharp, strangled groan. The slight movement of fighting back against you makes the pain in his ribs flare. He closes his eyes, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "Okay... okay," he mutters, taking slow, deep breaths to steady himself.

You gently press the wipe to the cut, your heart hammering against your ribs. "So, who won?" you ask softly, obviously already knowing the answer but desperately trying to keep a conversation going to distract him.

"Clearly the other guy, y/n," he says, his jaw tight as he finally relaxes his posture just a fraction.

"Yeah?" You look down into his eyes briefly, your voice dropping into a quiet, heavy murmur. "This is why I told you not to go."

Your hand loses focus for a split second, pressing a fraction too hard on a raw spot. James hisses through his teeth, his body tensing beneath your fingers. "Gentle bro."

"Sorry," you whisper quickly.

The bedroom goes completely, suffocatingly quiet. You continue to softly wipe the dark crimson from his forehead, your face only inches from his, while he looks up at you through his eyelashes, still trying to breathe properly. The room is so still you swear his respirations are getting louder, heavier, every single time your hand moves.

"Shh..." you murmur, as you try to get him to relax. "It’s okay.”

Your free hand reaches up, your palm resting warm and steady against the back of his neck, your fingers anchoring into his hair to keep him still. James freezes at the touch. His eyes don't leave your face, staring at you with an intensity that burns while you clean him up as much as you can.

You don’t even notice him staring, entirely too focused on the horrible state of his skin, completely consumed by the need to fix him.

Eventually, the bleeding stops, and James gets up from the bed, limping into the bathroom to shower the dirt and dried blood off his skin.

Left alone, you pace the length of your bedroom, the anxiety clawing at the inside of your chest. Your mind is racing, and your first immediate thought goes to the sleeping arrangements. You look at your large, plush bed, a sudden wave of guilt hitting you as you think about him having to sleep on that old, thin mattress in your walk-in closet.

When the bathroom door finally clicks open, you’re already in the middle of pulling back your heavy duvet, setting up the pillows so there's room for both of you.

James steps into the bedroom, his skin scrubbed clean, but he's still favoring his side, a visible limp slowing his stride.

"Hey..." you say softly, looking up at him with a gaze full of unshielded sorrow. "So... what’s got you off your game?"

James pulls a clean shirt over his head, his movements stiff. "I don’t know," he says, entirely dismissive.

"Maybe the old mattress?" you suggest, watching him closely, clearly already having that piece of the puzzle mapped out.

James pauses, his shoulders dropping a fraction as the reality sinks in. "Mm. Yeah. Probably," he mutters, realizing for the first time how much that thin closet floor had actually been draining him.

"You could sleep here tonight if you want," you say smoothly, your hand coming down to gently pat the empty spot next to you. "I’ll get you a better mattress tomorrow."

James stops dead in his tracks. He stares at your hand on the bed, his brow furrowing. "You want me to sleep with you?"

"No..." You let out a quiet, defensive chuckle, your cheeks flaring slightly. "No, I just... I feel bad. And plus, we’ll have our own sides."

James looks at the crisp, expensive white linen, then back at his own bruised, battered body. "You aren't worried about me messing up your sheets?" he asks, his voice low, genuinely unable to believe you're being entirely serious right now.

"It’s fine, James," you say softly, your voice leaving no room for argument. "Just lay down."

He hesitates for one more second before he finally gives in, crawling into the bed. You watch him closely as he moves with excruciating slowness, carefully lowering his torso onto the pillows, trying his hardest not to cause any more damage to his ribs.

You lie down beside him, the space between you small but loaded. For a long moment, you just watch his profile in the dim light, that heavy, unexplainable guilt still weighing on your chest.

"So... when are you gonna stop fighting?" you ask, the concern bleeding heavily into the quiet room.

James doesn't look at you. He keeps his gaze fixed firmly on the ceiling, staring at the plaster like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. "Most of us have to work for a living," he says, the biting sarcasm rushing back to protect him.

The words sting, a harsh reminder of the massive divide between your worlds. You shift a little closer to him on the mattress, your heart aching, completely not knowing what to say to that.

You swallow hard, staring at his jawline. "Well... what about your parents?"

James’s head snaps around. He looks at you, his eyes widening slightly, entirely unprepared for you to ask something so deeply personal.

He takes a long, ragged breath, his chest rising high before he finally answers. "Dad's not around," he says, his voice dropping into a rough, quiet register. "And my mom... she just... can’t."

He says the words like it’s a heavy, suffocating secret he’s been hiding his entire life. A deep frown settles on your lips.

For one, terrifying second, you can feel his thick wall completely collapsing, just a little bit, letting you see the raw, broken truth of what’s actually happening on the other side.

"It’s up to me to take care of myself," James murmurs, his eyes drifting away from yours. "And Lian."

Your brow furrows. "Who’s Lian?"

"She's my sister."

"What's wrong with her?" you ask, your gaze locked onto the side of his face. He’s actively avoiding eye contact now, his throat swallowing hard.

"It’s a lot to say," he mutters, his shoulder tensing as he tries to be completely done with the conversation.

But you don’t care. You'll listen to him for hours if he lets you. You keep your eyes fixed on him, entirely still, silently waiting for him to open up. James shifts, his eyes darting back to yours, and he notices the pure concern written across your face. He gives in. With a low, painful grunt, he shifts his entire body on the mattress, turning to face you fully now.

"She’s in the hospital," he says, his voice losing its sharp edge. "She used to follow me around all the time. When she found out I was fighting, she thought I was some kind of superhero." A tiny, faint smile touches his lips at the memory. "She looked up to me. So... I usually brought her around when I fought."

The smile fades, replaced by a sudden, sickening shadow. "And..." He stops, his jaw tight. You notice how uncomfortable he starts to look, the memory clawing at him.

"It’s okay," you interrupt gently, reaching out slightly. "You don’t have to explain anymore."

James looks dead into your eyes. He’s never opened up to anyone before, not like this. It’s just not who he is. But as he looks at you, something changes, and he continues anyway, even if the words are heavy and hard to drag out of his throat.

"This dude, Nicholas..." James rasps. "He, uhm... we don’t exactly get along. And so he caught Lian once, trying to get back at me... and he beat her up badly."

Your breath hitches, your hand flying to your mouth. "Oh my god... is she—"

"She’s fine. Well... she’s better now," he clarifies quickly, his eyes darkening. "But she’s gotta get a lot of surgeries to fully recover. And fighting is the only way I can pay for it."

The sheer weight of his reality hangs between you. James looks at your shocked expression, and a small chuckle escapes his lips, trying desperately to lighten the suffocating mood. "But... don’t you want me to fight anyway? With your whole guard dog thing?"

You don’t laugh. The profound concern doesn't leave your face, but you force a small, fragile smile onto your lips as you study the sharp lines of his face. "I just... I don’t want you ending up dead."

The words are entirely too honest.

James doesn't answer immediately. He searches your face, his dark eyes tracking the sincerity in yours, before a sudden, cold look flashes across his features. The guard snaps right back into place.

"Well... it’s not your problem anyway," he says coldly.

Before you can say a word, he abruptly turns his body the other way, presenting his broad back to you as he faces the wall.

"James..." you call out softly.

He doesn't answer. He’s completely still. He isn't used to people actually being there for him, but acting like they care when they really don't. He doesn't know what's real anymore, and he learned a long time ago to block out the entire world no matter what.

Slowly, you turn the other way too, facing your own side of the room. The mattress feels entirely too big now. You lie there in the dark, your heart aching with a profound sadness for him, knowing that even though he's lying right next to you, he’s obviously not there with you enough to let you comfort him.

Sometime during the night, the massive space you’d carefully kept between you and James had completely vanished. You are lying way too close to him, your head practically resting on his chest.

James woke up first.

He’s been awake for minutes, immediately noticing the heavy, warm weight of you sleeping against his side.

He thought he’d be weirded out by it, he thought his instincts would tell him to shove you away, but instead he’s just lying there. Quiet. He looks down, his eyes tracing your features in your sleepy state, studying the softness of your face. He finds himself leaning into the space, his head tilting down just enough to take in your scent.

Then, he notices the slight shift in your breathing. You're starting to wake up.

Instantly, his eyes drop shut. He pretends to still be asleep, his muscles going limp, just to troll you and see exactly how you’d react.

You blink open your eyes, confused at first as your brain tries to process the solid warmth beneath you. Then, you realize. You look up and see his eyes are closed, his sharp jaw relaxed in sleep. A small, helpless smile tugs at your lips despite yourself. Instead of scrambling away, you let out a quiet breath, sinking back down and shifting even closer into his chest.

"What are you doing?"

His deep voice cuts through the quiet room, a smug, low vibration against your cheek.

You jump up instantly, your face exploding in a violent blush. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" you stammer, frantically trying to scramble out of the bed, but your knee drives straight into his bruised ribs.

James lets out a sharp, agonizing groan, his eyes snapping shut as his hand flies to his side. "Fuck..."

"I'm sorry!" you cry, finally tumbling out of the bed and fleeing the room before you can die of pure embarrassment.

Downstairs, the atmosphere is heavy. You’re sitting at the pristine dining table, your fingers flying across your phone screen, aggressively scrolling through your feed just to give yourself something to look at.

The heavy tread of footsteps echoes in the hall, and James finally joins you, carrying a bowl of cereal. He slides into the chair across from yours.

You don’t look up. You give him absolutely zero attention, keeping your eyes glued to your phone. James pauses, finding the sudden icy treatment weird. He eats a spoonful of cereal, stealing a glance. Then another. He’s finally fed up with the silence, setting his spoon down with a small click.

"You good?"

"Yep," you say, your tone clipping the end of the word. You finally lock eyes with him, your throat tight. "What about you? You look terrible."

It comes out sarcastic but underneath, it’s mostly just the hot, anxious anger from last night bleeding through. You're upset and terrified for him.

James stops eating entirely, taking in the backhanded joke as his jaw sets. "Yeah. Thanks," he replies, his voice dropping into a cold, flat tone.

"Seriously, James," you say, setting your phone face-down on the wood, leaning forward. "You have to stop doing these fights. You’re gonna get yourself killed."

James lets out a harsh, humorless scoff, leaning back in his chair. "Sure. That’s easy for you to say. Sitting up in your castle all day, swiping your daddy’s credit card." He looks dead into your eyes, his gaze dripping with a bitter, defensive finality. "You got no idea what it’s really like."

He pushes his chair back, standing up to leave, the walls snapping right back up around him.

But you’re already moving. The comment sparks something fierce in your chest, and you jump up from the table, throwing yourself into his path to stop him from walking out on you. "Look, James, I know you’re upset, but it’s not—"

"No y/n, you don’t understand shit," he shouts back, anger flashing in his eyes. "Stop acting like you care."

You look up at him, a sharp, physical ache hitting your chest. He thinks you’re performing. He thinks this is a game to you. The frustration boils over, and before you can think, your hand darts out, grabbing a tight fistful of his shirt and violently pulling him down into your space. "I’m not! I just—"

"WHAT?" James snaps, leaning directly into you, his face inches from yours, challenging you to finish the sentence—

Click. The heavy front door suddenly swings open. You both freeze, instantly backing up a step, detangling from each other just as your dad walks into the foyer.

"Forgot my glasses!" your dad calls out, stepping into the dining room. He stops dead, his eyes bouncing between you and the large, bruised teenager standing in his house. "Oh. Who are you?"

"Oh! Dad!" you blurt out, the fake, dazzling smile returning to your face so fast it makes your jaw ache. "This is James! My forensics partner!"

Your dad's eyes crinkle, his brow furrowing as he studies James’s face. "Oh... you look familiar. Have I seen you before?" He takes a step forward, extending a hand to shake.

"Dad, James has been in my class since kindergarten," you say, brushing it off with a casual laugh, gently guiding your dad toward the door. "You’ve definitely seen him a lot."

"Oh. Right," your dad says, checking his watch. He heads back toward the door, stealing one last glance over his shoulder. "Well, have fun with your project!"

"Bye, dad!" you shout.

You both stand completely still, watching through the window until his car pulls out of the driveway and the heavy silence of the house settles back over you.

The second the coast is clear, James spins on his heel, turning his full attention right back to you. The anger from before has shifted into something entirely different.

"So," he rasps, stepping into your space. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing," you say, your voice trembling slightly as you try to de-escalate, not wanting to start the fight back up.

But James clearly wants to start something. He takes another slow, deliberate step, crowding you. "So you weren’t just trying to kiss me?"

"What? No, I..." You look away, your heart hammering a frantic rhythm against your ribs. "It wasn’t intentional. I meant nothing by it."

"Mm..." James lets out a low, breathy sound, his eyes dark as they trace your face. "So... since it didn’t mean anything..."

He moves fast. Before you can even register the shift, he walks straight into you, his large hands reaching out and gripping your waist firmly. You stumble backward, trying to find space, until the hard edge of the dining table catches you right at the hips. You're trapped. James follows you down, resting his palms flat on the wood on both sides of your body, leaning his entire weight into you until you can taste the heat off his skin.

"Can I do this?" he whispers, staring directly into your eyes, his voice dripping with a deep, provocative challenge.

You straighten your spine, trying with everything you have to regain some form of control over your own body. You look at his lips, your breath hitching. "Yes..." you whisper.

You lean in, closing your eyes, expecting the contact—but James pulls his face away at the last second, teasing you, refusing to give in that easily.

"And this?" he murmurs.

He reaches down, taking your hand in his rough palm, and lifts it to his lips. He presses a slow, soft kiss to your knuckles, and then his lips start tracking upward, moving slowly up the sensitive skin of your arm, tracing a path until he reaches the curve of your neck. He pauses there for a fraction of a second. You can feel his breath, hot and ragged, vibrating against your pulse point.

You melt into his touch instantly. The last of your defense mechanisms crumble, and your hands fly to his shoulders, pulling his heavy body closer, desperate for the friction.

But James stops, his lips brushing your skin as he waits. He wants the words.

"Yes," you breathe softly, your voice breaking.

The approval triggers something in him. He drives his lips against your neck, a deep, bruising kiss that makes you lean back against the table, tilting your head to give him more space. Your breathing is heavy, echoing in the empty room. You shift, your hands sliding up to his jawline, pulling his face up just enough to meet his dark, blown out eyes, and you lean in to finally kiss him for real. Your lips are a millimeter apart, the heat of them touching.

The sharp, violent buzz of his cell phone explodes from his pocket, cutting through like a siren.

You pull back, your eyes snapping open as you roll them, an intense wave of pure irritation flooding your veins. "Fuck..." you hiss, your hands dropping from his shirt. "Why don’t you have on do not disturb?"

James doesn't answer. He lets out a low, frustrated groan, his forehead dropping heavily against your shoulder for a brief second, just absorbing the ruined moment. Finally, he pulls away, reaching into his pocket to check the screen.

The second his eyes hit the glass, his entire expression changes. The playful, dangerous smirk vanishes, his jaw setting into a tight, pale line.

"It’s my sister..." he rasps.

Hearing those words, you stiffen. The irritation evaporates instantly, replaced by a cold wave of guilt and worry. You look at his worried face and nod quickly, stepping back to give him space. "Go, answer it."

He doesn't waste a second, turning and rushing out of the room to take the call.

Left alone in the dining room, you sink back against the edge of the table. You’re still trembling, your skin still hot from where his hands had just been holding your waist, but the ruined moment doesn't matter anymore. All you can think about is the suffocating concern for Lian.

You and James hadn’t spoken properly since the breathless, interrupted moment against the dining table this morning. The tension had just simmered between you all day, thick and heavy, until the final bell.

And now, at the end of the day, you’re standing at your locker. James is right there, hovering completely over you, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the hallway as his dark eyes lock onto yours.

"We never talked about what happened this morning," he says, a lazy, teasing smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

You feel your cheeks instantly start to heat up, and you desperately try to dodge the memory. "Oh! Yes, your sister..how is—"

James lets out a low, deep chuckle, leaning a fraction closer until his shoulder brushes the metal locker door. "Come on, y/n. You know what I mean."

You bite your lip, a smile forcing its way onto your face. You definitely knew exactly what he meant, but you didn't want to get all flustered in the middle of a crowded hall, so you chose to bring up literally anything else that would let this talk go by.

"Okay, but seriously though..." you ask, your tone shifting as you look up at him, your eyes softening. "Is your sister okay?"

James lets out a quiet sigh, rolling his eyes back because he knows you aren't going to drop it until you get an answer. "Yes," he says, his voice dropping into a rough murmur. "Now back to the other thing."

Your smirk returns, and you meet his gaze fully, refusing to let him win the standoff. "What about it?"

"You wanted to kiss me so bad."

You roll your eyes dramatically, crossing your arms over your chest. "Shut up, you obviously wanted to kiss me too."

"Yeah, yeah..." James teases, his eyes glinting with pure mischief as he tilts his head down. "But you definitely wanted it more."

"Oh, please. You started it and provoked me," you counter, tilting your chin up to maintain your ground.

"And you let me," he fires back instantly.

You stare up at him through your lashes. The crowded hallway around you seems to fade into background noise. The only thing keeping you from reaching out, pulling him down by his collar, and kissing him right here is the simple fact that you’re in public. But honestly? Looking at him right now, you don’t even care anymore.

Before you can even finish the thought, a sudden, violent force crashes into the space.

Kai blindsides James, shoving him hard into the metal lockers. The sound of the impact echoes sharply down the hall.

"What the hell?!" you shout, instantly stepping directly in front of James. You glare at Kai, your blood boiling. "Kai, just leave him alone, jeez! I get that you’re obsessed with me, but—"

"NO!" Kai shouts, his face twisted in a desperate, ugly rage. The volume of his voice causes nearby students to stop and look over. "You’re the one obsessed with me! Doing all this just to make me jealous?!" He steps closer, his eyes wild as he spits out the words. "You fucking bitch."

The insult doesn't even have time to hang in the air.

James moves immediately. He storms forward, pushing past you and shoving Kai back so hard it completely breaks his balance, causing him to crash violently onto the floor.

"JAMES!" you scream, your heart leaping into your throat, completely startled.

James doesn't say a word to you. He stands over Kai, his entire frame rigid with a terrifying, protective fury. "She’s not a bitch. And she’s not trying to make you jealous," James says, his deep voice shaking the walls. "She doesn’t give a shit about you, so fuck off."

Before Kai can even scramble to his feet, James throws a heavy, brutal punch straight to his face.

"James, seriously, STOP!" you shout, your voice cracking.

James isn't listening though. He’s completely gone, tuned out to everything except the raw instinct to hurt the person who just insulted you. He continues to beat Kai down, his fists connecting with sickening, heavy thuds. Everyone is watching now. A thick circle of students forms around them, some people even pulling out their phones to record the chaos.

But James couldn't care less about the crowd. His entire focus is pinned to the single fact that Kai seriously wouldn’t leave you alone. He told you that he’d make sure the guy never bothered you again, and he was going to do exactly that.

"JAMES!" you scream one last time, the sheer violence of it turning your stomach.

Still nothing. You can't bear to watch it anymore, the blood, the crowd, the horror of it all. You turn on your heel and run, sprinting down the hallway toward the exit, desperately wanting to escape the noise.

Behind you, James lands one final, devastating blow before he notices Kai is barely conscious beneath him, his face a swollen mess. "Don’t fuck with her again," James growls, faking one last punch. Kai’s hands instinctively fly up in a trembling, pathetic motion to try and block his face.

As James’s hand hovers, his eyes catch on something shiny wrapped around Kai's wrist. It’s a delicate, silver bracelet way too much to belong to him.

James recognizes it instantly. It's definitely your mother's.

Without hesitation, he reaches down and snatches it off Kai's wrist, tucking it securely into his pocket. He finally pulls back, his breathing ragged as he looks around the crowd for you, but you’re gone.

He sees the sea of shocked faces standing around watching him, but he doesn't give them a second glance. He turns and takes off down the hall, already knowing exactly where you went.

By the time he catches up to you, you've already sprinted all the way home.

"Y/N!" James shouts, his shoes slamming against the stairs as he follows you straight up to your bedroom.

You don’t answer him. You hurl your bedroom door open, your chest heaving with a mixture of terror and furious adrenaline.

The second you cross the threshold, you turn around and try to violently slam the heavy wood shut right in his face, but James is too fast. His hand catches the edge of the door, forcing it back open as he steps inside, shutting it behind him.

You turn around, the hot anger finally creeping up your throat, masking the trembling in your hands. "Never do that again!"

"What?!" James huffs, his chest rising and falling violently as he stares at you. "I told you I was gonna make sure he didn’t fuck with you again y/n!"

"No, I’m done with this!" you shout back, the tears finally burning the backs of your eyes. "I’m telling you now seriously, James. This is the last time I want to see you fighting. Ever!"

"What are you even saying?" James shouts back, his hands gesturing wildly between you, his voice thick with frustration. "You asked me to protect you, and that’s exactly what I did!"

"Yeah! By intimidating him! Not by beating him half to death!" you shout. The words rip out of your chest, and it doesn't sound angry anymore, it comes out sounding like you’re completely terrified.

James jaw sets, his dark eyes fierce. "Yeah, well, he deserved it."

"Yeah, but I just keep thinking about how that could be you in that ring!" you cry out.

All the suffocating anxiety from your dad's words, the blood on his face from last night, it all comes pouring out. "And I know that you said you fight for the money, but I will pay for your sister’s surgeries! I will pay for a new apartment, okay?! But I will not pay for your funeral, you asshole!"

James freezes. He stares at you, his chest heaving, his eyes widening as the weight of what you just screamed sinks into his skin. Slowly, he takes a heavy step forward, closing the distance between you until he’s looming right over you.

You don’t back up this time. You tilt your chin up, glaring at him through your tears. "Why?" he asks, his voice dropping into a low, dangerously quiet whisper.

"You know why," you say fiercely, your voice trembling but resolute.

"Say it,"

"Because I fucking care about y—"

He doesn't let you finish. James completely closes the remaining distance, his mouth slamming down onto yours in a desperate, bruising kiss. His large hands come up, framing your jawline and cupping your face with an intense grip.

A gasp escapes your lips, and you immediately bring your arms up, your fingers tangling deep into his hair, pulling him closer. It isn't a slow kiss. It isn't soft. It’s rough, chaotic, and desperately hungry, both of you chasing each other’s mouths like it’s the only thing you’ve been wanting for your entire lives.

His hands slide down the smooth line of your neck, tracking down your sides until they rest heavy and possessive over your hips, crushing your body against his.

The room spins. You finally break the kiss for a fraction of a second, your foreheads leaning together, your breathing ragged. "So..." you whisper against his lips, your heart hammering a frantic rhythm. "No more fighting?"

James lets out a shallow, breathless exhale, his eyes dark. "I can’t just take all your dad’s money."

"It can be a loan," you plead, your lips chasing his even as you speak, the friction intoxicating. "But no more illegal fighting. Please."

Before he can argue, your mouth finds his again, diving right back into the heat of it. The kiss deepens, shifting into something so intensely heavy and real that James suddenly gets completely overwhelmed.

The gravity of how much he wants you, combined with the sudden collapse of his lifelong walls, makes his brain short circuit.

He abruptly breaks the kiss, stepping back and sinking heavily into the desk chair right behind him. "OKAY. OKAY!" he pants, throwing his hands out in front of him to keep some form of distance between you.

He’s completely out of breath, his cheeks flushed, unable to even think straight. "Just... lemme think about this first."

That confident dominance you always have rushes through you. You smirk, stepping forward without hesitation, inviting yourself right back into his space.

You slide your legs between his knees, reaching down to take his trembling hands and deliberately placing them right back on your waist.

Then, you lean down, your fingers sliding up the smooth skin of his throat, tilting his head back so he has to look up at you. "No more fighting?” you say, your voice dropping into that beautiful, bossy tone he can never resist.

James tries to catch his breath, his hands tightening on your hips as he stares up at you, completely defeated by the sight of you commanding his space.

"No more fighting," he rasps.

"You promise?" you say, a radiant, triumphant smile spreading across your lips.

"Jeez, you’re relentless," James mutters, a faint, breathless grin finally breaking through his exhaustion as he leans back against the chair. "You think you own me or something, hm?"

"Oh, I do," you say smoothly, leaning down until your breath brushes his nose. "But I think you own me a little now, too."

You lean in and kiss him again, soft and lingering this time.

James groans into the kiss, the last of his restraint snapping. He grips your hips and pulls you down completely, hoisting you up until you're straddling his lap.

His hands find their way down to your ass, squeezing firmly before his palms track back up, feeling the curves of your body through your clothes, memorizing every single inch of you.

Your arms stay wrapped securely around his neck, your fingers anchoring tight into his hair as the kiss turns deep and dizzying.

Suddenly, you pull back, your fingers tightening in his hair to force his head back just enough to meet his blown-out eyes.

"Bed," you say, a sharp, knowing smirk curling your lips.

James stares up at you, a low, dark growl vibrating in his chest as his hands grip your thighs.

He stands up effortlessly, lifting your entire weight with him. You immediately wrap your legs securely around his waist, your arms locked around his shoulders, as he carries you across the quiet room toward the bed.

When your back finally hits the mattress, the impact is soft. James follows you down instantly, his frame crowding out the rest of the room as he settles between your thighs.

"Still want to play the boss princess?" he murmurs, his voice low, sending a shiver straight down your spine.

You let out a faint smirk, your fingers tightening into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him down until his lips brush yours. "Always," you whisper.

James lets out a dark, low growl, and the last shred of his restraint violently snaps.

He drives his mouth down onto yours, claiming your lips in a deep, consuming kiss that tastes like pure hunger. His tongue slides against yours in lazy, heavy strokes, claiming every single inch of your mouth while his weight presses you firmly down into the pillows.

He kisses down your neck, his lips pressing soft marks into your sensitive skin, making a shiver race straight down your spine.

Slowly, he takes off his shirt, exposing the heavy bruising on his ribs, then helps you out of your own clothes until there is nothing left between you.

He splits your knees with his thighs, crowding you completely, he leans down, his mouth tracing a path of burning kisses down your jawline to your throat, while his hand slides between your legs.

His fingers dive straight into your soaking wetness, finding your sensitive clit and frictioning it in deep, heavy circles.

A sharp, broken gasp rips from your throat, your fingers clawing into the sheets.

He doesn't edge you or pull away, he drives you higher and higher, his fingers moving in a relentless, punishing rhythm that has your hips blindly chasing his hand.

“Look at me y/n."

You force your eyes open, your vision hazy with tears of sheer overstimulation as you look up at him.

"James... please—" you choke out, arching your back against his hand.

"Not yet," he murmurs, a slow smirk touching his lips as he deliberately slows the pace down, playing with your leverage.

Only when you are completely breathless does he pull back murmuring low, possessive praises that make your heart ache.

He leans over the edge of the bed to pull his bag closer, unzipping it to retrieve a condom.

After rolling it onto his length with ease, he positions himself between your thighs again. His eyes never leave yours as he finally pushes inside.

"Fuck, y/n..." he groans, his jaw tensing as he pauses for a second, letting you adjust to the size of him before he starts to move.

He moves inside you with slow, deep thrusts that shake the entire frame of the bed. He keeps you entirely pinned, one hand wrapped possessively over your hip to keep you in place while his other hand stays loose around your neck.

You're a sobbing, trembling mess beneath him, completely undone by the sheer power of his movements. Every time you get close to the edge, your voice crying out into the quiet room, he slows his rhythm down, prolonging the sweet torture.

He watches every single expression on your face, consuming your reactions with a dark, heavy satisfaction.

"I've got you," he growls, his chest rising and falling heavily as he delivers three more deep, devastating thrusts. "Come for me princess."

The approval triggers the final cascade. Your orgasm hits hard like a physical shockwave, your walls clenching and spasming violently around his thick cock. Tears spill down your cheeks as the pleasure crashes through your entire body, your arousal soaking the condom.

James groans deeply, his jaw clenching as he comes hard, thick pulses filling the condom as his hips stutter and grind deeply against your crashing waves.. "Fuck—you did so good."

He collapses heavily against you, burying his face into the crook of your neck, his ragged breathing the only sound left in the room.

For a long time, neither of you move. The sweat cools on your skin as the high slowly fades, leaving a heavy, profound quiet in its place. Slowly, James pulls out, carefully disposing of the condom before sliding right back under the duvet next to you.

He reaches out, his large arm sliding under your neck to pull you securely against his side. You rest your head on his chest, listening to the steady, calming beat of his heart. His fingers gently trace the skin of your bare shoulder, his touch light, comforting, and entirely real.

The air in the bedroom is warm. You and James lay entangled in the sheets, both of your bodies hugging tight against each other as the high from earlier finally settles into something comfortable.

Your fingers move lazily, gently stroking through his thick hair while his large hand moves in a slow, soothing rhythm up and down your bare side.

"Mm... we took way too long to do this," James murmurs, his voice low and raspy against your shoulder.

"Yeah?" You let out a soft, breathless laugh. "It’s your fault, by the way."

"Mine?" He shifts slightly, a smile breaking across his sharp features. "How?"

"Mm, I don’t know... maybe because you kept trying to get yourself killed!" You exaggerate the words, your voice pitching up playfully, but the bright, radiant smile on your face doesn't leave for a second.

You both laugh, the sound quiet and intimate in the dark room.

"Yeah," James breathes, his eyes softening as he stares down at you. Suddenly, he shifts his weight, his large frame effortlessly moving until he’s hovering completely above you, trapping you beneath his chest.

He leans down, catching your lips in a deep, lingering kiss that melts whatever air you had left in your lungs.

You break the kiss after a while, panting slightly as you try to catch your breath against his mouth. "Wait... I’ll be right back."

You press one last, quick peck to his lips, playfully rolling him off your body.

James doesn't question you. He just sinks back into your pillows, his eyes tracking your every move as you slide out of bed and walk toward the door.

You steal one last glance at him over your shoulder before you fully step out into the hallway, and the look on his face makes your heart swell. He looks like he’s ready to stand up and follow you with absolutely zero hesitation, not even knowing where you're going.

Left alone, James sits back against the headboard, deciding just to wait for you, a rare, genuine smile tugging at his lips.

BZZZZ.

The sharp, violent vibration of his phone cuts through the quiet. James blinks, looking around the mattress for the device, not entirely sure where he’d tossed it earlier.

He leans over the edge of the bed, finally spotting it face up on the hardwood floor where it had fallen out of his jeans. He reaches down, picking it up.

Nicholas: let’s fight tomorrow night

Nicholas: winner takes 20k

James stares at the screen, his jaw tightening. He types out a response instantly, not even wanting to entertain the thought.

James: nah im out

He tosses the phone onto the nightstand, leaning back carefully against the pillows with a low groan. His ribs are still incredibly sore from the last fight.

BZZZZ.

Another text. James lets out a heavy sigh, staring at the ceiling. He debates just leaving it alone, he doesn't want to get sucked back in, and he definitely doesn't want you to find out.

But a strange knot forms in his stomach. He glances toward the bedroom door to make sure you aren't coming back yet, before reluctantly picking the phone back up.

Nicholas: damn why?

Nicholas: still taking care of ur sister?

Nicholas: what abt ur new girlfriend? u think she’d wanna fight

James reads the words, his face completely blank, his breathing freezing in his chest. Then, the final text pops up.

Nicholas: maybe i should just find out for myself, yea?

James sits up instantly. The blood in his veins turns to pure ice as he reads the last line over and over again. Nicholas knows about you.

The sickening image of the same monster who put his little sister in the hospital coming after you, hunting you down just to get to him, is something James would not let happen.

His fingers fly across the screen, his jaw locked in a lethal line.

James: i’ll be there.

He throws the blankets off his legs, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. Panic and adrenaline flood his system as he frantically gathers his scattered clothes from the floor, trying to hurry, desperately needing to get out of the house before you find him leaving.

But the door clicks open.

You walk back into the bedroom, a soft smile on your face. "Hey, I—"

The words die in your throat. You freeze in the doorway, your eyes dropping to see James aggressively pulling his shirt over his head, gathering his things.

"Uhm?" you whisper, the warmth completely draining from your face as you look at his hurried movements. "You going somewhere?"

James doesn't answer. He can't look you in the eye.

The heavy silence tells you everything you need to know. "James..." you walk up to him, your hands trembling, your voice already shaking violently. "I said no more fighting. You promised."

"I know," he rasps, keeping his back to you as he continues to shove his things into his bag. He forces his voice to stay steady, though his chest is screaming. "after this... I promise."

"No! Don't say you promise if you don't mean it!"

James finally turns around, his eyes wild, desperate for you to understand without him having to say the words out loud. "I really am done after I finish this."

“So what?" You take a sharp step forward, a bitter, agonizing sob escaping your lips as the worst possible thought takes root in your brain. "You lied... just to get in my pants, hm?"

"No! No, it’s not like that!" James snaps, stepping into your space, his hands reaching out as if he wants to grab you but forcing himself to drop them. "It's not like that at all. I just... I have to do this one more time."

"I told you I’d give you the money!" you cry out, the tears finally streaming down your face, your hands clenching into fists. "Why are you still doing this?!"

"It’s not about the money, y/n!" James shouts back, the frustration finally ripping through his throat.

The room goes completely dead silent. James takes a ragged breath, trying with everything he has to calm down because the last thing he wants is to get angry with you. He looks at your tear stained face, his voice dropping into a raw, hollow whisper.

"It’s him. Nicholas... he’s the one that put my sister in the hospital." He swallows the lump in his throat. "And he’s not gonna stop fucking with us until I finish it."

You stare up at him, your chest heaving. The name echoes in your mind, but the terror of losing James is too loud, too suffocating to let you think rationally. You're hurt, you're terrified, and you feel completely abandoned just moments after giving him everything.

"Okay. Fine," you say, your voice dropping into a cold, trembling whisper as you fight back the rest of your tears. "If you wanna leave, then leave."

James blinks, his shoulders tensing.

"But don’t come back here," you spit out. "I don’t ever wanna see you again."

"Y/N..." James steps forward, his voice cracking, completely blindsided by the venom in your tone. "Come on, don’t be like this."

You don’t say another word. You just shake your head, turning on your heel and walking straight out of your room, refusing to stand there and watch him walk away from you.

He stands alone in the center of your room, the quiet pressing heavily against his ears. He hesitates, his fist clenching as he stares at the empty doorway, a massive part of him screaming to run after you.

But he looks down at his phone, reminded of the threat against your life, and he knows he has to do this. He has to protect you, even if it means you’ll hate him forever.

Just as he’s about to leave, he stops. He remembers the heavy piece of metal tucked safely inside his front jeans pocket from earlier today.

Slowly, James digs his hand into his pocket and pulls out the delicate, silver bracelet.

He looks at it for a brief second, his thumb tracing the metal that belonged to your mother, before carefully placing it on the dark wood of the nightstand right next to your pillow.

Without looking back, he walks out and disappears into the cold night.

Later that night, the house is completely quiet, and you’re sitting in the middle of your bed crying your absolute ass off. The tears won't stop. You didn’t think it would affect you so deeply, telling him to leave and never to come back.

A part of you wanted so desperately to understand, to just let him do this one last fight and come right back to you. But the imagery of him covered in blood, the memory of his ragged breathing and his bruised ribs... it was something you simply could not continue to see. You couldn't bear the thought of watching him destroy himself.

The door quietly clicks open. Your dad steps in, checking up on you.

"Hey, y/nnie," he says softly, his face falling, already feeling terrible for you before he even knows any of the details.

"Hey, dad," you whisper, quickly wiping your face with the back of your hand, trying to hide the tears.

"What’s wrong, babygirl?" he asks, walking over and sitting on the edge of your mattress, his hand reaching out to gently stroke your hair.

You sniffle, looking down at your lap. "It’s nothing. I’m fine, I just..."

He studies your face for a moment. "Is it that kid from forensics?"

You hesitate, then give a small, miserable nod.

"Wanna talk about it?"

You shake your head, your throat too tight to drag the words out.

"Can I help in any way?" he asks, shifting his position towards you more. "I can help, you know. I can have that kid arrested with one phone call," he teases.

A small laugh escapes your lips despite yourself, the heavy atmosphere breaking for a split second.

"Alright, well... I ordered some thai food," your dad says, his tone softening as he pushes himself up from the bed. "Wanna come down? We can watch your favorite anime?"

You nod your head frantically, finally finding enough voice to force the words out, even if it isn’t much. "Yeah."

Your dad smiles warmly. But as he turns toward the door, his eyes catch on something catching the light on the dark wood of your nightstand.

"Hey... did this break?"

You sit up instantly, your heart stopping in your chest. You hadn't even noticed it being there before. You look over, and your breath hitches violently.

It's your mother's silver bracelet.

"Oh! No, I... uhm," you stammer, your brain scrambling for an excuse as you reach out, your fingers trembling as you snatch it up and press the cold metal tightly into your palm. "I took it off when I was finishing up homework. It was getting in the way."

"Oh, okay," your dad says, completely buying the lie. He gives you one last smile from the doorway. "Well, come down when you're ready, okay?"

"Yeah," you nod, the sadness from before completely evaporating from your veins.

The second the door shuts, you stare down at the silver chain in your hand. James. You remember him resting his hand on your arm and telling you so sincerely that he’d get your bracelet back if he could. And he really did.

The anger disappears. You had to see him, no matter how mad you were, no matter how bad you didn’t want him doing this. You couldn’t just give up on him all because of a stupid fight.

The next day, you get up immediately, your mind entirely set on finding James and bringing him back home with you.

You don't know the exact streets, but you force yourself to remember the twists and turns from a while ago—the grimy, industrial grid that led to the abandoned warehouse James fought in. Your heart hammers against your ribs as you navigate the empty gravel roads, praying that he’ll be there.

When you finally pull up and step into the damp, echoing structure, the space is mostly empty, only a few people around getting ready for their fights. You walk around the perimeter, your eyes frantically scanning the corners for his familiar, broad shoulders.

Suddenly, a heavy shadow cuts across the concrete. A tall, heavily built man notices you instantly, dropping his duffel bag and walking straight up to you.

"Well, hello," he says, a slow, predatory grin stretching across his face.

"Fuck off," you snap, entirely uninterested in dealing with a stranger.

The man lets out a low chuckle, raising his hands but stepping directly into your path anyway. "Chill. Are you lost or something?" he asks, his tone dripping with a smug, mocking smirk.

"No," you say, tilting your chin up. "I'm looking for James."

The second that name leaves your lips, something shifts violently in the man’s expression.

His smirk tightens, his dark eyes instantly sharpening as he becomes entirely more interested in you than he was a second ago. He studies your face, realizing exactly who you are to James.

"Well, as you can see," the man says, gesturing around the space behind him, "he’s not here."

You swallow the lump of disappointment in your throat, keeping your posture stiff. "Yeah... I see."

"But uhm..." The man steps closer, his voice dropping. "He’ll be here tonight. We got a fight... so you should come."

Your spine straightens immediately. The anxiety in your chest morphs into a cold, sharp focus.

You look at the man's arrogant stance, the realization hitting, this has to be him. This is the guy James is so violently eager to fight.

"I’ll let him know you stopped by, though," Nicholas says, a dark, sickening glint in his eyes as he turns to walk away. "Me and James were, uh... good friends."

A deep shudder runs down your spine, but you turn on your heel and leave the warehouse.

As you step out into the sunlight, your fist tightens around your mother's bracelet.

You would be back there tonight, because you were going to bring James back with you, no matter what it took.

Inside the dimly lit gym, the air smells thick of sweat, old leather, and dust. James is by the heavy bag.

He isn't paying attention to his surroundings at all, entirely consumed by the memory of the way you looked at him when you told him to leave—until the sharp, echoing sound of slow clapping cuts through the empty room from behind him.

He turns around, his muscles instantly locking up, startled.

"Woah, look at you!" Nicholas teases, stepping out of the shadows with a mocking grin plastered across his face.

James’s face drops into a lethal stare. He takes a heavy step forward, closing the distance. "Why are you here?"

Nicholas doesn't care about the hostility. He just shrugs, casually leaning his shoulder against the brick wall, entirely ready to start fucking with James's head.

"Ya girl came by the warehouse earlier," he smirks, tilting his head up. "She was looking for you, but... she got me instead."

James freezes. The blood in his veins instantly turns to pure fire. "Leave her out of this..." he says, his voice shaking with a terrifying, protective rage. The veins in his neck are already popping out, thick and taut, as he storms closer to Nicholas’s face.

Nicholas just raises his hands, laughing like it’s the funniest thing in the world. "Chill, buddy. I didn’t do anything... yet."

James keeps his heated expression locked onto him, clearly not amused by Nicholas's twisted humor at all.

"Seriously, relax. Look, she wanted to see you, so... I invited her to the fight tonight," Nicholas says, shrugging his shoulders like it’s absolutely no big deal.

James rolls his head back, an incredibly irritated groan escaping his lips. "Why’d you have to bring her into this?"

"Just wanted her to see how much of a monster her boy toy really is.”

The words hit James like a physical blow. Instantly, his mind flashes back to your bedroom, the tears streaming down your face, the broken sound of your voice screaming that you didn't want to pay for his funeral.

He remembers how much you absolutely hate seeing him get hurt. He can't let you see him like that.

"Nah..." James rasps, his eyes hardening into cold stone. "Fight's off."

"Well.. fuck man," Nicholas says, his face twisting into a mask of genuine, exaggerated disappointment. He sighs, shaking his head as he pulls his back away from the wall. "Well, now I have to find another way to get to her."

James’s breath hooks in his throat.

"I’ll have to find out where she lives," Nicholas muses aloud, tapping his chin mockingly. "Get her number—"

"FUCK OFF!" he yells taking one final step forward until he is completely crowding Nicholas’s space, his fists clenched hard. "Leave her alone. Seriously."

"Ouuu," Nicholas murmurs, completely impressed with how hostile he’s actually getting him. He loves the leverage. He loves knowing exactly which wire to pull to piss James off.

"You know what?" He starts, a sickening grin spreading across his lips. "Fine. I’ll leave her alone."

James doesn't calm down, he stands there, his chest heaving, fully expecting something else to come with a statement like that.

"As long as you come to the fight tonight... and win," Nicholas adds, his voice getting louder at the end. "I stay out of your life. And hers! For good."

James stares dead into his eyes, his heart hammering a frantic, lethal rhythm against his ribs.

"But if not..." He drags out the words, slowly clicking his tongue against his teeth as his voice drops into a low whisper.

"Then I got something real special. Just for her."

The rage coursing through James's body right now is loud enough to deafen him, but he forces himself to stay entirely still. He shuts his eyes for a split second, knowing that starting something right now will only make things worse.

"I’ll see ya tonight, kid," Nicholas says, patting James’s shoulder mockingly before turning on his heel and walking off.

The second the door clicks shut, the composure completely drains from James's face. Visibly pissed off, his eyes wild with adrenaline, he runs straight across the gym floor to where his duffel bag is sitting.

He rips his phone out of the pocket, his fingers aggressively punching in a number.

He presses the phone to his ear, his breathing heavy as he waits for the line to connect.

"Hello?” he says into the phone the second someone picks up, his voice tight and dripping with a cold, desperate finality.

You walk into the warehouse again later that night, already fully prepared to watch James get himself hurt.

But honestly? You didn’t care anymore. You were entirely set on leaving with him tonight.

You walk further into the building, scared out of your ass from all the screaming and chanting echoing off the iron walls.

The air is thick with the stench of cheap beer, sweat, and smoke. You push your way through the rowdy crowd, your eyes frantically scanning the room for James, until you find him.

He’s already inside the chain link ring, standing face to face with Nicholas.

You don’t hesitate for a single second. You sprint straight through the sea of bodies, rushing right up to his side of the ring.

"James!" you shout, your voice piercing through the noise.

He turns the second he hears your voice, his eyes widening as his heart completely drops into his stomach. He handles the fence, leaning down toward you.

"You need to leave now!" he commands, his tone stripped of any rudeness, sounding completely protective.

"I’m not leaving!" you cry back, your hands gripping the cold metal of the fence.

"Y/N!"

"Not without you!"

James looks down at you from behind the wire mesh, staring into your tear filled, stubborn eyes, and he instantly realizes there is absolutely no changing your mind.

He let out a heavy, defeated sigh. "Alright. As soon as I win... run."

You nod frantically, your breathing heavy, your heart hammering against your ribs. "We run."

He gives you a firm nod, taking one final, deep look at your face before turning back around to face the center of the ring.

A woman steps between the two fighters, holding them back by their chests. "Alright, y’know what’s up," she announces loudly to the roaring crowd. "No rules. No rounds. And don’t expect anyone to save you."

The second she backs out of the center, the fight begins.

James doesn't even wait for a signal. He lunges forward, aggressively pushing Nicholas back the exact second she moves.

Nicholas stumbles, but he just lets out a loud, mocking laugh, ready to start the show, especially now that he knows you're standing at the edge of the cage to watch.

"Ohh, you're not fucking around today, huh?" he teases, hopping on his toes as he begins to circle the ring. "You ready to lose in front of our girl?"

James doesn't take the bait. He stays as calm as he can, entirely relying on his anger to carry him through this whole thing.

Suddenly, Nicholas rushes in. But James is faster, he throws a devastating punch straight to Nicholas’s eye. He yells out in pain, stumbling back, but the rage blinds him and he rushes right back in, throwing a wild flurry of punches, James dodging every single strike and returning them with brutal, bone-snapping precision.

He’s doing so well. Watching his form, a sudden spark of genuine hope flares in your chest.

James rushes in this time, landing a heavy punch across Nicholas’s face. But as he tries to follow it up with a second strike, Nicholas anticipates the move. He shifts his weight, grabbing James’s arm, violently pulling him forward into a tight headlock, and drives his knee straight into James’s face.

James hits the canvas hard. Your heart leaps into your throat, a gasp escaping your lips. But James scrambles, getting up quickly, only to find Nicholas already charging at him.

James moves out of the way just enough to catch him, spinning Nicholas around and violently pinning his broad back against the fence.

Nicholas groans under the pressure, twisting his body to slip out of the position. He swings a wild punch, but he misses entirely, and James seizes the opening, driving his forehead forward in a headbutt.

Nicholas loses his balance for a split second, his vision swimming, but as James throws another fist to finish him, Nicholas catches it in his palm, using his sheer body weight to push James down onto the mat.

You hate this so much you can barely breathe. Your fingers are dug so tightly into the wire fence your knuckles are white.

James is struggling on the ground, trying desperately to push his weight up, and Nicholas takes the sudden opportunity to walk right over to your section of the fence.

"Hey," Nicholas smirks down at you, leaning against the wire, completely unfazed by the chaos. "Don’t be scared. It’s gonna be okay... I’ll be able to comfort you soon." He winks, blowing you a sickening kiss.

You barely even register what the hell he’s saying, your eyes completely locked onto James on the floor.

Nicholas turns his attention back to James, his face darkening. "Get up," he mutters.

James tries to move, but the exhaustion is heavy.

“I SAID GET UP!"

The crowd grows deafening, screaming and stomping their feet for both fighters.

James is still struggling to find his footing, and Nicholas steps in, delivering a heavy, punishing kick straight to his bruised ribs, knocking him back down onto the floor.

James groans, trying to pull himself up again, but Nicholas reaches down, grabbing him by his leg to drag him backward, stopping his momentum.

But James uses his free leg and kicks back with everything he has, his foot connecting heavily with Nicholas's leg, knocking the older guy down onto his back.

"Come on, get up!" you cry out, violently banging your fists against the metal fence.

James forces his body up as fast as he can, marching straight over to Nicholas, who is also scrambling to his feet.

They are both back up now, settling right back into their fighting stances. Nicholas rushes in first, but James anticipates the movement perfectly, he blocks the oncoming strike and drives a punch straight into Nicholas’s stomach.

James traps his arm, locking him in place as he drives punch after punch into his ribs.

Nicholas tries to punch back, but James catches his wrist, pulls him close, and delivers one final, crushing headbutt.

Nicholas stumbles backward immediately, his legs turning to jelly. James rushes in, throwing a heavy kick that sends him crashing down onto the floor.

A triumphant smile breaks across your face, the hope rushing back into your veins as you see James back in control.

James drops down on top of him, straddling Nicholas's chest, and begins punching him continuously.

He isn't holding back anymore. Every single ounce of his strength, every single punch he delivers, is fueled by years of absolute torment.

All he can think about is how horrible this guy had made his life, so every punch went to that. For his little sister, for you, and for himself.

Nicholas’s head lolls back. He’s completely out.

The crowd erupts into a violent cheer, seeing the undisputed king of the warehouse knocked out cold on the ground.

You cheer too, letting out a loud, breathless scream of pure relief, so incredibly glad this horrific nightmare is finally over.

James doesn't even think about celebrating. The second the referee woman steps in to acknowledge his win, he ignores the crowd, sprinting straight over to your side of the cage and throwing the door open. "GO!"

"Not without you!" you shout back over the roaring noise of the arena.

Suddenly, a loud, mechanical crash echoes from the front of the building. The heavy warehouse doors are violently thrown open, and blue and red lights flash against the dirty windows.

“POLICE! DON'T MOVE!"

The crowd instantly descends into chaos. Everyone takes off sprinting toward the back exits.

James doesn't waste any time, he hurls himself out of the ring, grabs your hand and runs out into the dark night with you.

You guys run the entire way back to your neighborhood, your lungs burning, the high-voltage adrenaline never leaving your systems.

The moment you finally cross into the safety of your porch, you turn around and immediately pull him into a desperate hug.

“You won, oh my god!" you say, a breathless laugh escaping you, though your voice is still a little anxious from the madness of the raid.

James wraps his arms securely around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest, hugging you back with everything he has.

You pull back just enough to look into his dark eyes, and before he can say a word, you lean in and kiss him.

"I'm so proud of you," you murmur against his mouth, breaking the kiss for a short second.

James manages to pull back, his chest heaving as he looks down at you. "I told you to go."

"And I told you I wasn't leaving without you," you counter, tilting your chin up and leaning right back in to kiss him again.

"You're so... fucking... stubborn," James murmurs against your mouth, the words broken up by the heavy kisses he’s returning.

You pull back completely to look up at him, both of you just staring into each other's eyes for a quiet, profound moment, before leaning back in for a much softer kiss.

James's lips slowly track down your jawline, moving down to press a warm kiss to your neck.

Your breath hitches violently at the sudden sensation, but as his bloody shoulder brushes your collarbone, you playfully push him back a bit, suddenly very aware of the state he’s in.

“You're getting blood all over me," you laugh, looking up at his messy face.

James smiles down at you, his eyes glinting with a soft warmth you’ve never seen in them before. "It’s okay. I’ll clean you up when we get inside."

You lean in, kissing him one more time, a low, quiet moan escaping your throat as his hands grip your waist—

“Ahem.”

You both pull apart immediately, your hearts taking a violent leap into your throats.

Standing on the porch, your dad steps out of the house, crossing his arms as he eyes the two of you mid-kiss.

"Oh! Dad!" you blurt out, your brain short-circuiting as you instantly smooth down your hoodie, putting on your best sweet, innocent daughter act. "You know James."

Your dad doesn't look angry. Instead, a calm, knowing expression settles over his face. "Yeah. I just got off the phone with the sheriff. He said the cops were a little late."

He looks directly at James, his brow furrowing slightly. "I thought you said the fight started at midnight?" he asks, his tone confused.

You blink, your head bouncing between the two of them. "You must’ve heard me wrong sir," James says smoothly, his voice rough as he still tries to catch his breath.

"Hm..." Your dad takes a step forward, eyeing the dark crimson staining James's knuckles. "And, uh... the blood? That from the dude they found laying in the warehouse?"

You watch the intense exchange between the two of them, completely confused. Your hands drop to your sides. "Uhm? Hello? What the hell are you two talking about?" you ask, looking at them both.

Your dad looks down at you, a soft smile touching his lips. "Your friend here had a hot tip for me."

James looks at you, his jaw relaxing. "In exchange for immunity."

Your dad nods in confirmation.

"And... paying for my little sister's hospital bills," James adds softly, his eyes locking onto yours.

He didn't just go to fight, he went to set a trap with the only person who had the legal power to protect you both. Your dad.

Your dad nods again, smiling proudly at the both of you.

Your face lights up completely, a massive wave of pure joy washing over you. You sprint over to your dad, throwing your arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you," you say calmly, the words bursting with a deep, genuine gratitude. He hugs you back warmly, patting your shoulder.

The second he lets go, you run right back over to James wrapping your arm around his waist and hugging him tightly.

"Well, I gotta go down to the station," your dad says, pulling his car keys out of his pocket with a heavy sigh. "It’s a lot of paperwork to process a raid like that."

You and James both nod quickly.

"There’s food in the house. Don’t wait up for me," your dad says, giving you a final wink before walking off the porch toward his sedan.

The moment his car pulls out of the driveway and disappears down the street, you turn fully into James's space.

You pull him down by his shirt, diving straight back into a deep, giggly kiss.

James lets out a low, breathless laugh against your mouth, his large arms wrapping completely around you to pull you impossibly closer against him, chasing your lips with an intense, happy desperation.

You finally break the kiss, your fingers looping through his, and pull him eagerly into the warm, quiet house.

Later that night, the chaos from the fight feels like a distant memory. You’re sitting on the fluffy rug of your bedroom floor, the bright plastic first-aid kit popped open between your knees, carefully cleaning the raw, split knuckles on James's hand.

James sits closely beside you, his long legs folded on the floor, watching your face with a quiet, heavy intensity as you press an alcohol wipe to his skin.

He suddenly lets out a sharp hiss, violently pulling his hand back when you accidentally hit a raw, tender spot. "Ow!"

"Come on," you scold softly, a gentle command in your voice as you reach right back out for his wrist.

A small, knowing smile breaks across your face at his dramatic reaction, and James catches it.

His tough exterior melts instantly, a smile breaking across his features as he willingly gives you his hand again, letting his arm go completely lax in your grip.

You dab a fresh piece of gauze against his knuckles, tilting your chin up. "So... when did you tip off my dad, you little snitch?" you tease.

James lets out a low, breathy chuckle, his eyes tracking the movement of your fingers.

"I knew Nicholas was never gonna leave us alone." He pauses, his voice dropping into a quiet, rough murmur that vibrates straight through your chest. "Well... mainly you."

Your heart does a small, happy flip. "Oh?" you press, leaning closer into his space, your tone dripping with playful arrogance.

"And since when do you care, hm?"

"Since you marched into that warehouse and made me your bitch," he says. The words come out sounding aggressive, rough around the edges, but the deep, teasing smirk on his face completely gives him away.

"Yeah?" You let out a loud, melodic laugh.

Before he can even answer, you shift your weight, you climb straight into his lap, straddling his thighs.

The second your weight settles on him, James doesn't even hesitate. His large hands instinctively move straight to your waist, his grip firm and possessive as he locks you securely on top of him, anchoring you to his chest.

You tilt your head down, your hands coming up to gently tangle your fingers deep into his messy hair, forcing him to keep his blown-out eyes locked on yours.

"Yeah..." James rasps, his breathing instantly hitching as he stares up at you, completely defeated and loving every second of it.

“What can I say? I like 'em bossy."

A triumphant smirk curls the corners of your lips as you lean down, your breath brushing his lips.

"Mm. Good boy," you whisper.

And then you close the distance, catching his mouth in a deep, lingering kiss.

⊹

There were seven of them.

Seven loud, annoying ass, inseparable boys who took up too much space at every party, every hallway, and every parking lot. They were always together, skateboards under their arms, half-finished coca-cola cans in their hands, laughter echoing too loudly through college apartments that definitely couldn’t fit all of them.

You really weren’t supposed to be part of them. Even thought they we’re weird at first.

The first time they saw you, you were standing alone at some shady off-campus house party.

You were leaning against the kitchen counter in low rise jeans and a baby tee, flipping your pink bedazzled Motorola shut and open again because you didn’t know what else to do with your hands.

It was Sunghoon who noticed first. “Why is she by herself? She looks nice.” And then all seven of them ended up standing in front of you like a mildly intimidating boyband.

You don’t remember how, but that night you were adopted into their friendgroup.

You’d been with them ever since.

Especially Riki.

—

You and Riki were never stable.

You were either disgustingly in love or dramatically broken up. There was no in-between.

You’d ‘break up’ over anything:

Because he didn’t call you back fast enough. You helped another guy with his homework. He didn’t let you borrow his clothes. You told him smoking was unattractive.

And once because spilled an entire cup of Sprite on your Juicy Couture bag, which you spent your entire salary on.

You cried like a baby. He’d rolled his eyes and said, “It’s just a bag. Get a new one.”

You didn’t speak to him for a week.

The friend group suffered… Riki got quieter. You got meaner. The air felt heavy every time you were in the same room.

Until Jungwon snapped.

“I can’t do this,” he’d said, rubbing his temples. “You two are exhausting. Apologize. Now.”

You tried to act careless but you both folded in under five minutes and ended up in your bedroom.

—

You hated being called popular, but you weren’t invisible.

People knew you.

You had that early-2000s glow. Glossy lips, hoop earrings, low-rise everything. Professors remembered your name. Girls whispered about you. Boys stared a little too long.

Riki? He had baggy jeans sagged so low you could always see which brand of underwear he was wearing, Calvin Klein most days, sometimes something knockoff that you’d tease him about constantly.

“Pull them up,” you’d hiss in the middle of the mall, grabbing the waistband of his jeans and yanking it higher. “You’re embarrassing me.”

He’d just grin, completely unbothered.

“Why? You don’t like my boxers?”

“I don’t like that everyone else can see them.”

He’d lean closer, smoke still lingering faintly on his breath. “I don’t care.”

And then he’d glance down at your hips.

Low rise jeans. A tiny strip of pink lace peeking out when you moved. Belly piercing glinting under the mall lights.

“Oh,” he’d mock, tugging lightly at the strip of your thong on your hip, making it snap back. “And that’s modest?”

You’d swat his hand away. “That’s fashion.”

“Mine is too.”

“You look homeless.”

“You look like a hooker.”

“I do not. You asshole.”

You’d both be smiling by the end of it.

—

It’s one of those perfect late mid-August afternoons.

The sun is low and orange. Everything smells like hot pavement, sunscreen, and cigarettes. The entire city feels outside, kids with scraped knees, girls in denim skirts, boys shirtless with skateboards tucked under their arms.

The skatepark is loud.

Wheels scraping. Laughter echoing. Music playing from someone’s brand new portable speaker.

The whole friend group is there and Riki insisted you’d come too.

His white tank top clinging slightly to his back from sweat. Wired headphones dangling out of the pocket from his jeans. A cigarette tucked behind his ear, which you hate.

Heeseung is beside him, attempting something reckless off a skating ramp.

They take turns.

They hype each other up.

They shove each other when one of them almost eats concrete.

You’re sitting on top of the half-pipe, legs dangling over the edge, flip-flops hanging loosely off your toes. The smallest top imaginable clings to your torso more lace than fabric, blue jeans sit dangerously on your hips, held in place by a big bedazzled belt.

Riki had absolutely hated the top.

“That’s not a shirt,” he said earlier.

“It is.”

“It looks like a bra.”

“It’s hot outside.”

“It’s hot for me too.”

“Then take your shirt off.”

He gave you a glare, you walked ahead anyway.

Now you’re bored.

Bored and slightly irritate because you’ve already watched him light up two cigarettes.

Two.

And you hate when he smokes. Hate the smell. Hate the way it makes his voice raspier. Hate how casual he is about it.

And he knows that, but he does it anyway. Which makes it worse.

He skates toward you suddenly, rolling to a stop between your knees. One hand presses to the ramp beside your thigh, the other still holding his board.

“You look grumpy,” he says, squinting up at you against the sun.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

He leans forward and kisses your forehead anyway.

Then he pushes off again before you can respond.

You sigh.

You’re melting. You’re bored. And you’re watching your boyfriend risk concussions for fun.

Amazing.

Then Heeseung has an even more amazing idea.

“Teach her something,” he says, nodding toward you.

Riki looks up immediately.

You narrow your eyes.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

He’s already skating toward you again.

“Come on,” he says, grabbing your hand. “It’s easy.”

“It’s not easy.”

“It is.”

“I’m wearing slippers.”

“Then take them off.”

You gasp like he’s insane.

He grins.

“Baby, I’ll hold you.”

Everyone’s watching now.

Jay whistles from somewhere near the fence. Sunghoon pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. Sunoo is already smiling like something crazy embarrassing is about to happen.

“If I fall and ruin my outfit,” you warn, pointing a manicured finger at him, “I’ll kill you.”

He laughs. “You won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

You step onto the skateboard and it wobbles instantly.

You grab his hands.

“Why is it moving?”

“Because it has wheels.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

He positions himself in front of you, holding both your hands firmly.

“Okay,” he says, focused now. “Just bend your knees a little. Then pop the tail and slide your foot up.”

“Pop what?”

“The back.”

“I don’t know what that means Riki.”

He laughs softly.

“It’s fine. I’ve got you.”

You glare. “You better.”

He counts you down.

“One. Two—”

You jump.

The board flips sideways instead of up.

Your foot lands wrong.

His grip slips and suddenly you’re falling. You hit the concrete with a very embarrassing thud.

There’s a split second of silence, then there’s Laughter.

Sunoo’s laugh is the worst. High and dramatic and absolutely unnecessary.

You sit up slowly, hair in your face, pride completely shattered.

Riki is crouching immediately. “Are you okay?”

You stare at him.

“Did you catch me?”

“I tried—”

“You did not.”

He bites back a smile.

You gasp.

“Don’t you dare laugh.”

He fails. Just a little chuckle, but that’s it for you.

You stand up, brushing off your jeans dramatically.

“I’m done.”

“Baby—”

“No.”

You grab your slippers and stomp back toward the half-pipe.

Sunoo is still giggling when you sit down beside him.

“I’d like to see you try next time,” you snap.

Sunoo chuckles. “I would never fall like that.”

“You absolutely would.”

“I have natural balance.”

“You have natural dramatics.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You wanna bet?”

You both dissolve into a stupid little argument about who would survive longer on a skateboard.

It almost distracts you from Riki.

Almost.

Until you glance over and see some random guy offering Riki a joint.

And Riki… takes it?

Your stomach drops.

He laughs at something the stranger says. Throws his head back slightly. That boxy grin that made you like him in the first place.

Your jaw tightens.

Sunoo is still talking beside you.

“…and then I’d definitely land it because— helloo? Are you even listening?”

You aren’t. Your eyes are locked on Riki.

Then a girl loses control of her board and swerves straight into him.

She stumbles forward and Riki catches her.

One hand at her waist on instinct.

You feel it before you even think, that little sting in your chest.

He lets her go immediately.

“You good?” he asks casually.

She laughs. “Yeah, thanks.”

She lingers half a second too long.

That’s it. That’s your last straw. You’re already on your feet. Sunoo reaches for your wrist. “Wait—”

Too late. You walk fast, hips swaying, chin lifted, eyes low and dangerous.

Riki doesn’t even notice until you’re right in front of him.

You grab his arm and tug him away from the small group of strangers.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

He blinks. “What?”

“I said what do you think you’re doing.” you repeat, quieter but sharper.

He genuinely looks confused. “Nothing?”

You look at the joint still between his fingers.

Without breaking eye contact, you reach up, snatch it from him, drop it to the ground and grind it into the concrete with your heel.

“Are you serious right now?” he mutters.

“Oh, I’m serious.” you snap.

He runs a hand through his hair. “What is your problem?”

“My problem?” Your voice rises. “You’ve smoked, like, five cigarettes today. And now this? Oh and you’re just touching girls?”

His head jerks back. “Touching girls?”

“You literally had your hands all over her waist.”

“She ran into me.”

“And you had to grab her like that?”

“She was falling.”

You let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

“Keep it down,” he says under his breath. “Not everyone needs to know you’re mad at me again.”

That does it.

“Oh, I’m embarrassing you?!” you fire back. “You weren’t embarrassed five seconds ago.”

He steps closer, lowering his voice. “You’re making a scene.”

“You’re smoking in front of me after I told you I hate it.”

He exhales hard. “It’s my choice.”

“Oh my God.”

“It’s called free will,” he adds, clearly irritated now.

You stare at him.

“Right,” you say flatly. “So you just do whatever you want.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You were all up on her.”

“She bumped into me.”

“You didn’t have to hold her like that.”

He scoffs. “Like what?”

“Like—” You stop yourself before you say something dramatic.

He shakes his head. “You’re overreacting.”

You feel your chest tighten.

“Am I?” you ask quietly.

“Yes.”

Silence hangs between you. Then he makes the mistake.

He gestures vaguely at you.

“And don’t act like you’re not out here in that top all day.”

Your eyes widen.

“What about my top?”

“It’s too revealing.”

You laugh once. Sharp. Disbelieving.

“So now this is my fault?”

“I’m just saying—”

“You’re just saying what?” you cut him off. “That I deserve it?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“But you thought it.”

He looks frustrated now. “You can’t tell me what I thought.”

“You can’t tell me I’m overreacting.”

“You are tho.”

Your face goes cold.

“Okay.”

You step back.

“Okay,” you repeat.

He frowns slightly. “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

He grabs your wrist once.

“Don’t leave.”

“Whatever.” You say and you turn and walk away.

You expect footsteps. You expect him to call your name. You expect him to follow you like he always does.

You walk past the fence, the group of boys, past Sunoo’s wide eyes. And still nothing.

You finally glance back and your stomach drops.

He’s back on his board like nothing happened.

Like he isn’t supposed to chase you.

And that hurts more than the cigarette, more than the girl, more than the argument. Because in your head, he’s supposed to follow you and beg you to stay. But instead he just skates.’

—

By nine o’clock it’s almost completely dark, the last bit of orange fading out of the sky. Your room is lit by the glow of your TV, candles and the small lamp on your nightstand. You’re curled up in bed in soft pajamas, a plate of brownies balanced on your stomach while Clueless plays for what might be the hundredth time.

Your flip phone has been buzzing the last half hour.

Four missed calls.

Ten texts.

You’ve read none of them, you refuse to.

Then you hear A small tick against your window.

You pause mid-chew.

Another one.

And then a third.

You sit up slowly, pushing the plate aside and sliding out of bed. The floor is cool under your feet as you walk toward the window and pull the blinds apart.

Riki is standing in the street below, hands filled with tiny rocks to throw, looking up at your room like he’s been waiting for you to appear. When he sees your face, he waves casually, like this is completely normal behavior.

You stare at him for two seconds.

Then you shut the blinds and walk straight back to your bed.

Your phone buzzes again immediately.

You don’t check it.

A few seconds pass.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

You exhale sharply and shuffle back to the window, throwing the blinds open this time and sliding the window up.

“What?” you hiss down at him.

“You need to let me in,” he says like it’s obvious.

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“But I want to talk to you.”

“Too bad.”

He steps closer to the house, lowering his voice even though no one is outside. “Please, baby. I wanna make it up to you.”

You cross your arms against the windowsill. “Make what up? You didn’t do anything, remember?”

“Come on,” he tries again. “Are you really gonna let me stand out here looking like a fool?”

“Yes,” you say immediately.

He stares up at you, half offended, half impressed.

You hold his gaze for another second, then slide the window shut and drop the blinds again before he can argue. You get back into bed, pull the covers up, grab your brownie plate, and press play like nothing happened.

For a few minutes, it’s quiet.

Then you hear something strange. Not rocks this time, but a scraping sound. A shuffle. Something brushing against the side of the house.

You freeze.

The sound gets closer.

Your heart jumps as you sit up again just in time to see two hands grab onto your windowsill from the outside.

And then Riki’s stupid face appears.

You let out a sharp gasp and scramble out of bed as he hoists himself up, creased sneakers braced against the brick. He looks mildly proud of himself, slightly out of breath, hair falling into his eyes.

You slide the window open with a dramatic sigh.

“Seriously, Riki?”

He doesn’t answer. He just swings one leg over the sill and climbs into your room like he’s done it a hundred times before, landing lightly on your floor.

“You’re insane,” you whisper-yell, shoving the window shut behind him. “My dad is literally going to kill the both of us if he finds out you climbed through my window.”

“He won’t,” Riki says easily.

“And you smell like smoke,” you add, wrinkling your nose. “If he comes in here—”

“He won’t,” he repeats, completely unbothered.

You stand there with your arms crossed, trying to stay angry while he casually looks around your room like he’s on a tour.

He glances at you slowly, eyes dragging from your messy hair to your pajama shorts. A lazy grin spreads across his face.

“Those make your ass look good.”

Your mouth drops open. “That’s what you have to say right now?”

“I’m just being honest.”

“You’re fucking unbelievable.”

He walks past you toward your bed, picking up one of your pillows and tossing it aside before noticing the plate of brownies. Without asking, he takes one and bites into it.

“You made these yourself?” he asks through a mouthful.

“Yes.”

“They’re good.”

“They’re mine.”

He shrugs and flops down onto your bed like he belongs there, one arm behind his head, chewing lazily while Clueless continues playing in the background.

Your eye twitches.

“I’m still mad at you, Riki” you remind him.

“I know,” he says. “That’s why I’m here.”

You stay standing by the window like you’re guarding it, arms crossed tightly over your chest. Riki, meanwhile, looks entirely too comfortable sprawled across your bed, one hand behind his head, the other reaching lazily for another brownie.

He watches you for a moment, amused.

“Are you gonna stand there all night?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He snorts softly. “Come sit down. You’re making me nervous.”

“You weren’t nervous climbing up my house like a creep.”

He pats the mattress beside him anyway. “Baby.”

You hesitate, but you do it. Of course you do. You walk over and sit cross-legged on your bed, leaving a noticeable gap between you. You grab a pink heart-shaped pillow and hold it against your chest like armor, arms wrapped around it as a clear barrier.

Riki doesn’t look intimidated.

He slowly looks you up and down instead, gaze dragging over your shorts, your bare legs, your messy hair. He takes another bite of brownie, chews thoughtfully, then winks at you.

“Can I get a kiss?”

Your jaw drops.

“You’re unbelievable.”

You lean forward and snatch the plate of brownies out of his hands before he can grab another one. “Start talking,” you demand. “Or I swear I’m throwing you back out that window.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’re not strong enough for that.”

“I’ll get my dad to do it.”

He actually laughs at that, like the idea is ridiculous.

You glare harder.

He sighs dramatically and sits up, closing the space between you. The mattress dips as he moves closer.

He reaches out, resting his hand on your thigh, thumb brushing lightly against your skin. The touch is warm and familiar, annoyingly gentle.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

You narrow your eyes. “For what?”

He pauses half a second too long.

“For… making you mad.”

That’s it.

That’s the apology.

He doesn’t even fully know what he’s apologizing for, the smoking, the girl, the comment about your top, he just knows you’re upset and that saying sorry usually fixes it.

You try to hold your glare, but your grip on the pillow loosens.

This is how it always goes. One of you gets mad. The other gives a weak apology. And somehow it’s enough.

He watches your expression soften, just slightly, and that tiny shift is all he needs.

“Come here,” he says quietly, patting his lap.

You roll your eyes like you’re still annoyed, but you put the pillow aside and shift forward, settling onto his lap anyway. His hands come to your waist automatically.

He leans in and kisses you.

It starts slow, almost careful, like he’s testing if you’ll pull away. You kiss him back, fingers curling lightly into his black hair. For a few seconds, everything feels lke the argument never happened.

Then you wrinkle your nose and pull back slightly.

“Take your jacket off.”

He blinks. “What?”

“It smells like smoke.”

He smirks immediately. “If you wanted to undress me you could just say that.”

You don’t even entertain it. You grab his shirt and kiss him again just to shut him up.

He laughs against your mouth, hands tightening at your waist, and for now, at least, the fight is over.

Until he chuckles, he pulls back just slightly, still close enough that his lips brush yours when he talks.

“You know,” he mumbles, half smiling, “Sunoo told me to apologize.”

You don’t really listen, just give him another peck on his lips. “Hm?”

He shrugs, leaning back in to kiss you again like it doesn’t matter. “He said I should just say sorry and you’d stop being mad.”

Your lips press together instead of moving with his.

“And?” you ask slowly.

“And it worked,” he says lightly. “I don’t even know what I did wrong.”

You freeze.

He tries to kiss you again, but you pull your head back this time.

“Are you kidding me right now?,” you say.

He frowns, confused at the sudden shift. “What?”

“You don’t know what you did wrong?”

He laughs a little, like this is harmless. “You were just in a mood.”

You slap his arm.

Not hard. But sharp enough.

“Ow— what was that for?”

You’re already climbing off his lap. “I actually can’t stand you.”

“What?” he repeats, genuinely lost.

“You didn’t apologize because you meant it,” you snap. “You just didn’t want me to be mad.”

“That’s the same thing y/n.”

“It’s not the same thing!”

He sits there, staring at you like you’ve switched languages mid-conversation.

You grab his arm and yank him off the bed. “Come here.”

“Why are you dragging me?”

“Because you’re leaving.”

He stumbles after you as you pull him toward the window again. “I just said sorry!”

“No, you didn’t!” you fire back, pushing the window open. “You said sorry because Sunoo told you to and because you wanted me to shut up.”

“That’s not—”

“That is exactly what it was.”

He steps closer, trying to catch your wrist, trying to pull you back in like he did before. “You’re overthinking it.”

You shove his chest lightly. “Go.”

“Can you calm down for two seconds?”

“No.”

He leans in again like kissing you will solve it, like it always does. You put your hand flat against his chest and push him back.

“Get out.”

“Baby—”

“Go!”

He exhales sharply, clearly frustrated now. “You’re making this a bigger deal than it is.”

“And you’re not making it a deal at all!” you shoot back. “Come back when you can take accountability!”

You don’t care how loud you are. You don’t care if a porch light flicks on somewhere down the street. You’re too irritated to think about neighbors.

He glares at you for a second longer before finally swinging one leg over the sill again.

“This is so stupid,” he mutters as he climbs out.

“You’re stupid!” you yell back.

“You love me though.”

“Bye Riki!”

He drops down to the ground below with a dull thud and looks back up at you. “Throw my jacket!”

You grab it off your floor and hesitate for a second.

“It smells like smoke! Wash it out!” you shout.

“Just throw it y/n, Jeez!”

You toss it out the window a little harder than necessary. It hits him in the face before falling to his arms.

“And pull your up your goddamn pants, you loser!” you yell one last time before slamming the window shut.

He stands there for a second in the dim streetlight, running a hand through his hair and muttering a curse under his breath. “Fucking hell.”

He pulls up his pants anyway, then he turns and starts walking.

Riki walks home with his jacket slung over his shoulder. His jaw is tight, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he kicks at small rocks along the sidewalk. He replays the entire thing in his head.

He apologized.

Didn’t he?

He showed up. Climbed yout house. Said sorry. What else was he supposed to do?

He mutters under his breath, calling the whole situation dumb, ridiculous. Calling you dramatic.

You just crawl back into bed and press play on your movie again, rather relieved than angry.

Cher’s voice fills the room.

You reach for a brownie.

Your fingers hit an empty plate.

You stare at it.

“Oh my god,” you mutter to yourself, rolling your eyes.

—

The next day feels like nothing happened, it’s a Saturday and you’re at the mall with your friends, like usual

The mall in the center of the city is loud. Every store window is screaming SALE in red letters. Somewhere above them, a movie trailer echoes from the cinema entrance. The air smells like hotdogs, sugar, perfume samples, and fryer oil all blending into one.

Every time you guys go there to “just walk around”, someone somehow leaves with an empty wallet.

The vibe between you and Riki, though? Ice cold.

You walk slightly ahead when he’s near. Conversations split awkwardly around you two. You guys barely acknowledge each others presence. Everyone notices. No one says it yet.

You split up near the giant directory map in the middle of the mall.

Heeseung, Sunoo and you walk towards the arcade, immediately distracted by blinking machines and the sound of digital coins clinking. Jungwon and Jay walk off with one mission only, to eat every free sample the mall has to offer.

Jake, Riki and Sunghoon head towards the skate shop onsecond floor.

“Bro, I’m telling you, softer wheels are better for street,” Jake insists.

“Yeah, if you like going slow,” Sunghoon shoots back.

Riki barely speaks. He flips a board over, studies it, doesn’t see it.

He sees you in his head instead, standing at your window, yelling at him to come back when he can take accountability.

They check every board. Compare prices. Debate colors. In the end, none of them buy anything.

When they walk out into the mall hallway again, the crown hits them full force. Sunghoon stretches his arms above his head.

“So,” Jay says casually. “You and her gonna keep pretending you don’t know each other?”

Riki clicks his tongue immediately. “She’s mad at me.”

“For?” Jake asks.

“I don’t know, man.” Riki snaps, defensive already. “I apologized.”

Sunghoon snorts. “Did you?”

“Yes,” Riki insists. “I climbed her window. I could’ve fallen and died bro. I said sorry.”

Jake squints at him. “For what?”

Riki opens his mouth.

Closes it.

“…For making her mad?”

Sunghoon actually laughs. “That’s not an apology, idiot.”

Riki runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “She was yelling about the joint, and the cigs, and that girl at the skate park. But I didn’t even do anything with that girl. I just caught her because she bumped into me.”

Jake raises a brow. “By her waist?”

Riki hesitates. “…On instinct.”

“Mm,” Sunghoon hums. “And then?”

“And then she dragged me to the window and kicked me out ‘cause I said Sunoo told me to apologize,” Riki mutters.

Both boys stare at him.

“You told her…” Jake says slowly, “that someone else told you to apologize.”

“I was joking. “And at least I apologized? I don’t see the problem.”

Jake lets out a sigh. “I don’t know how you ever got her to like you, man.”

Riki scowls. “I literally climbed into her room. What more does she want?”

Jake grins. “Maybe don’t touch random girls in front of her.”

“She ran into me.”

“And you caught her,” Sunghoon says dryly. “You couldn’t even catch your own girl when she fell.”

Riki groans. “It’s not like that.”

Jake smirks. “Then go tell her that.”

“She’ll just get mad again.”

Sunghoon shrugs. “Get better at apologizing.”

Meanwhile the boys are discussing how to apologize to girlfriends, you’re at the arcade, trying to win a stuffed animal.

The arcade is chaos, neon lights flickering, pixelated sound effects, the constant clink-clink of coins dropping somewhere. A racing game to your left, a dance machine behind you, and right in front of you—

The claw machine.

Inside it sits the biggest stuffed cat you’ve ever seen. Grey and white, oversized head, cute smile. It’s ridiculous. You want it immediately.

You shove another coin in.

Heeseung leans casually against the machine beside you. “You’ve been trying for like ten minutes.”

“I almost had it,” you mumble, eyes locked on the claw.

Sunoo crouches dramatically beside the glass. “Manifest it. Tell it you love it.”

“I do love it,” you whisper.

The claw drops.

Grabs the cat.

Lifts it.

For one beautiful second it hangs there.

“YES!”

Then slips.

The cat falls back into the pile.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you curse under your breath, stepping back in disbelief.

Heeseung laughs softly. “Y/n, did something happen between you and Riki?”

You don’t even look at him. “He was being a dick.”

Sunoo nods immediately. “Newsflash.”

Heeseung hums in agreement. “Fair.”

No further questions.

You shove another coin in aggressively. The claw misses completely this time and you kick the machine.

Heeseung gently nudges you aside. “Let me.”

You cross your arms, pretending you don’t care. “You’re gonna lose.”

The claw lowers.

It grips the stuffed cat around its head.

Lifts it.

Carries it over to the hole.

Drops.

The cat tumbles into the prize slot.

You and Sunoo scream like he just won an Olympic medal.

“NO WAY—” you laugh. It’s bigger than you expected, soft and and perfect.

Heeseung smiles, brushing his hands off. “All skill.”

He takes the cat from the slot and hands it to you with a small grin. “For your suffering.”

You hug it immediately. “You’re my favorite person.”

He just laughs.

ou three walk out of the arcade a few minutes later, the mall lights feeling calmer after all the flashing machines. You hold the stuffed cat in your arms like it’s something precious, its giant head resting against your shoulder.

Riki notices you.

From halfway down the hall, he spots you walking toward them, oversized plush cat in your arms, laughing at something Sunoo just said.

And unfortunately for his pride, you look cute. And pretty. And happy.

It does something uncomfortable to his chest.

The groups meet in the middle of the walkway.

Sunghoon claps his hands once. “We’re gonna go find Jungwon and Jay before they eat themselves sick.”

“Too late,” Heeseung says dryly.

They all start walking, Sunghoon and Jake up front debating something again, Sunoo walking slightly behind them.

Heeseung slows just enough to walk beside Riki for half a second.

He gives him a small nod toward you.

Go.

Riki exhales through his nose.

Fine.

He steps up, walking beside you.

You don’t look at him.

He notices that immediately.

He shoves his hands into his pockets, trying to sound casual. “Where’d you get that?”

Your eyes stay forward. “Arcade.”

“Obviously.”

“Heeseung won it for me.”

There’s something about the way you say it, so simple, that hits him wrong.

He glances at the stuffed cat.

Heeseung won it… not him.

“Oh,” Riki mutters. “Cool.”

You finally lift it slightly, showing him the cat’s stupid stitched smile. “It’s my new boyfriend.” You say it teasingly.

But Riki doesn’t smile.

Something annoyed flickers across his face before he masks it.

“Yeah?” he says, voice calm but a little tight. “He looks like he’d treat you better.”

You glance at him briefly, catching that tone.

“It doesn’t climb through windows uninvited,” you reply.

He huffs softly. “Yeah. It also doesn’t have legs.”

You shrug. “Less likely to run around with random girls then.”

He goes quiet for half a second.

Then he nudges the cat’s head lightly with his fingers. “He looks dumb.”

Your eyes narrow. “Don’t talk about him like that.”

“You really replacing me with a stuffed animal?”

You keep walking straight ahead.

“Depends. Can he apologize properly?” You say, then you step up your pace to nonchalantly walk away from Riki.

You eventually find Jungwon and Jay exactly where everyone expected them to be, around a food stand with tiny paper cups in their hands.

Jay is mid-sentence when the group walks up. “I’m telling you, if you circle back in ten minutes they forget your face.”

Jake nods seriously, holding up another sample. “This one’s teriyaki chicken. Third time.”

Heeseung sighs like a tired parent.

“Are we leaving?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Sunghoon says.

Everyone slowly makes their way toward the mall exit.

Riki walks quietly behind everyone.

You do too.

By the time the glass doors slide open, the air outside is thick and warm, with the hum of traffic and laughs from somewhere down the street.

Sunghoon and Jake walk ahead, arguing about the best type of flipphone. Jay tries to convince Jungwon to stop at a convenience store on the way. Sunoo keeps poking Heeseung about the stuffed cat like it’s some kind of trophy.

You and Riki walk a few steps behind them again.

For a minute, neither of you says anything.

Your arms are wrapped around the giant plush cat, its soft head resting against your shoulder. Riki glances at it once, then looks ahead at the group, then down at the pavement like he’s building up the courage to say something.

Finally, he exhales and speaks.

“Y/n...”

You glance at him.

“I was being an asshole yesterday.”

You blink slightly.

He keeps walking beside you, hands in his pockets, gaze locked on the ground instead of on you.

“And… I’m sorry,” he adds. “For the cigarettes. And the joint. And that girl at the skatepark.”

You don’t interrupt.

He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

“And I’m sorry for not knowing how to say sorry,” he admits. “I know I kinda… suck at that.”

For a moment you just look at him.

Then a small giggle slips out before you can stop it.

He looks over immediately. “What?”

“Nothing,” you say, smiling a little. “I just like hearing you apologise”.

He shakes his head with a quiet laugh.

“I maybe shouldn’t have kicked you out the window.” You say hesitantly.

He snorts. “Maybe?”

“Okay, I shouldn’t have done that.”

He slides his hand out of his pocket and slowly, almost carefully, he lets it brush against yours. When you don’t pull away, his fingers curl around your hand.

The group ahead of you turns a corner toward the quieter streets leading back to your neighborhood.

You glance at Riki. “Do you wanna come to my house?”

His eyebrows lift. “You gonna let me in trough the door this time?”

You roll your eyes. “If you behave.”

“I always behave, baby.”

You scoff softly. “Mhm… just pull your pants up before my parents see you.”

⊹

extra note: I rlly hate the ending, I had writers block…

『••✎••』

The door of class 1-A's dormitories swung open, the wood and glass making a loud banging noise as it collided with the wall, a cloud of dust appearing and a small dent created in the plaster. Your head hung low, your body leaning on the door, as you stood there, panting, with tears streaming down your face.

You avoided everyone's eyes as you made your way to the common room. You tried to hide your body, pulling your hoodie over your face as you shuffled over, trying not to look at anyone as if they could see right through you. None of them noticed, too preoccupied by your classmate Bakugou's daily tantrum.

You slipped past unnoticed, walking over to the staircase. The class chatter turned to a dull murmur as you went upstairs, your feet taking you to your dorm without a second thought. It was only when you opened the door and looked around your dark and dingy bedroom that the weight came crashing down on you.

Your body crumbled, your knees falling from underneath you as your tears stained the carpet. Your body shook as you sobbed, your hands clutching onto the fabric beneath you as if you'd fall off the earth otherwise.

You knew U.A. was going to be hard; you came prepared, but nothing could have prepared you for this. You felt absolutely horrible. Compared to everyone, it was a slap in the face to say that you weren't good enough. You weren't smart enough; you weren't strong enough.

You weren't good enough.

Everyone in your class was so much better than you. Midoriya was a powerhouse; his Quirk was so powerful it would've made you laugh. Bakugou was a force to be reckoned with; his intelligence and his drive were unmatched. Iida, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu... all of them had amazing Quirks and were incredible at fighting, and yet here you were, at the bottom of the class, not even worthy of being called a hero.

Your parents were right. You weren't fit for this. They had warned you. They told you that even if you were in the top ten in the exam, you weren't meant for U.A., but you didn't listen. You wanted to become a hero; you had the opportunity, so why wouldn't you take it?

You should've listened.

The day was awful. Aizawa had kept his entire attention on you, watching every single move, every single mistake, like a hawk. Being outside the classroom, working on techniques, and using your Quirk was humiliating. The more he watched, the more frustrated he seemed, and the more frustrated he seemed, the worse you were. Even when you'd wake up at ridiculous hours, practicing until your muscles screamed at you, the improvement was not visible.

How would you be a pro if you couldn't even get the basics down?

You let out a shaky breath, trying to calm yourself. You were a mess. You couldn't even breathe properly; your head was pounding, and you felt light-headed. The tears were flowing down your cheeks like a river. Your arms shook as you tried to push yourself up. Your legs felt weak, and you were scared that you would fall again.

Then, a soft knock on your door. You froze.

"Go away," you croaked, your voice hoarse and scratchy. "Please."

The door opened, the hinges creaking softly. You looked over, trying to make out a figure in the darkness, and found yourself staring into two glowing red eyes.

Ah, shit.

You completely forgot about the roll call.

You quickly scrambled to stand, your legs wobbling beneath you as you struggled to stay upright. You tried to wipe away the tears and snot running down your face, not wanting him to see you in such a weak state, but he had already seen everything.

Mr. Aizawa stood there in the doorway, his hands in his pockets, a look of concern written on his face while those beaming red eyes stared into yours, preventing you from doing anything. Still, he said nothing, just waiting. Waiting for you to speak. Waiting for an explanation. Waiting for an excuse.

The silence was suffocating. You hated the way his gaze burned a hole through you. The tension was almost unbearable, and you weren't sure how much longer you could hold it together.

"I... I'm sorry," you managed to say after a few seconds, your voice barely above a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Your body began to shake as the tears started to flow freely again. You tried to hide your face in your hands, ashamed that you were showing so much weakness. You tried to calm yourself, taking deep breaths and wiping your nose, before looking back up to meet his gaze.

The red eyes dissipated, returning to their normal black color. The light from the hallway filtered in through the door and the window, and you were thankful. Now, you didn't have to see the disappointment in his eyes.

"What are you sorry for?"

The question caught you off guard. You blinked, unsure what to say because, truthfully, you had a lot of things to apologize for. You were sorry for your Quirk, sorry for not trying hard enough, sorry for being a disappointment, sorry for wasting his time.

"For... missing roll call." You figured this was a safe answer, the answer that he most likely wanted.

But, oddly enough, you could see a hint of annoyance flash across his face. His hands fell out of his pockets, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Oh, no. This wasn't the answer he wanted, and now you were really in for it.

"And why would that be a problem?"

"Because it's part of the rules, and it shows I'm irresponsible and disrespectful," you muttered, staring at the ground.

"That... might have some validity." He was clearly trying to be polite, but his words stung nonetheless. "However, that's not the real issue, is it?"

His voice was calm, yet it was firm and unyielding. He was expecting an answer.

"Well..." you started, not really knowing how to proceed.

"Do you want to be a hero?"

The question made you freeze, and you had to stop and think. Did you want to be a hero? Of course you did. That was why you were here. It was why you had left your parents, it was why you had trained so hard, why you had studied late at night, why you had worked so hard to be accepted into U.A.

But...

Did you deserve it?

No.

"Of course I do," you replied, nodding your head vigorously. "More than anything."

"Then why do you act like you don't?" He raised an eyebrow, his expression serious. "By your attitude, it seems as if you don't feel you belong here. As if you don't want to be here."

His words struck you harder than any punch ever could. The tears returned, and you fought the urge to sob. You felt so stupid. So pathetic. Here you were, crying when there were other students who had real issues, who had real problems, and yet you couldn't hold it together for a second.

"I..." You struggled to find the right words, the words that would convey just how much you wanted this. How much do you want to become a hero? How much it hurt. How much it killed you inside. "I don't know."

He frowned, his brow furrowing. "You don't know? What kind of answer is that?"

You shook your head, biting your lip. You couldn't bear to look at him.

"I don't... I don't deserve to be here." The words tumbled out before you could stop them. Your eyes widened, and your hands flew to your mouth. You couldn't believe you had just said that.

He looked surprised, but he didn't seem shocked. He seemed almost resigned as if he had expected something along those lines.

"Is that what you think?" he asked quietly. You tried your hardest to read his expression, but his face was completely unreadable.

"I..." You hesitated, unsure if you should say what you really thought, but the stern look he gave you pushed you forward. "Yes."

He let out a deep sigh. "Why?"

You didn't want to answer. You didn't want to tell him that you were afraid, that you weren't good enough.

He waited patiently, his expression neutral. He wasn't going to leave until he had his answer.

"I... I can't do this," you admitted, tears blurring your vision. "I can't keep up. Everyone else is so much better than me, and I just don't see why I should even bother anymore. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I practice, I just end up disappointing everyone."

Aizawa's expression softened slightly, and he uncrossed his arms. He walked closer, and you backed away, not wanting him to see how weak you were—not wanting him to see how vulnerable you were. But he followed, moving closer and closer until he was standing in front of you, inches away from your trembling form.

That's when he bent down, and his hands cupped your chin, forcing you to look up.

"You don't disappoint me." His eyes were kind, and there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "You're trying. That's more than I can say about many other students in this class."

Your eyes widened, and you shook your head. "That's not true! You saw today, I—"

"I saw a student who is willing to do whatever it takes to be the best they can be," he cut in, his voice calm and steady. "That's all anyone can ask for. If you're not giving your all, then what's the point?"

"But... I'm not good enough," you whispered, your lip quivering. "I can't do it."

"Who said that?" His gaze was intense, and his hand moved from your chin to cup your cheek. "Who told you that you couldn't do it?"

The only people who had ever told you that were your parents, but you couldn't tell him that. You couldn't bear to have him look at you with pity. You couldn't bear to have him look at you at all.

You didn't answer. You couldn't answer.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice dropping lower as he took note of your expression. "There's no such thing as not good enough. There's only enough. You are enough. More than enough."

"But-"

"Don't argue with me," he said, shaking his head. "I know what I'm talking about. If you weren't enough, if you weren't worth it, you would've never been accepted into U.A. to begin with. But you're here, and that means you're more than enough. You're worth it. Never forget that."

His words were like a knife through your heart, and the tears flowed freely now. You couldn't stop them even if you tried. You felt so overwhelmed. He was saying all the right things, all the things you had wanted to hear, and it was too much.

You let out a strangled sob, and he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. His hands ran through your hair, and his voice was soft as he murmured in your ear.

"I've seen potential in you from the start," he said, his words filling you with hope. "I still believe in you. I still see that potential. You just need to believe in yourself, and then you'll start to see that progress within yourself."

You clung to him, your face buried in his chest. His arms were strong, and they felt so safe like nothing could ever hurt you. Like you could never disappoint him.

"Thank you," you whispered, your voice barely audible. It was all you could say.

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for not giving up on me.