#reader x jackson

The first time Jackson saw you, he was walking into the gym at the same time you were leaving and he almost ran into you. He apologized, giving you a sweet smile which you gladly returned and assured him it was okay. You walked out of the gym in a daze, fully processing the fact that you had literally ran into Jackson Wang, someone you were quite familiar with as you listened to his group’s music for quite some time now. You didn’t react. Just took the small blessing you were given and hoped to maybe see him again.

The second time you two saw each other, it was quite late at night. He wanted to avoid being seen and had gone after midnight. You were the only one at the gym when he arrived, and you were loudly playing your music, and he heard you singing along just as loud.

“Oh when you call my name..” You were singing along to their newest song and even set the weights down and started doing their little hip shimmy they did in the choreography. He laughed and placed his hand over his mouth, not wanting to alert you to his presence. But he found you quite adorable. He snuck into the locker room to change, and by the time he came out you were gone again. Jackson vowed that the next time he saw you he was going to talk to you. 

A week later it was the middle of the night again, but this time he was already there when you walked in. He spotted you and smiled at you, and you smiled back offering a small wave. You went to the locker room to set your stuff down, and splash some cold water on your face to settle your nerves.

“It’s alright y/n. It’s just Jackson. He’s friendly, harmless. He doesn’t know you’re a fan just breathe.” You gave yourself a pep talk before walking out of the room and into the gym to lift. Jackson had been jogging on the treadmill, away from where the weights were which you were thankful for. 

He was watching you put the weights on the barbell. There’s no way. He thought to himself as he saw how much weight you were putting on there. When you lifted it his jaw hit the floor, and whoops so did he. He was so distracted he lost his footing on the treadmill and fell right off. You immediately dropped the weight and ran over to him. 

“Oh my god are you okay?!” Jackson rolls onto his stomach and hides his face in his arms and groans loudly. He mumbles something but you can’t make out what he had said.

“What did you say? Are you really okay should I call an ambulance?” He lifts his head up and looks quite dejected.

“Only thing that is hurt is my pride. Just leave me here on the floor to suffer in silence please.” His head flops back down and he feels you gently pat him on the back. 

“Hey, there there. It’s okay. It’s happened to all of us at some point.” He rolls over onto his back and looks up at you. He takes in your features and he scolds himself for not realizing just how beautiful you were before. 

“You’ve made an idiot of yourself in front of a gorgeous person and fallen off a treadmill too because you were too distracted by them?” Your mouth hangs open in surprise for a moment but you quickly shut it and collect yourself.

“Uh not quite no. But I did fall off an elliptical once because I was jamming too hard to a song I liked. Tried to do the choreography and completely forgot I was on a piece of exercise equipment and fell right off in front of a ton of people. I cancelled my membership the next day. I was too embarrassed to go back. That’s why I come to this gym now.” Jackson looks at you for a moment before he bursts out laughing. You’ve always loved the sound of his laugh and can’t help but join him. If anyone walked in right now they would find the sight quite silly. Him laying on his back staring up at the ceiling shaking with laughter as you are sat on the floor doing the same.

“What’s your name by the way?”

“It’s y/n.”  He sits up and holds his hand out to you.

“Well it’s nice to meet you.”

“Don’t I get to know your name too?”

“You’re really going to pretend like you don’t know who I am when you were humming Just Right  when you walked in here?” Your face turns bright red. You did have a habit of singing and humming songs without realizing it. “And plus I saw your little dance you did to our new song the other day.” You hide your face in your hands. 

“I am so sorry! I am so incredibly embarrassed. I swear I won’t tell anyone you come here and I won't tell anyone we met either.” 

“Hey don’t be! I actually thought it was really cute. And I trust you. If you were going to say something you would have already.” You drop your hands away from your face.

“You think I’m cute?”

“I mean yeah. I told you that I thought you were gorgeous a little bit ago, remember?” You’re blushing now which just makes him fawn over you even more. “So this may be a little sudden or may seem odd to you but.. I’d really like to be take you on a date? You seem really funny and sweet and trustworthy and those are all things that are really important to me.” You stare at him incredulously.

“You really want to go out with me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Okay but, you’ve always said you didn’t want to date until your contract is over? What happened to that?” Jackson pulls out his phone and pretends to dial it. 

“Hello! JYP! Yes this is Jackson Wang. I am hereby cancelling my contract so I can take this wonderful person out on a date... Okay? Great! Glad we’ve reached an understanding.” He slips the phone back in his pocket and you giggle at his antics. “See? Problem solved. No more contract.” 

“Okay I know you didn’t really just cancel your contract so I am going to ask you again, are you sure? I don’t want to be the cause of a scandal for you or anything.”

“I am willing to make an exception to my rule for you. I won’t get in trouble if that’s what you’re worried about. We’re allowed to date, I just wanted to focus on my career but, well now I think I’ve found something else I want to focus on too.” He takes your hand and kisses the back of it, eyes shining with anticipation. 

“Alright. I’ll go out on a date with you. One date! Just to see how it goes.” Jackson pumps his fist into the air and shouts happily.

“Okay! I’ll pick you up uh, well when are you free?”

“I am free this weekend.”

“Perfect! Saturday then? At say around 6:00?”

“That sounds perfect. Text me the details then later?” You hand him your phone so he can put his number in and he does the same for you. 

“I should probably get going now. It’s getting pretty late.” 

“Yeah same here. I’ll see you Saturday then?”

“You’re not even trying to look though? I’m sure a bunch of guys would line up for you.” I chuckled at her exaggeration. “I don’t know. I mean, if I find the right guy who could accept my personality, then great, but honestly, I think I could spend the rest of my life alone.” Miyoung gave me a hard stare of disapproval. For Miyoung, who jumps into relationships almost immediately one after the other, I’m sure she doubted the honesty of my words, but Miyoung is an extroverted people’s person. For her, a romantic partner was almost a life necessity. “Don’t let one bad relationship ruin your outlook on dating, Y/N. You’ve only dated that one douchebag. How can you just settle with being alone forever?” Miyoung complained, confirming my own read of her. I smiled at the predictability of her words. “He’s not a douchebag. I mean, he did make some good points about me. To be honest, I am pretty boring. I don’t want to force my boringness on some poor soul when I’m quite happy being my boring self alone.” “I know you like your solitude and all but being alone all the time? Won’t it get lonely?” I shrugged, taking a sip of my cappuccino. “Maybe I’ll get a dog…or a cactus.” She rolled her eyes at my nonchalance. “Before you go visiting the dog pound, give my guy a chance.” “Your guy?” “Yeah, I have a guy that’s already in line. He has a really good personality and he’s easy on the eyes too.” I sipped at my cappuccino quietly. I don’t know how I’d be able to handle a blind date. I was already bad with people in general. Imagine new people in a romantic set up…urgh, the very idea seems exhausting. “Please!” Miyoung spoke up, as if reading my thoughts. “I think he’s a really great guy and if I weren’t about ready to marry Jaebum, I’d snatch him up myself. Come on, you know I wouldn’t insist this much if he weren’t an amazing guy. I promise you, if he’s not worth a second date you can go adopt all the dogs you want!” “Well now I don’t think I’m going to be good enough for this really great guy,” I teased, seeing the desperate look on Miyoung’s face. “I might bore him to death. Are you sure you want to risk your friend’s life?” “It’s a date! I’ll send him to this café next week. You’re still coming here every evening right?” I chuckled with a nod. “I’m telling this friend of yours that you didn’t even hesitate to risk his life.” “Only because I’m positive you two will be a match made in heaven!” - “Hi, are you…Miyoung’s friend?” I lifted my head from my work notes to see a handsome man smiling widely. He stared back at me cautiously, his eyes like doe’s. “Ah! Yeah,” I said, breaking out of my trance. I chuckled sheepishly as I cleared the table of all my papers. “Sorry, I thought we were meeting in another hour.” “Oh, yeah, that’s my bad!” the man laughed loudly, taking a seat across from me. “I thought I’d be a gentleman and arrive early but I ended up arriving too early.” I smiled at his explanation. I could see why Miyoung was routing for this guy. In a way, he was kind of like her—bright and friendly. I cleared my throat after putting away my materials back into my bag before crossing my hands and looking up at him. He flashed me another wide smile. “I’m Jackson by the way. Wang Jackson.” “Y/N,” I returned the smile. “Can I hold your hand?” My eyes widen as I looked at him strangely. Okay, I did not see that coming. Jackson held his hand out across the table and I took it shyly. The boy moves fast. His eyes brightened as he grabbed hold of my hand, shaking it slightly before letting go. In the fleeting moment when his hand touched mines, his skin was rough but firm. I chuckled in amusement as he let go. “You meant handshake?” “Ah, yeah, a handshake! I’ve been living in Korea for a few years now but I still make mistakes sometimes.” He laughed a hyena-pitched giggle before placing his hands over his cheeks in embarrassment. “Sorry, did I say it weirdly before? I saw you giving me a weird look!” I laughed along with him, giving him a slight nod. “Maybe just a little awkward.” He laughed at this. It was a good, hearty laugh—the kind that makes you want to laugh along even if you don’t know why he’s laughing. Feeling myself break out into another smile, I let my shoulders finally relax. I was anxious about having a dry blind date for the next two hours but if he was going to laugh like this from the very start, I had a feeling this would be a pleasant meeting. “Coffee for Jackson?” the barista interrupted us (or rather, Jackson’s laughter). “That’s me, thanks!” he said, smiling pleasantly at the server, before turning back to me. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Miyoung would not stop talking about you. Something about dogs and cactus farming.” I laughed at this. “It’s nice to finally meet the greatest guy ever too.” Jackson’s lips curled coyly as his eyes sparkled from the compliment. “I hope I can meet those expectations.” “We’ll see,” I teased, taking a sip of my cappuccino. “So what kind of things does the greatest guy ever like to do?” He laughed again before glancing up pensively. “Well, for starters, I like dogs and have a plant named Bob. Mind you, it’s not a cactus, but he’s very handsome, I promise.” I found myself breaking out into more laughter. I liked him already. From there, the conversation only got better until it was nine at night and our two-hour meeting had become a five-hour one. I smiled as Jackson smoothly took my phone away and entered in his number, then laughed wholeheartedly once again when I saw his name in my contact list: Wang Puppy. I wiped at the tears that had formed from all my laughing before saying a final goodbye to Jackson. In all my life I had never laughed so much. The residue of our meeting leaving me in soft chuckles, I carried my empty cappuccino mug to the barista bar up front. “Looks like your date went well.” I looked up to see the owner of the café, Mark Tuan. Being a regular at his shop, we had naturally become pretty close acquaintances. I smiled in response, taking a seat at the bar. Were we laughing that loudly? Mark quietly took my empty cup away before replacing it with a fresh cappuccino. I glanced up at him curiously. “Aren’t you closing soon?” He shrugged his shoulders, tilting his chin towards the front where one of the baristas was locking the entrance. He gave me a friendly wink. “You can stay as long as you want.” Just as he spoke, the café music stopped, filling the place with only the sound of the two baristas cleaning up. I found my body relaxing in relief at the silence. Though I never stayed till closing very often, when I did, it was my favorite feeling. Releasing my hair from its tired bun, I closed my eyes and leaned onto the bar counter, listening to the faint tapping of Mark on the register. I could hear him chuckling softly before he approached me, casting a shadow over me. When I opened my eyes, Mark had abandoned the cash register and was sitting beside me. “I thought your date went well. Why do you look so tired?” he asked. Before I could even answer, he clasped his hands together before rushing back behind the counter. “You’ve been here all day and you’ve only had a cappuccino? You need calories!” “It’s okay, Mark, I can eat when I get home.” He furrowed his eyebrows while shaking his head with disapproval. “I have a feeling you’ll be too tired to cook. You’ll just go eating a banana and then fall asleep half way through.” I chuckled guiltily at his accurate assumption. “How about you finish working on your stuff while I cook us up a meal in the kitchen?” “You really don’t have to,” I insisted, but he shook his head before disappearing into the back kitchen. I chuckled to myself as I pulled out my work notes. Mark was seriously too nice. One of the reasons I came to this café daily (besides the fact that it was ten minutes away from home) was because of Mark. For one, his cappuccinos are heaven, but what really kept me coming was Mark’s friendliness. It’s a different kind of friendliness from Miyoung or Jackson. His friendliness first came in the form of sweet puppies painted in the foam of my cappuccinos. When I started coming every evening, he found out my favorite songs and played it throughout the café. And on days when I was in a rush, he always made sure my order of one-cappuccino-to-go came with a personal lunch bag and a handwritten reminder to not skip any meals. Though we only ever made small talk, Mark always seemed to know what I was feeling without me even explaining, and he always knew what to do to lift my spirits. Six months ago, on the day that I was given that angry, handwritten letter, telling me that I was not enough—it was actually my first time staying in the café until closing. After reading through the letter for what felt like a hundred times, I packed my workload and walked over to the café as if nothing had happened. I was convinced that if I didn’t let myself look like I was fazed, then I wasn’t fazed. So I had entered the café like normal, ordered the usual, and then sat at the same old table. I stayed in that spot, my hands hovering over the same page, head down, unmoving, until two hours passed and it was closing time. And when the music stopped playing, the baristas locked the entrance without ever asking me to leave. Instead, it was Mark who sat down beside me and unballed the fists that I didn’t even realize I was making. He put my pen away and cleared the table of my papers quietly. And as my shoulders slumped further as I hiccupped out a stream of hot tears, Mark quietly pulled me into his chest until I was calm again. With his scarf wrapped around my neck, he walked me back to my apartment that night. In fact, I still have his scarf, but we never talk about that day. It was the first and last time I let myself cry. I’m just glad it was in front of Mark and not anyone else. “I’m pretty proud of this one,” Mark sang out as he reentered the room, interrupting my thoughts. I hummed with pleasure as he placed a tray of hot kalbie soup on the bar top before taking a seat next to me. “That smells delicious,” I complimented. Mark relaxed into his seat, a pleased smile settling on his lips. “And you wanted to go home and eat half a banana,” he teased, handing me a spoon. I dug in gratefully. “This is amazing,” I gushed as I slurped up another spoonful. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. “You should put this on the menu. I would pay for it every day!” Mark chuckled before finally taking a spoonful himself. “How about you just pay me back with a meal next time.” I grinned. “I hope you mean take out meal because there’s a reason why I eat here almost every day.” He laughed at this before taking another bite. For a while, we just ate in silence. I could feel my headache disappearing as my stomach filled. “So, tell me about this date,” Mark cleared his throat after we finished devouring his meal. I chuckled, setting my spoon down. “I don’t know, we only met because our mutual friend insisted we should.” “It’s kind of good to go into these things without expectations though. He made you laugh a lot.” I nodded my head with a smile. “True.” “And yet you’re sat here sighing right after,” Mark added. I shrugged my shoulders in response. I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I didn’t quite understand it myself. “He’s a great guy,” I defended Jackson. “He’s really funny and smart. When we shook hands, I felt calluses on his palm. He seems pretty hardworking. I mean, the guy came a whole hour early just for a blind meeting. I think he passes as a really nice guy.” “But?” I sighed as I glanced at Mark. He gave me a knowing look. “I don’t know,” I muttered, looking away. “I’m just tired is all. It has nothing to do with Jackson.” Feeling my discomfort over the subject, Mark quietly cleaned up the plates, taking them back into the kitchen. I sipped quietly at my cappuccino that was now cold. “Are you scared?” Mark asked when he came back out. He stood behind the cash register again, attending to his abandoned calculations. “I-I don’t think so,” I hesitated. “You don’t want a funny guy?” “No, that’s not it. I love laughing,” I chuckled as proof, making Mark smile as he fingered through a handful of bills. “I think I just…” I let out another sigh as I struggled to put my feelings into words. I propped my elbows up as I rested my head into the palms of my hands, watching over Mark as he quietly counted the bills. “It’s just been so long since I’ve been on a date,” I finally confessed. “And I have a pretty plain personality. I’ll eventually bore most guys so why even try?” “That’s not true,” he muttered, not looking up from his counting. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” I added. “I’ve completely accepted that I’m boring and honestly, I’m doing very well on my own. Why torture a poor guy with my monotony when I can happily exist just fine by myself?” “Girl, you sound bitter,” Mark chuckled blandly. “But it’s the truth,” I replied back. “Well, what if Jackson doesn’t think you’re boring?” I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t think that’s likely. He might be interested at first, but he looks like he’s up for adventures and I’m a girl who goes to the same places and does the same things every day. Soon I’ll run out of stories to tell and the sound of my laughing won’t be enough anymore.” Mark closed the register and walked back so that he was standing behind the counter across from me. He looked me dead in the eye. “That’s impossible.” I furrowed my eyebrows at him. “You’re a writer, you have a million stories in your pocket. You just don’t share them.” I bit at the bottom of my lips, taking in his words. “What are you taking about? I’m an assistant.” Mark rolled his eyes. “You come here every night to work on your book. It’s basic good service to know your customer.” “Just because I write doesn’t make me a writer,” I mumbled. Mark laughed. “That makes you exactly a writer. For someone with so many words inside, you sure don’t tell people a whole lot.” “For someone who never speaks during the day, you sure have a lot to say when it’s just me around,” I countered pettily. Mark smiled at me before speaking gain more softly. “For a girl who so proudly claims to be fine by herself, you sure don’t like being alone.” “W-What?” I scoffed. Did he not hear me this whole time? As if reading my thoughts, Mark went on. “You wake up before the sun rises and rush to the office where you spend your whole day appeasing others. A normal loner would rush back home to the peace and quiet of her comfortable apartment. But instead, you choose to come here and sit amongst the loud horde of teenaged friends and college couples and you stay until night. It’s like the only time you’re actually alone is when you’re asleep.” I watched as Mark bit at his lips, staring down at my cappuccino cup. Right about now he was probably questioning his boundaries. Mark has never talked for so long, much less about the way I live my life. He was certainly crossing a line, and yet I couldn’t be mad at him. He had a point. I let out another sigh. “I guess I don’t know what I want.” “I’m sorry,” he whispered back. I shook my head silently but he wasn’t looking at me. Mark grabbed at my cappuccino cup, emptying it out into the sink before walking out from behind the counter. “Shall we head out now?” he asked with a smile, changing the mood. He grabbed my bag and slung it over his shoulder before leading me through the back entrance. There’s something about the air of summer nights that feel healing. Or maybe it was Mark walking beside me. I had not prepared myself to have that kind of conversation. I had a feeling I was going to stay up for a while because of it. For the ten minutes it took to get to my apartment, we were quiet. This was how it normally was and it was one of the things that I loved about Mark’s company. But tonight’s silence was uncomfortable. I had this urge to speak but I didn’t know what to say. As we reached my place, I gave up trying to put my words together. Mark stopped at my door but made no moves to hand me back my bag. “Look, I didn’t mean to come off as critical earlier,” Mark uttered softly. “I know,” I smiled at him rubbing his arm softly as reassurance. “It was words I needed to hear. I should pay you to be my therapist.” Mark smiled gently before handing me my bag. “I just don’t want you to give up before you even try. You keep saying you’re too boring, but I want you to know that to the right guy, you’re enough. More than enough. I hope you think of dating in that way. Don’t sell yourself short.” I smiled, looking up at Mark’s serious face, feeling my chest grow soft with warmth. “Thanks, Mark. Your future girlfriend is going to be a lucky girl.” His eyes soften as he stared into mines for a moment longer before clearing his throat and stepping back. “Yeah, well, maybe I’m the real loner between the two of us,” he chuckled dryly, rubbing at the nape of his neck shyly. “That’s true. You could probably get any girl you wanted, huh?” Mark smiled, shrugging his shoulders before slowly stepping away. “Try to rest early, Y/N. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With a final wave I entered my apartment, setting my bag on the kitchen counter before going to change. When I came back my bag was humming from the vibration of my phone. A text message. Pulling out my phone, I smiled. Wang Puppy had sent me a photo of himself beside a green potted plant. “Today was fun! Bob would love it if he could meet you next time.” I let out a deep exhale as I thought about what to say back. My eyes glancing around pensively, they landed on a half-eaten banana on the counter. I chuckled to myself. “Okay, Mark, I’ll let myself try,” I smiled quietly before hitting send.

A soft ballad was playing at the background whilst I swirled, slowly, the wooden spoon on the food I was preparing. It was nothing fancy, really, but I just had a feeling I should surprise my loving husband with his favourite meal. I mean, he works so hard to keep me satisfied that I actually take pleasure in doing these small things for him. It was a way to pay him back for everything, even though I knew I didn’t have to, because he would love me anyway. It was just who Jackson Kenner was.

“Babe?” Jack’s voice snapped me out of my concentration and I soon felt a set of arms wrapping themselves around my waist. “What are you doing?”

“Uh, I got home early and I decided to make you macaroni and cheese, because I know how much you like it.”

“It’s not your responsibility, darling.” He whispered, his beard burning against my skin as he pressed his lips on my neck, kissing it. “Matter fact, there’s another dish I’d rather have and it is indeed my favourite.”

“Jackson!” I shrieked, my eyes widened and my mouth slightly open by his dirty response. He pulled me closer to his chest, squeezing me even tighter against it, which, by the way, was rumbling with his laughter. “You’re damn lucky I missed you, otherwise this kind of answer would get you in trouble.”

“As if.”

Turning off the oven, I finally spun around to check him out. Although his perfect traits remained unaltered, he appeared to be very tired and ready to go straight to bed. I was aware that, despite the promise he made to me when we got married, Jackson still helped Hayley Marshall, his former fiancée, out sometimes. It’s not like I’m the jealous type or anything, yet, the kind of business she got involved with was way too dangerous for my taste, so I hated to know he insisted on being there for her.

“Don’t give me that look.” The tall man pleaded, reaching for my hands and engulfing them on his tepid ones. “I get that you disapprove, but…”

“Jack, I don’t want to argue any more over this.” Wetting my lips, I moved smoothly towards him and lied my arms on his shoulders, swiftly being devoured by the intensity of his eyes. A gentle sigh crawled out my lips. “Just… Just be careful, okay? I love you too much to bear the thought of losing you. Don’t do that to me. Please!”

“I love you as well, gorgeous, and I would never do anything to put you in danger.”

“That’s not me I’m worried about.”

Not bothering to say anything, he pressed me against the sink and smashed his lips on mine in a heatedly kiss. For split second, I forgot about everything, just giving myself into the fondly action. His hands slided down to find my hips, gripping onto them, which made a pleasant gasp slip. As for me, I clutched a lock of his hair, pulling it lightly, provoking a series of throaty moans to escape. Ultimately, we stopped to catch a breath, our foreheads glued whilst we simply gazed at one another, happy to share that moment.

“What do you say we skip dinner and go straight to the bedroom?”

“I put a lot of effort on this dinner.” My bottom lip puckered up, forming a pout. Jackson chuckled, dissolving it with his digits and then stealing a quick peck. “But I guess it can wait.”

“It definitely can.”

“Are you the…teacher?” He tried, not knowing how to address you. It felt like he had been running for hours so you gave up on lecturing him and got up, nodding. He sent a small smile your way and made his way into the small practice room.

“I’m sorry, my boss wouldn’t let me out…” A hand went to his hair and he scratched his scalp. 

“It’s okay. We don’t have that much time left though…” He glanced at the clock and smiled. He was barely a head taller than you, and his toothy smile made him look like he was barely above 20. His all-black outfit and leather boots were clinging over his body. 

He was thick. Not that it mattered, but it was rare to see such a guy ask for Tango classes, when he looked like a wink would do an hour worth of dancing. Most of the time, you’d give class to guys in need of attitude, or trying to improve their flirting skills.

You went to the small CD player and picked a song. He was taking off his black shirt, revealing still black tank top and you decided to concentrate on the player, his reflection on the huge mirror covering the wall distracting you. You turned around and cracked your neck, only to be meet by his body, which appeared like a dangerous place to be close to. 

But you were a pro, and dancing was not unusual, let it be with a hot guy or not so you tried keeping a straight face, approaching him just as the song started.  

“Is it your first-time dancing tango?” You tried and he shook his head. 

“Not really, I need polish up my skills and couldn’t find time for classes. I’m a bit rusty now.” He snorted and you acquiesced, accepting the challenge.

“You leading, then?” You got closer and he offered a hand, his eyes turning a soft shade of black. You thought you’d have time to signal you were ready, but he grabbed your body and a second later, you were glued to him. 

The soft beat of the song made him took a step and his leg found his way between yours, forcing them opened. 

“That’s…leading yeah.” You whispered, your back arched and his head came closer. 

“I like this song.” He breathed out and his hand took yours, making you spin so fast you barely had the time to register what was happening. 

 Tango was a sensual dance, but most of the time, all the touches and gestures were part of the game. You knew it too much to get so worked up over such simple moves yet he was making your head spinning with something stronger than gravity. 

It’s 5 in the morning and I didn’t sleep 

He was skilled, you had to admit. It made you wonder why would he take tango classes and you cursed yourself for picking such a passionate song. 

This is how the heart functions You arched a bit more and his hand on the small of your back made you bent, spinning slowly before standing back up and meeting his playful eyes. 

If anything, you hated being played with. Tango was a game of seduction. You knew how to do it, too. Your hands went to his neck and you pulled on it, a small breath escaping his parted lips and signalling he was enjoying it. 

It gave you some confidence. 

What you’re feeling now is an obsession 

His hand went behind your knee and lifted it, making you collided against him. His body was built, and from his thick legs to defined shoulders, you could feel all his muscles hard like rocks. He didn’t let you down and urged you to jump, your own breast flat against him as he slowly moved back, his eyes not leaving yours. 

You hated to admit it, but it was arousing in more than one way. 

Don’t hook me please

You wondered if he understood the lyrics for a minute, and he answered you without knowing it when he whispered a small ‘Voy hacerte caricias que no se han inventao’

I’m gonna caress you in ways they haven’t invented. 

At this moment, you didn’t know if the heat had made your face burn, or if his hand over your butt, holding you up, was making you vibrate form the inside. Maybe it was both, because as soon as he let you down, the place where his hand was became cold, like something was missing and you felt the urge to jump again, in need of more contact. 

That’s the way Tango goes, you repeated in your head, because of course this is how you danced it. 

Of course. 

He let go of you and you started moving your body around him, like a courtship ritual. He licked his lips numerous times, his eyes scanning your body up and down numerous times and you felt naked under his hungry stare. You turned away and tried concentrating on the beat, your back facing him and your butt waving seductively. 

You suppressed a gasp when your back met his body again and his hands made their way to your hips, following your movement. 

Come live an adventure 

It didn’t take long to notice that both of you were grinding against each other, the tempo not leaving your minds and he took your hand, making you spin again and right before the song ended, your eyes met, breath heavy. He looked at your reddish lips and licked his again. His face approached slowly and the last seconds of the song were enough to drive both of you on the edge. 

It’s an obsession 

 The lyrics faded slowly and, like a spell, you both came back to your sense, body still flattened against each other and breath echoing in the room.

“You’re…a good teacher.” A sheepish smile grew on his face, just as a drop of sweat fell from his face. 

“Thanks” was all you could say before parting, your eyes still fixated on his. The light in the room slowly turned off, signalling the renting time was up and it made you jump, not wanting to get locked up for an entire night with such a desirable human being. 

“I think we need to go.” You said, breaking eye contact and going to your bag, gathering your stuff. He did the same and you ran to the door, holding it for him.

“I guess…we’re done here.” It was hard hiding the disappointment from your voice. 

“Do you always teach here?” He asked, his bag hung over his shoulder and shirt in his hand. 

You nodded, wiping some sweat with your towel. 

“Are you free for another lesson tomorrow? I’ll pay for the whole evening.” He said and smiled. 

“Totally.”

He was about to go when you stopped him, a hand going to his shoulder and he halted, waiting for you to speak.

“Your…name?” Because you didn’t even asked for it, and he didn’t ask yours either. In short, you knew more about his body than anything else.

The main rule you always set for yourself was to remain a lone wolf. Having people to worry about taking care of would just slow you down. You knew that it would get you killed, as you saw it happen to countless others, rushing in to save their loved ones and sacrificing themselves. That wasn’t something you were about. In this world you knew it was every man for himself and kill or be killed. 

It’s harsh, but it’s the reality you lived in. After the virus spread and you saw all your friends and family turned into mindless killing machines you made it a point to set out on your own. Sure you grouped up with others when it was convenient or benefitted you, but ultimately you eventually left, remaining alone again. That was until you met a certain man with puppy eyes as wide as saucers. 

He was with a group of 4 other people. They were attempting to scavenge through a convenience store to get food for themselves. You knew there was a group of zombies headed this way, that’s why you were patiently sat in a tree until you knew for sure the coast was clear. You sat back and watched them, they were reckless. Making loud noises and hollering. It was then you saw the first zombie break through the tree line and head right for the store. 

Those idiots are all going to get themselves killed. 

They must have heard the zombies coming because 4 of them bolted out of the store. 

Where’s the 5th one? 

You tried to peer inside of the store with the binoculars but couldn’t see anything. You waited a few moments before he came running out of the store. 

“GUYS! THEY HAD SOME OREOS LE- oh shit.” He takes off running back into the store slamming it shut and frantically looking around for something to barricade the door with. 

Idiot! The store front is all glass they’re just going to break the windows and get in. 

You survey the area and notice there were about 10 zombies in this small group. You didn’t see anymore. You are debating whether you should break your rule and go save this guy, or just stay in the tree and watch everything unfold. There was apparently a storage room on the second floor because you saw the top window open and the guy look around for a way out, that’s when his eyes meet yours. 

“Hey! You! Help me please!”  You shake your head no at him and his jaw drops. “Seriously? You’re just going to let me die?”

“I don’t even know you. Why would I risk my life to save you?”

“Because we’re both humans! We're in this together.”

“You got yourself into this mess you get yourself out.”

“Please I’m begging you. Those other guys had all our weapons I don’t have anything. I am seriously going to die if you leave me.” Just then one of the zombies breaks the glass and a few head into the store. “Shit, please oh my god I’ll do anything just save me! I’ll leave you alone after this I promise just.. I’m not ready to die.” He’s pleading with you, begging even and you are having an internal battle with your conscious. “PLEASE!” You spring into action, jumping down from the tree with your machete and crossbow in hand. You lay waste to the ones outside before making your way in, being careful to be quiet and use you cross bow and machete instead of your gun, not wanting to alert the other zombies of your presence. You kill about 9 of them and make your way upstairs .You notice that the door is wide open and can see the man on the ground with the zombie over top of him, struggling to bite him while the man is trying to throw him off. He’s terrified. You can see it in your eyes. And that’s all the motivation you need to take out your gun and shoot the zombie in the head. It collapses on top of him and the man is frozen for a moment, panting heavily and contemplating what just happened.

“You’re welcome.” His gaze snaps to you immediately. 

“Y-you.. you came?”

“Yeah, couldn’t just let you die now could I?” He smiles at that and shoves the zombie off of him, bounding over to you and pulling you into a tight hug. 

“Thank you. Oh my God thank you I thought for sure that was going to be the end of me.”

“Gross! You’re covered in blood get off of me!” You shove him away but it doesn’t deter the smile on his face.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s y/n.” You try to dust the blood of of your clothes but all you do is smear it around and make it worse.

“My name is Jackson.” 

“Nice to meet you. Alright you’re saved now. Go on back to your group.” 

“Are you kidding?! Those assholes left me here, you really think I am going to go back with them? I just met up with them a few days ago and we agreed to have each other’s backs and they already betrayed me.” 

“That’s the harsh reality we live in Jackson.” 

“Yeah well.. I wanted to believe at least for a little bit that there were still some decent people left in this messed up world.” 

“And it’s exactly that kind of thinking that will get you killed someday.”

“Well not this time. It saved me actually. I trusted you and you came through for me.” 

“That was just a one time thing, don’t you get your hopes up.”

“But y/n I have no weapons now. No food. Surely you should keep me with you so your efforts don’t go to waste when I die of starvation? All that hard work would have been for nothing. You risking your life would have been for naught.” 

“Jackson..” You sigh heavily and pinch the bridge of your nose. 

“Come on I am actually a really good fighter! Give me that machete I’ll mess some zombies up. I used to be a fencer you know.” You consider his words, having someone that not only could hold their own but could help kill the zombies would be a good addition. You think this over for a few moments before you hear a groan from outside. You look out the window and now see a whole horde of zombies heading towards the store. 

“Damnit. Jackson we need to go. Now.” 

“What? Why-” He follows your gaze and you can see the panic in his eyes.

“Now is not the time to panic get your ass in gear and let’s go.” You throw the machete at him, he catches it by the handle thankfully. You grab his hand and take off running out of the store and in the opposite direction from where you came. 

“Thought the smaller towns weren’t supposed to have as many zombies in them.” 

“Usually they don’t. But the hordes can travel wherever the want they have no restrictions! Less talking. More running. Save your breath.” You tug him along as you both go racing through the streets of the small town. You keep running until you get to the outskirts and Jackson collapses on the ground. 

“I can’t run anymore. I’m done.” 

“You can rest for 5 minutes then we’re going. I will leave your ass behind if you don’t follow me.” You sit down next to him and pull some water out of your bag. Jackson eyes it and you hand him a bottle. He starts to chug it and you slap him on the back. He starts coughing loudly and looks at you in shock.

“Why the hell did you do that?!”

“I swear how did you even survive this long.. You need to conserve the water. That’s a limited supply until we find a new fresh water source. You can’t just drink it like that. Honestly are you sure you’re not just going to be a burden?” His face falls at that and you feel a pang in your chest. “Hey, listen I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time. It’s just.. after seeing everyone I care about die I made it a rule to travel alone, and not get attached to anyone ever again. It’s just my walls and stubbornness talking. I don’t actually think you’re a burden.” The corners of his lips tug up in a smile after that. 

“Thanks y/n. I know I don’t really know much about surviving here. To be honest the only reason I’ve survived this long is probably because I’ve always been with a group. The fact you’ve made it this long by yourself is really admirable. Whatever you can teach me, I would be very grateful.” 

“I told you this wasn’t going to be a long term thing, remember?”

“Yeah. But at least for the time we will be traveling together. There’s no reason you can’t give me pointers and stuff, right? Like my mentor? Until your baby bird is strong enough to leave the nest?” You chuckle at that and Jackson’s eyes light up seeing you smile for the first time. “Your smile is pretty. You should do it more often.” You blush and look away, suddenly feeling self conscious. 

“5 minutes are up. Let’s go. There’s a farm house in the distance there do you see it?”

“You mean that one at the top of the hill like 10 miles away?!”

“It’s not that far, come on. Quit being such a baby. Do you want to survive or not?” He nods his head, determined. “Then get up and let’s go.” You know you’re being gruff with him but you can’t help it. He needs to learn how to survive in this world and you can’t coddle him. He doesn't complain once the whole way over there. You approach the farm house and notice it has a well, which means there should still be water in the house. There’s also an old car in the front yard, you make a mental note to see if there are keys in the house somewhere and pray that the car will start. You both walk into the house and glance around. Dust has settled and it’s obvious no one has been here for a while. 

“Good. No one else is here.” You set your bags on the table along with your weapons and collapse in the dining room chair. “You hungry?”

“Do you actually have food?”

“Yeah. Protein bars. Snagged them a while back but they’re still good.” You toss him one and his eyes light up. He scarfs it down but this time you don’t scold him. When he finished the protein bar he looks at you with an odd look in his eyes.

“When was the last time you had Oreos?”

“Oh gosh probably like, a year?” He pulls some out from under his shirt. 

“You actually kept those?!”

“Of course I did!! Food is food! And plus I risked my ass for these Oreos so you better appreciate me for that!” You can’t help it. You burst out laughing and so does he. The stress from everything you both had went through seems to just melt away as the two of you let your laughter ring out into the home. When you settle down you look at him and he’s handing you a cookie. You take it and eat it, savoring the taste as you know it’ll be a while before you come across anything like this ever again. 

“Thank you, Jackson.” 

“You’re welcome. Listen um.. I know you said this is just a temporary thing but, I really hate being alone. If I promise not to get in your way and actually carry my weight can we stay together? At least until maybe we find another group I can go with?” Although you hate to admit it, in the short amount of time you two have been together you have grown at least a little bit fond of him. He’s funny, and seems to genuinely care for others which is rare in this world. 

“I guess that would be o-” Before you can finish your sentence you are pulled into a bone crunching hug.

“Thank you! I promise you won’t regret it. We’re in this together now. I got your back and you got mine right?” He pulls away and holds his hand out to you for a fist bump. You laugh but touch your fist to his.