“Oh, my God, have you heard?”

“No way… they did that?”

“Hah! I knew {NAME} was shady since they showed up here!”

You hear whispers as you walk through the town, feel the eyes of friends and strangers alike as your footsteps on the pavement below are drowned out by your intensifying heartbeat. They were whispering. Even worse, your name was being uttered what felt like more than it ever had been in your entire life, and you can tell by the snarls and glares being shot your way by even Onion of all people that it isn’t in any good context.

Have you done something wrong? You can’t think of anything that happened recently that could have possibly been that bad. Yeah, you and the gems had some particularly rough missions as of late, but nothing that would make the normally friendly townspeople move to the other side of the road to avoid getting too close to you, treating you like a disease instead of a neighbor. No, it couldn’t have been because of any Gem-related stuff! They’re long used to it by now, given the Crystal Gems have been here far longer than your 5 years living in Beach CIty.

You try not to think too much of it. After all, overthinking was a bad habit of yours, always has been, and you weren’t trying to be some middle-schooler having a panic attack just because a few people didn’t like you. No longer wanting to be the people pleaser scared of tiny mistakes. So what if it seems a rumor is going around? You’ll just ask a friend about what’s going on and sort it out. Surely it can’t be that bad, right?

You stroll up to the big donut, see it’s still open, and walk inside. There, at the counter like always, is your good friend Sadie. She was the first person you met when you moved here, showed you around, introduced you to the Crystal Gems and, your now boyfriend, Steven Universe. You have a lot to thank her for, and she is one of your most trusted friends.

“What are you doing here?”

She asks, voice cold and uninviting. That was weird, she never used that tone with you. Not even during the few arguments the two of you had.

“Um… just dropping in, I guess…?” Hesitantly, you walk up to the counter. Sadie averts her gaze. “Everyone’s been acting a bit… weird. Have you, like, heard anything? Maybe rumors or just things people have been saying about-”

“You?” She cuts you off. “How could I not? How could you not? You knew what would happen.”

“What? Sadie, what are you talking about?” You laugh nervously, trying to keep your cool.

“I think it’s best you leave, {NAME}.” Sadie narrows her gaze at you and walks over to the corner of the room to grab the broom. “We’re closing soon.”

You blink, perplexed. “Sadie, it’s only 4 o’clock.”

“Short shift. There’s the door.” She points with the broom handle and turns her back to you, starting to sweep the floor.

Too confused to question, you walk out without another word. Even Sadie is giving you the cold shoulder? What has been going on? What dirt is this mystery person rubbing all over your name that is making Sadie not want to even look you in the eye? You pick up your pace, trying to hurry back home. Maybe the Gems know something about it? They always know what’s going on in Beach City, they have to know at least a little bit about this rumor.

-

Oh, boy, they knew. You can feel it through the door. Feel the tension growing as you turn the handle to enter the familiar house you strangely feel unwelcome in at the moment. “I’m back.” You call out, trying to keep your composure as you shut the door behind you and look up into the living room.

All four of them are there. Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and your beloved Steven looking at you like they don’t even recognize you. A mix of disgust, anger, and disappointment can be felt by their gazes alone, and Garnet’s voice breaking the tense silence doesn’t ease the lump in your throat.

“{NAME},” It’s said without the usual care her tone carried towards you. “We need to talk.”

Panic begins to rise in your body. Talk? About what? You don’t have a lick of an idea what’s been going on all day. Your confusion must have been evident on your face, because Pearl starts to speak after. “We’ve heard some… things from someone who knew you before you moved here. An ex partner, specifically.”

…Jex?! Your insane ex? You two had just broken up before you moved to Beach City. It was a messy relationship, to put it plainly. They were toxic, you both were for each other, but Jex was the root of it. They did a lot of crazy things, but the tipping point for you was when they tried to convince you that it was apparently normal to kiss other people at a party then insisted they go to alone, one of the people being your past best friend. You had to end it, and thought that you thought you could leave that part of your life in the past by getting a fresh start in a new city. Apparently, you were gravely mistaken thinking that they would ever let you have peace without them getting involved.

“They sent me some screenshots of chat logs between the two of you. Some pictures, too.” Steven says, pulling out his phone to show you. You walk up to him hurriedly, your blood beginning to boil as you scan the content held in shaky hands.

Logs of you begging Jex to not leave you, even after admitting you were seeing someone else behind their back. Pictures of what was supposed to be you doing various substances, making out with people who were certainly not Jex, screenshots of you bragging about assaults, cheating, stealing, deceiving. Bruises, cuts, and bite marks on Jex's body were included, assumed to be from you.

“What the hell is this?” You ask, brows furrowed in anger in frustration. All of this was certainly not true. None of this happened, you knew this. This was all stuff that Jex did. These were altered, you remember each and every text and photo being sent to you throughout the course of your relationship instead of the other way around. “Guys, these aren’t real, I promise. Really, I’ve told you about how crazy Jex is.”

They don’t look convinced, Not even Steven, who looks like his heart had been torn in half right in front of him. Your breath begins to quicken. Your palms start to sweat.

“Dude.. it’s kind of, like… right there.” Amethyst says, voice strained, like she wanted to hide the amount of disbelief she has towards you. “Jex sounded pretty serious about it all on the phone.”

“The phone? You spoke to them?” You turn to Steven, pleading. “Steven, please, you know more about them than they do. Surely you can’t really believe this is real? Jex had to have altered these, I swear, they aren’t real. You can’t believe them, right?”

Steven’s expression changes from aversion to guilt and pain. He looks down at the floor, wide eyed with his eyes glossed over in heartbreak. He looks like his reality just got altered, that the love of his life turned out to be the most selfish liar this entire time. What were they doing behind his back? Were they really this irresponsible every time they left his house? They were always so loving, so caring, he’d have known if they were trying to get something out of him.

Pearl, feeling the tension and your now also glazed eyes, began to speak, but you couldn’t hear. Your ears were ringing, your body was shaking and sweaty and it felt like you were going to puke. You can’t believe that the people who treated you like family since you got here were treated like they barely recognized you. The tension and anger got to you, and you turn away, tears stinging your eyes as you leave with Pearl and Amethyst calling out in a weak attempt to get you to stay and resolve this.

-

You went to the one place you knew and were certain hadn’t caught wind of the drama, the Barn. The walk was long and lonely, your body not feeling real and the world blurry through your tears the entire time. All you needed was someone who would believe you and knew would be there for you.

Lucky for you, you had two Gems at the barn who met that criteria.

Sobbing into a pillow, you try and get your words out. As soon as Lapis and Peridot asked you what was wrong, it all just spilled out. The confusion and hurt had been building up since you left the house.

“I don’t know what to do. No one in Beach City is going to believe me, Jex somehow knows the area I live in, my own boyfriend thinks I’m a cheating, selfish addict- I have no way to prove the evidence isn’t fake!” You sob, Lapis wrapping a blanket around you as you curl yourself into an awkward Periodt’s side. The green Gem wasn’t good with comfort, but that didn't mean she wouldn’t try and help. “I don’t know what I even can do…”

“{NAME}, that’s horrible. Why wouldn't the Gems let you try and explain?” Lapis voices, sounding slightly angered for you and your situation.

Peridot nods, feeling the same. “Jex isn’t nearly as trustworthy as you are. You’ve known the Gems since you got here. The worst I’ve seen you do is knock over one of my meep morps.”

She hands you a clean, not snot-soaked pillow for you to continue to cry in. “Really, I think Lapis and I have done worse than you did combined.”

“‘Gem’ bad things and ‘Human’ bad things are a bit different, especially in relationships. As far as Steven knows, his and I’s relationship has amounted to absolutely nothing because Jex made me look like I’m cheating on him and have no problem abusing my partners and hard drugs like them!” Sniffling, you sit up straight, rubbing your eyes to soothe your growing headache. “I not only lost every friend I ever made in Beach City, but also my lover. The one I value more than anything. How could he trust me after this…? It’s impossible to prove those images were altered, Jex knows how to fake things.”

Lapis sighs softly, resting a comforting hand on your shoulder as she thinks for a moment. “Maybe it would help to get some rest before we try and find a way to fix this. Really, you’re shriveling up.” She wasn’t wrong, you’ve rightfully soaked four pillows total and look like you excreted every trace of water in your body between anxiety attacks and sobbing uncontrollably. “You can sleep in the loft, we have some snacks and water stored away you can have. You look like you need it.”

“Yeah! And we can bring the TV up there so we can distract you from your now doomed life!” Peri adds, her excitement fading when her words make you whimper and begin to cry again. “Er… I mean, try to stop you from crying! Really, please stop.”

After coughing and blowing your nose, you nod, muttering a weak agreement before taking your first deep breath in a good few hours. “Okay… Thank you, guys, for sticking with me. I know it’s probably not easy to do.”

“Puh-lease. You’re our friend, we know you’re better than Jex.” Lapis gives you a smile, helping your trembling frame off the floor. “The Gems and the others know that, too. They’ll be reminded of that soon.”

-

Steven’s heart sank as he looked at Ronaldo’s screen.

He knew deep down that something wasn’t totally right. Even so, he couldn’t hide his newfound sitrust towards you after seeing those pictures. A day or so after you walked out, he knew he had to be sure of the amount of truth the pictures held. Who would know how to trace the origins of an image better than someone who does nothing but do exactly that all day?

He went to Ronaldo, who had already been scheming over the images, and found that every single one had been photoshopped, staged, or both, none of them actually made by or contained you in them. The original pictures revealed Jex in your place in every single scenario shown. How Ronaldo got the raw images so quickly, Steven had no idea, but he was so thankful he did.

“They were telling the truth…” Steven mutters, eyes gaping at the new images in front of him on his phone. “I… I need to find {NAME}. Thank you Ronaldo- I gotta go tell the Gems!” He rushes out, mind racing as he sprints to the beach house. How hadn’t he seen it before?Did he really just lose his best friend, his love, his {NAME} over a stupid rumor? Of course Jex was lying, {NAME} was never like that! They were never like that, and he was stupid to ever believe for a moment that they ever could have been.

He needed to find {NAME} and sort this out.

-

You lay on your side, curled up in a blanket on the floor, eyes looking so red and puffy one would think you rubbed the freshest pollen right into them. Peridot is going on and on about something related to Camp Pining hearts, but you aren’t paying any attention. All you can think of is Steven, how you believe that you just ruined your entire relationship with him. You know you really shouldn’t feel guilty. After all, the entire situation is fabricated, you literally did nothing wrong. That’s not what the others think, however. You feel almost as bad as the scumbag that you were wrongfully made out to be. Before your heart clenches too tightly and you begin yet another round of crying, you hear a voice.

“{NAME}!!”

Steven?

You shoot up, throwing the blanket off you and pushing past Peridot to rush out of the barn, watching Steven rushing up to the barn. “Steven…?”

“{NAME}!” He stops in front of you, the hand holding his phone stretched out towards you while the other rests on his knee, his panting breaking up his sentence. “{NAME}... it’s fake… they’re all fabricated- you were right.”

You look closer. In front of you on his phone, you see the raw photos that Jex had before they altered them to frame you. You can’t believe it, you were almost starting to believe you really did do all of that and just forgot, or even worse, made yourself believe it was Jex in your place.

Steven stands upright, pocketing his phone before taking your hands in his. “{NAME}, I am so sorry I didn’t believe you.” He starts, and his eyes meet yours this time. “I can’t believe I let myself think you would ever do those things, especially after what you told me about Jex before… I was wrong, the Gems were wrong, the City was wrong. Could you ever forgive me…?”

You stare into his eyes for a moment, the pain in your heart fading now that you were proven right. The evidence you thought could never not be believed got proven wrong. You didn't just lose everyone you thought you trusted. “Yeah…” You wrap your arms around your lover. “I can forgive you…”

“OH, thank the stars!” He sighs, pulling you close and tight, nuzzling his face into your shoulder. “I need to make this up to you. Hm. Oh! Empire City is hosting a huge event with dinner and live music this weekend! We can do that and catch a movie- your pick, anything you want. I’m gonna get you so many flowers- I know your favorites, don’t worry- we can have that pillow fort date night you mentioned wanting-”

You giggle amongst his rambling, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I think that and a few hours-long cuddle session may make up for it.” You pull away from his embrace a bit to look him in the eye again. “I’m just glad I have my best friend again.”

“I’m sorry I almost took him away over some dumb rumor…” He closes his eyes, leaning in to press his forehead to yours. “I love you, my Star.”

"Yeah," you sigh, and that word alone is spoken heavily enough that he can't help but pout.

"Want to talk about it? Or rest?"

"Rest. I just want to sit on the couch and do nothing. Not think." You toss your jacket over a nearby chair before you plop yourself down on the couch. Your head tilts back, and the sun from the window casts your skin in golden hues. Steven takes one look at you before he knows how he's going to help you relax.

Steven kneels in front of you, his hands ghosting up your thighs. "Can I help you not think, my love?"

You look down at the man between your legs. His big brown eyes looking up at you with hope. "You don't have to."

"Nonsense," Steven says as he already begins unbuttoning your jeans. "I want to."

You lift your hips, allowing your boyfriend to pull your hands and underwear off in one go. "If you're su-" you break off into a moan as Steven wastes no time bringing his mouth down to your core. His hands hold your legs open, holding you at the edge of the couch as he sloppily licks your center. Your hand comes up to play with his hair and he moans right into you. "Shit, that's good."

Steven pulls away with a wet smile. "I'm just startin', hun."

Steven was sloppy at eating you out. And you loved it.

His tongue slipped through your folds, warm and wet, gliding through your center, slurping up all you had. Every bump of his nose against your clit had you jerking on the couch. He threw your legs over his shoulders, pulling your core further into his face and holding you there. His calloused hands squeezed your ass.

"Shit Steven, don't stop!" You encouraged. Each sloppy lick was heaven on Earth. His thumb rubs circles over your clit, building your pleasure up and up and up.

"Give it to me, yeah," Steven moaned. "Show me how good I make ya feel."

"So good!" You cried, fingers pulling at Steven's short curls.

"Show me!" Steven demanded. "Please baby,"

You climax felt different this time, the switch so sudden you couldn't warn you boyfriend in time before you were coming. Your vision went hazy but you could hear it over the dull roar in your ears, the splash, liquid falling on the ground.

Your body felt heavy in the way that only came from sex, particularly good sex at that. Your eyes opened and you found yourself staring at a very wet man.

"Oh Steven, I'm so sorry!" You reached out for your boyfriend, prepared to force your tired limbs to move in order to get him, and the floor, properly cleaned.

"Sorry?" Steven asked with a quirk of his head. You always found it so sweet when he looked at you like that. Wide eyes, tilted head and crooked smile. "That was bloody brilliant, yeah?" Steven sat up and pinned your hips to the couch between his arms. "We're doing that again, baby, this time in bed."

You knew Steven for a while, and you knew everytime something was wrong with him.

lately, he’s been more anxious and angry, it’s not like he’s always angry!! but something was off, and you could sense it.

one day, you decided to visit him, you decided to make it as a surprise, but you’ve been worrying that surprise like this would startle him.

Knock Knock

you knocked once, but no answer came

Knock Knock

after couple seconds of silence, you decided to enter into house. sure, maybe it wasn’t polite but nobody was answering you!

after looking around, you heard some strange sounds, like someone was crying.

confused, you went to the place where it was coming from, and saw him. sniffing,curled up, hugging himself while tears were running down his cheeks.

“Steven?..”

he immediately looked up, and started wiping his tears.

“Oh!.. Name! i didn’t know you were coming! why didn’t you text me? i’d prepare something-“

he was cut off by feeling arms wrapping around him, you held him, tight.

“I-i can explain..”

his voice was shaky, full of fear of being judged.

“It’s okay, no need to explain.”

he immediately started sniffing more, and he answered the hug, melting into your arms.

“It’s just.. anxious thoughts were filling my head for a while.. after everything that happened, im scared that i’ll lose everyone, lose you.”

he hugged you tighter, mumbling something more under his breath.

you chuckled, kissing him on forehead

“It’s okay.. let it all out.”

the first thing you need to know, is that Steven would be very attached to you. he had seen someone die multiple times as a child, that made him very anxious and he always worries about you. please don’t be mad at him, he doesn’t the person he loves so much to disappear.

He absolutely adores PDA. he loves holding your hand on public, though gems sometimes tease him about it, and gets very shy about it.

we know that Steven is half human and a gem, that means that you two probably can fuse! i can imagine scenario when you two were hanging out, and then poof! you two fuse. you’re confused and don’t know what’s happening, while Steven is freaking out(in a good way)

later after that, he explains you what fusing means, he’s worried that you may be uncomfortable with that, but you reassure him that everything is alright.

if you’re ever feeling sad or upset, one hug from him can immediately wash away all your worries, trust me.

When he has free time, he invites you to larr’s(is that how his name is pronounced?) cafe to relax and drink some tea with delicious food!

the other gems like you, they know and trust you with Steven, because they know that you’re the only person who Steven trusts the most.

with that, in the end of the season 6 when Steven dissapears, the first person gems asked about him was you, all of you were incredibly worried about him. but after calming down, your dear partner returns to you.

Being in relationship with Steven, you need know that he often overworks himself, so you literally have to drag him to the bed to make him rest at least a little bit.

But even though, He's such a sweetheart, hes always kissing you on your face, hands, or cheeks. If he's In rush, he always gives you a quick peck on your lips.

He's really traumatized from all the Fights from his childhood, that's why he often wakes up at night from nightmares, but then calm downs when he sees you lying beside him. He'll try to wrap his arms around you carefully so you won't wake up.

He's terrified of losing you. He already saw way too much gems being poofed right in front of him so hes always checking on you.

Firstly, he was embarrassed to show you to other Crystal gems, but after making sure you're okay with it, he’s ready.

The gems absolutely adore you! At first they were little bit suspicious of you, but after getting closer to you, they accept you.

He likes to show you his tricks, he likes it when you praise him, though he's little shy to admit it.

You looked at him briefly before locking the doors, your heels clicking against the terrazzo flooring, each step confirmation of your annoyance.

"Really, it is!" His eyes widened with enunciation as he dug through his wallet to retrieve a crumpled, hole-punched card. "I've reached twenty-five books—see?"

The smile plastered across his face was enough to make your demeanor soften a little. The man truly was sweet, albeit a bit quirky. You raised your brow and took the card, punching a fifth hole and handing it back to him.

Silence fell between you as he continued to stare, an expectant look in his eyes.

"My…prize?" he asked coyly, his smile beginning to falter.

"Oh, of course," you realized. "We're all out of cards for Tesco, so it'll have to be Padella."

He paused, eyeing the card in your outstretched hand.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Grant?"

He exhaled, gaze darting from the card to your face. "N-No, it's just…I thought maybe we could…come up with an alternative?"

Your brow furrowed as you lowered your hand. In all the years of Steven visiting the library, this was a first.

"What sort of an alternative?"

"Well," he began with a coy laugh, "I thought maybe you could show me the books in the Egyptian archive—you said we could have a look when you had a moment. What better moment than now, yeah?"

Glancing down at your watch, you let out a stiff exhale. "Yeah, I suppose. Follow me."

—

The room housing the archives was much larger than Steven had imagined. Rows of shelves filled with boxes, books, and manuscripts. Temperature-controlled rooms branched off the main room, their contents hidden behind thick metal doors. The air smelled of old books—earth and leather, history and memories. He found it comforting, like when he'd wander the halls of the museum after hours, reading information placards that he'd read a thousand times.

You swiped your keycard at one of the doors and it opened with a metallic click.

"Anything in particular you wanted to look at?" you asked, stepping through the doorway and beckoning him to follow.

You didn't notice the way his eyes lingered on you when you spoke, observing, silently calculating.

"Um, I've been doing some reading about the Ennead—the nine major Egyptian deities. We actually have a new exhibit dedicated to them—they got the posters completely wrong, if you can believe it. They featured seven instead of nine—"

A smile tugged at your lips as you began thumbing through a box of manuscripts. It was endearing, charming even, the way he'd trail off on tangents about his interests.

You pulled a box from the shelf and set it on the table beside you, still thumbing through its contents. Steven's voice had trailed off, but you could feel his presence behind you, a feather-light touch on your waist.

"Mr. Grant…" your voice was candid, but firm.

His hand fell back and he ran it through his dark curls, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat.

You resumed your search, pulling a folder out to begin paging through its contents.

"Ennead…Ennead…" you mumbled, still flipping.

A hand reached out again, this time a light brush against your arm.

"Mr. Grant, we've spoken about this." You let out an exasperated sigh, palm flat against the table.

He recoiled once more, this time letting out a huff and running both hands through his hair. He wasn't the best at this sort of thing—making a move. But he'd told himself he was going to be assertive this time.

He bit his lip, eyes traveling across your frame. He noted the way your fingers splayed across the tabletop, how your pencil skirt hugged your hips, your tousled bun threatening to tumble from its elastic prison. If he stood at an angle and craned his neck a bit, he could see the nude lace of your bralette beneath your button down.

Had he ever let it slip that he was down bad for the whole librarian thing?

He swallowed hard again in an attempt to compose himself.

"There is no dessert without a fire," he whispered to himself like a prayer. He placed a hand on your waist again and gripped your wrist with the other, spinning you around to face him.

Your gaze found his. Dark eyes contrasting with the florescent lights, harsh shadows cast across his features. He almost didn't look like himself. Your breath hitched as you watched him lean forward and plant a chaste kiss against your lips.

"Mr…Grant…?" You barley managed the words.

His expression grew darker, hungrier. Eyes narrowed and a subtle smirk tugged at his lips.

"Keep calling me that?" He threw out the request with a nod, almost breaking character.

He kissed you again, this time with ferventness. You stopped him once to move the archive pages out of the way, before letting him resume kissing and nipping at your neck.

Pulling at the buttons of your top, he slid the fabric off your shoulders, tossing it aside. He lifted you onto the table, but paused for a moment.

"This is stable enough, yeah?"

"Mm-hm." You pulled him back, your hands playing with the hem of his shirt before pulling it over his head.

While he continued to kiss you, he took a moment to cup one of your breasts, pinching the nipple through the thin lace, eliciting a short gasp from you.

You felt a warmth press between your thighs and you instinctively nudged into it, making a low moan escape him.

"Darling, you can't do that," he feigned scolding you as he hiked up your skirt.

He lowered his hand, pressing two fingers against you, feeling the dampness of the fabric and gently circling around your core. Your breath hitched and you found yourself rocking into his touch.

"Mr. Grant," you breathed, lips hot against his ear.

You undid the button on his pants, letting them loosely hang at his hips. You could see his outline pressed against his boxers. You were surprised when he didn't stop you from shimmying them down and leaving him exposed.

The air in the room was cool, and the sudden temperature change made him gasp as you took hold of him and began gently working your hand along his length.

Your gazes met and he bit his lip again, eyes nearly fluttering shut as you continued.

"Darling, hmm, love," he stumbled over his words.

He felt a heat rise within him like a smoldering coil, tight within his abdomen and wrapping around his flank. Fighting the urge to give in, he stopped you to pull your panties down and ran two fingers along your warmth.

Oh, wow—no, keep it together, Steven—focus on the task.

He gripped your thighs, nudging himself forward, with what you decided was painstakingly too slow. You pushed yourself forward, wrapping you legs around him, which caused him to enter you faster than he intended. He tried holding back the moan that escaped him, to no avail.

"I told you, slow and steady," he breathed, hips bucking against you, driven by instinct.

You sighed, running fingers through his ink-black curls and rocking into him. "Stop breaking character, Stev—er, Mr. Grant—"

You let out a loud moan as your core ground against him with each thrust, the pace moving faster as he followed your lead, unable to hold back.

"If you keep this up…

…and keep calling me that…

…I'm not going to…

…last very long, I'm afraid."

He could feel the stitches already coming undone as you worked him over. The coil within him on the brink of snapping as it wound tighter.

This happened more than he liked to admit, his habit of arriving too quickly, to put it delicately; not that it bothered you much. You found it attractive, how you could make him unravel so easily. And besides, you knew he could be generous in other ways.

He dug his fingers into your back as if holding on for dear life. Sweat beaded across his brow and he moved a hand up to cradle the back of your head, kissing you with reverence. When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours, his cheeks flush, mouth turned into a concentrated frown, hips still in rhythm.

"I'm—"

Before he could get the words out, he shuddered, the coil finally snapping as he pulsated within your walls.

He leaned against you, one hand on you thigh, the other on the table. He breathed slowly and deeply, head resting against your shoulder. Putty in your hands.

You traced your fingers along his back, feeling the muscles twitch beneath tacky, salt-covered skin.

"You're an absolute dream," he exclaimed, still catching his breath, "you know that?"

A breathy laugh escaped you as you kissed his shoulder, his forehead, his lips once more.

Perhaps you needed to find reasons to stay after hours with Steven more often.

—

Steven had insisted on walking you home. The night air was cool, a welcoming relief from the stuffy archives. He bought you a sausage roll from a street vendor and asked if he could hold your hand, still soaking in the afterglow bliss. He hadn't stopped smiling since you locked up the library for the night.

You stopped outside the door to your flat.

"Uh, funny," Steven mused, looking up at the building. "We live in the same block."

"Steven," you laughed and ran your hands from his shoulders up to his nape.

"Would you mind if I popped in for a cuppa, Mrs. Grant?"

A cheeky smile broadened across his face as he pulled you in for another kiss.

"Come on, love," you beckoned.

There was a pep in Steven that night, stepping into your flat. He couldn't think of anything better than curling up next to you as he drifted off to sleep. The scent of tea lingering in the air, sheets that smelled like you, and the warmth of your hand as your fingers played with his dark curls. You sighed and leaned into him, content to be in his arms. He opened his eyes, blinking steadily as he met your gaze. For the time being, his mind was content, and his heart full.

🌟 Steven

—“Uh… y-you…” was all he could manage to stammer when your lips parted from his. Despite being the oldest, his eyes were wide, staring at you as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. The tips of his ears turned red and his body went completely rigid as you laughed softly at his surprised face. He stayed quiet for a long time, looking at you nervously out of the corner of his eye, avoiding your gaze while you played with his fingers to calm him down. Finally, after catching his breath a bit, he cleared his throat, ran a hand over his neck, and tried to feign indifference, although his voice trembled: 'It’s not that I’m surprised… I just… didn’t expect you to be the one to go first.' But his shy smile, hidden by lowering his head, gave him away completely.

🌟 Jeongwoo

—The kiss was so sudden that Jeongwoo froze, blinking several times as he processed what had just happened. His breathing became a little faster and you noticed how he clenched his hands at his sides to contain himself. His gaze slowly dropped to the floor, a small but sweet smile appearing on his lips as his cheeks were tinged with a faint pink. He finally looked up, his eyes shining with tenderness and a touch of surprise. In a low voice, almost a whisper, he murmured: '...I didn’t know you were so brave.' And then, after a few seconds of awkward silence, he looked at you out of the corner of his eye, still red, and added: 'But… I liked it.' His gaze remained fixed on you, softer than ever, as if the whole world had disappeared in that moment.

🌟 Woongki

—His eyes widened and blood rushed to his cheeks. Woongki brought his hands to his face, covering it completely as he let out a small, muffled sound. He stayed like that, hidden, muttering something under his breath that you couldn't understand, but from the way he was swaying on his feet you knew he was about to melt from embarrassment. Then, very slowly, he peeked at you through his fingers, still red, and with an adorable pout he said: '...Again? Just to check that it was real.' His voice sounded childish, almost pained, but his eyes shone with a perfect mix of shyness and joy.

🌟 Shuaibo

—It was a quick kiss, but enough to make Shuaibo stand petrified on the spot. His hands were halfway to reaching for you, as if he didn't know what to do. Slowly he brought them to his cheek, touching it gently, feeling the warmth that was still there. His mouth opened in a perfect 'O' as his eyes remained fixed on yours, unable to hide his astonishment. A few seconds passed where you only heard his ragged breathing, until he finally murmured, almost to himself: 'Was that... for real?' His voice was so low that you had to lean in to hear it, but his eyes were already telling you everything.

🌟 Han

—Upon feeling your lips on his, Han's eyes widened so much they looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. He became completely motionless, almost not breathing, with such an amused expression that you burst out laughing as soon as you saw it. When you pulled away, he followed you with his gaze, still surprised, and suddenly started laughing too, that low, mischievous laugh that so characterized him. Then he leaned towards you, rubbing his forehead against yours, and said with a playful tone but full of promises: 'You have no idea what you've just started... now you won't be able to escape.' And his eyes shone with a new fire, as if he was already planning how to return the dare.

🌟 JL

—JL blinked a couple of times, more curious than nervous, and immediately smiled, that confident smile he always wore when something took him by surprise. Although his heart was beating fast, his first reaction was to tilt his head and look you in the eyes with intensity. With one of his hands he carefully caressed your cheek, and then he tilted his face towards you as he murmured: 'Oh... so you were waiting for this too. What do you say we do it right now?' And before you could answer, his lips were on yours again, this time slower, more determined, enjoying every second. 🌟 Chi En

—For a moment he just stood still, as if he didn't know what to do with his body or his emotions. Then, when he saw how you laughed at his astonished face, he relaxed a bit and smiled softly, his eyes shining with tenderness. Without saying anything, he raised his hands and took your face between his palms, pulling you closer again while he murmured barely audibly: 'Come here...' And this time it was he who kissed you, deeper, calmer, but with that sweetness that made him unique.

🌟 Juwon

—At first he blushed like never before, his ears burning as he looked at you in surprise. But it didn't take him a second to react: he wrapped you in his arms and returned another kiss, then another, and another, until it soon became a small 'battle' between the two of you, kissing and laughing between each one. 'Oh, is that how you want to play? Well, I know how to play dirty too…' he murmured playfully as his hands held you by the waist, with no intention of letting you go.

🌟 Daisuke

—The reddest of all. His eyes widened as if he had just seen a ghost and his breathing stopped. He quickly covered his face with his arms, trying to hide his expression as he shrank slightly in on himself. His voice, trembling, was barely audible behind his hands: '...Next time... at least warn me!' But his shoulders trembled slightly, not out of fear, but because he couldn't hide the huge goofy smile that formed on his face. And although he tried to maintain his dignity, he soon lowered his arms just to look at you with tenderness, unable to be truly angry."