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“M’here, honey. I love you.” Don’t you know I’m insane?!!!! 😵‍💫😵‍💫

18+

Warnings: Language, soft smut, vaginal sex, and NSFW.

~*~

Clinging to Steve as he’s giving you his laziest, but deepest thrusts. Every ridge, every inch, it glides back and forth in your soaked walls, catching all the right places, keeping your body gone in outer limits. There’s no real rush, no hurried need. It’s a prolonged urge to take, to feel, to greedily indulge. Languid hands, your breasts smashed against his sternum, torso stimulated by the jungle that lines his stomach, right down to where you’re joined.

His tongue sloppily entangles with yours - pineapple wine still staining his breath, kissing you as if it’s his last night on earth. He smells like summer, like faded cologne and hair gel, the perspiration of making love to his best-friend turned lover - like Steve Harrington. You cling to his back, his full weight settling, moving in various paces, massive palms collecting purchase on your wrists, your thighs, everywhere he can seek. His overgrown tresses tickle your cheek, his nose nudging yours until they slip off of one another. That chain around his neck, you taste the metallic tang when you find yourself burying your mouth against his jugular to map out each mole and freckle available to you.

Steve gets verbal amongst jagged, winded, whining breaths.

“M’ here, honey. I love you.”

You run a hand up his neck’s nape, carding your fingers through his hair. He whimpers appreciatively. “That’s right, baby. You know what I like, don’t you?”

More vocalized speech will occur, but right now you’re both content to ride this leisurely pace, which eventually builds to an overnight crest, blue hour approaches, and it aches so fucking bad that Steve has to grip your hands and lace fingers for support, only able to get a series of movements before he spills inside of you, taking you with him.

The way you wrote Eddie 😵‍💫😵‍💫💕💕 obsessedddddd

red wine supernova

A/N: guys... i know this is a sapphic song but hear me out on this one.... the lyrics go too well with eddie to ignore 😖 (gif creds: @keery)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Bimbo!Reader

Summary: “Baby, why don't you come over? / Red wine supernova, falling into me” 2.9k words

Warnings: fluff, dumbass pining x2, best friends to lovers, a few kisses, broody & high eddie, cursing, pet names (teddy, bug), teenage boys, underage drinking/smoking

"Hi, teddy!"

It rings in his ears like church bells. Then Eddie sees you and you're drenched in golden sunlight even though it's afternoon and the school halls provide no source of natural light. So maybe you're just beautiful. A vision in go-go boots.

Totally not his type, though.

"Hey," Eddie sighs, exhuasted from the hour and a half English lecture he just suffered. Not to mention, he was already exhuasted from the fact that he barely slept the night before. Which was maybe, possibly, perhaps caused by his overthinking about that nice shade of lipstick you always wear.

"How was Lit?"

"Shit."

You giggle, "that rhymed!" His heart skips a beat.

You're side by side down the halls—you always walk to lunch together—and, like clockwork, you tease him about trying to hold your hand when his ringed fingers brush your wrist. Of course, he would. In a heartbeat, he'd have his fingers clasped with yours like that's what they are molded for. But people would stare, and that's more of a hassle than he’d prefer.

Don't get him wrong, he doesn't actually give a shit about people staring at him, he just doesn't want to give anyone anymore reasons to stare at you. In disgust. Or loathing. With whatever judgements they'd make. Names they'd call you. He's been through the ringer, he'd never drag you along with him.

You're chattering about the state of your new, pink jellies when Eddie catches someone throwing you an off glance. He tries not to think too much of it, and he's not like jealous or anything, but every snicker and whisper sets him off. You're bubbly and kind and it's not fair people look at you different when you're with him.

"You ever notice how people look at us?"

You tilt your head at him as you round the corner of the cafeteria doors.

"You mean like how Dustin makes funny faces when I compliment your hair?"

"No, I mean like that," he huffs, pointing right at the judgemental stares of Melissa and Nicole, who promptly turn away with a gasp. He shakes his head. "And I like when you compliment my hair."

"Well, I like your hair." You smile at him as he pulls out a chair for you. You're the first ones to the table.

"Thank you, bug." Eddie ducks into his own seat, tapping his heavy fingers against the tabletop. "Off topic. I'm saying, you never notice people look at us... funny?"

The metal clasps of your limited edition Disco Fever lunchbox clack against the side as you unfold the lid. Your face contorts, considering the scenarios you've devised in your head if anyone was ever rude to Eddie in front of you. Let's just say your self-defense knowledge would come in handy.

"I guess I notice sometimes, but I just don't care. I like you lots more than I like them," you say, shrugging it off, "And I know how to fight."

His heart swells, face rosy, ears hot as an oven. Of course, you'd say that. You always know what to say.

Too bad you're not his type.

Dustin plops down in the seat across from you, nearly gagging at the way Eddie ogles at you.

"Would you get a fuckin' room already—!"

"Language," you both holler.

"Jinx!" you chirp. "You owe me a soda."

"I'll get you a soda, bug," Eddie hums. Dustin considers stocking his backpack with those little bags they give you on airplanes just in case.

...

"Weird Science or The Woman in Red?"

You're perched on the floor of his living room, wearing silk shorts and a cami. You weigh both tapes in your manicured hands like it'll tell you anything about the quality of the films inside.

"Somethin' to say about Kelly LeBrock, bug?"

"Steve suggested them! And he gave me a discount, so I couldn't just say no," you say with such a dazzling smile on your face, he thinks you're the nicest girl he's ever met. Or, at least, the nicest he's ever seen, no contest.

Just, not his type.

"Go figure," he says, "Weird Science."

"'Cause of the mutant bikers?" You beam up at him where he sits on the couch.

"'Cause of the mutant bikers."

It makes you giggle, which makes him smile like an idiot.

Then Hellfire pours onto Eddie's front porch bearing gifts of humongous chip bags and a six pack of cheap beer. He jumps a little at the doorbell, and you spring up to open the floodgates for the rowdy group of boys. They greet you excitedly and spread themselves across the rest of the couch, an armchair, and the floor.

Dustin tosses you a bag of pop rocks, and you blow a kiss in thanks, promising to bring him by the arcade next week. Eddie feels so far from you, even though your shoulders are pressed between his knees. But he can't see you or talk to you, your attention is divided, and he can't help but feel a little needy. You smack Dustin's hand when he reaches for a beer, and he whines about Mike sneaking one.

"What movie did the love birds choose?" Gareth asks. Eddie takes out a baggie of weed.

"Weird Science!" you coo, slotting the tape into the VCR. Gareth celebrates, sloshing his beer can against the coffee table as the rest of the boys high five and howl. You roll your eyes affectionately.

You laugh, smacking Jeff on the arm. “Oh, you’re all horny perverts.”

Gareth salutes, “At your service!” Which earns him a playful flick upside the head. The opening credits roll, and you stand triumphantly.

“I have to pee, but you guys can let it roll while I’m gone!” you chirp, skipping off down the hall of the mobile home.

As soon as you’re out of ear shot, Dustin whips around to scowl at Eddie who exhales a slow puff from the neon pink bong you gifted him last year. He passes it to Gareth and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I can’t tell what’s worse,” Dustin huffs, “The fact that you’re so oblivious or the fact that she is, too.”

Eddie squints. “What?”

Dustin deadpans.

“Dude, even I can tell you two like each other,” Mike chimes in, “Will thought you were dating from two thousand miles away. Over the phone.”

“You guys are fucking high. We are not dating,” Eddie says.

Mike shrugs. “You should be.”

“Okay, twerp, I’m not taking romantic advice from someone in a long distance relationship.”

“He’s right,” Dustin barks.

“That means you, too, twerp. Besides. Not my type.” Eddie sighs and slumps into the cushions, reaching his arms above his head.

“Yeah, right,” Lucas says, “If she’s not your type, then who is?”

“I don’t know, but she’s not.”

Gareth rolls his eyes. “Sounds like a lame excuse for your cowardice.” Eddie’s jaw drops, and he grabs for his bong.

“You did not just say that to me.”

“I meant it.”

You bumble back into the room, and the conversation screeches to a halt, Gareth whipping back towards the screen with Eddie’s eyes still burning holes in the back of his head.

“What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” they grumble.

Eddie smiles when you plop down next to him on the creaky couch. He can’t focus on the movie with the stray glances he’s catching from the younger boys and the soft looks you offer every so often. Maybe he is gutless. Because when he thinks about you, he’s floored. Then—knee jerk—he has to justify his racing heart with the fact that he could never be into you. But he is. You’re beautiful and funny and sweet to him. You are his type.

Not halfway into the film, Dustin whines, “I’m bored. Can we play a game? Like spin the bottle or kiss marry kill or something?”

“First of all,” Eddie says, “there’s only one chick here, we’re not playing spin the bottle. Second, are you five years old?”

You scoff and pat Eddie on the thigh. “Hey! I’m with Dustin. Truth or dare?”

“Works for me,” Jeff interjects. Eddie glares at him, grabbing his bong from the table. “Truth or dare, Eddie.”

He exhales a puff of smoke, shaking his head.

“Truth”—The boys’ heads turn, wicked smiles on their faces like predators eyeing him up—“Fuck, dare.”

Jeff cocks a brow.

“I don’t like this game,” Eddie says.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?”

“I said dare.”

Jeff grins. “I dare you to tell me if you have a crush on anyone.”

Dustin, Lucas, and Mike chuckle.

“Fuck you all. Yeah, fine, I do. Next,” Eddie grumbles.

“It’s your turn, teddy,” you coo.

“Right. Dustin, truth or dare.”

“Easy. Truth,” he says.

“Is it fun being a little shit?”

You shove his side. “Eddie!”

“Why, yes. Yes, it is.”

“Great,” Eddie huffs.

“Awesome.” Dustin glares at him.

The game continues just like that, a vicious cycle of sarcasm and glares. It’s a little more lighthearted when Lucas asks you if you have a special skill. Without responding, you ask for a deck of cards and stand in front of the screen.

“You boys like magic?”

A few nod, the rest too stunned to speak as you show them a card, the queen of diamonds, and shuffle the deck a few times. You pull a card from the deck, and the boys lean in, anticipating the red queen. You spin the card, and they groan when you reveal the eight of clubs.

“That’s not our card, bug,” Eddie says. He expects you to be disappointed, but you grin and set the deck on the table.

“I know.” Their eyes widen when you reach into the top of your shorts, a card pinched between your fingers. The queen of diamonds. “This is.”

You toss the card, and the boys grab for it. Eddie gulps and shifts in his seat, couch squealing beneath him. Lucas pelts the hard-won card at Eddie, and you curtsy before heading back to your seat.

…

Just as the game gets a little tired, Dustin shoots his hand into the air. “My turn!”

“Okay, but this is the last one—”

Dustin shouts your name.

“Yes?”

“Truth or dare?”

You pretend to contemplate before chirping, “Dare!”

Eddie leans his head back, lulling to the side to watch you smile at Dustin. You catch Eddie staring and stick your tongue out at him. He winks.

“I dare you… to kiss the person on your right.”

“Geez, how long did it take you to come up with that one,” Eddie mumbles. But you look to your right, and Eddie looks kind of uninterested, glazed over and staring at the ceiling.

“That doesn’t seem very consensual,” you say, brows knitted just as Eddie lifts his head. Dustin glares expectantly at Eddie who slowly sits up and turns his head, smirking at you.

“You can kiss me, bug. So long as you promise not to bite.”

Eddie’s relieved when you giggle and set your hand on his knee.

“If you say so!” You lean closer, and he blushes at the new proximity. Despite his nerves, he just can’t look away, eyes locked with yours. You huff when it feels like he’s staring straight into your soul. But you’re smiling so sweetly, even with all the rascals chanting ‘do it!’.

You shift your weight and hold onto his shoulder as he slips his arm around your waist so you don’t teeter off the couch. He nods, tip of his nose just brushing yours. You press your lips to his quickly, and he can sense your nerves when you pull away and look down.

Everyone cheers.

You look into his eyes again, and your face relaxes, the heat not so unbearable when you see his smile. You duck to kiss him again, his arm tighter on your waist. He tries not to smile, but you hum softly and, suddenly, he’s a puddle in your fingers.

You pull away when someone whistles, your ears rushing with blood as you drop your feet to the floor and look away, face burning.

Eddie clears his throat. “Alright, you pervs got what you wanted. Can we finish this damn movie already?”

“It’s kinda late,” you hum, “I don’t wanna be driving too close to the witching hour.”

“Wait, what?” Gareth says, watching you stand and shuffle into your slippers by the door.

“Sorry, guys. Just… superstititous.” They wouldn’t have believe you if you hadn’t said it with a genuine smile on your face. Eddie hops up from his seat and follows you.

“I’ll walk you out, bug.”

“Ooh,” Dustin teases. Jeff slaps a hand over his mouth, and Dustin mumbles an expletive against it.

Your little, red coupe is sidled right up next to his van. He always keeps the spot closer to the door open for you. His hands are tucked into the pockets of his jacket, your arms crossed over your chest to keep out the cold. He winces.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay? I can take the floor,” Eddie says, shucking his jacket and wrapping it over your shoulders. You smile.

“Such a gentleman.”

He rolls his eyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, teddy,” you whisper, craning your neck to kiss his cheek. Your heart-shaped keychain jangles against the car door as you slot the silver key into the lock. When you get the door open and glance at him, he’s stone faced where he leans against the back window.

“Wait,” he huffs.

“Yeah?”

Eddie can feel himself flailing, hands shaky at his sides when you look at him. He can’t tell if it’s because of the cold or his nerves or how worried you look or the fact that this could be his only chance. Don’t be a coward. He expects you to get tired of it. Eventually, you’ll have to let go, but right now, you stand there and wait for him. Oh.

“Sorry, bug. I’m pretty high right now.”

“I don’t mind.” You shrug when he rubs the back of his neck and chuckles softly. “You okay?”

He shakes his head. “You’re so sweet. And you’re so nice to me. God, you’re so pretty.”

“Thank you, Eddie,” you coo, standing close enough to feel the warmth radiate from his chest. He nods slowly, glancing down at your lips.

“Yeah.”

You thumb over the leftover slip of paper in the pocket of his jacket. And you smile, remembering when you passed him that note in chem last thursday.

Eddie sucks in a breath, sighing, “You make me so nervous.” You blink hard, and he’s seering hot under the warm light filtering through the trailer windows. “And you’re so fascinating.”

“Fascinating?!”

“Yeah,” he whispers.

“That’s a new one. ‘S that a good thing?” you say, head tilted watching him push his fingers through his hair.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing. Fascinating is good. To me.” You swear his eyes twinkle a little when he looks at you.

“Well,” you nod, “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” And he can’t stop himself from taking selfish glimpses at your mouth. He feels so stupid for how long he denied his genuine attraction to you. His crush on you. You’d laugh if you knew what went on in his head. “I liked kissing you.”

You take a deep breath, and he steels himself for rejection. He thinks, why should you want anything to do with him after he’s acted so indifferent towards you all this time.

“I liked kissing you, too, teddy.” Holy fuck.

He grins. “You’re my type.” At first, you think he’s joking, but even a blind man could tell Eddie was dead serious. “Textbook description of it, bug. You’re my type.”

You look into his eyes again, trying to gauge if he’s fucking with you. He has to know that you’ve liked him for years. He has to. It’s not like the boys have been subtle about it.

“I… am flattered,” you coo, “Where’s all this coming from?”

“Just. From me. You know? It’s always been there. Had a crush on you forever, just had to tell you now.”

You nod, biting back a grin and shuffling a little closer. He’s absolutely buzzing when you curl your fingers into his bicep.

“Can I kiss you?” His head is spinning when you nod and press up against him. He’s sure you can feel his heart pounding. Especially when you press your delicate palm right to it. His hand fits gently against your hip.

Now, it’s his turn to kiss you. His lips are so soft against yours, tender like he’s nervous you’ll shatter. You giggle and reach for the back of his neck, your mouths falling open against each other in a fit of excitement and heat. He tugs you closer when your tongue slips into his mouth; he doesn’t mean to, but he feels himself smile and spread his hand across your lower back.

Eddie pulls away, eyes flicking wildly across your face just before he pecks your mouth again.

“Bug?”

You nod, eyes refusing to open as he kisses your cheek.

“Be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, teddy, I will!”

You tug him down by the collar to kiss him ferocious, his cheeks instinctively hot with your baby pink fingernails gentle on his neck. You can hear the cheers and high-fives from inside the house, exclamations of ‘finally!’ and ‘i knew it’.

Then Dustin hollers, “Fuck yeah!”

And you both shout, “Language!” just before falling into each other in a fit of giggles.

stranger things masterlist

Sooooo sweet 🥹

Always There - Steve Harrington

Summary

w/c 3.9k

a/n based off of this song that drops me to my knees every time I listen to it. Lyrics are out of order, ignore it ♡

Request

You’ve been waiting for your lover, what you’ll discover, is she’s always there.

Long were the nights you once thought about Steve.

Seven and knee scrapes, you’d been there with a GI Joe bandage. Twelve and arguing parents, you’d been there with your palms, warm over his ears.

It was natural with him, always had been.

Fourteen and his first girlfriend, you’d been there with open arms during their break up. Though, he didn’t seem to mind she’d left him for Jack Thompson, a stumpy boy a year older than them. Like he anticipated it, like he knew it was coming. It’d always bewildered you that he wasn’t upset his first girlfriend was stolen from him, but he had you he’d said, and that was enough for him.

16 and Nancy wheeler, you’d stub the toe of your shoe into the ground when she came along, and pretend she didn’t get to you the way she did.

Steve with her was a lump in your throat, but what were you to do? He loved her, he told you, It was different than the other girls. You couldn’t inadvertently scare her off with your silence, or push her away with darting glares in the halls. She loved him too. Or, so he’d thought.

Steve didn’t know why it felt like he was forcing himself to love Nancy. It stressed him, weighing down on his tight chest when he’d thought about the way she proclaimed them bullshit. Like he was just some fling, some distraction.

Not her distraction. His.

“Bullshit.” Nancy had slurred. “We’re bullshit.”

And Steve wondered why it was you he wanted to reach for in the moment. He knew you’d be there to wipe the cold water of Nancy’s indifference from his face.

His body ached as you held him that night under silly confetti sheets he’d bought you. The same sheets you’d brought to your new apartment. Pent up stress leaving his body in guttural sobs, It embarrassed him, pushed him further into your own aching chest. You didn’t mind, preening from the attention he’s been lackluster with.

You toe at his hip now, under the roof of an apartment you two call your own. Thinking about it makes you a nostalgic Steve calls you silly for, so you sit quiet as he grabs your socked foot, thumb pressing into the soft middle. “Foot message?”

20 and grown up, you feel like he’s been taking care of you more lately.

He drops your foot. “You wish.”

You smile, all the cheek he loves, but he doesn’t look away from the blindingly bright TV. Your shoulders drop, wishing you’d catch him looking at you the way you looked at him.

Twenty felt nice on him. Twenty warmed his skin and broadened his shoulders. It was shown in the way his arms filled the sleeves of his crew necks, the way he carried himself with a new lightness.

You’d always known he’d look good grown up, and twenty was grown up when you were sixteen. Taxes and rent, grocery shopping and working a job, you’d always known it’d be Steve you’d do those arduous adult tasks with. You just hoped it’d be as his girlfriend, not his roommate.

It ached the 14 year old inside of you. Roommate wasn’t the best adjective for what you were, but it worked. He was your best friend, your diary, your Steve. Not your roommate. He hated it, correcting everyone in a 20 mile radius when they called you that.

Movie night with your roommate?

best friend

It’s only fair when you decide to push his buttons a little. The lack of attention eats you, and you know he doesn’t like to talk about his dates to you. “How was Carrie?”

“Hm?”

“Carrie?”

“Oh,” Steve breathes out heavily. “She was fine.”

You nod slowly, though it still isn’t received, like the smile you had plastered on just for him 2 minutes ago.

He seems tired, though usually he’s able to muster a knock it off.

“There’ll be a second date?” You don’t know why you seek out this answer.

“Um,” his head lolls against the couch, turning to look at you. “No,” his head shakes, “I don’t think so.”

“What?” Your eyes squint. “Why not?”

His laugh is exasperated. “I don’t know, sweet thing.” Heat crawls up your neck, embarrassed at his unexpected attention. “Why are we playing 20 questions?”

“Sorry.” You murmur, drawing your knees up. Defensive, but he doesn’t mind.

“It’s okay.” He murmurs back, smile lilting his voice playfully. “Are you okay?”

Your eyes pop up to his. He’s grateful to make contact with them. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Cause we’re playing interrogate Steve.”

“I said sorry.” There’s a loose thread of the couch in between your fingers. You tie it anxiously.

“You didn’t need to.” He teases.

“I know.” You tease back, lighthearted. Just loud enough to hear, just quiet enough that you don’t have to use your voice, you’re scared he’ll hear the choke in your throat.

The couch below you crinkles as Steve turns back to his tv, and you’re embarrassed. So embarrassed.

He doesn’t know this, of course, but it still gnaws that he could see through your interrogation. As he’d put it.

“Y/N.” His voice is quiet.

The TV still plays, background noise though you pretend to pay attention.

“Hm?” You feign attention, or a lack thereof.

His hand drops from the couch cushion to your knee, squeezing concernedly. “Are you okay?”

Or maybe he does know. Maybe he knows more than you’d think.

“Yes, Steve,” There’s a weak laugh that makes him frown. “Are we playing interrogate Y/N now?”

“No,” he drags out, gently. “you just seem.. sad?”

You nod. “Thank you.”

“No,” he says again, a little more stressed. “I just mean- shit, I can tell you want to cry.” his chest hurts. “Did I do something?”

Your head shakes, words failing you.

He’s upset now. Not at you, of course, but at himself for being the reason you weren’t able to talk.

“M’sorry.” His head shakes, dismissing his earlier question. “Please don’t be upset with me, just.. tell me when you’re ready.”

You nod, knowing that he‘s still watching, though he’s turned back to Full House.

Something about him noticing your upset doesn’t sit right with you. He’s known you since you were 5, of course he can tell when you want to cry. Of course he notices the freckle next to your eye and the birthmark on your hip. Don’t all friends?

Your stomach stumbles and you get up, tripping to get to your small bedroom before Steve sees the tears. You and him had a small budget apartment shopping, but it was yours, and that’s what mattered.

You’re grateful when Steve seemingly doesn’t follow, though he stands behind the door petrified. He’s the reason you’re hiding away, he’s the reason he can hear racketing sobs, and he doesn’t know what he did.

He thinks for a moment, that you must know what he’s been thinking lately.

—

Stay while in your slumber, tumble under, and never wake.

Family video is cold without you.

Steve doesn’t think there was ever a Family Video shift he didn’t work with you, and your vanishment has completely left him an absence of a boy.

Not that you quit or anything drastic like that.

Called in sick, is what Robin had said, and when Steve didn’t believe her, he’d had no choice but to tell the nosy girl what had happened the night before.

She’d sympathized with him like a good friend should, but that didn’t mean she agreed with him. She sometimes wish he had more interesting drama. He’d make a better coworker best friend.

“I mean, how do you think she feels, Steve?”

They sit on the floor of Family video behind the counter. Besides the establishment being empty of you, it was also devoid of customers, like your light drew them in. And they weren’t going to stand a ten hour shift if they hadn’t needed to.

His attention catches, looking up from the boxes Robin hands him to snap shut and throw in a crate. “What?”

She, unlike Steve, doesn’t look up, focused on the repetitious task of opening movie boxes, and stamping their return. “She’s your best friend of, what, 15 years?”

He doesn’t understand where she’s getting at, eyebrows scrunched in pure confusion. So what? “What does that have to do with this?”

Robin heaves a sigh, letting the stamp clunk down onto the hardwood loudly. If she notices Steve cringe, she makes no attempt to apologize. “I’m sure it gets tiring watching you go on date after date.”

“I do not go on ‘date after date.’” His pointed glare fails to cut through Robin.

“How many boyfriends has she had, Steve?”

On a normal day these questions would be tolerated. Today, they are not. “I don’t see what you’re getting at, Robin.”

She sighs again, more exasperated than before. His heart trips meanly at his friend being frustrated with him. “It hurts her feelings, Steve.” His head turns, Robin marches on. “I mean, she’s the only constant girl in your life, besides me, and you haven’t made a move!”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” His head shakes. “I just don’t want to lose her.”

“Did you want to lose me when you told me you loved me in the Starcourt toilets?”

Won't you tell her that you love her? And you'll hug her, most every day.

“I did not tell you I loved you.” His eyes roll. “Besides, I tell her I love her.”

Robin nods encouragingly. “That’s great, but is it the same way you told me you loved me?”

Steve loves Robin. It’s a deep twisting love that Steve is not ashamed to admit to anyone who asks, but even he knows that’s not the same love he holds for you. It’s different. Your his person. He feels a little sick.

“I think you should see sense, Steve.” Robin shrugs.

His hand runs over his eyes. “Thanks, Robs.”

“You’re welcome.” She chirps. “I just miss her here is all.”

Steve let’s his first smile of the day slip. “Is all.” He mimics

She laughs louder than him. “Shut up and finish your pile, you’re slowing me down.”

—

Walk a while in her summer, she is the drummer, of your beating heart.

Summer days are so much better when your best friend isn’t acting weird.

Weird is harsh.

The sun beating down heavily, your warm foggy head lays in Robins lap. Her fingers work through your hair, untangling tiny knots your brush didn’t glide through this morning. It’s nice. You breathe through your nose softly.

“Getting sleepy?” Robin murmurs, quiet in contrast to the shrieks of happy teenagers fifty feet away.

“No,” you huff, adjusting comfortably on her thigh, “just bored.”

“Hear that.” She nods, though only Steve can see. They’d wanted an outside day, wanted to skate and run and work themselves in the heat of the sun. Who was Steve to say no to that?

The blanket a languid tangle of teenage young adult limbs, he stares at the notable gap between your thigh and his. It’s raging and wide as the Mississippi River. He can’t stand it.

“What’s for dinner?” Robin asks into the air, but you know it’s not directed towards you.

“I don’t know,” Steve yanks a blade of grass from the ground. It’s soft between his fingers as his thumb glides against the smooth surface. He chucks it at Robin. “Ask the children’s mothers.”

She sniffs out as it hits her nose, he grimaces as she gently pulls it from where it’s landed in your hair. “Come on, you’re not gonna feed them?”

“What kind of dad are you, Steve?” You murmur into Robin’s thigh, tickling her softly.

He watches you, eyes still closed, reach out and flick his knee. It’s the first time you’ve directly touched him this entire evening. It sets off something awful in his chest.

“I mean- shit you know we gotta pay the electric,” His head shakes. “Can’t exactly afford Happy Meals for six.”

You sigh, ignoring Robin’s displeased mumble as you sit up. “I already paid electric, Steve.”

He doesn’t understand, tugging the brim of his cap down confusedly. Love will keep us together, it reads. Robin teased him for it, but he knew it was your favorite. “But we usually split that?”

“Just wanted to get ahead of things,” you shrug, not quite making eye contact. “figured you’d have some extra money for things like this.”

He hates the sincerity in your voice, eyeing your fingers as they tug the hem of his shorts absentmindedly. “You didn’t have to do that, babe.”

You shrug again, dropping your head back into Robin’s warm lap. “Wanted to.”

His head thumps with heat, or longing. He can’t tell them apart, covering his cool eyes from the heat of the sun with his hat. If it helps, he’ll know which the problem was.

Lucas is the first one to come running hungry. His nimble fingers punch a yellow straw into his capri sun, sucking greedily. Robin swats his hand when it overflows onto sticky fingers, mumbling something about the blanket. He doesn’t mind, tossing it into the grass.

“I’m hungry.”

“Hi, hungry.” You smile, though you don’t look up from your resting spot. Robin snorts at the unfunny joke, Steve cringes.

“Is she okay?”

“Just warm.” You nod, peeking at him. His visor covers the run from his eyes protectively, your eyes glint in a tease you won’t let slip. “We’re getting food soon.”

“Food?” Max drops to the blanket, kicking Lucas in the ribs softly, teasingly.

“We’re getting Happy Meals.” You affirm, reaching up to pull her thick red hair from her sweaty neck. Mike displeases.

“We’re not kids anymore.”

“You love the apple slices.” Wills elbow knocks Mikes.

“I could go for a Happy Meal.” Dustin disagrees with Mike. Max hums something of an agreement.

“Dollar menu.” Steve corrects, fighting off the petulant whines of 16 year olds in his ears. He’ll be buying you something pretty.

—

Don't you try to push or shove her, Find another, Or she'll walk away

The days following slow Steve down. Mentally and physically.

He doesn’t want to get up for work, doesn’t want to be ignored by you, to get a small smile for something that usually gets him your shining laugh.

You paid the electric in full so he could pocket some cash. He’d called the company that night to double check.

Not that he didn’t trust the veracious words from your mouth, it just startled him. You didn’t have to do that. You shouldn’t have done that. You’re a team, teams talk about these things.

He can’t help but feel that he’s the reason you haven’t talked to him.

You go grocery shopping and he could be sick. You buy for the both of you. Your fruit, his protein powder. Your snacks, your snacks x2 so Steve can share without feeling guilty. It’s a low punch to the gut.

It kills him that you do these things. These little things that splay your love embarrassingly on a table. You remember he doesn’t like Dawn dish soap and get Meyers instead. What is love if not attention? He doesn’t deserve it.

So he makes it up to you.

He does the dishes while your away, cleans the kitchen and stocks your coffee pods when they run low. Tiny acts he hopes won’t go unnoticed by you.

Though, this new act is not so tiny.

Creasing in the palm of his hand, the rough material of a tote bag handle squeezes. It’s warm, and slightly wet, from the warmth of his nervous hand. Is this too much? He’d got the prettiest bunch there, wrapping it in brown crinkle paper, cause no girl wants flowers in plastic Nancy had told him once.

He’s grateful to the teenage memory of her. A mental note to thank her.

Standing in front of your closed wood door, he can hear the loud music of the vinyl Robin had gotten you for Christmas last year. A thoughtful present, really, though you had to buy a record player to use it. You’d made Steve promise to never tell her, accepting the gift in a warm hug. She’d seemed really pleased.

“She's a woman in a dream, one that makes you fall in love”

He knocks, low enough to play it off if you don’t hear. But you do, of course you do.

There’s a soft shuffle. A click and a sputter of a record player dying down, a bed being situation on, and then a “Yes?”

He breathes out, turning the knob. It’s cold, and the gold paint chips off every so often, but it’s in your apartment that you and Steve pay for with your grown up jobs. If you could call family video that.

He can’t make himself walk in, leaving against the doorframe anxiously with his arms over his chest. It was supposed to be natural with you, you were his person. So why’d this feel so awful.

“I got you something.” He chokes out.

“You did?” Your eyes peak down at the brown paper crinkling out the tote bag. The sight of Steve Harrington with a tote bag. Where is your Polaroid?

Padding into your room cautiously, he pulls the flowers out gently. They’re rough around the edges, you can’t deny. Cleaned and snipped, you can see the spots he hadn’t meant to knick, and the way the paper dents in places it shouldn’t. “Still your favorite?” He hands them to you, still so gently.

“Yes,” you whisper, shocked beyond repair. “And the brown paper.”

“Eh,” he scratches his neck sheepishly. “Nance once told me girls didn’t like plastic wrapped flowers. I hope it’s not too fancy schmancy”

“I love any flowers.” Your honest voice mumbles. He almost doesn’t hear you as you look up to him. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.” He nods. He opens his mouth to say something, closing it silently. Your amused smile rings around his head.

“Yes?”

His fingers twitch. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

You choke a swallow. “What are you talking about?”

“The dates.”

“The dates?” The space between your eyebrows crease like the paper in your hands. “Those never made me uncomfortable.”

“I just-“ He breathes out, dejected. “Never?”

Your brain sputters. “Did you want them to?”

“No?” He panics. “No, no!” His head shakes furiously. “Just, Robin said-“

He’s cut off by your loud laugh. “That was your first mistake.”

His head cocks.

“Taking advice from her.” You give with a shrug. He coughs, startled.

“Yeah,” he nods, serious, definite. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“I mean, I love her, but this is the girl that had a crush on a Nashville wannabe for three years.”

He huffs a laugh that’s not all there. “Still don’t see what she saw in her.” His head shakes.

You squint, his dejected limpness detected quickly by your roaming eyes. “A voice only a mother could love.” You beg a laugh from him.

His shoulder shakes and his eyes flick to the posters covering the off white of your walls.

“Ok,” he breathes, patting his hip. “well I’ll get out of your hair.” He nods to himself. “Just wanted to give those to you.”

“Thank you, Stevie.”

The nickname pinches him and it hurts. He nods to you this time. “Anytime, bug.”

Ouch.

Crestfallen as a kicked puppy, he heads for the door. The sight stomps your heart.

Your weak voice stops him. “They never made me uncomfortable, but maybe a little jealous?”

He turns. “What?”

“I mean-“ your head tilts to the side, slowly shrugging. “It wasn’t fun hearing about Cass,”

“Carrie.”

“Carrie, and the other girls.” You pause. “Even if you never gave me the details.”

You tread a line of no return. Steve kicks you forward.

“But jealous?” He whispers.

You shrug, sheepish. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Your esophagus closes, no longer letting you swallow without a fight. That hurt. “Yeah,” you repeat. “Oh.”

The silence is deafening. Wow, you think.

You bring your fingers up to scrub tired eyes. They burn from your lack of sleep and the tears that threaten to front. “Maybe let’s just forget this?” Your shoulders deflate and he hates the crack in the end of the sentence.

“What?”

“Your ‘oh’ said a lot,” you breathe out self consciously. “So let’s just drop it before we can’t take back our words.”

Before we can’t take back our words.

“But I want that.” Steve frowns. “I want to not take it back.” He’s scared of tightness in his chest.

You pause. “Oh.”

He smiles. “Yeah,” he copies you. “Oh.”

It’s quiet after that. The whirring fan above you clicking with each turn. What do you say to that? This boy, the object of your affection for god knows how long, reciprocates your love.

“Wow.”

He laughs, his eyes squinting. “Right?”

“What wouldn’t you be able to take back?” You push lightly, daring a look at him. His hair mussed, his shirt wrinkled, you know he’s lost as much sleep over this as you.

“That-“ he starts slowly “That I’ve been into you since I was 14.”

You sit in quiet apprehension. The corners of his mouth ache from the smile he can’t wipe away.

“That I date to find a girl who compares to you,” His head tilts. “and they don’t.”

“We’re so stupid.”

“Just a little.” He grabs your arms gently and pulls you up to stand under him. The way he looks down at you kills the butterflies in your stomach and replaces them with something stronger. He tucks hair behind your ear, admiring. “You’re the nicest girl I’ve ever met, even when I don’t deserve it.”

You paw at his chest. “Stop.” You murmur.

He shakes his head. “You tolerate me to an extent I don’t understand, but I’m grateful.”

“I don’t tolerate you, idiot.” Your lips bend down. “I like you.”

He agrees quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment with his insecurity. “You know, before I talked to Robin I thought you were upset because you could read my mind?”

Your head shakes, amusedly disbelieved. “I take back what i said earlier, going to Robin for advice was amazing.”

“Shut up,” he pushes you back without letting go. “I thought you were hearing how much I wanted to kiss you.”

Your nose scrunches. “That’s so silly.”

“So silly.” He agrees, swaying you forward and backwards. “Is it silly that I want to kiss you now?”

“No,” you whisper. “I already knew that,” your face is stony faux seriousness. “I read your mind.”

He snorts, bending down to press his lips to your own. It’s soft and slow. His lips are smooth and if you didn’t know him like you do, you wouldn’t know he’s been using aquaphor since he was 18.

He pulls back gently and kisses you again quicker. “You’re so soft.” His fingers itch to slide from your waist and pull you in by your belt loops.

“Your chapstick.” You murmur, dazed.

“That shit is $9,” You know his annoyance isn’t real. “I need you to write me a check for what you owe me.”

“Can I pay you back in kisses?”

He pauses. “One kiss is .50 cents.” His eyes close, dramatizing his seriousness. “I need 18 kisses on the lips now.”

On the lips. You laugh at his wording. “I think we can make that work.”

She is what our love is made of.

Everything I read from you is greatness 🤩🤩

The Way That You Were

Pairing: fratboy!Peter Parker x reader

Synopsis: you and Peter reunite at a college party and discover he is no longer the sweet nerd you knew in high school

Masterlist

“I’m gonna pee.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Your friend asked you over the sound of the music of the party.

“I’ll be fine. But hold my drink, please.” You kindly requested and handed her your red solo cup.

“Have fun.” She called after you as you left for the bathroom. You adjusted your dress and leaned against the wall as you waited on the bathroom line. You looked around the frat house you were in and decided the walls were not actually something you wanted to lean against.

“God damn. If your ass blew me away I cannot wait to see your face.” A voice suddenly came from behind you. You scrunched your face in disgust and turned around to see who the voice belonged to. Your eyes met a boy in a backwards hat with curls spilling out of it on either side. But what made you lose your breath was the fact that you recognized the eyes staring back at you. The smug grin on the boys face instantly dropped when he recognized you as well.

“Peter? Peter Parker?” You asked and felt your heart ache just a little. You both slowly processed what he had just said and he turned a bright red.

“Y/n?” He asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

“My friend invited me. What were you saying about my face?” You asked and folded your arms.

“Nothing. Something stupid.” He said quickly before breaking into a smile. He suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. You blinked in surprise and hesitantly patted his back.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” He said into your ear.

“Neither can I.” You laughed dryly as you pulled out of the hug. You stepped back and took a moment to take him in. His arms were much bigger than you remembered from back in high school and you had a full view of them in his white cut off tank top. Everything about his outfit was different from his typical style, down to the shoes he was wearing. You would’ve thought he was wearing a costume if he didn’t look so natural.

“God, look at you.” He sighed as he looked you up and down. A dopey smile remained on his face and he shook his head as if he trying to shake a thought out of his mind.

“Me? Look at you. You look so different. What are you doing at a party like this?” You wondered.

“Oh, this is my frat house. We throw parties like this every weekend.” He replied and you laughed. He didn’t laugh with you and you realized he wasn’t joking.

“You live here?“ You asked as your eyes darted to the poster of a girl in a bikini riding a beer can barely covering a hole in the wall.

“That’s not mine.” Peter said quickly.

“The hole or the poster?”

“Can I get you a drink?” He asked to change the subject.

“I’m kinda waiting for something.” You laughed awkwardly and nodded towards the bathroom door.

“After? I’ll wait.” He offered. He seemed very eager to talk to you and you couldn’t deny that you had been desperate to talk to him ever since you graduated high school.

“Okay.” You agreed. “Sure.”

“Wait, don’t use that bathroom. It’s probably disgusting. It’s actually most definitely disgusting. I have a bathroom in my room. It’s much cleaner. Come on.” He said and nodded towards the stairs.

“Oh. Okay.” You looked around at who was watching before following him up the stairs. You stayed close behind him until the two of you reached his bedroom. You would never normally follow a guy up to his bedroom at a party without telling anyone where you were going but you grew up with Peter so you trusted him. You entered his bedroom and you discreetly took a look around. You’d been to his apartment in high school and were saddened to see his posters of the periodic table and Star Wars were replaced with patched up holes in the wall and a poster of Goodfellas next to a tapestry that said “Saturdays are for boys” over an American flag.

“I’ll guard the door.” Peter told you as he showed you where the bathroom was.

“Thank you.” You shot him a smile before going inside. Peter’s bathroom was much more akin to the Peter you once knew. You smiled at the miscellaneous artifacts on his bathroom counter and did what you came to do before leaving.

“Hey.” You smiled awkwardly at him when you left the bathroom.

“Hey.” He smiled back. “I kinda can’t believe you just used my bathroom.”

“I kinda can’t believe you have pink hand towels and Darth Vader shampoo.”

“Hey, hey, hey. That’s not Darth Vader. It’s the Mandelorian.” He corrected. “And they’re only pink because I washed them with my Chiefs jersey.”

“You own a jersey?” You raised at eyebrow at him.

“I do now that Taylor Swift said it’s okay to watch football.”

“You still listen to Taylor?” You smiled in surprise.

“Obviously. I was listening to Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus while I pregamed for this party.”

“Jesus.” You chuckled. “Who hurt you?”

“I just like the line about wondering.” He laughed as well but didn’t meet your eyes.

“So do I.” You admitted and he finally looked at you. You shared a moment of lingering eye contact accompanied by a comfortable silence. He looked different, and not just because of his outfit. He looked older. His baby face had hardened and he looked more like a man now and not the boy you once knew. But as different as he was, his eyes were the same. So was his laugh. And despite the years that had gone by without you seeing each other, you slipped right back into your friendship.

“Can I make you that drink now?” Peter asked after a beat.

“Okay.” You smiled and he slung his arm around your shoulders.

“Stay close to me. The people that come to these parties haven’t had all their vaccines.” He whispered in your ear as he led you back downstairs.

“I will.” You laughed and felt relieved his sense of humor was still in tact. A few people from Peter’s school turned to look at the two of you as you made your way to the kitchen but Peter didn’t seem to notice.

“This is the kitchen. All the healthy cereals are mine.” Peter said proudly and pointed to a box of Mini Wheats on top of the refrigerator.

“By healthy do you mean the frosted strawberry Mini Wheats?”

“Those really hit after a nightmare.” He insisted. “Plus, strawberry is a fruit and wheat is good for you. God, what do they teach girls in school?”

“Not the important stuff, apparently.” You laughed and he smiled as he caught your eyes. He pulled out a fresh red solo cup and got some ice.

“Do you still like Shirley temples?” He asked you.

“Yeah. You remember that?”

“Of course I do. I remember making makeshift ones out of sprite and strawberry syrup at Ned’s Halloween party Junior year because you told me they were your favorite.”

“Those were not bad.” You recalled. “Or maybe they just tasted better because I was 17 and drunk for the first time.”

“That was my first time drinking too. White Claw does not taste as good on the way out as it does the way in.” Peter grimaced and grabbed a beer from the ice bucket on the counter. You watched him crack it open with ease and felt an ache of nostalgia for those few nights of getting drunk as teenagers off alcohol from 7/11 that someone’s older brother bought.

“But I see you’ve outgrown White Claw.”

“Yeah. My friends and I pretty much only drink beer.” Peter nodded and took a swig of it.

“Don’t you worry about getting a…” You trailed off when Peter lifted his shirt to wipe his mouth with, giving you a full view of his abdomen. Peter’s sweaters and nerdy t shirts never let on that he was carved by the gods underneath his clothing.

“Beer gut.” You barely got the words out and blinked a few times to get back into reality.

“I seriously can’t believe you’re here. I always wondered what happened to you after high school.” Peter admitted as he made your drink for you.

“I know. I dropped my phone on the subway tracks a few years back and got a new number. But I always wondered about you too.” You told him.

“You did?” He smiled in relief.

“Of course I did. I tried to find you on social media but I couldn’t find anything.

“Yeah. I never really got the hang of it. I did try to find you in a phone book once. But the librarian called me a nerd and told me to go back to the 90s.” Peter replied, making you laugh.

“Well that wasn’t very nice of them.” You said.

“No it was not. So I am very pleased that I find you in my house tonight. That’s why I made you the most delicious Shirley Temple in the world.” Peter said and proudly held out the red solo cup.

“Oh, my. Thank you.” You giggled and accepted the cup from him. You took a sip and felt your eyes water.

“Jesus Christ. Is there any Sprite in here or just vodka?” You said through a cough.

“Sorry. That was out of habit. My boys and I are heavy pourers.” Peter sound genuinely apologized and added more Sprite to your cup to make it less strong.

“It’s all right.” You shrugged. “So I have to ask you, how come you’re no longer at MIT?”

Peter looked a little frightened when you mentioned MIT and quickly looked over his shoulder. He stepped closer to you and looked around again.

“I wasn’t happy there so I transferred last semester.” He said in a quiet voice.

“Why are we whispering?” You whispered back through a light laugh.

“People here don’t really know that I was like that.” He admitted and looked a little disappointed to even be saying it.

“Like what? Smart?” You asked at full volume. He looked around again and waved his hand in dismissal.

“I’m still smart. I just don’t let my boys know that.” He told you, making you raise your eyebrows in surprise.

“Your boys?” You laughed dryly.

“You know. My frat brothers.” He explained and gestured to the party.

“Right, right. I think I met a few tonight when I walked in on their farting contest and they asked me to join. Do you still talk to Ned?”

“Oh, no.” Peter shook his head. “We kept in touch for a while after high school but we kinda fell off somewhere after I transferred here.”

“Wow, really? You guys were so close. I thought you’d be friends forever.”

“Yeah. I guess I did too.” Peter realized and stared down the barrel of his beer bottle.

“Are you still studying biochemistry?” You asked him. “It was biochemistry, right?”

“It was. But now I’m undeclared. I’m not really sure what I want to do anymore.”

“Really? But you’re so smart. You were the smartest guy I ever met. You still are.”

“I’m not that smart.” He laughed and shyly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yes you are.” You insisted. “You always knew the answer to every question before I even processed what was being asked.”

“You’re smart too. In an original way that I still think about.” He replied, catching you by surprise. You took a sip to your cup for a little bravery and looked into his eyes.

“You still think about me?” You asked him with a coy smile.

“I do. All the time.” He answered without breaking eye contact. You sucked in a sharp breath and he smirked before moving same hair off your forehead. His hand stayed on your face and you felt your heart rate start to pick up. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to kiss him, it was that you had always wanted to kiss him. Now that he was standing in front of you and it might actually happen, you felt too nervous.

“Where are your glasses?” You blurted and ruined the moment. Before Peter could respond, me of his frat brothers walked in and clapped Peter’s on the back.

“Glasses? What’s this bird talking about, Parker?” He asked as he slung an arm around Peter and roughed him up a little.

“Shut up, Flash. She’s not a bird. She’s my friend from high school.” Peter defended you angrily and pushed the boy off.

“Oh shit. This isn’t the chick you were in love with, is it?” Flash gasped and looked at you.

“Who were you in love with?” You immediately asked Peter and felt a little jealous bubble up inside you.

“No, dumb ass. That was a different girl. This is Y/n. Don’t call her a chick either. Thats just another kind of bird.” Peter grumbled. Flash gave you an unapologetic once over before smirking.

“Nice to meet you, sweetie. I’m Flash. I hope you’re enjoying the party. But I do have to ask that you keep it down later because my room is right next to his and I have an 8 am class tomorrow.”

“Don’t, man.” Peter warned.

“Keep what down?” You wondered.

“Well, you know. Parker has girls in there so often I had to start charging them rent. Especially because they drink all the orange juice in the morning. And they tend to keep me up all night due to all the bed squeaking, so I ask that you’re considerate of the class I have tomorrow.” Flash said to you. You gulped and looked to Peter for an explanation, but Peter was busy glaring at Flash.

“Shut the fuck up, okay? Like you even go to class.” Peter scoffed. “Get out of here. Go drink some water. And take a bath. You stink.”

“All right. Just go easy on her, okay Parker? She seems like a nice girl. She deserves to be able to walk out of here in the morning.” Flash clapped him on the back again and you let out a shocked laugh.

“Fuck off. Now.” Peter demanded. Flash held up his hands and shot you a wink before walking away. You looked to Peter for an explanation for what just occurred. You have never heard him swear before and definitely never heard him get angry with someone like that. You also couldn’t help but wonder if there was any truth to what Flash had said about all the girls Peter slept with. You knew it shouldn’t bother you, but the Peter you knew had never even had his first kiss. Something about the guy you’d always pined after going from never being kissed to a guy with a long line of girls leaving his bedroom made your tummy hurt.

“I’m sorry about him. He’s such a dick sometimes.” Peter apologized to you.

“Yeah. I picked up on that.” You laughed nervously.

“Why’d don’t we get out of here? It’s too loud.” Peter’s said and gestured to the rest of the part. You sucked in a sharp breath and thought back to what Flash had just said. As much as you’d wondered about Peter, you were not ready to “get out of here” with him.

“I should probably get back to my friend.” You answered. Peter smiled politely and nodded in understanding but felt disappointed that your time together was ending.

“I’ll help you find her.” He offered and you agreed. You brought him to where you last saw her and found her making out with someone on the couch.

“Oh!” You said in surprise but your friend didn’t come up for sit.

“I think she’s okay for now.” Peter joked.

“I guess she is.” You agreed.

“Do you want to take a walk?” He asked and you felt relieved that he wasn’t asking to go back upstairs.

“Sure. I could use some air.” You agreed and followed him outside. The two of you walked down the sidewalk together and Peter stayed on the side facing the street to keep you from stumbling into it on accident. It felt easy to talk to him despite the years of being apart from each other and the longer you talked, the more you realized he hadn’t changed all that much. Sure, he swore a lot more now and made some dumb jokes, but his character was the same.

“Are you cold?” He asked you at one point.

“No. I’m okay. The fresh air feels good.”

“Good. Because I don’t have a jacket to offer you. But I would give you my jacket if I had one.”

“I appreciate that.” You laughed and looked over at him.

“So how long are you visiting your friend for?” He asked you.

“I go back to school on Tuesday.”

“So soon?” He stopped walking and frowned.

“Yeah. I’m just here for the long weekend.”

“Oh, shit, really? I was hoping we’d have more time together. I’d really love to see you again. Maybe we can get dinner tomorrow or something.”

“I don’t know.” You laughed nervously and folded your arms out of self consciousness.

“Why not?” He asked, sounding a little hurt.

“It was really good to see you again tonight. But I don’t think we have anything in common anymore, Pete.” You admitted without looking at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Look at us. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I don’t know if we’d get along anymore. Not like we did in high school, anyway.”

“Just because it’s been a long time doesn’t mean we won’t get along. We have history together. I’m still the guy you competed with in the decathlon.” He insisted. You looked up at him and stared at him under the light of the streetlight. He sounded like the guy you once knew, but he looked and acted so different now.

“Are you?” You asked quietly. Peter blinked a few times and smiled sadly.

“You don’t think so?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you look great and you seem happy with where you are now.”

“But?” He asked, sensing there was more. You smiled sympathetically because there was in fact more and it wasn’t exactly nice.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little surprised to see you tonight. I always wondered about you and assumed you were halfway to becoming a scientist or Nobel prize winner by now. I never expected all this.”

“All what?” He asked, sounding a little annoyed now.

“You know. Frat boy. Undeclared. Chugging beer. Long line of girls coming out of your room…” You trailed off and looked down at the ground again.

“Flash was joking about that. The only time I’ve had a girl in my room was when we had to get a maid after the New Year’s party because there was an unidentified goo on the floors. I’m still me.” He insisted and stepped closer to you. You still didn’t look up at him because you didn’t want to say what you were about to say.

“You commented on my ass.” You said quietly. You didn’t see it, but Peter’s face dropped. He had felt annoyed that you were judging him until he remembered his opening line to you tonight was about your body. He felt guilty for reducing a girl he knew so well to an object for him to comment on.

“I’m sorry about that. I really am.” He apologized. “I’m way drunk right now and not using my head.

“The guy I knew in high school was not the kind of guy who says things like that to girls.” You said and finally looked into his eyes. To your surprise, he looked genuinely apologetic.

“I know. I’m not like those guys. I swear, I never normally say things like that. I’m drunk and a fucking idiot. I’ve made a total ass of myself all night. What can I do?”

“Peter, it’s fine. I’m not here to judge you. And you don’t owe me anything. I’m being stupid anyway. I’m not the same person I was in high school so I don’t know why I expected you to be. Thats not fair to you. I guess I’m just little drunk and upset I never got to see my Peter again.”

“Your Peter?” Peter asked with a sad smile.

“Come on, Peter. I was crazy about you back then. The whole school knew. By senior year, everyone had figured it out but you. And I always regretted not telling you. So I’d fantasize about all the cool things you were doing in college. This just isn’t what thought it would be like when we found each other again.”

“For me either.” He admitted as he stared at you starry eyed.

“No?”

“I liked you too. You were the girl Flash was talking about. I was in love with you in high school.” He confessed. You knew you should be happy to hear that but all you could think of was the wasted potential of a relationship that never got to happen.

“You never told me.” You said softly.

“How could I?“ He laughed. “You were so beautiful I could barely get an intelligent word out when you were around. You still are. And I still can’t.”

“I wish I knew. Now I’m always gonna wonder what would have happened if I had just told you how I felt.” You smiled sadly.

“So will I.” He said as his eyes filled with sadness. You stared at each other for a moment with the quiet understanding that at one point you wanted the same thing at the same time.

“Maybe we don’t have to wonder.” Peter said after a beat.

“What do you mean?” You asked him. Peter stepped closer suddenly and tilted your chin up with his pinky.

“Please.” He pleaded. “Just give me one night. I’ll take you to dinner and prove I’m still me.”

“And suppose you do.” You shrugged. “I’m only here for the weekend. What does it matter anyway?”

“It matters to me. Because I’ve always wanted you. Even if I just get one night.”

“Peter, I’m not trying to be one of your girls.” You shook your head and stepped away from him.

“I told you. There are no girls. You are the only girl who has ever taken my breath away. I never stopped thinking about you after high school. Just give me one chance.” He asked and pulled you back into his arms. You stared into his eyes for a moment and found yourself unable to say no.

“Please.” He whispered and sounded irresistibly desperate. You could see his gaze dropping to your lips and felt your heartbeat pick up again. But this time, you didn’t feel nervous.

“I shouldn’t.” You said quietly.

“But don’t you want to stop wondering and know for certain?” He asked, and you nodded. Your eyes fluttered shut and just as you were expecting his lips to meet yours, he cupped your face and kissed your cheek.

“I’m not going to kiss you tonight. Because I’m drunk. And you’re not.” He said when you looked at him in confusion. You were disappointed to not be kissed but smiled knowing he made the responsible decision.

“Oh. Yeah. Good call.” You cleared your throat and stepped out of his embrace.

“But I will be on my best behavior tomorrow for our date.” He assured you.

“I never actually agreed to a date.” You smiled coyly. Peter grinned and pulled you back into his arms and let his hands rest on your hips.

“You agreed when you closed your eyes to kiss me.” He said with his face close to yours. You gulped again but never broke eye contact with him.

“You’re kinda an asshole now.” You teased him.

“Yeah, but in a good way.” He shrugged, making you laugh.

“We’ll see.” You said pointedly. Peter pulled put his phone and handed it to you.

“We will see.” He insisted. “Here. Put your new number in. And don’t drop it on the subway this time.”

“I won’t.” You playfully rolled your eyes and typed your number into his phone. When you handed it to him, your hands touched as he took it back.

“You better not.” He said and slipped his fingers into yours as he pocketed his phone. You stared into his big brown eyes and felt like you were right back in high school.

“You could kiss me, if you wanted to. I had a drink too.” You said in a soft voice.

“I do want to. But I’ll save it for when my lips don’t taste like cheap beer.” He said with a smirk. He leaned in and kissed your cheek one more time before walking you back to the house. You stepped inside the frat house and just as your friend was heading to the door.

“Hey. The guy I was making out with tried to explain the stock market to me and laughed when I said I’m an economics major. I’m over this party. Are you ready to head out?” She asked you as she slung her purse over her shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. We can go.” You replied and felt disappointed to leave Peter so soon.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He leaned down and whispered in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“Goodnight.” You said as you turned around to see him.

“Goodnight.” He replied and cupped your chin one more time.

Ten minutes after Peter said he would pick you up, he still wasn’t there. You checked your phone for the hundredth time as saw the minutes adding up. You should have known it was all too good to be true and he wasn’t the exception he claimed to be. He joined a frat and they poisoned the once sweet boy you knew. Just as you were about to go inside, Peter sped down your block and rolled down the window.

“I’m late. I’m sorry.” Peter called out the open window. Since he didn’t even bother to get out of the car, you got off the front steps you were sitting on and bent down to look at him through the window.

“I was starting to think you weren’t coming.” You said and didn’t try to hide your annoyance.

“I’m sorry.” He said and pouted. “God damn. You look hot.”

You opened your mouth to scold him for objectifying you once again but he wasn’t done yet.

“I’m so sorry I was late. I bet you spent a long time getting ready dry. And I’m sure you’ve been waiting for a long time. I remember you saying you get ready with time to spare and sit by the door until the person picking you up gets there so they don’t have to wait outside for long. And I’m an asshole and came late.”

You had planned to walk away and go back inside to punish him for being late, but you just couldn’t. Him remembering that little detail about you combined with the way he looked in his jersey made you want to stay.

“Well maybe I’ve changed.” You said pointedly as you climbed into his car.

“You have. High school you didn’t wear rings or have sexy red nails. But I figured some things would stay the same. Hello.” He greeted and leaned in to kiss your cheek. You felt your face burning and turned away so he wouldn’t see your smile.

“I thought some things would stay the same too. Yet I met you last night with a backwards cap on. The Peter I knew wouldn’t never be caught dead in a hat. Let alone one representing a sports team.” You teased him.

“It’s not actually a sports team. Look.” Peter took his eyes off the road to reach into his backseat and get his hat. He handed it to you and your eyes widened.

“Oh my God.” You said as you turned over your old black hat you got at the Gap freshman year.

“You let me borrow that at the senior skip day at the beach because I forgot sunblock.” Peter recalled. “And when I tried to give it back to you, you said I could keep it since it looked better on me.”

“It did.” You smiled fondly at the memory.

“I wear it all the time now because I don’t know how to do my curly hair now that it’s longer.”

“I like it longer.” You told him. “But I also liked your short gelled look. With your cute little button downs and sweaters.”

“Yeah. I outgrew those.” He chuckled. “I started working out more and they looked silly on me once I got bigger. Then Flash showed me how to cut my shirts to show off my arms.”

“Yeah. I can’t imagine those arms in a little sweater.” You agreed.

“What about my arms?” He looked over at you with a smirk.

“Nothing.” You said coyly. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“It’s a surprise. But I’ll give you a hint. You wrote about it in your letter to your college self.”

“What?” You laughed in surprise. “Do you have a photographic memory of something? I don’t remember anything I wrote in that.”

“I told you. I was in love with you.” He said and looked over at you. You locked eyes and smiled until a car hocked at him for drifting into their lane.

“How come you’re so comfortable saying it now yet I had no idea back in high school?” You wondered. Then Peter got a text and pulled out his phone to read it. You eyed him but didn’t say anything as he replied to the text while driving. You’d never been in a car with him behind the wheel before and it was starting to make you a little nervous.

“I don’t know. You’re different too.” He answered finally. “I can tell from looking at you. So I guess I don’t feel like I’m telling the girl I was in love with how I feel because I don’t really know you anymore. It makes it less scary.”

“I didn’t think about it like that. You’re right. I guess we don’t know each other anymore.” You said with a sad smile.

“I want to, though. Because you seem like a cooler version of the girl I liked in high school. Who was already cool.” He said and looked over at you again. You smiled at his compliment and stopped worrying about hai driving for a moment.

“I have so many questions for you.” You to him.

“Shoot.”

“Why’d you leave MIT?”

“I don’t know. It wasn’t what I thought it would be. I realized I was a big fish in a small pond back in high school. Everyone seemed so much smarter and more experienced than I was. I felt so alone all the time. So I drove home one night and never looked back.”

“Yeah. I get that. I was always told I was a smart kid growing up and then I just felt so burnt out in college. At least you know you got into MIT and gave it your all.

“Thank you for saying that. I like the way you see things. I’ve been missing your perspective in my life.” He told you and you felt your face heat up again.

“How’d you end up at your new school?” You said to distract him from how flustered he made you.

“They had offered me a full ride if I joined the academic decathlon team. Which I do in secret. Don’t tell my frat please.” He chuckled and looked at you to see if you’d keep his secret. You feigned a smile and internally missed the boy who was a proud captain of the decathlon team.

“How’d you end up in a frat anyway? That seems so opposite of your personality.”

“It kinda happened by accident. I was in a group project with Flash and he invited me to a party after I did his half of the work. And it wasn’t the worst once I had something to drink so I started going to more parties. And then I started drinking a lot. I made friends with a lot of frat guys that Flash knew I so ended up pledging.” He shrugged. You nodded your head but were less than impressed with his story. You and Peter had shared many conversations about not wanting to be at the parties you were never invited to anyway back in high school and now he was the one throwing them.

“I still can’t wrap my head around you being in a frat. I really never imagined you’d be into something like that.”

“How did you imagine me?” He asked with a coy smile.

“I imagined you’d be student teaching a biochemistry class and have a devoted fan base of nerdy students who hung on your every word like in Dead Poets Society. And you’d have circular glasses and wear ties and cardigans like Spencer Reid.

“Wow, Dead Poets Society. I totally forgot about that movie. I haven’t seen it in forever.”

“Really? I thought it was your favorite movie?”

“It used to be. I just watched this movie last week where Seth Rogan and one of the Franco brothers were smoking weed and then they witnessed this murder so they were worried the murder was gonna find them-“ Peter started laughing as he remembered the plot but stopped when he noticed you weren’t laughing along with him. The plot was far from the science fiction films he used to talk extensively about during lunch in an effort to convince you to watch them. It wasn’t much, just another reminder of how different he was from when you knew him.

“It was stupid. Anyways.” He changed the subject. “What have you been up to lately? How’s school?”

“School is good.” You shrugged. “I don’t know how I’ll ever work a job once I graduate because now having one class at 12 pm drains me for the remainder of the day, but I enjoy it. I like the freedom.”

“Good, good. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I like the freedom too. I can eat macaroni at any hour and no one can tell me otherwise. And your friends are nice?”

“Yeah. I’ve found a good group of girls. It was really lonely at first like you said but I eventually found my people. It’s been a lot better now.” You answered as your eyes watching his thumbs type something on his phone. You looked at him in confusion but he was too busy switching back and forth between watching the road and texting to notice.

“I totally get that. I ate alone so many times that I started it get used to it. But it gets better when you find a few good people to spend time with.” He said after a minute. You nodded your head and tried not to be bothered by how distracted he was.

“Are your frat brothers good people?”

“I know you probably have a million and one presuppositions about frat guys but I promise we’re not as bad as you’ve been told. Lots of frats are crazy and have those worst kind of guys in it but were not like that. We have a no bullshit policy.” He informed you.

“Oh yeah? What kind of bullshit do you not tolerate?”

“All sorts of bullshit. We just kicked a guy out last week because he cheated on his girlfriend. And we banned the girl from our parties because she knew he had a girlfriend and slept with him anyway. We do not tolerate that kind of bullshit. Plus, Flash told me they once found out a guy was a bully in high school so they took turns farting on his pillow and then he got severe pink eye and had to drop out of school for the semester. Isn’t that hilarious?”

“That’s nice to hear. Except for the fart stuff. That’s really gross. But not tolerating bullshit is cool. I guess I assumed all frat guys were Brads and Chads who chugged beers and creeped on girls. And I assumed that because a frat guy at my school had sex with a pumpkin and put it on his Snapchat story.”

“Ew, what?” Peter laughed. “Who uses Snapchat still?”

“That’s the part you found gross? Damn, how many pumpkins are you having sex with?” You teased him.

“A gentleman never tells.” Peter said poshly, making you laugh. He got another text and pulled out his phone to read it.

“Peter-“ You began.

“I can’t believe you’re in my car. Do you know how many times I tried to awkwardly ask you out in high school? But I was so vague you never realized? And now you’re just in my car and you smell amazing and I barely had to do anything.” He cut you off and grinned at you as he put his phone down. Every time you got annoyed with his behavior, he pulled you back in some compliment.

“Thank you. It’s my perfume.” You smiled and held your wrist out. Peter caught it with ease and held your wrist to his nose.

“Oh, wow. I like that.” He complimented. “Usually I wake up and walk into a cloud of axe body spray in every area of the house. You’re a nice relief from that.”

“Thank you. You smell good too.” You chuckled.

“Thanks. I stole Flash’s expensive cologne.”

“For me?” You gasped and touched your heart.

“Hell yeah.” He scoffed. “I’ve been waiting on this date since I was 14.”

“I never said this was a date.” You said out of the corner of your mouth.

“I’m pretty sure you did.” He said and dragged the word “pretty” out.

“You would have been on time if it was.” You teased him, making him look at you with narrowed eyes.

“Okay, yes, I was late.” He admitted. “But I had good reason.”

“And what was that reason?”

“I was setting something up.” He said simply.

“Really?” You smiled. “What is it?”

“You’ll see.” He said coyly.

“Okay. Weirdo.” You chuckled. “So, where are we eating?”

“I know this great burger place a few blocks from here. You’re gonna love it.” He replied. You nodded and head and smiled until he pulled out his phone again to answer another text. His car swerved into the other lane and he barely noticed, making you shoot him a look.

“Who are you texting?” You finally asked him.

“Nobody. One second.” He answered as his eyes flipped back and forth between his phone and the road. He started to drift again and a car honked at him as it passed by to get away.

“Peter, you really need to keep your eyes on the road.” You said as another car shouted something at him out their window.

“What was that?” Peter asked and looked up from his phone. You looked at him incredulously and let out a short laugh.

“If you have someone else you’d like to be talking to right now, maybe you should go be with them.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Babe, chill. I don’t have anyone else. I want to be here with you.” He insisted.

“Don’t call me “babe”. Its condescending. And you’re putting both our lives in danger because you’re so busy texting. And if you want to be with me, why are you so distracted by your phone?”

“I just needed to respond to something. Sorry. I won’t do it anymore.” He grumbled and put his phone away. His lack of an apology and heavy attitude in his voice was the final straw for you.

“Just pull over.” You told him.

“What? No. We’re almost there. I won’t text anymore.” He promised.

“Peter, pull over.” You said sternly. “I do not want to be in this car anymore.”

“I’m trying to take you on a nice date and you’re gonna bail because I answered a few texts?”

“Pull the damn car over.” You raised your voice. Peter rolled his eyes and pulled over to the side of the street.

“Before you get out-“ He began. Just then, his phone rang with a girls name on his screen and his face dropped. You raised your eyebrows at him and he smiled sheepishly.

“Answer it.” You dared him. Peter gulped and looked between you and the phone before picking it up.

“I’m sorry. One second.” He said and answered the phone. You scoffed in disbelief and glared at him as he took the call.

“Hello? No, I’m not doing anything. I can talk. What’s going on?” He asked into the phone. You had seen enough and got out of the car and started walking down the street. Peter watched you get out and opened his car door to talk to you.

“Where are you going?” He called after you.

“Peter, I’m not gonna sit here while you text other girls. I’m leaving.” You answered and continued down the street. He quickly explained his situation over the phone and hung up before running after you.

“Wait, please don’t leave. I’ll put my phone away.” He promised but you didn’t stop walking.

“You can text whoever you want. I don’t care. You’re just not gonna do it and think you can still take me on a date.” You told him before storming off. You turned the corner and started heading towards a nearby park.

“Wait.” Peter called after you so you walked even faster. He eventually caught up and caught you gently by the arm.

“Damn, you’re fast for a girl in heels.” He said as he caught his breath. You pulled your arm away from him and went into the park to get away from him. He caught onto you again and this time, you had tears in your eyes.

“Where are you going?” He asked. “What about our date?

“This was a mistake.” You shook your head and looked down.

“What? No it wasn’t.” He said, sounding genuinely hurt.

“Yes it was. Look at us, Peter. We don’t have anything in common anymore. I really liked you back then but you’re not that guy anymore. That guy wouldn’t show up late, call me “hot” and “babe”, text and drive, forget his favorite movie, stop talking to his best friend-“

“Oh. I get it.” He cut you off. “You’re disappointed because I’m not the same person I was when I was 17.”

“Yeah. Maybe I am.” You snapped and folded your arms when you heard his attitude return.

“Yeah, well. You’re different too.” He insisted. “The girl I knew in high school was not this judgmental.”

“I am not judgmental.” You scoffed.

“Yes you are. You’ve been judging me since the moment you turned around at the party. Just admit it.”

“Maybe because you commented on my ass like you were one of the dickhead boys you used to make fun of I’m high school. God, what happened to you?”

“I said I was sorry about that.”

“But you still did it.” You laughed sadly. “And then showed up late. And then remembered things about me from high school. And then texted other girls. And then kept the hat I gave you. I don’t understand you, Peter. I can’t read you anymore. This is too confusing. And it’s all for nothing because I still go back home on Tuesday and we’re never going to see each other again.“

“It doesn’t have to be like that.” He said and put his hands on your shoulders. You were surprised by how desperate for you to stay he sounded since it contradicted his behavior thus far.

“I think it does, Peter. Goodbye.” You shook your head and walked away again.

“Wait. There’s snakes out there.” He called after you.

“No there’s not.” You called back. You kept walking through the park until you came across a picnic blanket surrounded by fake candles. Surrounding the blanket were printed out caricatures of celebrities strung up and tapped to trees.

“What is this?” You asked when you heard Peter come up behind you.

“Oh thank God. No one stole it.” He sighed in relief and walked over to the picnic blanket.

“Wait, you set this up?” You asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. Ellen’s Stardust Dinner turns out to be insanely difficult to get into so I made us one.”

“Ellen’s Stardust Dinner?”

“In your letter. I remembered you said it was your dream to eat there one day.” He said with a sheepish smile. You couldn’t help but smile as well and started to walk around to look at all the photos he had printed. Peter lingered behind you and kept a comfortable distance since you were upset with him.

“Is this Joey Graceffa?” You laughed and pointed to one of the pictures.

“I took some creative liberties with the celebrities I chose to showcase once I ran out of ones I knew you liked. Do you still like Dylan O’Brien?”

“Do bears still shit in the woods? The answer is yes. Sorry. That wasn’t funny.” You quickly corrected yourself and Peter snorted.

“It was a little funny.” He admitted. “Not really, though.”

“I see the entire cast of Modern Family made it.” You chuckled and touched one of the photos he had tapped up to a tree.

“Of course they did. It’s the best show ever.”

“You’re not wrong.” You looked over at him with a smile. Peter took that smile as a sign you were forgiving him and stepped closer to you. You could feel his presence behind you and turned around to face him.

“You set all this up for me?”

“I did. That’s why I was late.” He explained. “I started early but then I ran out of magenta ink so obviously I couldn’t print the rest of my photos despite them having no magenta parts.”

“What about all the texting?” You asked him.

“My aunt is getting a mammogram today. Her mom had breast cancer so she was really nervous. I was checking in with her. But don’t worry, she’s okay. She just called to tell me. And that doesn’t excuse me texting while driving which I normally never do but she was anxious in the waiting room and I didn’t want her to be alone with her thoughts.”

“You didn’t tell me that.” You said softly and immediately felt guilty for snapping at him.

“You would’ve told me to go be with her.” He shrugged. “And I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see you before you left.”

“Well that’s very noble of you but it sounds like she needed you more than I did today.”

“Don’t worry. She insisted I come here instead. I would have just made her more nervous with my anxious pacing.”

You looked around at everything Peter had set up for you and all the details he had put in. You’d misread everything and judged him off of things you knew little about. You looked at him with guilt in your eyes and smiled sadly.

“I don’t know what to say.” You admitted. “You went through a lot today for me and I just threw a fit and stormed off.”

“I can’t say I didn’t give you good reason. I should have told you these things sooner. I’m just not good at this sort of thing. I wanted so badly to impress you that I ended up making you think I didn’t care.”

“Can we just start over then? And enjoy this set up you made?” You asked him.

“I would like that.” Peter smiled and sat down on the blanket. You sat down beside him and leaned into his side. Peter wasted no time in wrapping both arms around you, making you both fall backwards onto the blanket. You both laughed and stayed in each others arms as you rolled over to look into his eyes.

“I’m sorry I judged you.” You said and fixed his hair.

“It’s okay. I know I’m not what you thought I’d be.”

“You’re not. But you’re still you. You still have your heart and your humor. And those were always my favorite parts of you anyway. I don’t know why I got so hung up on the other things. Who cares what movies you watch or what you do with your free time now? None of that stuff matters.”

“Do you still like me? Even though I’m different?” He asked as he stared into your eyes.

“Look at what you did for me today. You’re not different. You just wear different clothes. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you. It wasn’t fair. And I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. Honestly, I miss who I was too. I miss Ned. And being around people who know what amino acids are. And I missed you. God, I missed you so much. In the years since high school, there have been so many times when I’ve come across something I wanted to show you or thought something I wanted to tell you. I missed hearing your laugh when I made a stupid joke or hearing your thoughts on the bad movies I’d beg you to watch. I never made a friend like you again. And after a while, I realized I never would.”

“I never found someone like you either. No one ever had me like you did. I’ve been dreaming about the day we met again since the day I last saw you.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” He joked.

“Please. How could I be disappointed in this?” You playfully rolled your eyes and traced your fingertips up and down his arm. Peter reached forward and placed his hand on your face to stroke your cheek with his thumb.

“When do you leave on Tuesday?” He asked in a quiet voice.

“Late. My train is at 5.”

“Maybe we can get breakfast then.” He suggested without looking at you as he laced his fingers through yours.

“I’d like that.” You smiled and started to lean in.

“I can cook it.” He added. “After we wake up in my room.”

“Don’t push it.” You chuckled and rubbed your nose against his as you got closer.

“I won’t.” He replied before closing the gap between you and kissing you. The kiss that was years in the making was worth every minute of the wait. His right hand found his way to your hip and he squeezed it.

“Maybe you can push it just a little bit.” You said against his lips. Peter took that as his chance to pull you by the waist on top of him and deepen the kiss.

“That’s how I know you’ve changed. Nice boys don’t kiss like that.” You said when you pulled away to catch your breath.

“Yes they fucking do.” Peter said against your lisp before pulling you back into a heated kiss. You weren’t sure how much time passed as you kissed him but you only stopped when you Peters stomach let out a loud growl. You pulled away and rolled onto your back as you both laughed.

“Sorry about that. We never actually got any food.” He realized.

“Oh yeah. Maybe we should go do that.” You said and rolled over to face him.

“Yeah. We probably should.”

Despite the agreement to get up and go get some food, neither of you moved. You just laid on the blanket and stared into each others eyes with a comfortable silence in the air.

“In a minute?” You suggested after a minute and Peter smiled before leaning in to kiss you again.

“In a minute.”

PSA: DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE. it’s never worth it. It takes one second to get in an accident. Any text can wait. Your life is more important

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“Well, damn.”

Eddie Munson x female reader

summary: eddie finds you in the bath.

warnings: smut in the bath, language?

This was what you needed after a long day. Relaxation. The water was hot and full of bubbles, candles were lit and the lights were off. Your eyes were closed in pure bliss, the smell of your mint bubble bath wafting through your nostrils. You smirked when you heard Eddie’s can pull in, hearing the crank of the wheel and squeak of the tires, his metal music booming through your speaker, interrupting your peace.

You lifted your arm out of the tub to rest on the linoleum, white plastic, sighing as the cool air raised bumps on your skin.

“Baby cakes!” Eddie sang, slamming the door on his way in.

“In here, Ed!” You called back, chuckling to yourself at the endearment. You closed your eyes again, settling back into the water, rising up to your neckline.

“Well, damn.” You heard his voice, the creak of the door coming to a halt. “This is what I like to see after a long day.”

You opened your eyes and smiled when you found him. Black jeans, black tee, black, wild and curly hair and covered in jewelry. He had a goofy smile on his face that you matched.

“Hi, baby.” You you wiggled your fingers out to him. “Kiss me.”

He hurriedly fell to his knees and placed a loud muaw of a kiss on your lips, sitting cross cross on the bath mat in front of the tub. “Got any room in there for me?” He wiggled his brows, adjusting himself on the floor.

“No.” You gave him a pointed look. “You always climb in during my bath time. I’m trying to relax! Take a bath on your own time.”

He pursed his lips, faking annoyance. “I don’t like baths.”

“Yes, you do!” You chuckled. “You always take them with me.”

“Honey, it’s not the bath I like it’s the wet naked lady in there with me.” He flicked water at your face, making you flinch.

He flicked water at you a few more times before going in for another kiss, placing a hand on your glistening, wet breast and squeezing it. He massaged it as he kissed you, your wet tongues dancing together and slobbering up each other’s mouths. He let his hand slide down your stomach until it was underwater, a familiar heat between your legs starting to spark like a singular match.

His slender, ringed fingers ghosted and teased over your pussy’s entrance, sucking on your mouth and making you moan into him. “Still- want me t-to leave?” He said in between kisses.

“Huh?” He grabbed your hair and lifted your head back. “Answer me, baby.”

“No.” You batted your lashes. “Stay with me.”

“Uh huh, and what is it you want me to do?” He placed a sweet kiss below your ear, his tongue licking the warm skin.

“Touch me.” You breathed out, the warmth of the water and his teasing making you lightheaded. “Please, Eddie.”

He groaned at his name and lifted your lips back out to his, shoving his fingers inside tour pussy it made the water splash. He barely gave you time to adjust, fingering you roughly in the tub. You broke apart from the kiss, gasping and laying your head on his chest to lean against, your wet hair dampening his t shirt.

“Oh, God!” You cried.

“Try again.” He smirked, his fingers flexing inside your gummy walls. “Say my name again, sweetheart.”

You chorused his name in song, mewling and writhing in the water it splashed out the sides and soaked up the bath mad and his jeans.

His thumb found your clit, massaging in circles that sparked white hot threads of pleasure up into your body. He dipped his head and took your breast in his mouth, sucking on it and biting your nipple, the ends of his hair becoming wet. You coiled over, leaning against his body as you whimpered deeply, crying out for him as your body began to shake. “I’m gonna cum, Eddie!” Your voice shook, tears burning your eyes as you began to see stars.

His thumb pressed on your clit like a button, adding pressure that made your coiled stomach snap. You let out a sob, and he continued fingering you in the water until your body was slack.

Meet Me Behind The Mall

Pairing: shy!Peter Parker x popular!Reader

Synopsis: after getting ditched by your friends, you spend a day with Peter in the mall, who’s secret you recently figured out

Masterlist

In his peripheral vision, Peter could see a tiny piece of paper being pushed onto his side of the lab table. He curiously looked at it, then up at you. You nodded your head towards the note so Peter unfolded it.

“What’s the answer to number 7?” The note read. Peter glanced up at the professor before scribbling down the answer and passing the note back to you. You read his response and circled the correct answer. A few seconds passed when another note was passed across the table. Peter picked it up and opened it to reveal three hearts drawn around the words “thank u!”. Peter felt his face flush and looked over at you again. You gave him a thumbs up before going up to hand in your test.

After class, you caught up with Peter in the hallway and put your hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Thank you so much for helping me in there. I counted up all the answers I was confident I got right and it wasn’t enough to get a pass. I just don’t get this unit.”

“You’re welcome.” Was all Peter could say. He thought about offering to tutor you or telling you he also struggled with the topic, but he felt too shy to get anything more out than a cordial response.

“I bet you did really well. You always do. God, I wish I was as good at science as you are. It’s just never come naturally to me. How do you always know the answer?” You asked him as you continued to walk together.

“Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged and immediately scrunched his face in embarrassment. He wished he could be better at conversing with you, especially since you were always so nice to him. He saw a pack of your friends coming down the hallway and they waved you over, putting your conversation out of it’s misery.

“Bye, Peter. I’ll see you next class. Have a good weekend.” You waved to him as you ran to catch up with your large group of friends. He knew he should return the sentiment but instead stayed silent and gave you a pathetic wave back.

That night, the cheap alcohol of the frat party didn’t sit well with you so you headed home early. You were a pretty far walk from your dorm but felt too nauseas to get into a car. Instead, you started walking home and let the cold New York air calm you down.

“Where are you going, gorgeous?”

You felt panic drop in your stomach at the sound of a man’s voice somewhere in the darkness but kept walking to your dorm. The sound of footsteps behind you picked up behind you so you quickened your pace. You could still hear music coming from the party you had left so you knew people were nearby if worst came to worst.

“Hey. I’m talking to you. Where are you going?”The man asked as he caught up to you and walked beside you. You ignored him and tugged your jacket tighter around your body. He suddenly took you by the elbow and you froze in fear.

“Come on. Don’t be rude. Just give me a smile and I’ll leave you alone.” The man said with a sickening smile as he tried to get you to look at him.

“Please. I’ll give you whatever you want from my bag. Just leave me alone.” You pleaded and moved away from him. He snatched your purse from your hands and started to rummage through it.

“What the hell is this? This is just full of receipts.” He grimaced in disgust and pulled out a handful of crumbled receipts.

“I don’t want to throw them out in case I need to return something one day.” You said meekly.

“Do you even have a wallet? All I’m finding is lip gloss.” The man said as he picked up five different lip products from the bottom of your bag.

“Oh, I’m sorry you didn’t find a better person to rob.” You scoffed sarcastically. The man looked up at you with a primal look in his eyes.

“Oh, you think you’re funny? I don’t like girls who think they’re funny.” He said and gripped your elbow again. You tried to pull away but he was too strong. Before you could tell him to let to, Spiderman dropped down next to you. You cracked a smile at the sight of him and let out a sigh of relief.

“Sir, I hate to be the one to tell you this but that purse does not to with that outfit.” Peter sassed and moved his hands in dramatic exasperation.

“Huh?” The guy said and let go of you.

“Now, you better not have left a bruise on this lovely lady’s elbows or you and I are gonna have a serious problem.” Peter warned as he shot a web at the guys pants. He yanked them down and the man’s jeans fell to his ankles.

“Hm. I did not peg you for a boxers guy. Your whole vibe screams “Fruit of the Loom” tighty whities. Yet now I stand corrected.” Peter said as he tilted his head to the side. You covered your mouth and let out a laugh, making the man grow angry. He went to lunge at Peter but tripped over his dropped pants.

“Uh oh. Someone’s angry. Maybe your whities are a little too tighty.” Peter commented as he pinched his fingers together. You laughed again as Peter shot a web at your purse.

“I’ll take that.” He quipped and yanked the purse out of the man’s hands.

“Thank you!” Peter said politely as he caught your purse.

“Hey!” The man shouted.

“Hey?” Peter laughed. “You’re yelling at me like it’s yours.”

The man tried to lunge at Peter again and ended up falling flat on his face. Peter took that as his cue to wrap an arm around you and pick you up to swing you to safety. He landed a few blocks away and carefully put you down. You stared at him through the mask as he put you down, your faces just inches apart. Peter gulped and felt his entire face go red beneath the mask.

“Thank you, Spiderman.” You smiled softly at him as you slowly withdrew your arm from around his neck.

“You’re very welcome, miss. I believe this belongs to you.” He said as he put your purse back into your hands. Your eyebrows knit together suddenly in confusion and you let out a short laugh.

“Wait, Peter?” You asked, making Peter’s heart drop.

“Uh, what?” He gulped. “Who’s that? I’m your friendly neighbor Spiderman.”

“Right. Sorry. You sound just like this guy in my chemistry class.” You laughed and shook your head. Peter felt his blush spread all the way to his ears over you recognizing the sound of his voice. You ran in different circles at school, you being apart of the popular group of girls and him belonging to a small group of local nerds. That being said, your ever present kindness towards him left him to develop a small crush on you.

“Oh. Well, that’s not me. But he sounds really handsome.” Peter replied, making you laugh again.

“He is.” You nodded without an ounce of sarcasm in your voice. This piked his curiosity and he leaned in a little.

“He is?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah. Absolutely.” You nodded. “In a hot nerd kind of way. Like Spencer Reid. But kinda short. Which I’m not sure why I’m telling you now that I hear myself.”

“It’s okay. I like that show too.” He chuckled shyly. “He sounds really cool.”

“He is really cool. At least, I think he is. But I’m not really sure. Everytime I try to talk to him, he looks away.” You sighed like you were disappointed. Peter realized you were a little drunk and probably didn’t know what you were saying. Even if that was the case, it was still nice to hear.

“Maybe he’s just shy. And doesn’t know how to look pretty girls in the eye.” Peter said as he kicked a rock around with his foot.

“That’s a shame.” You smiled sadly. “Because I think he and I could be friends if he ever learned to look at me.”

Peter stopped messing with the rock and looked up at you. There was a smallness to you tonight that shone through your party dress and heavy makeup. Your typically bright hand bubbly demeanor was cloudy by something you weren’t telling him.

“Maybe he’ll start.” He told you.

“I hope so.“ You answered honestly. “He seems nice. I could use a friend like him.”

Standing under that streetlight, Peter noticed a sadness to you for the first time. You were usually in a circle of friends all wearing smiles but right now, you seemed completely alone down to your bones.

“So how was your night?” He asked in a quiet voice. You stared off into the distance as your eyes brimmed with tears suddenly.

“Do you ever feel completely alone despite being in a room full of people you know?” You asked him.

“I do, actually. All the time.” He answered. You looked at him and smiled sadly.

“Do really, Spiderman?” You asked with hope in your voice. It wasn’t that you wanted him to feel alone. You just wanted to know you weren’t the only one who felt that way.

“I do. Is that how you felt tonight?”

“I don’t know. I guess. Sometimes I make jokes and my friends all look at each other. And they all make this face as if they’re thinking the same thing. And what they’re thinking is that I’m a freakish alien who they’re embarrassed to know. That’s how I felt tonight.”

“Well that’s no fun. And you’re not a freakish alien. You’re very funny.”

“And you know that because you’re the cute guy in my chemistry class?” You asked with a hopeful smile.

“I’m not him. I’m just guessing that you’re funny. So maybe you are an alien. I don’t know. This is our first time meeting.”

“Right.” You rolled your eyes. “So how do you think you did on the last test? I actually feel pretty confident.”

“I don’t know because I didn’t take any test because I’m not the guy in your chemistry class. Now can I walk you home? It’s freezing out here and I have no jacket to offer you.”

“Sure, thanks. I’m this way.” You said and pointed in the direction of your dorm. Peter placed a hand on the small of your back and guided you towards your dorm.

“You should get a friend to walk with you next time you leave a party. It’s not safe to be out here by yourself. Especially with guys like that going around snatching purses.”

“I know. I asked my friends but they weren’t ready to leave yet.” You shrugged.

“And they let you walk home alone? Drunk? Sounds like you need some new friends.” Peter joked but you nodded in agreement.

“I know. But you know how friends can be. They still wanted to party. Why should I be their problem?” You shrugged again, making Peter frown.

“It’s not a problem to look out for you.” He said simply.

“That’s easy for you to say. You look out for everyone. It’s your job.” You reminded him.

“I’m not just saying that because of my job. It wouldn’t be a burden to take care of you no matter who I was.” Peter replied, making you stop walking. He looked at you and you looked that you had been waiting your whole life to hear what he had just said.

“Thank you.” You said with a fond smile.

“You’re very welcome.” Peter replied in an equally soft voice. You kept walking in comfortable silence until you reached the girls dorm.

“This is my dorm.” You told him. Thanks again for walking me home. And getting my purse back for me.”

“Anytime.”He nodded. “I just hope it doesn’t happen again. But if it did, you know.”

“You’d be here.” You finished his sentence.

“Exactly.” He smiled. “You can count on it.”

You couldn’t see the smile under his mask but you knew it was there. You held up your purse to show him that you had it before walking up a few of your dorm steps.

“See you at school?” You asked him.

“Don’t think so.” Peter chuckled. You squinted your eyes as if you didn’t believe him but eventually shrugged.

“That’s too bad. Good night.” You waved to him and walked the rest of the way up the stairs.

“Good night.” He called after you.

Once Monday came, you were determined to talk to Peter. You didn’t have chemistry that day so you’d have to find him elsewhere on campus. You knew he usually hung out in the library so you went there to check. Sure enough, he was at a table with his friends Ned and Miles.

“Hey, Peter.” You greeted as you walked up to him.

“H-hi.” He stammered. “What are you? I mean, how are you up? I mean, how are you? What’s up?”

“There we go.” Ned nodded. “I knew he’d get there eventually.”

“I’m good.” You replied. “How are you doing?”

“Ooo. Is this your girlfriend from chemistry class?” Miles asked as his raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Is that what you told them?” You smiled in surprise as you looked at Peter.

“No. I didn’t. I swear.“ He assured you as his entire face went red.

“He did show us the note you gave him.” Ned told you.

“Oh yeah. Three hearts. I didn’t realize you guys were so serious.” Miles teased Peter as he gave his friends a look that begged them to stop.

“I never said she was my girlfriend.” Peter whispered harshly to them. You could tell he was getting embarrassed so you played along to save him. You frowned and ran your fingers through his hair before letting your hand rest on his cheek.

“What? You didn’t tell them about us, baby?” You asked and titled your head to the side. Miles and Ned’s made surprised faces as Peters entire face went red.

“W-what?” Peter sputtered out.

“I’m messing with you.” You smiled. “But I do need to talk to you.”

“Oh, uh, okay. Sure.” Peter said and moved his bag so you could sit down. You looked at Miles and Ned and smiled timidly.

“Privately.” You clarified. Miles and Ned “oooo”ed as you walked away from their table and went into the hall.

“Dude, follow her.” Ned told him and pushed Peter up from the table. Peter nervously fixed his hair and got up to follow you.

“What’s up?” He asked once you were alone. You looked around to see who was watching before stepping closer to him.

“I just wanted to thank for getting my purse back for me. It’s my favorite bag. And my favorite lip combo was in there. You really saved me.” You said and squeezed his arm in appreciation.

“Oh, you’re welcome. Anytime.” Peter said waved his hand like it was no big deal. Your lips curved into a wicked smile and Peter realized his mistake.

“Shit.” He whispered as you jumped up and down and clapped your hands.

“I knew it!” You whispered. “I knew that was your voice!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said quickly.

“Yes you do.” You grinned and poked him in the chest.

“I really don’t.” He shrugged but he knew he was caught.

“Then why are you so flustered right now?” You folded your arms to ask him. Peter touched his burning cheek and debated telling you his face always did that around you.

“I’m not.” He lied.

“Your face is hot.” You pointed out as you touched a cold hand to his cheek.

“Psht. Your face is hot.” He scoffed and pushed your hand away.

“Thank you.” You said pointedly. “But you and I both know that I figured out your little secret. There’s no point in denying it now.”

“I don’t have any secrets. So you don’t know anything.”

“Come on, Peter.” You whined. “I’ve been waiting all weekend to tell you that I know. I wanted to text you but I don’t have your number and I couldn’t find you on Instagram. You have one, don’t you?”

“I’m not on social media.” He told you.

“Okay. That’s serial killer behavior but I’m willing to look past it if you confirm my suspicions.” You said and excitedly drummed your fingers on your chin.

“I’m not Spiderman. So I cannot confirm your suspicions.” He whispered for only you to hear. You smirked a little before shrugging.

“I guess you can’t.” You sighed. “It’s weird though, right?”

“What’s weird?” He wondered.

“That I never said you were Spiderman. I just thanked you for getting my purse.” You said with a coy smile. Peter hung his head in shame as he confirmed to you for the second time that he was in fact Spiderman.

“I knew it! I knew it was you. I even recognized the way you walk.” You said proudly.

“What do you know about the way I walk?” He asked with a shy smile.

“You walk really stiff like you’re holding two invisible briefcases.” You explained and demonstrated for him with a near perfect imitation of how he walked.

“What? No I don’t. Oh wait. Yeah, I kinda do.” He realized as he watched you.

“You definitely do. Now can you please just tell me I’m right? I’ve been thinking about it all weekend. I need to hear you tell me I was right.” You begged him as you put your hands on his shoulders. Peter playfully rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed.

“You right.” He mumbled.

“Yes! I knew I was right!” You cheered. “Everything makes sense now. That’s why you’re always disappearing or yawning or bruised. You’re probably up every night getting girls purses, aren’t you?”

“Not always purses.” He instead. “Sometimes it’s bikes. And one time, a mean chihuahua.”

“Wow.” You said with genuine amazement. “So how long have you been doing this?”

“Since I was 15.”

“15? Damn. I was exhausted from working 4 hours a week at Kohl’s at 15. How do you do it? You must be so tired.” You frowned and rubbed his arm kindly.

“It’s tiring but someone has to do it.” He shrugged. “Just like someone has to hand out Kohl’s cash.”

“Thats true.” You chuckled. “And that’s a very selfless way to look at it.”

“Oh. Thank you.” He smiled shyly. “But please, you can’t tell anyone about this. Nobody else knows.”

“Duh.” You replied. “This is our secret.”

“Yeah. Ours.” He smiled and felt his face heat up at the mention of something belonging to only the two of you. Your moment was cut short by one of your friends coming up to you and completely disregarding Peter.

“Hey, girl. I need your notes from class today.” She said to you.

“Oh, sure. How come you weren’t there?” You asked her.

“Liz and I went got coffee instead.” She replied. Peter could tell you were hurt they didn’t ask you to come get coffee but you just smiled and nodded.

“I’ll text them to you.” You told her.

“Thanks. Let’s go to the library. I need you to look at my English paper and tell me if it’s good.” She said and nodded towards the library. You looked at Peter and gave him an apologetic smile.

“Bye, Peter. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” You told him before leaving with your friend.

“Why were you talking to that lesbian?” Your friend asked you as you walked away.

“That wasn’t a lesbian. That was my friend Peter.” He heard you tell her before going into the library. He watched you disappear and let out a little sigh. He knew he was going to over analyze that entire conversation for probably the rest of his life, or at least until the next time you spoke.

That weekend, Peter headed to the mall a few blocks from campus to do some wandering by himself since Ned was busying. He did a little shopping before taking a seat on the mall fountain to check his texts. He was so engrossed in his phone that he didn’t notice you walk up to him.

“Well, well, well.” You chuckled, making him look up at you and blush.

“It’s a fountain, actually.” Peter deadpanned, making you crack a smile.

“You’re stupid. Move over.” You laughed and sat beside him. Your knees were touching which made Peters face warm up the way it always seemed to around you.

“Should I be worried? I’m starting to think you might be stalking me.” He teased you.

“Excuse me? I was just walking around and saw you. You’re the one who keeps ending up placed I’m already in.”

“Sounds like something a stalker would say.” He said out of the corner of his mouth.

“You wish I was your stalker. Now come on, give me the haul. What did you buy?” You asked him and nodded towards his bag.

“Socks and boxers.” He smiled proudly and held up his items.

“Oh shit. You did not come to play.”

“I really didn’t.” He played along, making you laugh again. You stared at him for a minute with a fond smile and he stared back with a matching one.

“What?” He wondered.

“You’re talking to me.”

“So?” He laughed shyly. “You’re talking to me.”

“No, I mean, like. Full eye contact. And full sentences. Who is this man? I’ve been waiting to meet him forever.” You teased him and he playfully rolled his eyes.

“I guess it’s easier to talk to you now that you know my secret. You’re not as scary anymore.”

“I was scary before?” You gasped and pretended to be offended.

“Yes. Girls like you are very terrifying to me.”

“Girls like me?” You smiled coyly.

“Pretty girls who are nice to me. I really wish you were a giant snake or the multi-bear from Gravity Falls or something. That’s way less scary.” He insisted.

“You’d rather talk to the multi-bear than me?”You scoffed. “I have half a mind to forget about you and go stalk some other guy.”

“No, please. Stay. I forgot how awkward it is to shop alone and I still need to get a belt.” He pretended to beg and put a hand on your leg to get you to stay. You looked at the hand on your leg and cracked a smile at the unexpected contact from him.

“Well I would never abandon a man on a belt quest.” You replied, making him laugh.

“Thank you. What about you? What are you looking for?”

He could have said “shopping for” but that’s not what he meant. He wanted to know what you were looking for. You cracked a smile as if you understood what he was asking.

“Better friends, actually. Have you seen any?” You asked with a playful but sad smile.

“I just saw your friends in H&M.” He told you and pointed to the store. You shrugged a little and shook your head.

“Yeah. I saw them too. After they all told me they were busy today and couldn’t hang out.” You admitted without looking at him. Peter frowned and moved closer to you.

“They came here without you?”

“I asked them to hang out. They all said they couldn’t. But now I’m getting a sneaking suspicion there’s a second group chat that I’m not in.” You laughed but he knew it was fake.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly.

“I came here to cheer myself up and ended up feeling 200 times worse when I saw them all hanging out without me. I didn’t even say anything to them because I didn’t want them to feel bad for not inviting me. Not that they ever care when they make me feel bad.” You laughed again but it ended up in a sigh. You stared at your shoes for a second and Peter stayed silent.

“Girls suck.” You said after a beat. “Not always, of course, but when they suck, they really suck. They know how painful it can be to be the only one left out. But they still did it to me. I don’t understand why.”

“Neither do I. I thought those girls were your friends?”

“I don’t know. I kinda saw this coming.” You admitted. “I started to notice that I was always the one texting first. And always the one trying to make plans. And when they did text me, they were asking me for something. It was never just to check in on me.”

“That’s really hurtful. I’m sorry. I’ve been there too. It sucks when you realize that if you stopped reaching out to someone, you’d probably never speak again.” Peter replied, making you smile sadly at him.

“Exactly. Or when you wonder how long it would take them to notice if you stopped reaching out. And worse, wonder if they’d notice at all.”

“No one deserves to feel that way. Especially not someone as kind and considerate as you. You really do need new friends.” He nodded in agreement, making you genuinely laugh this time.

“We’re friends, right? Because I know your secret.”

“We can be friends.” Peter nodded, bringing a smile out of you.

“Thanks.” You told him and gave his shoulder a rub. Peter felt a sudden burst of confidence and decided to keep the momentum he had built.

“You’re probably gonna say no to this, but Ned and I were gonna get sandwiches and then build legos together tomorrow. You can come, if you’d like.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to give me a pity invite to your sandwich and Lego party.” You told him.

“It’s not a pity invite. I want you to be there. It would make me happy to have you around.” Peter answered, making you smile once again. It was the simple change from “you can come” to “I wanted you to be there” that made all the difference.

“Do you want to hang out with me today?” You asked him.

“Yeah. I do.” He said immediately. You stood up and held out your hand for him to take.

“Come on. Let’s go look at the home decor.”

Peter took your hand and let you pull him towards the home decor store in the mall. He awkwardly ran ahead of you so that he could open the door for you but it was worth it when he saw you smiling.

“Thank you.” You said curtly and walked inside. He followed you around the store like a puppy dog and listened to your commentary on the various throw pillows and wall art as if it was words from a prophet.

“This would be perfect for you.” You gasped and held up an old Halloween pillow that had a sequenced spiderweb on it along with a spider made up of mostly fallen off beads.

“Is my job a joke to you?” He laughed and flicked the pillow.

“I mean, I did see some funny videos of you online. How often do you miss your webs and fall into bushes?”

“Bushes are rare, actually. It’s usually car hoods and hot dog stands.” He admitted.

“Ouch.” You grimaced. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“No. Hot dog stands are really soft.” He said seriously. You laughed and kept walking down the aisles of the store.

“I love that I’m the only one that knows this about you.” You told him.

“You really do, don’t you?” He realized with an amused smile.

“Well, yeah. I always knew there was something about you and learning this vindicated me so hard.”

“Something about me? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You’re so allusive.” You shrugged. “Always disappearing and reappearing from places. Not on any sports teams but will never miss when throwing something into the trash from across the room. Knows all the answers in chemistry but never raises his hand. Ripped but hides it under Catholic school boy sweaters. I always wondered about you. Now I know.”

“Wow. You pick up on a lot of details. Nobody’s ever really noticed me like that.” Peter said as he looked at the ground so you wouldn’t see how flustered that made him.

“That you know of.” You corrected. “Because I noticed you a long time ago and you had no idea until now.”

“I notice you too.” He said as he looked into your eyes. You smiled at the eye contact and stayed looking at him.

“So, uh, were you just messing with me when you told Spiderman that you thought I was, you know.”

“A hot nerd?”

“Yeah. That.” He laughed shyly.

“I wasn’t messing with you.” You shrugged. “Or him. Either of you. I meant what I said.”

“So did I. I really don’t know how to talk to pretty girls.”

“We’re just regular people. Aside from our razor sharp teeth and detachable feet.”

“Why would you need to detach your feet?” He laughed.

“I don’t know but I used to have these dolls when I was younger where you’d yank their whole foot off to change their shoes. And they’d just have a little nub until you put new feet on them. God forbid you lose one of their shoes. Then they have no feet and had to walk around my dollhouse with nubs”.

“To be a woman is to perform.” He nodded along.

“Shut up.” You laughed and kept walking down the aisles of the store. You ended up buy some statue of an animal that you mentioned your mom liked to collect and Peter carried your bag for you into the next store.

“So who else knows about this secret? Besides us two.” You asked as you flipped through a clothing rack.

“My best friend. But that’s because he accidentally walked in on me in my suit. And my aunt. Who found out in the exact same way.”

“Sounds like you need to invest in a giant trench coat to cover yourself with when entering and exiting your room.” You told him.

“That’s a really good idea, actually. Do you think they sell those here?” He asked, making you laugh.

“So I was the first to figure it out?”

“You were. And now I’m really hoping it’s not obvious.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s obvious. I’m just very observant.”

“Of everything or just me?” He asked you.

“Just you.” You teased, making him blush again.

“What else have you observed about me?” He wondered.

“A few things, actually. You keep flexing your hand and I’m starting to think you’re working up the nerve to hold mine. That or you’re fighting the urge to punch me so I’m hoping it’s the former. I also observed that you haven’t checked your phone once since I found you and you’re letting me pick all the stores we go into.”

“Wow. And what do your observations tell you?”

“That you like me.” You said simply and continued looking at the clothes.

“What?” Peter sputtered. “No I don’t.”

“Says the boy who got my purse back from a burglar. Classic crush culture right there.” You clicked your tongue and shook your head.

“What?” He laughed. “That is not what I do when I have a crush on a girl. That’s just my job.”

“All right then. So what do you do when you have a crush?”

“Avoid eye contact and hope she likes shy tendencies. And open doors for her, obviously.” Peter said as he opened the door for you into the next store.

“Good to know.” You said and gave him a pleased smile as you passed him. He continued to follow you down the aisles of the store while holding your collection of clothes you wanted to try on.

“So why spiders? I’ve always wondered why you named yourself after arguably the worst bug of all time. Why not something more palatable like Lady Bug Man? Or Moth Man and then you could live under a bridge and spook people?” You asked as you handed him another dress for you to try on.

“It was a spider bite that gave me the abilities, actually. That’s where I got the name.” He explained as you disappeared behind a changing room curtain. You opened it up after a few seconds in one of the dresses you had taken off the rack.

“Really? I never would’ve guessed that. I’m learning so much right now.” You said as you turned around and moved your hair away from your neck. Peter blushed and picked up what you were implying and zipped the dress for you. You turned back around and gave him a grateful smile.

“What else do you want to know?” He asked with a shy smile. He usually categorized himself as shy and never wanting to be the center of attention, but right now he was hoping you had more questions to ask him. He liked being the center of attention when it was your attention he was getting.

“Why red and blue?” You wondered.

“Red for my mom’s red hair and blue for the car my dad drove.” Peter said out loud for the first time.

“Aw, Peter.” You pouted. “That’s really beautiful. I love that.”

“Thank you. I never told anybody that before.” He admitted.

“Hm. Something else just between us, then.” You winked at him before shutting the dressing room curtain again.

When you left that store, Peter opened the door for you on the way out with his free hand and held your bags with his other hand. As you walked through the mall, yours hands kept bumping against each others. It happened so many times in a row that Peter was starting to think he was doing it on purpose.

“You can, you know. If you want to.” You said without looking at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Peter lied as your hands bumped once again.

“Okay. Never mind, then.” You replied and kept walking. Peter decided to do something for once and took your hand. You didn’t say anything but smirked and gave his hand a squeeze. You stayed holding hands as you went to a few more stores and ended up back by the fountain. Through the streams of water, you suddenly spotted the very group of friends that had left you out.

“Oh God. It’s them.” You gasped and stopped short. Peter thought you were going to drop his hand but you didn’t.

“What are you gonna do?” He asked. “I can stick to the wall if that at all helps.”

“Well I’m definitely gonna need to see that at some point but not right now. I need to hide.” You decided and looked around for the nearest exit. During your search, you heard the sound of your friends laughing and it made your stomach drop. You didn’t want to run away anymore and pretend that the things they did didn’t hurt you. They did. And it was time they knew that.

“Actually, no.” You decided. “Why should I hide to make them more comfortable? They did something mean to me. I shouldn’t run away just so they don’t have to face what they did. I should go talk to them.”

“Let’s do it.” Peter agreed and you smiled. You blew out a nervous breath before walking up to the group of girls.

“Hey guys! So glad your schedules freed up.” You greeted them with a friendly smile. They all froze and either looked down at the ground or at you with stunned expressions. You took your time looking at every one of their guilty faces with an unamused expression.

“We were gonna text you.” Liz said quickly.

“Don’t even worry about it.” You told her. “In fact, don’t text me ever again. I deserve friends who include me. Not people who keep me around just in case they need something from me.”

“So what? You’re gonna ditch us to hang out with losers?” Liz scoffed and looked at Peter. You felt bad that Peter had caught a stray but he wasn’t phased.

“You’re the ones who just lost a good friend. And missed out on a fun day at the mall with the coolest girl in New York. So I’m pretty sure that makes you guys the losers.” Peter stated. Everyone, including you, was shocked to hear those words out of the notoriously shy Peter’s mouth. You looked at him and gave him a grateful smile.

“Yeah.” You agreed. “You guys are losers. You all say bad things about each other behind each other’s back and I’m sure you did the same to me so I can’t say I’m gonna miss this friend group. But I do have to thank you for ditching me or else I wouldn’t have found a real friend.”

“Who? This lesbian?” One of the other girls scoffed and gestured to Peter.

“Yeah.” Peter snapped. “This lesbian.“

“Now if you’ll excuse us, Peter needs to find a belt.” You said and walked away with Peter following right behind you. You didn’t drop his hand as you did a half walk half run through the mall as adrenaline rushed through you. Once you were far enough away from them, you stopped running.

“That felt good.” You said through an out of breath laugh.

“For me too.” Peter agreed. “And I was almost entirely uninvolved in that situation.”

“Come on. I wanna do the Photo Booth and immortalize this day.” You said and excitedly pulled him into the Photo Booth. Peter shut the curtain while you picked the boarder for the pictures, purposefully choosing one that had red hearts all over it.

“Okay. We only have five seconds between pictures so you have to pick your poses quickly.” You told him as the countdown began.

“But I’m so awkward. I don’t know how to pose.” Peter said as the countdown dwindled down.

“Just smile and look like you like me.” You said and pressed your cheek against his to smile for the camera. The camera flashed and you slung your arm around him for the next photo. The camera flashed again and Peter gulped.

“I do like you.” He said in a soft voice as he turned to look at you.

You looked at him and leaned in just as the camera flashed. You were still kissing when the fourth and final flash went off but you didn’t care. You pulled Peter closer by his shirt while his hands snaked around your waist. You pushed him away suddenly with a suspicious look on your face.

“Wait, do the webs, like, come out of your butt ever?”

“What? No.” He laughed. “They don’t come out of me at all. I built devices and developed a web fluid to shoot out of them. I don’t actually produce webs.”

“Oh. Okay.” You nodded and pulled him back into a kiss. He kissed you back for a moment before pulling away.

“Wait, would that have been a deal breaker if I did? Produce webs, I mean.” He asked you.

“I mean, I’d still like you but I don’t know if I could date a guy who could physically produce webs in his body. I just think that would really gross me out. Producing webs is I think where I’d have to draw the line.”

“So does that mean you’d date a guy who doesn’t produce webs?” He asked with a hopeful smile.

“Isn’t that every guy?” You pointed out.

“Oh. Yeah. I guess it kinda is.” He realized. “Well, would you date a guy who is far more likely to shoot webs from his butt than the average man? Given his spider themed career path?”

“Well, I don’t know. I never thought about that before.” You pursed your lips and pretended to give it genuine though. Peter playfully rolled his eyes at you and cupped your face to kiss you again.

“What do you think now?” He asked with your face still in his hands.

“I think I would.” You smiled and tugged his shirt to bring him back into a kiss.

Tag List

@thebookwormlife @imanativeofswlondondahling

@tom-hollands-wifey

@whatareyouhidingpeter @takenbyheartstrings

@imyourliquor-youremypoison @andreasworlsboring101

@peterparkoure

@justcallmehitgirl @jackiehollanderr

@emmamarshmellow @unbelievableholland

@sovereignparker @every-marveler-ever @undiadeestos @eridanuswave​ ​

@solarxmoonchild @canyouevencauseicant

@quaksonhehe @lovelessdagger

@thesuitelifeofafangirl @marshxx @nooneinvitedfascistbarbie

@maybemona

@alexxcorona113 @lethal-wisdom

@pandaxnienke

 @officialsimppage @peterbenjiparker @itsemohours

@freakofmusic25 @tomholland85

@olixerwxxd @leilanixx

@whereismytelephone @so-very-asleep @white-wolf1940

@spideyspeaches @hihiweezing

@mathletemadison  

@dhtomholland @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @prancerrparkerr

@hallecarey1 @adayasgeorgia @blackwidowisthebest @imawhoreforu

@ciarahollands

@nellabellaa @pinklxmonade @boogywoogywoogy

steve who constantly tells his girl she's distracting him, when he's working and asks her to come over to family video, she'll be there, just as he asked, and he'll tell her she's not helping, that her being there is distracting him because she looks too kissable and he can't kiss her and work at the same time, she's a distraction when he's trying to get out of bed in the morning too, when he needs to get up and start the day but she just look so soft and feels so warm in his arms, she makes it so hard for him to leave her, to join the outside world

she'll come downstairs, all sleepy, barley awake to steve making breakfast and he'll tell her all about how she can't keep doing this, doing what? looking so pretty in the mornings, you're going to make me late. but stevie- oh okay, you win lets go back to bed. he tells her on the phone when there apart that she's stopping him from sleeping, he tells her in the car that he can't keep his eyes on the road if she keeps sitting there doing nothing, its silly and sweet, and he takes there little inside jokes very seriously but she knows steve loves her being his distraction

he loves kissing her at work and forgetting all about the customers coming through the door, he loves when she calls him late at night just because she misses his voice, he loves the whiny voice she does when she wants him to stay in bed for five more minutes, he loves having her sitting in his passenger seat, and he really loves when she plays with his hair as he drives, he loves getting distracted by her, he claims it's all her fault, that she's just too pretty, too sweet to ignore, but steve also admits happily that he's a weaker man when it comes to her, he'd be late to everything if it meant just one extra hug from his girl <3

Exactly what I needed now that summer is coming up 🤩

Take Me to the Lakes Master List

Camp!Counsellor Eddie x Camp!Counsellor Reader

Summery: This summer was suppose to be the summer to work at your favourite place in the world with your best friend. But things take a turn when it isn’t your best friend you end up working with.

CW: camp AU, counsellor!eddie x f!camp counsellor reader, popular!reader, 18+ content, drinking, weed consumption, angst, eventual smut, fluff, reader and Eddie are in their 20’s.

🔥~ smut

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3🔥 Part 4🔥

Loveeeee

that guy ⊹ steve harrington

summary: After he's been to yet another failed date with yet another random pretty girl, Steve Harrington, your best friend, stops by at the diner your family owns for a late-night chat, same as he'd done a thousand times before. Steve is totally unaware of how much he's hurting you with his endless parade of dates, because after all — the two of you are only friends and nothing more, right? It's not like you have any secret feelings for him… | 2.6k words

── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──

The moment Steve steps through the glass doors of the diner, you wonder, for about the millionth time that month alone, what is it that you've done so wrong to deserve this kind of punishment.

It's Friday night, and on Friday nights, Steve Harrington goes on dates. It's just like clockwork, really: he meets a pretty girl, thinks she's the one, takes her out on a date, realizes quickly enough that she isn't quite what he was looking for, then comes here after having dropped her back home to sulk with you, in the diner that your family runs, still clad in the outfit he'd chosen especially for his failed date.

To be honest, he never looks sad, per se — more like disappointed. Frustrated, maybe.

You watch as he weaves around tables occupied by laughing friends, past booths filled with couples sharing desserts, then slides into a seat in front of you at the bar. Steve sits down with an exhausted sigh, ruffling up his hair before shooting you a tired smile.

"Hi."

You don't look up from where you're polishing the counter. "Bad date again?"

"Not even close. She talked about horses non-stop."

A quiet laugh slips past your lips despite yourself, and finally, you tear your gaze off the dark wooden surface of the counter to look up at him; he's got this pleased little smile on his face, the corners of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly in the way they always do whenever he succeeds at making you laugh, even if just a little.

How are you supposed to keep acting like nothing's wrong when he looks at you like that?

You clear your throat awkwardly and make yourself busy stacking clean glasses next to the coffee machine.

"So...not the one, I take it?"

Steve leans forward against the counter and props his head up with his hand, sighing deeply.

"I'm starting to think she won't ever show up," he says quietly, running his other hand through his hair. You chance another glance at him and note how genuinely worried he looks. It breaks your heart almost as much as it annoys you. "What is it that's wrong with me, huh? I just don't get it."

"Nothing is wrong with you."

"You don't need to be nice to me. We've been friends since forever, remember?"

The word 'friends' makes you wince a little bit inside, but you hide the reaction behind a neutral frown. "Do you think there's something wrong with me? Because I haven't found the one yet either, you know."

Steve's expression softens as he looks at you, and once again you feel that horrible twinge in your stomach that you wish would just stop already.

"It's different. I mean—you're not actively trying to find someone." He reaches out to pull one of the half-melted mints out from the glass bowl on the counter and pops it into his mouth with a shrug. "I go out looking for her and she just doesn't come. If she even exists, that is."

"She does."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I wouldn't hold my breath. God, why am I such an idiot, y'know?" Steve slumps over the counter with a groan, burying his face into his crossed arms. "My love life is a trainwreck."

"At least you have one."

He glances up at you curiously and lifts an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Do you want some pie?"

You're not about to tell him what you've only admitted to yourself mere months ago — that you're actually hopelessly, madly, stupidly in love with him, and that you have been ever since the two of you were just dumb kids racing around your parents' diner.

What makes it even worse is that you had no idea your feelings went that deep until Steve started going on these dates of his again. Before then, everything was normal — you met up every weekend and binged on candy, watched bad movies on your couch, drove around town together blasting The Clash on his BMW's speakers...it was good.

Until it wasn't.

"Wait, c'mon, you can't just leave me hanging like that," Steve presses. He shifts a little on his stool to better face you, then gestures at you with his hands. "You've clearly got something you wanna say, so, like—hit me. Lay it on me."

"Nothing. I'm just saying...at least you're trying, you know," you say carefully, measuring each word before speaking them. "And at least you're the one doing the rejecting. Could be worse."

Steve's eyebrows rise high up on his forehead and he looks at you incredulously. "Whoa, wait—are you trying to tell me you've been rejected?"

You busy yourself by filling two tall glasses with soda, then slide one to his side of the counter and keep the other for yourself. "Uh...kind of, yeah. But it's fine."

"But who the hell would even do that?" he blurts out. There's anger in his voice all of a sudden, a defensive fire in his eyes that makes you feel as if someone has punched you in the gut. "To you? You're like, the nicest person on the planet, and super pretty to boot. That's just—that's crazy!"

Your heart gives a violent little jump in your chest. He thinks you're pretty. Steve Harrington thinks you're pretty.

Pretty as a friend, you correct yourself immediately, and sigh as you sip your drink. Of course, it's nothing more than that — just meaningless words spoken in a moment of unthinking kindness.

"Seriously, who?" he presses on. "Give me a name. I'll fight him."

"You mean like you fought Jonathan Byers?" you smile behind your glass, looking at him from over its rim.

Steve looks embarrassed at the memory and drops his gaze for a second or two before meeting your eyes again with a playful little smile of his own. "Different situation, okay, but that's not the point. So? Who's the guy?"

"You...don't know him," you hedge.

"It's Hawkins. I know the stray cats here by name."

"Fine, well, even if you did know him, it doesn't matter. He didn't reject me, exactly...not really."

Steve frowns a little. "Okay, you're gonna have to start making sense now. This is hurting my head."

The funny thing is, he actually looks confused, as if he can't possibly fathom the idea of someone rejecting you. It's sweet, really — way too sweet for your liking, especially when you know fully well he doesn't see you in the way you'd want him to.

You lower your gaze to avoid his and instead focus on drawing random shapes on the counter with your index finger, where tiny droplets of condensation from your glass have pooled up on the dark wood. "I mean, I never really told him how I felt. Not directly. It just…never happened."

"Oh. Well, then how do you even know if he feels the same way?" he asks you, looking rather doubtful.

You steal another glance at him and almost regret it instantly. His eyes are trained on your face, patient and attentive like you're the only thing worth watching in the world. It makes you feel horribly small and selfish and guilty, because after all, what right do you have to want him when he so clearly wants someone else?

You feel like you could cry. You might, if you don't distract yourself with something fast enough.

"I just know. Do you want some pie? I'll go get you some pie."

Without waiting for a response, you rush off to the kitchen even though there's plenty of pies sitting on the display counter at the bar, and you make a beeline straight for the back exit.

The alley behind the diner is blissfully empty as usual, just a lonely dumpster and a handful of sad-looking shrubs and weeds peeking out from under the concrete.

No, you aren't going to cry.

This is stupid.

You press your back against the rough brick wall of the diner and breathe in deep the warm night air, then exhale slowly as you count to ten in your head.

When the door opens behind you and the diner's familiar chatter and clatter of cutlery spill into the alley, you wince, mentally cursing yourself for being so goddamn weak. You should have known better.

You don't have to look up to know that it's him.

"Are you hiding from me?" Steve's voice comes, quiet and curious and maybe just a little bit hurt, even.

"I got...suddenly nauseous," you explain weakly, still refusing to look up and meet his eyes.

There's a long stretch of silence, and you feel Steve move closer to you until he's leaning against the wall by your side. You finally look up and find him smiling, this gentle, amused little thing that makes your traitorous heart skip a beat.

"You look just fine to me."

You stare up at the sky, head against the wall. "I thought I was gonna throw up."

He's still watching you, you can tell; you're keenly aware of his eyes on you, so much so that your skin prickles at the attention. "No, you didn't."

"No, I didn't," you admit with a sigh, and turn your head to finally look at him. He's got this little half-smile on his lips, the very same one you fell for years ago, and you curse yourself silently for never learning how to let him go. Really let him go.

"Hey. Listen. You don't have to tell me, okay?" Steve says gently, pushing himself off the wall to step closer to you. He brings his hand up to your face and tucks a loose lock of hair behind your ear, letting his fingertips linger on the edge of your jaw for the briefest of moments, just long enough for you to wonder whether he knows what he's doing to you.

You don't dare to move. You're afraid of breaking whatever spell has seemingly come over him.

"I should've never asked. That was selfish."

"Forget it," you say.

He's standing close now, close enough that you have to tilt your chin up to be able to look up at him properly. There's a strange kind of tension in his eyes, something dark and unsure and tentative, and his gaze darts down to your lips just the slightest bit.

You're fairly sure you're just seeing what you want to see, your foolish heart playing tricks on you. But you panic nonetheless, feeling a sudden, irrational fear that if he moves any closer, he'll realize the truth — that you're a liar and a coward, that you've been harboring these feelings of yours for him for years.

"I should—I should go. Back inside," you mutter, pointing vaguely at the door with your thumb. "In there."

"Sure, yeah. Okay. In there," he echoes, not making a single move to leave. "Not out here."

"Yup. Exactly. In there."

"So you said."

"Yep."

The wall of the diner is digging into your spine uncomfortably, and your mouth is dry, and your knees feel weak, and your stomach is doing somersaults, and the longer he stares at you with those eyes of his the more you feel like you're burning from the inside out and—

He's not moving. All he does is look at you, really look at you, as if it's the first time he's really looked, as if he's seeing something that wasn't there before.

"Okay, so—"

You try to push past him towards the door, but Steve grabs your arm, making you stop dead in your tracks. He lets go as soon as you look up at him, lifting his hand in front of him in an apologetic gesture.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," he says. He swallows hard and rubs his palm on the front of his jeans, a nervous little habit you think he's always had. He runs his hand through his hair, mussing up the carefully gelled strands, and it's probably the first time you've ever seen him look so flustered.

He laughs nervously and gestures at the ground with his hands as he speaks. "Look, this is just—this is just crazy, okay, but I think I, uh, maybe sort of realized something."

You blink at him, not quite certain you're hearing him correctly.

"Realized what?" you ask, the words barely more than a whisper.

Steve clears his throat and nods at you, seemingly pleased that you've finally spoken. "Yeah, well, this is stupid, but you know how you're always telling me to listen to my gut?"

"You're not making a whole lot of sense right now, Steve."

"Just bear with me for a sec, okay? This is like, totally new to me." He holds his palms up, and you notice his hands are shaking a little. "I just need a minute, alright?"

He breathes in deep and exhales slowly, then shoots you an apologetic look.

"Sorry, this is just...really weird," he confesses. "Weirdly real."

"You're freaking me out," you tell him, but Steve only smiles at you.

"Maybe I should just show you. Because, I mean, what if I'm wrong? That'd be terrible, obviously."

"Steve."

"Yeah, I know, but hear me out, okay?" he says quickly, and takes another step closer. You stand your ground this time, if only because you don't trust yourself to actually move without your legs giving out. "So, look. Here's the thing. You're, like—you're one of the most important people in my life. You've been there for me when nobody else was, and I...you mean a lot to me."

"Steve—"

"Shut up, you're ruining the moment."

He takes another step forward until he's crowding you against the wall, hand coming to rest next to your head on the brick. He's close, so close that you can smell the scent of his cologne and shampoo and laundry detergent, and if you were to lean in even the slightest bit, your faces would bump.

Steve is a little out of breath, his lips parted ever so slightly. And he's still looking at you with that strange, searching expression of his.

"Is this okay?" he whispers.

"I don't—what?"

Your voice catches in your throat. There's no room for doubt in his eyes now, not even the tiniest, slightest sliver of uncertainty left.

"This," Steve murmurs.

He tilts his head to the side a little and leans in until you're sure your noses are touching, and you feel your eyes slip closed in anticipation.

"Is this okay?" he repeats in a whisper. "Please tell me I'm not crazy."

"I think I am."

His lips brush yours. It feels like an accident, doesn't last long enough to be anything but a dream. You can still taste the faint, sweet trace of sugar and mint on your tongue when he pulls away, though.

"Just to be clear," Steve whispers, his fingers brushing lightly over the skin of your neck, tracing invisible lines that make you shiver, "am I the guy from earlier? The one you like?"

You don't have it in you to deny it anymore.

"Yes. It's you."

A wide grin breaks out across his face, and suddenly he's everywhere; he cups your face in his hands, pressing eager, fervent kisses along the line of your jaw, trailing hot and open-mouthed down the side of your neck.

You giggle helplessly, grabbing Steve by his collar to pull him away from you and up to your eye level. He's breathing just as heavily as you are, his hair messy and his eyes bright.

"How do you do this to me, huh?" he pants, kissing your forehead, the tip of your nose, the corner of your mouth. "You just—you just completely knock me out."

A pleasant little thrill rushes up your spine at that.

"Oh yeah?"

"Completely."

You kiss him this time.

Three moods when I see my favorite artists/writers

You absolute genius 🤩🤩🤩

Three's Company | Eddie Munson X F!Reader X Gareth

Summary: When Gareth accidentally interrupts your typical evening with Eddie, the night takes a turn that none of you were expecting.

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: 18+ mdni, alcohol consumption and heavy marijuana use so automatic dubcon, smut, mostly pwp, p in v (unprotected), voyeurism, fingering, masturbation (m), oral (f receiving), daddy kink, hair pulling, choking, little praise, little degradation, honestly just a touch ‘a everything yk how it goes

A/N: it’s not specifically stated but gareth is about 21-22 and eddie is 23, about to turn 24. this is honestly just one big filthy mess i can’t lie, so just brace yourself. and i did throw in a lil action with gareth right at the end for all my gareth girlies out there <3

Smoke hung densely in the air, thick clouds drifting lazily through the small bedroom. The three of you were working your way through your third joint, the windows sealed and trapping the hot, heavy air inside. Empty beer bottles sat scattered on almost every surface, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s still two-thirds full on the nightstand beside three miscellaneous coffee mugs. Yours was white with a picture of a crab and said ‘Don’t bother me I’m crabby’.

You watched your boyfriend as he tapped the joint against the rim of the ashtray before leaning over you to pass it to his drummer. The openings of the cut-off sleeves of his Led Zepplin tee flashed you the dark ink crawling across his ribs. His rings clinked against Gareth’s in the handover, just loud enough to hear over the mixtape that you’d made for you and Eddie. It wasn’t exactly designed to suit the usual mood when the guys were over– Jeff would usually be there, too– but the two of you had started the evening alone together.

Eddie had been rolling up for the night at his desk when his friend called him. Apparently, Jeff had plans with a friend from work, leaving Gareth woefully bored and lonely; on a Saturday night, no less. It had you both feeling a little sorry for him, so you told Eddie to invite him over. After grumbling under his breath– something about ‘just wanting to fuck his girl in peace’– he begrudgingly did as you suggested and your party of two became three in less than thirty minutes.

You didn’t mind, though. Whoever said two’s company and three’s a crowd must have never spent two hours sitting, drinking, smoking, and talking with Gareth and Eddie.

“Sorry again for crashing your date,” Gareth apologized to you. “If Ed told me you were here, I wouldn’t’ve come.”

Eddie stood to pour a finger or two of whiskey into his Campbell’s Soup mug and you stretched your leg out, using your sock-covered foot to nudge your own mug closer to him. “Oh, so you don’t wanna hang out with me anymore?”

He scoffed, “C’mon, you know I think you’re cool as shit.” After topping off all three drinks, Eddie handed Gareth his. “I just don’t wanna third-wheel you guys too much. ‘S a little rude and pathetic, don’t’cha think?”

The boy took a swallow with a faint grimace, then rolled the desk chair he was sitting in about a foot closer to offer you the joint. “It’s not pathetic, Gare. You’re just hanging out with friends.” The music faded out and your head lolled towards your boyfriend with a lazy grin as “One of These Nights” by The Eagles began. He just shook his head at you with a little smirk, biceps flexing as he raised his arms to tie his hair back in a low ponytail. Settling himself on the bed, he let his back rest against the wall as he sat between you and where Gareth sat in his desk chair. 

You took a long drag, eyelids drooping as your head tilted against Eddie’s chest. His eyes roamed your body as it fitted to his. Your shorts were a little shorter than you’d normally wear in front of Gareth, but he couldn’t find it in himself to complain as he eyed your bare legs curling over his lap. Smoke billowed slowly from your mouth and the feel of his friend’s gaze on the two of you wasn’t enough to stop him from leaning down to breathe the rest of it in for himself, lips slotting familiarly between your parted ones. From your knee, his hand crawled slowly up the outside of your thigh to your hip. Your own fingers wandered to his exposed ribs, stroking lightly over the small date forever etched into his skin– the date you’d gotten together, almost three years ago now. 

He didn’t tell you he was getting it; he knew you’d tell him not to, that it was a bad omen, but he didn’t believe that. Maybe you’d only been together for a year at the time, but you were a part of him. In fact, he’d wanted to have your name done, but after seeing your reaction to Rick getting his girlfriend’s name tattooed he’d worried you’d tear him a new one for it. Though you had to admit, it had grown on you. Maybe after ten years, you’ll let me add your name, huh babe, he’d said when he first showed you. Now the thought had your thighs squeezing together, the way you both knew you belonged to each other– the way everyone knew.

Gareth certainly knew, unable to tear his eyes from the scene before him though he knew he’d been staring for far too long. Watching Eddie’s teeth tug on your lower lip had him gnawing at the inside of his own. A glimpse of his tongue slipping into your mouth had the younger boy’s palms sweating. It wasn’t until his breath hitched at the sight of his friend’s hand sneaking between your thighs that you finally seemed to remember he was there.

Swatting Eddie’s hands away, you passed the dwindling joint to him and fixed an apologetic look in Gareth’s direction. “Sorry, I’ll make sure he behaves.”

“It’s okay, sorry I uh- interrupted–” He cleared his throat a little awkwardly and cracked his knuckles. “You want me to roll another one?”

“Go for it.”

While he turned around at the desk, Eddie’s mouth was meeting the sensitive flesh below your ear. His tongue grazed your skin and you let out a small gasp before pinching his thigh in warning. He hissed, but that smug little smirk of his remained. 

Meanwhile, Gareth’s shaking hands were struggling not to rip the paper. He could hear all of it, even the occasional wet smack of his best friend’s mouth on your skin. Knocking back the rest of his drink, he shook his head a little and focused on finishing the task at hand. When he finally turned back around, his mouth went dry at the sight before him.

You sat comfortably between Eddie’s legs, back against his chest and head tilted to gaze up at him. He stared back at you with the same adoration, breathing in the last hit and ashing it in the tray on the nightstand. His free hand was halfway up your shirt and Gareth tried not to imagine the way his fingers must be teasing along your ribcage. He could see the blooming spot of red in the crook of your neck– which definitely wasn’t there before– slowly growing darker. So much for making sure he behaves. 

He handed Eddie the joint and lighter which earned him a crooked grin and a “good man.” He watched him place it between your lips instead, lighting it for you as the shape of his other hand moved higher beneath your baggy t-shirt. Still, he could make out how the older boy kneaded at one of your breasts beneath the fabric until you swatted at him yet again. His throat grew tight and he could only hope and pray that neither of you noticed his pants doing the same.

The two of you had always been a little handsy, and he couldn’t deny that part of him always had some trouble keeping his eyes away, but something was different tonight. Maybe you were acting a little more intimate, maybe it was the heady music you’d been playing all night– hell, maybe he was just too fucking crossed– but it was different. He was one second away from having a nervous breakdown or busting in his jeans.

Suddenly, he was struck by the deep twang of “I Want You” by The Beatles beginning. Eddie’s head fell back against the wall with a thud, “Mmm, I fuckin’ love this song. Y’know that, Gareth? She loves this song too, don’t you, sweetheart? S’that why you put it on here?”

“Shut up.” You weakly elbowed him, but both boys still caught the way your thighs squeezed together.

He chuckled, his nose dragging along your cheek as he murmured, “Yeah. My sweet girl wanted me to fuck her to this song tonight, didn’t you, baby? This one always makes her shake.” Your stomach flipped nervously as your wide eyes were forced to meet Gareth’s, your bewildered expression mirrored on his face. He went on. “Maybe we should show him, hm? I mean, since he feels so guilty ‘interrupting’ us and all. What d’you think?”

Gareth was starting to think the dream-like quality of the night was because he actually was dreaming. This is Eddie Munson. The same Eddie Munson who almost knocked a middle-aged man’s teeth out for whistling at you three months into your relationship. And now, what? He wanted to–

“Y’gonna let me fuck you in front of ‘im, sweetheart?”

By your deer-in-the-headlights expression, Gareth would assume you were just as shocked by this turn of events as he was– which you partially were. You and Eddie had mentioned once or twice the idea of letting someone watch, Gareth’s name had even been thrown around when discussing the subject over a packed bowl, but you’d had no idea he had been considering it so seriously. Still, you couldn’t deny the way Eddie’s words made the heat between your legs throb. Glancing up to meet his eyes with uncertainty, you bashfully whispered, “I-I don’t know if Gareth wants that, Eds.” 

Your boyfriend’s smirk only grew, fingers teasing at the waist of your shorts. “Don’t worry, babe, Gareth’s a dirty little pervert just like me. I mean, he’s been hard for twenty minutes.”

Finally, you glanced over at the boy in question whose face was now redder than you’d ever seen before, and his eyes immediately shot to the floor. He looked like a little boy who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Knock it off, you’re embarrassing him. S’okay, Gare. You’re allowed to look.”

Hesitantly, he lifted his head and his heart could’ve stopped. Eddie was tilting your chin towards him for a kiss with one hand as the other worked its way into your shorts. The glimmer of his rings in the low light caught the younger boy’s attention, eyes following them down your throat until they disappeared beneath your shirt once again. Lips leaving your boyfriend’s, you turned to him and held out the joint that had apparently stopped burning. “Wanna come get this?”

He hoped you didn’t hear the shaky breath he let out as he willed his knees not to give out and stood from his seat at the desk. “Y’sure you don’t just want me to l-light it for you?” The faint tremble in his voice matched the one in his hand as he took it from you, embarrassment warming his cheeks.

You must have noticed as you replied, “S’okay. You clearly need it more than I do, honey.” His face only grew hotter as he clocked your eyes lingering on the obvious tent in his jeans. 

Finally speaking up again, Eddie chimed, “Seriously, man. Relax a little.”

In disbelief, Gareth faintly laughed out, “Right.” Dropping back down into the desk chair, he watched you and Eddie exchange a long look, almost like some form of confirmation. A check-in. He’d always admired how the two of you communicated so effortlessly. Frankly, he admired many facets of your relationship. He and Jeff had talked more than once about how they hoped they’d be lucky enough to find a connection like yours and Eddie’s. Still, he couldn’t believe you trusted each other enough for this– that you both trusted him enough for this.

Brain still cloudy with shock, he briefly glanced around his friend’s bedroom. Almost like he had to make sure he was really there. This was really happening. While Eddie was already attempting to peel your shorts off, you refused to assist him. Gareth’s fingers clutched at the arms of the chair as you graced him with your soft gaze instead. “You sure you’re not uncomfortable, Gare? You’re okay with this?”

Simply nodding dumbly in response, he was shocked when Eddie corrected him; “Use your words, Gareth.” He said it casually, but there was a subtle firmness behind it— one he wasn’t sure he had ever heard Eddie use before, especially toward him.

What shocked him more was the way he found his body tensing in response. Afraid the words wouldn’t come out, he sheepishly cleared his throat. “Y-Yeah, I’m good. Swear.” God, could his face flush any redder? 

Your boyfriend finally forced you to lift your hips from the bed, allowing him to shove your shorts down your legs. His hands eased along your inner thighs, spreading your legs and hooking one of them over his to keep them open. Gareth was just barely able to make out the faint wet spot beginning to form on your underwear. He had to resist the urge to lean in for a closer look like some teenager watching his first porno. Eddie’s ever-wandering fingers eased over that wet spot, rubbing in soft circles around your clit.

Puffing out a soft breath from your nose, you sank further into his chest. “Feels good, huh, baby? All worked up already ‘n I’ve hardly even touched you. That excited to show off your pretty little pussy?”

“Eddieee,” You grumbled, trying again to hide your face in his chest. 

“Don’t be so embarrassed, Gareth is even more excited than you are.” Hooking his thumbs into the sides of your underwear, he asked, “How ‘bout we give him some more to work with, hm?” Taking them off, he tossed them to his friend. Said friend was a goner. He blamed his crossfaded state of autopilot for the way he instantly lifted the material to his nose and took a deep breath. Eddie chuckled, “Told ya he was a perv.”

Gareth subtly palmed at his length, practically gnawing at his lower lip as he fought not to make a sound– God forbid he interrupt as Eddie spread your legs wide, giving him an unobstructed view of your dripping pussy. Fuck, he might as well have been drooling on the floor. He could hear your wetness as your boyfriend slipped his fingers between your slick-covered lips, easing around your clit a few times. Stuck in his glassy-eyed stare, he didn’t mean to let out a broken whimper as Eddie sank two fingers inside you.

Just as he was afraid of, the older boy instantly narrowed his gaze in his direction. “Oh, we’ve got our boy on the edge of his seat right now, baby. It’s okay, Gare. I know you’ve never seen anything like my girl before, you can take your cock out. Just keep your hands to yourself.”

The way Eddie spoke to him made his whole body blaze with shame, but he still found himself doing as he was told. When he looked at you again you were watching him fumble with his belt, button, and zipper. Finally freeing himself from the confines of his jeans, his cock twitched in his hand at the sight of the intrigue in your eyes, your tongue grazing across your lower lip. You clutched at Eddie’s bicep with a soft moan, walls clenching around his fingers.

“Oh, you like that, huh? Gettin’ all wet for my best friend’s dick?” His free hand grabbed your face, your cheeks squishing under his grip. “Didn’t know my sweet girl was that fuckin’ filthy.” You whined at the sudden emptiness as Eddie withdrew his hand from between your thighs, patting your leg with a soft murmur. “On your stomach, babe.” Obediently, you rolled over and he followed, kneeling behind you to grip your hips and lift them from the bed. “‘Atta girl.”

Your face warmed as you and Gareth looked at each other– you on your knees with your chest flush to the mattress and him with his pants just below his hips, his hand fisting his cock. Then Eddie’s fingers were knuckle-deep inside you again, curling into spots that only he had ever been able to find. Your hand shot back to grab at his thigh and you let out a surprised, gasping moan. “Daddy…”

While Gareth let out a quiet groan, Eddie just gave a low, condescending laugh. “Aw, sweetheart. I wasn’t even gonna tell ‘im. I didn’t wanna embarrass you too much, but you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Letting out little puffy breaths, your eyes welled with tears. Normally he would take this as an excuse to tease you further, but he didn’t want you getting too worked up with the added pressure of his friend’s presence. His hand rubbed soothingly over your back, “My little crybaby. It’s okay, Daddy’s here.” Your body relaxed, spine sinking deeper into its arch as his touch warmed your skin. “Would ya look at that?” Not that he had to ask; Gareth couldn’t stop looking. “She’s just such a sweet girl for me. Ain’t that right, baby? And so pretty. One of a kind, my girl.”

Taking in the scene before him, Gareth could only hope that wasn’t true. Because he wanted you– no, he wanted this. This thing, this passion and love that you two have for each other. Even as obscene a display as it was, he felt like he was witnessing something sacred, something holy. He was blessed further when Eddie brought you back to stand on your knees, your back to his chest as he lifted your shirt over your head.

Completely bare for both of them to gawk at, you were pointedly aware of your boyfriend’s fully clothed form behind you. He pinched teasingly at your nipple, making you arch further into him and grab at the hem of his shirt. Clawing for the skin just beneath it, you finally pleaded, “Take your clothes off.”

His eyes narrowed playfully; he just couldn’t help himself. “What do you say?”

“Please, Daddy,” You whined quietly with a pout.

With a quick wink and a crooked smirk, he crossed his arms to pull the ragged material over his head. You didn’t hesitate to seek out any inch of skin you could touch, a tremble licking down your spine as the soft warmth of his bare chest molded to it. Hands still pawing at your tits, his mouth worked its way down the length of your neck. “I love you,” He murmured against your shoulder, tone playful but still drenched in adoration.

“Love you more, Eddie.” 

“Impossible,” He whispered in return before leaving one more kiss. “Now, back down.” Goosebumps erupted at the touch of his rings on your back, guiding you down until your chest met his bed once again. “Isn’t she such a good listener?”

Gareth was almost nervous to say anything– like any answer he gave could be the wrong one, and the wrong one might get the shit knocked out of him. So, why did his stomach tighten when Eddie looked at him expectantly for an answer? “So good.”

“Just wait til you hear how she sounds.” Eddie finally pushed his sweatpants down to his thighs, rubbing the head of his cock through your wetness and drawing a surprised gasp from you. “You ready for me, baby?”

“Yes,” You breathed out impatiently.

Finally sinking inside, he didn’t stop until his hips were flush with your ass. Gareth’s hand stilled, fingers tightened around the base of his length to keep from coming too soon. Each slow thrust pushed your hips forward, emphasizing the perfect arch of your back. Your eyebrows were furrowed slightly, but he could still hear your moans from behind the pillow you were clutching. That didn’t last long as your boyfriend laced a hand into your hair, pulling your head back just enough to uncover your mouth. “Don’t hide those pretty sounds, babe. We wanna hear ‘em.” 

Eddie. His best friend, his brother, his mentor, his frontman, his dungeon master. He had never thought of Eddie like this. He had never seen Eddie like this. His frizzy curls falling out of the messy ponytail at the nape of his neck, tattoos on display, muscles in his arm flexing as he gripped your hair. Sure, he’d always thought he was a pretty good-looking guy, but now Gareth was beginning to wonder how he hadn’t thought about this before.

And the two of you together? Christ, you were a work of art. He wanted to frame this moment– capture it, bottle it, sear it into his brain so he’d remember every detail exactly as it was. The way the flesh of your thighs trembled with every movement, how Eddie’s sweat mixed with yours to make your skin glisten in the dim glow of the lamps, all of it made his body burn with need. Then Eddie was speaking again.

“God, you always feel so fucking good. My girl, made just f’me, huh?”

“Yes, Daddy,” You breathed out with a whimper. “Fuck, you’re s’deep.”

“I know, baby. I know,” He cooed sympathetically. “You c’n take it, though. Always do, don’t you?”

Gareth could see how your wetness further matted the dark hair around the base of Eddie’s length with every thrust, how the slick was just beginning to reach your thighs. Each moan you let out was more broken and drawn out than the last. That was until Eddie’s hand settled around your throat, urging you to lean back into him once more, and your moans turned to shaky, gasping whines. The ringed fingers of his other hand squeezed at your breast before mapping a path directly to your clit, circling it with practiced precision. With the way your stomach trembled in response, the boy didn’t think you’d last much longer. 

He almost thought he’d spoken his thoughts aloud when Eddie asked, “Aw, you gettin’ close already? C’n feel it, baby. Having an audience really working you up that much?” He grasped your face, forcing you to meet his eyes. “Knew you were my little freak, sweetheart, but c’mon. You’re just as dirty as me and Gare.” Gareth himself felt guilty with how your face crumpled in shame, but Eddie only smirked as he kissed your temple and inched his hand lower to squeeze at the sides of your throat. “It’s okay, baby. You’re bein’ such a good girl for Daddy. So, so good f’me. Just need you to come for me now.”

Red lines and crescent-shaped indents littered his arms as you uselessly pleaded for exactly what he was already giving you. Your head fell to the side only for you to lock eyes with Gareth, though he didn’t seem to be in much better shape than you were. The pale sliver of his chest that was visible had turned the same vibrant red his cheeks had been all night. His hand, fisted tightly around his cock, was moving in time with Eddie’s thrusts as arousal all but dripped over his knuckles. The sight ripped another shuddering moan from you.

Darkness encroached on the edges of your vision as Eddie finally felt your walls spasm around him. Your nails bit into his skin so hard it nearly broke, but it only encouraged him to hold you tighter as you tensed in his arms. “Fuck yes, there it is. Feel so fuckin’ good when you’re comin’ around me, sweetheart.”

“Eddie,” You cried, “Please. Come inside me, I need it.” 

Though he tried to hold it back, a ragged groan tore itself from Gareth’s throat. Spurts of come stained his shirt as he fought to keep his eyes on the scene before him, but he couldn’t help but let his head fall back against the seat. He’d never felt so good. His veins were thrumming with weed and whiskey, so much so that the room still spun when he closed his eyes. But the pleasure still throbbing dully through his body like an ache wasn’t from the booze or the joints. 

The blurriness cleared from his vision just in time to watch Eddie pull you in for a messy, desperate kiss. One hand cradled your jaw while the other clutched at your hip, pressing himself as deep inside of you as possible as he came. 

Quiet sighs and pants filled the room as the three of you collectively caught your breath. Gareth just watched as you both melted into one another. Eddie’s palms soothed over every inch of your skin he could reach, and he whispered one last crazy idea in your ear– one that was somehow even crazier than the idea that had brought you all to this moment. Though the suggestion made your eyes widen and your stomach tie itself in a knot, the way you clenched around him in response compelled you to agree.

Carefully pulling out he planted one last kiss on your shoulder, allowing you to lay back against the pillows as he fixed his sweats and turned to his friend who still seemed to be recovering. “How ‘bout you come ‘n help me clean her up, Gare?” 

The boy froze in his seat, length twitching where he’d tucked himself back into his unzipped jeans. “W-What?”

“Before I change my mind,” Eddie singsonged simply in return.

Limbs weak, he quickly stood from the desk chair, sending it knocking back into the desk. Hesitantly, his knee met the edge of the mattress and he looked between the two of you for reassurance.

“It’s okay, Gareth,” You murmured softly. “As long as you’re okay.”

“Did so good for us,” Eddie cooed in agreement. He stared as his drummer slowly knelt between his girlfriend’s spread thighs, fingers winding into the boy’s hair encouragingly. “Thought you deserved a little treat.”

Gareth’s heavy eyes fell shut when he finally had the taste of you– of both of you– on his tongue, lapping up your shared mess before sinking inside. His fingers dug into the flesh of your hips and thighs as he mouthed urgently at your wetness. “Tastes so good,” He panted into your skin.

“What does?” Your boyfriend asked, giving his unruly locks a little tug. “Her come, or mine?”

He only moaned in answer, tongue laving over your abused clit.

It felt wrong, looking down and seeing someone else’s head between your legs, but it only made that coil in your stomach grow even tighter. “Fuck, Eddie.”

“Ah, ah, don’t be rude, baby. It’s not me this time. Let ‘im hear you say his name.”

A humiliated whine escaped you, as though admitting it aloud was more shameful than inviting him to do it in the first place. “Gareth,” You finally moaned out pitifully, your hand winding into his hair alongside Eddie’s. “You’re gonna make me come again.”

“Oh, he’d be fucking honored, babe,” Eddie chuckled smugly. Leaning over you, he left a slow, deep kiss on your lips before dipping lower to your breasts. His tongue teased at your nipple before his lips wrapped around it completely, calloused fingers finding the other. He only pulled back briefly to murmur, “Go on, sweetheart. Come for us.”

The feeling of two mouths, two sets of wandering hands, was overwhelming. Your thighs closed around Gareth’s head as your hands wound into both his hair and Eddie’s. He could feel your walls clench and your clit throb against his tongue and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head. He would’ve happily stayed there forever, drunkenly licking up every drop of tangy arousal that you released, but as your muscles began to twitch, Eddie gave one final pull to his hair that let him know his fun was over.

For a moment, it was quiet save for the low, bassy thrum of the music still playing. Then Eddie was up, grabbing a clean t-shirt and a pair of sweats and pressing them against Gareth’s chest for him to take. “You did good, Gare. Real good, alright?” He rubbed a hand over the boy’s shoulder comfortingly. “Go ahead to the bathroom ‘n get cleaned up, ‘kay? We’ll get you settled in for the night.” Cheeks warm from the praise, Gareth just nodded, heading for the hallway while you and Eddie finally got a second alone. Gazing down at you, he brushed your hair back from your face, trying to read every facet of your expression. “Are you okay? I didn’t push you too hard, did I? That wasn’t too much?”

“No, Eds, I’m okay. I liked it, it was good.” You nodded reassuringly. Still, he raised an eyebrow questioningly, holding out his pinkie which you locked yours with. “Promise,” You whispered. “Are you sure Gareth’s okay, though? Things won’t be weird with him from now on?”

“No, baby, I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry.” He pressed a long kiss to your forehead and grabbed you a bottle of water from the nightstand. “‘M gonna go make him a bed on the couch, alright? I’ll be right back.” You pouted out your lips for one last peck but let him go out to the living room while you gingerly got up to put clothes on.

Eddie was spreading a blanket over the couch when Gareth finally came out of the bathroom. On the table beside him sat a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and a couple of Tylenol. Sitting down, he patted the space to his left and asked, “You okay? I should’a talked to you both more before I dove into all that, I’m sorry.”

“No, please don’t apologize–” He took a much-needed drink of water and shook his head. “Trust me, I-I had…I had a great time. And I won’t make things weird, or like– tell anybody, I swear. I’m sure it’ll all be fuzzy in the morning anyway. Did you guys…?” 

“We had fun, man, don’t sweat it.”

“Oh, we definitely had fun,” You agreed as you joined them. You settled on Gareth’s other side, nudging his shoulder with yours. “Thanks for being so cool about everything, I don’t think we could’ve trusted the other guys with something like this.”

“Well, thank you for trusting me,” He answered gratefully. 

“My right-hand man,” Eddie reminded him as he stood, clapping a hand over his shoulder. 

You playfully rolled your eyes at the sentiment, but kept a good-natured smile as you leaned over to peck the boy’s cheek. “Get some sleep, alright? Sweet dreams, Gare.”

As if anything could be sweeter than the taste of the two of you still lingering on his tongue when he closed his eyes and drifted off.

<3

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<333

could I request maybe shy!reader trying to play dnd with eddie but she's suuuuuuper nervous and confused and internally panicking about him not liking her anymore if she can't get into it?? Or if you wanna change it up please do!! love you!!

love you! hope you like it! — you get insecure about not liking d&d when a girl joins hellfire (shy!fem!r, hurt/comfort ish, established relationship, 1.4k)

The Hellfire room is void of the boyish bodies that usually fill it. The abandoned classroom, turned freak sanctuary, is now littered with pieces the rogues, clerics, and bards left behind — in half-empty soda cans and crumbled-up bags of potato chips.

While Eddie packs up his binder, filled to the brim with miscellaneous papers, you wander around the long table with a trashcan in hand. The wild-haired boy squints when you chuck Dustin’s crushed Pepsi in the bin. “You don’t have to do that, you know?”

“It’s okay,” you shrug. “I don’t mind.”

Eddie huffs through his nose, feeling too exhausted now to argue. He slides his binder into his bag and watches you rake Gareth’s chip crumbs into the trashcan. The urge to stop you becomes unignorable then. 

“Okay, well, you know what? I mind—” the boy retorts, striding the very short distance to you and snatching the bin from your grip. He smiles a crooked grin and continues in a fantastical accent. “—‘Cause the Dungeon Master’s queen shouldn’t have to clean up after a bunch of lowborns, alright?”

You roll your eyes with a subdued giggle. “Someone’s gotta do it, Eds,” you insist as you reach for the plastic container he took. You exhale sharply when he hides it further behind him, pulling it further out of your way. “I wanna be of some use around here!”

Eddie’s face twists. “Don’t say that.”

You cower beneath his stare. “Well… It’s not like I actually play or anything. I just kinda… sit around… And watch you guys do everything…”

“Well, why would you play?” he laughs. “You don’t even like D&D.”

Something in the way he says it makes you ache. You’ve always felt distantly horrible about it — failing to take interest in something he holds so close to his heart. Hearing him reiterate that fact twists the knife lodged in your chest.

“That doesn’t bother you?” you wonder, impossibly shy. “That I don’t play?”

Eddie shrugs and sits the bin down again. “Why would that bother me?” he scoffs.

“I don’t know… ‘Cause you like it. And it’s your favorite thing to do in the whole world.”

“Well… Maybe not my favorite thing,” he croons with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Your nose scrunches in disdain. His laughter fills the empty room as his ringed hands spread warm along your sides. “I just feel bad,” you confess, gaze averted to the scuffed tile beneath your feet. “You know, that I can’t get into or whatever.”

Eddie meets your subtle pout with an unbothered grin. “There’s nothing to feel bad about. People like different things, babe. That’s life,” he assures you, squeezing softly at your sides. “I mean, it’s no different than me hating The Smiths, right? I still let you play their cassettes in the van, and you still sit in on all my campaigns— and that, sweetheart, is the meaning of true love…”

Unswayed, you jerk softly back when he leans down to kiss you. You frown up at him with your arms crossed between your bodies. “But Rory loves D&D. And she’s super pretty…”

Aurora Edwards was the newest edition to the Hellfire gang. She goes by Rory for short, though, ‘cause she’s cool like that and everything. Her dyed blonde hair is as wild as Eddie’s, cut into a makeshift mullet that sits sort of shaggy on her head — intentionally messy in a way only she can pull off. 

She likes cool music and cool clothes and cool hobbies — because everything she does seems to have some sort of subverted flair to it. She’s smart and she’s nerdy and she’s beautiful. None of which seem fair. You’ve been stirring with feelings of inadequacy since you met her. 

And Eddie doesn’t seem to get any of it. His brows furrow at your words, like none of them have any sort of meaning to him.

“She’s way more your type than I am,” you blurt.

A laugh sputters from his plush mouth. “You think my love for you is contingent on some stupid game?” he chuckles.

The way he says it makes you shrink. You feel sort of stupid about it now. “I don’t know…”

“Well, then, I have done a very shit job of being your boyfriend.”

Your chest stings. “No, you haven’t, Eddie—”

“Mm,” he hums, half playful, as he tilts his pretty head to his shoulder. “I have, though. ‘Cause if you think some other girl liking Dungeons and Dragons is gonna make me love you any less, then I have done something horribly, horribly wrong.”

You bite back a smile at his words, pursing your lips to the side of your mouth until the beam becomes impossible to ignore.

“‘Cause you’re kinda stuck with me, turns out,” the boy continues. “Unfortunately for you.”

“Unfortunately?” you echo with a scoff.

“Yeah. ‘Cause if some other schmuck comes around who likes listening to The Smiths and sitting in the sunshine, he’s gonna have to go through me.”

You breathe sharply through your nose in place of a laugh. “I don’t want another guy, Eds…” you confess, going shy all over again.

His nose scrunches as he plays coy. “Even if he doesn’t smoke?” he wonders in a sheepish murmur.

“Even if he doesn’t smoke.”

“Good,” he beams, pulling you into him by your belt loops. His breath fans over your jaw in a minty-nicotine concoction as he ducks his face closer to yours. “‘Cause I don’t want anyone else, either, alright? Even if they are almost as good as me at D&D… Actually, it’s kinda a turn-off, now that I’m thinking about it…”

“Is it?”

“Yeah… ‘Cause, like, I love teaching you about it and everything.”

“Even when I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

“Especially when you have no idea what I’m talking about,” he laughs, smiling so hard his cheeks speckle pink. “‘Cause you know how much I like it, so… You let me talk all the shit I want.”

“’S just because you’re so pretty when you talk about things you like,” you confess.

His face twists. “Am I?”

“Well, you’re pretty all the time, but…”

“You flatter me,” he huffs and pulls you closer. He smirks and goes quieter when he says, “And flattery goes a long way with me.”

“Does it?” you hum with a sunshine-coated giggle.

Eddie doesn’t answer you with words. He just presses his lips to your mouth and hopes you get the gist. His tongue swipes against yours, soft and sudden, as he guides you towards the table. You run into a rogue chair before he can get you on top of it. It screeches against the linoleum tile. 

With his face in your hands, you giggle against his mouth. His denim-clad knee slips between your thighs.

The door squeaks softly open then. Rory enters, swift and unthinking. You and Eddie pull apart — one looking much more horrified than the other — as the blonde girl stands frozen in the doorway. Drowning in her sweatshirt and baggy jeans, she points a lanky finger towards the table.

“Sorry,” she apologizes, voice gritty and deep. “I just left my girlfriend’s jacket here, and she doesn’t know I stole it, so… She’d definitely kill me if I forgot it.”

“That’s okay. Come in,” Eddie shrugs with a tightlipped smile, nodding his head in a silent invitation. When Rory plucks the coat from the back of her chair, he says, “Tell Jess I said hi, yeah?”

The girl scoffs as she heads back towards the door again, leaving just as quickly as she came. “She still hates you, you know that, right?” she laughs. ‘Cause Jess was a cheerleader — pretty and sometimes kind, but dreadfully conservative. Her uptight nature often clashed with Eddie’s much more chaotic one. 

“Well, tell her to get in line,” Eddie chuckles.

Before Rory leaves the room, she glances at the two of you over her shoulder. She winks with an eye smudged with black liner. “Have fun, you two,” she croons in a pretty voice before shutting the door behind her.

You stand, still and silent in place, wringing your anxious hands into a knot. Feeling like a total idiot, you refuse to meet Eddie’s gaze. You know he’s got a smug look on his face. You can hear the smirk in his voice when he says, “See? Not my type at all.”

Absolutely loved, oc standing up for herself and jungkook being a simp YUP 🫶🫶🫶

lost & found | jeon jungkook

summary:your college years have never been something you dwelled on for too long. you didn’t want to think of all the chances you lost and that’s why when the guy you had a crush on moves back to town, you try not to let it affect you again. but then he brings up old memories that didn’t go the way you thought they had and you’re thrown for a loop. you’re stuck between finding something new with him and falling back into old habits of never standing up for yourself. it probably doesn’t help that he dated your best friend, where everything seemed to go wrong.

➣ genre/au: jungkook x reader [she/her, female anatomy], mid-20’s friendships. what kind of au is this? smut, plot

➣18.7k words

warnings: heavy plot. smut. a little bit of angst if you squint. tae is oc defender. shy oc. jk is an old college classmate. oc and jk got complicated, misunderstood history :(. oc is kinda insecure? bathroom sex. teasing. foreplay [f and m receiving]. very neeeedddy, long time waited sex.. unprotected. jk fucks oc on the counter, on the door. jk is tatted up but not in his college days. heavy makeout. breast play. fingering. dirty talk. oc goes down on jk as a thx 🤧 jk dated oc’s bestie but there’s HISTORY. oc’s bestie is the real villain im sorry. took advantage of two insecure college kids >:( love lost, love found vibes. just read I swear it’s not that bad 😭 no cheating. FRIEND BREAK UPS. oc gets confident toward the end

song inspo: bff — jesse

As you settle into adulthood, you learn a few things about friendships. There tends to be a slight divide between those you’ve known since you were young and those you’ve collected over the years. Some might value the friendships they’ve held longer more than those that are more recent but for others, what matters is the trust that comes with friendship no matter with whom it might be with. You’re somewhere in between, you think.

You have people like Taehyung who you’ve only recently started to get to know and have had a chance to grow close with. He doesn’t know everything about you yet but he doesn’t need to, he seems to understand enough now to be an important person in your current life. He’s the kind of friend you're thankful you’ve met on some random occasion.

Then you have someone like your best friend, Miyoung. You’re not sure the last time you had ever been truly without her at your side. From your earlier school years to college, to now when you’re both settled into what would essentially be your careers and private lives. She’s… she's special to you in a way that you're not sure you could ever find in someone else—or at least that’s what she says?

There hasn’t been a time where it wasn’t the two of you practically glued together at the hip and you credit her for her outgoing nature that always seemed to balance with your more introverted demeanor. Of course it didn't mean you couldn’t make friends without her [take Taehyung for example] but she’s always seemed to gravitate people toward you with her energy. That’s why you're not at all surprised by tonight’s events and how everyone seemed surprised that you came alone.

”Honestly, I’m happy you made it, it feels like we haven’t seen each other in so long,” Your friend, Hoseok, pointed out as he led you to the private area of the lounge bar where it seemed like a reunion was taking place, “When Miyoung said she wasn’t going to make it, I thought you probably weren’t going to show up and—“

”Is that what you would have preferred?” You asked with a teasing smile as he began to stumble over his words, attempting to backtrack.

“What? Y/n, don’t you know I’ve been desperately enamored by you since your first year? Don’t make such crass comments,” He joked back, helping you out of your coat as you grew closer to the room filled with loud chatter. He led you with hands on your shoulders and said, “And between us, I’m a little happy she didn’t come. I wasn’t really in the mood for this to turn into a Battle of the Exes fighting ground.”

”What do you mean?” You barely had time to ask as you entered the room where an explosion of your name was heard by old college classmates of yours who all seemed on the border of tipsy and in a good mood. You couldn’t help but smile, looking at everyone at once till your eyes fell on the person in question.

He didn’t hesitate to meet your gaze with equal surprise as you sat across from him, just one person down the line. Immediately the people next to you tried sparking a conversation and you used it as a distraction to keep from gawking at him. When Miyoung told you she wouldn’t make it, you debated coming yourself but after some begging from Hoseok you decided to come along. Despite your best friend not joining, you're kind of glad she didn’t. Hoseok is right, it would have been a battlefield and you did not want to be caught in the middle of it.

“Y/n.”

Ignore, maybe? Just ignore and maybe he’ll forget trying to talk to you and your head won't be on the chopping block. You looked down the table at some of the other people you remember from campus activities or long lectures and tried to ignore the growing smile you could see on his face from the corner of your eye.

“Hungry?” The person next to you asked as he made you look his way. There were platters of hand food across the bar table and you happily took whatever Jimin offered. As much as you hated it, you couldn’t help but look across the table to make sure it really was who you thought it was,

Jeon Jungkook.

Better known as your best friend’s ex boyfriend.

Or worse, the first guy you liked when you started University.

”Hi,” he said in a low voice, catching you in the middle of staring at him. In your defense, he seemed so different—more matured if you will. Now he was covered in tattoos and piercings, he lost that sort of boyish charm but clearly gained something else along the way. He was buff and bigger, more intimidating yet alluring? Safe to say he didn’t look like the ‘Boy Next Door’ you had a crush on in your English seminar.

“You’re here,” was all you could think to say back, giving up on your sorry attempt at ignoring him for no real reason other than saving yourself from an awkward encounter.

”So are you,” Jungkook bit into his bottom lip as he looked at you closely. How is it that someone could look so different but the same all at once? In your gaze he could still see that curiosity in everything that he remembered from back then when he would spend lectures wondering what was on your mind. In your appearance, he can see how much you’ve changed physically. They were surely small differences in everyone else’s eyes but he always had a tendency to pay too much attention to you and it would get him in trouble.

You gave him a polite nod in response to his blatant observation that matched yours and attempted to shift your attention elsewhere but he didnt let it get too far. He cleared his throat, “How have you been?”

“Me?” You asked, “Okay, I guess. Busy with work.”

“So I’ve heard, you’re in marketing now, right? What happened to your writing?” Jungkook asked, seeming genuinely curious to know. He didn’t care for the conversations happening around him more than he did hearing your response now that you looked more willing to give him one.

“It wouldn’t have paid the bills—You remember my writing?” You asked, surprise evident in your features that he couldn’t help but smile.

It was hard for him to forget his biggest competition at the time. He let out a small sigh, ready to go on about being unable to forget a certain piece you wrote when a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. Yoongi stood over him, “Smoke break?”

Say no, he thought. Jungkook could easily reject the offer and continue what he was going to say. Without meaning to, he looked back at you, but you had excused yourself from the table in the blink of an eye. Nodding hesitantly, he grabbed his jacket and followed his friend out while he wondered where you went so suddenly.

You were hiding in the washroom when you got the call from Miyoung, like she had a sixth sense telling her to reach out.

“So how is it? Is it as boring as I said it’d be?” Miyoung asked as she waited in line for some nightclub she was going to with some of her various other friends.

“Um, kind of?” You said without much thought—knowing it was what she wanted to hear. In reality, it was fun. You were greeted warmly that it washed away your earlier worries and you’re being taken care of by old friends you didn't get to talk to as much. Not to mention, you’re seeing Jungkook again after a couple years of hearing and thinking of nothing about the guy, so you don’t actually think it's boring.

Miyoung snorted, “Figures, good thing I didn’t go. I could not sit through more than an hour of everyone going on and on about what they’ve been up to. I mean, yeah I miss Hobi and stuff but I could see him whenever, y’know? Who all showed up?”

“I think everyone,” You admitted with a nervous bite of your lip. It was now or never. You tell her that it seems like Jungkook has come to visit or has come back to stay and you’re not sure how she’ll take that. She might even march over here just to tell him how she's felt these last two years and chances are that’ll ruin the easy vibe for everyone else. You leaned against the stall door and talked with her.

“So you’re back,” Yoongi asked with a smirk as he took a drag from his cigarette, “My Golden Boy’s back? Someone pinch me.”

“Funny guy,” Jungkook said sarcastically as he looked out onto the busy street. Yoongi shrugged, turning toward the bar window looking around to see the group, “Aren’t you happy you came?”

“Yeah, it’s great seeing everyone again,” Jungkook told him casually, flicking the end of his cigarette and watching the ash fall to the cold cement of the street.

“Want to know who surprised me tonight?” Yoongi asked, looking over at him to see if his expression would change at all, “Y/n.”

Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly, “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, dropping ash to the ground, “Y/n never comes out to these sorts of things, and if she does come it’s usually with Miyoung but she came by herself tonight.

“Yeah…” Jungkook zoned out a bit as he thought about it more, “Why doesn’t she meet up with you guys often?”

“You know Y/n doesn't really go out,” Yoongi said, “And she’s busy with work, at least that’s what Hobi says. I don’t know, when Hobi said Miyoung wasn’t coming tonight we both expected Y/n to not show too but… hey, aren’t you happy she isn’t here?”

“I don’t really care either way,” Jungkook confessed truthfully, “But do you know if… y’know, you might have heard something about Y/n and if she’s still seeing someone or—“

“Oh God,” Yoongi couldn’t help but laugh as he put his cigarette out, Jungkook doing the same, “It’s been like three years, man.”

Jungkook watched him laugh as he walked off leaving him to follow, “What?”

Yoongi held the door open for him, “You know what, but I’ll answer your question, anyway. Last I heard Y/n is single, so what now?”

He waited for Jungkook to respond but he wasn’t listening anymore. There were too many things on his mind that he needed to work out before you came back to the table.

“What do you mean you’re leaving? You just got here,” Jimin said to you as he held your hand in his to stop you from leaving, “One more drink.”

“It’s late,” You tried to say, “I’ve got to be up early.”

“Liar, it’s a Saturday night, Y/n. Sit your ass back down,” Hobi said with a firm voice making you sit down immediately. He flashed you a cute smile before asking everyone if they wanted another round of drinks.

“So, what were we talking about earlier?” Jungkook asked, trying to get you to talk to him again, “Your writing? Yeah, how can I forget it? Remember we used to read each other’s essays all the time before… well.”

Before he broke up with your best friend.

“Yeah, I remember,” You admitted, trying to find something to say. What kind of questions would Miyoung want to know? What do you want to know? What should you prepare your friend to know? “How long are you visiting?”

“Actually, I just moved back, I got a job doing graphic design for a local company,” Jungkook told you with the hint of a smile, “It’s my first time meeting up with everyone again.”

You let yourself indulge in small talk with him here and there but usually when he started it. The night had been fine, you enjoyed your time but after a while all you wanted to do was go home and Hoseok couldn’t make you stay any longer. You ended your night wondering if you should go out more.

Everything has a backstory, right? How it all started and yours seems pretty tacky. You spent the first couple years of University doing what you had to do in school and letting Miyoung drag you to whatever outing she had on the weekends. Some time in your third year, you joined this English class with the most boring, monotonous professor ever and that’s where you met Jungkook.

In all honesty, you thought he was cute from the get go. Sitting through three hours of a boring lecture led people to do odd things and one of those for you was staring at the cute guy who sat down a couple rows from you. It was just a little thing you did to pass time so you never expected anything to actually happen from it.

Then one day most of the seats were taken [naturally, it was a large class] and he seemed to have been running late because his usual cycle of seats were all taken except the one next to yours. Despite all those times you would find yourself ogling the stranger, when he was right next to you, you didn’t say a single word.

It was Jungkook who spoke first and it was just to ask if you could help him catch up. That day you were supposed to read someone else’s prompt and revise it and you chose each other which then trickled down to a routine of it. Without speaking much, he would sit next to you or silently save you a seat whenever you were running late and the one time you decided to switch it up and sit elsewhere…

Well, he was practically pouting the whole day.

It had been a nearly perfect set up to what could have been if you just allowed yourself to go for things but it didn’t happen that way.

One random Tuesday night, Miyoung wanted to go out for some cheap drinks and you found yourselves at a bar not too far from campus where you ran into a senior in one of your classes. Yoongi had come up to you first, just greeting you and making small talk when Jungkook who apparently had come with him, recognized you too.

They drank with you and Miyoung for a bit and you honestly thought it had been fun. You had never had real conversations with him outside of school work and it was nice to have more people to hang with that it just felt natural. Though at some point through the night Miyoung had gotten kind of flirty. She claims she assumed you had wanted Yoongi and not Jungkook and practically called dibs on him despite meeting him for the first time that night.

When she made her intents obvious, you couldn’t help but backtrack.

You always considered yourself pretty self aware about yourself. There was nothing special really and when you compare yourself to Miyoung there just isn’t much competition.

She was the perfect Prom Queen type who always had the nicest clothes or the cutest boyfriends, the best awards and most interesting stories. The amount of guys she would pull who you didn’t even have a chance with was insane. And though you might sound bitter, you’re not. You’ve never been the type to want the spotlight or attention and being best friends with someone so damn perfect was that you could always stay in the shadows.

So when she started flirting with Jungkook, you didn’t really notice his awkward glances or how he shied away from her proximity. You only saw how he smiled politely and listened to her go on and on about how great she is and assumed he was into her like all the others had been.

You tried to act normal after that, you would talk to him every now and then and never questioned why he stopped talking to you as much until he started dating Miyoung but you weren’t bitter. You were understanding.

It made sense he would date her. She was beautiful and smart and someone people pine for. It was a given that that would happen so once again, you didn’t take it personal.

They dated for a couple months [nothing serious at all] and then he dumped her which resulted in Miyoung practically forbidding you from even looking his way at all. You completed your last year without thinking about him despite the various mutual friends you shared and went on with your life when he moved.

That was the backstory and why you felt so awkward seeing him the other night.

You haven’t told Miyoung yet because there’s a high chance she won’t care at all and would get annoyed that you even thought to bring it up. Your friend is very pretty and she likes being in relationships so she’s been in quite a few since they dated and probably doesn’t care to be reminded at all.

The only person you’ve told is Taehyung.

“But did you at least have fun?” He asked as the two of you sat at a small restaurant for lunch. You nodded your head, “Yeah, it was alright. It was just weird, for me at least.”

“Why?” Taehyung asked as he dug into his meal, stuffing his mouth with no care in the world, “I mean it’s obvious everyone was happy to see you and didn’t want you to leave. Who cares if Miyoung didn’t go, clearly it didn’t matter to anyone else.”

You didn’t say anything, taking your time to enjoy your meal as you drifted off in thought. He is right, you know that sometimes it’s just in your head and you overthink things. You always feel like you’re boring to others so it’s natural for you to assume no one would be happy to see just you and not your bubble of joy best friend. There has to be a certain level of comfort between you and another person to show personality and it’s rare people get to see it.

“But how’d it go with that guy? Did he ask you about her?” Taehyung asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Not that I can remember. I don’t know, it was kind of awkward but we talked a bit,” You told him honestly, “He just moved back down so that’s cool I guess.”

Taehyung looked at you skeptically but you avoided his gaze, trying to distract yourself with your phone.

yoongi: throwing a welcome back party for jk this weekend, u coming?

you: idk, if I’m free

yoongi: … ur always free🤒

yoongi: just say yes, bring whoever u want

you: but is he ok with me going

yoongi: y wouldn’t he be

yoongi: he’s the one who asked me to make sure u come

you: okkkkkk 🥹

“Tae, can you come with me to this party please?” You asked, immediately showing your friend your text messages leaning across the table for him to see them clearly.

Taehyung’s brows furrowed as he read through the texts carefully, “Jungkook is the ex boyfriend, right? Why’s he so interested in you going?”

“He’s not,” you said, “He’s probably just doing it to be nice, since everyone I know will be there.”

“What if he’s… y’know, interested?” Taehyung asked curiously and you nearly choked on your drink.

“No, oh my god,” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, “We were just classmates and we stopped talking after he dumped Miyoung so—“

“Yeah but did you ever stop to think ‘hm, I’m the one who knew this guy first and then Miyoung went and snatched him from me before I even got a chance to explore’,” Taehyung said in a high pitched voice, presumably mocking yours. You reached over to playfully shove his shoulder making him grin mischievously.

“What? No, it wasn’t like that at all,” You tried to say, “Him and I didn’t even really talk until the night he met her at the bar and… no, that’s crazy. He liked Miyoung right away.”

Taehyung just sighed, giving up on trying to get through to you, “If you say so, but who’s the one he approached first? Because I can tell you right now it wasn’t her.”

Despite how he expresses himself when he talks about your best friend, he doesn’t dislike her. He thinks Miyoung is alright, maybe a little too much for his tastes but that doesn’t mean anything. He understands the two of you are really close and although he has had many chances to befriend her too, he just hasn’t.

He’ll talk to her if you force them to hang out together but he would never go out of his way to be her friend. It might sound bad but Taehyung is pretty protective over you and rightfully so, he feels.

He doesn’t want to badmouth one of his closest friends but you have a tendency to overthink things. You don’t realize how great you are and make yourself seem smaller and he thinks Miyoung and other people like her in your life are at fault. He’s heard some of the things she says to you and it’s like you hold her up so highly there’s no room for you to see how pretty, smart, and talented you are. And before anyone gets the wrong idea, he’s not in love with you or anything.

You’re too good for him so he gave up on that idea long ago.

Plus, now that he’s able to connect some of those pieces from when you were in Uni, some things are clicking into place for him. Miyoung tends to dim your light a bit, or copy something you do and claim it as her own and when he hears this little backstory between all of your old college friends… he just can’t help but wonder if Jungkook was one of those things she claimed for herself.

With that thought in mind, he agreed to go with you to this party and see for himself what is there and what could be. He just wants what’s best for you and for you to be able to go and get it without worrying you’re not good enough or stepping on anyone’s toes.

When Friday night came, your apartment was filled with loud music and even louder complaints coming from one person in particular. Taehyung was just listening to you and Miyoung go back and forth about tonight’s plans and it got to the point where you couldn’t say anything but the truth about what you would be doing tonight.

“It’s a welcome back party for Jungkook,” You said, trying your hardest not to let your voice sound strained.

“What? When did he get back?” Miyoung asked, sitting up from your bed and tossing your pillow off her lap, “Like he moved back?”

“Yeah, I guess not too long ago,” You said with a shrug, looking in your mirror to see if you liked the way you looked or not, “I don’t know, Yoongi is the one who invited me.”

“Why didn’t I know? Why wasn’t I invited?” Miyoung asked, turning to Taehyung like he would have the answers.

“Probably because you’re his ex girlfriend and you ditched out on their little reunion so you could party,” Taehyung said, not bothering to look up from his phone.

“Yeah but, why’d they ask Y/n? She’s not even friends with him,” Miyoung said with a slight scoff, “You’re not actually going right? We could go out, just the three of us. You already hung out with them, you and I haven’t gone out in weeks, let’s just do our own thing. Unless you’re trading me in for all of them.”

You looked at her with apologetic eyes. You’ve been busy with work recently and she is right. The last people you hung out with aside from Taehyung were all of them two weekends ago so it would only be fair to hang out with her this time. It shouldn’t mean anything that you were invited and that Jungkook wanted to make sure you were going. Miyoung was supposed to be your best friend so how could you go to a party she wasn’t invited to?

Just as you were going to give in and shoot Yoongi a text that you weren’t going to make it, Taehyung spoke up for you. “Why don’t you just come with? One of them said Y/n can bring whoever she wants and I’m already going so it’s not like you have to be by yourself. Plus, aren’t the rest of them supposed to be your friends too? Y/n already agreed.”

“Why didn’t you ask me first?”

“I didn’t realize I needed permission,” You couldn’t help but sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed to comfort her, “We can just stop by, have a drink or two and leave if it’s lame. Come on.”

After much convincing, the three of you arrive at Yoongi’s place which was a small house with good outdoor space and the inside was packed with people already. The amount of party goers made you anxious but at the same time slightly thrilled that surely the attention would never be on you with so many people around.

“Y/n! Miyoung!” Namjoon spotted you two first and he threw his arms around you both with a grin, “Surprised to see you here, Mimi.”

“Yeah, probably because I was the only one not invited,” Miyoung said bitterly, making Namjoon take a drink from his cup and look away nervously.

“Let’s get you guys drinks then,” He said with an awkward clear of his throat looking to Taehyung, “What’s up, I’m Namjoon.”

“Taehyung,” he said, following you to the drinks table. The music played loudly and there were a lot of people having a good time that it was somewhat easy to try and blend in and act normal. Miyoung had a pout on her face, looking around worried but Namjoon brightened her mood and every now and then another friend would stop by to greet her. Taehyung mostly clung to you and only drifted away when a friend would spark conversation with you but you were thankful he was around.

“Y/n,” someone called out to you from across the room. You couldn’t make them out through the crowd of people and it took a while before you spotted Jungkook making his way to your direction.

“Jungkook,” you said with a nervous breath, looking around for Miyoung but she was off with Namjoon talking about god knows what.

“How long have you been here? Why didn’t you say anything?” Jungkook asked, slightly more energetic than usual. His hair was messy, with strands out of place, he wore a basic black tee and baggy jeans so why did he look good? It’s still hard for you to wrap your mind around who this is.

He’s gotten so muscular and just… more intimidating with his tattoo sleeve and piercings and it’s so unexpected but in a good way.

“I, um, you know, I just assumed you were busy,” you lied, looking around for one of your friends. Taehyung was at the table getting a drink and he’ll be back soon to save you before Miyoung looks around.

Jungkook found himself looking around too, as if he could see what you did but he came up short, “Did you come with anyone?”

“Yeah, Miyoung and a friend of mine,” you rushed the words out in hopes of sounding casual but Jungkook didn’t even bat an eye.

“So what are you doing alone?” He asked with a raised brow, taking a step closer to you, “Actually, there’s something that’s been on my mind since last time I saw you and I uh… I haven’t had the chance to say it.”

You blinked nervously, looking up at him and how close he was to you, “What is it?”

He licked his lips, playing with his lip rings shyly, “Well, I was wondering if you would like to get together some time, just you and I. We’ve never had the chance to hang out.”

“We’re hanging out right now, aren’t we?” You asked, feigning naivety that almost seemed teasing. In truth, you could sense what he was possibly asking and you needed him to stop. There was no reason for you two to hang out alone, no matter how much the thought made you giddy.

“I guess,” Jungkook couldn’t help but let his eyebrows knit together in confusion. He took another step closer to you, hand on the wall behind you for support. , “But I was still hoping… I know it’s probably kind of awkward but we’re grown, right? We can get together without worrying about anyone else.”

“Who says it’s because I’m worried?” You asked with a hint of playfulness in an attempt to ease some of the growing tension caused by the way he looked at you, “Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

That made him crack a smile, “All of a sudden?”

“Yes, all of a sudden,” another voice added in from behind him and you jumped at the sound. Jungkook didn’t bother to turn around, he was more focused on the way you tried to look behind him and meet Miyoung’s glare.

“Where’d you run off to?” You asked, pushing past him making Jungkook slide his hand off the wall and roll his eyes at the disruption.

“Somewhere I felt wanted,” she said bitterly, eyes on Jungkook as she spoke to you, “Let’s go, I’m bored.”

“I thought you were having a good ti—“

“I’m not, Y/n,” Miyoung almost snapped, “You said we could have a drink and go. We’ve been here for like forever and I want to leave. That’s what we agreed on.”

“Okay, jeez, let’s go then,” You said with a sigh, “Let me find Taehyung.”

“Go, then,” Miyoung said, making you take a deep breath, trying to tell yourself she had a right to be upset. She didn’t want you [as her best friend] talking to her ex boyfriend. And you did say you didn’t have to stick around for long…

“What?” Miyoung asked Jungkook with a roll of her eyes as she caught him staring, “Did I interrupt something?”

“You still don’t know how to speak to people like they’re human beings,” Jungkook said simply, “And it’s sad to watch.”

“Screw you,” Miyoung scoffed, “You’re just mad I stopped you from trying to ask my best friend out. My friends are off limits.”

“She was my friend too,” Jungkook said as a reminder, “And I can do whatever I want. You’re just childish.”

She snorted, “Right, says the guy who fumbled me.”

He couldn’t seem to act mature anymore and before he stop himself he said, “Remember, you’re not the one I wanted anyway.”

He walked off without much care for how she felt and found his other friends, wondering who it was you ran off to find.

“Tae, can we go now?” You asked your friend. Taehyung had found himself a group of people to entertain with his stories and had nearly forgotten who he had tagged along with until you pulled him to the side.

“Uh, okay,” Taehyung cleared his throat awkwardly, “What happened? I thought everyone was having a good time.”

“Miyoung wants to leave,” You said with a small sigh, “She saw me talking to Jungkook and I just don’t want it to become this big problem so can we please just go?”

Taehyung placed an arm on your shoulder, leading you to Miyoung who waited at the door, “Yeah, sure let’s go.”

The car had only stayed silent for the first half of the drive to Miyoung’s apartment. Somewhere between the last red light and this short stretch of road, a fire had been lit underneath her which made her start up again.

“So what was that back there?” Miyoung asked from the backseat and you debated just acting asleep or like you were too drunk to listen properly. She leaned forward, looking at you closely.

“What do you mean?” You asked nervously.

“You know exactly what I mean,” Miyoun said with an annoyed tone, “First you get invited to a party for my ex boyfriend and next thing I know the two of you are whispering in the corner looking like you’re about to kiss and like I’m not even in the room.”

Taehyung had to bite his tongue from responding, worried that if he spoke too soon it would only make you seem more weak to her antics. He just tapped his fingers against the window trying to keep silent

“Miyoung,” You started with a sigh, “You’re overreacting. It was nothing, we’re friends—“

“Since when?” Miyoung scoffed, “You’re supposed to be my friend, Y/n.”

“I am,” You said defensively, “And if you want to talk about this tomorrow then that’s fine but right now it’s late and we’ve all been having a decent time so don’t ruin it…”

“Y/n’s right, let’s end the night on a good note,” Taehyung finally said but he seemed to go ignored by you two.

“You’re not though, real friends wouldn’t flirt with their best friend’s ex boyfriend—“

“You two dated for less than five months and it was years ago,” You blurted out, “I knew him before that so don’t act like I’m betraying you.”

“Oh my god, I knew you’d still be bitter I started seeing him,” Miyoung said, suddenly making you hide your face in your hand from exhaustion. “I didn’t know you had a thing for him back then. You should’ve said something instead of holding it against me like you do everything else.”

“What are you talking about?” You couldn’t help but scoff.

Miyoung’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “You know exactly what I’m talking about and it’s not fair.”

Taehyung took a deep breath, fingers clenched around the steering wheel unable to bite his tongue any longer, “Miyoung I don’t think you’re being fair. You’re clearly drunk and you just want to arg—“

“Shut up, Taehyung,” She snapped, slurring on her words a bit and not even realizing the car came to a stop in front of her building, “I’m not even talking you and you can stop acting like Y/n’s bodyguard because last time I checked she’s a grown adult who could speak for herself. God, I swear everyone is the same. Just because Y/n is boring and insecure, doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to speak for herself.”

“Get out. We’re at your place so just go,” Taehyung said, annoyed with the harshness she was projecting on you, “Y/n might put up with you but I won’t.”

With an irritated scoff, she swung the back door open, “Fine, screw you guys too.”

The door slammed shut as she stormed up to her apartment and Taehyung waited till she was gone to say, “Fuck, what did that girl drink? Y/n, why do you put up with that? Hey.”

You stayed silent for a moment letting her words sink in. Whatever, she yelled and threw a tantrum, that’s fine, that’s normal. But she seriously thinks you’re just a bore and maybe you’re starting to believe it too. If it weren’t for you always being cautious over how she might feel about you and what you do, you wouldn’t seem so boring.

Or was that just how you were and now you’re trying to say it’s because of Miyoung? Jeez, you just can’t seem to make up your mind about anything but all you know is that… you’re not boring. Well, you don’t have to be. If she wants to think that always backing up whatever she says makes you boring, then maybe it’s time you just do what you want even if she doesn’t like it.

“Tae, can you do me a favor,” You finally said, making him look over at you curiously. The car is still parked in front of Miyoung’s place and he’s been waiting for you to speak anyway, “What?”

“Take me back to the party please.”

Miyoung was wrong, if you were boring it’s because she made you boring. Anytime you did anything on your own, she always had to ruin it and you just let her. You just let Miyoung monopolize your time and make you her right-hand in everything. You’ve never gotten the chance to truly put yourself out there because you firmly believed you didn’t compare.

Maybe you needed to stop overthinking and just do what you want, be confident—or at least act like you are.

“Y/n! You’re back?” Yoongi asked once you made it to the party again, “Let me tell you, I was mad because I thought you left before even talking to me.”

“I’m so very sorry,” You said playfully, “But do you know where Jungkook is?”

He seemed to freeze up, surprise written on his face and he looked down at you questioning. You held his gaze, watching the wheels turn in his head before he was blurting out, “I don’t know. The bathroom?”

You blinked nervously, letting him slip away from you when someone called for him and were left standing there. Your mind was racing with ideas yet you couldn’t think of what to do.

What did you expect coming back?

What does this prove?

You feel anxious and insecure and maybe she was right, you’re boring and you don’t even speak up or do anything exciting.

“Jungkook?” You called out to him as you walked down the hall of doors, knocking or opening whichever door you landed on. You got to the last door with a bated breath, realizing it’s a bedroom and closed yourself in.

Your sense of bravado had been short lived. Whatever burst of confidence you had was completely gone now that you sat alone in the guest room contemplating just going home or not.

In all honesty, this was stupid from the very beginning. You let Miyoung’s words get to you and you acted before you could think. You didn’t need to prove anything. Plus, you don’t want Jungkook. Maybe once before you did… but not… anymore?

God, you felt like an idiot.

“Y/n?”

Your heart dropped with a sense of disbelief as you looked up. The once pitch black room was illuminated by a block of light from the open bathroom door. Jungkook stood at the doorway, brows furrowed as he looked at who sat on the bed.

“Jungkook,” you cleared your throat awkwardly.

“You’re back?” He asked, looking you up and down with a hint of suspicion. You nodded your head silently, making him blink with confusion.

You stood up from the bed suddenly, “Are you done in there?”

“Uh, yeah,” he moved out of your way, watching you closely as you closed the door in his face before he could say anything else.

Maybe this had been a sign that you didn’t want to talk to him but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the privacy in the bedroom to go out where everyone else was. He could hear the faucet running but oblivious to how you wet your face to try and snap yourself out of this strange mood before drying off. When you opened the door, you didn’t expect to see him standing there right in front of you.

“Everything alright?” He asked, halfway in the doorway, walking forward making you step deeper into the bathroom.

“Yeah, everything’s great,” you said with a strained smile, backing away, “Just—what about you? Has it been fun, this is all for you, right?”

“I guess,” Jungkook shrugged, “But it would have been more fun if you stayed.”

“Good thing I came back then,” you couldn’t help but laugh nervously, leaning against the sink counter.

“Good thing,” Jungkook licked his dry lips, “Y/n, about what I was saying earlier… I would honestly like for us together sometime, just the two of us.”

A small, shy smile appeared on your lips as you thought about earlier and repeated yourself playfully, “We’re hanging out right now, aren’t we?”

“I guess,” he blinked in confusion, looking down at you and struggling to keep his composure. Your response was a bit of a let down since he hoped you had come back to see him and he should have known better. You would never take him seriously after his mess with Miyoung and he was always reaching for the stars thinking it could work out.

Plus, you’re too good for him. You always have been.

He can’t explain why, but he’s always felt a sense of ease with you, like everything was perfect. As shameful as it is to admit, Miyoung had reasons to be worried.

When they dated… well, it didn’t stop him from thinking about you from time to time. Miyoung was aware of it too and he looks back on it now and realizes how wrong he was then. It was wrong for him to think about you when he was never able to have you, and he will be much less now.

“Am I wrong? Is it not just the two of us now?” You asked, swallowing the lump in your throat and looking to the bathroom door which was closed some time ago.

“Y/n,” he said it softly but you could sense his warning tone, like you were going to get yourself in trouble. Jungkook wanted to believe you were aware of what this looked like yet he knew there was a chance you weren’t. He couldn’t just go for it.

He could not just go for it.

Not even if you looked up at him with a look in your eyes that said you might want him to…

He could be dreaming it up.

Would you want him to?

No. No way, you would never, that’s how this all started right? You wouldn’t want him the way he wanted you and you’ll go be with someone else while he beats himself up for another failed attempt. He’s not in college anymore, he can’t make the same mistakes.

You do not want him.

“Y/n,” he said with a sigh, “I think we should get out n—“

It was soft but sudden. One second he was giving up on everything he had been hoping for and was ready to go on once again without telling you how he really felt. The next, your lips were on his, barely giving him a chance to feel the tenderness of it before pulling away with a gasp.

“Jungkook,” you covered your mouth with your hand, “Oh my god. I’m s-sorry, I, that was not okay. I shouldn’t have done that.”

You were rambling, apologizing for doing it without asking him first but in all honesty, he couldn’t hear you anymore. There was a strange ringing in his ear that only seemed to stop when he grabbed your face in his hands, and pulled you into a real kiss.

To keep yourself from leaning back too far, you wrapped your arms around his neck and met him the rest of the way. You kissed him back with an equal sense of urgency that had his eyes falling shut and letting himself get lost in the moment. Your lips were soft against his own and his lip rings felt cold on your tongue the first couple times.

At one point you surprised him by nipping at his piercings with a soft tug and it had his hands tightening around your waist, using his strength to pull you onto the counter with ease. It made it easier to kiss you and he let the small sigh you let out guide his tongue between your lips. Your hands were in his dark hair, and you surprised him with the way you took lead of the kiss. It felt like he was melting into you and it was doing things to him.

“Y/n,” he mumbled softly, “I want you so bad.”

You pulled back from him with widened eyes. It was the first time you heard him sound that way and you knew he meant it. He looked at you with an intense gaze and it felt good to be looked at that way by him. You wanted him too, right? That’s why you came back. That's why you were so upset back then. Why can’t you have him now?

What was really stopping you?

Nothing.

The second time he kissed you, you didn’t hesitate from doing more and it had his mouth dropping when he felt your hand trace down his toned chest. He let that feeling motivate his hands to do the same to you and they ran along your sides till he could feel your front. His hands slipped under your top and found your chest, gently reaching to touch you as he kissed you with his tongue.

Your fingers trailed down his navel to the waistband of his jeans, tugging softly and teasingly that you felt the way he sucked in a shaky breath. When he didn’t pull away to tell you to stop, you took it as a sign to go a little farther and undo the button and zipper. Jungkook’s rough fingers caressed your breasts ever so softly but with an added pressure that made you let out a small sigh, especially when he ran his thumb over your nipples.

He released a light groan against your lips when you got more confident in your actions and slipped into the hem of his Calvin Klein’s. You barely touched his growing member but you felt it harden against you, the more attention you gave to it and it was all just exciting to you. His kisses were needy and his rough hands felt so good against your sensitive buds that you couldn’t hold yourself back. You wanted to make him feel good too and you could tell you were.

Jungkook helped you tug his jeans down enough for you to have more reign over him and you touched his bare dick so softly. The first touch was light and teasing, like you were still letting him get lost in the feeling before you actually did anything but it was soft that it made a tingle run down his spine. Goosebumps rose on his skin and blood ran straight to his cock making it easier for you softly palm him to full hardness.

You circled your fingers around his tip, softly running your thumb around the ring feeling him twitch with need and softly sliding down to his base.

His movement grew rougher, he was no longer softly caressing your breasts but more groping, never getting enough for the softness of them. When you began to stroke him gently, he found it hard to keep himself from digging his nails into your flesh to ground himself and it made a hand of his fall to your leg. His palm was wide and flat against your inner thigh, tracing his lips down your jaw and to your neck to try and distract himself from getting too lost into the feeling.

“Fuck,” he huffed, licking his dry lips as he began to slowly fuck into your closed fist, deaf to the sound of music just outside the bedroom you two were hiding in. The bathroom felt even smaller at this point yet he couldn’t bring himself to put a stop to it now. Especially not when your hand began to fuck his cock faster, with more vigor as he twitched in your hold making his nails dig into your thigh harshly.

Your skirt was scrunched up around your hips at this point and he could see the soft blue of your laced underwear and couldn’t stop himself anymore. He had grown too curious to have you and with his hand so close already, he let his thumb trace along your covered folds.

They were already sensitive at this point and his sudden touch made your insides tighten with arousal, your back straightened in surprise and a light moan left your lips. The sound snapped his attention away from his own pleasure and when he did it again, he swallowed your moan with his mouth on yours.

He couldn’t take thing slow anymore, especially not when his dick felt so close to the edge already and was trying not to cum all over your hand and so soon.

You were withering against him, squirming on the counter to feel more of his hand against your heat. Your fingers tightened in his hair when he reached under to the hem of your panties, pulling them down as far as he could. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he tugged them down your thighs. Jungkook pulled away from your lips with a slight groan as he brought his fingers to your lips. He pressed into your bottom lip watching close as you drew your mouth open and took them in. As you licked between two fingers, your hand’s stroking sped up with more pressure that had him pushing them deeper down your throat.

When he pulled them out there was an obvious line of drool connecting his fingertips to your lips and he brought his hand between your legs once more. The mixture between his rough fingers and the slick that now coated them made a tingle run down your spine when they ran along your folds. You pinched the fabric of his shirt as he circled your hardening clit with his middle finger while his index finger began to tease your sensitive labor.

He ran the longer finger down your slit, dipping into the puddle of arousal that formed at your center before using it to wet your clit and massage you gently.

You looked into his eyes as he finally pressed his middle finger into your waiting cunt, giving you a second to respond and he couldn’t help but let his lips slip open with heavy breaths. Your hand stopped its actions as you took in the feeling of him pulling out his finger before pushing it forward once more. Each time felt hotter than the last and it made him want to take things further. When he thought you adjusted enough, he teased the tip of his ring finger in with his middle one and kept a steady pace of thrusting.

At this point you began to stroke him again, rubbing against his mushroom tip where a thick vein was felt along the underside of it. Your hips had began to move with the motion of his hand and you were fucking his fingers into you while fucking his cock with a closed fist. The both of you were left speechless, unsure how long you had been locked away in the bathroom but not caring either.

You felt more impatient than him but you couldn’t help it. You can’t remember the last time you let someone else touch you and none felt quite like this. Jungkook seemed to know where to kiss, where to press or pay attention to and he never left a part of you untouched. Even now as he thrusted his fingers into you, his other hand was at your chest again, fingers pinching your nipple and tugging harshly but it brought little whines from your lips.

“Jungkook,” You were breathlessly calling for him and you’re sure that if your back wasn’t to the mirror, you would be able to see how desperate you looked to him. Your other hand was on his hips, pulling him forward in hopes of getting him to get the hint that you needed more, “Fuck me.”

“What?” He asked with heavy breaths, looking down at the way the tip of his cock pressed against your inner thigh now, “Really?”

“Please,” You found yourself begging, desperately begging for him to give you something and oh, how it worked.

His eyes rolled back at the soft sound of your begs and with a hand on your thigh, he pulled you harshly to the edge of the counter. He placed his hand over yours and stroked himself once, twice, to slick his member with your arousal and his own.

His cock was hot to the touch and pointed straight to your waiting entrance. He had made such a mess of you already that when he pressed his tip into your clit, it nearly slid down from how wet you are. You had to bite your lip to keep from whining too loud when he teased you with that repeated motion, wetting his tip more and feeling the way your walls tightened and released for him.

Your back was fully against the mirror now, legs open waiting for him and you were getting impatient. The anticipo had been building up for too long and you brought your hand between your legs. All it took was a soft push down for his cock to sink into your waiting pussy.

His jaw went slack at the sudden tightness of it, he hadn’t expected it to be so snug. His tip barely pushed against the ring of nerves and your facial expression matched his own when he kept going. He held your thighs open, guiding himself in with a deep breath.

“Fucking hell,” he growled lowly, hands trembling as he kept you open and ready to take him in. He looked up at your eyes, completely enamored by the way your features softened with pleasure. Your eyes were glazed over with obvious lust that made him want to just fuck you into oblivion.

“Oh my god,” your hand circled around his neck, pulling him into a sloppy wet kiss that left him biting your lip softly. He groaned against your lips as he picked up the pace of his thrusting, letting his cock drag against your puffy walls so that you could feel every juncture on his length. Your back was arched into him, your chest nearly pressed against his and he snuck his arm around your waist to pull you firmly against him.

“That’s it baby,” Jungkook groaned into your ear, gripping onto the counter with his free hand to fuck you better. You were on the edge of the sink and he bucked his hips up to reach that pleasure spot he had found with his fingers just moments ago and had you moaned loudly into his ear, “You sound pretty, tell me how it feels.”

“Feels good,” you whispered softly against his neck, lips teasing kisses against his skin that made the veins in his arms bulge, “Don’t stop, please.”

“Ngh, Y/n, beg for me,” Jungkook said with a deep voice filled with lust as he fucked you with all his strength. There were too many layers of clothing between you but neither of you seemed to have the time or energy to tear them off. You were both too focused on the pleasure that came from feeling his skin against yours.

Your legs tightened around his waist forcing more of his length into your sopping cunt and his fingers pinched your sides roughly. Without thinking, Jungkook lifted you off the counter. You clung to him as he stepped back and he needed a second to just feel the way your pussy tightened around his hard, thick cock. He wanted to dig into your guts and it was nasty how badly he wanted to have you cum all over him.

It was so unexpected because you always came off as a quiet, reserved person but here you were letting him tear you in two with his fat dick. Jungkook used his strength to push you against the door, letting you drop onto his length before backing his hips up and pistoning them back into you.

“Fuck, I can’t,” your legs tightened around him with your face digging into his neck, “Jungkook, baby, I can’t.”

“You can,” He whispered, pressing you firmly into the wall, “Come on baby, take it.”

“Too much,” You whined, squeezing your eyes shut as he picked up the pace and you searched around for something to hold. Your hand tightened around the doorknob, trying to anchor yourself as he fucked you so good you could barely focus on anything but the pleasure, “I’m so close.”

Jungkook’s hand held you firmly by the waist while the other cupped your ass, groping you harshly as he fucked you onto his length trying to make you cum, “Cum baby, for me. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you moaned, “Kiss me, please?”

He didn’t hesitate to do so, kissing you with tongue as you clung to him, moaning into his ear and shaking slightly. His knees buckled tightly to hold you up and just as he gave one final thrust to the hilt, he felt your orgasm hit you.

Your walls tightened around him, nearly bringing him to his own orgasm before feeling his tip get flooded with your release. His thighs shook with the pressure of it and he felt his strength leaving him. His abdomen grew tense and he pushed you back to the counter where you let your head fall back with pleasure. You swallowed dryly, panting heavily, “Oh my god.”

You were sweaty, tired and overall unsure what to think but your mind hadn’t cleared yet. All you could focus on was the way Jungkook’s dick throbbed painfully hard when he pulled out of you with a slight pop. You eyed his red member, slightly hypnotized by how pretty it looked and you dropped to your knees wordlessly.

Jungkook watched you slip down on your knees in front of him and it took him a moment to process what was going on. He was hard, so fucking hard he couldn’t think straight and it wasn’t until your hands held his thighs, eyeing his cock hungrily did he realize what you wanted to do. He brought a hand fo attempt and gently brush your hair back, “Y/n, baby, you don’t have t—oh fuck.”

His jaw went slack when your hands circled his base, your lips on his tip and taking him down your throat suddenly. Your nose brushed against the base of his cock, eyes watering as you tried relaxing your throat around him and he nearly stumbled back with surprise, “Y/n.”

You ignored his call of your name, and began to bob your head against his length, your tongue licking along the thick vein you discovered earlier and feeling his hands sink into your hair to guide you, “That’s it, fuck.”

Jungkook looked at his reflection in the mirror, turned on by the way your head was seen bobbing against his length and his body was overheating so much he had to pull his shirt over his toned chest to cool down. It gave him a perfect view of the way his cock disappeared between your lips.

The thought of having you like this hadn’t dawned on him yet but now he couldn’t forget it. The memory would always be ingrained in his mind and although he doesn’t know if he’ll never get a chance to do this again, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

You gradually began to pick up the pace, using your hands to hold closed fists around his cock to help stroke what didn’t fit in your mouth. You swallowed and bobbed around his dick hungrily, moaning around him and hollowing your cheeks when you would pull your head back until only his tip was between your lips.

As ashamed as he was to admit it, he wasn’t going to be able to hold himself back anymore. Still wanting to warn you, he tried to guide your head off him, “I’m close.”

All it did was push you to take him deeper, stopping when he hit the back of your throat and sucked. Jungkook’s eyes squeezed shut with a loud growl as his orgasm hit him harder than it had in a very long time.

You coughed as his cum sprayed down your throat, thick and creamy with a bittersweet taste that you tried to lick up. You would’ve cleaned him off fully despite his legs shaking but he pulled you off. He pulled his softening dick out of your wet mouth with a huff, panting heavily as he looked down at you.

“Y/n,” his voice was dry, pulling you up to your feet, “That was…”

He couldn’t even get the words out as he watched you lick the corner of your lips and without thinking about it, he pulled you into a heated kiss. You kissed him back with need, moaning against him as his tongue circled around yours hungrily, not caring for the way he tased on you. You only broke away to catch your breath, realization dawning at you as you looked at his messy appearance that surely mirrored yours.

You sat against the counter for a moment, attempting to catch your breath as Jungkook did the same. The two of you were silently readjusting your clothes again and you needed just a moment to yourself. He looked at you, buttoning his jeans back up, “Is everything… okay?”

“Yeah, um, can I just get a minute,” You said with a hoarse voice trying to pretend like you couldn’t see the way his shoulders slumped down. With a short nod of his head, he left the bathroom to let you wash up and for a moment you just looked at yourself in the mirror.

Your reflection looked different, maybe because what you had just done was so out of character and with your best friend’s ex but… why did it feel right?

Jungkook wondered what would happen now, if you expected him to leave the room or wait for you but he wanted to be with you. He didn’t want to walk out and think that because he got something he’s been wanting for years now, he’ll just leave. He knows the others are looking for him, mostly because he’s gotten a few texts now asking where he’s at but he can’t bring it in himself to care. When you opened the bathroom door into the dark room, he looked like a deer caught in headlights, rushing to his feet, “Are you sure everything is fine?”

“Yeah, yes,” you nodded stiffly, “If you want to go out there with everyone else that’s fine. I won’t be upset or anything.”

“Well, I was kind of wondering if you wanted to come back to mine?”

The first thing you noticed the following morning aside from the sun shining down on your face was the heavy arm across your waist. It made your eyes flutter awake with a small huff leaving your lips as you attempted to stretch your limbs but it tightened around you, securing you closer to Jungkook’s naked chest.

“Morning,” he mumbled sleepily into your hair as he hugged you closer.

“What time is it?” You asked awkwardly, trying to sit up making his arm slide to your hips instead. You reached for your cell phone, eyes widening by the number of text messages.

miyoung: bye I was drunkkkkkk 😳

miyoung: did I 🤮 at all?

miyoung: r u alive

miyoung: helloooooooo

A quiet sigh escaped your lips as you read it over. Either she couldn’t remember how upset she was in the car or she’s going to pretend like nothing at all happened.

God, what did you do?

“Y/n,” Jungkook grumbled tiredly, “Lay back down.”

“I should go,” You bit your lip nervously. If Miyoung forgot what happened last night then maybe she forgot about Jungkook asking you and won’t know you… slept with him. Fuck, were you a bad friend?

He dated your best friend and dumped her out of the blue making it obvious he wanted nothing to do with her and here you are letting him fuck you in the bathroom. What did that make you? You had a poor lapse of judgment last night, you acted out of character and hadn’t been behaving like yourself at all.

“Why?” He sat up suddenly, “You don’t work today, right? Why don’t we go grab breakfast—well, brunch.”

You looked down at him, unable to stop yourself from taking in his appearance. He had bed hair, no shirt on and his blanket draped over his waist. He failed to take off his jewelry last night so he still wears silver chain necklaces around his neck and leather bracelets. You couldn’t possibly spend time with him still. It wasn’t right, right?

Just as you were ready to give him your answer, your phone began to vibrate with an incoming call. You looked down at the screen and a picture of you and Miyoung displayed on the screen that had Jungkook huffing quietly and laying back down, close to giving up.

In all honesty, you weren’t in the mood to talk to her. It still bothered you by how harsh she was last night but there’s a chance she doesn’t even remember and… “Hello?”

“Tell me why I have a raging headache when I barely drank last night?” Miyoung said immediately once the call went through, “It’s your fault y’know for upsetting me.”

You couldn’t see her but she was walking on a treadmill in her apartment acting like everything was completely normal. Jungkook didn’t care for your conversation either but he was focused on the way you looked first thing in the morning.

You looked cute, undeniably cute with circles under your eyes and a disheveled appearance. You wore an oversized shirt of his so you wouldn’t have to sleep in such uncomfortable clothes and he loved it. You looked good in his clothes.

Without thinking, he sat up and pressed his lips to yours in a short and surprising kiss. You flinched back with confusion, nearly dropping your phone in the process but he backed away with a small smile. You tried to glare at him but you couldn’t stop from smiling and it annoyed you when he placed a gentle kiss against your neck that made you feel flustered. You almost forgot you were on the phone when he leaned in for a kiss again and one you would surely grant.

“But I forgive you,” Miyoung said suddenly.

“What?”

“I forgive you, I’m over it,” Miyoung said with a shrug you couldn’t see, “Our friendship means more to me than Jungkook and I know you would never do anything that you know would upset me so… it’s whatever. In the past.”

“Wait,” You held up a hand to Jungkook as you said it to the both of them, “When did I apologize?”

He stopped immediately, looking at you with concern as Miyoung went on, “I mean, we both know you were going to. I’m just letting you know it’s alright.”

“No, Miyoung, I wasn’t going to,” you couldn’t help but scoff, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Technically.

Jungkook raised his brows, surprised by your tone and a little turned on? Was that okay to say?

“I didn’t mean it like that, but you know… you were flirting with the guy who dumped me,” Miyoung said, “It’s fine, whatever, you want to flirt with Jungkook, I don’t care anymore I just thought I meant more to you as a friend.”

You didn’t say anything for a moment as you looked down at Jungkook who couldn’t seem to go more than a minute without attention. He had your free hand in his measuring your size difference and you released a sigh, “You know what, I’m kind of busy right now so I’ll call you later.”

Miyoung wasn’t able to get a word in before you ended the call, turning your attention to Jungkook, “You’re getting me in trouble, sir.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” he said, biting back a grin, “How should I make it up to you? Brunch?”

“You’re still thinking about that?” You asked with a slight laugh.

It was strange trying not to let your best friend’s feelings bring you down too.

“I’m hungry,” Jungkook said, hand on his toned stomach for detail.

“I don’t have clothes or, I don’t know, a toothbrush,” you couldn’t help but sound sarcastic, falling back on the bed with an arm on his chest.

“Don’t worry, I got you.”

In the end you caved to his incessant begging and found yourself dressed as casual as ever with an oversized tee and the skirt you wore last night clashing horribly. The only thing that had you regretting it was what stood [parked] in front of you.

“You’re not serious, are you?” You asked as you watched him walk up to you with a helmet in his hands, “I can’t get on that.”

“You can,” Jungkook said, putting it over your head, “I’m a very safe driver.”

“What about your car?” You asked nervously as he buckled[?] you into the head gear, “Can’t we just go in that.”

“We can but that won’t impress you,” Jungkook snorted a laugh as he got his own helmet on, “Come on Y/n, I won’t kill you, don’t worry.”

With a small sigh you nodded, letting him lead you to the bike and he swung a leg over to straddle it and patted the seat right behind him. Frankly, you didn’t care that you were in a skirt. You know that there’s an appropriate way for people in skirts to straddle something but you cared more about living so you straddled it the way he did. Jungkook couldn’t help but smile as he felt the softer touch of your hands on his waist and without saying a word, he pulled you into him suddenly. Your chest was pressed to his back and your arms snug around his waist.

“Atta girl, no time to be shy now,” he chuckled, feeling you smack his arm playfully.

If he were being honest, he liked this side of you. He’s never seen it before and it was breathtaking and enjoyable. Before when you were just classmates you were still stand offish from him and the only night he got you to open up was the first time he ran into you and met Miyoung. It was short lived and once he dated her, he rarely got to see you alone.

When he got back, you would barely even look at him yet whatever spurred last night’s events seemed to open up new possibilities for you two. You haven’t talked about what happened but he’s expecting it almost excitedly.

Jungkook’s hand ran up your thighs, securing you to him as he started up the motorcycle, feeling the smoothness of your leg and teasing the end of your skirt with a small tug, “Ready?”

He felt you squeeze harder before taking off.

The cafe was small and filled with warmth making this feel oddly close to a date… which is probably because it was? You’re still not sure how to take it.

“Did I really get you in trouble?” Jungkook asked as he cut his breakfast sandwich in half before doing the same with yours. When you looked at him he looked concerned by the notion. You didn’t have to ask to know what he was referring to and you couldn’t help but sigh, “Not really, sorry, it was more my fault than any—“

“Why though?” Jungkook cut you off, “Why is it always your fault? You can’t talk to me now?”

“You know we didn’t just talk,” you bit your lip nervously. You couldn’t meet his gaze and he didn’t like that.

He huffed in annoyance, “But she doesn’t know, or does she? I mean, what does it matter?”

“You dated. She’s my best friend and it bothers her, I already feel guilty for what happened last night—not that I regret it, don’t get me wrong but… well, it’s just confusing and it upsets her,” You rambled, still defending Miyoung even when she was slowly getting under your skin.

“We dated so long ago, it was such a short fling,” Jungkook said with a laugh as he went back to eating, “And she dumped me so why does it matter if you and I get together?”

“I don’t know, I just… she’s my best frie—wait, what did you say?” You met his stare suddenly making him set down his coffee cup to answer.

“She dumped me so why can’t you and I…” he stopped. Did you mean for him to repeat the part about being with you? Did you want him to say it again, maybe use the right words this time?

Why is he saying Miyoung dumped him? You remember the day exactly.

Miyoung called you while you were studying in the library late one night, not fully in tears but clearly under duress and she couldn’t stop herself from letting her emotions get to her. She went on to tell you how Jungkook dumped her suddenly over a phone call because he wasn’t interested anymore and was just using her or something.

You remember because you left the library to go comfort her and you almost ran into him on campus and he wouldn’t even look you in the eye…

He dumped her because he got bored, that’s why she asked you to stop talking to him. He was just like every other guy according to her and you owed her the promise to avoid him. It was you who introduced them anyway and…

Why is it that any guy you’ve ever thought you’ve liked would fall for her instead, only to dump her and in return make her ask you to not speak to them again?

Jungkook wasn’t the first so when she asked you to avoid him, it bothered you a little but you soon got over it and did as told.

You always do as told without questioning it.

“You broke up with her.”

He chuckled, shaking his head no, “I was going to but she beat me to it. I don’t know how honest you want me to be this early in the day.”

“Tell me,” you urged him on.

“I wanted to break up with her but I had this sick feeling that I wasn’t going to be able to talk to you as much anymore or it would be awkward so I stuck it out,” Jungkook said it with a shrug, “But then she dumped me and suddenly you won’t even look at me so it was worse for me, I guess.”

Your eyebrows stitched together with confusion, “What are you saying? Why did you care if I talked to you or not? You went for Miyoung the second you met her—“

“That’s not true, actually,” Jungkook confessed, deciding if you wanted honesty he would give it even if it embarrassed him, “I wanted you.”

“And when I met her, I was obviously there at the bar trying to talk to you but she kept butting in and next thing I know, you were off talking to Yoongi and ignoring me,” Jungkook went on, “To be honest, I was kind of insecure back then, like really insecure and I was trying to get you to notice me but everytime someone would cu—“

“Jungkook, stop, I just… no, you did not like me, you dated Miyoung,” You cut him off, fidgeting in your seat anxiously, “It’s fine, it’s in the past.”

“No it’s not fine and I asked how honest you wanted me to be and you told me to tell you so I’m going to,” Jungkook said more seriously, “I was insecure, alright? I had just moved to the city and I shared class with this pretty, incredibly smart girl who would barely give me any time of day. Honestly it was kind of depressing, I was kinda depressed at the time and I needed a boost to talk to you so I asked Miyoung and… she said you were into someone else so I was pretty bummed out. Then she’s kind of just everywhere and she actually tries to talk to me so when she asks me out, I say yes but I realize I still have to see you.”

“And I liked being around you even though I probably shouldn’t have because technically I was dating her at this point and I realized that I practically screwed up whatever chance I might have had with you,” Jungkook couldn’t stop himself anymore. He was saying whatever was on his mind, barely giving you time to process any of it before continuing, “Yes, I know it’s fucked up because whenever I thought it might work and I might catch real feelings for her, you would came around and they just went out the window. So it was getting harder and harder to keep pretending and I wanted to break up with her but I was worried you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”

“She beat me to it and dumped me because she was bored and I was relieved, honestly, but then I see you on campus and you can’t even look at me anymore,” Jungkook cleared his throat, “Then life went on, I moved away, moved back, ran into you again and…”

“And what?” You asked breathlessly, lips dry and completely frozen in your seat.

He looked at you warmly, “I found you, everything just came back and I knew I didn’t want to lose you a second time. I wanted to ask you out the first night at the bar but you didn’t even want to talk to me so I tried again last night and you were so ready to blow me off when Miyoung came along. I don’t know what made you come back to the party and I don’t want you thinking I’m some sleazy guy who acts like that with just anyone. I was just… it was unexpected and I had been waiting years for something to happen between us.”

Suddenly, this didn’t feel like an easy brunch inside a warm and cozy cafe anymore. In all honesty, it felt a little suffocating now and you don’t know how to explain it, but you didn’t want to be here. So much has just been thrown at you and you don’t think you can handle it all.

What did he mean that he liked you first?

Why had Miyoung told him you were into someone else? You learned to stop sharing who you liked with her so long ago and had never once told her anything like that in school. Why couldn’t she just have asked you? Why did she ask him out after he made it known he wanted you?

You don’t care that he said yes, that really was in the past for you. Now you’re more focused on why someone who was supposed to be your best friend would act so sneaky? What did she gain from it?

Why did she lie and say he dumped her? Was it just so she can paint him as a villain and make you not want to talk to him anymore? Why would she do that?

“Y/n?” He called your name waiting for you to respond to him but you just sat there stunned, “I’m sorry, I know I was a piece of shit for dating her when I wanted you bu—Y/n.”

Your mind is filled with questions that you couldn’t answer and it was overwhelming. The cafe felt suddenly overwhelming and you just had to get out of there, so you did.

“Earth to Y/n, I don’t know how long you plan on ignoring the world but I know you’re not too busy with work to ignore your friends.”

Tacky, Taehyung was so very tacky leaving a concerning voicemail. Who left voicemails these days?

And he was being dramatic, he’s acting like you’ve fallen off the face of the Earth but that’s not true. You’ve just been holed up at either the office or your home for the past week, avoiding any call or text from anyone so you could be alone with your thoughts.

Alright it’s been over a week, almost two and maybe it is a little concerning but you’re telling yourself you’re just being dramatic.

“Y/n you better open the door before I break it down,” Taehyung’s muffled voice boomed from the other side of your front door and you begrudgingly went to let him in.

“Relax, I’m not dead,” You muttered under your breath as you let him in.

“Damn near!” Taehyung said loudly as he let himself through the door, “What is up with you? You haven’t responded to any text I was beginning to get worried.”

“Sorry,” you mumbled as you flopped down onto your couch, “I’ve just been tired.”

“Too tired to answer the phone?” Taehyung asked sitting down next to you, “Miyoung, I get. Ignore her all you want but me? What did I ever do to you? What’s up with you? I haven’t talked to you since the party. Did something happen?”

With a small sigh, you let your head rest against the back of the couch, “I slept with Jungkook.”

“Really?” Taehyung seemed genuinely surprised, “So fallout with Miyoung I’m assuming? Look, I personally don’t get why you try to make her happy but she’ll get over it. Did you like it? Like him?”

“Yes, I don’t know, I’m confused, I don’t know what to believe anymore,” you admitted, “And I feel so dumb because this shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Alright well I need you to rewind and explain things better so my pea brain can handle it,” Taehyung made himself comfortable, “You’ve gone Ghost for over a week, I want to know why. Was it because of Jungkook? Miyoung? If you think sleeping with him makes you a bad friend the—“

“She’s a liar,” you cut in, “And it shouldn’t bother me so much because she’s my best friend but that’s why it bothers me, Tae. I’ve known her for so long, and I’ve always tried to be a good friend to her but it was never enough. So I tried harder and harder because who else would be there for me like her but… now that I’m looking back on it, I don’t think she’s ever cared about me as much as I care about her and it sucks, honestly.”

Taehyung wanted to tell you so many people cared about you but he wanted you to say whatever you needed to say first.

“You know what Jungkook said? He said Miyoung knew he apparently liked me before and still asked him out—and lied about how I felt about him,” You said, “And okay, why would I fight over a guy with my best friend but now that I’m thinking about it… it’s fucked up right? She lied that he dumped her and begged me to avoid him. You saw how she acted the other night just because he talked to me. What was that about?”

You weren’t going to go into full detail about the past because you owed Jungkook enough to not tell Taehyung about everything he said but he needed context.

“And I know it’s in the past so I should just move on but I can’t,” You admitted, “I still like him but if I… I get with him Miyoung would never let me forget that she dated him first, even if he liked me. It’s just all so confusing and overwhelming and it sucks that I’m letting it get to me like this but… it’s not fair.”

Once again, Taehyung didn’t say anything but he could tell you were feeling emotional by the way your voice began to shake.

“I like him, and not in the way I liked him before but I like this new him too, and it’s not fair that even if she lied or even if she snaps at me about shit that doesn’t matter, I will still feel guilty,” You finished.

“Y/n,” Taehyung cleared his throat, “Obviously I don’t know everything that happened back then but… I think that if you feel for him what he feels for you, it shouldn’t matter what she says. And honestly, I just… I wish you could see that there are so many people who care about you so much and you don’t have to put up with being belittled by someone who is supposed to be your best friend just because you have history. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the past, if it’s upsetting you now then clearly it still matters so don’t try to downplay your emotions.”

“But she’s my best friend,” your lip quivered.

“Then what am I?” He forced his lip to quiver as well.

“You’re my best friend too,” you sniffled.

Taehyung mimicked your expression, “Then as your best friend, I’m telling you to stop trying to make excuses for people who don’t treat you right—and go fix it with this guy.”

“Bu—“

“Y/n, I know you,” Taehyung sighed, “And I know that you’re not going to do anything if you think it upsets her but she doesn’t deserve a friend like you. You deserve to go be with whoever you want. I don’t care about what she says and at this point neither should you. I know that right now it’s confusing and you’re overwhelmed but if you’ve been ignoring me you’ve been ignoring him—I hope because if it’s just me that’s cold—and if the girl I had feelings for ghosted me… I’d be hurt.”

Jungkook was not hurt. He was… y'know, perfectly fine and that’s what he kept telling himself. It’s not like you made any real sign of feeling something for him too after hooking up and maybe that had just been a casual, one time thing. He can handle that, he’s grown.

Sure, he sort of spilled his damn heart out to you just for you to storm off on him and not reach out to him in days but he’s not bothered by it at all. That’s why when his two closest friends called Saturday night asking him to go clubbing… he said yes.

It was a chance to possibly let it go, forget it even, but it wasn’t easy. He was aware that he was possibly reading too into what happened the other night but could you blame him? You’re suddenly all about him and spend the night at his place where you wake up in his arms before going out to eat. It was like the perfect set up for a what if yet it went all wrong. Clearly it was his fault for being hopeful.

“So who else did you say is meeting us here?” Jungkook asked Hoseok for confirmation as he passed him a drink. The music played loudly in his eardrums that it was borderline painful and he wanted to leave more than anything but there was that stupid what if in his head.

“Jimin’s joining later on and so is Namjoon and his girl,” Hoseok said as he made sure everyone else had what they ordered, “Oh, and Y/n too, I think.”

“Y/n?” Jungkook tried clarifying. Hoseok smiled, “I know, it’s weird, Y/n seriously rarely comes out but all of a sudden she’s starting to more. I mean, lately she has, probably since around the time you got back?”

Jungkook let his friend go off to do whatever he wanted while he stood there seemingly frozen. Tonight would be the first time in days that he sees you—talks to you—and he’s not sure how to handle it. There’s nothing he can do about it either because he hasn’t confided in anyone yet but it’s painfully obvious that he’s waiting for you.

Yoongi noticed first, like he usually did, and tried talking to him, “What’s up with you? You’ve been antsy since the party, will you finally tell me where you ran off to?”

“Yeah man, don’t think we didn’t notice when you disappeared,” Jin said with a slight wink, “We just want to know with who.”

“Y/n.”

He could see you from the corner of his eye when you joined them at a table they had found. You came with Jimin by your side and a shy smile on your face. He assumed it was Hoseok who had screamed your name considering how he hogged your attention with a huge grin and Jungkook felt nervous all of a sudden.

As embarrassing as it was, Jungkook had nearly forgotten what he was asked until he looked back at Yoongi and Jin who looked at him expectantly. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he shrugged, “Did you guys miss me too much?”

“Sneaky guy, don’t change the subject,” Jin laughed before letting Jungkook shift his attention back to you, making it painfully obvious where he was focused.

You felt a little nervous to be out tonight but after what you had talked about with Taehyung, you knew he was right. You acted strange with Jungkook after he opened up his side of things to you and it was plain wrong. Part of you isn’t even sure if he’s actually interested or not since he didn’t reach out to you this week and it made you wonder if he was really upset.

And if he was, would that mean that he didn’t want to speak to you?

“I need a drink,” you mumbled to yourself more than to the others but it made a good excuse to at least try. You looked at Jungkook for the first time since you got there and cleared your throat to awkwardly ask, “Jungkook, do you mind going with me?”

“Get me another, will ya?” Yoongi asked with a sudden wink that made Jungkook do a double take. Was he winking over the drink or him leaving with you?

He nodded his head in response and without question followed you to the bar once more. The bar was packed from all sides and Jungkook had to fight his way to the counter working as a barrier from people pushing at you. If he were to be honest, he wanted to skip the questions and get close to you again but he had to stay strong. He needed answers, right?

“Are we good?” Was the only thing he could think to ask.

You looked at him warmly, sitting down on the stool at the counter with him standing close to you, his hand itching to reach for you. Your lip caught between your teeth as you nodded, “Are we?”

For some reason he didn’t expect to be asked that back. It made him wonder if he thought you were. It was undeniably embarrassing to have you walk out on him like that after he thought it had been going good but did that mean he was truly upset with you?

“Yeah,” he nodded stiffly, blinking nervously and looking to the bartender who noticed them a while ago but had to attend to earlier customers first, “But uh, I guess I am just a little confused by it all. Did I do something to upset you? Was it what I said?”

“No, no, I’m sorry, it wasn’t you,” You blurted out, “It was me, I wasn’t thinking straight and I feel really bad about leaving like that.”

“Then why didn’t you just call or even text me?” Jungkook asked honestly, “I… I think that’s what bothered me the most.”

You looked down at your hands, “I'm sorry. I didn’t talk to anyone, seriously, and I did think about reaching out to you but I don’t know, I’m really bad at explaining things.”

“Well can you try? I know it was sudden but I thought it had been going good,” Jungkook said and the longer he tried getting to the bottom of this, the more annoyed he felt that you couldn’t just say it, “I think I’ve made it clear now how I feel about you and all I’m asking is for you to do the same.”

“I—yes,” you stumbled over your words, “I mean, I’m trying to be clear now but I’m doing a shit job at it. I did have a good time with you but it was honestly, really out of character for me to yknow… and then the whole Miyoung thing and I’m sorry but it was just a lot all at once. It’s definitely not fair to you that I acted that way, but I do have feelings for you.”

He let out a sigh, feeling unsure how to take it and stuck between wanting to smile in relief and wanting to be upset. You didn’t text him, nothing. How is that fair? He wanted to reach out to you but after the way you left he thought he would just make it worse if he kept bothering you. The bartender finally got to you two and he let you speak first as he tried gathering his thoughts a little more.

“But what does this mean?” Jungkook asked now, “I want you and you want me, right? So, what does this mean Y/n because right now I’m still confused by it all. If it’s because of Miyoung then—“

“No, it’s not, honestly,” You said, reaching for him, pinching the bottom of his shirt between your fingers to pull him toward you, “I don't care what she thinks anymore, I like you and I should have just said that from the beginning.”

The pull was harsh and had him looking down with his lips slightly parted in surprise, “Y/n, you’re not being fair.”

You knew it. You knew you probably ruined your chance now and coming to see him had just been a waste. You nearly let go of him when he continued, “You can’t ignore me and walk out on me and then just tell me you want me too, expecting everything to be fine.”

He had to be tough. He can’t just let it go even though you’re saying everything he wants to hear.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” you said with a slight frown, “I can leave if you want me to.”

“Ugh,” he groaned, unable to help himself anymore as he closed the distance between you two. He circled an arm around you and pulled you into a hug, “Why would I want you to leave when I’ve been waiting for you to get here?”

“What?” You asked, hands finding his waist as he held you, “I thought you were mad.”

“I was,” Jungkook said, “So you don’t know how annoyed I am with myself right now. All it takes is for you to sweet talk me a bit and give me those eyes of yours for me to fold, that’s embarrassing.”

“Jungkook,” you said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have walked out like that. I should have texted you and if you want to be mad, I get it. If you want to think it over an—“

“And what if I don’t?” He asked looking down at your pouty lips and glossy eyes, “What if I just want to let it go and be with you without any more problems? Can I do that?”

His tone was surprisingly firm and you couldn’t do anything but nod, “Okay.”

It didn’t change the fact that you still felt bad because it seemed like you were being let off the hook easily but what else could you do? Jungkook really did seem ready to move past it and that’s why you came here in the first place. You just hadn’t expected it to be so easy and it made you feel bad.

When your drinks were ready, you opened up a tab despite his protests to just put it on his and the two of you got back to the group like nothing had happened. There was still a lot that needed to be talked about before you told anyone about what happened but it’s not like they were all oblivious.

Jimin, for instance, had been keeping an eye on you two at the bar since you left and had seen the majority of your conversation but he didn’t bring it up. Instead he watched silently for your little glances in each other’s direction and shy smiles. It was obvious to Yoongi too that Jungkook was in a much better mood now than earlier and it wasn’t hard for him to figure out why.

Perhaps for the same reason you had suddenly started joining them more often, being more comfortable too.

It had been a slow start for the two of you after the night at the club. Neither one of you seemed to want to rush into things but at times there was a strong pull. Tonight was going to be your first official date but you were keeping that information to your friends until you figure out if this works or not.

Jungkook picked you up from your apartment and drove to a nice restaurant where the two of you sat for dinner. He was very attentive to you, making sure your glass was always full and all your needs met and it was a surprisingly good feeling to be taken care of this way. You’ve dated in the past but you can’t say you’ve always chosen the right ones. You had a tendency to lean toward the ones who were overly forward with you because in your mind there was no doubt they liked you.

At first it would be nice but then you would realize that it was more of a conquering feeling to them than actually wanting to be with you and you would be left heartbroken. That’s part of why you rarely put yourself out there.

Jungkook is different though, he always has been. When you first met him he was forward but aloof. You never expected him to actually like you because you couldn’t see the signs clearly and the way things turned out it just never worked. Now that he’s been back he’s almost like an entirely different person in the sense that he’s ready to go for what he wants and it’s sort of admirable.

If you had been able to do that back then maybe you would have had him sooner but there was no point in dwelling in the past. He was here now and so were you. Honestly, knowing that there's something that’s been brewing between you two for a long time made it easier to feel confident around him.

“Why are you so pretty?” Jungkook couldn’t help but ask even if his mouth was full. He was trying not to smile too as he said that.

“Oh my god,” You felt your face heat up, tempted to hide behind your hand. It took you a moment to think of a response and it was surprising for the both of you to hear you say, “Why are you?”

Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly in hopes of not seeming too affected by your words. It didn’t work and he broke out into a grin, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Dinner was filled with small flirting here and there. It’s crazy how well you and him seemed to get along when you stopped worry about other things. He made you smile, really smile and you made him feel giddy whenever he talked to you. He wanted to spend his night with you and nobody else.

“Are we going to meet with everyone else after this?” You asked as he pulled your chair out for you and you got up from the table. After some back and forth arguing, he eventually took care of the bill despite your protests and the night felt near its finish much to your disappointment.

It was the weekend and you’ve been trying to go out with your friends more and they had asked to meet up later—but both you and Jungkook had to tell them maybe.

“Do we have to?” He asked, taking your bag in one hand and holding yours with the other, “You think they’ll get a little suspicious if we’re both gone?”

You walked with him across the restaurant toward the entrance. You weren’t paying much attention to the people you passed, “I’m sure they know.”

Your response surprised him a bit and he couldn’t help but ask, “Really? Has it been that obvious?”

“Yeah, Jimin called me out on it the other night,” you shrugged, reaching for your bag to look for chapstick while he led you to the front. You couldn’t meet his eyes because you sensed where this was going.

“What’d he say?” Jungkook asked slowing his pace for you.

You blinked nervously, distracting yourself with your lipbalm as you tried sounding casual, “He asked why we were being so sneaky at the bar.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened slightly, opening the door for you as he said, “Damn, what did you say?”

“I said because we’re together.”

You tried being slick about it and slide past him without much attention but it was useless. He stood in front of you with a smile on his face, “Oh, we are? I don’t remember you clarifying that. Can you remind me when you asked me to be your man?”

“Oh god, don’t act like that,” you whined shyly.

“I’m sorry baby, I gotta hear you say it with your own words. What’d you tell him?” Jungkook blocked your path, hands finding your waist and keeping you from running. He liked making you flustered and you had no idea how you left him with a racing heart.

You pouted, looking at him seriously, “Jungkook.”

The two of you stood outside the restaurant looking like a playful couple that maybe had one too many drinks but it was all Jungkook’s fault. He wouldn’t let it go to rest and even had the nerve to smirk as he teasingly said, “That’s not how you say ‘Boyfriend’.”

“You’re ridiculous, we talked about this,” you said, focused on his chest to hide your embarrassment.

Jungkook just grinned mischievously, “What did you tell him?”

“I said you were my boyfriend,” you mumbled into his chest.

“Your what?” He asked trying to step back and get a good look at your face, “Come on baby, don’t get shy on me now.”

You whined, “Jung—“

“Your what?” He was laughing now, not caring for whoever might pass them and stare because he felt good. Too good to be affected by a stranger’s judgement.

“My boyfriend,” you sighed with embarrassment, “You heard me the first time, goof.”

“That’s what I thought, alright, you ready to go?” He asked with a chuckled as he took your hand in his ready to walk with you to the car.

“Y/n?”

You both stopped in your step, wondering if it really was your name you had heard. You looked back toward the rest, eyes threatening to widen with surprise as you looked at the person who stood at the entrance. She was with a group of people all headed inside but when she saw you, she stopped.

“Miyoung, hey,” You cleared your throat awkwardly, your demeanor changing completely.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” She asked as her eyes trailed behind you where Jungkook was looking at you with worry and confusion. He wanted to make sure everything would be alright, knowing how Miyoung would react. He didn’t want your good night to be ruined over something petty.

“What do you mean? I’m uh, I was just having dinner,” you said stiffly, looking back at Jungkook which proved to be a mistake because it seemed to solidify his presence to her.

“With jungkook?” She asked with a snappy tone. Miyoung shooed away her friends, telling them to go in without her as she approached you.

“Yeah.”

“Why?” Her brow arched with amusement, clearly ticked off and in disbelief by what she saw before her. Like usual, the situation seemed much worse than it really was.

It was time for you to be up front. What’s the point in putting yourself out there and letting yourself open up to him if you wouldn’t have the courage to make it known? You swallowed dryly, “Because we’re… dating.”

Jungkook had stepped back from the situation, not wanting to worsen it so he stood off by a light post not too far for a smoke break. He tried distracting himself with lighting his cigarette but he couldn’t help but freeze up when you said that. It brought a shy smile to his face as he waited for you to finish.

“No, you’re not,” Miyoung scoffed looking back at Jungkook as if betrayed by him too. You blinked with confusion, what did she mean you’re not? Did she expect you to be joking or back down? “We are.”

Miyoung stood in front of you now, slightly taller, “Y/n, you’ve been ignoring me for weeks and now you’re saying you’re dating my ex boyfriend? What kind of friend are you?”

This time it was you who scoffed lightly, looking away from her to try and process what you would say but you had spent too much time already trying to think it over, “The thing is, um, I’ve been kind of wondering the same about you.”

“Me?” She looked down at you genuinely taken back, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

You swallowed the lump that formed in your throat and tried to gather the courage to just say it. You could feel Jungkook around, listening but giving you space and it was like a push start for you to say what was really on your mind, “I’m just tired of feeling like I’m the only one who puts effort into being friends and I don’t see the point in always fighting. We’re not together, we don’t have to be friends if it always has to be some sort of argument. It’s getting tiring at this point and I think maybe it’s best we just distance ourselves from each other.”

“You’re kidding, right? I’m like the only person who really cares about you, Y/n. Don’t act stupid.”

Although that made Jungkook want to intervene and tell her how very wrong she was, he didn’t. He didn’t want to speak for you. He knew you could speak for yourself and he should let you, even if he was itching to cut in.

“No, I don’t think you are. I know you think you are so you always tell me you are, but you’re not. People like me for me and not just because I’m friends with you,” you said coldly and your tone was definitive it left her speechless. It had to be one of the first times you were ever remotely close to snappy with her and she didn’t expect it.

“I know it’s hard for you to think of me as my own person but I don’t have to do what you want,” You said, “And I think you only boss me around and act sneaky behind my back because you’re threatened by me.”

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. What you said left her rendered quiet. You waited too, waited to see if she would tell you to stand down but she didn’t and you didn’t give her time too, “ But I think I should go, I don’t want to bother your dinner any longer—and uh, maybe we just shouldn’t contact each other anymore.”

Jungkook had forgotten about his smoke break, jaw nearly to the floor at how confident you sounded. It was obvious you had never spoken to Miyoung that way but she couldn’t even deny what you said. You did it so casually and like you couldn’t care less which made you seem mature compared to Miyoung’s tantrums.

“Why was that kind of hot?” Jungkook asked as you finally reached him under the light post. Miyoung had stormed off with an evil glare that he ignored telling you how “You’re done”.

He looked down at you with hazed eyes, amazed and enamored. You scrunch your face curiously, “What was?”

“You, right now,” He chuckled, reaching for your hand in his, “Kind of scary too. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“You’re exaggerating,” you tried to laugh it off, “I wasn’t mean, was I?”

It was so dumb of you to still be worried about it but you couldn’t help it.

“No, you were calm and casual but that was so scary,” Jungkook gasped dramatically, “Because I know you were mad at her—… it was mean but only a little and so very very hot, and you’re doing all this in that dress…”

Without meaning to be, Jungkook was sort of like your hype man. You were worried about being too harsh, you still are, but he made you feel better about it. Part of you will never not feel in the wrong for being with Jungkook but you’ve gotten the rest off your chest and it felt good. Maybe you were a bit mean or maybe you weren’t, you could never be entirely sure but Jungkook seemed to be on your side no matter what.

“You like my dress?” You asked him with a teasing smile as he held the car door open for you.

“I really do,” he played with his lip ring, looking down at you.

“Then take it off me.”

“Oh fuck,” Jungkook whispered to himself as he looked around the parking lot, “Here?”

You broke out into a laugh as you sat down. Your words got to him easier than you thought and he sighed, “You can’t say that shit to me, Y/n. I’ll actually do it.”

“Let’s go back to my place and see if you can keep your word then,” you told him, watching him close the door with a tense jaw just thinking about it.

You can’t do this to him. You can’t be shy and cute one second and then act like that. You can’t. That’s not fair to him. How is he supposed to not be affected when you say things that get his heart racing while looking so cute? Was this what it would be like dating you? Just constantly caught by surprise?

He did like the way you stood up for yourself. He liked that you spoke your mind more freely than before and he takes joy in hearing you flirt back. In the beginning it felt like he was the one always trying to get you to talk to him or notice him and now you’re saying things that make his head dizzy.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, yknow?” Jungkook asked after the painfully long car ride back to your apartment. He was removing his coat as you sat on the edge of your bed to undo your shoes.

You let out an amused laugh, “What do you mean?”

“I mean… you act all shy and innocent and then you say shit that…” Jungkook let out a groan, “I can’t explain it, you just drive me crazy.”

“In a good way or bad way?” You asked, following him with your eyes as he closed the space between you two until he was at the end of the bed standing in front of you.

“A good way,” he said softly, “I’m finding more sides of you I’ve never seen.”

“And you like it?” You asked shyly, feeling his hands curl around your jaw.

“I do, a lot,” he confessed brushing his lips against yours, “I don't know what I would’ve done if I lost my chance with you again.”

::.

NO PART TWO

oml yall this took me forever to come up with 😭 I went through at least six other ideas before deciding on this one and I can’t tell how happy I am with it yet but I tried my hardest not the disappoint 🥹 I miss being more active and taking to you all but life has been so busy lately

please let me know how you feel and I promise I’ll try to be more active 🫶🏽

permanent taglist: @notmyfaultbutours @rerefundslocals @fandems @sugaluvmyg @guvgguk @kimyishin @libra04 @kooromiwrld @classycreationcupcake-blog @cherrymonlightt @nikkiordonez12 @asking4-sanity @thvlover @saweetspoiled @shaybts-blog @babycandy111 @jeonninja @yellowcupid08 @02010802faves @skzthinker @unnatae @beautywine @lilliankoo @annenakamura @lesoleile @burnahtsw @kooloveys @ku-ku @chaelvrx @minnie-mouser22 @whoa-jo @marvelbun @sunnikthv @kochycooky @acielelyseen @giselleswifeee @ilikeitlikethatt @bangmechanpls @lvr2seok @badbyeyoongi @jaerisdiction @watermelonjuice15 @artmsmaid @xyahrinx @angeleen777 @jooniesxbby @dream-cvtcher @jksjx @kissyfacekoo @joyjunk @caro134340lina @hyunjinswifeee @oldermenluverrr @caro134340lina @olivialeesstuff [taglist is too long so I’ll have to make two versions of it]

18+

Eddie Munson x AFAB reader, established relationship, mentions of bodily injury and blood(not reader's), allusions to oral sex (f)

Let's just say that Eddie eats you out a little too well and suffers the consequences.

The bleeding's finally starting to stem you're relieved to notice, pulling back his bloodied bandana to peek at his swollen nose, all flushed red like crushed berries. Streaks of dry blood trail down to his chin in thin ribbons and you look at him sympathetically.

"I'm dellin' you bade, id loobs worse than id is", Eddie tries to assure you once more though you're not convinced because you can make out the beginnings of a black eye on his face too, a purple half moon starting to take shape below his left eye.

You'd apologized profusely when it happened, nearly brought to tears over how guilty you felt about the whole thing but all he did was grin proudly like he couldn't be happier about it, teeth stained pink with fresh blood.

"Bade"

"Yeah?"

"You're nod wearin' a bra"

You look down and realize he's right, your nipples hard and showing through your shirt because hospitals are such cold, sterile places. Now that you're looking at yourself you notice that your shirt's inside out too but of course he doesn't notice that detail because he's too busy staring at your tits.

"Oh. Yeah well, I kinda forgot in the rush to get here", you tell him, uncaring if anyone else notices because your priority right now is your boyfriend's wellbeing.

"No id's good. Helbs take my mind off the paib", he grinned again, raising his eyebrows at you suggestively.

Even with a broken nose and all that blood on his face and clothes he still manages to look handsome, still charming in that loveable dork kind of way that made you fall for him all those years ago, stirring something warm in your belly.

"Just let me do the talking, okay?", you stroke his cheek gently, placing a quick kiss there which makes his face turn pink in a way that's unrelated to his injury. You looked over the forms one of the nurses had handed you when you first came in, filling the blank spaces with Eddie's personal information.

Fell down the stairs. That's pretty believable, right? You continued to jot his details down, hoping the doctors and nurses will buy what you're selling because the last thing you wanted to divulge was that your boyfriend made you cum so hard while going down on you that you kicked him in the face on accident.

"Baaade"

"Eddie, don't talk you might start bleeding again"

"Jud one more ding", he nudges his shoulder against yours.

You look away from the paperwork then, catching a lilt to his tone that sounded serious. "What is it?", a tendril of worry winds up your spine. Had you concussed him? Oh shit, if he's got a concussion too then-

"Did you forbet your panties too?"

The tendril withers away unceremoniously.

"Eddie", you deadpanned. "This is not the damn time."

"Pleab jud answer the quedtion", he gives you the eyes, those wide, bottomless whiskey brown eyes and you crumble.

"Fine. I forgot, okay?", you duck your head and whisper in his ear. "You were bleeding so much- I just threw on whatever was closest."

He then eyes your skirt in that same way that got him in this situation in the first place, tongue swiping over his blood tinged bottom lip.

"Great becob I wad thinkin'. Round two in the van afder they patch me up?"

Never too late for a valentines fic 💓💓

White Knuckles and Red Hearts | Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

a cute little (I don't know what this work means, the fic is 3.9k words) oneshot for valentines day <3 IT STILL COUNTS BECAUSE ITS FEBRUARY

You had been paired together in Home Ec. You were making eclairs. Everyone else in your class sneered at him, hoping - praying - that they wouldn’t have to be in the same workspace as the freak of Hawkins High. Sure, you didn’t jump for joy when you met him in your designated kitchen space, but you gave him a warm smile and introduced yourself. From that moment on, your name rang through his mind like church bells. His hands shook when the two of you measured ingredients, but you quickly put him at ease with your effortless friendliness.

“So, eclairs huh… have you ever made them before?” You smiled over the metal bowl filled with various dry ingredients. 

“Ahh, can’t say I’ve had the pleasure. Don’t find a lot of fancy baking in the trailer park. But I did spend about 10 minutes in a French class before I was kicked out so I do know that it’s french.” Eddie jousted back with a dry laugh. 

“That’s where I knew you from! Your face looked so familiar to me!” You giggled. Eddie’s cheeks bloomed a glowing red. Your smile grew and you peeled your eyes away from him to form your choux. 

“You know, in French eclair means flash.” You babbled. Eddie could see your cheeks were turning a darker pink than the rouge already donning your apples. Eddie wanted to listen to you talk forever. “They say it’s because the glaze on the top of them… or because people eat them so quickly, they’re gone in a flash!” You both looked up and locked eyes. You suddenly felt shy. Stupid under the glow of the big brown doe eyes peering down at you. How the hell did anyone think that this person in front of you was a freak, was dangerous, wasn’t worth friends?

“Sorry, I’m babbling now.” You turned away to begin whipping cream while Eddie had begun to boil water.

“No, no! Babble away! You have interesting stories.” Eddie praised. 

The rest of the afternoon flew by as the two of you laughed, stole spoonfuls of chocolate, and filled your delicate pastries with sweet cream. The bell dismissing the students from their last period of the day startled the two of you out of your dream world. You handed Eddie the last bowl that needed to be put away and wiped your wet hands on your jeans. 

“Well, thanks for being a great home ec partner, Eddie. If we get to pick our people next time, we should work together again.” You smiled and squeezed his shoulder as you breezed past him to grab your backpack. You flashed him another smile and waved at the door. Eddie felt his knees buckle. You were beautiful; Eddie had noticed you at the beginning of the semester, in awe of how simple and easy you made beauty look. You weren’t popular by any means, but as a member of the drama club, you had a great group of friends. Eddie couldn’t imagine why you would want anything to do with him.

DnD wasn’t the same; Eddie’s mind was not fully immersed in the world he had created. Usually charismatic and intense, he was tripping on words, forgetting important details he had set up last session. His mind was transfixed on you. God, he felt pathetic. You were the first girl that wasn’t in Hellfire or wasn’t trying to get free weed from him to be nice to you. Was that all this was? Was he that pathetic that he was going to fall in love with any girl who was nice to him? Surely not. You were different. Not every girl had glowing eyes like you did; nor did they have such a friendly smile, and the slightest dusting of freckles across their cheeks like yours. They didn’t genuinely laugh at his jokes or touched his arm like you did. You weren’t petty or rude or hung out with him as a joke or-

“Dude!” A squeaky voice rang out, interrupting his daydreams of your interactions. “I rolled a 16 does that hit or not?!” Dustin Henderson was not a patient person on a normal day, but now, the third time he had to snap Eddie out of whatever coma he was in, he was rapidly growing angrier by the second.

“Uh- yeah.. How many hit points does it take?” Eddie mumbled. 

Within 25 minutes, the whole Hellfire party had surrendered to their DM, ending the session 40 minutes before their scheduled end. With a frustrated huff, the gaggle of high schoolers exited the stuffy prop room and into the dim hallways. 

February rain was not uncommon in Hawkins. It had caught you off guard though. In typical midwest fashion, the morning had started out mild and sunny. Now, at 5:45 when you were attempting to flee the grip of Hawkins High and make the 10 minute walk to the comfort of your own home, you were met with sleet and rain. You paused at the thick glass doors keeping you warm and dry and let out a long sigh that clouded the vision in front of you. You shrugged your shoulders and pushed through the doors into the cold, wet parking lot. You were kept warm by the thought of seeing an outlandish metalhead in the morning. You had to admit, you had been scared by Eddie Munson. His hard shell deterred many people away, but when you were given the opportunity to get to know him today, you penetrated right through to his soft center. You had to stay after school to direct for the one act festival next month, but like Eddie, your mind was transfixed on your home ec partner. You replayed your conversations in your head as you headed to the main street that dissected the community of little houses and the high school field. You shivered into your jean jacket, cursing the fact that your fashion choices weren’t practical at all for a rainstorm in February. Your eyes stayed glued to the pavement in fear that your face would freeze solid if you looked against the wind. Your hair stuck to the sides of your cheeks. You moved your legs as fast as they would carry you.

Eddie jogged out to his van, now covered in frosted rain drops. The short jaunt already had made his hair heavy with moisture and left a shiver in his spine. His engine lazily sputtered to life and he tore out of the school’s parking lot. He couldn’t wait to get home to pick up his guitar and write you forbidden love songs you would never hear. His headlights pelted through the thick, icy rain. God it was miserable. As he rounded the corner of yet another sleepy avenue, he slowed his van and pulled to the side of the road. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he stared at your hunched over figure fighting through the storm (and very obviously losing). He pulled his rusted van over to the sidewalk just ahead of where you were trudging. You stopped and squinted towards the rusty Chevrolet Astro and the curly haired driver that was looking at you with his beautiful, yet worried, eyes. You could see Eddie’s tongue poke out of his mouth as he reached over to the passenger side of his van to unlatch the door. 

“Hey, Y/N! Are you okay?” The boy had to yell to be heard over the pelting rain and the rattle of his exhaust pipe. “Do you need a lift?”

Your heartbeat quickened and your cheeks grew warm. You smiled at him sweetly. “It’s okay, Eddie. It's only a few more blocks to my house.”

“Are you sure? It’s terrible outside. I really don’t mind!” You paused in contemplation. Did you know Eddie well enough to get into his van? Most of your friends would say no, but you felt like you’d known him for a long time. You felt safe around him. So you shrugged your shoulders and hopped into his van with a small ‘thank you’ leaving your lips. A sudden wave of bashfulness hit you after you gave Eddie approximate direction to your house. 

“I-I usually just walk, you know? It was so nice this morning, but…” you ended in a curt giggle, and you couldn’t help but shake your head in embarrassment. It made Eddie’s dimples sprout on each of his cheeks, like you had seen for the first time this afternoon. 

“Well a pretty girl like you shouldn’t be walking at all! Let alone in weather like this!” Fuck. His lips moved before his brain could catch up and stop him. His eyes grew double in size and it was his turn for his cheeks to turn a bold red. “Sorry I didn’t mean- I mean-”

“It's okay Eddie.” You turned your head away from him to stifle your grin. “I appreciate the ride”

It felt like no time before Eddie pulled up to your house.

“Thank you again, so much for the ride. That was so sweet of you.” That damned shoulder touch again. The warmth from the hand around his jean jacketed shoulder sent molten lava straight to his heart. 

“Hey,” he choked. He ravaged his cluttered console for an old napkin and a sharpie. He hastily scribbled his digits on the napkin and shoved it towards you, eyes glued to his knees. 

“Here, take this, just in case you get caught in this shit weather again.” He didn’t feel your fingers take the paper. He peered up at you, cheeks bright red and brown eyes bright with rejection already. “You know, I just-I don’t mind driving you, you know? It’s strictly just-” He was interrupted by your soft hand around his wrist.

“Eddie” you cooed as you took the wrinkled paper from his hand. “You are the sweetest. Of course I’ll take it. I really appreciate it.” Your eyes locked with him and you felt electricity surge from him to you. You released your grip with a blush and backed away from his van.

“Maybe I can call you about some home ec homework too?” Eddie thought his chest was going to burst out of his chest. 

“Y-yeah, doll. That would be great.”

He watched to make sure you got into your house, and left only when you flashed him a smile and wave from your door. He drove home smitten, still smelling your perfume, feeling your warmth from the empty seat beside him. Blissful giggles escaped his lips. 

-

The shrill ring of the telephone startled Eddie out of his daze and brushed through the cloud in his room to the hallway. He picked up the phone and answered with a lazy ‘hey’. His throat closed when he heard your voice peep on the other end of the line. \

“Hey, Eddie. I-is this a bad time?” Yes. Eddie thought. He was just starting to feel his buzz, now he felt like he was going to have a heart attack.

“No! No not at all! What’s up, Y/N?” His baritone voice went straight to the butterflies in your stomach. You took a deep breath to ground yourself. You could hardly believe what he was doing to you. Yesterday, Eddie was a stranger to you, someone that was interesting to look at, but you hadn’t dared interact with him - he was too cool for you. 

“I-I’m so sorry to ask this… but I think I left my history textbook in your van from this afternoon. I am so sorry but is there any way I can come pick it up or you could-”

“Oh! Yeah I will bring it to you, no problem!” Eddie choked. Your stomach sank in excitement.

“Oh, great, thank you so much!”

“I’ll be there in 10” Eddie hung up the phone before you could let out another apologetic thank you. You bit at your nails in selfish excitement. 

Eddie raced through the darkening streets of Hawkins. He remembered where you lived like the back of his hand: past the school three blocks, to the left, then take a right and you were almost at the end of the street. Luckily the storm  His headlights pulled up to the sidewalk in front of your house, like he did earlier that afternoon. To his surprise, he saw the upstairs window on the second floor illuminated with your excited figure. You sheepishly slid the window open and crawled through it and shimmied down the ivied siding. You trotted up to Eddie’s unrolled passenger window. 

“Hey, Eddie. Thank you so much!”

“No problem. Front door broken?” Eddie chuckled. 

“Nah, strict parents make for sneaky kids.” You wagged your eyebrows at him. You boldly opened his passenger door and snaked into the seat. Eddie’s cheeks grew warm with yours as your bodies were now closer (but not as close as you both craved). He sheepishly handed you your textbook, which you pulled to your chest.

“Thanks, Eddie.” you peeped. A sudden burst of courage hit you, and although your hands felt numb, you took a breath and let the words escape your mouth. “I need to tell you, I don’t think that you’re crazy and weird like people say.” You dared to look into his soft, dark eyes. “I think you’re really sweet, and funny. And it really sucks that Hawkins is too small minded to see how great you are.” You leaned over and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek before hopping out of the passenger seat. Eddie wanted to pull you back to him, to grab your face and press his lips to yours; but he was frozen in shock. He would have never imagined you ever wanting to talk to him again, let alone thinking he was a good guy AND pressing your perfect pout to his cheek?

“Thank you again, Eddie, for driving all the way over here. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He mustered up the strength to break out of his daze. “Yeah, doll. I’ll see you then”

With silent smiles, Eddie watched you retreat back up the siding of your house back through your window, pausing to look back at him. 

Eddie drove home with a smile plastered to his face. 

-

The second week of February was filled with stolen glances in the busy hallways of Hawkins High. Your home economics classes flew by, papers being graffitied with notes and doodles passed between the two of you. Your dreams were filled with Eddie. Every second or third comment to your regular grouping of lunch buddies was something that the metalhead said or did or comments that reminded you of him; But you didn’t dare disturb him and his gaggle of Hellfire-clad freshmen; just like he knew he would warrant a death wish by coming to speak to you and your friends. So, you kept your little slice of heaven to blushing smiles, secret notes, and your home ec class.

When the two of you both found yourselves at school late (which both of you were finding more excuses, Eddie would offer to drive you home. You would sheepishly follow him through the parking lot and take (what Eddie will now permanently hope is) your spot in his rusty van. You were scared to admit it to Eddie, but it was easy for your own revelation: Eddie was very quickly becoming your comfort person.

February 14th was usually a day that reaffirmed that Eddie was destined for a life of loneliness in Hawkins, Indiana. Until, he pried open his overfull locker and was greeted with a small green note with his name neatly printed on it. 

“Eddie. Thank you for being such a great person to be around. I hope you have a great day - just like the rest. You deserve them.”

Under the message, your name sat with a small heart scribbled next to it. Eddie’s cheeks burnt a furious red. His big brown eyes scanned the hallway desperately, hoping to spot your bouncy curls, or hear your infectious laugh; but to no avail. He trudged through the halls. He strode up to Chrissy Cunningham and her gaggle of cheerleaders - your normal crowd.

“Hey Chrissy.”

“Oh- uh, Eddie?” The metalhead could tell that he had caught the girl off guard.

“Sorry, don’t mean to bother you in your natural habitat” the girls shifted uneasily. “But do you know where Y/N is? I need to talk to her… about home ec homework.” He wavered over his lie, and Chrissy caught the note grasped tightly in his hand. 

“I haven’t seen her yet today.” The girl gave a polite but curt answer. The group dissipated, but Chrissy offered a light touch on his shoulder. “When I see her, I’ll let her know you need to talk to her.” With her words ringing in his ear, and the shrill warning of the morning bell, Eddie was alone in the hallway with his lovestruck mind. He decided to do what he did every time he was in crisis: go to the bleachers and make himself forget about all the shit that was worrying him. He spent the morning outside, but by the end of the day Eddie had spent his time either thinking about you, or tracing every inch of the school looking for you.

You had stayed home, school feeling less than ideal today. You had stuffed the note in Eddie’s locker at the end of the day - opting to stay even later than he did and walked yourself home. You didn’t sleep all night, and could barely get any food down today. Would he understand? You were only bold enough to make a move in subtleties. Would he care? 

Eddie gripped his steering wheel with white knuckles. It was a drive that he wished was both over already and would never end. It was a short drive to your house from Forest Hills Trailer Park. Eddie had called Hellfire off and beelined out of the school when he found out you hadn’t shown up at all. He felt he had paced a trench in his bedroom floor debating whether or not he should go to your house. What if the letter was a mistake? Or if you were only reaffirming you only liked him as a friend? When the clock hit 9:30pm, he couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed his keys from the hook by the door and trotted down the concrete steps. When the van rumbled to a start, he turned the radio fully off, too tempted to be absorbed in his own thoughts. The streetlights of your neighborhood illuminated the small red heart box and the humble bouquet of roses that sat where you normally did. Eddie chewed on his lip so hard he thought he tasted blood. His brakes squealed to a halt on the sidewalk outside of your tidy little house. He had hoped that the light in your bedroom would be off, so he could wimp out and go home and hide in his bed forever. But his heart skipped an excited beat when he saw the light in the window you had crawled out of a week ago was on, and it illuminated your figure moving through your room.His breath caught in his throat as he turned the key in his ignition and grabbed his wares to begin his journey up the ivy siding to your window. 

-

You had hid yourself away in your room - cassettes, VCRs and books being your welcome distraction from your anxious heart. A tap on your window pulled you from Madonna’s breathy whines about living in a material world. Your heart dropped to your knees when you saw a mop of dark ringlets framing an alabaster face. Eddie’s eyes were wider than you have ever seen them, but filled with an unreadable haze. You rushed to the window and let the boy fall into your room. He straightened himself up with a nervous smile, you returned the sentiment. His hands stayed fixed behind his long body. He shifted his weight, but couldn’t help but inch closer to you as well. 

“Hey” he peeped

“Hi, Eddie. What are you-”

“I-uh. I got your note.”

Your breath hitched and it was your turn to shift your weight. The spot on your carpet was suddenly too tempting to look at than Eddie’s face. His hands obscured his vision. In them you saw a small red box, and flowers. You looked up at Eddie with confused excitement; his face was warm, cheeks blushing. 

“I looked for you all day at school today because I wanted to ask you if you’d be my-”

Before he could finish his sentence, you threw yourself into his arms. Your cheek could feel the pounding in his chest and he stood in shock. 

“Of course I will, Eddie.” You breathed into him. You pulled yourself away from him and took the flowers from his hand. You placed them on your desk with a giggle. You turned to see the open box that Eddie had in his hand. In it laid a small chain with a pink and purple guitar pick. You gasped in awe and your eyes filled with tears. 

“I thought, since I have one-” he pulled a red and black pick on a chain out of his Dio tee. “We could kind of match.” Eddie’s voice shook. His cheeks matched the red on his own necklace. You pulled him to you and pecked your plumped lips against his cheek. Eddie chuckled as he spun you to put your new favorite piece of jewelry on you. Eddie clasped the metal and ran his hands down your arms. 

“Let me take you on a date, please?” He whispered. His hands sent shivers throughout your body. His lips pursed on the top of your head and you wished you could stay in this moment forever. You turned in his arms and draped yourself around his neck. His arms migrated from your arms to your cheeks. His doe eyes were dark with admiration, he wanted to devour you whole, but he waited, silently asking for permission to press his lips to yours. You silently obliged him and tilted your chin up to him. His soft lips met yours and the world slowed. His thumb traced small grounding circles on your jaw. Your insides filled with molten, a desperation for the moment to never stop. Eddie’s soft lips probed yours, lightly asking for permission to deepen your kiss. You permitted him with a content sigh and let Eddie show you just how much he really cared about you. All of the words he was too afraid to say to you, all of the times he wished that he could sweep you off your feet and kiss you in front of everyone. For the thank you he couldn’t give you for the note you left him. For the times he wanted to ask you out in his van, or the time he desperately wanted to tuck your wet hair behind your ear the first day he drove you home. He poured all his heart out to you and you felt it. You pulled away softly with wet eyes. 

“Eddie, I would be honored.”

-

Taglist: @eddies-acousticguitar @mmunson86 @sadbitchfangirl @hideoutside @anxiousobserver @ali-r3n @brinleighsstuff @filth-fiction-archive @vintagehellfire @kirstinjayjay @darknesseddiem @poofyloofy @sluggzillaa @aol19 @dark-angel-is-back @keikoraven @emxxblog @adrenalineeerevolver @crybabyddl @lovemegood @cherry-pop3547 @cozmiccass @leelei1980 @trixyvixx @skylar-ish-meh @harrysgothicbitch @emsgoodthinkin @micheledawn1975 @thehuntresswolf @girlwiththerubyslippers @blueberry-lemon

this enemies/ frienemies to lovers was absolutely super fun and super cute I loved it!

love and rivalry | kim taehyung

summary: kim taehyung is neither friend or foe, he’s more of an annoying fly always near creating chaos in your life. now he’s buzzing on about his new crush and begging for your help in exchange for his help with yours. like an idiot you agree though you signed up more than you can chew. just great.

warnings: 17.3k words. e2l but like, soft e2l. college. crack humor kinda. smut. fluff. mutual namecalling. frenemy taehyung. classmate taehyung. both highkey funny and sassy? a little jk x y/n but nothing serious. taehyung x oc. jealousy. y/n gets wasted. smutwise[protected. rough. quick. six-nine position. couch. fondling. make out. hatefuck but soft.] Idiots to lovers.

The moment was too intense. No, wrong word for it, awkward? Well, no, that still didn’t sound right. He’s not sure how to explain it but he just doesn’t like it right now. You aren’t friends but he knows you well enough to know that you’re holding back laughter. What makes that even worse is that he’s swallowing his pride to even talk to you. He looked down at his phone as if in a rush in hopes of getting you to just accept his damn offer.

Your eyes began to crinkle and he knew what was coming. First, the laugh came from your nose making your cheeks puff out as you fought the urge to laugh. It didn’t matter though because your laugh made it through your sealed lips that you’d clearly been trying to hold back. His eyes rolled clearly unamused by your laughter, arms crossed over his chest waiting for you to be done. You were wheezing now, a few heads turning your way to see what was so funny but they came up short when it was just you two. He sighed, “Are you done?”

“One sec,” you held up a finger giving one final ha ha shaking your hair back looking over to him with that same grin, “Yeah, my answer is no.”

“Why?” Taehyung groaned louder than he had intended and more heads turned making him glare at you, “Not even if I ask you nicely?”

“I don’t give two shits about how nice you are,” you laughed again poking around your rice to see what else you could eat. You shook your head returning the glare back to him, “And by the way, there’s not a single nice bone in your body.”

“Listen you—“ deep breath Taehyung. Ignore the smirk on your face and try and be charming. He took a deep breath, eyes closed as if meditating and it only made you more amused. He made a move to brush his hair back. A perfect smile appeared on his face turning back to look at you, “Oh come on Y/n, isn’t it about time we put the past behind us? No need to hold grudges, we’re adults we can work this out.”

“Work what out, exactly?” You stood suddenly, your tote bag hanging from your shoulders and tray in hand. His heart began to race, he hurried to gather his own things as you started leaving. His chair scraped along the linoleum floor but he was following after you. He moved too close, bumping your shoulder as you placed your trays in the washing station and you made an annoyed sound. He cleared his throat, “Well, you know… What happened last year—listen, I take full responsibility and I can tell you now I’ve grown since then. I am a new man, I—“

“Whatever cheater.”

“Okay, I did not cheat,” he argued pushing the door open for the two of you to leave the lunch room. You were walking ahead of him still and he was having to rush to catch up. Your legs were shorter than his but you were like a speed racer or something because he found himself out of breath. “I had a bad judgement call and in reality I was just thinking about what was best for us but clearly that didn’t work.”

“Clearly,” you said as the two kept walking toward the courtyard that connected pathways from different buildings. Taehyung hot on your trails, “Look, it’s not that I didn’t think you were smart, I was just super arrogant and I assumed you wouldn’t know anything since you were a first year. Not an excuse I know, I shouldn’t have changed the report without telling you. But don’t you think you’re being a little too petty to still be holding this grudge? I mean it was a year ago.”

“Oh I’m the petty one?” You scoffed in disbelief. He was not helping his case whatsoever. “Didn’t you cry about getting a lower score than me in the last exam?”

“I did not cry, I was simply distraught,” Taehyung said with exaggerated hand gestures. He had no clue where he was even going, he was just following you but he was desperate. He’s tried everything and nothing seems to be working so this is his last resort. Practically begging on his knees with his tail wagging behind him. He reached for your arm pulling you back. His other hand held the strap of his backpack stopping the two of you in the middle of the cement path. “I’m sorry okay? I’m immature I know but—“

“I’ve never seen you this desperate,” you said with a smile, “But I like it.” “So you’ll do it?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because, I know what kind of guy you are,” you said with a roll of your eyes beginning to walk to your next lecture again, “You have a new girlfriend every week. Clearly Soyoung knows this if she rejected you and what do you expect me to do about that? One, her and I are friends but we’re not close enough for me to introduce her to someone. Second, I don’t like you.”

“I don’t like you either,” he said before he realized he even said it. His eyes widened already regretting it when you simply rolled your eyes, “Who would’ve thunk.” Thought, he corrected but he knew better than to say that out loud especially when you were just being sarcastic. He could go without your attitude but whatever, he’s busy. He’s still trying to butter you up. He made himself smile again nudging your shoulder playfully, “Truce?”

“You know, if you wouldn’t have scored higher than I did on the midterm then I would’ve said sure, but since I’m a ‘sore loser’ in your own words, I’m gonna say fuck no, instead” you argued nudging him back as a warning that you don’t play. He groaned, “Why can’t you just help me? I’ll pay you.”

“You’re more desperate than I thought,” you laughed, “And do you plan on following me all the way to my next class?”

“I just mi—“ “Y/n!” The two of you turned to the source of noise and a smile spread across your face. Taehyung didn’t react in time to you leaving and before he knew it you were running off to the person, “Soyoung!”

“Aish,” he cursed watching you leave even swinging his arm out as if to have the last say but you were already too far gone. He looked around at all the passing students and made a quick move to head to his lecture that he’d definitely be late to. When he made it into the lecture hall his friends were already sitting with a seat saved for him. He dropped his backpack down on the desk and with a low grumble as he took his seat. His friends looked at him as he made another annoyed sound.

“Why is Y/n L/n so… infuriating!” Taehyung said with a groan in frustration as he angrily put his things down. Yoongi chuckled, “What did she do this time?”

“Well, you know how I asked Soyoung out just yesterday and she said no? First of all, why would she say no? I’m amazing, I’m literally the perfect man to date,” Taehyung said. Yoongi laughed even harder, Jimin right there next to him laughing at Taengung’s words. Taehyung looked between them clearly still irritated and now their laughing is even more mocking. Yoongi wiped away a fake tear, “You aren’t the perfect man to date but that’s a discussion for another day. What does Y/n have to do with this?”

“Oh, right,” Taehyung cleared his throat ready to tell his story, “So I found out Y/n and Soyoung are friends and you know, Y/n and I have had our… moments? But if you look at it from a different perspective you can say we’re frien—acquaintan—classmates? Yeah, we’re classmates. So, I figured I could go to her and seek out some friendly advice on how to get with Soyoung and she says no!” Taehyung looks evidently distraught by the face that you wouldn’t help him and it was clearly amusing. Jimin snickered, “Are we in high school? Why do you need someone to help you get with Soyoung?”

“Because she’s the love of my life.” “Since when?” “Yesterday?” “Yeah, I see where Y/n’s coming from. It’s very hard to take you seriously about relationships when all you think about is studying and going out. What’s the longest relationship you’ve had?”

“That’s not what’s important, what’s important is that if I convince Y/n to talk me up to Soyoung then she’ll start seeing me as a better guy, you know?”

“And you want Y/n to help you? Wow, how can you be so smart academically but also the biggest idiot I’ve ever met?” Yoongi asked Taehyung which only made him look even more confused by what he might be implying. He shook his head in disbelief looking to Taehyung, “You two have been at each other’s throat since last year. You don’t even have to be in the same classes to compete with grades. You don’t even like each other! Why would she offer you help? Is she gaining anything from it?”

“It’d be from the kindness of her heart, whatever she has left of it,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. He realized how ridiculous he sounded but he really thinks him and Soyoung would be good together. If she just wouldn’t have rejected him yesterday and seen for herself then he wouldn’t have had to embarrass himself by talking with you. His arch nemesis but not actually.

Listen, he didn’t dislike you in the beginning the two of you were just too opposite especially when it came to your studies. Last year you had been partnered for a research paper and he got annoyed with your procrastination and switched the paper to something he wrote. He thought you would’ve been happy when he slapped your name on it despite it being the copy only he wrote. Of course you were pissed off because you hadn’t been procrastinating and actually had your part done. Mistake on his end. Really sucked because he thought you were attractive but then you started hating him and next thing he knows, you’re competing for better grades. Jimin shrugged, “Soyoung doesn’t want you though.”

“It’s crazy, right?” Taehyung asked making the latter roll his eyes. Taehyung wasn’t a womanizer, or at least he didn’t consider himself one, no he was. He can’t even lie. He’s the annoying kind of womanizer too. The ones who are academically smart, charming, and calm but can wreak havoc whenever they felt like it. He’s the kind of guy girls date because he’s attractive and seems like a good guy—which he is—until he loses feelings and dumps the person then he’s a grade A asshole. But he swears he’s not a player he’s overly excited when he’s in his feels, especially if he’s got his eyes on someone. Currently that’s Theatre major Kim Soyoung, unfortunately a friend of yours.

He still can’t believe she rejected him, it’s not like he expected her to be in love with him but he put on his most charming smile. She told him she wasn’t looking for anything serious so it wasn’t a bad rejection or anything but he would’ve obviously preferred her to say yes. He thinks they’d be perfect together, they have very similar interests and she’s calm and quiet. Not that he is but he can be. They both like art and classical music so they would match well. He hates that he’s resorted to asking for your help.

You didn’t hate Taehyung, not really, he was just… annoying? You used to think he was all mysterious because he was the smart, quiet guy. After being partnered with him and the paper incident you were definitely pissed because that was just rude. Then you took it kind of personal because he clearly didn’t think you were smart and so yeah. Maybe you got petty and studied harder to score higher than him in most your shared courses. Then, because you were getting petty then Taehyung got the same way which meant he didn’t care anymore about what he did about the paper. This was personal now.

It was only a few hours after his bizarre favor and you had completely forgotten about it. It was a Friday and you were out with friends trying to get absolutely shitfaced so you could stop thinking about the midterms you all just finished. you had planned to just drink, not go through love at first sight. You’re pretty sure the craziest thing just happened to you as you arrived to a dark club. As if the universe was giving you a sign, a broad chest was in your face. The place was crowded with bodies upon bodies until a perfect one literally slapped you in the face and his drink spilled against your arm a little. The stranger had felt the nudge of someone pushing against him from behind and it had him stumbling forward into you. In order to soften the blow, his hand had managed to catch you by the waist making sure you didn’t stumble back.

When you looked up and found the face of a God, you wanted him to hold you tighter. He gave a shy smile once he realized how close you two were, lip ring moving when he bit his lip, “Are you alright?” Wow, an icon, a legend, he was perfection and you needed his name right now. You cleared your throat as you smiled, you couldn’t act nervous now that a hot stranger was in front of you. “Yeah.” He gave a smile back, doing a once over not shying away from his curious eyes before releasing you by the waist and heading in the direction of the bar. You stood there awestruck for a moment before shaking yourself back into reality and left with your drinks to the table your friends were at.

You would’ve noticed the unwanted presence the stranger talked to if you weren’t gushing about the love of your life. Despite being opposites, you and Taehyung are surprisingly both dramatic when it came to romance or even crushes. You came in hot and heavy sliding yourself onto the tall stool looking to the closest friend to you, “I just ran into the most attractive man I’ve ever seen in my life.” “How hot?” Was the first thing Jihyun asked and you had to think for a second. Well, he was tall, not too tall but also towered over you just enough. His hair was longer than average but it looked so good. His face was cute yet hot at the same time and his facial piercings? Yeah. When you looked down at the arm that had been holding you in place you saw it was covered in body art. “If 10’s the highest rate then I’d say 100, better yet 1000.”

“1000 out of 10? Where? I wanna see him,” she said and you turned quickly to where you’d once been to see if you’d find him again, all while the two other people at table talked about something else. You noticed right away when you found him smiling at one of the guys he was with who you couldn’t see clearly. Jihyun followed the point of your finger and she gasped, “Oh my god?”

“Yeah,” you nodded in complete understanding of her reaction. Yeah he was beautiful. You kept staring at your boyfriend [who didn’t know it] for the night thinking you were being slick. And you were because you noticed him first. The sneaky snakity snake, Kim Taehyung, dressed in black just like your boyfriend doing some dance together holding drinks. You didn’t mind seeing him on campus sometimes but you would’ve liked it if your social life wasn’t infiltrated by his obnoxious presence too. You understand you’re adults and you live in the same area so it’s understandable to show up to the same bars on a Friday night but come on. And he just happens to be friends with God himself? He should give you a break because there’s no way you’re shooting your shot while he’s around. What ended up happening was Taehyung caught you, gave you a bored look, and looked away and the two of you never went up to each other or anything.

You were quite literally swallowing your pride doing this. In your defense you’ve been single for a while now and though you have had short flings it wasn’t anything serious. Not that you’re looking for anything serious but it’s been a while since you last indulged in a crush and everyone knows having a crush is somewhat exciting. You wouldn’t even be going out of your way to do this if it wasn’t for Hoseok and Jihyun making fun of you for having a dry spell of like two months. Not your fault your friends are horny monsters. At the same time though, that man was so hot and Taehyung knows him so why shouldn’t you figure more out about the stranger? Exactly.

You were currently in the library pretending to look for some textbook when you know damn well you didn’t need to be. You saw Taehyung come in here earlier and you were so nosy, all you needed was the name of the stranger and your curiosity would be fed. You thought you were being slick, pulling out a book just to put it back as Taehyung stood in the next aisle over. You’re trying to talk yourself into shoving your pride aside to ask him even though he’ll probably make fun of you for it. You had just gone for the next book you were about to pretend to look at when you nearly screamed. Leaned down low enough to look through the shelf, Taehyung stood on the other side looking at you once the book was out of the way. He smiled noticing your clearly caught-off-guard expression and asked, “Are you stalking me?”

“Don’t you wish,” you scoffed putting the book back to block him but he just slid it to the side. He nodded, “Maybe I do. I’m still waiting for you to convince Soyoung to go on at least one date with me.”

“You’re still on that?” You rolled your eyes moving away from the shelf. Now he was annoying you and you had no intentions of asking him about anything or anyone. You turned to another shelf pretending to examine another book thinking Taehyung just dropped the topic but shortly after, a tall figure was blocking light. You refused to look up even as his arm rested on the shelf just above your head leaning into it as he stared down at you. You kept ignoring him studying the textbook in your hands until it was being yanked out. You turned, “I was looking at that.”

“I know,” he said reading over it, “This is a Chemistry book and I’m pretty sure you don’t know a thing about chemistry.” You snatched it back ignoring the way his bicep seemed to flex in the position it was in, “Hence why I’m looking at the book, dummy.”

“Dummy? What are we five?” He asked with an amused smirk. You rolled your eyes putting the textbook back, “Fine. Dumbass. Is that better?” He didn’t disagree as you leaned your back against the shelf he was leaning on making him basically tower over you with his arm over your head. He looked down at you, “I saw you on Friday.” “Yes unfortunately I saw you too,” you said making him roll his eyes. “Ha ha, why wasn’t Soyoung there?”

“Because she doesn’t go out with us. You seem to forget that even though we’re friends we’re not friends.” You told him and he sighed. “So be friends then.”

“You know, for a guy who prides himself on pulling women, you really are desperate. Is that how you get every girl?” You asked making him shake his head no. Suddenly, he flashed you a smile with low lid eyes, “Usually I just give them the look and boom, they’re sold.”

You made a disgusted face clutching a new textbook in your hands just to keep your hands busy, “So what you’re saying is you actually have no attractive quality about you other than a smile?” His eyes narrowed looking down at you, “Well you haven’t seen the smile. It’s a fan favorite. I’ve just got no reason to show it you when you’re a rodent.”

“Ah yes, a rodent in Kim Taehyung’s eyes, how will I ever redeem myself?” You asked sarcastically. He smirked, “By getting me a date with Soyoung. I just want to know why I’m not good enough for a date.” He watched you begin to walk away, “Figure it out yourself.”

You didn’t even make it five feet away when you froze. Oh right, you had an agenda. He looked as you turned around and walked back to him suddenly smiling nervously and he changed his position to meet you. You smiled sweetly now and it was actually pretty attractive if you weren’t such a little gremlin. His arms crossed over his chest when you came back, putting on the cutest act you can muster in hopes of swooning him, “So you know how we saw each other on Friday?”

He seemed to take a step back completely caught off by your cute behavior now, “Obviously?” He waited for a moment, “Listen you’re not my type so whatever you’re about to say it won’t change anything. You’re hot but it just won’t work out.” Your smile tightened as you fought the urge to roll your eyes and smack him, “Ha, not what I was going to talk about. I was actually, um, you know… You were with a guy on Saturday, tattoos, piercings, sound familiar?”

He stopped to think about it pretending to be in thought as he tried to read you. Slowly saying, “Sounds familiar.” Your smile widened even more, “What’s his name, by chance?” When realization dawned a smug smirk made its way into Taehyung’s expression, “Figure it out yourself.”

“Oh so that’s how it’s going to be?” You asked with a roll of your eyes and he nodded. “You started it, and if you ask nicely, I’ll tell you his name on one condition.”

You huffed, “I’m not as desperate as you that I have to ask for help.” You turned your back to him in thought and annoyance.

“Yet here we are,” he said spreading his fingers out as if inspecting them only to turn his hand and study his nails now as if waiting. He already knows what his condition is and if you’re extra nice to him he’ll even tell you his zodiac sign, “I’m just saying, we could really help each other out.”

“What’s the condition?” You turned back to look at him. He shrugged looking away from you trying to seem cool and aloof. Ugh, everyone thinks he’s so mysterious but then he acts like this. It was kind of funny that he was popular around campus for being mysterious and cold but he wasn’t, like at all unless you two were arguing over a lecture. Well, okay, he was kind of cold when you first met but after your friendly, academic rivalry, you brought out the pettiness in him and with that came a 4D personality you didn’t think he possessed. It was just annoying like right now when it took him seconds to finally speak, drawing out his silence for climax building. Taking a long deep and dramatic breath, waited, then, “Help me get a date with Soyoung and I’ll tell you his name.”

You audibly gasped, “Okay well that’s the shittiest deal I’ve ever heard. You’ll give me his name while I have to set you up with someone? You know how unlikable you are?” He rolled his eyes and made a move to speak when— “Can you move?” You both turned to stare at a short guy with thick rimmed glasses and a plaid shirt. He pointed to the shelf you were standing in front of and you both instantly backed away from each other in opposite ends.

Your eye contact didn’t waiver as the guy separated you and without another word Taehyung cut the space behind the guy to go to you and led you out the aisle. You began walking to your table and he followed, “And I’ll introduce you to him. What are you doing this weekend?”

Your brows furrowed as he took the seat in front of yours carrying the conversation, “I’m not doing anything but I don’t know if I’d want to meet him. What if I’m not his type?” He looked at you with curiosity, “You’re his type.”

You smiled a little but snapped out of it, “But what about the weekend?” “There’s a party this Saturday that a friend’s throwing. I’ll make sure he comes with, you bring Soyoung, and boom.”

“You’re sneaky,” you accused but still thought about what he was saying. He shook his head raising a finger and tapping his forehead, “Not sneaky, strategic. I’ve got it all planned out and it’d be a win-win for both of us.”

“Are we really this desperate?” You asked him and he shook his head, “I’d say ambitious.” Oh god, were you about to go along with each others shenanigans? You were clearly bullshitting each other, half serious, half joking and yet it was very tempting to see what would happen if you did do some chasing with a little play. It really was tempting. To be fair the last time you had a boyfriend was months ago and though you’ve gone on a couple dates they’ve been lacking. Plus, it’s not like you’re looking for anything serious so who’s to say you can’t have some fun while attracted to someone? It’s always nice to set your eyes on someone and then have them. Not in a bad way either, just if you thought this stranger was attractive and interesting, it’s nice to know they thought the same about you. Taehyung was paying close attention to the way your eyes narrowed with conflicted feelings before catching the subtle nod of your head, “Alright, fuck it, I’ll help you.” He smiled widely.

“Perfect, I’ll text you you all the info about this Saturday,” he said already moving to stand up finally ready to leave the library, he looked down at the books you had set out on it earlier, “I scored a 98 in the exam for cultural studies, what’d you get?”

You smirked, “99”. He didn’t hide his scowl. The two of you shared exactly three courses together and they were prerequisites and an elective that would be an easy grade. You hadn’t known this was his plan nor did he know it was yours. It just happened like that this semester so you’ve been competing grades in those classes for weeks now. He turned to leave before stopping in his tracks, leaning down close to your ear, “His name’s Jeon Jungkook.”

“There’s a lot more people than I thought. I don’t even know who they are.” Was the first thing Soyoung said when your group of friends arrived to the party Taehyung told you about. Everything had worked out perfectly tonight when Hobi told you that he knew about the party too. You didn’t even have to ask them all, Hobi did it for you and you’ve been pregaming at his place before you came. You were looking at the texts between you and Taehyung where he asked if you were here yet, “It’s a party Soyoung, obviously you’re not going to know everyone.”

Soyoung was a sweet person. She was soft spoken and sort of timid but once you got to know her she was more outgoing. You met her last semester so there’s still time for you to be closer friends but right now you like your relationship. You don’t hang out or talk every day but you know that if you ask her to hang out on the whim, she’ll say yes. That’s what happened tonight. You still can’t believe you and Taehyung are coming together for some stupid ass idea. You’re happy she actually came since usually she doesn’t like big social gatherings but she’s getting herself worked up, “I’m just saying, there’s a lot of people here.”

“I kinda like it, it’s not too crazy but I need to get drunk, like now,” Jihyun said cutting through the crowd behind you, Hoseok hot on your trail. As if to further state her point she tipped back the drink in her hand and chugged it. The four of you have been drinking a bit already but it was a Saturday and you were looking to get more than just tipsy. You took yours and did the same as you finally spotted Taehyung and his friends. Okay perfect. Hoseok cleared his throat, “Alright stop hassling me. I’ll go get more drinks.”

“Thanks for offering,” you teased as he voluntarily goes to get more drinks and you turned your focus to your friends. It was a big place and there were a lot of people here, very few you recognized but you knew they went to school with you. Some were clearly unfamiliar just like Jungkook. Jihyun looked around, unaware of your plan and gasped loudly, “Y/n, your boyfriend is here.”

“Wait you have a boyfriend?” Soyoung asked making you shake your head no as you turned to where Soyoung’s focus was and spotting the beauty of Jeon Jungkook. Jihyun clutched your hand, “Hobi is talking with Taehyung and he’s right next to him. Oh my god, let’s go.”

“What?” You turned quickly, so Taehyung was really making moves. When you looked over to where Hoseok had in fact been talking to Taehyung, he was now motioning for you all to come over since his hands were full with drinks. The three of you left in the direction trying not to stare at your future husband, looking to Taehyung instead as his eyes narrowed at you. Soyoung did seem a little awkward considering Taehyung had asked her out just days ago so she’s keeping her distance.

It’s not that she wasn’t attracted to Taehyung. Everyone’s attracted to him but that’s what makes her kind of worried. Even if she did go on a date with him she’d worry about his eyes wandering or someone approaching him. He’s very charming and he has no problem finding a girl to date so she just doesn’t get why it was her. In truth, for a while she thought there was something going on between you and Taehyung. She understood what started the distaste for each other but sometimes your arguing seems a little flirty and if she didn’t know any better it was like watching a bickering couple. She could see him with someone like you, equally as charming and honestly probably very similar. But whatever, neither one of you seem to actually like each other so maybe she was reading too into it.

“Y/n come here,” Taehyung pulled you suddenly forward and the cup you’d currently been drinking from spilled a little with your stumble. Okay, maybe you were tipsy but also why drink if you don’t get drunk? You let him pull you next to him directly across from God himself. “Be honest, what’s your essay topic for Professor Park’s class.”

You rolled your eyes at his voice forgetting for a moment the game plan, “Why would I tell you?” Your head was spinning a little bit, not to the point where you had a headache but enough to make you sway. You looked over at him for a quick moment before catching Soyoung awkwardly behind you so you pulled her forward between you and Taehyung. You took another chug of your drink thinking finally, if you’re going to go through all this trouble just to flirt with someone you’ve never met, might as well go through with it.

You put on your best smile as you stepped away from the other two toward the man of your dreams. You didn’t expect him to remember you from a night drink at a shitty bar. The only reason why you even kept him in your mind was because you saw him with Taehyung therefore meaning he was accessible. He only saw you in passing. And even with all that, he still looked at you with a hint of curiosity, “You look really familiar.”

You couldn’t help the small giggle, “Do I?” You were definitely starting to feel the weight of the alcohol. You knew for a fact you were all pretty drunk at the moment but you weren’t really focused on everyone else. He nodded biting his lip as he got a better look at you, “I’m Jeon Jungkook.”

“Y/n L/n.” He nodded bringing his drink to his mouth standing beside you now clearly interested in conversation, “How do you know Taehyung?” You swear it took you a second to know who he was talking about but you’re not sure if it’s because you’re drunk or because you’re only paying attention to his face. “You know uh, classmates.” Jungkook just smiled lazily, he was clearly a little interested so he didn’t mind seeing how this would go tonight. Your eyes met, both slightly dazed and it made you giggle a little, “How do you know him?”

He looked over to Taehyung for a moment as if that’d remind him before back down to you with a shrug, “We went to high school together but just recently started hanging around each other again.” You looked down at your cup, “I think I need a refill.”

He nodded, his hand just touching your back as he led you to the drinks. It was a subtle move but a clear indication that he was trying to stay with you at the moment.

“I didn’t expect to see you here Taehyung,” Soyoung said after some time. He really was attractive in her mind and she would love to go out with him if she found him genuine but so far no. She was only making small talk because it seemed like you were having a good talk with Taehyung’s friend since you were both smiling and swaying a little leaving. It felt like Soyoung was the only one not drinking heavy and she can’t take care of three drunks when Hobi and Jihyun were already shitfaced. “Hm? I don’t usually come out to these things but my friend invited me tonight,” it was kind of true. Jimin and Yoongi invited him out and he invited Jungkook then of course you and Soyoung.

Soyoung nodded looking away from him and around at everyone else. Taehyung was nervously drinking, he’s wanting to ask more about her but at the same time he doesn’t? It doesn’t make any sense but honestly, he’s also not able to pay that much attention to her. It’s not that he didn’t want to, he obviously did but there was just so much going on around them. Between Soyoung concerned with her drunk friends to the music and crowds. Then there was you and Jungkook who he clearly saw getting along very well and yet he found himself still focusing on how it was going. You also seemed slightly drunk so he’s paying attention to that too only because he’s the one who invited you out tonight, technically. He tried to focus on Soyoung looking back to her with a smile, “What are you drinking?” She looked to her drink, “I actually don’t know, Hobi just got us drinks.”

“Can I try?” He asked to which she nodded her head letting him take her cup and he took a small sip. His eyes glanced in the direction of the drinks table while his head was still tilted back.

From this distance he could see as you and Jungkook seemed to be laughing at something and your shoulders bumped.

Alright.

Seems like that ship is sailing. He handed Soyoung the drink clearing his throat with a smile, “I think mine’s better.”

You and Jungkook spent a lot of the time talking. You’re not sure if he was into you or if you only thought that because you were drunk but it was fun. He was absolutely gorgeous and seemed interested in you too. You weren’t sure how far the night would’ve gone though since his phone kept ringing. It was his roommate apparently he’d forgotten his keys and is locked out. You heard Jungkook on the phone telling this guy to stay at his girlfriend’s place only to be yelled back that he got dumped. You felt bad for the guy so when Jungkook, clearly annoyed by it, apologized and said he had to go you didn’t object. Of course that didn’t happen without asking for your number and giving you his, so everything was alright.

Jungkook looked down at you as you made a small pout waiting at the door. He couldn’t help but smile a little. He didn’t know anything about you other than what he learned tonight but he was attracted to you. He’ll have to ask Taehyung more about you but right now he just wants one thing. He bit his lip nervously, “Can I kiss you goodbye?” You gave a nod and that was all he needed to be tipping your chin up and connecting your lips. It was short and sweet leaving you both wanting more but with another ring of his phone he was reluctantly pulling back.

You were beyond words, extra giddy now when you were going back to your friends once Jungkook left. There was even a little jump in your step, alcohol fueled sensation of floating joining Soyoung now. You let yourself stumble into Soyoung clinging to her with a smile, “Hi.”

She gave you a sober smile, “Hi.” Taehyung stared down at you, rose colored face from the alcohol and eyes half shut yet you smiled with all purity. It was cute almost, a very different side than the cold Y/n he’s used to. Soyoung held you with a hand on your forearm to keep you stable, “How’s your night going? Have you been drinking a lot?” You took a step back almost too close to Taehyung as you found yourself between them and his hand flinched to either hold you or stop you from stumbling. You held up your index finger and thumb pinching the air to signify how much you’ve had to drink, but ignored her last question verbally.

“It’s going great, I just kiss—“ you were cut off with a small whine when your friend practically knocked you over. The only thing to keep you from falling yourself from your head spinning was the arm around your waist now keeping you secure against a broad chest. Hobi held onto Soyoung, “Mom, I wanna go home.” You laughed at his drunken state as Jihyun tried yanking him off and all Taehyung could see was that you were all hot messes but Soyoung. Yet here he was keeping a hold on you when you leaned back into him with a laugh.

“Okay well, let’s go then, I can’t deal with all you drunks in here,” Soyoung said in an authoritative voice that had Taehyung shuffling out with you all, his arm around your waist to help you walk only a few paces behind the others. He blamed it on the fact he couldn’t mind his business but he found himself asking a drunk You, “Who’d you kiss?” Obviously he knew but his mind was still wrapping around it. You looked at him practically letting him drag you to the elevator with the others. “Ju-Jeo—Ju—-“

“Jungkook?” He asked intently to which you nodded with a clap of your hands slurring, “Yeah! Him!” Taehyung just nodded releasing you for a moment so he could talk to Soyoung, “How are they all getting home? How’d you get here?” “The bus,” Soyoung said with a sigh as they started going down to the main floor. He clicked his tongue counting heads real quick, “I’ll take you all home. My car’s in the garage.”

So the five of you crammed into his car with Soyoung in the front and you between Jihyun and Hoseok in the back. Taehyung was so annoyed by the fact that anytime he looked through his back mirror, you were in the way. You stayed in the back almost half asleep out of the back and forth of going to Jihyun than Hoseok’s place, Soyoung having to help them to their floors too.

“Y/n lives right up here,” Soyoung said a few blocks after where you’d just dropped Hoseok off and Taehyung was pulling up to the duplex parking on the side. Soyoung looked back at you, “Key?” He turned the engine off turning to look at you half asleep with your face pressed into his window. You tossed it to her and with a huff in annoyance she was getting out first to unlock your front door.

He took a deep breath as he got out of the car. He made his way around to your door opening it nearly dropping you as you fell forward but he caught you in time helping you out. God, you were gonna owe him big time even if you brought him close to Soyoung. Though, if he’s being honest, the only reason why he volunteered to help everyone out is because he wanted to make sure you got home safely. The others he wasn’t close to enough but he knew you and he liked Soyoung. He’ll never tell you he did this for you, fuck no. Soyoung opened the door and Taehyung kept you steady as you went up.

He looked to her while holding you up in your entrance trying not to look around and get a peak at your apartment. Soyoung brushed her fingers through her hair going around turning on lights, “Let me go get her bed ready real quick.”

“Ta-hyung,” you fumbled his name as he looked down to you now that it was just you two. He lifted an unamused brow before softening when you laughed, “You’re so nice.” That made him smirk, “Am I?” , his hand loosely on your back keeping you close as you looked into each others eyes.

“Of courshe,” you pointed a finger into his firm chest giggling a little as you started to pull away from him feeling stronger to move now, “You’re taking care of me.” Taehyung just followed after a few paces letting you regain consciousness and waited just out the door of your bedroom not looking in. He didn’t even know what to respond with. He could hear the muffled sound of you and Soyoung talking and he went back to the front door for privacy and waited.

When Soyoung came back she was sighing in relief, making Taehyung clear his throat, “Where am I taking you?”

“I’m just gonna sleep over,” she said leading him out the door as they talked, “Thanks for helping me tonight. I know it was a lot.” Helping who? Oh yeah…

“No worries,” he scratched the back of his neck as he stood outside now walking backwards to his car, “I had fun tonight and do you mind telling Y—“

“So about what you asked me the other day,” Soyoung cut him off suddenly making him stop. Was she talking about the date? Had she really just changed her mind because he seemed to have helped her tonight? Taehyung was excited but not as much as he thought he’d be. He was already forgetting what he was going to say as he waited for her to keep going, “Is it too late to change my mind? I think I was too harsh and I really would like to get dinner together.”

“Really?” He asked with a clear of his throat, “I mean, yeah cool, I’ll uh, you know I’ll text you then? Get something set?” Soyoung smiled a little at what appeared to be Kim Taehyung flustered, was it because of her? “Goodnight Taehyung.”

He nodded thought she couldn’t tell from where he stood at his car, he said back, “Goodnight.” His eyes darted around in confusion at the lack of excitement he was feeling now. He’s been moping around hoping to get a chance with Soyoung again but now that he has it, it doesn’t make him feel any different. If anything he’s just happy to be in his car now and alone at that. He drove off after making sure Soyoung made it back inside and went home.

Taehyung should have it all planned already. He was a strategist, that’s what he told you and yet he has absolutely no clue what would be next. He scored the date which was the first part of his plan to date Soyoung and yet he’s got no clue where they should go and what they should do. He could ask you but how likely would you be able to help him? He can’t believe you kissed Jungkook already like damn, you must’ve really been feeling each other tonight and he’s curious to ask Jungkook how it felt. Would it be weird for him to ask if you were a good kisser? No, he’s got to think about what his date with Soyoung would be and how you’d help. He was in bed already when he finally decided to just send a text despite how late it was.

taehyung: you owe me big time :)

you: naur i sont

taehyung: yes you do

taehyung: now go to sleep

taehyung:drink water and try not to puke

taehyung: goodnight

you: ok dad. night nigkhskiolj

He rolled his eyes checking the time. He dropped you off with you barely talking but clearly now you’ve sobered up enough to be checking your phone. He’ll just wait till class to see if Soyoung filled you in on tonight then blackmail you into helping him plan a date out. Taehyung wonders if Jungkook would talk to him about you and if it’d be positive or negative. His friend had a tendency of being a player so he just wanted to make sure Jungkook wouldn’t say anything bad about you whether he disliked you or not. But for some reason he didn’t want to hear Jungkook go on and on about how great you are either and he doesn’t know why. He ended up falling asleep debating if he’d want to hear what Jungkook had to say about you at all.

Tuesday morning came, exactly two days after the drunk fest that was Saturday, and also the day Taehyung shared classes with you. Per usual, you paraded past him to an empty seat and before he knew it he was getting up from his seat to go next to you. You looked up in time to catch him sliding into the chair next to yours and immediately released a sigh, “What do you want?” And cold Y/n is back. He scrunched his nose making a mocking face at you, “I’ve gotta talk to you obviously. Do you think I’d go out of my way to talk to you without needing something?”

“I do think that,” you said looking back to your laptop as your phone lay face up giving him a perfect view of when it lit up, a text from ‘Jeon Jungkook’. His eyes didn’t peel away until you were grabbing your phone and glaring at him for eavesdropping. He rolled his eyes, “I told you, you were his type.”

You didn’t say anything for a moment as the professor came in and Taehyung released a huff, “You even kissed.” Your face flushed at the reminder and turned to look at him, “Barely remember anything. I was drunk, remember?” Hoping to get the spotlight off that specific topic you cleared your throat, “Thanks for taking us all home. I know Soyoung was really thankful for helping her deal with all of us.”

“Right,” he said opening a notes document to get down whatever the lecture was today, lip pulled between his teeth in thought, “Did she tell you she agreed on a date with me?” You gave him a shrug clearly unsure what she might’ve told you because you can’t remember. He looked at you waiting for a verbal response but when you didn’t give one he continued, “How about a double date? I was thinking about it over the weekend and I don’t know a thing about Soyoung and what she might like.”

“Double date with who?” You asked with furrowed brows that had him rolling his eyes, “You and Jungkook obviously.” You made a snickering sound laughing a little as you typed out what was on the board for the day before the professor excused himself out of the room. His brow raised in curiosity as you looked to him, “Wouldn’t Jungkook have to want to go on a date with me first?”

Taehyung huffed, eyes glancing away from you with a slight bitter taste in his mouth, “He’d want to. I’ll talk to him.” You shook your head waving him off, “It’s fine. I don’t really want to go on a date, especially when you’ll be there.”

“Fuck you? Plus you owe me a favor for the other night, remember?” He bumped his shoulder against yours, “You gotta do this—“ “Why should I? You didn’t do it for me,” you said with a shrug, “You did it to get on Soyoung’s good side. You’d never go out of your way to do something nice for me, we’re not even friends.”

“Oh really? We text, hang out outside of class, and you’re the one who said I was nice—“ “I would never!” “Oh but you did, touching up on my chest all giggly when you said it too,” he smirked now as he thought back to Saturday night at your place when Soyoung had gone off to get your bed ready, “Embarrassed? Don’t be, I had a feeling you liked m—“

“Do you guys mind shutting up and getting out of the room if you’re gonna flirt?”

You both whipped around to the same glasses guy who had cut between you two in the library last week. You raised a middle finger at him and Taehyung held your hand to stop you as the professor walked in. You looked up at him leaning toward him a little to whisper, “I swear that guy’s everywhere.”It took him a second to move his hand off yours even as you let it rest on the desk and had to pull it out from under his. He mumbled now, “Alright I’ll text you when, expect soon.”

“Jeez you must really want Soyoung. You’re impatient.” “I work fast,” he said with a shrug and looked to you waiting for an agreement. With a reluctant sigh you agreed, “Fine, but I don’t want Jungkook to think I’m desperate like you.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m not desperate. I’m a go-getter unlike you who just waits around for things to fall into your lap.” “Keep telling yourself that sir. And I’ll have you know, things do fall into my lap pretty easily. ” “Alright… maam. I’m done talking to you.” “Perfect.” “Bitch.” “Ass.”

You didn’t tell anyone about the double date only because you didn’t see your friends. You hadn’t even talked to Soyoung today since Taehyung said he’d get it all set and god did he work fast. You got to the small Korean bbq place that you finally saw Soyoung and she seemed just as thrilled to see you. You took your seat, avoiding the other two for a moment as you got yourself situated glancing up at Jungkook with a shy smile, “Hi.”

He gave you a warm smile as he sat next to you at the small rounded table, “Hi.” You looked over to Taehyung, your sweet expression gone, “Hello.”

“Hello.”

“Want some?” Jungkook asked already grabbing the green bottle of alcohol and a small glass for you. You nodded your head holding it out to him for him to pour but before any liquid can stream down, a hand was reaching across the table and covering your glass. You turned to glare at Taehyung as he spoke, “Don’t drink too much unless you want to be carried home again.”

Jungkook chuckled as Taehyung moved his hand back, “I wouldn’t mind carrying you home.” It was flirty and had you smiling unaware of the way Taehyung’s eyes narrowed at his friend before rolling them back in annoyance. He almost had forgotten about Soyoung until she spoke, “Tae, once again thanks for your help on Saturday. I know Y/n and the rest of us were pretty grateful for it, right?”

You scoffed, “Yeah sure.” He glared at you, and you only met him back with an intense glare back practically arguing with each other in your heads.

You’re making me look bad Taehyung.

You’re doing it all on your own. You’re the one making me look bad.

Why? Cause I’m honest?

Cause you’re an asshole, Y/n.

Fuck you.

Fuck you. It went something like that.

Neither one of you seemed to notice the strange stares you received from the other two until Jungkook was cutting up some meat in your bowl practically snatching your attention back. You smiled sweetly, a huge contrast to how you looked at Taehyung. He rolled his eyes grabbing a pair of tongs and doing the same for Soyoung but they weren’t nearly as neat as Jungkook’s.

“So what do you do for work? Do you work Y/n? Part time or anything?” Jungkook asked after some time wanting to get to know you better. You shook your head almost embarrassed, “Not at the moment. I did do a lot of work over the summer and saved up enough to not work during school. I’m on a full ride scholarship so my money mostly goes to housing and food. Do you?”

He nodded, “I’m a mechanic part time, as you know I don’t go to school with you guys but my job’s pretty close to my campus and it’s easy cause it can be open late. The only downside is that I don’t have much free time.” He glanced your way again looking to your bowl reaching forward to cut more food for you. You shook your head urging him to focus on his own meal but it was still cute. Right next to you Taehyung and Soyoung were struggling to find something to talk about. He couldn’t stop looking over at you two and he couldn’t understand why and it was only annoying him even more especially with you.

“Have you been to the new illusion museum that just opened up downtown?” Soyoung asked Taehyung now trying to see if the conversation can shift from awkward to at least normal. She can’t tell if he’s just nervous or uninterested now. She thought he liked her if he’d been going for her for a couple weeks now but right now she can’t tell. She could say it’s nervousness because he did like her but would that be true? Would Kim Taehyung really be the type to get nervous when he’s had tons of girlfriends before? He just seems so stiff talking to her right now. He looked up at her.

“I haven’t but uh, maybe the four of us should go,” he said glancing over at you and Jungkook. You looked over at him before giving a small smirk, “Scared to be alone with Soyoung? She doesn’t bite y’know.”

He glared at you rolling his eyes before looking back to Soyoung, “It was just an idea but I think you and I should go. I love art.”

“I know you do, that’s why I want to go I think it’d be fun,” Soyoung said and that made him pay more attention to her. What was wrong with him? He had a huge thing for her just weeks ago. That’s why he kept going to you to help him to get with her. That’s why he offered to help you get at Jungkook which was clearly working better than him and Soyoung. He can’t even say she’s the one being stand offish now when it’s clearly him. He’s obviously the problem here. He literally asked you earlier today to help him set a date and what ended up happening? He made it a double date with the excuse that you’d make it less awkward between them. Now he’s finding himself trying to hear what you and Jungkook talked about instead of getting to know Soyoung.

Whatever he talked about Soyoung over dinner was practically forgotten by the end of the day. He stood outside with everyone else now and it seemed like everyone was suddenly awkward around each other. It wasn’t you, it seemed like you were the only one who wasn’t but even Jungkook seemed uncomfortable now. Soyoung next to him was a little ahead of him and you were just on your phone not even thinking about everyone else. Taehyung offered to give you two a ride but you wanted to take the bus instead and he ended up just saying goodbye to both then. Jungkook gave you a small hug and let you go. It wasn’t until Taehyung was leaving with Jungkook that he decided to talk about the dinner.

“So, you taking Y/n on a second date?” Taehyung asked driving Jungkook home too. He couldn’t see the amused smile that spread across Jungkook’s face as he stared out the window shaking his head no, “I don’t think so.”

Taehyung’s brows furrowed. Even if Taehyung isn’t into you he can’t see why Jungkook wouldn’t be. You’re annoying but you’re funny strangely enough. You’re pretty, like crazy attractive, and you’re smart. You act cute when you’re drunk and even he’ll admit it’s sweet, that’s why he kept thinking about your smiles the night of the party. But anyway, he doesn’t understand why Jungkook wouldn’t want to go on another date with you. He was clearly into you at the start of the date but why did he change his mind. “Why?”

“Are you kidding?” Jungkook scoffed as he chuckled looking over at Taehyung expressing himself with what he’d just asked. He wasn’t mad or anything it’s just like, bffr [be fucken for real]. He shook his head, “Because you’re into her, obviously. I swear I didn’t know, I just thought Y/n was cute at the party so we started texting and I thought maybe we were all just hanging out today.”

Taehyung blinked, he stared at the street blankly, “Huh?”

Jungkook sighed with a roll of his eyes mocking Taehyung’s ‘huh’ and slouching in his seat, “Yeah, we kissed last weekend and I feel so fucking bad about it now. I know you two have something going on but I didn’t know. Why would you let me bring her on a date—“

“—I don’t have a thing for Y/n. That’s weird, I—why, why would you even think—Y/n’s not my type.” Taehyung cut him if suddenly, way too eager to deny what Jungkook said, “She’s got too much attitude and honestly she’s infuriating. She’s always neck to neck with me in class. She’s rude and annoying and—“

“—And you like all of that, quit lying,” Jungkook said with an amused smile as he looked over to Taehyung. He shook his head no. He didn’t like you. What he felt toward you was like a ‘frenemies’ vibe y’know? Sure your conversations [though hostile] were probably one of his favorite things. It was a nonstop jab at each other but never to the point where it was actually rude. It was lighthearted even if some of the things you both said might push it. But no. “I like Soyoung.”

Jungkook chuckled, “What do you like about Soyoung then?” It caught Taehyung off guard. He’s not sure how to answer that. How do you respond to that? What do you say when someone asks that? “I—y’know she’s pretty? Um, quiet and uh, well, uh, kind?”

“Alright and what do you hate about Y/n?” He was ready to hear what ever Taehyung was going to bullshit him with. The night of the party Jungkook spent his time with you once he talked to you. The two of you separated yourselves from Taehyung and Soyoung yet even when they were all together, he would’ve never known Taehying liked you. It wasn’t until tonight that he saw it. Taehyung took a deep breath, not wasting a second to begin speaking unlike how he was with Soyoung, “Oh god she’s just awful, you just don’t know her like I do. She’ll ignore your texts, flaunt her grades in your face, argue with you over literally any—“

“You love to argue.”

“I know but like, she’s loud and she’s got this laugh that’s kind of annoying but also pretty entertaining if you’re the reason she’s laughing. And she always has to be right, even if she’s not, she’ll keep arguing. She gets drunk so fast that you basically need to take care of her because who else will,” Taehyung was speaking very emotionally now, similar to excited but something else.

“I’m sure Y/n’s friends will,” Jungkook wasn’t even pretending to be understanding of what Taehyung was telling him because he thought it was all bullshit. Taehyung liked you and Jungkook knew it so who was he kidding?

Taehyung laughed nervously, thankful that he’s only a few blocks away from Jungkook’s place, “I mean, maybe but sometimes they’re unreliable too so what ends up happening? I’m the one driving them all home because they’re all too drunk. To make it worse Y/n gets sleepy and touchy and sweet when she’s drunk so you’ve gotta really look after her to make sure nothing happens and it’s just so much work. I’m telling you, Y/n is fucking infuriating. Everything she does just grinds my gears, y’know?”

Jungkook just smirked, “If you’re still trying to get me to think you don’t have a thing for Y/n you’re failing. You’ve just gone on a rampage about all things Y/n, while all you said about Soyoung — who you’re apparently into, might I add — was that she was pretty and nice. Y/n is pretty too.”

Taehyung blurted out before he could even stop himself, “I mean yeah Y/n is so fucking attractive but that’s not all that matters… doesn’t mean I’m into her. I’m into Soyoung.”

Jungkook had to use a different tactic. He knows his friend well and he’s seen him be in relationships. He also knows that what he’s seen on how Taehyung treats someone who’s a frenemy to him, it’s way too interested. He’s way too interested in you and more than what he’s seen for Soyoung. He had to scheme, play matchmaker here for his friend, “Yeah alright man, I’ll tell you what. I’ll keep going for Y/n and you just let me know if I’m stepping on your toes.”

“You won’t be.” Taehyung argued though he immediately started thinking about what Jungkook would do. How he would get your attention and why he want to if he apparently thought Taehyung liked you. Taehyung doesn’t know if you’re crazy into Jungkook but he knows you’re attracted to him and you’re charming enough that anyone opens up to you.

“Alright, sure.”

“I’m serious. There’s not a single bone in my body that wants Y/n,” Taehyung kept going feeling the need to prove himself, Jungkook just nodded, “Okay.”

He’s not sure why it was hard to get it off his tongue but he managed to say, “And you should definitely go for her.”

“I will.”

“Alright.”

“Alright.”

It was not alright. It was apparently not alright at all because right now he’s stuck watching you and Jungkook flirt across the room. He blames Jungkook full heartedly for making him think about you. He knew you were coming over to his place with some friends but he didn’t expect you to be so caught up on talking with Jungkook. It’s only been a few days since Jungkook started with this whole BS and Taehyung didn’t believe it. And yet, he’s awfully interested in you two right now. He can’t tell if you’re flirting or not but even that was making him a little annoyed. God, why did he tell Jungkook to go for it? Clearly there’s something going on with him that he hasn’t realized until now. Your relationship together was never even on the borders of friendship until recently and even then you’re both still very sarcastic with each other.

He thought Soyoung was his ideal type. The quiet and shy theatre student. He definitely did not expect it to be you, loud and arrogant. You always had something to say that went against what Taehyung said. Your relationship had started rocky from the get go, all the way back to the stupid research paper that brought you two together. He thought you were attractive then but he was soon blind to your looks when you became difficult so he hadn’t thought about you in this way. He’s not sure if he’s been feeling like this for a while now or he’s imagining it. All he’s sure about in this moment is that you looking so relaxed talking with Jungkook that was suddenly getting on his nerves when all you do is argue with him. Humph.

“What’s up with you?” Yoongi asked patting Taehyung’s knee as he followed his stare. You and Jungkook were currently in your own little world showing each other something on your phones. Unbeknownst to you or even himself, Taehyung had been staring that way with a clenched jaw. It wasn’t until Yoongi spoke to him that he realized he was staring, “What?”

Yoongi chuckled as he leaned back on the couch being as subtle as possible as he pointed to you and Jungkook in a low voice, “What’d Y/n do this time?” He’s used to Taehyung ranting about you and though entertaining sometimes it was annoying, like come on Taehyung, just say you’re into Y/n. Taehyung shook his head shifting his gaze away to the card game Hoseok was setting out. He was asked if he wanted to play but he said no, focusing instead on the music that had been playing in the background, occasionally shifting his eyes to you. Hah. Hah. This is fun. Taehyung wasn’t even sure what was going on in his head right now. All he knows is watching you lean forward and brush something off Jungkook’s face was annoying him. The way you smiled when you talked to him annoyed him. So much so that he did the unthinkable.

You were in the middle of telling Jungkook about some weird dream you had when suddenly you were being pushed to the side on the couch. Taehyung was sandwiching himself between you two not even looking at either one of you as he spoke, “Hey.” You turned in your spot to stare—no, glare—at him better but he didn’t meet your gaze turning to look at Jungkook instead he looked all the amused. Dare he say, Kim Taehyung was beginning to snap into realizations that he didn’t despise you, he desires you.

“Hey man,” Jungkook said lifting his cup up for a drink as Taehyung watched him closely, “What’s up?”

Jungkook just shrugged looking past him to you, “Nothing much. We’re just talking about the new restaurant that opened up just down the street from here. We were thinking about going.”

“Like a date?” Taehyung found himself asking and your eyes widened. You grabbed at his shirt sleeve to get him to stop talking. He let you grab him but he didn’t turn to you at all, staring at his own friend for reasons he can’t comprehend. You took a deep breath, “I need a drink.” You left before he even turned to look at you but just like that he was getting up to follow you into the kitchen. You sure know how to make yourself at home but he didn’t mind.

“So is it?” Was the first thing he said in the privacy of his kitchen. You were looking into his fridge, “Jeez aren’t you Mr.Doesn’t-Mind-His-Business today? What’s got you on edge? Soyoung realized you’re actually a loser?” You were laughing a little knowing it was all lighthearted and he’d probably just laugh and tell you to fuck off. Instead you were met with silence and you looked up clutching a water now, your brows furrowed. He looked so serious. Looking back down as you closed the fridge you shrugged, “Uh, I don’t know.”

“Do you want to?” Taehyung asked looking at you with almost a desperate expression that left you even more confused. What was up with him and why was he being so serious right now? Usually he’s only serious when you’re debating over something in class and even then it’s been a while since you’ve seen him like that. His eyes seemed to soften for a moment, “Do you want to go out with him?”

You took a step toward him, “I don’t know, why does it matter?” He shook his head, “It doesn’t.”

“Then stop cockblocking,” you were annoyed now brushing past his chest as you left. Jeez, what was up with him? Why is he asking that now as if earlier this week he wasn’t asking you to do a double date with Jungkook. You swear Taehyung’s for a few screws loose because he never makes any sense. First he’s begging to get with Soyoung. Then he offers to introduce you to Jungkook if you help him. He gets a date with her and what’s the first thing he tries to do? Get you to go on a double date as if you haven’t already gotten them on good terms by your drunken night? Like isn’t that what he wanted? He wanted to be with Soyoung and he wanted you with Jungkook. Do you feel that way about Jungkook still? Who knows, you don’t know that’s for sure. You like Jungkook as a person but you think once the initial love at first sight wore off you’re content just being friends.

So why was Taehyung asking you these questions and acting weird? Why does he wanna know so bad? He’s attracted to Soyoung, that’s how this all started and yet she doesn’t plan on going on another date with him and he didn’t even invite her over today. He likes Soyoung, you’ve gotta remind yourself that despite how sus he’s being. You walked past Jungkook though he didn’t seem to mind as you plopped down between Hobi and Jihyun. Taehyung came out a little after and went back to his spot next to Yoongi and Jimin. Neither one of you spoke to each other but their was a clear weight on both your presence and the others felt it more than usual.

Jungkook was the first to go for the evening. He made up some poor excuse about needing to pick up something from the store and left with a goodbye to everyone and a hug to you. Even that seemed to bother Taehyung and Jungkook knew it and that’s why he was smiling. And Taehyung said he didn’t feel anything for you.

When Hobi asked if you and Jihyun were ready to go you took him by surprise when you told him no, “You guys go, I’m just gonna get the bus later.” Though Hobi was ready to ask why Jihyun was hurrying him along then. Taehyung took note of the way you stayed and it had him urging the others to go too. He wasn’t even subtle with the way he started picking up trash and empty cups implying, ‘alright. leave’. Jimin shared a look with Yoongi, both clearly confused on why you were still here and why Taehyung was suddenly indirectly telling them the fun’s over. Eyes widening in realization they were practically tripping over themselves as they hurried, “Uh, I’ve gotta feed my leapo—lizard. Yoongi come with.”

Taehyung didn’t argue or react at all, leaning against his kitchen wall barely raising a brow as they hurried out the door. It was just you two now. “So what? Did Soyoung dump you or not.”

He scoffed pushing off the wall to keep cleaning up the coffee table. You rolled your eyes sitting on his couch watching him go back and forth from the living room to the kitchen, “Then why’d you ask if Jungkook and I were gonna go on a date? That was embarrassing.”

“Why isn’t Soyoung here anyway? Thought that was your perfectly girlfriend. Remember all the things we did for this.” He didn’t say anything and that seemed to annoy you a little. Usually he’s never quiet when you’re talking, always a playful argument between you two but right now he wasn’t even reacting to you. Did he actually want you to leave too or was it what you were saying? You huffed, “Fine, I’ll just leave then since you’re ignoring me now.”

“I’m not ignoring you Y/n I just don’t know what you want me to say,” Taehyung finally said stopping in his tracks to look at you. “Nothing happened with Soyoung, I already apologized for not being able to take her out anytime soon and we’re fine. I was out of line for asking earlier. You’re right. It’s not my business, you’re into Jungkook and he’s into you. Congrats.”

Your eyes narrowed moving to stand up to level out your conversation, “Are you being sarcastic? You literally drove me and all my friends home because you wanted to look good for Soyoung.“

He scoffed, “Maybe I did it for you, not Soyoung.” You rolled your eyes laughing a little now, “Yeah alright. Funny joke. And why are you saying congrats?”

“Because you found someone who you actually like,” Taehyung said walking past you to continue doing his task. You took a deep breath turning your back to him, “Fine. You clearly don’t want me here so I’ll just go. This conversation isn’t getting anywhere.”

“What conversation?” Taehyung asked now, “What conversation Y/n? What do you want to talk about?”

You don’t know. You actually don’t know why you stayed and now he’s calling you out on it and you’re silent. Usually you had something snarky to say and that was bothering him now that he was in your shoes. He released a sigh unable to stop himself from just letting you know how he feels right now. “You don’t even think of us as friends and I get it, we’re not. So what is it that you want to talk about?”

He should just let you go but he can’t. He wants to know why you stayed when you’re clearly not here for reasons he’d like. He ran his fingers through his messy hair waiting for you to say something and you didn’t making him scoff, “First time you don’t have anything to say. I’m not used to it.”

“You’re just in a mood because I actually pulled someone first try while it took you weeks.” He rolled his eyes at that. He shouldn’t be annoyed but he is. It’s not even about his previous crush on Soyoung, it’s about the fact that you did indeed get Jungkook and he’s the one who set it up. Now he’s here regretting it so much and can’t do anything about it but complain.

“You’re right, you’re so right Y/n, you always are. That’s one of the things that really gets me about you,” he was walking up to you now, unable to stop himself from speaking, “Wanna know what else?”

“Have at it.”

“You’re mean. You’re so mean sometimes and you don’t even care. You’re rude and you think you know everything,” Taehyung said practically chest to chest with you, “And you usually do because you’re crazy smart and I hate that you’re better than me. I hate that you’re charming and likable and funny. I hate that you hate me and that you think I’m an ass. I hate that even knowing that I can’t stay away from you.”

You couldn’t even bring yourself to process what he was saying because he was making no sense. One second he’s annoyed just being around you and the next he’s telling you this? Now that just wasn’t fair because what are you supposed to say? You’re used to being a little hostile toward him and you couldn’t help but still be that way, “Wow, this is just like you. I never know if you’re bashing on me or complimenting me. I feel the same, alright?”

“What are you even saying right now?” you told him watching his brows furrow in concentration, “Do you hate me or not?”

“I hate…” he took a deep breath, “I hate that I pushed you toward Jungkook and I regret it so fucking much and I can’t stand seeing you two together now.”

That made you laugh now, taking a step away from him suddenly a little nervous and hot, “Yeah alright, you’re crazy. You are actually insane because nothing that you’re saying is making any sense. What do you mean you regret? Don’t you think I’m annoying? Don’t you think I’m infuriating? You do, so I don’t know what game you’re playing but I don’t want any part of it. The only reason why you can’t stand it is because you don’t like losing and let’s admit that I won in our little game.”

“What game! This wasn’t a competition Y/n, this is real—“

“Yeah, and you wanted Soyoung! You begged and begged for me to help you with that and you’re trying to tell me what exactly? God this is just like you, I should’ve known,” you said in clear frustration, “You know you’re right. I do think you’re an ass. I think you’re arrogant and that you don’t think about anyone but yourself. I think that you didn’t realize how I’ve been right in front of you this whole t— oh fuck.”

Neither one of you said anything. Practically frozen in your spots, he stared at you as you looked off into the distance forcing yourself to zone out and not think about what you just said. Fuck, why would you say that? You never even—since when did you feel—no. You don’t feel that way. You’ve never thought about Taehyung like that so why would he even, no. This is embarrassing. “Y/n?”

“I’m gonna go,” you rushed out trying to move past him to get your things but he stopped right in front of you. “Let’s talk.”

“No, no, I’m leaving, I just, I don’t know why I said that, just pretend I didn’t say anything. Matter of fact just forget everything we just talked about,” you cleared your throat awkwardly pushing your hair behind your ears. He followed after you, “No, you don’t get to just… you can’t just say you’ve been in front of me all along without explaining. You—you can’t stand me, right? So what are you saying? What do you mea—Y/n!”

“I don’t know,” you covered your ears, extremely embarrassed unlike anything Taehyung has ever seen, “I don’t know why I said that. I—you know, we… you’ve got a thing for Soyoung and I, uh, Jungkook, um…”

“Jungkook, what? What about Jungkook?” Taehyung asked going to you again practically running circles in the living room after you, “Because I swear if you just, tell me why you said that, I’ll let it go. I won’t bother you.”

“Well it’s true,” you couldn’t bite your tongue anymore, you don’t know what’s going on. Since the moment you saw Jungkook you were attracted to him. Maybe not as much now as you used to be but you didn’t think about Taehyung like that at all. Right? You wouldn’t do all of this if you did, though, would you ever admit it if you did?

“I’ve been, you know, I’ve been, we’ve been going at it for a while now and you’ve never—I don’t know! I mean, I have been here but you kept pushing for Soyoung. You wanted Soyoung, you didn’t—don’t—want me so you’re just confusing me,” you said trying to add space between you but he didn’t let you, every step back you took, he took one forward. “I don’t want Soyoung.”

“Well you did you until two seconds ago.”

“No. Two seconds ago I was thinking about how badly I want to kiss you right now.”

“Oh god, shut up,” you laughed nervously, “You can’t stand me.”

“You’re right, I can’t stand how much I want you and it’s taken me this long to realize I’ve probably wanted you all along,” he said, chest to chest with you again and still towering over you, “And I can’t stand that I’m really the reason we never tried anything all because of a stupid paper. I can’t stand that I’ve wasted all this time playing those back-and-forth games just because I wanted an excuse to be around you. I hate that I just couldn’t realize that you were right in front of me and I want you to be. So tell me right now if you wanted me too because you wouldn’t have said that if you didn’t.” “I don’t.”

“You’re lying.” “I’m not,” you argued but your voice wasn’t strong enough to soon believable and he was just too close right now.”

“You are.” “I’m not—“ you would’ve fallen back if his hands were cupping your face now, head dipped down to stare into your eyes better. You didn’t say anything, his face just inches away from yours, “Everything you do drives me crazy, even right now when you’re lying to yourself and trying to believe that you don’t feel anything for me when you do. So just kiss me.”

And you did. As much as he drove you crazy, you crashed your lips onto his so suddenly that he was practically stumbling into it. His hands had your hair between his fingers, ruffling it and holding your head in place as he kissed you back in hunger for your lips on his. Your hands were on his biceps for stability, feeling the intensity of the desire with each turn of your heads to deepen the kiss. His lips parted with yours, taking your bottom lip between them and pulling, only to do it again and again and again. Swiping his tongue along it and letting yours meet his, all while walking you back with no direction. The back of your knees hit the couch and you were falling back but not once did his lips part from yours.

Instead, he just crashed over you, practically straddling your lap as he tipped your chin up to kiss you better. You were pulling yourself up from under his legs. Moving to your knees as your hands came up to cup his face and his moved to the back of the couch locking you in. You couldn’t breathe, it was getting harder to and yet you kissed him back feverishly like this was your only chance to do so. And oh, he was going to make sure this wasn’t the only chance. He pulled back with a soft smack of your lips and you sucked in a breath, immediately feeling his mouth attack your jaw, moving down to kiss your neck, just under your ear, his hands going over your clothes hips, sneaking under your shirt to feel bare skin.

Your lips parted in a silent gasp when his teeth began to nip at a spot on your neck, lips sucking gently and then harshly before letting his tongue run over the spot to soothe the pain. Your hands itched along his sides pulling his shirt up or at least at least attempting to and he was pulling it off without another thought in his head aside from kissing you again. You tugged on his hair for a breath and his eyes stared into yours, both panting. You groaned, “You’re so annoying,” and kissed him again, just as rough as before.

Taehyung let his hands slide under your shirt again, this time caressing up your sides pulling your shirt up as he did so and when you parted again, he spoke, “You’re infuriating, and so fucking pretty it hurts.” And kissed you again. He wasn’t even thinking about anyone else right now. What was between him and Soyoung never went anywhere. What he saw with Jungkook let him know that you weren’t anything more than friends even if it had driven him crazy just an hour ago. Right now he’s thinking about how bad he wants you.

You were both moving fast. If you could you’d skip past the foreplay but you wanted all of him right now. It’s why your hands found their way to the hem of his jeans so quickly, looking him in the eyes as his mouth drew open with a gasp as you snuck your hand between brief and jean. You felt his member harden under your touch, immediately reacting to your attention and you were able to feel his length better. He chuckled, “I knew you always wanted me—ahh.”

You smirked giving him a good little squeeze that had his body reacting and him voice shaking mid sentence. His brows furrowed in annoyance, “That’s how you wanna play?” You smiled, “Do I sense a competition brewing?” He laughed lightly immediately pulling back so he could strip himself of his jeans and boxers urging you to do the same and you did, tossing your panties at his face. This is exactly what he meant when he said you two had good banter. Even with the strong desire to fuck it’s becoming playful yet competitive—not something entirely new to you. It’s not like you’re suddenly different people now that you’re about to sleep together. You’re still the same competitive brats as always.

He immediately came back to you, kissing you hungrily as you pushed him down onto the couch. He let you crash over him, eyes going to your exposed breasts and the way you sat just under his belly button, bare pussy on him. Well, this is escalating quickly but the way Taehyung saw it was simple. His attraction toward you had been since the beginning from over a year ago. He was a bigger asshole back then and after the research paper incident he knew it wasn’t going to ever happen. So what’d he do? He forgot about the attraction until he’d be in front of you arguing about something and he’d think about it a little. Then obviously he’d have relationships and so would you, and then Jungkook and Soyoung came to the picture an—what he’s saying is that everyone knew this was a long time coming. Like he’ll be very soon… hopefully.

“Are you just gonna stare or do something?” You asked, hands pressed against his chest, back arched a little, hair to one side staring down at him with lovely eyes. He looked up at you so unbelievably turned on by your existence with his in this exact moment. His lips parted in awe when your eyes met and he was shooting up, and arm around your waist, and attacked your neck with affections.

You slipped to his lap when he sat up but he kept you stable, his member pressed against your heat. The hand that wasn’t around your waist moved to your breasts. He wasn’t shy with the way he groped the plump flesh, kneading it like dough while his kisses traveled down to your collarbone. You were withering in his lap and it only wanted him to grind against your cunt. He left wet, sloppy kisses down your boob as his hand groped the other one. Tongue lather your skin in spit until finally, he stopped at your nipple, mouth fully around it and kissing. Your hand gripped his hair while the other was on his arm for support. He looked up at you as his mouth opened, tongue poking out and swiping across your nipple immediately drawing a reaction from you. Your back arched into him with a shiver and he repeated the action again and again, quicker now.

“Oh my god,” you whined into him, feeling your slick just drip without any barrier to stop it from landing on Taehyung’s hard dick. His tongue licked along your areola before his eyes fell shut and closed his mouth around your nipple again. You didn’t know what to do with yourself. Why was he so good at that? In the middle of your own thoughts, he quickly switched to the next one and you moaned. You took a deep breath, “Okay, okay, stop.”

He did so rather quickly, more alert now. Lips swollen and red, parted and panting. His eyes looked innocent, worried but you just kissed him in response. He happily kissed back shifting you on his lap for friction and suddenly you were pressing him back again to lay down. His hair was messy across his forehead, shielding his eyes a little as his head hit the throw pillow. You took his arm off you and before he could protest you were up and turning on his abdomen. Taehyung couldn’t help but bite into his lip at the sight of your drenched pussy shimmying much closer to his face. Why didn’t he do this sooner? You’ve yet to actually do anything and he’s already more aroused than he’s been in a while.

When he got the hint his hands went to your thighs, helping you align yourself over his head made sure your feet were comfortable on the armrest behind his head. You were more confident in moving forward than he was and he loved it. You wasted no time leaning closer to his cock, reaching a hand around it and pointing it up. His breath hitched moving you closer but not yet on his face. You lifted Taehyung’s hard cock up to your mouth and without another moment of hesitation, engulf his thick head with your lips.

He released a groan staring up at your cunt that was in his face dripping. He licked his lips as your tongue began licking around his head in circles. Taehyung refocused, bringing your hips down further onto his face. His tongue flattened out, licking from your clit up to your entrance for a quick taste. You mewled a little around his cock at the feeling and he repeated it. You both were cramming into the couch but it was surprisingly comfortable even with your thighs around his head.

You take in more of his dick letting your tongue swirl around his engorged length before pulling back and returning to take even more in the next time. Taehyung could physically feel the way you constantly move your tongue and relax your jaw to take him further in and he was hungry for you. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t love the rush of power you felt from having him below you even as you took in his cock. Taehyung gently tongued your sensitive flesh making you gasp. He licked around your clit focusing his attention around the sensitive hood as his nose hit your drenched entrance. He worked your clit with his tongue and harshly sucked on it like a nipple all while his hips began to buck into your mouth.

You turned your head to the side as best as you could popping his length out and letting your lips and the tip of your tongue glide along the side of thick cock. When your tongue ran out of sliding space you’d go back up and do it again, a hand sneaking over to his balls. It's not long before you had his entire cock soaked in your saliva and with every squeeze of your hand on his balls, his cock was twitching.

You took his cock back into your mouth when his nails dig into your soft thighs as if urging you for more. Slowly swallowing his length past the point of gagging, eyes blurring with water as you take a quick breath and Taehyung stopped what he was doing. His head fell back with a moan, “Y/n.”

A muffled giggle vibrates up the length of his cock, taking him further by abruptly pulling his dick out of your mouth fully, a line of spit and precum connecting you to it. His cock twitched at the abandon but before he could voice himself, you moved back only taking his tip in your mouth. Then, shoved yourself further down his lip harshly.

One of Taehyung’s hands leaves your hips flying to the back of your head as he tried going back to eating your pussy. It was so hard to focus on your cunt while having his dick sucked on the way you were doing it right. But fuck did it still look tempting to eat whole just staring back at them covered in slick.

You had your own rhythm set, alternating between taking a little bit of his length to the whole, your thumb running along his perineum. Even during sex were you unpredictable, forward and ambitious and he was simping so hard. Taehyung thinks he hears his own heart pounding all the way up into his head. His head was moving side to side, tongue sliding along your pussy, straight as it could be flicking your clit. His nose brushing over your folds obscenely and it’s clear he’s not just eating you out. No, he’s really fucking your pussy with his face like the nasty freak you knew he was all along.

“Tae,” you said breathlessly pulling away from his length letting it hit your face feeling it twitch. He ate your pussy without even a hint of understanding making you try and sit up but he growled making you lay back down. With a whine your hips swiveled against his tongue, hand still stroking his cock kissing the side, “Condom Taehyung. Do you have one?”

And he swears today was just overall a lucky day because lo and behold. He did have condoms. A brand new box he bought a few days ago that was shoved in the drawer of his coffee table when Yoongi let himself in the other day. Knowing he was listening now you moved off of him letting him sit up and reach for the drawer. He moved to sit back, condom ripped open as he began to slip it on. He turned his head to the side leaning toward you until your lips met with a messy kiss. Once he had it on he was pulling away, smiling against your lips, “Turn around for me.”

So you did, elbows on the arm rest as he guided you back to arch the way he wanted to and from behind, lined his member with your ass. It was wet like his lubed condom and he was sliding it down so that his cock would tilt down and tap your pussy before sliding it back up again teasingly, “I’m gonna fuck you so good Y/n, you want that?”

You couldn’t help the roll of your eyes, oh no he wasn’t about to make you sound desperate. You didn’t say anything making him glare at your back and with that he was laying over your back so his mouth was next to your ear, “I can’t hear you.” You rolled your eyes again, “Hurry up or I’ll do it myself.”

This time he rolled his eyes ready for an argument, “Do it yourself then.” And you did, reached a hand under your body to grasp at his cock. He gasped at the sudden action looking down to catch you move his tip to your entrance, lining him up and pushing back. He groaned, falling back over you resting on your back, “Always gotta beat me to everything even taking in my dick.”

A hand snuck under you, immediately going to your tits as he pinched your nipple turning his face into your hair, “You’re so fucking wet, listen.” It’s true, as he dragged his cock out a squelching sound was heard and when he rammed back into you it was louder mixed with both your moans. Your head dropped against the couch, “Fuck, you’re big.”

He smiled planting a kiss on your shoulder blade as he thrusted into you in a quick rhythm. His hand toying with your nipples as the other held your hips in place. If only you could see how indecent the two of you looked with Taehyung’s body completely draped over your backside. His hips thrusting his large cock between your folds, his lips parted with pants of air, and a look of concentration on his face. You didn’t look any better, mouth in an ‘o’ shape, head jostling with each pound of his dick into you, hair over your face.

With Taehyung’s rock hard dick pulsating in your pussy, you were in heaven and he was right there with you. You could feel him slamming into your cervix just about every two seconds. You were fucking yourself back into him with the very little room he gave you to do so. They were both well past the point of cumming and it was getting too messy. Taehyung slams his dick into you, “I’m close. Fuck, I’m close already.”

His rough hand on your breasts as fucked you hard had you moaning in agreement, “Me too. I’m gonna cum.”

His balls slapped against your cunt, hitting your clit with each thrust basically moving the couch with your rough movements. It was all so fast and intense when you opened your mouths it was incoherent moans and calls of his name. Taehyung was no better, grunting into the nape of your neck drenched in sweat.

Neither one of you said a thing and yet you both knew. His cock twitched as your walls tightened and his hips pressed against your ass rutting into you with all his strength before the dam broke. Just as intense as all the tension that has ever been between you, you orgasmed.

Your legs shook under his and he was releasing a string of moans into your ear, sweaty body over yours holding onto the body heat. You turned your head quickly, taking his mouth in yours as you both rode out your highs, cock still thrusting slowly inside you for stimulation. His tongue was out of his mouth along with yours, a nasty French kiss ensued as his body seemed to hold itself back, rising out the wave for only a moment more before he had to move. If he stayed any longer his dick would hurt from overstimulation and the couch wasn’t so comfortable after all. He lifted off of you, sliding back to release your legs from under him and waited for you to sit up.

Taehyung began rolling the used condom off as you flipped onto your back looking completely slumped and out of breath. “You did good,” was the first thing you said resting your feet over his lap as he discarded the condom over his clothes. He didn’t even hesitate over his words as he said, “Ah, you always have a way with words. Poetry honestly.”

“Yeah?” You smirked, “Since when did you come with that conclusion?”

“About two seconds ago,” he chuckled. You just laughed, both seeming a lot more relaxed than before you had sex. He sighed in content, “So, where do you wanna go for our first date.”

“That new restaurant that opened up—“ “The one you wanted to go to with Jungkook? Fat chance, I need to take you somewhere better.”

“You’re always competing over something,” you joked and he just smiled, hand over your legs, naked but comfortable as he leaned over you for a quick kiss. “And you like it.”

You couldn’t even stop the urge to smile. It was actually very funny because even you could admit this was pretty ridiculous. Taehyung hiding a smile behind your shoulder as you sat on his lap. The expression was rising to his eyes as his friends just glared back at him. He had that look that read, I know. You don’t have to say it. I know.

Yoongi was the first to speak, breaking the silence around everyone, “I thought you guys hated each other.”

“Oh thank god you said something first,” Jihyun said with a hand to her chest look absolutely distraught, “I thought you hated him.” Taehyung looked up at you with that, a small pout on his face, “You don’t though, right?”

You sighed with a shrug, “Things change.” Your arm on his shoulder as he held you by the way keeping you put on his lap. Hoseok looked at everyone waiting to see who would say something next and blurted out, “No shit things change.”

Just as he said that he had a scowl on his face reaching into his pocket for something. He pulled out some money and reached across Soyoung to hand Jungkook the money. Jungkook just smirked as he counted it, “I told you I’m always right.”

“You bet on if we’d get together?” Taehyung asked Jungkook who waved a hundred dollars at him. He had a mocking smile on his face, “Yup, but obviously I knew it already.”

“I thought Y/n hated you or something,” Hobi said sending you a glare, “I thought I was about to be making a hundred bucks.”

“Jesus Hobi, read the room!” Jihyun exclaimed, “Sexual tension was on a high when they’re around.”

“Shut up, why didn’t you speak up then until Yoongi said something first,” Hoseok argued with her making her roll her eyes. “Because I was assessing the situation thank you very much.”

“Assessing my ass.”

“Anyways! Yeah not even I’m surprised about this,” Soyoung said motioning around you two with her hands to get the other two to shut up or just date already too, “It all makes sense now.”

“What does?” You asked making them all roll their eyes in annoyance. Jimin groaned, “Why you two never shut the fuck up about each other!”

what the others have gone through because of you two:

“You think Y/n’s smarter than me?”

“Taehyung thinks he’s so hot but he isn’t, right? RIGHT??”

“Wait… why is Y/n being nice to him and not me? Oh she’s so fucking rude, can’t stand her. I’m gonna go tell her that.”

“I don’t get why so many girls go for Taehyung. He’s so annoying and like… not attractive?”

“If you think about it. Y/n’s nothing special. Sure, she’s gorg—I mean decent looking or whatever. Okay and she’s smart. You know uh, funny and she’s got a nice laugh but. She’s nothing special. Ha. HA.”

“I still can’t believe Taehyung switched the research paper. Fuck I’m gonna start an argument with him about it. I don’t care if it’s been eleven months. No, it’s not cause I want to text him.’

‘Y/n apparently fell in love at first sight with Jungkook. He’s not that attractive, I’m better looking right Jimin? Jimin tell me I’m hotter. Jimin! Why doesn’t Y/n think I’m hot? You know what? Fuck her, yeah I’m gonna text her how annoying she is.’

::.

She’s long. I know. A whole 17.3k words but anyway it was fun to right. also they’re both such childish characters :p but in a good way

I’ve never written a kinda funny fic and yall probs aren’t gonna think it’s funny while I’m cackling at some of these one-liners.

also not one person was hurt/offended [jk and Soyoung] by the outcome. they were fine being pawns in your game of love and rivalry if it meant y/n and Taehyung just stopped talking.

p.s: this Taehyung

Once again, even though I’ve seen the movie a thousand times and read hundreds of AUs just like the movie, it is always excellent!!! 🤩🤩🤩 and it is an improvement as jungkook actually chases her a bit after

10 Things I Hate About You ── jungkook.

summary ── y/n and hanni’s mom stood by one rule and one rule only: no dating during high school and college. It wasn't until she set another rule—no dating until y/n dates— that hanni unintentionally pulls some strings to have her sister date none other than, jeon jungkook, the man who every girl f*cks and all the boys fight with.

genre ── bet au, college!au

pairing ── f*ckboy!jungkook x (fem) reader

note ── taehyung will be basically the bad guy here… this is fictional work so please don’t think this is how i see taehyung either. this does not showcase how taehyung is in real life THIS WORK IS FICTION

(also, word count is 20k+ 🥲)

You were a killer.

You killed someone. Well, you killed something to be more specific.

You looked down at your foot at hearing the nasty crunch of what seemed to be a snail, tears starting to well up at your eyes once you noticed you had killed an animal. Such a slimy and very slow animal.

You tentatively grabbed a leaf from a tree not so far from you, grabbing the snail with it before moving it away. God, you killed nature! Well, a part of nature. But it was still nature!

“Stupid,” you mumbled, wiping your tears away with the palm of your hand as you glared at the squished corpse. “I have to hurry to school now.”

Placing the snail on the dirt, you headed towards your car, sighing as you remembered you were heading to school… your obnoxious, annoying school. You would’ve chosen to drop out but you also wanted to have a degree and then move out of your house to get away from your mom and sister. They didn’t need you and you didn’t need them if they didn’t try to talk to you.

You drove to school, bumping loud music to get rid of the tiredness consuming your body. You ignored the looks you had received from the group of girl’s—they stopped next to your car—your sister, Hanni, hung out with, their music—which was much more different than yours—playing in the radio.

“Brought you coffee,” your close friend, Nali, greeted you as soon as she spotted your car driving ahead, having heard someone cursing you out for almost running them over. In your defense, they didn’t want to move out of the way. “Figured you’d need it.”

“Thank you,” you sighed in relief, your cold hands meeting the warmth of the cup. You locked your car behind you once your feet landed on the cement floor, a sigh of relief escaping your lips as the warmth coursed through your body. “You’re a lifesaver. My day was not starting well.”

“Don’t tell me,” Nali started, a ghost of a smile spread on her lips, “you helped an old lady cross the street and she cursed you out.”

“I stepped on a snail,” you mumbled, looking away from your dear friend who was taken aback at your words. “It was horrible. I should’ve been able to see it!”

“I love you so much,” Nali chuckled at your reaction before placing a hand on your arm, leading you away from the people starting to head your way. “Your fans would freak out if they saw you this way. Such a softy and very, very sensitive.”

“Pfft, they’ll love me regardless,” you rolled your eyes, though a smile was on your face. You continued to smile and wave at the girl’s who waved at you. “I’m more surprised at the fact that they admire me. I don’t even do anything.”

“I guess punching a creep gains you a reputation and calling him and the school out for it,” Nali shrugged as it was the most obvious thing. You hummed. “Come on, these girls, they need a role model like you. It’s no surprise they look up to you.”

“Hmm, I’ll gladly take the small fame,” you said before staring over your shoulder at the girls not so far from you, “if they stop following me everywhere I go. I have my writing class coming up.”

“Ah, your favorite class,” your raven-haired friend teased you, shoulder nudging yours. You couldn’t help but let a chuckle escape your lips. “I’m telling you, though, Mr. Kim is out to get you because he literally kicked you out for participating too much.”

“He expects everyone to just keep their mouths shut and not speak at all at this point,” you shook your head, sighing in an annoyed matter at coming to think of the 28-year-old professor, Kim Namjoon. “I breathe and he’ll kick me out.”

As you walked towards your class, you eyed your sister close to a face you knew so well and despised with your entire being. You pretended not to have seen them, but Taehyung knew you had so he wrapped an arm around your poor sister’s shoulder, bringing her closer to him as he gave you a smug smirk. You rolled your eyes, ignoring him.

You sat down on a desk close to Mr. Kim, who always wore a stern look. He wasn’t always like this, but the students from the year before failed him and he had to be stricter so everyone could learn. You didn’t care but you hated when he made you guys do presentations without warning and pair you with other students you didn’t get along with. He did a bad thing pairing you up with Taehyung, especially when you two couldn’t stop bickering in class.

You just couldn’t understand why now that you didn’t associate with him, he had to be everywhere you turned. Everywhere. You hated it and you hated him.

It wasn’t long before you headed home, reading the book assigned to you by Mr. Kim. You found it a bit boring, but you knew you would eventually come to a good part that would leave you a bit starstruck at the plot. You continued reading.

“I’m surprised you’re not out there making boys cry.”

You snickered out of amusement at your mother’s words. You glanced at your phone. “I’ll got outside in a bit. It’s barely 5 in the afternoon.”

Your mom shook her head at your words before going through her phone, answering emails. You two heard the door opening and then did Hanni come towards you two, kissing your mom on the cheek as a greeting.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Han,” your mom greeted, feeling happy at knowing that her two daughters were now home. You sighed and eyed your sister’s rather happy expression.

“Where have you been?” You softly asked, arching an eyebrow. Hanni glared at you because of that, cursing you in her head.

“Nowhere,” she easily lied.

“I don’t know why you hang out with Taehyung when he’s clearly targeting you because you’re naive,” you stated, crossing your arms over your chest since you knew full well as to what he was doing.

“Taehyung? Who is that?” Your mom now asked, interested in the conversation between you two.

“It’s just some boy, Mom,” Hanni groaned, knowing at the lecture that was coming ahead. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not big deal until he’s asking you to sleep with him,” your mom placed her hands on either side of Hanni’s arms, making her sit on the couch. “We have talked about this. Number one, no dating till you graduate both high school and college. Number two, no dating until you get your degrees.”

“Yeah, but that’s an unfair rule, Mom,” Hanni whined, groaning as she slumped on the couch beside you. “It’s not fair for me.”

“Yeah, well, you know what’s unfair?” Your mom questioned, sitting in the chair beside the couch you two were sitting on. “I delivered twin babies to a 16-year-old girl. I don’t shame teen pregnancy nor do I encourage it, but the poor girl had no support from neither of her parents. A child was with children and the poor girl didn’t know what to do. That’s unfair. I’m giving you two the chance to get your degree all while I’m supporting you financially.”

“Yeah, and we appreciate what you’re doing Hanni said, “but we both need to experience things out there that doesn’t involve you freaking out because you’re scared we’re going to get pregnant. We’re both smart enough not to do that. But, I’m the only girl in school that is not dating or seeing anyone.”

“No, you’re not,” your mom waved her worries off. “Your sister doesn’t date.”

“And I don’t intend to,” you shrugged her words off. “And it’s not true about you being the only girl. There are so many people that haven’t been asked out or dated anyone.”

“And why is that?”

“All the guys at school are missing braincells that prevent them from understand girl’s feelings or human beings feelings,” you started to rant, “or are such assholes that think they can get anyone but actually can’t.”

“Who even are you?” Hanni turned to look at you, frowning as she processed your words. “At this point, you were found under a bridge.”

“It’s better than thinking that everything is about me,” you retorted back, a scoff escaping your lips. Your mom cleared her throat to stop you two from arguing any further, and you two eyed the way she lit up with an idea.

“Here’s how we can resolve this issue,” she started, glancing between the two of you. “We’re dropping the old rule and we’re creating a new one. New rule, Hanni, you can date,” your sister lit up next, “when,” her mood dropped at the word as your mom gestured to you, “she does.”

You snorted at the words and the way your mom seemed impressed at herself for coming up with that rule. Hanni didn’t seem to like that idea, but you didn’t really care as you started to walk towards your room.

“She’s never going to date!” Hanni exclaimed.

“Good, then you can stay single,” your mom smiled sarcastically at her youngest daughter as you now minded your business, heading to your room. After all, you didn’t want to deal with Hanni’s arguing.

The day after the next day, you were at school, eating lunch with Nali at the cafeteria your uni had. You two sat by a table with other students, but you couldn’t help but feel curious once you saw that someone you knew went to go talk to Taehyung who was sitting on a separate table away from everyone.

“We need to talk.”

“Jimin, we haven’t talked in so long, and I still don’t want to,” Taehyung told his old friend, not daring to look at him. He was too entranced on the dating app he was going through, swiping left and right. “What do you want?”

“We need to talk money wise,” Jimin shrugged and Taehyung gave him a confused look.

“I’m sorry but don’t you have money?” He questioned, remembering full well how Jimin and his own mansion not so far from the school since he inherited it from his grandfather.

“This is not about me,” Jimin placed a hand on his chest. “This is about you and I know you will most likely agree to what I have to say so just give me a chance to do so.”

Taehyung hummed. “Talk then.”

“You want Hanni, right?” Jimin questioned, playing with the cards Taehyung had discarded next to his hands. “Well, I just found out that Hanni can’t date until Y/n does, but no one wants to go out with her, right?”

“Yeah, I agree. What does that have to do with anything?”

“I think you need to find someone suitable for Y/n so you can be able to get the girl of your dreams,” Jimin continued, twisting his rings around his fingers. “Hire a guy. Hire a guy who knows girls very well.”

Jimin gestured towards the table Jungkook sat by, a girl on his lap while other girls talked go him. Thankfully, you were farther from him so you didn’t get to see the type of guy he actually was (you knew, though).

“Jeon Jungkook?” Taehyung questioned. “I heard he got multiple girls pregnant.”

“Hey, that’s what they all say, though, right?” Jimin nudged him, raising his brows to display he was obviously serious about everything else. “Clearly, though, he’s the guy you need.”

“What’s in it for you?” Taehyung asked.

“You let me host the party this year all while I set up a room for you and whoever you want to bring,” Jimin shrugged as if it was nothing and Taehyung curtly hummed, clearing his throat.

“I’ll think about it and I’ll let you know what I decide.”

Jimin nodded and walked away, heading towards his own table where Yujun, his younger brother and the guy in love with Hanni, patiently waited.

“Don’t get him involved,” Yujun hissed out, glaring at Taehyung’s side profile.

“Calm down, Yujun,” Jimin raised a hand, grabbing a fry he needed to desperately eat. “We let Taehyung pretend he’s the one in charge of all of this so while he’s doing all the work, you’re getting closer to Hanni.”

“Hyung, I never underestimated you,” Yujun commented, giving his brother a thumbs up before walking away with his drink, leaving his brother alone.

And Jimin watched with satisfaction as Taehyung texted him not even a day later with news he agreed on the plan. He and Yujun patiently watched as he ran towards Jungkook who was just finished making out with a girl on his lap.

“Hey,” Taehyung greeted, eyeing the tattooed guy. “How you doing?” Jungkook didn’t answer. “Um, I saw an amazing documentary about babies.”

“What?” Jungkook asked with a baffled expression. “What are you talking about?”

“Um, nothing,” Taehyung shook his head before sitting down next to him on the chair. He gestured towards you talking with Nali. “See the one reading?”

Jungkook nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s Kim Y/n,” Taehyung continued on. “I want you to go out with her.”

Jungkook immediately laughed, not taking him serious until he realized that the handsome man was in fact not laughing. “Really?”

“Look, there’s this whole thing about me dating her sister and—”

“Whatever touching story you’re about to say,” Jungkook breathed out, “I don’t care. It’s none of my business.”

“I’m going to pay you.”

Jungkook was chuckling at this point. Was this really real? Or was he dreaming? Because not so long ago his lips were on another person’s own. He couldn’t even think about taking some girl out and actually being with her

“You’re going to pay me to take out someone I do not have a single clue about?” He mused out and Taehyung hummed childishly. “Hmm, how much?”

“$100,” Taehyung said. “I can give you more if you want.”

The two of them, though, heard a groan and they turned to look your way where a guy was holding onto his stomach, your eyes glaring through his head. Your best friend next to you was simply laughing, dramatically clapping at what you did.

“Hmm…” Jungkook hummed, frowning at the sight and Taehyung winced, sighing.

“Fine, $150,” he recanted his statement, having felt bad for the guy since—if he agreed—he will be dealing with you.

“Don’t I have to take her on dates?” Jungkook suggested, coughing a little as he sat up straight and Taehyung eyed his tattooed arm, noticing that he flexed his arm on purpose. “Shouldn’t it be more?”

“Take it or leave it, Jeon.”

Jungkook lightly groaned. “Fine. Give me the money.”

“First we need to see your performance,” Taehyung said, moving aside to let Jungkook pass through. He sighed and walked forward, heading your way while he ignored some of the girls he had hooked up with. He saw your raven-haired friend stand up to go throw her trash away and he took it as his perfect opportunity once he saw you stand up.

“Hey.”

You looked up at the source of sound and frowned as you saw someone you don’t talk to but knew of. “Hi?”

“How are you doing?” He sheepishly smiled, leaning against the table. You looked around, almost as if looking for some explanation and shrugged.

“Sweating like I just ran a thousand miles, this heat is not it,” you honestly responded, ignoring the way your body felt warm under his gaze. But you were pretty sure it was from the heat.

You heard him let out a quiet snort. “Way to make an impression,” he teased. But you looked at him through hooded eyes, still confused as to why he was talking to you. You looked over your shoulder and saw Nali frozen in her spot as she eyed you talking to a guy.

“Well, I definitely made a good impression if you’re talking to me,” you gave him a fake smile, one that you hoped he noticed so he could take a hint you didn’t want to talk to him.

Jungkook slightly chuckled at your words, walking along with you as you walked. “I’ll pick you up Friday, then?”

“Oh, yeah, me, going out on a Friday,” you sarcastically commented, shaking your head as your chest moved up and down from the fact you found it funny being seen out on a Friday since it was your lazy day.

“Or, you know,” Jungkook looked at the floor, hands in his pockets, “I can show you special places you’ve never seen and been in.”

“Oh, like how you show every other girl you hook up with?” You gave him a pointed look and he stayed quiet at the call out. No one said that to his face, just behind his back. “Listen, Jeon, you’re not gonna get inside my pants. Give up, okay?”

“Mmm, I don’t think so, pretty.”

“Alright, what’s my name then?” You crossed your arms as you now stood closer to him, shoes bumping against each other.

“I know a lot more than you think I do,” he smirked, leaning his face slightly closer to yours. You stood in your place, not wavering and huffed.

“Give up. Do not try to talk to me again.”

You walked away and left him behind you, ignoring the way you could still feel his gaze on the back of your head. Nali spared him a look and he waved at her, turning around to leave himself.

“Now, why was Jeon Jungkook talking to you?” She asked.

“I don’t know and I don’t want to know.”

It was still questionable as to why he chose to talk to you out of every other girl he knew. The frustration of not knowing caused you to get into some petty argument with Hanni and in your defense, she was being such a bitch at aiming her attacks at your mom because your dad left. You berated her for such thinking but you knew despite anything you shared or stated, she and your mom would turn on you.

Because of the new changes in your life, you started getting stressed. It wasn’t a good idea, but you decided to get rid of that feeling by buying books you have heard about and wanted to give it a read.

“Interesting car.”

You didn’t even have to look up from the book you were inspecting to know that it was Jungkook.

“Are you following me?” You asked, raising an eyebrow before going back to reading the plot of the book. He gestured towards the supermarket across the book store and then gestured towards some nearby apartments.

“No, I was in the store and when I was heading home I saw you,” he responded, raising the bag in his hand to show you he was speaking the truths. You nodded and he leaned against your car, taking note of your cute outfit. “You look pretty.”

“Do I not do so every day?” He could hear the slight teasing tone in your voice. When you looked at him, he couldn’t help but swipe his tongue over his lips, slightly starting to nibble on them. He eyed your glossy lips and God did they look so soft.

“You’re not attracted to me, are you?” He asked and you almost laughed in his face.

“No, why should I?” You shrugged, making him move aside so you could put your things inside. You eyed the building and then at him. “Do you want a little ride…?”

He gasped dramatically and placed his hand on his chest. “Little ol’ me?”

You rolled your eyes. “Never mind and to think I wanted to be a bit nice to you.”

“I’m kidding, dummy,” he said, throwing you a grin. “Thank you for offering. I’m sure it was so, so hard for you.”

“Shut u—Wait!” He automatically froze at your sudden outburst and your hands were hovering in front of you, preventing him from walking. “Geez, you almost stepped on a roly-poly.”

Jungkook was pretty much left speechless at the sudden act of yours. He didn’t think he’d be able to see this soft side of yours for animals rather quickly. He assumed it would take a while to bring down that hard exterior.

“How did you even notice that?” He asked him and you could only sigh rather loudly at his words. “I’m sorry for almost stepping on it.”

“You better,” you said, standing up and gesturing for him to get inside. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Jungkook headed inside and as soon as you were heading inside, too, a car parked right next to yours. You turned to look since they were close to hitting you and groaned at coming to see Taehyung.

“What the hell?” You cursed, turning to face him. “You almost hit me, you shitface.”

“Good.”

Taehyung got out of his car and went around, coming face to face with you. He was smug and you were glaring at him like you normally do.

“Leave me the fuck alone, Taehyung,” you spat out, opening your car door but he shook his head, finding your reaction funny.

“No, I’m okay,” he chuckled before turning to look at Jungkook who pretended not to notice him. “So, you’re becoming Jeon’s new toy, huh?”

“Yeah, Taehyung, totally,” you put a foot inside, ignoring him at this point since you knew you would just get angry at every nonsense he spewed.

“Good, maybe he can’t do something about that uptight personal—”

He didn’t get a word in before you punched him in the stomach, taking away his breath. He groaned, leaning down to clutch onto his stomach, and you sighed, getting inside the car. Jungkook simply laughed a little.

“We never talk about this.”

And he indeed did talk about it. But not with girls or anyone but rather with Jimin and Yujun, who immediately went out of their way to help him… considering they’re the ones who planned everything.

“We can help you out,” Yujun firmly stated, though the hard exterior he tried to show diminished once Jungkook gave him one simple look.

“Why should I receive your help?” Jungkook asked, sketching out the painting his art teacher assigned.

“Well, my brother here,” Jimin leaned, patting his younger brother’s chest, “is in love with her sister, Hanni.”

“Is everyone in love with her or something?” Jungkook scoffed, letting out a laugh. “It’s crazy as to how far you’re going for this chick.”

“Unlike Taehyung, Yujun is actually in love with Hanni,” Jimin continued, ignoring the way his brother tried adding some commentary. “Taehyung just wants to sleep with her.”

“I don’t care,” Jungkook breathed out, hearing the two follow him as he moved away to grab more utensils. “Look, I’m in it for the cash. I don’t entirely care who Taehyung fucks.”

“As if,” Yujun retorted sarcastically, hating the picture Jungkook basically depicted.

“Jungkook, we set up the whole entire thing so Yujun can get Hanni,” Jimin explained. “Taehyung is just a side character in all of this, we just made him think he has the upper hand.”

“You two actually created the plan?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks as he stared at the two in shock. The siblings nodded enthusiastically and Jungkook let out his usual snort. “As long as you two help me with her. She hates my guts.”

“We will, we will,” Jimin nodded, sticking out his hand to grip Jungkook’s. Although, he simply grabbed it and Jungkook gripped it rather tightly until he winced in pain. “We’ll do the research and we’ll just found out what she likes so you have an idea on what you can do to win her. We’re basically your computer guys.”

“Don’t make us hack into things please,” Yujun softly pleaded, gulping nervously and Jungkook simply threw him a confused look.

“We have a perfect place where you can take her,” Jimin immediately piped in, showing Jungkook the story of the Instagram account that planned parties. “Jung Mihi is having a party. You can take her there. It will be perfect.”

“For?”

“For you to actually go out with her?” Jimin frowned, wondering if it was not obvious as to what he was hinting. He flicked Jungkook’s forehead out of bravery. “Get your head in the game, Jeon. This is serious.”

“I’m paying attention, oh, my God.”

“You need to take her to this.”

“Alright, alright, I will. Now leave me alone until you give me something useful.”

“Do we have to be here?”

Yujun was glancing around the small house party with a disgusted look, Jimin leading him towards where he heard Jungkook was by.

“He’s here!” Jimin yelled at his little brother over his shoulder, who simply groaned but still followed after him.

People greeted Jimin here and there but Yujun was too focused on just talking to Jungkook and getting out of there. After all, he was too eager to make sure he was studying for the language Hanni needed help in.

“He’s over there,” someone gestured towards a couple making out and Yujun spotted the inked arm. Yeah, this was a bad idea. He wouldn’t be too surprised if you denied the idea of dating him because he slept with half of the girls from uni.

“Thanks, man,” Jimin patted the guy on the back and he and Yujun walked towards Jungkook who had a girl on his lap, heads moving side to side to keep up with one another.

Yujun cleared his throat and Jungkook simply held a finger up, signaling the two to wait. But Jimin tapped the girl on the shoulder and then did that made her stop.

“What?” She snapped. Jimin simply gave her a sarcastic smile, his thumb being thrown over his shoulder to gesture his next words.

“Leave,” she raised an eyebrow, “or else I will literally shave your hair right now, I am not kidding.” She seemed to take his threat to heart because Jungkook started glaring at him when the girl stood up. He continued keeping his stare on Jimin while the girl left towards where Jimin was previously gesturing. “Yeah, walk away. Walk away.”

Jungkook sighed and stood up, heading towards the kitchen. He ignored the brothers because he knew why they were there. After all, they wouldn’t stop leaving him alone and followed him everywhere to remind him of the plan that they had created.

“What do you got?” He questioned them as they indeed followed him. He turned around to face them, placing the brim of the cup on his lips to savor the taste of the drink. Yujun lightly gulped at the way he was so cool and stoic.

“Well, he got insight into a very cool girl who is definitely way out of your league,” Jimin simply shrugged as if the words he just said were definitely not going to get him punched. Jungkook could only snort at the bluntness, though. “Also, should you be drinking when you have someone at home?”

“What?” Jungkook gave him a confused expression, brows furrowed. Jimin simply waved him off, shaking his head.

“Nothing, nothing.”

Yujun gave his older brother a look before he, too, shook his head, taking out his phone to look at the notes he had written down. “Alright, well first,” Yujun grabbed Jungkook’s cigarette out of his hand, “Y/n hates smokers.”

“So, you’re telling me I’m a non-smoker?” He questioned and the two nodded. He hummed and continued drinking. “That’s fine.”

Jimin nodded. “Just for now.”

“And here’s another problem,” Yujun started, glancing at his older brother before looking at Jungkook. “Hanni said that Y/n likes pretty guys.”

There was a moment of silence and Jungkook jerked his head to look towards him, a perplexed look on his face. He looked at Jimin, almost as if he was making sure he heard the youngest right.

“Are you telling me I’m not a pretty guy?” He asked, a bit hurt by the choice of words.

“You’re very pretty!” Jimin nervously chuckled because although Jungkook was two years younger than him, he knew that the boy boxed almost everyday in the gym close to his house. “This is a gorgeous guy.”

“Yeah, I just—” Yujun immediately spluttered out words defending himself. “I just wasn’t sure. I didn’t know.”

Jungkook squinted his eyes, drinking from the cup he had in his hand. “Continue.”

“Alright,” Yujun rapidly nodded, wanting to get out of the situation. “Here’s this.” He then took out a piece of paper. “She likes milkshakes and hot dogs, feminist prose and angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion—I don’t know what that means—and here’s a list of vinyl records she has in her room.”

Jungkook sniffed and got the paper handed to him, eyeing the words written down. “You know… you have a phone. You could’ve taken pictures or searched up their music.”

“Well, that’s your job now!” Yujun grinned, sending him a thumbs up.

“Is that all she likes?” Jungkook asked, frowning confusedly. “She doesn’t like more?”

“She likes going to concerts,” Jimin replied, glancing at the paper. “She’s going to Moon 7 tomorrow night, her favorite band is playing there.”

“I can’t be seen at Moon 7, alright?” Jungkook curtly chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ve slept with half of the girls there and they’re all pretty mad at me for sleeping around.”

“But y/n will be there,” Yujun urged. “She’s got tickets.”

“Ignore your girl issues and actually hang out with a girl who doesn’t want to have sex with you, you jerk,” Jimin raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. Though, his shoulders slumped when Jungkook gave him a deadpan look.

“Fine, fine!” Jungkook groaned. “I’ll fucking go tomorrow. But if anything happens, I’m coming to your house and placing a pillow over your head until you die.”

Jimin stared at his brother, gulping at the threat. Jungkook left but Jimin was nervously laughing, calling out to him, “You’re not going to actually do that, right?”

Jungkook simply waved because now he has to find a way to get into the club. It was a prestigious club so for you to get tickets, it would’ve cost a fortune. But he sighed, he needed to get inside and he thought back on his flings, remembering someone who had access to that.

It didn’t take long for Jungkook to go through his contacts to find the number he was looking for. He called and was a a bit shaken up when he immediately got yelled at by the woman over the phone.

“Now you call me?” She yelled and he sighed, rolling his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for a stupid call of yours after you left me.”

“I told you it was a no strings attached,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing and it was, because one thing about Jungkook is he never gets attached to any girl. “Anyway, I need a favor.”

“No.”

“Come on,” he whined childishly. “This is urgent.”

“Why should I?”

“Ugh, I fell for this girl and I want to go inside Moon 7 to see her because I’m trying to impress her,” Jungkook half lied through his gritted teeth. The girl on the other end stayed quiet and she groaned after a few seconds.

“I wanted to say no but it’s cute,” she breathed out and Jungkook crossed his fingers, hoping she would agree. “Fine. I’ll get you on the list but after this, erase my number.”

“Got it.”

And that’s how Jungkook ended up in a club filled with girls. He eyed the banner on the side of the entrance, reading it in his head; Girls Night with free food, drinks, and music. He sighed and hoped there would be at least some partners that were men or identified as such, knowing that if he was alone there, either he would get teased or the women he slept with would secretly kill him.

He passed by the long, narrow hallway leading to the place where music was bouncing off the walls, shaking the floor. He could see a couple of girls surprised to see him there but other than that, no other girl noticed his presence—he was thankful for that.

He walked inside even more and he looked around, trying to find you among the crowd of people dancing to the music being played. He almost gave up but he quickly found you with the friend you were always with, slightly swaying to the band before banging your head up and down rather dramatically. He knew you were playing around by the fact you started laughing after your actions and he found himself smiling, too, at seeing the way you looked much more free and having the time of your life.

“Hmm, pretty,” he mumbled to himself.

He chuckled one more time before he looked around and walked towards the side bar, making sure the girls he had hooked up with a couple of months ago were nowhere to be found. He sighed in relief once he couldn’t find the familiar faces and smiled when he saw the worker there.

“What are you doing here?”

“Come on, hyung, just start with saying you missed me,” Jungkook grinned, making sure to give him a side hug as best as he could. “I didn’t know you still worked here.”

“Well, judging from the fact that half of the workers here quit, I have finally found peace,” Yoongi stated and Jungkook felt even more relaxed at his words. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know,” he cleared his throat, looking around, “hanging around.”

“Yeah, right,” Yoongi scoffed, serving him a drink Jungkook usually got. “Which girl?” Jungkook raised his eyebrows in question. “Which girl is in your radar?”

The tattooed man briefly gestured your way with his chin, drinking. “Just… someone.”

“Well, she must be special if you came back to this club after you slept with half the workers and they all threatened to cut your dick off if you ever showed your face,” Yoongi lightly chuckled, clearly finding the previous situation amusing. Jungkook sarcastically laughed along, rolling his eyes.

“Be quiet, get back to working.”

Yoongi did so but he couldn’t walk off further when he heard a girl yelling over the music.

“Two waters please,” she said and Yoongi nodded, quickly passing them to her and taking the money she gave him. Though, he knew it was the girl Jungkook was referring to since was giving him a look.

“I didn’t perceive you as the stalking type,” you teased him, voice raising a bit so he could hear you. He hid his smile behind the cup in his hand.

“I’m not,” a small smirk was on his lips as he looked at you, eyes dropping to eye the outfit you wore. “Now, shoo! Your doubt is ruining this for me.”

You couldn’t help but snicker at his words. But you also couldn’t help but notice something else. “You’re not smoking like you usually do.”

“I quit,” he looked at you under his lashes, shrugging as if his words were nothing. “I had to, they’re bad for you.”

“Yeah, you think?” You tilted your head to the side and he huffed, a smile still on his lips. Silence consumed you both but he remembered he needed to woo you so he continued the conversation.

“They aren’t bad!” He commented, turning around in his seat and leaving you behind to process his words. You chased after him, confused.

“I did not perceive you as the type to listen to this type of music,” you honestly said, staring up at him. You two watched the crowd and the band playing and he hid the satisfaction at knowing that he caught your attention.

He continued drinking from his cup, ignoring your statement and continued to watch. “I was watching you in the crowd. I’ve never seen you look so beautiful.”

His words were heard by the crowd of girls that surrounded you both, the song having ended at the same time as he was saying his compliments. You giggled at the reactions he received—the girls laughed and some awed—and he coughed to cover his light embarrassment.

He smiled at seeing the way you grinned at his words.

“Come to the party with me,” he leaned down to say, making sure this time that his words were now heard between the two of you.

“You never give up, do you?” You questioned, a fond look on your face as you turned to look at Nali who called out for you.

“I can’t help it when you look at me with those pretty eyes,” he shrugged, a smirk still spread on his lips. He looked at the stage at hearing the music playing again and he had to lean even closer to make sure you were heard. “So, yes?”

“Here,” you passed him your phone. “Write down your number.” He smiled and took it, typing it down. He called it and you took your phone away from his grasp at seeing he didn’t lie. “Send me a convincing paragraph and we’ll see.”

You threw him a smile over your shoulder, walking away. You could feel his stare and his voice was heard. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

“Nope!”

“Okay, I’ll see you Friday!”

That night, you received a message. Just one simple message in the middle of the night as soon as you were going to head to sleep.

xxx-xxx-xxxx: I know you like to read, tell me any name of a book and I’ll buy it for you and I’ll listen to your explanations as soon as you’re finished. I’d rather spend a day listening to your pretty voice and hearing you rant about certain characters or plot. I’ll be waiting 🩵

“Should’ve used the window.”

You frowned as you heard your mom in the living room, standing up from your comfortable position on the beanbag in your room. You headed towards the voices and saw that Hanni and her friend, Yoona, were dressed up, staring at your mother rather guiltily.

“Hi, Mom,” Hanni smiled innocently, though she was shifting from one foot to another.

“Where are you going?” Your mom asked, folding her arms over her chest, staring down at your sister who cleared her throat.

“A, uh, small study group of friends,” Hanni lied through her teeth, gulping down the nerves that were clearly showing.

“It might as well be you going to an orgy if you’re trying to hide,” your mom raised an eyebrow, squinting her eyes as she looked between the two. “I would’ve told you to go if you just told me.”

“It’s just a party,” Hanni breathed out.

“Yeah, exactly, a party,” your mom punched the bridge of her nose before turning to look at you. “You know anything about a party?”

You shrugged, not wanting to say “yes” because you knew that you’d have to give your younger sister a ride if it came to it. You turned around to walk away in order to continue to read, wanting to take the last few minutes before Jungkook came to read the interesting part of the book you were coming across.

“I’m supposed to show up,” Hanni continued to argue, irritating you to an extreme since you didn’t like how she spoke to your mom sometimes and got away with it. “My friends expect me to be there.”

“If your sister’s not going, you’re not going,” your mom fought back, ignoring Hanni splutter out disagreements at her words. Your mom stopped, though, once Hanni targeted you next. You simply gave your sister a deadpan expression.

“Why can’t you be a normal person for once and go out?” Hanni exclaimed, trying to get you to go so she can go, not knowing that you were going to the party already. Just not with her.

“There’s literally no reason for you to get close to my face,” you glared at her, hovering a hand in front of her face, “or to yell at me and mom. It’s just a stupid party, you can miss one, it’s not the end of the world.”

“For you it might not be, but for me it is,” Hanni snapped back, shaking her head before turning to look at Yoona who looked uncomfortable being there. Your sister and sighed and dragged you away. “Just… I’m sorry, okay? But can you please go, just for one night. Please. I just want to be able to experience first time things without Mom being worried.”

“I never said I wasn’t not going,” you chuckled at your sister’s words, her hand dropping from your arm. “You got on my face before I could say anything.”

“Oh, God,” your mom shakily let out, staring at her two daughters with shock. “It’s starting.”

“Mom, I love you, but you’re talking to girls who are in college,” you said, finding humor in how she reacted. “I’ll take care of her, okay?”

“You’re wearing the belly, though,” your mom pointed at Hanni whose excited expression morphed into one of horror as she had heard from you about the ‘belly’. Yoona gasped dramatically and you made a face, looking away as you put on your shoes.

“Mom, please don’t,” Hanni started to beg, anxiety consuming her body as your mom went to reach for the fake pregnancy belly. You had gone through it at the age of 16 and never again did you want to do the things you wanted to do if it meant wearing that. “This is way too much.”

“I don’t want my daughters to have children at this age because of this stupid party,” your mom shook her head as your head jerked towards the door after hearing knocks.

You reached forward to open the door and there Jungkook stood with a black jacket on, a white, tight t-shirt tucked into this black pants that showcased his waist—you tried not to notice the tattoos on his arm that were see through when he was fixing the jacket—and his combat boots that added more to his height.

“Hey,” he smiled at you.

“Hi,” you smiled back before wincing at hearing your mom and sister continuing to bicker behind you over your mom’s actions.

“Mom, this is not necessary,” Hanni nervously chuckled, feeling the weight of the fake belly being placed on her. She placed a hand on her hip, shaking her head.

You glanced over your shoulder and cowered in embarrassment. You cleared your throat, trying your hardest to hide the sight of your now fake pregnant sister. Though, Jungkook’s towering figure saw her over your head, and he breathlessly chuckled.

“Is your sister knocked up or…?” Jungkook questioned, frowning confusedly. You snorted and Hanni turned to look at him.

“I’m not,” she cleared it up but she was more in disbelief that Jeon Jungkook was standing on the front porch of her house, talking to her sister. “What are you doing here?”

“Your sister’s coming with me,” he simply said, shrugging his shoulders. You gave him a smile before turning to look at your mom.

“Every time you even think about kissing a boy,” your mom started again, getting closer to your sister and fixing the belly, “I want you to think back to this, okay?”

“Mom, leave her alone, she doesn’t need to wear that,” you sighed, defending your sister. Your mom looked your way before she noticed the figure next to you. “And we are leaving.”

“I can say hi to your mom,” Jungkook said and your mom hummed in agreement, softly pushing you to the side. Jungkook grabbed your by the waist and brought you closer to his side before letting go. But, he did grab your hand to make you stay put. “Hi, Ms. Kim.”

“Hi,” your mom slightly squinted her eyes to kind of intimidate him. “Who are you?”

“He’s a friend mom,” you said and she waved you off, shaking his hand.

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Jungkook,” he smiled a little and your mom hummed yet again. Hanni, who took off the belly after a minute, and Yoona headed towards you three. “Uh, I have my car if you guys want to get inside already.”

“We’ll take my car,” you told him, raising your keys. “I’m not drinking so you can drink and I can give you a ride if you do drink.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jungkook waved you off. He turned to look at your mom. “I’ll drop them off safe and sound. I know you just met me but I don’t want to leave them behind.”

“Hmm, as long as you all come back in one piece, please,” your mom looked at you and your sister and you nodded. “Okay, then. Have fun and Jungkook,” he received a small smile, “come over for dinner soon. I’ll like to get to know you better.”

“Of course,” Jungkook nodded. He smiled more time and then did you four walked towards the car. Jungkook didn’t let you drive your own car so you and him bickered for a bit before you let him drive it, not wanting to give him the keys. He took them from you and Hanni and Yoona just watched you two, confused as to when you two started talking.

“So,” Hanni started as soon as Jungkook drove off, “you two are friends?”

The two of you glanced at one another and hummed simultaneously, not wanting to give away too much. After all, your sister was known to have a mouth on her so if she knew that Jungkook wanted to basically take you out, every girl he hooked up with would come for your throat. You have heard from them that he didn’t like committing to people and they didn’t like hearing that from him. So, to say you were afraid and anxious was an understatement.

When you got at the party, you immediately went to go look for a place you can hide because although you agreed to come, you never said “yes” to actually partying. You were way too tired to enjoy the music and dance with everyone else. You couldn’t even tried to hide because Jungkook was right behind you.

“Jungkook, kiss me!”

A girl immediately latched herself on Jungkook and you rolled your eyes. Maybe you did make a mistake in giving him a chance. You walked even further and heard him chuckle.

“You’re way too drunk, maybe you should go home already,” he said, making sure the girl was okay. He led her to a chair where she automatically placed her head on a drawer nearby, eyes closing as she muttered incoherent words. Jungkook still followed behind you.

A few minutes passed and girls after girls tried kissing Jungkook. He just laughed and passed girls to their girlfriends nearby, chasing after you. Of course, the girls he hooked up with were confused because at this point he would be kissing—making out—with someone in a room, bathroom, or on the corner of the room. Here he was, though, chasing after a girl who didn’t even spare him a look. Then, he lost you after one final girl put up a fight after he tried getting her off of him.

You walked through a crowd of people and found yourself looking around to make sure you weren’t going to head in the same direction again.

“Nice to see you’re out of your cave,” you sighed as you heard Taehyung’s voice next to you, cursing yourself for not remembering he was going to show up, of course. “You look good.”

“Leave me alone, Taehyung,” you groaned, rolling your eyes as he appeared in front of you. “Focus more on the obvious booger coming out of your nose right now.”

You walked away as he placed his hand on his nose self-consciously, though he chased after you almost immediately.

“Where are you going?” He asked, hand gripping your arm. You wished Jungkook was now close to you. You’ve heard that he once beat the shit out of someone who started a fight with him and you’d like to see that happen at this moment.

“Away, your bad breath is giving me a headache,” you retorted, moving to one side and another since Taehyung followed your movements.

“Where’s Hanni?” You immediately turned to look at him, eyes burning themselves in that smug face of his.

“Stay away from my sister, you creep,” you spat out, continuing to glare at him.

“Believe me, I can stay away from her,” he raised his hands up in mock surrender, a smirk tilting on his lips, “but, we both know she can’t stay away from me.”

“Shut the fuck up, Kim,” you scoffed, hands being formed into fists as you were so close to punching him. But, before you could do so, a group of people started running near you two, glass breaking and huge thuds being heard. At hearing that there was a fight, Taehyung followed shortly after.

You looked around the mansion in curiosity at this point. There was too much to look at and there were objects you wanted to touch but knew you shouldn’t. You had a home, a nice one, but this house was on another level.

You we’re about to head outside when a voice called you over.

“I guess she couldn’t stay away from me,” you shook your head as you eyed your sister. She was happy just being by his side that told everyone she was with him.

You knew you couldn’t stop her even if you wanted. She would just shake you off like she usually did so you watched with anger as Taehyung pulled your sister away.

“You want me to beat the shit out of him?” You glanced over your shoulder and shrugged sadly, a sigh escaping your lips again. “Come on, let’s go. I found a cute swing outside.”

“Let’s go.”

He grabbed your hand and your fingers intertwined almost immediately. His large and intimidating figure pushed through everyone, making sure you were okay right behind him. He made sure to ignore the girls waving at him because he knew that wouldn’t do a great impression.

He led you away, feeling confident in being able to woo you since Taehyung gave him extra money on being able to take you out to a party, something you haven’t done. But, should he feel such guilt for something he agreed on doing?

“I swear I’m going to get a concussion by the amount of people pushing me very hard,” he heard you grumble. He chuckled and instead led you to be in front of him, hands placed on your hips. He steered you away and pushed guys who bumped into you a bit to hard, and when they would try to see the person who pushed them, they all cowered at meeting his gaze.

You two managed to get outside and you sighed in relief at being able to breathe properly. Before you could continue walking, a boy stopped you two from doing so.

“Can we talk?” He asked, his gaze on Jungkook who glanced at him and then at you.

“Um, I’m a little busy,” he said, but you shook your head.

“Go ahead, I’ll wait for you.”

Jungkook thanked you and he and Yujun walked off not so far from you but far to the point you couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“What?” Jungkook asked, raising his brows.

“The whole thing is off,” Yujun said, clearly exasperated with the situation that occurred not so long ago with Hanni and Taehyung. “I don’t care anymore so you can just… drop her off at home.”

“Dude, we did not go through all of this just for you to back out of it,” Jungkook gave him a look and he glanced your way when a guy sat next to you, his hand sticking out for you to shake it.

“Well, that was before I found out she never wanted me,” Yujun argued, a defeated look on his face as he remembered the times he and Hanni hung out. “She wanted Taehyung and that stupid face of his.”

“Do you love her?” Jungkook simply asked, raising his brows again as he waited for the boy to answer. Yujun nodded. “She’s clearly worth all this trouble you caused so why are you giving up so easily, huh? Just because Taehyung was with her? You can make her fall in love with you by being you. There’s no point in giving up so easily.”

“I thought she was but, Taehyung—”

“You need to stop focusing on Taehyung, Yujun,” Jungkook reassured him, placing a hand while making sure you were safe. “Taehyung is not half the man you are. He wouldn’t have thought about this whole plan so he can get the girl. You did that. Stop letting Taehyung win. Don’t let him make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want, okay? Be yourself.”

Yujun processed his words and before he could utter a word, Jungkook immediately went to your aid when you slapped the guy who was talking to you.

“What a fucking creep you are,” you shook your head, glaring at the man who held his cheek. Jungkook looked at you. “He groped me.”

Now it was Jungkook’s turn to glare at the man who already looked scared staring at you. The man now shrunk in fear once he met Jungkook’s eyes.

“Sorry, man, I didn’t know she was your girl,” the man stuttered out as best as he could, gulping down his nerves that Jungkook saw through.

“Do that shit again I’m gonna beat the shit out of you,” Jungkook calmly said, scaring him even more. The man ran away in fear and you angrily sighed, walking away.

The tattooed man followed after and he guided you towards the swings on top of a little hill. You two walked and he helped you when you almost fell—you burst out into little giggles at the fact you were so close to embarrassing yourself—going up the hell.

You two sat down and enjoyed silence. The music from inside was barely heard outside, so you two enjoyed the comfortable silence that consumed you two.

“Why do you let Taehyung get to you?”

You looked at Jungkook as soon as those words escaped his lips and shrugged, hands holding onto the rope on each side of you, slightly moving.

“Taehyung has that affect after you know the type of person he is,” you replied, sniffing as you looked away from his face.

“What type of person is he?”

“The narcissistic one,” you answered with a humorous smile tilting at the end of your mouth. “He’s egotistical and completely selfish. He thinks he’s either a victim or the savior.”

“Judging from how you talk about him,” Jungkook started, “I’m guessing you knew him very well.”

“We dated,” you shrugged as if the news were nothing. “But then getting to know him, the real him, opened my eyes in a way. I was always the problem, never him. So, I ignored him. I tried to break it off and he got mad at me, told a couple of his friends I slept with him and shared private moments between us.”

Now Jungkook felt even worse. He should stop all of this before it got way out of hand and before you found out.

“What about you?” Your question broke him out of his own thoughts. “Why did you decide to chase after me?—If you can say that.”

Jungkook smiled at your question and his shoulder went up and down. “I didn’t know about you at first but then, I heard your name once, and then another, and then another, and then another. It was almost like everywhere I turned, your name was being shared between two people or a whole group.”

“Ah, so the rumors spread caught your attention,” you teased, a grin on your face.

Jungkook snorted and shook his head. “No, no. I don’t care about what rumors are spread about you or your sister. It’s none of my famous. I did hear, though, that you did hit a guy and more than the slap you gave the other guy.”

“Oh, my God,” you facepalmed and you could hear Jungkook laughed at your expression. “Shut up. I can neither confirm or deny.”

“Mmm, I think you did beat him up,” Jungkook bumped his shoulder against yours and you smiled, ignoring his words.

You two stayed quiet after a few and he eyed you. He noticed the goosebumps on your arms and he knew full well you were cold. You didn’t shiver or anything, so he just read your body language that showed him he was right.

Taking off his jacket, he placed it over your shoulders, catching you off-guard. You jumped, startled by the sudden action and looked down at the sleeves.

“Thank you,” you mumbled, your hands going through the sleeves as you couldn’t bear the coldness anymore. “Oh, my God. This thing is huge on me, look!”

You stood up and Jungkook let out a low chuckle as he eyed the way his jacket almost overtook your frame, swallowing you.

“You look cute,” Jungkook complimented, placing the side of his face on the rope of the swing.

“I better,” you playfully retorted back, laughing to yourself as you closed the jacket and opened it almost like you would a blanket.

Jungkook simply watched you with hooded eyes, a smile on his face. He didn’t know you’d be this cute and it’s crazy to him how he could tell the difference between the first time you two met to now. Under that hard exterior you show at first is this silly girl who loved joking around and teasing, and he loved knowing you feel safe enough to show him that side.

“Come on, pretty,” he continued to keep the smile plastered on his face as he watched you. “I’ll take you home, it’s getting late.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

You grabbed his hand and immediately took his away, leading him towards your car. He already had your keys in his back pocket so he grabbed them, opening your car door. But, you didn’t go inside, yet, and instead grabbed your phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“I think you forgot that we came with two other girls,” you snickered at his question, watching a look of realization cross his face. “Hey, Hanni, we’re leaving. Where are you?” You looked over the crowd of people coming out and Jungkook helped you look. “Oh, you’re going with Yujun? I don’t know—”

“He’s the kid that talked to me,” Jungkook cut you off and your mouth made an ‘o’ shape as you remembered.

“Never mind, Jungkook knows him,” you said on the phone. “Well, just be careful, okay? Turn on the location so I can see where you are so I can know you’re safe… Yes, or else Mom is never going to let me go out if she knew I let you go with a boy she doesn’t know about. Then, you can say bye to your social life… Yeah, yeah, okay then. Tell him to drive safe or I’m kicking him in the balls… Yeah, alright, bye.”

Jungkook watched you and you watched your phone as your sister shared her location. You looked up and confusedly smiled when you saw Jungkook staring at you.

“What is it?” You questioned, looking behind you but there was no one there.

“You threatening someone is very hot,” Jungkook breathed out and you playfully rolled your eyes, pushing him away as you got inside the car. He grinned and closed it, heading towards the driver’s seat.

You two drove to your house and you hummed along to whatever song you knew playing on the radio. You two were silent but, whenever there was something interesting, you two would make the other look and talk about it.

“Why don’t you go out a lot?” Jungkook asked after a while, causing your head to snap towards him. You shrugged.

“I was tired of asking my mom and having her become way overprotective. Every time, I had to wear that damn fake belly so she can know I know not to do stupid things, so I just isolated myself.”

Jungkook processed your words as he parked close to your house, shutting the car off.

“You don’t strike me as the type of girl to be asking her mom for permission,” he said, eyes running themselves over you, eyeing the way you twirled with a ring on your finger.

“Now you think you know me?” You arched a brow, but he knew you didn’t mean it in any ill way.

“I’m starting to,” he smiled a little and you did, too.

“It’s crazy to me how you even want to get to know me,” you started, eyeing the way the lamppost above you two flickered. “People are too scared to get to do so.”

“I don’t mind,” Jungkook ran a hand through his hair and you sniffed as you ignored the way he flexed his tattooed arm by looking away again. “I’m not… as innocent either.”

You looked at him and you two looked into the other’s eyes intensely. His gaze went from watching how your eyes fluttered to your mouth, lips slightly glossed as you kept putting a lip oil on them to prevent them from splitting.

He snapped out of the daze you put him and softly cleared his throat, eyeing the steering wheel. “What’s up with your mom, by the way? Why does she make you wear these bellies?”

“She delivers babies,” you put it in a simple matter. “She got pregnant with me at a young age so she wants us not to go through what she went through. My dad left her heartbroken and that’s why she doesn’t want us to date when we’re studying for our degree. That’s why she wants me to be more like… Hanni because she thinks Hanni is this perfect person who listens to every word she says.”

Jungkook nodded along to your words. “Does she?” You gave him a look and he snorted as he remembered. “Right, she follows Taehyung around.”

“Yep. I don’t want to be somebody I’m not and I’m not Hanni in any way.” You pushed hair away from your face, leaning your head against the head seat.

“Well,” Jungkook started making you turn to look at him, “I know your sister is, like, loved by everyone but, she’s not as cool and funny as you. She especially doesn’t dance like you do.”

You pushed his shoulder, shaking your head with an embarrassed smile started to make its way to your lips. “Shut up.”

“I’m just being honest, Y/n.”

You breathed in and exhaled, his words circling your brain. You stretched your hands out on your thighs, caressing the material of your pants and pursed your lips, giving him a side glance.

“You’re not as jerk-y as I thought you were,” you stated honestly, chewing on your bottom lip as sudden nerves invaded your body. He let out a breathless chuckle and he looked at you when you looked at him.

You could simply admire his features under the lights, watching the way his tongue ran itself over his lips to his lip ring. You looked at him from under your lashes and he let out a curt breath.

“I really want to kiss you,” he muttered, staring at your own lips. “But I-I can’t. I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to…?” You breathed out, frowning as you repeated his words. He internally cursed himself at his sudden harsh words but he couldn’t. Not right now.

“No, I didn’t mean it in a rude way,” he immediately defended himself. “I just can’t kiss you, Y/n. I don’t want to because I am disgusted by that or anything I just don’t…” He sighed, slumping his shoulders. “Never mind.”

You slowly nodded, ignoring the way his words hurt you. You gulped your feelings down. “Can I have my keys? It’s getting late and I’m feeling tired.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jungkook passed you the keys and you two went outside.

Locking the door behind you two, you waved him off awkwardly before heading inside your house. It felt like the walk of shame and it might as well be that way because of the fact you felt ashamed that the guy who kissed and got with every girl at uni didn’t even want you.

But, you didn’t care right now. You’ll try to sleep it off.

And sleeping it off did not happen.

You didn’t know why his sudden presence and actions were making you overthink. You never cared about anyone’s actions or thoughts about you. You never did so why was he any different?

That is the question that went through your mind even on Monday when you walked into your first class. Nali was by your side helping you understand, but she even felt helpless for not being able to help you properly. Though, she did come to a conclusion on her own that you were developing feelings and you didn’t want to admit that to yourself. Of course, she wouldn’t tell you. You would get scared so she kept her theory—which she knew wasn’t—to herself.

You kept yourself in the library, away from everyone. You were currently reading the pages of the book Mr. Kim assigned, but you couldn’t even read the words without thinking back on what happened two days ago.

You were dozing off, the quietness of your surroundings making you do so. As you drifted off, you felt someone stand by you.

“Um, hey.”

You looked up and came to find Jimin, a popular senior who had been in some of your classes and even helped you once when you had way too many books. “Oh, hi. What can I help you with?”

“I actually came here because of someone,” Jimin winced as he heard the words come out of his mouth. He heard you sigh and knew that you knew who it was. “Um, are you guys okay? He seemed down today.”

“He seemed down?” You were taken aback at the revelation and shook your head. “No, no, no. His words hurt and he knows what those words are. So, tell him he has my number and he can text or call me, not bring his friend to talk for him.”

You rolled your eyes, standing up and heading towards the bathroom because you weren’t going to leave the damn library at all.

Jimin snickered as he heard your words and quickly scurried off to tell Jungkook who was not so patiently waiting with Yujun. He was biting his nails and he ignored the girls who wanted to talk to him.

“So, what did she say?” He asked as soon as Jimin stood in the front of the two. He placed his hands in his hips, shaking his head.

“You’re fucked,” he simply stated and Jungkook groaned. “She said that you have her phone number and that you can talk to her instead of sending me to talk to her for you. I told you, didn’t I? And guess what? You didn’t listen to me.”

“Whatever,” Jungkook breathed out, rolling his eyes as he sat on a nearby bench. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“You can make her something or do something that will show her you’re intensely sorry,” Jimin suggested, shrugging his shoulders as he sat next to the tattooed man, waving at some seniors who waved at him. “Do you sing?”

“I mean, yeah,” Jungkook nodded. Jimin squinted his eyes.

“Sing right now.” Jungkook did so and Jimin hummed in satisfaction, nodding his head. “Okay, then. Make her a song or something. Let her know that you’re genuinely sorry and it’s not just some stupid ass excuse.”

“Alright, alright,” Jungkook groaned, standing up. He glanced at the two and he looked around the campus. “Come on. I know what we can do.”

Jungkook was panting, out of breath as he tried looking for you everywhere. He had finished what he had been doing with Jimin and Yujun and 4 hours had passed since Jimin last saw you.

Jungkook knew your schedule by heart at this point since Hanni had given Yujun your schedule who then passed it to him. He was losing it and he was desperate to look for you, already planning what to say to you and to give you.

He received looks from girls he hooked up with as he ran from building to building, eyes running themselves as he held onto his phone rather tightly with the thing he wants to show you.

He remembered from Jimin recalling his previous events about you being in the library, but he didn’t think you’d still be in there since Jimin said you had left. Though, he was tired and he wasn’t giving up any time soon, so he jogged towards the library, a place he didn’t go to.

He looked everywhere for you. He checked the first floor, the second, and then he reached the 3rd floor. He eyed the desks by the shelves of books, making sure he wasn’t missing your figure.

He stopped in his footsteps, though, once he saw you reading something so intensely, furiously flipping page after page as you frowned at what you were reading.

Thankfully, because of how into the book you were, you didn’t hear his footsteps nor his panting. He watched you and the way you gasped at some type of event that occurred in the book and he even heard you muttering words to yourself about what you were reading. He smiled, but he remembered he had something to do.

Coming from behind you, he grabbed his headphones and placed them over your ears, watching you jump. You didn’t scream—he considered himself lucky—but he almost did when he felt you hitting him out of self-defense.

“Ow!” He whispered, ignoring the looks you two received from students studying. He gave you a perplexed expression. “Listen to the music instead of hitting me!”

You glared at him before doing so, noticing that he turned it up until you raised a hand to tell him to stop. You didn’t recognize the song at first, but then you recognized the lyrics and the music and then the voice.

“Is this you singing?” You whispered as quietly as you could, knowing that you couldn’t hear yourself. Jungkook nodded and he watched your facial expressions morphed into a happy one to one of disbelief to one of excitement and then back to the happy expression. He continued observing nervously until you took the headphones off, fixing your messy hair. You eyed him. “So, what was that for?”

“I’m sorry for what happened after I dropped you off at your house,” he said almost as if it was difficult for him, and it was. He never apologized. If anything, he was always the one breaking things off with a girl and then dropping her to be with another girl. And here he was, close to losing it. “You didn’t deserve the way I handled things and you didn’t deserve having one of my friend’s come up to you and talk to you for me when I could’ve done that. I’m sorry for the fact I said words that made you misunderstand me when I could’ve been clearer. I’m sorry.”

You looked at his pleading figure and sighed. You gave him one more glance before nodding. “I forgive you. But next time, be clear about what you want instead of actually hurting my feelings.”

He grinned and grabbed your hands in his, his rings causing goosebumps to rise in your arms due to the coldness of them.

“Let’s get out of here, yeah?” He asked and you looked down at your book before turning to look at him with a sad face.

“But, I was getting in the interesting part.”

He chuckled and grabbed a chair, sitting next to you, and he placed the side of his head to rest on his propped up hand.

“Mhm, tell me about it.”

You gave him one last look and he nodded, reassuring you he didn’t mind if you ranted about the book. You did so after making sure he was comfortable and tried your hardest to stay quiet. It was almost impossible since the book had you quite heated, but Jungkook kept his hands still clasped with yours.

“And it pisses me off,” you scoffed.

“Yeah?” He looked at your lips as you licked them, a smile still plastered on his face as he tilts his head to the side, a smirk now replacing the smile. “Tell me more. I’m listening, pretty.”

AFTER THE SONG

You didn’t know how you ended up in this position with the perfect guy not so far from you, his eyes closed as he relished in the sound of the waves and the laughter of children.

You were currently with Jungkook, missing your next few classes to be with him on this secluded part of the beach. Thankfully, there had been grass not so far from the sand and water, so you two sat on the grass by a tree.

It was quiet between you two. A comfortable silence. But, you knew he wanted to ask something so you looked at him.

“Yes?”

“What?” He seemed taken aback by your sudden words, but he regained his composure once you looked his way.

“You have something to say, so say it.”

He frowned, eyes running around as if he was debating whether he should ask what he wanted to. He blurted it out, “What’s your excuse?”

“For?”

“For acting the way we do?” He continued. “For being this person who gets feared, loved, and hated.”

You sighed and leaned your head back. “I don’t like to do what people expect me to do.” He nodded along. “I don’t understand why I have to live up to other people’s expectations rather than my own.”

“So that’s why you’re blunt in the beginning to display the real you and see if people stay or not?” Jungkook asked and you hid the smile on your lips at the way he read you.

“Something like that.”

He breathlessly chuckled. “Then you’re doing a shitty job.”

“How so?”

“Because your attitude made me want to stay and see who you really are,” he nudged his shoulder against yours. “You intrigued me simply by telling me off.”

You lightly laughed. “I just have that type of vibe.”

He playfully rolled his eyes before he quieted down along with you. You could sense he had more to ask and you were right when he took a deep breath in and asked his next question.

“Did that stem from your mother’s attitude?” He questioned and you inhaled and exhaled at his very abrupt question. You glanced at him before looking away.

“My dad left me, my sister, and my mom,” you shrugged as if it was nothing. “I couldn’t grieve him, in a way, you know? And it sucks that you have to grieve a person very much alive but had changed throughout the years.”

“I get that,” Jungkook commented, looking down at his hands before glancing back at you, knowing that you were going somewhere with your story.

“My mom was hurt by it,” you continued, looking off to the beach in front of you. “Hanni, too, so I dismissed my feelings to take care of them. I got myself ready for school very early, made them breakfast, and woke them up. I made sure my mom went to work and I made sure Hanni was ready for school. It would be the same later when I had to make dinner and I had to make sure my mom ate because she fell into a hole that she couldn’t get out of. After all, she was sure she and my dad would last forever.”

“Did you even have time to process his leave?” Jungkook questioned, eyeing your expression and movements. You shook your head, clearing your throat to get rid of the pain in your throat since you were keeping your tears in. You fidgeted with your hands.

“I was too busy making sure my family was okay.”

“But you were a child,” Jungkook softly told you. “You didn’t have to act like an adult and dismiss your feelings to take care of someone who’s supposed to take care of you and your sister. That wasn’t your job.”

“If I didn’t do what I did,” you started, giving him a sad smile as he continued watching you. You looked away, “I don’t think my mom would’ve made it.”

You two stayed silent shortly after your words. He was processing your words and understood that you were the way you were—which wasn’t a bad thing—because of the fact you had to grow up way too quickly. You knew that you had to step in because otherwise, you and your sister wouldn’t have a parent.

“I became someone people looked up to,” you softly mumbled out, tongue running itself over your lips. You internally sighed, though, when you remembered you had put on gloss. “I help them realize the wrongs and rights in relationships because I don’t want nobody else to suffer through what my mom suffered because of someone who berated them until they became a walking corpse. After my mom got out of the hole, she… realized what I had been doing but she didn’t exactly acknowledge it at the same time so, she put pressure on me and tries to control me a lot because she couldn’t control my dad leaving, you know?”

“I know,” Jungkook quietly coughed out as he thought about your words. He sighed, head looking up before he laid on the grass, fingers running themselves over the blades of it, closing his eyes. “I’m not proud of sleeping around with girls.”

“Then why do you do it?” You genuinely questioned, watching his lips parting to let out words was slowly forming in his head.

“I don’t exactly know,” he continued, answering your question with a tone that supported his words. “But, it was always… a fear of commitment, I guess. If I sleep around, it’s most likely that I will regain a reputation that will protect me in a sense. No one will want to commit.”

“What’s so bad about committing to someone?” You asked, looking at him from under your lashes. He hummed and moved to his side, arm supporting his weight.

“My mother cheated on my dad,” he replied. “I had gone through her phone to play some video games because at that point I was 14 and I had my phone taken away.” He laughed a little as he recounted the memory. “I was playing and I remembered I saw a message and somebody had sent her red hearts, but it wasn’t my dad. I didn’t think much of it until she received more messages. I was left with the guilt of knowing and not sharing.”

“Did you ever tell your dad?”

Jungkook snorted and nodded. “I told him. I was tired of her pretending everything was okay when it wasn’t. She was telling me that my dad was cheating, wanting me to picture him in a different light so I told my dad. He heard me, understood my view of the situation because he had noticed her acting suspicious, but he still stayed so I stayed quiet, too. But, the arguments started and my dad brought the guy up—the one she was cheating on him with—every chance he could get to make a point. I had to step in, stop them, but I gave up once again when I realized it was a never ending cycle. So, my dad started cheating, too, and they separated shortly after.”

“Do you ever regret telling your dad?” You raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, playing with a leaf in his hands.

“Nope,” he simply said, popping the word loud enough for his words to be insinuated as one of relief. “I would feel more guilt if I didn’t tell him. After all, that separation made him get a decent girlfriend but it made him and my mom shitty parents. Neglected me a lot as a teenager so, I eventually stopped caring, and hung out with my grandparents.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he smiled at your genuine words, sitting up. “You didn’t have to go through that at a young age.”

“I have always been afraid of committing to someone,” he said, scooting closer to you. You watched him and now it was his turn to look at you from underneath his lashes. A small smile was on his lips while he glanced between you and the leaf in his hand. “For the days we have been talking and getting to know one another, being with you, getting to know you—as cheesy as it sounds—I have fallen in love with who you are. Commitment doesn’t sound as scary as it used to that if anything were to happen—and I hope not—I am not afraid of you breaking my heart.”

“You love me?” You breathed out as if not believing those words were coming out of your lips. You seemed taken aback and he brought his face closer to yours, eyes running themselves over your face. His hand went up, placing itself on your right cheek, forehead meeting yours. His eyes closed, letting out a small sigh that touched your own lips.

“I love the me I am whenever I’m with you,” your heart hammered against your chest and you wondered if he could hear it since he was so close to you. “You make me feel safe and you feel like home, baby. I love knowing that I have someone like you by my side.”

“I fell in love with you,” you shakily admitted, hand going up to be placed on top of his. You closed your eyes as his lips moved towards your face, kissing your cheeks, your nose, your forehead, to the middle of your eyebrows, and to your neck. “Promise me you won’t hurt me?”

He stayed quiet and your eyes opened, gulping down your nerves. He hummed, looking up at you. “I promise. You won’t hurt me?”

“I would never.”

Shortly afterward, he took you home, night overcoming you two. His jacket was placed over your shoulders and his hand was intertwined with yours as he led you towards your front door.

“So,” he started, his other hand in his front pocket, “Jimin is throwing a farewell party.”

“Oh, yeah, huh?” You clicked your tongue as you shook your head. “It’s his last year…”

“And Taehyung, too,” Jungkook slightly teased, knowing your intense dislike towards the man. You rolled your eyes.

“Thank goodness,” you dramatically breathed out while your free hand placed itself on your chest. “But, what about Jimin’s party?”

“Come with me,” Jungkook suggested. “I want to show you off.”

“I very much feel like arm candy.”

Jungkook snorted. “I want to reassure you in a way that I’m moving past my immature ways of sleeping around by showing I’m officially committed to you.”

“So, I’m your girlfriend now?” You wiggled your eyebrows teasingly, chuckling when he smiled.

“I’m going to prepare something for you,” he answered. “I want you to be my girlfriend but you deserve so much than me asking you here. Trust me, okay?”

“Okay,” you smiled, kissing him.

“So you’re coming with me?”

“I will if,” he raised his brows, “you buy me a milkshake.”

He snorted and rapidly nodded. “You know I will. I like spoiling my girl.”

He gave you a big kiss on the lips, letting out a loud “mwah” over the sound of crickets nearby. You slightly giggled at his antics and looked towards your house.

“Stop, you’re going to wake up my mom.”

“Eh, she can wake up, I want to kiss you.” He continued doing so, peppering your face with either small or big kisses. You took them all happily. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Sound good?”

“No, don’t leave me,” you dragged out the last few words, holding on tightly to his inked arm. He grinned at your actions and kissed your head.

“We’ll see each other tomorrow, pretty,” he leaned down again to kiss you and you responded back. “Yeah, that sound good?”

“Mhm, sounds good.”

“See you tomorrow, baby. We’ll call tonight after I take a shower.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Bye, Mom,” you waved her off as you headed towards the door with Nali, a small smile tilted on her lips. “I’m going to a party with Nali.”

You closed the door behind you just in time to hear your mother’s voice, her tone telling you she clearly didn’t believe you. “That’s a funny joke!”

“How long is it going to take for her to know that you’re not joking?” Nali questioned with a breathy chuckle escaping her red lips, smiling widely once she came to find Jimin getting out of the backseat, waving at him. Your eyes were on the bracelets you adorned, fixing some tangled ones.

“Honestly, right about now,” you snickered along with her, already knowing how your mom processes news that catch her off guard. After all, her secluded daughter is going on her second house party and she didn’t even have to make her go.

You smiled next once Jungkook came out of the driver’s seat, trying so hard not to ogle at the way his clothes looked on him. He was wearing a black button-up with a few buttons undone that exposed his collarbones and chest, and black jeans that hugged his legs well. He was wearing his usual combat boots, gaining a bit more height like he always does when he wears them.

“Before I compliment how beautiful you look,” he started as soon as he stood in front of you, his hands clasped behind his back. “I got you,” he stuck out his hand, a necklace dangling from his finger, “a necklace.”

You softly gasped at the dainty silver necklace, a small blue pendant glistening under the lampposts surrounding your neighborhood. He cleared his throat and gestured towards his neck, making you aware that he, too, was wearing an identical one, letting you know that you two were going to match.

“They’re so pretty!” You fawned over them, your smile widening at the gift. You looked at the other hand behind his back and squinted your eyes. “What do you have in your other hand?”

“I was going to take you out to eat first on a little date,” he chuckled before his eyes turned to glare at Jimin, “but someone here offered to be picked up to see his girlfriend. Even though the party is hosted by him!”

He yelled the last few words over his shoulder, obviously wanting Jimin to know he was talking about him.

“Shut up, asshole!” The man yelled back.

You and Nali glanced at each other. Of course, as best friends, your boyfriends would bicker. It was exactly how you two would get along, too.

“Anyway,” Jungkook sighed, waving him off before continuing to smile at you and showcasing the thing behind his back. “Obviously, you forgot that you wanted a milkshake.”

You gasped, immediately grasping it. “Gimme!”

Jungkook lowly chuckled and watched as you sipped it, relief displaying on your face at coming to feel the coolness settle in your stomach.

“Good?” He questioned you, and you nodded enthusiastically, very happy and excited that he really bought you a milkshake. He dipped his head down, capturing your lips and mumbling words between kisses. “I’m happy you like it. Now turn around for me.”

You did so; his cold hands, having been holding onto the milkshake, placed themselves on your hips to guide you. He tentatively placed the necklace on your neck, his fingers slightly grazing the exposed skin as he made sure the object wasn’t pulling on your hair.

After putting it on, you two made sure that Jimin and Nali were distracted enough so they wouldn’t ruin the intimate moment you two were sharing with one another. Thankfully, they were still holding onto each other, laughing and whispering in each other’s ear.

You and Jungkook gave each other sideways glances, weirded out.

“Are we going to turn out like that?” You asked, raising an eyebrow as he went to go stand behind you again. You two mindlessly stared at the couple, scrunching your noses when they shamelessly made out like starving people.

He snorted. “Hopefully not.” He kissed your temple, turning you around while wrapping an arm around your waist as he brought you closer. “But knowing how we both are with one another, we’re going to be exactly like that, and I don’t mind it.”

You slightly giggled at his words, wrapping your arms around his neck and bringing him closer. “We’re going to be late.”

“I don’t mind if it means I get to continue kissing you.” A humorous look was etched on his face before his lips met yours as soon as you were about to speak. The affect of his lip ring grazing your lips caused the usual shiver you always get when it does so. You hit his arm, though, once you felt him smiling in the kiss. He chuckled. “Your reaction is cute.”

“Shut up.” You playfully pushed him away from you, his hand gripping your arm to bring you closer again. You smiled up at him before turning to look at the other two, who were now laughing very loudly. “Are you two done?”

“Yep.” Nali sheepishly grinned at you. She glanced between you and Jungkook, wiggling her brows. “Are you two done making out?”

“I-” You pursed your lips and squinted at her. “Get in the car, you big dummies.”

The three laughed at your words but they got in. You sat on the passenger seat, the other two sat on the back, and Jungkook was on the driver’s seat, making sure you were wearing your seatbelt.

Nali and Jimin continued to make out, and you and Jungkook grimaced at hearing them kiss. The man quickly gave you his phone in hopes you could find a song—any song—that would help drown out the sounds.

“Also,” you spoke, your thumb hovering over your choice of song, “why did you make Jimin sit in the back?”

Jimin scoffed as he separated from Nali. “Your boyfriend here made me sit in the back because he said the passenger seat was just for you.”

“I don’t want you as my passenger princess,” Jungkook rolled his eyes, driving off from the parking lot of your home, his hand immediately meeting yours.

Okay, but what if I wanted to be one?” Jimin continued to ask. “What if I also like to be spoiled, hmm?”

“Jimin, shut up.” Jungkook glanced at him through his rear view mirror, glaring at him. Jimin could only wave him off, paying attention to Nali again. Jungkook looked at you. “Can you believe him?”

“I can totally see Jimin as a passenger princess,” you hummed, imagining a perfect picture of Jimin. Jungkook hummed along with you, also painting that picture in his head. You two shivered. “Never mind.”

“Stop thinking about me, you weirdos.”

It wasn’t long before you all arrived at Jimin’s home. It still came as a shock to every one of you—except Jimin, of course—once you remembered that Jimin, along with Taehyung, had money. The mansion (clearly not his, as he had stated before that he lived in a penthouse) was now overcome with colors and bodies coming in and out of the house, red cups being sorted on their hands.

Your hand was intertwined with Jungkook’s as soon as you all got out of the car, twirling around the anxiety ring he had bought for you since you liked twirling his other rings even though they did not twirl.

You looked around. “I forgot you’re rich as hell.”

“I forgot, too.” Jungkook shook his head, almost as if he were dazed at the sight in front of him, and you wouldn’t have blamed him if he was. You were too entranced by the house to even hear Jimin’s words.

“I want to go in every room and jump in the bed.”

The trio laughed at your words, and it wasn’t long before Jimin and Nali left to go inside, leaving you and Jungkook outside to enjoy each other’s company.

“So,” he glanced at you, eyes withholding amusement as you scrunched your nose at a person coming to throw up in the beautiful garden, “stay by my side and hold my hand, please?”

You smiled and nodded, doing so. “As long as you don’t leave me, either. Don’t lose me in the crowd, and don’t let Taehyung talk to me.”

He snorted, his hands meeting your waist again as if they were magnets. “I won’t let him do that. I’ll beat the shit out of him if I have to, okay?”

“For me?” You looked at him through your lashes, and he lightly groaned, placing his forehead on yours as the palm of his inked hand placed itself on the left side of your face.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he mumbled, his breath hitting your lips.

“Looking at you like what?” You questioned him, your hand coming to meet the back of his head, your nails running themselves over his scalp, trailing down towards the nape of his neck.

“Looking at me with those eyes,” he answered, softly kissing you as yours, and his eyes closed at the feeling. “You affect me so much, I’ll do anything you ask me to if you simply look at me like that, baby.”

You grinned at your words, and he did, too. You two kissed outside of the shaking house.

“Let’s go inside so we can enjoy tonight,” you muttered against his lips, feeling him nod. You glanced over his shoulder and then down at your dress. “I have to fix my dress, but there are people coming outside.”

“Just fix it; I’ll cover you, okay?” You nodded at his words, smiling a bit shyly as he kissed you again.

He stood in front of you, glaring at whoever looked your way, hands crossed over his chest. Since he had raised his sleeves up so they could rest by his elbows, his tattoos were on full display, intimidating those who looked at him or you. You almost laughed, though, at seeing how serious he was about making sure you were out of people’s eyesight. He was like your personal bodyguard, but one you kissed here and there.

“There,” you smiled at him, watching you over his shoulder to make sure you were okay and to make sure a creep wasn’t trying to stare at you from behind. “I’m pretty sure you scared everyone away, so I’m okay.”

“Good.”

You two walked inside the house, hands intertwined, to showcase your relationship. Half of the girls that Jungkook had hooked up with didn’t hide their distaste for you, but you didn’t care as the other half came to greet you.

Jungkook could simply stand back, smiling as he watched girl’s swoon over you and the way you looked in your dress. He couldn’t help but mentally agree with their compliments.

“Jungkook!” Jungkook turned around to find two familiar faces.

“Hyung!” He exclaimed excitedly, hugging the man. How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a year!”

Hoseok chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm, and he shrugged a bit. “I’ve been good! I opened up the dance studio I’ve been talking to you about. I’ve been focusing my time on that.”

“Are you here alone?”

“Yoongi finally agreed to come,” Hoseok answered, gesturing towards the said figure who was talking to Jimin and Nali. “You know the dude is an old man at heart. I had to tell him about you and the girl, and then did he want to see for himself.”

“He’s so nosy,” Jungkook chuckled, shaking his head at the revelation. He glanced at you. “I would introduce you to my girl, but her friends are keeping her busy.”

Hoseok looked at where you stood, and you were in fact being kept busy. The girls seemed to be talking to you about something, and they all listened intently to every word you spilled. He eyed Jungkook’s starstruck expression and patted him on the shoulder.

“You did good, kid,” he smiled. “Yoongi and I were afraid you’d get a girl pregnant or just end up doing something stupid.”

Jungkook snorted. “I wouldn’t stoop that low, you know that.” He looked at you once more and saw that you had gestured towards him. “But, I did do something stupid.”

“Whatever you did,” Hoseok started, “I’m sure it will all get resolved. Except cheating, then you’re by yourself there, bud.”

“Alright, alright,” Jungkook snorted before his palm met Hoseok’s face, pushing him away. “Go away. She’s coming here.”

“I’ll come back later, you brat, and you better introduce me then. Got it?”

“Yes, hyung, now go,” Jungkook pushed him away by his shoulders, dragging out the last word until Hoseok was out of eye shot. You came towards him and smiled confusedly, staring at the figure who had previously been seen with him. “Hey, sorry, that was my old friend, Hobi. I was going to introduce him but, he needed to meet another friend.”

“Aw, I would’ve loved to say hi,” you admitted, frowning before staring back at him, hands holding his. “So, are we going to eat?”

“Baby, there’s alcohol and you want to eat?” He questioned in a surprise manner, though, it wasn’t meant in a mean way. You nodded with a small smile on your face, your stomach grumbling. He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go see what we can find. If we can’t find anything, we’ll get out of here and go eat, okay?”

“You wouldn’t mind?”

He shook his head, eyes slightly closing while he pursed his lips. “No. Being with you is much more important than just hanging out in a place where I could barely hear you.”

“You just want to get out of here,” you teased and he grinned, nodding.

“Let’s go find you some food.”

You two walked off and pushed through the body of college students who blocked your pathway. You even came across your sister and her boyfriend who now noticed you and Jungkook.

You briefly waved at them and they waved back, and with one last glance, you turned to look at the man in front of you, his eyes darting around the room.

He hummed to himself as he came to find the kitchen and he turned to look back at you, noting the way your eyes lit up at the fancy snacks. A crowd of people stood near you two, drinking, their conversation going through one ear to another as you ate here and there. Jungkook ate with you.

“Their conversation is very intense,” he whispered and you, being just as nosy as him, nodded in full agreement.

As you listened, he caught you in surprise when he wrapped an arm around your torso and lifted you so you could sit on the kitchen island. He immediately stood in between your legs, hands holding, while you continued to listen.

You softly gasped in his ear. “He cheated on her with her own brother!”

“That is so low,” he lowly whistled, shaking his head. “Impressive and good for him but, with his girlfriend’s brother? And, while in a relationship ? That has got to hurt.”

“Wow, I’m still in shock.”

“I’m more in shock in the fact that we are that couple,” Jungkook snickered, starting to pepper your neck with kisses. “I wouldn’t want to be nosy with no one else other than you.”

“Mhm, you better.”

You two relished in being in each other’s arms, ignoring everything in the background. It seemed surreal to both of you that not so long you didn’t even know of each other’s existence, of the other’s presence, but now here you were, totally and utterly in love with him just like he was with you.

He bit his lower lip and with his head placed in your shoulder, he lightly gripped your waist before his hands traveled to rub your thighs up and down. He brought you even closer to him. “You really look beautiful by the way.”

“We look like we’re going to a funeral,” you tantalized him in a soft tone, to give him the idea you were playing around. Your own hands went to hold onto his biceps. “I love it, though.”

“I’m just happy you came with me,” he said, leaning down to kiss you. “Though,” he muttered against your lips, “a simple little date where we stay home and watch movies sounds so good.”

“Those boots are going to kill you since they have a small heel,” you commented, glancing at his boots. He clicked his tongue and shrugged, slightly swaying you two to the beat of the music you noticed playing. “I don’t know, it makes you look very attractive. Even more attractive.”

“Mhm, yeah, correct yourself,” he lightly pinched the skin of your waist, nudging his nose with yours. “You shouldn’t be talking when you look so gorgeous. So beautiful.”

“Keep complimenting me and I’ll assume you’ll get on your knees for me.”

“I mean,” he dragged out the words, leaning back a bit before he started to lean down. Your mouth opened a bit and you immediately swatted his arm, urging him to stand up. He laughed, doing so. “Hey, I’m just trying to basically worship you and the ground you’re walking on.”

You tried hiding the fact that his words affected you, your body feeling warmth and sudden nervousness out of nowhere. You avoided eye contact.

“Shut up.”

You two continued slight swaying compared to how the others danced, foreheads leaning against one another as you two continued finding the comfort of the other’s presence.

As he felt you slightly fidgeting due to the fact that your butt was slightly starting to hurt, he picked you up again, and let you place your feet on the ground.

It wasn’t long before the song on the playlist—most likely Jimin’s playlist—finished bouncing off the walls, the chattering and adrenaline of every person there finally felt. A happy smile found its way to your lips as you felt Jungkook keep his hands glued to your waist, not daring to let you go. But, he watched your facial expression morph into one of shock and surprise when a new song started playing, one you knew too well. And he did, too.

“I-” You could muster to let out. “Why is my favorite song playing?”

“I called in a favor!” Jungkook now yelled over the loud music. He gestured towards your dear friend’s figure who was dancing along with Jimin’s. “She told Jimin to add it to the list for you after we talked and wanted to make this the best experience for you.”

“Thank you,” you breathed out, wrapping your arms around his neck to show how much it meant to you. He smiled and hugged you back, arms wrapping themselves tightly around your waist and bringing you closer to him again.

As you two swayed to the music, his lips were close to your ear. “I hope you’re enjoying this!”

“I am,” you said, feeling bad at having to yell in his ear because of the loud music. “Though, I don’t think us swaying to this type of music is appropriate since it’s very up-beat!”

“I think us being this close is perfectly fine,” he chuckled, staring down at you. You glanced at his lips, his tongue running itself over his lip ring. “Unless you think I have cooties and want to get away from me.”

He took his hands away from your waist, chuckling again when you whined that he needed to put them back. So he did, arms wrapping themselves back in their place around your waist while the side of his face was slightly lean against your head.

“You know,” he started, keeping you close to him, “I… I wasn’t sleeping around these girls or having to take care of a girl I got pregnant.” You two laughed at the rumor that was spread. “I wasn’t skipping classes, too, because I was out doing drugs. My dad was struggling with paying bills and so I started to help, I was working. I was dealing with it well because of the counselor’s help, though, she’s a bit weird.”

“Ah, yes, she is,” a breathy chuckle escaped your lips at his words as your head rose up to look at him. “But, does it not bother you how they spread these false rumors?”

“I never cared,” Jungkook replied, shrugging. “I know the truth and my family knows the truth. As long as those close to me never believe them, I don’t entirely care about those who don’t know me and believe the rumors.”

A ghost of a smile spread on your lips. “I believe that, too.”

You two grinned at one another, but as soon as you opened your mouth to speak, your date was now being led away by Taehyung. You frowned and stood not so far from them, glancing at Nali who started to slow down her dance movements as soon as she saw Taehyung with Jungkook.

“Hey,” Taehyung scoffed. “What’s Hanni doing here with that asshead?” Jungkook rolled his eyes and sighed as he listened to him. “I didn’t pay you to take out Y/n so some little punk could take out Hanni.”

You froze in your steps at coming to hear those words, eyes meeting those of Jungkook’s who looked over Taehyung’s frame to look at you. His lips were parted, unsaid words not daring to cross them. His chest painfully twisted as soon as he saw your eyes glaze under the lights of the room, knowing fully well now that it’s because of him.

“I was just a bet…?” You questioned, a frown now etched on your face.

Jungkook doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t. For the first time, he has nothing to say, and it hurts you even more. “Y/n, it doesn’t…”

You shook your head, a sigh escaping your lips. You simply walked away, pushing past the couples who now seemed like they were laughing straight at your face, embarrassment flooding your body and feelings. You heard Jungkook right behind you, your name being shouted out through the loud music. But now, you don’t want to hear a single thing coming out of the lips you enjoyed kissing and eyeing. Not a single word.

Your amazing best friend, Nali, watches your departed figure with Jungkook chasing after you. She frowned and she looked at Jimin who also noticed. He walked towards Yujun, his brother talking to someone while he waited for Hanni to come back from the restroom, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Hey,” Jimin finally caught his attention, gesturing towards your retreating figures and towards Taehyung, “shit has happened.”

Yujun glared at Taehyung’s own figure because although everything started so he could date Hanni, it wasn’t fair for Taehyung to go and hurt people.

“Yujun, don’t do anything stupid,” Nali called out, sighing as she knew her words fell to deaf ears. She and Jimin followed after his brother, hearing him call after Taehyung. They glanced at one another, knowing it wasn’t going to end well and someone would end up hurt. They knew that Yujun was most likely going to end up hurt.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Yujun eyed Taehyung as soon as the man turned to look at him.

“No, what the hell is wrong with you?” Taehyung pushed him, Yujun continuing to glare at the man, standing his ground. “You’re gonna pay. You and that bitch.”

“Just say you’re a jealous little shit,” Yujun spat out, pushing him back with the same force Taehyung had used.

Taehyung let out a sarcastic chuckle before he raised his fist, punching Yujun. The boy groaned, landing on his older brother who grabbed him to make sure he wasn’t entirely hurt, bleeding—he was indeed bleeding—or had something broken.

“Get up, you were all talk just now, get up!” Taehyung went to take a step forward to the boy leaning against his brother, but a tap on his shoulder made him turn, eyes glaring at the girl he was insulting not so long ago. “What?”

But before he could receive a proper answer, Hanni punched him straight in the nose, a grunt escaping his lips as soon as he felt the pain traveling around his face.

“Hanni, don’t,” Nali tried preventing the girl from being harmed, knowing full well that you would have her ass if you watched her sister in the hands of danger.

“No, he hurt my sister,” Hanni pushed her arm away from her sister’s friend’s grip. “You made my date bleed. I know you tried hurting me, but you’re just an egotistical piece of shit.”

Hanni watched him fall on the ground on his knees, clutching his nose. Everyone who had surrounded them all seemed to disperse, getting back to dancing while some girls and boys went to help Taehyung.

“Are you okay?” Hanni immediately headed towards Yujun who nodded his head, wrapping his arms around her. He brought her closer to his body, just thankful she wasn’t hurt in any way. Though, when he exhaled through his mouth, his breath hit the wound now on his lip.

“Go with Nali and make sure your sister is okay,” Yujun breathed out. Hanni frowned at him, already moving, but she still wanted to make sure he was okay. “I’m okay. Go.”

Hanni and Nali wouldn’t be able to do much as you kept running away from Jungkook who was still following after you, apologies spilling out of his mouth.

“Please, just give me a chance to—”

“You were paid to take me out not just by a random guy, but by the one person I truly hate,” you said, your frown deepening as you fully processed everything, memories now running through your mind. “I believed you, Jungkook. I truly believed you wanted me.”

His parted lips were twitching, wanting to yell at you that he thought of you from the moment he woke up to the moment he would go to sleep. Then would he dream of you and him and what you two could’ve been in the future. He was infatuated with you. “Y/n, it wasn’t like that.”

“Then tell me how it was like,” you breathed out and he watched the way your facial expression morphed into one of hurt. “I fell for you. Hard. You’re someone everyone wants and despite everything, I was happy I got you, but everything was just a lie and it hurts. It hurts knowing that you started to talk to me because you got paid to do so and it hurts knowing you stayed, getting me to open up to you, to be vulnerable in front of you. Were you going to get a bonus because you slept with me?”

“No, no!” Jungkook shook his head. “I didn’t care about the money. I cared about you! I started caring for you.“

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Jungkook. It doesn’t excuse the fact that you used me,” your chest was heaving up and down as you tried to calm down your breathing. It hurt you, so much, and there was a pang of pain that traveled down your throat to your chest. Your lips slightly quivered as you shook your head. “I thought you loved me.“

“Baby, I do,” he tried reaching for you but you took a step back. You shook your head, waving him off as you didn’t dare meet his eyes, not wanting to see every moment you spent with him, laughing and crying, flash in front of them. You didn’t want to see the good memories that made you fall for him inside the eyes that withheld the guilt of using you to get money. “I do. I love you. I-I just…“

You looked at his face as he shut his eyes tightly, brain looking for the right words. His hand was already punching the skin of his forehead, rings glistening under the lights much like your eyes were.

You sighed and he looked at you.

“If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have continued taking that money,” you breathed out before pointing at his chest, “you wouldn’t have hurt me like this.” You let out a shaky breath and gulped, stepping away. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”

His hand immediately went to reach for you, but you continued taking steps back. “Y/n—”

“Just tell me something,” you said, meeting his gaze. He couldn’t bear look at your crestfallen look, one he knew he caused because of his stupid actions. “Did you mean anything you said? All those days we hung out together and we talked and we talked?”

But although he wanted to yell so loud “yes”, he knew that you wouldn’t take that as an answer and you wouldn’t listen to him. He was wrong because you wanted to hear confirmation that at least everything you spoke about was real, that everything you spoke came from him and not the money talking.

He didn’t speak, so you scoffed a little and turned around. “You promised not to hurt me, Jungkook.” You dropped your arms to your side. “Do not try to talk to me.”

His parted lips let out a shaky breath, chest tightening in pain at your words and retreating figure. He should follow after you. He should. But he was frozen, shoes glued to the floor and words getting stuck in his throat.

He hit the railing of the stairs he was standing by, palm stinging at the contact. He let out a deep sigh as his hands clutched the metal, continuing to stare at the back of your head with unsaid words not daring to leave his mouth.

He turned around to rest his back against a wall, fingers now pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel the way his eyes stung with tears, blinking them away almost immediately when he heard footsteps heading his way.

“Hey,” he looked up and came to find Jimin and Yujun, their dates having followed after you, leaving them to find one another. “We’re sorry at how things went.”

Jungkook tried to muster up courage to smile at them reassuringly, but much like his feet, his lips stayed in place and he didn’t dare try to move them.

“It was going to happen eventually,” he muttered, tongue running itself over his lips starting to dry from the amount of breaths he was letting in. “I couldn’t have hidden it from her even if I tried.”

“Yeah, but it shouldn’t have been revealed that way,” Jimin said, receiving a nod of agreement from Yujun.

Jungkook looked down at his hand, running his fingers over the tattoos on it, feeling the slight trace of your fingers over them.

“She had the right to know,” he looked at them and he could only look away once he saw their pitiful expressions. “It just should’ve been exposed in a less crowded place and not now… in front of everyone.”

“Did you really love her?” Jimin questioned, his voice above a whisper. Jungkook sighed.

“Everything about her,” he muttered, gulping his feelings away to get rid of the lump in his throat. The two men went to stand by her. “Where’s Taehyung?”

“With a broken nose,” Yujun chuckled, humor laced in his voice. Jungkook hummed in satisfaction at the answer. “Hanni punched him.”

It was Jungkook’s turn to chuckle. “Where is he, though?”

“I’m pretty sure he has enough injuries, Jungkook,” Jimin said, eyebrows raised at the boy while his hand placed itself on his firm chest—he felt— as he tried to leave. “Let’s just go, okay? You don’t need him suing you for hitting him.”

“I’ll handle it,” Jungkook hummed, walking past the two and heading towards the room with loud music playing. He looked around and spotted Taehyung almost immediately through the crowd forming around him. He bumped against people, pushing through all of them before grabbing the boy by the back of his neck. “Come on.”

“Listen, man, your girl’s stupid sister already dealt with me,” Taehyung tried to get away from his grip but Jungkook rolled his eyes, ignoring his words. “This is harassment. I will sue you.”

“Do it but I’ll still beat the shit out of you,” Jungkook hummed, glancing at him. Jimin and Yujun sped towards the two as soon as Jungkook push Taehyung against the wall. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What?” Taehyung smirked, though he looked silly since he had tissue paper stuck on his nose to prevent the bleeding. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Why did you need to embarrass Y/n like that?” Jungkook gave him an expressionless look, eyebrows slightly raised as his hand still held onto the boy’s collar. “You could’ve told me later.”

Jungkook’s doe eyes, the ones who always looked around curiously and always used to make you wither in your seat out of nerves, now glared daggers into Taehyung’s face.

“You just didn’t want to tell her you got paid to take her out,” Taehyung said as he shrugged, clearly smug about how Jungkook was acting. “And hey, if I wasn’t going to have what I wanted, you weren’t going to get what you wanted either.”

The latter groaned, though, when Jungkook landed a punch on his stomach, air being taken out of his body. He landed in the floor, continuing to groan, as Jungkook scoffed at his figure, turning around to leave.

He glanced at the Park brothers and sighed.

“He deserved it.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Hanni asked as she stood in front of your seated figure on the stairs of the front of your house. “You’ll have fun with me and Yujun.”

“I’m okay,” you said, trying your hardest to reassure her with a smile. But the smile didn’t reach your eyes and it alerted her of your pain. Of course, you were still in pain. Everything that had happened, happened yesterday. “Enjoy your time at the carnival, okay?”

“We will.”

Yujun curtly waved at you as soon as he arrived to pick up your sister, and you did the same back. He and Hanni walked away, leaving you to stare down at your hands.

“So,” you looked up at coming to hear someone speak. You tightly smiled as you saw your mom, looking away to glance at the scenery in front of you, “where’s your sister going?”

“She’s going to go meet up with some bikers, big ones, full of sperm,” you sarcastically responded, watching her face morph into one of disgust. You snickered at her reaction. “She’s just going out with Yujun.”

“You’re very funny,” your mom snorted, shaking her head as she came to sit next to you. She watched as you stared down at your hands, eyes puffy from all the crying you have done. She nudged her shoulder against yours. “I’m guessing the party didn’t end well?”

“It just wasn’t what I was expecting,” you sadly smiled at her, trying your hardest to showcase you were okay.

“What happened?”

“The guy I was seeing just wasn’t the type of guy I thought he was,” you breathed out, pursing your lips. “He was so nice to me. Very. He made me feel… complete in a way.”

“I was always afraid of this,” your mom sighed, her shoulders dropping as she propped her legs towards her chest. “I was strict on things like this because I didn’t want you to go through whatever pain you’re going through right now.” You didn’t respond and your mom looked off. “I know it wasn’t easy when your dad left. Especially for you.”

“It wasn’t,” you admitted, shaking your head.

“I knew I failed as a mother when I saw you acting more like an adult than me.” You eyed her actions, noticing that admitting what she said wasn’t easy for her. “You were just 14 and here you were making sure I was ready for work while you got yourself and Hanni ready for school. You didn’t have to bear the burden of your father leaving.”

“I knew that it hurt you even more as much as it hurt us,” you muttered, frowning at the memories of you even having to cook so Hanni wouldn’t starve.

“I had lost him after I loved him for 20 years,” your mom shrugged as if it was nothing. “I was just wondering what I did wrong that made him leave.”

“You didn’t do anything. Dad just wasn’t… him anymore and yes, he left, but it’s important for us to move on from his stupid actions.”

“And what stupid actions did he do to you?” Your mom raised an eyebrow, her emphasis on the word “he” suggesting she was talking about Jungkook.

“I’m guessing Hanni mentioned to someone about your rule,” you breathed out, rolling your eyes at your sister’s actions. “Well, that person told the guy I was seeing and paid him to take me out, hence why he started seeing me in the first place.”

“Did you love him?”

“So much,” you snorted as if those words were the funniest thing ever. But you could only blink away the tears that threatened to spill again. “Why do boys suck?”

Your mom looked at you before wrapping an arm around your shoulders, placing her head on top of yours. “I don’t know, honey. But I’m here if you need anything. If you get with him or not, it’s not my business. I’ll just be here for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. Love you.”

“Love you.”

“Y/n!”

You looked up from your book, a gasp immediately escaping your lips once you came to see a figure walking your way. He was jogging towards you and you packed up your things, cursing yourself for even thinking of journaling and reading outside your home.

You heard the sound of a horn, Jungkook cursing at the driver before his footsteps were heard behind you. You sped up.

“Leave me alone, Jungkook,” you pleaded, short pants leaving your mouth when you tried hurrying to your door.

“I love you,” Jungkook loudly said, making you stop in your footsteps. “I’m not going to stop until you listen to me, okay? I’m not going to stop chasing after you, but if you actually want me to leave you alone, tell me right now, please.”

You glanced at him with furrowed brows before a sigh came out of you. You cleared your throat. “I’m not going to ask you to stop, but don’t think it will be easy for me go forgive you. You hurt me and you need to understand that.”

“So, can I like, bother you every day?” You gave him a deadpan expression and he sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of his head. “Not every day, got it.”

“Bye, Jungkook.”

Jungkook stuck to his word. So far, he has been chasing you. Well, not chasing you, but he does show up when you get out of the house. You always sat in the front by the porch and he always unexpectedly shows up. You already had an idea that Hanni and Yujun would let him know considering the fact that whenever Yujun was over—you would pop out of the house to not hear the couple kiss—he would show up.

Jungkook didn’t give up. He would apologize on the days you were out, on some days, though, he would just drop a letter and a flower in front of you and leave. You would open them and read them, feeling your heart hammer against your chest at the words. For example, one said, “I yearn for the warmth and the comfort of your words that made me feel safe. I won’t stop begging for forgiveness for something idiotic I allowed to happen. Even if it takes years.” Safe to say, you made sure to open them in your room so he won’t be able to see how his words impacted you.

It was Saturday and you were in bed, eyeing the flowers he had given you that you placed in a small vase your mom bought. Some were drying up while the new ones he had given you brightened up even under the lights of your room.

This wasn’t your first relationship. But this was the first relationship that allowed you an insight of being loved properly in a way. Yes, Jungkook started off lying about everything, but through it all he spoiled you with words and sometimes gifts, expensive or handmade. You still had the necklace he gifted you around your neck and the pendant was between your fingers, being played with unconsciously.

“Hey,” you lifted your head and eyed Hanni, who was dressed up. “I’m going out. Mom is working late again and she said to let you know.”

“Alright, be safe,” you smiled a bit, waving at her retreating figure as she yelled some words over her shoulder that you couldn’t make of since she had already closed the door.

You were left alone and you sighed, again, dropping your head back on your pillows as you cursed the silence you were left surrounded with.

You were going to head to sleep after a couple of minutes and you were already being lulled to sleep by the scenarios made up in your head. Though, knocking snapped you out of your thoughts and it alerted you, making you frown at the sound and look around confusedly.

You were taken aback, though, once you saw a figure by your balcony, knocking, and you knew who it was. You taught him that rhythm he did and you started freaking out, not knowing what to do, so you stood up and rubbed your eyes, making sure you weren’t entirely dreaming.

“Jungkook?” You said out loud and he waved as he heard you. You slowly opened the doors, staring up at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m tired of having you on the tip of my fingertips, knowing I’m losing you every day,” he blurted out in one single breath, his chest heaving up and down from the adrenaline. “I’m fucking sorry for everything. I’m sorry for hurting you, for making stupid decisions, but never, ever, think that every kiss and every deep conversation we had was not real because it happened and I loved every moment of it. I loved speaking with you and getting to know a you only I got to know about. I love you and I’m sorry.”

Your breathing and his meshed together and you moved aside to let him in, head dropping to look at the floor (and the clothing you wore). You closed the doors in front of you and turned to look at him, watching him look around before he looked at you, too, his eyes staring intensely into you.

“Why should I trust you now?” You muttered, not daring to look at him, back against the doors you just closed.

“Because I love you,” he went on, at this point trying to beg you to pay attention to him. He would stand in front of you as soon as you would move to the side, trying to walk away towards your bed. He continued blocking your path, though. “I didn’t lie about that. I didn’t lie about every kiss given to you, every conversation with you. I fell for you and I fell in love with you.”

“You accepted money, Jungkook,” you breathed out, a sigh escaping your lips while your arms flailed around rather dramatically. Jungkook pursed his lips, not wanting the chuckle to escape them as he found your antics amusing. “Now, I don’t want to speak to you because you make me nervous.”

Jungkook followed after you, again, standing in front of you, his hands now clutching the sides of your head. He leaned in and kissed you, lip ring slightly bumping into your lower lip, receiving slight goosebumps from the sudden coldness you gained from it.

“Shut up, let me talk,” he breathed as he pulled away, forehead placed on yours while his breath fanned over your lips. “I’m fucking sorry. For everything.”

You sighed and shook your head, not wanting to fall for it. You didn’t want to look like an idiot if you accepted his apology, not knowing if he was receiving money just by apologizing to you.

“Are you getting paid?” You asked and he shook his head. “After all that, why don’t you leave me alone? Genuinely?”

Jungkook just scoffed. “I’m not letting you go. Not again. I’m not fucking up the good thing that has come to my life after everything.”

“You messed up,” you commented, not daring to look into his eyes just like last time you two spoke. “I don’t have to speak to you.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t care,” he scoffed and you looked at the matching necklace adorning his neck instead, his sweater hiding the skin exposed because of the white tank top he wore. You could only eye his chest, not wanting to meet his gaze. You didn’t have much of a choice when he lifted your chin with his inked hand, though, continuing to hold your head in place so you wouldn’t go back to avoiding his eyes. “I want you to look at me when I’m apologizing to you, okay? That’s all I want.”

You looked at him and he looked at you, lips parted as if words were about to spew from them. You nodded.

“Okay…”

“When this all started,” Jungkook began, hands now moving to grab your own, “I didn’t even know who you and your sister were. Taehyung came to me, told me he’d pay me if I made you fall for me so we could eventually start dating. He said it would be easier to take out your sister if you were dating because… someone had told him about your mom setting a new rule that stated Hanni would be able to date if you did.”

“Oh, God,” you breathed out, your fingertips holding onto your forehead as you closed your eyes. “Hanni must’ve told someone.”

“After all that, I didn’t think I’d fall for you,” Jungkook continued, his doe eyes doing all its pleading. “I didn’t think I would be so obsessed with you and in love with you that I can’t help but think of you when love songs play in the radio. I can’t help but think of you so I could fall asleep. I love you, Y/n. I have.”

“Then why did you continue accepting the money he gave you?” You frowned upon at him, eyes now glazing with tears. “It wasn’t right for you to continue accepting it. You gave Taehyung the idea you were still in on it.”

“I only got the money to use it and take you out with it,” Jungkook went on, his eyes running themselves over your face, thumbs now rubbing your hands. “I… I have a job but I waste my money helping my parents pay rent. I thought I would be able to impress you if I had that money. That’s why I continued taking it. I had the right idea but it was shitty how I benefited from it and Taehyung, too.”

“I don’t care if you have money or not, Jungkook,” you breathed out, staring up at him. You let out a curt sigh. “Without it, when it was just me and you at my house, talking, I learned so much from you and we formed a connection. Me and you. I’m fine just being with you because you’re all I need.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to deal with someone like me,” Jungkook softly groaned out, pinching the bridge of his nose with two of his fingers. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for using you, hurting you, and basically causing trust issues. I fell for you. I did. At the end of the day, it was just you and me. I’m in love with you and I’m sorry for making you hate me.”

“I was so mad at you,” you muttered, looking away as you tightly shut your eyes, keeping the tears in. “I was so mad that I hated you. You and the stupid way you talked to me and how you kept your hair like that because I liked playing with it.” He continued watching as you went on, a frown etched on your face. “Or how you would drive my car and drive with one hand because Hanni told you I found it attractive. I hated it even more when you would stare at me with those big, dummy eyes that I started to adore.”

“Or, or, the way your big combat boots made you taller than me and that way you knew so you continued to wear them,” you ignored the way he looked at you as he listened intently to every word you let out, “or how you would always know what I was thinking even when I tried to hide anything that would tell you. I hated it when you were always right, never sugarcoating anything, but I hated the fact that despite being right, you lied.”

He let out a small, sad sigh at your revelation, fingers intertwining with the strands of hair on the back of your head. He slightly raised your head, making you look at him again as he watched your chest heave and up down, knowing fully well you were going to start crying. And he was right, your eyes were glazing with unshed tears that were threatening to escape as soon as you blinked.

“I hated the fact that you could make me laugh without trying, even when I didn’t feel like doing so,” you continued and Jungkook’s thumb rubbed your quivering chin, your bottom lip jutted out as tears slid down your face. He wiped the tears away without hesitation, kissing your forehead as he continued to let you take it all out, “but I hate that you can make me cry just as easily. I hated not having you around and even when you didn’t call or visited me to explain what happened in the beginning. But… I hate that I can’t hate you, you dummy, and I don’t hate you. Not even one bit.”

“Oh, baby,” Jungkook sighed, his eyebrows now furrowing as he brought your head to his chest, a hand placed behind it while the other was wrapped around your body, holding you close. Your sniffles were heard and he brought you closer if that was possible. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry. Everything that I did, I did it because I loved you. The money… that was the most stupidest thing I have done and it was fucked up.”

“I want to continue doing all of that with you,” he said, pulling your head away so he could rest his forehead against yours, again. “To drive with one hand because I know you’re staring, wear my boots so I could be even taller than you, and continue reading your mind because I can tell when you’re trying to hide things from me.” He softly chuckled as he remembered your facial expressions. The cute ones that you tried to hide. You could never try to hide them from him. He’ll know. “I love you. I genuinely do. But, if you don’t forgive me, I will wait until you’re ready even if takes years. I’ll be fine with whatever decision you make, okay?”

“Do you really love me?” You breathed out, lips slightly brushing against one another. He nodded.

“I love you, more than anything,” he mumbled in a low voice, his lip ring nudging your lips as he wanted to kiss you. “I know what I have done isn’t excusable, but I will show you that I genuinely fell for you because of you and not because of money.”

“I forgive you,” you softly smiled at him, your own hands traveling towards the sides of his face while his own went to rest on your waist. “I want you to show me more of you, okay? I want to see that you want me for me.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” he grinned, fingers slightly gripping the flesh of your waist, faint prints being left behind in their wake. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you, Jungkook.”

“Just to be clear, you don’t hate me anymore, right?”

“I’m sure, or else I wouldn’t have told you I loved you. But just so you know, if you hurt me again, I will have my own fans kicking you in the balls and you will take it.”

“I don’t know if I should be scared or very attracted to how scary you can sound.”

BONUS

“Jungkook you literally didn’t have to buy a new phone!”

You and Jungkook were at the store and he was currently purchasing a new phone in order to show you he was committed to you and only you. After all, he just had random numbers in his old phone so he wasn’t losing anything major.

“Yes, I do,” he snickered, watching the employee do his work. “I’m officially committed to you. I don’t need to be having a phone number that girls from my past know about when you should be the only one to know it.”

You smiled at his words and his actions and slightly leaned onto his towering figure. His arm swiftly moved to rest around your waist and he was talking here and there with the employee who had asked him about his tattoos.

You looked around and you stopped midway from letting your gaze travel any sooner when a girl was looking at Jungkook.

You softly cleared your throat, starting to get uncomfortable and wished for this entire process to go by fast.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He whispered in your ear and you looked at him, giving him a fake smile so he couldn’t worry.

“Nothing.”

He gently gave you a pointed look. “I can feel you fidgeting and you’re quieter than usual. At this point, you would be telling me all about your new book.”

“There’s this girl staring at you and glaring at me,” you muttered, pretending to look around so you could see if she was still there. She was.

Jungkook groaned and turned around, head snapping back to look at her and glared at her like she was doing to you.

“I seriously wish that you don’t let girls like that look at you that way,” your boyfriend hummed, watching her scurry away. “Punch ‘em and I’ll take the blame if you get caught.”

“No, Jungkook.”

“I think it’s a great idea.”

Creative genius 🤩 I enjoyed this so much

Unknown Sender

happy valentine's day!

MONDAY: 13:52 

‘hi.’ Peter squints at the message, then the unsaved number. He's not sure how, but it’s a scam. 

‘i’d like to have your attention, please.’ Peter rolls his eyes, swiping left to not only delete but report the number as junk. No doubt it was a bot or someone with a flair for sextortion. 

A new number. ‘that was actually so rude of you, parker.’ 

‘unblock me right now.’ 

Peter shifts in his seat, he does a slow look around the room and finds nothing off putting or alarming. 

‘Who is this?’ 

Green bubbles pop up. ‘unblock me and i’ll tell you.’ Peter was right to guess about extortion. Another swipe, blocked and reported. Peter wasn’t participating in any games. 

A new number. ‘oh, now you’re just being cute.’ 

Peter feels his heart pick up a bit, it’s a tad threatening and now he’s overthinking it a little. What if someone has it out for him? Is there a mark on his back? ‘Please leave me alone.’ 

‘no.’ 

‘can we play 21 questions?’ 

Peter’s face scrunches up, he spins his head around one more time, someone is fucking with him. He has no clue who has time for something like that in university, but he’s not a willing participant anymore, not since high school. 

‘Leave me alone. Go torment a freshman.’ 

‘i don’t like freshmen. i like you.’ Peter chews at his bottom lip, there was a second of hesitancy but he knows the truth deep down. ‘I’m blocking you.’ 

‘sure. i’ll keep texting you, too.’ 

‘I’ll change my number.’ 

‘noooo please don’t do that. i had to work hard enough to get it the first time.’ Peter doesn’t respond. He blocks the number and moves on, and they don’t try to text him again.

Until the next day and Peter knows two things for certain. There is a note in his backpack, and it wasn’t there before his econ lecture. He remembers pulling that pocket open before he started notes, then when he went to zip it up, a note. 

This upsets him. What good was any sense when someone could get that unnoticeably close to him without him knowing? Second, it’s a little frustrating not to know who this person is and how it most likely is connected to the texts he had a few days ago, and that it’s an extremely long played joke that’s mostly boring. 

‘Peter Parker- 

You’ve been secretly admired. It might not be very secret, because I think you’ve caught me staring at you a thousand times. I like you a lot. 

Hopefully liked back, 

-X’ 

But a part of him believes it’s true. He’s trying to think of who’s in his lecture, if he’s caught them staring then they’re either to the side or behind him. There are too many faces, too many times he’s been looked at, he’s almost centered, it’s his fault for choosing a focal point. 

Instead of throwing it away, he refolds the pink handwriting and puts it back into place before hitching a strap over his shoulder and sliding behind chairs. One, two steps up he glances at your face, you have a weak smile, he returns the same kind, it’s more like a polite nod. Peter’s always thought you were pretty and he thinks you're nice. 

But really, he’s wondering who left the note. 

10:30

‘did you get my note?’ Peter does his normal scan across campus, again, his fault for being out in the open. This person could be anywhere, he’s on a picnic bench with a group of friends. If he’s smart, he’d start limiting himself to contained spaces and make you show yourself. 

‘Yeah. Who is this?’ Peter’s thumbs dance around the screen waiting for a reply, it comes quick. ‘i told you. x.’ He stops himself from rolling his eyes, he doesn’t know anyone with an ‘X’ anywhere in their name. 

‘Is that an initial?’ 

‘actually, i’m pretty sure it’s british for kiss.’ 

‘That’s a wild take. Are you saying the UK is responsible for XOXO’s?’ 

‘i’d like to make you responsible for my xoxo’s.’ Peter chews his bottom lip, he won’t play into anything in writing. He doesn’t believe this for a second, everything about this feels off. Someone’s fucking with him and they’re also in his class, or they have someone in on it in his class. 

But this is too advanced.

‘sorry. i don’t mean to like harass you or anything. you’re really hot but you scare me, i don’t think you would like me so idk, maybe if you talk to me you’d like me for me or something.’ 

‘i just think i’m punching wayyyy above my weight class here and i may be making this worse because there is no doubt you think im weird.’ 

‘i am weird. i should leave you alone now. i’m sorry.’ 

Peter reads his screen four times, it’s still not clicking. He’s nothing special and he doesn’t mean that in a way to dog on himself, he’s just nerdy and quiet. It seems a little too authentic to be fake, but he’s got to make sure. 

‘How’d you get my number?’ 

‘your friend. they have been sworn to secrecy but they know what i’m doing and they are in full support. take that as you will.’ 

‘Depends on the friend.’ 

‘i’ll tell you when you find out who i am.’ 

‘I’m going to find out? You’re not going to tell me?’ 

‘i don’t think i’ve been hiding it. you just haven’t been paying attention and now i want you to.’ 

‘Oh, but you’re shy?’ 

‘i’m about to pass out on the lawn behind this fucking screen, don’t play with me parker.’ A slip, you’re around him and you just admitted it. ‘Tell me, admirer, what are you wearing?’ The more detail the better, but he could work off of just a color. 

‘nice try. but you’re looking mighty handsome in the blue.’ A glance down, he suddenly feels watched. ‘Are you stalking me?’ 

‘oh no! no no no. i PROMISE you i’m not that fucking psychotic.’

‘i’m just a “sneak a note into your backpack” level of crazy. i’m here with my roommate and her boyfriend. i saw you and just wanted to know if you got it, i promise.’ 

‘You do understand that this situation makes you seem psychotic, right?’ 

‘yes. but i am not.’ 

‘That sounds like something a crazy person who got my number from a third party would say. Especially after I blocked you six times.’ 

‘it was three and you didn’t understand my intentions but okay. you have a fair point and i extend the olive branch of brett. he gave me your number and he knows me pretty well.’ 

Brett? Easy enough, he nods his head towards him and slides his phone across the table. “Explain.” His friend scrolls through the thread, a trustworthy smile spreads. “Yeah, I gave her your number.” Her. Okay, it’s something. “Who is she?” Brett shrugs, “you know her. She’s kind of a firecracker, you just make her nervous.” 

“That gives me nothing, Brett.” His friend blinks, “she’s not crazy. She likes you a lot for whatever fucking reason and has no idea how to approach you.” Peter’s letting his words soak in, “don’t believe me? Ask her about the grilled cheese, and make sure you tell her that I told you about how she went on for five fucking minutes about the grilled cheese.” 

“What grilled cheese?” Brett slides Peter’s phone back, he’s telling him to ask you. Something tells Peter it’s enough to embarrass, or it might be Brett being the ultimate wingman.

‘I’ve been told to ask you about the grilled cheese.’ 

‘oh god. there is no need to ask about the grilled cheese, did brett tell you about the grilled cheese?’ 

‘He told me to ask you. And to specify that you went on for five minutes about it.’ 

‘five is excessive, it was more like three. second, there is nothing to speak about.’ 

‘I would like to hear about it.’ 

‘i’d prefer if you didn’t.’ 

‘But you’ll do it for me?’ 

‘i’m weak for you and you know it. it’s sicking, parker.’ 

‘i heard you talking about making one in class and you said something about the crust and i really fucking love grilled cheese’s so i had a trip to fantasy land where you made me one and how it’s probably the best thing i’ll never get to taste.’ 

‘Wow. Five whole minutes on that?’ Peter won’t admit it made him feel a little warm on the inside, the most mundane of things to have someone so squirrely makes him feel unworthy. 

‘three.’ 

‘Tell me who you are and I’ll make you a grilled cheese.’ 

‘you have no idea how much that almost worked.’ 

‘What’s the plan then, master manipulator?’ 

‘i don’t know yet. i’m hoping you show me how smart you are and figure me out, then you can do all the hard questions.’ 

‘Hard questions?’ 

‘you know, do you wanna go on a date, do you wanna be my girlfriend, do you want to take my hand in marriage and have a summer home in the french alps? that kind of stuff.’ 

‘Totally not psychotic.’ Peter tucks his bottom lip between his teeth to hide the smile that wants to spread. 

‘mostly not.’ 

WEDNESDAY: 13:57

Peter doesn’t know who X is, but they’re clever and have zero effect on his sixth sense. He doesn’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. Either way, he’s reading a note scribbled in blue pen and as he studies the words he knows it was rushed. It’s proof that he wasn’t being followed everywhere, instead you saw an empty table and an opportunity. 

‘Peter- 

You use mostly gender neutral pronouns. I think that’s very cool. Is it weird that I notice those things about you? Also- what is it that you’re always drinking from Nuthouse? Asking for a friend… 

Have a good day! 

-Your not so secret admirer, X. 

‘Not so secret,’ Peter isn’t sure about that. You’ve done a good enough job at not trying to be obviously known, he might have looked up your number last night to find dust. One was from an app, but the one you’ve been using is a burner phone. 

What he’s really not understanding is how you’re able to get so close to him without him noticing. You had to have been millimeters away when you rested the letter on his backpack, he was gone for less than two minutes and he had zero awareness. 

Peter folds up the note and sticks it in the same pocket as the other one, his back slung around one shoulder as he moves up the stairs for the library. At the same time, you come down the opposite side, Peter gives a friendly acknowledgement. 

You choke down the lump in your throat. “Hi, Peter.” He’s already past you, it’s echoed behind his shoulder. “Hey.” It’s something. You’re trying, you’re trying to be bold for him. But he’s not going to notice, he’s never going to notice you and if you tell him who you are you’ll never live past his disappointment. 

Your phone vibrates, the other phone. Your heart picks up, Peter texted first. 

 14:02 

‘Dirty chai.’ 

‘best of both worlds. how fitting. you’re such a nonconforming king.’ 

‘I don’t even know what that means.’ 

‘But thank you?’ 

‘you’re welcome!’ 

‘anything fun on the roster today?’ 

‘Roster? Who are you?’ 

‘idk you make me nervous. blame yourself.’ 

‘Well, coach. Nothing fun on the roster, just some math. Wanna swap places with me?’ 

‘gross. i hate math so if you like it that’s good with me. one of us has to be smart and it’s not me.’

‘Smart enough to use a burner phone.’ 

‘oooooh, someone tried to find meeee.’ 

‘Can’t blame a guy for being curious, can you?’ 

‘were you disappointed when you found nothing?’ 

‘A little bit. But, you know, it keeps the imagination alive. A little unfair advantage on your side though, you already know what I look like.’ 

‘if it helps, you already know what i look like too.’ 

‘I do?’ 

‘yeah. we’ve talked before.’ 

‘Wait, so I know who you are?’ Brett said he did but Peter thought he meant you’d be familiar, not that he actually knew you. This just opened the floodgates to a million more possibilities. 

‘not really but yeah i guess. you know i exist but we’re not friends or anything.’ 

‘I’d like to think we’re friends, but okay.’ 

‘not outside the texting.’ 

‘That’s your decision.’ 

‘HATER.’ 

‘Anymore hints?’ 

‘.... no.’ 

‘HATER.’ 

FRIDAY: 12:15

You’re about to spill hot tea everywhere but it’ll be worth it to see his face. You ignore your pounding heart and stand in front of him. He’s got no clue you showed up, zoned out looking at the clock on the wall across from him. 

“Hi, Peter.” 

Full frontal attention, he’s looking at you. He’s perceiving you, he’s smiling at you. “Hi,” your eyes expand, he knows your name and it sounds so nice coming from his mouth. Sure, you’ve chatted with each other- even shared a few highlighters, but nothing serious. You’ve always been too scared to try anything else but maybe your fear has been mistaken for indifference. 

“I um, I lucked out today at Nuthouse so if you like dirty chai’s I got an extra one.” Your knees feel weak at his bright eyes, “my favorite. I’d love one, thank you.” You pass over the paper cup, your fingers brush and you think you’re about to collapse. 

“Yeah,” a weak laugh. “I had a feeling.” Peter tilts his head at you funny, you wonder if you pushed a little too far. “Okay, um, I’m gonna… have a good… lecture.” Peter nods and watches you go two rows up, he’s finally got a gut feeling. And it tells him to keep an eye out for you. 

TUESDAY: 12:10

Not that Peter was reliant on your attention, he was used to it. So when the texts stopped for three days and he was unable to find any letters he assumed you had lost interest and moved on. That felt fair to him, no harm no foul, at least he never really got to know you. 

Nevermind, there’s a folded notebook page on his miniature desk and his heart speeds up. His next task, put eyes on you. Bottom level, book and pencil in hand. He makes sure to note it’s a pencil and not the green ink that’s spread across the page. 

Peter thinks it’s a mind game, you were smart enough to know he’d look. Unless he was totally wrong on his guess. 

‘Peter- 

I ran out of minutes on my phone and I’m having a broke college kid moment. However, a friend took pity and donated a twenty to the campaign. I hope you’ve been good- I’ve missed talking to you. 

- Your not so secret admirer, X’ 

ps. stop keeping your backpack so close to you.’

It wasn’t anything personal, you just ran out of minutes. Peter smiles so wide he has to drop it, he almost clutches the paper to his chest in a thank you. Eyeing his backpack, he nudges it a little further behind him, following instruction. He’s kept it close in hopes to catch you, but instead he’s pushing you away. 

Peter’s committing the writing to memory as if he’s going to find you by the handwriting alone. A quick glance at footsteps, you’re three steps away when you smile. “Hi, Peter.” He nods, “hey.” You pause for a moment, mind racing for words. 

“Did you, um- did you do anything fun this weekend?” You’re about to crawl into a hole and die, it takes a moment to click that you were speaking to him. He went as far to look behind himself, then he spewed the answer to try and make up for the lost time. 

“Oh, uh not really. My aunt got a new bed so I had to lug the old one down seven flights of stairs.” Your eyes widen, you feel your mouth go dry and your tongue go thick. “By yourself?” Peter crosses his arms over his chest, a boyish grin swept over and you feel heart eyes form. 

“I’m a good nephew.” You want to pat his head and tell him you’re sure he is, then maybe hold him at gunpoint and tell you more stories about how he’s a perfect humanitarian. But you act like a normal human and smile back, “you sound like it.” 

Peter thanks you and you return to your seat with wobbly knees and a weak stomach, it’s silent torture to tease yourself like this with him. But you can’t help it and it’s only in effort to go after what you want. Even if it blows up when he figures out who you are. 

12:13

‘you’re looking mighty handsome today, mr. parker.’ 

‘I’m wearing a hoodie, but thank you.’ 

‘i said what i said.’ 

Boldly, ‘i see someone had another dirty chai. can’t stay away from them, can you?’ 

Another tick in Peter's stomach, he almost looks behind his shoulder at you, but he doesn’t. ‘It was a generous donation from a classmate.’ 

‘oh? pray tell, peter. pray tell.’ 

‘What? You don’t have a clue about who gave it to me?’ 

You swallow thickly, before you could get something out he sent another message. ‘No chance you didn’t see it go down?’ 

‘how could i? I was still on my way.’ 

‘... or was i?’ 

‘Tell you what, X. It one of the best teas I’ve had in a while.’ 

And you’d be damned if that didn’t make your entire chest flutter. 

FRIDAY: 15:29

“Here,” Peter’s hand clasped over the paper slapped into his chest. A hint of a syllable, Brett cuts himself off. “She asked me to give this to you.” Peter quickly read it and stared down before confiding in his friend for a second. 

‘Peter- 

Roses are red, violets are blue, all that I think about is you. 

It’s sweet in a cringy way, right? Boo on you for skipping class today, if you want, I could get you some notes. 

I hope I’ll see you Tuesday. 

-Your (really) not so secret admirer, X

ps. A pen exploded in my pocket. 10/10 chance my thigh will be stained.’

“I think I might know who it is.” 

“Uh, huh.” 

“But, she’s way out of my league.” 

“Correct.” 

Peter raised his eyebrows, “so it’s her?” He clarified with your name, Brett shrugged back. 

“I won’t be confirming or denying.” Peter knows what that means, “the lack of a no usually means yes.” 

“Bro,” Peter starts sputtering, “oh, c’mon! You know what I meant, I just meant that, I just- c’mon, Brett. Is it her?” 

“I have no idea who that is.” Peter wants to call bullshit, he has a gut feeling and he swears it’s you. You’re right, it’s not so secret. In fact, you’re painfully obvious. 

FRIDAY: 23:14 

‘you are soooooooo cute’ 

‘like your hair is so cute’ 

‘i looooove curly hair on guys and you have that!!!!!!!!!’ 

‘and you’re really funny cause like it’s so quick and witty like you have such good one liners’ 

‘also you’re really fucking hot and i KNOW you’re hiding something under those fucking sweaters and the second i see skin i WILL go feral.’ 

‘Something tells me you’re at the Kappa party.’ Peter’s pretending he doesn’t have a searing blush. If he’s got an inkling this could be you… then he might have proof for the non-believers that god exists. 

‘yes!!! are you here?? i should come see you.’ 

‘I hate to disappoint you, but I’m currently at a friend's house playing a Mario Kart drinking game.’ 

“But it’s nice to know that you’d give me your identity that quick.’ 

‘oh i can tell you who i am.’ Peter frowns at the text, he’s been doing nothing but crave the answer to who’s behind the love letters but it feels wrong. It’s not satisfactory enough for him, it’s also not what you want, you’re just drunk- and Peter’s going out on a limb here- horny. 

‘Save it for later.’ 

‘And maybe drink some water.’ 

‘i’d do anything for you cause you have the world's prettiest brown eyes’

‘Thank you for the compliments.’ 

‘you’re super welcome i try to hold them back because i’m a good girl but you’re just so cute i had to let you know’ 

‘I think you’re going to super regret this in the morning.’ 

‘false. maybe fact idk’

‘i should trust you tho because you’re super smart and you’re a nerd.’ 

‘I fear this is taking a turn for the worse.’ 

‘and that is so fucking HOT’

‘Oh. Back to compliments. Thank you.’ 

‘if you were here i’d give you a kiss’

‘IGNORE THAT!!!!’

‘I DIDN’T MEAN TO SEND THAT!!!! IGNORE IT’ 

‘Not ignored. How cute.’ 

‘screaming crying throwing up’ 

‘i really didn’t mean to send that it was a joke ha ha funny.’ 

‘Idk, sounded authentic to me.’ 

‘peter?’ 

‘Yeah?’ 

‘i’m a little drunk rn. and you should know how cute you are.’ 

‘Oh, I’m talking about record breaking levels of regret. This is amazing.’ 

‘i have to pee but i do not reget this!!!!!!’ 

SATURDAY: 09:54

‘i stand by my claim and do not regret a thing.’ 

‘correction. i regret this hangover and the way my previous texts are not very cool girl of me.’ 

‘but i would like to know if you won mario last night.’

‘also, who’s ur fav character?’ 

11:12

1. Proud of you for owning it, that’s very cool girl of you. 

2. I did not win. 

3. Petey Piranha. 

‘who tf is petey piranha.’

‘Mario Kart Sunshine. Came out in 2002. (Originally on GameCube but recently released on switch.) (Hell yeah.)’ 

Your heart thumps, he’s such a nerd and you wanna kiss the air out of his lungs. ‘out of all the characters and u choose him. why petey piranha’ 

‘One guess.’ 

‘PETEY PIRANHA.’ 

‘OH MY GOD.’ 

‘you’re petey piranha <333’ 

Peter fights a grin, ‘I am.’ 

‘you’re so cute. i love that.’ 

‘Personally, in the past 24 hours I don’t think I’ve heard enough about how cute I am.’

‘you’re insufferable and it’s sexy.’ 

‘Oo, new one to the mix. You’re making me blush.’ You really are. He’s never been considered sexy before and it feels really nice. 

‘and i bet you look super cute.’ 

‘Super true.’ 

TUESDAY: 12:34

‘white t shirt white t shirt white t shirt WHITE T SHIRT.’ 

‘You like?’ 

‘i’m about to cry i’m biting my fist so fucking hard.’ 

‘:)’ 

‘you’re so ubuibabeyia.’ 

‘Bless you.’ 

‘?’ 

‘Sorry, I assumed you sneezed.’ Peter never whipped his head around so fast at an audible laugh behind him. It was short, it had escaped without being thought about. He’s looking for you, but it doesn’t seem like it was you who laughed. You’re engrossed in chatting to your neighbor. 

On the other hand, you almost blew it by clasping your hands over your mouth. Instead you looked next to you and said, directly and with a burning gaze, “I need you to pretend we’ve been talking this whole time.” 

‘Someone’s losing their edge, you’re just begging to be caught.’ 

‘oh, i’m begging all right.’ 

‘can you hear me whimpering too?’ 

‘Easy, killer. Let’s not start sexting at noon on a Tuesday.’ 

‘are you saying there is a time for it?’ 

‘Give me a little wave and we’ll see.’ 

‘too late, i’m passed out on the floor. the only thing that can resuscitate me are those thick arms wrapped around me.’ 

‘Let these strong arms sweep you off your feet, all you gotta do is come talk to me after lecture…’ 

Peter says that, but he doesn’t mean it. He’ll definitely eat his words when he sees it’s you, then he’d be coming up with a thousand ways to back out of it. He’s so much more than you deserve, you feel so safe behind a keyboard but in person you can barely say a sentence. 

It’s stupid and a little humbling because you’ve never felt this way about a guy before. 

‘trust me, i’m better in your imagination.’ 

WEDNESDAY: 14:22

‘Peter- 

You know a little about a lot and I think that is one of my favorite things about you. Or maybe it’s your voice. I could listen to you talk forever. 

-Your not so secret admirer, X’ 

A note under his textbook, if he follows his hunch then he’d be looking for… you. Conveniently three tables away and to the right of his own, you’re not looking for his reaction, you’ve got your focus on your own textbook but he swears you’re retaining none of it. It’s a distraction, or maybe it’s a diversion. 

Peter doesn’t mind. He’s going to wait. He has all the time in the world today and he’s going to sit here with his eyes on you until you look up at him because he knows you’re going to and once you do, he’s going to have his answer. 

If he’s right, and he swears he is, he’s going to absolutely lose is shit because what do you mean you like him and are intimidated? You boldly lied when you said you were punching above your weight class. Does it make him a jerk to say he wasn’t even thinking of you as a suitor and maybe a girl with a much more average look?

 Peter counted to sixty twice, you glance up, eyes shooting to the note you left on the table. The next stop, Peter’s face. And oh, you were not prepared to have him looking right back. Panic, you shoot a wave, a desperate attempt to pretend you’re seeing a familiar face. 

Peter waves back but he looks much more satisfied than you did, you wonder if the jig is up. Did he crack the code? Was he just trying to find a friendly way to let you down? Deny til death, he has no proof it’s you. You pack your things up, a hurried scramble before you could lose your cool. 

On the way out you almost stop breathing, your forearm caught in Peter’s hand. You’re staring down at it, he’s not removing it. It burns in the best way. “Hey,” you wait, you can’t stop looking at his hand, the muscle, the subtle flex, his fingertips paler to show his grip. “Hi, Peter.” 

It’s breathless, you think you’re about to die. If he asks, you don’t know how you’ll lie your way out. 

Guess who’s got a stained pocket? The corner edge darkened with black ink that would never be washed out. Peter has his answer. You’re her. You’re X. “Thanks again for the tea.” 

 Maybe you wanted more, you feel a bit deflated when it’s all you receive.

“You’re welcome.” Your arm feels cold when he drops his touch, you linger for a second too long, you’re not sure when you’ll be this brave again. It was too much of a close call. “I hope the rest of your day is good.” 

Peter’s got a charismatic grin, he feels settled now that he knows you’re the anonymous lover in his life. Even more so when you find yourself shy and reserved in person, it almost makes him giggle to think of the stark changes in confidence.

“You too.” Your body engulfs into flames when your arm is caught again, you’re struggling to keep calm at his boyish smile. “Quick question,” you nod slightly, trying to show zero paranoia for the following words. 

“Do you have a boyfriend?” 

Short circuiting. You see black spots, you think you’re about to pass out. There is only one thing that means, no guy asks that if they weren’t interested in changing that, right? 

“No.” It’s anything but graceful. It sounds like you’ve never had a boyfriend before. It makes you sound like you’re scared he asked it. 

But, Peter doesn’t take it like that. He smiles wider, like he already knew the answer before he asked it.

THURSDAY: 16:37

A new letter, stuffed under the top handle of his backpack. Peter listened and stopped setting it next to him, in return he was rewarded. He can’t stop the small smile, you make it involuntary at this point. Peter’s never felt so special in his life, a little part of him wants this to never end. But he’d much rather look you in the eyes. 

‘Peter- 

I had a dream with you in it last night. Don’t worry, you had your clothes on. I’m not sure what we were doing but you were across from me at a diner and we were sitting in those super thick booths and our friends were there. 

I don’t know who these friends were, and I don’t think you do either. But I knew them as our friends. 

It felt really nice. I’m happy to know you, even if I just get this little piece. 

-Your not so secret admirer, X’

Peter’s been wrong a lot in his life but this time he really thinks he has it figured out. He’s much more bold now, this letter tells him it’s not infatuation, it’s love. 

You love him and he thinks he could love you too. 

FRIDAY: 20:08

‘Hey.’ Peter could be making the worst decision of his life here, he could be reading everything wrong and ruining this for himself. 

‘hi peter!’ But he really thinks he’s got it right.  

‘I really, really liked talking to you for the past few weeks but I think I should tell you that I like someone else.’ 

Gut wrenching despair. You knew it was too good to last, you knew he’d find someone more in his league. Someone who’d be willing to show him their face. There was no reason to respond because what would you say to that? 

‘thank you for letting me know that opening up to you was all for nothing!’ 

‘thanks for making me doubt love!’ 

‘hope you and her are so fucking happy together!!!!!’ 

Fuck it all and fuck Peter. He just liked the attention until it came from somewhere else. You don’t think you like him all that much anymore. You think you’re lying, too. Before you can give into the desire of hurting him just as bad, you calmly turn the phone off and stuff it in the back of a desk drawer to never be uncovered again. 

You slowly sit in bed and tug the blankets over your head. And only then, do you allow yourself to sob. 

Peter chewed on his bottom lip and waited an hour with constant phone checks before he realized a response was never coming. It really set in during the weekend but even further when he got no note or letter on monday. Not even when he left his backpack unattended for five minutes. 

TUESDAY -he was able to see you and how you avoided his eyes. How you pretended you didn’t see him send a small wave. How you had pulled back from him. 

And if he hadn’t hurt your feelings, or X’s feelings, why would you do that? 

You look up at a two fingered knock at the corner of your desk. “Hi.” You blink and ignore the white noise buzzing in your ears at the sight of Peter standing in front of you. “Hi, Peter.” 

“How was your weekend?” Bitter. Terrible. Lonely.

“Fine. Nothing exciting.” Besides you breaking my heart. 

Watching his fingertips dance on the edge of the plastic, you feel everything in you brighten. “You look sad.” There’s a burn in your stomach, he’s the reason for both the sting and the sadness. 

“Do you need something? Or are you just doing a friendly check in?” Peter bites back the grin when you snap at him, he’s so, so, so right and it feels so, so, so good. “Neither. I’m just confirming my suspicions.” 

“Suspicions?” 

“Yeah. You passed.” Your eyebrows furrow, before you could try to question further Peter was giving half a wave, saying bye, and skipping a step to his aisle. 

FRIDAY: 12:08

You stop breathing for a solid second before feeling your brain spark back to life. It could be anything, it could be from anyone, but you know there’s only one person who would’ve left a note on your desk. 

Your fingers slightly shake when you unfold the graph paper, little squares bled through with black sharpie. 

‘X-

Am I right?

Hopefully, 

-  Peter’ 

You can’t breathe, you can’t talk, you can’t move and you definitely can fucking not look at him. No, no, no. You can feel his eyes on you, you know he’s watching for your reaction. Peter figured you out and had his own fun along the way. 

You were the girl he liked. Oh, wow. Is this how special you’ve made him feel? Something just for your eyes, from him. A secret you both shared between lines. 

You spin and swear you can feel his gaze running over your back, he’s aching for the answer. You almost scream at a tap on your shoulder, a peek lets you know it’s the person you’re hiding from. 

Another note, folded up just like the other one. It’s pushed into your hand, Peter doesn’t say a word, he just offers and leaves. He’s not watching this time, he’s sitting and focused on the front, you feel air leak back into your lungs. 

Full on panic shaking, you’re so happy he’s not watching. 

Your name is addressed on the front, just like you do for him. 

‘I like you. 

I think you not so secretly like me too. 

We could talk more about it at dinner tonight. Will you let me take you out?

Circle yes or no. 

- Peter.

PS. XOXOXO now you’re responsible for mine, too.’ 

“Come on, sweetheart! I have a concert to pretend to pay attention to.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡? | 𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

you finally work up the courage to kiss Eddie for the first time and he can’t cope (even if he claims he can). 2k words. requested here

cw fem!reserved/shy!reader, first kiss, heavy kissing, mutual pining, eddie being a hot dork

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Some people (Steve) call Eddie your loser boyfriend, while other people (the girls at work) call him the rockstar. 

You see both sides of him now. 

“Sweetheart!” he calls, the passenger seat window rolled down, his voice strong where he shouts behind the wheel. The van bumps the curve, leaving a sanguine line of rust in its wake and a creak to make everybody on the sidewalk wince. 

“Hello,” you call back. 

The van hums. You wait for him to be at a definite stop before you approach, hands on the open window, leaning up so as to see him best. It’s not just a usual date night tonight, Eddie’s taking you to Indianapolis for a rock show, and he’s dressed the part. “Woah, you look cool,” you say, bravely, wondering if that’s the right thing to say. It’s undoubtedly true —he’s slicked his curls with mousse to define them and leave them pitch black in accordance with his eyeshadow, dark and tapped into his lash line. The top he wears is incredibly tight, carving the softer lines of his abs for anyone to see, and his black jacket is ripped in places to expose the ink of his tattoos. “Are they multiplying?” 

“What?” he asks, grinning at you. “Are you getting in? It’s freezing!” 

“Your tattoos,” you explain, opening the door and popping up into the van with one shoe on the step. 

“Shit, you wanna see?” 

You’re not scared of Eddie, you just like him. He doesn’t worry you, doesn’t pressure you, nothing nefarious about him. He’s pretty, he’s considerate, and he does stuff like this, peeling out of his jacket to flex his arm at you and show you the Saran wrapping around his bicep. “Like that one?” he asks.

He has nice arms, and they’re all the better for his painful obsession. His newest one is difficult to see well under the wrapping. He notices you squinting and moves it up, tape pulling his skin. 

“Another bat?” you ask. 

“Not cool?” 

“So cool,” you disagree. This bat is unlike the others on his arm, which are small and simple in comparison. This one is heavily detailed and very dark, fangs in small triangles bared. The eyes aglow. The skin around it is red. “Did you get that today?” 

“On a whim. Still wanna date me, or is it getting to be too much?” 

You can’t answer him, and he knows that. You’re not very good at navigating intimate conversation or circumstance, though you like him, and he must know that too. Or he must really like you. Your dates have been chaste. Only last time could you work up the courage to take his hand, but when you had, he rewarded your courage with a drove of tenderness, fingers rubbing your knuckles and squeezing soft patterns for hours at the back of the movie theatre. 

The drive to Indianapolis takes near enough an hour. Eddie puts you on map duty but doesn’t use it, ignoring your offer of directions on the insistence that he knows a shortcut and then rerouting when you get too lost. He tells you there are snacks for you in the centre console and laughs, endeared, when you pop the lid and smile at it all. You talk about the show, a band you’d never heard of but had wanted to see on the grounds of sharing his interests. That’s what couples do, right? They try to do things together. You have to put yourself out of your comfort zone, and you’re happy to try if it means you can do it with him. 

“You nervous?” he asks, pulling into the parking garage outside of the venue, a towering, multi-story fiasco crammed with cars and motorbikes. 

“No,” you say, not quite mumbling as you look down at your hands. 

“Good, don’t be. I’m gonna look after you, we’re gonna have a great time. And then we can get takeout after?” You look up. He stretches his arm out to glance at his watch. “I would’ve taken you before, but good old Indianapolis keeps getting further away.” He smiles apologetically. 

You laugh without meaning to. His smile ramps up a notch. 

“I love when you laugh. You have such a cute laugh,” he says. 

“I know you’re lying,” you say, still laughing anyways. 

“I’m not lying, I love the way you laugh!” He shakes his head, curls falling away from his face as he flicks on the light on the car roof. “We have half an hour till doors open.”

“You don’t wanna line up?” 

“It’s kind of overwhelming and I figured we’d stay near the back of the crowd for your first gig here, it gets pretty rowdy.” He says ‘pretty rowdy’ like a drag, nodding gently, eyes lit with mirth. You love it when he talks like that. 

“We can go now, get further in. I can handle it.” 

“It’s not about handling it, I want you to have a good time. Plus, they could ruin your nice dress.” 

You meet his gaze all smiles like he is, but heat flickers in your chest and in your stomach, and you have to look away. It’s an impulse you’ve always given into. You’re reserved in the feelings department but trying not to be, Eddie deserves reciprocation, but it’s hard. Either way, he seems to understand this about you, and he hasn’t complained. 

Still, a bedraggled silence falls. Nearly awkward, unsure of how to tread, you sit together in your separate seats listening to cars parking and doors opening, closing on either side of you, the headlights of the cars driving past glaringly bright, white flashing over your screwed palms. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

You’re sure Eddie wants to kiss you. Three nights ago at the movies, after an hour of languid hand holding, he’d looked at your lips no less than three times as he said good night. He told you he’d had an amazing time, and that he couldn’t wait to see you again. You’d said the same in earnest, and then he’d just walked away. All those stolen glances and he hadn’t made a move. 

“Eddie… why…” You poke your tongue into your bottom lip momentarily, chewing it over. “Why haven’t we kissed yet?” 

“Um–” He lets out a nervous giggle before roughly clearing his throat. You peek at him, watching intently as he takes his hair away from his face with two hands. “I’m just waiting on you, sweetheart. No pressure.” He laughs as he talks, a picture of panic, “You’re sort of shy about that stuff, you know? I didn’t wanna surprise you.” 

“But you do want to kiss me?” you ask unsurely.

He puts his hand on your knee, the space between you suddenly smaller and warmer, the light like white glaze on his pupils, illuminating his finer details. He has a mole nestled under his eyelashes too small to see until now; it catches your attention. You stare at him too long. 

“Of course I do,” he says, eyebrows pinching together in concern. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since I met you.” 

You nod and snap your head back to your lap. Why does he have to be so nice? You wish you’d listened to Steve, even if he was joking, you shouldn’t have ever said yes to Eddie, because now you’re terrified you can’t kiss him and you’ll ruin everything…

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m not waiting for anything. You can take your time or you could never kiss me, and I won’t care. I swear. I mean, I really want you to kiss me but I’ll find a way to cope, I’m sure.” He takes his hand from your leg softly. “Do you want my jacket? It’s cold out, n’ we should probably start walking.” 

You pull your head up slowly. 

He reads your hesitant expression. “I’m in no rush,” he promises, head ever so slightly ducked to yours. 

Okay, you think. Okay, I can do this. You hold your breath and start to lean in. He falters, a millisecond of misunderstanding, before he recognises what you’re doing and smiles. He reaches for your waist with enough care to give you a chance to change your mind, and when you’re close enough to feel his breath, his lashes shutter. 

You follow suit, blind, with nothing but your intuition as you press your lips to his. 

With a feeling like the hum of the engine under your hands, you bring your fingers to his soft cheek and hold him still. He breathes in harshly, touches you far from it, his palm slipping behind your back to pull you in. You lean into it; it feels natural to give in, to turn your head one way and part your lips, to have him kiss back with heat and surprising sweetness.

You feel unlike yourself in a good way, falling back to kiss forward again, a third time, trying to chase the lulling bliss of his lips. The stomach aching want. Your hand chases across his cheek and into the curls behind his ear, needing him closer but not expecting the sound it elicits. He sighs into your lips and you flinch back, startled by the sensation. 

Eddie rubs your back with his index finger, unjudging as you drop your head to catch your breath. 

“You okay?” he asks quietly. You can hear his affection. It’s palpable. 

You nod, a dizzy weight collected in your forehead, thankful when his free hand catches your cheek and he turns your face gently to the side. “I got too hot,” you confess, only half of the truth. 

“It was pretty hot.” He smiles at you like you’re the only person in the world, like you’ve a secret only he knows. “Want me to turn on the A/C?” 

“No, I–” want to kiss you again, you think. You might even tell him so, but he starts to blow on your face, disrupting any thoughts you’d had earlier. He purses his lips and blows cold breath on your cheek, a tenderness in his gaze and the tip of his thumb where it rests just under your eye. “Oh.” 

This might be the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for you. Your face feels precious in his careful hand, pretty under his longing look. You’re not scared when he encourages you back to his lips, your eyes quick to close, your hands across the gap of your seats to gather his shirt between tight fingers. 

His kiss is a reflection of him. Loser, rockstar, he’s eager and his hands start to betray that, his kissing melty hot and addictive as the tip of his nose presses hard to yours. You turn your face to accommodate him better and that small action drives him crazy. He’s pulling you in, smiling into your mouth, making breathy sounds that’ll stick around in your head ten times as long as the tingles filling your chest as just kisses and kisses and doesn’t stop. 

“M’sorry,” he says, pulling away, and then stealing another heavy, soft kiss like he couldn’t wait. “Sorry,” he apologises again, stroking the skin beside your eye to encourage you into opening them. “I’m not trying to get carried away. Just can’t believe you just kissed me.” 

“No, it’s okay, I– I really wanted to.” 

He kisses your cheek. You aren’t expecting it and you don’t know how to deal with it. It’s like kissing him has invigorated him, you’re a shot he knocked back, his excitement catching as he begs, “Close your eyes again, sweetheart, just one more–”

You raise your chin and he practically gasps, immediately pressing a last chaste kiss to your burning lips. 

“I’m not always like this,” he promises, leaning away, his fingertips falling from your face to trace down your neck, your shoulder. “You’re just so fucking pretty I lost my mind. I’m on best behaviour from now on, swears.” 

He raises his hand up in a scout’s honour. 

You breathe out happily. “Thank you.” 

“Oh my god. Quick, we better get out of this van before I lose my mind.” He shakes his head. “You’re insane. I have such a crush on you, holy fuck,” —he turns away from you and gets out of the van— “Jesus.” 

You pull down the sun visor to check your reflection in the mirror. You look thoroughly kissed, eyes aglow with it. 

“Fuck!” Eddie swears. You beam at yourself as he wraps on the window. “Come on, sweetheart! I have a concert to pretend to pay attention to.” 

You slink out of your seat, brave enough to try for another kiss so long as it doesn’t kill him dead right here in the parking lot. 

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

please like/reblog or comment if you enjoyed! I love knowing what you think and it means so much to me/ inspires me to write even more!!! <3 but of course I hope you enjoyed reading regardless :D 

Kiss prompt #9 with Eddie? Por favor?

anything for you. ♥

#9: "I think I deserve a kiss."

Eddie is charming your mother. You can tell even from this distance, sitting on the small step in front of your porch while you watch them.

He's been squatting with a some sort of screwdriver near that lawnmower for about 10 minutes, poking it, tightening screws, taking out parts of it you can't even name.

His hands are dirty with what you suppose it's oil, but he doesn't seem to care. He's so focused that he brings the back of his hand to his face and leaves a stain on his cheek without even realizing it.

You smile.

He looks up from time to time, to sneak a glance your way or when your mother talks to him, and then the two of them laugh amicably. After a few more moments, Eddie straightens up the lawnmower and turns it on, demonstrating that, as if by magic, it now works. Your mom thanks Eddie politely, then says something that makes him, you realize, look embarrassed as he stands up, wiping his hands on a grey cloth.

Embarrassed, Eddie? It's an unusual occurrence, to say the least.

It doesn't last long.

She says something else to him, insists. Eddie vehemently denies with small smile. You wonder if she's offering him money.

Eddie, very helpful, turns the mower off and puts it back in the garage.

Your mom touches your shoulder affectionately when she passes you on her way back inside the house, offering a smile that you're not sure you understand. Maybe it's best to not even try to understand.

Eddie comes right behind her, looking very pleased with himself.

The step is too small for two people, but he sits down next to you anyway, his knee lightly bumping yours. "I think I just won your mother over," he announces, and it's probably true; that lawnmower had been abandoned in your garage for the past few months, all but useless. He'll sure be in your mother's good graces for a long time.

"And why would you need to win her over?"

He bumps your shoulder with his. "Oh, you know, for when we decide to get married."

Eddie has no filter. You shouldn't even get flustered by this kind of comment at this point.

You laugh without looking at him, although you sound a little more nervous than you'd like. "So fixing a lawnmower is worth my hand in marriage?" you ask in mock seriousness.

"No, but it's a start. Don't you think I deserve, say…" he puts a strand of hair behind your ear, the tips of his fingers lightly brushing your temple. "…a kiss? I think I deserve a kiss. Sounds fair enough, doesn't it?"

Now you have no choice but to look at him. This space really is too small for two people, and the proximity between is slowly melting away what little common sense you have left.

"You can ask her," you chuckle, pointing to the front door despite knowing that, of course, Eddie wasn't talking about your mother, "but I think my dad won't like the idea, you know."

Eddie grins when you look away. He can read you like a book.

"Don't be mean, sweetheart."

"You're the one being mean."

He leans closer, and you can feel his breath on your cheek, the tip of his nose almost touching the side of your face, hoping you turn to look at him too. "Me? I'm just trying to make things clear." He pauses, and you can practically hear him thinking. "Maybe I should try a different approach."

You tilt your head, curious. "Like what?"

"Like..." Eddie hesitates for a moment, gathering his courage, "…you could go out with me."

You blink.

"Don't look so surprised," he says quickly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I can do dates. Fancy dinner, movies, the whole shebang. Just give me a chance."

You can't help but laugh, turning your head to look into his eyes. It's true, at first glance, he's not exactly the most romantic person you know, with his tattoos, his love for heavy metal and his old van that always smells like cheap cologne, cigarettes and leather. But none of that matters, because you can't deny that there's something there between the two of you, something that you've been forcing yourself to ignore for far too long.

The oil stain is still right there, on his cheek. Without thinking too much, you reach up and rub it off slowly with the pad of your thumb. "I don't need fancy," you murmur, because it's true. You don't care about the glitz and the glamor, not when it comes to Eddie.

His breath hitches when you touch him, like he's not used to anyone being this gentle with him, like he's forgotten what it feels like.

You can feel the warmth of his skin through your fingers, the rough stubble of his beard prickling your palm. You wonder if he knows how soft you've become around him, how easily you let him affect you.

"Really?" he whispers, eyes wide and unblinking, as if he's afraid he's imagining this.

You nod, still rubbing his cheek even though the stain is already long gone. You can feel him relaxing into the touch, leaning into you just a little more. It's like he's been waiting for this, for someone to finally see past the tough exterior he shows the world and find the tender, vulnerable boy underneath.

Eddie grins, leaning closer, his voice lowering to a husky murmur. "I promise to be on my best behavior."

[join my 3k followers celebration! ♥]

I had this idea about eddie dating reader who is obsessed with pop boy bands! tysmm

i'm so obsessed with this idea bless you anon — the town freak tries to impress the local cool girl and, in true eddie munson fashion, it doesn't go as quite expected (friends to lovers, fluff, shameless it reference, 1.1k)

bug's one year celebration ♡

Eddie stands across the counter at Family Video and lays a collection of cassettes on top of it. 

Steve blinks once at the tapes, then twice up at him. “…What is this?” he wonders, visibly dumbfounded.

“Do you interrogate every customer that comes in here?” the wild-haired boy quips, digging into the pockets of his leather jacket for some wadded-up bills. “Just scan it.”

“New Kids on the Block? New Edition?” Steve announces as he bags each plastic case. His chiseled features twist in confusion. “Who are you, and what did you do with Eddie Munson?”

“It’s not for me, dingus.”

“First of all, don’t call me that. And second of all, who the hell is it for then?”

“Someone. No one,” Eddie mumbles, shrugging and shifting his weight on his feet, doing a terrible job of hiding his sudden sheepishness. “Don’t worry about it.”

Steve’s eyes narrow. “A girl?”

“…Maybe.”

“A pretty girl?”

Eddie scoffs an unamusing laugh. “Sure. If that’s the only way your pea brain knows how to describe someone as… uncanny, and demonic, and fascinating as she is.”

Steve’s brows pinch in a subtle horror. He’s not sure what most of those words mean, but they don’t really sound like compliments. He just shrugs and decides not to press it any further. “…Okay.”

“She’s just into this stuff, okay?” Eddie confesses, gesticulating wildly with his ringed hands. “And I wanna like the things that she likes— Is that so bad?”

“Yeah, actually. It’s very, very bad,” Steve answers without thinking twice. He passes him the plastic bag full of tapes with a sympathetic glint in his eye. “’Cause that means you’re in love.”

————— 

Eddie stands outside the arcade in wait for you. He knows you always come to The Palace on Fridays — right before the school day ends, so you have a couple hours of peace before the snotty middle schoolers run you out with their post-P.E. stench.

He wears a set of headphones over his untamed curls and a walkman clipped to his jeans. It plays a pop song he’s only ever heard on the car radio. Steve’s radio, specifically. He’s heard you hum it a time or two, and it’s the only time he’s ever been able to stand it — as if he needed another reason to prove Steve right. 

He was head over heels, disgustingly, wretchedly, completely, utterly, and totally in love with you.

Propped against the driver’s side door of his van, he exhales smoke from his lungs and sees you walking down the sidewalk. 

Your pink tights swish at the knees while your plaid skirt, in a grass green color, flutters around your thighs. Your sweater’s bright blue, and the only thing halfway matching the rest of your outfit is the bright emerald dinosaur pictured on the front of it.

You beam at the sight of him. “Teddy? What are you doing here?”

“I’d guess the same thing you’re doing here, sweetheart,” he quips, playing cool as he snuffs out his cigarette with the heel of his worn sneaker.

“Normally, you’re busy on Fridays… I’m starting to feel like you’re stalking me.”

Eddie’s deep brown eyes narrow, twinkling with dark chocolate. “And how would you know that I’m busy on Fridays?” he teases, tilting his wild head to his shoulder.

You shrug, faltering for a blink of a moment. “Corroded Coffin always performs on Fridays. Everyone knows that.”

“Well, maybe just you and the… four other drunks that happento come to the Hideout on Fridays,” he jokes with a boyish laugh.

“Touché,” you concede, smiling wider. “Whatcha listening to?”

You reach out for him, taking the headphones from his ears like you always do. You place them over your own head and expect to hear something loud and heavy — that’s what you usually catch him listening to, anyway. A wide smile blooms on your lips when a familiar song fills your ears.

“New Kids on the Block?” you wonder with a scrunched nose, voice distant with disbelief.

Eddie had been expecting this. He’d spent ten minutes praying this exact moment would happen, but he stumbles over himself about it anyway. “Yeah. Uh, Family Video— They’re selling tapes and stuff now— To keep from going out of business, I guess,” he stammers, laughing awkwardly as he scratches the back of his neck. “So, I don’t know. I guess, I thought I’d—”

“Buy it for yourself?” you finish for him, with a knowing grin on your petaled mouth. “And then try to impress me by waiting outside the arcade I go to every Friday? Even though you’re usually busy practicing?”

You see right through him with little effort. Mostly because you’re one and the same — hopelessly in love and tripping over yourselves with it.

Eddie nods, then laughs. “Yeah, actually. That’s— That’s the half of it, yeah.”

Your smile quietens when you slip the headphones back over his head, fingers brushing his curls and palms grazing his flushed cheeks. “Maybe we can go together sometime?” you offer and step back from him again. “I can show you where they kept the real music. You know, make sure they got the right stuff to listen to.”

His chest swells. He almost forgets to breathe. 

He never, in a million years, would’ve expected his first unofficial date with you to be at Family Video, of all places — but he’s grateful for it nonetheless. He figures he could go just about anywhere and be happy as long as he could look over and see you standing right beside him.

Eddie nods until the words catch up to him. “Yeah. Sure. Yeah. That sounds— That sounds good.”

“I’ll call you when I’m free,” you tease and walk on by him. 

You’re always free. He knows that. You’re always everywhere and nowhere all at once. Even now, standing right in front of him, you’ll disappear like you’d never been there at all. You just like to keep him guessing, really, and he knows that, too. It’s why he melts for you so easy.

“Okay,” he nods, rapid and utterly dumb.

“I’ll see you soon. Maybe.”

He watches you meander towards the entrance of the arcade. Words start to bubble in his throat. They spill out before his brain can decide whether or not to actually say them. “Please don’t go girl,” he blurts while the lyrics of the same song croon in his ears.

You spin around and blink wordlessly at him. You don’t look confused, but you don’t look impressed either. Eddie can’t gauge the emotion on your face, and he falters.

“That’s the... That’s the name of… of one of their songs,” he stammers.

He blinks, and you’re beaming again. A golden laugh spills from your lips, like honey and summer and sunshine. “I know, Teddy,” you grin — voice as warm and as fond as your glittering gaze. 

He grieves when you turn away again, walking into the arcade without looking back at him once.

Eddie doesn’t breathe again until you’re gone, forgets how to until you’re done clouding his vision.

You’ll be the death of him yet.

💝

𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛.ೃ࿔

𝑡𝑜 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔

𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑚

𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑠𝒕, 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒇𝒇

𝒎.𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

It's humid. So impossibly humid. Your lungs can barely find air.

You're waiting patiently in your car as the rain batters down on your poor windshield. It's almost impossible to hear the tune that plays over the radio; the lyrics are lost in the drowning sound of raindrops, but the bass is still slightly detectable.

The parking lot of the Family Video was empty and boring except for the bright neon sign at the front of the building. It was date night, a rare occasion reserved for the summer, but the night was looking bleak. You weren't really in the mood for a full dinner date in your soggy state, clothes absolutely soaked through from your twenty second bolt to the car.

You truthfully didn't mind the rain; you didn't even really mind the humidity either. It was like a warm, wet hug. The thick air mixed with cool drizzle reminded you of late, rainy nights on family trips to the beach.

This summer had been particularly unpredictable for weather, but you much preferred the cool rain over the scorching sun.

The second the raindrops meet the sweltering concrete, they begin to evaporate, leaving a comforting mist swirling around your car.

The next thing you know, the driver's side door swings open, letting in a cacophony of pittering and pattering from outside. You slide over hastily to the passenger seat so he can take your spot.

You can't help but smile when you see him.

Steve is completely soaked, more so than you, and his uniform is a little crumpled and tattered in places. Upon closer inspection in the dark, you faintly catch the glint of little droplets falling from the locks hanging at the front of his face, dripping all over the steering wheel.

His face has a slight sheen from the rain, and he just looks so pretty it's almost impossible to look away. He moves so pleasingly, a little clumsy, but still pleasing. He's breathtaking like this; comfortable, natural Steve. You've always loved to watch him when he thought no one was looking.

The first thing he does before even starting up the car is lean over to grab your face with a wet hand, giving you a quick, chaste kiss. He misses your lips slightly, planting one right at the corner of your mouth instead. It's sweet habit he’s adopted. You can feel your cheeks heating up slightly at his brazenness before he turns his attention back to the ignition and turning on the air, probably in hopes of drying out his clothes.

You're taken aback. Not from the kiss, Steve always insists on kissing you as much as possible in private. You're taken aback by someone so painfully beautiful wanting to kiss you.

You always thought you were just average. Boringly average. Not particularly pretty or witty. Not too interesting or too boring. Just, average. You hated your simplicity.

So it kind of shocks you every time you remember you're with him. With Steve. It’s like a little surprise present each time you look over at him. A small gift you were given.

After fumbling with the vents for a few minutes, he peaks back over at you, doing a slight double take at your baffled expression.

"What's with the face?" he gives you a puzzled stare, still adjusting the vents towards his dripping clothes. "Not happy to see me?"

You don't seem to actually hear him; you're still too focused on the small raindrop rolling down the front strand of hair, following its trajectory down to the seat below. It was stupid. So stupid how his hair could still look good in the rain and humidity. He would be happy to hear that.

"Yoohoo?" he gives a light whistle, rapping a knuckle gently against your forehead. "Anybody home?"

"Huh?" you ask, finally popping out of your train of thought to meet his gaze.

Steve's heart always skips a beat when you look at him like this. Eyes wide and full of astonishment. Astonishment at what, he never knew. Your hair was still slightly damp from the rain, with a little bit of frizz shooting out at strange places from the unwavering humidity. Your lips were still wet, as well as your clothes, but you looked beautiful. Like, really fucking beautiful. You always looked stunning dressed up for a night out or for heading off to work, but something about your casual state late at night always made his chest ache. You had this undeniable natural beauty, especially at night, that he never could seem to get over.

That's why he always loved when you picked him up after a late shift at work. You're really only apart for a few hours, but the anticipation of seeing you at night would be almost painful.

You always arrive just on time - never too early, never too late. You'd pull up with the music faint, your window rolled down to greet him, typically with one of his over-sized t-shirts on. He'd tried buying you one of your own, but you insisted on his. He would always stop a few inches from your car, arms crossed over his chest, signature smirk on his lips, before he'd lean down to rest his forearms on the window frame. He usually gives some stupid line. "’Sup, hot stuff?" or "New in town?" are some of his favorites. You always have a quip at the ready. ("In your dreams, pretty boy" usually does the trick) He leans in slowly for a light kiss, staring at your lips the entire time. He barely even pulls away, your lips still brushing, and he'll whisper against you "miss me?" with you replying "a little," your face heating up. Another kiss, a little needier this time, before you pull away completely. Steve always chases after your lips as you slide into the passenger seat to let him drive.

You two never kissed too often in public, but on these late nights when the parking lot was empty, Steve just couldn't stop himself. Something about seeing you in his clothes, waiting for him.

But this night was different. Tonight it was still raining, pouring now, and you hadn't opened the windows for him. You didn't have the the windows rolled down or a quip at the ready. You looked... dazed actually. Like you didn't exactly know what was going on.

Tonight you were bundled up to protect from the rain. You layered a few of his shirts: a long-sleeve stripped shirt beneath a preppy collared tee, all covered by his grey jacket, collar upturned. You stuck with a pair of shorts and flip flops, which also were soaked through, and you looked... confused.

“Yeah, sorry. What’d I miss?“ you ask, still frozen in place.

“You're lookin' at me like I'm crazy.” He stops and reaches his thumb up between your eyebrows, rubbing at the crease that has formed there. "Relax. You're gettin’ wrinkles," he mumbles as you drop your confused look. "What's up?" he asks quietly, still rubbing circles into your forehead, concern now taking over his face.

"Nothing," you utter back, nudging his hand away to turn forward in your seat, avoiding his gaze. You start to fiddle with the edges of your jacket, hopelessly ignoring Steve's burning stare.

"Oh... ‘Nothing,’" he mimics you, a hint of teasing in his voice.

You roll your eyes, still finding your jacket awfully interesting.

"Well, perfect. Cause you seem 100% fine. Tooootally a-ok. Not a care in the world," he teases, slowly leaning down to try and catch your gaze.

You peak up at him then, giving in knowing that if you don't spill eventually, he'll just keep bringing it up all night.

“It’s just that-“ You turn to face him, but the words start to die on your lips upon seeing him. He’s turned fully towards you, his right leg bent onto the seat, one arm resting on the steering wheel and the other holding the back of your headrest. His hair was slowly starting to dry now; it looks kind of wild, shooting up in all directions, but it still makes your heart skip a beat or two. His brow is furrowed up, waiting for you to tell him what’s wrong. You look down to your hands, trying to remember what you were going to say.

“It’s just-“ You fiddle with your fingers, a nervous habit. One Steve knew well.

He abruptly reached his hand out to hold yours, making your eyes snap back up to his.

“Hey,” his face was much softer now, no traces of teasing. He could be so sincere when he wanted. “Hey... What’s wrong? Can you tell me?”

You hated this. You hated not being able to voice the thoughts that were racing through your head. Your nerves very rarely got to you, but when they did, it was nearly impossible to speak your mind. Steve's always been extra patient with that.

Though not amazing with his own feelings, he was still one of the best listeners you've ever met. So patient and supportive. And caring. So caring. It made you mad sometimes, when he was like this. You don’t even know why. Maybe you never thought you deserved treatment this gentle. It always made you feel even more guilty. A burden.

You sigh, letting your nerves give way to annoyance.

“It’s just that you’re always so… nice. To me. You’re always so nice.” You pull your hand out from his, opting to cross your arms exasperatedly instead.

Steve’s confusion only grew.

“I’m… too nice to you? You're not making any sense.”

“I don’t know, you’re patient and you’re kind and you help me through things… It’s annoying.” You knew you sounded crazy, but you couldn’t help it. Unfortunately, Steve usually took the brunt of your frustration. Not that he minds too much.

“So- So, what?” he shifts now, looking out the windshield, almost as if he was searching for some answers. “I should be mean to you? Be an asshole? Is that what you want-“

“No no, god, Steve, no. Obviously I don’t want that-“

“Alright so what then, I- I- I can’t help you through things, I can’t be sweet with you?” he was flustered now, waving his hands about endearingly and stuttering over his words, talking a mile a minute. He was adorable. And it only made you angrier.

“Ugh, no, Steve-“

“Because I'm always gonna be nice to you, I'm sorry, I can't help it! But I don't want to be this big sap and freak you out-“

“Steve-“

“And I obviously want to be nice to you, you’re my girlfriend-“

“Steven-“

“But now you’re pissed and I feel bad for pushing it, I just wanted to make sure you were ok-“

“Harrington-“

"I mean, if you don’t want me to be nice to you, well- Well, I don’t think I can actually do that-“

“Steve! God, you're too good for me!"

He instantly quiets at your outburst, breathing heavily from his ranting. The look he gives you nearly breaks you.

“What?” His voice is so soft, you can barely hear him. Somehow, he was able to look even more confused, and a little hurt.

“It’s just that you’re always helping me through things and taking time to get to know me and, I don’t know, sticking around? Like, I'm complicated and you’re always trying to figure me out. You want to take care of me. It's weird.” You give him a look but he doesn’t really seem to be following. A sigh leaves your lips and you look down to your hands to steel yourself before meeting his gaze once again. “You're amazing. The greatest guy I know. You’re- You’re funny and handsome and sweet and- And you’re like the perfect guy. The perfect boyfriend. And it’s intimidating.” You're eyes darted everywhere - your hands, the center console - anywhere to avoid Steve’s desperate gaze as you reveal all the insecurities you’ve been fighting ever since the start of your relationship. “It’s like… I’ll never be enough. I’ve never… No one’s ever wanted me before and it’s weird because the first guy I get is… well perfect. And it does make sense to me. Like, you could have anyone in Hawkins. There are at least ten girls I can list right now that are better than me in a twenty mile radius. You have chicks fawning all over you. I mean you’re ‘the King’ and I'm just, I don’t know, average? And it feels like I'm with you on accident. Like some fluke thing that plopped into my lap that I don't deserve. Any day now you're gonna wake up or run into someone better on the street and leave me. And I wouldn’t even blame you cause it’s like, why be with me when you could have someone infinitely better. God, but that’s the thing, you would be so goddamn sweet about it too - letting me down easy, wanting to stay friends - all that. Or worse, you wouldn't leave me at all out of pity. Because you're that guy. The gentleman that actually cares about the girl's feelings.

“And when you comfort me or console me, you have this stupid habit of always knowing what to say. It makes me feel even more inferior. And the worst part is that’s it’s not even your fault. It's me. It’s my abysmal self-worth that fucking ruins everything.”

You finally risk a look at him now. His face was set, listening to you intently. It seemed like he was waiting for you to finish fully.

You start again.

“I try so hard. So hard to be enough. And you just do it effortlessly and I'm stuck trying to keep up….” You look down to your hands finally in defeat. “I know it's childish and selfish and shallow and insecure, but it’s what I feel. I hate that I feel this way. I hate it. I love being with you, more than anything, but…. But it hurts me. It hurts sometimes to be with you. Every time I'm with you, I'm confused. You picked me and it makes no sense. I can’t figure it out.”

The car was silent for a little while. All you could hear were Steve’s feather light breathes and the rain tapping against the car.

Slight tears began to form in your eyes, but they weren’t tears of sadness. More of frustration. Frustration for feeling like this, for making Steve put up with you, for putting him through this. Frustration from having to say it out loud.

With the silence still deafening, you thought now was as good a time as any to leave. Your hand started to reach for the door handle. Might as well make this as painless as possible.

“I'm just gonna walk home-“ you started pushing the door open and preparing yourself for the rain, just as Steve reached across the seat, pulling the door closed himself. His hand gripped on to yours at the handle and you could feel his breath at the nape of your neck. It sounded uneven, laced with sadness or anger, but you didn’t want to turn around and find out which.

“Please,” his voice was barely a whisper. “Just… Stay here. With me.”

He, too, sounded defeated. You took a shaky breath and let go of the door, dropping your hands back into your lap. You were quickly starting to regret your confession.

Steve said your name quietly, hoping to catch your attention. When you refused, you could feel his hand pull your chin towards him. You reached up quickly to wipe your tears in an effort to spare whatever dignity you had left.

“Hon…” he was looking at you with the saddest eyes. “Tell me you haven’t been feeling like this the whole time…”

You looked down as much as you could in his grasp, shame and embarrassment washing over you.

“God,” he let out a humorless laugh and put both hands on the steering wheel, staring out the front window. “It’s funny… Cause I’ve been feeling the same way about you.”

You were not expecting that. Thinking you must have misheard him, you shoot him an incredulous expression. He was still looking out the window, obviously speechless himself.

“I couldn't believe it, honestly. When you agreed to a date with me.” He couldn’t face you; he instead opted for running his hands through his hair exasperatedly. “I could barely work up the courage to ask you. Shit, Robin had to push me to do it. But I never thought you’d actually say yes... But then you did.” He looked to you timidly. A slight chuckle slipped from him as he rubbed a hand over his face in humorous disbelief. “Christ, I was so nervous for that first date. Robs teased me for days afterwards for how long it took me to get ready… Didn’t matter though.” He took on the most enamored expression, as if he was reliving the memory. “You showed up. The most beautiful I’d ever seen you.”

Your face heated up again, looking down at your hands bashfully.

“I was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans,” you say, trying to justify yourself.

“Exactly! Exactly…” he looked at you wistfully, surprised you still didn’t get it, but not annoyed in the slightest. “You didn’t have to try. You’re just… you. You didn’t have to spend hours in the mirror getting ready… because you were already perfect.”

You laughed at his earnestness, still wiping some stray tears from your eyes.

“No, no, I’m serious,” he looked at you with an urgent expression, reaching his hands out to you, accentuating his point. “It’s like you said. You do it effortlessly and I'm just trying to keep up…”

He looked as if the gears were turning in his head, scrambling to put together the words.

“You’re perfect... You’re funny. You’re smart. You’re beautiful and easygoing and creative and- fuck, I just love being around you. I like who I am when I'm with you... But like you said, it’s intimidating. You’d never judge me of course, I know that, it’s just that… I want to be a better person, for you.”

He laughs again, still dumbstruck.

“Out of all the guys- All the guys in Hawkins- You chose me first. Hell, I don’t care if you’ve been with a hundred people, or- Or none, I just can’t believe you chose to spend even a fraction of your time with me.” He looks at you again with a dopey smile. “I mean seriously. Babe, I haven’t been ‘the King’ of Hawkins in a long time. I work at FV and I hang out with a bunch of dorks who play D&D. My name is Steve for fuck’s sake. What’s more average than that?”

A laugh ripples through you as you finally realize that it didn’t matter what anybody thought. You both may be average… but to each other, you were everything.

Gently, oh so gently, Steve scooted closer to you. Slowly, a warm hand finds purchase on side of your neck. You sniffle at his softness and give him a reassuring smile to combat the concern still evident on his face. He raised a brow at you, giving your neck a slight squeeze, a wordless “you ok?”

“I’m good,” you say with a soft smile, eyes still slightly red from crying, but you were feeling much better.

Steve's heart melts at that, a mixture of pride and love welling up inside him.

“You’re good,” he confirms warmly, pulling you in closer and planting a chaste kiss on the crown of your head. "But you gotta tell me.” He pulled away and looked at you then, really looked at you. “I know it’s hard. God, I can barely do it, but you gotta tell me next time when somethin’s up. You gotta let me help you. I wanna help you. These insecurities you’re feeling, everyone's had 'em at one point or another. You aren’t alone, I promise you that."

He was giving you his fatherly tone he took with the kids, but his eyes looked so sweet. You nod and he gives a small one in return before pulling you back in tightly, his chin resting atop your head. You could hear a sigh of relief leave him, and you couldn’t stop yourself from doing the same. Slowly, your breathing started to sync with his, and you swore you could fall asleep right then and there.

You both just took a moment. A moment to hold each other, to relish in the comfort of one another. It was like a small weight had been lifted off the both of you.

“‘Kay,” Steve said, throat tight as he released you from his grasp. You could have sworn you saw him swipe away a stray tear in the dark, but it was so quick you could have imagined it. “Let’s get you home.”

🤩

kissing best friend!steve🫠🫠

pining, obsessed steve? you got it<3

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

"Do you ever think about the time we first met?"

Steve peers over his drink, his eyes skeptical and focused in on you from across the table, anxiously awaiting your answer.

"You’re my best friend," you shrug, eyes staring down into your mug at the remnants of your milkshake. “Of course I remember the time we first met.”

That wasn’t necessarily his question, but he’ll take what he can get.

He swallows harsh. “How’d it go?” 

You eye him suspiciously, quickly noting the nervous thrum of his fingers on the table between you.

He’s been quiet all night. And Steve’s never quiet when he’s with you. Not during your weekly Friday dinners at the diner. 

Steve’s always been a talker, ranting and rambling about work and his parents and the possibility of school. You were the only person he ever really opened up to about these things; the only person he ever felt comfortable enough to tell.

So, he knew you would notice something was off right away. He kept turning the conversation to you, listening with a far off stare. He didn’t chat up the waitress like he usually did, or bicker with you about the radio on the drive over.

But he can’t help it. His brain was going a million miles a minute and his palms were starting to sweat and he’s really never felt so nervous in his entire life.

Tonight is the night. Tonight’s the night Steve comes clean about his feelings for you – all those sickly, sweet feelings he’s been wanting to tell you ever since he met you.

Like how much he adores your laugh and your smile and the smell of your perfume. And the way you always keep extra tissues in your pocket when you know he has a cold. And how you always save him the seat next to you for movie night. And how you always ask him if he’s eaten that day and had a glass of water. And how Friday is his favorite day of the week because he gets to see you. And how he wishes he could see you every day. And how he’s never felt so lovesick before in his life. And how he really, really has to tell you he needs you because he doesn’t think he can keep it from you for much longer. And how he can’t stand being near you and not being able to kiss you when you smile at him like that. And how he hopes to god you feel the same way because he doesn’t think he can take losing you.

But he can’t say all that. He physically cannot say all that.

Secretly, he’s been silently hoping you would just figure out his feelings by yourself  already, so he wouldn’t have to muster up the courage to tell you himself. 

It’s genuinely concerning you haven’t noticed already; he shows you his infatuation nearly every time you two are together. He’ll kneel down to tie your shoe for you when it comes undone. And he constantly calls you “just to hear your voice.” And he’ll rub your arms in the freezer section of the grocery store so you don’t get cold because you refuse to just take his jacket. And he still wears that silly friendship bracelet you made him in the tenth grade because he’s too afraid to lose it if he takes it off. And he always, without a doubt, gives you half of his food at the diner, even if he hasn’t eaten all day. 

The poor boy’s practically obsessed with you, but you never seem to notice – always off in your own little world, leaving Steve to trail behind you like a lovesick, little puppy.

But he doing the whole puppy dog act tonight. He wasn’t doing anything tonight. He was a wet blanket dripping all over the booth tonight. And he was acting nervous. 

And you still couldn’t figure out why. 

So, by the time you both finished dinner and your waitress brought the check, you were just a touch annoyed.

“‘How’d it go?’” you repeated, truthfully understanding the question, but just wanting to give Steve a hard time. 

“Sure, you know. The first time we met… how’d it go?” he asks again, unsure how to make himself any clearer.

Under the table, his foot had started to mimic the nervous tapping of his fingers. Your eyes snapped to his hand, then the bottom lip between his teeth (nervous habit), then down to your purse next to you in the booth.

“Well,” your brows furrow at the check near the end of the table as you blindly start feeling around your purse for some bills, “I seem to recall it was at the mall? You were in that adorable getup with the hat and the socks… and Robin was there–” You turn your full attention down to your purse, looking at it, offended. 

Steve’s eyes narrow on you from across the booth.

“Ah!” You finally pull a crumbled up twenty from the bottomless pit that is your purse. 

He really needs to remind you to clean that thing out again. 

“Where was I?” you ask innocently over at him, “Oh, right. Robin… Robin, Robin. Oh! She told me you were gonna hit on me and that I should shoot you down no matter what.” You finish with a triumphant smile, the memory drifting back into your mind. 

He’s always liked when you smile like that. Like he’s the butt of the joke.

“Right right,” he nods, eyes dropping back to the empty glass in front of him.

You seem to be waiting for him to just come out with it, to just say whatever it is that’s been eating him all night.

But he can’t. Something about the moment feels off.

He’s afraid to peek up and catch your icy glare drilling into him, until he hears you let out another huff as you start shimmying out of the diner booth without him.

“Wh–?” You were already halfway towards the door. His hand swipes up the twenty-dollar bill you left as he digs into his back pocket for his own wallet. He tugs out a twenty of his own and  replaces it on the table. He tosses out a five as well – should be enough for a tip – before he spots the forgotten purse on your seat and swipes that up, too, sticking your money back in the rightful pocket of your bag before jogging after you.

He's caught up to you just as you've reached the diner door, and you quickly drop it in his face, opting instead to head towards his car in a dramatic huff. 

Eyes rolling, Steve swings the glass door back open, his foot making it about half-way through the exit before the hostess calls out to him.

"You finally gonna bite the bullet and tell her tonight, Stevie boy?" she chides him.

"Har, har, Janet. Very funny," he grumbles, tucking your purse under his arm to preserve some of his dignity.

"See you next week, Harrington," she chuckles, looking back down at the desk in front of her.

God. Is he that obvious?

Shaking the fear from his mind, he bursts back out into the warm, summer air, trailing a step or two after you.

"I didn’t hit on you, by the way," he insists, unlocking the car and jogging over to open the passenger side for you.

You slide in, your belly laugh cut off as he closes the door on you. 

Once again, he's found himself to be the butt of the joke. He still doesn't mind all that much.

A smile starts to creep onto his lips upon hearing your laughter, but the grin quickly fades as he remembers the severity of his situation. Steeling his nerves, Steve strides around the hood to the driver's seat.

You're just gonna… go in there and just...Tell her. Just say what you feel, Harrington, c'mon. Best case scenario, she feels the same. Worst case scenario, she laughs in your face.

He grips the door handle, but can't seem to muster up the courage to get in just yet. He catches sight of you through the window, riffling through his glovebox, no doubt looking for the mixtape he made for you all those months ago. You spot the one with his writing on the side – crisp, clean – like he took far too much care in writing it. It's just your name on the side, nothing fancy, but he wanted to make it clear this tape was for you in particular. No one else.

Christ, you're becoming a problem.

He grits his teeth and hops inside as you load up the tape, still chuckling to yourself from earlier. Steve bites back another smile.

"Why's that funny? I didn't hit on you when you came in, I was perfectly civil–"

"Steve, you asked me what color lipstick I was wearing and if I had any plans that night," you shoot him a smirk as you reach for your seatbelt.

A blush warms his cheeks at the memory; he thought you would have forgotten.

He clears his throat and starts the ignition, turning in his seat and throwing his arm around your headrest to reverse, actively avoiding your gaze.

"I– uh, don't remember that."

"You're such a terrible liar, Steve," you smile through the words, whistfully, like he has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.

A chuckle bubbles up in his chest and he can't help but peek over at your smile. Now fussing with the buttons of the stereo, you listen for the song you want to hear.

You look pretty just sitting in his passenger seat, the sun gently setting through the whisps of your hair. 

His eyes snap back to his rear window.

The car jolts to life as it swings out of the parking lot. Steve knows the way to your house by heart, but he always insists on taking the longer route back on Fridays.

"I'm actually an amazing liar, thank you very much," he mutters casually, adjusting his rearview mirror and merging onto the road.

"No, Steve, you're not," you finally find the right song and turn up the volume a touch - loud enough to hear the lyrics, but soft enough for you two to hold a conversation. 

Steve likes this song. He likes all the songs on this tape because they remind him of you – Friday night drives back to your place, close proximity in his car, those butterflies in his stomach when your gaze turns on him.

"Y/N, I am so good at poker, your brain couldn’t even handle it–"

"Being good at poker doesn't necessarily mean you're good at lying, Steve. Just means you're good at reading people."

"Well that, too," he gives you a cocky look before snapping back to the road. "I'm a man of many talents."

"Pshhh," you smack his arm, as if he's said something particularly funny.

"Ow– Wha–? What is so fucking funny?" He shoots you a look across the car, half shocked, half annoyed.

"Nothing," you're giggling through your words once again, "Nothing, Steve."

"What, you don't think I have any talents?" He's accusatory now, leaning towards you for dramatic effect, his eyes still trained on the road.

"No! No, I didn't say that." A wave of seriousness washes over you, but it's quickly replaced with a sincere lightness, a gentle smile as you look at him. "I think you're plenty talented, Steve."

He scoffs, "Don't take that tone with me."

"What tone?" your voice bounces around the car, "I'm not taking any tone."

"That teasing tone, that 'Oh, yeah. Sure, Steve, whatever you say' tone."

You giggle at his poor impression of you, and he can't help the dopey smile that spreads across his face. He can never stay annoyed with you for too long.

You’ve turned your attention back to his glovebox now. He can tell you're reorganizing the tapes stowed there in a very particular order. He strains his eyes a bit to catch the titles. They’re ordered from left to right – his favorites to his least favorites. They’re definitely easier for him to reach from the driver's seat now.

His chest aches at your actions, how you subconsciously think of him, and a warm smile envelops his face. He thinks about how he'd rearrange every tape you've ever owned if it meant making your life a fraction easier.

Your hands freeze and you spin to face him. A silly smile slips onto your own lips and Steve’s breath hitches. 

"What’re you smiling about?" you question coyly.

His grip on the wheel tightens and his eyes snap back to the road. He needs to contain himself.

"You always patronize me." He's grasping at straws, but he knows it'll distract you from the nervous hand running through his hair and the nibbling of his bottom lip.

“Patronize y–? Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I wasn't patronizing you just now. I was being sincere." You go back to sifting through his glovebox, muttering to yourself, "Surprised you can even use that word in a sentence…”

His eyes drift back down to your deft, pretty fingers, that bright, pristine nail polish, and he has to steel himself once again. There could be dents on the wheel by the time he pulls in your driveway.

A heavy sigh leaves him as he reaches up to anxiously adjust his rearview mirror. He knows he looks nervous as hell; he just hopes you're too wrapped up in your own little world to notice.

You don't seem to, now picking at your pretty manicure and tapping your foot to the music gliding through the speakers.

Steve passes your street sign and he can't stop the impending dread that washes over him at the idea of you no longer sitting in his car. He always hates the drive back to his place after he drops you off - your warmth still mingling in the air, but he can't quite get a hold of it. He likes that your perfume lingers when you leave, and the smell of your shampoo, but he just hates how it fades so quickly, until he gets to smell it again next Friday.

Pulling into your driveway, his stomach drops. It really is now or never.

He switches off the ignition, leaving you two in the warm darkness of the summer night, surrounded by that hazy light right after sunset. Only bits and pieces of your silhouette are visible from the dashboard light, but you’re still as stunning as always.

A heated look passes between you two before you're gathering up your things to leave, mindful to take your tape out of the stereo, replacing it with his favorite one for his ride home.

Your hand reaches for the handle as you start your goodbye. 

"Kay, well, I'll see you next week, okay–" 

But he stops you with a hand around your wrist. A silent plead for you to stay.

His heart is in his throat. Your pulse is so strong beneath his fingers. He swears he hears your breath catch.

“Y/N," his voice was low, unsure, like he was still thinking of what exactly to say.

"Yeah?" you give him a worried expression, tuned into his serious tone.

"I…" 

But the words were caught in his throat, lips unable to form the words. 

"I… I forgot." He deflates just a fraction and rubs your wrist once with his thumb before dropping it.

"Geez, Steve. Don't scare me like that. Thought you were gonna say you hate me or something like that." You chuckle as you swing the passenger door open.

Hate you? Hate you?

He’s not even thinking when he pushes open the driver’s side door and jogs after you to your porch. 

You stop fumbling with your front door keys and turn to confront him.

“Forgot something, Harrington–?”

But he cuts off your teasing with his lips pressed to yours. 

His hands run up to your neck, his thumbs nestled under your jaw and the pads of his fingers stroking at the soft spot below your ear. Your lips are so soft, so smooth, he can’t stop the little sigh from leaving his throat. Finally, he feels you relax into him, coming up to wrap your hands around his wrists gently, melting into his touch.

Eyes squeezing shut, he’s trying to memorize the feel of you, the smell of your shampoo and the feeling of his nose brushing your soft cheek, and the way your lips move against his, trying to drag the kiss out for as long as possible. 

Unfortunately, he still needs that stupid thing called oxygen and he’s forced to pull back. His hands stay at your neck, the thumbs rubbing across your jawline, as his blown pupils sweep over your face.

“I’m really, really into you, by the way,” his words come out so breathless as he looks between your swollen lips and your wide eyes.

A shaky breath escapes through your lips. “Good thing I’m into you, too, pretty boy.”

He can’t even get worked up about the nickname before he’s leaning in again, this kiss much slower, much more meaningful. His heart starts to ache from the feel of your fingers rubbing along his knuckles, and he can’t stop from smiling against your lips. Eventually, he has to stop from how sickeningly sweet his chest feels, pulling back to rub the tip of his nose up the bridge of yours with his eyes squeezed shut, his cheeks and his lungs slowly starting to ache in the best way.

He hears a content hum come from the back of your throat, and he can’t help but mimic the same sticky, sentimental sound himself.  

His eyes pop back open to get a good look at you. Your cheeks are flushed and your pupils are blown; you can’t seem to contain your own smile. 

“Uh… sorry, if that was a little… unexpected,” he chuckles at your smarmy grin, his hands leaving your face as he takes a bashful step back and off your porch. “I’ll, uh… see you next Friday!”

Spinning confidently on his heel, hands tucking into his pockets, he makes his way back down your walkway and to his car, leaving you there a bit speechless. He smiles to himself at your stunned silence as he reaches for the door handle. Pausing for a moment, he spins back round, riding his adrenaline high. 

“I’ll call you!” he calls out to you before swinging the door open and hopping in.

You’re just left there, standing on your porch, watching him drive off, one honk of the horn and then he’s down your street. 

A hand comes up to graze over your kiss swollen lips. The spot where Steve Harrington just kissed you. The spot where Steve Harrington’s lips were on yours. 

Little did Steve know, you’ve been waiting for him to do that for months now…

Hi love!! I would love an Eddie request of him with inexperienced reader but it's not smut it's like the convo leading up to it like May be they start making out and it's getting steamy and she tells him she's a virgin and she's terrified bc what if she's bad at sex and then it's not good for him? What if he sees her naked and thinks she's not pretty?? And it's just Eddie comforting her and reassuring her

Oh, I would most definitely need Eddie to reassure me of these things, too. I hope you like what I've come up with 💕

Words: 1.3k

The old springs in Eddie’s mattress dig into your back, an occasional squeak emanating from them whenever your boyfriend shifts his weight on top of you. His tongue dances with yours, breath colliding and teeth grazing. Eddie encompasses all your senses, surrounding you wholly and leaving no room to think about anything else but him–if your brain can even manage to think at all with strong, calloused hands running over your body. 

His warm fingers trail up the outside of your leg, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The moment Eddie’s hand slips up your shorts on the front of your thigh though, your body goes from pure ecstasy to adrenaline-pumping nerves in an instant.

An involuntary jump of your body against his alerts Eddie that something’s wrong and he immediately pulls away to gaze down at you in concern.

“Are you okay?”

Though it’s clearly not the truth, you nod your head. Slowly, you scoot yourself out from beneath his body and sit up against the cheap mahogany headboard that’s caused a multitude of scratches against the dully painted trailer wall. 

“C-Can we talk for a second though?”

There’s worry in Eddie’s eyes. He’s terrified that he’s done something wrong or has hurt you in some way. Taking care to give you some space, your boyfriend situates himself to sit next to you on his bed, back also resting against the chipped and scuffed headboard.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Eddie says. “What’s going on?”

Tentatively, Eddie offers you his hand, resting it between the two of you. He’s leaving the decision up to you if you want to touch him right now or not. There’s no hesitation though, you eagerly lace your fingers with his. 

You give him a nervous smile, a million thoughts running through your head at once. It’ll be a miracle if you can speak coherently with the rate at which your mind is moving. Deciding to just bite the bullet and get it all out there, you take a deep breath.

“Um, I’m—I’m a virgin, Eddie.”

Whatever reaction you were planning on Eddie to have, he doesn’t give it to you. He seems completely unfazed by your admission. All you get is a nod of his head and a gentle squeeze of your hand. 

“Okay,” he says casually, as if your entire body isn’t running on nervous energy at the moment. “We can go as slow as you want, yeah?”

You know your body should feel relief, but the worry in your head tells you that you’ve only gotten through part of what you need to tell him. Might as well push through to the end.

“I’m…scared,” you admit. Shame floods your body, chilling your veins.

“Of me?” Eddie’s eyes widen and the alarm in them is clear.

“No!” You quickly assure him. “No, no, never of you.”

He heaves a sigh of relief, and you cup his hand in both of yours. Out of all the things that make you anxious about having sex with Eddie, Eddie is not one of them. But that means you have to tell him that you’re the problem. If your anxiety has one mortal nemesis in the world it is vulnerability. 

“I’m scared that I’ll be bad at it,” you admit. “I don’t know what I’m doing. What if you don’t like it? What if I mess up?” What if you don’t like how I look beneath my clothes?

“Whoa, whoa,” Eddie says with a shake of his head. The crease in his forehead shows his displeasure with the pressure you’re putting on yourself. “First of all, I don’t think you can really mess up sex, sweetheart. As long as you’re here and your clothes are off, I’d say we’re good to go.” He chuckles, but when you don’t join in, he sighs. “Are you honestly worried that I won’t like it?”

Unable to look him in the eye, you nod. His forehead furrows further as Eddie frowns. Usually, you’d rub your thumb over those wrinkles to smooth them out and calm him down. But usually, you’re not the cause of them. 

Gentle fingers grip your chin and tilt your face so you can look at him.

“Princess, it’s you. I love doing everything with you, you really think I won’t like having sex with you?”

When he puts it like that, you feel silly. Heat blooms in your face as embarrassment is scooped on top of the nerves. There are legitimate concerns, though. You’re sure of it. There has to be.

“W-What if you don’t like what my body looks like?” You ask it so quietly in the hope that he misses it.

It’s obvious that he doesn’t by the way his eyes nearly pop out of his head. He reminds you of one of those stress dolls that you squeeze and the small plastic eyes bulge out.

“Not like your body?” Eddie sounds almost incredulous. He pauses for a moment, eyes gazing into yours as he thinks of a reply. It feels like the understatement of the century to say he was unprepared for you to be worried about this; about something that he whole-heartedly knew to be untrue. A smile quirks Eddie’s mouth as his mind goes back to a day before you’d started dating. He licks over his lips before continuing. “Sweetheart, remember the pool party Jeff threw for his birthday last summer? You wore that low-cut, blue one-piece that showed off most of your back?”

Do you remember? You had agonized over what you should wear to that party and what Eddie would think when he saw you. 

“Yeah,” you tell him, voice quivering. 

“Babe,” he says with a shake of his head. “I still get off thinking about that. About how you looked. There was a reason I had to stay in the pool past the point of me freezing half to death in the water.”

Shock colors your face, and despite the gravity of the conversation, it makes Eddie smile wider.

“You…really?”

“Yes,” Eddie says with a breathless chuckle. “God, you’re so fucking hot. You’re gorgeous. It bothers me that you don’t see that.”

If there’s one thing you can say about your boyfriend, it’s that he’s very candid about his view on things–just ask anyone who’s had the pleasure of hearing him make a grand speech from atop a lunch table. Which is most of the high school-aged population in Hawkins.

Half of your brain is trying to convince you that now is the time he chooses to lie, that he’s just saying this to make you feel better or to shut you up. Meanwhile, the other half is telling the anxiety to put a sock in it and listen to Eddie.

“What’re you thinking?” Eddie asks quietly. A reminder of how well he knows you.

“Too much,” you say with a soft laugh. 

Eddie lets out a long breath and gently pulls you into his lap. He absentmindedly rests his hands on your thighs and his thumbs rub calming circles on your skin.

“What can I do to make you feel better?” he asks. Needing to show you physically how much he wants to help you, he snakes his arms around your body to hold you snugly against him. Your heart all but melts as he looks up at you with those large, puppy dog eyes.

With a small smile, you lean down and rest your forehead against your boyfriend’s. Sometimes he’s too cute for his own good. 

“You already have,” you say softly.

“What? How?” Eddie’s frowning again, but this time it's in confusion.

“Just by being you,” you tell him with a shrug.

“Well, I am pretty great,” Eddie says with a playful smirk. Your heart feels lighter once the stress lines fade from his beautiful face. 

You chuckle at his ego and sit back up straight.

“There is one more thing you could do for me, though.”

“What’s that, beautiful?”

There’s a hungry gleam in your eyes as you let your gaze trail up and down his lithe body. 

“Take off your shirt.”