“ Sleepy Days “

Strangers (Chapter Four)

Strangers from Hell AU

Series Masterlist

pairing: ot7 x reader

genre: yandere, horror/thriller

warnings: murder, mature themes, obsessive/possessive behavior, emotional manipulation, stalking, violence, allusion to torture, blood and injuries (will update as needed)

word count: 4.3k words

The sun beat down on you as you walked along the beach, the sand between your toes as a tidal wave came in and washed them. You gasped as you spotted a ghost crab hole appearing.

“Dad, look! Another one!” You exclaimed, pointing at it and turning around to look at your father. He came up beside you, kneeling closer to your height.

“Good catch, kiddo.” His voice echoed in your ears. You had lost count of how many of these burrows you had found, but your dad seemed to never get tired of you pointing them out. If he regretted teaching you about them while you were still so young and excitable, he never showed it.

You knelt down and started scooping some of the wet sand to build something - you weren’t sure what yet. Your father stood up, patting your head affectionately as you worked. “I’m gonna go for a dip. I’ll be right back.”

You huffed angrily as a wave destroyed your sandcastle a third time in a row. Abandoning the impossible project, you turned around to look back at the water. You spotted your dad pretty far out, much further than you would ever dare to go. He was bobbing along the big waves and when he caught you looking at him, he smiled widely and waved.

You watched him for a while before you noticed a giant wave approaching him. It was bigger than any wave you’ve ever seen before. Even from where you sat safe on the sand, it scared you. You begin waving your arms and screaming for your dad’s attention and when you finally got it, he just gave you another clueless grin.

It all happened so quickly. The huge wave washed over and took your father with it, completely catching him by surprise. You watched helplessly from the shore, waiting for him to resurface but he never did. You were numb to the tears falling down your cheeks as wave after wave washed over your feet, burying them deeper into the sand as if trying to drag you in as well.

Keep reading

I loved that househusband AU soooooo much! Made me wish it was reality 😭. But no, tis not my reality.

You said you were open to ideas for this AU? Well what if you did an edition with remote working? S/o now is at home and the guys get so see what s/o does throughout the day (see’s s/o as a BOSS)

Oooh what about someone bashing the couple for their “untraditional” lifestyle?

you dare overstep your mortal authority ?!

sypnosis: how they’re like when someone attempts to bash the two of you because of your lifestyle. ( i dont condone to bashing and any forms of harassment. )

characters: zhongli, diluc, itto, xiao, kaeya, thoma, childe, and scaramouche

content: mafia!au, mentions of harassment (bashing), mild swearing, violence, threats, hint of torture, insults

post-script: don’t we all wish it was a reality 😔💔 how does it feel to live our dreams y/n 🎤🎤🎤🎤 on the other hand, im planning on making a separate post about the remote working s/o (bcuz theres sm to say about this) sooo stay tuned for that 😈 for now tho, lemme share the goody details on the last part hehe

the way of the househusband au masterlist

INTIMIDATES BASHERS - zhongli, diluc, itto, and xiao

ZHONGLI’s rolled up sleeves that shows his battle scars are enough for people who attempt to bash the two of you to not do anything at all, giving the ex-yakuza all the more reasons to be proud of his scars and not be ashamed to show them. though, you gotta admit, you’re surprised that it intimidated people despite the apron he always wears.

when you do encounter a basher that actually has the nerve to bash, zhongli first lets his scars intimidate the person and try to reason with them, keeping you beside him protectively in hopes of the basher not trying to harm you.

if the basher is stubborn and tries to harm the both of you regardless of your lover’s attempts, this is when rex lapis comes out in the light instead of zhongli.

you could only watch as your husband grips the basher’s shoulder in a tight manner, his eyes narrowing as the atmosphere grew tense.

“how would you feel about living in prison for a while?”

DILUC’s aloof attitude alongside his muscular form often intimidated people around him and he definitely isn’t complaining — especially since it backs off those who could attempt to hurt you because of your lifestyle with him, so the chance of getting bashed was only a 1% possibility.

however, the possibility is never a zero.

your harasser didn’t even know that your husband is the intimidating bartender that cleans glasses 24/7 because he only overheard you gushing to your friend about your lovely househusband in the bar where he drinks, so things didn’t go well with the person when your husband caught him sputtering insults and nearly punched you when you insulted him back.

customers and your friend could only watch as some asshole who didn’t know anything better get scared by diluc’s haunting glare and cowardly backed off when the red-haired man calmly ordered him to get out, causing your harasser muttering out insincere comments before taking his leave.

despite the situation being dealt with, we all know diluc would feel guilty if you ever get hurt because of him being a househusband :((

nevertheless though, his guilt that sometimes creeps in him disappears when he sees you giving such a blessing smile, telling him how you’re grateful to have a wonderful househusband like him and how you love him so much despite his past :))

ITTO honestly didn’t intend to intimidate people with his stature and muscular scar-covered body and he’s incredibly oblivious from that fact. however, you are really thankful that his intimidated appearance is enough to make bashers back off - especially since your neighbors warned you and itto about bashers that lurks around the small town.

if there was someone who somehow had the metal balls to bash you not knowing that your househusband is a literal beefy muscular man who can probably crush someone’s head with his bare hands who’s standing nearby, he’ll immediately tackle him down and make you call the police for an attempted harassment.

although your husband isn’t as… violent as most househusbands in this post, he’s the only one who does the most rational thing and call the cops, simply because he’s a literally nice guy that just follows the law now.

XIAO’s eyes are something that catches people’s attention, only for them to immediately feel scared of him because of his rest-bitch face. if looks could kill, xiao would’ve already killed millions, that’s what people will think to themselves whenever they walk pass the ex yakuza.

unfortunately, this doesn’t go the same for certain people because of xiao’s height, especially that one basher that spat out insults after insults because of your lifestyle with xiao — that is, until your husband takes one good look at the basher with a scary glare with intent to kill — and that was enough for the person to shut his mouth up and stare in fear.

you gotta admit, it was pretty hot. but scary as well. but mostly hot.

THREATENS BASHERS - kaeya and thoma

KAEYA will instantly take a hold on the person from going after you, staring at them with a cold gaze that replaced the loving look he gives to you and only you.

he may have promised that he wouldn’t hurt anyone anymore to you, but it doesn’t mean he promised that he’ll not do it verbally. all it took was for your husband to lean in on your assaulter’s ear and whisper a few words that made him shiver in fear and try to get away from kaeya.

when you asked kaeya what he said to the basher, his expression instantly comes back into a loving one, cupping your cheek with his one hand as he tells you it’s nothing for you to worry about.

THOMA will immediately put himself between you and your basher before stopping them from their attempted harassment. it was definitely strange to see your husband taking the situation so light heartedly as he treats your harasser like they’re old friends — but then the blonde haired man whispers something that made the basher look at him in confusion, giving you and thoma a chance to walk away from the incident with no injuries and worries.

so imagine your surprise when you saw your basher standing at your front door the day after the incident, muttering so much apologies as he kneels on the ground and begs for forgiveness to you. just what did thoma do to scare this poor guy?!

FIGHTS BASHERS BACK - childe, scaramouche

CHILDE will not take the basher slightly — especially if they were aiming to attack you first under his watch. seriously, were they asking for a death wish when they tried to hurt an ex-yakuza’s spouse right in front of him? childe amuses to himself, watching as the basher cowardly steps away when he sees childe bringing out a gun.

oh, you don’t have to worry about witnessing the poor bastard’s death by your husband - the gun is simply a prop that can scare off people like your assaulter, so no need to try and stop him, just watch the show and see if the man learned his lesson <<3 you wanted to ask why on earth your husband has a gun prop, but you honestly don’t wanna find out.

what’s not a prop are the two blades that childe brings out when he stands in front of the basher’s home, smiling menacingly as he goes closer and closer to the front door.

despite failing in being intimidating to others outdoors and not in his old organization anymore, SCARAMOUCHE makes it up through his violent verbal assault. he’s probably the only househusband that made you encounter a few bashers who aren’t scared of scaramouche’s appearance.

however, your lover is one of the only househusbands who won’t hesitate to go violent (verbally and physically) against someone who’d have the audacity to assault you. it didn’t matter if the incident occur in public, his major priority is you and your safety, so he’d be damned if he’d let this bastard’s disgusting behavior slide just because he has an audience.

so when a certain basher took things way too far, it simply end up with the basher feeling like an embarrassment to this world and a traumatized memory of scaramouche’s colorful words.

HII HAPPY 1K !! scaramouche + aconite + hurt/comfort >:)) all my faves in one req >:)))))

petals of resentment

tw/cw - mentions of blood, illness, angst.

a/n - HI WREN!! thank you, i hope you enjoy (even if the comfort is vv minimal oops that’s what you get for choosing scaramouche)

every word and short breath released through the cracks of your lips instilled a feeling of irritation.

the balladeer, one of great power and feared by most, was the root of your aggravation. years of working together and you still couldn’t stand the sight of the cocky twitch of his lips nor the condescending look he held you within. even the teasing lilt in his voice he seemingly carried whenever around you had the itch under your skin worsening with every interaction, until you were left with fingers clawing at your throat in hopes to relieve the tension.

it wasn’t until your chest felt tight and a lone petal fluttered to the palm of your hand from a single cough did you realize that, perhaps your irritation wasn’t directed solely to the man himself.

you stared for several quiet moments, at the shades of iris from an aconite flower cradled within your grasp. ironic if you did say so yourself, especially considering how your thoughts seemed to head straight to the irises baring a similar color. you grit your teeth at the image, crumbling the lone petal before throwing it towards the ground.

you did your best to ignore the lumps in your throat as time passed, which only seemed to worsen as the weeks went on. you completed your duties as told, went on missions when sent, and spent late nights completing paperwork when necessary. no one would ever grow aware of the pile of petals hidden within the palms of your hands.

and yet, all that effort, only for it to go to waste each time the sixth harbinger came into view.

it only fueled the resentment you held towards his figure. why was it him that had your chest tightening each time he surprised you with his presence? the cruel smirk you wished to wipe away that had a pressure build up in your throat? the tone of his voice, the fingers picking at your pride, things you wished you’d never let get the best of you that caused you to excuse yourself, until you were left to hack into your hands flowers that would create frustrated tears spilling down your cheeks.

why was it him?

“this is quite pathetic, even for you.” scaramouche, the very man you had tried to avoid, peered down at you, your figure having collapsed against the wall from the intensity of the coughs. the glare sent to him from his choice of words should’ve been enough to have anyone cower under the gaze, but it only left him with an expression that bore no smile and no mischievous glint.

“if you want to see pathetic, take a look in the river.” you tried to push yourself from the ground, only to feel the pressure build up once more when his fingers briefly touched the skin of your arm. more tears escaped down the dips of your face, half because of the thorns clawing up your throat and half because of the way his warmth, despite his cold nature, lingered.

he crouched down beside you, picking up the flower you previously let out. gently, he rolled the stem between his fingers, flicking his gaze towards you. perhaps it was your vulnerable state that caused the smile and small scoff to fill the silence of the room, “who were you stupid enough to fall in love with?”

“i don’t know.”

“you don’t know?” he raised his eyebrow at the spat of your words, continuing to smile in a way that felt as if he were making fun of the way you allowed yourself such a disease to befall upon you, and you didn’t even know the roots.

“can you shut up for just once in your life?” you grumbled, erupting another laugh from his throat. it quickly died down however when you spilled more blood onto the ground near his feet, and trembling fingers reached up to wipe the warm crimson staining the appendages of your lips.

“the tsarista can’t afford to lose another harbinger,” this time he spoke quietly, with no teasing lilt. even his gaze, set heavily on the pile of flowers by your own figure seemed to be void of the emotions you were so used to seeing, “you should get the surgery.”

“why do you all of a sudden care?” you croaked out.

pools of iris met your own, and his next words had you fighting back another urge to cough, “i don’t.”

you scoffed, trying to ignore the squeezing of your heart and the pressure begging to be released. trying to look past the gaze he was giving you, which was far too similar to concern despite his words. ‘don’t look at me like that’ you thought, for the small semblance of warmth flickering in the hollow space of your ribcage should’ve burned like the wrath of his anger.

“then let me die in peace.”

menu. pomegranate mousse cake.

I googled define brilliant writing and it showed you 😤 omggg you're one of my favourite authors. I live for your fics on quotev and now you made a tumblr and do requests too?? 😩 Must've saved a country in my previous life for this honour. That new addition of orphic was GOOD SHIT ‼️ I saw you write for Haikyuu?? Can you please feed a desperate hoe and write some yandere! Oikawa? Only if you want to 😊 I'd love to see how you write him. Your writing is SO amazing 😭 thank you for your hardwork!

lmaooo three years later what’s up chief!!!!!!!! haha.....

i couldn’t bring myself to write canon, so here Yan!Demon!Oikawa. after three centuries. i think this is progress for me bc me getting ANYTHING done is #offbrand.

no beta we die like men 

TW: burning, death. 

word count: 2.3k 

“Not a good idea.”

“Stop being such a baby! You watch too many movies, Y/N. Nothing’s going to happen, and, if something does happen, it’ll happen to all of us, at least.” Your friend paused. “Actually, I don’t know if that’s actually that encouraging, but don’t be a wimp! It’s going to be fine.” Incredulous, you glanced around at the others present at the house party, solo cups in hands. “Ugh, if you want to be a baby, just stay up here I guess.” Wordlessly, you began to clean up the stray cups from your previous games of flip-cup and slap-cup as the rest of your friends hurried through the door, their steps fading into the basement. You sighed.

Your friends had always wanted to be more “crackhead.” They wanted more stories to tell their friends at school and some cool things to take videos of to post on their finstas. Though you’d agree to say your stories are also rather bland compared to the general college student, you really didn’t want to spice up your life with the… “demon summoning” your friends found deep online. It wasn’t like you actually believed it would work, but you’ve always been the “what is the worst-case scenario happens” type of person.

“But what if it works?” You paused your cleaning, stood up straight, and peered at the door. “Y/N, don’t be ridiculous.”. How long do these types of things take anyway? Hopefully no longer than it will take to clean the rest of the cups off the floor and to wipe the puddles of beer staining the floor.

It was the screams first. Bent over trying to reach a particularly hard cup to reach in the corner, you bumped your head against the wall in your jolt. You fell onto the floor and rubbed your hand against your head. Groaning in pain, you decided the house owners could grab this one. It must have been your friends being dramatic over nothing. You were only halfway back on your feet when another bout of screams resonated with a few ‘helps’ in the mix, nearly sending you back down to the floor, but then it fell silent. Frozen to your spot, hands squeezing the plastic in your hand, you waited with bated breath and a palpitating heart for something else. Boisterous laughter, footsteps, murmurs, anything, but there wasn’t a single sound.

The door was pretty far from you though. Tip-toeing across the floor, you put your back against the wall next to the door and held your breath so you could listen better.

“—someone upstairs?” The voices were muddled behind the door, but you could make out bits and pieces.

“No, there’s—.” It went silent again. A single set of footsteps began to thump against the stairs. Closer and closer they came until you heard them stop on the other side of the door. If you moved, whoever was on the other side of the door could—.

God, you were so dumb. What the hell were you freaking out about? The chance of this actually working was impossibly low. Your friends were just messing with you because they knew you were a big baby, so the laugh they could get out of this would be of you being terrified. You exhaled and let your shoulders fall.

“Real funny, guys!” You kicked off the wall and faced the door. “You’re not going to make me the butt of this joke! Find someone else, assholes! I’m already your maid!” You put your hands on your hips, waiting for them to emerge and complain about how you were ruining their fun, but it remained silent. “Fine, keep the act up! I’m calling my DD and leaving!” You shook your head and turned around.

“Sorry, you got us.” Your friend creaked open the door. “Just come downstairs with us, at least. Promise we won’t do anything. It was kind of shitty of us.” He was jolted forward just a bit as if he was pushed. “A-and we’re sorry!” You narrowed your eyes. “Really, we are.” You sighed.

“Fine, fine. No more puppy dog eyes.” Opening the door fully, you followed them down the stairs. “Now, what did—.”

“Ah, my Y/N. You finally show! Well, it only makes sense the star comes last.” The friend that escorted you down was now pinned to the wall by an invisible force. All the others were trembling in terror, eyes blown wide and chests heaving against the cement of the walls and floor. All of them seem to be pinned by the same thing. Some looked fine, while blood leaked from others. You took a shaky step back. “Ah ah ah, Y/N. No leaving now. Not after your friends did all this to bring me here.” Though the sweet voice spoke to you, you could not see the source.

“W-where are you?”

“Trying to hide your fear? My Y/N is so brave! You don’t need to be scared,” a moment passes, then another, “because I’m right here.” His breath blew across your ear and you jumped away, turning to see the figure of a young man where you were just standing. “This is the form you’re most likely comfortable with, right? Tried my best to make it good looking. Took some energy to make, but I’d do anything for you.” Your eyes glanced around the dimly lit room.

“So you’re a demon? Like really?”

“Really, really, my love!”

Why did this demon drag you down here? Did he simply want you to see the scene around you and intimidate you, or did he bring you down because he could not go upstairs and do anything himself? You knew nothing about this type of thing, but you noted the full circle drawn near your feet. Perhaps he was bound to the basement? If that were the case, then—. “You’re real observant, you know. It’s one of the first things that drew me to you, after all.”

“Huh?”

“But it is not only the basement. You’re almost right, though.” You furrowed your brows.

“How did you know?” He smiled. “How did you know I was thinking that? You can’t… you can’t read my mind, can you?” The demon chuckled and took a step forward. Lithe fingers lifted to play with a few locks of your hair. “W-what do you want?”

“What do I want?” He repeated. “I want what I’ve always wanted: you, and with just a little push, some whispering in your friends’ ears to try something new, they have brought me here to you. I, Oikawa, Lord of the Sixth Ring of Hell, am here to retrieve you. I have been waiting for centuries for you to be born and to grow, and finally, finally, it’s time to come home, to where you belong.” One of your friends was shifting behind him. Extended a little away from his arm was a small vial. Holy water. You did not think about it; you kept your mind centered on the demon before you.

“U-uh, what? I don’t—I don’t understand. Explain yourself to me, demon, or spew your lies somewhere else. How do I know you’re not telling me this just to take my soul or something?” Oikawa laughed.

“Lying? My love, there is plenty I want to do to you, but lying is never one. I just think it’s funny you think I don’t already own your soul. I have infinite power to see the past, the future, and to know and attain everything I desire. If I wanted to kill you, my love, I would have already, along with your cattle of friends, but I wanted to be nice. I didn’t want your first impression of me to be terror, and I still don’t. I wouldn’t want my partner to be scared of me. Well, not too scared. Don’t want a cowering puppy all the time. I want you to love me as I love you.” He extended his hand. “Just come with me, my love.” Your eyes centered on the fingers.

“To where?”

“I think you know the answer to that, my love,” he whispered.

“Do you want to know what I think? I think you should go back to hell, monster.” With a swing of their arm, the crescent of water descended onto the demon and landed with a distinct sizz. You did not waste any time pushing past and sprinting up the stairs, ignoring the anchor of fear that fell in you with the shrill, furious scream that followed. You managed to leap back to the first floor, and turned around to see your friends’ despair the moment the foundation of the stairs burned, forcing them back to the ground.

You scrambled to your feet, inching just far enough to be able to view the basement. The stairs were still aflame, your friends' bodies moving still, but in such obvious pain. At where the last step usually was stood Oikawa, blood and hot gashes burning through parts of his clothes and one side of his face. Head tilted slightly down; his eyes burned hotter than the fire around him. You could see the tautness of his body, his fists tightening at his side. Oh, he’s pissed. Oikawa’s lips fell into a dangerous snarl.

“I wanted to be nice, Y/N! I didn’t want to be the one to have to kill your friends and forcibly take you with me, but you’re leaving me no choice! If you want me to be a monster, I can oblige.” Ever so slowly, he rose his hand and snapped.

Screams of agony, pain pierced the air, your soul, and you ran, covering your ears with frantic hands. You touched the doorknob to the outside, but it burned your skin. Recoiling, your adrenaline and fear pushed you to the nearby window, but the frame burned you as well.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Your head jolted around. The stairs to the second floor were the only things left. Their screams did not cease.

“Y/N,” his voice resounded, but you can’t see him. “You did this! I wanted to do this peacefully, but you did this to them! Can you hear them, screaming in horrible, horrible pain? Burning until they are nothing but crisp bones.” While he spoke, you sprinted up the stairs into the farthest bedroom. With no other option, you hopped into the closet and fell to the floor, using a shirt to breathe into so your breaths were not so loud. You could still hear them; you choked out a sob. “Do you think I’ll stop? I’ll burn this whole house down, my love!” Oikawa’s voice seemed like it was coming from a body again.

Footsteps took their time up the stairs. Sinking your teeth into your lip, you bit so hard you tasted the metallic blood beneath. “Centuries and centuries have passed. Do you think that I would let anything get in my way? I just wanted you to be able to see my love and want to feel the same, but… I don’t mind forcing you.” His voice came closer and closer. “Oh? Are you hiding from me? You’re hiding from your future husband? Ah, you’re a little brat, but I’ll indulge you.” Oikawa inhaled. “Come out come out wherever you are.” He did not even bother to check the other rooms to act like he didn’t already know.

You looked around the little space around you. Was there nothing you could do? Your movements stopped when the door to the room was seemingly kicked open. “I can hear your thoughts. My poor baby is so scared. Don’t be scared! I’ll never do anything to hurt you. We’re going to be married. You’ll forget about all this, and you’ll be properly mine for eternity. If you come out for me, I promise I won’t be mad.” He paused. “Actually, I change my mind.” Violently, the door opened and light flooded into the closet. He gripped your legs and forcibly pulled you out. Oikawa was quick to trap you under his weight. “There you are.”

“P-please don’t—.”

“Sh sh sh, it’s alright, my love. Everything is alright,” he said as screams came muffled through the floor. His chest connected with your own, hands petting your hair, your skin. “You’ll have nothing to worry about. You’ll have everything you want and more. I love you so much, and you’ll come to love me too. One way or another,” he said and then slanted his lips onto yours once, twice, three times. Each one’s passion growing exponentially as he slipped his tongue into your mouth, suffocating and overpowering you. His hands tangled in your hair to pull you closer, to take in more. “Let’s go home.”

Last night, there was a fire on Fifth Street. The owners of the house were not home, but their two kids had five friends over that night. When the neighbors smelled and saw the flames from the house late in the night, they said it seemed that the entirety of the first floor was engulfed in flame. By the time the fire department arrived, the house’s foundation was completely eradicated. Their statement says that they “have never seen a fire of this degree. It is nothing like an electrical or gas fire.” They have not yet determined the source of the fire.

However, in tragic news, of the seven people present, six of their bodies have all been found in the basement under the rubble. The last body of Y/N L/N has not been discovered, but they remain missing and unseen by family or friends. It is said that they were present in the house and there were no accounts of them leaving from the person who was supposed to be their designated driver for the night. Both the fire department and police are looking into the source of the fire and the missing person.

lmaooo three years later what’s up chief!!!!!!!! haha.....

i couldn’t bring myself to write canon, so here Yan!Demon!Oikawa. after three centuries. i think this is progress for me bc me getting ANYTHING done is #offbrand.

no beta we die like men 

TW: burning, death. 

word count: 2.3k 

“Not a good idea.”

“Stop being such a baby! You watch too many movies, Y/N. Nothing’s going to happen, and, if something does happen, it’ll happen to all of us, at least.” Your friend paused. “Actually, I don’t know if that’s actually that encouraging, but don’t be a wimp! It’s going to be fine.” Incredulous, you glanced around at the others present at the house party, solo cups in hands. “Ugh, if you want to be a baby, just stay up here I guess.” Wordlessly, you began to clean up the stray cups from your previous games of flip-cup and slap-cup as the rest of your friends hurried through the door, their steps fading into the basement. You sighed.

Your friends had always wanted to be more “crackhead.” They wanted more stories to tell their friends at school and some cool things to take videos of to post on their finstas. Though you’d agree to say your stories are also rather bland compared to the general college student, you really didn’t want to spice up your life with the… “demon summoning” your friends found deep online. It wasn’t like you actually believed it would work, but you’ve always been the “what is the worst-case scenario happens” type of person.

“But what if it works?” You paused your cleaning, stood up straight, and peered at the door. “Y/N, don’t be ridiculous.”. How long do these types of things take anyway? Hopefully no longer than it will take to clean the rest of the cups off the floor and to wipe the puddles of beer staining the floor.

It was the screams first. Bent over trying to reach a particularly hard cup to reach in the corner, you bumped your head against the wall in your jolt. You fell onto the floor and rubbed your hand against your head. Groaning in pain, you decided the house owners could grab this one. It must have been your friends being dramatic over nothing. You were only halfway back on your feet when another bout of screams resonated with a few ‘helps’ in the mix, nearly sending you back down to the floor, but then it fell silent. Frozen to your spot, hands squeezing the plastic in your hand, you waited with bated breath and a palpitating heart for something else. Boisterous laughter, footsteps, murmurs, anything, but there wasn’t a single sound.

The door was pretty far from you though. Tip-toeing across the floor, you put your back against the wall next to the door and held your breath so you could listen better.

“—someone upstairs?” The voices were muddled behind the door, but you could make out bits and pieces.

“No, there’s—.” It went silent again. A single set of footsteps began to thump against the stairs. Closer and closer they came until you heard them stop on the other side of the door. If you moved, whoever was on the other side of the door could—.

God, you were so dumb. What the hell were you freaking out about? The chance of this actually working was impossibly low. Your friends were just messing with you because they knew you were a big baby, so the laugh they could get out of this would be of you being terrified. You exhaled and let your shoulders fall.

“Real funny, guys!” You kicked off the wall and faced the door. “You’re not going to make me the butt of this joke! Find someone else, assholes! I’m already your maid!” You put your hands on your hips, waiting for them to emerge and complain about how you were ruining their fun, but it remained silent. “Fine, keep the act up! I’m calling my DD and leaving!” You shook your head and turned around.

“Sorry, you got us.” Your friend creaked open the door. “Just come downstairs with us, at least. Promise we won’t do anything. It was kind of shitty of us.” He was jolted forward just a bit as if he was pushed. “A-and we’re sorry!” You narrowed your eyes. “Really, we are.” You sighed.

“Fine, fine. No more puppy dog eyes.” Opening the door fully, you followed them down the stairs. “Now, what did—.”

“Ah, my Y/N. You finally show! Well, it only makes sense the star comes last.” The friend that escorted you down was now pinned to the wall by an invisible force. All the others were trembling in terror, eyes blown wide and chests heaving against the cement of the walls and floor. All of them seem to be pinned by the same thing. Some looked fine, while blood leaked from others. You took a shaky step back. “Ah ah ah, Y/N. No leaving now. Not after your friends did all this to bring me here.” Though the sweet voice spoke to you, you could not see the source.

“W-where are you?”

“Trying to hide your fear? My Y/N is so brave! You don’t need to be scared,” a moment passes, then another, “because I’m right here.” His breath blew across your ear and you jumped away, turning to see the figure of a young man where you were just standing. “This is the form you’re most likely comfortable with, right? Tried my best to make it good looking. Took some energy to make, but I’d do anything for you.” Your eyes glanced around the dimly lit room.

“So you’re a demon? Like really?”

“Really, really, my love!”

Why did this demon drag you down here? Did he simply want you to see the scene around you and intimidate you, or did he bring you down because he could not go upstairs and do anything himself? You knew nothing about this type of thing, but you noted the full circle drawn near your feet. Perhaps he was bound to the basement? If that were the case, then—. “You’re real observant, you know. It’s one of the first things that drew me to you, after all.”

“Huh?”

“But it is not only the basement. You’re almost right, though.” You furrowed your brows.

“How did you know?” He smiled. “How did you know I was thinking that? You can’t… you can’t read my mind, can you?” The demon chuckled and took a step forward. Lithe fingers lifted to play with a few locks of your hair. “W-what do you want?”

“What do I want?” He repeated. “I want what I’ve always wanted: you, and with just a little push, some whispering in your friends’ ears to try something new, they have brought me here to you. I, Oikawa, Lord of the Sixth Ring of Hell, am here to retrieve you. I have been waiting for centuries for you to be born and to grow, and finally, finally, it’s time to come home, to where you belong.” One of your friends was shifting behind him. Extended a little away from his arm was a small vial. Holy water. You did not think about it; you kept your mind centered on the demon before you.

“U-uh, what? I don’t—I don’t understand. Explain yourself to me, demon, or spew your lies somewhere else. How do I know you’re not telling me this just to take my soul or something?” Oikawa laughed.

“Lying? My love, there is plenty I want to do to you, but lying is never one. I just think it’s funny you think I don’t already own your soul. I have infinite power to see the past, the future, and to know and attain everything I desire. If I wanted to kill you, my love, I would have already, along with your cattle of friends, but I wanted to be nice. I didn’t want your first impression of me to be terror, and I still don’t. I wouldn’t want my partner to be scared of me. Well, not too scared. Don’t want a cowering puppy all the time. I want you to love me as I love you.” He extended his hand. “Just come with me, my love.” Your eyes centered on the fingers.

“To where?”

“I think you know the answer to that, my love,” he whispered.

“Do you want to know what I think? I think you should go back to hell, monster.” With a swing of their arm, the crescent of water descended onto the demon and landed with a distinct sizz. You did not waste any time pushing past and sprinting up the stairs, ignoring the anchor of fear that fell in you with the shrill, furious scream that followed. You managed to leap back to the first floor, and turned around to see your friends’ despair the moment the foundation of the stairs burned, forcing them back to the ground.

You scrambled to your feet, inching just far enough to be able to view the basement. The stairs were still aflame, your friends' bodies moving still, but in such obvious pain. At where the last step usually was stood Oikawa, blood and hot gashes burning through parts of his clothes and one side of his face. Head tilted slightly down; his eyes burned hotter than the fire around him. You could see the tautness of his body, his fists tightening at his side. Oh, he’s pissed. Oikawa’s lips fell into a dangerous snarl.

“I wanted to be nice, Y/N! I didn’t want to be the one to have to kill your friends and forcibly take you with me, but you’re leaving me no choice! If you want me to be a monster, I can oblige.” Ever so slowly, he rose his hand and snapped.

Screams of agony, pain pierced the air, your soul, and you ran, covering your ears with frantic hands. You touched the doorknob to the outside, but it burned your skin. Recoiling, your adrenaline and fear pushed you to the nearby window, but the frame burned you as well.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Your head jolted around. The stairs to the second floor were the only things left. Their screams did not cease.

“Y/N,” his voice resounded, but you can’t see him. “You did this! I wanted to do this peacefully, but you did this to them! Can you hear them, screaming in horrible, horrible pain? Burning until they are nothing but crisp bones.” While he spoke, you sprinted up the stairs into the farthest bedroom. With no other option, you hopped into the closet and fell to the floor, using a shirt to breathe into so your breaths were not so loud. You could still hear them; you choked out a sob. “Do you think I’ll stop? I’ll burn this whole house down, my love!” Oikawa’s voice seemed like it was coming from a body again.

Footsteps took their time up the stairs. Sinking your teeth into your lip, you bit so hard you tasted the metallic blood beneath. “Centuries and centuries have passed. Do you think that I would let anything get in my way? I just wanted you to be able to see my love and want to feel the same, but… I don’t mind forcing you.” His voice came closer and closer. “Oh? Are you hiding from me? You’re hiding from your future husband? Ah, you’re a little brat, but I’ll indulge you.” Oikawa inhaled. “Come out come out wherever you are.” He did not even bother to check the other rooms to act like he didn’t already know.

You looked around the little space around you. Was there nothing you could do? Your movements stopped when the door to the room was seemingly kicked open. “I can hear your thoughts. My poor baby is so scared. Don’t be scared! I’ll never do anything to hurt you. We’re going to be married. You’ll forget about all this, and you’ll be properly mine for eternity. If you come out for me, I promise I won’t be mad.” He paused. “Actually, I change my mind.” Violently, the door opened and light flooded into the closet. He gripped your legs and forcibly pulled you out. Oikawa was quick to trap you under his weight. “There you are.”

“P-please don’t—.”

“Sh sh sh, it’s alright, my love. Everything is alright,” he said as screams came muffled through the floor. His chest connected with your own, hands petting your hair, your skin. “You’ll have nothing to worry about. You’ll have everything you want and more. I love you so much, and you’ll come to love me too. One way or another,” he said and then slanted his lips onto yours once, twice, three times. Each one’s passion growing exponentially as he slipped his tongue into your mouth, suffocating and overpowering you. His hands tangled in your hair to pull you closer, to take in more. “Let’s go home.”

Last night, there was a fire on Fifth Street. The owners of the house were not home, but their two kids had five friends over that night. When the neighbors smelled and saw the flames from the house late in the night, they said it seemed that the entirety of the first floor was engulfed in flame. By the time the fire department arrived, the house’s foundation was completely eradicated. Their statement says that they “have never seen a fire of this degree. It is nothing like an electrical or gas fire.” They have not yet determined the source of the fire.

However, in tragic news, of the seven people present, six of their bodies have all been found in the basement under the rubble. The last body of Y/N L/N has not been discovered, but they remain missing and unseen by family or friends. It is said that they were present in the house and there were no accounts of them leaving from the person who was supposed to be their designated driver for the night. Both the fire department and police are looking into the source of the fire and the missing person.

hi!! if its ok could i request some HCs for Ayaka whos best friend is the reader n reader is dating Ayato? Maybe some hcs on how the three of them would interact together n also Ayaka setting them up n stuff similar to that? I hope thats ok n that it all made sense (シ. .)シ

Did I read this wrong? Yes. Did I do more to makeup for it? ... Yes. Enjoy <333 you like my garbage title? I do, thank you. I'm a genius, I know.

Bestie's Brother.

Ayaka loves to tease you about dating Ayato. You met her first and the two of you became close extremely quickly. Thoma was pretty much used to having you around the house as was Ayato. Though, he was extremely busy, so you didn’t see much of him.

You asked Ayaka since you wanted to learn a little bit about Ayato. She told you everything she knew, not suspecting anything. Little did she know, you had a huge crush on Ayato. You didn’t want to tell her because how weird would that have been?

Well, somehow, Ayato managed to find time for you (since he had a crush on you too). Slowly, the time spent together became more. You two ended up becoming more.

It originally started out as a secret because you didn't have the heart to admit to Ayaka you were dating her brother.

You were nervous that Ayaka would hate you for it but it was quite the opposite. She was happy for two reasons. She trusted the person her brother was dating and she trusted the person her best friend was dating. It worked out well.

Ayaka takes any chance she can to tease you or Ayato. Ayato just gets flustered and tells her to mind her own business as he drags you off to who knows where.

She’s sharp. Watch out for her ^w^.

Alternate: Ayaka sets you up!

Ayaka knew you were single, you didn’t exactly try to hide it- you weren’t embarrassed or ashamed. She’s not one to pry into your business but over the course of the few years you two have known each other, she sort of figured out you were the perfect person for her brother.

He needs a partner. You need a partner. Perfect, right? Was that her only requirement? Yeah, kinda.

Anyway, so Ayaka decided to set up a little date between you and Ayato. She claimed that she wanted to have dinner with you at Komore Teahouse and you agreed. She told Ayato she wanted to have dinner with him to celebrate a recent achievement. Both of you were so naive.

Once you both were there, Thoma came to inform you that Ayaka had gotten busy and wouldn’t be showing up. You two genuinely thought she was busy so you just spent the dinner with each other. Of course, Ayaka wasn’t busy, in fact, she was in the room beside yours and she was definitely listening in to your conversation.

Ayaka wasn’t done, though, no she set up multiple dates like this and 9/10 she flaked, claiming she was busy. It took a few dates… ok, it took a few dates before you and Ayato realized she wasn’t actually busy.

Eventually, he asked you out on a real date and Ayaka was beyond happy. You, of course, were quite happy too. It was a real date with someone you’d been in love with for a while.

Ayaka takes every chance to tease you and Ayato about your relationship. It’s all in good fun, but she loves to see your face- or his- turn bright red.

It’s adorable.

You’re adorable.

flavors of you (II)

content: fluff, what he says his first kiss tastes like

character/s: gorou, thoma, scaramouche

note: dfksjd just finished the story quest yesterday <33 and it’s only right that i dedicate this one for the inazuma boys ;> i hope you guys enjoy once more, and have a lovely day!!

precaution: i just need to warn you guys that there will be slight spoilers in scaramouche’s, so if you haven’t done the story quest yet, i’d suggest you finish meeting him first before reading this :))

GOROU

the innumerable and arduous days he’s spent training the resistance warriors, are too enervating to recount as he begrudgingly nods off to get some well-deserved rest, or to pursue the extreme activities as early as the dawn of the following morning.

but they were all fighting for their freedom - fighting for the land they loved, and to free its people from their prolonged suffering. thus, the heavy burden and absolute importance of this duty, was not worth the incessant complaints that occasionally tumbled out of his soldiers’ mouthes out of fatigue, or his own body’s desperate cries of weariness that he has long learned to ignore by now.

however when foreign and plush curves of pink crash onto his, the beguiling temptation to finally drop his worn-out weapon onto the ground with a resounding clatter and forget about the damned training, has never sounded more appealing to him as you made it today.

he thinks he’ll remember the way you taste for the rest of his life - ephemeral flavors of ambrosia perfused triumph at the end of a lengthy and merciless war. he stares with a flushed expression at your lidded eyes, and observes from a limited corner of his covered vision, as your fingers leisurely trail across his chest and gingerly grasp for purchase on his armor.

his breath hitches at the intimate and trivial gesture - gorou has always been preoccupied with the looming battle and his blinded desire to achieve victory with his comrades. he’s never dared to pursue the insignificant thought of romance amidst the constant danger, but perhaps the simple notion of y/n l/n would be enough to sway his firm resolve and consider entertaining his pent-up feelings for you.

as his hand shifts to the back of your neck to bring you in for several further heated kisses, greedy to savor your suffusing flavors with each repeated latch to your lips - he believes you may just be the only thing that tastes remarkably better than the resistance’s success.

THOMA

he was always exclusively flirty with you, but he never once expected you to take the passing comments so seriously.

you should really stop saying things that make me want to kiss you - he vividly recalled saying with a playful wink. he doesn’t remember how, but at some point things strangely escalated, and now, he found himself pinning your smaller frame against the wall in a secluded room, with a fond and stolen kiss shared between two supposedly close friends.

friends…he’s never despised the innocent label until you came, now the word somehow became the only option and excuse he had left to stay with you. the title also served as a fine border - a line he never dared to cross out of fear of losing you, a line that constantly reminded him of his insignificant place in your ever-evolving and wonderful world.

however, when you give a pretty smile at his cheeky statement and suddenly grasp his collar to bring his lips against yours - the overpowering nectarine taste of flawed first love intrudes his mouth for him to savor.

he thought the privilege of kissing you was one only bestowed in his traitorous and unrealistic daydreams…however now that he’s unintentionally achieved the baffling opportunity to do so, his first instinct is to push you away. he thinks you deserve someone better - someone who wasn’t tied to countless obligations with a supreme clan, someone who could unfailingly devote his time on you, someone who might probably love you more than thoma himself presumes he does.

i never took you for a coward - he hears you whisper against his lips with a ghost of a smile - but i’m just saying…if you want me, then i’m yours.

and he does want you - perhaps if you’d allow him, for the rest of his life…and even longer.

SCARAMOUCHE

it was a terribly foolish scheme — out of all the infinite and considerably modest methods you could have concocted at the back of your mind, your actions somehow rebelled against your rationality and impulsively decided on the worst one…

is what he presumes you’re thinking, as he blankly gazes in astonishment after being abruptly knocked over to the ground, followed by the sudden sensation of something soft grazing against his lips.

he’s aware it’s all in an endeavor to distract him and for you look for an opportunity to slip away. after all you were presently held captive under him, as a consequence of ultimately failing to purloin the gnosis he recently traded with the fox lady to set the traveller free. however, never in his wildest dreams did he predict that you had the guts to kiss the balladeer himself, the sixth and most despicable harbinger of the fatui - risking your presently slim chances of freedom in this one mere osculation.

it’s a witless move - he belatedly chants in his mind, the pleasurable candied flavors of a forbidden fruit invading his lips, as his head spins and his expression strains to deny the irrefutably delightful taste of your soft appendages. his fingers absentmindedly grasp the billowing cloth of his massive headpiece for semblance, as his heart beginning to thump rapidly at your unforeseen action.

he probably shouldn’t, and he knows not to do so, but every incessant grumble of reason in his mind is immediately shoved out and forgotten about, and his hand swiftly reaches to clasp your cheek to impatiently draw you closer. you slightly lose your balance at the aggressive motion, briefly interrupting the kiss to catch yourself - but his free arm instinctively secures you in a safer position it, and he hungrily seizes you back to his mouth without even allowing you to catch your breath, the sudden collision inflicting a slight cut upon his dewy lips.

when you both finally break away for good, he quietly scoffs in irritation and shakes his head in disappointment. his eyes flicker to the ground as he resentfully adjusts his toppling hat, licking the blood that slowly pooled out of the fresh wound from his lips. in the end, scaramouche still had a duty to fulfill to his archon…and though the idea of you staying around a bit longer was somewhat enticing, your mere presence and the fact that you were both fighting on different sides, would only hinder him even more from achieving it.

“ten seconds…” he eventually grumbles in an incoherent manner, hastily turning away to hide the suffusing blush on his pale cheeks. “and if i still see you standing here, i’ll kill you.”

Inevitable (Series Masterlist) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader (ft. ot6)

Genre/Tags: exes au, parents au, baseball player!JK; angst, fluff, smut (18+)

Series Warnings: foul language, alcohol consumption, minor character death, talks of insecurities, explicit sexual content (oral sex, fingering, making out, straddling, unprotected/protected penetrative sex but be safe please! specific warnings will be written on applicable chapters)

Series Word count: ~89.8k

Summary: You convinced Jungkook to break up years ago so he could pursue his lifelong baseball dream. Now he’s back home, staring at you, and the little boy next to you who looks unmistakably like him.

A/N: I love exes aus, and (athlete) dad Jungkook does things to me and after months of this little family living in my head, I finally got to put them into writing. So I hope you enjoy knowing them as much as I loved writing them 🥰 Also, my knowledge on baseball (and the MLB and the KBO) is quite shallow so for wrong terms and stuff… please ignore!

Prologue (wc: 2.2k)

Chapter 01 (wc: 6.9k)

Chapter 02 (wc: 7.2k)

Chapter 03 (wc: 7.7k)

Chapter 04 (wc: 9.9k)

Chapter 05 (wc: 7.5k)

Chapter 06 (wc: 7.7k)

Chapter 07 (wc: 6.6k)

Chapter 08 (wc: 14.7k)

Epilogue (final) (wc: 6.3k) 

Only Love: An Inevitable Epilogue (wc: 13k) || End

masterlist

I have this brainrot of Scara's darling being abducted and when he hears news of it, he immediately goes to where his intel said that you were held captive at, only to be met with you standing there, the expensive parasol he bought you at your hand and is that blood on your kimono?

Since darling has to take his horrendous etiquette lessons, he probably had to also teach you how to gracefully make use of parasols (whether it's to actually shield you from the sun when you walk the gardens or hide your identity when he oh so graciously allows you to go outside his estate, you'll never know.) Darling would think that those classes are useless, but the lessons oddly came to their help when they needed it. How she was able to retrieve her parasol from the abductors is simple. If deceiving Scara is the hardest thing she had to think about, then petty kidnappers are bound to be child's play. Beating them up with a mere parasol is also easy, having to deal with Scaramouche daily takes a shit ton of emotional control and hey, you're kinda doing them the favor of avoiding his wrath by beating them up yourself (or so you think, the dungeon lingers with static electricity the next day sadly.)

Scaramouche probably reprimands you from using a parasol since then, in an effort to keep you under his control too. Lucky you then, that's one less etiquette rule to keep up with. (Sorry if this is all over the place since I honestly enjoy the thought of his darling carrying around a parasol ASKDLFGSJKD)

OMG YOU'RE ONTO SOMETHING... who needs a sword when you've got a parasol? the parasols in your possession are the real deal too, nothing is cheap about how they were made since it was a gift from scaramouche to you. he doesn't settle for anything less than perfection. he never considered the possibility of you using it as a weapon — but the juxtaposition of your gentle demeanor paired with bloodshed just does something to him. he sees a lot of himself in you (ha!). pretending to be fair and demure, only for their to be ruthlessness hidden beneath the surface.

maybe gets a bit lovestruck in that moment, who knows. he certainly won't admit it.

shoutout to whatever poor shmuck orchestrated the entire kidnapping event... they definitely had to have been given bad info. some guy said that this estate was just an inazuman diplomat and his spouse, an easy hit. turns out that inazuman diplomat was number sixth of the eleven fatui harbingers. a bad day overall for them.

sub rosa | jjk

👻 part of the ghouls just wanna have fun collab 👻

➛pairing/member: jungkook x reader (e x t r e m e l y loose, questionable/unhealthy); slight yoongi/tae x reader ➛genre: the thing ! au, alien au (sort of), horror, thriller, angst ➛word count: 18.6k ➛rating: nsfw (gore) ➛warnings: major character death, themes of horror, gore, graphic descriptions of blood and gore, major character death— please do not read if any of these things upset you! ➛notes: happy halloween!!! I hope you enjoy my contribution to the collab,, loosely inspired by The Thing (1982)!! Please let me know what you think! Also, Afraid by No Wyld is a good mood-setter when things start to shift!

A long-awaited camping trip with your friends takes a turn you couldn’t have ever expected, and you find yourself wishing you’d never left your house in the first place. What are you to do when you let a wolf so unknowingly into your herd of sheep?

— posted; 30.10.2018

— masterlist | collab masterlist | ao3

“y/n, stop moving! You’re going to make the tent fall over!”

You rolled your eyes at the dramatic way Taehyung had called that out, hands remaining in the steady grip on the tent they’d maintained the whole time you’d been helping him.

“You’re the one moving the tent, idiot,” you snorted, grinning when he sent you an affronted look. “Also I know we’re a good few miles from the town at the bottom of this mountain but that doesn’t mean you can be so loud, jesus.”

Taehyung beamed at you, nimble fingers making quick work of straightening the pole he had to slip inside the tent to keep it upright. “On the contrary,” he said, chocolate hair sticking to his forehead slightly from the light sweat he’d managed to work up while setting up tents. “I pitched this whole idea just so I could have somewhere to be as loud as I want for a week.”

His words made you laugh, since that very much sounded like something he’d actually do. In the apartment building you’d both managed to nab a unit in, you with another girl who attended your university and him with Yoongi, he wasn’t allowed to be very loud at all— and even then he struggled to keep quiet, if the numerous noise complaints he’d received were anything to go by. You wondered if there was anyone on his floor or the one above and below that hadn’t complained about his yelling when he played online games with his friends.

Keep reading

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. ★°*ﾟ

Su-Hyeok x Fem!Reader | 5.2k words

Warning/Rating: Fainting/Language/T

Premise: Five times you and Su-Hyeok correct people about your relationship status and one time you both just accept it.

Author’s Note: This is an AU fic set outside of the zombie world where you and Su-Hyeok are childhood friends (also neighbors!) but everyone mistakes you for a couple. I personally love the 5 + 1 prompts, so I wanted to challenge it myself. I don’t think I’ll get over AOUAD any time soon, or Su-Hyeok for that matter, so I’m pouring my love into writing for this franchise. Requests for other Su-Hyeok prompts are also welcomed! ♡

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷1. Ms. Park

“Su-Hyeok, what do you think of Nam-Ra’s interpretation?”

Class 2-5 all turn their heads to the back, trying—but failing—to suppress their laughter, awaiting what kind of nonsense would spew from Su-Hyeok’s mouth this time around.

“I agree. She’s 100% correct.”

Some giggles slip through before Ms. Park silences them by holding her hand up.

“Great,” Ms. Park says sarcastically, with an air of teasing. “Now…just what do you agree with again?”

Su-Hyeok doesn’t even falter, replying with, “If she could be kind enough to repeat her response so that I can gather my thoughts more coherently….”

The whole class loses it right then and there.

His seat-mate further rubs salt into the wound by whispering between bouts of laughter, “Yah, did you even have any thoughts to begin with?” This earns him a glare, but he was too far gone to care.

Su-Hyeok grimaces, seeing the disappointment on Ms. Park’s face mixed with amusement as she gestures for Nam-Ra to recite her previous statement again. With the amount of times he acts up in the same manner on a regular basis, he’s surprised and grateful that she still allows him to step foot into class for lessons.

Nam-Ra rises once again, her chair creaking slightly, though that doesn’t wake you up from your nap next to her. Currently, you were turned away from the window, left elbow flat on the desk surface as a makeshift pillow.

“All of us have some sort of prejudice. We all have preconceptions about other people.”

“Precisely,” Ms. Park compliments. “Thank you, Nam-Ra, for saying that twice.” With her emphasis on the word, she fixes her stern gaze on Su-Hyeok, but her next words are the exact opposite. “Bare-Su, please pay more attention to my lesson during class time and less on staring at your girlfriend, Y/N.” She raises her eyebrows teasingly.

Su-Hyeok is quick to correct her, trying to suppress the heat he feels slowly making its way up to his face. “Ms. Park,” he says incredulously. “We’re not together.”

“Eyyy,” Dae-Su’s booming voice reverberates in the classroom. “Now you’re just making up lies.”

You stir at the loud sound, but it’s still not enough to make you open your eyes.

“I’m serious, Dae-Su,” Su-Hyeok splutters.

“Yet you’re not denying having stared at Y/N~,” Woo-Jin drawls, giving Dae-Su’s awaiting hand a high-five with a resounding smack.

“Dumbass duo!” Su-Hyeok says exasperatedly to deaf ears. “Ms. Park, how come Y/N is taking a sound nap in class, but I’m the one being ganged up on?”

“This is the first time it has happened, and she’s still ranked 3rd in the class. I’ll let it slide,” Ms. Park crosses her arms and smiles, entertained by Su-Hyeok’s excuses.

“Isn’t this blatant favoritism?” Su-Hyeok mumbles under his breath.

“You also favor Y/N, so you can’t be one to talk,” his seat-mate once again teases.

“You’re not even on the baseball team so why are you so hell-bent on hitting home runs with your sassy remarks today, huh?” Su-Hyeok slaps him upside the head.

“Alright, alright, settle down class. I think that’s enough punishment for our Bare-Su today.”

When Ms. Park turns back to the blackboard, she says loud enough for the class to hear, “No worries. We can just ask Y/N for confirmation when she’s up.”

By how much the students were cracking up, it suddenly seems like a free period.

“Seonsaengnim!”

At Su-Hyeok’s outburst, you wake up, trying to settle back into reality.

Of course, Ms. Park notices your state of rousing. She’s not one to miss any little detail. “Ah, good morning to you, Y/N. So glad you can finally join us.” Her words hold no malice at all, but you’re still sheepish.

Shyly scratching you head, you voice out, “I apologize for dozing off. Did I miss anything?”

You finally notice all eyes on you. Well, save for Su-Hyeok’s. “Guys….? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“Well—" Dae-Su begins but is cut off by Ms. Park.

“Please refrain from sleeping again in my class as it’s a distraction…to some more than others.”

Laughter rings loud and clear again as you turn to Nam-Ra for answers.

“Banjang, you’re the smartest one here. What’s going on?”

Nam-Ra turns to you with a slight smirk, an expression you’ve never seen on her before, despite how much she’s warmed up to you as her seat-mate and friend, though she’s hesitant to admit to the latter.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Nam-Ra says dismissively, but lightly. “Ms. Park was just teaching Su-Hyeok about preconceptions.”

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷2. On-Jo

Linking your arm through Nam-Ra’s while balancing your tray with your other hand, you pull her in the direction of where On-Jo and I-Sak were already seated with their own lunches piled high with food.

“Save some for the rest of us, On-Jo,” you joke as you and Nam-Ra sit down on the opposite bench, pointing to your friend’s tray.

“Ha ha, very funny,” On-Jo pouts. “I don’t eat a lot; I just eat well.”

“A little too well,” Nam-Ra chimes in, causing you to choke on your banana milk in laughter and surprise. Since Nam-Ra started opening up to your friend group, you can already see the influence it’s had on her. Her conversations may still be minimal, but boy do they pack a punch.

While you all wait for the rowdy boys to join, I-Sak mimes pulling you, Nam-Ra, and On-Jo into a huddle and whispers, “So, have you guys thought about who’s asking who to the spring formal in a few months?” Here, she raises her eyebrows and adds, “Better yet, who are you hoping will ask you?”

“Aish,” you rebuke. “I thought you were about to spill your biggest secret or something!”

“Hey, I’m just curious! Not all of us are set and ready like you are, Y/N!” I-Sak winks at you as you’re in the middle of chewing.

You finish your bite before replying, “Huh?”

“Well, you and Su-Hyeok are already dating, so isn’t it obvious you’ll be attending together?” On-Jo answers.

Flabbergasted, you retort, “But we’re not in a relationship. I thought that was what’s obvious.” Your eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

“Tsk, since when did you become so good at lying, our sweet and innocent Y/N?” I-Sak pokes you with the clean end of her chopstick.

“There’s nothing going on between us,” you emphasize. “I’ve known him since we were babies, and he definitely doesn’t like me in that way. I know that for a fact!” You point from Nam-Ra, to On-Jo, and finally to I-Sak. “Not one more word from you guys, alright?”

Nam-Ra slurps a spoonful of her seaweed soup loudly.

You turn to her and narrow your eyes. “Now, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you said not one more word,” Nam-Ra says without missing a beat. “That was a sound.”

You could never win against Nam-Ra verbally. “Don’t tell me you agree with On-Jo and I-Sak,” you say while facepalming. “Look guys, he’s really sweet, kind, caring, brave…” Realizing you’re rambling when the girls give you a look, you blush and backpedal, “What I mean,” you say as you fix them all with a gaze of finality, “is that it’d be weird. We grew up together, and we fight all the time.”

“I like to call that lover’s quarrel,” On-Jo states.

You roll your eyes and throw a clean crumpled napkin at her, which she manages to dodge.

“I also forgot nice smile, athletic, handsome—" I-Sak mimics your voice. You know it’s bad how spot-on it is when even Nam-Ra laughs.

“Yah! Do you want to die?”

On-Jo protects I-Sak from your slaps to her arm.

“Just admit that you like—" On-Jo is interrupted by a voice you know all too well.

“Like what?” Su-Hyeok asks, oblivious, as he plops down next to you, nudging your shoulder with his out of habit as the boys fill in the rest of the bench, focused on their own conversations.

“Yeah, Y/N, what were you going to say?” I-Sak prods, smiling wider than you thought humanly possible.

You turn to Nam-Ra for help, but she’s just the same as the other two, fixing you with a mischievous grin.

Su-Hyeok looks at you, waiting for an answer.

“Uh…I was just saying that I like,” you stall as you look around for a way out. Your gaze lands on a drink everyone has on their tray. “The banana milk!” You cringe as the words leave your mouth.

“Oh, in that case,” Su-Hyeok hands over his bottle to you. “Here, you can have mine.”

As he turns to his right to talk to Cheong-San, I-Sak flashes you a heart with her fingers discreetly, Nam-Ra elbows you in the arm playfully, and On-Jo—You’re going to get her big time for this.

Before Su-Hyeok is finished with his conversation and turns back to you, she mouths, “I love oo yoo.”

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷3. Cheong-San

You have no idea why your friends decided to play soccer during lunch when it was scorching hot out, especially a day before exams, but followed nonetheless.

On-Jo and I-Sak opted out and were currently benched, acting as cheerleaders. You, however, got dragged into the game as Nam-Ra was the referee and she didn’t want to be alone on the field.

The sun was starting to make you sweat, and you chalked it up to the heat beating down on your head for the sudden dizziness you were feeling. You shook your head and tried to focus on the game that was about to start.

Cheong-San was right next to you, and on the far end of the field you could see Su-Hyeok playing goalie. As Dae-Su kicked off signaling the first half, you began to stagger as your vision becomes unfocused. Just when Cheong-San is about to sprint off in the direction of the ball Dae-Su had kicked, you grab onto his arm, stopping him.

“Cheong-San, I don’t feel too good,” you say.

He steadies you by the shoulder and peers at your face. “Y/N, you’re looking a little more than just pale. Do you think you’ll be okay? Want to sit down for a minute with On-Jo and I-Sak?”

You close your eyes as your head spins but manage to give a weak nod when he checks your forehead temperature with his hand.

“Hey! What’s going on over there?” Someone screams across the field, questioning.

As Cheong-San takes your wrist to lead you back to the girls, your vision goes black and the last thing you remember is someone catching you to break your fall.

***

On-Jo and I-Sak were the first ones to reach you as Cheong-San tries to sit you up. He gets you to somewhat lean on his chest, an arm around your shoulder as the girls crowd around to see what they could do to help.

“Is Y/N alright?” Not getting a response, Nam-Ra checks your pulse and breathing. “Her heartbeat is a little slow, but other than that maybe she got heat exhaustion?”

“I think we should take her to the nurse either way,” On-Jo says, I-Sak nodding in agreement.

“On-Jo, come with me,” Cheong-San directs, as he maneuvers you for a proper piggyback.

“Move,” Su-Hyeok says, seriously.

“It’s okay, I got her,” Cheong-San replies as On-Jo helps to stabilize you on his back.

“I wasn’t asking.” Su-Hyeok slightly pushes Cheong-San.

“Guys, this isn’t the time to fight,” Nam-Ra admonishes, pointing at your unconscious form.

Without another word, Su-Hyeok picks you up easily and carries you away, with Cheong-San and On-Jo in tow all the way to the infirmary.

Once there, On-Jo decided to go get some snacks since everyone skipped lunch, leaving the two boys behind with you after the nurse assessed your condition.

Cheong-San starts chuckling quietly as Su-Hyeok glares at him.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I don’t find the situation funny, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m worried for Y/N as well.”

Su-Hyeok narrows his eyes at Cheong-San. “Why?”

Dumbfounded, Cheong-San replies, “Why would you ask that? She’s a good friend. We grew up together too you know.”

When Su-Hyeok doesn’t respond, Cheong-San nudges him with his foot under the bed to which the former just makes an incoherent noise. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

“I’m not jealous at all that you caught Y/N before she fainted.”

“I never mentioned that,” Cheong-San says between laughs, dimple on full display. “Would you rather I had dropped her to the ground? I don’t know why you would be mad when I was just lending a hand, and considering that you guys are dating and all…” he trails off.

“We’re not dating,” Su-Hyeok says flatly.

“Stop messing around with me Bare-Su,” Cheong-San teases, tilting his head in the direction of your small hands that Su-Hyeok was currently enveloping in his large ones.

“You idiot, I’m not kidding. We’re just friends; that’s all.” He doesn’t let go of your hands. If anything, he cradles them even tighter.

Cheong-San pauses, thinking whether to believe him or not. “Okay, hypothetically let’s say you guys aren’t together—"

“—Because we’re not,” Su-Hyeok interrupts.

“Hypothetically,” Cheong-San stresses. “Then, do you like Y/N?”

“Then, do you like On-Jo?”

“I asked first!”

“I—"

When you open your eyes, you’re met with a white ceiling and curtains, the sound of the machine displaying your vitals beeping away.

Recognizing that you were in the school’s infirmary due to the IV drip and the strong smell of antiseptic, the only thing you remembered was fainting. Everything after is a blur.

You hear hushed whispers and realize it was Su-Hyeok and Cheong-San in the room with you.

“What are you two idiots arguing about now?” You rasp.

Their heads whip towards you, shocked and simultaneously relieved.

“How much of our conversation did you hear?”

“That’s the first thing you ask me? I don’t even get a ‘how are you’?” You fake mock hurt at Su-Hyeok’s question.

“Are you okay?” Cheong-San asks.

“I like Cheong-San better,” you joke and stick your tongue out at Su-Hyeok as Cheong-San does the same.

“We were worried sick but I guess you’re fine now that you’re back to bullying me,” Su-Hyeok complains. “So feisty for such a tiny human.”

“Easy for you to carry,” Cheong-San mutters, earning a kick from Su-Hyeok. “OUCH!” He exclaims as he begins to rub his shin from the impact.

You look between the two of them, more confused than ever but decide to let it go. “Why am I here again? I only know I passed out.”

Su-Hyeok flicks you on the forehead. “The nurse said you were dehydrated and it seemed like you didn’t eat or sleep well enough. Coupled with the heat exhaustion, your already tired body couldn’t handle it and you went down.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? Is that all you can say? You scared me to death. You stayed up late studying again huh?”

“Maybe…” You reply guiltily.

The boys shake their heads at your predictable nature. You always study like crazy but this has never happened before, so you were going to make sure to not accidentally neglect self-care for good grades again.

“How did I get here from the field?”

“Cheong-San caught you and—"

“Awww, you did?” You sit up and spread your arms for a hug, having to let go of Su-Hyeok’s hands to do so.

Cheong-San was going to return it until he turned to Su-Hyeok for permission.

“Why do you need to ask whether he’d allow it?” You roll your eyes. “My arms are getting tired.”

You pull Cheong-San in for a hug and he returns the friendly gesture.

Just then, the door opens and On-Jo comes in with a plastic bag full of goodies. “Y/N, you’re awake!” She rushes over to squeeze the life out of you.

“On-Jo…can’t breathe,” you say in between pauses.

She lets you go and elbows Cheong-San. When he doesn’t get the hint, she takes him by the hand and drags him out, leaving the bag behind on the table for you. Just before the door closes, Cheong-San pops his head in again. “Su-Hyeok carried you in his arms all the way here!”

“AISH!” Su-Hyeok throws his backpack at the door, but the two had already left.

You turn to Su-Hyeok who won’t meet your gaze. Poking his arm, you tease him. “So, you do care.”

If you had been awake at the time, surely you would be a living tomato with the stares you know for a fact you would be getting from being transported that way across school grounds.

Su-Hyeok just breathes out exasperatedly. “More than you know.” He said the line so quietly, you would’ve missed it if you weren’t paying attention.

Not knowing what came over you, you lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you,” you say.

Both of you were surprised with matching blushes as proof.

Too embarrassed now for having been so bold, you make the excuse of feeling tired and lay down, turning your head to the other side to hide your smile. Su-Hyeok grabs your hand again even as you close your eyes.

His phone dings with a text and you hear him curse under his breath. “That little—“

Which could only mean one thing: Cheong-San.

[ Text: Are you sure you’re not dating? I saw everything through the window ]

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷4. Gyeong-Su

You’re walking along the school’s skybridge when you hear someone calling.

“Y/N! Wait up!”

You stop and turn around, smiling when you see it’s Gyeong-Su. He’s such a sweetheart that your friend group always has a soft spot for him.

He pants as he comes to a stop next to you, falling into pace by your side. “Geez, for someone with such short legs, you walk incredibly fast.”

“Is that all you wanted to say to me?” You push him.

Gyeong-Su laughs. “No, no. I’m just kidding. I have a favor to ask.”

“Glad to know you start asking for favors by first insulting the person.”

“I’m sorry okay!” He didn’t look sorry at all. “I need help with English. If I fail this next exam, I’d have to retake the class and the teacher and I already don’t get along,” he frowns.

“I’m not saying that I decline, but wouldn’t Nam-Ra be a better choice?”

“Sure, but she hasn’t studied abroad. You lived in New York for a year before high school.”

“Alright, but if your English has the accent of a New Yorker, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Better an accent than the Konglish I’m speaking with in class. Everyone always laughs when I have to read something.”

You giggle. “I can meet you in the library after our last class period. It’s a Friday anyway so we don’t have school tomorrow. We can stay a little later than usual. Does that work for you?”

“Yes! Thank you so much, Y/N.” Gyeong-Su looked so happy it was contagious. His smile suddenly falters as he leans in to tell you, “Although, I hope that you won’t let Su-Hyeok know.”

“What? What does he have to do anything?”

Gyeong-Su looks at you like you had two heads growing from your neck, gazing pointedly. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t want him to be mad that I’m spending time with you. He’d beat me up. It’s clear which of us would win in a fight, come on now.”

“Why would he be mad?” You inquire, baffled.

“You know, for ranking third place in class, you’re not as bright as I thought.”

“Watch it,” you warn, playfully angry.

“You’re supposed to be tutoring me for language skills but here I am, having to spell everything out for you.” Gyeong-Su gives you a moment to see if you would figure it out but when he sees the gears turning in your head, he sighs. “Su-Hyeok might get jealous and I don’t want that. You know, protective boyfriend and all. The what-have-you’s from all those dramas.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you say as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which to you it certainly was.

“Whatever you say. If you see me one day with a black eye and a broken leg, you’re going to be held responsible for my hospital bills.”

You roll your eyes as Gyeong-Su waves and goes on his way, promising to meet up later.

***

A few hours pass and you find a seat in the corner of the library where it’s more silent and there’s a window nook in between two bookshelves against the wall; it was your favorite study spot aside from your bedroom.

Gyeong-Su is more punctual than you imagined, showing up barely a few minutes after you with all his study materials. His backpack could be used as a weapon with everything he packed inside.

“Are you sure you’re here to study, or are you preparing for war?” You stare in amazement as he pulls endless amounts of materials from his bag.

“I wasn’t kidding about not wanting to repeat class.” An English textbook comes slamming onto the table and you shush him hurriedly. Thankfully, the other students are too busy studying with their headphones in to mind the noise.

“We can work on spelling first,” you direct as you flip through his workbook.

You’re surprised how fast Gyeong-Su is learning after just a few units, and even more proud at the effort he puts into grasping the subject. Perhaps you could finally understand why teachers always glow when their students succeed.

“Wow, would you look at that. I’m a great tutor,” you boast.

“Your ego is pretty great too.”

You hit him on the head with a pencil but he just laughs it off. Your phone keeps vibrating with messages, so not wanting to it be a distraction, you put it on ‘do not disturb’ mode without checking the notifications on screen and proceed to place it upside down on the table.

Both you and Gyeong-Su are too focused on your studies to notice Su-Hyeok coming into the library.

“Y/N, did you lose your phone?”

You look up, even more surprised than Gyeong-Su at his presence. “How did you know we were here?”

“You didn’t tell him? Wow, I’ll remember that the next time I have a secret I need you to keep,” Gyeong-Su says, fascinated.

“I waited an hour for you at the school gates to walk home together but you never showed up so I texted Cheong-San and he said you were tutoring Gyeong-Su in the library.”

“Oh my god, I totally forgot.” You put your hand on your head. Su-Hyeok would always walk you home as you two live in the same area, neighbors to be exact. “I’m so sorry you had to wait that long. It totally slipped my mind!”

He didn’t look mad, just tired.

“You can go home without me you know. I wouldn’t want you to wait even longer. I still have a few chapters left to help Gyeong-Su with.”

“Are you kidding? I’m not letting you go by yourself in the dark. A few more hours is nothing.”

Before you can refuse, he dumps his backpack on the floor and scoots the adjacent chair closer to yours, sits down, and leans his head on your shoulder. “Wake me up when you’re done.”

He’s out cold in a few minutes, and you can only blame it on sleep deprivation; the badge every high school student wears proudly.

“Now that the boyfriend is sleeping and won’t fight me—“

“How many times do I have to tell you, Gyeong-Su? We’re not dating.”

“Sure, because that’s totally what friends do,” he says sarcastically.

As he goes back to his notes, you look down at Su-Hyeok on your shoulder, moving his hair out of his eyes carefully so as not to wake him. Were his eyelashes always that long? His nose bridge so high? His skin so clear? His lips—

“Earth to Y/N,” Gyeong-Su waves his hand in your face. “You guys sure have a thing for staring at the other when they’re asleep. You know, it’s the same look on your faces too.”

“What? We don’t do that.”

“First, he gets caught by the whole class and now you get caught by me. You’re lucky it’s just one person who’s seeing this.”

You brush aside the first thing Gyeong-Su says, because Su-Hyeok having feelings for you? Impossible.

“I wasn’t staring!” That draws the attention of a few students nearby.

“Fine, admiring tastefully then.”

You look down at Su-Hyeok again. “You have to admit, it’s pretty endearing seeing someone sleep.”

Gyeong-Su snorts. “You’re just saying that because it’s Su-Hyeok. If it was me, you would’ve already sent me flying clear across the room with a kick.”

Not really being able to argue with that, you ignore it and turn back to give Gyeong-Su another exercise when Su-Hyeok stirs. “Next, can you describe us all with one word and spell it correctly?”

He ponders for a moment before pointing to himself: “Amazing.” A-M-A-Z-I-N-G is the first line on his notebook.

Next, he points to Su-Hyeok: “Barefoot.”

You laugh at the accuracy while Su-Hyeok curses Gyeong-Su. It’s even funnier seeing him write it down in all seriousness. B-A-R-E-F-O-O-T is the next line.

A pencil aims at your face as Gyeong-Su mocks: “Gnome.”

“You’re getting awfully comfortable with the short jokes there.” G-N-O-M-E goes down in the third line.

“She’s just petite,” Su-Hyeok tries to defend you, doing a horrible job at it.

“Great, she thinks you’re loveable and he thinks you’re cute.”

“You do?!” You and Su-Hyeok say to one another at the same time.

“The two of you aren’t fooling anyone with this ‘We’re not together’ thing. Here’s a word to describe both of you. Gyeong-Su scribbles something quickly down on the notepad in perfect English and holds up it up sideways for you as he reads it out loud, gesturing with his pointer finger between you and Su-Hyeok:

┌──────────┐

ᑕOᑌᑭᒪE ♡

└──────────┘

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷5. Nam-Ra

No one ever comes to class early like she does, and so Nam-Ra is more than surprised to see Su-Hyeok of all people stepping foot into the room, the slide of the wooden door announcing his entrance. He jumps when he sees her already there.

“What is it?” Nam-Ra cuts to the chase.

“Uh…nothing,” Su-Hyeok stammers.

“Whatever’s in your hands doesn’t seem like nothing.”

He quickly hides the note behind his back.

Nam-Ra raises an eyebrow at this and taps your still-empty desk. “Go ahead and put it here. I’ll let Y/N know.”

“It’s not for her.”

“Su-Hyeok, you’re talking to me, not Dae-Su. I don’t believe that statement in the slightest.”

Su-Hyeok sighs as he walks over to your seat and sits down. “Prez, I need advice.”

“Hmm, what did On-Jo call it? Lover’s quarrel, was it? I’m not that experienced to be a love guru.”

“We’re not—"

“Cut it out. No matter how many times you guys deny it, it won’t make it true.”

“But—"

“Nope.” Seeing as he wasn’t going to say anything else, Nam-Ra smiles to herself. If she can keep this up, maybe they’ll actually stop dancing around one another. “Now, why are you here and not with Y/N like you usually are?”

“She’s mad at me.”

“I find that hard to believe, but explain.”

“Y/N has been avoiding me and I don’t know why. We were fine still during the study session with Gyeong-Su, but after that day she’s been keeping her distance. She flinches when I so much as sit near her, when I talk to her, she can’t look me in the eyes, and when we walk home together, she’s always speeding ahead. I think I might’ve done something wrong, but I also don’t think I have? That’s why I was planning to put this apology letter on her desk.”

Nam-Ra brushes her hand down her face at the absurdity of the situation. “You guys are hopeless.”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you telling me or asking me about whether you messed up?”

“Uh…both?”

“Gosh, you’re clueless.”

“I didn’t know advice came with being bashed.”

“Just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to my following questions.” Nam-Ra revives a nod in response.

“Look, you haven’t done anything wrong right?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Does Y/N turn red when you’re near?”

“Yes, now that you mention it.”

“Is she becoming more flustered now when she never was before?”

“Also a yes to that question.” Su-Hyeok’s eyes widen and when Nam-Ra finally thinks he’s pieced it together, he hits her with the entire force of collective obliviousness in the world. “Oh no! Do you think she’s come down with something? Is she sick?”

“Aigoo!” She smacks him on the head with her workbook.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“Focus!”

“I was until you gave me a concussion!”

“That’s not how that works—oh never mind! Just, think! I know it’s not something you usually tend to do, but try!”

“As long as you don’t hit me again.”

Nam-Ra ignores his previous words and continues. “Since you said you guys aren’t together I’ll believe it.”

“There’s nothing to believe or not, we really don’t have that kind of a relationship.”

“But do you want to?”

“I don’t think she likes me like that—"

“Yes or no only.”

“Fine, yes. I can’t believe I’m telling you before I tell Y/N.” Su-Hyeok slumps in his seat.

“So, you like her.” Nam-Ra states it as is, no longer questioning.

“I can’t say no now after what I said earlier, so yes. I really do.”

“Then just go tell her. It’s not that hard. You’re making a simple thing more difficult than quantum mechanics.”

“Does Y/N even like me back for me to confess?”

“Yes.” Now it was Nam-Ra’s turn. “You’re a fool for not noticing it: the avoidance, the distance, the shyness. Any of that ring a bell?”

She can physically see when the realization hits him.

“Everyone can see it except for the two of you. I’m shocked that it took me to smack some sense into you; literally and metaphorically.”

“I always thought that all friends were like that.”

“In what world? Friends don’t look at each other like that.”

Su-Hyeok springs up from his chair with his note, promising to think it through before confessing, and rushes off to who knows where.

When he leaves, Nam-Ra sits alone pondering whether she should just change her last name to Cupid.

Cheong-San and On-Jo clearly need some arrows as well.

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ +1

When Cheong-San’s mom invites the friend group to their chicken restaurant for a free meal, no one could decline.

You and Su-Hyeok come in a bit later after everyone had already started eating, hand-in-hand.

“There’s the cute couple!” Cheong-San’s mom exclaims, handing over the largest platter of fried chicken you’ve seen in your life.

“Mrs. Lee, they’re not—” everyone at the table choruses in unison, except for Nam-Ra.

“We are!” You say, holding up your clasped hands.

Dae-Su drops his chicken on the floor in shock and everyone’s mouths hang open comically in silence.

“Mwoya? Have you been fooling us all this time?” Your friends talk over one another, but the sentence is somehow coherent.

“Just ourselves,” Su-Hyeok replies, looking down at you fondly, only to see you already gazing up at him.