6 Levi's Horrible Flirting Skills! 9

6 Levi's horrible flirting skills! 9

-> Part 1 and 2!

-> Part 3!

-> Part 4!

-> Part 5!

-> Part 6!

-> Part 7!

-> Part 8!

-> Part 9!

-> Part 10!

-> Part 11!

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Thank my lucky stars

replaced MC au

pairings: MC x brothers (platonic), MC x Purgatory Hall (platonic)

genre: angst

summary: in which there's a new human exchange student

a/n and warnings: some strong language, my spin on the replaced mc au :> not proofread!

pt 2 pt 3 pt 4

you could hear the laughter of the brothers ringing though your ears. well, the laughter of the brothers and the new human exchange student.

diavolo had decided to do another exchange program, considering the first one went quite well despite a few bumps in the journey. this time, there were only one new student from the other two realms. for the devildom, there would be one new human and one new angel.

when hearing of the news, you were quite happy. no, ecstatic even. you could meet a new human who was like you! solomon didn't have any problems adjusting to the devildom since he was a powerful wizard, but when you came, you had no idea of how anything worked.

you thought you and the new human would become best friends, especially since diavolo announced that the new human would stay in the house of lamentation with you. you could guide them through the year and help with whatsoever they needed.

some of the brothers didn't seem too excited though.

levi dreaded meeting new people, "ugh, another normie?" he would groan.

"lucifer, don't tell me i have to take care of this new human too! i've already got a lot on my plate with MC!" mammon complained, as if you weren't the one keeping him out of trouble.

beel would think they had to share more food so he would get less and belphie still kind of resented humans, you and solomon being an exception.

satan didn't seem to care that much though, it was just another human. asmo was quite happy though, maybe he could befriend them and the three of you could dress up and go clubbing.

if lucifer cared, he didn't show it much. he was still in his work mode where he wanted to make sure everything would be prepared.

you were so excited on their day of arrival! a new student, a female human named laila.

she had arrived with diavolo and barbatos at the house of lamentation, barbatos carrying her bags that held her belongings. you figured you would be the first to greet her, lucifer was quietly talking to diavolo at the side.

"hi! welcome to the house of lamentation laila! my name's MC, these are the brothers," you said, gesturing towards the rest.

"nice to meet you, my name is satan," satan introduced himself, being the gentleman he is.

"hi deary! i'm asmodeus, you can call me asmo or anything else you like~"

she smiled and nodded, soft and warm, "hello, my name's laila. i'm from the human realm."

diavolo smiled happily, lucifer returning to join his brothers, "well! i'll leave it to you all then! barbatos and i shall take our leave."

barbatos placed the bags down and left, giving a gentle bow and following after diavolo.

you were the first to help laila, grabbing her bags, showing her to her room and helping her settle in. satan and asmo helped you show her around, telling her about all the fun times and activities that happened in the HOL.

she was kind, wonderful actually. she was so warm and patient, if you didn't know any better, you would have mistook her for the angel exchange student from celestia.

asmo was complimenting her greatly as he always did, talking about how healthy her skin looked and asking what brands she used on her hair. satan would answer the questions she would ask, he read a lot so he knew much more than you did.

the more you talked to her, the more you liked her, it felt as if you met her before.

until dinner that night and it all clicked.

"laila, i was told that you were actually from the same family tree as MC," lucifer announced.

you were surprised, this was your first time ever meeting laila.

"really? i never knew we'd be related!" you exclaimed, looking towards laila who was eating her meal.

the rest of the brothers looked in shock, you thought that it was because laila was in fact somewhat related to you, but that wasn't the case.

laila, but she acted just like lilith, the brothers' dead sister. no wonder the brothers were all so stunned. no wonder they swarmed to her like a moth to a light. well, all the brothers except satan, he didn't know lilith much anyways.

she looked nothing like lilith, but the way she acted, her demeanor, the way she spoke. it was all so similar. you were happy! the brothers would have someone that is related to a person that was once close to them and you would have a relative, be able to find out more about your family tree.

well, at least that was the case at first.

now, as you sat alone in your room, you could hear the brothers and laila having dinner downstairs. they didn't even acknowledge you when you went downstairs to bring you dinner back up to your room. they all had their eyes on laila.

it had been like this for the past few weeks. no, it had been like this for the past few months. whenever you hung out with laila in your room, one of the brothers would conveniently whisk her away, comepletely forgetting about you.

laila on the other hand always asked if you were alright, asking if you wanted to join or telling the boys that she would rather spend time with you and chill.

of course, you weren't one to keep laila from the brothers. even if you did join their little 'adventures', you'd be treated like a side character who would be forgotten.

belphegor would ask her to sing him to sleep sometimes, making sure to cuddle her. there wouldn't be any more space for you in the end.

beel would get her to bake pastries for him since she was practically a master chef. if you bought food from madam scream's, he'd be apparantly 'too full'.

she had the perfect body so asmo would ask her to model for him, doing skincare routines at night together and disregarding your routine that you had together.

she was always learning more about the devildom so satan would offer to teach her, she enjoyed reading books as well. satan would 'have his hands full' while teaching laila when you needed his help for homework.

she wasn't too good at gaming but was patient and willing to learn from leviathan since he'd always ask her to join him, forgetting about your nighttime gaming sessions.

mammon would bring her to the casino with him. she seemed to be extremely lucky too, helping mammon win big numbers. you were no longer his 'lucky charm'.

and of course, she had incredible grades. not missing a single day of class, no tardies at all, always handing in homework when due and getting perfect scores on her tests. lucifer would praise her, you on the other hand would be compared.

"why are your grades dropping? i exepected more from you MC, it seems i've been too lenient."

"sorry MC! laila and i's are goin' to the casino! i don't want you breakin' my lucky streak!"

"huh? MC? oh, i'm busy teaching laila how to play this new game. it's only a two-player game so there's no spot for you."

"i'm teaching laila about devildom history right now, MC. and this question is easy, you'd be able to get the answer if you looked inside your textbooks for once."

"MC? sorry dearie, but i'm bringing laila out shopping with me at this new luxury brand. and i don't think the clothes would suit you anyways."

"madam scream's? i'm a little full MC... i asked laila to make me some pastries just now. huh? oh no, i ate them all. you could eat madam scream's yourself."

"mmm... go away MC, i'm sleeping... there's no space for you here anymore."

as you were lost in thought, trying to complete your homework while letting your food grow cold, you heard your door open.

gazing up from your table, you were greeted with lucifer, arms crossed and having a disappointed look on his face.

"lucifer?"

"MC. i've seen your results on your recent test. why are you doing so horribly these past few months? if you knew you were lacking this much, you should've went to ask laila for some help."

oh, so that's why he came to see you.

"i've just been a little worn out lucifer... please try to understand, it's been... stressful for me, recently," you croaked out. your throat was dry from not drinking enough water and your eyes were tired from analyzing the same passage over and over for you assignment.

"stressful? MC, how are you the one that's stressed? you've been here over a year, that's more than enough time to adjust. laila has been here for less than half that time and she's doing incredible! her grades have been top of the board and she tops it off with perfect attendance. you on the other hand have been failing every single test and have been late for over half your classes."

"lucifer, i'm sorry, i'm just really stressed right no-"

"don't give me that excuse again MC. i'm extremely disappointed in you. why can't you be more like laila? she's a model student and wonderful at not causing me any more stress, you being the cause of it."

you bit the inner of your cheek, trying to stop yourself from frowning as much as you did currently. you were tired. so, so tired.

you stared down at the papers on your desk, trying to ignore the insults lucifer was saying by reading the text.

"lucifer, please, i'm just really tired..."

he ignored you, lecturing you over and over about how your grades weren't 'acceptable' and about how he should have dealt with you.

your tears fell from your eyes as you tried keeping your focus on the papers, fresh tear stains forming on your assignment paper now. you didn't dare look up because you know the look on his face would make you break but you needed to speak your mind.

"can't you just leave me alone?! i've been so fucking tired these days! maybe if you got your head out of your ass, you'd notice that the reason why i'm not doing well is because of you! you and your brothers! i love all of you with my heart but the way you have been treating me these past few months is terrible! and stop comparing me to laila! i know you love her soooo much because she's perfect and practically the reincarnation of lilith, but i'm not her! and of course laila is doing well! unlike her, i was killed within my first few weeks here! and all of you threatened me, telling me i was just some human! don't you remember that?"

lucifer scoffed, staring down at your figure. your voice was loud although you were choking on your words, but not loud enough to overpower the laughter that was apparent downstairs. all of them enjoying themselves while you were expected to sit here and deal with their shit.

your figure shrunk as you let your tears fall freely now, sobbing as your eyes were now unfocused. you could barely see through your tears as you felt lucifer's rage roll off him.

"scoff. blaming others for your faults. pathetic."

finally, he left the room, slamming the door behind him as you flinched at the sound. the loud chatter from the dining room halted for a short moment but continued with joyous laughter.

what was left of your slight appetite was now gone, fatigue filling your body as you let your head fall to your desk while your sobs filled the room.

they could really just forget about you like that, couldn't they? forget that you were the one who helped them mend their relationship as brothers again. forget that you were the one who literally sacrificed your life.

in a fit of rage and sadness, you grabbed your book of spells and slammed it onto the table.

solomon had told you about this before, a spell that was used to help people forget about bad memories, usually used to help victims of trauma forget about what happened. some called it a blessing, some said it was a curse. but as long as it worked, right?

it was simple enough, just write the few given words on the palm of your hand along with your name, then chanting the words written.

if they wanted to forget, then so be it. you'll do the same.

In Another Life Part 3

𝖲𝗎𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗒: 𝖨𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾, 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖯𝗂𝖾𝗍𝗋𝗈 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋. 𝖨𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾, 𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖠𝖽𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇’𝗍 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝗂𝖿 𝗂𝗍 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖩𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖯𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋; 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗎𝗇𝗇𝗒, 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗍.

A/N: this is where the fun begins! wc: 4.3k

“Here.” Sirius says, handing James a paper cup with a lid on it. “Got you your usual.”

“Thanks.” James nods in appreciation, taking a sip as Sirius hands out the rest of the drinks.

“Why do we have to be there so early today?” Peter asks, eyes still heavy with sleep.

“Mm-mm.” Sirius shrugs. “Moody said.”

“Yeah, but why?” Peter whines.

“Must be something important.” Remus says, eyes flitting back and forth as he tries to figure out what it could be.

“So important we have to be in the office before the sun comes up?” He continues to complain.

“You wanted to be an auror.” Sirius sings.

“Yeah and now I’m regretting it.” Peter grumbles.

Everyone laughs at that. Well, everyone except James.

“You alright, Prongs?” Remus asks, finding his silence odd.

“Prongs…” Sirius calls, elbowing his friend.

“Hm?” He finally hums, frowning when he sees his friends staring at him in concern. “What?”

“Are you okay?” Remus asks again.

“Yeah.” James breathes with a nod. “Brilliant. Why…why do you ask?”

Sirius, Peter, and Remus share a look, silently asking someone to say something. Finally, Remus sighs.

“Well, it’s just… you’ve been kind of off since yesterday…” He trails off cautiously.

“Since you had that run in with that bird.” Sirius adds, getting straight to the point.

“Yeah, well, you would be too if some woman you’ve never seen before throws herself into your arms one second, and then refuses to be touched by you the next.” James says with a frown.

“Aw, is that what it is?” Sirius asks teasingly. “Poor little Prongs can’t handle rejection?”

“What? No!” James argues. “I just- I don’t know! I’m just wondering if she’s okay, you know? She seemed very upset…”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Sirius says, waving off his friends' worries.

“She was probably just having a bad day.” Peter pipes up, more awake now.

James nods his head at that, though it’s clear he isn’t convinced.

“Thought you wanted something weird to happen…” Sirius mimicked.

“Shut up, Pads.” James grumbles, taking a final sip of his coffee.

The group of four are on high alert as soon as they step into the atrium. Sure, the Ministry is usually busy, but never like this. There are double the amount of officers and aurors, if not triple. The marauders watch wide-eyed as they all hurry to and fro, as if they’re preparing for something, as if they’re preparing for battle.

“How ya feeling, Wormtail?” Sirius asks, watching as a group of Unspeakables walk by.

“Wide awake.” Peter nods.

“Whatever’s going on, it must be bad.” Remus comments.

“Let’s hurry to Moody’s office.” James orders. “If anybody has answers, it’ll be him.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Moody?” James calls, knocking on his door as they all walk into his office.

He looks up at the intrusion, setting down some paperwork he was reading and standing from his desk.

“Come in,” He orders, waving his hand hurriedly. “And shut the door behind you.”

Remus, being the last one in, shuts the door and leans against it, crossing his arms as the others spread out.

“What’s going on?” Sirius asks, referring to everyone outside. “Are we running a drill of some sort?”

“I’m afraid it’s not a drill.” Moody informs them. “There’s a manhunt underway.”

“Manhunt?” James repeats, eyes widening in surprise.

“Has someone escaped from Azkaban?” Sirius asks.

“Or committed an unforgivable?” Peter adds.

“Neither.” Moody shakes his head. “A stranger’s arrived.”

“Okay?” Sirius asks, not getting the point.

“This one is using magic unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.” Moody explains grimly.

“How so?” Remus asks.

“I think it’s best if I show you.” Moody nods.

He grabs a glass vial, struggling with the lid before finally popping it off and pouring it into a basin. With a flick of his wand, the pulled memory starts projecting on the wall.

“A shop owner was on his way to work yesterday when he saw this.” Moody informs them.

It’s as if they’re seeing it through their own eyes. They can see the people passing by, and hear the tune the shop owner was whistling to himself. He groans when he steps on a piece of gum, grumbling to himself as he starts dragging his foot along the floor, trying to get it off. He looks to the side and does a double take when he sees a light coming from the alley.

The marauders watch in complete shock as a huge circle appears out of thin air; bright and sparkling. The moment you step out of the portal, Sirius, Peter, and Remus turn to look at James with wide eyes. He wordlessly puts a hand up, stopping them before they could even think of asking any questions.

“They didn’t even use a wand.” Moody says grimly, watching as Stephen steps back through the portal and disappears. “We have no idea where she is or what she’s capable of.”

“So what’s the plan?” Peter asks softly, looking nervously between Moody and James.

“Bring her in for questioning.” Moody says with a firm nod. “We’ll turn the city upside down, leaving no stone unturned. We’ll use excessive force if we have to.”

“No!” James shouts, standing from his seat.

Everyone in the room turns to look at him, and he awkwardly clears his throat.

“I mean, don’t you think that’s a bit much, sir?” James asks.

“She’s an outsider.” Moody tells him bluntly.

“She’s lost.” James argues with a shake of his head.

“She’s dangerous.” Moody continues.

“Dangerous? She’s scared! Look at her!” He exclaims, pointing to the projection. “Look at how tightly she’s holding that bag, how she’s shuffling her feet, look at…” James sighs softly, zeroing in on the tears threatening to fall. “Look at her eyes… She needs help…”

James and Moody stare each other down while Sirius, Peter, and Remus silently watch. Finally, Moody nods.

“You have a big heart, James.” He comments. “You always see the good in people, give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s very honorable.”

James nods his head in acknowledgement with a grin.

“But it’s not practical.”

“Sorry?” James asks, his smile dropping.

“You need to start thinking with your head, not your heart.” Moody tells him. “There’s no place in a war for a soft hearted person.”

“But we’re not in a war!” James says in exasperation. “Sir, trust me. Please. There’s no need for this. There’s no need to cause panic and mayhem. Especially when people are just starting to feel safe again. I’ll find her. We’ll find her.” He corrects, gesturing to his friends who nod, albeit confusedly. “We’ll bring her back here. She’ll come peacefully. I know she will.”

Moody stares at him in contemplation. For a moment, James thinks he might agree, that he might’ve gotten through to him. Then John Dawlish, another auror comes bursting into the room.

“Sir! Everybody’s ready.” He pants.

Nodding, Moody walks past James, heading towards the door.

“Tell them to start searching.” Moody says firmly. John nods his head and hurries back out.

“Question everyone, break down doors if you have to, I want her found by the end of the day!” He shouts after him.

“Sir-“ James tries again.

“You.” Moody says, turning around abruptly and pointing his finger at James. “You will follow orders or you will stay out of the way. Is that clear?”

James opens his mouth once more, wanting to argue one last time before sighing, dropping his shoulders in defeat.

“Yes, sir.” He nods solemnly.

“Good.” Moody nods in return, walking out of his office and leaving the four men behind.

The group of four all stand in the hallway, silently watching as chaos erupts in the ministry. Moody disappears, still shouting orders as hoards of aurors start running out.

“So…what are we gonna do?” Sirius asks, looking at James.

James doesn’t answer him. He doesn’t even look in his direction. Without a word, he makes a left and starts hurrying down the staircase, the marauders not far behind.

“James?” Peter calls, hastily grabbing onto the handrail when he skips a step and almost falls.

Still, James doesn’t pay them any mind. He pushes a side door open and slips out into the alley, his friends right behind him.

“Prongs!” Sirius finally shouts, grabbing James’ arm and yanking him back, stopping him from walking any further. “Bloody ‘ell! What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing.” He says bluntly, trying to walk past him.

Sirius puts a hand on his chest and shoves him back. James scowls in annoyance.

“Don’t give me that look.” Sirius scolds. “The fuck is going on?”

James continues to stare him down, silently seething when yet again Sirius stops him from leaving.

“Prongs… It’s us, mate.” Sirius reminds him with a chuckle.

“Whatever it is, you can tell us.” Remus assures.

Finally reaching his breaking point, James turns around, kicking a trash bin out of sheer frustration.

“He didn’t fucking listen to me!” He shouts, bringing a hand up, gesturing towards the city. “Now he’s got everyone out there looking for her, thinking she’s dangerous and treating her as if she’s some threat when she’s not and-“

“How do you know?” Remus asks, cutting him off.

James sighs, shrugging his shoulders at his friends, his brothers.

“I just do, mate.” He says simply.

“Because she hugged you?” Sirius asks. There’s no teasing in his voice, only genuine curiosity.

“Yes. I mean, no.” James stammers, shaking his head. “I saw it in her eyes yesterday. Before she ran off. And I saw it again just now in that memory that Moody showed us. She’s scared.”

“She’s just scared. She’s not gonna hurt anyone.” James insists. “And I know Moody said not to listen to my heart but it’s not just that. My gut is telling me that she’s not a danger.”

Sirius, Remus, and Peter all silently stare at James.

“Never mind.” He mumbles, shaking his head. “Forget I-“

“So, what are we gonna do?” Sirius asks again.

“What?” James asks, looking up at his friend.

“As annoying as it is, your gut feeling has never been wrong before.” Sirius tells him, crossing his arms with a roll of his eyes. “So? What’s it gonna be?”

“Pads, no.” James argues. “I can’t bring you down with me.”

“Should’ve thought about that before you shared a train compartment with us.” Remus teases with a grin.

James smiles back gratefully at him, at all of them.

“We’d be going against direct orders. Interfering with a mission. And defying our superior officers… You do get that, right?” James asks, stressing the gravity of the situation.

Peter, Remus, and Sirius all grin mischievously.

“Well, that makes it all the more fun, doesn’t it?” Peter asks, looking to Sirius and Remus for support. When they nod their heads in agreement, Peter turns back to James with a smile.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

“Where exactly are we going?” Sirius huffs, as they all run after James.

“Riiiiight here!” James answers, coming to an abrupt stop.

Peter looks around the plaza confused.

“Isn’t this where-“

“Where we saw that bird?” Sirius interrupts.

“Stop calling her that.” James groans with a frown. “But yes. We have the advantage here, guys. We were the last ones- if not the only ones- to interact with her. So while everyone else is aimlessly running around the city-“

“We have a better idea of where to look.” Remus finishes with a nod. “Prongs, you’re a genius.”

James shrugs bashfully as he turns around, scanning his surroundings.

“Alright, we know she went this way.” He says, as they turn a corner.

All four men sigh when they see it’s a busy street, filled with all sorts of shops and restaurants. It’d take ages for them to interview every person on this street.

“Split up?” Peter suggests.

“Split up.” James nods, already making his way down the sidewalk. “Use flagrate if you find anything!”

The marauders make quick work, popping into every establishment asking if they’ve seen you. It would be easier if they had a picture of some sort, but even with the most detailed descriptions (from James of course) the only word they’re hearing is “no.”

It isn’t until Peter stops to tie his shoe in front of a flower stall that they make a break in the case. Using flagrate, he spells out a quick message to his friends, telling them where to meet and they all arrive shortly after.

“What’d you find?” James asks as soon as he joins them.

“She isn’t certain, but she thinks she saw someone matching that girl's description yesterday.” Peter answers, already making his way down the street.

“Brilliant!” James exclaims as he and the others follow. “Which way’d she go?”

“Said she saw her heading towards Victoria Street.”

“That’s it?” James asks with a frown.

“Afterwards she moved her cart to a different area.” He informs him.

“It’s something.” Remus shrugs.

James scans all the businesses and sighs, running a hand through his hair. It won’t be long until the others arrive. Then you’ll really be in trouble. They all will. He sees an inn up ahead and his eyes widen.

“Look!” He exclaims, pointing to the inn before jogging over.

“The Cob Web?” Remus says, taking in the faded sign hanging above the door.

“Oh yeah. I forgot about this place.” Peter comments. “What’s the name of that fancy hotel that opened up a few years ago?”

“Oh!! The golden crown?” Sirius suggests, eyes lighting up. “Love that place.”

“Me too!” Peter agrees. “Have you been?” He asks Remus.

Remus shakes his head and Peter gasps in excitement.

“You have to go!” He insists. “They put a little bed on your nightstand for your wand.”

“Aw.” Remus coos.

“Guys! Can we please talk about the cute, tiny beds later?” James asks in exasperation, pushing open the door and walking in.

“Good morning!” An elderly woman at the front desk greets. “Checking in?”

“Um, no, sorry.” James shakes his head. “We’re actually looking for someone, maybe you’ve seen her? She’s about this tall, has Y/H/C hair, Y/E/C eyes…”

“Yes, of course!” She nods, clasping her hands in joy. “You made it! I’m so glad.”

“Sorry?” Sirius asks.

“Aren’t you her friends?”

“No… We’re actually with the Ministry.” James clarifies, holding up his badge to show her. “We were just hoping to ask her a few questions…”

“Oh… I see… That’s too bad.”

“Why‘s that?” Remus asks curiously.

The woman looks around before leaning closer, voice dropping to a whisper.

“She’s been sitting out in the garden all night. Thought she might’ve been waiting for someone. Poor girl looked completely lost when she stumbled in here.” She tells them. “She had no idea what galleons were…her money wasn’t even in pounds.”

“What type was it?” Peter asks.

“I couldn’t tell you.” The woman frowns with a shake of her head. “Maybe American…”

“Weird.” Peter comments.

“Between you and me, I think she was left here.”

“Whaaaat? What makes you say that?” Sirius asks with wide eyes, always one for gossip.

James’ mind replays the video that Moody showed them. He remembers how that weirdly dressed man stepped back into the portal, and how your feet shuffled, almost as if you wanted to go after him. He remembers how when you turned around, your eyes were already beginning to water, and it looked as if you muttered some sort of curse word under your breath. Is that what happened? Did you really get left behind? All by yourself?

“Right. Well. Thank you.” He nods, tapping his hand on the counter before heading towards the door. “We’re gonna go around the side so we don’t spook her.”

The innkeeper nods her head as Peter, Remus, and Sirius file out. James grimaces when he hears other aurors shouting in the distance.

“If anyone else from the Ministry comes in, can you just say you already spoke to someone? And that they didn’t find anything?”

She looks perplexed by his request but finds herself nodding nonetheless.

“Great. Thanks.” James nods a final time. “We’ll be quick.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The marauders come to a stop in front of the iron gate.

“I want you guys to keep your distance.” James tells them softly.

“Don’t wanna share your little girlfriend?” Sirius teases.

“I don’t wanna crowd her.” James corrects with a sigh, already knowing the teasing won’t come to an end anytime soon.

“Thought she wasn’t dangerous.” Peter comments.

“She isn’t. At least, I don’t think she is.” James assures. “But regardless, how would you feel if you found yourself cornered by a group of people you’ve never seen before?”

Seeing his point, they all nod their heads.

“We’ll hang back, Prongs.” Remus promises.

The back gate creaks open and the marauders shuffle in. James immediately spots you sitting on the steps. You’ve got your hands clasped together and tucked under your chin. You’re staring off to the side but it’s obvious that your mind is a million miles away. You didn’t even acknowledge them when they walked in. Thinking that you simply didn’t see them, James clears his throat, trying to get your attention, only for you to assume that he’s just wanting to go back inside.

“Sorry.” You apologize half heartedly, not even looking in his direction as you scoot over.

James turns to friends, unsure of what to do. Sirius shrugs his shoulders helplessly as Remus waves his hand, silently urging James to get closer.

Cautiously, James takes a step forward. Then another. And another, finally coming to a stop right in front of you. It’s only then that James finally captures your attention. With a sigh, you lift your head. Your eyes light up upon seeing James, but lose their sparkle a moment later as you continue to stare at him. Briefly, James wonders if you remember him at all; or if you mistook him for someone else again, same as you did yesterday, before shaking his head.

“Erm… Hi!” He greets awkwardly, bringing a hand up to wave at you.

You continue to silently stare at him before looking behind him, finally noticing his friends standing a few feet away.

Good thing I told them to keep their distance, he thinks to himself.

James smiles when you shift your piercing gaze back to him.

“Why are you here?” You ask instead of returning his greeting.

James’ smile drops and behind him, Sirius snorts in amusement. He quickly glares at him before turning to you once more.

“Can we talk?” He asks with what he hopes is a friendly grin.

Finding it difficult to look him in the eyes any longer, you turn your gaze away, choosing to stare at the ground instead.

“No.” You say softly, shaking your head just the tiniest bit.

“Sorry?” James asks.

Surely he heard you wrong.

“I said no.” You repeat, louder this time, still avoiding his eyes as you finally rise from the stairs. “I’m not in the mood for company.”

You open the screen door only for James to gently close it. You turn around, frowning at him and he at least has the decency to look sorry.

“I’m afraid I wasn’t asking, love.” He says with a sheepish grin. “We’re here on official business from the Ministry.”

He pulls out his badge and holds it up for you to see. After a few seconds of James awkwardly standing in front of you with his badge in your face, he goes to put it away, only for you to pull it out of his hands.

He watches curiously as you continue to inspect the badge; turning it this way and that, looking from his identification card to him, tracing the metal badge itself with your finger before finally turning your attention back to him, eyes full of confusion.

“You're from a church?” You ask, gazing up at him through your lashes.

James swallows harshly.

“No, love.” He shakes his head. “Ministry of Magic? You know, the-“

Suddenly a loud bang rings out, followed by the sound of someone shrieking.

“What was that?” You ask, head whipping around towards the noise.

“The Ministry.” James sighs.

“You said you were the Ministry.” You argue, frowning in confusion as you stare up at him.

“Part of it, yeah.” He nods as you hear another door be kicked open, this one sounding closer. You flinch at the loud noise and James steps closer to you. Whether you’re aware of what you’re doing or not, you reach out and grab his hand.

“The part that doesn’t kick down doors?” You try to joke, only to flinch when another loud bang rings out. “What are they doing?” You finally ask.

“Looking for you.” James says with a grimace.

“Me? Why me? I haven’t done anything!”

“I know,” He nods, “It’s a long story. We’ll explain everything. But we have to go.”

Seeing as you’re still holding hands, James tries to lead you down the stairs, only to come to an abrupt stop as you try to pull your hand away.

“What are you-“

“Let go.” You command feebly, still trying to free your hand from his grasp.

“Love, we don’t have time for this.” James stresses, both of you flinching when another door is kicked down. “We have to go.”

“Don’t call me love.” You glare at him, still trying to pull your arm free. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t know you!”

“Alright, fine! Whatever your name is! I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but we’re the nice guys, okay? The guys out there have orders to use excessive force to bring you down.”

You stop squirming for only a second before starting to pull yourself free again.

“I can manage.” You continue to argue.

“Oh really? You can manage?” James asks incredulously. “Are you sure? Aurors, unspeakables, dementors, do you have any idea what they’re authorized to do to you? Horrible things. Painful things. Things of nightmares.”

“Why do you even care what happens to me?!” You ask him.

You and James hold each other's gaze, noses practically touching, breaths mingling together. James’ gaze drops down to your lips for a fleeting moment before locking onto your eyes again.

“I don’t know.” He finally answers.

“You don’t know me.” You tell him softly, finally pulling your hand free and taking a step back.

“I don’t have to know you to know that this is wrong.” He answers. “This- this is all just a huge misunderstanding. They think you’re a threat.”

“To who?”

“Everyone.”

You let out a sigh as the gravity of what he’s just told you sets in. You’ve been here less than twenty four hours and already there’s a bounty on your head.

“Come with us.” James asks, gesturing towards his friends, still standing by the gate. “We’ll take you to the Ministry and get this whole thing sorted.”

Crossing your arms, you look over your shoulder to stare at his friends, smiling the tiniest bit when the blonde one waves enthusiastically at you.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” James promises, coming to a stop right in front of you.

You both hear when a group of aurors enter the inn, questioning the elderly woman at the front desk.

One last time, James holds his hand out, mentally begging you to take it.

“You can trust me.” He whispers with a nod.

For some reason, maybe because he looks so much like Pietro, you find yourself believing him. Without another word you place your hand in his, letting him lead you down the stairs and towards his friends.

“Great. We got the girl.” Sirius nods. “What’s next?”

“Get the hell outta dodge?” Remus guesses.

“Precisely.” James nods. “Everyone apparate to my house.”

“Your house?!” Everyone asks.

“They won’t think to look there.” He hurries to explain. “We need the heat to die down a bit before we can take her to the Ministry. If we walk in now, they’ll swarm her.”

“Not to mention Moody would kill you himself.” Peter mumbles.

“Yes, Wormtail. Thanks so much for that.” James nods with a sarcastic smile.

Peter looks up with wide eyes, embarrassed at having been heard as Sirius and Remus snicker in amusement.

“You know how to apparate, right?” James asks, coming to a stop right in front of you.

Apparate? You think to yourself. What the hell does that mean?

“Um. I-“ You stutter, suddenly scared for some reason, worried that they’ll leave you behind if they find out you don’t know how to do that. Whatever that is.

“Hey.” James calls softly, head ducking down to catch your gaze. “It’s okay.” He assures you with a kind smile. When he smiles at you like that he looks so much like Pietro it’s scary.

You sneak a quick glance at his friends before leaning closer to James, feeling embarrassed as you whisper the situation to him.

“I-I don’t.” You start, only to shake your head and try again. “I’ve never-“

“You’ve never apparated before?” James asks with wide eyes. “Where exactly are you from?”

“Uhm…”

“That’s alright! You can just hitch a ride with me.” He nods with a wink.

You let out a sigh of relief, nodding in appreciation.

“Fair warning, you will get dizzy. Just- close your eyes. Trust me, it’ll help.”

“Okay.” You nod, watching in shock as his friends simply pop away.

You turn back to James and see that he’s holding his hand out to you. Cautiously, you place your hand in his, not missing the way he smiles when you do. You look at your clasped hands and wonder how something can feel so familiar yet so completely foreign. James gives your hand a comforting squeeze and when you gaze up at him, he smiles reassuringly at you once more.

“If the ride gets too bumpy feel free to hold onto me, okay?”

You nod your head and then close your eyes, bracing yourself for whatever’s about to happen next.

CHANTAJE! (xxiv)

SUMMARY: being under the watchful eye of the media and your fans, your managers are in desperate need of regaining back your popularity after other influencers who hate you cause mayhem to your life. what best way to do so by having you pretend to be in a relationship with the popular 7 who are known to be intensely wealthy and stoic? will you be able to regain their trust or will they go with their promise of damaging your reputation even more?

WARNING(S) FOR LATER: gore/blood/murder, harassment/bullying, mental health talks (nothing badly triggering), child endangerment (mc was a child actor, again nothing badly triggering. if there is, there will be a warning)

NOTE: playing l&ds im so close to writing imagines of them omg

TAGLIST (CLOSED): @parapiop7 @an-ever-angry-bi @softforyoongles @thenaverse @chansatlan @juju-227592 @skyys-universe @carolinexkpop @reallysparklychaos @namjooncrabs @savagemickey03 @drunkzseok @svnbangtansworld @2ne1unni

“You shouldn’t even be up.”

You turned your head to the side to see Hoseok, Jimin, and Yoongi with bags in their hands. You frowned at the groceries in confusion and simply stared.

“Why are you bringing groceries?” You asked, turning to open your fridge to see if they had come across it. But, much to your relief, the fridge wasn’t entirely empty. “I’m fine.”

Snorting at your words, Yoongi placed the bags on your kitchen counter while simultaneously taking away the knife you were using to cut the apple you wanted to eat. He gracefully took over.

“Go sit your ass down,” he said with a voice as soft as his hands, which you felt when he grabbed the knife away.

You huffed and, with a leg raised, hopped away towards the table in the kitchen that Min-seo usually sat by to eat during her lunch. You quietly sat, and the boys could see your dramatics were at a high due to the pout on your lips still stuck there after 3 minutes passed.

Hobi, having made eye contact with Jimin who was staring at you, tilted his head your way. Jimin frowned, mouthing a “What?” to state his confusion, his eyes watching Hoseok’s lips move.

“Go talk to her,” Hobi mouthed again, getting closer to him to nudge him on the side.

Jimin pursed his lips at coming to understand what he was saying and rapidly shook his head.

He glanced at the back of your head and wondered. What would he talk to you about? Your kiss again? Maybe. That should be something interesting to talk about considering you can’t even look at him without panicking. He can see your body tense when he’s near and he can feel your body heat warming him up if he even dares brush his arm against yours. He can read you so easily and you don’t even know about it.

With one last push, Jimin staggers off and sits on the chair next to you, softly clearing his throat.

You tense beside him, he noticed. Your fingers lightly twitched as soon as he leaned back against his chair, legs slightly spread with his hands resting on his thighs.

“If I give you another kiss will you look at me?” He muttered under his breath with almost a breathy tone. He couldn’t help but admit to himself that he missed the way your lips brushed against his and the way your fingers intertwined itself with the strands of his hair. Your lips fit so perfectly with his he yearned for more. “It’s just an option.”

“I will stand up and walk on my hurt foot if you continue,” you threatened, looking at him.

He smiled with his eyes in satisfaction at being able to have you look at him.

“Do it,” he said with a shrug. “It’s going to hurt you more than it’s going to hurt me.”

“I’m going to bite you,” you retorted back, eyes squinted. You could see he thought you were bluffing but, you weren’t. So, you stood up on your hurt ankle, and walked away from him. He watched you and the way you didn’t even flinch that much being on your foot.

He shook his head, standing up to grab you.

His hands made their way under your knees, the other going around your waist, and he squatted down a bit to pick you up better.

“Shut the fuck up and stay still,” he warned, sitting down on his chair with you on his lap. He shook his head to the side to get rid of the strand of hair blocking his view, and he couldn’t help but look at you.

He bit his lower lip, his eyes becoming slightly hooded and dark at the idea of being so close to you. He could grab the back if your head and bring you closer and closer until your lips were hovering over his. He could feel the need of his tongue to explore your mouth and feels yours and he could feel the need of having you straddle him again. How beautiful you would look with that dazed expression on your face after having kissed him. He loved it.

“Jimin, be careful with her,” Yoongi mumbled loud enough for him to hear across the room. Jimin glanced at the man over his shoulder and hummed to let him know he was listening. He knew he should be careful with you, so he placed a hand on your thigh and let it run up and down in a comforting manner.

Fuck that comfortable manner, though, because his touch made you tense up. You didn’t know if it was because his legs were flexing under you or the fact his chest was slightly exposed due to the buttons of dress shirt being unbuttoned. He was looking off to the side to look at the food Yoongi and Hobi were making and you were looking at his side profile.

His lips, his plump lips, the ones that were soft and warm and wet against yours, were parted to talk, and his eyes were like stars under the warm light in your kitchen that gave off such a nice vibe to you all.

His touch was distracting you.

“Here,” you snapped out of your thoughts to look up at Hobi bringing you a smoothie he made. He had a teasing smile on his face as he looked at you. “Just to cool you down.”

“I-” You could only let out, noticing he glanced at Jimin to make sure he wasn’t looking so he could wink at you. You waved him off and downed the smoothie.

But of course, Jimin grabbed it off your hands after you took a couple of sips, and grabbed it with one of his hands while the other still maintained its spot on your thigh. He held you tight so you wouldn’t slip off and it made your mind go crazy and quiet.

His lips touched the part you sipped from and you swore your heart sped up to the point you could hear it thundering in your ears.

Could he hear it, too?

“This is good, right?” Jimin asked after he gulped down the drink. He looked down at you with his brows furrowed as he savored the taste. “I like it.”

“Yeah,” you replied with a nod. You looked at Hobi over the cup he was drinking from again. “It’s great, Hobi.”

Hobi smiled. “Thank you!” He backed away so you could see the ingredients. “I can make you a strawberry and banana smoothie or a blueberry smoothie. Just let me know whenever you want one so I can make it.”

“I’ll hire you as my personal chef,” you said, grabbing the cup away from Jimin’s hand to take another sip. “It’s so good.”

“It’s just a smoothie guys,” Hoseok snorted out, waving off your compliments. He eyed you and Jimin with an amused look. Even Yoongi was hiding his smile behind his hair as he looked down at the cutting board. “Why don’t you guys stay in the living room? We’ll come get you once we finish dinner.”

“Since you say so.”

You couldn’t even take another sip of the smoothie before Jimin picked you up again without any hesitation.

“What the hell?” You gaped, holding onto his neck. You wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped you. He had the stupid habit of playing with you and teasing you, so you didn’t want to take any chances.

As he sat down, much to your surprise, he kissed you.

You gasped in surprised and stayed in shock before feeling the way his fingers dug into the flesh of your skin, the the tips of his fingers leaving small dents behind.

He kissed you and you hoped, wished if anything, that he couldn’t hear your heart beating so fast it was overwhelming you.

He kissed you. And he kissed you like he needed you so desperately. He kissed you like as if you were his last salvation, as if kissing you was all he needed in order to breathe.

The way he moved, the way he held you, the way he made sure you were comfortable was enough to cause your brain to freeze. You were falling hard. You were falling hard for all of the men who wove their way into your heart until they held your heart tightly into their hand and you didn’t even give a single fuck. This would either end in the worst heartbreak you ever experienced, or they were willing to work the relationship out with you, and it scared the crap out of you.

You didn’t have a good nor a bad relationship in your life, you’ll admit that. Those relationships just lacked the emotional and physical connection you yearned for and here you had it in front of you now. It’s not just Jungkook, Namjoon, Taehyung, and Jimin who have made you feel this way. The way Hobi made you smile in his text messages and the way he made sure to check on you made you connect with him even deeper. He made his way into your heart with the way his smile lit up whatever place he was in. He was so beautiful.

Yoongi was a protector and you could see that. He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but he did love showing you what he felt through his actions. He may never tell you he was worried about you straight up, but he will offer to make dinner for you like he was doing now. He was more in tune with showing his care through his actions more than his words.

And Jin. He was the nicest one since the beginning. And though you haven’t had a moment alone with him due to his hectic schedule, he loved texting you random text messages that cheered you on. He loved being able to text you a message that sparked your heart and your emotions because you have never had someone send you a message of encouragement. He always did that.

Could loving these men be your biggest blessing or your worst nightmare? After all, they had a contract with you. One year to be exact and then after, you would be gone. Was it worth it? Will it be worth it?

Jimin kissed you and you kissed him back with an emotion he knew too well. You were scared just like they were.

As you separated, he placed his forehead against yours, your breaths intertwining and your lips brushing against each others. His eyes were looking at you, inspecting your every move and the way your chest heaved up and down just like his due to the lack of oxygen.

“I feel like I’m making you cheat on them,” you mumbled, your fingertips touching your lips.

He smiled reassuringly and shook his head. “They wouldn’t have told me to come here with you.”

“They know?”

“More than you know.”

Yoongi and Hobi walked with you on your garden. Yes, walked. They made sure they were walking slow with you and begging you to head inside but, you were too stubborn to listen so they made sure you were okay.

It was night already, the stars were twinkling, and the moon was not full this time like usual, you noticed. It was so thin you could only see it if you focused hard and you were focusing really hard.

Silence enveloped you three, and the boys could see your hesitation to speak up about something that was clearly troubling you due to the fact you were staring at the moon like it was her fault that you were walking. You were having a stare down with the moon they got chills on their arms.

Glancing at each other with expressions of amusement, they decided it was their time to break the silence, fully knowing that you most likely will not talk about your overbearing and will shut down instead.

“You don’t have to worry, you know?” Yoongi reassured you with a hushed voice, almost as if he spoke any louder he would wake up the rest of your neighbors. “Whatever fear you have, whatever thought you’re overthinking about, don’t let it cloud your brain from seeing what’s in front of you.”

“And what’s in front of me?” You muttered, giving him a look, clearly surprised his words were correlating with what you were overthinking about.

“People who notice you.”

You frown and stop in front of them. They could see the way your brows furrowed together in confusion and in clear conflict because whatever you were thinking about was making you fidgety. Of course they knew, though, they just didn’t know the full specifics. They had an idea on what you were thinking about, nothing more than that.

“How are you guys okay with your jealousy?” You asked, looking at them under your lashes.

The men glanced at each other.

“It’s all about boundaries,” Hobi answered with a nonchalant shrug. “Stating what we’re fine with and what you’re not. For example, if we’re satisfied enough with the people we have in our relationship, we would never seek for you, much less any other person. But, we’re open to the idea of adding in one more person.”

“What does that have—”

“If any of us kissed you,” Hobi continued, understanding what you were trying to ensue by now due to how you were quiet when you and Jimin came to eat, “we wouldn’t mind.”

“But why?” You asked.

Yoongi hid his smile, hands buried in the front pockets of his baggy jeans. “You really haven’t noticed, huh?” You shook your head. “Really? You haven’t taken a hint when Namjoon kisses you even when there’s no cameras, when Jimin kisses you and can’t stop touching you, when Jungkook and Taehyung can’t be away from you, and when me, Hobi, and Jin text you and call you 24/7 when we’re not too keen on texting or calling? Not even when we came here to make you food because we got worried you weren’t eating well?”

“I just…” You stammered out before letting out a small scoff. “I just thought you were friendly. You guys know I’m not good at this. I’m not good at taking hints.”

“When you get in relationships,” Yoongi began as you three paused to look at each other, “do you get with them because you like them or because they ask you?”

“Because they ask me,” you answered. Yoongi sighed and Hobi pinched the bridge of his nose. “What?”

“You’ve never thought about wanting to be with them because you like them or because you feel genuine feelings for them?” Hobi asked, raising a brow, hands crossed over his chest.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to,” you explained. You pursed your lips and shrugged. “It’s just every time I liked someone, genuinely liked someone, they either did me wrong or were just with me to get fame. I broke it off kindly enough and they acted like it was fine so… I believed we ended things in a good way.”

“Oh, you sweet poor innocent angel,” Hobi breathed out, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. He brings you closer to him. “You never end things in a good way with someone you were with just for money. It never ends in that way, especially in their eyes. They’ll most likely come back into your life unexpectedly and wishing to get back together.”

You froze.

That explains a lot.

Nervously chuckling, you looked at the two men and sheepishly smiled. “Um, then I think my ex-boyfriend wants to get back together.”

“What?” Yoongi frowned.

“He’s been sending me text messages that he wants to see me because he misses me,” you said, scratching the back of your neck. “I just ignored him because I don’t miss him.”

Yoongi snorted at your words. You truly meant them. “I’ll deal with him. Just send me his phone number, though.”

“Yeah, I’ll send it later when you guys are leaving.” The two men nod in satisfaction at your words, beginning to walk again with you stuck between them, though now you’re closer to Hoseok. Very close. “Do you guys genuinely like me?”

“Do you?”

Did you? You’ve never heard that question get repeated back to you. You’ve never had anyone care about your feelings rather romantically like this.

Did you like them?

You smile the hardest when they’re around. You do laugh more, too. Not to forget that kissing Jimin and Namjoon makes you so dumbfounded as if kissing them shuts off your brain.

Did you?

Hobi smiled, understanding your silence for one that said a lot more than what you were saying.

“Yes,” you muttered. “I genuinely like you guys. I’m just nervous I won’t be enough in your relationship, especially since all of you have known each other far longer than I have known you. What if I’m just a burden?”

“Don’t worry your pretty head about that. Making yourself overthink over a situation that hasn’t happened yet will drive you crazy so, just trust us, okay?”

You hesitated, but you knew you could. They gave you enough reasons to do so.

Heading back home, you three eyed Jimin drying his hands on a cloth you left out for him. He had been left with the duty of washing the dishes after you ate and you were happy with that.

He eyed you three back.

“So, she won’t leave once the contract ends?” He muttered, never straying his eyes away from you.

“I talked with Jin and Namjoon before coming here,” Yoongi explained. He sat down on the chair near your kitchen island and raised his hands to pull up the sleeves of his sweater. “They don’t want her gone either. For all of our sanity.”

“Sanity?” You gaped at them.

“Taehyung might be going crazy because he really wants to be with you intimately and emotionally,” Jimin snorted out. He was amused by the way Taehyung was acting and the way he was handling his emotions for you. “He’s the one who’s been overthinking about you leaving once the contract ends and that’s why he’s been wanting to be closer to you.”

“Aw,” you jutted out your bottom lip at thinking about Taehyung’s attitude towards you. “I want to see him now.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, pretty,” Jimin said, the nickname slipping off the tip of his tongue very easily. Almost as if he has been calling you that name since forever. “He and Jungkook can’t know about this right now. They both have been a bit of a… mess. Taehyung more. If he finds out that we have pursued you—”

“‘Pursued’ is crazy,” you teased, a light giggling escaping your mouth.

Jimin playfully rolled his eyes. “Anyway, if he finds out we are with you and you know we like you, he will not stop. He will immediately come here and will not let you go.”

“But that’s what I want,” you slightly whined in a tone that had the three get closer to you.

Jimin stood in front of you, his hand placed on your cheek. He was mimicking your pout. “Yeah? You want Taehyung to be here with you and kiss you and mark you and clearly never leave your side because he feels so safe with you?” You stare at him and he smiled, his thumb tracing your bottom lip. “Hmm?”

“He wants to do that?”

“Badly.”

You gulped. “Never mind. We’ll wait.”

“Good girl,” Jimin said with a chuckle. He glanced down at his watch. “We’ll talk more tomorrow about this, okay?” You nodded. “Though, I’m carrying you up to your room before we leave.”

“That’s not—”

“I’m not listening to you,” Jimin scoffed out, picking you up in his arms. Your legs wrapped around his waist and one of his hands was placed under your ass to prevent you from slipping.

“I feel like a big baby,” you grumbled.

“That’s what you are with the attitude you give me sometimes,” he retorted back, his eyes glancing down to your lips.

The other two behind you laughed.

“Goodnight, Y/n,” Yoongi said, grabbing his keys while waving at you.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, angel,” Hobi sang, wiggling his fingers goodbye. He chuckled once you waved back just as enthusiastically.

Once you two were alone, Jimin looked at you before looking away with a ghost of a smile plastered on his face.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he simply stated.

“What?”

“Having you trust me again,” he replied, going up the steps of your stairs. “I know I was an asshole and I hope to make it up to you by taking you out to the park again.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “We’ll go with Jungkook the day after tomorrow. I know Jin wants to talk to you tomorrow since he hasn’t spent a lot of time with you.”

“Mhm.”

“So, I’ll pick you up.”

You nodded. “Okay.”

He places you on your bed and since you were already in some comfy pj’s—they did come over at night—he placed the blanket over you.

He looked at you and he couldn’t get enough of you looking at him with such pretty eyes that if you found out the power of puppy eyes, he was sure he would burn the world for you. In other words, he would do anything you say and ask of him.

“Ji—”

He kissed you before you could utter his name.

And he kissed you hard and passionately it took you by surprise.

He loved kissing you, you noticed. He loved touching you, and kissing you, and holding your face in his hands so he could feel the warmth of your face at the shyness you felt.

He moved with you and let his lips brush against yours when you would back up from lack of air, but he would have your lips back on his once he couldn’t take no more of being away from you.

Backing away one more time with a singular saliva string attached on both your lips, he swore he could’ve moaned right then and there.

He was falling hard for you. He was. He definitely was. How could a person look so beautiful like you?

He didn’t know, but he felt blessed.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Part 1: A Rainy Day

Summary: Namjoon is on holiday with his girlfriend - and without Namjoon, all hell breaks loose.

Pairing: OT7 x OC (different OCs)

Genre: Humour, fluff, angst, chaos

Word count: 6.9 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: language

A/N: I can't believe we're finally here! This fic has been in mind for so long, slowly evolving from a concept with a soundtrack to a whole outline and now to a complete half of a fic! Everything from the song to the situation to the leap that most of the characters will take feel like a milestone, so here's hoping it's a good one *insert gatsby meme*

The teaser to this fic got a lot of reactions :D so to make it worth the anticipation, this will be split into two parts. It is set a week or so after Dinner at the Kangs'. Enjoy!

Tagging: @bbl32@quarter-life-crisis2@dreaming-with-happiness@faearchives@margopinkerton@purpleseoul7@confessionsofamarshlily @jiminjhang @xjoonchildx @tarahardcore @infinitehobi @handfullofcandids @whoisbts @kflixnet (drop a message if you want to be added)

Listen to: “bittersweet symphony" by the verve

teaser | main masterlist

November in Seoul rolls around unexpectedly soon and occupies its usual position: a harbinger of the cold and white winter months, making the heat and humidity of summer a distant memory.

With BTS’s world tour officially at an end, followed by its normal uptick in concert clips and dance challenges floating around the internet while the company celebrates amidst figurative piles of cash, the members finally have the luxury of a few weeks off work where seeing them off stage and in casuals is the new novelty.

This includes Namjoon as well. After a tumultuous year of heartbreak and pain and longing, along with the real and genuine fear that he may have to give up the girl of his dreams due to extenuating circumstances, he and Kaya mutually decide that they need time away to reconnect with each other. Leaving behind their homes in Seoul and Amsterdam respectively, they reunite at Auckland Airport from where they take a cab in relative anonymity to begin their vacation.

With Namjoon gone, the company automatically takes it easy on the group as well. With Namjoon gone, the members manage to relax, able to keep an additional distance between them and the company before work inevitably starts again and the nomadic life of sleepless nights, dance practices and event appearances resurface.

Perhaps they underestimate their leader’s role in their lives, or it simply does not occur to them just how dependent they all are on each other after a decade of working, living and breathing in synchronicity. Namjoon is only gone for three weeks in total - but with Namjoon gone, all hell breaks loose.

With Namjoon gone, one member crosses a line.

With Namjoon gone, one member unintentionally makes a mess.

With Namjoon gone, one member makes a joke without realising its consequences.

With Namjoon gone, one member does something he’s ashamed of.

And with Namjoon gone, two members kiss someone they shouldn’t.

—

“Screen, food, lights - check.” Jimin tucks his bottom lip between his teeth as he frowns at his phone screen, eyes flitting between it and the writing pad he’s hastily scribbling on. “Need to pick up the champagne - oi, Jungkook, can you give me a ride to the liquor store? My car is getting serviced this weekend.”

“What about your Toyota?”

“It’s at my apartment. That’s farther than the liquor store.”

Jungkook pauses and looks up from the stove, across the kitchen island from Jimin. “Wait, the liquor store is in the building. Why do you need -”

“Not that liquor store,” interrupts Jimin patiently. “I need to go to the one in Gangnam, which has the tasting menu and assortments.”

“Why -“

“Because it’s Sooah’s birthday,” answers Taehyung from where he’s lying down on the sofa, scrolling through his phone and not bothering to look up. “Normal champagne won’t cut it. Not for Kim Sooah.”

Hoseok frowns, coming up from behind Jimin and peering at the writing pad. “Why not? Wait - why do you need professional lighting and sound equipment?” he asks, reading from it. “And food from Golden Pig? I thought the lunch was at MOBO Bar. Hang on -“ He looks bewildered. “Isn’t her birthday tomorrow?”

“The lunch tomorrow is for all her friends,” supplies Jungkook, pouring a steaming pot of cooked ramen into a bowl. “Tonight is just hyung and Sooah.”

“Yes, and don’t anyone be late tomorrow.” Jimin reminds them in a business-like tone, continuing to check things on his phone and tick them off. “I know you guys have to film a thing tomorrow morning, but make sure you come straight there. And, seriously - can anyone drive me to the liquor store or not?”

“I have a Zoom meeting starting in five minutes,” says Hoseok, clapping him on the back, “or I totally would. What about Yoongi?”

“He’s not here. He left for a meeting in Incheon this morning,” chimes in Jungkook again. “Won’t be back until later.”

“How much later -” Hoseok starts to ask, but is cut off by Jimin huffing.

“So no one can take me to the liquor store?” he demands. “Which is, like, twenty minutes away? I wish Namjoon hyung were here,” he adds sullenly, shaking his head. “He would’ve driven me.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic,” says Hoseok indulgently. “Taehyung, you can take him. Your car has a ton of extra space, too.”

“I’m busy,” answers Taehyung listlessly, still on his phone. When no one responds, he looks up to see all the other three staring at him. “Fine, I guess I could,” he agrees with a huge sigh, clambering off the sofa and trudging to the dining table, sliding into the seat adjacent to Jimin’s.

Jimin narrows his eyes. “It’s not such a big deal, you know. You can just give me your keys if you want.”

“Yeah, why are you in such a mood today, anyway?” Hoseok asks, his hands on the back of Jimin’s chair.

“‘M sorry,” he mumbles, running his hands over his unwashed face. “I’m just…” He shakes his head and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Hungry, I guess.”

“Hungry?”

“That’s code for horny,” says Jimin, raising his eyebrows nonchalantly when Taehyung looks up to glare at him, but doesn’t disagree.

Hoseok snorts as Jungkook joins them with his ramen, silently sitting across from Taehyung. “That must be some dry spell if you can’t help out your buddy,” he says, a bit pointedly.

Taehyung observes Jimin for a moment, then sighs. “You know what? You’re right. Let’s go to the liquor store. I’ll help you look for the best champagne out there - and since you’re not driving, you can try every single thing on the tasting menu,” he offers in a moment of generosity.

Jimin’s head snaps up from his phone. “Really?” When Taehyung nods, relief floods his cherubic face. “Thank God. Because I - I really need tonight to be absolutely perfect -”

“I know, I know,” interrupts Taehyung, clapping him on the shoulder and standing up. “I’ll just grab a quick shower and we’ll go. Jungkook,” he says, waiting for the younger member to look up in surprise. “Want to come along?”

Jungkook, who’s polished most of his bowl clean by now, looks up at him with wide eyes. “Me?”

“Yeah,” answers Taehyung evenly. “Why not?”

There’s a flicker of doubt in Jungkook’s eyes which he seems to partially blink away. “Yeah. Yeah, no, yeah - I mean - sure.” He scoops up a large bite of noodles with his chopsticks and inhales it. “Jus’ give me a minute,” he says through a mouthful of food.

Taehyung nods. “Ramen looks good,” he says after a moment. “Can I have a bite?”

Jungkook nods instantly and pushes the bowl across the table. Taehyung takes a bite, slurping the sauce until he’s swallowed the entire thing. “Delicious,” he says honestly, waiting just long enough to see Jungkook smile before turning around and heading into his room.

—

“This one’s fruity,” decides Jimin, smacking his lips and frowning seriously. He places the small glass down and picks up another, giving it a sniff and proceeding to take a sip. “But this one is definitely more bubbly.”

It takes a lot for a liquor store to provide a tasting menu for champagne, but for the correct price, it can be done. Taehyung isn’t entirely sure how much Jimin has paid for this particular round of testers but he gives his honest opinions, careful to keep his friend’s spirits high for today.

It hadn’t occurred to him back at the house, but it seems obvious now why Jimin is so anxious about tonight. If Taehyung’s hunch is correct, it’s because it’s Sooah’s first birthday since they’ve gotten back together after years of sniping and occasionally hooking up, and Jimin has taken on the pressure to make it perfect to the next level.

“I like this one.” Jungkook points to a bottle on the shelf. “We had it after the last concert, remember?”

Jimin looks up briefly and shakes his head. “Chandon is the last resort, if I find nothing better today. Come on, it’s Sooah’s birthday. Chandon is way too basic.”

Jungkook raises his eyebrows but says nothing, his eyes meeting Taehyung’s, who takes his hunch to be correct.

“I’m going to go see if there are any other bottles at the back,” says Taehyung, leaving Jimin to overthink the little glasses of bubbly liquid. He stops by one of the staff and leans in. “Can you bill a Chandon anyway?” he asks in a low voice. “Just in case?”

“Of course. Should I combine it with Mr Park’s other purchases?”

Taehyung shakes his head. “Put it on my tab.”

The staff nods and takes a bottle up to the register as Taehyung turns the corner to another shelf full of champagne, Jungkook a few steps behind him.

“That was nice,” he comments, hovering at the edge of the shelf.

“He deserves it,” mutters Taehyung, feeling slightly guilty about his standoffish behaviour at the dorm a little while ago. “Guy’s stressing way too much. I know Sooah will love whatever he’s planning. She’s chill that way.” He pauses. “What is he planning, anyway?”

“I mean, I don’t know all the details but I think it’s one of those movie screening things at the park.”

“In public? At the park? What - are they going to sit in the back and pour out champagne while everyone else is drinking cokes and beers?”

“What? No, he rented out the whole park,” explains Jungkook. “It’s just them, with a huge screen and seating and food - and champagne, I guess. He’s got professional sound equipment and heating and blankets and everything. He really went all out.”

Taehyung stares, a bit horrified but mostly impressed. “Wow. That actually sounds really romantic.”

“It does,” agrees Jungkook absently, peering at the label of a bottle where he’s still standing at the end of the aisle. “I just hope it goes well.”

“So do I. And I hope it doesn’t rain,” he points out. “It’s been drizzling every day and raining in parts of the city. It could really put a damper on the whole outdoor movie thing.”

“Yeah. Hopefully it won’t.”

“Hopefully.”

A slightly awkward silence falls over them. Taehyung glances over at him to see him pick up a bottle of whiskey from the opposite shelf. He turns the bottle over in his hands before looking at the price tag, letting out a low whistle and placing the bottle back.

“What about you?” When Jungkook looks up, Taehyung continues. “Any plans today?”

“Uh, not really.” He pauses. “I have a date, actually. Kind of.”

“Yeah? With the tattoo artist?” When he nods, Taehyung grins. “Nice. Why aren’t you more excited about it, though?”

Jungkook gives a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t know. I was thinking of blowing it off. Going to the gym, maybe. Namjoon hyung usually joins me on Fridays and we spot each other on the bench press but I guess I’ll have to go alone today. Unless you want to come along?” he asks hesitantly.

Taehyung had spent a couple of hours at the gym yesterday but he nods anyway. “I’d love to, but why are you avoiding your date?”

“I’m not avoiding it. I haven’t worked out in, like… three days.”

“So come back and work out.” Taehyung frowns. “I have nothing to do all day so I’ll be here whenever. You may want to go easier on the weights with me, though.”

Jungkook chuckles, sounding relieved. “Give yourself a little more credit than that, hyung.”

“Please. Namjoon broke the lock on my bedroom door with one hand the day he left when he was looking for a spare set of Airpods.” Taehyung shakes his head. “He’s a menace, and he just adds to it whenever he starts working out.”

Jungkook laughs. “We’re definitely less clumsy in the gym than he is, that’s for sure. Is seven pm good for you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Dilara has been pestering me to give boxing a shot, so, you know. Tonight might be the night.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, of course. That’s a good idea. I mean -” He shakes his head, as though getting rid of a fly. “It’s… it’s an idea.”

Taehyung is about to comment on this strange response but notices Jungkook gazing intently at the whiskey shelf again, his ears slightly red, and decides not to.

Ever since the Samsung event nearly a month ago, Jungkook has been almost walking on eggshells around Taehyung. Taehyung wishes he wouldn’t; that night had been awkward at best and contentious at worst, and had been entirely unexpected on various fronts. However, he and Dilara had awoken the next morning in an air of mutual forgiveness and shared an intimate couple of hours before breakfast, filled with silent apologies and hope.

Regarding Jungkook, Taehyung had had every intention of giving him the cold shoulder for a while, at least, still somewhat peeved at the sudden confrontation from his very non-confrontational friend. As it turned out, the moment they’d all reached Seoul and climbed out of their separate SUVs, Jungkook had cornered Taehyung outside their building and begun apologising profusely. 

That had taken him more off guard than their argument last night; Taehyung had tried to get a word in amidst the explanations but looking at how horrible Jungkook clearly felt, he hadn’t had the heart to give him any more grief about it. Somehow, the whole situation had ended with Taehyung comforting Jungkook, telling him to forget about it, that he understood he and Dilara were friends.

Jungkook had looked like he wanted to say something more but he’d shook his head instead, and they’d hugged until Dilara stepped out of her SUV. Jungkook had skirted around both of them for the next few days until Dilara had left Seoul, after which Taehyung had gently but categorically told Jungkook to chill out.

He isn’t sure if Jungkook has got the message yet. He thinks he has for the most part; they’ve hung out many times since then, for work, with other friends - but maybe the mention of Dilara has suddenly made him clam up again.

“Sir.” The same store staff who was ringing up the Chandon appears from behind the shelf. “Mr Park has picked out a Cristal that will be delivered to his residence shortly. Anything else I can help you with?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Taehyung starts to say as he and Jungkook begin moving towards the front of the store. As the younger member continues on his way, Taehyung stops. Retracing his steps, he picks up the bottle of whiskey that Jungkook had been examining.

“Can you add this to the Chandon?” he asks, waiting for the store staff to nod before he joins his friends.

—

Seokjin [12:30] Are you working late today?

Seulgi [12:33] Not sure. Why?

Seokjin [12:33] I’m on my way back from Annyeong now so I should be in Seoul in a couple of hours. Wanted to see if you maybe want to go out tonight?

Seulgi [12:36] It’s supposed to pour today. And doesn’t look likely with my calendar anyway.

Seulgi [12:37] But I’ll try, in case something opens up.

Seokjin doesn’t reach Seoul until almost three hours later. The long solo drive was a nice way to get some time to himself, especially with the mild anxiety that had started to creep up over the last couple of days, almost as though he was forgetting something. He would’ve spent a lot less time driving but the traffic was maddening; as per the radio, it was due to people driving in and out of the city for the weekend combined with rain warnings. 

He reaches the dorm to find it empty. Ordinarily, he would’ve gone back to his own apartment but something about being back in his childhood home for a week, along with Seulgi’s distant demeanour, makes him want to be around his friends for a little bit. 

As it turns out, none of them seem to be home at the moment but he knows they’re here: there’s a bowl in the sink with ramen sauce smeared on it; a Gucci hoodie he knows is Jimin’s is draped over the back of a chair; Taehyung’s bedroom door is slightly ajar, the bedcovers unmade and clearly slept in.

Seokjin sinks onto the sofa and lies down on it, closing his eyes and preparing for a nap. He has no plans for today whatsoever, especially if Seulgi doesn’t get back to him. He isn’t entirely surprised at her mood; ever since he’d ventured into the territory of him and Nari, she’d begun distancing herself from him. 

He couldn’t blame her; he had no idea what he was walking into with Nari and the fact that Seulgi had to stand by and wait for him to figure it out would have to rankle. He wasn’t fully surprised when, a couple of days after the fact, she confessed to Seokjin that it wouldn’t be the worst thing to take some time apart.

Sleep doesn’t come to him, not really. He dozes off at least half a dozen times without actually falling asleep, his mind constantly replaying the last few weeks, with that nagging sense of stress and anxiety a constant in his mind. Seokjin lazes around until he marks the attempt futile, just as the front door opens and Jimin strides in with his phone to his ear, followed by Taehyung and Jungkook trooping in behind him.

“Hey, hyung,” they chorus, Jungkook falling onto the sofa next to Seokjin. “When did you get back?”

“Just a little while ago.” Seokjin looks around at them, rubbing his eyes. “Are you guys also staying here this weekend?”

Before any of them can answer, one of the other bedroom doors opens and Hoseok steps out, stretching and yawning. “Hey, hyung. How was the champagne tasting?” he asks Jimin, who holds up a finger as he continues talking.

“Oi, Hobi, you’re here, too?” Seokjin frowns, bewildered. “Wait, have you been here this whole time?”

Hoseok nods and points noncommittally to his bedroom as he walks over to the dining table to peer into a bag that Taehyung has placed on it. “Ooh, Chandon. Is that the one he picked finally?”

“Jimin chose the Cristal,” says Jungkook. “And he’s getting it delivered.”

“He did and it is,” confirms Taehyung, and says no more.

Hoseok raises his eyebrows. “Okay. And what about the Jameson?”

“That’s for Jungkook.”

Hoseok just about catches Jungkook’s surprised look before Seokjin speaks again. “So - wait, I thought Jimin’s lunch was tomorrow.”

“Sooah’s, and yes,” says Jimin, getting off the phone and finally looking up, seeming a bit frazzled. “Tonight is just me and her. There was some kind of confusion with the food,” he says to Taehyung, who’s giving him a questioning look.

“Oh, hey, if Sooah is going to be with you tonight, does that mean Chaeyoung will be home alone?” Hoseok asks.

“I guess,” answers Jimin vaguely as his phone rings again. “Damn it, it’s the park coordinator again.”

“The park?” Seokjin raises his eyebrows sceptically as Jimin takes the call, and turns around to look out the nearest window. “It’s already drizzling. It’s supposed to pour tonight, you know?”

Hoseok shrugs, while Jungkook clicks his tongue. “Doesn’t matter. Jimin is in charge and if he wants to give the birthday girl a night in the park, he’s going to make sure it happens.”

And suddenly, Seokjin knows what he’s been forgetting.

—

“Okay, wait.” Jimin exhales sharply and closes his eyes. “You said that you do have an option of a makeshift roof or something - but now you’re saying you don’t want to do it? I put a deposit down on the whole place,” he reminds him.

“Mr Park, I’m saying we can do it but I don’t recommend it,” says the coordinator patiently. “We use that for light drizzles or snowfall but the downpour that’s been predicted will render it useless.”

“There’s been a downpour predicted every single day of this week and nothing has happened,” he points out. “I’m okay to take that risk.”

“It’s not just the furniture, Mr Park.” The coordinator sounds mildly stern now. “It’s a lot of expensive sound equipment as well and I cannot, in good conscience, risk having it outside -“

“Okay.” Jimin interrupts him, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to think. “What if we moved it to slightly earlier?”

“It’s already drizzling, sir.”

“Fine, do you have a different spot in the park?” He asks through gritted teeth. “Something more canopied, perhaps?”

The coordinator hums vaguely and there’s the clicking of a keyboard in the background. Jimin rolls his eyes at Taehyung, who’s approaching him with a questioning look, and mutes the call.

“I’m going to kill this guy,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I've been planning this for a month and he’s pulling the rug out from under me now?”

“I mean, he may have a point. If it rains then your plan is ruined - but it’ll probably stop in a bit,” Taehyung adds hastily when Jimin glowers.

“God, I hope so,” he says, although even he is starting to think that it might not. “I can handle a slight change of plan with the venue but the rest of it has to be perfect. There’s the food and the cake, and - oh, did the champagne arrive?”

“Er, not yet.” Taehyung checks his watch. “They said they would send it in an hour, right? Should’ve been here by now.”

Jimin is about to swear but just then, the park coordinator says something. He waves Taehyung away, accepting an encouraging clap on the back, and gets back on the call.

“Sir, we might have something on the other side of the park,” he suggests hesitantly. “The view is not the same, but it fits the general requirement.”

“The view - you mean it doesn’t have a view of the Han.” Jimin takes a deep breath, preparing to choose his battles. “Okay. What is this other side of the park? Where - how -  I mean, what does it look like?”

“It’s in a way that the screen and the projector and all the sound equipment will be protected, but you and your companion will still be able to enjoy the beautiful outdoors.”

Jimin frowns. “How -“ Somehow, all he’s able to picture is some kind of garage where everything is stuffed in and just two lawn chairs and dragged out onto the grass.

“It’s available for inspection now, sir. But we don’t have a lot of time as we need to confirm the booking at least two hours before the actual event in order to make preparations.”

Jimin’s eyes widen and he lunges after Taehyung, grabbing his hand and checking his watch. “It’s almost five pm! I was supposed to have the venue from seven pm anyway!”

“You are an esteemed client, Mr Park, so we can make that exception. Our staff is very efficient and can help you -“

He resists the urge to scream over the phone at someone who, at the end of the day, is just doing his job.

“I’ll be there,” he says quickly and hangs up. “Okay, I’m heading out,” he adds to nobody in particular, but Taehyung follows him into his room anyway.

“Everything okay?” he asks, stopping at the doorway.

“No. Actually, you know what? Yes,” says Jimin firmly, shedding his clothes and throwing on the outfit he was planning to wear (comfortable jeans and a Louis Vuitton jacket, plus a Gucci hoodie of his that Sooah loves to snuggle in). “It will be okay because there’s really no other option.”

“Look, I’m sure it’ll work out fine, but… I mean, I’m sure Sooah will appreciate the thought no matter how it goes,” he reasons.

“You know, I’m sure she will,” agrees Jimin hurriedly, “but I need this to be more than just a thought. Okay? Because this is - this is -” He struggles for a few moments before giving up. “This is Kim Sooah,” he says finally.

Taehyung looks like he wants to say something but instead he simply nods. “Okay, go, then. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Yeah - can you bring the champagne down there once it gets delivered?” he asks immediately, rushing out of the room and gathering his phone and keys. “The food and cake will come there directly - hang on, I need to check out -” He fishes out his phone and makes a call, tucking the phone in between his ear and shoulder.

They reach the living room and Jimin scans it to see Hoseok, Seokjin and Jungkook in front of the television, sharing a large bowl of popcorn while a football match goes on. 

“Jungkook, I’m taking your car.” Jimin grabs a bunch of keys from the side table and, without waiting for a response, dashes out of the front door.

The park coordinator may not have been completely wrong; the rain is already at a steady speed, enough that most people have pulled out their umbrellas and the roads are starting to get jammed. He drives to the park anyway, a little unsettled at seeing it completely empty this time of day, leaves the Gucci hoodie in the backseat and runs inside towards the office.

The coordinator seems to be waiting for him. “Right this way, Mr Park,” he says immediately, barely giving Jimin time to run a hand through his damp blond hair before ushering him out under a black umbrella.

“This is the alternative?” Jimin asks a few minutes later, staring up at the thick cloth separating them from the rain.

“Yes - now I know it’s not probably what you pictured but it’s the best we can do in such short notice, Mr Park.”

“Actually, this is exactly what I pictured,” he murmurs, heart sinking. It does look like a makeshift garage in front of them, like something he would’ve planned back when they were in high school, using a bedsheet for a screen and a Bluetooth speaker for an innovative night out, with instant ramen and cokes. He’d hoped that now, all these years later, they were finally due for an upgrade - but the universe clearly had other plans.

Okay, Jimin. Stop whining. Just think. He takes a deep breath and turns around, wincing a little and trying to ignore how the rain is getting louder by the minute.

“Okay, so it’s… five-thirty,” he says. “Sooah will be here by seven which gives me just enough time to follow up on the food and drinks. What?” he asks, when the coordinator’s assistant looks confused.

“Well, it’s - it’s just -” She stutters, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Won’t the food get ruined, sir?” 

“Why will it -” Jimin stops, closing his eyes. The rain. “Fuck me,” he mutters under his breath.

“Sir, we can arrange for a table next to the screen under the roof so you and your friend can come up and take your food and go back outside -” He stops abruptly when he sees Jimin’s incredulous expression. “I mean… it could be like a buffet,” he reasons in a small voice.

“It won’t be anything like a buffet. Sir, come on -” He sighs, at his wit’s end and getting anxious. “Can’t we get - I don’t know - something stronger up there to protect us from the rain? The screen, projector, electronics - all of that is going to be under the roof. The sound is going to be compromised because of the rain anyway - can’t we just get a slightly stronger thing above our heads so the food doesn’t have to move, too?”

The coordinator starts to say something sympathetic when Jimin’s phone rings. He apologises and picks it up immediately. “Taehyung! Come to the other end of the park - no, not that side. The side by the exit parking lot.” He stays on the phone for another minute until he spots Taehyung jogging up the path with an umbrella in one hand and a plain tote bag in the other that Jimin assumes contains the champagne.

“Thank God,” he sighs, shoving his phone back in his pocket as Taehyung reaches him.

“Okay, listen -” Taehyung holds up a hand. “Don’t freak out. But I think when you gave the liquor store your address, you gave them your apartment and not the dorm. But - “ He says loudly, preempting Jimin’s heart stopping in his chest, “I got this as a backup,” he says, retrieving a bottle of Chandon from the bag.

It’s not what Jimin had chosen but the fact that something has found a solution is more than he could hope for right now. In a moment of emotion, he hugs Taehyung tightly.

“Alright,” says Taehyung gruffly, patting him on the back. “Come on now, you have things to do, Jimin. Oh, speaking of which,” he adds as Jimin steps away, “Sooah called me a little while ago. I don’t know if she was looking for hints or what, but I told her you’re working really hard at it.”

“You did?” Jimin can’t decide if this is a good thing. “Alright. Well. Got to get it done, then, I guess.”

“It’ll be great. Don’t worry.”

There’s a clap of thunder and they both jump. Taehyung opens his mouth, clearly looking for words of comfort but eventually gives up. Giving Jimin another pat on the shoulder, he hurries away in the rain, the umbrella barely helping anymore. 

—

Stepping out of a hot shower, steam still rising from the bathroom behind him, Seokjin ties a towel around his waist and enters his room. The moment he does, the first thing he sees is the view outside the window, with rain lashing down the city. He stares at it, horridly fascinated, when he remembers.

He sits on his bed, glad he’s in the warmth of the dorm, and makes a phone call.

“Hey,” he says, glad she picked up on the second ring. “How are you?”

“Fine,” says Seulgi, but she doesn’t sound curt. “You?”

“I’m okay. What about you? Are you still at Big Hit?” 

“Yeah, why?”

“Uh, have you looked outside?”

“Oh. That.” Seulgi sighs. “Yeah, it looks pretty bad. But I still have work to get done so I’m stuck here for a while no matter what. All I can do is hope the rain stops sometime tonight.”

“The forecast says it’s going to go on really late,” points out Seokjin, peering out of the window uneasily again. “I can barely see the river from my window anymore. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get home now before it gets worse. I can pick you up,” he offers.

“No. I mean - no, thank you,” she amends, her voice softening a bit. “I told you, I have a ton of work to get done. There are still two whole meetings to go - I don’t think I’ll be able to leave before ten, no matter what.”

“But it’ll get actively dangerous to commute in worse rain than this,” he argues. “The company should care about an employee’s wellbeing over a meeting.”

She scoffs. “You work for the same company, Seokjin,” she reminds him. “How many times have they prioritised your wellbeing over a work commitment?”

To this, Seokjin has no answer. “You have a point,” he admits grudgingly, and is heartened to hear her chuckle. “Okay, but can you tell me whenever your meetings do end? I’ll pick you up - and I’ll drop you to your place,” he clarifies quickly. “If that’s what you want.”

Seulgi doesn’t reply for a few seconds. “Seokjin,” she says carefully, but then sighs. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do but I don’t know if…”

He waits for her to continue but when she doesn’t, he speaks. “Look, I’m not trying anything,” he says, turning away from the window and feeling the same guilt he’s felt around her for weeks now. “But these are special circumstances. I mean, I don’t know if you have a window anywhere around you, but it is insane out there right now.”

“Alright,” she says, but she doesn’t sound convinced. “I’ll let you know. Chances are, the rain will stop.”

“Let me know either way.” Seokjin waits until she hangs up, not really sure what he was expecting from this exchange. Seulgi wasn’t off base at all; apart from the rain, the constant nagging guilt at putting her through this period of doubt definitely played a part.

He isn’t any closer to figuring out his stance with Nari. Seulgi feels far away, farther away than a girlfriend should. It’s a mess and all he can do now is wait.

The rain pours harder, the sky darkening and thunder deafening. Jungkook is lazing around the house, doing laundry and other chores while Taehyung is video calling a friend who’s working abroad. Hoseok is a ball of nervous energy, mentioning more than once that he hopes Chaeyoung is okay in the storm and safe at home. 

Seokjin just waits, until a couple of hours later, Seulgi finally lets him know.

Seulgi [20:00] Hey. So my second meeting hasn’t even started yet and I think the company has finally caught on to the situation outside. Apparently they got a government advisory about the storm and that it’s only going to get worse.

Seokjin [20:01] So… what? They’re not letting you leave?

Seulgi [20:02] They’re advising us not to. And honestly, I don’t think anyone should be outside in this rain. Apparently parts of the city are losing electricity, too - another team was supposed to have a work dinner in Hongdae but it got cancelled because the whole restaurant shut down.

Seokjin [20:03] How will you get home then?

Seulgi [20:03] They’ve set up rooms here - I think they’ve repurposed the resting rooms that the idols use on the top floor for the rest of us mere mortals. It’s not ideal but it’s better than trying to go out there.

Seokjin bites his lip. It sounds rather like she’s made a decision, albeit grudgingly, and in typical Seulgi fashion, has told him subtly not to bother coming over. It’s hard to argue when she hasn’t said it in so many words, and even harder to justify an argument while being able to hear the wind outside. 

“What are you guys planning to do for the rest of the night?” Seokjin asks, looking up at the others.

“Not sure,” answers Taehyung, getting up from where he was lying on the sofa and walking towards the kitchen. “Lazy night in, I think. Jungkook has a date, though,” he adds, grinning.

Hoseok whistles teasingly as Jungkook chuckles, his ears going slightly red. “I do but it’s raining so hard. I’ll probably have to cancel,” he says, giving Taehyung a sheepish smile that Seokjin doesn’t fully understand.

“Okay, so that’s two. Hobi?” Seokjin taps his watch. “What about you?”

“Oh, uh…” Hoseok shakes his head, looking a bit distracted. “Not sure. Why?”

“Just - just curious. Seulgi was just saying that there’s an advisory about the storm floating around and Hongdae has lost power or something, so in case any of you have plans…”

Hoseok’s face goes slack. “Hongdae lost power?”

“Well, one restaurant in Hongdae lost power as far as I know -”

“Chaeyoung lives near Hongdae,” mutters Hoseok, tapping furiously on his phone before putting it to his ear. “Sooah is out with Jimin so she’s probably alone…” He taps his foot impatiently for a few seconds before swearing. “She isn’t picking up.”

“Maybe it’s a signal issue,” Jungkook starts to say, but Hoseok is already off the sofa and grabbing a jacket. “Wait, where are you going?”

“To check on Chaeyoung,” he answers bluntly, rummaging for his car keys in the bowl on the mantle and dashing out of the apartment without any further explanation, the door slamming shut behind him.

Seokjin’s heart races; it’s a gale out there, but this is a sign. Chaeyoung must matter that much to Hoseok, if the decision was that quick for him. He checks his watch again to see it’s a quarter past eight. He traces the familiar route in his mind, calculating how much longer it will probably take him to get there than the average day.

Something clicks and he hurries up off the couch as well, pulling his shoes on before the other two even seem to realise that something has happened.

“Wait, where are you -”

Taehyung is cut off by the front door slamming shut for the second time. Seokjin hurries down the hall, checking his pocket for his phone and keys as he takes the elevator to the basement car parking.

If he had been amazed by the rain from inside the three storey dorm in Hannam Hill, he wasn’t ready for the real thing. The moment he pulls his car out of the parking lot and above ground, the sound of the rain hitting the roof of his car is like gunshots. For a moment, he considers reversing and doing this another day but the fact of the matter is that today is the day. 

In the distance, he sees what could be another set of headlights turning down a path and out of the main gates that he guesses is Hoseok. Making up his mind, he heads out, trying to drive as carefully as possible in the severely compromised visibility of the streets.

The roads are largely empty save for buses, some taxis and cars that seem to be desperate to get done with the night. Despite knowing the route like the back of his hand, Seokjin plugs in his phone and turns on the map in case there are road blockages, and starts driving.

He has no idea what Big Hit can possibly do when it comes to building any sort of nightly camp for its employees in the office. All these years, his attempt has remained to stay as far away from that artificially lit building as he possibly can, preferring to cling on to the vestiges of normal life outside of it.

Namjoon will know. The answer comes easily to him and even though the leader is on holiday, Seokjin decides this is enough of an emergency to disturb him during it. He calls him and waits, still driving through the rain as best as he can, the roads flowing and reflecting the street lamps, the sheets of rain falling with a vengeance. 

Namjoon doesn’t answer, possibly because it's his last few hours of vacation. Swearing uncharacteristically, Seokjin dials the next best person. The line crackles and a woman’s voice, a bit far away, sounds abruptly before another takes its place.

“Hello?”

“Yoongi,” says Seokjin gratefully, swerving down a lane and wincing as he splashes a row of bikes parked along the side of the road. “Listen - have you ever seen the resting rooms on the top floor of the company building?”

There are sounds at the other end, of similar rain and splashing water. The woman’s voice floats again, a soft “Shit” in the background before Yoongi speaks.

“What?”

“The resting rooms on the top floor,” repeats Seokjin urgently, honking at what he thinks might be another car coming the opposite way. The side mirrors are completely useless by now. “Have you seen them? What are they like?”

“Oh, that? The ones for the idols?” There’s a screeching sound on the other end and Yoongi swears this time. “They’re fine, I guess. I’ve crashed there a couple times after all-nighters.”

“Really?” Relief washes over Seokjin but before he can say anything further, the voice at the other pierces the air.

“Yoongi - that’s a tree!” 

“Fuck!” Another screeching sound, a loud one, and then silence. “Uh… hyung,” says Yoongi, sounding uncertain. “I’m going to have to call you back.”

The line goes silent but Seokjin has what he wants. He just hopes Yoongi is okay and makes a mental note to call him in a little while as he pulls onto Hangang-daero, passing building after building - museums, a school, the ramen joint where he and Seulgi had first gone to almost a year ago… he keeps going, barely able to see the flyover in front of him through the rain. His wipers work overtime as he passes the last building before the bridge, seeing the company logo flash momentarily in his rearview mirror before it disappears.

The areas off the main road are darker somehow, the roads narrower, trees thicker and the rain seeming even more stifling. But the closer Seokjin gets, the more he’s convinced that he’s made the right decision. He parks the car in his regular spot and, holding his hood over his head, sprints across the street as the raindrops pelt him until he enters the building, already fairly wet.

He doesn’t dither; running upstairs to the first floor, he knocks on the door, thankful that there’s a sliver of light underneath. Behind him, the storm rages on. As he waits, Seokjin turns to look outside the window in the corridor, seeing small gusts of wind and trees moving with the force. Twenty seconds and his socks and shoes are drenched; he slides open the window slightly and immediately backs away, the wind and droplets hitting him instantly.

The sound of the door opening is the only thing louder to him than the rain. He turns around, his heart hammering.

“Seokjin?” Nari frowns, in a college hoodie and faded jeans, thick socks on her feet. Her hair falls unbrushed down her shoulders and she’s clutching a sheaf of papers in one hand. “What are you doing here?”

He wants to smile; it’s automatic, so he does. Taking a step forward, he thanks his stars he decided to leave the dorm, rain be damned.

“Hi, Nari,” he says, watching her forehead clear just a little bit. “Happy birthday.”

—

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