-> "it's beautiful, how this deep normality settles down over me. i'm not bored or unhappy. i'm still so strange and wild. you're in the wind, i'm in the water. nobody's son, nobody's daughter." or, joining the strawhat pirates as luffy's childhood friend allows you to make memories with people who started as strangers, but then became your loved ones.
playlist
๑ prologue
๑ the cursed orphan enters 彡 alabasta arc begins
๑ [name] joins the strawhats
๑ just a friendly competition...right?
๑ heartfelt conversations with a chef
๑ coffee beans
๑ i'm gonna freeze my balls off
๑ i'm gonna freeze my balls off, pt. 2
๑ crimson red icicles
๑ luffy's innate instincts (a hum of the heart)
๑ new crewmate, tony tony chopper
๑ his hand on his ankle
๑ don't you know? "lover" outweights "boyfriend"
๑ i'll kill you, i'll really kill you
๑ "together in chaos."
๑ zoro being annoyed at his captain and [name]
๑ mr. prince and mr. executioner
๑ the dogs are hounding on [name]
๑ wings that made [name] fly
๑ see you later, vivi!
❔[NAME] WIKI - ALABASTA ARC ENDS
๑ more in common than you'd think 彡 skypiea arc begins
๑ robin and [name] make a good team!
๑ we made it!
๑ [name] wants to adopt suu!
๑ that god guy thing
๑ strawhat adventure team, go!
๑ chopper's crown
๑ put a face to the name
๑ mummified [name]
๑ four hundred years is not too late
ꔛ 666 heart special for quotev -> individual one shots with each straw hat, each assigned a representative song that describes the relationship they share with [name]
๑ navarone - g8
๑ davy back fight
๑ some weird competitive and secret something else tension
๑ let's wrap it up...
❔[NAME] WIKI - SKYPIEA ARC ENDS
๑ ice, ice baby
๑ defrost 彡 water 7 arc begins
๑ bleeds
๑ undying love confessions
๑ wasted efforts
-> frequently used tags:
#≡;- ꒰ ° keep safe series ꒱
#ks
#one piece fanfic
#one piece fanfiction
DOMESTICITY series // based off of keep safe characters/relationships, but can be read as standalone one shots
ꔛ sanji's special dessert -> he prepares a dessert only for you since he knows your likes and dislikes
ꔛ a shared interest among swordsmen -> rare moments of peace and quiet with zoro
ꔛ nami is working, don't interrupt -> she doesn't mind the company, especially if you're peeling her tangerines
ꔛ usopp and [name]'s conversation -> heart to heart
ꔛ keep safe mc x reader, short blurbs of keep safe's mc x readers, supa fun supa cute!
one piece [ smau ] // social media au
ପ strawhats misc. edition
ପ dating luffy edition
ପ dating nami edition
ପ dating sanji edition
ପ strawhat vacation edition
ପ dating zoro edition
ପ dating usopp edition
ପ dating vivi edition
ପ married to law edition
ପ married to franky edition
ପ married to robin edition
ପ dating eustass kid edition
ପ married to doflamingo edition
ପ dating ace edition
ପ married to marco edition
ପ dating sabo edition
ପ boyf!sanji texts!
-> frequently used tags:
#≡;- ꒰ ° smau series ꒱
#one piece smau
#one piece modern au
[ yandere ]
જ yandere zoro headcanons
જ yandere sanji headcanons
જ soft yandere luffy
જ yandere luffy
-> frequently used tags:
#≡;- ꒰ ° yandere series ꒱
#≡;- ꒰ ° yandere headcanons ꒱
[ drabbles // one shots // headcanons ]
ꔛ playlist : tender by blur [ luffy x male reader ] // based off of keep safe characters, but can read as a standalone one shot. small hints of yandere luffy. // snippet of pt.2
-> tender is the night, lying by your side. tender is the touch of someone that you love too much. tender is my heart. i'm screwing up my life. lord i need someone to who can heal my mind, or luffy and reader reminisce about their childhood memories while cuddling in merry's crow's nest.
-
SUGAR DADDY series
ꔛ in a world of boys, he's a gentleman, nami x SD male reader
ꔛ pass the test, nami x SD male reader, the one where he meets nami's friends
ꔛ relationship headcanons, nami x SD male reader, cute fluff
-
ꔛ shanks being your doting boyfriend
ꔛ random sanji headcanons
ꔛ sanji has a crush on you ♡︎
ꔛ halloween with the strawhats [platonic]
ꔛ a day in the life as a strawhat [platonic]
ꔛ rockstar ! tragalar law headcanons
ꔛ me psychoanalyzing sanji x male reader
ꔛ random individual headcanons ; includes, law, luffy and zoro
ꔛ the type of man . . .
ꔛ boyf!zoro, who loves manhandling you
ꔛ sanji, gay and confused, doesn't realize he likes you?!
ꔛ how the strawhats try comforting depressed!reader ; includes, zoro, luffy, robin, sanji
(hopefully the wip title reveals can pressure me into actually writing them, if you know what I mean.)
all content warnings are stated at the start of each fic, all works are made and researched by a human being without any use or assistance of Generative AI.
🂮 𝐋. 𝐏.
★ 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 | rhett abbott x oc [ongoing]
from: outer range (2022-2024)
! : canon-typical violence, alcohol and nicotine use, mentions of character death/s, gun violence, mentions of theoretical physics, (actually) accurate american history, religious references, western sport references, mentions of animal abuse, blood and injury.
archive link wattpad link
apple music spotify
Eight years after skipping town, Greyson Vandenburg returns to Wabang, Wyoming after the untimely death of her grandfather, leaving her alone to face everything she left behind.
One of them is Rhett Abbott, who's still reeling from the aftermath of her departure.
chapters:
i. a trampled fuckin' fence.
ii. a horse to water.
ii (extended). horses or cattle. [upcoming]
★ 𝐋𝐢𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬 | todd stevens x oc [tba]
from: the line (2023)
! : canon-typical violence, hazing, alcohol and nicotine use, implied/referenced drug use, misogyny, racism, mentions of character death/s, vehicular accidents, substance abuse, mentions of corruption, murder, blood and injury, conspiracy.
archive link wattpad link
apple music spotify
Trouble stirs up in Sumpter University's Greek Row when multiple reports of hazing incidents start popping up mysteriously, threatening the houses' best kept secrets and traditions.
Kappa Nu Alpha president Todd Stevens finds his prime suspect in Parker Whittaker, who seems hell bent in taking all of Greek Row down, including him.
Especially him.
chapters:
o. ? [tba]
🃎 𝐀. 𝐊.
☆ 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | t. arashikage x oc [tba]
from: g.i. joe origins: snake eyes
! : canon-typical violence, gore, alcohol and nicotine use, implied/referenced drug use, racism, setting-accurate misogyny, espionage, mentions of sexual assault and harrassment, references to japanese and korean folklore, mentions of character death/s, gun violence, references to journalism, substance abuse, mentions of historical colonialism, murder, blood and injury, illegal activity, conspiracy.
archive link
Tokyo, 1998. A crime reporter with an ability to foresee people's deaths with a single touch becomes tangled in a bigger conspiracy than she'd anticipated when a government corruption investigation involves her with the heir-apparent of an ancient warrior clan, and an even more ancient jewel.
chapters:
o. ? [tba]
🃍 𝐌𝐓𝐋
✰ 𝐋𝐮𝐱 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭 | alexandra privet x hrm isabella [tba]
from: barbie princess charm school (2011)
! : canon-typical violence, alcohol and nicotine use, implied/referenced drug use, political crisis, arranged marriages, mentions of character death/s, vehicular accidents, substance abuse, mentions of corruption, murder, blood and injury, conspiracy.
no archive link available
When quiet, anxious Alexandra is transferred to Gardania’s famed L’accademia per Principesse to take her late sister’s place as a Lady Royal candidate, she meets the elusive Princess Isabella, the heir to the Gardanian throne, who is desperately trying to break free from an inevitable fate.
chapters:
i. ? [tba]
🃟 𝐓. 𝐎. 𝐓.
⍟ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 | artem wing x ingrid rosworth [ongoing]
from: tears of themis (2020)
! : alcohol and nicotine use, implied/referenced character death/s, vehicular accidents, mentions of blood and injury.
archive link
In an alcohol-fuelled rampage, Artem Wing and Ingrid Rosworth finally settle on their differences for the first time in fifteen years.
yeah sexy bitches it’s extremely goofy headcanon time
(disclaimer: some of this would be specific to a human and/or modern au, because i love drawing them as humans, love the designs i gave them, and was not yet born in 2000- let alone conscious to remember anything about it. also i like giving them tails, even in the human au. this ended up being very long, so here’s a courtesy cut!)
max goof:
this man is BISEXUAL!!!!!!! he and roxanne were bi4bi, but they (mutually) broke up their senior year of highschool bc roxanne was moving for college across the country. after a bit of time, they went to just being close friends :3
speaking of college: we know that the goof family is poor. THEREFORE, i raise you: max is at college via a full ride scholarship. he worked his ASS off to be able to go to college without having to take out loans or “leech” from his dad, and it paid off!
he’s actually REALLY smart but a lot of people don’t know that bc “oh that’s some alt skater boy. he’s probably scraping by with a C average at best”.
he’s also the only reason bobby has passed any classes since junior year of hs
he came out to goofy the summer after he graduated high school. goofy cried bc he was so happy max trusted him enough with that and threw max 2 parties. he is the type of dad to buy max pride socks and wear a shirt that says “i love my gay son” for all of june. max is more than a little embarrassed, but overall? he loves his dad, and he’s really glad his dad loves him no matter what
idc what yall say he is NOT a little white boy as a human 😭😭😭 was literally jump scared the first time i saw him drawn white bc like i just thought it was agreed upon that he’s a POC
continuing with him as a human: yall will see this when i post my designs, but he’s pierced UP ‼️ he’s got snakebites he wears rings in (outwardly mimicking his buck teeth, since i draw the rings thick), both a madonna and monroe piercing, heavily gauged lobes, a double conch and double helix on his right ear, an industrial on his left, a right eyebrow piercing, and a tongue piercing. i also toyed w the idea of hip piercings but thinking abt dermal piercings makes me genuinely sick so
he also taught himself how to do piercings and pierced bobby’s lobe. a good half of his piercings were done at home. do not follow his example <3
(he tried to pierce his nipples and failed horribly, so he just took out the jewelry bc he was NOT having uneven nipples. this is based on one of my friend’s experiences!)
yall already KNOW he’s got that smudgy eyeliner look going on
that takes about 2 minutes. his hair, however, takes him a good 30! and an ungodly amount of hairspray.
his mom left when he was 5 and he barely remembers her
he and the goof troop became quick friends with tank after the x-games, and max definitely had a hand in tank giving bradley another chance
has a pet king snake and a pet tarantula! he got them when his powerline phase was still SUPER strong and named them both after him/his songs. whenever people ask him to explain their names, he gets lowkey embarrassed
got a matching trap stamp w bobby. peej was going to join too but he chickened out as soon as the needle touched down 😭
(the first time bradley accidentally caught a glimpse of max’s tramp stamp, he malfunctioned, fled the room, and had a crisis)
long, double coated black tail
bradley uppercrust III
closeted gay man
he’s the typical frat boy who’s been with a ton of girls, and he just kind of assumed that sex was a chore people went through and it was supposed to be be kind of unfulfilling for everyone
nah it’s just bc he wasn’t actually attracted to women 😭😭 he didn’t realize that he’s gay until his junior year of undergrad
(max and his stupid mouth full of stupid piercings that pours out stupid words and dumber retorts is what made him realize)
(he was literally like a little boy pulling on his crush’s pigtails and didn’t even realize it until about two weeks after the x-games, when he couldn’t stop thinking about how max still smiled at him and called off the bet afterwards)
on this topic: realizing he was gay caused an absolutely gigantic crisis, especially since he didn’t have a support system at all
(tank needed a lot of time to process everything, and even longer to begin forgiving bradley)
(speaking of that, while bradley was still officially the president of the gamma mu mu fraternity on paper [his dad paid everyone off], tank took over his position after the x-games. bradley was basically ostracized)
the main part of why his being gay was such a horrible realization for him is because his dad is the epitome of conservative. his mom believes queer people are just misled.
oh good lord, now it’s time to talk about his horrible father!!
as we’ve said, bradley’s dad is extremely homophobic. he’s the kind of guy to say spew absolutely every false “fact” or “statistic” and homophobic rhetoric anyone could have, and did this to bradley
he also put insane amounts of pressure on bradley
in the words of myself after watching a sad tiktok:
“[bradley is] so comphet and horrible neglectful parents who put far too much pressure on him core. he’s such a trust fund baby except the people who created that trust aren’t even in his life. he’s so simultaneously absent father and father who is constantly There, in his mind, judging him. he’s so internalized homophobia [because of this]”.
his father is definitely financially abusive btw
while he’s extremely rich, he threatens to take away any and all funding and shut down bradley’s cards at even the slightest hint of failure
being gay wouldn’t just get bradley’s funds cuts, though. it’d get him cut entirely from the family.
he’s meant to be perfect because he’s meant to be exactly like his dad and take over his dad’s place after retirement.
even one mistake would “warrant” his dad yelling at him for hours
bradley’s extreme daddy issues is what caused him to react so strongly to goofy saying “well clearly you don’t understand the bond between a father and son 🙄”
also bradley’s dad is the kind of guy to go for younger girls. he had four wives before bradley’s mom, but would leave them as soon as he found out his spawn was to be a girl instead of a boy. he needed a son to take on his “legacy”, and if they couldn’t provide that, they were worthless
and them being ~21 means they wouldn’t know any better
plus, he believes in the stupid “a woman’s prime childbearing years are 16-23 🤓” bs
so like even as he got older, he kept getting with women in that age range instead of those of his own
aka bradley’s mom was 21 and his dad 36 when they got married and had bradley within the same year.
on this note , bradley’s mom is.. not as bad
she holds the same values as his father, but isn’t nearly as extreme
she wouldn’t disown bradley for him being gay, but she would cry and cry because she thought it was a sign she failed as a mother. she’d beg him to “take it back”
to bradley, this is even worse than his father’s anger, since he was a mamas boy through and through.
she wouldn’t ever stand up to his dad, but even when he was young, bradley understood that it was out of fear
if she could get away with it, his mom would always comfort him after his dad’s outbursts
but if she was caught, his father would yell that all this soft treatment would turn him into a (slur i’m not comfortable saying!) and he needed to learn his lesson
all im gonna say is she blames herself
however, speaking of when bradley was young..
his mom has wavy/curly blonde hair
when he was young, he had the exact same hair as his mom
however, as he got older, his hair got darker
until it eventually became the same shade as his dad’s
bradley knew this made his mom a bit sad, but neither of them commented on it, because they both knew bradley was even more upset
it meant that he was now a near carbon copy of his father- minus his hair still being curly, and his lack of facial hair
however, when he got older and his hair became darker, his dad started pressuring him to straighten it, too
of course, he did, even though he hated it
… and at college, as a very subtle way of rebelling, he stopped straightening his hair until he had to see his father
anywayssss onto lighter headcanons!
(roxanne as well interlude !!)
bradley’s maternal uncle is married to roxanne’s maternal aunt!!
(this has absolutely zero basis btw 😭)
minus tank, roxanne was the closest friend to bradley growing up
his dad wasn’t really happy he was so close to a girl, but since roxanne is family, he let it slide; he’s supposed to be such a good family man, after all! it’s the uppercrust image!
anyways, as i said, they were super close
they would gravitate to each other every family get together (christmas, thanksgiving, etc) and would beg their parents to let them visit each other as often as possible
it was much more common for bradley to visit roxanne’s house than vice versa, since roxanne’s parents just have a feeling about bradley’s father. bradley had no issue with this at all
however.. max knew absolutely nothing about this!
whenever roxanne would say “sorry, i’ve got family over right now, i can’t hang out today”, he just wouldn’t question it
and bradley would passively listen to roxanne talk about her crushes, but since he couldn’t relate, it just sort of went into one ear and out the other
they also started to drift a bit during highschool
roxanne coming out to bradley was.. a lot. but he loves her, and knows she’s the best person he’s ever met, and so slowly, he begins to unlearn what his parents taught
roxanne is extremely proud (lol!) of bradley and bradley is.. feeling a lot of things, but he can’t say hate for others is one of them
for a long time, even when bradley was growing closer to the goof troop, winning back tanks everything, and accepting his feelings for max, roxanne was who bradley could always count on. she’s the person he came out to first, and he actually went to her for boy (max) advice multiple times 😭
she caught on quickly but didn’t mind at all
anyways, neither roxanne nor bradley knew that the other knows max- let alone that they eventually both date him
for the first time max is friends with bradley and roxanne comes back to spoonersville for christmas, max introduces them
except they already know each other.
and instead of “hello, im ___”, what he sees is them absolutely booking it towards each other with an “OH MY GODDDD!! HIIIII!! IT’S BEEN WAYYY TO LONG!! I HAVENT SEEN YOU IN, LIKE, 2 THANKSGIVINGS!!!!! HOWVE YOU BEEEN OMG WE NEED TO CATCH UP!!!!”
they both completely ignore max and he’s stood there absolutely DUMBFOUNDED
he is STUNNED
he is the EPITOME of ?!?!?!
bc what are the chances they know each other?? roxanne is NOTHING like the front bradley puts on, and her parents sure as hell aren’t millionaires
and what are the CHANCES max ends up not only having a crush on, but ends up DATING both?????
more roxanne: curled, medium-short haired, solid ginger tail
back to bradley
secretly loves it when max calls him brad instead of his full name
before max, no one had ever shortened his name
it feels like a separation from himself and the uppercrust name
it feels like he’s his own person, and not just an extension of his father- bradley uppercrust II
it takes him a good while and a few drinks to ever admit this, but afterwards, “brad” stops being only a teasing nickname- it has a new undercurrent of warmth
an everything shower takes him about 2 hours. he has very long, very specific skin care (both face and body), hair care, nail care, and grooming routines
these include the usages of no less than 30 different products
he has glasses but would rather wear contacts or just not be able to see than EVER wear them in public.
curled, very fluffy tail with a white bottom and tan top
(his dad forced him to always be in complete control of his tail; to never let it wag, never tuck it, anything. always hold it up high and steady)
(the only time he would let himself forgo these rules is when he was with only roxanne)
(the first time he felt the tell that his tail was about to wag when with max, he left IMMEDIATELY, and it took a while to unlearn all of this)
…and when bradley caught himself thinking a brainrot word for the first time, he was absolutely MORTIFIED
he refuses to say the words.
however, beret girl is never infected!!
religious game grumps viewer
he tried to be a twitch streamer for like two days
pasty ass mf 😭😭
he has to wear spf100 every single time he goes outside in the summer or he WILL get 3rd degree sunburns
short and short-haired ginger tail
PJ
absolutely, 100% in love with bianca
im talking he’s already saving up for an engagement ring
(she would say yes in a heartbeat)
he stops wearing the beret he’s seen in at the end of the movie after a while
bianca assured him that, although she’s flattered, she’d love him just as much if he stayed the exact same as when they first met
his new found love of poetry is as genuine as can be tho
the designated driver for SURE
the “what the flip” to max’s “what the fuck” and bobby’s “what the sigma”
(PJ very rarely curses bc his dad does often. if yall didn’t know, his dad. erm. canonically sucks!! not as badly as bradley’s, but his dad is the “your kids should respect (FEAR) you” type)
has a short haired, black bobtail
beret girl
her name is bianca roan greene (b for beret, roan bc i like it, and g for girl)
she goes by roan bc i want her to escape being BG
(credit to Lian_mail on ao3 for the roan part!!)
also bi but leans heavily towards women
she’s a psychology major
she bonds with max over piercings bc she’s also got a few non-standard piercings!
she’s got double lobes, a helix, a forward helix, a conch and a daith on both sides
she wants a nose piercing but feels like, in regards to her future field of work, she’s already pushing her luck with all of the ear piercings
they’re partially why she wears her hair so long
by far the best at advice and the most level-headed out of the (extended, which includes her, roxanne, bradley, and tank) goof troop
has a long, smooth, long-haired tail the same color as her hair
📖... Welcome to the ask masterlist for this blog. I hope this will make it easier for newcomers to catch up, and maybe help those who've been here longer to catch any asks they may have missed. This will only include in-character asks.
★ Ask 1 - "Why is it you wanted to be king of all worlds?"
★ Ask 2 - "getting new fits to conceal your identity? ..."
★ Ask 3 - "Salutations and greetings! I've noticed you were a bit late to the event of booping..."
★ Ask 4 - "I find it mentally pleasing to see dimentio sad..."
★ Ask 5 - "do you happen to be diagnosed with anything?"
★ Ask 6 - "Sooooooo are you able to cook?"
★ Ask 7 - "can i ask about ur scars?"
★ Ask 8 - "Just curious, how often do you take off your mask Dimentio?"
★ Ask 9 - "OI dimentio answer me this what kind of monster do u take yourself for..."
★ Ask 10 - "Are your hands your actual hands or are they gloves you control with your magic? ..."
★ Ask 11 - "How did you lose your arms/hands?"
★ Ask 12 - "Well since u are in the underworld..."
★ Ask 13 - "Dimentio, what do you think of your fans?"
★ Ask 14 - "Have you been part of a troupe at any point in time?"
★ Ask 15 - "how tall are you"
★ Ask 16 - "salutations!! and many happy holidays!"
★ Ask 17 - "A young woman slowly comes closer behind Dimentio..."
★ Ask 18 - "I noticed both your eyes were intact back then..."
★ Ask 19 - "Alright hear me out..."
★ Ask 20 - "OH NO YOUR EYE 😭 Poor baby 🥺"
★ Ask 21 - "Hey Dimentio, are you mean? And proud of it?"
★ Ask 22 - "Dimentio, can you please watch over my fish tank of shrimp?"
★ Ask 23 - "From joculator to mercenary... That's quite the extreme career shift!"
★ Ask 24 - "Who do u think is the most interesting character..."
★ Ask 25 - "You look tired Dimentio, are you alright?"
★ Ask 26 - "I see Dimentio doesn't like to be patronized."
★ Ask 27 - The trans-your-gender bottle
★ Ask 28 - Poor little meow meow...?
★ Ask 29 - "Did you have a hard time adjusting to the sudden lack of depth perception..."
★ Ask 30 - "How is Dimentio pronounced???"
★ Ask 31 - "Soup"
★ Ask 32 - "happy trans day of visibility Dimentio"
we were in paris (my love) (100 words) by likehandlingroses
Bad Loser (500 words) by likehandlingroses
A Bit of Baseball (100 words) by angryessays
Have Your Cake and Eat it Too (300 words) by angryessays
20 words (337 words) by Dont-call-me-Sir
Beard or no beard? (100 words) by Dont-call-me-Sir
the sky's so blue (next to you) (200 words) by likehandlingroses
the ad-dressing of cats (500 words) by likehandlingroses
Sunday Afternoon in York (578 words) by dragons_in_the_north
Happy Valentine's Day indeed (100 words) by Dont-call-me-Sir
until we find our time and place (200 words) by likehandlingroses
2 Midlife 2 Crisis (300 words) by angryessays
Smile (185 words) by Dont-call-me-Sir
The Storm Before the Calm (200 words) by angryessays
The Curtain Closes (100 words) by dragons_in_the_north
Best Seat in the House (100 words) by ficklefernweh
Un Chapeau, s’il vous Plaît (300 words) by angryessays
lies shining and bright (500 words) by Orszula
Swimming Lessons in the South of France (500 words) by angryessays
I’m fine (200 words) by Dont-call-me-Sir
For Better, For Worse (200 words) by dragons_in_the_north
For God’s Sake, Stop Calling Me Ma’am! (600 words) by angryessays
COLLAGES:
Wedding Day by Academia4me
Anyone for cricket? by Academia4me
Valentine's Day by Academia4me
A quick look into one of the Hancock Park rooms by Orsuliya
Dexmas Bingo by Orsuliya
Hollywood Valentine by Orsuliya
Special thanks fly to, in no particular order: @angryessays, @likehandlingroses, @ficklefernweh, @dragonss-in-the-north, @ripfredweasley, @academia4me, @orsuliya and everyone who has commented on or hearted one of our works!
ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: threesome (mxmxm), dom!jk, sub!jin, sub!th, mentions of puppyspace, oral (m receiving), come eating, unprotected sex, french kissing, creampie, brief spanking, spit used as lube (pls use actual lube irl folks), a teensy serving of crying during sex in a Fun and Funky Way
A/N: time to find out..... : )
DAY TWENTY-NINE
You wake up with no decision made.
In the spirit of good old-fashioned procrastination, you’d decided the night before that perhaps you should wait until the last second to lock in your answer. Perhaps you’d find clarity in the heat of the moment.
So you ignore the slight wonky feeling in your stomach and have an early breakfast, sitting down on the couch at least an hour before the meeting is due to start. You’ll camp out here and observe the others as they gradually join you.
Namjoon is an early bird as usual. His smile is strained but genuine when he greets you, and it pangs your heart enough to make you jump up and take him into a hug.
He freezes for a moment before returning it. “This feels awfully final.”
“It isn’t,” you shoot back, breathing deeply with your face pressed against his solid chest, “...I’m pretty sure.”
“Undecided?” Namjoon questions, arms wrapping around you and letting you stay as long as you want, chin propped up on the top of your head.
“If you happen to know the easy way out,” you bargain in a defeated voice, “be sure to let me know.”
He chuckles breathily, stepping back when you eventually pull away. His hair is starting to grow longer down the back of his neck, and his eyes are the soft brown you’ve fallen for over this past month. “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” he advises. “If I were you, I’d be more concerned about the fact that there’s someone creeping up behind you.”
You shoot up and whirl around just as Taehyung - half-crouched with his hands outstretched - stands up again with a protesting whine. “Hey!”
“Sorry,” Namjoon offers up from behind you, walking past to pat him on the shoulder, “I don’t need Y/n dying of fright this early in the morning.”
Still huffing and puffing, Taehyung pads over to the couch and flops down dramatically, socked feet hanging over the edge. He hasn’t changed out of his pyjamas, looking cosy in an oversized tan shirt and grey boxers, and you have no doubt that he’ll aim for a few more moments of sleep before it’s time to start the meeting.
“Thank you for defending my dignity,” you quip at Namjoon as he potters around the kitchen in search of his favourite mug (a handmade ceramic with a handle shaped like the offshooting branch of a bonsai).
He clicks his tongue, eyes darting to you with a smirk before he’s continuing his investigation. “It’s a full-time job, and the pay isn’t great, but I think it’ll look great on my CV.”
You scoff, following him back to the living room where the two of you take a couch each on either side of an unconscious Taehyung.
Jin is next, stomping down the stairs with a long robe tied around his waist and slippers on his feet. His eyes are narrowed in suspicion. He skips the formalities. “I still join the meeting even though I’m out, right?”
Namjoon nods with a confused frown, but it’s enough for Jin, who dramatically slips the knot of his robe and flings it off onto the carpet, revealing he’s fully dressed underneath in a deep blue button down with cargo shorts. When he comes closer and joins Taehyung on the couch, you can see the white blotches on his shirt are little sailboats embroidered in.
Legs squished beneath the eldest, Taehyung lets out a groan, kicks weakly, and succumbs back to sleep.
“Who are we punting into the void today?” Jin questions casually. “Who is breathing their last breath as an eligible dick in Y/n’s roster? Who will face the final jud-”
“Okay, we get it,” Namjoon cuts off, shifting nervously, “let’s just wait and see.”
You bite your lip, noticing how concerned Namjoon seems about his place in the competition. Do you think he’s on the chopping block? Perhaps if it was sex alone, you may vote him out - but even then he’s improved so much under Hoseok’s tutelage. You want to see how much further he can branch out on his own as he gains confidence. And beyond that, you’re just so fond of him. You’d really rather keep him in the show, but then again, you feel that way for all of them.
Before you can think on it further, a loud groan echos from the stairs. Yoongi is the next to report to duty, stretching every single muscle in his body on his way to the kitchen. He beelines straight for the coffee machine, eyes slightly squinted from the bright lights downstairs and hair a little ruffled.
“Anyone?” he offers gruffly, holding up a mug with his eyes half-closed. Namjoon’s partaking in tea this morning, Tae’s dead to the world and the last thing you need is caffeine, but Jin accepts the offer and requests extra love and affection to be brewed into his.
“Love and affection machine’s broken,” Yoongi retorts automatically, but you don’t miss the way he spends twice as long pouring Jin’s cup than he does his own.
When he comes over and sits the two mugs down on coasters Jin proffered, Yoongi wipes his palms on his jeans and leans over you, bending down to kiss you casually on the corner of the mouth.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he murmurs, taking his coffee back and cradling it, sat beside you.
Your heart jumps at the unceremonious display of affection even as your cheeks heat. Namjoon seems a little surprised, but smiles warmly at the both of you, but Jin just gapes.
For a second, you panic, but he’s huffing at Yoongi. “Excuse me, I specifically requested extra love and affection and this is what I get? I wasn’t aware morning kisses were on the table.”
Yoongi groans, leaning back and letting his legs splay comfortably wide. “I just sat down, hyung,” he complains. “Come get them yourself.”
Jin stands up staunchly, stamps over and presses two loud kisses on either cheek, and then finally kisses Yoongi right on the mouth, huffing immediately afterwards as he returns to his seat. “This house is a fucking prison,” he spits, though he looks not-so-secretly pleased about Yoongi’s acceptance of the affection.
You can’t help but melt in Yoongi’s company these days. He seems to be growing a little broader - you’re convinced he’s joining Jungkook in the gym most nights - and he has the slightest hint of stubble around his jaw, just enough to add definition and make him appear even more like husband material. You curse yourself for thinking that, but his openness with you romantically has your mind whirring in circles every time he’s near you.
He’s your easy choice as far as who’s safe, though for some reason it feels strangely childish or selfish to be in such anguish over the other guys when it’s your recently erupted love for Yoongi that holds him in. It isn’t as if you don’t care about or even love the others. You certainly love Jimin, Hoseok makes you feel special and taken care of like no one else in the house, Jungkook’s mere presence is addicting, and you don’t see enough of him, and Namjoon has this way of making it seem like you’ve been married with kids for years with his domestic charm.
But despite your feelings for basically everyone inside this house, you know you can’t have Yoongi leave the competition. At least it’s one less person to consider.
The next one on your list of suspects is Jungkook, who comes bounding down in a massive hoodie that hangs off his frame. He enters the kitchen just as he sees all of you gathering in the lounge, and freezes, going skidding on the tile.
“Fuck! It’s Monday,” he curses with a stomp, and suddenly his joyful disposition breaks. “At least we get to find out the new theme.”
“Come join us, Koo,” Yoongi instructs softly, shuffling you over so that Jungkook can slot in beside him on your other side. The youngest melts into Yoongi’s frame, sweater paws fiddling with the hem of Yoongi’s t-shirt. “Just have Jimin to go now. Trust him to be late.”
Jungkook nods, but his eyes slip over to you, rounded with sullen curiosity. “You have to vote, right?” At your assenting nod, he sucks on his lower lip and lets out a quiet hum. “That sucks. Are you stressed?”
Your stomach flips as the comment resonates. “A little, yeah.”
“Me too,” Jungkook admits, “but it’s okay. I’ll order in chicken tonight for us all. We can maybe just hang out and pretend like we’re not even doing this show.”
Yoongi from between the two of you lets out a happy sigh. “That sounds great. Hyung will pay.”
“You don’t have to,” Jungkook insists weakly, but smiles and burrows his face against Yoongi’s shoulder, clearly not interested in protesting any further than that.
Jungkook is a difficult case for you. There have been times where you’ve felt so close with him, but now it feels like you’re always separated by other members in between. Yet as soon as you are together, it’s so easy and comfortable without effort. You can imagine dates with him, meeting his parents, going on road trips. He feels like excitement and comfort wrapped up together. The sex is always thrilling with how adventurous he is, but you wonder how things will change between you as time goes on. Can you be selfish and take more time for yourself with him? Or would he be happier being free to explore his blooming relationship with Yoongi (and Jin? You find it hard to tell sometimes with how many threads tie the eight of you together in different configurations) without distractions?
Hoseok is next, interrupting your train of thought as he arrives in half-gear. Entirely out of the dom character, he seems more stressed than usual, Jin and Taehyung welcoming him to their couch.
“Is this foreshadowing?” he wonders aloud, and Jin thwacks him on the shoulder in retaliation, before resting his head on it. Hoseok sighs but accepts the contact. “I guess I’m destined to become human furniture. My first time on that side of the coin.”
“It’s actually too early for sexual references, I hate to say,” Yoongi deadpans, looking a little ill at the concept of human furniture. “That’s strike two.”
Bewildered, Hoseok’s eyes widen. “What was strike one?”
“Shoes in the house,” Yoongi offers as if it was obvious. He finishes his coffee and immediately stands up from beside you to refill his cup.
Hoseok deflates, staring down at his boots. “They’re clean,” he mumbles, but the defense is weakened by Yoongi not listening whatsoever.
Left to his own devices, Hoseok settles into Jin’s tired embrace as Taehyung on the other side snores away lightly. You notice the way his gaze keeps darting to Namjoon, lips quirked.
The two of them were bona fide partners in crime just like the two youngest, but you can’t help but wonder if you aren’t reading between the lines exactly. Hoseok makes your heart beat a little faster, and it’s always impossible for you to work out whether it’s a crush or simply the reminder of all the obscene things you’ve done together. Past that, you trust him without end and adore his company. He feels like a dominant figure in your life now not just sexually, but also in a caretaker sense. Thinking of him as an older brother feels wrong, but role model or idol also doesn’t quite fit. Either way, you look up to him and enjoy every moment spent with him.
While there have been no love confessions shared - and it’s unfair of you to judge on those, anyway - you can’t help but be curious about how he sees you. He spends so much time with Namjoon that part of you feels like an assignment. Are you a project that he’s picked up, guiding you into kink? When he grins and his eyes alight during a scene, is that because he’s playing, or because he’s playing with you?
You want to keep him in the competition longer because, quite frankly, you do not want to give up the deliciously kinky sex he’s opening your eyes to, but someone has to go, and the confusion around your place with him doesn’t play in his favour in much the same way as Jungkook.
The door opens suddenly, catching all of you off-guard. “Are we all…? Just waiting on one, okay.” Sejin comes in looking fresher than he has the past few days you’ve seen him. Though he still sports some bags under his eyes, he shares some pleasantries with the group while you all collectively await Jimin’s belated arrival.
The final piece of the puzzle slots in about eight minutes after the intended meeting time. In no visible rush, he slinks downstairs in tight black pants and a patterned silk shirt, the top button undone to reveal the elegant line of his neck and collarbone.
Sejin barely waits for him to sit down before he’s beginning the meeting, and you bite on your tongue, wishing you could tune out to think about where you stand with Jimin, but he’s straight into the business, not wasting any more time. “Let’s make a start,” he announces swiftly, pulling out his phone, “we’ll go into fan favourite first as usual, but I’d like Y/n to guess the prompts again. If you recall, this week’s theme was Limited Edition. The eligible gentlemen in the game each had a limit - something they couldn’t involve in the scene. We’ll start easy - Jimin.”
Your mouth falls open as you think it through. “Easy? Uh…” Limited edition. A limit during the scene. Was he not allowed to dom? That wouldn’t make much sense since some of the guys have submitting as a soft limit, so it would have to be- “The blindfold!” you guess in a cheer. “His limit was vision?”
Jimin’s smile stretches widely even as Hoseok and Jin stare at him in abject shock. His eyes show his pride in you, and it’s that which fills you with satisfaction, even as Sejin congratulates you for being right.
“Your next one to guess is Yoongi.”
You crane your neck to face him, tilting your head. “Your everything?” you guess to Yoongi. “You didn’t touch me at all.”
He hums wickedly, lifting his hand up to wiggle his fingers. “No hands, no touching,” he reveals. “I can’t imagine it would’ve been very sexy had I tried to get you off with my elbows.”
“There’s always next week,” you quip without realising.
Yoongi sits up, lids flaring wide for a moment. “Is there?”
“Yeah,” you admit weakly, heart swirling in guilt for the four others that remain in uncertainty. “For Jungkook, I’m guessing his voice. He was way quieter than usual.”
Sejin accepts the answer as correct, Jungkook blushing and letting a high-pitched grumble muffle into Yoongi’s side. “It sucked,” he complains through a pout, and Yoongi just tuts and rubs his back in a slow circle.
“The last two, then,” Sejin continues. “Namjoon and Hoseok both completed their individual prompts at the same time, so you can guess the both of them.”
These two stump you. Your cheeks heat as you force yourself to run through the events outside, trying to find a lack of something. Namjoon had gone down on you, but not… “Namjoon’s was not using his… uh, his dick?”
Taehyung snorts. None of you realising he was even awake, he presses his lips together to calm himself, shuffles around a bit, and watches the meeting with a single eye cracked half-open.
“That is correct. And Hoseok?”
Everyone waits in silence for a moment, Hoseok’s eyes glittering with a wry smile on his lips, but you don’t reach any conclusions. “No clue,” you admit. “What was it?”
“No toys,” Hoseok reveals himself. “I had to think on it for a while, I’m so used to using equipment. I decided to recruit a toy instead.”
Namjoon’s cheeks go hot before he can cover them with his hands, an embarrassed little huff leaving him. “Excellent, let’s move on.”
Sejin doesn’t turn down the chance to keep the ball rolling. “Alright then, with those being said, most of you successfully completed your prompt this week, Jungkook excluded. He’ll be in the bunk room until the next meeting on Sunday.”
Jungkook doesn’t react much, morosely nodding with a pout so deep you can see the pink of his mouth.
“The next thing to tick off is fan favourite. We had an all-time high number of votes, but the winner took out a third of them. First of all, third place goes to Jimin.”
Nobody seems more surprised than Jimin himself. Instinctively his eyes go to Sejin, before they dart up to the cameras recording this interaction, as if to investigate the people watching on the other end. “Uh, okay, wow, good to know,” he says, awkwardness dissolving into a bemused laugh.
“Second place goes to our youngest. Congratulations, Jungkook!”
Jungkook brightens up considerably at the news, a toothy grin taking over his face. “Really? I’ll work harder to get the win next week!”
“That leaves us with the winner. For a second time,” Namjoon deflates at hearing Sejin’s words, “the prize of leaving the house for the evening unfilmed goes to Min Yoongi.”
Yoongi and Hoseok share a glance, the two of them with unreadable reactions. Hoseok breaks first, laughing and nodding in approval to the doctor. “Don’t suppose you’ll be doing another McDonalds trip?” he questions cheekily.
“Not this time,” Yoongi replies easily, but his eyes are already distant like he’s plotting. “Not this time.”
You can’t suppress your grin at the thought of sharing another night with him, and suddenly you’re all too aware of your proximity, your bodies pressed together. Like he senses your joy, he turns and sends you a grin, tongue darting out to wet his lips, and the way butterflies fill your insides more than confirms he’s not the one you’re sending - metaphorically, at least - home.
The reminder of the decision comes just as Sejin turns to you, brows furrowed in what appears like genuine sympathy. “It’s that time,” he announces, “please make your decision on who out of Jungkook, Jimin, Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi you are voting out of the competition. Would you like to hear their defenses?”
You swallow, eyes flicking around the room. That would just prolong the anguish and make you feel worse when you sent one of them home. “No, that’s… I’ll just decide now.” As the intense gazes of eight guys shift onto you expectantly, you take a deep breath. You know who it’s going to be. The choice hurts you, and you feel a pang at knowing you won’t be able to be in scenes with him at all for the rest of the competition, but your desire to keep the four others in the competition do rise above, and so it’s him you have to let go.
The room is dead silent when you clear your throat. “I’m sorry, Jungkook. It’s you.”
His lips go tight, like he’s pressing them together and he nods once. Everyone waits, but he doesn’t make a move to say anything. You can see the way his nostrils flare, and the gleam in his eyes, and your heart breaks even more in the aftermath.
Sejin sighs. “Okay, Jungkook, are you ready to give your elimination confessional?”
He’s so close to you, just on the other side of Yoongi, that you can hear him sniff wetly, the warning sign before he begins to cry. Trying valiantly to hold it back and muffle it with the ball of his fist, he nods again and shakily gets up, looking wobbly on his feet.
“I’m sorry,” he makes out thickly, aimed towards nobody in particular. “It’s not even a big de- big deal.” His voice breaking pushes him over the edge, and as he leaves behind Sejin - who asks you to wait for him to return - he’s sobbing audibly, scrubbing at his eyes with both hands.
The room feels cavernous after his departure, and you sink your face into your palms. “God,” you let out in a shaky sigh. “This fucking sucks.” Your own eyes prickle, and it just makes you feel worse knowing Jungkook is a hundred times more miserable than you.
Yoongi’s hand is heavy and comforting on your back as he pulls you into a side hug, stroking wide ovals up and down your spine. “It does,” he commiserates, “but Jungkook’s a good kid. He’ll bounce back in no time. If anything, I’m sure it’s less about you and more about him being an overachiever.”
Jin pitches up from the other couch. “He wanted the fan favourite really bad. Now just means that he won’t have a chance to get it in the future. I’ll bet dinner for a week that he’s not angry at you, Y/n.”
“That leaves us as the final four, I guess,” Hoseok points out. “It’s getting close really quick. Though I guess we only started with seven.”
“I imagine having this kind of show with more people would be medically unwise for Y/n,” Yoongi drawls, and you get caught off-guard, snorting a little. “Hey, she lives,” he comments warmly at your reaction.
“Reluctantly,” you fire back, but feel yourself settling again, sitting upright. “I’ll hang out with Jungkook for a bit today, I think. If he’s up for it. I haven’t been spending as much time with him as I should.”
“I’m sure he’d love that,” Yoongi agrees, but his attention is soon caught by Sejin returning the way he came, no camboy at his side. “How’s he holding up?”
Sejin’s eyes stay on you as he sits back down on the coffee table, rubbing the side of his face. “Whinging and moaning, actually, so I think he’s okay.” The producer lets out a weak laugh. “I hate to say it, but I think he’s going to be wringing the sympathy out of every one of you. He already got me to promise I’ll bring him some Baskin Robbins when I do the grocery shop tomorrow. I’m under strict instructions to inform you all that you’re not allowed to have any of it.”
Even as Jin sighs in mock disappointment, a half-asleep Tae springs unsteadily to his feet. “Comfort is my strong suit. Don’t wait up for me, I have cuddles to cash in.”
“You brave soldier,” Hoseok quips as you watch the masseuse leave, quickly turning to watch Sejin pull out four slips of folded paper from his back pocket. “Finally, a new week.”
“Indeed,” Sejin confirms. “Hoseok, Jimin, Yoongi and Namjoon, congratulations on making it to the final four. The theme for this week is Home, Sweet Home. Come choose a prompt.”
There are significantly more than just four in his hands, and Namjoon is the first one up this time, taking the folded square on the very top of the pile.
He opens it as he makes his way back down to the couch, visibly thinking it through, and then lets out a small gasp of realisation. “Okay, I get it.”
Home, sweet home, you ponder. Was it meant to be a romantic, domestic style week? But then how would there be that many options to choose from? Curious to no end, you focus in as Hoseok stands up to take his, closing his eyes and fiddling around in the pile in Sejin’s hands until he dramatically whips one back, opening it right in front of his face so nobody can peek.
He immediately begins to laugh when he reads it, going over to share his prompt with Namjoon. It seems like he’s happier with his own than Namjoon is, but the academic appears to think much the same, clutching his prompt tightly in his hand.
Second to last is Jimin, who takes a piece of paper without much ceremony, using a single hand to unfold it as the other rests on his hip. He purses his lips at what is written inside, glancing up in thought, before nodding once to himself and sitting back down. He doesn’t allow anyone else the chance to look at his prompt, slipping it immediately into his pocket.
Finally, Yoongi pats your knee and gets up, grabbing one from the middle of the pack. Opening it, he frowns for a moment in confusion, one hand fiddling with the collar of his shirt, fingers splayed at the base of his neck. When he turns back, his eyes are on you, calculating and plotting. You swallow, trying to push down your rampant curiosity.
“The final matter of business is the Bangasm Bomb,” the producer states. “This week, fan favourite will not be voted on by the viewers. Instead, the three eliminated gentlemen will be the ones voting. They will either have to be physically present during the scenes, or watch them on the streams before the Sunday meeting. Jin, I’ll send you and the two others a text explaining in more detail.”
Jin grins at the announcement, his eyes finding yours to wiggle his eyebrows jauntily. “I feel so powerful. Please keep in mind that I will use this opportunity for nefarious purposes.”
“At least wait until I’m out of the room,” Sejin sighs in defeat, before standing up. “Well, that’s it for now. Yoongi, Y/n, I’ll call a taxi here for you at 5pm. Does that suit?”
You wait on Yoongi’s confirmation, and he seems perfectly happy to give it. “That’ll suit us just fine,” the doctor assents, before squeezing your shoulder fondly. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some calls to make.”
Your eyes widen, and you feel even more excited about tonight, wondering what he’s setting up for the two of you. As he goes to leave, so does Sejin in the opposite direction, and the lull of the meeting is broken.
Everyone falls back into the natural rhythm of the Villa. Jin announces he’s going to go keep Jungkook and Taehyung company, Namjoon insists the weather is so nice that he’ll do some study outside today, and Jimin comes over to give you a quick, tight hug, offering to chill out and watch some Netflix for a bit.
“I think it’ll be good for Jungkook to hang out with the other eliminated guys,” he points out, “and I think you need some downtime and a good distraction too. I’ll let you pick the show.”
“So generous,” you quip, but you’re grateful to have his company to occupy you for a bit. Between the stress of the elimination and the anticipation for your date tonight, just wasting away the hours with Jimin for a while sounds like a good time. “This isn’t just an excuse for you to spring the moves on me?” you ask with a wry grin as he leads you up the stairs.
“Don’t think so lowly of me,” Jimin drawls. “Who would I be if I didn’t make you wait for it?”
You huff. “Dick.”
Jimin’s eyes glint, teeth peeking out from behind his lips. “Not yet, little mouse.”
It takes Jungkook a lot of time to stop crying. As Taehyung pulls up a stool next to him in the confessional booth, head leaning on his heaving shoulder, Jungkook huffs and sniffes and scrubs at his face but the tears continue to stream.
He valiantly proceeds with his exit confessional, trying to push through the waterworks as if they’re not even happening. When the producer signifies he’s done, he sinks in on himself, body weakened by his low mood.
Taehyung curls his arm around the inside of Jungkook’s elbow, frowning at the miserable sounds. “You’ll be alright, Jungkookie,” he tries to soothe, “you can feel sad as long as you need.”
“I’m not s-sad,” Jungkook hiccups. His hands are glistening wet where they lie in his lap. “I’m disappointed in myself.”
“Disappointed that four men can fuck better than you? Really?” Taehyung questions, keeping his voice full of levity but his body humming with comfort.
Jungkook lets out a weak, choked laugh. “It’s stupid, I know.”
“Not really. You’ve made a career out of sex,” Taehyung points out, patting at his thigh. “I bet an athlete would be disappointed if they missed out on the podium. I bet a businessman would be disappointed if he didn’t land an important promotion.”
“Yeah,” the maknae lets out unconvincingly.
“Besides, Y/n’s the one that’s really missing out,” Taehyung declares, standing up off the stool and tugging a loose-boned Jungkook with him. Stumbling like a newborn foal, Jungkook lets himself get led outside. “You still have six people you can fuck in this house. She’s down to four.”
This pulls a genuine laugh from Jungkook, only slightly thickened by tears. “God, only four? That sounds inhumane.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Taehyung drawls proudly, finding them a snug place under the shade of the house. Still in his pyjamas, the cool air gives him a bit of a chill but he knows that Jungkook is probably overheated from getting worked up. He hunkers down with his back to the exterior wall and looks out over the expansive backyard. A bumblebee putters around a patch of daisies close to the two of them, and Jungkook looks hypnotised by its light movements.
The fresh air does wonders for Jungkook. He settles like a small child, cries turning to sniffles and eventually the tears on his face have dried. Eyes still red, he lets them fall closed and leans his head back against the wall with a dull thud.
“When I think about it,” Jungkook begins after a moment of silent company, “nothing on this show ever really went well for me.”
Taehyung accidentally nips his own tongue with the speed his head turns around. “What does that mean?”
“I never got fan favourite. I started a fight. I got caught up in Yoongi-hyung and Jin-hyung’s relationship issues before we all sorted it out, and now I’m out of the running entirely. I wish I could’ve contributed something good before I got booted.”
Taehyung’s heart aches, the pain manifesting in a tight grimace. “Don’t say shit like that, Jungkookie.”
“It’s true,” Jungkook begins, but Taehyung doesn’t want to hear it.
“Just because you didn’t have fan favourite doesn’t mean that you aren’t anybody’s favourite. I was keeping up with the vote on Twitter, and last I checked you had, like, hundreds of thousands of votes. That’s huge. And who gives a fuck if you started a fight? Or if you got caught up in some drama. Who cares, Jungkook?” Taehyung’s voice begins to raise as he gets worked up, the younger man still with his gaze on the bumblebee that ventures closer and closer. “Let yourself be human. Make the most of this elimination and use it to give yourself some sympathy for once.”
Jungkook nods hollowly in response, but his eyes are distant. Taehyung waits for him to process it, knowing how sluggish he could feel post-cry himself.
Eventually Jungkook takes in a deep breath and rubs his face once more, disrupting the dried salt on his cheeks. “I’ve been so caught up in my feelings for all of you that I don’t think I ever stopped to consider maybe this show isn’t good for me,” he admits, voice quiet enough that Taehyung has to squint and focus in on every word.
“Talk to me about it,” the masseuse requests, begs. “I’m your friend, if nothing more.”
Jungkook’s brows furrow, fingers fiddling. “On my camming channel it’s just me, mostly, and I can take a break whenever I want. But directly competing against so many people-” he lets out a deep rushed exhale. “Competing against people I really like and having to do it 24/7? I think I’m sick of being watched.”
Before Taehyung can reply, he hears the scratch of shoes on pavement. Jin comes bounding around the corner, running right past them in the direction of the confessional booth.
The two of them share a look and stay silent, watching as Jin approaches the door and ducks his head, ear pressed to the entrance as he raps twice with the back of his hand. “You in there?” he calls out, the sound carrying easily in the quiet morning air.
“I’m not, actually,” Jungkook quips back from his spot in the shade, and Jin jolts like he’s been electrocuted, head knocking audibly on the booth door.
“Gah, gave me a fright, you gremlin,” Jin moans dramatically, even as his eyes crinkle in poorly-veiled concern. “How are you holding up?”
“Jungkook’s decided to abandon society and live high in the Himalayas as a hermit,” Taehyung replies smoothly, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
“I see,” Jin return with a nod. “I’d offer to join you would it not defeat the purpose entirely.”
Jungkook just smiles fondly, always pliant in the company of the eldest. “I’m managing, hyung.”
“Glad to hear it.” The therapist comes closer, shadows lining the structure of his face artfully as he steps below the shade of the house. “You’re still on the property, so you’re already dealing better than I did.”
“Physically, yes,” Jungkook concedes. He lets out a weak laugh at the raised eyebrow Jin sends him.
The eldest crouches down on the narrow concrete path across from him. “If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?”
As Jungkook thinks, Taehyung considers the question himself. Personally, he fancies an image of Christmas morning. The eight of them share a house that looks suspiciously like his grandma’s old cottage, only larger, and the Christmas tree reaches the roof. A fire crackles; Yoongi complains about how fast they’re burning through the pine but adds another log on anyway. Y/n inspects the decorations. Maybe she has a bump on her stomach that peeks beneath the hem of her shirt when she lifts up to adjust some tinsel, but Taehyung knows then he’s getting too carried away.
Back in reality, Jungkook is letting out a dreamy sigh, eyes slipped shut. “A beach somewhere. Hawaii, or the Bahamas. Nobody else on the beach, just me. Us.”
“Well,” Jin says after a moment, “I can’t swing that, but I make a mean Pina Colada and I have some Hawaiian shirts in my suitcase. Let’s make our own getaway.”
In his defence, Jin has put in some serious work to transform his room into a tropical paradise. The bed is their sandy beach minus the sand; with the sun streaming in through his bay window and the two younger boys in swim shorts, Taehyung can suspend a little disbelief.
The eldest has a loud pink Hawaiian shirt dotted with flamingos that rests entirely unbuttoned on his shoulders, exposing his chest and the delicate trail of hair that leads below his belly button. Like some sort of live bar entertainment, he uses his office desk - dragged into the center of the room with four dents in the carpet where it used to be - to shake up some fruity cocktails for the three of them.
Jungkook is giggling at every bad pun Jin pulls, tears forgotten despite the redness in his eyes remaining. Shortly after the three of them disappeared upstairs with an ambitious bounty of liquor, Yoongi had sent Taehyung a text inquiring to Jungkook’s wellbeing. Taehyung’s relieved he has something assuring to reply with at last.
Jin is taking his job of cheering Jungkook up incredibly seriously, down to hanging hats and socks over the three livestreaming cameras in his room to take the pressure of the show off entirely. If that slight buzzing Taehyung can hear occasionally is Sejin or one of the other producers trying to scold him, Jin doesn’t even acknowledge the phone in his own back pocket.
“Now, just pretend this mug is a hollowed-out coconut with a paper umbrella in it, et voilà!” Jin flourishes a yellow drink to Jungkook. The plain white mug reads WORLD’S GREATEST GRANDSON, but Jungkook doesn’t take much notice of that as he sips at the metal straw poking over the side. His eyes widen over the lip of the mug, and when he pulls back to swallow, he nods vigoriously in approval. “That’s so good, hyung! Where did you learn to make drinks like that?”
“I worked a gig at a bar while I was studying,” Jin explains, sliding a somehow neon blue drink at Taehyung, this one in a red wine glass, “I mean, it was a retirement home, but they let the residents have one alcoholic beverage a day. I tried to make it a little more exciting than just rum and coke, you know, so I learned how to make cocktails.”
“That’s sweet,” Taehyung murmurs, heart softening at the mental image of a young, hotshot Kim Seokjin wooing the elderly with colorful concoctions. “They must have loved that.”
“They went crazy for it,” Jin confirms. Wiping up his desk with a tea towel (he wasn’t the cleanest mixer) he took a sip of his own drink that looked as thick and rich as cocoa. Taehyung had watched him make it, though, and there was an obscene amount of liqueur inside. Sighing dreamily, Jin stretches back upright and points with a pinky finger to Taehyung’s drink. “Several of the residents had memory issues for whatever reason, so I let them decide the names of each drink. What you’ve got there is a Ron’s Power Juice.”
Taehyung tries the bright blue drink, humming at the rush of fruity sweetness on his tongue. He can feel the warmth of a tiny bit of tequila in his throat, but his taste buds are thriving with the flavoured syrups. “Ron sounds like my kind of guy, this is amazing.”
Jin grins, sending him a salacious wink as he flicks the tea towel over one shoulder. “Kookie, the pina colada you have was renamed Cheating Cheating after that cheesy song. Eunha perhaps wasn’t as creative with her drink titles, but she did insist.”
“Sometimes, hyung, it seems like you’ve lived a million different lives,” Jungkook comments, a third of the way through his drink already.
“Are you calling me old?”
“I’m calling you cool,” the camboy counters with a droll yet adoring look.
This comment softens Jin, who lets out a small sigh and stares at the boy, exuding pure fondness. “You’re a good kid, you know?”
“I’m not a kid! I’m drinking alcohol!”
Taehyung grins at the petulance of the youngest, leaning over to ruffle his hair playfully. “Our Jungkookie,” he coos in a sickly sweet tone.
“Come on; scoot up.” The two of them shuffle closer to the pillows and stacks of plushies at the head of the bed as Jin hops on at the foot, managing to keep his nearly-overflowing drink perfectly level. “The three of us are a dream team, if you really think about it.”
“I would argue we’re the opposite of a dream team,” Taehyung counters, enjoying the way his drink is making his head begin to thrum just lightly. “We’re the bottom of the pack.”
“In a dumb competition that doesn’t really mean anything, sure, we are,” Jin dismisses, forgoing a straw and slurping deeply from the rim of his mason jar. Taehyung things that jar was one pasta sauce came in last week that they cleaned out with hot water for the trash. He’s unsure if Jin is aware of this fact, and chooses not to interrupt the elder’s speech. “But we still get to spend time with everyone, we can laugh at all the drama we no longer have to worry about, and this week we get the power of fan favorite. Taehyung, you told me yourself when I got eliminated that this is basically a fully-funded holiday for us.”
“I see what you’re saying,” Taehyung responds, grinning at the proud look on Jin’s face. He’d come quite far from the man he was a week ago, and it made Tae feel warm inside to see him being the positive figure now that it was Jungkook’s turn.
Jungkook nods thoughtfully. “The real prize was the dicks we sucked along the way.”
Jin sucks in a breath with furrowed brows like he’s about to disagree, then shrugs. “Well- something like that.”
“Um, also, I wanted to say…” Jungkook trails off, biting his lip and avoiding their gaze. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but all those tears this morning, and now you guys comforting me…”
Taehyung reaches over to pat the youngest on the upper arm. “It’s got you feeling tired? You should take a rest today, Jungkookie.”
Jungkook’s eyes widen just slightly as she shakes his head. “It’s got me feeling pretty horny, actually,” he corrects. “I was kinda gonna offer to suck one of you off.”
The other two fall silent, Taehyung’s mouth slackening in surprise.
The camboy swallows, lips pursed in uncertainty. “Or both,” he adds.
Jin recovers first, taking a steeling gulp of his drink. “Not that I’m turning down that offer,” he begins, “but are you sure that’s what you want right now? Just a couple of hours ago you were bawling your eyes out.”
“Yeah, and it was cathartic,” Jungkook insists. “And now my dick wants to…. cathart… too.” He lets out a light cough at the dubious looks he receives from the two others, and puts his now-empty mug aside on the nightstand, flinging himself forward to crawl onto Jin’s lap. “You said it yourself, hyung, we’re the dream team.”
Taehyung doesn’t need more convincing. It’s been a while since he’s played with Jungkook directly; the last time he saw him in that context, he’d gotten so deep into puppyspace that he’d fallen asleep and missed the show. This time he was determined to enjoy the intimacy and excitement of sex with Jeon Jungkook. “If you’re taking requests, I’d love to offer up my dick to get this show on the road.”
Jungkook gasps in relief and twists in Jin’s lap, letting his bottom half remain there as his top half comes down onto the mattress. Propped up on his elbows, he pats the bed impatiently. “Lie down, hyung, I don’t wanna crane my neck.”
Unable to bring himself to feel any kind of annoyance at being ordered around, Taehyung plants himself down with his head resting on a particularly squishy Kirby plush and shucks his boxers off. Jungkook’s hair tickles the bare skin of his hip as he leans in close.
Taehyung is still only half hard - in his defense he wasn’t even thinking about sex until a minute ago - but Jungkook doesn’t seem to mind. The camboy wriggles in Jin’s lap so that his ass is sticking up in a graceful arch, and hunkers down, wrapping a hand around Taehyung’s length and spitting over it.
With a groan, Taehyung watches the camboy bring him to full hardness, growing in his palm with every slow, tight stroke. Jin’s hand has found its home on Jungkook’s bare leg, fingers curled around to press on the sensitive skin of his inner thigh. His eyes are hot and heavy on Jungkook’s face, but occasionally will sidetrack to the swell of his ass with the fabric of his shorts pulled taut across it.
When Jungkook first runs his tongue over the tip of Taehyung’s cock, a hiss is pulled through his teeth. He’s using the flat of it, and Taehyung’s nerves are so aroused that they can feel the slight texture of it. The muscle moves deftly, dipping into the slit that leaks precum like a faulty faucet.
It’s clear he’s doing this for his own enjoyment, savouring the sensation of sucking dick more than anything else, but Tae can’t lie and say his visible pleasure at wrapping his lips around Tae’s cock isn’t making him tremble slightly.
“That’s it, good boy.” Taehyung is surprised when those words don’t come from his own mouth, but instead Seokjin’s. The therapist runs his fingers up higher, dipping under the hem of Jungkook’s shorts, and grips a handful of his ass. “Make him feel good, Jungkookie.”
Jungkook pulls off messily, slightly swollen lips still linked to Tae’s cock by a string of saliva. His fist remains at the base, holding Tae up in place like a popsicle. “What do you think I’m doing?” he asks rhetorically, then dives back in and slurps Taehyung’s cock up until his mouth meets his fingers.
Cursing, Taehyung is unable to stop his hips from jerking up, but the hand around his cock keeps it from going too deep too fast and gagging the camboy. Instead, he moans in approval and unwraps his fingers, pushing down further and breathing heavily through his nose.
Taehyung feels the constricting pressure of a swallow right before Jungkook uses his free hands to hold Tae’s hips down and begins to deepthroat him in earnest.
It’s obscene, the volume the mere act of sucking cock can reach, but Jungkook tries his absolute best to be as enthusiastic as possible and it only results in smacks and slurps and gags, the youngest occasionally lifting off to gasp a few deep breaths, eyes gleaming with unshed tears.
It’s over for Taehyung the second Jungkook begins his pursuit, and as his fists curl in the duvet, his eyes can’t seem to decide between staring at the place where he disappears between Jungkook’s reddened lips, gazing into the lustful depths of Jin’s eyes or rolling back into his skull.
The decision is made for him when his orgasm approaches faster than he’d like to admit. His back begins to lift off the bed, pelvis flexing under Jungkook’s hold as he gets the soul sucked out of him. “Fuck, Kookie, I- I’m close,” he manages to make out through a grimace, unable to hold back the cresting wave of pleasure.
Instead of heeding the warning, Jungkook just moans again and bobs his head faster, relentless.
Taehyung is kicked over the edge with a single scrape of teeth on the underside of his sensitive tip. Accidental or otherwise, he jerks like he’s been eletrocuted and feels his release filling Jungkook’s mouth.
It’s a strong enough orgasm to make his toes curl harshly and his muscles seize. He can’t see anything with eyes rolled back, and his hearing mutes out for a few moments with the force of it.
It leaves him panting and clinging at Jungkook’s hair (when had he even reached for it?) and - to his disappointment - softening as Jungkook licks the last of the cum away.
“God,” he sighs out, chest heaving. “I think you just killed me, Jungkook.”
Propping himself up again on his elbows, Jungkook gives Taehyung a shrug, tongue dipping out to clean off his lips. “You’re most welcome.”
Behind him, Jin pushes the fabric of Jungkook’s shorts up on one cheek as high as it will go, spanking the flesh just lightly enough to watch it jiggle. “Energy for one more, Jungkookie?”
The camboy flops around ungraciously but endearingly and climbs his way up Jin’s torso until his hands link around his neck. “Energy and a half,” he states, biting on his lip with needy eyes. “Actually, if you want, we could do something… a little more?”
Jin’s gaze on him is equally playful, stirring a fire in Taehyung’s belly even as he tucks his spent cock away. The therapist runs a palm down Jungkook’s back and slips his fingers under the waistband of his shorts to press against his hole. “Does my good boy want to get fucked?”
Even as Jungkook’s eyes go lidded with pleasure and he melts a little, he shakes his head, wiggling his ass to remove the invading hand. “Not at all, hyung.”
“No?”
“Nuh-uh,” he confirms with another petulant shake of his head. “I just got kicked out of a sex competition, hyung, I don’t wanna lie here and bottom.” With bated breath, Taehyung watches the camboy lean forward until their noses press together, Jin wide-eyed in anticipation. “Will you let me fuck you, hyung? Hard?”
It takes Jin a moment to answer. He blinks, swallows, and sucks in a deep breath before he’s giving a shaky, “fuck, yes, okay.”
Jungkook pounces, using his body weight to tip the therapist on his back. Kissing him roughly, with distinctly more teeth than Taehyung got, Jungkook uses his mouth to distract while his sneaky hands quickly remove Jin’s trousers and underwear.
They roam freely over his cock and balls for a few moments to draw groans out of the elder, before he grows impatient and breaks the kiss for just a second, enough to plunge three fingers into Jin’s mouth.
Startled, Jin sucks down on them almost automatically, and Jungkook catches a moan in his throat. “That’s right,” he sighs, “soak them for me.”
When the job is well done, Jungkook guides those dripping wet fingers down, Seokjin’s legs parting willingly and bending at the knee to allow access.
In his slowly clearing post-nut haze, Taehyung strains to think of the last time Jungkook has gotten to fuck one of the guys. He can’t think of a single time.
If that was truly the case as he suspects, the desperation and hunger is clearly a build-up from much more than just today. Jungkook’s like a half-tamed predator, making Jin hiccup and whimper into his frantic mouth with every thrust of his fingers - one, then two, then three scissoring out to stretch his hyung for him.
Taehyung’s mind begins to go slightly wobbly and airy when Jungkook gets his own dick out and spits on his hand again, slicking himself up.
Whether it’s the vicious orgasm he just had, or the arousal from watching, Taehyung feels the pull of puppy space on the edges of his mind, snatching his trains of thought. He fights it, blinking down hard as the younger boy lines himself up with Jin’s hole, hitching one of his legs up over his shoulder.
Seokjin lets out a low, guttural moan when Jungkook slides home. With the way his back arches and face trembles it almost seems like it was pulled right out of him, and Jungkook wears a proud smile right from the start because of it.
After giving him a moment to adjust, Jungkook shifts him up closer to his cock, and pulls out, preparing for another deep thrust. It’s after receiving a strangled command from Jin to hurry up that he begins to fuck into his hyung without abandon.
All pretense is dropped as the grin on the camboy’s face turns into a snarl of focus and pleasure. He almost growls when Jin clenches around him, and the sound weakens Taehyung, pushes him deeper. He finds himself curling up on the bed, twisted to face them side-on as they fuck in front of him.
Jungkook truly fucks like a rabbit, and Jin’s babbling moans and grabby hands show just how overwhelming it is to be on the receiving end of that much sexual energy. It seems like it’s too much for his body to even physically handle, as it jolts up the bed with every thrust.
Kept in place by Jungkook’s strong hands, the momentum yanks him back onto his cock and the cycle repeats for every snap of the camboy’s hips.
Taehyung’s cock is still well and truly exhausted for the night, but a different kind of need swells inside him. He shuffles forward on his knees and belly until his face is close enough to Jin’s to kiss.
Jin can’t kiss back; he just gasps between presses of lips and swipes of tongue, but that’s more than enough for Taehyung. He feels the urge simply to connect and to mark, and nipping at the elder’s lips and sucking on that pink, pillowy flesh is more than enough.
Jungkook is grunting from behind them, and just as Jin shrieks from an especially solid thrust, Taehyung jumps from the feeling of impact on his bare ass cheek. He hadn’t even noticed the younger man slip his sweats down, but the heat makes him moan out belatedly, panting and drooling into Jin’s mouth.
“My two beautiful hyungs,” Jungkook compliments in a voice that somehow bridges both gruff and whiny, “my filthy hyungs.”
The puppy Taehyung is beginning to take over, and without thought he wiggles his hips, entreating another spank. He gets it, and whimpers as a broad palm gropes indulgently at the round globes of his ass.
A finger slides between the gap to press at the sensitive skin just behind his balls and Taehyung goes limp, falling to the bed with a high whine. It’s too much, even as he wants it his body can’t take it yet.
It’s safer, easier slumped on the mattress with only a mouth to worry about.
Jin’s mouth, which is parted in loud ecstasy and not nearly being kissed enough. Taehyung is happy to remedy that, with more tongue and teeth and less lips that before.
Without any real direct stimulation to his dick, Jin lasts longer than Taehyung did under Jungkook’s bombardment, but he grows close soon enough.
Puppy can tell by the way his hyung’s lips taste saltier from tears. He nuzzles at his face, lapping it from his cheeks and temples before returning to make out with him some more.
Jin’s contributing even less to the kiss, but puppy isn’t mad because he pulls away and sees the stuttered stream of white that paints hyung’s chest and makes Jungkook growl, swiping his hand through it before it can dry.
It doesn’t take long for Jungkook to come too, wolflike growl turning to a drawn-out whine of release. Puppy recognises the sound from his own throat he’s heard many times before.
With his climax, the dom headspace slips from Jungkook like a silk robe, pooling around them with the cum that leaks out of Jin’s now-empty hole.
Puppy catches himself drooling, and without really deciding to, he’s cleaning hyung up kindly and diligently; first his abdomen and then his hole get lapped at until not a single drop remains. He tries to clean him out inside, too, but hyung is still too sensitive, pushing his head away gently with a shaky laugh.
The job finished to satisfaction, puppy lies down and enjoys the sound of shared breaths. They all take their time to recover - Jungkook and Jin physically, and Taehyung mentally.
When his puppyspace drifts back into the background and he feels coherent enough again to form words, Taehyung still chooses not to. He doesn’t know if they noticed him slipping, or if they were even thinking to look, but it feels strange to have not been acknowledged as a puppy while feeling that way.
Part of it feels unsatisfying, like a niggly little pit inside him that he didn’t get to fill, but there’s also something about it that feels validating at having his puppy self show up without the more intentional setup of a pet play scene.
As he gets up and stretches out any lingering tension in his body, Taehyung vows to think about it later, instead choosing to finish off his Ron’s Power Juice concoction and have a good, lazy afternoon with the dream team.
“Ready to go?”
You glance up at Yoongi, who skips down the stairs with a warm smile. He’s changed his clothes into something comfy, had insisted you did the same, but still looks dashing even in sweats. “Sure am,” you declare, excitement thrumming in your chest like it does every time you get to go out on these excursions. “I’m a little suspicious about the casual wear, I’ll admit.”
“Ah, don’t be,” he deflects casually, one hand in his pocket as the other reaches out to open the front door for you. “Our carriage awaits.”
“Such a gentleman,” you tease warmly, before slipping your shoes on and making your way outside. “Are we doing paintball?”
“No.”
You hum. “Basketball?”
“You aren’t going to guess,” he says with a laugh, letting you into the backseat before he gets in on the other side.
You wait until he’s inside with you, clipping your seatbelts in place. “Well, not with that attitude.”
Yoongi raises a brow at you, but stays silent, eyes dipping lower. You follow instinctively, and see his hand on his thigh, fingers twitching. As you watch, he reaches across and gives you plenty of time to reject his advances before he links your fingers together. Stretched across the middle seat, the two of you clasp hands and stare as the scenery out the window turns to a cityscape, and then residential.
“It’s kind of far away,” you murmur as the driver navigates out of the bustling downtown Seoul and into suburbia. “Suspicious.”
“Patience,” he quips in a low, amused voice, saying nothing more.
It’s not until you’ve driven through several intersections and past multiple schools that the car pulls onto the side of the road to park. You thank the driver and get out, narrowing your eyes at the houses you’re surrounded by. “Am I doing another Meet the Parents?” you wonder aloud.
“Another?” Yoongi questions, approaching you to link hands again, using the tethered point to tug you further up the road. “Come on, it’s just around the corner.”
The second you turn right, a sign sticking out from a post catches your attention. Not the name, specifically, but the giant warm grey silhouette of a dog that heads it. The building it’s attached to doesn’t give much away externally. It’s glass fronting that’s covered in a black plastic cover, preventing you from seeing inside. The entrance is a small, fenced, off patio that leads to a door set in the glass. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I certainly hope so,” Yoongi mutters in return, unlocking the first gate and letting you step up onto the wooden patio first. He shuts the gate behind him before reaching forward and opening the main door.
Light spills out from behind the black backing. As you step in, a chorus of barks greet you, at least ten dogs piling up in front of a baby gate that surrounds the main door. It’s a little overwhelming suddenly being bombarded by sounds and sights like this, but your heart leaps nonetheless.
A staff member in a bright yellow shirt and worn jeans greets you warmly, helping unlatch the baby gate. “Welcome to Big Paw Dog Cafe! Please mind your feet when you come in.”
You step inside carefully, immediately ambushed by a tiny border collie that butts his head into your palm for pats. The wet tickle of his nose makes you giggle, and you feel Yoongi’s hand drop from yours and find the small of your back, guiding you forward to the opposite side of the cafe where the register lies.
Covered in dog treats and toys, you spy a laminated menu card and select your drink, something iced for this hot day. Yoongi adds his order and pays before you can protest, and finally you can turn around and really take in the atmosphere.
There’s a playlist in the background that’s currently on a summery K-pop song, just loud enough to hear over the ambient, lively noise of dogs playing around. Claws scrabble on the vinyl floor, snuffles bounce off the walls, yips and barks add to the chaotic harmony.
The central area is open space for the dogs to play, with tables kept on the sides. Despite there being seven or so dogs currently playfighting or getting pet in the center, even more dogs are on their owners’ laps or curled up under tables.
A young boy and curl are running around with a well-chewed rope toy, egging an energetic corgi into playing tug. On the outskirts, a tiny fluffy Pomeranian pants and skitters around, working up the courage to join.
The other dogs wander aimlessly around the center, sniffing at their surroundings, weaving around table legs or sneaking through a dog door in the corner that appears to lead out back.
Forgetting any etiquette, you drop to your knees and then swing your legs around so you’re cross-legged on the floor. Without a smudge of hesitation, a small English bulldog built like a barrel comes galloping over, climbing clumsily up into your lap to get pats.
You comply, marveling at how trusting this dog is, how he goes lax, chin resting on your knee as you stroke his short fur. Glancing up at Yoongi, you put all of your appreciation and awe into your eyes. “Thank you for this.”
He smiles back, crouching down himself to give the dog a hearty pat on his flank. “I’m glad you like it. I actually came here a lot for stress relief before we started the show. My coworkers and I all love this place.”
“Is your work close?” you question, swiftly lifting your head up as another dog - this one a cream-coloured shiba inu - bounds over and attempts to lick at your face.
Yoongi reaches out to scoop the wriggling puppy away and ends up under fire himself, chuckling with a gummy smile as his ear gets thoroughly cleaned out by a pink tongue. “It’s not in this neighborhood, but near enough,” he explains, “this place is open ‘til late.”
You grin at the overexcited shiba as she musses up Yoongi’s hair with her paws, while your barrel of a lapdog snores away. “It looks like you have a fan already. Is she a regular?”
“This one? No actually, your wee guy is here a lot, though,” he mentions, eyes crinkling at the sleeping dog. “I think his name is Mangchi. Most of the dogs don’t wear nametags, but I’ve heard him being scolded a good few times for chewing shoes.”
A tiny chihuahua approaches, sees your lap is occupied, and flops down beside you instead, giving a huff. You reach out to pat him on the back and Mangchi wakes up the moment your hand is absent from his own body. “Oh, I’m sorry,” you whisper, putting both hands to work, “was I not giving you enough attention, huh? Poor boy.”
Yoongi chuckles, the shiba giving his jaw one last big lick before she darts off to join in the game of fetch the two young children are running. Dogless, he scoots closer on his knees and reaches over your shoulder to rub behind Mangchi’s ears.
Enjoying his presence, the two of you fall into companionable silence for a few moments until you hear shoes click on the floor, casting a shadow over you.
“Your drinks are ready; where should I put them?” The staff member has a tray with your two drinks in her hand, hovering around with a polite smile.
You glance around, trying to find a table closest to the dogs. There’s a free one closer to the water station that you point out to Yoongi, and he takes the tray from the employee with a word of thanks.
Thanking her too, you notice her bite her lip and tentatively follow you over. “Sorry for asking, but are you looking to adopt a dog by chance?”
You blink, staring dumbly at the rough-and-tumbling dogs before her words click. “Oh, no, I didn’t even know these dogs were for sale.”
“Not all of them,” she explains hastily, “but we do house foster dogs here on occasion. I apologise for bothering you, it’s just we quite often get couples wanting to get their own dog.”
For some reason, hearing her refer to the two of you as a couple makes something swell in your chest. You share a look with Yoongi, who’s sat down on one of the chairs, blinking up from under his hair. He simply grins and turns to the employee. “We still share our house with roommates, I’m afraid. Plus, there’s a dog already.”
“Mango,” you affirm, but Yoongi recoils a little bit in surprise before laughing.
“Two dogs,” he corrects with a wry grin. By the time you catch his joke, the employee has already left, spying a water bowl that needs filling. Yoongi laughs into his iced americano, pleased at himself. “Sooyeon has seen me in here several times before, so I know she didn’t really think I was looking to adopt.”
“She just wanted the inside scoop?”
“I bet,” he confirms, taking a sip of his coffee with a thoughtful expression. “As far as she knows, we’re in a committed relationship. I’m sure my coworkers will hear it from her within the week.”
You nibble at your straw and take a gulp to buy yourself some time and courage. “Well,” you start, voice a little uncertain, “we wouldn’t want them to have false pretenses.”
“Should I call her over and confess the truth?” Yoongi teases, a curly black dog choosing his foot to nap on below the table.
Your heart thumps as you feign casual. “That’s one solution, yeah…”
It only takes him a second to pick up on your subtext. He lets out a low hum, nodding thoughtfully. He takes his time before he answers. “I couldn’t promise myself just to you.”
In an attempt to keep the air light, you send him a smirk. “You’re secretly in love with Sooyeon, aren’t you? Be honest.” He laughs breathily, but his eyes remain sober. “Yoongi, I know that. I couldn’t either, to be honest. I didn’t think I’d ever be interested in… in this with multiple people, and sometimes I wonder if maybe I’m just selfish, but my worries have never once dampened my feelings. So- I don’t know. Perhaps it’s okay.”
He reaches down slowly to stroke the snoozing dog. “I’ve already told Jungkook and Seokjin-hyung that I want to go steady with them, now and after the show,” he admits quietly, ensuring everyone is too lost in their own conversations to overhear.
Your eyes widen. You knew the three of them were close, and that Jin and Yoongi had history. Jungkook had stayed with Yoongi in the hospital, too, so it made sense that they would…
With a swallow, you realise just how real the relationships on this fake show have become. Your heart warms at the thought of the three of them finding happiness. At the same time, however, an aching tug twists your chest. Jealousy. Jealous that Yoongi was hesitating with you when he’d already made the leap with them. Jealous that Jungkook felt more comfortable with them than with you. Most of all, an ugly strain of it makes you feel jealous that they were spending time with Jin when you weren’t really allowed to.
Yoongi takes note of your extended silence. He nods solemnly. “I love you, Y/n. Truly, I do. But I love them too, and in different ways. Having feelings is one thing, even mutual ones. Actually being in a relationship with a man who is seeing other people is something else. Is that something you’d want for yourself?”
A tiny, slow-moving dog pads past you. You pick her up, placing her on your lap. She’s wearing a tiny t-shirt and curls up into a ball on your thighs, head snuggled up on your lower stomach. “Do Jungkook and Jin know?”
“That I’m hopelessly in love with you? Yes.”
You try to stay serious past the deep flush in your cheeks. “And they’d be okay with us?”
He narrows his eyes lightly, fingers fiddling nervously with the edge of the tray. “Y/n, I don’t know how much you’ve noticed, but it’s not just me that wants to be with you. I’m just more direct about it.”
You let out a rush of breath, the delicate older dog in your lap the only thing that keeps you from curling over. “God, and I voted both of them off.”
“Never mind that,” Yoongi states dismissively. “The show is bullshit. I’m grateful for it, but it’s orchestrated to be dramatic and high-tension and you’re wasting your time feeling guilty about it. Vote me off next week if you can’t make up your mind; who gives a shit? Jin’s a goner for you just like I am, and Jungkook is so scared of his own feelings that he probably won’t say a thing until you do, but I know it’s there in the way he talks about you. Don’t factor the show in, whatever you choose. This is about us.”
You’re left a little taken aback by his spontaneous monologue, and he gives you time, patting the empty chair beside him for a spaniel of some sort to jump up on it.
You cradle your own pooch, locking eyes with her milky ones. Yoongi was right; the competition doesn’t mean anything more than a meetcute for the eight of you, but your feelings were real and important.
You try and picture a scenario in which you’re with the three of them. What would domestic, everyday life be like with three boyfriends? But even as you conjure up that image, you know it’s not just them. Because you’d made a promise to Taehyung and Jimin, had confessed your love to them too. You don’t want to walk out of this show without them by your side.
How would that even work? You, central, with two branches of relationships tugging you in either directions. Jungkook shared something with Jimin and Taehyung, too; would they form a link of sorts to bridge the gap further? And where would Hoseok and Namjoon fit in this dynamic?
You’re stuck in a spider web, a string maze. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and perhaps a little dangerous, at least for your heart. But you want nothing more than to get even more tangled, because the alternative is almost unbearable.
Yoongi has almost finished his drink. You’ve barely started, the ice melting clear pools. “I want it,” you decide. “And I think the eight of us need to sit down and talk.”
A strange glimmer appears in Yoongi’s eyes in time with a smirk. You get the distinct feeling that he was guiding you towards that exact conclusion. “Tomorrow, perhaps,” he responds, draining the last of his americano noisily. “For now, we can forget about all that. Let’s stay here as long as you want, and we can go to the Japanese place down the road for dinner. Take a walk; boyfriend and girlfriend. Get used to it a little.”
Your heart is ready to burst in your chest. You return his smile. “Does that mean you’ll kiss me again?”
His smile stretches. “I would say it’s incredibly likely.”
