#me when i manage to write a reply in less than 5 business days bc of petty arguments <333< /div>
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in his considered defence, darius had better things to do with his life than making a dent in his gigantic, junkyard-scale pile of school-related tasks, which included and were not limited to the following: one, an essay about the impact of milton friedman’s research on the school of monetarism; two, a spreadsheet demonstrating the logistics of normal distribution when applied to SEO traffic trackers; and three, avoiding https://dickcrawdaddy.com for the rest of his life. or until he grew tired of treating people with basic human decency. or until one of his completely original captures around campus got flagged for being visually similar to something very obviously plagiarized from his nonexistent portfolio. like, honestly, how did they expect to prove that just because a tree had the exact same crook in its branch and general leaf structure and fallen signage that it was the same tree as the inferior twigs that decorated the downloads of his traitor patrons?
he wasn’t going to let that slide, anyways. after sifting through business e-mails for half his adolescence, the satisfaction of answering the virtue-signalling signatures of yet another corporate sponsorship paled in comparison to salting link’s wounds just a little bit more. the novelty was desolate, forsaken, as was what would become of link’s shutterstock profile, one perfectly framed pebble at a time.
so maybe he looked weird while doing it. picking up gravel and observing it with the caution of a jewelry proprietor wasn’t the most common hobby for ivy students, sue him for breaking the mold. he was just about to snap a life-changing still of the rock’s beautiful grey underbelly when that voice rang through his ears like otitis externa given human form. he turned to face link, hardly keeping the happiness of finding a beautiful subject intact. now was as good a time as any to start working on his improv skills, he supposed.
“real interesting rock, yeah, but there’s also this really freaky pile of dirt in front of me that looks like it’s wearing a wig from the dollar store, so,” darius said, smiling with all the authenticity of an e-mail address called abibasinternational. he turned on his phone’s flash, and though his aim was shoddy, he did manage to take an amazingly well-lit photograph of two inches of link’s shoulder. “there you go, can’t wait to send that one off to my clients. how’s your side of the business doing? can’t be falling behind in school and work, right?”
— 𝘾𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙀𝘿 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙍.
who: @dtolemy when & where: somewhere on campus, after link’s class
the semester had barely even started, and link was already getting that feeling like he was drowning in all the work that he had to do — a feeling that seemed to be amplified, due to the circumstances of recent events. but murder or not, link was still gripping to their scholarship with everything that they had in them. leaving that lecture hall felt like they had finally been able to breathe again, as if they were holding in their breath without even noticing, through the notes that they were trying to keep up with, and the new assignments that were already beginning to build up. fuck, he couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here with his degree.
but of course, a quick second of peace as he walked out was all that was — a second. his eyes land on darius, with his phone out, pointing it towards something on the quad. link never could stay away from darius, though… ever since high school, it was like all he could think about was one-upping him and making him feel like shit whenever the opportunity came up. so, he approaches. “ find another interesting rock to frame ? ��� he makes sure his tone was annoyingly condescending, with an even more punchable grin on his lips to match.
#threads#me when i manage to write a reply in less than 5 business days bc of petty arguments <333#➤ link
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Emerald Eyes
Fandom: Kuroko’s Basketball
Character: Midorima Shintarou
Warnings: the end cold be taken a tiny bit suggestive but its really not meant to be. not proofread
Notes: second one tonight bc the other one was stress writing this one was something ive been working on for a few days. this is the namesake of my theme <333
gn!reader!
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I've spent a thousand nights Lost in your emerald eyes Lost in a place where I know you can see my soul
Midorima has never been one for romantics.
It’s not in his nature and he’d never found any interest in it. There was no point.
You changed that.
The longer he knew you, the more time he wanted to spend with you. There were some days you were his lucky item, even if Oha Asa didn’t say so. He was always better around you. Lighter, more carefree, less feeling like he had to be perfect. Takao joked that he was less arrogant when you were around, too, and he’d never admit it, but he agreed.
He found himself with a nervous feeling in his stomach when you brushed hair out of his face and a tightness in his chest when you smiled. It was a good tightness, though. He almost liked it.
You made him smile. That was a feat few achieved, but you managed to do it easily. A simple text, a phone call, an offer to study together, it all mattered to him more than anyone ever had before.
So when he (very messily) confessed these feelings for you, he was terrified. And when you admitted you felt the same way, he couldn’t believe your words.
Nearly a year had passed since then. You were both in your third year of high school and with your busy schedules, you’d barely had time to spend time together. He always made sure to text you good morning—5:30 every weekday morning, 7:30 every weekend, like clockwork. It was the first thing he did each day. Other than a quick good morning, goodnight, or hello in the hallway, you rarely got to talk.
After weeks of this, it got frustrating. He never got a chance to see you and he should be able to spend some quality time with his partner, no? So a Saturday night when he didn’t have anything going on the following morning (and hoped you didn’t, too), he called you and woke you up.
“Shin…?” you asked, rubbing your eyes. “Shin, it’s late, what’s wrong? Are you ok?”
“You’re not doing anything, are you?”
“Not at…what, after midnight? No, I’m not doing anything.”
“Ok, good. Get dressed and meet me outside your place in 20 minutes. I have a surprise for you.”
He hung up after that, not waiting for a reply. He knew you’d listen…or at least, he hoped. It was a good surprise after all, one he knew you’d enjoy.
Just like he said, about 20 minutes later, he showed up outside your place, getting out of his car to meet you. He smiled slightly when you walked outside, pulling a sweater (that he recognized as his) over your shoulders.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but why this late?” you complained while he greeted you with a kiss on the cheek. “But…I did miss you, Shintaro.”
He loved the way his name sounded when you said it—something about it was so special, and he was sure it was because of you. “I missed you too. And I’m sorry about waking you up so late, but I promise there's a good reason behind it.”
“So what’s this surprise?”
Midorima walked around to the other side of the car and opened the door for you, gesturing for you to get in. He wasn’t going to tell you until you got there, and soon you’d figure that out.
You smiled at him as you walked past him, getting in the car. He did, too, a moment later. His hand took its place in yours, just like always, as he drove down the dimly-lit street.
The two of you arrived at your destination; he stopped at a park just outside town. He got out and opened the door for you, leading you to join him sitting on the hood.
“Why’re we all the way out here?” you ask, leaning your head against his shoulder. “You’re not usually one for random trips like this, Shin.”
He shrugged and pressed a gentle kiss to your head. It was out of the ordinary for him, sure, but sometimes a little surprise was nice. He surprised himself, too, with this. Everything he did was planned and precise, usually with the advice of Oha Asa, but this was…new. Nothing was scripted, nothing was planned, and it felt a little more natural.
“As I said,” he replied, taking your hand. “I missed you. It’s been too long since we’ve done this.”
“Well we’ve never done this, but I like it.”
It was quiet. For a while, actually. It was a comfortable quiet for the two of you, though—it was never awkward between the two of you. He felt you turn his face, ever-so-gently to face you. Your touch was always like that—soft and utterly exhilarating. Whether it was a simple hand in his or you playing with his hair, it was wonderful.
He leaned towards you mumbling, “kiss me,” against your lips. You closed the gap between the two of you, and he felt like you were trying to kiss his breath out of him. He’d gladly take his last if that’s how he could go out. There was so much to leave unsaid behind that one action—there was love, longing, that feeling of craving the other one’s touch. It made his heart race.
When he pulled away for air, he pulled you closer, turning so you could face him more. He took a moment to remove his glasses before kissing you again. This kiss was deeper, stronger—more held behind it. He smiled as you played with the short hair at the base of his neck, and then even wider when you made a noise of surprise when he pulled you closer.
You moved back briefly and leaned your head against his, his eyes fluttering open slowly. You still sat together in a mess of limbs: one of your legs over his, his arm around your waist, your hand playing with his hair. It was one of the most wonderful feelings he thought he could ever experience, holding you like that.
“I love you,” he whispered, punctuating his promise with another quick kiss. Because he did—he loved you with everything he had, and there was nothing that could change that.
Make me lose track of time You and your emerald eyes Finally found a place that I can call my home
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@emswordss + @kodzukoi you arent on my taglist for knb however i feel like you might like this. idk if you like shin tho lmao
#//ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ#//ᴏʀɪɢɴᴀʟ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ#knb#knb x gn reader#knb x reader#knb midorima#midorima#midorima shintarou#midorima shintaro#midorima x reader#midorima x gn reader#midorima shintaro x reader#midorima shintaro x gn reader#midorima shintarou x reader#midorima shintarou x gn reader
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FUSHIGURO MEGUMI || WITH YOU

| featuring : fushiguro megumi from jujutsu kaisen
| warnings : grammar errors, but other than that n/a
| form : imagine
| word count : 1773
| published : 05 december
| request : Can i have a regular black coffee with Megumi finding y/n crying on the bathroom floor bc she has been experiencing a burn out?🥺✨Your jujutsu kaisen writings is what keeps me sane at the moment💞😭✨
| barista’s notes : hey hey hey~ guess who is back? it’s me barista violettelueur ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆ and when i was typing this out, i was listening to ‘Lost in Paradise’ by ALI and AIKO, which all of you know, it’s jujutsu kaisen’s ending! i love it so so much ʕ→ᴥ← ʔ but lowkey, it doesn’t match the theme of this imagine here ʕ ㅇ ᴥ ㅇʔ other than that, thank you so much for loving my work and for the cup of classic black coffee order (jujutsu kaisen request!) and please come again soon!
Exhausted. Heavy. Drained. That was all you felt.
Once you were able to go through the door of your dorm room, all you wanted to do was to fall flat on to the wooden floor and lay there for who knows how long. 5 minutes? 30 minutes? An hour? Maybe even a whole day? You were just extremely exhausted. However, you knew that you had to train with your classmates for the Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event the next day, so sleeping on the cold floor was no the best option.
Slowly struggling to make your way to your bathroom, you quickly gripped onto the side of the sink so you didn’t lose your balance due to your fatigue from today’s mission that you had to go on alone. From what you could even recall for the few past weeks, you were constantly being set on different missions at random times due to the lack of sorcerers there were in the school nowadays. From your knowledge, the third years were suspended for the time being, Gojo was constantly being set out for domestic travels as well as some business behind the scenes that you weren’t informed about, Nanami reported to you that he was investigating a crime that had occurred at Kinema Cinema and the first years (your year) and the second years were training for the event, leaving you the only Grade 1 sorcerer within Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College to be set these missions that seemed to be endless at this point.
Since the beginning, you knew that this was going to be your life once you step foot into the Jujutsu Sorcerer school, but you weren’t aware of the constant hardships that were randomly going to be set out to you. Ijichi even commented that this was unusual for a first-year student like you to be sent on numerous mission like the ones you’ve completed - some even being back to back on the same day - leading him to apologies every time you would enter his car to which you would always tell him that it was never his fault - how could it be? It wasn’t his fault that the higher-ups were demanding you to go off to do these missions. You felt exceedingly guilty for making him continuously drive you around to the locations and waiting for you to finish, not even knowing if you were going to come back alive or not.
However, you couldn’t be more grateful that he was in your company during this draining time. If it wasn’t for Ijichi in your presence, you knew you would have broken down earlier than you had now.
Turning on the faucet, you immediately heard a stream of water gushing from the spout before it was slowly filling up the bowl with the clear liquid. All you wanted to do was to plant your face in and scream out all the intense pressure that has been placed upon your shoulders. Yet you knew, it wasn’t that easy. It never was.
Before you would even realise what was happening, the hand that was gripping onto the sink suddenly slipped causing the remaining strength that you had in you to disappear as your body immediately fell onto the white tiled floor.
You were at your breaking point.
You felt tears begin to uncontrollably stream down your face causing you to grip the top of your head before lacing your fingers tightly onto your hair - so tightly that you could pull out a few strands from your clasp - trying to release at least some of the pressure that was running through your veins.
Suddenly, you heard a knocking sound from the distance, for a second, distracting you from the state that you were in now. However, you didn’t answer. You didn’t have the strength to. You didn’t have the effort to tell the person to go away nor open your mouth to make a sound. The knocking still continued even with your lack of response, but still, there was no response with you.
“Y/N? Are you there?”
Megumi. Megumi was at the door. Yet you still didn’t have the effort to answer your boyfriend. You were just at the point where you were just burnt out - the higher-ups have really burned you to the point of mental and physical exhaustion.
“Y/N, your door is unlocked, I’m coming in,”
‘No...please don’t’
However, there was no use. You had already heard the click on your handle being pushed down before your door swung open, followed by the tapping of footsteps being heard as Fushiguro began to walk into your room, trying to locate where you were.
“Y/N, where are you?” Fushiguro asked in a worried tone since he was informed by Iijchi that you had returned and that you had most likely stationed yourself in your dorm room after being treated by Ieiri, due to the number of missions that you had completed today. Due to him not being able to see you for even a few weeks without you heading off somewhere, Fushiguro wanted to check up on you to make sure that you were okay and had the idea you had probably fallen asleep. Yet your figure was not on your bed, it was still neatly made from this morning and there was no sign that you had even sat on it.
Shutting his mouth, Fushiguro began to carefully listen to his surroundings trying to see if he could hear you or anything out of the ordinary in his search for you, only for him to suddenly detect the sound of water being poured or spilt causing him to turn towards the bathroom, only to discover the door opened with the faucet tap running rapidly as water began to overflow onto the ground, leading him to rush into the bathroom to turn it off.
Letting out a sigh of relief once the water stopped, he immediately turned around to find you on the ground, hands in your hair as tears flowed down your face. You looked terrible to put it into lighter terms. You looked like you’ve been through the worst wreckage. You looked like you had lost the will to even move.
Quickly crouching down to your level - ignoring the water on the ground, Fushiguro managed to carefully lift your body up before placing you on his lap trying to comfort you in any way possible, as he then took a hold of your hands - causing you to relax your grip - to gently remove them from your hair making you weren’t in any pain from the tight grasp you had. Pulling you closer into his embrace, Fushiguro began to slowly run his hand up and down your arm to try to calm you down from your tearful fit before using his other to push away any straying strands of hair that were in your face, so he would wipe away any of the tears that were still present on your eyes or cheeks.
“Shhh, I got you, You’re okay, I’m right here with you,” Fushiguro tenderly muttered to you before placing your head on the crook of his neck as he then began to run his fingers through the strands of your messy hair, carefully brushing out any knots that were created. Fushiguro didn’t even have to ask what was wrong. He already had a slight idea of what was going for the past few weeks.
Due to the lack of sorcerers being available within the school and the stack of higher class missions being piled up, you were the only sorcerer qualified to even go on these missions leaving you to undertake these task alone - much to his dismay, but he had no obligation to go due to his grade as a sorcerer himself. He knew you were strong based on being a sorcerer as well as your emotional and mental state, but everyone has their limits, no matter how long or short one person can hold on to their sanity. Everyone has their limits - he was surprised that you were able to hold on for this long, to be honest, he didn’t think he himself could have lasted as long as you did.
Every day when he had a minimal chance of seeing you, Fushiguro slowly began to notice that you were gradually breaking down, you were becoming more worn out, you were becoming less motivation, you lacked in performance when you were able to train with everyone, and you were slowly detaching yourself from everyone - you were somewhat becoming like him in some way. Fushiguro tired to lighten up your mood by inviting you over to his dorm to watch a movie or to simply cuddle with him, and he knew that you were exceptionally grateful for everything that he was doing, you showed it with the most beautiful smiles and light laughs that you could give him. He just felt so useless.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he suddenly felt a pair of arms being wrapped around his neck, causing him to realise that you seemed to snap out of your own daze. “Thank you so much, Megumi….I’m so happy that I’m with you,” you whispered to him before you tightened your hold on his neck - but not to the point where it was suffocating - before you continued with the three words that always made his heart stop before it would go into a rage as if he had just ran a marathon, “I love you,”.
Even in your current state, you still managed to somehow make Fushiguro feel like he was helping you - to which he completely was, he just didn’t know - leading him to engulf you in his arms before placing a light kiss on your temple to help you relax your body and calm you down even more.
“I got you, I’m right here with you Y/N,” Fushiguro replied back to you before tightening his hold on you as if he was the one that needed comforting, “I love you too,”.
Being with Fushiguro was something you knew to never take from granted, he was like the moonlight that comforted you when you felt so alone in the night. Fushiguro wasn’t someone to express his affection so openly, but for him to try to help you in every way possible - even if he was somewhat out of his character - was something you could never take for granted from the little kisses to the little dorm invites - yeah you really were lucky. Fushiguro Megumi was really the perfect boyfriend
“With you, I know I’m going to be okay Megumi”
#jujutsu kaisen#jjk#jujutsu kaisen imagine#jujutsu kaisen imagines#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader#fushiguro megumi#megumi fushiguro#jujutsu kaisen fushiguro megumi#jujutsu kaisen fushiguro#jjk fushiguro#jjk megumi#fushiguro megumi imagine#fushiguro megumi imagines#megumi fushiguro imagines#megumi fushiguro imagine#fushiguro megumi x reader#megumi fushiguro x reader#fushiguro x reader#megumi x reader
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Okay I just wanna say that I really love your writing!!! Hope you and chimmy are doing well! Can I request a drabble with merman tae and y/n's a human and they're childhood besties and tae likes her but she's a dumb little bean. I just realised how many 'ands' are in that sentence. If you don't like it then...ahem know that I still love you!!! 💖💖💖
pearl of mine
pairing: taehyung x y/n
wordcount: 5k
glimpse: merman!tae is the reason why tourists can’t find any more shells and pearls in the shore, y/n owns more beach houses than deduction skills, and concierge!yoongi’s the hero :D // gif from pinterest
notes: are u kidding me baby i love it AND you!!!! chimmy barks his regards <3
“hmm? where’s barnacle boy?”
alright there goes your peace and quiet
it’s very nice to know that where yoongi is, translates to meaning that all your peaceful thoughts automatically aren’t there
if he’s not manning the concierge, it means he’s there keeping you company!!
annoying you
your ten minutes of bliss of just having your calves dipped into the water is interrupted now but it’s ok!!
after all, yoongi’s ur right-hand man anyways!! he’s the one who keeps track of everything and you’re so close to convicing your dad to put him in the family will too
you can’t manage your family business all by yourself!! how exactly are you gonna manage fIVE of the hotels that your parents have put under your care by yourself
five of the seventeen hotels that your family owns..,.,.,
(;_;)
your dad gives you tOO much trust and he believes in you like actually a lot
a lot more than you could ever trust yourself tbh
he doesn’t want you to take charge only when he retires or dies!! you’re his little dove and he wants you to be as immersed in your family’s group of companies
it’s generous but of course it’s hectic
which is why you’re spearheading the handling of the actual main hotel he’s put under you!!
and the rest of the less major ones, you’ve had to go through a long and tedious process for so you could find an actual trustable manager and supervisor that wouldn’t commit embezzlement and-
yoongi’s about to scare you again by nudging your lower back with his foot, but you’re ahead of him when you nip his ankle with your nails
“... it’s mermaid man.”
he scoffs out a laugh because what was supposed to be a teasing nudge for your friend that’s clearly nOT human, turned to your joke instead of his
he doesn’t need to look at his watch to know what time it was by then bc he’s practically memorized the skies and the tide at this point
every 5:20 in the afternoon, you and taehyung would meet here!!
you come outside at exactly 4:50 to give yourself some leeway into preparing whatever you’d be giving him or rather, pestering yoongi what you think you should give him for that afternoon
it doesn’t necessarily have to be grand! on most days you just make him waffles without the crusty edges (he likes it the most when it’s so hot that it was still soft and jiggly) and the filling would be whatever food he hasn’t tried yet
.... basically.......... almost everything
but now it’s 5:23 and he could tell with how the water didn’t settle to the wooden platform as well as it did when it was 5:20
yoongi could actually TELL the difference because he’s seen you do this for the four years he’s been working here
the hotel had three wings — the shore wing, the balcony-sturdy-treehouse-type of wing, and the cabana wing
you bounce all around the place because naturally, you aRE the boss here, but afternoons really were just reserved for the cabana wing
where there’s a staff cabana by one of the wooden paths that lead to it, and one specifically reserved for you and probably yoongi now lmao bc he wouldn’t take a nap anywhere else
it’s you just sitting by the deck of your cabana that houses your too-expensive waffle maker, and a cozy blanket then deck pillows outside where you lay when taehyung’s there perched by the wood
you easily have three plates always, and yoongi just goes a lil bit soft that you let him intrude your routine with the merman
but today, all that highLy seems unlikely
“he’s totally not coming,” he exaggerates all in one breath, not having the decency to wait bc he’s stuffing his cheeks full with waffles
everything’s a hit or miss with mermaid man anyways and yoongi would rather nOT try his adventures of waffles with buttered rice in between no thank u
so that’s why he’s sticking with his trusty s’mores waffle!!! :D
put chocolate spread in between while it’s STILL in the pan, then tiny little marshmallows with crushed graham crackers and 10/10 u will see heaven
he gets crumbs on your sundress and you barely even grimace because you’re used to yoongi and all his yoongi-ness at this point
“yes he is! we’ve been doing this everyday without fail for like, twelve years already.”
you know what.,.,., maybe even longer than twelve years
this one’s marked on your calendar you can just SNIFF it
what you distinctly remember is your dad picking you up from school then suddenly deciding that he’ll teach you the ropes
you knew what everything was coming to because suddenly, you’d take your daily after-school snacks at the hotel
and then your weekends were slowly merging into memorizing names and amenities
... and then sitting by your dad’s chair with a juicebox when he had meetings
then before you even realize, you’re managing five hotels under your name and a particularly large one mainly
it was when you’ve had a suckish day at school because you cannot seem to just gET the multiplication table of 7 and your dad’s chasing after you again so you could get to see the fire escape plans as “fun little puzzles!!”
ya know what maybe you should go outside
it didn’t exactly click into your young mind that holy shit your family’s LOADED
all you knew was that people greeted you left and right even if you didn’t know them and you’d always be offered stuff you didn’t even ask for :D
all you cared about was skipping by the cabanas but holding by the rope on the side bc what if you fell lmao
yet what did fall to the water beside you was your bracelet!!!
:((
a red, single-threaded, string bracelet from your wrist that must’ve gotten loose
it’s something you’ve never took off and the sheer panic in your mind was tOO HIGH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
even before you could call out to your dad though, or any of the staff that would literally drop everything to help you, something just shifts in the water
it’s too quick for you to even decipher and the multiplication table of 7 would’ve been easier to figure out
the moment you crouch by the end of the deck was when you see it aGAIN
there’s this incredibly pretty boy that emerges from the water, only his shoulders up to his head peeking out
he most certainly didn’t look... from around here tho
your attention’s immediately fixated on your bracelet, the one on his mouth as he only tilts his head when you do the same, an eager squeal breaking him out
hold on
wait a second
you’ve seen this in the tv sometimes!!! they were uh creatures that liked being by themselves in the sea
lol which is basically every sea creature
but the narrator said something about them looking like humans???
AND BESIDES
you overhear your dad talking about them sometimes
AND THEN IT HITS
THE HANDSOME FACE!! THE SHINY PRETTY-
up and age???
opened etch????
how do u spell that again
THE TAIL!!! THE PRETTY TAIL LOOKING LIKE THING!!!
“o-oh!! you’re-...”
“t-taehyung...?”
the boy who looks like your age replies, looking unsure of himself yet didn’t want to disappoint you either
you meant merman but it’s okay!!
your hands retrieve the bracelet from his mouth, a little giggle at the complexity of the situation
he was completely sold at that
this was his first human!!! his first actual human interaction and it wasn’t really bad as what his brothers painted out to be
you and taehyung took off from then and ya know what,,, maybe you even start purposefully dropping things in the water if you feel a little impatient that he hasn’t peeked his head yet
and yes yes that’s a completely iRRESPONSIBLE thing and your dad stopped you before you could possibly throw out a whole backpack into the water
which was weird for him to look at because there’s absolutely no one he could see in the water
it was a routine that not one of you ever skipped on once!!
even if you were sick and tae thinks that it’s the most pathetic thing because he doesn’t EVER get sick??? sue him for having a cold because he’s in the water 24/7 yea
even if one was late and wouldn’t be able to see the other, there would be an item placed by the deck as proof that they were indeed there!!
tae sometimes leaves a random conch shell or even seaweed in the shape of a heart when he’s swamped with his arrangements
even if there’s a storm, which taehyung absolutely loves because the water’s all cold!!! and it gives him a fun little ride when the waves are all wonky
you leave out a lunchbox that’s snug in a fixed mailbox (you forced yoongi to attach it) by the side of the deck poles and that would count as your attendance
“yes he is! we’ve been doing this everyday without fail for like, twelve years already.”
you are totally UNBELIEVABLE
yoongi snorts, almost choking on his waffles with how hard he did it
“and you’re twelve years dumb.”
ok now you take offense
huh???
“what’s that supposed to mean?”
you can’t be any more clueless, can you??
as if on cue, there’s the familar flop and splash that you nudge yoongi to be in his best behavior
taehyung makes his afternoon appearance by outlandishly doing his trick in the air, undoubtedly giving you a splash you’re used to by now
he literally does not care at the thought of anyone possible seeing him
besides, they physically can’t anyway because there’s a spell cast onto the area, allowing nobody to see them besides you
... and yoongi ://
he’s rather grand with his gestures and his words and even before taehyung knew the common lingo on ground, you could tell he was a little more stubborn with his strong expressions
after all, taehyung’s a prince at sea but at land.,.,.,.
<3 well <3
“i’m here!”
taehyung bEAMS radiantly, making you crouch and hold out your hands, him putting his face out immediately for you to squish
“oh, oh! i got you something, y/n!”
he seems to remember out of the blue in the middle of chewing his waffles, yoongi having to suppress another sigh
the prettiest pearl necklace :-)
“tae i already told you that-...”
you’re about to start berating him again with the gifts because what seemed to be so ordinary for him is very fAR from yours
you pout and tae only pushes the necklce to you further, not taking no for answer when he had to squint his eyes extra hard to look for the pearls this morning
to be honest you have sO much jewelry from taehyung
the common theme of it was of course they’re something you could get at sEA
and whenever people ask you about them, u have no idea how to tell where you got them
today’s pearl necklace was a little different — something more dainty and smaller and wraps around your neck like a choker would, a little more suited for everyday wear
“thank you!!!”
you smooch taehyung on the cheek extra quick and it takes every fiber in his tail to stop squealing
yoongi watches you two be disgustingly sweet and PLATONIC yet again, and he could only zero in on the pearl necklace around your neck
that is the fifth time this week
that is the fifth set of pearls you’ve gotten this week
normally you’d get a pearl every now and then and the often minuature sand sculptures
but this week changes the wHOLE ball game
“do you want a pearl ring?”
taehyung wiggles his eyebrows, boxy smile on full display and he looks breathtaking in the golden hours that you immediately poke his cheek
yoongi’s eyes widen because that’s literally-
you don’t seem to find the weight on his question because you only let out a non-commital sound and whisk him away on another conversation about his day
he’s long since dropped out of yours and taehyung’s conversation, going back to the concierge because his presence is required
and he still can’t shake off how CLUELESS you are
it’s when the night gets a little more chilly and you could see taehyung go beneath the water more often, taking it as a sign that he’s going back and his brothers are looking for him
“night-night, tae.”
you offer the top of his head a kiss, rushing back to the cabana to put on your coat and right on time, you miss the way taehyung’s eyes are bigger than a goldfish’s
(@_@)
oh my god
oh my fucking god
taehyung really hATES you
he hates you so much!!!!
SO SO MUCH
he resigns back into the water and he doesn’t even move at all
just defeatedly sits on the seabed and his aura effectively puts off everything around him
his heart’s beyond heavy and his eyes sting and he never wants to resurface ever again
he’s trying not to get upset too much because his emotions have the capacity of changing the tide and it would literally resonate through the seas if he gets even more sad
taehyung’s trying to rEPRESS everything back in but it’s no use :((
“hey, hey, calm down. what’s wrong?”
his brother immediately swims to his side at the first slight tremor he felt, having only little trouble in locating him
“i-i asked y/n if she wanted a pearl-...” tae stutters and he has to physically hold his chest to not sOB at your name, an insurmountable feeling of dread at his chest
yeah, you! namjoon knows you
in fact all his brothers know you and you’ve met each other multiple times, but not as often as you and tae did
they don’t need to see you everyday to know that taehyung is head over tails in LOVE with you
the mention of you and their brother’s gifts in the same sentence isn’t anything new
“okay? but you give her pearls all the time? and-”
“... ring.”
oh
OH
pearl ring
“yeah? and what did she say?”
joon himself tries to quell the distress he feels because taehyung’s emotions are morE than potent to affect to everyone, most especially his brothers
he sees the others swimming to them from afar, worried frowns already on their faces and namjoon doesn’t want to panic even more
“nothing!! she said nOTHING!!!!”
jungkook tilts his head, cheeks puffed out as he tries to diffuse the situation
“but tae, it could mean-...”
“nothing. y/n absolutely wants nothing to do with me!”
taehyung half-huffs and half-sobs, immediately swimming past them that leaves them confused and with a headache
this was definitely going to be a problem
it already is
today has got to be the slowest day ever
the water is so still and timid
oh my god it literally just looks like tap water in a bathtub that’s untouched
you’ve noticed in the first thing in the morning
was it nORMAL to have the water so still???? practically no waves at all??? not even ripples????
you must be losing your mind right
you dragged yoongi from the concierge desk all the way outside
he squints his eyes because the water.... is definitely not supposed to be this way....
“huh. now that’s just odd.”
some of your patrons don’t seem to mind at all because that just means they could go take their pictures without waves putting their phones at risk
but nO
most especially the swimmers n the surfers and even the lifeguard are all ????
everyone’s collectively looking at the water
yoongi takes a twig and just pokes at it to go do ATLEAST something, but even the ripples it produces are mundane
the water is too still and it makes you miss the one who makes it all better
you spend the better part of your whole day in your sundress and hanging around the cabana, yoongi scrunching his nose up at the fact that he seemed to be more active than the actual hotelier here today
“taehyung doesn’t go up for another seven hours, y’know?”
he finds you sitting by the edge of the deck, feet vigorously splashing around the water without any resistance at all that it feels so unnerving
“yea i know that... just wanted to hang out with him.”
you murmur out the last part, making yoongs do a double-take at his boss who was never this soft-spoken
“and that’s what you’ve been doing ever since childhood? sit by the edge then hang out?”
he wants to push a couple of buttons to get you out of your phase of the day today, but he only gets some insistent nodding and nothing more
“that’s so mundane. that’s literally a decade-long routine!!”
“it’s a routine i don’t mind!!”
and that’s true
it’s a routine you want to do with the rest of your life because it now feels like the equivalent of showering basically
you feel so incomplete without it and satisfaction doesn’t settle on your bones until you do it with taehyung :D
“surely, there must be sOME reason for taehyung to not get bored from doing the same thing with you, right?”
alright one more nudge
you’re considerably more perky now that’s for sure
but that doesn’t mean any less clueless unfortunately
“must be the food!!”
oh my god,,,,,, u are so dumb
he leaves you alone and you don’t even question it because you’re too busy waiting for taehyung
you expect the tide to change when it’s already noon but really, nothing happens still
5:20 passes and he still isn’t there
it’s time for dinner and yoongi has to fetch you aLL the way from the other side of the wings he needed to supervised because you’re spending all your time waiting
you were supposed to have dinner with staff tonight but you don’t even think twice in telling him to go eat without you, giving the company card more than eagerly
“don’t you think it’s time to go home?”
yoongi pipes up when they’ve finished dinner and you’re still there
he feels so sorry for you :((
“w-what if he shows up last minute?”
there’s still hope in your voice and he doesn’t want to taint it as much as people
“hey. they need sleep too. you should go get some for yourself too, okay? now just leave a cookie or something,” he has to pry you off the deck himself, not wanting to feel any more sorry for you because you’re starting to tremble with how chilly the air is
taehyung doesn’t resurface the next day
or the next
and the day after that
taehyung doesn’t show up the entire week.
you’re worried OUT of your mind and you’re tempted to just take your dad’s yacht and sail across the water to try and look for him
or oR maybe you should get one of the divers to try and look for him!!!! but no that wouldn’t work, would it??
how about you go and look for tae yourself???
yoongi’s been busy with the hotel bc the actual hotelier of it (read: you) is too busy MOPING
you’ve ditched your sundresses and waited in hoodies and sweatpants you could roll up in the morning and roll down at night to wait for him
most people don’t even recognize you as the owner and they just walk rIGHT past you when they see you in the hallways
you’ve also been stress-making waffles that you reek of the batter and butter, the staff now having an abundance of experimental ones that you’ve made
you’re definitely not okay
“uh y/n you really rEALLY need to go to sleep.,.,”
yoongi gapes at you when he visits you at the cabana, clearing his schedule out to go watch over you and bc your dad won’t sit still with how unkempt you’ve been
he gestures to the hammock you’ve always begged him to put up, but his handiwork’s wASTED because you don’t even spend more than five seconds looking at it
you should be screaming with glee by now :((
how in the world could he possibly distract you from crushing sadness and worry
he’s been brainstorming the past week and his head’s even more hollow than the decorative coconuts in the gift shop
... wait a minute
hey this has got to be his most stupid idea but the one with the most promising results!!!!!
11/10 risky but it’s the cLOSEST he could get!!
“hey do you wanna do something stupid??”
your eyes glance at him immediately because it’s the first question he’s ever asked you besides if you’re okay or when was the last time you slept or when do you intend on picking yourself up
yoongi fishes for his tablet and whips up a video immediately, only taking minutes for him to explain and seconds for you to agree
it’s what made you end up this way
it’s the reason in your swimsuit with your legs all the way inside a duvet cover and the corners of it knotted tightly on your waist
you don’t know how yoongi’s managed to convince you to race him in swimming with your whole lower body inside a king-sized dUVET cover from one of the cabanas whose guests are arriving in an hour, but here you are lmao
“first one to the furthest cabana wins, alright?”
he practically yelps in explaining in an effort to hype you up and a hundred dollars dOES seem to make him excited himself
you’re buzzing for the first time in the week and it’s the panicked shoves you try to give each other before starting that kicks you off in an eager mood
“GO!”
you immediately dive in and you don’t expect the heaviness of your makeshift tail behind you, momentarily cussing yourself because wHY on earth did you get the high-quality ones smh ://
oh my god this is so fucking stupid and oddly enough, you’re ENJOYING it
you can’t exactly paddle your legs fluidly like the times when they aren’t wrapped in a duvet, and the distance of the last cabana seems so tiring now that u think about it
yoongi’s already ahead and you don’t get HOW has he managed to come that far???
also not to mention that the gap between the two of you is large and now you’re just struggling to even move
also doesn’t help oNE bit with how good of a handyman yoongi also is because that is one secure knot you got there sir
it’s only dawning in you that you’re NOT well-versed in swimming!!
not even close to an expert!!! all you know are the basics
but the basics seem hard to even apply when you’re dragging a king-sized duvet cover by your legs
you’d expect more skills from someone whose family owns water-centric properties bUT NO <3
you’re flailing almost to the bottom and your eyes sting then your limbs feel heavy
you’re not necessarily drowning either, it just feels so difficult to swim back up
you’re about to try again and boost yourself up by pushing from the floor but then suddenly you’re being HAULED BACK UP
you have no chance to even try and get away because you know that the hand around your waist aren’t yoongi’s
“are you out of your goddamn mind???”
you instinctively take a big gulp of air when you come up the surface, legs fluttering now that you have some type of support to keep you up
“why would you do this?? who did this??”
the deep voice only registers in you seconds later that it’s taehyung who’s in front of you and holding you up, staring you down intensely
your puzzlement only frustrates him even more, going back down while keeping his hands on your waist before he untangles the duvet cover by your legs rather quickly and powerfully
he emerges back up and he’s looking at you with sO much stress that you wanna dive back down
“y-yoo-...”
you don’t even manage to finish speaking before taehyung snaps his gaze away from you and really yELLS
“YOONGI!!!”
as if he didn’t manage to startle you enough, he looks back at you and pats at you all over out of instinct, wanting to know if you’re hurt by any means
you’re more shocked but it’s over the fact that you’re finally seeing him again
this isn’t the first time you’ve swam with taehyung but this IS the first time in this context
you’ve never been this close to him either and you’re out of breath just by looking at him
he doesn’t seem to share the sentiment though because he looks like he’s gonna pull his hair out in both relief and frustration
“oh my god! i fucking thought that my soulmate would die in a — i-in a bedsheet!”
you are so ridiculous that it actually makes his heart clench
he intentionally didn’t come to see you for a week because he was so hurt over your rejection
he did see you from a distance and he also has a particular someone to watch over you, but he never imagined that you’d be doing THIS
his heart just minutes ago was beating against his ribcage because his soulmate was in danger!!! he physically and literally cannot drown but that’s what it felt like
“i’m your soulmate?”
your breathless gasp explains it all
:O
oh so...
oh my god how could you have nOT known this all along???
HOW COULD YOU BE SO OBLIVIOUS
taehyung probably acted this way and most especially that way when he ignored you!!!
you vaguely remember yoongi telling you that pearls PROBABLY mean a lot to taehyung even if the tone he’s used on you is beyond certain
the pearl ring was meant for courting!!!
that explains why yoongi gasped and looked at you inrcredulously!!!!
no he’s been courting you ALL this time
you are so..... insuffeable
“i’m so sorry!!”
you’ve crammed in twelve years of experience into two minutes of critical thinking, throwing your arms around taehyung and burying your face into his neck
he grunts a bit at that but he’s not complaining at all
“you mUST hate me,” you frown and the need to cry overpowers you, taehyung sensing it again which is why he immediately strokes your nape in comfort
“i could never.”
the waves come back and even if they’re present, the water was calming
you’re too entranced with tae and your realizations to even notice that the water felt so much better compared to when it was dead still
it’s when you hear a familiar set of giggles that you sNAP your head in anger
yOONGI????
yoongi’s much more near you now, floating and floating until you make the move to look down and see not a duvet cover, but rather a tangerine-colored tail by him
all you’ve been doing this day is squeaking
tae, although still a lil bit mad at yoongi because he’s endangered you, smiles at his informant who’s helped make him last through the week
“half-merman!! i’m sorry if i didn’t tell you sooner, y/n. but since tae’s full, that’s the reason he could only come on land once a month! and since i’m half, i could only come underwater once a month!!”
he grins at his explanation he’s been trying to piece together for the last couple of months
ok maybe years
it probably explained to why it’s no accident that he’s clicked with you instantly and he trusts you with his whole life!! you were truly a gentle human that’s an all-rounder
also explains to why yoongi wasn’t all THAT shocked when you brought him out one day on his first year of working and pleaded taehyung to rise up with only even his eyes blinking up at him
no wonder tae warmed up to yoongi quick even if he did say he had distrust with majority of humans!!
how could you not doubt for one second that it’s the reason why he’s always been really good at swimming too and holding his breath
yoongi chose his day of the month to be today because you were so down in the dumps, and aLSO for the reasoning that he missed the boys so that’s why he’s going down there in a heartbeat
taehyung pinches at your thigh, a bright grin on your face when you come face to face with him after waving yoongi goodbye
“are you gonna make me wait another twelve years more?”
he pecks your cheek and it doesn’t feel platonic anymore, a giddy smile in realization that you’ve finally come to your senses
“would you mind?”
://
the teasing lilt in your voice doesn’t seem to go anywhere anytime soon hee-hee
“maybe a little but-“
“no more waiting.”
you kiss taehyung and almost launch yourself at him, savoring the taste of him on your tongue that he has to grip your thighs around his waist a little tighter
yeah ur a little slow but ur spirits are high!! you’re on the right direction!!
you’re definitely worth waiting for
and panicking over
and courting
and loving
:)
#feedback pls and thank u :D#taehyung#kim taehyung#taehyung imagine#taehyung imagines#taehyung drabble#taehyung drabbles#taehyung oneshot#taehyung oneshots#taehyung au#taehyung x reader#taehyung x y/n#merman!taehyung#taehyung fic rec#taehyung fic recs#taehyung x reader oneshot#taehyung angst#taehyung fluff#taehyung fluff imagine#AHHHHHHH PLS I HOPE THIS GOES WELL
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[M] - PhysCom - Pt 3
pt 1 - pt 2 - pt 3 - bc 1 - pt 4 - pt 5 - pt 6
Pairing: BTS - OT7 x Reader
Rating: Mature [18+]
Length: 8.8k words
Genre: PhysCom AU - smut with dashes of angst, and a shitload of romance and complicated feelings,, uhuhu (porn with plot??)
Warnings: none for this chapter?? other than a boatload of angst and feelings and ahhhh holy shit wtf is going on
thank you all for being patient! ^^ I had a couple hiccups while writing this part, but thankfully I think everything is heading in the right direction now hehe~ hope you enjoy!
“I think we should go out there, and I should kiss you senseless, sweetheart.”
You stare at Namjoon, trying to calm your racing heart. He’s joking, right? He has got to be joking. Doling out kissing privileges is what got you into this mess in the first place. Stirring more jealousy into the pot probably won’t help things.
It takes a count of three before he laughs. “I’m kidding. Obviously.”
You squint at him. He didn’t sound like he was kidding. You glance down to button his jacket around you and notice that there’s a prominent tent in his pants.
Oh...
You smirk. “You sure you didn’t have any ulterior motives for that plan, Master Kim?” You tease him with the title and are pleased to see his cheeks flush when your head inclines ever so slightly towards his lap.
He coughs, clears his throat, straightens his tie. “Of course not.”
You can’t contain the grin on your face. “Really? Not a single, rock hard, reason?”
He readjusts his position, crossing his legs to hide the evidence of his arousal. “Nope.”
You laugh, and catch him grinning too.
“Okay, so maybe... it wasn’t the most objective plan,” he admits with a chuckle. If he’s trying to cheer you up, it’s working. You start to giggle and have to hold your sides as the laughter spills out, quickly turning delirious. A boner is such a preposterous thing to pretend to hide for the sake of manners when it’s your job to sexually satisfy them. Something about it just tickles an exhausted funny bone in you. “Sorry-” You burst into another fit of giggles, trying to catch your breath.
“Don’t apologize.” Namjoon says, his eyes smiling as few laughs slip out of him as well. He pets your hair while you catch your breath, his hand falling to your cheek, his eyes tender. “You look so sweet when you laugh.”
Your heart flutters. Kim Namjoon has the charm and charisma of a diplomat, but the kindness and consideration of a humanitarian. You don’t know how he manages to balance his professionalism with his personability, but he sure as hell manages it somehow. Your hand slips onto his knee and his thumb brushes your cheek, laughter still on the tips of your tongues. You feel like you're two kids on prom night, that same sort of silly sexual tension lingering between you.
He leans in, and your heart stops for a second, but his lips merely graze your forehead. He pulls back, his gaze clouded with something you can’t quite identify. “If you ever decide to add kissing to your list of services,” he says quietly, his gaze traveling over your face and down to your lips. “I’d like to be the first to know.”
You swallow. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you aren’t tempted to add it today, right now in fact, and plant one on him. But that would defeat the whole purpose of this discussion, so you somehow manage to resist the temptation.
His hand finds its way to your thigh, his eyes swirling with that indiscernible emotion, and you have to wonder if you're not the only one having to restrain yourself here.
"You'll be the first," you answer quietly, trapped under his mesmerizing gaze.
After a few agonizing moments of silence, he nods almost imperceptibly and pulls back with a smile, his hand retreating from your leg.
“Honestly,” he says, folding his hands in his lap. “I think the best solution is to talk it out with them.” It takes you a moment to realize he's returned to the matter at hand, talk of kissing you seemingly forgotten. “If you want me there, I’d be more than happy to mediate,” he offers, giving you a sidelong glance. “But if that doesn’t work, then maybe they’re not mature enough for the privilege of having you as a PhysCom.”
He shrugs, his tone and expression practical and professional. “I would recommend a suspension of your services for a few days. Remind them how much they really appreciate the work you do.”
You laugh at this option. “You want me to blue ball them?”
He chuckles wryly. “Well… consider it like discipline. If a kid isn’t treating their toys with respect, what do you do? You take away the toy and give them time to think about what they did.”
You look at him askance, surprised by his wisdom on the topic. “Since when did you know so much about raising kids?”
“I read a lot,” he replies cheekily. “Anyway, we’d better get back out there before they start to speculate.” Namjoon stands, offering you a hand.
You take it, stand up, and start to shed his jacket, but he stops you. “Keep it on. It’s alright.” He moves the fabric back over your shoulders, his fingertips brushing your skin.
“Are you sure?” Your eyes meet his, and you can feel the tension in his gaze, ready to snap from the slightest tug.
He meets your eyes without hesitation. “I’m positive.” His gaze lingers on your lips again, and his hand brushes up from the jacket's collar to cup your neck. His thumb brushes softly along your jaw before he seems to remember himself. He pulls away with noticeable reluctance and goes to open the door. “Ladies first.”
You snort. “I’m not exactly a lady,” you reply, looking down at your nearly naked form, but you don’t argue with him and take the lead. He follows you out, shutting the door behind him.
------
The scene you return to in the dining room is unexpected. The dim, sensual lighting has been ruined by the regular lamps turned on in the corners of the room. Butlers and maids are cleaning up the table, and you count three less clients milling around than before.
It would seem the banquet is over.
"What happened?" You ask, hurrying over to Seokjin. "Where is everyone?"
He sighs and flashes you a weary smile. "I had to send Taehyung and Jimin to their rooms. They were... getting out of hand."
Yoongi snorts from across the table. "That's an understatement. Nearly started brawling. Don't know what the hell got into them."
Seokjin shoots him a warning glace. “Anyway, I thought it would be best to wrap things up for the evening.”
Your gaze darts around, checking who's still here. Jungkook, Yoongi, Seokjin, Namjoon, and... Hoseok? He's missing. "What about Master Jung?"
Yoongi's smirk fades and he looks down. "He said he wasn't feeling well. Asked to be excused."
Your stomach sinks. This is definitely your fault. Fuck, poor Hoseok. He’d been the one fucking you when you called your safe word, and you’d hate for him to think it was because of something he did. You want to run and go talk things out with him - with all of them, per Namjoon's suggestion, but your eyes catch on Jin again. His face is cast downward, a small frown on his face as he rolls a rose stem between his fingers forlornly.
You feel impossibly worse. Everything’s gone wrong. This was supposed to be his night to have you however he wants, and now the party's over before he even got to fuck you.
"Master Kim." You walk up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling his attention away from the flower. "We can… take things back to your suite, if you wish." You look up at him sweetly, hoping you can at least try to make things right.
Jin shakes his head with a thin smile. "No, pet. You've been through enough tonight." He pets your hair and heaves another sigh. “You should get some rest.”
You look down to his pants and see a tent there similar to Namjoon’s. You touch his chest, sliding your hand down his stomach and towards his crotch. “But you-”
“No.” He takes a hold of your wrist before you can make contact where he needs it most. He takes a moment to breathe, the conflict of his wants and needs clear on his face. “No, you need some rest, my pet. It’s been a very busy evening.” He brings your hand up and holds it against his cheek instead. “You shouldn’t tax yourself.”
Your heart feels like it’s sunk below the floorboards, and you can’t keep the worry out of your eyes. None of them have ever turned you down like this before. Not when they’re hard. Not when this is your job.
“Master, I’m fine to do it, honestly. Besides... I can’t just leave you like this.” You say meaningfully, knowing that he would get in trouble if he takes care of the problem himself. He seems like he’s about to assure you when Yoongi pipes up again.
“Don’t worry about him. Another slut will take care of it tonight.”
What?
Seokjin’s jaw twitches and you sense he’s restraining himself from saying something. Did they talk about this while you were gone? “He’s right, darling.”
What the fuck.
“That’s what they’re there for, after all.”
What the fuck is happening.
“Don’t worry about me, just get some beauty sleep.”
What the actual fuck?
“You’ll feel better in the morning.”
You wrench yourself out of Jin’s grasp, unable to believe what you’re hearing. Your head is spinning, lungs suddenly short of breath. This can’t be happening. Your career, your livelihood, their favoritism… all gone in one night. It’s only a matter of time now. The more they play with the other PhysComs - the fucking Secondaries - the less special you are in their eyes.
In one evening, you’ve become… exchangeable.
You grip the edge of the table, hands shaking as you start to see red.
“Darling?” Seokjin places a hand on your back, his eyes wide with concern. “Do you need some water? Some air?”
You jerk away from him, your despair turning to rage. “I’m not some fucking flower! Okay? I said I’m fine!”
Jin looks startled. Namjoon comes over, his voice soothing. "Everything's alright, sweetheart. Let's get you to bed, okay?"
You wrench away from him too, stumbling back. "No! It's not fucking alright!" A heavy silence follows your outburst. All you can hear is your own labored breath. All their eyes are on you, wide with concern, and fear, and… pity.
You can't stand it, can't stand the way they're looking at you. Like their fuck toy is malfunctioning… You turn on your heel and dash out of the room, knocking into Jungkook in your haste. You push him aside, but not before your eyes meet and he can see the tears streaming down your cheeks.
You ignore them as they call after you, and you escape to your room for the second time that day.
-------
As you slam your door shut, you run over and flop onto the bed to cry into your pillow. Dramatic? Sure. Do you care? Not particularly. It’s not like anyone’s here to judge you and your pity party anyway.
Fuck, this is all wrong. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly?
This whole day has been a complete and utter mess, from the moment Taehyung had tried to kiss you. Or… maybe from the moment you let it happen.
You squeeze your eyes shut, replaying every agonizing moment up until now. The kissing, the feelings, the tension at dinner, the moment you broke... fuck, that one hurt.
But being replaced... that hurts even more.
You sob for a good long while, not caring if anyone could hear you. You just need to get it out, god you haven’t cried in so long. Once it’s out of your system, you’ll be back to normal, ready to fuck at a moment’s notice like always.
But then again, you’ve only been employed for six months. Is this just what happens after a while? Do PhysComs just… break? Is that why the job has such a high turnover?
Well, if that’s the case, then you’re screwed. You might as well start begging on the street now. Sure the money you’ve earned so far is enough to float you through for a little while, but without another job to replace this one, it won’t last for very long.
Being a PhysCom is everything you’ve trained for, everything you’ve ever wanted. Without it, you’re nothing. You have no identity outside of your training, no skill set outside of pleasuring others, no prospects… no hope.
Would your family take you back in?
You know the answer immediately. No, no they wouldn’t. Not after what you did to them.
You have no friends aside from the other people you trained with, but you’ve long since lost contact with them, any ties to them were cut once you were hired and shipped off here.
Could you get another job? Highly unlikely.
Once someone becomes a PhysCom, the position is recorded on their government file, branding them for life as a personal sex worker. Random day jobs don’t hire people who were previously fuck toys, it reflects badly on their brand. New employers for PhysComs scrutinize previous positions mercilessly. Any criticism or stain on your performance record will put you out of the running in favor of someone just out of training. No one wants to take leftovers when there’s so much fresh meat on the market.
You have no plan B. Your life is ruined, crumbling apart before your very eyes.
Your ComGear buzzes incessantly, but you ignore it. They can message you all you want, you’re done for today. If they want to get off so badly, they can go find some Secondaries. Clearly, that’s the best solution while you’re here agonizing over your career and ‘getting some beauty sleep’, as Seokijn put it. Ugh.
Now would be the perfect time to masturbate and relieve some of this anger and stress. If only you could actually orgasm.
It’s only then that you see the envelope sitting at the bottom of your door. You hadn’t noticed it before, someone must have slipped it inside at some point.
You crawl off your bed with a sniff, your eyes still puffy from crying so much. It’s a small yellow envelope with your name on it. You open it, unfolding a piece of paper, creased in half to fit inside.
I’m sorry things got out of hand. I hope you can forgive me. - Hoseok ♡
The fact that he sent you a note instead of a text makes your heart feel funny. God, the world doesn’t deserve someone as good as Hoseok.
That’s it. Fuck your beauty sleep. You’ve made up your mind. You’re going to set at least one thing right from this trainwreck of an evening, and you won’t sleep until you do.
You throw on a bathrobe and peek out into the hallway outside your room, but thankfully you see no one. It doesn’t take you long to tiptoe to Hoseok’s room, and before long, you’re knocking softly on his door, the note clutched in your hand.
There’s no answer, and you worry for a moment that he might have already gone to bed. But soon the door creaks open, and Hoseok peers out. He looks awful, hair a wreck, dress shirt rumpled with a few buttons undone, and his eyes are puffy. Had he been crying, too?
“Oh,” He looks both panicked and relieved to see you. “Hi... um, listen about earlier-”
You shake your head and give him a half-smile, holding up the note as evidence. “You already apologized.”
“No, but I-” He stops, sighs, and opens his door all the way, rubbing the back of his neck. “Here, come inside. I want to talk to you.”
“Me too.” You fold your arms around yourself and go in, looking at him imploringly as he shuts the door behind you. “Master Jung, I didn’t use my safe word tonight because of anything you did. I want you to know that.”
He shakes his head, showing you a sad smile. “You don’t have to lie to me. I was the only one doing anything to you.”
Your eyebrows knit together in concern. Fuck. He does blame himself.
“Honestly, I was just… distracted. I’ve had a lot on my mind recently, so I wasn’t-”
“That’s exactly the problem.” He interrupts you with a stormy expression, and your eyes widen. He huffs. “I wasn’t considering your feelings.”
You blink in surprise. Your what now?
“I just… didn’t question Jin-hyung’s orders. Even though Jimin was reluctant to do it. I should’ve realized something wasn’t right, that you weren’t feeling up to it. I shouldn’t have let my dick do the thinking.” He looks to the floor, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I’m really sorry.”
Your mouth hangs agape. He’s talking as if this is about your whims. As if you have a say in the work you’ve already signed up for, as stated by your contract. Like having sex is negotiable.
“Hoseok…” You say his name without thinking, and his wide-eyed gaze snaps up to meet yours. “I think there’s a misunderstanding here.”
He nods. “Yeah, there is. A big fucking misunderstanding,” he laughs ruefully. “I misunderstood your place here with us. I realized tonight that… I had started seeing you as just a sex toy.”
You simply state the truth. “But that’s what I am.”
“No! You’re not!” You flinch as he shouts, his hands flying into the air. He grabs you by the arms, his eyes full of despair and regret. “You’re a human being, with thoughts and emotions and…” He realizes that he’s gripping you and hastily releases his hold. “Sorry.” He murmurs, sighing as he goes to sit down on his bed, head in his hands.
You’re a little shaken up by his passion. Why does he suddenly care about your thoughts and emotions? He should care about your feelings about as much as he cares about the feelings of their toaster oven. By the industries standards, you’re a fuck doll, nothing more. You’re not even supposed to have feelings, at least not when you’re on the job.
But… technically, right now… you’re done for the day. Off the clock.
You feel bad letting him stew in his little pit of blame, and you join him on the bed, sitting beside him. “It’s not your fault,” you reiterate. “If I really wasn’t feeling up to it, I should have taken the evening off."
Although you would never willingly do such a thing, it’s not uncommon for three or four PhysComs to be on the job for a group simultaneously, in case any of them are under the weather, or too tired to perform well.
Yours is a unique case, tackling all seven members’ pleasure single-handedly. You wouldn’t have been permitted to take on such a challenge had you not received such glowing reviews from your trainers. You’ve finally achieved what you had been working towards all that time.
Of course, now you might be at risk of losing everything.
“It was all a… stupid accident.” You might be thinking of more than just what happened at dinner, but Hoseok doesn’t need to know that.
He glances at you, still looking remorseful.
You get an idea. Why not play to your strengths? It can only benefit you to remind as many members as possible why you’re their Primary.
“You know, they say the best way to get over an accident… is to get back in the saddle.” You murmur, reaching your fingers out to graze his thigh. “Do you want to have a do-over, cowboy?”
His expression grows more concerned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Fuck no. But you’re not sure of anything recently. “It can’t hurt, right?”
Hoseok looks conflicted. He doesn’t take your hand off his leg, but you aren’t about to advance further without confirmation. He studies your face, searching for something. “Do you even want to?”
You blink. Why is everyone suddenly asking for your consent? It’s implied. You signed a contract. That’s like asking to eat the food on your plate. “It doesn’t matter what I want, master.”
“Well, it matters to me.” His voice wavers as he reaches up to touch your cheek. “Your feelings matter to me. I don’t want to think of you as some mindless sex doll, because you’re not.”
His unexpected words strike right through your heart, leaving you raw and vulnerable.
“You may act like one, but you’re not. You’re a person.” He tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you, and I don’t ever want you to be uncomfortable again.”
You stare at him, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. What the hell is he saying?
“Starting now, I will never have sex with you unless you want to, okay? That’s a promise.” His eyes are like melted caramel, soft and warm and sweet, as he leans closer and starts kissing your neck. His lips are soft, apologetic. Whispering praises and apologies while his hand caresses your waist.
The stutter in your heartbeat means nothing. His words mean nothing. They don’t make any sense. Your pleasure doesn’t factor into the equation.
He can’t just do this, can’t just treat you like he cares about more than your body. He can’t cater to your deepest fantasies like this. It’s cruel.
“Hoseok,” your breath catches as he nips gently at your neck. “Master Jung-”
“I like Hoseok better. Or Hobi…” he murmurs, pulling the collar of your bathrobe aside to trail kisses along your shoulder.
“Hoseok,” you try again, a little more strength in your tone, despite how weak you feel with his lips on you like this. “This isn’t right.”
“Do you want me to stop? I will,” he says, lips hovering just above your skin.
No. No, you don’t want him to stop, says a part of your brain, the part that’s been dreaming about situations like this. Being held, being kissed, being loved… But the rest of your brain knows that you can’t risk it.
“You can do whatever you want to me. That’s the point,” you reply feebly. You’re not sure how else to get your message across, since he seems to have batted away your usual arguments. “I exist for your pleasure.”
“Well, what if I exist for yours, hm?” He smirks, pulling back to look at you. “What if I take care of you when you take care of me?”
Your eyes widen. Reciprocation goes against your entire job description, and besides, it’s pointless. He has to know that he’s breaking the rules, but he doesn’t seem to care at all.
His hand cups your jaw, his thumb running gently along your cheek. “You deserve so much more than being treated like a toy.”
You’re stunned into silence. Everything he’s saying is wrong.
But is it bad? Would it be so bad to let him take care of you, to let him appreciate you, if that’s what he truly wants?
“I exist for your pleasure… whatever form that may take.” You hesitantly reiterate the rules, if for no other reason than to clear your conscience. “If it’s what you want, then go ahead.”
He shakes his head. “Nope, sorry. It has to be something you want.” He smiles and leans closer, his eyes searching your face. “Do you want me, baby? Just be honest. Be yourself tonight.”
God damn it. You try to look away, but he gently turns your cheek back to face him. You can’t resist him. He gives you a warmth you haven’t known in ages, filling up every crack and crevice in your heart, and you desperately miss it, aching for the sensation of being wanted by someone… of being worthy.
Your willpower is dwindling. You can feel your breaking point approaching. Fuck it, if they might replace you anyway, what’s the worst that could happen?
You close your eyes, steeling yourself to let your walls down and to keep them down, at least for this little while. You inhale deeply, almost holding your breath.
“I want you, Hoseok.”
The truth comes out as merely a whisper, but once you start you can’t stop, the dam already broken. “I want you, god I want you so much, I-”
Soft lips cover your own. Oh… he’s tender and passionate all at once. His hands are greedy, unable to get enough of you, and yet they’re reverent, considerate, floating over your body and touching your face like you’re something important. Like you’re special to him.
It goes against every fiber of your being, every hour of your years of training, but fuck… it feels so good to be able to kiss him like this, with no inhibitions. He pulls you onto his lap, deepening the kiss as his hands grip your ass, pushing up the hem of your robe to really feel you.
You forget, in this moment, that he’s your client, and you wind your hands up and around the back of his neck, playing with his hair and humming into his sweet, soft lips. Everything about Hoseok feels warm, and sweet, and right. Shit, why does this feel so right?
“Good girl…” His tongue slips into your mouth and starts teasing yours, licking into your wet cavern while his hands wander over your body. He peels off your robe, slowly exposing your skin to his blissful hands and they rub and trace every curve and contour.
You can feel the smile on his lips as he glides his hands up your body. One stays on your ass, kneading the soft flesh while his other comes up to ghost over your breast, his thumb circling over your nipple with a languid motion. He’s in no rush. This isn’t a quick fuck, this is… something else, and the thrill of the unknown has you leaning into his touch, desperate to discover more.
He breaks away from your lips for air, leaning down to mouth at your other tit instead, causing you to whimper. “You’re so beautiful…” he murmurs, sucking on the sensitive bud while his hand gropes at the other side, pinching and rolling your nipple in his fingers.
You gasp at the blissful sensation, but a looming sense of dread grows as he continues, as you know his hard work won’t lead anywhere, and soon will follow the inevitable frustration of not being able to climax. The first cloud on the spotless horizon of your little tryst.
“Hoseok…” you moan his name, rolling your hips into his lap, where you can feel his cock through his pants. “Let me do you now.”
“Tonight’s not about me,” He doesn’t let up on his barrage of pleasure, smirking against your skin. “When was the last time you came, sweetness?”
You swallow. Shit, this wasn’t a good idea, was it?
“I… I can’t wait. Fuck me now, please...” You whine the excuse, grinding your bare pussy against his crotch. You remember what he said about doing what you desire. “I want you to fuck me, please…” Your voice drips with a very real desperation as your pleasure starts to reach its plateau.
He pulls back and chuckles. “Already? You sure you don’t want me to eat out that pretty pussy of yours? I could make you feel so good…” His tongue darts out to trace around his lips, and he slips the hand from your ass around to your front, testing how wet you are. “Fuck, I want to taste you so badly. Make you cum on my tongue, baby.”
You shake your head involuntarily, eyes wide and your cheeks turning red.
Heoseok smirks, mistaking your worry for shyness. “Aww, baby…” He kisses you again, rocking his hips up to meet yours. “It’s okay. I know this must be a big change for you.” He chuckles and scoots himself back onto the bed with you still in his lap, and you move to straddle him. “We can work up to it next time, okay?”
Next time?
You don’t have time to worry about such a troublesome prospect, as Hoseok wastes no time, fishing his cock out of his pants and lining himself up with your entrance, still fully clothed. “You ready, baby?” He leans in to kiss you again, and when you nod, he pushes slowly inside you. Hoseok’s cock is long and lithe, just like him, and it’s always able to reach your farthest corners. His stamina is also through the roof, probably from all that dancing, and whenever he plays with you, he often leaves you feeling fucked silly by the end of it. You prepare yourself for another such dizzying experience.
“Ah, fuck... “ He takes his time to sheath himself fully inside you, using the moment to feel every crevice of your walls, his cock throbbing from the sensation. You squeeze your walls around him, expecting him to start fucking you roughly any minute.
Instead his hands glide over your back, down to your ass again as he holds you almost supportively. You whine and buck desperately against his hips, but he stills your movement, silencing any complaints with another tongue-filled kiss. He takes his sweet time moving in and out of you, reaching deep inside of you with every thrust as his moans vibrate against your lips, the wet sounds of sex filling the otherwise silent room.
For some reason, your senses are heightened by his slow pace, and it feels even more intense than some of your roughest sessions. Every little twitch and rub of his hard cock into your sopping entrance has tingles of pleasure shivering up your spine, your heart racing even though he’s barely done anything. You arch your back, moaning into his mouth as he hits a particularly good angle.
He notices and adjusts his position, soon finding a lazy, easy pace to slide in and out of you, as if he has all the time in the world, and he wants to spend as much of it joined with you as possible.
“So fucking beautiful…” His voice is hoarse, thickly laced with something you can’t explain. He lays back onto the bed, pulling you with him, chest to chest, and continues to kiss you like he can’t get enough. You start to bounce on his cock, but his hands still grip you firmly at your hips, controlling the pace.
You groan at his agonizing slowness, but it feels so good, you can’t really complain. Shit, why didn’t they ask for this kind of sex more often? It feels incredible, like… like softcore porn. It’s… emotional, and raw, and deep. You feel like he’s touching your very soul with every stroke inside the furthest reaches of your core.
“Fuck, H-Hoseok…” you whimper, each languid push of his body has you trembling, aching for more. What is happening? You’ve never felt this before, this ache, this desire to keep him deep within your walls, forever sharing kisses and sweet touches.
“I’ve got you, baby,” he murmurs softly, supporting your back as he pushes even deeper with a groan. “You’re safe with me.”
You shudder and lean into him, and a memory from your training days comes to the surface.
“Never trust your client.” Madame paces in front of the class, her eyes scanning each girls’ face. “They will only betray you in the end.”
This is one of many talks Madame likes to have with her class, explaining not only the official rules, but also the practical ones. The things no one but other PhysComs would think to discuss.
“You are your own representative in their house. An independent contractor. Never let yourself be vulnerable around them.” Madame’s voice is strong and clear, full of intention.
Her eyes fall to your face, her gaze full of burning embers.
“Don’t fall for their guises of kindness.”
You gasp as Hoseok flips you two over, laying you gently onto the bed as he trails kisses up your body between murmured praises. “Fuck, baby… You’re so beautiful...”
You shudder, writhing beneath him as he lines himself up with your entrance again.
“Does it feel good, baby? Tell me.” He smiles brightly and leans down to kiss your neck, clearly pleased with his progress as he rubs his tip through your slick folds, eliciting another whimper from you. “I want to make you feel so good…”
“F-feels…” Your voice trails off as you come upon a moment of clarity. What are you doing? How did you get into such a predicament? “Hoseok. This isn’t right.”
He stops, pulls back enough to look at you. “What’s not right, baby? I’ll fix it.”
You huff out a laugh, already feeling your stomach start to sink. “Why are you doing this?”
He looks confused. “Because I want to make you feel good.”
“No. No you don’t, because that’s not part of our arrangement,” you explain, looking up at his stunningly handsome face. A part of your heart hurts just looking at him, knowing he can never be yours.
“Well… maybe we can make a new arrangement,” he says quietly, the confidence in his eyes wavering.
You feel bad bringing the harsh truth into this when he’s worked so hard to live out this little fantasy with you, but you must. You can’t stay in this bed, in this daydream, forever. You know from experience, it’s best to rip the bandaid off, make sure he knows that this can’t be seen as anything more than indulgence and a lack of self control on your part.
“Hobi, you don’t even know my name.” You look at him somberly, and as his face falls, you find yourself wishing the two of you were in a different world, living different lives, where you could let him kiss you and hold you and fuck you like this and not feel guilty about it. Your eyes fall downward, stewing in regret. Fuck, this would’ve hurt a lot less if you hadn’t given in and let him take your heart so easily.
You start to get up from the bed, but strong arms pull you back in, hugging you from behind.
“Hoseok.” Your tone is that of reprimanding a child. You have to be the responsible one here. It’s not his job to make sure you’re following the rules. “I should go.”
“I may not know your name, but I know you.” His voice is tender and soft, like sweet caramel, and he buries his face into the crook of your neck. “I’ve lived with you for six months, and they’ve been the best time of my life…” He plants soft kisses on your neck. “You make me happy.”
You feel numb. Why is he saying this? Doesn’t he realize how hard he’s making it to rip off this stupid bandaid?
He keeps kissing your skin, his hands skimming over your stomach and thighs. “Please…” he whispers, kissing and nibbling the shell of your ear. “Please stay with me. Just for tonight.”
Fuck. Fuck your weak heart. He can’t do this to you.
“Hobi… there are rules, I can’t just-”
“Forget the rules for a second. Do you want to stay?” He pauses his affection to give you a moment to think, and you find yourself wishing he’d continue.
Well, there’s your answer then. If there were no rules… you’d stay in this bed with him for as long as he’d let you. But you can’t bring yourself to say it. Your tongue, your lips… they won’t move, frozen in fear of the truth buried deep in your heart.
He must be able to sense your inner struggle, because his hands resume caressing and squeezing your body reassuringly. “Either way, I won’t tell anyone what happened, okay? Tonight is off the record.”
It’s those words, those stupid, considerate words, that have your paper-thin resolve crumpling once more.
You turn around in his arms, cup his jaw, and kiss him deeply, fully, your heart racing from the act of rebellion. He makes a small noise of surprise, but quickly reciprocates, a smile tugging at his lips. You exchange sloppy, heated kisses with him for several moments, basking in his natural warmth, before he pulls away.
“So… I’ll take that as a yes?” He smirks, his eyes dancing with playful affection.
You let out a laugh in spite of yourself. “Yes,” you sigh, shoving out all your worries and fears. Despite the warnings of your training days, you trust Hoseok. You have no reason not to do so. He’s shown you nothing but kindness and understanding.
He looks overjoyed at your reply, and kisses your once more, giddy and laughing throughout all of his tender little pecks. “But if you change your mind, you tell me. Alright, princess?” He coos, petting your cheek.
You nod, shy from his shower of affection.
He grins and repositions the two of you so he’s hovering above you again, and starts to unbutton his shirt. “Now, where were we?”
You blush as he exposes his smooth chest and sheds his shirt, tossing it aside. Even though you’ve seen him naked before, this feels more private somehow… almost intimate. Like he’s doing it exclusively for your benefit.
“Mm… we can stay like this all night long.” He leans down and kisses you again, taking your hand and guiding it to his chest, encouraging you to touch him. He then trails his lips down your neck and over your breasts before pausing again. “Oh, and um… do you mind telling me your name, baby?”
You blink in surprise. “Why?”
Hoseok lines himself up with your entrance, slowly starting to fuck you again, and he pulls back enough to look at you. He touches his forehead to yours, a sheepish grin on his face while he slides in and out of you, blissfully filling you up again and again.
“I want to know what name I should be moaning when I cum tonight.”
-------
Sunlight streams through the window, and you roll over to avoid it. You're too wrapped up in fantasies and dreams, and oh… wait, was last night a dream? Your heart sinks. There's no warm body next to yours. No trace of any evidence.
Maybe it’s better this way. It was a delicious dream, and you’ll file it away with the others you’ve had. Your career still needs some damage control, but at least you won’t have to deal with rebuilding your dignity after a night of misdemeanors.
You prop up on your elbows, blinking the sleep out of your eyes and your heart stops at what you see. Hoseok's room. You're in Hoseok's room.
Well, shit… that's evidence if you ever saw it. Right? But where's Hoseok?
As if summoned by your thoughts, the boy appears from his en-suite bathroom, rubbing a towel through his hair.
The sight makes you inexplicably shy, and you bury back beneath the covers, as if to hide yourself from view. You hear him chuckle.
"Morning, princess."
You hunker down and hide even more, your heart racing. What the hell is wrong with you? You're a professional sex worker. Sex workers do not get shy the morning after.
The covers are lifted from you, revealing your face, and soft lips touch your own before you can object. "I had a great time. Did you?"
You stare up at him, looking like a Greek god in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, the one from his hair now slung around his shoulders. He’s effortlessly sexy and it’s totally unfair.
You pull your knees up to your chest, biting your lip warily. “Hoseok… about last night. What… what was that?”
He looks mildly confused, but still smiles and sits beside you, gently running his hand up and down your leg. “What do you mean?”
You look away from him. He’s too sweet, too bright for the grave clarity and turmoil seeping into your system with the arrival of the morning. “The sex. It felt… different.”
If anything, his grin grows wider. “Really? How so?” If you didn’t know better, you’d say he looks smug right now.
“I don’t know. It was like… you were filling up my whole body, not just my cunt. I felt it all over, inside and outside. It was… really good.” You mumble out the last few words, and you don’t need to look at him to know he’s practically beaming now. “Is there a word for that? What do you call that?”
Hoseok’s finger hooks under your chin, gently turning your head to face him. His eyes are warm and sparkling with humor, as if you just made a joke and didn’t realize it.
“I would call that making love,” he says softly, a hint of cheek in his tone.
Your mouth parts in shock as you recognize the truth of his analysis. “Making love?” You echo softly.
He nods with a chuckle and leans in to kiss you, his thumb stroking your cheek. “It’s like sex, but with feelings,” he explains, his eyes full of adoration as he looks at you. “Was it alright?”
It’s only as he asks you this that you realize why it felt so different.
He hadn’t given you a single command last night.
You’d had sex with him without being commanded to do it. It had just been a… mutual desire. You feel dizzy at the realization. That constitutes an explicit violation of your contract. If anyone finds out, you’ll be fired for sure.
You’re short of breath, panic taking over as the world seems to spiral around you. Hoseok’s eyes widen and he holds you steadily, pulling you into his strong arms.
“Whoa, whoa. It’s okay, w-what’s wrong?” He sounds concerned as he pets your hair, letting you rest your chin on his shoulder. “Was it… not alright?”
You shake your head, desperately trying to keep your tears at bay. The last thing you need is for him to see you cry. All your training, all your effort to get this job, your career, your livelihood, it’s all disappearing, leaving you with nothing but failure on the horizon.
“What’s wrong, baby?” He asks again, gently coaxing you to speak.
You inhale shakily. Hoseok is too good for this. He’d be an amazing boyfriend. He deserves an actual girl to hold who can love him the way he deserves. One who doesn’t have rules to follow and boundaries to keep. A girl who can fully give herself to him and make love with him whenever he wants. Whenever they both want. Because that’s a real relationship.
Not this. Not like what you have. You and Hoseok… you can never be like that.
Because you’re just his Physical Companion.
All of his kindness, his gentleness, it’s all wasted on you. You don’t deserve it.
“This can’t happen again.” It’s all you can manage to say.
He’s silent for a moment, rubbing your back while your breathing slowly returns to normal. “Okay,” he says softly. He doesn’t ask any questions, he doesn’t fly into a rage, he just accepts your decision, and that makes you feel even more torn. He really deserves better than this.
“But if you ever want it to happen again,” He pulls back enough to look you in the eyes, and wipes a single tear off your cheek before it can fall. “You know where to find me. Just say the word.”
He looks at you and gives you a small smile. His eyes hold more heartbreak and empathy than you thought possible, and he whispers your name just once before bestowing one last, sweet kiss to your lips.
“Come on,” he says gently, standing up and starting to get dressed. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”
-------
You feel strange as you enter your room once again, everything exactly the way you left it. Hoseok had given you a kiss on the cheek before heading downstairs to get breakfast, humming a tune to himself, like nothing at all had happened.
Maybe he was pretending for your sake, or maybe last night didn’t really mean that much to him. You shake that thought away as impossible. Not even the most skilled actors could fake the level of intimacy Hoseok showed you last night.
You sigh and head over to your bed, sitting down to process the events of the past twenty-four hours. You slept with a client outside of working hours. He made love to you. But you liked it. It felt amazing. But now you might lose your job. You feel guilty for not being able to make love to him, even though it’s a ridiculous notion in and of itself. But you broke your contract, so do the rules even matter any more?
You’re uncertain, you’re scared, but also strangely excited... liberated. You wish you had a friend or maybe even a therapist to talk to, just so you can sort all this out and get a game plan together.
Your ComGear buzzes again from your night table, and you realize it’s been going off for a while. Are they really messaging you this early?
You pick up the slim device and swipe the screen up, expecting to find many missed notifications. Instead what greets you is something utterly different.
An unfamiliar purple screen, with an empty text box in the center and a question above it.
Cardinal Rule?
Consent. The answer comes immediately, drilled into you by Madame from your training days, and you type it into the text box. A green check mark appears next to the box, and suddenly a new screen is there, successfully unlocked.
It’s a chatroom, with messages from lots of strange usernames, occasionally bumped upward by new messages. It’s active.
What the fuck?
You look a little closer and start reading the texts.
[ PCsv01_svt ]: yeah, it’s not fair at all lol [ PCsv03_twc ]: i’m so jealous TT [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: can u send more?? ur both so cute!! [ PCsv02_svt ]: sure! hang on ^^
A few photos appear in the next message from them. The same couple is pictured in each one, making various cute poses together, kissing each other...
You recognize the girl.
“Sascha...?” You whisper, your heart stopping as you cover your mouth. The sight of your old friend has tears springing to your eyes. You thought you’d never see her again.
But why is she in these photos? Who is she with? Who the fuck are all these people? What the hell is going on?
[ PCsv01_svt ]: guys hang on [ PCsv01_svt ]: pc for bts is here [ PCsv02_svt ]: wait for real?! [ PCsv02_svt ]: finally!! [ PCsv02_svt ]: GIRL HOW ARE YOU [ PCsv02_svt ]: it’s me sascha!! ^^ [ PCsv09_$px ]: glad you made it.. [ PCsv04_blp ]: hi there [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: eyyyyy how’s it goin?
You stare in confusion and fear at the messages. Could that actually be Sascha? How is this possible?
You slowly type out a message, your curiosity overpowering your fear, and hit send before you can stop yourself.
[ PCsv01_bts ]: what the fuck is going on [ PCsv01_bts ]: what is this place
A reply comes quickly.
[ PCsv01_svt ]: this is the private network for physcoms [ PCsv01_svt ]: it’s inaccessible to anyone but us [ PCsv02_svt ]: don’t worry! it’s safe here ^^ [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: welcome to the dark web babes B) I’m blake
Your palms are sweating. Dark web? Private network?
[ PCsv01_bts ]: what do you mean? that’s impossible [ PCsv01_bts ]: who set this up?? [ PCsv03_mtx ]: I know it sounds fake but this is legit [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: ur mom did lol [ PCsv02_svt ]: Madame did! and other pc trainers~
You try to make sense of it. Another memory surfaces, one from your very first week at training. You had collapsed during basic stamina extensions trying to get the best score and outdo your classmates, and Madame had called you and your fellow trainees together for a talk...
“Girls. We are independant, yes. We are strong, yes.” Madame’s gaze sweeps across the worn out faces, her own expression steely, with an underlying kindness. Madame is strict, but only because she knows it’s what’s best for all of you.
“We must always rely on ourselves in this business,” she continues. “But also on each other.”
“You are all in the same boat together. We PhysComs are the belittled backbone of society. Needed, but kept hidden. Brushed aside when it comes to our own needs. No one is on our side… except our fellow sex workers.” Her gaze drops to the floor for a moment, and the room is utterly silent while she collects her thoughts.
She turns her gaze to you, as if appraising your behavior. “I believe you all have the potential to be the best workers in the industry. But you won’t get there on your own.”
You swallow, but meet her gaze with determination.
She gives the slightest huff at your boldness, her gaze scanning the crowd again. “Stick together. Help each other succeed. You’ll find it’s much better that way.”
At the time, you thought she meant supporting each other during training. But… could this be what she was hinting at? A PhysCom support group?
[ PCsv01_bts ]: Madame did this? [ PCsv06_ast ]: lots of people contributed~ [ PCsv02_svt ]: yup! micha is here too!! ^^ [ PCsv03_mtx ]: that would be me :) how’ve you been?
Micha? Another trainee from your group. You didn’t talk to her as much, but you remember she was cool and friendly. How could this be happening? What does all of this mean?
A thought occurs to you and a flash of fear hits your stomach. What if this is a setup? A ploy by your network to scope out rulebreakers - of which you are now one.
Fuck. How can you be sure this is real?
[ PCsv01_bts ]: I… don’t trust this [ PCsv03_mtx ]: I didn’t at first either but it’s cool [ PCsv01_svt ]: I understand your hesitation [ PCsv01_svt ]: but this network is completely detached from your old one [ PCsv01_svt ]: you’re off the grid [ PCsv02_svt ]: connecting to the network also jailbreaks your gear!! you can use it like a phone now ^^
Wait, what? You tap back to your home screen. It looks like the boys’ phones. Instead of a handful of apps only approved by your network, you now have an app store, web browser, camera app, and standard phone and messaging apps instead of the restricted ones from before.
Holy shit.
You tap back into the chatroom, typing another message.
[ PCsv01_bts ]: who are all of you? [ PCsv01_svt ]: we’re PhysComs just like you [ PCsv01_svt ]: I’m Antione [ PCsv06_ast ]: hi~ nice to meet you! [ PCsv06_ast ]: my name’s aashi hehe
This is all too much to take in. These are all other PhysComs?
[ PCsv01_bts ]: how did I get here? [ PCsv01_svt ]: you were playing solitaire, right? [ PCsv01_svt ]: used the find your friends option? [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: boom that’s how you got here babes B) [ PCsv01_bts ]: that… doesn’t make any sense [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: doesn’t have to, ur here now lol [ PCsv02_svt ]: think about it! what do you do when you need help? find your friends! ^^
So… a solitaire app is the gateway to the PhysCom dark web? You shake your head, trying to wrap your mind around the absurdity. You feel like you’re in a weird dream.
[ PCsv01_bts ]: this is… bizarre [ PCsv01_bts ]: sascha… who was in those pictures? [ PCsv02_svt ]: oh! that’s Josh~ he’s my client <3 [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: and her boyyyfrieeend lolol [ PCsv02_svt ]: yeah hehe ^///^ my adorable namchin~~
Um… what?
[ PCsv01_bts ]: wait wtf [ PCsv01_bts ]: client?? boyfriend?? [ PCsv01_bts ]: which is he? [ PCsv02_svt ]: both… <3
Your eyes are glued to the screen, your heart racing. This isn’t possible. Sascha is… dating her client? She can’t be. That’s not allowed. She’ll be fired.
[ PCsv01_bts ]: you can’t do that sach! you’ll lose your job... [ PCsv02_svt ]: aww no I won’t honey~ it’s okay [ PCsv02_svt ]: we’re all dating clients! ^^ [ PCsv06_ast ]: well.. most of us haha [ PCsv09_$px ]: not all of us are that lucky... [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: some of us are dating multiple clients ;) [ PCsv01_svt ]: happens all the time
What sort of alternate reality have you stumbled upon…?
[ PCsv01_bts ]: um how are you not all fired? [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: ummmm bc they want to date us too?? Lol [ PCsv01_svt ]: since we’re all disconnected, the only real risk is if the client informs their company of the relationship [ PCsv02_svt ]: but Joshie would never do that! he wants to be with me, even if it’s in secret <3 [ PCsv01_gt7 ]: she got him whipped lol [ PCsv02_svt ]: yeah... I do ^^ hehe [ PCsv01_svt ]: as long as feelings are reciprocated, being fired is almost impossible
This is either a trap, or they’re all crazy. They can’t just date their clients, it goes against every rule in the book. And yet... you sense a glimmer of hope in spite of yourself. If they can do it, then why can’t you?
Your thoughts are interrupted by a sudden knock on your door and you nearly jump out of your skin. You shove your ComGear under your pillow and rush to go answer it, your heart beating out of your chest and cheeks flushed from your rebellious activities.
You try to tame your hair and take a deep breath before answering the door, your brain still whirring in an attempt to make sense of all that you just read.
Jimin and Taehyung stand outside, both looking embarrassed. Taehyung gives you a small smile.
“Morning, jagiya. Do you have a minute?”
#bts#bts smut#bts fanfic#bts x reader smut#bts x reader#bts fanfiction#bts ot7#bts ot7 smut#bts smut fic#bts fic rec#hoseok x reader#namjoon x reader#the other boys will get more screentime dw <3#thank you all for enjoying physcom! <3
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Pick Your Battles: Part 3/5
Pairing: Five x Reader
You were right. Working with Five is definitely… something, to say the least. He’s not subtle. He’s quite rude all the time and then he gets angry when someone gets angry at him. The only good quality that you can see of him is that he’s a ruthless killer. No wonder the Handler paired the two of you together; you make the best team the Commission has ever seen.
Right now, you’re sitting on a park bench as children (ugh, back when you were growing up children knew their place and didn’t scream so much, but maybe that was because you were growing up in a war) run around, screaming their heads off, and Five interrogates an ice cream vendor. He’d insisted, saying that he was bored of only you interrogating the civilians, and then you’d told him it’s because he’s an ox in a china shop.
You don’t think you’ve gone a single day without insulting Five, and vice versa. None of your arguments have erupted into full-blown fights (you don’t want to admit it, but you suspect it’s simply because the both of you are getting too old), but the petty sniping can wear you out just as well.
Five comes back from the vendor holding two popsicles and looking sour.
“Let me guess,” you say dryly, soaking up the sun. “He told you to get lost.”
Five can’t come up with a good comeback, so he just grumbles under his breath and hands you one of the popsicles and sits down heavily next to you. It means your guess was right. His eyes quickly find the mark and when they do, his breath hisses out of his mouth. “When are you planning?”
“We follow them home and do it in their sleep,” you reply. “No use making the kid see her die. Just growing up without her will be bad enough.” You think. You’ve read enough texts to know that losing mothers is, nowadays, considered a terrible tragedy.
Five sighs heavily.
“What?”
“What?”
“You just sighed,” you point out. “Something wrong with the plan? Did I not take into account the sun’s angle that could somehow alert her to our presence or something?”
“No, nothing like that.” Five tosses his popsicle into the trashcan when it starts to melt without having ever taken a bite. “It’s just… when me and my siblings were younger we would sneak off to the park, too. Our mom would take us. We were about as young as these kids.”
You just eat your popsicle, part curious about his backstory and part focused on the mark. You know Five’s generally a private person, so why he’s telling you this, you don’t know. He’s never been one for sentimentality.
“I was thirteen,” he says softly. “Dumb and thirteen when I got stuck in the apocalypse. I still don’t know why I could never get back, and then I spent forty-five years surviving on my own, knowing that my family is dead now, and I’m the last person left.”
“Must have been lonely.” It excuses some of his assholishness. Not all of it.
Five snorts. “You have no idea.” Out of the corner of your eye, you see him glance at you. His leg bounces a little bit and he clasps his hands in his lap. He looks… nervous. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How’d you end up working for the Commission?”
You laugh a little bit. “That’s… a long story. It’s ancient for you, I guess, since you were born… in about a year, right?”
Five nods; currently, you and him are on a mission in the year 1988. It feels like torture to be so close yet so far from his siblings and, hell, himself, and maybe that’s why he asked you about your story. He never has before.
“Well, I was born in Sparta in the year 429 BC,” you start.
“Right in the middle of the Peloponnesian War,” Five notes. You look at him with surprise, but he just waves you off, saying, “Too much free time in the apocalypse. I read whatever I could. It explains your accent.”
“Well, yes,” you continue. “Right in the middle of the Peloponnesian War. Both my father and my brother died in the fighting, and one night my city was invaded. This one bitch that had always been jealous of me tried to kill me as I was trying to kill an invader, and the Handler showed up just before she sliced me open.”
“Huh.” Five nods. “So, shitty childhood just like mine, huh?”
“What?”
“I’ve read all about the Spartans,” Five says. “Apart from the fact that that society was definitely not as developed as the one mine was when I was growing up, the Spartans were terrible, right? People were constantly trying to kill each other? Plus, right in the middle of a war would make it even worse.”
You scoot away from him on the bench. “What are you trying to say? That I wasn’t raised correctly or something?”
“Just making conversation.” After a long pause, Five asks, his voice too light as he studies your target, “And your mother? You didn’t mention her.”
“I killed her on the night of the invasion,” you reply tightly. “Take from that what you will.” He’ll, you’re sure, use it as evidence in his newest crusade that he’s better than you. Just because you’ve killed more people than him, and one of them happens to be your mother, he’s suddenly better than you? He’s probably going to spread even more rumors about you at the Commission!
“That was pretty common, though, right?”
You nod.
Five grins. “Man, I always loved learning about the ancient Greeks. I can’t believe you’re actually one.”
Now that takes you by surprise. Is this actually Five, the man that doesn’t like anything? Is this the Five that insults everything and anything he sees? What’s going on?
He wants something, your instincts whisper in your ear. He’s manipulating you.
As much as you don’t want to believe it—three years of working together has to mean something to anyone, and though you don’t want to admit it, you might balk at killing Five just because of the norms of the Commission and its rules—Five isn’t as soft as you. He’d sell you out for a year off his contract. He would not hesitate to kill you. He wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate you. He’s said time and time again how little time he has for niceties.
So Five geeking out over your origin? Un-fucking-likely.
“What do you want?” you finally say. Your mark seems to be putting her kid back in its stroller. It’s almost go-time.
“I want to stop the apocalypse,” Five says. As if that’s a surprise. All he’s done since he’s got to the Commission is talk about his family, getting back to them, and argue with the Handler about why he shouldn’t stop the apocalypse. It’s no wonder he’s been bugged. You’ve even been charged with the task of reporting back to the Handler about him, not that you actually tell them anything they don’t already know.
Like you said. Ox in a china shop. Absolutely no finesse.
But… is he including you in his plans? His plans to leave the Commission? You know they exist; you’ve seen him scribbling in his book written by that sad-looking lady, and you’ve been tempted multiple times. You’re tired of this life; thirty-eight years you’ve put into this job, and for what? An apocalypse at the end of days?
Even escaping with Five would be better than staying with the Commission until you die, or forever if they manage to work out the kinks in the new body technology. You may not get along with him, but you suspect that’s universal for all his friends.
“We can’t,” you reply.
Five furrows his eyebrows at you and opens his mouth to say something, but you cut him off. “The Handler has said we can’t,” you say emphatically, holding your finger up to your lips. “Everything happens for a reason. This is just one more step in the natural order of life.”
You put the briefcase on the bench and flip it over. With one blunt fingernail, you point to the teensy black microphone wedged into the ornamental textures on the case. It’s one of the reasons you’re never supposed to be without the briefcase, even for a second.
Five’s eyes widen with surprise. Was he seriously arrogant enough to think nobody would be listening to him? Sure, it took you a while to find them, but that was because you were busy getting used to the new technology of the modern era.
“The mark’s leaving,” you say when he continues to stare at the briefcase, anger slowly taking over his expression.
Five looks up at you and for a second you panic. Like you said; he has no finesse. He’s not dumb enough to actually say something out loud about it, is he? His expression is unreadable despite three long years spent with him; he could be getting ready to kill you and you’d have no idea. You tense up, your hand going instinctively to your gun, and he sees.
With a roll of his eyes, Five says, “Well, let’s go. What’s one less person to die in an apocalypse?”
How long have you known?
Years and years, you scribble back on the piece of paper he’d slid over to you. Took me a while to get used to the tech, but you can’t honestly say you wouldn’t expect the Commission to listen to us. They control everything else, don’t they?
Five rips another paper off the hotel notepad as quietly as he can. Idiot had tried to write his notes on the whole pad at first, as if he’d completely forgotten how people can see the dents on the papers underneath them. He may be a good killer, and with superpowers that make killing even easier, but he’s not smart at all. Well, he’s book-smart, you’ll give him that, but that isn’t useful in this situation.
They trust you, though.
You scowl. Thirty-eight years of dedication and they still won’t take the bug out ‘just in case something happens’. They don’t check it, though, so yeah, I guess.
Thirty-eight years? His eyebrows rise. What, are you just playing the long game?
What do you mean?
Well, you obviously don’t like these people any more than I do, right? So it would make sense for you to be biding your time, gaining their trust, etc. Thirty-eight years, though…
I prefer to think of myself as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you write, glancing nervously at the briefcase. You hope they can’t hear the furious scribbling over the sound of the music you’d put on. But what would I be biding my time for?
Leaving.
You rip a new paper out. The Commission will track us down.
Y/N, the apocalypse is upon us. Five scowls when you huff slightly and roll your eyes. His apocalypse act has long grown boring. And you can’t honestly say you’d prefer to die in service to the Commission rather than free.
Yeah, and where do I go? My life’s almost over. Your skin’s wrinkly and littered with age spots from constant sun exposure and no sun protection. Your knees and ankles hurt when you walk. You’re almost done, really, even at fifty-three years old—you’re just tired. I don’t want to go back to Sparta. I’ve gotten too used to plumbing. As much as you hate to admit it, because it seems like admitting that you’ve gone soft, you don’t think you’re fit for Sparta anymore. Mentally, maybe, but you’re older than the oldest Spartan ever lived. You wouldn’t fit in there. Besides, that’s where they’d be expecting me to go.
You could come with me. I need to get back to my family and stop the apocalypse.
I’ll think about it. You take the scribbled sheets of paper and stand up. You need to burn them to destroy the evidence.
Five watches you go. Truth be told, he’s gotten used to your constant presence. He has a feeling leaving the Commission without you would be… unamusing. You’re funny when there’s not someone in authority around, and apparently you’re much more astute than Five could have ever guessed. He thinks you want people to see you that way, too.
The only problem is if you’re spying on him for the Commission. He doesn’t know why you would have shown him the bug if you were, but you could be tricking him to gain his trust. He’s overhead you and the Handler talking before, and she had asked about Five. You’d said you were sure he was going to stick to his contract, when you’d just spent the day before trying furiously to keep him from breaking the contract and leaving.
With a jolt, Five realizes that he might be attached to you. He doesn’t want to leave the Commission without you.
Five likes you. Well, that certainly explains the butterflies in his stomach when he sees you. He’d just assumed it was nervousness because of the way he’s never quite sure if you’re going to wake up and decide you want to kill him too.
“It’s time for extraction,” you say immediately upon entering the motel room. “You ready?”
You don’t want to admit it.
You don’t want to even think about it. You’d thought your upbringing would have stolen these feelings from you, made you the perfect killing machine you always have, but you must be getting soft in your old age.
You want to leave with Five. You want to hide away from the Commission with him and stop the apocalypse and live out the rest of your life. You might miss the killing—every Spartan does; it’s why even your city was wracked with violence—but this sort of organization isn’t meant for you. You may have been less brute-like than the rest of your kinsmen, but the Temps Commission is the exact opposite of your old city, and you’re not meant for perfect obedience and spotlessness, either.
You’d like a happy medium, and that’s Five.
You can feel his eyes on you as you sit in chairs in front of the Handler’s desk. She’s holding a mission tube in her hand, eyes only for Five. It’s fine; in order to join the conversation you’d have to assert yourself, and you can’t do that. You’re meek. You just want to kill people and get the perks that time travelers have, like vacations to different places.
It’s not a bad job, if it wasn’t so organized. Some organization is nice, right, but the level that the Commission takes it to is just ridiculous.
“So, Five, you will be going on this mission alone,” the Handler says, and that catches both your attention.
“Why?” Five demands, scowling, and you cringe internally. If he acts too upset and defensive about not being together she’ll suspect something is going on.
“Y/N, you are going to be the first person to receive your new, younger body,” the Handler says, beaming at you. You smile hesitantly right back. You can’t look too excited, just in case she changes her mind to disappoint you, and you can’t look disappointed because she’ll be offended. “I chose your ten-year-old body with dense muscles, so you’ll lose none of your strength but will have almost another whole lifetime!”
“I thought I was supposed to sign up for the experiment,” you say. Rules, rules, rules; she loves to hear about people following the rules.
“I signed up for you,” the Handler says, smiling at you like she’s sharing a secret. “I know you Spartans don’t value elders like other civilizations, and your performance has gone down infinitesimally. I suspect a rejuvenation in both mind and body will bring your scores right back up. Besides, it could be useful to have a child on a team; nobody seems to expect they’re the murderer, correct?”
“I am very excited,” you say politely. “Thank you for keeping in mind the mentality of my origins.”
“Five, you may go,” the Handler dismisses. You refuse to meet his eyes when he stands up, searching your face, questioning.
Eyes on the ground. Eyes on the ground. Eyes on the ground.
This will change things. When Five comes back, you’ll look young. That makes your feelings for him slightly awkward.
“Will Five be put on the list for a new body?” you ask politely. You hear him stop at the doorway, waiting for the Handler’s answer.
The Handler smiles mysteriously at you. “If he so wishes. Bye, Five!” It’s a clear dismissal. If she has to ask him again she’ll start to get annoyed.
Five leaves. When he shuts the door behind him, it feels like he’s abandoned you. Locked you in a cage with a lion you’d been able to tame yesterday, but today the lion’s pissed at you for yesterday.
The Handler leans across her desk to smile at you. “I suspected as such.”
“Pardon?”
“You two are romantically involved, are you not?” the Handler grins, so sure of her hypothesis that she hardly notices your wide eyes. “I knew it would happen. Well, not at first, but it was obvious after the first time you saved his life. Of course I’ll have Five’s new body ready for him when he gets back, too; the age difference could make things awkward between you two.”
When you don’t say anything, the Handler leans back, her grin fading as it turns into a smirk. “Well, I know how you think your emotions are so subtle. I noticed, though; that’s what happens when you work with someone for thirty-eight years.”
“I’m flattered you know me so well,” you manage, finding it hard to swallow around the lump in your throat.
Someone knocks at the door. “Y/N? Are you ready? We’re ready for you.”
You stand up and turn around, smiling sickly at the person. “Yes, I am ready. Thank you again, Handler.”
“It was no trouble, dear. I look forward to seeing your new face!”
Umbrella Academy Taglist:
@fentanvl @deathswretch @lightningidiot @five-hg @iamsnek666@ameliatrh @ihatecheesyusernames @dora-the-grownup
Pick Your Battles Taglist:
@dadzawas-eyebags
Forever Taglist:
@lemirabitur @annymcervantes
#tua#the umbrella academy#number five#five hargreeves#five x reader#number five x reader#five hargreeves x reader#reader insert#reader x five#reader x five hargreeves#reader x number five#the handler
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<h1>The problem with Crossing the Border (09-01-19)</h1>
The problem with Crossing the Border (09-01-19)
Or an alternate title: I have ADHD, Big Surprise Out of curiosity, anyone has border crossing stories? They don’t have to be horror stories; they can be good. I’m mainly curious how it’s been for other people. So this week could have gone great, and for one the problem wasn’t on my company’s side. We did everything right, it’s the shipper and the border who dropped the ball. So, did the delivery on Monday and as my manager is on vacation, St-Germain was the one handling it, and before they were done unloaded, I had my next assignment. a pickup, 5 hours away, for Wednesday morning. If my manager had been handling it, I wouldn’t have found out until later on Tuesday, forcing me to rush there, his justifications would be that he was looking for something better in the meantime, which is BS, since that shipper is about the only one we have in all of BC anymore. I only drove an hour, I mean, what’s the point. I’m on eastern time, so 3 hours ahead of them, and going to be a day early. Also, Hwy 3 from Hope to Grand Forks, is horrible and there is no way I want to do it in the dark. It was still dark by the time I left on Tuesday, but was light before I hit the really tight curves going up and down hills. It’s the summer, so it wasn’t as bad as it could be, and I was empty, but I’ve done them in the winter. I never look forward to driving on that road. Made it mid-morning for them, checked in, pointing out I was a day early and they said to drop it, their shunt driver would put it in a door within minutes and within a couple of hours it would be done. Which was great news for me. If I could get in the US a day early, I’d be able to take a two-day weekend. Remember that ‘IF’. The trailer is ready in three hours, but it takes another hour for me to find out because I was looking at the wrong drop lot. I decided to go in and get an update and, on the way, I saw it in the opposite drop lot. Got my papers, confirmed I was good to cross the border and headed to the Laurier crossing. I like it because it isn’t busy and the road on the US side is nice, even if it’s a 2-lane highway. No big hills, few tight curves and only a handful of towns. There is Spokane when it reaches I90, but I found a way around it. It’s a little longer, than driving through Spokane, but a lot easier. Get to the border, go inside. It’s so quiet they don’t have truck booths. I hand in the papers, the officer looked in his is system and asks. “Where’s your permit?” “I’m sorry,” I reply, “What permit?” “your permit to cross here.” Here is the thing. We’ve been crossing at this border for eight months. And we’ve never been asked for a permit. It turns out that no officer should have ever allowed us to cross there, but they weren’t doing their jobs properly. The reason we don’t have a permit is that the shipper never added us to the list of approved Carrier to cross there with their product. I did not know there was such a situation possible. So I turned around, stopped in an aside in the hopes it was an easy fix and called the shipper. Only to find out the person who deals with the border had already left for the day (it was 4pm locally, in the mood I was in, I wasn’t thinking good thing about a person who didn’t have to work until 5pm like all office workers.) I called dispatch to advise them. Drove back to the shipper to park for the night, they are only 10 minutes from the border, another reason I like crossing there. Next morning, 9am their time, noon mine, I go in and find out there’s nothing to be done about it, they can only add a carrier to their list once a year, in December. The closest crossing that is a ‘Commercial Crossing,” is in Ossoyoos, two hours west, over all those horrible hills and turns. Tell dispatch about it, get told it can’t be, we cross at Laurier all the time. I tell them, yes, but we can’t anymore, check with the shipper if you believe your driver is so determined to drive over horrible hills. By the time I bet close to Ossoyoos, I still don’t have my papers so I park at the truckstop there. Only have to wait an hour and I do. I have to drive later than I prefer but I make it to Post Falls, ID, where I like to park anytime I have to cross at that border. My 2-day weekend is gone, but I can take it easy, there’s plenty of time to get to Laredo. Or not. Friday morning my manager, the one who is on vacation, calls me to ask when I’m going to be there. I tell him something on Tuesday. I’m not concerned since it doesn’t need to be there until Friday. He starts asking why so late, it need to be there ASAP. I tell him I need to do a reset (not true, technically, but don’t tell him that) I tell him that the best I can do is be there Monday late afternoon, and he asks why? I have plenty of hours and it’s a holiday on Monday so I need to get there earlier so I can get a load. And here I need to pause. The earliest I could be there, pushing as hard as I legally can would be Sunday, and the office there is closed. If it’s closed on Monday too, what does it matter if I’m there on Monday? If there is a load there for me to pickup on Sunday, it’s still going to be there on Monday. I still don’t budge on my reset. I have stopped caring about them changing delivery times after I’ve done my pickup a long time ago. If I’m given inaccurate information, it is not my problem. He grumbles and tells me to be there Monday without fault, as if I told him I might not make it. So I had to drive a little harder but I got her on Saturday, and rested. One of the things I did while I waited for all that was get more writing done, so you get five chapters of Taking the Line, Chapters 44 to 48. If there is the usual wait time in Laredo, the last five chapters should be done next week. Chapter 16 of Blind Spot is written, and I finished book 5 of LRK’s origin story. 13 chapters. The longest one to date, I hope the longest period. So I’ve started the newest Going Home, which will explore McKannon, the industrial sector of Tiranis, as well as Eric finally making contact with one of his relatives. if you want to read all that, it's only 1$ on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/29632610 Another thing I did is take an ADHD test. There’s a warning about how it isn’t a medical tool, but if you score about a certain point, you really should talk to a doctor because, really, you have ADHD. And I do. I didn’t go in hoping I had it, but I strongly suspected I was somewhere on that spectrum. On the lower end, but on it none the less. There someone called ADHD Alien on Tumblr, and they post comics about how ADHD affects their daily lives and quite a few of them resonated with me, but one of the reason I never looked at the condition was that I was successful in school and the stereotype of someone with ADHD as that they aren’t good at school. Things is plenty of people with ADHD are good in school because it’s fun, there’s a lot of new things to learn and we soak up that knowledge easily, so easily most of us never have to bother studying, so we never learn how to study, and then when we hit college, of in my case the last two years of secondary school(I was in Quebec, they have their own system there) things start going badly. I was able to finish Secondary, but College was a bust. I just couldn’t figure out how to study and the concept I now had to deal with were so complex I couldn’t simply absorb them. I mean, I’m bright, but not that bright. So I dropped out, hit the work force and never regretted it. I was also lucky that my parents didn’t have expectations of me going to university and becoming a BIG SHOT™. They were surprised when I dropped out, but it was my life and they let me live it as I wanted. I love them for that. I love them for letting me screw up, then offering to help me up with a “See, that didn’t work, you might want to try something else, I can offer suggestions if you want but that’s up to you.” My mom picked up quicker than my dad that the suggestions that worked best were the kick in the ass kind of things and to then let me assimilate them and proceed. My mom told me months before I did it that I should write in the morning, that’s always been when I was at my best and I snorted, yeah right, mornings, who’s functional then? Eventually I ran out of things to try and did that. When I told my mom that she was right about it she smiled and said “I know.” But yeah, back on the ADHD thing. Learning that it was possible to succeed in school because you had ADHD and then fail for the same reason realigned my thinking. And add to that, that for the few things I can focus laser like on, like my writing, there are tons of them I am incapable of staying focus on. No matter how badly I want to learn them. So, yeah, I have ADHD. Will I seek treatment? No. for me to consider treating any condition I have, it has to either affect my ability to earn a living, or my health(and to be fair, when it comes to my health the potential down side have to be bad for me to even think about talking to a doctor about it) I can do my job without problem; I can do my writing without problems. The rest? Frankly, nothing else matter to a level I am willing to put those two at risk. I don’t Suffer from ADHD, I simply have it. I built my coping mechanism even without knowing I had something. Being Scatter brain? I either write it down, or accept that I will forget about it, and if I forget about it I accept the consequences. I don’t make myself a mess over forgetting it. I fix the problem it caused and move on. I do know now why Minecraft is such a trap for me now. It pulls at my focus by giving me things to do, always more things to do until I reached the point where I’m near panic because I can’t do all of them and I push it away. Until I’ve calmed down. But Minecraft commits the Sin of interfering with my writing by taking over that mental space. It’s why I no longer play it. It’s also why the craving is always there, but me and cravings are old friends. I have no issues staring him down. Okay, this is way longer than I expected so I’m going to pass on the movie and book review this week. You' all have fun, and come on, talk to me. Ask me questions, share your stories, it gets lonely talking to the void<chuckles> And that’s it, so I’ll see you on the next one.
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10 Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life in 10 Minutes
As you know, I’m not usually in the business of writing a lot of how-to type posts. My preference is to share personal stories and lessons I’ve learned – and that is especially true when we’re talking about decluttering. The same way personal finance is personal, what we choose to keep in our homes is extremely personal. I can’t tell you what to get rid of. I don’t know what adds value or what sparks joy for you. I can, however, share some practical tips on how to declutter another aspect of your life: the digital side of things.
In some ways, I think it’s easier to let digital clutter pile up than physical clutter. For starters, it doesn’t cost us (much) money, so we don’t feel bad about it. And since it doesn’t take up any space in our homes, we don’t have to see it when we walk in and out of rooms. In fact, we can choose to ignore it by simply closing our laptops or putting our phones down. However, if you’re someone who spends a lot of time looking at computer or cell phone screens, it will only be a matter of time before the “mess” will stress you out.
While I normally maintain a very clean/streamlined digital life, things got a bit out of control after the dogs died, simply because I stopped bothering. As part of this 30-day shopping ban, I spent some time decluttering and organizing everything, and I realized I have a bit of a system now. I’ve compiled a list of the 10 ways I declutter my digital life on-the-go. Each one usually takes no more than 10 minutes and I typically do this every quarter (if not more often). If it takes you a little longer, that’s ok! At least do the first 10 minutes and get the ball rolling. :)
1. Archive the emails in your inbox.
Open your inbox and get rid of as many emails as you can. Delete the ones you don’t need, archive the ones you want to keep in separate folders and unsubscribe from any lists you don’t want to be on. Don’t worry about the emails you still need to reply to. The goal isn’t to get to inbox zero; it’s to declutter and organize. Consider everything leftover as a to-do list item that you will tackle the next time you open your inbox. And if 10 minutes isn’t enough time for this, still do what you can in that time. It’s better than not doing anything at all!
2. Unfollow retailers on social media.
I used to love following my favourite retailers on social media. It meant I always knew which new products were available and gave me access to all their promotions. Not surprisingly, that also meant I bought a lot of stuff I didn’t need – and never used. I wasted money and potentially created some actual waste, both of which I hate to do. For that reason, I am NOT a fan of following retailers online. If you want to save yourself some money (and some potential physical clutter), open up Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and unfollow all stores.
3. Organize your desktop.
If your desktop screen is a cluttered mess, start the one-folder filing system. Create one folder – the only folder – that will live on your desktop. Name it “Files” or “Projects” or whatever you like. Dump all the files on your desktop into that folder. Step 1 is complete and your desktop is clean. For Step 2, scroll through your files and delete everything you don’t need. And Step 3, create subfolders and organize the files you’re keeping into those. The end result should be a clean desktop with 1 folder on it, which you click on and only see more folders inside.
4. Empty your Documents/Downloads folders on your computer.
One of the reasons I find computers get so cluttered with files is because you can save them pretty much anywhere you want. There are too many options! The three most common places you can save files (on both Macs and PCs) is on your desktop, in your Documents folder and in your Downloads folder. To make things simpler, I’ve committed to only saving things on my desktop. That means I’m constantly emptying the Downloads folder, and I never save anything to Documents. Now that your Desktop is setup better, you can do the same!
5. Delete most of your bookmarks.
I’m not a huge fan of bookmarks. In fact, I think the bookmarks folder in our web browsers is where a lot of links + nice ideas go to die. We save them with good intentions but almost always forget about them. Does that mean I think they are entirely useless? No. I have a few (and I’ll tell you about that next). But my folder is usually filled with a long list of digital clutter. Every few months, I select 90% of them + hit delete. Don’t be afraid to do the same. Google can help you find anything when you really need it!
6. Create a bookmarks folder with the few sites you log into regularly.
As an example, I have a folder of all the banking/investing sites I visit. I find having this folder saves time and energy, especially because I like to delete my browsing history from time-to-time. If you’re someone who forgets passwords often, another option is to sign up for a password manager. I have tried both 1Password and LastPass.
7. Remove unused applications/programs from your computer.
If you’re looking to free up some space on your computer’s hard drive, the easiest thing you can do is remove any applications/programs you’re no longer using. As someone who doesn’t think she downloads new applications very often, I’m always surprised to find I can delete at least one or two when I do this. My rule of thumb is to remove things I haven’t used in 6+ months and/or can’t imagine using anytime soon. Remember to empty the trash after, so you actually free up the space!
8. While you’re at it, remove unused apps from your phone too.
It’s easy! For this one, be realistic about what you actually use and what you think you’d like to use one day. I only keep the apps I actually use. If you’re worried about deleting ones you’ve paid for, remember that payment is attached to your account so you can download them again anytime.
9. Organize the apps on your phone so they fit on one screen.
When you’re done that, spend a few minutes organizing your apps in a way that makes sense for you. Personally, I keep my social media apps in a folder so they are an extra tap away, in an attempt to make it feel like extra work (and perhaps help me spend less time on them). I keep Calm out front and centre, so it’s easy to meditate every day!
10. Go through/delete photos from ONE of the folders on your phone.
I don’t know about Androids, but if you’re an iPhone user, your phone organizes your photos into nearly half-a-dozen separate folders. In some ways, this is great! But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of photos you have on your phone, don’t stress yourself out further by trying to manage all of them – just start by going through/deleting photos from one folder.
At the beginning of my 30-day shopping ban, when I said I had some digital clutter to deal with, the Screenshots folder on my iPhone was a big part of that. I take screenshots with the same intention as when I save bookmarks: to use it one day. But the same thing always happens: I forget about most of them. Earlier this month, I opened my Screenshots folder and found 75% of them were hikes I wanted to do in BC + places I wanted to travel to. Instead of holding onto those photos, I created a Google spreadsheet and typed all the places in (according to what part of BC + the world they are in). I kept the spreadsheet and deleted the photos! This one might have taken 15 minutes but it was worth it.
Just for fun: If you use Chrome and you want to change what you see whenever you open a new tab in your browser, I highly recommend the Unsplash Instant extension. I used to love Momentum, but prefer Unsplash now because it’s much cleaner. And it will only take seconds to install! :)
Do you have any tips for cleaning up digital clutter on-the-go?
10 Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life in 10 Minutes posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ
0 notes
Text
10 Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life in 10 Minutes
As you know, I’m not usually in the business of writing a lot of how-to type posts. My preference is to share personal stories and lessons I’ve learned – and that is especially true when we’re talking about decluttering. The same way personal finance is personal, what we choose to keep in our homes is extremely personal. I can’t tell you what to get rid of. I don’t know what adds value or what sparks joy for you. I can, however, share some practical tips on how to declutter another aspect of your life: the digital side of things.
In some ways, I think it’s easier to let digital clutter pile up than physical clutter. For starters, it doesn’t cost us (much) money, so we don’t feel bad about it. And since it doesn’t take up any space in our homes, we don’t have to see it when we walk in and out of rooms. In fact, we can choose to ignore it by simply closing our laptops or putting our phones down. However, if you’re someone who spends a lot of time looking at computer or cell phone screens, it will only be a matter of time before the “mess” will stress you out.
While I normally maintain a very clean/streamlined digital life, things got a bit out of control after the dogs died, simply because I stopped bothering. As part of this 30-day shopping ban, I spent some time decluttering and organizing everything, and I realized I have a bit of a system now. I’ve compiled a list of the 10 ways I declutter my digital life on-the-go. Each one usually takes no more than 10 minutes and I typically do this every quarter (if not more often). If it takes you a little longer, that’s ok! At least do the first 10 minutes and get the ball rolling. :)
1. Archive the emails in your inbox.
Open your inbox and get rid of as many emails as you can. Delete the ones you don’t need, archive the ones you want to keep in separate folders and unsubscribe from any lists you don’t want to be on. Don’t worry about the emails you still need to reply to. The goal isn’t to get to inbox zero; it’s to declutter and organize. Consider everything leftover as a to-do list item that you will tackle the next time you open your inbox. And if 10 minutes isn’t enough time for this, still do what you can in that time. It’s better than not doing anything at all!
2. Unfollow retailers on social media.
I used to love following my favourite retailers on social media. It meant I always knew which new products were available and gave me access to all their promotions. Not surprisingly, that also meant I bought a lot of stuff I didn’t need – and never used. I wasted money and potentially created some actual waste, both of which I hate to do. For that reason, I am NOT a fan of following retailers online. If you want to save yourself some money (and some potential physical clutter), open up Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and unfollow all stores.
3. Organize your desktop.
If your desktop screen is a cluttered mess, start the one-folder filing system. Create one folder – the only folder – that will live on your desktop. Name it “Files” or “Projects” or whatever you like. Dump all the files on your desktop into that folder. Step 1 is complete and your desktop is clean. For Step 2, scroll through your files and delete everything you don’t need. And Step 3, create subfolders and organize the files you’re keeping into those. The end result should be a clean desktop with 1 folder on it, which you click on and only see more folders inside.
4. Empty your Documents/Downloads folders on your computer.
One of the reasons I find computers get so cluttered with files is because you can save them pretty much anywhere you want. There are too many options! The three most common places you can save files (on both Macs and PCs) is on your desktop, in your Documents folder and in your Downloads folder. To make things simpler, I’ve committed to only saving things on my desktop. That means I’m constantly emptying the Downloads folder, and I never save anything to Documents. Now that your Desktop is setup better, you can do the same!
5. Delete most of your bookmarks.
I’m not a huge fan of bookmarks. In fact, I think the bookmarks folder in our web browsers is where a lot of links + nice ideas go to die. We save them with good intentions but almost always forget about them. Does that mean I think they are entirely useless? No. I have a few (and I’ll tell you about that next). But my folder is usually filled with a long list of digital clutter. Every few months, I select 90% of them + hit delete. Don’t be afraid to do the same. Google can help you find anything when you really need it!
6. Create a bookmarks folder with the few sites you log into regularly.
As an example, I have a folder of all the banking/investing sites I visit. I find having this folder saves time and energy, especially because I like to delete my browsing history from time-to-time. If you’re someone who forgets passwords often, another option is to sign up for a password manager. I have tried both 1Password and LastPass.
7. Remove unused applications/programs from your computer.
If you’re looking to free up some space on your computer’s hard drive, the easiest thing you can do is remove any applications/programs you’re no longer using. As someone who doesn’t think she downloads new applications very often, I’m always surprised to find I can delete at least one or two when I do this. My rule of thumb is to remove things I haven’t used in 6+ months and/or can’t imagine using anytime soon. Remember to empty the trash after, so you actually free up the space!
8. While you’re at it, remove unused apps from your phone too.
It’s easy! For this one, be realistic about what you actually use and what you think you’d like to use one day. I only keep the apps I actually use. If you’re worried about deleting ones you’ve paid for, remember that payment is attached to your account so you can download them again anytime.
9. Organize the apps on your phone so they fit on one screen.
When you’re done that, spend a few minutes organizing your apps in a way that makes sense for you. Personally, I keep my social media apps in a folder so they are an extra tap away, in an attempt to make it feel like extra work (and perhaps help me spend less time on them). I keep Calm out front and centre, so it’s easy to meditate every day!
10. Go through/delete photos from ONE of the folders on your phone.
I don’t know about Androids, but if you’re an iPhone user, your phone organizes your photos into nearly half-a-dozen separate folders. In some ways, this is great! But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of photos you have on your phone, don’t stress yourself out further by trying to manage all of them – just start by going through/deleting photos from one folder.
At the beginning of my 30-day shopping ban, when I said I had some digital clutter to deal with, the Screenshots folder on my iPhone was a big part of that. I take screenshots with the same intention as when I save bookmarks: to use it one day. But the same thing always happens: I forget about most of them. Earlier this month, I opened my Screenshots folder and found 75% of them were hikes I wanted to do in BC + places I wanted to travel to. Instead of holding onto those photos, I created a Google spreadsheet and typed all the places in (according to what part of BC + the world they are in). I kept the spreadsheet and deleted the photos! This one might have taken 15 minutes but it was worth it.
Just for fun: If you use Chrome and you want to change what you see whenever you open a new tab in your browser, I highly recommend the Unsplash Instant extension. I used to love Momentum, but prefer Unsplash now because it’s much cleaner. And it will only take seconds to install! :)
Do you have any tips for cleaning up digital clutter on-the-go?
10 Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life in 10 Minutes posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ
0 notes