#my shift is at 5:30pm
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jazzums · 1 year ago
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scared of going to bed early (2:31am) bc i might sleep until i absolutely must wake up (5:06pm)
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frostkingoftheapocalypse · 2 months ago
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//.
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postmanlinksbootyshorts · 10 months ago
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new schedule would have me clocking in @ 3pm... i fear unemployment is right around the corner for me
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sesshy380 · 1 year ago
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I am so tired. Was going to push myself another hour in hopes that it would help me get the full nap period I was aiming for, but knowing my luck I'll nap for like an hour then have to struggle to make it to 2am + drive home. It's been a while since I've drank any Monster, but I have a feeling I may need to stop and pick up a few to get through the night.
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mono-dot-jpeg · 7 months ago
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[5:30pm]
a/n; written in four hours with half a brain and nothing but jayvik on the mind. i miss my wives, chat. 😕
[inspired by this beautiful art] [implied to be some kind of modern au]
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there's nothing better than quality time. you love being silly, watching movies or shows, or having a late night session of working at ridiculous hours with your boyfriends. but you love nothing more than the comfort blanket of silence that happens during those moments.
when the sun shines in the living room just after work and your boyfriends finally decide to take a break from working endlessly to improve the world, but not really because they both still exchange journals to check their work. it's absolutely your favorite sight and favorite moment.
and then you join in, and it becomes their favorite moment and sight. you curl up between the two, the feeling of viktor's naturally cold skin, and jayce's space heater warmth is unbeatable.
the silence feels like home. the gentle breathing and quiet murmurs of their love for you and each other is a calming balm after a tiring day. sometimes they would really mutter more about their latest work but you never minded.
viktor somehow becomes your pillow as they finally pull their eyes away from their annotated journals and look to you. jayce's warmth leaves to get started on dinner. viktor's protective embrace engulfs you with his body against your back as you've shifted around enough to be in his lap. viktor was somehow more of the big spoon than anyone would expect. his head rests on your shoulders, cheek to cheek as he's still locked in on jayce's journal, annotating his latest findings.
the moment is good but it's even better when jayce comes back to join in on the couch. his gentle yet cheerful behavior warms the room as he gives you and viktor the affection he's been waiting to give all day. his voice as sweet as the sweetmilk that viktor loves so much while he leaves no room for insecurity to reach your minds, kissing nearly every part of your face and viktor's.
the melody of laughter is intoxicating, the world seems to disappear as you do nothing but bask in the love that surrounds and fills you.
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glowettee · 5 months ago
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hi mindy!!! hope you’re doing well angel <3 i’ve been loving your different school-related blog posts & series’! 💓💓
idk if you’ve covered this topic before, but if you haven’t, how do you deal with academic burn out or what helps you get out of burn out episodes?
lots of love!!
faustina 🌷
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୨♡୧ how to deal with academic burnout | guide by mindy ୨♡୧
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hiiiii faustina ♡ @milkoomi
thank you for your sweet message, angel! i'm so touched that you've been enjoying my content. i absolutely love the content you've been posting!!!! your question about academic burnout is so important, and i want to share my personal experience and tips that have helped me through those challenging times. this post will be a bit lengthy, since it's an important topic and i want to give you the best answer to your question possible!! <333 thank you so much for asking this faustina, hopefully this post can help you!
⋆。°✩ understanding academic burnout ⋆。°✩
first, let's acknowledge that burnout is completely normal and valid. it's your mind and body telling you that something needs to change. i've been there multiple times, especially during exam seasons, and i've learned that recognizing the signs early is crucial.
signs i've noticed in my journey:
↳ feeling disconnected from your studies ↳ overwhelming exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix ↳ losing interest in subjects you usually love ↳ difficulty concentrating on simple tasks ↳ emotional sensitivity about academics ↳ physical symptoms like headaches or tension
⋆。°✩ immediate steps for relief ⋆。°✩
when i feel burnout creeping in, these are my go-to immediate actions:
gentle reset ritual: ↳ close all study materials (put everything away, close tabs) ↳ make a cup of chamomile tea (or any tea) ↳ step outside for fresh air (even just 5 minutes) ↳ put on soft instrumental music or a calm playlist ↳ light a lavender candle
physical reset: ↳ take a warm shower ↳ change into cozy clothes ↳ do light stretches ↳ practice deep breathing ↳ give yourself a facial massage
⋆。°✩ long-term healing strategies ⋆。°✩
here's my detailed approach to recovering from burnout:
schedule reformation: ↳ implement a "sunset time" for studying ↳ create designated rest days ↳ break study sessions into 25-minute chunks ↳ schedule joy breaks between subjects ↳ use time blocking instead of to-do lists
environment refresh: ↳ rearrange your study space ↳ declutter desk and materials ↳ bring in plants or fresh flowers ↳ change your study location occasionally ↳ create a cozy corner for breaks
mindset shifts: ↳ replace "i must" with "i choose to" ↳ celebrate small progress ↳ practice self-compassion ↳ set realistic expectations ↳ remember grades don't define worth
⋆。°✩ my secret recovery techniques ⋆。°✩
these are some personal methods i've developed:
the "joy subject" method: ↳ study one subject you genuinely enjoy ↳ approach it with curiosity, not pressure ↳ use creative study methods ↳ connect it to your personal interests ↳ share what you learn with others
the "aesthetic reset": ↳ create a new study playlist ↳ buy one special stationery item ↳ write notes in a different style ↳ change your study spot aesthetics ↳ start a fresh notebook
the "gentle productivity" approach: ↳ focus on learning, not achieving ↳ use the "just 5 minutes" rule ↳ incorporate movement between tasks ↳ practice mindful studying ↳ reward small accomplishments
⋆。°✩ preventive measures ⋆。°✩
to prevent future burnout:
daily practices: ↳ morning journaling ↳ evening reflection ↳ regular movement breaks ↳ nature connection time ↳ social connection
weekly rituals: ↳ sunday planning sessions ↳ midweek check-ins ↳ study-free evenings ↳ creative hobby time ↳ self-care dates
schedule reformation (detailed breakdown):
implement a "sunset time" for studying: create a strict cut-off time for academic work, ideally 2-3 hours before bed. i personally stop at 7:30pm, allowing my mind to fully disconnect. this creates a gentle boundary between study time and rest time, helping your brain develop a natural rhythm.
designated rest days: choose specific days (i recommend wednesdays and sundays) where studying is completely off-limits. use these days for hobby exploration, friend dates, or simply existing without academic pressure. treat these as non-negotiable appointments with yourself.
25-minute study chunks: this isn't just regular pomodoro - i recommend theming each chunk (like "active recall," "concept mapping," or "question creation") and using different colored lights or scents for each theme. this helps your brain compartmentalize different types of learning.
joy breaks between subjects: schedule 10-15 minute "joy snippets" between different subjects. during these breaks, do something that brings pure happiness - dance to one song, water your plants, draw a tiny doodle, or write one page in your journal. these act as palate cleansers for your brain.
time blocking vs. to-do lists: instead of overwhelming lists, create time "containers" for different activities. color-code these blocks and leave intentional buffer zones between them. i use a special system: pink blocks for challenging subjects, blue for review, and lavender for creative work. i recommend using notion calendar or google calendar if you prefer digital planning.
environment refresh (expanded guide):
rearrange study space: shift your desk position according to natural light patterns. create different zones for different activities - a reading nook, a writing station, and a review corner. this helps your brain associate specific spaces with specific tasks.
declutter with intention: sort materials by energy level required - keep high-energy tasks at eye level, calming activities in lower drawers. use the "touch it once" rule: every item should have a designated home. implement a "one in, one out" policy for study materials.
living elements: choose plants that purify air (like snake plants or peace lilies). position them at your periphery vision points. bonus tip: name your plants and talk to them about what you're studying - it sounds silly but it helps with information retention!
location rotation: map out 5-7 different study spots with different energy levels. libraries for deep focus, cafes for light review, parks for creative thinking. rotate through them based on your energy levels and study needs. this is so fun!!! i imagine i live in stars hollow when i do this <333
cozy corner creation: design a specific "burnout recovery station" with comfort items: soft blankets, inspiration cards, comfort snacks, and a gratitude journal. this becomes your safe space when overwhelm hits.
mindset shifts (detailed approach):
language transformation: create a personal dictionary replacing pressure words with gentle alternatives. instead of "deadline" use "timeline," instead of "must complete" use "choose to explore." keep this list visible during study sessions.
progress celebration ritual: end each study session by writing one small win on a pretty note card. collect these in a "victory jar." when burnout hits, reading through these becomes a powerful reminder of your capability.
self-compassion practice: develop a "study self-care menu" with different options for different situations. categorize them by time needed: 5-minute resets, 15-minute refreshers, and 30-minute renewals. include both active and passive options.
expectation recalibration: use the "reality check journal" method - write down your expectations, then create three different versions: ideal scenario, acceptable outcome, and minimum viable progress. this helps break perfectionist patterns.
grade perspective shift: create a "whole life pie chart" showing all aspects of your identity beyond academics. update this monthly to maintain perspective. keep it visible during study sessions as a reminder of your multi-faceted existence.
⋆。°✩ advanced burnout prevention toolkit ⋆。°✩
emotional regulation techniques: ↳ create a "feelings first" check-in system ↳ develop personal stress signals recognition ↳ implement energy tracking methods ↳ practice boundary setting scripts ↳ maintain an academic emotion diary
physical wellbeing integration: ↳ design movement + snack breaks between studies ↳ create subject-specific stretching routines ↳ implement desk yoga sequences ↳ practice eye strain prevention exercises ↳ develop study-friendly hydration systems
social support cultivation: ↳ build a study buddy network ↳ create accountability partnerships ↳ schedule regular check-in calls ↳ join study-focused communities ↳ develop support circle protocols
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academic burnout isn't a reflection of your capabilities or worth. it's simply a sign that you need to adjust your approach and care for yourself differently. take these suggestions slowly, implementing what feels right for you.
sending you the gentlest hugs and healing energy. remember that this phase will pass, and you'll emerge stronger and wiser. feel free to message me anytime if you need more specific advice or just want to talk.
with warmth and care, mindy ♡
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fellominaarcher · 4 months ago
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GOT MARRIED - KARINA X IDOL!FEMREADER
13. Finale; Redamancy 2.
chapters || prev. || special chapter
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The Sareureuk Gala - 5:30PM
Aespa’s sleek black limousine rolled to a stop at the venue’s grand entrance, its polished surface reflecting the dazzling city lights. The moment the door cracked open, a wave of flashing cameras erupted, lighting up the night sky like a meteor shower.
Dressed in breathtaking gowns tailored to perfection, each member stepped out with the effortless grace of seasoned superstars. Their assistants moved swiftly, adjusting trains, smoothing fabrics, and ensuring not a single hair was out of place.
Karina led the way in a Balmain backless dress, midnight blue with silver embroidery that mimicked constellations wrapping around her figure. Her long dark hair perfectly framing her beautiful face, there were glitters present on her hair, and her diamond earrings caught the light just enough to blind anyone.
Winter followed in a sleek Givenchy gown, a mix of white and icy silver, reminiscent of a shooting star streaking across the sky. She gave a tiny wave to the cameras but blinked rapidly against the aggressive flashes. “Oh my God, do these cameras have a stun setting or what?” she muttered under her breath.
Giselle, ever the cool girl, rocked a custom Alexander McQueen number — a structured black dress with shimmering silver celestial patterns, paired with sheer gloves that added a touch of mystery. She smirked at the cameras, tilting her head just enough to give her best ‘effortlessly cool’ look.
Ningning, the youngest, was draped in a breathtaking Elie Saab gown, ethereal in shades of lilac and soft blue. With her hair styled in loose waves and soft pearl accessories, she looked like she had just stepped out of a fantasy drama. She waved enthusiastically to the crowd, soaking in the attention.
A suited man gestured for them to proceed down the red carpet, leading them to the interview station. The interviewer, a polished woman in a dazzling navy gown, greeted them with a bright smile.
“Ladies, welcome to the Sareureuk Gala! You all look absolutely stunning. How are you feeling tonight?”
Winter, still slightly dazed from the camera flashes, answered first. “Like I just walked through an explosion of lightning bolts, but in a very glamorous way.” She replied to the interviewer while giggling at the whole experience.
The interviewer chuckled. “Well, you all certainly look like celestial beings. The theme really suits you.” She complimented the girls.
The members all smiled, nodding in agreement.
“Now, Aespa is no stranger to events like this, but is there anything or anyone you’re looking forward to the most tonight?”
Ningning leaned into her mic first. “The food. No hesitation.” The maknae glanced at the camera for a few times, smiling from ear to ear.
Giselle nodded. “Yeah, I second that.” Agreeing with Ningning's tonight's intention.
Karina smirked. “The performances will be great, I’m sure.”
Winter added, “I’m looking forward to seeing all the pretty outfits. This is basically Met Gala: K-Pop Edition.” She gave a small nod of her head to the camera.
The interviewer laughed. “Absolutely! Now, Karina—” she suddenly leaned in, her tone shifting slightly, as if she was about to drop a bomb. “I’m sure you know that Daydream is also attending tonight. What do you think about that?”
A murmur rippled through the nearby press members. The question was a curveball, and everyone knew it. The cameras zoomed in, waiting for a reaction. The crowd hushed slightly, leaning in.
Karina blinked, her expression unreadable for a moment, before tilting her head slightly, feigning the perfect mix of mild confusion and innocence.
“Umm… okay?” she said slowly, blinking again as if she had just been asked the most irrelevant question of the night.
The interviewer pressed on. “Any thoughts on them being here?” A part of it because some nosy press requested her to ask this specific question.
Karina smiled, her tone polite, measured. “Honestly, I’m happy that they’re here. We don’t have that much relation anymore, so I’d appreciate it if everyone could stop dragging my name around with hers.” And then, like she had been waiting for the perfect moment, she added, “What we had on We Got Married was bittersweet and simply the best of my life.”
Simple. Neutral. Yet lethal.
The mention of hers — Jang Y/N of Daydream — landed like a meteor impact.
A moment of silence. Then, all at once: Cameras raised. Microphones pushed closer. Murmurs turned into gasps. The press, fans, and even some fellow attendees felt the ground shake metaphorically.
The interviewer, momentarily caught off guard, nodded with a polite “Of course, understood.” But the damage was done. This statement was going to break the internet.
Aespa’s manager subtly signaled for them to wrap up, and the members were smoothly escorted away. As they stepped onto the other section of the red carpet of the gala, the buzz around them was immediate.
Giselle grinned. “Karina just gave Dispatch a month’s worth of headlines.” The night had only just begun, but one thing was certain, this moment was about to go viral.
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@kpopnewz: BREAKING — Karina of Aespa just shut down all rumors regarding her connection with Jang Y/N of Daydream at the K-Muse Gala 2025. “We don’t have that much relation anymore, so I’d appreciate it if everyone could stop dragging my name around with hers.” But then she ADDED—“What we had on We Got Married was bittersweet and simply the best of my life.” Fans are LOSING IT. #Karina #Aespa #SareureukGala #Y/N #Daydream
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@aespa4everr: Wait, WAIT! DID SHE JUST HARD LAUNCH A DISMISSAL???
@daydreemlefttoes: I have never seen someone so politely set fire to an entire ship before.
@kwangya_insider: This is NOT how I expected the gala to go. But also… why do I feel like there’s more to this? 🤨🤨
@y/n_cvmdvmp: Oh we are SO BACK.
@hearts4jimin: So you’re telling me I should be worried AND hopeful at the same time?????
@rina_y/niee_child: KARINA, WHO ALLOWED YOU TO BE SO POLITE WHILE ENDING US???
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Inside the Sareureuk Gala
Right on cue, Aespa and Daydream stepped onto the grand staircase for their final pose before heading inside. The moment both groups stood together, a tidal wave of cheers and screams erupted from the crowd.
Even after Karina’s statement earlier, the energy was electric — fans were losing their minds over their faves being on the same steps.
We Got Married had its perks, but its disadvantages were just as relentless. No matter where Karina and Y/N went, their names were always linked together, their past impossible to escape.
Maybe there was more to the story. Maybe not. But for now, Karina — Yoo Jimin herself — had shut down the speculation, and that was that.
A suited staff member gestured for Aespa to head inside, and they gracefully followed his lead through the towering double doors of the grand hall. The doors shut behind them with a soft but definitive thud, leaving Daydream still outside, braving the flashing cameras and screaming questions.
Reporters weren’t holding back:
“Daydream, look over here!”
“Y/N, was that true?!”
“Yurim, you look stunning tonight!”
“Hayeon! Over here!”
“Y/N! Y/N! You weren’t dating Karina at all?!”
Despite the media chaos, Daydream kept their composure, waving politely before a Gala staff member signaled them forward.
It was their turn to enter.
This was Daydream’s first-ever high-profile gala. Their first time stepping into a world where entertainment, fashion, and business royalty mingled in one extravagant setting.
And unlike the red carpet, there were no cameras inside.
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The Grand Hall - Fashion Exhibit
The first part of the evening was dedicated to a fashion exhibit, showcasing high-end brands alongside standout local designers.
From the mezzanine balcony, guests in couture gowns and tailored suits watched as celebrities strolled through the exhibit, admiring the artistry of the pieces displayed in glass cases, a necessary precaution against wandering hands.
Aespa and Daydream, though not interacting, were not far apart in the exhibit. The two groups were separated only by BIBI and Chungha, who were partners for the night.
Y/N’s eyes flickered toward Karina.
She wasn’t even being subtle about it.
No matter how much she tried to focus on the dazzling gowns and meticulously crafted suits, her gaze kept gravitating back to Aespa’s leader.
She could admit it — this was one of her favorite looks on Karina.
The backless Balmain dress. The way the fabric shimmered under the warm glow of the chandeliers. The diamond earrings.
Karina looked... beautiful.
Her fingers twitched against the fabric of her dress as an idea formed in her mind.
What if she just walked up to Karina right now and said it?
What if she, in the middle of this gala, just casually strolled over and told Karina, "Hey, you look really pretty tonight." Wearing a confident smirk on her face and how the light focused on both of them.
Y/N imagined it.
She’d walk up confidently, a relaxed smile on her face. The kind that said she had zero ulterior motives. Just a normal compliment from one idol to another. No big deal.
Karina would blink at her, processing the words. Then Ningning, blinking too, would turn to Winter, who would turn to Giselle, who would turn back to Karina.
The silence would be deafening.
Karina, after a solid three seconds of staring, would tilt her head and go, “…Okay?”
Y/N imagined turning slightly, just to check how her own members were reacting — only to find Yurim looking absolutely mortified, Hayeon with her hands covering her face, and Soojin visibly pretending she didn’t know her. The same goes for the other three members.
Even BIBI and Chungha would be giving her side-eyes of concern.
The imaginary scene crashed to a humiliating halt when reality snapped back—
“Oh, you have a busy pair of eyes, buddy.”
Y/N jumped slightly, blinking back into the present moment. Yurim had stepped beside her, smirking.
“…What?” Y/N asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
Yurim raised an eyebrow. “What’s got you so interested? The gowns? The lights? Or something or someone a little shinier?” Yurim's voice raised a pitch and she's already teasing the poor girl.
Y/N, visibly thrown off, cleared her throat. “This place has pretty lights. I love lights, remember?” she replied smoothly, her deflection almost too perfect.
It wasn’t even a lie. Y/N genuinely loved pretty lights.
That was one of the reasons she’d always wanted to visit Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Chongqing’s night districts — the dazzling neon signs, the city skylines, the glow of the streets at midnight.
Yurim let out a quiet snort. “Right. Lights.” Almost rolling her eyes at Y/N's answer.
Then, with a mischievous grin, she added, “You love lights so much that your entire room looks like a discount planetarium. The fairy lights, the fifteen sleep lights, and oh, let’s not forget, the ring with a tiny flashlight that you bought just because ‘it’s useful.’” Yurim reminded Y/N of her lights collection.
Y/N groaned. “It is useful.” She retorted immediately and defended her random interest.
“Sure, buddy,” Yurim patted her back dramatically. “And I’m sure this gala has the most fascinating lights you’ve ever seen. Totally why you’re so distracted.” The Daydream leader teased Y/N once again.
Y/N rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Because, yeah. The lights were beautiful. But Karina? Karina looked otherworldly.
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Gala Dinner & Performances
The grand hall transitioned into the dinner and performances segment of the night. Guests settled at their assigned tables, where a multi-course meal would be served while top-tier artists performed on stage.
Coincidentally. Again.
Daydream and Aespa’s tables were right next to each other.
It wasn’t the worst thing ever, but it certainly wasn’t great — especially not for Y/N, who now had a direct line of sight to Karina. The cross-facing (if that’s even a word) was real. Y/N was directly opposite Yoo Jimin.
Karina, for some reason, was always perfectly within view no matter where Y/N looked. She could try to focus on her wine glass, the cutlery, or even the table centerpiece, but somehow, Karina’s stupidly elegant existence was still right there.
Meanwhile, Aespa was sharing their table with models and high-profile public figures. Their group of ten sat in refined poise as servers poured chilled apple juice into their crystal glasses — a silent cue that the first course was about to be served.
A familiar voice filled the venue as the stage lights dimmed, then focused on the main stage.
D.O. stepped into the spotlight.
The audience quieted, their attention shifting to the celebrated vocalist as he opened his performance with his song, "Somebody."
Over at Aespa’s table, Giselle, Uchinaga Aeri herself, subtly nudged Karina with her elbow.
Then, with a small, amused smirk, she leaned in and muttered, “We’re so lucky fans aren’t allowed in here, or they’d be recording every single second of this and turning it into ‘evidence’ of you and Y/N dating.” Yes, those annoying videos on YouTube about the littlest of interaction that will be evidence or any photos idol post on their socials.
Karina, deadpan, took a slow sip of her apple juice. Then, with perfect comedic timing, she replied:
“…We Got Married Season 2 incoming.”
Giselle choked on nothing.
Ningning, who had been listening in, leaned forward with an entertained grin. “Honestly, at this point, they should just hand you two an award for Best Situationship.” The main vocalist chimed in to joke about the whole situation too.
Karina sighed. “It’s not a situationship if there’s no —” She paused, waving her hand vaguely, “situation.”
Ningning quirked a brow. “Uh-huh. Sure.” She gave the Aespa leader a good 2 seconds look of judging her answer.
The teasing continued for a bit before they moved on to their meals, their conversation naturally shifting to other topics.
But somewhere in the middle of listening to Ningning rant about a recent fashion scandal, Karina’s eyes betrayed her.
She snuck a glance at Y/N.
Over at the next table, Y/N and the Daydream members were engaged in polite conversation with their sunbaes — Rosé, a few actors, and well-known figures in the industry.
Y/N, in particular, seemed comfortable catching up with Rosé, nodding along to whatever the BLACKPINK vocalist was saying.
Karina felt her lips twitch, the beginnings of a smile creeping up.
And then—
The lead vocalist snuck a glance towards Karina's direction and Y/N let out a small, barely-contained laugh.
It was soft, but Karina caught it immediately.
A slow blink. Then a raised brow.
Without hesitation, Karina gestured toward Y/N before mouthing silently:
"What? Keep it to yourself, dumbo."
Y/N immediately bit down on her smile, but her amusement was already written all over her face. Instead of responding, she turned away, fixing her expression into one of pure neutrality before leaning toward Soojin, one of her members.
“Anyway,” Y/N said, in a very forced casual tone, “did you see that one dress in the exhibit earlier? The one with the, uh, the sparkly details?” She even tilted her head a little speaking to Soojin.
Soojin gave her a long, knowing stare. Y/N pretended she didn’t see it.
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A few minutes later...
By now, the first course had been served and enjoyed, light snacks and refreshing drinks keeping the guests entertained as the gala smoothly progressed.
As staff prepared the next meal, another performance was introduced.
D.O. took the stage again.
This time, the music was different. Slower. Nostalgic. A few murmurs rippled across the tables as the opening chords of a classic R&B song filled the venue.
“End of the Road” by Boyz II Men.
The moment D.O. started singing, the entire hall seemed to pause.
"Although we've come to the end of the road
Still I can't let go
It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you…"
And just like that, the atmosphere shifted. For a song that had nothing to do with them, it sure felt painfully relevant.
Y/N, who had been chatting with Rosé a second ago, suddenly wasn't chatting anymore. Her fingers lightly traced the rim of her glass, and her gaze, like a reflex, drifted across the table.
Right back to Karina.
Karina, despite her earlier resolve to focus on anything but Y/N, was also glancing back at the exact same moment.
Their eyes met.
A split second. Nothing. And yet, it felt like everything. The song played on.
Neither of them looked away immediately. Y/N swallowed. Karina’s fingers tightened around her glass.
Then—
A loud snicker.
It was Ningning. "Not you two making this song your background music," Ningning teased, entirely shameless.
Karina sighed, exasperated but caught.
Giselle, being just as insufferable, leaned in. "Oh, I don't know, Jimin. Seems kinda unnatural." The Japanese girl seemed so content to tease her friend about it too.
Winter gasped dramatically. "You belong to me, I belong to you…" She perfectly sang-whispered that one particular part in the song with a hand on her chest.
Karina shot them all a look. "I hope your desserts come out half-melted," she muttered, reaching for her juice.
Ningning, unimpressed, shrugged. "And yet that won’t change the fact that you two just had a moment." She wiggled her brows with a sly smile playing on her lips.
Karina exhaled sharply and looked away, trying to focus on anything else. Unfortunately, “anything else” just so happened to be Y/N, who was also trying very hard to act normal.
She was nodding along to whatever Soojin was saying — but Karina saw the way her lips kept pressing together, like she was fighting off a grin.
Somewhere across the room, D.O. kept singing.
"You belong to me, I belong to you…"
And the wandering glances never really stopped.
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Hours Later – The Gala’s Grand Ending
The night was coming to a close.
The tall, grand doors of the venue swung open, signaling the official end of the event. Outside, the chaos was waiting.
A sea of media outlets, flashing cameras, and eager fans had been stationed there for hours, braving the night just to catch glimpses of their favorite celebrities.
Two seconds after the doors opened — boom.
A flood of A-list Korean actors, top-tier idols, renowned soloists, influencers, and power figures in the industry began stepping out into the spotlight.
Cameras raised. Flashes blinding. Reporters shouting over one another.
“Kim Taeri, can we get a quick interview?”
“Won Bin, it’s been years! Where have you been?!”
“Please look here!”
“One pose for the cameras, please!”
“Can we get an interview?”
The gala might have ended inside, but outside? It was only getting started.
Back Inside
Aespa was still inside, making their way toward the exit with their assistants trailing behind, adjusting their long gowns to keep them from dragging on the floor.
Halfway through the hallway, Jimin suddenly stopped. “You girls go ahead,” she said abruptly, her tone casual but her eyes flickered back toward the dining area. “I left something at our table.”
Aeri, Minjeong, and Yizhuo exchanged glances.
A beat.
Then Minjeong squinted. Suspicious. “Uh-huh. Come back quickly,” she responded, but she didn’t push.
Jimin simply nodded before spinning on her heels, heading back without another word. The Aespa members watched her retreating figure, their gazes filled with silent, knowing amusement.
Then — Daydream walked past them, also on their way out. Except there were only six of them. Where’s the seventh?
Before anyone could voice the question, Aespa was ushered forward, their presence requested for media interviews and photo ops.
Outside. Back at the red carpet.
At the Red Carpet
Aeri, Minjeong, and Yizhuo — now outside — decided to drift over to the Daydream girls.
“It’s been a while.”
That was the excuse they went with.
But really, the last time they’d properly interacted was during the filming of We Got Married and they all knew that was messy history.
As they stood there, a camera or twenty zoomed in on the rare girl group interaction. Fans were silently losing their minds behind their screens, already clipping moments to post online.
But something felt… off.
Each group was missing a member. The thought barely settled before it happened.
The air changed. A sudden eruption of screams. Cameras immediately snapped toward the venue’s entrance.
The members of both groups instinctively turned, eyes widening at the sight that greeted them.
Some of their mouths fell open.
Walking out of the grand hall, hand in hand, were Karina of Aespa — Yoo Jimin — and Y/N of Daydream.
Smiling. At the crowd. At the cameras. At each other. Their interlocked hands were firm but natural. A flicker of anxiety danced across their faces, but it was masked well beneath their poised expressions.
The media lost its mind.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
A wave of photos snapped in an instant. And not just that, the whole thing was being live-streamed. And comments? Flooding in at lightspeed.
──────────────────────
Live Stream Comments
[@STAYsmashARMY]: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BREATHE RN??????
[@ChoiYeonjun’sEyebrow]: NAH THIS IS SO UNREAL LMAO I CAN’T.
[@Ningning’sTeaSpill]: NINGNING PLEASE SAY SOMETHING I KNOW YOU’RE DYING TO COMMENT ON THIS.
[@Winter’sLeftShoe]: THEIR HANDS. INTERLOCKED. HELD. INTERTWINED. CONNECTED. PHYSICALLY.
[@kpopstan_99]: NAURRR DIDN’T SHE HARD-LAUNCH DENIAL A FEW HOURS AGO??
[@karina_y/n_cult]: I CAN’T BREATHE. HOLDING HANDS?? IN THIS ECONOMY??
[@winterbabyyy]: THE OTHER MEMBERS’ FACES LMFAO Aeri is internally SCREAMING
[@jaewookkarinanation]: I am DISAPPOINTED. Karina should’ve been with Lee Jaewook instead :/
[@smentmessupdate]: We need SM’s press team to wake up immediately before the whole company burns down.
[@kwangya_insider]: seeee I told y'all that there's more to this whole thing!!
──────────────────────
So… Didn’t Karina just shut down their dating rumors a few hours ago?
Yes. Yes, she did. So then… what was this? Well, both Y/N and Jimin would like to call it, planned.
A messy, risky, wickedly satisfying plan.
Jimin had no regrets. If she was going to do something crazy, she’d do it right. Y/N, mildly overwhelmed, glanced at her.
Jimin gave her hand a firm squeeze, a silent cue that said—
"Let’s give them something real to talk about."
And so they did. Right there, in front of everyone. The night had just become legendary.
The moment Y/N and Jimin walked further forward, positioning themselves in full view of the crowd, the energy shifted entirely.
The Aespa and Daydream members were still processing what was happening, their wide eyes tracking the couple’s every movement.
Aeri, arms crossed, gave a knowing nod, thumb resting against her chin like a detective. “Knew it.” She squinted. “They’ve been looking suspicious as hell recently.”
Minjeong, still in shock, turned to her. “Why didn’t you tell us then?!” While raising a brow close to her hairline.
“I wanted to see how long they could keep up the act, duh.” Aeri flicked her hair over her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Yizhuo, forever the savage maknae, arched a brow and smirked. “Damn. All that denying just for a ‘We Got Married’ re-run in real life. SM gotta be shaking right now.” She always had something good to say.
Minjeong gave her a look. "You literally just screamed when they walked out holding hands." The lead vocalist of Aespa pointed out her previous antics.
"Okay, but that was for dramatic effect." Ning Yizhuo countered back and she raised both hands up, mouthing, "Hashtag, guilty."
Meanwhile, Yurim and Dajeong of Daydream had fully frozen in place, their disbelief evident. Yurim’s knees even wobbled, prompting Dajeong to grab her arm.
But the real moment, the one that would rewrite K-pop history was about to unfold.
Jimin took a deep breath, then turned to Y/N, eyes filled with something undeniably real. Her hand slid to the back of Y/N’s neck.
And then—
She leaned in and kissed her.
Right there. In front of everyone. A wordless announcement. A statement bolder than any press release. The screams that followed rattled the venue.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Every camera in the area went off at once, catching the moment that would go down in history.
Jimin and Y/N could faintly hear their members losing their minds in the background.
Yurim? Looked like she might faint. Dajeong? Mouth wide open. Aeri? Screaming internally. Minjeong? Still buffering.
And Yizhuo?
"They better not break up, or this reveal will be embarrassing as hell—"
Minjeong slapped a hand over her mouth before she could finish. "Alright, alright, we get it. Just let the girl have her moment, Ning." Minjeong nodded her head and tamed the maknae down.
But there was no stopping this now.
The Aespa and Daydream members watched in absolute shock as Jimin and Y/N broke the kiss, turning to face the media like they hadn’t just shaken the entire industry to its core.
Y/N’s hand instinctively found Jimin’s again, fingers intertwining effortlessly.
And just like that, K-pop had its new ‘IT’ couple.
The press, recovering from their shock, immediately pounced. Reporters rushed forward, their voices overlapping.
“Karina, didn’t you just deny these rumors earlier?! What happened?!”
The Aespa and Daydream managers were already on alert, positioning themselves between the girls and the reporters.
Jimin, ever the composed one, cleared her throat, putting on a casual smile. “No reason,” she replied smoothly. “It was all part of the act. The only mistake was that Y/N couldn’t keep her composure.” She shot a playful glance at Y/N, who snorted.
The reporters, not missing a beat, threw another question.
“How long have you two been together?”
Without hesitation—
"It's been a month!" Y/N yelled as she tugged Jimin forward, the two of them power-walking away from the press with their fingers still locked together.
This was the plan all along — to deny, deny, deny, then hard launch at the biggest industry event of the year.
And it worked.
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essycogany · 2 months ago
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What Kind Of Love 2.0
BOUNOS Short Fic Part 1 💙🩷
Riverside Village - 5:30pm.
When the sun hit its high point, Sonic knew it was time to take Amy to the train station. He paused for a second to appreciate the sturdy palm tree that had been his comfy hangout spot. With a smile, he jumped off the branch, feeling the adrenaline rush as he flew through the air. When he came down, he pulled off a drop dash and landed on the pavement. The lively sounds of the villagers filled his ears, and he could sense the evening buzz wrapping around him.
Amy’s trips usually lasted 3 to 4 months, sometimes more, depending on the destination. It was apparent that her work for charity and the orphanage required forbearance, and she couldn't contribute without it. Amy decided to go on another one, and he offered to come with her to make sure she got there on time.
As Sonic zoomed by, he hurried past all the familiar sights, not really paying attention to any of them. He had way more important stuff on his mind, like getting through the tight feeling in his chest.
Amy’s Apartment - 5:32pm
At the front door, Sonic stared at the tall building above him. He was going to miss the yellow glow through the inviting windows. Past the tower, the sun’s rays shined on him like a spotlight, but all Sonic noticed was how low it started setting.
“You’re late,” Sonic announced, not bothering to knock. His voice was a combination of playfulness and annoyance. “Don’t tell me you're still getting your beauty sleep. I thought we agreed on 0 delays.”
BUMP! “OW! Ugh! Sonic, is that you,” asked the voice heard through the windows.
“No, it’s the mailman.”
“You’re early!”
“What? No greeting? Kinda rude, don't ya think?”
“It’s not even 6 yet!”
Sonic swiped his nose. “Exactly! You need to hurry up, so we can get there early.”
“You’re taking me to the train station, remember? Anyways, why are you outside? The door is open! We've got work to do!”
Sonic rolled his eyes and lurched into the apartment, arms crossed. The building appeared less organized than usual due to having stuff scattered throughout the living room. It took Sonic no time to find Amy in the kitchen, washing the dishes. She looked comfortable in her dark pink T-shirt and a magenta-colored jacket. Though her pants were a bit long and almost hid her shoes, she nearly stumbled when she spotted Sonic. He teleported to the kitchen wall, taking the opportunity to greet Amy with his snappy reflexes, and caught her in his arms. He grinned down at her with a chuckle.
“You think those pants are a bit long, Ms. Rose,” he joked in an octave lower than normal.
Amy blushed and shoved his face away, pushing him aside. “Get my case from upstairs,” she snorted.
“You’re no fun.”
In a flash, Sonic burst into her room. No more than a second later, he emerged carrying a hefty load of bags, effortlessly raising them like weights.
“Do you really gotta clean up now?”
“Sonic, you’re the one who asked to come with me this time- hey put those down!” Amy slammed her foot like an exasperated parent. Sonic emitted a reluctant, childish groan but he obeyed. As he moved, Amy examined him closely. Most would've noticed nothing aside from Tails or maybe Knuckles. However, after years of intuition, Amy believed his essence had shifted; something about him was different.
“Uh, are you with me,” Sonic asked in concern. “By 6:20 the train won't be waiting for you.”
Amy looked at her clock. 5:39pm. “Oh, here!” Ignoring her skepticism, she hastily offered him a duster. “With you around, cleaning should be done in 5 minutes.”
“You got it, Rosie!”
“Rosie? Really?”
Sonic already left before she finished her remark. He cracked the door and yelled from the top of her apartment, “Like you said, we've got work to do! And the longer you take, the more nicknames you get, so let’s roll!”
Train Station - 5:59pm
The hedgehogs stood under circular lights around the cave-like construction at the resistance HQ. A few of their workers waved them goodbye, going to their homes for an early vacation. The resistance residents worked profusely, so their backup crew had to manage for the rest of the year. It was why Amy wanted to go off on her own. Luckily if trouble ever evolved she'd be the first to return. Sonic knew that, but it didn't change the bizarre squeeze in his chest which started to crawl around his stomach. Maybe he should've finished napping.
Like clockwork, Amy noticed Sonic playing with one of her trinkets, and the operation “easing his uneasiness” was a go. “The train is almost here. I can't wait to visit the orphanage,” she said, filling in the silence. “Don’t start anything too wild before I get back.”
Sonic found a reason to put her trinket away and laughed. “C’mon, Amy. I haven't even done anything yet.
Amy giggled. “Well, if you do, don't forget to write. I'll be there to save you.”
Sonic responded with a knowing smile, but his attention drifted to the couple close to them. They were both gathering their bags and heading towards the train tracks. Sonic felt another rigid squeeze from his stomach. Man, maybe he needed a vacation.
“So, you’re off again, and don't bother including me.” He turned his back to her but glanced to make sure Amy was watching.
“Ha! What are you grumbling about? You go out of town all the time.”
“That’s not fair. You almost never come back…”
The weight of their pause resonated through the entire station. Sonic didn't notice how abruptly he turned around. His voice, though it came out as playful, betrayed him. There was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, revealing something he worked hard to avoid.
“Sonic…”
When Amy spoke, he immediately recognized his mistake and faced the wall. She studied him from the side, determined to decipher his emotions. She bit her lip for a moment, analyzing her options.
“You have nothing to worry about,” she said hurriedly, noticing how the clock above the station read 6:10. The sound of the train carried several miles away from them.
“Huh? No, it’s fine, Ames. I was just-”
Amy gripped his hands into hers, holding them to her heart. “Did you forget how much I love you? You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Sonic felt a shock when he heard the L word. His foot began to tap eagerly on the floor, arms crossed with a restless finger drumming against his shoulder. He could almost feel the impending blast of Amy’s train horn coursing through him, sending shivers down his spine and causing his stomach to twist into a knot. There was an urge in his legs telling him to bail.
Before Sonic could take off, Amy grabbed his face and tilted it up so they could lock eyes. Her bright smile gave him a boost of confidence, easing his anxiousness. Just then, a whistle rang out from behind, and Amy stepped back to grab her bags. She glanced at Sonic, catching that little hint of resignation in his smile, and her concerns about him crept back in.
Without a second thought, Amy dropped her stuff on the ground and pulled Sonic in for a tight hug. Her cheeks pressed against his as she nuzzled him affectionately. Sonic laughed and hugged her back, lifting her off the ground several times. A few passengers shot confused looks at each other, but for Amy and Sonic, it was like the rest of the world disappeared.
Sonic's pain let up a little. It didn’t leave but, Amy's hugs always had a way of making things better.
“Try not to miss me too much. Can’t say it’ll be easy on my end.”
It seemed like this was Amy’s first time going on her own without him. Doing it in front of him felt even tougher. Maybe Sonic thought the same way. She looked at him with a confident grin as she gathered her bags.
“You just be yourself and leave the waiting to me.”
***
This was an expanded story of a line from the first fic. To give it a bit of context.
Sonic has to see Amy off but doesn't want her to go. The funny thing is I thought I'd write Sonic trying to avoid letting her leave, but I think the opposite is more interesting and in character. Another reason that makes this couple so awesome. They're so supportive of each other no matter what.
Hope you liked it!
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lovingapparition · 10 months ago
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If Would Sure Do Me Good (to do you good)
Genre: Angst, Slow Burn, Smalltown American Aesthetics
Pairing: Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x Reader
A retired Simon moves to town. There are vibes.
Light warning for not very subtle sugar daddy implications that will ramp up later on.
AO3 Link
Modern civilization would be all but dead and gone, turned to dust, before this guy stopped talking. He's a regular at this dingy little convenience store, in at exactly 5:15pm Monday through Friday because it's, “just down the road from my job, and on my way home!” he reminds you, over and over as if you could possibly forget after being told for the second time that week. He insists you call him Pat but you never do, he's mostly just this fucking guy in your head. And boy, does this fucking guy love to yap your ears off. 
You blink rapidly, not that he notices, focusing in on his hands. They're dirty, always are, with some weird mystery grime that makes you vaguely queasy when he hands you his warm dollar bills. You think he might be a mechanic, he must have told you at some point, but information like that doesn't really stick during the evening rushes because hello dude there's like ten people behind you- 
Deep breaths. You are taking deep breaths, nodding, and smiling. The guy pauses for a breath, and you pounce. “So your total’s gonna be $13.47, the usual,” with a tight smile, your jaw a little clenched. Across the counter, he hums and digs his wallet out of his pocket. He's still describing something, gesticulating with his free hand before he pulls out a few bills. Through a couple of well-placed hums and nods you manage to focus on counting the proper change from the drawer. He pockets it without recounting his bills, too busy looking right at you as he tells you to, “Have a good night. Stay warm, honey.” 
Ugh. 
At least the next few transactions go quick, other people also getting off work but not as willing to talk your ear off. The weather was too cold for anyone else to feel like idly chatting. Your shift was just beginning, and already you felt worn out. Working evenings into the early hours of the morning wasn't ideal, but a job is a job. You value paying your rent more than seeing the sun or having time to hang out with your friends and family, at the moment. At least your cat was always happy to see you at one in the morning. 
When the first rush eventually slows down, you're able to take what feels like your first real breath since clocking in. You let your mind wander as you wipe the counters down, fill out the daily logs, and stare at the grimy spot on the ceiling that seems to grow inch by inch each time it rains or snows. It's all become a familiar routine, as horrifically boring as it is. You'd listen to a podcast or something in one ear bud if you could, but your phone barely got service inside the old building. A perk of the cheapest phone plan you could find.
The night goes without too much fuss, and when you've tidied the shelves and double-checked that your boss hasn't left any cryptic notes for you to interpret, you find yourself leaning against the counter. There's early 2000’s rock playing softly over the old speakers, and you desperately wish that your boss would give you permission to change it to anything other than 98.8 FM The Rock. 
Against your will you hum along to a Nickelback song as you watch the clock tick its way closer and closer to 9:30pm. Lunch. Also known as the only time you were allowed to lock the store. Your boss doesn't really vibe with the idea of paying two people at a time, so obviously you still had to help customers on your fifteen-minute breaks.
Halfway through the song you step out from behind the counter to go lock the front door. It's dark outside, and the street lamps cast everything in a warm, rusty yellow. The unshoveled and slushy snow looks like crushed gold, mixed with the oil and dirt from the parking lot. Inside, the lights inside Mo’s Mart buzz overhead. Their sickly green cast makes you feel a little ill if you think about it too hard. Looking outside just reminds you of it. You try to not feel disappointed as you trudge back to the counter to sit down for the first time in four and a half hours. 
The stool beneath you is only a little rickety, and you sigh as you lower yourself into it. For lunch you pull a bag of potato chips out of your bag. You'd bought them from the store yesterday and saved half for tonight. At a certain point the frozen burritos and hot pockets stopped being appetizing. This isn't much better, though. The chips are already going a little stale, gumming up in your molars as you chew. 
You're in the middle of digging at the crevices in your teeth with your tongue, zoned completely out as you stare at yesterday's crossword section from a newspaper your boss had left out. To be without. Six letters across and it ends in T. You're tapping your pen against the paper in thought, trying to ignore the urge to check the clock to see how much time you've got left on your break. You know you've got to have at least- 
The locked front door clunking in the frame snatches your attention. You sigh. There are three loud knocks on the glass. You set your pen down. Without a doubt in your mind you know you taped the handwritten, “On break! Back at 10!” sign up at eye level. When you look up and make eye contact with the man out front, this only seems to incense him. You recognize him, a regular who's never really happy about anything. Why he keeps shopping at Mo’s you'll never understand. He shouts something that's muffled through the door, like you're the asshole right now. A quick glance tells you that you've got eight minutes until the inevitably awkward confrontation where you have to let him in. You would rather sink into the tiled floor and never come out. It almost makes the rest of the break not even worth taking.
Almost. 
Trying to quell the unease his presence brings, you stay behind the counter. It's your break, and it's your right to take it without having to worry about some guy who wants his convenience store snacks in the middle of the night.
When you approach the door you try to avoid his eyes, you can practically feel him staring daggers already. As soon as the lock turns in your fingers he's pushing the door open, brushing past you as he haphazardly stomps the snow and salt off of his boots. You mentally add sweeping and mopping back onto your short mental to-do list. 
You count your breath on the inhale, and again on the exhale, as you walk back to the counter. The small monitor on the cluttered counter shows the store’s security cameras on three separate little boxes. You’re vaguely aware of the man hovering by the liquor section, but you can’t bring yourself to head out into the center of the store to bother him in the hopes of deterring theft, your boss be damned. His abrupt entry brought in enough cold air to make you shiver and jam your hands into your pockets. Standing behind the counter gives you an odd sense of security as the guy wanders from aisle to aisle. You know exactly where the store's panic button is under the counter should anything go away. Some cynical part of you wonders if it even works, knowing how cheap Mo is. 
The door chiming as someone else enters the store jolts you out of thought. You turn your head to greet the customer and you're met with probably the scariest individual you've ever seen. He's huge, wearing a heavy black work coat that doesn't hide the bulk of his body. The fact that he's wearing a skull print balaclava is what makes it worse. This guy could be totally normal and just wearing it because it's snowing out. He could also be about to ruin your night. 
He's looking right at you as he beelines to the counter. 
Anxiety bleeds into your hands, makes them feel like you've just stuck them in freezing water. Slowly, you take them out of your pockets and press them flat on the counter. You watch your own fingers spread out. From some job training or another, you recall that it's worse to look into the eyes of someone trying to rob you. “Hey there,” you try and fail to sound like you're not nervous. “What can I get you?” He's quiet for a long time. Too long. Risking a glance up at him, you find he's not even looking at you. The guy is carefully scanning the rows of cigarettes behind you.
You breathe a small sigh of relief. He doesn't say anything and you don't feel like pushing your luck tonight. You scoot over to the side and quietly thumb over your abandoned crossword. With a quick glance up you can see the man running a gloved hand over his jaw. There's a faint sound of his stubble rubbing against the balaclava. His eyes are dark, half lidded. Without moving his head, his gaze flicks to meet yours, and you look away without even thinking. Bright blue. Jesus Christ this is awkward. You tap your pen against the newsprint, wishing whatever was happening right now would just end. This guy isn't a regular, and he's certainly no one you've ever seen around town. Fingers crossed he's just passing through, never to be seen again. 
“Hey dickhead, anytime now!” Your head jerks up. The masked man slowly looks over his shoulder. The guy who came in earlier is cradling a bottle of cheap rum and a liter of coke, clearly pissed about the long wait. Your stomach feels like it's about to fall out of your ass. A stranger you've never seen and a pissy regular, what could possibly go wrong? Chewing at your lip, you take a step back from the counter. 
“Hey Marvin, I can get you over here. Relax,” you say over the stranger's shoulder, just barely managing to remember his name. You've carded him everyone else in this town enough to remember a few faces. The giant man in front of you steps over wordlessly as if Marvin hadn't just insulted him. Wanting to get him out as quickly as possible to avoid anymore confrontation, you check Marvin out. He's still grumbling to himself, working the toothpick in his cheek with his teeth. “Have a good night. Drive safe,” you tell him as you hand him his brown paper-bagged liquor. Marvin scoffs at you and yanks his items from your hands. You try not to react as he lets the door slam on his way out. 
The fluorescent lights buzz above you. Coldplay is on the radio, crackling softly. The man approaches your register, already reaching into his coat for his wallet. “I'll have your cheapest menthols,” he rumbles in an accent you've definitely never heard in town. What the hell was this guy doing in Mo’s this late at night? The vibes were sketching you the fuck out. You school your face into as neutral of an expression as you can manage and turn to reach for a pack of Marlboro Black Menthol 100’s from the shelf of tobacco products behind you. The man is looking down at your crossword, still unfinished, when you turn back to him. You were half tempted to ask where he was from. You don’t. 
When you ask him for ID he hands you a card from his wallet. Upon inspection, you find that it’s a British Military ID and heavily censored. It only tells you his first and last name initials. S. R. The photo is censored as well. As far as you can tell, it looks real to you. If it’s not, then he’s gone through an awful lot of effort for the worst cigarettes Mo’s has to offer. You weren’t in the business of prying. Most everyone else who lives in town you stopped carding years ago. Over time you just know through the grapevine who has what birthdays and when. Hard not too. Regardless, you nod uneasily at the man and carefully slide his ID back to his side of the counter.
You tell the man his total and he slides you a crisp twenty, avoids touching you directly. With a quick hand, you count his change back to him. It's all very normal until he neatly drops the cash into the dusty tip jar by the register. What the fuck? The cigarettes were barely five dollars, and you're pretty sure in your entire tenure at Mo's you've never been tipped anything other than the loose coins people don't want to keep. You're in the middle of trying to figure out how to thank him when he nods to you once, and turns to leave. 
Stunned, you have no idea how to react. Genuinely what the fuck was any of that? You eye the tip jar suspiciously as if the man had filled it with Monopoly money instead of enough cash to buy yourself a couple of hot meals. You entertain the idea of going to the local burger place you used to love as a kid. Hot, fresh fries and a large coke would probably fix you at least a little bit, you think. When you return to the comfort of your crossword you see in very neat, small handwriting, that the last word has been penned in. 
Bereft. 
The rest of the night goes without much else of note happening. You sweep the floors and mop the salt and grey sludge from the entrance. The coolers are stocked and the cash drawer is counted when your replacement arrives at two in the morning. Mo liked to keep the place open 24 hours since it was close enough to a busy highway that folks came through at all hours of the day. Your coworker, Olivier, arrives a little early so you can check them out at the register. Each morning they like to buy an energy drink in a tall pink can and whatever gummies they wanted to snack on that day. You enjoyed the little moments you got to have together. Olivier was one of the few people in this town who you could relate to. Their hair seemed to change color and style by the week, and they always had the best fashion sense. It seemed they were an expert at thrifting in a way you could only dream of. Layering different fabrics and patterns, they seemed to somehow never repeat an exact outfit.
“How was everything? Good night?” they ask, already rooting through their bag of gummies for the blue ones. You shrug, making a high-pitched noise somewhere in your throat. Olivier, bless them, immediately understands. “Did that weird masked guy come in again? He pulled in with a giant moving truck the other night.”
This immediately perks you up. “No shit?” That guy was moving here? “What's wrong with him?” you half-joke as you punch out on the register. Olivier chuckles with you, and the shared judgment over a new face in town reminds you how glad you are to have them. These small moments in the quiet hours of the morning made the town feel like it wasn't so small and empty. 
As you pull your heavy coat on you look out the windows into the parking lot. The lot had been heavily salted, but it was dusting snow. You could see the suspended motes in the yellow street lights outside. Part of you was a little jealous of Olivier. This time of the morning always seemed so peaceful and quiet. You knew you’d never want to work their hours though. Waking up at midnight to get ready for work? No thanks. You wish Olivier a good shift as you pull your gloves on, before pushing out into the parking lot. The air shocks a chill into your chest as you breathe it in. Your breath puffs in a heavy cloud as you exhale. Already you could feel your fingers burning as the cold licked it’s way through your heavy layers. Awkwardly, to avoid slipping, you shuffle your way across the lot to your truck. It’s a little blue beat-up thing. How you’ve managed to keep it running all these years, you have no idea. Apparently, luck and hoping for the best are good enough for the ancient beater. It takes a couple tries to get the engine to turn over, and you sigh in relief when it finally roars to life. After idling in the cabin for a few minutes, you shift into drive and begin the slow crawl home. The roads aren’t plowed, but it’s not slick enough to worry you. The sound of snow crunching beneath the tires, barely audible over the low hum of the radio, accompanies you home. 
When you pull into the driveway you can feel your shift finally weighing down on you. You turn the key and slouch down in the seat, eyes shut. Your feet are cold. Your shoulders sag under your heavy coat, but you're somehow not warm enough. The cold always finds a way in. After a few moments, you manage to drag yourself out of the truck and you make the short walk to your front door. The only benefit of small-town living was the fact that you could afford the rent on this little house. Never mind the fact that you were pretty sure your landlord lived about an hour and forty-five minutes up the highway and owned most of the houses in your street. 
Your nightly routine goes without much fuss. Tabitha, your cat, is pleased that you've come home on time to refill her dish with wet food. You undress, shower, and bundle back up in your warmest sleeping clothes. The house is cold, no matter how well you insulate the windows and the cracks in the baseboards. In the dark, you sit in bed with microwaved pasta in its plastic packaging with the instructions on the side. It's not good but it warms your belly and fills you up. As you eat you scroll on your phone, lazily browsing your social media and clicking through posts. Your mind wanders to the man you saw today. He was odd, and him moving here was even stranger. In all your life you can't really remember anyone moving into the town. Mostly your friends from high school have slowly trickled out, save for Olivier. You weren't sure why you'd never left for the bigger city, you'd just never felt the pull to get out and see more. 
When you sleep that night it's restless as ever. You wake up often, teeth chattering. Your cat is nestled somewhere beneath the blankets with you, and you're careful not to roll onto her. You vow to do a once over, just to see if you can stuff any more of your hand-me-down towels into the draftier baseboards. It feels like it's been winter forever now, but with Christmas barely around the corner, you knew it had just begun. 
You start seeing that guy around town. You pass by him in the grocery store. He's got a cart full of stuff, and you figure he's just stocking his kitchen. You grab your scant groceries, milk, and some canned goods that will last. While you're in the checkout line he pushes his cart behind you, leaving a respectful amount of space. You're not really the type to engage in the painfully long-winded Midwestern custom of talking about everything you possibly can, so you don't acknowledge him. You set your items down on the belt when it's your turn, and you offer a polite smile to the cashier. 
“Hey, find everything okay?” he asks, nice as you please. 
“I did, thanks Carter.” He was a few grades above you back in school. He also stuck around after his class had graduated. You vaguely wonder each time about his dreams of joining the military, and whatever happened to them. Maybe it was just life that happened. You know he's got a little boy to take care of with his high school sweetheart and another on the way. Maybe that was all it came down to, at the end of the day. 
Carter tells you your total and you mentally curse. You'd counted your cash twice before you'd come in the store, and you were certain you'd been doing the right math as you grabbed your items. Carter gently angles the register's screen to you so you can see the line items. God damn. You'd just plain miscalculated, probably too tired to keep it all straight in your head. You look down at the things you'd grabbed, trying to calculate what you could do without. You force a laugh. Humiliation roils in a dark pit in your chest. You find yourself speaking without thinking, “Oh whoops! Sorry, go ahead and take off the soup cans.” Carter, bless his heart, doesn't make a fuss. He punches the register keys quickly and counts the cash you hand him. You very much do not want to look at the stranger behind you. You pray to whatever god might be listening that maybe he wasn't being as nosey as everyone else was in this town, and that he didn't just hear that you can't really afford an armful of groceries. 
Carter hands you your single plastic bag, tells you to “Have a good one, hon,” You speed walk back to your truck, your breath puffing in clouds around you. 
The next time you see him you're driving to work. The radio is playing softly and your truck's heaters are blowing semi-cold air onto you. You're stopped at a light when you see the guy, dressed in a light coat and the same balaclava. He's jogging, somehow managing to work a sweat on the cold. You have no idea what kind of psychopath goes on a run in the dead of winter. When the light turns green you have to drag your eyes off of him before you accelerate through the light. 
It was rare that anyone in your town went on a jog. Unheard of in the winter. You were certain the old ladies would be gossiping up a storm at church. You figured it was no different than you and Olivier at Mo’s. You smile at the thought of sharing your sighting of the masked stranger with Olivier tonight. The little chats in the quiet morning hours were a light in the dark of winter. 
It was easy to get lost in the cold. It seemed all your waking hours were spent in the dark, during these months. You'd wake up later in the afternoon, always too tired to rise any earlier. It wasn't great for your mental health, but neither would being homeless. You'd take your victories where you could get them. Without much family nearby to rely on, you had to get by on your own.
The joy of adulthood.
You see him again that same night. He comes in around midnight. He's the first customer in around an hour. There had been a small rush of truckers passing through, trying to make it off the major highways before some snowfall was forecast to hit the area. You note that he's better dressed for the weather than he was earlier while he was jogging. He's in the same black work coat and leather gloves as before. You find it hard to meet his eye when he approaches the counter. 
Something about seeing him in town made the transaction feel off in a way that you've never experienced before. Getting Janet her pack of Marlboro Reds and ringing her son Nick up for his energy drinks was never sullied by the fact that you saw them at the Sonic Drive-In in their old beater from time to time. Seeing him now with the sense that he was apparently sticking around in town made you feel strange. You didn't know anything about him besides his initials and the skull print on his balaclava. Knowing he was likely some retired military operative from a foreign country was nerve-wracking and exciting and weird as hell for your little town. You had no idea how to interact with him. 
When you're getting the register open to count his change, you can't help but blurt out, “Are you liking it here?” Immediately you wish you could stuff the words back in your mouth when you see his eyes flick to meet yours. How on Earth could anyone be enjoying one of the worst winters your town has seen in years? 
To your surprise he humors you. “It's nice. Quiet,” he says after a beat. You blink at him, quickly looking back down to the cash you're supposed to be counting back to him. 
“Good. That's good. Folks can be weird about new people, but I'm glad you're settling in.” Oh God, you're rambling. Make it stop. 
To this, he hums. It's a low sound, almost silent, deep in his chest. You suppose that's the only response you're getting as he accepts the cash. You slide his pack of menthols across the counter. Your eyes widen as he doesn’t even recount the bills you’ve handed him, just folds them once and drops them into the tip jar. Sputtering already, cheeks red with embarrassment, you search for words but find none. This had to be about the grocery store. You were completely fine. Really, you were. You get paid this week and you would definitely go back to the store and probably pick up some extra groceries. None of this is coming out of your mouth though, as the man has basically vanished already. You can hear his truck starting up outside, the crunch of the snow and gravel as it pulls out of the lot. 
Guilt rolls through you, thick and familiar. You had no idea what to make of this guy. First, he blows into your dead-end town and starts leaving you ridiculous tips on the cheapest cigarettes possible? What the fuck? It makes you feel ashamed and unnerved. No one had ever given you more than the change they simply didn’t want to carry around, and you’d never expected anything more than that. 
When you talk it over with Olivier that night in the early hours, they eye you mischievously, clearly very interested in the man’s motives to give you excessively large tips. “C’mon, let the guy toss you a little cash here and there, it’s a free country. He can do what he wants, even if it's to give all his money away,” they tease over the lip of an energy drink. You hang your head, groaning in response. 
“I dunno… I don’t know what to make of it, is all,” you admit. That little pit of nervousness in your gut had been sitting heavily all night. Olivier gives you a pitying look. 
“Don’t worry too much about it, I think you should just let it ride. And tell me all of the details.” You can’t help but choke a small laugh at their insistence on being in the know. Almost nothing new ever came to town, of course it was the juiciest thing ever to Olivier. You give them a weary smile and wish them a good shift before heading out.
The next few weeks are more of the same. You see the man around town, like any other local. At the grocery store, he’s always got a cart full of food, and you’re sure to hurry off out of his way with your armfuls of items. Once or twice you’ve seen him meandering around the local shops, and you sort of dread the idea of running into him at the little cafe you sometimes indulge in when you’ve got a little extra cash on hand. Something in you wanted to be protective of your favorite spots in town, but you knew it was irrational. Soon enough he would be just as familiar to the folks around here as you were. 
Without fail, he continued to come into Mo’s with large bills. He’d ask you for his cigarettes, tip you far too much, and leave before you could really say anything about it. He never spoke to you more than you spoke to him and he was never anything other than perfectly polite. You hadn’t begun to have a single idea as to why he insisted on tipping so much. 
Eventually, you had come to terms with his insistence on leaving all of his excess cash with you. You started squirreling some of it away, using it specifically on groceries and smaller bills. It was nice to have a little extra padding in your wallet, especially during these cold months. You definitely weren’t touching the thermostat though, that’s for sure. Old habits, and all that. It was easiest to be thankful, to not look this gift horse in the mouth, and to do your best to just keep pushing through the winter. 
A winter storm was forecast for your town. The weatherman you’d grown up watching warned this would be one of the worst in years, and to stock up on the essentials. You knew you had about a month’s worth of cat food and a few cans of something or other in the back of your cupboards and called it good before heading to work that day. Calling out wasn’t really a thing Mo liked you to do. It didn’t help that you’d woken early today, sweating through your layers of blankets and somehow still chilled to the bone. 
Getting ready for your shift had taken about twice the time. You’d taken a cold shower, teeth chattering and your stomach turning the entire time. You did not look in the mirror while brushing your teeth and getting dressed. It had to be bad, the way folks looked at you when you arrived. You were bundled up in a hoodie and an oversized flannel. There was something about being ill that just made the cold weather feel so much worse. The black K-95 mask you’re wearing isn’t doing much to hide the puffiness or dark circles under your eyes. The near-constant sniffling and perspiration aren’t doing you any favors. 
Between the little rushes of your shift, you unabashedly sit on the floor behind the counter, not caring if Mo saw you on the cameras and wanted to give you a pissy little talk about it later. You hadn’t had any medicine to take at home and all the store carried were caffeine pills and Tylenol for eight dollars per two-pack. You do your best to stay hydrated, refilling a small styrofoam cup from the soda machines often. The water tastes vaguely like Hi-C Punch, and you try to not think about it. When you’re able to focus on your own hands, you see them shaking as they bring the cup to your lips. 
You think it’s around one in the morning when you hear the door chime. Close to the start of Oliver’s shift, the end of yours. No one has been in the store since around eight, you think. Time has stopped feeling real at this point. Breathing heavily, you muster the strength to stand. You lean heavily over the counter, trying to wet your mouth against the sudden nausea crawling up your throat. Under your layers, you’re sweating and chilled and just so uncomfortable. Whoever’s just entered the store stomps the snow off of their boots, and you can hear their steps squeak on the linoleum straight to your counter. A quick glance up and you’re making eye contact with the masked man who has become strangely familiar to you. 
You can only manage a nod to acknowledge him, before turning around to grab his cigarettes. He’d been in the night before, so you weren’t expecting him tonight. Normally his packs last him a few days. Why would he come out so late, especially during this bad weather? You can’t really bring yourself to think too critically right now, instead choosing to focus on not passing out before you can clock out and go home. When you turn around, pack of menthols in hand, you find that the man is eyeing you more intently than normal. You think? The mask made it hard to tell. Your hands are shaking, you realize it just as the cigarettes slip from your fingers. 
“Fuck, ‘m sorry-” You bend to pick them up and are met with a rush of blood in your ears. When you rise you lean against the counter for a moment, eyes closed. It would later come back to you as an embarrassing moment, but currently, you’re focusing very hard on staying upright. 
“You're sick,” the man says, so plainly it's kind of funny. You huff a small laugh, nodding. 
“Why’re you here? Storm’s gonna get bad tonight.” It’s a poor attempt at deflecting the obvious statement. Something bristled in you at him, it was enough that he’d seen you at the grocery store. Being seen by him like this now, especially after all the cash tips he’s been leaving you, makes you feel cagey and defensive.
“I could ask you the same.” He slides you a twenty as he says this. You meet his eyes, briefly. It’s easier to look at him with half of your face covered, you realize. Maybe that’s why he’s never been seen around town without his balaclava. He meets your gaze evenly, seemingly unaware of the shame that pulses under your skin. You sniffle loudly, not looking down at the bill on the counter. You’ve got about a dozen questions for him, but your jaw is clenched so tightly you’re not sure where to even begin. Just when you’ve worked up the nerve to fire a question at the man, the door chimes. 
Both of you turn to see Olivier entering the shop. They wave one mittened hand at you. “Oh hey! You’re here too, Simon. Nice to see you again.” Simon? Somehow Olivier had failed to mention his name after all this time. Admittedly, you’d never even thought to ask. He’d never introduced himself formally, and you weren’t one to pry, especially into the lives of odd men who only buy their cigarettes after sundown. Simon raises a hand to greet Olivier, the most human thing you’ve seen him do so far. 
“Hey Liv,” you croak, clearing your throat a little. At the sound of your wrecked voice, Olivier grimaces at you. Already, they’re reading into their tote back and donning a mask. 
“Stay over there, and disinfect the counter when you leave!” They harp, only half joking. You nod wearily and quickly check Simon’s cigarettes out on the register. It feels strange to even think of him using his first name. Simon takes his leave, and as soon as you've got your coat on you’re following right behind him, waving a quick goodbye to Olivier as you go. They’re immunocompromised, and the last thing you want is to make their life harder by getting them sick.
The snow falls heavily, immediately sticking to your eyelashes and blinding you. You drag your gloved hands over your eyes, trying to clear them. Blinking rapidly, you see that the parking lot is a smooth expanse of honeyed yellow. The street lamp makes the area look warmer than it is. You can already feel the cold sinking into your fingertips. The trees on the edges of the lot are bowed heavily under the snow’s weight. When you step into the lot, the snow is powdery soft, but icey beneath. Not good. It would be a very slow drive home once you got your truck moving. The snow is only about halfway up the tires, but you’d still need to shovel it out to give it a fighting chance of leaving the lot if you could get it started in this cold. 
When you get it started. 
Historically, your beloved fossil of a truck has not done well in the cold. You’d been meaning to replace the battery and get the transmission checked out this Summer. You had forgotten. 
The sound of snow crunching behind you tells you that Simon has not left the lot, and is apparently watching you have your silent meltdown now. Great. “You want some help getting that snow shoveled?” It’s strange hearing him outside of the contained environment that is Mo’s. The wind changes his voice. It’s odd to be shoulder to shoulder with him, and not talk about cigarettes. Dejected, you know when to choose your battles. You nod your head and lead him to the driver's side door of the truck. 
“I might need a jump, it really doesn’t do well in this weather,” you admit wearily. Simon nods like he knows that already. Maybe he did, it’s not exactly the nicest-looking vehicle anyone’s ever seen. You crank the door open and hop in the seat. When turning the engine over multiple times does nothing but pitifully crank the engine, you lean your forehead against the steering wheel in defeat. Before you can say anything you can't fight the urge to suddenly cough. You turn away from Simon, who's kind of hovering near the open door of your truck, to bury your mouth in your elbow to cough. You've honestly had enough of being gross and embarrassed in front of this guy for one night. When your coughing fit is done you lean back, exhausted, against the seat. Your throat is raw, and your entire body feels weak. The thought of shoveling out your truck and waiting on the battery to charge fills you with dread. “Fuck this, man.” 
Snow has started sticking to Simon's coat, dusting white onto the black fabric. He's standing a small distance away with his hands in his pockets, giving you a decent amount of space. “You want a ride home? Can come deal with it in the morning with you, if you like.” You turn your head to regard him, thankful again for your mask to hide behind. There's plenty of security footage of him coming into the store over and over again. You supposed if he wanted to kill you there would be at least a half-decent physical description. Plus Olivier probably knew more about him, given that they're a chatterbox no matter the time of day. 
Your eyes flick out to the lot. The snow shows no sign of stopping. Fuck it. 
“My house isn't far from here.”
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madebyrolo · 1 year ago
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See you then ᡣ𐭩
Rafe Cameron x reader
she/her
y/n and Rafes first date.
Pt.2
Pouge princess (pt.1)
hints of dark Rafe, mainly soft Rafe
✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩
It was 4:30pm, y/n and jjs 7 hour shift was done and soon her parents arrived and took over for the night shift.
“Hey how was your guys shift ?” Y/n dad asked while putting on his apron.
“It was fine, pretty hectic towards noon, the tips were amazballs ! I got $48, y/n though…” jj started side eyeing her.
“I got $50 alone from Rafe Cameron.” Y/n said blushing.
“Wards son?” Y/n dad questioned
“That was so sweet of him did you thank him!?” Her mom chimed in
“Yea I did, it was kinda out it the blue”
“Yea that was pretty nice of him..” y/n dad said suspicious
“Ugh handsome and a gentleman. Y/n you thinking what I’m thinking?” She joked with her while she blushed
“Uh no thank you. Hes just one of our finest customers.” Her dad said
“Yea I agree with your dad” jj scoffed
“I don’t need my daughter going off dating a that kind of kook.” He scowled
“Tell me about it” Jj said under his breath
“Hey don’t be mean Rafe isn’t that bad-”
“Y/n he hates pouges. Him and topper always is getting into trouble with John b and I and his fight with pope-”
“Jj that’s enough let’s go. Bye guys I’m headed to John bs see you later” y/n said interrupting jj trying not to create non existent drama between her dad and Rafe
As they walk to her car jj keeps complaining about the boys.
“I don’t see why you can’t just accept the fact he’s a bad guy y/n. All of them are the scum of the kook.” Jj complained
“Just because you and Rafe have problems doesn’t mean we do jay” she said opening the driver side door. She gets in and sits, taking a deep breath from her shift and jjs bickering.
As jj enters the car he opens the glove department grabbing his juul and cart, taking a deep hit. He isn’t an allowed to do it in or around the truck because they don’t want that bad image.
“You’ve seen the after maths of our fights y/n. the amount off times you had to clean me up in john b bathroom can make you a certified emt!?”
“Okay he’s bad jj whatever you say” she said somewhat agreeing. It’s true, she had cleaned up the boy more than 5 times. So much that you had 2 first aide kits. One in your car and under John bs sink.
“But it’s weird though that he tipped $50 was it out of pity?” he said taking another hit
“Yeah a little but I’m not complaining” y/n said starting her car. Jj grabs the aux playing his playlist, the song “Cinderella” by Mac Miller plays. She begins pulling out the parking lot headed towards John bs house.
“I mean from what I noticed, him and topper are there like practically everyday. Like I know I’m only there like 2 times a week or the weekends but everytime I work they’re always there”
“Jj they’re just loyal customers-”
“Yea but don’t get me wrong your foods good, like I would always eat there compared to what I have at home but wouldn’t they get tired of it? They have money they can get like expensive stuff like sushi or whatever” there silence in the car. Y/n sat thinking that he had a point. she’s practically there everyday in the summer and they’re always there.
“Yea you’re onto something” she agreed
“What if they’re spying on us? What if they know about the royal merchant?” Jj squinted looking suspicious
“Jj when have we ever talked about the money or anything related to that at work”
“Yeah you’re right…”
“But that still doesn’t explain why they’re always there” jj soon gasped
“What if your mom was right? What if they have the hots for you? Your things are always out” he said motioning to her breasts .
He said quickly turning towards the girl.
“Jj come on -”
“Nah it couldn’t be that. They hate us and beside they wouldn’t touch, let alone date a pouge” he said with a laugh. For a minute y/n felt offended that he said that.
“Jj what do you mean? Like I wouldn’t even have a chance with him ?” Y/n scoffed rolling her eyes.
“In a way. Like it’s totally not about you but he wouldn’t even step foot in the cut. We’re too poor for him.” He said calmly
“Well I hope you know i can get any guy I want” she said cockily
“Y/n it’s not about you. Your personality, looks or anything. He probably just wants to date someone with a trust fund or a matching black card.” Jj say defending himself
“Let’s just drop it alright”
“They would be lucky you bag you y/n” he said taking a hit and hitting her shoulder.
After a couple minutes they reached John bs chateau. She parked in his makeshift driveway and they went inside to the back porch finding them all there.
“What up” Jj say before crashing down on the only empty chair.
“Hey guys how was your shift?” Kiara asked
“Busy but money is money so” y/n said sitting in the arm chair of the couch beside John b
“Rafe and topper were there again.” Jj complained
“Again? Don’t you get tired of complaining ever jay?” Y/n throwing her head back.
“Guys y/n thinks Rafe isn’t a bad guy”
“Who would ever think that” Sarah said walking in. Y/n gets off the arm chair letting her sit in John bs lap.
“Me” y/n said with a flat smile
“If Sarah his own sister for crying out loud, would agree why wouldn’t you?” Jj argued
“I don’t know, like I get the sibling hatred and your guys drama but I’ve never met him. I wouldn’t want to stick him to what other people say. What if people did that about us ?”
“They do y/n” Pope said.
“Yeah so you know how it feels. I want to at least have an interaction with him before I put a label on. Let’s just stop alright I’ve had this argument already.” and with that they just put on a movie ignoring the tension between the two.
Halfway through the movie she got a notification on her phone. She pulls it out to check and sees it’s from a random number. She ignores it knowing it’s probably spam but then there’s another ding. She takes it out and opens up the messages.
“Hey”
“I’ve been waiting for you to text me pouge princess.”
Rafe.
“How’d you get my number?”
“I have my ways.”
Weird. The only contact she had were the pouges, parents and Sarah. He must’ve looked through her phone.
“Kinda weird but I like it”
she texted back with a small giggle.
“Who you texting y/n” pope asked
“Oh it’s just my dad. He sent a stupid meme” she said rolling her eyes playfully. She looked back the screen reading his reply
“You love crazy or what?”
“Yes it’s hot”
she replied knowing she would regret it later.
“Well you’re in for a ride. Wanna hang out tn? I’ll pick you up.”
“Yes I’ll love too.”
“Your place 7:00 See you then princess”
With the clock reading 6:22 she got up from the floor and got her bag.
“Uh my dad needs me at the truck so I gotta go. Text me what we’re doing tomorrow. Bye guys” she said pacing to the front door while they yelled their goodbyes.
She gets in her car and heads home. By the time she got there it was 6:45. She quickly headed inside and went straight to her room. She looked though her closet because all she had was on was of John bs shirt she put on after jj spilled cheese on hers. She was nervous on what to wear, this was her first date in a while. Sure she had her little situation ships but she felt nervous. She decided on a black denim mini skirt and blue tube top with her black adidas superstars. She quickly fixed her hair fluffing it and put her favorite scent on. Soon she got a text from Rafe
“I’m outside”
She quickly grabbed her bag and put on her lipgloss and went out the door. She saw his truck in her drive way then she walked to the passenger door. Before she could open it Rafe leaned over the center console and opened it for her from inside.
“Ah thank you Rafe. Such a gentlemen.” Y/n joked
“Chivalry isn’t dead princess” Rafe replied
“So what are we gonna do?” She asked
“Um I don’t sure I didn’t really have a plan. I was just hoping to hang out” he said with a small smile
“What about froyo ?” Y/n offered
“Yea sure I’m down. Here’s the aux, your tonight’s dj” he handed her the aux and started backing out her driveway. She plugged it in and Tyler the creator started playing.
“Is this a boy is a gun?” Rafe asked
“Yea, are you a Tyler fan?”
“Um yes. His Igor album was good I have it on vinyl. I don’t have a player but I keep it for the ‘aesthetic’ ” he joked
“Yeah I love his music though his old stuff is a little more scary in a way”
“I guess but his goblin album is iconic. ‘She’ I have on repeat and ‘Goblin’ has to be my favorite on that album and ‘tron cat’. thought my favorite song has to be New magic wand.” Rafe said
“Oh well yea I agree with ‘She’ it’s good but I don’t know the albums a little dark for me, I like ‘flower boy’ it’s more, happier you know ? and ‘cherry bomb’ ”
She couldn’t lie he was weird he liked that album. “True Tyler fans” wouldn’t mind it but it had to many vulgar topics for her. Soon the songs “feel no ways” by Drake, thankful for the somewhat mood change.
“See Drake is so good like he’s been around for so long and still can’t seem to miss” y/n commented
“Yea Drakes nice, I’ve been listening to him since middle school this has to be my favorite album.”
Couple minutes past with small talk and singing along in the car. They soon arrived to the froyo place. They walk in rafe grabbing him a medium cup and y/n the same.
They fill it up to the limit of their dreams and putting whatever toppings would fit. Rafe went for a more fruity taste with strawberry shortcake frozen yogurt with chocolate toppings, y/n with a the birthday cake and adding fruit and candy. He pulled out his infamous black card and paid for the both of them, they sat outside on the patio watching the sunset.
“So Rafe, what do you like to do?” Y/n asked trying to spark a convo
“Well I like going to the country club and hitting the golf course with topper and Kelce. I’m helping my dad with the Cameron development and learning real estate with him and Rose, it’s somewhat interesting and fun when he doesn’t get too mad” he said with a laugh “what about you?”
“Well when I’m not working I’m hanging out with jj and the others. I also love volunteering at the animal shelter. I love learning to work on my car with my dad and I love going off roading even though my poor Edward can’t handle it” she said with a frown
“Wait did you make your car? And named it Edward ?” he laughed
“Yes it’s me and him against the world. I named him after the vampire from twilight.” she said proudly.
“Honestly twilight would’ve been a better name.”
“Oh shush!” She said playfully hitting him.
They finished their dessert and head to the car. They’re just talking while Rafe drives around anywhere and everywhere. The soon make it on the beach. Rafe parks not too far and they walk hand in hand.
“How did you know where I lived? I never gave you my address” she finally asked
“Rose sold you your house. I work with her and my dad remember?” He told her squeezing her hand for reassurance.
“Oh yeah that adds up I guess” she hummed even though it didn’t. They bought the house before Rafe was born and he was older than the girl.
They continued to walk along the coast just talking and getting to know eachother. Everything the pouges said about him didn’t add up. He was sweet, charming and funny. He wasn’t the money hungry asshole, he was the 19 helping with family business guy who loved hip hop and chocolate. His favorite animal is a shark and favorite color is blue. He doesn’t take anyone’s shit and he’s potent in a way.
“Hey Rafe, you know I’ve heard many stories about you.”
“Oh really ? Like what” he asked concered
“You know, you’re the frat playboy. The bad boy that doesn’t play by the rules, who gets in and trouble and party’s like crazy” y/n explained
“jj always told me you were the bad guy. You wouldn’t even breathe the same air as a pouge. But you’re not the monster they play you out to be” she said looking at him. He turns the same way and they’re looking eachother in the eyes. It’s silence, it’s like they’re reading each other, look deep down into their souls something connecting in them.
“Y/n I know you want to think I’m perfect but I’m not. I really do get in fights, you seen them with jj. I don’t really mean harm or anything bad. I don’t let people disrespect me or my family like that. Jj knows how to push my buttons and he does it freely thinking he can get away with it”
“Yea I can’t argue with that.” She said with a grin
“I don’t understand how you can be friends with them. Mainly jj, he’s deep into this mindset aching like the words against him and that goes well with some pouges. But you, you’re different. You know hard work, your whole family does. You don’t take shit from anyone you see strong indepents-”
“Rafe please dont bring kook vs pouge talk into this.”
“Your right I’m sorry” he said caressing her cheek.
“I just think you deserve more. You deserve all the happiness in the world. You deserve peace. I want to make you feel that way. I want you to live the fullest you can. I wanna help you touch the stars” he said looking into her eyes, his free hand pulling her closer, hand against her lower back.
“I wanna give you everything.” Rafe whispered out to her before pulling her into a kiss.
The kiss was soft yet rough. The way their lips fit perfectly together. They way they melted in each others arms. The taste of chocolate lingering in Rafe mouths mixed with a candy taste of y/n. The kiss was intoxicating, they wouldn’t back out and the only reason they did was for y/n to catch her breath although the hungry look in Rafe eyes made it seem he wouldn’t have.
The only source of living being admitted was the moon, the way it shined against Rafes skin and his perfectly chiseled facial features made him look beautiful like a diamond. His ice blue like blue sky she always look at hoping for a chance of change. The way the 2 pieces of his hair perfectly failing in front of his face after what they just did.
“Let’s head back” y/n said with their foreheads together, their breathing getting back to normal.
They walk to the car, y/n leaning on Rafes shoulder as he had his arm wrapped around her. He opened the car door for her letting he get in and buckling her up. She connects her phone and plays frank ocean as he gets the car started. One hand on the wheel the other tangled up with her hand. The ride was peaceful and euphoric vibes filled the car. They shared small little childhood stories and embarrassing memories to each other. The 20 minute commute from the beach to y/n house felt like 5. Once Rafe Parked in her driveway they shared another deep kiss.
“Goodnight Rafe, I’ll text you tomorrow morning, drive safe”
“Good my princess” he said pulling her into one last kiss not wanting to part.
She gets out and shuts the car door, walking to her home. Rafe doesn’t drive off until she’s shuts the door behind her. It’s around 9:45pm her parents are still working the night shift. She grabs a clean pairs of clothes and heads to the bathroom. Soon shes in bed thinking about her date with Rafe. The pouges were wrong about him, he was literally the boy she dreamed, almost picture perfect. They 100% never saw the side of Rafe she did but she also didn’t see what they saw.
As Rafe drives home, he thinks about y/n. y/n is the girl of his dreams, the girl he wants, craves, needs. Once he get home he sends her a quick text.
“I made it home. I had a really great time today, thank you for letting me take you out y/n. I really hope we can do this again. Good night my princess.”
Y/n got the ding and immediately responded back
“Glad you made it home safe! Thank you for asking me out if not I wouldn’t have met the real Rafe. I’m glad I got to share this night with you. Good night and sweet dreams <3”
Y/n feel into a deep sleep after the most magical night of her life. She wished for more nights like these with Rafe without knowing what he had in stored for her.
Like the imfmouse Tyler the creator lyric said:
“My plan was to stick my toe in to check the temperature but next thing you know, I’m drowning.”
𓇼 ⋆。˚ 𓆝⋆。˚ 𓇼
Tags: @soberbabes
Happy Valentine’s Day 💌🎀
I know we all wished we had our man today bu I hope my pt.2 helps 🤭
*no edited/proof read
Lmk what you guys think !!
Feel free to dm to talk about a pt.3 or continuing my story plot 🌟
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whatwasthatpipsqueak · 4 months ago
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this is MY first time writing something like this but it was like totally crazy, i feel like that teacher from 10 things i hate about you.
~~~
(18+)calebxreader!smut dom!reader sub!caleb (i think it switches tho sometimes idk) v!rgincaleb! ‘experiencedreader! nicknames!pipsqueak,baby- probably overused pipsqueak pronwithplotfr probably doesn’t follow any lore accurate timelines
i watched the movie the first time with dylan obrien and had this similar idea lol also i dont know how to write in protection yet so just saying wrap it up in tango time, safety first!
might write the sylus one since reader did learn stuff ig teehee
your first or mine?
Asking caleb to give you lessons on sexual matters wasn’t your first choice, but after he somehow found out you were asking your girlfriends about finding someone experienced to teach you some things, he was adamant on him being your choice.
You knew enough, but you needed more practice if you wanted to impress Sylus.
And that’s just how you ended up in Caleb’s room with only your lacey matching set covering your body.
It was just after 5:30pm and the early rays of the winter moon glowed onto your body. All Caleb had on was his loose grey sweatpants, the string from his waistband dangled and tickled your abdomen as his body draped over yours. You haven’t done this in a while and Caleb took notice of the nervous look on your face.
“This isn’t your first time is it?” His husky voice breathed out.
You rolled your eyes as you un furrowed your brows.
“its just been awhile.” You replied.
His biceps were caging your head in as your arms lay to your side. Maybe the feeling was weird because you’ve been friends for so long.
“I have some ground rules.” You spoke as his eyes scanned your face.
“Mhm.” He hummed as you sighed.
“Just that you can touch me anywhere.” You fluttered your eyelashes as you responded hoarsely, his breathy laugh fanned your face as he inched closer, this kind of flirty talking in bed was something you wanted to work on.
“Same goes for me Pipsqueak.” He whispered deeply as one of his fingers twirled a strand of your hair, you were getting more anxious by the minute, you didn’t think he would do the thing where it feels like the only thing he wants to do is stare at you for hours; you knew this was a bad idea from the beginning but you were desperate.
You squirmed as you huffed.
“Caleb I want you to touch me already.” Your hands finally moved to his bare shoulders as your fingers trickled down his chiseled back, you met his gaze, pouting your lips in protest at his devlish grin.
You watched as he lowered his mouth to your ear.
His long fingers grasped your chin to tilt your head.
“I like to savour these type of things, you understand right?” His hot breath sent chills throughout you as he pulled away to see your reaction, you recovered and replaced your surprised look with one filled with fox like tendencies.
“Well I don’t care.” You replied smashing your lips onto his, your legs automatically wrapped around his slim waist deepening the sloppy kiss, he hummed as you both pushed and pulled desperately.
Your hands roamed his body, every touch you heard him hum pathetically, his body felt agonizingly endless until you finally found the waistband to his sweatpants.
You swiftly placed your index finger to the inside of his pants and snapped them against his body he groaned as he quickly broke the kiss and pulled away to stand, leaving you with furrowed brows.
He looked troubled, both parties breathing still ragged.
“I can’t do this.” He bashfully huffed out, the apples of his cheeks were a bright red just as his ears, he stood at the end of the bed, avoiding your confused gaze.
“What?- Caleb, wha- Did I do something wrong?” You caught your breath as you tried to catch his eyes, he looked embarrassed, his stare shifting to everything but you.
“I-“ You awaited his response without moving your gaze from him.
“I’ve never.” He finally spoke, his breathing evened and his eyes met yours.
The understanding stare you were giving him was enough to calm him down to sit on the left side of the bed next to you.
“Oh.” You uttered as you stared vacantly at your clothes on the ground.
“But-“ You added, not knowing how to use your words, your hard stare stuck on the door now.
“Your confidence, it felt like..” You added as he shifted, your stare moved to his face.
He looked straight ahead as he spoke again.
“Fake it till you make it I guess.” He chuckled tensely, rubbing the back of his neck, all you could do was ogle at him.
“I dont think many girls are too fond of my voice.” And I don’t want other girls. He admittedly breathed out as he looked away from you, terrified you could read his thoughts, your brows furrowed as you softly tittered.
“Well..” You spoke softly scooting closer to him as his head tilted up wanting to hear what you have to say.
“It was working for me five minutes ago.” You played with the hem of his sheets as you admitted with a small honest smile.
He roughly scoffed, making a shiver run down your spine.
“Well none of it was real so whatever.” He looked down as he harshly remarked. You felt hurt as he said that, you gulped as you hesitantly replied.
“It was for me.” You whispered loud enough for him to hear, he didnt reply and continued to stare forward, your gaze was burning through the side of his face, you felt self conscious and needed to get out of there.
You hummed a slight scoff, scooting to the edge of the bed- his bed, correction, what were you even thinking?
“I should go before I embarrass myself even more.” You sheepishly replied as you jumped up to grab your clothing hastily.
“Hey- pipsqueak, wait.” He leaped from the bed as he grabbed hold of your wrist that was holding your clothes.
You looked up at his towering figure and were surprised to be met with his soft gaze.
“I didnt think you would actually want to- I am sorry.” He grinned as he added.
“Maybe I needed the practice more than you.” He shrugged with a pouty lip, the look on his face was pitiful.
You playfully rolled your eyes, looking back at him to connect with his amethyst stare again, the look in them was desperate and you couldn’t stay mad at him if he was giving you that look.
“Maybe.” He spoke up, he moved slowly like he was worried he would scare you, his free hand put a strand of hair behind your ear.
“Hm?“ You hummed staring back at him.
“We could try again.” His other persona was back as he breathed out in his gruff voice, he inched slowly towards your neck.
You watched as he placed soft kisses along your throat, poorly.
His hot breath on you gave your body a wave of tingles, your eyes fluttered as you cleared your throat unknowingly giving a small laugh, he stopped to give you a feeble look.
You softly rolled your eyes.
“Here- sit there.” You spoke as you sat him on the end of his bed, the blush under his eyes covered his cheeks and nose, it was adorable, it doubled as you straddled his lap, placing your arms around his shoulders.
He propped both of his hands behind him.
“Is this okay?” You asked as he hesitantly nodded, not because he was unsure, but because he was excited and he was nervous to mess it up again, his breathing became unsteady.
he gulped as he recognized the look in your eyes and just that excited him more, you could do anything around him and he would find it unbelievably attractive but this, this was way different from before.
You gave him a small grin as you softly placed your lips to his giving him the smallest peck and pulling away, his adorable pout and half-lidded eyes was enchanting, you moved your hand to cup his jaw as you changed the pace to sloppily kiss him, he fervently returned the kiss.
Your tongues clashed together messily, the mixture of hands groping and soft pants was enough for you to not want this to end, but his barely audible whines drove you insane.
He groaned as you ground your hips into his, his hands roughly grabbed your waist as he guided you to do it once more earning a whine-like groan to escape him, you pulled away once more, giving him an after-shock look on his face, you placed a wet kiss to the side of his mouth then his cheek, the edge of his jaw, you spared a look to his face to see his long lashes fluttering. You felt his jaw clench as your kisses lowered to his throat, grinding into his pelvis again as you left wet kisses and marks on his neck.
“Yes- mark me.” He audibly whispered, you shivered as he gulped, giving you lustful confidence.
You suckled on his carven shoulders as you agonizingly moved back up to his face, his whimpers fired you up- you didnt think a mans whimpers could give you such a power thrill and you couldn’t stop there.
You pulled back, a ghost of your lips grazed his cheek as you looked head on at his face; his brows furrowed and mouth agape as ragged breaths left him, and that lustful glare in his eyes.
“Do you want to try now?” You asked hoarsely, he half nodded as his teeth clacked with yours when his mouth met your lips once more, his teeth hitting yours erupted a painful gasp from you, allowing him to drive his tongue deeper down your throat.
His hands raked your back as he moaned soft whines, he moved to kiss the side of your mouth and your cheeks, he rushed his actions, he messily left wet kisses to your throat, you moaned causing him to buck his hips up.
You softly snickered.
“You’re really going step by step of my moves?” You spoke.
“Shut up.” He breathed out as he flipped you both, his body veiled over yours as you gasped, he didn’t skip a beat continuing his work on your collarbone and shoulders.
You felt heat pool in your panties, you squirmed as he bit at a spot on your throat, you whined, your hand gripping at his back as he ground into you, you mewled as he groaned, the vibration from his voice on your jaw sent shivers throughout you.
Caleb’s kisses felt rushed and messy, his dry thrusts into your hips felt heavenly and needy, you needed more, he needed more.
He pulled his mouth away from your neck, his hands shook with anticipation as he ground his pelvis into you, you bit your lip as he groaned out loud.
“I need to feel you.” His voice was hoarse and deprived, he whispered with his mouth beside your head as he ground into you once more. Your eyes met his uncontrollable gaze as you reached down to palm his hard on, his mouth fell open as he mewled with his eyes locked on yours.
“more.” He moaned as he bucked into your hand, you grinned as you slid your hand into his pants, he didn’t think this would happen he said, yet his boxers weren’t on him.
He groaned as you slid your thumb over his slit, you slightly pumped once earning you a frenzied whimper from him, his face contorted in pleasure as you watched from under him. You started slow, every shift of your hand on him gave you a delicious, breathy groan from him.
His arms were almost buckling as he bucked more into your hand, he rolled his hips faster in want, his movements were beginning to get sloppier as his breath hitched in between moans and whimpers.
You felt his member hit your lower stomach as you pulled your hand away before his release, he gasped as he realized what you’ve done.
“wha-“ You give him a devilish smirk as he stares back at you dumbfounded.
He looked exhausted, the blush on his face spread to his chest as you looked him once over, you effortlessly turned both of you so you were kneeling above him, you rake your hands down his chest and stomach as you inch away from him to stand at the end of the bed, he gulps as he stays where you layed him on his back.
“please-“ He begs with half-breaths and whimpers, you slowly smile at him, your eyes brimmed with lust as his shimmered back at you the same way, you agonizingly peeled your panties from your body, you felt them slide to the floor, his eyes following them until you reached for your bra unclasping it.
He swallowed as you crawled toward him, angling yourself over him again.
“Are you sure?” You asked as your fingers danced across his lower stomach, his eye lashes fluttered as he nodded with a gulp.
“yes, yes- please.”
He pleaded in anguish, you slowly arched your entrance over his dick, the tip was grazing you as you shakily breathed, you rocked your hips slightly before you slid down, you gasped as he filled you, he gripped your thighs as he clenched his jaw, you slowly rolled your hips, he groaned as you bit your bottom lip and rolled your eyes back. He grabbed your waist wanting to guide the rolling of your hips, he grasped the skin dangerously rough as he rocked you back and forth, you both moaned melodiously.
“feel- so good.” He groaned out as he arched his hips upwards, he shifted the movement of your hips to move up and down, he grounded up into you as his fingers dug into your sides, crescent shaped indents were already forming on his chest from your nails. The slapping of skin against skin, and Caleb’s vibrational loud moans had you seeing stars.
“Caleb!” You yelped as he flipped you backwards, he pounded deeper into your opening, one of your legs bent over his shoulder, the other down by his side that you arched at the knee for him, he grabbed both of your thighs, giving them a violent squeeze as he roughly moaned and groaned with every thrust, this was even better, you felt even fuller as your grainy moans drummed into his ears causing him to pick up his pace.
“hmgh, your pussy feels- so good!” He hiccuped as he thrusted in and out of you, you felt outstretched as you arched your back, you groaned as he pushes you down by your abdomen, leaving his palm sprawled over your stomach, you keened as he defied you, he couldn’t help himself, he had to feel himself going in and out of you.
“You feel that- you’re so full aren’t you?” He growled as he pummelled his hips into you,
“Yes Caleb- so f-full, I’m gonna!” You wailed as his thrusting became sloppier, the tightness in your stomach was coiling to unbearable heights, his member hit your cervix deeper with every hammer of his waist, you gasped a moan as he finally hit that spot that unraveled you.
“Yeah- baby, that’s it!” He egged your orgasm on, your wet folds ached as he pounded his final thrusts into your already undone self.
“oh god, f-fuck!” Caleb groaned as he pulled out to undo himself onto your lower stomach, he fell over to tower over you, his hands holding him up as they gripped the sheets beside your head, his breath hitched as the last spurts of himself covered you. Both of your breaths were unsteady and hot, his breathing fanned your face as you met his gaze, he chuckled hoarsely as he slowly got up.
“I’ll get you cleaned up.” He spoke unevenly as a towel glided towards his outstretched hand, he carefully wiped the remmenants of himself from your abdomen.
“some practice.” You expressed with a shit eating grin, he laughed gutturally, as you propped yourself up.
“I am gonna shower, you wanna join?” You announced as you carefully rose, he shook his head no.
“I’ll help you but-“ He adjusted his sweatpants as he rose, standing in front of you to caress your face.
“I don’t want to wash you off myself quite yet.” He grinned as he pulled you into his arms for a deep passionate-filled kiss.
HEHEHEHEHE
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blue-jisungs · 4 months ago
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bandaid + yoon sawol :D
⋆ ˚。⋆౨ৎ˚ FLOWERS & SLEEPY KISSES 🧸ྀི — meeting with your bf sawol after oh so long (11 days. he’s dying. it’s forever) ( wc 1475 )
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[ extras ] mention of blood and wounds. lowkey contains spoilers from season finale
ੈ✩‧₊˚ note ! i already told u 23897438 times but TYSM FOR THIS REQ :( i love my boy sawol i wish more ppl wrote for black knight:(( BUT HEY I GOT TO WRITE STH FOR HIM FINALLY<333 hope u like it!!! :D
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you wandered around the small room, humming a random song underneath your breath. you just couldn’t keep still – you kept reorganizing the flowers in the vase, the books on the shelf, the pillows on the bed. time was running painfully slowly and you swore the clock’s hands haven’t even moved.
you sat on the bed with a sigh and patted the duvet, trying to get rid of any possible wrinkles. 
sawol should be back any minute now. 
you couldn’t help but grin at the mere thought of finally seeing your boyfriend. 
with his new position as a delivery agent, you had less time for each other. sometimes he’d get such a packed schedule you couldn’t see each other for two weeks (or even worse!). 
which is why, after eleven days of not seeing your boyfriend, you’re at his dorm. sawol always texted you his schedule the moment he got it so you carefully planned this day. 
he ended his shift around 8pm, so he should be back around 9:30pm more or less – depending on the route back. hell, you didn’t even know where he was going so it could take longer. 
despite finishing so late, tomorrow was his day off. knowing him, he planned something special for you as well. but you were faster. 
you even bought him fresh flowers and prepared a lunchbox in case he would be hungry. you’d figured he’d be sleepy and in the need of a shower so– 
clank. the soft click of the metal lock shifting followed by the door opening caused you to jerk to your feet. or maybe you should stay sat on the bed nonchalantly? 
you heard a heavy sigh and footsteps, sawol about to walk out around the corner in a moment. you decided to sit back down, facing the corridor. 
you saw his silhouette, his work attire fitting his figure perfectly. scanning his jacket, up to his cute hair with blonde highlights, scratched face and hands that shot up in a stretch– wait, scratched face?
“wait, what are you doing here?!” sawol’s eyes widened in surprise, halting his movements.
“i wanted to visit my busy delivery agent boyfriend” you smiled and stood up, pointing at the fresh flowers in the vase. it was a huge struggle to get them but you somehow managed “and brought a package for you” 
before you could turn back to look at him, you felt his arms wrapping around your waist. you flicked off the cap off his head and he instantly buried his face in the crook of your neck, pulling you even closer to him. 
“i missed you” he mumbled into your skin, words barely audible.
you wrapped your hands around his back, slowly creeping up to play with his locks. but the image of his face in your mind made you frown, trying to pull him away a bit. 
sawol obliged yet kept his stare down, like a puppy that just got yelled at. 
“wollie…” you mumbled, hand sliding to grab his chin and make him face you. he smiled sheepishly, small bruises blooming on his jaw. he had a cut on his brow and some dried blood under his nose. you scanned his face worriedly, gently turning it both sides to check if there’s more surprises. 
“its nothing serious! after the delivery 5-8 and me went to train a bit” sawol explained and his hand tenderly wrapped around your wrist. you let out a soft huff. 
“he did that to you?” you gasped, cupping his face gently. “listen, if it were some gangsters i wouldn’t be able to do anything. 5-8; however, is at the reach of my hand…” 
sawol giggled, shaking his head.
“yeah, right, as if you would be even able to touch him” your boyfriend joked and you tsked, leaning away to look for the fist aid kit. 
“hey, don’t underestimate my passion. for you i would even try attacking him… even if i probably ended up in coma just from his one punch” you said, rolling your eyes dramatically. 
sawol, chuckling, plopped on his bed and observed you. it wasn’t the first time you were patching him up – and certainly, those weren’t the worst injuries you’ve seen. but that didn’t change the fact that you were worried. 
“sorry i got here so late. if i knew you were waiting… “ he sighed and you just shook your head, finally getting what you needed. 
“don’t even worry about it. i’m glad you’re here now” you smiled and approached him, signaling sawol to lean against the wall. 
he did and you put the first aid kit next to him, shitty after straddling his lap. you grabbed some saline solution soaked cloth and sighed softly. sawol observed you with puppy eyes. 
“i don’t like seeing you in pain” you mumbled, beginning to clear his cuts and other wounds. his jaw just tightened, hands flying to your waist for comfort. 
“you know it’s not that bad” he whispered. of course, with him being a mutant all his wounds healed quickly. but not immediately. 
“i know. but still…” you hesitated and wiped the dried blood under his nose. sawol scrunched his nose, the feeling ticklish. once his wounds were cleaned, you reached for a band aid. 
his hands never left your waist, thumbs drawing circles in a soothing motion. moreover, nor did his eyes. he was staring at you as if you just hung the stars in the sky yourself. 
you put the bandaid over his brow and cupped his face, your fingers gently digging into his skin. his cheeks were squeezed, so were his lips. 
“and lastly, very important step…” you hummed and leaned closer, placing feather-light kisses on the bruises on his jaw. 
before you could realize, one of his hands came up to wrap around your wrist. you pulled away, gently letting go of his cheeks. sawol was looking at you, heart eyed. 
“i missed you like crazy” he breathed out and led your hand on his shoulder. 
in a blink of an eye, sawol was flipping you. his other hand protected the back of your head in case you were to hit the first aid kit. 
your eyes widened, his necklace dingling in your face. sawol was grinning teasefully, his other hand coming to cup your cheeks now. 
“you still haven’t kissed me properly. here i am, drying like a flower because i haven’t seen my wonderful girlfriend in almost two weeks…” he started.
“eleven days” you corrected him, sawol just scoffing.
“still longer than it should! those flowers you gave me are beautiful, thank you. but you know why they are alive and pretty? because they have water and…”
“and sun” again, you interrupted, only to annoy him. 
“and sun. and you are both my water and sun. so i need a kiss like, right now. or i will explode” he groaned and leaned in, not even waiting for you another sarcastic remark. 
his lips were a bit chapped and you swore you could taste a metallic hint of blood. but that didn’t bother you. 
you kissed sawol back, slowly and gently. he was impatient, though, kissing you like a man starved. he groaned when you tugged at his hair, not missing the way your lips formed into a smirk at his reaction. 
“sawol” you breathed out, pushing him away ever so slightly. he hummed, placing kisses along your jaw. his hair was tickling your skin “you must be tired…” 
“i am. but i don’t want to waste time that we rarely have” he whispered quietly, placing last soft kiss on your chin and flipping onto the mattress, next to you. 
you placed your hand at the back of his head and he nuzzled into the crook of your neck, wrapping his limbs around you like a koala. 
“there’s still tomorrow” you said, already plotting how to get him to sleep. he had to get some rest. 
“well, yeah but… i missed you. and i just want to treasure… this…” sawol groaned when he felt your fingers caressing his locks gently. 
“sleeping counts as quality time for me. besides, when we sleep like that i can rest peacefully because i know you’re safe and with me” you hummed, his breath tickling your skin. 
it was working, he was getting sleepy. but then again, it always worked. 
“yeah but… it’s boring…” he slurred, reaching to grab a blanket “are you even…” yawn “comfortable?” 
“mhm” you answered and pulled the blanket over him, tucking it under his chin. 
 “i planned something… f’ tomorrow…” his voice was growing quieter, eventually turning into soft snores. you grinned proudly yet your hand was still playing with his hair. 
“sleep well” you just whispered and got ready to doze off as well.
“love you… s’much…” sawol sighed dreamily, a ghost of a smile imprinting against your skin.
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m.list <3
kdrama taglist. @laylasbunbunny ,, @slytherinshua ,, @kazmura ,, @ameliesaysshoo ,, @planetkiimchi ,,
@primoppang ,, @mon2sunjinsuver ,, @eternalgyu ,, @haecien
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sarabethsilver · 1 year ago
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The real moral of Face-Off (the hockey game episode) is that Lorelai Gilmore has zero boundaries and used this benign situation as an opportunity to manipulate her daughter's love life. My unsolicited dissertation follows:
What the episode SHOULD be about: two teenagers have different expectations for their relationship, leading to a minor misunderstanding that could be easily solved with one conversation.
What we got instead: Lorelai playing all sides of this totally normal teen conflict until it blew up into a catastrophe that would come to define Jess and Rory's entire relationship.
The episode starts with Rory waiting around for Jess to call, because apparently "call you later" meant he was supposed to call by 9:00pm that night. Lorelai initially teases Rory about it - a quip about the Bay of Pigs, implying that BOTH Jess and Rory are bad at planning ahead. Fair! The next morning, Lorelai asks why Rory didn't just call Jess herself - great question! Rory makes a weird excuse, then shifts to comparing Jess to Dean. After telling Rory not to compare them, Lorelai goes on to compare them by calling Dean the perfect first boyfriend who spoiled Rory by calling so much. It's a fascinating distortion of the events, which was that Dean called so much that Rory felt completely suffocated. She actually hated that, remember?!
Then Lorelai starts setting imaginary rules. Jess is supposed to (1) immediately sense that Rory is upset, (2) automatically know WHY Rory is upset, and (3) apologize the SECOND she walks into the diner. Jess doesn't do that, because he's not clairvoyant and he's literally in the middle of working a shift, so Rory is apparently justified in storming out of there without a word. Lorelai then sneaks in a side convo with Jess (another thing Rory hates, by the way!). Mocking Jess for not calling and getting annoyed when he doesn't stick around to hear her lengthy diatribe about how much he sucks.
Rory sits around waiting for Jess to call, which is even stranger because they had no plans that day. And she also knows how to use a phone, so theoretically she could call herself. But Lorelai sets MORE imaginary rules. Rory is home at 6:00pm on a Saturday - something that seems totally normal for a homebody like her - but Lorelai catastrophizes it. It's SHOCKING that Rory is home, she should go out immediately! How dare Jess leave her unescorted on a Saturday evening! This, of course, gives Lorelai the opportunity to give Jess her second sarcastic lecture of the day. Because calling at 5:30pm that day would have been fine, but showing up at the house two hours later is an unforgivable crime (who is making these rules?!).
Jess then waits for Rory at the hockey game, completely unbothered by the fact she went out without him (because he actually allows her independence) and not remotely blaming her for the angry silent treatment she gave him earlier. Instead, he's trying to make amends with concert tickets - which seems like a pretty nice gesture! It's interesting that the episode distorts that into something bad. Rory keeps it a secret like they've done something wrong, and the episode ends with her all sad. While Jess is presumably thinking he's fixed the problem. Because that's a reasonable conclusion.
So in the span of 24 hours, Lorelai took this tiny misunderstanding and blamed Rory, used Dean as the standard for 'perfect' behavior, set a bunch of imaginary rules for Jess to 'break,' then switched to blaming Jess for the entire thing. It's a masterclass in manipulation. Emily Gilmore couldn't have done it any better!
I look forward to @saltygilmores take on this later! Maybe we can scream into the void together.
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sevasey51 · 3 months ago
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Connor and his wife who works in maternity as a scrub nurse work 12 hour shifts. After 5:30pm -6pm he finished his cases early so he decides to go up and visit her and friends. He just so happens to go and see her when everyone is starting to get punchy and unhinged because everyone is tired and it was a long shift of a couple emergencies that went over PA system ( at my besties hospital they call it a code white). He thinks it’s super funny because of it. He happens to catch a really unhinged conversation.
Can you possibly also do another request of another day during their shift Y/N goes down to the ED during a lull on the unit to visit Connor and Will. There is another scrub nurse on shift so she could go down. On the little phones everyone has a code white goes over it before it goes over PA for the hospital.
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Code White & Delirium
Summary:After a long day in the OR, Connor wraps up his cases early and heads up to Maternity to surprise his wife, a scrub nurse who just made it through a chaotic 12-hour shift filled with back-to-back emergency C-sections. What he walks into isn’t the polished, professional team he usually sees—it’s the post-shift punchy, slightly delirious crew in full effect. Between inside jokes, caffeine-fueled nonsense, and an utterly ridiculous conversation he walks in on, Connor gets a hilarious glimpse into the chaos and camaraderie of his wife’s world.
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It was just after 5:30 p.m. when Connor stripped off his scrubs, tossed his surgical cap into the hamper, and checked the board one last time—no add-ons, no surprise traumas. For once, his day in cardio-thoracic surgery had ended on time.
He grabbed his coffee and headed upstairs, a little bounce in his step. His wife was still up in maternity, riding out the last hour of her shift as a scrub nurse. He knew the day had been rough—several Code White emergency C-sections had gone over the PA system, each one sending a ripple of urgency through the hospital.
Connor figured she could use a little morale boost. And maybe a snack.
But what he walked into wasn’t the usual calm, capable surgical team. No, this was the post-12-hour-shift, running-on-fumes, caffeine-crashing, absolutely feral maternity crew.
The locker room door was cracked open, and before he even stepped inside, he heard it:
“I’m just saying, if a ghost ever shows up while I’m in a C-section, I will hand it a clamp and put it to work.”
Someone cackled. Another voice followed: “I named my stomach cramp today. Her name’s Linda, and she’s mean.”
Connor blinked.
He poked his head into the lounge, and there they were—half the team sitting on the floor, the other half collapsed in various chairs, scrubs wrinkled, hair disheveled, eyes wild. Someone was holding a peanut butter cup like it was a religious offering.
And right in the middle of it all was Y/N, his wife, legs tucked under her, hair falling from her bun, laughing so hard she was crying.
“Should I be concerned?” Connor asked, raising a brow and biting back a grin.
The entire room turned to him, wide-eyed.
“Oh my god,” Y/N gasped between giggles, “he heard about Linda.”
“Please tell me this is normal,” Connor teased, stepping further into the room and offering her the bag of snacks he brought. “Because I just walked into what I think might be a surgical fever dream.”
“Five emergency sections,” one of her coworkers said solemnly, holding up five fingers like it was a war wound.
“In a row,” another added.
“We are not okay,” someone else chimed in before bursting into giggles.
Connor looked at Y/N and couldn’t help but laugh. “This is better than half my post-call rounds.”
“Tell anyone and you’re sleeping on the couch,” she warned, though her smile was soft and her eyes tired.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Deal. But I’m definitely telling Will.”
“Betrayal,” she whispered dramatically.
As the team slowly packed up, Connor stayed close to her side, carrying her bag and tucking a hand into hers. Even through the exhaustion and the chaos, he saw it—the glow she got from doing something that mattered, the pride in her tired smile.
“You’re kind of a badass, you know,” he murmured as they stepped into the elevator.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m also kind of starving.”
“Then we’re getting tacos. And no more talk of ghost scrub techs or Linda the stomach cramp.”
She laughed. “No promises.”
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domoriu · 2 months ago
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was thinking about picking up shifts at my job on the weekends cuz i want more hours/money… i ask this dude what time he’d want me to come in and he says 5:30am-8:30pm… like actually i think you should die and go to hell cuz why would you think me or anyone would do that…
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eleanorandphantom · 8 months ago
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Daily life in a Loopᡣ𐭩 •。ꪆৎ ˚⋅
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Hello! I thought I would post a day in the life of living in a loop, specifically the September 3rd 1940 loop located in Cairnholm, Wales 🤭
(yes I will be going into the nitty gritty and using time stamps)
7:30 am:
Wake up
Make beds
Get dressed
Head downstairs for breakfast
8:00 am:
(Each ward is assigned a day to cook meals, instead of having a seven day week we made weeks designated for the amount of wards we have in our loop, currently there are 11 (before Vic died, before Jacob arrived, and including myself))
This is how the week goes:
Day 1: Horace
Day 2: Eleanor 
Day 3: Fiona
Day 4: Emma
Day 5: Hugh
Day 6: Bronwyn
Day 7: Millard
Day 8: Enoch
Day 9: Claire
Day 10: Victor 
Day 11: Olive
9:30 am:
Breakfast is over, normally the older kids help with clean up
10:15 am:
We head out on our morning walk, usually stop off at the local library to pick up some books we are interested in for lessons
12:30 pm:
Classes begin, each class is around half an hour, we have the usual mathematics, literature, sciences, human history, health, home economics, and of course peculiar history, blending in with normals, fashion trends in the present world, how to escape from situations, and basic peculiar criteria
Each day the schedule for classes change, so we might have 3 “normal” classes and 3 peculiar classes, the next day we would have different classes etc etc
1:30pm ish:
We have a later lunch/snack
3:30pm ish:
We would finish with classes for the day and have the rest of our loop day to roam, do as we please, or work on homework and projects that we are assigned
6:30pm:
We have dinner, it normally lasts a while since we have a lot of discussions and we all work to clean up afterwards unlike breakfast
7:45pm:
We get ready for bed and come back downstairs to prepare for reset, we find it entertaining to watch and we look forward to it each day
8:30pm:
Loop reset is finished and we head inside to the living room where we read from The Tales, read our own stories (my favorite is Bronwyn’s series that she’s writing, it’s story about a human girl falling in love with a spirit of a witch, the title of the book is called Clairvoyant Love and it’s so cute) and perform our little acting skits for each other, it’s quite entertaining watching Horace and Millard act out Caesar’s death 🤭
9:30pm:
We head to our rooms, lights out is 11:30 so we can still hang with our loop mates or take showers or do basically whatever but we have to stay in the house
11:30pm:
Lights out and sleep for another day in the loop
We do have days where we don’t do classes and do training, we also have a theater class where we practice modern literature as well as practice acting like modern normals in case we have to leave the loop. We make small scripts and our Ymbrynes rate our performance based off of how susceptible we are to being caught as peculiars
Living the same day over and over again has its advantages and disadvantages, one being that you can master a lot of skills, while also battling insanity, thankfully we find ways to make life fun and exciting
if you have any questions or wanna know more I’d be happy to write more about this! It’s one of my favorite topics about my DR, since the mundane portion of my Dr is one of the main reasons I shift there, other than being with my found family, having ridiculously cool powers, and plenty of adventure for a life time, it’s nice to be able to have a schedule and relaxed time
thanks for tuning in!! See you next time :D
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