#normal sleep for us permanent sleep for caesar

[hannibard]

Happy international sleep day everyone!!

[ppangjae]

Song for a Little Sparrow | Jaehyun

SUMMARY. As a burnt out painter, you packed one suitcase and flew a one-way trip to Paris in hopes of finding your passion again. In the city of love, the last thing you expected was to bump into a man who doesn’t believe in love. But you do, and you find yourself showing him the wonders of love and falling in love. Just don’t fall in love with him.

or: “How can you not believe in love and think it’s stupid when you’re in Paris, the city of love?”

GENRE. strangers to lovers!au | poet!jaehyun | rich!jaehyun | painter!reader | fluff | angst 

WORD COUNT. 13.7k+ words (BIG OOF)

playlist. howl’s moving castle | song for a little sparrow by patricia kaas | loose by daniel caesar | we find love by daniel caesar 

author’s note. yall she is finally here. oof. this is unedited, so please keep that in mind if you ever come across a typo! also, i just wanted to say thank you for 1k! happy reading~

“You’re going to regret doing this!”

But you don’t.

Your father’s voice echoes through your head as you’re stepping out on the balcony of your hotel room to get a good look of the Eiffel Tower that’s located a couple of blocks away. A soft, happy sigh escapes your lips as you bask in the sunlight that’s hitting your skin. You bring up your fresh mug of coffee to your lips to take a sip.

Your father thinks you’re many things, one of them being absolutely crazy. The look of sheer panic and shock on his face as you walked out of the house with nothing but one suitcase and a one-way plane ticket to Paris remains etched in your mind. You wish you could draw it out and frame it just to put it up in your room for inspiration. Now that you think about it, you are crazy. You’re crazy and impulsive. It’s not normal for you to pack your things and leave the city months after your successful art exhibition. What’s normal is that you should be sitting in your art room, painting on canvas for your next, upcoming art exhibition that everyone is waiting for. But the view of the Eiffel Tower and the atmosphere of love surrounding you is just too hard to resist. And no, you don’t regret doing this.

You might. 

But you’ll worry about that later.

“Why are you calling me so early in the morning?”

You let out a snort. Jungwoo’s pixelated face appears on your screen when he flips to the front camera of his phone. “Good morning to you too.”

“Holy shit, why is it so bright?” He squints his eyes that are blinded by the sunrise that you’re showing him with your phone’s camera. It takes him two seconds to realize it. “Why the fuck are you in Paris?”

“Vacation.” You flash him an innocent smile. But it’s a smile he knows so well. “I’m here for vacation—”

“You and I both know that you are not in Paris for vacation.” He cuts you off.

“Fine. I’m burnt out.”

“But—”

“And bored,” you add, cutting him off. “Which is why I’m in Paris.”

“I wish I was rich enough to fly to Paris just because I felt bored.” He scoffs, sitting up in his bed. “Why did you call me again? Wait, does your father know that you’re in Paris?”

“Yes, he knows.” You answer his second question. As for his first question.. “I called you because I can’t choose which art museum I should go to.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? It’s three in the morning, Y/N—”

“The Louvre, Petit Palais, or Musée d’Orsay?” 

He falls silent for a brief moment. You take this as a chance to take another sip of your coffee that’s run cold. You wince, placing your mug of coffee onto the patio table. 

“The Louvre.”

“Nice choice.” You smile. “Musée d’Orsay it is.”

“I’m seriously going to kill you when you come back,” he lets out a string of curses. “Why’d you even ask me in the first place?”

“Sleep tight, love.”

He scoffs. He falls back against his bed. “Fuck you.”

And he hangs up without saying goodbye.

“Keep the change.”

The ticket vendor looks utterly speechless by his presence. He can tell by the way the coins clink together from the nervous shaking of her hands. She stares at him for a second longer before smiling sheepishly. She retreats her hand and places the coins back into the cash register.

“Enjoy your visit, Mr. Jeong.”

He gives her a timid smile before venturing off into the art museum. It’s normal to see people doing double-takes on him whenever he’s in the same room as them. He’s used to being distracted and losing his train of thought when someone lightly nudges him with a notepad and pen. But ever since he landed in Paris, he’s gotten a ton of looks and a ton of autograph requests from different people and he’s not sure what to feel or how to react.

He finds himself walking into Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s exhibition. The room is somewhat empty, with an old couple admiring the Dance at Bougival and a couple of teenagers taking pictures of the art. He spots a familiar painting at the far end of the room. He’s drawn to it with his feet having a mind of its own, leading him to the painting. 

Dance in the Country. His eyes scan the picture. His eyes stop on the unidentified woman watching the couple dance from the background. She must have a story, he thinks to himself, before his thoughts are cut short when—

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you Jeong Jaehyun, by any chance?” 

He tears his gaze from the painting to meet eyes with a young woman. She looks like a student. As he’s nodding his head, her eyes light up and she immediately rummages through her bag to pull out his best-selling book. Along with a copy of his book, she pulls out a permanent marker. 

“I love your work!” She exclaims. “It’s such a huge coincidence bumping into you at an art museum. Wow. I can’t believe it.”

Adorable. He gives her a warm smile as he gently takes the book and marker from her small hands. He takes the cap off the marker with his teeth. While holding the cap in between his teeth, he makes his signature on the front cover of his book. The young woman looks up at him with admiration. Once he signs the book, he hands her the book and places the cap back onto the marker. 

“Wow. Thank you so much! I won’t disturb you any longer.” She smiles. She looks starstruck. “I hope you enjoy your stay here in Paris and I look forward to your next book!”

He chuckles. “Thank you. It was nice to meet you.”

The young lady sends him a small wave before joining her group of friends. As she reaches up to them, they start teasing her for being such a shy baby. His face softens. He shifts his focus back to the painting in front of him. But as he’s turning to look back at the painting, he notices a figure standing beside him from the corner of his eye.

He glances to his left to see a woman who looks somewhat around his age. She’s wearing a long strap dress that flows all the way down to her ankles. Underneath the dress, she’s wearing a white t-shirt. Her long, wavy hair stops just a couple of inches below her shoulders with strands framing her face. He turns back to look at the painting.

“Why do you think there’s a woman hiding in the background of the painting?”

The voice makes you snap out of your gaze. You find yourself looking to your right to meet eyes with a handsome stranger. It takes you a couple of seconds for you to realize who’s standing right beside you. It’s Jeong Jaehyun, the best-selling poet. He’s looking back at you with an innocent gaze that you decide not to identify him as a poet whose work you admire and whose work you religiously read, but as a stranger.

You take one more look at the painting. Dance in the Country. You’ve always been intrigued by the artwork, specifically at the hidden woman watching the dancing couple in the background.

You purse your lips into a tight line. “I think she’s in love with him. That’s why she’s looking at them like that and remaining hidden.”

He folds his arms and tilts his head in confusion. “You think she’s in love with him?”

You’re still a bit taken aback that the Jeong Jaehyun is standing beside you in an art museum in Paris.

“Yes.” You simply answer his question.

He squints his eyes as he falls deep in thought. “I beg to differ.”

“You don’t think she’s in love with him?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t believe in love.”

What? Did you hear that right? “Sorry?”

“I don’t believe in love.” He repeats himself. “Actually, I think love is stupid—”

“Then why are you here?” You blurt out in shock. It comes out rudely and you expect him to feel insulted, but instead, he smirks at you. “How can you not believe in love and think love is stupid when you’re in Paris, the city of love?”

“You have a point. Why exactly am I here?” He thinks aloud. 

You blink. What an odd guy. Is he really a poet? A best-selling poet? Is he really the man who wrote the books you’ve read? 

“I’d love to hear you argument on how love isn’t real and how love is stupid.”

“I don’t think it needs an explanation.” He shrugs his shoulders. “It is what it is—”

“Damn, who hurt you?” You chuckle. 

He has a grin playing across his lips. “If you believe in love so much, then why don’t you prove it to me?”

“How do I know that you’re not a murderer plotting my death?” You raise an eyebrow suspiciously. 

“Wait, not to be cocky but,” his eyebrows furrow. “You don’t know who I am?” 

You lie. “Should I know who you are?”

You know who he is. You know exactly who he is. He’s Jeong Jaehyun—

“Then that’s all the more reason as to why you should prove me wrong.” He grins. “Prove to me that love is real and that love isn’t stupid.”

“Fine.” You squint your eyes. You let out a huff of breath. “I will. I will prove you wrong, Mr. Stranger.”

He’s completely amused by you. In fact, he’s more amused at the fact that you’re trusting him so easily.

“Where shall we start?” He asks.

You scoff. His grin is immediately wiped off his face.

“Well, you’ve already started. You started the moment you got here, in Paris.”

“I have? Prove it to me.”

“Paris is the city of love! That’s more than enough of a reason as to why love exists and why love isn’t stupid.”

He squints his eyes at you before breaking out into a grin. “I think you’ll need more than that to prove me wrong.”

“I—”

“I’m Jaehyun.” He extends his hand out for you to shake. You raise an eyebrow at him, hesitating to shake his hand, but you do it anyway. His hands are soft. “And do you trust me enough to say that I’m not going to murder you but ask you to grab coffee with me instead?”

It takes you a couple of seconds to realize that you’re still shaking hands. You snap out of it, gently pulling your hand away from his. You fold your arms.

“I’m sure there’s got to be a catch.”

He tilts his head. “Well, you are going to prove to me that love is real and love isn’t stupid, right? Let me thank you in advance by getting you a cup of coffee.”

You smirk.

“Fine.”

“Great—”

“But you’re paying.”

This is going to be a long day.

“You didn’t introduce yourself to me, stranger.”

You find yourselves sitting out on a patio, waiting for your cups of coffee. You tear your gaze away from a couple taking a picture in front of the museum. Sitting right across from you, your eyes meet Jaehyun’s. 

“I’m Y/N.” You chuckle. “Nothing special.”

He fiddles with the teaspoon on the table. “You don’t sound like you’re from here.”

You smile. “It’s because I’m not.”

“Vacation?”

You point at him. “Bingo.”

“Nice.” He nods his head.

Right on time, your orders arrive at the table. He ordered himself an iced Americano and you got yourself a cup of cappuccino. He takes a quick sip.

“You don’t sound like you’re from here either,” you add. 

“It’s because I’m not.” He copies you.

“Vacation?”

The both of you share a look before bursting out into laughter. He points at you. “Bingo.”

There’s a sudden urge of curiosity that ignites within you. Why is the famous poet, Jeong Jaehyun, in Paris for vacation? Is he currently writing a book? Has he lost inspiration? Is that why he’s here in Paris, to reignite the inspiration he lost since his last published book? 

There are a ton of questions running through your mind but it’s funny how if that is the case, you could say you’re in the same boat as him. Why are you in Paris for vacation? Are you currently working on your next exhibition? Did you lose inspiration? Is that why you’re here in Paris, to reignite the inspiration you lost since your last successful art exhibit?

There’s a reason why you bought yourself a one-way plane ticket to Paris with no intentions of flying back for a couple of weeks. You’re in Paris because you lost inspiration and not because you’re working on your next exhibition. After your last art exhibit, you found yourself spiralling into a mess and meeting a familiar friend you didn’t plan on reuniting with; artist’s block. 

It was like you suddenly forgot how to pick up a paintbrush. 

And that in of itself, is a huge nightmare you wish would never become the end of your career that had just started.

“What do you do for a living?” He asks. You look at him until he clears his throat. “You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to—”

“I’m a painter,” you reply. You smirk. “What kind of question is that? Are we out on a blind date or something? I don’t remember meeting you on Tinder.”

He folds his arms and leans against his chair. “You’re a painter? Like, you paint on canvas?”

“I was expecting more of an enthusiastic reaction or even better, a look of surprise.” You pout. You let out a sigh. “But yes, sorry to disappoint, I’m a painter. I pick up a paintbrush and I make strokes on canvas. That’s what I do for a living.”

He grabs his iced Americano to take another sip before slamming it down onto the table. “I’m sure you’re very talented. You should show me a couple of your paintings. Even better, why don’t you paint me like—”

“Like one of my French girls?” You cut him off.

“You probably get that a lot, huh?”

“I get that a shit ton of times that I am this close to throwing up.”

He chuckles. “God, I feel like throwing up whenever I see a couple out on the street. Like those two over there.”

You follow his line of sight. It falls upon the same couple who are still taking pictures in front of the museum. How long does it take to get a decent picture? You look back at Jaehyun.

“They’re in love. Leave them alone.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely leave them alone.” He huffs out a breath. 

“Stop being such a con artist, I’m sure you’ve been in love before.” 

“I have—”

“And it was a nice feeling, right?”

“It was more so disappointing.”

Jaehyun looks at you as you suddenly clasp your hands together. The sudden movement slightly shakes the table, causing some of your drink to spill out of the mug. His eyebrows raise. You look at him with bright eyes and you beam.

“I have an idea.”

“What’s your idea?”

You smile. “I know how to prove you wrong.”

“And how are you going to prove me wrong, Y/N?”

“How long are you going to be here for?” You question. 

He folds his arms. “Two weeks. I’m flying back home in two weeks.”

“Perfect!” You exclaim. “Two weeks is all I need.”

“What tricks are you hiding up your sleeve?”

“I’m going to take you out on dates for two weeks.” You explain your plan that you’ve suddenly come up with on the spot. “And on those dates, I’ll prove to you that love exists.”

“And you expect this to work?”

You nod your head. “One hundred percent.”

“How do you know for sure?” He squints his eyes at you.

“If you don’t feel some sort of way after going out on dates with me, then love isn’t real. But if you do feel some sort of way, then love is real.” You explain.

“So, basically, if I fall in love with you, love is real. But if I don’t fall in love with you, then love isn’t real?”

“Perfect!” You exclaim.

“So, your goal is to make me fall in love with you?” He laughs.

“Yes, but at the same time, no.” You try to make things clear.

“Is that even possible?”

“It’s possible!” 

He looks at you as if you’ve gone insane. He’s slowly starting to regret striking up a conversation with you at the museum. He’s slowly starting to regret taking you out for a cup of coffee. He’s slowly starting to regret arguing that love isn’t real and that love is stupid—

You smile.

“It’s possible. Just don’t fall in love with me.”

“It’s seven in the morning—”

“I know.” 

It is seven in the morning when Jaehyun is bombarded with new text notifications, urging him to get out of bed. He almost mistakenly picks up his pocket journal instead of his phone that’s dinging every two seconds. Scattered across the marble floors of his luxury hotel are crumpled up pieces of paper with horrible drafts of his poetry. He should probably clean that up before the housekeepers come in to vacuum the space. 

“You’re really persistent on proving me wrong, huh?”

He can hear you grinning on the other line of the phone call. “I smell victory already. Now, get your ass out of bed. We’re going out on your first date.”

“We’re already going out on my first date?” Jaehyun smirks. “Shouldn’t we get to know each other first?”

You deadpan, rolling on the balls of your feet as you wait for the bus to arrive. There are two things you learned about Jeong Jaehyun for the past twenty-four hours you’ve encountered him. Flirty. You’re not sure if being a poet means you’re automatically a hopeless romantic or someone who’s incredibly great at flirting, but just by his eyes and the way he interacts with people show how flirty he can be. Charming. Jeong Jaehyun has an aura that he carries around with him whenever he’s out in public. He has a unique charm that draws people to him like a magnet. You consider yourself one of those people, now that you’re waiting for a bus that leads you to the address of his hotel.

“You know my name, isn’t that already enough?” 

“How do I know that you’re not a murderer plotting my death?” He copies you and it makes you let out a scowl.

“If I was a murderer, I would’ve had you murdered by now.” He giggles and you find yourself smiling.

“What should I wear to this date, Y/N?” He teases.

The bus arrives. It takes you a couple of seconds to answer his question. You finally get the chance to answer his question when you take a seat next to the window. “You should wear something comfortable.”

“Like pajamas?”

“Alright, not too comfortable.” You laugh.

“Are you on the way? Are you picking me up in a luxury car?” He opens the closet to skim through his limited amount of clothing that he brought with him. His hands stop when they reach a loose white t-shirt. He takes it off the hanger along with a pair of jeans and a leather belt. 

“What do you take me for? A millionaire?” 

“More like a billionaire.” 

“Shut up.”

Half an hour later, you find yourself standing in front of Hôtel de Crillon. You’re staring at the luxury hotel with your mouth slightly hanging open in awe. As a bus drives past you, your eyes trail down towards the entrance and your eyes meet with a familiar pair.

“Hello there,” you flash him a warm smile.

He shoves his hands into his pockets. He tilts his head at you. “Are you not going to compliment how good I look in my outfit?”

You’re rolling your eyes for the nth time. “You look great—”

“Great but not handsome?”

You frown. “Don’t push it.”

The closer he gets to you, the more nervous you get. You’re not sure why you’re the one feeling nervous when he should be the one feeling jittery. As he approaches you, he boldly throws an arm over your shoulder. He looks down at you. As you slowly look up to meet his gaze, you find your heart skipping a beat too many. He doesn’t look great, he looks charming—

“You look beautiful on this fine day, Y/N. Shall we get going to our date location?”

“How romantic. For a first date, that is.”

Jaehyun peers up at the view in front of him until his trance is disrupted by a little girl on a bike that zooms past him. A soft smile spreads across his lips as he scans the area. The Luxembourg Palace stands right in front of him along with a fountain filled with scattered play boats for kids and a wide grass field that’s perfect for picnic dates. 

“Do you like it?”

He glances at you. “I love it.”

“Great!” You exclaim. “We should probably find a spot underneath a tree to have our small picnic.”

He looks down at the medium-sized bag slung over your shoulder. He feels slightly guilty for letting you carry around what seems like a heavy bag on the trip to the garden. “I was wondering why you brought that bag with you.”

You look up at him with bright eyes. It blinds him. “Well, now you know.”

As the both of you are walking across the grass field to sit underneath a tree, you are stopped by a man around your age. He’s holding a film camera in one hand and his phone in the other. You look at him for a brief moment before your eyes land on a beautiful woman sitting on a picnic blanket behind him. 

“Excuse me,” the man hesitantly says, making Jaehyun stop in his tracks. Jaehyun quirks an eyebrow questioningly, prompting the man to continue. “Do you mind taking a picture of my girlfriend and I? I have a film camera and my phone. I’ll teach you how to use the film camera.”

Jaehyun turns to look at you as if he’s asking you for permission. “I—”

“Sure!” You exclaim, letting out a soft giggle. 

“Oh, thank you so much.” You both hear a shy voice say from behind the man. The woman whom you now identify as the man’s girlfriend, gives you both a shy wave before her cheeks flush pink.

“Do you want photos taken on both the film camera and the phone?” You question.

The man nods his head. “Yes, please. Do you know how to operate the film camera?”

“Fortunately, I do.” You chuckle, gesturing the both of them to get ready for the picture. 

Jaehyun’s awkwardly standing next to you, watching you interact with the couple. He’s never felt so awkward in his entire life. He finds himself looking at you as you’re taking a photo of the couple with the phone first.

“Alright, get comfortable with each other. Yes! That’s perfect!” You say with a warm smile. Jaehyun diverts his gaze towards the couple. They’re sitting next to each other with the man’s arm thrown over his girlfriend’s shoulder. “Alright, one, two, three, smile!”

On the count of three, the woman sneakily pecks her boyfriend’s cheek. He’s caught off guard with his eyes slightly widening in surprise. You let out a giggle as it’s all caught on camera. Jaehyun slowly feels entertained by what’s happening right in front of him. 

“I’ll take one more picture for good measure,” you insist. The couple smiles and you take another picture on the phone before switching to the film camera. “Alright, I’m switching to this camera now.”

Jaehyun watches the couple get ready to pose for the next picture. They’re both looking at each other with gazes that Jaehyun just can’t seem to explain. He’s never had someone look at him like that, where someone would look at him with eyes full of love and admiration. There’s a small space in his heart that hopes he could experience something like this, if not, something similar. 

“Alright, one, two, three!” You take the picture on the film camera. “Wow, I think these are going to turn out beautifully. The two of you are such a beautiful couple.”

The man gets up to get his phone and film camera from you. “Oh, thank you so much.”

“How long have you guys been together?” Jaehyun finds himself asking out of nowhere.

You look at him, surprised that he’s interested in their relationship. The man looks at his girlfriend and smiles. “We’ve been together for a year and two months.”

“Wow, so you guys just celebrated your first anniversary together?” You question and they both flush a bright red. They nod their heads. “You’re a lovely couple. I hope you guys stay together! You both look deeply in love with each other.”

“I hope so, too.” The man says softly. He looks down at his phone. “Would you like me to take a picture of the two of you lovebirds?”

You and Jaehyun glance at each other. You’re the first one to tear your gaze away from him. “I—There’s no need to, we wouldn’t want to bother you—”

“You’re not bothering us at all! We can take a picture for you, just as a thank you for taking time out of your date to take a picture of us.” The woman reassures you.

It’s your turn to look at Jaehyun as if you’re asking him for permission. You can’t seem to read his expression and so you look back at the man. “I think we’ll be okay, thank you for the offer, though—”

“We’d love to!” Jaehyun cuts you off and you look at him with surprise. 

You’re not sure what to say or do but Jaehyun’s already pulling out his phone and handing it to the man. As the man is preparing to take the picture, you and Jaehyun awkwardly stand next to each other. It’s evident that the both of you are either acquaintances, friends, or a new couple who are still awkward with each other. There’s no in between.

“Alright, I’m taking a picture on three.” The man reminds you. 

One, Jaehyun looks down at you. You’re fiddling with your fingers. He can tell there are gears turning in your head. Meanwhile, you’re too busy staring straight ahead, not sure if you should lean closer to Jaehyun or if you’re standing from the right distance. Should you tilt your head towards him? No, that would look awkward. 

Two, Jaehyun feels his arm itch. He’s not sure if he should wrap his arm around your waist or over your shoulder. But as the man is counting to three to take the picture, he can’t help but notice how three seconds seems like three painfully long minutes.

Three, Jaehyun does it. He throws his arm over your shoulder and pulls you close to him. You’re caught off guard. As he pulls you close, you find yourself bumping into his side. Your eyes are widened with surprise. The man and his girlfriend let out a squeal.

As the man is handing back Jaehyun his phone, he grins at the both of you. “How long have you guys been together?”

Jaehyun clears his throat. The both of you share a look before he breaks out into a smirk.

“We’ve actually just started dating.”

“What you did today was impressive.”

You and Jaehyun are strolling down the streets of Paris after spending most of your day at Luxembourg Gardens. Montmartre just seems more romantic in the evening with all the fairy lights lit up and with the endless photo ops perfect for couples. Although your first date with Jaehyun is almost over, there’s something within you that wishes that the date would be longer. Little did you know that Jaehyun wishes the same thing too.

You find yourselves standing in front of an ice cream parlour. The both of you share a look.

“Wanna go grab some ice cream before I drop you off at your hotel?” Jaehyun insists.

You smile. “I’d love that.”

And so the both of you step inside the ice cream parlour. There’s a large menu filled with a variety of ice cream flavours. Although there are many new and unique flavours to choose from, your eyes light up at the sight of your favourite flavour.

“What can I get for the lovely couple?”

You both glance at the ice cream vendor before replying in unison, “Pistachio, please.”

Jaehyun looks at you with surprise. You look unfazed as you’re digging through your purse to pay for the both of you. He’s not sure why his heart skips a beat just by the fact that the both of you love pistachio ice cream. It’s almost as if you both had a telepathic moment. 

“Let me pay—”

You stop him from pulling out his wallet. Your hand is placed over his and he feels the sudden urge to hold your hand. “I’ll pay. I already have my cash out.”

“But—”

“Jaehyun.” 

He raises his hands up in defense. “Fine, if you say so.”

The both of you step out of the ice cream parlour with two scoops of pistachio ice cream on a cone. You’re busy gushing over how delicious it is while Jaehyun stops in his tracks at the sight of a huge billboard sitting on top of a building. You haven’t noticed Jaehyun’s sudden absence beside you until you’re about to ask him what he thinks of the ice cream.

“Jaehyun—Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun’s eyes are fixated on the large billboard. You follow his gaze which lands on a billboard of an advertisement. It’s an advertisement for a ballet show. Your mouth opens slightly agape at the sight of a beautiful ballet dancer on the billboard. You tear your gaze from the billboard to look at him. 

You’ve seen that look before. It’s a look where there are stars shining in your eyes, where your smile is soft yet sincere, where you look like a fool… a hopeless fool. 

“I think I know where to take you for our second date.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Where?”

He points up at the billboard. “Tomorrow night. You and me. I’ll pay for the tickets. I hope you like ballet.”

You fold your arms before pointing at the billboard, specifically at the ballet dancer. “You find her really pretty, don’t you? You have a crush on her, don’t you?”

He blows a raspberry. “I don’t—”

“You do.” You let out a soft gasp.

He gives you a look. “I don’t—”

“Your ice cream is melting.” 

You’re handing him a napkin to wipe the ice cream that’s melted down the side of his hand. As he’s wiping the ice cream, he lets out a sigh. “I don’t.”

You shrug your shoulders. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. I’d honestly have a crush on her too. Besides, it’s not bad to have crushes. Having crushes are normal.”

“Define crush.”

As you’re coming up with your own definition of crush, you find yourselves arriving in front of your hotel. You frown. “Let’s save that conversation for another date.”

He nods his head at the door. “You should get going. I should also get going, Y/N. It was a long day. I enjoyed spending it with you.”

A smile slowly starts to spread across your lips. “Me too. Text me when you get to your hotel safely!”

He waves at you before starting to walk away. You’re just about to step inside the hotel building until you have the sudden urge to—

“Jaehyun!”

He slows down and turns around to look at you. “Yeah?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

What was a small smile on his face turned into a bright one. He’s beaming at you before nodding his head. You swear you could feel your heart pounding in your chest.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Oh boy, this isn’t good.

This isn’t good at all.

And you do see him.

In fact, you see him waiting for you outside of the Théâtre du Châtelet with tickets in his hands. You hand the taxi driver your cash payment and tell him to keep the change before you hop out. As you hop out of the car, your eyes meet his and his blank face transforms into a look of familiarity. 

“Hey, you.” You smile.

“Hey,” he returns a smile. “Shall we head inside? The show is going to start in about fifteen minutes.”

The show starts just a couple of minutes after the both of you get settled in your seats. The lights turn off before they start flickering on and off. As the lights turn on, they focus on a ballet dancer that starts to dance across the stage. She looks beautiful, she looks familiar, she’s the ballet dancer—

“Sunjung.” You hear Jaehyun whisper underneath his breath.

You glance at him. He has that same look on his face from yesterday. There are stars shining in his eyes. His smile is soft… yet sincere. He looks like a hopeless fool. That look means one thing.

He’s in love with her. You know that look all too well. He looks at her as if she’s his entire world. He looks at her with such admiration that it makes your heart ache. You’re not sure if your heart is aching for him or for you. 

You look away from him just before your stare ponders longer than it should. On stage, a male ballet dancer joins her and the song changes to—

“Song for the little sparrow,” you say softly, a gasp getting caught in your throat. 

You and Jaehyun meet eyes. 

It was all starting to make sense to you. You can read Jaehyun like a book, from front to back. 

The reason why Jeong Jaehyun is in Paris is because he’s chasing after the woman he’s in love with, who so happens to be a woman named Sunjung. Jeong Jaehyun is not here for vacation, he’s here because of her. But the more you look at Sunjung and her partner that dances with her on stage, the more you focus on the loving gaze she gives her partner. Sunjung isn’t in love with Jaehyun. Jaehyun flew all the way to Paris to chase after a woman he’s in love with, who happens to be in love with someone else. 

And you’re just someone he randomly chose to accompany him on this journey. You’re just someone he randomly chose to be there for him when he faces the one thing he knows he’ll regret experiencing; rejection.

And you’ve never felt heartbroken for someone your entire life.

“Jaehyun! I can’t believe you’re here!”

If you thought she looked beautiful on stage, she looked perfect up close. Sunjung pulls Jaehyun in for an embrace before pulling away to look at you. You flash her a small smile. Sunjung’s dance partner, extends his hand out for Jaehyun to shake.

“This is Seonghwa,” Sunjung introduces her partner. Her partner looks just as charming as she is. He looks incredibly tall while standing next to her. “He’s my dance partner that I’ve been telling you all about.”

Jaehyun smiles. When you look at him, you can tell that he’s hurting on the inside. “I’m glad I can finally put a name to your face, Seonghwa. Congratulations to the both of you, the show was amazing.”

You gently nudge Jaehyun. He looks at you questioningly. “Introduce me.”

“Ah,” Jaehyun mumbles sheepishly. “This is Y/N, a friend of mine.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” Sunjung beams at you. “I hope you enjoyed the show. I was wondering why Jaehyun brought a beautiful lady along with him.”

“The show was beautiful,” you say as you let out a breath. 

Seonghwa’s eyes dart between the two of you. “Are you guys dating or something?”

You and Jaehyun look at each other. Jaehyun fakes a cough, shaking his head. “No, we’re not dating. We’re just friends.”

Ouch. Why did that hurt? You didn’t think it would hurt.

Sunjung stares at the both of you. She pouts. “I was hoping you guys were dating. You guys look adorable together! I honestly thought you were going to introduce me to your new girlfriend, Jaehyun.”

Ouch. Was that supposed to hurt too? 

You let out an uneasy laugh. “Sorry to disappoint. We’re just friends. Right, Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun doesn’t answer. You look up at him and the smile on your face is wiped off. 

He looks heartbroken. He looks at her with a longing gaze. It’s a look with many unsaid words. He breaks out into a small smile that doesn’t reach his ears. He blinks and bites his lip. You’ve never experienced rejection, but after seeing him get indirectly rejected, you feel like you’ve experienced it too. There’s a sudden urge to hug him, comfort him, reassure him that things will turn out fine. But you’re not sure how because you don’t think you’re in the right place to do so. You’re sure him and Sunjung have a long, memorable history of friendship that’s irreplaceable. And so you stay silent.

And in the midst of your silence, you swear you can hear his heart shattering into pieces.

He lets out a soft chuckle. “Right. We’re just friends.”

Ever since the both of you left the theatre, you haven’t spoken a single word to each other. You’re trying to find the right words to say to him, but you don’t know him enough to know the right way of comforting him. You’re sure he has a lot of things on his mind, specifically about Sunjung. 

All you could do is look at him with a waiting gaze, as if you’re expecting some sort of explanation. He doesn’t say anything and you respect it by continuing to walk back to your hotel in silence. 

When you’re a couple of metres away from your hotel, he lets out a sigh. “Sunjung’s a long-time friend of mine.” 

You slowly nod your head. “I kind of figured you’ve been friends for a long time.”

He looks quite heartbroken just by the mention of her name. You wonder what happened between the two of them, but at the same time, you didn’t want to force him into talking about something he’s uncomfortable with. He gestures towards your hotel. “We’re here. You should head inside before it gets chilly outside. Good night, Y/N.”

He takes your silence as his cue to leave. As he’s walking away, you can’t seem to stop yourself from saying, “You’re in love with her.”

He stops in his tracks. He looks over his shoulder. 

You repeat yourself. “You’re in love with Sunjung.”

He shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs his shoulders. “How would you know that? I don’t believe in love. Love is stupid. Love doesn’t exist.”

“Your eyes don’t seem to know how to lie, Jaehyun.”

His head hangs low. “You got me. I’m stupidly in love with my best friend. Unfortunately.”

“If you’re in love with her,” you begin with your eyebrows furrowing. “Why don’t you believe in love?”

He smiles. 

“Let’s save that conversation for another date.”

The next time you see Jaehyun, it’s a Sunday evening. He has one more week left before he flies back home. It’s been three days since you last saw him in his heartbroken state. You figured he took three days off to recollect his thoughts and to let the fact that he had just gotten friendzoned by his best friend sink in. 

But the next time you see Jaehyun, it’s a Sunday evening and he looks much better. You see him standing outside of your hotel building from your balcony. He’s wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, as if he had just woken up from a nap and decided to pay you a visit. 

“Let’s go out on our third date.”

And you do. You find yourself putting on a hoodie the same colour as his before heading downstairs to meet up with him. When you meet up with him, you can’t help but notice how happier he looks. His smile looks genuine. 

“Hey, you.”

He chuckles. “Let’s get going before the sun sets.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Champ de Mars.” He shrugs his shoulders.

You pout. “I was expecting you to tell me it was a surprise.”

“Disappointed?”

You find yourself interlocking arms with him before laughing. “Just a little.”

When you arrive, Jaehyun finds the perfect spot with the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower in front of you. He lays out a blanket for the both of you to sit on and pulls out the takeout trays of food from the paper bag. You’re too busy taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower to notice that everything’s already set up. You glance down to find him already sitting down. He pats the empty spot beside him and you take a seat.

After taking a couple more pictures, you place your phone back into your pocket. He throws his arm over your shoulder and you look at him with surprise. “Jaehyun?”

He looks back at you. “Yeah?”

“What are you doing?” 

The both of you are staring at each other until he takes his arm off your shoulder. He scratches the back of his neck and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry.”

You let out a snort. “I’m just kidding.”

He wraps his arm around your waist instead, catching you off guard. But you pay no attention to it. 

There’s something about you that he admires. It must be the fact that you understand him. It must be the fact that you can read his mind. It must be the fact that you’re not diving into his love life or being too nosey about his feelings for Sunjung and deciding to let him explain everything when he’s comfortable. But it could also be because you look beautiful sitting next to him like this. It could also be the fact that you willingly took a risk and spent your time with him, a complete stranger. 

“I’m in love with Sunjung.” He begins. 

You look up at him. “Are we having that conversation now?”

He laughs. “Can we?”

“We can, if you’re comfortable with that.” You purse your lips into a tight line. 

“Sunjung and I are best friends. We’ve been best friends for the longest time. In fact, I’ve been her best friend that’s been chasing after her for as long as I can remember.” He explains. “But she’s in love with someone else.”

“Is that why you don’t believe in love?” You ask.

He slowly nods his head. “I guess it’s the fear of rejection that makes me believe that love doesn’t exist.”

“But if love doesn’t exist, then rejection shouldn’t exist either.” You had a point. “Being in love with someone could make you the happiest person on the entire planet, but it could also ruin you through rejection.”

“You have a point.” He sighs. “I flew all the way to Paris just to chase after her. The more I try to chase after her and the more I try to make her mine, the more I start to believe that I know nothing about love and that it doesn’t exist.”

“Really?” You ask.

“Really.” He mumbles. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Now that I’m hearing this, I think I’m starting to believe that if there was one person who believes in love with all his heart, it would be you.” You answer. “You’re just being swayed by the fact that the woman you’re in love with doesn’t love you back. Rejection is the only reason why you don’t believe in love. But I think you should embrace rejection because it’ll only make you a better person. In fact, rejection will make you a person who anticipates the next opportunity to fall in love again, but with another person.”

“Do you think so?” He whispers.

You raise an eyebrow. “About what?”

“Do you think I’ll ever fall in love again, after Sunjung?” He asks.

You place your hand on top of his before nodding your head. 

“Love happens with the right person at the right time. I’m more than sure that you’ll fall in love again, you just have to allow your heart to do it.”

Jaehyun falls against his bed and lets out a sigh. He’s looking up at the ceiling of his room. Suddenly, he pulls out his phone and goes through his photos. He starts swiping for a particular picture until he finds it. A smile begins to spread across his lips. It’s the photo of you and him at Luxembourg Gardens. He has his arm wrapped around you and you’re looking at the camera with slightly widened eyes. Your cheeks heat up while his ears redden.

“Hey, Jaehyun?”

He hears you call out his name after he dropped you off at your hotel room. He’s waiting for the elevator to arrive. He looks at you. You’re poking your head through the door. “Yeah?”

You bite back a smile that threatens to form on your lips. “I just wanted to let you know that if it weren’t for Sunjung and your feelings for her, I’d definitely fall in love with you. Sunjung is clearly missing out on someone she doesn’t deserve.”

The elevator arrives and he’s too distracted by your words to even notice the elevator doors opening. He scratches the back of his neck. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N. Goodnight.”

You smile. “Goodnight, Jaehyun.”

Before he steps into the elevator, he tries to talk to you before you close the door. “Hey, Y/N?”

You look at him questioningly. “Yeah?”

“I just wanted to let you know that if I wasn’t in love with Sunjung, I’d definitely fall in love with you too.”

Five days left until Jaehyun flies back to Seoul. He has five days left to spend with you. It’s funny how he’s deciding to spend those five days with you and not with Sunjung. But it’s not like he really had a choice because you’d always insist on going out on another date.

“Golden hour?”

You’re grabbing his hand and running down the sidewalks of Paris. He looks down at your hands. You’re too busy looking down at your phone for the map directions to even notice that you absent-mindedly grabbed his hand. “Yes! Golden hour! Apparently, the best time to do it is during golden hour!”

“Where are we going?” He questions.

“The Seine!”

He pouts. “I was kind of expecting you to say that it’ll be a surprise.”

You laugh and it’s such a beautiful sound to his ears. You look at him from over your shoulder. “Disappointed?”

He shakes his head. “Not at all.”

Ever since you made what seems like a subtle love confession to Jaehyun last night, you couldn’t help but notice a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders. The image of his warm smile when he heard your words remains etched in your mind. You know that this won’t end how you want it to be, but you’re fine with it. You’d rather let your heart fall in love than cage it up with huge walls. Besides, you’re in the city of love, why would you hold yourself back?

It takes half an hour for the both of you to arrive at the Seine. There’s a ton of couples gathered at the Seine, most of them lining up at the booth to pick up their tickets. Luckily for you, you had booked your tickets in advance. You’re just about to tell Jaehyun something until you catch him looking at the river in awe. The sun is starting to set, making everything more romantic. 

“Wow.” He breathes out.

You smile proudly. “I know. Let’s lineup so we can get a good spot on the cruise.”

The cruise occurs every hour during its busiest times. You and Jaehyun decide to stick around on the lower level of the boat. As the boat is starting to move across the river, you find yourself taking a seat on one of the benches. 

“This is amazing,” he says softly.

“I did a pretty good job with this, don’t you think?” He nods his head.

He gets up from the bench and walks towards the railings. You’re too busy staring at his back profile, admiring the view right in front of you. His skin is glowing from the sun that’s shining down on him. Your mind finds itself taking a picture. You’re smiling brightly.

As you join him, you place your hands on the railings. He turns to you. “Hey, you never told me how long you’ll be here for.”

You glance at him. “Because I myself, don’t know how long I’ll be here for.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” you sigh. “Let’s just say I packed my things and bought a one-way ticket to Paris. I decided that when I feel like I’m ready to fly back home, then I’ll buy my plane ticket.”

“This might come off rude but I’m just curious,” he chuckles. “Are you really here in Paris for vacation?”

You smile and shake your head. “I’m not. I flew to Paris to escape.”

“Escape from what?”

“From my reality.” You answer. “Well, I’m more so escaping from my father. Just like my father, I’m a painter. He has high expectations of me and it’s extremely difficult to live up to his standards.”

“I’m sure your work is amazing, though.” He mumbles.

You giggle. “My last art exhibit was a huge success. But I didn’t expect getting burnt out a couple of months later. It was like I forgot how to pick up a paintbrush. I decided I needed to take a break. My father wasn’t happy to hear that.”

“And so you flew out to Paris?”

You point at him. “Bingo. I packed a suitcase and I told him I was flying out to Paris. I will never forget the look on his face. It was priceless. I’m sure I’ll be in huge trouble when I fly back.”

“Are you ready to fly back, though?” He asks.

It takes a while for you to come up with an answer. But when you do, you find yourself nodding.

“I think I’m ready. I was bound to go back home, anyways.”

This is the downside of meeting someone in a country you don’t live in. It’s all fun and games when meeting someone new, but the worst is knowing the fact that the both of you will eventually separate, where one will have to go back home and the other is left behind. 

But in this case, you met someone in Paris who doesn’t live in Paris. You fell in love with Paris and the stranger you befriended. It’ll be all fun and games until you both realize that you’ll eventually separate, where the both of you go back home.

And you guess you both realized that now.

Three more days until Jaehyun flies back home. Three more days to spend with you. You both find yourselves spending an afternoon at the Sainte-Chapelle. Underneath the stained glass, you both stand next to each other with your shoulders brushing against each other. 

You steal a glance at Jaehyun. 

You’re in love with him. You’ve fallen in love with him. But you know he’s in love with someone else. And that’s okay. It was bound to happen anyways. But even though you knew it was bound to happen, it still hurt. Just a little bit.

He catches you staring at him and he smirks. “Why are you staring at me?”

You shake your head. “Nothing.”

“I want to get married here.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Really?”

He hums in reply. “Really.”

You chuckle. “Am I invited to your wedding?”

There’s a part of him that wishes you didn’t ask such a question. He swore he imagined seeing you walk down the aisle, not as his guest sitting in the congregation. The thought of it terrifies him.

“Of course.” He chuckles. “You’re an honorary guest.”

You find yourself smiling. “That sounds nice to hear.”

He lets out a frustrated sigh. It catches you off guard. As you look up at him questioningly, you watch his shoulders slump. “I wish I fell in love with you instead. I wish I met you before Sunjung. Maybe things would have turned different.”

You tear your gaze away from him. “Things would have definitely turned out differently.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

It all feels bittersweet. “How so?”

“Because if you fell in love with me instead and if you had met me before Sunjung, I would have fallen in love with you in a heartbeat, just like how I’ve fallen in love with you now.”

Two days before Jaehyun flies back home. Little did he know you had already packed your things. You’re ready to fly back home. You think it’s time to go back home. But you knew that you couldn’t just leave him without a farewell. With your flight near midnight, you decide to spend your last day in Paris with him. 

You spend the afternoon at Pont des Arts. Along the bridge are an endless amount of locks on its railings. It’s weird how you’re both holding hands like a couple. 

“Where do you think we can get a lock?”

You snort. “Are you trying to be cheesy? Why do we need a lock?”

He gestures towards the locks on the railings of the bridge. “So that we can do this together.”

“But we’re not dating,” you remind him. 

“But you’re in love with me.” He says softly and you roll your eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.”

“We don’t need to do this. The person you should be doing this with is Sunjung.”

“Can we just forget about Sunjung for today?” He asks. “We’re getting a lock.”

And you both do. The lock comes with two keys, one for you and the other for him. You’re both standing near the railings, trying to find an empty spot to put the lock on. Everything feels like a mixture of bittersweetness and cheesiness, but you both do it anyway. 

“Couples usually write their initials on the lock, put it on the railing, and then throw the keys to the lock into the water.” Jaehyun explains.

You snort. “Funny how you told me how you didn’t believe in love when we first met and yet here you are, telling me all about a romantic practice couples usually do.”

The lock is secured in its place. He looks at you as he prepares to throw his key into the water. He chucks the key out into the water and turns towards you as he waits for you to throw yours in. You don’t. He looks at you confusedly.

“Why aren’t you throwing yours into the water?”

“I think I should be asking you why you threw yours into the water, sir.” You fold your arms. 

“Love happens with the right person at the right time.” He recalls what you had said to him one night. “I threw mine into the water because I know that love will happen when I meet you again at the right time. I’ll just have to allow my heart to do it.”

You flash him a sad smile. “I can’t wait until that time comes.”

“Me too.”

You look towards the water before throwing your key. 

Someday.

That time will come.

Someday.

“Hey, Jaehyun?” 

“Yeah?”

You hesitate. “I’m flying home tonight.”

His smile vanishes from his face. “Tonight?”

You nod. “Tonight.”

He avoids your gaze. “We should probably get you back to your hotel, then, huh?”

As much as you hate telling him, you knew that he had to know. He doesn’t look upset, surprisingly. It’s probably because he knew that things would end like this. It was expected. He just didn’t expect it to happen sooner than he thought.

When you arrive at your hotel, the sun has already set. Jaehyun helps you with your suitcases as you bring it down to the hotel lobby. As your taxi arrives, he helps you put your things into the trunk of the car. When everything’s set to go, the both of you stand there awkwardly, looking at each other.

“I guess this is it.”

“Yeah.” You say softly.

“You have my number, right?” He asks.

You nod. “I do. Nothing to worry.”

“Text me when you land.” He says. 

“I will,” you reassure him. “Take care of yourself, alright?”

“I’ll try.” He chuckles.

Jaehyun doesn’t know what came over him but he can’t seem to stop himself from grabbing your cheeks and pulling you in for a kiss. You’re caught off guard with your eyes widening in shock. His lips feel soft and plump, so irresistible that you pull him closer. He deepens the kiss and you swore you felt his tongue lightly graze yours. Your heart wants it to last longer but you will yourself to pull away. 

You bite your lip. “Uh—I’ll see you around?”

He looks just as surprised as you are. “I’ll—yeah, I’ll see you around.”

You give him a timid wave before hopping into the car. As you buckle in your seat, you roll down the windows to see Jaehyun still standing there, waiting to send you off. “Jaehyun?”

“Yeah?”

“I hope you and Sunjung end up together. You deserve to be loved.”

And he looks at you with a look you can’t seem to read. You roll the windows back up and the car starts to drive off. You turn around to see Jaehyun waving at you. You wave back, mustering up a smile. When Jaehyun’s figure gets smaller and smaller, you turn back around to face the front. You bite back a sob.

You knew it would hurt.

You knew it would end this way.

But you still allowed yourself to get hurt.

“Ma’am?” You snap out of your thoughts.

The taxi driver is offering you a box of Kleenex tissues. “Yes?”

“It looks like you need it.”

And you sure did.

“Welcome home—”

Your father cuts himself off when he hears you slam your bedroom door shut. He frowns, glancing at your suitcase that you lazily left by the door. He walks towards your suitcases to bring them into the living room until he spots your plane ticket.

He slowly picks it up. “Paris? Of all places, why Paris?”

The longer he stares at it, the more he starts to put things together.

Five months later…

BREAKING NEWS: Best-selling poet, Jeong Jaehyun, officially engaged to long-time friend and ballet dancer, Kim Sunjung

You wish it was a joke. 

But it isn’t.

“Holy shit, you look like a fucking mess.”

“I know.”

Jungwoo stands at the door with a bag filled with canned beer. When you had called him to come over for a beer night, he didn’t expect to show up to see a brokenhearted friend moping in front of a TV screen. He takes a seat next to you on the couch and starts to take out the cans of beer. He’s placing them onto the coffee table, taking a look at you every now and then to make sure you’re doing alright. But you’re clearly not. You’re not alright.

“So, when were you planning on telling me that you fell in love with a stranger in Paris?”

You let out a bitter chuckle. “Was it that obvious?”

“What? That you fell in love in Paris?” He asks. You hum in reply. “Well, while you were in Paris, I was expecting you to call me during your vacation but you didn’t. I didn’t hear from you for two weeks, what did you want me to expect?”

“Never fall in love, especially in Paris.” You sigh, wiping your tears. You grab a can of beer and pry it open. You take your first sip of the night before wincing. 

He points at the screen. “You do have extremely good taste, though. Jeong Jaehyun? The flavour is incredibly immaculate.”

“I should probably get my mind off of it,” you whisper. “Or should I say, get my mind off of him.”

He snorts. “And how are you going to do that? By painting?”

“Yeah,” you mumble. “By doing exactly that.”

“Well, shit, I thought you were going to say no.” Jungwoo lets out a light-hearted laugh that rings in your ears. “But I think that would be a good idea. It’ll get your mind off of him. You never know, it might even help you move on.”

“Is it bad that I don’t want to move on?” You think aloud. 

“Well, yes and no.” Jungwoo answers your thoughts. “It really depends on the situation.”

“How?”

He surprisingly finishes his first can of beer and moves on to his second. “From how heartbroken you are over him, I like to think that you’re both right for each other. You just both met the right people at the wrong time.”

“You think I met the right person at the wrong time?”

He nods. “Exactly so.”

It’s been five months since you last saw Jaehyun. It’s been five months since you last heard from him too. No text. No phone call. No nothing. Whatever happened between the two of you in Paris remains a memory that will forever be etched in your mind. You’re not sure if you could say the same thing for him. 

You wonder if he’s doing alright. You wonder if he’s happy that he finally captured Sunjung’s heart. You wonder if he’s been eating his meals. You wonder if he’s getting enough sleep. Because you aren’t. You aren’t doing alright. You haven’t been eating your meals. You haven’t been getting enough sleep. And yet, it hurts even more knowing that he’s probably not even thinking about you. You probably don’t even cross his mind.

The news reporter on the TV screen continues to report the evening news. Your ears perk up at the sound of his name.

“Jeong Jaehyun will be holding a book signing for his new poetry book, Right Person, Wrong time, at the city’s biggest bookstore this Saturday at noon.”

It’s a huge mistake to be here. 

But you are. You’re holding Jaehyun’s new poetry book in your arms as you’re walking towards the end of the line. Jungwoo’s voice echoes in your mind, telling you that this is a bad idea, but you’re stubborn. The line up shortens as more and more books are being signed by him. You find yourself a couple of metres near the table. You stand up on your tip-toes to get a good look of him. When you finally spot him, you let out a gasp. Your eyes start to water.

He hasn’t changed. He still looks the same. He just looks more tired. His smile reaches his ears. He looks happy. It makes your heart ache. You wish you were happy as him. But between the two of you, you felt like you were the only one left behind. He’s chasing his own happiness and here you are, left behind, trying to find what’s left between the both of you.

“What’s your name?” Jaehyun asks the teenager.

The teenager smiles. “Mina.”

He’s signing the teenager’s book. “You look familiar.”

“I do? I think it’s because I bumped into you in Paris a few months back. You were at the Musée d’Orsay!” The teenager exclaims. 

Jaehyun’s hand stops writing. He slowly looks up at her. “Paris? Musée d’Orsay?”

“Yes! I asked for your autograph. You were looking at one of the artworks from Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s exhibition.” The teenager tries to recall her memory. “I think you were looking at Dance in the Country.”

Jaehyun smiles wider. “I remember you! Wow, what a small world.”

She giggles. “Yes, what a small world we live in.”

He closes the book and pushes it towards her. “I’m glad to see you again. I hope you take care! Thank you for coming to my book signing.”

“Thank you,” she says sheepishly. “Congratulations on your engagement, too!”

He thanks her and just as she starts to leave, he begins to welcome the next person in line. But right when he flashes the next reader a smile, his eyes meet yours. His smile is immediately wiped off of his face. You’re looking back at him in shock.

You bite your lip. You’re the first one to look away. 

Indeed, this is a bad idea. This is a huge mistake. You find yourself stepping out of your line and looking for the exit. When you find the exit, your walking starts to speed up. 

Jaehyun places his pen down and he’s immediately getting up from his chair. He watches you as you walk towards the exit. “Sorry, give me one second.”

He’s stepping down from the stage and everyone’s looking at him as he tries to chase after you. He’s pushing past people who are looking around the bookstore. Right when he steps outside of the bookstore, he looks left and right, in hopes of finding you.

But he doesn’t. 

He scratches the back of his head. He swore he saw you. He looked into your eyes. He was so sure of it.

You try to catch your breath. When you do, you look behind a brick wall to see Jaehyun walking back into the bookstore. He scratches the back of his head. You sigh with relief.

Four months later…

“Please welcome, my daughter and pride, Y/N!”

The sound of clapping echoes throughout the exhibition room as you join your father on the small stage. He pulls you into a tight embrace. A couple of weeks after you flew back home from Paris, your father seemed to be less strict with you. He let you work at your own pace and stopped restricting you from living your life to the fullest. As a result, nine months later, you complete your second art exhibit in your career. And the turn out? Successful.

“Good evening, everyone.” You greet the large group of visitors. “First off, I wanted to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit this exhibition. It means a lot to me.”

Everyone is intently listening to you and you grow nervous from the attention. You look at your father for reassurance. He gestures you to continue. You look back at everyone.

“After my first successful art exhibit, I got burnt out. I packed a suitcase and flew a one-way trip to Paris in hopes of finding inspiration again. Little did I know, things turned out much differently than I expected.” You let out a chuckle. “This art exhibit is special because it highlights most of the memories I made in Paris with a stranger I met.”

You feel your father place his hand on your shoulder. You look at him with teary eyes. 

“I don’t want to hold you all back from seeing the art and so, I present to you, my second art exhibit, Song for a Little Sparrow. Enjoy.”

As you watch everyone start to wander off to different paintings, you head towards one of the table stands to grab yourself a glass of wine. You needed some alcohol in your system. You join Jungwoo at one of the tables. He starts clapping for you as you approach him.

“Congratulations,” he smiles.

You fist-bump him. “Thanks.”

“You chose Song for a Little Sparrow over Wrong person, Right Time?” He asks.

“And what about it?” You take a sip of your wine. 

“Do you think you met Jaehyun at the right time?” Jungwoo questions.

You slowly nod your head after much thought. “He’s getting married with someone he’s in love with. He’s the wrong person who came at the right time. I was burnt out, he was chasing the love of his life. We both met each other at the right time. Look what came out of it. He’s getting married and I managed to get my creativity flowing again.”

He swirls the wine in his glass. “But are you still in love with him?”

You stare at him. “It wouldn’t matter, anyways. He’s getting married. Thus, wrong person, right time.”

“What if I told you that I just saw him walk into the exhibit?” 

“Stop joking around—”

“I’m not—”

“You are.” You cut him off. Your eyes scan the exhibit. “I can’t see him. I don’t see him. You’re joking. Stop joking around—”

“He’s right there—”

“Where?!” You exclaim.

“I’m just joking.”

You down your glass of wine before letting out a scowl. He’s laughing his ass off. “Fuck you.”

“Love you too,” he sends you a flying kiss. “I’m going to go mingle with some visitors. You never know, I might just meet the love of my life tonight.”

“I hope you don’t.”

“Do you really? Because if you do, you might have to spend the rest of your life with me—”

You fake a gag. “Yeah, please, go mingle. I’d rather spend the rest of my life with a house filled with puppies than spend it with you.”

He pretends to look offended. “I’m hurt. Anyways, see you later, love.”

You grin. “Go get em’, tiger.” 

As he’s a couple of metres away, he turns back around to shout at you. “Don’t get too tipsy!”

“One ticket please.”

“Sorry, sir, the exhibition is closing in about half an hour. We’re not taking anymore visitors—”

Jaehyun takes off his shades and the ticket vendor clamps his mouth shut. What seems like the manager pushes him aside and looks at Jaehyun for a brief moment. “That’s quite unfortunate. When are you opening tomorrow?”

The manager clears his throat. “Well, we can give you a ticket for the remaining half hour, Mr. Jeong. It’ll be discounted. You can also choose to come back tomorrow, instead.”

Jaehyun purses his lips into a tight line. “Is the artist present at the exhibit?”

“Yes, Mr. Jeong.”

He smiles. “Then I’ll take the discounted ticket, please and thank you.”

The manager is scurrying to print an admission ticket. Jaehyun can’t help but look at him with amusement. There sure are some perks like these when you’re a best-selling author. As the manager is handing him his ticket, he thanks them and rushes towards the art exhibit down the hallway before time runs out. From behind him, the manager and the ticket vendor are beginning to close up the entrance gates to the art museum.

Jaehyun stops in front of the doors to the exhibit room to catch his breath. When he saw a billboard with your name and the date of your art exhibit plastered all over it, he did not hesitate to make a trip to the art museum on it’s first day of viewing to the public. 

His feet drag him into the room. There’s not much people left in the exhibit room because it’s almost closing time. There are a couple of people looking at the art, him included. 

He’s making the last half hour worth his time by stopping to look at each painting carefully. The first painting he looks at is a painting of a couple standing in front of a familiar museum. It’s a couple taking a picture in front of the Musée d’Orsay. His eyes flutter shut as he reminisces a memory from the back of his mind.

“What do you do for a living? You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to—”

“I’m a painter. What kind of question is that? Are we out on a blind date or something? I don’t remember meeting you on tinder.”

“You’re a painter? Like, you paint on canvas?”

“I was expecting more of an enthusiastic reaction or even better, a look of surprise. But yes, sorry to disappoint, I’m a painter. I pick up a paintbrush and I make strokes on canvas. That’s what I do for a living.”

“I’m sure you’re very talented. You should show me a couple of your paintings. Even better, why don’t you paint me like—”

“Like one of my French girls?”

“You probably get that a lot, huh?”

“I get that a shit ton of times that I am this close to throwing up.”

“God, I feel like throwing up whenever I see a couple out on the street. Like those two over there.”

“They’re in love. Leave them alone.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely leave them alone.”

“Stop being such a con artist, I’m sure you’ve been in love before.”

“I have—”

“And it was a nice feeling, right?”

“It was more so disappointing.”

He lets out a soft chuckle as he opens his eyes again. Before he moves onto the next painting, he can hear your bubbly laugh echoing through his mind.

“I’m going to take you out on dates for two weeks. And on those dates, I’ll prove to you that love exists.”

“And you expect this to work?”

“One hundred percent.”

“How do you know for sure?” 

“If you don’t feel some sort of way after going out on dates with me, then love isn’t real. But if you do feel some sort of way, then love is real.” 

“So, basically, if I fall in love with you, love is real. But if I don’t fall in love with you, then love isn’t real?”

“Perfect!” 

“So, your goal is to make me fall in love with you?” 

“Yes, but at the same time, no.” 

“Is that even possible?”

“It’s possible. Just don’t fall in love with me.”

He moves onto the next painting. It’s a painting of the Luxembourg Palace. A smile is slowly starting to spread across his lips.

“How long have you guys been together?”

“We’ve actually just started dating.”

The next painting is a painting of what seems to be Sunjung and Seonghwa. It’s a painting of them dancing across the stage in the theatre. He glances down at his fourth finger that’s missing a wedding ring. 

“You’re in love with her.”

“How would you know that? I don’t believe in love. Love is stupid. Love doesn’t exist.”

“Your eyes don’t seem to know how to lie, Jaehyun.”

“You got me. I’m stupidly in love with my best friend. Unfortunately.”

“If you’re in love with her, why don’t you believe in love?”

The painting he looks at next is a painting of a picnic at the Champ de Mars. Sitting in the middle of the painting is the Eiffel Tower. He assumes that it’s a painting of your view from the picnic you both had.

“Do you think so?”

“About what?”

“Do you think I’ll ever fall in love again, after Sunjung?” 

“Love happens with the right person at the right time. I’m more than sure that you’ll fall in love again, you just have to allow your heart to do it.”

He finds himself taking more time to look at the last two paintings. He stands in front of a painting of the purple stained glass at the Sainte-Chapelle. He leans towards the painting to get a closer look. He chuckles when he sees that you painted the both of you as a reflection in the glass. 

“I wish I fell in love with you instead. I wish I met you before Sunjung. Maybe things would have turned different.”

“Things would have definitely turned out differently.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“How so?”

“Because if you fell in love with me instead and if you had met me before Sunjung, I would have fallen in love with you in a heartbeat, just like how I’ve fallen in love with you now.”

When he moves onto the last painting, he feels a gasp getting caught in his throat. It’s a painting of someone he knows all too well. It’s a painting of him. It’s a painting of him standing near the railings of the cruise at the Seine river. It’s your view of him from behind. 

He’s sure he’s in love with you.

He’s so sure of it.

“It’s beautiful, huh?” He snaps out of it. It’s a familiar voice.

His head snaps to his left. You’re standing right next to him. You’re already looking at him when he glances at you. He can’t seem to find a word to say, especially when you’re standing right in front of him. He’s not sure what to say when you flash him a warm smile that holds so much meaning.

“Hi,” he breathes out.

You giggle. “Hi, there.”

“C-Congratulations on your exhibit,” he manages to blurt out.

You blush. “Thanks. Congratulations on your book too. I read it actually, and I really enjoyed it.”

He clears his throat, pointing towards the painting in front of the both of you. “Is this me?”

You snort. “Who else would it be?”

“I feel honoured.” He mumbles.

You glance down at your wristwatch. “Well, I hate to say this but it’s closing time.”

“Already?”

You nod. “We wouldn’t want to keep anybody from going home to their families, right?”

“Ah, you’re right.” He lets out a sheepish laugh. 

You purse your lips into a line and pat his shoulder. “It was nice seeing you, Jaehyun. I hope you’re doing well and taking care of yourself. Thank you for dropping by, it means so much to me. I’ll get going. My father’s waiting for me.”

Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows in confusion. You’re starting to walk away from him. He doesn’t want to lose you again. Why are you walking away from him?

You slow down in your tracks before turning around again. His eyebrows raise. “Jaehyun?”

“Yeah?”

“Congratulations on your engagement.” You smile. “It’s nice to see that you finally got a hold of Sunjung. Tell her I said hi—”

He shakes his head. “I called off the engagement. We’re not getting married.”

“Huh?” That’s all that manages to slip from your lips. “What did you just say?”

“I called off the engagement? We’re not getting married?” He repeats himself and it all comes out as a question. 

“Why would you do that?” You look at him as if he’s crazy. “You literally chased Sunjung all the way to Paris and after getting engaged with her, you called the engagement off? Are you in your right mind?”

“I called it off because of this.” He gestures towards all the paintings in the exhibit. “I called it off because of you, because of my feelings for you.”

“You’re not making any sense, Jaehyun—”

“When I published Right Person, Wrong Time, Sunjung kept asking me if it was about her, if all the poems I wrote were about her.” He explains. “I couldn’t just tell her that they were about you, not when we were engaged. I wrote those poems during the two weeks I was with you in Paris.”

“They were about me?”

“We fought a lot after the engagement. I was starting to believe that the Sunjung I fell in love with was different to the Sunjung I got engaged to.” He continues to explain. “And then I thought, was this all just a mind game? Did I do all of this and fall in love with Sunjung only for things to turn out like this?”

“Jaehyun—”

“And then I remembered the things you said to me back in Paris. At that very moment, it came down to whether I should choose the woman I’m in love with or the woman who’s in love with me.” He cuts you off. “I decided to call off the engagement. Sunjung is the definition of the wrong person at the wrong time.”

“I—”

“Love happens with the right person at the right time.” He reminds you. “I knew that allowing my heart to fall in love again with the right person at the right time would happen and I knew that the right person would be you. But I was scared. I was terrified. It has already been seven months since I last saw or spoken to you.”

“I’m still mad at you for that, but just a little—”

“And then yesterday, I saw a billboard with an advertisement for your art exhibition and I thought, fuck it, I’ll go because I wanted to see you.” He sighs. “And that brings me here.”

“Are you happy to be here?”

“I’m more than happy to be here.” He sighs happily. “Just seeing you makes me happy.”

You bite your lip. “How could you be so sure that I’m still in love with you? What if I’m not?”

“If you’re not, then that’s fine. If I could spend the rest of my life waiting, I would. I know that there will be the perfect time, the right time for the two of us because I know you’re the right person for me.” 

You smile. “Then I guess, this is the right time and moment.”

“Shit, is it really?”

You burst out into laughter. “Yes, Jaehyun. I’m still in love with you. I don’t think there was ever a time where I wasn’t.”

“God, I want to kiss you.”

“Do it. I dare you.”

He’s rushing over towards you and once he has his hands wrapped around your waist, the moment is ruined when there’s a security guard knocking on one of the doors to the exhibit room. The both of you pull away like two repelling magnets.

“Sorry, it’s closing time. I’m going to have to ask you to leave the museum. Thank you.”

“The paint is surprisingly cold.”

“Stay still!”

Jaehyun straightens his posture as he feels the cold paint brushing against his back. You’re making a couple of strokes on his back before leaning away to adjust your glasses on your nose bridge. Jaehyun looks over his shoulder and lets out a low chuckle. You raise an eyebrow.

“What are you looking at, doofus?”

“You have paint on your nose.”

You gasp. “Where? Can you get it off for me?”

He shakes his head with a teasing grin. “I don’t want to. You look cute like that anyways.”

“You little shit—”

“Woah, woah, woah, what’s going on in here?”

“Jungwoo, get out! You’re interrupting my creative process!”

tag list! @lanadreamie​ 

author’s note. thank you so much for reading! i hope you enjoyed it!

[frodos-bizarre-adventure]

@gingerreggg thanks for the appreciation! TnT

Heads Up- Part 14 (Joseph x Bust! Caesar)

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

"Is that necessary?" Suzi complained, as Joseph placed a motion sensor on the table next to Caesar. "And where did you get that, even?"

Joseph grinned his characteristic smirk. "It's to keep the neighborhood kids from messing with my bike. I have to leave it outside cause I don't have a garage..."

"You sure are prepared for everything, Jojo!" she giggled.

Joseph always had the knack for expecting the unexpected, ever since they were kids. Perhaps that could partly explain why Joseph got used to having a talking art project so quickly. How he made it look so normal.

"Okay, Caesar. We're gonna have to get you to not move, not one twitch!" Joseph instructed him. "If you move even the slightest bit, this alarm goes off."

Caesar blinked, and the sensor immediately began to beep.

"Sorry bout that," Caesar apologized.

"You don't need to blink, don't you?" Joseph asked as he reset the sensor.

"It's a force of habit!" Caesar said defensively. "I know I don't even have any tear ducts but it's a reflex! Maybe Anthonio used to blink!"

"Of course he did, he was human," Suzi said.

It struck Joseph as odd that Caesar referred to Anthonio as someone else.

Did he not consider himself Anthonio? Or at least, not anymore? Suzi did, after all, say Caesar was less of a ghost, and more of a reincarnation. Maybe he'd found a new identity.

Maybe he'd found a new purpose.

The entire situation intrigued Joseph. "Say, Suzi, about those Mesoamerican lore of yours..." he asked, "How exactly do those 'spirit guardians' work?"

Suzi laughed. "You're really curious about all this, aren't you?"

Joseph shrugged. "I suppose."

"Hmm. Well, it says here in these old texts, that most spirit guardians were ancestors that returned to the mortal plane, when summoned by those in need, to act as a guardian angel of sorts."

"Heh! Guardian angel you say?" scoffed Caesar. "I'm just a goddamn head."

Suzi shot him an annoyed look and continued on. "Anyway, it's said that these new beings were usually a 'predescessor' of some way. Not necessarily by blood, per se, but by legacy-- say, a warrior could summon a spirit of a warrior before them, or a scientist that of an old philosopher..."

"...and I suppose Anthonio was a sculptor who sought to carry on his legacy in you."

"Then why don't I remember being Anthonio, then?" Caesar retorted.

"Because, Caesar," Suzi said, "the wisdom of the past is tainted with the memories, the identities of those who experience them. I can never be too sure, of course," she shrugged, "but I feel it's made that way to pass on their wisdom to a new worthy successor to their legacy-- yet from a whole new perspective unclouded by their own beliefs. So that Joseph's art would be inspired by Anthonio's, but still be Joseph's own."

Joseph laughed at the irony. "Like how I copied...er, based, Caesar's face off on the statue Anthonio made...which he'd actually based on his own face."

Destiny sometimes did strange twists to absurd results.

"Alright, let's do this one more time!" Joseph said, replacing the motion sensor.

--------

Day by day Caesar practiced standing still. Trying to look like a perfectly ordinary, non-living sculpture. Trying not to blink, or move reflexively, just staring vacantly into nothingness like the lifeless figure he originally was.

It helped that Caesar's eyes never felt dry, even without blinking, they were clay, after all. It didn't hurt, or feel very uncomfortable, but it did make him nervous.

But he fought said feelings, because he knew it was all for Joseph.

He was doing it for the person he loved the most. After all the things Joseph had done to make his life a happy one, this was the best way for Caesar to pay him back.

By serving his original purpose as Joseph's grand masterpiece.

And it was enough to motivate him to try his damned hardest.

"And that's eight hours!" Joseph exclaimed, checking his stopwatch. Caesar had managed to keep still without triggering the beeping of the motion sensor for a record period of time.

"You can relax now, Caesar. Eight hours is all we need."

Caesar blinked and sighed.

"See, you could do it!" Joseph encouraged. "Eight hours each day for two days. Enough for the gallery to hold you on exhibit, and have the judges grade you. And then, hopefully, I graduate and get to have you back."

"You promise?" Caesar asked, in almost a pleading tone.

"I'll try my hardest to get you back," Joseph told him, his mind lingering on the faint possibility that Caesar might be selected for permanent display.

Joseph used to want to make a sculpture so exquisitely defined that it would be put up there in the gallery, alongside those of the greatest artists, forever. How strange that he now wanted the opposite.

He'd made Caesar far too beautiful, and because of this he risked losing him.

"Say, about that thing you said earlier?" Suzi told Joseph. "You based him off an old sculpture by Anthonio, didn't you?"

"I mean, it wasn't a painted statue, so I doubt they'd see the similarities with Caesar all colored and all." Joseph added with his usual mischievous grin.

"Still, he does look a little plain," Suzi pondered, as she looked at the bust from different angles. "We ought to spice him up a little!"

"Oh great," Caesar complained. "More dress-ups."

Suzi pulled out a handful of ribbons, scarves and other accessories and began trying out a bunch of styles to make Caesar look more striking-- and hopefully disguise him from anyone who would suspect Joseph stole the design.

A bowler hat, necktie and a monocle. "This is stupid," Caesar grumbled.

A masquerade feather headdress and a colorful bead necklace. "Hell no," complained Caesar again.

A magenta beanie hat, heart sunglasses and a short shawl. "Are you kidding me?" Caesar cried irately.

But there was one set of gear that made an impact on Caesar, when Suzi put them on.

A headband, designed with a zigzagged line between orange and violet, with a pair of prominent white feathers on each of the temples, and a soft, pink scarf to complete the look.

Caesar opened his mouth to complain, and quickly shut it again as soon as he saw his reflection.

He...actually kind of liked this one.

"Say, that actually suits you well," Joseph said.

"I think so too," Caesar smiled, pivoting slightly on his neck base to see his reflection from another angle.

"So it's settled then?" Joseph asked. "You'll be wearing that to the exhibit?"

"Sure," Caesar agreed. "Anything that won't make you look like a ripoff."

Joseph smiled. He admired Caesar's getup: with the scarf and the headband, he looked positively divine. He looked lovelier than he'd ever had.

He knew that the judges would absolutely like him.

He just hoped they wouldn't like him enough to take him away.

-------

It wasn't long before the day of the exhibit, of Joseph's graduation, was close at hand.

Sleep came little to the troubled artist, as he lay on his bed, his eyes blankly fixed onto the ceiling. The room's only light came from a harsh, white table lamp.

It was three days, before he had to prove himself to the world.

To his mother, Professor Lisa, that he was worthy of her respect.

And to the legacy of his late grandfather, Jonathan, who had been his inspiration, as a child, to become an artist in the first place.

Joseph imagined his grandfather watching him from the stars, invisible but ever present. If only he could see him now. If only he could tell what he'd have thought of him.

His mind drifted back to Suzi's quote, about the spirit guardians being the souls of those who came before. To pass on their legacy.

He couldn't help but imagine. What if Grandpa Jonathan himself had possessed his project bust? He giggled at the thought of his beloved grandpa as a talking, bouncing clay sculpture.

But yet fate seemed to have chose Anthonio Zeppeli to be his guide.

There must have been something special about him that he needed to pass on.

Or maybe, it was just Anthonio himself being perfect for him. Strange that they had to meet in such an improbable way.

He was different now, reborn as another person entirely. Another person that Joseph adored the way he was. Body or no body.

Thinking about Caesar made Joseph's heart thump hard within his chest. Why did he feel this way? To a figure he created? Was it weird? Was it wrong?

And yet as he listened to the steady drum of his own heartbeat, he decided that no, it seemed like nothing felt more right. Caesar was his.

It was then Joseph realized that the steady thumps were getting louder. He first feared there was, perhaps, something wrong with his cardiac rhythm. But then he felt there was another source, that seemed to be coming from outside.

And as Joseph turned his head to look, right on cue, Caesar came bouncing into his room.

In the dim light, Joseph marveled at his bizarre, surreal beauty as he hopped across the floor, still clad in the headband and the scarf that he'd come to enjoy wearing.

Somehow, as ridiculous, slow and clumsy as his only mode of transportation was, Caesar looked oddly majestic.

The vigor and strength with which he pushed his neck against the floor with each hop. The gracefulness as his head turned upward at the highest point of each jump, his headband's feathers fluttering almost like tiny wings. The way his torso stump flexed as it barely cleared the floor with each little forward bounce. And of course, the sheer look of focused determination displayed on Caesar's face as he made his way toward the bed.

He was scarcely even half a man, but his spirit had the strength of many.

To even move his clay form along the distance from kitchen to bedroom took considerable effort, without the aid of arms and legs. And yet Caesar made it work. Caesar made the impossible possible. In spite of his tremendous handicap, he learned to persevere, to overcome.

And maybe Joseph realized why he admired Caesar so much.

Not just with his gorgeous, colorful clay exterior, but with the soul within, burning so bright with passion and determination, despite all odds that barred his way.

Perhaps this was why they were fated to meet.

"Jojo, you awake?" Caesar said, snapping Joseph out of his admiring stupor.

"Huh, yeah, I am now," Joseph mumbled. "What's the matter?"

Caesar looked downward, sadly. "I just feel lonely."

"And next you'll say, 'Can I sleep on your bed tonight, Jojo?' huh?" Joseph smirked.

"Can I sleep on your bed tonight, Jo--" Caesar began to say, before realizing it. "Huh? How did you know--?"

Joseph laughed warmly. "You don't even need to say it, Cae. You're always welcome with me. Anytime."

Gently, he lifted the bust up from the floor. By now, his heavy weight now felt familiar and no longer burdensome. He gently laid Caesar onto the pillow next to him, and, removing his scarf and headband and placing them onto his bedside table, lovingly laid a blanket over Caesar's stubby torso.

With his body, or lack thereof, covered by a quilt, Caesar looked less like a sculpture and more like Joseph's very own, perfectly typical roommate.

Joseph laid back down onto the bed, gently embracing what little body Caesar had, warmly and tenderly underneath the covers.

"Goodnight, Caesar," he said, resting his head against Caesar's soft, warm clay body.

"Goodnight too, Jojo," he responded, as he closed his eyes for the night.

Artist and artwork fondly embraced, within the dimly lit room without anyone else to witness. Suzi was at her home today. It was just him and Caesar, together alone, gently feeling each other's gentle warmth in a fleeting yet sincere moment, as rest soon enveloped their tired minds.

A fleeting yet sincere moment that Joseph wasn't sure he'd get to have again.

--------

(Previous Chapter)

(Next Chapter)

[javajunkieao3]

Benny/Beth Fic:  Being Alive - Part 9

For the next few months, Benny and Beth alternate visits between Kentucky and New York.   They hadn’t discussed a permanent solution to their problem, which both of them knew they would have to eventually, but for now their arrangement was working.  The US Open is in Vegas again and they meet in the Caesar’s Palace lobby.  Benny makes some teasing comment but she has already dropped her luggage and thrown her arms around him.

           “Geez guys, get a room,” a voice says behind them.  

The voice belongs to one of two people, whose voices are as indiscernible as their identical faces.

           “Hello boys,” Benny says smoothly, his arm slung over Beth’s shoulders. “Any insider tips for us?”

           The twins were helping out at the tournament, no doubt swayed by the comped rooms and meals.

           “You know we could disqualify you for even asking that,” Mike says good-naturedly, knowing Benny was only joking.

           “The Federation could have us wired for all you know,” Matt adds.

           “The Federation is too worried about brownnosing with Nixon to worry about who you two are talking to,” Benny says.

           “He has a point,” Mike says.  “We are very low on the totem pole.”

           “Did you hear Gorsky is here?”  Matt says, missing the way Beth’s face pales.  “He wasn’t supposed to come, but he got added last minute.  We had to rearrange all the initial plays.”

           “We should rest-up before the games start this afternoon,” Beth says.  “It was good seeing you two.”

           “Yeah, you too,” Mike says.  “We’ll see you guys later.”      

           Beth doesn’t talk on their way to the room, and after Benny opens the door she immediately runs over to the bathroom and pukes.  Benny crouches next to her, rubbing her back.

           “You don’t have to worry about Gorsky.  You could beat him in your sleep.”

           “I know.”  She stands up and washes her mouth out in the sink.

           Benny can tell she doesn’t want to talk about it further, and so instead he asks her, “What do you want to do for lunch?  We can just order room service.”

           Beth nods.  “That sounds great.  Thanks.”

           She unpacks her suitcase and hangs her dresses up in the closet, carefully smoothing any wrinkles from the skirts.  Benny watches her and asks, “Which one are you wearing today?”

           “I’m not sure yet.”  She usually has each day’s outfit planned in advance, but this time she had hesitated, throwing in more than enough for the three-day tournament.  Her hand lingers on a cream shift dress that she brought. She planned to pair it with a turquoise cardigan, but quickly realizes she left it at home.

           “How do burgers sound?”  Benny asks from the bed, the phone wedged between his ear and shoulder.

           “Burgers sound great.”

----

           After lunch, Beth settles on a deep green dress with white piping throughout the bodice, and she sits at the table for her first match.  A short balding man sits across from her.  He fidgets before they even start to play, and after her first decisive move, the fidgeting increases.  In theory, all the players at the Open should be good, but she beats him in less than thirty minutes.  She continued her streak, some games taking longer than others, and then she is finished for the day.  Benny is still playing and she can tell from the board that it will be a long time before they are finished.  Maybe even the possibility of an adjournment. Beth watches for twenty minutes or so and then stands, wandering through the casino. She stops at a roulette table and watches a group of nicely dressed couples play.  As the roulette wheel spins, a familiar thought presses at the back of Beth’s mind.

           She missed her period.

           She’s thought about it at least on an hourly basis since she reached day 10, and then with each additional day, she thought about it more.  The only time she didn’t think about it was when she was playing chess.  Even during the easy games, her mind became too occupied by the board.  It had been a relief that afternoon to just play.  But then when it was over, the thoughts returned.

           In the beginning, she could tell herself that it was because of stress. It was difficult with all the travel back and forth between Kentucky and New York, and she didn’t like being away from Benny.  But then she started getting sick in the morning.  And sometimes in the afternoon, too.  At a certain point, she had to accept the reality of her situation.  She was pregnant.

           And she still hadn’t told Benny.

           She walks past one of several bars in the casino, surprised when she recognizes the back of a head.  Her feet propel her forward and she reaches out a hand that seems to cover his shoulder of its own accord.

           “Townes?”

           He turns around and she’s hugging him, just like in Moscow, and he murmurs, “Harmon, it sure is good to see you.”

           “What are you doing here?”  

           “I’m covering the tournament for the Kentucky Chronicle.”

           She sits next to him and orders a club soda.  It occurs to her that she now has more than one reason to do so.    

           “You look different,” he says, and for a panicked second she thinks that he knows. “You look happy.”

           His words surprise her.  Had she not looked happy before?  She asks him that and he laughs slightly, shaking his head.  “No, you seemed happy.  But this is different.  You seem, I don’t know, content.”

           “I guess I am in a way.”

           “I heard about you and Benny Watts,” Townes says.  “I can’t say I wasn’t a little jealous.”   She raises an eyebrow, her breath quickening, and he adds, “I’m just imaging all the great chess games you guys must play.”

           Beth laughs, relieved by the turn that took.  “We do play a lot of chess.  But not all the time.  Sometimes it surprises me how normal we are.”

           “Normal is good.”

           “How about you and Roger?” she asks.

           “We’re doing good,” Townes says, taking a sip of his drink.  It looks like whiskey.  Beth couldn’t remember if she had ever seen him drink before.  “So, what’s new with you?  There has to be something since we last saw each other.”

           It’s such an opportune question that she almost tells him.  Because it’s Townes and something about him had always felt safe to her, even when her feelings confused things, but she doesn’t.  She feels guilty for even thinking it.

           “I’m going to start classes at a community college near me,” Beth says.

           “Don’t tell me you’re leaving us,” Townes says.

           “No, I’m not leaving you,” she says with a grin.  “Just exploring a bit.”

           “I think that’s good,” he says, taking a sip of his whiskey.  “There’s more to life than chess.”

           She leans in and says, “I don’t think you’re supposed to say that at a chess tournament.”

           He matches her stature and says, “I won’t tell, if you don’t.”

           He grins and she can’t help herself from grinning back, and then someone clears their throat behind them.

           “Benny Watts,” Townes says jovially.  “It’s nice to see you.”

           “Yeah, you too.”  She can tell from his tone that he’s irritated.

           “How’d your game go?”  Beth asks, hoping to reduce the tension.

           “We adjourned.  Are you ready to get some dinner?”

           Beth nods, slipping off her stool.  “It was good to see you, Townes.”

           “You too, Beth.  Best of luck to you with everything.”

           She nods and follows Benny out of the bar.  He isn’t saying anything, which is how she knows that he’s mad.

           “Benny-“

           “Did I interrupt something over there?”

           “Of course not.  We were just talking.”

           He nods, jaw clenched, and she doesn’t want to deal with a pissed off Benny all night, so she takes a hold of his arm and stops him.  Before she can say anything, he asks, “Did you guys sleep together in Paris?”

           “What?  No. Why would you think that?”

           Benny makes a sort of scoffing noise and she plants her hands on her hips. “Benny, we didn’t sleep together because Townes is gay.”

           He blinks rapidly and says, “What?”

           “It’s not exactly common knowledge, but he’s gay.  And in a relationship.  So, no, we didn’t sleep together.  And, no, you didn’t walk in on anything back at the bar.”

           “Shit, I’m sorry,” he says.  “I just heard some stuff before, and I just sort of assumed…”

           “I know,” she says.  “But, even if he wasn’t, there still wouldn’t have been anything happening at the bar.”

           Benny looks chagrined, and he says, “I probably shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions there.  My game wasn’t going like I wanted, so I came in a little hot to begin with, and then I saw you together…”

           “Are you in bad shape for tomorrow?”  she asks immediately.

           “No, I should be fine.  I just made a move I shouldn’t have, and he ran with it.”

           “Do you want to go through some combinations tonight?”

           Benny looks at her and says, “I’m a total jerk and you still want to go through combinations?”

           “You’re the one who told me before that the Americans are at a disadvantage because we don’t work as a team.”

           Benny smiles slightly and shakes his head.  “Yeah, I did say that.”

           “And you’re not a jerk.  I understand why you thought you saw what you saw.”  She wonders then if Cleo ever told him about her being in love with Townes. “So, dinner first?”

           He nods, capturing her hand in his.  “Yeah, dinner first.”

----

            The next morning, Beth wakes up with a headache and immediate nerves.  Ever since she almost told Townes about her pregnancy, it had become increasingly more apparent how she had not told Benny. At first, she rationalized it that she didn’t want to distract him from the game.  But, she had been getting sick before she left for Vegas.  The truth was, the moment that she told him it became real.

           She purposely didn’t eat before her morning slate of games so that she wouldn’t get sick.  But, it seemed that food had very little to do with the entire process, and she leaves her first game twice to dry heave into a waste basket in the women’s bathroom. It seems unfair that this can still happen and nothing comes up.  She knows Benny noticed and when she gets up during her second game, Benny is waiting for her outside the bathroom.

           “Beth, what’s going on?”

           “I’m fine.  I think I just ate something weird at breakfast.”

           “You didn’t eat breakfast.”

           Irritation crackles in her chest, and she snaps, “Benny, just leave it for now.  I’m fine.  We both have games to play.”

           “What do you mean, leave it for now?”

           She’s tired and her stomach hurts from all of the retching.  All she wants to do is go sit back down at the chessboard and forget about everything else, but Benny is insistent, and she can tell from his stance that he isn’t going to go back to his game without an explanation.

           “Fine,” she huffs.  “If you must know, I’m pregnant.”

           His eyes widen.  “You’re what?”

           “And I need to go back to my game before I have to go dry heave again in fifteen minutes.  Excuse me.”

           She walks back to her board, feeling marginally guilty when she sees Benny reappear, his face completely devoid of color.  She forces her attention back on the board and is able to successfully close the game without having to go back to the bathroom.  She quickly buys a muffin from a café between games and gets half of it down before she has to start her next game.  She’s relieved to see that Benny wins his game.  And then he wins his next too, and so does she. When the day is finally over, Beth is relieved until Benny comes up to her and says, “We have to talk.”

           He waits until they are in their room and then asks, “Are you sure about this?”

           “I’m a month late.  So, yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

           She expects him to share her consternation over the situation, but instead, he grins wide, placing his hands on her stomach.

           “Stop that,” she says, swatting his hands away.  “It’s not like anything is really there yet.”

           “You’re not happy,” he says in disbelief.

           “I don’t know what I am,” she says, sitting on the edge of the bed.  “I know I said I wanted to explore life outside of chess, but this…this is an end to all of it.”

           “That’s not true.”        

           “How can I possibly go to tournaments with a baby?  And then if you get to go, I’ll just grow to resent you for it, and-“

           “Hey, slow down,” he says, sitting next to her and taking a hold of her hands. “Who said you can’t go to tournaments?”

           “Be practical.”

           “I am.  We can find a way to make this work.”

           “How can we possibly make this work?”  she asks, her voice strained.  “Think of this weekend.  How could we possibly make something like this weekend work with a baby?”

           “We have family.”

           “Oh, you mean your alcoholic mother?  Or wait, what about me?  Oh, that’s right, I’m an orphan whose adoptive father won’t even acknowledge exists.”

           “Then we’ll bring the baby with us.”

           “Benny, come on,” she says.  It’s ridiculous and she doesn’t see how he doesn’t see that.

           “We’re not the first people in chess to start a family.  Borgov has a family.”

           “Borgov’s wife doesn’t play chess.  I’m not going to just become the person who holds the baby while you travel around the country, Benny.  I won’t.”

           “Do you really think I’d expect you to do that?”  Benny asks sharply.

           “No,” Beth admits.  “I just don’t know how to do this.  Any of it.”

           “We’ll figure it out,” Benny repeats, his voice softening.  “But this baby is a good thing.”

           Beth looks over at him, and although she still believes this could all be a disaster, the look in his eyes makes her believe it a little less.

           “How will becoming a father fit in with your image as the rock star of chess?”

           He shakes his head and says, “As long as I’ve got you, I don’t need to be the rock star of anything.”

           She holds his hands against her stomach and says, “I’m scared.”

           “I know.  But, we can handle this.”

           He’s such a steady force.  He always has been.  Even when being around him made her heart beat like mad – either out of nerves in the beginning, or something else later on – there had been a sureness that he brought out in her.  Sureness that she could learn to beat him.  Sureness that she could learn to love him as much as he loved her.  She looks down at his hands, getting a crazy idea, and it sounds even crazier when she says it aloud.  “We should get married.”

           “What?”  Benny asks.

           “We can just go down to one of those 24-hour chapels.”

           “Is this because of the baby?”

           “Partially,” Beth admits.  She isn’t one for convention, but being a child born out of wedlock had left its scars. “But mostly, it’s because of you.”

           Benny pauses and then says, “Yeah, okay.  Let’s get married.”

----

           Beth throws on her cream dress, which turns out to be of use even without the turquoise cardigan, and Benny wears his nicer pair of jeans and a black button-up.  They need a witness, so they stop at the twins’ room.

           “Beth and I are getting married.  Any chance one of you wants to be the witness?”

           Mike grins wide.  “There’s not a chance in hell you’re only getting one of us.  Matt, let’s go!”

----

           It turns out there’s a chapel in the hotel and they go there, ducking their heads down when some other players from the tournament see them walking in.

           “I feel like we maybe should have gone somewhere else,” Beth says.

           “Nah, I think this chapel is perfect.”  

           “Are you going to change your last name to Watts?”  Mike asks Beth.  “Because then we’ll have to update the board.”

           “You both would be B. Watts,” Matt says with dawning realization.  “That won’t work.”

           “That definitely won’t work,” Mike echoes.

           “I’m keeping my last name,” Beth says firmly.

           The twins look over to Benny and he shrugs.  “Looks like she’s keeping her name, boys.”

           There’s one couple ahead of them who appears to be several bottles deep into the night, and when Beth and Benny walk up, the officiant says, “You two look remarkably sober.”

           “That’s because we are,” Benny says.

           “Well, look at that.  I might actually officiate a wedding that doesn’t end in divorce.  Do you have a witness?”

           “We have two,” Beth says, gesturing to the twins.

           “Sober and over-prepared.  What a marvel.  Alright, let’s get you two married.”

           The wedding is short and sweet.  They realize on the spot that they hadn’t thought of rings, and Benny uses two he is already wearing.  He gives her the one he wore when they first met.  She remembers how he always played with it between moves.  They don’t do any sort of special vows but when Benny kisses her, she is the happiest she has ever been.  

----

           The next morning, Townes catches her in the elevator – Benny had already gone downstairs for his game – and he says, “I heard a rumor.  It sounds like I can’t call you Harmon anymore.”

           Beth grins and confirms, “Benny and I got married last night.  But, I’m keeping my last name.  So, you can still call me Harmon.”

           He nods.  “I’m glad to hear that.  I’m happy for you.  It seems like you’re in a really good place.”

           Beth doesn’t know if that is true or not given the particular circumstance he is unaware of, but she wants to believe him.  When the doors open, Townes gestures for her to go first and says, “Good luck on your game, Harmon.  Kentucky and me are rooting for you.”

           “Thanks, Townes.”

           When Beth gets to her chair, there is a piece of paper on it that says Mrs. Benny Watts.  She looks over to the twins, who are watching her with glee.  Shaking her head, she crumples the paper into a ball and walks over to them, holding it out in her palm.

           Mike grins, taking the balled-up paper, and says, “Never change, Harmon.”

           “I won’t.”

[tsarisfanfiction]

Blade (Tales From The Heart)

Fandom: One Piece Rating: Gen Warnings: None Characters: Law, Zoro

Law didn't like the Straw Hats. He could see their use to him, with their easily distracted captain a perfect tool to draw Doflamingo's attention or to blow up the factory, whichever plan Law eventually settled on, and the rest of the crew so loyal to their captain that they wouldn't disobey despite their vocal misgivings about everything – him. Law didn't begrudge them their suspicion; after all, he was taking advantage of their strong but naïve captain exactly as some of them suspected.

(It was only much later that he realised he was oh so wrong about who was naïve and who was using who).

Having to watch his back constantly was tiring, but with Mugiwara-ya firmly convinced that Law would do no wrong, it was at least less stressful than Punk Hazard had been. The pay off was having to deal with his fellow captain's innate stupidity, but at least he could enter something of a doze in their presence when Caesar was being a loud nuisance and drawing all their attention.

However, there was a single eye that never left him. Law could feel it boring into his back, prickling his skin, and when he looked around, it didn't disappear like most watchers would do. No, the single dark eye of the Pirate Hunter met his gaze evenly. Law wouldn't say he was afraid of the man, but he was certainly wary of him. He'd always considered the epithet to be rather odd, despite the man's bounty hunting past – the Marines could easily have used "Santoryu" or "Demon Swordsman" instead – but now the sole subject of that unrelenting eye, Law did feel rather like prey.

Not that he thought the swordsman would be able to hunt him easily. It wasn't like Zoro was actively hunting him down, anyway. No, it was more of a passive observation with the underlying knowledge that their tentative truce could end at any time, at which point the man would pounce.

Law had heard of the phrase "keep your friends close but your enemies closer". It wasn't one he used often, preferring to survey his targets from a distance while his nakama surrounded him, and it certainly wasn't applicable in his current situation. The other end of the deck, seemingly sleeping except that pricking feeling was still there, was quite close enough for Law.

So when Zoro-ya broke their silent stalemate and stalked over to Law – still that lazy 'you're not my target but we both know that can change any moment' aura – the Hearts captain found himself awkwardly wrong-footed.

"Zoro-ya," he said, to cover up any slips. If any made it through, the younger man didn't react.

"Name?" the man grunted, sitting next to him. For the first time, that eye left Law and instead focused on Caesar, who immediately squawked. He went ignored as Law pondered the question. He didn't get the chance to decipher the one word inquiry, only just determining that it was indeed a question and not a demand, before Zoro-ya spoke again. "Wado Ichimonji," he said, shifting the white sword in his grip lovingly.

Law's eyes strayed to his own sword, perched against his shoulder as the permanent fixture she had become since he'd left his sanctuary months before. It figured that the swordsman of the Straw Hats would be interested in his own weapon, especially as there was a similar presence emanating from his own collection of blades.

"Her name is Kikoku," he acquiesced, one hand coming up to hold her sheath protectively. He doubted that, despite being a pirate, Zoro-ya would do something as sacrilegious as steal another man's sword, especially as she was a nodaichi while he clearly favoured katana like Shachi (not that Law would be encouraging a meeting between the two any time soon; either Shachi would talk too much or they'd end up in a spar and, yes, Shachi was skilled, but he knew enough of Zoro-ya's abilities to know which way the outcome would fall). "Yours?" he asked out of courtesy, gesturing subtly towards the blade with the darkest aura in the bunch.

"Sandai Kitetsu." Zoro-ya's face morphed into a fond smirk as he isolated the blade in question from its fellows, holding it out in front of him. "He's a bit of a problem child."

Well, that was one way of referring to a cursed blade. To the casual eavesdropper, the sentence sounded like an admittance of weakness. To Law, with his own cursed blade, it was a warning. Cursed blades did not obey like a normal weapon. They had their own opinions, their own agenda, and if the aims of blade and wielder clashed then a cursed blade was nigh unusable, except for a master swordsman.

Zoro-ya had just casually mentioned that he was capable of using a cursed blade that disagreed with at least some of his ideals, simultaneously with two other blades. If Kikoku hadn't been satisfied with Law's own opinions, he could not honestly say he'd still be capable of wielding her. He didn't know what sort of 'problem child' Sandai Kisetsu manifested as, but he'd seen what Kikoku did to people she didn't agree with.

Penguin would still only hold her for very short lengths of time, and even then it was emergency only.

Zoro-ya didn't say anything more, and Law didn't bother to break the silence again. The man had sated his curiosity – like Law, he'd probably gleaned far more than the simple conversation (if it could even be called that) had offered.

To Law's annoyance, the younger man didn't bother to leave his spot just verging on the edge of Law's personal space, and Law himself refused to move lest it be mistaken for him submitting to the other man's dominance. It didn't matter if he was the clear first mate of the ship, and that Law was back-footed from that fact alone.

Law backed down to no-one, so he clutched Kikoku tightly and forced his muscles not to tense into a flight or fight mode as Zoro-ya started snoring away beside him.

Law really, really, hated this crew.

[bae-roman]

do the weird headcanon thing with Roman and bunny plssssss

What they smell like:

Roman, of course, usually smells lile one of his many expensive colognes. Even after a shower or coming home from the gym, there’s always a faint trace of one of them on him somehow. As if years of using them have left him permanently stained.

While there are definitely times when the kids are all little that bunny smells baby barf, she normally smells sweet. Her favourite perfume is black opium by YSL but she also has some old favourites that she’s loved since high school. I’m talking about those old ass Victoria’s Secret body sprays here guys. Like bunny definitely has a couple bottles of lovespell lying around.

How they sleep (sleeping position, schedule, etc):

I wrote a whole thing about their sleeping position here but in terms of schedule, it varies on how old the kids are, how many times they have sex, nightmares (kids or theirs), if they’re fighting because then they’re both restless, and how early romans meetings start the next day.

Roman definitely gets nightmares and they can get pretty rough. Since they sleep so close, it def wakes bunny up and then she gets him up, repositions them so that he’s laying on her chest, and strokes his hair/forehead softly until he calms down and can fall back asleep.

Bunny also totally makes Roman get his peachy ass back in bed whenever he tries to get out. Like the moment she feels him start to leave the bed, she literally reaches out for him, grabs onto whatever part of him she can and mumbles something along the lines of “no come back. It’s still bedtime”. To this he just checks his schedule to see when his first meeting is, sighs, and gets back in bed telling her she only has another hour or two before he really needs to go.

What music they enjoy:

Bunny loves pretty much anything with a good beat. She likes stuff that gets her energy pumping and makes her want to dance.

She also has some favourites that are a bit slower when it fits her mood a bit better , like post Malone, Lana del Rey, Daniel Caesar.

And then of course she has the classics that she adores.

Roman loves LDR, mainly because bunny plays it 24/7. He also likes the darker classical music sometimes. His favourite genre is probably alternative rock.

Bonus: although neither of them actually enjoy it, by the time their on their 4th kid, they know every song to every Disney movie by heart.

How much time they spend getting ready every morning:

Roman - 1 hour and 15 minutes. He spends 45 minutes on his hair alone.

For bunny it depends on the occasion. If it’s on the daily or just to run errands, probably the same as Roman (including a shower but not including the many interruptions from the kiddos)

If they're going out then probably around 2 hours.

For anything, formal bunny would have her hair and makeup done so it could potentially take even longer.

Their favourite thing to collect:

Roman likes to collect expensive limited edition bottles of whisky. Bunny does the same with really old bottles of wine.

They are both travel bugs and bunny starts a family tradition where they take at least one picture all together at every location. She puts them all on one of those digital picture frames and has it in the living room.

Romans absolute favourite thing to collect, though, is based off his own tradition he starts with bunny.

So we all know they met at a club and went outside into an alley to fuck like ... well ... bunnies.

That becomes his thing. Whenever they travel, wherever they go, Roman Snaps a pic of them fucking in an alley.

Left or right-handed:

Both right-handed

Religion (if any):

Nope.

I’d say Roman was an atheist but then based on the church scene in season 3 I feel like he’s not 100% so I think he’s more agnostic?

Same with bunny tbh, shes never really thought about it and doesn’t care to.

Favourite sport:

Bunny doesn’t really have one but if you take her to a live game, she gets pretty into it.

Roman Likes most but his fave is probably basketball

Favourite touristy thing to do when travelling (museums, local food, sightseeing, etc):

All of it.

Bunny is a history nerd so she loves to hit up all the historical landmarks as well as the generic touristy stuff. She also likes to see all the local’s fave spots. When she goes to another country she wants to really see what life is like there, not just the basic stuff.

Roman likes to go to the finest, most expensive restaurants.

Favourite kind of weather:

Bunny loves the sun. That dry intense heat? Yes, please.

Roman likes autumn. Cold enough to wear the soft comfy sweaters he loves but warm enough to not need a parka over it.

A weird/obscure fear they have:

Bunny is terrified of storms and the dark. Like pitch black, power outage dark.

Romans is hospitals. Too many germs for sure

Their biggest ones have to do with their children though!

The carnival/arcade game they always win without fail:

Roman- wack-a-mole. Bby putting them anger issues to use!

Bunny is freakishly good at claw machines.

[sky-writes-daydreams]

Fictober Day 16

Yes. I’m on a fluff streak. Fight me. it’s an old philosophy of mine. When life gives you lemons, Throw the lemons out and write fluff. Make your own Happiness. That being said... Onto the Joestar pillow time! 

Prompt: This is going to be so much fun.

Fandom: JJBA! 

young Joseph x reader

No warnings

“Oh this is going to be so much fun.”

“Oh Relax. It’s not like it’s a permanent thing.”

“I know… Just…. It doesn’t seem right. Especially with her.”

“What, cus you like her?”

“That has nothing to do with this!”

“I think it has everything to do with it.” joseph sighed then and got up from the chair.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Relax. If you’re still awake when I go to bed, We can switch. Ok? I’m used to working around girls.”

“Now why does that not shock me?”

“Hey!” Joseph laughed then walking out of the small parlor and headed upstairs.

After a small accident with the car, resulting in a flat tire and a few other things getting blown, The group had to bed down for the night seeing how repairs won’t be done till tomorrow. Only issue was that there were only three rooms open. One was a single king bed and the others were doubles. Meaning someone had to double up. Now he was stuck sleeping next to (Y/n).  They had only met less than a month ago thanks to Lisa Lisa, but Joseph fell hard and fast for her. Only she never seemed to respond to it. Now they had to share the king sized bed.

He slowly opened the door letting light into the dim room. He could see her curled up on the far edge under the blankets. Joseph slowly walked in trying to keep the sound down to a minimum. She had crashed early, still trying to recover from being possessed by one of the pillar men. He was honestly really worried about her. He got his overshirt off then and into some sleep pants he had packed. He normally didn’t wear anything but boxers but her sake, he’d dress a bit more. She moved a bit making him freeze but then she just rolled over hugging a pillow. It was so odd seeing her like this. Normally so serious and scary looking, now she was like a normal person. None of the anger was there or the pain she tired to hide inside. She was just a human. Joseph slowly walked over and picked up the blankets. She was under them but had an extra one under them just for her. He chuckled then and soon got under them. They were so soft and already warm from where she had been sleeping here. He got comfy on his back then trying not to get into her space and just smiled. He could still smell her perfume. It was a mix of vanilla and jasmine she brought from home but it suited her so well.

“Hm…. Joe…” He stopped then. Shit did he wake her? He looked over and completely froze. She was crying. He could see them in her closed eyes and soon one fell onto the pillow. Joseph couldn’t react. She moved closer then and held the pillow tighter as another fell. She mumbled something but he didn’t catch it. He just couldn’t stand to see her cry like this. He moved a bit closer then and gently moved some hair out of her face. He could see the marks from the possession still on her face but they were fading. She made a noise then moving into his hand. He chuckled then. Only that wasn’t all. She moved closer and switched the pillow for him. Joseph gasped then but she was latched on. Joseph couldn’t move now. If he did, he would risk waking her up. He sighed then and just relaxed. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

About an hour later, The door creaked open.

“Joseph?” Caesar poked his head in then peeking around. All he can see is one lump on the bed. If that brute knocked her off the bed, Caesar was going to kill him. He crept forward slowly and found a much different truth. Curled up practically on top of Joseph was (Y/N). One leg over his, Her head on his chest nestled there. Joseph’s arm was around her along with a blanket. They were both dead to the world with little smiles on their faces. Caesar smiled then and pulled the blanket up just a bit for them.

“Told you it wouldn’t be an issue Joestar… sleep well you two.” Caesar left then smiling and made sure to hang the do not disturb sign on their door. They needed some rest for once. He’d tell the others about it in the morning.

[el-oh-her]

Late Night Original Writing

A rusty, barbed wire fence surrounded the property. The barbs were salvaged and gone by the time Ronnie and I arrived.

“Quit picking at your bandages,” Ronnie scolded when he caught me slipping my fingers underneath them.

“It itches,” I said.

“I’m not fixing them.”

He said that knowing full well that if I asked him to fix any of my bandages he would. Protecting my skin from the sun’s relentless rays was more important than his annoyance with me.

Ronnie pushed open the fence gate and I slipped through. He inches his way around the fence, letting it slam shut when he was safe on the other side. Like the walls of the shelter, the fence had warning signs about bombs, though these ones were sun bleached.

“What are bombs?” I asked, standing in front of one of the signs.

“That’s in French,” he said.

“I know,” I said. “But there was a sign in there with an English translation.”

“Come on,” he said, “I’ll explain on the way.”

We left the bomb shelter behind.

“Bombs are…were a problem in the Time Before. When I was a kid, we all thought the world was going to end through bombs. When they hit the ground, they make huge explosions. Some were powerful enough to destroy the world.”

I twirled as we walked, kicking up dust.

“Do you think it was a bomb that broke the world?” I asked.

“Maybe,” he said, “Now walk like a normal person, Cia.”

I begrudgingly obeyed.

The only thing in sight was the smog colored sky and the horizon. Walking, it felt like we weren’t going anywhere until we arrived. We were Horizoners—that’s what Ronnie said. That’s what people from the cities called us, too. Others called us nomads, but Horizoner sounded cooler in my head, so I ignored those people.

When the sun was in between Safe-Sun and Setting-Sun, I sat down, knowing full well my butt would be covered in dirt. I lifted my foot and picked at the bandages.

“What’s wrong?” Ronnie asked.

“There’s a pebble in there.” I said.

“We don’t have time,” he said, pulling me to my feet. “Setting-Sun is coming soon.”

“But it hurts!” I protested.

He held tight to my wrist and yanked me along.

“I know. Choose the lesser evil: annoying rock or freezing to death,” he said.

The pebble moved around in the bandages. No matter how hard I tried to adjust, gravity would swish it around, leaving me in a permanent uncomfortable position. I kept looking at the setting son. Ronnie was right. The pebble was better than dying. More slipped through the folds of the bandages, but this time, I didn’t stop.

An old farmhouse with a wrap around deck appeared on the horizon. The windows were shattered and repaired by being boarded up with wooden planks from the deck. The front steps were rotten, but climbable.

An asphalt road ran right next to it, painted with bright white lines. It ran up to the horizon in either direction.

“Where does it go to?” I asked Ronnie.

“Who knows?”

“Can we find out?”

“No. We don’t have time do to that.”

Contrary to the statement, we had all the time in the world. It’s not like we ever did anything important besides walk from one shelter to the next.

Ronnie guided me up the stairs. He unsheathed the army knife and opened the creaky door slowly.

“Adewala? Kin?” Ronnie called out.

“In the kitchen, boy,” an old, gravely voice answered.

He sheathed the knife and shepherded me inside. I ran my hand against the plaster wall of the main hallway, hopping over the paintings. I stopped at a painting of a rose.

“Did those actually grow?” I asked Ronnie, tracing my fingers against the painted petals.

“Yeah,” Ronnie said, “They were really pretty.”

“Must have been nice,” I muttered, continuing on, keeping one hand to the wall.

The two waited in a cracked tile kitchen, sitting at a three-legged wooden table. Adewala sat poised like a princess in her multi colored skirt. Kin, a frail bald man who hunched, greeted both of us with a nod. They both wore colorful masks with filters attached to the mouth.

I sat down and fished the rocks out of my bandages.

“Sorry we’re late,” Ronnie said, “I thought we were closer.”

“If you were really late, you’d be dead,” Adewala said. “Did you find anything in the bomb shelter?”

“Of course,” he said, setting his pack on the table.

He pulled out two books, a pocket knife, a flashlight, and three French army jackets. I fished out the single ration of food and added it to the pile.

“There was more, but it’s all I could carry,” Ronnie said, “Cia can’t carry too much.”

“You can keep the jackets and the ration. We have enough of those. But we want everything else,” Adewala pushed the jackets towards him.

“What you have better be good then,” Ronnie said.

Kin laughed—which sounded like he tried to breath through a paper bag. “Do you ever doubt us, boy?”

Ronnie made a point to stand between Kin and I while he worked with the traders. When I finished ridding my feet of pebbles, I stood and joined the conversation.

Kin and Adewala emptied the contents of their packs.

No food. There were several statues of animals made from all kinds of materials, five shirts, a pair of flats, an empty plastic bucket, four books, a lighter, and two masks with filters.

Ronnie picked up the masks. “Where did you find these?” he asked.

“Never ask, only take,” Adewala said with a proud smile.

That’s what they always said.

“You can take the masks, the shoes, and the bucket,” Kin said, “We have those.”

“Hoarders,” Ronnie muttered.

“You want them or not?” Adewala asked, crossing her hands over her chest.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Good, good!” Kin cackled, snatching the flashlight.

He flickered it on and off in childish delight. I’d done the same when Ronnie found it in the shelter.

Ronnie handed me the flats. “Try them on. It might fix that pebble problem of yours.”

Kin stood and offered me his seat: a wooden chair with the back and one leg missing. After sitting down gingerly, I slipped them on. Ronnie casually placed his hands on my shoulder, watching me with a smile.

I wasn’t stupid, though. He stood between me and Kin, again.

“They’re a bit small,” I admitted.

“You’ll break them in,” Ronnie said.

They were pretty black flats with little black bows at the top. I swung my legs, watching the setting sunlight reflect off the gloss.

“Can I speak to you alone, Ronnie?” Kin asked, “Man to…boy?”

Ronnie rolled his eyes. “27 makes me a man. Not my fault you lived through the assassination of Julius Caesar, old man.”

“Who’s Julius Caesar?” I asked.

Adewala chuckled.

“I’ll tell you later,” Ronnie promised, “Stay right here, okay?”

“Okay!” I said, swinging my legs more.

Adewala set a little blue notebook on the table.

“Let’s practice more Afrikaans, yes?” she said, “While your brother talks?”

“Yes!” I said, waving my arms in excitement.

The sun completely set by the time we finished. Adewala would say a word and I’d repeat it. Then she’d write it down and I’d copy it down. After ten new words, we started working on sentences.

“You’re sounding good,” Ronnie said when he returned.

“Thanks!” I said in Afrikaans, then switched back to English.  

Kin shadowed him like a ghost, holding  onto his shoulder. Ronnie rolled them, shaking off the intrusive hand. A grin spread across his face. He picked me up, spun me around, and sat down on the chair. I giggled in delight.

“Again!” I cheered.

“Maybe another time,” Ronnie said, “You need to get to sleep.”

“I’m not tired,” I said.

“Cia,” Ronnie said, using his mom voice. That’s what he called it because moms used the tone a lot when they were scolding children. I wouldn’t know. My mom died in my childbirth.

Dejectedly, I followed Ronnie up the intact staircase to a bedroom. I waited on the bed while he pushed the broken dresser in front of the door like he always did when we were with Adewala and Kin. He set dad’s shotgun on the nightstand next to the bed.

The air grew cold fast. I fished through Ronnie’s pack and pulled out my extra pants and sweaters. Ronnie dressed in his extra layers and under our singular blanket, we went to sleep. I spent a long time staring at the door, wondering what Ronnie feared would come through.

Authors Note 

Someone was wondering if this was going to be a part of a novel: yes. This is its third draft in its 2018 revitalization. I’ve been doting on this project for 5 years, coming back to it when I find inspiration. 

The Concept: A young women growing up in the apocalypse searches for her long-lost sister after the sudden death of her brother, finding the meaning of home along the way. 

[d1tman-blog]

Here is my life...(I sent this to my medical provider, Piedmont Healthcare)

I am sending this here because I can't get it to my medical team any other way. I can't afford ink for my printer, so I can't print the excerpt to hand it them, and it is too long to send in MyChart. My Care Team consists of Dr Sanjay Sarin, Dr Ashish Bhimani, Dr Garry McCulloch, Barbara Conlon, NP, and Hannah Folds, NP. Because I for some reason usually don't feel as terrible during my visits to the medical team, it seems like the day to day feeling shitty all the time isn't taken into account. Dr Sarin asks if I have gone to work every time I visit him, but I do well to walk across my living room many days, much less hold down a job. To give you all an idea what being Tommy Johns is like, I am including excerpts from my diary. It is a bit long, but shows pretty well what it is like being me. I don't have a death wish, so please don't try to do the psychiatric exam on me. I don't need one, and I will just quit Piedmont and go to another healthcare facility. .......................       ..Diary Excerpts 3 Before you get started on the diary, put something that mildly buzzes next to your ear. Keep it there a few minutes. That is one of the things I have going on 24/7/365, and have had it for 3 years (tinnitus). Now get a belt and tighten it as tight as you can by hand around your head. that is what I feel 24/7/365:                                                             My life changed drastically and unalterably in early October, 2015. I had gotten that terrible flu that went round Atlanta and did not understand or recognize it's severity until I felt as if I would not draw another breath. I woke up one Sunday morning unable to breathe. I could only breathe sitting straight up. Monday morning I made a doctor appointment with my general practitioner. To make a long story short, I ended up in the hospital in late October  for the 1st of 14 times, sometimes only 5 days per stay, sometimes as long as 9 days (as of 5/23/2018).  I remained in the hospital a week. The flu had developed into pneumonia, and bacteria from the pneumonia damaged my heart even more than the childhood illness did), causing congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and an enlarged heart. Complications from these and from the medicines to combat it have also caused renal insufficiency and elevated liver enzymes. I am now on 9 medications to combat the diseases. I have also had two TIAs (mini strokes) and precancerous polyps were removed from my colon. To those who will be conducting and/or involved in my funeral:                                                     Don't spend any more money than necessary to bury me. If I am near death and someone finds me, don't use heroic measures to save me. Just keep me from as much pain as possible. It is in many respects difficult to contemplate death, but the facts and my present condition preclude a long life, so I will end this journey shortly.  I am comforted by the words attributed to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's novel: " Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear death, Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come." To be honest, I will be glad when this life of misery and pain is over. I wish it would have been different.  I wish that all I had dreamed and aspired to had become reality. The circumstances have dealt a different path though. I have taken a very different road in life than I ever would have imagined. There is so much to say: The loss of broken and unrealized dreams, expectations unfilled, life cut short. I hope my ramblings on Facebook, Twitter and tumblr, and my encounters on this journey called life have had a positive impact on someone, and that I have made a positive difference in someone's life. I will keep a diary starting on page two of this document. I hope to live a long life, but It doesn't seem like that is to be. I have made some tremendous mistakes in my life, but hope the good I have done outweighs the bad. There isn't a day that goes by when I am not saddened unbearably by losing the love of family.  To everyone, I love you. Diary: 10/18/2016. I felt pretty fair throughout most of the day, although I haven't slept a lot. I haven't really kept track but I believe I slept about 4 hours from 4:30am until 8:30am, then from about 2:30pm until 4:30pm. I feel like sh*t now. Weak, heart beating hard... I think nearly every day about not living through this any more...Congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and an enlarged heart - it is a bitch to live with - no energy, no stamina, hurting or in some type of discomfort constantly. 10/19/2016 Another day feeling like total sh*t. What else is there to say? 10/20/2016 I feel a little bit better today - still no energy to speak of. I hurt my back, so am dealing with that in addition to everything else.  I stay tired and sleepy nearly all the time... 10/21/2016 Can't sleep. Heart racing, lungs feel tight. 10/22/2016 went back on Proventil inhaler. I think last dose was about 10:45pm 10/21/2016. Have to wait another hour for another dose. can't breathe. Weak stomach tight/bloated. have dry cough. able to sleep 5 hours after 2nd dose of Proventil. Still no energy, no stamina. Throat and mouth dry. slept another 3 hours. Ear infection is back. Ear infection is bothering the hell out of me. Constant ringing. a little sick - don't know if it is from ear infection or other malady - had runny stool several times yesterday. Lost my appetite. Got prescriptions and started back taking them. I hope it gets me feeling better. Kevin's arraignment was Wednesday - charged with felony marijuana possession, misdemeanor marijuana possession, and drug paraphernalia. Finally getting a little hungry. Ate 1/2 Big Mac large meal earlier; Will finish it. Lasix is working me over. 10/23/2016 hard to breathe - can't sleep well. yet am almost overpoweringly sleepy. I finally got a little sleep - about 5 hours. Stomach is cramping, still no energy, no stamina. 10/24/2016 Woke up early - hard to breathe. don't have stamina or energy for sh*t. Get extremely tired when sitting in a chair and need to lie down and rest, but it takes a long time to sleep - if I am able to - because it is hard to breathe lying down.  made a doctor's appointment for Thursday at 3:30pm. 10/25/2016 same as yesterday. may be getting a little worse. 10/26/2016 my worst day yet. same as the days above, but can't get relief even for a moment. Constant pain and discomfort, tightening band around my head - helluva headache 11/8/2016 Still feel nauseous about 3/4 of the day each day. Doctors think it is the medicine that makes me sick: Indications for some of the meds say will make you sick. Kevin still has shitty attitude. He doesn't get it that he will need to impress the hell out of the jailers to get conditional release program. 11/11/2016 Sick as sh*t. I hope that is what is causing me to be so confrontational with people rather than me turning into an a**hole. I went off on Jecca. Got jealous because she contacted an old boyfriend of hers. Turns out he called her because he has some type of injury to  his hand and foot and wanted some sympathy. I told her if she continues contact with him I would start hanging with sluts and send her pictures. I told him I would stomp his ass if he kept contacting her. I got pretty nasty with her before we finally made up and resolved it. 11/12/2016 I have been off the diary except sporadically for a while. I thought I was getting better: No such luck. Started driving to class today and threw up all over myself and my car. I am extremely nauseous, and have a tremendous headache.  I get hungry as hell, but then get full after only two or three bites of food. Death would be a blessing. No energy, listless, no ambition, no drive. Headaches are the norm for me, and the ear infection is chronic with constant tinnitus. 11/13/2016 pretty much the same as yesterday. a general feeling of malaise, nauseated. 12/4/2016 I was invited to Christmas dinner. I hope I can have the energy to go. It is getting to the point I don’t even want to be around anyone. I just want to be in the comfort of my own home. Becoming even more of a recluse than normal. New medication regimen seems to be working a little better. Still feel weak and sleepy most of the time. I guess tinnitus will be permanent. 12/12/2016 Was invited to a show free of charge to sell my jewelry. I don’t have the stamina to set up my display, much less be there several hours. Headaches are normal, and tinnitus is constant. 4 days now with no sleep. Period. Zilch. Nada. Bupkis. 12/24/2016 I can’t make it to the Christmas dinner I was invited to. I don’t have the energy to go. Staying home and cooking chicken with vegetables. 11/14/2017 It has been a long time since the last entry, but what's the point? At least by reading it I discover again the pain and shitty feeling all the time are not new. I don't know what the merit is in that, but it makes me feel like maybe I am not getting worse: I just get the unparalleled joy of feeling like total ** all the time: Nausea - constant; headache - constant; tinnitus - constant. It is all 24/7/ 365 until I manage to sleep for a little while - 3 or if I'm lucky, 4 hours at a time.  YIPPEE!!! On a different note, Jecca and I are no longer together. When I incurred tremendous financial burdens because of the CHF, she no longer wanted to stick around. It has really done a number on me emotionally, but on the other hand, it wouldn't be fair to want her to stick around and watch me die, becoming a widow in the prime of her life.   I would like at my funeral, Crossing the Bar read during the service: Crossing the Bar   BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON Sunset and evening star,    And one clear call for me!   And may there be no moaning of the bar,    When I put out to sea,     But such a tide as moving seems asleep,    Too full for sound and foam,   When that which drew from out the boundless deep    Turns again home.   Twilight and evening bell,    And after that the dark!     And may there be no sadness of farewell,    When I embark;     For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place    The flood may bear me far,   I hope to see my Pilot face to face    When I have cross’d the bar.                                                                                                                                         9/12/2018                                                                                                                It has been quite a while since my last entry, but each day is  rehash of every other day.  To add to the fun of my life, My right shoulder has started hurting and I am in excruciating pain. It is from an old exercise injury from doing back arm pushups, when I tore my rotator cuff. I can't afford another doctor bill, and have to live with it. 10/22/2018                                                                                                                                                                                                                         My shoulder still hurts. I can barely lift it shoulder high, and it wakes me up hurting like hell. I only sleep 2 or 3 hours at a time because of it, and have to move it with my left hand until I am awake a little while and it limbers up again. The Tylenol the doctors told me I can take for pain aint sh*t...I might as well be taking Gummy Bears for pain... I started an online ministry - not much participation - only 24 members after a few months, but I post sermons and positive thoughts for the day, most of the time twice a day on the positive thoughts.. Well, I will stop blubbering. Nothing can change, unless I somehow have the good fortune of being hit by a Mack truck or a meteor falling from the sky to put me out of my misery, or something like that. Yippee ki yay. Anecdote: I may seem at times to not have much patience with people when they have their little foibles. I am not cold hearted, and have tremendous empathy when people are truly in pain or have grief. It is the little mundane bs that people grouse about that annoys me.

[redpillinfowar]

By now you have most likely heard about the Las Vegas “Active Shooter” event (FEMA Drill). Yes, we are finding out that our initial suspicion that this was yet another active shooter drill being carried out by FEMA was correct. Does that mean that there were no injuries or fatalities? No, not at all and that is the despicable aspect of this from a humanitarian perspective.

This means that FEMA/FBI/CIA has carried out yet another Hegelian Dialectic psyop/drill which has cost innocent people dearly and all for what? Well, that is what I intend to inform you about in this report. First off, we have many people coming forward as witnesses both on the ground in Vegas and also those who can attest that the MSM Presstitutes were initially reporting correctly that multiple shooters were involved in the Las Vegas, NV massacre on Sunday, October 1, 2017.

According to multiple people who were in the middle of the chaos, the media reports began to quickly morph into accounts of a “Lone Wolf” scenario even though multiple eye witnesses were reporting multiple shooters on the ground, both civilians and police officers alike.

The media was obviously sent orders to quickly turn on damage control and re-craft the the story into one of just one 64 year old millionaire who blew a circuit just out of the blue and decided to setup a meticulously planned “military-styled” ambush with the intent to kill as many innocent people as he could before killing himself so the police could not arrest him.

So what if I could show you proof that this was not only NOT a classic “lone wolf” scenario, but a military style coordinated assault on the American people in Vegas as well as show you the REAL MOTIVE for the attack? Would that interest you?

Scope and Scale of the Attack:

OK then, here it goes. First off we should ask if there were any other witnesses who can give us a first hand account of what happened from their perspective that night. As it turns out I have a report of just such a witness and I have video as well. In the following video you will here the first hand account of one Rene Downs who was staying in the Belagio Hotel and Casino resort which is approximately 1.5 miles North of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on the same roadway.

One report lists the following hotels as active shooter venues in addition to the Mandalay Bay – ARIA, BELAGIO, NEW YORK NEW YORK, CEASAR’S PALACE, MGM, PLANET HOLLYWOOD, TROPICANA

Vegas Shooting | Multiple Shooters | Multiple Venues | Coordinated Military Psyop

In this report Tracy Beanz interviews Rene Downs on what went down at the Belagio Hotel on October 1, 2017 30 to 45 minutes after the shooting began at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Plus I have added extra information in the video to help you understand the Vegas Psyop.

The Motive: Cui Bono

Now on top of that report above, you may or may not have seen this report from Truth Stream Media by Melissa and Aaron Dykes titled “Eerie Predictions in Vegas… Cui Bono”.

In this video report, Melissa has done and outstanding job hashing up the major players like “Michael Chertoff”, “Sheldon Adelson”  in this psyop who stand to benefit financially on a massive scale through the sale of new metal detection equipment and some “oh so familiar” tech from OSI which we all hate and hoped to never see again, Rapiscan “Backscatter X-Ray Scanners“.

Yes those very same, very obnoxious, very invasive microwaves better known as “Airport Security Scanners” we all tried so hard to have removed from the airports after they were installed in the airports after 9/11. You might remember also how extremely fast they were installed, as if it was all part of the plan from the inception of the nefarious planned attack on the World Trade Center Complex that took the lives of some 2000 plus innocent souls that day.

If that doesn’t sound familiar to you yet, just wait until you have finished watching the following video report from Truth Stream Media. BTW I personally believe that Melissa and Aaron should receive an award for this report, that is how great a job they did IMHO.

While it is most obvious that this attack will be used to bolster new legislation for more gun control measures to be passed in Congress, the less obvious use for this attack is to now have a credible threat, in the eyes of the Sheople, to point at for justification of more security at the cost of even more of our liberty and freedom. Also this can and probably will lead to a larger TSA presence in hotels, stadiums, malls, etc. not to mention cancer causing deadly Rapiscan backscatter scanners everywhere you go in the very near future…

The security grid, control grid, Internet of Things (IoT), and the deadly 5G WiFi grid are all being successfully built out right in front of us and it seems that no one is the wiser save for the few of us who are awake and screaming from the rooftops to the sleeping populace who just does not even seem to notice or care that we are here. They just wander and stumble through their days now constantly and permanently affixed to their cell phone screens, too engrossed to even watch out for their own safety.

OK so that is almost all that I have for this report. The last few nuggets of prime information for your own personal extended research project(s) and hopefully even more detailed reports follow below: Disclaimer – I cannot account for the accuracy of some information listed in the block quote below as it is simply a raw dump from a FaceBook User’s post. I am simply providing it for your convenience and use for your own research.

FaceBook User Update Repository:

So there were also shots fired at the Aria hotel and Caesars around the same time as the Mandalay shootings… ?? why aren’t we hearing about that? Maybe because it doesn’t follow the single shooter story? Something’s not adding up.

UPDATE17: Made a separate post containing all links I’ve been sent for videos and posts regarding the event.

UPDATE16: Thank you for the continued support, guys! Got sent the link to this great video that delves into the infamous 4chan forum post and how it may be linked up to this event. Please watch!:

UPDATE15: Thank you thank you thank you to everyone continuing to come forward with your information!

-Link to a fb post with video showing what MAY be a shooter dressed as a security guard. In the video, in the lower left corner the man appears to be holding and drawing a weapon as shots ring out immediately after.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=464924900560656&id=100011294499666

***Link to the video in question in slow-motion***

-New first-hand account will be added to the album.

-New second-hand account will be added to the album

-New screen shots will be added to the “Other interesting stuff” album, which may clear up the links between Stephen Paddock and Volant.

-Also, I will be removing the Antifa girl pics because I personally don’t believe they are the same person.

Thank you again to all contributors of new information.

UPDATE14: Full live broadcast of PD radio during shootings.

UPDATE13: Ok I’ve organized and numbered (where necessary) all the info I’ve posted here into albums for easier review.

***Ok guys, so apparently there is a post limit for photos. I’m going to organize everything into an album so I don’t hit a photo limit. I’ll leave everything here and upload new stuff to the album when I’m done organizing everything***

UPDATE12: So much stuff coming in from you guys. Thank you for sending in all the info and links! I’m going to keep adding to this update as I post.

Video of an eyewitness speaking about multiple shooters: https://www.facebook.com/day.blake/posts/10214392847517819

Photos of receipts of Stephen Paddock https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1540700529306917&id=100001009536835

Multiple photos and screenshots being added now.

UPDATE11: Just got sent a link to this thorough, technical video regarding multiple shooters, types of weapons used and angles of attack:

Also, just received a link to a Reddit post that was updated in real time as the event was happening: https://www.reddit.com/r/vegas/comments/73qwgq/gunshots_downtown_right_now/

UPDATE10: Wow guys, more stuff pouring in from people wanting to share their story or posts that they’ve seen regarding this event. Thank you to everyone sending me new info. I’ve got several things to share with you guys. 1. 3 posts talking about multiple shooters 2. A pic of Mandalay the day after the shooting with 5 windows busted out at different levels (circled). **Thanks to commenters, this pic has been debunked. Blacked out windows are normal and the angle of the photo is not facing the concert venue. Thank you guys.*** 3. Finally, 2 stories of first hand accounts from people at the RT91 concert.

UPDATE9: More pics coming in from Twitter feeds alleging multiple shooters.

UPDATE8: Just added a screen shot of an ambulance worker stating that the “bomb” at Luxor was a diversion. One man did all this?

UPDATE7: One more post in the photos about possible shooters at Bellagio.

UPDATE6: https://www.facebook.com/GioRios/posts/1615828368462373

Full first hand account of the shooting event at RT91 concert.

UPDATE5: Another person has messaged me with some info about the shootings/shooters. Screen shots in the photos. They wish to remain anonymous.

UPDATE4: Just got sent a link to more IG video alleging that the BELLAGIO was hit with fire as well. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZzYjtHle3_/

UPDATE3: More screen shots of the now deleted IG account from earlier.

UPDATE2: Just added a screen shot of the Caesar’s Casino pic Original poster’s side of the story.

UPDATE: More facts are coming out! The OP of the casino pic has contacted me and asked me to link his comment on this post. This is his full side of the story: https://www.facebook.com/alika.spahnnaihe.9/posts/2028086957414811?comment_id=266759670511337&comment_tracking=%7B Thank you man!

More interesting vids: https://instagram.com/p/BZw1StjBwpb/

Another interesting video that sounds like there were MULTIPLE shooters:

Thank you Jessica for sending the link!

IG video showing what could be muzzle flashes coming from lower floors: https://instagram.com/p/BZxdnUEnMEu/ Source: https://www.facebook.com/alika.spahnnaihe.9/posts/2028086957414811?comment_id=266759670511337&comment_tracking=%7B

  FaceBook User Rikki Raulerson’s video posts of the events at the Aria and images of witness accounts of multiple shooters that night 10/01/2017 in Las Vegas

Full Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dispatch Scanner Audio Mass shooting (Warning Graphic)

Video from Rene Downs FB post: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10210848093023337&id=1381966986

OK friends remember, The truth is out there, waiting to be found…

RedPill signing off…

Vegas Shooting | Multiple Shooters | Multiple Venues | Coordinated Military Psyop | Cui Bono By now you have most likely heard about the Las Vegas "Active Shooter" event (FEMA Drill). Yes, we are finding out that our initial suspicion that this was yet another active shooter drill being carried out by FEMA was correct.