#Sharing-and-Visibility-Designer Dumps

[chocochiffonnn]

MEDDLE ABOUT

➸ Pairing: Tattoo artist Jake! x Reader

➸ Word Count: 23k

➸ Synopsis: In which the experience of your first heartbreak led you to the wonders of getting a tattoo. But surprise, surprise— the tattoo artist is hot. As in, mouth-watering hot. So you keep coming back for more— both the tattoo and the hot artist making it.

➸ Themes: Friends With Benefits, Porn With Plot (smut tags below) , Strangers To Fuck Buddies To Lovers.

➸ Warnings: Jake is IMPLIED to be a playboy, he's also gives mixed signals, BLONDE JAKE!! I REPEAT, BLONDE JAKE!! Lots of cursing

➸ Smut Tags: dirty bathroom intercourse, drunk sex, Jake is mouthy and loves babbling his mouth off, dom Jake, he LOVES praising, Jake is rough with his hand, squirting, fingering (f receiving), hand job, mouth job, making out, unprotected sex, teasing, cum dumping (or whatever).

➸ Author's Note: this took me forever to finish, life + school + work has been ROUGH! sorry for the wait guys! hope u enjoy reading this as much! also, this is my first smut don’t judge pls

➸ Taglist: @titttuaf @beomgyus11 @kristynaaah

NEEDLES WERE NOT MUCH OF YOUR STRONG SUIT— the mention of something pricking your skin bears chills down your spine, though quite figuratively. There was something so odd and intolerable about it.

Some people liked to assume and correlate one’s fashion with their personalities. Adorning one’s body with dark palettes and accessories automatically meant for some that it was practically a basic practice to be relishing the skin with hundreds of tattoos, or to be acting like a delinquent in the midst of the streets.

Not for you, though.

Needles creeped the fuck out of you.

You pricked yourself with it once, the moment still replayed in your head whenever it had the chance. Sometimes, even being the cause of such a nightmare.

You hated being pricked with something so sharp, literally.

Figuratively? It was even worse.

Experiencing your first heartbreak during the first day of the second semester was ass. Correction— is ass. The moment you entered the shared room of your apartment, craving the need of a long day’s rest after endless hours of classes and work, pins and needles came crashing down and pricking upon you like a voodoo doll.

Like the ones you used to play with at the ripe age of ten, poking through your dolls as you mumble the names’ of your enemies. Like the toys you used to thrash around whenever it was all sparkly, and pink, and pretty princess-sy.

You hated it.

You dreaded the feeling, walking up with heavy steps as you see your boyfriend of five years that certain October— Doyun, making out with your best friend, on the very same sheets you cleaned. The very same pillows you fluffed, the very same room you’d design alongside him.

They felt like needles.

Thousands and thousands of it.

And it hurt like shit.

You’d left that very same room after a much deserved slap to both their faces, claiming, hoping you never see the two of them again. Fate had other plans, but at least, it was enough on your end. It was too much.

And months later, you find yourself laying down at that very same room, the space feeling empty and dull without the shared laughs and moments with your cheater of a boyfriend. Your phone clutched in your hand, scrolling through the ceaseless Pinterest inspirations of your feed, going as far as creating a board for it, labeled:

Tattoo inspos.

Needles were fucking ass, but what the fuck about it?

“Maybe this one will look good…”

It was a small sword, embedded with a sort of crisp fabric around it.

“Too tacky.” You say, scrolling through another inspiration. A skull tattoo, with wings adorning the back of it— freedom and death? “Too emo.”

You frown, clearly, there was no visible tattoo thus far to catch your attention. Feeling a bit dejected and worried, you scrolled a bit farther down the app in order to find something, anything, before you had the chance to change your mind and wuss out.

Then you notice it— a dime sized butterfly tattoo, black in color, melting in ink. It was like drawing with a gel pen on a random piece of paper, then smudging that pen to achieve a blurry effect. Except this one, except of a smudge, the butterfly looked like it was melting.

It immediately caught your attention,

“Perfect.”

~~~~~~

You really just hoped there was no shady business going down here.

Contrary to well-received reviews on their service, you must say— the place definitely looks suspicious and odd. Located beneath a train station with uneventful sights and not necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing background, safe to say you are more or less suspicious.

Tats.

The little sign above the room sparkled, the room itself was clean, decored in black and white, perfectly matching your vibe. With but prayers on your side, you entered and soon find out that contrary to what you’ve been assuming, this place does seem sterile and clean. At least… More so than the outside.

Someone greets you upon entering, a small woman who had tattoos from her arm up to her neck. He her hair was auburn, she had freckles painting her face like it was also a tattoo. From the counter, she smiles, “Welcome to tats. Walk in?”

You nod, “Yes, if that’s okay.”

The woman turns her head, grabbing some sort of paper for you to fill in your personal information. It was rather cold, and from your peripheral, you can see the stationed little booths that perhaps each tattoo artist resided and do their work in. Your hands felt rather clammy as you reached the end part of the paper, it felt like you were going to throw up, seriously.

“Alright! There’s an available artist right now, would you like to have yours done straight away?”

You nod, she smiles. “The only problem is it’s a man so… If that’s okay with you?”

“It’s okay, I’m not getting a tattoo done up my ass.” You quip, the auburn woman geniunely laughs at your joke, mumbling an ‘okay’ as she gestures to one of the nearby booths. Taking it upon herself, she exits the counter and leads you to where she’s been pointing at. “Sim Jaeyun?”

The receiving end was silent.

The woman sighs, grabbing the curtains and haphazardly opening the stall. “Jake!”

Oh no.

“What? Stop nagging.”

Sim Jaeyun— or so she calls him, rubs the back of his blonde hair as he lifted himself up from the tattoo chair, he looked like he’d just gotten out from a nap.

He’s hot.

As in— chiseled by the gods and goddesses type of hot. Like, what in the actual fuck type of hot.

“You’re sleeping again? I can’t believe you.”

Sim Jaeyun laughs sheepishly, “Sorry, sorry.”

Oh fucking no.

You visibly winced as you feel yourself checking him out. Dressed in all black, his neck up to his ears were adorned with necklaces and accessories that had you going feral.

He is exactly your type, the very epitome of you. Only difference is that he’s a man.

“Who are we getting done today?” He asks, the rasp in his voice visible as he attempts to regain consciousness. Complete Australian accent. Hot. Sexy. What the fuck?

“This is Y/N. She’ll tell you the design she wants,” The woman turns to you, “This one’s Jake, he’ll be the one to tattoo you.”

You nod. You had to retract what you said a couple of minutes prior. Maybe you just had to get a tattoo done up your ass.

“He looks like he may bite, and he actually does—” Jake cuts him off, “Yah!”

“But he’s a pretty talented artist so you’ll get your money’s worth. Just be careful, though.” The auburn woman laughs, pointing a finger towards a Jake who was visibly pouting as he arranged some of the equipment needed. “She might not end up getting a tattoo from me anymore.”

You grin, “I’ll see your skills for myself.”

“Oh?” Jake turns around, leaning against the table as he pulled the latex glove fit on his hand. “Gladly.” He smiles, you can feel him visibly stare you down. The way his eyes lingered from your head down to your feet. At this point, the auburn woman had already left to tend to another client and it was just you and him alone.

He doesn’t speak, doesn’t utter a word. He just blatantly stares. Hardly being subtle about it, and being all the more obvious. Was he checking you out?

“You can sit down now.” He says with a shrug, eyes still glued to you. You nod, knowing his burning gaze pierced through you. It made you all the more excited and thrilled. Usually, things like this weren’t one for the books given your pitiful relationship months prior.

But nobody ever plays things by the books now, everybody wants to have a little edge— to think outside of the box.

“So, Y/N.” Jake starts, holding the head of the chair as he hovers above you, “What tattoo am I making for you today?”

You shrug, pointing towards the spot just below your collarbone. “I want a butterfly.”

You notice how Jake pauses, stifling in a laugh. He turns his head to the side as his broad shoulders vibrate a bit. “What?” you ask him, not quite getting the reason as to why he’s laughing. Were butterflies outdated now?

“You don’t want one that covers the whole arm? Maybe a back tattoo?”

You physically shiver, shaking your head as a response. “Hell no. I’d appreciate it if I don’t die at my first tattoo appointment.”

Jake raised a brow, “your first time?”

Nodding, you rub your below to calm down your nerves. “Why?”

“What do you mean why?” You feigned offence, Jake laughs. “No, sorry, I don’t mean it that way. It’s just that— you do look like someone who gets tattoos pretty often.”

You shrug, “So people say. Is it because of the way I dress? I also get told I’m brazen.”

Jake grabs some of his tools, the gun, needles, ink— whatever it was that was to be pricked upon your skin. You find the way he sets it up to be so distracting, men who know what the hell they’re doing has you going feral.

Paired with the nerves and the jitters of that thing, and the idea that you were actually getting a tattoo?

Any second and you might actually pass out now.

“Maybe both, I mean you do look tough.”

“Am I not?” You quip, Jake shook his head with a smirk. “Someone who gets chicken skin from needles isn’t necessarily the most toughest person out there.”

“Hey!” You counter, rolling your eyes. “We all have our own fears. Mine just happened to be needles.”

“Valid.” Jake snorts, holding the tattoo gun with his right as he sat down on one of the chairs, spreading his legs for balance. “Can I see your reference?”

You nod, pulling out your phone to show him the specific post from interest you saw last night. Jake takes a long look at it before he nods, “are you ready?”

“No.” You say honestly, holding in a breath. Sim Jaeyun smirks, fingertips brushing across your piercing collarbone. His clad fingers were cold to the touch, yet at the same time, it electrified a part of you. “I thought I’d show you some of my skills?” He whispers low.

You whisper back in response, though force and strained, “I’m not sure I’m the person to be testing that out on!”

“Shh,” He cooes, “Just relax. It won’t hurt.”

“I really hope it doesn’t.” You hold in a breath as Jake’s precise needle came into contact with your supple skin. It felt way less worse than what you’d dreamed about, what you thought about. Like being bitten by an ant, thousands and thousands of it.

From the corner of your eyes, Sim Jaeyun’s focus was unmatched. He bit the bottom of his lip, his head unimaginebly close to your shoulder. God, he smelled divine. He had his undivided focused locked on the piece of art, hands precise and delicate as it poked the ink through your skin. Strands of his blonde hair collided wit your shoulder, making you shiver all the more.

Minutes pass with Jake’s unnerved focus on your skin. Once he was done, you feel him pull back, his face unreadable. It was rather awkward on your part, eyes straying anywhere but his hair. The paintings on his wall, the equipment on his desk— anywhere but him.

“Do you want me to fill it in?” He asks, gaze boring into yours. For a moment, you forgot how to breath as you responded, “No, it’s um. It’s fine that way! Looks perfect.”

He nods, standing up from his chair and turning towards his equipment. He fixed his stuff as he spoke, “It’s best if you avoid submerging it in water for a little while. Scratching, exposure to sun, tight clothing— you know, the things any sane person would not do with a fresh tattoo.”

You nod as Jake turns towards you, handing you a piece of something from his pocket. It was a small card, with not the place’s number, but his number on it. It looked professionally made. “You hand these out to everyone?”

Jake smirks, shaking his head. “Only to those I want to send ‘em out to.”

“Oh,” You laugh, “Should I be thanking you or what?”

Jake shook his head, shrugging, “Up to you.”

You nod, perhaps slightly getting the hint of his words, the fire you were playing, and more or less, the danger this thing resided in. The danger he resides in.

“I’ll take note of that.”

“You really should,” He smiles, “I have a feeling I’ll see you around more often.”

~~~~~~

Needless to say, the urge to keep coming back for more proved to be compelling enough. You woke up that morning with a banging headache and an immense amount of urge to scratch your newly-placed tattoo.

A headache didn’t matter, the moment you woke up, it felt like all you wanted to do was go back and have your skin imprinted with another piece of ink.

Or perhaps to go back and have Sim Jaeyun’s touch somewhere else. Up your ass, maybe?

Last night, however you were immediately hit with the unfortunate announcement of an exam. With not much time to think or even let your fingertips touch Jake’s given card, you had immediately stayed the night up studying for the written exam. But you thought about it the entire time— Sim Jaeyun’s lingering touch.

Damn, does he know the effect he has on people?

Procastinating and being under time pressure worked wonders.

Waking up late twenty minutes before the said exam also worked wonders, and you find yourself scurrying around your apartment the following morning as you settle for whatever clothes and stuff you had in display to bring.

Walking along the campus of your university in a rush with a cup of coffee in hand, you rushed towards the exam site in hopes of making it in time. Then, you stumble upon something that had your eyes intrigued. You pause momentarily, gazing upon the small poster that stuck itself onto your department’s floor.

The poster of Jake’s tattoo shop. Not his tattoo shop, but the place he worked at. It offered a promo for this month, a free tattoo for one person as long as the latter was paying.

And you think for a few seconds about it until eventually, an idea popped into your head.

You had just the right person in mind.

~~~~~~

The routines that followed the rest of that day remained subtle. Classes in the morning, work in the afternoon. Until eventually, afternoon came down and you’d decided to make the eventful choice of getting another mark.

“You got a tattoo and didn’t think to even tell me?!” Lee Heeseung, one of your co-workers said dramatically. You worked at a particulary run down CD shop that had the vibes of something from the 90’s, but what you sold was only part of it.

CD’s of music ranging from classical genres to newer ones, even limited editions that artists had either cancelled or no longer sold. In the art of music, there wasn’t really anyone better than Lee Heeseung for the job. He had not only the place memorized, but also the music and its soul in general.

Not to mention, he was the attention and the focus of the customers who dropped by here. The apple of everyone’s eye— also part of the reason why this place hadn’t shut down yet. No one ever really buys CD’s anymore, yet what some fail to notice is that music is always timely— regardless of what age you lived in. Or so, Heeseung always liked to ramble on about like a philosopher.

“Come on, Hee! It’ll be like— fun.” You say the last part flatly as you fix a particular stack of CDs. It wasn’t particularly fun or satisfying on your part. Heeseung looks at you suspiciously, mouth twitched upward, looking utterly disgusted. “You are fucking scared of needles, am I supposed to believe that?”

“Uh— Yes? Cause its literally coming from me. Look,” You drop a particular CD, inching Heeseung’s finger and unveiling a part of your collarbone. “I got a small butterfly.”

Heeseung stares at it long and hard before he choked in a laugh. “Are you sure that isn’t like made with a pen or something?” his fingers attempted to brush against the mark, only for you to pull back swiftly, glaring at him intently. “Don’t touch it! It’s healing.”

Heeseung was laughing at this point, clutching his stomach as he struggled to speak, “And there I thought you got your whole arm tattooed or something!”

You pout, “I wouldn’t do that for my first tattoo! That’s like a one-way ticket to hell.”

He shrugs, “fair point, still no.”

“Come on Hee!” At this point, you were shaking Heeseung’s shoulders around, jumping up and down as you coaxed him to getting a tattoo with you. Contrary to public opinion, Heeseung was not such a big fan of tattoos, claiming he doesn’t like putting such marks on his body. But it doesn’t hurt to try, especially since you kind of know the way to Heeseung’s mind.

“You can get a CD tattoo, or an ipod, maybe a quote from a song you like the most?” You suggested with a sweet voice. Heeseung looked at you, unconvinced. Yet, his eyes were a bit more gentle and less tense than last time. Oh, you were so getting him.

“I’m paying for the tattoo, you just have to show up! It doesn’t matter if it’s small, it’s free anyways. So just accompany me— please?”

“What if I get a dick tattooed on my back, like a huge one?”

“Well— that’s your choice. Nobody’s stopping you.” Heeseung rolls eyes, “Fine, until when’s the promo?”

You grin, “Tonight.”

~~~~~~

The shop closed at 5PM with you and Heeseung traveling to the same alley you got your tattoo at, the suspicious corners and parts of town.

The sole idea of Heeseung getting a tattoo— you try and sweet talk him— is absolutely a very smart move. Girls would consider him more attractive, more customers would flock in, the sales would increase, and eventually, everyone would be happy!

“If this thing gets infected, I’m totally blaming you.”

“I’m not holding you back, I’m scared mine will get infected too.”

“You’re planning my demise, aren’t you?”

“How’d you figure out so easily?”

“You’re literally the type.”

You laugh, brushing Heeseung off. Eventually, you were met with a rather pungent smell of some dog shit as you walked along the alley. “You’re definitely planning to kill me, what the heck is this place?” Heeseung asks, disgusted as he held his nostrils with his fingers.

“I know,” You say, covering your own nose, “Trust me though, the place isn’t dirty.”

“I sure would hope not cause I’m bolting the moment you leave me here.”

Eventually, you were met with the black doors of the tattoo studio, the neon lights of the name lighting up just above— Tatts.

“Tatts? That’s exuding some immense aura.”

“I know right.”

You enter the stall with much anticipation, you hadn’t even thought about what tattoo to get next, only adamant on being here. Which is weird, you’ve never had such a stronger urge to be somewhere so fast. Like some magnet was pulling you in.

You were greeted with the same auburn woman— who you learned was named Kaiza, who entertained you during your first session. She recognized your presence, immediately smiling once she saw you, smiling even wider when she saw the person you were with.

“Y/N! Came to get your second tattoo?”

You nod sheepishly, “Yes. Is your promo still on?”

“You are currently,” she checks her watch, “lucky, because the promo ends in an hour.”

You turn to Heeseung, mumbling an ‘I told you so’ and he simply sticks his tongue out. “Are you getting a tattoo, too?” Kaiza turns towards Heeseung who nods his head, showing one of his captivating smiles. Weirdo.

“Yes, I’m with her.”

Kaiza grabs a piece of information paper, handing it towards Heeseung, he filled it in. Meanwhile, you looked around the familiar the room. Still the same as you last left two days ago. Dark, well lit, and very much gave the vibes of a tattoo studio.

Heeseung finished filling his paper up, Kaiza leads the two of you to the stalls. You hoped, you really hoped—

“Sim Jaeyun is here today, would you like to get your tattoo done by him?”

“Yes! I mean— yeah, yeah, that’d be chill.”

You can sense the way Kaiza’s face contort into that of mischief, Heeseung remains oblivious to the way you so eagerly give way to such a statement. He was too busy admiring the room, and ultimately, Kaiza.

You can’t blame him, the auburn woman is sure as hell attractive.

“There are two other people here who can do your tattoo, Heeseung.”

“Do you do tattoos?”

“Me? Yes… Why?”

“Can you do mine?”

Damn!

You swiftly look at Heeseung with a smug look, nudging him ever so slightly with your elbow and wiggling around. Heeseung knows what you’re implying, and he chooses to ignore your little antics and teasing, opting to shoot his shot instead.

You feel Kaiza laugh, “Hmm. Do you want me to?”

Heeseung shrugs, “I’d want my first tattoo to be memorable.”

Oh you had to give it to him. If there was ever a time where it rained of cockiness and confidence in flirting— perhaps Heeseung was there, with his arms wide open, catching every single drop. Kaiza bites into his oblivious flirting as she drops you off to Sim Jaeyun’s corner.

She opens the curtain, only to find the man, once again, splayed out nonchalantly in the tattoo chair. His black clothes blended in a bit with the chair, aside from part of his arms, shoulder, and head. He quite literally just wore a tank-top, exposing his muscular arms which surprisingly, had no tattoos.

“Jake, Y/N’s back.”

“Oh, really?” This time, Jake wasn’t

napping. Rather, he was playing a random game on his phone, eyes focused on tapping the screen. Once he heard your name roll off Kaiza’s tongue, he closed his phone and threw it to the side. Jake ruffled his hair, looking at you with quite an unreadable look. “I’m guessing showing my skills worked?” He quipped, you rolled your eyes, “Shut up, I have a growing interest for tattoos now.”

Kaiza and Heeseung bid goodbye, with the latter harshly patting your back and mumbling a short, ‘this the dude? pretty valid.’

Despite the fact that you hardly told Heeseung anything, he just somehow seemed to know. But you can tell he wasn’t really here to scold, with the way he followed the auburn woman around to get his, “tattoo.”

“What are we getting this time? Don’t tell me its an ant now.” Jake stands from the chair, going over to his equipment. “I haven’t really thought about it honestly.”

“Oh?” Jake stops momentarily, turning around to look at you. “Don’t tell me you’re doing this for fun.”

“Maybe I am doing this for fun.”

He leans back in his desk, arms crossed. ”You probably just came over to see me again.”

Dead serious, you looked at him straight in the eye and responded, “Yeah, that’s actually the reason why.”

Part of Jake’s blonde hair covered his left eye, the other low yet unnerved towards your body language. You felt a little clammy and small under his gaze, but you kept yourself still and grounded even with the way he strips you bare with his gaze alone. That same look he used the first time he saw you, the first time you spoke. Then, Jake laughs.

“You weren’t lying when you said you’re bold and brazen.”

You shrug, “Can you blame me? You’re like—” pointing towards him, “that.”

He leans his head to the side, an amused look on his features. ”Like what?”

“Like an absolute meal.” You say, as if it wasn’t the most obvious thing ever. Jake laughs, twisting his head to the side. “You find me that attractive?”

“Just alright.” You had to somewhat humble him. Jake does his usual routine of setting his equipment up, until he was already sitting beside you and you layed down the chair. “Where’s your next tattoo gonna be?”

You think about it for a moment. Though you’ve no particular interest as to what design you wanna do, there is a specific place your mind desires for his craft.

“Beneath my chest, ribcage.”

“Y/N, are you serious?” Jake deadpans, pulling his gun back. You nod, “Dead serious. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You know that’s like, one of the most painful places to get a tattoo at?”

“I’m well aware.”

“So you’re fully aware of the consequence this may bring, yes?”

You shook your head. You know it’s going to hurt, but how bad it’s going to hurt, you absolutely did not know. “It’s probably going to hurt like hell.”

“It’s going to hurt more like hell,” Jake clarified, “What design are we doing?”

“I don’t know, you tell me."

“I’ll tell you?” Jake feigns amusement, he was surprised. Usually, when people come in to get their tattoos done, they already have something in mind. “What do you mean I’ll tell you?”

“I don’t really know what tattoo I want, you got any suggestions?”

He can put a piece of dick or shit on your ribcage for all you care and you would absolutely thank him for it. Jake thinks about it for a moment, leaning back against his chair, “are you letting me decide your tattoo right now?”

“Yes, it’s why I’m asking you.”

“Are you sure? You may not want to trust me with something like that.” He leans forward, fingers pointing towards your black shirt. Taking the hint, you lift the hem of the fabric, exposing part of your stomach and ultimately, the part just beneath your bra. Jake stares, inching his hand towards the spot effortlessly, as if he’s done this hundreds of times before. And he probably has for the most part.

His cold touch sent electric shivers down your spine as your ribcage felt the sensation of his crisp fingers. “What have you been into these days?” Jake asks.

“What specific category are we looking for here?”

“Nothing in specific, just…” He shrugs, “anything general you’ve been obsessed with?”

“Tattoos maybe?” He laughs, “just that?”

“Well, I’m a med-student so probably any thing related to that.”

In your eyes, perhaps Jake thought of you as a colorless book, someone who sought out the adventures of being bad because you always bury your noses in those textbooks. Like a nerd or something, like most people would assume for such students.

“A med-student? Really?” He asks, with a surprising interested glint in his eyes. You nod, “I know, might seem boring but—”

He quickly intervenes, “no, no. I mean, you’re out there what? Training to save lives? That’s so fucking cool.”

“You think of that as cool?” You ask, surprised. Jake nods like a little puppy, the tousle of his hair straightening along as he agrees. “That’s the most overbearing course you could possibly take.”

“It gets me overstimulated all the damn time so pretty understandable.”

Jake laughs, “so like, a stethoscope or something?”

You shook your head swiftly, “Oh, hell no!” As much as you somewhat appreciated your course, never in your life would you leave remnants of such in your body. Simply traumatizing, too traumatizing.

“Think of something that represents you as a whole, Y/N.”

Something that represents you as a whole…

“I can’t think of anything.”

“If that’s the case, do you trust me enough?”

You nod almost too quickly. “I do.” Jake laughs, the corners of his face tugging along into an expression of mischief. Never in his career has he tattooed someone who doesn’t precisely know what they want. Usually, something like this would require decisions. And for you to throw that choice out the window for him?

Jake felt his pride begin to swell up.

“Do you go to college, Jake?” You ask amidst the silence as Jake nears your ribcage. He nods, “Surprised? I go to the same campus as you.”

If anything, you were the one surprised. “Really? What course are you taking?”

“Applied Physics. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to that.”

Oh. You definitely did not peg Jake as someone who is into anything Science. You can see the way part of his face turned slightly sheepish, yet the jolt of pain in your ribcage came following along straight after. You winced, “oh shit, you weren’t lying when you said it’d hurt.”

“I told you.” Jake mumbles, feeling you wiggle slightly. His other hand which stabilized itself onto your ribcage settled just around your waist, attempting to keep you still. “Don’t move around, stay still, yeah?”

“Sorry…” You mumbled, wincing as he poked the gun and the ink into your skin. You don’t know what he was doing down there, but for the most part, you kind of trusted him. “I didn’t think you’d be the— shit,” you bit your lip as another jolt of pain came pushing through, “type of person to be interested in courses like those.”

“So people would say. I’ll brag, I’m pretty good at what I do.”

“You look like you’re good at everything.” You quip, rolling your eyes as Jake laughs along. It was a subtle conversation of asking each other one’s interest, hobbies, things in life, and things that may spark some interest between the two of you.

Eventually, you learned that Jake was currently on the second year of his course. A total physics nerd, with the way he randomly inserts some of his knowledge of his topics over to you. Jake also was quite the opposite of what most people would assume someone working in a tattoo shop would be like.

He’s gentle, he loves dogs, he’s always been rather crafty, he enjoys dancing. But one certain assumption that sits just right for his entire image?

Sim Jaeyun is a playboy at heart.

A big ass fucking playboy and heartthrob.

Sounds like a cliché statement to say the least, like something from a 2000’s romcom, but his stories were testimonies enough that indeed— Sim Jaeyun loved to meddle around.

You asked him how many girlfriends he’s had for the past year (choosing to be a little brave), to which he said none, because he said he absolutely hated committing but wouldn’t mind the thrill of just one night stands.

You asked him if he’s ever been to a bar or a club before and he’s been to plenty.

The tattoo itself eventually finishes after what felt like forever, Jake was intent on his work, every detail, precise and accurate. And once he was done, he pulls back and lets you judge the moment for yourself. The skin had reddened just a tiny bit, fingers came to graze along the spot just near the tattoo.

The tattoo extended from the bottom of your ribcage down to the curve of your hips. “I hope you don’t mind, but this one doesn’t really have a specific meaning. Just something that I think would suit your whole vibe.”

You stare at it, long and hard. In absolute awe of what Sim Jaeyun was capable of doing. “You really know what you’re doing…” you mumble as you stare at yourself in the mirror. Jake laughed as he cleaned up the rest of his stuff, “Don’t say that.”

“Why?”

“It swells my pride up, you know.”

He meant it as a joke, but perhaps Sim Jaeyun truly lived by the compliments he gets on his work. You smile, “but you are good.”

“You’ve thought about it?”

“Hmm? About what?” You were still gawking over your tattoo. “The card. My number.”

“Oh?“ Your face turns into that of mischief, “I thought that was purely for business, Sim Jaeyun. I didn’t know you wanted me to get your number.”

“And here I thought I made it pretty clear.”

You laugh, “I’m just kidding, I’ve been so busy I haven’t gotten time to go over it.” Jake crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side as he eyed you, the same mischievous look on his face. “Am I blatantly being rejected right now?”

You shrug, “Gotta think about it, you know?” But you know there was nothing really to think about it. The clear answer: absolutely yes.

“You’re a bit difficult.” He mumbles, inching closer ever so slightly. He stood in front of you, his chest and arms flexing unintentionally. Going to the gym must also be one of his habits because– damn. “It’s not anything new.”

Jake smirks, “And yet you’re interested?”

You’d forgotten all about your tattoo at this point, shamelessly exposing yourself as you check him out. How could you not? He always looked attractive, smelled good, you bet he’d probably feel good too.

God, you know the consequences this would entail, yet you’re jumping in anyways. “I am interested, Sim Jaeyun.”

Jake chuckles, “You’re cute.”

You bit back a, “I’m quite well aware.”

He leans down, head coming face to face with yours. Surprised, you retracted your head away. Jake was suddenly being bold now, closing the distance between the two of you. But from this angle, you can see the sharpness of his features more clearly. The slight slit on his right brow, the tip of his nose, his long lashes.

He felt even more handsome and attractive up close.

“And a bit bratty too.”

Shrugging, you level his boldness and cross your arms as you inched your head a bit closer, “So they say.”

“Just my type.” Jake’s fingers brushed against your chin, keeping it in place. He lifted your head slightly, eyes glued over to the way you wet your tongue. There was this tension gnawing away in the air, as if mumbling— who’s going to break it first?

And Sim Jaeyun’s eyes were tempting you in the most oddest way possible. But he wasn’t doing anything but edging and dragging this out, so why should you make such moves?

It goes on for a while, the endless suffering of trying to keep your cool, until Jake eventually breaks the ice, “You’re really just my type, you know?”

It swells your pride a bit, despite the gut feeling in your stomach telling you he’s pulled this certain script hundreds of times before. “How many times have you said this to other girls?”

Jake pursed his lips, “does it really matter?”

And you think about it for a moment— your entire situation with him. You know you’ve been playing with fire the entire time, adding fuel and gasoline each time you come here and flaunt your presence like some sort of prize. “No, it doesn’t. I’m just curious.”

“To answer your question, Y/N—” He diverts his touch away from your chin, “You’re the first one I’ve used this script on.”

~~~~~~

Heeseung left the booth with not a tattoo, but with a huge kiss mark on his left collar.

Oh, and his right collar, his neck, his— everywhere. You can faintly see the poor attempt at trying to brush and clean it off, but Kaiza painted her lips a enticing crimson red— that same color on the said man’s existence.

He looks at you with a smug grin, “I can’t thank you enough for bringing me here.”

“Did you really get a tattoo? Or did you just get laid?” You teased Heeseung, nudging him. He shook his head, “I got one at the back my neck, look.”

He shows you the colorful mark on the nape of his neck— a tiny music note, noticeable but not so much with a collar on. “It looks sick, you are absolutely welcome.”

“I may have gotten a bit of her lips, too.”

You roll your eyes, “Heeseung, I don’t really think you got just a bit?”

Heeseung laughs, opting not to answer your own question and leave you to wonder on your own. It didn’t matter for you, though. You had your own matters to ponder about.

You must be crazy.

Jake must be crazy.

But he was even more crazier, because how the fuck was it even possible for a human to kiss and makeout that good?

“I think I need a fucking drink.” Heeseung drags along as the two of you exited the shop with less enthusiam, putting his arm around your shoulder. “You literally told me you don’t drink, Hee.”

“That changes today, this calls for a celebration!”

You laugh, “a celebration for what? Getting your first kiss?”

Heeseung rolled his eyes, sharing a frown. “I’ll have you know, that was not my first kiss.”

“Yeah, yeah.” You weren’t really having it, though. As far as you know, Heeseung’s lips were as virgin as the color white. He loved flirting, but he never really went to the point of actually kissing somebody.

“Middle school kiss is not considered, though.”

”Well fuck— then that was my first kiss.” He feigns defeat, throwing his arms in the air. You snort in response, “absolute amateur, and yeah, I’m down for a drink.”

“Heck yeah! See? You’d agree in the end anyways.”

“Only beause I need it too.

And you really do.

“Perfect. Same time, same club later. Wear something nicer.” Heeseung removes his arm from your shoulder, shrugging his. It was a bit of a routine, really. Clubbing, partying— since the unfortunate incident of your breakup, the idea of having fun hadn’t really crossed your mind for a few weeks due to keeping yourself cooped up in your room.

That was until, Heeseung introduced you to drinking and releasing your problems away in a certain club you now frequented. A dangerous and tempting hobby to wallow in, but hey, you’re still a pretty well maintained pre-med student with complete control over your identity.

So, it didn’t hurt that you you indulge yourself in the manner every once in a while.

Always with a guy, and always with Heeseung, that is.

“Are you telling me I look ugly in what I’m wearing right now?” it doesn’t take a second before Heeseung was snorting and patting your back harshly, enough to have you fling over and lose your balance.

“Don’t pull me with that shit, you know what I mean.”

“Whatever.”

And you know that Heeseung entirely meant going wasted tonight and getting laid.

~~~~~~

Contrary to what most people would assume about medical students— you are a bit of a troublemaker yourself.

Buried beneath textbooks of foundational sciences highlighted only five days of your week. For the remaining two days? You absolutely relished on going full out. Not so much as to drink liters of alcohol every weekend, but exploring wild things had grown to be a hobby of yours after your relationship ended.

Right now, it seemed the end of the week greeted you with clubbing and wasting away.

“Stay close to me as usual unless you like— double, triple check the dude, okay?”

This was one of Heeseung’s usual routines, keeping you in line and making sure you don’t get yourself into a little trouble. You nod as usual, grateful for the concern as you felt you might need it. With the way you dressed and exposed more than a half of your bare skin, perhaps hands were definitely going places towards your figure.

Heeseung and you enter after the bouncer checked your IDs, and you were immediately met with the booming music of Rihanna’s— We Found Love— coming in full volume.

“Perfect timing!” You shout to Heeseung’s ear, and he grins, responding, “Let’s get drinks first!”

The two of you entered through the mixed bodies and sweat, absolutely in love with the way everything just seemed to unveil and ungrasp here. No professors screaming at your ear, no missed deadlines, no piles of homework due the following day. This, was the life. The fucking paradise, really.

After much mingling with random strangers, you eventually reach the counter filled with alcohol, a random bartender shaking away the order of another. “What’re you getting?” Heeseung asks you through the loud noise, “Daiquiri!” You respond back.

Heeseung chuckles, “Feeling the summer spirit, ‘aye?!” copying the accent of a British man. You smacked him in the arm, “Shut up!”

Heeseung nears the bartender, claiming a drink of his own. He hands you your own drink, and you down it with much enthusiam, the cold sensation of the citrusy alcohol rushing through your throat and making shivers run down your spine. At this point, you sat at one of the high stools as Heeseung stood in front of you, relishing his old fashioned whiskey cocktail— like an old man.

”Gonna need like a few more drinks to have my feet jumping around.” Heeseung admits, you nod along. It isn’t necessarily fun doing anything sober, when you can be a little tipsy and on edge. Finishing the first drink with much ease, you soon followed by ordering a different beverage from the bartender. And another Daiquiri, and another, and another.

It was a process of going back in forth for drinks, with Heeseung somewhat forgetting his starement from earlier and drifting off to— well, god knows where, probably swaying his hips along to the music in the middle of the stage. You hadn’t mind though, enjoying a bit of the company you provided yourself, relishing the way you looked— the way you felt tonight.

Strangely enough, you felt odd. Not in a unfortunate sort of odd, but certainly a feeling that sent your senses in a bit of alert. You can’t help but feel that someone was watching you, taking in the way you sip your drink, or the way you cross your legs.

You scan your eyes across the room, squinting through the radiant party lights and trying your best to make do. You were, perhaps, just feeling a bit paranoid.

Shrugging, you chose to brush the feeling off, heading straight to the dance floor to get your mind away from whatever that was. The groove of the music made it easy for you to occupy your riddled mind, swaying your hips along the tune of the music and raising your arms up in the air. Yeah, that tattoo on your collarbone and ribcage definitely made you feel times sexier and more… Untamed?

“Careful there.” A voice chimed in, gripping you by the waist in an attempt to balance your figure. You mumble an apology back, though not really a hundred percent sorry, and grinding your behind on the random stranger instead. As in— full on grinding and rubbing it against their pelvis.

You were even giggling, repeating your apology a couple of times beneath your breath, but your body swaying around proved otherwise.

“Are you comfortable shaking your ass on random strangers?” The said voice whispered on your ear— all too familiar and recognizable on your part. You shrug your shoulders, shouting, “It’s a club! Let loose a little.”

And let loose you did, letting your body fall along the rhythm, disregarding the fact that a pair of arms were most likely on you. It goes on for a little while, the music changing for a little while and you danced around. One thing remained certain, that grip never left you at all.

Feeling rather curious and perhaps a bit annoyed as to why someone could be so possibly clingy in a club, you turn around and discovered the reason why.

Oh. Yeah.

You were glad you turned around.

Because what in the fucking parallel universe or plot is this? Discovering it had been Sim Jaeyun’s strong grip of arms keeping you close was one thing, seeing him this fucked out and wasted? It was another thing completely.

It looked like the alcohol consumed him partly, evident on the way his cheeks flushed and his hair felt like it had been raked way too many times. Time had gone slow motion for a bit, with Jake’s piercing eyes treading holes through yours— those same ass eyes he used during your first and second tattoo session, only this time, it seemed or felt like all control was gone.

Is it really?

That’s why the strong scent of something was familiar, that’s why there was this feeling that someone’s eyes were glued to you the entire time.

But Jake doesn’t speak, neither does he move. And when he sees he’s been discovered, he merely grins and nears your ear to whisper, “You wanna fuck?”

And your response?

“God, I’d love to.”

~~~~~~

Sim Jaeyun is anything but patient.

Frankly speaking, the moment he laid his eyes on you at the bar, all sense of self-control had dissipated and gone through the roof.

How was he supposed to control himself when he saw your skirt raked up exposing the curve of your ass? How was he supposed to remain calm when you were grinding that ass on him like it was your last dance?

God, if anything, you were lucky he opted not to tackle you the moment you entered that dance floor, swaying your hips around feeling all needy for attention. Sim Jaeyun hardly goes to the middle, deeming it as too crowded and overstimulating, but hell— the moment your heels clicked and took a step forward, he just knew he had to keep you close to him.

Partly because he doesn’t want any other creeps getting to you, and also because he really is fucking thirsty and hungry, too.

So when the small of your back harshly hits the bathroom wall, you don’t argue. When Sim Jaeyun’s lips crashed onto your neck, breathing and inhaling you in— you don’t argue.

Holy fuck. This was an entirely different scenario from days before.

“Nice to see you again, too.” you mumble through heaved breaths, Jake’s lips marking kisses all over your neck. He rakes a hand through your head, groaning as he did so. “Mmh. That was fucking torture.”

You laugh, “I didn’t know that person I was dancing on was you. What did you drink tonight?”

But if you were being honest?

You felt it was him.

It seemed Jake felt that too, parting from your neck for a moment to ghost his lips over yours, “really? Hmmm… Boulevardier.”

Oh, so that’s why.

And he gives you a gentle peck on the lips— like a lover’s kiss. He doesn’t dwell on it long though, resuming his business down your neck. “Can I touch you?” Jake asks for permission, as if he wasn’t already doing that by keeping both of your hands still up your head.

You giggle, feeling him bite down the sensitive skin. He absolutely reeked of alcohol, but Jake’s sense of control and stability was insane. “Been wanting to touch you the moment you got that fucking tattoo.” He admits truthfully, sneaking his other hand down your trembling legs.

It was hard to bite back a moan, to filter out your reaction, yet you pull yourself back, letting Jake do all the talking for now. “You know how sexy you looked in this dress?”

His fingers fully slips in, grazing the hem of your panties. Fuck. “How badly I wanted to just get this off of you?” in a split second, he pulls the underwear down, the cool air hitting your bare skin. The way you shivered underneath his grasp didn’t go unnoticed, and he laughed at the way you attempted to close your legs for some heat.

Jake prods one of his legs to keep yours open. And then? He dips down and he shit— he devours your bare pussy like a man starved for years. It must be the alcohol consuming you, because when in the hell did he get there?

But it didn’t matter now, for Jake was full on licking, slurping, nourishing your cunt.

Now you don’t hold yourself back, now you moaned out his name in full pride and glory. “Jake— fuck, I—”

The sounds were pornographic at best, with Jake’s tongue absolutely wrecking your arousal filled pussy, two of his hands gripped both cheeks of your ass as he spreads it open— as he spreads you open much wider. “Mmh, yeah— s’good.”

You grip his tousled hair, feeling your back slide down due to the immense pressure his mouth provided. But Jake wasn’t having any of that shit, lifting himself up for a second, wiping the remnants of your juices from his mouth. He carried you with ease over to the toilet chair, closing the lid as he unfurls your thighs once more.

He doesn’t eat you out this time, taking two of his long fingers, slipping in the same hole. “So wet babe— hell, it’s taking my fingers in so well. Shit.” Jake nears your fucked out face, letting his left hand caress your hair as he peppered kisses to your forehead. He must love kissing and making out because the amount of remnants his lips left on parts of your body was uncountable at this point.

Jake couldn’t really be blamed, though. It felt like you were a fragile little doll in his hands, even if you are anything but that. Such a precious little thing beneath his grasp, god— he felt himself go absolutely insane. He didn’t expect to see you here, over at the bar he frequented, but hell was he glad.

Jake continued to scissor you open, in out, in out, his fingers were completely disappearing and reappearing from the slick juices of your cunt. And he absolutely fucking loved it. His boner at this point was already uncontrollable, but he hadn’t really payed much attention to his own needs given that you were here. And you needed much attention.

Scratch that, he really just wanted a taste of you.

“Jake, you’re hard- fuck!” You moan when he hits a particular spot that had you rolling your eyes back. Jake chuckles, “Shh, baby it’s alright. I’ll let you deal with it later, yeah?” fingering that particular spot with much force and enthusiasm. Sim Jaeyun was a fucking menace— he was absolutely divine with the way he worked his fingers and prodded into your throbbing hole with ease.

“You see how well it takes my fingers in baby?” Jake babbles, keeping his eyes glued to his motions. “I fucking wonder how well you’ll take my throbbing dick.”

The way Jake spoke is something surprisingly different. You half-expected it, this particular image of him loving all the dirty talk when he gets his fair share of sex. But experiencing and witnessing it first hand is a different story altogether.

You stick your tongue out, oblivious to the way Jake stares in awe. The absolute fucking guilt of having fantasized about something like this during your first meeting with Jake had long disappeared. Somehow, you just knew Jake thought of this too.

It wasn’t hard to believe, given how he seemed to be so adamant on pleasuring you, praising you, all while his own boner and hard-on left him wincing every once in a while in pain. It hurts every time he sees your pussy clench and drench his fingers. He doesn’t know what came over him, you were just so sexy it hurt.

Taking matters into your own hands, you free your grip from his shoulders, swiftly grabbing hold of the belt of his pants and unbuckling it with shaky hands. “Damn- you want it?” Jake groans, momentarily stopping all sorts of pleasure on your cunt.

You barely muffle out a hum, pulling his pants down along with his boxers, his throbbing, leaking dick bouncing against your supple cheeks like a scene from a porn movie. Jake has had his fair share of porn movies, but nothing came close to the way you stroke and teased his skin and massaged his balls.

Jake straightens his posture, keeping his hands on your head as you minded your business on his already leaking cock. It smelled musky, slightly tangy and sweet like the alcohol that tainted his mouth minutes prior. Slowly, you took one languid lick at tip of his dick, then dragging that very same tongue down his length.

Down, down, down.

Until your muscles eventually reached his balls, the warmth of it soothing your face. You cupped it with both hands, relishing each and every part of Jake’s dick. You’ve thought of this before— Jake’s ridiculously long and girthy cock tracing itself on his dark pants. It was torture, you think every time.

Because Jake is big.

And it seemed his member’s only getting bigger everytime you touch or do so much as tease it.

Without much of a warning, Jake takes full control of your head and shoves his entire cock whole inside of your mouth. He just stuffs it inside your mouth, completely ignoring the fact that you were choking. “Fuuuck— yeah, take it in just like that.” he whined. Hearing Jake whine was enough of an indication and a button for you to bob your head up and down, down and up— fully intent on getting him to release those sounds just as much as he did with you.

“You know what you’re doing– shit. Taking me in so well…” He pats your head, retracting it for a second then slamming in with full force. You could hardly breathe, but you fucking loved the sensation you were feeling— the sensation you were fucking feeding Sim Jaeyun. This was all such a catch. Despite the slightly smelly and sticky feeling of having sex inside the bathroom of the bar, the thrill of possibly getting caught any time now has you more aroused than ever.

Hell, you only wished Jake locked the door before entering here.

“Mmh, don’t worry about the doors. I made sure I— fuck!” Jake threw his head back as the entirety of his cock reach unimaginable lengths down your throat. You kept your hands glued to the side of his thighs, looking up at him with such eyes. Jake felt his warm member twitch at the sight alone. So feeble, so adorable— so not mouthy with your snarky mouth stuffed with cock. His own cock. Jake caressed your cheeks, smiling as he did so, “I made sure I didn’t lock the doors. You want the thrill, don’t you?”

Frantic, you pat his thighs and tried to pull yourself away from him. Tried. Jake wasn’t having any of it, stern on keeping your head bobbing up and down his length. “The thrill of getting caught, yeah?”

You stopped fighting all sense of sanity, and instead, focusing on swallowing down Jake whole.

Who cares if you get caught anyways? What the fuck ever. This was worth taking the risk for.

It takes a little while more to get him to finally release and whimper out your name, “Oh- I’m cumming. Take it in, shit. Take it in—”

Jake’s spurts his white semen inside your velvety mouth, the warm bitter taste coating it. He keeps your head close, making sure you were taking in every ounce of his liquid. Sim Jaeyun felt stars circle his eyes— that was the best head he’s gotten in his lifetime.

“You’ve done this before?” He asks as you retract from his head and wipe the side of your mouth with the back of your hand. Shrugging, you nod, “had a boyfriend I used to do this to.” admitting the fact that this wasn’t your first time. Surprised, Jake smirks and rubs your lips gently. You still kneeled beneath you while he towered over you. “Oh? Why’s he your ex now?”

“For the record,” you stood up from your position, grasping Jake’s cock once more as you prepared for the finale. The next big thing. And gosh, you were thankful because he was immediately rock hard, absolutely unbothered with the way you sucked and teased him earlier. He must be enjoying this too. “He couldn’t eat me out very well, couldn’t place his dick inside here either.”

Jake halts your hand from going any further, his restriction now coming into play.

“As much as I’d really love to fuck you right now, Y/N–” he laughs, “it’s kind of smelly in here. My car, instead?”

And as impatient as you were, you nodded, because it was damn repugnant in this public bathroom.

~~~~~~

“I’ll go straight to the point, it’s making me so damn impatient.”

Exiting the club and slipping out from the mindless people was easy, after the alcohol had somewhat left your system from the tension that occured minutes prior, it felt like you were ready to take Jake in. As in— as a fucking whole with a big cock like that.

It seems he shared the same sentiment, immediately pulling you over the back seat and letting your back meet the plush mattress. It smelled divine inside his car, a mix of licorice and something woody at the same time. You know he uses the same scent on himself.

Jake immediately prods the hem of your already raked up tight skirt, clutching your worn out pussy and circling your clit with his thumb. Giggling, you pull his head closer to yours and kissed him. Jake gladly reciprocated the action, you feel his lower half fumbling about as he unfurls his pants.

Getting it back on was such a pain in the ass.

“You taste like candy, god- you’re making me go insane.” he then attacks your neck by riddling it with marks. One mark after another, each one more darker than the next. “Gonna fucking mark you mine, show that ex of yours what he’s missing out on.”

“Mmh, please do, Jakey…” the nickname felt foreign and new against your tongue. He must’ve loved this though, cause the second after, he was all up your lips and whispering random praises. Jake’s good at this— pampering you, peppering you, absolutely fucking needing you like it was his last. “You want that baby?”

He twirls his thumb and index finger at your clit. “Want me to show you who’s doing this better?”

And there was absolutely no question about it. In perhaps any other universe out there— he will and will always do shit better. But you nod, choosing to swell his ego and pride a bit. This causes Jake to smirk as you feel something wet and warm hit the opening of your cunt. “You on the pill?” he asks and you nod.

Something ignits within Jake, a sudden idea coiling in the back of his mind as he says, “I’ll paint your walls clean, that okay?”

And you?

You whine pathetically, “all yours, Jake… Just please put it in.”

Hell, if Heeseung or if your parents knew what in the fuck you were saying right now, you don’t think you’d honestly live through it. But in the spur of the moment, it all feels so sexy and so erotic. Nothing has ever felt so raw and shameless before. Not with your ex who could barely get you to cum, most of all not with anyone else.

Without a warning, Jake pressed his entire cock inside your unaware cunt. It was practically a given at this point that Jake was big. As in— humungous. You visibly winced, feeling each and every corner of your insides being stretched out from his cock alone. This wasn’t your first time having sex, but this is is your first time having a cock this big down your pussy, feeling just right like a puzzle piece.

“Shit, you’re squeezing me too much, baby…” Jake groans, feeling his hips go numb for a moment as he falls forward and kisses the nape of your neck. He caressed your waist, gently pecking your cheek. “Relax…” He tells you, and you do, welcoming his member after each and every breath. The comfort Jake offered made you chuckle a bit, a sense of ease allowing your tightness to loosen up a bit from the tension.

“I’ll move, yeah?” He whispers through tight breaths, as do you, clutching his bicep. Jake feels you ease in to his cock that protruded your entrance, and he slams it. Hard. Fast. Definite. Hitting the walls of your cervix so damn good.

You feel your ear go numb at the sensation, Jake faltered too, pressing some of his bodyweight on you as he mumbled curses, “Mhm, you’re squeezing me still— shit. I can’t last long with your pussy like this.” He drunkenly says.

Sim Jaeyun was fucking intoxicating.

Doing all this.

Speaking like this.

“God, Jake, you make me go- i-insane…”

Jake chuckled, “Do I baby?” kissing you once more in places he finds accessible, “do you like me being this deep on your little cunt?”

You nod.

“This feels so good, yeah? Bet you’ve been eyeing my cock too the moment you got your tattoo.”

Jake was practically moving on autopilot at this point, swaying his hips back and forth, and your fucked up pussy attempting to accomodate his fast movements.

And you agree.

Not only because it felt good.

But also because he was the one doing this to you.

This night might as well go on for forever.

Jake hits a particular spot down your squelching cunt, erupting the tiniest whimper from you. He grins, “this—” pushing his cock a little harder down that very same spot. “one?”

And you’re absolutely gone. Babbling his name, screaming for him to hit it farther down. And Sim Jaeyun fucking does, he pistoned his hips, eyes travelling down to the way you soak him in so good and refuse to let his cock leave your pussy, enveloping him in such a way that had him going dizzy.

It doesn’t take long before he was on the brink too, cursing as he licked your lips and gave you marks around your neck, not tattoos this time. “I’m coming baby- so close.”

“‘M too, Jakey— keep going.”

“Gonna paint you clean, okay?” he mumbled, “make this pussy mine yeah? You want that too right? You need this too?”

It felt like he was begging with the way he spoke, but it was so hot and so sexy that you can’t help but nod and agree with his fucked out statements. You tell him you’d want to be fucked like that, you tell him he can absolutely fucking paint your walls pure white with his cum.

The last thrust, and Sim Jaeyun loses all control and you feel his warm liquid spurting through your squirting cunt, each and every drop of it not going to waste as he made sure to keep his cock inside your throbbing hole.

He merely watches as he keeps his cock there, pouring all of his cum erotically.

The sweat was nothing compared to the bar earlier, the hot humid air in the car making you feel so sticky and warm all together. Jake pulls his member out of your pussy, wiping the excess and inserting it back to its rightful place— your hole. He smiles once he sees you shiver when his fingers delved in. But you were too tired, too worn out.

And without much of another word, the next thing you saw was black.

~~~~~~

Caramel. Vanilla. Coffee beans.

The scent of something stirs up your system awake. The perfect breakfast.

Suddenly, you were hit with something far, far greater. This did not feel like your sheets, and you never cooked or had breakfast around.

Swiftly, you opened your eyes to find yourself wrapped in a whirlwind of emotions. You weren’t naked, clothed in a shirt that was twice your size, and you were certainly not in your room, either. The remnants of last night scrambled through your brain, your head pounding like never before.

You remembered everything.

From Jake’s eyes glued to you the entire night, to his body connecting with yours.

It was abominable, but it was so perfect at the same time. You cringed at the fact that you were truly experiencing this, getting laid with your hot tattoo artist you met for a few days.

It’s stupid.

Really stupid.

You slap yourself in the cheek with far more force intended, cursing beneath your breath. Looking around, you saw how organized and clean Jake kept his room. Contrary to yours riddled with sticky notes and papers for reviewers, he had minimal stuff around (as do most men) with only a bed, bedside table, closet, and a large desk with his devices.

The room was relatively dim and dark, the design catering perfectly up to Jake’s taste. Then, the smell of bacon intrigued your nose.

It must be Jake, cooking something up.

You picked yourself up on your feet, only to discover that you physically can’t. Or at least, it was hard to do so given your legs felt so bruised and incapable from the sudden gush of pain hitting your thighs and your— yeah, well, down there.

“Fuck, was it that brutal?” you whisper to yourself, attempting to make way to the kitchen and navigating Jake’s space. You eventually made it there, only to find the culprit with his back turned on you, holding a pan and flipping the food around.

He had only his back turned but his sculpted shoulder blades was enough to make your knees buckle again. Jake hears the footsteps nearing his way, turning around to greet you with that same warm smile. So indifferent.

“You’re awake just in time.” He greets, putting the last piece of bacon down on the plate. He had pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruits, bacon, and a cup of hot coffee all prepared.

It kind of felt like he’s your boyfriend for a split second.

“I didn’t know where to drop you off last night, so I hope you don’t mind that you’re here.”

You shook your head, feeling ashamed with the situation at hand. For sure, your hair was disheveled, your makeup was all over the place, and your breath smelled like absolute ass. “I’m sorry for um… Causing so much trouble last night, that’s kind of rude of me.”

Jake shook his head, rubbing the nape of his neck. “No, I should be the one apologizing after all… That.”

Upon his last word, the two of you fell silent and numb. “I think we should talk about that.”

Jake immediately agrees, placing the pan on the sink. “We really should.”

You make your way over to the table after he insisted, getting you a plate of your own. The two of you ate in silence for a little while, the words hanging upon your tongue but never fully letting loose.

That was until Jake speaks up, breaking the ice. “What do you want to happen with this?”

You halt the piece of pancake you were just about to bite, “With what?”

Jake shrugs, putting his utensils down. “With this whole thing that happened between us. You remember it too, right?”

You did. The whole entire night. As clear as day.

“Just… Parts of it, I guess.”

Jake nods, though you can tell from the look on his eyes that he wasn’t having it. “Y/N, to be frank with you— I’m not looking for anything serious. I’ve told you that before, right? I don’t do girlfriends, just—”

“One night stands. You’ve mentioned, yeah.”

It wasn’t such a hard pill to swallow, really.

“Right. Just wish this didn’t get your hopes up on anything or what.”

You raise a brow, feeling rather pissed off at what he’d just said. You? Hanging on his thread? He was absolutely correct. But to hear it straight up from him was brutal and quite frankly, bruised your ego. “Trust me, I don’t get my hopes up over things like these–” you take a bite out of the bacon, “takes too much time and trouble.”

Jake grins, unaware of your bitterness towards the matter. Instead, he felt glad you supposedly feel the same way. “Glad we’re on the same wavelength. So, what’s your choice gonna be?”

“My choice?” Jake nods, “We can pretend this never happened or we can… Continue if you’d like.”

The way the word continue rolls off his tongue

felt odd. “Continue?” You clarify, “as in- you’d want to continue this fuck and run thing?”

It wouldn’t necessarily be forced in your end, but damn.

Jake shrugs. “Admit it, you and I both get a good fuck. It’s a win-win situation.”

Sim Jaeyun was more heartless than you’d thought of him to be. Then again, you half expected this to happen. “And? If we continue this… Whatever this is— where in the hell do we even draw the line?”

You bet you’ll catch feelings first.

“Catching feelings is where we draw the line. You know? Typical friends with benefits type of scenario.”

Typical friends with benefits type of scenario.

Something tells you Jake has pulled this exact script plenty of times before, like the lines he’d said over at the tattoo shop. Not necessarily programmed— but it was expected of him to say… That.

You ponder over his words.

And Jake merely eyes you.

You could refuse right now and tell him that— no, you absolutely cannot risk where he begins to draw the line because for you, crossing it was fatal trouble. You’re never one to catch feelings very quickly, but sooner or later, when this goes on, you know very will you will.

Jake is the epitome of everything your ex wasn’t.

The complete opposite.

Just your type.

So how in the world were you going to assure yourself you weren’t going to fall for him?

It was half and half, really.

But the moment you came back for your second tattoo, you knew full well what you were getting yourself into.

It was fucking dangerous.

And it was a risk you were more than willing to take.

“I mean, why not? Harmless hookups here and there wouldn’t be so bad.” it was more so of you trying to convince yourself rather than Jake. But the latter agreed to your sentiment, saying, “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Y/N.” the tiniest, but snarkiest grin appearing onto his features. “We’re playing with fire, and its dangerous.”

“So do I. But here I am anyway.”

~~~~~~

Following the rather… Eventful incident over at Jake’s place, he drops you off over to your place as an apology to what happened the previous nights. Checking your phone hours later, you find that Heeseung’s been riddling you with calls and endless drunk texts as to wherever the hell you’ve gone off to.

11:30 PM.

Seungie: where tf r u???

Seungie: …. im serious beuh UGH i canr do dis rn im dancinf w some randok gurl and she smeels like shit 💩

Seungie: kind of smellsnlike u lol

Seungie: lolololol

1 AM

Seungie: hope u fgot laid or smthn lol i gor scolwdwd by sunghoon dor reeking like alcogool hahaha 🤣🤣

Seungie: i feel SOOOO ELEVATED RIGHT NOWWWW!! WOOOOOO!

1:30 AM

Seungie: beatch how tf r u like u got laid THAT good to be ignoring my calls n shi???

Seungie: bruh

9:47 AM

Seungie: hey i just woke up, i got so wasted last night. lol ignore the weird ass messages

Seungie: Y/N are you okay? please reply omfg i’m sorry i wasn’t able to guard you properly last night

Seungie: not that it was my responsibility or what but

10:30 AM

Seungie: now i’m seriously getting worried, where the hell are you?

Seungie: please reply back, your location says you’re not at your home right now???

11:00 AM

You: Omg Hee, Cafe. In ten minutes. Get dressed. I have so much to fucking spill.

11:05 AM

Seungie: WHAT THE FUCK

Seungie: FINALLY I THOUGHT YOU GOT LIKE KIDNAPPED OR SOMETHING

Seungie: ALSO WHAT YOU CANT BE MAKING PLANS SO FAST

You: Just did.

Seungie: What are we wearing?

You: im in my pajamas bruh

Twenty minutes after your said conversation with a very worried Heeseung, you swiftly made your way over to the cafe you saw randomly on the way to work. It looked nice and aesthetically pleasing, a small run down coffee shop owned by a few college students.

Heeseung arrived shortly after, quite literally embracing you until you can’t breathe anymore. That’s how much he was worried and scared.

“I thought you got like kidnapped or something.”

He mumbles, apologizing for the way he swore to take responsibility of you, only to get lost in the crowd minutes after. “After promising me you’d like— guard me or something like that.” You roll your eyes, sitting down across from Heeseung. Your drinks arrived, and he looked somewhat guilty, eyes avoiding yours. “Got too lost with the ladies.”

“With the ladies my ass.”

“Enough of that, what the heck are you going to tell me anyways? Come on, give me some credit for being worried sick.”

Another roll of eyes came his way. You had to hand it to him, though. Thirty missed calls and like- a spam of messages throughout the night. Despite being wasted and all that, he really was worried.

“So… Remember Jake?”

“The hot tattoo artist you fawned over? Yeah. What about him?”

“I fucked him.”

“Your left middle finger or right?”

“No— as in— I fucked him.”

“Yeah, and I’m asking whether—“ and then, Heeseung stops. “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” He was an edge away from spilling his coffee all over the place, standing abruptly. “You did— WHAT now?”

Stoic and composed, you sipped on your drink. “He was at the bar last night, we danced, we made out in the bathroom, and we… Did the thing in his car.”

“You are not serious right now.” Heeseung slowly sinks back to his seat, “You are absolutely not serious right now.” he was in total disbelief. You did not aid to his surprise though, shrugging your shoulders and leaning back against the wooden chair. “I wouldn’t be telling you this if I wasn’t. I literally feel like my heart is like pumping way more blood than it’s supposed to be.”

“There’s a term for that, medical student.”

“Sinus Tachycardia.”

“Thank you smarty pants— do you-” Heeseung shifts in his seat, “do you like regret what you’ve done? Also, are you on the pill and is he clean?”

His questions came gunshotting in.

“No. Yes, and yes.”

“Do you like him? Or do you just want to have fun with him? He’s attractive but he looks like he’s a playboy.”

You confirm Heeseung’s statement, saying, “he’s more than that. I bet he’s had like a hundred girls up in his alley before.”

“And you don’t mind?”

“It’s not that I don’t mind, it’s just that—”

Heeseung beats you to it, “It’s just that you want to play this game with him, am I right? He’s probably offering you the spot of like, I don’t know— fuck buddies or something.”

“You know what? That’s exactly what he said.” You point to him, gaping your mouth as if he’d just solve the biggest mystery in the world. Heeseung shrugs, “see? You absolutely wouldn’t mind getting fooled by this man. I cannot blame you though.”

“Right?” he sips on his drink dramatically, setting it down. Then, he crossed his legs over the other and meticulously intertwined his fingers like some sort of diva. A freaking dork stuck inside a hot body.

“You are getting yourself in a very sticky situation, missy.”

“Okay, you sound like my dad right now.”

“But you know full well I’m right.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

He pinched the bridge of his noise, still in that same poised manner, “it’s not the first time you’ve pulled this shit, so I guess go for it.”

“Wow, real supportive.” the two of you simultaneously roll your eyes at the back of your head, chuckling at the sudden coincidence as Heeseung spoke, “just be careful.”

“Can’t promise you that.”

“Of course you can’t.”

~~~~~~

The days following your unfortunate incident with Jake— you discerned one very unsettling thing.

You were well aware you go to the same university as him, as he mentioned previously. It always gnawed at the back of your head, but obviously, the department of his course differed and his line of field was over at the other building, not here. Never here.

So chances of bumping into him were low. Or so you thought.

But oddly enough, you’ve been seeing him more than usual. As in— he’s just always somehow appearing out of nowhere. Often with perhaps a friend named Sunghoon who you shared a class with at Anatomy and Physiology. Note that he shared a common mutual with Heeseung, much to your surprise.

A small world, you were beginning to think he was doing it on purpose, waiting for Sunghoon to finish his classes (you were on the same few class), and deliberately hanging by, leaning against that same wall with his arms crossed as if he hadn’t just done the most sinful thing days prior.

Like right now. Moments after you’ve left the lecture hall, you were half expecting this to happen. Sim Jaeyun, leaning against a pillar a few distances away from the room, headphones on his ear as he sucked on a lollipop. The sweet treat caught your attention, eyes observing the way his to gue swirled around the candy.

Wow, that’s so… Hot.

You knew Jake had a distinct sense of fashion, matching yours in a way that made it look like you dressed together. But god, seeing him with no contact made warm things appear down the pits of your stomach. It wasn’t helping you weren’t reaching out to him at all these past few days.

The man names Sunghoon eventually appeared from the door, nearing Jake and greeting him. He returned the favor, momentarily locking eyes with you— intentionally.

He grins.

You grin back.

His left hand holds the stick of the treat, swirling his tongue around the strawberry flavor.

And that absolutely does it for you.

~~~~~~

You’ve pictured yourself in this scenario plenty of times before.

It seemed it was going to become an occasional thing now.

You, wrapped in the silky sheets of Jake’s blankets, your body bare and exposed to his touch alone. He wasn’t touching you now, though, the scent of cherry flavored air unveiling from his mouth. You hardly knew he vaped, but now here you were, leaning against his bed’s frame, watching the way he neared the lip of the vape to his mouth, then releasing that breath of air so nonchalantly and unfazed.

Jake merely stared at the ceiling as you stared at him.

His chest flexed upon your cold fingers touching it, sculpting and tracing part of his well defined abs. He chuckles, “What? Another round so suddenly?”

You roll your eyes, “I’m just touching you, is that so wrong?” Jake shook his head, tilting his head over to your direction and releasing the cherry flavored air straight to your face. Normally, you’d consider it as rude, but when Jake does it, something about the deed felt so hot and attractive. “You’re not helping when you touch me like that.”

And once more, something builds up down the pits of your stomach.

Jake feels this. He knows. And he acts upon it, lifting his leg, raking it across as he hovered above you with ease.

He neared his head, lips ghosting over your plump lips.

“Let’s try something new, yeah?”

~~~~~~
It goes on for a month.

The routine goes as follows: You make some sort of eye contact with Jake at the hallway, when classes end, he either goes to your place or you go to his. An endless cycle of quite literally fucking and playing around.

A terrible habit you’ve garnered from Jake was the act of vaping. When he comes over, a guilty pleasure of yours was to puff from his pod, enjoying it as much as he did, especially when the flavors differed.

Sometimes it was cola, sometimes mint, sometimes even coffee flavored.

His vape was as addicting as him.

And it wasn’t long before Heeseung began to notice the particular change in habit. It’s not that you’ve fallen off of your arrangement of studying, going to work, and generally— being the goody-two-shoes you’ve always been. Something’s definitely shifted, though.

Seungie: lemme guess, ur sleeping w jake again

You: how’d u know. lol

Seungie: i can SMELL his disgusting ass vape from here, dont lie, ik you’ve been doing the same

You: am not.

Seungie: i literally smell you at work, no point in denying

You: …

You: okay fine. dont scold me.

Seungie: wasnt planning to, ur an adult i think u know what ure doing w ur life bae

Seungie: but just incase u need like advice, maybe pull out from your situation while its still early.

Seungie: your eyebags are so visible now, i feel like youre STRESSED with this man

You: kind of. he’s been keeping me up until god knows what time

Seungie: your quiz results?

You: still passing them.

Seungie: submissions?

You: still on time.

Seungie: okay. thats good, text me when u need something, ‘kay? i’m coming over to kaiza

You: okay so the two of you are at THAT stage now

Seungie: ;))

You: creepy.

The message ends there, you giggled like fool as Heeseung reacts to your message with a smirk. It seemed like you were not the only one moving things on your end.

However, unbeknownst to you, a frowning Jake hovered besde you, clutching his vape with much more force than intended. His hand grasped your phone swiftly, turning it off and placing it down your bedside table.

“Hey! What was that for!” You frown, attempting to reach for your phone only for Jake to have you pinned down with his strong and muscular arms. “I wasn’t informed your time spent with me would be shared by someone else.”

The latter part of his statement felt forced, strained even. You don’t fail to notice the way he grinds his teeth ever so slightly. “I was just texting Heeseung!” you counter, feeling the slightest hint of idea coming into play.

Jake rolled his eyes, rubbing your hands with his thumbs. His head stood a good distance away from you, but you could feel his willingness and urge to absolutely pound and devour you this very moment. Again. “And you’re with me right now.”

You couldn’t sense if he was just greedy or if he felt a bit of jealousy for the man. “I don’t think it’s right to be putting your attention on him—” Jake breathed in the scent of your nape, “rather than me?”

And the rest was practically history.

~~~~~~

It goes on for two months.

Jake’s made it clear anything personal will never get into matters like this.

And he’s done a pretty good job at keeping his word. The everlasting silence, glances, and hint everytime you passed each other down the hallway was enough of an indication that he wants this as much as you do. But never enough. You feel as though you’d want him so bad things may overflow, but for him— it felt like it was just alright. Never truly enough on his end.

Today marks the second month mark of your hookup with the man. He’d left your apartment just minutes prior with no word beforehand, during, or even after.

He really was just there to fuck the living shits out of you.

And it hurt too.

You thought as you stared at yourself through your bathroom’s mirror, fingers lightly grazing the hickeys he left splattered all around the neck, now turning purple. You’d have to wear a turtleneck to school tomorrow, but for now, you had bigger things to worry about. The marks were the least of your concern.

You don’t know what to make of it, don’t know what to assert of Jake’s actions towards you. He was crude when it came to sex, but the gentle touches were there. The aftercare was there. The love in his eyes at times felt like it was there. Everything a boyfriend should be doing, but he was not such.

And it hurt.

~~~~~~

The mark stretched on for three more months.

Eventually, the warm breeze had long dissipated and you were greeted with the winter snow. You had to start wrapping yourself up in multiple layers now as you went to work. As for your course, you had a few more months before you finished your pre-medical program. If granted the opportunity, your next stop would be to actually pursue the real deal.

Now?

The months felt like they were bearing more days by the second, too slow to halt at Christmas, the long awaited break simply being too slow.

An old record player sits idly atop the counter of the registrar.

The sound of ‘Come and Get Your Love’ by Redbone plays along, one of Heeseung’s personal picks for today’s tedious shift. He sways his body along the rhythm of the music to keep himself at bay from the intense heat the summer was bringing along.

He’s in a pretty good mood today, sipping a green apple flavored slushie despite the weather already being so cold.

“What got you so jumpy today?” You ask with a snort, shoving a box inside one if the counters. “Baby ‘cause you’re mine and you’re fine~” he does one of his obnoxiously good footworks, moonwalking owards you. Once face to face, he pulls something out from his pocket, showing you a picture of Kaiza.

“And you— look so divine!”

You roll your eyes, “Come and get your love!” swaying along with his antics despite not truly syncing with the beat. “Let me guess!” you say in between the music, “you asked her to be your girlfriend? And she said yes?”

“Correct! That’s why you gotta let me celebrate this.”

Another snort came down Heeseung’s way. He was always oddly energetic when something good happens, but you didn’t expect they’d move forward much better than expected. Way better than your stupid excuse of a relationship.

He sings along until the music is down, and eventually, he spoke, “I heard the engineering department is holding one of their annual music festivals again next Saturday.”

It was a particular Monday, the beginning of the weak already making you feel so weak.

“You down to go?”

“Yep. They got the best organized any department could have.”

Usually, each departments creates a festival or some sort of event all together as a final bang for the last semester. The engineering department upholds one of the best ones, if not the best— inviting big time artists and creating booths that are actually affordable and fun to buy from.

You attend the festival every year.

“You sure? For sure your ex is gonna be there.” Heeseung grabs classic vinyl record, placing it inside the player. Killing Me Softly.

Your ex, Doyun. The stupid fucker who cheated on you, happened to be one of the students in the very same department. He’s in a band, one of the overglorified ones at his department. A vocalist and a guitarist that’s simply too cocky for his own good.

You shrug, playing it off. “Not a big deal.” Hell, you might even see your sorry excuse of a best friend over at the festival. But it wasn’t anything to you now. If anything, it gave you all the more of a reason to not trust people.

Strumming my pain with his fingers,

Singing my life with his words.

“Heeseung, are you intentionally doing this right now?”

Heeseung grinned, “hey, the lyrics just happened to match up!”

You seriously want to skin this man alive.

“Ugh. Just organize the damn piles, please, before I hit you in the face.”

Killing me softly with his song.

Killing me softly… With his song.

~~~~~~

One of the things you realized during your whole agreement with Jake: you’ve never gotten his phone number.

You don’t know how in the world the two of you managed to keep a few months of hookup without communication, but it must be some sort of talent because you were only realizing it now.

Jake’s presence stopped showing up after your class to pick Sunghoon up for the rest of the week.

Last week, it was three days of the week; his usual.

Now, there was barely anything.

It was probably how you noticed the sudden absence of communication the two of you actually had in the real world. Simply being too engrossed in the bedroom to even think about texting. But somehow, it seemed to work so smoothly. The subtle glances, the cues— all of them were more than enough to act upon.

You watch as a mindless Sunghoon pops out of the class, walking along the hallway with no one by his side.

It was Friday now.

It seemed you weren’t going to get a glimpse of Jake anytime soon.

~~~~~~

The weekend was overbearing, spent on the couch munching away junk foods and watching your favorite seriouss— seriously hoping Jake would magically appear. Even if it meant him asking for sexual intercouse straight away.

Yet nothing came.

Monday came hitting again like a truck, and after a stressful class at one if your most disliked subjects— Physics, something td you it was a sign. A positive sign.

So when the bell rang and Sunghoon came out, you half-expected something. Anything to prove your jittering heart and brain.

But when you see nothing, all you do is heave out a sigh.

“Are you waiting for Jake?” Sunghoon spoke much to your surprise, strapping his bag to his back. Stunned, you turn around and said, “What?”

“I said are you waiting for Jake?”

You think about it for a second, whether or not this man is someone you could trust. Though eventually, “Ah— yeah. You know where he is?” you cave in. Sunghoon shrugs, “you’re the girl screaming his name out in his bedroom at twelve midnight am I right?”

God. You’ve never ran towards someone so fast, almost stumbling him back as you covered his mouth with your hand. What a ridiculously honest man! “You don’t say things like that in public!”

Sunghoon raised a brow, prying your hand off his mouth. “And I’ve told Jake plenty of times to keep the weird noises down especially during my quizzes and exams, but here we are.”

“What?”

Jake never told you that.

“You guys are roommates?”

Sunghoon nods his head, “Obviously? Besides, it’s already pretty obvious. You guys are fucking noisy as hell.” You can feel the frustration in Sunghoon’s voice, and you couldn’t really blame him, in all honesty. But had you known Sunghoon was there during your… Funny businesses, you would’ve kept things down.

Sheepishly, you scratch the nape of your neck and avoid his gaze. “Sorry, I— didn’t really know…”

Sunghon shrugs, “It’s a disturbance but whatever. I’ll ask again— are you looking for Jake?”

You nod.

You’ve never deemed Sunghoon to be so straight to the point and strict given that he always sat himself at the back of the class and hardly spoke. But it felt like you were being scolded by your father.

“If it answers your questions, I haven’t been seeing him much at the dorm as of late. He’s been going home much later than usual, not sure about his classes though I’m sure he still attends.”

You try and take in all of what he’s saying— in the fucking name of Jake!

“He might be preoccupied with things at his tattoo job or something, or like doing something odd like he usually does.”

Something odd?

“What odd thing exactly if you don’t mind me asking?”

Sunghoon shrugs, “hooking up with random girls, things like that.”

Oh.

Oh.

The man seemed to sense your sudden change of mood, as he shifts around uncomfortably, piecing together what to say. “Just ask him yourself, it’d be better that way.”

There was silence.

Until Sunghoon exasperatedly sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “don’t tell me you don’t have his contact?”

Another silence.

“Ugh. I cannot believe this,” he pulls out his phone, opening his contacts and handing you the number written on his screen. You swiftly took your phone out albeit haphzardly, typing in the letters so fast your fingers began to shake a bit. Once done, Sunghoon puts the phone back in his pocket.

Though it kind of pained you to be gaining access of Jake’s phone number not from the man himself, but from his friend- you chose to disregard the pride for now.

“I’m done, that’s all the help I can do.” Sunghoon turns around, waving one of his hand up, “Oh and if you patch that up— please keep the moans down otherwise I’ll kick both your asses out.”

God fucking dammit.

~~~~~~

The number, if anything— it scares you to death.

You’ve been staring at it for god knows how many hours now, memorizing it at some point as you fumbled to send out a message.

What would Jake even think of you sending out a, ‘hey Jake, this is Y/N. I was hoping to know when we can hookup soon?’

Frankly speaking, on your end, it would sound possesive, obsessed even, given the fact that his number came from not Jake himself but from his friend.

Your fingers were inches away from touching the send button.

Until, eventually, it stopped.

Yeah. It wouldn’t make sense. You weren’t his girlfriend or anything.

~~~~~~

You were beginning to think nothing ever happened between the two of you.

The second week of December, the third month of your hookup is the mark, the remembrance that this, this is exactly where everything started.

Yet as abrupt as everything came to be, things ended way too soon the very same way.

That particular Wednesday, you visited the tattoo shop in hopes of getting a, ‘tattoo’ from none other than Jake.

Kaiza said he wasn’t there and refused to entertain anymore questions.

Came Friday and Heeseung was practically drilling holes into your back.

“Dude, you’ve been mopping around since the moment you entered, what’s up with you?”

No response.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N!” He snapped a finger in front of your face, bringing you back to harsh reality. You blinked, “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” reasoning it out. Heeseung wasn’t having any of it, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

“I just know this is about Jake. What did he do this time?” You sigh, knowing there was no point in arguing. “This is stupid. Fucking stupid.”

“What is?”

The odd urge to spill everything came down, and before you knew it, you were telling Heeseung the whole story. How you expected for him to at least reach out, how he disappeared without so much of a trace, how you had to go to Sunghoon to ask about him, how you went to the tattoo shop.

Heeseung listened earnestly, and when you were done, it felt like he was some sort of philosopher, thinking way too passionately for an answer.

“Ending it while it was early would have been the best option.” He starts off saying, “but given your… Maybe desire for him I’d say it’s understandable.”

You nod. “But if Jake’s acting like that… Well, it’s best to let it go. You can’t be the one chasing him after swearing to yourself you’ll play his game. That looks desperate, right? And that is so not you.”

It really isn’t.

“You have to show him you’re capable of living without that— whole fuck buddies thing, because you do have a life outside of him.”

If there was anything unbearable about Heeseung, it was his capabilities to become so freaking annoying. But if there was anything that you loved about him, it’s the fact that he cares. He knows, and he actually understands whatever the hell’s going through your brain.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” he asked, you gave him the signal. “Why is that when Doyun you know— did that shitty ass thing, it affected you but from what I saw, it never really phased you as an individual?”

He was talking about the fact that following your breakup with the said man, all it took for you was a single tissue box and a few hours to get over him. As well as a much needed bar session and a couple of drinks. Now? You weren’t even hell-bent on taking a trip down the bar to have fun anymore.

“I think you know what I mean with what I’m saying, right?”

You nod, thinking of some sort of response.

The word traced itself down the tip of your tongue, the scary one, the absolutely forbidden word that you aren’t supposed to mention.

It’s been kept there for so long, refusing to be acknowledged by you. Yet at the same time, it was way too obvious, way too transparent to see that—

“It’s because I actually like him. I like Sim Jaeyun.”

~~~~~~

Saturday felt like a huge burst of energy pulsing through.

You plowed through your morning shift at the record shop that morning with Heeseung, and that evening, the two of you made your way over to the department’s festival. You assured Heeseung to enjoy his time with Kaiza, given that it was thsir first experience together and that you didn’t want to be a cockblock.

But god, you wish you hadn’t insisted that now.

Mixed between different bodies of sweat and people, despite it being less worse than a club, god you felt overstimulated with everything. A particular band was playing something at the stage, while people jammed along and jumped to their hearts’ content.

It was a vibrant event, if anything. You do remember this event being way more fun when you used to have a boyfriend to share the moment with.

Eventually, a new band enters the stage as the previous one finished, with only the endless muttering and cheering of the people coming into play.

And you recognized the band all too well.

“What an evening everyone! We are— daybreakers!”

You recognized that voice way too soon, too.

The crowd cheered, it was clear they were the fan favorite. It was for a moment only, but you saw the way the vocalist— god forbid you mention the name— had glanced over your direction, fingers strumming his electric guitar.

He knew you were there.

“Today, we’ll be playing a couple of songs for you all!” he says, hyping the crowd up. The crowd takes his bait, his band strumming along the tune of what sounded like— She Will Be Loved.

“I’ve had you so many times but somehow I want more—”

Your ass.

”And she will be loved.”

Loved or cheated on?

The song finishes, the head of your stupid ex lulling back and strumming the last notes of the song. You can’t help but roll your eyes. At least he still had the passion and the talent for this.

“This next song, I’m dedication to the person I’ve loved the most but was stupid enough to lose.”

The audience shouts a handful of, ‘awws.’

"Someone I truly love and want back— if you’re out there in the crowd—” he sighs.

“Y/N, this song is for you and I want you back.”

A complete shift of genre— the song ‘I Want You Back’ by 1969 plays. Your mouth was agape like a fish, processing the situation at hand.

You could tell from your peripheral vision that people who knew you or at least were from your peripheral point of view turned their heads around to look for you. You know Doyun saw you around, why bother to even mention your name if he hadn’t? And you’d safely assume him and your best friend didn’t quite work out given the fact that she wasn’t anywhere near the stage.

Served them right.

But goddamn you hated this fucking spotlight, the endless cheering as this man sang.

“When I had you to myself, I didn’t want you around, those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd.”

When Doyun looks over your direction, so does the crowd. Eventually, some were able to put a face to the name, with some even swaying around and calling it romantic.

Romantic your ass.

“Oh baby give me one more chance,” Doyun jumps down from the small stage, walking towards the center of the crowd. Like acting on command, the audience makes way for the man, “Won’t you please let me back in your heart?”

He stood before you now. Doyun, the same man you’ve come to love and cherish for years, serenading you with this song. It wasn’t romantic on your end, just purely laughable and pathetic even.

All the while, you pondered if Jake ever attended these events and if he was seeing this right now. God, you hope he wasn’t. You really, really, really do.

“Oh darlin’ I was blind to let you go, but now since I see you in his arms—” Doyun hands out a singlr rose, “Will you let me in again?”

Everyone chimed like it was their last performance on earth, like it was the very first serenade they’ve heard. If only they knew the boiling rage you had for this man, if only they knew how much he really acted off stage.

You stare at him for a moment, eyes locking onto his persistent ones.

Then, you took his microphone without permission, shouting—

“Fuck no.”

~~~~~~

Sunday was a lost of control for everything.

You went home that evening, the entire performance of a single man dampening your mood more than you’d like to admit. Heeseung bombarded you with messages, but you responded with a mere, ‘let’s talk about it next time, I’m exhausted’

And he seemed to take the hint, laying off for the rest of the night.

Sunday morning you find yourself up in your living room, contemplating whether or not you should text Jake and ask him how he’s doing or worst case— if he wants to hook up again.

But you don’t.

Sunday afternoon, by some odd circumstance, your feet dragged you along the heavy pavement and you find yourself back to square one— Tatts.

It was gettung unbearable by now. The lost of him without so much as a word or a simple hint to his disappearance or whereabouts. Jake just vanished, or at least, from your sight.

You enter the shop, the dark room hitting you as a welcome. It was a different person at the counter now, and much to your surprise, he gladly let you took Jake as the tattoo artist.

Jake.

Just thinking about his name and seeing him again made your head hurt but your heart excited at the same time. What was he thinking? What was he doing?

The man opened the curtains, only to see Jake like the second time you saw him— playing games on his phone with not so much as a care in the world. He didn’t see you yet, too preocuppied with his business as he spoke, “it’s a Sunday, why’s there a client–” then he looked up from his phone screen, only to halt his words and stare in utter shock.

You stared at him, not uttering a single word.

He stares back.

From anyone’s point of view, they’d assume he looked stoic and unfazed. But you know. You just know he was surprised to see you, just as much as you were.

“Ah. I see. Thanks.” Jake nods toward the man who left you with your business, and you hesitantly went inside his booth with clammy hands. With not so much as a word, Jake stood up and started doing his usual routine of preparing the things he needed. He was silent all the while, and you attempted to collect your thoughts until eventually, you spoke, “are you avoiding me?”

There was a pause, then he says, “avoiding you? Why would I do that?”

But his back was turned to you, and the way he spoke was monotone, devoid of emotion. “You haven’t been… Reaching out these past two weeks.”

“Is that something to be concerned about? Aren’t we just doing this for the fun of it?”

His words hit you like a truck coming in at full speed.

“Besides, what makes you think we’d be on that stage after a few good fuck sessions?” Jake turns to you. Through mixed emotions and albeit it being difficult, you tried and gauged his emotions and expressions.

“Not sure if you’re well aware but you really should be. We’re nothing more than mere hookup sessions.”

You feel a huge sting prick you through your chest, “then why aren’t you asking for a hookup these past few weeks?”

God, you felt and looked so desperate but it didn’t matter now.

Jake seethed, straightfroward, concise, and unattached— “because I simply don’t want to.”

He sat down at the small chair, you weren’t one to give it up easily. Given the fact that his head was down and he was absolutely avoiding making eye contact with you— the smallest hope for emotion or at least something more sparked within you.

“But I want to. What are we supposed to do when it’s me who wants it?”

Jake stays silent for a moment so you continue, “why is it that when you’re that one that wants it we should play along but when it’s me, it should be pushed aside?”

You turned to Jake, fingers fumbling with the hem of your shirt. “Why is it that when I ask for something you refuse?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“It’s not fair Jake! Then you should’ve told me in the first place this whole thing was one-sided. I would have never agreed then!”

The desperation in your tone was evident, pieces of emotion crumbling down like a tall wall. You wanted him to talk to you, tell you what’s wrong, tell you that this whole entire thing which was completely his idea is worth fighting for.

Because frankly speaking, you don’t want to fight for it anymore.

Jake merely sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he says, “what tattoo and where?”

God fucking dammit.

“Are you even listening to me Jake?!”

He doesn’t speak.

As frustration bubbles up in your throat, your fingers finally caved in as they touched Sim Jaeyun’s chin, tilting it up ever so slightly to finally see the expression hidden beneath his covered face.

Sim Jaeyun’s eyes— they were tainted with desperation and pain. His orbs glossed, indicating that he probably wants to cry or at least he tried not to.

You’ve never seen him like this before.

“Are you— are you okay?” you muster, but Jake was quick to remove your hands from him as he ruffled his golden hair in attempt to calm himself down. “I’m fucking fine.” he seethes.

“Jake, no you aren’t. You aren’t fine. Tell me what’s wrong—” he cuts you off harshly, “I told you, I’m fine. Stop it.”

“Please. Please just tell me."

“I can’t.” Jake choked through.

”But why?”

“I can’t tell you anything. We’re nothing, remember? Fucking nothing.”

And then, unbeknownst to you, the words spilled— “We don’t have to be. Why do we keep pretending like we’re nothing? I just like you Jake— I really like you.” you push a little louder, a little more desperate, “can’t we act up on those emotions?”

Every pent up emotion came crashing through, and oddly enough, you find yourself crying despite swearing you would never do so again in front of a man. But those two weeks felt like they were the longest weeks of your life, trapped between endless classes and just wanting to see Jake somehow.

Jake understands why you’re crying. Panicked, he took a tissue and handed it to you. You weren’t taking it, letting the tears free fall as you stared at him with determined eyes. Jake however, took matters into his own hands and started wiping the tears off your face, cooing and telling you to stop crying.

“Don’t cry like that.” He whispers, but his tone was contradicting. “Like what?”

“Like that. I can’t bear it. I fucking can’t– shit.”

“Bear what, Jake? Your dislike towards me? Your hatred? Please just tell me now cause—”

Without any word, Jake quickly shuts you up by kissing you. His head was way too fast, pressing his plump lips against yours in a passionate and desperate kiss. Your eyes were wide, but you kept your composure, closing your eyes and feeling the sensation at hand.

It was just a kiss, and as Jake pulled back with a breathless sigh, he kept his eyes glued to yours, and his fingers intertwined with the strands of your hair.

“I can’t bear this. God, I can’t bear you.”

“Why?”

“It’s because I fucking like you too, goddamit. I was scared to acknowledge that, I was scared I’d get attached too much and—”

You pressed your lips against his again, shutting him off this time.

Then, you pulled back, a huge grin on your features.

“We can try. We can try this time.”

~~~~~~

“Butter… Butter, where’s the damn butter.”

7:30 AM Monday morning, the sun’s rays spark through the curtains as you cooked breakfast for two with nothing but Jake’s t-shirt on you which was twice his size.

The morning after the huge bursts of emotion, once the two of you finally calmed down, one thing led to another and eventually, you find yourself in your apartment, preparing breakfast for you and him.

You swiftly cooked up just a simple meal for the two of you, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Perhaps you’d see to it to tease him later of what this meal reminded him off.

The thought of it made you grin.

Everything felt like it was falling back to place with Jake finally in your arms, and no more denying of what you actually feel for him, and what he feels for you.

As you flip through another pancake, a pair of arms came wrapping around the small of your waist, enclosing you in a tight hug. Something heavy sits atop your shoulder, followed by small kisses leading up to the nape of your neck.

“Mmh. Good morning baby…” Jake greets with a raspy voice, still peppering kisses. You smile, taking the pancake off the pan and putting it on the plate. “Good morning.” you greet him.

Jake stays silent for a little while, keeping his eyes glued to your cooking and never once letting go of his arms on your waist. This feels… Homey, somehow. Like the two of you are a married couple experiencing an average day together.

“That’s what we ate when I asked you to be fuck budddies.” you laugh, nodding along. Guess it wasn’t too much of a tease for him, then. “Yes, I’m making it again as a remembrance.”

“Remembrance?” Jake whispers, and without warning, he easily slips his fingers beneath your– his t-shirt, his hands coming into contact with your bare stomach. He started rubbing circles, until eventually, he asked, “can I?”

With a nod, Jake pressed his large hands farther up your body, reaching the spot just below your boobs. He caressed that too, gauging your reaction. You bit your lip, trying to show that it wasn’t affecting you, but when Jake inches further and caressed your nipples this time, you couldn’t help but shift slightly.

“What— what’re you doing?” You ask, but Jake didn’t respond, twiddling your nipples with his fingertips all the more. Suddenly, you feel something prod your butt, something sharp and hard. “Jake are you hard?”

”Mmh. Sorry baby, can we solve this for a minute?”

He mutters beneath your breath, the growing hardnesd on his dick very evident, pressing against your barely covered area. “Aren’t you tired from last night?” you ask, though if anything, what you had last night was nothing compared to past hookups. Filled with love and passion— not being driven by lust and power is something you never knew you needed until now, and also something you never knew Jake was capable of giving.

“I’ve charged up plenty, what about you?”

You smile. “Mmh. I guess we can give one shot, I’ll just finish these up.” You say, but before you even had the chance to finish the last batch of food, Jake turns you around, turning off the power from the stove and pinning you slightly to the left where a counter resides. He traps you with both his arms, never separating his lips from your neck. “I’d rather have you as my breakfast, that okay?”

“It’s okay, but—” with not another word, Jake sucked on a particularly sensitive spot just below your neck. You couldn’t help but wince, fingers grazing his bicep as you attempted to keep yourself still. Jake parts from your neck, licking the bottom of his tongue and grinning at you innocently, “you’re so sweet, baby…”

His kisses travelled down from your neck to your collarbone, biting the the bone ever so slightly. It seemed he loves biting as much as he loves making out.

“Stop biting me…” you giggle, feeling all too ticklish with his touch. Jake smirked, biting that very same touch. “Like this baby?” you try and push him off, but Jake was far too strong, carrying you bridal style in a split second as he headed over to the couch.

Surprised, you hit him by the chest, “what’re you doing!”

Jake laughs, pecking the tip of your nose intimately. Then, he throws you gently at the couch, following suit and keeping his right leg at the edge of it, his left leg stabilizing him, and his arms locking you still. “Doing this.”

He dips his head down, intertwining your lips with his in a passionate kiss. He wasted no time letting his tongue roam your mouth— the hot, wet, smacking resonating around the room. Jake’s right hand find its way around the waistband of your shirt, lifting it up slightly to reveal your thin underwear. He quickly puts it aside, rubbing the clit gently.

You whimper beneath the kiss, parting from him slightly to huff and ruffle your fingers around his soft fluffy golden hair— so well taken of.

“Keep doing that, Jakey, mmh…”

Jake grins, rubbing the clit with much more pressure, “like this baby? Call me Jakey again one more time, yeah?”

So you do, whimpering his name like it was the most precious thing in the entire world. And perhaps it is.

Jake keeps his undivided attention on the way he pampers you, inserting his middle and ring finger in. You gape in surprise, disregarding the fact that your neighbors might hear the noise— but let them know for all you care.

“Don’t hold back, yeah?” Jake whispers, keeping his eyes glued to his fingers which scissored your throbbing cunt. God, you looked so fucking divine all splayed out for him like this. He keeps his pace relatively fast, your moans pouring out with each movement of his finger.

When you feel a particular coil boil down the pits of your stomach, Jake halts and licks his mouth clean. You whimper, complaining, “Why—"

But Jake quickly shuts you off with a kiss, pulling down his boxers as he did so and letting his already hard and erect cock spring free. He wastes no time, positioning his girthy length– the tip of it against your hole. “You ready?” he asks and once you nod, he slams it in full force.

The energy Jake had early in the morning is insane, pistoning his hips back and forth like it was the easiest thing to do in the entire world. He grips the edge of the sofa, keeping his movement stable in and out of your pussy. He hits a particularly sensitive spot, “Fuck— no, no, Jake!”

“W-what—” something squirts, hitting Jake’s abdomen. It was warm, liquidy, and as the rest of the juices coated his legs, your still throbbing cunt pulsed down and squeezed him. Jake couldn’t help but throw his head back, his hand reaching out to grasp and lock your hair within his fingertips. “Fuck, you didn’t tell me you could just do that.”

Jake kept his ballistic pace. “Yeah? Do that for me again, please? Hmm?”

He pulls his dick out in one languid movement, spinning you around so you kneeled at the couch, hands clutching the edge of the sofa tightly. Jake needs no further words, quickly inserting his cock inside your slippery cunt. He takes hold of your waist, leaning you back towards his chest.

Fuck. He’s good.

“Give me another one baby? Mmhhh— pretty please…” Jake was begging, but it didn’t feel desperate. Rather, it still felt like he was in full control, licking your neck and twisting his fingers down your clit all at the same time. He was eager, seeing you squirt all over him like a pretty little play toy.

Jake has never seen anything like it, god he’d kill the world just to see it again. You whimper, “I can’t— I—”

“You fucking can baby, come on, I’m close too.” He urged, hitting that same spot seconds prior, which caused you to moan and scream his name out as you orgasmed and gave him the squirt he’s been so longing for. The couch was dirtied, but Jake pays no particular mind, staring in awe at the way your pussy convulsed and the way you felt like putty around his hands.

“I’m close baby— I’m close…” Jake repeats like a broken record, the controlled movements becoming a bit more careless as he did so. Eventually, after a few more thrusts, Jake pulls out and let his cock squirt his juices down your back and to your ass.

He groans, palming the rest of the juices out while still keeping his other hand close and supported around your waist. You were exhausted, crashing down the dirtied sofa breathlessly.

Jake laughs, grabbing a piece of tissue to clean up the mess around your body.

“I’m sorry baby.” he apologizes, gently taking care of your body. You smile at him, holding his head and pecking his lips.

“You bastard.” you say as an offense.

But god, you loved him like this.

~~~~~~

Your first tattoo was a butterfly.

The second was the one Jake gave you. 
The third was taking you a little bit more time to decide.

As you lay on your comfortable bed with Jake wrapping his arms around you (grace the heavens for having the apartment all to yourself as you were too embarrassed to even face Sunghoon’s too honest mouth after that interaction), you realize that perhaps now is the time to mark another piece of ink on your body.

“Hmm. Would this look good?” You ask him, you were suddenly reminded of this moment months prior, when you were in your bed, deciding on a tattoo after a much needed breakup.

Now, you had someone by your side.

Jake laughed, pointing at your inspiration’s crevices, “the edges look odd, it’ll bleed after a few days. Trust me.”

You roll your eyes, somewhat being annoyed with the way Jake is always so specific with his tattoos. It made sense, though. You never saw him with much in his sleeve or anywhere in his body, contrary to stereotypes about tattoo artist.

“What should I get then?”

“I have this brilliant idea,” Jake pops the lollipop off his mouth, leaning slightly towards you, “let’s get a matchy one.”

You grin, the idea not so half bad. “Where should we get it?”

“Hmm. Wrist? Thigh? You decide, it’s my first tattoo.”

Or maybe he’s never had a tattoo at all.

“Really?”

Jake deadpans, “you’ve seen me naked hundreds of times, you of all people would know, baby.”

You laugh, “I kind of assumed you got one in like your ass or something, I barely see that.”

“I can flash you right now—” Jake attemps to stand up, perhaps flash you his ass in full glory but you quickly stop him, “stop! Stop! I don’t wanna see your ass! Let’s get a matching tattoo!”

Jake snorts, popping the sweet treat right back to his lips. He’d stop vaping now days after you started this. You wouldn’t call it dating, as he never really asked you out, but it wasn’t entirely nothing either. Perhaps between the line of being his girl, and his friend?

At least he isn’t ghosting you anymore.

“I’ll decide on what to get, baby. Give me a few days.”

“Bet.”

~~~~~~

handsometattooartist: I’ll pick you up in a bit, wear something nice.

You: Wow, is this the day you finally ask me out?

handsometattooartist: Just trust me, okay?

You: Are you going to kidnap me?

handsometattooartist: Maybe ;)

You: Whatever lol, what tattoo are we getting?

handsometattooartist: Trust me on that too.

You: It better not be a dick.

handsometattooartist: Awh. Too bad.

You: I swear to god. Fine. You better ask me out after this.

You grin at your phone, Jake doesn’t reply after. Days after your tattoo planning with him, it seemed Jake was a little bit more busier than normal due to his finals and activities piling up.

He doesn’t fail to update you, neither does he fail to treat you like his girlfriend.

So naturally, the need of becoming officially his was growing each second. As you stand in front of your vanity, contemplating which attire would be appropriate for perhaps a possible date, you realize, that you may actually be very well getting what you want by now.

With the thougt in mind, you grin and hurriedly made your way to prepare.

~~~~~~

You opted to dress in something a little bit casual.

A pair of denim jeans and red halter top, and kitten-heels sandals. An outfit that gives you both comfort and style at the same time. Something a little out if your all black comfort zone.

Eventually, the doorbell rang and you excitedly ran to open it. There, you saw Jake in his full glory, dressed in pinstripe pants and a maroon short sleeved open collar shirt which coordinated with your outfit coincidentally. His hair looked cleaner, styled in a side part. (the urge to gobble him up is insane)

Hell, if you weren’t going after this, you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.

“You’re copying me.” you quip, but Jake rolls his eyes, “no, you are. Copycat.”

He laughs, extending an arm towards you. You took it, letting him lead you towards his car. “You look really pretty.”

Grinning, you extend your gratitude, careful enough to not let him see the massive smile forming on your face.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.”

He opens the car door for you, the two of you eventually reaching the tattoo shop as it was only a couple of minutes away from your apartment. Kaiza was on her day off today, spending her time with Heeseung. Who greeted you at the counter was another employee.

She pays no mind to Jake as the two of you entered the booth and hs start setting things up.

“Give me your wrist.”

You follow his instructions.

“You decided on the wrist, after all?”

Jake nods, “do you trust me?” eyeing you with his gaze that screamed to be a mix of encouragement and perhaps anticipation all at the same time. You smile,

“Of course I do.”

~~~~~~

The pricking of the needles was nothing new to you, but it still stung a little everytime it happens.

Minutes pass and eventually, Jake finishes his own to compare with yours.

It was not as distinguishable— scratch that, it really isn’t noticeable at all that the implication of the tattoo is to match with. You half expected something rather cliché, like half a heart on your wrist, and another on his.

Instead, what you got on your left wrist was the smallest hint of Daiquiri, particularly the same drink, same bottle, and even same shape of ice you’d drunk back at the club before you got to dirty business with Jake.

And his?

The one he drank— his glass of Boulevardier. The exact detail of both drinks coming into play as the ink patches itself into your skin. You stare at it for a moment. Well, you don’t hate it. It’s good, you just thought it’d be more… Obvious.

“You don’t like it?” Jake asks blunty, to which you shook your head, saying, “no! I think it’s great, the detail you put into it is insane. It’s just that… You know, doesn’t feel like we’re matching, does that make sense?”

Jake stares at the tattoo, then back to you, then back to the tattoo, before he says, “I think it matches our story just fine, you know? It looks nice, don’t have to be too obvious about it.”

The detail he put into it is nice, but you couldn’t help but ponder whether or not he wants to hide this, or perhaps this was just a Jake thing. You couldn’t really tell.

Jake sensed the way you shifted around a tiny bit, staring at the ink embedded into your skin. He grins, lifting your chin up to give you a small peck on the lips.

“Don’t overthink it. I’ve got more planned.”

Jake keeps your attention away from the tattoo, holding your hand and leading you out and back to his car. The car ride is silent, usually the noise would be filled in by the music Jake plays. But this time, it was utterly quiet.

“You wanna play some music? Or…"

Jake nods, letting you pick the music from his phone. As you scroll through his music playlist, a sudden notification pops up on his phone. In a group chat named— party planner.

Heeseung: jake u better hurry tf up u, me and kaiza drank all the liquor u’ve got lol

Kaiza: is ur rizz not rizzing today? why u so slow

You tried ignoring it, picking a random song from the playlist and setting the phone down. Why did they have a random group chat together? Most especially, why were you not included?

He was unusually jittery, tapping his fingers against his legs or shaking it. “Are you okay?” you ask him, Jake looks at you and nods. “Yeah, ‘s fine.” but the smile on his face was anything to go by. You choose not to press, opting not to ruin the day by riddling it with useless overthinking.

Eventually, after an hour of so, you were met with the outskirts of the city, a beach that situated itself in the midst of the hustling and bustling of the urban streets. He leads you out of the car, the sunset hitting the rays of his parked car perfectly.

It was quiet, not a lot of people go to such placed especially when the city is everything they’ve dreamed of. But away from all that— leads you to somewhere more tranquil and relaxed. You hardly visited the beach, almost forgetting how the sun’s existence aligned perfectly with the sea and how the sand was more white unlike any other, and how the sea crashed with ease.

Jake typed something in his phone swiftly as he did so, then turning his attention back to you. It felt like he was some sort of secret agent, making sure you couldn’t take a glimpse of the conversation.

“You ready?” he asks, extending his hand out. You took it carefully, the two of you walked away from the sidewalk and into the white sand, some of its remnants getting stuck between your toe. The sunset aligned perfectly, the cold wind washed against your skin as a sort of greeting.

And much to your surprise, Jake leads you to a small gazebo situated at the beach, decorated with tons of colorful lights. Petals of flowers riddled around the exterior as well as the wooden floor beneath, heart balloons decorated all around, and a small table for two at the very middle of the gazebo.

The table was clothed white, and on top of it, laid tons of food, particularly the ones you liked and enjoyed and what you’ve shared to Jake the most. Two drinks as well— a glass of Daiquiri and Boulevardier.

You were in total awe, too busy staring at the set up Jake had prepared to even notice that Jake had already helped you sit down. He chuckled at your gaping mouth, “I wasn’t sure if you were a fan of… Beach dates.”

“Shit— you- you made all this?” you cover your mouth, still surprised. Jake shook his head, laughing. “I asked help from Kaiza and Heeseung, you must’ve seen the messages at the group chat earlier.”

Oh, so that’s what it was.

“I was restless the whole ride, Kaiza kept telling me Heeseung ate the whole entire food here as a joke. But it didn’t seem like a joke."

You laugh, “it would be something Heeseung would do, where are they now?”

“Probably frolicking around, who cares about them, yeah?” Jake quips, you laugh along with him. He really put a lot of effort into this. Jake hands you the glass of liquor, raising his own, “I figured since these were the two drinks we drank at the bar that time, we could toast to it.”

You raise your own drink, bumping it against his and swallowing it whole. The sweet, tangy, bitter taste hitting your throat, reminding you of that time at the bar. Jake then plates you some of the food he’d prepared, even the container and baskets had designs and cute little flowers riddled around it.

You took a bite out of the food, letting it accomodate your taste buds. “Wow— you even cooked this?”

Jake nods. He must’ve cooked all, it must’ve also taken a lot of time, effort, and money to be doing all this. You never deemed Sim Jaeyun to be much of a romantic, but now, here you were. Upon seeing your positive reaction, Jake smiled to himself and prepped his own food. “I know the tattoo may not be such a match as you’d hope for it to be, but for me, it’s kind of like a hidden code only the two of us would know.”

Only the two of you would know.

“And—” Jake holds your hand from across the table, kissing your knuckles gently. “I like it when our shared moments remain between us.”

You stay silent for a minute, basking in all of this and waiting for him to—

“We may not have started off in the best terms possible… And I was a complete jerk.”

“You are.”

“And you know how I work.”

“Sure as hell do.”

“But I’m not gonna let this go– I’m not letting you go so easily, Y/N.”

Jake stands up, inching closer to you.

He holds your shoulder close as you sat, his fingertips travelling to your supple cheeks. On instinct, your legs straightened to you leveled Jake’s gaze.

“Does this mean I get all the tattoos I want for free?”

Jake chuckles, pecking your forehead, your eyes, your nose— then finally, your lips.

“All the tattoo’s you’d want in the world."

*:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧ END *:·ﾟ✧*:·ﾟ✧

[ashs-nerd-den]

Studyblr prompt Week 1 - My Study space

I usually study either my desk or by bed, but nobody is seeing my bed on here, and I did up my desk at the start of the summer to make it ADHD friendly, which I have been dying to show off, so this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

The peg board is not only aesthetically pleasing, it is an ADHD saviour. The clear storage means that I can actually see stuff so that way I dont forget that they exist. The pretty notebooks add the aesthetic which draws me in to study and makes it seem more appealing to my brain.

The temporary dumping box is where I throw things when I don't have the energy to put them away because it prevents mess and when I do have the energy, I don't have to pick everything up around the room because they're all in 1 spot.

A lot of people put up pictures of their goals, like their dream university, or the exam results that they want. I put up pictures of my grandparents (that's what's behind the hearts). If I turn out even 1% as amazing as any of them, I will die happy, because they are the most incredible people ever. I'm considering shuffling things around a bit so I can put up a picture of one of my aunties because she is beyond amazing and she is currently doing her masters in psychology (the field I want to go into) while raising her kids and being a carer. I don't use Pinterest for inspiration, my family is more than inspirational enough for me. I could go on for hours about how extraordinary each of them are, but I'll save yous the time.

The water bottle hole was probably for a pen holder, but neither of my pen mugs fit and it gives me a designated place to put my drink so that I don't forget about it, which is good because last time I checked humans need water and not just lucozade and coffee.

There are even more highlighters in the drawer because they are one of my special interests and I love them (I have more in my school pencil case and a full pencil case of highlighters)

Everything is visible with no covering or lids because I will forget that they exist. Adhd object impermance is a BIG thing in my house, and when I say big, I mean it.

The tumb tacs and paper clips are once again part of a stationary special interest that I have had since I was around 8

The different shaped sticky strips and sticky speech bubbles are for annotating things in a way that gets my brain to actually want to look at it. You might be recognising a recurring theme here. If it isn't right infront of me and looks fun, my brain doesn't cooperate.

The day planner is because I want to try to work out a way to do bullet journaling that works for ADHD. Like the way that it was originally created for. But all of the resources are aimed at neurotypicals and nobody can find resources on how to us it for ADHD anymore, even though that was the whole purpose of them (this is not hate towards any neurotypicals that use them, this is hatred of the fact that so many of our resources get shared to neurotypicals and then we lose access to them)

This was longer and more rambly than intended, but I'm both mentally and physically exhausted so I'll probably edit this tomorrow because once it goes into the drafts, it never comes out.

[aragonlediagon]

Shingyoku chibis dump post

This is posted for the sake of archiving some "low effort" art of Shingyoku that I did before. Most were selected from bigger posts I deleted as it included very outdated content I wished to not be visible public but still liked some parts so I grouped them in one (hope it makes sense)

Most come from a Q&A I did outside this place. Other are misc. This includes some extra headcanon designs in case this is confusing. Being my favorite my goal is still to draw Shingyoku in a good variety of contexts so that include content bound to fairly heavy headcanon writings.

For now I dont have every single one of them to share individually outside of the tsukimi one (top right):

[theoreticallyliving]

eeeeeeeee chat i drew some stuffs!!!

first and foremost, @toadettely !!!!!

maid dress Vern maid dress Vern!!!!!

i got this done a lot faster than i thought i would, but this idea has been in my head since i saw it lol, it's just so cute!! i really hope you like it, El!!

Next, ofc, is more Yippias! it wouldn't be one of my art dumps without them tbh lol, but this time is different because...

i'm also sharing my pc rpf self insert!!! she's an angel and they can summon Yippias and Vernidees :3 i started making this rainbow cloud kingdom type thing that i think would be on the outskirts of the Vern Nation :D i think she would travel between here and the rpf village a bunch, though spending a bit more time in the village obv

and then here's my regular angel Vernias design, this is probs gonna be my base for a lot of future Vern designs (if i keep drawing him, this might be a one off thing lol)

i took a lot of inspiration from shows like Steven Universe for his design, which i think is visible in the hair and face especially :3 i'm actually a lot more happy with this than i thought i would be??? idk something about it just made sense while i was drawing it, and i really like the way i did his hair :3

speaking of Steven Universe, I may or may not have come up with an au :3

this one is definitely going to need explanation, but i intend to make it it's own post. be on the lookout for that if you're interested, but Vernias as Rose :3 i took more of Pink Diamond's look for his design, and obv he's still an angel, i'm not using the actual gem aspect of them, and you'll see i altered/cut a lot of other things too, but i hope you see the vision!! i don't really like the shading on this one, esp cuz it doesn't match the Rose Quartz i used for reference (bc i wasn't looking at it while i colored lmao) but yk it is what it is :3

here's the full page of drawings that i did these on :3

i hope you guys enjoyed this cute little art dump!

[mythosidhesdollhouse]

Rainbow High Littles: Indigo Bailey, Pt. 1

All right y'all, I said we'd do this so let's go. I was originally going to make this all one entry, but I decided to break off the hair discussion as a separate post, since this one was already way too long before I even got to that point XD Will link Pt. 2 once it's published.

Krystal Jr.: What the heck are we doing all the way over here? Krystal Sr.: We need to collect a delivery to take back to Rainbow Heights--a sister! KJ: I thought I was your sister? KS: No, you're a younger version of me from an alternate point in our shared timeline. We just say you're my sister so it's less confusing for everyone else. KJ: If I'm you from the past and we're both in the same place, shouldn't that create some sort of temporal paradox where you cease to exist? KS: The normal laws of physics don't apply in the doll universe, dear. It's best not to think on it too much. KJ: Okaaaaaaaaaay. But this one is NOT us, right? KS: …Probably not? Indigo: ((Maybe stop talking and let me out, please?))

Sooooooooo yeah, Indigo. Where to begin? For starters, I think the vitriol that's being dumped on these poor Littles is completely out of proportion to what they actually are--tiny dolls meant for small hands to play with. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I can see how they would be less appealing to adult collectors used to a more sophisticated product from this brand, but I personally will do my best to judge her by her own merits.

First impressions: I think she's cute! I pulled a few of her braids back with a rubber band to make her face more visible, but otherwise straight out of the box she's good to go.

Krystal Jr.: Are we a family? Are we clones? Honestly folks, it's anyone's guess. Indigo: Is she always this snarky? Krystal Sr.: Don't worry sweetie, it's just her being a tween, we grow out of it eventually. I: We? KS: It's complicated.

More detailed discussion of clothes & accessories under the cut--

Let's talk about the dress and that reviled plastic bodice. Honestly? I don't mind it! I can't speak for the rest of the line, but in Indigo's case at least it's clear there was some effort put into her overall design. I was especially delighted by the skirt portion of her dress, which is made of a lovely little textured woven fabric featuring a butterfly design, with a coordinating tulle ruffle trim. There's even an underskirt made from a plasticy fine-weave fabric. Both the main skirt and underskirt are sewn (that's right, not glued--there are STITCHES) to the base of the plastic top portion of the dress.

Ok so, no one loves plastic doll clothes. I get it. Not a fan myself. But for what this is, considering it's all one piece, I'm impressed by the amount of detail, and how well it reads as 'normal' clothing. The midsection has a sculpted raised texture that closely mirrors the design of the skirt fabric. The collar section is painted a lighter contrasting shade of purple that compliments her shoes (all the adult collectors who whine about lack of painted detail on molded plastic pieces, here you go), and the ruffle around the armholes compliments the trim on the skirt. Everything is held together neatly at the back with a piece of velcro at the top of the skirt.

Given how difficult it can be to sew fabric doll clothing in this scale that actually looks good, I think the plastic top is a fair compromise to increase ease of use for smaller hands.

The shoes! I was pleasantly surprised by the level of detail on these. The butterfly motif from the dress is carried on here, with sculpted decoration all the way around the tops and even on the soles. This was absolutely unnecessary, but I'm so happy they did it.

Indigo's official height is listed as 5.5 inches, which lands her somewhere between an old school Kelly doll and the closest MGA equivalent in my collection, a Dream Ella Extra Iconic Mini. I believe Magic Mixies Pixlings are also of a similar size, but I don't have one to include in this comparison.

Indigo's pet is...a thing that exists. Her product description says it's a 'magical fox'. Sure.

Ok folks, that's it for pt. 1. We're going to take a closer look at those braids in pt.2

[therantingsage]

Ok ok, I'm making a post about this thing my husband noticed. This is largely directionless speculating with little point to it but I think it's interesting so I'm doing it anyway. Spoilers ahead.

People were understandably a little surprised to see this number, from what I understand. I wasn't really spending any time at all theorizing about the 'Serial Designation S' thing, but this number, to my understanding, told all the people that WERE doing that that 'S' referred to Cyn.

Which, yeah, reasonable, I would assume. But the thing is, Cyn isn't the only drone we see with 1001 on them.

Near the bottom, and on the right. The only two cores we get a good look at in this pile, and they also have that number. Cyn's the one at the bottom of that pile. It's a stretch, maybe, but not a huge one, to assume that every drone in that pile might have that number. Why?

1001 isn't a number that designates Cyn as an individual. It refers to an entire series of drones. The designation for that series was S. The whole S series must've been scrapped for errors and dumped, and only Cyn rebooted after the fact.

Which, logically, means that N, V, and J are also just designations for a series and not unique names. And they're all series that ALSO got scrapped en-masse. And it's not a big stretch, I think, that only one per series managed to reboot, because from what we see in the video, it's a super low chance to happen anyway.

But that raises another question. Why does Cyn have a 'personal' name, when the other three don't? The other three just go by their series letter, but Cyn doesn't, she's got a more personalized name.

And its a name that's on her armband, too. Did the other three not have P/Ns unique to them?

It's visible throughout Home that they've got their disassembly bands scribbled out with marker or something. Were they found that way? Did Tessa do that to pretend they weren't 'trash'? It's obviously not Tessa who named them all individually because she loved her drones, she loved them so much, she wouldn't have played favorites and only let Cyn keep her name, especially because its obvious in Home that Cyn is NOT her favorite.

It's hard to find good screenshots to really look at it, but the bands they have as DDs don't have P/Ns, only S/Ns. Whether or not they WOULD'VE had them as WDs, they don't as DDs. Which is interesting from some kinda standpoint, but like I said, this is directionless speculating on my part.

Because if Cyn had a unique P/N that acts as a personal name, does that mean all drones did? I was under the impression that the humans didn't see them as individuals, so its reasonable to assume that all members of a 'series' were entirely identical....but different series were different from each other.

Which means, based on the fact that the heights of the drones HERE aren't all the same, means that the Copper-9 drones might have access to different series of drones too when it comes to bodies? To an extent all the workers look the same aside from body lights, clothes, and hair, but only the first one is personal body customization. Or hereditary via code sharing or whatever. So the fact that they aren't all the same size doesn't seem like natural variation like they're humans, cuz they're robots. No reason for them to grow with age. When they get uploaded from pill to full body, they just have different series models to chose from.

(Though this does imply Uzi is short by choice to some extent. Whether her own or her parents, who knows.)

Again, directionless thoughts for the most part. People who spend more time thinking about the lore than me can take it from here idk

[great-health-stuff]

🧠✨ Foggy Brain Be Gone! Train Your Mind with These 4 Simple Daily Clarity Hacks

Feel like your brain's running on dial-up while the world demands fiber optic speed? 😵‍💫 Mental clutter, scattered thoughts, and that constant feeling of overwhelm are real. But the good news? You can train your brain for more focus and clarity, starting with tiny, consistent daily habits.

No complex routines needed! Here are 4 simple practices to sharpen your mind:

1. Mindful Minutes (Just Breathe! 🧘‍♀️)

What: Paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, without judgment. Even 1-5 minutes counts!

Why it Works: Calms the nervous system, reduces overthinking, and creates mental space by anchoring you to the now instead of worrying about the past or future.

Simple Daily Habit:

Set a timer for 2 minutes. Close your eyes (or soften your gaze). Focus only on the sensation of your breath going in and out. Thoughts will wander – gently guide your attention back to your breath. That's it! Do it when you wake up, before a meeting, or anytime you feel scattered.

2. Brain Dump Journaling (Get it OUT ✍️)

What: Quickly writing down everything swirling in your head – tasks, worries, ideas, feelings – without editing or judging.

Why it Works: Frees up mental RAM by externalizing thoughts. Seeing it on paper can make overwhelming thoughts feel more manageable and less urgent.

Simple Daily Habit:

Spend 5-10 minutes each morning or evening just dumping your thoughts onto a page. Use bullet points, stream-of-consciousness, whatever feels right. Don't aim for pretty, aim for empty.

3. Hydration Hero (Water is Your Brain's BFF 💧)

What: Drinking enough water throughout the day. Simple, but crucial!

Why it Works: Your brain is mostly water! Even mild dehydration can impair focus, memory, and mood. Staying hydrated keeps brain cells firing optimally.

Simple Daily Habit:

Keep a water bottle visible and sip consistently. Start your day with a glass. Set reminders if needed. Aim for roughly 8 glasses (adjust based on your needs/activity). Herbal tea counts too!

4. Mini Digital Detox (Log Off to Tune In 📵)

What: Intentionally setting aside time away from screens (phone, computer, TV).

Why it Works: Constant notifications and information overload fragment attention and exhaust the brain. Stepping away allows your mind to rest, reset, and process information more deeply.

Simple Daily Habit:

Designate specific screen-free times. Maybe the first 30 mins after waking, during meals, or the hour before bed. Even putting your phone in another room for 15-30 minutes can make a difference.

Consistency is key! Don't try to perfect all four overnight. Pick one that resonates most and build from there. Training your brain for clarity is a practice, not a one-time fix. Be patient and kind to yourself. 💖

Which of these clarity hacks are you going to try first? 👇 Or do you have another go-to practice for clearing mental fog? Share your wisdom or reblog if this helps!

[sunsetsands]

This is the second part of the mega alien dump. First part here.

This is yet another aquatic sophont, a meresus. Seeing as how the "dolphin" body shape has convergently evolved several times throughout Earth's history, it made sense to me to make a vaguely dolphinlike alien. Their home planet is probably warmer than the yubotes', with shallower, open oceans, whereas I imagine the yubote world would have very deep oceans filled with rocky/corally pillars.

As is clearly visible above, I'm not fully decided on most aspects of their design besides just being an insectoid dolphin. There's a lot of room for things to be improved here.

This is a letharge, a nonsapient arboreal creature that fills a similar niche to sloths. Unlike Earth sloths, however, these things are native to a planet with oceans of ammonia in place of water, meaning its metabolism, and thus its movement, is much slower. They can sometimes go months at a time without moving an inch, sometimes making it difficult to tell the difference between a living letharge and a dead one.

These two creatures are from the same planet as the last one, though they're more closely related to each other than either are to the letharge. Both of their mouth arrangements include a claw-arm-thing that contains the mouth opening, as well as a long pincer that they use to jab at prey or scoop food closer to them. The one on the left is a solitary pursuit predator, while the one on the right is a social ambush predator. In a setting where there's a sort of interstellar multispecies civilization, I imagine the one on the right would become a popular pet.

I had been worried before that I was running out of original ideas for body plans and that I would just end up repeating the same few ones over and over again, but I've been able to produce a lot more diversity here than in any of the previous dumps I've done.

Slorphs are the obligitory "just a squid" of this shared universe. They reside in a gas giant with a very thick, dense atmosphere, thick enough for the resident organisms to float in as if it was an ocean. The clubbed tail at the bottom acts like a weight, which keeps them upright while they fly around. Due to the lack of solid ground, all of their major structures are either built off of larger floating creatures or midair buoys.

These creatures are phvolax, beach-dwelling squid-slug things with a size and ecological role similar to walruses. The stripes on their backs act like those of a zebra, deterring pests and making it harder to tell where one phvolax ends and another begins, while the marks on their faces help members of the herd tell each other apart. Anatomically and behaviorally, not including their nonsapience, they are very similar to akada, a fact many Almudian spec bio nerds claim is "unrealistic".

Out of all of the concepts procured for this sketch dump, this is probably the least realistic. Polodes have no limbs of any kind, instead manipulating objects with electromagnetism. This electric power is generated by organs similar to the ones possessed by electric eels. I have absolutely no idea of the actual mechanics of this, nor if this is even remotely possible. It's more or less just a "scientifically accurate" way of justifying psionics within an otherwise hard sci-fi setting. In addition to this, they communicate with each other at frequencies too high for most other creatures' ears to perceive, which is, again, just "scientific" telepathy. These things are almost certainly getting scrapped, but it was a fun concept to play with while it lasted.

This is the end of the dump. There were originally more entries, but I realized I couldn't come up with anything interesting to say for most of them, so they just got scrapped. I think I'm good on making design dumps like this for a while.

[ghostwanderer]

As apart of my fan fic, I have taken the creative liberty of redesigning the clown trap, as well as give them some narrative significance.

My biggest gripes from Atomic Heart is that the clown trap was a pretty present entity throughout the development of the game, when the final game came out, these guys sort of stayed in the background as set dressing. So with this post, I will detail the redesigned robot, its abilities, the variants, and its significance in the story of my fan fic.

CLOWN TRAP

The sneaky freaks have the unique ability of changing their size to fit in cramped and small spaces. The ability in speaking was implemented to make transportation and storage easier since they could shrink to fit about 5 in a box. They were also intended to be an attraction walking around the local soviet amusement park. However, the bots were tested with children and reported to scare all of them. So the design was retired. They were also noted to have ability to change their faces when spun in a fast degree.

-Mass manipulation: due to the polymer used to build it, the machine can shrink to hide in small spaces and surprise victims that happen upon them

-Acrobatic: Clowns are often harder to hit with melee weapons. To beat them, try doing the good ol’ zap em and whack em method, or just use fire arms

JESTER SHOT

This robot variant is equipped with a confetti blaster, now turned deadly rifle. The robot is fairly weak, and often tries to stay far from attacking enemies. They can collaborate with the Pchela’s and hold to them and fly, proving air support.

-Cowardly: runs from danger, attacks from afar

-Cooperation: Hangs on to Pchela’s, using them for air transport

-Sniper: Some jesters are equipped with a visible red laser sight, making those ones more dangerous but more easier to avoid

HARLEY BRAWL

Easily the toughest of the variants, these robots come equip with extendable spring hands and can stand their ground against enemies, the most capable of resisting stun attacks

-Strong: though not as powerful as a Belyash, is still pretty hefty

-Durable, but still weak: Despite being resistant to most strong attacks, a shock can still stop them in their tracks

-Springy Hands: These robots come equipped with hands that grab (or punch) things further from them.

Hope you enjoy this lore dump for my fan fic, reblog and share with people who might be interested.

[iheartfinalgirls]

Uhhh future headcanons?

Mostly VampirePromQueen focused

(TW: mild mentions of homophobia)

-Okay okay okay so as of now in the current timeline (where they’re both 13) they just share a mutual crush. They actually start dating when they’re 16.

-Their first date movie was But I’m a Cheerleader. They had matching Megan and Graham pfps at some point.

-Their dynamic is basically those I’m Not Like Other Girls memes that get turned into sapphic ships.

-They would FIGHT anyone who asks “Who’s the man in the relationship?”

-Jennifer is Tammy’s younger sister and Tammy thinks Victoriya is satanic…and Jennifer is like “B-But I can fix her! 🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😭” (Does she plan on fixing her? No. Does she want to fix her? No. Does she like her the way she is? Yes.)

-Victoriya, at some point at 15, grew her hair out and dyed it black with red bangs.

-Jennifer gets acrylic nails.

-Jennifer and Victoriya are very PDA and they don’t give a shit (But St. Cassian’s is homophobic despite it having a gay population.)

-Prom date?

-Prom date.

-Their prom date was…interesting!

-(The elections were rigged so that they would be voted as Prom Queens. Did I mention that St. Cassian’s is homophobic? They had buckets of fake blood dumped on them.)

-Victoriya thought that prom had just gotten 5x more exciting. Jennifer was CRYING (her gf comforted her dw dw).

-They watched movies afterwards (Victoriya chose Twilight because…iconic prom scene. Jennifer chose Mean Girls because…iconic prom scene)

-Bonus: Mischa was the DJ at that prom 🥶💪 (This only applies to the everyone lives au)

-Do they get married?!

-Do they get married?!?!

-Do they get married?!?!?!

-Yes.

-Beautiful marriage btw.

-Children?!

-Children?!?!

-Children?!?!?!

-Yes.

Well, one child. Her names is Daryna :) (It’s Slavic for “God’s Gift” and Jennifer thought that her parents would be slightly happier about the marriage if she gives her child a religious name.)

-Jennifer gave birth to her. Victoriya can’t biologically have children (I’m leaving that open to headcanons).

-Victoriya is 100% the parent that puts the baby in band shirts 😭.

-Jennifer has abs. Visible abs. She can pick Victoriya up. I ❤️ hyperfeminine muscular women.

-Jennifer is a fashion designer + she has a small business where she sells her designs. Everybody thought she was gonna be a model because they think that her beauty compensated for her skills. But she actually makes really good clothes. (She also made Bad Egg merch for Mischa 😭😭😭)

-Victoriya is in an all-girls emo/screamo/metal band (they do NOT have a consistent genre). She’s a guitarist and vocalist. Her and Mischa had this era where they were just slandering eachother via songs and it ended in a very confusing collab.

[liz-aster]

i have many magical girl aus in progress so ykw??? lore dump!! bc i wanna post my magical girl aus!!

because i have so many, i decided to plop the same rules onto all of them bc there is no way i am making separate aus for all of them lol.

lore under the cut!!

• magical girls all have a special item to transform with that is unique to them. these items not only serve as a container for power, but a container for memories as well. if you somehow get amnesia from an outside force, then you have a backup plan! if the item is destroyed, however, all memories of being a magical girl will be erased.

• items and transformations can be swapped!! the new user can see the previous user's memories, as well as use their powers with some difficulty. a user's unique power comes as second nature, so using another person's power is a bit tricky.

• powers can also be combined, but it almost never ends well, as it causes,, almost like an energy overload? it's hard to exactly describe. but two powers are just too much for one person to safely handle.

•all magical girls have a unique active ability and a unique passive ability. active is one they use in combat, passive is used unconsciously.

•of course, they also have basic abilities they all share, such as: increased agility, increased durability, and flight/weightlessness

•"magical girl" is more of a job title than anything, and is used as a gender-neutral term. however, individual magical girls can change their own individual title if they please.

•as for design, most have a vague theme and main color. the main color will appear on the tips of the hair and most of the outfit. abilities often correlate with the theming, but not always. • magical girls also gain a symbol mark on their chests as kind of proof of contract? this symbol will appear on their outfits too, and is unique to each magical girl (or group, depending on the au.) i'm thinking that these markings are only visible to other magical girls.

[cleanwaterchronicles]

Cities across Michigan Focus on Protecting Drinking Water Sources

As part of Source Water Protection Week, (September 24-30) the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is highlighting the efforts of the cities of Gladwin and Harrison to educate students and other about the importance of protecting drinking water sources, with the help of EGLE grants.

Students and others in Gladwin and Harrison are learning about the importance of protecting drinking water – and that means protecting water at its source. Source water includes surface water or groundwater that is used currently – or potentially in the future -- for drinking water.

Gladwin

With the help of an EGLE grant, the City of Gladwin held a banner contest with Gladwin Public Schools, open to K-12 students. The city displayed banners designed by the winners throughout the city, and recognized the winners and gave them source water protection t-shirts.

Also visible around the city are three signs that include information on the water cycle and fun facts on drinking water protection. The signs drive home the message that whatever is dumped on the ground will enter the water cycle.

The City of Gladwin also included participation in the Michigan Wellhead Protection Program in its Consumer Confidence Report that was included in the city’s spring/summer newsletter sent to all residents. The newsletter also included an advertisement for the city’s annual household hazardous waste collection day.

Harrison

The City of Harrison teamed up with the Michigan Rural Water Association to do groundwater model presentations with Harrison Middle School students. Some 101 students saw a demonstration of the groundwater model; made edible “aqui-flurries,” (a fun way to understand the geology of an aquifer); and took a field trip to the well house, water tower, and wastewater lagoons. They learned about the importance of water, groundwater specifics and ways to protect water sources.

The city also hosted a calendar contest with 5th grade students and a t-shirt design contest with 6th through 8th grade students.

Source Water Protection Week focuses on taking a proactive approach to safeguard, maintain or improve the quality and/or the quantity of drinking water sources and their contributing areas. It encourages people to:

Recognize water as a precious resource.

Help conserve the watersheds that are the source of our water.

Protect our shared water resources from pollution.

Practice water conservation.

Become involved in local water issues, and

Plan to protect water for future community health and economic vitality.

Click here to learn more about Source Water Protection Week.

Source: EGLE Newsroom

[thebookdragonsden]

We have upwards of approximately 3500 physical books crossing a wide variety of genres and formats so it mostly comes down to two factors:

1) how easy will it be to find a specific book... which rules any rainbow designs right out because I don't generally remember color of the spine on a book

2) what will best utilize space because I need to also be able to exist in said space, I move a lot, and I can't always afford a nice big house to put bookshelves galore in so I have 13 shelves. How can I make it all fit while also maintaining 1)

So aside from rainbow (pretty but useless for anything but aesthetics and omg the amount of work) we dash a little bit of everything in there.

Shelf 1: my tiny collection of translated Chinese novels because they don't really fit anywhere else and I bought a new shelf for it. It's small.

Shelf 2: all my wife's psychology books on top shelf, all the mythology and mythology retellings on 2nd shelf (wife's request and I hate this shelf with a burning passion because if didn't know it was a retelling I'm looking for it elsewhere), adult fantasy trade paperbacks (bigger than mass market and we have a lot fewer of them), non fiction, historical fiction, and mystery

Tldr this shelf is kind of a dumping ground shield for things we don't have enough of to fill a full bookshelf but also have too many of to put on one of the tall, narrow shelves

Shelf 3. Mass market adult sci-fi fantasy paperbacks

Shelf 4. Overflow for huge YA fantasy, paperback adult fantasy that is the same size as smaller hard cover fantasy (these are bigger than trades too... yes I know why God are there so many book sizes)

Shelf 5. Graphic novels

Shelf 6 and 7. Manga

Shelf 8 and 9. YA fantasy novels, all smaller sizes and couple of the huge ones that bleed over to shelf 4

Shelf 10. (Tall and narrow) artbooks, poetry, shelves dedicated to fav authors (Lynn Flewelling, Marissa Meyer, Terry Pratchett)

Shelf 11. (Tall and narrow) more shelves dedicated to fav authors or just authors we've a lot of books for- Mercedes Lackey, Patrick Ness, Neil Gaiman, Susanna Kearney, and biographies

Shelf 12. Huge adult Sci fi/fantasy hard covers

Shelf 13. A big shelf but with small broken up squares dedicated to... YA contemporary, Maggie Stiefvater, Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black, Tamora Pierce, historical fiction, and finally two long shelves of language learning books

For the genre shelves, they're arranged by author

Graphic novel shelf is arranged by some bizarre algorithm of my wife's and I just end up hunting through it all before I find what I'm looking for.

Manga is.... well.... one shelf is series I've completed, other shelf is series in still collecting, and both of those are organized by title except... the bookshelves have cool gliding front shelves so I can essentially double stack the manga and still have easy visibility on it all so the face shelf of completed manga is all of the larger manga volumes (perfectly sized) and the face shelf of the incomplete manga is all CLAMP... because I own pretty much every volume of everything CLAMP that has ever been released in English except X/1999 because I'm still salty CLAMP never completed it. And Suki, which I did own once upon a time but might be the only CLAMP project I actively disliked.

All of this is not including the random stacks of books pulled on top of the shelves or around the shelves that my wife swears she is reading and getting rid of but I genuinely have no idea what is.

For the record, not mad about the last bit. Being surrounded by books is my happy place whether I read them or not.

Anyway tldr I am probably not your intended audience for this and I hope you get/got an answer you were happy with but I find perverse amusement in sharing the utter lack of cohesive vision that is our library set up.

This is very important research so I can figure out how to arrange my books

[carlaexpesito]

Why XDMinds is the Preferred Digital Marketing Agency for Automotive Industry?

The automotive industry is a global sector that designs, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles. It plays a crucial role in economic development, innovation, and mobility worldwide. From traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous cars, and connected technology, this dynamic field is evolving at breakneck speed. As an influencer who’s witnessed the power of sharp digital strategies, I can tell you one thing: standing out in this crowded space takes more than a shiny showroom. That’s where XDMinds comes in. As the go-to Automotive Digital Marketing Agency, they’ve got the expertise to steer businesses whether you’re a dealership, manufacturer, or service provider toward success. Let’s dive into why XDMinds is the top choice for the automotive sector.

Why Automotive Businesses Need Digital Marketing?

The automotive industry isn’t just about building and selling motor vehicles anymore — it’s about reaching people where they live, work, and dream. Buyers today, from fleet managers to everyday drivers, are glued to their screens, researching everything from EVs to repair shops. Digital marketing is the engine that keeps your business humming in this new reality.

Meeting Customers Where They Search

Whether it’s a family hunting for an SUV with top safety ratings or a mechanic googling “EV battery suppliers,” the journey starts online. People rely on search engines and videos to guide their choices, often long before contacting a business. XDMinds’ Automotive Digital Marketing Services ensure your brand pops up exactly when and where these searches happen, connecting you with ready-to-engage customers.

Competing in a Digital-First World

The automotive sector is packed with heavy hitters — think global manufacturers and tech-driven startups pushing autonomous vehicles. Smaller players, like local service centers or niche parts suppliers, need a way to keep pace. XDMinds delivers digital strategies — targeted ads, smart content, optimized websites that let any automotive business compete, no matter the size.

Pain Points in the Automotive Industry and XDMinds’ Solutions

From designing cutting-edge EVs to marketing classic ICE models, the automotive world faces its share of roadblocks. XDMinds doesn’t just patch these problems they rebuild the road to success.

Struggling With Brand Awareness

If your name isn’t ringing bells, you’re losing ground. Low recognition stalls interest, whether you’re selling connected tech or running a body shop. XDMinds boosts visibility with SEO that lands you on page one and content like a guide to “choosing the right EV charger” that gets people talking about your brand.

High Marketing Costs With Low Returns

Dumping money into vague campaigns with no payoff is a budget drain. I’ve seen automotive businesses blow cash on outdated ads with no clue who’s seeing them. XDMinds turns that around, fine-tuning every campaign — think precision ads or A/B-tested emails — so your investment drives measurable results.

Slow Response to Market Trends

The shift to EVs, autonomous driving, and connected vehicles isn’t slowing down. If your marketing lags behind, you’re stuck in neutral while competitors speed ahead. XDMinds keeps you agile, rolling out tactics like social campaigns for hybrid tech or keyword boosts for “self-driving safety” to match what buyers want today.

Digital Marketing Services That Drive Automotive Success

XDMinds doesn’t mess with generic plans. Their Automotive Digital Marketing Services are custom-built for the industry’s unique gears — delivering wins for manufacturers, dealerships, and beyond.

Search Optimization for Vehicle Queries

Searches like “best EVs for long commutes” or “auto parts near me” are where buyers live. XDMinds optimizes your online presence to dominate these terms, pulling in folks who are primed to purchase vehicles, book services, or source components. It’s about being the solution they find first.

Social Media Engagement for Enthusiasts

Fans of motor vehicles whether they’re into vintage ICE rides or sleek autonomous tech flock to platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. XDMinds sparks interest with posts that hit home, like a quick clip on “how connected cars work” or a debate about EV range. It’s real engagement, not just background noise.

Website Upgrades for Seamless Browsing

A sluggish, confusing site turns visitors away. Whether someone’s browsing vehicle specs, checking service options, or exploring EV innovations, they need a smooth experience. XDMinds crafts fast, clean websites that make it easy to explore, inquire, or buy on any device.

Winning Strategies for the Automotive Market

XDMinds brings bold ideas that put automotive businesses in the fast lane, no matter what corner of the industry you’re in.

Local Search Focus for Dealerships and Services

For physical locations dealerships, repair shops, or parts stores — local search is everything. Ranking for “motor vehicle service in [city]” or “EV dealer near me” brings nearby customers to your door. XDMinds nails this with location-specific tweaks and map-friendly setups.

Paid Ads for Instant Impact

Need quick wins, like promoting a new autonomous vehicle feature or a service discount? Paid ads deliver. XDMinds runs:

Search ads for “buy an EV today.”

Display ads showcasing vehicle designs.

Retargeting ads to nudge hesitant browsers back. They make every click count, especially during peak buying seasons.

Email Updates for Loyal Customers

Repeat business beats chasing new leads every time. XDMinds sends emails that stick — like a “free EV charging guide” or a coupon for a tune-up, keeping your audience connected and coming back.

Strategy To Boost Automotive Digital Marketing

XDMinds thinks outside the box, adding flair that sets your marketing apart in this global sector.

Video Content for Showcasing Innovations

Videos grab eyes like nothing else. A walkthrough of a connected vehicle’s dashboard or a demo of an autonomous feature can go viral. XDMinds creates shareable, shoppable clips that turn curiosity into action.

Data Insights for Better Campaigns

Guessing what works wastes time. XDMinds tracks the nitty-gritty — Which ad clicked? What page hooked visitors? — and uses it to sharpen your approach. It’s like a roadmap for winning the automotive audience.

Influencer outreach in the Auto Space

Bloggers raving about EV breakthroughs or vloggers testing ICE upgrades have pull. XDMinds links you with these voices, landing your brand in a “top connected tech picks” roundup or a review video, spreading your name organically.

XDMinds — Your Automotive Digital Marketing Ally

When it comes to powering your business in the automotive industry a global sector that designs, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, XDMinds is the leader. As a top Automotive Digital Marketing Agency, they tackle your challenges with sharp services like SEO, ads, and social strategies. Based in Dubai or wherever you need them, they’re your co-pilot for growth. Ready to shift gears and lead the pack? Contact XDMinds today.

Final Thoughts: In a world of ICE vehicles, EVs, autonomous cars, and connected tech, XDMinds keeps your business ahead of the curve. Their Automotive Digital Marketing Services light the way to more visibility, leads, and sales. Ready to boost your automotive brand’s online visibility? Contact XDMinds for a free SEO audit today! Let’s hit the gas — your future customers are out there.

[thegypsyinme]

Experience Sharing:

Part 1:

A few weeks back, Master started with chakra cleansing, chakra chanting, specific chakra resolutions and chakra meditation in our morning meditation class.

He started from the Root chakras, the Mooladhara. The experience was something new and unfathomable. The journey was unlike any other and the experiences were many.

In my case, every single day would be something different. There were stomach upsets, pain, some sensations throughout the body, body aches on the physical front and varied symptoms.

There were different emotions popping up, from anger to pent up feelings to hurts, it felt that a Pandora’s box had opened up and it was just showing up various events and facets of the past life.

Slowly, things began to settle down and the journey took a new dimension.

Master moved us to the next chakra, Swadishthan. This chakra showed multiple layers and colours of my personality. My fears started surfacing up, unnecessary debris started falling out, old events, people, kept coming in the thoughts. There was a surge of emotional baggage and I felt to be in a situation of no control. It was relentless and with both the chakras now combined, it was something that I had never felt before. I felt raw and vulnerable and wounded and out in the open.

In hindsight, I can only say that how Master had designed this whole procedure, was extraordinary. There was a system and that system led to an understanding of what all was I holding deep down, without my knowledge. It was almost gory, it was decayed, it was stuck, it was a dump yard.

With the affirmations, there seemed to a light at the end of the tunnel and the only way was up.

Bit by bit, the plaster started to peel off and the cleansing was visible, the chakras started to rotate and move and respond. Their locations seemed to get more precise. The colours were more prominent and the chants were deeper.

Next, Master took us to Manipura and suddenly, it felt like a home run. All the three chakras connected and started to align. Master than started to associate the chakras together: Mooladhara with Earth, Swadishthan with Water and Manipura with Fire. The corresponding affirmations, the deity chants; the Mool mantra and the Beej mantra, it was like a symphony of sorts.

The Manipura was a storage yard for me, as all my issues have been emanating from the stomach. Whether in stress, in lack of sleep, emotional disorder, eating something else etc. my stomach would be affected within seconds.

With the procedure, I felt power and confidence. I started to understand my relationship with myself, my daily habits, my food choices, my lifestyle, my thoughts, my relationships, the works…

From being a people pleasure, a person of low self-esteem, having a lot of self-pity issues, to having identity crisis, it was all there. I felt that I was in front of the mirror, with no place to hide.

The strange thing which was happening was that the more the things were oozing out, the less fearful I was becoming. After a point, I had developed the courage to face everything.

As the process continues, I would like to take this to the next week of how this has impacted my life, in more ways than one. There are really not many words to express of how our Gurus, Master and Latha teacher are chiselling us bit by bit and turning us into the most magnificent sculpture that there is. They are making us, face ourselves in all our glory.

Experience sharing:

Part 2:

In continuation to my sharing of last week about the chakra cleansing, I would like to talk about some of the kriyas that we have been doing:

1. Udyana bandh

2. Agni Saar

3. Naoli kriya

4. Bhastrika 2 ways

These kriyas are helping to strengthen the core, clear the intestinal debris, help in bowel movement and create more lung capacity.

The ability to hold the breath whilst doing these kriyas has increased manifold.

Additionally, with each chakra, there are affirmations which have the power to change the whole dynamic.

Some of the major changes which have been happening are:

1. An innate calm has set in.

2. There is detachment from the body.

3. There is a clear division between the inner and the outer world.

4. The reactions are in control and reduced.

5. There is an immediate response switch, even before the reaction happens.

6. The need to gather information or talk has reduced manifold.

7. The inner world is getting more defined and it is a self-exploratory journey.

8. The past remains where it is, the old patterns exist, but they have ceased to have power.

9. There is much more confidence in expression and in dealing.

10. The feeling of being comfortable in my own skin is getting more and more enhanced.

As I look back, I see that how the dots are all connected and of how, each step has been like a piece in the jigsaw puzzle and how the big picture is being made.

Dear soulmates, my journey and my learning has been made me understand that one needs to just keep going and following what our Gurus are teaching us and telling us to do.

They have the vision and they are making the path for us.

Let us just keep walking the path that is being shown for us.

Even if we take that one step, without seeing the whole path, it is enough, for in the end, it will all make perfect sense.

Thank you so much Master and Latha teacher for everything.

Om Sairam Babaji

[stonedepotau]

The difference between sandstone and limestone pavers

Common natural stones utilized in a variety of construction and design applications are limestone and sandstone pavers. In addition to their shared traits, the stones also have unique qualities that set them apart.

Both alternatives are fantastic, whether you're thinking about choosing sandstone paving for its distinct texture and rustic charm or limestone for a refined and elegant design. But first, let's examine the unique qualities of limestone and sandstone pavers and how they could improve your upcoming project.

What Is Limestone?

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is created by chemical processes such the deposition of calcium carbonate from reservoirs or ocean water, or by the accumulation of organic debris like shells, coral, and algae. In shallow marine environments, such as continental shelves or ledges, limestone beds form.

Normally, this natural stone is grey. However, natural materials like iron or manganese residues might cause variations of white, yellow, or brown. Limestone comes in a variety of textures; the majority have smooth surfaces, but some have rougher textures.

What Is Sandstone? 

The majority of the sand-sized particles that make up sandstone are sedimentary rocks made of minerals, rocks, and organic materials. It is found all throughout the world, with significant concentrations in Germany, South Africa, and the United States. The majority of quartz or feldspar found in sandstone pavers makes them highly susceptible to weathering.

It typically arises from the dumping and burial of sand, frequently far from river deltas. On the beach and in sand dunes in the desert, though, it can be seen. Although they are less frequent than in limestone, fossils can be found in sandstone. Sandstone pavers come in a range of colors, including orange, yellow, brown, and red, which enhances its appeal and adaptability in a number of settings.

Durability

Pavers made of limestone and sandstone are renowned for their long-lasting durability. These stones are perfect for uses like outdoor paving since they are both very resistant to weather and physical harm. The longevity of limestone and sandstone pavers is one of their benefits.

But if we look closely and thoroughly at both, we can observe that sandstone is a little softer than limestone, which implies it might be simpler to work with. Additionally, because of this characteristic, the stone may scratch or dent, particularly when utilized indoors. Because of this feature, sandstone pavers are still denser than limestone, which is why they are widely used worldwide.

Appearance differences

Compared to sandstone, limestone has a smoother, more cohesive, and flatter texture. Limestone is a great paving material for driveways, pathways, and backyard landscaping because of these qualities. Because of its smooth surface and flawless polish, limestone is a good material for indoor applications. Limestone pavers are more homogeneous than Sandstone pavers, but they come in fewer color options, which restricts the use of this stone. Sandstone can have a more natural aspect, which is another way that it differs from limestone. Professionals can understand how the rock was formed depending on the angle and depth of each layer, and they can display numerous visible layers.

Different Acid Reactions

Their response to acids is a key distinction between limestone and sandstone that can be helpful in their maintenance. Since limestone is primarily made of calcite, as was previously mentioned, it is possible for it to aggressively react with strong acids. Therefore, if you're considering purchasing a limestone paver, stay away from using detergents that have acidic solutions to clean it.

In contrast, since Sandstone pavers do not react with mild acids, we may say that they have some acid resistance. Limestones are more difficult to clean than sandstones. Detergents containing chemicals can be used to wash them. It is crucial to keep in mind that strong acids can damage sandstone.

Different performance in Water Resistant 

Sandstones are water-resistant because they are somewhat more porous than limestones and can absorb a little bit more water. Similar to limestone pavers, sandstone pavers may tolerate water if they are properly sealed and given other treatments. For this reason, natural stones are frequently utilized for paving around pools and other damp areas.

Differences in Slip Resistance

Sandstone and limestone pavers are naturally non-slip due to their surfaces and patterns. On the other hand, you can modify the slip resistance of your pavers based on the finish you select. For example, when wet, polished limestone turns slick.

The Final Takeaway

For your upcoming paving job, are you looking to spend a fair amount of money on natural stone pavers that resemble limestone and sandstone? Both limestone and sandstone pavers are widely available from Australian stone merchants such as Stone Depot. They also have different variations; you can pick from a variety of colors and textures. To gain a better understanding, visit their website and download some free samples!