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winterarmyy · 9 months ago

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Steal Me Away

Glimpses of the grumpy chubby alpha!bucky's love life.

Summary: When Bucky was stuck in an unpleasant lunch with his co-workers; he thought about how nice it would be if someone comes and steals him away.

Navigation: Prequel || Main Story I || Main Story II || Main Story III

Pairing: chubby alpha!bucky x omega!female!reader

Words: 2.6k++

Warnings: a/b/o dynamics. no plot, just fluff. low-key body shamming, bullying, bucky and his omega being adorable. (tell me is there's anything else I missed)

P/S: Impulsive writing at 3am in the morning because I couldn't sleep, then left the draft to rot for weeks, now posted. Also tagging @serendipitouslife90 because she's the biggest fan of this au. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this short fic and happy reading! 🤍

Read my other works here: Masterlist

The morning sun filtered through the blinds of Bucky’s cubicle, casting narrow strips of light across his cluttered desk. The office was its usual sanctuary of muted tones and hushed conversations. Colleagues navigated the aisles like cautious explorers, their brief nods to Bucky barely concealing their unease.

He didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred it this way. Solitude was his comfort zone, and he relished the uninterrupted focus on his work.

Bucky tapped away at his keyboard, the rhythmic clacking serving as his meditation. His thoughts were like the lines of code he worked with; orderly, precise, and devoid of unnecessary embellishments. Socializing was a distraction he neither wanted nor needed.

The occasional murmurs of sympathy about his less-than-ideal body shape for an Alpha like him, or the prosthetic arm he wore to make up for his imperfection, had long since ceased to bother him. They were background noise in the symphony of his workday.

Two weeks had passed since Bucky had last seen y/n, their second date now a vivid but distant memory. Their time together had been cut short, both of them consumed by the relentless demands of their careers. Especially for Bucky, the high-pressure world of software engineering was unforgiving.

Ever since he was in school, he always had the knack for tech but as he grew up, his path lead away from it. Then after his abrupt release from military service, he was lost for a moment. He lost his position and quite literally his limb. After he was introduced to Stark Technologies for is prosthetic, his interest in tech bloomed once more.

Fast forward, he had transitioned to civilian life with a single-minded focus on his career. The transition from soldier to software engineer had been a challenging yet rewarding shift, one that demanded every ounce of his dedication.

His days were a blur of client meetings, coding marathons, and sleepless nights, leaving him barely enough time to recharge. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't escape the gnawing sense of guilt that tugged at him.

Y/n had been understanding, insisting that they could take things slow and that she was patient. Yet Bucky felt a pressing need to make up for the lost time, to show her that she was more important than the endless stream of work that consumed him.

His longing for her was a constant undercurrent in his daily routine, a reminder of the connection he cherished and the promises he hoped to fulfill, even amidst the chaos of his demanding schedule.

Lunchtime arrived with an uncharacteristic intrusion; Brock’s insistent presence. Bucky had settled into his usual corner of the break room, anticipating a quiet meal alone.

But Brock, with his usual smirk, plopped down across from him, completely unfazed by Bucky’s visible discomfort.

“You know, Bucky,” he started, his tone laced with false camaraderie, “maybe you should join us for lunch this time. Walk off that fat in your belly, and maybe, just maybe, might help you lose a few pounds and get that soldier body of yours again.”

The comment triggered a ripple of reactions around the break room. A few colleagues, particularly those who fancied themselves as superior alpha, snickered behind their coffee cups, enjoying the moment at Bucky’s expense. The rest of the room fell into an awkward silence; some looked away, unable or unwilling to get involved, while others exchanged nervous glances, wary of crossing the line with either of the alpha males.

Bucky’s mind raced with a mix of frustration and contemplation. Brock’s taunts were nothing new, but the timing was particularly irritating. With his packed schedule and the constant pressure of meeting deadlines, Bucky had barely had a moment to breathe, let alone deal with petty office politics.

The jabs felt like an unnecessary complication in an already strained day. His thoughts were a whirlwind of frustration; he wondered why he always ended up the target of Brock’s remarks and whether it was a reflection of his own choices or just Brock’s way of asserting dominance.

The palpable tension in the room only added to his mounting irritation.

Bucky’s jaw clenched, his irritation simmering beneath a thin veneer of politeness. “Yeah, sure. Why not?” He didn’t bother hiding the grumble in his voice. His work would have to wait, and so would his patience.

The café buzzed with conversation and clinking dishes, an atmosphere of forced cheerfulness that did little to mask the underlying tension. Bucky took his seat with a sigh, his mind already drifting to y/n, the image of her smile a soothing balm to his frayed nerves.

Brock wasted no time in launching his passive-aggressive jabs, each comment about Bucky’s weight or his vibranium prosthetic arm more cutting than the last. Bucky could feel the rage bubbling up, but he forced himself to stay calm, focusing instead on the thought of y/n. The warm glow of her presence seemed to wrap around him, even in the midst of Brock’s taunts.

Brock leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “You know, Bucky, it's always something watching you eat alone. Maybe if you spent less time working and more time mingling; hit the gym with us after work or something. Who knows you might actually find yourself a date for once.”

The remark seemed casual, almost playful, but it carried a veiled sting. It wasn’t just about Bucky’s solitary lunchtime habits; it was a pointed jab at his single status, suggesting that his lack of romantic success might be due to his social ineptitude and undesirable body.

Bucky’s patience snapped. He leaned forward, his voice cold and controlled. “I don’t know, Brock. Honestly, it’s much better to be alone than to ‘mingle’ with someone who’s all bark and no bite.” He fearlessly maintained his cold gaze; eyes seemingly bore the words his lips never spoke. “…Like you”

Brock's face flushed a deep crimson, and his jaw tightened in a futile attempt to maintain composure. He muttered something about needing a smoke before hastily exiting the room, his pride stinging from the unexpected jab. The rest of the team sat in an uneasy silence, the tension almost tangible.

They watched as Bucky’s eyes bore into Brock’s retreating figure, cold and unyielding. There was something almost feral in his gaze, a silent promise of consequences that only someone with true authority and control could convey.

Everyone knew better than to provoke him further; Bucky's look was a chilling reminder that he played by his own rules.

Brock stepped out of the café, his frustration boiling over as he lit a cigarette. With each inhale of nicotine, he muttered darkly under his breath, cursing Bucky and grumbling about how that fat-ass loser like him had the audacity to undermine his clearly more superior alpha status.

His anger was a tempest, raging against the affront to his ego.

As he paced, his gaze drifted to the sidewalk next to the café, where a striking woman in a sundress was engrossed in her phone. The late afternoon sun highlighted the gentle curves of her figure, and her unblemished skin glowed softly, exposed at the back of her neck.

Brock’s eyes raked over her with a predatory appreciation, the male gaze undeniable in his scrutiny.

Her poised stance and soft demeanor hinted at an aura of femineity that intrigued him. A smirk curved his lips as he took another drag from his cigarette, already imagining how he might woo her, hoping that a little charm could be the distraction he needed from his bruised pride.

Back in the café, Bucky was still seated at the table, surrounded by the typical midday hustle, yet he remained ensconced in a bubble of tranquility. His attention was focused solely on his phone, where a soft, contented smile played on his lips. The noise of the café faded into the background as he read through y/n’s messages.

Each word from her was a thread that connected him to a part of his life that felt more real and meaningful than the relentless grind of his daily routine.

Y/n had inquired about his lunch, her questions laced with genuine curiosity. “How was your lunch?” “Was it any good?” “How’s your day been so far?” The inquiries seemed almost innocent, yet they carried a warmth that enveloped him.

And then, the message that tugged at his heartstrings: “I miss you.” It was as if her words had the power to reach through the screen and touch him directly, offering a solace that was hard to find amidst the chaos left from the prior event.

He missed her deeply.

The absence of her voice, the comfort of her presence. He wished that she could just steal him away; or perhaps he would be stealing her away?

Eitherway, he just wants to get out of here.

As he glanced at the time, noting that he still had about thirty minutes before he needed to return to the office, he made a quick decision. He would step outside for a moment, away from the unnecessary drama, and maybe give her a call.

The thought of hearing her voice, even if only for a brief conversation, was a beacon of light in his otherwise frenetic day. As Bucky stepped out of the café, his gaze remained fixed on his phone, where y/n’s last message glowed softly on the screen.

Unbeknownst to him, the scene unfolding just a few paces away was far less pleasant. Brock, still nursing his bruised ego from their earlier encounter by relentlessly flirting with the girl. “Come on, sweetheart, just one date.” Brock said, his voice low and laced with insincere flirtation.

He leaned in close, a smirk playing on his lips as his hand reached out, brushing against her exposed shoulder. Y/n recoiled slightly, her discomfort palpable. “I’m really not interested,” she said firmly, though her voice carried an undercurrent of unease. “and I have a boyfriend.”

Brock’s persistence only grew more insistent. “I doubt that. I can see you do not have his mark here,” he persisted, his hand lingering uncomfortably on her shoulder, close to where her mating mark supposed to reside. Despite her attempts to shrug off his advances, Brock didn’t relent. His touch was intrusive, and his words edged on harassment. And she can sense the scent of arousal coming from the alpha.

Y/n’s eyes darted around, seeking an escape from the unwanted attention. As her gaze fell behind Brock, she caught sight of a familiar figure; one that seemed to offer a lifeline amidst her distress.

“Bucky?” she called out, her voice tinged with both relief and surprise. The name escaped her lips before she could fully process the situation, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Bucky walking toward them.

Bucky knew that voice. It was a sound that resonated deep within him, as familiar as his own heartbeat. He lifted his eyes from his phone, and the world around him sharpened into focus. The scene before him was both infuriating and unmistakable: Brock, with his sleazy smirk and inappropriate proximity, stood uncomfortably close to Bucky's omega, his hand hovering dangerously near her exposed shoulder.

A surge of primal fury shot through Bucky, a blaze of anger that burned through his veins and coiled tight in his chest. His eyes blazed with a fierce intensity, a low, guttural growl forming in his throat as he prepared to confront the intruder. His body tensed, ready to pounce.

But before he could make a move, y/n was already in motion. She leaped into his arms with a mix of desperation and joy, catching Bucky off guard. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, holding her securely against his chest.

Her arms clung tightly to his nape, her face burying itself into the crook of his neck as if seeking refuge; shamelessly scenting him. Her warm breath and soft sighs was a soothing cure to his simmering rage.

The anger that had been boiling inside him began to fizzle away, replaced by a profound sense of relief and love. The sound of her happy purrs, the feel of her soft body pressed against his, and her intoxicatingly sweet scent; all of it made his anger dissolve into a tender, protective affection.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, his arms tightening around her waist as he relished in the comforting closeness. “Hi, sugar.” he whispered, his voice thick with affection and relief.

Bucky's hold loosen as he leaned down, his gentle smile never faltering as he closed the distance between them. His eyes softened with affection, and he pressed his lips against y/n's in a kiss so tender it felt like a whisper. It was a soft, loving caress that spoke volumes more than words ever could.

But before he could pull back, y/n’s playful energy erupted. She cupped his cheeks in her delicate hands, pulling him down to her level with a sudden, joyful enthusiasm.

Her lips attacked his with a flurry of kisses; quick, warm, and full of exuberance. Each kiss left behind a trace of her strawberry-scented lipstick, creating a trail of smudged rosy color across his face. The marks dotted his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, and even his lips, a vibrant testament to her affection.

Amused laughter bubbled up from Bucky, the sound a rare and delightful departure from his usual stoic demeanor. His eyes twinkled with genuine mirth, his grumpy alpha persona completely melted away in the face of y/n’s loving onslaught.

He reveled in the smothering of her kisses, his initial tension and anger forgotten. A satisfied rumble vibrates on his throat, across his chest. The contrast between his earlier anger and the unrestrained joy he now experienced was stark; the shift was almost palpable.

Lost in their own world, the two seemed oblivious to their surroundings. Their display of affection was unabashedly public, a stark contrast to the earlier tension. Y/n looked up at him with bright eyes, her voice filled with eager excitement as she asked if he still had time.

“I want to steal you away.” she said with a playful smile.

Bucky’s smile widened, his heart swelling with happiness. “Of course, sugar. Anything for you.” he replied, his voice tender and filled with genuine warmth.

But as Bucky’s gaze shifted away from y/n and landed on Brock, his soft features momentarily disappeared. His expression hardened, the warmth in his eyes turning to ice. The switch in his demeanor was chilling; an instant transformation from the tender lover to a menacing figure.

The coldness in his eyes was a silent, yet unmistakable warning. It was as though a dark storm cloud had settled over him, a clear signal that Brock's earlier arrogance had crossed an unforgivable line.

The intensity of Bucky’s stare spoke volumes, a silent promise of retribution and a reminder of the strength behind his calm exterior. The abrupt shift in his demeanor was a jarring contrast to the affection he had just displayed, sending a clear message to Brock that any further provocation would be met with unspeakable consequences.

As Bucky and y/n walked hand in hand away from the café, Brock stood there, fuming and humiliated. His attempt to belittle Bucky had backfired spectacularly.

Inside the café, Bucky’s colleagues had their jaws dropped. They were astonished not only by y/n’s ethereal beauty but also by the sight of Bucky, usually so composed and reserved, smiling so openly. They were completely stunned by the unexpected display of vulnerability and affection from the grumpy loner.

The couple continued down the street, their hands clasped together. The afternoon sun cast long shadows as they headed towards their next destination.

Bucky’s smile was genuine, a rare and precious sight as he looked down; memorizing the way her hand perfectly intertwined with his. At that moment, he couldn’t help but think how much he wished y/n would steal him away more often.

End.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: Thank you for staying to the end of the fic. Hope you enjoy reading it!

#bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #alpha!bucky x omega!reader #alpha!bucky x reader #alpha!bucky #and you're mine au #bucky fic #bucky fluff #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes fic

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foolishlovers · 4 months ago

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With 2024 coming to an end, I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my favourite fics I (re)read this year. I have so so much appreciation for all writers creating beautiful works about our beloved angel and demon pair. Reading these sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes sappy, sometimes deliciously filthy stories has been a constant source of joy. I truly can't even begin to describe how thankful I am to be part of such an incredibly creative and loving fandom. So so much gratitude for all the different versions of them, all the genders, all the tropes, all the canon fics, and all the human AUs. There are so many more amazing fics I read this year and there are so many more to explore in 2025, but the following few have made themselves a home in my heart. I promise they're worth a read! 💜 [I do fic recs all year long, check out this tag for more.]

Date by @ddagent (2.5k, T)

Every year, Aziraphale is spoiled on his birthday. This year, he decides to do the same for Crowley. There's only one problem - he's not actually sure when Crowley's birthday is.

Roller Derby Queen by @summerofspock (2.5k, M)

Crowley skates for Hell on Wheels and she's pretty good at it too. She'd be better if she weren't so distracted by the new skater on the opposing team.

Sweet Nectar of the Eldritch Gods by @brenna (3.2k, G)

Azira writes a letter to the purveyor of her favorite honeys and sweetness ensues. No offence, but who says “by the by,” by the way? It’s adorable? By the by, do you like wine? Crowley

Poor Men by @why-not-go-with-style (3.9k, G)

What To Do When Two of Your Professors Are Hopelessly in Love With Each Other: an instruction manual by Adam Young (featuring Pepper Moonchild because someone has to be the voice of reason here).

!False (It's Funny Because It's True) by @mirjam-writes (6.4k, E)

Aziraphale drew a long breath through his nose. Crowley, of course it had to be Crowley. The new guy in the sales department, who would promise potential customers just about anything to close a deal. Arrogant, annoying – and wildly, stupidly attractive. Aziraphale hated him. Aziraphale is a stellar software architect and a project manager, who is so done with the sales department selling unrealistically scheduled and budgeted projects. And he definitely doesn't have a crush on anyone, thank you very much.

Show me where the Nightingale sings by @sabotage-on-mercury (6.5k, G)

After settling into their new home in the South Downs there are still things to process for Aziraphale and Crowley before they can start a new chapter of their life. But winter is turning into spring. There is magic abroad in the air. And finally, the nightingale is back.

The Art of Human Nature by @ineffable-doll (6.5k, T)

Crowley is a painter who has only ever had an eye for nature. That is, until a client named Aziraphale commissions her for a painting to boost her self-confidence, and Crowley discovers that her client is as beautiful as the Earth itself. Then she goes and catches feelings, because she’s a disaster.

Lit by @fellshish (12k, T)

Crowley takes a university course on literature and surprise! The book they’re discussing is Good Omens. Uh oh.

Paradigm Shift by @hakunahistata (13k, E)

“Apologies, apologies! The time got away from me.” Aziraphale Fell entered the room brightly, a binder in one hand, tea mug in the other. Crowley’s languid sprawl went rigid as the senior accounting analyst who had been the indulgent secret in the back of his mind took the seat opposite him. Or, Crowley Pines at the Office: An AU.

Feast by @ashfae, mostlyjustgoose (15k, E)

Crowley's spent the whole of lockdown asleep. Aziraphale has spent the whole of lockdown baking, cooking, and becoming increasingly frustrated with his solitude. Which eventually leads him to the perfect way to solve all his problems at once... Or, Aziraphale attempts to seduce Crowley with a truly excellent meal, and Crowley is amenable.

Ever-Fixed by @hkblack (19k, E)

Aziraphale Fell had a plan. Go to school, get his degree, and start his life with his beloved at his side as man and wife. Until one day Crowley disappears. Decades later he meets a man, and finds the love of his life again. Anthony J. Crowley, suave, cool, masculine, in control, unflappable, has spent decades building himself up. He refuses to let his confident facade disappear for Aziraphale, who once almost tumbled down the stairs to certain death because his nose was stuck in a book. It’s just sex, and they’ve been dating for months, this time around. There’s no need to get his knickers in a knot. But the past isn’t easy to let go of, even if you’re both avoiding it. A story about love, intimacy, and finding each other again. (Alternatively: Tender smut, but then I wrote love story flashbacks, and now it's just emotional and there's plot in my pornography)

Fireworks by @optimistic-starlight (19k, E)

He had to get himself under control. Aziraphale needed him. That prick boyfriend of his drained so much of Aziraphale's time and energy, dampened so much of the gentle, beaming happiness that Crowley had always adored about him. He needed Crowley there to support him, to do the things a best friend should be there to do. And, well, if Crowley needed him too, if he had to subsume his own pain to focus on making Aziraphale happy, that was something he could bear quietly. He could do it for his angel. Crowley groaned and dropped his head against the tiled wall of the shower. His angel. He had to stop thinking of him like that.

Maybe Next Christmas by @flamingbentleyy (21k, T)

Airports were tricky business, but waiting in airports was as close to hell as one could possibly get. Nobody knew it better than Aziraphale, whose luck had made him end up in one right on Christmas Eve of all days. Although his airport experience turned a little less hellish and a whole lot more entertaining after he ran into an old college friend in that same airport. And then again. And again…

The Small Ad by @theladydrgn, @sylwritesstuff (32k, E)

WORK WANTED: Partner For Hire. Tall, lanky ginger of arguable gender available to be your significant other to keep pesky relatives, nosy coworkers, or well-meaning friends at bay. Able to be as annoying or as polite as you like. Causing a fight over Christmas dinner with your odd, bigoted uncle/aunt/cousin will require an extra £200 up front. £50 for the first hour, negotiable otherwise. Ciao. It isn't the sort of advertisement Aziraphale usually paid any attention to, but desperate times do indeed call for desperate measures.

Heavenly Wicked Cafe by @waitingtobebroken (33k, T)

There is a terribly rude barista that makes amazing coffee and a saint of a barista, whose coffee tastes vile. And they are in love.

Petrichor & Parchment by @katnoggin (33k, E)

“Mr. Crowley, I presume?” Aziraphale asked in lieu of an introduction, which was not forthcoming. The guy hadn’t even removed his sunglasses. Oh God, he had a tattoo on his face. Aziraphale wasn’t one to judge, but… what kind of gardener had a snake tattoo on his face? Now also available as a podfic from Literarion [Huuuge recommendation for the podfic!!]

The Heart of the Forest by Kalimyre (33k, E)

Retired librarian Aziraphale moves into a small, isolated cottage deep in the forest with a strange history. He soon realises he's not alone in the woods; a presence watches him. But as he begins to befriend the stranger that lurks in the trees, Aziraphale comes to understand there's more to him than appearances suggest - and Aziraphale's own destiny may be tied to the mysterious creature with the golden eyes.

in your own time by @ineffabildaddy (33k, E)

Aziraphale and Crowley grew up together as next-door neighbours on Hogback Lane, classmates at the local Catholic school, and inseparable best friends. By the age of eighteen, both were hopelessly in love with the other, despite the knowledge that they were doomed to live apart, as Crowley aimed to pursue university study in London and Aziraphale committed himself to remaining in Tadfield, dedicating his life to the Church. After almost twenty years spent away from his hometown, renowned botanist Crowley decides to come and visit Tadfield again at a moment's notice; the purpose of his visit is to speak at a Careers Day for the school he and Aziraphale, now a beloved priest and a frequent helper at the school, attended. The twenty-four hours that follow will change both of their lives for ever.

Between Comfort And Chaos by anathxmadevice (45k, T)

“And how long have you two been a couple?” “Oh, I—” Aziraphale panics. “Ha, well, that’s a funny… We’re not actually—” “We’re just friends.” Crowley says, their voice clear and calm and lightly amused, either because of or in spite of Aziraphale’s flailing attempts to divert the conversation. “Ah, yes, quite.” Aziraphale says, then takes a sip of his drink just for something to do, instead of focussing on the way Crowley said just friends, and how it causes a painful throb in his chest that he has never fully got used to. His memory can only scrabble at the edge of a time where being just friends with Crowley didn’t feel like a particular form of torture. * Or, Aziraphale has been desperately in love with his best friend and housemate Crowley since they were students, but is too scared to do anything about it.

Loving You Slow by @tawnyontumblr (46k, E)

Crowley just wants to dance, but he's not prepared to sell his soul (and other things) at Mayfair's Hellfire Club to do it. Tending bar at The Bookshop in Soho is just the escape he needs, providing Crowley can convince the club’s owner he really belongs on the stage. Unfortunately Aziraphale Eastgate is not quite the generous guardian angel Crowley has been led to believe. Welcome to The Bookshop, where it always pays to look under the covers.

A Billion Points of Light by akitsuko (50k, E)

The firefighter lifts the visor on their helmet, and Crowley may not be able to see very well, but those are the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen in his life. Crowley has never been one for the whole 'love at first sight' business, but he may need to reassess after Aziraphale - a gorgeous firefighter - saves his life.

More Than by @naromoreau (55k, E)

Crowley would like to spend another year without marrying, especially when thrust-forced to pick a husband. She refuses to cave in on a matter of principles. She refuses to cave in specifically on a matter of not wanting to be married to Lucien Morningstar. But she might need a hand to break free from such a burden. And who knows? She might even find something else along the way.

Lavender Apiary Of Your Honey Eyes by @snek-of-eden (66k, E)

The first thing Aziraphale registered was fiery red hair matted with sweat. The second thing was the man’s face, sharp and intelligent and a little guarded, sunlight dappling a spray of freckles. Upon seeing this, two contradictory thoughts crossed his mind: ‘Gosh, he’s pretty’, and ‘I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a man use that many expletives in the space of a minute’. “Oh,” he said, swallowing hard. “Hello, then.” __________ When Aziraphale inherits a small, cosy cottage in the countryside, he finds unexpected company in a gardener he didn't even know he had. Crowley is sweet, and strange, and about as foul-mouthed as you can get. Before he knows it, he's falling pretty goddamn hard for a man whose friendship he's terrified of risking. Ah, the foils of love.

Old Vines by @sevdrag (189k, E)

A.Z. Fell, one of the most respected names in wine and food blogging, has been sent on assignment with his assistant Warlock Dowling to spend six months in California Wine Country. Under direction (by his boss, Gabriel) to use this experience to double his blog followers and write a novel, Aziraphale is both excited and anxious about the opportunity. Anthony J. Crowley is the owner and viticulturalist of Ecdyses, a winery that unexpectedly fell into his lap eleven years ago when he hit rock bottom. He may be in debt, yeah, but he’s paying off his loans — and despite pressure from his lenders and their team of inspectors, Crowley has found a kind of contentment tending his little corner of terroir and producing extraordinary wine. Crowley’s old vines are the heart of his vineyard, and he’s never let anyone in. Crowley finds Aziraphale intriguing; Aziraphale finds Crowley enthralling. Turns out a famous wine expert and an experienced viticulturalist can still learn things from each other. The summer of 2019 unfolds. [Big recommendation for the podfic here too!!]

#100% sure there r so many i missed and there are def many more by these writers that i adored as well but i chose to stick to one per autho #anyway!! thank u all <3 #good omens #good omens fanfiction #good omens human au #aziracrow fic #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable husbands #ineffable wives #foolish recs #go fic masterpost

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okayto · 5 months ago

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After 8.5 years I finally get to hand this off to someone else!

Current scheduling considerations, in addition to the stuff mentioned above, include things like:

Greer works another job on campus but doesn't know when they'll be scheduled to work there

Hayden has Wednesdays entirely empty and available for scheduling, hooray! Except Hayden is also a commuter student who won't be on campus that day. Try to guess how much of a problem Hayden will have being required to drive in the single day they don't have classes.

Iris wants to work 10 hours a week but isn't available after 3pm and has 18 credits including twenty gazillion different music lessons that won't be scheduled until January. Iris is available for approximately 47-63 minutes of work every 3.5 hours.

Need like two or three other people who can close Sun/Tues/Thurs, but all the ones who aren't already scheduled have 8am or 9am classes??? Literally all 9 of them???

Great, we slotted Jordan into this hard-to-fill shift! Except wait. Now Jordan is regularly working Friday, Sunday, and Monday plus some midweek days. Which means that the weeks when Jordan has one of the Saturday rotation shifts, they're working four days straight and also have no weekend break. Back the drawing board.

A few years ago I wrote a "things to consider when creating schedules" document as backup in case I got hit by a bus. It is 6 pages long. Single spaced.

Trying to make a schedule everyone can actually work

#Also 50% of my workforce is set to graduate next spring but that's a problem for FUTURE me #work #original #we do actually have software that helps so the process is improved since last time I blogged about this #but the auto-gen schedule isn't great at context like 'don't put 2 commuters together for opening' or 'newbies shouldn't close together'#or just 'hey this amount of coming-and-going for repeated short shifts will just suck a lot and they will quit on us'

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wishing-stones · 7 months ago

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So normally I don't do these buuuuttt I'm kinda pressed

My workplace shifted to a new pay schedule and pay software, and because of it, I'm going to be down 22 hours on my paycheck. I can't afford that.

So, I'll be taking commissions. (which I can never spell right) for a little bit to accommodate that.

Should go without saying, so it isn't on the sheet but; - I will not draw minors/characters that are minors in inappropriate situations - I will not draw hate - I will not draw incest

But I will absolutely draw you/your character(s) and a skelly of your choice, because I know you guys.

I accept payments via paypal only 8(

Please rebagel for some traction if you can't buy one/don't want to

The "k arts" tag on my blog will bring up other examples of my work

Thanks everyone!

EDIT: I FORGOR I HAVE A KO-FI

Edit 2:

Extra characters are half what the cost of a single character is (eg. a full body shaded extra character is +$25, bringing the total to $75)

Complicated designs might net you a little bit of an extra charge, but it shouldn't exceed more than 10 or 15 dollars, depending on what you're buying and how complex it is

Urban settings and complex mechanics are weak points, but can be done at an additional charge, since they take forever to draw lol

#k arts #pay the k #k talks #Yes the text is edited on the image because I go by a different handle in other places #I like to keep my UTMV fandom handle separate from my normal handle because uhhhh #people who know my normal handle probably don't/shouldn't know that I write skelesmut

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verdantglow · 4 months ago

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Apple Staff Alignments & Other Notes from Retail Purgatory AU

Etho

Role: Genius

Alignment: True Neutral

Has been at this Genius Bar the longest (apart from Doc)

He's mostly here because he's good at it, they pay him well, & it's generally pretty tolerable. Plus it'd be like, a whole thing to find another job, & he's got other things he'd rather spend his time on.

At this point, he's gotten pretty good at slipping into work mode, so he's generally pleasant, if kinda unremarkable (in demeanor), if you get him for your appointment.

That said, he's very much doing just enough to stay in the managers' good graces & gets maybe a bit too much enjoyment out of seeing just how close he can get to that line.

Like he knows exactly how late he can be on how many days each quarter without getting official feedback & he will be late all of those days.

"Sorry I'm late for the team meeting, traffic was crazy out there!" [is obviously holding a full cup of steaming hot coffee from Starbucks]

So yeah, he's not the one starting shit, but he's definitely just gonna watch in amusement & not help if Doc's pissing off another customer.

Refuses to work any morning shifts ever. Schedule him every weekend day if you want, but if you tell him to show up for a shift before 1pm, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

Tango

Role: Genius

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Tango is an absolute fucking delight to have as your Genius. He's got this infectiously good energy & is just soooo hype to help you figure out whatever's wrong & show you like ten completely unrelated but very cool things in the process.

He is constantly going out of scope, doing software fixes & in appointment hardware repairs that he's very much not supposed to do. Not to mention showing off the most awesome accessories the store currently carries.

So his productivity numbers are abysmal & he's got the longest average appointment duration in the store (well. probably the local market, actually).

But he's also got hands down the best customer reviews. Plus all those $1.5k drones he keeps selling by flying them around the back of the store while in appointments.

Management has tried asking him to hand those customers off to a sales person so he can do tech stuff, but he always just says he couldn't do that because he was still in an appointment with them & he can't send people off without fixing their problems, can he?

& honestly, they really need his review scores to balance out Doc's.

Doc

Role: Genius

Alignment: Lawful Evil

He's been a Genius at the store since it opened & he transferred from being a Genius at a different location.

He has worked on pretty much every Apple product in the last couple of decades & remembers how to fix all of them.

Not that he's happy about it. He will bitch incessantly while doing repairs on newer iPhones & iMacs, spending the whole time complaining about the degradation of product design at this company. He'll do these more challenging repairs flawlessly, but he will not be happy (or quiet) about it.

He has the shortest appointment times in the store. It's part him being wickedly competent at identifying & fixing issues, part he just doesn't want to waste time in appointments with people with boring problems.

Not that his customers complain about the quick appointments. In fact, that's the only good thing they have to say in his reviews. Most of them are more about how he barely talked to them & when he did, it was to insult them, their problems, &/or their devices.

Doc'll routinely cherry pick customers out of the appointment list even though he's super not supposed to. Because if there's a problem weird enough to interest him, he will be taking that appointment.

He really doesn't actually need this job. He's been really into the stock purchase plan Apple offers for the whole time he's been there. He's got such an absolutely wild number of Apple shares at this point; he could sell some & retire & have plenty left over.

And yet. He's still there.

Impulse

Role: Genius Admin (Genius Bar/Repair Room operations plus miscellaneous other responsibilities)

Alignment: Lawful Good

When Impulse became Admin, management told him how the Repair Room & everything in it was his responsibility. What they meant was, "keep everything on track & the Geniuses in line." What he heard was, "okay you're basically Repair Room Mom, so take care of these idiots."

& he really took that to heart.

Like. Impulse can imagine every way that things can go off the rails & has plans for all of them.

He always keeps back stock of all the tools & consumable goods hidden somewhere in the store. Anything from sim ejector tools that everyone's constantly losing to those weird obscure tools used to fix the nearly unserviceble Mac Pros twice a year, you need it, he's got it somewhere.

While management expects him to enforce all the rules & tell them when they are broken, he is way more concerned with just holding the whole repair operation together. He's got so many irons in the fire as admin, he's not that bothered with rules that don't have an actual impact on getting things done.

However, he does remind them all about safety rules very often. You even try to touch the repair bench without being grounded, he will appear from nowhere to say that he knows you weren't about to do something that could brick a customer's device or start a thermal event. Because both of those involve a lot of paperwork that he's responsible for.

Tbh, he's actually pretty worried about their safety since things can go sideways fast with some repairs & either of those things would involve having to tell management. Okay, and he doesn't want do paperwork, but that's just because he's so busy keeping things going, he doesn't have time to get distracted by extra paperwork!

He works a lot of early morning shifts to do various inventory things & get things organized before the store opens. He's gonna be up anyway, might as well take the shifts no one else really wants.

Mumbo

Role: Genius

Alignment: Chaotic Anxious

Oh Mumbo. My sweet, sweet Mumbo. My anxiety baby. (I say as an anxiety baby.)

He's great with customers & at explaining things in ways that make people feel reassured, even if they have no clue how things work as soon as they leave the store.

However, he does get anxious easily when things are busy & the team is behind on appointments. So he gets sent back to do repairs when that happens before he flips out.

To be fair, he also gets flustered back there, which tends to lead to him trying to go faster & making mistakes that wind up making the repairs take longer.

But Impulse has a strategy worked out with Mumbo for when he's on repairs.

Because when Mumbo isn't flustered? He's the fastest repair person by a long shot, especially on iPhones. No one can perfectly replace as many phone batteries per hour as calm Mumbo can.

So when it's busy & there's a lot of phones to be done, the overhead lights go out with only the bench lighting on, classical music and ambient rain noises go on the speaker, & Mumbo works from a repair to do list that Impulse made just for him.

Seeing everything waiting to be repaired will just make Mumbo nervous & slower, so they decided that he only needed to see the next few at any given time. Impulse takes care of any priority rearranging that's needed on the full list & Mumbo puts on the blinders & only looks at the next three repairs & busts through a super human number of repairs.

(Even Doc is impressed. He just won't actually directly say so.)

#Retail Purgatory AU #traffic smp au #hermitcraft au #Etho #Tangotek #DocM77 #ImpulseSV #Mumbo Jumbo #tbh the biggest suspension of disbelief in this AU is that this lot still have these jobs #& that retail managers would be this lenient & reasonable & value their staff this much #(except Impulse. Impulse would probably be fine.)#I figure the in universe explanation is that the Lead Genius who runs the Genius Bar overall #has enough sway that management believes them when they say that firing any of the Geniuses #would result in a complete collapse of the Genius Bar ecosystem #& that it is way better to tolerate having a team of highly competent smartasses #than have to completely restaff & train an entire Genius Bar team #(this would not happen IRL in my experience but whatevs fic is wish fulfillment)#also they are all exaggerations of actual Genius Bar staff archetypes I encountered while working there #so like. they are over the top in a job losing way but the vibes are very very real.#verdant rambles

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egscomics · 1 year ago

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Computer Saga Update

Hope to have next story comic Monday. I might temporarily adjust the schedule from there.

Many, MANY thanks to everyone for your support, you're why I'm able to make this comic, and replace the computer for making it so quickly.

That's the important information, but here's some additional details:

The switch to a new computer has necessitated some changes in software. In particular, I've been using CS6 Adobe software for quite some time, but Adobe has said "no" to my putting it on a new computer, so now I have to use the latest subscription-based version.

This isn't the end of the world, I knew it would happen eventually (or I'd somehow find time to learn different software), but I can't work as quickly adapting to the new version, and there's some stress involved.

For example, I nearly had an actual emotional breakdown when I thought they'd removed the live paint tool. It's still there, just not easily accessible by default. I genuinely don't know how I'd make upcoming comics if it were actually gone. It's possible the style would've just suddenly shifted.

Anyway, the further along I get, the more stress is decreasing, but I wound up a MESS today, and I'm going to bed.

(Seriously, thank you all for supporting the comic.)

#el goonish shive #egs schedule #egs compy saga

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shimii26 · 2 months ago

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Faz-Pocket Shenanigans: Chapter 2

“Goodbye friends, we can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!” Sun squealed, waving to the last of the children leaving the daycare.

“Nice job today Sun, you almost went the whole day without tripping over a kid!” Moon chastised, chuckling as he went to clean up a pile of noisemaker barrels.

“Hey! I can’t always see where I’m going when I’m six feet taller than the kids, Moon!” Sun pouted, crossing his arms.

It had been four weeks since Sun and Moon’s most recent upgrade of being able to convert food into usable energy. The Pizza Plex has yet to make any progress with convincing the city to provide them the necessary power they need to power their robots with electricity only, so all of the animatronics have had to adapt their schedules in order to be able to eat on time. Sun and Moon’s schedule in particular was the easiest to transition since they work in a night and day manner already, and they need to refuel at least once every twelve hours. The Glamrocks however took a bit longer to adapt; with their numerous concerts and birthday parties they needed to attend everyday, it was difficult at first to implement breaks for them to be able to refuel. Luckily, the staff found it was easier to have the Glamrocks partake in some of the party food when they got the chance, that way, they wouldn’t have to leave their post and continue entertaining the kids. Sometimes the children in the daycare would bring extra snacks that Sun could partake in if he was offered during his shift, but not every kid brings in a ‘clean’ snack, so it’s not always feasible for him to get ahead on his eating schedule. Since Moon handles naptime and the sleepover nights, the kids aren’t sharing snacks since they’re meant to be sleeping, so it’s very rare for Moon to have a bite to eat during his shift, but he doesn’t seem to mind much, especially when the only things the kids bring in tend to be on the messy side. As long as they remember to eat after their shifts, the artificial hunger didn’t seem to bother them.

Sun even managed to gain an appreciation of all the new flavors he’s never had before and learn about different cultures from whatever snacks the kids bring in to share. Sometimes if he was lucky, he’d take a sample with him and give it to Moon once he was done with his shift (If he didn’t eat the rest of it himself that is…). But now that they have been running on this new schedule for a month, it was time for the staff to check in on everyone. A Parts and Service technician walked in on the closing daycare door as the last parent and child duo had left, and he walked up to the two of them. “Alright you two, come with me. It’s time for your monthly check-up, gotta make sure your new upgrades are running properly.” the technician told them, tapping on their clipboard.

“A check-up?” Sun wondered, tilting his head. “But, aren’t we in charge of the maintenance of our new upgrades?”

“I don’t think they’re talking about the cleaning part, Sun.” Moon informed him. “Shouldn’t we spruce up the daycare first?” “Don’t worry, we’re going to have staff do that tonight, you two will be staying overnight in Parts and Service while we go through your calibrations and downloading some new updates to your software.” the technician explained.

“Overnight?” Sun mumbled, it was the first time he had heard of this kind of Parts and Service option. “Is that why the sleepover was canceled tonight?”

“Yes, it was to make sure we could work on you two at the same time in order to avoid a possible emergency malfunction and prevent the daycare from being unattended while the kids were here. Now c’mon.” they confirmed, heading towards the door.

“Okay.” Sun and Moon nodded, following the technician to Parts and Services.

Despite knowing that this was only a check-up, Sun was still a bit nervous. Ever since the threat of decommissioning the two of them when Moon had his virus, he had been wary of being anywhere near this place. He shuddered and held onto Moon’s shoulders for comfort.

“Relax Sunny, it won’t hurt a bit.” Moon reassured him, placing one of his hands on Sun’s as they walked.

“I-If you say so…” Sun replied, keeping his head behind Moon’s.

- - -

“Alright, we’re here, stay put until the mechanic is ready for you two. They should be almost finished with Monty.” they instructed them, shutting the door behind them.

Moon could feel Sun’s hands increase their shuddering the longer the two waited.

“...Sun, you alright?” Moon turned to Sun, bringing his gaze towards his.

“...I-I know we didn’t do a-anything wrong, but… I just d-don’t like being i-in here…” Sun stuttered, starting to shake a bit more.

“Easy Sun, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll make sure of it, okay?” Moon comforted him, pulling him in for a hug.

“...T-Thank you…” Sun sniffled, leaning into the hug.

Suddenly the door behind them creaked open, it was the mechanic and an assistant. Their outfits were stained with various oils and dust patches, presumably from working on all of the other animatronics from earlier today. Sun jolted when he heard the door and hid behind Moon.

“Okay boys, we’ll need one of you to come with me and the other stays in here. We’ll shut one of you down to do the updates and talk with the other about any issues, then switch once the updates are done downloading, okay?” The mechanic informed them. “So, who’s updating first?”

Sun gulped. He hated the idea of being shut down for the updates, any lack of control put him at unease. Moon took quick notice of this and stepped forward.

“-I’ll update first, just… Want to get it over with, y’know?” Moon shrugged, turning to Sun and giving him a wink to show him his kindness.

“Alright Moon, come with me. Sun, you stay here with Miss Farnes and talk about any issues you may be having.” The mechanic nodded, leading Moon through the door. “I’ll be back, Sun, don’t worry.” Moon warmly smiled, stepping through to head to the other room.

Sun nodded, watching Moon head out the door. He turned to Miss Farnes, who smiled and patted the table next to her, encouraging him to sit on it. He hesitated, but did so, gripping the table as his feet barely dangled off the edge. Even though he was one of the tallest animatronics in the Pizza Plex, the table was still quite high for his height. Despite her friendliness towards him and Moon’s support, he remained a bit uneasy.

“Now Sun, let’s go over some of the issues you’ve been facing with this new upgrade first and go from there, okay?” she asked him.

“Well… Okay.” Sun replied, rubbing his neck. “It was a bit… challenging to figure out what I could and couldn’t eat. I had hoped the instructions were a bit more clear and precise, but some of the do’s and don’ts were a bit vague to say the least.”

“Oh, I see. Well, we can certainly get someone to give you a more extensive guide on what’s allowed and what’s not, does that seem reasonable?” she offered.

“...Yeah, I’d like that.” Sun smiled, relaxing a bit now that he was distracted. “A-And I think the new additions to our rooms have been really helpful… But I think we could use stronger utensils, Moon has a habit of snapping the plastic ones before he can use them.”

The two of them chuckled at that fact.

“Sure, we can get you two some silverware, but we’ll need to provide you with access to a nearby sink so you can wash them properly. We don’t want mold developing in your rooms afterall.” she nodded, taking down some notes about needed changes. “You two are able to clean the daycare by yourselves, some real silverware shouldn’t be an issue for you to learn.”

“Oh yeah, we’ve already had lots of practice in the play kitchen with the little ones in the daycare! They’re so smart, they even showed me how to use the play 'DishWasher’!” Sun giggled.

“Great, that’s good to know. Anything else we should know about?” She wondered.

“Hrmm…” Sun pondered. “...Do you think we can get some more unique foods in our fridge to eat? One of the little ones introduced me to Dim Sum, and it’s an absolutely delightful tasting treat! I’d like to eat more of it on my breaks!”

“Well, the pizzeria doesn’t sell Dim Sum, and I’m not sure if we can convince inventory to purchase food items that are only consumed by the animatronics, but I can put in a word for you!” she told him, taking down his food order.

“Thank you!” Sun squealed, excited for the chance to try more new foods.

“Okay, I think we’re all set with the questions, now we can get into the examination.” she told him.

“E-Examination?” Sun asked, his rays drooping a bit. “You mean, like, a tune-up?”

“Yes, I just need to check some of your internal parts for damage and make sure you’re cleaning yourself up properly, okay?” she informs him, reaching for his chest plate.

“W-Wait, don’t open-!” Sun tried to stop her, but-

FOOOOOOSH!

A massive cloud of black soot poured out from Sun’s chest cavity, covering Miss Farnes from head to toe. They coughed from the sudden dust cloud, both fanning the air to try and improve the visual field. “-that…” Sun groaned. “I uh… I haven't had a chance to clean that yet…”

“Oof, Sun…” she cleared her throat. “When was the last time you cleaned out your waste container?”

“U-Um…” Sun stuttered, twiddling his thumbs. “...Gosh, I-I don’t remember, maybe… fourteen days ago?” “Sun, you need to be more on top of cleaning yourself out.” she warned him. “We don’t want you trailing soot on the kids, or causing your body to overheat. If this can’t regulate your temperature properly, you might shut down during your shift.” “W-What!? Oh gosh, I-I don’t want to do that to the kids!” Sun panicked, locking his hands together. “I-I’ll make sure I clean up more often, I-I promise!” “That’s good to hear, now let’s get you cleaned up.” she smiled, taking his waste container out and placing it in the sink. “Would you mind lying down for me?” “Oh uh, okay…” Sun agreed and lied down, watching curiously at what she was going to do next.

She turned around and set up a brush tip vacuum, turning it on and began to clean Sun out. He giggled at the funny feeling the vacuum gave him, and was relieved that he wasn’t in much trouble for the mess he created.

- - -

“Alright Moon, lay down on the table and we’ll get the update going.” The mechanic instructed him when the two of them entered the computer room.

“Fine.” Moon grumbled, not looking forward to being shut down. “...Look, when you get to Sun… Can you try and be a bit nice to him? He’s not very thrilled about being back in Parts and Service, especially after you guys dragged him here to repair his neck weeks ago.”

“We did what we had to do to repair him, the least he can do is let us do the updates without a fight.” they glared at Moon, the two sharing an equal dislike of each other. “Just lie down and turn your head away from me.”

“As you wish, your majesty~” Moon mocked, putting on his best snotty servant impression as he bowed then lied down.

“Don’t call me that... Hold still, this’ll only take a few hours.” they told him, strapping Moon onto the table and taking out a USB cable to plug him into the mainframe.

“Damn, good thing I’m not going to be awake that long…” Moon yawned, beginning the shut down process.

“Yeah yeah, whatever…” the mechanic sighed, shutting Moon down and setting the computer up for the download once he was plugged in.

- - -

“Hehehehee, that tickles!” Sun laughed as Miss Farnes worked on his internal wiring.

“Hold still Sun, I just have to replace a couple more cables!” she chuckled, trying to keep her hands steady and pull out the right wires.

“S-Sorry, it’s just s-so sensitive there, hahahaha!” he continued, trying not to kick his feet.

“...Alright, that should do it! You’re all set for the update, then you’ll be ready for tomorrow!” she smiled, closing him up.

“Yeah! I-” he paused, remembering that this was only part one of his check-up. “...Oh yeah, t-the update…” “Don’t worry Sun, you won’t feel a thing. It’ll be just like playing hide-and-seek when you’re it, just close your eyes, count to ten, and you’re back! Nothing to worry about!” she reassured him.

“...O-Okay, I think I’m ready...” he nodded.

“Oh, but first, we should get you out of those soot stained clothes, we’ll wash them for you while you update.” she told him, giving his pants a tug. “Can you take ‘em off for me?” “Heh, oh yeah, can’t have them dirty for tomorrow!” Sun agreed, standing up and took them off. “Can I keep my wrist bells on though?” “Sure, they don’t appear to have gotten soot on them.” she shrugged.

Suddenly the door behind them opened up, Moon entering first looking a bit tired from being shut down for so long. The mechanic followed behind him, looking equally enthusiastic.

“Oh Moon, you’re back! Are you okay? Did it hurt!?” Sun concerningly asked, giving Moon a sudden hug.

“Heh, Sun I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about. Now c’mon, the sooner it’s done, the sooner we can get back to work.” Moon reassured him, patting him on the back.

“Let’s go Sun, the computer’s ready.” the mechanic instructed.

“O-Okay…” Sun groaned, rubbing the side of his arm and following the mechanic to the computer room.

“Alright, and while you're here Moon, we can go over any issues you two have been having with your newest upgrade.” Farnes told him.

“Fineeee, I guess we do have a couple complaints…” Moon shrugged, shutting the door and sitting down on the table.

“Great, why don’t we go over some of the points Sun brought up?” she suggested to him.

“Aight, shoot.” Moon chuckled while crossing his arms and legs.

“Okay, Sun was hoping for a better instruction booklet that’s much more specific to help you two better learn what’s okay to eat and what’s not, he’s asked for stronger utensils in your room to use, and he’d like more new foods to eat, like Dim Sum.” she said going down the list.

“Yeah, I keep holding the forks too hard and the plastic snaps.” Moon explained. “..And I wouldn’t mind something new to eat, pizza does get a bit old once you’ve tried every topping…”

“Okay great, do you have concerns for yourself?” she asked.

“Hrmm…” Moon pondered. “...I want to try tacos.” Moon requested. “And I want more fruit snacks.”

“...Okayyy, anything else?” she asked, trying to redirect back to her question with one eyebrow raised.

“...Whole milk, not skim.” Moon responded.

“Any actual problems?...” she redirected again.

…He didn’t answer.

“Look, you don’t have to give me attitude.” she sighed, getting up from her chair. “I’m just here to help you two through this temporary upgrade… let’s just get to the tune-up.”

“Hey, this is just me at my best, I dunno what you’re talking about.” Moon mocked.

“Sure, just, shut up and let me work.” she rolled her eyes, opening up Moon’s chest cavity and examining inside. “...Okay, nice and clean so far, been keeping up with your maintenance.”

“Why thank you, Miss Farnes~” Moon chuckled with a toothy grin. “I do try my hardest afterall~”

“Moon stop it, I need to focus.” she remarked, taking out her stethoscope. “Let’s make sure your gears aren’t squeaking.”

“Umm…” Moon was about to say something, but...

CLICK CREAAK WHIIIIRRRR…

. . .

“Mooooon?…” she sighed and looked up at his face.

“Yeah?” he replied back.

“...Did you eat today?” she confronted him.

“...If I say yes, will you shut up?” Moon sleazily smiled.

…She gave Moon quite the staredown.

“Fine, no…” he grumbled, giving his stomach a pat. “I didn’t have time to eat…” “Moon, you should have plenty of time to eat while Sun is caring for the kids in the morning.” She scolded as she began to look through some of the cabinets nearby. “What could you have possibly been doing that whole time?”

“Duh, sleeping. It’s important to me.” Moon answered back, putting his arms and legs back in a criss-cross and turning his head away in a pout.

“Moon, you need to eat; plain and simple. Your gears are going to hurt you the longer you wait.” she explained, holding out a bag of cookies for him to take. “Here, eat this. We can check to see if your converter is working this way.” “Urgghh, cookies, really?” Moon groaned, taking the bag and opening it up.

“Eat it.” she demanded, bringing her voice tone lower.

- - -

Sun and the mechanic soon arrived at the computer room for his update. Taking everything in, Sun’s nerves started to get the better of him, and he began to shudder again. Shutting himself down made him uncomfortable since he lacked control in this state, just like when Moon had his virus in the past. But despite being in his own body and having full control of what he can do during the night, it still filled him with fear of the unknown.

“Alright, lay down and turn your head away from me, let’s get this over with.” the mechanic instructed.

“W-Wait! C-Can’t we just do this another way? W-We don’t need to s-shut myself down to-” Sun started, but was cut off.

“Sun, lay down. You will be shutting down for this update, no alternatives or excuses.” they ordered him.

“Y-Yes sir…” Sun stuttered, doing as he said.

As the cold table touched his back, he shivered a bit, keeping his head faced away from the mechanic. He felt their hands grip the back of his face plate, placing the USB cable into one of his ports. Sun gulped and turned to face him once the plug was in. “...I…I will… wake up, r-right?...” Sun whimpered.

The mechanic sighed, they didn’t have much choice but to comfort Sun just a bit.

“...Yes, you’re going to wake up in a few hours. Just relax already.” they sarcastically reassured him, switching one of Sun’s power switches.

“O-Okay…” Sun whispered, slowly shutting his eyes as he powered down.

“...Finally…” they rolled their eyes. “What a baby…”

- - -

“Aaaand that should be the last wire. Okay Moon, you’re good to head back to your room and get ready for today.” Farnes told him, closing up his chest cavity. “It’ll be a couple hours before Sun finishes, so you can take a nap beforehand if you want.”

“About time, I’ve been up all night…” Moon yawned as he sat up. “...Thanks for the tune-up, and don’t forget to let the staff know about our requests.”

“Don’t worry, I will. Take care!” she nodded, waving goodbye to him as he stepped out of the room.

. . .

Moon walked by himself towards the daycare, getting in a few stretches along the way. Despite being shut down for a few hours, he was still quite tired from the ordeal, and decided he would take advantage of the free time and have a nice long nap. Once he entered through the daycare’s double doors and stepped over to the play area, he hooked himself up to the fly rig that hung in place by the ball pit’s edge and lifted himself up to their room. Once he reached the wall stage, he then proceeded to unhook himself to store it on their own hook, and made his way inside, flopping right into his bed once he got to it. He rolled himself up with his blanket and grabbed a few pillows to snuggle up with. Soon his exhaustion combined with the warmth he began to generate overtook him and he fell straight to sleep, faintly snoring a bit.

- - -

“...Mnnnrgghh, wh- huh?...” Sun groaned, stirring awake from his shut down.

“Oh good, you’re up. You’re all set with your update, take your pants and head back to the daycare.” the mechanic told him while he unlocked Sun’s straps and handed him his freshly washed trousers.

“Oh, I’m… back awake. Whew, glad that’s over…” Sun sighed in relief, taking his trousers in hand. “Thank you for the work you do here.” “Mhmm yeah, just go, it’s almost time for your shift.” they said as they unplugged him. “Hurry on out.” “Oh my gosh! It’s already time for my shift!? I-I gotta go!” Sun panicked, jumping onto his feet and heading towards the exit as he tried to put his pants on at the same time.

. . .

Tying his tutu back into place, he rushed towards the daycare, seeing some of the kids already beginning to line up at the check-in. To avoid any of the kids running after him, he took the employees only path that led to the main door, luckily he had the code remembered in order to even use this pathway. As he sprinted down the corridor, he suddenly felt an odd twinge in his stomach…

CREEAAK CLICK CLICK VRRRRR…

“-Huh? What the?”

Sun slowed down to check what might have been causing the noise, along with the uncomfortable feeling. It had only occurred to him now just how much time had passed during his and Moon’s tune-up. Neither of them as far as he could recall were given a time reset with a snack, so he was due for a refueling.

“Oh that’s right! I’ve been at Parts and Services all night, I didn’t eat anything!... I-I can’t do my shift on an empty stomach!“ Sun told himself. “...I should have enough time to eat something quick before the kids come in…”

He eventually made it to the end of the employee path corridor and opened the metal door, heading for the main entrance of the daycare. He pushed the right door of the large double doors open just a crack to enter, stepping over to the ballpit’s edge where their fly rig is typically hung…

But the fly rig wasn’t there.

The fly rig is gone…” Sun gasped with concern. “Hopefully Moon is awake to throw me down the hook…”

It was 7:59, he only had one minute left to get upstairs and refuel. He stepped on the tallest play structure near their room entrance and called out to Moon.

“MOON!? YOU AWAKE!? I NEED OUR FLY RIG TO GET-” WOOOOSH!

The double doors flung open, and the morning daycare kids flooded in with excitement. Some kids jumped into the ballpit right away to join Sun, others began to crawl in the jungle gym, and a few began to create in the arts and crafts corner. It was immediately overwhelming to him since he wasn’t at the front to direct everyone to first put away their backpacks and shoes, as well as his focus was still on getting himself the fly rig so he could eat. If he couldn’t eat at any point during his shift, he could be in for a long day…

“-C’mon Mr. Sun, let’s play!” One child yelled to Sun, grabbing his attention.

“-Huh? O-Oh, y-yes of course! It’s uh, time to play, starlights!” Sun announced, his smile clearly on the artificial side today.

It was at this point he had no choice; with Moon unable to hear him in his sleep, there was going to be no fly rig to help him get back to his room to eat. He would have to wait until he could find the right opportunity to alert one of the guards to grab him a snack, but that was easier said than done. It seemed like the kids were riled up today, already looking like they want to play a very physically demanding game with Sun, hopefully he wouldn’t have to move as much as they were wanting to, the more he played in this condition, the more uncomfortable he would feel, and would soon be noticeable by the children. Always wanting to make sure the kids would never worry about him, he would have to be on top of masking his discomfort, and finding ways to distract them from the noise his body will inevitably make.

“So uh, what game do you kids wanna play first? That is, after we have you remove your-” Sun started, but was quickly cut off.

“We wanna play Color Tag, and we want you to be ��it’ first!” One kid explained the rules, making sure everyone was on board, which they seemed to be. “If we call out a color before you tag us, we’re safe for 10 seconds, and you have to tag all of us out to win! We can only call out each color once, that makes it harder as we play!”

Great, Sun was it first? That amount of movement was surely going to put him through his paces. He would just have to bide his time and go along with the ordeal, hopefully the kids weren’t very creative with their colors besides the basics. Luckily since he towered over the kids in height, he didn’t have to run as fast to catch up with them.

“Ready!? Gooooo!” another kid shouted, causing everyone to scatter.

Sun got to work and began to chase the kids who were closest to him. Already his first attempts to catch even a single kid were futile, they knew their basic colors quite well thanks to all of the creative lessons he had given them over the months they’d been coming there. Soon they started to use more uncommon colors to escape being tagged, some colors he had no idea where they even learned their names, but luckily the younger ones weren’t as familiar, so they were the first to be tagged out. The strain of the physicality of the game was beginning to affect him as the hunger became more frequent and got louder with each kid he managed to tag out. Eventually there were no more colors the kids could think of, so this was Sun’s chance to finish up and alert a guard of his situation.

“I’m gonna get you!” Sun cheered as he got closer to the last child. “Aaaand, gotcha! Hahaha, I won!” “Yaaaayyy, Sun wins! Again, again!” many of the older kids shouted. “Again, again, again!”

Again!? No way was he about to play Color Tag again in this condition, but how to direct their attention away just long enough for him to slip away?

“U-Uhhh, ooooo new game! H-How about we play- um… Hide-and-Seek!? I’ll hide, and you all count to twenty! Cover your eyes now, cmon!” Sun cheekily smiled, thinking himself clever of his idea; if they couldn’t see where he went, he could get himself a snack from one of the security guards.

“Okay! One, two, three…” The kids in unison began to count.

Sun quickly scurried over to the front desk, where one of the employees was under the desk organizing which plugs should be connected to the only power outlet they had. He peeked over the edge and tried to get the worker’s attention.

“Pssst! Hey, I need your help…” Sun whispered, causing the technician to bump their head on the roof of the desk.

“-Aghh! Shit, that hurts…”

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you…” Sun apologized. “L-Listen, I need to take a break, I didn’t-”

“TWENTY!” The kids shouted out loud. “READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME!”

They were already done counting!? Sun stuttered a bit trying to get his request for help out before the kids noticed he wasn’t really hiding, and sure enough, before he could ask, they ran to him.

‘Nuts, should’ve picked a higher number than twenty…’ Sun thought to himself before being dogpiled on by all the kids.

“FOUND YOU!” They all giggled, climbing over each other and tumbling off of him.

Sun knew he couldn’t just try to sit up when they were using him as a hill, he’d probably cause one of them to slip and hurt themselves, so he had to wait until they were done with the dogpile. But before he could notice…

CLICK CREEAAAK WHIIRRRRR…

His eyes grew wide as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, he couldn’t even try to comfort the sore spot since there were about a dozen children stepping on him. But suddenly, the kids also grew aware of the strange noise, and shrieked in surprise and confusion, tumbling off of him and gathering in a group a few feet away from Sun. He managed to finally sit himself up, but now there was a problem. Every single kid was looking at him like one would look at an angry dog staring them down. They were scared, scared of what came out of Sun. He really didn’t want the children to be terrified of him, so a quick white lie was thought up.

“Mr. Sun, w-what was that?” One kid hesitantly asked.

“-Oh sorry about that! Don’t you worry, it was uh-” Sun fumbled his words together. “M-My bear impression, yeah! Like a mean teddy bear, and I’m gonna get you all and eat you up! Raaawwrr!”

“AHHHH, RUN! HE’S GONNA GET US!” The children playfully screamed and scattered, buying Sun some time to slip away.

While the children were distracted, Sun quickly darted back over to the guard’s station desk and pulled down one of the guard’s newspapers to face them.

“J-Jim! You gotta help me, I need to get upstairs for a break!” Sun begged. “I was in Parts and Service last night, and they forgot to-” “GET THE BEAR!” The kids shouted, carrying pool noodles and charging after Sun. “MAKE HIS HEAD A TROPHY!”

“Nooooo!” Sun whined, unable to get help again and was taken down to the ground by the rain of pool noodles smacking his back. “Owww, darn it…”

“YAAAYYYY!” The kids cheered, waving their pool noodles around in celebration. “WE GOT THE BEAR! NOW LET’S STUFF HIM!” Sun’s eyes widened. Stuff him? He could only guess what they meant by that as he was dragged away from the security guard’s table and back over to the play area.

There was no escaping it, today was going to be rough…

- - -

CREEAAAK VRRRR CLICK CLICK WHIIIIRRRR…

Game after mindlessly long game, and several agonizing moments of being pulled and tugged by the children, Sun was being pushed to his limits. His back ached from the strain of endlessly bending down to pick up kids over and over again, his neck was stiff from having to constantly dart around for any chance of escaping to refuel, he couldn’t catch his breath despite not needing to breathe in the first place, and worst of all, his stomach wouldn’t stop it’s stabbing pain and constantly alerting him to eat. Sun laid face up and sprawled himself out in the ballpit, he stared up at the ceiling, trying not to move much, every single movement he made caused his body to ache more. It was driving him up a wall, and it seemed like there wouldn't be an end to his shift. Until…

“Alright kids, snack time!” One security guard announced as others set up tables and chairs. "Grab your snacks from your backpacks and find a seat!” “YAAAAYYYY, SNACKTIME!” The kids squealed as they dropped their current toys and ran over to the cubbies.

“H-Huh, what?...” Sun groaned as he slowly sat up from within the middle of the ballpit. “S-Snacktime?... Ughhh, finally…”

He was grateful his schedule always included lunch, or ‘Snack Time’ as the kids called it, at the halfway point, so with most of the children distracted with their meals, now was the perfect time to slip away. As the security guards guided each kid to their designated spots for lunch, Sun stood up and slowly tiptoed over to their station desk, hoping to luck out and be escorted back to his room so he could relieve himself of the pain. But the instant he made it to the desk, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Sun grit his teeth before he turned his head to face whoever was trying to grab his attention.

“...What?” Sun snapped back at the guard before they could talk to him.

“-Jesus Sun, turn your volume down, you’re gonna freak the kids out with that attitude.” The guard warned him. “Listen, the kids have requested that you join them during Snack Time. You can try anything they offer you, ONLY if they offer anything to you.”

Sun’s teeth gritting stopped and he softly gasped. That’s right! The kids were always so generous with their treats! Cheesy animal crackers, fudgy brownies with sprinkles, mini blueberry muffins, shoestring chips, and those fruit snacks with the jelly inside, how could he resist? He quickly made his way over to the snack table and sat at the end, where they had reserved him a special seat. Since he towered over the children and the chairs were meant for them to sit in, his legs bowed out to the side when he sat down. His eyes immediately were drawn to the lunch bag of the children who sat next to him, staring hungrily at their food as they removed each item one by one from their bags.

CLICK CLICK…

Sun resisted the temptation to grab any of the food he saw, knowing that he wasn’t allowed to eat anything unless the kids gave him permission. But the pain he felt was practically unbearable to hide from the children, his smile slowly twitching from its highest position downward. He swore he could feel drool beginning to form at the corners of his mouth, like a dog waiting to be told to eat. His pupils shrunk as all of his attention was drawn to the food, his hands shaking in his lap, trying to keep them from touching anything.

CREEEAAKK…

It was becoming too much.

The pain was too much.

The headache was too much.

The back pain was too much.

. . .

“Mr. Sun?” One kid tried to get his attention by tapping him on the arm.

Sun turned his head rigidly and his pupils dilated as he turned his focus on what they were holding out for him. His expression lightened a bit as he noticed they were a little surprised at his appearance, and calmly tilted his head.

“We made this snack plate for you!” The kid offered Sun, smiling as all of the other children nodded and clapped. “Join us!”

He was in disbelief, a whole plate, just for him! Sun couldn’t help but smile warmly as he gently took the plate from the child and placed it right next to him. Finally, he could stop the pain once and for all and have enough energy to finish his shift! He scanned the plate to see what the kids had prepared for him; a little bit of everything, like every child had contributed to preparing his plate. He decided to start with the cheesy animal crackers, and he reached down to grab a couple, when…

“I WANNA TRY SOME!” one whiny child sitting next to him yelled, reaching over the table without much care, and smacked their hand on Sun’s snack plate. “GIMME GIMME!”

Someone touching HIS FOOD!? HIS. FOOD!?

Sun’s eyes darkened and his pupils glowed a dark red, his teeth curling into a snarl, a sharp scowl blanketing over his face as his programming tried desperately to override his actions, but his hunger was too severe to succumb to the override. With a swift and aggressive motion, he snatched the hand of the whiny child with his right hand and gripped it tight, causing their joints to crack.

“OWWWW!” the whiny kid cried out. “YOU’RE HURTING MEEEEE!”

“That’s MY plate- MY PLATE! DON’T TOUCH MY PLATE, OR YOU’RE IN TIME-OUT!” Sun barked. “I NEED TO EAT, YOU GOT THAT, RULEBREAKER!?”

. . .

“...Waaaahhhh!” the kid began to sob, pulling their hand away from Sun once he let go and holding it in their other hand. “You’re a meanie!” “SUN!” One of the security guards alerted him, the others quickly taking over chaperoning the lunch tables. “Come with me!”

Suddenly Sun was jerked from his seat by the head security guard by one of his sun rays, he stumbled standing up and struggled to keep his balance when his head was held so much lower than the rest of his body, like one would drag a child by their ear when they were in trouble. The child who he had grabbed was also led away to a nearby first-aid station in the daycare to make sure the injury to their arm wasn’t bleeding or didn’t leave a mark.

“Ooooo, Mr. Sun’s in trouble!” The other kids mocked, returning to their lunches once he was out of the area.

- - -

“-AGGHH -OOWWW! You’re pulling too hard!” Sun whimpered, the additional pain on top of the pain he was already in was too overwhelming to resist being dragged along.

“Are you out of your fucking mind!?” The guard scolded him, letting go of his sun ray once they had reached Parts and Service. “Do you have any idea what kind of lawsuit we could face if that child goes home and tells their parents that they don’t want to come to the Pizza Plex anymore because you hurt them!?”

“I-I-I didn’t mean to…” Sun stuttered, twiddling his thumbs. “I-I was just stressed, t-that’s all… I just couldn’t help it, I was so hungry I-”

“No fucking excuses, Sun!” The guard cut off his sentence. “I don’t get paid nearly enough to deal with your bullshit, okay? You HAVE to refuel at least once before your shift!... Look, if you’re really having trouble keeping yourself fed, we can just start cutting your work time short or even change the naptime schedule to start before your shift ends-”

‘-NO! No please!” Sun begged, even getting down on his knees and clasping his hands together. “Please please please don’t cut my hours! I don’t think I could stand spending even a minute less with those little angels! I-I’ll refuel on time, I’ll speak up for myself, I promise, PLEASE!”

. . .

CREEAAK WHIIIRRR CLICK CLICK!

Sun’s face glowed red with embarrassment.

“...Umm, heh heh, ouch… Mind giving me a hand now?...”

“...Urgghhh, fine…” the guard grumbled, finding a pack of cookies in a cabinet nearby and handing them to Sun. “Eat. We’ll sort out that kid’s incident report paperwork once your shift is over and the parents come to pick them up.”

Without hesitation, Sun snatched the cookie pack from their hands and ripped it open, wasting no time in shoving a few into his awaiting jaws. The cookie crumbs coated his tongue, and the brown sugar and the semi-sweet chocolate inside the cookies wrapped Sun’s whole head around the absolute ecstasy of delicious flavors he had been dying for. He couldn’t help but let out a small moan of pleasure as his motherboard translated the taste information in his mouth into emotional stimulation in his head, much to the dismay of the security guard. Once the cookies were sufficiently chewed, he swallowed the mouthful down to let the rest of his body take over processing the nutrients into fuel, which took no time at all since the demand for the refueling was quite high. In moments he felt an instant boost of energy, a lightening of his mood, and best of all, the fading away of the pain in his stomach.

“Mmmmm, oh man… I really needed that…” Sun sighed deeply, relaxing his shoulders. “...Thanks for helping me out, I… I should go say sorry to the child I hurt, I don’t want them to think I meant to do that…” “Yeah, probably for the best, but you should maybe refuel a bit more before returning to work.” The guard advised Sun. “You’ve probably burned through more energy than you should’ve, so the energy from that snack might not last the whole twelve hours.” “Ohh, good point.” Sun agreed. “Alright then, whatever you’ve got to offer, I’ll eat.”

- - -

After a bit under an hour, Sun and the security guard returned to the daycare through the massive double doors, where they saw one daycare substitute playing ‘Parachute’ with the kids. Once he was in their line of sight, they were pretty excited to see him return as most of them quickly dropped their corners of the parachute and ran over to give him a hug.

“SUN SUN SUN!” the children cheered. “Did you miss us!?” “Where did you go!?” “Did you die!?” “You missed snack time!”

“Hey everyone!” Sun answered back with glee. “Sorry about leaving you like that, I just got a little out of control and went to time-out, but I feel better now!”

“And now that you do, there’s someone here that is waiting for their apology.” One security guard announced, leading the child that Sun had injured, over to him. “Go on, Sun.”

Oh no…

Sun could see how crushed the kid’s face looked; they didn’t want to make eye contact with him, and were still sniffling from crying earlier. They had a band-aid on their arm where he had grabbed them, so it was obvious whatever damage he had done left a mark of some kind. The kid was clearly traumatized to an extent, and it was all Sun’s fault. He bent down to meet the eye level of the kid and held out his hands for the kid to take.

“I’m… I’m sorry I lost control and hurt you…” Sun apologized. “I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you, it wasn’t fair, and you didn’t deserve that… Can you… forgive me?...”

The child paused before giving Sun a hug back.

“...Okay.” the kid softly chuckled. “Wanna play house now?” Sun smiled wide. He was relieved that everything between them had been forgiven. He just hoped any future confrontation with this child’s parents once they read the incident report would go as smoothly as this apology. But for now, he had a job to do.

“House!? My favorite, sure!” he chuckled, taking their hand and skipping with everyone towards the playhouses. “Who wants to play the mommy and daddy?” “ME! ME! ME!” several children shouted, raising their hands for the part.

“Okay, this group will be the mommies and daddies, and this group will be their little angels!” Sun instructed. “And who should I be?”

The children took a moment to talk amongst themselves to come up with an answer.

“THE DOG!” they giggled, one of them pushing Sun down onto the floor, then on all fours. “-Whoa!” he stumbled, picking himself back up. “Umm, okay, I can play as the dog! Uhh, woof woof!”

“FEED THE DOG!” all the kids playing the children of the playhouses shouted, grabbing various snack pieces they had saved from Snack Time and ran over to Sun with them. “FEED HIM!” “-Wait, what-” Sun started before several pretzels were shoved into his mouth. “-Ommph!”

It was absolutely precious to him, the children had felt so bad for Sun that they worked together during Snack Time to make him a new snack plate, a little something from everyone. He had already eaten his fill in Parts and Service, but the children went out of their way to make it up to him, how could he say no?...

He couldn’t, he was playing the house dog, and the rules of house dog?

Eat anything they fed him.

- - -

The clock struck 7pm, it was time for the children who weren’t staying the night to head home, which today was surprisingly everyone, giving the boys the night off. Sun sighed in relief that his shift was over, which meant he could take the break his body needed, especially after going through such a tough few hours on low battery. He guided the children back to the backpack cubbies with a ‘Goodbye’ song, and got them ready to head home, the security guards handling the checkouts with incoming parents there to pick up their kids. One by one, each child met back up with their parents, many of them eager to relay the day they had to them, and hopefully keeping quiet about any trouble Sun caused one of them. Once every child was accounted for exiting, he made his way over to the ballpit, stepping into it a couple paces before turning around and letting himself fall flat backwards into the plastic balls. He let out a groan and shut his eyes, remembering that just because his time with daycare duty was over, his time of cleanup and maintenance began. But luckily he wouldn’t be doing this task alone.

When his eyes reopened a couple minutes later, his gaze was met with Moon’s, who had just awoken from his sleep and descended from their room via the fly rig he had kept upstairs the whole time. Moon smiled cheekily at Sun’s expense as he hung upside down in front of him. He sometimes took a bit of pleasure seeing his sunny work partner in disarray as it was completely out of his character. He knew Sun had quite the stamina for handling the stress of a long day of caring for children, but even he had a limit, and seeing him cross that limit was amusing to him. Sun replied to Moon’s smile with a scowl, unimpressed with his lack of consideration with access to the fly rig.

“Y’know you could’ve done me a solid before my shift began, Moon.” Sun grumbled, lifting his head up to address him better.

“It’s not my fault they didn’t feed you during your tune-up~” Moon chastised. “You should’ve spoken up and told them you were low.”

“I forgot, okay!?” Sun barked, plastic balls scattering around him when he lunged up and forward to be face to face with Moon. “Just- Help me with cleaning the daycare up for tomorrow, please? I’m… tired…”

“Hehehehe… Very well~” Moon chuckled, fiddling with Sun’s face rays. “Just give me a moment to prepare.”

“...Alright.” Sun sighed, standing back up and removing any plastic balls stuck in his pockets. “...Wait, you’ve had all day to yourself! What could you possibly need to do NOW to prepare!?”

CREEEAAK CLICK CLICK!

Sun stared at him in disbelief. No, he didn’t!

“I need to refuel!~” Moon sang as he ascended back up to their room via the fly rig attached to his back.

“MOOOOON!” Sun angrily yelled and stomped his feet. “GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW AND DO YOUR JOB!”

#five nights at freddy's #fivenightsatfreddyssecuritybreach #fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf sb #fivenightsatfreddysfanart #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #freddy fazballs #short story #sundrop #moondrop #fnaf daycare attendant #daycare attendent

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mingiatz · 2 months ago

Text

Summary: Jiwon, a reserved biotechnology student, never expected her quiet late-night study sessions to include Kang Yeosang—an idol hiding from the world. What starts as an unlikely friendship slowly turns into something deeper. But with secrets, insecurities, and the pressures of fame between them, can they truly belong in each other’s worlds?

Pairing: Kang Yeosang x OC (Jiwon)

Trope: Idol x Fan

Genre: Romance, Slice of Life, Angst, Software & Awkward First Love, Fluff

Featuring: Ateez, OCs, late night walks, Lots of Fluff and Awkwardness

This Series will have multiple Chapters with around 2000 words. I hope you like it. Please be kind this is my first Fanfiction and English is not my first language. (I am open for constructive criticism). I will try to upload a chapter everyday.

Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Three

Jiwon’s POV

Jiwon sat at her desk, staring at the blank page on her laptop screen.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know what to write—her thoughts were already overflowing.

ATEEZ’s latest performance had been nothing short of breathtaking. She had watched it twice live and then another three times after it was uploaded, analyzing every detail. The way the storytelling unfolded through their choreography, the raw emotions behind their vocals—it was the kind of performance that deserved to be broken down properly.

So, she cracked her fingers and began to type.

[Orpheus’ Echo – Blog Post #157]

„The Art of Storytelling in Motion: ATEEZ’s Latest Performance“

There are artists who perform, and then there are artists who tell a story with their very existence.

Once again, ATEEZ proves that they are the latter.

Last night’s performance wasn’t just a showcase of technical skill—it was an emotional experience. From the moment they stepped on stage, it was clear that every movement, every lyric, and every breath had a purpose.

What stood out the most was their ability to merge their ongoing storyline into the performance seamlessly. The intensity in their expressions, the way the dance formations shifted to mirror past choreography—it all spoke of a group that understands how to create a world within their music.

And, of course, let’s talk about Yeosang.

Anyone who has been following their performances knows that Yeosang often gets overshadowed by the louder personalities in the group. But this time? This time, he demanded to be seen.

His stage presence was undeniable. The way he moved—sharp yet fluid, restrained yet powerful—showed a level of control that proves just how much effort he puts into his craft. The way he delivered his lines with that quiet intensity? Chills.

Perhaps that’s what makes ATEEZ so compelling. Each member brings their own energy, their own interpretation, and together, they create something that stays with you long after the stage lights fade.

This isn’t just performance.

This is storytelling in ist purest form.

Jiwon leaned back, exhaling as she read over the post.

She had gotten so lost in writing that she hadn’t realized how late it had gotten.

She hesitated for a moment, then clicked publish.

Almost immediately, her notifications started blowing up.

Jiwon watched the comments flood in, people already agreeing, debating, and discussing.

And somewhere out there, ATEEZ was probably seeing it too.

Yeosang’s POV

“She’s posted again.”

Wooyoung’s excited voice rang through the dorm as he shoved his phone toward the group, grinning.

The members were scattered around the living room, recovering from their hectic schedules. Some were stretched out on the couches, while others were half-distracted by their phones.

But the moment Wooyoung said those words, everyone’s attention snapped to him.

“Orpheus’ Echo?” San asked, already reaching for his own phone.

“Who else?” Wooyoung smirked.

Yeosang exhaled quietly, staring at his own screen.

Of course, it was her.

Orpheus’ Echo was probably one of the most well-known ATEEZ fan blogs, but what set it apart was the depth of ist analysis. It wasn’t just about fangirling—it was about understanding.

And this post?

It was about them.

Mingi, who had been lying on the floor, sat up and grinned. “She really gets it, huh?”

Jongho nodded, scrolling through the article. “She caught details most people missed.”

“She always does,” Seonghwa murmured, eyes flicking across the screen. “That’s why I like reading her posts. They make you feel like you’re seeing the performance from a new perspective.”

Wooyoung, still smiling, nudged Yeosang’s shoulder. “She mentioned you specifically this time.”

Yeosang already knew that.

He had seen his name in the post the second he opened it.

And now, as he read her words again, he felt something unsettle inside him.

And, of course, let’s talk about Yeosang. This time? This time, he demanded to be seen.

Yeosang swallowed.

She had noticed.

She had really noticed.

He had gotten compliments before—from fans, from the members, from staff. But this was different.

This wasn’t just praise.

This was understanding.

And for some reason, it made him think of her.

Not Orpheus’ Echo. Not the faceless writer behind the screen.

But Jiwon.

Yeosang tapped his phone against his knee, lost in thought.

She had to have seen this performance, of course. She wasn’t a hardcore fan, but she listened to their music.

Did she read this blog?

Would she agree with it?

Would she say the same things about him if they talked in person?

“Yeosang-ah,” Hongjoong’s voice broke through his thoughts. “You okay?”

Yeosang blinked, realizing he had completely zoned out.

“Yeah,” he said, too quickly.

Wooyoung smirked, watching him closely. “You sure?”

Yeosang shot him a look. “Yes.”

But the truth was—

He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

When would he see her again?

Would she mention the performance when they talked?

Or would she pretend, like always, that he wasn’t an idol at all?

Yeosang wasn’t sure which option he wanted more.

Jiwon's POV

Jiwon had barely taken her first sip of coffee when Noah’s sharp gaze landed on her.

They were sitting in their usual corner at a small café near campus��a cozy spot that had become their go-to for conversations that neither of them wanted overheard.

Noah had that calm, unreadable expression, but Jiwon knew him well enough to sense when something was coming.

And sure enough, after a moment of quiet observation, he tilted his head slightly and asked,

“So… are you going to tell me about Yeosang?”

Jiwon almost choked on her drink.

She set the cup down and wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, glaring at him. “What about him?”

Noah took a slow sip of his coffee, completely unfazed. “You’ve been meeting him for three weeks straight after that library incident. Should I assume that’s intentional?”

Jiwon frowned. “It’s not like we’re making plans. He just… shows up.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “And you let him sit with you.”

Jiwon sighed. “He’s quiet. He doesn’t bother me. It’s not a big deal.”

Noah hummed thoughtfully. “He doesn’t seem like the type to linger around someone unless he wants to.”

Jiwon hated how easily he saw through everything.

She rolled her eyes. “If you’re asking if I like him, the answer is no.”

Noah leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t look convinced. “You two spend a lot of time together.”

Jiwon crossed her arms. “So? It’s not like we’re dating. We barely talk about anything personal. It’s just casual company.”

Noah tapped his fingers against his cup, studying her. “So you wouldn’t date him?”

Jiwon let out a humorless laugh. “Even if I liked him—which I don’t—it wouldn’t matter.”

Noah narrowed his eyes slightly. “Why?”

Jiwon looked away, tapping the edge of her cup. “Because I don’t belong in that world.”

For the first time, Noah’s expression shifted.

He set his coffee down, leaning forward slightly. “What do you mean?”

Jiwon exhaled, pushing her hair behind her ear. “Come on, Noah. Be realistic. Yeosang is an idol. He belongs to the public. His life is constantly watched. He doesn’t get to be just him.”

She shook her head. “And me? I’m a graduate student who spends most of her time buried in research papers and running an anonymous blog. What part of that sounds like it fits into his world?”

Noah was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. “You’re overthinking.”

Jiwon scoffed. “Am I?”

She leaned back slightly, voice quieter now. “Look at me, Noah. I wear glasses, I’m chubby, and I don’t wear makeup. Do you think I’d survive even a second in an industry that’s obsessed with image?”

Noah’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers stopped tapping against his cup.

Jiwon let out a short, humorless laugh. “Have you ever seen someone like me in that world? Because I haven’t.”

Noah exhaled slowly. “That’s a shitty way to think about yourself.”

Jiwon gave him a tired smile. “It’s not about how I think about myself. It’s about how their world would see me.”

She looked out the window, watching people pass by. “I’d be nothing but a headline. ‘ATEEZ’s Yeosang rumored to be dating an ordinary girl.’ ‘Mysterious girl spotted with idol—fans unimpressed.’ ‘Netizens criticize Yeosang’s rumored girlfriend for not looking the part.’”

She sighed. “I’m not stupid, Noah. I’ve seen it happen before.”

Noah was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. “That’s not fair.”

Jiwon shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be fair. It’s just reality.”

Noah studied her carefully, like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t push. Instead, he simply changed the subject.

“Anyway, I was going to ask if you wanted to meet some of my friends.”

Jiwon blinked. “Huh?”

Noah smirked. “I figured it was time you expanded your social circle.”

Jiwon narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Who are these friends?”

“Just some people I think you’d get along with.”

Jiwon frowned. “That’s vague.”

Noah took another sip of his coffee, clearly enjoying her reaction. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Jiwon sighed, resting her forehead against her palm. She had a bad feeling about this.

Yeosang’s POV

Yeosang had barely made it to the front door when the first voice called out.

“Oh? Going out again?”

He sighed, already regretting not sneaking out sooner.

Yeosang turned his head slightly to see Wooyoung lounging on the couch, a knowing grin stretched across his face.

“It’s late,” Wooyoung continued, propping his chin on his hand. “Not much to do at this hour… unless you have a specific place to be?”

From the other side of the room, San smirked. “Or a specific someone to see?”

Yeosang ignored them, bending down to tie his sneakers.

That was his first mistake—because now, the rest of the members had noticed.

“Ohhh,” Mingi drawled, setting his phone down. “He’s actually going out again?”

Jongho raised an eyebrow. “For the fourth time this week.”

Yeosang stood up, expression neutral, but he could already tell he wasn’t going to get out of this without enduring at least a few more annoying comments.

Hongjoong, who had been sitting quietly at the kitchen counter, finally turned toward him.

“Library again?”

Yeosang nodded. “Yeah.”

Silence.

Then—Wooyoung burst out laughing.

“Damn, man. You’re really committed to this whole ‘studying’ thing.”

Yeosang gave him a blank stare. “What are you trying to say?”

San leaned forward with a smug expression. “We’re saying that no one voluntarily goes to a library this often unless they have a reason.”

Wooyoung smirked. “Or a person.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“Oh, totally.” Mingi nodded, pretending to agree. “You just really love the atmosphere, right?”

Yeosang sighed heavily. “Yes.”

San grinned. “And you just happen to sit at the same table every time?”

Wooyoung clicked his tongue. “And you just happen to walk her home after?”

Yeosang shot them a sharp look.

That was his second mistake.

Because now, all of them knew.

Wooyoung’s grin widened. “Oh, you do like her.”

Yeosang scoffed, shaking his head. “I never said that.”

Jongho, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. “But you also didn’t deny it.”

Yeosang opened his mouth—then closed it.

Because… what was he supposed to say?

That he liked spending time with her?

That he caught himself looking forward to these library meetings?

That just the thought of seeing her again was enough to make his entire day better?

No.

Instead, he just muttered, “I’m leaving,” and headed for the door.

But right before it closed behind him, he heard Wooyoung’s voice sing-songing after him—

“Tell Jiwon we said hiiiii!”

♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡

The moment Yeosang walked into the library, his eyes searched for her.

And there she was.

Seated at her usual spot, glasses slipping slightly down her nose as she scribbled in her notebook, hair tied up in a loose, messy bun.

Yeosang exhaled slowly, feeling his shoulders relax.

She didn’t notice him at first. But as soon as he sat across from her, she looked up—and just like always, she didn’t seem remotely surprised.

“Back again?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Yeosang smirked. “You sound disappointed.”

Jiwon rolled her eyes. “I’m just wondering how long this ‘library phase’ of yours is going to last.”

Yeosang didn’t answer.

Because his mind was somewhere else.

More specifically—on her.

He had seen her like this many times now—barefaced, glasses slightly askew, wearing comfortable clothes that looked warm and soft.

She was so different from the polished, styled girls he often saw in the entertainment world.

And yet—

For some reason, Yeosang suddenly thought, She looks pretty.

The realization threw him off completely.

Yeosang blinked, clearing his throat and forcing himself to focus.

Jiwon frowned slightly. “You good?”

He nodded quickly. “Yeah.”

She gave him a look like she didn’t quite believe him, but thankfully, she didn’t push.

And Yeosang?

He spent the rest of the night trying not to stare.

Jiwon’s POV

A Few Days later

Jiwon had put in zero effort.

She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

After all, Noah’s so-called friends were probably just a bunch of guys from his university.

So she had thrown on her baggy jeans, an oversized cardigan with strawberries embroidered on it, and her usual glasses with no makeup.

She hadn’t even brushed her hair properly—just tied it up in a messy bun.

It wasn’t until she stood in front of the apartment door and Seonghwa opened it that she realized—

She had made a terrible mistake.

Jiwon froze.

Noah, standing beside her, casually walked past her like nothing was wrong.

Seonghwa, looking effortlessly calm as always, greeted them with a small nod. “Hey.”

Jiwon blinked. “Wait.”

She turned to Noah slowly.

“Noah.”

He hummed, stepping inside. “Yeah?”

Jiwon gawked. “Your ‘friends’ are ATEEZ?!”

Noah finally glanced back at her, his expression as calm and unreadable as ever.

“Yeah,” he said simply. “Did I not mention that?”

Jiwon just stared.

Because no, he did not mention that.

And now, as she stepped into the dorm completely off guard, she saw a room full of familiar faces looking right at her.

Mingi was halfway through drinking water when he did a slight double take. “Oh? You’re Jiwon?”

Wooyoung grinned. “Ohhhh, this is interesting.”

Jongho smirked. “Yeosang’s library friend.”

Jiwon’s stomach dropped.

Because if they knew about the library, then that meant—

She turned her head slowly—

And locked eyes with Yeosang.

He was sitting on the couch, staring right at her, expression unreadable.

Jiwon’s mind went completely blank.

Noah, meanwhile, casually sat down and grabbed a drink from the table.

“Well,” he said, “this should be fun.”

Jiwon wanted to die.

Masterlist

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Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and scenarios in this story are entirely fictional and not intended to reflect the real lives of the members of Ateez or any other individuals. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes.

#8 makes 1 team #ateez #ateez fanfic #atzblogging #ateez fanfiction #ateez fic #fanfction ateez #kang yeosang #yeosang #ateez yeosang #yeosang fanfiction #yeosang fanfic

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munsonsreputation · 2 years ago

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ok, ok, envision it, #4 taylor prompt:

steve harrington; i wish you would

congrats on reaching that milestone love! 🫶🏻💖

elizabeth!!!!

my apologies that it took me so long to get to your request 😭😭 i hope i was still able to do it justice and i hope you love it!!

"i wish you would" is one of my fave tracks off 1989 and im so ready for the rerecord of it!! it's also sooo steve harrington encoded -- i hope you like my twist of angsty fluffiness!!!

It was 2AM — too late of a time for either of you to be awake right now.

But Steve was on the other side of the door.

And you were also on the other side of the door.

Just an old wooden door separating the two of you but no one daring to make the first move and open it all because it came down to one thing—pride.

You and Steve had a hell of a lot of pride, which often led to stupid arguments over the dumbest things. Usually, the fight would resolve in a matter of minutes, if not maybe hours. Arguments never exceeded days or weeks—that was until now.

It was safe to say that outside your relationship, you each had lives consisting of managing a VHS store and yours filled with busy days at college completing a very stressful internship. The only time the two of you would get to kick back and relax is when you came home to each other. Spending the winding days in bed or lazily making dinner before falling asleep in each other arms on the couch.

Either way, it was both your and Steve’s preferred way of living.

That is until life got a bit too real and hectic, leading the two of you to spend less time together and more time on different schedules.

Family Video had incorporated a new tracking system which caused Steve to need to stay back later, trying to work through the stupid software so that the opening shift didn’t call him the next morning complaining about it not working.

Your internship was taking a toll on you mentally, requiring you to get up earlier than usual and head to campus in order to get work done before the day ended. Your colleague in the program had totally ghosted you, leaving you to pick up the slack when you weren’t quite sure how much of it you could carry alone.

By the time Steve got home, you were already asleep.

And by the time he woke up you were already gone.

The place you two shared didn’t even feel like a home anymore. Just simply a place where you two were in passing of each other before going off to live completely closed off lives. Suddenly, the energy just shifted, as if the two of you were now a crooked love with no idea where this was headed.

It was brutal for both of you, but of course it was always easier to blame each other instead of figuring out how to work past it. It didn’t help that the both of you were quick with your words, always biting back at one another with insults that neither of you really meant, just being used in the moment to deflect.

It blew up last week when you and Steve had both woken up late. The home phone blaring with calls from Family Video and Robin paging Steve every second. The alarm clock in your bedroom ringing sharply jolting the two of you awake.

Maybe it was the morning grumpiness combined with the exhaustion you two were facing, but either way it resulted in an early morning argument that was like a train running off the tracks.

“When’s the last time we even had dinner together?” You asked sharply as you combed your hair in the bathroom mirror.

Steve lifted his head after he spat out the toothpaste, glaring at you in the reflection. “It’s not my fault that by the time I get home you’re already passed out on the couch. What do you want me to do? Haul your half asleep body into the kitchen and force you to make spaghetti with me?”

You rolled your eyes, throwing your comb back into the drawers, slamming it shut as you walked away from him, though he was hot on your heels, still going on.

“Or wait do you want me to take you to Enzo’s so you can sleep in a booth while I eat never ending breadsticks?”

He watched you fling open the closet doors, grabbing a jacket and throwing it over your outfit, before you stared pointedly at him, “You’re such a fucking dick, Steven!”

“Oh, so I’m the dick now? How about the last time we had an actual conversation with each other that wasn’t just hi, hello, and bye?”

You brushed past him, bending to pick up your backpack and sling it over your shoulder. He reached into the closet, grabbing his vest and throwing it on before following you down the hallway and into the living room.

“Seems like we’re having one right now.” You muttered, grabbing your keys on the coffee table.

“Sure does,” He sighed, reaching for his own car keys.

That morning the two of you went your separate ways, starting off the day on a bad foot with nothing but hatred. But the two of you could never ever hate each other.

That wasn’t what your love was.

It was never formed from hate or thrived off of it.

It was supposed to be the kind that was always understanding and working together, but that was a standard that you knew you and Steve just weren’t capable of all the time.

The two of you were bringing less than a hundred percent to the table combined. There had to be some kind of compromise, a way for it to be settled, but of course, this was just something that was going to get dragged on until you both felt like putting your pride aside and taking the first step.

That fight was the catalyst that led the two of you here. Still standing on the other side of the door—your shared bedroom door that is.

For the past week, Steve was out on the couch while you occupied the bedroom. Not that you kicked him out or banned him from sleeping in bed with you, but you had gotten home the night after the fight and he was already home, knocked out asleep on the couch.

So you left him there, and since then that’s where he slept.

You couldn’t say you felt good about it because you didn’t. His back was probably all sorts of fucked up from cramming himself to sleep somewhat comfortably on that couch. And you had certainly missed his presence beside you in the middle of the night.

Steve didn’t know why he kicked himself out, probably just so you could both get some space and cool off, but he hadn’t meant for it to go on for this long. He missed kissing your forehead goodnight when he finally got home, and he certainly missed the way you’d do the same when you had to leave in the morning.

Right now, it just felt like a lot of yearning for one another because neither of you could remember what you were fighting for in the first place.

For pride?

For ego?

For what?

All you both wanted to do was just give each other the tightest hug and longest kiss because you missed each other that much.

You wanted to cry to him, to tell him that your stupid internship was driving you insane and all you really wanted was for him to hold you and tell you everything was going to be ok.

Steve wanted to vent to you over how stupid that damn tracking system was and how it was driving him up the walls and all he really needed right now was your encouragement to keep going.

He was probably asleep.

You were probably asleep.

Maybe it could wait until morning?

If either of you opened the door to see the other sleeping, it would just make you both want to turn back around and run from actually waking the other to apologize. It was best to just run back under the blankets and wait until you were both awake.

But honestly, the both of were just too exhausted and missing each other to even be mad anymore.

Fuck it…this couldn’t wait and neither of you was going to let it drag on.

“Baby,”

“Babe,”

The two of you stared at each other dumbfounded as if you were ghosts, but it didn’t last long as Steve quickly wrapped his arms around your back, pulling your body into his as you draped your arms around his neck, gluing yourself to him.

“I missed you.” You murmured into the juncture of his jaw and neck.

He could feel the heat of your breath fanning against his skin, a trickle of tears following suit only making him hold you tighter.

“I missed you more…and I’m sorry for being a dick.” He said, breathing in the smell of your hair and he whispered into it.

You sniffled, shaking your head the best you could in his hold, before he loosened, allowing you to look up at him through your watery eyes.

“I’m sorry too…I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I was just so stressed and I missed you too much to tell you how I was really feeling and I—”

He smiled softly at you, letting his thumb brush your tears away as he shook his head, “I did the same, baby. I just wished we didn’t solve it that morning…it would’ve prevented whatever the fuck happened last week.”

You laughed quietly, nodding your head in agreement. “I know. I wished we would have.”

“We can now.” Steve suggested, holding your face in your hands.

You smiled, sniffling once more before letting one of your hands rest on his cheek, “Yeah we can.”

Your lips finally connected after what seemed like a lifetime away. A reminder that while the love you and Steve shared wasn’t always picture perfect, it was certainly something that you both were always going to come back to.

You were each other’s person.

The other half you wanted to go to with all of life’s joys and upsets.

Together.

Sure, maybe you both pushed each other’s buttons way too easily, but it was the love that made the two of you come rushing back to each other.

Because when it mattered and came down to it, you and Steve could never live without each other — no matter the distance or even the stupid internship or job you each had.

Right here and right now, it was all good.

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