#a couple of the other cashiers were ~talking~ for a while before he got more serious w someone else

[microsuedemouse]

figured out how to talk about having a crush on my coworker with someone who actually knows him, without getting too embarrassed/worried about gossip lol. all I had to do was admit it to the former coworker who has moved back to Germany! (she’s also one of my favourite coworkers I’ve had in this past year at the store. I miss herrrr)

as an aside it’s slightly hilarious to me that this confession came about as a result of her seeing me post about work in my ig story and responding like, ‘oh no you’re still there?? weren’t you trying to find another job??’ and I had to admit that like. yeah, I am, but I’m also a little reluctant to leave before graduating from friendly-at-work to friendly-outside-of-work with this nerd. terrible reason to stick with a crummy job, but. combined with how miserable job-hunting is in general… here I am, still

[pxuvalentinx]

Keep Talking | Aventurine x Reader

what if instead of scheduling an interview, he is talking to you and enjoying your sweet voice a little too much?

tags: dub con, phone sex??, masturbation, intended fem reader but can be read as gn!reader too, slight corruption kink, voice kink

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

“Oh yeah? Really?” He asked, a raspy undertone in his morning voice. Aventurine just woke up a couple of minutes ago, while you’ve been up for a few hours already. In fact, your call woke him up. You just had to tell him about your day, and he didn’t mind. No, he loved listening to you talk, your sweet voice was his favourite sound.

He loved hearing you get excited, it always got him smiling and made his dick so terribly hard. Aventurine would often catch himself getting a boner at your mere smile, and he felt like a pervert for it. But in the end it’s not his fault that his girlfriend is just so cute that he constantly has to excuse himself to the bathroom to rub a quick one, because your voice just was a bit higher than usual, or your eyes just looked so innocent today. Your innocence just turned him on that easily.

It wasn’t any different today, he was barely awake, but he could feel something growing in his pants already. You were telling him all about your morning, about the cute cat you saw on your way to the grocery store, how annoying the cashier was, how you almost tripped on your way back home, and how you’ve done almost everything around the house already. Aventurine was trying his best to listen to your words, but his hand was already in his pyjama pants, cupping his underwear covered bulge.

His hips were bucking into his hand. He was trying his best to be absolutely quiet, not to interrupt you. Quiet grunts managed to escape his mouth, barely audible, but you were too busy talking anyway. Eventually his hand slipped into his underwear, pulling it down with his pyjama pants. A very audible sound of his cock slapping against his lower stomach could be heard.

“Are you alright, darling?” You asked. “Yeah, all good, just a fly.” He answered before starting to tease the tip of his dick, precum already decorating it. Aventurine was trying to suppress the whimpers that were stuck in the back of his throat. As he concentrated on your voice, his hand started to carefully stroke his dick. He was trying to imitate the soft strokes you’d always give him whenever you jerked him off. One day he wishes for you to talk to him about your day while jerking him off like that. He knows that he’d absolutely explode within seconds.

His hand was squeezing his shaft, as his thumb rubbed over the rose-pink tip. Aventurine’s lips parted, quietly gasping, his heart was beating so quickly it felt like it was gonna jump out at any moment. Sweat was forming on his forehead, while he rutted into his hand like a dog in heat. You were the only person that could get him this needy by just speaking to him.

“Aventurine?”

“Y-Yeah?” He grunted.

“Are you even listening?”

“Sorry darling, ‘m a bit distracted..can you..ah.. repeat what you said?”

So you did. Not that he picked up anything you said, he was too busy chasing his high, and processing your words wasn’t really part of that — he’d make it up to you another time. He could feel the heat rising in his body. It wouldn’t take long till he finally got that sweet release.

Aventurine’s hand sped up. Oh, if only you knew what was happening on the other side of the phone. He swallowed up all his moans and whimpers, the only thing he could process was your sweet sweet laugh and that did it for him. Huge amounts of that white sticky liquid spurted out of his dick, as your laugh echoed in his head. His freshly washed pyjamas were now ruined, but he couldn’t care less. A chuckle was his response to you.

“Fuck…do you know how much I love you, dear?” He asked while grinning down at the mess he had made.

“Mhm..Of course I do..I love you even more.” You replied. “It’s so sudden though..?”

“Ah, don’t worry, just wanted to let you know.”

Cleaning this up would take a moment for sure.

[yxngbxkkie]

school boy crush (h.j)

hello!! 🩷 i was watching the mv for gone away and thought about this idea for hanji! 🥰 i hope you guys really like it 🥹

feedback is greatly appreciated 🥰

Chan and Jisung walk through the doors of their favorite coffee shop. "How do you feel about doing a writing session later?" Jisung asks the older member, quickly looking up at him.

"Yeah, for sure. You already asked Bin about it?" Chan mentions while the two wait in line.

Jisung nods his head in response, typing a message to the other member as they speak. "Of course, I did. It wouldn't be a 3RACHA writing session if Changbinnie wasn't there," he laughs, locking his phone after sending the text.

Chan laughs and agrees with his statement. He steps up to the cashier before giving his order. "You want coffee?" He asks Jisung, quickly glancing back.

"Yes, please," Jisung answers politely, offering him his card. Chan shakes his head, telling Jisung that he's got it. "You bought it last time. Let me do it, hyung."

"Fine, fine," Chan sighs and grabs the card from his hands.

After paying for the drinks, the two members move towards the pick-up counter. Both Chan and Jisung scroll through their phones as they wait for their drinks to be ready. Three loud knocks on the window startle the two members, and they look back to see you standing outside the café.

You wave at them before rushing into the coffee shop. "Hi, Chan! Hi Hanji!" You greet them with a quick hug.

Jisung's heart starts pounding in his chest, the scent of your perfume reaching his nose. "Hi," he whispers, wishing the hug you gave him lasted a smidge longer.

"I thought you were busy today," Chan mentions after greeting you.

"Yeah, I thought I was too," you scoff, rolling your eyes. The barista calls out Chan's name, and the brunette holds a finger up to stop you, turning to grab their drinks.

He hands Jisung his before the three of you walk out of the café. "So, what happened?" Chan asks.

The three of you walk down the street together, the two members slowly sucking down their drinks. "This fucking guy messaged me this morning and said that he couldn't make it," you inform him while crossing your arms over your chest.

"Really?" Chan groans, shaking his head. "I told you he wasn't good for you."

Jisung looks between the two of you, staying silent in the conversation. "I know, but I thought he'd be different," you sigh, tilting your head back.

The younger member's heart clenches in his chest at the sight of you. "Well, listen," Chan pipes up, snapping Jisung from his gaze. "We don't have anywhere to be for a couple of hours. Why don't we do some shopping?"

"I don't want to intrude," you mention to them, your eyes dancing between the two members.

"You're not," Jisung intervenes, holding a hand out. He smiles softly at you and tears his gaze from you, feeling his cheeks warm up. "I promise."

"Okay," you cave, grinning widely.

Chan and Jisung look at one another before returning their eyes to you. "Great!" Chan excitedly says, clapping his hands together. "Let me go call our driver. I'll be right back."

Jisung watches as Chan walks back into the coffee shop, not wanting the noisy streets to disrupt the phone call. You stand beside Jisung with your hands shoved into your pockets.

A part of you wishes you could talk to him more. You think he's a really cool guy, after all the stories Chan has told you. But, every time you get the chance, you get nervous.

"I'm sorry," Jisung says suddenly, getting you out of your head. You glance up at him as he keeps his gaze on the sidewalk. "About that guy ditching you. He's an idiot."

Your heart flutters in your chest, and you release a deep breath. "It's okay," you reassure him. "It's his loss."

He nods his head in agreement, taking a quick glance at you. "Definitely," Jisung chuckles before taking a sip of his coffee.

You make eye contact with one another, and both of you look away just as fast. You press your lips together as Chan rejoins you.

"Okay," he mentions, shoving his phone into his pocket, "Skijigi said he'll be here in five minutes."

"Are you sure you guys want to spend part of the day with me?" You ask the two of them while you wait.

Both Chan and Jisung scoff at your question, making your eyes widen. "We couldn't be more sure right, Hannie?" Chan nudges the member's shoulder.

"Right, for sure," Jisung agrees, running a hand through his hair.

A black SUV pulls up to the curb, and Chan walks to the vehicle first. He opens the back door before greeting the staff members inside. Jisung gets into the vehicle next, and you follow closely, sliding in afterward.

Your thigh brushes against Jisung's, and you swear you could combust right here. You place your hands in your lap as the two members start to look through their phones again.

You find yourself looking back and forth from Jisung to what's going on outside. The ride to the nearest shopping center, thankfully, doesn't take that long. You're not sure how much longer you can take being in close proximity.

Once the car parks outside of the large building, you quickly get out. You tuck some hair behind your ear as the other two get out after. Chan leads the three of you into the shopping mall, and you thank him while walking past him.

"You doing okay?" Chan asks as you walk around.

You hum and nod your head. "Yeah, I'm alright," you tell him while lifting your head.

"Han didn't offend you or anything while I was on the phone?" He questions, intentions of scolding his member in mind. "Because the two of you are acting a little strange."

"No, no, God no," you shake your head, resting a hand on Chan's arm. "He just… he makes me a little nervous."

A knowing smirk grows on Chan's lips as he glances towards Jisung. "He does? I didn't know that," he giggles, nudging you lightly.

You roll your eyes, and you shove him. "Shut up!" You laugh a little too loud, capturing Jisung's attention.

He eyes the two of you cautiously before looking forward again. The smile on your lips drops after noticing the sad look in his brown eyes.

"Don't tell him I told you this," Chan whispers into your ear as you all walk into a store, "but you make him nervous too."

Your breath hitches in your throat as you look back up at him. "I do?" You whisper.

"One hundred percent," he giggles.

From where you're standing, you can see Jisung looking through the men's section. Your hands are still on the clothes you're looking through when his eyes meet yours. You smile at him before looking back at the clothes.

"You two would be cute," Chan hums, teasing you lightly.

"I hate you," you laugh, shoving the older member away from you.

Chan giggles some more before walking away from you. You smile to yourself as you find an article of clothing you really like. It's a pair of baggy jeans, something you've been trying to get into recently.

"These are so cute," you whisper to yourself while toying with the price tag, checking it. A gasp leaves your lips, and you put them back, not being able to afford them right now.

"Whatcha looking at?" Jisung whispers, startling you from your thoughts.

You jump in your spot, taking a couple of steps to your right. Jisung smiles softly at you while glancing towards the pair of jeans.

"I found these jeans I like, but I just… can't afford them right now," you chuckle nervously, shuffling your hair.

"I'm sure Chan would get them for you," he mentions while checking them out as well.

You shake your head, and you begin to walk away. "I can't ask him to do that. I'll just wait on them," you tell him, motioning for him to follow.

Jisung watches you leave the store, meeting up with Chan. He makes sure you're distracted before grabbing the jeans you were admiring.

~

Hyunjin's hands cover your eyes as he leads you blindly into their dorm. Giggles leave your lips while you hold both of your hands out, making sure not to run into anything.

“Is this necessary?” You ask aloud, attempting to turn to look at Hyunjin.

“Yes! Hush now,” he says with a light huff. “On three, you can open your eyes.”

You nod your head, and Hyunjin begins to count down. As soon as he says one, your eyes open.

“Surprise!” The rest of the members stand in the kitchen, a cute cake sitting on the table.

Your jaw drops as your eyes instantly find Chan's, knowing it was his idea. He walks up to you first and brings you into his chest.

“Happy Birthday, Y/N,” Chan smiles, messing up your hair a bit.

A groan leaves your lips, and you playfully push him away from you. You fix your hair and thank them, leaning forward to blow the candle on the cake out.

“You guys didn't have to do this,” you mention while Jisung grabs a few gift bags.

He sets them on the coffee table, motioning for you to sit down. “We wanted to,” Jisung smiles at you and sits next to you.

Your cheeks hurt from smiling so much, feeling really grateful to have friends like them. You thank the members before grabbing one of the gift bags.

The gifts begin to pile beside you, having one more gift left. “I still think you guys didn't need to buy me anything,” you chuckle while grabbing the small card, noticing that it's from Jisung.

“Well, Chan wouldn't let us be the gift,” Seungmin jokes, sitting on the arm of the chair.

Chan smacks the back of his head playfully, telling the younger member to shush. “You're an important person in our lives. You deserve to let us treat you,” Chan explains with a smile.

You smile widely while opening the card in your hands. You read the sweet message he wrote on it, finding yourself blushing a bit. You glance towards Jisung and see him holding out a medium-sized gift.

A quiet thank you comes from your lips, tucking the card back into the envelope. You grab the wrapped gift from him before gently opening it. “Jisung,” you gasp at the sight of the jeans you wanted.

“Happy Birthday,” he whispers loud enough for you to hear.

“Thank you again,” you smile at him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

His cheeks blush, and he looks down at his lap after you pull away. You pull the pair of jeans out from the gift box, showing the other members.

“Oh, those are so cute!” Hyunjin mentions while reaching for them. “Jisung, you bought this?”

Hyunjin's eyes dance towards the younger member. Jisung raises his head and clears his throat. “Y-Yeah, after noticing how much Y/N wanted them,” he explains, wondering how red his face is.

Your heart flutters in your chest as you look back at Jisung. “I love it,” you tell him, nudging his arm with yours.

“I'm glad,” he whispers to you again, moving to rest his hand on your leg.

“Boys,” Chan says, capturing everyone's attention. “Why don't we go get some wine to celebrate?”

The others start to agree, and you watch the seven of them walk towards the door to their apartment. Jisung stands up from the couch, and Chan stops him.

“Stay here and keep the birthday girl company,” he mentions with a smirk, causing Jisung's eyes to widen slightly.

You look between Jisung and Chan before chuckling softly. “They'll be back soon,” you reassure Jisung, patting the seat next to you.

He sits back down beside you as the front door shuts. Silence fills the apartment, and you start to gather your gifts in one pile, picking up the wrapping paper.

“You like what you got?” Jisung asks after a few minutes, his eyes on you.

You nod your head while sitting back down, patting his thigh gently. “I do. I appreciate you guys so much,” you mention with a sigh. You rest your head against the back of the couch, admiring his side profile. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” he says, turning his head towards you.

“Did you buy the jeans when we went shopping? Is that why you took so long?” You question.

He nods his head in answer, adjusting his seating position. “You looked so defeated when you saw the price. I just wanted to make you happy,” Jisung explains, his boba eyes meeting yours.

“You make me so happy,” you sigh, reaching a hand out to comb it through his hair.

“Really?”

You nod your head and glide your hand down to his cheek. You stroke the supple skin before leaning in. You can hear his breath hitch in his throat, and your heart beats wildly against your chest.

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” You ask him, not wanting him to be uncomfortable.

“God, please,” he mumbles.

You giggle and connect your lips with his. A groan comes from him as he immediately kisses you back. The kiss doesn't last for long, Jisung pulling back after a minute or so.

“I like you a lot,” he rambles, resting his forehead on yours.

“I couldn't have guessed,” you tease him, giggling before kissing the tip of his nose. He scoffs playfully, pushing you lightly. You wrap your arms around his neck, bringing him back towards you. “I like you too, Han Jisung. So, so, so much.”

~

tagging: @strawboorybunny @reddesert-healourblues @spacegirlstuff @moon0fthenight @foxinnie8 @like-a-diamondinthesky @prettymiye0n

[rubyreduji]

timeless — ljh

summary: you’ve just met jihoon, yet something about him feels familiar

tags: fluff, romance, reincarnation?, gn!reader warnings: arranged marriages, mentions of death and war  reader notes: no pronouns or explicit gender descriptions but they do take a more feminine role in history, jihoon picks up the reader but my mans is strong okay don’t worry wc: 10.3k an: i’ve been writing this for over a month now fjdskla and i like the finished product but im a bit worried the format is choppy but either way please enjoy and show it lots of love...also happy first fic of the 2nd year of rubyreduji!!!

“Soonyoung, stop it!” You scold your best friend as he giggles at you.

“Just go talk to him!” Soonyoung tells you, pushing you towards the door to the antique shop next to your favorite boba place. 

Him refers to the cute cashier you always see through the windows when you and Soonyoung go and get boba (which is about three times a week). It’s nothing more than a hallway crush but Soonyoung keeps insisting that it could be more than that if you would just go talk to him. 

You don’t actually want to talk to the boy who stands at the counter with a smile, but before you can stop him Soonyoung is opening the door to the store and forcing you inside. When you turn around to chew your best friend out, you find him not there, his back already retreating to the boba shop. 

A part of you wants to just dash back out the door but the bell attached to the door has already gotten the attention of the cashier and you can’t escape now.

“Welcome to The Eternity Emorpium, today anything marked with a green sticker is 20% off.” The voice isn’t what you expected Cute Cashier to sound like but when you turn around to face him, you realize you’re not talking to Cute Cashier at all.

Rather than the tall boy with glasses you’ve been peeking in on for the past few months, you come face to face with a short yet buff boy with long black hair. He most definitely is not the guy you came in for, but you have to admit he is just as (if not more) cute than the other cashier.

You’re not sure how you didn’t notice that your normal Cute Cashier wasn't behind the counter, but in your defense you were too busy fighting off Soonyoung.

You give the new cashier—who you have now dubbed Even Cuter Cashier—a smile, before pretending to look at all of the memorabilia set out. The actual shop is nice with an obvious theme and specific layout that only someone with an eye for aesthetic and organization could create. On the speakers a Bruno Mars song is playing and you wonder if it's the cashier who has control over the music or just a general store playlist.

You feel awkward walking around the shop, letting out fake hums every once in a while to make it seem like you're actually shopping and not just sneaking glances at Even Cuter Cashier whenever you can. You stop in front of a playing card deck and you pick it up, flipping it over in your hand a couple of times.

"Oh, we just got those in," Even Cuter Cashier says, startling you a bit. "Put them on the floor this morning. You into cards?"

"Oh, uh," Shit. This is your chance to talk to him, "yeah. My dad is more of a collector than I am, but I can see the appeal."

"Nice. Yeah I'm more of a guitar collector myself, but my wallet wishes I wasn't," he says and you both laugh.

"That's cool though. I would love to learn how to play an instrument but I definitely don't have the talent or patience for that." As you speak with the man you slowly start to drift towards the counter.

"Hey, anyone can be talented, it just takes practice." You quickly glance down at Even Cuter Cashier's name tag to see his actual name is Jihoon.

"Good inspirational quote, but I think I'll just stick to the playing cards," you tell him with a grin as you set the pack down in front of him.

Jihoon just pushes the cards back to you and when you give him a questioning look he just grins. "They’re on the house.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” you tell him.

“I wanted to,” he says. “Maybe it’s just my plan to get you to come in here again.”

You smile at Jihoon, your face starting to turn a bit hot. You pick up the pack of cards and bid goodbye to the cashier before turning and leaving. Soonyoung is standing outside the door with two boba cups in hand. He peeks in when you open the door and frowns.

“That’s not Cute Cashier.”

“Nope! That’s Even Cuter Cashier,” you tell your best friend.

“You’re abandoning the other guy already?”

“I can’t abandon someone I don’t even know,” you scoff, “and anyway, I think I like Even Cuter Cashier. Something about him…it feels like destiny.”

Soonyoung laughs at you, but you ignore him, your mind still lingering on the dark haired boy from earlier. The more you think about him, the more your heart starts to grow warm. You can’t place it, but something about Jihoon feels familiar, and you need more.

1500s

“You are to be married to Prince Wonwoo before the solstice hits.”

Your head shoots up, staring at your father, not sure if you hear his words correctly. There’s no possible way he said that. You can think of a dozen reasons why that’s impossible, a few including: 1. You’ve never met Prince Wonwoo in your life, why would he want you as his betrothed? 2. You two did not have a courtship and it would be a scandal for you two to get married without presenting as a couple to the public first. 3. Your family is not nearly important enough to be noticed by royalty. 4. (And this is the biggest one) You are in love with someone else.

Well, your father doesn’t know that you’re in love with someone else, but it’s still an important fact to note.

Despite all of these reasons, your father continues to talk about the arrangement, not noticing the shock on your face. You wonder about how it came to be, and without you hearing even a whisper about it.

“You will be meeting with a royal advisor in two days, please do not cause any trouble.” With that your father walks ways, leaving you with a million questions brewing your mind.

The main one being: how are you going to tell Jihoon about this?

For over a year now you’ve been seeing the same man, sneaking out whenever you can to meet him. He came into town with a bang (quite literally — his caravan practically falling apart with all of his belongings crashing to the ground as it did) and you’ve been captivated by him since. 

Your days are never boring when Jihoon is around, the two of you either going on adventures or hanging out in Jihoon’s (new) caravan. Though, you think your most favorite times spent with Jihoon are late at night, when you two meet up on the outskirts of your estate grounds, right on the edge of the forest.

There never is any guessing as to what Jihoon has planned. Some days you two walk around the garden under the moonlight, talking and gazing up at the stars, while other nights you’re whisked off to another town to dance the night away in a hidden tavern. You love the guise of the night, being able to do whatever and be whoever without the fear of onlookers and their judgment. It’s just you and Jihoon in your own little world.

Maybe that’s why you’ve been keeping him a secret for so long, you like keeping him all to yourself. No one can taint your relationship if they don't know about it. Though you suppose that has backfired on you now.

You don’t see your father for the rest of the night and when the sunsets and you slip out the back door and walk down to the forest edge, you do it with a heavy heart. As always Jihoon is standing next to the tree he carved your initials in, a wide grin on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

As soon as he spots you approaching his face lights up in a grin. He trots up to you the rest of the way, scooping you up into a hug.

"I've missed you," he says, pressing kisses to your lips and cheeks. You giggle at his antics.

"You saw me two days ago, my dear."

"Oh but that's two days too long for an aching heart in love." 

Other people may think it's cheesy but you can't help but adore the sweet way Jihoon talks to you, always putting his poet background to good use. You smile as Jihoon holds you in his arms, but soon the good mood is ruined by the news you remember you have to break to him.

"What's wrong, my love?" Jihoon asks, seeing the fallen look on your face. He reaches up and pushes your hair out of your face, a habit he has picked up since you two met. 

You just sigh and shift so you're out of Jihoon's embrace. Automatically you miss his strong arms around your waist, but you can't bear to look at him as you talk.

“My father has given me away to another man,” you tell him in a hushed voice. 

“Who?” Jihoon responds automatically. “I won’t let him take you. I-I’ll fight.”

You finally turn towards Jihoon, the solemn look still firm on your face. “I’m betrothed to Prince Wonwoo.”

“Prince Wonwoo?!” Jihoon looks taken aback. You don’t blame him. Suddenly he deflates. “How am I going to beat that?”

You’re not sure how to respond. The truth is Jihoon can’t compete. That doesn’t mean you’re going to give up hope on him, though.

“We’ll…we’ll figure something out,” you finally say. You step closer to Jihoon, allowing him to wrap you up in his embrace once again.

“I’m not giving up on us,” Jihoon tells you, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“We’ll be fine. We have to be.”

When your father told you you’d be meeting with a royal advisor, this isn’t exactly what you were expecting.

When you arrived at the castle you were amazed at the size of it, but you weren’t allowed to gawk for long, being ushered into a sitting room where two men were already conversing. Neither were your soon to be husband though and you wondered when you might actually get to meet the prince.

The two men soon introduced themselves as Soonyoung and Mingyu, two of Prince Wonwoo’s most trusted men. Now two hours later, you’re starting to question the judgment of your betrothed.

Not only are the men completely scatterbrained and disorganized, they also seem to bicker more often than not, making it difficult for you to understand everything they’re telling you. The only thing you really comprehend is that you’re going to be spending a lot more time with the two men up until the wedding.

You’re given a schedule at the end of the day, your upcoming weeks all planned out for you already. Meeting with wedding coordinators, royalty training, garment fittings, and everything else of the like. You frown, thinking about your normally free schedule has now been filled.

Luckily for you, the meeting finished earlier than expected and you don’t hesitate to direct yourself towards the area where Jihoon’s caravan resides. Your lover is delighted to see you but before he can get any words out you’re throwing yourself at him, pulling him into a kiss. You’re desperate to drown in Jihoon and forget reality even just for a moment.

It isn’t until later that you and Jihoon finally exchange words. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Jihoon says. You two lay next to each other on his bed, bare bodies pressed together under the linens. Your head rests on his chest and his hands card through your hair. “Was I not satisfactory in taking your thoughts away? What is troubling your mind so much?

“Prince Wonwoo.”

“You’re thinking about Prince Wonwoo after laying so intimately with me?”

“No! Well yes, but- I- shut up,” you grumble, smacking Jihoon’s chest, making his laugh.

You’ve never met the prince before, though you are well knowledged on him. It’s hard not to be when he is to take over the crown in a few years. You try not to think about how that will make you the queen consort.

You’ve only seen Prince Wonwoo in person a handful of times, none too recently, but you still know the prince is very handsome. Not as handsome as you find Jihoon, though you may be a bit biased. He’s also said to be kind, smart, level-headed, and well calculated. You suppose it could be worse. 

“I met with his advisors today,” you tell Jihoon. “I guess it’s just all hitting me. This really is going to happen.”

“Hey, listen to me,” Jihoon moves so he can stare at you in the face, “no matter what happens, I will always love you. My heart is still yours.”

“And mine yours,” you tell him softly. “I love you Lee Jihoon. Never forget that.”

You don’t see Jihoon for a while. Your schedule is packed with futile meetings that take up your day and with the news of your engagement to the prince (who you have still yet to meet), there are guards outside of your estate at night.

You suppose you are fortunate that Mingyu and Soonyoung have grown on you in the past few weeks. Though you still think them foolish, you also have a fondness for the pair. You see why Prince Wonwoo puts his trust in them. You find yourself wanting to confide in them, though there is one thing that still remains a secret.

It isn’t until the night before your wedding that you see your love. You are able to lose your guards for a second and you make a beeline straight to Jihoon’s caravan. He’s still awake, sitting outside and staring up at the starry sky when you approach.

“My dear,” you call out to him. Jihoon looks away from the sky to meet your face, a look of surprise flashes over his face before they form into a soft smile.

“You know you really shouldn’t be out so late at night, it is not safe.”

“Well then, why don’t you help me find some shelter kind sir,” you tell him. Jihoon just grins and grabs your hand, pulling you into his home. 

You two spent the night wrapped up in each other, exchanging soft kisses and even softer words. When the morning comes Jihoon is still asleep when you awake and while you’d love to give him a proper goodbye, you know you already pushed your luck enough spending the whole night out.

You quickly find a quill and some ink and you grab a piece of Jihoon’s writing parchment and scribble a quick note to him before slipping out the door. It’s only after the caravan is out of sight that you let your tears fall.

The first time you meet Prince Wonwoo is at the altar. Up close he’s even more handsome than you imagined, with soft facial features and kind eyes. You can’t help but still feel a bit disappointed, staring at the stranger in front of you as you recite your wedding vows.

The chapel where you are being wed is packed full of people, mostly nobility. Your attire is suffocating, despite being fitted for it thrice. Across from you, the prince keeps a neutral face and you wonder about his own involvement in this arrangement. 

He’s dressed in a formal outfit fit for royalty. The colors pair with your own dressings and you wonder what you two look like from the outfit. A newly bonded couple who will eventually be ruling the whole country. Are you two a handsome, strong presenting couple? Or do you two look like two fools who have never met before?

You were surprised at the way the public took the news of the engagement. You were expecting backlash against the prince, but he is well loved by the public and they were all happy to see the young man finding a partner to settle down with before stepping up to the throne. Despite never having been seen together in public before today, there was a wide talk of your (fake) courtship and how you must be very lucky to have the prince hold your heart.

If only they knew that a lonely, penniless poet was the real caretaker of your love.

It isn’t until the words leave the officiant’s mouth that you realize you will have to kiss the prince. Not only to end the ceremony but for the public to see you two unite as one. You must look as taken aback as you feel because your now husband takes the initiative, stepping forward to close the distance between you two.

Wonwoo cups your face gingerly, his hands are cold and his fingers are boney. He stares at you for a moment, dark eyes gazing into your soul, before he finally leans in.

The moment his lips press against yours you want to jerk out of his hold. It feels wrong. Your lips don’t fit together nicely and there’s no warmth exchanged between you two. You’re both stiff and you note how Wonwoo’s lips aren't as full as Jihoon’s. 

The kiss is over within seconds but the damage has been done and you can’t shake the dirty feeling that has grown under your skin. Wonwoo’s hand slides down your arm to clasp your fingers together. Another sign of unity for the public. You force a smile on your face, but the only thing you can think about is how your heart is miles away, in a small caravan on the edge of town.

My love,

I am not sure how you were able to convince the prince’s closest man to be a part of this, but I cannot say am I ungrateful for him. Though I do find him quite eccentric (and slightly obnoxious) I must give him my gratitude.

I miss you tremendously, but the past few letters you have sent me have been acting as bandages over my heart. I read them whenever I feel an ache of your absence, which is quite often.

It is unfortunate you find royal life boring. If I could, you know that I would sweep you off to the farthest lands where we would explore the area during the day and revel at night. I would show you the large world out there and we could experience new joys together. 

How I long to have you lay by my side at night. To feel your soft, tender skin against my fingertips. It pains me to even think about it, but it would kill me not to. 

I will never stop fighting for us.

Write back soon,

Your Jihoon

My darling,

I saw you today. I was taken quite off guard when I saw you riding in the carriage, next to Prince Wonwoo. I admit, you two make a handsome couple, but not more handsome than us.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen your beautiful face in person, that even seeing you with another man made my heart sing. I couldn’t pull my eyes from you, doing my best to soak in the sight of you because you were once again gone.

You looked quite winsome sitting in the carriage, but you did not look like you. Are you required to wear such extremities every day, or were you dressed for the occasion? Either way I cannot imagine the process of getting ready to be a swift one. 

If I am being honest I do not find the purpose of such efforts. Does the prince not find your natural beauty fit to his standards? If so then off with him. Any person with eyes would be fortunate to gaze upon you. I know I was.

Seeing you has only made me yearn more for you. I know it has only been a few weeks since your matrimony to Prince Wonwoo, but to me it has been lifetimes. How I crave to feel your touch, to hear your voice, to kiss your lips.

I know that the idea is futile but I will never give up on you. No matter what, I am still yours. And I hope you are still mine. Even if I only see a glimpse of you once every decade, my heart will still burn for you.

Forever yours,

Your Jihoon

To my heart,

Though you are always in my thoughts, you have been overtaking my mind more often than not lately. Please do not think I am upset about this, it is quite the opposite, but I am afraid I have been missing you a great deal more than usual.

Maybe it is due to a conversation I had the other day. I was at a tavern, catching up with an old acquaintance who was in town, and you came up. Jeonghan questioned if there was a reason why I had settled here and wondered if it was ‘due to my heart’. I laughed and confirmed his suspicions.

We spent a deal of time after that talking about you. It felt liberating being able to speak of you to someone else. I must have rambled on for at least an hour before Jeonghan finally cut me off, telling me how lucky I must be to have someone like you in my life. I had no choice other than to agree with him.

Speaking about you and thinking about you has thrown me into a tumultuous frame of mind. It is quite shameful how often I get lost in fantasies of us and what I wish we could be. You have overtaken my mind, body, and soul. There is not a single night where I do not dream of you.

I hope our future king can see how fortunate he is to be married to you. I would kill thousands of men to be in his position. Your smile itself is worth more than every jewel on his crown. I know I am just waxing poetic at you, but that is my job.

I know we must stay apart, but please mourn the future we could have had for me. Please write back to me with every thought you have about our imaginary future, because even if I cannot have the real thing, my dreams will be enough for me.

Dream of me as well,

Your Jihoon 

The life between you and your husband is…comfortable. You two talk, but not often and seldom about anything that is not shallow or mundane. You two sleep side by side at night but the last time you two touched each other was when you danced at your wedding and while his days are spent in meeting, yours are spent wandering the castle grounds and having tea with Soonyoung and Mingyu.

The only thing you find yourself looking forward to in your days anymore is the nightly lettering that you receive from Jihoon. It was only a week into the marriage when Soonyoung noticed how miserable you were. Without being able to hold it in anymore, you told the man about your lover and your heartbreak. It was then that Soonyoung suggested he help you out, acting as a carriage pigeon to deliver letters to and from Jihoon.

One night you are sitting at the desk in your shared chambers with Wonwoo, writing your letter for Jihoon, when Wonwoo speaks up. He is sitting on the bed across the room and his deep voice startles you, not used to talking to the man like this.

“Are you happy?” Wonwoo asks you bluntly, after calling out your name. You take only a moment to form an answer.

“I am content, my lord,” you tell him. Though you have stopped referring to the man as “Prince Wonwoo” in your mind, you cannot help but tack on the formal titles at the end of your sentences to the man.

“But you are not happy. Why?”

“Rest assured your highness, it is nothing you’ve done.”

“Does it have anything to do with the letters Soonyoung delivers to you each evening? The letters you are writing back right now?” You freeze in your seat. You were unaware he knew, but the prince is not ignorant. You suppose you couldn’t keep it a secret forever.

“I-”

“Do not mistake my curiosity for accusation. I’m aware this arrangement is not an ideal situation, and I would not be upset if there was another. I would not even be upset if you wish to be with him,” Wonwoo says. 

His words trouble you. There is a benefit for both of you in the marriage, but his words imply he is not exactly happy with the arrangement either. The offer to let you leave him is strange though, and causes you to fault for a moment.

“I am not going to abandon you, sire,” you eventually respond. “I have made an obligation to you.”

“No, your father did. Though we are not well acquainted I still hold empathy and I do not want to be what is keeping you from your happiness. From your happy ending.”

“Either way my father’s word is say, so I will do what he asks of me. It is an honor to be wedded to a man of your status,” you tell him, trying to convince yourself more than anything.

“But that is all it is: status. What about love?”

You don’t answer. You sit there and stare down at the letter you are writing to Jihoon. You think about the wooden box hidden in the drawer that holds his letters.

“Please, I do not wish to cause you turmoil. If you want to go, I will not hold you back,” Wonwoo says. 

You finally turn to look at your husband. “You are very kind-hearted, but I cannot accept that offer. I will not tarnish your reputation like that. Do you know the talk that would rise if they heard the soon-to-be king’s spouse up and left? What would your father do to mine? It is too risky.”

Wonwoo has a morose look on his face, like he knows you’re right. “Tell me about him,” he says, surprising you.

You hesitate. You should not talk of your lover to your husband. It is unorthodox and unbecoming. You look at Wonwoo’s curious face though, and you can’t help yourself.

“He’s a poet. I’ve never met someone who can use words the way he does. Even in things as simple as short letters or passing comments, he can make it sound like the most romantic sentence ever uttered,” you tell Wonwoo.

“Tell me more.”

“He has a kind soul, like you. He’s very exciting to be around. He used to travel the world, so I love to hear him regale the tales of his adventures. He likes to take me on our own little adventures as well. One time a traveling show came through a neighboring town and he got us tickets to go watch.”

“You love him greatly.” It is not a question. You just nod to Wonwoo. “You light up when you speak of him. In a way I’ve never seen before.”

You don’t know what to say to him, so you turn your back to him once more, resuming your letter to Jihoon.

You love Jihoon, everyday apart from him feels like you’re struggling to breathe, and under any other circumstance you wouldn’t have stopped at anything to be with him, but you are not under those circumstances. You fought your father, refusing the marriage, even telling him you loved someone else, but he did not listen. He told you this was the one thing he would put his foot down on.

You can’t blame him, how often does someone get the chance to marry a prince. The things this marriage is doing for your family is immeasurable and you cannot in good conscience leave them without a second thought. Not to mention the damage it would do to your family’s reputation, let alone Wonwoo’s. Your family would be shunned by the public and Wonwoo would be labeled a joke of a king.

Not to mention if it was ever discovered what really happened. What would happen if everyone found out why you left? You and Jihoon would surely be ostracized. Town piranhas in even towns in other kingdoms. Jihoon’s career as a poet would be over. You can’t imagine that being a happy life.

Not that you’re particularly happy right now either. You wish you didn’t overthink everything, or else you would have left the town even before you got married. You and Jihoon could be living in his caravan, just you two alone, safe and sound and happy.

It is too late for that though, and now you have to pay the consequences. Married to a man you know nothing about. A man who seems to be rooting for you despite the outcome. It makes you frown. Maybe your first step in figuring it all out is figuring out your husband first.

“Have you ever been in love, my lord?” You decide to ask Wonwoo one day while walking the castle’s grounds. As of recently you two have gotten closer, an interesting bond forming between you two, though most of your time is spent talking of Jihoon. Wonwoo never draws back on his suggestions that you follow your heart. 

“Not in the way you are. I was very fond of someone a long time ago, but they loved someone else.” You frown at this news. 

“Please excuse the crudeness of my words, sire, but then why do you put so much mind into my love? Do you not wish to be wed to someone?”

“I do,” Wonwoo answers after a moment of contemplation, “but I do not want to be the reason why true love is separated. You and your Jihoon, you are a story of fate. Who am I to get in the middle of it? The public likes me enough, I will be okay. No matter what, I will be okay, but will you?”

Your heart aches and yearns for Jihoon, and your husband is not making it easier. That may have been his goal though.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” You ask Wonwoo. You frown as you stand in front of him, your stomach in knots of worry.

Wonwoo just gives you a soft smile. “I am sure. If anything, I should be worrying about you. Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes. Both Soonyoung and I checked twice. You have ensured that everything will run perfectly.” You reach over and take your husband’s hands in yours, squeezing them tightly. “Thank you, Wonwoo. For everything.”

“Ah, it is the least I could do. Now, you have somewhere to be and I cannot keep you waiting any longer. Send me letters, okay?” With a final squeeze of your hands, Wonwoo lets you go. You smile at the man once more before turning away from him and not looking back.

You slip out of the castle through the servant’s doors and quickly make your way to the outskirts of the grounds. It reminds you of all those times you escaped your own house to meet Jihoon at the edge of the forest. The thought makes a grin grow on your face as you speed up your pace even more.

Just like all the previous times, when you get to the edge of the estate Jihoon is standing there waiting for you. You launch yourself into his arms, allowing him to pick you up and twirl you around. He’s giggling high pitched and gleeful as you two spin around in each other’s arms.

When Jihoon finally puts you down he doesn’t waste a moment and leans in to kiss you. You happily kiss him back, grabbing his face and holding him in place. You can feel a wet stream of tears run down your face, your heart bursting with joy as you reunite with your lover.

His lips are familiar against yours and you automatically feel at home. For the first time in months you can relax, finally back in Jihoon’s arms.

“It’s you,” Jihoon muttres when he finally pulls away. He brings his hands up to caress your face.

“It’s me, my love, it’s me,” you tell him back, tears still flowing freely.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you more.” You lean in and press another quick kiss against Jihoon’s lips. “But we will never have to miss each other again.”

“I’m never letting you go,” Jihoon tells you, gripping you tighter. “Oh how much I love you.”

You giggle. “I love you more. Now come on, let’s get out of here.”

You grab Jihoon’s hand and pull him away from the grounds to where his caravan is waiting for you two. As you two travel further and further away from the town you feel your heart grow lighter and lighter, excited for the rest of your life of adventures with your love.

The next time you see Jihoon is nearly a week later. You and Soonyoung are once again getting boba when you spot the boy behind the counter, just like last time. When you and Soonyoung went and got boba a few days prior you noticed that the original Cute Cashier was working, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit of disappointment at him not being Jihoon.

As soon as you lay eyes on your Even Cuter Cashier, you quickly make a beeline into the shop, your desire for boba long gone.

Jihoon looks up when he hears the sound of the bell ringing and his eyes soften into a smile when he sees you entering through the threshold.

“You came back!”

“I did. It’s hard not to, with the amazing service I got last time,” you say. You casually browse the store as you talk to Jihoon, glancing at him every so often as you do. 

“Well I’m glad that my plan to get you to come back succeeded.”

You giggle at Jihoon’s words as you stop in front of a stack of old photos. You flip through them, looking at all the memories they hold. Many of the photos depict different couples, all smiling brightly as they hold each other. The images put a smile on your own face.

“Find something good?” Jihoon asks and you jump a bit at the closeness of his voice. When you turn, you see the man standing by your side.

“Oh, yeah, just these photos! Aren’t they beautiful?” You tilt them a bit to show them off to Jihoon. “I think it’s so amazing that no matter how the world changes, love will always stay the same.”

“Huh, I guess you’re right. Love’s been around since the beginning of time.”

“The love these people were feeling in these photos is the same love we experience today. There really is nothing like it.”

You look back down at the photos. The one in your hand shows a woman clinging onto a man’s arm, her cheek pressed into his bicep as she smiles at the camera. The man himself is smiling as well, though he is smiling down at the woman, rather than the camera. 

“They’re cute,” Jihoon mumbles, his own eyes transfixed on the photo. 

“Yeah,” you say, “I wonder what’s their story.”

“Something happy, I hope,” Jihoon says before moving to walk back behind the counter. You grab a few more photos from the stack before following after him, placing them on the counter.

Jihoon smiles at you and starts to ring you up. You take a moment to stare at him, your eyes tracing over his fluffy hair and round face and kind smile. You don’t stop staring until Jihoon breaks your focus.

“What? Does my hair look stupid or something?” He grins lazily at you again and you feel your heartbeat quicken.

“Uh, n-no! It’s just…your smile is super familiar to me. Sorry, that may be weird.”

“No, no, it’s not. I guess I kinda felt the same thing the first time you came in,” Jihoon tells you. “Who knows, maybe we knew each other in a past life.”

You chuckle at Jihoon’s joke, but you don’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.

1951

War Against North Korea Rages On, No End in Sight

You frown at the heading, throwing the newspaper aside onto the counter. The news of the North Korean troops invading Seoul changed everyone’s lives, throwing the country into a state of chaos trying to keep them from completely overtaking all of South Korea. Now a year later, the war is still in full force and though you know it’s important to stay updated on what’s happening, you don’t bother with the news articles anymore. They always say more or less the same thing: the war continues on with more casualties and less hope of ending soon.

Your heart grows heavy with each day growing worse than the last. You wish there was more you could do to help the war efforts, but you’re stuck at home taking care of your sick father. He’s the only family you have left, after your mother’s death a few years ago. All of the money received from her passing has gone into your father, but since the start of the war prices have done nothing but skyrocket.

So you spend your days at home taking care of your father, and your nights in a factory working to earn an income. You don’t mind the work though, allowing your mind to focus on something that isn’t the war or your father.

The only other time you get a break, an actual real break, is on Saturdays. It’s the one day in the week you allow yourself to go out, spending the afternoon to yourself getting groceries and taking time to focus on yourself.

You go through the same routine, walking down to the port and spending a few minutes enjoying the waves lapping against the shore, the salty sea water scent filling the air as the summer breeze brushes up against your skin. After taking in the sight of the sea, you move further into town and down the street to the cemetery.

Every Saturday you visit your mother’s grave, sitting with her for a while as you update her on your life and the current events. Occasionally you will bring a book and read aloud. You find the time spent with her calming, her maternal love enveloping you and letting you rest, even for a small bit of time.

Afterwards you browse the shops in town (only looking, never buying) before heading to the market to finish your day off. You spend the money for the groceries to get you through the week before heading back home. You do your best to walk most places you go, not wanting to spend the fare for the trollies. 

The streets are busy on the weekend and on your walk back to your house, someone bumps into you causing you to drop your bags, all of your freshly bought groceries tumbling to the ground. The person doesn’t even stop and you can’t bother chasing them too. You just sigh and bend down to pick up the now unusable goods. 

You now have to turn around and go back into town to get more groceries. It will take a good chunk out of your funds, but not too much. Maybe you’ll pick up a few more shifts at the factory.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” As you’re thinking about how to make up the price of the ruined groceries, you miss the man who has walked up to you.

When you look up you see a beautiful man with a sweet round face and dark hair staring down at you. He’s dressed nicely in a suit and it takes you a moment to actually respond to him, too distracted by his good looks.

“Pardon?”

“I was asking if you were okay?” The man bends down to help you pick up the rest of the food spilled on the ground. “I saw that man bump into you and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh! I’m fine, thank you.” You smile at him, appreciative of the kind gesture.

“But all of your groceries are now ruined. Allow me to buy you more.”

“Oh no! That’s not necessary,” you quickly tell the man. You don’t even know him and you would feel guilty allowing a man who didn’t even cause the casualty to pay for your groceries, especially with the state of the economy.

“I insist,” he says, standing and then helping you stand as well. “It’s the least I could do.”

“Sir it really-” Before you can even finish your sentence the man was walking away, back towards the town. You could just go back home, but then you’d be left with no groceries for the week so you begrudgingly follow him back to the market.

“Lee Jihoon, by the way,” he tells you as you two walk around the market, collecting what you need. You give him your name as well and he grins, a small spark igniting behind his eyes as he tells you how lovely your name is.

When you’re done regathering what you need you move to head to the register, but Jihoon stops you.

“This is all you’re getting? It’s barely enough for any proper meals. Please, add more. I won’t mind, I demand of it actually.” Jihoon then moves to add more to the basket and once again you have to follow along as Jihoon is the one carrying it.

You protest each time a new item is added but Jihoon keeps hushing you like you’re a life long friend rather than a stranger he met on the street no more than thirty minutes ago. By the time Jihoon is satisfied with what’s in your basket, it’s full to the top and you can’t remember the last time you’ve seen so much food in your life. Guilt eats away at you as you think about the money Jihoon is about to drop on you just because someone else made you drop your bags.

It isn’t until you’re checking out and Jihoon casually pulls out multiple banknotes without even a blink of an eye that you realize that not everyone lives like you and that just maybe Jihoon doesn’t mind paying so much because he has the money laying around to do so. Even back when your mother was alive and your father was able to work your family was still paying for everything with scraped up coins.

The sun is already low in the sky by the time you two exit the market and Jihoon stops you once more. “Allow my driver to take you back to your house.”

The sentence alone confirms your suspicions on Jihoon’s monetary status. To own a car is a luxury of its own, but to have a driver as well seals the deal.

You already can tell it’s impossible to turn Jihoon down so you just follow him back to his car. You wonder if his driver followed you after you two walked to the market. When you two get into the car you tell your address to the driver, trying not to get embarrassed at the thought of the nice car driving through your run down little neighborhood. 

Jihoon’s driver just nods and starts up the car. The three of you sit in silence until the car pulls up to your house and you climb out. Jihoon does as well, helping carry your groceries to the door.

“It was nice meeting you,” Jihoon says. “If you ever need anything again, give me a call.” He holds out a small white card, his business card, to you. You take it and thank him once more before entering your house, your mind still lingering on the strange, rich man.

You don’t give Jihoon a call, but you don’t have to. You run into him again not even three days after your first interaction. It’s early in the morning and you’re heading back home after work when you hear your name called out. When you turn you see the man’s car rolling up next to you, his head poking out of the back seat window.

“What are you doing walking alone so early in the morning? The sun has barely started to rise.”

"I'm walking back home from work," you answer honestly.

Jihoon's face looks sour at this, like he couldn't imagine working so late at night. "If you have been working all night let me treat you to breakfast."

It's your turn to let your face screw up slightly. You know that Jihoon can afford to buy you breakfast, but you still don't want to feel indebted to him. Not to mention your father will be waking up soon and you'll need to make his breakfast as well. You tell Jihoon as much.

"Then I will buy breakfast for your father too," is his solution.

You're not sure why he keeps insisting on buying you things but you just sigh and climb into the car. Jihoon has a smug grin on his face as he tells his driver where to go.

A few minutes later the car pulls up in front of a diner and you and Jihoon enter. It's nothing extravagant, but still a treat for those with a tight budget. 

The two of you sit in silence until a waitress comes and takes your order. Jihoon doesn't allow you to order for yourself, picking what he tells you are the most delicious and filling items. He orders for himself and then a third meal, asking the waitress to not cook it until she brings the check.

You note the way Jihoon has a nice presence to him, friendly and warm and inviting. The way his soft features are accentuated when he smiles, his round cheeks puffing up and his eyes squinting. You find him fascinating, but there's something more than that, something drawing you to him.

"So, where do you work that has you walking home at six in the morning?" 

The question breaks the ice between you as you fall into a natural conversation, asking questions and trading answers. Your hesitations towards the man quickly ebb the more you talk.

You learn he's a highly successful businessman but the war has halted much of his work which has given him some much needed down time. Like you, he doesn't have many living family members and he's an altruistic man so much of his money is left unspent.

Before you know it both of your meals are finished and the waitress is bringing over the check and the packaged meal for your father. Just like at the market, Jihoon pulls out his banknotes and pays before escorting you back to his car.

When you arrive at your house a part of you feels disappointed that the morning with Jihoon is over. Now it's back to the real world. 

You're halfway to your door when you suddenly turn back around. You don't know what causes you to say it before you can stop yourself you spit out, "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea? It's the last I could do after all of your kindness." 

Jihoon beams in front of you. "I would love that."

Bloodiest Battles of the War So Far, Conscription Soon to Follow?

Five months after you meet Jihoon he knocks on your front door, a letter clutched in his fist. There's a grim look on his face when you open the door and you know automatically.

The Battle of Bloody Ridge, follwoed by The Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, took out many of the soldiers on the frontlines and the country was now desperate to find new ones to replace them. A mandatory conscription for any young man who was eligible to join the military.

It didn't take long for you and Jihoon to start a relationship after your first few meetings. He's the perfect man, taking care of both you and your father and showering you in nothing but love and affection. The thought of him so far away, in the direct line of danger, makes a lump grow in your throat. Your chest tightens as your heart aches.

"We'll be okay," Jihoon mutters into your hair as you cry silently into his neck, holding him tightly. Like if you hold him tight enough he won't have to leave.

That's not how the world works though, and you accompany Jihoon on the day he is to deploy.

"If you need more money just send me a letter and I'll take care of it, okay?"

"You've left me with plenty already, love," you tell him as you fix his jacket collar. "Just come home safe."

"As long as you make sure I have something to come home to."

You can already feel the tears welling up in your eyes and you lean forward to press your lips to Jihoon's. He kisses you back, putting all of his love into it. A promise to you, that you will see him again, that this isn't your last kiss.

With one last squeeze of the hand Jihoon boards the bus and you're left alone, a heaviness in your heart and worry forming under your skin.

You just have to keep telling yourself he'll be okay, he has to be.

December 19, 1951

To the one my heart has gone to,

I hope you don't mind the frequency of my letters, I just feel closer to you know that eventually you'll hold the same paper in your fingers. I miss you tremendously, to the point my heart aches thinking of you.

Do you know that when you send your letters they smell of you? I always keep your most recent ones safe, in hopes to preserve the smell for just a little while longer.

There's not much to report about today, which I suppose is a good thing. Better than something hectic or even worse, a battle. 

Unfortunately it still doesn't look like there will be a break anytime soon. Battle after battle, life after life. It's not easy, but I've come to like the other men in my unit. Jeonghan takes good of us and Seokmin makes nice company. 

I don't want to keep you long, but I wanted to make sure you'd get a letter for before the holidays hit. Merry Christmas my love.

I'll make it up to you when I get home okay? For now just keep me in your dreams.

Write back soon, please. I want to hear what my lover has been up to. Keep me updated on your father as well.

All my love,

Your Jihoon

March 22, 1952

Today was hard.

I'm doing unwell as I write this letter, but it would pain me more not to send you my update.

Kwon Soonyoung died next to me today on the battlefield. It is not the first time a man has died near me, but it is the first time it was a man I have grown fond of. He was only a few months older than I am.

As grim as it may sound, and as much as I will mourn the loss, I am grateful that it was not me in his place. It was a difference of mere inches and fate chose Soonyoung. Does it mean anything? Is there a reason why I lived and he didn’t? I’m not sure but all I can think about is that his sacrifice is giving me a second chance at going home. Does that make me a bad person?

Everyday I pray this nightmare will be over. The thought of you is the only thing encouraging me to go on. I think about coming home to you, kissing your sweet lips, holding you in my arms.

We’ve been apart longer than we were together and I beat myself up for that everyday. I wish we would have met earlier, but as soon as the war is over we will have all the time in the world. Just you and me.

Wish me home soon,

Your Jihoon

November 30, 1952

To the home of my heart,

You have been on my mind all of today, not that you aren’t always on my mind normally. It has been particularly hard today though. It’s been a full year since my departure from you and every day has been harder than the last.

It’s hard to sleep at night and I often lay awake and think about you. Sometimes I will take a walk and look up at the sky. The moon and the stars are thousands of miles away but they still seem so close and bring so much comfort. That’s how I feel about you. Gazing at the moon also helps because it is still the same moon that you are under as well.

Look at the moon and think of me okay? Maybe one night we will be looking at the moon at the same time and I will be able to feel you just a bit closer.

Whenever I am able to fall asleep, I dream about you. I dream about the thought of you laying next to me. I wish to kiss your soft lips and feel your warm skin and look into your shining eyes. I dream of the life we will build together when we are reunited at last.

Would you marry me, my love?

I know it’s silly asking over a letter like this, and asking with such a strange courtship, but something in me feels the need to ask. Ever since I met you on the street that one fateful day, I’ve known you were the one for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so please accept my proposal (I promise to give you a proper one the second I get home).

The other men keep teasing me about you, but they just don’t understand the love we share. Being with you, even just the thought of you, it feels like home.

A part of me wonders if I’ve secretly loved you my whole life. It sure feels like it. No matter what I know you were made for me and everyday I bless whatever force brought us together. I love you so much it drives me crazy.

When I get home let me take you out on a thousand dates to make up for the time lost. 

Please send me your answer soon,

Your fiance Jihoon

February 01, 1953

To my dearest,

I’m writing to you from the infirmary. I was shot in battle earlier, nowhere too fatal just the leg, but I just woke up from the procedure to remove the bullet and patch me up. I’m lucky to come out with nothing more than a scar. Some other men aren’t as lucky.

It seems everyday is a new fight, but it’s worth it if it gives me a chance of going back home to you. We’ll buy a house close to the port, so you can be near the ocean breeze. Every night we’ll walk the shore and watch the sunset together. Then on Saturdays I’ll accompany you on your errands. We’ll go to town together and get groceries and visit the cafe and do whatever your heart desires. 

I’ll buy fresh flowers for your parents every week.

We could get a cat to keep you company while I’m at work and you could quit that heinous job at the factory. That would give you more time to focus on yourself. You and I both know that my wealth is more than enough for just the two of us.

Our house shouldn’t be too big, but still a good size in case we ever have guests over. I think we should start a garden as well.

Ah, my love, thinking about our future is nice. It helps me wish for the future, helps me feel closer to you. Thank you for being my safe place away from this nightmare. I should rest more now, but please remember that I will always spend everyday loving you.

Pray for my speedy recovery,

Your Jihoon

July 07, 1953

Jagiya! I apologize for the lack of letters recently, things have been so hectic around here, but I write with good news!

The talk around camp is that the negotiations have been making a move, there is finally an end in sight. I cannot wait to get back to you. It has been far too long since I’ve seen you and the photo I carry of you has started to fade already from how often I admire it. 

I cannot stay to write for long, but I needed to send you an update and a reminder of my love. I promise we will be back together soon.

Go to town and buy some flowers for yourself okay? Today is worth celebrating.

I can’t wait to see you,

Your Jihoon

You’re jittery as you smooth down your shirt, waiting for the bus to pull up. The same bus that took him away nearly two years ago.

When all of your friends heard about your beau, they all called you crazy. Holding out for a man who has been gone for quadruple the amount of time you spent together and you guess maybe it is crazy, but for Jihoon you would do anything.

It is true that you two were only together for five months before his deployment, but even before he left you knew you were madly in love with Lee Jihoon. You spent your nights reading the letters Jihoon sent you, and writing ones back. You would think you two had been lovers for fifty years rather than five months.

You’ve always felt the pull towards Jihoon though, like you’ve been loving him all your life. Every letter he sent made you fall in love with him even more, and now two years later he’s finally coming home. 

The days were hard without him when you saw him nearly everyday before he left. Winter of 1952 was less than kind, taking your father with it and leaving you alone for the last seven months, wishing for nothing but for Jihoon to come home. Now he is and you couldn’t be more elated.

The people standing around you start to cheer when someone catches sight of the bus, but you can’t do anything but stand there, your heart pounding in your chest. When the bus stops and soldiers start to pour out you have a moment of doubt. The fear that Jihoon won’t want you anymore, that everything has changed for the worse, creeps into your mind.

The thoughts can barely form though because then Jihoon’s stepping off the bus and his skin is so much tanner than it used to be and you’ve never seen him with his hair so short but it’s Jihoon, your Jihoon. His eyes light up when he catches sight of your familiar face and he’s dropping his bags and running towards you.

His arms are locked around your waist and you’re being lifted off the ground. You cup Jihoon’s face in your hands and lean down to kiss him as he spins you two around, easing all of the worries in your mind. Your cheeks dampen as tears start to stream down your face, too many emotions coursing through you to keep them all on the inside.

You keep your hands on Jihoon’s face as he sets you down. You stroke his cheek, feeling his warm skin under your touch. “You’re here, you’re really here.”

“I’m here my love, I’m here, and I’m never leaving you again.”

It doesn’t take much longer for you and Jihoon to leave the station. You two sit in the back of his car, pressed together as Jihoon presses kisses to your face every few minutes. You’re not much better though, leaning into him with a dopey grin on your face, ready to start your new life with the man you love the most.

The next time you see Jihoon isn’t at the antique shop at all. You’re getting coffee at the cafe next to your apartment when you see the man walk in. His eyes light up a bit when he sees you and he makes a beeline to your table after getting his drink.

“Is this seat open?” He asks, pointing to the empty chair across from you.

“Of course.”

Jihoon takes a seat before turning his attention to you. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Maybe it’s fate,” you say teasingly but Jihoon just grins.

“Maybe it is,” his voice is smooth as he talks, and your breath gets caught in your throat, “I mean, I wouldn’t be upset if I was destined to meet you over and over again.”

You break his gaze, trying not to show him how flustered you are. “You’re quite the sweet talker you know? You don’t know anything about me-”

“No, but I don’t think it would be hard to learn. I’m starting to think we’re not really strangers at all. You can’t tell me that you aren’t a bit interested in me as well.”

You glance back at Jihoon to find him staring intently at him. His eyes are warm and deep and you can feel yourself being drawn in, like you’ve stared at those eyes a million times before. There’s an inviting sense to all of Jihoon and the only thing you can think of to describe it as is home. 

“Okay,” you tell him with a slight grin. “Let’s see if destiny is right.”

And really you don’t care if it is fate or not, because as you and Jihoon fall into a comfortable conversation you realize that the two of you meeting was no mistake, and that you could definitely love Lee Jihoon for multiple lifetimes. 

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[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi hope your doing well, can you do Toddler!reader who’s very extroverted. They say hello to everyone in public and pick up a conversation. Adam looks away for one second and all of a sudden reader wanders off and is mid conversation with another family

That and the family finding out the hard way by how fast toddlers can run into danger by accident.

-“Hi! I’m Y/N! I’m three!” The older couple couldn’t help but coo softly at you as you ran up to them at the park, greeting you kindly.

-Ares shouted out your name, “Y/N! Not again!” You turned, beaming as Ares picked you up, who looked frazzled as Leonidas and Apollo ran over as well.

-The older woman could tell you were a bright little child, but you were making your family quite frazzled, running off and talking to other by the looks of it.

-Your family didn’t know where you got your extroversion from, yes some of the members were extroverts, but not like you- you would say hi to everyone you met, including animals!

-Nothing was wrong with being extroverted, the issue was that you would disappear in the blink of an eye to go and greet a new friend! If you weren’t sitting in someone’s lap or in someone’s arms or holding onto a hand, and if they look away for one second, you would be halfway down the road to say hi to a cat you saw.

-Some were concerned with this little quirk of yours, it wasn’t a bad thing to meet new people, but they were worried about you wandering off and they couldn’t find you, or if someone would snatch you away.

-You had only been at the park for twenty minutes and you had wandered off three times!!

-After bringing you back to the picnic blanket, Ares handed you to Adam who sighed deeply, hugging you close before handing you some apple slices.

-Loki had been looking over at something and he pointed, “Should we get something like that for Y/N?” They all followed his gaze, seeing another child in one of those child harnesses with a leash attached to the back.

-They all looked back at each other, pondering if that would be a good idea or not before Apollo spoke, “Where’s Y/N?!” They looked at Adam, who had been holding you, but there was a blinking outline where you had been sitting!

-For the fourth time that day- PANIC!!!!

-Instantly they were all up, rushing around as they couldn’t find you, worry quickly settling in that you had been snatched

-With each passing moment it became more and more serious until Leonidas heard you about five minutes from when you first vanished, “Hi! I’m Y/N! I’m three!” He turned, and he paled, seeing you being attacked with kisses by several dogs as the dog walker looked a bit panicked, seeing a child there, by yourself.

-You were laughing, enjoying the affections as Leonidas picked you up by the back of your shirt, pulling you up into his arms away from the doggies.

-You turned, beaming at Leonidas, “Look at all the puppies!” He couldn’t help but grin, giving the dog walker a small nod before you waved goodbye to the doggies and the dog walker.

-Ten minutes later, the cashier smiled at Apollo, “Will that be all for you today?” he nodded, thanking her, taking the child harness out of the packaging, in your favorite color, F/C as he headed outside where you were sitting with the others, eating another apple, while they were all looking drained.

-They weren’t going to take any more chances with you, at least until you learned not to wander off. That didn’t stop you from being social, as you said hello to every person and animal you saw on the way home!

[nerd-cat-rambles]

Danganronpa Characters Watching a Move (at the cinema)

Eats all their food before the movie starts:

Akane - Foodie

Aoi - No self control when it comes to food

Hiro - Somehow accidentally eats it all

Kaito - Trips while walking up the stairs and spills it everywhere.

Nagito - Eats it during the trailers

Cries when the supporting character/animal dies:

Chihiro - Cries when the dog dies

Gundham - Also cries when the dog dies

Himiko - ALSO cries when the dog dies

Kaede - "They were such a supportive character *sniff, sob*"

Mikan - (She cried because the opening was too loud)

Peko - She cried when the dogs were separated in the street

Sakura - "What a loyal character"

Sonia - Cries when the dog dies

Monomi/Usami - "They didn't deserve that" <- Animal and Character

Nekomaru - "They took one for the team... that's loyalty... *sniffling*"

Throws Popcorn/Food at People:

Fuyuhiko - He hits the couple infront of him while they're kissing

Hiyoko - She dumps it on the people being too loud and laughs at them

Kokichi - Throws from far away, Kaito gets blamed and escorted out

Leon - Incredible accuracy, hits the screen when the characters talk, often lands "in their mouths"

Mondo - Throwing popcorn with Leon, missing most of the time, but still having fun.

Monotaro - Dumps it all on his siblings

Gets kicked out of the cinema:

Junko - Already got a permanent ban from it, escorted out on sight.

Kazuichi - Somehow accidentally does something really bad and has to be escorted out, he leaves with Kaito.

Mukuro - Saw the prices of her favourite slushie go up by 50c and threatened the cashier with a hunting knife.

Teruteru - He was innapropriate to the female worker/s.

Monokuma - Escorted out on sight, left right after sneaking in with Junko.

Talking the Whole Time (mostly gets popcorn thrown at them):

Angie - I don't know why, but I think she would.

Ibuki - Extremely loud and constantly gets "shushed"

Hifumi - Rambles about the actors and their voice overs in different anime.

Sayaka - Accidentally unaware, always notices easter eggs

Kiyotaka - Unaware socially and doesn't realise it's wrong

Tenko - Screams at the screen whenever a male comes on, gets shushed constantly and is escorted out to the lobby to wait for the movie to finish.

Monokid - He's just really loud.

Watching the Movie in Peace:

Imposter/Twogami - He's chill about the movie, eats his food quickly and constantly gets up to get more.

Chiaki - Relaxing, fell asleep after the first song/instrumental

Kirumi - Picking up rubbish/popcorn from the floor to help the workers. Stays late to assist with cleanup.

Korekiyo - Occasionally comments, but enjoys the movie nevertheless.

Kyoko - Still and silent, making sligh "huh" "ohhh" noises when she realises plot twists are coming up.

Monodam - Tells everybody to get along, sits with Monomi/Usami and tells the people around him to shush.

Shuichi - Done with everybodies shit by the end, but tolerates it for the other viewers sakes'.

Rantaro - He got no development, I didn't know where to put him.

Ryoma - Sits at the front because he can't see over the seats, quiet and isn't bothered by the others.

Spoils it on Accident:

Keebo - "I read an online forum" and then spoils the majority of the movie.

Mahiru - Searched all the actors on IMDB, watched trailers, found many full movie essay reviews on the movie before buying tickets, went on rotten tomatos for reviews. She wanted to get her moneys worth!

Makoto - Already seen it before because it was trending a week prior, accidentally spoils it but the people next to him don't mind.

Tsumugi - Got spoilers by Mahiru, was already in the fandom, came in cosplay and spoiled a bunch of it while rambling.

Gonta - "Gonta heard (spoils entire plot, then starts talking about the bee movie)"

Monophanie - "Hm I watched a movie like this... (<- It was the movie they were watching and she spoiled it all.)

Hajime - "Oh no... I'm a failure!" "Yes Hajime, a reserve course student hanging out with the Ultimates... you should be a stepping stone!" (<- He then gets mad at Nagito and spoils it to him purposefully, others hear though.)

Spoils it on Purpose:

Byakuya - Ruins the fun for his own enjoyment

Monosuke - Just wants to be annoying

Celestia - Somebody annoyed her because they took too long to order tickets, she got mad and spoiled it for the rest of the cinema loudly when she walked out of the movie.

Miu - Does it for shits and giggles

Toko - Depending on her mood. She gets mad at somebody next to her and yells at them.

Maki - Was in a bad mood when she walked in, only spoiled it because Kaito was escorted out due to Kokichis bad behaviour.

I LOVE MAKING THESE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS BELOW!

[tiedyeflannels]

Red String Theory

Kim Seokjin x reader

Word count: 1.2k

Genre: established relationship, fluff

A/N: 'Sup! I thought I would take a quick break from Tae's series so I could write this fic for the man, the myth, the Moon that's coming home next month! She's kind of short, but I hope you enjoy!!

“Hey, Y/n/n,” Jin spoke, making me turn my head in his direction.

We were sitting on the couch together just watching the TV while taking a break from moving furniture. I raised my eyebrows and hummed to let him know to continue.

“I’ve got a question.”

I shifted toward him a little and put my legs across his. 

“Shoot,” I said, looking at him with full focus on what he was going to ask.

He looked down at my hands before pointing to my wrists, “Your bracelets. What are their meanings?”

A confused smile appeared on my lips, “What? My bracelets?”

He nodded, “Mhmm! You wear them all the time and never take them off, so what’s their story?”

I chuckled at the question, but nodded all the same.

“Okay, um…” I lifted up my right arm and spread the bracelets one wasn’t overlapping another.

“So these are just hair ties,” I said, stretching the two black bands wrapped around my wrist then letting them snap back.

“This one,” I pointed to a string friendship bracelet with different colors of blue, green and grays, “was given to me by a friend in college during a club we went to together.”

Then I pointed to the last one, which was a small silver bracelet with tiny diamonds spaced throughout.

“And this one’s obviously the one you gave me for our first anniversary.”

He smiled, “And that’s obviously my favorite one out of all of them! What about those?”

Just like I did before, I moved the bracelets making sure that they don’t overlap.

“These are just more friendship bracelets from some of the club members,” I pointed to two braided strings that were made up of three different colors each that were tied around my wrist.

 “And this one was made by my high school best friend,” I said, pulling apart the magnets then putting them back together.

I nodded at my finished explanation before Jim hooked a finger under the little red string around wrist.

“What about this one, hmm?”

I looked at him with a smile, “Have you heard of the ‘Red String Theory’?"

He shook his head at the question.

“So there was a TikTok that I had watched a while back and it was of this girl who was telling a story. So she was saying how she had seen something about the ‘red string theory’ and that it reminded her of something that had happened at her work. She worked at a store and this couple comes in and are trying things on and she’s smiling at their interaction because she thinks they’re cute.

“When they were ready, they went up to pay and then left the store. After they left, she saw something on the ground which happened to be a red bracelet-”

“No,” he gasped, fully immersed in the story.

I laughed, “Yes! She noticed that it was the same one the guy was wearing too. She thought that they would come back for it, so she put it in a drawer and forgot about it… until the next day,” I led on.

He simply nodded, urging me to go on.

“The girl that was with the guy the other day had come in asking if there was a red bracelet here. The cashier said yes and went to fish it out of the drawer, but while doing that she noticed the new ring on her finger and asked her about it. The girl had the biggest smile on her face and said that she couldn’t talk about it because it had just happened, but thanked for the bracelet and the ‘congratulations’ she received before leaving the store.

“After that happened, she had searched up what the theory was and decided to wear one too. And she was wearing it for a few months, until she had started talking to a guy- I can’t remember if it was an old friend or someone new, but anyway- one day she was hanging out with her, now, boyfriend when she realized it fell off, making her wholeheartedly believe in the theory.”

“You didn’t explain what the theory was,” he said as I was just about to keep talking.

“I was just about to get to that,” I nudged him in feigned annoyance which made him chuckle.

“Sorry! Please continue,” he gestured.

I huffed.

“Anyway! It’s believed, in some cultures, that when people are fated to be soulmates there’s an invisible red string that ties them together. So if you wear a red bracelet and meet someone, then it’s supposed to fall off if they’re your soulmate,” I finished.

“Couldn’t that all chalk up to coincidence though,” Jin questioned, eyebrows furrowed. 

I shrugged, “Maybe so, but I’m a hopeless romantic so things like this or fate were always things that I loved which is why I started wearing one.”

“So then this,” he pulled at the red string bracelet, “Has never fallen off?” 

I looked down at the string and let out a chuckle before raising my head to look at Jin again.

“Actually, this is a different bracelet. The first one I started wearing after I watched the video fell off when we met.”

“WHAT?!” I nodded, biting back a smile, “Mhm, it was after that fateful day you spilled coffee on my jacket, invited me to eat to make up for it, then we spent the whole day walking around and talking.” 

I happily sighed at the memory, “I got home and realized that my bracelet wasn’t on my wrist anymore, but I didn’t really think anything of it because I had been wearing it for a long time until you texted me later that night to ask if we could go on a proper date… And now, here we are,” I gestured around our apartment.

He nodded, “Ah… so you wear that like a keepsake?”

I snapped my fingers and pointed at him, “Exactly! It reminds me of you and that day so I tend to look at it whenever I’m feeling down!”

He hummed before he looked at his own wrist, “Maybe I should wear one, too, so we could match.”

I chuckled, “Sure, come with me.”

I got up and took Jin’s hand, pulling him along to the kitchen where some of the moving boxes were. I dug through a few as Jin took a seat on a stool, then I found my embroidery string and took out the red one along with a pair of scissors.

Walking over to where he was sitting and taking a seat too, I had him hold out his wrist while I unwound the string, wrapped it around and tied it before cutting off the excess material.

“Tada,” I cheered, placing the items in my hands on the table.

“Hey Y/n,” Jin started and I turned to look at him, humming in question.

He grabbed both of my hands, “I’m really happy that we share this string.”

He kissed the top of my head as we sat in a peaceful silence and looked around at the piles of unopened boxes and half moved furniture in our new apartment.

Knowing what he meant by that statement, I rested my head on his shoulder and happily sighed.

“Me too, Jin.”

[lululandd]

run devil run; (ii)

pairing: simon ‘ghost’ riley x gn!reader

word count: 695

warnings: fluff again (boooooooo)

note: ghost is a coward and soap meddles (gaz helps) //

summary: “you know them?” soap blocked his line of sight and waggled his eyebrows.

part i.

Pausing mid sentence, he got caught off guard seeing you at the Starbucks Soap had dragged him into. You were immersed in your newly acquired book, the one that you chose from the bin a couple days ago.

“You know them?” Soap blocked his line of sight and waggled his eyebrows, “Our table has a seat for one more, LT.” 

He made the motions to leave and Soap eases off immediately. Guilt washed over him as he thought about how he acted last time. You did nothing wrong, you even helped him and he acted like an outright wanker. He hoped the books made up for abruptly taking off.

In his momentary mental reflection he didn't notice the knowing look that Soap and Gaz shared, so he thought nothing when the latter left for the counter. He didn't even ask him why he came back empty handed. But when one of the baristas walked over to you and handed you a drink, he slowly turned his head towards his mates.

“Ghost, listen..” Soap started, his hands going up in mock surrender. “You’ve been starin’ at tae hen for fuckin’ ever. Something needs to be done.”

He stared at Gaz next.

The man also raised his hands, nodding his head gently at Soap, “He started it, boss.”

Soap backhanded his upper arm, “You traitor!”

While his friends argue and point fingers at each other, he saw you staring right at him, and tentatively waved when your eyes met.

Fuck that’s cute.

You held up both the book and the drink that Gaz got, mouthing ‘thankyou’

Fuuuckk, that’s even cuter.

Right now he doesn’t know whether to leave alone, leave with you, or just stra—

All the thoughts in his mind grinds to an abrupt halt as you stood up from your seat, pointed at the book, and walked out. He watched you leave, only half understanding what you meant. Did you want to go home and finish the book? Were you saying you liked the book? What?

Both Gaz and Soap are getting a little loud for his liking right now and decided to leave, but promised he’s down for another outing next leave.

Gaz sports the widest grin as he nudged Soap when Ghost was well out of earshot. “They’re gone too.” 

Soap turned quickly to where you were seated and matched Gaz’s grin. “Ten quid he’s nicer to the recruits when we get back.”

“We tellin’ the Cap ‘bout this?”

Soap had already typed in his phone, “I’m making a new group chat with Laswell in it.”

“Don’t forget Farah and Alex.” Gaz checked his phone, he was made an admin and added the people he just mentioned.

Roach replied first, offering to smuggle chocolate bars to the base just in case Ghost gets rejected and makes the recruits cry.

—

Walking home, Ghost sees the bookstore from afar. The book he got for soap lies in his duffel, half hidden under his new masks. Speaking of new masks, he noted how youtube had suspiciously placed sowing videos on his home tab before he even types them out in the search bar. Maybe he should get some sewing books so he can minimise using the computer anyway he can.

He saw you talking to the cashier, placing something in your bag as he walked in. Hearing the door open, you turned your head and smiled at him. Thinking it was the end of it, he walked towards the do-it-yourself section. The book caught his eye immediately, but before he could walk towards it, he sensed you in his peripherals.

You were standing nervously again, “Y'allright?” He offered. His heartbeat turned irregular when you beamed at him.

“Here.” you said, shoving something in his direction.

“What—“

“For you!” 

Before he could say or do anything, you had quickly retreated out of the store. He looked down into his hands and saw it was the bookstore’s gift certificate, worth fifty quid. 

Cheeky fuck.

Grabbing the sewing book with the widest smile he thinks he’s ever had on his face, he promises he’s gonna get you back, one way or another.

[starry-hughes]

hot chocolate (jamie drysdale)

day 7 of star’s ficmas event!

jamie drysdale x reader

Jamie loves hot chocolate. Whenever anyone would ask about it, he would simply say it was something he liked because of his childhood. He never expanded his explanation but he knew why. Growing up in Toronto, Jamie had his fair share of skating in the late winter nights on outdoor rinks, parents begging him to get off the ice, and hot chocolate. 

You had known Jamie since growing up next door. You were the reason he loved hot chocolate. He would drag you along with him to the rink, promising hot chocolate. You would always go with him. You knew deep down, you would have followed him anywhere. 

“You’re going to Erie?” you asked softly after the draft in 2018. “Yeah,” Jamie frowned, “I’m sorry.” You didn’t mean to make him feel bad. “No, Jamie, I’m happy for you. I just will miss you.” He hugged you, “I know... Want to make hot chocolate?” 

You felt selfish when Jamie had to stay home more in 2020. He would text you all the time, sit on facetime with you, sit in his own driveway while you sat in yours. “They are talking about me going high in the draft,” Jamie spoke, sipping on his cup of hot chocolate. It wasn’t cold outside but it was your tradition. “I hope you get drafted to a nearby team, I want to be able to see you still,” you told him. 

When Jamie left for Anaheim, you were sad. But a text from Jamie made it feel better, a picture of him sipping on a hot chocolate in sunny California. 

His texts got less and less while he was away. Jamie’s mom would remind him to try and talk to you more. “I saw (Y/N) loading her car up, her mom said she’s going to university, have you talked to her recently?” his mom would text one day. “Her mom said she’s homesick, maybe give her a call if you can before your game.” 

Jamie had actually texted you after learning you were homesick. He had nonchalantly asked where you lived at school. Twenty minutes later, you opened your front door to find a grocery delivery, all the items for hot chocolate, and a mug. You sent Jamie a picture of your hot chocolate. 

You never wanted to blame Jamie for forgetting about you. You knew how hard he worked to get to where he was. You couldn’t blame him. It did hurt though, when during the off season, he was yards away, windows facing one another, only a couple of steps from your driveway, and yet you never saw him. He was having fun with other friends, going on vacations with his league friends. 

Jamie hated being injured. He was injured all last season and he was injured now. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mom to tell him it would all be okay. He wanted a hot chocolate. He drove to the closest store, ignoring the confused looks from the cashier as he paid for his hot chocolate mix, whipped cream, and marshmallows as if it wasn’t warm outside. He thought about you every moment of it. Memories of the two of you walking home from school and making hot chocolate in your kitchen ran back to his mind. The first text you had received from Jamie since his birthday was a picture of his mug, a steaming cup of hot chocolate. 

He returned home to Toronto for the brief Christmas break. He didn’t see your car in the driveway and frowned a little, he was itching to see you, to make up for lost time, to apologize. “Is (Y/N) home?” he asked his dad. “Her car was here earlier in the day.” Jamie decided he couldn’t just sit on the driveway and wait for you, he wanted a skate. 

He carried his skates up to the nearby outdoor rink, the one you both went to as kids. He prayed no one recognized him, he just wanted to clear his mind by skating. After a while, his cheeks were bright pink and he wanted one thing again. Hot chocolate. 

The hot chocolate bar had a short line and he didn’t mind waiting. He had his skates in one hand and was focused on looking around the rink. “Next!” 

He approached the counter, still his eyes weren’t looking up. “Can I get one hot chocolate please?”

“Jamie?” you choked out. You had gotten a job at the rink. It was more of a volunteer position, working at the skate rental booth and the hot chocolate bar while home on break from university. Jamie standing in front of you was almost a fever dream. You hadn’t seen him in the flesh in so long, only on social media or during NHL games on your tv. “(Y/N)?” his eyes lit up. 

You didn’t have to send one another pictures of your hot chocolate that night. 

[nyxindustries]

1995 | Tony Stark

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Pairing: Young Tony Stark x Female Reader, x Reader. Tony Stark X Reader.

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DO INTERACT! Virgin Reader x Tony Stark, Very Soft Tony dom (if you squint) Virgin Tony Stark, Praise kink, slight vanilla sex

| Masterlist |

Cuddling with your long term boyfriend, Tony Stark.It's the summer of 1995, the year of flip phones and flannel skirts.

Your arms wrapped around Tony as you just finished watching a romantic comedy film.

"Tony…do you want to go get ice cream?" You asked quietly

"Date night?" He questioned and smiled

"Yeah, Date night, we haven’t don’t that in a while. ``You say and kiss him softly.

Tony and yourself are engaged, at just being 25 and 24 years old. You found each other at a diner, where you were just waitressing and you ended up spilling hot coffee on Tony, two years ago. Now you're here at Tony upper east side brownstone with the television going on.

Until you got up and pressed the button turning the Tv off. Tony walks up and gets your jacket off the coat rack.

You smiled, slipping it on as he helped you with your jacket that matched your black floral dress and leggings with combat boots. Tony simple black pants and over side shirt tucked in as he put on his jacket.

Leaving the house with him as you and Tony began walking, hand in hand. Talking softly during the evening as people pass the both of you trying to get into the ice cream parlor.

"So did you enjoy the film we watched?" Your boyfriend questioned and your thoughts made loops while you thought of the film.

"Oh! It was a lovely movie…but it made me realize a couple of things." You say quietly.

"Oh…like what?" Tony asks and you chuckled softly and you bopped his nose.

"Don’t worry about it, love" you say as you clasp both of Tony's hands, smiling up at him.

"What ice cream are you getting?" He asks

"Mint chocolate chip, with fudge on top and sprinkles!" You say a bit childlike,making Tony laugh at your randomness of ice cream choices and silliness.

"What about you?" You quizzed him gently.

"I’ll get a chocolate cone with rainbow sprinkles" he says and you nod as you approach the counter and order Tony’s and your ice cream. Before you took out your card Tony's hand came out of nowhere and handed his card to the cashier.

"Thank you but I had it covered," you spoke and Tony shook his head as then the employee gave your ice creams and you smiled softly taking yours and Tony immediately took a big bite out of it and your mouth hung open and then you just laughed.

“My ice cream,” you say and slightly frown.

“Sorry, here,” he says

Tony offered his ice cream and you took a bite of his ice cream and he smiled at you.

Walking out as you guys walked around eating ice cream together.

"Wanna go to dinner after this?" Tony asked and you stared at him and smiled.

"Yes…but I think we did this backward.." you say wondering off with your thoughts.

"Oh, We most definitely did…but it’s okay," Tony says and laughs as he finishes his ice cream and so did you.

"Where do you want to eat for dinner ?" Tony asked and you shrugged .

"Anywhere, your choice since it was my idea to get ice cream!" You say and Tony nodded as he grabbed your hands as he twirled you walking on the sideway.

"Italian " Tony says and you nod

“Oooooh Yummy! " you say and he smiled as he pulled you in and walked with you.

"Couple block up, the best restaurant there is for Italian food." Tony says as he walks with you.

Walking the next couple blocks and getting into the restaurant, getting seated quickly. Ordering food with Tony and talking casually about how you want to continue school and possibly becoming a nurse and Tony talking about how he wants to continue with his father business.

-

It was late evening now, Tony and yourself were walking home. Even though you lived with Tony,

You guys never actually took the big step, cuddles and things like that but nothing more even with being engaged. Watching that movie earlier, made you feel and realize that Tony is everything to you and you want to give him everything.

"T-Tony..Remember earlier… I said the movie made me realize a few things…"you say trailing off.

"Y-yeah… what about it?" He asks and you take a deep breath as Tony opens the door to the brownstone.

Walking in, taking off your jacket and looking at Tony.

"Well…you know…I just…uh.." Trailing off and turning red as he eyed you.

"You want to break up, call off the engagement?" He questioned worriedly.

"Oh god, no Tony…I want to take it further…you know… like…what…people…do when they're in love." You say frantically trailing as you turn bright red.

"Oh!….oh…"Tony exclaims in surprise

"Sorry, I didn’t mean… you know…I didn’t mean that…forget it, Tony.." you say and trailed off, ready to walk away.

Tony grabs your hand and you look at him as tears swelled your eyes.

"Hey, it’s okay…I understand…I just thought you wanted to wait until we’re married but it’s okay…I understand…" Tony says trailing.

"It’s just that…I’m a…a virgin…" Tony says trailing off and you nodded with a soft smile as he caressed your face gently.

"Me too, Tony, but I want you… and I want every part of you because I love you, Tony" you say whispering.

"I love you too, do you want to? Are you ready?" He asks and you nod.

"Yes, I’m ready Tony.." you say and he picked you up gently as you kissed him , he kissed back.

Carrying you to the shared bedroom the both of you share. He placed you down gently and you smiled as you kissed him and he kissed back, getting on-top of you.

Tony hands roaming your body as he lifts your dress and takes it off you gently, and you sighed, feeling exposed as you helped Tony get his shirt off.

Kissing you once again as you let Tony trail down with kisses causing you to giggle softly. Tony reached for your leggings as he tugged at them as he looked at them.

"Are you sure you want this? We can stop whenever you want too" Tony says, nodding in response as your breath hitches.

Feeling Tony fingers underneath your leggings and slipping them off, leaving you in your underwear and you started to turn red.

"H-hey…it’s okay…" he says, seeing your red face.

"Listen… have you touched yourself before?" He asks.

"Y-yeah I have…" you say and Tony nodded as he slipped your panties and bra off.

Tony moved up as went to kiss your lips, as you felt his fingers rub your clit.

You gasped softly as Tony began running faster.

A moan escaping your lips as you got surprised by the noise you just made, which made Tony smirk at you.

Feeling his fingers slipping down to your entrance, as you felt one finger slip in, moaning softly as gripped at Tony wrist as he looked up.

"Want me to stop? '' he asked, stopping his fingers, in response you shook your head.

"N-no… go faster please" you moaned quietly as his fingers thrusted faster and you moaned out. Tony felt all your wetness soak his fingers.

"I-I think you're ready." Tony says and you nod as you feel his finger slip out. You whine at the loss of pleasure.

"This is going to hurt a bit…just take a deep breath and let me know if you want to stop” he says

“Okay…it’s okay. You can now” you say taking a deep breathe

“I don’t really know what I’m doing.” Tony chuckled nervously

“It’s okay, we can finger it out together”

Tony slowly pushed in as you gasped, gripping him tightly as your breathing hitched a lot.

Looking him in the eyes as your hand ran through his hair as Tony moved further. Closing your eyes, as you felt pain and Tony comforted you gently.

“It’s okay… we’re both new to this..we can do this together” he says and you nod, pulling him closer as Tony sits there. Giving you time to adjust to him.

Taking a deep breath as you felt the slip into the background.

“Can you try and move, please” you say quietly and Tony nods as he slowly moves and you gasp more, as some of the pain comes back.

“D-do you want me to stop?” He questioned.

“N-no it’s okay…just take it slowly” you said and he nodded as he moved more and the pain slowly faded as you felt pleasure and a knot in your lower stomach.

Moaning softly as Tony still slowly thrusted slowly and at a steady pace.

“T-Tony…faster” you moaned out softly as he leaned down and kissed you softly.

He moved faster and you moaned louder with the shake of your head as you held onto Tony with a smile, as pleasure seemed to engulf you now.

“Tony…I like this…”you say and he smiled.

“Yeah me too” he says as he groans out.

“Go faster, please” you say and he picked the pace a bit , you moaned as he held onto your wrist.

The knot in your stomach become bigger and looser. “T-Tony…I think…I think-“ you say and he’s nods as he began thrusting faster. You held onto him, kissing him passionately.

Your hands running through his hair and his hands roaming your body and massaging your breasts.

“T-Tony… Tony I Think…I’m gonna cum.” You say and he nods

“Yeah me too” he says as he went faster the knot unravelled quickly, a foreign but welcoming feeling overcame as you gripped Tony.

Legs shaking as you came heavily with heavy breathing and loud moaning as Tony pulled out and came on your stomach quickly.

Warm liquid on your stomach as Tony smirked, grabbing a towel quickly and wiping your stomach off softly and you looked up at him.

“I love you Tony” you say quietly and he laid next to you and smiled.

“I love you too Y/n…I love you so much. Why I want to marry you..” he said and giggled softly as you yawned.

Whispering softly as you kissed Tony

“T-thank you for being understanding”

“Of course…I would never want to hurt you” he whispers, kissing your forehead and Tony smiles as he pulls you in close and you fell right to sleep listening to his heartbeat.

Waking up the next morning, not feeling Tony next to you and sitting up as you felt sore. Tony coming in the room, he smiled softly at you.

Sitting on your side of the bed and you looked at him.

“Morning, My love” sleeping still overcoming your voice

“Good morning my Darling, how do you feel?” Tony asks

“Uh…I’m…I’m sore” you say with a soft blush on your face.

“It’s okay, that’s normal…and you were so good last night” he said, praising you and smiling softly.

“I want to go take a shower but I might need help.” You shyly and Tony laughed softly.

“I can do that” he says and you stuck your hands out, Tony grabbed them as he lifted you up off the bed, carrying you to the bathroom.

Giggling softly as he held you, walking to the bathroom as he placed you down on the toilet and started the bath.

“Thank you Tony” you say and he smiled.

“Anything for you” he responded as the tub filled up and he made the tub at a warm comfortable temperature.

Getting up slowly as you stood with Tony helped you with getting into the tub.

Sitting down as Tony grabbed soap as you splashed water against yourself and Tony washed you with soap and you smiled softly as he was gently washing you and your hair.

“Breakfast is all done and I’ll bring it to you in bed while you rest and we can spend the whole day in bed” Tony says and chuckled in agreement.

“Okay…. That sounds wonderful” you say as Tony helped out of the tub , wrapping you in a towel. The soreness slowly went away but not all the way, still tingling.

“Go get dressed and I’ll go get breakfast for you” he says and you go to your closet and get dressed in comfortable home wear.

Laying in bed as you pulled a book

‘ Lady Chatterley's Lover‘. As you waited for Tony to come, which he did moments later after you read a few pages.

Sitting up and placing the book down as Tony smiled, placing the tray on your lap and Tony sat down next to you.

“Hmm…’ Lady Chatterley's Lover’ sounds interesting” Tony says, you nod, drinking some orange juice and digging into the chocolate chip pancakes.

“It’s super interesting, I love it so far”

Tony opened the book as you finished your food and he looked up to you as he grabbed the tray and placed it on the nightstand.

Tony pulled you in, as he placed his head on your lap gently, turning the pages from the beginning.

“ “Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.” “

Tony reading out loud softly to you. You leaned back into the bed and smiled softly as you listened to Tony.

Wonderful…wonderful this is…being in love.

[lazysailor]

26 Kayden

They have been out of the mountains for a bit now, but eventually they have started to gather supplies so everyone could have the stuff they needed.

Right now all the storks were heading to a 7/11 in middle of the night, the less people there, the lower the chance they'll be caught. Beforehand Starey had chosen a couple people to hold the cashier hostage while everyone else was gathering supplies, Kayden was one of the people chosen.

“Are you sure you wanna do this.?” Tommie asks Kayden as they approach the gas station.

“I’m sure, I can handle it well.” She tells him.

“I don't want you getting hurt though.” He says.

“I can handle it.” She repeats.

Tommie gives her an annoyed look before letting out a sigh. 

He then handed her the gun he got back when the dreamliner sank.

She took it from him and got a good grip on it as they neared the gas station.

It was like a quick moment when they entered the gas station, Starkey entered first, then the rest of the storks came storming in.

Her and some other storks approached the cashier and immediately held him at gunpoint. She didn't pay attention to what Starkey was talking about towards the cashier, she was more focused on making sure nothing sudden happened with the cashier.

Kayden remembers when she first met Avery. She was hiding out in a deer stand that had a shotgun in there, then she heard Avery climb up. When he tried to get in she was holding the shotgun straight to his face, even though she had never held one beforehand. He looked scared but he warmed up to her after she lowered the gun. She wondered if it was someone else that came up if she would've pulled the trigger or not.

As she was holding the gun to the cashier she realized her aim was good and her expression was emotionless, like she had a good poker face. 

Not long after she had that thought, Starkey called for all the storks to leave. 

Kayden lowered her gun while staring at the cashier, just so he stayed on guard.

She made her way out of the gas station and Tommie almost immediately approached her with all the stuff he got.

“We're good for a while, but please don't try to attempt something like that again.” He tells her.

“No promises.” She says with a small smirk.

..

Starkey was able to find the storks an abandoned hotel to stay at, it obviously wasn't in the best conditions. But hey, this was better than nothing.

Kayden and Tommie walk into the hotel and he pulls her to the side.

“Hey, let's go find a room.” He tells her.

Kayden has noticed lately he has seemed rather..protective..over her. She doesn't know why, his protectiveness wasn't that bad at the graveyard. So why was it getting bad now?

She follows him throughout the hotel so they could find a decent room to stay in the meantime. Eventually Tommie opened a door to a room with two decent looking beds, perfectly suited for the both of them.

Kayden immediately walks over to one of the beds and lays down on it to claim it as hers. She hadn't been on a bed in a long time, it wasn't the best bed, but it was better than sleeping on the ground.

..

Three days later her and Tommie were called to get assigned jobs for the day. Obviously the storks were gonna have lesser supplies quickly, so people were put on tasks to get food and clothes.

“Alright Kayden, you're on food duty..And Tommie, you're on cloth duty.” Bam tells the both of them.

Tommie looked like he was gonna combust from the fact he was gonna be away from her for awhile, but he seemed to keep his mouth shut and his emotions in.

“Well I’ll cya later.” She says to him.

“Yeah..” Tommie says before hesitantly walking away.

Kayden walks over to the rest of the group assigned to get food and they start making their way out of the hotel.

After twenty minutes on foot they all approached a grocery loading dock, ideal to get food from.

Kayden was gonna try getting food on her but before she could stray from the group, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She turns around to see a girl with vitiligo and light pink pigment eye injections who happened to have a small welcoming smile on her face.

“Hey! Can I work with you?” The friendly girl asks her.

Kayden thought about it for a quick moment, she seemed nice and barely anyone ever talked to her. So why not give her a chance?

“Sure.” She simply answers.

“Great, My name is Sierra by the way!” The girl tells her.

“Kayden.” She simply tells Sierra.

They both sneak up to a delivery truck making sure they didn't get caught by any workers.

“I’ll try to get some food..You can keep watch.” Kayden whispers to Sierra.

“Will do, I was planning doing that anyway.” She whispers back.

She quietly walks away from her and approaches the back of the delivery truck.

She checks around her area before going into the truck.

After a few minutes she had gotten a decent amount of food from the truck. She sneaked out of the truck and made it back over to Sierra.

Kayden gives her a small thumbs up and she returns a smile.

They started making their way back to the hotel and Kayden couldn't help but notice that Sierra was catching glimpse at Kayden as they walked. She couldn't tell if she was checking her out or looking at her for no reason. She tried to ignore her glimpse and continue walking, she also didn't want to ask her why she was doing that.

They both made it back to the hotel and set the food she got down were the rest of it was. 

She was about to walk back but she suddenly felt Sierra hug her from behind.

“We did it! I was worried we wouldn't get anything but you were able to do it!” Sierra cheered as she kept Kayden in the hug.

Kayden didn't really know about the hug, but she didn't really wanna pull away from it just yet.

She hadn't really had one in awhile..

[zorosq]

addiction ; trafalgar d. water law

↻ fluff, cussing, based on gilmore girls, overused of caffeine, grammatical error

↻ pairing ↬ law x singlemother!reader!

@portgaes asked: it's just about a single mother and her daughter (and their love lifes) that has a grumpy guy who owns a diner as her father figure. but the grumpy guy x single mother comes until season 5ish? it's slowburn friends to lovers theyre the blueprint 😭

a/n i definitely did not forget abt this... this sucks btw

“mom, wake up! i’m late!” the loud demand that came from your daughter jolted you awake from your sleep. “uhh... wha?” your head almost crash back onto the bed when a pillow came in contact to your face, sending you crashing back onto the bed. but fully awake this time. “i’m up! i’m up!”

“wear this and let’s go!” she throws you a pair of clothes, rushing out of your bedroom and down the stairs. you get out of the bed clumsily, wishing you could just have another five minutes of sleep.

but despite what you want to do, you still have to send your daughter to school and go to work.

. 

after sending your daughter to school, you stopped by law’s diner for your daily coffee. nothing could go wrong when you start the day with a good caffeine that was made by law. 

“good morning, doc,” you wink at him. he just sent a nod towards you while preparing for your coffee. when he put the cup in front of you, the male let out a sigh that you were all too familiar with by now. “stop drinking too much coffee. it’s not good for you,”

there it is, he said it. “but, law! you know i can’t start the day without caffeine!” you slumped your head on the marble island. “then start missing it when you finally die,” he groaned. 

“nah, i’ll be missing you instead,” the moment those words left your mouth, the two of you stared at each other silently. when the bell rang, indicating another customer that had come in, he was the first to break the eye contact.

“anyway, aren’t you late from work?” he asked, turning his figure away from you. his words snapped you back to reality. “work! right, i’m late for work!” you got up from your seat and left a couple bills on top of the cashier’s counter and ran out of the diner.

but not before saying good bye. “i’ll be back again this evening!” unknown to you, his face were as red as the legendary shanks’ hair. and his racing heartbeats.

.

“zoro... what should i do??? i think i just ruined everything by saying stuff like “nah, i’ll miss you instead”,” you repeat the line in a mocking tone. zoro who has been and will always be sitting at the reception, let out a very annoyed sigh.

“listen, y/n. i don’t care about you sob love story. better bring it that pervert cook instead,” he rubbed his temple. although his creased eyebrows never ceasing. but he was right though. 

sanji was a much more expert in this field.

“so chef, did you somehow create a new recipe out of the thin air?” you asked jokingly at the blond cook. “i actually did, miss y/n,” he said, taking your hand in his before leading you to a delicious looking dessert.

“huh, didn’t think that you would actually have a new recipe,” you said before taking a bite out of the cake... pudding. or pudding cake? whatever, it was delicious. “anyways, i do need your help a little,”

“whatever help that may be? i’ll try my best to fulfil it,” 

“okay, so...” you re-lived the incident earlier to sanji who’s listening to you intently. when you finally stopped talking, he heaved out a sigh. “i don’t get why you would like him of all people,” he looked at you with an almost pity eyes.

“you didn’t ruin your relationship with him at all. instead, you might’ve made it awkward. but that wasn’t because he disliked what you said, he’s probably caught off guard,” sanji said. 

you looked at him in awe before giving him a tight hug. “thank you, thank you, thank you! you’re a life saver you know that?” you let go of him when you heard a familiar voice.

“oh! hi, pudding! sending us the fruits that sanji asked for?” 

“mhm. i hope i wasn’t interrupting anything,” she said with an apologetic smile. “not at all! i’m about to leave now! you two do your thing,” you winked at them and leave sanji’s kitchen.

.

“mom, calm down! he won’t like you any less. trust me, he’s also deeply in love with you just like how you’re deeply in love with him,” rory teased accompanying a sigh.

the two of you walked inside of law’s diner, where the place seems to be less crowded than it was this morning. “hey!” you squeaked out an awkward greeting. his head lift up to see the two of you and returned the greeting in a calm manner.

you just nod at him awkwardly before taking a sit at the table that was nearest to the exit. in case you need to escape. law walked towards your table with a note book in hand, probably to take your orders.

“what will you two be having for dinner?” he asked, looking between you and rory. “i’ll just have the usual,” you said. “and i’ll have the same as hers!” she exclaimed. 

“coming right up,” and he walks away. you continue to stare at him, oblivious to your daughter’s glare. “he’s so dreamy...” you sighed, resting your head in your palm. “ugh, mom. stop that. i get it. you’re in love,” rory said with an eyeroll.

you slapped the back of her head. “ow! what was that for?!”

“that was for―“ before you could even finish your sentence, law had arrived at your table with his hands full of your dinner for the night. “enjoy,” he muttered before going back behind the counter with an annoyed huff.

“do you think he’s annoyed because of us?” rory asked, her eyes stayed glued on law. “i- why would he even be annoyed by us?” you asked her, throwing your hands up in the air.

“because we’re the loudest ones in here?” right. she had a point. “let’s just finish this and go home,” you sighed.

.

dinner went... well, as good as it goes. you paid for everything and went out of law’s diner. your car was parked right across the street, not too far from where you were currently standing.

when you got inside the car, you realized that law suddenly ran down across the street, hand waving at you as if he was indicating for you to wait.

you rolled down the window and wait for him to catch his breath. “law? what’s up?” you asked, heart beating faster. “i... can you get out of the car for a second?” you looked over at rory before climbing out of your car, making sure the window was rolled back up before you do.

“i... would you―” he cleared his throat before staring into your eyes again. “are you free this weekend?”

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Working on fast food I’ve met a lot of different people, especially when I worked overnights. Here are some of the customers I remember the best (some of them I still see around):

An actual Nazi with a swastika tattooed on his thumb. I always make sure he’s charged more when he comes through.

A guy who asked me to cum in his ice cream.

Two seperate old guys who harassed me while I used the bathroom. One gif banned for being racist to the cashiers up front, the other one tried to break into my stall.

A tired, bruised woman who seemed a bit on edge. There was a guy passed out next to her in the car. She told me to keep the change (it was a lot) and drove off. I never saw her again.

A woman who broke down sobbing because her daughter who had recently died of cerebral palsy loved the rain, and it was raining out.

A man who pulled up while on the phone and loudly shouted into it, “What do you mean I have AIDS?! …Is it the good kind?”

A dude on drugs who choked me against a wall because he thought I made a pass at his sister, smashed a window, got into a fistfight with a manager, and begged the cops to beat him to death when they showed up.

A couple who were exceptionally rude and harassed me, then tried to stalk me home. They got banned.

A drag queen who always wanted extra sauce. I gave it to them free even though the store I was at charged for it.

A kid with a confederate flag hat or shirt (this was over a decade ago, I can’t remember which). I gave him free sauce because I felt bad for him. If I saw him today, I’d charge him twice.

An anti-vaxxer who flipped out because we couldn’t do half hot, half iced water, got out of her car, and demanded to know what my problem was.

The main character of life, who came at a busy time, honked at everyone, and demanded I get a manager to move the line somehow.

A lady with massive breasts that were practically exploding out of her shirt who complained to a manager I was rude to her because I explained how a coupon worked.

A customer whose order was exactly correct, still asked for a manager, and then complained to the manager how I was rude because he overheard me explain to the manager I wasn’t sure what the problem was.

An old man who frequented the drive thru and was entirely innocuous until the day he harassed a woman to the point she was in tears and shaking.

An old guy who consistently pays for his order entirely with change and always drives off before I can count it. He is consistently short ten to twenty cents.

A man who insisted we served pizza.

A guy who tried to order lo mein.

A nice, sweet old Asian man whose initials are “KKK.” He’s one of my favorite customers.

A person whose name is “Barbarian.” Another favorite.

A person named “Icelyn Snow.” Yet another favorite.

A woman who comes through with her cats. Another fav.

A lady who came through with her pet skunk.

A guy with a bearded dragon in his cup holder.

An old man who held the line up for ten minutes because we don’t accept any bills over twenties. He insisted we legally had to and refused to budge even after two managers and I explained the rules to him, and who we had to walk around to get other customers. He finally left after the police were called.

A bunch of kids who jumped a teen in the lobby and ripped her earring out. There was blood on the floor.

A guy who tried to come through while being chased by cops. He caused an officer to chip a wall with their car before escaping.

A guy wit a studded hat that said “Hentai” with an ahegao seat cover to go with it.

A guy who insisted the confederacy weren’t losers and that they were making a comeback.

A guy who tried to hustle us out of ten bucks. I caught him, but he kept insisting I owed him money. He came back months later still yelling about it; I pretended to not know what he was talking about.

A man who came back through after being given sweet tea he was told was sweetened artificially (he and his wife were diabetic). Despite having to take his wife to the hospital due to high blood sugar, all he wanted was his tea fixed and an apology. I apologized profusely. My coworker insisted he was lying for free stuff.

[kalpasio]

The Chef in the Shitty Kitchen

Kitchen Grade: F

A Kalpas x Reader fic requested on AO3, Chapter 1 below!

“Thank you again for watching Rin.”

“Yeah! It's no problem!” You waved to your neighbor Sakura as she left, her sister Rin mirroring your actions.

“So,” you spoke once Sakura was out of sight.” What are we making?”

“Lava cake!” Rin jumped up and grabbed your hand to drag you into your kitchen. The girl spent just as much time at your apartment as her own, and it showed. When she came over the first time, she looked ready to cry, but now she was as comfortable with the space as you were.

“I think that's a little out of my skill range,” you laughed awkwardly as the girl pouted. “How about brown wishes? Those look like lava.” The pout was replaced with a happy nod and you got to work.

“So does your uncle study volcanoes?” you asked while melting down the chocolate. Handling hot sugar was probably more than you should entrust to a ten year old, so it was mostly up to you to both make the cookies, and keep her entertained.

“Nope! He works in a restaurant. Sakura and I visited him once and he's got the best pizza!” Rin was getting herself excited with the mention of pizza, her pink hair coming loose from her ponytail.

“I sure hope he likes these cookies then--”

“I'll eat them!”

“Thanks,” you laughed at the abrupt response to your worries. “We can set some aside just for you and give the rest to your uncle to try.” Rin readily agreed with your plan while you stirred in the oats. “These get really hot, so you can't touch them until they're ready, okay?” A serious nod came in response to your request, and you started pouring.

Rin was a surprisingly responsible and respectful child; though, given how diligent Sakura was, you probably should've expected her sister to be much the same. After emptying the pot, you placed it back on the stove and turned around with your hands on your hips.

“Alright. What movie are we watching?”

One movie later, Rin was asleep with her head on your lap. You let the credits roll across the screen, not wanting to move. The girl was a light sleeper, and any movement from you would wake her. Unfortunately, you couldn't stop the doorbell and she woke up anyway. With a gasp, she was up and darting for the door before you even stood. She waited by the door, hopping from one foot to the other while you made your way over.

All the times you'd imagined Rin's uncle, you expected some old guy, and you knew he wasn't going to be wearing his chef's hat, but you weren't prepared to see...this. 'Uncle Kalpas,' as Rin had just shouted, was close in age to you and Sakura, had an absurd amount of muscle for a chef, and wore clothes that did very little to hide it. He also was holding his niece—who you were beginning to doubt was biologically related—and giving you a very noticeable stink eye.

“Kalpas,” Sakura spoke in a warning tone to get the man's attention. “This is our neighbor, Rin spends a lot of time over here.” So play nice, her glare told him.

“We made you cookies!” Rin's little jump drew the glare away from you finally.

“Oh?” This man looked, sounded, and acted just like the over-dramatic evil villain in the movie you'd just watched; but if Sakura trusted him, you were willing to...still give him the cookies. But he wasn't coming inside.

“Let me go pack them up for you!” Giving the same painfully polite smile a cashier gives to a rude customer, you headed into your kitchen. Rin could still be heard talking in an extra excited tone while you split the cookies into two containers. With a couple of smiles—possibly grimaces—and neighborly words, you handed over the brown wishes, and your guests left.

The moment the door closed, you let out a sigh. Looking at Kalpas made you shudder under the angry look he gave you, but it was hard not to stare. Everything about him was eye-catching, and you wanted to know more, though you had a feeling he wasn't very open to sharing, and there was no way in hell you were going to ask.

Still thinking about the strange interaction you'd just had, you made yourself some tea and moved to your “office.” Really, it was just the second bedroom, but you'd been using it to get work done ever since you'd moved in. Technically, you were only a consultant for the company you worked for, so technically, they didn't have to provide you with any office space. The compromise to them forcing you to work at home was that you set your own hours; it didn't matter when the work was done, so long as it was done.

Sakura usually gave you some warning before bringing Rin over, but with your schedule being more open, you regularly looked after the girl when her sister was busy. If you had to do work while she was over, you'd take extra breaks, and Rin enjoyed the walks just as much as you.

The next day, you were invited over for dinner, and you really couldn't say 'no' with how happy Rin looked. Sakura told you not to bring anything—Kalpas was cooking and had everything planned. Between phone calls, you gossiped a little with your neighbors in the laundry room, sent way too many emails, and made yourself a nice lunch as a treat for dealing with your idiot co-workers.

No specific time had been given for dinner, so you were a little startled when there was a knock at your door. “Food's almost ready,” Sakura announced with a small smile once you'd opened the door. “You can come over whenever you're free.”

“I can come over now, let me just grab my keys.” Not even a minute later, you both were across the hall at her place. Already, you could smell the food cooking, and if that was anything to go by, putting up with Kalpas' glare would be well worth it so long as you got to eat whatever he was making.

Once inside, the scent of good food was even stronger, and if that didn't have you grinning, then Rin's enthusiastic greeting sure did. Within a second of the door opening, she was in front of you, telling you how much she had helped with the food, and how much she liked the cookies you'd made. Kalpas seemed deaf to her ramblings, continuing to put the finishing touches on the dishes while you and Sakura sat down at the table to wait.

“And I got to use the big knife to cut carrots, and uncle Kalpas said I could use the stove once I'm taller!” Rin took a gasp of air and Sakura was quick to take the opportunity to cut in.

“You helped a lot with the food! I can't wait to try it all.” She spoke with the same quiet enthusiasm she always held for Rin. Seeing the sisters together never failed to make you smile. 'Wholesome' doesn't begin to cover the affection and care they show for each other, and the happiness they felt was infectious.

Before the conversation could start up again, Kalpas placed the first dish in the center of the table. Another followed right after, and two more after that. You would have offered to help, but when Sakura's attempt was shot down, you decided not to bother. In less than a minute the table was covered in so much food, you couldn't even begin to name it all. Not that it mattered; you didn't need to know the name to have your mouth water at the sight in front of you.

When he was done going from kitchen to table, Kalpas stood in front of you all with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face like you'd somehow offended him. “Well?” He wasn't outright mad, but his voice held an undertone that told you he was one step away from pissed. “Start eating before it gets cold!”

“Aren't you going to sit with us?” Sakura looked between her friend and the last empty chair. There was a tense look shared between the two like they were having an unspoken argument.

An argument Sakura won apparently, because Kalpas was soon sitting across from you with Rin already starting to break the silence. Without a word, he took her plate and started putting food on it until you were worried it all might fall off. Taking that as the sign to start, you and Sakura began serving yourselves as well. The moment her hand touched a second spoon, however, she was getting told off for trying to put two things next to each other that obviously don't go together.

Her pout had you laughing under your breath until you got the same lecture. By the time you each had a Kalpas-approved plate, Rin had made a sizable dent in her own. In a quarter of that time, Kalpas had his own plate that look like it came straight from a restaurant you could never afford. Sakura didn't looked shocked like you did, but she sure was sending little jealous glances like you were.

“Uncle Kalpas, how long are you staying? Can we make dinner every night?” Rin was halfway through her plate by now and you were honestly impressed she could eat so much. The conversation between yourself and Sakura stopped as you both listened. Trying to be discrete, you glanced from her to Kalpas—who was already fixing you with a glare—and then back to the safety of your plate, suddenly extra interested in your food.

While you were busy pretending you weren't listening in on the conversation, even though you were apart of it, the other two adults shared a look. Sakura was the one to answer in the end, when it became clear that Kalpas wasn't going to do so. “He's staying for a week--” Rin immediately perked up, but you could hear the 'however' soon to follow.

“But,” there it was, “he's thinking of moving nearby, so he'll be able to visit more.” The little girl's mouth gaped in shock and your eyes widened to match. You could feel your heart beat a little faster; though whether it was out of fear having to face that glare on a regular basis, or getting another chance to admire his...him, you were unsure.

Over the course of dinner, you learned that the reason Kalpas would be moving nearby was to start a new restaurant in town. You also learned that his scowl was mostly reserved for you, and that he actually was happy to laugh along with Rin. Hearing the light cheery laughter from the girl paired with the deep, almost intimidating laugh from Kalpas made you want to give an awkward laugh yourself with how much the two clashed.

When Kalpas stood, you assumed dinner was over, and offered to help clean up. “Don't worry about it,” Sakura shook her head. “But you should stay for dessert.” Your eyebrows pinched together, and almost as though answering your unspoken question, a slice of cheesecake was set down in front of both you and Rin. Kalpas returned soon after with pieces for himself and Sakura, and Rin was showering her uncle with praise before he even sat down.

Taking a bite yourself, you couldn't help but agree. The crust was hard enough to contrast the smoothness of the cake, but not so brittle it broke before you could eat it. The strawberry filling of the cheesecake matched Rin's hair in color, but didn't taste artificial at all. At the same time, comparing the sweet strawberry taste to fresh jam would be an injustice.

“It's amazing,” you add to Rin's—still growing—list of compliments about the dessert. This time, Kalpas' glare was followed by a quiet grunt and nod, and if you really, really squinted, he didn't look quite as angry as he normally did.

I wrote "Griseo" instead of "Rin" an embarrassing number of times, and started this story like 3 separate times, I am so sorry. I'm also using a different word processor than usual, so if the formatting seems a little off, please let me know!

[overthinkingtaleblr]

Ghost's Parents Masterlist

Since someone asked about the both of them earlier in the week, I decided to give them an actual relationship masterlist.

As fun as this is to make, it's important to mention first and foremost that everything about these characters comes strictly from me. I am not referring to canon unless I want to make sure I am not actively working against anything. For the record, Peewee is imaginary, and Ghost Senior was implied to be Our Ghost's dad as a retcon to what was meant to be Ghost's canon perma-death. So if you want to use anything here, I'd be touched, just know it doesn't come directly from the source, it comes from me.

For the record, I have given Peewee his own non-nickname name-- it's Marion-- and I'm tempted to do the same for Ghost Sr. so he isn't just... Johnny Ghost Senior all the time... He's JGS now. Rolls right off the tongue.

This was supposed to post at a completely different time and is still a little half-baked. I’ll be sure to fix it up a bit later

History HCs

Unlike with Toast and Ghost, since this is entirely my own little thing, it means the story isn't as fluid. I'm able to discern actual points without feeling like I am actively trying to force a liquid to stand on its own.

High School

Neither Marion or JGS remembered their first meeting when they started dating, but before they were together, they were technically bitter rivals. (Only JGS would insist that)

When both Marion and JGS were in high school, they were incredibly active in their school's robotics team, both students much more persistent on winning than the others from their school.

They only had to compete against each other one year, but they were. Very open to the competition. To the point of lowkey annoying the other members of their team. Especially since they were past the point of adding things to their bots.

They only remembered this whole thing because one of them still had the ribbon from when they won that competition, and they realized it was the same one they both competed in as kids.

The Meetcute

While JGS wasn't born in North Carolina, he moved there before high school. He had no intentions of staying long after he turned 18, but after the sudden adoption of Ernest into the family, JGS got invested in helping his new brother and stuck around. The two became joined at the hip.

Additionally, Marion also wanted to break away from his family. He wound up going to a college in his own state for the pay benefits, but intentionally chose one farther from home. He came from a very superstitious family, so choosing a college that was well-known for being super haunted was probably a bad idea, but he dug it.

JGS and Ernest got jobs as mechanics instead of going to college, JGS not being sure what he wanted to do what his life yet, and Ernest not remembering any aspect of his life at all. Meanwhile, Marion found himself frequently visiting the shop in order to get new things for projects.

JGS is on perpetual cashier duty after blowing something up in his first week, and serves Marion almost every single time. Being a tech guy himself, he starts growing curious about what he could possibly be working on, and mentions it to Ernie.

While JGS doesn't pick up on it, Ernie realizes that he's beginning to fall in love with the idea of this guy, so he joins his brother at the register just long enough to ask Marion what he's working on. He listens for a little while, but leaves after JGS starts asking the right questions.

After a couple weeks of the two frequently chatting like this, they finally exchange numbers and begin having talks about meeting up together. Conversations turn from engineering, to other hobbies, to a broader understanding of the world.

When Ernest found out they started dating, the first thing he said was 'you weren't already?'

PIE

Unlike JGS, Peewee was raised very superstitiously, so while he had a healthy interest in the paranormal, it stopped right around where the sage ran out.

The two explored different ways to sense and collect data on the supernatural, putting their heads together to revolutionize paranormal technology as the world knew it. In the process, they caught the attention of T.Casket, an eccentric rich guy with a ambitious goal of making knowledge of the supernatural common international knowledge.

Peewee couldn't get himself to do it, but JGS saw this as nothing but a win, especially since Ernest already agreed to start working with the team ASAP.

Though JGS was often the one credited for the creation of a lot of the tools he used by T.Casket's show, Peewee was incredibly involved where he could be, and his involvement was always very obvious-- Peewee using steampunk imagery like a sign that something was made by him.

When Peewee was feeling brave, he might join the team on a mission or two, or help them do long-term research for solutions to conceptual problems. But most of the time he would prefer to stay home and maybe work the books if needed.

Because of the weird blur between the work-life balance, the two were able to turn long days at work into a date, though it also made some things more stressful than necessary.

PIE became a big part of the couple’s lives, the pair being very involved in making sure thing ran smoothly on a technical and personal level, especially after Gregory came into T.Casket’s life.

Any kind ghosts JGS met, he would introduce to Peewee to try to help his superstition. It wasn’t always helpful, but it helped expand his worldview.

Adopting Gregory

When T.Casket suddenly passed, Ernest was the first person to realize his son was likely missing for a paranormal reason, immediately taking it to his brother. Unlike JGS, he had settled down and started a family, and had a kid at home he needed to take care of, leaving JGS to figure out what the fuck is going on.

Widowed

It sucks to lose your spouse at such a young age, and Peewee didn’t really take it too well, turning away from the rest of the world.

He put more emphasis on his role of a father to ignore the loss of his role of husband. He wanted to make sure that Ghost would be better prepared than his father.

It does not help that not even a year after JGS went and got himself killed, Johnny got himself possessed that same year’s Halloween.

Peewee was the first person to know what happened, but his conflicted feelings about the supernatural made him feel forgiving, and he decided to turn the other cheek for this one since it didn’t seem to be hurting Johnny.

Then whatever it was killed Katrina, and Peewee spent the next week trying to pry Ghost and Casket apart.

Despite what Toast might think, Peewee likely knows more about Casket than any other living person on the planet. Especially since he had to learn where to hide the knife rack so he didn’t get murdered in his sleep.

Song HCs

Guys my music taste is too sad for this. Like. I struggled to find a song for a happy, loving relationship that ends in tragedy because my music taste is the painful ones.

From the bottom of my heart, oops.

[misterellyott]

Up until a month an a half ago I had never worked in a gas station before. Not for lack of trying, but somehow I just never got interviewed or picked before.

And honestly, I wish I had gotten a job like this a long time ago. I truly enjoy working there.

It's just got this atmosphere that I just love. I get people traveling through, people who just moved to the area, people who are regulars, etc.

It's fun to see people and see the different things they stop into a gas station for, or to watch them interact with each other verse the way they speak/talk to me. I like watching people. Maybe it's an autism thing, as I've always loved to watch people since I was a child. Though, as a child I was always chided at by my family for 'staring', but honestly, it was never staring.

I was simply observing people and the way they acted. Their body language, the way they spoke, etc.

Anyways, I had a situation that happened last night that I wasn't entirely sure how to react, and I feel maybe I was an asshole, unwittingly.

Earlier on that morning while our morning shift was busy a couple of kids snuck out with alcohol. So, doing as people do, they took pictures of the kids and posted it on facebook to see if people could find out who they were to see if they would come and pay for the items or they could be pressed with charges if not. As they were underage kids... stealing alcohol... which is a huge no no and could get them in a lot of trouble.

I'm almost done with my shift when this guy comes in and he looks pissed. So immediately I calm myself to prepare to deal with an angry customer and I approach him and greet him.

Immediately he asks me when the lady that usually works there works, and I told him that she normally works in the mornings and ask if there was something I could help him with.

That's when he tells me that apparently she caught his daughter stealing and he was there to pay us back for the items. In walks a very livid mother, and a teenage girl who looked like she had been crying and was very distraught and embarrassed.

I very calmly asked what she had stolen and if she could show me the items so I could ring them up. She got really embarrassed and nervous but she brought me to the alcohol and pointed out the two bottles of MD 20/20 that she had grabbed.

I brought them up front and scanned them in and told her parents the total in which they paid. They forced her to apologize, and I thanked them for coming back to pay for the items.

I didn't however tell her that it was okay or accept her apology, because to me, the fact that they came back and paid for it was very honorable and if I accepted the apology it might make her think that it was okay and she could do it again.

They did inform me that they would be bringing her back in when the coworker who was on shift at the time of the theft could be apologized to, as they had staged the whole thing by making one of their friends distract the cashier while they got away with the items.

Honestly, I think by them making her come in and apologize and they paid for the items was enough, but I'm not her parents and I can't even begin to imagine how angry and upset I would be if I found out my child stole from my very regularly used gas station. (The whole family are regulars, though I'm not sure if this situation is going to change that now.)

I feel bad that I wasn't able to talk to her directly and explain that I'm not upset with her and as a parent, I would be proud of her for coming back in to apologize and make amends, but I didn't feel I could speak to her with her parents there, as I didn't want to offend them or anything by speaking to her like that.

However, I don't know if I'm an asshole for not fully acknowledging her apology, aside for thanking them for coming back in to pay for the items.

It was a very awkward situation, as her parents were very angry and doing their best to be nice to me in this very upsetting/embarrassing situation.

Even more so being a kid under legal drinking age, stealing alcohol.

I don't know. I feel bad for the kid getting blasted on facebook. But, as Dusty Thunder always says, pain creates change. And hopefully this is the last time she attempts something that could potentially ruin her future.

And maybe it's just the case of a good kid getting mixed up with the wrong crowd, or something. But, hopefully, she makes better choices in the future.