#a little comeback gift till I can adjust :)

[good-call-my-young-padawan]

What if? Padmé is the Sith Lord we've been looking for.

[shra-vasti]

Run to you

Pairing : Kwon Soonyoung x reader

Type : Soulmate au

Genre : angst to fluff

Warnings : none

Word count : 3-4k approx

Soulmate au type : In which there's a counter of steps on your wrist which shows how much away/close you are from your soulmate.

Soonyoung leaned back on his seat dipping his one hand inside his pocket to take out his phone and attach it with earphones to block the voice of Seungkwan and the constant complaining of Jihoon. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander as they head towards their next schedule.

It was currently 11 PM at night and the shooting was going to take up whole night to finish since the comeback show was grand. They had prepared extra performances as a thankyou and surprise gift for carats for their support.

He was being quiet silent compared to his usual self, he knew that. Ever since Seokmin found his soulmate two months ago there has been an addition to their usual hangouts. It wasn't that Soonyoung hated the newest addition to the group, he really adored them like his own sibling. Their group was still very much the same aside from the constant lovey dovey moments of Seokmin and his mate.

Seokmin, despite being the member with lack of soulmark managed to find his soulmate before the rest of the members. He was really happy for the younger as he had witnessed him frequently breaking down thinking he would never find his soulmate. Soonyoung couldn't be more happier.

Unconsciously his eyes darted towards his right wrist where a counter of step was inscribed and the ridiculous amout of step count written over it, indicating his soulmate was no where near him.

He sighed and closed his eyes, ever since Seokmin found his mate his time divided in between the members and his love. It wasn't upsetting but Seokmin, Seungkwan and him had always been together with their dumb instincts, did everything together and hence it would take some time for him to adjust to his lack of presence during their free times.

The counter shows the change every half n' hour but it's been months since the counter has shown any significant amout of change. He just hoped his soulmate was in good condition and as desparate to meet him as he was.

"Soonyoung put the skin tape on your soulmark we will arrive at the building in few minutes." his manager said as he pat his leg to get his attention. He nodded at his manager and reach out towards the tape to hide his soulmark.

Hiding their soulmark wasn't something new for idols like him. Fans tended to be more interested in them if they didn't have any private life. Accessing to one's soulmark could potentially be a threat to their respective soulmate cause you never know what a sasaeng fan might do and then again some of the fans perceive their idols dating to not being serious enough for their career and bash them so hiding the soulmark was one of the best decision in the kpop community.

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"Say the name, Seventeen. Thankyou everyone for your hard work." the boys cheered and bowed to the staff. The shooting for their stage performance was completed and they just had one more scheduled before they get two schedule free days to relax. The sun shines coming through the windows indicating that the sun has risen.

"Just one more schedule." Soonyoung heard Seokmin mumble as he type furiously on his phone. He shook his head at the younger one and made his way towards him.

"Someone's excited." he patted Seokmin's shoulder to gain his attention.

"I am going to spend these whole two days with them." he said dreamily and jumped few times to show how happy he was.

Soonyoung gave him a tight smile and then both of them proceeded towards their van. They sat on their respective seats with Jihoon immediately drifting off to sleep, Seungkwan chatting with the manager, Seokmin on his phone probably chatting with his mate and himself staring outside of the window. His wrist still covered with the skin tape, too tired to remove it and attach it again.

The sudden halt of the van make his eyebrows furrow in confusion but Seungkwan beat him by asking the manager about the sudden halt. The manager informed them about the staff being a little bit late for the preparation and that they had some time to utilize for themselves so they opted to grab something from convinience store before rushing back towards the next schedule.

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You were tired from long journey from London to Seoul with your friends to surprise your family after being away from them to complete your graduation. It has been years of busy life and you ached for the hospitality of your family who resided in Korea.

It wasn't only the affection of your family you were anticipating but the constant descending of your counter indicating that you were also getting closer to your soulmate. You might meet them on the very first day of arrival you thought. The thought itself sending butterflies inside your stomach and you couldn't stop the excitement forming at the pit of your stomach. You thought you would throw up.

You were clear that your soulmate was from Seoul as you looked at your counter. You were nervous but you were sure you were going to cross path with them sooner or later. You along with your friends arrived at the airport and the chillness made you bring your sleeves till they covered your whole palm. You shook your head and decided to do as your friends please and momentarily stop watching your counter to subsidise the overwhelming feeling inside you otherwise you knew you would throw up.

A mini van stopped right in front of you and both of your friends dragged you towards it. You put your belongings inside the trunk and made yourself comfortable on your seat.

"I really want to eat something cause I can't wait for few more hours unpacking the things, chatting with family and then having the dinner. I will might as well faint at that point. Let's stop to eat something beforehand." your friend complained.

She was right and you felt your own stomach grumble. You nodded your head at her and she motioned her driver to stop at nearby street so they can have something to eat. The van stop few minutes later, you put your earphones away grabbing enough money from your purse and put your phone in your pocket, too tired to hold a single thing in your hand. This food might as well give you some strength to chat up with your family after the flight.

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You had finish your eating and decided to buy something for your family before you head home. You look around to find a convenient store nearby and you dragged your friends along with you towards it.

"What should I get for mom?" your friends asked as she moved from asile to asile with you looking through the opposite shelf.

"Your mom has a sweet tooth might as well buy some sweets for her." you replied as you nonchalantly brush your hands against the packs of snacks kept on the shelves.

Your concentration moved from the packs to the hysterical laugh of your friend, you eyed her in disgust before looking around you to see if your friend disturbed someone but there were one to none people so you sighed before going towards your friends.

"Help me I can't reach the bottle and she just keeps on laughing at my shortness." your friend pouted at you. She was the shortest among all of you. You chuckled before shaking your head and reaching towards the bottle making your sleeves slide down enough to show you the counter on your hand.

Your eyes widened at as the counter dropped from 6 digits to 4. Your soulmate was present somewhere near you, in the same premises and even before you could think your legs started moving as you ran outside of the store.

If only you had seen the counter few minutes prior you would have been able to witness that they were in the same convinience store as you. Your friends shouted behind you asking where you were going but you ignored them. You can always tell them afterward, right now you were the nearest you have ever been to your soulmate.

You looked at your counter again and you contemplated on which side to go since you were right in the middle of street full of different stores, the counter was steady. Maybe they were waiting for someone.

You decide to go with your instincts and started running towards right side slowly, the numbers of your wrist decreasing. But after sometime suddenly the numbers started increasing. Didn't your soulmate notice the proximity? You questioned yourself before increasing your pace.

You ran and ran till you saw someone run in the same direction you were running, away from you and as you looked at your wrist you figured your step count appropriately matched with the pace of the stranger. There was no one else running like the maniacs other than you and them.

You stopped running feeling it hard to breathe as you saw their figure get inside a van. So your soulmate is a male. But why did he run away like that? Didn't he check his counter or did he despised the idea of soulmate? Many things were running inside your head as you felt yourself getting surrounded by 2 pair of hands taking you back to towards the van waiting for you to take home.

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"Yah, Hyung why didn't you tell us that we don't have much time for break. We were doing things so leisurely and went so far from the van that we had to literally run like crazy to get to the van." Soonyoung complained as he tried to catch his breath. He was covered in sweat, his left hand clutching his heart and the other holding the head seat of the driver's seat.

He look towards his hand to notice the tape has been almost tore off his skin due to his sweat and he reached towards it to peel it off completely as their manager and other members made themself comfortable in their seats and starting the van.

"Hyung stop." Soonyoung yelled as soon as his eyes landed on his counter. The digits were so low that for a minute he thought he was hallucinating. He couldn't even think straight, this had to be a joke. His soulmate was so near to him.

"You know Soonyoung we can't." manager replied as he continued to drive to the location. "Whatever your emergency is we will see about it afterward. We can't be late for the next schedule. It's really important."

The manager didn't give him another chance to speak and sped off towards their next destination. Soonyoung just looked towards his wrist, watching as the step count started increasing as the van continued to go. His heart felt heavy, you were so near him.

He showed his arm to Jihoon who was sitting next to him, a grim expression on his face as he explained how he may have miss finally being with you if it wasn't for the schedule and the skin tape applied to his hand.

For most of the ride and during the schedule he was even more upset, constantly sighing even though he wasn't that tired. The members were quick to notice and Jihoon told them about his condition making his members give him sympathetic looks and pats on his backs whenever they were near him.

His mind was just wandering. How was he supposed to find you? It wasn't like he could communicate with you through the counter. He was uncertain if you were in Korea for a short time or a long one. He was panicking that he lost the only chance he had.

He also thought about how unlike him, you may have noticed the change in your timing. You may have tried to look for him when you noticed the change. Were you angry and heartbroken when you noticed he was going away from you? What was the least step count between both of you, he wondered. It was very high when he went for his schedule so he guessed you may have fled to Korea for some reason during his all night comeback show shooting and he begged the heaven for you to stay here longer for whatever reason you came till he finds you.

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"Will you stop grieving and do something about your situation?" Soonyoung look up to see a frustrated Seungcheol standing in front of him. "If you keep looking at the counter they aren't going to appear in front of you, you need to do something about it. What if they are here only for a short time. It's not like they know who their soulmate is that they will find you in no time."

"He's right." Another, rather soft voice came inside and Seungcheol moved so Soonyoung could see the person, Seokmin's soulmate.

"What do you want me to do? It's not like I know where they are." he said as he banged his head on the headboard in frustration.

"There are hundreds of possibilities right now but you can't just sit here and not make a move. If that day I wouldn't have gotten out of my grandma's house I wouldn't have met Seokmin. There wouldn't have been an us if I stayed inside that day. You never know what will happen. I could have return to back to my home and never met him but I did. All because I didn't sit in one place."

He didn't know how the sudden determination rose inside of him. Whether it was because he too wanted to find you soon or because of the words spluttered out by Seokmin's mate as they have an example of their own life. They were right nothing was certain, if Seokmin can manage to find his mate even after being rid of soulmark then why was he grieving, he atleast has a soulmark rather than nothing.

He got up suddenly surprising the other two person present inside his room as he grabbed his jacket and car keys and made a run towards the door.

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You were currently taking a walk outside, it had became a habit of you to take a walk at least once in a while if not frequently. But this time you had a reason. Your mother asked you to get some of her stuff from the store as your father and brother were gone out for some time.

It wasn't like you had something better to do. Your family welcomed you and they were truly very happy to see you back, your mother even cried. But she's just that dramatic, you laughed internally at that. You told them about your time in London even though you basically talk to them everyday and how you came back because you missed Korea.

You were thinking of finding a suitable job here in Korea itself. You didn't plan on going away soon which you were planning a night earlier when you thought about how your soulmate ran away from you. There were hundreds of possibilities. He could have been busy with something or some sort of emergency came up that he had to leave like that but you couldn't help the other possibility of him not wanting you. He may have walked passed you and look at the counter and might have regretted that you were his soulmate.

You shook your head, you can't get insecure like that. He had an emergency at that time. An emergency, you repeated those two words like a mantra. You have been thinking about that incident more than you should have cause in the end he was your fate. There was a reason you two were tied together.

A loud screech of car's tire made you stop dead in your track as you put your hands on your ears in an attempt to subsidise the erry noise. You slowly stood up straight hands red since you forgot to wear your gloves as you looked in front of you.

You blinked at the man standing mere feets away from you, was he smiling at you? You looked back to see if there was anyone else but people loved to stay inside in the comfort of their house rather than going out in the chill, you were the one he was smiling at.

You took a step back involuntary when you saw him step near you, your heart beating a thousand miles per minute if that was even possible. He was adorably handsome but that doesn't mean you will let him come near you. He stopped in his track as he noticed you moving backward, the smile previously on his face vanish as he looked somewhat disheartened.

He put both his hands up like he was telling you he surrendered that he wasn't a threat and so you did. His one hand came in contact with a sleeve of another as he pushed it down and pointed at his wrist and then pointing at you.

You followed his moments, reaching towards your right hand pulling the sleeves till your wrist was exposed. You gasped after noticing the digits of the counter. The step count was so low that it brought tears in your eyes. There wasn't anyone else in here, was he your soulmate? Then suddenly you felt the digits become lesser and lesser and lesser, you look up to see him running towards you a big smile forming on his face and tears dripping from his eyes. Was this a dream?

But the moment his arms encircled you, pulling you off the ground and spun you around as you yelp in surprise and hug him tight, you were certain that this wasn't a dream. This reality was so much beautiful than any dream you ever had.

"God, you don't know how much I've been dying for this moment." he said as he wiped your tears and sighed contently. He kissed your forehead briefly not letting you go but stiffen suddenly. You pull away from him as you looked at him confused.

"Why?" you asked frowning.

"I'm sorry. It must be awkward for you since I didn't even introduced myself and kiss you." he scratched the back of his neck.

"It's not." you said as you told him your name. "I introduced you myself now it's your turn." you hugged his waist after that. He seemed to hesitate for a bit. Trying his best to find a way to tell you who he was.

"Do you know Seventeen?" he mentally facepalmed himself, what a best way to introduce yourself. He pulled away from the hug to look at you in the eye.

"Are you some sort of kpop idol or something, no wonder though you are so handsome you could easily pass as an idol." you deadpanned as you wintenssed as the red on his ear tips spread across his cheeks. He felt proud that you found him handsome.

"Yeah I am an idol. And I go by the name of Hoshi of Seventeen but that's my stage name. You can call me Soonyoung." he smiled as he pressed his lips on your forehead briefly and taking his time to enjoy you in his arms. He mumbled about how he will tell you more about him and his idol life afterwards. You smiled unconsciously as you hugged him even tighter.

"Why? Why did you run away from me that day?" you asked as you looked at him. You wanted to know what happened cause you dispise uncertainty.

"I'm sorry." he sighed as he cup your cheeks. "I was running late for a schedule and I looked at the counter too late. I tried stopping my manager but he didn't listen. I didn't look at the counter earlier because I had a skin tape over my soulmark to prevent it from being seen by other. I'm so sorry. I regret it so much." he huff as his forehead met yours.

"I was so upset because I thought you don't want me." you whispered looking at his eyes. You felt him visibly get hurt at that. He shook his head, his arms bringing you more closer to him if that was possible as he told you again and again how it wasn't that case and how glad he was that he had found you.

You hugged him tightly feeling the warmth of his body more comfortable than the chillness of outside. Now you knew that he wanted you just as you wanted him and you couldn't ask for more. You were both in each other's arms now and that was what that mattered the most. All of the other obstacles would be taken care of cause you knew you have plenty of time with your significant other and you couldn't wait for the life ahead the two of you.

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"I woke up thinking of you and went outside. I was walking but started running just like my heart. Even though I don't know where you are, I'm following the compass of my heart. Slowly looking through the map in my heart."

[jingabitch]

Lit Up

Summary: Christmas drabble in the Fucked Up verse, in which you leave the house to prepare a Christmas surprise for the boys, who come home early and discover you gone.

Warnings: yandere | explicit language | explicit descriptions of sexual acts | dark shit | reader has major issues

Rating: E

Pairings: mainly Yoongi x reader; bg ot7 x reader

Word count: 4.3k

Series index

Christmas is one of your favourite times of the year. It always has been, since you were a child. You have few fond memories of your childhood, but Christmas had always been nice, and you remember spending time with your family. Back before the drinking and debt and screaming, but even after all that had started, at least at the beginning, your parents had made an effort to have nice Christmas celebrations.

This Christmas, the boys are back home - and so are you. It doesn’t mean that they have the day off, much to your displeasure, but they’d promised to be back in time for dinner. Seokjin bought a ham and there are ingredients for all sorts of delicious side dishes in the fridge. It’s going to be a feast, and you can’t wait.

Still, though. Food does not a Christmas party make. With the boys so busy, you hadn’t dared broach the subject of gifts or decorations, knowing there was no way any of them had the time to accompany you to various stores to pick up everything. Sure, you could order whatever it is you wanted online, but part of the fun of Christmas is the actual shopping, and it’s something you so badly want to share with them.

Fantasies of them coming home to a Christmas tree, all ready for you to decorate together, and prettily wrapped gifts, fill you with delight. It’ll be so much fun, you think, almost clapping your hands with excitement. They aren’t supposed to be home till six, were going to have a late dinner since Seokjin wanted to cook even though he was going to be arriving back at the same time as them… you have plenty of time. You know they would worry if they come back and find you missing, but they won’t be mad if you’re already back, and they see that nothing bad happened to you.

With that thought in mind, you get ready for your first solo trip outside the apartment since you arrived here. As much as you love this place, the thought of going out alone, like you used to, is a heady one. You’ve not even really explored the streets in your neighbourhood, and you used to like taking long walks.

Well, they became a lot more fun when you knew Yoongi was walking with you.

Dressing in your warmest clothes (and filching Yoongi’s scarf because you like the way he smells, okay?) you grab all of the emergency cash in the drawer on your way out, and the keys to Jeongguk’s car. Driving in Seoul isn’t the easiest, but you don’t see any other way to get all the ornaments and gifts, not to mention the tree.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, your overcoat carelessly tossed into the passenger seat, you unlock your phone and deactivate the spyware they’d installed to keep tabs on what you search and where you are. Won’t do to have them figuring out your surprise from you using Google Maps to navigate the city, after all.

Humming under your breath, you turn on the radio absently as you key in the name of the shop you want to go to. You’ve gotten your ornaments from this little hole in the wall since before the boys, since your first Christmas alone in Seoul. It hadn’t been as much fun only buying enough decorations for just your mini-tree and studio apartment, but it had been all right. The handmade items made by the kindly middle-aged lady were pretty enough to make up for it.

As you make your way to the store, the radio starts playing a radio interview with BTS and you giggle to yourself. Your boys are so prim and proper on the air, no one would ever guess that Namjoon wrote half the songs of their latest comeback with his cock tucked inside you, or that Jimin and Taehyung’s friendship is based on commonalities far greater (and kinkier) than both being members of the 95 line.

All those secrets are yours and yours alone, and you smile contentedly as you listen to their nonsensical answers to the question of what their ideal type is, because it’s all bullshit. You know what their ideal type is; because you’ve put in a lot of effort to be that for every one of them.

Parking the car in a roadside lot, you get out and grab all your stuff, spending a minute putting your coat and scarf back on, before locking the door and walking the few doors down to the shop.

“Good morning, aunty!” you say cheerily as you duck slightly to avoid hitting your head on the wind chimes she’d hung over the door.

“Ah, Y/N, hello, sweetheart. I haven’t seen you around recently; you didn’t even come to buy Christmas ornaments last year.” As your eyes adjust to the relative darkness of the store after being outside in the sun, you spot the shopkeeper standing behind the counter.

“Yeah, I was travelling last Christmas, aunty. I came to get new ones this year, though! I moved into a bigger place and need more this time,” you inform her delightedly, looking around the store. Spotting some delicate crystal ornaments, you move closer to them, and pick one up, a pretty snowflake.

The shopkeeper, seeing what caught your fancy, smiles. “I should have known you’d go for those,” she says. “You might like these to go with that too,” she directs your attention to some sparkly baubles and a wreath that’s white and black instead of the usual green.

Once you’ve bought almost all the snow- and winter-themed decorations in stock, you go all over Seoul buying presents for the boys - an expensive kitchen knife with his initials carved into the handle for Seokjin, a first-edition of one of Namjoon’s favourite books, accessories, clothing and shoes for the more fashion-oriented boys, and so on.

For Yoongi, though, your precious Yoongi, regular gifts will not be enough. What do you buy for the man who gave you everything?

Humming in deep thought, you spin in a circle in the middle of Myeongdong. What should you get? You check the time - it’s already three in the afternoon, and you only have three hours to get his gift, the Christmas tree, and haul ass back to the apartment.

Sighing, you head dejectedly back to the car. There has to be something special you can get for him.

There’s a place that sells Christmas trees near the outskirts of Seoul, and you drive there, humming along to the radio. Christmas really is your favourite time of the year, you think, smiling at the cover of Jingle Bell Rock currently playing. Maybe you’ll be able to persuade some of the boys to serenade you tonight, not that it’s ever difficult to.

On your way to the store, you drive past a tattoo and piercing store and inspiration suddenly strikes you. On a whim, you decide to get your ears pierced to match Yoongi’s. It’s not much, but it’ll be cute, you think, matching his accessories. It can be your little thing, even if no one will ever know since you’ll never be seen in public together.

You only have the basic lobe piercings, so you end up getting three additional holes punched into your earlobes, although thankfully he let his helix piercing close up so you don’t have to do anything like that.

It doesn’t take too long, and before you know it you’re back on track, going to pick up a Christmas tree. You’re just pulling into the parking lot when your phone dies, and you huff. It’s been long enough not going out for a long time, or alone, that you’ve completely forgotten basic things like bringing along a power bank, so you suppose you’ll just have to make do until you get home.

It won’t be that bad - you know the way home, at least - but it makes you a little antsy not being contactable, so you resolve to hurry up so you can go home soon.

There’s just one hitch in your plans, though - the boys got home two hours early. Which you didn’t know, because your phone died and you had no idea they were even blowing it up.

While you were excitedly choosing a pretty tree that you genuinely had no idea how you would muscle up from the garage into the apartment, the boys are walking into said apartment, full of anticipation for your delighted response to them coming back early to spend more of Christmas with you, because of course they know of your love for the holiday.

Yoongi tries (and fails) to hide his excitement as he toes off his shoes before opening the door to the apartment. The others follow more sedately, content to let Yoongi be the one to announce their arrival.

The moment he steps into the apartment, though, he can tell that something is wrong. You don’t appear from behind a corner, or even call out a greeting, as is usual for you. It’s the middle of the day, so you haven’t gone to sleep yet.

Yeontan comes bounding out to greet the boys, but he’s conspicuously alone.

“Y/N?” Yoongi calls, unease slithering down his spine. Yeontan barks, turning around in a circle, and Taehyung picks the dog up.

“Hyung, why are you just standing there?” Hoseok asks, and Yoongi takes a few steps forward so that the rest of the boys can come into the apartment too.

He calls your name again as he walks through the hallway to the living room, then, not finding you, pops his head into the kitchen and then to the bedrooms. The others cotton on fairly quickly to the issue, and help out, opening the doors to their own bedrooms to see if you’re in there.

It becomes obvious that you’re not in the apartment, and this results in chaos and panic among the boys. Yoongi is, of course, the worst off, barely able to comprehend that you would leave. You’d given no indication of being unhappy or dissatisfied, and things had been going great recently. Your relationship is, in every aspect, unusual, but it works for all parties involved - or so he’d thought.

Namjoon, seeing that Yoongi is on the verge of a breakdown, quickly intervenes, guiding the older man to the couch and sitting him down on it.

“Don’t worry,” he reassures him. “We’ll find her, okay? There’s no way she can get away from us all.”

Indeed, the others are already leaping into action. Jeongguk, the one who installed the spy software on your phone, is already booting up his computer to track your location, and the other boys are tearing the apartment apart searching for clues.

“Shit, she took all the money in the drawer,” Hoseok curses as he opens said drawer in the kitchen to check.

“How much was in there?” Jimin asks, looking over his roommate’s shoulder.

Hoseok shrugs and looks over at Namjoon. “I don’t know… I just put some in whenever I had cash on me that I didn’t want to bring out,” he says, and the other boys nod and murmur their agreement.

Concluding that this means you have a lot of cash at your disposal, they sigh heavily and stare despondently at each other. Yoongi looks like he’s about to burst into tears, and Jimin and Taehyung sit next to each other, sulking.

The bad news isn’t done coming, though. Jeongguk stumbles out of his bedroom in shock. “I can’t track her phone,” he breathes, blinking in bewilderment. The others’ gazes snap towards him immediately.

“What do you mean, you can’t track her?” Namjoon demands, hurrying over to push Jeongguk back into his room so they can see his computer.

“Look, the last traced location of her phone is the apartment complex, and that was in the morning,” he explains. “She’s gone off the grid all day.”

“Is the phone off? Did she manage to disable it?” Hoseok asks, peering over the maknae’s shoulder.

“I’ll need to ask my friend, he’s the one who would know how to check.”

“All right, let’s go then.”

Before long, all of them have their marching orders. Jeongguk is going to seek out the friend that wrote the software for him, Namjoon, Hoseok and Jin are going to the bus and train terminals and the airport to see if she left by any of those means, and Taehyung and Jimin are going to review the footage on all the CCTVs installed in and around their apartment complex to see if they have any clues about where you went.

As for Yoongi - Namjoon tells him to stay in the apartment and try to find any clues as to what happened to cause her to suddenly take flight, since he’s the one who knows her best, but really, he looks like such utter shit, barely able to keep himself together, that none of them think it’s a good idea for him to be out in public right now.

Blissfully unaware of all the chaos you’ve caused in your home, you hum along to the song playing on the radio as you return to the apartment complex, zipping neatly into Jeongguk’s designated parking lot. As you climb out of the car, you hum thoughtfully to yourself as you eye the tree shoved into the backseat and think about all the packages in the boot. There’s no way you’ll be able to bring it all up in one go, and you sigh as you wish for a moment that the boys had come with you, because all that muscle would sure come in handy right about now.

With a sigh, you yank open the car door and wrestle the tree out of the backseat, bumping the door shut with your hip after. Somehow managing to get it to the lift lobby, you heave out a breath and press the button for the elevator. 

By the time you push, pull and pivot your way back to the apartment, you’ve broken out in a sweat and your muscles are screaming. Putting the tree down, you key in the code for the lock, taking the opportunity to lean against the door. When the lock makes that little jingle and you hear the door unlock, you pull it open and push it carefully so it stays that way, retrieving the tree and bringing it into the entryway.

You’re taking your shoes off and getting ready to open the door into the apartment proper when it bursts open unexpectedly. With a little squeak of surprise, you take a step back, looking up with wide eyes.

“Yoongi-oppa…” you greet him out of habit, although your voice trails off uncertainly as you take in the expression on his face. “What are you doing home so early?”

He glares at you, his arms crossed over his chest, although when you look closer, you can see that although he tries to look steely and furious, his hair is a mess from his hands running through it, parts of his shirt are soaked through with sweat, and it looks like there are tear streaks on his face.

“Are you okay?” you ask in concern, letting go of the tree to take a step towards him.

“Where have you been?” he spits out instead of answering your question, in a tone you’ve never heard from him before. It’s husky and soft, almost wavering like he’s in anguish, but dangerous, a thread of steel running through it. 

Shit. You don’t know what happened while you were gone, but with the way he looks and sounds, you can tell you’re going to be in for a rough time. “Oppa - ” you say, holding your hands out placatingly, but he’s having none of it as he grabs your wrist and yanks you to him. You stumble up the step leading into the apartment and crash ungracefully into him, your free hand going to his waist to stabilize yourself.

“Who told you you could leave without permission?” he grinds out, the hand that doesn’t have a death grip on your wrist going to grasp your face, his long fingers stretching over your jawline as he holds you fast, making sure you couldn’t look away from him if you tried.

“I… I wanted to surprise you, oppa, with Christmas gifts and a tree for everyone,” you try to explain meekly, although your words come out a little muffled because he’s still gripping your jaw. His grip tightens a little, and you wince. “Oppa, you’re hurting me,” you protest.

“I’m hurting you?!” he exclaims incredulously. “Do you fucking know what you’ve done? Everyone is out there looking for you, because you vanished without a word. Do you know how…” he pulls you further into the apartment, into the hallway just past the entrance, “worried,” he pushes you to the floor roughly, “we all were?!” His hands on your hips flip you around so you’re on all fours, desperately craning your neck back to see him.

His expression is pinched as he glares down at you, his throat working convulsively as he swallows. His eyes, though - they make you clench down on yourself almost involuntarily. His gaze is so intense, swirling with anger and something like despair, and yet another emotion that you can’t quite place. The lust, though, is extremely evident in both his eyes and the set of his jaw.

Rooting in his pocket for his phone, he slides it across the floor to you. “Call Namjoon now and tell him where you’ve been,” he orders tightly.

You’re confused - everything has been happening so damn quickly - but the way he unbuckles his belt clarifies things for you real quick. It feels a little wrong for you to be reacting so quickly and viscerally, especially when you know that Yoongi isn’t in the best state emotionally, but you can’t help it.

“I don’t hear you calling him,” he bites out, fighting with the layers of clothing you have on. It must be a comical sight, you’re sure - the long coat half flipped over your back, your upper half still completely clothed and looking like a puffy dumpling as he fiercely tugs the pants and leggings over your legs. It’s getting a little warm, and you balance yourself with one hand as you unwrap Yoongi’s scarf with the other, dropping it carelessly on the ground next to you. You try to fiddle with the overcoat, but before you have a chance to do anything more than unzip it, Yoongi yanks the clothing covering your legs all the way off and you squeal in surprise as your knees go flying, causing your entire body to drop to the ground.

You barely have time to register the pain, however, because the next thing you know, Yoongi’s fingers are thrusting harshly into you. As wet as you are, you aren’t quite ready and the pain ricochets through your body, causing you to clamp down hard as your brow furrows in discomfort.

“Why are you so wet, hmm? Does it turn you on to run away from me?” Yoongi hisses, fingering you roughly to open you up even as he knocks your knees apart further and gets into position behind you.

“I - what?” Bewildered, you try to sit back to ask him why he was so upset, but he pushes you back down with his hand between your shoulder blades, sliding it up to grip the back of your neck as he lines himself up and thrusts savagely into you, bottoming out in one stroke.

You cry out, your hands clenching into fists as you turn to press your face against the smooth material of your jacket. With your face buried in your shoulder like that, your cries are muffled, but he’s not having any of it, gripping your hair into a loose ponytail with the hand that was on your neck and yanking your head back.

“Call. Namjoon,” he orders, punctuating every word with a snap of his hips. Bracing yourself by lowering your elbows onto the ground, you fiddle with his phone with shaky hands, barely able to handle it with the punishing pace he’s set, jostling you around like that.

When you finally manage to call Namjoon, you drop it on the floor between your fists, letting the phone ring on speaker.

“Hyung, what’s up?” comes Namjoon’s harried voice.

If you thought that Yoongi would let up on you a little, so you could actually speak to Namjoon the way he seemed to want, you’re wrong.

“Joonie-oppa, I- agh.” Whatever you were about to say cuts off in a garbled moan as Yoongi takes the opportunity to slam into you, harder than ever before. You skid across the floor, not helped by the fact that you’re still wrapped up in your coat which doesn’t allow you to get a good grip on the marble.

“Y/N?! Is that you?” Namjoon demands.

“Ye - ngh - yes.” Your mewl, coupled with the rhythmic grunts and groans Yoongi is releasing as he presses his chest to your back, sucking livid marks into your neck, give Namjoon a fairly clear idea of what’s going on.

“Jesus, Y/N, are you at home? Where the hell have you been?”

Your attempt to reply is foiled by Yoongi sneaking a hand down your body to strum at your clit, causing your mind to blank as you clench down on him, causing both of you to groan in unison.

“Jesus,” Namjoon mutters. “I’ll talk to you when I get home,” he says before hanging up.

With that out of the way, Yoongi redoubles his efforts to work you over, fucking you hard and fast even as he continues his ministrations on your clit. “No one else can fuck you this good, can they? Only I can make you feel like this,” he growls in your ear.

You’re so lost in the onslaught of sensation he’s forcing onto you that you don’t answer him fast enough for his liking, and he retaliates with a pinch to your clit. “Can they?!” he repeats in a hard voice, and you cry, “No, only you!”

That seems to satisfy him, and he rewards you by driving you up to orgasm faster than has ever happened before, but right before you’re about to tumble headfirst into ecstasy, he slows down, so the orgasm hovers right out of your grasp. Holding you still as you writhe and cry in protest, he asks, in the same harsh tone as before, but with a strange note of vulnerability threaded through it, “You won’t leave me again, will you? You’ll stay with me always?”

Confused again, and barely able to marshal your senses to figure out why he was being like that, you sob in frustration. If he wants to have a serious conversation, why now? Why does he sound so pained, desperate, anguished?

“Y/N!” he cries out, and you can physically feel him holding his orgasm back as he waits for your response.

“No, I won’t leave,” you finally force out, and immediately he slams back into you, biting down savagely on your neck as he comes harder than you ever recall. Feeling him release into you triggers your own orgasm, and you press your cheek to the ground as you keen.

When it’s over, you slump to the ground, now uncomfortably sticky in your clothes but lacking the coordination and strength to remove the layers. Yoongi, still breathing hard, helps flip you over onto your back and pushes the coat off your shoulders, holding it still while you wriggle your arms out of it.

Now far more comfortable, you shed the other layers you were wearing, only stopping when you’re lying nude on the floor, blinking up at Yoongi, who’s still fully dressed. He stares down at you with an inscrutable gaze, and you hold your arms out for him, inviting him to cuddle.

He looks hesitant, but ultimately can’t resist and lies down on the ground next to you, reaching over to pull you closer into his side.

“I’m sorry I was so rough earlier,” he apologizes. “I just got a little crazy at the thought that you had run away.”

Your heart breaks at that. “Oh, sweetie - I never wanted to run away. I was just getting presents and a tree so we could have a nice Christmas celebration,” you explain. “Besides, it’s nothing I couldn’t handle,” you reassure him with a squeeze of his hand, referencing some of the other boys’ rougher proclivities.

“Still,” he persists, brushing your sweaty hair away from your forehead. “You were just gone when we came back, and all the money in the drawer was too, and then Jeongguk said he couldn’t trace-” Suddenly aware that he’s said too much, he clams up.

“Oh, I had to deactivate the tracker or else it wouldn’t have been a surprise, then my phone died,” you explain with a little wave of your hand. “Speaking of which-” You sit up and dig around in your purse, which had been dropped carelessly on the ground. Finding your phone, you get up and go to the bedroom you share with Yoongi to plug it in.

He follows you, looking slightly lost. “You knew about the tracker?”

You turn and smirk at him. “Have you forgotten what my job was?” A former programmer, you’d realised the day they installed the software that it was there.

“Oh,” was all he could think to say.

You can hear his busy little brain buzzing as you fuss with the items on your bedside table, but it’s still completely unexpected when you turn around to find him on one knee, holding a ring in his hands.

“Will you marry us?”

[this-solaris-life]

Not A Paranormal Wei Bunny

Prompt:  The trope where 1 character is all like "Don't be afraid, I'll protect you!" but then they collapse into a puddle? Well i was rereading the "Jealous Lan Bunny" and LWJ doesn't like horror movies. But what if they watched one (idk why) and WWX is the first to get scared (& maybe LWJ doesn't get scared at all?) but he has to comfort WWX?

AU: You’re My Muse (click here to read more of the au) Notes: Wei Wuxian's Hair was inspired by a Xiao Zhan's Harper's Bazaar Shoot here and Wang Yibo's shoot here. Also, this is a fan pic that inspired his outfit here.

This one takes place going into their second year of dating. Lan Qiren is Lan Wangji's manager.

The Bunnies That Live with Lan Wangji:

Suibian - his jet black bunny with the red ribbon and bell, was gifted to him for his first birthday they spent together.

Wangji - his white bunny with the white ribbon with blue clouds, was gifted to him for their first anniversary.click to see my sketch design of Lan Wangji's apartment ---

It’d been fifteen minutes ago that Lan Wangji had gotten out of bed to go answer the front door. He wondered if it would have been his beautiful boyfriend but then Wei Wuxian would have just used the key code and crawled into bed with him. To his surprise, it’d been one of his Uncle’s private secretaries holding his paperwork that he needed to review and sign. Which is why he is now at his dining room table after letting his bunnies out of the bunny wall to roam around while he reviews the papers. The morning light bright coming through the window behind him. He’d actually slept in today. While working with one of his favorite production teams it was also exhausting. Lan Wangji was thankful it was over which is what caused this paperwork to be sent to him. So he was still in his pajamas. A cup of hot coffee in his hand. Little Suibian hopping happily under the table around his feet and Wangji’s face nuzzling his hand that’s wrapped around his freshly filled coffee mug. 

He was about to take a drink when his phone started chime with the Facetime jingle. He turned his phone over seeing that it was Wei Wuxian, he quickly answered excitedly. He might have slept in but his beautiful boyfriend likes to sleep in till at least ten or eleven. The call connected showing that Wei Wuxian was sitting in the back of one of his agencies transport vans.

“Lan Zhhaaan!” Wei Wuxian greeted him cheerfully as he answered. A beautiful smile on Wei Wuxian’s face as the man waved to him, he quickly pulled out the phone case kickstand so he could sign to him. Golden eyes took in that his normally short hair had been altered a little bit with some extensions to make it longer like his own currently is with silvery white tips. The hair let him know two things: the first that Wei Wuxian was awake this early because he’d had to go get the hair done and second is that today must be the photo shoot that Jiang Cheng had told his xiongzhang about. His gaze shifted to the comfy burgundy sweater Wei Wuxian was wearing. It was a little bigger on the man exposing his collar bones. He hadn’t realized that his boyfriend had taken it from his closet but it looked good on him.

Good morning, Wei Ying. Lan Wangji signed before taking a sip of his coffee. Wangji moving at the sound of Wei Wuxian’s voice towards the phone. Though it decided to plop down on top of the papers halfway there making Lan Wangji chuckle. 

“I was having a good morning, but now I’m having the best morning now that I’ve been blessed with seeing your face.” Wei Wuxian replied, winking at someone off camera as he adjusted the airpods in his ears. Which meant that either Wen Ning was with him or Jiang Cheng. Considering that he didn’t hear a snappy comeback he guessed that it was Wen Ning. 

Shameless. Lan Wangji gestured, feeling the tips of his ears heat up. He knew that the other could see the reddish tinge to his ears by the mischievous little smirk on Wei Wuxian’s face. 

“I’ve got a pretty boyfriend so please allow me to gush about him from time to time.” Wei Wuxian teased. Lan Wangji let himself roll his eyes because Wei Wuxian’s time to time was every day. The man had a way with words that always had him enthralled. 

“Speaking of time. I know that we are supposed to be meeting for a lunch date today but Reina just finished with my hair and we are on the way to the set. Is it okay if we raincheck for dinner instead?” Wei Wuxian asked. 

That’s okay, I have to take these to Shushu. Lan Wangji signed before gesturing to the papers that Wangji was currently warming for him.

“Good! I have the perfect movie for us to watch tonight.” Wei Wuxian giggled while wiggling his eyebrows at him. 

I’m sure you do. Lan Wangji laughed making Wei Wuxian’s smile beam. 

“Now, don’t cook anything, Lan Zhan! I am going to bring us dinner okay? I’ve got to go now, Lan Zhan. Love you.” Wei Wuxian said after his gaze shifted off screen. 

I love you too. Lan Wangji signed, blushing as Wei Wuxian blew him a kiss before ending the call. This time he could feel the heat on his cheeks. It didn’t matter how many times his boyfriend had said i love you to him, it always felt like the first time. His heart starts racing a little and the feeling of happiness in his chest. 

He smiled warmly as he shook his head. Lan Wangji picked up Wangji putting the bunny in his lap as he refocused on the paperwork. The stack was thick this time but at least once it was done he could focus on Wei Wuxian coming over for their movie night date. 

“LAN ZHAANNNNN, I’M HOME!” Wei Wuxian announced as he used his foot to shut the door to the apartment’s entryway. The motion sensored lights running the ceiling turned on as he stepped passed the doorway. His dark eyes checking to see if the first door on the right was open. Thankfully, Lan Wangji wasn’t in there or him announcing himself would have been useless. When designing the apartment, Lan Wangji had an at home studio built for practicing his music. So if the door was shut his boyfriend wouldn’t have been able to hear him. 

His eyes flickered over to the wall of built-in bookshelves filled with Wangji’s books, pictures, and knick knacks that lined one wall of the hallway, when he heard the sound of a bell jingling. The telling sound that Suibian was on one of the shelves.  He shifted the brown bag holding their take out from Lan Wangji’s favorite barbecue place to check for him. 

“Oh where, oh where can my little bunny be.” Wei Wuxian sing-songed before spotting him on a shelf nuzzling one of the bunny plushies that he’d gotten Lan Wangji back when they first met. It had been such a treat during that time to find out that the adorable man liked bunnies. He just kept it hidden but it wasn’t hard after a pet photo shoot that he’d had the pleasure of being apart of. So after they’d started dating he couldn’t help but get him little Suibian for his first birthday. Wangji had followed after their first anniversary, and he just knew more would be coming as they built their life together. The padding of sock covered feet on wooden floors let him know that Lan Wangji was coming towards him stirring him from his thoughts. 

“I found us a bunny surprise.” Wei Wuxian grinned, holding up a squirming Suibian.

It’s not really a surprise if we find him there a lot, Wei Ying.  Lan Wangji signed taking the squirming Suibian from him. While Wangji liked Wei Wuxian, Suibian preferrs Lan Wangji. The black blob of fluff instantly stopped squirming in Lan Wangji’s arms, earning a few pets before Lan Wangji put him down. 

“You shouldn’t spoil him so.” Wei Wuxian playfully scolded, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips. 

You shouldn’t have shown him how to get onto the shelves. Lan Wangji countered giving him a pointed look. A thin smile spreading across his lips. I like it. He gestured before reaching up to touch the other’s hair. 

“I’m glad you do, Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian giggled as the two of them headed into the dining room to have dinner. Lan Wangji had already set the table and gotten them drinks. 

A little over an hour and a glass of Emperor’s Smile later, Wei Wuxian was sitting on the couch waiting for Lan Wangji to come back from the kitchen. He’d gone to make them some popcorn to munch on during the movie. While the other was in the kitchen. He decided to put his plan in motion. Earlier he’d been texting with Nie Huaisang and the man had suggested that they watch Paranormal Activity. He said that he’d watched with his own boyfriend and had thought that it would be scary. However, it was mostly just slight bumps and some growls. Which of course had him warming up to the idea of watching it with Lan Wangji. 

Now, Wei Wuxian knows that his boyfriend doesn’t like horror movies. So, typically He would avoid watching them with him, but he knew that if he truly wanted to watch it that Lan Wangji would sit with him. Though he may be distracted by fidgeting with Wei Wuxian’s hair or hands, playing with one of the bunnies, or just tucking in close to him like he did when they first started dating.  Which ultimately is what he ultimately wanted. A clingy Lan Wangji. 

“I’ve got the movie ready, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian called to his boyfriend over his shoulder, having the movie waiting for them.He heard a huff  followed by a shuffle of feet. The smell of fresh popcorn wafting in the air as Lan Wangji walked in front of him. It took his boyfriend a minute or two to get situated before he noticed the movie tile. His head turning to look at him with a narrowed confused gaze.  

“Please? A- Sang suggested it to me and I really want to watch it.” Wei Wuxian pleaded, letting his mouth slip into a pout. Lan Wangji looked at him then the screen once or twice then sighed. 

Fine, Wei Ying, but you have to spend the night. Lan Wangji compromised, if he was going to have to endure this movie then his boyfriend is going to spend the night with him. Just in case he had any nightmares. He repressed a shiver. Horror movies aren’t his thing and he doesn’t like being scared. 

“Of course, Lan Zhaaan!” Wei Wuxian beamed leaning into him as he started the movie. He pressed a soft kiss to Lan Wangji’s cheek before snuggling up beside him. His plan going according to plan. Besides, he’d already planned on spending the night with him anyways. 

If Lan Wangji was honest, this movie wasn’t so bad in terms of horror. If that’s what you could call it. It was like watching those Ghost Hunter episodes that Jiang Cheng and his xiongzhang watch sometimes when he’s visiting Lan Xichen. The plot is laughable and he’s more distracted with the silvery tips of Wei Wuxian’s hair. His boyfriend completely enthralled with the movie and munching on popcorn, didn’t care that he’d started playing with his hair. 

The first time Wei Wuxian jumps is when the couple wakes up from having lain powder on the ground and finding odd footprints leading into their room but not back out. This has Lan Wangji only pausing for a moment. Since, Wei Wuxian didn’t say anything he resumes going back to messing with his hair. 

Wei Wuxian had actually gotten spooked and only slightly jerked. He’d tried to keep as still as possible from alerting Lan Wangji. Whom he is very sure is mostly focused on his hair. He’d felt it the moment the other started playing with his new locks. But the movie was interesting to him. He actually likes this kind of filming style. So he understands why Nie Huaisang mentioned it. But hearing and seeing those footprints through the powder had actually gotten to him. Mentally shaking it off he ate some more popcorn.  

The second time Wei Wuxian jumps it’s at the scene where the couple is sleeping and the ghost turned alleged demon starts messing with the girls foot. Wangji knows what’s going to happen next and it does. The demon yanks the girl off the bed causing her scream as she is dragged down the hall. Wei Wuxian’s sudden movement almost sends the bowl of popcorn to the floor. Lan Wangji chuckles. He also notices that Wei Wuxian’s cheek is starting to flush. Now, Lan Wangji inwardly laughs, because instead of this movie scaring him. It’s scaring his boyfriend that has seen things far scarier than this. To see if the other is alright he leans down kissing the other’s head. 

Wei Wuxian has to bite his lip to keep from squealing. He knows that he is blushing from embarrassment. He’d actually gotten scared enough to jump and almost knock off the popcorn bowl on Lan Wangji’s lap to the floor. Overall he is glad that he was here with his Lan Zhan instead of his friend and baby brother. They’d be cackling about him jumping. Plus, this would make the second time he’s jumped and this one was most certainly noticeable which is probably why Lan Wangji presses a kiss to the top of his head. His way of asking if he’s alright. Wei Wuxian nods leaning more into him. He can feel the laughing huff the other let’s out making him pinch Lan Wangji’s arm as he sends him a look of slight annoyance. Lan Wangji just briefly sticks his tongue out at him. Wei Wuxian makes a show of rolling his eyes before focusing back on the movie. 

Lan Wangji knows the third time is coming because the woman on the screen is going downstairs, after zombie-like rounding of the bed to stare at her sleeping partner. He tries to get the popcorn bowl out of the way before she lets out this gut wrenching scream of her partner’s name, but he’s too slow. Wei Wuxian is flailing and screeching, and the bowl is now airborne. Seconds later, he has a lap full of a squirming Wei Wuxian and the floor is covered with popcorn. He can already hear the sound of Suibian’s little bell jingling their way too. 

“LANNNN ZZZZHHHHHAANNN!” Wei Wuxian lets out a very non-scream,  wrapping his arms around Lan Wangji’s neck as he climbs into his lap. His heart racing and breathing hard from being scared. He tucked his head in the crook of Lan Wangji’s neck, letting out a shuddering breath. Lan Wangji had thought to tease him with tickles but decided to just hold him. Rarely did Wei Wuxian get scared so he rubbed soothing circles with one of his hands on his lower back. 

“Oh Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian laughed pitifully as he leaned back, wincing, “I am sorry.”

Lan Wangji huffed, a small smirk forming on his lips. He leaned up bopping his nose against Wei Wuxan’s. An affectionate act that they’d done many times before. Wei Wuxian giggled with a smile sweeping across his face. He leaned in to kiss his sweet boyfriend when he heard the bowl roll off the carpet onto the wooden floor. The two of them turned to find Suibian trying to hop into the bowl making them laugh. 

“We better get this cleaned up Lan Zhan. Play later.” Wei Wuxian chuckled, as Wangji started munching on some of the kernels. Lan Wangji nodded before leaning in to give him a teasingly quick kiss before moving him suddenly off his lap, depositing him on the couch beside him to get up. 

“Ooi! Lan Zhhaaan! That’s not fair!” 

Play later. Lan Wangji signed smugly padding over to Suibian to get the bowl. 

“We’ll see if I’ll play later.” Wei Wuxian pouted making Lan Wangji laugh. 

[percywinchester27]

Unconventional Roommates (Part-2)

Word count: 2.3K

Pairing: Dean X Reader

Warnings: None

Series Summary: Now that his brother is at Stanford, for the first time in his life, Dean does something for himself. He takes a step towards chasing his own dreams and moves away from Lawrence to start college, which is both thrilling and scary at the same time. Only catch, in this unknown town, he is stuck with the MOST infuriating female on the planet- the roommate from hell!

A/N: I really hope you guys like this part <3

Beta read by the amazing @deanssweetheart23. Thank you for putting up with me, love <3 

Dean woke up late. Of frigging course.

He had set an alarm for 7, but somehow today had to be the lucky day when it didn't go off. Dean took the quickest shower of his life, threw on the first clothes his hands landed on in the unsorted pile of boxes, grabbed a bag and made his way out of the apartment, not paying a second glance to the door opposite to his.

In the hindsight, it was probably all her fault. Even thinking about her made Dean clench his teeth, and what bothered him more was that he didn't know why he was so bothered. For crying out loud, he didn't even know her name.

As he put his car on the road, another thought occured to him, but Dean didn't want to accept that girl could have been even a little helpful to him after all. But the truth was, if it hadn't been for her, he'd have spent the whole night worrying about today, and the University. However, the legendary conversation with her had driven everything out of his mind, and he'd spent what little time he had been awake, rerunning the whole thing in his head and regretting over the comebacks he could have used instead.

But that also meant he had had a better sleep. Childishly, Dean was satisfied again that he could, at least, blame her for oversleeping. Then, he was annoyed about how stupid the whole deal was.

His first thought as he parked his baby was how daunting and intimidating the campus was. It was probably bigger than the part of Lawrence he'd grown up in, but that also meant it was going to be hard to navigate his way around. Late as he was, he quickly got out of the car and hurried to the student's council office, asking his way around. The kid working the front desk was about Sam's age. He gave Dean a once over, then asked him to wait in the seating area.

Dean, however, couldn't sit still. He could see that his feet tapping continuously on the linoleum was annoying the counter guy, but that made him more nervous if anything. Everything about the place, the laughing youngsters, the fat books, the counter guy with his nerd glasses was making Dean feel out of place. This wasn't him. What if he didn't belong? What if this was all a big stupid mistake?

"Dean Winchester?"

Dean looked up to see a guy with deep blue eyes and black hair smiling down on him.

"That's me." Dean stood up.

"My name is Castiel Novak," he said, offering his hand. "You can call me Cas, and I'm your student counselor."

Dean shook his hand, feeling little better. The guy was, at least, his age if not a little older.

"C'mon. This way," Cas led him.

They walked along the main building as Cas checked up on the papers he was carrying. "So, this says you're from Lawrence, Kansas and you're enrolled in Mechanical Engineering with a major in Automobiles Design."

"Yep!"

"That's cool, man." Cas commended. "And directly into the second year?"

"Yeah," Dean said, not knowing what else to say.

"This says," Cas read on. "That you were a teaching assistant in the Mech. Department at the community college there for three years? Without a degree?"

Dean shrugged. "It wasn't official."

Truth was, it was more money. On the off chance that Sam hadn't scored that scholarship, there had to be some extra money, right? So, Dean had worked part time at the Automobile Lab in the community college for that. It was no big deal. He knew quite a lot about how cars worked from working at Rufus'. Cas' admiration was making him a little uncomfortable though.

"So, that's what got you directly into the second year, I see," Cas concluded. "This is good stuff."

Dean nodded again, choosing to stay quiet.

"Alright," Cas pointed to a building on the left. "That is the auditorium. Beyond that the library. What we just passed was the visitor's centre. I'm sure you figured that out for yourself." Cas smiled genially and Dean immediately took a liking to him.

"Are you an engineering student, too?" Dean asked. Life would be easier knowing that there was at least one person you knew.

Cas, however, laughed. "Hardly. I'm a journalism major. I'm the assistant editor at the college newspaper, too." Then something seemed to hit him. "Tell you what? You should totally join the newspaper. Anyway, you have to take an additional activity that isn't part of your course work for the extra credits. We could use someone new."

"Oh, hell no!" Dean put his hands up. The idea that he was any good with words was downright laughable. "I can't write to save my life."

"But that's the thing," Cas pursued. "You don't have to write. How good are you with a camera?"

"Not bad," Dean said cautiously. Sam had bought him a good camera as a gift for his birthday this year. He'd fumbled around with it, mostly happy with his pictures. But what did he know of critical photography?

"You should drop some of them at the newspaper office. Maybe it's something you'll find useful," he hinted. "As it is I'm guessing you have a lot to catch up with since you're a week late and joining in the advance class."

The rest of the campus tour was pretty interesting. Cas was meticulous about showing him every building. Giving him the inside scoop on the faculty and the general gossip about students. Dean was relieved to know that students his age weren't actually uncommon. That in fact, most of his class might be older than he was. Cas also told him that Mech. department had a couple of great kids he could definitely hang out with.

"Just think over the photography thing," Cas reminded him as he dropped Dean off in front of the Automobile Workshop. "Go find Professor Barnes in there. She's good. And if you need anything at all, you have my number. Just give me call. We all hang out in the quadrangle after classes, drop by if you want."

"I'll remember that," Dean nodded gratefully.

Professor Pamela Barnes was younger than Dean had expected, also way more attractive, but one look at her and it was clear that she was a no nonsense woman. She ran Dean through his schedule, going through his transcripts and work experience, but unlike Cas, her face showed no change in expression. There was no saying what she thought about him.

All she said was that she expected Dean to know his subjects because he had already been through them.

All in all, when Dean stepped out of the building and finally fell into his car, he decided that the day hadn't been a failure. Even though he still wasn't sure how well he'd fit in, he was sure that he, at least, wanted to try. Stepping into that workshop had made all the difference for him. One look around and he was home. He knew that stuff, and unlike Lawrence, here, he was allowed to make mistakes, because he was learning. Just like everyone else and that feeling was… thrilling.

Smiling to himself, he put the car in reverse, only to halt as his phone rang.

He smiled once more at the name flashing on the screen before pressing the answer button.

"Hey there, Sammy."

"Hey there, college boy!"

Dean rolled his eyes.

"Stop rolling your eyes," Sam said. "I know you are."

Dean laughed. It was so good to hear his brother's voice.

"How's it going?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, then remembered that Sam couldn't see it. "It’s good. Intimidating, but it looks interesting so far."

"You're a freaking genius, Dean," Sam urged. "One day you're going to see that, too. Maybe this place will help with that."

"We'll see."

Sam hesitated. "There's something else I wanted to ask you about."

"Shoot." Why did he sound so nervous? Was he okay?

"Well…" Sam tarried. "It's actually a girl."

"I'll be damned," Dean grinned. "You got yourself a girlfriend!"

"Hardly," Sam huffed.

"What's her name?"

"Jessica," Sam said, then added. "She's beautiful."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course she is. You even talk to her yet?"

Silence.

"Figured," Dean muttered. "Go, talk to her, you dumbass! Paralyzing yourself into a zombie isn't very attractive."

"Shut up!"

"You know it's true. Just go talk to her. Ask her out on a date or something."

"Alright." Dean could hear Sam's smile on the other end. "Take care of yourself."

"You too." The call ended and Dean pocketed the phone with a smile on his face.

By the time Dean reached the apartment, and opened the door, all his thoughts were dedicated to unpacking those boxes and finally settling in with some hint of permanency, but all those thoughts went out the moment he entered the living room. His roommate was passed out on the sofa. The TV was running a WWE match in the background while the girl was lying on her stomach, one hand under her head, the falling down to the floor over the edge of the sofa. A brown beanie covered her head today but the knitted sweater from yesterday was back. She had the most peaceful expression on her face. Innocent and child-like. A smile that was somehow enticing.

Then the wrestler on the TV slammed another wrestler onto the floor with a loud bang and she sat up straight, eyes wide, scanning one side then other quickly till they found him and then narrowed quickly.

"Why were you staring at me sleeping, you creep?"

"I just got in!" Dean defended.

"That's exactly what a creep would say!"

He could actually feel his blood starting to boil. "Lady, I don't know who the fuck pisses in your cheerios every morning, but it ain't me, so stop making me into something that I'm not. Jesus!"

She looked down under the pretense of adjusting her beanie and muttered from the corner of her mouth, so quietly that he barely heard it. "That's what a creep would say."

"Okay, enough of this crap," he said, walking close to her so he was almost in her face. "What's your problem with me?" Asking her upfront would, at least, get him some answers, because the prospect of facing the roommate from hell throughout the whole weekend was honestly disturbing.

"Problem? Problem?" She asked, standing up to face him. Despite being smaller than him in size and height, she demanded attention just by her stature. "It's you, Romeo! Didn't your mother teach you that invading women's personal space is creepy?"

Dean went stoned faced. There was nothing more to say to her.

He turned around and walked back to his room, shutting the door behind him. But in the split second, just before he turned, he saw the anger from her eyes slip, replaced by surprise. She'd expected him to come up with a sassier retort, but the complete lack of response had caught her off guard.

Dean couldn't care less. She hadn't exactly hit where it hurt, because he knew he wasn't being creepy, and that she was being weird and unreasonable. But there was some truth to her last sentence. His mother hadn't been around to teach him much about life.

Sam did it sometimes. Unknowingly, he'd say something that gave away how little attachment he felt towards their mom, and Dean would snap at him. She had been a good woman and she'd loved Sam. Of course, he barely even remembered her, being only six months old when she'd passed away, but Dean did. And then he wondered which of the two situations was better, remembering some of it, or not remembering anything at all.

But this girl wasn't Sam, she didn't know what had happened, so Dean couldn't even snap at her. Sure he was mad at her for being so difficult, but he couldn't logically hold her to what she'd said. She simply didn't know better.

Lying in the half-made bed with boxes all around, Dean stared at the ceiling for a long time as Metallica blasted through the earphones. He missed home. He missed his life from two years ago when Sam was around, when he'd known what to expect out of his life the next day. But Sam was in Stanford now living his life, and as hard as the change was for him, this was his life now.

The chords of  Nothing else matters flowed through him and Dean closed his eyes

I never opened myself this way Life is ours, we live it our way All these words I don't just say And nothing else matters…

The light was shining too brightly through the window, and his first thought was remembering why there were no curtains. Groggily, he opened his eyes, staring out of the window to the beautiful view of the sea. This is good, he reassured himself.

He reached for his watch that was lying on the floor and squinted at it. 10:35.

"Damn it!" Dean cursed, sitting up in the bed. Then he remembered that it was a Saturday, he didn't have any classes today.

Running a hand over his face, Dean made his way to the bathroom. As his hand reached out to close the door, his fingers touched a paper. Curious, he looked around to see a single piece of parchment taped to the door. Written on it in a pointy handwriting was a single word.

"SORRY."

Astonished, Dean looked at the red door on the opposite side, it was locked. She wasn't home.

He smiled to himself, thinking maybe, just maybe life here wouldn't be that bad.

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A/N 2: Please do consider reblogging my work and leaving feedback. Reblogging helps spread it, and also helps against the “best posts first” option tumblr has. The more the notes, the less chance of it getting buried beneath others posts. And the comments are what keep me going. I love you guys and I’ll be in forever grateful <3

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[twerkinwithhazza]

Little Black Box

Authors Note: Look at me.Writing on a Wednesday and keeping my promise of a strong comeback! I have been teasing you guys with a prompt for a while now and it is finally done, and I thought it is fair to give you this in compensation for the lack of the Just a Taste Part 3. The suit in the gif is the suit I am referencing in the imagine because it truly did things to me.  I am so excited for the feedback and to continue to write, thank you so much for all the help @yeshaddy and @bigdaddystyless . Please read my writing here and send me requests here. Enjoy!

Warnings: Smutty Smutty Smutty

It has been 72 days. Actually 72 days 15 hours and 36 seconds in counting since your last orgasm. Normally, you were able to hold your composure by distracting yourself with household tasks and extra hours at the office but it just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Between the Givenchy on the 24th to the Klein’s purple treat on the 27th, he was making all of it a bit too much to bare. Unfortunately, the one being that could satisfy your cravings was thousands of miles away and only true contact you would have with him was during your daily Skype calls. It warmed your heart to watch Harry get ready for his shows: he cracked jokes with his bandmates, planned his wardrobe for future shows, and shamefully whispered complaints about how the venues helpers left dried blueberries in his snack bowl. You settled in front of your laptop, adjusting your hair and tying the strings of your night robe into a perfect bow before logging on to Skype. You nibbled on your lips as you started the call, praying quietly that you would be able to keep your composure during the call. But from the second you saw that million dollar mark appears on your screen you knew that today's call was gonna be far more difficult than you had anticipated.

“There's my girl”, he held the camera close to his face a habit he had acquired after constantly imitating your habit during your dating period when you forced him to schedule facetime appointments in order to ensure you were always looking you're very best. “Hows my favorite girl day been”

“ Well I was able to pick up some overtime at the office which is always good and my supervisor has been actually listening to my ideas during the board meeting, I really hope that means my manager will final-”

You stopped yourself as the rustling in Harry’s background seemed to overpower your rambling,  Harry took notice of your quietness “Oh I'm sorry baby, give me a second. Just wanted to go to the bathroom to get ready, but I’m taking you with me. Wanna hear all about how you got Julia Brown to get her granny knickers out of a bunch”

You couldn't help but chuckle, your cheeks warmed a bit as a smile spread across your face. That was one thing you always appreciated about Harry, he truly did care about every detail of your day and don't want to miss a beat in any story you told.

Harry placed his camera down, allowing the wall to act as a support to hold up his phone before closing the bathroom door behind him. This is the part of your call you always enjoyed, it was your chance to finally see the suit he was planning to wear for the night.

Harry finally appeared on your screen and your jaw immediately hit the floor. He was literally mouthwatering, the thin stripe suit paired perfectly with the cropped jacket and the custom Calvin Shirt he had been bragging about during your previous skype. Harry sense of style had always been a point of attraction for you and he certainly did not fail with this outfit choice.

“Earth to (Y/N)...” “Baby”

The loud bang from Harry's brush hitting his sink was enough to snap you out of your drooling and unconscious state.

You immediately sat up and readjusted yourself, “Huh.. what. Oh, I'm sorry babe”.

Harry let out a small chuckle,“Jesus, did the cat have your tongue or did you get cotton stuck in your ears?”.

“Nothing just miss ya is all… you look amazing tonight couldn't help but stare”, you felt your cheeks begin to blush with embarrassment. Despite being together for almost 4 years you still felt like such a little girl around Harry, always nervous to share your feelings with him because of the slight fear you had of rejection.

“Well, I may have something that can help you, ‘till I get home from tour. Go in the closet and look for a little black box”

You did as you were told, you made your way over to your shared closet and found the black box hidden snuggly between his old Doc Martens and you're worn out Converse. You returned to your seat in front of your laptop running your fingers over the velvet box.

“Open it, Peach”

You teeth tugged on your lower lip as you slowly opened the box, a gasp leaving your mouth as you finally saw the gift Harry intended you to play with. Harry left you a dildo. The more you stared at you began to realize far too many similarities between the toy in front of you and the cock you had been truly craving. From the veins to the softness of the skin, this had Harry written all over it in more than one way.

“Had it done ‘fore I left, just in case something like this were to happen. When I couldn't get home in enough time to please my girl”

“Well you're quite the forward thinker”, you whispered taking the toy out of the box. “But It's not you… could never be”

“Never said it had to be, ‘s only a temporary release until I can come home and pound into yen myself”, He twisted his ring slowly around his finger as he watched you untie your robe. “Promise to guide you all the way through Peach”

You positioned yourself so that your legs were spread wide, giving Harry a full view as you dripped lube over your clit. You swore you heard Harry let out a bit of cry as you wrapped your lips around the toy, coating it with your saliva as your wet lips wrapped around the tip before you began to slowly bob your head back forth. Once you were satisfied you placed the tip of the toy at your entrance, teasing yourself as you slide the tip between your folds just as Harry would do.

Small moans escaped your lips as you dipped the tip of the toy into your heart, “Look at my sweet peach, miss me so much yeh imitating my actions”. Harry would be lying if he said that he wasn't amused, seeing you so desperate for him in person was overbearing enough but with the added distance it made him even harder knowing that he didn't have to be in your presence to make you wetter beyond belief.

“Don't disappoint Peach, go on now fuck yourself for Daddy”. You needed no other confirmation before pushing the toy completely into your heart, a string curses falling from your lips as you began to pump the toy in you.

“ ‘s good Peach? Feel good fuck yourself with my cock?Bet your thinking of what I'd be doing if I was there. Probably have my hand wrapped around that pretty little neck of yours, take your breath away while I pound into that tight cunt of yours.Would like that wouldn't ya?”

“ Yes yes yes yes”, You whimpered softly, resting your head on the back of the chair, pumping the toy faster into you. Harry's word was leading you closer and closer to your peak, he could tell you fondling your nipples and the repeated tremble in your legs.

“Is my pretty peach ready to cum for me ?”

“ Yes baby please let me cum”

“Tsk tsk tsk, I don't know Peach… couldn't keep yeh composure ‘till I got home and used me to get you to cum the right way”

You whined as you impatiently ground your hips against the base of the toy, you knew you needed Harry to get you to cum otherwise it would never feel the same.

“Need ya to tell me you can't come without me or I may have to leave you early”, Harry teased as he ran his hand over his thigh

“Daddy please I need you to cum, your the only who can make cum please please  please let m I need it, Daddy!”, you pouted as you roughly pounded the toy into you, hitting your g spot perfectly each time drawing you closer and closer your orgasm.

“Such a naughty peach, cum for me baby”.

And with his blessing you finally reached you high, clutching on tightly to the arm of your armchair tightly as your legs shut closed with screams of Harry's name bouncing off the walls of your room. Once you came down from your high, you lazily opened your eyes to see Harry panting just as harshly as you- know he was the one drooling over you. The two of you sat there in content silence until Harry heard a knock on his door, confirming it was 5 minutes until showtime.

“Gotta head on now Peach, but I'll make sure to check up on yeh before you go to sleep”

Too tired to respond, you simply blew a kiss and waved goodbye to the camera which he happily caught before doing the same and ending the call. Leaving you lying there breathless but beyond satisfied.

Once you finished cleaning yourself up and settling yourself in bed, you scrolled through your Instagram feed aimlessly. You were interrupted when you received  a text from Harry

“I think I'm gonna take an early flight home, I see now I can't leave my peach untouched for too long. Drives yeh too wild”

[florenceisnottrash]

Pose for me (M) Kihyun x Reader

Bonjour!  When I saw this one pic of Kihyun for their “beautiful” comeback, I knew I had to. Please keep in mind that my first language is french, I’m fluent in english, but don’t be surprise if some sentences sound weird. This is the FIRST time I’m writing something like this so please, bear with me. I still tried my absolute best to give you some quality content so please enjoy! Any feed back is appreciated :) 

-Flo

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As someone who’s been passionate about photography all my life, I’ve never thought that I would be able to make a living out of my passion. For the longest time, I was fascinated about how the beauty of the world, stories and memories could be stored in a little box. I was seven years old when I got my first camera from a box of cereal Kellogg’s. To be honest, I remember the pictures being kind of blurry and filled with my little thumbs but, for a seven years old, it was plenty. My mom soon became aware of my interest in photography and for my 10th birthday, she and my dad got me a Kodak DC3200 which was pretty much the Holy Grail for me. After receiving such a gift, I started to take it more seriously by reading books about technics and lightings and taking pictures of everything around me, such as my cat, flowers and people coming by our family house.

And I’m now 20 years old, freshly graduated from college with a diploma in photography and desperately sending out resume to get a dream job in something I’m passionate about.

“Y/N! Come to the kitchen!” Said my mom from downstairs.

“Stop yelling so loudly in the morning, Jesus!”

“It’s 1 o’clock so I can yell all I want! Now come to the kitchen there’s something for you!"

I could barely keep my eyes open when I was fumbling my sheet in search for my phone. My mom was right. It really was 1 in the afternoon! I grabbed the same clothes from yesterday that I left on the floor in a hurry to go back in the warmth of my bed and went downstairs.

“What’s the thing you got from me?” I said while rubbing my eyes and gradually adjusting to the bright sunlight and making my way to the fridge.

“Good afternoon Y/N, this letter just came in and I thought you would want to have a look” Said my mom with a big smile on her face.

“Who is it from?” I asked pouring myself a glass of orange juice.

“I don’t know but…” My mom said playfully.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her in confusion.

“It’s from Korea.”

It took me a moment to understand was she just said. When I came back to my senses, I dropped my glasses and took the letter from her hand and ran like I never ran before across the house to go to my room and shut the door close with a loud “BOOM”.

“Oh, my god, it’s really happening! After months of sending resumes at different agencies they finallyyy replied!”

My hands were shaking like hell and I couldn’t get my heart to calm down. I ripped slowly the side of the letter and wonder which Korean agencies would reply to someone like me. I kind of decided to send my resume to Korean entertainment agencies just in case they would call me back of send an e-mail or a letter but, I never thought they would actually reply. I’ve been a fan of K-pop for the longest time and I thought it would be a dream to work as a photographer for BigHit to shoot the 7 lovely boys or for JYP to get a glance at how dreamy Got7 look in real life or work for my all-time favourite k-pop group, Monsta X.

I took a deep breath while slowly sliding the letter out of the envelope. After the letter was out, I turned it over and looked at the logo on the top left of the page.

“MOM!” I yelled while running down the stairs as quick as when I got up earlier.

“MOM! It’s from Starship Entertainment.”

“And? What did they say?”

The smile on my face said it all but I still gave the letter to my mom, who was looking dumbfounded, and said, “I’m starting Monday!”

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It’s been now a year since I’ve received the letter from Starship entertainment. I did my best at that time to be ready for my first day. I managed to find myself a plane ticket to Korea and a small apartment quite close to my new workplace and all that in less than 2 weeks! It took a few weeks for my parents to get used to me being at more than 10 000 km away from home but, with me calling every day to reassure them helped a lot for sure.

As for me, it’s been quite of an emotional roller coaster. I had to get accustom to a new culture, new people, new language, new job. However, it’s all in the past, I’m totally in love with my new place and my job and I couldn’t be happier.

This morning, I woke up to my phone ringing loud as a truck in my ears making me wonder why I didn’t turn it off before going to sleep.

“It’s my fist day off in a while, can’t they leave me alone?” I mumbled still half-asleep.

It keeps ringing.

“Give me a break…”

Still ringing.

“I give up” I picked up my phone which was left on the nightstand “Hi, what can I do for you?” I said with my sleepy voice and my eyes still shut.

“Good morning Y/N! I hope I didn’t wake you up. I know it’s your day off today but I think what I’m about to say will interest you.”

It’s uncommon for my boss to call me on my phone, in fact, I think it’s the first time he ever called me on my phone. Usually, it’s his secretary that’s calls me to inform me of anything about job-related stuff. This surprise phone call from my boss got me to sit straight on my bed with my eyes wide open, the exact opposite of 10 seconds ago.

“One of the photographer from our agency suddenly got sick and can’t come to work today. Since you’ve been working as a photographer for the group Boyfriend for a year now and been showing skills exceeding our expectation, we thought about you right away. So, if you are up to, come to work in 2 hours and we will explain the job when you’ll get there.”

I cleared my voice after I took all the information in and said determined: “You can count on me I’ll be there on time, thank you for your consideration!”

I quickly jumped out of bed to get ready for my day. I couldn’t believe the agency thought about me for a replacement and said all those nice things about my work. Although they didn’t specify the job I’ll be doing today, I surely couldn’t deceive them and I absolutely got to do the best I can to make sure they can count on me for future opportunities like this one.

Exactly 2 hours after the phone call, I reach for the entrance of the building of Starship entertainment and with the help of my key card I went inside. As I was waiting for the elevator to take me to the shooting studio on the 5th floor I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and the only reason for this was because I was really excited to hear what my boss will make me do today! I’ve been shooting for Boyfriend for a while as their exclusive photographer, don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy working with the boys as they are sweet and talent but, I still want to try something new for once.

“Are you coming in or not?”

I suddenly came back to my senses, I was so immersed into my though I didn’t realize the doors of the elevator opened and someone already went in.

I raised my eyes to lock them with Kihyun’s, who was looking at me with a mocking smile.

“Ah… hum… yeah!” I said taken aback by the situation.

“looks like someone is still a bit half-asleep this morning” Said Kihyun with a smirk on his face, pressing the 5th button of the panel of the elevator.

I can’t deal with Kihyun. I don’t know what he did to me but, since the first time I locked eyes with him a year ago, on Monsta X’s shooting set, when the staff introduced me to them, I just can’t get him out of my head. Every time I feel like I’m in control of my emotions he comes out of nowhere and makes a mess out of me. When he passes by to come say hi to Boyfriend, I can’t help but to follow his every movement closely and when he looks my way, I avert my eyes quickly and continue to work in hopes he didn’t notice me until he leaves.

He too, looks like he just woke up. His hair was still messy underneath his cap and he was wearing a simple white t-shirt that made his skin look stunning and some black pants with holes on the knees. Even like this, he looked extremely handsome. The way his slender fingers made their way to his front pocket, his shoulder leaning on the elevator’s wall, his tongue licking softly on his perfectly parted lips…Before my heart was beating because of the work that awaits me but now, it’s beating for a completely different reason.

“See you around”.

I came back to my sense and realised I was totally staring at him once again.

“Oh! Yes… have good day!”

When the doors closed, I crouched and took my head in my hands wondering how I could’ve looked so stupid in front of Kihyun. He certainly thinks I’m having a crush on him or even worst, that I’m a crazy fan that took this job only because I could be close to Monsta X. The cringe continued till I reached the floor where I was supposed to meet my boss.

My boss was sitting in front of his computer when I knocked on the glass door. With a single hand gesture, he tells me to come inside with a smile. As I while taking a seat he greeted me with a good morning and a quick apology for making me come on my day off.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s my pleasure to come and help when one of my colleagues is sick. What was the job you were talking about earlier on the phone?”

“So, as you know, we are currently working on Monsta X’ comeback. We are almost finished but there’s still some of the boys that didn’t have their photoshoot yet. Since Min Soo Ri called in sick this morning, we were looking for someone to replace her. I immediately recommended you since the work you do is always impeccable. So, what do you say?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Me? Working with Monsta X? My boss trusted me enough to let me be part of this photoshoot. This is an incredible opportunity for me to prove that I’m someone who’s hardworking and skilful.

“I’d be happy to take part of this photoshoot! Thank you for your consideration.”

“It’s my pleasure, thanks to you Y/N. The rest of the team should be preparing the set on the 5th floor, they must be waiting for you to start!”

I bowed to my boss and made my way out of the office and suddenly thought about something.

“Sorry to disturb you again Mister but, who will I be working with today?”

He told me to wait a bit as he was looking through his documents and when he got hold of his agenda, he told me what I was anticipating the most since I got the call this morning but I eventually shoved the though in the back of my head every time it came to my mind.

“Today is Thursday so, it’s supposed to be… Kihyun.”

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I was waiting for the elevator to come down when all sort of thoughts came to my mind. How I am supposed to have a photoshoot why Kihyun when I can’t even look at him in the eyes without getting flustered? Even the lenses between us won’t make any difference. And with the way I acted this morning, he must still think I’m a freak with ulterior motives.

I opened the doors of the studio and what I saw was stunning. The concept of this photoshoot had the be related to mirrors because of the abundance of those in the room. With the hints of blue on the walls and the light directed perfectly on the set, it made it look like I was in some sort of dream which would be difficult to come back from. Everyone was ready to start but across the room I could see Kihyun, whose back was facing me, still getting his make-up done.

I went to greet everyone to make sure I was being professional and immediately started to get my equipment in place to be ready to start by the time Kihyun will be done with his touch ups.

After I put up the last pieces of my equipment in front of the set and let out a slight sight. I was genuinely hoping everything was going to unwind neatly. I was here to do a great job, not only for myself and to prove I was capable of any task I was assigned but, I had to do an unblemished job for all the Monbebes out there waiting impatiently for those photos. If something were to happen, I would be feeling responsible for the rest of my life. I did a last check through my stuff to make sure I was perfectly place for the first set of pictures that’ll be taken. The first set was simple yet, breath-taking. A dark blue wall in the back, a chair and a single mirror topped table. It was perfect for Kihyun, simple things put together to make something purely wonderful.

I looked through the lens on last time to ensure the camera was in focus and at the exact same moment what I was seeing through the lens became clearer I saw Kihyun, calmly sitting down on the chair in the centre of the set, beside the mirror-table. My heart clenched a little when I saw how beautifully stunning he was. The red sparkly patterns on his sweater matched perfectly the dark of his deep eyes and the soft pink of his lips. His hair resembled the way it looked this morning but, this time, instead of a bed-head look, it was more of a “bedroom look” which was making Kihyun look extremely sexy.

I moved back from the camera and looked at the stunning view with my own eyes. It was simply mesmerizing. I was wondering how I could convey the feeling I’m getting right here and right now, into photographs. Several people started gathering around Kihyun, indicating how he had to pose, where he had to look and fixing his make-up one last time before I start taking pictures.

I went back behind my lens and waited patiently for them to leave the set. They finally backed off and told me quietly that I could start doing my job. At first, they told Kihyun to simply put his arms on the table, to look turn a bit to his right and to look straight forward. With this pose, it was easy for me to take amazing pictures. His side profile was no joke. The lighting made his skin look flawless and charmingly dewy, and his jawline look sharp as a knife.

The shoot went surprisingly well and was about to come to an end. There was only one last pose to try and hopefully, it’ll come as good as the other pictures. During the break, I looked through the ones I took and I was totally impressed by the work I did. I gained a lot more confidence for the other half of the shoot and I’m sure it’ll show up in those photographs.

As Kihyun did his last pose, I was totally mesmerized. His head was laying softly on the mirror topped table and his hand was placed in front of his peaceful-looking face without covering the whole of it. Some strands of hair were beautifully shielding his forehead. Even with the camera between us, the look in his eyes at that moment were powerful yet soft. For a second, a shiver went down my spine and made its way between my legs, making them squeeze together. I could feel myself getting wetter every time I locked eyes with Kihyun through the lens and the feeling was unbearable. It might just be in my head, but I could feel that, with every shiver that came through my body, the look in his eyes becoming even more alluring and… thirsty.

We wrapped the shoot after about an hour and a half. It not only went well because everyone knew what to do and were adequately prepared but, also because Kihyun showed modelling skills that I never expected to see in him. Everyone, including me, were truly amazed. Before packing, I decided to through the photos again. I couldn’t believe they came out so nicely! As I was lost in thoughts, I didn’t realise that the entirety of the staff was long gone and that I was alone in the studio. I felt really bad about taking my sweet time while others were cleaning up so I started tidying my spot.

“You’re so obvious, Y/N”

I turned over to see someone looking at me a giggling a little, back against the wall.

“… Kihyun? You’re still here?”

“I couldn’t leave without bidding you goodbye, not with the way you were acting during the photoshoot”

My heart was racing like crazy. What was he talking about? Just how does he think I was acting that was “so obvious”?

“What are you…”

“When I went visiting Boyfriend’s set, when we crossed each other in Starship’s building, this morning in the elevator, and just now during the photoshoot.”

As he talked, he was slowly walking in my direction which made me step back till I reach the table with my things spread on top, making a small noise.

“You’re always staring at me with your lustful eyes. You thought I didn’t know?” He was saying that with a mischievous look on his face, which made me extremely self-conscious. “You were so obvious all those times, I’m 100% sure that all the staff knows, and my members.”

He was getting closer and closer, I needed to get out of here, I felt so ashamed and powerless in front of Kihyun. And to add to all this, he was completely right. I did look at him lustfully, I did think about lewd thing just now, during the shoot. Which made me feel even more vulnerable toward him.

“I’m sorry, but I really need to go my boss wants to see the photos of today’s shoot.” I dodge Kihyun and began to make my way to the entrance.

“I am sorry, but you’re not going anywhere Y\N.” He pulled me and pushed me against the wall.

He grew closer to me.

“Before it was easy for me to hold back, but today, seeing you lick your pinkish lips…” His thumb caressed them softly.

“seeing you squeeze your legs tightly together…” A shiver ran down my whole body when his slender, yet muscular tight slowly found its way between my legs.

“But today, I guaranty you that they won’t stay close tightly.”

My lips and his were only centimetres away from each other, and even though I was reluctant at first, the warmth of his body meeting mine, the smoothness of his fingertips brushing my demanding lips… I felt my last will to fight leave the moment his lips crashed onto mine.

Despite myself, I imagine sharing a kiss with Kihyun countless times. So many times. Thinking about it would make my heart go wild and my body ache. But the kiss he gave me wasn’t like I imagined it to be, not at all. It wasn’t sweet and tender like his character, instead it was fierce and playful. The way he teased by kissing my lips, suddenly dodging them only to make them meet mine again was driving crazy.

By the time his right hand cupped my ass and closed the gap between us, my hand was already brushing his hair and I was deeply kissing Kihyun, as if I needed him more than anything at this moment.

“How dare you kiss me like that without warning.”

I lifted my head to lock eyes with him. He wasn’t the only one that likes to play that game. “You should’ve known, since I’m “so obvious”, am I right?”

“… Fuck.”

The teasing game was over for Kihyun the moment I said that. His kisses became thirstier and the motion circles his tight made on your sensitive spot would definitely leave a wet spot on his black pants. The hand that was earlier on my ass was now making its way to my breast, making sure no skin was left untouched. The other hand travelled from my nape to my tight, lifting my skirt to reveal my panties.

The hotness of his fingers on me, dangerously coming close to my core made my heart beat uncontrollable and my breathing was desperately trying to maintain stable.

“…Kihyun”

He then left my lips to look at me, quietly asking for my consent to continue further. Being unable to think straight I took his hand and directed it where I needed it the most. He softly brushed my weatness through my panties and his touched left your knees weak.

“Y/N… Are you always this wet thinking about me?” He shifted his head to kiss my neck. “In the elevator, this morning…”  He pushed my panties down with his other hand. “Have you thought about me…” He nibbled my ear and quietly whispered. “fingering you?” As the last word left his lips, one of his finger penetrated me sharply yet, easily due to how dripping wet Kihyun’s dirty talk made me.

I felt my whole body become numb as he motioned his thumb on my clit and pumped his finger, that eventually became two, inside of me. My back was arching every time his fingers hit deeply in me. My moans became louder and uneven. I was struggling to stand and when I stood close to my limit, the weight of my body was pressing against his.

“Kihyun… I’m so close”

“Fuck Y/N you’re so hot but…we’re not finished yet” To my extreme disappointment he withdrew the fingers that were giving me so much pleasure and removed my shirt to have a better exposure of my breast. I did the same with his, and another wave a pleasure stung me down there when I felt his toned chest. The bulge in his pants rubbed my tight urgently as he approaches his lips from mine.

“Kihyun… I need you” I said out of breath, unzipping his pants eagerly. “Kihyun I need you, now.”  

“That’s the words I was dying to hear for a long-time Y/N”

His two big hands left my body to pull down his pants and almost instantly, my hand went to caress his manliness, ready to pleasure him like he previously pleasured you.

“Let me take care of you Y/N, since you need me that much.”

Kihyun lifted my leg and made sure my back was properly leaning on the wall before entering me in a single push, making me moan his name louder than before and scratching his bare back with my nails. The feeling of Kihyun was exalting, as if it was making me feel whole. With every thrust he granted me with, my mind became blank and I couldn’t think straight. The hotness of our bodies intertwined blurred my senses and everything became pointless. My mind was solely focused on how good Kihyun made me feel and the thought of him being one with me drew me closer to the edge.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful Y/N”

“Kihyun I’m nearly there, please!”

As if he had read my mind, the speed increased and the friction became intolerable. I clenched onto Kihyun harder and contracted all my muscles as the overwhelming feeling of my release made its way from my core up to my entire body. My sudden tightness lead Kihyun reaching his own climax simultaneously. As we regained our calm, we slid on the floor, Kihyun’s back on the wall and my head resting on his chest, the two of us out of breath.

Without leaving me a chance to talk, he stood up and left me here, sitting alone and naked on the floor. I laughed to myself thinking of how foolish I was thinking he really cared.

I took my clothes spread across the studio’s floor only to find Kihyun coming to me with a worried sight on his beautiful face.

“What are you doing?” He seemed do worried about my body hurting. “Don’t get up just yet. Rest for a bit and I’ll clean you up, alright?”

I haven’t felt this relieved in such a long time. With only a sweet smile and some caring words, Kihyun made my worries disappear.

“Now that I got you Y/N, I won’t let you go.”

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/real-challenge-begins-when-you-reach-the-top/

'Real challenge begins when you reach the top'

Jasprit Bumrah has enjoyed a phenomenal first year of international cricket, from a memorable Test debut in Cape Town to a nine-wicket haul in Melbourne, followed by a historic series win in Australia. In a freewheeling chat with TOI, the 25-year-old talks about his cricket.

Excerpts from the interview…

They’re all talking about you and your action for a year now, but you haven’t said much yourself. Are you generally this shy?

(Laughs) Not at all! I’m not shy. I do speak. It’s just that I take my time to open up, ever since I was a kid. People who know me will give you a different report if you ask them.

Dennis Lillee says you remind him of Jeff Thomson. You were born seven or eight years after Thomson retired. He too had an unusual action and will be remembered as one of the greatest. Being different can have its benefits too…

I’ve always been like this. I don’t take a lot of opinions seriously. Opinions change by the day, depending on what you bring to the table, how you perform. You can’t be taking every opinion seriously. What I try and do is focus on my strengths – what I can do, how far can I push myself – and I back them up with the best effort I can put in. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody can help you. That’s something I’ve spent a good deal of time telling myself.

Tell us about your childhood…did you always want to bowl fast?

As a kid, I was like anybody else, playing cricket, enjoying it. The only difference is, right from when I can remember, I always used to love bowling. I used to play a lot of tennis-ball cricket and still remember telling my friends, I’ll give you three-four chances, you just keep batting and I’ll bowl. It was then that I began to realize that I was quick. Nobody told me that. When you play tennis-ball cricket, you’ve got to be faster in the air. The surface is of no help. That was one of the reasons that focusing on pace alone become important. I’m lucky I’ve been able to fulfill that dream.

Did you grow up watching any fast bowler or bowlers in particular?

I used to admire a lot of fast bowlers. I used to watch cricket on TV only for the fast bowlers. I was never a fan of watching big sixes or batsmen scoring hundreds. I always used to enjoy watching fifers and bowlers bowling fast, scaring batsmen, intimidating them. No particular bowler as such.

Fast bowlers typically have classic open-chested, side-arm actions. How come you never tried copying that?

I wasn’t really interested in copying anybody’s action. I can understand what you’re saying – those fanboy moments. But that never happened to me.

In the Cape Town Test last year, your spell in the first Innings and the second innings just polarized opinion. Many changed their opinion of you after your Day Four spell…

I heard some of those opinions. I didn’t take them seriously then, don’t do that now. I take very few people seriously in my life. As a child growing up, I had a different action and people didn’t waste any time telling me that. I used to be inundated with suggestions on what I need to do and don’t. I didn’t listen to any of that. Never. It’s not like I don’t listen but what I do know is that at all times, I’ve got to find a way out on my own. That has given me a lot of self-belief – the idea of going and finding a way on my own. When I’m low, it is the same mindset that helps me today. Backing yourself is the best gift an individual can give himself.

How do you get your yorkers right so often?

As a kid, with the tennis ball, you can bowl only one kind of a delivery. There’s length in question, no bouncers. There’s only one ball that you have to practice. At that time, I played for fun. But later, when you start playing serious cricket, you realize the importance of that delivery. It still takes the same amount of hard work to get it right in a match situation. I do spend enough hours now trying to get all the little things correct. The line, the length, the bounce – the game now actively involves playing three formats which are very different from each other. So, there’s constant work to be done to stay in tune with each of them.

Did you consciously work on the away-going delivery?

It’s not like I couldn’t or didn’t have that in my armoury (earlier). Probably because I first managed to catch everybody’s attention in a particular format is why certain deliveries that I bowled were seen as core strengths. But I’m never happy with what I do, I’m always interested in expanding the base. It’s a big reason why I developed a good rapport with Shane Bond (Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach). You should ask him the number of questions I used to go to him with, all the time, asking him (how) I could add variety to my bowling.

Questions like…

What am I lacking right now? What are the deliveries, lengths I should try exploring? New ball, old ball – what line should I be bowling? The different surfaces and what it would take to adjust to them. There would be never-ending questions. The idea was to keep improving all the time.

How many deliveries do you need to get that rhythm going? On game eve, do you prefer relaxing or do you actually have to toil to find your groove?

Bowling is a lot about feel. Sometimes you get that feel in just two deliveries. Sometimes it doesn’t fall in place from the word go and it requires that much more toil and effort. Each day is a new day at work. It’s all about listening to your mind, going by gut feel.

Doubts have been expressed regarding your longevity with this action…

I’ve come to the realization that no action is perfect. Tell me a bowler who’s not been injured. That’s part of the game, specially these days when so much cricket is played. Your body adapts. With my kind of action, my strengths that I bring to the table, the constant question is, ‘How can I be effective?’

You’re also among the fittest members in the team right now…

When I first made the transition from first-class cricket to the international stage, I realised that if I had to sustain myself at this level, my idea of fitness would have to be taken to a whole new level. Fitness was the criteria back then too but international cricket is a different ballgame. Thankfully, I realized this quickly.

You have your cheat days?

Cheat days get lesser by the day. The more you inculcate discipline, cheat days just keep disappearing and there comes a time when the idea of a cheat day doesn’t even occur to you. I changed my diet, changed my training routines, starting ticking certain boxes that were new to my daily routine. It’s simple – if I have to give myself the best opportunity to perform, I’ve got to remain in the best shape possible. The thing is, reaching certain fitness levels is only half the work done. Staying there is the tougher half. The real challenge begins when you reach the top.

And then there’s mental fitness. How does that work for you?

Music. In my case, that helps me a lot. And yoga. Once I’m off cricket, nobody gets to know where I am, what I’m doing. When I’m with friends, family, we don’t talk cricket and that, I’ve realized, is important too. Not talking about cricket is as important as talking about cricket. You need to switch off in order to switch on.

Name a spell or a wicket that’s become your favourite…

No favourites as such. Debut in Cape Town, a series win in Australia – what can be more wonderful than that? You know, now that I look back, small things that happened between spells, between innings, how wonderfully I got to learn with each passing game. The first innings in Cape Town for instance, I bowled, learned what kind of line was required there, what the conditions demanded. And then coming back in the second innings keeping those aspects in mind, doing what was required – that is what I cherish.

Not everybody walks away with AB de Villiers as his first Test victim…

Yes, that was nice. Motivating.

There must be some wicket that you might remember for the way your plan worked…

The third Test in England. Trent Bridge. I had missed the first two Tests and was making a comeback and there was so much talk already in the England camp. They’d seen videos, there was some analysis and there were experts there who said, “This guy has only one type of delivery.” Some claimed I only had an away delivery for left-handers. I said fine, if this is what they’re thinking, then I have a bit of an advantage here. Because they don’t know that I have an out-swinger as well. I remember I was bowling to Keaton Jennings and I started with two away deliveries. I teased him by moving slightly over the wicket before bringing one back in slightly. It turned out to be just enough. Small joys are the best ones.

Earlier in your career, no-balls became a talking point. You seem to have worked on them till you got it right…

Firstly, in the World T20 semis, I didn’t bowl the no-ball. People tend to remember that because of the Champions Trophy. It was someone else who bowled the no-ball in the T20 game and I was the one who took the catch. But I’ve done that in the Champions Trophy so people are putting the other one on me too (laughs). But that’s okay. On a serious note, I did realize there was a problem (with no-balls) and I worked on it. The correction never happens overnight. So, I had to keep on working on it before I could move on.

Describe the key elements you focus on, especially before a big series coming up…

First, preparation is key. Second, keep an eye on the opposition, especially when you’re playing in their backyard. They know what’s best suited in their conditions, so constantly watching them can reveal things. Third: adapt. Keep repeating this.

Bharat Arun and Shane Bond are two coaches you have been closely associated with…

Bharat Arun has known me since my U-19 days. After playing some U-19 cricket for Gujarat, I went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), that was the first time he saw me. Usually, when a coach sees a bowler for the first time, there’s bound to be some discussion on technique. But when he saw me, his first reaction was – you don’t need to change anything about your action. It’s nice working with Bharat Arun. He’s always open to discussions, backs me up all the time. Then, at Mumbai Indians, I came across Shane Bond. I had come back from injuries and was looking to find my feet again and a kind of a new journey began with him.

Rohit (Sharma) has been your captain at Mumbai Indians and always praises you…

He’s seen me before I was an India player and he’s seeing me now. He’s seen phases that I’ve been through. The thing with Rohit is, he’s never been different with me. He used to back me with a lot of space then and he does so now. He’ll come, ask me what I see or believe in, set the field accordingly and then keeps backing me up all the time. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t but it’s always reassuring.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/the-real-challenge-begins-when-you-reach-the-top-jasprit-bumrah/

The real challenge begins when you reach the top: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has enjoyed a phenomenal first year of international cricket, from a memorable Test debut in Cape Town to a nine-wicket haul in Melbourne, followed by a historic series win in Australia. In a freewheeling chat with TOI, the 25-year-old talks about his cricket.

Excerpts from the interview…

They’re all talking about you and your action for a year now, but you haven’t said much yourself. Are you generally this shy?

(Laughs) Not at all! I’m not shy. I do speak. It’s just that I take my time to open up, ever since I was a kid. People who know me will give you a different report if you ask them.

Dennis Lillee says you remind him of Jeff Thomson. You were born seven or eight years after Thomson retired. He too had an unusual action and will be remembered as one of the greatest. Being different can have its benefits too…

I’ve always been like this. I don’t take a lot of opinions seriously. Opinions change by the day, depending on what you bring to the table, how you perform. You can’t be taking every opinion seriously. What I try and do is focus on my strengths – what I can do, how far can I push myself – and I back them up with the best effort I can put in. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody can help you. That’s something I’ve spent a good deal of time telling myself.

Tell us about your childhood…did you always want to bowl fast?

As a kid, I was like anybody else, playing cricket, enjoying it. The only difference is, right from when I can remember, I always used to love bowling. I used to play a lot of tennis-ball cricket and still remember telling my friends, I’ll give you three-four chances, you just keep batting and I’ll bowl. It was then that I began to realize that I was quick. Nobody told me that. When you play tennis-ball cricket, you’ve got to be faster in the air. The surface is of no help. That was one of the reasons that focusing on pace alone become important. I’m lucky I’ve been able to fulfill that dream.

Did you grow up watching any fast bowler or bowlers in particular?

I used to admire a lot of fast bowlers. I used to watch cricket on TV only for the fast bowlers. I was never a fan of watching big sixes or batsmen scoring hundreds. I always used to enjoy watching fifers and bowlers bowling fast, scaring batsmen, intimidating them. No particular bowler as such.

Fast bowlers typically have classic open-chested, side-arm actions. How come you never tried copying that?

I wasn’t really interested in copying anybody’s action. I can understand what you’re saying – those fanboy moments. But that never happened to me.

In the Cape Town Test last year, your spell in the first Innings and the second innings just polarized opinion. Many changed their opinion of you after your Day Four spell…

I heard some of those opinions. I didn’t take them seriously then, don’t do that now. I take very few people seriously in my life. As a child growing up, I had a different action and people didn’t waste any time telling me that. I used to be inundated with suggestions on what I need to do and don’t. I didn’t listen to any of that. Never. It’s not like I don’t listen but what I do know is that at all times, I’ve got to find a way out on my own. That has given me a lot of self-belief – the idea of going and finding a way on my own. When I’m low, it is the same mindset that helps me today. Backing yourself is the best gift an individual can give himself.

How do you get your yorkers right so often?

As a kid, with the tennis ball, you can bowl only one kind of a delivery. There’s length in question, no bouncers. There’s only one ball that you have to practice. At that time, I played for fun. But later, when you start playing serious cricket, you realize the importance of that delivery. It still takes the same amount of hard work to get it right in a match situation. I do spend enough hours now trying to get all the little things correct. The line, the length, the bounce – the game now actively involves playing three formats which are very different from each other. So, there’s constant work to be done to stay in tune with each of them.

Did you consciously work on the away-going delivery?

It’s not like I couldn’t or didn’t have that in my armoury (earlier). Probably because I first managed to catch everybody’s attention in a particular format is why certain deliveries that I bowled were seen as core strengths. But I’m never happy with what I do, I’m always interested in expanding the base. It’s a big reason why I developed a good rapport with Shane Bond (Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach). You should ask him the number of questions I used to go to him with, all the time, asking him (how) I could add variety to my bowling.

Questions like…

What am I lacking right now? What are the deliveries, lengths I should try exploring? New ball, old ball – what line should I be bowling? The different surfaces and what it would take to adjust to them. There would be never-ending questions. The idea was to keep improving all the time.

How many deliveries do you need to get that rhythm going? On game eve, do you prefer relaxing or do you actually have to toil to find your groove?

Bowling is a lot about feel. Sometimes you get that feel in just two deliveries. Sometimes it doesn’t fall in place from the word go and it requires that much more toil and effort. Each day is a new day at work. It’s all about listening to your mind, going by gut feel.

Doubts have been expressed regarding your longevity with this action…

I’ve come to the realization that no action is perfect. Tell me a bowler who’s not been injured. That’s part of the game, specially these days when so much cricket is played. Your body adapts. With my kind of action, my strengths that I bring to the table, the constant question is, ‘How can I be effective?’

You’re also among the fittest members in the team right now…

When I first made the transition from first-class cricket to the international stage, I realised that if I had to sustain myself at this level, my idea of fitness would have to be taken to a whole new level. Fitness was the criteria back then too but international cricket is a different ballgame. Thankfully, I realized this quickly.

You have your cheat days?

Cheat days get lesser by the day. The more you inculcate discipline, cheat days just keep disappearing and there comes a time when the idea of a cheat day doesn’t even occur to you. I changed my diet, changed my training routines, starting ticking certain boxes that were new to my daily routine. It’s simple – if I have to give myself the best opportunity to perform, I’ve got to remain in the best shape possible. The thing is, reaching certain fitness levels is only half the work done. Staying there is the tougher half. The real challenge begins when you reach the top.

And then there’s mental fitness. How does that work for you?

Music. In my case, that helps me a lot. And yoga. Once I’m off cricket, nobody gets to know where I am, what I’m doing. When I’m with friends, family, we don’t talk cricket and that, I’ve realized, is important too. Not talking about cricket is as important as talking about cricket. You need to switch off in order to switch on.

Name a spell or a wicket that’s become your favourite…

No favourites as such. Debut in Cape Town, a series win in Australia – what can be more wonderful than that? You know, now that I look back, small things that happened between spells, between innings, how wonderfully I got to learn with each passing game. The first innings in Cape Town for instance, I bowled, learned what kind of line was required there, what the conditions demanded. And then coming back in the second innings keeping those aspects in mind, doing what was required – that is what I cherish.

Not everybody walks away with AB de Villiers as his first Test victim…

Yes, that was nice. Motivating.

There must be some wicket that you might remember for the way your plan worked…

The third Test in England. Trent Bridge. I had missed the first two Tests and was making a comeback and there was so much talk already in the England camp. They’d seen videos, there was some analysis and there were experts there who said, “This guy has only one type of delivery.” Some claimed I only had an away delivery for left-handers. I said fine, if this is what they’re thinking, then I have a bit of an advantage here. Because they don’t know that I have an out-swinger as well. I remember I was bowling to Keaton Jennings and I started with two away deliveries. I teased him by moving slightly over the wicket before bringing one back in slightly. It turned out to be just enough. Small joys are the best ones.

Earlier in your career, no-balls became a talking point. You seem to have worked on them till you got it right…

Firstly, in the World T20 semis, I didn’t bowl the no-ball. People tend to remember that because of the Champions Trophy. It was someone else who bowled the no-ball in the T20 game and I was the one who took the catch. But I’ve done that in the Champions Trophy so people are putting the other one on me too (laughs). But that’s okay. On a serious note, I did realize there was a problem (with no-balls) and I worked on it. The correction never happens overnight. So, I had to keep on working on it before I could move on.

Describe the key elements you focus on, especially before a big series coming up…

First, preparation is key. Second, keep an eye on the opposition, especially when you’re playing in their backyard. They know what’s best suited in their conditions, so constantly watching them can reveal things. Third: adapt. Keep repeating this.

Bharat Arun and Shane Bond are two coaches you have been closely associated with…

Bharat Arun has known me since my U-19 days. After playing some U-19 cricket for Gujarat, I went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), that was the first time he saw me. Usually, when a coach sees a bowler for the first time, there’s bound to be some discussion on technique. But when he saw me, his first reaction was – you don’t need to change anything about your action. It’s nice working with Bharat Arun. He’s always open to discussions, backs me up all the time. Then, at Mumbai Indians, I came across Shane Bond. I had come back from injuries and was looking to find my feet again and a kind of a new journey began with him.

Rohit (Sharma) has been your captain at Mumbai Indians and always praises you…

He’s seen me before I was an India player and he’s seeing me now. He’s seen phases that I’ve been through. The thing with Rohit is, he’s never been different with me. He used to back me with a lot of space then and he does so now. He’ll come, ask me what I see or believe in, set the field accordingly and then keeps backing me up all the time. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t but it’s always reassuring.