#been having a rough 2 days and i got myself some soup

[anystalker707]

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Pairing: Frank x Reader Word count: ~ 2 100 Genre: Comfort / Fluff Summary: Frank is finally back after touring for a long time and delayed flights.

Requested by @lubbockshusband [How about after my chem being on tour frank is just tired and wants to be home to his s/o (...)]

Despite the long months that dragged by, the house still feels awfully empty and way too silent. It’s right, though—getting used to this isn’t an option. The days feel awfully longer, and not even hours spent working or on facetime seem to make time decide to go any faster.

Something about seeing Frank’s pictures on tour doesn’t have only this anguish and longing twisting in my chest, but also pride and happiness, which diminishes the desire for him to come back so soon; he enjoys it far too much, even more after so long. Nonetheless, I still want him here, to hug and kiss and cuddle, to prepare my favorite dish when I’m too lazy to cook anything.

Everything has been feeling worse during these last days, though, given how Frank was supposed to have arrived earlier in a flight that ended up not happening and had the band stuck in another continent for a few of days so far without the— Well, I wouldn’t say they have no foreknowledge regarding when they’re coming back, I’d say that just I have no idea of when they’re returning because they didn’t inform me on anything. Typical of them, in a way, but still doesn’t fail in making me worry.

Fuck it, next time I’m packing it up and going with him, it doesn’t matter what my boss says.

A sigh escapes my nose—maybe a little heavier than it should because even Soup is whining as she nuzzles my leg lightly. She is looking at me when I turn to look at her, and I don’t know which of us feel worse about this, but I still try to have her lighten up a little, petting her head before I slide open the door to the backyard; the sound is enough to even have Lois show up from God knows where to go outside, so Soup ends up following her.

“Right,” I mumble, tapping the pen repeatedly against the paper in a hope it’ll help me ground myself easier so I can actually make a list of what I’ll need the next time I go to the grocery store instead of staring at the paper sitting on the marble counter all night long.

This shouldn’t be so hard. Things aren’t like that just because Frank isn’t here, right? I hate how it feels like my fingers just don’t grip the pen right, my toes just can’t sit together comfortably against the ground, and my clothes sometimes feel too rough against my back, and—

“Fuck!”

Did I hear it right or am I hallucinating things? I hold my breath, frozen still, making sure I’m making no noise.

“Fucking shit!” The sound of rattling follows, finished by a thud.

Alright, I’m fucking sane. I think. I put the pen aside to go to the living room to check, and there stands Frank with his back turned to me and his bag by his feet while he struggles to set his guitar case and another bag down. He continues cursing under his breath, probably undoing some of the straps and soon his other bag meets the ground.

“You’re back already!” I move to close the door, enough to have him look at me with wide eyes, and help him put the guitar case down. “Couldn’t even let me know you were on the way back?”

“Sorry!” Frank purses his lips, groaning as he nudges his bag with his foot so it won’t fall over, and maybe he nudges it for more times than needed with a stress that takes over shamefully fast. “I got too caught up on things, I just couldn’t wait to see you!” His voice grows whiny the way it always does when he arrives home after a long day, overwhelmed, and something shifts and warms up in my chest with it, finally having all the feelings inside it settle down once his arms are around me for a hug, his face buried in my shoulder. “It was so good! The tour, I mean! These last days have been so stressful, though, I—” Frank interrupts himself with a sigh, which is followed by his stomach’s grumbling.

A smile tugs on my lips and I press a kiss to the side of Frank’s face, nuzzling him a little. He still smells a little different, but it’s just a small edge that doesn’t make him any less comforting. “I’m sure it was, and I can’t wait to know everything that happened! Why don’t you take a shower to calm down and relax for now while I fix you some food, then we can talk, hm?”

“Yeah, right,” Frank breathes as he starts to pull back just to stop midway, his hands resting on my forearms to give them a soft squeeze as if reassuring himself it’s real. A wide grin tugs on his lips whilst a soft sigh escapes my lips; my heart flutters.

“Remember to breathe and go!” I roll my eyes, cupping the side of his neck to bring him close enough for a soft kiss before I pull away—because he won’t do it himself—to walk back to the kitchen, giving his ass a light slap when I walk past him. He is still grumbling on his way upstairs, but he never receives the attention he seeks with it.

Relaxing and calming down are two things that Frank hardly does in general, hence there’s no real surprise in how he clearly remains in his vibrating-in-excitement state when walking into the kitchen again with his wet hair combed back, some shorts and an old band shirt. He’s about to say something, sucking in a breath, but his words are replaced by a gasp as he runs to the backyard. Soup barks once and it’s more than enough for me to know what’s going on; I chuckle, glancing through the glass doors while I serve Frank’s food.

“Frank?” I call, hopefully loud enough. “Come eat. You know they’ll follow you.” I move to grab a can of juice from the fridge and he still doesn’t show up, only doing so when I’m about to call for him again, walking into the kitchen with a poorly suppressed smile under my glare. Shaking my head, I put the can down, watching him finally take a seat after struggling to walk down the kitchen without stepping on—or tripping over—Soup and Lois. “So?”

Frank’s features fall softer, still with happiness lingering on them, as he takes the fork in hand and hums softly, messing with the food a bit, pausing a little and only then I notice Soup sitting next to him with her head on his lap whilst Lois is probably by the other side of the chair, given his glances. “Well, you know most of what happened, of course.” He tilts his head with a light shrug, leaning in to bring the fork to his mouth. Not like Frank was able to spend a day without at least sending me a thousand texts, which could also be accompanied by a call or facetime, which also lasted over an hour, regularly. “But yeah, the last days have been complicated since the flight was canceled and stuff. Like, I don’t know how Ray could fucking keep calm during all of it.” He rolls his eyes as he reaches for the can juice.

“Or maybe it’s about how you guys were too desperate about all of it.” I scoff mockingly—he has a point, whatsoever, I know how anxious the guys can be and how they probably already had plans for when they returned home, just for everything to be ruined in short notice—and pull a chair to take a seat across from him.

Frank twists his mouth, scoffing, and sips on the drink. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Go on,” I chuckle. Fuck, I missed everything about him, from his presence to the little tantrums. I reach for the can, taking a sip of it as well, maybe because I really want it, maybe because I just crave more interaction with him. The way he glares at me playfully snatches another chuckle from me terribly easily.

Frank hums, pursing his lips. “Right, so we had to find a hotel so we could stay in the city until the next flight and stuff. I didn’t really know what was going on because I didn’t really talk their language and stuff, and I was too desperate,” he mocks my tone while scrunching his nose, compelling me to snort.

The house finally isn’t so empty anymore. It’s also warm—not that it was exactly cold before—and comfortable again. None of us shut up for a single moment, no matter if we’re telling each other the things we already talked about before just because the urge to hear more of each other’s voice in person is huge. Keeping myself from touching him in some way the whole time is impossible. Like he’s a fucking mirage. Six months are so fucking long, way too long.

After all this time, it’s difficult to even leave each other for a couple of minutes, as if one of us were to disappear just for the lack of the other’s presence. Pathetic, yes, hopeless even. Either way, things are fine again when we’re finally under the covers, snuggled together in the comfort of our bed. It doesn’t even take Frank five minutes and he’s putting his phone aside on the nightstand after messing with it for a moment—probably turning on the do-not-disturb mode given how the notifications decrease—before he moves over to lie on top of me.

“Oh, my God,” he practically groans into my chest, shifting around until he finds a nice position, with his cheek pressed to my shoulder whilst his breath fans over my neck. “I missed this so bad...” His words run one into the other, almost as if he were melting.

“Yeah, me too.” A smile tugs on my lips, and I take a moment to feel his chest moving against me as he breathes, inevitably synchronizing it for a few seconds, which pretty much goes in vain since he’s still breathing rather fast. “F—”

“What about you, though?” He asks, letting his fingers fidget with the creases on my shirt. “How were these last days?”

“I had just been working, mostly.” I give in with a sigh, hoping I will help him calm down by running my fingers through his hair, taking my time on the strands on the back of his neck since he always loves it when I mess with his hair there. “Monday was a very busy day, but I finished everything a little before lunch both today and yesterday, so I was mostly hanging out with Soup and Lois. I was actually making the shopping list when you arrived.”

“Sounds like Monday sucked.” He clicks his tongue. “Did you add burgers to the list? I’ve really been wanting to eat some. Or homemade pizza, y’know.”

“I don’t think so, but we can add it to the list tomorrow.” I hold back a yawn; I don’t want to sleep just yet, I need to spend at least a little more time with him.

Frank gasps softly, and shifts as he brings himself up on his elbows. “Well, but what if we forget about it? It would really suck, I really want to cook with you again! You could even take the day off so—”

“Frank.”

“—we can spend the whole day together, y’know? It would be—”

“Frank!” I can’t help but to glare at him; my heart heaves with how he pouts, looking at me with wide and lost eyes. “Frank,” I say softer this time as I bring him closer again to resume his previous position against me, “you said you’ve been craving it lately, so I’m sure you won’t wake up tomorrow just not craving it anymore. Not to mention that you’re back now.” My fingers run through his hair again, sometimes scratching his scalp just the way he likes it. “We can do it whenever. You don’t need to worry, okay? You’re home. Just relax. There are no canceled or delayed flights anymore.”

A long silence follows, and Frank’s breathing slows down gradually, eventually matching mine instead at the same time the tension unravels away from his muscles and he shifts a little around me until finding a position much better than the previous one, though still lying on top of me, with our legs tangled, and allowing me to play with his hair.

“It’s good to be back,” Frank sighs, letting his forehead press to my neck as he shifts closer, his eyelashes tickling my neck. “I missed you so bad. I love you so much. Too much.”

“Yes, I know how it feels.” I smile hopelessly. “I love you.”

_____________________

tagging list: @trans-ylvania | @newgirlinhell

[the-himawari]

A3! Fushimi Omi - Translation [SSR] Photographer at Dawn (3/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Omi: We’re home.

Izumi: Welcome back!

Taichi: How’d the touring go?

Tasuku: The ride felt great. The weather held up too.

Citron: That’s good to hear~! So, what soup and ears did you get?

Taichi: Uh, it’s souvenirs!

Omi: Ahh, about that… Actually, we weren’t able to buy anything this time.

Tasuku: It was fine in the morning, but the roads were pretty congested on the way back. We were going to buy some at the rest stop, but we gave up on dropping by. Sorry about that.

Izumi: That sounds rough…

Citron: Oh! That’s a shame, but I understand.

Juza: This ain’t a souvenir, but I got this.

Taichi: “Wanko certification ticket”…? What’s this?

Omi: It’s a certification that we ate over 100 wanko soba bowls. Tasuku-san and I got them too.

Izumi: Wait, you’re telling me the three of you ate over 300 bowls!? Amazing…!

Taichi: How many bowls did you end up with at the end?

Juza: The shop workers stopped countin’ after we went past 100, so I dunno the actual number.

Tasuku: The restaurant ran out of stock while we were eating, so it was over before we could give up.

Citron: You ate them clean!? That’s an unexpected smackdown!

Taichi: I mean, that expression’s not exactly wrong.

Omi: We were relieved when the shopkeepers told us we helped them out since not many people come due to them being in the countryside.

Izumi: That’s good to hear.

-pause-

Izumi: (I’ve gotten to a good place to stop in my work, so maybe I’ll have some coffee…) Huh, Omi-kun? What are you doing at this hour?

Omi: Director. Haha, I was spotted. I was making some sweets an apology for not being able to buy any souvenirs for everyone.

Izumi: You don’t have to worry about that, you know?

Omi: No, no. I left breakfast to you, yet I came back empty-handed. At least allow me to do this much.

Izumi: That’s so like you, Omi-kun. By the way, what are you making?

Omi: Buckwheat flour muffins. I remembered we had some leftover buckwheat flour from when we bought it before.

Izumi: It’s soba-related!

Omi: You got me. The truth is, this buckwheat flour has been on my mind ever since I was on my 30th bowl or so.

Izumi: Really?

Omi: You said your sweet tooth has been acting up lately, didn’t you? That’s another reason I wanted to make sweets tonight.

Option 1: “That’s very kind of you”

Izumi: I only briefly mentioned sweets to you yesterday. That’s very kind of you.

Omi: Well… you also mentioned you had things to take care of today. I felt like you’ve been a little too busy these days.

Izumi: I’m getting as much rest as I can, so it’s fine.

Omi: I thought you’d say that. All I can do is make sweets like this, so please have some if you’d like.

Option 2: “I can’t wait”

Izumi: Buckwheat flour muffins~. I can’t wait to see how they taste.

Omi: They’re not bad. They’re not as moist as with regular flour, but they have a crumbly texture.

Izumi: I see. …Wow, there’s a great smell coming from the oven!

Omi: It looks like they came out well.

*ding*

Izumi: Looks like they’re done!

Omi: Shall we take them out quickly? By the way, did you need something from the kitchen, Director?

Izumi: Ah, right. I reached a good stopping point in my work, so I came to make some coffee.

Omi: You’re still working at this hour? That’s a lot. I’ll let our hardworking Director eat these freshly baked muffins before anyone else then.

Izumi: Are you sure? I appreciate the thought… but I think Azami-kun’s going to get mad at me if I eat sweets this late.

Omi: Alright, it’ll be our very own secret then. That solves that, right? If you’d prefer, how about I feed you directly? Here. Say ahh—.

Izumi: I-I’m fine. I can eat it myself!

Omi: Haha, just joking.

Izumi: (It doesn’t sound like a joke when Omi-kun says it…) Alright, I’m taking a bite. …Yep, it’s tasty alright! It has a really gentle flavour.

Omi: I’m glad if it suits your taste. Here, you can take a few to your room too.

Izumi: Thanks! I’m going to eat these and get back to burning the midnight oil!

Omi: Once again, please don’t push yourself too hard.

---

previous |

[unbidden-yidden]

A rough accounting of what has happened since last weekend:

Had a slight sore throat but tested negative, so I still drove ~6 hours out of state to see family with Spouse

Did a couple things with Spouse's family while mostly masked/outside and then went back to the hotel

Woke up completely out of it and Bad on Sunday; I stayed in the hotel while Spouse spent time with family

Fire alarm goes off sometime in the late afternoon-ish. I ignore the first shorter run. Second time it goes off long enough that I realize that it's not a test and throw on my shoes and grab my bag and head out to the parking lot in my pajamas.

Turns out the hotel was on fire??

But like only a little bit

I couldn't see any smoke during my slow lap around the building, but that doesn't mean much

Basically every other person there is a 25 - 50 year old man, which makes the fact that I'm not wearing a bra more awkward than it strictly needed to be

Some guy runs up to another group of guys and asks "this motherfucker on fire?" This is greeted with laughter but no answers.

An hour and ten fire trucks/cop cars later, we're cleared to reenter the hotel

Smells kinda smoky but I really can't otherwise tell that there was a fire so that's good I guess

Also did I mention that this hotel doubled as a trucking school?

Seriously one of the most liminal places I've been in a hot minute, not helped by being deliriously sick and out of it

I go to lay back down and realize by now it's dinner time and I desperately need food

I order some soup and go on a delirious ten minute drive for this food

The food tastes weird, but it's hot so it's fine enough I guess

Spouse brings home Covid tests he's been randomly gifted by his family

The next morning I test myself since hey - we have tests and it never hurts to be safe than sorry even though it came up negative a day and a half ago

And

It

Comes

Up

Positive

So now, I'm in another state with a ~6 hour drive home, Major Work Things the scheduled the next two days, and now I'm tamei for Covid

(Spouse tests negative for Covid miraculously, and so far is asymptomatic)

(We skip out on the goodbyes with his family anyway though and hit the road)

It takes us 11 1/2 hours to make this normally 6 hour drive home, because I keep having to stop to set up work-related coverage

My driving is mostly okay but this is the loopiest I've been driving in a hot minute

(Spouse doesn't drive, so I am the only driver unfortunately)

We get home stupid late, and I collapse into bed only to get up very early the next day and proceed to work 6+ hours for coverage reasons.

I manage to work slightly less on Tuesday, which is good, because by that point I physically cannot stay awake for more than an few hours at a time and can barely talk.

Spouse is also now very obviously sick

Wednesday I sleep

Thursday I sleep

Friday daytime I sleep

I bring in Shabbat on time, and then proceed to fall asleep at 9:00 p.m. and sleep until 12:30 p.m. on Saturday

Sunday - well, after I got up on Saturday I managed to stay awake 14 whole hours! But I'm still sick as hell. Spouse is also still very sick, and both of us retested positive as of Friday afternoon. We'll see what the rest of Sunday holds I guess.

So anyway, time is fake, last weekend feels like a year ago, and some things are better not smelled or tasted whilst sick anyway.

[warmblanketwhump]

you have no idea how much i love your posts, they're just so soft,, how could i not think about them I have a story tho I think you'd like! Sorry if it's long, a lot happened... This was a few years ago, but I remember it so clearly: Back in high school there used to be this summer camp thing we'd get invited to and the location changed every year. This year, it would be happening somewhere in the mountains. It was high up and already pretty cold as it is when we got there. On the 2nd day they had everyone split into 3 groups to do rotations on different activities they had. One was a giant vertical obstacle course, in which you get assigned a partner and you both have to get to the top. The partner I was assigned to was one of my friends and was also apparently terrified of heights. They only told me this when we were literally 2 steps away from finishing. They were always so fearless in my eyes and I lowkey looked up to that, so this was news to me. I was having fun and suddenly they just start crying and clinging to me, begging for us to stop, and I felt bad bc 1. If they told me beforehand I wouldn't have made them do it and 2. Now that we were up here and so close, I was thinking we might as well finish quickly to get it over with. But they wanted down and right now, so we stopped. I'm not great at comforting others but I was trying my best to get my friend to calm down :(( Then we noticed it getting colder than usual and that it was probably gonna rain and we should return back uphill for lunch anyway. The other 2 groups were probably already eating. No one had umbrellas and we were literally in T-shirts and shorts. So we start walking back, and then it does rain, hard. Then the rain quickly turned into a storm, and the very steep incline we were all walking uphill on became slippery, the wind blew so hard against us that one wrong move could send you falling all the way back down the mountain, falling leaves from the trees would hit you, and you couldn't wipe your eyes to see anything because of all of it. I, however, was wearing a very thin jacket and I grabbed my partner and the person closest to me and attempted to shield them as best I could, which was not much considering we were already fully soaked through and freezing. It took about 30 minutes to head back when it really should've been 5 if not for the storm. When we finally got there, everyone else was already having lunch. Soup... we couldn't change out of our wet clothes or dry off then since we had no towels, so we just kinda huddled for warmth while we ate. We eventually did get back to our rooms and change and the others were nice enough to help warm us up a bit more with blankets. I've never had a caretaker in times like this, so I'd always treat myself and go about my usual day. If I was sick or injured, nobody usually noticed. This experience was just... wow. I think I like this... Naturally, some of us caught in the storm came down with something later that day, feverish and all that. I have a lot of medical knowledge, so I end up helping out. And that too, felt nice.

oh goodness this sounds ROUGH! but it sounds like you did the best you could and were an amazing caretaker for all of your friends :) (And i can wholeheartedly agree—being cared for when you're not used to it is the best feeling 🥰)

[change-the-rules]

I've deleted a lot of posts lately, nothing quite enough to break me out the isolation. it has been a rough day, piled onto a rough couple of months, piled onto well you get it....

Feeding myself has been a battle and I didn't think I'd manage to eat today at all esp after a call with my dad really triggered every landmine I had food included but after hours of spiraling, I got up. and I did the cabinet shuffle and before I could sulk back to my room in defeat I accidentally knocked over a tupperware.

the tupperware had orzo in it and I almost cried. Chicken soup may be good for the soul or whatever but growing up? when I was sick? my grams made me egg soup, my dad's grandmother did the same for him.

So I pulled out a pot and threw in some salt and some oil, cut up some garlic that fortuitously hadn't gone off, and let it boil.

The orzo was next and once that was cooked in went 2 beaten, seasoned eggs, slowly so it doesn't get fucked up.

And I know if my grams were still alive I could've gotten the biggest hug and some food and it wouldn't have cured my mental problems or my housing ones or or or but sometimes sometimes the hug and some soup is everything.

I didn't get that hug, and my grams didn't make this soup but I did. I made the soup with my own shaky hands and my own heavy heart, full of love if not for myself then for her, I made it just the way she taught me

and tonight? tonight that's enough.

[avauntus]

what it's like to catch the plague, late 2022 edition.

After nearly 2 1/2 years of avoiding it, COVID caught up with me. It's been a while since I've seen a post like this, but I wanted to share what it was like for me (as a single person, living alone), what helped, and what I'd stock in advance if I'd known that would help even more.

Some say this is "milder COVID," and I mean...compared to something that puts you in the hospital, I guess so? Still, I've been flat on my back for four days, and I'm going to go take a nap after finishing this post so-- if you're feeling like it's a LOT, or want to avoid it, you are 100% valid. This is NOT an easy sickness. The only thing I've gone through that has made me weaker was surgery, and that took over a month to recover from.

I also know 100% how I got this: My father's living facility is having a COVID outbreak, and when he tested positive last Saturday, he was already on a watch to maybe go in for emergency monitoring for heart issues and diabetic-related infection issues-- the triage nurse recommended taking him in to be examined because that was just-- a lot of complication, all-together. The only way he was going to get there was if I drove him, and he's not great about mask-wearing at the best of times (he did try- until he forgot).

So- good news for you, potential COVID avoider? I basically ignored a lot of exposure guidelines and got myself infected. It's still possible to be cautious and be reasonably safe, I think.

On to COVID itself-- I had no symptoms on the first day post-exposure, light fatigue and a cough on the second (I made dinner and made it out to a grocery pickup [contactless with me double-masked]), and by the third day I was having trouble standing.

A trick I learned from an earlier COVID-solo essay that worked for me: If you can get part of the way up, you can "walk" yourself upright using your hands and a wall. Then just-- try to get wherever you're going quickly, you know?

Some other useful things I was glad to have on hand:

Broth - I didn't want to eat anything, and when I tried a cookie anyway, I got tired of chewing halfway through. Drinkable stuff was key.

Juice

Canned drinks - convenient sizes, and a hit of caffeine from the soda when I started getting a headache from not drinking any coffee or tea that I was too tired to brew

granola bars or breakfast cookies (or protein bars might have been even better) - if I only get a few bites of something, might as well make it count

chapstick

cough syrup (!!)

tissues (!!)

a way to have the phone nearby, and a way to set it up so only key contacts can reach you when you're sleeping (pretty much: always)

dumb TV (I watched this and this)

A family member and a friend from work both checked in with me this week and asked how I was doing and if I needed anything from the store / a meal -- something I really felt touched by-- if you have a friend in your life with COVID right now, especially if they live alone or are usually the "household doer" - I'd really suggest checking with them, and it's an easy thing to drop off a carton of soup or a half-gallon of milk on a doorstep. Your COVID friend is so, so tired, and will so appreciate it.

I don't want to linger on this, but I also had reactions when I shared I'd caught COVID that were along the lines of: at least it's the milder version! or good luck, hope it is asymptomatic for you! (what?)-- and I just mention it because if you're getting that kind of reaction too-- don't let it get to you. This IS ROUGH; and you are 100% valid to feel crumby, sad, to rest and take care of yourself.

I read I was supposed to try to isolate my cat, which worked for about 30 seconds, until I fell asleep the first time, and then how am I supposed to say no to this?:

Up until last week, the US government (and state programs, mostly, too) have been shutting down. Now the White House has briefly opened a window to get more rapid tests-- so you can tell if what you have is COVID or the worst flu you've ever encountered, haha. 🙃 In any case, if you're in the US, sign up for your four free additional tests I guess!

I hope this helps somebody else out there-- stay safe everybody, and I hope you can let yourself rest if you catch this!

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 19 May 1838

8 ½

12 ¾

finish but rather dullish morning F52 ¾° at 8 ¾ - cleaning my houillère shoes and gaiters above ½ hour – so ill done at Liège, not fit to put on – my shoes left a black mark whenever I trod – breakfast at 10 and had the washerwoman till 11 ½ - turned out all the linen and wrote down before her on the bills all her prices – exactly the reasonable prices I used to pay my St. Cloud washerwoman in Paris – this washerwoman the most reasonable – if not the only reasonable person we have met with so far – Had engaged a commissionaire (valet de place – only lately called commissionaires – since the last revolution) Henri d’Amy at 4fr. a day for in his anxiety to be engaged he would go behind the carriage or walk or anything – A- and I and Oddy inside and George with the coachman and Henri behind (calèche and 2 horses), and off at 2 to la cascade de Coo – very hilly – the horses except just thro’ Sap walked the 1st hour – A- and I and all walked some distance after quitting the avenue just out of the town – at about ½ hour from Spa the country becomes like our moors about home – (bruyères) bleak and wild – we had taken all our stock of cloaks and shawls and had not too many – a sharpish wind in our faces – about ½ way from Sap to La ville de Stavelot, on the moors, the village of Francorchamps – at 2 descend in 10 minutes (drag on) into the picturesque ville de Stavelot quite in the bottom – on the Amblève river – the large old convent now belongs to a riche particular who has filled its gardens full of tan pits and leather sheds? but keeps up the grande salle as it used to be when the princes of Stavelot held councils in it (said Henri) – their old chateau in ruins high on the hill above the ville – the houses of Stavelot chiefly wood – interstices of the charpente filled up with brick or lather and clayey plasterer and whitewashed (the timbers blacked) very good picturesque effect – drove thro’ the little grande Place and up the hill over a jolting village-road (narrow cart road) and in 25 minutes (at 2 35) alight and leave the carriage at the little village of Parfondruy – at a little cottage-cabaret – ¾ de lieue )about 2 ¼ English miles good) to walk – we had walked about 10 minutes and just got upon the common when poor A- sat down upon a stone and could walk no farther – we had still ½ hour to walked – A- would be left alone – would not have Oddy stay with her – I thought from her manner she did not want either of the servants but would be rather be alone for some purpose or other – she would not have the carriage on account of the excessive jolting and indeed the coach man would not have liked trying the experiment – after staying about 10 minutes examining the low wild juniper in flower and fruit some black and ripe we left A- and all set off at 3 as fast as we could – for the nearest we went the worst road and soon dashed down thro’ the beech along the steep hill along a rough path that poor Oddy could not keep up with Henri and myself – told George to wait for and take notice of the way, and return at leisure – nothing could happen for I would take care to wait and send back for them if necessary – reached the cascade in 25 minutes – 3 minutes there and back to A- (a boiling airless walk thro’ the wood) in 22 minutes at 2 55 – I had not one dry thread on me – A- had been sketching and was very well amused – some peasants who had passed told me as I returned up the wood ‘de ne pas [?] tuer – la demoiselle écrivait – elle était très contente’ – the cascade and its scenery too lovely for A- to miss – I had determined if she could not get there

Parfondruy  the wild black juniper berry much used here in soups and for cooking the woods full of bilberries (or rather bilberry plants) the flowers not yet set.

now on horseback, she should ride there on Monday direct from Spa – it just struck me she might ride one of her carriage horses – walked to the village – and George and Oddy just got back in time to see us start off again he astonished at A-‘s palfrey – left the servants at the cabaret, and the coachman walking at his horses’ head and Henri and I walked we were off again at 4 27 and by a rather longer and much easier, and more agreeable route than before reached the little knoll just above the bridge and cascade at 5 10 – here A- alighted and we stood a minute or 2 enjoying the beautiful scenery – of which we had fine views all the way – sent Henri forward to the cottage cabaret near the cascade to order some boiled trout fresh from the river (Ambléve) and A- and I (I was now a good pilot) went down thro’ the ‘petit jardin’ (little enclosure) to see the cascade – the woman and children had assembled to about a dozen begging – I paid no attention till one of the women threw her little dog into the fall, and the poor thing came dripping out at the bottom none the worse – this was not to be withstood – I promised her something as I returned (gave 0/50) but thought she should begged she would not not tourmenter le pauvre chien – the water was too rapid to let the dog fall upon the rock and in fact the animal was accustomed to the thing and no worse – was not under water more than a few seconds – A- delighted to have come and much the better for her ride – the scenery charming – Boyce says the fall cascade is 60ft. and 12ft. broad – it may be 12ft. broad at the bottom – and the height about 30ft., not (I should think) more – but it is very picturesque – the escape of water from an old mill-goit (old enough to be picturesque – the little cottage like mill just by at the foot of the road) forms a very pretty spread of water in several little streams alongside the cascade which falls into a beautiful sort of amphitheatre plain surrounded by beautiful wooded hills – the road and wooden bridge go exactly over the top of the cascade from side to side of a little break in the little rocky wall that seem from the opposite hill at a distance looks like a little brêche de Roland – the river forms a circle round the foot of the beautifully wooded hills at the back of the cascade before it precipitates itself – one can hardly believe it one and the same river (Amblève) even Henri said there was another river which came d’l’autre côté from towards the village of Trois pont – but he was in error – the beech and birch wood on the hills beautifully rounded glenny and the rich green pastures in the bottom, and the beautiful circuit of the river formed one of the loveliest bits of scenery I ever saw – the course of the Amblève washing the foot of the wooded hills along its gorge like valley whenever the eye caught it from Stavelot to as far as the eye could reach beyond the cascade, is very beautiful – ½ hour at the little cabaret close to the cascade and A- and I each enjoyed our couple of boiled trout which leaped as it were from the river down our throats – Henri and the coachman too got something and the woman charged 2/. gave her 2/50 for which she seemed abundantly satisfied and thankful – hoped this 1st visit she had had would bring her good luck – (the auberge here is a new thing) – the curé seems to lodge there – it is close to the little church which is also close to the road and the cascade – he sat with us at table (I thought he was landlord and even asked him what was to pay) and wished to be jocose about all the kissing at the coronation of our and whom was she to marry, but my gravity soon righted all this – we were en route again at 5 50 – I mounted by and by behind A- meaning to ride up the hill, but I soon found this more fatiguing than walking

SH:7/ML/E/21/0104

so jumped down, and walked without feeling fatigued (now cool and pleasant) and back at the carriage in 40 minutes at 6 ½ - Oddy and George had had bread and butter for which George had the cleverness to pay (0/50) – I had asked what to pay – the woman said what I pleased – no! must fix a price –did not know – Henri to tell her – he said 1/50 – on hearing that George had paid, I merely he had had paid for himself and O- I had nothing to do with it – and should give 0/50 for the bit of use of the room A- and I had had – never to ask what to pay on these occasions – give that I think right – Off in the carriage home again at 6 57 and arrived at 8 ¾ - dinner in 10 minutes – sat over it (had a bottle of wine de Chypre  the 1st A- overtasted – likes it even better than vin muscat de Lunel) above an hour – then both of us asleep till 11 ½ - then A- had Oddy and went to bed I made up the fire, and sat up drying my things wet from heat – I had dined in my great thick bourre de soir Mackenzie shawl and yet they still required the fire – very fine day – but cold fresh air in our faces going and also returning – the air on the hills very cold and sharp

[ask-marios-apprentice]

Beanish Bash

When I had arrived at the bean bean Kingdom.

It wasn't basically one big celebration for Elizabeth.

Every shop, every little corner had merchandise for Elizabeth.

I was welcomed there by a big hug from the Royal family.

I'll explain to be back for the ceremony by the end of the day.

I had some warps to get before I left.

1.Bootlegs:

I have been browsing some of the merchandise. While it was mostly Elizabeth, there were plenty of other SUPERS that were merchandised. But weirdly enough. I actually found some merchandise with my face on it. But there wasn't anything supposed to come out until next week. (Don't tell anyone. But we're coming out with an official Garth keyboard cover).

I went to go talk with the guy in the van. Needless to say he was surprised to see the face the person he was bootlegging. I had a choice to make.

Sue him. Or letting him continue running the shop.

And there wasn't anything telling me that he was poor or he had to help with a family situation. But I decided to show him some mercy and let him continue selling with my permission.As a symbol of gratitude he gave me a jar. It immediately cracked and there was (of all things) a Warp. He immediately jammed all the merch in the van and skedaddled.

2. In a bathroom stall.

3. A Yoshi at a sandwich shop.

Apparently there's a branch of that sandwich shop that I ate when I first saw Jeffy and Marvin argue. There was some Yoshi named Arnold who needed his celebrity endorsement. It was going to be Alice. But her cruise ship had to leave early.

I decided to fill in since I would be the next person to become SUPER.

The thing was the sandwich I was supposed to endorse "The six and a half bean soup Sandwich" tasted spoiled.

It was supposed to mimic the that Elizabeth stored in her cans.

I have to go run by the small ghost kitchen and pick up a pallet of soup.

It was just some simple platforming challenge.

After I returned. There was just some warp.

Arnold said he found it in the potato skins.

I proceeded to collect the warp orbital and ate the sandwich.

4. In Elizabeth's ship

6. A message for Luigi.

Prince Peasly would give me an unstabilized warp if I was to promise to give a letter to Luigi. The problem was that it was windy. So I had to chase the letter up a mountain.

I decided just to store it in my clutch and have Luigi pick it up by the storage unit that the clutch warps things to.

7. Soda Chaocoction.

There was big commotion apparently at the Chuckola factory.

It was a workers strike.

Apparently they were upset that they weren't paying people enough coins.

But something went really bad.

There was this guy who really really wanted to show the CEO what they were made of.

It was a poltergeist and they had absorbed an experimental soda flavor that was a mixture of Chuckola, Bubblaine sparkling, and kerocola.

Well guess who they sent in to deal with it.

That's right a negotiator.

But then he got covered in sticky syrup so I had to go in after him.

I ended up having to fight the guy in a boss fight using the Polterfludd.

That was pretty rough.

I then gave a speech about how even though workers are mistreated we shouldn't try and fight back by hurting people. We should instead fight back by standing our ground and fight for our rights and probably unionize.

The CEO came out looking sorry for themselves and announced that they would be giving them raises and three extra days vacation.

My reward was a warp orbital.

After that eventful day. I had been cordially invited to see a parade in honor of all the SUPERS.

I even got to ride on one of the floats.

Do I ended up finding another warp orbital on the end of the other floats.

So I ended up having to do a platforming challenge by maneuvering through all the floats.

I had to fight a giant version of Fowler (he was a parade float).

It was pretty wicked if I do say so myself.

So that was pretty much yesterday.

Garth signing off.

[walkthevalley]

The Flames of Advent: Hope

I’m not going to lie to you.

I did not have a good Thanksgiving.

And to be honest with you, I found out on a personal level why the holidays bear the highest suicide rates of the year.

See, this year has been kind of the worst year in my collection of thirty-two.

To begin with, both the patriarchs and the matriarchs of both sides of my family are gone.  So are all great aunts but two, who live at a distance.  Less than half a dozen of my original core family members live in state—for perspective, it wasn’t unusual to have twenty people at Grama and Grampa’s house for Thanksgiving.  To go from twenty or more people gathering for a holiday to less than six, and then this year down to myself and my nuclear family, has been a massive source of pain at any holiday time, Easter included.

For about five years there at the end, my mom and dad and I made holidays happen for Grama and two disabled uncles.  Occasionally we may have one of the other aunts or uncles show up, but that was rare.  If it weren’t for my parents and me, those members of the family wouldn’t have gotten a holiday meal with decorations and fellowship.  Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, maybe even some ribs for the Fourth of July.  If someone got sick, we’d postpone, but it would always happen—thanks to the three of us.

Then Grama died.  The last time we had what family is left in one place, it was 2019 for Grama’s funeral.  That was almost four years ago now.

Big Reason #1 I was so depressed this Thanksgiving was that after all my parents and I have done for the family, we didn’t have to turn down any invitations for being sick.  We would’ve had to spend Thanksgiving in quarantine anyway, but staying in quarantine knowing people miss you and staying in quarantine knowing you weren’t wanted to begin with are two entirely different experiences. 

Feeling taken for granted is a bad feeling, man.

Big Reason #2 I was so depressed this Thanksgiving was the aforementioned quarantine.  We escaped the Rona for two and a half years.  One of us finally brought it home, and it hit us like a ton of bricks.  Granted, it could have been so much worse, because both of my parents are extremely high-risk for complications; but we had all been keeping up with immune system support so we all cleared the virus and are regaining strength.  Thank God, no sarcasm.  But I have to tell you that grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken soup from a can don’t exactly make me feel all warm and fuzzy for Thanksgiving.  I had to stop myself from mindlessly scrolling on Facebook and seeing everyone’s gatherings and spreads of delicious foods, envying everyone’s celebrations and having to content myself with quarantine soup and a handful of bootleg Christmas specials on YouTube.  Slim pickins on all the streaming services we have, unless you’re into the crappy romances.  Oh, did I mention that we couldn’t watch any of our Christmas DVDs because our DVD player suddenly decided to stop functioning?  Yeah.  It was that kind of day.

But I could have tolerated all of this if it weren’t for Big Reason #3 I was so depressed this Thanksgiving.

Everybody wants something.  There’s that One Thing that is most important to each person, and it’s different for different people.  People want more than one thing out of life, sure, but for every person there’s that One Thing that, if missing, means everything else is empty.  That One Thing gives all the other joys of life meaning.  Like I said, The One Thing is different for different people.

This past summer, I found mine.

Things were finally looking up for yours truly.  Life was still rough in a lot of ways, but I could face it with hope and optimism because I finally had my One Thing.  I finally knew what joy through the storm was.

Then … the unthinkable happened.

Without warning, I was robbed of that which I held most dear.

I don’t have to tell you that to be robbed of that which you’ve been praying, begging, bargaining, hoping, wishing, dreaming, waiting for for your entire life, after only a few months of happiness, is the absolute bottom of the darkest pit in the deepest cavern in the loneliest corner of Hell. 

But see, Hell is for people who know what they did wrong.  Imagine losing your heart’s desire and being told it wasn’t your fault, that you did nothing wrong, but you’re still somehow in Hell when you don’t deserve to be.  This Hell is worse than your regular Hell.  This Hell is the undeserved Hell. 

It’s Hell for the Innocent.

Months I have spent in this claustrophobic little crevice in the bottom of Hell for the Innocent, with one tiny little flame to keep me company.

Hope.

The First Candle of Advent.

But the day before Thanksgiving, knowing I was facing a holiday in quarantine, not missed by the family for whom we’ve done so much, without delicious food, and still bereft of my One Thing that would have made all this bearable … my flame of Hope went out.  No tiny little blue flame hanging onto the blackened wick for dear life, just a thin wisp of harmless white smoke that I couldn’t see in the pitchy dark.  (Nor could I smell it ... thanks, covid.)

I had no hope.  I told my mom I knew I was sundowning so I needed to just go to my room and try to stabilize.  She knows when I say that, just leave me alone and I’ll eventually come back out and be my humorous self again.

Only this time … it didn’t work.

Lying on my bed, I lost my hope.  Everything was caving in on me.  My soul could not take it.  I told God, “I quit.  If this is what being called to Your purpose means, I quit.  It’s not worth it.  You won.  You made Your point.  You’re stronger than me.  I’m broken.  You broke me.  You overfired me and my metal is burnt.  I’m useless now.  You made a mistake and took it too far.  I’m done.  Now leave me alone.”

I hadn’t sobbed as hard as that since the original bombshell landed on me.  I sobbed.  I wailed.  I cried.  There in the deepest darkest pit in the Hell for the Innocent, there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Abandon all Hope, ye who enter here.

For an hour, Mom left me alone.  She knew as long as she could hear me crying, I was alive.  It wasn’t until she heard my breath change and come with labor that she stormed my room to make sure I hadn’t taken any action.  I hadn’t.  But I was done with life.  It was clear that this was all there was for me, and the sooner I accepted that there was no better future for me, the sooner I could accept my new position as just a survivor.  A drone who once had a dream but finally learned her damn place.

If anyone reading this has ever felt this way, … I wish I had some “sage mage on the hill” advice for you, some magic words to make the pain stop, but I don’t.  All I can do is tell you that someone else on earth Gets It™.  You may be isolated, but you’re not alone, no matter what it feels like.  Call the number.  You know which one I mean.

After about an hour and a half of crying my heart out, I finally exhausted myself and I fell asleep.  I woke up to a knock on my door and my dad’s voice asking me, “Hey, you still with us?”  That’s when I knew I was secretly on suicide watch.

I took Tylenol for my headache, showered, and listened to Mom badger me to drink water because I was so dehydrated.  I’d cried myself sick.  So I chugged until she piped down.  (Love you Mom.)

Thanksgiving Day wasn’t much better, for the reasons I’d described earlier. 

The toughest part of the day came at noon.  See, Santa Claus is really special to me and my family, and growing up I was taught that the Santa at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was The Real Santa™.  All the others were his assistants, but that one was the actual Santa Claus and was the one time I could see him since he did his giving in secret.  Thus, when Santa rides in at the end of the Macy’s parade, that is a very special moment for me and my family.  It goes back up to Great-Grampa Kelley who would call all the grandkids, of which my mom was one, into the TV room to see Santa riding down 34th Street.  Then it got passed down the generations until I grew up and so many of my family that I’d grown up with were gone in one way or another.  Even though Santa is a beacon of joy in my house, that moment is always so hard now because it only highlights how many loved ones we’ve lost.

I tried so hard for the rest of the day to keep it together and not lose my shit again.  Charlie Brown didn’t help.  Rudolph didn’t help.  The Little Drummer Boy didn’t help.  Oh sure I enjoyed watching them, but as soon as they ended I was reminded of the sad reality of the situation, and I had to fight that much harder to keep tears from chasing each other down my face.

The following morning I got up early to test again, and lo and behold, it was negative.  I had cleared the bug of the century.  That also meant I was cleared to go back to work as an elf in my state capital’s zoo for their Christmas season.  While I was then and still am grateful for the job (genuinely, not just saying that), I won’t sugarcoat it … that job is the only reason I got out of bed Friday.  From covert suicide watch to a jolly little elf in three days was emotional whiplash and I was exhausted by the time I got home.  I don’t think the kids or anyone else knew how badly I wanted to crawl into bed and cry … which means I did my job.

Then Saturday, something happened I didn’t expect.

I was riding in the car with my dad while some Christmas music played.  Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s The Lost Christmas Eve, to be exact.  It’s a rock opera about the insufferable persistence of Hope when all else has been stripped away and all that’s left is a dark and snowy Christmas Eve, someone’s last breath, and one Child’s dream of redemption that reawakens every year.

See … somehow … the First Candle of Advent is a trick candle.

Hope is the trick candle that reignites itself.

A flood of tears can quench it.  A single word can blow it out.  The pieces of a broken heart can snuff it.

But somehow, that damn flame reignites itself.

While the music played and the midwestern countryside whizzed by, I raged in my heart.

Disclaimer: The following is a foolhardy move that many claim would earn a lightning strike on my exact spot.  I don’t suggest going toe to toe with the Guy who can answer the question, “You and what army?”  But I’m an idiot, so I did.

“How dare You.  How dare You try to break me!  I’m insulted.  I am stronger than this and You oughta know better!  You threw Your best at me and I survived!  Ha!!!  Try it again, I’ll survive it.  But You know what?  Now that I know I can survive whatever You want to put me through, that is not a license to prolong my suffering.  Yes, I made it.  I survived it.  I’m still here.  But if You use this as an excuse to throw more at me, that is no god I want to worship.  Keep it up and I quit.  Because if all You want to do is try to break me because it’s some sick game to You, then You’re not the compassionate and loving God I thought You were and I want no part of it.  I’ll go find the real God because somebody who wants to make me suffer for sport is not it.  I will not worship and serve someone to whom I’m just a rabbit in the middle of a dogfighting ring.  Do this to me again and I quit.  Am I understood here?”

I can’t really explain or describe it, but I felt a release of something when I finally had that realization.  Maybe … that was it.  Maybe that was the ticket out of the Hell for the Innocent.  It sure wasn’t a lightning strike, that’s for certain.  I almost … well, if I could have seen God’s face then, I almost wonder if I would’ve seen a little smile and nod.  “Attagirl.”

When I was giving God my "stern lecture" (you can laugh, He probably is), TSO's version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" started to play and it hit me.

Who is "all ye faithful"? And why did he have to tell us to come "joyful and triumphant"? Joyful and triumphant aren't descriptors ... they're instructions.

That day, I learned that the faithful aren't joyful and triumphant. The faithful aren't running on strong vital legs with exuberant smiles beaming from their faces. The faithful are tired. The faithful are weak. The faithful are broken and beaten and bloody and maimed and scarred ... and yet somehow still alive. The faithful had every reason to give up, and probably did at one point, and yet here they come, limping along and favoring their tender wounds, to adore Him, Christ the Lord. If that's not faithful, I don't know what is.

With this new definition of the faithful, I realized I can count myself among them. I have earned my place among the faithful, at unsurvivable cost.

But that stupid little flame of Hope ...

Honestly, the Flame of Hope is the most annoying little snot I’ve ever had to carry. 

The damn thing just won’t die.  It’s ugly.  It’s annoying.  It’s not very bright.  It doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.  Hope is most definitely not the beautiful spark in the dead of night that lights the way.  It’s the annoying little sibling in the back seat saying, “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Arewethereyetarewethereyetarewethereyet?”  Hope is the beaten-down, pissed-off soldier in the trench with an empty magazine, facing off with the enemy saying, “All right look you sunnuvabitch, I may be going down today, but I ain’t going down without a handful of something off of you.”  Hope is the thirty-year-old feral cat who spends his ninth life biting and scratching the dog bent on having feline au gratin for lunch and somehow lives to hiss another day.  Hope is the broken woman who’s been robbed of what she held most dear, finds herself wishing God would just finish the job and stop her heart already, and then tells Him off for insulting her strength and the depth of her will.  Hope isn’t always the wisest of the flames (clearly!), but she is, undoubtedly, the most insufferably, intolerably, annoyingly stubborn of all the Flames of Advent.  She’s also the angriest one, because she’s the one that’s been through the most suffering.  She’s the one that’s seen the most shit.

Hope is the only flame that has seen the pit of the Hell for the Innocent.

Hope is the only flame that has ever seen total darkness.

And still, Hope burns.

[hotgrrlbummer]

i love soup… warm potion of make you forget your problems

[lovelylunarwriting]

Jaemin Soulmate!AU

Jaemin has a reputation as a “cool” kind of guy, which is why he wears bracelets to hide the words permanently etched on his left wrist

“Wait- if it’s not butter, then what is it?”

Jisung and Haechan are notorious for giving him shit for having a ‘weird’ soulmate, but Jaemin thinks it’s kind of funny, honestly

Like great question dude but,,, why are you asking me this

Jaemin’s apartment is around the corner from a little family-owned grocery store that he’s frequented since his high school days.

He’s very much a regular, to the point of the owner being like “Jaemin…. Please just work here. You already know where everything is”

To which Jaemin has to respectfully decline, because he wants to focus on his dancing and singing, and working too much would get in the way of practicing.

That, however, does not stop the old man from sending customers with questions to Jaemin whenever he comes in.

Because Jaemin is too polite to be like “uhh I don’t work here, good luck”, he always ends up helping them

But secretly, he doesn’t mind. He thinks that maybe one day, his soulmate will be the next one to ask him a question.

Even after repeated questions about “how much does this cost?”, “when do you guys open tomorrow?”, “when will the next shipment of bok choy be in?”, he still isn’t terribly bothered.

The other employees chastise the boss for sending customers to Jaemin, but the old man is always like “he knows this store better than you all do. That’s why he gets a discount higher than yours”

Employee discount: 15 percent off all merchandise

Na Jaemin discount: 20 percent off all merchandise

It’s an unspoken rule amongst employees that Na Jaemin gets a discount, but they are NEVER to mention it to him! He knows that business has been rough recently and wouldn’t accept the generosity, but the boss thinks Jaemin is too skinny and wants him to be able to afford to eat well.

Now lovely reader, this is where you come in. You recently got a job at this grocery store but you work in the back, so you have never seen the famous “Na Jaemin” that all your fellow employees chat about so frequently.

Coworker #1: “Ugh, he’s like SO dreamy”

Coworker #2: “I know right? He’ll have no trouble becoming an idol at this rate”

Meanwhile you’re like “lol what who? Also where is the printer for printing clearance labels”

You specifically applied for the back of house position because you did not want to talk to people.

It’s not that you’re antisocial by any means- honestly it’s the opposite. It’s just that you have the tendency to say whatever you’re thinking with absolutely no filter.

So in the past when more…. challenging… customers have talked down to you, you gave back the same energy without thinking.

Management was not happy,,, so you were like “mmmm maybe I should just keep to myself and everyone would be happier”

One day though, it seems that you’re shit out of luck.

Your work bestie calls you at 3 in the morning on your day off saying that her kid has a fever and she’s gotta stay home and take care of him.

You have no plans other than generally being a lazy lump at home, and she’s always had your back at work, so you’re like “girl don’t worry about it, I got your shift. I’ll make some chicken noodle soup for him too”

To which she’s like “bitch if I hadn’t found my soulmate already I would’ve snatched you up T-T”

You giggle and tell her to try and get some rest- both her and her kid.

And then sleep another blissful 4 hours before rolling in for the 8am shift.

When you get there, boss man is like “ayeee so you’re covering for her shift which is stocking shelves, are you gonna be okay doing that?”

You: “Ahaha yeah it’ll be fine~ just please don’t send customers to me oh my gosh”

Boss Man: “Don’t worry, I just saw Jaemin walk in. I’ll send them to him”

You: “... who is Jaemin”

Boss Man: “He’s my FAVORITE!! Remember that!”

You: “Oh, okay!! Yes sir!”

You’re like fifteen minutes into your shift and you’re already on edge because all you’ve done so far is dodge all the old ladies who are shopping this early.

No actual products have been put on the shelves yet, or at least not by your hands.

Settling down in the dairy section, you relax a bit and start putting cold products in the cold shelves fixed to the wall.

And of course- things are in the wrong place. Why would anyone put anything back where it belongs?

Picking up a product, you glance at the label out of sheer boredom more than anything.

“Wait- if it’s not butter, then what is it?”, you say to yourself.

Or so you think.

“Yeah, that is like the one question I don’t know how to answer”, you hear a masculine voice say from behind.

You spin around and look up into the man’s face.

And oh boy is that a nice looking face.

“Oh I’m sorry, I- WAIT”, you start, before you realize what he said.

Grabbing his left wrist, you push up the bracelets to reveal what you’d just said. Then you drop his hand out of sudden shyness, and because it’s not cool just to grab people.

“Do… do you mind if I look at your wrist as well?”, he asks quietly.

You roll up your sleeve and present him with your arm. He delicately wraps his fingers around your wrist and flips it over to read the words written”

He drops your wrist and sinks into a squat, flopping his arms over his head and looking at the ground.

“Oh my gosh why did I say something so lame…”

“Umm,,, to be fair,,, I did ask you about butter so by comparison yours isn’t that bad,,,,”, you try to comfort him, and he lifts his head up to meet your gaze.

“You mean that? It wasn’t like the lamest thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Oh I’ve heard much lamer things, don’t worry!”, you say with a cheery smile that contrasts your words entirely.

He stands up again and clasps your hands in his. With a look of determination he looks straight into your soul and asks:

“What time do you get off work?”

You tell him, but let him know that you’ll be busy after work making chicken noodle soup for your coworker and her son.

He’s like “oh you can cook?” and you’re like “lol no but I’m gonna die trying”

He writes his phone number on your arm (next to your soulmate tattoo) and is like “text me when you’re done with work and I’ll swing by and walk you home and maybe I can help you cook”

And quickly clarifies “ONLY IF YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH ME IN YOUR HOME, I UNDERSTAND IF BECAUSE WE JUST MET YOU-”

You’re like “dude,,,, it’s fine, we are literally destined to be together. Also if you try anything I’ll just beat you up so it’s chill”

Looking at his watch, he sprints makes a beeline for the checkout counter, going on about he’s gonna be so later and Haechan’s never gonna let it go if he’s late twice in a row, and something else but by that point he’s so far away from the dairy aisle you can only hear muffled sounds where words should be.

The next several hours could not go by ANY SLOWER.

Starting off today, you figured the day would go by quickly because you’d be preoccupied figuring out how to do something new, but now all you can think about is pretty soulmate boy.

And how he never mentioned his name, but to be fair, it was a rather quick exchange.

What feels like centuries later, your shift is coming to a close so you grab the ingredients you the internet tells you you need for the soup and head to your favorite cashier.

Somehow the front of the store is both quiet and abnormally loud for this time of night.

“Jaemin’s been waiting there for fifteen minutes? Do you think he’s waiting for someone?”

“Maybe he needs to talk to the boss? Usually he’d just ask one of us to grab him but he’s just standing outside”

“Ugh it’s so cold, should we tell him to come inside?”

You glance over to the crowd of coworkers towards the entrance and break out into a smile.

“Just keep ringing me up, I’ll be right back!”, you tell the cashier and fast walk past the small crowd.

Peeping your head out the door, you greet him.

“Are you cold? Come inside, I’m almost done”

“Oh okay, should I wait by the door though?”

“No, come with me. I wanna show you off~”, you instruct and he raises an eyebrow, but plays along.

Holding open the door for him, he scuffles his way in and shyly offers his hand.

Gladly, and with a pounding heart, you lock your fingers between his.

“Your hands are freezing, dude”

“Shhh it’s fine. I was trying to be cool, okay”, he jokes with you as you walk back to the register

Ringing up your items, the cashier is looking at you and him with raised eyebrows, and you’re just like “shut up jessica I’ll explain tomorrow”

The two of you walk back to your apartment and spend the rest of the night cooking and talking about everything and nothing.

The more you learn about Jaemin, the more confident you are that the universe got this one right.

Even when most things feel unclear, you know this person is someone you can always rely on.

(also when you bring your sick work bestie the soup, Jaemin insists on tagging along and she’s like “omg Y/N that’s JAEMIN” and you’re like “I KNOW” and he’s like “hi here’s some soup, also why do you know my name”

[taegyuun]

requested? yes by @magicalstellar

50 - A kiss, followed by more that trail down the jaw and neck.

pairing : soobin x g/n!reader

the reader is going through quite a lot of stress and soobin comforts them and helps them de stress <3

warnings: self doubt and school stress

[ 19:50 ]

school work. it was the bane of your existence. no matter how much you studied, how much you crammed, how many notes you took at lectures, you just could not get anything to stay in your brain. the stress you were at in this moment was insane as you tried to study a tad more, trying new routines and anything it suggested on the internet.

yet nothing was working.

it was starting to get messy in your head. you felt dejected as you couldn’t figure out some stupid math problem or why a poet would write a stupid line that means nothing to you but the whole, entire world to your english teacher. you felt tears slip down your cheeks without your notice and started having your mind be clouded with self doubt created by your subconscious that was slowly clawing away and picking at you.

soobin noticed. oh, he noticed.

hes seen the way that you’ve acted for the past few weeks, constantly pulling at your hair or cracking your knuckles. the way you wouldn’t cuddle with him very often anymore and constantly saying, “i’m busy, we can hang out later, ok?” and unfortunately never being able to make it. he didn’t hold anything against you, he understood the stress of finals and how much they meant to you. however, he was starting to feel more and more worried for your health each passing day. it seemed like your eye bags were growing in size each time he saw you, and you looked more unruly every second.

this was it, this was the last straw.

he rang you. you didn’t answer. he texted you. you didn’t respond. he rang your friends. they said they knew nothing. he knocked on your door. you didn’t answer or say any words. when he pushed the spare key to your apartment into the keyhole, he found the door to already be opened. now, this worried him to another level. you were never the person to leave your door open, especially not when you lived alone when it gets dark rapidly.

he quickly walked in and locked the door behind himself, he called out your name and heard no response. soobin looked around your apartment, checking every nook and even the stupid wardrobes.

that’s when he saw you. you were curled up near the foot of the couch, completely passed out, cheeks red from tears and hair messy. as he looked around he saw highlighters, books, all sorts of pens and your laptop around you; he realised you’ve been studying non stop the whole time. he gently picked you up and placed you in your bed, covering you with the covers and leaving a soft kiss on your forehead as he closed the door behind him and walked back to the living room. first, he made sure all your files on your laptop were saved and then turned it off. second, he picked up all your equipment and put it back into your pencil case and made sure to leave all your notebooks and anything else you were using on a neat pile on the coffe table near the couch. third, it was time for proper food.

he walked over to your kitchen and looked inside your cupboards and fridge, which he then started to make soup from. he got the recipe from his mum which she said, “always the best for when you’re having a hard time.” as he finished making the soup, he took out a bowl and spoon and poured some in for when you woke up, which soobin soon realised was now.

he felt your gaze bore into his back as he turned around and saw you tiredly looking at him.

“what are you doing here,” your voice was rough, as if you hadn’t drank water in a good few days.

“i’m here to take care of you, y/n as clearly you’ve been unable to, so go get comfy and i’ll bring you some soup, the one you really like!” he says with a bright smile, and as he sees you open your mouth, he quickly interrupts with a flick of his hand and you then walk over to your dining table and wait patiently for your boyfriend.

you quickly finish the soup with vigour as he then scoops you back up and places you in bed, laying down next to you. you look over at him and he looks down at you, love pouring from his eyes but the same glint of worry shining through. “you really need to start taking better care of yourself, y/n. i know finals are almost here but constantly studying, not eating or drinking will definitely not get you to remember anything. your finals aren’t here for another week, so tomorrow we’re spending the day together doing absolutely nothing and no studying, then we can study together in a healthy way that will not harm you, ok?” he said this all in such a stern voice that you have never heard before, only being able to nod your head silently.

he lifts your chin up with his finger and softly kisses your lips. you have no choice but to kiss bsck, i mean how could you not? he then moves from your lips down to your jaw, leaving supple kisses behind as you felt the tension from your body ease away with every kiss that he placed. then from your jaw down to your neck. nothing about his kisses were sexual, simply loving. he knew this would instantly get you to relax as he always feels you melting into him the second he kisses down your soft neck.

he places the last few kisses on your neck and pulls away, resting his chin on top of you head as you two cuddle in your bed.

“i love you, y/n.”

“i love you too, soobin.”

~~~~~~~~

a/n: gAh sorry this took a while i was busy with school and the shit ton of exams i had for the past 2 weeks and then i couldn’t get myself to write anything and i didn’t wanna write any bs so i hope this was good enough !

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Monday 7 May 1838

..

11 ¼

10 am this morning Monday (when we had got within an hour of landing) I was sick – I think I never slept more than a few minutes without being interrupted by the feeling or the action of sickness – A- began about ½ hour or more after I did but recovered by about midnight or soon and slept apparently well and snored very sonorously – but she had a little return of sickness between 9 and 10 this morning and was afterwards poorly on landing and for the rest of the day – once sick after getting to the hotel and could take nothing – she was tired – we were to have landed at 8 – but the rough passage (everybody passengers on board sick but 2 men) had delayed – 2 carriages besides our own and several passengers – It was 11 before we left our steam (stopt) alongside the quay at Antwerp – all baggage searched on board – nobody came to us – I saw all the commercial men getting attended to, and off 1st – A- tired and when we had waited ½ hour I sent George for a ships’ porter who got us the Douanier being close to our carriage George put under his nose our 2 writing cases and A-‘s journal and my travelling bag, and we left George and the keys for all the rest – and A- and I and Oddy came off with the 2 writing cases and A-‘s journal and on landing took one of the commissioner from the Hotel du Grand Labourer (I had asked the captain who, tho’ he mentioned 1st the hotel St. Antoine in the Place Verte, mentioned this also, and owned it was still, as it used to be, a good hotel) would not take the carriage in waiting but walked – A- tired – it was near 12 when we arrived tho’ only a 10 minutes walk for us, and less than that about 7 minutes – to the commissioner – the old man saw us into the house and disappeared – A- lay on the sofa – ordered café au lait for myself and drank 2 cups with relish but could not eat the bread and butter – A- rather sick – had tea about 1pm and Oddy had breakfasted I lay down in self defence and dozed a little till George and the carriage came about 2 ½ - got all out in ½ hour and the servants dined – I set too, and put all in order – Oddy’s room comfortable and tolerably near but too small for the baggage – our room large and lofty with 2 beds stowed away the 3 imperials and capcase and all very nicely – ate a couple of oranges – and sent for the old man to go out – Engaged with an English family – got another Pierre younger and better said the civil good humoured femme de chambre – all these valets commissionaires they call themselves have 4/. a day – agreed with the maitresse of the hotel on coming in for our room and the 2 servants rooms at 6/. per day – we had not been long here before some of our fellow passengers came – I saw Oddy afterwards with one of the maids – ordered dinner at 7 – took and went out about 4 ½ to the cathedral – but [A-] she felt sick and poorly and we returned in ½ hour – sent Pierre for a dozen oranges 7 cents a piece i.e. 7/100 of a florin  or about 3 sols French a piece – Pierre says Antwerp is ruined by the Spanish bonds – the town has lost about 200,000,000 florins or 400,000,000 francs or £4,000,000 – shewed us Mr. Baileys’ great India shawl of the [then] greatest black silk merchant in town, and is now one of the richest men here – dinner at 6 – at accounts and writing yesterday and today till 10 ¼ - A- went to bed immediately on coming in and was in bed about 5 ½ - took soup and a little griffe (nice little bird) and a little veal, and a few plums prunes étuvées for her dinner in bed – we felt it warmish in London – about 65° on Saturday night at midnight – but the sun on landing here was very hot – and F is 71° on my table now as I write at in my dressing down at 10 1/4 pm. very fine day

[sintatae]

qn | part two

qn or quaque nocte: an abbreviation that nurses and other healthcare workers use for medications and interventions to occur every night // 3670 words

pairing: taehyung x reader

genre: nurse!reader, business analyst!taehyung, f2l, mild fake dating, neighbours, angst, fluff, breakfast dates and nighttime strolls

summary: …in which you love the night and he loves the day. you’re grumpy, shy, and keep to yourself. while he’s pure joy, fearless and outgoing. you have the makeup to be complete opposites of each other, but it’s in both of your favourite parts of the day, where you realize you’re a lot closer than you thought.

summary | part one | part two 

inspo | masterlist

Buzz. Buzz-buzz. Eyes fluttering open as if angry at the world, you reach under your pillow to find 2 missed calls from Taehyung and 1 (probably drunken) missed call from Bianca. Rubbing your eyes, you look at the clock above your bed to see that is it now 0900 in the morning. On your weekend off.

What in the world?

You open your phone to a flurry of text messages.

Bibi (1): okso ur gonna come out with us again right I miss u come hangout w me u_u [0345]

Jimin (1): So......what happened last night? Also any idea why I’m on the couch with Namjoon lol [0812]

You shake your head laughing at the memories of Bibi’s relentless ploys to get you out of the house and hauling one of Jimin’s listless arms around your shoulders while you dragged him through the backdoor.  

Shooting straight up in bed, you remember what happened the previous night and touch your fingers to your lips as the feeling of Taehyung’s lips against yours lingered.

There was never a considerable amount of time that you thought about Taehyung.  Truthfully, you didn’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about what he meant to you aside from the fact that he was becoming one of your closest friends in a city far from your own. Before you even realized it, he became a part of ‘home’ to you.  Because there was a comfort about Taehyung, almost like the feeling of sinking into your most comfortable pillow after a long day or night.  Almost like sitting next to a warm fire on the beach during summer, if you got too close, he shined brightly enough to make you forget your worries. He was chicken soup for the soul. Perhaps it had been the reason you suckered him into this position in the first place. Taehyung was comfort.

Perhaps, it was all starting to make sense to you, despite how oblivious you had been. The way that he always met you on your way home or made sure that you had something to eat. Always inviting you to come hang out with him and the boys or even the way he constantly teased you about sleeping all day, when being a hermit was all you wanted to do. You didn’t even realize how easily he could convince you to hang out, which was a feat that no unknowing person could do.

Taehyung felt the same way too. At first you were just the cute girl next door who didn’t know anyone apart from one friend named Grace from nursing school who made the move to the city years ago.  Something about you drew him in, whether it was your loud, bright laugh or the fact that you always got frazzled whenever someone paid more than enough attention to you. You always wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of before you were. It made him want to take care of you, not that you needed it. Despite your stubborn, at times type A personality, you were also oblivious to how magnetic you were. There wasn’t an uncaring bone in your body.  He’s heard how rough you have it at work sometimes, and wanted to make sure that you were taking care of yourself as well. He had no doubt that you were an excellent nurse.

Rubbing your eyes and shaking your head to rid yourself of the ????? panic in your head, you open your messages from Taehyung.

Taehyung (1): Wake up!! [0824]

Taehyung (2): Breakfast time, sleeping beauty! [0856]

Ignoring the rush of nerves in your stomach, you reply.

Y/N: hi [0901]

Y/N: You do know what time it is right [0901]

Ding!

Taehyung: Sure do, it’s 9am. Come outside I made grilled cheese.  And coffee as promised. [0902]

Getting up to brush your teeth, you reply.

Y/N: You made grilled cheese? Or Jimin made grilled cheese? [0902]

Taehyung: I sprinkled the cheese. [0903]

Y/N: A man after my own heart. [0903]

Taehyung: :) [0903]

You open another conversation.

Y/N: Thanks for the grilled cheese. [0905]

Jimin: ;) [0905]

After brushing your teeth and throwing on a large sweater over your sleeping shorts, you slide your feet through your house slippers and begrudgingly make your way downstairs. You smooth down your bedhead and grab a blanket from the couch to wrap around yourself, making your way to your backyard door. You see Taehyung bring out two steaming mugs of coffee as you pull open the door— trying your best to give him cut-eye for waking you up early (but failing miserably when you see the extra-large grey sweater he’s donning).

Hands hidden in sweater paws, he sets down the two mugs and glances up at you, grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Hi,” You say sheepishly, coming closer to where he’s standing near their couch on the patio. “I’m tired.”

Arms outstretched as you go near him, Taehyung engulfs you in a hug that smells very much like Taehyung- fresh linen and something sweet. Why do you even know this?

Suddenly feeling shy, you playfully shove him off and onto the couch. “You woke me up, jerk.”

“If you were actually upset, then why are you out here?” He says smirking, ends of his lips curled upwards. Plopping yourself down onto the couch beside you, you pick up your cup of coffee, eyes looking anywhere but his.

“Where’s everyone?”

“Jimin left early to open up the café since someone called in sick, Namjoon is in the shower and Jungkook is still sleeping.” Taehyung says in between bites of his sandwich. Elephant in the room. Balling up his napkin and pushing your plate towards you, he starts “So...”

“So...?” You speak while taking a bite, still avoiding his eyes. An awkward beat passes between the two of you, as you both eat in silence, occasionally glancing up at the other. The summer sun shining bright behind him and rising by the minute, you squint your eyes at him.

“About last night... I think I might have drank too much.” He says. There’s a slight sinking feeling in your stomach as the words leave his mouth, but either way, you make sure he doesn’t feel too bad for acting out of character.

“Oh, don’t worry about it at all, it happens.” You say, indefinitely avoiding his eyes. “You don’t have to have regrets.”

“Actually I do have regrets,” He says, hand reaching out to place on your forearm.

“No no no, you shouldn’t. Actually it makes more sense this way, and honestly I was the one that made you come out with me—”

Before going off on one of your nervous tangents, your argument is cut short when Taehyung runs his hand down your arm to place your hand in his. Stopping yourself, you furrow your brows at him as he laughs lightly to himself.

“What I meant was,” He stops to push a strand of hair behind your ear. “I only have regrets because I didn’t ask you out first. And because I ruined my own plan by kissing you prematurely.” Hearing him say he had his own plan makes you laugh, but you’re still confused.

“When did you…even start feeling this way about me? I had no clue.” Sitting up to grab your mug, “I always just thought you were looking out for me as a good neighbour. Or because you thought I was a loser, sleeping all day and not doing anything.” He laughs at this.

“Well, that’s partly true.” He says, laughing as he sees you giving him some side-eye. Leaning back to throw an arm around your shoulders, Taehyung says,  “It wasn’t until seeing you every morning on your way home from work and before I left for work myself, that I realized it was what I looked forward to everyday.”

You soften at this, but can’t help to throw in some self-deprecating humour since you’re still reeling from the confession. “You looked forward to seeing this sleep deprived grump coming home from what was probably a rough shift?”

Flashing his wide smile at you again, he says, “Precisely.”

You stop yourself when you almost check your wrist for your pulse, your heart rate must be over 100 at this point because you suddenly feel out of breath and nervous. Opting to just stay quiet, you lean your head against his shoulder.

A few beats of silence pass as both sit in each other’s company.

“Taehyung, why do you sit out here so late after work?” You feel him tense beside you. Sighing, he says.

“Work… has just been kicking my ass lately.” Pulling you closer into his shoulder and staring forward at nothing particular. “I just have a lot of pressure and weight on my shoulders. So I just need to decompress sometimes.”

“Is it the promotion?”

“Ehhh. Among other things,” he says, nervously twirling your hair above your shoulder. “Hey! Does that mean you’ve been spying on me?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.” Holding your hand up for a high five, you speak, “I’m here for you though.” Laughing, he reaches up to high five you back, locking your fingers between his. Just then you hear the sliding door open. Jungkook.

You make a move to pull apart but Taehyung stops you and says, “He knows,” while shoving some grilled cheese in his mouth.

“Of course I know,” Jungkook says, stealing the other half of Tae’s sandwich. “It was obvious to all of us after you moved in and all Tae could talk about was helping you with your moving boxes because he wanted to be a gOod nEighBour.”

“Jeeze bro, do you need more sleep or something?” Taehyung says beside you, glaring at his roommate.

“Oh another thing, back before we knew you were nocturnal, he’d always wonder when you’d be awake or if you were home. He always took out the trash at night in case he could see you, so we just let him make it his chore.” Jungkook says grinning.

“Alright, alright,” Taehyung says getting up, shoving the younger boy to the door. “That’s enough. There’s more food inside so go.”

Taehyung pushes a backwards Jungkook all the way until he’s inside the kitchen and pulls it closed. Before departing into the house, Jungkook flashes you two finger hearts while smiling.

All you can do is shake your head and smile, mind still reeling at all of these new revelations.

“Last night was fun though, thanks again.” You say, still avoiding his eyes. “You were a good fake boyfriend.”

“Don’t mention it,” The boy says, both of you making eye contact while a beat passes. “Any time you need me, I’m here.” And he was.

Two weeks go by and despite his confessions, you both fall back into your usual routine. Nothing needed to change, except maybe some flirting and a few stolen kisses here and there. Your schedules made it hard to see each other, especially when you were working but you could always find time to meet whether it was in the early morning sun or late at night in the moonlight. There didn’t need to be labels, you were having fun after all.

There was even one random Thursday night that you may or may not have kept him out longer than intended, not that he cared really.

It was 2330 at night and you were at work after picking up an extra few hours to help with staffing shortages on the unit. You had gotten a ride to work with Esther and completely forgot as you were leaving that you didn’t drive. You texted Taehyung after your shift and after learning your predicament, he called you.

“But Tae, it’s a work night! You don’t have to pick me up.” You nagged on the phone. “It’s late. I was just going to order an Uber.”  

“Exactly, all the more reason to pick you up.” Taehyung said on the phone. “I’ll be there in 2 minutes.”

“Fine,” You relent. “But let me treat you at least.”

2 minutes and not a second later, the lights of Taehyung’s car flash at the entrance of the hospital. Towing your work bag over your shoulder, you meet him, smiles donning both of your faces. As soon as you’re in the car, you smile sheepishly at him and thank him for picking you up.

“Hungry?” You ask.

“It’s 11:30 at night.”

“...And?” You say. Taehyung just shrugs. “Okay, well I still have to thank you in some way for picking me up.”

He smirks at this, eyebrows raising. As you reach over and smack him on his shoulder, Taehyung’s expression softens and he laughs. “Okay, okay just kidding.”

“Let’s get breakfast.”

And so the two of you do exactly that, stopping at the 24-hour breakfast place just down the road from the hospital. A staple on your nightshifts. You weren’t planning on dining in, but the two of you naturally slid into a booth and shared a plate of Nutella pancakes loaded with strawberries. An hour and a half had gone by without you even realizing, both of you debating over if sweet or savoury was superior. (Taehyung insisted it was sweet, but a savoury crepe was top tier.) You started getting sleepy since you weren’t able to get your pre-shift coffee.

After paying for your food, the two of you made your way back to his car. Hands in your sweater, you bumped Taehyung’s hip as he threw an arm over your shoulder.

While in the car, streetlights passing, you try to stifle a yawn into your arm.

“Tired?” Taehyung asks.

“Yeah, aren’t you?” You say, eyes drifting closed. “You have work tomorrow...”

Taehyung can only smile at you as he reaches over and threads his fingers through yours. You take his hand in both of yours as you lean your head against the seat, facing the window so he can’t see the blush that creeps on your face. Yep, no labels.

The next morning, Taehyung was late for work. You wake up to his footsteps in the backyard, trudging down the steps of your deck. Glasses perched at the end of his nose, you can tell from behind that he’s walking with his eyes closed as he waddles to his car. Wearing a maroon t-shirt and black jeans, he throws his shoulder bag into the front seat before driving off.

Well, at least it’s casual Friday.

To be honest, you couldn’t exactly pinpoint how you felt about Taehyung. There were definitely feelings there, but you guessed it was just you being cautious and wary as usual. That, and the fact that you weren’t expecting to fall or feel anything remotely of the sort for anyone while you were here.

This isn’t part of your plan.

The panic alarms go off in your head once in a while, but you’ve started to ignore them.

The clock in the nursing station reads 0645 on a Monday and as you sit down to finish charting on all of your patients, you get a text message.

Taehyung: Quick coffee date after work and before I work? [0645]

Taehyung: Or are you too tired? You’re off tonight right? [0645]

Always the double-texter.

Y/N: Yes, I’m tired and yes I’m off tonight. But yes, coffee. :) [0646]

Taehyung: Can’t wait.

You smile and shove your phone away to finish charting. Bibi sits beside you and scoffs, rolling her eyes. You eventually told her why Taehyung came with you that night, from the plan all the way to your walk with him.

“What is it, Bibi?” You say sighing, not even bothering to look up from your computer.

“Nothing, nothing…” Bibi says, twirling around in her computer chair. “Just that you’re a big liar.”

“About what?!” Still not turning to look at her. “When have I ever been untruthful?”

“Oh nothing, except maybe to yourself.” She says, smirking at you. “You know, even though we work in the cardiac ICU, you seem to listen to every heart except your own.”

“Ha ha. How long were you sitting on that one?”

A call bell goes off and she gets up to answer it, but not before shooting you a wink. Saved by the bell, you get a moment of solitude and don’t dwell too much on what she said.  

You practically run to your car after changing out of your scrubs (and brushing your teeth). Night shift breath is… no joke. Briefly you wonder if you need to touch up your makeup when you see the dark circles under your eyes, but decide against it –Taehyung never cared how you looked after work and you start making your way to the café.

Taehyung’s already sitting in your usual spot on the loveseat, two coffees on the table in front of him. He’s checking something on his laptop while you sit beside him, eventually nudging him in the arm with your elbow when he doesn’t notice you sitting there.

“Hi.” He says, “Sorry sorry, just finishing up this work presentation.” You wave him off, taking a sip of your coffee. “Okay, done. How are you?” He says, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

A soft blush creeps onto your face, and Taehyung grins. “I’m good. I had a fair assignment last night, but they made me charge nurse.” You frown at Taehyung. You didn’t mind being in charge, but you felt like it was the blind leading the blind when you were with your inch of experience. Thankfully you had a good team working last night.

“Aw, I’m sure you did a great job.” He says, an arm thrown around your shoulder. “Besides, we love a strong woman in charge.” He picks up one of your arms, poking at your bicep. “Well, maybe not that strong.”

You shove him back onto the couch, laughing while Taehyung’s hand comes up to smooth out the crease in his dress shirt. “Hey, I have a presentation to do today. I’m already nervous as it is, so be careful with the merchandise.”

“A presentation? With who?”

“Oh you know, the executives. The partners. The works.”

“I’m sure you’re gonna do fine, Mr. Promotion. Just be yourself.” You say, patting his head. “And I’ll be home tonight, we can decompress together. And maybe get some food.”

“I’d love that.”

“Speaking of food, do you want anything? Breakfast of champions to hype you up for your presentation?”

“I’m almost worried to find out what your version of breakfast means.”

“I’ll surprise you.” You say giggling, getting up to order at the counter. You stand and wait for your food—chocolate croissants (for you), a mini breakfast club and a double shot of expresso for Taehyung. Just as you’re about to send a message to Jungkook about working out later, your order is called out.

But as you make your way over to Taehyung, you realize he’s standing and talking to an older man dressed in a suit. You see the way Taehyung is hurriedly packing his laptop into his work bag, and you awkwardly interrupt to hand him his coffee and sub.

“Hello.” The older man says to you. “I’m Mr. Kim.”

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” You say, sheepishly reaching out to shake his hand and glancing at Taehyung sideways.

“Y/N, this is Mr. Kim, CEO of SunnyDaes.” Taehyung says nervously, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking at everything but your eyes. “And also, my dad.”

You were nervous at graduation, nervous about your maid of honour speech at your sister’s wedding, and you almost passed out writing your nursing licensure exam. But in this moment, it truly felt like your stomach dropped out of your ass.  

“Oh. Oh! Hi sir, it’s nice to meet you.” You said, unconsciously bowing before standing up straighter.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Mr. Kim says, with a smirk on his face. “Nice to meet the girl who’s been making Taehyung late for work every day. Do you have work to get to, as well?”

“No, she actually worked last night, Dad.” Taehyung says.

“Oh, did you now? What do you do for work?” Mr. Kim says again, asking you directly, eying you up and down.

“I’m a nurse.” You say, fidgeting with the sleeves of your top, feeling suddenly self-conscious in your sweats.

“Oh, very nice.” He says giving you a soft smile. He adds, “Did you always want to be a nurse? How long were you in school for?”

“Dad, please.” Taehyung says, eyes closing in defeat. “Please don’t grill her. Besides, she needs to get home to sleep. Right, Y/N?”

“Oh no, it’s fine.” You say. “Yes, I always wanted to be a nurse. And I was in school for four years.”

“Ah! That’s surprising.” Taken back, you wait for him to finish. “I guess some young people actually know what they want to do.” Flashing Taehyung a wink, he pats him on the back. “Let’s go. The executives are looking forward to your presentation.”

You look at Taehyung and mouth a quick “good luck” to him. Though your smile says otherwise, he can see the panic in your eyes. You hated surprises and definitely needed time to mentally prepare for well, anything.

Smoothing out his shirt once again, Taehyung makes his way to the café door, his father following behind.

“Oh, and Y/N?” Mr. Kim says, looking back. You nod and he continues, “Would it be alright to grill you later this evening for dinner?”

His back to you, you see Taehyung freeze.

“Um, yeah- I mean, yes that would be alright Mr. Kim.”

“Excellent.”

As they both leave, you sit carefully on the loveseat, thinking about what had just transpired. Feeling numb to your fingers, you wipe your palms on the fabric of your jeans. Long forgetting the croissants in the brown paper bag, you place them on the coffee table in front of you, appetite non-existent.

You can’t ignore the panic alarms now.

AN: hi hi sorry this was long overdue like a year overdue oops, i wrote it and rewrote it so many times before i realized i just needed to post it!! i’m literally posting this before i have to work tonight sooo sorry to leave it on a cliff hanger, but maybe this will push me to keep going hehehe okay anyway i hope y’all enjoy!! 

chelsea