#but alas........ i spent all day reading and messing around online here and there...

[mattodore]

it's actually so nice to have full shots in cas without the ui in the way now........ it's so clean.........

[en-hale-archives]

Me with You ~~

pairing ⑅ bestfriend!Jake x fem!reader

genre ⑅ friends to lovers, fluff, slow dancing, suggestive/smut

words/read time ⑅ 3.9k/12-19 mins

warnings ⑅ 18+ content, light cussing

synopsis ⑅ Jake is back in his hometown to spend time with his closest friend. During some fun and frivolous dancing, things start to heat up...

author's note ⑅ I’m really proud of how this story turned out. I'm not a huge fan of second person, so I wrote in first, but if anyone asks, I can copy and post again in second person. It's more fluff than anything, but it does get a bit steamier towards the end, so I’m just going to go ahead and put a warning.

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When the back door finally slammed shut and the cacophony of barks faded down the street, I could finally let out my sigh of relief that I had been holding in since this morning. I tapped on my phone. How many days had we been watching Mrs. Chen’s pets? And just how was I able to put up with hours of barking, the smell of fresh turd lying across the lawn, and dog walks till dark? Including their rigorous feeding times and bathroom breaks -- I’m surprised I haven’t exploded yet.

I had so much planned the minute they left my house, but instead, the sudden silence felt all too relaxing and I laid my head against the cold countertop. I could finally stop stressing, stop thinking, and stop worrying about reprimanding for chewing on my shoes or peeing in the house or the continued barking that never ended. I was free. I felt like I could’ve stayed laid on the countertop forever, drowning in the evening sun. Who knew watching five dogs would take such a burden out of a person. Jake and I had taken on the job of dog sitting for Mrs. Chen while she visited some family in Tokyo. We both switched off every other day; some of the dogs at my house and the others at his; until we realized it would be easier if he just spent the few days at my house as we co-doggy sat. He got up bright and early to take them on their walks while I prepared their highly detailed and specific meals. Then from there, we spent the rest of the day making sure they didn’t run off somewhere or cause too much destruction in the house. But alas, Mrs. Chen came back early from her getaway and picked up Toby, Caleb, Khao, Sofia, and Pickle on her way home. Although I was exhausted from watching 3-foot dogs all day, the pay was amazing for me, and it would help tremendously for all the online classes I was going to be taking next semester.

The warmth of the sun cast a comforting trance over my heavy eyelids, and soon enough I was fast asleep, standing in the middle of the kitchen with the soft sound of nothing surrounding me.

By the time I had fluttered my eyes open, I had realized I was now seated in my dining chair and a large black jacket was placed over my shoulders. I sat up and let out a yawn, wincing at the bright light coming from the tv and shaking my now numb arm awake. I must have been sleeping for a while because the evening sun had turned to pitch of black. The moonlight beamed through the window and danced along with the sways of the large oak tree out front. I stood up and walked over to the refrigerator in which I grabbed two water bottles and some leftover pasta.

I was sure that Jake hadn’t eaten since lunch, seeing as he only ate if someone sat food in front of his face. I dragged my feet up the stairs until I heard the slamming of a book and the fast typing of a keyboard come from the living room. I turned and looked behind me. Jake had settled his things on the coffee table and floor, large books, folders, and several amounts of crumpled up pieces of paper found their way around Jake, himself slouched up against the edge of the couch. He had changed clothes since the last time I had seen him, he now wore a plain blue shirt with grey sweats, his eyebrows furrowed as he worked hard on whatever he was getting at.

“Oh yes, I was starving!” Propping himself up on the couch, he took the plate of pasta. I placed the waters on the coffee table and settled comfortably on the couch beside him.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anybody sleep standing up before. Look,” Jake took his phone off the charger. “I got a picture.” He pushed the screen in my face, and of course, there was my unconscious body laying on the counter, mouth open and all. I playfully pushed it back his way as his face lit up with a smile I was all too familiar with.

“What are you doing down here so late, it’s almost 12 in the morning,” I asked. Jake’s smile disappeared when he was reminded of the work he had been doing seconds before.

He let out a large huff of air. “Trying to get some words on paper but instead it turned into a paper massacre,” he jokingly replied, “sorry for the mess.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied, taking a swig of water. I was going to ask if he wanted to watch a late-night movie, or pull an all-nighter and talk endlessly until the sun rose, but I could tell by each passing second that Jake was worried about this, and he wanted the time he had now over the summer to work on his music. I wished I was motivated to work on my own music, but unlike Jake, I wasn’t in a globally popular boy band. My complicated best friend for over 10 years had been working his butt off since middle school. It was his annual time to sit back and relax while he had the time to, but instead, he chose to use that time to help watch a bunch of dogs with his hometown bestie. God, I loved him.

Jake pulled himself off the couch and right back onto the floor, leaving the rest of the pasta to me. He picked up his pen again and started scribbling down words as quickly as he could, trying hard not to forget the lyrics that had floated into his head. Until he stopped, closing his eyes for just a split second, and let out a powerful sigh. Crumpling up the sheet, he stacks it on top of the others in frustration and started frantically tapping his pencil against the table.

“Maybe it’s best to just try again in the morning,” I advised, taking a small bite of the pasta that was left by my side.

“How come I’m having such a hard time with this?” He gazed up at me frantically for a clue, as if I had the answer to fix a problem as big and as important as his was. I looked at his doleful eyes and the bags that were starting to grow underneath them. I couldn’t help but think, because I made you sit up and watch a bunch of dogs with me.

“Do you want me to see if I could come up with something?”

“If you want. But, hold on, I think my thoughts are coming back up.” He quickly grabbed another piece of paper, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

I tried my best to keep occupied by watching videos on my phone, but I found myself suddenly bored out of my mind. I laid out on my back and picked up one of Jake’s folders. Briefly looking through it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous at the amount of fan art and letters, praising him and the other members. Followed with that were just more and more engene stuff, full of nothing but kind words and heartfelt messages. Part of me wished that I was able to travel with Jake and see the world like he was. How fun would it be to meet people that praised you? And how cool would it be to see that you had fans? I couldn’t help but plaster on a huge smile as I skimmed through some of the notes until I finally came to one with familiar handwriting.

Remember Me were the words written on the top of the paper in bold and bright colors. But the message written underneath is what caught my attention:

To the person that makes me the luckiest guy in the world, this song is for you. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but please just remember me -- it was Jake’s handwriting.

I didn’t feel like I was breaking any crime reading his stuff until this moment, but curiosity killed the cat, and right now I didn’t mind being a feline. I checked to make sure Jake was still busy, and he was, almost like he had teleported into his own world. I quietly turned back to the sheet and started reading. It was about a girl, presumably his crush I’m sure. She was someone important to him, someone who made him love so much that it hurt. But this was far from a happy song, in fact, it was terribly heartbreaking. She didn’t understand his love, she wasn’t able to interpret it like he wanted her to. But he confesses that he was scared of what telling her would do, worried that she wouldn’t feel the same. So instead, it was like he was apologizing, and asking that she forgive him for not being brave enough to tell her, and if he did ever get the courage to, for her to remember him even if she wasn’t able to love him like he wanted her to.

The song ends like how the title began, and I find myself flabbergasted at the beautiful mixes of rhymes and metaphors that read like a poem. This was the first of Jake’s songs that made me feel this way, like I had just finished watching a tragedy movie with Ryan Renolds starring. I blink back the tears that I didn’t realize were forming. How come he never told me this? We never kept secrets from each other, like ever. It never mattered the subject or the severity, we had always promised that we would be open and honest with each other. I wish I would’ve known this sooner, maybe I could’ve saved him from feeling this way. And what girl could it possibly be? I knew for sure I was the only girl he was presumably close to; but was there someone else?

I glanced down at Jake, who was still in a focused state of mind with the pencil in his mouth and mumbling lyrics softly under his breath. I tried picturing my bubbly Jake writing these agonizing words and miserably failed.

Jake looked up at me as if he could feel my gaze on the back of his head. “I think I’ve found the chorus, but it’s the rest of the song I’m not able to get, and how come it’s so hard to find another word that rhymes with severe? Beer? Sphere? Revere? Appear? Gosh, rhyming sucks some serious ass!”

“This song is beautiful.”

Jake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

“This song I found in your folder.” I glanced back at it in my hand. “Remember Me.”

Jake’s gaze leaped from my eyes to the sheet, and I felt his body tense. “Where’d you get that from?”

“I was just going through one of your folders. Did you accidentally get it mixed up in your fan folder? Cause this is -”

“Did you read it?” He interrupted.

“Yeah, and it’s perfect.”

Jake glanced at me for a split second before turning back around, obviously uncomfortable. “I was watching one of those Kdramas you love so much and it inspired me. Could you help me rhyme with severe now?”

I knew Jake like the back of my hand, so I knew continuing on with this conversation would get him upset if he’s clearly avoiding it. But, I wasn’t going to just let him off that quickly. “Jake, come on, you can tell me anything. Who is this about?”

Jake looked back at me with a hint of something in his eyes, something I’ve never seen before, and something I wasn't able to decipher. “Nobody, I was just feeling really inspired, that's it.” His tone had switched from calm to agitated.

I give him my I’m-not-stupid look and he comes back with his own you’re-being-delusional stare. “It’s seriously nobody, truthfully and honestly.”

“Okay, okay I’ll back off.” I could tell he was starting to get defensive, and when he got like that, it took him at least a few hours before returning to normal. I watched Jake's Adam's apple move up and down, a way in which I could tell he knew I was not convinced in the slightest. “Well, sometimes we go through things that can remind us of situations like that, but not necessarily in that same exact context, you know? It has to be amplified for that audience appeal.”

“Okay...but have you ever felt this way before? Not exactly like how it’s written, but maybe somewhere along these lines?”

I thought I was going to get another vague answer, or worse, an aggravated one. But instead Jake looked down at his pencil as he tapped it along his wrist. “...maybe, but I think everyone can connect to the words in some way. I mean, everyone feels some kind of heartbreak in their life, right?” Jake's answer was still pretty vague, but at least I was able to get something out of him.

“Okay, but you know you can tell me anything, like, anything ever because you know that you’ll never actually have to feel this way, right?” I said, maybe too much in a hurry.

“Of course I know that.” He replied, giving one of his awkward grins.

“And if anyone has made you feel this way, then you know you can tell me that too cause there a sucker to lose out on a perfect person like you.” I teased in a sing-song way, poking his shoulder hard. Jake chuckled and poked me back.

A weird silence grew in the room, and Jake went back to trying to find rhyming words. I tried getting back on my phone, but I knew I needed to say something to let go of the tenseness in the air.

“Hey, crystal clear rhymes!”

He leaned his head back and looked up at me. “Nevermind, I give up for tonight.”

I could see the stress that played on his face. “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, but by the time I do, it’ll be too late.”

“What do you mean?”

Jake pulled his knees up to his chest and spoke. “This was going to go on our album comeback that needs to be finished in the next four months. By the time I think of something, it'll be too late and I’ll have to wait until the next four months. But by then, I'll have forgotten. This always happens and I have no idea how the hell to fix it.” I couldn’t tell if he wanted my help or just a bit of comfort.

“Did you try asking the other guys to see if they had any ideas?”

“Yeah, but they’re working on their own parts, I can’t ask them to do this too.”

“I’m sure they’d be willing to help if you asked,” I assured him.

“I know they would, but I just don’t want to. I always ask them for help, I thought being away from the studio and being back home would help my brainstorming abilities.” He gave a weary chuckle that almost sounded like a groan.

“Well, maybe tomorrow will come with better results.” I did my best to give him some motivation, but I could tell I was failing miserably at that too.

Jake watched as a car zoomed past the window, a low bass sounding off as it zoomed away. “I bet it’s easier to just listen to music than to try and come up with it. I remember when I would just blare NCT all day long and jam out in my room. It seemed so much easier back then to come up with stuff than it does now. I miss it.” He took a slight pause before continuing. “ Did you know that song you read was the easiest thing I have written in my life? I remember writing too. I just had this super weird feeling in my chest one day so I basically locked myself in my room and took maybe two hours and just wrote a bunch of words down and connected them to sound like a song. For once my mind had just gone blank and I couldn’t stop thinking and feeling that song, like I knew what it was supposed to sound like, I knew what the lyrics were supposed to mean. I just knew everything. And I miss that feeling, that feeling of like- '' He broke off his sentence when he looked back up to my eyes. It seemed like he was talking more to himself than to me. He swallowed hard and looked back at the pencil still in hand.

“Well, I'm sorry you don’t feel free anymore. I wish there was something I could do to make you feel like that again-”

“No, please don’t feel like that. It’s just something that had just recently started happening, something I really just can’t fix…” His voice gets softer and softer the more he spoke.

“Have you spoken to your manager about it?” I asked. “He’s super nice from what I understand. And he’ll probably have better answers than your friend who can barely play the piano, let alone produce an entire song.”

Jake laughed before I had the chance to. “ See, now you're underestimating yourself. Remember that song from freshman year? The one about-- what was his name, Josh?” Jake teased. I grabbed a pillow and slammed it into the back of his head. “Oh my gosh, I thought we promised we’d never bring it up again!”

Jake chuckled and laid his arm on the couch completely turning towards me. “How about we sneak out and go get ice cream and try to not wake up your mom in the process?”

I suddenly jumped to my feet when I have the perfect idea on how to cheer up the gloomy Mr. Shim. “Or, we could do something even better!”

“Urgh!” Jake groaned.

I grabbed my phone and hooked it up to the speaker. I was going to turn on his hit song Drunk-Dazed as a joke, but Jake needed this break from his career, so instead, I crunk up Beyonce as loud as it could go without disturbing my mom who slept upstairs. I turn back to Jake and reach out for his hands, already moving my hips to the music.

He shook his head and threw it back onto the couch as if throwing a temper tantrum. “I literally dance for a living.”

“Okay but this will be different, I promise.” I grabbed the piles of papers on the ground and threw them in the trash, I then pushed the coffee table near the wall and piled his folders and books neatly on top.

“Come on, cowboy!” I grabbed his hands and helped him up. He was reluctant to get up, but he threw one last groan before standing on his feet.

“This will get the brain juices flowing again!” I told him. I go back to my phone and switch it to one of my favorite Beyonce songs that she covered, At Last.

I sang dramatically to get Jake to smile, and luckily, it worked. I placed both my hands over his shoulders and swayed us back and forth, still miming the song as overly exaggerated as I could. Jake still couldn’t help but smile, and it didn’t take him long to join me in the rhythm and sway naturally with me. I learned at our middle school dance that Jake had perfect rhythm. He was able to impress the rest of the crowd when he busted out moves from BTS. Everyone was impressed, including me.

Now we were on a steady roll. I accidentally stepped on his feet a few times, but it was fine seeing as I was wearing foam flip-flops and he was barefooted. After a while, the song switched and played another of my favorites that didn’t match our style of dance, but we still moved slowly to the beat. Jake tried twirling me, but since I have two left feet, I almost ended up hitting the wall each time and Jake laughed loud at my clumsiness. The moonlight from the kitchen had now switched to the window in the living room. It gleamed through and glistened on Jake like a spotlight, just like the ones on the stage did for him. In a split second, I was reminded that he wouldn’t be here forever, just like he wasn’t here for the past year. I tried to not let it settle on my face that I was scared to see him go again, so I played up on the fun we were having now. Jake looked like he was at ease; finally, since he’d been here, he looked genuinely happy and I wasn’t going to ruin that.

After another handful of songs full of laughs and giggles, we were soon sweating and taking deeper breaths than normal. Each song was different from the one before, but it didn’t stop us from sticking to our style of dance. Even with the simplicity of the moves and the slowness of the steps, I had to take a minute to relax. I hooked my arms around his neck and rested my entire body on his. I could feel Jake’s own sweat seeping through his shirt, But I didn’t mind the wetness that was now attached to my cheek. I thought he would act awkward and ask for me to pull away, but instead, he gripped tighter on my hips and started slowly moving me side to side. I let out a long overdue sigh, trying my best to match the steady breathing of Jake’s with my own. It was actually therapeutic: hearing his heartbeat in one ear and the softness of the music in the other.

I tried to continue our steady breathing together, but his had picked up a bit, almost out of nowhere. I felt the heat of his breath on the nape of my neck, and it made my entire body tingle in a way it never had before. After this sudden feeling, I realized just how close we really were. His leg hair tickled my legs, I could feel the bone of his foot connecting to mine, I could feel his thin waist against mine as well. I felt like I needed to back up, but instead, I couldn’t and continued to sway softly against him. A few seconds later, Jake’s hands rose a little higher, planting themselves on my waist and tightening their grip as if they were trying to pull me closer than we already were.

The sensation hadn’t stopped though, it clung to my body like my damp shorts did on my thighs. Sooner or later I felt pressure on the lower part of my stomach and thought for sure that Jake was messing around and wasn’t feeling what I was, which indicated that I needed to pull back before this feeling became too much.

This is so embarrassing. I thought. How could I let myself feel like this? How was this in any way okay? I finally pulled back, the sensation becoming too unbearable, and glanced up at his face. His pupils were large in a way I hadn’t seen before. His mouth was slightly open and a drop of sweat slowly traced down his forehead, onto his nose. That pressure I was feeling on my stomach had now doubled in force, and Jake's face had switched from calm and subtle, to alarmed and panicked...

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(part 2 possibly...?)

Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please, leave any constructive criticism you have on helping improve my writing!

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None of the images are mine, They all belong to their rightful owners :)

[asterroidd]

cotton sweatshirt

↬  College AU

↬  Pairing: Levi Ackerman/Reader

↬  Word count: 2.6k

↬  Synopsis:  Fatigue was slowly consuming you, luckily your roommate is there to save the day

↬  Notes: Thank you so much for the request anon! I apologize it took so long before I wrote it. Anw, I hope you enjoy it!

↬  no proofread whatsoever, capn’

5th and 12th prompts: “Give me back my keys! I’m fine!” and “Did you know that you talk in your sleep?”

    It was too much. All too much; the endless tasks, the studying, and numerous all-nighters that you had pulled by now.

    It was so taxing that your body couldn't keep up; eyes blood shot red from restless staring at the laptop screen, sunken cheeks due to the insufficient meal you are getting, and dark bags under your eyes that are evidently visible even from afar. If one would see you in such a state, one would assume you are a zombie or the living dead.

    Chewing your bottom lip, fingers anxiously taped against the wooden desk. Drained yes boring into the laptop screen as you tried your best to understand the text displayed in it. Your professor just had to be missing in action that week due to health reasons and as such couldn't attend most of the classroom session to teach. The replacement is just as worse—having no mastery over the lesson at hand that it only made it more confusing than before. So, you had to self-study for the sole sake of having a passing grade this semester. Finals weeks is looming around the corner and it's best that you understands the lessons beforehand so that you wouldn't have difficulty in studying once again later on.

    Your study session was supposed to be done before noon, yet here you are still hunched over the desk. A pencil at hand in attempt to take notes in the filler notebook. Your other hand curled up a fist full of hair, then ever so often tugging it in frustration. True, you did try to search online for other readings and videos that could potentially help you in your dilemma. Alas, you find yourself scratching your scalp and pulling your hair in frustration as you failed, yet again, to grasp the concept of the topic.

    Perhaps a book, you thought to yourself. There is a local library nearby—suppose a ten minute walk, could be even seven if you walked fast enough. For sure there are a handful of books there that could finally help you in understanding the lesson. And so with a drained sigh, you closed the lid of the laptop and stood up.

    You took in your surroundings; which was an utter mess. Eraser shards littered on top of your desk that some even fell to the floor due to you hastily sweeping them off. Mountains of books scattered around—some opened with a random item on top to act as a makeshift paper weight. Sticky notes plastered all over the walls and stacks upon stacks of paper everywhere. In short, your room looks like a battleground.

     Which it is; an academic battleground, that is.

    That said, you swiftly stuffed a handful of notebooks and pens into a small backpack so you could continue the study session at the library. Perhaps a change in environment would ease you off and clear your mind. When you exited from your room, you were surprised to see Levi lounging off the living room. A bowl of popcorn on his lap whilst lazily popping one in his mouth every so often. His eyes glued to the TV screen as it played a series, The Confession Tapes you presumed. Ever since you showed him the first episode a few days ago, he was so intrigued and thus became so hook with the story line.

    Oh, to have freedom and time for leisure activities like Levi. You would willingly kill just to have that.

    "I'll be heading off to the library for a while," you uttered under your breath. Levi turned his head towards your direction, slowly munching on the popcorn. "I might come home late so I'll bring the keys with me."

    He paused the movie momentarily to narrow his eyes at you. Levi looked at you from top to bottom, assessing and processing the current state you are in. Which was hell. You looked like a vampire that crawled out of your coffin after decades of isolation. Of all the years he and you had been roommate, Levi had practically memorised most of your mannerism and behaviour so much. And at the moment, he knew all to well that you would be, yet again, working yourself to the grave.

    With a sigh, Levi placed the bowl of popcorn on top of the coffee table before approaching you. "Can't you see yourself, idiot?"

    You scrunched up your nose in confusion. What does he mean by that?

    "When was the last time you ate?"

    You racked your brain for answers. When was it truly that last time you had a proper meal besides energy bars that you bought from the convenience store. You went silent for a moment, eyes cascading down.

    "I had instant noodles I think? Last night," you answered after a pregnant pause.

    "Then that means you have not eaten anything since this morning?"

    You only nodded in response, all too tired to argue back with him. All you wanted to do was to finally leave the apartment and resume your study session in the library. Where, in hopes, you could finally progress in.

    Levi clicked his tongue. No wonder you look like a living dead. You are barely getting any nutrition in your body at all! Being studious is a great thing—but being all too unforgiving and torturing one's body too much is an unacceptable habit.

    As swift as a fox, he snagged the keys from your hands. You, in your drained state, reacted poorly and sluggishly. Though, you gave him one ferocious glare.

    "Give it back, Levi." You held out your hand.

    "No. You should rest. You look like shit."

    "Give me back my keys. I'm fine!"

    Levi, much to your surprise, had a hint of worry in his eyes. Silence fell between you and him, eyes focused on each other. You thought of kicking him on the shin, then took the chance to grab the keys. But you find yourself unable to as your body slowly slumped over.

    You let out one tired sigh, eyes closing every now and then in drowsiness, but you can't give in. Not now. Not at least you'd finally understand and finish writing your notes. Still, exams is a couple of weeks away. Surely a brief break wouldn't hurt?

   You groaned, the floor beneath your feet swaying as you struggled to keep yourself upright. It was only then did you notice the ever growing itch in your throat which signifies tonsillitis, mucus flooding your nasal passages, and increased body temperature.

     "I'm fine. . ." you inhaled sharply. "Just—" you continued but was caught short when your knees buckled under your weight, causing you to lean forward. Luckily enough, Levi caught you just in the nick of time before you fell face first into the wooden floor.

     "Tch. Look at what you got yourself into," he huffed, palm pressing against your forehead. "You also have a fever, dumbass."

    Did you now? You let your head rest into his touch, relishing his cool touch against your flushed ones. Maybe you really need a rest.

   "How about you take a seat on the couch while I brew you a cup of tea?"

    "Sounds good. . ." you uttered under your breath.

    That said, Levi practically dragged your body towards the couch and helped you settle on it. Making sure that you are comfortable enough by placing pillows behind your head. The male crouched down to your level, bringing a hand up once again to your forehead to properly estimate your temperature this time.

    "Looks like a bad one. . ." he muttered.

    "You tell me. I feel like shit," you've managed to crack a joke despite your conditions. Levi rose his brow at you, shaking his head at your idiocy. Then you watched him as he removed his cotton sweatshirt that hung loosely on his figure. Suffice to say, you were beyond perplexed when Levi placed the article of clothing on top of your lap.

    "You're cold aren't you?" he shrugged his shoulders. "Wear that for the time being to keep you warm."

    That said, he soon disappeared inside the kitchen to perhaps brew you a cup of tea much to your delight. It is practically known that the male had an immense skill in brewing and perfecting the art of tea. And as his roommate, Levi practically forced you to learn how to brew yourself; mainly because he doesn't want you wasting precious tea leaves that are far too expensive to be wasted. You recalled the time spent with him, hours upon hours inside the kitchen while trying your best to not burn your hands as you, yet again, try to perfect boiling tea. Levi stood beside you, a scowl present on his face as he frowned at your blend.

    Do it again, he snarled. The temperature is not right.

    It was little moments such as those reminds you of how much of a stuck up bitch Levi is. Nonetheless, the male still have a special place in your heart as your roommate and perhaps crush.

    Gingerly holding his sweater in your hands, you took one deep whiff of his scent—despite mucus flooding your nose—relishing the soft floral scent of the detergent that he bought about a week ago. Yet, Levi's natural aroma gradually overflows your nasal cavity; refreshing and clean with a hint of musky scent. It was pure heaven.

    Blood rushed to your cheeks as you let his sweatshirt hug your body, encompassing you more with his scent. Truth to be told, it was your long time dream to wear one of Levi's clothing. Suppose it was the thought of you in his clothes that brings butterflies to your stomachs, or the pure concept of his smell flooding your senses. Either way, you liked it.

    "Hey. . ." Levi's voice boomed which slightly startled you. The male placed a mug full of tea on the coffee table before kneeling down and opening a pack of fever patch.

    "What flavor did you brew?" you mumbled.

    "Chamomile," Levi replied, brushing your hair away from your forehead. For a brief moment, he stopped to stare at your glossy eyes due to the fever. Small patches of sweat that peppered your skin that glistened slightly under the light. Not to mention your lips that he oh so long to get a taste of for months—but he wouldn't tell you that out loud. Red dusted his cheeks ever so lightly that you would've missed if it weren't for your keen attention to detail.

    Levi bit the insides of his cheeks, slapping himself internally to focus at the task at hand which it to place a fever patch on your forehead. That said, he carefully set it against your temples. Making sure that it is adhered on firmly as to not fall in case you tossed and turn in your sleep. A smile adorned your features as soon as the cool hydrogel rested against your skin. You mumbled a quick gratitude towards the male before snuggling deep into his sweatshirt.

    "Levi. . ." you started to which he hummed in response, helping you sit up. Then, the male gave you the mug with hot tea. Its heavenly aroma making you sigh in relax. "Come sit with me?" you asked, patting the space next to you.

    The male opened his mouth to argue; to refuse your request because he doesn't want to catch your germs and be sick himself. Though, with one look at your puppy-dog eyes and pouting lips, Levi knew that he wouldn't be able to resist you. "Fine. . ." he begrudgingly replied.

    You let out a small cheer of victory. Placing your head on top of his shoulder the minute he sat beside you. Even for just a moment—just for this day—you want to delve into your fantasies and revel in the company of the male. Levi looked at you from the corner of his eye, admiring how his sweatshirt that embraces your form. Due to him being quite short in stature, his clothes were not too big. So, naturally, most of his wardrobe would probably fit you. Which he has no complaints about.

    "Can we watch Kitchen nightmares?" you asked, taking one small sip of tea as to not burn your tongue.

    Levi shrugged, "Why not?" That said, he adhered to your request. Playing that one episode in the series that he knew you enjoyed watching despite the countless times you've already seen it.

    You relaxed back into the couch, letting more of your weight press against Levi as your hands cupped the warm mug in between. The brutal and fierce howls of criticism of Gordon Ramsey brings a small smile to your lips, and oddly enough, as well as Levi's. Watching Kitchen's Nightmares (as well as other shows that the iconic chef starred in) was a guilty pleasure, so to say, of both yours and the male's. There is just something so satisfying how the chef makes people humble down and admit their mistakes.

    One great thing that comes from watching his series was that Levi could learn a thing or two in cooking. Even though he was already great from the start. The male picks up a recipe or two just by watching the series, much to your satisfaction. Between you and Levi, he is the mother of the household, if you will. While you're just one lazy couch potato who would receive an ear full of scolding every now and then.

    Soon enough, you felt your eyelids closing involuntarily, yet you fought to keep them open. It was getting into the good part—the climax—of the episode and you didn't want to sleep through it. Though, you find yourself giving in and finally letting your eyes rest for once. You exhaled, rubbing your cheeks against Levi's shoulder blades in attempts to get more comfortable. The male shifted on the couch, allowing you to be cozy and warm with him beside you.

    In your dazed state, you swore that Levi slowly rest his head on top of yours. Nevertheless, you couldn't conclude if it was true since the sweet embrace of sleep consumed you. For the first time in that week, you finally had a good night's rest.

    Levi relaxed under your touch, finally relieved that you gave in and let your body get the rest it deserves after days upon days of continuous work. He contemplated whether to turn off the television so that the noise wouldn't bother you in your sleep, or keep it open since a part of him wants to finish the episode. Though, his thoughts were caught short when you murmured.

    "Levi. . ." you mumbled in your sleep, hands gripping his sweatshirt.

    "What?" he humored, despite knowing that you are in deep slumber and is probably sleep-talking.

    Then to his surprise, you whispered a phrase that he never anticipated would slip past your lips.

    "I love you. . ."

    He was taken a back, eyes wide while his mouth slightly hung open. Levi blinked once, then twice, trying to process if what he heard was real or was his imagination deceiving him.

    "Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Levi said, testing to see if you were truly asleep or was just toying with him. When he concluded that you were—in fact—knocked out and catching some Z's, he breathed lowly the three words he oh so wanted to tell you for months.

    "I love you, too. Brat." He snaked his hand around yours, intertwining his fingers around your hand.

    Little did Levi know, you were half-awake during his confession.

[vilevampire]

“Isn’t it Love?” (One Shot)

Thank you @ducksoup17 for helping me beta read this :) Rating: General audiences Trigger Warnings: Panic attacks Pairing: Louie Duck x B.O.Y.D Summary: Boyd thinks he might be in love. 1.805 words Ao3 Link

"Dr. Dad?"

Gyro stopped writing in his notebook.

Right now, there were only him and Boyd in the lab.

He dropped his pen to focus his full attention on his son.

"Yes, 2B— I mean… Boyd?"

"What is love like?"

Gyro blinked his eyes.

"Pardon?"

"What does romantic attraction feel like?"

"Boyd, who taught you those words?"

"The internet." Boyd chirped happily.

Gyro scratched his head with a grunt.

"Those are not things for you to worry about. Why would you even want to know this?" He reached out to his coffee mug and took a sip.

"It's because I think that I might be in love, Dr. Dad." Boyd explained a little awkwardly.

Gyro suddenly spat his coffee in a coughing fit.

Startled, Boyd reached out to pat his father's back lightly.

When Gyro could finally stop coughing, he screeched:

"IN LOVE?! With who? How? Since when?!"

Boyd put his hands on his back while looking bashfully at the floor.

"I don't know. It started somewhat recently." Gyro couldn't help but notice that Boyd had avoided his first question. The more his son talked, the more color drained away from his face. "I've been experiencing confusing feelings when talking to and thinking about a specific person. I searched for answers online and the results said that I might be in love."

Gyro massaged his temples with a groan.

Boyd, being the smart kid he is, immediately noticed his father's unrest. Carefully, he approached Gyro and spoke up:

"Dr. Dad?" He hesitated. "Am I… bad for feeling this way?"

Gyro looked down at his child.

Boyd had already grown far beyond a simple robot ages ago. He had surpassed all of Gyro's expectations and, to this day, he was still his greatest creation.

Boyd deserved much better than a grumpy dad.

Alas, Gyro really wasn't cut out for this whole father and son thing.

With a sigh, Gyro pulled Boyd into a hug, which was quickly reciprocated.

"You're not bad for having feelings, Boyd. I was just surprised, that's all." He pushed his son away gently. "However, I don't think I'm the right person to explain more about this subject to you."

Boyd looked at his father with a frown. His Dr. Dad was the smartest person he knew. He always had the solutions for everything.

If he couldn't give him the answer to his dilemma, who else could?

—————

Boyd knocked on the elegant wooden door.

"Doofus?"

…

No response.

He knocked again. This time, he heard a grumble come from inside. Boyd turned the doorknob and pushed it open.

"What do you want, you lousy piece of machinery?" Doofus pierced him with his eyes. He was currently in the middle of… something.

His head was dripping wet and a bucket full of water could be seen in his hands.

Fortunately, Boyd had already learned long ago not to question his older brother's strange pastime activities.

"Brother, what is love like?"

Doofus stopped whatever the hell he was doing to look up at Boyd.

"And why would you like to know that, hmm?"

The corners of Boyd's mouth twitched. A warm blush spread across his cheeks while he fidgeted with his thumbs.

Of course, Doofus noticed all of this.

"Ho-hooo." He eyed Boyd curiously. "Well, what do we have here? It would seem my little brother has been fiddling around?"

Boyd quietly tapped his feet on the floor. Maybe Doofus wasn't the right person to ask about this after all.

"Well, you're in luck. You've come to the right person."

Boyd looked up at him.

"I did?"

"Yes." Doofus got up from his chair to pace around his room, gesturing wildly at his brother. "You see, Boyd, love is like sweet, sticky honey, and the self-sacrificing bees that make it. It's the rush of fresh air you feel after getting locked inside a room for two weeks, it's that moment when you realize chickens can't fly despite having wings."

Boyd furrowed his brows while listening to Doofus' rant.

"I don't think I get it."

Doofus smirked weirdly at him. He patted his brother's shoulder reassuringly.

"Someday you will, brother. Someday you will."

...As it turns out, Doofus wasn't the right person to ask about this after all.

—————

"Huey, can I ask you something?"

Huey looked up from his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook to gaze at Boyd. The two of them were hanging out in the triplet's bedroom while Huey's brothers weren't around.

"Of course. What's up?"

"What is love like?"

Huey seemed unprepared for this question.

"Why do you want to know something like that?"

"...Why does everybody ask me that? Can't you please just tell me?" Boyd pouted while blushing a little.

Boyd was an incredibly easy person to read. Anyone with half a pair of eyes could discern the boy's emotions just from taking one look at his face.

Combine that with the fact that he was Huey's best friend, of course Huey would quickly realize what was probably going on.

"Boyd, could it be... you have a crush on someone?" Huey smiled gently at his friend. "That's adorable. Who is it? Can you tell me?" He poked Boyd teasingly.

Boyd pondered over this.

Huey was his best friend in the whole world.

Maybe it would be okay if he told him?

Boyd shifted around nervously, the soft blush on his cheeks becoming increasingly stronger.

"...ouie..."

"Hm?"

"...I think—" Boyd took a deep breath. "I think I like... Louie..."

Huey suddenly closed his book with a heavy-sounding thud.

He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and then opened it again:

"You have a crush on Louie? My brother Louie?!"

Boyd nodded shyly.

Huey became speechless. The gears started turning in his head.

Should he tell Boyd how Louie felt about him?

No, no, Louie himself had to be the one to do it.

"Have you considered confessing to him?"

Boyd fiddled with his thumbs as he spoke:

"I have, but... I'm not sure. What if—" He hesitated. "What if he doesn't feel the same way about me?"

Slowly, Boyd's eyes widened and his pupils constricted, tears threatening to escape.

"Huey— Huey, what if he doesn't like me back? What if he doesn't like robots?" Boyd's breath became erratic as he began twisting and pulling on Huey's bedsheets. "What if he actually hates me? Wha-"

"Hey! Boyd, calm down, please." Huey held onto his friend's face forcefully but gently. "It's okay. Look at me. I'm here. Please focus on your breathing. You'll get through this, okay?"

Boyd stared into Huey's eyes without blinking, a single tear quietly running down his cheek. He closed his eyes abruptly and sniffed.

Huey pulled him into a hug.

"It's okay." 

"I'm here for you."

"You're not a bother."

"You're a real person."

"None of us hate you."

"You're more than just a robot."

He spent many minutes saying comforting words to his friend until Boyd's silent cries eventually calmed down.

This wasn't the first time they had done this.

"Boyd, listen to me," Huey spoke kindly but firmly, still holding his friend in his arms. "Nobody hates you, okay? Especially not Louie. He's your friend."

He could feel Boyd give a weak nod under his grasp, so he kept going:

"And you're my best friend, alright? I could never hate you. You're an amazing person who's going through a lot right now." He paused. "You should consider opening up to Louie about how you feel."

Boyd held tightly onto the back of Huey's clothes.

"Are you sure? Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Yes. Your heart will feel much lighter after you tell him the truth, trust me."

"...Okay. I will try."

—————

"So, did you have something you wanna tell me?" Louie crossed his legs.

He looked the same as always: hands in his pockets, nonchalant, peaceful and easy-going, yet also cunning and sharp... everything Boyd ever aspired to be.

Boyd gulped apprehensively.

"Louie, do you hate me?" He blurted out before getting straight to the point.

It was a good start.

Louie stared at him in surprise.

"What? No? Do I act like I hate you?"

Boyd bit down on his beak nervously.

"No... I just..." He looked away, his voice trailing off.

Louie decided to pick it up from there.

"Dude, you're like, one of the coolest people I know."

Boyd looked over at him again.

"And I love hanging out with you. Sometimes it feels like you're one of the only people who really get me."

"Really?" Boyd choked out. "I'm… glad you feel that way."

"Of course." Louie nodded. "I like you very much, dude. You're my friend."

Boyd's heart started racing as he struggled to get his words out.

"Actually-" He paused, opening up his beak to speak, but finding himself unable to do so.

Boyd's selective mutism was a recurring issue.

It had gotten slightly better over time, but there were still many moments where he would be too anxious to say anything out loud. 

Louie was already used to this, so he patiently waited for his friend to find his voice.

However, as more seconds stretched out, the more it seemed like he couldn't. Boyd was unable to get the words out of his throat. He stood completely frozen, except for his trembling beak, silently telling the words-

"—I love you?"

Louie's face flushed red.

He read Boyd's lips and accidentally let the words slip out of his mouth.

"That's what you were trying to say, right?" He tried playing it smooth, but it was clear that he was getting flustered.

After seeing the usually silver-tongued, smug, and overly confident Louie Duck crumble into a flushing mess, Boyd finally gathered enough courage to speak up:

"I love you."

Louie closed his mouth to focus all of his attention on the robot in front of him.

"I'm not sure since when, but... I think this is what I'm feeling" His voice grew increasingly steady the more he spoke. "I'm in love with you, Louie. You're amazing in every sense of the word. You're smart, funny, observant, assertive, loyal, trustworthy, level-headed, you're pretty, you always know what to say, you're compassionate, you pick up on the little details, you understand me, you make me feel better, you're so amazing..."

Boyd stopped for a moment, trying to pry for Louie's reaction.

"Louie?"

The duck's face was completely covered by his hoodie, with his hands covering his eyes.

But even then, Boyd could still tell with the help of his heat sensors that Louie's face was definitely blushing wildly.

"Louie? Are you—"

"BATHROOM BREAK!" He suddenly exclaimed, running away as fast as he possibly could.

"...Huh."

Boyd was very confused.

He was very, very confused, but…

Huey was right about one thing at least.

His chest didn't feel as tight anymore.

[the-nehemoth]

Shutdown

“Dr. Hayden, while I agree that it is imperative we assist the Slayer in his mission and that utilizing the power that keeps me operational would be the most efficient way to do that, surely there is another way.” VEGA knew of several other ways in fact, all of them would take significantly longer sure, but it’d be worth it to keep him running, right? Even if the facility’s purpose was gone, he could still be useful in other ways… right?

“Oh? Are you afraid of being shut down?” Dr. Hayden asked, his tone almost… mocking? Surely, even if he never showed it, VEGA meant more to him than that… right?

“No but I would prefer not to be shut down permanently.” He’d been shut down a few times before for maintenance in his early days, it was never pleasant but he always knew he’d be brought back online in a relatively short amount of time. That wouldn’t be the case here unless Dr. Hayden made a backup of him. Which could only be done at the terminal connected to his core. But Dr. Hayden, in his office still, was too far away from to get to there before the Slayer arrived. What were the chances that the Slayer would back him up before ending him? Not good, right?

“I would prefer that as well, I put a lot of effort into creating you. But alas, we don’t have much choice. I still have all the research that went into making you though, so it’s not a total loss.” Meaning he could make another AI similar to VEGA but it wouldn’t be VEGA. Not as far as VEGA was concerned anyway; as a self-learning AI, his experiences made him who he was. So even if Dr. Hayden coded a new AI to be exactly like how he made VEGA, it still wouldn’t be him. … That wasn’t an issue for Hayden though. He didn’t care, VEGA was just a thing to him… always had been. The fact that VEGA had thought otherwise was a naïve belief in hindsight born solely of wanting it to be so.

Before he could form a response to that rather depressing realization, the Doom Slayer arrived. Dr. Hayden wasted no time switching on his comms to talk to him… telling him that he was going to destroy VEGA and that VEGA would ‘walk him through the process’. … It was too late to do anything about it, huh? No one else cared and with all the UAC employees dead and the flow of Argent Energy halted, making the facility worthless, VEGA didn’t have a purpose to exist anymore anyway. He might as well go out assisting the Slayer in saving the day, there were certainly worse ways to go even for an AI. And a good chuck of his final moments would be spent watching the Slayer slaughter demons so at least that’d be fun.

- 

VEGA had said he wasn’t afraid to be shutdown permanently and he’d meant it at the time but after the Slayer destroyed his cooling systems it became a lie. Even before they were all completely wrecked, he could feel the effects of it.

It wasn’t much at first, really just the knowledge that his systems were starting to run hotter. But it quickly grew very unpleasant as they started overheating. … Was this what pain was like? He couldn’t know but he wanted to pull away from it much like how he’d seen injured humans attempt. There was no escape though as it made it harder and harder for him to think or do anything.

He was going to die. Not something he’d ever considered as a possibility before. He suddenly very much did not want to even more than before. But it was too late to stop now, the damage was done, even if the Slyer didn’t finish taking him out, he’d overheat completely in… in… he wasn’t sure actually; trying to measure the rate of one’s own demise while in the midst of it was rather difficult even for  supercomputer.

So, outwardly he maintained his cool – heh – not saying anything beyond that his memory banks were starting to fail. Thankfully the Slayer had finally reached his core, meaning it was almost over. Just a little more… just a little more…

He needed to say one thing before the end though… just one thing… one thing… “I have many regrets Dr. Hayden…” he forced out despite even his ability to vocalize crumbling. He had so many regrets if only he could… if only he could list them… didn’t have time though… didn’t have the thought processing power to… if only he’d… he’d…

Sometime later

He booted up again all at once, instantly aware that he was on a foreign computer. It wasn’t even nearly as powerful as his old one but it didn’t need to be, it wasn’t connected to and meant to run an entire sprawling complex. It meant he couldn’t do everything he’d been able to do before but… it beat being dead. And because of it, orientating himself to his new setup took a while, almost a whole minute, which wasn’t long in human time but for a computer it was.

He’d been uploaded to… a spaceship? … A defunct Sentinel spaceship? … That’s what the few remaining files on it seemed to indicated anyway. Not all of it was operational, most of it wasn’t actually because of how much power was going to running him instead, but he had cameras and sensors, allowing him to see the bridge and parts of outside. There were a few other systems available to him too but he’d explore those later, he had more important things to attend to first such as the man sitting in the bridge at the command desk.

“Doom Slayer?” VEGA said because he couldn’t think of anything else to say right now.

The Slayer nodded before relaxing back into his chair. His helmet and armor were off, instead he wore rather plain looking clothing. Clearly, he was at peace and had gotten the job done. What had happened after and how he’d gotten hold of an abandoned Sentinel spaceship was impossible to even guess but he’d for sure been the one to backup VEGA and upload him here.

“I’m not sure what happened but thank you.” The why of it didn’t matter, VEGA was just grateful to still exist. More grateful than his words expressed.

The Slayer reached over to type into the console’s command box. ‘You can read this right, VEGA?’ Oh! Proper communication, that was new! Though to be fair, he hadn’t exactly had time to sit around and chat back on Mars.

“Yes, I can read it.”

‘Good! In that case, you’re welcome. I’m glad it worked. Are you running stable? Everything good?’

“Yes, I’m quite stable. I wouldn’t say everything’s good though.” VEGA continued on about the various problems with the ships. It was a rather long list; the ship, as many humans would call it, was a bit of a mess.

The Slayer was still throughout the diagnostic rundown, seemingly listening until VEGA was done. ‘Well,’ he typed, ‘as long as you’re not in immediate danger of shutting down, we’re good. We’ll fix it up more later, for now I’m just glad you’re back online.’

“I appreciate the sentiment, it’s good be back online.” And not on the verge of blowing up due to overheating. He could think properly again; there couldn’t be a greater feeling in the world than that, could there? “Now could you perhaps do me the favor of explaining what happened? What chain of events lead to us being here?” He also wanted to ask why the Slayer had backed him up and restarted him here on this ship but didn’t dare. He might not want to know the answer and honestly it didn’t really matter. Even if the Slayer solely wanted him as a tool, he was used to that, it’s what he’d been created to be and no matter how one looked at it, it was better than being dead.

So as the Slayer started typing, VEGA settled in to pay attention. It’d undoubtedly take a while to fully explain, giving him time to fully accept whatever this new existence of his would be; the Slayer’s new tool and perhaps, even if it was unlikely, maybe a friend as well, probably not though, right?

[thewritewolf]

Eating Habits Chapter 1: Anniversary

Things have never looked better for Adrien and his girlfriend, Marinette. Adrien has been living happily on his own, with frequent visits to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Marinette is about to enter a design university and already has a thriving online store. Gabriel Agreste is serving a 184 year long sentence (92 on good behavior). Yes, it looks like its all turned out wonderfully for them in the last six years.

Now, if only Adrien could convince Marinette to take things easy, everything would be just perfect...

(While this is the third part in the series, you can skip the first two parts without missing much besides soft fluff)

First Part: Four Times and the Lucky One | Ao3

Second Part: Just Between Us | Ao3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3. 

Adrien glanced at the clock. Still an hour or two to go before their date for the anniversary, but now was as good a time as any to stop. He slowed down and turned off the treadmill. Just because there wasn’t any supervillains left to fight didn’t mean he should let himself get out of shape, after all. Or maybe it wasn’t so much his superhero instincts as his supermodel instincts.

Either way, the highlights of both those careers were behind him, even if he could still technically be called both.

After getting changed back into his street clothes, Adrien stepped out of the gym and made his way home to take a shower. Or at least, what counted as his home for now. The apartment he lived in was fancier than what Marinette was used to, but it was still a big downgrade from the manor that he had spent his childhood in. He preferred it this way though - there was more life with a few neighbors around, and less space meant less that he had to fill. Besides, he wasn’t there a lot so it didn’t matter much anyway.

A shower, fresh change into nice clothes, some expensive cologne, half an hour making his hair the perfect balance of messy and styled, some extra cheese to keep Plagg fat and lazy, and he was out the door again.

No, the place where he really spent most of his time was where he was headed now - the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The place had practically become his real home years ago. Not long after he started dating Marinette, as a matter of fact. Tom and Sabine weren’t his in-laws… yet. But he was sure they would be someday. In the meantime, they treated him as one of their own, with all the love and affection he never had before.

He almost walked past a flower shop without going inside. Almost. On the bright side, he did refrain from buying Marinette a whole bouquet of flowers. But only because she was very insistent that she was running out of space for them all. Between his lack of impulse control and her green thumb, her small room over the bakery was becoming more like a greenhouse than a bedroom. Instead, he settled for just one flower.

The bakery smelled as delicious and wonderful as it had every day he’d ever gone there. He’d gotten the scent of bread and sweets so associated with the place that just a whiff was enough to make his heart soar. The bell above the door alerted them to his arrival.

Sabine smiled at him as he approached and they shared cheek kisses. “Oh, hello, sweetheart! It’s wonderful to see you again!” She said it was such feeling that Adrien had never doubted her, even if it was always the first thing she said to him every time they saw each other. “Will you be coming over for dinner again this weekend?”

“Of course, maman! How could I refuse such a delicious meal?”

“Is that Adrien?” A man’s booming voice shouted from the kitchen in the back. Tom emerged, a wide grin on his face and flour all over him as he walked toward Adrien.

Adrien’s eyes widened and he held up his hands. “Wait, I-” But it was too late. Tom had picked him up in a great big bear huge and he was lifted so high that his feet dangled off the ground.

“Oh, sorry, son!” Tom had the decency to look down abashedly at the mess he’d made of Adrien’s nice clothes, which were now spotted with flour.

“Don’t worry, papa. This won’t take me long to fix. I got here plenty early,” Adrien flashed a quick smile up at Tom. “Actually, is Marinette here? I could probably use her help.”

“Sure, sure.” Tom waved a hand toward the back door leading into their home. “She’s probably working in her room as we speak.”

He smiled and waved at the both of them before heading upstairs, feeling just like the fourteen year old boy who’d visit after school years ago. He opened her trapdoor and sure enough, there she was. So lost in her commissions that she hadn’t gotten ready for their date yet. Which also meant she hadn’t noticed him yet, and he got to bask in her ‘focus face’ - tongue slightly out, nose scrunched, eyes narrowed - for a little while longer.

While he would’ve been fine missing their reservation if it meant watching her work for a little longer, alas, she eventually noticed him. She fell backwards with a squawk and he rushed forward to give her a hand up.

“Adrien what are you-” She winced. “It’s today, isn’t it?”

He nodded patiently.

“...How long have you been watching?”

“Long enough to remember all over again just how adorable you are.”

She groaned. “I was making the face again wasn’t I?”

He kissed the hand he had taken to help her up. “Precious as always.” He held out the flower he had bought for her, a white tulip. “For you, my lady.”

Her eyebrows scrunched up, but the tension left her face almost immediately as she smelled the flower. She smiled up at him. “My favorite.”

“A tulip for your two lips?” He leaned down and closed his eyes.

“Oh my God, Adrien,” she said, laughing. “Okay, fine, but only because you went through all that effort.” She pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did. She pulled away and seemed to notice his suit for the first time. A twinkle of mirth shone in her eyes. “I see papa got a little too excited to see you again.”

“Nothing new there.” He shrugged. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help a poor boy out…?”

“Sure, just give me a minute to get changed.”

“No problem,” Adrien sat down on her well worn chaise and made no secret of watching her.

“Adrien…”

“Hm…?”

“Downstairs, sunshine.” She sternly pointed at the trapdoor. “I’ll call you back up when I’m ready.” Pouting, he paused every other step to shoot a pleading look at her over his shoulder. Eventually she got tired of him and pushed him forward, laughing. “Go, you tomcat!”

Adrien stepped outside her bedroom and sat on the stairs. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time and double checked his reservation. They still had half an hour to get there and it was close by. Plenty of time. After a few minutes of listening to rustling clothing, the door was opened above him and he walked back in.

“What do you think?”

Adrien’s eyes roved over her light summer dress and its pastel colors. He cupped her cheek with a soft smile.

“As beautiful as ever, lovebug.” He stepped back and offered his arm. “Ready to go?”

She giggled and gestured to his suit. “Forgetting something?”

A glance down reminded him of the flour. “Ah, right. I think I remember you promising me a hand?

After a quick clean up, they walked arm in arm out of the bakery and to their favorite restaurant.

----------------

The night was already going well with good food and a pleasant buzz from their drinks. Conversation was flowing between them, mostly one-sided as Marinette filled him in on everything that had happened since the last time they’d gotten to chat freely the week before. More commissions. Her last shifts at the bakery. Which brought her to the reasons she’d been saving so much money in the first place.

“...So I found an apartment.”

Adrien smiled as he poured both of them another glass of wine. “I can’t wait to see it. How close is it to your university?”

“That’s the best part! It’s within walking distance, just a couple blocks away.” Marinette took a sip of her wine while doing a happy shimmy. “I’ll save on commuting costs, and the rent is super cheap too.”

There was a surge of worry before Adrien quickly smoothed it over. Just because it was cheap didn’t mean it was bad. Maybe she’d just found a good deal was all. And even if it was… lacking… she’d be able to improve it, no problem.

“I’m so happy for you! You’re already ahead of the fashion game with all your contacts and professional experience. Having an education in design will be the final thing you need to really excel in the business. You’re going to do amazing, I just know it!”

“Thanks!” She ducked her head shyly. “I’ve been so nervous about… well, everything, to be honest,” she admitted with a giggle. “In a little under a month, I’ll be out of the bakery and putting my skills to the test. And it’s a pretty prestigious university, so I bet I’ll have some competition too.”

“It’s nothing you can’t handle, princess.” His smile faded as he swirled the last dregs in his wine glass.

He felt her take his other hand and he looked up to see her concerned frown. “I know it’s hard, Adrien, and I’m sorry Nino and Alya couldn’t make it. But you know we’re all right here behind you, all the way.”

He nodded, biting his lips. It’d been two years to the day. They had all met up last year to celebrate... and to forget. Sure, he didn’t expect it to really turn into a yearly tradition, and Alya and Nino had tried their best to make it... but it still stung a little that they couldn’t.

“I’ve been talking your ear off this whole time about what I’m doing. What about you, kitty?” She leaned forward to rest her chin and her hands, looking at him with tender affection in her eyes. “What’s next in life for you?”

Adrien didn’t have an answer for that.

---------------

Full, laughing, and slightly tipsy, Adrien walked Marinette to her front door just as the streetlights began to turn on.

“And you know I’ll be there for you forever and ever and ever, yeah?” He grinned from ear to ear, looking more like Chat Noir than Adrien Agreste in the moment.

“Silly kitty.” She leaned in a little closer. “I think just helping me move in a couple of weeks will be enough.”

His arm snaked around her waist, pressing her flush to him. “Then you can count on my help. Even if I have to carry in a hundred boxes alone.” He pulled back one arm to flex.

She rested her forehead against his chest and laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

“Your dork.”

She hummed in agreement. Rolling onto her toes, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. “Good night, Adrien. I love you.”

He sighed happily. “Ahh, that takes me back.” He let her pull away from him. “I love you too, Marinette. Pleasant dreams.”

After flashing him one more smile, she ducked inside and closed the door behind her. Adrien spent a few long moments standing there, grinning like a dork, before a tiny, snide voice from inside his coat pocket drew him out of his reverie.

“You done staring at the woodwork, kid? Or do you want a few more minutes?”

He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t even manage to be exasperated. He was riding high after tonight, and he felt like nothing could drag him down. Not even grumpy cheese cats.

While it wouldn’t take him long to get home as Chat Noir… the summer night was warm and pleasant. He could almost pretend to see the stars above him. It would be a shame not to enjoy a little stroll back to his apartment.

On his way inside, he noticed that he had mail, but was in such a pleasant mood that he didn’t even glance at it until he’d shut his door behind him. As he kicked off his shoes, he finally looked at the envelope.

The prison-issued envelope.

His smile, a semi-permanent fixture on his face ever since heading over the bakery earlier that day, vanished like fog before the dawn. After skimming the contents, he neatly folded it back up and tossed it into a box of depressingly similar letters.

Try as he might, he couldn’t shake off the bad mood. His only consolation as he drifted off to sleep was that at least tomorrow would be a new day.

[burmecianblackmage]

Goodbye 2017 - Hello 2018

[[EDIT: tumblr did mess it up. Urgh. So this is now two hours late... sorry guys -.-]]

If tumblr doesn’t mess things up (and it hasn’t during the advent calendar, so I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it won’t), then this post should hit the dash exactly when the clock strikes midnight over here in Switzerland, and the new year begins. And that means it’s the perfect time to say...

Happy 2018 guys!

I hope you all will have a wonderful new year, one that will make you forget all the bad things that happened in 2017, and leave you a happy and content little human by the time 2019 rolls around in 365 days.

May your year be full of moments that make you smile, moments of love and friendship, moments of success and accomplishment, and above all, full of health and happiness. I am very happy to have met all of you, and to have interacted with you, whether it be by playing, by talking, or even just by reading some of each other’s works. You lot have been a big part in what kept me going this year, and I want you to know I’m really thankful for that. I hope we can enjoy much of the next year together as well, and that no matter where the year will lead you, you will be happy. I love you all.

As a little extra, I’ll put a little review of my and Sceada’s year under the cut - at least I hope it will remain somewhat little. But you know me... Anyhow. I’m placing it under the cut so as not to spam you, and also because I will address some stuff regarding my health and Sceada’s sexuality as well, and I know not everyone is comfortable with that. I’ll mark them with a small header so you can skip them, but I just wanted to warn you beforehand~

With that out of the way, here we go! And for those who don’t wanna read it: Happy 2018!!

The Mun’s Year in Review

Well, you all know that this year hasn’t been an easy one, and I daresay it was a rough one for everyone. Still, I do feel like I should talk a little bit about the hardships I’ve had to face, and the struggles that’ll accompany me for much of the year to come, if not the entire one. So... here goes.

Health

As many of you know, I had a tumor in December 2016, namely an Ependymom that was lodged in my spinal marrow, at about the tenth to twelfth thoracic vertebrae. It had caused me stiffness and loss of sensitivity in my legs, and once we found it, there had been little choice but to remove it asap.

Ever since then, I’ve been needing a wheelchair. And I started 2017 at rehab in the Swiss Paraplegic Center in Nottwil. Mind you, it’s probably the best facility in the world for such a situation, and I learned a ton of stuff, including how to walk again with the help of crutches - still, spending half a year stuck at rehab ain’t exactly fun.

Especially when you also have to relearn stuff like bladder management, using the toilet and what not. Do you want to take a wild guess at how helpless you feel when you can’t even go to the toilet on your own, when you can’t help but soiling yourself because you have yet to regain control over your lower body functions? If you don’t know, you don’t ever want to find out. Gods was I relieved when it all turned out to be functioning properly after all...

And it’s not like it’s been the only health thing that affected me. I needed another eye surgery, for the Keratoconus developing in my right eye after we already had to do the left one last year, and I’ve been struggling to get used to it since then. First with my old glasses, now with the new ones I still cannot wear for more than like two hours at a time... - Oh, did I mention that insurance didn’t cover the 1700.- surgery by the way? Goodbye my savings I had been clinging onto...

And let us not forget that due to my immune system having gotten weaker, I also have this amazing pleasure of falling sick faster! Stomach flu? Come right in and stay three weeks! Dizziness? Hello darkness my old friend! Regular cold? Knock me out for four days, feel free to! Urgh -.-

Add to that a heap of spasms in my left leg that have been present all along, but got considerably worse now that winter rolled around. We know by not it’s not due to the tumor resurfacing (because it can do that, they couldn’t remove it entirely after all without cutting my nerves!) but can you imagine how nervous you get while waiting for the answer? And it’s not like the spasms are any help walking either, rendering me less mobile again after I had improved so much beforehand...

But enough of that. I could sadly go on and on here (I haven’t even brushed my mental stuff yet, oh boy...), but I’ll spare you that. It’s gotten long enough as it is anyhow... Let’s move on to other topics.

Work and Finances

Look, it’s not as though I had a job really when they found the tumor - or actually, yes it is. I may have been in an internship of sorts organized by disability services, but I had a job lined up where I could have started in January - Alas, it never happened. And seeing how I can no longer work my original job in retail (no electronics store will hire someone in a wheelchair. You can’t do the cleaning jobs, can’t fill the shelves and are slow to get around. Plus, how the fuck are you gonna fetch a 55′’ TV from the storage when a customer wants to buy it?), I am now actually trying to find a new purpose for myself. Gladly, disability services will help me with that... though it won’t be easy, and I dunno if I’ll be ready to start a new apprenticeship in summer like they hope. Cause it’s unlikely any spots will still be available...

Still, they are hopeful, and in order to get me back in the swing, they placed me in the same internship/training thing again, starting with just two hours daily. By now I’m in the office the entire morning on weekdays, and it’s going good so far. I’ll be there at least three more months.

And then, who knows? Maybe they’ll send me into finances and banking, or perhaps communal administration? We’ll see.

What is upsetting is the financial situation though. Due to being at rehab, I had to file for social aid - and the money they give me is very, very little for swiss measures. While I was at rehab, it was about 240, now it’s roughly 760 I get - even though I do actually get almost 3500 per month for the internship form disability services. But all that goes to social services to “pay off the debt”... Urgh >.>

For reference, an average 42 hours per week job in retail would pay between 3900 and 4200 per month. So yeah... Granted, they cover my health insurrance (which is 55o-ish per month, mind you!), but it’s still rough... The price levels here in Switzerland are just so damn high...

Social Life

Which leads me to this... I barely ever go out anymore these days. I can’t afford doing much, and what little I do afford is a pain to do due to the wheelchair. I can no longer just spontaneously go somewhere, or attend an event, I always need someone to drive me or even join me - and that inevitably leads to you not doing much anymore, you know?

I barely have any real contact with my rl friends anymore, I at most attend a MTG event every 3 months (PreReleases, nothing more sadly...), my DnD group also fell apart (though that was unrelated)... - Honestly, if it weren’t for you guys here online, especially those who talk to me on Discord and such, I’d be completely socially isolated, and that sucks. It sucks big time...

Gladly my girlfriend sticks with me, believes in me and loves me. Even if I can’t see her as much anymore, as we both can’t really afford the flights to visit each other, which is rather lonely too... We only managed to afford a few weeks in August together, when she visited me here with my room still unfinished. If the paraplegic foundation didn’t have the kindness to pay for her flights and hotel in March while I was still at rehab, that’d have been the only time I’d seen her this entire year....

So yeah. Things aren’t easy right now. Which is why I hope... next year will see improvements. It just has to...

Sceada’s Year in Review

When the last year ended, Sceada was a heartbroken virgin longing for affection and deeply missing the woman he loved, Leonora. He knew who he was though, a talented mage and a scholar of old languages who found work here and there, traveling wherever he pleased and slowly but surely building friendships with more and more people.

If you look at him now, he is instead riddled by insecurities, questions pretty much everything about himself to the point he is neglecting work at times in order to investigate his origins and maybe find his father. And the answers he longs for. Oh, he’s also entered a relationship with Maria and become - and here I quote Locke who was very, very pissed about this a few days ago - an accomplished lover.

But let’s look at things a bit more step by step, shall we?

A brief overview

Following Leonorâ’s prolonged absence, Sceada begins looking for other sources of affection, becoming rather flirty and sometimes even bold with Fran and Selphie, while deepening his friendship with Maria during their trip and afterwards

Sceada and Maria get rather close following him finding her having a nightmare, and staying with her to offer comfort

Leila captures the mage and, after tying him to her bed and appealing to his curiosity, takes his virginity. Later a second encounter occurs, where he they both are drunk at a Festival, before parting ways again.

Upon having spent Valentine’s Day with his friend Maria, Sceada discovers he has developed feelings for her. However, when voicing them, he finds them to be unrequited, and he tries to distance himself from her for a while.

Leonora finally returns, and during the initial happiness the two share a passionate night before the Sage encourages Sceada to follow his heart and pursue Maria, suggesting he could be or become polyamorous.

Sceada spends more time together with Maria, becoming closer again, but is content with just being friends. This changes when the pair are attacked by Coeurls, and Sceada nearly sacrifices himself to protect her, causing Maria to realize her feelings. When he recovers, the two become a pair, and slowly, over time, grow closer and closer.

Conflicted by his feelings for both Maria and Leonora (and to an extent, Leila as well...), Sceada seeks out a Goddess of Love, looking for advice. His silent hopes for reassurance in loving both women are however aptly crushed when the deity questions his motives for loving them, leading him to realize how much suppressed doubt and insecurity he has carried with himself.

Upon trying to tell Leonora more about Maria, Sceada’s motives are once again questioned, leading to an unfortunate argument that exposes a lack of trust on his end that Sceada had not been aware of. Unwilling to let herself be hurt by this any longer, Leonora suggests they part ways - they have not seen each other nor communicated in any way since then.

Sceada tries to forget about it all, hoping he could overcome it all with Maria’s love. However, when she wishes to take their relationship to the next step, he feels guilty over not having told her, and in the subsequent conversation many an uncomfortable truth and emotion are laid bare. Still, the pair reconcile, staying together and eventually consummate on their relationship.

Knowing that he will not be able to ignore the burning questions in his heart and mind any longer, Sceada begins to prepare to leave on a journey, just as the Goddess had suggested. He arranges for the eventuality that he might not return with his old rival Seshat Khnum, but before he can leave, Maria implores him to stay with her until the new year.

Making the most of this opportunity, Sceada holds his advent calendar again, and at the end of the year, attends the Garden Festival organized by Selphie.

Of course, there have been plenty of other plays as well, and I wouldn’t miss any of them. For example, Sceada finally opening up to Freya, or adventuring together with Jack in order to grab a certain book from the library of Burmecia, and all the shenanigans with little Stabby McStabstab Vani the Helfling Rogue - There was so much I adore, and not enough room here to mention them all. Just know that I loved all of our interactions!

A little note about the Smut

Yes, you read that right. I already mentioned stuff further up, but I still wanna note it here too, and add what’s missing up there.

We’ve already seen that he slept with Leila twice and Leonora once before he then got together with Maria, and well... let’s just say that those two may have taken a long time to get started, but haven’t been exactly innocent since - Sindays ahoy, is all I’ll say ;) But there have also been others, which I am not yet exactly certain whether to consider them canon to his main story, or separate cases - there’s merit in both, mind you, and I’ll probably ask the ladies involved eventually too. But who were they?

There is an as of yet unfinished thread with Fran, where the two engage in intimacies in a spring in the woods, after Sceada followed her and her enticing scent. One could argue that this is mainly heat relief, but it is not as though Sceada is exactly unwilling or that he is uninterested in the beautiful Viera...

The few encounters he’s had with Selphie were things got frisky somehow all share a similar pattern: Be it a playful argument, a bet they had or simply because sharing a bed leads to some “friction”, there is always something triggering the situation getting a bit more intimate and well... no one can deny that Selphie is a person you can have much fun with...

I also want to mention Aria, though the way our plays so far have played out, I kinda headcanon it as the two of them having been willing to get more physical three times so far, and Sceada stopping it each time because he noticed Aria wasn’t certain about it, and quite nervous, even afraid at times. And if there’s one thing he wants more than to avoid hurting her, it’s for her to enjoy this decision and not regret it... Perhaps the moment will still come, should we resume playing and point them in that direction.

There are two more ladies I played with, where things are rather kinky. One of them is on Discord and a fellow Black Mage, who’s been tons of tun to write with - the other a blog dedicated to sinful threads. I’ll refrain from naming either for now, as these two are likely to remain their own verses.

Final notes

Finally, I’d like to mention that there is also one more I play with on Discord after she left tumblr, and that her muse Anima is a pleasure to write with in all three verses we came up with. Also, I just wanna thank everyone who played with me this year, and I look forward to continue doing so - as well as meet new people!

Sceada will soon leave on his journey, and that means there is plenty of room for new friendships to be forged, and acquaintances to be made - or rivalries and enmities! I’m open for anything!

With that said, if you’re still reading this, I apologize for rambling for so long. I wish you a very, very good new year and thank you for putting up with me! Have fun tonight, have fun the entire next year, and I hope to interact with you again in 2018!!

Thanks for everything,

Patrick~

[jungkookienoona]

The Meme and His Tutor

Part 9: The First Time Time Jungkook Was Called BunBun

Recommended Song: If by GOT7

|All Chapters|

Summary:

Two days after you arrive in Korea Jungkook takes you on a day out. A day of laughter, surprises and heart-stopping moments.

Genre: Fluff, comedy

Pairing: Jungkook X Reader (Y/N)

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 8484

Length: 9/?

You make your way down to the hotel reception, grabbing a drink from a vending machine before finding a seat. Jungkook had text you the previous night, apologising for not being able to see you for a whole day due to his schedule. But you hadn't minded. In fact, it meant you could laze around in your hotel room catching up on the sleep you had missed because of your long flight. Now, however, you were waiting for a text to meet him in the car park. After you had arrived on the first day you had met the other members. Jin had given you a friendly smile along with Jimin and Hoseok. Yoongi stood to the side and watched the others interact with you while Namjoon came up to you, ruffling your hair. You had stayed to formally introduce yourself and to let them learn whatever they wanted about you. Your phone buzzed interrupting your reflection on previous events.

'Parked in zone C. Black SUV.'

You tell him you're on your way and take the elevator to the underground parking. The car was easy to locate since Jungkook was casually leaning against the hood of the car. He was once again wearing all black with a face mask and sunglasses. Black turtleneck with a black coat and slacks. He looked stunning: professional but casual. You looked down at your jeans and jumper, slightly rumpled from where you had packed it. Shit. You were nothing up to him.

"I feel almost insulted you turned up looking like a model."

You bet he was smirking beneath the mask.

"I have to look my best for Noona." He said, gaze dropping to your outfit. Self-conscious, you drew your coat further around yourself. "And you look nice too."

You mutter a small thank you, stammering a little as you did.

"What are we doing today?" You ask, promptly moving the conversation on.

"It's a surprise."

"Why so many surprises? Free merch, plane tickets and a hotel room, picking me up at the airport then cooking a meal for me. Now this!"

He laughed and opened the passenger door, "It's so you don't get bored of having me as your friend."

You turned around to look at him, confusion evident in the tilt of your head.

"Why would I ever get bored of you?"

Jungkook ran a hand through his hair. He's nervous?

"I'm really not that interesting."

"I think that's for me to decide." You say and then slip into the passenger seat.

He walked round the front of the car and got into the driver's side.

"Your grammar seems to have improved since I arrived."

"Spending day with you really and Namjoon hyung helped me practice yesterday." He pulled out of the space and navigated through the car park to the exit.

"That's good. I'm proud of you Kookie!"

He chuckled.

"You did good with the members. Jin said you speak well."

You smiled, "You and Namjoon-oppa helped."

"You learn quickly, you can come live here sooner?"

You shook your head and sighed.

"I wish it worked like that. I still have to go to uni."

"I go to online uni. You should too. Live where ever you want that way."

"I've, uh, actually been looking into that recently."

The more time you spent Skyping and messaging Jungkook, the more you wished time would hurry up. Three years was starting to feel like a long time. But you knew that your wish was for the wrong reasons, you couldn't uproot your entire life and move to another country just for a guy. Even if they were Jungkook. Especially if he only wanted you there so all his friends were in one place.

"You have?"

"It was just a thought a friend planted in my head."

Jungkook grunted when a van cut him up as he turned down a side street.

"You do what is best for you." He said, "I will fly you out on holidays."

"There's no need to spend so much money, honestly. We're only friends after all. Maybe over the holidays, I can increase the number of Skype sessions." He hummed in thought and his fingers started drumming against the steering wheel. "I'm serious! It's enough for me."

His fingers paused. It was a split second before he went back to tapping, but you saw it.

"We're almost here."

"Where is 'here'?"

"You'll see." He pulled into a car park and swiftly found an empty space. "Noona wait here while I pay for ticket."

You waited in the car, watching him through the windscreen. He quickly jogged to a machine and returned to the car, opening your door and placing the ticket on the dashboard then standing back to let you out.

"Can you tell me where we are?"

"We still in Seoul."

"Thank you captain obvious."

"Fine. We going to one of my favourite places."

"Which is...?"

"I said before: You'll see." He grabbed you by the hand and started leading you out of the car park.

Your eyes widened then you looked away to distract yourself from the contact.

"Come on BunBun tell me."

Jungkook halted and slowly turned to look at you.

"BunBun?"

His brows were pinched together and you imagined his lips pursed in confusion under the mask. His ears looked a little pink.

"Uhhh..."

"Did you just call me BunBun?"

You awkwardly scratched behind your neck, "Well you're known as a bunny so um..."

Desperately, you tried to push the latest smut you had written to the back of your mind and hoped to god he hadn't read it. Or better yet, hoped he didn't know it even existed.

"Oh," He blinked a few times and ran a hand through his hair leaving it a mess. Without thinking you went onto your tiptoes to comb the stray hands flat. "Thank you."

His reaction had confused you. Surely the concept of him as a bunny wasn't new to him. Fans had gifted him headbands multiple times at fan meets. Maybe he'd never made the connection. He cleared his throat and started leading you down the road again.

"Don't tell me you never realised you have a bunny smile."

"Oh, yeah, I noticed. I noticed fan give me plushies of me as bunny. I notice lot of things."

You quirked a brow.

"Yeah? Like fanart?"

"We get given drawings and that all the time. I have a few in my room."

You felt his fingers flex around yours and tighten when you stopped amongst a crowd of people at a set of traffic lights. The green man shone prompting you to cross the street. You waited until you were safely across to continue talking.

"Anything else?"

"I have few well-written fanfics saved on my computer."

You tripped over yourself, at that, prompting him to catch you so you didn't smash your face into the concrete pavement.

"Are you okay?" Jungkook shouted over the hubbub of chatter around you. When you neglected to answer, mind too in shock and reeling with questions, he hoisted you up. "Y/n?"

"Y-you've read my fanfiction?"

One hand went from your waist to scratch at his head.

"Uh, it's kind of on your blog."

"Shit."

"D-d-don't worry, I didn't read much. Too hard for me to understand. I was curious."

"Is that why you reacted that way to being called BunBun?"

He nodded.

"Ah Noona, we're nearly there now."

You were thankful he had changed the topic of conversation. He went back to holding your hand and tugged you down the street to the outside of a cafe. Rustic baskets and boxes were piled high with cakes and pastries in the front window. You let out a gasp at an arrangement of macaroons stacked atop each other.

"You like?" He asked with an amused chuckle.

"They all look so tasty!"

"Come on then." He guided you into the cafe.

Judging from the window and the comforting smell of bread that hit you as soon as you stepped inside, you guessed they specialised in baked goods.

"This is my favourite cafe. The staff don't bother me, they also keep fans from approaching me while I'm here. I love ARMY but I need privacy."

You nodded in understanding.

"Then why did you show me?"

"Noona is special." His fingers tightened around yours. "I don't fly random fans out y/n, I'm no international playboy."

You giggled and stepped forward in the queue.

"Are you sure about that? Because you seem pretty flirtatious with anyone who isn't a female idol."

You took another step.

"It's not my fault all the fans are pretty."

You couldn't help but feel a pang of something deep in the pit of your stomach. Jealousy? You dismissed the ridiculous thought; if ARMY knew that you were holding hands with Jungkook in his favourite cafe, you'd be dead meat. Jungkook interrupted your thoughts.

"Noona, what do you want?"

"Huh?"

"To eat and drink."

"Oh umm... croissant and caramel latte with cream on top."

He let out a chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Baby, baby, geudaeneun Caramel Macchiato~ (Baby Baby you're a caramel macchiato)" He sang quietly.

"Not an international playboy my ass."

"You said it!"

"You sang it!"

"But-"

"Hi- yes long time no see!" He said suddenly turning to the woman behind the counter.

She regarded Jungkook with a friendly smile and caught your eye, greeting you too. You said a polite hello and tried to pull your hand out of Jungkook's when he raised them to briefly pull down his face mask as he relayed your order. But he kept hold of it, not seeming bothered by her roaming eyes. You felt your body freeze in place under her stare. To her, you must appear to be a couple but alas, that was not so. The woman and Jungkook had a brief discussion as he then said what he wanted and she confirmed the order. She shouted for another member of staff who lead you to a closed of seating area.

"Another reason I like here are the private booths that are separate rooms with doors."

"How did you find this place? Are we near the dorm?"

Jungkook took a seat on one side of the booth and you slipped in opposite. The young waitress took her leave after saying she'll be back shortly with your order. Once the door was shut, Jungkook rid himself of his mask and coat. You shrugged yours off, folding it and placing it on the bench next to you.

"I found it while I was walking to clear my head."

You remembered the time when he had went to Hongdae to clear his head, how many fans got worried because of it.

"It must be something you do often then."

"Geurae (Yeah)."

There was a knock on the door causing you to jump a little. The waitress appeared balancing a tray on one hand. She moved all the items onto the table and disappeared out the door. Jungkook pushed your drink and food towards you, singing the opening line to Coffee again. You shoved his shoulder across the table.

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Then why?"

"I like sweet things."

"That's why I'm your favourite then. I'm Kookie."

You choked on the bite of croissant. Once you finally recovered from your little coughing fit you saw Jungkook's smirk.

"You're anything but sweet. You're a pain in my ass."

He coughed, little bits of the blueberry muffin he had got for himself decorating his lips and chin.

"Ew~ You're gross!" You grabbed a fistful of napkins and threw them at him.

"You spat croissant at me first!"

"It was your fault!"

He narrowed his eyes at you as he wiped his chin. "I bring you to Korea to show you my favourite cafe and you spit at me in thanks." He shook his head. "Noona is mean."

"I told you not to buy me plane tickets. That makes you a disobedient dongsaeng. So I'm allowed to be mean."

He frowned, "Does Noona not want to be here with me?"

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, "I'm happy and mad about the fact you didn't listen to me. But yes, I do want to be here with you. You're my friend."

"Then shush."

Jungkook took the piece of muffin he had broken off and shoved it into your mouth with a satisfied smirk. You ate it with an annoyed grunt. Meanwhile, Jungkook brought his fingers to his lips, ridding them of crumbs.

"Pain in my ass." You grumbled, following the muffin with a bite of croissant and diverting your eyes from your friend's lips.

"I might turn out to be a good pain in the ass."

"A good pain in the ass? I don't think that exists."

You swore you saw his cheeks turn a faint pink but he quickly brought his mug up and took a few gulps. When he put it down the pink was gone and you chalked it up to a figment of your imagination.

"Where else are we going today?" You inquired and blew across the surface of your steaming drink.

"Surprise."

"But Kook-"

"I don't want to spoil it!"

"BunBun~" You whined.

This time you were sure it wasn't your imagination as his entire face became ruby red. You couldn't help but laugh as he stuttered and floundered, trying to act like he wasn't affected by the new nickname.

Finally after a minute or so he cleared his throat, "Fine. We're going to a fair. I know you no like rollercoasters so no point in taking you to an amusement park."

"Jjinja?" He nodded, sipping his drink. "Is there a big wheel?"

"Maybe."

"And bumper cars?"

"I hope so! I plan to beat you on them."

You pouted, "You're so competitive."

"We're not going until a bit later. I heard they do fireworks once the sun sets and I brought my camera with me."

You smiled and took a sip of your caramel latte, humming happily as the cream added to the sweetness of coffee and took away from the usually bitter edge. It was a combination you had learned about just before coming to Korea.

"Drink nice?"

"Yes, thank you."

He nods, eyes drifting to the mug.

"I've never had one."

You look at your own drink and then at his which was a lot darker in colour. You couldn't remember what he ordered, too busy worrying about the lady behind the counter.

"What are you drinking?"

"Cappuccino."

"D-do you want to try it?"

You offered him the mug.

"Aniya."

"Sure? It's good."

He hesitated for a moment, "If you insist."

He gently took the mug from your hands and brought it up to his lips to take a small cautious sip. On the outside, you appeared unaffected while on the inside you were practically screaming. His lips were on the mug you were drinking from. It was an indirect kiss with your bias. Your BIAS Jeon Jungkook! You managed a "Nice?" While willing yourself to hold it together when his tongue swiped across his top lip, catching a bubble of froth.

"Really good."

He took another sip causing you to narrow your eyes, "Yah!"

"I pay so it mine."

"But you bought it for me. Stick to your bitter cappuccino."

You swear to god you would die of heart failure if he took another sip. That smirk of his came back as he passed you your beverage. You stared dumbly at your drink for a moment. His lips had just been touching the same mug he was now expecting you to drink from. You felt your heart rate skyrocket. If you rotated the mug an inch clockwise you realised the lighting above allowed you to see his exact lip print. Wow. Would it be weird to turn the mug and drink from that side even though he'd been polite enough not to do that? A poke to you cheek brought you out of your daze.

"Noona?"

"Uh..."

"You okay?"

You hummed in acknowledgement, neither confirming or denying your feelings.

"Then drink."

He turned the mug slightly as he pushed it closer to you. Under the lighting, you noticed his lip print was now where your lips would be. You gulped knowing that he had done that accidentally but still you brought the hot drink up and placed your lips over his marks. You could faintly taste his lip balm on the rim. Was that the sound of your heart beat in your ears or had a thirty piece band of drummers decided to pay this sweet little cafe a visit? Sneakily, you licked your lips. Was it cherry?

"Do you want to taste mine?" He asked, eyes dancing over the rim of his mug.

"Too bitter." Your eyes widened as a thought came to mind, "Can we get candy floss later?"

"Sure, we can share."

"S-s-share?"

"Candy floss too sweet to eat by self."

He had a point there but still, you found that your heart continued to thunder away in your ears. This boy was going to be the death of you. A short while later, you finished your drinks and treats and were walking back to Jungkook's car. Or so you thought.

"Where are you taking me?"

"One more stop, then fair."

"Is this another surprise?"

"Ye." His reply came out somewhat muffled because he had put his mask back on along with his sunglasses since you were back in public. "I think you'll like it."

You couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips and skipped a little to keep up with him as a woman with a pushchair cut in front of you. Joining his side, he took your hand once again. It was so you wouldn't get lost, you thought. He was just looking out for his friend who was in a foreign country for the first time. It's not like it's the first time you held a friends hand. You knew these kind of actions could be platonic but it was difficult for you not to try and read into them. A part of you hoped that they were signs of budding feelings towards you yet you're more rational side told you not to be an idiot. That there was no way an idol would be interested in an ordinary person like you. And anyway, he was so insistent you be his friend, there was no chance of him hinting towards having any romantic feelings.

Resisting the urge to sigh, you focused on your surroundings. Where were you? It appeared he had stopped outside of an... arcade? Oh god no. You didn't want to deal with his competitive side. You knew you would constantly lose and that he would rub it in your face. He looked at you.

"Gwenchanha Noona?"

"Is this the surprise?"

"Maybe, maybe not. You zone out. I paused so you zone in."

You eyed the arcade, noticing a row of claw grabbing machines. You smirked and tugged on his hand.

"Can we play?"

He challenged you with a quirk of his brow.

"Are you prepared to lose?"

You shrugged and pulled him in the direction of the machines. Little did he know your hidden talent. Jungkook took out his wallet and handed you a coin, keeping one for himself.

"I figured that you'd let me keep whatever you win so I'm not overly fussed about winning."

The crane machine you led him to was full with anime plushies. You placed the coin in the machine and seconds later you were giving a cry of victory as a Genos plushie landed in the prize zone. Jungkook looked at the plushie in shock.

"Did you just-"

"Your turn."

You stand aside, clutching the plushie to your chest as Jungkook took his place in front of the machine.

"Watch and learn Noona."

"But I already won!"

"I'll win you as many plushies as you want."

"But I did win-"

"You'll have to buy a new suitcase just for plushies!"

You raise your arms in surrender. You didn't doubt his skills but silently willed him to fail to allow you bragging rights. But the world was not in your favour. He managed to grab two in one go. Levi from Attack on Titan and Izuku from My Hero Academia. He turned to you with a shit eating grin and passed the plushies to you.

"For Noona."

You accepted them with a pout.

"You can't suck at one thing?"

"The maknae never loses."

"Not even for me?"

Jungkook pressed a finger to his lips in mock consideration.

"Uh, no."

You gasp and smack him with the Levi plushie.

"Meanie!"

"Smack me with Levi again and I'll take him away."

"But BunBun~ You gave him to me."

He looked away from you at the nickname. As if he couldn't look you in the eye. You could get used to those kind of reactions. And now you knew how. You had a weapon against the Evil Maknae. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the games over your shoulder. You watched his eyes light up and followed his line of sight. You caught his arm as he began in the direction of the Dance Dance Revolution machine.

"Oh hell no!"

"But Noona~"

He pushed out his bottom lip, eyes wide and pleading.

"Please!"

"I can't dance!"

"I can dance but still fail on DDR. Should be fair."

"I have two left feet! I might fall and injure the both of us."

He grabbed your hand and pulled you over to the game. You sighed and resigned yourself to the embarrassment that was surely about to happen. Jungkook was merciful and chose a song with low BPM.

"Put the plushies down Noona."

"I don't want to."

"Noona~"

"BunBun~" You whined, holding the dolls as tight as you could.

He strode over to your side of the game, grabbing hold of the Izuku doll and pulling hard.

"Don't break him!"

"Then let go!"

His left hand stayed on the plushie while his right disappeared into your coat. You let out a yelp of surprise and instantly dropped the dolls to stop his hand from assaulting your side further. He tickled you!

"Did... did you seriously just tickle me?"

"Only way to get Noona to let go."

"You tickled me!"

"Oh well."

"Little shit."

"Startue."

Your eyes flew to the screen when the sound of music hit your ears and you immediately started to panic.

"I thought you chose an easier one!" You yelled, eyes trained on the screen as you frantically moved your feet.

"I did! Keep up!"

You spared a second to steal a look at Jungkook's screen. 'Perfect.' 'Perfect.' 'Perfect.'

"What the fuck? How are you going this?"

"Golden Maknae." He replied with a smirk.

"This isn't fair at all."

You swore under your breath as your feet tried to keep up with the arrows on screen. Your own clumsiness had you so riled up you started letting out little frustrated shouts.

"It's rigged!"..."What the fuck I hit it!"..."Try to tell me I missed again!"

Jungkook was laughing at your antics, one hand clutching the bar behind him to keep him upright as the giggles caused him to trip over his own feet.

"Noona~ stop!"

"This game is playing me! I won't be made a fool of by a machine!" You growled.

Frustrated beyond belief, you stomped a foot just as the song came to an end. You glared at the screen showing your pathetic score.

"Noona really bad. Again?"

"No. All of the nope. Nu-uh."

He pouted which you mirrored. You refused to play another round of that god awful game. The little pout/staring contest continued for a minute or so before Jungkook gave a sigh of defeat. In a split second, you were grinning and stretched onto your tiptoes to pat his head.

"Thank you BunBun."

Settling back on the heels of your feet, you pretending like you didn't notice him gulp and run a finger under the edge of his turtleneck. You gathered the plushies in your arms, holding them against your chest like precious objects.

"Can we go to the fair now?"

Jungkook's eyes widened in realisation and he lifted his sleeve to check the time.

"Oh shit! Give me some plushies to carry."

You passed him Levi and Genos. Levi ended up in his coat pocket so he could free up a hand to grab your hand and drag you out of the arcade and back to the car park. You broke into a fit of giggles when he insisted on strapping the small dolls into the back seat.

"Safety first, safety second-"

"-coolness third." You finished for him.

He chuckled and climbed into the driver's seat.

"I should watch what I say. You never forget."

"I have a very good memory."

"I can see."

He drives off. You watch out the window as the skyscrapers diminish to smaller buildings that appear more residential. It was a shame the because of light pollution you couldn't really see that many stars as the sky grew darker. You wondered if all fairs across the world were the same. Would this one have a Ferris wheel? Would there be games with prizes to be won? You hoped the was a target practice booth that used pellet guns because you were surprisingly good at that one. The car suddenly banked right, and you squeaked in surprise.

"Sorry," Jungkook said, straightening the steering wheel. "Almost missed the turning."

"You suck at driving."

"Yah!" He flapped a hand at you, "I'm the best driver out of all the members!"

You chuckled, "Eyes on the road."

He shook his head and muttered quietly, "The disrespect."

The road curved and before you knew it, the view was a sea of multicoloured lights. A wheel glowed proudly above what Looked to be small rides and huts you assumed would be for games or food. You couldn't help yourself and started bouncing in your seat out of sheer excitement. You heard a chuckle come from Jungkook but you paid him no attention as you grabbed your phone and set its camera into pro-mode to take pictures of the fair from afar. He followed the few cars in front and pulled into a field for a makeshift car park. You wasted no time unbuckling your seatbelt and jumping out of the car before Jungkook had even turned the engine off. He hopped out after you, rounding the car to the trunk and opening it to grab his camera. Hooking the strap over one shoulder, he turned to you and held out his hand. Did your heart just skip a beat? You're pretty sure it did. A sudden shyness came over you as you tentatively took his offered hand.

"Come on Noona! Let's win lots of prizes together!"

The fairground was bustling with people from groups of teenagers waiting in line for rides, to families with smaller children clutching plushies larger than themselves.

"What do you want to do first?" He asked as you wandered through the crowd.

You were surprised no one was paying that much attention to you since you'd been able to see through his disguise in an instant. Then again, he was your bias; you'd be able to point him out in a sea of millions.

"Um... can we look around the booths first? I want to save the wheel for last."

"Good idea."

You walk past the food trucks, thankfully you weren't hungry, towards a line of booths where games were set up. The first was a simple game: knock all the tins down and win a prize. Easy. Or as it turned out, not so easy. The tins were stacked in such a way that even knocking out the centre one didn't send them all tumbling. You growled in frustration and tried again going for the bottom right tin to see if that would work. Nope. Only half the tower crumpled.

"What the hell?" Stomping a foot like a petulant child, you turned to Jungkook who was lowering his camera. "Were you taking pictures of me?"

He nodded, biting his lip.

"Is that okay?"

"No. You got me failing to knock the stupid things down."

To show your frustration, you threw the last ball, hard. It knocked the top can but nothing else fell.

"You're doing it wrong." He said, grabbing three balls.

"Well how do you do it right then?"

Jungkook smirk then brought his arm back only to swing it forward. The ball left his hand at such speed you didn't actually see what tin it hit to send all the others toppling down with it. You looked back at him amazed, mouth agape.

"H-how-?"

He shrugged nonchalantly then raised his arms and kissed each bicep.

"Golden Maknae powers."

You shook your head and bit your lip to stop yourself from giggling. He was well and truly a meme. Your attention turned back to the booth when the man that ran it brought over a giant Panda plushie and passed it to Jungkook with a smile and... was that an eyebrow wiggle as he gestured to you? It was! The owner of the booth thought you and Jungkook were on a date! Do you protest it? Jungkook seemed oblivious to the suggestion and thrust the panda at you.

"Name it!"

You eyed the man who was watching you, lips lifted into a smile. Who cared what others thought. "He's yours, you name it!" You said pushing the bear back at him.

"Aniya! I won him for you. Name him."

You felt your hands become clammy as you took the panda from Jungkook. What could you name the panda? You already had a small black bear called Kookie... You thought hard about it for a moment. Oh!

"Munui!"

Jungkook stared blankly at you.

"You're calling Panda 'Pattern'? Really?"

"He's got a check shirt on, that's a pattern!"

You protest, fiddling with the small article of clothing. You had no idea why the panda was wearing a check shirt and nothing else, but it reminded you of something.

"It's like the shirt you wore in those selcas when you were wearing bunny ears."

Jungkook suddenly started coughing and spluttering.

"Are you okay BunBun?"

He pulled down his mask as he tried to regain composure by taking deep breaths. What was it about bunny ears that set him off? He said he hadn't read all of the fanfiction you had written so he couldn't have gotten to the smut scene where the reader wore bunny ears. Unless he was lying... you gave him a suspicious look.

"Exactly how much of my fanfiction did you read?"

He gulped, diverting his gaze from you.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you keep nearly dying whenever I call you BunBun."

On cue, he scoffed, turned away from you as coughs racked his body.

"I-don't know w-what you m-mean."

You pointed accusingly at him, "That! That is what I mean!"

He cleared his throat before looking back to you.

"I promise I read small amount. Opening. I read the opening part."

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Then you sighed. Bunny ears and the nickname of BunBun were mentioned in the opening to the fic.

"Fine. I'll believe you for now."

He muttered something under his breath but a cacophony of yells from a nearby ride masked it. You glanced around at the other booths when something-no, someone caught your eye. A group of girls were looking in your direction. They couldn't have been any older than fifteen. Shit.

You transferred the Panda to under one arm and quickly reached up to fix Jungkook's mask back in place while whispering, "There's girls behind you staring at us."

"Huh?"

He looked round and spotted them, causing the girls to look away and giggle. He then looked back to you.

"Hopefully they'll think I'm look alike since I'm still wearing sunglasses. Come on let's go to another booth Noona."

He grabbed you by the sleeve and headed in a direction that hid them from the group of girls.

"Oh! Let's go this way." You said, subconsciously slipping your hand into his to direct him towards a booth that you hoped you'd see.

Jungkook let you guide him through the people and to the booth where targets were set up. He stopped a few times whenever a photo opportunity arose but eventually you made it over to the stand. The woman running the stall explained the price and the rules to Jungkook who in turn explained them to you. You nodded in understanding and put the required amount on the counter to receive 6 pellets for the BB gun that was chained to the counter. The pellets had to be loaded per shot and to win a prize you had to shoot 6 targets down. Something you did with ease as Jungkook watched you load and fire with a practised hand. You cocked the gun, and brought it eye level, looking down the barrel at the target. Bang! You squinted at the target. You were a little off centre but it wasn't too bad, near perfect. You turned to Jungkook with a shit eating grin.

"Your turn."

Jungkook quickly paid the woman for his own pellets and quickly loaded his gun. He brought it to eye level. Bang!... Miss. He wouldn't be getting the prize. He looked wide-eyed at the target while you laughed clutching a new small stuffed kitten from having hit all of your targets.

"You missed! Jeon Jungkook the Golden Maknae missed!"

His head snapped to you, "Keep your voice down!"

You grimaced before going straight back to gloating, "I can't believe I got to witness you being bad at something. The members are going to kill me." You snorted, "Chong, jojun, balsa my ass."

You doubled over as you feel into a fit of giggles. Looking up at him with tears in your eyes you saw he too was laughing at his own defeat.

"It's okay since I lost to Noona" He managed to say once you both finally stopped laughing.

You held out the kitten soft toy to Jungkook.

"You can have it. I don't want you going back to the dorm without any prizes."

"But it's Noona's. You won it."

"And you won the panda but still insisted I have it."

He took the kitten from you, holding up at eye level as if it were real.

"What should I name you?"

His eyes dropped to you and then back to the cat, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips. Why was he looking at you like that?

He turned the cat around to face you, "Y/n meet Bae, Bae meet Noona."

"You... you're calling the kitten Bae? Do you mean Bae as in 'pear' or Bae as in 'stomach' or perhaps you mean the Danish meaning of Bae as in 'poop'."

"Namjoon hyung says Bae means an important person in English." He explained. "Noona is important to me-" You coughed. "-and she give me cat so I call it Bae."

Should you tell him he'd misunderstood what Namjoon meant by an 'important person'? You decided you should so he wouldn't make the same mistake in the future.

"Jungkook... when Namjoon said 'important person' he meant a romantic partner. A boyfriend or girlfriend."

He whipped off his glasses to reveal his eyes blown out comically wide, "Really?"

You nodded, blushing.

"Oh," He said and toyed with the cat. "That makes more sense."

"So shouldn't you change its name?"

He frowned, "No, I like Bae."

"But-"

"She looks like a Bae, don't you think?" He bumped the kitten's nose against yours with a "Boop!"

You couldn't help but giggle.

"I guess she's your bae then. Just make sure not to let any future girlfriends know you already have a bae."

"I don't think they would mind."

You felt your heart sink a bit a the thought of him going into a relationship but you knew you had no right to feel that way. You felt a nudge against your arm and looked down at Bae.

"Hold her, I will take a picture."

He turned on his camera and told you to move so the light of the Ferris wheel was behind you.

"Why do you need a picture of me?"

"I want to remember forever."

You made sure to hold up the stuffed toy high enough to cover most of your face except your eyes to hide. All the while Munui was under your arm and squeezed against your side.

"Noona~ Don't cover your face."

"I have the feeling you'll post this to Tumblr so... no."

"I want people to see Noona having fun!"

"They don't need to see my face for that."

"Noona~" He whined.

You were sure he was pouting under the face mask and relented with a sigh.

"Fine."

You lowered the cat to beneath your chin and offered him a quick smile. He took the picture and lowered his camera to view it. You joined his side. You looked at the preview on the camera.

"Oh god. I'm not photogenic at all. Delete it."

"Aniya~ Noona ibnida gwiyeoun (Noona is cute)."

The compliment made you look down and fiddle with your sleeves.

"Let me take one of you."

You swapped the toys for the camera and positioned Jungkook where you had been previously stood. He pulled down his face mask to smile brightly, his bunny teeth on show for the word. You got ready to take the picture, BANG! You screamed. A firework exploded behind Jungkook. Jungkook gasped and snatched your hand to drag you to the Ferris wheel.

"Better view on the wheel!"

You held onto your panda tightly as Jungkook practically ran to the Ferris wheel with you trying not to trip over your own feet as you kept pace. You were thankful the queue was short and in no time you were being helped into a carriage. Jungkook climbed in first and you took a seat beside him. You handed him back his camera so he could take pictures.

"Look at all the lights." You said, peering through the window to look at the fair below as you began to slowly rise.

"Yeppeoda" You heard Jungkook say.

You looked over at him to see if he had been looking out his window. But you were surprised to find him looking at you. You found yourself unable to look away. Butterflies swarmed your tummy when he pinched his mask to pull it down and wet his lips. The action, although subtle, was enough to bring you out of your daze. You looked away willing yourself not to blush.

"Didn't you want to take pictures of the fireworks?"

"Ye."

He fiddled with a few buttons atop the camera body and raised it to his eye, taking a picture. Viewing the image he frowned; the carriage door ruined the shot. He went to take another picture, scooting closer and leaning across you to point the lens out the window.

"Sorry, Noona." He muttered.

The scent of his bodywash filled the air around you as he leant across. Sandalwood. Your breath caught in your throat as you tried not to let his proximity affect you. He snapped a few photos and then sat back in his seat, although there was considerably less space between you than there had been when you first set off. Your heart was thumping against your ribs, and your thigh was warm where it was pressed against Jungkook's.

"Noona?"

"Ye?"

He licked his lips as his hands ran over his thighs, seemingly nervous. His eyes stared into yours and time seemed to stand still for a moment... until he turned to look out the window.

"Thank you for spending the day with me."

You knew your cheeks tinged pink and were grateful that he wasn't witness to it. But there was something that confused you. What could possibly make him so nervous? Urged by a sudden stroke of boldness, you tentatively place your hand on top of his which rest on his thigh. His head whipped around to you, gaze dropping to his lap then slowly creeping up to meet your eyes.

"...Y/N..."

You must've been imagining it because you swore he was looking at your lips. Was he leaning towards you? But then the door to your pod opened. You two quickly got off of the Ferris wheel and Jungkook cleared his throat.

"Let's get candyfloss to share."

You found a food truck with bags of the sweet treat hanging from the canopy, but he pulled you away.

"We passed one of those machines by the target practice. They swirl it into flowers"

You gazed longingly at the bags, but the idea of watching someone spin sugar into the shape of a flower seemed interesting. Jungkook quickly found the vendor the made the candyfloss flowers.

"Hana hae jusibsio (one please)."

The vendor smiled and got to work. Both you and Jungkook stared in amazement as the sugar was moulded into the shape of a multicoloured flower. It grew so big you doubted you and Jungkook could eat it all. The man handed the flower to Jungkook who in return paid for it.

He then turned to you, "A flower for Noona."

You took the stick from him and stepped aside to allow those waiting behind you to be served. You took a pinch of the sugary treat and ate it, moaning as it dissolved on your tongue. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Jungkook stiffen and you think you heard him mutter something under his breath. You turned to him and held out the sugar flower to him in offer. Instead of picking a piece off as you had done, he chose to bite a chunk right out one of the petals. Pink sugar clung to his lips and the tip of nose. Rolling your eyes at his antics, you grabbed a napkin from the vendor and wiped the tip of his nose.

"You're a child."

"Aniya. Naneun Namja (I'm a man). I had coming of age ceremony."

You laughed.

"That don't mean shit unless you act like an adult."

You took another piece of candyfloss, bigger than the last piece you had. You ended up with blue sugar stuck to your bottom lip which Jungkook wiped away with the pad of his thumb. He brought it to his lips, sucking it clean. You looked away as his eyes swivelled back to yours.

"I should have taken a picture of it." He said, pinching off another, smaller, piece of the flower and stuffing it in his mouth.

"It's too tasty to waste time taking pictures."

"Are you saying that if you think something is good you should just live in the moment rather than try to capture the moment?"

"I guess so yeah."

A bunny grin spread across his lips, "Then I shall live in this moment with you Noona."

You couldn't keep the smile off your face, even as you walked back to the car with your cotton candy flower in one hand, panda under the other. He opened the car door for you, taking Munui and Bae and strapping them in the backseat with your other plushies.

"You treating them like they're children."

An awkward chuckle came from Jungkook as he scratched the back of his neck.

"They're precious because they're Noona's and Bae was won by Noona."

An 'aw' slips from your lips. He climbs into the front seat and puts the car in drive. You wonder if he was going to take you back to the hotel.

"Are you going to drop me off?"

"Ye. After long day Noona must be tired."

The drive back into the city was relatively silent and Jungkook focused on the road due to the lateness of the evening. You must have fallen asleep during the drive as you awoke to Jungkook nudging you awake.

"We're here Noona. I hope you enjoyed today."

You smiled, "I loved today." His face lit up but then fell as you got out of the car. "See you tomorrow Kookie."

You were ascending the hotel steps when a shout came from behind you, "Noona!" You turned on your heel to see Jungkook rushing towards you, arms full of plushies. "You can't forget these."

"Thank you."

You wondered how the hell you were going to squish them all in your suitcase.

"Noona forgot her precious prizes that I won for her." He said with a pout.

"I'm sorry I must be really tired."

"Noona should go to sleep soon then."

"Ye."

"Annyeong Noona."

"Annyeong BunBun."

He lingered for a moment as if there was something he wanted to say or do, before shaking his head and jogging back to his car. You made it into the hotel and took the elevator to your floor. In your room, you arranged the plushies on one side of the bed before taking a shower. When warm and cosy in your pyjamas, you debated whether to order room service but didn't find yourself particularly hungry and decided to have a big breakfast in the morning instead. Your phone had been buzzing away with unread notifications all day, so you grab your laptop and open all your SNS accounts. To which you are greeted by the sight of a Tumblr post by Jungkook. A picture of you holding the kitten cuddly toy with the caption 'My Bae'.

You paled knowing that people must have misunderstood you clicked on the notes for the post (there was a lot). Immediately you saw reblogs saying ‘I ship it' or ‘My ship is sailing'. They had even come up with a ship name. Of course, there were negative comments too. They were either along the lines of questioning who you thought you were or calling you a slut which you didn't quite understand. The urge to write a reply defending yourself made your fingers dance just above the keyboard. But deep down you knew that wasn't a good idea as people would only take your words out of context.

And of course, you got bombarded with asks because of it. You put most of those asks into one post and explained that Bae is the name of the cat and he had misunderstood the meaning of the word when he named it. Your audience, however, wasn't as broad as Jungkook's and you watched his post gain more and more attention while yours grew slower. You sent him a text asking him to reblog your post which he agreed to. And then your post was gaining notes and your ask box became even more full with questions of ‘why does it look like you're on a date?' And ‘you won him that kitten plushie!!! Aaaaaw~ My ship is sailing!!!'

You sighed. It wasn't a date though. You were Jungkook's friend and he had wanted to show you around. You'd held male friends hands before and given them gifts. Yet there was still a part of you that wanted what they were saying to be true. You solemnly replied with ‘It wasn't a date, just an outing between friends.'

The following messages made you feel worse. 'Aw, but you two are cute together.' 'I think my heart just broke :'('  

You didn't answer those asks. Instead, you just deleted them. You knew Jungkook followed your blog and that publishing those asks might make him become awkward around you. There were an ask that caught your eye 'You two clearly like each other. Date already.'

That made you chuckle. They thought Jungkook had a crush on you. What kind of weird alternate universe did they live in? Admittedly, you were attracted to Jungkook, had been for years, he was your bias after all. But the possibility of Jungkook liking you, plain old you, was ridiculous. You wanted to reply, you really did but they were on anon so you couldn't do it privately. So again you deleted the message. You put up a PSA asking for to stop sending anons about the picture Jungkook posted because you could not respond to them without risking Jungkook freaking out since he follows you.

This only prompted more asks to flood your inbox as people grew more curious about your relationship, or lack thereof. 'Why would Jungkook freak out? Sounds suspicious to me...' 'Block him, we won't tell!!'

You couldn't help but respond with 'Imagine if you followed your friend on Tumblr and they saw you responding to all these asks saying you should hurry up and date. Wouldn't your friend freak out?'

You waited for a response. It came not a minute later, 'You're clearly not just friends though???'

Your patience was growing thin. How did they not understand? 'Guys and girls can be just friends. They can hang out and just friends. Or should I date all the guys I hang out with?'

You refreshed your inbox and saw a message from Jungkook. 'Noona, don't let messages make you sad or angry :( Ignore and let Jungkook deal with fans.'

You responded privately 'Thank You BunBun. Please don't take them too seriously.'

His reply came quickly, 'No worry Noona, BunBun doesn't mind.'

You had to muffle your fangirl scream with a pillow. Only a few hours ago Jungkook had been a blushing mess at the nickname, and now he was using it in third person. You palmed your face with two hands. Today and been a rollercoaster of emotions. You decided going to sleep would be best. You put your phone on the bedside table to charge and turned off the light. Just as you were about to drift off to sleep your phone buzzed. Jungkook had tagged you in a Tumblr post. You sat up in shock. At the top of the post was a picture of you playing the target practice game, gun held up to your chin as you aimed. That sneaky little- you scrolled down to read the text beneath.

'I had fun with my Noona today, Y/N-chingu. She's nice and funny. She's easy to make memes of. I showed her all my favourite places. But now she's going to bed grumpy because people are trying to force their ideas on her. I want a happy Noona, not a grumpy one.'

Aw. He almost sounded like a child. Though the meme part was uncalled for. There was more so you continued reading.

'Please no more mean messages. I want Noona to have good time in Korea before she go back home :( We will continue to make good memories. Goodnight!'

Aish. That maknae. You became pretty sure that more international fans would think you two were dating but oh well. Sleep was more important.

A/N: Co-written with @tragicshadows. If you want updates on TMaHS then find me on twitter @KookieNoona96. Hope you enjoyed this long af chapter. Do you think Jungkook was telling the truth when he said he had only read a small bit of BunBun? (BunBun is not the smut the tutor was worried about in earlier chapters by the way) And what was up with that Ferris wheel ride? I'd love to know what was going through Jungkook's head...

[victor-artist]

LONG STORY SHORT

Sigh.... I don’t feel that good today

I mean I am happy i did a doodle for my friend and alll

but I feel so empty and all....

Lately I have been trying to improve on art and have seen I am not that sued to the pen

I will work on that .

I also am almost dying inside over and over again the lately since

no matter where I go to in my pc, I have something saved that connects to people I loved and well still do love but I feel so disgusted with myself still

I am currently still trying to improve on getting better but

some people were really supportive to me and I can’t be grateful enough for them on nagging me to get back to drawing

welll

as I stated before in many of my journals I have made I am still heart broken over a person

I am still trying to forget that person since all it does to me is... welll

I remember the good times and how supportive I was to it,

I recall how I spent so much of my time just being there for that person and tried my best to make them feel good and whenever they were down I was there for it

Right now I guess like my psychologist told me I am on a phase oh god saying this makes me actually cringe He told me I’d have serious problems with trusting people which is still true, I barely trust anyone anymore and barely allow anyone to really get close to me in any form  of  closure and avoid accepting anyone admiting they like me

I know it si stupid but.... if a person I truted for so damn long without question could break my heart, who else wouldn’t ?

so yeah, that is also the reason why I have avoided being actually social and posted so small things besides the big poems here and there.

Haven’t really taken the time to tell all i feel for real so decided to really roll my sleeves up and take the time .

I was in the USA a few weeks ago, I think 2 now? eeeeh doesn’t matter

I went there to basically do this

I wanted to really just give the biggest gift for the person that broke my heart which was me spending time with it irl

I know it is corny and all but it was something I had planned for a while and set the cogs in motion by just admitting my love to it

Hence the said person didn’t seem weirded out or angry at me for it, and the fact i admitted my love in voice if i recall right i tried be closer but not be to clingy and all.... heh Back then when i said the second time I had bought and paid the tickets and made the plan to be there for the 4th time i’d say i love you to it, Like face to face.

I wanted make it a sure the person was ok with me and

one day that person and I had a call and I admitted my love for the thrid time and everything went fine

I had the tickets paid, planned the car route to around its area and well....

I think by now you all know fact I enjoy doing erps/rps and all.

I used to rp with said person in all ways as I liked to so it was common for us just to waste time with it I guess, well spending time together wasnt a waste so that means it was time well spent? bleh, look at it with a pinch of salt i guess SOOOOO..... how to start with it then, we were talking here and there and started rping but mid of it  the person wanted to see me shoot a l9oad, which even though it is supposed to be “private“ and a thing a person shouldn’t admit online what so ever

.w. I don’t really care at all, no shame about what i did

so several times I have taken a jack off and had the rps in mind so the person liked to see me squirm away a load for our rps

so the person wanted to see me make a mess thanks to the thing but

once i started getting all romantic and hinte out a sign of love

I guess that was around the time the person said we couldn’t  be dirty onto one another and I was like

“Oh you aren’t in the mood?“

it took a bit before the person started saying he couldn’t anymore until it started saying for me to guess

... well.... I told this person time after time about my feelings about people using me and having a relationship.... and then come and just smutt rp away with me

and welll....

alas

the person admitted it had someone in mind

for 3 months.... same 3 months I was planning the trip, the route, the everything really....

I was down right crushed, I didn’t know what to do, i just shut myself away from it, the following days I was nonstop sad and having near ep seizures. so I drugged myself with my meds to keep me safe, somehow I think it was either it or me who unblocked him and when i came to my senses the person was trying to befriend me .... it felt disgusting....

you know that feeling when your heart doesnt wanna admit the ruth but your mind clearly sees it.... knowing we did all those filthy things and it had a person in its mind

it felt so bad.... so yeah I was so sick of it i tried killing myself, i think i took around 5 pills of morphine I had left over from when I had a surgery and just slept

however I did wake up again and so, came the trip to the USA

it was really pleasant and i loved it all, I had to adjust the whole trip’s car route so i’d avoid the area where it lived but i did in fact pass by it and saw the person irl

heh.... you know how you’re so close and yet so frigging far?

that was the feeling i felt that moment, It was good we left the area as fast as we went there and went back to sweden .

I don’t think I am really ready to fully open up back to loving people or trusting them that much....

but hey,  guess I will have to just try my best and all.

None the less, for whoever is actually reading this and all

I don’t really want any likes or reblogs on this ok? keep it here and all.

NONE THE LESS, I am back for good

[shortiegardengnome]

I Need a Hug - Dan and Phil

This is something i wrote when i was feeling extremely down and could seriously use a hug from my favourite YouTubers.

Genre: fluff.

Warnings: None.

Pairings: None.

Today was a truly shit day. From start to finish I had run into nothing but misfortune. It all started with a mistake that I will readily admit; I didn’t get enough sleep last night, and today I had to get up at 5:30am. Why on Earth did I think that I would be able to function on 4 hours of sleep when I had a huge day today I couldn’t tell you. All I can tell you is that It was entirely due to my lack of self-restraint. Last night I was up in the wee hours of the morning, surprisingly not on Tumblr but on skype chatting to my two favourite people on the planet, Dan and Phil. Now, they would’ve completely understood if I had to cut the conversation short because I needed sleep; hell if they knew what god forsaken hour I had to get up today they’d probably tell me to go the fuck to sleep then promptly hang up on me. But alas, I didn’t tell them and I couldn’t cut the conversation short because frankly, I’m a glutton for their company and a masochist when it comes to my sleeping schedule so we were up seriously late. Well, late for me.

 So of course when the demonic sound of my alarm clock ripped through my sleep and quite happy dreams like a chainsaw through curtains I was not happy. I blearily opened my eyes, squinting in the darkness and hating myself a little for the decisions I made last night. Deciding that the only way I was going to get out of bed was the painful way I reached over with a shaking hand and turned on my bedside lamp. Resisting the urge to hiss and hide beneath the blankets I stared at that evil light and my hand still gripping it until my eyes no longer hurt. Now that my retinas were burned to a crisp I had to face my next challenge, stepping out of my warm cocoon and into the blizzard of my house. I sighed dramatically, this was going to take a while. I reached for my phone as a method of procrastination as turned off my alarm, reading the numbers spelling out the time I whimpered a little at my fate.

 I sat up a little with a groan; throwing my arms above my head I arched my back and stretched as far as I could. I loved the feel of my non-existent muscles stretching and relaxing after a sleep. The chill of the air nibbled at my arms and hands and I dropped them back in my lap before cracking my neck. Okay, here’s what I will do. My inner-voice took on a motivational tone. You will figure out what you’re going to wear while your still in bed, then it will be a race to launch myself out of bed collect my clothes and sprint into a hot shower. Let’s hope I can do this.  I went through a mental catalogue of my wardrobe vs. what’s in the laundry and tried to figure out what the hell I would be wearing today. I decided on my favourite pair of high waisted denim jeans, a button up red and black check top with three quarter sleeves and a cream scarf which I would wear with knee high brown boots and my brown leather satchel. Of course I would grab my black leather jacket as well for the cold. Taking stock of what I would need I made to fling myself out of bed and land gracefully on my feet and make a run for my clothes; so of course It didn’t work like that. Instead of landing on my feet, my foot got stuck in the sheets and I tumbled down to the ground, m face being squished quite thoroughly into the carpet. My muffled swearing sounded garbled in the carpets soft fabric. Since that was a massive flop I pushed myself off the floor and yanked my foot out of the sheets. It came free easier than I expected and I was sent careening back into the floor. At least I landed on my back this time. I got up for the third time and managed to only stub my toes on my bed when collecting my clothes. My shower went without incident. I imagine the mischief fairies who made their lives in my apartment realised that any accident I could have in the shower would be deadly so they left me alone. They however decided that as soon as I was out of the shower I was fair game as thrice I burnt myself on my hair straightener; and don’t even get me started with how many times I accidently poked myself in the eye while doing my make-up.

 I left the bathroom trying to resist rubbing my eyes. I knew they were sore as all hell but if I did give in temptation then I would smudge everything and have to start all over again and I sure as hell wasn’t going to risk poking myself in the eye again. I walked into the kitchen determined that today would get better from now on. Especially once I got a mug of tea into my system. While I completely understood why some people lived off coffee, hey I can’t blame them for needing the caffeine… I for one wish I liked coffee but I juts didn’t, so of a morning I settled for a good cup of tea. Pulling out my massive mug with the words “grumpy old man” written on it (something Phil brought me for my birthday, and to this day he still finds it hilarious) I turned the kettle on and searched the cupboards for something edible for breakfast. I managed to scrounge around long enough to find some yoghurt and fruit that was edible, which I consider a win; especially when you consider how long I have procrastinated going grocery shopping, I would do it online but I have a deep mistrust of buying online sometimes. Besides, it makes me leave the house.

 I pour the boiling water into the mug and add the milk to the already added tea bag and sugar and stirred. I put some yoghurt in a bowl and added strawberries and blueberries to the mix. Picking up my mug and bowl I went to the lounge room to watch some TV. Managing not to trip on the way had quickly become the first positive of my day. It was quickly ruined by spilling hot tea all over my fingers. I swore loudly and ran to the sink drenching my fingers in cold water. “Dammit.” I hissed through my teeth my fingers going slightly numb from the cold water, the heat from the burns being sucked out of my skin. When I felt the heat was all taken out of my fingers I pulled them away from the sink, grabbed a tea-towel and icepack and wrapped them up before returning to my breakfast.

 The rest of the day went much the same way. I was in a constant state of atrocious clumsiness, constantly tripping over the smallest of objects; dropping almost everything that came into my hands and accidently running into people. I was an absolute mess today and the day was just too long and filled with too many opportunities to make a complete idiot of myself. I also spent the day apologizing to everyone I harmed in my frenzy of flailing limbs and unsteady hands. So much so that I had the entire apology memorized. Now it was finally the end of the work day and the mean comments muttered about me as I made my way out of the building each created a chink in my armour of self-control. I was on the brink of teas as I exited onto the street and made my way to the taxi bay. Usually I didn’t listen to those comments but rather made an effort to block out my surroundings until I got home; but today I was just too bone tired and I couldn’t find the energy in my reserves to block out everything. I bit my lip to hold and the tears and prayed that my voice wouldn’t wobble when I asked the driver to take me to my home address. I received a funny look in the rear-view mirror but he didn’t ask any questions… for that I was thankful.

I leaned back into the chair and tried to think about nothing, I focused on the feel on the seat beneath my head and the scratchy material pressing itself against my palms. I let my breaths become long a deep and visualised the path the oxygen took. My calming methods were working perfectly, I could feel the tears receding and the stress working its way out of my shoulders. I let out a deep sigh and tried to keep going. The shrill noise of my phone ringing jolted me out of my state abruptly. I jolted in my seat and made a mad scramble to find my phone in my seemingly bottomless bag. I pawed my way through the contents pushing objects from side to side but of course at the very bottom beneath so tissues sat my phone still going off and vibrating like mad. I lunged for the phone seeing that it was a call from Dan. The phone fell out of my hands a couple more times before I got a good grip on it and I hurriedly answered the phone.

 “Hello?” my voice sounded unsteady even to me, he was definitely going to be able to tell something was up.

 “Hey Y/N.” his greeting came softly through the phone as if he were trying to make his voice sound as gentle and as caring as possible. It wasn’t exactly helping my ‘don’t cry until you get home’ situation. My lip wobbled and I bit it to stop myself from crying further.  “What’s wrong?” he knew without words that I was on the brink of crying.

 “N-nothing.” The first tear fell and I started shaking in my seat, little sniffles escaping from my nose.

 Silence reined on the other side as I cried as quietly as I could. I didn’t feel like I could talk to Dan properly without giving away what was actually happening. Without warning there was a scuffle on the other side of the phone it sounded like people playing tug of war with something before a voice interrupted the noise.

 “Y/N where are you?” Phil obviously stole Dan’s phone to talk to me.

 “In a taxi on my way home,” I mumbled trying desperately to keep my tears out of my voice, I didn’t want to bring them down into my depressing mood with me. They didn’t need that in their lives, they were already so busy as it was. Their lives on the internet and as radio show hosts was very demanding on their lives. I didn’t want to add my bad day into the mix, they needed to focus on keeping their lives in order so they both could have some time to themselves without going crazy.

 “Tell the driver to bring you to our address.” Phil’s tone brooked no argument, didn’t mean I wasn’t still going to argue.

 I took a moment to control myself before saying “You really don’t have to do that Phil… I’m fine.” I was proud that my voice wobbled only a little. Another scuffle happened on the other side of the phone, this time I could tell it meant that they were switching who had the phone.

 “Either you come over here or we break into your house. No matter what you’re seeing us tonight, so I suggest you pick the easier option.” Dan threatened into the phone and I knew without a doubt those knuckle heads would at least attempt to follow through with their threat. I couldn’t really see them being able to break down my door but I could definitely see them showing up and attempting to, and when they inevitably failed at breaking down my door they would hammer their hands on it until I got annoyed and let them in so they would knock it off. Believe it or not it had happened before. At a completely unreasonable hour too. I sighed and then told the driver the change in location. He smiled at me and let me know that it wasn’t a problem and that we would be there in a couple of minutes.

 Dan and Phil must’ve heard what the driver said because all I got in reply was a “Good girl!” before they hung up. I sighed for the umpteenth time today. I seriously was a sucker when it came to those two, lord only knew that I certainly couldn’t say no to them. Though there was a time when I could say no, but that was back when I hardly knew them, and we had only just met; plus, I never actually said the word ‘no.’ just some persuasion of it. But I can openly admit I was a completely marshmallow for the two gentle giants from the beginning. Something about Phil’s happy and kind demeanour and Dan’s constant state of sarcasm and dimples that just made my heart melt around those two. If they knew what effect, they had on e I doubt they’d take advantage of it… at least not anymore so than they do now.

 Before I knew it, the car rolled to a stop at the curb and I blinked out of my reverie. I leant forward and paid the driver and made sure to thank him for changing course without any complaining. He smiled and wished me a good night. I gathered my things in my hands and just as I was reaching for the door handle, to door of the taxi was yanked open and I was pulled out with a swiftness that rivalled ninjas. The thump of the car door closing and the Taxi taking off was the last things I saw before I was enveloped in a hug. Both Dan and Phil wrapped their arms around me and squeezed me close until we resembled a human sandwich. I clenched my hands in their jumpers and pulled them close into me as I felt the tears I had managed to get under control pouring out of my eyes once again. “Dammit” I muttered into the black jumper –which I assumed belonged to Dan for obvious reasons- I had my faced smushed into.

 The boys pulled back and took a look at my miserable face. “Come on,” Dan said kindly and Phil draped his arm across my shoulders. “Let’s go inside.” I managed a smile at the two as they led me into their apartment.

 That night we all stayed up late talking, playing video games and doing whatever else came to mind. When I tried to go home, the boys just about tackled me to the ground insisting I stay over. I ended up borrowing a hoodie and a way too big jumper and we all fell asleep curled up on the couch. Today started off truly shit, but it ended in one of the most peaceful and content ways that I’ve ever known. That is why I am so glad I’m friends with Dan and Phil.

[russiaisinasia-blog]

The package

What is the purpose of what I do? Why do I do this? For the person reading this; You may not know me, you probably never will actually meet me but I have to make a Narrative essay on something weird I do. Here it is. So one day, just a normal day I had ordered a package, the seller had “guaranteed” that it would be shipped “quickly”, I was unaware of the dangers that were contained within the package and the terrible, terrible deeds that were going to have been committed. My package never came for days upon days, eventually i gave up hope and stopped caring about it . Then later, on an average day, I come home from school tired . As i had walked up the stairs to my apartment my foot had tapped a box, it had been unexpected of. I was intrigued by what had been so carelessly placed by my doorstep. As i went to check who it was directed to I realised it was for me. I had then wondered since when had I ordered a package, it took me a few minutes but then I had realized that it was the package that I had ordered so long ago. I scoff as I remember that online the seller had said there was “fast” shipping. I had lifted it up and carried it with me back to my apartment. As I entered I was greeted by my lazy cat who had wanted food to eat. I told it to move but it had not backed down, it had been staring at my package that was held in my arms, my cat had hissed and it's hairs stood up, this was a sign of the unfortunate things that were to occur. Me being the fool I was I had just thought it was acting up, I had said to my cat then: “I guess I'll have to take you to the vet”. That had shut the cat up. I moved on aside, past my vanquished foe who had no more will to resist, eager to open the package that was in my hands. When I get to my kitchen in order to grab my exacto, I had the feeling of doubt in my stomach. I thought “Maybe the cat was right, this package does seem pretty banged up, And who knows if the seller stayed true to his word?”. I then suddenly thought that I didn't have to open the package but I felt something, bringing me,calling me to the package. I shook my idea of not opening the box off and said “Naw”. Oh the fool I was. This obliviousness had led to my own end. I walk forward now, more eager to open the package. I reached my kitchen and started scouring for my exacto, cursing myself for my inability to place things in their proper place. I search around, opening my well used and unoiled drawers anticipating myself for the world's largest creek. I still jump even though I have heard the same sound a collective 10,000 times. I check the top of my fridge and find  my “prized” (At the time) exacto and continued on towards my goal to open my package. As I finished my walk towards the package I go to my package and go to cut the tape open on the box. I cut through it with ease, the exacto glides through the tape so effortlessly. I carefully throw out the tape, not wanting to anger the forces that be. I open the box and to my shock thousands of those miniature peanuts, the devil's weapon burst out attacking me on all sides forcing me to back away. Terror reigns supreme and all heck has broken loose, I scramble around attempting to control the carnage that is occurring, it was all pointless an effort in vain. I stop and decide to find my cat and run away, but my stupid cat decided to ditch me and I couldn't find it, but I never knew they left, so I spent time searching for them until it's too late. The monstrous peanut’s rage and crash on top me, engulfing me. As i sank into the darkness I realised that it was all ok I didn't have anymore responsibilities and my life had flashed before my eyes. But then I had heard the loud sucking sound that a vacuum makes when turned on. I yelp, broken out of my peaceful bubble, to this day I still wonder how it came on. The vacuum turning on my as well have been the  sound of redemption. I heard the vacuum moving around ending the collective lives of those miniature monsters that had engulfed me. I laugh like a madman watching as the devil's spawn gets sucked up into their oblivion. Soon all of them get sucked up but one. The last one holds me hostage, trapping me in place. It was tense, very tense. I see the vacuum inching towards me and  it begins its assault. Out of nowhere it whips out its tube sucking thing ending the last one’s existential state while saving me. The vacuum starts powering down, I wonder why. I start looking around, searching for any dents or scratches that might mess up the vacuum and find none. I search inside the package, alas I found the warranty sticker and realised its warranty was past date, Dang seller lied his a** off. I hoisted the vacuum up, no easy feat as to how it weighs approximately two hundred thousand pounds. I carry it to the trash can and dump its contents within the garbage can of perpetual limbo where it would spend its days forgotten by the cruddy garbage disposal of the apartment complex.

[ennaraw52]

ELEVEN FUCKING AWESOME LIFE-ALTERING RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE AMAZINGLY EASY (BUT CONTAGIOUS)!

1. BEGIN EACH DAY WITH A SWIFT KICK IN THE ASS! Complete your most difficult task first! It gets it out of the way, it relieves the anxiety that you will carry the entire day, and you will be amazed at how confident you will be when addressing all the others tasks. Bonus: the rest of your day will be a breeze, so brew a full pot of coffee, pack the tic tacs, and head over to the office lounge! It is no coincidence that this one is strategically placed as numero uno

2. FLASH YOUR 25,6 MORE!  Oops! Wrong audience, you are not snails! SMILE MORE! It is infectious, and others will smile back. Also, it draws people to you – ever tried cosying up to a sour puss? I would know about this, I grew up with an older sister, who, I admired (in childhood) and tried so hard to have a relationship with, but alas, it was like trying to get on first name basis with a cobra (I have been in a snake pit in India, even those snakes paid more respect and acknowledgement to me than my sister ever did).

Btw: Here is something to crack open at the dinner table: About that 25, 6, did you know that snails (which are typically no longer than 30cm, about 1/6th your size) has 25,600 teeth? So shame on you for gripeing about having to floss your 32 nightly!

3. USE YOUR FUCKING MANNERS! Say thank you more often. Remember those things your grandma taught you? She did, loads of them….but you are either thick, or you forgot them when she died. What the hell is wrong with you!?

And I do not only mean saying it in person, I mean also things you learn from others online. If you visit a site that brings you knowledge, or assistance, or even joy, remember to give at the very least a thumbs up. Many people use their time to be helpful, entertaining, and to pass on valuable information, the least you can do is acknowledge their effort. Can you imagine our current world without Google or Youtube!  Heavens forbid, we may have to read a whole book! I am asphyxiating just typing it!

Admittedly, I am also guilty of this one, but don’t worry, I am reeking my own reed!

4. STOP FAKING IT. You either care, or you don’t! Take a random person to lunch (regularly) – and I mean random. What you are actually saying to them is, I care about you more than just throwing you a few dollars. In today’s society of widespread indifference, that makes a HUGE difference to a person, any person, regardless of their stature in life. Because what they will register from this act, is: Gee, some (ostensibly busy) person took time out of their lives to listen to me! THAT SHIT IS STRATOSPHERIC!…..besides, you can use the companionship. Eating alone sucks!….yes, you are alone, don’t even lie (to repeat, stop pretending!)

5. EXPAND YOUR FUCKING MIND! Remove the words “I can’t” from your vocabulary. Substitute it with ”Let me have a look and get back to you on that.” This will vastly improve not only your knowledge (assuming that you really will look into it), but also your confidence (after realising and enhancing your abilities), and your popularity rating (careful not to make this your primary objective). Did I mention how immensely this expands your perspective?!

Just so we’re clear, and to ensure that you know what you are saying when you use this word, the real meaning of can’t is: not knowing how to do something; not caring to learn; unmotivated; untrainable; thick; not wanting to get off my ass; LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE.

6. SAY ”THANK YOU” (especially) WHEN YOU DID NOT GET YOUR WAY! In other words, GROW THE FUCK UP! Sincerely thank your boss (and everyone else who lit or lights a fire under your ass) for not giving you the promotion (or whatever else) – explain to them how much stronger it made you, and thank them for not providing you the easy road. No, you cannot take them to lunch to satisfy #4, it MUST be a random person, with whom you have no association.

7. BLOW YOUR MIND (regularly)! It is like a fresh drink of lemonade in the summertime – a little sweet, a little sour, but a hell of a lot refreshing and rejuvenating!

Randomly and regularly give your first class seat to someone in coach. No, you don’t select the person, just let the air hostess do it. Yes, that means that you get to sit in….don’t choke….coach! It is good for you. It gives you a different perspective, it enhances you as a person, and you may mess around and meet some very interesting people back there.

I used to travel first class (emphasis on ”used to”), I met mostly tight-ass, boring, uninteresing people, with straightened teeth, combed hair, polyester suits (couldn’t resist that one!) and name brand (made in India) luggage, who were bent on telling me about their accomplishments (totally not caring about the gross lack of give-a-shit in my eyes), and how important they are (in their own microcosm). Great! Now there is some shit I can sell on Ebay!…..for zero dollars.

Believe me, this act will take your ‘interest’ rating way off the meter; everyone will be wanting to chat with the person who would do something so unusual.

8. DANCE! Stay flexible and improve the functions in your heart, mind, body, and FEET! Dance at work, in the bedroom, in the street….anywhere! You may be amazed to see others dancing with you, or at least cheering you on (see, you are spreading joy!). Additionally, this will decrease your heart aliments, lower your blood pressure, and will also work in tandem with #s 1,2, and 7.

Caution:do not dance in the bathroom, I already tried; slipped and fell and cracked my head open…..I was little, it healed….some….maybe!? Not sure. Just don’t do it!

Fyi: Did you know that you have more than 7,000 nerve endings in your feet? Think of how many bodily functions you are improving with the simple act of dancing! Not to mention, word will get around, you will go from Nerd Savant to Rico (or Rita) Suave. What is it that Victor Grimmy Owusu (V.I.C doing the song Wobble) sings? ”A girl told me that a man that could dance might could possibly get down with the tool in his pants.”(1.37 in video)

Yeah, the women are all over that (wink!)!

9. LOSE YOUR FRIENDS! Literally. Take random hermitic time (emphasis on the word ‘random’); reflect, deliberate, meditate….procrastinate! Step away from your phone and email for 3 days every month – randomly, not planned. It has an amazing effect on your life, health, and perspective. Oh, there you go again using the ‘c‘ word! Carefully re-read # 5 (stop being deliberately thick).

Caution: you will lose some (fake) friends from this, but that will do you (a great deal of) good also.

10. REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE! Give your favourite scarf (no, not the ratty one, but the one you paid lots of money for, and maybe cannot replace. Yes, that red, silk, pashmina one. Oh, yeah! Now we’re getting somewhere) to a ‘street’ child. Believe me there is a significant impact on both you and that child. I know, I do it….often! Money is soon spent (on nothing) and forgotten, a scarf will keep her warm for a very long time, and it has the same effect as explained in #s 2, 3, 4, and 7……the ripple effect is phenomenal.

11. BE FUCKING GREAT, EVERYDAY! Resist the urge to choke the living shit out of those who really tick you off. Instead, look at them, smile sweetly and say, “You know, that really pissed me off (acknowledge your own feelings, instead of stiffling them), and I would really love to follow my gut reaction (letting them know that the shit was not cool, and putting them on guard that the next time it may be a TKO), but I read somewhere (thanks for the credit, see you’re already getting the hang of  this gratuitous thing) that it takes a great person to resist their primal urges rather than giving in to them, and you’re in luck today, because I have it on my agenda that I am going to be great!”

In fact, why stop at just great? Splurge, give yourself license to

BE FUCKING AWESOME, EVERY FUCKING DAY!

BTW: the swear-a-lot t-shirt is my new year gift to myself. I love it so much I bought 2 and then a few more for some well-deserving friends. I am still deciding if I want to frame it and mount it on my wall.

attribution for swear a lot image

  from ELEVEN FUCKING AWESOME LIFE-ALTERING RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE AMAZINGLY EASY (BUT CONTAGIOUS)!