#i was literally just eating some watermelon lol but anyway

[p4ppetsl4t]

convincing myself that my girlfriend likes her best friend more than me because shes so much skinner (like 50kg or under skinny) so i starve myself more

[dandylovesturtles]

Since 100 Feet and a World Away got submitted to the Separated AU Comp (thanks whoever submitted!) and now some people are going through my tag I thought I would just throw down a little scribble to introduce you all to Leo and Mikey in the AU! I’m just doing this on my phone so sorry it is not fancy lol

If you’re new to the AU just check out my 100 Feet and a World Away tag! I have a lore post in my pinned as well.

I’m just building this thing as I go lol~

———

They don’t muzzle Leo on the walk back to his room this time, because he’s munching on watermelon.

He doesn’t care about it much. The watermelon is just a carrot - not literally, obviously, but metaphorically. Leo doesn’t care about the carrot, because the stick is an electric cattle prod and it’s aimed right at his little brother.

But he was good today. Did what he was supposed to. And if he keeps some watermelon in his mouth they won’t muzzle him, so he takes little bites and tries not to show too much teeth as he does it.

The humans don’t like seeing his teeth.

They open the door and push him inside. He’s made to go through his normal routine: weight, height, pupil check, reflexes. They let him keep the watermelon throughout it today.

Then they lead him up the steps over the concrete wall to the shallow pool that is his home and unlock his collar.

The collar is another stick. Like the cattle prod, it shocks.

After it’s been pulled from his neck, he wades through the water to the rocks in the middle. Mikey is curled up there, eyes closed and breath even. Leo doesn’t know how he can sleep when humans are in the room.

He runs a hand over Mikey’s arm to rouse him, watching his little brother yawn and crack open an eye. He always waits for Leo to speak first; when Leo says nothing, he knows it’s not safe.

He sits up, then tilts his head at Leo, eyes still sleepy. Leo can’t help but smile, close lipped so there’s no teeth. Even with his back to the humans, he can’t risk it.

He holds out his partially eaten watermelon.

Mikey’s eyes light up; he reaches out and breaks a hunk off with his fingers, eating it slowly and with relish.

“See?” Leo hears one of the humans say. “It’s exhibiting sharing behaviors.”

“So do rats, Tim,” says the other. “It’s not that special.”

Leo ignores them, pushing the watermelon toward Mikey to urge him to take more. Mikey looks at it, then raises his eyes to meet Leo’s.

He pushes the watermelon back.

Leo frowns, shoving the watermelon back at Mikey with more force. Shakes it a little. Mikey’s mouth gains a defiant twist and he shakes his head.

Leo suppresses a sigh - it would be too human of a gesture. Instead he just tears off a hunk of the watermelon and shoves it in his mouth.

Mikey smiles again. He doesn’t bother hiding his teeth. He takes more of the watermelon.

“They’re well socialized,” says one of the humans, and the other hums in agreement.

…

“I made you something,” says Mikey later, when the humans have gone home for the night. He moves away from where he was laying before, revealing a pattern of lines etched in the dirt.

“Look! It’s you!” He points. “Here’s your eyes… and your chin… and your marks!”

Leo thinks he can see it. The crescent moons over the little circles are his eyes and markings, the bigger circle the rest of his face. Leo doesn’t know anything about this - drawings, Mikey said - but he thinks Mikey must be pretty good at it.

Because Mikey is his little brother and he’s incredible, of course.

“Hey yeah!” Leo says with enthusiasm. “Almost as pretty as the real me.”

He’s going to have to destroy it later, but he doesn’t say that, because Mikey is beaming.

Instead he says, “Next time I give you food, will you just eat it?”

Mikey’s face falls anyway, so it didn’t matter. “You have to eat, too.”

“I do eat.”

“Those yucky nutrition blocks,” says Mikey, crinkling his nose.

“Hey, I like ‘em,” Leo lies. “That’s why I don’t mind giving you my watermelon.”

Mikey is still frowning. He shuffles back a little on the rock.

“…You don’t have to protect me all the time,” he says.

Leo’s grin doesn’t falter, doesn’t slip, no matter how much it hurts. He can’t afford it.

He reaches over and pulls Mikey into a headlock, ignoring all protests as he rubs his knuckles, hard, against the top of Mikey’s head.

“Of course I do,” he says, chuckling in the face of Mikey’s flailing. “What kind of big brother would I be if I didn’t?”

[lazyrants]

Dr. Rottenstein (prod 116)

Original airdate: September 27, 2004

Story by Rocky Garibaldi, Tom K. Mason, Dan Danko, Magnus Scheving

Written by Noah Zachary, Cole Louie, Magnus Scheving

Directed by Magnus Scheving

Executive producers - Magnus Scheving, Ragnheidur Melsted, Raymond P. Le Gue, Mark Read, Brown Johnson, Kay Wilson Stallings

Starring Magnus Scheving, Stefan Karl Steffanson, Julianna Rose Mauriello

Puppeteers - Ronald Binion, Gudmondor Thor Karason, Jodi Eichelberger, David Matthew Feldman, Julie Westwood, Amanda Maddock

Rottenstein is one of the most recognized episodes of the show. So today I'm going to be revisiting it.

The episode begins with an awesome Sportacus move that was taken from the pilot in 2003 - he throws a watermelon in the air, does a cartwheel, jumps in the air and does a handstand on the watermelon. Then he stands up, kicks the watermelon and then does the power jump. Then he eats the watermelon. Not only is it the best trick he's ever done but the melon doesn't break!

The episode begins with the LazyTown kids growing some sports candy in their.. well.. gardening clothes. Stingy has marked everything he's grown with a sign that says 'Mine' (A lil bit excessive) Ziggy attempts to carry a box full of tomatoes because he's the world's strongest hero.

However he manages to carry it.. actually Sportacus does. Ziggy ponders about how Sportacus is so strong and then he says he gets it from Sports Candy (a carrot). But Robbie is eavesdropping. We all know where this'll go, right..?

He then does a cool flip to demonstrate. However, his crystal beeps and he frontflips over Robbie out of the screen. Robbie then asks himself about 'HOW HE DOES THAT?!?!' when Sportacus literally just explained it. Everyone tells Ziggy to EAT THE CARROT but Robbie stops him.

Robbie asks Ziggy how Sportacus gets his strength and Ziggy says 'this'. Robbie mistakes the carrot for a box. LOL! Might be the funniest moment in the episode. Ziggy starts talking about how he is going to eat them for the rest of his life, then Robbie leaves. Ziggy then forgets everything he just said and decides to have it later.

Meanwhile in his lair, Robbie Rotten, the man that despises health, fruits, vegetables, exercise and sports-candy, is examining his very own sports candy. A carrot. He then realises that if anyone has sports-candy that they will be moving around and healthy, like a sickness.

Then he has the great idea to make Sportscandy sound like a sickness, which will mean the kids won't eat Sports Candy. He decides it is disguise time and he walks through the wardrobe, shaking his head and blubbering (LOL) until he gets a doctor outfit.

So, anyways, they sing 'Good Stuff' (I used to be obsessed with this song) and in between moves Robbie is seen sprinkling dots onto the food that the kids are growing. Ziggy gets some spots on his 'sick' lollipop and him too. Everyone has some spots and they don't know. Once again a really smart plan (but didn't last long)

Dr. Rottenstein "examines" them and he says that it is a rare case off the spotty vegititius - the rarest disease in the entire world. Then he announces that to cure it they must eat junk food.

He also says that the person whose name starts with S and flippity flops around a lot (it took them about 6 guesses, even when Robbie said 'a name starting with S', someone guessed Pixel) must stay away from LazyTown forever.

Everyone is devastated (I would be too) but Sportacus knows something is wrong. He writes letters to Stephanie, Ziggy and Pixel. Meanwhile, Stephanie is lazing around in bed while Milford has given her a tray full of.. peanut butter, marshmallows, chocolate, fries, burgers, butterscotch, chocolate syrup, soda and shakes. I am just surprised nothing fell off. Props to the producers.

Sportacus does his usual routine to send letters (he sends Stephanie's first.. hinty hint?), but Ziggy is the only one who actually knows he got a letter (he was also super excited to dig in until he realized the dots were fake). Maybe it's just me, or does Ziggy progressively become a better character over episode? But at the start of a new season he's back to square one.

Meanwhile, Robbie is enjoying his life. Junk food and television. He couldn't be happier! Ya do realize where this is going, right? He's the villian, he will never ever ever EVER EVER EVER!! catch a break.

Anyways, during a ridiculous use of metaphors (It's not like sports candy just comes from the air!), he realizes Sportacus has a bunch of sportscandy and sports equipment in his airship. He has a plan to make a small visit to the airship once Sportacus leaves.

Sportacus has still left his ladder up while meeting Ziggy. Ziggy tells Sportacus about how the disease was fake and that they were actually getting worse from their junk food. Meanwhile, Sportacus' airship flies away and he has to go get it back.

Robbie is in the airship and this is just so shocking to me. I'm just used to seeing Robbie in dark places with inventions and gadgets, but now he is in his worst enemies' airship. The following sequence is pretty funny. He messes with buttons and manages to get himself hurt.

Anyways, he messes with this pedal looking thing and the airship goes cuckoo thanks to Sportacus fighting the ladder. He looks completely crazy while doing it, but it's kinda cool he can basically carry an entire airship.

Ziggy is going to his friends' houses and begging for their help but they are too weak and lazy thanks to the junk food. So Ziggy decides to finally eat that carrot he was supposed to and he throws some carrots through his friend's windows. Character development is awesome!

He becomes determined and cool in a circling shot and acts like a ninja throwing stars. Everyone takes a bite of the carrots he gave them and they all become strong enough to help Sportacus. They hold the ladder for him while he goes to save Rottenstein.

So anyways, Sportacus connects Rottenstein to a rope and pushes him off that little piece of floor that comes with the pole (what is that CALLED?!). He makes it safe. Then comes an awesome sequence when Sportacus stops the ship from crashing into Milford's house.

Milford didn't really care about potentially dying, but more about his new paint job nearly being ruined. Anyways, they all sing Bing Bang and the episode ends with Robbie sitting on that carrot he was examining. He throws it, but it bounces off the walls and woulda hit his face if he didn't block it with a plate (the carrot was actually already on the plate).

This ending scene wouldn't be as funny without Stefan Karl's hilarious acting.

In all honestly - good morale, good song, good climax, and episode.

8.5/10

[rainbowgothdisaster]

im coining toxic neutrality

where you dont fall into "be happy all the time :D" but you definitely try to exclude negative emotions even when its a detriment to your mental health. youre not constantly looking for the bright side when there isnt, but you're still looking away from the dark side

so heres a reminder to me that being upset at something literally happening in the moment is not dwelling on negativity

~~

anyways i do actually need some positivity bcuz its been rough and when its rough i do end up dwelling on the past as well so like-

i started playing animal crossing again did new years for the first time bcuz usually im burnt out or busy this time of year, it was fun! im mostly just adding a few cyute things and trying to finish my collections since finally getting all the fruit from my cousin over the summer (ive played since launch basically but never played with another person)

we had to buy new joycons bcuz my left one was completely busted and made it unusable, and we got the purple/orange ones! i wanted the pink/green bcuz watermelon is my fav colour combination and pink is my fav colour, but they were out but it works out bcuz purple is my second fav and orange is my brothers fav, plus halloween is like 2nd best colour combo

my brother went to a friends house for new years which is the first either of us has done a new years party so im really happy for him! i hope he had a lot of fun and smoked responsibly even tho i know he only did one of those things lol

i still have fudge left and imma eat it in a moment!! i also have 1 chocolate truffle left to eat as well!! we have chocolate chip muffins and lofthouse cookies and chocolate bundt cake!!

i helped load the dishwasher and clean the stove and organize our food stuffs

i had to move into the office (we have a day bed in here) but!! that means i have my own room!! even if the doors have giant windows and its basically a sauna, i do have 4 (technically 6, weird shaped room) walls that define my space. and even if the reason sucks i have all my stuff in here too!! ill try to go thru and straighten it up later

i have an in person therapy appointment on the 20th, and imma look rad as hell with my new clothes and shit!!

[trendfag]

ok the REASON i needed a drink is that ok im going to arizona flying into phoenix well i had a layover in kansas city but there was bad weather in kc today so my first flight got delayed like an hour and so i missed my connecting flight and you know i had a really stressful week filling in for my mom like have you ever been an autistic trans girl filling in for an office manager of a dentist office? that shit is stressful!!! AND i met with an advisor at a community college to enroll in some classes on wednesday and NO ONE knew i was even in the process of enrolling in classes except for my therapist…i told my boss who is my moms best friend because she was talking to one of my coworkers about going from working mon tue wed to tue wed thurs…and so i was like wellll i just enrolled in classes for tues thirs…i was kind if implying like “please keep doing mon tue wed because i just enrolled in classes for tues thurs and i want to keep working here” but she said like after being like omg thats so great bc shes my moms best friend and so she cares about me as a person she was like “well dont worry about it you can come in just whenever youre free dont worry about it” which is very nice i do love my boss she is really so great i cannot rave enough about my boss like yes she is my moms best friend but i see her like fighting herself because shes caught in the whole “i need ti charge more because i have a family i need to support” vs “i am in dentistry because i want to help people feel good about their teeth and im very empathetic and i want to just do everything for everyone but also if i do that then i wont be able to send my children to the schools i want them to go to including my son with a learning disability but who loves the school specifically for kids with learning disabilities that i decided would be good for him after seeing how he didnt do well in the school his brother goes to” like you know i love my boss sorry i dont remwbwr what this was all about uhmmmmmmmmm…………ok but anyway i like chose my classes so id still be able to work most of the time theyre open but its fine its whatever also im sure my mom will probably talk her out of it….if im being completely honest i dont remember what this post was originally supposed to be about im drunk off two shots of tequila + a can of redbull sorry…i still have like an hour and a half before i start boarding! im going to eat like a chicken sandwich there is one that has avocado yayayayayayayayay

ok basically i was saying ive been really stresseed all week because i had to answer phones and make calls abf basically be the face of the practice (except all my coworkers are soooooo nice and considerate and think about me it wasnt like THAT bad) but it was still stressful like even watching my mom do her job is stressful sometimes much less doing it MYSELF!?!?!! so i got a drink because of my work and also because i missed my connecting flight so now im drunk…like that feels so stupid to be like yeah im drunk off two shots of tequila plus a redbull red (watermelon flavor it literally didnt cover the tequila at all) i think i might text my friend from college…anyway im here at my gate i still have like two hours before boarding im going to watch drag race lol…i thi k i’ll go to the bathroom first anf maybe get something to eat well i am hungry…i should text my cousins as well

[th-inprogress]

ok I spent most of the morning feeling like absolute shit bc I was just like. so hungover lol. but after I got over that I spent most of the day just walking around exploring and shit and enjoying myself. I literally ate like nothing for the first half of the day bc I could hardly keep anything down and vomited up my vitamins and all the painkillers I tried to take but I did eat a small “breakfast” as like a late lunch.. and then a whole bunch for dinner and some treats too sooo I gotta go run tmrw for sure lol. Which should be fine bc hopefully I’ll have all this bullshit making me feel gross out of my system by then. gonna eat a good bit tomorrow too but then I’m going swimming and running and it’s gonna be an active day so I think that’ll make up for it 🥲 anyway. Intake time bc I deserve to feel like shit:

2 Eggs spinach and onion ommy and some oj

Watermelon

Almond milk mocha

Ramen bowl and some like pork bun appetizer

Boba tea

A tiny fudge square and a v small ice cream

Ik breakfast/lunch alone was prob like 500 even tho I vommed some of that lol

The rest could easily have been like 2000 or 3000 total so who really knows. I probably was eating at maintenance but the sugar is making me feel sooo bloated so I’m gonna try to eat mostly veg tmrw and not let myself drink any sugary bs or anything and track it all super well

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

my thoughts on possession* that literally no one asked for, xD:

*i mean ns5, not, like, owning property or smth😭 keep reading under the cut, rip your browser though-

- the ghost whip was apparently supposed to be remixed off the ghostbusters theme?? i haven't watched the latter, but idk man, that's pretty cool:D

the fact that the scriptwriters decided to make a teenage emo ghost with awesome hair and too much eyeliner more threatening than the literal embodiment of this show's version of Hell is,,, wild tbh 

the air has water (well, moisture) in it, and food has water in it... like wouldn't it be weird if ghosts could just accumulate enough water on their corporal forms from the air and food and stuff and then slowly dissolve, because of like, eating too much watermelon or something- 

@/wojira made an awesome post (i don't have the link:() about how they'd realized that water is fatal to ghosts probably because it's one of the most important things animals need to live, and that's just such a cool idea 

yang LAUGHED when the others found out cole was dead. he. freaking. laughed. i haven't watched day of the departed but that's,,, geez, that's pretty horrible- 

also!! y'all, back me up here: when you read a post that has the abbreviation 'dotd', i can't be the only one that mentally hears it as 'dotted'?? or am i just weird😭

possession is the only season from one to seven not to have a 'companion' song by the fold:( but day of the departed does have close the circle yk? 

anyways- i'd really like to know what exactly the fsm died from, and how he died? like he could literally create anything couldn't he just create an elixir or life or smthand also!!! i really really want to know whether he was dying from whatever it was and went 'oh shoot, gotta protect the realm crystal, lemme just create a tomb-maze-puzzle real quick!' or he created said tomb-maze-puzzle a while before his death and when he was dying he just went down to the cave and lay there...... 

also this is tragically hilarious, i wasn't sure if i should laugh or cry when i first read it, but- if you search 'morro' on google, the first thing to come up is something called morro..... bay.... 

bay, as in, huge thingamajig of water- i think i've got a new fav antagonist, y'all. the scriptwriters!! 

what happened to all of yang's students, like, before they got ghosted. i wonder what he did to do them for all those years, tbh. like was he actually a teacher, just a really strict one, or straight up horrible? (i know i know, dotted- i'll watch it at some point) 

morro also kinda sounds like "to-morro":(- okay, i'll stop now 

for a homeless orphan who then lived in a monastery with a really strict teacher, i would love to know how morro got access to bleach and hair dye,,,, like, did wu buy it for him or was it a side effect of his powers or,,, actually, now i wanna write this- 😭

who actually sends ppl to the cursed realm? like,,, it seemed to be the show's version of Hell (all the villains were sent there after they died, wu and garmadon sent the anacondrai generals there too), but who DECIDES who goes there, yk...??

the entire season can literally be summed up by this thing my friends and i use sometimes:(((: 😃🔫 

cloud kingdom is basically the show's version of 'what came first, the chicken or the egg' and i'm not sure if i should love that or want to scream every time im reminded of it, because, like, FREAKING GOSH DID THEY WRITE THEMSELVES INTO EXISTENCE OR WAS IT THE FSM OR WAS IT ANOTHER THING LIKE AHHHHHNNGGGG I NEED TO KNOW- 

mmmmmm mmmmm puffy potstickers 

also, how can ghosts gain weight, like, they're legit green misty foggy things-  def gonna reblog and add some more, this is fun, lol- also, thanks for reading if you read all this weird rambling, xD. if you have any similar thoughts or questions, feel free to put them in the chat or the tags!:D

[bluewinnerangel]

Didn't Niall say the person in no judgement was a lover and "you know it happened a couple times " when I heard that I assumed it was a romantic/sexual relationship... How does that fit in with Harry? (Im scared to ask if y'all are shipping narry now)

asklfdjsldkfja help me out here asdkjashdkjha yeah so I just rbed 2 i guess "opposing" posts.

this collective shitpost - and @ialwaysknewyouwerepunk actual good analysis but ok let's honor her mimosa wishes and call that a shitpost too

I don't know how to turn this into a coherent story, i used all my braincells on the other discourse today so youre just gonna get a bulletpointed mess LOL

people can lie

songs with initial non-romantic/sexual meanings often get a little spin on them to make them more 'attractive',

if that's a little added layer to the song the writers went for it makes sense for Niall to spice up the song like this

Niall has made a bunch of nods to it pointing to harry

the entire alternate MV with the kid is very harry

the banana eating in the MV with the elderly couple

the watermelons in the back of that one too

he's literally said "no judgement" when asked about harry('s fashion choices)

like i really feel this lil shit is pointing to it

I don't know what all happened behind the scenes and even if "it happened a couple of times" like, NO JUDGEMENT!? it doesn't invalidate any other relationship dynamics they might have? Not that I think so but... "y'all are shipping narry now" isnt very no judgementy now is it lol

but don't take music and their insinuated meanings so literal

maybe he even put the "i can be your lover" in there as a little nod to that they were all, all 5 of them, shipped around and just being pretty close and like... joked around pretending to flirt and yaknow "I can be your lover" in front of cameras all the time (as uh... some others couldn't)

anyway i think no judgement is about Niall himself most of all and his dynamics with the other 4 1D boys, mainly Harry as I feel he's judged most and has shown struggles of wanting to break out of it and be himself the most (or maybe, his self diverts the most of how he's portrayed maybe, who knows), but maybe all of them.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #463

“the siren sings a lonely song of all the wants & hungers  /  the lust of love, a brute desire”

Describe the person that you would like to be in three years. I want my mental health to be in great condition, I really want to be in much better physical shape, ideally be living with somebody in our own place, have a job I'm happy with, have an improved social life, my own license and car... Think back to when you first met your significant other (or ex). Was your first impression of them accurate? It's funny, I honestly don't remember what my first impression of Girt was. I don't even recall our first interaction. I'm sure it was most likely that he was friendly, because he is and always has been. What is your most noticeable personality trait? Probably that I'm really, really shy. What kind of natural disaster is most common where you live? Hurricanes. Which of your family members do you resemble the most? I guess one of my immediate sisters? People tend to say stuff like they can definitely tell we're related. Have you ever had an animal get into your attic? No. Who knows you better than anyone else? Hell, probably whoever reads these. When was the last time you started a “new chapter” of your life? I guess you could call dating Girt a "new chapter." I have a much, much stronger feeling of this attempt being more successful than the last now that I've been able to change my angle on how I see him. What’s the most expensive thing your car needed to get done? I don't have my own vehicle and never have. If you had a thousand dollars to spend on a pricey brand you like but can’t really afford (until now of course), which ONE brand would you choose? *shrug* Most products of highly expensive brands I find hideous anyway. Do you still talk to any of your old teachers? Yeah. One is a close family friend and actually our landlord. Does your family still use the home phone or are you all on cell phones now? We haven't had a landline is yeeeeaaarrrrsssss. Ever go to another school’s prom? No; my boyfriend went to the same school as me. Do you ever venture into the woods? What do you normally do there? No; we live in the city now. :/ When I DID live in the woods, I absolutely loved wandering around with my camera for stuff to take pics of. Does your significant other ever make you mix CDs? None ever have but omg I wish that would be adorable. How did you dress your freshman year of high school? I was one of them emo kids. Would you ever date your best friend of the opposite sex? WELP that's what I'm doing lol. Would you say you have a high sex drive or not so much? I'd call it normal? Higher sometimes, lower other times, but not to either extreme. Come with an unpopular opinion. Silent Hill: Homecoming is a great game and while there's a lot of fan service from the movie, it belongs in the series. It's actually my second (or third)-favorite installment. Most of the SH community absolutely hate that game. What’s the worst thing a friend has either done or said to you? A lot of shit Colleen would say if we got into arguments. She'd ridicule effects of my depression, said I'd never know what it's like to pay my own bills, stuff like that. She's hateful as fuck and everything cut deep. What’s fake about you? Like extensions, fake nails, botox etc. Nothing physical. If you got the chance, would you audition for a reality show? No. Have you ever gotten into a Facebook fight? More than once. What’s the cheesiest thing you’ve ever experienced irl? Hm, I'm unsure. Favorite flavor of jelly bean? Probably watermelon. Do you use Tinder? If yes, have you ever met up with someone you matched? No. You do you, but if I understand Tinder correctly, it just seems... really shallow to me. Like don't you JUST see their picture to decide if you're interested or not? It just enforces the false belief that appearance really matters in love. You just poured your heart out to your crush and all he/she does is respond “k”. What do you respond/do? Well, I don't have a crush anymore; my boyfriend and I literally exchanged "I love you"s last night. That's not a crush. But for the sake of the question, I'll imagine I was single and this happened, in which case I would be both hurt and annoyed. Like, either tell me you return the feelings or not. It's not hard. What's your favorite thing to order from McDonald’s? I usually get a quarter pounder w/ cheese or a McDouble, occasionally with a small or medium fry, depending on how hungry I am. When do you feel your sexiest? Never, hunny. What's your favorite emoji? I don't really have one? It just depends on what the situation calls for. What’s your skincare routine? I don't really have one... I just use a washcloth to clean my face. Who all out of your immediate family smokes? My dad and stepmom. Do you like incense or candles better? Incense, totally. Do you respect your parents? Yeah. What’s your bf/gf’s name? It's technically Donald Jr., but since high school, I've known him as Girt, a nickname I won't explain for his privacy. Do you wear glasses? Yeah. Do you like The Beatles? I honestly don't. Except "Hey, Jude." What was the last reason you got excited? Last night. When we were saying goodbye, I was scared to, but I told Girt I loved him, and he immediately said it back confidently. My heart did like five flips. I'm still over the moon about it. Yes, we just got back together, but we've been in each other's lives as a constant since HS, and after changing my angle of how I looked at him, it's not at all platonic anymore. Do you know anyone who drinks the pickle juice from the jar? Sara does alskdjfklwejrl;er Name something crazy that’s happened recently? Uhhhh... I dunno. My life is very uneventful to have something really "crazy" happen. Can you say for a fact that you’re happy right now? I'm happy about some things, but also nervous and self-doubtful. Have you ever zip lined? No, but they look fun. I'd just be really scared of losing my grip. If you broke your computer, would you be able to fix it on your own? Ha, no. Have you ever been on a boat and got sick? No, but the one time I was at the beach and on a boat riding to an island, I was TERRIFIED I was going to get sick because of the waves. I didn't, thankfully. Did you sleep well last night? For the most part. My new mask might just be working. Do your parents try and plan your life for you? Not at all. Do you have any pictures of you kissing someone? Yes. List two things about yourself that you find embarrassing. My weight and how dark my leg hair is. Do you like to cuddle with your pet when you are sad? Yes. Do you find piercing attractive or unattractive? h o t Do you have any secret hiding spots in your room? To put money, yes. Do you like parmesan cheese on your spaghetti? Ew, no. I don't like parmesan. Does your best girl friend have any talents that you don’t? Yeah. She can animate well, for one. And sing like a fucking champ. Do you have any video game systems in your room? Which one(s)? My Nintendo DS Lite is in here. Well, and my laptop is a gaming one. What color eyes does the last person you kissed have? ... Oh WOW I've known this man for a fuckin decade and somehow I'm not sure??? But I want to say light blue? Have you ever taken a ride in a helicopter? No. Have you ever visited hot springs? No. How slowly or quickly would you say you eat? I'm aware I eat too fast, because my mom will point it out almost without fail if we eat in sight of each other. I'm not a messy eater at all, just... fast. Chewing your food and swallowing isn't a complex task. I've made active efforts to slow down, I just haven't been able to succeed. It doesn't feel normal. That and I've come to discover that when I chew food TOO much, I don't like the mushy texture of it in my mouth. What did you do the last time you were with friends? Yesterday Girt and I planned to watch shitty Netflix anime for some laughs, but we wound up starting Attack on Titan, which I am officially pretty into. What kind of cologne/perfume do you like the opposite sex to wear? I don't care if they wear any or not, so long as they know how to clean themselves and therefore not actually smell bad. If you celebrate Christmas, do you get a real tree or an artificial tree? We always use a fake one. Is there someone who means a lot to you but they don’t know that? My sisters probably don't, really... Is money important to you? Live your whole life poor and I want to see you answer "no" to this. Have you ever watched a meteor shower? No. Do you like Slim Jims? LOOOOOOOVE them. Would you rather write a mystery or love story? Love story. Are you muscular? No. Working for it. Do you have one of those removable hand-held shower heads? Yes. Originally, this house didn't, but I hated it so much that Mom bought one. How many burners does your stove have? Four. Has your car ever been broken into? Mom's hasn't.

[mellohyi]

wooowowowoo i miss summer camp so much

like this is my second year without going and as much as it sucked i loved it

there is a large rant about the place and like every single living detail i remember about it under the cut (is that the right phrase to use for this idk)

like the big field with the train tracks next to it and the beehives on one edge. i miss throwing a frisbee for my few friends there and laughing when i would get it stuck in a tree or they would throw it and it would go so far away. and i miss jumping on the trampoline and getting so pissed off (jokingly) at the dudes spending like 10 decades on it and because i was the only british person there they would be somewhat scared of me? so i would literally stare at them somewhat angrily and with my shitty latvian accent complain about how long they are taking and they would get off LMAO it only worked on the dudes younger than me but it worked... and the basketball on the small court !!! :D im not good at like,, throwing ball type games tbh? but like this court was magical because like 9/10 i would actually get it in and score a point and i loved how,, rapid (?) the games were like if you failed to get it in at a certain point you would be out and you had to get it in to stay in the game !!

and i remember the lake!!! it had a lot of those thingies.. oysters? idk i googled it and thats what they looked like. i can still remember the feeling of them and they were sharp LMAO and there was a zipline thing you could go on and it would take you to the middle of the lake and you could jump into it from there. and there was a game we played where we would be in two teams and then we would send a person down the zipline and if they fell in we would all have to do i think 10? pushups and it was fun cheering on people from the small platforms next to the zipline !! and we used to build a sorta dodgy looking sauna using some planks of wood and a big blue tarp that was held down by some rocks and we would collect sticks to make a fire with and then we would go sit in it and just talk and chill in the sauna. not everyone wanted to go, understandably considering iirc i put it off the first year i went but then tried it the next and loved it, so there was enough room for all of us to comfortable sit and even lie down on the log benches !! and we even had like,, bay leaf sticks with the leaves on it and stuff and we would dunk them into a bucket of water and then gently hit someone who was lying down as a like,,, relaxation thing? and it was so nice and it smelt SO GOOD it smelt like wood and grass and nature and it was sweet in a savoury way and i miss the smell so much just thinking about it. like you could literally smell the bay leaves because of the water evaporating after you take it out the bucket. and the hot air was so much harder to breathe when you stood up and it felt thicker and the air lower to the ground was cool so when you found it hard to breathe you would basically stick your head onto the grass to get a bit of cool and it felt so good !! and we would take breaks to drink water and pour cold water on ourselves or we would go into the lake though the last time i went a lot of the lake had dried up D: but its okay because i still have good memories with the lake when it wasnt like that. once during the sauna we went in the lake after and the sky was so clear like i could see all the stars and i could see the big dipper and it was just so beautiful. i even used the zipline to get into the lake that time as well and it was just so magical. i was kinda like,, sleepy (?) so i kinda was just not fully there so it was like so much cooler because i didnt feel real during it and it was just amazing.

omg and the activities we would do. we went on a hike in a forest and it was SO COOL like we would have to go climb up the steep hill that separated the field area and the train tracks and we would literally go onto the train tracks and at the time there wasnt any trains so we got to literally touch the tracks and we would go into the forest and IT WAS SO COOL like the light came in at a perfect angle and it was so pretty and we would pick blueberries and aaaaaaaa it was so amazing !! and we would split up and walk to an area to play some games using the trees and it was amazing. and also we would just do sports games using the field but also we went BIKING!!!! they had so many bikes for the people who didnt bring their own and we would go on the bikes and cycle to some sand dunes literally like 5 minutes away from the place and climb up them and jump and stuff and we carved tic tac toe grids into the stable parts and played and it was so fun AND I LITERALLY SAW A LIZARD CLIMB UP ONE OF THE EDGES INTO THE GRASS LMAO and we also cycled to a lake

this one to be exact!! and we would jump off from the small pier thing and swim around back to the edge and it had sand and a slide and it was generally really fun cycling to and from there. i did cause multiple crashes with the bikes while cycling there LMAO mainly because my brain just tends to blow things out of proportion for no reason and like LMAO someone would start coming a bit closer to me and i would panic and stop and then everyone behind me would then have to immediately stop and they would crash into me.. like once i got my cousin to come with me and someone looked like they were gonna go behind my cousin who was in front of me and i panicked because i didnt want to be separated from her so i just stopped because i was panicking too much and everyone behind me crashed into me LMAO and they were all like 'bruuuuh' but anyways it was really fun cycling there because i went past the place my aunt on my mums side got married + the place my uncle on my dads side got married (no they did not marry each other it was separate weddings) !! a few times i didnt go cycling because i just didnt feel good and didnt want to go but it was okay in the end because i was all alone in the cabin and i would just sleep and draw while waiting for them to come back and they would flood in cycling down the small hill that leads to the field and has the bike area and i would just see them from the porch of the cabin and it was cool :D

mMmMmmmmmMMM and the food area !! we would usually sit inside the pizzeria (because the place was also a pizzeria more on that later) and it was fun because we had breakfast, lunch, dinner + a night snack thing (its called naksniņas) and like even though im usually the pickest eater at the camp and they had to make exceptions for me because we werent allowed dessert at lunch unless we ate all our food like i still got to eat a lot lol like there was usually something i could eat even if i couldnt eat all of it and the juice was so nice and ngl i kinda liked being on the like,,, duty of having to set up before the meals + clean up after because getting all the stuff and setting it up was just so peaceful and calm and i loved it and mmmmsmsmsmsmsm it was so cool and THE NIGHT SNACK THING WAS LITERALLY THE BEST it was practically dessert for dinner but right before bed + we would do an activity after dinner before it !! i talked to my dad and figured out the spelling of the word because im not that good at latvian atm and mmmm . also like we would have tea and it was so good !! we would also have a small snack like a biscuit or cereal bar and it was so nice good way to end the day :D

i also lost an entire waterbottle there dont ask how

the cabins were nice because i usually end up on the second floor level thing of it and theres a small window on it !! and a cool ladder to get up to it though its a pain when camp first starts + when it finishes because you have to pack everything up while trying to not hit your head on any of the beams or the slant of the cabin roof and you have to haul everything up and down... other than that its so fun because theres small holes (like,,, really small. cant fit a pen down it) and when the people in the two rooms below that cabin spot are being pisstaking you can pour water down it and they shut up LMAO its really funny because they see the water dripping and get more pissed off and then become less annoying and we used to slip them notes to tell them to shut up LMAO also listened into their convos to be annoying too

anyways to finish off with my favouritest things ever about it. last day we would make pizzas and your family would be there and you could make multiple pizzas ! i usually made one for my parents / family and then one for myself and my sister because we r really picky and dont like cheese . and it was so fun and the pizzas were SO GOOD and i share the other pizza thats not mine with my family because i hate cheese and they are happy too. i also love the one evening where we cook dinner ourselves i think thats the sauna night as well but omg its so nice we have dough balls to wrap around a stick and asduidfohih its so nice omg i love them so much right because we take the stick and then toast them over a fire and when you do them right its a tiny bit doughy on the inside but a safe amount and its like,, slightly crispy in a good way on the outside so amazing and like you can put stuff in it like cheese and ketchup and stuff but i just eat mine plain and they are so good mmmamMMm and we also have watermelon iirc and it was so good overall like best evening of the camp :)

anyways i love camp and i miss it

[canaryatlaw]

it’s late, and I do have to get up in the morning, though I may just go back to sleep afterwards. my church has been having very limited gatherings over the past few weeks, and in March they’re planning on opening them somewhat more, and restarting our kids program as well, so kids have somewhere to go while their parents are in the service, and tomorrow morning we’re having a training on how that all will take place, I’m assuming it’ll mostly be covering new protocols and the technicalities of how everything will work. They are holding it in person at the church but also on Zoom, and I’m just going to do Zoom of course because I am still always hesitant about going out, and an uber down to where it is is going to run me at least $25 each way, but I’m definitely not at a place where I can go back to public transit, not just because of the pandemic but more because of my stupid, not working legs that would definitely not cooperate with the distances of walking required to use public transit, even if it’s just a few blocks, it’s too much. I am still concerned that being at church and with the babies isn’t going to work well- that things are going to go wrong, like they did with soccer, and it’ll just be a dismal failure and I’ll be even more frustrated and upset with myself, but I have to try. I have to at least know there’s a reason I’m not doing something, not just too scared to take a chance and wind up stuck in my apartment for the rest of my life. I just hope nothing goes wrong especially when I’m with the babies because that concerns me greatly, but it’s really not like it would pose an actual risk to anybody, even if I’m like holding a baby I can control it enough that I can get to a sitting position and stable before I let it go and let it flail around until it gets its fill. I’m sure I’m going to have to give the other workers a disclaimer at the beginning of the service so they won’t be super alarmed or concerned if something happens, though I’ll still be pissed as hell that it did happen because I just hate feeling helpless oh so much, and just being in positions where I have to rely on other people to help me just drives me nuts, I don’t like sympathy I don’t like pity, don’t feel bad for me please, I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ll be fine, I can control this. I’m in control. 

sigh. that’s what I keep telling myself at least. I should probably actually get to describing my day now that I went on a whole rant about that. Alarm went off at 8:30 because it’s the Saturday of our once a month church legal clinic, which starts on Zoom at 8:45 for a brief powwow with everyone, then at 9 we start the consultation with the client until 9:45 at which point we go back and chat with everybody, and end roughly around 10. my friend from school that I know has been going to the same church as me for some time but of course between pandemic and everything else I haven’t actually seen her face to face, but I knew she was doing the justice center too and we were both in the general zoom room before we started so I private messaged her just a few things saying hi haha so that was cool. The actual consultation was fine, I’m always so anxious they’re going to ask me about stuff I don’t know about, but I did know this was another divorce case, and while I definitely don’t handle divorces at my actual work, it coincides with my work a lot of the time and from being in family law focused spaces I’ve learned quite a bit about it, so I know my way around it fairly well. this was a bit more complicated case so I did recommend she consult with a legal aid attorney to hopefully help her file things, because this was fair beyond what a self-represented litigant could handle, even with a legal advice clinic and the great resources we have to help pro se litigants, it was just way too much. but we got a start on things so she can at least have something to take to the attorney, so all of that was easy peasy. the notes we got prior to the consultation were from the client coordinator speaking to her earlier in the week, and also included a line that was like “I need a divorce, I know it’s wrong but...” and went on to cite spiritual and cultural baggage surrounding it, so when we were at the end of the session I just told her that something we say a lot in my work (we don’t actually say it a lot, generally just when spiritual concerns are interfering with a victim’s safety, which thankfully isn’t often, but the point is the same) is that people are more important than institutions, and that her worth as a person is much more important than the existence of a marriage that has clearly broken down beyond a state of repair by so much mistreatment and bad behavior from her spouse. And I really just felt like it was important to tell her that she is doing the right thing here, and that she should not feel guilty about doing this, even that it is explicitly stated in the bible (by Jesus, no less) that divorce is allowed when the woman (or either spouse practically) is being abused, and that emotional abuse is just as valid as any other type of abuse, and taking steps to protect herself was the best thing she could be doing right now. so I clearly had a lot of feelings about that, and our client support coordinator (that’s not what their actual title is but that’s what we call their equivalent at my job so it’s good enough) really echoed it and affirmed it from a cultural perspective as well (coordinator was Asian, client was South Asian) and the client ended up in tears and I just felt satisfied that I was able to get that message across, because very few things truly piss me off more than “Christians” trying to “save a marriage” at the cost of the safety of one of the parties, and it’s been well documented that abusers can very easily manipulate counseling situations and paint the other party out to be the one that is being ungodly because they want out of the marriage, and it’s a giant load of bullshit that loses sight of the importance of a human being and it’s such a perversion of what God actually wants for his children and is just the result of legalism taken to an extreme and people’s welfare not actually taken into consideration, only the rules. Thankfully I haven’t run into this situation too many times while doing this work (I can think of two off the top of my head, and both of those very clearly stuck with me, even several years later), and I have encountered a very opposite situation of a pastor being incredibly supportive and even accompanying the client to file and for court dates, and it was just so heartening for me to see- the pastor wrote me an email later that night saying thank you again, and I just expressed that as a Christian myself, I had so much gratitude at seeing his supporting a member of his church so strongly. so that positive experience has stuck with me at least. anyway. we wrapped things up and I did consider going back to bed lol but ended up choosing to stay up, I’ve had such a baking itch and now have a lot of things I have to eat haha but I had seen something a while back about caramelizing white chocolate, which sounded super intriguing and I really wanted to try it, but it very strongly focused on having high quality white chocolate for it to work, so I tried to get the fanciest I could from my instacart order and I couldn’t find the cocoa butter percentage listed (that’s apparently the most important part) so I thought it probably wasn’t good enough, but I was going to try anyway. it basically involves a low-temp oven (like 250f) with it being spread out on a baking sheet, and every ten minutes taking it out and like spreading it as it darkens and such, for like an hour. so I had started doing that but it was pretty obvious from the start it wasn’t going to work how it should, it was very grainy and just not cooperating, at around that same time friend messaged and asked if I wanted to do one of our taco bell and target runs that we’ve been doing lately like right then, and there wasn’t much else I could do with the chocolate at that point so I left that and got real clothes on and left for taco bell and then target. I was disappointed to find out taco bell’s build your own cravings box could only be ordered from their mobile app and not the drive-in, but as a result I ended up with chicken chalupas instead of my regular “seasoned beef” (because you know that’s deff high quality stuff) and they were actually really good, so I may continue those in the future, lol we’ll see. so we sat in the home depot parking lot to eat like we normally do then drove over to Target (the taco bell is farther away, so we have to drive there and then back to the Target) and go from there. I didn’t need too many things, mostly just toilet paper and a few random food items, and I ended up with toilet paper, a pint of my super favorite ice cream that’s like $8 but is so damn good it’s worth it, some actual popsicles, some lemonade (my sodastream canisters are MIA at the moment so I needed something else to make my water at least somewhat appealing), and these little frozen crushed garlic cubes that are each equal to one clove of garlic and I’ve heard very good things about, so I wanted to try that since I couldn’t find any garlic while making the chicken scampi the other night. so we checked out and I ended up obtaining a watermelon mountain dew, because I saw that and knew I needed to have it, though I still had baja blast left from taco bell, so the watermelon one is in my fridge yet to be opened (it’s a 20 oz bottle, not like a 2 liter). from there I got dropped off at home and put some stuff away and worked on a few things, eventually watching a few episodes of Scrubs before remembering I had some stuff recorded still that I hadn’t finished, so I watched 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star, which were of course very good, and while viewing was looking at various recipes for oreo rice krispie treats which I’d had a random craving for and bought supplies from instacart the other day, and after reading a few I decided to just kinda make up my own rules and go with it haha I had to revive some slightly stale marshmallows (put them in a ziploc and then in a bowl of hot water until they soften) as well as some stale oreos (350f in the oven for 3 minutes), though there only ended up being like 4 left in that pack and the rest from the new one, so that worked. I browned like 6 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and then transferred it to a big pot, addedt the old marshmallows (like 3/4 of a bag) as well as a bag of new ones, then crushed up most of the oreos and mixed them with a good amount of rice krispies and went from there. when I first dumped them into the pan it was just like this giant blob and I was like welp perhaps I made too much but then it kind of settled down to a more reasonable size, just still pretty large but that’s fine. I went back to the tv and watched For Life, and then to the news and SNL for a bit before getting in the shower and getting ready for bed, and of course now it’s almost 2 am and I am oh so tired, so I’m going to go to bed now being that I have to wake up at 10:15 (much better than 8:45 for work, but still). Goodnight friends. Hope you had an awesome Saturday.

[jaehyun-eclipsed]

Before I Met You | Nine

Updates: Sundays, ~8 PM EST

Pairing: NCT (Jaehyun, Lucas, Mark…) X Reader/OC

Genre: Romance, Angst, Coming of Age

Summary: Four. There were four people before I fell in love with you… Here are their stories.

Author’s Note: I’m going to update the masterlist with a bit more of an outline so you can see what’s coming up next! Thanks for following along this far! 

Before I Met You Masterlist

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Mark [10:30 AM] What do you feel like eating?!

Me [10:40 AM] Umm how about Thai?

Mark [10:45 AM] YES! WATERMELON JUICE!!! 🍉🍉

Me [11:00 AM] Lol 😂 I have class until 12:30. Let’s meet at 12:45!

“Yo, I love watermelon!” Mark says as he eagerly sips from the black straw in his drink. “Anyway, I just wanted to thank you again for helping me out so much this semester. You literally saved my life.”

“You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help.”

“Honestly, though! I had a C in lab, but with your help, I’ve gotten it to a B!”

“Yay! That’s so great!”

He twirls some noodles onto his fork, placing them into his mouth and humming with satisfaction. “So now that the first year is nearly over, how do you feel?”

I push a carrot around on my plate, contemplating my answer. How do I feel? I feel better. Better, now that you’ve become a part of my life. You’re my first real friend here.

“Um, I guess I’m relieved.”

“Oh?” There’s a pause while he considers my response. “You didn’t like it?”

I sigh. “No… I don’t know, I – I just haven’t been very happy here. I mean, in the beginning, I tried to put myself out there and make friends. I’m pretty introverted so it’s challenging sometimes.”

“Oh really? You seem like someone that has it easy making friends… I thought you seemed really nice.”

Ha! Most people think I’m intimidating…

I scoff. “Really? No, I’m pretty quiet and I don’t smile much.”

“You smiled at me…”

Yeah, there’s a reason for that.

“Well, anyway I had befriended some of my floormates when we met at the dorm meeting and we would go out and get boba or ice cream at night. I thought I was adjusting quite well. I tried to avoid calling my parents too often because I didn’t think they wanted to hear from me every day, but that barely lasted a week.” I blink back the tears forming in my eyes before they have a chance to stream down my face. “And then soon enough, I was alone all the time. I was never in the mood to be around people. So after declining multiple invitations to hang out, they just stopped asking me and I would just spend the days studying for exams without getting the results I actually want.”

His expression saddens, as if he wished that we had met earlier… that he could have been there for me earlier. I won’t make this a question of fate, but I won’t say I didn’t wish for this to have happened earlier either. But better late than never, right?

“Do you ever talk to your friends from high school?” he asks.

I shake my head. “Not really. My best friend Hana never answers the phone and I’m not as comfortable talking to some of my other friends about these things. So…” I trail off. “Though, one of my friends asked me if I had thought about transferring to the nearby state college at home…”

“Is that what you want?”

“No.”

Truthfully, I didn’t want to do that. There was a financial loss associated with it and I couldn’t stand to go back to the state college that most of my high school classmates were at. I wasn’t friends with most of them and to some extent, I feared the judgement of what they would think if I returned – that I had the audacity to leave something that so many others want: the prestigious out-of-state college experience. And what was I leaving for? Because I couldn’t make friends and felt homesick all the time? No one would understand that. I suppose I could just say it was a matter of cost… but then I’d just be stupid for having gone at all in the first place.

But then again, does it really matter what they think?

“So what do you want?”

I think about his question for a moment. What do I want? “I don’t know.”

“I’m not just saying this to make you feel better, but I do think things will get better for you. It just takes some time,” he says. “That’s what being out of your comfort zone does to you.”

I look at him quizzically. “Hm?”

“You moved away from home for the first time, right?”

“Yes…”

“That’s a big transition, you know? You have to get used to a brand new city all by yourself! Of course there are going to be some challenges. But that’s also where you’ll do the most growth.”

I’ve never had a heart-to-heart conversation with Mark – we usually talked about chemistry or classes or current events… So this is the first time I’ve been able to see that Mark is surprisingly wise. It contrasts with his seemingly young and innocent demeanor.

“And it’s hard when the people you’re trying to become friends with are dealing with the same challenges,” he continues. “You can’t help others easily if you’re struggling a lot yourself. But it also shows you that you’re not alone in your struggles… even if it feels that way sometimes.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I say. “I know that if I had stayed in my hometown and went to the local state college, I’d probably live at home and commute to school. It wouldn’t be much different from high school.”

“Yeah! You’re only going to grow if you do new things and put yourself into new situations. So as you get used to this place and figure out how to get around and adjust, you’ll be fine!” He grins at me. “Plus, you have me now.”

I offer a half-smile and lower my gaze. “Thanks.” But soon, I grow curious as I look back up at him and rest my cheek on my fist. “You seem happy. How did you adjust so well?”

“Me?” He looks surprised, then let’s out a breath before shaking his head. “Adjusting was hard for me too.”

“If that’s true, you’re awfully good at hiding it.”

He keeps his gaze on the table, a small smile graces his lips. “I’m glad you think so. But I’m just like everybody else. Though, I do like to travel and meet people so it’s just easier for me to find distractions.” He shrugs. “We’re all struggling in some way on the inside,” he says solemnly. “It’s just that some are better at hiding it than others.”  

We’re all just amateur actors in disguise.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to unload all of that onto you.” I gnaw at my bottom lip. “It’s just that… you’re the first person I’ve felt comfortable around in a while.”

“Oh that’s okay! We all need someone to talk to sometimes. So I’m glad I can be that person for you.”

I’ve never been good at getting out of my comfort zone – I don’t think anyone really is. It’s hard to do something new because, well, it’s new. And now, with technology and social media, we expect instant results – instant gratification. But things take time. Anything worthwhile takes time. I know Mark is right… it’ll get better eventually. I just have to be patient.

“So on a lighter note,” I begin, “what classes are you going to take next semester?”

“Oh, I’m not gonna be here next semester.”

What?

I blink at him, trying to comprehend what he just said. “You’re not?”

“No, I’m going to England for a study abroad program. I got a full scholarship.”

I barely process what he’s said before I feel my heart plummet. “Oh – oh wow! That’s exciting!” I say, trying my best to hide the disappointment I actually feel. “Just for a semester?”

“It’s for a year,” he says. “So I’ll be back next year!  

I’m sure the shock on my face is evident as Mark’s face flashes a look of concern. Before he can say anything else and though it doesn’t reach my eyes, I smile widely. “That’s going to be so much fun!”

He hesitates, a sorrowful half-smile on his face as he looks down at the table again, hyperaware of how he’s probably just made me feel absolutely terrible after I had the courage to share my feelings of unhappiness with him. I can tell he feels guilty, considering I was bold enough to admit that he’s the first person I’ve been able to confide in since I’ve arrived.

“I’m sorry that we didn’t have the opportunity to spend more time together... I wish I could’ve been around earlier.”

“Well, it is difficult to meet someone if you don’t know they exist…”

“Yeah, but even so. I wish that we had crossed paths earlier…” He sighs. “But when I’m gone, I’ll write letters to you!”

I look at him dumbfounded and shift my eyes around the restaurant as a crooked smile makes its way onto my face. “Umm… We have phones, you know? And email… and instant messaging…”

“Yeah, I’ll use those too!” he says quickly. “But haven’t you ever had a pen pal?!”

“Uh, yeah, back in the sixth grade…”

“Oh my gosh!” Mark practically jumps out of his seat. “That must have been so much fun! I’ve never had a pen pal and I like the idea of letter writing. I don’t do it too often, but I’d like to!”

“Are you really going to write letters to me though?” I ask skeptically.

“Of course!” he insists. “I promise!” A pause. “So, you’ll be my first pen pal?!”

With a warm and genuine smile, I say, “Yes, I’d love to be your pen pal.”

“Awesome! I’m so excited! Let’s take a picture, okay?” He reaches for his phone in his pocket. “I don’t have any with you.”

To say I felt disappointed was an understatement. I was devastated. For the first time since I arrived on campus, the constant feeling of loneliness was starting to disappear. I was… happy. I had finally found a friend that I was comfortable around and could connect with. I know he’s only going to be gone for a year, but it already took nearly a year to find him in the first place.

And just like that, he was gone.

Mark [9:31 PM] Hey I really enjoyed spending time with you today 😊

Me [9:33 PM] I did too! Thank you for lunch!

I sigh, contemplating on whether to send the next message, ultimately deciding I have nothing to lose.

Me [9:35 PM] Low-key, I’m sad you’re leaving

Mark [9:40 PM] I know! I am too! I love it here, but I’m really excited to go to London!

Mark [9:43 PM] But, listen, you’re gonna do great! You’re gonna make so many new friends! And I’m always just a call away!

I really like Mark as a person. I guess you could say that I have a crush on him, but now would be the wrong time to tell him.

As finals were coming to an end and the stress and studying could slow down, I spent more time thinking about Mark’s imminent departure for London. I knew we would keep in contact, but I wanted to give him something as a memento of our short, but very precious friendship. And so, during my study breaks, I crafted something for him.

Me to Mark [11:15 AM] Hey! Are you free today? I wanted to say goodbye since I know you’re leaving tomorrow!

Mark [11:30 AM] Yeah! I just finished my last final! Are you at the dorm? I can meet you outside in 15 min!

Me [11:32 AM] Yeah! I’m at the dorm! I’ll see you then!

“It’s a – ‘see you later’ gift… Something to remember me by.”

I wanted Mark’s present to be special and I was quite crafty when it came to homemade gifts. Mark is an avid traveler and his Instagram page is filled with photos of his adventures. I found a hardcover notebook with a metal clasp; the cover was illustrated with a globe of the world, embossed in gold trimming. Searching through his Instagram pictures, I collected the photos and made an intricate collage to decorate the inside covers.

He’s nearly speechless as he opens the cover, tracing his fingers along each photo. “Yo! Really?!” He covers his mouth with his hand. “I – I don’t know what to say.”

“I thought you might like to have all of your memories in hand, literally. It’s a journal – you can jot down notes or whatever in it… Oh and I left a note on the first page.” I look up at him. “Do you like it?”

He suddenly throws his arms around me. He’s warm and I can smell the softest hint of cologne. “I love it! This is – no one’s ever given me a gift like this before!” His arms tighten around me. “I’ll miss you so much!”

“I’ll miss you too…” I say, my face pressed firmly into his chest.

More than you’ll ever know.

Prev | Next

Before I Met You Masterlist Masterlist

[heyyylittlemo]

Ask game

1. Where did you hide the body??

Me: *pause* No, where did you hide the body—

*police stare at me with disbelief*

Me: there’s no—there’s not a single body here—well stop looking at me like that, you’re the cop! You should know! Why are you asking me for! Body? Whaaaaaat. Ahaha.

*cops shake head*

*whispers to my friend* Guys I think I pulled that one off

Police: you know we can hear everything you’re saying

me: 👁👄👁

2. Favorite rock? The 1975. Dominic Fike. Arctic Monkeys. Bad Suns. The killers. Pale Waves. Etc. That good good shit 👌

3. Most aesthetic season? Fall. Love them orange colors. The leaves falling. Though spring is also neat if you have a bunch of flowers bloomin in shit and winter is only aesthetic when it’s snowing. Boring ass summer tho just be heating me up.

4. When texting do u shorten words or spell out? I used to write stuff out all the time mostly but now it’s like half and half bcuz its just faster and nobody got time for it 🤣🤣

5. Vintage stuff? Hell yeah, but maybe not anything too expensive since some old stuff IS hyper expensive.

6. Colors that pop or blend? Not sure I understand what u mean abt them blending ahaha u mean like when they’re so similar to another?? Well I think it’s nice but honestly I prefer a pop and a bang, y’Know?

- At this moment I realized I was answering the last few questions from a completely different ask and felt like a dumbass 😂 anyways the actual number we’re on is three so imma just kickback

3. Worst dream u have ever had? I had sleep paralysis but was imbetween that and a lucid dream. At first I was paralyzed and could see my bed but my eyes felt closed and open at the same time?? A giant dark demon looking dog had towered over me and began to tear at my neck. It looked and felt very real I started to try to scream and it felt like a scream was coming out but no sound exited. Then I went into a lucid dream where I was being chased by this dog and running for my life I was running by and nobody could save me nobody in the dream when it caught up to me I was back in my bed and it was trying to eat me again. I was so terrified I couldn’t sleep for a whole week.

4. Lyric that comes to your mind? “And I don’t think I can be there. I’m paralyzed,I’m terrified of being alone. When you said I deserved what had happened.”

5. Blood make u uncomfortable? Yes, I passed out once when getting my finger pricked and a VERY small blood sample and another when dissecting a fish.

6. Even or odd numbers? Well I like the number 5,7,9, 3 so odd. (Like me 🤣🤣)

7. Something I hate that I love? Anything I’ve ever loved becuz love can be frustrating. Bruh.

8. 1st initial of someone I hate? Hmm...do I hate someone tho? Not that I can think of...

9. *Skipping down the lane* NOPE

10. Corn dogs? It’s funny cuz when I think of corn dogs my mind will always go to when we first moved to our current house because at our initial town we never had Sonic and while we were getting the house fixed up and moving stuff we use to always get Sonic since it was the closest to us most times to eat and that was a bunch of corn dogs and hotdog days 🤣 so thnk u corn dogs for ur service

11. I’m not a huge movie person so...I looked up movies from 2005 and movies Inlike from this time are Brokeback mountain bcuz it’s gay af, Shark Boy and Lava Girl damn I rewatched the shot out of it when I was younger, Narnia and the Chocolate Factory(although it low key creeped me out as a kid, and idk why).

12. Least fav music genre? Most country, most EDM, dubstep, screaming/really hard rock, some pop music, mumble raping.

13. As someone who waits on tables, my job is my least favorite restaurant experience 🤣🤣 just dealing with ppl...like ok, I’m half Hispanic right?? But I look white. Well, I work at a Mexican restaurant and so sometimes racist costumers will say shady shit just bcuz I guess they think it’s appropriate to say it to me just bcuz I’m not Hispanic in their eyes?? But it pisses me off and I feel like I can’t say anything without causing a drama which I hate and when the “costumers always right” it can be hard to budge and stand up and say “bitch wtf did u just say??” And there’s just folks who take things the wrong ways or ask too much at once or give u a hard time or just say something that sticks onto you for the whole day. One bad move can turn my whole day upside down.

14. 3 things never come near me? Cockroaches, Needles, and close mind ppl

15. Worst way to die? With regrets. Something really brutual, random, or where something just happened to go wrong (accident). Being killed by someone u love.

16. Unusual habits? Doing a Michael Jackson esque “hee-hee” after every sneeze I make, being extremely clumsy and making every task 100% more difficult, having the ability to talk as if I have an accent that comes from nowhere in particular just stupidity also I can’t speak my own language half the time 🙃getting words confused or misusing them in a sentence so I sound dumb having a very weird imagination and thoughts, I swear it like I never went to school and don’t know how the world works, plus many many more

17. Clothing style u want? I want to dress in a way that screams who I am and is a blend of both femininity and masculinity. A little vintage. Grunge. Urban maybe?? What do I know abt fashion 🤣🤣

18. Song or artist that deserves more? Dijon, hands down. I love his stuff. He’s like Frank Ocean meets light-singing beautiful lyricist with a more rock vibe?? Hidden gem. I also think Durand Jones & the Indications needs more love along with BadBadNotGood they sound like old-times but are new!! Oh, and Pale Waves is like a female The 1975 and kicks it. Bad Suns is a good alt rock band that no one seems to recognize :,D Toro y Moi too! His song with Flume “The difference “ is a banger!! Kid Cudi is my man when I want a blend of rock and rap. Also Dominic Fike,King Krule, and Roy Blair, who are all amazing!! Ok I need to stop 🛑

Duck I answered the past questions from a different post I’m sorry 😐

17. Emoji never used? There’s a bunch since I reuse the same over and over again. Lmao

18. 3 sentence Gatorade horror story? A faint quiver overtook the small freezer the Gatorade lay in; no one had come by in days, hours, weeks; when was the last time he met the lips of a thirsty body? They’d forgotten about him, as his last sips remained glued to his hollowing entrance. ‘Help, ‘it wanted to say, but it’s frozen lips could not be moved; It’d stay here, die here...just like the rest.” What am I doing with my life 🤣🙏

19. Do u know what an old bay is? A bay that is old? And old ocean? Idk!!!

20. Can u dance? Sometimes I dance when I’m alone but nothing spectral lol

21. What first comes to ur mind when u see ropes? 2 extremes. Sex and death. Hm. Ok. Moving on.

22. Make an obscure reference. “Even a bra couldn’t hold these nipples” *Holds a water gun to chest*

23. Fav balloon color? Pink or yellow.

24. If u were in court would u be innocent or guilty? Depends, what am I in court for 🤣 lmao jk honestly idk bcuz I don’t think I’d wind up in there

25. Are u hungry ? Nope

26. Unlucky number? Hm I don’t think so but I have a lucky number “123”

27. What’s “JMD”stand for? I’m guessing...Jamming my d—- 💀lol jk ahaha why am so dirt

28. Random inside joke? *chirpy squeak* I’m making a double batch of cookies

29. What sends chills up ur spine? Seeing disgust food or smell disgust or talking abt disgust things like gore

30. How many questions are in ur inbox? A pathetic zero ahaha no one want to ask me anything 😂

31. Someone real who scares u. 2 of my ex friends. One when I was 10 said disturbing things and I was kinda forced onto the friendship and everything they said make me fear for others lives...and then a different ex friend who seemed normal at 1st but became both low key psychopath cult leader type stuff and I booed out of there—-.

32. Run or hide? Uhh probably hide because I’d say even if ppl say “u can run but u can’t hide” u CAN just hide! that’s the point of hiding they not find u xD also why not combine them? Hide then run somewhere far away once I got them off the trial.

33. Last person who made u angry? A frickin beetle that flew at me and pinched me in the middle of singing in the shed xD also my autocorrect

34. What’s going on in ur head? I should probably pee soon—

35. Little thing that makes u Smile? A lot of little things bruh.

36. Are u a descisive person?

Not sure.

*pAuse *

Ok, I guess I’m not then 🤣

37. Would ppl say I’m paranoid? Hm maybe about certain things social situations, singing in front of others what ppl think abt me etc etc

38. Store least likely in? Any southern clothes shop, Abercrombie & Finch types shit, lol

39. Do I like hats fave type? Hm not wear many hats but I think they’re cool any type is cool for different ppl and their aesthetici just can’t rock a hat.

40. Bow ties or ties? Don’t really care but now want to see more bow ties

41. Who? You.

42. What? Reading this shit

43. Where? In ur ass

44. When? Now.

45. Why? Not even u know why.

46. How? We all want to know

47. Do u collect anything? Vinyl records.

48. What tome is it? Time to get a watch

49. Fav transportation? My car or walk is possible

50. Would u ever kill someone to save someone? Don’t want to think about that

51. Make a joke. Yo, it’s time to make a joke—so the other day I was working. And I was practicing my Spanish, yes? Anyone whose trying to learn anew language k n o w s that sometimes words can be so close to another u just confuse then! So apparently churros in Spanish is a desert but if u say it more harshly (it literally sounds almost the same) it makes a whole different meaning—diharrea, but like I didn’t know that so I legit just walked up to this person and asked if they would like some shit to eat. So yeah, that was great. Let’s not forget that I mixed up blood, watermelon, and sangria which is a wine. I legit once said I had mixed wine in my vines and another time watermelon 🤣

52. I’m really confused so I skip

53. Would ur dash be confiscated SFW? By dash do u mean this account? Um not 😬

54. Do I like to cuddle? Hell yeah and manhandle ppl all the time it’s my affection

55. What makes u angry? Close minded ppl or ppl who jump too fast to conclusions, strict schedules just dumb stuff that people try to force when I just want to be carefree 😭✌️

56. How many voices are in ur head? 😐

57. Do U consider urself mentally stable? 😐

58. Are u easily offended? Well U just called me mentally unstable and asked it there was voices in my head!!

59. What’s wrong with taking the backstreets? Uhm...

60. Any questions u want ppl to ask u? Nothing in particular but it’s be nice if someone care to ask me something abt me from personal question to my opinions on shit to 19 days fandom related junk 😌

Woooo I’ve finished this game! Thanks to @seiji-amasawa for introducing me to this ^^

[dandelionpath]

Will you talk more about your experiences with the lake? I've just had some experiences with two different rivers and it was eye opening to speak with two totally different entities.

Hi, yea, of course! I’m not sure what exactly you’d like to hear about the Spirit of the Lake and the lake in general, but I’ll give a little (small as I can manage anyways lol!) ramble about it, and then you can ask more if you’d like! (Also I’d love to hear about your experiences with those rivers! I have a couple in my town that I’ve been thinking of connecting with.)

When I first reached the lake, I said a hello, introduced myself (“Hello there, [lake name]. You can call me Comet. It’s nice to meet you. I haven’t got anything suitable for an offering for you, but I will give you a little bit of my energy with a blessing for you and your inhabitants.”) I did what I said I would (give the blessed energy as an offering), and then sat near the lake for a while with my family (honestly this was just because I didn’t want to go in the water yet lol). After a bit, I stepped into the water, and let the Spirit of the Lake get (quite a literal) feel for me, and who/what I was. I honestly just let myself open right up and let the Lake flood my being, which is extremely dangerous, but that just felt right, and it turns out that was a good thing to do in this situation so hurray! It helped the Lake get to know me faster so it trusted me a bit more.

I asked if I could take a few rocks home that I’d found that were really pretty, and held them down in the water so it could figure out which rocks I meant easier. It said no to a couple of them, but did allow me to bring home three! I was also greeted by a couple physical ducks, and I helped them eat a watermelon rind that was in the water (yuck) by tossing it up onto shore lmao. My sister eventually accidentally chased them off, but that’s alright lol. 

Another thing that I did at the lake was greet and get to know the swimming area guardian spirits! The swimming section of the lake was marked off by buoys and there were 7-13 guardian spirits around it, guarding the swimmers from malicious spirits (ahem.... merfolk.... cough cough). I learned a little bit about them from one of the friendlier guardians, and he kept me company through my time swimming in the lake. 

The Lake is not partial to any of its inhabitants. It appreciates every one of the spirits and creatures that live in and around it, and it watches out for each and every one of them. The lake had a few boats on it and I could feel that the Lake didn’t really appreciate it as it scared a few of its inhabitants and also polluted its waters. I sympathised with it and shared in that frustration and unhappiness. 

Lakes all have a similar energy. There are differences for sure, but every lake has a base energy that feels similar. It feels thick but also quite fluid at the same time. It has a certain smell to it, or an energy that feels like that smell. The energy is quite slippery, it can easily slip through your energy grasps, but also can be -strangely solid at the same time. It’s a shallow energy, although from afar/first glance, it looks like it’d be very deep, but I think that’s just an illusion.

I can’t think of anything else that was really significant, but if you have questions or want to hear something specific, let me know! Thanks for the ask!

[jjkfire]

Hi sweety! How are you doing? Sorry I’ve been so absent recently, but I’ve been thinking a lot about life, the things I wanna do. I even went to a 3-day immersion power course on how to live in high performance. A lot have happened around the house, some bad, but some very good! Since your last reply, I’ve been brewing thoughts in my mind about the photo blog I wanted to do and you inspired me so so much with your courage and passion that I finally made it! That’s why I named it pp-epiphany. +

Even if nobody sees it, I’m happy. There’re few posts, cause I made it very late at night, and still there’re no pics of Japan, buuut I posted some I took from my grandparents’ farm (I don’t know how to translate “chácara” properly) this weekend. Bit by bit, I’mma fill it with places I’ve been and homemade foods! I’m no professional photographer nor do I own a prof camera, so please don’t be harsh hahaha Now responding to the last reply! Thank you! So so so much! It means more than you think! ++

Even if nobody sees it, I’m happy. There’re few posts, cause I made it very late at night, and still there’re no pics of Japan, buuut I posted some I took from my grandparents’ farm (I don’t know how to translate “chácara” properly) this weekend. Bit by bit, I’mma fill it with places I’ve been and homemade foods! I’m no professional photographer nor do I own a prof camera, so please don’t be harsh hahaha Now responding to the last reply! Thank you! So so so much! It means more than you think! ++

Esp when most 99% of the compliments I hear are filled with pretense, just to please and gain sth back). Even so, I won’t change my way; the goodness and sincerity in my heart will stay. Most ppl are not nice to me, and that’s the main reason I choose to spread love and happiness. We usually hear only bad things; I think that’s very wrong; we have to speak our minds and that includes positive things (but only when it’s due; never to please). I do hope ppl were more like this too; like you. +++

You have a good heart, you’re kind, strong and inspiring. We’re already changing the world; bit by bit, coloring it vibrant hues. Even if I weren’t interacting, I’ve been noticing you posting and replying a lot more. I’ll take that as a very good thing. I’m ecstatic your job and coworkers are this nice to you! Even your boss! You deserve it! Every time I hear about all the new and nice things that’s happening in your life, I get so excited! (and proud). ++++

Success isn’t mainly about money, is a whole lot of things. And to me, you’re very successful now and I just can hope it grows more and more! Love you to the moon and back! Have a great day and even more amazing week! 🥰😍😘💜🌕 PS just out of curiosity My top 5 fave fruits are 1. Banana 2. Mango 3. Cherry (only the sweet ones) 4. Apple 5. Watermelon - just basically fruits I can eat at room temperature (I really cannot eat cold foods; and may even say I dislike some)

/////

hello!!! sorry for the late reply ): like always hahaah. but wow 3-day course! i’m not sure if it’s the same but i’ve really been into self help books lately. they’re super fun! if you like that type of thing, i think smarter, better, faster by charles duhigg was a really good read and i loved outliers by malcolm gladwell. they’re really good books to start out with. really cool stories in the books that are just so crazy… the mind and the world is just so interesting. 

sorry to hear that some not so good things have happened ): i hope everything’s alright!! and about your photo blog :D i checked it out! love the pictures and love your reblogs!!! made me feel so nostalgic that i logged into my old blog where i reblogged photography and other stuff. was nice to be back on there for a while haha now i wont check it for like another year again lol. but anyway i’m so glad you started that photo blog! that’s so exciting (: i hope you take more photos! and bro don’t worry about not having a pro camera or anything. photography is meant to be fun and as long as you have something that can take a pic, then it’s good enough. and apparently chácara is ranch haha but sounds like you had fun there! anyway can’t wait to see your japan photos and i hope you continue to take more photos, explore your city and etc. or just take photo of things that make you happy (:

truth be told i’ve had this photography instagram account idea for the longestttt time and i really hope i get around to actually posting on the account some day… one day haha.

ajsdhjsakhd you’re really the sweetest bean in this entire universe but you know what i think i’ve come to learn that a lot of the time, if you have the right mindset, life’s just a lot nicer that way. it’s just keeping that mindset strong and trying to see positives in every situation, beauty in all the small things. gratitude has been really life changing for me. just being thankful for small things really makes life nice. and big things too! like when you send such sweet messages to me (”:

i’m sorry that the people around you aren’t genuine ): that’s tough ): but i’m glad that you don’t let that bring you down! keep spreading kindness and love bb 💕 sending you all the love in the universe!!!

haha oh my god i really talk a lot on this blog. and you guys don’t even see half of it. i literally have 900 posts in my drafts and i mostly dump whatever’s in my brain and save it in my drafts lol. but aw thank you! yeah i’m having fun at my job and it’s a lot of work and there’s a lot to learn but i feel like im being challenged so i like that. but thanks for being so supportive ugh you’re literally the best. know that i’m rooting for you in the very same way!

it really means a lot for you to say that to me and yeah success to me is being happy! so if you’re happy, you’re winning at life. and i know money isn’t everything but i did my whole budget on an excel spreadsheet the other day and it was so gratifying hahahaha. it’s very nerdy but i love excel a lot.

that’s a neat list!!! i love cold watermelon and mango haahha but i get it cold food isn’t for everyone! god i love mangos and if there’s one thing i miss about the tropics, it’s the cheap tropical fruits 😍 nayway i hope you have a great week and an amazing month! i wish you nothing but absolute happiness (: i hope everything is going well for you bub. seeing you in my inbox just makes me smile x1000000!!!

[sky-casino]

Morning After

This is my first time to post a fic in bullet form/style lol. This plot was just an idea that popped up in my head months ago and I went with it and wrote it in bullet format because I’ve been so busy with work and this was the fastest and most convenient way of writing it lmao. 

So here’s fuckboi Jaehyun for y’all

Genre: Mild angst, fluff, implied smut Word Count: 2,306

You woke up and noticed that you're in an unfamiliar room.

You tried to remember what transpired last night as you slowly got up from the bed. You recalled that you were at a hotel where your best friend threw her birthday party.

As you were thinking, you saw a bare naked back right next to you. You gasped loudly but immediately covered your mouth in fear of waking up the guy.

You wrapped yourself in a blanket and walked around the bed nervously to see who you slept with the night before.

Your eyes widened to see that it was none other than Jeong Jaehyun.

You quickly but silently picked up your clothes from last night and hurried to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After 10 minutes, you opened the bathroom door in hopes of leaving Jaehyun as he continued to sleep. You didn't want him to see you.

Unfortunately for you, he was sitting up on the bed rubbing his right eye sleepily as the sun rays shone on his naked upper body. He was angelic.

"Y/N?"

"H-hi." You greeted him. His sleepy voice was the sexiest thing you've ever heard.

"Morning. Wanna have some breakfast?" He asked as he adjusted his eyes with the sunlight.

Now, you're pretty sure that boys don't usually invite the girl they just had a one-night-stand with to breakfast. From what you know, the two parties just go their separate ways the morning after, not making a big deal out of what happened the night before.

"Uhm, sorry but I need to go now."

"Huh? But I'm hungry." Jaehyun insisted with pouty lips that shook your heart a little.

You opened your mouth to try to say something but he cut you off. "I see you've taken a shower already. Were you gonna leave me here all alone, sweetheart?" He asked with a smirk as he walked to you. Your heart beat thumping loudly with each of his steps.

"Let me wash up quickly then let's get some breakfast, okay? Promise you won't leave." He said as tucked some strands behind your left ear

"O-okay. Promise." You complied because how the hell could you say no to that handsome face and those cute dimples?

It only took 5 minutes for Jaehyun to finish. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He said as he quickly put on his shirt and pants. You took note of his cute Captain America boxers that you failed to notice last night.

"I.. I really appreciate the gesture, but I really need to go." You said, which surprised Jaehyun.

"I thought we already agreed that we will have breakfast together? Please. I'm starving. The breakfast buffet is just downstairs. 20 minutes tops then I'll drive you to wherever you want."

"Drive me? Oh, there's absolutely no need-"

Jaehyun got your bag from the spot right next to you in a snap.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll take your bag as my hostage so you can stop trying to get away from me." He smirked.

"Fine. Let's do what you want." You replied in a tone of defeat and annoyance.

Looking at the breakfast buffet options made you realize that you were starving as well.

You and Jaehyun picked the same dishes: sausage, ham, eggs, hash brown, cereals, and fruits.

"So why were you in such a hurry to go home?"

"I have.. some homework."

"You're a bad liar."

"Excuse me?" You asked as you put down your fork, staring intently at Jaehyun.

"You have the same classes with Winwin and I asked him last night if he had any homework this weekend and he said none." Jaehyun crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table, decreasing the gap between you. He flashed the same smirk he's been showing you all morning.

"You're nice but you get pretty cocky." You retorted as you threw the napkin on the table, standing up to leave.

"Okay, wait. I'm sorry." Jaehyun quickly grabbed your left wrist to stop you from leaving. His hand felt warm and soft.

"I'm sorry. My bad." He said with pleading eyes.

You calmed yourself down and sat back down and continued eating.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence.

You were now on the passenger's seat of Jaehyun's car.

"Do you regret it?"

"Sorry what?"

"What we did last night. Do you regret it?" Jaehyun asked seriously, not looking at you and just focusing on the road ahead of him.

You looked at him for half a minute, not knowing what to say.

"No. I.. I'm just surprised and disappointed with myself because I don't usually sleep with just anyone. I don't do that kind of thing. Last night was actually my first time to sleep with someone I'm not in a relationship with." You replied with a voice so weak it was almost a whisper.

"So I'm 'just anyone'." He chuckled.

"No! That's not what I meant."

"I'm just kidding. I understand."

Awkward silence.

"So you do regret it." Jaehyun's voice faltered but he was still smiling. "You were amazing last night, though." He complimented you.

"Oh my god, shut up." You hissed and covered your face out of embarrassment.

"Aww but it's true. You're so cute when you're flustered." Jaehyun chuckled. "Anyway, I don't wanna go home yet. I'm in the mood to roam around and do some shopping and I want you to come with me. My treat. You won't have to spend a single cent." Jaehyun said, smiling adorably at you with the help of his dimples.

"Alright. This is my first non-hectic Saturday in a while. I wanna have some fun."

"Sounds great."

"But first, can we go straight to the department store? I don't feel so nice wearing this sweaty dress from last night."

"Sure. I'm thinking of getting fresh clothes too."

You were supposed to go to the nearest mall but then you spotted a flea market along the way.

"Wanna go there? It looks fun." You proposed.

"Sure." Jaehyun replied as he slowly parked the car near the market.

The market had stalls for clothes, sunglasses, food, drinks, CDs and vinyl records, and artsy stuff. It was heaven.

Jaehyun was already wearing a new shirt while you were still looking at some clothes. Jaehyun suddenly asked you to try on a crop top and a pair of shorts that he picked for you.

"I think these will look good on you. Try them on and let me see."

"And why would I do that?" You protested, trying to mask your reddening cheeks that were caused by the thought of Jaehyun checking you out.

"Because I'm gonna pay for these?"

"I can pay for these myself."

"Yeah but then I have your purse, remember?" Jaehyun retorted as he playfully dangled your purse with a smirk.

"Ugh, fine." You grabbed the clothes from him.

After five minutes, you slowly set aside the curtain of the makeshift fitting room. You were very shy and couldn't look at Jaehyun in the eyes for more than a second, until he said, "You're so gorgeous."

"You're just saying that because you're the one who picked the clothes." You sassed, trying not to make a big deal out of his compliment. You reminded yourself that he's a fuckboy and he's usually like this with girls.

"Let's go and get those paid for."

Now that both of you were in fresh new clothes, you felt better and cleaner. You roamed around the entire flea market and after thirty minutes, decided to sit down under a tree while finishing your watermelon popsicles.

"God, it's so hot!" You exclaimed.

"Sorry." Jae smirked.

You scoffed before replying, "Don't worry, you're not to blame at all."

"For the record, I love how sassy you are."

"Yeah and for the record, you're not the only one who do."

Jaehyun's laugh was interrupted by your phone ringing. It was your friend who celebrated her birthday party last night at the hotel.

"Hey girl."

"Hey, Y/N! Oh my god, I was so worried about you! You suddenly disappeared last night! Where did you go?"

"I'm so sorry about that. I..." You tried to come up with an excuse and Jaehyun was listening.

"I got a little too drunk and decided to take a cab and go home. I wasn't feeling well." You lied and Jaehyun was surprised.

"But are you fine now? Where are you?"

"Yeah, I'm well now. I'm outside at the flea market."

"Are you with someone?"

"No, I'm alone." You lied as you looked at Jaehyun cautiously.

If Jaehyun was surprised by your first lie, he was disappointed and pissed now. He stood up and left you.

You ended your call with your friend abruptly to chase after Jaehyun.

"Hey! Wait!" You yelled as you reached him.

"What? You're alone, right?" He said before walking again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, you meant it. You lied not only once, but twice. You meant it." Jaehyun was obviously hurt and thinking about how he's been nothing but nice to you since last night, you couldn't help but feel guilt crawling in your skin.

"May I know why? I think I deserve to know why. Answer me." His voice was demanding and he took a step closer to you, making you feel extremely intimidated, borderline scared.

"You want the truth? Fine. Honestly, I don't want to be talked about by the entire school for being one of your victims, for being one of those girls who fell for you and slept with you for one night. I don't like gossips. I don't take part in spreading them and I don't want to be in them. I'm actually living a quiet and normal life. But getting involved with a fuckboy like you might change that and that's why I'm really disappointed with myse-"

"If I stop being a fuckboy, will it solve your problem? Our problem?"

It took you almost half a minute to answer Jaehyun because his question took you off guard.

"Come on, Jaehyun. I'm not a fool and we both know you're not gonna suddenly stop sleeping around with every girl you like just because of me."

"I can and I will."

"What?"

"Don't you get it? Like, really? You don't see it? Feel it?"

"What are you talking ab-"

"I like you! I like you, Y/N. My god, you're so dense!" Jaehyun literally yelled at you before covering his face with his hands, looking so embarrassed and exasperated you couldn't help but feel sorry for your own obliviousness.

"H-how do you expect me to know how you feel? We barely hang out! We have the same circle of friends and share one class but the only time we actually talk is when you ask for my notes."

"Well, I'm sorry that I was... too shy to approach you." Jaehyun stuttered as he looked away from you.

"You? The most popular fuckboy in campus, is too shy to approach someone?" You mocked.

"Yeah! And that's when I knew that I liked you. I.. I don't usually feel nervous or jittery when thinking about someone, let alone when trying to approach them. But then I found myself staring at you during class. And those notes? I don't really need them because my friends have their own that I can borrow. But I purposely borrow yours just so I can talk to you, even just for a minute."

You couldn't fully absorb what Jaehyun was rambling about.

"So if you were too shy to approach me, how did we end up sleeping together last night?"

"You really forgot everything, huh? Some guy was hitting on you while you were drunk and, not to to make it sound like I was your knight in shining armor, but I definitely was. I told him you were with me and that I'd knock him out if he continues pestering you."

"So you're saying you saved me?"

"Yep. And when we were left alone by the douchebag, you started.. flirting with me." Jaehyun said with a sheepish smirk.

"I.. what?!" You asked with wide eyes. "I don't believe you. Nope. I refuse." You crossed your arms.

"You can refuse all you want but I'll never forget it." This intrigued you more.

"Why? What.. what did I do, exactly?"

"You thanked me and got so close to my face while squishing my cheeks. Then you started praising my looks while holding my face with both of your hands, saying that I'm the most handsome guy you've ever seen and you love looking at my face every chance you get."

You still couldn't remember clearly but Jaehyun was indeed the most handsome guy you've ever laid eyes on, so you thought that what he's saying might be true.

"W-well..."

"You're not gonna deny it?" Jae asked excitedly.

"It's true that you're the most gorgeous man I've ever seen, yes. But the rest of the night is still a blur to me."

"Well, I can tell you all about it in detail. Or we can just do it again." He teased you.

"Stop that!" You smacked his arm.

"I'm just kidding!"

"Jokes are half-meant."

"Exactly. But in all seriousness Y/N, just tell me what I should do so you can give me a chance. I'm serious about this, about you."

"Did you really mean it when you said you'll stop being a fuckboy?"

"I do."

"Alright. Court me properly for three months. That means no sleeping around during that entire period. Are you up for it?"

"Honey, I haven't been sleeping around since I realized how I feel for you. And that's the past month and a half. Adding three more is not a problem." He smirked.

"Good. Now let's eat, I'm starving." You said as you pulled his hand.