#isn’t extravagant and he likes to keep things simple. especially when it comes to fashion or decorating his home

[peapod20001]

Rory has been haunting my brain recently. Like, a lot

[juleswolverton-hyde]

Not by the Moon | 05

Genre: Smut, Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Drama, Tragedy, Werewolf AU, Supernatural AU, Bookshop AU

Pairing: Bookshop keeper!/Werewolf!JB x Reader

Warnings: A sprinkle of grumpy jealous werewolf!Jaebeom who gets a wee bit violent, tooth-rotting domestic fluff, werewolf courting, sexual tension, werewolf!Jaebeom acting like a pup, and poor yet adorable attempts at coming across as human.

Summary: Every story has a purpose or goal it is dedicated to, their authors at times going to great lengths to see the project they once started to completion. Nevertheless, the things the writers swore on to see their latest art piece to completion are static.

Unchanging.

None of them swore by the Moon nor Love because they can solely genuinely swear on all that changes like themselves.

And yet, a wolf in love foolishly swore by the moon.

That is when Time truly started ticking.

Author’s Note: This chapter is from Y/N’s POV. Bam and Jinyoung make a cameo.

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Masterlist

Wonderful as a trip abroad might be, there’s nothing that can compare to the secret feeling of relief when returning home. No longer there is luggage to drag along, languages to swap between, or cultures to assimilate to. While it is in good fun, it’s also physically and mentally exhausting. Henceforth, coming home is like a cozy blanket to wrap around your shoulders by the fire on a cold November day. And once you’re bundled up, it is time to breathe easy and rest.

Although, home is not necessarily a place. In fact, mine has made good on his promise and puppy dreams, standing in the crowd to pick me up.

“Y/N,” a familiar voice calls out as we enter the hall of arrivals, “over here!”

Manes tucked away under a dark red beanie and wearing a simple black jacket over an oversized black shirt, Jaebeom waves to pull attention to himself.

“Who’s that?” Bam follows my gaze to the adorable tall man as we make our way through the crowd of trolleys, suitcases, hellos and goodbyes. “Is that the dude you’ve been texting and calling?”

“He is,” I whisper in reply as we approach him. With every step, the storm of butterflies in my stomach worsens although I feel light as air at the same time. Happiness in Love is a strange thing. 

“So that’s your boyfriend,” my colleague purrs. He sounds pleased in the way I imagine he’d sound if he was my older brother.

I whip my head around, tongue-tied but not enough to protest the assumption. “He’s not my boyfriend!”

Bam merely chuckles to himself, grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he continues. “Sure he isn’t, Y/N. After all, you’ve not been touching your lips and turning into a blushy mess afterwards. Or keeping those books you have with you close at all times, looking at them fondly.”

“Of course I am.” Jaebeom jumps into the conversation when we’ve reached him, acting as if he’s heard our conversation perfectly through the ruckus of the crowd. The sparkle in his eyes dims and turns into a poisonous glare when he notices the guy besides me. “Who are you?”

“JB, this is Kunpimook.’’ I gesture from one to the other, jaw clenched in the hope the wolf man won’t actively show the hostility harboured in his gaze. ‘’The colleague I told you about.”

“Just call me Bam.” Politely, he holds out his hand.

“Im Jaebeom,” the other man introduces himself, fortunately accepting the gesture howbeit with a strained expression. “Her boyfriend.”

“Hey, you must be Y/N.” Holding a tray with three coffee cups in it, a young man joins our company. 

Like Jaebeom, who has proudly proclaimed himself my boyfriend, he is tall, slender yet muscular in build and has black hair. Nevertheless, whereas Jaebeom has a flair of being unapproachable, the stranger has a boyish air around him that���s open for contact.

He moves the carrier from his right hand to his left for a handshake. “I’m Jinyoung.”

Immediately, bells start ringing at the mention of his name. After all, there hasn’t been a single call the past week wherein he wasn’t mentioned. “Jaebeom’s told me about you. You’re a professor at the university here, right?”

“I am,” he beams, his proud tone indicating how much he likes his job. “I teach Mythology. It’s a course that encompasses folklore around the world, so it’s fairly broad.”

“You teach only one course?”

“I do, but I’m also a doctor. Well, still studying to be one officially, but I’m allowed to work at the university’s clinic already.”

 “Wow.’’ A professor and a doctor. There’s little else I can say as a mere travel journalist, so I just try to remain casual despite being utterly gobsmacked. 

“I know, it’s a lot. Nevertheless, somehow I manage to do it and occasionally write an article.”

How does he do it? He’s likely not that much older than I, but he’s evidently busier than I am.

“Show-off.” The grumbled insult interferes with the friendly conversation. The focus of Jaebeom’s glare has changed targets from Bam to the professor. However, the latter doesn’t seem to notice his friend’s chagrin.

“I’m simply introducing myself, Jay. Here,” Jinyoung hands him one of the paper cups from the carrier, “your apple and cinnamon tea.”

“You drink tea now?” I raise an eyebrow, surprised. It sounds like a strange concept because I’ve never seen him drink anything but black coffee.

“Doctor’s orders,” JB murmurs in response, discontent and keeping a close eye on Bam as he nips the warm beverage.

“I’ve put him on tea, preferably green, to lower the caffeine levels in his blood. Otherwise, he’ll be staying up all night reading and trying to cook. Oh,” he reaches for something in his pocket, pulling out a small bottle like the one JB showed me in the park and handing it to his friend, “you forgot your meds.”

“You’re on medication?” Bam asks without any implications or judgment. The funny thing is, despite being extroverted and extravagant - extra, in general - he actually studied psychology and thought about becoming a psychiatrist for a while. Therefore, he has a general interest in medicine and its function of helping the human psyche.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jaebeom sneers sarcastically, his voice closer to a growl than human speech. Then, he turns his attention to Jinyoung, who continues to hold his calm. “Why are you giving this to me now? Couldn’t you wait until we’re back? I’m not gonna take them in front of some stranger, especially not someone close to her. Besides, what does skipping one time or by a few hours matter?”

“Jay, don’t be like this,’’ the young professor sighs. ‘’You know how important timing is, especially with this new treatment.”

“You’re embarrassing me.”

“I’m not.”

“You are!”

A nudge against my shoulder distracts me from the fierce bickering, Bam lowly whispering he’s leaving for home as well as an apology for what he has unleashed. I answer in a similar fashion when promising to call him later and apologizing for putting him into this situation. He merely waves dismissively, unbothered, and disappears in the crowd of trolleys and journeying strangers.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” I intervene lest the situation gets out of hand. A hand on his chest, I try to distract Jaebeom by shifting his focus to me. “Let’s go search for somewhere quiet around here where it’s just us. It’s important to me too you take your meds.”

“Let’s just go home.” His features soften, compromising like I did that day in the bookshop and didn’t want to eat. “I’ll take them in the car, alright?”

“Why do you have to be cross with me about it when you readily accept to take them when Y/N tells you to?” Jinyoung crosses his arms in defiance, lips pulled into a displeased pout.

 “Because she’s my mate,” Jaebeom argues, sure to show his teeth. Withal, he turns into a gentle giant again once he wraps an arm around my waist and looks down at me with so much adoration I feel my cheeks burning up. “Girlfriend, I mean. We’re dating, so she’s my girlfriend.”

“We’ve only been out together once,” I sputter. It’s wonderful to hear the affirmation we’re an item, although I still think it’s a bit too early to claim we are.

“Twice after today. And we’ve kissed,” he corrects me, tone indicating there is no use in protesting. Nevertheless, the sternness wavers as it warms into merriment. “I got you something. I’ll give it to you once we’re home.”

Jinyoung leans in as we head to the exit, whispering. “He went kinda overboard.”

“I didn’t,” Jaebeom growls. “Stop embarrassing me. Know your fucking place.”

“Boys,” I sigh in warning.

Both lower their head and let out a whimper in apology. “Sorry.”

“This is where you live?” Jinyoung parks the car in front of the tall white brick building overlooking the quay at the edge of town.

“Wow...” Jaebeom murmurs in the passenger seat, awed by the fact I live on the east side of town. It’s a recently redeveloped area, the warehouses refurbished into apartment complexes to help combat the growing housing issue.

“I do. Not for much longer, though.”

Both men turn in their seats, looking at me as if I’m insane.

 “You’re moving out?” The professor asks, although it’s more of an exclamation than a question. “Why would you leave this place? It’s one of the most desired places to live within the city.”

However, JB doesn’t care about the reason which makes me want to leave the neighbourhood behind. Instead, he’s anxious to know where to find me. “Where will you go?”

“Do you know those orchards on the outskirts of town? With the old cottages?” Both nod as confirmation. “Well, that’s where I’ll be moving to. I’ve been meaning to get out of the city for a while. Granted, the harbour district isn’t as busy as the city centre. But, despite being only twenty-two, I crave the silence of the countryside. Or, rather, its tranquility which I can also find in the suburbs.”

“You’re twenty-two?” Jaebeom asks, head tilted to the side.

 “I am,’’ I admit as I pull my knees up to make myself as small as possible. ‘’I never mentioned it because I didn’t think it’d matter. Does it, though?”

My voice is hardly audible, a frog stuck in my throat. Why did I have to be the one to bring this up?

“No, not at all! I still like you. A lot. A lot, a lot. But, I’m older than you. Quite a bit, I think.”

“How old?” The question barely rolls off the tongue, pale with dread.

Please, don’t let there be too big of an age gap.

“I’m twenty...” He looks at Jinyoung, brow furrowed.

“Twenty-eight,” the good doctor whispers, unconscious of the fact that the well-meant reminder is loud enough for me to hear.

“Twenty-eight,” Jaebeom confirms, staring back at me in anticipation. “Six years difference. Does it matter? To you, I mean. In how you see me?”

“It doesn’t. Do you see me differently?”

“I never did.”

“Age is only a number, after all,” the professor pitches in to cheer us up further. “Anyway, I’m dropping you off here.”

“Can’t you stay?” Surely I can’t let him leave without at least thanking him with a cup of coffee or tea.

“I’d love to, but- Don’t you snarl at me.” He points an accusing finger at JB, who’s showing his teeth and lowly growling like he did at the airport.

Caught red-handed, the wolfish man feigns ignorance and stares out the window. However, his sulky expression and scoff betray his true feelings.

“As I was saying,” Jinyoung continues after an exasperated sigh, “I’d love to, but I get to attend an interesting transplant operation today and have a bit of research to do for a new article.”

“That’s a shame. I owe you a cup of coffee, then. That’s the least I can do to repay you for driving me home.”

“I’ll make good on that promise soon. But for now, go on, you two.” He motions for us to get out of the car. “Don’t make it awkward by making me the third wheel.”

“Jinyoung.” Hesitantly, the big wolf man holds up his fist.

“No hard feelings.” He bumps his fist against JB’s.

“Good.” The seat belt comes undone, but Jaebeom doesn’t move to step outside yet. Instead, he leans in towards Jinyoung and takes a whiff, squinting as invisible question marks float in the air. “You smell weird, though.”

“Really?” The other man sniffs the collar of his jacket, shrugging casually in jest. “It’s not that bad.”

“Jinyoung.” Despite still looking a bit pale with remorse, the wolf man says the professor’s name harshly, his voice deep as he chastises the turn to humour. He grows still, gaze focused on his friend as he tries to look for what’s unspoken in the other’s body language.

However, there is nothing to see. Although, if there actually is something off, the professor hides it well. But Jaebeom doesn’t get the chance to scrutinize him long enough to see for himself because Jinyoung turns back to the wheel and waves dismissively. “I’m alright, Jae. Go. Have fun with your girlfriend.”

His friend nods, a strained look on his face, and opens the door. I follow behind, having silently observed the conversation from the backseat.

What’re you worried about? Jinyoung looks fine. Nothing wrong with him whatsoever.

Nevertheless, barely have we opened the trunk when the doctor hangs out the window. “And don’t forget your present!”

“Got it right here.” In confirmation, Jaebeom holds up a neat-looking paper bag, chique enough to originally have been used in a boutique.

“That’s my boy,” he chuckles before he resumes his seat.

With a dull thud, Jaebeom closes the trunk again. 

The engine roars to life and the car pulls out of the parking lot, Jinyoung honking a few times as we see him off.

I look from Jaebeom to the bag, leaning in to try and sneak a peek of its contents. “What did you get me?”

You promised me a shirt, but do you really need this big of a bag for one?

“I’m not telling you,” he muses.

I straighten my posture, a smile building as a golden opportunity presents itself. “Aw, what’s in the box?”

“Box? Y/N, it’s a bag.”

“I know, but- Never mind.” I wave the apparently obscure allusion with a dismissive gesture, disappointed he doesn’t get the reference. “Let’s go inside.”

“Are you upset?” he asks as we walk to the entrance of the building.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Another reassuring question burns on his tongue, but before he can ask it I stand on the tips of my toes to peck him on the lips and nose. “I’m not going to get upset simply because you didn’t understand me. Besides, it’s just a trivial matter. Come on, let’s go. I’m hungry.” 

Though I failed the first time, I again try to get a better look at the mysterious bag. As before, the attempt is in vain. “And curious.”

“I think you’ll like it. In fact,” his lips pull into a smug smirk, “I’m fairly sure you’ll look pretty in it. More pretty than you do now.”

It’s prettier.

I let the mistake slide.

To let him have his little moment of triumph.

There is no place like home. Truly, not a single hotel room or bed and breakfast in the world can substitute the small studio with its minimalistic interior in shades of white and grey.

I breathe in deeply, glad to stand in the familiar narrow hallway leading to the kitchen and space beyond. A faint musty smell cuts through the fragrance of the Nordic leather diffuser sticks I bought before going to Belgium.

Guess I’ll be cleaning tomorrow.

Luckily, it’s been only a few days so the level of dust isn’t too bad. Notwithstanding, the place could do with a little clean-up.

“Well, this is me.”

“I know,” Jaebeom replies sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his eyes on me.

“No, I mean, this,” I gesture around as I walk into the apartment, “is my place. My house.”

He murmurs something under his breath, seemingly contrasting two words as he tries to understand them or, rather, the difference between them.

“It’s nice,” he remarks when he has figured out his train of thought, looking around appreciatively.

“The cottage will be nicer, I think. I can’t wait to decorate it, make it cozier than this place. Maybe get some plants, hang up a few photos-’’

“A few of us together, maybe?” He proposes as he, too, takes his shoes off and follows me into the living room.

“For example.” I nod at the bag when we settle down on the couch next to the window overlooking the quay. “Can I open my present now?”

“Say ‘please’.” Arms crossed, he leans in so our faces are mere inches away from each other. His breath ghosts warmly over my lips when he continues in a tender yet playful babying tone. “Life is short, but there is always time for courtesy. Manners, young lady.”

“Can I open my present, please?” Regardless of the chance to finally satisfy my curiosity, I don’t dive into the gift directly. Instead, I stay my hand, bothered by a nagging feeling his words are familiar to me. “What you just said, isn’t that a quote?”

“It is, but,’’ Jaebeom bites his lip, eyes averted to the ground, ‘’to be honest, I can’t remember who said it.”

Funny, how you can remember quotes. Maybe that’s how we can communicate in the future if your condition gets worse. Although, let’s hope that’s not the case for a long time.

“Ralph…’’ I start, trying to recall who originally said it. ‘’Ralph Waldo? No, that’s not right. He went by his middle name. Wait, his middle name was Ralph so it was him.”

“Have you read his work?”

“Honestly speaking, I haven’t. However, I have a friend who studies American literature and poetry and she sends poems, quotes and the occasional snippet. I think I’ve seen him in passing. Anyways,’’ I pull the bag onto my lap, giddy as a child in a candy shop, ‘’let’s see what’s inside.”

The present catches me off-guard because the bundles of clothing are both what I expected and yet not. “You...” I trail off, checking and double checking the amount of shirts. “Seven?”

“One for every day of the week,” he beams, proudly barking his reasoning.

These will last me two weeks if not longer. Minimalism isn’t his thing, is it?

I pull out a big grey hoodie and hold it up to my nose to sniff it. A wild forest of which the air is faintly scented by a cologne with fruity undertones and the musty smell of books. I hum contently, enraptured by the scent. By him. 

From the corner of my eye, I see Jaebeom grinning in unadulterated amusement. Albeit not without effort, I lower the article of clothing. “I know this is likely stupid to ask, but eventually they’ll have to be washed so what if your scent fades?”

“I’ll just scent them again.’’ He shrugs casually before he points inside the bag. ‘’Also, what’s in the little box on the bottom might help with that too.”

In my astonishment, I missed the cardboard square at the bottom which turns out to be the packaging for a bottle of cologne. “You can spray it on. Sure, it’s not really purely my scent but hopefully it’s still rem- remi- a reminder of me.”

You meant reminiscent, didn’t you?

“Or I can go to you and have you scent them,” I joke, only half-serious.

“If that means more time together,” his mismatched eyes sparkling with gleeful stars, “sure, why not? I’d be glad to help.”

“Thank you.’’ Absentmindedly, I fidget with the folds of the hoodie. ‘’I really like it.”

Jaebeom ruffles my hair, letting out a chuff. “You’re welcome. Now, why don’t you just sit tight and I’ll make us something to eat?”

“Don’t set my kitchen aflame, though,” I warn him as the wolf man gets up from the couch.

“I won’t,” he answers smugly before leaning in to steal a kiss. “I promise.”

With a spring in his step, JB sets off for the kitchen with the bag of groceries he pulled from Jinyoung’s trunk. The two must have dropped by the supermarket before coming to pick me up.

A pillow propped up against the armrest and the blanket formerly draped over the couch now covering my shoulders, I lie down for a nap.

As consciousness fades, a warm affectionate wolfish smile pierces through the growing haze. Jaebeom murmurs something unintelligible and turns his gaze back to the chopping board.

I am home.

Dreaming of two little pups running around an orchard.

“Dinner’s ready!” The loud remark barely filters in until it’s repeated up close, the merry bark lowered in volume. A hand shakes my shoulder, but what does the trick in waking me up is the warm wetness nibbling away at my ear. However, it doesn’t stay there, but travels down the side of my neck and ends its journey at the hem of my shirt, giving it a gentle yet fierce tug.

“Y/N, come on. Get up,” JB whines, the words distorted thanks to keeping the fabric firmly between his teeth. He tugs at it again.

What on earth?

I turn onto my other side, causing the big wolf man to let go. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get you to eat.” He makes himself smaller, gaze briefly averted to the side before looking at me again, continuing in the same tender yet stern tone he uses whenever food is involved. “With me. This is my first time cooking for you and I practiced really hard while you were away. So, please, eat with me. I want to know whether I did a good job.”

“Do you have to drag me by the collar for that?” I reach out to scratch him behind his ear, tracing his jaw as my fingers work upwards.

Jaebeom’s eyes mist over, his expression turning dreamy as he leans into the touch. “Want- Don’t know… know how to- Come to… kitchen. Although, maybe, just...”

“Feels good?”

A hasty sheepish smile flashes on his lips as he nods in agreement, eyes closed and speechless.

You really are a wolf. Weirdo. My weirdo.

A whine slips out when I stop. JB slowly opens his eyes again, blinks a few times before he clears his throat. “Can we do that again? After dinner, maybe?”

 “If I liked what you made, sure. However,” I kiss his forehead, “since you asked so nicely, we can do this again after we’ve eaten. So, will you eat with me?”

Will you stay with me?

“What’s wrong?” Picking up on the worrying thought, he tilts his head to the side and scrutinizes my face as he did Jinyoung’s earlier today.

“Nothing.” I shake my head, dismissing the thought since we’ve already said everything there is to say about it. “Just a silly thought.”

His expression falters. “I’m being over- overbear- too much.”

“No, not at all! Don’t say that, silly.”

Jaebeom nudges my nose with his, his tone sweet in an attempt to make me confess what’s bothering me. “Then what is it?”

“I’ve never done this before,” I admit at last. “No one’s ever cooked for me aside from my mom and grandmother or had a guy proudly proclaim himself as my boyfriend. This is simply new to me so it makes me feel, well, a bit awkward. It’s unreal, like a dream that might go up in smoke any second. That’s maybe a better way to put it.”

“I’m really here. Also, remember what you promised me? You’d stay by my side until you can’t anymore and I promised you the same. I’m a wolf, after all. Loyal to my pack or, rather, my- uh- my bi- no, that’s wrong. My lady,” he grabs my hand and lifts the fingers to his lips for a chaste kiss, “I am your gentleman and I won’t go anywhere without telling you first. And, if possible, I’ll take you with me because I refuse to leave you behind. But for now, let’s go eat. Together. I’ll try not to make a mess.”

Don’t cry, Y/N. Don’t you tear up right in front of him.

I take in a shivering breath, swallow hard, and try to regain composure.

We’re here together and wherever it is we’re going next, we’ll be there as we are now.

Side by side.

Even though I’m hungry and the table is literally three steps away, I groan as I get up from the couch. Travelling takes its toll, no matter how short the distance might be. All the same, I shuffle towards the chair facing the kitchen and plop down on it, watching JB plate up. “What are we having?”

“Steak with blanched vegetables and sweet potato mash,” he proudly announces while serving the food.

“Uhm, that’s very nice. However- it’s alright if you don’t remember, but I’m vegetarian.”

“I remembered.” A bright smile forms on his lips, eyes alight with triumph and joy. “That’s why your steak is soy-based. I found it while doing groceries or, rather, Jinyoung pointed it out. He’s been teaching me how to cook and bake. Well, we’re still working on the latter, but I did bring homemade cheesecake for dessert. I still wonder why they call it cheesecake when what’s going in it isn’t really cheese.”

“Beats me too.”

“You got slapped by cream cheese?” Visibly gobsmacked, he leans in with an expression that holds the middle between curiosity and utter confusion. “How did that happen and was it painful?”

“I mean I don’t understand either,” I reply, shaking my head with a low chuckle, and cut into the steak. As the knife sinks into it, a rosy fluid oozes out of it as if it’s been cooked medium-raw which is exactly how I liked it back in my non-vegetarian days. “But baking hasn’t been a success?”

Jaebeom sits back, shoulders hunched as he pokes the carrot on his plate with his fork. “I burned a cake, pulled it from the oven as black as charcoal. Then there’s the case of the exploded soufflés and marble cake that turned out to have no marbling at all. Not to speak of the melted... what’re they called again? There’s also a song that’s got to do with them. Jinyoung sings it a lot. Rocky road! Melted rocky roads and millionaire’s breads.”

“Maybe stick to cooking instead of baking. Not everyone has a knack for both.”

He sighs in defeat. “Maybe I should, but I’ll still try to make you something every once in a while that’s actually good.”

“As long as you don’t blow up one of our kitchens.” I include my kitchen as well because the mere thought of baking together spreads a rosy flush throughout my body that leaves me warm with affection. Besides, it’s another excuse to see him wear an apron, maybe pull some shenanigans myself and have something to eat with a cup of tea or coffee and a good book.

That would make for a nice date. We should do that soon.

“I’ll try.” He holds out his pinky. “Promise.”

The adorable genuineness of the determined gesture is what drives me to seal the promise by wrapping my pinky around his. “I’ll hold you to it.”

While eating the simple yet well-made dinner, the conversation is about novels, the shop, Jinyoung’s cooking lessons and the weary stories of how Kunpimook and I crossed Bruges in search of the best chocolate. Jaebeom hasn’t done much in the time I was away it seems. The bookshop’s been quiet, so he’s had plenty of time to read and work on his cooking. Nevertheless, his expression turns dreamy when I show him the pictures from the trip, but right beneath the surface of it floats a form of sad longing which is too unclear to be certain of or to be properly described.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m glad you got to see this,” he murmurs as he takes my phone from my hand to leave through the collection again. “I’m kinda jealous, though. It’s been so long since I went somewhere other than here. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been somewhere else.”

Brows furrowed, he tries to remember the last time he travelled. Withal, he comes up short, the melancholy of missing memories staining his voice. “I’ve been nowhere except here. Chained.”

“This place clearly is your home, that’s why it’s keeping you here. It knows you belong here and I’m glad you’ve remained.”

He lets out a breathless laugh which oddly holds the middle between a growl and a giggle. “I’m happy you showed up at my doorstep, then. But, the cottage you’ll be moving to... it’d- it’d be nice if I could make that my home too.’’ His cheeks grow pink like rose petals. ‘’Well, maybe not literally, but it would be nice if it would become our little somewhere.”

“Our little somewhere,” I repeat, charmed by the sound of it.

“Our home. Well, concretely speaking. Abstractly, and most importantly, you are my home.’’ He gets up to move to my side, where he crouches at my feet. Foreheads rested against each other, he easily nips at my nose and nuzzles it affectionately with his. ‘’You are what breaks the silence, makes me able to hope for better days.”

“The same goes for you because even though you sometimes still intimidate and freak me out a little bit, you make my days more interesting than they have been in years. So, thank you. For being here, spending your time in my company.”

“Thank you for the same reasons. Now,” JB leans away to get up and starts to clear the dishes, “how about dessert?”

Before either of us is aware of it, the clock on the wall notes it’s already ten past eight when we finish off the homemade cheesecake. Naturally, partially to also do my fair share, I stand up from my chair before the big wolf man does in an attempt to clear the table and do the dishes. However, when I’m about to walk to the kitchen with them, Jaebeom unapologetically takes them from my hands.

“What’re-? JB, you don’t have to do everything! Let me at least do the dishes.” Flattered yet a tad annoyed by the kindness, and poorly conveying my appreciation, I protest in a harsher tone than I intended to use.

Fortunately, though also a bit comically, he remains unperturbed. Notwithstanding, an unyielding sternness underlines his voice when he responds. “You’ve had a long journey, so sit down and relax. I’ll be right with you after cleaning up.”

Henceforth, unable to protest and rendered comatose by the delicious food, I plop down on the couch. Nestled into the corner, I have a proper view of the man who’s claimed my kitchen for himself.

Although it’s an intrusion to a certain degree, it’s quite soothing to watch Jaebeom defy classic gender roles. Contently humming a song and barely shy of skipping, he cleans up the mess with a tea towel tucked into the side of his pants. 

When he’s done, he hangs the tea towel over the stove’s handle, washes his hands, and settles down next to me. On a whim, though it’s maybe because of instinct, I get up from my little corner and nestle against him. He wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer as I drape my leg over his thigh to get into a more comfortable position.

Situated snugly in his safe presence, I close my eyes and sigh in pure content. “Can you stay here tonight?”

“Are you sure? Don’t you want to be alone and rest?” he murmurs into my hair.

“I can recharge with you. Besides, you’re nice and warm.” I snuggle up to him more, basking in the mixture of wild wood and cologne. “A perfect pillow.”

He pulls me on his lap, wraps his arms around my body and pulls me flush against his chest, which feels sculpted but not hard with muscle. Abs are nice and all, but I prefer the softness of a defined though not hardened chest. 

“If it brings you rest,” he curls his finger under my chin and lifts it, compelling me to look at him, “I’ll stay.”

I run my fingers along his jaw and up to his ear, immediately reducing him to the puppy-like state he tends to get into apparently when being touched like this. “Thank you.”

“My pl- pleasure.” What would have been a normal response is lost in a growl when I accidentally brush against his crotch as I shift my weight and sit up a little.

His eyes snap open, the hazelnut brown and ocean blue irises darkened, devoid of any sense of their former satisfied tenderness. With his thumb he traces the outline of my lips, lowly purring. “Pretty.”

“Jaebeom,” I place my hands on his shoulders, maintaining a bit of distance between us. We shouldn’t rush this, but the sensation of his growing bulge against my thigh, throbbing against the inside of it, convolutes every thought. Somehow, his scent seems to have gotten stronger too, overwhelming me with the same clear message the firm grip on my hips has. 

I don’t push him back as he leans in, bridging the emptiness I initiated. Foreheads rested against each other and his calloused hands on my cheeks, he guesses what’s essentially withholding me. “Scared?”

“A bit,” I whimper against his palm, the words muffled by the rough warm skin.

“It’s me, Y/N. I won’t hurt you.” Feverish yet sweetly with persuasive conviction, he kisses me. “I’m your gentleman, your boyfriend.”

“I’m afraid it’ll hurt. That we’re going too fast.”

“We’re not. I want this. I want more of you. With you. But,’’ lips pulled into a straight line, he clears his throat while looking as if he is restraining a wild beast that can easily get the better of him if he lets go, ‘’I’ll leave it up to you.”

So, what you’re asking is… 

Jaebeom takes a deep breath to regain his composure, though it has little effect. His breathing remains heavy, close to panting. Nevertheless, the gentle stars return to his eyes as the strained expression softens. “Will you have me?”

[1d-fics]

1. Gods & Monsters - velvetoscar

The instructions were simple: seduce and destroy Harry Styles. Not once did they discuss the option of Louis actually falling in love. So, naturally, that's exactly what he did.

2. Have Faith in Me - stylinsoncity

As the son of Anne Styles, millionaire owner of one of the world's most luxurious fashion labels, Harry has spent his last seventeen years living in carefree extravagance. And now he's grown tired of it, along with the pressure from his mum to follow in her footsteps and the constant care given to him by her past assistants.

When his mum's newest assistant, Louis, moves into the guesthouse, Harry determines to be treated differently. To be treated like an adult. Except Louis is not at all what Harry was expecting...

This is a story about growing up, growing in love and having the faith to make it last.

3. Take My Breath Away - realitybetterthanfiction

There is a prestigious school in the British Royal Navy classified as Premier Delta - or as it is known by its flyers, 1D. These select pilots are an elite set of Naval lieutenants who are trained in the skill of aggressive aerial combat. They are instruments of war, trained in times of peace. They are dogfighters, relentless and fearless in their mission to protect their beloved country. From their lofty vantage, they are always watching, waiting, and ready to lay it all on the line.

Lt. Harry Styles, call sign Sparrow, is a prodigy when it comes to flying. The owner of an unrivaled Naval pedigree, being a pilot was always written in the stars for Harry. With his trusty RIO, Lt. Niall Horan, Harry has made an unprecedented ascension in the ranks of the Naval aerial combat elite, and has been recruited to the esteemed Premier Delta flight school, carrying on his family’s legacy. What he finds there are unexpected friendships, perilous challenges, and something beyond what he ever thought possible. Because as his father had always told him, before the great Captain Styles went tragically missing in combat, you don’t fall in love with the sky, you fall in love with what keeps you on the ground.

4. The Wonderlands - stylinsoncity

"Somewhere between chaos and control — these are the wonderlands."

Harry's daughter, Andy, is signed to Louis' girl band. Her path to success is marked by competition, chaos, and for Harry, a love affair.

5. Pray for Some Sweet Simplicity - delsicle

Louis is the only omega to ever make it in the cut-throat world of competitive motorcycle racing—that is, he would be if anyone actually knew about his identity. Now, his sights are set towards competing in—and winning—the European Grand Prix, the biggest and most difficult race of the entire year, so he can disappear underground for good. He’s close enough, too, until an alpha sports journalist is assigned to follow Louis’s every move as he prepares for the event of his career.

Or, an AU where motorcycle racing is the biggest sport in a heavily divided world, Louis is trying to take control of his own destiny, and Harry is in for more than he bargained for.

6.Up to No Good - whoknows

Harry doesn’t think of himself as a womanizer, not at all. Sure, he enjoys sex, enjoys how women feel underneath him, and by some people’s standards he has sex with quite a lot of people, but that’s no reason to tell him that he can’t have a female PA anymore.

It’s especially no excuse for giving him a male PA who’s possibly the most gorgeous boy in the world who won’t even let Harry look at him for too long.

Sometimes Harry hates his life.

7. Another Day Gettin’ into Trouble - whoknows

Harry’s drunk when the idea occurs to him. He’s also a pop star, so sometimes his drunk ideas turn into actual things instead of just ideas. The clone-a-willy kit is one of them.

In Harry’s defense, when he first thinks about it his intention is just to buy the kit and give it to Louis to make his own dildo with, because that’s what he wants anyway, right? To have a penis filling him up?

Then he realizes that it would be weird if Louis made a copy of his own dick to fuck himself with. It’d be super weird. Louis fucking himself? That’s a weird idea. Harry’s pretty sure Louis wouldn’t like that.

Clearly the only solution here is to use his own dick for the mold.

8. Peaches and Cream - seducedbycurls

The study was to see if two strangers could live together for a month and fall in love.

“We are a new organization working to prove that love can do extraordinary things.” “You will do everything together & you are not allowed to leave the resort for the whole month.” “We want to prove that opposites attract.”

Louis is allergic to peaches, Harry smells like peaches. Louis just came for the money.

9. Just a Walk in the Park - comingbackhometoyou

It's 2015, the first time dinosaurs walked the earth in over 65 million years. The multi-billion dollar company, Twist Corporations, is planning a summer opening for their world changing attraction, "Jurassic Park".

They take an interest in the history making duo of Dr. Louis Tomlinson, a stubborn paleontologist, and his partner, paleobotanist Dr. Liam Payne, giving them the chance of a lifetime to work for the new theme park. Louis is apprehensive, but Liam has a "gut feeling" that it will change their lives. He isn't wrong.

Featuring Niall as the top engineer to get the park up and running, Zayn as the raptor expert, and Harry as the grandson of one of the most influential men in the world.

[missorgana]

like a tattoo kiss

pairing: karolina dean/nico minoru

fandom: marvel’s runaways

rating: general

word count: 4228

warning: swearing

summary: Nico doesn't get nervous. Except around pretty people. Especially around pretty people. (tattoo parlor AU)

(it’s been 84 years... Finally, i am writing!! life and uni has been extremely messy, so i’m just so glad to be creating again uwuu. this was meant for the @augustwritingchallenge but alas... i miss my alien and witch girlies!! thank you to my baby @griffinbellamy for beta reading <333 you are Everything. hope you enjoy this mess!!)

read on ao3

Nico doesn’t get nervous.

Or rather, she’s not the type of person to be nervous. Especially while working.

Her parents weren’t over the moon when she told them what line of work she was aiming for, not that she needs their permission or anything, but they’d warmed up to her internship over time.

Many times she had tried to explain why exactly she liked her art to be expressed through ink on skin, but parents just don’t understand some things. All hail rebellious teenagers, or something.

Amy’s always been supportive, because she’s an angel, Nico thinks, and her sister managed to get them along, somehow.

In the end, they were probably just happy to get her out of the house more.

By a string of luck she had found a local tattoo parlour, well, actually, the city’s best, and they were willing to take her on, along with her best friend, coincidentally.

And the boss kept an eye on her and Alex to make sure they didn’t misbehave, but just like herself, he wasn’t the type to mess around with the things he was passionate about.

They had always been excellent lab partners way back, considered each other their partner in crime, no less.

And over time, they both were allowed to work more freely. Even to the point of taking their own clients, albeit only walk-ins, for now.

This week, a little thing about Nico’s inability to get nervous might be changing, but she only knows that when a walk-in comes along late Friday afternoon.

It’s actually an hour and a half before closing time, that is, and they weren’t expecting much more people besides reservations.

But low and behold, when the bell above the door rings, Nico glances up to the sight of two young people, surely the same age as her and Alex.

And while the guy wears a leather jacket, messy brown hair that she isn’t sure which direction it was meant to go, the girl following behind him has her blonde hair in a braid over her shoulder, and is, unlike her companion, more appropriately dressed for the weather which has been abnormally hot this season.

The stranger tugs the cardigan on her shoulders over her white dress just a little. She looks impatient, poking the guy’s shoulder and saying something low and unintelligible.

Did Alex have to pinch her side to get the attention he wanted? Looks like it, yes.

Because holy shit.

Nico sort of feels like a deer in headlights, which is a joke, this is not anywhere near a situation like that, and a stupid metaphor, anyway.

But her previous string of keeping her cool, not letting her nerves overtake her entire being, is getting, well, thrown out of the window at this moment.

Alex likes to call this her “bisexual panic”. He’s a little bit of an asshole.

Well, they both are, but it doesn’t matter, because if Nico has to hear him tease her about “being a wreck around pretty people” one more time, she might just lose it.

It’s fine. She’s a customer, a civilian like herself, keep it together.

Thing is, this might just be the prettiest girl she’s ever laid her eyes upon. Sounds melodramatic, she knows.

This stranger looks like an extreme polar opposite of herself, in terms of fashion sense, anyway, but it wouldn’t be the first time.

She likes tall people, too.

Also, the blonde turns her head, seemingly surveying the parlour with a skepticism in her eyes that Nico’s seen many, many times, but it doesn’t faze her, because those eyes are the clearest blue possible.

She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, and Nico notices a small cross hanging around her neck.

Again, not exactly the community she herself hangs around, which might explain why she’s, tragically, never seen this person before now, but Nico’s experienced far too much shit to be judgmental.

“You done staring?” Alex’s voice mumbles on her left side, swiftly passing by to greet the two potential clients.

Guess he’s just earned himself another eyeroll. Or a death stare, maybe.

Her voice of reason gets to her, despite the, ugh, panic, and if she just runs this on their autopilot measure of things, as usual, it’ll all be fine.

Yes, definitely.

This isn’t some fairytale land, Nico tells herself, it’s not like this is your moment finally meeting the love of your life, or whatever, and you’ll live happily ever after.

She’ll most likely never see her again. She’s just very, extremely pretty- no, beautiful. Can’t blame her for being a little dumbfounded, right?

Alex is the kind of person who could make meaningful conversation with a toddler, a parrot, or a brick, if he really wanted to, so Nico’s glad to let him do most of the talking, as always.

He usually explains the basics to the clients, asks them about the design they have in mind (if they have an idea to begin with, that is), and that’s usually when he pulls Nico out from her thoughts, especially in situations like this where there’s more than one customer in the parlour at the time.

Given that their boss has more or less left them in charge of the shop till closing time today, however, she decides to make her way into the conversation herself.

“We’re getting matching tattoos!” the brunette guy tells them eagerly, a smug grin on his face, and judging by the impatience visible on his companion’s face, Nico has a feeling this wasn’t her idea.

She still sports a fond smile, though, despite her still not looking totally convinced of her… friend? partner?’s idea.

Alex nods politely, his customer service smile put on like he owns the place, and makes sure to present her to their soon-to-be canvases, “We’re interns here, Nico and I, but we got plenty of experience, so you’re in safe hands.”

And now, the girl looks directly at her. She might just mentally combust.

Nico has always hated those romantic traditions, and Valentine’s Day, and love at first sight, please, what vomit inducing bullshit.

She has to remember that, especially now, because a way too pretty girl looks at her up and down, very subtle and quick, so much so that it could be missed, but the bright smile she gives her makes her heart jump in her chest.

Nico smiles back, of course. She’s not an asshole.

“This is Chase and Karolina, by the way.” her best friend tells her, because administration, obviously, even though his voice definitely isn’t forgetting her and her panic, but fuck that.

Karolina.

She brushes another lock of hair out of her face, and Nico’s struggling to keep her attention on the transaction. She can’t be like this right now, nope, as sweet as the smile with pink lips staring her in the face is.

“So, you got a design?” Nico then inquires, once the pricing and everything is out in the open, knowing too well Alex will tease her more the longer she stares, and well, doesn’t know what to do with herself, so she might as well get on with it.

“A ‘C+K’ should do it, really, Oh! Can you do a heart?”

And Karolina sticks her tongue out at her companion, but he laughs nonetheless, like he can’t hold it back, bumping her shoulder.

They’re a couple.

Of course.

Nico should’ve seen it coming, she guesses, if she wasn’t so hung up on how pretty this girl was, it should’ve been obvious.

Ugh, it doesn’t even matter, anyway, because there wouldn’t even be a chance.

She’s a customer, she reminds herself, that’s like, the most unprofessional that could be. And even if they weren’t, and even if it was different, Nico could never tell if the girls she liked were into her or not. Or the boys, for that matter.

The partners previously always made the first move on her, which Alex explained by her being the most stubborn person he knows. Whatever.

Without Nico not realising much else conversation, it seems fitting that Alex takes on Chase’s shoulder blade, while her canvas turns out to be Karolina’s upper arm.

Alex and her cleaned the sketch up they brought, their clients both approved, and here they were.

It’s simple, really, a pink heart, with an added arrow through it because Alex likes to turn everything as extravagant as possible. And the initials, of course.

And Nico’s more than used to being close to total strangers like this.

Like, with most areas of the body, even. But those other people weren’t the prettiest girl in the world, so, you know.

And to make matters worse, once Karolina’s seated, and Nico’s sanitized the area, tracing the outline, the too pretty stranger starts talking. She knows this doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but Nico was already nervous, and far from an expert at small talk.

The blonde does seem to know how to lead a conversation.

Because the outline finished, glancing up to make sure the client’s still on it and not chickening out, wouldn’t be the first time, the pretty girl gives her another sweet smile, too sweet, really, and states, “I like the way you work.”

Nico has to blink a few times, because she’s not sure she quite understands what that means. Maybe she’s too used to lewd jokes from her peers that everything turns into an innuendo by now. Fucking hell.

So she opts for a, “You do?” as a reply.

Karolina nods. Gracefully, she has to describe it, not overly excited or eager, though the intention’s definitely there.

“I mean, you looked really concentrated a couple seconds ago. I don’t know. You’re gentle.” and she finishes her sentence with a shrug.

Gentle. Nico has never in her wildest imagination expected someone to associate that term with her. She’s never been called that.

Maybe her insides get a little fluttery. So what?

She’s not a giggling schoolgirl, she can keep her composure, and she does, but hopefully without the coldness she usually goes for when something doesn’t go as expected.

This girl doesn’t deserve that.

And honestly, this is feeling way too intimate way too fast.

The boys are already bantering about whatever video game they’re apparently both into, because, somehow, Alex manages to keep his lines straight while laughing at dumb puns and other ridiculous Alex-things.

Also, can this girl stop staring at her?

If Nico couldn’t control herself as well as she could, she might’ve been blushing. It’s only been ten minutes, come on, now.

Karolina seems a tad more… curious than most of her clients, anyway.

It’s like she’s observing every line she makes, at least, what she can crane her neck enough to follow.

So, inclined to distract herself from the thought of a pretty girl watching her, she asks, without thinking too much, “What are you studying?”

Nico’s got an excuse, cause her wrist is resting on the armrest, fashioned with an university pride bracelet, seriously.

The girl blows a hair away from her nose.

“Philosophy,” she tells her, in a shy, half-embarrassed tone, “Not my parents’ first choice.”

So Nico has to scoff. “Welcome to the club.”

The fact that they can have a laugh at this notion, a proper one, not as loud and bashful as the boys, but fuck them, this is like treading the deep waters of the pool, knowing someone’s holding your hand.

She doesn’t know where that comparison comes from.

…

It’s kind of excruciating, the way the session comes to a both disappointing and long awaited end.

The tattoo’s easy, and Nico’s nonsensical pining, or whatever it is, can’t just last here forever, she knows.

Karolina stayed quiet once they’d established their mutual bond of parents not trusting their decisions, besides the occasional humming, which she probably didn’t even realise she was doing, and offhand remarks to the boys about them being more serious.

The girl had seemed eager to get this thing over with when they came in, but once Nico announced her arm bandaged and in need of rest, she didn’t exactly miss the now anything but eager pout.

It’s not like she said anything, but Nico thinks her reading of people is improving. She’ll convince herself of that, anyway, to support the logic in her head.

The boys had fun, but she didn’t expect any less of Alex.

The fact that he’s made friends with multiple clients, or “established connections”, as he calls it, with the elder ones, seems exhausting to Nico.

She does envy him, though.

At least, she wishes she had that skill set right now, to have gotten a lot more meaningful conversation out of this meeting.

Don’t be fooled, she knows when a crush of hers is off limits, but who knows, maybe they could be friends. Not that they seemed to have much more in common, but, you know.

Karolina just seemed special to her brain, or heart, or whatever.

Doesn’t matter anymore, does it?

Chase proudly shows her their matching marks, which Nico would roll her eyes at if she could, and Karolina laughed with a sigh.

Nico’s got a sense that she’s, still, not all in on this. Too late now, she supposes.

And she’s never understood couple tattoos anyhow, because in Nico’s relatively short life on earth so far, she’s learned that most things come to an end.

It’s not necessarily pessimistic, or at least she tells herself that, because graduating was nice, and then she started an internship, so maybe endings really just mean that you’re ready for beginnings.

Sounds ridiculous when she thinks about it, but maybe they discuss that on Karolina’s philosophy course, who knows.

Besides, seems odd they would do it without mutual approval on both parts.

But of course, Nico doesn’t know these people at all, so who is she to ponder on their relationship?

And so the couple pay their bill, Alex exchanges numbers with Chase, because of course, and Karolina lingers just long enough that Nico suspects she might have something on her mind.

The blonde has a hand on her hip when she says, “He’s ridiculous.”

Nico doesn’t know if it was meant for her ears or the taller girl simply thinks out loud, but none or the less, she’d feel rude not to respond.

“It was nice meeting you guys,” is what’s coming out of her mouth, as casual as possible, emphasis on guys, “and hope you like the tattoo, regardless.”

Karolina scrunches up her nose, which is, um, adorable, like her words were troubling, but she still nods, more than once, “Definitely.”

And the girl looks to the side again, the boys fistbumping and Chase already snapping a picture of his mark. He’s stupidly proud of it, huh.

Nico can’t say he’s unlikable, can she? Maybe that’s part of his charm.

“You coming?”

And Karolina laughs again, sticking her tongue out, but starts moving when he almost bounces out the door, his attention immediately taken by a very important text message, it seems.

“Your art’s gorgeous, Nico.” she says over her shoulder, “See you around, right?”

And it’s said like a matter of fact, a law of nature, as if Karolina had searched for her work on the display walls, carefully eyeing the artist name labels.

She couldn’t have sounded any more sincere.

Nico nods, before she mentally combusts.

And the girl and her flowing dress are out the door in a flash, and if Alex’s laugh is any indication, Nico’s flushing beet red.

Gorgeous.

…

As if she received a small static shock, that’s how the weekend passes by for Nico.

Fast enough that she sits, on Monday, failing to remember anything noteworthy she spent her time with.

Well, she stayed over at Alex’s, since he swore to introduce her to Wolfenstein, whatever that word means. It turned out to be a game about killing nazis, so yeah, her interest was won soon enough.

Not that this is the point or anything. 

The point’s more like in the evening, when the boss has a family emergency and needs them to close up alone, which they are fully capable of, mind you, and a familiar face walks through the door.

It’s not the first time customers have returned, far from it.

Whether it be one of many patrons of the parlour, who they both have been introduced to by now, or the many new friends Alex is so brilliant at making.

Today, though, Alex does show off a knowing smile, but it’s pointed right at Nico, and she kind of wants to pinch him and his ever annoying smugness away.

And he doesn’t even stay to greet their former client or anything. Looks like his plan is to leave her to her own devices, spotting Chase outside and swiftly swinging out the door in one fluid movement.

Asshole.

And well. Nico’s one again faced with this girl, who made her blush too damn much for just one meeting.

Karolina’s wearing blue jeans this time around, and a crop top, damn, she cannot imagine that white leather jacket is giving much warmth on a foggy day like this one.

She waves. Nico has to wave back. It’s not like she was supposed to clean this chair or anything.

Seems like duties are put on hold around the prettiest girl ever.

Her smile comes off shy, but Nico can’t imagine anyone feeling shy around her. Well, she’s come off rather terrifying, more like, to the local school bullies back in primary school.

They made her sick, she had fists, and her all-black wardrobe was certainly helpful in that mission too.

Then, in the thought of punching bullies, Karolina’s in front of her, seemingly, consciously, leaving her some space, which she’s grateful for.

Common decency, Nico supposes, but also, a reminder that this infatuation needs to fade if she wants to remain some form of contact with the blonde.

Her very real, very annoying boyfriend laughs outside. Nico wishes she didn’t sound so bitter.

It’s fine, you know, they’ve met one time.

Nico wants her luck to be different, but since that’s out of the picture, she wants to be her friend. Very badly.

If she could just open her mouth, dammit.

“Hey,” she starts, finally, judging by Karolina’s hesitant silence that she expects her to put out the first word, “Good to see you again. And so soon.”

The last part with a quick laugh, would sound weird, or judgmental, otherwise. Not the perfect second impression.

Is the second impression even a thing?

Karolina chuckles herself, thank god, but squints her eyes a bit and scratches her arm, “The tattoo’s looking nice, I think.”

Nico doesn’t know if there’s a question laced into that statement, but the tall girl shrugs the jacket off just enough for her to view the work, and so she moves a tad closer.

It does look nice. Still needs to heal, extremely fresh, but nice.

Definitely one of the better couple tattoos she’s done, Nico tells herself.

And she nods, and Karolina settles her jacket properly, and that subject is dealt with.

Now what?

Maybe this was all the blonde came to talk to her about. Makes sense, but also, a tiny disappointment settles in Nico’s stomach.

It’s not like she had high expectations though, hell, she didn’t even expect to see her just three days after the meeting.

It seems Karolina meant what she said. See you around.

But that’s just politeness, Nico figures. Artist and client. 

She doesn’t know if she can ever learn from Alex’s mastery of the social art, to be honest. Stupid Alex things.

“So-” the girls find themselves speaking at the same time, and Nico chuckles awkwardly, but the blonde smiles too warmly for it to matter. “You were saying?”

And Nico’s about to answer, only she notices a third person joining Chase and Alex.

A relatively short girl, pushing her glasses up her nose and purple-dyed hair in two small buns.

And she kisses Chase on the cheek. Which, of course, friends do that. Nico and Alex don’t, but then again, they fistbump and shove each other more than anything else.

She can’t help but furrow her brows. It’s probably nothing, she thinks, forget about it.

“I was just thinking, if you wanna see some of my non-tattoo art one day.” Nico shrugs, better make it as casual as possible.

And Karolina’s eyes light up impossibly, and her nose scrunches up again when she smiles. Nico didn’t notice her freckles last time, weirdly.

“I’d love that, Nico!” she says, of course, looking excited and adjusting her ponytail, “I figure Chase wanna show Alex some of his gadgets. Something like that. I don’t know.”

That they can both laugh at. Doesn’t surprise Nico, given that Alex has been honing his coding skills since he was like fifteen.

She wasn’t even surprised when he offered to hack the school system and change her stupid history grades. It’s not like she agreed. But oh, did she consider it.

Nico scratches her neck. She wants to escape the conversation, which she’s experienced too many times to count, but also, she wants to stay there forever. Not that usual.

“Honestly, Alex has been talking about him. A lot.” she tells the blonde with a huff, and she smiles fondly, “Be careful he doesn’t steal your boyfriend.”

Nico’s been organizing the table in front of her during the conversation, it’s natural for her to do something with her hands, especially, well, now that she’s able to be nervous, apparently.

But it’s like something suddenly shifts.

When Karolina doesn’t laugh at her remark, Nico looks up, and the tall girl is frowning.

It looks wrong on her face, even though her nose is still scrunched, just the way it was with that smile a few minutes ago, making her feel these weird flutters somewhere deep in her chest.

So, naturally, Nico’s about to ask if she’s okay, because she’s suddenly terrified she’s said something wrong, or implied what her thoughts, somehow, until, “Chase? My boyfriend?”

Okay, Nico doesn’t really know what to say now.

Given her tone, Karolina’s clearly not comfortable. Maybe she’s ashamed of Chase? But that can’t be it, they got tattoos together, for goodness’ sake.

“Yeah? Sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“Oh, no!” the blonde looks confused, but reaches her arm out, like she’s going to touch Nico’s shoulder, but she doesn’t, “Or I mean, Chase. He isn’t my boyfriend.”

Her tone is stern without being angry. Elegant.

It’s now Nico’s own turn to frown. Shakes her head at herself.

“I’m so sorry.” she says, and tries to form a longer sentence in her head, without sounding desperate, “I didn’t mean to assume anything. I just, well, the tattoo looked like a couples tattoo, is all.”

And she tries a small smile, unsure if this relation’s already gone to hell after a weekend, but luckily, the tall girl’s frown is gone as fast as it appeared, and she’s biting her lip.

Nico’s more relieved than anything that she’s smiling back.

Then Karolina shakes her head, “Chase is an idiot.”

Again, like an unspoken, mutual understanding, they both laugh. Nico cannot for the life of her tell where this conversation is going.

And so the blonde continues, “It was a stupid bet. The tattoo, that is.”

Now, it does take a second, but it clicks in Nico’s brain. This is also new, and she didn’t know she could be more nervous, but here we are.

“I see.” she replies simply, glancing out the glass door, and figuring the bright haired girl out there must be Chase’s girlfriend.

Karolina chuckles. “They’re adorable.”

They’re looking at the same thing, it seems, so Nico can only nod, and wonder, if this is all, and the blonde is going to step out the parlour, and if the misunderstanding will be forgotten or not.

And they stand there for what seems like forever, but Karolina doesn’t leave.

No, she turns back to Nico, licks her lips, and folds her hands in front of her, “I’m sorry. I mean, God, I must be bad at flirting.”

Flirting?

This is going a little too fast for her. And now Karolina looks nervous too, but continues, impressively not stumbling over her words, “I mean, boys aren’t my thing. I-uh, I wasn’t sure if I should come, but Chase insisted I should make a move.”

Nico knows what’s going on. And she can’t say Alex was wrong when he said the blonde was “totally into her”, despite her very concerned, real protests about the very real boyfriend. Or well, very not real, it turns out.

So, instead of thinking of the nerves still sitting right beneath her skin, Nico lifts an eyebrow, trying to make sure what’s happening isn’t some imaginary dream scenario that’ll end in a blink.

“A move?”

The tall girl shrugs, biting her lip again. “Please tell me if this is crossing the line. I just…. you’re very pretty, is all.”

That’s fucking adorable.

“You think I’m pretty?” Nico replies, feeling her smile grow too stupidly bright. It’s not long before the girl in front of her mimics it.

Fuck, Nico, you’re going soft.

Alex is going to tease her for weeks after this. But she’ll worry about that later.

[sugar-petals]

I know you've been getting tons of requests for more tarot readings, but OH DEAR LORD, PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER ONE! Also, I luv ur blog have a blessed day!!!

i had a sexy idea. what about i take you to date night with SuperM 👀

Taemin: THE CHARIOT

That card has major prince in extra shining armor energy. It’s a highly decorated guy riding a star-spangled wagon pulled by two sphinxes. Pretty extravagant is an understatement. It can’t get any more glamorous and it’s perfectly Taemin. Especially because THE CHARIOT traditionally symbolizes being famous. Rings a bell right there. Date night will go down in a fancy car or limousine, or you will spend a major part in some kind of expensive vehicle getting you where you planned to go. Safe to say the overdressed one will not be you. Yep, no matter how hard you try. And it can’t be any other way. Taemin will stun with glitter, high fashion, perfect hair, jewelry, makeup, lavish fabrics, a perfect body, anyways. So expensive, lord. You date the Prince of Korea. Taemin might get into trouble with fans or frentic paparazzi when he shows up like that man. So it only makes sense the venue is likely a bit out of town because the chariot card is set with a city backdrop that fades in the distance. It’s gonna be next to a body of water which is depicted behind the chariot. Really a more secluded and remote area. That also tells me it’s you he dresses up for after all, not the public. And, either way. That the main theme of the card is the vehicle, that’s where you’ll be cheek to cheek. Driver, roll up the partition, please. 

Baekhyun: KING OF SWORDS

Powerful card. Either of you, I suspect it’s Baekhyun, takes responsibility to organize everything to the very last detail. It’s more head over heart energy, a hurricane, literal brain-storm even. He will surely think it through a thousand times. You gotta be the one who says easy easy, it’s about you and me and not some management job where the setting and timing and whatnot gives you all kinds of pressure. Now you understand that Baekhyun’s serious, performance-like mode is at full throttle because he’s nervous as fuck, cares about you, and doesn’t want to make any mistakes. But that contradicts what date night is all about. It’s not supposed to be stress or a task. Rather than making a good impression and being perfect, you remind him to let go a little more and return to his goofy personality. The lesson of the card might go as far as having both of you realize that racking your brains to hard is a sign to do something else. Staying at home is not a bad thing, you might even enjoy yourselves much more because everything is already taken care of. Sword energy cuts, especially if it’s the King wielding it, in this case the cutting might refer to canceling plans short notice to pursue what you’re really in the mood for as a couple. Which in turn will be rewarding and something healthy to do because you don’t force yourselves into an obligation.

Lucas: THE LOVERS

So… to state the absolute obvious right away. Even if you aren’t too familiar with Tarot at all, you know for a fact that this card is a darn good one to pull for a relationship question. Lo and behold: Lucas is your #1 address for date night. If I were unsure whom to pick, THE LOVERS are the most unequivocal sign like, pack the condoms, bring out the perfume, feel good, make out… wait, too fast. First things first: Oh my, he’s gonna be amazing as your kind of date consort. The chemistry! Explosive. Since the card depicts Garden Eden, that’s gonna be your overarching theme if you will. Cloud nine essentially. This evening will be blessed and sheer paradise. Adam on the card is surrounded by flames on a tree so you bet Lucas is gonna be on fire. There are also quite a few fruits depicted so I guess your food will be sweet and light rather than heavy. Now, as for the elephant in the room. Adam and Eve are more than stark naked on that card. Sex will be involved 10/10, out of all member’s he’s the one guaranteed to lay that pipe. The Lovers card also symbolizes a decision. It might be the day Lucas chooses to propose to you, even. Your relationship will be bound for the next level there. The angel on the card tells me you are safe and protected.

Mark: THE TOWER

Unexpected! That card is just way too dramatic for a light romantic reading. Seeeriously. Especially with Mark as a member who’s known for being super goofy and cute instead of serene and grumpy. What it’s about is plain ole doom and destruction, bringing down the old to build and restart the new. Natural catastrophe and firestorms, even. Yeah like imagine sitting together with Mark eating chipotle and some bloody earthquake hits, that’s the scenario and… actually, no. Worry not, I think the card wants us to take the image literally. The date will be in or close to some kind of tower. Or any elevated structure for that matter. Eiffel Tower much? Tower of Pisa? Sounds very romantic to me. That we have a huge thunderstorm raging on this card tells me you’ll be inside watching the huge grey clouds and thunder which is gonna be quite spectacular. Summer might be the time of the year that date goes down since it’s the season most prone to thunderstorms. Note also how dark the tower card is, that date night will go on past midnight and it will be steamy, too.

Ten: FOUR OF CUPS

Instantly when I drew that card, I knew it’s him on it. The four of cups shows a young black-haired man with closed eyes, sitting under a tree. Whether he’s dozing, sulking, meditating, or ignoring what goes on around him isn’t entirely clear. To me, and for Ten, I feel like it’s more of a worn-out day he’ll experience. Not the date itself, mind you, it’s the social circumstances. He’s tired from dance practices and all those schedules. All the fan interactions and SNS to be taken care of. Lots of stuff going on in the group. Truth be told, the card says date night isn’t the best way to go about it. He wants to be in a state of full energy when being with you. That works best if he has a separate day planned. And not date night as an addition to an existing schedule. Cramming it in seems like deprioritizing his partner so he won’t easily consider even if you yourself suggest date night. He has his reasons but might not always care to elaborate which is interesting given how outspoken Ten is otherwise. Maybe he’s not keen to burden you with his stress and his main strategy is to stay indifferent to keep things at bay, he really values relaxation time — nothing against you, just virtue of his business.

Taeyong: TWO OF PENTACLES

Interesting and simple, beautiful card! It shows a young man juggling two pentacles inside an infinity symbol, acting as a scale. That tells me two things: a) you’ll split the bill and b) this is a long-term relationship. Random I know, but makes for interesting context. The main theme from the card is the following though. It’s gonna be a date by the sea. There are water and ships pictured. You’ll see the anchorage and freight ships, even take a trip across a river alternatively. Who knows, the River Han is a popular dating spot in Seoul, I am sure someone so fond of all things nature will gravitate towards that. Looking at the waves is like a meditative experience. I also got an idea looking at that card once more, something more small scale: A pool date, super sexy. Like, imagine that. Taeyong is just an avid swimmer in pools, we’ve seen it. A bit of refreshment, some games with a ball, a bit of accidental exercise along the way without it feeling like a chore? Sounds about right. Plus you automatically get frisky in your swimwear. He’s not afraid to show his body. Whatever it is, a body of water will be involved for sure. If it’s by the sea an not inside water: Taeyong will wear either a red or even orange suit, we’re going fashion forward tonight babey, he can pull it off.

Kai: TEN OF WANDS

When I drew this I was like oh nu why :/ But we gotta roll with it. It’s not a seriously scary thing or something, just a more strenous, not 100% smooth romance card. The Ten of Wands is more of an indicator that there’s an obstacle or strain involved. It might be the kind of date where Kai is clumsy, someone doesn’t make it on time, it’s a hassle to find the parking lot, and so on and so forth. Consistent bad luck I do not associate with the TEN OF WANDS, however! It’s more of a what effort you put in is what dictates the result energy. The card shows a hunched guy carrying ten huge wooden sticks toward a town in the backdrop. And you can really see it’s heavy and he’s struggling because he has to carry so much. So, it might be a scenario where like, say Kai and you get stuck in traffic before you arrive. Which, you know, can be super annoying but can easily turned into a perk if you know what to do with the extra time. Or, Kai takes up so much responsibility with planning that he gets exhausted with the rest of his work in the mix. Though remember, effort always comes back tenfold (it’s the ten of wands after all) so it might be worth it and be a wholesome evening after some initial stress. Something unrelated I picked up from the imagery is that the date will be in a castle, because that is pictured in the backdrop!

[laceweddingdresseswithsleeves]

a pair of Miu Miu gold glitter heels are not extravagant at all for showing off gogo！％＾＊ mira dresses

Although these royalties of the western and fashion world could have had anything they wanted for their weddings, they seemed sygdljdress20112 to have made very deliberate decisions to keep their weddings as simple as they could. It is clear that they are big romantics at heart and just as family-oriented as the rest of us. What can be more timeless and romantic than a glittery gold wedding? The colour gold is associated with the Sun, which is a symbol of happiness, success, attainment, prosperity and health. The shiny colour of the sun's rays brightens all things, adding a sense of optimism and good cheer. 12. Heels. We hate what they do to our feet but we love how we look in them. Having said that, a pair of durable and comfortable gold heels can take you places so don't scrimp on them formal dresses for summer, especially since you have your wedding as a wonderful excuse reason. Peep-toe pumps are always perfect for all occasions, but for your wedding, a pair of Miu Miu gold glitter heels are not extravagant at all for showing off gogo mira dresses. If you prefer strappy heels, nobody does it better than Jimmy Choo. It was only when I saw that the music was playing out of a phone and that there was a bouquet propped up against a light fixture that I realised something was up. He then took the bouquet and passed it to me and started his speech. Sadly, I don't remember a single thing he said except for me always nagging at him (rolls eyes) and obviously, him asking me to marry him. He then got down on one knee and proposed.

While creamy salad dressings are usually a no-go when it comes to healthy lunches, this Creamy Kale Salad with Spiced Chickpeas is the exception to the rule. The dressing is made with plain Greek yoghurt lalamira contact number, which is packed with protein and will help keep you full throughout the afternoon. The best part? This salad can be made and dressed a few days ahead of time without getting soggy, thanks to the heartiness of the vitamin-packed kale. Set tongues wagging in the right direction as you strut down the aisle in that eye-catching dream gown of yours. You don't want to be caught dead in an ill-fitting gown or one that is so last season, especially when all eyes will be on you. While securing that perfect gown is easier said than done, finding the one boutique that carries that gown is even harder. When I first saw the dress on me blue prom dresses, I felt Amanda nailed every aspect of it. It was elegant, and yet a little different. The gown speaks of 'me'. At that moment, I knew what this 'bridal moment' brides talk about was, just that in my case, it was overwhelming. (I mean, which bride sees her gown only on her wedding day'!) She's been quoted as saying, 'The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion royal wedding dresses, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.' You May Also Like: bridesmaidgown | Tumblr this on-line marriage ceremony look anyone are planning on ... in the condition of viral infection the mucous discharge your pen and look at any point mentioned in the following ... honour attire seriously isn't eventually left for inconclusive task ...

[bells-of-black-sunday]

The seraphic fold master post

Updtaed as of: 6/16/2020

So, the old master post isn’t good at all it’s mostly just Luci, Az, Gabriel, Michael, and Mary facts as opposed to how the fold works and functions, the caste system, social dynamics, etc. I will also be providing and updated list of all the angels that I write that live there along with the date it was updated.

Quick introduction to angels as a species and the fold itself, angels and demons are the same thing, no fall mechanic required. With how the seraphic fold and Burning planes are two neighboring realms that nearly completely overlap, the Seraphic fold is more like a gated community that rejects the idea of being as “low and grimy” as their “savage” cousins. They’re the living embodiment of “you can’t sit with us”.

The burning planes was created and is written by my friend so I will not be making a post on it ehrwh

I. The caste system and social dynamics

The caste system is simple, but the class divides are quite literal with huge guarded walls and gates separating each area. Angelic society is separated into spheres with a ruling class above everyone else. It goes as follows:

The council

First sphere

Second Sphere

Third sphere

The council are the ruling class of angelic society, but they don’t have one ruler. The seraphic fold is infinitely spreading making room for those that are born or reincarnated within’ it’s pristine walls. Each member of the council governs a small portion of the fold making general laws vary quite greatly aside from the constants that were decided when the fold was first manifested, but for the most part the fold is governed by strict social expectations.

1. Murder is prohibited unless you’re challenging the throne, failure to comply will result in execution 

and 

2. The murder and assault of death angels will result in either permanent exile or execution 

The council make their own laws as they see fit for their society, but despite there been quite literally billions of council members only a handful are well known and govern the most populated areas of the fold.  Azrael, Michael, Mary, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Sealtiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, Samuel, and formerly Lucifer. Lucifer was and still is the most prominent council member in the folds history, he conquered nearly half of the fold before being exiled shortly after the storming of heaven. 

His section of the fold was broken up and given to the members of his council that didn’t take his side during the event, but rulers aren’t elected nor are they born into power. The thrones are constantly being fought over by those looking to get ahead in the first sphere, those that rule have proven themselves as both powerful in battle and worthy of respect.

The first sphere is home to wealthy politicians, the royal guard, merchants, soul collectors, high class chefs, gladiators and the like. It’s high class society is the strictest out of any of the spheres as everyone’s looking for a way to get rid of competition. Political assassins and body guards are a huge portion of the jobs offered in the back alleys, not to mention the dark underbelly of the “servant” trade where many angels are kidnapped from the third sphere to be “house keeps” and “servants” for the upper class. The first sphere is so full of pride and prejudice to the point where if you’re any bit sympathetic towards those below you or interact below you, you will face harsh scrutiny and possible assault. 

But it’s not all bad, the first class has the highest quality of living out of any of the spheres with running water, lighting, an abundance of food, etc. Not to mention the access to various delicacy’s made by soul collectors. Soul collectors are angels that collect the souls of the dead and turn them into fine alcohols, candies, tapestries, silks, cigars, weapons, and jewelry. Just like you’ll see in other sphere’s, there’s a wealth gradient. The further you get to the second sphere the poorer and worse the sphere becomes.

The second sphere is middle to low class, it carries over traits from the first and third sphere, but this is generally where you’re “peasant” jobs are. A lot of them are farmers or handy workers, but there are tailors and cooks here. Food shortages and poverty gets worse and worse as you get back towards the third sphere. These are generally average people who don’t have any extreme magical ability and their ability to collect and see souls isn’t the greatest. They’re just average people trying to make ends meet, it is possible to pull out of this sphere and into the first, but it takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s even easier to fall into the third.

The third sphere is where all those that are exiled and rejected by society end up. There is little possibility of pulling yourself out of here and generally laws don’t apply to those that society has forgotten and/or rejected leaving this section to be guarded by militias. Life in the third sphere is a lot more relaxed and free spirited ruled by rebellion and rejecting social standards despite the huge starvation problem, life has thrived here. But as time passes social unrest grows within’ this sphere making the sign of Lucifer and the removal of wings a sign of rebelling the society they’re oppressed and forgotten by.

Death angels are a huge part of angelic society, they’re angels that carry out Death’s will and thus are considered the highest of angel society and specially protected under Angelic law and thus are always either a part of the council or living within’ the first sphere.

Fashion is a huge part of angelic society it reveals wealth, social status, and job position, thus I will give a quick run down of it.

The council:  Long silks, armor, tight fitting clothing all are common place. The face is usually covered by a mask or hood, wings have been enlarged to give an imposing silhouette. Intimidation is key here as many council members face opponents rather regularly. Black and gold is extremely common place within’ fashion here. Many council members adorn their horns in jewelry. Generally fashions rules are much looser here than most of the other spheres. The lack of wings is an extreme taboo along with the lack of horns.

The first sphere:  Extremely extravagant clothing that often takes appearance over functionality. Masks are common place here along with long feather’s and more than one pair of wings placement varies to being framing the head, middle of the back, shoulder blades, etc. A lot of teal and gold is used in clothing within’ this sphere, the usage of black is reserved strictly for mourning. Jewelry is a must here to flaunt your wealth, wealth is often displayed and flaunted by how much gold and jewels a person wears as they’re quite expensive. The lack of wings is an extreme taboo along with lack of jewelry, clothing, silks, and masks.

The third sphere: The third sphere is often categorized by rebellion and rejecting the social standards of the fold. The removal of wings, horns, hooves, etc. in an effort to look more human is extremely common place, but they never look fully human. Any angels that still have their wings are social outcasts within’ this sphere as they desperately try to fit in with their peers, but they’re also more likely to leave the sphere. Clothing in the third sphere is extremely varied, others might wear only white, other’s black, or vibrant colors, but one thing that’s generally not used is gold. Very rarely is gold used and it’s usually stolen.  Wings, anything that would flaunt wealth is an extreme taboo within’ this sphere.

II. Housing and general aesthetic of the fold

The fold consists of whites, teals, blacks and golds to contrast the bright red veins angels get when angered. Angelic housing is basically like ancient Greek houses, but made out of smooth white marble and extravagant details galore, you get up into mansions as you get into the more wealthy sphere. A lot more gold and black marble or carpet is used in these palaces while common housing tends to either get white marble, wood flooring, or straw. Wealthy people tend to be able to live alone, while as you get further down it’s not uncommon to see multiple families sharing one home or one area of land. Housing isn’t hard to come by, but since the fold is a series of floating islands, it tends to be compact, reaching upward instead of outward.

III. Links + misc facts

Extra links to more info:

Dimensional clusters

Why don’t angels want to look human?

Angel diet kinda

Angels as parents

Angel gentialia (nsfw)

How angels change their body

Gender and pronouns usage

High priests and Apollyon

Nomadic ground dwelling angels

Angels don’t refer to who they’re married to as their spouse, they call them their mate and polyamory is not at all uncommon especially in wealthier sections of the fold where you might want to pool your money together. Divorce also isn’t seen as taboo or uncommon

Angels do reproduce sexually, yes, but since angels can shape aspects of their appearance however they want, gender isn’t seen as anything that’s worth talking about, everyone can have children if they choose to so even what’s in your pants doesn’t matter

Societal pressure tends to keep angels having the same appearance in everything but the third sphere, lack of facial features aside from the occasional shown eyes, horns, hooves, claws, and tails. 

Every angel is born with one set of wings, but while angels can choose to grow more, once they’re torn from their sockets the tissues too scarred to grown another pair leaving them permanently grounded.

Angels reach sexual maturity at one hundred years of age, but they have been known to leave home earlier than that.

Angels are immortal in the sense that they don’t die from old age, but disease, famine, etc. can all kill them

People do reincarnate in the fold and it’s basically a toss of the dice where they’ll end up when they do

IIII. Angel master list 

aka angels I write on this blog or if people make angels and want to be added to the list I’ll add them and link their blog/whatever

last updated 6/16/2020

Abaddon

Azrael

Lucifer

Mary

Michael

Rose

Apollyon

Lilith

[super-cerulean]

Beautiful Liar

Part One/Part Two

I hope you guys enjoy this story because it's a fun change of pace from what I normally write. This idea gets more positive later on, I promise 😂

Summary: An expensive taste and a knack for stealing hearts led you to a gala full of Gotham’s richest socialites. Your next target would be the Wayne family, but you weren’t sure just which one to go for. If you pulled it off, it had the potential to be your biggest score yet. All you had to do was play your cards right.

Warnings: Language, kind of dark, major themes of manipulation

Contrary to what most people assumed, your romantic partners weren't your only source of income. They certainly helped keep your wardrobe up to date, but you didn't rely on them for paying bills or anything too important. It was a hobby after all. Your actual job paid well and allowed you to move cities at your own discretion. You had a knack for fashion, especially when it came to your own closet, so it only made sense that you were an amazing stylist. It was hard at first getting your name out there, but eventually you were able to get jobs working on plenty of photoshoots, tv shows and even a few indie movies. Being someone who worked behind the scenes, your name and face weren't well known unless someone was in need of your services. That made your "hobby" a lot easier. Normally, you kept your work life and your private life completely independent of one another, even going as far as to lie about where you worked to keep your anyone you were talking to from interfering. The day Jason Todd showed up at your job was the day you realized that this scheme would be different than the others, for better or for worse.

It had to have been around a week after you met him at the gala. For the time being you busied yourself with work around Gotham and getting to know the city. The rumors that the city was dangerous held true as in that one week you'd seen and heard about more crime than you'd seen in the past five years. It rarely happened near you but goddamn that city was crazy. Thankfully, you mads quick friends with some of your coworkers and they taught you a lot about surviving the insane amounts of crime. You might never get used to living there but at least you knew which places to avoid like the plague.

Jason showed up without warning one day after work. For the time being you worked at a photography company where models and other Gotham celebrities came to do photoshoots. You were heading out, done working for the day and deciding where you would go for dinner when the receptionist stopped you.

"Just a moment! There was someone who requested to speak with you when you were done." You stopped, turning around with a surprised expression. The receptionist pointed you towards the lobby and you nodded, heading in that direction. It was a little early for you to have your own clients requesting your services, so you honestly had no idea who it could be. When you saw Jason Todd standing there in a dress shirt black slacks, you almost dropped everything you were carrying.

"Hey?" you said cautiously when you reached the lobby. He looked up from his phone at the sound of your voice and smiled. There were a lot of chairs in the room for clients to sit and wait and he was sat in one of them near the center. He stood when he saw you and met you halfway.

"What are you doing here?" 

"This is kind of embarrassing," he mumbled, looking at you with sheepish eyes. "I have this thing I need to go to that I need a date for and you're the only person I could think of."

You tilted your head in confusion, watching him shift under your gaze. Of course, this was a goddamn blessing for you, but you knew better than to not ask any questions. Nobody asked for something like this without hidden motives; you knew that better than anyone.

"Why me? You don't have any other friends you could ask?"

"Well yeah, but at the place I'm going...I have a job to do and I don't want anyone coming up to me. When we hung out at the party, nobody tried flirting with me so I was hoping you'd do the same thing again."

There it was. "Oh so you need like a fake girlfriend," you clarified. Jason flinched at your wording but nodded.

"It sounds pathetic when you say it like that," he replied. "But yeah. I wanted someone kind of out of my circle so it wouldn’t be as confusing and weird."

Watching him, a feeling settled into the back of your mind. By the way he carefully chose his words and how he seemed to react when you asked questions, you knew there was more to the story. Still, his request was simple enough and it was an opportunity to get closer to him. How could you refuse?

"Sounds simple enough. When's the occasion?"

"Right now," Jason responded. You couldn't help dropping your jaw a little when he said that.

"That's a little short notice," you gasped. "I'm not even dressed for anything right now."

"I know, I'm sorry. This whole thing was sudden. We can stop on the way and get you something to wear. There are plenty of stores around here."

A new outfit? Now you were really sold. You retained your apprehension outwardly though, not wanting Jason to know you were sold purely on the premise that he would buy you something. Still, you had to ask to be sure.

"Hm...do I get to keep the outfit?" 

"Yeah, for sure. Think of it as compensation for agreeing to going with me," he added quickly.

"I guess that's fair," you said finally. "I don’t have any other plans tonight, so I might as well"

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver!" Jason quickly took your hand, tugging you towards the entrance to the building. Your mind was still reeling at the fact that he not only sought you out, but that he he was already asking you out on a date. Granted, it was a fake date, you still counted it as a win in your book.

"I have a car waiting. Do you need to drop anything off at yours?" You looked up at his question, pulling yourself from your thoughts. His hand still hung loosely in yours as you walked with him into the parking structure but you elected not to say anything about it.

"No, I uber to work. It costs less than the parking in this building," you explained. Jason nodded, returning his attention to looking for his car. 

"Okay, I'll take you home afterwards then." You let him lead you to where his car was parked and he opened the door for you and let you in. After you were fully in the vehicle, he closed the door and rounded the car to enter the driver’s seat. 

“Here, you can put your bag in the back,” he said, eyes landing on your backpack. You nodded, reaching back to rest your bag on the floor beneath the back seats while Jason started the car. He was pulling out of the parking space before you were even back to sitting in your seat. You were a bit shocked at the sudden movement and hurriedly put your seatbelt on.

“By the way, how did you find out where I worked?” You asked after you were out of the parking structure. You remembered he also knew your name at the gala when you hadn’t even told him. For a split second, you wondered if this was maybe a bad idea. You really didn’t know him at all and you just hopped into his car without asking that many questions. It would be just your luck that you got kidnapped and murdered trying to finesse more money into your bank account. 

“You dropped your business card at the gala,” he said simply. You recalled offering some of them to a few people at the party so it wouldn’t be impossible for you to have dropped one of them. The only problem was that you hadn’t had time to make them for your new job yet. They still listed your old place of employment and if Jason had called any of your contact numbers you would have known about it. 

“I haven’t made any with my current job, though. Those are outdated.” 

“Yeah, but your name isn’t. It’s not hard to find people, especially in Gotham. We love to gossip,” he explained. He was right about that. Finding information on people was way too easy with the internet, especially when they were well known. Someone doing research on you, however, was something you hadn’t experienced before. The thought of him finding out what you’d done in the past made you second guess your entire plan. But would he have really invited you out if he knew the truth?

Shaking the thought out of your mind, you decided to focus on the present. Jason was parking the car a long a long strip of neon illuminated stores. There were all types of stores settled nearby that created a kind of strip mall in the middle of the city. You still hadn’t gone shopping much since you’d moved to the city so all of the stores were new to you. It took every ounce of willpower you could muster not to look like a kid in a candy store. 

“We’re kind of short on time, so tell me your size and we can split up to pick something out,” he said when you entered the first store. You eyed him with a glare when he said this so he quickly spoke up again. “I promise I won’t judge whatever number you tell me.” 

Sighing, you told him what size to look for and he set off on to the other side of the shop. The store was small, but it seemed like a high end type of store. The kind where the most expensive outfit on the shelves whispers sweet nothings into your ear, coercing you into finding a way to own it in any way possible.The kind that made your heart turn to stone. 

Considering this was the first time Jason offered to buy you something, you forced yourself to stay on a short leash. Nothing too expensive. You limited your search to things that were simple, fighting the lingering gaze on what you saw that was extravagant. Those would have to wait for another time.  Right now, you needed to stay focused on keeping up an image. 

Jason approached you not too long after you started looking. Truthfully, you’d only found a few things that caught your eye with the limits you were placing on yourself. Jason however, came through with his arms absolutely suffocated in hangars and fabric. “Hey, you ready to try some stuff on?”

“Jesus, did you take out a whole shelf?” You said, aghast. You took some of the outfits out of his arms, eyes darting across them. You prayed to god he didn’t see the way your face lit up when he brought all of those clothes over because this time, you just couldn’t help it. 

“I just grabbed what I thought might look good on you. Come on, I’ll get you a changing room.” You nodded, following his long strides across the store. There were a few things that you had been looking at earlier in the pile and seeing them made your heart flutter a little. The fact that he just haphazardly picked up whatever he saw made it so much harder for you to not take advantage of him too much. But if he cared about how much he spent he would have looked at the price tag. 

Still hesitant to go all out, you tried on everything that he gave you. You saved some of the things you were drawn to for last, knowing that if you tried them on and liked how they looked it would take a miracle for you to politely decline. He was pushing your self control to the limits. When you finally moved passed all of the cheaper outfits you both picked out and jason declined them, you were left with the more expensive clothing. The first few were nice, but it wasn’t until the fourth one you tried on that Jason responded positively. 

“That,” he said, eyes combing over you as you exited the dressing room. “That’s it.” Your heart was racing. Not because he was looking at you, but because the outfit was to-fucking-die for. It was too much though. You had to say something. 

“This is really expensive...Maybe we should try another store,” you said sheepishly. Jason shaking his head almost made you scream. 

“No time,” he responded simply. "It's fine, I'll put it on Bruce's tab. This is like a penny to him." You didn't argue. Warning him once was enough and if he didnt care about using Bruce Wayne's money to buy you something, who are you to stop him? Instead, you stayed silent, nodding as he gathered your things. You followed him to the cashier and they were able to check you out without you having to change into your clothes again. And just like that, Jason swiped a card and the outfit was yours . Suddenly, you remembered why you were so addicted to this. The rush of euphoria that followed walking out of the store made whatever Jason had in store for you completely worth it and any hesitation you had about going with him vanished. It was pretty fucked up; you knew that, but at some point you just stopped caring.

[kmbtob-monthly]

June 2018 ;; Story # 1

Author: Mika

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Your name: submit What is this?

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Rule #1 You either need to be a skilled shooter or a skilled runner But being both would be better Rule #2 You must never be alone Be with someone you could trust your whole life with and always stay together And lastly... Rule #3 Don't get bitten by a zombie Just. Stay. Alive.

If you want to survive just keep these things in mind "Come on y/n, let's run for it" My boyfriend Sungjae said as he took my hand and we ran as fast as we could I don’t know how many days or weeks have passed since this catastrophe started but I do recall that this happened because of a meteorite that hit earth and unfortunately it was near Sungjae's hometown The meteorite was reported to be carrying alien bacteria that instantly started infecting people surrounding the area up to a hundred kilometers away that gradually spread to the whole country and soon enough, the whole world Many people died, a few survived, and well... the rest turned into the walking dead We were supposed to go to Yongin to stay for the weekend and also, so that I can meet his parents

It's not that long when we started dating and eventually he said he wanted to “show me off” to his family

“They’ll love you as much as I do, trust me” he would always say then kiss me on the cheek whenever I bring up the what ifs when the time comes that I’ll finally meet them

When I first met him, I was amazed at how he is just a simple guy, you know, having the t-shirt-and-denim-pants kind of fashion. He doesn’t wear any fancy accessories or branded perfumes, or doesn’t ride an extravagant car and yet he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth

Sungjae is cool and comedic at the same time, he can be cute or hot and something in between, he’s kind, sweet and thoughtful. He can sometimes be dumb, a little too much playful and annoying but it’s okay, I love this dork anyway

I never thought that my uneasy heart on our way to the place he grew up would grow into a frazzle by an unexpected turn of events

For starters, the road that we turned into was closed so we need to take another route but it was one where Sungjae was not familiar, so we need the help of the GPS

Then came an earthquake, a massive one, we were in his car and he halted at an open space away from the trees and utility wires

Panic started to rise in me when I saw establishments collapsing and heard people screaming

Sungjae reached out and put me in his embrace. I closed my eyes

“We will be fine” he whispered to me as I calm down, I didn’t even notice that I was shaking in fear

When we felt the quake stopped, I looked at our surroundings again, it was a total wreck

The road had a lot of cracks, breaks and other obstructions, and some downed electrical lines

“Are you okay?” he immediately asked “yeah” I nodded

Both of our signals were reduced to zeroes, the GPS isn’t working anymore

We were lost and we needed to find help

We waited for possible aftershocks and when none came, he got out of the car to check if it was safe to drive. He said to me that it’ll be hard to use the car so we got our stuff and we walked to find a vehicle or someone that can transport us to our destination

It was almost dark in the whole place because the power was down and the sun has already set

The town was so quiet, it was like we are the only ones alive

I can’t shake off the fact that atmosphere also got weird

“Let’s get back to the car, I think it’s safer if we go out in the day” I suggested and we headed back

Since then I got the feeling that what happened wasn’t just an ordinary earthquake

That there was something more

And boy was I right

That night we slept in the car, the mosquito bites woke me up in the middle of the night. I sat up from the reclined seat and I noticed a form a few meters away from us

The figure got closer and I realized it was a man and he was walking very...slowly?

“Sungjae wake up, you’ve got to see this” I slightly shake him

He rubbed his eyes and put his gaze on the direction I was pointing

The man walked towards us, I got out my phone and turned on the flashlight and waved it outside the window “Excuse me, but were kinda er- lost” I called

The man didn’t say anything and just kept walking

“I think he’s drunk” Sungjae said as he opened the car door “Stay here, I’ll go to him”

My heart beat faster when he started walking towards the man

The glow that was reflected by the moon was the only source of light in the area

I saw Sungjae got closer to him and he stopped in his tracks

He stepped back but the man plunged towards Sungjae and strangled him

“Sungjae!” I ran to them and the face of the man was slowly coming into view

His eyes were fiery red, skin seemed like they were decomposing, blood trailed from the corner of his mouth and it smelled rotten, I have confirmed it was coming from that man or whatever it is

It was a monstrous sight, he was strongly pinning Sungjae down and he struggled to fight him back

The next thing I saw was his teeth going for Sungjae’s neck

There was no time to panic and I immediately spotted a broken tree branch and directly hit the creature as hard as I could

His neck twisted as he fell to the ground

“Oh my god, I was so scared” I hugged Sungjae when he stood up

“What is that thing?” I felt his heartbeat matching its pace to mine and his eyes were on the thing that almost killed him

I didn’t know what and how it became like that but one this is clear

It’s not human

Since then, we encountered more. We run and hide, here and there. We also saw humans like us doing everything they can to survive

When our stock run out, we got food, water, other necessities and supplies from convenient stores that were wrecked by the earthquake

It was the same everyday

We also got melee weapons and firearms in hardware stores and gun shops for defense

Besides staying alive we have another mission and that is to find Sungjae’s family

Now we are avoiding a group of zombies, they aren’t that fast but they are strong especially in groups

Usually if there is only one or two, we shoot or kill it but in a bunch like this one, it’s hard to fight them

We found a pick-up truck and hid on the back

“Are they gone?” I whispered still catching my breath

“Wait, I’ll check” he lifted his head

I heard him gasp, he looked more like he saw a ghost than the living dead “Why? What happened?” I asked him, he was turning paler

“Noona” was all he said before he got out of the truck

“No- Don’t!” I dashed towards him

He was about to touch the shoulder of a female zombie when I caught him

We ducked down in a bush “But it was her I was sure of it” His eyes turned glassy “I need to save her” Sungjae’s voice cracked at the last words

“Sungjae, it’s no use” I embraced him and he bit his lip as he cried in my arms “I’m so sorry” I felt my own tears start to fall

We kept moving in hopes of finding his parents

And praying that they are still alive

We searched more and found a woman in a garage on one of the houses, it seemed human for it was hiding behind a garbage can

It was Sungjae’s mom and we immediately went to her

“Sungjae” she cried when she saw him “Your appa…I lost him“ Sungjae hugged her “We’ll find him, eomma” he assured her

I joined in and comforted them, Sungjae also told her mom about his sister, it was a time that they needed to be strong because they we’re the only ones left

It wasn’t the first meeting I have in mind, but at least I got to meet his mother

Mrs. Yook held my hand “I heard a lot about you y/n, thank you making my son happy” she smiled warmly

“Sungjae is a great person eomeonim, you brought him up well. I am more grateful” I sincerely said and gave the same warmth of smile and she wrapped her arms around me

Sounds of clattering cans ruined our moment, reminding us that it was not a good time for chitchatting

A pair of zombies greeted us, one male and one female, they seem like they were a couple

Two more came

And another

Then another

They must’ve smelled us

We prepared ourselves for battle

“Stay behind me, eomma” I heard Sungjae say as the female zombie came towards me

I reached a cricket bat on my backpack, it’s the best I have that I can handle

I swung it hard hitting the female one on its side, then another came and soon they were countless

I can’t see where Sungjae was neither his mom

But I still continued to bat and kick whatever I felt on my leg clung

They were coming from everywhere and then I heard something break

“Uh-oh” I muttered and tried to find an opening

I run through it but one grabbed me by the arm and I felt one on the other. I screamed when I felt my body getting numb, their hold was too strong, I was getting dizzy for they reek that I can’t compare to anything

I thought I was going to die then and there

“Y/N!” It was Sungjae, I heard a gunshot then it was followed by another

I felt the decomposed hands on me loosened

Sungjae held my waist to support me, my legs feel like jelly

“Are you hurt somewhere?” worry was written all over his face

I shook my head as a no then I remembered his mother “Where’s eomeoni?”

He didn’t answer instead he shifted me from one arm to another and I heard a loud bang, I saw the living dead drop to the ground

“She… she saw abeoji- and..” he trailed off

Knowing what happened next I grab hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze

“I’m here” I said “We’re going to get through this together, right?” my gaze never left his

“I love you, I won’t let them take you away from me too” he pulled me closer and planted a kiss on my forehead

I was going to answer when I saw one attacking from behind

“Behind you!” I said turning him around so he can shot it but the clicking sound of his pistol made him curse

It was already empty

It all happened so fast, the next thing I felt was a searing pain on my right shoulder

“NO!”

I got bitten

I felt myself getting weaker by the second

“This can’t be… no no”

I saw him run a hand to his face

“Sungjae” I said to him then smiled “I love you too”

He must stay away from me after this, or else he’s going to turn into one too

I was getting sleepy, I kept hearing his voice saying my name and telling me to wake up

It was fading

Slowly fading

Then I hear it again

“Y/N!”

This time it was getting louder but with less intensity than before

“Y/N wake up!”

My eyes shot open, my chest was heaving, my heart drummed violently, beads of sweat trickled down my face

Sungjae hugged me when I sat up

“God, you scared me” he sighed in relief

I saw that I was in my room and felt that everything was normal

It was only a bad dream?

“You were having a nightmare, you kept screaming and saying my name” he pulled away “I told you to watch something that is not horror last night but you kept on insisting” he nagged

It all felt so real

Then I remembered that I was the only one who watched the zombie movie last night because he kept on hiding behind the blanket

I just laughed and he gave me a puzzled look

He stood up and ruffled my hair “are you fine now?”

I smiled and nodded

“Okay then, get your things ready and we’ll get going” he said getting a bag “I said to eomma that we’ll be at home by lunch”

Shit. I forgot that it was today!

He saw my anxious face and he chuckled

“Don’t worry” he walked up to me and lowered his head then he kissed my cheek

“They won’t bite” he winked

[iamacolor]

Our true colors

Based on this yousana headcanon and written for @skam-month fanfiction week, day 5 (free day).. I hope you enjoy this fic full of cute Yousana from Yousef’s pov with even a shopping session with Elias!

To give you an idea of the outfits described in the fic, I’ve included below the links to pictures that are close to what I had in mind while  writing this.

Yousef holds the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he cuts the tomatoes. “So how did your shopping trip go? Did you find anything nice?”

- “Yeah I think I found the one!” answers Sana

- “Oh wow, already? That went fast!”

- “It usually takes longer but this time I didn’t only have Mama with me,the girls were there as well so it went fast. They had some really good advices.”

- “That’s great, you had a good time then?”

- “Yep! It was so nice to just hang out and have fun and not focus on exams or college or anything like that.”

He can hear in her voice that she is smiling and smiles as he pictures her dimples and shiny eyes. Right at this moment, his mother enters the kitchen to find him staring at the wall with a wide grin. He turns around quickly and almost drop the phone.

- “What are you smiling about ?” asks his mother

- “Just–”, he holds the phone up, “–Sana.”

- “It’s never just Sana with you.”

He blushes. “Mum, I’m trying to have a conversation here!”

- “And?”

- “And that means no one in the room!”

- “Oh alright,” she leans close to the phone, presses the speaker button and before Yousef has any chance to stop her, says, “Hello Sana, I hope you’re doing well!”

Sana’s voice raises up with a small chuckles

-”Hello Mrs Acar! I’m doing well thanks, shopping for my Eid party. How are you?”

- “I’m fine, thank you for asking.” she replies after mouthing “Such a sweet girl” to her son. “Oh, shopping for Eid? That sounds nice. We’re really excited to come and I’m sure Yousef is really looking forward to seeing you in your beautiful outfit!”

- “Mum!”

- “What?”

- “Stop it!”. He motions for her to leave.

- “Alright,” she leans to the phone, “I have to leave you Sana, he’s chasing me away from my own kitchen can you believe?”

- “How rude of him.”

- “I’m really starting to wonder who raised him this way.”

As Sana laughs, Yousefs motions for his mother to leave the room once again.

- “Alright Sana, goodbye! See you soon and take care. Say hello to your parents for me!”

- “I will, Mrs Acar! Take care and goodbye.”

Yousef‘s mom ruffles his hair and finally leaves the room.

He puts the phone back against his ear.“I apologize for this interruption, this woman is mad.”

- “I heard that!”shouts his mother from the room next door.

He laughs and says to Sana, “I think she loves you more than me.”

- “Well, who wouldn’t.”

- “Shut up, don’t make me sad now. Tell me about your dress, any clue?”

- “Yep, it’s grey.”

- “Grey?”

Yousef is sure that she would look lovely in grey as always and that he has no saying in how she should dress up nor does he wishes to have one, yet he can’t help but feel a little disappointed at the thought that he won’t get to see her wearing colors.

- “Yes, it’s grey and I bought a new black hijab to go along.”

- “Grey and black? Oh, ok. That’s…nice.”

- “What? Don’t you like it?”

- “No, I’m sure you’ll look fine! I just thought…”

- “That I would go for something brighter? Or more colorful? I know you told me you liked the pink dress I wore last year…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Liked it? He did much more than liking it, he loved it.

He still remember where he was when he saw it. He was standing in the kitchen of his cousin’s apartment when she sent him a picture with her friends from her Eid celebration. She was wearing a bright pink dress with golden embellishments. and that vision alone physically pained him because she was being a literal sun princess in Oslo and he was stuck in Turkey. Unfair much?

 He also stalked her instagram to see her and all his and her friends being happy together and to admire her in that pink and gold dress with her pink hijab that made her look like a flower as many times as possible. But it never felt like it was enough. He wanted to see her in this dress for real, to be able to see her glow in it and move in it and to see it all fro real, To be able to feast his eyes on her and tell her in person how beautiful she was. He kept the picture of her on his phone to look at, all the time he was in Turkey.

Once he came back to Norway, and they started dating a little later, he noticed that even is she mainly wore black and white, in which she always looked good, she started to wear a bit more white and colors as time went by. He will never forget that day she showed up with a blue top and a white hijab to their date. He felt air leaves his lungs and was literally breathless. 

Secretly, he’s been waiting for Eid hoping that he would get to see her in bright colors again and for real this time because he still can’t believe he missed it the first time.

Yousef warned his parents that if they had plans about him going to Turkey before Eid then they would have to cancel them because there was only one place he would celebrate Eid and that would be Oslo. Sana ended up inviting his parents as well to make sure that he would be here. There was now only a few days left before Eid and Sana had gone shopping for an outfit this morning .

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

- “…but I think I just wanted to do something less extravagant this year so I kept it neutral.”

- “No,it’s alright, I understand. But last year’s outfit wasn’t extravagant, it was wonderful in my opinion. Which is why, I thought you’d wear colors this year again.”

- “No but the dress is really nice! It’s plain and simple and the scarf is so simple!”

- “Plain and simple, black and grey? Have you forgotten about colors Sana? This is a party, you need to wear something really special. And you’d look so pretty in colors! Honestly last year you looked like a princess and I still regret not being there to witness that in person.”

- “Oh, I see. So you apparently only thinks I’m pretty when I’m wearing colors?”

- “ What?”

- “ And since I almost never wear colors, does that mean you never find me pretty?”

He starts to panick because the conversation is going wompletely wrong now. “ No, no, no, of course not! You’re always beautiful to me, Sana. And you have this kind of glow whatever you wear, I swear you glow everytime you smile and it doens’t matter what color your hijab or your outfit is. Not that I’m saying I don’t care about the way you dress! I’m just saying that you look good all the time”

He’s fumbling with his words and waving his knife in the air without even noticing, “ And about colors and not wearing colors? It doesn’t matter! Well, no, it does but like black suits you so well especially with a light make-up. Remember Eva’s birthday last year? You looked amazing with that sort of jacket and your earrings! You weren’t wearing any colors and you still looked amazing, I swear. And grey! Grey looks beautiful on you!”

- “Yeah, right. ”

- “I swear, Sana! I swear you look pretty in black! Remember last week? You had this really nice outfit in black and white and I promise I thought you looked gorgeous. You can make grey and black and white so nice. You make them full of light, well white is already full of light since it’s literally the color of light although it’s not actually a color, but anyway, it's like you make them brighter? Well, again, I’m talking about black and grey here because white is kind of always bright. Although not always, sometimes it’s not so vibrant.”

She stays silent on the other end of the phone so he keeps on talking and talking until he has no idea what he is saying anymore, “Anyway, what I’m saying is that black doesn’t look plain or boring on you at all! It’s your style and it gives you strength and a super cool look but you also manage to make it soft and that’s wonderful! You have a great sense of fashion and black suits you very well. As for your hijab, it looks great all the time and it never looks plain or boring you know. The way you wear black and grey honestly, it’s amazing and you almost make it seems like they are such vibrant colors!”

He is now completely out of things to say and as he realizes how stupid and ridiculous he must sounds, Sana bursts out laughing. It’s the kind of laugh she has when she’s been trying to keep it in for a while but can’t control herself anymore. Which can only mean one thing…

- “Wait…you were kidding!!!!!”

She takes a break from laughing to say, “Yousef! Yes, of course I was kidding! I never thought someone could talk that long about black and grey and white  but I’m glad I pretended!”

- “Shut up, I really panicked there.”

- “I know and that’s what’s funny!”

- “Yeah, go ahead, make fun of me for wanting to make you feel good about yourself! Just keep going, I’ll still be here cutting tomatoes and crying over my wounded heart.”

- “If it makes you feel better, the scarf I choosed isn’t black and it’s a color!”

- “Really? That’s great! What color?”

- “Can’t tell you! Oh and the dress isn’t black either!

- “I’m going to see you with a colorful hijab and a colorful dress ? Wow, is this for real?

- “It’s just an outfit, Yousef,”she laughs

- “No, it’s not just an outfit. It’s my girlfriend’s colorful outfit for her Eid celebreation!”

Then, he goes really serious and asks :

- “Can you give me an hint?  Like, not how it looks but maybe the colors or is it just one color? Or the style?”

- “Why do you want to know everything?”

- “I don’t want to know everything, just give me a clue, Sana, please! This way we could match a little! Like I could wear a bandana or something that would match. Wouldn’t it be great if we matched?”

Before she can answer something like “No, it would be cheesy” or “What kind of ridiculous idea is that?”, he replies to his own question:

- “It’d be amazing, Sana! Come on, give me a colour.”

- “No.”

- “Please.”

- “No!” she laughs

- “Pretty please?”

- “Do you know what?”

- “No?”

- “That’s right, you know nothing and I know everything.”

- “ Very funny, Sana. I’m rolling on the floor right now.”

- “Not a great position to prepare tomatoes you know. Anyway, you should go for something colorful too. Last I remember, your color palette is the same as mine! How dare you criticize me?”

- “Oh yeah, but that’s because colors don’t really look good on me!’

- “ Well, let me be the judge of that, ok? If I can wear colors, you can wear them too. And when I say something colorful, I do not mean a bandana or a snapback. I repeat, I do not mean a bandana or a snapback.”

- “Urgh, do I really have to?”

- “Do you want me to show up in a black dress with a black hijab with a super dark make up and no smile on my face?”

- “I know you could actually do that to make me regret my decision, so, yes, I promise that I will wear something colorful.”

- “Great! Well, I can’t wait to see it!”

- “I feel like I’ve been played somehow.”

- “Oh, you have!”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He calls Elias to ask him to go shopping  with him because there’s no way he is going shopping alone. The only other option is his mom and there is even less way he could go shopping with her. She would probably take his father with them because “isn’t it so cute that he is going shopping to please his girlfriend?”. And his father would tell some story about the time he went shopping after they got married and brought something that she hated and how he went back out there to find something she would like on him. And he does not want to hear another story. He loves his parents, he really does but they can be quite overwhelming sometimes.

Elias is more than happy to go shopping with him.

- “Bro, it’s about time you asked my advice when it comes to style!”

- “ What does that mean? Are you saying I can’t dress myself?”

- “One word, Yousef, one word. Bandanas.”

- “ Shut up, I like them.”

- “Yeah, sadly.”

- “Hey, Mikael wears them as well!

- “Since when is Mikael a fashion icon?”

- “I’m not trying to be a fashion icon, Elias. I don’t care. Anyway, this is simply about my outfit for Sana’s party not about my whole wardrobe.

- “Don’t worry, with me to advise you, you’re going to look so cool!”

- “I don’t need advice Elias, just someone to go shopping with so I don’t look like a loner.”

- “Same difference.”

After half an hour, they had managed to find him a pair of elegant grey pants. Yousef had refused to wear pants that weren’t black or grey because, much to Elias’s dismay, there are some lines that he will not cross, even for Sana. He is now standing in front of two shelves full of shirts, looking at Elias browsing through them and feeling quite out of place because he’s pretty sure that the last time he wore a shirt was when he was twelve and it was for a family occasion.

- “What about this one?”

- “Yellow? Seriously?”

- “Ok, no that one was a joke. How about this one?”

- “I am not going to a party, where Sana and your parents and people I don’t know will be present, wearing a shit with a pink bananas print.”

- “You’re so uptight, you need to relax.”

- “Yeah, you’re right. I’m so uptight. We’re not here for you, but this one would suit you for sure,” He takes out a green shirt with a yellow gorilla print, “It would totally bring out your eyes.”

- “ Nah, I reckon I’d look better in this one” replies Elias holding up a flowered piece.

- “The wallflower look? Nice. Bold choice but I’m sure you could pull it off.”

- “Of course I could. Oh, I just found the prefect one for you, look!”

- “A jean shirt printed with fluorescent planets? You know me so well, Elias! This is exactly what I was looking for!”

- “I knew it! Told you I wold give you great advice! You should wear it with that jacket though, otherwise you don’t have the full look.”

The jacket was a light green one with stars on the sleeves. “I don’t know, I feel like it’s not really my style, not extravagant enough, you know? Keep looking. In the meantime, I’ve found the perfect jacket to go with your piece of wallflower.”

- “A red stripes jacket? For me? Awww, so sweet.”

They keep on messing around until Yousef holds up a bright pink shirt with rainbow colored animals and they burst out laughing, gathering weird looks from other customers in the shop. Why did they even come into this shop in the first place?

They stop laughing then look at each other, smiling, “Shall we try another shop?”

“I believe we shall.”

After three shops and a weird experience with a cashier determined to sell them socks for babies, they finally find a light blue shirt with short sleeves. Yousef isn’t so sure about the blue but Elias insists upon it saying that Sana would dig it. An argument that proves efficient as Yousef is ready to do anything that Sana would dig (except wearing colorful pants). He also had tried to find a nice tie, determined to have an elegant look but he had to abandon the idea when Elias told him he looked like a wannabe hipster.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finally, the day comes to break the fast in the Bakkoush backyard. Everyone is there. Sana’s group of friends , Yousef and the rest of the boys, as well as some family friends and neighbours, the sun is setting down and laughters fill the air.

Sana isn’t out yet. Elias said she was inside preparing with Jamilla and the girls. Yousef feels like he is literally dying from expectations. He keeps fidgeting with his buttons and his collar, feeling uncomfortable in his shirt and grey pants, convinced that he looks ridiculous. Both his parents told him that he looked really elegant and gorgeous (their words not his) and the boys complimented him on looking so classy compared to his usual snapbacks and white t-shirts, but he is still worried about not matching with Sana and looking like an idiot next to her because he knows that she will look absolutely radiant and beautiful .

He is chatting with Even to try and distract himself from the thought of seeing Sana. To add to the fact that he is preparing himself to be rendered speechless, he hasn’t seen her for five days because they’ve both been busy. He simply longs to see her again no matter how she is dressed or how she looks. Whenever they stay apart for a while, he always get this huge stupid grin on his face that makes him look like a child in front of a candy store when they meet again and he would prefer to not have everyone here witnessing that.

As Even, is telling him something about one of his college course, he sees his eyes drifting to the side of his face, focusing on something behind him. Yousef turns around and finally sees the girl he has been waiting for.

There she is. Looking dazzling, standing at the top of the stairs, in front of the open door with her friends, chatting as they come out. Chris says something that is apparently hilarious because she throws her head back to laugh, her smile lighting up her face and warming Yousef’s heart more than any dress could ever do. Talking about dress, he thought she had rendered him speechless before. But this? This is like an out of body experience and he wonders how on earth he got lucky enough to call this wonderful person his girlfriend?

She is wearing a really simple green dress with long slim sleeves. The dress, which is made out of several layers of a very light fabric, is very fluid. Fitted at the waist, it drops down to Sana’s feet and is probably the most elegant dress Yousef has ever seen. The color makes her look like a precious stone, some kind of emerald and her green hijab is matching the dress. 

As he predicted, she looks like a princess, the dress is simple but she is literally glowing like a freaking sun in front of him. He hears Even saying something but he can’t make out the words as he is too focused on Sana, his mouth slightly opened and his palms sweaty.

She is now walking down the stairs as she looks around her. Before her eyes can set on him, she is greeted by a neighbor or a friend of her parents. She spends a few minutes talking to people as Yousef grows impatient. He hasn’t seen his girlfriend for five days -five days!- and people have the audacity to come and speak to her right when she comes out looking like a sort of vision from a dream? Elias catches him glaring at the boy that Sana is talking to and tells him to stop being so dramatic.

After another few minutes, Sana is finally free and he laughs quietly as he sees the face she pulls to her friends showing her relief at not having to talk to people anymore. Sana doesn’t like making small talk with people she doesn’t really know even at her own party.

He thinks about walking towards her and her group of friend to ask them if he can take their friend away from them. Before he can starts walking, he sees Noora motioning at the group of boys he is with and the girls starting to walk. Which means that Sana is walking towards him and he starts feeling nervous. He doesn’t know why all of a sudden it feels like his collar is too tight or why his heart starts beating faster. How is he supposed to act with her in front of all these people? They don’t often hug or hold hands but they haven’t seen each other for five days and today is a day of celebration and Yousef is racking his brains trying to decide what to do once she arrives in front of him. Probably nothing, as once she will be in front of him he will have died of seeing too much beauty. Or simply because there will be all her friends and his friends around them. One of which is Sana’s brother.

These thoughts leave his minds when Sana finally sees him. She seems to be scanning the crowd gathered in the garden, probably looking for someone,likely him, when her eyes finally land on him. He runs a hand through his hair, something he immediately regrets as his hair is probably messed up now, and smiles at her. Her eyes widen and she stops answering her friends for a few seconds before shaking her head and putting on an unimpressed face and a small smile as if she didn’t just freeze on the spot for a few seconds.

He realizes that she is feeling something because of the way he looks similar to what he is feeling right now which makes him very happy because to get such a reaction from Sana is something of a miracle. She is usually so good a keeping up a sarcastic facade with unimpressed looks and snarky “Yeah you look alright for once I suppose ”. 

He shoots her a cocky smile with a raised eyebrow. To which she replies by slightly blushing and sticking her tongue out at him. A very bad idea as it sends Yousef’s heart into a series of loops and jumps. He walks past Mikael who was slightly standing in front of him and keeps on smiling at Sana, not noticing her friends around her anymore or his parents and her parents in the corner of his eyes. He is walking towards her and she is walking towards him, her smile wider with every step they take.

They finally reach each other and hug as if they were alone in the backyard . He inhales the sweet smell of her perfume as she wraps her arms around his neck. The hug his short as they quickly realize that they are indeed not alone and that everyone is watching them. He steps back with a nervous laughter and whispers:

- “It’s a pity we’re not really matching but it doesn’t matter because you’re the most beautiful woman ever.”

She smiles at him and he feels the urge to raise his hand to softly touch her dimples. He puts his hands in his pockets, suddenly feels shy and looks down at the ground before she replies, “ You, … you look extremely handsome with this shirt on. The color really suits you.”

He raises his head up “Extremely handsome? Am I dreaming or did Sana Bakkoush just compliment the way I look?”. He says that not because Sana never compliment the way he looks -even if most of her compliments are made through sarcasm- but because he doesn’t know how to take the compliment. He thought he looked ridiculous but she seems to like it, so maybe it wasn’t a waste of money and everything is fine.

- “Who said I was talking to you? You weren’t looking at me when I said it, I could have said this to anyone here.”

- “But you didn’t because no one here has a colorful shirt except for me.”

She quickly looks around him and when she realizes that he is right, she slightly pouts. He laughs and she pretends to take offense and turns around to leave. Instead of making her turn back to him, he walks up to her side, making her laugh as he says, “This is a gorgeous grey dress that you have here, Sana. And what a beautifuk black hijab.”

- “Isn’t it so pretty?”

- “Absolutely charming!”

- “See? I told you I looked good in black.”

_ “Uhm, excuse you but I think that I am the one who spent about two minutes explaining how good you look in black or grey!”

- “Same difference,” she replies with a wink.

Yousef makes a mental note that Sana shouldn’t be allowed to wink at him when she is wearing a princess dress anymore because, if she does it a second time, he might just drop down to the ground.

- “Can I just say, that your plain white t-shirt is also very nice, Yousef?”

- “Yes, you may and thank you very much.”

- “You’re welcome, I’m glad you listened to my advice.”

- “Your advice? You bribed me into this!”

- ‘I bribed you? With what?”

- “With the vision of you looking like a princess!”

- “Awww thank you. But don't try to change the subject, you love wearing something colorful, just admit it.”

- “I never said I didn’t like it, just that I didn’t think I looked good.”

- “Well, you look really good so you don’t have any excuses any more. You have to wear it again.”

- “I’ll wear it again if you wear your dress again. Well maybe not the dress as it is a really fancy dress but something colorful.”

- “Are you making a deal about wearing colors?”

- “Yes, yes I am. Isn’t it great? Don’t reply, it’s amazing.”

- “I’ll wear more colors. That is, I will more than one thing colorful and more regularly. On one condition.”

- “Which is,”

- “You also have to wear other colorful things, aside from this shirt.

- “Urgh but that means more shopping!

- “We can always go together, you know.”

- “Oh, this way we could match!”

- “Yousef we are not matching all our outfits.”

- “Come on, at least a few!”

- “Yousef, I…”

- “You two are sickeningly cute, you know that right?”

They turn around to see that everyone is watching them. Eva, who just spoke up, adds, “And you even have the same facial expression of surprise! How freaking cute!”

-”Have you been listening all this time?”

- “Well, you’re quite literally standing in the middle of the group so it was hard not to,” replies Noora.

Sana and Yousef look around them to observe that they are indeed in the middle of all their friends.

- “We did that thing again didn’t we?”

- “Yeah, we did.”

- “What thing?” asks Chris

- “The thing where we are talking to each other and forget about everyone else,”mumbles Sana, uncomfortable to let out a detail of their relationship in front of so many people.

- “Can’t get enough of me that one, you see” says Yousef

- “You mean, you can’t get enough of me!”

- “Pretty sure it is the other way around.”

- “Pretty sure that it’s not.”

- “Guys!”

They turn around to their friends once again as Isak continues “You’re doing that thing again.”

- “Oh sorry!”They say in unison.

Their synchronization makes them smile which makes Elias say:

- “Well your outfits might not be matching but your smiles sure are!”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dress : (X)

Shirt : (X)

Hope you liked this!

[summurous]

The Ether Princess

Since I’ve been working on this fic recently, I thought I’d post my character bios for my OCs.  It’s a Be My Princess fanfiction and it’s going to be a long one!

The fanfiction itself is a work-in-progress and I’ll probably post the first chapter soon, but here ya go!

Main Characters Elise LaSalle::   age: 20    height: 5’ 4”   hair: dark blonde(bronze)  eyes: light blue Background: The crown princess of the Kingdom of Ether, a small but prosperous country due to its industry of precious metals and gems.  Elise has grown up mostly in isolation within her family’s manor, on orders of her parents.  She came out of her shell when she went to boarding school in Liberty Kingdom for three years.  It was there that she met the friends she has now.   Personality:  She’s reserved in manner, and will only give her opinion when prompted.  She has a tendency to hide her true feelings though, especially her fears and anxieties.  Keeping her emotions bottled up will eventually bring out the worst in her or make her shut down completely.  She hides her emotions to prove she is a strong and worthy leader. Despite this, she is intelligent and levelheaded when it comes to her duties as the princess.  She takes her role seriously and works to improve herself further to improve her country.  She puts the well being of her people first.   Family/Relationships:  Her parents are the king and queen of Ether.  She doesn’t see them very often, even when they are at the family manor.  Lately, her parents have been abroad to help diffuse conflicts along the borders and in the surrounding provinces, where civil fighting and rebellions are strong.   Elise has one sister, Eva, who she adores.  Eva is eleven years old but can be childish at times.  The sisters enjoy their banter though, and are very close.  Since their parents are not very present in their lives, Elise has tried her best to give Eva the childhood she didn’t have.  Eva sometimes looks at her sister as the maternal presence she needs in her life. Up until a few years ago, Elise’s cousin Friedrich had been the first in line for the throne.  Rules of inheritance in Ether state that the oldest male heir of the immediate royal family inherits the throne when the predecessor dies.  Friedrich is the son of Elise’s father’s younger brother, who died when the boy was ten.  After Elise graduated from school, she returned to Ether to discover her cousin had gone missing.  After several months he was declared dead and Elise was named as next in line for the throne.  Therefore, there is immense pressure upon her to marry, because she cannot become queen without a husband. Went to a boarding school in Liberty Kingdom when she was fifteen.  She met Aria and Natalie there, and the three friends have kept in touch over the years.  She and Aria were roommates.   Hobbies:  Playing the piano, horseback riding, reading, being outdoors Love: Prince Wilfred

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aria Ramier::   age: 21   height: 5’8”    hair: black     eyes: light brown (honey) Background:  Aria lives in Altaria where she manages a restaurant and bar.  While she leaves the cooking to the pros, she has a good head for business and has become relatively successful even at such a young age.  After she graduated from boarding school she went on to study business and management at college.  She graduated with honors, and using her contacts managed to get where she is today. Aria tends to hide her true identity from others.  She is actually a princess of the king of a prosperous southwestern country called Sheharazal, which is located in the area of the world called ‘the Lower Desert,’ where oil and gold are exported.  She is one of many children whose mother inhabited a harem in the king’s palace.  She is actually favored by her father, and was allowed to leave the palace to pursue her own life and career.  But the fact remains that as a princess, she has a claim to the throne, which does not sit well with some of the advisors in the country’s ministry.  Even though much of Sheharazal has rejected the ‘traditional’ views of women’s roles in society, some of the ministers think Aria is too headstrong for a woman, and is therefore a threat to the future heir of the throne, her eldest brother.     Personality:  Incredibly headstrong.  She can be very stubborn when she faces opposition.  Her intelligence and resolution to succeed have rewarded her in her young age.  She is motivated to earn her own living, but will not hesitate to help others.  She can act like a big sister to her friends because she considers them to be her family.  When she is relaxed, Aria can be quite laidback and playful. Though Aria is incredibly attractive, she never uses her looks to her advantage.  She hates it when people judge her for her appearance.  She does buy flattering clothes for ‘business purposes’ but won’t wear anything too revealing or extravagant.   Family/Relationships: Went to the same boarding school as Elise and Natalie.  Shared a dorm room with Elise.  Works with Natalie at a restaurant in Altaria. Hobbies:  anything tech-related, reading or watching the news, traveling Love: Prince Keith

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maya Katsuragi:: age: 20      height: 5’3”    hair: brown-reddish  eyes: violet     Background: Currently a student at an art school in Charles Kingdom, Maya strives to become a fashion designer.  She works part-time at a clothing boutique that boasts at having several royal clients.  She was born and raised in Oriens.  She comes from a middle class family.   She came to stay a Nobel Michel when she was delivering a package to one of the guests at the castle. Personality: Modest, quiet, and reserved.  She grew up with the belief that hard work pays off, so she tries to succeed at everything she does.  She’s mentally strong against people who oppose her, but she can be emotionally sensitive.  She enjoys being around other people, but is able to produce her best work when she is alone.   Family/Relationships: Goes to the same art school as Camille.  Ends up attending the ball at Nobel Michel by accident. Hobbies: drawing new designs, playing with animals, baking   Love: Prince Roberto

Page Break ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Natalie Blake::  age: 22    height: 5’6”  hair: platinum blonde   eyes: brown Background:  In royal circles, she is known as the duchess of Reeves in Phillip Kingdom.  But she works as a chef at Aria’s restaurant in Altaria.  She is technically the co-owner, but she reserves the business side of the franchise to her partner.  She enjoys her simple lifestyle though, and wants to give up her titles to continue her passion.   Being a duchess means that she is relatively close to the royal family.  She has certain duties that she is obligated to accomplish.  She wants to give up her title as duchess to one of her cousins, but the royal court is making things difficult.  With her time split between her royal duties and cooking, Natalie is just exhausted.  She is also desperately trying to get out an arranged marriage. Personality:  Natalie strives to succeed at everything she does, and sometimes wears herself out in the process.  While she wants to continue being a chef, she is still required to complete her duties as a duchess.  Deep down, Natalie just wants to make everyone happy, even at her own expense.  The fact that she grew up in a royal household shows in her personality.  She is dignified and addresses people properly when she meets them for the first time, but relaxes her demeanor when she gets to know them more.   Family and Relationships: Went to boarding school with Elise and Aria.  Works with Aria.  Is related to Camille Thompson and Prince Wilfred.  Is engaged to Prince Joshua of Dres Van. Hobbies: cooking, coming up with new recipes, reading and writing Love: (eventually) Prince Joshua -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Camille Thompson::  age:19  height: 5’4”  hair: blonde  eyes: green   Background:  A passionate and promising young artist.  Camille’s entire life revolves around art and creating art.  She is currently going to a prestigious art school in Charles Kingdom, where she receives a scholarship.   Despite her family connections, Camille grew up in a humble environment.  Her mother was born into a high-ranking royal family in Philip, but she gave up her entitlements to marry the man she loved.  Camille’s father was a relatively successful artist who died when she was ten years old.  He died when his art studio caught fire, due to his own negligence.  Unfortunately, much of his artwork was destroyed in the fire as well, so Camille feels a little empty that she has nothing but her own skill to remember her father by. After her father’s death, Camille and her mother managed to scrape out a living on their own.     Personality:  Casual and carefree, Camille doesn’t let the small things in life bother her.  She carries around a thick sketchpad, which she uses whenever she becomes inspired.  It isn’t unusual for her to pause halfway through a conversation in order to sketch.  She can be spontaneous, but she still thinks carefully before she makes a decision.   Camille smiles a lot and likes making other people happy with her art.  While she can be lighthearted most of the time, she can become very serious with her artwork.  She is very generous and gives away her paintings to her friends, even if it is some of her best work.  A lot of her paintings are portraits of her friends.   Camille’s memory and attention to detail is incredible and it shows in her paintings and sketches.     Family/Relationships: Cousins with Natalie.  She tagged along when Aria and Natalie went to visit Princess Elise in Ether Kingdom.  Goes to school with Maya. Hobbies: sketching, painting, listening to music, shopping Love: Prince Edward ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minor characters Eva LaSalle::  age:11  height: 4’7”  hair: brown  eyes: light blue Background: Evangeline, or Eva, is the youngest daughter of the king and queen of Ether.  Her older sister, Elise, is next in line to inherit the throne.  Eva doesn’t envy her. Eva grew up in the Etherian castle with her older sister, but is less sheltered than Elise was.  Elise encourages her to be curious and to enjoy her childhood.  When Elise is away, the family butler, Richard, or another castle attendants look after Eva.   Personality: Bubbly and energetic, Eva doesn’t seem to take life seriously.  Yet beneath her innocent exterior is a clever girl who is more observant than she lets on.   Relationships: Is sisters with Elise.  She is the younger princess of Ether Kingdom. Richard::    age: 47   height: 6’   hair: black  eyes: gray   Background:  The head steward of the royal family of Ether.  Has served at the LaSalle castle for twenty years.   Personality:  Mostly emotionless and expressionless, except when he is angry or surprised.  He deeply cares for the two princesses that he has looked after for many years and would destroy anyone who tried to hurt the girls. Relationships:  The butler to Elise and Eva and the head steward of LaSalle manor.  He is training Vincent. Vincent::  age: 25   height: 5’10”   hair: brown  eyes: brown   Background: ? Personality:  Usually attentive to his duties as a butler, but friendly to the princess and her friends.   Relationships:  Works under Richard as an apprentice butler.  He accompanies the princess and her friends to Noble Michel.   

[kadobeclothing]

How To Dress Well: The 15 Rules All Men Should Learn

There are enough rules in life as it is. Some, however, are there to help. Like the rules that govern how to dress well. Of course, every man or woman that has an opinion on such things speaks from personal experience – and no doubt what works for one doesn’t always work for another; or what works for one is considered too pedestrian or too avant-garde by another. So, when it comes to dressing, they always have to be taken at face value. They’re solid suggestions rather than the last word on style.But good advice is never to be sniffed at, and, as menswear becomes ever more rich and varied, ever more experimental and abundant, ever more trend-aware, in moments of confusion and self-doubt, it can help to have a valuable fall-back position that cuts through the clutter.These ‘rules’ tend to be founded in history – they’ve worked for generations, so might well be assumed to work well today too. And they tend to be founded in the obvious, so obvious they’re often overlooked: a preference for good fit, high quality, versatility, good value, lack of extremes and keeping it sober.There are certainly many other rules out there than are presented here. Some of these you may have already discovered for yourself. That, after all, is part of the pleasure of clothing, which no rule should hamper: trying new kit out, seeing if it suits you, seeing how it makes you feel. But, these rules have stood the test of time and, when used in conjunction, act as a failsafe guide on how to dress well today.1. Wear A Suit WellThe key to a suit looking good is fit. If you’re buying off-the-peg, focus on the fit across the shoulders because getting the chest and waist altered is a relatively easy job according to Davide Taub, head of bespoke suits at Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes. “Be cautious about wearing a period suit unless you’re pursuing a total period look because in isolation the suit starts to look like a novelty,” he adds. Classic is best and most useful – dark, two-button, single-breasted, moderate in details. “It’s not boring. A suit is a uniform. The idea is to think of this suit as a canvas to build different ideas of individuality around. It’s the way you wear it, not the label inside, that impresses.”Gieves & Hawkes2. Invest Wisely In A Watch“A watch is like a piece of art,” argues Don Cochrane, managing director of British watch brand Vertex. “Choose it because you love it, not because you think it might make money. Watches are personal, it marks your passage through time. But you also have to be practical.” Aesthetic, functional, rugged sports models go with anything and can take the hard knocks of everyday wear. Yet, a watch still has to fit you. It should feel comfortable and be right in terms of size and depth relative to your wrist as well – 40mm is considered the ‘Goldilocks’ size.Vertex3. Don’t Shy Away From ColourWhether it’s on casualwear or formalwear, indulge in a bit of colour. “Most men are unjustly scared of it – they’re intimidated by anything that isn’t navy or grey,” says menswear designer Oliver Spencer. “But colour can be timeless too.” A green suit, for example, can look particularly rakish, while Spencer also recommends pinks, greens, mustard and brighter shades of blue as especially versatile year-round shades that will lift your entire outfit. But he adds that, when it comes to colour, less is still more: “You just need a bit of it, in one garment.”4. Wear In Your Jeans Until They Are YoursThe all-time most useful cut of the world’s most popular garment, according to Alex Mir, co-owner of Sheffield-based label Forge Denim, is ‘slim-tapered’. “It’s wider in the thigh, so it’s comfortable, but narrows, so it works with either smart shoes or sneakers,” he advises. “It’s the best year-round, wear-with-anything, dress up or down style.” The wise will wear dark, raw denim too and give the pre-distressed a wide berth. “The whole pleasure of denim is that it ages with the way you wear it. Why miss out on that?”A.P.C5. Look After Your AppearanceIt’s the kind of advice your mother might offer, but if you’ve invested money and thought in your clothing, look after it. Use wooden hangers for shirts and shoe trees for your best shoes; have your suit dry-cleaned and pressed; wash your clothes regularly and, ideally, don’t tumble dry them (it can degrade the fabric); and polish your shoes. Equally, it’s not just the skin of your leather jacket that you need to care for, the same goes for the one you wear every day. Establish a simple, but no less solid, grooming regime, brush your hair and cut your nails. After all, the devil resides in the details.House 99 by David Beckham6. Keep Your Underwear SimpleStyle isn’t only what everyone else can see. When it comes to men’s underwear, there are two rules to follow. One, novelty prints are not for grown men – “your underwear is not the place to express your ‘personality’,” as shirt and underwear-maker Emma Willis notes. And, two, heavily-branded underwear lacks sophistication. “Of all places where you might have the confidence not to have branding, your underwear should be it,” adds Willis. The style that has best stood the test of time, of course, is the cotton boxer short, likely because (as is the case with linen) they take repeated washing, breathe well and are comfortable against your skin.7. Spend Money On Shoes“Timelessness is about simple design and all the more so with shoes,” argues Tim Little, owner of heritage shoe brand Grenson. “The colour, the pattern, the sole – you don’t want it fussy. Anything fussy may look good now but will look strange very quickly.” Quality shoes — the gold standard being re-soleable Goodyear welted examples — are the kind of investment that should last 15 years or more. Opt for classic styles such as brogues, loafers, or a plain, dark, five-eyelet Derby on a round-toe last. “It’s the shape of the toe that really counts – and round never goes out of fashion,” says Little. “It’s pointy toes or square toes that look obviously impractical. Nobody has feet shaped like that.”Grenson8. Keep Accessorising To A MinimumAccessories like ties and pocket squares bring individuality to classic clothing, but be careful how you use them. “It’s best to harmonise them with what you’re wearing by picking out a colour or two. Or even to juxtapose them entirely,” says Michael Hill, creative director of men’s accessories brand Drake’s. “What you don’t want is to match them up.” When it comes to curating shirt and tie combinations, wear your tie or pocket square in a darker shade than your jacket. And don’t overdo the accessories either – if in doubt, think less is more and take one element away. “You’re aiming for an air of nonchalance,” adds Hill. “You just need one point of interest.”Drake’s9. Know ThyselfThere’s are few things less stylish than a man dressed as he thinks he should dress rather than in what he genuinely feels suits who he is. There are caveats to that, of course: there are no prizes for dressing like a rodeo clown unless indeed you are one. But whatever you’re wearing, you have to own it. Genuine style icons are those who go their own way with a self-confidence that comes from their clothes being a second skin, not a costume.10. Dress For The SettingStyle is not merely about self-expression; it’s also about being dressed appropriately for your environment. Think of clothes as being codes: you need the right combination to work with the setting you’re in – and that’s whether it’s a formal dinner or a lazy Sunday in the pub. The worst style is one which is out of place. Is this a kind of conformity? No, as one of Tom Ford’s oft trotted out fashion quotes explains, it’s a mark of respect for others. And about feeling comfortable in yourself. When in doubt, overdress.Mr Porter x Vive La France11. Don’t Skimp On GlassesInvest time into finding the right spectacles for you. “People spend an average of seven minutes picking a pair that will define them for the next three or more years,” notes eyewear designer Tom Davies. “Poor choice and poor fit are why so many people learn to hate their glasses.” Buy what you feel good in, taking into account your face shape but considering the top line of the frames’ relation to your eyebrow shape – team straight with straight, curved with curved – and your hairstyle. Buy wisely too, says Davies: there’s no point buying cheap frames and being up-sold on expensive lenses because the frames will look tatty soon enough anyway.Cubitts12. Choose Versatile OuterwearThe temptation may be to wear a classic style, but modern technical fabrics in darker shades and easy cuts are making coats what they should be – lightweight and breathable but also properly protective. “Changes in seasonality, the climate and buying habits are making heavy wool coats seem out of keeping now,” suggests Adam Cameron, owner of outerwear specialist The Workers’ Club. “Think of a coat instead as being your final layer – one you can wear as much or as little under as required.” A field or bomber jacket jacket is a good all-rounder but if you need to dress up, go for a short mac.13. Buy A Dinner Suit, Never HireOccasions for the height of formal dressing may be rare, but they’re all the more exacting for that. So, while it feels like an extravagance, owning a dinner suit that fits you rather than hiring one makes more sense after years of use. “With hiring, there’s always the risk of the wearer looking almost childlike while dressed in some oversized, boxy ensemble,” warns Toby Lamb, design director of contemporary tailoring label Richard James. Own as classic a dinner suit as possible: in midnight blue, single-breasted, with satin lapels and trousers seams. And it goes without saying you should learn how to tie a bow-tie yourself.Burton14. With Shirts, Stick To The Classics“It sounds silly,” says James Cook, head of bespoke shirtmaking for Turnbull & Asser, “but any men’s shirt can be made to look expensive if it’s well-pressed.” All the same, Cook is particular about the details. Strike a middle line, he recommends: avoid bold styles unless you think you can carry it off, and, for a collar that works with or without a tie, and that always sits properly under a jacket, opt for a semi-cutaway.Turnbull & Asser15. Know When To Break The RulesKnow when to adhere to dress codes such as black tie and know when to break them. Some are there for a good reason, typically because the occasion demands it or some higher authority – your boss, perhaps – expects it. But, likewise, as Drakes’ Hill notes, “we can get too hung up about rules as well, and there’s always a case for ripping them up”. That, after all, is how style advances, little by little. “Enjoy the freedom there is now to make mistakes.” Source link

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