#my noise cancelling ones. + earplugs. I can’t do this man

[cerealmonster15]

A bathroom’s second use is for toilets or whatever the primary function is for Escaping Sounds That Are Outside. And crying also

[flowershines]

Closer Broken

summary: Being the 8th member of Enhypen means that you get to spend time with people that actually make you feel special but little does everyone know that during most of those times your on your knees in front of them as you pleasuring them everyday.

warning: smut, mentions of sex

<previous masterlist next>

Air felt tense as sweaty bodies danced the hardest to their abilities, your eyes traveled from each section of the arena occasionally looking at a fan or two. Cheers and screams surrounded the whole stage, you were thankful for the noise cancelation in your earpiece or else you might as well go deaf in one of your ears from how loud the fans were screaming, you even saw a fan holding a pair of earplugs just to get rid of the loud noises around her.

Passing Heeseung as you both walked to your place you couldn't help but notice him holding his wrist while making a tensed face as his nose wrinkled up, some of the other members noticed this as well giving each other glances while you all walked off the stage for a quick change. As you walked into the dressing room you see Heeseung’s makeup artist touching up him, walking over to him with his wrist still in his hand “Are you okay?” as he looked up at you his eyes started to fill with tears as they threatened to fall on his freshly done makeup. “It’s my wrist… I can barely move it.”

Shock lit up your body as he could be seriously injured if he does not let his injury rest, “Heeseung you can’t dance the last one, it's going to hurt too much.” he shook his head while a tear fell. “There are two more songs left. I'm not just going to stop now.”

The makeup artist gave him the okay as you both walked back out onto the stage trying to finish up the concert safely, occasionally you would glance at Heeseung making sure he was hanging in there but just enough to make it look as if you are caring for him not trying to start a dating scandal.

Saying your goodbyes to engenes, Heeseung was crying but you couldn't tell if it was from him being in pain or if he truly was going to miss this moment or even both. One of the main staff went into the car with you, Jay and Heeseung while sitting in the back with the injured man to see if the problem was anything worth worrying about, he told the pained man to follow the directions he was telling him to move his wrist in, the man cooperated.

“It just looks like a sprain, but don't try to move it. Let it heal. If you don’t let it heal it can turn into a bigger problem.” Heeseung nodded to the elder man who sat before him, as the car parked in front of the dorms he headed straight to his room while holding his arm in a way that wouldn’t hurt his wrist. He felt bored.

Usually he would play a game on his console but he can barely do anything one handedly, fluttering his eyes into the darkness of his room. He hoped that time would pass by as he would rest his eyes for a couple of hours. Walking into the living room of the dorms with the tired members by your side sitting next to your exhausted figure “Did you ever find out what happened to Hee?” Jake asked, turning to you, digging your body into the crack of the two couches being pushed together while trying to find a way to make the uncomfortable position more cozy.

“He sprained his wrist, he can’t move it too much because if he does it could turn out much worse.” he nodded as he laid his sweaty head down on your stomach, your fingers brushing through his somewhat wet roots. Grabbing small pieces of his hair, your fingers sectioned his hair into three parts, braiding the small pieces as his eyes flickered while he tried to not fall asleep from the sudden relaxation.

Feeling a vibration coming from the seat next to you which had your phone laying on top of the cushion, flipping it over with your free hand a notification popped up on your screen from the man who was a room away by himself. A small confused expression displayed on your face since you thought he was sleeping, just like the man laying on your belly.

Reading the text it showed his contact photo, moving your eyes to look at the letters he had typed ‘can you come to my room please’ slowly trying to sit up you let go of the tired man’s hair as his eyes moved under his eyelids. Flickering his eyelashes to open his eyes which brought out his blurred vision which blurred your figure to, he groaned at you for waking him up. “Heeseung asked me to go to his room.” Nodding as he sat up enough for you to slide around his head, bringing his hand up he pointed at the pillow across the room.

Grabbing the pillow and placing it in his hand, he placed it under his head as he rolled over on the couch going in a very long and awaited slumber.

Walking towards his room you slowly turned his bedroom door knob bringing your attention to the man lying lazily on top of the covers on his bed as he ushered you to stand in front of him, tilting your head towards the side he already knew your unclear body language.

“Can you help me?” His eyes kept trying to deny looking in your direction almost as if he was embarrassed to say something, he never failed leaving you confused. “With what?” Walking slightly close to his tense figure and sitting down in the opened spot next to him, his fiddled with one another over his pants almost as a way to hide something from you. “Promise you won’t be weird about it?”

His gaze finally looking into yours while nodding at him which let him finish his sentence “No matter how w-” “Heeseung just tell me, nothing bad will happen.” his eyes looked back at his fingers then scanned you body as his eyes met yours once more, his lips parted slightly while you studied every inch of his eyes. The way they sparkled from the slight brightness in the room, he moved his hands out of the way on his lap. His eyes looked at the wall closest to him while your eyes traveled from his tired eyes down to his what his hands had been covering, onto to reveal his bulge standing prominent in his pants. “Oh.. Um.. What do you mean? Help?”

You asked him questionably as his eyes threatened to slowly look into yours, his doe eyes scanned your body language as he wondered how you would react to his sudden problem. “He said not to move my wrist…” Whispering ever word quieter and quieter being scared of rejection “And…” his eyes looked into yours “Please don’t make me say it Y/n.” “So you want me to what? Jerk you off?” “Not if you don’t want to.” he mumbled faster than normal, placing your hand onto his thigh traveling closer and closer to his zipper in the process. “I want to, don’t worry.”

His eyes left your since he felt overwhelmed by everything happening around him, your other hand traveled to his chin making his eyes meet your “Look at me when i touch you, baby.” you even felt weird as how you usually are submissive yet this dominance took over your body. Hands worked their way towards his zipper as his eyes followed your direction, with every movement you made he looked that way. He was easily able to follow your directions.

His hands went on top of yours as he followed the movements with you, taking his hard cock out of his pants he winced from the sudden temperature change. ‘Thank you’s fell from his lips as your fingers ran along the sides of his cock, you never saw this side of Heeseung and wanted to see how his dominant side would easily have you at his feet yet you were certain that this moment with him more than likely would never happen again.

You had to make this moment last.

His shaking hands moved their way up to your breast as he fondled them whine you started to collect the precum from his tip and move it to the base of his cock acting as lubricant, bringing your hand up to your mouth you gathered spit on your palm proceeding to place your wet hand back on his cock. His moans ran throughout the entire room, you wouldn’t be surprised if the members hadn’t heard anything yet.

“Please do something.” He whined as his grasp on your tit tightened, wrapping your hand around the base you slowly started to move it up and down causing his lips to break apart from each other allowing tiny noises to slip through. Continuing your motions you felt every inch of his cock, feeling every vein that was clearly displayed.

You studied his cock. The way it would twitch from moving your hands certain ways, the way his tip would turn bright red due to his desperation to be touched, as well as the way his cock had an impact on his body.

Throwing his head back he let go of your breast and started to grip the sheets below him as your movements started to get more frequent, as you moved your hand fast on his aching cock he could not keep his noises to himself. You never knew he could be this loud, yet he surprises you every day.

With every stroke of his cock the more precum would start to leak from his tip causing a pool of precum to drip down his cock and onto his pelvis, “So cl-ose Y/n.” he stuttered out nervously. “Than cum handsome, i’m not gonna hold you back.” His hands were frantically moving around trying to find anything to keep him from making noises, hips started to thrust up into your fist mad he finally started to reach his long and awaited release.

“Oh… Fuck.” Curse words rolled off of his tongue due to the pleasure running through his body as squirts of cum started to land on his abs, his breathing started to turn from heavy to light as he finally started to relax his body. “Thank you Y/n, really. I can’t describe how thankful i am.” Looking into his shiny eyes “Dint mention it.” letting go of his cock he let out a soft moan as you let him finish putting himself back into his pants, standing up and walking to his bedroom door “Don’t be afraid to ask me for help again.” you commented as you did not wait for his response, leaving the room in a hurry. You wish he would take you up on the offer soon.

tagslist:

@luvyev @honestimage @siria000023 @tooshyshaa @heeseungshim @juliesblogs @wonpoem @weyukinluv @cha0thicpisces @jungwonloveer @zouzie008 @wooziswife @jwonistic @wonniesdoll @wonki-luv @en-gene2 @deobitifull @cupidhee @namdeyuoi @hanienie @gfjydhufvh @nyfwyeonjun @sangzhi4 @peonywon @caravm @heeseungsbabyy @sunoosets @anwonie @jungwonnieee @certified-niki-lover @heeseungsbabyy @aprilsssinterest

if your blog is in white it said ‘blog not found’

[tryslora]

Blog: It's the thing I can't ignore

I just turned my music down.

Why is this important? Well, at the same time, I also pulled up a reminder that I wanted to talk about different kinds of background noise when it comes to being neurodivergent and trying to create an environment for focus.

So. Timing.

The most important thing to state here is that this is what works for me; it is not a recipe for perfection for everyone with some form of neurodivergence.

I have often been asked “Why don’t you put on headphones?” as a way to resolve issues with noise in a space. The answer is: I can’t. It doesn’t work for me.

I saw a video recently where it was a skit between two people (one ND, one NT) discussing how they parsed the conversation flowing around them in a crowded room.

For the neurotypical person, they focused in on the person they were speaking with, tuning out everything in the background.

For the neurodivergent person, they pointed out that every single conversation in the room was equally audible. It became a mashup in their head, making it nearly impossible to focus on the conversation with the person near them, because their brain gave equal weight to the conversation going on at the next table over.

I saw this and screamed “YES” because that’s it. Exactly.

Add in random background noise, which my brain also cheerfully elevates to high importance level, and hearing becomes difficult. I have to look at someone and see their lips moving. I don’t read lips. But I have to be able to put the two things together to get my brain to remember that THAT is the particular sound to pay attention to and parse.

I do not do well in crowded or loud environments.

This also means that when I’m in my office, and there are sudden noises coming out of the arts studio down the hall, my brain is constantly picking up on them as Important Must Pay Attention things rather than relegating them to background.

The reason why putting on noise cancelling headphones to pipe music into my ears does not work is because putting it CLOSER to me makes it WORSE. Headphones scream “most important” to my brain, and thus, that becomes the focus thing. Not the words on my screen. Not the task at hand. Certainly not writing.

I suspect this may be a similar problem with notifications on my phone or Discord or whatever… brain promptly elevates their status, and I can’t function until I look at them. Side point, letting it go.

Anyway.

Right now I’m listening to a playlist made up of songs from anime I’ve watched—opening credits, endings, insert songs. And I just turned it down, because even having it be very familiar music in a language not my own was too much today. I needed it to be even more distance from. (Yes, it’s playing on speakers—no headphones here).

Does this affect me only when I’m trying to write or work? Nope.

I wear earplugs when I sleep, because if there is noise, it will wake me up. My brain is very insistent on that importance level of the things it hears.

Husband loves white noise, and I hate it. I find the chirping of night bugs, or running of water, or rumbling thunder all very distracting, yes, even when I’m sleeping. I tune in rather than tune out.

And the funny thing is, yes, he’s ADHD too. And I know so many people who have ADHD who find white noise to be something that saves them. Without it, they can’t focus. And I do get that.

Hell, as a teenager, I studied to top 40 hits on my radio, then replayed songs in my head to remember what I was reading at the time when the song played (and then would reread the page in my head, man I wish my memory worked that well now!).

So as I said at the start: not everyone who is neurodivergent processes things the same way. For me, I like having sound, but I need it be distant enough from me that I can put it aside, and it needs to be predictable in some way and not grate on my skin/eardrums.

(Just hit fast forward because that song had autotune which was absolutely distracting.)

Anyway. There are side points to this, like my discovery that I can process audiobooks, but had to figure out when and how they worked for me. And the knowledge that something that is background in one place might be distracting in another. And the fact that things change over time as our brains change (and in my case, apparently as my hormones change—did you know that menopause affects ADHD? SIGHS. Yeah, I know that too, now…).

Oh, and the different kinds of music that are required for different projects. Currently anime music works for me. Eventually I’ll go back to overly familiar pop punk. Or classical piano and guitar (wrote a whole book to that particular soundtrack).

But the short version is, figuring out what worked for me helped increase focus. And there are still days when I don’t know the answer, and wish I could tune everything out with earplugs in public spaces, but the flipside of everything is that when I’m not sleeping, I kind of freak out when I can’t hear the world around me. So.

Aren’t brains fun?

[anonymous-astronaut]

The mercs on a undercover mission on a rave? (Can be either a legalized one or a illegal one or both on what would happen…

Ought to be interesting! Keep in mind I have never been to a rave, but I’ll do my best.

Scout

Throws himself into the mosh pit with zero hesitation, and is very adamant that doing so is 100% necessary for the mission. It takes all of two seconds for him to get trampled and disappear from sight. I mean he’s built like a hat stand, my man gets absolutely demolished and has to crawl back out. He says that he’s fine though, and will continue to dance at a safer distance, probably with a bit of a limp. By the end he’s convinced that the experience automatically make him ten times cooler, but he just has a black eye. Probably wore a Tom Jones t-shirt no matter who was performing.

Soldier

For the first time ever, Soldier’s surroundings are louder and more chaotic than he is. He can scream all he wants and no one will even notice him, which is a very new experience. I think it would actually manage to throw him off a little. He’s not afraid to throw hands if someone gets in the way, but the sheer amount of people that have no interest in giving him the time of day shuts him down pretty fast. He actually feels a little out numbered for once, and ends up just kinda shouldering through the crowd to do whatever he needs to do so he can leave.

Pyro

As long as it’s clear that everyone is having a good time, Pyro is down to party. They love the performance even if it’s bad, music and lights fascinate them either way and they get distracted instantly. Hopefully someone went with them, mostly to keep them from trying to add their own fire effects but also because no mission will completed if they go alone. Pyro steers clear of the mosh pit, but they have no hesitations about dancing. If the crowd gets too crazy however, they might get kind of overwhelmed and stop having fun. Hopefully all goes well.

Demo

This atmosphere brings out the… irresponsible side of him. He takes the opportunity to get absolutely plastered, and will party as hard as he possibly can under the guise of “fitting in with the crowd”. He fits in a little too well, because no one can find him and he completely forgets why he’s there in the first place. He probably has a good time, but he can’t remember any of it the next day so I hope he wasn’t gathering intel. All he knows is that his head hurts, and whatever he ingested last night did terrible things to his liver.

Heavy

Unamused, unenthused, and very tired. Heavy just stands like an irritated brick wall looming over the partiers until he’s allowed to leave. He has zero appreciation for a party like this, and he mostly watches the ravers with quiet distaste for as long as he needs to be present. He will raise his voice if he needs people to move, and move they will because he can be terrifying. He has a terrible time, and can’t wait to go home and read.

Engie

Probably made his own noise-canceling headphones to bring. As long has he has some kind of ear protection, he won’t be completely miserable, but he still doesn’t exactly love it. He’s kinda short, so he hates crowds and ends up getting pushed around a bit. Don’t get me wrong, Engie knows how to party, this is just out of his comfort zone. He doesn’t really get the music that’s playing, but he thinks the lights are okay. Would way rather it was a tailgate shindig instead though.

Medic

Crams earplugs in as far as they’ll go and is ready to go. Probably straight up wears his doctor uniform to the race. He’s definitely not used to this many people in one place, but he has faced more chaos than this and honestly he can work with it. Medic can hold his own if he starts getting pushed around, and he feeds off other peoples excitement so easily he finds himself having a good time. He loves the adrenaline of being in a crazy crowd like this, but keep an eye on him because he might get a little too carried away and try to steal an organ from someone in the confusion.

Sniper

Someone needs to rescue this man, he’s like a mouse in a elevator with twenty-five jungle cats. Sniper is trying to physically shrink in on himself so he can just disappear. He secretly suspects that everyone here is also undercover, because that’s the only possible reason he can think of for someone to willfully subject themselves to this. He tries to stay in the back, but he’s so tall that he feels like he’s in the way no matter what. That’s the opposite of where he what’s to be. It’s all too loud, too bright, too crowded. He would like to leave as soon as possible please and thank you.

Spy

He definitely looks done on events like this and has no desire to be there, but he takes his job very seriously and won’t let his personal preferences get in the way. So, he simply views the scene as he would like a battlefield, navigating the chaos the same way he would in a fight. To him, a job is a job and he has been in far stickier situations. He does his best to fit in and still keep his dignity, trying to stay out of the way. But, if he is put on the spot (like if refusing to do so would put the mission at risk), he will… dance. Anyone on the team who witnesses it will never ever let him live it down.

[five-rivers]

Long Night in the Valley Chapter 15

It's been a bit, hasn't it?

.

.

.

Toshinori pushed himself up off the ground with trembling arms. Although, by the position of the sun, it hadn’t been for long, he’d blacked out when—

“Oh, no,” said Toshinori. His head throbbed at the sound, making the edges of his vision go dark and fuzzy.

When All for One had broken through into the shared mindscape.

“Oh, no,” he repeated.

Where was Izuku? He had to find—Oh, thank goodness, Izuku was right there. He let out a sigh of relief.

His relief was short-lived. Izuku, to put it lightly, did not look well. His eyes were open, but only glazed slivers. His breath was coming shallow and fast, not quite to the point of hyperventilating, but it was a close thing. His skin was pale, except for deep, bruise-like circles under his eyes. He was sweating more than Toshinori had ever seen him sweat (which was really saying something; Izuku broke out into nervous sweats with some frequency). Perhaps most concerningly, he was shaking like a leaf.

Izuku was, Toshinori realized, still maintaining the effect of Two’s quirk.

He tried to reach inside himself, contact his predecessors, but swiftly pulled his mental fingers back, as if they had been burned. Bad idea.

“Izuku,” he said, “can you hear me?”

Izuku made a small, pained noise that tore at Toshinori’s heart.

“I’m going to pick you up, okay?” he said. Izuku didn’t answer, but then Toshinori didn’t expect him to.

The simple act forced Toshinori to call on the embers of One for All. Not enough to make his muscles swell, but enough to give him the strength of an ordinary, healthy man. His muscles and his remaining intact lung screamed in protest, not to mention his scars. He ignored them.

He stumbled forward, priorities shuffling themselves. They’d been trying to escape, but if Izuku was this ill… he needed a doctor. An exorcist might be a good idea, too, what with All for One running around in their heads.

But to get a doctor, they’d have to put themselves in commission hands, and Toshinori could feel the echoes of Two and Three telling him exactly how stupid that would be.

The commission had sent Hawks after Izuku. Toshinori had no doubt they’d throw him in Tartarus, and the treatment of criminals in Tartarus was one of the few things Toshinori had publicly disagreed with the HPSC on in his hero persona. Not that it had gone anywhere. He simply hadn’t had the time to really push it and the commission had somehow managed to paint him as somehow too good, too forgiving, to be trusted when it came to the disposition of terrible villains.

“’ll be’kay,” mumbled Izuku, the sentiment clearer over their mental link. “N’ospital.”

“Okay,” said Toshinori, slightly breathless. “Let’s—Let’s keep going, then. Find a good place to camp out, far away from Todoroki Touya, here. Yep.” He was aware he was rambling, and needlessly at that, but he couldn’t help it.

One foot in front of the other.

Was that a car running?

Toshinori, keen on getting help and care for Izuku, even if it meant hijacking a car, changed directions slightly. Of course, it would be ideal if there were friendly bystanders who didn’t believe the hero commissions lies and had a medical license and a healing quirk, but Toshinori would be more than happy with—

He stopped. Laughed. Laughed some more, a little hysterically. There, abandoned in a ditch like a beached sailing ship, was Vlad King’s much abused car.

Sure, it would have been reported stolen by now, and the police and heroes would be looking for it, but that was a problem for future-Toshinori. Present-Toshinori, on the other hand, was simply grateful for the windfall, and wary – the presence of the car could indicate the proximity of the League of Villains.

He gently put Izuku down in the passenger seat, turned the car off and made sure it was in the appropriate gear, then walked around to the back of the car and lifted it out of the ditch.

If his muscles had been complaining before—

He staggered back to the driver’s seat, leaning heavily on the side of the car the whole time. Blood dripped from his mouth. “This is nothing, my boy, nothing,” he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone, as he felt Izuku’s concern press heavily against him. “Used to have worse every day of the week.”

Toshinori got the sense that Izuku was not, in fact, reassured. Nevertheless, he grinned, pouring every drop of his fabled ‘everything will be alright’ smile into the expression. Even if Izuku couldn’t see it, Toshinori needed some of the comfort that came with donning a familiar mask

“Let’s see if we can get to the Wild Wild Pussycats today, after all.”

.

“Eri-chan,” began Abe, tapping together her papers. She’d drawn the short stick. Ito was interviewing one of the older students, and Abe got the feral child.

“No,” said Eri.

“I didn’t even ask you a question yet.”

“Only people I like get to call me -chan. That’s the rule. Prinzible Nezu said so.”

“Principal,” corrected Nezu, cheerfully, like the unhelpful rodent rat bastard he was. If only she could have gotten him kicked out… but, no, he and Present Mic were both sitting in on the interview.

“PrincipalNezu told me, and he’s in charge.”

“You tell ‘em, Eri-chan!” said Present Mic, just a little more loudly than was comfortable.

.

Eri nodded to let Present Mic know the noise-cancelling earplugs were working.

.

“In this situation,” said Abe, sternly, “I am in charge.”

The girl tilted her head, and suddenly her expression went from ‘pouting child’ to ‘superior being contemplating an uppity insect.’

“Eri-san,” began Abe.

“No,” said Eri.

Abe looked up incredulously. What was wrong with -san?

She decided to ignore it. “You spoke with—”

Eri began to scream like a teakettle whistling.

“Can’t you control her?” Abe demanded, turning to Nezu, who chittered.

“This is very good progress!” he said, barely loud enough to hear over the ongoing shriek. “Before now, Eri-chan was too hesitant to act out or misbehave in any way, fearing the punishment that her former and completely unqualified caretakers would inflict upon her.”

Abe didn’t know which was more longwinded, the still-screaming child or the rodent principal. Her body was so tiny, how was she still screaming?

.

Eri clicked off the Present Mic-themed combo audio recorder and player in her pocket at the same time she shut her mouth. Principal Nezu was right! This was fun! At least, it would be if Deku was here.

“I get to pick what you call me,” said Eri, patiently. Since this person wasn’t smart enough to see that Deku was only the best hero ever and not a bad guy, she’d have to explain slowly.

The person evidently wasn’t even smart enough to breathe, as she was slowly turning purple.

“What,” she said, in stilted tones, “would you like me to call you.”

Eri let the smile Aizawa had taught her spread across her face. “Eri-sama.”

“Is that a joke?”

“It’s very important to respect the boundaries children establish, Abe-san,” said Nezu.

.

Katsuki blinked. It was about time he woke up. Stupid dream time dilation or whatever. Stupid boring soy sauce face and his stupid boring mindscape dreamscape whatever hellscape. There was a limit to what you could do in a square mile that mostly consisted of a tape-covered jungle gym and a boring apartment building. Katsuki had found it, and, after spending a good period of time being angry about it, had decided to go to sleep.

Dream time dilation or whatever the commission proctor had been going on about after the first billionty-and-one stupid hours, it didn’t matter, Katsuki hated it, it was just taking too damn long. If he didn’t have to do this to keep his provisional license, he’d tell the commission to shove this stupid pointless training up it’s—

About a minute after he should have twigged to something wrong, Katsuki realized the ceiling was too familiar.

He sat up. Why the hell was he in UA’s infirmary?

And not just him, about half the class was here with him.

He scowled. So, something had gone wrong with the test after all, and it looked like Deku wasn’t involved. Stupid nerd would hold it over him.

“Hey!” shouted Katsuki, spotting Recovery Girl. “What the f—”

“Language!” scolded Recovery Girl, shrilly, practically teleporting across the room to jab Katsuki with her cane. “You’re in a school, young man.”

“I know that!” protested Katsuki. “But why the f—” he faltered under the force Recovery Girl’s gaze even as she started to run through the checklist she usually did for people who’d been knocked out like wimps. “Fudge. Am I here.”

“I think the more pertinent question is, how are you awake? There should be at least one more hour, if not two, left to that quirk.”

“I went to sleep,” said Katsuki, attempting to fend her off.

“Well, you wouldn’t be waking up if—”

“No. In the shhhtupid dreamscape thing. I went to sleep.”

Recovery Girl paused for a moment, then sighed. “I don’t suppose you were the one whose mind they were exploring?”

“No. That was soy sauce face. Why are we back here? And where’s the nerd?”

Recovery Girl seemed to droop at his question, and a heaviness filled the air. “That’s a long story.”

“Did we get attacked by Dusty McGee again?”

“No.”

“So, what did happen?” snapped Katsuki. “The nerd break out a new quirk in the middle of the training or something?”

Recovery Girl’s eye twitched, and she sat down on a nearby stool, taking a deep breath.

“The hero commission suspected Midoriya of working with the League of Villains and attempted to use the training to interrogate him. Under the influence of at least one mental quirk, Midoriya fled. At about the same time, All Might left and met up with him, after which the commission accused Midoriya of kidnapping All Might. They haven’t given him an S-Rank villain classification, but I suspect that’s just because the paperwork hasn’t gone through yet.”

All right. Honestly, with his creepy stalker notebooks and obsessive All Might shrine room, Deku probably seemed like a prime kidnapping suspect to an outsider, but considering that Katsuki had witnessed Deku and All Might’s sickeningly sweet interpersonal interactions, somehow managing to be a goddamn third wheel to some sort of surrogate parent-child found family drama nonsense…

“Has anyone told ‘em it’s more likely the other way around? And that if it was, it’d probably be for the nerd’s own good, too?”

Recovery Girl nodded tiredly.

“They hiding out here?”

“Midoriya is a wanted criminal.”

“So what?”

“We’re a school.”

“You’ve lost me.”

Recovery Girl sighed. “No, Midoriya is not here.”

“Well, that’s stupid. What are we doing about it?”

“Right now? You are doing nothing. Commission investigators are in the building, and it would be better if they thought you were still unconscious.”

Katsuki grumbled. “Should go and try to bring him back.”

“What, so he can be arrested?”

“No!” said Katsuki, defensively. “But he’s probably running around out there making everything worse!”

“Bakugo,” said Recovery Girl, patting his leg, “from what I’ve heard, the only thing that could possibly make this worse is being found.”

.

“Can you describe to me the circumstances under which you lost your quirk?” asked Ito, the other commission investigator.

“Sure!” said Mirio, hoping the man couldn’t detect his discomfort at the subject. Even if he’d made that split second choice to shield Eri with his body with full knowledge of the consequences, to jump in front of Nemoto’s bullet, it was still a traumatic experience. It still hurt, even if he didn’t regret it.

He took a deep breath. “Well, it was during the Shie Hassaikai raid. I had gone ahead to confront Chisaki Kai and rescue Eri. There were a few other yakuza with him, members of the Eight Bullets. Nemoto Shin, Sakaki Deidoro, and, ah, Chrono, I think. I can’t remember his proper name.”

“That’s fine. Please continue.”

“I engaged with Sakaki and Nemoto while Chisaki and Chrono went ahead. I was affected by their quirks, but managed to get by… It was a hard battle!” he interjected, suddenly. He belatedly realized he wanted to draw out this line of questioning, and dove into a supremely detailed description of his fight with Sakaki and Nemoto. It was funny, too, and he saw Ito getting sucked in.

Sir would have been proud.

“And then, I chased after Chrono and Chisaki!” said Mirio, gesticulating wildly to illustrate his movements. He continued narrating the battle, the wild swings of fate, Eri’s hope and fear, the strikes and counterstrikes! Just like when he’d first debriefed after the raid.

Weirdly enough, going through it like this also made him feel better. Less like he was reliving a terrible, painful moment in his life, and more like he was telling a very dramatic story.

“—aaaaaaand,” he wrapped up, “Chisaki tossed the gun with the erasure bullets to Nemoto – I hadn’t realized he was still conscious. I’d been too worried about getting to Eri.” He shrugged. “I got shot.”

“Despite your quirk?”

“I didn’t want Eri to be hit.”

“Even though the loss of her quirk might have been a blessing for her? Considering the difficulty she has using it and the pain it gives her.”

Mirio felt his smile settle into something blander and more dangerous than his usual beaming grins. “Are you suggesting that I should have let a six-year-old be shot?”

“Not at all,” said Ito, making a mark. “Now, where was Midoriya at this time?”

“He hadn’t caught up to us, yet,” said Mirio. “He was with Sir.”

“Who?”

“Sir Nighteye,” clarified Mirio. “Before that, they were with Rock Lock and some of the others, I believe.”

“But you don’t know for sure.”

“I wasn’t there, so… no, not really. But the exact situation should be on file, from our debrief, and Rock Lock can confirm or clarify.”

“Only the parts he saw,” said Ito. “Did you try to use your quirk after that? Or did you simply assume it was gone?”

“Of course, I tried to use it!” said Mirio, feeling somewhat offended. “I’d trained it to be reflexive. Right after, I kept thinking my quirk would protect me, and moving too slow to dodge attacks. I got really beaten up.”

“And was this before or after Midoriya Izuku arrived?”

“Before, mostly,” said Mirio. “It isn’t like the fight stopped the minute he showed up.”

“And you are certain your quirk stopped working before Midoriya arrived.”

“I’m sure.”

“How did you know you were hit by a permanent quirk-erasing bullet?” asked Ito.

“Well, when my quirk didn’t come back we were pretty sure,” said Mirio.

“But you didn’t know beforehand, for certain, that the bullets were permanent.”

Crap. Mirio had screwed up somewhere in there. He could feel it.

“I think Nemoto and Chisaki were shouting at each other about it during the fight,” said Mirio. “They were pretty proud of it.”

“But you did not know, for sure, that your quirk loss was permanent,” insisted Ito. “There was no way for you to know that their claims about the bullets were true.”

“I mean… not really,” said Mirio. “But, again, here I am without a quirk.”

“Yes… but that isn’t the only way a person can lose a quirk, is it?”

“The Scourge of Kamino was already in Tartarus when the Shie Hassaikai raid took place,” said Mirio. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

“Did Midoriya Izuku come into contact with you before the end of the day?”

“We talked, yeah,” said Mirio.

“Physical contact.”

“Actually… no,” said Mirio. “After the fight, we were both whisked off to the hospital, separately. Midoriya came to visit me after we both got patched up, he felt guilty about not getting to me and Eri sooner, and--” Oh, dear, he’d have to think back on that conversation a bit more. Later. He swallowed. “--and… Sir’s death…” He looked down at his hands. “Sir… in retrospect, he didn’t like Midoriya very much, but his death hit Midoriya hard. First death in the line of duty. It… it was the first time I’d seen a hero die, too.”

“You’re quite certain he didn’t touch you? At all?” asked Ito, undeterred by Mirio’s not-at-all-feigned grief.

“Pretty sure, yeah,” said Mirio, now annoyed by the investigator’s callousness.

“I see.”

.

Ochako rubbed her eyes, but the darkness stayed. “What,” she said out loud, her voice somehow doing the opposite of echoing, “what happened?”

“I don’t know,” said Todoroki. He had positioned himself so as to guard her back.

“There was a bang,” said Iida, “and then…” He trailed off, clearly finding just as much difficulty in describing the event as Ochako did thinking about it.

“They were talking about All for One getting in,” said Ochako. “You don’t think…?”

“Maybe we timed out the quirk and we’re about to wake up,” said Iida, optimistically.

“Where’s Aizawa-sensei?” asked Todoroki.

“I don’t know,” said Ochako. “He was standing with us… I mean, I couldn’t see you guys at first, either.”

“I’m here,” said Aizawa.

Ochako turned to see their teacher methodically scanning their black surroundings, his eyes red. “Do you know what happened?” she asked. “Do you think this is just, I don’t know, a new transition? A memory?”

“I don’t know,” said Aizawa. He blinked, eyes returning to their normal colors.

“It isn’t,” said an unfamiliar voice. The figure of a young man with uncut white hair slowly faded out of the darkness. “Hello.” He raised a hand. “I’m One. Or, I guess, you can call me Kazuki. Sorry about the landscape. Most of our mental resources were just rerouted.”

“Does this have something to do with that vault thing Izuku mentioned?” asked Ochako.

“Yes, sadly,” said One. “My brother’s broken out. Which means you really shouldn’t be here. All our minds are about to become battlefields. I have some techniques that might help you get out, but--”

“Six told me there was something taken from Midoriya that we could get back, if the vault was open. Is that still a thing?”

One raised a fist to his lips, and pressed down. “You understand, don’t you, that to search for this is to go into my brother’s mind?”

“If it’s to help Midoriya,” said Todoroki, stepping forward, “we’ll do anything.”

“That is very admirable of you,” said One. “I do mean that, I really do, and I’ve seen your heroics and spirit through Izuku’s eyes. But I’m not sending children to fight my brother. Eraserhead, you’d be going alone.”

“I can work with that,” said Aizawa.

“But we won’t be in any real danger!” protested Ochako. “The worst that could happen to us is that we’ll run out of time and wake up. Right?”

“Don’t underestimate my brother. Judging from the fight at Kamino, he lost a lot of quirk control and strength after his first fight with Eight, or else he’d never have been captured. But that’s only if we take it at face value. I don’t doubt that he has five or six plans in place to escape Tartarus and steal every interesting quirk in there, thereby increasing his power exponentially, or even healing himself.”

Ochako blinked. How would anyone heal from… Wait. “Overhaul.”

One’s smile was a bitter thing. “I certainly wouldn’t have put the two of them in the same prison.”

The villain at Kamino, already strong enough to go toe to toe with All Might, with Overhaul's power? Ochako shuddered.

"What did he take from Midoriya?" asked Aizawa. "I'm going to need to know before I do this."

"You're sure you want to do this, then?"

"I haven't decided."

One sighed and pushed his hair back, out of his face. Ochako was struck, momentarily, by how the color of his eyes perfectly matched Izuku's.

"My brother took what he always takes," said One. "His quirk."

"But!" protested Ochako. "He has a quirk! He has..." she trailed off as another revelation hit her.

"He…" said Iida, next to her, "has several quirks."

"He has your quirk," said Todoroki with one-hundred-percent unwavering confidence.

"You had a quirk like All for One," said Aizawa. "But considering what we've seen… the quirk to pass on quirks?"

"That's why you call yourselves by numbers! Because that's the order you had the quirk in!" added Ochako.

"I prefer thinking of it as the ability to share quirks," said One, "but since everyone but Eight and Nine is dead, the distinction is academic."

Aizawa sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Okay, let me get this straight. You and... your brother both had meta quirks. He could… give and take quirks. You could just pass your own quirk on. He decided to become a criminal mastermind. You decided to, I don't know, invest your quirk until someone had enough quirks to fight your brother?"

"And they're all related," said Todoroki.

"And you're all related," said Aizawa with an air of suffering.

"It was significantly less intentional and more complicated than that, but, yes, those are the basics."

"And, for some reason, All Might thought that it was a good idea to pick a teenager for the job."

"In his defense, Eight thought my brother was dead. The one you should really be throwing shade at is Seven."

"I have questions."

One tilted his head. "Normally, I would answer them, but we're running out of time."

Aizawa sighed. "Alright. I'll do it."

"We want to help, too!" said Ochako.

"Three will find a way to ghost murder me if I get you involved in a fight with my brother."

"So would I, incidentally," said Aizawa, "and then I'd expel all of them."

Iida cleared his throat. "Is there any way for us to help without coming into contact with All for One?”

“Yes,” said One, clapping his hands together. “Getting out before that Suzuki fellow does and giving Izuku some good publicity.”

One’s image seemed to waver and split, then, as if Ochako had crossed her eyes. She blinked, hard, but after that there were still two of them.

“I’ll lead you to my brother’s mind,” said one of the Ones, waving at Aizawa.

“I’ll stay and try to help the rest of you get out,” said the second One. “We should - Oh.”

“Oh?” repeated Aizawa. “‘Oh,’ what?”

“Oh, we forgot about someone,” said One.

.

“Oh,” said All for One, catching sight of an anomaly. “Who is this little intruder to our gathering?”

“Just some government lackey,” said Miranda, hands still for now, but in a position where she could likely summon ball lightning in a matter of minutes. “Not someone you can use as a hostage.”

“Actually,” said Ryuji, who, unusually, had yet to disappear from All for One’s senses, “if you could figure out a way to get rid of him, it would be convenient.”

“Two!” snapped Nana.

“Come on, we were all thinking it,” said Ryuji.

“You can’t use a him as a murder weapon,” hissed Nana. “Nine will get in trouble.”

“You’rethe one who repeatedly dropped him from a dozen stories up. And the one who was fantasizing about murdering him in real life.”

“That daydream could have belonged to anyone.”

“It had Gran Torino in it.”

“Eight knows Gran, too!”

All for One coughed, returning the full attention of the vestiges to himself. “Is this a pathetic attempt at a distraction?”

“Do you know any other adjectives?” asked his little brother, who was slouching off to the side with his hands in his pockets.

All for One sneered. “Are you not taking this seriously?”

“Not really, no,” said Kazuki, “and neither are you, or else we’d be fighting already. We both know that what you can affect here is limited.” He started counting off on his fingers. “You can’t bring us back with you, you can’t affect Nine’s morality, you can’t take the stockpile, you--”

“I knew it!” shrieked the little intruder, jabbing a finger at All for One. “I knew it! You’re All for One! Midoriya is working for you!”

“Hey, if you’re going to do the sibling thing and prove me wrong about the whole ‘can’t do anything’ thing, can I suggest you start with him?”

All for One narrowed his eyes and scanned his relatives. There was an uncharacteristic lack of protest.

“Are you briar patching?”

“No,” said Hibiki, “they’re quite serious. I personally would prefer it if you didn’t kill him, but not enough to risk myself.”

He could always trust Hibiki to be blunt and straightforward. He got it from his wonderfully forthright and businesslike mother. He hadn’t loved her like he loved his current, still-living spouse, but she had been refreshing.

“Mood,” said Rokuya.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” said dear, sweet Izuku, raising a hand, “but I’m not actually comfortable letting All for One kill him in front of us.”

“Don’t try that now! You’ve shown your true colors, traitor!”

“Don’t worry, kid,” said Daigoro, “we’re pretty sure he won’t be able to.”

“Torture, then.”

“Not sure he can do worse than Nana did.”

“All I did was drop him!” protested Nana.

“Repeatedly, from a great height,” Miranda reminded her.

Everyone was much more relaxed, now, and… were they ignoring him? They were!

“Are you all under the effect of a quirk?”

“Yeah,” said Kazuki. “How else do you think this is happening?”

“No, I mean… your personalities… they’re all…” He gestured at the One for All users who had stopped to watch him.

“Niichan, I’ve tried to tell you this before, but at least for me, I’m not all that great a person. You just suck so enormously that I look like a saint in comparison.”

“That’s not true!”

“It is,” said Kazuki. “I mean, think back to our first argument. I was less concerned with your overall morality and more concerned with the fact that the demon king alway loses--”

“Excuse you, but I’ve beaten every one of you.”

“No you haven’t,” said Hibiki. “I, at least, died with no input from you.”

“Killing you is obviously different from beating you,” said All for One.

“I mean, by the time you chucked me in that vault, it had evolved to a moral and ethical complaint,” said Kazuki, his one visible eye unfocused in remembrance. “But it started out with me worried about you getting yourself killed.”

“No it didn’t.”

“It really did. You know, I don’t think I ever told you this, but if you’d been twenty percent more ethical? I would have absolutely been on your side.”

“What.”

“I mean, it was you, the government, and ragtag resistance groups, and the government sucked.”

“I can confirm that,” said Miranda, “and it continues to be disgustingly corrupt. But since you’re also swimming through the human experimentation cesspit, we’re staying where we are. Don’t get any ideas.” She ended the sentence with a hiss and fog started rolling in.

“I agree that if you stayed away from the kidnapping, murder, and cult stuff, I would have probably stayed with you,” said Ryuji. “Except you did do all that stuff… Why are we even talking about this?”

“I would add personal freedom to the list of things I’d want from you in the hypothetical world where we stayed on the same side,” said Hibiki, “but, otherwise, I agree.”

All for One blinked several times, a small part of his mind cherishing the fact that he had eyes. “Do you all feel that way?” he asked, oddly touched but also strangely disturbed.

“No,” said Daigoro, “the rest of us hate you and the government just about equally.”

All for One turned his gaze to the quivering ‘government lackey.’ “I see. So, I suppose I have the government to thank for this turn of events. Hm? What did you do to have these soft-hearted fools so upset with you?”

The little man squeaked and jabbed something like an epi-pen into his leg. A second later, he vanished.

“Wait,” said Izuku. “Wait. THAT’S how to get out? That’s so stupid! Can we do that?” The last was said as an aside to Nana.

“Not with him here,” said Miranda. Her voice had dropped back into its more dangerous registers.

“Oh, so we are going to fight after all,” said All for One, clapping his hands and smiling. “What fun.”

.

“I can’t believe you distracted him and got Suzuki to leave like that,” said Aizawa as they stepped out of the fog.

“Well, my brother always did like to hear the sound of his own voice. And be a jerk, but I’m sure that was obvious,” said One. They came to a stop in front of a normal-looking apartment building. One sighed. “This is where we lived,” he said. “Before…” He sighed again.

Aizawa examined One out of the corner of his eyes. He looked tired.

“How much of what you said back there was true?”

“Huh? Most of it, really. My successors built me up as some kind of big good, but I was never anything but a normal guy with a slightly more functional moral compass than my brother.”

From what Aizawa had seen so far, he suspected One was seriously underselling himself.

“I’m sorry,” said One, “but I’m going to have to leave you here. Nine’s quirk should look like a younger version of himself. He couldn’t have been any older than five when it was taken.”

“Anything else I should know about?”

“Sorry, not really… I’ve not exactly been inside my brother’s head. If you manage to find a switch labeled ‘empathy,’ you might take a second to flip it on. Or not. Could be booby trapped. Wouldn’t put it past him.”

“Great,” said Aizawa.

.

“Midoriya-san,” said Mr. Compress. “We’ve been searching for quite some time now, I hate to say it, but I rather suspect that your son has thoroughly escaped.”

“Escaped,” repeated Midoriya. “Like a prisoner.”

Mr. Compress coughed into his fist. Tomura glared at him through a fog of exhaustion. He was wearing a mask. Why bother with the fist at all? Sometimes, Tomura felt like the only sane person on a planet of aliens.

“Honestly, we didn’t even know he was in the area, Midoriya-san. But… Perhaps at this point, the best course of action would be to return to our, uh… temporary base so that you can get some clothes. I’m sure Dabi will have something that can fit you.”

“Or maybe,” said Toga, hesitantly, “Magne might have had something?”

“Excellent idea, Himiko! Yes, I’m sure Magne’s clothes will be much more appropriate.”

“I don’t know that dressing her in a dead woman’s clothes is a good idea?” whispered Twice.

“Normally,” said Midoriya Inko, “I would say that the fires of my anger at Hisashi provide me with enough warmth to scorch the ground I walk on but—” she shivered, “—unfortunately you may be right. I’m not a young woman anymore, and Izuku would want me to be safe and healthy. So that I can give Hisashi a… firm talking to.”

Tomura shuddered. The ice in her tone was more frigid than the toilet seat in their stupid unheated bathroom at night.

… He hoped Sensei didn’t get a mind reading quirk in the near future. He definitely didn’t want him to know about that metaphor.

“Machia, will you be a dear and take us back? And Mr. Compress, would you put Dr. Garaki back in one of your marbles? I suspect he’ll be… more comfortable that way.”

At least Tomura wasn’t the doctor.

Machia leaned down and let them all get on, though not before fixing Tomura with a glare and delivering some glitchy threat about the ‘Little Lord’ and ‘playing nice.’ Completely redundant, what with Midoriya Inko’s much more pertinent and detailed threat regarding the same thing.

“Hey,” said Twice. “Do you guys smell--? It’s like a barbecue!”

Himiko sniffed the air. “It does smell kinda smokey, guys. Do you think Dabi got in a fight, too?”

“With who?” asked Tomura.

“Well, Izu-chan has to still be around here somewhere, right?” asked Himiko, putting a finger to her lips.

Machia sped up.

“It’s probably just the wind blowing someone’s bonfire smoke this way,” said Spinner.

Machia slowed down again.

Tomura frowned. “There shouldn’t be anyone close enough for that,” he said. If Dabi had set the forest on fire and given away their position, he was going to murder him.

Machia sped up again.

They came into sight of their current base and the source of the smoke.

These happened to be the same thing.

“I’m going to kill Dabi,” said Tomura.

“Are we sure it was him?” asked Twice.

“I don’t care.”

[faithtrustkookiecrust]

The Muse

PAIRING: Kim Taehyung x Female Reader

GENRE: Romance, fluff

WORD COUNT: 6,4k

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hello. I am very excited to share my first BTS AU story! English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance if you come across any errors. Feel free to leave me some constructive criticism. Enjoy. x

DESCRIPTION: You’re a teacher by day, aspiring writer by night. You like to keep yourself within your own bubble. One day a new neighbor moves in and disturbs your peace. It is the art student, Taehyung. One night he knocks on your door. He’s got an art assignment and his muse cancelled on him in the last minute... Now he’s in desperate need of a new muse. 

You never did pay much attention to your neighbors. Neither did your neighbors seem to pay much attention to you. Everybody was busy with their own lives. Every once in a while you could hear a door opening and closing, footsteps coming from the staircase or from the flat above you. You lived in a small, old apartment building and didn't think much of the noises from the people sharing it with you. Until one day.

It was Saturday morning and you were enjoying your peace and quiet. You were sitting on the couch with a lovely, warm cup of tea in one hand and a book you’ve finally started to read in the other. You rarely had mornings like this. As a teacher by day and an aspiring writer by night, you were always way too tired and stressed out in the mornings to sit down and have a little ”me time” before heading off to work. You usually woke up too late and only had time to wash up, brush your hair, brush your teeth and grab a quick piece of toast or a fruit on your way out to catch the bus to the school where you worked. Having a calm morning felt great for your body, mind and soul. You were absorbed in the moment and focused on reading the book in front of you so that you could completely leave your living room and escape to the land of fantasy that was hidden in a corner of your mind.

Suddenly a loud bang echoed in the walls. So much for your quiet reading time, you thought to yourself. Since the noise was followed by other loud, annoying sounds, you decided to put your book down and find the source of all the destruction. You tip toed to your front door and looked through the peep-hole. You were usually a bit shy and didn’t like to interfere with other people’s business, but at the same time, you shared the curiosity level of the seven year olds you taught at school. You just had to know what was going on in your building. On the other side of the door, there were figures and voices filling up the staircase. They were lifting furnitures upstairs. New neighbors. How exciting. Or was it exciting? You didn’t really know your old neighbors to begin with. The only one you knew by name, was a little lovely lady called Mrs Kwan who lived on the first floor. She always greeted you with a big smile and you were even genuinely interested in hearing how her cats’ day were going. You had hardly met or seen the other people living in the building. Until now. You held your breathe as you tried to eavesdrop.

”Watch out, Kook!” a man shouted.

”I can’t see where I’m going! You have to move faster, Jimin-ssi!” the other man responded.

The two men were trying to carry a big mattress up the narrow staircase. Suddenly they dropped it down carefully to rest.

”This is really heavy, Tae! You should come here and help us carry it!” one of the guys shouted to a third person downstairs.

”I’m carrying my boxes of photographs! Plus the staircase is way too narrow for all the three of us at the same time!” a man’s voice replied from the bottom floor.

”Photographs! If I’ve known you’d only carry your delicate photos, I’m not sure I’d agreed to this.” the guy called ”Kook” exclaimed. He was on the bottom side of the mattress, holding it and trying to keep it from falling down.

”It’s your bed for crying out loud. We’re helping you move. Give us some slack.” said the other guy.

”And you’re both my friends, that I love so dearly. Now please move on. We can’t stand here all day! I have to return the van in an hour. We don’t have time to argue. Chop chop!”

You had to hold in a giggle as you observed the two guys cursing and once again lifting the mattress to take it upstairs. You’d offer to help, but was crippled by the anxiety of meeting new people. You didn’t want to be in their way. Silently, you left your post at the door and returned to the safety of your couch. You put your earplugs in and started to play some calm, instrumental music to keep out the noises from the strangers. There was no way you were going to let them disturb your Saturday morning.

Your neck started to ache. What time was it? You grabbed your phone from the living room table and pressed the home button. 7:45 p.m. You had completely lost track of time. A little hungry growl filled the room. You put your nearly finished book down and let one of your hands rest on your stomach. ”I know”, you said as a response to your hungry tummy. ”I’ll see what I can find”.

You made a little quick bite to eat, some instant ramen noodles with vegetables. A lazy, delicious dish that you loved to eat. After you finished eating, you decided to rest a bit before continuing to write on your novel until the late hours of the night. Just a quick little nap and you’d be good to go.

Once again, your peace and quiet was disturbed by a loud noise. You got startled and sat up straight. How long had you been sleeping? According to your phone, the ”quick” nap had turned into a three hour long nap. You sighed as you rubbed your eyes and stretched your back and neck.

”Where did I leave my computer?” you said aloud to yourself.

You barely had time to get up before you heard another bang from upstairs. The bang had made you jump so hard that you accidentally knocked your knee into the table in front of you. You cursed out loud. If your hearing was right, so did the mumbling voice from upstairs. You couldn’t help but to smirk. At least you were not the only one having a hard time. A chill went down your spine and made you shiver, it was getting a bit cold in your apartment. As you fetched your computer from your bed, you grabbed some socks and a cozy knitted sweater that your grandma had made you years ago. Time to cozy things up and start to write! Hopefully, you’ll get another chapter down before it gets too late.

You lose yourself within your own writing bubble, as you always tend to do when writing. It’s like something takes over you body and you lose all sense of where you are at the moment. A wonderful feeling. Well, it would be wonderful if it wasn’t for the hammering sound from above. You gave a quick glance to your roof and bit your tongue. Your bubble was on the verge of being burst.

”Not now…Please, not now.” you sighed.

The hammering stopped. You waited for a few seconds, cracked your fingers and was about to continue writing when the hammering started again. An almost animalistic growl left your throat as you threw your head back by frustration. You didn’t want to lose your spark. In the corner of the computer, the digits told you it was already 11:55 p.m.

”He has got to be kidding me!”

Without a second thought, you jumped up from the bed and headed towards your door. This was not okay, he could finish his stupid hammering in the morning. Night time was a sacred thing to you. You needed it to be quiet when you were writing. You’re in such a rush that you even forget to put shoes on. Your feet are light and doesn’t make any sound as you jog upstairs. As you arrive in front of your new neighbor’s door, you stop to take a moment to breathe. What were you doing? You don’t do this. You don’t confront people or tell them off, you hide and hope that the world fixes its own problems. You hear the hammering from the other side of the door. Tonight you break the pattern. You knock on the door. The hammering stops and you hear steps coming closer to the door. Oh shit. What were you going to say? You had no time to think, as the door opened on ajar.

”Yes?” a deep voice said from the gap.

You tried to adjust your eyes to see the person.

”Yes, hi. I’m your downstairs neighbor…” you began.

The man opened the door a little bit more.

”Is that so?” he responded.

The light from behind him made it easier for you to see him. You took a little step back. He was beautiful. Really beautiful. He had dark, ash blonde hair and big brown eyes. You lost yourself in his eyes for a second before you shook your head and got your senses back together.

”Yes.” you said, a bit too stern for your liking, but you had to remind yourself that you were there for a reason. ”I just wanted to say that I would appreciate it if…”

”If you got my name? I’m Taehyung. But everyone calls me Tae.”

You started to get annoyed by the fact that he interrupted you every time you opened your mouth.

”I would appreciate it if you stopped the hammering, it’s very late and…” you started again.

”Oh, were you sleeping? I’m sorry. I’m a night owl.” Tae said.

You bit your tongue. He really has no manners.

”No, in fact, I was not sleeping. I’m writing. And I would prefer to do so in quiet, since it’s midnight!” you jerked out quickly before he had a chance to interrupt you again.

Tae closed his mouth. His eyes started to glow, and you could hint a little smirk on his face. You stared back at him. It became a starring contest. You couldn’t help but notice the way he looked at you. It was like he was observing every little detail of your face. He took a quick glance down at your feet and smiled. You looked down and realized you were standing there in just your knitted sweater, PJ shorts and socks. Not that it mattered, it was in the middle of the night.

”I was just putting up some paintings.” Tae said and used the hammer he had in his hand and pointed it to the inside of his flat. ”I’m an artist.”

”I don’t care if you’re trying to outmatch The Louvre. Please do it in the morning instead. Thanks.” you responded and took a quick turn down the stairs, before Picasso had a chance to make another clever comeback.

”I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name…” he shouted behind you.

”I didn’t give it to you. Good night!” you said as you closed the door. Finally some peace and quiet.

You hardly noticed that you had a new neighbor living upstairs from you during the following week. Work was pulling you in every direction and you’d barely had any time to write during the whole week. Or energy for that matter. You’d crashed into your couch every day after work, not wanting to leave it ever again. Teaching in a nutshell. Somehow time had flown by and suddenly it was Saturday again. Finally a whole day by yourself, your computer and your creative mind. After a couple of hours of writing, you decided to get some air and maybe a quick bite to eat. You grabbed your coat from the clothing rack, put on a warm hat and headed out. As soon as you opened the front door of the building you got blinded by the sun and had to squint your eyes to see the following steps down. Still, it was refreshing to leave your apartment and not being in a rush for work. You took a deep breath of the fresh autumn air and let it fill your lungs. What a wonderful day. The leaves in the trees were starting to change their colors from yellow to red, and the whole street looked like a painting. Painting. All of a sudden a flash of the memory of you standing in front your new neighbor’s door at midnight hit you. Wonder what he’s up to, you thought to yourself as you got into the closest coffee shop. As you left the shop with your sandwich and take away chai latte, you imagined what kind of artwork Taehyung did. Or if he was any good for that matter. Not that you’d get to find out any time soon, you reminded yourself. Keeping to yourself was your thing, and you couldn’t see a reason for that needing to change. Even if you did get more curious for every step you took closer to home. What was it with that man that made you unable to get him out of your mind?

As you entered your building, you saw Mrs Kwan on her way into her apartment with a newspaper in her hand.

”Hello, Mrs Kwan.” you greeted friendly.

”Hello, dear. How nice it is to see you!”

You smiled as a response and was about to turn away and head up the stairs when she suddenly stopped you.

”Oh, have you met the new boy yet?” she asked.

”I have run into him, yes.” you said politely, not wanting to get into details.

”You just missed him! He kindly fetched my newspaper for me. Sure is a looker, isn’t he? Single too!”

You stood kindly still and listened to her words, not wanting to interrupt her, but also a bit curious of what she had to say about your new neighbor.

”He was carrying art supplies, ready to paint and make the world a more beautiful place. I love a man who can paint. Just like my Cheng used to. I miss him dearly. I still have his paintings to keep me company. Artists are great companions, my dear. They see the beauty of everyday objects and moments that others let pass without a second glance. They value the little things. Too bad they’re penniless though. Oh well, dear, I’m not going to keep you here all day. I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

”I’m actually on my way to write on my novel.” you said with a big smile.

”Ah! Two artists! Double the beauty! Now that would be something else.”

”Mrs Kwan!” you said with a surprised but friendly tone and you both started to laugh.

”Well, we’ll see.” the old lady said as she went back into her apartment and carefully closed the door again.

You couldn’t help but to smile at the kindness of her heart. Wonder what it’s like to see the world from such experienced eyes, having lived and loved a whole life time, you thought as you went upstairs and into your apartment to devour your late lunch.

As time was your enemy, the weekend passed by quickly once again. It was Sunday evening and you were sitting on your bed with your legs crossed and your computer resting on your lap. You starred at the blinking line on the page on the screen. It was waiting for you to fill it with words, but you seemed to be out of words at the moment. Your mind was too distracted for you to write. You couldn’t figure out what was the source of your distraction, so you closed the window and decided to go on Google and search for some inspirational art. Nothing seemed to work. There was no inspiration to be found. As you kept on scrolling through page after page of beautiful images, you heard a loud voice coming from the flat above. You couldn’t hear the exact words, but the voice seemed upset, almost angry.

”What is happening now?” you sighed to yourself as you scratched the back of your head. You hardly had time to give it any other thought as your eyes catched the time, it was already 10:15 p.m.

”Shit!” you exclaimed when you realized how late it was. It was time to get ready for bed, Monday morning is creeping up behind the corner and you really needed to get some sleep after a weekend of productive writing. You leapt out of bed and headed off to the bathroom. After you were done cleaning up, you once again headed back towards the bed. You also brushed your long hair, since it usually got tangled up during your sleep. Funny enough, you weren’t really that tired. Figures. You truly were an night owl. You knew you wouldn’t be able to give writing another go before bed, your brain wasn’t focused enough. You let out an annoyed whimper of frustration and boredom, but was distracted by a sudden knock on your front door. Who could possibly be knocking on your door at this hour?

You took a few sneaky steps towards the door and looked through the peep-hole. You let out a loud sigh when you realized who was standing outside. It was Tae. You carefully opened the door, leaving it on ajar.

”Yes?” you said, sounding a bit annoyed.

”How do you feel about nudity?”

Tae threw the question in your face as if he was asking something mundane as how you felt about having milk in your coffee, completely ignoring the annoyed and unwelcoming tone in your voice. You looked stunned back at him.

”Excuse me?”

Tae gave away a nervous smile. He drew his hand through his hair as he continued.

”You see, my muse has got herself an impediment, so unfortunately she couldn’t show up tonight and now I’m in a desperate need of a replacement…”

You seemed to be unable to close your mouth and continued to stare at him. What the fuck was happening?

”… I have this assignment for my art class. This was her only available date, but the assignment is due tomorrow so I’m a bit lost. Then I came to think of you, and I would truly appreciate your help. Are you willing to be painted?”

You couldn’t wrap your mind around his words. Was he speaking english?

”You know, artist to artist?” he said and made a hand gesture pointing back and forth between the two of you.

You closed your mouth and raised an eyebrow. Tae got a desperate look in his eye. You wanted to shut the door in his face, but there was something inside of you that couldn’t. Damn his big, brown puppy dog eyes.

”Look, I know we’re strangers…”

”And you want me to be naked?” you cut him off.

”Not… entirely…” he started off.

”No, because that would be absurd!” you scoffed.

Tae inhaled and carried on with his appeal.

”My assignment is to paint a person in a tender and vulnerable moment. You don’t need to show a lot of skin… just enough to get the proper emotion.”

”What is `enough´ of skin?” you asked and made gesturing air quotes with your fingers.

”Your back and shoulders? And legs… You’ll be sitting with your back towards me. I won’t force you into doing something you’re not comfortable with and I…”

”I’ll do it.” you said with a determined voice.

Tae silenced at once. This was a first. You almost felt proud of having the power of shutting him up. He looked back at you with his big eyes, almost as if he was shocked that he managed to persuade you.

”… you’ll do it? Thank you!” he said once recovering conciseness. He put his hands together and made a thankful gesture.

”What the hell was that?” your panicked mind thought to yourself. You didn’t know if it was a twist of fate or the fact that you were a bit bored that made you agree to this. Still, you took some pleasurement by the fact that he’d asked you. Isn’t it everybody’s dream to have someone paint you at some point in your life? Like one of the women in all those old paintings in museums. You lost yourself in your own thoughts as followed Tae’s footsteps up the stairs and into his flat.

”What am I supposed to be wearing? Or not be wearing…” you reminded yourself.

”Don’t worry, I have a shirt that you can borrow. I’ll show you”. he said as he gestured you to follow him into the main room. As you entered the room you took a quick look around. There was no doubt this was an artist’s home. The first thing that had caught your eye was an old wooden desk filled with art supplies. You smiled as you glanced upon all the different brushes and pencils standing stacked in different sized ceramic pots. The pots stood neatly in-between multiple paint cans with labels of names of colors that you had barely heard of before. Lying on the table were also trays with dried in paint on them. Next to the desk there were several canvases piled up against the wall, ready to be used. ”I wish I could paint”, you sighed softly to yourself.

In the corner of the room by the windows, there was a bed. Strange, you thought, that he would have his bed out in the main room, as all the apartments in the building included a smaller bedroom. The bed was unmade and the sheets all wrinkled up, yet it still looked very welcoming. A few meters from the bed he had organized a chair, a canvas and side table with brushes. He was all set up and ready to paint his savior in need. You caught yourself smiling as your eyes continued to scan the artist’s place. The walls were filled with paintings and framed photographs. The photographs pictured different objects and environments, such as autumn leaves and flower buds that were yet to bloom. There were pictures of people in different ages. Your eyes wondered from frame to frame. You came upon a picture that you liked particularly much, it was one with a zoom in on a young child’s eyes. It had been captured in the perfect moment, as it showed the spark in his or hers big eyes. They were filled with such joy and curiosity, ready to explore what the world has to offer. There was another photograph that caught your attention. It featured an old couple sitting on a bench outside of an old house. Their body language simulated age and fatigue, yet their eyes were filled with the same spark as the child in the earlier photo. They looked very much in love. You wondered if he’d taken any of the photographs by himself. The next second an old fashioned camera lying on top of a dresser in the other corner of the room caught your eyes and there was your answer, you figured.

”They’re my grandparents.” you heard a deep voice behind you say.

”Really?” you responded and looked back at the photograph on the wall. ”They look like very nice people.”

”They were the nicest people you could ever meet. They were the ones that raised me while my parents worked hard to provide for me and my siblings.” Tae told you as he handed you a white shirt.

”Were? I’m so sorry for your loss…” you said with a comforting voice.

”Thanks” Tae responded as he looked at the photograph. ”I miss them. Everyday.”

You couldn’t help but to notice a hint of sadness in his voice and watched how intensely his eyes stared at the framed photograph of his grandparents. If you were not mistaken, you could see his eyes fighting the urge to tear up.

”I’ll let you change as I prepare the last things for our session.” he said as he shook his head, as if he could shake away his urge to cry.

”Session? Sounds very formal.” you laughed, trying to brighten his mood.

”Well, our creative sitting then.” he responded with a mischievous smile.

He put his back to you to give you some privacy, as he opened some paint cans and filled up his tray. You observed his motions as you began to strip your clothes, starting with your tank top and then let your pajama shorts hit the floor as you were left standing in your panties. You quickly put on the shirt Tae had given you. You hesitated a bit and your cheeks started to flush. He had asked for nudity, but you still hadn’t completely wrapped your mind around this whole thing. You didn’t know where the spark came from, if it was due to tiredness or excitement, but your body suddenly filled up with a sense of courage and calm. With a smooth movement, you removed your underwear and let it reunite with the rest of the clothes lying at your feet.

”Where do you want me to put my clothes?” you asked as you held them in your hands.

Tae looked back at you wearing nothing but his white shirt, and quickly removed his gaze to the clothes in your hand. Did he just get embarrassed?

”Uhh… You can put them on the armchair over there.” he replied and gestured towards an old fashioned, red armchair that you’d neglect to notice. You did as you were told. ”I’m almost done.” he said as he quickened up the pace to get ready as soon as possible.

Your feet started to nervously tap the floor as you felt a bit awkward standing there almost naked. Once again, your eyes attached to the camera lying on the dresser. You decided to get a closer look.

The floor creaked as you walked through the room.

”Why did you ask me?” you asked as you fiddled a bit with the camera. You didn’t know much about cameras, but you could tell this was a few decades old.

”I didn’t feel like painting the 80-year old Mrs Kwan in 1B. Plus, I think you’re very beautiful.”

You felt your cheek blush again, since you’re not used to getting compliments.

”Hey, I find Mrs Kwan to be very adorable and nice.” you said teasingly as you tried to joke off his last words.

”Maybe I’ll ask her next time.”

”She’d love that.”

You both laughed.

”And.. I’m ready”. Tae said and carried the painting tray and put it on the side table.

”Where do I… How do you want me to…” you asked as you pointed towards the bed.

Tae smiled and gestured you to sit.

”You’ll sit with your back towards me.” he said and pointed at his chair. You followed his instruction and faced the wall. He grabbed your shoulders with his light touch and corrected you into the right angle. You had to bend one of your legs to get in the right position.

”Like this?” you asked as he let go of you. You stretched out your other leg to sit more comfortably.

”Perfect.” he answered as he’d taken a step back to get a better look. ”Now… I’ll just carefully pull down the shirt a bit.”

You let his fingers touch the thin fabric of the shirt. He made a swift move and pulled it down slowly, revealing your back inch by inch. You felt goosebumps prickle your skin. His soft touch left a shadow of a light shiver on your body.

”Are you ok?” he asked as he probably had noticed your reaction.

”I’m fine.” you replied and turned your face to the right to follow his movements in the corner of your eye.

A loud gulp left Tae’s throat as his fingers caressed your back through the thin fabric. It seemed he wasn’t left untouched by the situation either. He stopped his movement and left the shirt about an inch above your bottom. Carefully he let one of his hands pull your long hair to side to reveal more of you back. He cleared his throat and headed back to his chair.

”And now I just sit?” you affirmed.

”Now you sit.”

The room was filled with silence for several minutes, as you both soaked in the new atmosphere. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was just… a bit enigmatic. Like something was hanging in the air. You listened to the sound of his pencil touching the canvas as he sketches the outlines of your body. The light in the room was quite dim, only a few lamps were lit. Tae had also lit some candles to get the atmosphere right, you supposed. The sky was pitch black outside, but the city was illuminated by the stars and the moon. It was a beautiful sight. You wondered if the moonlight would give your body a nice glow as Tae was watching you. Did he like what he was seeing?

”Is it okay if I talk?” you asked and broke the silence.

Tae looked up from his canvas.

”Yeah… You can talk. I’ll let you know when I’m doing your mouth.” he responded.

You scoffed. You were way too tired to let that sexual innuendo slip pass. If you could’ve seen Tae’s face, you bet he’d be smiling. He didn’t comment further, so you had to bite your bottom lip to keep you from laughing. Maybe you were the only one with a childish humor.

”Do you mind me asking why you have your bed out here? you decided to ask to keep it from getting unnecessarily awkward.

”Not at all. I didn’t want it in my darkroom.”

”You have a darkroom in your apartment?” ”Yes. It beholds my most precious belongings.”

”Your photographs?”

”Correct.”

You smiled at the thought of him standing in his darkroom, developing beautiful photographs that he’s taken himself.

”Did you take the photographs on your wall?” you ask.

”Most of them.” he replies. ”Can you move your face a little upward?”

You follow his instruction and tilt your head up a bit, once again putting your gaze towards the moon. It gazes back, almost as if it’s watching you. ”Moon, mind your own business” you think to yourself as the corner of your mouth twitches into a little smile.

You wish you could observe Tae the way he was observing every last detail of your body. You had to fight the urge to move your head so you could watch him work his way with his tools. Watch how he’d carefully chose and mix colors to match your skin tone, how he used the brush and left beautiful strokes on the canvas. Just the thought about his face being serious, all crumpled up and focused, awoke tingling butterflies in your stomach. Your legs twitched. Did he notice? You couldn’t take it any longer and made a swift motion to glance back on the artist. He was staring down on his canvas. He was so beautiful sitting there, holding the canvas with one hand and carefully painting it with the other. His hair was a bit tousled up, as if he’d just drawn his fingers through it. You almost let out a loud sigh by just looking at him, but was able to stop yourself just in time.

”Are you comfortable?” he asked all of a sudden, making you jump.

He looked up from the canvas and met your eyes with a curious gaze.

”Err. Yeah. I’m just getting a bit tired. It’s late after all.” you responded. It wasn’t necessarily true, but you didn’t feel like admitting how he was affecting you and getting under your skin.

”Maybe you could tell me something then, to keep you awake. What are you writing about?”

You could feel your cheeks flush. You hardly talked about your writing with other people, it was something close and personal. Somehow, he was emanating a sense of calm and made you feel safe.

”I am writing about a young woman who quits her job and moves to Paris to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She finds love in a penniless artist with a tragic backstory…”

Tae stopped in the middle of a motion and looked up at you. You stopped mid-sentence as you reflected on the words you’d just said. Oh, the irony. ”That is… very interesting.” Tae responded and looked back down on his painting. ”Very interesting, indeed.”

You scoffed.

”I guess it’s a bit funny.” you said.

”How so?” Tae asked as he raised an eyebrow and once again met your gaze.

”That I’m writing about somebody living in Paris… I’ve never been to Paris.” you answered, fully realizing that Tae knew your answer was a way to sway away from the obvious and coincidental situation.

”I doubt C.S. Lewis ever went to Narnia…” Tae responded with twinkle in his eyes.

You laughed. So the artist had a sense of humor.

”I know, smart ass. What I mean is that I often write about people who are living in similar situations like myself, but has the courage to take that extra leap that I’d never have the guts to do.” ”So, you want to move to Paris?” Tae said as he continued painting.

”No. I mean, Paris seems exciting, but what I meant was that it’s more about what Paris stands for. Making a choice that would change your life forever. Chasing your dreams, rather than someone else’s…” ”So who’s dream are you living?”

”W-what?” you stammered and twisted your entire upper body to look at Tae. He noticed your change in posture and put his brush down on the side table.

”You said so yourself. The thing keeping you from pursuing your dreams is the fear of letting someone else down.”

”That’s not what I said…” you said with a nervous, reassuring voice. You didn’t know if you were trying to reassure him or yourself.

”No, but I read between the lines.” Tae responded and winked an eye at you.

You felt like flipping him off, but you had better manners than that. Plus, you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

”Aren’t we all sculptured by society to live perfect lives, as long as we bring something to the table that improves society and not be a liability?” you said.

”So… slaving away on a full time job day in and day out, being miserable inside a cage ’til the end of our days is a good thing? But living outside of the cage; being poor, being free or… being an artist, is a liability to society?” Tae responded slowly, but with a stern voice. ”You’re taking the words out of my mouth…”

You felt very irritated, but mostly confused.

”Y/N… I’m just messing with you.” Tae said and gave you a warm smile.

You took a pillow from the bed and tossed it at him. ”You absolute shit.” you giggled.

”Hey, watch out for the painting! It’s finally done.”

”Can I see it?” you asked as you relaxed your legs into a tailor position.

”When it’s ready to be seen.”

”Stop being so damn mysterious!” you chuckled.

”I’m an artist… it’s my job.” he said and put the canvas on an easel he had hidden in a corner of the room. The painting was faced away from you, so you couldn’t even sneak a peak. This man surely enjoyed teasing you.

”I thought you were just an art student…” you teased back.

Tae scoffed at your comment, fully acknowledging your sarcastic tone.

”Your artist from your story… what does he look like?” he asked as he returned to his chair.

You smiled and looked at the window, your eyes fixed on your own reflection.

”It’s funny actually… I don’t know. I don’t have a face for him yet.”

”Is that so?” Tae commented, trying to hide a smirk on his face. ”I guess I haven’t come upon the right inspirational source yet.” you responded and looked back at Tae.

Suddenly you realized that you still hadn’t covered yourself up again. Your full upper body was still on display. A chill went down your spine and made you shiver.

”Are you okay?” Tae asked.

”I am fine. But I’m starting to get a bit cold.” you replied as you slowly reached for the shirt to pull it back up. You could feel his eyes burn on your body and looked up at him.

”Really?” he said and put his head back slightly as he met your gaze. It felt like he was staring right into your soul. He left his seat and slowly walked up to you. You could feel a gulp in your throat. ”Maybe I can help with that.” Was he for real?  

”That was a smooth line.” you admitted. Tae laughed.

”As smooth as my fingers?” he said as he softly drew his fingers up and down your arms.

The warmth from his fingers felt amazing on your skin. Your mouth started to water, and at the same time it felt dry. You didn’t care how exposed you were. The only thing you could focus on was the man in front of you. You couldn’t break your glance away from the big, brown puppy dog eyes that were staring down on your body, or his big luscious lips that were just a few inches away. You felt the hunger of wanting to taste them. The energy between the two of you intensified with every second as your heads slowly reached forward to one another. You got lost into his sweet touch and the sound of his heavy breathing didn’t make it easier. He rested his forehead on yours as he drew you closer. You grabbed hold of his arms and crumpled his shirt with your fists. You couldn’t take it anymore. Neither could he. Your lips slammed together with such force that you almost got hurt. You were both too caught up in the moment to acknowledge any pain, you just kept exploring each other with your tongues as sloppy tools. His hands traveled from your arms and back down to your front. He broke the kiss to draw two fingers down the middle of your chest. He followed his fingers with his gaze and you watched him taking all of you in. You could hardly fathom the fact that a beautiful man like Tae could look at you with such admiration. He looked back up at you and met your gaze. You could feel yourself going breathless as he leaned down to the side of your face. A shiver went down your spine as he opened his mouth to whisper something into your ear. His warm breath felt so good on your skin. You closed your eyes and listened to his soft words.

”I told you I’d let you know when I’d do your mouth.”

[omg-imagine]

⊱ Six Gifts ⊰

Summary: It’s your birthday and Jim loves giving you gifts.

Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)

Pairing: Jim Kirk x Reader

Words: 3,235

A/N: It’s my birthday today and I wrote a little fluffy Jim Kirk fic to celebrate! As usual, sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy!

For those times when the mornings are rough…

You woke up to an empty bed, which was a little unusual since you were used to waking up with Jim right beside you.

Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you then let out a groan as you sat up in bed, silently dreading the fact that you have work in thirty minutes.

Although you loved being a nurse, the past week had been unbearable since you had to attend to your long-houred shifts running on little to no energy thanks to the broken replicator in your cabin– the only good replicator on the ship. Unfortunately, you didn't have time to run up to the commissary and make yourself a cup of coffee. Even if you did, the coffee there didn’t do much to help you stay awake.

After finally getting out of bed, you padded around the room looking for Jim but you realized he had already left. That’s when you picked up the intoxicating scent of freshly brewed coffee and you turned your attention to the hot beverage waiting for you in the kitchenette.

With the cup in hand and up to your lips, you drank the coffee in delight. It was the best cup of coffee you’ve had since coming aboard the Enterprise and you weren’t sure how Jim was able to make it. Once you downed every last drop, you washed and dried the cup before placing it back in one of the cabinets. Out of the corner of your eye, you became aware of a new device sitting on the counter.

The device was certainly not a replicator– it was a Keurig coffee brewer and those things were hard to find nowadays. You knew of it from your grandparents, who had called it one of the best inventions from way, way back in the past.

Right next to the coffee maker was a bag of coffee mix and a note addressed to you.

(Y/N),

I’m sorry for running out before you woke up. You looked so peaceful sleeping there and I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you.

I hope the coffee is still hot by the time you’re up. It costed an arm and a leg to get that antique, but isn’t she a beauty? I made myself a cup and it definitely beats the replicated stuff here.

Enjoy the coffee maker, it’s yours to keep. Let’s just say it’s one of the few little gifts you’ll receive today.

For now, duty calls. I’ll see you at dinner tonight, Angel.

And most of all, happy birthday.

- J

You placed the card down and decided to brew a second cup before getting ready for work. Your birthday was off to a great start and you were going to have to thank Jim later.

For those times when you’re stressed out…

Lunch time rolled around and you found yourself sitting in the commissary along with Nyota. You usually ate with Jim, but the man was apparently too busy on the Bridge to take a break.

“How’s your birthday so far?” Your friend asked as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

“It’s great. Leonard’s being nice to me today and it kinda feels weird,” you answered.

Uhura chuckled. “Well, aren’t you lucky. If that’s the only way McCoy can be somewhat a ray of sunshine, I’d wish it were my birthday everyday.”

You two continued eating your food until Spock arrived at your table with a present in his hands. “Good afternoon, (Y/N). I have brought you a gift from the Captain. He apologizes for not being able to join you for lunch but he promises to make it to dinner tonight.”

“It's alright and another present?” You commented as you were handed over the wrapped box. Tearing away the wrapping paper and uncovering the lid, your eyes widened at what was inside.

“May I ask what it is?” Spock questioned and you took the object out of the box.

“Uhh, bubble bath,” you responded unsurely. “James T. Kirk got me a bottle of bubble bath.”

“There’s a note here,” Uhura pointed out as she gave you the piece of paper.

(Y/N),

I know what you might be thinking. Of all the things I could give to you, here’s bubble bath. But worry not, my dear, for I had put a lot of effort into this gift.

This is one of the finest products out in the world of spa and you’re going to appreciate it for what it can do.

Remember those instances when you told me how exhausted and sore you are from working all day? Well, this particular bubble bath is known for being able to provide stress-relief and relaxation. It’s got essential oils and natural ingredients that is good for you.

If you don’t believe me, read the bottle. I got all of that information from the label. Honestly, I don’t understand how it works but the saleswoman recommended this to me.

It smells nice though.

- J

You twisted the cap open and breathed in the scent. Minty– just like Jim. “I could benefit from this.”

“Aww, that’s really sweet of him,” Nyota said before turning to Spock. “How come you don’t get me nice things like that?”

The confusion on Spock’s face caused you to laugh and you laughed even harder when he was left tongue tied.

For those times when all you need is peace and quiet…

You shuffled into Leonard’s office with tired feet and plopped down on one of the cushioned seats right in front of his desk. Kicking your feet up on his table, the CMO let out a sigh and put his PADD away.

“Y’know, you're becoming too much like your boyfriend and I'm not too keen on that,” Len spoke and you could only chuckle at his statement. “It wasn't a joke, sweetheart.”

“I figured,” you replied, letting out a yawn. “And so much for thinking that I wouldn't get the McCoy scowl on my very special day.”

Len rolled his eyes before reaching down and opening the cabinet to his left. He pulled out a bottle of scotch as well as two glasses, and proceeded to pour you and himself a drink.

“Isn't drinking on the job against regulations, Doc?” You reminded but you graciously accepted the glass and took a sip.

“It’s a little too late to answer that question now, (Y/N). Besides, you've got an hour until you're relieved of duty and you said so yourself, today's a very special day.”

Len raised his glass and you clinked it with yours. “Indeed it is.”

In the midst of your drinking, Leonard remembered something. “Oh, I almost forgot. Kirk stopped by while you were on break.”

“Really? What’s he up to? He left early this morning and missed lunch.”

“I don't know. He didn't stay long to chat. Anyway, he told me to give you this.”

A tiny wrapped box was slid to you and you looked up to Leonard. “Well, open it. I'm kind of intrigued.”

Once you got the wrapping paper out of the way, you took off the top of the box and were confused to see a set of earplugs. Taking out the accompanying note from the box, you began reading the explanation for this strange gift.

(Y/N),

Yes, they are earplugs. Noise-cancelling earplugs. Well, not entirely, more like drown-out-the-sounds-of-Leonard-hassling-you-during-your-shift earplugs.

Don't worry, I got myself a pair too and they work just enough for me not to hear Bones’ incessant heckling about the importance of getting my physical done.

I thought you may need them because you seem to get more stressed out with Bones around. Whenever you feel like working without listening to your boss’ negativity, pop these into your ears.

Hopefully, you don't use them on me.

- J 

You bit back a laughter as Leonard eyed you curiously from across the table. “Let me see that.”

Handing the note over to him, you already had a feeling of what was about to come. “That son of a– is he for real? How old is this man, twelve?! My god, I can’t believe the immaturity of our captain. When I see him in the Medbay next time, I won't hesitate shoving a hypodermic needle up his–”

You quickly placed the buds into your ears and listened to the muffled sounds of Leonard complaining about Jim, or at least that’s what you thought he was doing.

For those times when you miss home…

By the end of your shift, you had two and a half hours until your dinner with Jim. You decided to pass the time by visiting Scotty at the engineering room. You haven't seen him in awhile so you figured it wouldn't hurt to stop by and say hello.

“Ah, why if it isn't (Y/N),” the Scotsman greeted as you stepped inside his office. “Happy birthday, darling.”

“Thanks, Scotty,” you replied after he gave you a kiss on the cheek. You also noticed Chekov and Sulu standing nearby. “I didn't expect you guys to be here. How's everything?”

“It's been good,” Chekov answered delightfully. “And by the way, I would like to wish you a happy birthday as well.”

“Same here,” Sulu added. “And we're not just saying that because Jim threatened to kick us off the ship if we didn't acknowledge it.”

“Oh, no need to worry. Jim wouldn’t pull a stunt like that.”

“I don’t know, (Y/N). He seemed pretty serious back there,” Scotty chortled. “Speaking of Captain Perfect Hair, I have something that he wanted to give to you–”

He excused himself for a moment before returning with a large present in his arms. “Be careful, it’s a bit heavy.”

You looked to the two other men standing nearby. “Do you gentlemen have something for me, too?”

“Nope,” replied Hikaru. “Jim said this is the last one.”

Once you opened the box, you were surprised as you pulled out a potted flower. Marveling the bright pink hues of its petals, you then picked up the card that was sitting on the bottom of the box and read it to yourself.

(Y/N),

You told me that you love chrysanthemums because they reminded you of memories growing up. You especially love the pink ones since you and your mom would grow them in your backyard.

I know you miss being with your loved ones on Earth. Your job isn’t easy and I admire you for sacrificing so much to be here.

That being said, I am pleased to tell you that Starfleet is giving us some time-off in a couple of weeks. It’s only for a few days but we can certainly take advantage of it and visit your family. I wish it were longer, but this was the best I could do.

Anyway, I had asked your mother to send the flower over to Yorktown and I was able sneak it in when the ship docked there. For now, let it be a little reminder of your home, and the family and friends who are proud of you for what you do.

P.S. Don't ask me how I kept it alive since then. I'm just glad it did.

- J

“The Captain really loves you,” you heard Chekov say and you nodded. “I hope I find a love like yours.”

“Aww, you will, Pavel,” you assured, setting the note down on a nearby table.

“Who knew James Kirk was such a romantic?” Scotty added, to which you snorted.

“I didn't realize he was this romantic until today,” you said, sniffing the chrysanthemum and it really did remind you of home.

For those times when you just have to write it down on paper...

You returned to your quarters a little less than an hour before your dinner with Jim at the observation deck. Taking advantage of the time, you took a quick shower and got yourself dolled up for the night.

As you stood in front of the closet thinking of what to wear, you settled for an outfit that you had bought at a store during the last shore leave. You haven't worn it since you tried it on but it still fit your body perfectly. You knew that this one in particular would blow Jim’s mind away.

After putting on your clothes and brushing your hair, you then searched for your shoes that would match your outfit. What you didn’t expect was it to be already laid there by the foot of the closet door with a gift bag beside it.

Slipping your shoes on, you then sat on the edge of the bed and opened the gift bag. Inside was a bounded notebook with your name beautifully etched on the front cover. As you flipped through the empty lined pages in the book, a note fell out and landed onto your lap.

(Y/N),

One of the things I love about you is your mind. You have so many thoughts and ideas, and everything that comes out of your mouth is pure gold. I find myself wanting to listen to you for hours because of the things you say. You know just the right words to calm me down or keep me in line.

I got you this journal so you can jot down whatever it is inside your head. Writing can be therapeutic and a great outlet for those days when we’re too busy to see each other and there’s something bothering you that needs to be let out.

Be it your problems or those poems you enjoy coming up with, write it down. I promise to not read it unless you say otherwise.

- J 

You smiled to yourself as you turned back to the first page of the journal. Thinking back to the first night you met Jim, you would have never thought that life would be this way now.

You remembered being a young cadet sitting in a busy bar when the infamous Jim Kirk appeared and worked his charm. You had heard about him from your other friends and knew that he would be trouble.

The two of you became really good friends but you brushed off his many flirtatious attempts at you.

Then one day, you finally said yes.

You were being hit on by some drunk creep and Jim was there to defend you. It suddenly escalated into a fight and by the end, he was left with a broken nose and bruised knuckles.

That night, you finally went to dinner with him as a way to say thank you. It turned out better than you expected it to be and you realized that there was a special connection between you.

And for the past two and a half years of being together, it’s still there, stronger than ever.

Checking your PADD for the time, you noticed that you had about twenty minutes left until you had to meet up with Jim. Without much thought, you grabbed a pen from the nightstand drawer and started writing about your day and how much Jim meant to you.

Dinner on the observation deck had become one of your favorite things to do ever since you started dating Jim. Everything about that moment was perfect– the two of you were sitting across from one another and enjoying the best meal a replicator could replicate. It was a lovely way to end the your birthday.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” Jim asked before taking a sip of his wine.

You glanced up from your pasta-filled plate to Jim, a smile playing on your lips. “You did, twice actually.”

“Let me say it for a third time then, you look beautiful.”

“And you’re not so bad yourself,” you giggled. You were lucky to have someone as handsome as Jim. The man was breath-taking with his perfect face and perfect hair. And those eyes– very blue and very easy to get lost in.

“Did you like the gifts?”

“Very much. I love how you put a lot of thought into them. I still can't believe you were able to get us some time-off.”

“I figured you and I need to get off this ship for a little bit. Plus, we haven’t seen your family in a while and I think it’s time for a visit. Honestly, I tried my best with the gifts. I’m not the best gift giver out here and I was nervous that you would think that they were silly.”

Shaking your head, you reached for his hand and intertwined your fingers into his. “They weren’t silly. You could have been the typical boyfriend and bought me jewelry. Instead, you went the extra mile by making sure every gift was unique and had a special meaning behind it. This has been the best birthday ever.”

Jim smiled, his eyes crinkling the way you loved them. “I’m glad you think so. You deserve it.”

When dinner ended, you and Jim stood in front of the large glass window and watched the bright stars passing by. His arm was around your waist, pulling you flushed against the warmth of his body as he stole kisses here and there.

“It would have been typical if I gave you jewelry?” Jim teased and you gazed up to him.

“Not you, Jim. You are and will never be typical,” you clarified, placing the palm of your hand on the side of his face. “Give me anything in the world, big or small, and what would only matter to me is that it came from you.”

Jim grinned as he took your hand and pressed a tender kiss on the back of it. “What would you say if I have one last gift for you?”

“Honey, you gave me five already. I feel so spoiled.”

He took a step back, his eyes fixed on you. “This one is the most special.”

Watching speechlessly, you couldn’t stop the tears from forming as Jim pulled out a velvet box from his pocket. You couldn’t hold those tears back when he knelt down in front of you and presented you with the most beautiful ring you have ever seen.

“(Y/N), you are the best thing that has happened to me. I love you and I can’t imagine spending a day without you by my side. Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” You quickly answered and Jim got up from the floor. He slipped the engagement ring down your finger just before you pulled him down, his lips meeting yours. When the kiss finally broke, you both were beaming. “We’re engaged.”

“I know,” Jim replied, his mouth forming a slight smirk. “We should celebrate.”

“We definitely should,” you agreed without hesitation. “Do you want to take a bath with me?”

Jim chuckled at your question. “Sure, darling. But may I ask, why a bath?”

You grasped his hand and began leading him out of the observation deck. “Because I just got a new bottle of bubble bath and I want to test it out with you– just to relax a bit. Once we get married, this is going to be one hell of a ride. Hope you’re ready for that, Kirk.”

Jim spun you around and you were now face-to-face with your new fiancé. His lips brushed softly against yours as he spoke. “I was born ready.”

For those times when it’s us against the world forever…

[flannelplanet]

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter 5

Read on ao3

Summary:

The air outside was stale, just like she remembered and the sick, familiar feeling sitting deep within her gut reminded her of just how little she wanted to be back in Riverdale. As Jellybean’s sleek, black car pulled up just outside the only hotel within miles, Jughead’s hand tightened around hers, as if to say

you’ll be okay, I’m here.

-

Thanks to @jandjsalmon as always for being the most amazing beta to ever beta and for making my words beautiful ♥♥♥

Also thanks to @youbuildmeupbeliever, @tory-b, @paperlesscrown, @aunt-imogene​, and @a92vm for reading over it for me before it went to Jandy and making sure I didn’t use the word “thrust” a bajillion times (LOL y’all think I’m joking). You’re all amazing and I love each and every one of you.

-

Notes:

*warning* This chapter is super spicy if you catch my Riverdale drift. Read with caution.

It is important to note that I completely made up the judicial element of this fic. The appeal scene in this chapter is absolutely not how it would work in real life at all.

Happy reading everyone! Since it took so long to update, I gave you a 6k+ word chapter to make up for it ;)

A preview of chapter 5 is under the cut!

The tinkling of the bells above the door at Pop’s Chock'lit Shoppe alerted the nearly-empty diner, along with Pop Tate, of their arrival. Though there were hardly any patrons inside, Betty still moved with caution through the tables and chairs with Jughead following closely behind. When they approached a somewhat private booth in the back they took their seats on opposite sides of the table and removed their jackets as a large man in a chef’s uniform approached them.

“Betty Cooper! Is that really you?” Pop didn’t care to hide his excitement at seeing one of his favorite customers return to him, “I’ve missed you, girl!”

Betty moved herself closer to the man so she could hug him, pleased and warmed by the enthusiasm and the fact that apparently she still had at least one ally in Riverdale. “Hey, Pop! It’s so good to see you!”

Once Betty scooted back to her original spot on the booth bench, the older man shook his head. “It ain’t right, what happened to you. This town ain’t treated you right, not for a second. I’m sorry ‘bout all that. But now you’re back!” Jughead smiled to himself at the jovial old man. “What can I get you and your-” he paused, acknowledging Jughead for the first time, smiling brightly, “boyfriend? You want your usual?”

“You remember my usual after all this time?” She asked, a little taken back by the fact, but feeling tender emotions in her heart just the same.

“Of course, Betty! I remember all my favorite customers’ orders! Now, what can I get you?”

“The usual would be great, Pop.” Betty motioned towards Jughead before introducing the two of them. They shook hands and Jughead placed his order.

“I’ll take the biggest cheeseburger you’ve got and a coffee, please.” Jughead was starving and though he tried staying in shape, he loved a greasy burger.

“Sure thing, Mr. Jones. Anything for a friend of my girl’s here. I'll have this up in a jiffy. Until then you two let me know if you need anything.”

As Pop walked away from their table, Jughead turned toward Betty. She looked beautiful in the soft, dim diner light despite the sun shining brightly outside. “Betty,” he said, smiling at the way her eyes snapped to his face so quickly. “Are you doing alright?”

“I’m doing as well as can be expected, I guess. Being in Riverdale makes my skin crawl.”

“I know, baby girl. We don’t have to stay here for very long. Just tomorrow and then we’re gone and I promise I’ll take your mind off things once we get back to the hotel... but first I need you to do something for me.” Betty agreed immediately, as she always did, eager to hear what was being requested of her. “I need you to call your parents’ house and let them know you’re in town,” he said solemnly, taking her hand in his across the table.

“What?” she practically screeched and pulled her hand from his. “I can’t do that, Jughead. I can’t.” Betty could feel the tightening in her chest. She was getting herself worked up and finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.

“Betty, baby. Calm down. It’s okay. I’ll be with you the entire time and all I want you to do is tell them that you’re in town. I’m certain they know about tomorrow. You don’t have to schedule a meeting with them or go see them, just tell them you’re here. They’re your parents and there is a real reason I’m asking you to do this, one that I’ll tell you someday, but for now I need you to trust me.” He again covered her shaking hand with his own warmer, steadier one.  

The weight of his hand on hers grounded her slightly, as did his calming words. She managed to slow her breathing to a normal rate after a few moments and as her thoughts came back to her, she took a deep breath and let her eyes roam over her dinner date. She knew exactly what he was doing getting her to take the steps to mend fences in the future. She appreciated it, but was equally terrified. Could she do it? Call her parents after ten long years of pretending they didn’t exist?

“Betts, you need to do this. I promise it will be as painless as possible but it’s important. A quick phone call and we can get on with… other things. If you’re good for me, I’ll make it extra good for you,” he added, hoping the light bit of humor would help calm her.

The fingers of the hand already holding his own tightened as she reached for her phone with her other hand. “Alright, Jug. I trust you. I’ll call them. I’m not promising I won’t hang up on whoever answers after I’ve told them I’m here, but I’m calling.” Her eyes narrowed on him as she picked up her phone. “You owe me so many orgasms, Mr. Jones.”

Her words startled a laugh out of him. He decided to get up from his own side of their booth and slide in next to her. His arm snaked around her and he held her tightly as she dialed the number she had known by heart since she was a small girl.

The phone rang until the answering machine picked up. Betty looked at Jughead whose expression urged her to continue.

“Mom and Dad? This is Betty. I just wanted to let you know I’m in town for the appeal hearing. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I’m staying at the hotel just past the town line. You can call there if you want to talk to me. Bye.”

Betty hung up the phone and allowed herself to fall back into Jughead’s arms as she sighed the biggest sigh of relief. “Such a good girl for me, Betty. Such a good girl,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head and rubbing his hand gently against her shoulder.

-

Once the two of them ate what amounted to one of the best cheeseburgers Jughead had ever eaten, they left Pop’s and walked back toward the Riverdale Inn hand in hand.

“Go, get cleaned up and ready for me, baby girl” Jughead told her as they approached their door. “I’m just going to let Jellybean know we’re back.”

Betty kissed his cheek and quickly entered their room, her excitement almost palpable as Jughead walked the few steps to his sister’s room and knocked. The door opened with a flourish to reveal Jellybean in her finest holey pajama bottoms and a Pixies shirt. “What do you want, Fucker?” she asked, raising her perfect eyebrow.

“Just to tell you that we’re back… and that you might want some earplugs,” he replied with a smirk.

“Ew, gross. I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” Jughead chuckled at his own joke as she continued. “How is she, Jug?”

“She’s okay. I had her call her parents before we came back just to let them know we’re here.”

“And how did she take that?” Jellybean stepped aside to let Jughead into her room.

“I really can’t stay long,” he said as he stepped inside from the hallway. “She panicked at first, but she did call them. It’s good for her, and for them, to at least know she’s okay. I know you would’ve wanted the opportunity to speak with our parents after what happened too, if you had the chance.”

Jellybean nodded. “You’re right, Juggie. Maybe before this trip is over I should sit her down and tell her my story?”

Jughead nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “I think that might be a great idea, but you don’t have to go telling her tomorrow. Let the moment come. Now, I’m going over there and I’m going to take her mind off of all of this.” He grabbed a small plastic package from his pocket and threw it at his sister. “Here, I was serious about these.”

“Earplugs? You’re ridiculous.” She shook her head fondly at her brother. “Go do what you need to do, bro. I’ll be here doing my own thing. I have noise cancelling earphones and very loud music.”

A devastatingly handsome smirk crossed his features and he practically ran to the room next door.

[gzfesv-blog]

Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones For Sleeping

The bass is not that great - however, it isn't needed by you if sleeping, so the problem's solved. Maybe your experience can help other sleep victims locate the rest they need. Active - This is where if you need top-tier noise cancellation, you are going to want to be. Re: The Infinix Dual Noise You just can't fall asleep in them. They fall from the mind. Read more please visit: https://www.topofheadphones.com/ In a few months, then the nymphs grow into mature head lice which are approximately 2 mm, which is around the size of a sesame seed. Based on CDC, nymphs could just live without feeding for a couple of hours. Lice are feeders, by piercing mouthparts through the skin, feeding on your own scalp about times a day. Head lice spend their whole lives in their hosts and can't survive for substantially long without consuming.

Unlike other parasites, the good news is that head lice are not vectors of any diseases their existence could be annoying and disturbing to most people. How on earth Can I get head lice? I've been in one of the best bands on the planet. To make it easy, we have analyzed several dozen bestselling goods and have whittled down the list of their best noise canceling earbuds for sleeping to the absolute options. I think that the combination of Bose and earplugs QC35 sound canceling headphones will really get me quite close to the limitation for all these bass. Will be the Sony MDRXB950BT/B Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones worth the cash? After approximately 7 to 10 days of residing nearby the scalp, the eggs hatch and nymphs have been all born. My personal favorite (for sleeping notably ) are SHURE SE215, or 315, in-ear monitors.

After all, it includes an ergonomic layout ear hook Delux. Options to manage calls, quantity, Siri, etc., are additional features. There is A side sleeper going to need to search for earbuds as you just use one - that the pillow will manage another. Check online what time builders may use power resources, what time fireworks can go on to, how music can be played in the street. Some time back I had prince headphones, they work well with asmr. I don't know if someone (who really knows about sound, I'm less than amateur) have compared different cans impacts with asmr. Updated on August 23, 2017, Farkle moreIhypochondriac's a writer and, I must acknowledge, who enjoys writing about anything medically related. Though these headphones are not as complex as lots of the other models of Sony, they offer a great alternative to headphones for buyers who don't want to dismiss the budget to enjoy a quieter, more enjoyable trip.

In those instances, cans are a good alternative. They continue to be in precisely the exact same state as when they were purchased by me. Also, are they accountable enough to look after only the 1 pair? Also, I could wake up and go to the toilet without unplugging any cables. Most of all, you might wonder exactly what these parasites seem, and the best approach to eliminate them once and for all. Generally, look to those items that broken and steer away from decorative things, might be overlooked by their proprietor. Let's have a look at Luckily, there are steps we can take to attempt to have a complete night of shut-eye. It lets you choose your music anywhere you go. The bottom line about hearing damage from loud music is it is a real problem now and you ought to be making changes. "The Bogus Man" by Roxy Music is a delight if you want bizarre art-rock (I do). As for music generally and also for different genres, there aren't any"best" headphones.

https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~sangwlee/256a/SharePhone/

[wikitopx]

Here are the best cheap hotels in Ireland!

[toc]

1. North Star Hotel

We had an issue when we arrived the staff sorted it and upgraded us to a premier room. Very clean and tidy and very friendly staff. We Would stay here again highly recommended. The issue we had was there were building works and Temporary generator outside our window staff sorted straight away and moved us and upgraded us.

2. Dublin Skylon Hotel

Stayed 1 Sunday night B&B. Last-minute booking but all in very reasonable for Dublin. Check-in easy and car parking charges reasonable @ €8. Staff pleasant, room very nice, warm, comfortable with all necessary amenities. Wi-fi is good. Breakfast very nice.

3. Jurys Inn Dublin Christchurch

In the middle of the week, great location for work, very large and comfortable room, no breakfast, quick check-in and take advantage of quick payment, no branded goods behind the bar although a bit disappointing!

4. The Castle Hotel

Stayed here for 3 nights and what a lovely hotel. Oozing with character. The staff is very friendly and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The customer service was amazing. Arriving back to the hotel on the second night, we wanted a shower, only to find we had no hot water.

After a quick call to the front desk, an employee came within 5 minutes to see what she could do. When the problem couldn't be fixed, they happily moved us to another room, bigger than 2 doors.

This was all sorted quickly and easily and did us nicely for the rest of our stay. Breakfast was amazing, with plenty of choices. The hotel has a great location, within walking distance to all attractions. Or if using public transport, it has great transport links.

Overall a fantastic stay.

5. Sandymount Hotel

The third hotel, third city. We had a few issues with the hotel before check-in (we were in Munich when I received a message from the hotel via the booking app, telling me they were about to cancel my reservation because of the Unable to successfully run the card I already have on file.

A few frantic phone calls later, it turned out to be an error on their part, which they never once apologized for or explained. That definitely left me second-guessing our stay, but it was too late to cancel, and given the holiday timing, hotels in the city were either sold out or incredibly expensive.)

The exterior of the hotel is incredibly appealing. The whole area is quiet and quaint, and the look of the building is welcoming and oozes charm. Our cabbie helped us drag our heavy bags up the steps to the reception, where we interacted with the only friendly person to work there.

We checked in and made our way to the designated elevator, dragging our luggage and ourselves along in a single-file line to make it down to our room. The hallways are tight, folks.

The room itself was large and comfortable, with one queen and one twin bed, a small desk and chair and an armchair positioned in front of the one window. The bathroom was a bit tight - you can't open the door without hitting the toilet - but the shower had great water pressure, and they kept the toiletries filled during our stay.

I have two very large gripes about the hotel itself. The first is the WiFi, which performed about as well as a dial-up modem did (am I dating myself?) There were moments where we'd get a decent connection, but it never lasted.

The second is the paper-thin walls between the rooms and the hallways. I get that hotels don't use the best in sound insulation, but people, the walls here are awful. Getting a full night's sleep can be a challenge. Let me paint a picture.

We went to bed on our first night at a decent hour but were awoken after 2 am by a group of they-really-should-know-better-adults walking down the hallway towards their room. They were in the middle of a very loud, very angry-sounding conversation when they hit our floor, and it persisted all the way down the hallway. For several minutes.

Then one of the ladies couldn’t get her key to work, so there was much more swearing, followed by a guy telling her to give him the goddamn key already, and storming off in search of a receptionist, I’d wager.

They stood in the hallway long after the guy returned with a functioning key (or functioning brain, not sure which). They sounded like they had no intention whatsoever of moving on, and like they were nowhere near winding down for the night.

Enter my new hero, the grumpy old man across the hall. He opened his door and yelled out, “What do you think you’re doing? It’s late, and people are trying to sleep. GO. TO. BED.” Like they were unruly children. I loved it.

One lady tried to apologize, and he bit out, “NO, you don’t apologize. You’re all loud, inconsiderate and rude. Shut up!” before slamming the door. It was all I could do to not cheer and applaud the man.

Other than that, the beds were comfortable, and we really did love the area around the hotel. It's a quick and super easy walk from the hotel to the closest train station (Landsdowne Road).

If you're taking the train to Dublin, cross the train tracks and walk up the ramp (look for the coffee shop; if you see that, you know you're on the right side.) Coming back from Dublin, you'll be on the opposite track. Easy peasy.

It's also a quick and easy walk from the hotel to the cute little town down the road. That leads on towards Dublin Bay, which offers a lovely walking path, park, and some shops and restaurants along the way. Everything is very easily walkable in that direction.

They also have a good restaurant/bar within the hotel (Lineout Bar), as well as another, higher-class option that we did not get a chance to sample. They do breakfast - again, we passed - and have several small sitting/relaxing areas dotted around the building itself.

We would stay again if the price was right. We'd just pack earplugs to ensure a good night's sleep.

6. Jurys Inn Dublin Parnell Street

The hotel is located just a short walk from temple bar and other great bars. It only took 25 minutes to get to the Guinness brewhouse. Always quiet, lovely clean room and the staff were polite and always happy to help. Would recommend this to anyone staying.

7. Drury Court Hotel

Stayed overnight. The rooms are nicely decorated and roomy which is rare for center hotels. The bathroom is a little dated but really clean and a great shower. Reception staff friendly and helpful.

I didn’t have the breakfast but did have a coffee run which is fab as a coffee shop. It is 2 mins away.

8. The Grafton Hotel

From the reception to the front, through the stylish coffee room, everything at this lovely hotel is perfect. Staff friendly and helpful. Spacious well-appointed room. Large comfy bed, fridge, and safe in the room.

Large bright bathroom with large walk-in shower. Very quiet at night, so a good night's sleep. The bar, the restaurant area is beautiful and stylish. I would recommend booking directly on their website rather than with booking websites.

They really appreciate this, and add little extras to show their appreciation. Our room rate included breakfast, and we thought it an excellent value. (Perhaps my only very small niggle was that the fried eggs at breakfast were rubbery, been under the lamp too long!) That apart, we had a great stay and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel.

9. Temple Bar Hotel

We really enjoyed our stay at the Temple Bar Hotel. Great location to get to major sights in Dublin. Very clean hotel with all the amenities and two restaurants on-site. Very friendly and helpful staff.

We were offered an early check-in for 30 euros which was greatly appreciated since we arrived mid-morning. The area has a lot of bars but any noise did not bother us in our room and we had our window open. Great value - will stay here again. Thanks!

10. Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport

This hotel is hands down a great idea for that night before an early morning flight out of Dublin. 24hr free shuttle to/from the airport, less than a €20 cab ride from the city center and comfortable, great service. Regular discounts make this a win-win deal. Have a great night exploring Dublin, then a good sleep before that long haul. You won't be sorry.

More ideals for you: Top 10 Cheap Hotels in Quebec

From : https://wikitopx.com/hotels/top-10-cheap-hotels-in-ireland-711672.html