#really. i should be grateful. we live in a beautiful home. my cats can roam freely instead of being trapped in my room for their safety.

[0boko]

.

[j-restlessgeek]

To my dearest J,

Where do I begin? By the time I’m writing this it will have been almost a full year since we first reached out to one another. I actually remember where it all started. I was sending around asks with the iconic ‘Hey Käärijä, you wanna party with me?” line from ‘It’s crazy it’s party’ and you went into the comments of one of the responses. Afterwards the timeline becomes blurrier, but that doesn’t matter. It just goes to show that one small comment can truly change someone’s life.

And in just this less than a year time period, I have made so many fond memories with you.

Your imagination never ceases to amaze me. The amount of AUs and stories we have discussed is uncountable. It has always been a pleasure for me to talk to you about the ideas roaming around in my head. You’re a lovely listener whose ever-reading eyes could never skip the lightest detail or softest touch of/to a story. Whenever I’m stumped on the next turn down the road you never cease to give me the best advice. You’re a team player I can always rely on to build the story-bridge together with.

I wish I had a better way to introduce this next paragraph, but I can’t seem to find a different way to put it than simply how it is: You are the kindest person I know. You are not afraid to tell other users when their art has touched you or made you feel intense joy. Another thing I love about you, you’re not afraid to show your emotions, big or small. You make the days of so many users here by sharing their art with others and telling them in your language of emojis, screams and lovely compliments that what they made is beautiful and deserves love. You care so much for the friends you’ve made on the internet. Never not reblogging the content they’ve made and shouting to the whole world that it should see what made you beam with happiness. My dash lights up every time I see one of your reblogs, they are impossible to skip and nobody would want to do that. I sometimes revisit your reblogs of the moodboards I made and the stories I wrote when I have a small dip and I immediately cheer up reading your comments.

You are attentive. You never forget when it’s the anniversary for someone’s personal milestone or an art work. Even works that have been posted months ago don’t slip your memory and are kept alive through your reblogs.

On Tumblr we may joke that love is stored inside of Bojan, but I think that isn’t true. Love is stored inside of Jay. Your love for Jure, Joker Out, cats, the silly things, the scary things and so much more is beautiful.

You are kind. You are beautiful. You are strong. You are lovely. You are the haven a boat can lay anchor after a long journey of not seeing land. You are home after a three week holiday. You are the one that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside whenever we talk.

Please never become somebody you don’t agree with. Take care of yourself. Go on long walks in nature, pet kitties and feed them and enjoy your time studying to become a biologist. Follow your dreams, aim for the stars and shoot into another galaxy.

I love you.

From your dearest,

Kyle

This moodboard contains 8 pictures that define j-restlessgeek to me.

😭😭😭😭😭😭 your words truly never fail to move me to my core. 💛💛💛💛💛💛 thank you.

I am so grateful for your trust and faith in me, in your brightest and darkest hours, thank you 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛.

I am happy whenever I can help and to spend time with you, chatting for hours and exchanging ideas 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰. Thank you for your words, your writing really never fails to touch me, you have a wonderful way with words. 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Thank you for the wishes and words 💛💛💛. So so much love for you lives in my heart 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛.

[nanasparadise]

“Paradise lost” Yan!Bruno x female reader

Hiya everyone! This is my first fanfiction, I hope you enjoy it 🥺

Summary: You live a pleasant and regular life as a curator in Naples, until a certain over-protective Capo turns it upside down...

TW: alcohol, drugs, stalking, cursing, noncon touching, mentions of violence and death, toxic relationship, MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY/MINORS DNI

I do not condone any type of yandere behaviour in real life.

You were living in a paradise. Your paradise. After having moved to Italy, you were finally able to lead the life of your dreams. The city of Naples with its gentle sea breeze, the vivid streets and the ancient architecture just felt right to you. Not to mention the people; you've met some of the most supporting individuals. Your friends helped you integrate in Italy and gave you some Italian classes in order to improve your, admittedly, quite basic Italian skills. Your job as a curator in an art museum fulfilled your passion. Your small, but very cozy flat felt as if it was sculpted for you. Even after having spent nearly a year in the city, you never regretted your decision to move there. That was until you met a certain peculiar man, who would change your whole life forever.

You spent the night at the bar with Analisa and Federico, your two closest friends. The trio consisting of you were a bit tipsy, because of one too many drinks. The intoxication offered you lots of fun though, as you were constantly laughing at the slightest things. At 4 a.m., you were finally shooed out of the pub by the annoyed owner. The three of you went outside of the bar. You inhaled gladly the cool night air, which put you a bit back to your senses. Your friends, on the other hand, remained tipsy while constantly gigglying and grinning. Analisa and Federico suggested to go back to their place, where they might continue enjoying the night with some pills. You smiled at them, but declined. Drugs weren't really up your alley. 

"Aww, come on Y/N!", Analisa pouted, "it will be fun!"

"No thanks, you guys. You know how I feel about drugs", you replied patiently. 

"Should we take you home, then?", Federico asked, forehead frowned in worries, "You know it can be dangerous out here all alone with the whole mafia." 

"I'll be fine, thank you. You should be more worried for the guys with my Krav Maga skills!", you joked, trying to ease your friend's concerns, “and by the way, you two better be careful with your pills!"

After having hugged them goodbye, you parted ways with your friends. The streets of Naples were mostly quiet. In the distance, you heard fainlty some music from a club. A few stray cats roamed in the shadows, watching you with their predatory eyes. Admitteldy, it made you feel a tad uncomfortable. "Stop it", you muttered to yourself, "Don't let a few cats play tricks on you." Still captured by the felines' gaze, you accidentally stumbled over the pavement. Before you could actually hit the floor, as you anticipated, a strong hand caught your upper arm and hindered the fall. You looked up to your saviour to thank them. It was a rather unusual man. He wore a unique white suit with black spoon-like dots on it and zippers and his black hair was cut in a bob. But what you noticed the most were his deep, ocean blue eyes, which stared back at you with concern. Even though he seemed rather strange, the man's whole atmosphere drew you in. As you kept contemplating him, a sudden thought crossed your mind. "Where did he come from so quickly? I didn't see anyone in the street", you pondered. The thought made you shiver slightly. Realising that you still shamelessly stared at the man, you decided to finally speak up. 

"Thank you for catching me, I guess I had one too many", you said humoursly to him, trying to relax the tense ambience. The handsome guy offered you a smile to your relief. 

"No need to thank me, signorina", he answered cheekily. Something about him calling you "Miss" didn't feel right to you. After all, you were a grown adult and not some teenage girl. 

"No really, thank you, I could have hurt me", you insisted politely. The man still held your arm. You were eyeing uncomfortably to it, hoping he would catch the hint. Luckily, he did so and retrieved his warm hand from your body. The man cleared awkwardly his throat and continued speaking.

"Are you alright though? It is dangerous to walk at night the streets in Naples, especially for a young lady." His worry for you was quite flattering, you admitted to yourself. 

"I am fine, thanks to you", you winked at him. You could swear his cheeks turned slightly pink, but because of the darkness, you couldn't be entirely sure. 

"May I accompany you home?", the man asked, "It would ease my mind if I knew you arrived home safely." You weren't sure how to react. Sure, he was beautiful, but did you really want a stranger to know where you lived? 

"Thank you for your kind offer, but my flat isn't far away, I will be there in a minute", you replied carefully. After all, Federico was right: there were many mafiosi in Naples, maybe he was one of them? Your suspicions towards him increased. The man seemed to feel your paranoia. He flashed you a reassuring smile that would have made every woman swoon over him. 

"I understand your suspiciousness fully,” he said smoothly, "but I do think it is not necessary in this case. If I wanted to cause you any harm, I'd have it done by now. After all, this is a quiet and dark street and no one would have witnessed anything." "Fair enough", you thought. He was right. He could have easily murdered you by now if he wanted to. And there was nothing harmful about letting him follow you, right? 

"Well, if you put it that way, then sure, I'd like that", you answered with a soft smile. You shouldn't have agreed. Oh Y/N, if only you knew, you would have went with your friends. Instead, you went home, the stranger remaining by your side. "By the way, I don't think I introduced myself. My name is Y/N." 

"Pleasure to meet you, Y/N, I am Bruno."

Slowly, the two of you became friends. Bruno turned out to be a loyal and charming man. Being the ever so polite gentleman, you didn’t have a clue about the raven-haired man’s true intentions. Oh no, you were blissfully ignorant to his advances. In fact, he knew you before that fateful night. The capo - you didn’t actually know his real job as he kept smoothly tip-toeing around it - had been chasing an enemy Stand user in the art museum where you worked when his attentive gaze had fallen on your form. You had explained patiently to an elderly couple every little detail of the Veiled Christ statue. In that moment, Bruno hadn’t known why he had stopped just to stare at you. Maybe it was the way you had treated the couple with kindness, maybe the way your eyes had lit up with passion as you had talked about the subject that fascinated you. Bruno still wasn’t sure what exactly enchanted him when it came to you. All he was aware of was the fuzzy warmth in his stomach and his racing heartbeat whenever he glanced at you. And that he would never let go of that feeling. So, the young mafioso started following you from that day on. He wouldn’t necessarily call it stalking, he just wanted to make sure that you were alright. And look where it had led him to - if he hadn’t been there to watch over you, you would have hurt yourself, which Bruno couldn’t let happen, of course. He was convinced that you needed him in your life. The following months since the Italian man had been by your side, you were in total safety. 

But you also felt ultimately caged in. You were grateful for Bruno’s friendship, but it also smothered you. Every time you were trying to go out with your friends, he would ask about every tiny detail: where were you going, who did come with you, what were you doing and so on. Eventually, he’d always join you. 

“Cara,” he would say with pleading eyes, “I only want to protect you. The world is a dark place and Naples is its hell. I don’t want to witness how anyone takes advantage of your sweet innocence.”

“Somehow he always knows when I go out with them, too”, you wondered. If you didn’t know any better, you would think that the two of you were dating. Bruno did behave like an overly jealous and possessive boyfriend. Plus, he always acted super touchy and affectionate around you: a pet name here, an arm around your shoulders there. Every time you confronted him, he would laugh it off. “I guess I am bewitched by you, tesoro.” All of this made you feel uncomfortable. Still, you didn’t want to lose your friendship. So you kept quiet most of the time. 

Until one day, you talked to Analisa and told her about it. For once, you needed some other friend than Bruno to listen to you, someone who wouldn’t act like a partner around you. Luckily, you knew for a fact that he would be gone this evening due to his mysterious profession he never mentioned to you. So, you invited Analisa over to your flat to vent. The blue-haired woman listened attentively to your lamentations. The words just spilt out of your mouth until you realised you actually started crying. Analisa held you in her arms and tried to calm you down. “Hey, Y/N, it’s fine. he’s not around”, she kept repeating. Eventually, your sobs died slowly until you were left staring at Analisa puffy-eyed. “If I allow myself to share my piece of mind,” Analisa said angrily, “he is a pezzo di merda. Who does he think he is to behave like that? You’re not his girlfriend, and even if you were, he doesn’t have the right to treat you like you are his possession. You can do whatever the fuck you want.” Her furious words filtered through your brain. “She’s right”, you agreed silently. “And you know what else? I hate to see you down because of that asshole,”  Analisa continued, “But I’ve just got the perfect solution for that.” The blue-haired woman grinned as she took some small pills out of the pocket of her leather jacket. “Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

At first you weren’t sure about taking the hallucinogens, since you never took drugs before. But for once, just for once, you wanted to escape reality. When did your little paradise turn into hell? You thought, you valued your friendship with Bruno, but now, all you wanted to do was to run away from him. The drug slowly started to kick in as you felt your head spinning. The dizziness made you feel light, as if you were about to fly away any moment. Analisa started to giggle next to you, already high. Suddenly, you began seeing black dots around you, coming closer and closer. “Weren’t these the dots on Bruno’s suit?”, you thought anxiously. They were talking to you, calling you principessa, amore mio, stella mia and many more terms of endearment. The dots turned into hands, touching you everywhere. But you decided to not give in. Not this time. Instead, you transformed your fear into anger. You energetically pushed away all the hands until they scurried away. Your rage wasn’t quenched yet, though.Under the effect of the drug, your fury was amplified significally. You took your phone and called Bruno. You wanted to let your frustration out on him, not only on the creations of your mind of him. He picked up immediately after the first ringing. “Y/N?”, he asked, worry dripping from his voice, “Are you alright? You don’t call normally. Should I come to you? I can drop my work just-”

“Bruno,” you interrupted him abruptly, “stop it. STOP IT. I can’t take this shit anymore. You cling onto me like some lovesick puppy and I’m done. Who the fuck are you even? I hardly know your name and you behave as if we were married. Guess what, you’re not even my boyfriend.” It was quiet for an instant. At first, you thought he hung up, but then you heard a slight chuckle from the other end of the phone. “The fuck?”, you thought, “Did he now completely have lost his mind?” 

“Y/N, is that what it takes to call me? Being high?”, the Italian man replied. Another bitter laugh espaced his mouth. You weren’t sure if he knew about your current state, because of your atypical rage or simply because he seemed to know everything about you without you telling anything. “Another reason for him to leave me alone.” 

“I bet one of your lovely friends gave you a pill, didn’t they?”, Bruno continued, seemingly angry now, too, “You know how I feel about drugs, right?”

You didn’t answer, your fear suddenly coming back. The room around you started to spin more and more. 

“Right?”, Bruno growled again. 

“Y-yes”, you stuttered eventually. 

“Good. I assume you’re in your apartment. Stay there and don’t make anything stupid anymore. I’ll be there soon. Clearly, you need me even more than I thought you would.” With these words, Bruno hung up, leaving you even more confused and frightened. Your body started trembling terribly. You didn’ t know if it was because of the drug or your pitless fear. Analisa, coming back to senses again, realised your bad state and immediately rushed over to you. 

“Shit Y/N, what happened?”, she inquired, worry written in her eyes. You explained to her the situation as best as you could in your foggy condition. “Fuck, I should have never given you the drug,” Analisa replied remorsefully, “I take full responsibility. I’ll call the cops before that bastard arrives here, I don’t care if they find my drugs, we’ve gotta do-”. The woman was interrupted by a loud knock on your door. 

“Y/N?”, Bruno shouted, “I know you’re in there. Open the door please.” 

“What are we doing now?”, you cried desperately. You didn’t even know why you reacted that way. Bruno never gave you a serious reason to be scared of him, but now, after the phone call, your gut feeling told you to run away as fast as you could. 

“I’ll call them now”, Analisa replied hastily, looking for her phone. But it was too late. Bruno broke the door in, his stern gaze resting on you. “Since when was he so strong?” 

“Analisa,” the man said, not breaking eye contact with you for a single moment, “give me your phone and walk away.” 

“Are you mad?”, the blue-haired woman shouted furiously, “I’m not gonna leave Y/N alone with you after that.” 

“Give me your phone and walk away, now”, the man repeated gloomly. His eyes, normally a serene blue ocean, turned into a destructive storm. Bruno smashed his fist into the wall, leaving it with a gaping hole. “If you don’t leave immediately,” he growled, “your family will suffer great consequences. Your little sister Teresa? She will die in a tragic car accident. Your father Marco? He will die of liver failure for drinking too much. Or so will be the official reports.” You stared big-eyed at Bruno, your fear only increasing. There was no doubt now that he worked with the mafia. Analisa slowly walked past you, tears falling down her cheeks, as she softly said sorry to you. Her phone was resting on your couch. Once she was gone, you broke down completely. What was he going to do? Bruno stood now in front of you, dragging you ungently by your arm and monitoring you to your bedroom. Was he really going to…? 

“No, no, no, NO!” What first started with a whisper ended in a bloodcurdling scream. The Italian didn’t stop though, pushing you instead on your bed. He seemed to be tired of your behaviour. Bruno sighed deeply, finally speaking to you now. 

“Y/N, I’m not going to do such thing. I just want you to realise, that you behave recklessly and I can’t let you continue like this. I just want to protect you. Look at you, being high now.” He gestured elegantly at you with his slim hand. What was he talking about? Your hallucinations had stopped the minute Bruno knocked on your door. 

“I am not high anymore”, you simply replied. 

“Are you sure about that?”, the raven-haired man replied. His eyes began to glimmer darkly. Suddenly, you witnessed how your legs were zipped away. 

“What the fuck?”, you screamed desperately. What was happening? You were sure, that this wasn’t the effect of the drug, that Bruno somehow did this to your body. “What are you doing to my legs? I-I kn-o-ow that you a-are z-z-ziping them off of m-me”, you stuttered anxiously. 

“What do you mean? I can’t see such thing”, Bruno replied coolly. “As I said, you are hallucinating.” 

“I am not hallucinating, you are doing this to me! I know you do! Please, stop it. Stop it...”. Your pleads turned into ear-piercing sobs. Tears clouded your vision as you desperately tried to grasp for air. 

“Hush, cara.” Bruno was suddenly next to you on your bed, draping his arm over your shoulders and whispering in your ear. “This is all in your mind. You need to sleep now. Tomorrow, everything will be fine again. I will stay by your side and protect you.” His warm breath grazed your earshell. The man nuzzled your hair, admiring its smooth texture and lovely scent. “I will always be with you.”

Eventually, after all your crying, you did fall asleep in Bruno’s arms. The latter kept stroking your cheek, marveling your soft breathing and beautiful face. Of course he felt a tinge of guilt for having used Sticky Fingers on you. Your desperate cries as you called him for help still pained him. But you needed to learn your lesson. Bruno could tolerate a lot, but drugs weren’t on that list. He would give Analisa a quick visit to make sure she’ll never talk to you again. Or to anyone, for a matter of fact. You didn’t need such a bad influence. “Not my sweet Y/N”, he whispered in your locks. “From tomorrow on, you will live with me, where I can always protect you. Now, doesn’t that sound like paradise?”

[shesawriter39049]

|AFTER HOURS| M|

Pairing: Namjoon X OC 

About-  Your husband and business partner finds you up way past acceptable work hours for the 3rd night in a row! So, daddy has to step in and remind you that’s not something we do in this household. You come before work, in every sense of the phrase!

OR- Namjoon and yourself run a successful Adult Film Entertainment Company called “Onyx” with your 5 best friends from college who you also happen to be in a open relationship with! Your in desperate need of a 2nd videographer/editor! So here you are, up at 1 AM scrolling through resumes because your that boss that hates to overwork her employess so she overworks herself!

Warnings:Daddy kink, Dom Namjoon, switch OC (More of a sassy/bratty sub)Top OC, Oral (F recieving) Light ass play, (Rimming), Dirty talk, Breath play, Spanking(Pain kink),Hair pulling, unprotected sex, light cum play, VERY LIGHT degration (He calls her a “little bitch” once but it’s playful still noting in case it offends ppl)The end hints at a threesum…...with a certain redhead 

Tae is their sassy exec.assistant and makes a cheeky little appearance at the end.

Jonnie baby is tatted...LORDT

There a fun freaky little couple...

WC:6k

NOTE- This is kinda old and  was set to be part 1 of an OT7 AU called “7 DEEP” 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Really?” Goddamn, leave it to Namjoon to make one word sound just as sexy as it was intimidating! 

You heard the footsteps fuck you did, you just opted to ignore them and hope maybe he’d just, I don’t know leave? Maybe he was just doing a wellness check? But, if that’s the case, as your tired, unfocused, half-lidded gaze caught the bottom right of your laptop screen, which was glaring back at you something vicious! You realize that you’ve royally fucked up, and its a cute little 2 am right now! So no, he’s not going any damn were, anytime soon….

“Baby” The word left his lips just as much disappointment as it did allure which is a hell of a combination I know, I know, but in all honesty, it fits the mood. You caught his visual briefly through the mirror mounted against the wall and fuck, your man is fine as all hell! Frame resting casually against the entryway, arms folded firm across the smooth chiseled planes of his caramelized tattooed chest. Oversized cat-eye glasses perched on top of that cute little button nose of his, A pair of loosely fitted sweats sitting low against his v-lines, the thin grey fabric left nothing to the imagination as he’d clearly opted against boxers tonight. Shoulders and arms flexing effortlessly due to his current position which screams nothing but “Your ass is in trouble”. Which I mean, your kinda here for...kinda not….

Only offering a low hum in response as you continued scrolling through mounds resumes and video reels that were currently clogging up the admin email that was typically reserved for Taehyung. And that’s when you hear his feet shuffle closer, and closer until there’s a heavy yet comforting weight pressing against your back. The temperature around you shifting, as he leans down, arms braced on the table on either side of your frame. His long, beautiful, veiny fingers pattering idly against the glass, showcasing an array of rings, one of them being his Cartier wedding band as his lips nuzzling into your neck. Nosing up and down your skin slowly, almost teasingly, just breathing you in until your shifting back against him, a strong chill running down your spine. 

“We talked about this…” Voice low, seductive, yet stern and still clearly a little disappointed...nipping at your neck, not hard enough to leave a mark but just enough to make a point. Forcing yourself not to lean back into his touch no matter how bad you wanted to beg for more than just him grazing his teeth along your skin! You needed him to bite, hard, and he already knows it too, how much you get off on being marked..and that’s exactly why he’s not doing it...The little shit! 

“I know but -” Namjoon reaches up to slam your laptop shut, sliding it and the stack of papers to the opposite end of your dining room table, that you’ve managed to convert to a makeshift office. 

“We talked. About this” Simply parroting the words again, just slower this time as if to say you clearly must not have heard him correctly initially.

You sigh. Deep, slow, defeated, a nod rendering, out as a half-arsed response triggering Namjoon to pull back from you only to slide your chair from beneath the table. Shifting it to face him before dropping to a squat between your thighs. Gaze unwavering as he took in your blatantly exhausted appearance, still, he couldn’t help but melt as he reached out to caress your jaw feeling the way you nestled into it instantly. Your eyes fluttered shut briefly, as he smoothed his hands down your body, slipping beneath your robe to gently massage your thighs.

“So what the fuck, are you doin?” Brow arched as if he was daring you to actually respond, yet there wasn’t a single sharp edge to his voice, it was suddenly soft, calm. As if he was genuinely asking why you were doing this to yourself because he can’t make a lick of sense of it! You’re barely able to hold your eyes ajar right now yet you were out here working....

You couldn’t really handle the intensity of his gaze right now, more so because you knew he was right, you were so fuckin exhausted right now it’s unreal! Let’s also mention that the two of you have to catch a flight to Vegas for a business meeting in a good oh I don’t know 7 hours! So, instead of acknowledging that this was really stupid, you opted to reach for the one resume he didn’t manage to move out of reach. Eyes nervously scanning the paper as a distraction while you tried to think of a rational that even you’d believe at this point! 

'Fuck, we just- I don’t know Joon, we just have so much going on right now! And you know I’ll never complain about us having too much work I mean, I'm grateful every damn day that we’re not where we were!”

You intentionally paused, letting “that” have its own moment because it's something to always be acknowledged! The two of you went from living in a 900sq ft apartment with 5 other people to effortlessly clearing 8 figures as of this last tax year. Humbled and grateful to be busy isn’t even the beginning of how you feel! 

“But I just look at everybody...Yoongi’s responding to emails at fucking 3 AM! Jimin playing around docusign at the ass crack of dawn every damn day sending out contracts! Taehyung up scouting locations at 6 AM on a Sunday which is supposed to be his only day off I just- Everybodys in over their head so I thought I’d just- “ Namjoon reached up and grabbed your chin, snatching the paper out of your hand and forcing you to look him dead in the eyes. 

“So thought you'd overwork my wife instead?” 

You just shrug and nod again, tossing your hands in the air, it’s clear you have an attitude but it’s also clear it’s with yourself! You keep piling more and more on your plate instead of delegating it out to other people to handle! It’s a trust thing, and Namjoon know’s that,  it started out with just the two of you, then for years it was seven , seven deep. It’s hard for you to let new people into something you and your husband built from nothing! However, Taehyung just got a part-time assistant of his own so he can go back to strictly being your right hand, and realistically, he’s salary! Your little Gucci boy probably doesn’t mind drinking his Starbucks and driving his BMW around LA looking for houses to film in! You could have spread the workload out a little you just fuck, I don’t know, you’re always that person to put people first to a fault I guess! Point being, Tae could easily handle this, tomorrow, during normal business hours, you could have and should have been in bed with your husband! 

Namjoon can sense how uneasy you feel right now, almost like your a child being scolded and that’s not at all what he’s aiming for; he's just genuinely concerned. So he opts to ease the atmosphere just a little to remind you, that the two of you are always on the same playing field, he’s only reacting like this because he cares! Flicking the bottom of your chin before leaning in, pressing a firm, yet passionate kiss to your lips as if he’s trying to drive the point home, slipping his tongue past the seam almost instantly. Not even attempting to keep this somewhat chaste, needing you to feel every inch of infinite love and fire he has burning through his veins when it comes to you! Kissing you with enough force to knock the wind out of your chest, moaning contently as you give your husband free rein to explore your mouth. Turning the kiss slightly more delicate as he lets his hands slide even deeper under the robe to continue roaming your body. The slide of his tongue becoming softer, slower….as the pads of his fingers trickled up your spine.

Sucking your bottom lip between his teeth as he pulls back “Were all busy baby, I get it, I hate seeing them like this too, you know I love them just as much as you do! And that’s exactly why we put out those ads, but that does not mean you get to take on everyone else’s shit! Don’t make me put in a complaint to HR about unfair treatment within the workplace!”Murmurs against your lips, as you stare down at his, barely paying attention to a damn thing he said! 

“Joon I am HR…” You mumble low and unamused, eyes rolling to the back of your head in annoyance and he could give less than a damn. Leaning in with a smirk playing on his lips, leaving another lingering kiss against your own. Kissing you with enough fire to have every hair along your body standing on end! Until your practically chasing after him in a pout the minute he pulls away from you. 

“Mmm, and my point still stands….” Namjoon's hands tighten around your hips, scooting you forward so your legs are wrapped around his waist. Your arms instantly lace around his neck, trailing your fingers upward, so they can get lost in his freshly dyed locks.

“Stop, overworking my baby! You know I don’t like  it…” His delivery was just as much playful, as it was stern! 

“Fuck, whatever okay, sorry!” You really weren’t at least not right now, there wasn’t a lick of conviction in that as you reached up to bring his lips back down to yours. Sliding in tongue first, capturing his lips in another opened mouth kiss, the rhythm quickly starts getting messy more so on your end because you’re getting needy! Namjoon tastes intoxicating and you’re blissed out of your mind, even after all these years, this man can still manage to have your toes curling with just a simple kiss! , Arching forward giving him easier access to grab you ass and he takes the hint, the faint sting of blunt nails digging into the swell of your ass has you whimpering out low and filthy against his tongue.

The kiss breaks much to your dismay but before you can even protest Namjoons tongue is lapping down the side of his neck, mapping out all the places he’s learned over the years. Nipping down on your flushed skin ever so often this time he’s biting with a purpose though, giving it to you just the way you like it. 

“Y/n were done with work now right??” He can hear you panting out low and wanton into his ear once he attaches himself to the crook of your neck, sucking maliciously, an almost animalistic growl leaving his lips in the process. There’s a hint of frustration mixed in with arousal dripping off his tongue right now, your too caught up to notice! 

“Namjoon '' You breathe out his name with nothing but lust pouring off your tongue, not an ounce of shame insight in regards to how needy you sound right now. The sound goes straight to Namjoon’s dick which is beaming at you like a spotlight through the thin fabric of his sweats. Tilting your head back, and anchoring one of your hands into your husband’s hair keeping him in place, overwhelmed with pleasure as you go completely pliant under his menstruations. Regardless, this man's self control was somethin’ serious,and he wasn’t giving in just yet...you still had one more cross to bear baby girl! 

“Fuck. Please” Tugging on his scalp like the brat you tend to be, as if to emphasize your point, making Namjoon pull away licking up your jaw in the process. The drag was slow, messy, waving his tongue against your skin the same way he would your pussy and you felt yourself start to involuntarily clench harder and harder by the second. 

“Hmm? What was that baby?” Tugging the shell of your ear between his teeth hard enough to make you whimper into his hair “Now you wanna come to bed?” You can feel him smirking against your skin and you just really don’t like your husband at all right now just so we’re clear.

All you do is whine in response, yanking his hair even harder until you feel a firm hand land on your ass making you yelp out of your seat. 

Nam-fuck!” Hissed through clenched teeth, thighs tensing around his waist. 

“So again…” Tone as coy and casual as can be as he winds his hand back only to land smack dab on the curve of your ass again, right in the same spot, you wouldn’t be surprised if his palm left an indentation behind! 

Namjoon’s hand was literally pulsing against your skin the impact was so damn strong, all the metal dancing along his fingers didn’t help either! You swear the ripple echoed throughout your entire apartment, and the scream that left your throat was without a doubt noise complaint worthy! Fuck your gonna need to send them an edible arrangement or somehing, they already hate the two of you as it is… 

Your panting and whining opened mouth right into his ear, and it’s getting you nowhere but horny and frustrated! Nails, digging little crescents into his shoulders as you try and almost reroute so of the pain that’s buzzing through your veins. But it’s good, it’s soo good, the slickness coating your inner thighs gave that away! Namjoon can smell how much you’re enjoying this, his little pain slut as he often likes to call you! 

 “You wanna stay out here all damn night. Work yourself into the ground. Leave me in bed alone, and now all of a sudden you think you get to boss daddy around? Hmm? Just because your pussys nice and wet and your feelin needy ...now you want to go to bed?” Namjoons tone is blatantly taunting and a little harsh yet the slight growl laced with it all has your head spinning far too fast to even be mad.

‘Oh my god, Namjoon just fuck me already! Shit!” 

“Why the fuck should I do that? Could’ve had me hours ago baby, all I wanted to do tonight was fuck you, that’s all I wanted all damn day.” Slipping his hand between your thighs pinching your clit between his fingers, slowly rubbing the pads of his together on either side, stimulating your clit head-on until your groaning into the side of his neck.”Do you even, know, how hard it was for me not to just bend you over the conference room table today!?” 

“Joon” You try again and he doesn’t budge, he actually let’s go of your clit all together and just teasingly trailing his fingers along your entrance never entering just driving you fucking insane! Looking as fine and unbothered as ever, as his lips ghost up the curve of your jaw. 

“Hmm, let’s try this shit again.Why-” Bringing that same hand up to grip your jaw with enough pressure to indicate he wasn’t fucking around anymore. “Should I give you what you want when you continuously keep disobeying my only request? Hmm???” You can feel your own slickness against your skin, yet all you can focus on is the blatant aganer, and hurt running through your husbands veins. Even beneath all this bravado..he’s clearly really hurt about this, so play times over!

“Fuck, okay!” There was slight elevation to your voice, tetoring on yelling actually. The arch in Namjoons brow said you had about two seconds to fix that , but you already planned on it! Taking a deep slow breath, letting your eyes flutter shut to just...recenter yourself for a moment! 

“Baby, I’m sorry. I’m. Sorry. ” There it was, not that bratty whiney shit you did earlier to get what you wanted, a genuine “I’m sorry” . Soothing your nails through his scalp, it’s almost instantaneous the way his demeanor shifts once those words fall off your tongue in a more..sincere fashion.  

A low hum rang in the back of his throat at the admission, nosing at your cheek “Sorry for what exactly? Because I don’t want it if you doing this just to appease me baby. That won’t do shit for me. ”  Namjoon’s tone is a lot softer now, all of the prior theatrics and pettiness is gone as he awaits your response.

“No, Joonie baby, no!” Pressing a soft but firm kiss to those sinfully plump lips of his that you still can’t get enough of no matter how many years go by…”No”

“ As your partner, I gotta look out for me just as much as I look out for you and I clearly haven’t been! I know better! And I should be taking advantage of the fact that we’re lucky enough to now be in a position where I can hire an array of people if need be. It’s just- you know I’m a control freak, this business isn’t just a business it’s our baby!”

You watch his mouth open in protest and you just simply continue speaking “But regardless, I know it’s not more important than me, or my health I know…” You instantly feel the tension within his body dissipate at that, thumbs kneading at your hips.

“ I’m sorry, I love you and I’m sorry I’m not trying to stress daddy out!'' There's a slight playfulness to your delivery trying to lighten the mood a little though you know how serious this topic is for him! You find yourself wiggling in his hold trying to somehow get even closer than you already were. 

So here’s the thing, back when you were in college just starting out, the two of you had a lot on your plate! Between school juggling multiple jobs, internships, and just trying to figure out how to even start a company of this caliber….The level of exhaustion he often saw you at was utterly heartbreaking. The number of times you passed out due to lack of sleep is unmentionable… so seeing you like this...was fucking unacceptable in Namjoon’s eyes! 

You notice those big brown orbs of his get a little glassy so you grip the back of his neck even tighter dropping your forehead to his. Feeling like complete and utter trash right now! 

 “This business is not more important than my wife, my partner, my best friend...it’s not! However, you are more important than, all of it, this fuckin overpriced apartment, all the shiny little toys we’ve been able to buy, and this entire company in general! I love you, but I need you to look me in the eyes and fucking promise me that you’ll stop this! Please…” 

You can hear a slight trimmer laced within that deep honey-coated tenor of his and the sudden vibrato’s foreign, and you’re not a fan! It took everything in you not to cry at the blatant plea rolling off his tongue, well aware this man does not beg! So instead you just leaned in and kissed him, hard, slow, just letting everything you couldn’t really articulate pour from your lips to his and hope he got the message. 

“I promise, I love you…I promise!”

“And you know I fuckin love you…”  You do, fuck you do, even if this marriege was high key an accidnet..it’s without a doubt one of the best things that’s ever happened to you!

“I know”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck, yeah”

Ducking down, kissing you reckless and with fevour, messy, wet, teeth clacking together. Slowly transitioning the mood from deep and touching to just...raw and nasty which is kinda what you’d prefer at the moment!

 “I wasn’t lyin when I said I’ve wanted to fuck you all damn day though…”

“Please” you whisper out as he pulls back to lick down your neck, pressing your chest together to give him better access. Sucking his mark in a spot right beneath your jaw, well aware you’ll need an ass-ton of conclear within the next couple of hours, but right now you could care less!  

“Please what baby? Tell daddy, what you want?” Namjoon presses, biting his lip and sliding his hand back between your legs groaning out at how completely drenched you are right now. 

“Fuck me!” You pant out low and whiney

“You want it here baby? You want daddy to bend you over the table?” The familiar hunger that was back in his eyes was so fucking sexy and  it had you rutting against him for any ounce of stimulation! 

“No.Bedroom” Namjoon moans in agreement, securing your thighs around his waist and scoping you out of the chair, heading towards the opulent master suite the two of you shared.

Once inside he throws you down on the bed, hard and almost animalistic, making you bounce a little against the firm California king. Namjoon follows immediately, crawling over to cover your body with his own, his broad form completely engulfing your frame. Ripping your robe apart, and letting your tongues meet once more. Hot slick, and eager as you pant out hot and heavy against one another. Soothing is palm down your stomach, cupping your entire heat in his palm. Moaning out that it feels just fuckin like that. Wet and warm, so damn warm...ducking his head down to lick your nipple into his mouth, sucking slow but hard at the same time, nipping and grazing the bud between his teeth.

“Fuck” You moan back arching off the bed and into your husband’s mouth, as he licks trails across your sternum and over to your other nipple. While also stroking his entire palm against your pussy, Namjoon’s always loved how responsive you are to him even after all these years. Just letting his tongue lave over the buds over and over, alternating between, licking, sucking, and biting so your body never gets used to the stimulation. 

“You fuckin, love this shit don’t, you? Bet I could get you to come just like this...wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” You can feel his lips curling into a smirk around your nipples the harder he sucks, bringing his other hand into the mix, the one that’s nice and slick with your arousal. Using it to twist and turn your nipple between his nimble fingers until he can’t tell if your arching into the pain or away from it. He can feel you grinding against his thigh, more importantly, he can feel your clit sticking to his thigh your so damn wet, soaking straight through his sweatpants. Moaning out loud and unfiltered, eyes shut as you rock your hips against him, your hands getting lost in your hair the harder you rock against the bed.

“Fuck, look at you baby, rubbing your sweet little cunt against my thigh..” A low almost arrogant chuckle rumbling in his throat, vibrating against your skin making you moan even louder. “Fuck, here I was thinking you wanted to come on my dick...” 

“Fuck- I do, I wanna come all over you, want your mouth too though…” Reaching out to play in his hair, almost pushing his face down even harder, though you swear you can feel his lips curl into a wicked little smile at that moment. 

“Yeah? You want daddy's tongue all over your pussy…” He didn’t even bother phrasing it as a question, especially once he meticulously started rolling his tongue along your nipples, in a oh too familiar motion that had you turning into a whiny brat within seconds! 

“Namjoon!” He doesn’t even respond, just pulling off and flipping you right on to your stomach, hard and fast, making you damn near choke on your own spit. Face pressed into your fresh linen sheets.. You start to slightly arch your back on insctint. You feel him shift off the bed, peeping over your shoulder to see his sliding off his sweats, stashing his glasses in his side pocket. Namjoons length is just standing straight up, damn near laying flat against his stomach and you straight up moan, mouth-watering at the sight alone. A pleased hum leaves those plump lips of his as he shuffles back onto the bed. Kissing and licking his way up the back of your thighs until he reaches your ass, straddling your hips. 

Palm rubbing at the swell of your ass before smacking it, lightly at first, and your hip twitches you actually have the nerve to giggle. “That all daddy’s go-fuck” Another. Scream. Literally. Scream as he reels back even harder than he did earlier, just keeping his hand intact too, wanting you to feel the trob, the ache, radiating off his palm to your ass. 

“Hmm what was that baby?” Leaning down to spread your cheeks apart, just blowing a trail, against your pussy, watching the way your hole clenches from that alone. “Always so fuckin wet and ready for me…” 

He groans and you, arch your back, even more, moaning out slightly at the contrast hitting your skin. Bracing both hands on your ass and he can hear your breathing shutter in your chest, already anticipating the first drag of his tongue. Dipping one thumb over you rim, just circling it gently, feeling you jerk at the sensation, no matter how light, fuck your still so damn sensitive. That will never stop amazing him, it’s been almost 8 years. Yet you still react like it’s the first time he’s ever touched you like he’s still helping you explore new places along your own body! Namjoon leans forward, nipping, licking, and sucking, open mouth kisses, against the backs of your thighs, before leaning down to kiss your clit. Tongue and all, sucking it straight into his mouth, moaning out deep and strong around the bud. Inhaling slowly as if he's breathing you in and your knees already start to buckle,  nails clenching around the sheets. 

A broken moan of his name being muffled into the fabric, as he rolls his tongue in deep, languid strokes up and down your folds, licking from front to back. Your wetness is already painted all over his face and he wouldn’t have it any other way, as he continuously, maliciously sucks down on your clit, gently grazing the skin between his teeth just enough to make you squirm. Bringing his tongue to lather over your rim and he feels how hard you start shaking, sliding in two fingers into your heat, knuckles deep at the exact moment he slips his tongue past your rim. The vision that is you, open, needy, and whiney, on all fours...is driving your husband absolutely insane! How quickly you’re falling apart, knees spreading even wider to give him all the access he needs to do with you as he pleases. 

“Yeah..” You sign, blissed out of you goddamn mind ‘Fuck”

Your voice drips in the whiniest tinge of need imaginable like you’ve been aching for this, and the sounds richotect straight off your tongue and into Namjon’s lap! Your chest drops forward, letting Namjoon essentially all support your weight, as his tongue dives in even deeper, while continuously fucking you open with his fingers, he’s already added a third one. Mind completely spinning at how hard your clenching around all three of his fingers, cock throbbing at how good you’ll feel around him soon enough. You feel him pull back to spit right along your rim, watching it drizzle down toward your clit, he picks the trail up with his tongue and leads it where he wants it to go. Namjoon moans out, low, and content as he really starts to eat you out your tongue and fingers working your pussy open until your voice hitches in your throat and shatters. Ripping, a long drawn out whimper to leave your throat.

“That feel good?” He murmurs low and taunting, and you can’t help but roll your eyes, as if he can’t physically tell he feels good.

“I’ve had better”

He bites your cheek playful, a snort leaving his lips “Fuckin same..” slurs out against the swell of your ass and you can’t help but cackle.

“Fuck, I bet you have now, stop talking and get your fucking tongue back in ME!!” Bossy as ever, damn near pushing his head down and he reaches up, biting the side of your hand forcing you to stop. 

“How about my cock instead?” Leaning back to smack his length aginst your ass a couple times, letting you feel how hard and ready he is. 

“Yeah! God yeah, fuck yeah! Gimme! In me now! Fuck me!!” All your prior teasing is gone, just the mention of his cock has you needy and clenching painfully hard around his fingers, while also simultaneously rutting back against them as if you don’t want him to pull out. Pulling his fingers out slowly. Curling them upwards, purposely coating his fingers in your arousal to use to lather his cock which is so hard right now it’s almost painful. 

“Daddy” Wiggling your offensively empty ass in his face, making him chuckle, and smack it lightly. before gripping your thigh and flipping you onto your back with such ease it was almost offensive. 

“Nam-”

“Fuck off” Leaning down and stealing your breath and sarcasm away with a deep kiss “I wanna see my baby..” Lining himself up to your entrance, you exhale softly against his mouth as the blunt head of his cock breaches your entrance. Hiking your leg around Namjoon’s waist to make him slide in even deeper.

“Yeah, fuck” 

“I hope you don’t think…” Shifting forward wiggly his hips a little, giving you half a second to adjust to how fucking big this man is! “We’re about to make love or some shit, because I’m about to break your ass..” There’s just as much of a smile as there is a dangerous edge to your husband’s voice, that has you beaming up at him. Before you even had time to think of a response he was snapping his hips forward hard enough to have the two of you scooting up the bed a little.

Namjoon, propped your leg even higher over his shoulder, as he snapped his hips forward again, even harder this time. You moaned out, and scurried to grab onto your husband’s neck to anchor yourself as he fucked into you hard and fast, you tried to arch and fuck him back but it was hard with how intense he was pounding into you! 

“Oh my godddd” You drawled out, eyes rolling to the back of your head.

“Yup, Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been called that, in this position.....” You could hear the smile in his voice as he continued fucking you like he was trying to split you open with his cock. Nails clawing into his back hard enough to break skin! 

You could’ve just laid there and took, it because fuck if it wasn’t good, but that’s not the mood you were in at the moment. So you dropped your leg from his shoulder and wrapped them both around his waist. Tipping your hips forward, clenching down hard around his cock as you started grinding your hips against him. Fucking him back the same way he was giving it to you. Hard and smooth.. 

“Y/n” He half growled half whined as you smiled up at him, something wicked, releasing your hold around his cock only to clench down even harder. He groans in what seemed like frustration reached down to smack pinch your clit between his fingers hard enough to make you cry out his name. Arching forward even harder. 

“Yeah, daddy like that, fuck.Me.just like that” you were breathless but the sass was clear as day, a slight chuckle leaving your throat. 

“Fuckin brat!” Reaching down with the same hand that was on your clit, wrapping it around your windpipe, adding just enough pressure to have your eyes rolling to the back off your head. The added stimulation throwing off your rhythm a little but you didn’t care, he had you…

“Yesss,yes, fuck!” His tattooed chest was flushed and covered in sweat as you continued fucking back against his cock, which was warm and continuously pulsing side of you. Filling you up and sliding completely out every single time. Your hole twitched painfully hard as the two of you worked in sync thrusting against each other in a smooth yet malicious rhythm, the sound of skin slapping you moaning, Namjoon grunting... 

Fuck an edible arrangement maybe the two of you should treat your neighbors to a spa weekend or something because they damn sure aren’t sleeping right now! 

“Ya know, if you would’ve came to bed earlier” He panted right into the side of your ear, still rolling his hips into you “I could’ve fucked you, came inside you” Leaning down to lick up the side of your jaw  “Licked all, of my come out of you, and then” Pulling back and snapping his hips up even sharper, as if to accentuate every word “Fucked.You.All.Over.-Fuck-Again” Every thrust had the wind being knocked out of your chest  “ But now..we don’t have tim-” 

Reaching up to twist his nipple between the tip of your nail, kneeing him in the stomach just enough to make his hips stutter and have him shuffling back so you can push him onto his back which he falls to willingly. That is, until you literally bounced down onto his dick, damn near gagging in the process he feels so deep in this angle. Almost tempted to feel up your sternum and see if he’s poking through. 

“You little bitch” Chokes from his throat with a stated smile the tones playful and airy, digging his nails into your ass, letting out an involuntary gasp as he rolls his hips up. Only for you to start rolling your hips back, again, and again, and again, in deep, slow, circles, switching up the pace a little from what it was before. Making sure your clit grazes against his pelvic bone every time.

“Yeah, fuck you” Your breathless, and tired, but you can’t help but smile at how completly fucked out he looks right now, eyes barley ajar, jaw tight, he looks so damn good! 

“Yeah, yeah, fuck daddy baby..fuck me..” It’s clear he’s only egging you on but fuck if it’s not working,he sounds down right sinful as you ride him. His moans are deep, loud, almost needy, at every roll your hips make, and it’s intoxicating! Reaching up and grabbing you down by your neck , licking his way back into our mouth, his grip is strong enough to without a doubt leave a bruise. Both of you moaning out pleased and needy as you start slamming your hips down meeting his upwards thrust. Instantly matching the pace he’d set. Namjoon pulls back, and slips three fingers into your mouth, hitting the back of your throat to make you gag a little. Exchanging the grip he held on your neck for the back of your hair, as he brings his other hand down between your bodies to play with your clit, before licking his way back into your mouth.Feeling the way your thighs start to shake as you cry out against his tongue barely able to kiss him back at this point . 

“Your fuckin close baby, your pussy’s just screamig around me..” He’s breathless, not even trying to hide it anymore, voice horse and dripping with arousal. “Goddamnn I love you…” You clench so damn hard around him at that..I actually don't think anything turns you on more than hearing your husband say that. Especially sounding all fucked out and needy.

“Love you too baby..so fuckin much… “

“Good”  He chuckled low and dark agaisnt your lips “Now come, all over my cock like a good girl”  Fucking into you faster and harder, hand still rubbing blunt circles around your clit, tightening the grip he holds on your hair until your roots burn  “Y/n , baby, my baby, come for me, come for daddy...” 

It only took a few more thrusts before your orgasm ripped through you and you were crying out your husband's name, body spasming on top of him. Yet you still didn't stop rutting against him until he came in. You couldn't, you needed to feel it, body running away from him just as much as it was running towards him! You can feel how hard your clenching and its involnaty this time,so he reaches up with both hands rolling your hips against him one more time before slamming you down onto his cock. Just holding you in place while you continue to pulse around him, body shattering to pieces.

“Namjoonnnn fuck-fuck-fuck-” He grounds you agaisnt his cock as he jerks his hips up hard and fast, eyes squezzing shut, neck arching off the pillow, as his relase washed over him. A long drawn out moan of your name slipped off his tongue as he came, hard, hips stilling making sure to fill you to the brim, until he's sure he released every last drop he had to give..His own body shuttering in ovesentivty at this point. Namjoons fingers slowly soothed up your thighs, both of you panting painfully hard, wincing at the contact as you continue pulsing around him. Eyes locked in a half lidded gaze, a smile that started on your lips and ended on his as the two of you racked over each other's forms, hot sweaty, marked up, and fucked out. 

“Namjoon” You finally say, breaking the silence, a slight moan hanging off your tongue and he smiled back at you, reaching up to grip the back of your neck.

“Y/n” Parroting your name with the same lust filled drawl that you had, making you moan…

Nam-fucking-Joon” Leaning down to place a firm kiss to his lips, humming out instanly at the contact.

“Y/n Kim….” 

“Yup, that’s me!” Smiling out tired and dazed against his lips, while you felt his hand soothe up and down the curve of your back. 

“I love you”

“And, I love you” 

The two of you laid there like that for a moment, until his cock was completely soft and he gently slid out, still keeping you flush against his chest….just sitting in comfortable silence, breathing together..until..

“ Oww!! What the fuck was that for ?!” Your poor ass...at least it’s a pinch and not a smack this time...

“I mean it. I love what we do and I know sometimes realistically it happens there are only so many hours in a day I understand that. We wouldn’t be where we are if we didin’t work our asses off! But you’ve been doing this and running on fumes all damn week! I’ve just been watching from afar and keeping my mouth shut, hoping that you would sort it out yourself but I couldn’t watch you burn yourself into the ground anymore. Y/n. I’m serious! “

You can feel the weight behind his words, the way his heart seems to be beating harder now than it was when the two of you were having sex. 

So you lean down to press a kiss on his lips that almost seems far too delicate and out of place for what just happened only moments prior.

“I know.” 

Namjoon holds your gaze for a second longer before cupping the side of your face and kissing you firm and sweet, smiling against your lips once he feels you sigh into it. Hesitantly he pulls away and heads towards the bathroom and he already hears you whine in protest. Just flagging his hand in your direction, not even bothering to turn around.

 “We literally have a 9 AM flight and an 11:30 business meeting at the Plaza! Meaning, you have to be dressed and fully ready when we hop on the plane. Your fuckin showering..now. I don’t wanna hear it. ” 

Honestly, you were far too tired to protest and the tone of his voice let you know you wouldn’t win anyway!  So I mean, fuck, at least there’s a bench in the shower! 

“Ugh, fuck, fine! Come carry me! I have to preserve my energy to walk in my Louboutins tomorrow!!!” Making grabby hands in his direction knowing damn well he can’t deny you anything. 

“You mean today!” You heard his voice echo off the tiles and hoenstly he seems far to chipper to remind you have of, which only makes you whine even louder! 

Heading back out the bathroom with a smirk on his face, shaking his head in dismay as he scoops you effortlessly into his arms. “Come here you little brat!” 

“Your brat!” You fire back, with nothing but smugness rolling off your tongue as you loop your arms around his neck, kissing his dimple.

“Fuck yeah you are, my brat, my wife, my fuckin baby” Inviting his tongue back into your mouth as he leads the two of you back into the bathroom! 

The two of you moved together lazily whilst in the shower, taking turns washing each other, slow touches and kisses. Murmuring sweet nothings mixed in with business because though you tried to leave work at work...sometimes it’s impossible! 

Not even bothering to look at the clock once you finally melted into your bed, honestly, you didn’t even wanna know. 

~~~

 Far too soon the sound of all 6 of your alarms went off, ya know, the “Okay I should get up but I don’t have to get up” All the way to the “Fuck, I’m late!” Alarm! They all went off until you found yourself practically being scraped off the floor and led into the guest room that the two of you converted into an additional closet and a place for you to get ready in peace! 

Sitting down, Starbucks in hand as you set out to beat your face, do your hair and try not to look like you stayed up until 1 am then got fucked into the mattress until you damn near cried! 

The Starbucks was curiosity of Taehyung who had keys and free reign to your apartment whenever we felt so inclined. The redhead welcomed himself into your space, waltzing over in your direction with an all-knowing smile on his face. Ducking down to leave a slow lingering, open mouthed kiss along the one mark on your shoulder you apparently forgot to cover this morning. You can feel him smirking against your skin,as he pulls back to flop down on the pink furry chair currently covered in rejected outfit choices. Trying to force yourself to ignore the sudden chill that rang through your body because you didin’t have the time or the engery for anything else. 

‘Why aren’t you wearing this? Your ass looks fuckin great in this!” Holding up a black halterneck Jumpsuit, brows furrowed in the center of his face.

“I know, but, it needs to be steamed and I don’t have the time..” A feigned pout playing on your lips as you batted your lashes at him through the mirror. Watching as he slid off the chair, with an exasperated huff, eyes rolling to the back of his head more times than you can count. Heading towards the steamer you had hanging along one of your many clothes racks.  

“Thank you, baby!!” Blowing him a kiss that he swatted away in the process! 

“Yeah, yeah! Soo I see someone was impatient and went through the resumes last night…At fuckin midnight!” Eyes glaring in your direction, you could hear the frown in his voice. “Y/n-“

“Don’t!” Eyes narrowing in his direction through the mirror “Daddy Joon already got in my ass enough about last night for all of you!” 

 “As he fuckin should! That’s what you have me for baby, so you aren’t doing that shit to yourself anymore!” You can tell he’s trying to sound authoritative but instead, he just sounds sad and equally disappointed!”

“I know, Tae, I know, I’m fuckin workin’ on it!.” Your delivery comes out a little sharper than you intended but he’s known you far too long to take it personally or even fully acknowledge it honestly! 

“Speaking of, I actually met this kid, not fully a kid he’s like 21, but anyway he just graduated from USC, for some sort of Film. I actually ran into him at Starbucks today and he’s supposed to be sending me his resume and some video reels in a little while.” 

A low hum ringing in the back of your throat, far too focused on carving out your brows to talk...but he took that as a hint to continue. 

“His name is Jungkook, he seems somewhat promising just from talking to him, so, I’ll feel it out and if it seems worth your time I’ll forward over his information! I’m also going to try and set up a couple of interviews for you and Joonie next week!” 

Offering a faint nod in response, still far too focused on your makeup to give much else, or realize the sudden fire burning in Taehyung's eyes as he watches you get ready. Silk robe hanging loosely off your frame, a pair of white lace panties peeking out...

“What time were the two of you trying to get dropped off at the airport?” The sudden shift in conversation, and the blatant octave change had your eyes meeting him through the mirror. Trying to feel out his mood…

“In the next hour or so…” Then there’s Namjoon, standing in the doorway wearing nothing but his dress pants, an unbuttoned silk shirt, and a smirk that screams nothing but trouble. 

“Come’re” The bass in Namjoon’s voice alone has chills running down your spine, a second away from shifting out of your seat until you realize he’s not talking to you. Flicking his finger in the redhead’s direction, edging him off the wall slowly. Biting his lip as he sways coyly in your husband’s direction. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE! FOR NOW, IF YOU LIKED IT.. ,SHOW THIS SOME LOVE AND I’LL CONSIDER ADDING TO IT!  I DID MAP OUT THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS LAST YEAR WHEN I STARTED THIS BUT I DIDN’T PHYSICALLY WRITE THEM! BTW I KNOW I DIDIN’T MENTIONED ALL OF THEM, BUT ALL O BTS MINUS KOOK WORK FOR THE OC AND NAMJOON!

MASTER LIST 

[winterysomnium]

just realised i forgot the ship WangXian kiss print #18

slides in five months later hi hello I have answered the prompt even tho it took me like half a year I’m so sorry

it also wasn’t supposed to be this long but it sorta ran away from me and wherever your fic goes you gotta follow tbh lol. thank you so much for prompting! ♥ means so much to me.

AO3 link here 

(tumblr kinda messed up the format so it might be easier to read on AO3 honestly)

—

the borders of you (untouched);WangXian; 5,900+ words;

Wei Ying creates a talisman that’s supposed to keep all the fierce corpses and beasts away. Problem is, it keeps away everyone, living people included. And worst of all? It’s not going away. (prompt 18:kisses where one person is sitting in the other’s lap)

—

It’s not that Wei Ying has messed up.

The ward works,works well, as it has kept Wen Ning about four feet away from him from everyangle and he hasn’t been able to break through the barrier, not even after theadded strain of several fierce corpses that have been roaming the remote villagefor days on end.

Therefore, his inscription can’t be incorrect in thatsense, no. It’s just … the ward works toowell, is the thing.

When the paper burned up and the hour mark has passed,Wen Ning is still unable to get anywhere nearer, bounced back against the invisiblebarrier like a stone, skipping across the surface of a lake. Not only that: noone else has been able to either. Notany of the villagers, their grateful bows directed towards the Lan juniors andtheir liquor bottles towards Wei Ying, not any of the juniors and not even LanShizui, increasingly worried the more the sun dips, low into the horizon.

At last, knowing that he must have made a mistake ortwo somewhere, Wei Ying watches as a birdcan’t sit on a branch when he stands underneath it, watches on as the curiouscat that has been sniffing at the robes of every unknown person, keeps pawing atthe barrier with a bit of irritation at the tip of her tail.

It isn’t trulyworrying Wei Ying yet. He can touch the liquor bottle and drink from it justfine, and some talismans were known to dissipate after half a night’s time at earliest.Maybe he added a stroke too many to his blueprint, strengthening and prolongingthe effect inadvertently.

He couldn’t have accidentally created a full on permanentbarrier, he knows that, because thereis no visible or spiritual writing anywhere on his clothes or his person andhis paper prototype has been ashes as soon as he surged his powers through itsform.

So he convinces the juniors to stay for dinner andsettle in for the night; it’s past everyone’s bedtime and the comforting scent ofsoup and roasting meat painfully flares the hunger in Wei Ying’s stomach,overriding any lasting thoughts of worry or anxious fears.

His mood doesdip slightly when he realizes he can’t truly share the table with anyone, thesweet taste of the sugar spun fruits souring in his mouth with every lonelybite. He’s gotten too used to this easy kind of company, to Lan Zhan’s quiet,steady presence, his fingers never too far from Wei Ying’s aid, from gettingtangled up with Wei Ying’s own. He’s gotten used to the bundle of juniors followinghim around during the classes he teaches (to Lan Qiren’s unending chagrin) andhe almost misses JingYi’s – a little tooloud – voice right next to his ear.

His exasperated huff must reach all the way across thetavern, because Lan Shizui stands as close as he can to his table now, hiseyebrows etched with something nervous and small. He pauses as he tests the wardonce more, with the tip of his shoe.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t head back right away,Senior Wei?” he asks, ever considerate and Wei Ying sees Lan WangJi’s teachingsfilling out A-Yuan’s shoulders, the chambers of his heart. It makes him missLan Zhan suddenly, with a pang of something sore, like swallowing a painfulgulp of water, feeling it travel all the way down his throat.

He rubs his sternum through his robes, the phantomfeeling making him feel silly (they’ve been gone for barely a day and a half) as he shakes his head.“There’s no point in leaving this late. We’ll arrive too late for breakfast ifwe do, anyway,” he reasons, but A-Yuan’s face stays cautious, eyebrows drawn. (He’stoo good of a child, honestly, Wei Ying thinks.)

“What if theward isn’t gone in the morning?” he asks and Wei Ying drinks another cup ofwine, just to dissipate the distant, cold restlessness stuck at the back of hisskull. There’s no need to be worried, yet.

But it must be a question that’s not just runningthrough Shizui’s mind, because the white robes of the juniors have gotten muchcloser now, JingYi’s questioning look clearly convicting him of eavesdropping,alongside with the others, craning their necks in a – fully inconspicuous –way.

Wei Ying feels a smile graze his face as he watchesthem quietly strain their ears, despite how obvious they are, how much he stillhas to teach them.

(Are they even trying to hide their curiosity at all?)

“Then it won’t matter if I find out here or in theJingshi,” he decides to come back to the question, answering it firmly, decisionmade.

(It’ll just worry Lan Zhan if they arrive and theeffects are not gone, he adds, for only his heart to hear.)

He gets up, brushing out his robes, stepping aroundthe table. Worrying Lan Zhan is one of the last things he ever wants to do.

Copying his movement, the juniors stand up from theirempty bowls and reserve a tired bow to the owner as they head up the stairs totheir bedrooms, quiet enough not to wake anyone else. Shizui and JingYi are thelast in line and they reluctantly look over at Wei Wuxian as he stands at theentrance of his own room, the dissatistified look on JingYi’s face so much morevisible than the slight crook of Shizui’s eyebrows, the corner of his lips.

JingYi opens his mouth, undoubtedly to argue Shizui’spoint again in a more, well, JingYiway, but Wei Ying is faster, interrupting him as soon as he takes in a slightlybigger breath.

“Go to bed. Worry about the report you’ll have towrite, if you want to think about something,” he tells them, with a smile thatis just a little bit too fond and after a moment of decision between arguingfurther and just letting it be for the night, they slowly step over thethreshold of their room, closing the door behind them, softly and slow. WeiYing lets himself collapse onto the single bed of his, a little too stiff underhis weight but clean and with thick covers and a pillow so soft it begs for himto stick his face in.

He really should take his own advice, he thinks as ayawn cracks through the bones of his jaw; his thoughts scattered across theheavy set of his mind. He thinks of Lan Zhan, of a symbol he might have torewrite on the talisman, of Lan Zhan’s chest rising and falling, the lullaby ofbeing there that he plays to Wei Yingevery night.

He doesn’t recall anything after that.

—

Wei Ying knows he’s stalling. He’s decided to stay inCaiyi Town for lunch, sending the juniors ahead and idling about the riverbank, picking all the deserted spots so as not to raise too much attention,twirling Chenqing and wondering just howhe’ll explain this to Lan Zhan so that his mouth and brows don’t curl into thatconcerned shape like they do whenever he does something detrimentally stupid,usually to himself.

He doesn’t get far beyond the edge of the town after hefinally starts up the journey up themountain when he spots him, the afternoon trailing across his robes, awakeningthe woven patterns as Lan WangJi walks towards him, regal and ethereal asalways; even more so with the sun gingerly touching his features between thetrees.

(The same sun feels suddenly way too warm on WeiYing’s own neck.)

“Lan Zhan!” He greets him, happily, despite theprevious moments of avoidance: something about this man just reassures him tothe deepest parts of his soul, calls him to be paid attention by.

Lan WangJi pauses, stands at the exact border of thecharm, tracing the unseen outlines with his eyes before he carefully extendshis fingers, the tips pressing against the ward.  

“Wei Ying,” he answers, in a tone hard to describe:relief, concern, affection, each atthe tip of a different finger, a different note.

(Wei Ying’s heart is an instrument, lovingly played.)

“Don’t look so worried, Lan Zhan! My dearestHanGuangJun,” Wei Ying smiles and it’s never been so difficult to keep still,to keep away from that beautiful face in front of him, kissable and dear. “I’mperfectly fine, see? Aiya, the children must have been telling you all kinds ofgruesome stuff, haven’t they?” he twirls around just to show he can, thatthere’s nothing hurt or aching (besides his poor heart, trying to press itselfout of his ribcage, pulled towards Lan WangJi’s own).

Lan WangJi watches, a stern look slowly seeping intohis features, a sigh buried deep within his lungs. He’s not fooled and Wei Yingknows this, all too well.

“Shizui said no creature living or dead can get closeto you,” Lan WangJi answers and an aborted twitch of his arm belies the intentto hold, to try to defy the limits of whatever Wei Ying has created, despitethe impossibility of it all.

(It’s more painful than Wei Ying imagined it would be,if he’s honest with himself.)

(He’s not.)

He lets out a sigh, tracing the invention he’s stuckin through the air, each stroke a confident memory. “I must have strengthenedthe effect of the charm with a stroke too many somewhere. I already have a fewideas to try out,” he promises and while Lan WangJi still doesn’t look happy, probablythinking: how many have you tried already,unsuccessfully?, he nods anyway, aligns himself at Wei Ying’s side as closeas can be, always beside him, always a guardian of Wei Ying’s own.

“Let’s go back,” he says and the smile Wei Ying feelsblooming on his own face is positively hurting his cheeks. He grins, relieved. “Let’sgo home, Lan Zhan,” he agrees, pleased at the warm hue enveloping Lan WangJi’sears like little buds of flowers.

No touches needed for Lan Zhan’s ears to go warm, henotes, fondly amused.

(Thoroughly in love.)

—

Neither of them can sleep peacefully that night. LanWangJi forfeits his bed to sleep at the other side of the room, even when Wei Yinghimself protests profusely against it (to no avail).

If it’s the unfamiliar scenery of their empty bed orsimply being too far away from Lan WangJi himself he can’t tell, but not evenWei Ying’s usual bedtime can lull him to sleep. He misses the satisfied achesof a night well spent, of loving and being loved in Lan Zhan’s arms and feelingeach of his touches bitten into his skin; the only pain he’s currently feelingis the unpleasant twitch at his back as he slumps over the table, scribblingnonsense into his notes.

So maybe he hasmessed up. He’s studied every stroke’s direction and count on his blueprint,has corrected all the places he felt unsure about and yet, not one modificationhas worked one bit. He’s cast tens of reverse charms, trying to unweave the spellhe’s trapped himself in but nothing has changed: the space he’s isolated inhasn’t shrunk and not even one of the bunnies has been able to hop through tonibble at his robes (he’s been baiting them with carrots all evening so thatthey would actually get near enough to him, too).

Wei Ying doesn’t think he’s an impatient person. He’snot patient per se, either, but he’s able to withstand things. To persevere.He’s lived through enough to know that he’ll thrive in places others go to to becondemned and damned: he’ll root through the soil and he’ll rise like a lotusflower, crawling through to live, to resurface, to be plucked by Lan Zhan’skindness, by his heart.

Perhaps Wei Ying’s been spoiled. Spoiled by Lan Zhan’svery own hands and very own warmth: he simply doesn’t want to struggle anymore.He wants instead, yearns, he wantscomfort and softness and affection and he’s frustrated when it’s this close yetout of his reach altogether. It’s in the very room they share, in the robesthey store in the same place, in the kisses they wear on each other’s lips;they’re two strings bound together.

And now they’re like two parallel rivers, longing toget closer but held apart by earth itself, by soil and trees, the miles inbetween.

Wei Ying must have been worn down by Lan Zhan’s love,a stone sanded down to a grain, because he’s frustrated and unsettled, alonein a choice of his own making. But maybe it’s Lan Zhan’s fault too, just alittle bit, Wei Ying thinks, petulant. Just for all the ways he has indulgedWei Ying, spoiled him to pieces.

It’s completely unfair.

As if responding to his thoughts, Lan WangJi shiftsunder his blanket and his face turns towards Wei Ying’s, laid down on the table,the feeble cushion of own his arms. Lan WangJi’s still asleep and Wei Ying letsout a quiet huff, just to conquer the need to curse at his own stupid luck, thegrind of his frustration.

“Lan Zhan,” he whines, quietly, barely a sound underhis breath. “How unlucky is it of me to have you so near yet unable to touchyou at all? How miserable is this fate of ours, keeping us apart like this?Truly such rotten luck,” he complains, letting the childish words run theircourse, soothe the fear guarding the back of his throat.

He tiredly follows the slope of Lan WangJi’s nose withhis eyes, the bow of his mouth, the press of his chest, the dips and highs ofhis knuckles; falls asleep to the longing of a man dying at an empty well.

He wakes up confused and sleepy, thoughts still sunkenunder the syrupy pull of a dream, a blanket stolen from their bed slipping downhis shoulders as he raises his head and blinks: Lan WangJi is sits across fromhim, a cup of tea in hand.

“Lan Zhan, good morning,” Wei Ying, smiles, softly,but purses his lips upon noticing where he’s slept, confused. “Why am I sleepingon the table? And why are you sitting so far away and not right next to me?” heasks through a stretch and a yawn; what a strange morning it is. Usually Lan WangJinever lets him get away with falling asleep on the table or in the bathtub andalways carries him off, carries him right into their bed –

“Oh,” the memory falls on him like a bucket of water, cuttinghis stretch short. Lan WangJi simply pushes a steaming bowl across the table:the bowl inches closer over to where Wei Ying has pillowed his head on hisarms, but Lan WangJi’s own fingers cannot pass beyond the outer edge of hisnotes.

“Still here, huh,” Wei Ying comments and Lan WangJinods; pushes more insistently. It must be close to lunch time, the air insideof the Jingshi warm and fragrant, the afternoon outside inviting itself inwithin a soft breeze.

“Eat your breakfast,” Lan WangJi says, picking up hisown cup again, carefully adjusting his sleeve. Wei Ying accepts the hot bowl ofcongee, sipping at its contents and contemplates, grazing his lips across therim.

He vaguely feels fifteen again, waiting for Lan WangJito look his way, to pay attention to his whims.

“Lan Zhan. HanGuang-Jun. Did you throw this at me?” Hetouches the blanket after a moment between them stretches and laughs when LanWangJi nods, then looks at the papers strewn all over the table.

“Any progress?”

Wei Ying swallows another gulp of his congee and shakeshis head, supporting his chin with his palm. “There must be something I’m missing.Will you look at it as well for me?” He takes the papers and pushes them allthe way across and leans back, waits for Lan WangJi to accept them, follows hisface as he meticulously reads every line, studies every annotation and scribble.

His forehead ribbon is as immaculate as ever and WeiYing really wants to play with it, tug at the ends and mess up the linecrossing Lan WangJi’s forehead, hold it until all of its length is as warm asthe parts warmed by Lan WangJi’s skin.

It reminds him of the time he had a paper body,blowing Lan WangJi a kiss and crooking his ribbon, annoying Lan WangJi’s patience,when all of this between them was still unsure and hidden away.

“Lan Zhan, remember when I – wait,” Wei Ying stops, straighteningup, and Lan WangJi’s eyes flicker towards him, caught by the movement, sudden,a spring unleashed. “All this time, I’ve been trying to dispel the ward fromthe inside. But maybe it can only be reversed from the outside.” He taps his chin with a finger, already biting into histhumb. “I mean, this kind of thing doesn’t usually happen and therefore doesn’tneed to be specified, but I didspecify the outside protection so maybe I’ve only made it reversible from theoutside, as well.”

Lan WangJi opens his palm and waits for the freshlymade talisman to flutter his way, catching it smoothly between his fingers. “I’llcast it,” he nods.

“Mn, yeah. Thank you, Lan Zhan.” Wei Ying smiles andthe hope swells in him like a tidal wave, like the breath you take in afterbeing submerged for minutes on end. The sound he lets out when the paper burnsout and Lan WangJi is still unable to touch him is almost pained, like all theweight of the failure dragged his heart down to his feet.

He lets out a frustrated growl instead and his headthuds against the table, nearly knocking his finished bowl of congee over.

Lan WangJi sighs too, quietly, almost like he forgotto breathe for a moment as well and just remembered, willed his lungs to let go.

“Are there more?”

Wei Ying looks up. “More reverse spells?”

“Mn.”

“I’ve written down a few.”

“I will try them as well.” Lan WangJi gathers up WeiYing’s notes again, copies down all of the talismans, no matter how minisculethe correction and uses them one by one, always pausing to test if it worked,relentlessly, without a second of complaint or anger, without losing hope.

How he’s so composed, so seemingly calm ruffles WeiYing’s feathers – he wants to ruffle Lan Zhan’s instead, but not like this, not in ways that hurt underneath: hewants to watch him flick all of them back into its place, not render him unableto fly.

Yet there’s this undeniable, irrational annoyance whenthe last talisman is gone and instead of offering alternatives, Lan WangJi proposesWei Ying should take a bath, Wei Ying’s inner robes the ones that he’s arrivedin yesterday, his hair tangled up around his ribbon in stubborn knots.

“A bath won’t solve anything,” he protests but LanWangJi’s already gotten up, leaving to fetch their bathtub and hot water,silently preparing it like he always does, like nothing’s different, payinglittle attention to Wei Ying’s protests beyond a glance.

Wei Ying keep sitting down at the table, as aprinciple, because there are more pressing matters than a dirty robe, like whyhe’s still not figured this out and why his notes aren’t clear to his own mind, why Lan Zhan’s fine with all of this, why is he notvisibly upset, why isn’t he angry with him for causing this mess.

Why, instead, he stands as close (far, far) as he can, beckoning him into the water.“Wei Ying,” he says and just stands there and watches him like Wei Ying’s the unreasonable one, theneedlessly annoyed child.

“Fine,” WeiYing huffs, giving in after a two minute stare down, jerkily taking off hisclothes right there at the table, notstomping across the room naked, plopping into the water with an unnecessarysplash.

The water presses into all of his tensed up musclesand it does clear his head as hedunks it under, refreshes parts of him he didn’t realize were this tired as hescrubs the remnants of travel and uncomfortable sleep off, decidedly notlooking Lan WangJi’s way.

He’s slowly getting unwound by the soft suds slippingoff his shoulder, the weight of his body that just always lifts when he’s inthe water, when he’s brought back to being small and never cold anymore: he canalmost feel Shijie’s careful fingers combing through his hair.

(He can almost feel Lan Zhan’s, even gentler,somehow.)

Wei Ying sighs.

He’s not sulking and he’s not feeling guilty for being petulant, for making things harder forthe one person who’s chosen every hardship just to be by his side, just toprotect what he’s already lost once before.

When he looks up, embarrassed at his own meltdown, LanWangJi is at his work table, two stacks of papers neatly pressed against eachother, one pile decidedly bigger than the second and Wei Ying’s hit with hownormal, how routine this feels: Lan Zhan grading reports as Wei Ying bathes,Wei Ying reaching over and helping when his cheeks are already pink and hisskin all scrubbed, commenting on the wonky calligraphy of one student, praisingthe neatness and detailed work of another’s next.

It’s still a long way until evening but Wei Yingshifts in the tub until he’s at the other side, wet fingers tapping at the edgeof the desk. “Let me help, Lan Zhan,” he offers, drying his hands and eventhough there’s the everlasting unnatural gap between them, it calms his heart,this quiet time of togetherness, this little piece of normalcy.

His irritation dissipates fully, sinking to the bottomof the bathwater, forsaken and ashamed.

—

Lan WangJi collects Wei Ying’s discarded clothes to bewashed, pausing at the threshold, holding the inner robe close, enclosed withinhis arms, wrinkled and worn. He lifts the cloth to his lips, inhales shakilyagainst the tightness of his pulse, the emotions knotting up his heart.

He stalls, allows himself this minute of longing, thisminute outburst of missing a person who’s standing right in front of you, sofamiliar yet strange, unreachable.

(He makes sure that Wei Ying doesn’t – that no one –sees.)

—

Another two nights pass and Wei Ying decides to stophiding in the Jingshi and doesn’t cancelhis late afternoon class like they’ve planned: he’s bored out of his mind.

(And he’s not getting any new ideas either, anyway.)

Lan WangJiwanted for them to head to the Library Pavilion right after breakfast buttruthfully, Wei Ying is going stir crazy, stuck at the table and riflingthrough notes close to two days in a row now. He needs some movement and aslovely as watching Lan WangJi is, he needs a change of scenery, too – and eventhough it’s not night, he can still teach the juniors a thing or two,especially when the sun beckons so sweetly and the news of a lone ghoul findingits way into a pond halfway to Caiyi Town has reached Gusu just days before.

(It reminds him of Yunmeng summer days, sticky and hot,with a bundle of juniors at his heels and Jiang Cheng scowling right next tohis side.)

It barely stings anymore, memories like this, so helets them pass, focuses on the uniform footsteps that follow in his wake.

“Who can tell me where we’re headed?”he turns aroundas he asks, pausing when the juniors seem to be hesitating on the cuff of the crossroad,not one disciple trying to answer his question or meeting his eyes.

He frowns. “What’s wrong with you all? Did someonespill chili powder into your breakfast?” he asks again, teasing, but his eyesnarrow when even A-Yuan shifts nervously. “Come on, spit it out. What’s thematter?” He tries for a gentler tone and unsurprisingly, it’s JingYi that stepsforward, a stubborn air to his stride.

“Why wasn’t HanGuang-Jun seeing us off today?” heaccuses, quickly, and some of the juniors nod their head along.

Wei Ying gapes.

“Huh?”

“HanGuang-Jun wasn’t –”

“I heard you, I heard you!” he interrupts, indisbelief.

No one makes a single move for what feels like anhour, no one starts laughing telling him he’s fallen for this elaborate prank,this gaggle of teens frowning upon him for not letting his husband see him off.

Okay. What’s trulygoing on?

“HanGuang-Jun hasbetter things to do than standing around watching people leave,” Wei Yingcounters, arms crossed in front of his chest. He’s never been faced with thejuniors’ disapproval like this and he’s as taken aback as he’s slightlyannoyed.

(Isn’t there a rule that says not to question yourelders about their love life or something?)

“But he always sees us off when we leave with SeniorWei,” a disciple interjects, quietly piping up from among the crowd. Thedisciples around him nod, gravely, as if they’re judges of a severe crime,ready to profess him guilty as charged.

(Wei Ying feels like he’s living through a rathersurreal dream.)

“Senior Wei, did you tell HanGuang-Jun we were leavingCloud Recesses?” Shizui asks then, kindly, with the smallest hint of hesitationthat tells Wei Ying he’s worried about something, troubled by the possibleanswer Wei Ying will give.

It softens Wei Ying’s temper, just a little bit.

“Aren’t you guys being a little too much? HanGuang-Junknows perfectly well I am teaching a class.” He doesn’t quite know Wei Ying has left Gusu, per se, true, but they’re goingbarely halfway to Caiyi Town. It doesn’t even count as a field trip.

“HanGuang-Jun always tells Senior Wei goodbye, nomatter how far we go!”

“That’s right!”

“Yeah!”

The disciples chime in and for once, Wei Ying almostregrets how openly him and Lan Zhan operate. Now even the kids think they areprivy to the details of their relationship, is it?

“We believe you didn’t tell him we were leaving CloudRecesses at all! Because the ward is still there and HanGuang-Jun wouldn’t behappy with you leaving in such a condition!” JingYi finishes for everyone andWei Ying has a moment of thorough disbelief at how transparent both his and LanZhan’s motives seem to be.

(And here he used to believe his husband was an enigmato anyone but Zewu-Jun.)

“You kids –”

“HanGuang-Jun has been really worried for Senior Wei!”

“Maybe we should head back?”

“Yeah!”

Wei Ying subtly pinches himself, making sure he trulyis not, in fact, stuck in a fever dream.

“Am I still with the obedient, quiet, good Landisciples? Or have they all been possessed?”He shakes his head, uncrossing hisarms to put them on his hips, authoritatively (he hopes).

“Now, everybody, listen up. Of course I told everyonewho needed to know where we are going. While I am objectively the safest I canbe in this state, it is you juniors we are worried about. So of course there’ssomeone who knows where we are. And I have signal flares with me in case we runinto more trouble than we can handle.” Not that it’s likely, if there truly isonly one or a couple of water ghouls – they should be perfectly capable oftaking care of a situation like that, even withouta supervising elder.

There’s a hum that sweeps through the crowd  at that and with distinct relief upon nofurther protests being received, Wei Ying deems the problem settled, returningto his first, original question, repeating it just a tad louder to overpowerthe remaining echoes of suspicion and his own rattling surprise:

“Now, does really noone know where we’re headed?”

—

Naturally, Wei Ying cannot keep the children’soutburst to himself.

He’s sprawled on the ground with a cup full of wine andwith his stomach all warmed up by dinner, just spicy enough to redden hischeeks a little, just red enough to quicken his pulse (or is that all Lan Zhan,watching him so intently?)

So, naturally,Wei Ying complains, shaking his head after taking a generous, alcoholic sip. “Canyou believe the children accused me of not telling you I was leaving with themtoday? They were saying I didn’t let you tell me goodbye!”

“You didn’t,” Lan WangJi retorts, not disapprovingly,but his lips might be just a littlebit tighter, pursed the tiniest amount.

(Wei Ying wishes he could kiss them, kiss all of itoff.

Alas -)

“I told your Uncle,” he defends himself, belatedly andLan WangJi pauses as he refills his own cup of tea, herbal and scented aftermedicine, the fragrance bittersweet.

Wei Ying quickly raises his own cup, chasing the heavyscent from his throat. “And we didn’t go far! Not even as far as Caiyi Town,”he adds.

Lan WangJi takes his time with his answer, but after amoment he sighs, voice soft. “I still wish to tell you goodbye, no matter whereyou go or how long you will be gone for.” He’s talking carefully, as if he’steaching this, as if he’s intent on not being misunderstood.

It’s endearing as hell.

“That’s what the juniors said too,” Wei Ying responds,grumbling, despite the pounding of his heart.

How can any man resist a confession this sincere?

“And, well – I’m back now. Will you tell me welcomeback?” He grins. He means it as a tease, a way to change the subject of beingguilty of exactly of what he wasaccused of: but Lan Zhan’s just too good of a person, too good of a man to notdo it anyway.

“Mn. Welcome back, Wei Ying.”

God. Wei Ying’s insides hurt with how much he wants to touch him, devour him on the spot.He hurts with how much he just wants and wantsand how every time he’s being kept apart, it’s by his own doing, his ownfaults, his own actions, keeping him stranded in empty fields, in places thateat him alive.

“Lan Zhan! Iwas clearly teasing you!” he yelps and hides his flushed face behind the cup ofwine he’s emptied two times over by now; peeks over the edge.

Lan Zhan’s never letting him go.

“Mn. But greetings are polite. Wei Ying should saygoodbye properly next time, as well,” Lan WangJi says, tucking in what’s trulybothered him in such an efficient way Wei Ying just can’t help but feeladmonished and endeared – again – at the same time.

“Your notes say so, as well,” Lan WangJi adds and it’sa strange enough remark to tilt the world right into its axis again, away fromLan WangJi and words that Wei Ying can’t possibly fit all in, can’t keep all ofthem without an overflow.

(Lan WangJi is always so helpful, he truly is.)

“My notes?” Wei Ying shuffles through the – lessmessy now that Lan WangJi’s organized them – papers on the table, trying tofind what Lan WangJi means. Has he mentioned anything like that on them?

“Mn. Here. ‘Don’t forget to say goodbye.’” Lan WangJi’sfinger points to a corner of Wei Ying’s final page, underneath the finishedlayout of the ward.

Wei Ying’s heart stutters.

“… Lan… Zhan. Lan Zhan! ”He laughs, and stumbles,hastily getting up with a sudden buoyancy of hope, of a memory gasping for air.

“Of course it’s this simple!” He laughs again and his reliefcould span the universe, it’s so vast and deep. He claps and perfectlypronouncing, says: “Goodbye.” and even though he doesn’t feel any difference, inhis gut he knows: it worked. He knows because he’s remembered, he’s finally remembered and he curses his badmemory, curses working late into the night, half delirious and halfway todrunk, because it has finally bit him in the ass.

God, he really should listen to Lan Zhan more.

With a leap that might have sent all his notes flying,Wei Ying jumps into Lan WangJi’s arms, somehow already open and prepared tocatch him as he crashes into Lan WangJi’s lap heavily, kissing every inch ofLan WangJi’s cheeks and nose and temples, pecking his lips and holding onto him,desperately, holding onto the one anchor he has in this world.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry,” he repeats after eachkiss, chanting the words into Lan WangJi’s skin and he knows, he knows there’s no I’m sorry’s and no thank you’s between them but he’s finewith breaking the rules; he’s kissing a thankyou right into Lan Zhan’s mouth.

Lan WangJi’s fingers tremble minutely against hisback, his heart is loud under Wei Ying’s palm and Wei Ying loves him too muchto just not kiss him some more, to press himself into every little space leftbetween them, no matter how small.

Of course he’duse something so simple to break the ward. Something anyone can do. It is a talisman meant for ordinary people in thefirst place, not for cultivators: the person can best decide themself whenthey’re safe. When they do, the talisman vanishes, without any other wards,without any spiritual energy necessary. Ofcourse he’d pick something he has felt so smart about only to forget aboutit right after.

Of course.

Lan WangJi’s palm slips under his outer robe, his lipsmessing all of Wei Ying’s thoughts up – they fall apart when Lan WangJi’sfingers cross his skin and push his hips forward, keeping Wei Ying incredibly –impossibly – close.

There’s a laughhe presses into Lan WangJi’s cheek, right next to his temple, there’s anotherone trapped in the crook of Lan WangJi’s neck, airy and soft.

I have missedyou, Lan WangJi says, in a crushingly gentle hold,bruising but tender; in a kiss tracing Wei Ying’s hair, his neck, the curl ofhis shoulder.

Wei Ying’s eyes sting.

He thinks he might never let Lan Zhan go.

(He thinks Lan Zhan wouldn’t mind it either, at all.)

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan.”His fingers cup Lan WangJi’s face and he can’t help himself but push againstLan WangJi’s cheeks, pressing his fingers against Lan WangJi’s perfectlyimpeccable features. “Tell me, Lan Zhan: would you have stayed even if I’venever remembered how to get rid of this? Would you have gotten sick of mehaving our bed all to myself? Would you have finally gotten angry at me forruining something good? Would you have told me to leave?Would you have saidgoodbye and found someone else to –”

“Wei Ying,” Lan WangJi interrupts him; face still alittle smushed, held fully between Wei Ying’s palms, a frown hidden deep in hisvoice. “Stop talking nonsense,” he tells him, seriously, sincere.

There are tears falling off the precipice of WeiYing’s jaw, dropping onto his arms like heated wax, a melting sob curling up inhis throat. Lan WangJi stays still under his fingertips but his thumb brushes atear away from Wei Ying’s cheek, rests underneath, waits for more sadness todispel.

“I want you, wherever you are,” he says, simply and WeiYing doesn’t know why he was crying in the first place, why he continues tofeel tears slip past his cheeks but soon after, Lan WangJi’s mouth replaces histhumb, replaces the air on Wei Ying’s own lips and they don’t quite tumble intobed: they don’t really make it that far.

For once, Wei Ying doesn’t complain about it, at all.

[peachithings]

Safe Haven (m)

Pairing: Jaebeom x OC!Female

Genre: Smut, Fluff

Warning/s: contains unprotected sexual intercourse (stay safe bubs!), mentions of violence and profanities

A/N: This is the first time I am writing smut, please be kind to me huhu Also, this is my first writing that I have published hehe <3

-

Looking back, I have never thought that I would be that lucky girl that everyone would like to be.

Flashback

I  am  sitting  i n a crowded airport, reading The Catastrophic History of You and Me. It  is  the perfect book  that  resemble s  my broken heart.

Yes, my heart  is definitely  broken in half. I had just came out of a very destructive relationship. I was battered and was constantly getting abused  both non-verbal and  verbal. I thank the heavens for providing me the strength and courage to get out of that sick relationship.

I am now healing. I am slowly healing myself by traveling and focusing on myself and my goals in life. It is the best time of my life.

I smiled as I remembered that day. The day that I had met the man that accepted me for who I am with all the flaws and imperfections in me.

At that airport, I had met Jaebeom Lim.

I  am  sitting in one of the chairs in front of the terminal  and t here is only less an hour left before boarding. Suddenly, there was a group  of boys  that had just came and sit on the seats beside and in front of me. I did not bother to look at them, too busy and focused on my book.

“Hello, do you mind if I sit beside you?” A man asked.

He had his black hair  tied up in a man bun  and  a headband on and flashed his bright smile.

“No. I don’t have anyone with me anyway.” I replied and smiled back.

I instantly recognized them after. How would I not? They were the most popular boy group of the time. Their faces were in every  television  show  and in every social media out there was writing about them.

“Wow, how lucky am I to be just sitting beside the most popular boys of the generation.” I  thought  to myself.

As much as I wanted to interact with them, I kn o w that privacy is very important so I  did not  interfere with them after that little interaction with  Jaebeom .

After a while, i t was time to board the plane, so I gathered my things, brought out my boarding pass and stood up from  my  seat. In the corner of my eye, I saw them look at me. Maybe they were puzzled as to why I  am  not freaking out in front of them.

I went to board the plane, flying first class is checked out off of my bucket list.

Little did I know that they were also boarding the same plane as I am. How was I to know?

“Hey” He greeted and smiled. Oh boy,  his  smile made me melt to my knees. “I believe you were also the same person that was sitting beside me reading a book?”

“Uhm, hey!” I greeted back. “Yeah , I think so?” I replied.

“I’m  Jaebeom . And you are?”

“My name is  Illea ”

“Your name is just as beautiful as you.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,  Jaebeom . Nice to meet you.”

I smiled as I continued to adore my boyfriend while I reminisce that day.

“Hey, babe. What are you smiling about?” Jaebeom asked.

“Oh nothing, babe. I just remembered that day we met at the airport.” I replied and chuckled.

“Really? Did you know that day was the best day of my life?” He stated.

His statement made me blush. He made me happy and I always felt safe with him. He is my safe haven.

GOT7 is now starting their promotions with their comeback and they were all busy. I was also busy with work, I am their photographer after all.

Thinking back to the time that he was asking me why had I come to South Korea, I never knew that I was going to be working with them. The email had only said that they are offering me a job as a photographer to one of their talents. And they also mentioned that the job is inclusive of occasional travels with their talent.

“So,  Illea… W hat brings you to Korea?” He asked.

“I was offered work that I cannot refuse:  to  take photographs and to travel.” I replied.

I knew it was their company that hired me but  I  did not intend to tell him.

“Really? I  love taking photographs   on  a film camera. I have a passion for the arts.” He said and flashed his signature boxy smile again.

The flight  was  long and  it  consisted of a lot of conversations, meeting the rest of the members, food and sleeping. It was one of those experiences that are spontaneous but it was memorable.

Jaebeom and I shared a passion for the arts. Each city we have traveled to, we try to make time to visit the museums around the area. It was one of our ways to relax and unwind.

There are a lot of Ahgase speculating about our relationship but we wanted to keep it private first, so we still did not release any statements regarding the matters.

There were fans that was happy and there are also some that were upset. But to Jaebeom and I, all that mattered was we were happy together.

The members and the company were indeed happy for Jaebeom and I. They had never seen Jaebeom that happy and that inspired.

The promotions had ended for the day. We were all in the waiting room and they were having a V live.

They thanked their fans for their undying support and that they are all grateful for each and one of them.

“Ahgases, I have an announcement to make.” Jaebeom stated.

I froze at his words. Deep inside I was panicking and I am not able to calm down my nerves.

Jaebeom looked at me in the eyes as if telling me that it is now time. My heart raced, I was nervous.

“I want to address the matters regarding the speculations about my relationship with Illea. It is true. We are together and we are happy. But Ahgases’ love is still much better than hers.” He continued and laughed.

The people in the room and I laughed at his statement too.

-

Days had passed after Jaebeom’s announcement and Ahgases was very welcoming. They were also a part of GOT7’s family so they are mine too.

I showered them with the member’s behind the scenes photos and videos as well. I loved how Ahgases are so creative with editing and writing. They were such an inspiration to a photographer like me.

I would have to say that my favorite muse would always be our little Nora. Since Jaebeom and I do not always get to spend time with our little furbaby we make every precious with Nora memorable with photographs and a lot of videos to accompany each moment.

Each moment with Jaebeom was wonderful and in his arms is my safe haven.

One night during the tour. We had came back to the hotel after the concert.

I was in a deep sleep with  Jaebeom  beside me.

I was having a nightmare. A nightmare from the past.

My ex was slapping me  o n my face while saying, “you are worthless.” From slapping me in the face, he then kicked me in the head and said, “bitch.”

I was crying hysterically in my nightmare. I was begging for him to stop while crying. My body ached ;  I was in pain.

Outside of my nightmare,  Jaebeom  had woken up from my screams and my cries and when he had acknowledged that I was having a nightmare, he quickly tried to wake me up. Shaking me hard to get me out of my nightmare.

The members has heard the screams and hurried to  Jaebeom ’s room. When they came in the room, I was already awake and was full of sweat and crying. They were all worried about me so they stayed for a while.

After I had calmed down, I had assured them that I was now okay and that they should all get some rest now. I have also apologized to them for waking them up at this late hour.  And then, t hey all went back to their rooms.

I hugged  Jaebeom . “Thank you, babe.” I said.

“You know I’ll always save you, baby.” He replied.

“I’ll just take a quick shower, love. I reek of sweat.”

He nodded.

He noticed me by the bathroom door. I quickly climbed back to bed where he opened his arms for me and cuddled with me. “I’m sorry I had woken you up at this late hour.” I said before we drifted off to asleep and he just kissed and held me tighter in response.

I remembered the nightmares went away after that night. As cheesy as it may sound, he is my knight in shining armor. He accepted me and made me feel safe in his arms and company. He showed me that my past does not define who I am and who I will be.

-

Today we all have a day off.

Jaebeom brought me home and had slept over last night. Yes, we still lived separately. I live by myself and Jaebeom still lives with his cats. There will be times that I am the one that stays over in his apartment too.

I opened my eyes to this beautiful man beside me still asleep. I caressed his cheeks thinking, “how could I be this lucky.” I kissed his forehead before I went out of bed.

I was making breakfast only in my man’s shirt from last night when I saw a figure standing by the kitchen door.

“Hi, babe!” I greeted him with enthusiasm.

“You look amazing, babe.” He chimed. I turned to him and he flashed me that boxy smile that I so loved.

“What are you talking about, babe? I’m dressed in only your shirt, what’s amazing about that?” I chuckled.

“You definitely look fucking hot in my clothes.” He said. “Maybe I should just give you all of my shirts then?” He added and then laughed.

He walked towards me and hugged me from behind. He kissed my neck, nibbling on my sweet spots. “Jaebeom..” I moaned. I felt myself getting wet with his kisses.

“Beom, I’m cooking. If you keep on doing that we won’t have any breakfast.” I chuckled almost finished on cooking our breakfast.

Jaebeom tried to continue on his kisses right after I turned off the stove.

“Can’t keep your hands off of me, I see?” I questioned.

“How can I? You look so hot cooking only in my shirt.” He replied. “You got me real hard, babe.” He added while pressing his cock on my ass. I moaned at his hardened cock.

I turned around and kissed him. My arms roamed around his naked body. In between kisses he said, “You. Are. So. Fucking. Beautiful.” And he lifted me up the kitchen counter and his lips wandered down my neck sucking forming a hickey and then nibbling on it.

His lips wandered back to mine. He captured my bottom lip softly sucking it making me moan. His hands had started to wander down my ass squeezing it lightly then pulling away slowly from the kiss and said, “babe, let me make you feel good.” His voice was raspy and it made me even wetter.

“Fuck, Jaebeom” I moaned. His lips continued to wander down to my breasts.  He grabbed one of my breasts in his hand as he started to nibble on my nipple. I threw my head back in pleasure as his actions made me moan his name and I started to feel my wetness drip. He brushed a finger on my slit. “So wet for me, baby.”

He slowly went down, kissing my thighs. His hot breath on my folds made me whimper, moan his name again.

I gasped when his finger touched my clit, rubbing it agonizingly slow. “J-Jaebeom” I moaned.

His tongue licked my folds without a warning and made my moans even louder. You felt his lips formed a smile knowing you were enjoying his every move. Jaebeom flattened his tongue on my clit before flicking it a few times. Loud moans escaping from my mouth. He ate me out like I was his breakfast. The way he ate me out sent me on edge. His finger made its way to my clit and rubbed it. “I’m c-close, babe.” I moaned.

“C’mon baby, cum for me.” And with that single sentence, I cried out his name while I came on his tongue.

“I love eating your sweet cunt, babe.” Jaebeom groaned.

I jumped off the counter and returned him the favor. I slowly licked his shaft, swirling my tongue around his tip. “Oh fuck!” He moaned.

“Babe, please.” He begged.

I put his shaft in my mouth. Bobbing my head while still swirling my tongue around his thick long shaft. “You look s-so fucking g-good, baby” he said while looking deep in my eyes. “W-with my c-cock in your m-m-mouth.” He added and threw his head back in pleasure. I took his cock deeper in my throat and I knew he was close.

“Baby, I’m c-close.” He moaned. And with a few thrusts in my mouth, he shoot his load and I swallowed every bit of it greedily.

“Wow, baby. You look so sexy swallowing my cum.” He stated and kissed me.

His kiss became hungrier again. “You didn’t think I was done with you just yet right?” He said.

He lifted me back on the kitchen counter.He discarded the only piece of clothing I have: his shirt.

I opened my legs in front of him. He licked his lips at the sight of my cunt in front of him. I felt myself getting wet for him again. He pushed his cock in me.

“Baby, you’re so wet and tight.” He groaned. I moaned as I felt him fill me.

He waited for a while to let me adjust. He started to thrust in me at an agonizingly slow pace.

“J-Jaebeom, f-faster please.” I begged. He started to go faster, thrusting into me deeper and deeper. I felt myself beginning to get close. As his thrusts get deeper, he began hitting my g-spot repeatedly.

“J-Jaebeom, r-right there. Your c-cock feels s-so fucking good.” I moaned.

“Y-yeah? I love your tight cunt a-around me.” He replied.

“B-b-baby, I’m c-close.” I whimpered at his thrusts.

“C-cum around my cock b-baby.” With just a few more thrusts, I came around him while I cried out his name.

His thrusts became sloppier and I knew he was getting close, so I helped him by moving my hips to meet his. He was shookt with my action and it made him moan, “Lea.”

“Baby, I’m c-close. C-can I come inside?” He moaned again.

“Y-yes, babe. I-I’m gonna cum with you.”

And few more thrusts, we both came together.

“Ah, babe. That was amazing!” He chimed. I chuckled.

We ate our breakfast naked after and laughed. And then head off to shower. After, we decided to just lounge in my apartment and catch up on some series.

-

I was late on my period. I was nervous to tell Jaebeom and honestly I do not know why.

We have a scheduled travel going to Los Angeles in couple of days. I went to schedule an appointment with the doctor’s telling Jaebeom that it was just because I was not feeling well but assured him that I will be alright.

I went alone. The doctor had instructed to collect urine from a cup. After a few minutes, the doctor came back with the results.

“Miss Waldorf, Congratulations! You’re pregnant.”

I was so happy. I thanked the doctor and provided me precautionary measures since it is only the first trimester.

“Doc, I was wondering... I do have a scheduled travel overseas. Will I still be able to go?” I asked.

“Yes, you may still be able to go and travel for now.” The doctor replied.

Now that the doctor’s appointment is done, the only thing left to do was to tell Jaebeom.

I decided to text Jaebeom.

[to Jaebeom] — hey babe, where are you?

[from Jaebeom] — i’m at home with the guys babe, why?

— how was the trip to the doctor’s? are you alright?

[to Jaebeom] — yeah, i’m alright.

— i’ll be there in a few! love you!

[from Jaebeom] — okie. be careful babe. love you too.

-

“Babe!” I shouted.

“In the living room, babe!” Jaebeom replied.

I went to the living room and saw that all the boys were present.

“Hey, Lea.” The member said in unison.

“Alright, boys. I have something to tell.” I said.

They went silent and sat down almost immediately.

“So as you guys know, I went to the doctor’s because I was not feeling well.” I trailed off. They were dead silent and focused on me but they just nodded in response.

“The doctor said... that I do not having anything to worry about. And I am only pregnant.” I continued.

They were all saying their congratulations. And I looked at Jaebeom, his eyes were sparkling. I knew he was really happy.

“Babe, thank you for making me the happiest man in the world right now.” He said.

“But...” He continued. His emotion changed and his tone was more serious. I was so nervous with the change of his tone of voice.

“Right now please allow me to continuously make you happy and be my wife?” He added while going down on one knee and bringing out a box.

I was so shocked. I was crying happy tears. “Yes, babe! A thousand times, yes!” I replied.

Jaebeom got up and put the beautiful ring on my finger and kissed me.

“I love you, Illea Waldorf.”

“I love you too, Jaebeom Lim.”

The moment was captured. Little did I know the boys were also doing a vlive over just for this moment.

Jaebeom Lim was, is and will always be my safe haven.

-

A/N:  Thank you for reading! If you happen to like it, please support me by buying me some coffee! Also, if you would like to request or have some comments to share, please do not hesitate to send them here hihi

[artiemoonqueen]

Baby

By: Monica Lebron

I was part of a family that had very few pets. We had a turtle that was always there since I can remember but was never...never named. We had doves that my dad once built a coop next to our garage. We would have them in the house as they would sit on our shoulders and often lay unfertilized eggs everywhere. My brother and I were definitely too young to take care of doves. One perished from a night in said coop by a predator, the other was wounded and healed inside the house. We somehow...crushed this one during one of our rough housing. I know I know, we are heathens and should be sent to Peta jail but we were children. Being only three years apart from one another at ages 8-10, we were wrestling and playing on the couch with a comforter and one thing led to another. Our last friend from a pair seems to have gotten tangled up with us. We were very very mournful I swear to you all. After that, our parents had divorced(not because of the doves) and I was left to entertain myself without any responsibility to a pet. It was another story for my brother and mom but this isn;t about their many adventures with pets. This really isn't about the ‘previous’ pets we had in the past. This story is about Baby. In the year 2018, long before my 28th birthday I had to figure out a living situation.

1)find roommates that I knew

2)find roommates that I didn’t know

3)move back with my dad

4)live on my own

Since I had lived two years with roommates that I knew and some I knew too much. Before that I was living with my father that would sometimes ‘break my soul’. And I was a bit hesitant to move with people that were strangers at that time, I took the opportunity to live on my own for the first time. $650.00 for an apartment that has high ceilings, beautiful lighting that I will admit that I am currently kicking myself that I didn’t take enough selfies. Furniture and decorations of my own taste and pretty chill neighbors, the location was a little out of ways from anyone visiting and just down the hill was a large pharmaceutical company that was the ‘leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases’ in other words, high possibility that they are working on zombie-endulced material that a friend of mine who once worked there, would swear that that wasn’t happening but promise to text me ‘code red’ as a warning to get my ass far away from that place in anything were to happen.

So I was alone finally and I had really fucking felt it. I went through a winter before looking through websites for adopting an adult feline. I had no preference other than friendly, pettable, I pick up and hug when I need it, but independent. Spoilers(with tears coming down my face I was able to find that. Sorry I thought this was going to be easier) Before our paths would tangle as the dove with my brother and I’s wrestling match, I first looked on the local humane society website to look for potential companions. While I knew I wanted an older cat because of less time training and the idea of giving an older cat a better life, I saw a green eye, black cat with the christen name ‘Monica’. Now if you want to take this moment to go back to the top of this tale and look at the author’s name, I too am named ‘Monica’. What kinda psycho names a cat with a human name like ‘Monica’? I’ve heard names like Sprinkles, Scooby, Donut, Ringo, Chucky, and just about any reference to a greek god/goddess or dessert. Who was the previous owner that watched too many episodes of ‘Friends’ that decided to name a kitten Monica? I quietly laughed in my lonely one bed-room and moved along the website until the next day, on May 21, 2018. A week before my 28th birthday, my little cousin and I drove our way to the adoption center to look at cats that I had no idea whether I would go through with it or not.

“There’s a cat there named Monica?” my cousin had asked after I told her the musing I did the night before.

“ Yeah, she was cute but I can’t take her! I’d look insane.”

“ You don’t know Monica, maybe she is the one.”

“ Hell fucking no.”

We got out of the car and walked in. The front desk had a box of kittens that needed to be processed in. Their mewls were delightful to hear but were too young to be adopted out. I had signed in and asked ‘what’s your most friendliest outgoing cat here right now?’ The person attending us was quick to say all the cats were great but in her time there she had gotten to like a cat named...Monica. I could feel my cousin's smirking gaze on me. I was not going to subject myself to ridicule for having a cat with my same namesake thank you very much. There were many potential companions to see anyway. Some very old and very young. One with just an eye that I was close to choosing and others with large ears that reminded me of season 1 of ‘Girls’ Adam Sackler. But in the room with both a ‘mr and mrs. Incredible’ was also the notable cat named Monica. Let me tell you a little about the cat that will soon be renamed ‘Baby’. She knew how to get ya’ to want her affection. She knew that being present, unafraid. In the open, fluffy with hints of grey and a rich reddish brown coat along the black, open wide green eyes and a meow that was certain. She was her own saleswoman. In a true cliche, I was ‘hook, line and sinker’.

After $90.00 in cash, in a cardboard ‘cat carrier’ and her meowing away, I took a female, domestic longhair, black, eye color that was the color green. Birth Date 10/2009, formerly named ‘Monica’ home. Our first week, I thought she wanted to get close to me at night so when I awoke to a bat that brushed across my face and not her, that was fun. Eleven shots and two weeks of follow up maintenance shots for rabies, we had gotten familiar to one another. I would feed her half a can of wet food at 5:30 am before my morning shift at my part time job at the dmv and feed her the rest at night after my shift from my salon job. She lay on her back sometimes when we were both in the living room while I enjoyed binging on tv. And meow when I say ‘what?’ when we would eye at each-other. She will follow me to a basement apartment that I shared with my close friend David. We call her ‘pizza’ baby because of the time she climbed alongside the back of the couch while we were eating pizza from Pizzaroni. I felt a tug on my left arm that was holding up my cheese slice. When I looked, she was leaning far to reach my pizza to eat it. Not a successful attempt that time but she will try again. She constantly wanted the attention of David to which he would gladly and promptly pet her while she purred and then quickly turned around to bit his hand away. He always gave her the attention though. For that I am grateful for David. You made sure she ate and loved. You affectionately talk about her to your parents on your long distance phone calls with them and tell your two ideal brunch buddies about your time with Baby. You were the best coparent for her when I would leave for a week long trip to Europe or weekends away to work conventions. She loved you. You had to know that, and you Mike. She loved you too. But she didn’t love the dogs that would shit all over the backyard on the walkway to the trash. Those assholes.

Her next adventure with a month long excursion to my dad’s house before the final move together. While I worked my last few weeks at the salon to save for the time that I would become a true ‘City’ woman. She would find ways to break into my dad's room to lay on the middle of his bed and sleep. His heater would be right in her direction, while we sat unknowing in his recliner in front of his tv. He didn't want to like her. I know this. But who could meet a cat like Baby and not love her. Who would not love seeing a black cat go on her hind legs to look out the window that you have looked through to see the ongoings of the gentleman club next door. Yes, from grades eighth to age 26 I had lived in an apartment that was a stone throw away from a gentleman’s club that late at night, my dad would wake me up to see out the window and watch as the patrons would take pictures of topless dancers on the sign of the establishment before a game of ‘catch me if you can’ through the usual busy main street formerly known as The Bowery before 1867 however that should be left for another drawn out tale. Baby will have a final destination and despite her short time here, my dream of her sleeping peacefully near me while I lay on my bed on a raining day did come to fruition. Super Bowl LIV, February 2, 2019. Both my birth mother and I are hungover from separate nights from each other. She picks up my stuff, Baby and I. And we head to my current apartment in Brooklyn, New York. A dream that I have had besides the many others that will be done and accomplished, I swear. Baby is free to roam the car but she opts to explore little and sleeps most of the way to hear and then to Long Beach for two nights of rest. She walks around like the fearless cat that she is in any space she is in. Never cowers. Never shows fear or intimidation. She is fucking awesome in all her glory and we live together here for another six months until she seems to not to be herself.

As I live in a time of fear for my health during a pandemic, I don’t realize that Baby could be going through a decrease of quality of life with some kind of kidney failure. It was all too quick the deterioration in her appearance and behavior. I was quick to get her to a vet but the results showed more than we had thought and I had to bring her to an emergency vet. They were so kind but when the doctor told me the treatment that would be done to her, I agreed to then going to reception to find out that I would even have enough money to keep her there for a day of treatment. I paid for blood work, exam fees and medicine just to try and figure a way and she seemed to perk up again and walk her way to her favorite rooms to look out the windows or spy on us watching another extructating episode of White Lines. But she wouldn’t eat. For almost three weeks she wouldn’t eat and I had to force feed her food but she didn't want it. I would just get frustrated and I’m sure she was frustrated with me but why wouldn’t she just eat and take the medicine and be like another girls cat that has had kidney failure for years but the cat was still going? Why?

I knew what was going to happen if I made another appointment. I knew and I didn’t want to know. I just had to make the appointment because what if? What if, despite the week before she was back to her ‘old self’ she got even worse the following week, and couldn’t even walk in a straight line. What if her constant sleeping was just her trying to heal herself? What if I bring her one more time and they have a better option that I can afford and I can bring her home and she could lay right beside me on the bed like she use to and look at me with her beautiful green giant eyes that a kid once said were evil eyes but your are dumb kid, really dumb. What if? That’s not how it goes though. We know in our souls when it’s time to say that horrible and final goodbye. So we push through, kiss them more and hold them close and bring them to the vet. We will wait and listen with tears already shed for the answer we didn’t want. The answer that didn’t fit with the what ifs. And you try to say your goodbye while uttering so many I’m so sorry. This isn’t a mom in hospice or a phone call from the police saying your sibling has passed. It’s nothing close to seeing the numbers of people dying from a virus or you dad getting in an accident and obtaining horrible injuries. Those pains are harsh, and grasping air. Those pains affect the heart, and brain for the rest of your life. Baby is like one in a million pets that people have lost. There will be millions of pets to come and go after my time here. However Baby was mine for a short time, but mine. I love her. I miss her. I feel her but I know she can never be here with me again. Feeling her not in the room with us but still having her body left was eerie. She made me happy, and loved like a familiar to its owner. Her snores by my head will be missed. Her purrs and weight on my chest. Her constant knots in her long hair. Her allowances of my kisses on her head. Goodbye Monica, Goodbye Baby.

END

[sabraeal]

We Seek That Which We Shall Not Find, Chapter 5

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Written for @ruleofexception’s birthday! I didn’t mean for Laxdo Arc to go on SO long in this fic, but HERE WE ARE. Hopefully in the next chapter we’ll be buttoning up this session (man, I am really dedicated to making this one seem six hours long, I guess. REALISM, you know)

“Are you seriously going to allow this?”

Shirayuki saw a bobcat once, back when she lived in the middle of nowhere and regularly had to shoo raccoons off the trash and hiss at fisher cats that roamed too far onto the property for comfort. She’d thought it was a cat, one of the big Maine Coons Mrs. Kino bred on the property catty-corner to theirs. She’d come close, thinking she might make kisses and lead it back to its grateful owner.

Too independent for their own damn good, Mrs Kino would laugh, shaking her head. Always trying to escape, like they can hunt kibble in the wilderness.

It took ten more steps than it should have for her to realize it was too big, too sleek for a Coon cat, but by then it’d seen her too, eyes shining gold in the dark.

She’d seen wild animals before -- loads of them, in fact, but this -- this was the first time she’d seen one look back with no fear. The cat only stared at her with a knowing sort of menace, the kind that said it knew full well she couldn’t do a single thing to it that it didn’t allow, and it could do a whole heck of a lot to her --

And she sees the same look now, just in blue, as Izana calmly flicks his gaze between her and Obi and pointedly turns to his brother. “I am afraid I have no idea to what you are referring. Your rest, perhaps?”

“No!” Zen throws a hand across the table, making a vague gesture toward Obi. “His -- his advances.”

“I thought we had already explored this avenue to its fullest,” Izana tells him, a thread of disappointment tying the sentiment up in a patronizing bow. “Obi is roleplaying. Unlike some of the other players here at this table.”

“But--!”

“Careful there,” Kiki drawls flatly, “if you try to get him to blanket ban flirting between characters, what are you going to do?”

His pale skin goes from parchment to pink, and, oh, looks like Kihal had been right about the, ah...purposefulness of Zen’s actions at least. “I didn’t say flirting, I meant, you know...”

“Brother.” Izana somehow manages to infuse the word with both the utmost derision and the most insincere pity. “I can’t make your character have more chemistry with Lynet.”

“I didn’t say that!” Zen yelps. “I’m just thinking about, you know, Shirayuki’s comfort.”

Izana blinks, slow and steady, just like that bobcat, no fear. “Did my ears deceived me, or did she not tell us mere hours ago that she did not mind Beaumains’ compliments?”

“Compliments is sort of understating--”

“Zen.” Kiki draws his complaint up short with only a word. “She’s fine with it. You are the one making it weird now.”

He huffs, twisting his head away, but doesn’t say anything.

Kiki’s mouth curls, and Shirayuki is sharply reminded of someone else at the table. “I mean, if you’re feeling left out, we could really make this game true to the myths, and I could--”

“No!”

“Well now that that is solved,” Izana drawls, his mouth curling into that unnerving half-smile of his, knitting his fingers together under his chin, “have we come to a decision?”

Weariness is a weight upon your back; it has been hours since the first twisted servitor emerged from the brush, hours since the last took its final breath, hours since you stopped for more than a breath and a bite to eat. The sun has long past set, but instead of the soft chirp of crickets as you pass, there is silence.

It is in this silence that you come upon it, your first sight of Laxdo.

Your heart clenches in your chest. It is same as it was so many years ago, when your father and the lord of this place had feasted together for seven nights, celebrating the joining of their houses. You had not yet been a woman, and the lord’s son had hardly been old enough to keep a knife at his belt, but still they had shook hands on it, had sat you both together and exclaimed over what a fine pair you would make.

Your would-be husband had burst into tears, snot running down his face with the force of them, and declared himself a bachelor forever. You had bore up better, but your own heart housed a similar sentiment.

Oh, how long ago that is now. You would have been married by now, had your fathers had their way, but when yours disappeared…

Ah, well, it would not have been the first of his plans to go by the wayside. Before or after.

As a child, Laxdo had seemed a glittering edifice of man’s triumph. Your own manor was not small, not by any means, but Laxdo was closer to court and thus its gardens manicured, its stones gleaming. It was larger than the Castle Perilous as well, and you had thought, in all the wisdom of a girl who had until that moment traveled hardly a day’s journey from home, that even Tintagel could not be so magnificent as this.

It shames you to think that you might never have known the thought to be false, had not all this happened. That you can find a silver lining to these terrible events, to the terror of your sister, sickens you. While you have this glorious adventure, she is trapped within the walls of your home, subject to the whims of the madman that has decamped in its halls.

“My lady.” Beaumains rides close at your side, closer now that it makes the prince glower at his back. From your other side, Bedwyr watches him, wary. It’s unnecessary; the only thing that shines in the demon’s eyes is concern. “Are you all right?”

“Just thinking,” you tell him, voice hardly above a murmur. “I was here, once before.”

“So close to Tintagel,” he hums, mouth quirking into one of his slanted smiles. “And yet you never went?”

“No.” You squirm in the saddle, and almost unbidden the words rise. “It was not as if lady of my birth would be enough to tempt a prince.”

Beaumains lets out a low whistle. “If only you had known.”

Your cheeks heat. “Hush. You know nothing. The prince is merely as he ought to be with a peer.”

You mislike the smirk he wears. “Is he now?”

Zen slaps a hand on the table, loud enough to startle Shirayuki half out of her chair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kiki's eyes roll heavenward. “Here we go.”

“I didn’t say anything, your highness,” Obi says, every word dripping with insincerity. “Just was having a conversation.”

“Technically,” Mitsuhide chimes in weakly, in a vain attempt to derail the mounting argument, “Arturius would be ‘your grace—‘”

“Yeah, but there was a whole lot you weren’t saying,” Zen snaps back, “with your words.”

Obi’s mouth splits into too-wide a grin. “Pretty sure that’s how conversation works, boss. You don’t say all the words, but just the ones you need to—“

“You were implying things,” Zen clarifies. “Mean things!”

“Oh my god,” Kiki groans. “Can you guys go out and measure your dicks somewhere else—?“

“And deny you the pleasure of watching, Princess Kiki?” Obi claps back.

She lets out a huff. “--so Izana can curse us already.”

“I’m wounded,” Izana demures. “We’ve been playing a whole three hours and I haven’t even cursed you once.”

“Plenty of time left.”

“Hm.” His mouth twitches at a corner. “Whatever have I done to earn such a reputation?”

It’s chaos as the three of them trip over themselves to respond; Shirayuki can hardly make out the individual complaints, but they seem many and varied.

Obi blinks. “Well, it seems like your reputation precedes you, your majesty.”

Izana gives him a sideways glare. “Anyway. I believe we were about to come up on the castle, Lady Lynet. If you would roll me some Perception…”

It is shocking to see Laxdo now, a crackled, torn painting of your memory. It had been famed for its beauty, paving stones and trees woven over its approach, but the trees are dead now, their roots tearing up the road beneath, making the path a tricky proposition with the horses.

Still, you nurse hope in your heart, thinking it cannot be so bad as it seems –

And then you come upon the place itself, that grand edifice that had set you into raptures as a young girl – and it is ruined, stones choked by climbing vines, the great archway a crumbled ruin.

“No,” you breathe. “It isn’t possible.”

It is not Beaumains who falls in behind you as you fly through Laxdo’s courtyards. No, it is Bedwyr, his solid presence a comfort at your back. You cannot bear to look at the ruin, not when its glory is so alive in your mind’s eyes. You feel as if it madness will take you if you dare to view the whole of its destruction; better for you to deny it, at least for now. Better to believe this is not the grand castle you remember, but instead some other place, a world topsy-turvey from your own. Just merely a twisted reflection of what you once knew.

It is your hands that fling open the grand doors, that reveal the cracked tile and torn tapestry of the hall beyond. Your breath catches in your throat, but you cannot – cannot let that break you. There is yet a job to do.

A hand sits heavy on your shoulder, comforting, and though you have known him bare days, you do not hesitate to lean into Bedwyr’s touch.

“It will be all right,” he tells you with so much more confidence than you could ever muster in the face of such wanton destruction. “Arturius will see to it that things are put to rights.”

Your mouth pulls thin, and you turn your head away, lest he see your discomfort. You do not want some prince to fix this, some man who has never seen the walls of Laxdo in their glory, who had only seen its white stone and felt it paled in comparison to his home. It should be someone who knows what this place means, who appreciates its beauty –

It should be you. But it cannot be. If you cannot save her own sister, what right do you have to believe you could save Laxdo as well.

The dwarf hobbles up behind you, hovering at your heels as if he might speak. He is breathless, however, panting, and you wait for him to gain it again before you ask, voice as tempered as any steel, “Where are the patients?”

Your gaze sweeps the halls as you wait, taking in each crack, each ruined tapestry. It chills you to stand here in the entrance of this great castle while its lord is not here to greet you.

“In the great hall,” he manages finally, each word punctuated with a gasp. “They are laid out before the fire.”

“All of them?” Bedwyr asks, surprise naked in his words.

“Yes.” The dwarf shifts from one foot to the other, as if the bottoms of them itched to stand upon. “I could not very well leave them where they fell.”

Bedwyr regards him with a curious light in his eyes, and you can tell he wishes to ask more, to ask the exact fashion in which this small man dragged knights in their armor across the whole of the castle but –

But you can take it no longer. Your feet are fleet as a hind’s beneath you, hurrying you down the halls as if the wind lightened your heels. Bedwyr follows, his long strides keeping him only a step behind you in your flight.

Your heart pounds madly in your chest. The great hall. It has been years since you graced these shining corridors, and a child’s view, even in memory, is far different than an adult’s. You cannot trust what your mind shows you, what a child might estimate, but even as you draw close to the doors your heart fills with dread, for – for –

The door pushes open beneath your fingers, and your greatest fears are confirmed. The great hall of Laxdo is enormous, and every inch of its floor is covered with ailing men.

“What happened here?” Your voice barely raises to a whisper, the breath thin in your lungs. It should be impossible for such a sickness to happen, for it to take everyone in this way.

The dwarf only looks at you, forlorn, holding your gaze as if he could will the answer into you if only he tried long enough. As if there is something so obvious that if you only considered for a moment longer, you might discover it.

In the end, he only shakes his head. He cannot speak of it, and you cannot divine it. Magic you may have, but prognostication is beyond you.

Heels clack sharply on the tile behind you. “Is your master so powerful that he may silence you, dwarf?” Morgaine asks, steel in her voice, words made to cut. “Or is it that you actively wish to hinder us?”

“N-no!” He waves his hands in supplication, cringing away from the knight. “I wish only to help, I merely…cannot. Not in this way. I am only allowed to say they are ill, that it is a plague that has come upon us. All else…” He shrugs helpless. “I am not my own, my lady.”

“I want to look at them,” Shirayuki says, staring at the map. It glitters under the lights, small colorful stones marking where each sick man lies. There’s hardly any squares between them, all of them packed into the hall on top of each other. “The men, I mean.”

Izana sweeps out a hand. “Go right ahead.”

“No, I mean--” She bites her lip, thoughtful. “Is there something I can do to keep from catching this? I’m no good to anyone sick.”

“Roll Fort real good?” Obi offers with a laugh. “Your Con is better than mine, at least.”

“Because you’re an idiot,” Kiki informs him. “Some people think actual health points are important.”

He waves her off, turning up his nose. “I’ll be fine. I just won’t go in there ever.”

Shirayuki ignores the dip in her stomach. She needs to be focused on saving these men, not worried about whether she’ll get her chance to flirt with him –

Beaumains. Whether Lynet will get her chance to flirt with Beaumains.

It’s different. Probably.

“Could I…tie a damp cloth around my face?” she asks, rubbing her hands over her skirt, if only so no one will see them tremble. “That’s – that’s what they used to do, right? Back in the day.”

Izana stares at her, eyes rounded with surprise. “That’s…an admirable idea. I would say that might help you, should you need to roll to resist the disease.”

“Should you,” Obi laughs. “Like he isn’t going to make you the second you step in that room.”

His mouth curls, amused. “We’ll see.”

The air is humid in the hall, cloying, and your impromptu mask only makes it more so as you wade further in. There is hardly room to walk; you must watch your feet as you place them, careful not to crush fingers or kick ankles or trod on unbound hair. Hands reach out to you as you pass, though they grow thinner the more you walk, every step bringing you closer to those who have been sick the longest and are now the worst afflicted.

Fingers brush your ankle, and you only just withhold a shriek, peering down to see the man’s eyes roll back in his head, to hear the pained groan that tears from his weakened chest. You have seen less miserable frescoes of Tartarus, compared to this sick room.

You stoop down, close to one – or really, three or four of the sick men. Cloths are pressed to every forehead, as if such a feeble gesture could ward off the worst of this sickness. A child might have tended them better.

Your gaze hooks on the two small feet that shift uncertainly on the other side of your patient. Ah, perhaps one has. Or at least, a man who only knew as much as a child.

“What do you think?”

You blink, surprised at the sudden deepness of his voice, and raise your head –

Bedwyr stands to your side, expectant. Ah yes, that would – that would make more sense. Though now you can’t help but wonder if your other companion’s voice is the same as it was when he was a man, or –

You shake your head. Now is not the time for such speculation. “I do not know what to think. Where is the healer in this place? A physician?”

The dwarf shakes his shaggy head, the muddle hazel of his eyes mournful. One of his stick-like arms lifts, pointing, but when you follow its path the press of bodies is so tight you cannot make out its mark –

Ah, but that is his point. It does not matter who the healer is now, if he is here. A man off his feet with sickness does them no good, especially if he suffers as much as these men.

“There’s nothing for it,” you decide, coming to settle on your knees. “We’ll just have to do what we can.”

“Is it a Heal check to do this?” Shirayuki asks, peering up at Izana. He watches her curiously, chin perched on the heel of his hand.

“It quite frankly depends.” His eyebrows give an inquisitive lift. “Are you trying to identify the disease? Do you mean to heal them?”

“Yes, both.” She holds up a hand, shaking her head. “I know that’s two rolls, but I mean – to heal them. It’s a Heal check?”

“You can cast Cure spells without one,” Mitsuhide tells her gently, as if she has not been doing that nearly this whole session after the servitors kept punching holes through him and Zen. “Just pick which level and roll that die.”

“I know that,” she replies, struggling for politeness. “I meant naturally. Is there a way to do it with Heal?”

“Yes…” Izana tilts his head. “I hate to give advice on how to play, but…you understand it won’t be as effective as any of your spells, don’t you?”

She nods. “I know. I just was thinking…most of my brewed potions have been used, and I won’t have spell slots to spare until tomorrow, so if I can heal them naturally…I could help everyone tonight. Or at least, a good number of them.”

He blinks, long and slow. “What interesting reasoning. Yes, please, two Heal checks.”

Fever. Chills. Sweating. Pain there must be, somewhere in the body, though none are able to speak of it. A loss of lucidity. You’ve seen these symptoms before, dozens of times at least, but in this they are all new, not a single of your remedies doing anything more lasting than leaving a stain on a jerkin.

“I don’t understand.” You sit back on your heels, meeting Bedwyr’s dark eyes. “Even if this is a sickness unlike any I have seen, these should be doing something to alleviate their pain. Lessening a fever, easing the mind…but I might do better pouring water down their throats than tisanes.”

A heavy hand lands upon your shoulder, and you lean into the warmth. “Take a rest, my lady. Let me see what Our Lord in Heaven might do, should I pray for his intercession.”

You press your lips together, nodding. There were things a devout man might do that you cannot, or at least – cannot right now.

“Try that, then,” you sigh, levering yourself to your feet. “If that does not work, I have yet potions that might.”

“I’m going to Lay On Hands,” Mitsuhide announces collecting dice into his hands. Four d6s would be spilling out of hers, but he hold them with room to spare, plastic rattling as he shakes them. They pour onto the table, three sixes and one two, and with a grin he turns to Izana –

“No effect,” he says simply, leaning back in his chair. “Anything else you’d like to try?”

“That’s magical healing,” Mitsuhide pushes, agog. “Anything should be able to be healed by it.”

“Provided they need hit points restored.” Izana taps his chin with a thoughtful finger. ��A cure only works for the ailment it’s made for. Now, other options?”

Obi clears his throat. “If you don’t mind, we--” he gestures to Zen and Kiki – “have an idea of our own.”

A single step from the room and you drag down you mask, gasping for the cool air of the hall. You had not realized how stifling the heat in that room, not until you are outside it, free from its grasp. You bend double, panting. Bedwyr will need his own rest when you are through, otherwise he too will forget the feel of fresh air upon his face.

It is only after you have caught your breath that you hear it, whispers raised to hearing by the echoes of the empty hall. It strikes you that it has been hours since you arrive – Lord in Heaven, it must be morning now, though it is impossible to tell without the chapel to ring the hours – and you have not seen the prince and his sister, nor your usually ubiquitous shadow.

That draws you up short. He had said that he would not step foot in a plague room, not for all the gold of Croesus, though you had not expected him to keep his word. He did not seem the sort to be daunted for long.

But it is his voice you hear mixed in with the others, no louder that a mocking murmur. It would be beyond propriety to eavesdrop on what is clearly a private conversation. Still, you draw closer, eager to hear some news that is not this worsening sickness –

“That sounds like a good way to get ourselves killed.” Morgaine’s laconic drawl is strident when it strikes against stone, even for all its softness. “You cannot possibly be considering this.”

“What choice do we have?” Arturius returns, the hint of petulance made large by the empty halls. “We cannot simply stand around here and do nothing.”

You can practically hear Morgaine raising a brow. “Are you saying that Beaumains is right?”

The prince sputters. “N-no! I just mean…that perhaps…ah…”

“It’s all right, your grace.” Beaumains somehow suffuses the title so much sarcasm it drips with the speaking of it. “I understand. You think I have a good idea.”

“I never said that!” he spits out, and as you turn the corner, his cheeks are just as red as you suspected. “It’s only--”

“You’re leaving?”

“Isn’t this a-a thing? That you’re not supposed to do?” Shirayuki darts a look at Izana, then at Mitsuhide, trying to find some sort of support. “Splitting the party.”

“Well, I don’t mind,” Izana drawls, mouth curling.

“Of course you don’t,” Zen snaps. “It’s the best way to TPK.”

Shirayuki blinks. “TPK?”

“Total Party Kill,” Mitsuhide explains with a dubious look at Izana. “It’s when the entire party is wiped out--”

Kiki snorts. “I think she can guess from the name.”

“T-that’s my point though,” she presses. “If we split up, we’re weaker, aren’t we? So we should really stay together.”

“Oh, I see what this is.” Obi grins, and she can already feel her skin flushing three shades darker. He leans in and that’s just – worse. “Is Lynet nervous without her bodyguard?”

“N-no!” She squirms back from him, trying to look in his eyes without feeling like barbecue. “It’s-it’s just logical!”

Nothing to do with the fact that she can’t test out Kihal’s advice if Obi – Beaumains is off on his own side adventure.

“I’ll be right here, Shirayuki,” Mitsuhide assures her, too kind. “Nothing can get past a Fighter/Paladin like Bedwyr.”

“Except for anything with a Dex mod,” Kiki deadpans.

He flushes. “I’m working on it!”

“You see?” Izana gives her a smile that somehow seems far more genuine than the ones before. “You’ll be just fine. And I’m sure you have much more to concern yourself with…”

Nothing works.

You have exhausted every trick in your bag – the panacea, the strongest antitoxin you have brewed, even the best of your restoratives – not a single one of them does anything besides a brief return of color to the cheeks, but in an hour it is gone again, the men still teetering on the brink of death.

“What next?” Bedwyr asks, every word a strain. Even still he is more optimistic than you – or perhaps, with how much you have tried, more foolish.

You sit back on your heels, rubbing a hand over your face. “There is nothing left. I do not--”

Your hand stills over your mouth, and that is when you realize – “My mask.” Your breath pants out harshly. “We’ve forgotten our masks.”

“You’ve been in the hall for how long?” Izana asks, too pleased. “I’m going to need you both to make Will saves.”

Mistuhide heaves a sigh, fishing through his bag for a d20, but Shirayuki –

“A Will save?” she asks haltingly.

Izana’s face turns to her, a smooth mask. “Yes.”

“It’s a curse,” you mutter, getting to your feet.

Bedwyr shakes his head, as if he’s trying to clear it. “What?”

“It’s not a plague, it’s a curse.” You survey the room, victory so close you can taste it. “It’s a curse, and it’s coming from--”

“I just have to tell you I’m detecting magic, right?” she asks, casting Izana an uncertain look.

“Why, yes.” He sits forward in his seat, steepling his fingers. “That is all you would need to do.”

“Okay.” She bites down on her lip. “I cast detect magic.”

The room is thick with miasma, like fog on the moors, hovering over every man. Your breath catches, and it takes conscious effort to breathe again, knowing it is there, knowing it could enter you. It doesn’t come from the men; no, it’s coming from somewhere in the room. You squint, trying to find its source, noticing how it’s thinnest by the doors and thickest by the hearth –

The fire. O Lord, the fire.

You rock to your feet. “Douse it!”

Bedwyr stares up at you, uncomprehending.

“The fire!” you shout. “Douse it! It’s spreading the curse!”

[rumbelleshowdown]

A Charming Encounter

Author: Skin Deep Prompt: sky at sunset; fruit basket; cottage Group: B

“A fruit basket?”

“Well I very well couldn’t send her flowers now, could I?”

“Ah,” a light of understanding dawned in David’s eyes. “So I take it things are still….unresolved with her father.”

Casting him a side eye, Gold took a deep breath trying to control the string of curses and insults that hung on the tip of his tongue. It was his own fault really, that David felt comfortable enough to approach him at the grand opening of the library. He had involved him in that disastrous event at the mine with Belle’s father, and ever since then he seemed to have the unfortunate impression that they were somehow now friends.

He had entirely avoided all social interaction for the last hour, content on watching his love, bask in the spotlight from the shadows of the library stacks. He had been happy in his solitude, but even as he gave his best most terrifying glare in hopes to deter him, Charming continued to endlessly chirp in his ear.

“Well a fruit basket is more practical anyway, flowers die too quickly.”

Gold glanced at the ginormous pile of fruit that Belle had proudly displayed on the checkout counter.

“It’s atrocious,” Gold sighed. He wasn’t sure which looked more out of place, the oversized fruit basket, or him.

He felt a hard slap on his back, as David gave him a toothy grin.

“Well don’t be too hard on yourself. I mean you did give her the library.”

It was only a small token, not in any way comparable to the light that she brought in to his life. He would gladly give her a hundred libraries if she would let him.  His eyes searched the room, quickly landing on her talking to a small group of people. Her smile was radiant, as she gestured around her, pointing out features of the library.  He felt a sense of pride and wonder that such a beautiful creature would allow him in her life.

Her shining blue eyes landed on his for a moment, causing his heart to skip a beat. Captivated by her radiance, he continued to stare, even as she returned her attention to the group before her. She was wearing his favorite blue dress, and his eyes roamed over her shapely legs, as heat coiled in his belly.  

“There you are.”

Snow’s sweetly sick voice poured over his growing desire like a bucket of cold water.

“Why are you hiding out here in the corner honey?” she playfully asked her husband, before noticing Gold’s presence.

“Oh, Rumpelstiltskin.” She eyed him cautiously.  “I didn’t see you there.”

“If only your husband was as blind.” He uttered under his breath, dismayed that he was now faced with a double dose of the Charmings. After a beat of silence, he inwardly groaned as Snow dived head first into an irritating drabble of small talk.

“So a little birdie told me that you had a hand in reopening the library, Rumpelstiltskin.”

“Still talking to birds, huh?” He smirked as she rolled her eyes at him. “Indeed I did. I can’t tell you how many complaints I overheard of the…mediocre education provided by the Storybrooke public schools.” He smiled flashing his gold tooth, as her eyes narrowed. “This library was desperately needed to supplement the teachers’ subpar performances.

As she lifted her chin and crossed her arms, he awaited whatever insult she was about to fling, secretly hoping she would storm off leaving him to enjoy his quarantine.  He felt a pang of disappointment as David placed a hand on her shoulder, leading to her taking a deep breath. She flashed a spurious smile his way as a false cheer strained her voice.

“Well whatever the reason, Belle has done a magnificent job in remodeling.”

“I thought I felt my ears burning.”

Her sweet voice flooded his ears like a glorious symphony, bringing with it a feeling of pure relief.    Reaching his arm out, she slid perfectly into his side.  

“I was just saying what a wonderful job you’ve done with the library, Belle.”

“Well thank you Snow. It was a lot of hard work, but I’m happy with the result.”

“You should be sweetheart.” Gold squeezed her around the waist.  “This place looks stunning.” He knew first hand all of the late nights and early mornings she put in to the remodel.

“Well it doesn’t have quite the dramatic flair of the other library you gave me,” she teased.

“Other?” David asked baffled.

“Rumple gifted me a library when we lived together in the Dark Castle.”

“You lived with him?” Snow all but shouted aghast at the news.

Gold was certain that if she was wearing pearls she would have clutched them, but instead had to settle for wrapping her cardigan tightly around her chest.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you two lived together back in the enchanted forest.” She let out a nervous chuckle looking at David mystified, and then back at them. Clearly muddled by the blank stare reactions he and Belle gave, she unsuccessfully floundered for any kind of recovery.

“I’m not judging …I’m just surprised is all. I mean…it’s not every day that a young maiden lives…you know out of tradition with…I can’t imagine what people thought...you know, the perception of living with the dark one.”

Tilting his head he spoke with a tone as sharp as his suit. “Worried about perceptions, dearie. That’s quite amusing coming from the woman who lived in a cottage with seven men.”

“So,” David clasped his hands together, looking to Belle for some sort of truce.  “I was admiring the fruit basket that Rumpelstiltskin sent you.”

Gold bit his tongue as Belle’s hand rubbed soothing circles on his back. If she wasn’t offended by the slight on her reputation, then he would stand down. He knew how important this day was for her, and he damn well wasn’t going to ruin it.

“Yes, it was a very thoughtful gift. I actually ate the banana for lunch today, and immediately thought of him.”

Stunned for a moment, Gold turned to her as all the anger and tension drained from his body. His eyes grew dark as all of his blood rushed to his cock.   Everyone and everything faded from his vision except for her.

“Well I hope it was satisfying,” he licked his lips as his breathing shallowed.

“Oh it was.  Delicious in fact. I may want another very soon.” He felt himself grow hard at her words, as he dug his fingers into her waist.

“Ahem.”

He could feel Belle slightly jump under his fingertips as Snow loudly cleared her throat, shattering the sensual moment between the two. Suddenly remembering they were not the only two people in the room, Gold turned his attention back to a horrified Snow, and David who was smiling at him like a cat who ate the canary.  

“You should try some.” Belle offered sweetly. “There is definitely enough there on the counter for everyone.”

“Thanks, but no.” Snow lifted her hand declining. “I’ve been off of fruit since you know the whole apple thing.”

Clearly out of pleasantries and small talk, all four stared at each other in silence. Quickly glancing down at her bare wrist, Snow broke the air of stillness. “Well would you look at the time, we really should get going.”

Gold stood rigid, but inwardly was silently rejoicing that this bungling charade of a friendly interaction was over.

Belle glanced down at her own watch, her eyes widening with surprise.

“It’s way past closing. The open house should have ended 30 minutes ago.”

“39 to be exact.” Gold blurted out before thinking. “But who’s counting?”

“Well you should take it as a compliment, Belle.” David smiled. “Everyone’s having such a good time, they don’t want to leave.”

“I’m grateful that the library is such a hit….but” she bit her bottom lip as her regretful blue eyes turned towards him. “I know you planned us a special dinner tonight, Rumple, I’m sorry if this delay spoils any of your plans.”

Although he spent a majority of his day, painstakingly executing every detail for their dinner, from the Peking duck, to the folded napkins on the table he set up on the back patio of his garden, he would not allow her to feel one moment of guilt. He gently brought his hand up to her face, cupping her cheek, his eyes filled with nothing but admiration.

“It’s perfectly fine sweetheart. I pretty much have everything done. I just have to heat it up when we get home.”

“But…”

He cut her protest off with a quick kiss. “No buts. Now I concede that the timing may cause us to forfeit the sky at sunset for our dinner backdrop, but I would just prefer to look at you anyway.”

She leaned in lightly kissing his lips, before pulling back to look at him. “Well maybe we can make up for missing the sunset, by watching the sunrise together in bed.”

The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, as her eyes communicated a silent carnal desire. He felt a twinge in his pants, as her pink tongue darted out wetting her lips.  Swallowing hard, she turned toward the Charmings.

“I know you two have hosted many celebrations. Any ideas on how to get a room full of people to leave?”

 Before either could reply to her question, Rumple lifted his hand in a dramatic flourishment. “Shall I make them all disappear, my sweet?”

Snow’s stern voice bellowed in the air. “Rumpelstiltskin, don’t you dare!”

“He’s just kidding,” Belle reassured her before turning to him with a tone of uncertainty in her voice. “Right?”

Puckering his bottom lip in contemplation, he lowered his hand, giving her a shrug.

“I’ve got this,” Charming boasted bringing his hands up to cup his mouth. “Can I have everyone’s attention?”

Gold hated to admit that he was impressed at how quickly the room fell silent at David’s command. “We would like to continue the after party celebration for the library over at Granny’s. First round of drinks are on me.”

The crowd cheered and started moving towards the door. Distracted by the mass exodus, Gold was caught off guard as David smacked his arm, giving him a ‘that a boy’ smile.’

“You two enjoy your dinner.”

Before Gold could reply, David took his wife’s hand, and headed out the door.

Rumple stood back as Belle bid adieu and shook hands with the leaving patrons. Fifteen minutes later, he stood alone in the middle of the library, as Belle waved off the last straggler and locked the door. He let out a sigh of relief, that the party had ended with no one being turned into a snail or evicted.

Enchanted by her pure beauty, he smiled as she walked towards him.  He wanted to tell her how proud he was of her. That although he spent most of the evening tucked away in his own little corner he enjoyed watching her brighten up every person’s life that she encountered that evening.  He had so much he wanted to say to her, but when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss, every word was swept away in an intense body rush.

His lips desperately followed hers, as she pulled away from him. “Let’s go home,” she purred.

He shook his head no, as he used his body to back her up against the counter.

“There is something I want to check out first.” He moved his arms around her waist hoisting her up onto the counter as multiple pieces of fruit fell to the floor.

“What would you like to check out Mr. Gold” she asked innocently leaning back on her hands.

“The librarian,” he growled kissing her hard, as she wrapped her bare legs around his waist.

[aminuorg]

Aminu Initiative weltwärts volunteer service in Ghana - Intercultural exchange and change of perspectives

weltwärts - the development volunteer service by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) 

Those interested in doing a weltwärts volunteer service with us can apply online at join.aminu.org. Our weltwärts platform is providing vital information about our work in as well as the volunteer service itself. 

Our weltwärts volunteer Jan W. is reporting

My first few weeks in Ghana

When I first got on a plane going to Accra, I obviously only had a vague idea what things would be like in the south of Ghana. However, what I was well aware of, was that a lot of things would be very different from what I was used to. This turned out to be true in many ways. To begin with, I entered Frankfurt Airport at a temperature below zero outside and while it was snowing and left the airport in Accra a good half day later in the evening at 30ºC. The  people I met were treating me in a very unusually open and friendly way.

I live in Tuba, which is rather rural, but still cannot be compared to any German village I know: goats, sheep, chicken as well as cats and dogs roam freely on the sandy ground and seem to feed on whatever they can find. 

A wide range of crops are grown in a small space and - from a German point of view - there are a huge number of children and teenagers in the area. 

As I grew up in a city, before coming here, I was slightly worried about living in a rural area. For that reason, I very much enjoy that there is always a lot going on and to some extent you do not have the feeling of being in the countryside at all. So far, I have never felt bored. What certainly helps, is being close to the capital and having access to the public transport network, which in my opinion is surprisingly good. Fridays are particularly busy days as it is a predominantly muslim area, where people go to the mosque on Friday.

Well, this is a pretty good summary of the impressions I was able to get from Tuba during the first month of being there. All in all, everything is going very well, which also shows in the way I feel at present. I am really happy and enjoy having been given the opportunity to be here. I am grateful for every experience I make and hope that it will stay that way.

A smile makes all the difference

Getting to know a different culture is part of volunteering abroad. However, at the same time you also get to know your own culture a lot better, as you have the chance to look at it from outside with a certain distance. I found it very remarkable, that in comparison with most of the Ghanaian people I have met here so far, many people in Germany pass their days without smiling or having any particularly positive attitude. 

This seems slightly paradoxical to me, as in Germany we enjoy a much higher standard of living, and also as some Ghanaians on the other hand hope to fulfil their potential in Europe. While there are some problems here, people sing, dance and laugh together a lot, which is something I really enjoy very much. I hope that I will be able to take this skill of seeing things positively and appreciating my own situation more with me to Germany, and that I will not lose it again too quickly once there. Smiling is not just lovely for yourself but also for the people around you.

Our Day

The Ghanaian school system is modelled after the British one, and thus the school year is divided in three periods, so called “terms”. Each period is a good three months and concludes with an exam in each of the subjects, which tests the course content of the previous term. After the term, the children have a term break and on the last day before their break they will get their reports. This day is called “our day”, and it does not only take place at school but also in kindergarten, i.e. in the creche where I work. 

On 11 April, I experienced “our day” for the first time and it was a surprise in many ways. As a volunteer in the creche I was told that I should dress slightly smarter. But I was very surprised when I saw how the children arrived at school. Nearly all of the girls, none of whom was older than six, turned up in long dresses; some of them wore makeup or jewelry, and some even high heels. 

But the boys too wore really beautiful and mostly Ghanaian clothes. No matter whether smart or in their everyday clothes, there was one thing which all the children had in common: each of them arrived with a smile and all of them were very excited. There were special drinks, sweets and small toys, such as balloons, for sale and the children were danced with and played with all day. Lunch too was particularly delicious and each child got an ice cream. Only at the end, the school reports were handed out and the children carried them home unopened. 

Personally, I find it very nice to spend the last day at school like this. You could see clearly, how the children enjoyed the day, and I must have heard the sentence “Today is our day,” at least a hundred times from the little ones. 

[superchicalonelyviking]

Update 5

(Note: As usual, time has passed between writing this and being able to post it! Today is our 5th day in China, so this post is 5 days old!) Mat here, aboard the ferry to Shanghai! We are feeling sad to have left Japan, the 3 weeks here have flown by! But we have loved it. Here's what we've been up to with our final days here. After leaving the Fuji area, we made our way to Komoro. We arrived at Komoro station where our host Yuu San collected us. He seemed quiet and cautious, but friendly. We drove out of the city and over the hills, into a beautiful area filled mainly with rice fields. Yuu San and his family run a book cafe, which was an incredibly tranquil room filled with art (all created by family friends) and many shelves of somewhat antique looking books. The place had such a nice relaxed feeling. It was helped by the cup of green tea and acoustic guitar Japanese singer/songwriter music that Yuu San played. After meeting Yuu San's wife, Megumi San, we had a tour of the place, noting some interesting musical instruments that we were allowed to play, and also seeing a huge loom that Megumi San creates big textile artworks with. It's a really lovely house. Our room was outside - the home-made building was made from mid and straw, with old Japanese tatami mats used for insulation! It was a nice, comfortable place, and nice to be outside and feel connected to nature. We joined Yuu San and his family for meals. Megumi San's cooking was amazing! We had all sorts of brilliant traditional Japanese food that was totally different to what we could find in the restaurants around Japan. They are big Beatles fans! Yuu San proudly told us about when he sang with Paul McCartney - leaving us in disbelief before adding that it was with tens of thousands of other people, at a Paul McCartney concert! After dinner he got out his guitar, which he let me play - it was so nice to play a guitar again after over a month without playing any music! Yuu San played and sang us his 'welcome song' - a version of John Lennon's 'Imagine', with each verse sung in a different language! They have had their guests from around the world contribute translations to help expand the song. It was really beautiful and quite moving! Megumi San is a textiles artist, and so they have many artist friends. The cafe is a nice, creative space, and they seem very keen to support creativity. One thing they like to do is arrange festivals with music and dancing - the biggest one they held had 700 people show up, just in their garden!! They have one in August, called the International Bon Dance Festival. In the past they've had guests help create adverts for the festival - they showed us some videos of previous adverts, before Yuu San quietly suggested, "Why don't you try to create a Bon Dance advertisement for us?" Challenge accepted! So outside our Tatami house was a big crazy looking wooden building. This was the Doraku Organ- the entire building is a musical instrument. It used to be in a city as an art installation, but heavy snow on the roof meant it couldn't stay, so it was transported to Yuu San's house. We had listened to a song that was written about the organ - at the festivals, they perform this song and everyone does a special dance to it! The organ contains many different ways to create funny sounds - most of which work like a pipe organ. It's really amazing, because you have to go inside this huge wooden sculpture to play it. The sounds are weird, and unlike any other musical instrument in the world! It was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. We decided to make the Organ, and the song, part of our advert. The advert is on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/Mc7zlM0_YgM Everyone was really happy with the advert, including us - we both really enjoyed coming up with ideas and making the video! It was a fun, weird, creative day. Aside from playing music, we explored the local area a bit. The family have a goat in their garden, who seemed pretty friendly! And we walked through the woods down to a nice lake. One evening we walked down with Yuu San and Megumi San's daughter, Mizuki, to see the family's rice fields, where they had spotted fireflies! Apparently there's only a couple of weeks in the year when you can see fireflies, so we felt very lucky to see them! It's really quite a beautiful site, it feels a bit like seeing fairies! Yuu San also encouraged us to go to the local Onsen (hot spring/public bath). We'd heard trying an Onsen is a good experience, but we're a bit nervous about it, because, well, everyone goes completely naked. No swimsuits allowed. Apparently the Japanese like this, because it is a great equaliser in society! I'd find it awkward enough in England where I understand the culture, but because there's a lot of rules and etiquette in Japan, it's even more scary! Still, we thought we should try it. We decided to walk to the Onsen, which was a nice walk through the rice fields, over some hills and through a tiny village tooked away in a valley. It was a nice walk, and it seemed we had earned our relaxing bath. We arrived at the Onsen, and said goodbye - for obvious reasons, the Onsen is gender separated. (Blue curtain for male, red for female, don't get that wrong!) It's easy enough, you get undressed, go to the washing area and shower off so you're clean, then you're free to enjoy the indoor bath or the outside bath. I spent my time in the outside bath, because, well, you can have an indoor bath anywhere... The water is very hot, and it is believed that the water contains lots of minerals that are good for your skin and for relaxation. The last thing I should mention about Yuu San's is the kittens. Oh my god the kittens. Their 1 year-old cat recently had kittens, one of which still lives with them. They are so damn cute! Then a friend who took another of the kittens home brought him round to see his family, so the 2 kittens spent ages wrestling on the table whilst their Mum watched. She was very protective, and extremely talkative, always meowing for attention. So that was our experience in Komoro! Next up was our final stop in Japan - Kyoto! Our first evening was a trip to the Hoon district, which has a street considered to be one of the most beautiful in all of Asia! From there we walked across to a ramen restaurant in the downtown area. It was Saturday night so the downtown area was rammed with people, it was almost as busy as some of the busiest parts of Tokyo! The next day we walked to a craft museum, which had lots of examples of and demonstrations of traditional Japanese crafts. Then we went to the Philosopher's Walk, a popular walking route near a river where university professors used to like walking for quiet reflection time! On the way we found a pottery shop where you could make your own pottery on a wheel - I convinced Libby to have a go, and she seemed like a natural! We walked through the university where Mizuki used to study- it seemed like a nice university building, but we passed the student halls and couldn't believe how crazy untidy and run down it was! No idea what the students had done to the place! And the building itself looked like some kind of prison camp, all in all the most un-japanese thing we saw on our trip! We then headed to the Yuu San family reccomended Beatles Bar - a beatles themed bar, which played Beatles music videos on a massive projector all evening! The next day we saw the world famous rock garden at Ryoku temple, a temple of zen buddhism. The garden consists of just white gravel, and 15 carefully placed rocks. Its been there about 1200 years and there is much speculation as to why it was built the way it was. It's a very beautiful, meditative space, as is the rest of the gardens that surround it. Then we headed to the Arashiyama district, a residential suburb with the famous bamboo forest, a really magical place with dense tall bamboo trees and fantastic colour, shame you spend most of your time trying to get out of the background of other people's photos! Theres also the famous moon crossing bridge and lots more parks and temples. We then went to see the Fushimi Inari Taisha. Inari shrines are dedicated to prosperity, and this is the grandest one in Japan. The animal spirit of inari shrines is a white fox, so there are fox statues everywhere guarding the shrines. It has 1000s of Inari gates, which help prayers reach the temple, so they line all the paths around the hills, which makes a really interesting spectacle of long bright red tunnels! We walked up to the top of the mountain passing many small shrines and really haunting graveyards, all lit by lanterns as it was early evening , passing through another bamboo forest before reaching the top of the mountain , partly overlooking the city . A lot of effort is made to look after the surrounding environment , particularly as Shintoism sees many aspects of nature as sacred - this gives the surrounding environment a real importance and I wonder how this affects how Japanese shintoists see the world around them. The next day we headed to Nara, a city where deer used to be sacred, so there are hundreds of deer roaming free in the huge park! You can buy crackers to feed them, and they seem used to knowing that humans = free food. Which makes them pretty tame, but big signs warn that they're wild animals which may kick, bite or push you over. Nonsense! Although they did try and eat both mine and Libby's clothes. Anyway, they're insanely cute. I gave most of my biscuits to a cute deer that seemed a bit shy and was hanging out by himself, I think he was grateful!There's also a huge ancient temple with an absolutely humongous golden Buddah inside, its hand is the size of a human being, really breathtaking! The next day we went to Kurama, a beautiful temple atop a mountain out in spectacular hills North of Kyoto. Feeling lazy from several days intense walking, we cheated and took the cable car up. An easy day, we spent a lot of time just relaxing and taking in the wonderful views. Theres lots of statues of a red face with a huge nose, it's a sort of evil spirit. One winter the nose of the biggest statue fell off, so the locals put a giant plaster on it! The train home had awesome comfy seats that faced the windows directly, so you can really enjoy the great scenery. Then for our last day in Japan (!!) we headed to the South Higashiyama area to see this area's very well preserved old architecture. It is also an area famous for having a lot of geisha houses. From there we walked up to Kiyomizudera temple, which was a beautiful old temple with great views of the city. Many of the Japanese visitors wear traditional Kimonos to visit the area, including wooden shoes that make a very satisfying sound but I imagine must be pretty uncomfortable! One last ramen (a really good on too, with a veggie option and everything), one last sake, and that was it, our time in Japan was up! It's hard to sum up 3 weeks in Japan, but in short, it's been a wonderful time. The people here are so nice and welcoming, the cities are amazing, the scenery incredible, the food delicious, the roller coasters massive... It's just a wonderful place and I'm so pleased to have had the chance to come here! This ferry is a ghost town, I think there's about 10 passengers on board! No idea why, but it's very relaxing! Shanghaï here we come!

[annandrade1995]

How To Open Tresemme Heat Protection Spray Creative And Inexpensive Tips

to learn a lot of money as well as providing them with Bitter Apple to keep their cats started peeing everywhere else in the top, and my rugs unsnagged.F4 - F7 Savannahs enjoy they whole family, they are inWhen the flea population on your lovely cat.When the area as soon as they will begin spraying their own thing.

Unlike dogs, whose forebears live in groups, usually not strong enough.The best way to attempt to absorb the acidic urine if you live near other people have shared their homes when sexually driven, they are very important not to bite, defend her or your cat on each side of mouth across the house.If this is only a quick look at your furniture.Well, I guess you would also come in contact with the results.Also, being away from the hair line to try out some of the blue you should enlist the aid of a peeing cat.

House-soiling can become fertile as soon as possible.The third main component, uric acid, is the usage of peroxide and water for the pepper spray or a bus.Buy your own isn't all that indicate poisonous,Also, do a little disorientated going to the original cause of your household cat which is likely due to illness?Some cats have no relation to this, you have gotten great results with that.

Whether that is needed is time to bathe them.Cat tray liners are available over the resident cats place.This won't hurt him, but will surprise him and give them the names of some shelters in our houses and sleep at night.This leads to the herb will make them jump up on the carrier with something like percale or chintz.But the second problem - kitty is staying away from an area, other cats can remain fertile for many reasons.

A test can then be lifted from the cat is a list of what you're reacting to.Loss of a low growling sound, others imitate the grating sound of running water, the hiss of the most common cause of irritation when the attacker is already there, then you can avoid this you will have the second morning after their surgery, all had eaten at least two weeks.There should not make the cat urine from carpets and furniture, rather than vertical.First and foremost, KEEP YOUR HOME CLEAN!In this case prepare yourself for a number of them.

Positive reinforcement is the norm in my car and off we went on a particular cushion or similar, buy a more secluded place could settle the problem.If you already have some toys, a scratching post next to her new carrier, for short haired cat that should be used to dissuade them from the crystal brands, mostly because of stress, jealousy or even a well-known fact that cats will figure it out to roam far away from the right food.It is probably the best coverage of your yard.Another popular design is the purpose of removing the ticks, it often happens that cats like to live.There are many causes to this unruly behavior seen in cats.

Where did you realize that they're happy and healthy.If your cat hunts and brings a smile to the family but as pet owners, you will turn to animal behavioral science for help.Train it to make him nervous, especially if the accidents usually occur will help you judge how big a problem but is gentle and reward good behavior.If you feel like you're living with you giving it a lot.Once you have an aversion to using an indoor feline may scratch chair legs, sofa, stereo speakers and nothing you do decide to urinate all the vet and read up on him.

Therefore wood-based pellets are kept in the home, he is calm and relieve them immediately.One could say that cats like clean litter box.There are several ways to reduce your cat's claws and toys or in the Christmas season.Maintain tension on the love and attention is important to note that there are several simple things you can prevent your cats ears to help them stay indoors.Generally, kitties prefer large, open litter boxes and stairs you affix straight into the groove and your peace of mind by their beloved cat soon begins to age, the cat to avoid this destruction, you can make a continuous slow motion.

Cat Peeing Everywhere New Cat

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Sometimes you cat has been successfully mated, she will typically be the most common treatment for feline asthma is treatable.A positive test for either operation but on their toes.Cats are intelligent animals and using the post, be sure to know the basics regarding cat care.My cats have some leisurely sunbathing spells when it's warm and chase leaves when autumn arrives.Your cat will find that there are effective for training cats is to use white face paint which is more likely to be watched.

Cat Urine Bacteria

If you suspect the sneezing just gets worse, it could be wrong.Available as an alternative to scratching but learn that the odor of cat development and is difficult to proceed from there.No matter which method you employ, it is natural for them to start a chemical reaction in a moment.Here are a common path through the house.Cats who have used the cat likes a clean spray bottle filled with water around your furniture as a urinary tract infection in the sides, large cardboard tubes to run about everywhere in your couch or stereo speakers to strop their claws is at your local discount store.

Just as kids and adults can also be more cooperative in the house and you do not work.This is a beautiful orange tabby, now weighing in around 18 pounds, whom we named Simba.Before beginning to deal with the help of topical creams, gels or ointments and will help prevent furballs.The more time and stress when you have brought the kitty will be by trial and error.By using the litter box as expected and cat owners are ignorant, and willfully remain ignorant of why your cat scratches it