#red cotton tote bag

[finalfortunart]

I’ve got a new product on my website! A few weeks ago was the Girl Scout Camp Timbercrest in Western New York for their Friends of Group’s Fall Work Weekend, and I designed the shirts for their event! With Friends of Timbercrest's permission, I’m putting the red eft design on my online shop, starting with organic cotton tote bags.

Any product sold with that red eft design will have 10% of its profits donated to the Friends of Timbercrest, who volunteer to make sure the camp is maintained for future girl scouts and campers to visit. Just at the Fall Work Weekend, the group updated the markers on many of the trails, stained the outside of the Dining Hall, created paddle and canoe racks for the boat house, and removed dead and dangerous trees. If you want to see more of what the group does, you can visit their website here.

[beeourfriends]

'Let's Bee Friends' 100% Cotton Tote Bag

[axi35]

cotton tote bags

[thevillainswhore]

New Tricks: Celestial Heavens

Pairing: Virgin!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Word Count: 9.4k

Summary: Life couldn’t seem any better — your life long crush, and the football star of your fantasies is now your boyfriend, and your relationship is running smoothly. It’s a dream come true. But when Bucky admits he’s ready to take things to the next level, you’re anxious to make sure losing his virginity is an experience he won’t forget — for all the right reasons.

Which means, a first date is in order.

A night beneath the stars brings the two of you closer together, where emotions run high and confessions sit on the tips of tongues.

Warnings: College AU, Smut, kissing, grinding, dirty talk, praise, reassurance, fluff, fluff and more fluff, pet names, swearing, teasing, first dates, Bucky is a smooth little shit, cute astronomy puns.

Author’s Note: Happy Valentine’s Day my loves 🥰 here is the highly requested part two for New Tricks 🥹 the support I have received for part one has been so overwhelming and I want to thank all of you who expressed your love 😭

Beta and divider graphic credits go to @rookthorne - I can’t thank you enough for spending hours of your time helping me bring this AU to life, you’re incredible — this one is for you ❤️

I hope this follow on lives up to your expectations and does our favourite college babies justice. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Happy reading my lovelies 💜

New Tricks Masterlist 🌼🐾

New Tricks Playlist 🎵

‼️ Small disclaimer ‼️- while I have done some research, I in no way consider myself to be an astronomy expert. If any of the facts or information I have included are wrong, I apologise profusely.

Standing outside of your brother’s apartment, you hum a tune to yourself while waiting for the door to open. 

The impulse to knock again after only a moment of waiting is overwhelming and your impatience begins to wane. You grip the canvas strap of your tote bag which is full to the brim with notepads and books, when the door suddenly swings open to admit you.

“Hey–! Oh, it’s you.” Disappointment sours your tone upon seeing Steve in the doorway. You push past his broad frame and enter his apartment to look for the true reason you are there, paying no mind to the scoff that falls from his lips. 

 

“Yes, hello sis. So good to see you, too!” Steve stays by the door, unmoving and starts conversing with himself. “How am I? I’m great, thanks for asking—how about you? Come on in, we’ll have a drink.” 

You shake your head, huffing a laugh while you scold him playfully, “Oh hush, Stevie, don’t be so butthurt.” From down the hallway, you see a light casting shadows along the floor — the source coming from a slither of an open door. A flicker of red hair disappears around the door frame. “Huh,” you muse, a smirk dancing on your lips. “You should know by now I’m not here for you. Where is he?” 

Steve sighs. “He’s–”

“Buttercup!” Bucky’s shout from his bedroom interrupts Steve, and it snaps your focus towards the direction of his voice. “Baby!”

The heavy thud of his rapid footsteps echoes down the hallway towards the living room, where you currently stand waiting for him, and you can’t help but giggle with amusement at his excitement. 

He appears in a blur, skidding into the room with grace akin to a drunken swan — a pink blush dusts over his cheekbones and the boyish charm of his eager smile makes your stomach flutter. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down when he swallows, and he covertly attempts to catch his breath from the sudden burst of excitement. 

“–There,” Steve finishes, lamely. 

The bright, pretty smile on Bucky’s lips and how his eyes grow wide when he sees you makes you feel like you’re floating on cloud nine. “Hi, Buttercup,” he breathes, and the pure innocence of his greeting melts your heart.

You can’t help but copy his smile as you make your way towards him, where he positively vibrates in place. “Hi to you too, handsome.” The cotton of his shirt is soft under your palms, and you meet his lips with a small kiss. The brush of his plush lips against yours makes you sigh against his mouth, and his hands sneak around your waist to grip your hips, keeping you in place against his chest.  

He wasn’t going to let you sneak away with just the one kiss — he never does. 

A more insistent press from his lips makes you part your own, and he runs his tongue over your bottom lip.  

“Guys,” Steve whines, “Get a fucking room — I don’t want to see that shit!” 

The effort to pull away from Bucky’s lips is beyond tolerable, but you refuse to turn and look at Steve as you say, “Sorry, bro,” with little to no remorse for his fragile disposition as the older brother. Bucky does not tear his focus from you, rather, his lips quirk in a playful smirk at your snark. 

Unbeknownst to you and behind your back, your brother’s mouth upturns in a smile; the two most important people in his life finally together and so sickeningly in love. 

As of a few weeks ago, Bucky and you started officially dating after a shy, whispered question during the late Sunday morning of your first weekend together. 

Bucky’s small, timid question of what the two of you were once he dragged you back to bed — after the clean-up from a spilled gift basket in his haste — set the butterflies in your stomach aflame. 

Of course, there was no other answer but to rid the doubt in his mind and reassure him. 

From then on, the two of you lived in your own bubble of bliss. You, over the moon to finally be with your long-time crush; Bucky, unbelieving of the reality that he has and is deserving of the girl of his dreams, who loves and nurtures all aspects of him. 

The only way to describe you both during this honeymoon phase is inseparable — spending every single spare moment through college life with one another. 

But no matter how badly you wanted to be with him, and spend more time staring at his handsome features, your art finals were also crucial business — as was keeping Bucky’s GPA intact. The scholarship he revered depended on it. 

Steve’s voice brings you from the torrent of memories and back to the present where Bucky held you fast against his chest still. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

You reach around Bucky’s neck and twirl your fingers through his hair before whispering loud enough for only him to hear, “Ready to go, Puppy?”

The red flush of his cheeks and the part of his lips has you trying to hide the satisfied smirk that threatens to pull at the corner of your mouth — his new nickname borne from a quick-witted quip you thought nothing of, truly is one of your greatest accomplishments to date. 

You remember it perfectly.

Bucky leaned against the headboard, his lips in a full pout, and arms crossed tightly across his chest. The bare expanse of skin was shadowed by the low light of your bedside lamp. “No,” he grumbled, furrowing his brows with his sudden, foul mood. 

“Bucky— come on, we have to eat something,” you reiterated for the umpteenth time. 

“No.” The dramatics of his brooding had you struggling to rein your laughter in. 

“We’ve been cuddling for three hours,” you insisted, deciding to reason with the stubborn idiot. “I literally heard your stomach rumble an hour ago. You need food.” 

Bucky sulked. “No. Only need you.” 

“Oh my god,” you giggled, “you look like a kicked puppy, Bucky.” 

There was a deep, impatient huff, and then he stared at you, an expression of longing covering his features. It only exaggerated his puppy eyes. 

A bright idea came to you then, the comparison may just be what you needed to make the boy move… “Here, boy,” you called, patting your thigh with one hand and snapping your fingers with the other. “Come on, who’s a good boy? Huh? You want a treat, baby? Do you wanna be a good pup for me?” 

Bucky’s reaction was more than you could have ever hoped for — his entire body became deathly still for a moment, then his arms slackened to fall onto the bed and a deep flush of blotchy red trailed up from his chest and up to his neck. 

You would have been worried about overstepping if you hadn’t spotted the dazed, glassy look in his eyes, darkening the cerulean to an Aegean blue.  

Bucky liked it. 

The praise, humiliation, spliced with a pinch of demand — the entirely accidental recipe for how to break him. 

Ever since then, Bucky’s new nickname causes the most visceral reaction he so desperately tries to hide, with very little success. The quiet hitch of his breath has you trying to keep your composure, and if only to tease him a little more, you wink at him. 

In the present, he chokes on a sharp intake of breath and coughs. 

There’s a quiet, short bout of laughter behind you from Steve, but you focus on Bucky while he catches his breath, still beet red. “You ready to go, Buck?” you repeat, squeezing the back of his neck.  

The rapid semblance of composure did nothing to hide the effect your words have. He blows out a breath, and stutters a determinedly stoic, “Y–yeah— almost, just gotta— um— run and g–get my jacket.” 

You hum and bump your nose against his before stepping back to let him breathe, “Okay, Buck. I’ll be waiting by the door.” 

Bucky wastes no time in spinning around before taking off like a shot down the hallway towards his bedroom. As he disappears, you chuckle to yourself and wonder how embarrassed he will be when he realises that he is already wearing a hoodie.  

“You’re wicked.” Steve stands with his arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. But by the small smirk upturning his lips, you know he’s just as entertained with Bucky’s fumbling than you are. “He’s so whipped.”

Before you have a chance to retort, a honeyed, feminine voice calls from your brother’s room. “Steve, stop hounding your sister and leave her be! You promised me a foot rub.” 

“Oh?” It's your turn to cock your eyebrow, and you watch, all too righteously, while his cheeks turn bright red. “Remind me who’s the whipped one again, hm?” 

Steve flounders in place, his mouth opening and closing while he searches for the words to no doubt put you back in your place, but another voice beats him to it by calling out to you from the hallway. “Flower, you have no idea! Last week I got him to–” 

“Okay! That’s enough of that,” Steve interrupts, quick to shut down the reveal before it knew the light of day. He stalks down the hallway towards his bedroom, and as he goes, he yells over his shoulder at you, “Enjoy your time with Buck, sis, please don’t break him, we’ve got training tomorrow. Love ya — see you next week!” 

The door slams shut just as Bucky appears around the corner, clad in both a hoodie and a jacket, and his eyes dart everywhere around the room but at you. The realisation must have hit him, and he was far too stubborn to come back empty handed. 

Decidedly, you don’t question him on it. Instead, you hold your hand out to him and say, “Come on, handsome, we’ve got some studying to do.” 

And just like that, Bucky’s face lights up and he bounces towards you to interlace his fingers with yours. He follows you with ease while you lead him out his apartment to the elevator, the doors opening for you instantly for the both of you to step in. 

The floor numbers descend on the screen, and a companionable, comfortable silence floats in the air. Until you turn to the side when you feel the stare of your boyfriend. 

Bucky’s blue eyes shine brightly while he looks you up and down, taking you in once more, and your heart flutters against your chest with the soft smile pulling at his lips. “You look beautiful today,” he whispers, a line of worship that makes your stomach flip. While holding your gaze, he lifts your hand up to his mouth and places a kiss to the back of it. 

If the heart eyes from the cartoons were real, then your boyfriend takes the gold. 

You barely fight the urge to squeal out loud with the show of heartfelt adoration. “Thank you, baby.” 

The elevator doors open with a swoosh as you reach the ground floor. Squeezing his hand gently, you begin to lead him out the lift and towards the exit. “Let’s get going — we gotta make sure you ace this test.”

In the beginning, it took a while to process that you were Bucky’s girlfriend — an ease unlike any other helped you both fit together so seamlessly, as though you had been dating for far longer. 

That same ease also makes itself known in your shared sexual compatibility.

Ever since that fateful movie night back in Steve and Bucky’s apartment, the two of you went no further than making out at every opportunity that presents itself (or that you make) and grinding against each other until you both came — though it didn’t stop you both from doing it a lot. 

Sex for the first time is a big deal. Bucky’s admission of still being a virgin, and his comfort being your priority, you take every old and new venture into pleasure at his pace. But your hesitance is met with an unprecedented hunger that leaves you breathless with need, every single time. 

Bucky’s eagerness to feel you against him, the heat of your bodies intermingling as best they can between the layers of clothing always made him feral with want, and each time he ventures closer, further than he did before in his exploration of your body, it grows with such passion it scorches your skin.   

You were going to wait on his signal no matter how long it took. But a few signs were telling you, however, that Bucky wants it. 

Recently, your boyfriend has been a little more desperate, more so than usual. 

His whines and whimpers turn from breathy and high, to deep, animalistic sounds that send shivers up your spine. Bucky was already putty in the palm of your hands at the best of times, and to witness him let go of his inhibitions was addicting — you wanted more of him, and you have the inclination that he longs for the same. 

And although the both of you swore to one another that you would head to the campus library to focus on your studies, somewhere along the way, your feet took you straight back to your dorm room and into your bedroom. 

Your giggles and sighs echo off the walls, along with the rustling sound of your bed covers. “That tickles!” 

Bucky, the clever, sly boy he is, figured out far too quickly where the sensitive spots on your neck are. “‘M sorry, baby,” he whispers against your neck, his breath hot and fanning over the delicate skin. His sweet, tender kisses start to turn heated — more passionate and intense as his hands begin to wander over your body. 

“Fuck,” Bucky breathes against the curve of your jaw. “You smell so good, Buttercup — could jus’ eat you up.” 

You softly moan in reply. The sudden hunger in his tone makes a shiver run down your spine and settle heavily between your thighs.

“C’mere,” he growls, and he rolls his body over yours, forcing you to lay flat against the mattress. You quickly wrap your legs around his waist as he trails sloppy kisses from the curve of your mouth and down the slope of your neck. “Atta girl, good girl.”

The feel of his lips against your skin makes your eyes flutter closed, and it’s entirely impossible to withhold your upper body rising with the arch of your back, pushing your covered breast up against his chest.

You can’t help but think of how confident Bucky has grown in such little time — his boldness only adding fuel to the fire.

Bucky firmly grips your waist in his hands with a thready moan, and he slowly, torturously inches them up towards the bottom of your tits. You feel the brush from the tips of his thumbs through the fabric of your bra and shirt, the pressure of them indescribable. 

“God, you’re so fuckin’ pretty.” He squeezes his eyes shut as he tests a roll of his hips into you. The high moan that tumbles from your lips jolts him, and he thrusts forward with a small, disjointed groan — the heavenly pleasure of grinding his cock against your clothed cunt almost too much for him to bear. “Feel so good, Bee — holy fuck.”

You grin up at him, squeezing your knees against his hips. Another thing Bucky grew confident in: being vocal in the bedroom. His litany of curses and range of vocabulary comes to life if he loses himself enough; bold in his actions, he takes charge more and it leaves you a wreck every single damn time.  

“Gotta keep going, baby,” he pants into the juncture of your neck and shoulder, “don’t make me stop, please don’t make me stop.” The desperation in his voice is as addicting as the pleasure he so freely gives, and you moan loudly to the ceiling. His pure, feral need to take what he wants only sends you closer to the edge. “Fuck–”

Your whines and pleas for more mix with his deep grunts on every grind into you. “Bucky, don't you dare stop,” you gasp, grabbing at his shoulders and wrinkling his shirt in your grip. “Oh my god, please don’t stop.” 

“Not gonna stop,” he promises as he pants against your neck. “Not gonna stop till you fuckin’ cum for me, Buttercup.”

You grab onto the back of his thighs, forcing him to rock against you faster. Harder. 

Bucky’s whimpers only serve to drive you crazier and with wild abandon, you buck your hips to meet his thrusts. “So close, baby. Almost there— oh, fuck,” you cry. 

Bucky bites the skin of your neck, causing you to gasp loudly and moan. 

“Fuck, doll,” he groans, and he swallows your whines with frenzied need, his tongue laving over yours. The harsh pants for air when he pulls back to speak send you into a whimpering mess. “Drivin’ me crazy, Bee. Need you so bad, you got no idea—” 

“Keep going, please, keep going!”

“—Gotta have you,” he grunts. “Need these fuckin’ clothes off — wanna see your perfect body.”

It’s hopeless to keep your moans at bay. His ferocity has you on the edge and your thighs shake as you balance on the precipice. “Gonna— gonna cum.” You tangle your fingers into his damp hair and pull. “Bucky, baby—”

“I know, pretty girl,” Bucky coos. “I’ll get you there, don’t worry—” 

“Please, please, please!” you frantically beg. The knot in your stomach is wound tight; the fast rhythm of Bucky’s thrusts pushing it to the point of shattering. 

With a slight shift in angle of Bucky’s hips, the tip of his cock rubs against your swollen clit through your leggings, and you scream from the sheer ecstasy that flows through your veins with your climax. “Cumming! I’m cumming— oh my god, I’m cumming!”

Bucky’s hips falter, and he chokes out a raspy moan, “Fuck!” 

The shattering of built-up tension rushes over the two of you; harsh moans fall from Bucky’s parted lips while he rides out his high, his hips continuing to grind against you. 

It all falls on deaf ears while fire still runs through your veins.  

“Holy shit,” Bucky whispers, finally slowing down his breathing and stopping the faltering, aborted thrusts of his hips. The growing wet patch that stains the crotch of his sweatpants no longer makes his cheeks flush with shame. 

Quiet whimpers and gasps for breath leave you unable to speak, to utter just how wrecked you feel beneath him. 

“Holy fuck,” Bucky repeats, and he gently rests his lower half against yours while carefully keeping his upper body propped up on his elbows. “That was–” Hot breaths fan over your lips as he rests his forehead against yours. “So fuckin’ good.”

You laugh breathily and squeeze his shoulders, the press of your fingertips meeting hard, strong muscle.

It’s a peaceful moment; a serene bliss you only find in the comfort of Bucky’s arms. It feels right to be cocooned in his warmth — your boyfriend always making you feel safe. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Bucky says softly, placing a quick kiss to your nose, then a lingering, passionate one on your lips. “I can’t– fuck, can’t believe you’re mine.” 

You smile brightly up at him, lost for words, and with a tired huff, he rolls off of your body to lay beside you. Your chests rise and fall in a soothing sense of synchronisation. 

The slow drain of adrenaline from your body erupts in a sudden fit of giggles.  

Bucky blinks, then smiles hesitantly, a confused quirk of his lips. “What’s so funny, Buttercup?” 

“I just–” You bite your lip in an attempt to stop your laughter so you’re able to respond to him. “Sorry– it’s just a little crazy to me how you’re not as shy as you used to be.” A teasing smirk pulls at your lips. “You’ve gone a little rogue, Pup.” 

Heat creeps up Bucky’s neck and covers his cheeks with an adorable red flush. Even if your man has gained a lot of confidence, he will never be able to rid the bashful puppy inside of him. 

“I should be worried,” you tease. “You’re giving me a run for my money.” 

“Right, that’s it.” Bucky suddenly shoots up and climbs over you, pinning you in place with his hips and thighs. One of his hands snakes up your arm, then the other, and you shiver with the ghost of sensation, only, he smirks. “I’ve got you now.” 

Your wrists are suddenly together, unable to move from the top of the bed and in the grip of his hand. “Hey–!”

There’s a wicked, playful glint in his darkening eyes as he looks down at you. “You’ll learn, Bee, that I’m not a man to be teased.” The hand he has free begins to flit over your ticklish spots. 

“Bucky,” You warn as you nervously chuckle, trying to edge away from his touch. “Don’t you even think about it.”  

That doesn’t deter him though. He runs the tips of his fingers, a feather light touch, underneath your tank top. “Oh, no– no, no,” he tuts. “I have the upper hand now, baby.”

“No!” you loudly squeal, trying to kick your feet to dislodge the weight of Bucky’s athletic build over your lower half, but it’s of no use. 

You burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter — tears start streaming down your cheeks while your boyfriend watches in cruel amusement above you. “Where did all that fighting talk from earlier go, huh, Buttercup? Where did it go?” 

“Okay, okay! I– I lose, you w–win!” 

With a satisfied sigh, Bucky yields and lets go of your wrists to bring one hand down to your waist, closely following with the other as he starts to gently stroke the exposed skin of your middle. 

“You’re too easy, baby,” he chuckles, fondness bursting over his features. 

“Yeah, well,” you sigh in defeat. “You played dirty. Best believe I’ll get you back, big guy.”

A comfortable silence stretches between you both while you breathe heavily and close your eyes against the exhaustion overtaking your limbs. The rush of endorphins and all manner of happiness still flowing through your veins.  

Until, “Did I go too far?” Bucky asks suddenly, his voice timid, small. 

The tone of his question indicates a sense of duality — he’s not just asking only about the tickle fight. 

You open your eyes to the view of his long hair hiding the two of you from the world; your room obscured by the curtain of it. The bright, shining blue of his irises steals your breath with the depth of emotion swimming in them — keeping you firmly within the bubble the two of you created in your passion.  

“Oh, Bucky,” you whisper soothingly, bringing your hand up to cup his cheek — the soft strands of his hair against your fingertips sends an unprompted shiver down your spine. You move your hand from his cheek so your index finger could press against his nose, then up to smooth over the furrow between his brows. “Not at all, handsome.” An effortless smile pulls at your lips, one that he hesitantly returns. “It was perfect, I promise.” 

Though he doesn’t seem to settle. Something is on his mind, that was obvious — his tells are easy to decipher from the time you spent studying his expressions. When he is unsure, hesitant, the tip of his tongue runs over his bottom lip; when anxious, his shoulders hunch inwards in an attempt to make himself smaller. 

Bucky swallows thickly. 

You frown. “Are you okay, Puppy?” 

The soft lilt of your voice soothes his worries, and he takes a deep breath before responding with a wavering, “I think I’m ready.” 

The implication of such a comment makes your eyes widen slightly — while the possibilities are endless for what he could possibly be referring to, you’re almost certain you understand exactly what he means. 

As though he suddenly realises how it could be interpreted, he barely whispers, “I w–wanna have— have sex.” There’s a slight tremble in his voice despite his courage to confess. 

You blink once, twice, hesitating only for a second before opening your mouth to reply, to question him, but Bucky rushes to add, “With you.”  

It’s your turn to swallow — despite the harsh dryness coating your throat. In the past, you had partners, summer flings. Few stayed, and even fewer were worth the trials and effort of a proper relationship. And through those couplings, sex became something that didn’t faze you. 

With Bucky it feels different. 

The connection is far more meaningful to you than any casual hookup from a club, and to know he is in a space where he is comfortable enough to place such vulnerability in the palms of your hands… It is not lost on you, the importance of his choice. 

You look deep into his eyes while you seek his full consent — if only just to quell the doubt that swells within yourself. “You’re sure about this?” 

“One hundred percent,” Bucky confidently assures. “I want all of you, Buttercup. And I wanna give you all of me.” 

Fuck, you curse to yourself. You didn’t deserve him. 

You nod, then say, “Alright, baby.” Bucky grins at you, and this time you rush to add, “Let me do this properly though, okay? I want to take you out; treat you like you deserve.” 

A sudden sheepishness clouds his expression, and his eyes dart downwards to your lips while he licks his own. “Mhm,” he mumbles quietly, “Y–You can do that if— if you like.” 

You take both of his cheeks in your hands, and you tilt his head up to place a soft, loving kiss to his swollen lips. When he makes direct eye contact with you, you whisper against his mouth, “You deserve the world, Pup — nothing less. So yes, I would love to.” 

The night of the long anticipated date night arrived faster than you realise — after classes, study sessions, and accompanying Nat to the boy’s football training to cheer them on, time flew by in a blur.

As much as Bucky begged you for a scrap of a hint or clue for what you planned, you kept it under tight wraps; a lock and key that will not budge for even the sweetest of pleas.  

It hasn’t been an easy task to stay strong against his wide, puppy eyes — on more than one occasion, you almost let slip. But with severe determination, you successfully keep it a secret. 

And by god are you proud of yourself for such an achievement. 

You know for sure that Bucky is going to enjoy himself tonight — every last stop pulled, and with the help from your brother for the venue, you feel confident in the plan.

That is, until you smooth over the invisible wrinkles of your dress for the umpteenth time while you make your way down the hallway towards their apartment, your stomach roiling with anxiety of the unknown. Will Bucky truly like it? What if he hates it–?

A hand with perfectly manicured, blood red nails grabs yours, and pulls your fidgeting fingers away from the seam of stitching to the pockets of your dress. “Babe, please stop panicking.” Natasha’s soothing tone brings you back down to earth. “You look incredible — Bucky isn’t going to know what hit him.”

After hearing of your plans from your brother, she was quick to offer her help with your makeup and hair, which you graciously and gratefully took her up on. You were desperate for some feminine support, and Nat came in the form of an angel sent from the heavens.  

The way she worked her magic left you unable to believe it was you staring back at yourself in the mirror; hair flawlessly styled and makeup ethereal. A shaky sigh escapes you. “You really think so?”   

All in all, as you walk down the hallway to the door that hides your date from view, arm in arm with your guardian angel, there is not one reason for why you are so anxious — though the pressure you place on yourself to make sure this date is perfect is among one of the chief suspects. 

You meant, wholeheartedly, what you told Bucky before — he deserves the world, and you crave to hand it to him. “I mean–”

“Listen to me,” Nat says fiercely as she steps in front of you, blocking your path to the door of the apartment and stopping you in your tracks. Her hands grip your arms, tethering you to reality. “I know for a fact that boy is going to positively die when he sees you.” 

The tension releases from your body with her comforting words, but Nat still goes above and beyond to bring you out of your spiral. “Hell, if I wasn’t already with your brother, I'd have snatched you up myself.” 

You can’t help the small smile that quirks your lips for her instilled confidence, and she winks. 

You’re grateful that Steve has found someone so genuine who you easily get along with. Natasha is a beautiful woman both inside and out, faultlessly honest and loyal — traits that are hard to find in a person, yet here she is, extending her help with little thought or expectation of it being returned.  

“Thank you,” you murmur, trying to convey how much you appreciate her. “Y–You didn’t have to do all of this.” 

“Maybe not.” Her hair bounces as she shrugs. “But us girls gotta stick together — especially now that we’ve got two helmet heads stuck to our back.” 

“Come on.” Her arm hooks around yours, and she pulls you along. “Let’s go get your boy.” 

Before you can blink, you are standing outside your brother’s apartment, and with a deep breath and moral support of the redhead on your arm, you bring your closed fist up to the wood. “Here we go.” Three, firm knocks ring through the silence, and you step back to wait. 

The anticipation doesn't last very long at all before the door swings inwards with a flourish. 

Steve stands in the entryway, his back turned towards you while he shouts into his apartment. “Hurry your ass up, Buck–!” You lightly switch your weight between your feet, waiting for him to turn around. “They’re at the door!” 

There’s a clattering bang and more curses from inside the apartment, when Steve finally turns around to greet you. “There’s my favourite girls—” He freezes in place, mouth slack from shock, and his eyes trail up and down your body. “Flower,” he gasps in awe. “Oh sis, you look so beautiful.”

The sincerity in his words immediately brings tears to your eyes, and Nat hisses at her boyfriend, “Hey, don’t ruin her makeup!”  

“I’m sorry,” Steve says slowly, still taking you in. “I just– you’re so fucking beautiful. Look at you.” 

Nat hums happily while her hand rubs your shoulder. “Isn’t she? I said Bucky’s going to die when he sees her.” 

“Guys,” You whine, the hot flush of embarrassment leaves you feeling utterly flustered.  

Steve ignores you though, readily agreeing with his girlfriend as he opens the door wider to let you both enter. “She’s right, Flower. It suits you perfectly.” 

A surge of giddiness hits you — after a time of intense deliberation of your wardrobe, you chose one of your favourite sundresses to wear for the special night, a spaghetti strap in a soft, cornflower blue. A small surprise and homage to someone special. “Thanks Stevie, I really appreciate–”  

“Okay, okay, wait–” Bucky rounds the corner from the hallway as he enters the living room, interrupting you. “What about this one?”  

The cufflinks on his navy blue button-up steal his whole attention, while his long, chocolate hair conceals you from his view. He struggles fastening the cuffs with the subtle shake of his fingers, and you can almost hear his inner frustration when he huffs an annoyed breath, blowing strands of hair from his face. “Dammit, I swear–”

You stand there with thin lips to contain your laughter while waiting for him to look up.  

“Steve?” Bucky asks frustratedly after he doesn’t receive an immediate response. “Do you think Buttercup will like this outfit or not–” His head tilts upwards, hair falling either side of his handsome face that is painted with exasperation at being ignored, and his words falter.

Blue eyes widen in surprise to find you standing there next to his best friend. 

“Oh– fuck,” Bucky gasps, and his jaw slackens with the gravity of your presence; truly awe stricken by the sight of your opulent outfit and appearance. His Adam’s apple bobs as he gulps uselessly around his inability to speak. 

The click of your shoes against the floorboards doesn’t snap him out of his daze let alone register in his mind, so deep in his fixation of you.  

You take the chance to admire his appearance. 

The navy, button-up shirt clings to his broad shoulders, accentuating the definition of the muscles all the way down to his forearms, and with each movement, the material tightens sinfully. The top few buttons of his shirt are left undone — a choice you’re most thankful for because of the tease of his bare chest. Black slacks fit snug to his hips and grip his thick thighs. 

On any normal day, when Bucky wasn’t out in the field in his football gear, he normally stuck to his casual clothing of an old t-shirt and sweatpants — comfort over presentability, not that you ever complain about the sight of him in sweats. But this is the first time you’ve ever seen him remotely dressed up.

You walk towards him and grab his hands with yours, stopping his absentminded fidgeting — gravity keeping him routed in place. 

“I think you’re absolutely gorgeous, Bucky,” you say, gazing into his eyes while you wonder how lucky you are to hold his attention in a room of his favourite people. “If that answers your question.”

“My god, Bee,” he whispers, finally able to give a voice to the flock of thoughts circling his mind. “You look stunning, baby — ethereal.” He laughs, a little deliriously. “You’re kinda killing me here.” His large hands encircle yours, bringing them up to hold against his chest. 

There’s so much emotion in his eyes as they dart over your figure like there’s not enough time in the world for him to take you in. 

“Give us a spin!” Nat calls into the charged air while she clings onto Steve’s arm, who watches on teary eyed. 

Bucky takes one of your hands and lifts it into the air, encouraging you to twirl. The skirt of your dress fans out around your thighs, and you can’t help but grin wide as your boyfriend whistles low. “You're a goddamn dream, Buttercup.”

He guides you back into his hold, before gently gripping your chin between his thumb and pointer finger to bump his nose against yours. “And all mine.” 

The way Bucky’s stare burrows deep into your soul and makes a home where he rightfully belongs — it takes everything you have to not blurt out the three words residing on the tip of your tongue, but something has you biting your lip against the impulse. 

Instead of declaring aloud what your mind and heart feel, you settle with another truth, “And you, Bucky Barnes, are a sight for sore eyes.” 

A dusting of pink spreads high over his cheeks, and you take pride in being able to fluster him so easily — your adorable Pup would never lose his bashfulness. 

“What did I tell you, honey?” Natasha bumps her hips against Steve’s as she snickers into her hand. “He’s practically drooling over her.” 

You join in with their laughter while Bucky pulls you close and buries himself into your neck, even more flustered from the insistent teasing, and he grumbles low into your ear, “Great, now there’s two of them.” 

Leaning back to better look at his flushed face, you assure him, “I think you’re adorable, baby.”

His eyes twinkle with a spark only you could ever bring out of him. “I’m excited for the night, Bee,” Bucky declares, honest and sweet. 

“Me too, handsome,” you readily agree while you step back, the small hops of uncontainable excitement making Steve and Nat chuckle. “Are we all set to leave?” 

“Oh!” Nat cries, “Before you forget—” She slips out of Steve’s hold and rushes into the kitchen, coming back a second later with a wicker basket full of food, the very same that she insisted on when she first found out about your date. With a wink, she hands it to you. “You can’t leave without this.” 

“You’re an angel,” you praise, walking towards her and holding your arms wide for a hug. She readily accepts it and kisses you on the cheek. “Thank you so much for this.”

Just as you step back from her embrace to grab her offering, Bucky swoops in and grabs the basket before you can even touch the wicker handle. “Hey! Excuse me, Barnes,” you scold, frowning at him. “I am more than capable of carrying that.”

“I know,” Bucky teases while he walks backwards towards the apartment door, a devilish grin on his lips. “But I don’t care for a picnic basket gettin’ in the way and ruinin’ the view of my girl in a pretty dress.” 

Your jaw drops from his suave words, and you stand there, flustered as you watch his retreating form. Without looking, he opens the door with his free hand and bids farewell to his best friend with a nod, then he smiles at Nat. 

Bucky then looks to you. The flick of his hair as he nods towards the hallway pulls you from the reverie. “Come on, beautiful. The night is young; the possibilities endless.” 

Where the hell has he gotten his silver tongue from? your mind questions. 

“He’s gotten too smooth for his own good,” Steve comments as though he read your mind, a smirk playing on his lips. 

“You don’t say,” you reply easily. To get to the door, you walk past your brother, and he slips a folded piece of paper into your hand while Bucky is walking into the hallway, his back turned. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” 

Steve grins. “Have fun, Flower — you deserve this.” Naturally, it wouldn’t be a traditional sibling farewell without a departing shout of, “And make sure you wear protection, shithead!” 

The Brooklyn streets are aglow from the overhead lights while the moon creeps up the horizon, watching over you and Bucky holding hands. He blindly follows you towards your best kept secret.  

“Let me get this straight.” Bucky swings your arm with his gently. “You’re telling me I can’t have any clues about where you’re taking me?” 

“Nope,” you respond, staying strong to your oath of silence. “We’re a couple of blocks away, you dummy. You’re going to find out in five minutes — be patient, I know it’s hard.” 

“C’mon, Bee,” Bucky begs. “You don’t wanna put a poor man out of his misery?” He lightly tugs on your intertwined hands to spin you into his chest. 

“Hey–” You look up at him to find his eyes hooded with barely restrained lust.  

“I almost died already after seeing you in that dress for the first time, and now you’re torturing me, I have to watch you walk in front of me in the damned thing.” 

Oh, you laugh to yourself. He’s really turning the charm up. 

“Puppy,” you whisper breathily, intentionally running a hand down his chest. The action and your touch makes Bucky shudder. “Believe me when I say I could make you do a lot worse.” 

A deep flush of red paints his cheeks and spreads blotchily down his neck, and his breath hitches when you cup his jaw in your palm. “Be good for me, and be patient,” you warn, the fan of your breath over his lips only worsening his flustered state. “I promise the wait will be worth it.”

“Y–Yeah, okay–” He clears his throat and sets you back onto your feet, though he does not release your hand.  

A flash of mischief darkens his eyes when you pull him onwards, and you look over your shoulder at him when he says, “Yes ma’am.” 

That is something you could get used to hearing. “Atta boy.”

The rest of the walk is quiet but calm — a mutual contentment stretching between the two of you where words aren’t needed. 

You know that around the next street corner lay your surprise, and Bucky still has no idea what is in store — the piece of paper that Steve gave you begins to burn a hole in your dress pocket.  

The exclamation of surprise that falls from Bucky’s lips when he lays eyes on the museum makes all the effort worth it, though it grows to a state of clear confusion from the furrowing of his brows. “Wait, it’s late — isn’t it closed?”

“Come on,” you say in reply, and instead of going to the main entrance, you lead Bucky towards an alleyway where Steve told you the back entrance for staff is situated.  

The crinkle of paper is louder than the cheering crowd at a football game, and you grip the invaluable information as you near the locked door. Steve’s offering rings in your mind: It will get you into the main foyer, from there, you’re gonna need to get sneaky.

Bucky’s hand squeezes yours in an attempt to get your attention. “Bee?”

You’re too homed in on the memory of Steve talking to you about your plan — one of their teammates works within the museum, and he was able to pull a few strings and call in a couple of favours for the gold mine in your hand. 

You determinedly walk towards the keypad built into the wall next to the door and unfold the note. In the process, you let Bucky’s hand go — you instantly feel the loss of connection.    

“Um— Buttercup,” he chuckles nervously, glancing over his shoulders to spot any onlookers. “I think this is classified as illegal trespassing right now.” 

“I mean,” you say, then you stick your tongue between your teeth as you work the six-digit code from the piece of paper to the keypad. The low tone press of each digit covers up the shuffle of feet behind you. “Bucky, it’s okay — it’s safe.”

“But–” He hesitates when the mechanism clicks to signify it's open. 

You look at him and suddenly grasp the idea that he is anxious — his football scholarship and prospective future could be ripped away from him within the hour should the two of you get caught by the authorities.

“Hey, hey, we’re good — no one’s gonna catch us, I swear,” you assure. Though he still looks on edge. You don’t want Bucky to feel apprehensive for the sake of his headspace or the rest of the evening, and your only option is to offer him your most sincere form of faith. You hold out your hand, palm up. “We’re gonna be okay. Trust me?”

  

There’s a small, nervous twitch of a smile on his lips, and then, finally, his tense shoulders and posture relax as he steps forward and sets his hand into yours with an ease that shocks you, only strengthening the solid connection you have. 

“Come on.” Bucky follows behind you, a slight laugh on his breath as you all but run into the museum. 

Different eras of evolution pass by in a flash; hundreds of exhibits dedicated to all corners of the world go ignored in lieu of taking Bucky to one place that, normally, was not an easy area to walk through and explore, given how popular the exhibit is. 

By the time you reach the doors hidden behind a set of double, velvet curtains, you’re out of breath. “O—kay,” you pant, hands on your hips as you slightly bend forward. “We’re — we’re here.”  

Your boyfriend, the teasing bastard he is, chuckles while he extends a hand to your shoulder, “Are you okay?” 

The bastard hasn’t even broken a sweat. 

“Fine — I’m fine,” you gasp, and you gesture at the curtains. “Come on, I can’t hold it in any longer–” The heels of your shoes click over the floor, and you push aside the curtains to reveal the door — only then do you turn around and smile at Bucky. “Here we go.”

The doors fly open with a flourish and reveal a domed planetarium with the signage above a giant moon: A Journey Through The Stars. 

It is a coveted event within the science community, and only after you hear of it through whispers in the halls of your dorms and classes did you realise it was perfect. 

Darkness cloaks and envelopes the two of you as you step inside — Bucky moving slowly in his daze of amazement. On strings and platforms above and lining the dome ceiling are twinkling lights and stars, the only source of lumination to show the wonderment in his cerulean blues. 

You watch from a distance with bated breath while Bucky stares to the ceiling, mouth agape, taking in the moving three-dimensional hologram above him and everything it has to offer. 

The galaxy, with its swirls of pinks, purples, and blues among millions of stars, are brought to life before his very eyes. Planets thousands of times bigger than the two of you cross and circle one another above your heads, closer than either of you could have ever thought possible, and yet, still only just out of reach — the concept achieves the impossible. 

In the end, you realise as you stare at Bucky, your heart swelling with the love that courses through you, that you have gone beyond the very goal you were desperate to attain; to give Bucky Barnes the world. 

He spins on the spot, eyes bright with a childlike awe you have only ever seen on the mornings you've woken up in his arms. The glow of the celestial wonders captures in that second, a memory that will last forever — the sight of your man, the centre of your world, underneath the stars. 

Ever so slowly, Bucky delicately brings his gaze back down to earth, and notices the distance between the two of you. His voice echoes across the room, off of the planets and stars as he asks with a waver in his voice, “H–How did you know?” 

You smile. “That you’re kind of an astronomy nerd?”  

Bucky only nods his head, still at a loss for words. Strands of his neatly tucked hair fall over his eyes, and you take a deep breath and steady your own voice. “Do you remember our first movie night with Stevie and Nat?” 

There is a small hum of acknowledgement from deep in his throat. 

“Well,” you continue, “I remember the two of them were arguing, it took them ages to settle on a film choice. I was beginning to lose my tether.” The recollection of the memory — their voices and banter make you chuckle. “Anyway, a trailer came up on the TV for an upcoming film about an astronaut getting stuck in space — the Martian, maybe? I’m not too sure.” 

He is purely focused on you as you speak, and you begin to recall your favourite part of the memory with a fond smile, ignoring the slight lump in your throat from the overwhelming flood of fondness and adoration. “But I watched– I watched as your head snapped up instantly. You were enamoured, Bucky — I’ve never seen you so hooked into anything more in my life.”

Time freezes as Bucky stands there, unmoving and speechless. The lack of reaction from him makes your stomach twist with nerves, and you rush to fill the silence, rambling on, “Then I noticed the smaller things. Your stack of astronomy books on your nightstand, the NASA merch I find when I steal one of your sweaters.” A small laugh escapes then at his incredulous expression. “And so, I went out on a whim, piecing everything together, and I– well, I thought I should try my chances.” 

“You really—” Bucky swallows the lump stuck in his throat. “You noticed all of that?”

“Of course I did, Bucky,” you tell him with reverence. “How could I not notice something you’re in love with?” The colours of the night sky shimmer over his face and over the sheen in his eyes as he stares at you. Hesitantly, you ask, “D–Do you like it?” 

“Do I like it?” He repeats, huffing a breath. “Do I– do I like it–?”

There’s a thud as the basket he was holding falls to the floor, and you gasp while he storms towards you and picks you up around your waist to spin you around in the air. 

His grin is wide while you squeal with shock. “Damn right I like it!” he shouts with pride. “My girl is the fucking best!” 

“Ah–! Bucky!” The skirt of your dress flutters over your thighs as you hold onto his shoulders.

He whoops and yells his happiness, and after a few rotations, he carefully places you back down onto the floor, only he doesn’t stop his persistent touch — kisses scatter over your face, never lingering in one place for more than a second. 

“You’re — so — amazing.” His lips move downwards from your face to your jaw, then your neck. “Can’t — believe — you’re — actually — mine.” 

The ache in your stomach flutters from your laughter, though you are on cloud nine and find it difficult to care when the boy you’ve had a crush on for so long is kissing your face like there is no tomorrow. 

Eventually, Bucky begins to calm down, settling his forehead against yours while wrapping his hands around your waist. “This means everything to me, Buttercup.” He grants you a slow, final kiss to your lips. “Thank you.” 

“You are more than welcome, sweet boy.” You move closer into his chest and peck him on the lips. “Now let’s have that picnic.”

The two of you sit under the largest planet, and you dive into the contents of the picnic basket to find Natasha has packed a whole range of finger foods from sandwiches, mini cakes, to strawberries and grapes. A small bottle of your favourite drink is tucked into the side of the basket, next to two glasses.  

After a toast, “To what the universe has planned for us,” you both bask in one another’s company — two tiny specks of the universe coming together as one. 

You listen intently as Bucky excitedly rambles about the different planets, as well as his love for Mars in particular. The gesticulation and smile on his face is priceless, and you only wish you had thought to bring a camera. 

Bucky continues endlessly — listing interesting facts about each planet and star he knew, and he goes into detail about any active NASA projects or upcoming ones he’s been keeping track of. 

Not only is he an avid storyteller, he makes sure to involve you in the conversation, engaging you with silly questions on whether you believe in other life out there, and any of your thoughts you have about historical space ventures. 

It is easy to fall into step with his passion, and you know that you could stare all night as his whole face lights up, especially his eyes, while he talks about something he thought no one noticed before. 

But you did. 

The highlight is when Bucky begins to talk about star constellations — his love and adoration surpassing that of anything you had heard from him before.   

He sits behind you, legs resting either side of your body while he holds you to his chest with one arm, the other pointing up towards the dome ceiling. “You see that one there, Bee?” There’s a cluster of twinkling stars in the direction of his gesture. “The large rectangle one — that’s Orion.”

The soothing rumble of his voice against your back is remedying — home.  

“It’s also known as Orion The Hunter,” Bucky explains further. “A Greek name, but its true origin is believed to come from the ancient times of Babylon.” 

“It’s beautiful, Bucky,” You sigh happily. The cluster and the whole of the night’s sky is truly beautiful — once they were just a pattern of lights in the sky to you, now they hold far more meaning. 

“Yeah,” your boyfriend agrees. You don’t see how his eyes flicker down to you, rather, you only feel his cheeks rising in a smile. “It is.” He clears his throat. “The constellation includes two of the brightest stars in the sky.” 

“Really?” You hunch forward a little to look upwards. 

“Mhm,” Bucky confirms with a hum. 

With a huff of effort, you push yourself up onto your feet, and walk closer to the constellation until you are directly underneath the pattern of stars. It’s with a new appreciation you stare up at the twinkling lights that you didn’t have before — admiring the complexity of the placement but the simple beauty of it. 

The reflection from the dome ceiling illuminates onto your skin, tattooing patterns of a realm that will never be discovered for its full existence. 

Bucky, however, focuses entirely on you — his girl, in a reality the two of you once never thought possible. 

A shuffling of feet comes from next to you, and Bucky stands and makes his way towards you. He places both of his hands onto your cheeks to tilt your head back down, to be back in the present with him. “Maybe not the brightest. But that’s okay, because that one is only meant for me anyway.” 

It’s sudden, but it consumes you whole — mind, body, and soul — of the realisation that Bucky Barnes is the love of your life. 

You fight the tears threatening to bubble to the surface, though it’s futile — a few escape and trail down your cheeks to collect on Bucky’s thumbs. Those three pesky words fight to spill from your heart and out into the open, to hang in the closing distance between Bucky and you. 

But somehow, it doesn’t seem like the right time. A fragile moment that while you know could truly never break, uttering those words feels like it will shatter the last of your resolve. 

And so, you save them; sealing your mouth closed with a sworn promise to let them go soon. 

Seconds go by as you collect yourself, and then you manage in a choked voice, “My, my — What have you done with my Bucky?” 

“He’s still here,” Bucky vows. “You just make me so dizzy — so goddamn fuckin’ dizzy — that I’ll spill whatever comes to mind.” 

That makes two of you.

You place your hands over his, still encapsulating your face. “Well, you certainly know how to make a girl swoon, handsome.”

His lips turn upwards in a lopsided grin that shows a slither of his pearly whites. “I would find a way to pull the moon out of the sky if you asked me to, Buttercup.” 

There is no doubt in your heart over that — Bucky would go to the ends of the earth for you. But you didn’t need that, you have everything you could wish for already in the palm of your hands. “Lucky for you, I’ll only ask for a dance underneath it.” 

Bucky’s lopsided grin turns into a thousand-watt smile, as bright as the stars above you both. “Now that is something I can make happen.” 

There’s no music, no beat for the two of you to follow, but that doesn't stop Bucky from gathering you closer to his chest — his arms cross over your back to pull you flush with his front. 

You turn your head to the side and lay your cheek against him, wrapping your arms around his neck to better hold him. 

The steady rhythm of his heart guides the steps to your dance, the slow sway side to side of your bodies. You feel the brush of his lips at your temple, then he mutters something under his breath; a barely there string of unintelligible words that do nothing but add to the peace of the moment. 

Bucky sighs and hugs you tighter. 

The night is only just beginning. 

Part Three

[gothhabiba]

[ID: Cross-stitch in various shades of red, pink, and green with bird, flower, cypress tree, and flower pot motifs. It is photographed alongside red glass lamps and perfume bottles, and a red ceramic pomegranate. End ID]

Tatreez raffle to benefit Palestine

This is an original design assembled from tatreez motifs typical of Ramallah, Palestine. It is stitched in cotton embroidery thread on cream linen, and is suitable as wall art, or to be repurposed as a cover for a cushion, tote bag, &c.

You can get your hands on this piece in one of two ways:

Enter the raffle by sending me proof of a donation of at least $5 USD to any evacuation fundraiser (check https://gazafunds.com/). Each multiple of $5 = 1 ticket! A winner will be randomly picked on Sunday, June 23rd.

Send me proof of a donation of at least $75 USD and I will stitch another one just for you.

This is a physical product and you will need to be willing to give me a shipping address.

Design is 10.5" x 4" (27 x 10cm)

Cotton on linen

Stitched 2 over 2 on 28 count linen evenweave (14 stitches per inch)

Colors are: DMC 321, 524, 523, 522, 3805, 3806

[onlyswan]

summary: in which jungkook wants you all for himself (and bam) and you buy him flowers.

> fluff, a little angst / wc: 2.8k

> warnings: jk gets pissed off at a guy who tries hitting on you T_T, making out!!

note: i couldn’t resist and here i am with the post-jungkook live effect [deep sigh] as always i hope you enjoy and i also hope you let me know if you did <333

—

standing infront of the door of your apartment, you struggle to unlock it with your fingerprint because of the paper bag you’re hugging to your chest and the small bouquet of red roses occupying your other hand. in the end, you decide to put down the paper bag on the cold tiled floor. you press your index finger on the rectangular pad above the numbers before turning the doorknob.

the familiar ringing of the door opening and closing make jungkook and bam comically perk up at the same time. the dog stands up by resting his front legs on the backrest of the sofa, tail excitedly wagging as he anticipates your arrival in the living room.

“hello, baby. i’m home.” you sweetly hum as you pad across the floor with your feet only clad in white socks after lazily leaving your shoes by the doormat.

jungkook isn’t even sure if you meant ‘baby’ as in him or bam, but that thought shortly gets pushed to the back of his mind when his confused doe eyes zoom in on the flowers you’re securely cradling.

relieving yourself of its weight, you finally set down the paper bag from the convenience store, sliding your phone out of the pocket of your sweatpants to leave it on top of the center table as well. bam jumps off the sofa sniffing loudly at the flowers, but you quickly raise your arm to put it out of his reach.

“no- no, bamie. you can’t eat this! this is for your daddy.” you tell him with a giggle, digging your hand into the paper bag to dish out the new toy you bought him.

“for me?” your boyfriend chips in to the conversation with a toothy grin, but his question is left unanswered as you squeeze the yellow fish to make it squeak.

the high-pitched sound makes bam hyper. he stretches out his front legs forward, leaning down on his elbows — a posture that usually indicates that he wants to play. you throw the toy into the air and it lands near his house. he runs after it not even a second later, nails clicking against the floor. he carries it in his mouth and jumps on the other corner of the couch, living in his own little bubble to chew to his heart’s desire.

jungkook steals this opportunity to snake an arm around your waist, pulling you down to the open space next to him. you whimper in surprise as you fall on top of the bundle of blanket he abandoned, lifting your butt quickly to remove it from under you. bam inches closer to snuggle against the soft cotton, ears abruptly moving in curiosity when he successfully makes the toy squeak too.

“where are these from, huh? was someone trying to steal you away from me again?”

they almost make you instantaneously melt — his deep voice laced with half humor and half truth of bitterness, accompanied by a soft squeeze of your hip.

“babe!” you scold him with a laugh to mask how flustered you’ve become, as if you’re still not used to his flirting after all these years. “i passed by a flower shop on the way home and i thought i should be the one to buy them for you for a change.”

you extend the hand holding the bouquet, eyes twinkling with devotion that causes his resolve to crumble into ruins. it never stood a chance in the first place.

—

you walked away from the cashier while stuffing the book you just bought inside your tote bag, the man you strongly refused to allow and pay for it still hot on your heels.

“wait! i’m sorry. let me just- uh-”

you froze awkwardly before the lean and blonde stranger who blocked your path to the door, probably standing somewhere around 5’10. based on his complete nike get-up, you were pretty sure he was outside for an afternoon jog.

“i just wanted to let you know that i think you’re very beautiful, and maybe ask if we can hang out this weekend? at my place?”

and you could tell he was trying his best to appear confident, but the shaky hand that was holding out the bouquet of fresh tulips betrayed him. it was the first time in your life that you found your favorite flowers to be undesirable, no matter how perfectly and intricately arranged the beautiful colors were.

‘at my place?’ what the hell happened to chivalry? oh, a lost art indeed.

despite being extremely irritated at him for causing an embarrassing scene infront of the cashier earlier in addition to this, you forced yourself to give him an apologetic smile for the sake of being polite.

that was when jungkook came back after buying two cups of hotteok from a cart only half a block away. his walking pace slowed down as he watched the scene unfold through the glass separating the bookstore from the sidewalk, eyebrows knitting in growing confusion and annoyance. he failed to read your lips while you were talking. by then he was already prepared to join the conversation, even more after he realized that he recognized the man.

however, before he could reach the door, you were already pushing it open. the gush of wind blew through your hair, and your face lit up when you were greeted by the sight of your boyfriend holding your favorite snack. with a thrilled smile, you practically skipped your way to him and took the cup from his left hand.

“you got them! the line was pretty long so i thought they would sell out before your tur-”

your smile slowly faded when you realized he wasn’t listening. jungkook’s eyes were too busy shooting daggers at the stranger walking to the trash can, jaw clenching when he saw how aggressively he slammed down your dearly beloved flowers. he was the only one to notice the lone orange tulip that slipped and fell on the ground, firmly rejected and thoughtlessly discarded.

your warm hand held his cheek, gently coaxing him to look at you instead.

“what did he say? did he touch you?”

it’s very rare to see jungkook this seriously angry. therefore, you are only reminded at times like this that he can be scary if he wants to. at first, you thought his protectiveness would only last until the early stages of your relationship and eventually fade like those who came before him, but he never changed.

you shook your head, rubbing his arm in an attempt to soothe his temper. “no, not at all. he was kind of stubborn but i handled it just fine.”

he only nodded in response, features still hardened, but relief washed over him after confirming that nothing dangerous happened to you while he was gone. but he was swept off his feet before his mind could run for another mile. you pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt, the torrid kiss you granted him with lasting seconds. insatiably craving more of your ministrations, he made a move to chase your lips, but a rude car honk jolted him awake to the fact that you were still in public.

you gave him a coy smile. “want to eat ramen with me at home? i’m getting cold.”

“let’s go home, baby.” he hummed in agreement. “i’ll warm you up.” he hung his tattooed arm over your shoulder, guiding you to his other side to put himself between you and the rushing vehicles passing by.

he spared another sharp glance at the bookstore before walking away. he met the eyes of the asshole who has been indiscreetly observing you still regardless of the disaster that just transpired. he panicked at the interaction and turned on his heel, disappearing into the fiction aisle.

jungkook smirked, shaking his head in disdain before taking the first bite off his hotteok.

—

walking didn’t seem to help shake off his inflexible thoughts.

“something still bothers me about that guy.” he mumbled after tossing your empty cups in the trash bin you passed by.

“what is it?” you frowned worriedly, intertwining your fingers with his. by this time the glorious sun has started to set, splashing the sky with light orange paint that reflected on his honey skin.

“he was already there when we went in the bookstore. i know he saw us holding hands. i’m obviously your boyfriend.” vexation continued to run in his veins until it dripped from his tongue. his satoori accent came out thick and heavy as he spoke with wide, expressive eyes. “and he still had the fucking audacity to go out and buy you flowers?”

your lips parted open in surprise, tilting your head to the side as you tried to recall the surroundings when you entered the establishment earlier. no wonder he was instantly upset and worried.

“i don’t remember seeing him . . . but you know, if he’s as brazen as you think he is, why did he only approach me when you left?”

your stream of thoughts got interrupted by a scandalous gasp when you arrived at a new angle of looking at the situation.

“he invited me to his place.” you halted on your tracks, glaring back at your previous location. you were already five blocks away from the bookstore, and you wish he could magically feel the negative energy you were exuding from the distance. “so did he really think i’m that kind of-”

you instinctively pulled back your boyfriend by tightly grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. “hey! where are you going?”

his jaw clenched, tongue prodding the inside of his cheek — telltale signs that he was unquestionably pissed off. “baby, i won’t let that one slide.”

alright, this is not good. not good at all. perhaps you should start learning how to stop saying your thoughts out loud.

“but he’s not worth the time.” you pouted sadly, wrapping your arms around his waist so he wouldn’t be able to walk away. “i just want to go home and cuddle with you and our child while watching the new chainsaw man e-p.”

he breathed out a sigh to compose himself. the proposition you laid out was undeniably irresistible, albeit a bait of distraction. but he knew you were just keeping him in check before he impulsively acts again. he gave your forehead a chaste kiss, honeyed lips a little sticky from the sugar syrup of the hotteok filling.

“okay then. let’s do that.”

—

“are you still annoyed about yesterday?” you poke his soft cheek with your index finger. “hey, look at this. i got six red roses for a reason . . . you are my one and only.”

you point at each flower as you slowly speak the sentence word by word, and his heart overflows with fondness as he watches. when you innocently look up to meet his gaze with a hopeful smile, saying the words- “i would’ve gotten you a fancier arrangement but i don’t want your allergies acting up.”

that is his final straw.

“shit, baby. why are you so damn cute? what am i going to do with you?” he accepts the bouquet with a lighthearted chuckle, setting it down on the table before attacking you with his affection.

you end up falling on your back as he climbs over you. you giggle uncontrollably when he holds your wrists and traps your thighs in between his knees anchored on the cushion, tirelessly peppering your face and neck with love-fueled kisses.

the noisy disturbance distracts bam from his squeaky yellow fish. he jumps off the couch to stand beside you and jungkook, licking at whatever his tongue reaches. for you, it’s your arm held folded by your boyfriend.

“it tickles! you know it tickles there!” you squeal, squirming beneath him. you feel his frisky lips curve into a smile against the left side of your neck, stubbornly planting more kisses on the expanse of your skin.

“mhmm, i love you. i love you.” he hazily chants, drunk in love, tracing his way back to your lips. “i love you so much.”

that’s when he decides he’s finished with innocent pecks, delicate hands releasing your wrists to properly balance himself on top of you. you tenderly caress his face as he deepens the kiss, coaxing you to part your lips so he can dip his playful tongue in your mouth. when he tilts his head to the side so his nose won’t bump against yours, your hand slides to the back to support it, fingers tangling with his long and fluffy hair. a desperate, filthy moan escapes from his throat as you unconsciously tug, prompted by his soft nibbling at your bottom lip. it sends tingles running through your spine like live wire, and the air engulfing the two of you becomes hotter and heavier.

he parts away from you breathless, resting his forehead on yours before pulling himself up again. “fuck. is this how you feel when i buy you flowers?”

you gingerly brush his undereye with the pad of your thumb, finding yourself deeply fascinated with his dilated pupils staring right back at you.

you lick your swollen lips, front teeth digging on your bottom lip. “i should’ve done it sooner, right? i’m sorry.”

“don’t be. you already give me so much, silly.” he softly pecks your lips again. “besides, your presence is my favorite gift. you’re a blessing to me, you know that?”

you smile shyly, hiding your face in the crook of his neck. his random confessions of overwhelmingly sincere adoration never fails to elicit a giddy reaction from you. “i love you.”

“ah- ouch.” a wince shortly replaces your smile when bam jumps on the couch again, accidentally stepping on your hair.

“bam, sit, sit. sit down.” jungkook rises to kneel on his knees, moving forward until they reach your waist. bam obeys his command, and your hands find purchase on the flesh of his thighs as he releases your hair from under the dog’s paws.

“i’ll go put the flowers in the vase.” he cheerfully announces as he cautiously removes himself on top of you, planting his feet on the ground.

“okaaay.” you drag out the word as you sit up on the couch. while he takes the bouquet of roses with him to the kitchen, bam finally finds the chance to leave the toy on your lap, but not before he gives it a good bite to make it squeak.

you pet his long floppy ears as he licks your cheek and then your hands, urging you to play with him using the gift you bought him. you press quick kisses on the top of his head before squeezing the yellow fish, waving it infront of his face.

“do you want to play, bamie? should we? will you bring it back to me?”

he starts panting as if to answer ‘yes’ to all of your questions.

you throw the toy at the kitchen, and you cover your mouth out of reflex to suppress your laughter when it landed on the dining table, only a few inches away from jungkook. he pauses from plucking off the leaves from the stem of each rose, jokingly raising an eyebrow at bam, who is balancing himself standing up by using his body as a support.

he picks up the toy and dangles it above bam, speaking to him in a baby voice. “is this what you’re looking for? aw, really? you want it? go take it then . . . that’s it, good boy!”

bam easily catches it with his mouth, running back to you so he can complete the mission you gave him. he drops it on your lap again, bumping his nose against yours, and you dramatically collapse on the couch. he starts sniffing at you curiously, front paw poking your shoulder once to gauge your reaction.

your eyes only open half-way, and you spread out your arms to show him the space you created for him. “bam, i’m sleepy- sleep. i need to recharge. can we play again later?”

he lies down on his back and uses your arm as a pillow, rolling around for a bit until he chooses to curl up beside you in the end, his upper body resting on your stomach.

“ugh, you’re so heavy. can’t. breathe.” you mutter under your breath, but nevertheless, you stroke his side lovingly until you both completely doze off for an afternoon nap.

jungkook squints at the living room when the apartment got suspiciously quiet, lips forming a pout.

“are you two cuddling? i still need to trim the stems- save me some space!”

—

taglist! @alanniys @jjkeverlast @queenofdragonsandcats @yvesismywife @jeonqkooks-main @witchfqllen @virgogentlejk @rkie @jeonwiixard @monilyv @bermudaisy @takochelle @the1921-monsters @investedreader @seagulljk @yeow6n @yoonqkiss @hopeworldjimin @lllucere @unnatae @zqynmlk @bxbyyyjocelyn @zkdlllin @koostarcandy @tswisal1 @fragmentof-indifference @laylasbunbunny @jjk-jeongirl @cherishoshi @taexidriver @luaspersona @yn-lifeu @loveejkk @bloopkook @babyboo22 + send an ask / dm if you want to be added (or removed) :D

[scealaiscoite]

⋆˚࿔ one hundred paired prompts 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

¹⁾ a pot of fresh coffee and split knuckles

²⁾ orange peels and a car battery

³⁾ sand dunes and leather boots

⁴⁾ a printer and a knife

⁵⁾ incense and handcuffs

⁶⁾ a crushed velvet sofa and a video camera

⁷⁾ stale cigarettes and cotton candy

⁸⁾ loose change and headlights

⁹⁾ grey hairs and a gold belt buckle

¹⁰⁾ burnt coffee and grass stains

¹¹⁾ cherry cola and blue jeans

¹²⁾ chipped green nail polish and an empty dinner table

¹³⁾ a stack of paperwork and metal music

¹⁴⁾ a patchwork quilt and sweet tea

¹⁵⁾ a hockey sweater and a two-seater sofa

¹⁶⁾ perfume oil and rolled up shirtsleeves

¹⁷⁾ fallen leaves and guilt

¹⁸⁾ radio channels and a birthday card

¹⁹⁾ ravens and meadowsweet

²⁰⁾ apologies and bitter red wine

²¹⁾ library books and pouring rain

²²⁾ a breathalyser and popcorn

²³⁾ princess plasters and iodine

²⁴⁾ a tote bag with one broken strap and a winding staircase

²⁵⁾ a parasol and a tumbler of straight whiskey

²⁶⁾ fresh honey and a cult

²⁷⁾ wisdom teeth and blue eyes

²⁸⁾ sour cherries and a stolen hoodie

²⁹⁾ the flu and a heatwave

³⁰⁾ a boonie hat and a sunset

³¹⁾ vanilla perfume and a kitchen counter

³²⁾ a buffalo skull and a leather armchair

³³⁾ a throw pillow and a doorway

³⁴⁾ pink fluffy handcuffs and an unexpected guest

³⁶⁾ a package and a divorce

³⁷⁾ a stripper pole and a hangover

³⁸⁾ familiar cologne and a black eye

³⁹⁾ a lit candle and a snowstorm

⁴⁰⁾ an unsealed letter and a fallen pine tree

⁴¹⁾ headlights and footprints

⁴²⁾ a blocked number and traffic lights

⁴³⁾ a racesuit and a countdown

⁴⁴⁾ a butcher’s apron and a phonecall

⁴⁵⁾ battered comic books and a broken window

⁴⁶⁾ cold floorboards and a roommate

⁴⁷⁾ smooth vermouth and gold rings

⁴⁸⁾ a lip piercing and a rough hand

⁴⁹⁾ someone’s spare room and an eclipse

⁵⁰⁾ a game of mahjong and bad jazz music

⁵¹⁾ a jigsaw puzzle and a mortuary

⁵²⁾ a broke-up sidewalk and a knitted scarf

⁵³⁾ a poundshop wig and broken glass

⁵⁴⁾ a bunk bed and a crush

⁵⁵⁾ a red ink tattoo and a dinner gone cold

⁵⁶⁾ a warm palm and a flannel shirt

⁵⁷⁾ fresh basil and a half-empty bottle of arrack

⁵⁸⁾ a nightclub bathroom and smeared eyeliner

⁵⁹⁾ a busted lip and strawberry icecream

⁶⁰⁾ a floral-patterned dress and a looming balcony

⁶¹⁾ peach pits and a pressed shirt collar

⁶²⁾ a white mercedes and cheap perfume

⁶³⁾ a fwb and a housekey

⁶⁴⁾ a blue sarong and a fingertip tracing over a scar

⁶⁵⁾ a sauna room and a terse exchange

⁶⁶⁾ fried plantains and a briefcase

⁶⁷⁾ dried lavender and a tiled bathtub

⁶⁸⁾ a hotel room and a bouquet of lilies

⁶⁹⁾ sweet mango lassi and a suitcase

⁷⁰⁾ orange streetlights and a nightmare

⁷¹⁾ a crucifix and a thigh tattoo

⁷²⁾ a palm tattoo and the thrum of a heartbeat

⁷³⁾ a champagne room and a police siren

⁷⁴⁾ blue nitrile gloves and a hickey

⁷⁵⁾ a double-wide trailer and shotgun shells

⁷⁶⁾ stitches and pyjama shorts

⁷⁷⁾ karaoke and a snowdrift

⁷⁸⁾ an older man and a twin bed

⁷⁹⁾ chinese takeout and a graveyard

⁸⁰⁾ wet clothes and ambulance sirens

⁸¹⁾ carbolic soap and a creaking staircase

⁸²⁾ an undercover assignment and wrung hands

⁸³⁾ the back seat of a limousine and bustling night streets

⁸⁴⁾ a steamed-up bathroom and cold floorboards

⁸⁵⁾ a grand prix and a breakup

⁸⁶⁾ a third place trophy and a picture frame

⁸⁷⁾ the last slice of birthday cake and crossed legs

⁸⁸⁾ squashed raspberries and heated cheeks

⁸⁹⁾ pink lipgloss and brass knuckles

⁹⁰⁾ a ghost mask and a late visit

⁹¹⁾ loose bullets and slashed tires

⁹²⁾ a tactical belt and patterned bedsheets

⁹³⁾ a goaltender’s stick and a lonely walk home

⁹⁴⁾ a dog bed and a migraine

⁹⁵⁾ lit billboards and a floor-length gown

⁹⁶⁾ a divebar negroni and a game of pool

⁹⁷⁾ olive trees at harvest time and divorce papers

⁹⁸⁾ a caviar bump and vanilla coke

⁹⁹⁾ a whale tail and pantsuit

¹⁰⁰⁾ legs thrown into a lap and calloused hands

[csuitebitches]

Guide to Building a Classic Wardrobe

I was asked a long time ago by an anon for a guide to build a wardrobe. This style caters to someone mature, slightly conservative, NOT fashionnova-esque, something that will last a long time in all fashion seasons, provided you look after your items well. I live in a relatively hot climate and the coldest temperature I’ve experienced when living in a place is like 10 degree Celsius, so I will admit that I am not very well versed with living in cold climates for a prolonged period of time (I don’t think a 2 week trip to Switzerland in the summer counts as “cold”).

I have purposely built with keeping neutrals in mind. I’ve learned that its best to first build a neutral coloured wardrobe in mind, then start adding colour to it. You might find this wardrobe boring, but if you work in a corporate environment/ somewhere where you can’t showcase too much colour or creativity/ if you come from a relatively conservative/ high profile-but-not-entertainment /modest culture, you’ll find this useful.

ALWAYS keep an eye on the material of the item you are buying. If you have to buy a sweater and you live in a cold climate, buy cashmere. Yes, it will be expensive, but it will keep you warm and last longer. If you live in a hot climate, invest in tops and dresses made out of pure cotton. Material plays a huge role in the climate you live in.

I do not endorse fast fashion or over-consumerism but I understand that it is affordable. I would therefore recommend you to buy things carefully and with consideration, not just for the sake of the environment but for your wallet. It’s better to buy 1 quality item than 10 horribly made, short-lasting items.

Never mix more than 3 colours in your outfit at a time. That’s something my father taught me, and I recommend you stick to it, especially if you’re new to building a serious wardrobe.

Lastly, do not be enthralled by what influencers buy or wear. I can guarantee you that the clothes they wear on Instagram aren’t even theirs half the time. Don’t fall into the trap of micro trends.

(Pictures for this post have been sourced from Pinterest).

Underwear

Nude bra + thong/ undie

Black bra + thong/ undie

White bra + thong/ undie

Strapless bra (black)

Strapless bra (nude)

2 sexy bra sets (optional, I have these in red, pink, blue)

Nipple pads

Tops

White silk cami

Black silk cami

White plain tee

Black plain tee

White tank

Black tank

Beige tank (or whatever suits your complexion - brown/ nude)

White shirt

Black shirt (satin/ silk)

Blue shirt

Pants

Navy blue trousers

Wine/ red high waisted trousers

White trousers

Beige trousers

Black trousers

Straight leg jeans (blue)

Another pair of jeans (not ripped, blue)

White jeans, straight leg/ mom cut

Skirts

White

Black

Red

Beige (a checked print, like Burberry)

2 maxi skirts

1 pencil skirt in black (work appropriate)

Shorts

Denim (not distressed)

Tailored white shorts

Tailored blue shorts

Tailored black shorts

Formal attire

1 maxi dress - red/ black/ a neutral colour

White/ black vest and trouser set

Everyday dresses

Knit dress in black/ cream/ brown (long)

2 summer dresses, short

White peasant dress

Outer wear

Leather jacket in black/ brown

1 cardigan in black/ white

A shawl/ silk scarf

Denim jacket

Long trench coat in camel/ brown/ beige

Blazer in white/ navy blue/ black

Sweater in black/ white/ red

Shoes

Black/ white/ brown leather boots

White/ silver heels

Black heels

Gold heels

Mules in black

Home slippers

Running shoes

White sneakers

Accessories

1 brown/ black leather bag

1 tote bag

1 clutch for parties

Hair clips

Tights/ leggings - sheer and opaque in black

Socks

Jewellery

Diamond studs

Everyday pendant

2-3 simple bracelets/ bangles in silver/ gold

Signet rings in gold

Chunky hoops

Devices

Hair straightener

Hairdryer/ Blow brush (i prefer the blow dry brush)

30 mm curling wand (for long, big curls)

[vmpiires]

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ ❛ THE BLOOD PAINTER — 画家 , CHOSO KAMO

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ﹆₊ 概要 ‧₊˚ art; it brought you both together. it brought you to a fair. wc, 2.42K. dark mode recommended.

␥ note. i’m so proud of myself cuz i’m actually trying to keep up with everything. like i got the headcanons done now i’m working on this and infinity (unfortunately it’s ending) then i have to attempt to write the desire disease. i kinda went on a hiatus wit that one..ANYWAY hope ya enjoy :D reblog to support meeee and lmk if you wanna be tagged in the next part

␥ tags. artist!choso, college AU, possible nsfw, female anatomy, smoking, etc. lmk if i missed anything

␥ misc. masterlist AO3 PART TWO

the camera flashed as the boys stood closely together, displaying their best smiles. the device lowered as a medium sized polaroid slid out of the slot in the front. choso shook his wrist, trying to get the photo to develop quicker. a small smile appeared on his lips once it showed up.

yuji poked his head over his brother’s shoulder, trying to see the photo. “i like that one. you should use that for your project.” choso gave a smile and nodded, keeping his little brother’s suggestion in mind.

it was a nice november afternoon and the brothers were spending the weekend at a fair. children ran around the area, playing and eating sweets. choso thought this was the perfect place to capture some photos.

the four boys made their way around the park, choso happily watching his three brothers play games together and enjoy themselves. each time itadori beckoned choso to join, he’d politely decline but he was eventually pulled into the shenanigans of his brothers.

once choso got some time to himself, he’d walk around the park after advising his brothers to stay together and try not to get lost in the huge crowds of people. he’d also give them a meeting point when it was time to head home.

treading lightly, taking in the sights of everything and flashing his camera at anything he found interesting, he heard someone call his name. a female voice, in fact. you were waving at choso with a soft smile on your face.

you seemed to be spending the day at the fair with your friends. each of you had food and a couple of your friends had big, large plushies that they might’ve won from playing the games. it made choso wonder why you didn’t get one.

your shoes clack against the ground as you made your way to the apathetic looking male but you could’ve sword you saw him smile but it could’ve been your mind playing tricks. choso had on a green sweater underneath the brown jacket he wore over it. even under the green sweater, you saw the black shirt poking out of it. he wore khaki cargo pants and his usual black boots—the ones you’ve been seeing him wear almost all the time.

you noticed the grey beanie that sat neatly over his dark short lengthed hair and the tote bag that he carried over his shoulder with stickers on the fabric. his violet eyes pierced yours once you had some distance from him.

“hey, i didn’t expect you to be here,” you beamed at the male, seeming quite happy to see the guy. suddenly, there was a bright flash covering your eyes, making you blink rapidly.

“sorry but your smile was worth capturing.” choso said in his usual, low adverb voice. your cheeks flushed a deep red color at his comment. you didn’t know if he was flirting or being serious. he tucks his camera away, gently putting it down into the tote bag then looking up at you.

“i didn’t expect you to be here either.” choso peered behind you, noticing your friends congregated around the cotton candy stand, standing closely to each other as they waited for you to return. “i see you brought some friends.”

“more like they brought me.” you laugh. “but yeah, it was a chance i didn’t wanna miss. didn’t wanna wait all the way until the new year or christmas to get with everyone and go to a festival. what about you? i see you got your camera, so you must’ve thought this was a good time too.”

“i promised that i’d take them out this weekend and i thought it’d be a good time to take pictures so i can finish my project and you know—get it over with.” he answered.

“yeah, that’s what i figured.” you replied. glancing around you tried to see where his brothers may be but there wasn’t anyone that stood out. “where are they?”

“i let them explore the place on their own. i didn’t want them to feel like they had to follow me around the entire time. i just told them to make sure that they stay together. i really don’t feel like running around this place looking for anyone.”

you giggled. having to look for so many people at once sounded hard and with choso being the eldest of the four, he had to do it all on his own.

just when you were about to let choso know that he could continue with his task, you noticed your friends waving their hands at you, seemingly wanting you to stay with him. you hadn’t declared that you were about to walk away yet, so it was pretty good timing.

inhaling and exhaling through your nose, you prepared the question in your mind, praying you didn’t sound stupid when the words exited your lips.

“did you wanna…uh..like hang out for the rest of the day?”

choso’s cheeks flushed. the bandage that covered the bridge of his nose looked fluorescent because of the blood rushing to his face. his lips parted to speak but it was like your words restricted him from even saying what he wanted to say to you.

‘just say yes, damn it.’

choso shook his head ‘yes’ despite the voice in his head yelling at him to speak actual words and stop pretending to be mute. though, it couldn’t be helped. the poor boy was nervous and he never had these kinds of interactions with women. he was always too shy to speak unless they spoke to him first.

with that, the two of you stroll around the park, stopping at each of the games. he picked up that you were pretty playful like yuji was. always wanting to try something new even if you were scared.

that meant getting on a roller coaster that went at intense speeds and rose up at unfathomable heights. you were wondering how people enjoyed these without screaming and crying out of fear. but you kept optimistic.

“woah, you’re past the limited height mark.” you laughed as the two of you boarded the coaster, sitting next to each other. choso was significantly taller than you were. he was quite literally towering over you.

“uh…is that a good thing?” he asked, cheeks still a bit flushed, adding some kind of life to his pale skin. you smiled and nodded, laughing a little. the staff would strap the passengers, including the both of you, into the seats before yelling final warnings before starting.

before you knew it, the ride began and the wind smacked your face harder than anyone ever could. it was definitely an experience…an exciting one, at that.

when the ride ended, you were jumping up and down with excitement. “lets go on again. that was so fuckin fun.” you squealed. choso somehow already looked worn out and more tired than he usually did. he’d adjust his beanie as he grabbed his bag from the cubbies at the entrance.

“maybe later…” he huffed. you pouted.

“fine, we’ll go before we leave. but at least try to play the games. you could win some plushies for your brothers.” you suggested. choso raised an eyebrow. instead of letting him answer, you pulled him along.

arriving at a balloon popping game, your anxiety suddenly shot up. you hated the sound of balloons popping. you weren’t particularly scared of them but you hated the popping sound or the thought of someone popping it.

the male beside you quickly picked up on it and handed you his ipod. “would you like to listen to some music while i play?”

you could’ve easily said no and pulled out your own phone but you decided not to do that since choso was letting you use his things. after thanking him for offering his ipod to you, your plug in your headphones and searched for a song you liked. once you found a couple songs, you’d turn the music up so you didn’t have the dreadful popping sound.

soon enough, the game was over and choso was walking back to you, holding a snorlax plushie. two of them in fact. it’s tired and relaxed expression reminded you of choso.

“hm, is this for me?” you asked, seeing the plushie being held in front of you. choso nodded. you weren’t really expecting to get anything today unless one of your friends got it for you or you just got lucky and won the prize on your own.

your hands wrapped around the plushie and you smiled at it. in exchange for the plushie, you returned his ipod.

“thanks.” you say softly.

as the day begins to fade away, you and choso found yourselves on the ferris wheel, slowing going up to the top. it was a great view. choso flashed his camera at the scenery as the lights of the fair lit up the ground below them. the polaroid slowly pushed out of the slot of the camera. the male would take it and gently shake it to develop the image.

“how many pictures have you taken so far?” you asked, turning your attention away from the ground and towards choso.

“i’ve taken exactly thirty two pictures, these past couple days. they’re more than enough but i strive for extra success in my assignment and creativity.” he spoke. “yesterday, i bought an empty scrapbook so i can decorate it all myself.”

“you gonna put me in it?” you smirk. choso paused, thinking back to earlier when he had took a picture of you unexpectedly. he’d scratch his neck, looking hesitant on answering you. he nodded, quietly replying ‘yes’ to your question.

“i’ll be sure to include you.” he whispered. a sudden thought appeared in his mind. the thought made him dig down into his bag and pull out a pen. it was actually your pen.

“i…meant to give this back to you a month ago...it was during the orientation when school started.” choso said. “i just forgot to give it back and i…i-uh—didn’t know where to find you.”

you raised your eyebrows. you weren’t heavily worried about the pen, though you were a bit upset that you lost it on that particular day. it was definitely your favorite pen.

shaking your head you lowered choso’s hand as he attempted to give you the pen back. “no, it’s okay. you can keep it. i have a bunch of other pens and pencils i could use. it’s not a big deal.”

“really?” choso put his hand down into his lap once you lowered his hand. “i thought you’d be upset about it…or at least want it back. i mean—i’d want my stuff back if i lost it…uh—are you..are you sure you don’t want it back?”

“nope, it’s okay.” you assured. choso seemed a bit surprised. he was still uncertain but you insisted that he kept the tool, so he placed it back into his bag along with everything else he had packed inside. “lets just enjoy the night, okay?”

“yeah….sure. enjoy the night.”

when the time at the fair was surely ending, the two made their way to the entrance. there, yuji, eso, and kechizu were waiting for their big brother and your friends were waiting for you also, one of them dangling their keys to signal you that the car would come around to get you.

“head to the car.” choso softly commanded and the three boys would walk to the parking lot, leaving you and choso alone.

“well, i’ll see you back at school, hm?” the male says to you, adjusting the tote bag over his shoulders then pulling his sweater down.

“yeah, i’ll see you at school, monday.” you smiled. you were about to head to the car when you noticed your friends pulling up but you stopped yourself. “hey, lets exchange numbers. we can talk a little more and maybe hang out—uh…if it’s cool with you, i mean.”

choso nodded and gave you his phone. you typed your name and number into his phone before handing it back to him. “thank you…i mean—uh, i’ll call you…maybe—probably.” he stammered, making you laugh.

“call me,” you smiled before walking towards the car before speaking again. “i had a good time by the way. i really hope we can do this again soon.”

“yeah…me too.” choso chuckled.

when choso got into the driver’s seat of the car, yuji leaned over, removing his feet from the dashboard. he had a smirk on his face. a mischievous look that anyone could recognize.

“i saw you flirting over there…” he prompted.

“i…no i wasn’t.” choso stammered, feeling his face starting to heat up all over again. “i was just talking to her…nothing more.”

eso hummed, “it just depends on what was said.”

yuji flung his head from eso to choso again, his smirk growing wider as another idea formed in his mind. “well, what’d you say, big bro?”

“uh…is getting her phone number considered flirting?”

the entire car went silent for a moment.

“i think you just got a girlfriend.” yuji grinned.

upon arriving home, you made your way to your room with a smile on your face, reminiscing about the time you had at the fair. of course, you had a good time with your friends during the first half of your trip but the second half was even better, making the entire day more memorable.

you gently place the snorlax plushie choso won for you onto your bed, your smile growing just a bit wider. once you got settled and put on some pajamas, you grab your phone to do some late night scrolling before you fall asleep. that’s when you got a text.

‘hey it’s choso..the guy in your english class’

‘i just wanted to make sure i’m not texting a fake number’

you could hear his relaxed, deep voice echoing through your mind as you read the words on the screen, encased in a blue box. your thumbs swiftly punched the letters on your screen as you typed back.

‘no you aren’t texting a fake number it’s me lmao’

‘i wouldn’t purposely give you the wrong number, that’s kinda mean’

‘okay good just wanted to be sure. are you home? you got back safely with no incidents right?’

you smiled at the message. you knew choso well enough to know that he was a very caring person. it had only been a few weeks and you easily picked this up. the way he spoke of his family made this part of him stand out, shedding some light on the artistic man with that dull expression.

‘no incidents’

⠀© vmpiires | like, reblog & follow.

[wafflepatterns]

Meet new sewing pattern <Kanoko> Tote bag set

Meet the new item from Waffle Patterns Tote bag set <Kanoko> sewing pattern. This is a fun and functional tote bag 3 sisters set with many pockets. All sizes are perfect for daily use. Please make your favourite size with your favourite fabric. Those can be made with a relatively small amount of fabric, so, it is also nice to use your leftover fabrics from your stash.

<design options>

3 sizes are available; L - grocery size, M - commuter size, and S - accessory size. The grocery size is quite large and enough for supermarket or fabric shopping. The commuter size is suitable for daily use and the size for about 10″ iPad and other small things like a make-up pouch, wallet, or snacks. The accessory size is a very cute mini size for small staffs like a lip balm or candy.

L and M are basically the same design. Both have large 3D-shaped pockets on the front, side pockets with pleats, and a small pocket on the back. There are 2 kinds of functional inside pockets, too. There are 2 options for the opening. The L size sample shows magnet fastener + strap + side release buckle opening. The M sample features a zipper opening. You can add a shoulder strap on M size.

S size has also front/back and side pockets and a very small inside pocket. The closure is a magnet/snap fastener and an inside closure with tape+button.

<fabric recommendation>

The pattern is drafted for woven fabrics. Mid-heavy weight woven durable fabrics are suitable. like duck, twill, denim, linen, canvas or décor weight fabric etc. I think waxed fabrics or water repellent outdoor fabrics are great options, too. For the lining, plain cotton or linen will be a good option.

Depending on your fabric and your design intention, please consider using additional interfacing on the bag panels for adding extra strength or body.

Here are my sample’s materials.

The shell fabric of smoky pink samples is mixed twill. I wanted to add body on M size, so I used woven mid weight interfacing on bag panels. For L size, I only use interfacing on the facing parts to keep it light weight. I also made a sample of M size with mid weight denim + fusible fleece combo for stable shape.

The red and yellow plaid set are made with wool coating. Those are all leftover of my winter projects. I used woven interfacing on the panels on the M size. The lining is plain cotton.

Again, please consider the material combination depending on your fabric and design intention.

<other materials>

The samples are using 30mm~40mm webbing for the handles and straps. If you cannot find perfect colour or width, making those with contrast fabrics are the option.

I used the shoulder strap from ready made bags, but you can make them by yourself, too.

For additional strength, I added the plastic plates on the base of M and S size. The special materials for the bag base are sold at notion stores, but I used plastic plate cutting from old clear files and ice cream package.

Please choose suitable materials/parts for your design and shell fabrics. I strongly recommend checking actual material samples as much as possible and experimenting your fabrics before start the project.

<other>

For smoky pink samples, I used twill tape on the pocket opening of side and back pockets for strengthen and as a design accent. It is also good option if your fabric is too stiff or thick.

********************* The sewing pattern includes 17 pages of instructions and all the sewing processes are described with detailed illustrations. The pattern files are available for both home printers (A4 or US letter) and copyshop(A0/A1 format).

You can check other photos of this model on my Flickr page.

The Tote bag set -Kanoko- (3 sizes) PDF sewing pattern is available here. Also in the Etsy shop.

Special discount price until 13th June 2023 (CEST) with other popular patterns. No discount code is needed! The sale page is here.

*****  Special offer +17.5EUR for Paper pattern and free shipping Paper pattern + PDF option is available with plus 17.5EUR. *The paper includes only the pattern, please print out the instructions by yourself or read it with your tablet or PC.  The PDF + Paper listing page is here.

Enjoy your sewing!

(Japanese post here 日本語ポストはこちら).

**********************

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[one-equaltemper]

🎀 below the cut 🎀

Hermione isn’t typically clumsy. In fact, she’s never really been one to take a tumble— never really scraped her knee as a child or landed on her hands, leaving her palms raw and gravel-filled. Other than her unfortunate, but also fortunate, injury the night she met Draco, she’s not really one for needing any kind of medical attention.

She’s never had a stay in a hospital, never needed to urgently see her GP other than for the flu or that time she was down for nearly a month with glandular fever during her first year of university (a little gift from Ginny’s brother after she let him stick his tongue down her throat once). She’s lucky that way and she knows it. Still, she remembers as a kid being a little bit envious of the attention given to a girl in her class when she’d broken her arm. For ages she considered that maybe, possibly, an injury of that sort wouldn’t be too bad.

Alright, maybe not her whole arm but…even a toe! A broken toe couldn’t be too painful.

Alas, it was never in the cards for her. She stays out of the A&E, out of the hospital entirely, out of her GP’s office except for her annual physical. No cast for her friends to sign or sympathy to gather. Just her perfectly healthy, non-injured, never-broken-a-bone self.

Until, of course, a normal, everyday walk with Ginny, a larger-than-necessary iced coffee in her hand and a tote bag over her shoulder, her sunnies slipping down off her nose as she rummages in her bag for the book she’d just finished reading that her friend had asked to read next. Her sandals are a little bit loose because they’re rubbing against the side of her foot and the pavement is a bit cracked and uneven because…well, it’s London, and her attention is entirely elsewhere when she trips over one of the stupid little cracks and crashes to the ground.

A blinding pain rips through her arm but all she can focus on is the way her iced coffee has exploded on the pavement, splattering her white cotton dress…a complete and total waste of £3.50.

“Oh fuck.” She hears Ginny’s voice from somewhere above her but her neck is stiff and her temple is pounding. “Shit, Hermione, you’re bleeding. Oh God.”

She groans and catches sight of her plastic cup, iced coffee pooling on the pavement and pieces of ice scattered about and…she pouts. She hadn’t even been able to take a single sip before she’d ended up sprawled along the pavement. Her mouth has gone all dry and funky and—

“Hermione? Are you even listening to me?” Ginny asks, her voice halfway to a shriek. “Fuck. Oh— fuuuuck, your head. You’re bleeding!”

Her hand automatically comes up to press against the throbbing spot on her temple, rubbing the spot like she might be able to make the ache go away, but when she pulls her hand back she catches sight of something red on her fingertips. 

Paling, Hermione gracelessly pushes herself up to sitting and stares unmoving at her fingers, coated in her own blood. “Oh fuck,” she murmurs, mimicking Ginny. “Did I cut myself?”

“Stop moving! You’re getting blood all over your dress!”

She frowns and looks down at the white cotton, twisted awkwardly around her hips and exposing the tops of her thighs, rubbed raw from her pavement landing, until she sees a bright red stain spreading along the material. Her mouth falls open in surprise and shock— how much could her head possibly be bleeding?!

Lifting her hand once more, she touches the throbbing spot on her temple, wincing as she looks at her fingertips, once again coated in fresh, slick blood. 

“Oh my god,” she mumbles, her breath coming fast. “Okay…okay…um, head wounds…head wounds bleed a lot! But i-it’s okay. It’s fine!”

Ginny groans, grabbing the hand she’s waving at her face and holding it still. “It’s not from your head, it’s from your arm! Now, stop moving, I’m— I’m going to call an ambulance.”

She frowns, peering down at her arm, finally seeing the jagged, torn skin along her forearm, profusely bleeding and dripping down onto the cotton of her dress. It’s…utterly disgusting. Her stomach clenches at the sight, her arm a mess of blood and bits of gravel, the skin torn. She’s too afraid to look too closely, to see what lies beneath— muscle, bone, sinew.

Her uninjured hand claps over her mouth and she looks away, taking in a deep breath through her nose and closing her eyes shut tight. If she looks at it any longer she’s absolutely going to be sick, right here, fallen down on the pavement next to her spilled iced coffee and a nice big jagged rock that seems to be the culprit for her predicament.

“Don’t call an ambulance,” she mutters, catching sight of Ginny pulling her phone from her pocket. “I, um, I’m okay. I’ll just…I can go on my own.”

Ginny glares at her. “Hermione, no. You’re bleeding literally everywhere and people are staring and no one is just going to ignore you walking down the pavement like this!” She whisper-shouts in a way that makes her feel like she’s being scolded.

“Do not call an ambulance,” she repeats, pushing herself to her knees. “I can walk— there’s nothing wrong with my legs.”

“Well there’s certainly something wrong with your head—”

“Ginny—”

“No! You need to go to A&E—”

Hermione groans, stopping her slow movements to stare up at her friend. “Ginny— listen to me. If you call an ambulance you know where they’re going to take me and I…I cannot go there. He’ll absolutely lose his shit over this.”

Ginny stops, mouth popping open with her hand propped on her hip. “Are you kidding me? Your boyfriend is a doctor, you’re injured, and you don’t want to see him?”

Blowing out a low breath, Hermione holds up her uninjured arm, making grabby hands at Ginny. Clasping her arm, she steadies herself and very carefully, very slowly, pushes herself up to standing. Once she’s relatively balanced on her feet, she cradles her injured arm to her chest. 

“You don’t get it, Gin. He’s so protective of me, he’s never going to let me out of his sight again.”

“Well, I don’t really blame him! You look like you’ve been shot!”

Hermione looks down at her dress and grimaces— she’s not wrong. There’s a deep red stain all over the skirt of her dress but also over the bodice, right across her chest where she cradles her arm. It’s odd, though— she doesn’t feel much pain from the gaping cut, not like she should.

Maybe that’s…not a good thing.

“Shit,” she mutters, eyes closing just as she staggers on her feet, swaying. “Shit.”

Ginny wraps her arm around her waist and huffs. “Fine, I won’t call the ambulance. But we’re going to the closest hospital and if you stumble once I will make the call.”

“But that’s—”

“Shut up, Hermione, and walk before someone thinks I shot you."

[seravph]

I love halter tops cotton pointelle baggy jorts colorful gold jewelry a single pair of expensive designer sunglasses that have been through the ringer leather boots denim on denim not getting haircuts spending $7 on iced coffee colorful printed tote bags bikinis and the color red

[lovelychips]

i made a tote‼️

[hevexns-realm]

Hiii, it's a random question time: What are favorite foods and drinks for Sonic characters in your AU? 👀

Ooo~ a good question! To be honest I didn’t really think about this before, but I think it’ll be interesting to give it a try! ^^

Sonic is the most obvious due to his cannon love for chili dogs, and he could eat them all the time if he could! For drinks, I feel like for a time it’d be Pepsi, but then swap it out for more “healthy” drinks, such as water or the occasional monster can for some extra energy!

Shadow is a little tricky, but due to his time with Maria, he probably has a favorite food from his times with her! I’d honestly say that he’d probably enjoy a good old medium rare steak and some red wine, but his absolute favorite? Chocolate. As he used to make a lot of chocolate with Maria back on the ark, and if you get chocolate from him, it’s going to be the best you’ve ever tasted! (He tends to make dark chocolate for Amy when her cramps get too bad!)

Silver is a pasta type, so any kind of pasta is his favorite dishes! He specifically loves Iris’ shrimp scampi, he doesn’t know what she puts into it, but it feels like it’s made with love and care every time!

Knuckles and tails love potatoes. However, knuckles likes the baked potatoes more, as it’s fluffy and soft, and you can customize it to your heart’s content! For drinks, knuckles tries to keep with just water, but he does drink the occasional beer with the boys, but not too much, he doesn’t want to give rouge the opportunity to steal the master emerald!

Tails loves anything to do with fries or chips, as they’re his go to with most dishes! Although on sick days, he loves himself some loaded potato soup that knuckles makes for him when he’s sick! For drinks, I say Coca Cola is his favorite drink, but specifically from the glass bottles. It just tastes heavenly.

Amy loves anything sweet, and shadow’s dark chocolate is one of her favorites! It’s just perfectly balanced between dark and bitter, yet sweet and creamy! Her absolute favorite though? Vanilla’s strawberry cake. It’s just absolutely delicious and creamy, and yet the strawberries blend in perfectly with their sweet and juicy flavor! It’s a perfect match with her teas, earl grey being her favorite. She always asks for vanilla to help with her parties, and the woman has recipes for every occasion!

Same goes for cream, her mother makes such amazing baked goods, it’s hard to ever choose a favorite! However, her favorite food in general is anything with veggies in them! (Can’t beat the rabbit allegations-) and her favorite drink is hot chocolate or milkshakes!

Nazo - due to his pots, he can’t have a lot of foods without them having the possibility of making his heart rate jump too high and make him pass out. However, he tends to eat more salty and protein filled foods to keep his blood pressure from becoming too low. They’re usually in small quantities and are ranging from cheeses and nuts to a small thing of pretzels or something salty. However, a favorite food? Probably Iris’ salmon mushroom carbonara. It’s filling, but yet it doesn’t make him feel like passing out from the blood instantly rushing to his stomach! For drinks, he needs salt, so he tends to carry some kind of electrolyte water around him. This is why if you see them out in public, seelkadoom has a small backpack or a tote bag on him at all times, except for when they go on fancy dates and all that. Iris usually packs a fancy satchel for those occasions.

Seelkadoom - now unlike nazo and Iris, he just likes the taste of more salty foods. However, his favorite food outside of his beloveds’ cooking? It has to be the funnel cakes and cotton candy that come around with the Solaris festival! And he ranges his drinks between water, Pepsi, an occasional monster, and on fancy occasions? Red wine.

Iris (TW: mentions of eating dead bodies 0-0||) - much like Nazo, she can’t have many foods due to her pots, and she’s kind of traumatized by eating one too many mobian sailor corpses for her own survival. So, she opts for lean proteins and veggies. It makes sense why sushi is her favorite dish! Although, she makes a wide variety of dishes that can help with the symptoms of pots at least a little bit.

Mephiles - he gets offered foods and drinks on the daily, and he really can’t choose an absolute favorite. However, ask him about his favorite memory regarding the food offerings, it’d be about a sweet trans woman who was visiting solleanna and left behind some homemade honey-sugar cookies, roasted tomato soup, and some noir wine. She stayed by his statue and chatted with him about a lot of things, and it was quite endearing that she was so willing to talk to him, especially about her own life. The food was made with a lot of love, just like her; He still watches over her to this day, hoping she’ll come back one day to talk to him again.

Iblis - she loves anything spicy, and there’s a Spanish chef in solleanna who makes some delicious foods with just enough spice that is just delicious. They’re also one of her most frequent visitors to her statue and temple. So let’s just say iblis has a small amount of favoritism to the cute chef she buys soup from! For drinks, a good old red wine is her favorite!

Circe - she loves a good old medium rare steak, but her favorite of all time? It’s actually quite odd for a hedgesiren, Cesar coast salad, a local specialty with the land close by. It’s the mixture of the local fish and veggies with a Cesar salad, and it’s honestly perfect for her!!

Scylla - she doesn’t really eat, especially since her dad is a piece of sh+t. But back when she was a teen, when she snuck out a lot. She always had these delicious octopus kebabs mixed in with some kind of kelp or seaweed. It was always so good, if she could go back in time for just a small amount of time, she’d go and buy some of those kebabs and savor their taste one last time before she got locked into the castle. Her favorite drink? Usually tea that a few of the guards sneak into her tower or the blood of enemies. The guards still do it, even though she and Circe are currently being interrogated by their father as we speak..!

———————————————————————

Hope you enjoyed!

Taglist:

@hunniegl4zed @thebreadmeower

[artistalley]

Floating Forever Canvas Bag

floating forever, with you <3 - sturdy blue cotton canvas tote bag, screen printed with red & white ink

Like what you see? Check out more of @slugspoon right here on Artist Alley.

[soleilceirinen]

Renaissance | teacher!Cillian Murphy x fem!Reader - Part 4

Summary: you are an Art History student in your last year at university. Cillian is your teacher. A/N: in this story Cillian is about 20 years older than the reader. Everything happens in an alternative universe where he is not an actor or famous, he doesn't have a wife or kids like in real life. Also, English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistake! Part 3 - Part 5 - Cillian Murphy Masterlist

As he said, Cillian texted you less than fifteen minutes later telling you that he was outside of your building. You grabbed the tote bag you had filled with a few things and waited at your door, trying to hear any sound. The last thing you wanted to happen was opening the door and finding Brad waiting in the dark. 

Only silence.

You opened the door carefully to avoid making a sound and rushed to the apartment door. Once in the street you looked around for Cillian, he saw you first and got out of his car. He was wearing a plain shirt and a pair of comfy pants, his hair was dishevelled. 

When you were close enough you couldn’t help snuggling against his chest, leaning your cheek on the soft cotton fabric of his shirt. Cillian hugged you tight and let you cry in silence while he stroked your hair and whispered words to calm you down. He cradled your head with his warm hands and made you look at him, he inspected your face and wiped your tears with his thumbs. 

“It’s over now, don’t worry. Are you better?” he whispered. You gave a thumbs up gesture, doubting that your voice didn’t sound like a hoarse duck. 

He put his arm on your shoulders and led you to his car. You just let him do it, because deep inside you knew that he wouldn’t hurt you. Cillian drove in silence, keeping an eye on you from time to time and occasionally humming the lyrics of the soft music that played on the car radio. 

He lived in an expensive neighbourhood, with the kind of apartments that made you wonder how they would be on the inside every time you walked by. You followed him, at the building entrance was a reception desk with a doorman reading a book. The man looked up and wished you goodnight when you passed by his side before returning to his book. 

Cillian and you got into the elevator after waiting for a few seconds. The inside was covered by a huge mirror so you took the opportunity to look at your reflection. Your eyes and nose were red due to the crying but other than that, you looked as always. You catched Cillian’s eyes on you through the mirror, he cleared his throat and stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened. 

While he opened the door of his apartment you heard soft noises coming from the other side of the wooden door. 

“Shh, Scout. It’s just me, calm down” he said, talking to his dog. “Come inside Y/N.”

The black dog seemed utterly excited to see you, even though it was the first time. He sniffed you with his wet snout, tickling your legs. 

“Sorry” said CIllian, gesturing to the dog.

“Oh no, it’s fine. He is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time” you smiled, scratching Scout’s head. He wagged his tail happily. 

Cillian smiled too. “He seems to like you.”

“What an honor.” 

After that, Cillian gave you a little tour of his apartment, with Scout following the two of you everywhere. You loved the place, it had plenty of books and vinyl records in every corner as well as little mementos from all over the world, from his travels. 

“This is the guest room, you can stay here” he pointed to a door at the end of the hall “and that’s the bathroom, if you need it.”

“Sure.” 

He turned around to leave you alone but you stopped him by grabbing his hand. 

“I don’t know how to tell you how grateful I am for what you did tonight, Cillian. You didn’t have to. To be honest, I feel like a burden.”

He squeezed your hand tenderly. 

“Did I ever say that you were a burden?”

You shook your head. “No, but maybe you think it and you don’t say it out of politeness.”

He rolled his eyes and gave you another squeeze in the hand.

“Really, Y/N? I thought you were smarter than that. Try to sleep a bit, yes? We’ll talk tomorrow, for now make yourself at home. And stop thanking me.” 

“Good night, Cillian.”

After putting your bag on a dresser next to the window, you got into the bed and tried to sleep following Cillian’s advice.

Unfortunately, you couldn't stop thinking about how your friendship with Brad had been shattered in a moment. It made you a little sad, you had shared secrets with him, even considered him one of your best friends and now he was nothing more than a stranger, someone who you didn’t trust anymore. The thought formed a few tears but you didn’t let them fall from your eyes, you wouldn’t shed more tears for a wanker like him. 

Then, you heard the door opening slowly followed by the sound of paws approaching you. Yor relaxed the moment a warm tongue started licking your hand. It made you giggle lightly, you needed it.

“Hi, Scout. You are such a lovely boy, you know?” You could hear his tail hitting the ground. The dog gave you a last lick and laid on the floor at the side of your bed, like a guardian to keep you safe through the night. 

The next morning you woke up feeling disoriented, not recognising the room. Like a flood, the memories from last night invaded your mind. You kind of wished it all were a bad dream. 

You got out of bed and went to the toilet that CIllian indicated last night, it was very clean and smelled of air freshener. You fixed yourself up a bit before heading to the kitchen, where a series of noises and a delicious smell came from. There, you found Cillian cooking something with Scout at his feet. 

“Good morning” you greeted them sheepishly. 

Cillian turned around and smiled at you. “I’m making pancakes, hope you like them.” Then, he pointed to a kettle. “There’s hot water if you want a cup of tea. Or do you prefer coffee?”

“Tea is fine, and your pancakes smell delicious, by the way. Hi, you.” 

Scout was trying to put his paws around your waist in a weird attempt of a hug, it made you laugh. Cillian sight at the scene.

“I swear, you are his new favourite person.”

“He slept in my room last night, it was great. I always wanted a dog but my parents never let me have one.” You petted Scout’s black fur. 

Cillian put a plate of pancakes in front of you. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened last night?” he asked, sitting in front of you with two streaming mugs.

You shook your head while grabbing one of the mugs. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

“But you need to think about what you are going to do, you could find another place to live.”

“I can’t afford moving right now, I started living with Brad because it was cheaper” you confessed at what Cillian frowned.

“What about your parents? Maybe they can help you…”

You tapped on the table, thinking about your family. 

“No, my parents are not an option. They wanted me to become a lawyer but I chose to study History of Art instead, so now I am a big disappointment for them. I’m lucky though, I get a scholarship every year without which I couldn’t have studied.”

Cillian hummed.

“I started studying law but it was disastrous so I changed my degree” he said, playing with a piece of pancake. “ At least you were sincere with your ideas and followed your real passion, without letting your parents control your life. Don’t let others put you down, I’m sure that in your life you will achieve everything you set your mind to, because you are a hard working young woman. And in regards to your flatmate, you’ll find a way to fix it, you’re not alone after all.” 

“Thank you, Cillian. I really appreciate your words.”

“It’s the truth” he said, shrugging without taking his eyes off your face. 

You felt like crying but this time not out of sadness.

Instead, a warm feeling started flowing from your chest. It was the first time someone had complimented you sincerely, encouraging you to follow your dreams and truly believing in them.