#sometimes in the process of leaving your hometown you grow up

[not-poignant]

So I was thinking about Stain while making lunch, as is now apparently my wont, and I found myself wondering... we know Martingale ousted Joja, and presumably Pierre gets most if not all his fresh goods from him... so does Sebastian go out of his way to avoid buying Martingale's produce, or does he grit his teeth and accept it as an unfortunate but necessary evil for continuing to live in Pelican Town?

Hi hi hi,

So, Sebastian doesn't hate Martingale, and he has no reason to avoid his produce at all.

Sebastian is angry at Martingale, and exasperated with him, but he doesn't hate him. He did, but then he left the town, moved to Zuzu, saw a therapist, got over it, made an absolute mint, learned how to become an even better fighter, and came back with enough bank to build his own house and live his own kind of life.

He's the kind of guy who still has issues but has taken all the thorns out of that particular vine. And also, as we've seen, Sebastian has issues with himself in that relationship as much as he does with Martingale. He's said more and more that his relationship with Martingale wasn't as simple as Martingale just being evil or bad or mean, that it was a joint situation.

So yeah, Sebastian has... really no reason to avoid buying Martingale's produce, and also no reason to grit his teeth or even resent doing it.

I'd say he grows some of his own stuff (he does have a shipping bin, and he is in a section of mountain forest where he'd have arable land - I'd say Alex has never seen it because he only visits at night, and light pollution isn't really a thing), and also has no problems eating at the Stardrop Saloon, and otherwise keeps his fridge stocked via Pierre's.

Like, he knows better than anyone how much Martingale cares about his farm and how much work he's put into it. He was there when Martingale stayed up until 2.00am night after night, and he was there when Martingale nearly died trying to get enough iridium just to upgrade his sprinklers so he could have higher and higher quality goods. He knows he's getting the best, which matters to him.

And then on top of that, he's always been a big believer in fairly compensating someone for their work no matter how he feels about them. He started backing Alex in that long before he considered himself to be friendly towards Alex overall. In fact he was supportive of Alex getting paid better even when he still thought Alex was an active homophobe and bully!

So yeah, Sebastian can be immature in some ways, but that's not one of them!

(Also I feel like Sebastian is the kind of person who wants Martingale to know when he's pissed at him, and then the rest of the time is like 'well, that's a waste of my time.' lksfjas)

[theclairvoyage]

Mermaid Purse - Part 1 of 3

AO3 | Main Masterlist

Pairing: Marine Biologist!Reader x Joel Miller

Summary: Summertime in Clearwater, Florida means no school, which means instead of teaching Marine Biology at a local university, you're bartending at The Rusty Sawfish, a bar located on the marina of Clearwater Beach. The owner's friend, who happens to be a sexy, suarthy Texan contractor, moves to town to start over and help his friend with a project, stumbling across you in the process... and you thought summer in Florida couldn't get hotter.

Warnings for Part 1: Minors DNI! adult language, alcohol consumption, sexual tension, reader is female, reader is able-bodied, unspecified age gap, allusions to smut, kissing, groping, mentions of threesomes. Please lmk if I missed anything!

WC: 9k

If Florida was good at one thing besides starring in strange headlines, it was bringing the heat.

Summer had its bags packed and was ready to leave Clearwater Beach. Not soon enough, you thought, as the humid, subtropical heat of late July in Southern Florida drenched your skin in sticky sweat. The salty breeze from the Gulf of Mexico made it bearable, as did the marine life.

You had loved animals as long as you can remember.  Growing up in the Midwest, you became acclimated to the four-legged ruminates and vast birds of the region. The closest thing you had to the ocean were stinky, dirt-sand beaches tucked away near state parks and curled highways. Oh, and the occasional zoo. Then grew your zeal for the ocean and the creatures that called it home.

That is, until you moved to Florida to study marine biology at the University of Florida, when that zeal exploded into full-on wonderment.

Some of your fondest memories of university were spending innumerable mornings out on the open sea, tagging sharks, rays, and skates for research. As you learned more about these gorgeous creatures, known in the scholarly world as the elasmobranchs, a feeling of protection grew.

And as always, the more you learned about animals, the more you learned about humans.  Some species of sharks have been fished to near-extinction, and over the course of your four years in undergrad, you bore witness to and swore to change that.

Now, as a Professor of Marine Biology at a new college in Clearwater devoted exclusively to the study of marine life, you do your best to imprint that mindset in your students.  Though in summertime, when the students are absent, you’re a full-time bartender at a local marina.  The double income in the summer is cushy, and it’s a nice change from teaching—not to mention the people watching.

That’s where you’re headed now, at 3:00 PM on a Friday—The Rusty Sawfish.  The name is what drew you in, obviously, but the ease and satisfaction of the job are what keep you.  The owner, Gil—another marine pun-slash-name—loves having you around, even if it’s only in the summertime.  He calls you during the school year to see how life is, and if you can pick up a random shift here and there.  A former Air Force pilot from Chicago, Gil spent a good chunk of his midlife in Southern Florida and opened The Rusty Sawfish after retired life bored him.

You turn onto Clearwater Memorial Causeway, a long bridge that connects mainland Florida to Clearwater Beach Island, where the bar is located.  You’ve not once grown tired of the view—beautiful, blue-green waters, white sand beaches, swaying palm trees, and endless sunshine.  Sometimes, you’ll catch an occasional shark dorsal fin cruising along calmer waters or a bottlenose dolphin breaching at the surface.

The Rusty Sawfish lies in Clearwater Municipal Marina, surrounded by several restaurants, hotels, other bars, and tourist spots.  Like many Southern Florida beach cities, the population is a revolving door.  You don’t mind it, though it’s not the same close-knit community as your hometown in Nebraska.

You park on the street and stroll up to the bar, shooing some laughing gulls from the sidewalk.  The tourists here love to feed them, and they feel comfortable in human spaces.  You check your watch—two minutes to spare before you’re “late”, though Gil would never call you out.  He’s just happy you’re there.

The bar is one of the few out here that has large, glass garage doors that can open and enclose the place, which gives it an advantage in case of bad weather.  The inside is modern, unlike many marina bars that are filled with worn wooden floors and hut-like roofs.  The natural lighting inside is beautiful, no thanks to the big windows flanking the front.  The long u-shaped bar has enough comfortable space for 4-5 bartenders at once, which is sometimes doubled on busy summer days.

You step in and walk directly to the back office to drop your purse and clock in.  Gil, perched in his old desk chair and staring at his ancient computer in the stuffy office, looks up from the screen, readers glasses threatening to slip from the edge of his nose.  You chuckle.

“Afternoon, kiddo,” he greets you, smile crinkling his tan, leathery face.

“Afternoon, Gil.  How’s it been today?”

“Same shit.  Big group of fishermen stopped here earlier and are still here.  May need to cut ‘em off soon if they haven’t started laying off the booze,” he groans, scribbling something on his legal pad.  A pencil and paper guy, Gil would still be using an old-fashioned book balance if it weren’t for you.  Though he understands that electronic bookkeeping is a lifesaver, he’s skeptical of computers—and terrible at using them.

“Sounds good.  Just me for a while?” You ask, setting your things in one of the desk drawers and punching in on the time clock.  You can’t remember who was at the bar when you walked in.

“Georgia is here, and we got 2 more coming in for the evening.  Shaping up to be a great night,” he says, returning to stare dead-faced at the computer.  Stifling a chuckle, you nod and exit the office.

Georgia, the lone bartender, is quite happy to see you as she wipes off the countertop of the bar.  She’s a close friend of yours—you two met here at the bar several years ago and share a love for the ocean and its creatures.  She’s a fresh college graduate and a few years your junior.

“Hey! So glad you’re here!” She squeaks, giving you a quick hug.  She’s always been a touchy-feely girl, unlike you—though it doesn’t bother you.

“Rough lunch shift?” You tease, checking the ice bins and refrigerators for stock.  She comes up close to your ear and lowers her voice.

“Those fucking old men have been ruthless.  I made Gil take care of their last couple rounds because I can’t deal with the catcalling,” she hisses.  Before you can scan the bar to eye the table, she stops you.

“Don’t,” she warns, “They had a field day when you walked in.  I’m shocked you didn’t notice!”

Curbing the urge to roll your eyes, you nod.  “Where are they seated?  Maybe we should just give Gil the entire table,” you suggest.

“Underneath the big TV.  They insisted on sitting there so they could play Keno and watch baseball,” she groans.

“Ah, yes.  America’s favorite pastimes,” you quip.  Georgia cackles.

“I’ll stock quick.  Need any of the taps changed?” you ask her, grabbing a sticky note and pen by the POS system.  Bar preference is to have each new shift stock everything once they clock in, which makes the rest of the day a breeze.  Georgia nods.

“I know we’re running low on Miller—that damn table has been guzzling it all day,” she gripes.  You giggle.

“I’ll be back shortly,” you say, heading to the back to grab bottles, cans, and change the Miller tap.  It’s quick work for you and you’re back behind the counter in ten minutes.

“You ready for a break, Georg?” You ask her, preparing your side of the bar with clean glasses and towels.

“Not yet, maybe in about an hour once Gil is done trying to fill a single spreadsheet on Excel,” she jokes, making both of you laugh.  “Plus, I am not leaving you out here alone with those weirdos.”

“Is that one coming up here now?” You tilt your head toward a pudgy, middle-aged, sunburnt man with a ratty Budweiser shirt and an awful sunglasses tan approaching the bar.  He’s not stumbling, but the dumb grin on his face indicates that he’s feeling pretty good.  Georgia confirms with an annoyed grunt.

“Lovely ladies, can I get a refill of Miller?” He chirps, leaning against the bar countertop and propping his glass up.

“Sure.  I’m gonna give you a new glass, though,” Georgia responds, taking the dirty one and putting it in the black bin for used dishes.  Budweiser Man groans.

“Aw, I was tryin’ to help you, sweetie,” he says, loud voice enough to curdle cold milk.  He snaps his eyes to you.

“Wow.  Two gorgeous girls running the bar?  I think we’re in trouble,” he jokes, punctuating his sentence with a belly laugh.  The urge to rip his ratty shirt off his potbelly and embarrass him floods your system momentarily.  You settle for a fake smile instead.

“Sounds like you could use some water,” you joke, still fake smiling at him.  Languidly, he tries to pout at you, but the buzz makes the shift in facial expressions difficult.

“Trust me, sir—a day out in this sun, you’ll want water with each drink,” you add, getting a glass ready for him.

“Then what’s the point of the beer, hunny?” he whines.  Pet names drive you mad, especially from drunk old men.  Patience diminishing by the second, you inhale deeply and fill the glass with water with the soda gun.

“Just making sure our patrons are safe, sir.  Want to make sure you’re able to come back,” you respond, handing him a water as Georgia hands him a full pint of Miller.

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” he says, winking at you.  Gross.  The number of middle-aged men that have flirted with Georgia and you from the other side of the bar is probably pretty high, but most don’t give you the creeps.  Georgia waits until he’s back at the table before sneering.

“Jesus, what a fucking creep,” she seethes.  “I’d love to spit in his drink.”

“Easy, Georg.  Don’t lose it over Porky Pig,” you quip, followed by a boisterous laugh from her.

The night is busy, but smooth.  A weekend fishing tournament at the beach brings in tons of salty, sunburnt folks.  Two other bartenders, Mike and Rand, come in around 7:00 PM to help with the dinner rush.  They’re college kids that double as bouncers, which would’ve been helpful earlier.  The annoying table of anglers left around 5:00 PM after Gil warned them that he’d give them the boot if they didn’t start drinking water.  Porky and his crew left reluctantly, though not before coming up to give you and Georgia big tips and his phone number scrawled on a receipt.

Just in case you two like to tag team, it said.  Both of you suppressed a wave of nausea after reading that.

The bar closes at 2:00 AM most nights during the summer, and from 10 PM-1:30 AM, the bar is hopping.  Lots of anglers and tourists flock to the bar for the big TVs and fancy drinks, many of which you helped Gil curate.  Around 11:00, you finally get a chance to take a break.  Feeling sluggish, you walk over to the nearby convenience store to grab a coffee—caffeine doesn’t do much for you, but it’ll give you the boost you need to reach close.

A can of double shot espresso with cream calls your name, and you’re eager to crack it open.  Forgetting to look before leaving the aisle, you bump into something tall and hard.  The can falls and busts open on the floor, spraying coffee everywhere.  Fuck.

“Oh shit,” you say, realizing that you slammed into some guy.  “I’m so sorry!”  Quickly, you crouch to pick up the fallen can from the cold linoleum floor.

The voice that responds wakes you up more than any espresso could.  “S’alright, miss.  You alright?”

You look up from the puddle of coffee and see a good-sized, handsome-as-fuck stranger standing above you.  Middle-aged; curly, brown hair with flecks of gray; tan, muscled arms; big hands; warm, calming chocolate eyes.  He looks so good that you’re frozen, unable to reply.  He cocks an eyebrow at you before a small grin etches his face.

“Uh, yeah—sorry.  I’m in a hurry, I didn’t mean to bump into you.  I should’ve paid attention,” you respond, panicked.  You scan the aisle for paper towels or something to clean up the mess.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go get an employee to clean this up,” the man assures you, his silky, Southern voice placating you.  You stand slowly, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.  A slow burn creeps up your neck and cheeks as his gaze sweeps over you.

“I’ll be right back,” he promises, and you look up at him just before he turns away.  Fuck, he’s gorgeous.  His irises are lined with specks of amber, like gold flakes.  He almost looks worried.

A few moments later, he returns with an older lady dressed in a convenience store uniform, sporting a fluffy white towel.  She smiles warmly at you.  Hyper focused on not looking at the handsome stranger, you smile back at her and hold your hand out.

“I’ll clean it, I made the mess.  I’d want the same if someone made a mess where I worked,” you offer.  Both the employee and the man laugh.  She tilts her head at you as if she’s trying to recognize you.

“You work at The Rusty Sawfish, don’t you?” She asks, watching you wipe up the puddle of coffee.

“Guilty.  I’m on my break right now, though I seem to have wasted it being an idiot,” you say, and the two strangers chuckle again.  The man’s deep, rumbly laugh makes your stomach flip.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, sweetie.  You deserve a break!  Let me finish and take a can on the house,” she says.  Her kindness mirrors that of most residents here—always helping others, stranger or not.

“Oh, I couldn’t.  Unless you came to the bar for a free drink.  Both of you,” you add, forcing yourself to make eye contact with the handsome stranger.

The way he stares at you makes you writhe.  His gaze is captivating.  His eyes circle around your eyes and your lips, unmoving—like you’re the only person in the room.  Time pauses as you both exchange stares.  He’s the first to speak.

“I’ll be there,” he says, half-smirking at you.  You forgot about the convenience store employee until she speaks again.

“Late night here for me, but I’ll stop by this weekend!  Have a great night, sweetie!”

“Thank you both,” you say, grabbing a new can and waving as you walk backward toward the exit.  You don’t miss the way Sexy Stranger watches you leave, but you miss the way his eyes traverse your frame when you turn around.

Shivers blitz your spine as you walk back to work, thinking of how he looked at you.  He was one of the most attractive men you’d seen here, which says a lot.  Southern Florida beach cities are ripe with hot men from all walks of life.  His accent was Southern, but not Floridian—more mainland, like Oklahoma or Texas.  Before you can think on it further, you trot back into the bar.

Thankfully, there isn’t a huge rush of patrons.  Georgia, Mike, and Rand are moving around behind the bar.  You hurry and step behind the u-shaped area, smoothing your hair out of your face.  Georgia approaches you, grinning.

“Sorry—I made a complete fool of myself at the convenience store and spilled coffee everywhere, even ran into this sexy guy in the aisle,” You lament, redoing your now sweaty and frizzy updo. She laughs.

“Did you get his number, though?” Georgia asks. “Also, how sexy are we talking?”

You widen your eyes and whistle lowly.  “Georg—I’m telling you, he was sexy as fuck.  Southern type—tall, dark, and handsome.  He said he was coming here.”

She claps her hands together giddily.  “Hell yes.  Surprised he didn’t follow you right then and there,” she adds with a wink.  You roll your eyes.

“Nah, but I’m sure he’ll do that to you when he sees you,” you hypothesize.  Georgia is beautiful—typical tan, blonde Florida beach babe with a killer body.  She’s bubbly, too, with a personality that matches the Clearwater sunshine, and she’s smart.  She shushes you, frowning.

“Um… have you seen yourself?  You’re a fucking knockout. How many guys have tried to get us to do a threesome with them? That should tell you everything,” Georgia reminds you. You shrug, unsure how to answer—she’s right.

“That’s what I thought, Miss I Don’t Know I’m Beautiful.  Now shut up and help me get the drinks ready for this table,” she says, giving you an air kiss on the cheek.  Georg knows how to cheer you up—her sunshine personality is contagious.

Several cocktails and minutes later, you head back to the cooler to restock the bar fridges.  When you return, a seat at the bar is occupied with a familiar curly-haired man peering up at the television behind the bar.  He’s not facing you, thankfully—the way you froze was embarrassing enough.  Coolly, you hoist the bin of alcohol on your shoulder and stride toward the bar.  The fridge you need to restock doesn’t face him, so you have some time to plan a greeting while you refill the beers.  Georgia pokes your side as she walks up to him, informing you that she knows it’s your sexy mystery man.

“Welcome in!  Have you been here before?” She chirps, handing him a menu.  He shakes his head and scans the sheets quickly before folding it up and handing it back to her.

“No, ma’am.  Was advised to come here by one of the employees,” he croons.  You feel his stare boring a hole in your head and decide it’s time to acknowledge him.

Standing up, you face him and hope your cheeks don’t burn bright red.  He’s smiling at you, and fuck, that smile is something you won’t forget.  Pearly whites on full display, crinkled but twinkling eyes, a salt and pepper beard, and tan skin complement the face staring at yours.

Speak, you idiot.

“Hi again.  Glad you made it.  I wondered where the coffee smell came from.”  Your wit pulls a boisterous laugh from him, one that does something tingly to your insides.  Georgia interrupts.

“I’ll take over the stocking while you help this gentleman,” she says, pinching your side as she walks away.  The man’s eyes don’t follow her, which surprises you—they’re glued to you.  Words exit your mouth before you can ruminate further.

“What can I get you? I take it you’re not a fruity cocktail kind of guy,” you tease, smirking at him.  He shakes his head and chuckles.

“Correct, ma’am.  Is the whiskey here all you’ve got?” He nods to the shelves behind you.

“Not quite.  The owner is a whiskey aficionado and has some reserve bottles in the back that he saves for special customers,” you say, putting a hand next to your mouth as you fake whisper.  The lopsided grin returns on his face, sending your pulse into overdrive.

“Would gettin’ spilled on by an employee qualify me as a special customer?” He wisecracks, arching a brow at you.  You slump your shoulders in mock defeat.

“I suppose. What’s your favorite?” His jaw ticks back and forth as he ponders.

“Too hard to say.  Not a picky guy. Been cravin’ some Eagle Rare,” his velvet voice replies, the soundwaves tickling the hair on your ears.

“I’ll go ask the boss.  Be right back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sexy Stranger replies, watching you leave.  Undiscovered by you, he’s turned to watch you walk to Gil’s office, his pulse picking up at what he sees.

He won’t lie to himself—he’s drabbled in some younger women over the years, many of whom were nothing but a one-night stand, a pretty young thing to slip inside and make him feel younger for a few hours.  But you’re different.  Stunning, yes.  Charming, funny, and mysterious, too—like you’re looking at the world from a different dimension.  He senses a force field around you, though, one he worries you won’t let him invade.

You step out of Gil’s office with a dusty bottle of Eagle Rare, aged ten years.  Gil was astounded that someone requested this, and had he not been contemplating ways to destroy his computer, he’d have joined the Sexy Stranger for a glass.

As you return to the bar, you admire the man’s full head of brunette curls, and the random spots kissed with gray locks.  His shoulders are brawny and expansive, pulling taut the flannel fabric between his scapulas.  Atop them is a thick, ropy neck, with a jutting Adam’s apple and tan flesh you’d like to sink your teeth into.  He was tall, but not overtly so—just enough to complement his muscly build.

The way he leans back in the chair and sees his surroundings exudes a calm tenacity, but the way his eyes smolder suggests a tendency to be ravenous.  You wonder if that duality is something he wants to show you.  Warmth surges through your veins as you fantasize about a complete stranger, wracking your core and igniting thoughts and feelings you haven’t had in a long time.

Certainly, you’d been with men since moving to Clearwater, and though the options were vast, the likelihood of something lasting was minimal.  Thus, you chose to keep interactions with men somewhat superficial, an imaginary arm constantly protruding from you to forbid anything further than flirtatious banter.  This attractive, swarthy man, however, had his wrist wrapped around that arm and was threatening to rip it from you—the thought frightened and excited you.

Momentarily, you ignore the rush of adrenaline as you return behind the bar and into his view.  Like  a magnet, he latches onto you at once, eyes burning your face and figure.  Using a damp towel behind the counter, you swipe dust off the bottle and set it in front of him.

“Here you are, sir.  One dusty bottle of Eagle Rare.”  Sexy Stranger smiles at the bottle, wrapping a large hand around the base and examining the label.

“’S the good stuff,” he murmurs, voice dropping deeper than you thought possible. The pitch twists your insides.  In an effort to subdue your racing mind and pulse, you force a smirk and start wiping off the counter.

You feel the man’s eyes snap to you, melting your resolve with a fiery intensity.  Suddenly, you’re unable to continue moving the towel, and resign to meeting his eyes.  Smoldering is the only way to describe the way he’s looking at you.

That familiar rush of heat wraps around the base of your throat and underneath the fabric of your now-suffocating, loose tee shirt.  Instinctively, you fiddle with the collar and pull it down slightly, trying to let out some of the hot air trapped inside, unaware of the fact that you’ve exposed some skin to him.  In any other situation, it would’ve been a harmless gesture, but here, it only spurs on his imagination.  His pupils dilate ever so slightly at the sight of your collarbone, complemented with a silver pendant necklace.

“What’s that necklace you got there?” Sexy Stranger asks.  Involuntarily, your fingers latch onto the shark charm and twiddle it back and forth.  He’s still watching.

“Oh, it’s a shark.  Can’t remember the last time I took this thing off—I forget about it,” you say, surprised that you can form coherent sentences right now under his hot gaze.

He makes eye contact with you and raises an eyebrow.  “Why a shark?”

“The short version is that it’s my favorite animal.”

He tilts his head at you, jaw ticking again.  Your eyes latch onto the strong muscles moving it back and forth, flexing underneath his temples.

“And the long version?”

You cock an eyebrow, mirroring him, and grab a short glass, placing it on a coaster in front of him.  “Before I delve into that, how do you like your whiskey?”

He chuckles, deep and rumbly.  “Neat, sweetheart.”

The pet name eviscerates your stomach.  You gulp without meeting his gaze, aware that he’s staring at you still.  You pour him a perfect glass of bourbon neat and push the coaster toward him.  As you let go, he reaches for the glass, fingertips brushing the tops of your fingers.

As if you touched the metal prongs of a plug, you whip your hand back.  The feeling of his skin on yours was nothing short of electric.  He misreads your reaction.

“Sorry ‘bout that, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he says, brown eyes no longer smoldering but concerned.

“Oh no, it’s not that, just wasn’t expecting it,” you stammer, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.  Ironic.  He lets it pass, for now.

“So—the long story?” He takes a generous sip of the amber liquid, swishing it around his mouth as he watches you.  You place your palms down on the counter and smile at him.

“Long story is I’m a Professor of Marine Biology at a local university here.  I’ve been studying sharks for a long time now.  They are beautiful, brilliant creatures that have evolved to near perfection.  I do what I can to protect them—they have been fished relentlessly.”

Sexy Stranger is in awe of you, struck by your eloquence, intelligence, and beauty.  He takes another sip, never dragging his eyes from yours.

“Wow,” he says, raising both eyebrows as he sets the glass down.  “Just one question.”

You raise an eyebrow at him.  The two of you are getting good at this nonverbal communication.

“You consider that the long version?”

His humor catches you off guard and a goofy, boisterous laugh escapes you.  For the second time now, he flashes a full smile at you.  He likes that sound.

Suddenly, a phone rings nearby.  He frowns and fishes a small, old iPhone from his front jeans pocket and squints at the screen.  He grimaces as he stuffs it back, shifting uncomfortably in the chair to make it fit.

“Sweetheart, I need to run.  Lemme settle up for the glass,” he says, the pet name stimulating your pulse again.

“Sure thing.  Gil said to come back any time—the bottle is basically yours,” you say, winking at him as you print his receipt.  His heartbeat does some racing of its own at the gesture.  He tears his eyes from you to fish for his wallet and throw some bills on top of the receipt.

“Will do.  I’ll see you around, darlin’,” Sexy Stranger says as he stands, giving you a small wink as he leaves.  You watch him leave before realizing you didn’t cash him out.  You grab the cash and receipt, noticing what looks like writing on the back side.

A phone number is scrawled on the back.  Underneath is his name.  Joel.

Your heart stops as you stare at the small white paper.  When did I even give him a pen?  I didn’t notice him writing.  Georgia startles you with an elbow to the side.

“That was quick,” she teases.  Bashful, you fold the receipt up and shove it in the pocket of your jean shorts.

“Shut up, Georg.  He was just being nice. Probably wants tips for shark watching or something.”

She stares at you incredulously.  “Girl… he’s so fucking into you.  Everybody in this building felt that tension.”

Heat creeps up your spine once again.  You check the POS system for the time and see that it’s almost 2:00 AM.  Time to close and do it all again tomorrow.

“Let’s get something to eat.  Wanna crash at my place?” Georgia asks.  You nod, finding that you’re hungry—but something tells you it’s not food you’re craving.

Sunlight bounces off the white walls of Georgia’s apartment just before 7:00 AM.  A light groan escapes you as you stretch out on the plush sectional in her living room before settling back into the burrow of blankets.

Georgia lives a quick five-minute drive from the marina, in a lofty one-bedroom apartment with an ocean view.  Her family is generationally wealthy and based in Sarasota, Florida—hence the high-rise apartment and a nice Mercedes SUV.  She escaped the clutches of her uptight family to explore her passion—surfing.  She got a job at The Rusty Sawfish to supplement her allowance and pay for surfing gear and tournaments, something her parents refused to do.  You two clicked immediately and have been friends since.

Pulling your hoodie up over your head, you check your phone quickly before deciding whether to go back to sleep.  It’s still early, and you didn’t get to sleep until after 3:00 AM.  Your stomach backflips when you see a message from an unknown number pop up.  The nerves turn to giddiness as you remember that the number belongs to Joel, the sexy stranger you met at the convenience store last night.  You messaged him when you got to Georgia’s apartment last night asking if he made it home alright, certain he wouldn’t be awake to respond.  You swipe down to read the message.

Joel: Morning sweetheart.  I made it home just fine.  Was hoping you’d text sooner so I could ask the same.  :)

Kicking your feet like a child, you contemplate a response.

You: Sorry I texted so late!  I didn’t make it back to my friend’s place until close to 3.

Joel is quick to respond.

Joel: Surprised you’re up.  Figured someone as pretty as you would need at least 8 hours of beauty sleep.  By the way—your friend told me your name.  I hope that’s OK.

Grinning at your phone, you shake your head slowly.  The man is as charming over text as he is in person.

You: You flatter me.  I was just going to go back to sleep given that I currently look like a hobbit—guess 8 hours is exactly what I need ;)

You: And yes, that’s okay.  Sounds a lot like my friend.  She’s a good wingman.

Joel: I highly doubt you look anything less than gorgeous.  Get some rest.  We’ll talk later today.

Pretty.  Gorgeous.

The grin doesn’t leave your face as you drift back to sleep.

Later that evening, you’re behind the familiar u-shaped counter of the bar with paper-thin patience and a penchant for kicking out a rowdy group of college age anglers from the tournament.

“Look, I have a legit ID and I’m an adult, I can drink however many beers I want!” A gangly blonde trust fund-looking kid from the group whines at you.  You narrow your eyes at him briefly before responding, like a snake ready to strike its prey.

“Not how it works.  It’s the bar’s best practice to avoid overserving and keep this a safe place for everybody.  Drink some water and we’ll revisit,” you reply, voice stern.  You squeeze the towel in your hand for stress relief.

Though Florida has a dram shop law that prevents bars from being sued by an intoxicated patron that ends up drunk driving and getting hurt, Gil has always mandated a no overserving policy.  Spending all day out in the ocean and then drinking heavily is a dangerous combo.  The older patrons have no qualms about it, but the younger, rowdier crowds differ.  Blonde kid sticks his index finger on the counter and leans in close to you, bloodshot eyes fixated on yours.

“I want your manager,” he spits, breath reeking of booze.  Still somewhat level-headed, you stare directly in his eyes.

“You got it,” you respond, emotionless.  Gil’s not one for overserving, and he’s not one for rude patrons harassing his bartenders.  This dumb kid has a lesson coming.

Stone faced, you drop your towel and tell Georgia you’ll be right back before cruising to Gil’s office.  The door is wide open, and to your surprise, Joel’s sitting in the chair next to Gil, the two of them chuckling and conversing.  Your heart falters momentarily before you remember why you came back here.  You knock lightly on the open door and both men look up at you.

Gil frowns immediately.  He’s seen that look before.

“Not a good sign when my best employee has that look on her face.  Where is he?” Gil asks, standing and removing his readers.  Feeling Joel’s eyes burning holes in you, you do your best to ignore them right now.

“Up front.  Blonde kid with the frat group.  Pissed off that I won’t pour him a 5th vodka red bull.  I told him about our policy, and he asked for the manager,” you recite, tight-lipped.  Gil nods, squeezing your shoulder lightly as he walks past you to the bar.

Thankful that Gil is handling it, you close your eyes and exhale heavily before remembering you’re not alone.  Your eyes open quickly to find Joel staring at you.  His eyes look concerned, though there’s that damned lopsided smile on his face.

“Guy’s got some balls on him,” he jokes, standing and taking a step closer to you.  Your pulse quickens.  Laughing, you roll your eyes and wave him off.

“Everybody does when they’re drunk.”

Joel rakes a hand through his stubble and nods, studying your face.

“I reckon I wasn’t totally honest with you last night,” he says, face falling slightly.  Raising an eyebrow, you try to quiet the thousand thoughts that rush through your mind—is he going to say that he’s married?  Fresh out of prison?  Gay?  Well… the last one is unlikely.  He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he continues.

“I’ve known Gil for a long, long time.  S’why I knew there’d be Eagle Rare here,” he says.

Relief rushes through you.  “Jesus, Joel.  I thought you were gonna tell me you were married.”

A hearty laugh escapes him as he shakes his head fervently, throwing his hands up in surrender.  “Hell no.  Haven’t been married since I was in my early 20s, which was about a million years ago.”

You wipe your brow exaggeratedly, signaling your relief.  Joel chuckles again.

“So, what brings you to Clearwater, then?  Or have you always been here?”

“No, no.  I’m from Texas.  Been here several times but moved here last month.  I’m a contractor and Gil and I have worked on some projects together.  He wants my help f’another one.”

It all makes sense—the flannel shirt, the muscles, the demeanor, the accent.  A question pops up in your mind.

“Does he know you gave me your number last night?” You ask him, tilting your head inquisitively.

“Yes, ma’am.  We’re good friends.  He’s protective of you, but I made it clear t’him that I ain’t tryin’ any funny business with you,” he admits, smoldering eyes affixed to yours.  His expression and tone gives you the impression that he’s telling the truth, like lying to you would be worse than anything.

“Are you saying… you don’t often give your number to bartenders that spill coffee all over you?” You chide, flashing a smile at him.  His pupils dilate imperceptibly.

“No, ma’am.  Don’t make that kinda thing a habit,” he responds, taking a step closer to you.  Your breath catches in your throat at his proximity.  He’s within arm’s reach, and the magnetic field between the two of you is sending your internal compass off the rails.  He opens his mouth to say something, but Gil interrupts the moment, oblivious to the two of you.

“He’s taken care of.  Thanks for dealing with him,” he sing-songs, saying your name warmly.

Still staring at Joel, you reply to Gil.  “Appreciate it, Gil.  I’ll return to my post.”

Joel laughs quietly, eyes twinkling at you.  You smile coyly at him before leaving the office, needing to cool off before you explode internally.  The sexual tension between the two of you is almost too much to handle.

Before you can check if he’s following you, Georgia flags you down behind the bar.  A devilish smile plays on her tan, freckled face.

“So… he’s back,” she teases, waggling her eyebrows. “You taking him home tonight or what?”

Jaw dropping in mock shock, you tilt your head at her.

“Are you suggesting that I sleep with him?  Georg—I don’t know him!”

She guffaws.  “Gil knows him very well, though.  Isn’t that enough to tell you he’s safe? I bet they watch boring carpenter shows together and spend all their money on fancy old man bourbon.”

Good point.  Joel seems safe—for now.  But you’ve been out of the game far too long to half-ass a night with a man like him.  He seems… experienced.  And the glint in his eyes when he sees you is enough to make your heart jump out of your chest.

“I don’t know.  I’m interested.  I’ll keep an open mind.  Sounds like he’s in Clearwater for good… plenty of old beach babes to take him on,” you joke, winking at her.  She punches your arm.

“He doesn’t even look at anybody but you, dipshit.  If you say something like that one more time, I’m gonna tell him,” she threatens half-jokingly, pointing a polished finger in your face.

“Fine.  We’ll see where it ends up,” you surrender, checking the fridges for a routine restock.

The remainder of Saturday night at The Rusty Sawfish is busy, but not overwhelmingly so.

Georgia, Mike, Rand, and you man the bar, which had no empty chairs the entire evening.  Business was booming from the fishing tournament, and even Gil stepped out of the office to pour some drinks.

Joel made himself comfortable at the end of the bar.  Gil dumped stacks of blueprints in front of him, and he got busy reviewing them while nursing glasses of neat bourbon.  You couldn’t count the number of times you two exchanged glances and shy smiles, and he couldn’t count the number of times he caught himself staring at you.  He was entranced by the way you moved at the bar—commanding the flow of customers, making drinks at lightning speed, being friendly with the customers, and looking damn good while you do it.

Closing time rolls around yet again, and he’s still scanning blueprints, sketching on pages here and there with his carpenter’s pencil.  Every so often, he’d tuck it behind one of his ears, mussing some of his curls in the process.  You found yourself studying his mannerisms, trying to get to know him without speaking.  He’d tick his jaw back and forth as he read, and the corner of his lips would twitch each time he marked the page with his pencil, salt and pepper mustache hairs grooving along with them.

You learn from the way he holds the page out three feet in front of him to read small text, brow furrowing as he deciphers the letters, that he’s stubborn and not ready to buy reader’s glasses.  You catch yourself giggling at it, making damn sure he doesn’t see.

You learn that he was likely a former athlete by the way his hips sway when he walks to the bathroom, his gait controlled yet energetic and limber, the denim of his very-worn jeans hugging his strong legs.  The jeans indicate that he’s not much of a shopper and is loyal to what makes him feel comfortable, like a pair of faded, almost-torn bootcut Wranglers molded to his frame and creased leather cowboy boots.

You learn that his body is still in wonderful shape as he folds his arms behind his head and arches his back to stretch his aching body, revealing a sliver of soft-looking skin above the denim waistband and a trail of dark hair leading from his belly button down beneath.

You learn that he enjoys hearing your laugh with each time he tries to prod it out of you with a silly joke or a wisecrack about one of the customers.  Given the manner and frequency with which his eyes travel up and down your frame, he also likes your body—from the subtle shelf of your breasts underneath your tank top, to the shape of your ass in your frayed jean shorts, to your smooth legs.  But he likes your face, too—evident by the way his amber eyes travel over your features, landing frequently at your eyes and lips.

Now, you can tell Georgia she’s right—that he fancies you, more so than any other woman that glanced at him twice during the night.  And boy, there were plenty.

Most of all, though—you learn how much you want him.  If not obvious by the butterflies bouncing off the walls of your abdomen and chest as he speaks to you, it is clear when you take a bathroom break of your own and find dampness in your panties.  Your nerves are in overdrive at the possibility of finding out what his hands feel like on your skin, what his lips feel like meshed with yours, what his strong frame feels like flush against yours.

Needing cool relief, you soak a paper towel in cold water and place it on the back of your neck, shivering at the stray droplets that roll down your spine.  You stare at yourself in the mirror and start to realize that maybe Georgia is right about you, that you are beautiful and worthy of feeling that way.

You exit the bathroom to find that it’s now past 2:00 AM, and customers have left—all but Joel.  He’s standing now, elbows leaning against the counter.  He notices the air pressure change from the bathroom door opening and turns to stare at you as you approach him, eyes sweeping up and down your figure once again.

“Sir, we’re closed.  Have you paid your tab?” You ask, half-smiling at him.  He laughs as he fishes his wallet out of his jeans pocket.

“Gettin’ there, sweetheart,” he says, grunting as it finally comes out of its enclosure.  The wallet is about as worn as the jeans, faded and bent at the corners.  He hands you several twenty-dollar bills, a few too many for his sixty-dollar tab.

“I’ll get your change,” you say, muscle memory taking over.  He puts a hand up.

“No, keep it.  You deserve it,” he murmurs, tucking the wallet back in his pocket and gathering the blueprints for Gil.

“Joel, it’s too much for what little work I did tonight,” you protest.  He looks at you, eyes smoldering once again.

“No, darlin’—you did a lot more than you think.”  The tone suggests he’d been imagining you the same way you did him, sending a zing of shivers up your spine.  You know your cheeks are reddening, but you ignore it as you balance the drawer for the evening.  Joel trots back to Gil’s office to return the papers, resurfacing after a few minutes.

Georgia, Mike, and Rand have finished cleaning and their closing duties.  They stop by the register to check in on you.

“Hey—there’s a party at Mike’s neighbor’s house.  You in?” Georgia asks, knowing full well you’re not going to agree.  You can tell she’s trying not to smirk.

“No, thanks.  I’m exhausted,” you reply, dividing up the tips.  “Here you go, tips for tonight.  Great job.”

“Well, you better come to the one next week—you can’t use this excuse again,” Mike teases you, elbowing you lightly.

“I’ll be there, just not feeling it tonight.  Thanks, guys,” you say warmly, hugging Georgia as they prepare to leave.

“Oh, we rode together—are you good taking an Uber?  I was going to ride with these guys,” she asks, loud enough for Joel to hear.

“I can walk to my car.  It’s only a few minutes.”

Joel interrupts.  “I’ll take ya.  I’m sure y’feel safe out here, but it’s late and dark.”

Georgia takes this as her cue to leave.  “See you tomorrow, love!”  You wave as the three exit, leaving Joel, you, and the magnetic sexual tension between you.

“You sure about this?  Really, it’s not that bad of a trek,” you ask him, not wanting to be a bother.  He raises an eyebrow at you.

“I’d feel better f’you let me make sure you’re safe, and y’just said y’were tired,” he says lowly, voice dropping in decibels to match the now-quiet atmosphere of the bar.

“If it helps you sleep at night, sure,” you joke, winking at him.  A yawn interrupts your comedic routine, to which Joel raises his eyebrows.

“How ‘bout I just drive you home, sweetheart?” He suggests.  A wave of fatigue hits you as you finish yawning, and you surrender.

“Good idea.  Let me get my stuff.”

You emerge from the office after retrieving your purse and saying goodbye to Gil, who has resumed trying to figure out Excel.  Joel watches you approach him, rubbing his beard distractedly.

You lead him out of the bar, the nervous energy between you making your legs feel restless.  Joel places a hand on your lower back as you push the doors open.  Once outside, you expect him to move it, but he doesn’t.  It stays warm and firm on your back as you two walk down the marina to the street parking area.

The sound of the waves crashing into the shore placates your nerves a bit.  You peer at them as you walk, bewitched by the rays of moonlight dancing on the subtle peaks.

“S’a beautiful night,” Joel murmurs, closer to your ear than you realized.  You jump a bit, and he chuckles quietly, rubbing his hand softly on your lower back.

“Sorry, didn’t mean t’scare ya,” he apologizes.  The cool beach breeze blows by, and goosebumps grow on your bare skin.  You rub your arms instinctively.  A few moments later, Joel places his flannel over your shoulders, squeezing the tops lightly before letting go.  The warm gesture makes those butterflies in your stomach ricochet like pinballs.

“Thanks.  It’s cooler than normal this evening,” you say, watching your feet as you continue walking.  The scent of his shirt engulfs your senses, slowing your pace momentarily.  It’s an alluring mix of earthy and musky, like sandalwood, pine, and sweet bourbon.

“This is me,” Joel says, stopping next to an older, beatdown Chevy truck.  He opens the passenger door for you.

“Didn’t realize you were such a gentleman, Joel,” you tease him.  He shuts the door lightly, smirking and shaking his head at you through the window.  You glance at your surroundings.

His truck is spotless, save for some stains on the floor.  There’s a cup of carpenter’s pencils in one of the cupholders, which makes you smile.  The radio is ancient, with a small, thin screen for the time and big black buttons, which are a bit dusty.  The only button that’s clean is the power button/volume knob duo.  Not much of a music guy, you think.

The driver’s door squeaks open, and Joel plops down on the seat with a grunt. He shoves the key in the ignition and turns it over a few times before the engine roars on.

“Where to?” he asks, cranking the truck into reverse and pulling out of the spot.  You direct him to your apartment, which is 10 minutes from the marina.

The ride to your place is quiet, but not awkwardly so.  Joel turned on the music and kept the volume low, asking you questions here and there about Clearwater and you.

“Your family here?”

“Nope.  I’m from the Midwest.  They’re all in Nebraska and Iowa.”  He whistles lowly.

“Bit of a drive.  Why Florida?  Lemme guess—the ocean?”

“That’s part of it,” you reply, staring out the window, watching the palm trees flash by.

“Take it y’also wanted to get away from your family,” he says, tone rhetorical.  You snort and turn to face him.  He’s got one hand on the wheel, the other perched on the back of your seat.  There’s a half-smirk on his moonlight-painted face.

“Am I that obvious?” Your tone is half-incredulous, half-rhetorical. He chuckles in place of responding.

Soon, you arrive at your apartment complex.  Joel opens your door and follows you to the building.  Hesitant, you stop just before entering and turn to him.  The tension is thick, like a hazy cloud between the two of you.

“Do you want to come inside?”

He clenches his jaw, staring at you before replying.

“Sure.  Y’gonna take advantage of me?” The witty remark catches you off guard.  You burst out laughing and the contagious, melodic sound makes him laugh.

“Only if you want me to,” you reply, holding your keys up to the pad and opening the door.  You swear you hear him growl behind you, but he doesn’t reply.

Luckily, you’re on the first floor.  You don’t think you could stomach walking up the stairs in your daisy dukes with Joel behind you.

Once inside your place, you open the fridge and grab two bottles of beer as Joel surveys the apartment.  You place one on his bare forearm, the sudden chill startling him.  He swipes the bottle from your hand as you giggle, giving you a threatening look.

“Want to sit outside?  I have a little futon out there,” you offer, realizing you still have his flannel on.  The sleeves are a little long, touching the base of your knuckles.  He nods.  You grab a blanket from the couch and lead him to the sliding glass door in the kitchen.

Your patio is small, but it’s your favorite spot, overlooking the beach.  The apartment building is on a small hill, which is great for days when the sea level rises.  The waves are still crashing quietly onto the shore, bathed in silky moonlight.

You sit first, crossing your legs underneath the warm blanket.  It’s chilly without it.  Joel sits next to you with what you now know is his trademark old man grunt, denim-clad leg touching your knee.  He takes a swig and brings the base of the bottle to eye level to study the label.

“Sorry—no bourbon,” you lament jokingly, taking a swig of your own.  He smirks and takes another sip.

“Didn’t strike you as the type, anyway.”

“Is it the lack of facial hair?” Joel spits out his beer laughing.

“Jesus, you’re somethin’ else,” he coughs, wiping his mouth and beard with the back of his hand.

“In Joel speak, I think that’s a compliment, yes?”

He laughs again, staring at you as you watch the ocean.  His hand moves to rest on your kneecap, thumb circling the soft skin lightly.  Your heartbeat picks up twofold.

“Gil was right about you,” he murmurs.  Confused, you look at him, surprised to see a wanton expression on his face.

“What about me?”

He scoots closer.  Your hands squeeze the beer bottle nervously.

“Don’t remember exactly what he said,” he croons, face getting closer to yours, “somethin’ about you bein’ a special person.”

The sexual tension between the two of you has reached a new level of heavy, sucking the air out of your lungs and igniting your core.  Joel grabs your beer from your hand, setting it and his down on the concrete floor of the patio.  He stares into your eyes, looking for hesitation as he leans closer to you.

Clearly, he finds none, because his lips are on yours, light and soft.  The hand that was on your knee is on the back of your neck, thumb pressed against your cheek.  His other hand grips your hip and pulls you closer to him.  You take the opportunity to climb on his lap, pulling a surprised yet satisfied grunt from him.

His lips move slowly, gently against yours.  Rough, warm hands caress the tops of your thighs, leaving goosebumps in their path.  He tastes smooth, like the Eagle Rare he sipped on this evening, a rich contrast from the rough scratch of his mustache and beard against your face.  You comb fingers through his thick curls, tugging lightly at the base of his head. Another satisfied grunt travels from his throat to your mouth.

The passion overheats you, and like he’s reading your mind, he pushes his shirt off your shoulders, mouth still latched to yours.  His hands slip under your tank top and caress your abdomen, fingertips dancing along the underside of your breast.  He groans again when he realizes you don’t have a bra on.  You tilt your head back and his lips caress your neck, nipping softly at your pulse.  The soft moan that leaves your lips spurs him on, and his teeth move higher, tugging on the flesh of your earlobe.

He reaches for the hem of your tank top and slowly lifts the fabric over your head.  His eyes burn holes in your skin, pupils dilated so much so that his eyes look black.  He reaches up and palms both of your breasts, kneading the flesh and rolling your nipples between his fingertips as he admires your body.

“Christ, you’re perfect,” he breathes before sucking a nipple into his mouth.  You wrap your arms around his strong neck and tug his curls back to envelope his mouth with yours.  He lifts you from his lap effortlessly and stands, murmuring something about going back inside into your mouth.

Still kissing you, he carries you to your bedroom and tosses you on the bed before caging you in his arms, continuing what you started on the patio as the sound of the ocean and the cicadas fill the background.

Taglist: @burntheedges, @tuquoquebrute, @syd-djarin, @danaispunk, @anoverwhelmingdin

Read Part 2 here!

[kodaloveschris]

Stick Season

Matt Sturniolo loved the autumn, especially in New England. The crisp air, the vibrant leaves, and the smell of bonfires always brought him a sense of nostalgia. This year, however, felt different. The beauty of the season seemed to clash with an underlying melancholy that had settled in his heart.

It was late October, the time of year Noah Kahan had dubbed “Stick Season”—when the trees had shed their leaves, and the branches stood bare against the gray sky. It was a season of transition, a time when the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the first snowfall.

Matt found himself drawn to the woods behind his house. He often went there to clear his mind, and today was no different. He bundled up in a warm jacket, pulled on a beanie, and set off down the familiar path.

As he walked, he thought about the changes that had come into his life recently. The Sturniolo Triplets’ YouTube channel had grown beyond their wildest dreams, but with that growth came new pressures and responsibilities. Matt felt like he was losing touch with the simplicity he once cherished.

He reached a clearing in the woods where a large, old oak tree stood, its branches now bare. Matt sat down on a fallen log, taking in the quiet beauty of the scene. The stillness was interrupted only by the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind.

“Hey, mind if I join you?”

Matt looked up to see Y/N, a friend from his hometown. They hadn’t seen each other much since high school, both caught up in their own lives. But she had always been someone he could talk to, someone who understood him in a way few others did.

“Of course not,” Matt said, smiling. “It’s good to see you.”

Y/N sat down beside him, pulling her jacket tighter around her. “I’ve missed this place,” she said softly. “It’s so peaceful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Matt agreed. “I come here to think, to get away from everything.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds being the gentle rustling of the trees and the distant call of a crow.

“What’s been on your mind?” Y/N asked eventually, her voice gentle.

Matt sighed, staring at the ground. “I don’t know. Everything feels so… complicated. The channel, the constant pressure to keep up with everything. Sometimes I just miss how simple things used to be.”

Y/N nodded, understanding. “Life has a way of getting complicated as we grow up. But it’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to take a step back and find your balance again.”

Matt looked at her, grateful for her words. “You always know what to say.”

She smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”

As they talked, Matt felt a weight lifting from his shoulders. The woods around them, the stark beauty of Stick Season, seemed to mirror the process of letting go, of shedding the old to make way for the new.

“I’m glad you’re here, Y/N,” Matt said after a while. “I needed this.”

“Me too,” she replied. “Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of what really matters.”

As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the bare branches, Matt felt a renewed sense of clarity. He knew that life would continue to bring challenges, but he also knew that he had the strength to face them. And he had friends like Y/N to remind him of the simple joys that made it all worthwhile.

Together, they walked back through the woods, leaving behind the quiet solitude of Stick Season but carrying its lessons with them.

[spelllingandthemysteryschool]

how do you handle friendships changing? not being able to talk to the people you could talk to before? looking at text threads with your friends and they havent been updated in months? how do you know if it’s over? sorry if this is out of the blue, i just have no one else to ask and i’ve always thought of your blog as a kind of older sister presence :’) thank you for answering this yaz

hi hi hi! 🦢 hmm… i think first of all it’s important to remember that things are not always as cut-and-dry as u feel they are—there are lots of cases in which a friendship can be revived and shaped into something different from what it was before but still beautiful and important. reaching out can be mortifying when conversation has stilled for months but if you know an old friend’s in town and you haven’t spoken in forever but you miss them and want to hang out you really can just tell them so. sometimes they respond & tell you they miss you too & then you have the chance to turn a friendship you’ve both outgrown into something that better suits the needs of the people you are now! i recently reconnected with my elementary school best friends & though we don’t share the same easy, effortless, consistent bond we did when we were small children once upon a time, we make sure to grab coffee together whenever we’re all back in our hometown and catch up on whatever we’ve been up the last six months and it’s actually really nice and was so worth the process of reaching out. it is kind of awesome to see how they’ve stayed exactly the same & how they’re come into their own.

if you do end up trying this & don’t find that your friend is receptive to it or willing to put in the same effort, or if things ended on negative terms & you feel one party or the other was wronged in a way that’s not possible to come back from, or if you’re not really feeling it for whatever reason, then maybe it really is over & it really is best to try letting go—which is easier said than done of course. but it is always a worthwhile task to grieve a friendship that meant something to you… even if sometimes the grief lingers longer than it does for others and even if there are some friendships you never really ‘get over’ in the sense that thinking back on them leaves you with a dull ache for years to come. but i try to keep in mind that the fact that a friend is no longer in my life for one reason or the other doesn’t undo the ways in which we touched each other’s lives or were important to each other when it most mattered. as long as you are alive people will not stop entering and then leaving your life, so i feel like the best thing you can do in the wake of any relationship is honor that you had that time together and cherish the people you once were, allow yourself to think on old memories fondly when it feels right and when you’re no longer waterlogged with longing, and then return to the work of tending to your current relationships and to the person you are growing into day by day, reassured in the knowledge that you will always contain imperceptible but very real traces of those who once loved you and who were once loved by you in return.

i am wishing you well! i hope your life is always filled with the most wonderful friends—both old & new 💌

[berrizzesworld]

Radical Sincerity

What growing up means?

It is not about the age on the passport, when suddenly you turn out to be 18, which means that it is already a stage of being adult and now you have to take risk and be responsible for your life. It doesn't necessary mean that you have grown up. Some people haven't gone throw this process of 'coming out of age' even if they are already 40 or 50. It doesn't mean that you are bad or good. It's just a different personality or mentality.

What I know is that you grow up only when you break down your own boundaries, step out of your comfort zone and forced to change your life radically. You grow up only when you break yourself.

That's what happened to me in 2022. I had to leave the place I love the most: my home, my hometown, my homeland. I went through a lot of difficulties of the war. I had to leave my parents on 27 February and have only seen them twice since. I had to start my life from the very beginning.

I think it is worth mentioning, that I am such a kind of person who gets attached to places, people, memories and some small things like a teddy bear which I've been sleeping with since I was 5. So when I had to leave all that behind in one day and go away to the unknown direction...oh. I have to say it wasn't easy at all. Even more it totally broke me inside.

Before February 2022 I never left my parents or my flat for more than 2 weeks in a row. NEVER. I always knew that there is such a place called: Home, where I can always come, where people Love me and are always ready to listen to or hug me. Since the day when war stared I've lost this feeling. I can't go home anytime now. There is only me and a big dangerous world, which I never faced before.

That was the moment when I really had to become honest with myself and start trusting my intuition, heart or brain (at least something inside me because there was nobody else to share thoughts with). But only when our the most wonderful English teacher in the world showed us (I say so because I don't know how, but her words, eyes and even smile always have answers to all your questions and confusion, every lesson she gives us a new life lesson. Sometimes I even envy myself that I have such an amazing teacher). So...what was I talking about? Oh, yes. Only when we were shown a TedTalk given by Cheryl Strayed talking about radical sincerity and she said there: "Finding in ourselves that voice that we know to be true that we recognize as the voice that makes the most sense" I finally realized what I dug into myself, in that difficult moment. The voice, which helps me to take decisions. The voice which I can trust.

I still try to build good relationships with my new friend, because sometimes this voice is not comparable to real life or my brain, but what I want to tell you is that all of us have to start trusting ourselves, without that there will be no bright future. It's challenging to realize, but the way you treat yourself, and the way you listen to yourself are directly connected with what happening in your life.

According to the theory of existentialism each action has consequences and only you are responsible for your life: "Not making a choice is also a choice", so to live this life you have to be ready to take risks and need absolutely, 100% percent, be true to yourself. Everything begin with that.

Also since the new chapter of my life started I realized that many qualities and characteristics were hidden in me, there just wasn't a moment or time before that could help me to open them and the phrase I heard in that video corresponds to my feelings: "Our deepest treasured are buried in the crappy detritus in our lifes". They just need to be dug out. Don't be afraid of searching for them, of challenging yourself, of suffering. New YOU will appear only after all these hardships.

And always remember: No matter what happens, no matter how difficult it is - "Keep walking" and it will lead you to a new level, new accomplishments and great success.

With Love, your Berrizze's World

[conniecorleone]

I posted 4,999 times in 2022

6 posts created (0%)

4,993 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@queenofparrys

@meyerlansky

@saltskinandasociopath

@tikkunolamorgtfo

@dollsome-does-tumblr

I tagged 2,525 of my posts in 2022

Only 49% of my posts had no tags

#stranger things - 213 posts

#art - 208 posts

#cuddly things - 165 posts

#goncharov - 126 posts

#your girl - 93 posts

#storyfeelings - 85 posts

#fashion - 77 posts

#silly things - 75 posts

#star wars - 67 posts

#pretty places - 61 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i love the raspberry bushes growing in the woods behind my house but hate that i have to fight my way through so much poison ivy to get them

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Contrary to popular belief, lacrosse IS a real sport 🥍🥍 (at KeyBank Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcJWXDuu4TU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

1 note - Posted April 9, 2022

#4

*Mission Impossible theme intensifies* https://www.instagram.com/p/CZVmh77LqHb/?utm_medium=tumblr

1 note - Posted January 29, 2022

#3

I truly am the melodic sound of this bird stomping angrily around

2 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

#2

So I had an AMAZING time at the Backstreet Boys concert but I definitely forgot:

A) That the "Boyz 4 Now" episodes of Bob's Burgers are, in fact, a documentary

B) Just how much of their back catalogue lives rent-free in my brain

And, most importantly, C) Just how much of said back catalogue relied on a lot of strategic hat-based choreography

It was a good time, all I'm saying 🎶💥🧢💥🎶

3 notes - Posted July 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓 fields forever, you know

Now I'm going to have this song stuck in my head all day

But I digress!! Here are some random fun facts about me, one strawberry emoji at a time!!

🍓 I can cook, I can bake, but some of my favorite things in the world to make are pasta, soup, and carrot cake.

🍓 When I was younger and suuuuuuuper depressed, I used to go for long drives at night around my hometown when I couldn't sleep, heading up to the airport and out to the country and into the city and back. I still think going for long drives is one of the most soothing things in the world.

🍓 My favorite color is green! Which you would honestly not know from my wardrobe, which is mostly various shades of black and blue and red.

🍓 The only quasi-convincing accent I can put on is a Russian one, and oof, it might be funny, but it is not good.

🍓 When I was a kid I dislocated both my elbows trying to do a cartwheel -- two different cartwheels, two different times, one elbow after the other.

🍓 I hate my job!!! I hate it more than I hate any of the jobs I have had in the past, and I was robbed at gunpoint at one of them!! This job makes me feel crazy and like I am bad at not only what I do for it, but as a person, full stop, and I don't want to do it anymore!! I am in the process of looking for another one and this is probably the least fun fact in the world but I just needed to say this somewhere!!!

🍓 I used to sing! In public! For people! I still sing in my car and when I'm alone but I miss performing like missing a limb. One of the only nice things about current job is that when the museum I work at closes for the day, and if I am the last one in the building to clock out, sometimes I can take a little bit of time before I leave and sing in the empty main space because the acoustics there are excellent.

Which, speaking of, I think I already know the next song I'm going to add to my personal setlist, since you got it stuck in my head...

🎶🎵so let me take you down, 'cause i'm going to....🎵🎶

(leave a 🍓 in my askbox and I will tell you a random fact!)

5 notes - Posted August 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[kyofsonder]

Happy WBW!! Are there any particular Rites of passage people in your world must go through? Where did they come from?

Several Worldbuilding Wednesdays later... on a Friday... I've finally managed to get to this ask. Thank you for asking this, and for patiently waiting for my response!

This is actually a tough question to answer, because several of my worlds have rites of passage that are important to their various cultures. I keep thinking I know which one to talk about, then feeling guilty for leaving the others behind.

That said, I was finally able to narrow it down by deciding that I should stick to the WIPs I've shared snippets of on this blog before. I ultimately chose Ryedenne, since it's been referenced in snippets from my novel WIP "A Place to Return" and is an important part of the overall plot of that story.

Like I usually do, I'll put the explanation itself under a cut just in case it gets too long.

On the main continent of Ryedenne, if not in the lands of its smaller neighbors, the main way to be recognized as an adult is to graduate from apprenticeship.

There is no public schooling system where kids go to learn general knowledge, just teachings from parents and any relevant experts in the towns and cities where kids grow up. They learn by whatever means they can, then travel (sometimes to the building next door, sometimes all the way across the continent) to a relevant Work Hall.

These Halls are sort of like guilds or unions, each one managing the officers, employees, and trainees of a given profession. There are Merchant Halls, Chef Halls, Construction Halls, Mage Halls, Farm Halls, etc and so on for almost any profession you can think of -- within the scope of a medieval-era-ish fantasy world. The main characters of APTR specifically travel and apply to the Mercenary Hall to be the closest thing Ryedenne has to "adventurers" or "heroes" and the plot follows their shared career closely.

The rite of passage itself involves several steps once you've made it to your Hall of choice. The first step is a qualification exam known as an apprenticeship test. It tests whatever basic knowledge you've acquired from your hometown, your intuition for the job itself, and your overall physical/mental capacity. It's generally rough, though some Halls take it easier on their applicants than others.

The second step is undergoing apprenticeship itself. This means living at the apprentice housing for your Hall while having the most vital skills for your job drilled into you during intense training and job shadowing. You do this for two weeks, as a sort of intense boot camp.

Then comes the part that people get sentimental about, the one that officially makes you an adult in the eyes of society. The second exam. This is known as the profession test. You're tested on everything you've learned, then assigned a real shift/gig/task according to your profession. If you pass the test and do well on your supervised/judged first assignment, then you are a full-fledged Hall employee and have passed from childhood to adulthood.

This is often celebrated by new adults getting as much alcohol as they can get their hands on and going out camping until they're so drunk that the letters they send back home are (usually to the pride and amusement of their families) illegible. Some opt out of the drinking part, or are prohibited from drinking if they're Crows*, but the night spent sleeping outdoors with fellow new adults is an important way to bring the rite of passage that is starting your career to a close.

It's closer to a graduation party than anything, and the whole apprenticeship process is less grandiose than other rites of passage on other worlds, but it's an important part of their culture and it affects the way both main characters see the world around them.

[saiakv]

The antiphon to x : @limitlessscion

Suguru's dorm room was on the right wing of the second floor; where the sun did not touch but for a few hours during midday. He had been blessed with a comparatively cooler room, which Yaga-sensei referred to as 'second-year privilege'. Having a comfortable bed to return to after arduous missions was nice — but his favorite part was probably the spacious window. You could jump out of the window in the dead of night and marvel upon the starry sky thar almost reminded him of his hometown. And if he was around during the afternoon, he liked to sit on the windowsill and enjoy the quietude of campus in company of endeared shonen protagonists.

Recently, he had discovered it also made for a nice setting to hold a meaningful conversation before sundown. And albeit this one starting off heated ( nihilism pissed Suguru off to no end; especially when it was framed with effervescent nonchalance, as if living your life ruled by hedonism was something to flaunt ) it quickly assumed a quieter tone.

Especially after that bomb his friend dropped so unassumingly amidst the conversation.

Seeing Satoru sombre was a rare thing; it made him swallow whatever snappy retort he had been brewing just as the copy of One-Piece aimed for his friend's head was lowered to sit between his folded legs instead. The finger wagged in his face was inconsequential — Suguru's chin had only dropped with shock, after all. Sometimes Satoru overestimated how quickly other people process things, he had noted; especially something like that.

What was I doing when I was six? He ponders quietly as the other continues to speak. Vivid images of his father's smile comes to mind, head peaking out among the hydrangea with their pale blue leaves. The sound of birds chirping, Morioka's idyllic landscape blooming around the frosted mountain — his mother's voice calling them both back in for a cooling bowl of soba... He swallows hard, neck suddenly clogged with his heartbeat at his throat.

There's that long, pregnant pause where violet eyes merely linger upon the other boy's visage with an expression that floats between stunted and sympathetic. It's not as though Suguru has not heard about what growing up in the most prominent sorcerer clan was like before; it's one of the main reasons why, despite their discrepancy in prestige & wealth, he has never once felt jealous about his own humble beginnings. Satoru's life had not been easy, just because it was packaged in fancy wrapping. But to be let in on the gruesome details... it certainly humbled his spirited tone to a quiet murmur as he continued, leaning against the window frame.

❝ When... I was younger, I used to think that killing someone is just wrong. ❞ He hugged one knee close to his chest. ❝ But, life as a jujutsu sorcerer has made me question that already. In the end there are situations that you'd have to live through to understand; it's arrogant to claim you would never kill someone when the question is just hypothetical. ❞ Eyes avert to a flock of sparrows zooming past the dormitory roof.

❝ I think... if we want to believe that life has meaning, then removing it must also have a meaning behind it. And I think it's important not to erase that line. If it's erased, then it becomes impossible to tell right from wrong. There has to be some measure of distinction; and that measure is the reason for killing. ❞ His conclusion comes softly, just as he turns to take in his friend's visage. Does anyone but his patrons know about this? Did his clan just leave a six year old with a bounty on his head unsupervised and — ah, nevermind. If Suguru wants to look at himself in the mirror when he's brushing his teeth before bed and say 'I am a good friend to this boy', he has to get past his own frustration with the injustice that was done to his friend, right?

❝ That person was coming after a child for monetary gain. I believe that gave you a very good reason. ❞ He offers an affirming smile, warm and accepting at its core. Suguru predicts his company will quickly make light of the situation, as if this isn't a grave confession; something that, if others knew about it, would probably taint the image they have of Satoru. Because it is scary to think about someone taking life when they're just a baby, like they were born for it.

❝ Still, I'm sorry. No one should have to make a choice like this at that age. You don't have to worry; I won't tell anyone else. ❞

[dokifluffs]

Falling Asleep in His Arms | Kita, Kenma, Tsukishima, Bokuto

Pairings: Kita X Reader (gender neutral), Kenma X Reader (gender neutral), Tsukishima X Reader (gender neutral), and Bokuto X Reader (female) 

Genre: soft, sleepy, gentle fluff!! and DOMESTIC ah ha ha 

Author’s Note: I know I made a falling asleep on them but why not change it up ah ha ha and also add a more domestic touch uwu 

Akaashi, Iwaizumi, Sakusa 

Warnings: MANGA PANEL SPOILERS FOR THE IMAGES and TIMESKIP PLOT!! 

Panel from ch 391! 

Kita: 

With supper and the dishes done, the two of you slipped on your guys’ shoes and left his grandmother’s house, out for an evening stroll to let the food digest and to walk around the neighborhood where Kita had grown up with his grandma

His hand was warm with his fingers interlaced with yours as he led you around the neighborhood

It was kind of humid but not enough to make you feel disgusted with sweat or hot enough to make you sweat - it was the kind where there would be a cool breeze and then warm up

It was so nice with the clear pink, purple, and deep hue skies

The clouds looked like whispy paint strokes, a masterpiece Mother Nature created

You two visited the playground, swinging on the swings, riding the seesaw, looking at all the small activities that were once the perfect size for him here

Next was the various flower gardens of his grandmother’s friends, whom he visited often growing up, helping them out with other chores, eating dinners and countless meals

They watched him grow too, right into the young man he is today

It wasn’t long before the fireflies started glowing, their light shining in and out of the dark like slow blinks

Crickets chirped as you walked along, the neighborhood lights coming on, illuminating the path as you two took your sweet time, strolling through your husband’s childhood hometown

He showed you his elementary school, the daycare he would sometimes be dropped off during the day, the pool he would sometimes swim at

And finally, one of his favorite spots ever was on top of one of the highest hills in the area

The path was much more rundown since he remembered and visited his grandmother last but it was still study as it let up to a wooden gazebo on the hill

It looked over the farmlands and fields but with the night sky shining on the shimmering leaves and grass, along with the blinking fireflies, it was like a sea

“Wow,” you gasped in awe, eyes wide as you processed the wondrous sight before you. “It’s so beautiful, Shinsuke.”

You were looking at the view before you but the only view he could see was you

And it looked like the stars were in your wide eyes

“You really are,” he smiled, giving your hand a squeeze as he lifted it, bringing your interlaced fingers to his lips as you turned, a wide smile spreading on your lips at his words

The two of you stayed there, taking in the view until it started to get a bit too late

He shared stories of his childhood, telling you more stories to add onto the collection of stories that you knew about him

As the night went on, the cooler it got

It felt so good on your skin

Getting back to his grandmother’s place, he looped the two of you around back to the backyard

There was a hammock tied between the posts of the deck

It was like a magical place with the fireflies flying over the back garden, like magic floating all around you as Kita sat down and held the hammock in place, opening up the space beside him for you to sit down without it flipping or falling

Your feet dangled above the ground as the hammock curved around your body as Shinsuke wrapped his arm around you as the two of you sat in the moonlight that illuminated the whole backyard since the street lamps didn’t shine in

Growing up ion the city and more urban areas, you were conditioned to be used to the bustling roads, the sounds of the metros and trains, the footsteps and voices of people in the distance. Even car horns and traffic

You rarely went to the countryside - maybe about just a few times a year for a day trip with your parents but things were truly rural here

It was gorgeous here

The quiet nights, the fresh and organic foods that came right out of the garden

Heck you didn’t know how you could go back to eating the food back in the city after lunch and dinner here today and it was only the first day

With his feet on the ground, Shinsuke pushed the two of you back and forth on the hammock as the wind blew

The breeze blew longer, dropping the temperature enough to make goosebumps rise on your skin

You snuggled closer to his warm body beside you as you two sat in silence together, listening to the winds whispers and the leaves crackling and fireflies twinkling with the real stars shining in the clear night sky

Everything was so relaxing, before you knew it, your eyes were getting heavier as your heart rate slowed down, your breaths turning shallow

Your head rest on him as he kept swaying, letting his head fall back with a sigh

Looking over to you, you seemed so at peace

He kept stilll, staring up at the moonlight

While he reached his free arm into his pocket, smiling at the feel of the small velvety ring box in his pocket

Then his eyes went back to you

He silently pleaded with his entire body that tomorrow, your answer to a certain question would change both your lives for the better

Panel from chapter 375! (I believe it’s volume 42 or 43) 

Kenma: *ft. Bokuto, kuroo, and akaashi and they’re also streamers!* 

Stepping into the room, you didn’t know how he could do it - how kenma could spend hours streaming, playing games, although they were all different

It was way past midnight but the four of them watched the screen, watching Kenma play through his match like it was just after dinner

Kuroo, bokuto, and akaashi lounged about the couch that resided in the background of the main streaming room while kenma played at his desk with his monitor casting a double onto a projector for them to watch clearly

You knew they were doing their own streams tonight but you thought it would be just kenma considering the three of them had their designated streaming room in a different room in the house but oh well

But tonight was a special stream one of the biggest charity streams that the four of them did which lasted twenty four hours

The three of them were allowed to be off stream - well it was paused for now - so long as at least one of them was on and that person right now was kenma

They were all so focused on the screen, they only turned toward their attention toward you when the door closed and greeted you with a warm welcome, though refraining from saying your name while on stream

It was a thing that you had told kenma and they all agreed to it  

They kept your identity and face and name and information a secret and it was actually quite entertaining since you would see comments wondering about who you were

The room was dark, the only light coming from the dimmed LEDs that lined the ceiling and a majority of it coming from the screen the projector was shining on

It surprisingly wasn’t loud since the most of the sound was coming through his headset but the game’s sound only came out as a fraction

Mainly also because kenma lowered the volume ahead of time and didn’t want to disturb you while you slept

Or at least tried to

As the game loaded him to the menu screen, waiting for him to ready up, you came into frame, wearing his bouncing ball corp pullover with the hood up, making sure that it concealed your face

“Did we wake you?” Kenma’s persona changed just the slightest, if anything turning softer toward you as you automatically began to climb into his seat, to which he naturally began to open up, letting you climb in

He loaded up into his game, scooting his chair forward, closer to his mixer so he could turn down his headset volume as to not disturb you

As you snuggled in, he set his controller down since loading into an actual match with others always took forever at night

His chair creaked as he leaned back, wrapping an arm around you while the other stroked up and down your back as he leaned his head over to talk to you, whispering in your ear

With his feet, he made his chair rotate slightly left and right as you sleepily replied, the two of you clearly in your own little worlds

He spoke sweet loving words into your ears, as well as how much he wanted to just sleep in bed since this must’ve not been the comfiest positioning for you but it wasn’t your first time either

You were used to it

“Aw, Kenma’s so sweet,” Kuroo prodded as Bokuto joined in, the two of them slightly speaking up from behind, making the stream viewers laugh in the chat, sending memes and stickers that made a sound ring in his headphones repeatedly

He personally didn’t mind the comments from them but hearing you sigh and knowing that you couldn’t sleep, he had to do something

As the screen went dark, signifying a match about to start, he turned his chair, one hand of his resting on the back of your head to ensure that your face was hidden in his shoulder as the LEDs turned red and shot at the two of them a death glare while akaashi watched sitting beside bokuto, making the two slightly older ones hug each other as a chill ran up their spine

They took their cue to knock it off

“S-scary,” their eyes went wide as they gulped as he turned back around, removing his hand from your head so you could lift it up again slightly

“Kitten, you okay?” His entire tone changed, doing a whole 360 as if he didn’t just send the deadliest glare to his two older friends behind him

But everyone knew better than to get on a tired kenma’s nerves/ bad side

As much as he loved raising money for the charity and the streaming events, he had been streaming the longest out of the four of them

The playfulness from bokuto and kuroo quickly died down as all four pair of eyes were concentrated on the match, his last match for a bit as he earned his much deserved rest time before starting back up again in a few hours

It didn’t take long before you settled in, melting into his embrace as he sat still like always, concentrated on coming out on top - with a bit of trolling just to make it entertaining

And he had done it. He had met his milestone of winning five games in a row but he couldn’t get off just yet until someone else got on

As the game loaded him back up to the menu, Akaashi and kuroo pulled bokuto up from the couch, the three of them heading back to their room so they could finally stream and give kenma a few hours off

In the meantime, while waiting, he leaned back in his seat, already forgetting about the camera on him, and slipped off his headset and placed them onto the table

A great yawn fell from him as he moved his chair back so he could stretch out his legs and hugged you, squeezing his arms firmly around you

He was so tired, eyes heavy but he stayed awake, just for a few more minutes until someone got on

With you on top of him asleep, you were so warm and comfy, like his personal heater

It only lulled him closer to sleep but finally seeing that his stream paused cause of Akaashi getting on, he had never realized how gracious he was to see the word “pause”

He mustered up all the energy he had and pushed his chair back until the back of it met the long and wide couch

He stood, just so he could pivot and lay the two of you down so you two could finally rest while the stream party went on

Panel from ch 402! 

Tsukishima: 

The waves slowly came in and out along the sandy shore

The excited voices of Hinata and Kageyama sounded out into the ocean and disappeared while Yachi and Yamaguchi also peppered along with them, playing on the sand court that came along with the airbnb

The six of you took two weeks off during the summer and traveled here to Brazil to visit with Hinata as your guys’ tour guide

It was beautiful and extraordinary here

Tonight was only the first night but you and Tsukishima were especially drained of energy

You all walked and travelled so much, sight seeing already so many of the things that Hinata saw and wanted you all to see too - all hinata could think about was you guys when he was here, mentally noting places where he wanted to take you all

The skies were clear, filled with stars  

Tsukishima looked up to them, occasionally looking down to you cuddled in between his legs, wrapped around his arms that rested on his knees like you were in your own personal basket

Your head rest on his bicep as you rest, slowly recharging yourself already for tomorrow’s adventures to come

Tsukishima sat to the side, not too far from the house but not too close to the others so their playing would disturb you

Sometimes the occasional shout from hinata made him sneer a little as you would stir, almost waking or actually waking and turning onto his other arm

But there was also the heat and you couldn’t bear it anymore

“It’s so hot,” you mumbled, sitting upright so you could lean back into his chest and rest your head on his shoulder

“Do you wanna head back inside then?” He smiled a bit, turning you, looking down to you in his arms as you looked off to the rest of them playing

“Mm-mm, not yet,” you yawned. “But it’s nice here,” you brought his arm to you, hugging it as your hands played with his in your lap

The two of you watched them play, hinata and yams teaching yachi the best she could

Everything about this moment in life, this memory that you two got to live together through right now together felt so comforting

It wasn’t the most perfect but it was close enough

Every now and then, you would turn your head and look up to Kei

He looked down to you and then you would lean close and peck your lips together then turn back

He counted you doing this about three times already, each time being just a few minutes later

But when you stopped, his curiosity peaked

“No more kisses?” He leaned close, now his turn to show his rare affection despite being a just a couple of meters away from everyone else as he gently pressed his lips to your cheek. “Hm?” He hummed

And then leaning forward so he could actually see your face

You were asleep once again, your fingers interlaced with each other, hands resting in your lap and arms hugging his own, your shallow breaths tickling his arm

A smile tugged at his lips as he breathed, pressing kisses to the side of your head and cheeks

But of course, this rare affectionate moment had to be shattered

“AWW, Tsukishima’s actually showing his love for Y/N!” The loud tangerine shouted, of course making you wake up a little before shifting about where you sat, so you turned more towards kei who wrapped his limbs around you a bit more in a protective way unconsciously, almost shielding your ears from the piercing voice of the short man

The shorter one poked the taller one, pressing his buttons annoyingly as he got closer, teasing him since it was obviously known that Kei was more stoic and not the most likely to show any PDA (public display of affection)

But it was true

He opted to show his affection through more practical things like helping you out, bringing you food, things you needed or things you liked than kiss you in public

He didn’t feel the need to show his love and care for you in front of others - he valued your guys’ relationship and he didn’t feel the need to display that to other’s

It wasn’t some kind of show that he needed to show off

It wasn’t long before kageyama joined in with a few comments of his own but Yachi and yams pulled them back, getting them to get back into the game

“How annoying,” he mumbled softly beside you before returning to what he was doing

But this time, making sure that the others didn’t see before he snuck one final kiss to your cheek

best panel from ch 329 at the very end!! 

Bokuto: 

The sun was hidden away behind the curtain of heavy clouds as they were on the brink of letting all the rain they held go

His eyes were focused on the screen as he watched the movie, watching each scene with such intensity to truly immerse himself into the film

Occasional rumbles of thunder sounded outside mixed with the occasional low growl from Bo as he played by himself beside the recliner

Kotaro held you close, his arms subconsciously squeezing you against his beefy body as he laid in the recliner with you on top of him, fast asleep

You had dozed off during the movie, feeling the weight of his arms and legs on you, his warmth seeping into your skin easily, unknowingly lulling you deeper and deeper until you were asleep

He was just so focused on the movie, he didn’t even realize you fell asleep until quite a bit later during a slightly boring montage part

He pulled you onto him so you wouldn’t lay on your side in a semi-awkward position, letting you rest on him and didn’t move so you didn’t wake

And it was perfect

Especially since he was a hugger

He hugged you in his sleep and he hugged you while you slept too

As the movie went on, the deeper he was immersed and felt like the two of you were part of the movie too

The fictional movie filled his head with visions as if he were the protagonist protecting his partner, keeping you safe and sound while you slept

And he loved it

He felt so protective over you, not wanting a single thing to happen to you while you slept

With the movie over and the rain pouring outside, his attention shifted right over to you

You laid so adorably with your cheek pressed right into his peck, your lips pursed and slightly agape, hair messy

He just laid there, completely relaxed with your comforting weight on top of him, which even made him lethargic a bit himself

Perfect wasn’t enough to describe this moment and life with you

The longer he looked at you, the further back his memories went, all the way to the day he met you

How nice you looked, but to this day, he couldn’t tell if it was just him or maybe it was even a sign from the universe telling him as it presented you to him that you were the one

You were the one

The one he was meant to meet in this life

“Thank you,” he whispered, practically mouthed to you as he combed his fingers through your hair, pushing it back so he could have a clear view of your sleeping face

“You’re so pretty,” he hummed, smiling like an idiot as his heart grew three times its size, beating like crazy in his ears as his mind replayed memories like a movie in his head

The day he saw you

The day he mustered up the courage alongside support of Akaashi to talk to you

The night he took you out for the first time on a date

The time the fireworks lit up your gorgeous face and eyes as you looked up to them with stars in your eyes

The sound of your voice cheering for him

The feel of your lips meeting

He wanted to feel it again - he always did and he never wanted to not feel this urge, this necessity

You were such a precious life in his

As you repositioned yourself, your turned your head to face the other way when you felt scratches

Bo sniffed your feet before paying the bottom of your bare foot, the suddenness making your heart jump as you pulled your leg closer to you as he whined, wanting to play

“Bo, no, don’t grab,” Kotaro’s voice stern yet hushed at the same time as the white noise of rain was muffled through the walls and windows of the house

Moving as little as possible, Kotaro reached over to the coffee table and grabbed his rope toy, tossing it away, leading the German Shepard to go chase the quieter toy so as to not disturb you

With his pursed a bit cause of Bo scratching your feet, he looked back down to you, eyes widening a little bigger, pupils dilating like a puppy when your sleepy eyes cracked open

“Sorry, go back to sleep, bean,” he whispered, pulling you up closer to him, pressing his lips right to your cheeks as he peppered mini kisses, his lips never leaving your cheek as they found their home right on your face

“Mmhm,” you breathed, closing your heavy eyes once again as you rubbed your face a little against the soft fabric of his sweater

He happily rubbed your back a little before squeezing his arms around you, slowly giving small kisses to your temples, his shower of love lulling you right back to sleep in the comfort his arms

Bonus: 

The fuzzy fabric of Kotaro’s hoodie on your body tickled your thighs as it brushed against your legs as you walked downstairs, the strangely quiet living room

Usually you could hear one of your babies - or both of them - crying their hearts out

But nothing

And then you saw him

You saw them

Kotaro laid back in his big, puffy recliner as Bo sat beside him, tail slowly wagging while his head rest on the leg rest beside Kotaro’s thigh

Your guys’ twins each laid on his chest on his pecks as he spooned each of them with his arms as he whispered quietly to their fast asleep selves

“You two are gonna have so much fun growing up…” he whispered, turning his head to look at both of them, showing both of them as much equal attention and love as possible

“We can play volleyball together and bring Bo to the park and play fetch..”

He made a whole list as you stood behind him in the seat as he went on, already clearly envisioning the future as your babies grew up

He was already creating memories and seeing them being made in his he’d in the future

“Mama can bring you guys to my games and when you guys can go on airplanes, we can ride them together as a family - sorry Bo, you can’t come -“ he comedically turned to Bo all of a sudden and whispered to the German Sheppard

“And we can go overseas to my games there too!”

You could practically see the stars in his eyes hearing the excitement ooze from him as he laid there, legs turning in and out playfully like a child

“Ko, they’re only a few months old, remember?” You finally intervened, your voice just as quiet as his as you carefully sat on the arm beside him as he leaned over and rest his head on your thigh, his soft hair tickling you

You combed your fingers through his hair, making small electric chills trickle down his back as he hummed, looking down to the two of them

It was just this sight that flashed him back to the day you two were watching a movie and you fell asleep on him too, the three of your guys’ cheeks squished against his chest the exact same way

“I know, I’m just so excited to do everything,” he smiled, softening under your touch

“Me too, Ko,” you leaned down, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head and his forehead as he looked up, eyes closed with one of the goofiest smiles on his lips  

“Hm,” he hummed, feeling his unwavering love in this bubble

“You really are the one..” He reached up and wrapped his hand around yours, bringing it to his lips as he melted his lips against your honey skin

And it was like it was another sign from the universe or perhaps it was just his immense love for you

But this

It felt so right

Your soul met and touched his in a way no other soul had before in his life

You were truly one of a kind and together, you two brought two new lives into the universe

“I sure hope I am, we’re married and we have twins,” you smiled, leaned down with your noses brushing against each other, lips less than an inch apart, your other hand cupping his cheek

The two of you looked down to your stars that slept on his chest, hearts and minds full with each other, with your guys’ family

And gratitude for the universe for making all the stars align so you two could meet and make this new universe a dream come true

~~~~~ Thanks for reading! Masterlist for more! Please do not repost anywhere else! 

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[starlitheaven]

: ̗̀➛ THIS SIDE OF PARADISE — YUUJI ITADORI

note. for @shibaraki, I hope you like it <3. writing for yuuji was difficult, so I’m sorry if it’s not the best! based on this side of paradise by coyote theory. for the 1k follower event.

tags. childhood friends to lovers, non-sorcerer au, falling in love.

2k+

yuuji’s grandfather had once told him that lonely souls often sought each other out and attracted like magnets. he thinks of megumi back home sometimes and understands this; an unspoken bond made because they're both people who don't quite relate to those around them.

but with you? it’s felt like solace from the very beginning back when he was too young to know what the comfort and warmth he felt even meant. with you, yuuji never felt as if pointless chatter was needed to fill in silences. he’s always hated that disingenuous need to be what people expect of him. if he was quiet and alone, people assumed he was angry. if he’s lively and laughing brightly, they assume nothing could possibly be wrong. you always understood that this wasn’t the case. even in his days where he was labeled as a “problematic child”, you knew he was still the goofy boy who picks his nose.

you had been friends since childhood; back when you were taller and stronger—before puberty hit yuuji like a train. never the closest of friends but not acquaintances either. you were someone he felt a strong connection to, but slipped through his fingers like sand amongst the rush of growing up. his last memory of you was holding your smaller form during high school graduation with heated cheeks and the lingering regret afterward of not having confessed.

though like most things in life, time went on and it was soon forgotten. he chalked up his feelings to a teenage crush and packed his bags to go live on the island.

while you occupied his thoughts every now and then throughout the years since leaving his hometown, you were the last person he imagined ever encountering here of all places. he’d been waiting in line at the juice bar when he caught a glimpse of you walking from the direction of the dock.

he took in the sight of you, so refreshing and bright like sunshine and the fresh fruit native to the island. your smile and that laugh of yours...yuuji has never felt so clumsy and aware of himself. the effect you continued to have on him was outstanding. 

no braincells in that hard head of his, he left the bar and headed your way. paying no mind that todou and chosou waited for him back at the gym. it was like he was under the effects of a mirage, mesmerized by the sight of how pretty you looked in lightweight linens under the clear blue sky. he approached you slowly with caution, suddenly afraid that you may not remember him. 

that’d probably be worse than rejection, he thinks.

but lovely as ever, your face immediately perked up in recognition. you seemed as surprised to find him there, and after the initial shock and spoken pleasantries, you two caught up over lunch. if he specifically picked one of the restaurants that gojou owned to impress you with the special seaside table the older man has reserved just for him, well uh. anyway, he learned that you’re the new curator for the island museum and have been in the process of moving into the island after several online interviews.

that was your first official day living on the island. he’s never been the sort of guy to think much about concepts such as fate or destiny, but this had him considering it throughout lunch. 

yuuji grinned, eager at the news of your new job and residence. “that’s pretty cool, man! if you want, I can show you around. kusakabe at the rental place can give us the good golf carts for the whole day so you can see all the overlooks and cliffs and trails. oh or zip-lining, you’d probably like that. and the casino! but it’s not actually a casino y/n, it’s actually a movie theater that—“

you held a hand up and yuuji realized then that he was rambling. he thought maybe you were overwhelmed by his vigor towards this island that he’s grown to love. oh man, he’s fucked up and it’s only been a few hours. kugisaki was right. this is why he doesn’t get girls.

unbeknownst to him, you were reminded of how cute you found his earnestness towards things he loves. or how good he looked kissed by the sun. it suited him well. the sea breeze gently ruffled his messy peach hair.

“I want to do all that, trust me.” you smiled warmly, picking up on his scolded puppy mood and wanting to reassure him. “and I’m excited! I thought I was gonna have to explore all on my own, but I’m so happy to know that you’re here. but don’t tell me any more. surprise me!”

so he did. somewhat. he’d gotten so caught up in seeing you again that he talked out of his ass about showing you around like he wasn’t currently busy training to be a firefighter (he had an entire meal with you at a restaurant having completely forgotten his session at the gym!). so he took it slow with your schedules as adults in mind. right, you were no longer teenagers with all the time in the world.

so first, he came by to your new apartment to help you unpack everything and assemble your furniture, which took a few days as your things continued to arrive. for most of those days you two were completely alone in your space, and there was never a dull moment. later, he’d find out from todou that assembling furniture is a very intimate thing to do with someone you’re not dating, but he didn’t really care. or the fact that the two of you often cooked dinner together after hours of unpacking and ate in front of your small tv, usually movies he chose. his mind soon memorized the exact way your eyes crinkle when you laugh at his stupid impressions. 

or the sweet sound of your drowsy voice as you wish him a good night and sweet dreams at your door. 

it’s about two weeks later when he shows up early at your fully furnished apartment, with the golf cart waiting outside. you two spend the entire day exploring all of the trails, the cliff sides, every little road in the island. he shows you the small abandoned cliffside church and teaches you how to sneak into the old bell tower right over the ocean. he learns that you prefer picnics over eating out at restaurants, so you two take breaks exploring the island to head into the small grocery store for food and supplies. there’s several picnic tables on the side of the seaside roads that give you two privacy to enjoy your meals. 

away from the prying eyes of the small island, yuuji cuts up native fruit and playfully holds it out for you, which you take by leaning in and biting around it before pulling back with a flirtatious smile. he laughs lightly, too occupied with his growing feelings that he doesn’t see what’s going on in front of him. 

because the crush hits him like the bright sunlight that glistens the island waters. it doesn’t surprise him, but the intensity of his affection does. he can’t help but think that this is no crush. it feels much deeper than wanting to make out and hold hands in the school hallways. it’s wanting no one but you to buy produce with. it’s wishing that he didn’t have to say goodbye at your door. it’s wanting to fall asleep and wake up with you right beside him. 

dense as ever, yuuji still fails to realize that his feelings go both ways. he doesn’t catch the way you subtly lean into him while waiting in line at the ice-cream shop or the fact that you’ve put up with several horror movies just to continue going with him despite it being your least favorite genre. he’s just so handsome in that boyish way of his, always ready with an easy smile and carefree laugh. everything that you liked about him during your childhood was still there, only increased tenfold. now he’s so strong and tall and protective over you.

despite the island being pretty safe, he often walks you home from the museum on late nights. who wouldn’t be charmed by an attractive future firefighter wanting to take care of you? and as much as you enjoy your conversation with yuuji, you enjoy your silences. these walks are often peaceful and quiet, with only the sounds of crickets and the waves gently ebbing back and forth.

tonight was no different.

you walked side by side silently for some time, until he couldn’t help but notice you rubbing at your crossed arms as if to bring some heat onto them. he’s seen kugisaki do this enough times to know. his destination was only a few minutes away, but he spoke up anyway.

"are you cold?"

you looked up with a surprised hum, having been lost in thought. "hm? oh...a little."

"here." yuuji grinned, pulling off his hoodie. unaware of your eyes curiously peeking at the way his shirt briefly rose and exposed the hard lines of his tanned muscled abs. he was made to live on an island. “you can wear this.”

"oh—um—," you stammered sheepishly, fingers grasping onto the soft fabric. you wanted to decline just to be polite, but the thought of wearing something of his made you giddy. "are you sure?"

"yeah, don't worry about it."

you slip on the large red sweater before he finished his sentence, overcome with the scent of fabric detergent and softener as it goes over your head. it's fresh, clean and crisp. warm from his body heat, and you resist the urge to snuggle into it.

later, he surprises you with a moonlight picnic tucked away in one of the private coves of the island that’s normally reserved for the most lavish restaurant. yuuji takes your hand in his, leading you deeper into the cove, and you can’t help but notice that his palm is sweaty. before you can open your mouth and make a lighthearted joke, you take in all of the candles littered around. 

the candles are mismatched and follow no order—varying in size and scent. not only that, but the blanket placed on the sand is too small for the spread of finger foods and he tips over one of the wine glasses while serving you. the unexpected gesture leaves you stunned, but it’s endearing in the way that is unique to yuuji. earnest and sweet. the gentle orange glow and his warmth underneath the moonlight eases you out of your growing nerves. 

it’s a date in everything but the name. you noticed yuuji had acted off on the way here. he was jittery and restless, and now you know that it was all nerves. this picnic required help from others and was either expensive or a favor to have the secret cove closed off for the night. he’s made his move and gave you the strength to make yours. 

after finishing your food, you leaned into his shoulder while watching the sea in front of you. taking his still clammy hand into yours, you thanked him for tonight and for making your new life on the island all that much better. that there’s no one else but him you’d want these experiences with. with your heart stuck in your throat and swallowed up in soft red fabric, you turned to yuuji and placed your lips over the line of his jaw. his shoulders tense up as he freezes, and this close, you see the pink that floods his cheeks. 

he looks at you, soft beneath the moonlight, and the raw emotion in his brown eyes is pure longing. brown eyes glance down to the swell of your lips and it’s all the inclination you need to lay back against the small pineapple print blanket.

yuuji takes your cue and leans down over you, blocking out the starry night sky. “is this okay?” he breathes, absently rubbing his thumb over the high of your cheek. his voice is hushed, almost inaudible amongst the tides if his lips weren’t right above yours.

was this okay? your heart was beating rapidly in your chest, cheeks warm and flushed. 

“yeah,” you sighed. your fingers dug into the soft fabric of his t-shirt, resisting the urge to pull him down. there was sand in your hair now and the blanket beneath you was crumpling, but none of it mattered. “kiss me, yuuji...”

yuuji’s honey eyes fluttering shut is the last thing you see before he closes the distance. the brush of his lips against yours is tender, like you’re something precious and valuable. his kiss was slow, sensual, and full of passion. all of the want and desire that’s been brewing inside of him is pouring out, making him needy against your lips. his knees are resting on each side of your hips now, fully on top of you. 

as the kiss becomes more heated—more urgent and passionate that it leaves you dizzy and breathless—your hands begin to wander down yuuji’s body. his broad shoulders thick with muscles, his corded arms, his hard lean sides beneath the thin fabric of his t-shirt. then, your hand roved over his navel and down to his groin where you teased him with a squeeze. 

“nngh,” yuuji groaned, a little surprised at his own reaction. he was already tenting in his pants, hard just from kissing. the realization made a knot form in your belly, warm and tight. “f-fuck.”

you laughed, giving his throat a playful nip. his voice was so attractive like this. “you like that?”

“yeah,” yuuji whined, mindlessly rutting against your small palm. while his rhythm was clumsy, it made your mind spin to realize how thick his cock is as it began to fill out. “can you—can you keep doing that? it feels amazing, babe.”

“doing what?” you asked innocently, batting your lashes up at him. you gave him another nip, sucking a little this time as your grip loosened slightly, merely brushing his throbbing cock. featherlight—enough to feel but not enough to be stimulated the way he desperately wants. “this?”

a whine escapes his lips as your fingers lightly graze over the length of him, failing to hold back more laughter at his sensitivity. yuuji is panting now, cheeks hot lips bitten red. he looks a little ashamed. like a puppy who’s been caught doing something bad. he buries his face into your neck with a deep exasperated groan. 

“don’t tease me, man,” he grumbles into your skin, and breath tickling you slightly. he’s beginning to leak precome, and he’s sure you can feel his cock twitch in his pants. “i’m so hard. i don’t think i’ve ever been this turned on.”

you coo, running your hands through his messy peach hair in comfort. “aw, I didn’t know you were this sensitive. I’m sorry. ”

“I don’t have a lot of experience, y/n…” he confesses lowly, a little serious and mortified. the waves continue crashing against the rocky shore ahead. “or any.”

oh. “are you…”

yuuji nods solemnly. as if he were breaking life changing news to you, not this. he faces you, brows drawn together in discomfort. “lame, huh?”

why does he look like that? like he expects you to laugh in his face?

you cup his face and gently bring it up towards yours. “no, it’s not.” a seasalt kiss. you do your best to “let’s stop for now, okay? we have all the time to pick this back up. y’know, once you’re ready.”

“you sure?” there’s something like relief in his eyes now. perhaps his sudden excitement only made his experience that much more blaring. 

the thing about yuuji is that he can get so lost in his own head sometimes. sometimes he’s his own worst enemy. a loner like him with such a big heart doesn’t deserve to be left alone to fend his own grim thoughts. he’s opened up to you and allowed you in, so now you’ll do your best to ease the burden off of him. 

“of course. it’s nothing to be ashamed of, yuuji.” you smiled. you were rewarded with the sight of his boyish features easing up. “if you’ve got anything to be ashamed of it’s when you ate that bug for free.”

“i only did that once!” he protested the way he always does whenever that time’s brought up. but he looked more at ease, more like himself.

the sun has never been so bright amongst the stars.

[alrighty-matty]

sunflowers by the windowsill: chapter 3

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Summary: after ten years you found yourself back in your hometown and working with your best friends just like in the good olden days. As you feel yourself grow alongside them, something also grows between you and Matt, throwing everything off balance.

Warning: fluff, best friends to lovers, mutual pining, workplace romance.

Note: if you’d like to be added to the tag list, please leave a comment!

series masterlist

read it on ao3

More and more boxes streamed through the front door endlessly. It made you wonder if it would ever stop. Your belongings arrived today, finally, on a moving day after a gruesome, never-ending paper and contract that you needed to sign, read, and review to have a place you called home.

Sergio fussed in his traveling crate, meowing and curling up inside, both affronted that he wasn’t allowed to go out and terrified at the stream of strangers running around him. You gave him an apologetic look. It was hard enough that he hated coming into unfamiliar places now he had strangers all around him.

The apartment was big enough that you could say you were surprised it was on the market at all. It wasn’t that far away from the office either, making it a more than ideal place to live in.

You smiled and thanked the people delivering all of your belongings and furniture, pressing some tips against their palms as you waved them off. It left you now alone with an apartment filled with a lot of boxes waiting to be opened—the real battle was starting, and you already felt like losing.

Violet came through the front door with two traveling bags in her hands. One that belonged to you and the other belonged to Sergio. She huffed and puffed as she placed the bags on the floor, her hair pressing against her forehead slicked with sweat.

“You know I’d love to help you unpack,” she said, her eyes darting around and wincing at the number of boxes filling the room. “But this one is an emergency, I’m afraid.”

“I know,” you waved her off, immediately squishing her guilt. Violet was supposed to help you with the moving process, unpacking and all, but the patient in her clinic was a more pressing matter than unpacking boxes on a moving day. “Just go. I’ll be fine. Karen, Foggy, and Matt agreed to help anyway.”

You had told them that you were finally moving into your new place today during lunch break—more of an announcement than a request for help. When Matt asked if you would love for them to help you unpack things, you agreed immediately.

Violet sat across you on the floor, propping one of her legs above another in a perfect crisscross. She cooed and invited Sergio to sit on her lap—he was sniffing and inspecting around, happy to finally be freed from his traveling crate, sometimes nibbling one of the boxes curiously before he abandoned it in sudden disinterest.

“What time will they come?” Violet patted the floorboard absentmindedly after failing to catch Sergio’s attention. “I’ll wait with you for a while. My appointment is still an hour away.”

A rapt of knocking on the door came through as if on cue.

You leaped to your feet immediately, eager to get through the day and get most of the work done before the weekend ended. Matt stood outside with a paper bag clutched in his hand.

“Am I late?” he skipped past through greeting. “There was quite a line in the coffee shop.”

“You’re actually the first one here,” you ushered him to come inside. “Beside Violet.”

Violet lifted her hand in greeting. “Hi, Matt! Been a while.”

“Hey, Vi. How are you?”

“I’m good, good,” Violet tilted her head slightly as if to study Matt’s face. “How are things? All good?”

“Just as usual. We have an additional member now,” Matt nudged you slightly. “The clinic has been busy, I heard.”

“It does, even on weekends. Can you imagine?” she huffed.

“Well, I believe that has something to do with being a great dentist.”

“Always a flatterer,” Violet cooed and slung an arm around your shoulders. She wiggled her eyebrows at you, a wide smile tugging on her face made you roll your eyes.

Matt grinned. “Does that mean I get a friend discount for a dental check-up next time?”

“Aaand he thinks he’s funny,” Violet shook her head. “If you think that’d work with me, you’re up for a bad time.”

You shoved her hand away and pressed your lips to prevent a smile from growing.

“I ought to try.”

“Don’t try then,” Violet gave him a pointed look. “As much as I love to catch up and help, I have an appointment with my patient,” she flickered her gaze between you and Matt, an unreadable glint in her eyes made you squint. “Have fun, babes!”

Unpacking should be fun, yeah.

“So,” Matt started, breaking off the silence that Violet left in her wake. You snickered silently, Matt always seemed to not know where he stood when it came to Violet. He let his cane fall into the crook of his arm, his free one extending towards you and dangling a paper bag from a coffee shop down the street. “Where should we start?”

You grabbed the paper bag from his hand and took a peek inside. “What’s this?” you asked, already knowing the answer by heart before you pulled one of the items inside. “Iced vanilla latte?”

Matt hummed distractedly. He started to wander around your apartment, walking around as if he was trying to burn the layout of your new place into his memory. After taking a few tentative steps, he halted his steps, crouching down cautiously. “Hi,” he whispered, his hand fumbling around momentarily. “You must be Sergio.”

Sergio sniffed Matt’s hand carefully, eyes trained on his dangling fingers, wary of the unfamiliar presence around him. Satisfied that he couldn’t smell any threat out of him, he huffed and bumped his head slightly against his palm.

“Nice to meet you too,” Matt scratched Sergio’s chin and hummed delightfully, looking more pleased than Sergio. “I’m Matt.”

You took a sip of your coffee, amused and confused at the sight unfolding before your eyes. Sergio usually didn’t like strangers, and you couldn’t remember whether Matt liked cats at all. To think about it, you had never seen him around any presence of animals, always preferring walking around alone with his cane sticking by his side.

You took the nearest box and started to unpack. Matt wordlessly followed after Sergio ditched him in favor to inspect his new home, marking every corner he deemed worthy to be claimed as his favorite spot. You sat with him back to back, leaning against each other for support and a faint reminder of each other’s presence.

Little words were exchanged between you and him, not that there was a need for any in the first place. You inspected the kitchen appliances you had brought together with you, a set of kitchen knives your sister had bought for your birthday last year catching your attention. What was the thought process behind deciding a set of kitchen knives would be a perfect birthday gift, you didn’t know, but you were glad that it was gorgeous and very sharp.

Matt nudged your feet to gain your attention. “Is this what I think it is?” he waved a stack of paper towards you.

“Oh, yeah,” you snorted, catching a glimpse of the paper on his hands. “It’s the morse code practice sheet.”

“Can’t believe you still have it.”

Morse code, for as long as you could remember, was a sacred secret language you shared fondly with Matt. Foggy was a part of this to some extent—if only he didn’t give up learning halfway—he could understand if it was slow enough, or he had the cheat sheet at his disposal. The idea came brilliantly one exhausting night huddled up together in the corner of the library, books opened either unread or grazed with a half-hearted glare.

Matt would tap his cane to the floor, and you’d respond with the clicking sound of your pen or a soft knock against any surface. It was mainly used to talk shit behind someone’s back in public without having to give away the topic of discussion, a fun game to send each other messages back and forth, and try to maintain a straight face. The only time your message failed to decipher itself—and the only time you remember and held a grudge against—was when Matt magically turned deaf in the middle of an exam.

“I’m not going to give you my answer,” Matt said after he ignored your aggressive tapping for half an hour. “You’re smart enough to pass this class.”

True, you did pass eventually, but not without holding a slight grudge that Matt refused to help once.

Matt shifted slightly on his seat, turning his shoulders completely to face you. His glasses catch the light streamed from the window just right, twinkling eerily underneath. “Do you still remember how?”

You knocked your fist against the floorboard rhythmically. I do.

Matt grinned and knocked the floorboard gently. Cool.

I know, you knocked. I am smart.

Matt scoffed. Show off.

Jealous much? You raised an eyebrow.

You know I do better than you, he smirked at you, his fist knocking the floor eagerly. Your taste in coffee is shit.

You gasped, scandalized to be disrespected in your own house. Fuck you.

Matt snorted a laugh. It is true.

Unprovoked! You knocked the floor aggressively. Asshole.

Admit it, Matt could barely contain a growing smile on his face. You squinted your eyes, caught in between wanting to smack him and strangle him. The one I get is better.

You pursed your lips, eyes slowly falling into the almost empty cup of coffee next to you. You studied the sturdy plastic cup from your seat, eyes trailed the design imprinted on it. Sure, it wasn’t from your usual place, but it was still your everyday order.

And it was really good. But there was no way in hell you’d give him the satisfaction of being right.

No, you finally knocked your answer.

“Lie,” Matt accused, pointing a finger at you. A laugh escaped him involuntarily, almost as if he didn’t mean to find the whole ordeal funny. “You know it’s true.”

“I’m not lying!”

“You are.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not!” you shook your head stubbornly, planting your hands firmly to the floor and propping yourself up to face him straight in the eye.

You inhaled sharply, suddenly breathless from the mindless yet heated argument. Matt cocked one eyebrow up, a faint smirk forming at the corner of his face. You almost could see his eyes underneath his shade from this proximity, unfocused and wide. You tilted your head slightly, too stubborn to back down now, silently challenging him to dispute your claim about your honesty.

You could swear he let out a shaky breath as he chuckled. “You know I can tell when people are lying to me.”

“And you should know better now that I’m as honest as I can be.”

“No, you should know better than trying to save face,” his smirk is in full form now. “Admit it. Admit it, I’m right.”

Like hell, you would.

You purse your lips, debating what good rebuttal to give him when your eyes catch a sight hidden before. You knitted your eyebrows curiously. Your gaze landed on the faint bruise underneath his eyes, hidden enough with his shade that it won’t be noticeable at first glance.

“What—” you raised your hand slowly to touch his bruise when a boom of knocking on your door startled you out of your trance.

Matt grumbled. “What on earth?”

“One unpacking service coming through!” Foggy’s voice came from behind the door, and loud knocking receded to a stop.

You rolled your eyes. “Took him long enough.”

“I know you’re in there! Let me in!” Foggy knocked on the door again. “My arms are about to fall asleep. If you want me to be useful today, you have to let me in.”

You were met with Foggy and Karen stood side-by-side, a wide smiles both on their face. A little forceful on Karen’s part, but you were not going to comment on that when another thing caught your attention. Foggy held massive three boxes of pizza in his arms, and Karen with a giant tupperware in hers—you were actually surprised that there’s a tupperware that big.

“Are you planning to feed the whole neighborhood?” you asked incredulously. “There are only four mouths to feed here.”

“You’re welcome, honey,” Foggy emphasized on the mock pet name, brushing past you to saunter into your place. “I give you a headstart to become a stellar example of a great neighbor to your new neighbors.”

“With pizza?”

“Everyone loves pizza,” he waved an impatient hand, placing the box neatly. “Also I may or may not splurge on this, and we can always eat pizza for…” he silently counted the box. “At least a whole week in a row.”

“And this is a special lasagna, my grandma’s recipe,” Karen chirped. “I see both of you get a headstart without us.”

“It has something to do with the fact that both of you showed up two hours late,” Matt said.

Foggy shrugged nonchalantly, walked straight to the box labeled ‘living room’, and opened it. He eyed Sergio staring at him wide-eyed from the couch and gave the cat a small wave. Sergio hissed at him.

“Rude,” he muttered underneath his breath.

“That’s what you get for telling him he doesn’t look like someone named Sergio,” you grinned at him. Foggy returned it with a scowl. “Now help me assemble the bookshelf.”

You sighed as you threw yourself into the chair facing the window. The boxes had been unpacked and the furniture had been placed and mapped out to your liking. Sergio immediately launched himself into the couch and claimed a spot, curling himself into a ball and dozing off in his favorite spot, purring happily that his napping spot was still the same just like how he remembered it.

Foggy sprawled all over the couch, he rested his eyes tiredly and was careful not to disturb Sergio’s nap after helping you install a bookshelf and assemble the book. They had made a silent agreement to tolerate each other’s presence sometime in the middle of the day.

“Seriously, how many books do you actually have?” his eyes trained towards three labeled ‘books’ boxes before him. Foggy made sure to voice out his complaint to you after he realized there were a lot of things that needed to be assembled for the bookshelf alone. “Are you planning to open a library?”

He was still dutifully assembling your bookshelf anyway, apparently having a quite strong opinion on how a bookshelf should be decorated. You didn’t try to intervene, pleased enough with his idea.

“Where do you want to put these?” Karen asked, holding two terracotta flower pots in her hand.

“Do you think the windowsill is good?”

Karen hummed thoughtfully, gently placing flower pots on the windowsill. “I think it’ll be cute with plants,” she said. “What are you planning to have?”

“Sunflowers,” you eyed the empty flower pots carefully. “They can get as much sunshine as they can here.”

“Ooh, that sounds cute!” she took a seat on the empty chair across from yours and groaned, sinking further into the chair. “I never know how to take care of plants. They always magically die under my care.”

You snorted. “They can be clingy and dramatic. They require a lot of work.”

“I know, right?” she shot her eyes open, wide and staring at you. “Maybe it was because I rarely stay home. But they sure do know how to make me feel bad.”

“It just needs the right amount of care, love, sunshine, and water,” you said, sinking your feet into the floor and sighing. You vowed to not move into a new place again. “Once you figure it out, it will bloom and thrive.”

“That’s probably one of many mysteries in life I’ll never figure out,” Karen muttered, chuckling to herself.

You propped your legs up and curled, resting your head on the armrest. The sky was wary outside, the sun slowly dipping towards the horizon, already tired from the day and ready to rest. It spilled a bright orange hue to the sky, the color of melting gold, and drowned the world alight.

Later that night—after the sun disappeared beneath the horizon and the moon twinkling cheekily outside—you found yourself sitting next to the windowsill again, carefully filling up the flower pots with soil and cursing loudly when you accidentally made a mess.

Sergio meowed loudly.

“Sorry, sorry,” you glanced at him and smiled. “I’ll clean it up.”

He meowed again.

“You don’t have to judge me,” you huffed, flattening the surface with a small shovel's back. “And you’re not allowed to knock over my plants, understand?”

Sergio huffed and walked away, climbing into his favorite spot on the couch to curl up and inspect the living room. You rolled your eyes and slowly put the sunflower seeds into their new home, hopeful and excited to watch them grow on the windowsill. You couldn’t wait to witness it slowly blooming to life, pondering what kind of journey you’d have alongside them.

“C’mooon, work with me on this.”

“I don’t know,” Karen knitted her eyebrows carefully, a pout slowly appearing on her face. “We promised we’ll show up at nine.”

Foggy rubbed his face and sighed. Yes, he did remember he promised you—everyone really—to show up at your place at nine to help you unpack your things and assemble your new place. But he was a man on a mission, and if he wanted to push some balls into motion, he needed Karen on his side.

“Just trust me. We’ll show up at ten or eleven—”

“Why would we?”

“—to give some privacy,” Foggy finished, somehow managing to ignore her question and answer it simultaneously. “We still show up. We’re still helping. But we’ll show up a little bit later than intended.”

Karen bit the inside of her cheek. “Moving into a new place can be exhausting, you know? On top of that—”

Foggy leaned slowly towards her and jerked his chin to his left. “Look.”

Karen followed his gaze and her eyes widened in realization. She watched you and Matt shoving each other’s feet underneath a table in a heated game of footsie, stubbornly trying to hold their place and refusing to let the other win. Your laugh rang through the wall freely, mixed with Matt’s huffed, softer one in the air, drowning whatever arguments sprout out in between. Probably something stupid like which brand of socks has softer fabric.

“Okay, I see,” Karen nodded slowly, diverting her gaze back to him. “I see what you’re trying to do.”

[mostlycompetentwriter]

Wow, he’s hot

“Pairing: Fem!Reader x Seo Changbin (SKZ)

Word Count: 8K

Genre: Neighbors to Lovers? Lol

Warnings: Aged up characters (Changbin is ten years older than the reader), explicit sexual content, language, drinking

Summary: You were a fresh college graduate, returning home for the summer before starting a bright, shiny new position in the city, but you certainly weren’t expecting to fall hard for your neighbor. 

A/N: I hope at least one person gets my reference/pun at the end....But seriously? Oh, what have I done...

Your roommate was hungover again, dressed to the nines in a purple bathrobe and pink fluffy slippers as she attempted to move huge boxes of random shit between her bedroom and the foyer of your shared apartment. 

It was priceless entertainment, at least in your opinion, especially after witnessing your roommate in rare form the previous night dancing from one frat boy to the next, draining entire bottles of alcohol like she needed the liquid encouragement. 

From what you had observed, she was determined to embarrass you at all costs, and under normal circumstances, you could’ve avoided her rather inappropriate behavior in exchange for your regular hook-up, Joshua. But he decided to remain mysteriously absent for the entire evening, which meant that you had been stuck watching over your roommate, hoping that she wouldn’t get you kicked out again....

“I know what you’re thinking, Y/N,” Laura huffed, pausing next to the counter-top where you sat. “What did you expect? It was my last night of freedom before going back home.”

“Yeah,” you snorted. “It was mine too, but I wasn’t plastered face-down in the shower last night.”

“Whatever,” Laura grimaced. “Did you sign off on the lease yet?”

“I did it earlier,” you replied. 

“Our bitchy landlord’s been complaining all week,” Laura said. “I’m tired of her late-night phone calls, plus my mom’s been really annoying about the move.”

“Oh?” you questioned. “When is she coming?”

“In like an hour,” Laura huffed. “Why do you think I’m busting my ass to pack everything?”

“I don’t know,” you said. “Maybe you needed a distraction from thinking about puking in the bushes behind the frat house last night.”

“Oh, shut up about that!” Laura hissed, slapping your arm as you kept laughing. “Isn’t you brother coming tomorrow?”

“Ugh, yeah,” you groaned. “He said he has to come super early because of work, but my ass doesn’t start functioning until at least 8:00.”

“Well, at least tell Chan ‘hi’ for me,” Laura said, giggling like a love-struck teenager because she had been infatuated with your older brother for years.

“If I remember to tell him,” you grumbled, stretching out your arms and deciding that it might be useful for you to start packing as well, especially since the most you would be able to accomplish tomorrow morning at the ass crack of dawn is following Chan around the apartment in a zombie-like state as the two of you loaded your belongings into his car.

“Don’t forget that I’m coming to visit next week,” Laura said, and you perked up a little at the idea of having your friend come around, especially since the two of you had just graduated together and those long days and nights of being glued together at the hip were coming to a bittersweet end.

“Sounds good,” you agreed, checking your phone one last time to see a weird gif from Chan (as you had come to expect from him) before joining your roommate in packing up the remainder of your former college life.

Chan had always been prompt when it came to his familial obligations, and the two of you spent two hours loading all of your stuff into his car before starting the long drive to your old childhood home. A place that you hadn’t ventured to since leaving four years ago to start undergraduate school.

“Looks the same,” you remarked, sunglasses perched low on your nose as you allowed the window to roll down to take in some fresh air.

“What did you expect?” Chan asked, humming away to whatever shitty metal song he had playing over the radio.

In a totally random and last-minute decision, you had decided that for the next three summer months while you were stuck in an in-between phase, you were returning home for a while before you were set to move into a new apartment in the city close to where you would be working full-time. It seemed logical to save money, and there was a small part of you that did miss your family and old friends. 

Of course, despite Chan’s dismissal of your earlier nonchalant comment about the unchanging surroundings of your hometown, you were startled when you realized that the old house next door, which used to be occupied by an elderly couple until they moved away during your senior year of high school, was missing it’s familiar ‘for sale’ sign in the front yard, and there was a black Mustang in the driveway.

“Home sweet home,” Chan sighed when he stopped in the carport attached to your former two-story staccato, opening the door with a grumble. 

You frowned, following him around to the back of his car. “Someone bought the house next door?” you asked, dragging your eyes away from the sleek, shiny sports car to look at your brother.

Chan grunted as he heaved your suitcase from the trunk. “Yeah, they moved in last month. I think the owner is a lawyer and he lives there with his daughter.”

“Huh,” you remarked. “That house has been vacant for years.”

Chan shrugged. “Yeah, well, the guy who lives there now is really nice. Mom and dad babysit for him a lot when he’s working.”

“Great,” I muttered. “They’ll rope me into helping.”

“S’ not so bad,” Chan said, growling in frustration when your suitcase fell over to the side with an unpleasant crash. “Can you help or what?”

You laughed at your brother’s outrage, reaching back to pull your hair into a messy bun. 

Meanwhile, you noticed the front door of your house opening from the corner of your eye, smiling when your mother shrieked and rushed down the sidewalk to meet you halfway in a long-winded embrace. “Y/N!! I’m so glad to see you.”

“You’re crushing me,” you heaved through constricted lungs, accepting your mother’s open arms even if it was a little over-eager.

“Oh! I’m sorry, dear,” she said, pulling back just enough to allow oxygen to circulate once again, but not enough to pull you away from her mushy kisses. “You look so healthy and beautiful!”

“Yeah, thanks mom,” you said, slowly beginning the untangling process of removing her arms from around you while Chan struggled in the background to carry your suitcase up the front steps. “I should help.”

“Of course!” your mom agreed, but a distant tug of curiosity had you turning back to look at the house next door once again.

“Hey? Do you know anything about the new neighbor?”

“You mean Changbin? He’s wonderful, darling. So polite, and his daughter is so funny.”

You wrinkled your nose, never having been a huge fan of kids. “Chan said you babysit for him sometimes.”

“It’s always nice to help someone out,” your mother tsked, and you could recognize her patronizing tone from anywhere. “Such a shame that he divorced his wife. Heard it was kinda nasty.”

“It’s not any of our business,” you reminded her.

“Oh, I didn’t say it was!” your mother sighed. “He doesn’t talk about it much.”

“Jeez, how much do you guys talk?”

Because from the sound of it, Changbin had to be as old as your mom to make this much of an impression. You grinned as you briefly imagined the two of them on the front porch drinking tea together and gossiping about the rest of the neighborhood.

“He’s far more friendly than Mrs. Jones was,” your mother remarked. “I think you’d like him, Y/N.”

“I don’t know about that...”

“Well, you’ll get the chance to meet him tonight,” your mother said, smile full and wide. “I’ve invited him over for dinner!”

Oh, great.

“Can’t wait,” you forced out between clenched teeth, rolling your eyes when your mom clapped her hands together before grabbing your hand to drag you inside, feeling only a distant shiver roll across your spine as you walked onto the porch as if someone was looking at you from afar....

Your mother was hardly the type to run out of conversation, and you eventually were forced to leave her downstairs to argue with Chan over some menial thing that he forgot to do for tonight’s big dinner while you trudged upstairs to find some peace.

Unsurprisingly, your childhood bedroom remained untouched, and you circled around the perimeter, studying old pictures of yourself playing sports and hanging out with friends. Fingers dusting over your collection of old trophies and high-school yearbooks that recalled long-ago days of feeling carefree - with the future wide-open in front of you for the taking.

But you were well off in the present, allowing yourself to indulge in the nostalgia of looking through old diaries and journals before your mother’s voice called you downstairs for dinner later that evening. “Coming!” you called back, pausing next to your mirror to check your reflection.

The smell of your mother’s cooking had your stomach rumbling from the hunger of only stopping once on the way home to eat cheap fast-food with Chan, and you forced yourself to walk like a normal person even though every instinct was screaming at you to find the source of that delicious odor.

You were nearly salivating at the idea of your mother’s homemade cooking, and your hand caught the rail of the bannister to turn the final corner, but the sounds of voices from below forced you to pause at the top of the stairs, eyes growing wide as you took in the sight of the unfamiliar man standing in your foyer, talking to your mother like they had known each other for years. “Oh, Y/N,” your mother said, and you shivered when the man turned to look at you. “Come meet our neighbor, Changbin. I think you’ll really like him.”

You held back a snort at the ironic comment because it only took you a few seconds to come to the conclusion that Changbin epitomized the phrase “just my type.”

He was on the shorter side, built like he had literally spent his entire life working out, arms bulging beneath his t-shirt and chest straining the material tight to his front. So much so that you could practically see his nipples through the fabric. 

His hair was jet-black, ruffled from the wind outside, and his eyes were equally as dark, lips contorted into a self-satisfied smirk that you found exceedingly hot.

“Hi,” you mustered without much thought, nearly tripping over your own two feet on the way down the stairs.

“This is my daughter, Y/N,” your mother said, inviting you closer so that you were standing directly in front of Changbin.

“Nice to meet you,” he said in a deep voice that was slightly rough around the edges.

“Y/N just graduate from college,” your mother gushed. “We’re so excited to have her back.”

“I’m home for the summer,” you explained, shivering at the dark look in Changbin’s gaze. “I’m starting an internship in the Fall.”

“Y/N will be working in publishing,” your mother explained, jumping in while you and Changbin continued to stare each other down - something intense and provocative.

“Really?” Changbin asked, eyes making a leisurely stroll of looking you up and in down in a way that had you feeling extremely self-conscious. 

“Oh! Give me one second to check something in the kitchen,” your mother said, excusing herself with a smile before leaving the two of you alone in the foyer.

You inwardly cursed your mother for leaving you both in an awkward silence. Say something!! You screamed to yourself.

“So,” you started, clearing your throat and forcing yourself to stop swaying back and forth. “Chan told me you practice law.”

“Yeah,” Changbin agreed, and you swooned at his crooked smile. “It doesn’t sound as interesting as your work.”

“I don’t know about that,” you countered politely, but Changbin was unrelenting.

“You looked surprised to see me earlier,” he remarked.

You swallowed hard. “Oh, well when Chan mentioned a neighbor with a kid, I just wasn’t expecting someone so....”

“Yes?” Changbin prodded, encouraging you to continue.

Someone so fucking hot, you thought to yourself, someone who was literally made inside my best fantasies, but those explicit thoughts belonged exclusively inside your head. “Young,” you eventually finished, and Changbin seemed disappointed for some reason.

“I’m 32,” he said, and your eyes widened perceptibly, realizing that he was ten years older than you.

“I would’ve never guessed,” you said. “I mean, not that it’s a bad thing-”

“It’s alright,” Changbin interrupted, and you were relieved to hear him chuckle. “I know what you mean.”

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I can be a little awkward.”

“No,” he shook his head, coming to stand a little closer. “I think it’s nice.”

Oh? What was that supposed to mean?

“I used to have a boyfriend who looked a lot like you,” you went on, freezing when you comprehended what you had just blathered without thinking.

But Changbin didn’t seem bothered at all. “I bet he wasn’t as old as me.”

“He was my age,” you said. “But I kinda like older men...”

Fuck. Did those words really just come out of your mouth?!

“Y/N,” Changbin said, and you trembled at the huskiness of his tone. “You should be more careful.” He leaned in then as if trying to keep whatever he was about to say a secret for just the two of you. “I can be a very dangerous man.”

“O-oh,” you stuttered, finding yourself two seconds away from literally melting at his feet when your mother suddenly re-entered the foyer with a dusting of flour across her chin. 

“Dinner’s ready!” she announced, and you were fleeing behind her without a second thought, escaping the intoxicating hold of Changbin’s presence before you did something you might regret.

For whatever reason, you found yourself sitting next to Changbin in the dining room for dinner that night. 

“I made chicken,” your mother said, gesturing to each dish sitting in a line down the center of the table as she explained tonight’s menu. But you were barely cognizant of what your mother was saying because the close proximity to Changbin was doing very strange things to your head.

“So, Y/N,” your father started when everyone had been served. “I hope your brother was helpful with the move.”

Chan rolled his eyes, but you grinned at your father’s words. “Yeah, I was a little out of it though because of the time.”

“Like I said,” Chan huffed. “I couldn’t get there any later.”

“Let the bickering commence,” your mother said. “Changbin, you wouldn’t believe the fights these two had when they were young.”

“I can only imagine,” Changbin said, and you were wondering how someone could be even more attractive by the sound of their voice alone.

“Do you still need us to babysit for you tomorrow night?” your mother asked. “We would be more than accommodating.”

“That would be great,” Changbin said. “I’ve got a late conference call.”

“It’s no problem,” your mother continued. “Your daughter is just the loveliest.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Changbin replied.

“Y/N,” your mother said, catching you with a mouthful of chicken. “Changbin’s daughter is such a peach.”

You quickly forced down the food in your mouth when you felt Changbin’s gaze rest on you. “Oh? How hold is she, Mr. Seo?”

“She’s six,” Changbin said, and he shifted in his chair, causing your knees to brush together in a move that you knew wasn’t intentional, even if it didn’t stop your legs from wrapping together. “And you don’t have to be so formal with me, Y/N. Only my clients call me Mr. Seo.”

“O-oh,” you exhaled, reacting to the brief contact under the table, hoping that nobody else was noticing your strange behavior.

“Maybe Y/N could help watch Lucy when you’re gone,” your mother suggested, always the first to rope you into these things.

“Sure,” you agreed, even though the idea of pulling babysitting duty was less than appealing, and you could hear Chan snickering from across the table. He knew perfectly well your attitude when it came to kids. 

“I think Lucy would like that,” Changbin agreed, and you started to nod along until you felt Changbin’s hand move to your thigh.

Just that single move had your entire form frozen in place. 

While your mother continued talking about whatever subject caught her attention, you were left wondering how you should react to the very obvious posturing of Changbin’s hand moving decidedly against your bare skin.

“I’ll probably head back into town tomorrow morning,” Chan said. “I wasn’t able to get much work done.”

You knew it was a playful jab at you, but at that moment you were incapable of coherent speech.

“How is work, Channie?” your mother asked, just as ignorant as the rest of them to the situation unfolding beneath her table. “Anything interesting?”

“Not really,” Chan replied, and you nearly choked on the food you were swallowing when you felt Changbin squeezing your thigh. 

“Try to chew it first, Y/N,” your father chuckled, and you forced a smile which you hoped wasn’t as strained as it felt.

“What about you, Changbin?” your mother politely queried. “Anything interesting happening lately?”

“Maybe,” he said with a tone that was far too knowing.

“Hmmm?” your mother smiled. “You aren’t seeing anyone, are you?”

You knew the question was invasive, but Changbin handled it in stride. “I think it depends.”

“Sounds scandalous,” your mother joked, and you couldn’t have possibly been imagining it, feeling his fingers reach so high under the opening of your shorts that his fingertips touched the outline of your panties. 

You reached down to cover his hand with your own, bringing awareness to the fact that you weren’t ignoring what was happening, and he had every opportunity to pull back.

But he didn’t. In fact, Changbin’s light, playful touches only continued, and you were left reeling for what the intention could possibly mean.

Early the next morning, you were supposed to be cleaning the pool as a favor to your mother, but how could you be blamed for sneaking peaks at your neighbor working out in his backyard? 

“Holy shit,” you cursed under your breath, failing to do a very good job of pretending to be occupied with your current task while ogling the man across the lawn who was in the middle of another round of push-ups, biceps flexing while the rest of his body practically glowed under the sun. 

You knew it wasn’t a crime to permit the occasional glance, but your hardcore staring could certainly be qualified as spying at this point (especially in the direction of a lawyer) - making it blatantly obvious that you were very appreciative of the male form at the peak of performance.

Was Changbin seriously 32? And a father?

The questions boggled your mind, and in your distracted state, you clearly forgot to keep a firm hold on the handle of the pool’s leaf skimmer, huffing in annoyance when it splashed beneath the water.

It was enough to attract Changbin’s attention, and you were sure that your face was just as red as the towel draped over the back of your mother’s patio furniture when he stood to his full height before walking in your direction.

“Were you watching me?” Changbin asked, sauntering over to you with black mesh shorts hanging tantalizingly low on his hips, shirt foregone in exchange for a delightful sheen of sweat coating the skin of his thick upper torso in dripping rivulets. 

“Uh...” you trailed off anxiously, realizing that Changbin wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall for your half-assed excuses, especially after what had happened between the two of you last night. 

“You’re not planning on lying to me, Y/N?” he asked, raising one eyebrow in question.

“N-no, Mr. Seo,” you said, shaking your head quickly, barely keeping a firm grasp of your bearings as he abruptly leaned in closer, musk hanging heavy in the air between the two of you. 

“I told you not to call me that,” he said, lips lingering far too close to your ear for a simple neighborly exchange, and you could feel the body heat emanating from him in waves, holding you completely hostage as you briefly entertained the idea of falling to your knees right then and there. 

“What should I call you?” you asked instead, fisting your shirt between your hands because you were desperate for something to ground you in that moment. 

You could practically feel his smirk, holding in a gasp when his hand settled at the low dip in your spine, fitting into the space there as he pulled you tight against his front. “You can always call me daddy instead.”

Your heart skipped several beats at the scandalous words. Either that or you had just entered cardiac arrest.

But before you could muster a response, you found yourself leaping out of Changbin’s hold when the backdoor opened, and your mother was screaming out your name while waving like a maniac. “Oh!” she said when she realized that you weren’t alone. “I didn’t mean to interrupt!”

“We were just talking,” you quickly inserted, glancing at Changbin from the corner of your eye to see him smirking. 

For a while, the very strange flirtation between you and Changbin simmered down, and you tried your best to avoid him when you could, even if he made that very hard to do since he insisted on doing his morning workouts outside in direct line of your bedroom.

It was during the following week that you brought the divine glory of Changbin to your friend, Laura’s, attention, ushering her into your house when she parked on the side of street. “What the hell, Y/N?” she complained when you started practically dragging her up the stairs. “I’ve been driving for hours.”

“Oh, hush,” you said. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Thank you for what, exactly?” Laura questioned, but your response was to simply push her toward the window, standing side by side as you looked through the blinds.

“My new neighbor.”

“Holy fuck!” Laura gasped when she finally joined you, and you could only nod your agreement as the two of you continued to watch Changbin through two narrow breaks in your blinds, wondering how the image of your sexy neighbor simply mowing his grass could make you so wet. “That man is huge!”

“I think he does it on purpose,” you remarked, feeling your heart palpitate inside your chest when Changbin took a moment to pause his chore, reaching down to remove his shirt and tuck it into the waistband of his shorts.

Laura’s gasp was almost outlandishly laughable. “He’s ripped! Like, Sports Illustrated model worthy.”

“I would buy every last copy of that edition.”

“I’d even go a step further and tape the pictures to my wall.”

You both stopped to look at one another, nodding in your collective agreement. “Not here, though, my mom would freak.”

“Yeah, but how can your mom expect you to just ignore...that!” Laura exclaimed, gesturing wildly to Changbin. 

“She thinks he’s a fucking Saint, but I swear to god, Laura, he’s provoking me on purpose! The other night at dinner? He came over and put. his. hand. on. my. leg,” you said, emphasizing the last line with what probably looked like a comical widening of your eyes. “And he works out every morning in front of my bedroom? What the hell am I supposed to think?”

“No think,” Laura sighed dreamily. “Just enjoy the view.”

“Do you think I’m not?” you snorted. “I’m serious about him doing those things!”

“So what?” Laura grumbled. “Why are you actually worried that your fucking super model neighbor wants to make a few moves on you? I would be honored.”

“I’m not worried,” you huffed. “It just feels like he wants something from me.”

“Well, if it’s a good fuck, then send him all the signals you can, girl.”

“Really?” you muttered. “You know I suck with flirting. That’s why I only hooked up with Joshua at those stupid frat parties. He didn’t care that I was an awkward mess.”

“Well, neither will your neighbor,” Laura said. “Especially if he’s as interested as you say.”

You pursed your lips, considering her comment, but the sudden and unexpected sound of your door opening sent both you and Laura jumping nearly ten feet into the air as you hurried away from the blinds as fast as humanely possible to take up some form of normalcy.

No, mom, of course we weren’t staring at Mr. Seo.

“Girls,” your mother inquired as she walked inside, and you prayed that your mother hadn’t caught the two of you taking sly peaks at Changbin outside, but she seemed completely ignorant. “I have a question for you.”

“Hmmm?” you inquired, innocently enough, trying to act like the position that you had forced yourself into on the bed was totally not uncomfortable.

“Changbin needs someone to watch Lucy tomorrow night, but your father and I already made plans,” she said. “But I told him you would be more than happy to come over and help him out.”

You winced when Laura elbowed you in the side, giving you one of those looks that you knew quite well from countless nights of barhopping as sophomores. “Yeah, I don’t mind.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Laura snickered, but you payed her no attention as you hurried to close the door behind your mother’s retreating form, breathing a sigh of relief to hear her walk back down the stairs.

In all of your years of existence, never had you questioned the appropriateness of an outfit to wear to someone’s place to babysit.

“Fuck it,” you eventually decided, settling on regular, well-worn jeans and a college t-shirt.

After all, it wasn’t like Changbin was staying for very long. He claimed he had something to do at the office, and you would be all alone inside his house with only his kid for companionship.

Still, after your conversation with Laura from the previous afternoon, you couldn’t help but feel more mindful about how he might look at you, and you forced yourself to wear your most professional smile when you rang the doorbell to his house, counting slowly from one until he opened the door.

“Hi, Y/N,” Changbin said, and you tried not to blatantly check him out; although, you couldn’t help but linger on the tight fit of his shirt across his pecs.

“Hello,” you nearly whispered, cursing your hormones as you followed Changbin inside.

“I actually have something to tell you,” Changbin said, leading you into the living room so that you could sit down while entered the adjoining kitchen.

“Oh?” you queried, as politely as you could, waiting for him to return.

It didn’t take him long, and you found yourself sitting up a little straighter from where you had made yourself comfortable on the couch. “So, I actually found someone else to watch Lucy,” Changbin explained, coming around to land next to you on the couch with two glasses of wine. 

“You did?” you asked, surprised and taken-aback. 

Why were you here then?

As if he could read your thoughts, Changbin smirked. “Thirsty?”

“Sure,” you agreed, taking one of the glasses and bringing the rim up to your lips. “I’m sorry, I just thought you wanted me to watch her.”

“I did,” Changbin said, and he seemed contemplative as he sipped his own drink. “But then I kinda wanted you for something else.”

“Something else?” you repeated because your mind was spinning those simple words in a thousand different directions, and you were only able to settle on one likely outcome when Changbin’s hand dropped to your thigh, reminiscent of your first dinner together from several evenings ago. 

He suddenly moved in closer to you, allowing you to smell the subtle cologne that he was wearing. “You’ve been watching me,” he said, and you shivered, feeling both hot and cold at the same time as you looked at him.

“S-sir?”

“Don’t play coy,” Changbin continued, and you found yourself observing the way his throat bobbed as he drank. “I don’t mind the attention.”

“You don’t?” you replied, a rather useless question considering the circumstances, and Changbin took your glass and sat both alcoholic selections onto the side table.

“Why wouldn’t I like it?” he asked, tracing little nonsensical patterns on the covered part of your thigh. “You’re a very beautiful girl.”

What. The. Hell?!!

“Mr. Seo, I don’t think-”

“Y/N,” Changbin interrupted, and you were so frazzled and disjointed by the sharp grip he took on your chin, forcing eye-contact that was so intimate, you could feel yourself grow a little bit wetter. “I told you not to call me that.”

It was the only precursor you got before Changbin was delving in, gripping your chin firmly as he connected your lips in a deep, sensuous exchange that had you reeling from the sudden 180 degree turn that the night had taken. 

In one word: everything was rough. Teeth meeting teeth, and tongues rolling in a messy glide against one another. Wet and warm. Silky and smooth. It was everything you needed in a kiss to get your gears turning, feeling your pussy positively throbbing in response.

“That’s right,” Changbin eventually said when he pulled the two of you apart - very much still in control. “We shouldn’t ignore this tension between us.”

“No,” you eagerly agreed, diving in once more for another earth-shattering kiss that rocked you to your very bones, taking the initiative to crawl into his lap, grinding yourself shamelessly against the tight bulge in his jeans while your fingers dug their way into his thick, dark hair. 

“Eager,” Changbin whispered between feverish kisses, keeping your mouths locked together at all costs, even if that meant growing a little bit light-headed from losing too much oxygen.

But you couldn’t get enough of him, not after all this teasing and tension. 

You didn’t care anymore, consequences be damned, and there wasn’t a single part of you opposing his intentional touches, giving him enough space to unbutton your jeans before sliding one hand beneath the waistband of your panties. In response, you moaned into his mouth, bracing your hands against his shoulders as he found the delicate folds of your pussy.

“Do you want me to touch you here?” Changbin asked, and you were feverishly nodding, sweat forming at the top of your forehead, trying your best to hold back your loudest moans when he slid right in with little resistance, moving his fingers around the inside of your cunt, stretching and filling you in a way that you imagined was nothing compared to what the thick cock beneath you could do.

But you would take anything from him, savoring the glide of his fingers since you were practically drenching him in sticky arousal, jerking forward every so often when his thumb pressed down a little too hard against your clit.

All the while, you could feel yourself start to break apart from the heated contact between the two of you, aching and wanting for the release that the look in his eyes told you he had every intention of providing.

And you were enjoying every bit of the journey to get there, bathing in his attention, groaning when his fingers curled up just right to tease your g-spot, and grinding down against the erection confined tightly in his jeans. 

Everything was suddenly so much louder, the sounds of his palm smacking against your cunt, fingers gliding through wetness, and the joined harmony of your combined moans and grunts. 

It was a rapid uphill ascent into the clouds, and you could feel him start to move even faster, pulling against the fabric of your jeans, and there was hardly any time for your mind to truly comprehend what was happening. Lost in a sinful haze of lust and divine rapture, wanting nothing more than to just lose yourself in Changbin.

Except he wasn’t letting you simply drown in the pleasure he was giving you, tugging at your hair to bring you back to the present, to the final string keeping your orgasm just out of reach. “You don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Changbin growled into your ear, keeping one hand tight around your waist to stop your squirming as he continued plunging his thick fingers between the tight walls of your pussy. “I see you looking at me because I want you to look.”

You moaned at the explicit expression of his desires, closing your eyes and returning your head against his shoulder, hips titillating according to the way he moved his fingers inside of you. 

“Cum for me,” he said, and you were more than willing to let go of everything, including the moans you had been trying to hold back, filling the house with the loud raucous of your screams as your orgasm snapped and unleashed a molten hot thrill along your spine.

You were gasping for breath, returning from the highest peak of satisfaction, but Changbin hardly gave you anytime to recover before he was removing his hand from your jeans and forcing you into the floor.

“My turn,” he grunted, and the sound of his belt unbuckling triggered some semblance of rationale, and you were practically salivating over Changbin’s cock, eyeing the red bulbous mushroom head and wondering how deep you could take him. “Well?” Changbin prodded, grabbing the base of his thick erection to brush it across the pout of your lips. “Open wide.”

You whimpered, but obeyed, allowing your tongue to stick out just enough to taste the drop of precum leaking from the tip. It was bitter and unappealing, but since it was from Changbin, you couldn’t resist trying more of him, going further and further down until you felt him at the back of your throat.

Your jaw was already aching from the extension, and a distant thought had you thinking, damn, you were gonna be sore in the morning. But it was completely worth it to hear him moan from above you, fingers tightening in your hair as you allowed him to set the pace, rolling you up and down his cock, tongue sweeping the sides and tip and digging into the little slit where you discovered he was the most sensitive. 

At the same time, you were all but humping his leg, desperate to get off again as he used your mouth for his own personal cocksleeve, hitting the back of your throat repeatedly, sending you gagging around his impossible length.

“You take cock like you were made for it,” he remarked, eyes glossing over in a way that had you feeling rather proud of your skills. 

It only lasted for a moment, and he abruptly held himself all the way down for one, two, three seconds until you were whining for him to let you free just long enough to take in another deep breath. 

“Finish me off,” he groaned, and you were working overtime to bring him to the edge, bobbing your head up and down the full expanse of his length, all gorgeous and velvety smooth skin. And you braced your hands against his knees, an anchor to reality, when he finally released down your throat, heavy and warm, causing you to nearly choke as you struggled to swallow every last drop.

“Good girl,” he whispered, petting your head softly as you whined and continued to rub yourself against him, jumping off the brink of orgasmic bliss right after him, allowing your head to fall down between his spread legs.

It was a quiet for a while as you both fought to catch your breath, but then he was moving again, rising from his position on the couch. 

You sat back on your heels at the jostling, whimpering when he stood over you with a menacing sneer, grabbing your face between his hands, forcing your gazes to meet somewhere in the middle even though you still couldn’t completely concentrate. But you were cognizant to at least understand his next words: “Lucy won’t be here tomorrow night, either.”

“Changbin,” you gasped, understanding the implications of his request and shivering at the effect they could still have on your worn-out body. 

“I’ll leave the door unlocked,” he whispered into your ear, keeping eye-contact as he brought his fingers still coated with your arousal into his mouth, sucking while you grew faint at the sight. Then, he pulled them free and knelt down to sear your lips together so that you could taste the riveting combination of your releases on his wicked tongue. 

You returned home that night in a daze, immediately heading for your room after assuring your mother that everything was totally fine with the babysitting, even if you probably appeared a little out of sorts. 

In the meantime, you landed on top of your bed with a sigh, opening your phone contacts to pull up Laura’s name, placing the call without any mind to the late hour.

She answered on the third ring with a curt grunt. “This better be good, Y/N.”

“Oh?” you replied with a nonchalant tone. “I thought you might be interested in hearing about my latest dick appointment.”

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. “You didn’t.”

“I did!”

“With your neighbor?”

You laughed at Laura’s shrill tone, rolling over onto your stomach with your feet dancing in the air behind you. “I totally sucked him off.” 

“Shit! How big is his cock?” Laura whispered over the phone as if anybody could possibly overhear your conversation. 

“Let’s just say he’s well-endowed.”

“You absolute slut!” Laura exclaimed. “Did he at least return the favor?”

“Oh, he’s a gentleman,” you explained. “He took care of me first.”

“Details!”

“He just fingered me,” you said, even as your mind sprinted with images and sensations; Changbin’s sultry gaze, defined muscles, and the burning desire he had planted deep in your core. 

“That’s hot though,” Laura said. “I can’t believe you actually did anything with him.”

“What? I told you he was sending me signals!”

“Yeah, but I was only halfway assuming that those signals might lead to his fingers in you!”

You couldn’t help yourself, laughing at Laura’s incredulous tone, and spending the next several minutes doing your absolute best to provide a heavily detailed play-by-play of your evening tryst with Changbin. 

“Lucky bitch,” Laura scoffed at the end of your long-winded tale. “I’d kill for someone to fuck me.”

“Well, we haven’t gotten there yet...”

“Yet? Are you planning to go back to him?”

“Obviously,” you said. “There’s unfinished business that I need to take care of.”

“You think he wants to fuck you?”

“I think he wants to do a lot to me,” you purred, smirking at the sounds of Laura’s outlandish squeals from the other end.

Still, you didn’t think those explicit fantasies would come to fruition so soon. But the next night when you returned to Changbin’s house under the guise of babysitting his kid, there were no formalities between the two of you because you both wanted each other in a way that should be considered improper. 

Fortunately, you were tired of caring about other people’s opinions, and it only took Changbin a moment to pull you into his house before his lips were crushing against yours, holding you around the waist as he started working at your clothes.

If whiplash was a thing in moments like these, then you had it bad, trying to follow the taste of him as he backed you both into the bedroom, closing the door and enveloping you both in the gentle glow from the lamp.

“Get on the bed,” Changbin growled when he finally pulled away, reaching down for the hem of his t-shirt. You swallowed hard at the sight of his broad, toned upper form, stumbling backward along the floor, hopping on one leg to finish removing your jeans for him, leaving you completely naked as you lowered yourself onto the mattress. “Good girl,” Changbin cooed, and you shivered at the huskiness of his voice, rubbing your thighs together in anticipation as he blatantly traced the outline of his cock through his jeans.

“Changbin, please,” you panted, already so worked up from just kissing and feeling his hands all over your body that you were desperate for something more.

“What do you want, gorgeous?” he asked, walking slowly around to the front of the bed as you watched him with eager eyes.

“Want you to fuck me,” you said, heart thundering against your chest when he started working apart his belt, pulling down his jeans and boxers and allowing his thick cock to slap up against his abdomen, already so hard for you even though you had just started.

“Hands and knees,” Changbin ordered, and you were surprised by your quick compliance, supporting yourself on shaky limbs as you felt him climb on the bed behind you, tensing when the head of his cock grazed your wet opening. “Look at you,” Changbin rumbled, teasing you even more by running his fingers down your spine, allowing his other hand to reach around to grope your breast.

“Hurry,” you practically begged him, and it was like the metaphorical band had finally snapped, and you moaned when Changbin took a firm hold of your hips, manhandling you back into position. 

“Good girls say please,” he snarled, and your entire form light up at the abrupt command.

“P-please,” you stuttered, and there was an unholy line of curses that left your lips when he directed his cock inside, penetrating you so slowly that you could feel every inch of him until he was snug against your ass.

“Since you asked nicely,” Changbin chuckled, and you had never been so turned on before in your entire life, heart racing and blood pumping, bracing yourself against the mattress when he started thrusting, gentle at first, but then faster and faster as you egged him on, wanting him to go so hard that he split you in half around his cock. 

“Oh, fuck,” you gasped, struggling to maintain any sort of grip on the headboard. 

“You’ve been holding out on me,” Changbin purred into your ear, sounding perfectly put-together despite the fact that he was literally drilling his cock into you. “All those guys you’ve fucked before, I would think your pussy wouldn’t be this tight.”

“You’re just too big,” you managed, crying out when he grazed a sensitive spot. 

“Oh? Is that why this little pussy is leaking so much?” Changbin asked, and you had no response for him, clearly fucked out of all rational thought as his hips slapped against yours in a bruising meeting of skin-on-skin. 

It was undeniable: you had never felt this full before...like Changbin’s cock was somehow reaching all the way to your guts, and you reached down to place a hand over your stomach, imagining feeling the bulge of his cock against the distended skin.

“How does daddy feel?” Changbin whispered into your ear, and if it was possible for him to literally destroy you, then it would be from that heavily suggestive question.

“So good,” you sniffled, tears falling inhibited, leaving your face just as wet as the place where he was crushing himself into you, repeating the same motion of leaving just the tip before re-entering you with added urgency, cock forcing its way between the slick walls of your cunt. 

It was a beautiful melodic song after that (or, perhaps, hard metal would be a much better genre), the rhythm of his hips rolling against your own, hard and then softer, bruising and fleeting, stuffing your pussy on every upstroke, holding you in place by his pure strength. 

You could feel that strength everywhere, the force of his cock squelching between your pulsating walls, the way you moved up and down the bed by his control, and, when you reached back with one hand to feel his arm, the flex of his biceps as his arms worked to move you however he pleased.

“What will your mother say, Y/N?” Changbin asked. “When she finds out that her daughter fucked the man next door?”

Your mother would absolutely lose her shit if she found out that you were willingly spreading your legs for a divorced 32-year old man who had a daughter you were meant to be babysitting. She would be even more taken aback to discover that you loved and craved every second of Changbin’s cock tearing you to pieces, stretching you so good that you imagined that you would still be gaping in the morning, desperate to have him fill you again. 

“Her little girl screaming like a slut for me,” Changbin hissed. “Say my name, Y/N.”

“C-Changbin,” you whimpered, feeling him roll to a slower pace, merely grinding his hips in circles as if teasing you for the answer.

You flinched and nearly cried when he smacked the fleshy part of your ass, trying to look back over your shoulder to see what you had done wrong. “Try again,” he said, giving you a meaningful look that your poor, fucked-out brain still managed to decipher; although, you were burning in your own skin at the thought of saying it out loud....

“Daddy!” you moaned, and Changbin suddenly reached down to catch a fistful of your hair, pulling your head back and forcing your back into an even deeper arch. 

“That’s right,” he sneered. “And Daddy’s about to ruin this pussy, fuck it so full of my cum that you’ll still be feeling it when you go back home tonight to your parents and lie about what you’ve done.”

Your next moan was the loudest of the night, overwhelmed by the nasty things he was saying to you, feeling your orgasm gaining speed and traction the longer he kept fucking you, cock moving at a neck-break pace, and fingers wet and hurried over your clit.

The combined friction of his cock and fingers had you reeling, struggling to keep yourself up as he pummeled you into the mattress. Taking great liberties in the screams he was forcing out of you, realizing that if he angled his hips with one of your legs stretched higher around his hip, then he could somehow reach even deeper, kissing your cervix and threatening to steal the breath from your lungs. 

More and More. Faster and Faster. Until the breaking point was right under your nose...

The next thing you remember is a release that was so intense, you managed to black-out when it was all over, pussy fluttering around the distinct waves of pleasure, barely coherent as Changbin continued chasing his own release until he fulfilled his obscene promise to you. 

Three Weeks Later

You had gotten awfully good at keeping Changbin a secret - a dirty and scandalous whisper at that. 

For a while, your mother questioned your insistence on going over to your neighbor’s house to babysit, especially considering your history of being less than willing to interact with children.

“She’s not like most kids,” you lied, waiting for your mother to relent before grabbing whatever bag you needed consisting of your overnight clothes, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible when you walked over to Changbin’s house.

Your mother watched you, at first, standing on the porch as if ensuring that you made it the dozen or so feet separating your yard from that of your neighbor’s. Eventually, she gave up on trying to catch you doing something you weren’t supposed to, but you still kept up appearances, ringing the doorbell and taking a few steps to the side to leave enough room for the screen to rotate on its hinges, offering you the irresistible view of Changbin standing there in all his glory. 

“You’re early,” he remarked; although he seemed to take great pleasure in seeing you as early as possible.

“Is that okay?” you asked with a knowing look, and Changbin chuckled while giving you his most arrogant smirk. 

In return, you smiled back at Changbin, watching him open the door just a little bit wider in invitation.

It was all you needed before surrendering yourself to whatever delicious and mind-blowing ecstasy awaited on you the other side.  

Summer of 69 indeed.

[thebeebi]

your little games pt. 13

pairing: Jungkook x reader

warnings: fluff in later chapters, smut, non-con, mention of r*pe attempt, implied murder and many more! Read only if you are okay with these topics!

genre: historical AU, 18th century?

word count: 4.2k+ [part 13]

a/n: Hello there my wonderful readers. I hope you are having a great day / evening / night. I am sorry for posting late again. I guess I will have to change the upload time to a later hour. I hope you will like this chapter. Please let me know if you did! ♥ Love you

taglist: @njrwifey @danietoww04  @kaithezaftig @she-is-dreaming @dreamybellatrixanvm​​  @iwondermypurpose​   [If you want to be added, just let me know :)]

You ran away from the man who tried to take an advantage of you. You stabbed him and escaped. Escaped to the arms of the handsome captain who was even worse than the man you just killed.

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // Part 10 // Part 11 // Part 12

On the way back, Jungkook did not say a word to you. He was frowning and you could see him clenching his teeth. When you arrived at the tavern, he swiftly helped you get down of the carriage. The sounds coming from the tavern were loud even outside but once you entered it, you could not hear even yourself if you said any word. The drunk sailors were singing and the prostitutes were stroking their thighs wishing for someone to warm their bed.  While you were making your way towards the room, one drunkard decided to approach but you but when he was Jungkook staring at him with a cold, warning expression he halted his mission and sat back on the chair. Without any other problems, you finally got to the room. Jungkook walked towards the window turning his back away from you saying. “See that? It is yours, You can put there all of your clothes.” He said coldly without even turning, yet he pointed at the beautiful chest that was decorated with oriental ornaments.

When you took off the cloak he gave you, you lit up the candle because it was starting to get darker due to the sunset. You were honestly surprised to see the dinner on the table once the room lit up but you were glad about it. Trying on the dresses was more tiring than you expected. You placed your cloak near the door and then made your way towards the table again to look at the delicacies. A soft knock on the door pulled you back from the fantasy of tasting it just by looking. Jungkook invited the person in and you saw Jimin’s figure in the doorframe.  “If there anything I can do for you, sir?“ Asked Jimin and Jungkook shook his head. With that Jimin nodded and closed the door again. The rumbling of the stomach decided for you that it was the time to eat. After all, you are not feeding only yourself but a little baby growing inside of you. You started putting on your plate different kinds of meat with vegetables. When you were done, you tried to open the bottle of wine. You did not notice that Jungkook was watching you over his shoulder. He sighed and walked towards you to grab the bottle and opened it with a swift pull. Then he poured wine into the glasses placed on the table. “Can we eat Jungkook? I am really hungry.” You placed your hand on your stomach when it growled in embarrassment.

Jungkook pulled the chair for you without saying a word. When you sat down, his eyes looked lower at the luring side of your neck. It was difficult to hold himself back. He kept on squeezing the backrest of the chair so hard, his knuckled turned white. He stood there for a bit even after you sat down but then he exhaled deeply and walked towards his chair to sit down. He gulped the glass of wine like it was water and bit into a piece of bread, not really feeling hungry. You on the other hand were almost choking on the food due to hunger. Jungkook barely touched anything else than his glass, that he was always refilling after oneshotting it. You finished eating in silence while Jungkook was still fighting with his problem you did not know about. You stood up and walked towards the chest, opened it and placed most of the dresses you had from before inside. You pulled out a beautiful satin scarf Jungkook bought you and rubbed it on your cheek smiling, not knowing that Jungkook also stood up and walked towards you while watching your every more. He leaned in and pushed a strand of the fallen hair behind your ear. In his eyes, you could see a strange look – something between pain and happiness and it looked like he wanted to tell you something but could not find the right words. He clenched his teeth as he started frowning even more. He pulled away from you and run to the other side of the room, walking back and forth like a tiger. You were watching him confused but when he spoke up, this rough tone surprised you that much you gasped.

“For fuck sake, Y/N, you need to learn something about the men. I just can’t…” He stopped himself from continuing and turned to you. In the light of the candle, you could see that his cheek was twitching in anger. You were waiting for him to continue but when he did not, you folded all of your dresses and put them inside of the chest. Jungkook walked towards the table once again and grabbed the bottle, drinking it without bothering to use the glass. After he found out the bottle was empty, he slammed it again the table and cursed. You did not expect him to be so aggressive and the shock caused you to prick your finger on the needle you were putting away. You sat down on the bed and sucked on the pricked finger while he pulled the chair close to you and then he sat down in front of the bed. You stopped moving and looked at him. For a bit he was looking for the right words then he placed his hands on your knees trying to smooth out the skirt of your dress. “Little one,” He started slowly. “The journey to my hometown is going to be long. We will spend more time together and it is going to be in even smaller room than is this one. We will sleep in a smaller bed. It is going to be cold on the ship and it will be uncomfortable and you might feel not as nice, mostly because you are going to be the only woman on the deck. You will not be able to move around freely on the deck nor even walk away from me or from the cabin. It would be too dangerous for you. Well, what I am trying to say, Y/N,… when sailors are too long on the sea, they cannot look at the woman without being” He stopped for a second. “Without being aroused. And if it would repeat more times, they would be obsessed.” He was looking into your eyes, trying to see if you understood everything he said. You were looking at him nodding the whole time, but Jungkook knew you were not counting him as a sailor he was talking about. He sighed and continued. “Y/N, if a man is looking at the beautiful woman and he is close to her, without being able to relieve all of his needs, he will feel enormous desire to make love with her. If he cannot do that, it is almost unbearable. He has to…” It looked like he could not finish his sentence. You bit your lower lip grabbing the hem of your dress shyly.  “I will stay in the cabin, for as long as you want me to, Jungkook.” You whispered looking down at your hands. “I will try my best not to get in anyone’s way.“

Jungkook internally cursed at himself for not making it clear to you. “Oh God, Y/N,” he said irritated and stood up from the chair. “I am trying to tell you that,… that it is going to be a long way back without…without,” he clenched his teeth. “You will have to let me make lov-“ He almost finished it but then he exhaled and looked away. He could not finish his sentence, his pride won once again and while swearing he threw the chair to the opposite side of the room and run to the door. “Don’t go out of the room,” He said looking at you from above his shoulder. “Jimin is going to be here, he will make sure you are alright.” With that, he swiftly opened the door and cursing run out from there. You were stunned, not able to process what just happened.

After Jungkook barked at him all commands he disappeared and Jimin came inside to take all of the dishes from the dinner you had a little while ago. You looked at the man. “Jungkook didn’t tell you when is he coming back?” Jimin shook his head. “No, madam” He was about to leave but then he turned to you. “May I say something?” You smiled and nodded wanting to hear what he is going to say. “Captain is a good man. Sometimes he is acting strangely but if you wait it out, he is going to come back to his usual self. Please, be patient, madam. He is a rough man but a good one.” Jimin felt embarrassed, surprised by his own statement. You smiled and thanked the man softly. Jimin smiled back and when he was about to leave he turned once again to you. “Do you wish for warm water for the bath as always, madam?” You nodded once again smiling. “Yes Jimin, as always.”

You slowly woke up from sleep. Jungkook was once again in the room. You moved underneath the blanket and blinked a few times to drive away the sleep. It was almost sunrise and the room was not as dark. You looked to the door where was Jungkook leaning onto the door, trying to support himself while he was staring at you. His eyes were red, the ribbon undone and his coat was off his right shoulder. The corners of his lips raised in amusement, as if he was laughing at himself. “Jungkook?” You gasped. “What happened to you?” You never thought about this situation. He was drunk so much that he was swaying from side to side like a feather. He walked towards you and your nose was met with a smell of strong liquor and a cheap fragrance.

“You selfish woman.” He grinned at you. “With your big boobs and huge ass, you are seducing a man even while you are sleeping.” He raised his hand and suddenly pushed everything off the nightstand. You backed away on the bed scared of what he might do. “Oh fuck all of the naïve, pure, innocent virgins out there.” He spat out in anger. “You are all the same, you all bleed. At first, you seduce a man so he would lose his mind and then he is not even to sleep with any other woman out there. You take away the pride from him and then you walk in front of him just to show him that he cannot have you.” When he started swaying again, he quickly hugged the pillar of the bed to support himself. Then he made a huge gesture as if introducing you to the world. “And now in front of me is sitting the queen of all virgins on her ice throne. But what about me? I played the game and I won it but now that I have her at home and I cannot touch her.” He hugged the pillar with both hands rubbing his forehead into it as if trying to get rid of some pain. “Oh my wife, why did God not make you skinny and ugly, then it would be easier to ignore you as you wish. But out of all women in this town, the weak stupid me chose you, the most beautiful woman who is luring all men. But you are not considering me to be a man but some kind of old fart who is not able to do anything to you. You are playing with me, you are showing your body to me expecting I would not feel anything. Oh God, woman. Do you think I have no feelings, no needs? I would be able to buy more love from the prostitute than I would get from you.” He leaned in closer to you, looking straight into your eyes. “But I am going to teach you, little one.” He spat out pointing at you. “I am going to take you whenever and wherever I want from now on.” He was eating you with his eyes. “Fuck that, I am going to take you now.”

He jumped on the bed with arms stretched out so he could grab you around your middle. You screamed trying to get away from him. You got out of the bed, your nightgown flowing after you. You could hear the ripping sound of fabric and Jungkook looked down at his hand realising it is from your sleepwear. Then he quickly looked at you, absorbing the beautiful curves of your body. He smirked trying to help himself up but then the alcohol effect made him fall back down. He let go of the material in his hand and passed out of drunkenness. His eyes were closed and he started breathing calmly. You walked towards him warily, poking into his ankle. “Jungkook?” You asked unsurely.

He did not move nor opened his eyes. You sighed and put his hand back that was poking out of the bed back, so he would not hurt himself. You wanted to move him but was aware that he was too heavy for you to do so. The only option you could do was to ask Jimin to help you. You made your way towards the door and opened it, walking to the opposite door of yours. You knocked and opened the door. “Jimin?” You asked. “Oh my God, madam. What are you doing here?” You pulled your nightgown closer to yourself trying to hide it being ripped. “Could you please come to our room, Jimin?” You asked quietly. Without further questions, Jimin nodded and followed you to your room.

Once Jimin left with wishing of good morning, you sat down on the chair staring at Jungkook who was sleeping like a baby. “You horny idiot. You come to me after going around the town looking for a quick fuck and then you make me look like the bad one who is doing everything on purpose.” When Jungkook did not move nor answered, you became bolder. “Now you are cursing at every virgin but before you were happy when you could have me.” You stood up from the chair frustrated. “What does he take me for? Does he think that I will wait for him to snap his fingers, so I could fulfil his every desire? Does he think I am going to be blindly in love with him and be willing to spend my whole life fulfilling each of his desires?” You made your way to the bed to look at Jungkook, while he is not reacting to any of your words. “You freaking idiot. I am a woman. What I had, I saved it for a man who I would choose to be my husband but you stole it from me. I am a living human being and I have my pride too!” You spat out and turned away from him and went to sit on the chair again. You covered yourself with a blanket you took from the bed and tried to sleep for a little bit more.

It was almost lunchtime when Jungkook woke up. You were sitting in the chair, doing stitching work when you heard first of many groans. He held his messy hair and head with both hands as if it was too heavy for his long neck. With the corner of his eyes, he saw you and quickly gave you instructions. “Give me the bathrobe.” You put away the material on which you were stitching a flower ornament and walked to Jungkook, to hand him the bathrobe. You wanted to help him, but he pushed your hands away and stood up. “Until I come back, have everything ready for my bath.” He spat out. “And made it hot because if not, I am going to slap your little butt.” When he closed the door, you smiled knowing that he was feeling really bad but you quickly gave orders to Jimin, knowing that it would be better not to test his patience. When Jungkook came back, he was even paler but his walk looked a bit lighter than before. He took off his clothes and sat in the tub. He was sitting in the bath for a long time, eyes closed and his head was leaning on the edge of the tub. Someone knocked on the door and you could see Jungkook’s cheek twitch.

“Stop kicking the door!“ He shouted and then continued more quietly. “And enter if you must.” Jimin tiptoed inside and brought a glass of brandy to his captain. He exchanged a knowing look with you, to find out how you were dealing with the situation. He knew you were a strong woman so he was glad you were dealing with it very well. He handed the glass to his captain and he disappeared once again. Jungkook gulped the first half of the liquor and sighed feeling the tension in his body ease up a little. You grabbed a sponge and a soap, ready to help Jungkook wash up just as you used to. You were about to touch his body but he shouted at you. “ Get out, you fucking woman. Disappear from my sight. I can do it myself.” You stepped back dropping the sponge and soap into the tub. You made your way towards the door and opened them before Jungkook noted, being amused. “Where are you going like that?” With your hand, you first reached for your shoulders then to your back. You almost forgot you are half-naked but your pride did not let you lose. “I am going downstairs and ask Jimin to button them up for me.” You answered boldly. You closed the door behind yourself before Jungkook could respond anything. By a coincidence, a maid was passing you by and you asked her to button up your dress. You could hear that Jungkook was not satisfied with your answer as he was swearing loudly.

You went downstairs and ordered a cup of tea for yourself. Soon enough Jungkook joined you. He waited till the server left the table before he started. “If you don’t want me to bend you over my knee, pull up your shirt and slap your naked butt, I suggest you not to provoke me.” You looked at him innocently, not knowing what made him so mad. “What is the cause of your desire to punish your wife, who is carrying your child?” You could see him clenching his teeth. “Y/N,” he tried to calm himself. “Don’t tease me. You know I have no mood for any jokes.” You gulped dryly. Seeing the twitch of his cheek, you stopped from questioning any further. You knew it meant danger.

It was the last evening of your stay in your hometown and you were well aware of that. Jungkook was the whole day in the docks taking care of the ship and when he finally came back, he found you sitting in the tub. Jungkook stood still in the door. He was watching the precious moment of you taking a bath with him inside the room. To him, it was such a domestic scene and was not happy when you noticed him and started lean forward in the tub, trying to cover yourself. To Jungkook, it was a beautiful sight, the most beautiful he saw that day.

Jungkook walked towards you and leaned in as if wanting to kiss you. “Good evening, little one.” He whispered. It surprised you how gentle he was. You felt like you were in the trap in the tub. You submerged yourself deeper trying to smile at him, but the smile was uncertain. Jungkook laughed at your attempt to smile and he grabbed the soap from the table and let it fall into the tub in front of your face, causing it to splash the water on you. “Wipe your face, little one.” He handed you the towel. “It is wet.” You swiftly pulled the towel from his hand and pushed it to your eyes. “You! You!” You tried to start but could not find the fitting words.

“Just enjoy the bath, little one.” He continued more seriously. “It is most likely you will not be able to enjoy it in the near future.” You quickly turned to him with eyes wide open thinking it was a new method of how to make you behave. “No, Jungkook. Please. I don’t have many things I enjoy in my life and this one is so dear to me.” You were looking at him, pleading for him to change his mind. “Jungkook, please. Don’t take it from me. I love taking baths, please…” You bit your lower lip that was trembling and looked down. Jungkook stopped smirking and walked closer towards the tub. He grabbed the edge with both hands and kept on looking at you. You were sitting sadly as if you were a small child being scolded. Jungkook started again, but his voice was more gentle. “You are really unfair to me, Y/N, when you think I would take away something you enjoy so much. I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow we are leaving.” You quickly looked up into his eyes and the light of the candle shined at your bust. “Oh, Jungkook. I didn’t know. I am sorry.” You whispered. “It was really mean of me to accuse you of something like that.” You stopped talking once you noticed he was no longer looking into your eyes but his eyes travelled southern. His lips were pale and you could see that his cheek was twitching while looking at you. You blushed mumbling something and then you pulled the huge sponge to cover your showing bust. Jungkook suddenly turned away and walked towards the window. Staring into the distance.

You thought it was just minutes ago when you fell asleep but Jungkook was already waking you up, handing you the dress. It was still too early in the morning but you were supposed to leave today, so it was never too early to go on the board. When you arrived on Bangtan, Mrs Dubois was already there waiting for you with all of the dresses that she prepared. When she showed Jungkook everything and he nodded in satisfaction, he opened the chest with the money. Mrs Dubois looked over his shoulder and gasped when she saw the amount of gold he had there. Jungkook looked at her raising his right eyebrow. Mrs Dubois returned to her place on the other side of the table and Jungkook continued with counting the money.

The dressmaker was looking at you, as you were placing all of the dresses she brought on the ship to the chest Jungkook got you a few days ago. Then she turned to Jungkook and with a calculative look, she smiled at him. “Will madam come with you next year again?” Jungkook shook his head. “No.” Mrs Dubois smiled slyly and run her fingers through her hair. “When you come back, will you get the new dresses in my shop again, monsieur? I will be happy to design some dresses for madam.” She softly touched the hem of her dress near the showing bust trying to be seductive. “My service will be available to you anytime, monsieur.”

You heard the last sentence and saw how she was looking at Jungkook. You tried not to be bothered so you returned back to packing the dresses. Jungkook scoffed at what Mrs Dubois said. He looked up and her coldly, then his eyes looked her up and down as if measuring and judging her. His eyes lingered longer on her bust then looked back at the money in the chest, counting again. Without looking away, Jungkook started. “I think you did not understand, madam. I am not coming back. This is the last one of my travels.” The dressmaker stepped back meanwhile Jungkook handed her the bag of golden coins. Mrs Dubois did not count them, she quickly turned away and left the ship without saying a word.

After a tiring day, it was finally a calm evening with the water surface being as smooth as a table. The sun set down and you were standing next to Jungkook once he commanded his crew. “Anchor up! We are leaving!” Soon enough you could no longer see the light of your hometown. You kept looking at the mainland in the distance until you heard a sailor shouting. “Bye mainland!” With that, you sighed knowing it was the last time in your hometown. Soon you have to start a new life somewhere else.

When both of you returned to the cabin you shared, Jungkook started explaining to you while you sat down on the small bed. “The deck belongs to the sailors until the early morning, Y/N. If you were to go out too early, you might see something that would make you blush. I advise you to stay inside until lunchtime.” You kept nodding at his commands understanding that this was how you were going to live for the next few weeks. “Oh, and you are not allowed to go below deck.” He added. “It belongs to the crew. They have their beds there and spend their time there and you are a sweet temptation for men on the long voyage. I don’t want to kill anyone just because he forgot that you belong to me. That is why you are not going there nor are you going to be in their way.” You nodded once again and sighed, nothing to yourself.This is how it is going to be, for now. I have to be strong.

Chapter 14

a/n: Babiessss we are finally moving from Y/N’s hometown to the ocean. o.o ♥ And after that we will see where Jungkook is from. WHO IS READY?!?!?!?

[an-annyeoing-writer]

vulnerability. – chap. 1.

Read the prologue here

Story info:

Pair: Byun Baekhyun x Reader

Rating: +18 for mentions of s*x and violence (future chapters)

Genre: angst, smut

Chapter info:

Release date: 16th May 2021

Word count: 3 727

Warnings: mentions of trauma (nothing descriptive)

Vulnerability Masterlist || Fanfiction Masterlist || Ko-Fi

Taglist:

@shesdreaminginoverdose @mybiasdashboard @marimsun @byuns-asscheeks @multi--kpop--fanfics @vunv @making-me-blush @skittlez-area512 @bloopbloopkai @byuns-asscheeks @baekyeonoreo @kimcarinaa

Please, always comment on the newest chapter if you wish to be added to/removed from the taglist. I will be also checking the tags, so if you're shy – feel free to leave a note this way.

Previous (Prologue)

Chap. 1.

Living in a small apartment close to the city center was not always convenient.

You regretted you couldn’t buy all the pretty things that you saw in stores or on Pinterest, because they’d easily overwhelm the limited space. Your neighbors constantly reminded you that they’re a few meters away from you, with screams, children’s cries, music, or chopping meat at 2 AM if that’s what a particular neighbor decided to do.

Fortunately, as the time passed, you got used to most of it and started to appreciate the small space, almost effortless to keep clean, close to both your university and the workplace, and the city center – an area that was always restless during the long days and nights that you spent watching it through your tall window, as if waiting for someone to look back at you.

Despite the comfort of living alone that you tried to indulge in, you couldn’t help growing lonelier and lonelier with every passing day. At the very least, your job and university often took the worries off your mind, and they eventually became your whole life, an existence that focused on never-ending effort in the name of better future, as though there was nothing in the present worth fighting for.

You studied finance; you didn’t give it much hope at first, but it ended up becoming interesting as you started connecting the dots and realizing how broad and important this topic was. Yet, as any newborn financier, you used your secret knowledge in the mysterious field of retail. In other words, you worked part-time as a cashier in a convenience store. Twenty four years old, on your way to getting that famous Master’s degree, already more than halfway through the process, yet – education without experience mattered nothing, as you realized the very moment you started looking for your first job, unable to keep counting on your parents. Not like you wanted to stay in touch with them, anyway.

Adulthood was difficult; the small apartment, due to its location, costed more than your whole family’s used to in your hometown. A small scholarship kept you set up with electricity and water fees, but for WiFi you needed to depend on a close-by library with a good signal; it turned out to have the connection good enough to reach from at least one place in your apartment, the one you coincidentally used for occasional observations. You weren’t sure whether you discovered the WiFi while sitting or if you developed the observing habit upon having to spend your time there over any other place. The only downside of this solution was that some sites were blocked after a scandal over men in the library performing actions other than polite studying, with the help of library computers. The event was outrageous to some, but primarily it became an object of jokes and memes all thorough the city, and maybe even country-wide to some extent. Either way, in times of need, your phone still had its meager data transfer. Good enough.

It was Saturday now; Saturdays were good but busy, because you worked at nights, then slept the shift off, and after you woke up, you could go and study all that you missed throughout the week, if for any reason the classes didn’t sound appealing enough or something else happened, distracting you from them. You spent Saturday afternoons either by the window of your room (where the WiFi reached) or just went straight to the library – a place way more spacious than your own apartment, and quieter as well. The only issue was, that you couldn’t snack in there and you ought to stay quiet. You decided to go with the latter and set foot towards the library.

Therefore, when your phone suddenly rang there, a few faces snapped towards you in obvious disapproval; you cursed internally, before you even managed to pull the phone out of your pocket, because you panicked so much that your hands shook at the initial attempt to do so. You got up from your seat and quickly disappeared between the bookshelves, where the people staying by the tables wouldn’t hear you so well anymore.

“Hello?” you whispered into the phone.

“Hello. Am I disturbing you?”

Your heart dropped as you recognized the voice, although you weren’t completely certain if you recognized it well, it sounded a bit different through the phone. The number was unknown on your phone, but there was only one person that could be calling you today.

You took a few seconds to compose yourself; less than you actually needed, but just enough so that the silence would not turn awkward.

“Um… I can’t talk loudly, but that’s okay.”

“I can call you later.”

“N-no need to, I’ll just whisper.”

“Okay, then.” He was quiet for a few seconds, but you heard some shuffling on the other side. “Do you have time tonight?”

The question was sudden, so you weren’t completely sure, if you did. But your mind felt too empty to figure that out, anyway.

“No. I mean, yes. Sorry, I meant I don’t have plans. So, um, yes, I’m free.” This didn’t sound professional at all. However, you heard quiet laughter on the other side and exhaled almost audibly in relief; it was the first time you heard him laugh with you, and it served to calm your nerves like a wave of calmness coming over you.

“Well, do you want to meet? I’m going to a museum and I don’t feel like going alone. What about that?”

“A museum? That… sounds nice.” When was the last time you’ve been to one? What a perfect opportunity to make a fool out of yourself. “What time?”

“Around six? If that’s okay with you.” If you remembered well, it had to be around three now.

“Sounds alright, where should we meet?”

“I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay. Thank you.” What were you exactly thanking him for? Hard to tell. But you heard him laugh again; you felt like he’s mocking you, but you quickly realized it couldn’t be the case – a warm voice like this couldn’t be ill-intended.

“Sure thing, you’re welcome. We’re set up, then?”

“A-actually, I have a question, if it’s not a problem.” You bit on your lip, knowing than in less than ten seconds, you were going to probably embarrass yourself in front of an educated and serious adult.

“What’s the matter?” he asked politely.

“So, um… What should I wear?”

* * *

You were grateful for the few tips given by Byun Baekhyun at the end of your conversation, because otherwise you’d either be underdressed or overdressed. You ended up wearing a more elegant university attire, something you usually wore for exams, but which didn’t make you appear too formal; a long, woolen skirt that was your private treasure due to its ability to keep you warm even in winter (and it was still spring; the weather was questionable), as well as leather shoes, a beige shirt and a thick, knitted cardigan. You felt quite modest; something told you that it wasn’t a regular date. You didn’t feel a need to reveal anything, or to focus on your feminine attributes. You just felt like it wouldn’t serve any purpose. As long as Baekhyun was concerned, you had an impression that he’s more interested in your mind than in the way you look – the clothes you wore last time, just a little bit revealing and suggestive, had done nothing to save you. You wanted only to look appropriate, and you were sure you managed to achieve at least that.

As you found out soon enough, he wasn’t particularly dressed up, either. A button-up shirt without without a tie – bow or neck type – and jeans, made of high-quality denim, not like the ripped through or worn out ones people sometimes wore. And a suede coat. Although he wasn’t dressed up to look attractive, it would be difficult not to feel attracted to him. Byun Baekhyun had his own aura of independence and considerate distance connected with subtle proximity, and this time, you had the chance to appreciate this harmony, working perfectly for him, highlighting his soft masculinity. Even more so, when you noted a small, gentle smile that appeared on his lips when he spotted you leaving your apartment block.

“Hi there” he spoke.

“Hi there” you replied.

“The museum is nearby, so I didn’t take the car, is that okay?”

It was probably too late to change the means of transport anyway, so the question was pointless. But no, you didn’t mind.

“It’s okay. What museum are we going to?”

He put hands in the pockets of his coat and tilted his head to the side, observing as you approached. You crossed your hands over your chest; it was a bit colder than you expected, and the skirt only warmed you up at the bottom, the wind still reached the top.

“You should put on something warmer. It’ll get even colder on the way back” he spoke. “Go back and get yourself a jacket, I’ll wait.”

You wanted to oppose and say it’s alright, but you didn’t; it didn’t feel right to argue with him. You only nodded and went home to retrieve a better outwear; you were back in no time.

“So? Which museum?”

You looked up at Baekhyun: the man walked by your side, or – in fact – you were walking by his; he stayed in control of the situation, but resonated with warmth and peacefulness rather than the coldness and stillness you experienced last time. And especially as he spoke, you found yourself easing into the conversation more naturally, and your initial fear quickly turned into innocent shyness upon the older man’s presence.

“A complex of museums nearby. There’s everything there, a historical museum of the region, one about the history of mining worldwide, and an art museum. I wanted to see the last one, I heard they unveiled a few new pieces since the the last time I went. You’re not local?” He glanced at you with polite curiosity.

“Not really. I moved here to study” you explained. “I know the nearby area, but I’m not too… um, social. I only know where to do the cheapest groceries and where they sell the best bread.”

“Where?”

“Behind the river, by the intersection with the highway. It looks small but really, you should try it out. Especially their cinnamon rolls.”

Baekhyun hummed.

“That sounds nice. I can recommend the best pizza in return.”

“You eat takeouts often?”

“Yep.”

“You’d save money if you cooked for yourself. Pizzas are expensive.”

Another warm laugh reached your ears, and through them, your heart as well.

“I’ll save money if I spend the time for cooking on working instead.”

“Okay, that’s a valid point. But homemade food is healthier.”

“Depends on where you buy your takeout.” He seemed to have an answer to your every doubt. “I wouldn’t trust just any restaurant, you know? It’s basically what my diet consists of.”

“Variety is also important. Don’t argue with me on that.”

“I won’t. But I won’t take you for a pizza, if that’s your stance on that.”

“I didn’t say I don’t want it” you remarked right away; he replied with laugh, which you found yourself copying naturally.

The conversation flowed smoothly, reaching more or less unimportant topics: the city life, current events, your university, possible career, Baekhyun’s interests – you found out he likes music; it’s too sad to work in silence – and the museum you were going to.

The place you felt initially quite neutral about, brought you more peace than you expected it to. It looked harmonious and the lights were soft. No one hurried through the gallery, and the paintings, although not so interesting at first, you soon learned to appreciate, trying to catch onto small details that, you could tell, Baekhyun already knew by heart, but he smiled every single time you pointed at something specific that caught your attention, even if it was as silly as matching colors, or realistically portrayed lights – these were your favorites.

And, slowly but surely, you got accustomed to the pretty sights, excitement turning into relaxation, and even Baekhyun himself seemed more content than you thought he’d be in your presence.

“You’re different,” you spoke as the two of you sat on a bench in front of one of the tall, monumental pieces; this one was a modern painting full of splashes and mixed colors, soft browns, yellows, and greens, so big that it definitely wouldn’t fit in your bedroom – the first thought you had upon seeing its size.

Despite the painting being in the very center of the gallery, you were the only ones watching it now.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re different today than you were yesterday” you elaborate. “Less… intimidating” you tried to put your thoughts into words.

Baekhyun laughed in response; the laughter was soft and warm, which made you exhale in relief – you feared that he’d feel offended at the remark.

“Yesterday was different. I needed to test you.”

“What do you mean?”

He stared at the painting as he leaned forward, resting elbows on his knees and shifting a little bit, probably thinking how to say the thing he had to say, without causing misunderstandings. You stared at him, completely having lost interest in the painting by now, ready to hear out whatever was to be spoken.

“People often come to me because they’re attracted to me. Well, not blaming them” he grinned; you rolled your eyes a little, but it did relieve the tension, most likely according to his own intention. “However, I’m not interested in romantic relationships. If you come to me expecting a date, you’ll get disappointed. And you won’t be able to handle what it is truly about, if I’m the only thing keeping you interested. It’ll be a hassle for the both of us.”

He glanced at you only briefly, ensuring that you’ve heard him so far before shifting his eyes back forward.

“So I’m always like this at first, just to see how determined you are, and how you behave under pressure. Then I leave you for a few minutes so you have the time to reconsider and leave if willing. That’s a safety measure for you.” He stopped for just a few seconds. “And you – all of you – always check what’s on the other side of the sheet. That’s a safety measure for me.”

“Safety measure?”

“Trust is the basis of the whole deal. If you don’t admit, that you looked at it, it means you’ll keep hiding things later on as well, and I can’t have that.”

“So if I…”

“Yes. If you didn’t correct your statement, we wouldn’t be here right now.” The words sounded ominous even despite the calm tone that Baekhyun used.

“I understand.”

You actually did; the strange aura of yesterday’s meeting finally started to clear out, leaving the simplest facts that all fit into the bigger picture. Yet, you still didn’t know enough. There were more things, more questions, each of which demanded an answer of its own. However, you were still unsure of your stance, and of what Baekhyun had planned for you – for the both of you.

“Will you accept me, then?” you asked finally, breaking through the silence.

“I don’t know yet” he replied in an honest tone, finally reciprocating your gaze. His features were soft, you could tell, he tried not to hurt you with his words. “You’re a nice girl, but I’m not sure if it’ll work out. I need more time. Primarily, I need to get to know you better. And I feel like you need more time, too.”

You nodded slowly.

“Could you, um… tell me more about it?”

“About what I do?”

“Yeah. You didn’t tell me much last time. You mostly only asked questions.”

“True. I may answer some of yours, if you’d like. What are you interested in?”

You cleared your throat; some questions seemed more intrusive than the others and you preferred to leave them for later.

“What would you want to do with me, if we set up a um… a scene?” Is that how you professionally call it? You didn’t remember all that well; you were, in fact, with no experience, only the Internet and your own curiosity to lead you forward – the temptation to explore your interests had been progressing in silence up until now.

“Well, depends on what would be suitable. I do different things with different people. Sometimes, it’s about what they like, and sometimes about what I like, and, the most often, it’s about what we both like. Everyone needs a different approach. I enjoy finding the right approach, and exploring it. It’s different when you start with a virgin, different when you start with a brat, different when you start with someone experienced, different when you start with someone with trauma. The last type is a person I don’t like engaging in. It’s a vulnerable ground and the person often seeks relief instead of therapy. I’m not a therapist. I’m a dominant.”

You took your time to analyze his words and put them all together in your head before you spoke again.

“You wrote something like that on the sheet. That I may have trauma.”

“That’s different,” Baekhyun was quick to elaborate. “Everyone has trauma of sort. Childhood traumas are more common than you think. I meant specifically trauma that comes from similar ground as the one I’m on. It’s not the case for you. According to what you said, you’ve never had any experiences like this and never engaged sexually or romantically.”

Pointing that out hurt a little; yes, so what if you’re 24 years old and a virgin? You had the right to choose your pace. But, you quickly realized, it was your own insecurity poking at you, because Baekhyun sounded anything but judgmental. He didn’t seem particularly impressed either – and you were thankful for that as well. You’ve seen enough men sounding excited when a woman was discovered to be unexperienced. You hated that even more than those who made fun of you; and in the long run, you just learned not to overshare. Telling Baekhyun this truth wasn’t the easiest, so having him say it so casually was definitely weird in your ear.

“However, that’s also a vulnerable point. You don’t know what you’re getting into. It looks different on the screen or in the books than it is in real life. I’m not going to reject you just because you’re new, because everyone’s been at some point. But you must understand, it’s a responsibility, and I don’t want to take one I’m not capable of handling.”

“Have you ever been with someone else like that?”

“With a virgin?”

“…Yeah.”

“Yes. Once. But I didn’t handle it too well back then.”

“What do you mean?”

Baekhyun rubbed his chin, pressing his lips together in slight uneasiness. But you didn’t revoke your question – maybe you should have, for the sake of his comfort, but you felt that the answer wouldn’t be meaningless to you.

“She wanted to be exclusive,” the man finally answered. “I tolerated her for too long. I should have broken the deal as soon as I started seeing red flags, instead of ending up sleeping with her. It made everything only worse.” He spoke quietly, making sure people passing by at times would hear no word. You heard everything clearly, though. “That’s why I’m more picky now. Breaking the deal is not a good thing if it comes from one side. It may leave the other devastated, that’s why I’d rather reduce the risk in advance.”

He looked at your face, seeking understanding and acceptance. You nodded slowly, trying to keep your face as neutral as possible. You didn’t want to add to the pain already displayed on his own. But you appreciated his transparency.

“Does it mean that sex is not always involved?”

“With me, it rarely is” he admitted patiently. “I’m not against it, but I usually do other things. People rarely expect it, and I never pry. Mainly, because in this particular case, I do expect exclusivity. So, as long as no sex is involved, I know some of my subs are dating other people, or even engaging with other doms. However, for safety reasons I demand health checks prior to intercourse, and so on. Not just for me, but because I’m not exclusive myself.” You wondered if his choice of vocabulary was meant to make things less awkward. “However, actual sex is only one of the possibilities. Sexual pleasure that doesn’t involve direct touch may be used as a tool for training, for rewarding and for punishing, even as entertainment… not necessarily to the person it influences. As I said, it depends on who it’s done with. And it may take different forms, too. What’s your stance on that?”

“I don’t feel like I’d be able to as much as undress in front of someone who’s not my doctor” you answered almost instantly, the answer obvious to you, a matter you’ve thought about enough. “Although… well, I suppose it takes time. I’m not against the idea, just… you know.”

Baekhyun only nodded; you glanced at him, feeling a need for any reply that’d soothe you a little.

“I understand. That’s okay.”

You figured it out now; using more formal language made it less embarrassing to listen to. It’s like he tore the words off emotions and left facts only, and you found yourself easing into saying more and more, your embarrassment dissolving as well. No judgments were made.

“Is there anything else you want to know?”

“A lot, to be honest. But I think I know enough for now.”

Right as you said the last words, a sound echoed in the museum, in a soft female voice saying that the museum will close in fifteen minutes.

You took one last glance at the huge painting in front of you, but you felt like, at this point, you wouldn’t find anything new among the random stains and splatters. Baekhyun got up from his seat on the bench and so did you. You spotted him hide a small yawn behind his hand.

The day was coming to an end, and so was your small date – as un-date-ish as it could be.

* * *

Please, reblog if you enjoyed, it'll help me a bunch!

Author's note: hope you're enjoying it so far! Trying to give it a bit sense before more things happen, and, hopefully, this chapter clears it out a little bit. Feel free to talk to me if anything is unclear!

Next (Chapter 2.)

[leiasfanaccount648]

I’m So Sorry

Keigo Takami [Hawks] x Fem!Reader

Request from Anon: Hello i am new to your account, and i think it's great. Im a hawks simp so you might get more requests of him if thats okay lol. Uhm can my first request be a hawks x fem reader angst, if you write that and uh can it be an imagine where he gets mad at her and ends up hurting her, angst with happy ending? .i hope that is okay but its up to u. Thank youuu!!

A/N: Thank you again so much for your request! I hope you don’t mind, but I did change this up a little bit. I hope you enjoy!

Warnings/Contains: Angst, this takes place during/after the last two episodes of season 4 so slight manga spoilers? (I haven’t read much so this is mostly just hypothetical speculation from what I have read), cursing, argument, reader being shoved by Keigo.

Word Count: 2031

He knew it was risky, but then again, what else was he supposed to do? He had no other option. He had to be careful on how he went about this, as anyone could be watching or listening. Hell, for all he knew someone already knew of what he was planning to do or already done and was waiting for the perfect moment to chance to blackmail him.

However, he couldn’t think of that right now. He had to focus on what his plans were. If one thing went wrong or was out of place, it could sabotage everything.

“Keigo?”

The winged man flinched slightly as he heard his name being called out so suddenly. He had been so lost in thought that he had stopped eating the dinner that his girlfriend prepared for him. Keigo looked up at her, blinking to get rid of any possible look he had in his eyes that could worry her.

“Hm? What is it, baby?”

“Are you okay? You kinda spaced out there.”

(Y/N) let out a chuckle, finding it a little funny how her boyfriend would sometimes focus on the smallest things. She didn’t find it out of the ordinary, but she did find it odd that something other than herself managed to tear Keigo away from the precious chicken parmesan you made him. As he replied to her, part of her began to take notice how out of place he seemed to be every now and then over the last few weeks; this was just the first time she had taken the time to ask him about it.

“Oh,” Keigo laughed along with her, nodding his head. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking about work is all.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” (Y/N) took a bite from the food on her plate, her tone being very easy going as it was obvious to her boyfriend that he didn’t have to tell her, but she was still there to listen if he needed her. At the same time, she wanted to know in case something was seriously wrong. He was a pro hero after all, and that job comes with many risks.

“No, it’s alright. A certain case has just been in my mind after hearing about it today.” Keigo took a bite of the chicken, humming in satisfaction at the taste. He swore he would never get tired of his girlfriend’s cooking. “Dinner’s great, by the way. Thank you for making it.” He smiled, knowing that he changed the subject smoothly enough to make both of them move on from the previous topic.

(Y/N) proceeded to thank him, going on to say that she had to run to the store at the last minute to get an ingredient that they didn’t have in the kitchen. Of course, Keigo’s thoughts remained elsewhere while his eyes were trained on the one he loved.

The next morning, Keigo had gotten up a little bit earlier than usual before leaving for work. Granted, he did have to make a stop first before the hero rankings happened later that day.

Keigo had arrived at the warehouse first, looking around the building to make sure no one could possibly see him before walking inside.

“About time you got here.”

Keigo had barely taken 3 steps inside before he heard the voice. Even if he had expected it, he still pulled out one of his longest and sharpest feathers and pointed it in the direction he heard it in. He kept the hard glare on his face as he stared at the man. “You should be more careful about keeping yourself out of sight, Dabi.”

The man chuckled, obviously sarcastic as he shrugged his shoulders while his hands rested in his pockets. “Please, if anyone else stumbled across this place I would have taken care of them without you even knowing.” He smirked slightly, almost making Keigo question whether or not Dabi really had done that before he arrived.

Either way, he rolled his eyes and lowered the feather in his hand. They had work to do soon that could not be treated nicely. “Let’s just finalize the details and get this over and done with, shall we?”

~     ~     ~

Keigo smiled to himself, proud of the fact that he managed to bring Endeavor to his hometown of Fukuoka just like he planned. Now, all that was left to do was seal the deal and wait for everything to go down the next day, or so he had thought.

He and Endeavor were eating lunch to discuss all that was going on when it happened, and part of Keigo was annoyed at himself for thinking that it would happen this way. Nevertheless, he and Endeavor fought the Nomu that Dabi and himself had planned for in hopes that everything would turn out like the plan originally intended to go.

It was a hard fight, one that even he didn’t expect to go the way it did. Of course, he couldn’t focus on that factor for long, as he still had a job to do. Sadly, it fell short as Endeavor had won the battle against the Nomu. Even though he was hoping for the end of Endeavor like Dabi was, he couldn’t help but admire the pro for always trying to get to the number one spot.

Endeavor always kept trying to get there unlike others who simply stood by thinking it was impossible. Keigo strived to be like that too, even if he claimed to want a lower hero ranking. He wanted to be able to create a laidback world so that heroes didn’t have to work so hard all the time, and he would do anything in order to do so. Including killing the man who had inspired him.

While he was upset about the plan not going the way he had hoped, and the fact that Dabi had acted without telling him, Keigo couldn’t help but feel stressed due to the fact that everything he had done in order to pull this off was now a waste. And he had no idea when he would be able to get another chance like this again.

He managed to reason with Dabi so that they could come up with another plan to end the current number one hero later in time, but for now, all he wanted to do was go home and relax in attempt to get rid of the pounding in his head and aches in his body from the fight he had.

The moment Keigo stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him, (Y/N) made her way to the door to greet him, walking faster than usual. She knew that he was okay, as he had called her shortly before meeting with Dabi to let her know, but worry was still written all over her face.

“Keigo,” (Y/N)’s hands raised to her mouth as she noticed that most of his wings were gone after the fight. Even if they would grow back over the course of a couple days, it was still an unusual sight to see from her boyfriend. “Your wings.” She stepped towards him again, reaching out to hold his cheek so he’d look her in the eye.

Instead, Keigo moved her hand away before she could touch him and took off his coat followed by his shoes. “I’m fine, (Y/N).”

The tone in his voice was one (Y/N) knew all too well: stress. “You’re not, and we both know it.”

Keigo didn’t say a word and simply walked past her to the kitchen. He reached into one cabinet and grabbed a glass, then into another to grab a bottle of gin and seltzer water. (Y/N) followed him, choosing her words carefully. “You don’t have to tell me what’s on your mind, whether you do or not. But please tell me how I can help you.”

“You can be quiet, that’s how you can help.”

(Y/N) eyed him, part of her hurt from his words and part of her annoyed. “Excuse me?” “You may say that you can help, but right now, all I need from you is silence and to leave me alone.” Kiego’s back faced her while he spoke, making the cocktail that he decided on. He turned around and took a big sip; he took in the expression she now wore herself.

“What on earth happened to make you start acting like this?” (Y/N) took a step forward, still hoping that she could figure out what was actually going on. There was definitely a reason as to why he acted so different compared to the way he did after a hard day at work, so what caused it?

“What do you want me to say when I come home from work, (Y/N)? That everything was all fine and dandy? No crime happened throughout the city? The district? The country?” He let out a short yet sarcastic laugh. “Well guess what sweetheart? That just isn’t the case, is it?” He took another swig of his drink before setting it down on the counter.

(Y/N) held back from sounding so harsh, becoming more and more ticked off as her boyfriend dodged question after question thrown at him. “Keigo, please,” she stepped forward, reaching out to him again. “Just answer my question so I can help you.”

Keigo eyed her as she got close, her words starting to get to him. He was a hero, so he should be helping other people, not the other way around. But, with his plans in flames from Dabi, the world he was hoping for was now even further out of his reach.

He stepped away to walk out of the kitchen, mumbling under his breath. “I’m going to get a shower.”

(Y/N) trailed after him, putting a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to stop him as Keigo began to step into the hallway. “No, you’re not.” It was then that Keigo would turn to regret everything.

“I told you to leave me alone!”

In less than a second, Keigo turned around to move (Y/N)’s hand off of him, but in the process of doing so, he accidentally put too much strength into his movements and slammed (Y/N) into the cabinets next to her with just his arm.

(Y/N) lost her breath as well as her footing from hitting the wood so hard and fell to the floor. She hesitantly looked up at her boyfriend, seeing as he was now glaring harsher at her with his teeth slightly bared. She could almost feel the anger now radiating off of him, and she was terrified.

The realization of what Keigo had just done sunk in mere seconds after it happened. He felt his heart drop at the sight of the one he loved on the ground from his actions, now scared of him and what he would possibly do to her next. “(Y/N),” was all he could get out.

“No, don’t.” (Y/N) moved back on the floor as best as she could in her scared state. She eventually stood up, backing up away from him while her arms wrapped around herself. “If you’re going to act like this, then I’m going to leave before you do anything worse.”

Keigo couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes, instead staring at the floor. He didn’t even move when (Y/N) walked past him with tears in her eyes. He could hear her grab her keys and put on her shoes before leaving, slamming the door for good measure.

Keigo didn’t try running after her, instead raising a hand to grip his hair tightly and leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. “Fuck.” This all happened because of him and his selfish actions, and there was no other way to look at the situation. “I’m sorry.”

He knew that one simple apology wasn’t going to solve anything, but then again he didn’t know what he could do to turn this around. He grit his teeth and his other hand hit the wall beside him. “I’m so sorry.”

[bts-ficrecs]

Hi! Can you recommend a few Jungkook marriage fics please! Open to all genres. Thanks! ❤️

(header cr: guwoljk)

y’know this ask made me realize how rare married fics -- that aren’t drabbles -- are lol. outside of arranged marriage aus 😂

but no worries. i did find a good amount for you anon! thanks for this lovely request :”)

If anyone has any other husband!Jk fics that I didn’t include on this list, let me know!! (cause I need it too😂)

Sorry if this clogs your feed. idk why whenever I answer an ask, my “read more” is always stuck in the actual ask where i cannot edit it out at all

KEY: (☆) = arranged marriage / ( F ) = fluff / ( A ) = angst / ( S ) = smut

 

 

The Brat by obiwrites (F)

 » Summary: It was now you and him against the world. There was just one thing…

 

Bunny Bigot by obiwrites (F)

 » Summary: “Hey babe,” you call, startling the boy hunched down in a corner, “is there a reason you’re hiding in our closet?”

 » Sequel: Baby Bun & The Little Gardener

 

Child's Play by obiwrites (F)

 » Summary: Jungkook's always had a ... unique approach to parenting

 

Concealed Weapon by @gimmesumsuga (M)

 » Summary: Jungkook turns out not to be quite who you thought he was, and your reaction takes you both by surprise.

 

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by obiwrites (F)

 » Summary: The plot of cloudy with a chance... but with Jungkook

 » Sequel: Part 2

 

Desiderium by @jeonggukingdom (M)

 » Summary: “We’ve been at it like rabbits, how are you still so horny?”

 

Home is Where You Are by @sweetbunnykook  (F A)

 » Summary: Madness and love grows from the same root in the Jeon family.

 

I Can’t Help Myself, I Don’t Want Anyone Else by obiwrites (F)

 » Summary: A follow up piece to Just The Girl. A glimpse at the wedding, life after marriage and then some!

 » More spinoffs: Life is Good (pregnant!OC) & The Kids Are Alright (1st day of school)

 

It’s Enough by @dark-muse-iris (A)

 » Summary: Preparing dinner reminds you of all the struggles you’ve experienced in your marriage. Your husband Jungkook, ever your anchor, tries to cheer you up with gentle words.

 

Late Night Cravings by erifish14 (F)

 » Summary: Imagine having a child with Jungkook

 

Meet the Jeon-Son’s by obiwrites (F A)

 » Summary: The little girl studies your face for a long time, like she’s trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle that haven’t for a long time.

 

Stress Relief by @hobidreams (S)

 » Summary: “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” “Kissing my wife?”

 

Sweater Weather by @bangtanstanst (F)

 » Summary: When Jungkook comes back from a run and you have the audacity to laugh at his admittedly bad decision to go outside in the rain, he makes sure to take his revenge.

 

The Next by @kpopfanfictrash (F)

 » Summary: No matter the fact that this is your fourth child, nor that every other pregnancy was fine – sitting in this seat, awaiting the news is always incredibly nerve-wracking. This is the moment you determine if your baby is healthy, or not.

 

Things You Said At 1 AM by @foreverpark (F M)

 » Summary: More often than not, you spend around one to two hours in bed, watching the clock tick with the dialogue of a feel-good movie or drama keeping you company, waiting for your husband to come back from his never-ending dance practices.

 

 

After All Night by @btsracket​ (M)

» Summary: “Your mom has the baby so let’s make good use of the time.”

 

All in My Head by @fatrainbowmermaidunicorn (☆ F A)

 » Summary: Jeon Jungkook’s wife. Something you have always wanted to be. Something you have always dream of. But it's something you know won't ever come true. Until today.

 

Always and Forever by @joonglows (F)

 » Summary: From childhood friends to boyfriend and girlfriend, it’s time for an upgrade. Now, you are living a happily ever after with your dear husband, Jungkook, with three loving kids and one on it’s way.

 

Black Card by @minsprings (F A S)

 » Summary: A long night at another one of your obligatory high society functions has you desperate to relieve some stress with your husband Jungkook, who’s been apparently hiding a kink from you for some time.

 » Status: complete two-shot

 

Desperate Housewife by @kimnjss (M)

 » Summary: Bored with your husband gone all the time, you decide to take up a new hobby… Jungkook can only seem to focus on one thing when it comes to your new pastime.

 

Fierce and Delicate by @mintseesaw (F A)

 » Summary: Jungkook and y/n had been brought in two different worlds. Jungkook living an unfortunate life and y/n being controlled by her parents all her life. Despite the imperfect relationship, they completed each other like a puzzle there is. Jungkook has one promise he intends to keep: to always make you happy. In the process of fulfilling your wish he had once declined you of, he kept a secret from you. And unintentionally, he has done more damages than expected…Every action, and every decision… could be blamed by the flawed past.

 » Sequel: Felicity (F A S)

 

From What Stars Have We Fallen to Meet Each Other Here by muhammie (☆ F A)

 » Summary: Yoongi and Jungkook learn how to love in a marriage they never wanted to be in.

 » Note: yes, this is mxm

 

Holiday Blunder by obiwrites (F A)

 » Summary: The one where it’s the worst Thanksgiving in the world but your husband makes it mildly better.

 

Lumière by @taehyung-me-down (series) (☆ F A S)

 » Status: ongoing series

 » Summary: Fate has a way of bringing together two souls meant to be, but to a princess like you, soulmates are out of the question. As the sole heir of the throne, it is your duty to create a strong allegiance, one that will protect your reign. Your marriage with a prince from a neighboring kingdom was sealed from the moment you entered this world, two destinies intertwining. All you yearn for is a love that will ignite your soul. One that will have your head spinning in the clouds and your heart drowning in desire. Soulmates will meet, regardless of time, location, or circumstances, but it’s up to you. There’s one thing you must do. Seek the light, and find the love of a lifetime.

 

Mafia Arranged Marriage by @leahsockhead01 (☆ F A)

 » Summary: You knew your parents had secrets but, you never realized they went as deep as the mafia. Your father was apparently a secret Consigliere. A “close friend” to the leader of Seoul’s mafia crime group. In order to officially blend your family into the mafia, you had been elected to marry the leader’s son. Upon meeting your betrothed, you run. Then something happens… to bring you back.

 

Money, Power, Respect by @minnpd (A S)

 » Summary: You catch his eye the moment you walk through the door, low-cut dress doing its job like you knew it would.

 

Of Caresses And Promises by @ditttiii (F A S)

 » Summary: You love your husband and you know that he loves you just as much, if not more. But sometimes, you can’t help but feel like he could do better—better than you.

 

Put Your Head on My Shoulder by koorara (F A S)

 » Summary: You were worried to bring Jungkook along to your hometown and grandma has never met Jungkook, and yes, she is lovely but what if she suddenly doesn’t approve of him? That would break his heart.

 

Second Chances by @parkhabits (F A S)

 » Summary: Work. One of the most important things to him. It kept him company at night, it was all he thought about, all he put his attention to. His work had become the mistress within your marriage. Years after you left him you’re back with only one goal in mind. Get him to sign the damn divorce papers. Yet you should’ve known that your husband wouldn’t let you go that easily.

 

Smitten by @megahwn (☆ F S)

 » Summary: You live in a world where loving another is criminal. Partners are chosen by your elders to produce the best offspring and to help the economy thrive. Living in this world, you feel broken. You feel broken because you have accidentally fallen for your new husband, Jeon Jungkook.

 

Taking Chances by @neonlights92 (☆ F A S)

 » Status: complete series

 » Summary: “Jeon Jungkook is an asshole.”

 

The Pitter-Patter of the Heart by koorara (F)

 » Status: ongoing series

 » Summary: Pieces of newlywed domestic moments with Jungkook, your husband. The young Film and Literature lecturer and his wife, you, who works as a journalist of a web magazine. Both of you managing the career, the time for each other and the new house. Not to forget the cat that has been with you for years.

 » Drabble: Valentine (S)

 

The Husband She Didn't Want by MyTime2Shine (☆ A S)

 » Status: ongoing series

 » Summary: Kim Mi Cha life was a miserable one since her mother had died at a young age. By 22 she was taking care of her alcoholic father who was often abusive to her. Her only respite would be when he'd leave her to go gamble as his addiction was getting out of control. She dreamed and believed in true love despite her upbringing. Her spoiled brat of a neighbor across the way from her was Jeon Jungkook. // Jeon Jungkook's life was happy and privileged one. He lived the life of a rich and only child to both of his parents who gave him whatever he wanted. Age at 23 Jungkook had become CEO Jeon Jungkook when his parents were killed in a car accident. He thought love was for the weak. His neighbor across the way from him was the shy and timid Kim Mi Cha. // Kim Mi Cha's father ends up at a poker game with CEO Jungkook and Jungkook ends up winning the game but the prize was Kim Mi Cha?

 

The Lie Untold by @54daysormore (☆ F A S)

 » Status: complete series

 » Summary: In a world where everyone has their secrets, Jung-Kook, young and naïve, wants nothing more than his marriage to a stranger to be open and honest.  His new bride, young yet experienced, knows how many lies people tell every day, but hopes her new husband never sees through her own.

 

Untitled by @lamourche (F A)

 » Summary: “I lost our baby”

 

Your First Time by @nitaescence (F S)

 » Summary: Your child performs for the first time in the school's end of year show.