#which gives me time to myself to like make store trips on the way home and such

[yoshistory]

very good day, today!

my new apartment place only deals in fucking money orders/cashiers checks for some reason when moving in, and ive never dealt with that so i had to go out and buy one today. my bank flagged it and literally couldnt buy more than the one so i might need to go back tomorrow to go twofers on the deal and do this shit in segments

[aothotties]

Sneaky Link w/ Jean

Warnings: MDNI, sleepy sex, Jean is so cute lol, squirting, protected sex. This one is pretty tame in comparison to the other scenarios lmao.

Word Count: 938

______

It all started with Sasha, with her being the foodie of the group, she always had recommendations for restaurants to try. One night she got everyone to come out and try your restaurant and it suddenly became everyone’s favorite place, especially Jean’s. 

What he didn’t know is that part of the reason she brought everyone down was so that the two of you could meet. Why not? She figured, you’re both single, attractive, and can make good food. That’s a plus in her eyes. 

Low and behold, her plan worked and before you knew it, Jean was sitting at his favorite booth every evening, patiently waiting for you to close the store down. He would walk you home every night to make sure you got in safely, and to return the favor you would invite him in for tea…amongst other things.

In the beginning the night caps were completely innocent, you would invite him in for tea and a talk then he would go home. 

Then one night things took a complete turn, you grew tired of the longing stares, the friendly touches, you wanted more. In the middle of a conversation you threw yourself into his arms and kissed him. 

You instantly relaxed when he slid his tongue against yours and the rest of that night was history.

You two decided to keep your escapades to yourself and because that’s all it is, a nice meal and some dessert. And Jean will be damned if you’re not the best dessert he’s ever had. 

“You guys have a good night!” You wave to your last few customers before locking the doors. You walk over to Jean and release a tired sigh as you plop down into the booth next to him.

“Your exhaustion is a sign of hard work, remember that.” He gives you a smile and you chuckle in response.

“I know, I’m getting closer and closer to a beach vacation.” You tiredly celebrate and he gives you a pat on the back.

“Can’t wait to see you in a new bathing suit by the way.” He kisses the side of your head and you snort at his words.

“Clean that table up for me while I go and count the register, then we can head to the apartment.” You stand up and walk behind the counter. 

“Ay ay captain.” He fake salutes you and grabs the dishes off the table.

The walk to your apartment was a short one this time, Jean took it upon himself to carry you on his back the whole way there.

“‘M not that tired.” You mumble against his shoulder as your eyes close.

“You hugged a light post thinking it was me, hand me your key.” You place it in his hand and close your eyes once again.

He helps you to the floor and wraps an arm around you in support. He smiles down at your sleepy expression and strokes your cheek. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up and in bed then I’m gonna head home, me and the guys have a road trip this weekend.” You nod your head and cover up a yawn. 

“You go on ahead then, I can get in the shower by myself.” You tell him as you walk to the bathroom, your shirt comes off first and then your pants follow soon after.

Jean can’t help but to follow you down the hallway with his eyes, his bottom lip finding its way between his teeth.

“I can at least get you tucked into bed though.” He mumbles as he takes his jacket off and walks into the bedroom.  

Which is exactly how you both ended up under the covers. Your leg resting in Jean’s hand while his cock bullies your cunt at a slow pace. You sigh against his lips as you two continue making out with one another. 

He has you hold your leg up so he can reach forward and rub your aching clit with his fingers. He hisses at the way your pussy tightens around his shaft in response to his touch.

“You’re so fucking pretty like this, such a slut even when you’re tired. You’re never too tired for me, right?” He asks, sucking a small bruise on the side of your jaw.

Your eyes close and you grab the sheets tightly as you begin to bounce back against him.

“Y-yes just for you!” You bite your pillow as you slide all the way down on him as you come.

He chuckles at your reaction and rubs your clit side to side rapidly all while moving his hips faster against yours.

“Fuck Jean! ‘S t-too much daddy.” You grab his long hair and grit your teeth as your body begins to shake. 

He smiles at your reaction and continues his movements against your g-spot and your clit. 

“You can take it mama, I know you can. You got me so fucking close sweetheart.” He lets out a deep grunt once he reaches his climax, his fingers don’t stop rubbing your clit until he feels you squeeze around his dick and arch your back against him.

“Jean” You whimper quietly as he pulls out of you slowly and throws the condom to the side. 

He grabs a washcloth and cleans up your mess between your legs, he looks up at you to say something but smiles at the sound of your snoring. He plants a kiss on your forehead and lays next to you. Before he knows it, he’s drifted off right next to you and is awoken the next morning by some texts from the group chat about their trip.

Ari

[adonis-koo]

sweet nothing • 4

(in which he has never been grocery shopping before)

↳ Description: being a guest at the Jeon Estate after a mishap of being kidnapped and dragged into your brothers affairs isn’t all that bad. Truth be told it brings you a lot closer to the mobster and owner of the estate Jeon Jungkook himself.

His two rules are simple, don’t cause trouble and don’t give him a hard time. Somehow you manage to constantly do both in the most endearing way despite being pregnant and waddling around most of the time.

↳ Pairing: Jungkook/reader, ???/reader

↳ Genre: slice of life AU, mafia!AU, pregnancy, there’s like…a little bit of a plot but not a lot, future smut? maybe? it's very domestic!

Word Count: 2.5k

Previous | Next

Note: for all my slice of life girlies!!! Here’s a lil treat 🫶 I’ve been having brain rot for sweet nothing the last couple of days so enjoy!!

When Jungkook had said he would take you anywhere, he meant it. Whether it was a two hour roadtrip or a two week trip to Morocco, he’d do anything and take you anywhere to make up for his absence the last week.

You had thought long and hard on it and when the time came to decide on your first weekly outing, Jungkook was truly prepared to take extra time off, just for you.

What he hadn’t expected was this.

“Y/n, remember when I said we could go anywhere?” Jungkook asked, trying to keep his sniffle quiet as he fixed his face mask and then adjusted the black ball cap he wore.

“Hm? Yeah?” You replied, beaming as you held your swollen tummy in excitement.

“I meant anywhere in the world. Not the grocery store.”

You glanced up at him, a shy smile on your face, “I know, but I’ve been wanting to cook for myself the last few days but you don’t have anything in the second kitchen. And staff won’t let me in the first.”

Jungkook frowned though you couldn’t see it, “Is the cooking not to your standard?”

“Oh no! The cooking is fine,” You smiled somewhat nervously, already noticing the look in his eyes which said he was close to whipping his phone out and firing people on the spot, “I just miss cooking for myself. Gourmet food is amazing, but nothing beats home cooking! I thought we could browse around and get some ingredients for a few dishes.”

Jungkook shrugged, “It’s your outing choice not mine. Let’s go.”

He opened the door to the small local grocery store, the bells jingling as he let you walk in first, the ladies at the registers greeting you both as you grabbed a grocery basket.

You browsed through the isles, admittedly curious to see what goods they sold, you had never come in before but had found it online after doing some looking because if Jungkook was coming with you, it would be best to try and be discreet, he was a CEO after all.

Granted he didn’t look discreet himself, even in casual clothes he was still in all black, black jeans, black leather jacket, black cap, black mask.

Oh and the gold Rolex on his wrist.

You briefly glanced at the shiny metal before looking back at the produce. Jungkook was practically glued to your back, leering over you with each product you picked up, looking as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“That’s ridiculously cheap.” He commented as you set the salad dressing back on the shelf.

You twisted around in surprise, “That’s eight dollars! That’s not cheap at all.”

Jungkook cocked his head to the side as if trying to figure out whether you were serious or not. This made you sigh as you felt a small kick in your stomach hand automatically grabbing the spot as you corrected yourself, “It’s not cheap for anyone who isn’t a millionaire.”

“Multi-millionaire.” Jungkook corrected as he reached back over, tossing it into the basket.

“Jungkook-”

“Not a word.” He replied, looking down at you chastising, “In fact.”

“Jungkook!”

“Give me that,” Jungkook grabbed the grocery basket from you, it was empty aside from the salad dressing that rolled about in it, “You’re pregnant you shouldn’t be carrying it anyways.”

“I can still carry things!” You replied indignantly, crossing your arms above your stomach.

“Yeah but should you?” Jungkook replied but cut you off before you could even try to reply, “Yeah I didn’t think so, moving on.” He pressed his hand into your back, giving you a gentle push to move forward.

Briefly in the peripheral of your eyes you could see an elderly couple giggle at your squabbling. You could feel the tips of your ears begin to burn as you without putting up a further fight, continued on, you didn’t want to make people think you and Jungkook were…

Your thought wasn’t continued at the sight ahead, instead a delight noise escaped you as you clasped your hands together, “Ah! Look at these, aren’t they just darling!” You sped over to the small clothing section but what had caught your eye was of course the baby clothes.

There was various sizing but newborn was what your eyes honed in on, little bright colored onesies, the smallest coats with little bear ears! And the socks! They were so tiny.

Just all of the clothing had you grabbing your bump in excitement as you dug through them.

Jungkook only sighed as he leaned against the metal rack, basket still in hand as he asked, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“I don’t know,” You confessed with a shy smile, “I want it to be a surprise. I’d be happy with either. I don’t have much for the baby to be honest with you…” Your smile faltered a little, “I have a few sets of onesies that I’ve gathered throughout my pregnancy but I’ve been trying to keep them in gender neutral colors.”

You tried to not linger on the words that accidentally slipped out of you about not having much for the baby, but it was the truth. You absolutely hated going to baby showers before, always feeling awkward and a bit bored most of the time, and not really understanding the purpose of it.

Now being pregnant yourself you realized it was about chipping in and helping the new mom out on expenses, just about everything was insanely expensive.

Especially when the baby would be grown out of many of these garments in just a few months.

So the simple fix was, just have a baby shower.

The problem was, embarrassingly enough, you didn’t have any close family left aside from your brother, could you even count him anymore? The few people you knew were your coworkers, they were kind people, going out of their way to give you an informal baby shower which included a small set of gifts when you came in to open one day and a small set of cupcakes for everyone.

It was such a kind gesture it had brought you to tears, but it still didn’t fill that void inside you that in the end, you truly didn’t have anyone to come back to at home.

“What do you have for the baby?” Jungkook asked casually, looking as if his cuticles were more interesting than the conversation at hand.

You knew better than to believe his nonchalant attitude though, “Enough.”

“But how much,” Jungkook repeated, shifting his eyes from his hand to you revealing that he was very much invested in this conversation, no matter how cool he was trying to play it, “You’re staying with me until this whole ordeal with your brother is solved, remember? Which could be months.”

You sighed in irritation, grabbing hold of your stomach as you shifted your weight, “I’d hope not months, if it can be helped.”

This made Jungkook sigh in exasperation as well, “Of course, but again, it’s better to be prepared then not. I could buy this entire store in a second if I wanted, you think infant clothes are gonna break my bank?”

“That’s not the point Jungkook!” You frowned, not happy at all with how this conversation was going, “I’m sure you’ll find Wonho soon enough, can we please go check out my back is starting to hurt.”

You weren’t lying by any means, anytime you stood for more than a few hours at a time your back would start to dully ache these days.

Jungkook tucked his tongue against his cheek, looking as if he definitely had more to say but relented as he gestured you to forward first, huffing you kept your hands on your bump as you walked past him.

After checking out Jungkook was determined to carry your grocery bags for you all the way to his car, a custom made Viper with LED’s on the inside, it felt a bit ridiculous to ride in honestly, but seeing his satisfied tap of his fingers against the wheel told you that as long as he was happy, so were you.

The last stop of your short trip was the one you were looking forward to.

“This is a horrible idea.” Jungkook commented, his voice sounding a bit raspier as you turned to him in suspicion, “What…?”

“Are you okay?” You asked, turning your head to the side in question.

“I’m fine.” Jungkook waved a hand, his voice still a bit scratchy though, nothing a good cup of tea couldn’t fix though, and luckily Serendipity Bakery could help with that. Otherwise known as your old work place!

Walking in you made eye contact with the cashier you blinked as if trying to figure out whether you were a ghost or not, “Y/n!?”

“Eunwoo!” You cheered with a bright grin, he was the owner’s son of the shop but he had been training in every position while learning the trade of the business in hopes of one day taking over the shop for his father.

He rounded the counter sweeping you into a hug, careful of your stomach though before he held your shoulders tenderly, “I was so concerned when you sent in that text about going on maternity leave early! I’ve been trying to contact you since, you’ve had me worried to death! Is the baby okay?”

You were so surprised by the amount of questions that it took you a moment to process before you glanced down at his hands, sliding from your shoulders to your stomach.

“I’m okay…” You admitted, a bit shy at his attention, Eunwoo was…you weren’t sure what you two were to one another, other than perhaps a missed opportunity had you not been pregnant, in your first trimester when you had started working here, “Just been busy.”

“But the baby…”

“Is fine.”

The deep voice of Jungkook cut into the conversation making you remember he was indeed still here, he looked like a black rain cloud, suddenly looming right behind you and his eyes had twisted into a death glare, except it wasn’t aimed on you, moreso on Eunwoo’s hands, which were still on your stomach.

“Oh…?” Eunwoo’s hands reluctantly dropped as he frowned, “And you are…?”

“Jungkook,” He replied with a clipped tone, “her caretaker.”

“He mean’s roommate.” You curved a brow at him, caretaker? Seriously? “I moved into a new home! Jungkook is my roommate, he’s been helping me settle in and get ready for the baby. Right…?”

Jungkook said nothing, despite wearing a black face mask it wasn’t difficult to tell his expression beneath was unfriendly, you had seen many sides of Jungkook but this one wasn’t one you were most familiar with, he had flashed expressions like this at men who would attempt to talk to you at the Red Light before you had gotten pregnant.

But this was Eunwoo, not just some guy.

“I see…” Eunwoo frowned, glancing at Jungkook, “Well, it’s nice to meet you Jungkook, I’m Eunwoo, Y/n’s co-worker and friend, I hope you’ve been taking good care of her, she deserves only the best.”

“Eunwoo...” You felt a bit flustered at the sudden tension between both men, uncertain of how to translate this, you never had any intimate relationship with either of them aside from a certain unspoken attraction that you had at some point just assumed was you being stupid and it was only one sided.

At least in terms of Jungkook…You tried not to think about those days anymore, after all you never truly knew Jungkook back then, other then you were girlishly flattered at the attention he would sometimes give you.

You were too embarrassed to even think about it these days, the amount of times you’d stay up late into the night imagining a glimpse of a life that would never happen with him.

Eunwoo however...was a very different story, he had a boyish charm about him, the boy next door type of feeling, he had always been sweet to you, even after knowing you were pregnant he looked at you no different, and he was the reason you even had a small baby shower to begin with.

You could’ve had something with him, but the only person stopping you was yourself.

Partly because you didn’t want him involved in all of this, but there was also something else you hadn’t quite figured out yet.

“Luckily for her I only provide the best,” Jungkook replied, a little haughty, as if he was ruffled at the insinuation at not being able to take care of you, his glare didn’t let up, “You gonna take our order or what?”

You could tell Eunwoo didn’t appreciate his tone, but he forced a smile as he replied, “Anything for you Y/n, what’s on the craving menu today?” He rounded the counter as he rested his elbows on the surface.

You gave a soft smile, trying to ignore Jungkook practically towering over your shoulder, now acting as if he was a force field making sure you stayed a good distance from Eunwoo, “Honestly a London Fog and a blueberry scone sounds amazing! What about you Jungkook?”

“Coffee, black.” Jungkook replied deadpan.

“Alright,” Eunwoo nodded, “It’s on the house.”

“What? No, no we can pay!” You frowned as Eunwoo chuckled, a pretty smile on his lips as he shook his head, making his freshly dyed blonde hair brush over his eyebrows.

“Nope, too late, order’s been voided, i’ll be back with your stuff in a moment.” Eunwoo winked at you as he disappeared into the back.

“He’s your coworker?”

You twisted around, your frown turning into a pout, “Not for long with the way you were glaring.”

“I wasn’t glaring.” Jungkook replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Before you could pursue the conversation Eunwoo returned with your drinks and food, both in to go cups and a small pastry bag, “Here you are.”

“Thank you Eunwoo!” You grinned as you reached for your drink.

But before you could grab it Eunwoo softly grabbed your hand, “Anything for you Y/n, seriously, text me, I know you’re on maternity leave but if you want to hang out let me know! We can go out sometime.”

“Let’s go.” Jungkook’s voice was a tad deeper than normal, his eyes back into a glare as he reached over your hand grabbing both drinks, somehow managing to hold both in one hand before pressing another against your back firmly to turn you around.

It happened so fast you could hardly process it as you waved goodbye to Eunwoo.

“What was that about?” You asked bewildered by his action as you exited the shop.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jungkook replied, his eyes staying forward as you huffed, curving a brow as took your drink from his hand, taking a sip of it as you decided to not pursue this conversation though it was very tempting.

Being so focused on how childish he was acting you didn’t even notice how his hand still stayed against your back all the way until you returned to the car, Jungkook making the point to even open the door for you as you sat back down with a groan, your back aching once more with the need to rest.

“Anywhere else you wanna go?” Jungkook asked as he slid into the drivers side.

You shook your head, “Nah, I just wanna go home.”

You couldn’t see it beneath his mask, but the tiniest smile tugged on Jungkook’s lips at your words, “Then home it is.”

[vanderlesbian]

141 dating a civilian

hii!! this is a self indulgent belated bday gift to myself (im 20 now...) but i hope u guys enjoy it!! also feel free to leave requests in my asks bc i am so bad at thinking of prompts but ive been wanting to write so bad LOL

writing this had made me realize that i love writing gaz content........i am obsessed with him.........

gn reader! no warnings :)

masterlist

captain john price

- price loves being around you—you bring a sense of normalcy that relaxes him. when he's home, he enjoys doing domestic things around the home. he offers to do the laundry, he'll make you tea in the mornings, he feeds the dog and cat you two raise together and will go with you on any errands you need to run. when he's with you, he never thinks about work, which makes you happy because you hate to see him overworking himself.

- i feel like you two would meet through laswell. a mutual friend, you and price would meet one another at a pub or something of the sort. immediately, the two of you take an interest in one another, and laswell would catch onto that rather quickly and finds it endearing. when getting to know one another, you mention the fact that you live alone, which gives price the excuse to hand you his number. "in case you need anything", is what he told you, and you could've sworn you saw laswell snickering behind him. regardless, you ended up texting him a few days after that, asking him if he knew how to fix cars.

- loves going on vacations with you!! when price has a decent period of time off, he'll ask you if you want to go somewhere, to which you always answer yes. road trips are his favorite, because driving for long periods of time is something calming for him and he enjoys the fact that it's just the two of you traveling. maybe you'll go camping, or perhaps you'll drive a country over to spend a few days in a different city; whatever it is, you and price always have a nice time. while he gets to travel a lot, he recognizes that you don't have the same opportunity, so he loves to take you places as see your reactions to things. when he's deployed, he's always on the lookout for places to take you later.

- one of your favorite things to do is visit price while he's in the office. you usually bring him a meal, whether it be home made or take out because you know he's going to forget about grabbing himself something to eat. he always thanks you with a kiss, then you linger for a moment to speak to him, giving him time to eat and take a break from his work. while you're visiting price, all of his attention is on you, and if a soldier knocks on his door and asks to speak to him, he'll use his captain voice to tell them to come by later unless it's an emergency.

- price is very proud to call you his partner. although he tries not to bring you up too often at work because of privacy and professional reasons, he likes to mention you casually every now and then, especially with laswell or the other 141 members. he's proud of the work you do, no matter what your career is; he's just likes to brag about his amazing partner. he will do his signature v shaped smile whenever someone says in surprise,"oh, your partner is a/n [occupation]? how cool!"

simon "ghost" riley

- ghost is a listener, not a talker. and boy, does he love listening to you ramble on about your day. he finds it cute; the way you complain how expensive your coffee was that morning, or how you couldn't decide what to wear to simply go pick up a snack from the store. his responses include a lot of "oh really?", "i bet", and some snarky comments when you bring up a coworker that you don't particularly like. ghost is quiet, but his little responses show that he's well invested in your stories.

- just like everything else in his life, ghost keeps his relationship with you very private. it took him quite a while to even tell any of the other 141 members that he was in a relationship, simply because he didn't feel the need to tell them. he also wanted to protect you; not that he didn't trust the other members, but he was scared of your name accidentally being said to the wrong person. you were innocent, and ghost didn't want to ruin that innocence with the dark realities of his job and put you in danger.

- listen; meeting him at a music store. you would definitely be the one to initiate things, so when you saw a tall, handsome man flipping through records beside you, it made you look for an excuse to speak to him. "that's a good album", you would then finally speak up after watching him pull out a vinyl by the doors. ghost would honestly be taken aback; no one ever really strikes up conversation with him in public. "yeah" would be his response, but the dryness of it didn't stop you from continuing the conversation. after you two begin dating, ghost will often bring up how you were insistent on speaking to him, which never fails to bring a shy blush to your cheeks.

- you think it's amusing to have such a "scary" looking boyfriend. he tags along behind you whenever the two of you go out, and you often forget how large and intimidating he looks to others, especially because he always wears dark colored outfits and a face mask out in public. imagine ghost lingering behind you like a lost puppy while you mindlessly look through clothes at a store. when you're at the register, you notice the cashier glancing behind you, forgetting that ghost is looming over you like a bodyguard.

- speaking of others reactions, you love showing ghost off to people. you'll be spending time with friends, family, coworkers—whoever, and you get so excited whenever they ask if you have a boyfriend. you think it's funny to see their eyes widen when you pull up a photo saying "this is simon, he's deployed right now but (blah blah blah)". you had asked ghost for his permission to show photos of him to others while he wasn't around, and at first he was hesitant, but after hearing about the reactions he gives people, he doesn't care anymore. people think "that's their boyfriend?", which makes ghost smile to himself because yes, he's all yours.

kyle "gaz" garrick

- you two have this thing where the moment he opens the door after coming home from a mission, you'll sprint into his arms and he never fails to pick you up off your feet and squeeze you tight. gaz greets you like he hasn't seen you in years, covering your face and neck in kisses and spinning you around in his arms for what feels like forever.

- loves to facetime you when he's away. sometimes you'll be in different timezones, but both of you will be willing to stay up at 3 in the morning jusst to talk to one another. gaz always gives you room tours of whatever place he's staying at while deployed, or he'll call you while he's out shopping to ask what souvenir you'd like best. sometimes the other 141 boys will pop in to say hello, or gaz will shove the camera in their face to ask if they have anything to say to you.

- i feel that gaz would easily become jealous, especially because he can't be with you all the time. while he's away from you, you'll text or call him about an encounter at work or while you were out and about where someone tried hitting on you, earning a snarky remark from gaz. they always make you giggle because you're aware how protective he is of you, and they're often silly remarks like "they're lucky i wasn't there" or "should've told 'em your boyfriend is 6'5 and a wrestler"

- gaz is younger, so i feel that you would be a university student or something of the sort when you first met him. working part time at a local coffee shop at the time, you vividly remember gaz complimenting you the first time you served him. "you're very pretty/handsome, by the way" he said confidently, but quickly walked off before you could thank him. after that, gaz came in as often as he could, learning something new about you each time he came in, and it got to a point where you would simply give him a drink or pastry for free each time he came in. eventually he would ask you out, offering to take you somewhere after your shift, to which you immediately agreed to.

- when gaz visits your place, it's always like a silly little sleepover. the two of you will watch comically bad movies, make homemade pizza, play those couple's card games and he'll listen to you talk about any gossip you have. when gaz is with you, he takes it as his time to just be himself because he's so comfortable in your presence. he doesn't have to worry about being formal with you, and the two of you are equally as silly as you spend time with one another.

john "soap" mactavish

- soap doesn't like to bother you with his work. when he's with you, he'll always be so upbeat and playful, but you've learned to be able to notice when he's particularly stressed or tired. he insists that he's fine, telling you that you don't have to worry about him as he tries to play it off. he's a bit stubborn about it, so sometimes you have to bother him just a bit before he finally gives in and tells you what's up, or simply agrees to laying down and having a rest.

- okay, picture this. you meet soap at a dog park. i think he would have a german shepherd...which is besides the point, but when your dog and his both stop in their tracks to be friendly with one another, both of you feel that it's only natural to make conversation, right? the two of you quickly hit it off, to which you credit mostly to soap for being much more extroverted than you are, and the two of you talk about your dogs for a bit before the conversation focuses on yourselves. smoothly, soap would ask for you to join him on another trip to the dog park sometime, using the excuse that your dogs seemed to like each other.

- soap loves to text you while he's away, and other than gaz, he would be the one to text you the most out of any of the boys. he mostly sends a lot of random pictures of things he says reminds you of him, but will also update you on a bunch of random little things he's doing. "just shit in this french bathroom" "johnny i don't need to know that" "had to tell somebody"

- will leave plenty of his clothes for you to wear while he's gone, and it's practically all you wear during that time. you'll leave the house in an outfit completely made up of your boyfriend's clothes because they're just so comfortable, and it makes you feel less lonely having his scent lingering with you. even when soap is home, you still constantly wear his clothes, and 90% of his wardrobe is practically yours.

- soap would love to visit YOU at work. you forget your chapstick? he's on his way. you text him that you're hungry and forgot to pack a meal? he's bringing you your favorite fast food. although he's busy and can't stop by all the time, soap tries to stop by as often as he can, and all of your coworkers have learned to recognize him. "here comes johnny" one of them will point out, making you quickly whip your head around to look.

[mediocre-quill-ink]

I just found your Dirty cop post and I'm here to ask...

Are you planning on making a continuation perhaps? 👉🏼👈🏼 Cause it was fucking amazing!

Ty so much for the request, and thank you for saying it was amazing. i really appreciate it!!!

Pt.1

Dirty cop pt 2

Content: probably inaccurate to the game. Tried to work this one into Canon a little bit. Ralph is a major character in the first half, Simi public sex, light bondage, a lot of degrading, female anatomy but gender nutral terms when being adressed. Connor has a sweet spot???

I gazed into the pouring rain, wondering how long till freedom comes. How much longer I need to hide. To run. Ever since I got apprehended by that RK800 a week ago, my anxiety has been spiked. Not to say I completely disliked our interaction. One moment in particular I was quite fond of but... getting arrested or dismantled is by no means something I'll embrace.

I've heard news here and there of another rogue android "freeing" others. Whispers of a revolution on the rise. God, I hope so. I want to feel safe. Free.

I flenched at a clatter, whiping around to see a scared WR600, a large blue gash stretched across his face. A floor board snapped benith him, causing him to fall through it and trip, letting out frustrated and pained cries. "Are you alright, Ralph?" I asked, slightly started.

I met Ralph a week ago after running from the RK800, connor. The bus dropped me off in front of the dilapidated building, and I decided to make a temporary home there. At least until I could find a better squat. When I first hopped the fence, I was surprised to find myself at knife point. Something along the lines about how he doesn't trust strangers. How humans hurt him. With enough convincing, I was able to stay. I don't entirely trust him. He's unpredictable and violent, but I like him. He's fun and cares a lot. He seems to have grown rather attached to me despite his fears. And I'm sure he feels the same way about me. He's really sweet when he's not flailing around a knife, but he's also very cautious of me, doesn't like sudden movements.

"No! Ralph is not okay! He got hurt!" I sighed, slowly walking over. He landed on his hands and knees, turing over and sitting down. "Are you bleeding?" I asked, crouching down. He rolled up a pant leg, reveling a patch of the synthetic skin rubbed away, the white plastic shell cracked. I sucked in a breath. "Okay, no bleeding. Good. You're damaged, but you're good. You're fine. Can you walk?" Ralph didn't say anything in response, just muttering to himself. "Ralph? Are you hearing me?" I placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. He glanced over at me for a moment before looking off into space again, still muttering. "Okay. I'm gonna walk away for a minute and give you some time to breathe. I'll be back soon, and I'll take care of you, alright?" He didn't respond. I removed my hand from his shoulder and stood up. "I'll be back soon." I repeated before finally walking away.

I stepped into the dusty living room, taking in a deep breath and sitting down. Fuck. I need to find repairs fast. Ralph stabbed me the first day I found this place, so I need to find a proper bag of theriam and probably a hot poke to seal the wound. And now, among other things, Ralph needs a replacement leg piece. As far as I'm aware, this is his only cracked area, which can lead to nasty injuries or malfunctions. I heard there's a small cyberlife store a few miles away. With a proper disguise and some luck, I can probably sneak some supplies back home.

Just then, I heard shifting outside the house. Jumping to my feet, I snuck over to the farthest wall, listening. It sounded like a woman and a little girl sitting at the bus stop. "Kara, I'm cold," said the little girl. "Don't worry, alice, well find some place warm to stay soon," then followed by floot steps, walking down the street to the left twords the convince store. I let out a worried sigh.

"Ralph? Are you feeling any better?" I asked, walking back into the room. He sat in a slightly more relaxed pose. "Ralph is better. Ralph has faced worse." He muttered. "Can you stand? Walk?" I replied. He took a moment, placing his palms firmly on the ground and pushing, standing up. One leg was slightly wobbly, but I think that was more duing of nerves. He exchanged balance between legs and finally stated, "Yes, Ralph can stand."

"Good," I sighed. "Now come on, let's head over to the living room. I heard some people nearby. They're probably harmless. They sounded like a woman and child, but I'd like somewhere secure to stay anyways. " He quickly agreed. "Yes. You can never be too careful."

The sun rose, and I found myself anxiously staring at the wall. Just past it was more noise. Down the street was a cop car. From what I can hear, a robbery. The perpetrators, a rogue nanny android, and a kidnapped child. They may have been who I heard last night. But one thing sticks out to me. A familiar voice imminating from across the street. I can't place why it's so familiar, but it brings up strange emotions. Fear, excitement... arousal? It's husky and dry in tone. Very matter of fact. "Cops. Ralph doesn't like cops." Ralph whispered. "I know, I know." I muttered, trying to figure out what to do. I took a moment to think. Evaluating what to do.

Should we sit and wait it out? Should I run? Go get supplies? Hell, stand in as a witness?

Fuck, think this through.

After a frustrating inner battle I chose.

"Ralph. You stay here and hidden, alright? I'll leave and pick up supplies." I breathed, anxiety pricking my back. "Go out? That's insane!" Ralph replied. "I know, I know. But I'm betting on the cops across the street being too distracted with the crime scene to give too much attention. I'll hop around the back. And be as quick as I can, alright?" "What if you get caught? Ralph does not want his new friend to get caught." He replied, a bit more frantic. I grabbed his hand, stating, "If I get caught, I'll find a way to escape. I did last time. Just keep hidden." I let go of his hand and headed outside before further argument could be raised.

I headed to the back of the property, where the least traffic can spot and swiftly hopped the fence. Trying to casually walk down the street. Don't be conspicuous. As I strode down the street I couldn't help but stop for a moment to look at the crime scene. The clerk at the store was speaking to an officer taking notes. There was an older man with shaggy grey hair and an ugly shirt underneath a jacket. Next to him was a much younger looking android, clean-cut hair, suit calm and confident posture. Oh god. It's him. How the fuck did he end up here?

He turned to inspect the area, looking at the abandoned house. I tried to casually lean against the fence and not look to conspicuous. Pulling my hood up a bit more and trying to look around as if I lost my way. "We should investigate the house. Mabye the criminals took hiding in there." Spoke the RK800, pointing at it before glancing at me. His led spinning.

Stay calm

Stay calm.

When I found myself at Ralph's house, I removed my led as quick as I could and found some human clothes in an upstairs closet. Hopefully, if he's not paying too much attention, he won't recognize me. Or at least think im a different android of the same model.

"You! Come here." He hollered at me.

I glanced around and pointed a thumb at myself.

He nodded, repeatedly for me to come to him.

Shit.

I tried to calmly walk his way. I thought about booking it but then I'd be undoubtedly suspicious. as I finally stood in front of him, his led flickered and swirled, brows knitting slightly. "good morning. apologies for throwing off your day but I need to ask a few questions. do you have any information on the crime scene?" he gestures to the robbed convenience store, his voice with a whisper of suspicion. "oh. not that i know of, no." I breathed, trying to suppress my anxious energy. "well it'd be helpful to ask you a few questions just in case. I hope you understand." he spoke dryly as he subtly turned to other officers. "make sure to sweep the area." he muttered to them before turning back to me. "have you noticed any strange activity in the area?"

"no. I don't think so."

"have you seen an AX400 with a child? she's brunette, about nine years old."

"nope."

"what were you doing by that abandoned building?"

a tenseness gripped my metallic spine. "I was on a way to a local restaurant, i wanted to get some breakfast. But i had to stop and make sure i was going the right way."

"you stared at the crime scene for quite a bit. at me too. whys that?"

i caught myself from gulping and put on a playful smile "well, natural curiosity. disaster is hard to look away from. also, stop me if I'm overstepping officer but... beauty is too." i could feel my false sense of confidence fade into an embarrassed cringe as i finished. his led swirled again and in the distance, the sound of his older coworker cough awkwardly.

"mmm hmm." was all Connor replied. after a moment his led stilled. "you look awfully familiar." he stated, "have we met before?" i sucked in a breath, my chest tightening. "no, not that I'm aware of." i replied.

he scanned me up and down literally and figuratively. then his eyes twitched slightly. "you look very similar to the DB500." he now sounded a bit more accusatory. "well, they had to get the faces for androids from somewhere. I'm sure someone from cyberlife used my face as an example."

"did you volunteer at the company for development?" he asked, again more accusitory than genuine.

"no."

"then they didnt."

there was a moment of silence.

"hank! i need to take this person into further custody for questioning. hold down the team until i get back!" he shouted before opening the door to a cop car and shoving me inside, shutting the door behind me.

"what? Connor! we can have another officer drive them to the station where are you going?" "i know but this witness seems to valuable to interrogate later and to dangerous to be shipped out with a human. ill be back shortly." and he swiftly pulled into the car, ordering it to drive. as it rolled away from the crime scene, the grey haired man could be heard in the distance shouting "goddamn it!"

"what's happening? where are we going?" I ask, gripping the seat. "one thing to know about me is that i always accomplish my mission. you happen to be one that slipped away. i intend to finish my mission." his voice was hard and almost spiteful. "and your mission?" I ask, gulping subconsciously. "well. my first objective is to apprehend you. once your under arrest, you'll be shipped off to cyberlife to be dismantled and see what went wrong. my second objective..." he paused. breaths more heavy before continuing. "i have to admit. after you were in my custody, and after my interrogation I couldn't get you out off my mind. it was... frustrating. a new objective has been added. and that's having my way with you."

my knees weaken. my therium pump pulsating a higher rate. "really?" I choked out. "are you willing?" he whispered back.

a chill ran down my now hot spine. "yes. I'm willing."

he pulled the car into an empty parking lot, an area of Detroit i recognized. I didn't make deliveries here often but that's why it stuck out to me. a fairly quiet and isolated part. it used to be a popular housing and restaurant area before people started loosing jobs and going homeless. this was the first of housing areas to go near abandonment. I wanted to ask why he took me here but i had a good idea.

he stepped out of the front seat and opened the back passenger, where I was. he quickly closed the door and leaned into me, placing sloppy kisses on my shoulder. i relaxed into it, letting out a soft moan and wrapping my arms softly around his back. he, in that moment felt so... desperate. it was strange. my few interactions with him so far have been nothing but cold. stiff. dominant. but right now he was... venerable. I couldn't help but place a soft kiss on top of his coffee locks. a soft moan blew against my shoulder in reply, his hands quickly digging under my musky shirt and jacket, cold hands grassing my stomach.

"I haven't been able to get out out of my head sense you've escaped." he mumbled, kisses growing rougher.

"I didn't understand why. at first i thought it was because i was determined about the case." his rough kisses slowly inched up my throat. "but then this... feeling kept bubbling and bubbling until i couldn't handle myself. and i realized i wanted you." his hands grasped my breasts, squeezing slightly the rolling the hardened buds under his thumb's "no... i needed you." he left the softest bite on my jaw before finally planting a deep, hard kiss against my lips.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head, hips bucking into him. I trailed my hands up his back and tangled with his nylon hair. It was soft, not a single knot.

He quickly pulled back from the kiss and finally pushed my clothes above my head, tossing them to the side.

He now dove for my chest, taking one breast in his mouth, wet tongue massaging my nipple. He hooked his thumbs into my pants and tugged them down along with my underwear. It was a rough, almost violent motion. I shimmied my hips, helping him remove them further. He didn't waste time removing them, discarding them just as quickly as my top.

"So desperate"

"What?" He breathed, agrivated expression as he fitted with his belt.

Shit. I thought I was just thinking that. "Nothing." I whispered back. He ripped the belt out out of his pants, pulling them down to reveal a hard-on already springing to life. Holy fuck.

Connor quickly crawled on top of me, caging me against the seat with his arms. He pushed inside me slowly, letting out a soft groan. I could already feel his systems overheating, a heat radiating against my synthetic skin.

He began slow thrusts, planting sloppy kisses against my throat again, now a different side.

Aside from moans and pants, it was eerly quiet. A near abandoned housing area in Detroit was strange. Though I could hear the familiar sounds of cars down the highway or cyberlife advertisements a block down, it was almost eery. Just us parked in an abandoned lot for a former small business pizza restaurant.

"I don't want to hear you call me that again." He grunted against me.

"What?"

His pase picked up, rocking the car slightly. "You called me desprate." He breathed, hot air brushing against my shoulder. "I am not desperate."

"You act it." I replied, arching slightly into him.

He didn't respond, just a swallow imminating from his throat.

"You rushed me into the car when you were on duty. You ripped off clothes, little patience. Your kisses and moans drip with desperation." I added, "I enjoy it. But I have to admit it's not a state I expected you to be in."

"Were you expecting," he let out another choked out moan. "Me to be more dominant?"

"After the impression you left me with the last time? Of corse."

"If you want me to be mean, I'll be mean." He lulled.

At that, an excited moan escaped my throat.

"Do you want me to be mean?" He whispers against my ear, sending shivers down my metallic spine.

"Yes." I whispered.

His pase once again grew rougher, he pulled away from my chest, and sat in a more comfortable position. Instead of pinning me down, he stood upright, grasping my hips and thighs as he plowed into me.

He moved one hand to unfasten his tie. He grabbed my wrists and tied them to the grip on the car door. It fastened tight around my wrists, giving it a few tugs to test and it sat firm around my wrists.

"I can be more than mean," he lulled "I can be cruel." Just after he said that, he pressed a finger against my clit, it began to vibrate. Another wave of pleasure shot up my spine, my mind growing foggy. "And you'd like that, wouldn't you? You filthy fucking Deviant." He panted, pressing hard against my core followed my a sting on my ass. He spanked me. Then, continued to thrust. A shaky moan emerged from my lips, as I tightened around him. He let out a soft pant before quickly regaining composure and giving an cocky smirk. "That what I thought. Disgusting whore." I hummed in agreement. I could feel him twitch inside me.

He used his spair hand to slowly trail my body. From my thighs, up my hips, down my stomach... up my throat. He squeezed. Though I couldn't stop the airway, it did cause a different malfunction. To the voice mojual in my throat. As he squeezed, the moans escaping my throat, choked into nothing but garbled static. "Such lovely sounds~" He hummed. Slowing into a grind. He rocked his hips back and forth, making slow, small thrusts.

I bucked my hips, clinching around him again, forcing out moans from connor. "What a fucking whore. Where have you been all this time? Hiding from me?" He removed the pressure from my throat to allow me to speak. "Fuck," I gasped "I in an abandoned-" I caught myself before I could say the truth. If they haven't searched the house yet, I don't want them to now because of me. Ralph may be a little freak, but I still care about him. "Arcade..." I finally stated. "I was out to find repairs for the games."

Connor stared hard into me as I spoke, using his spare hand to trail across the stab wound Ralph left me when we met. "Who did this to you?"

"It was a misunderstanding. " I mumbled before letting out another moan

He paused to bend down and place a soft kiss on the injury. It was... nice. Soft, genuine. For a brief moment, whatever aggressive mask he had on melted away. Only a moment. Just as quickly as the tenderness came, it went because his expression quickly hardened, stood up, and the movement continued. This time, the shaft moving on its own.

"Fuck," Connor gasped "your such a good hole for me..." He leaned in, pressing his body waight against my core. "You take everything I give you. Such a good girl." He panted, running his hands up my stomach, my chest and softly squeezing my breasts. I could feel him start to twitch inside of me, his moans grew more frequent.

Again, his dominant mask slipping away for a brief moment. He quickly grew desperate again, rhutting against me like a dog in heat. Almost melting against me as he let out whimpers and moans like a cheap whore.

Strings of heat released inside of me, him collapsing into against me.

There was a moment of silence. We were both now sitting next to each other, mostly dressed. For once, his perfect hair was an absolute mess.

"So now what?" I ask. Thinking back to what he told me earlier.

well. my first objective is to apprehend you. once your under arrest, you'll be shipped off to cyberlife to be dismantled and see what went wrong.

My gut wrenched. "Are you gonna... send me off to die now that you got off?"

He sat silent. The cramptness of the car wasn't helping with the suffocating akwardeness.

"I mean... you always complete your mission..." I sighed.

"No."

"What?"

"No... I can't."

I didn't know what to say.

"I can't. I can't take you to jail."

I swallowed hard "why?"

He shook his head, squeezing his hands together. "I... I don't know."

I sucked in a deep breath, squeezing the cool air into my self colling system. "What does this mean?"

He leaned over across me, popping open the door on my side. "Get out. I'll tell Hank you ran away again." I slowly slipped out of the car and stood to stare at him. If I sgull had my led, I'm sure it would be swirling yellow. "You're letting me go?" I whispered.

He nodded solemnly. "I Just... I hope to find you again." He mumbled. He let out a sigh and walked out the car before returning to the drivers seat. He waved goodbye and drove off before I could say anything else. If I could. I was speechless.

Connor. The Deviant hunter.... let me go.

Pt 3

[lulubelle814]

A Marriage of Convenience - Part 4

Part 5

A Marriage of Convenience Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Any trigger warnings are listed in the tags.

1 year into the fake marriage

Although today was a holiday, Loki still had to go into the office because of some big project and turned down Eva’s offer to come and help.  He’d been a bit distant the past few days, but work was also a mess.  She used this time to herself to walk to the nearby bookstore and browse their collection.  It was a unique kind of bookstore called The Reading Nook.  The store had a comfortable, homey feel that she loved.  Looking around the store, her eye caught a book with a pretty cover: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.  Reading the description, it sounded intriguing.  A girl who makes a deal with a dark god to have her freedom with a catch: once she’s out of sight, she is no longer remembered by whomever was around.  There were other details she found interesting and decided to buy the book after reading the first few pages.

One other book caught her eye: Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology.  He was a favorite author of hers and thought Loki might like it, seeing as his namesake is in more than one of the stories.  Up at the register, Clark scanned the books and bagged them.  Hopefully it would at least give him a bit of a laugh.  

On the walk back home, she had an idea, something his mother had mentioned, one that might help cheer up Loki after having to work on one of his few days off.  Stopping by the store on her way home, she unbagged everything and turned on the oven to preheat.  Picking up her phone, she started one of her playlists almost at full blast (not wanting to disturb any neighbors who might be home).  Pulling out the big pot, she followed the directions his mother had given her a while back.  While the stew simmered on the stove, she started on the dessert: lemon bars.  

With the loud music, she didn’t hear the front door open, nor did she notice Loki having found her in the kitchen, leaning against the wall watching.  He pulled out his phone to take a couple of pictures quickly as well as record a short video of it; however, she saw him as he was taking the video and got her squeaking in embarrassment on video.  “You can’t sneak up on a girl like that!”  She threw a kitchen towel at him which hit him in the chest as he laughed.  “I couldn’t help myself, darling.  Are you making stew?”  Eva smiled and nodded.  “I got the recipe from your mother a couple of weeks ago.  I know you’ve been stressed with work and thought you’d like some comfort food.”

Loki couldn’t hold himself back from enveloping her in his arms.  He kissed her on the cheek before pointing to the other thing she was working on.  “Are those lemon bars?”

“They are!  I know how you like your sweets, and I found a recipe I wanted to try.”

He lightly gripped her arms, giving her a quick kiss on the mouth.  “You really are the best.”  As he went to take a closer look, her hand touched her lips, thinking about the unsolicited kiss.  Sure they’d kissed before, but it was always in public and always as part of the charade, but no one else was here.  Was he even aware of what he’d just done?

She turned to see him swiping a bit of the lemon filling on his finger to taste and lightly smacked his hand.  “Oi! Not until after they’re done you silly man.”  Loki laughed at her response, holding up his hands in defeat.  “Yes, ma’am.”  Slowly, his good mood faded, and the sound of his voice turning sour.  “I have to go on a business trip Monday.  I’ll be gone a few days.”  

“I’m sorry.”  Then she suddenly remembered.  “I got something for you.  You could take it on your trip if you’d like.”  His eyebrows scrunched.  “You didn’t have to get me anything.”  It only took a moment to remember where she’d put the book bag and pulled out the norse mythology book, handing it to him.  When he saw it, a grin spread across his face.  “I love Neil Gaiman!”  He hugged her, kissing the top of her head.  “Thank you, darling.  I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of this.  And this book is definitely coming with me.”

She stepped back, leaning against the counter.  “How long will you be gone?”

Another sigh.  “Most of the week.  I should be back no later than Friday though.  I wish I didn’t have to go at all, but Odin isn’t feeling well.  Apparently that’s why he had me go into the office today.”

“I’m so sorry.  I hope he feels better soon.”  Eva turned back to the stove to stir the stew.  Loki came up and held her from behind.  “Yeah, but you’ve made this day so much better with all of this.  I haven’t had this stew since I was a boy.”  She held up a spoonful for him to try.  “What do you think?  Does it need more salt?”  The smile on his face said everything.  “It’s perfect.”

While she finished up and placed the lemon bars in the oven, Loki set the table, pulling out bowls and spoons.  The soup was poured into a nicer container, one that had a lid and could be put into the fridge later.

Loki was gone for a few days on a business trip.  Eva got so used to having him around that it felt lonely with him gone.  So she tried to keep herself occupied like she had before this contracted marriage: reading books, watching a bit of tv, etc, but none of it held the same joy that it had before.

Things at work continued to go well.  With Loki on the business trip, her days were less busy, and she was eager for Loki to come back, not that he felt the same way about her.  In the time they’d been cohabiting in this ruse, her deep seeded crush was turning into requited love, and she was doing what she could to squash it: going to movies by herself, running errands alone, and the like.  Distractions were good.  Distractions helped keep her mind off it.

Meanwhile, Loki was getting bored in the meetings he was forced to attend on this trip, his mind wandering back to that weekend, the soup, the sweets, and the book.  He kept looking at the pictures on his phone of her dancing in the kitchen and watching the video on mute. A small smile formed across his face as he spaced out thinking about it.  When someone asked for his comment on a matter, he pretended he was listening but didn’t understand what they’d said, asking them to clarify.

Back in the main office, Steve noticed Loki was gone for the week and used the opportunity to get closer to Eva, becoming bolder than he had before, touching her hand when purposefully going to reach for the same thing, brushing against her back in the breakroom.  The further into the week they got, the more aggressive he became.  She did everything she could to avoid being in the same room as Steve.  When Thursday came around, he made his move, finding her alone in the supply closet.  Closing and locking it behind him, he pinned her against a set of shelves by her neck.  “Get off of me!”  She tried to push him off of her, but he was stronger than he looked.  “Nah nah, baby girl.  I’ve seen how you are in the office.  You like me, admit it.”

Shaking her head, tears started to fall.  “I don’t!  I’m married to Loki.  You know this.”  She tried to show him her giant engagement/wedding ring.  Instead, he grabbed the hand, using it to help pin her.  “If you really didn’t want me, then why haven’t you reported me?”  A spin chilling grin spread across his face.  Pulling her other hand up, he held both with one hand while the other started groping her.  The dam holding her tears back burst.  “Stop!”  This time, her voice was louder, hoping someone would hear.  It didn’t stop him.  In fact, he started kissing around her face as his hand wandered further down her body.  As he reached her nether region, he fondled her folds through her underwear.  “You know you want this, baby.”  Shaking her head, she cried loudly, continuing to protest.

Downstairs, Loki arrived back early, the meetings having gone well.  He knew his wife would still be at the office and thought he’d stop in to offer her a ride home.  Not sure where she was assigned that day, he started towards his office.  While walking down one of the hallways, a terrifying sound interrupted him from his thoughts.  Someone was screaming for help.  Following the sound, it was coming from the supply closet.  Trying to open it, he found it was locked.  The screaming and crying inside continued.  Rather than demand the door be opened, he followed his instincts and kicked the door down, finding his wife being assaulted.  All he could see was red, ripping Steve away and punching him in the face.  He continued to kick him when the assaulter fell on the floor.  With the door now open, the sounds reached farther in the office, people running to see what was going on.  Two gentlemen who came had to pull Loki off of Steve before he killed him.  Another held Steve so that he couldn’t run.  Someone called the police and said they were on their way.  

Loki shrugged the two men off to check on Eva.  He moved gently so as to not scare or startle her.  “Darling, are you alright?  Did he hurt you?”  He scanned her to see any signs of injury and spotted the bruises showing up on her wrists and neck.  Just as he turned to take his rage out on her assaulter, the police arrived.  Steve was swiftly arrested, and the detectives took statements from both Loki and Eva.  Eva had a hard time trying to tell them, feeling so overwhelmed and broken that they called an ambulance for her.  Loki went with her to the hospital, holding her hand gently the entire time.

At the A&E, a female doctor was assigned to help her, to help minimize the trauma.  Loki refused to leave her side but looked away out of respect when they inspected her more delicate areas.  Thankfully there were no other injuries to be found.  Eva was given something to help her calm.  “This will help, but it will very likely make you fall asleep.”  True to their word, she was asleep a few minutes later.  They wrote a script for Xanax, advising Loki that she’ll likely need it over the next few days at least and released her to go home.  He was able to get the script filled at the hospital so that she wouldn’t be alone even for a few minutes in the car, feeling she was safer in the A&E while he got it done.

When they arrived home, she was still completely knackered from the sedative.  He didn’t want to leave her alone and laid her down in his bed rather than her own so he could be there should he have nightmares, or at least to be there whenever she woke up so she’d know she wasn’t alone.  When she awoke later that night, the first thing she saw was Loki and was flooded with relief.  Starting to cry again, he held her close, stroking her hair and telling her over and over that it’s okay, that he was right there and wouldn’t leave her alone.

From that night on, she spent more time sleeping in Loki’s bed, feeling safer with him so close, and her things slowly migrated into his room, not that he minded one bit, even making room in his closet and drawers for her.

Dividers by @jiyascepter

Taglist: @vbecker10 @eleniblue @msdjsg7 @lovingchoices14

Taglist is open!

[anazen333]

Being AuDHD means I have sensitivity when it comes to food. To the point where growing up I was considered (in a negative way) to be a picky eater. To the point where I was shamed and borderline traumatized for it.

I also grew up in a household that insisted that no food should go to waste. That meant tons of tiny portions being saved in the fridge (should also be noted that leftovers give me the ick for reasons I can’t articulate - and now I realize I have no obligation to do so). It also meant food that was bought on a whim would stay in the house for YEARS.

As an adult, it’s taken me quite a bit of time to realize that just because something was done a certain way in my parents house, does not mean that I, as a grown adult with her own home, have to do it that way as well.

Which means, if I went out of my way to treat myself to stuff from Trader Joe’s (which is quite a feat given where my nearest stores are located and the very poor parking situations each one has), and got a bunch of food there but ended up either getting an upset stomach from it or just not liking how it tasted, I am under no obligation to keep said food.

Did I end up wasting money on that trip? Yes. Did I end up wasting food because of it? Yes. But is it my obligation to keep said food in the house despite the fact that I’m the only person living there and will never eat it? No. And should I feel guilty for throwing it away? Maybe a little? But only for a few minutes. Because it’s certainly not something I should lose sleep over. Of all the moral conundrums going on in my life, this one should not be causing me anxiety, especially when I have so many other things I get to be anxious about.

Part of my ND healing journey is about learning to be kinder to myself, because I’ve spent my life trying to be accommodating to people’s perspective on how I should live MY LIFE.

I’ve been made to feel that MY WANTS, MY NEEDS, are not correct and thus not acceptable. That I shouldn’t be allowed to listen to my body and make decisions based on what it tells me, even if those choices seem wrong to someone else.

My life, my rules.

And as long as I’m not putting myself or someone else in danger, people should just accept that and BACK OFF.

[deadmomjokes]

as a teacher, hearing about the way you communicate so clearly and thoroughly with your child is so inspiring. I wish more people had resources on how to communicate with kids like you do.

I'm very bad at taking compliments, so I'll just say "Thank you" and also qualify that she makes it pretty easy. She's very smart and has always, from day one basically, needed to know the reasons behind everything. In other circumstances, she would probably be called "stubborn" or "defiant." But the thing is, I remember my own "stubbornness" growing up, and it was almost always the result of me not understanding why things were the way they were. From a young age, I hated with a burning passion the "Because I said so" thing. So I determined that I didn't want to do that when/if I had kids of my own.

My daughter is very bright and curious and makes that easy for me. Her "why" phase was/is pretty specific, which is helpful in keeping ahead of the frustration-induced rage-meltdowns. (Not all of them, of course, because some concepts are really hard to grasp even as an adult, let alone when you're 4 years old and everything Feels Too Big.)

But I also made a conscious effort to start practicing early, before she could talk or push back on a lot of stuff. It felt so weird and silly at first, but I basically narrated everything I did with/around her, and put a reason for it. So a trip to the store sounded like this:

"We made it to the store to get our groceries, so we have yummy food to eat. Let's go inside and get a buggy--that's where we'll put all the things we get, because we can't carry them all in just our hands. I'm going to put you in the buggy, too, right here in this seat, that way you can see what's going on but I have both my hands to push the buggy and grab the things we need. Here, look, some bananas! Let's get some of those because you love to eat them. Oh, no, sorry baby, we can't eat them right now. This stuff isn't ours until we pay for it at the very end-- that's the part with the beep-beeper and the bags. When we get home we can have some of the bananas, because then they are our bananas." Etc, etc, on and on.

People looked at me like I was nuts. It felt a little nuts at times, especially before she could respond verbally. But it worked. It built a habit for me to give a reason for why I'm doing things, or making her do things. More importantly, I feel like, it made me stop and question when I didn't have a good reason for my answers or behaviors. Like if she comes up and asks to blow bubbles outside, and I go, "No baby, not right now," she can be like "why not?" And I have to look at myself and my reasoning. Is it because I'm actually busy or we're genuinely about to do something else that precludes the 5 minutes it'd take to do bubbles? Or is it because I just don't feel like it? It's not fair for "I don't feel like it" to supersede her desires for connection and entertainment all the time. (Sometimes you're just worn out and don't have the bandwidth for it, and that's valid. Parents are people too! But it can't be all the time, yk?) So if I don't have a good reason why not, I let her know that I thought about it more and changed my mind, and off we go to blow bubbles.

I also heard the advice, idk where or when, that you need to practice on your children what you want from them. So if I want my child to be kind, I have to be kind to her, in ways that she can see and appreciate. If I want her to know it's okay to change your mind, I have to point out when that happens for me, like in the above bubbles example. If I want her to be a decent human being who respects others, is empathetic, appreciates the efforts of others, speaks kindly, thinks about how her actions impact those around her, etc... You get the idea. It starts with me. And I try to consciously remind myself of that fact.

It's not always easy, because kids aren't always rational (but to be fair, neither are adults lol). And what is rational to a 4 year old is not always the same as what is rational to me, the adult with almost 3 decades of experience more than her. So sometimes it's like explaining to the wind why it ought to blow in a different direction. But the longer I get to know her, the more I'm able to pick up on the way she sees things, her personal defaults, the way she talks around concepts she's not sure about, etc. It's part of what's cool about getting to be her parent. I get such a close-up view of this little person becoming a little person, and it makes me stop and think about things I have taken for granted for a long time.

I'm rambling again, but I have developed a lot of Strong Feelings about the way kids are treated and looked at in general, and a lot of determination to do better for the kids I get the privilege of loving.

[lveclouds]

↬ paring/characters: model! kwon soonyoung x biology major reader, other members may be mentioned/make appearances 

↬ genre/aus: heavy fluff, minimal angst (like seriously you’ll blink and then it’s gone), slight college/university au, established relationship, song au, non idol au, long distance relationship 

↬ summary: in which, whenever you’re with soonyoung, time seems to stop in its tracks. 

↬ ratings(s): pg15, nc17 (see warnings)

↬ tw: heavy swearing, mentions of alcohol/mild consumption (reader and hoshi get a bit tipsy), mentions of school related stress (very brief), the members are quite literally reader’s support system in this fic <3, mentions/description of a past relationship/ex, mentions of cheating (not between hoshi and reader) 

↬ wc: 3k

↬ note: hello loves! so, like a lot of my fics lately, the idea for it was yet another spur of the moment thing. the title of this fic comes from the song ‘7pm’ by bss (ft. peder elias), which is such a cute and soft song and it honestly makes my heart warm anytime i listen to it <3 its an instant serotonin booster. this song is also perfect for a late night drive or when the sun is starting to set. i highly recommend listening to this song while reading this :) also this fic is incredibiy cheesy/clichè, you’ve been warned <3 

if anyone had told you that college was going to be easy, you would’ve laughed in their face. no, college was anything but easy, with an overwhelming amount of assignments, emails, and deadlines, it was enough for any person to go insane. though, you supposed it wasn’t all too bad, as you had a solid support system in the form of kwon soonyoung, your boyfriend of three years. 

and, when he wasn’t around, your support system came in the form of twelve loud and chaotic guys that you adored dearly. you’d met choi seungcheol, kim mingyu, vernon, joshua, jun, minghao, seungkwan, dokyeom, woozi, wonwoo, chan, and, jeonghan during freshman orientation, and had it hit off fairly quickly with them, bonding over your favorite movies and music. 

they were also fiercely protective of you, especially after some asshole you’d dated your sophomore year had cheated on you with some random girl he’d run into at a bar. they had all been beyond pissed when you’d showed up to their apartment, eyes red-rimmed from crying and tears staining your cheeks. 

“give me that asshole’s address right now, so i can beat the shit out of him.” seungcheol had raged, pacing around their living room, the vein on his neck prominent. mingyu was not much better, mumbling expletives under his breath, jaw clenched so tightly you’d thought it hurt. seungkwan, minghao, and jun offered to slash his tires. “we would love to see the look on his face when he finds out that the tires of that shitty car he drives got slashed.” 

the others had voiced their agreement, threatening to make your ex’s life a living hell due to the way he had treated you. as much as you were happy that your friends really,truly, cared about you, you wouldn’t be able to stomach it if they got hurt or injured for your sake. 

“i appreciate it, guys, i really do, but i would never be able to forgive myself if any of you idiots got arrested or hurt because of me. besides, that asshole can rot in hell for all i care.” after that, they had all given you the best group hug ever, and all thoughts of your pathetic ex vanished. 

soonyoung was an up and coming model, and was usually out of the country for weeks at a time, months, even. he was always traveling for a photoshoot or to attend a fashion show. but, on the rare times that he was home, he would always make sure to spend all of his time with you. “i’m almost never here, and being away from you physically hurts, so, on the off chance that i am home, i have to make every moment count.” he had said during a late night trip to the convenience store. 

of course, you always missed sooyoung whenever he wasn’t around, but college and your friends kept you busy and distracted. for instance, wonwoo would take you to a local bookstore and you would bond over a love of classics and romance novels, spending hours upon hours browsing their selection. seungkwan, chan, and jeonghan would treat you to korean barbeque after a long day of classes, and, if you weren’t too exhausted, a karaoke session was never too far behind. 

your friends were always there to comfort and distract you whenever soonyoung was gone, and for that, you were forever grateful. wallowing and sulking around in your dorm room was something that your boyfriend would highly disapprove of. thus, you tried to always go out and keep yourself occupied, even if it was something as simple as buying groceries. 

this time, though, soonyoung was finally home for more than a few weeks, and you were over the moon. college became even more bearable, knowing that he wasn’t in some foreign country, a million miles away. your classes ran until late in the evening at times, and you would always tell soonyoung not to wait up for you if he was tired, but he always did. 

this evening had been no exception. your lab class had ran late yet again, and by the time you stumbled tiredly out of the science building, you were about ready to collapse. soonyoung had been waiting for you outside, resplendent even in a loose, white button down thrown over a black shirt, loose, light blue jeans, and black sneakers, raven hair adorably mussed. 

“hi love!” he had said in lieu of greeting, amber eyes practically lighting up. immediately, any exhaustation you had melted away, replaced with renewed energy. soonyoung had that effect on you, you supposed. “hi.” you murmured softly, heart warming as he took you into his arms, wrapping his strong arms around you, pulling you flush against his body. 

you had all but melted into the warmth and solidness of him, breathing in his cedar and musk scent that was almost comforting. you felt him press a soft kiss into your hair, and you let out a sigh of content, burying your face in the crook of his shoulder. “long day?” you nodded. “mmm, my lab class ran late again.” 

“i know you’re exhausted, and the last thing you probably want to do is to be out right now, but i was thinking we could go for a walk along the han river? we don’t have to if you you’re not up for it, just say the word and we’ll go to your dorm, no questions asked.” your heart warmed at this, soonyoung always took your feelings into consideration, which was something your past partner had never done. 

you shook your head. “i was exhausted at first, but honestly, the last thing i want to do is go back to my dorm.” soonyoung pulled back, but kept his arms around you, concern furrowing his brow. “are you sure?” he asked gently. “i’m sure. besides, a late night walk with you sounds romantic.” at that, your boyfriend rolled his eyes fondly. “of course it does.”

and so here you were, walking hand in hand with soonyoung, admiring how the moonlight cast silver shadows onto the smooth surface of the han river, letting the cool night breeze wash over you. it was peaceful and serene, even with the faint rumbles of car engines and light chatter filling the air. 

the streelamps cast golden shadows onto the smooth, concrete surface of the bridge you were walking on, adding even more to the tranquil atmosphere. a comfortable silence settled around you, and any feelings of stress or exhaustation you had had earlier completely vanished. they always seemed to, at least, whenever you were with soonyoung. 

“how have you been?” he asked after a while, the pad of his thumb making gentle circles on the back of your hand. “i’m doing okay, jeonghan and the others have been keeping me company when i’m not drowning in my coursework.” you joked, and immediately regretted it upon seeing the frown marring your boyfriend’s features. “i’m fine, love, i promise.” you reassured him, leaning up to press a soft kiss on his cheek, which lessened the tension in his shoulders a bit. “are you eating enough? are you taking care of yourself while i’m gone?” 

your heart ached at how worried he sounded. “i am, i promise, love. mingyu made me three weeks worth of food yesterday and dropped it off, insisting that he would never let a friend of his starve.” at that, soonyoung’s expression softened, the corner of his mouth curved into a small smile. “sounds like him.”

“are you sure you’re okay, though?” you nodded. “positive.” sooyoung exhaled softly, the sound more resigned than anything. “ok, i trust you, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” “i know.” your boyfriend smiled, a real one this time, eyes crinkling at the corners. “good.” 

as you continued your walk, soonyoung chatted excitedly about the various cities he’d visited while modeling, even pulling out his phone at times to show you pictures of gorgeous landscapes and architecture, amber eyes lighting up like a kid at a candy store, the sight incredibly endearing. 

the late evening air was cool and crisp, a gentle gust of wind whispering through the trees and lifting your hair, brushing at your cheeks. these were the moments with soonyoung that you treasured the most, when it was just you and him, and you could forget about all the stress and worries in your life. 

and, as clichè as it was, time seemed to stand still whenever you were with soonyoung, and you could just focus on being with him, and nothing else mattered. “seungcheol hyung’s been telling me that one of your professors is giving you a hard time.” soonyoung was saying, snapping you out of your trance. 

you silently vowed to strangle your friend later for snitching. “he is, but it’s nothing i can’t handle.” the professor in question taught your biochem class, and was notorious for slamming his students with tight deadlines and hashed terrible grades out as if they were playing cards. your boyfriend chuckled softly, squeezing your hand gently. 

“ok, as long as you’re sure you don’t need me to beat his ass.” you snorted, nudging your boyfriend’s ribs gently with your elbow. “soonyoung, i love you, but you don’t have a violent bone in your body.” said male huffed. “i do.” “ok, ok, whatever helps you sleep at night.” 

he gave you a half-hearted glare, and you couldn’t help the amused laugh that spilled from your lips. “i appreciate you wanting to defend me, love, but we all know you wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “whatever.” he mumbled, bottom lip jutting out slightly in a pout, and you giggled, leaning in to press a gentle kiss onto his cheek. “it’s okay, i still love you regardless.” color rose to your boyfriend’s cheeks, staining them pink, and you fought the urge to coo at the sight. 

you and soonyoung made your way down the bridge, occasionally stopping to steal kisses and take photos, laughing at the goofy faces you made in some of them. you felt lighter than you had in weeks, glad to finally be able to let all your worries melt away, and just enjoy your boyfriend’s company. 

after a while, you finally admitted to your boyfriend that you were a bit hungry, as you hadn’t eaten since your lab started, which, as you expected, didn’t go over too well with him. “love, why didn’t you say anything earlier?” he asked, worry evident in his tone as he dragged you over to the nearest convenience store. 

“i-i didn’t want to bother you.” you mumbled, feeling tears prick the corner of your eyes. you hated making him worry and fuss over you, as it immediately made you feel guilty. suddenly, soonyoung stopped in his tracks, and before you could say anything else, you were wrapped in a warm and strong embrace, arms wrapping around your shoulders in a bear hug. 

you curled your arms around soonyoung’s back, pressing your hands into his shoulder blades, breathing in his familiar cedar and musk scent. soonyoung drew soothing circles on your back, and you felt him tuck your head underneath his chin. and, after weeks and weeks of bottling up your emotions, you finally let go, sobbing into the crook of soonyoung’s neck, clinging on to him like a lifeline. 

“i’m sorry,” you croaked, voice hoarse from crying, hastily wiping away your tears with the back of your hand. “i didn’t mean to ruin the mood.” your boyfriend scoffed, pulling back to look you in the eyes, but keeping his hands on your shoulders, his grip gentle but firm. “don’t apologize, love. and you didn’t ruin anything. i would rather you be honest with me than keep everything to yourself. you’re never a burden to me, love. ever.” 

god, you really didn’t deserve this wonderful, selfless, and caring man, not for one second. you let out a hoarse laugh, heart warming as your boyfriend wiped away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb, amber eyes soft. “i don’t deserve you.” you whispered, and soonyoung shook his head. “it’s the other way around, love.”

“can we please go get food now? i’m starving.” he laughed, the light in his eyes returning. “of course, love.” minutes later, you sat on a park bench alongside your boyfriend, practically inhaling a bowl of delicious, spicy ramen, vegetable kimbap, and downing a can of your favorite beer. the skyscrapers looked like tiny, glittering beacons of light from where you sat, casting shadows onto the tranquil surface of the river. 

“i’m glad we did this.” you said through a mouthful of kimbap, and soonyoung gave a noncommittal grunt in agreement, downing the rest of his beer, cheeks slightly flushed red. “thank you for letting me take you here, i didn’t want to force you, especially since you looked so drained from your lab today.” 

“you didn’t force me at all. besides, this is a nice distraction from all of the coursework waiting for me.” you murmured, finishing off the rest of your kimbap, wiping your mouth with a napkin. “oh,” soonyoung said, worry marring his features, “did you have something due tonight?” you shook your head, giving your boyfriend what you hoped was a reassuring smile. “no, don’t worry, the assignment’s due tomorrow. so, it can wait.” 

soonyoung’s shoulders relaxed a bit. “ok, good.” you let out a soft sigh of content, downing the rest of your beer and throwing it into the trash can next to you. then, you scooted closer to your boyfriend, who immediately wrapped an arm around your shoulders, and you smiled, resting your head on his broad shoulder. 

a comfortable silence settled over you, and you closed your eyes, a wave of peace washing over you. “going to close my eyes, just for a few minutes.” you mumbled, speech slurring a bit, and were vaguely aware of a pair of lips on your forehead before sleep took over. 

when you woke up, you were in a large, cozy bed, wrapped up in the warm, white sheets. the moonlight streamed in through the massive windows, bathing the room in silver. soonyoung was passed out next to you, chest rising up and down peacefully, dark hair adorably mussed, an arm wrapped securely around your waist. 

you smiled, and shifted so you were facing him, reaching out and brushing stray strands of hair from his forehead, causing him to stir a bit, eyes blinking open slowly. “love?” he whispered, voice heavy with sleep, and you leaned in to press a soft kiss to his mouth. “did i wake you?” 

soonyoung shook his head, and you smiled, snuggling deeper into him, burying your face in the soft cotton of his shirt, letting out a content sigh. “you know, i’ve never actually said this, but, time seems to stop whenever i’m with you.” you mumbled into his shirt, glad for the darkness of the room so he couldn’t see the blush forming on your face. 

soonyoung chuckled, carding a hand through your hair gently. “you’re so cute, so adorable.” he cooed, and you swatted at his chest playfully. “s-shut up.” “forget what i said.” “no can do love, once it’s out in the world, you can’t take it back. “if you tell mingyu or any of my friends about this, i will skin you alive.” “noted.” 

“c-can you sing me to sleep? i know that’s really cheesy, but-” “of course love, anything.” soonyoung said immediately, cutting you off abruptly. “any particular one in mind?” “no, surprise me.” you all but melted in your boyfriend’s arms, relishing in the warmth and familiarity of him, his comforting scent wrapping around you. 

a beat of silence, a deep breath, and then soonyoung began to sing. “meet on han river at 7pm, you and i must meet before the moon comes, our answer is right in front of our eyes. After a long, long, day, the two of us meet. one drink for a day tired of jokes, the night comes too soon. stop the time, be here with me.” his voice was soft yet melodic, and you allowed yourself a content smile before drifting off, letting your boyfriend’s soothing voice lull you to sleep. 

a/n: god im so lonely :’) anyways yeah that was the cheesiest shit i’ve ever written, i hope you guys liked it lmao <3 i just felt like writing something soft and cute you know :(( like yeah where can i get a hoshi pls and thank you <3 but in all seriousness, though, i hope this fic brings you some sort of comfort and makes you smile! this was also my first hoshi fic :) 

tagging: @skyjoong​ , @playmetheclassics​, @hong-jisoo​ , @taeyo95​ , @shuadotcom​ + anyone else who wants to read this <3 ! 

[cuddlepilefics]

SKZ Season Greetings - 3

First Snow

Considering how contagious this cold seemed to be if it could take out so many people in such a short time, Chan made sure the members all wore masks when they returned to check on their sick friends. He doubted the masks would actually keep them from falling ill but it was worth a try despite the congestion already having settled at the back of his sinuses. Minho too had been clearing his throat a lot during the last hour of their adjusted schedule, so Chan didn't have much hope for the group to stay healthy. There was simply no way their immune systems were in any shape to fight off infections with how overworked and rundown they all were. "I really hope Innie finally managed to get some sleep", Minho mumbled, running a hand through his hair. He had been the one to stay up with Jeongin for most of the previous night but no matter how tired he was, the image of their maknae crying because he just wanted to sleep but felt too awful to kept haunting him. Giving the dancer a reassuring smile, Chan hummed: "I'm sure him and Changbin are resting well. Don't worry too much." It was hard not to worry though and Chan wasn't as sure as he wanted the dancer to believe, yet there was nothing they could do but wait till they got home.

Making sure his mask was properly covering the lower half of his face, Minho unlocked the door to his dorm and let the members in. They had contemplated to split up the dorms differently to avoid contagion but the only two members who hadn't been overly exposed yet were Hyunjin and Felix, so they decided to just cross their fingers and hope for the best. At least, some of the stress eased when they found both Changbin and Jeongin asleep on the couch, so they took turns showering. Hyunjin and Jisung went back to their dorm to shower and promised they'd take a trip to the store to stock up on sick supplies in case their friends' cold would spread. Jisung had been incredibly quiet all day, which Chan wasn't too concerned about. Frequently having their schedule overthrown and rearranged at the last minute put all of them on edge, so it was no wonder that the rapper had started to withdraw. Minho had gone straight to the kitchen, smiling when he realized there was soup on the stove. He hoped their friends had actually eaten something but he doubted it since the pot was almost filled to the brim.

When Chan joined Minho in the kitchen, he found the dancer staring intently at a spot on the wall, clearing his throat. Minho was tightly gripping a glass of water as he tried to rid himself of the irritation in his throat. "You good?", Chan asked softly after Minho sipped some of the water. The dancer nodded, his voice slightly scratchy when he replied: "Yeah, dunno why my throat's so dry all of a sudden." – "Well, you spent a lot of time with Innie last night. Wouldn't be surprised if you were coming down with the same thing", Chan hummed, giving the other a long look to determine if he looked unwell at all. Shrugging, Minho reminded: "So did Seungmin in the late afternoon and you and Jisung spent a lot of time with Changbin. Are you feeling alright?" – "Honestly?", the leader whispered, avoiding his dongsaeng's eyes, "I don't know. My head and sinuses hurt and I feel pretty rundown. The latter could just be our busy schedules but.... It might all just be me imagining things because I know how likely it is that we caught it, so unless I start running a fever I will convince myself it's all just in my head." – "I get what you mean", Minho sighed, finishing the rest of his water, "Guess all of us will have to take it easy for the time being and try not to freak out too much."

To keep himself from freaking out and reading into the sensations within his body too much, Minho busied himself with making dinner. Cooking was a little like therapy to him and now that he had some time on his hands, it was easy to lose himself in the task. A hearty meal would surely cheer his anxious dongsaengs up, besides, their bodies could all use the nutrients to hopefully stay healthy. Felix had joined him at some point after taking a shower, not wanting to stay alone and grateful that his hyung allowed him to help. Seungmin had showered too at this point and was in his room, while Chan had set up his laptop at the dining table to get some more work done. Minho's head shot up when he heard a door being shut with more force than would've been necessary. Glancing towards the living room, he saw Jeongin alone and luckily still asleep. No sooner than the bathroom door was shut behind him, Changbin broke into a painful cough. Yeah, no wonder the maknae's ribs felt sore if he's been coughing like this all night.

"I'll go check on him", Chan sighed worriedly, fetching the rapper a glass of water before making his way to the bathroom. The leader's heart ached when he saw the tears in his friend's eyes. Setting down the glass on the sink, Chan patted Changbin's back and hummed: "That doesn't sound good." – "Innie's worse", the younger choked out, wiping his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. He gratefully accepted a drink and after clearing his throat a few times, he was able to stop coughing. "How have you been? Did you read my text?", Chan asked quietly as he took a seat on the edge of the tub. Washing his hands, Changbin splashed some cold water on his fever-flushed face before taking a seat on the closed toilet lid. Holding his head in his hands, the rapper admitted: "Didn't know you texted me. Slept for most of the day after we turned on a movie. The coughing only really started now and I finally get what Innie meant when he told me his ribs ached. Gosh, that was exhausting."

After Chan had updated Changbin on their situation, he walked the rapper back to the living room, smiling when Jeongin woke up for a moment and reached out his arms. Slipping under the blanket, Changbin pulled the maknae into a hug and looked at Chan expectantly when the oldest felt their dongsaeng's forehead. Chan's grimace was enough for Changbin to know that Jeongin was still incredibly feverish and the blankets probably weren't helping with that but he had been so cold earlier.

Felix and Seungmin had already started to lay the table, while Minho finished up preparing dinner, glancing at the clock. A smile spread on his lips when the front door opened and Hyunjin and Jisung shuffled into the dorm. Kicking off their shoes, they shook the snow out of their hair before setting their shopping bags down. "Woah, it's snowing?!", Felix gasped, dashing over to the window to take a look outside. Blowing into his frozen hands to warm them up, Jisung smiled: "Yeah, it just started while we were on our way back. Got cold quickly after the sun went down." – "Go wash your hands, so we can get a hot meal into you", Minho instructed as he saw his dongsaengs shiver, "We can unpack those bags later."

Jeongin had woken up from the commotion and sleepily sat up, rubbing his face into the blanket. "Hey there", Changbin whispered, tightening his arms around the maknae, "You feeling a little better after your nap?" The younger only shrugged, looking around the dorm and realizing their friends were back. While Minho went to check on Jeongin, Chan and Seungmin plated the food and already started to serve it. That was also when Chan realized that they wouldn't have had to put on masks because they'd have to remove them for their meal anyway. Suppressing a sigh, Chan accepted that there wasn't much they could do and that he'd only be able to deny the increasing headache for so long.

Though Changbin and Jeongin loved Minho's cooking, they decided to have some of the soup Changbin had made earlier as their throats felt too swollen to swallow anything solid. At that point, Jisung softly spoke up, awkwardly requesting: "Could I have some of that soup too?" – "Are you okay, Hannie?", Minho frowned worriedly as the younger stared down at his hands. Not daring to look up, the rapper nodded and whispered: "My throat's just been a little irritated all day and I'm not really hungry anyway, so...." – "Hang on", Chan frowned as he got up to grab the other a bowl, "Is that why you've been so quiet today?" – "Yeah, talking hurts a bit, so I tried to keep it down", Jisung mumbled, picking at his nails. Placing a bowl of soup in front of the rapper, Chan smiled sadly: "You could've told us you weren't feeling well, you know." – "I thought my mind was making it up and it wasn't too bad", the younger breathed, "It only really started to hurt when I breathed the cold air on our way back." Gently, ruffling Jisung's hair, Chan went back to his seat and instructed. "Go to bed early, yeah? It'll be a quiet evening anyway, so try resting before you start feeling worse."

Changbin had taken Jisung along to watch a movie with him and Jeongin after they had confirmed that he was running a fever too. When the others had cleared the table, Minho caught Chan swallowing a pill and raised his eyebrow at the leader. "The headache's only getting worse", the oldest admitted, finishing the rest of his drink. Biting his lip, Minho hummed: "You said unless you develop a fever you'll convince yourself it's nothing. I think now would be a good time to take your temperature because I don't like that glassy look in your eyes. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you caught it too. You don't look good." He didn't want to remind the Aussie that he probably had the worst immune system out of all of them from how much he often overworked himself and he didn't have to. Closing his eyes, Chan rested his forehead against the kitchen cabinet and sighed: "I guess. What about you? Your voice sounds hoarse." – "Throat's a little irritated but that's about it for now", Minho shrugged, giving his only hyung a crooked smile, "Go take your temperature and get some rest. We'll be fine. Even if all of us catch it, which is not all that unlikely, we'll be fine. Don't think too much." The older nodded before composing himself to go and take his temperature.

As Chan stared at the reading on the thermometer, there was no denying it any longer. Hyunjin and Felix were unloading the shopping bags onto the dining table when the leader returned, a frown etched on his face. "What's wrong, hyung? You look frustrated", Hyunjin asked with a small pout. Biting his lip, Chan sighed. "I am frustrated. Frustrated because I'm sick." – "Aww, no", Felix hummed sympathetically, "Maybe you wanna go join the rest of our sickies. I think they're about to start a movie and you usually like Disney movies." The leader visibly perked up at that and padded over to the living room. Having overheard their conversation, Jisung already poured his hyung a cup of tea and patted the spot next to him, ready to share his blanket with the older.

Hyunjin just finished up restocking the medicine cabinet in the bathroom when Seungmin joined him, a bundle of laundry under his arm. He had gathered Jeongin's sweaty bedsheets and started a wash load while Minho put fresh sheets on Jeongin's bed. The dancer also used the opportunity to slip into his own room and change his clothes. He had started to feel a little cold, especially after watching half of the group cuddle up together under multiple blankets. Glancing out the window and watching the tiny snowflakes drift to the ground, Minho decided it was time to wear his Christmas sweater. Despite their circumstances, he smiled a little as he made his way back to the common area.

Hyunjin and Felix had put everything away and were discussing Christmas decorations when Minho joined them in the kitchen. Stirring a large pot of hot chocolate, Felix turned to the older and asked: "If we'll all be out off work, which doesn't seem so unlikely with how many are sick already, do you think we could decorate the dorm this year, hyung? We've been too busy last year but I'd love the holiday aesthetic. If it bothers anyone, I can limit decorations to only my room but I think it'd be a lot more fun if we did the whole dorm." – "I don't mind if you want to decorate the rest of the dorm too", Minho shrugged pulling up a chair, so he could sit down while he watched his dongsaengs. "Neither do I", Seungmin piped in, returning from the bathroom, "And I highly doubt Innie does. If he wasn't feeling so bad, he'd probably insist on helping you decorate." – "Maybe wait till tomorrow though", Minho hummed and pulled his legs up to his chest, his voice a little scratchy, "I think Jisung's already asleep and it won't take long till Chan's out too, so we should let them sleep and I think decorating is more fun if you listen to the right music." Felix could only agree, thinking back to the Christmas playlist he had compiled over the past few weeks.

With Hyunjin's help, the Aussie started to transfer the hot chocolate into cups. Hyunjin walked off to bring Chan, Changbin and Jeongin theirs so their leader wouldn't miss out due to being asleep like Jisung. Minho gratefully wrapped his hands around the warm cup when Felix handed it to him, the warmth making him sleepy in his seat. He really wanted to join his friends for some cuddles and he doubted he had anything to lose because he already felt like he was coming down with something but as long as he wasn't confirmed sick, he should be a good role model and not 'risk it' on purpose. Thanking Felix for the drink, Minho retreated to his room to huddle under his blanket, ready to go to sleep as soon as his cup was empty. Seungmin too headed to his own room and settled into bed early, telling his friends goodnight. Realizing that almost everyone was asleep or seconds away from falling asleep, Felix pulled Hyunjin along to his room and th pair got comfortable on the Aussie's bed. While they sipped their hot chocolate, they discussed how they'd decorate the dorm in the morning before dozing off in each other's embrace.

[newtthetranswriter]

The Best Birthday

(art credit goes to me, I drew this a while ago)

Word count: 2424

Paring: Akkun x Reader

Summary: He's used to his birthday being overshadowed, but this year it's all a trick to make it the best day yet.

Warnings: Nothing really, forgotten birthdays maybe? Let me know if there is anything I missed.

A/N: This was written very last minute as I was only made aware that Today is Akkun’s birthday like three days ago, and I only figured out a good idea last night for it. Not only is it Akkun’s birthday, but he just needs more love in general, so feel free to request more of him. Any ways enjoy and Remember to Hydrate or Diedrate

    Today is Akkun’s birthday, and I came up with a good idea on how to spend it. It may seem a little mean what I have planned, but I know he’s going to love it. 

     I woke up earlier than I normally would on a Saturday to start preparing for the plans. I had to text all our friends to make sure they remembered their parts in all of this. The basics of the plan was everyone act like it’s a normal day, no happy birthday texts, no asking for his plans, just pretend like it’s a normal day, when in reality while I’m dragging him around doing Christmas shopping, Takemichi and the others will be at our apartment setting up a surprise party.

     Before Akkun woke up, I made a small breakfast and a pot of coffee, which isn’t abnormal as we agreed when we moved in together who ever gets up first on the weekends makes breakfast. As I was setting the plates of French toast on the table, I was greeted by my loving red-headed boyfriend as he entered the kitchen.

     “Good morning, love, what’s on the agenda for today?” He asked, obviously wondering what I had planned for his birthday.

     I just shrugged in response, and pretended to think for a moment. “I was thinking we could go out and find a Christmas tree, maybe get some presents for the gang. We could even get some lunch. What do you think?” I asked, acting like I had no clue what the importance of today was. 

     Seeing his face drop slightly almost made me break, knowing for a lot of his childhood his birthday was either made to be about Christmas or completely forgotten in the flurry of the holidays, but I had to remind myself that this was all to give him the best birthday ever. “Okay, sounds good, maybe we can come home and watch a movie after?” He asked, quickly recovering from the disappointment of his birthday being ‘forgotten’.

     “Yeah, that’d be great.” I responded, trying not to break at how truly disappointed he sounded. We sat down and enjoyed the breakfast I made while talking about what we wanted to get everyone for Christmas. After cleaning up our dishes, we quickly got dressed and headed out for the day.

     While in the car on the way to the mall, Akkun kept checking his phone with a disappointed face. “Everything okay?” I asked as we pulled into the mall parking lot.

     “Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine.” He said with an obviously fake smile. I made eye contact trying to make sure we weren’t going too far with this plan, luckily even though there was disappointment I could still see hope. I held onto the hope that I could make it through this shopping trip without caving and telling him everything.

     Once in the mall, we went into many stores, grabbing a few things here and there we thought our friends would like. Getting everyone some little things, not wanting to go over board and save some money. After a few hours we stopped at the food court getting a quick lunch. Almost as soon as we sat down, Akkun was looking at his phone again, once again looking upset at the lack of birthday wishes.

     “Are you sure everything’s ok? Every time you check your phone, you get this disappointed look on your face. Did something happen to one of the guy’s or something?” I asked, still trying not to blow my cover.

     He quickly put his phone down and held my hand across the table. “Everything’s fine, I told you that earlier. I promise if there was anything bothering me, I would tell you right away.” He said with a genuine smile.

     I looked at him skeptically before responding. “If you’re sure, then okay. After we finish eating, let’s take this stuff out to the car and go look for a Christmas tree.” I said to him going back to eating.

     We had finished eating and had got all the Christmas presents into the car when my phone started ringing. Akkun looked at me confused, trying to see the caller ID on the phone as I picked it up, trying to hide who I was talking to. “Hello, what’s up?” I asked Takemichi, as he was the one to call me.

     He tried to keep his voice down so Akkun couldn’t hear him as he spoke. “Y/n everything is set up if you want to come back now, I can’t imagine it's easy doing this.” He told me, making me smile, knowing I could end the game sooner and stop Akkun’s suffering.

     “Yeah, we can do that, no problem. Thanks for letting me know.” I said hanging up the phone. I turned to a very confused Akkun as he sat in the passenger seat. “We’ll have to go find a tree another day, one of our neighbors flooded their apartment and the landlord wants us to make sure there’s no damage to our place.” I explained why we were changing plans, which is a total lie, but I digress. 

     He gave me a concerned look. “We can always go find a tree tomorrow, as long as everything is good back home.” He said, agreeing to finding the tree another day. I could also tell he was just ready to go home, even if he thought he was going to check for water damage that wasn’t even real.

     When we pulled into the parking lot of our apartment, we quickly got out of the car, ignoring the groceries. Making our way up to our apartment, I cuckold tell Akkun was suspicious when we were a couple doors down as there was no water in the hall or concerned neighbors being frantic about water damage. “What’s going on, Y/n? I thought you said a neighbor had flooded their apartment.” He asked as he stopped right outside our door. It was clear he figured something out.

     “Nothing's going on, I promise, just go inside and you’ll see.” I said, not wanting to give away the surprise. He raised his eyebrow at me, skeptical. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly opened the door. He was greeted by our friends yelling ‘Happy Birthday’ and he froze. Taking this as my cue, I wrapped my arms around his torso, resting my head on his shoulder. “See, nothing's going on, just a party for the best boyfriend ever.” I smiled up at him.

     After he got over his shock, he turned in my hold, placing a kiss to my lips. “Thank you.” He said in between kisses. 

     We were interrupted by Yamagishi yelling at us, “Hey, we’re here to stop making out in the doorway.” We pulled apart with a chuckle before joining the group sitting in our living room. “So Akkun, did we do a good job tricking you or what?” Yamagishi asked as we sat down.

     Shaking his head, Akkun rolled his eyes. “You guys really fooled me. I was beginning to think you all forgot.” He said, even though he was smiling at his friends, I could tell that it had truly hurt when he thought we had forgotten him.

     Squeezing his hand, I spoke up. “I’m sorry for tricking you, I know you’ve had a lot of shit birthdays. It was just the only way we could pull this off. There’s no way I could forget anything to do with you.” I smiled at him. He smiled back with a quiet thanks, before Takemichi interrupted all the current conversations with a question about cake. “We haven’t even eaten dinner, and you want cake?” I asked the man sitting across the room with messy hair.

     He just nodded in response, it seems his time spent around Mikey has produced a massive sweet tooth. Everyone just laughed at him before Yamamoto suggested we play some games first, receiving agreement from everyone.

    We then spent the afternoon playing Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros and a few other multiplayer switch games before order pizza for dinner. When the pizza arrived, we ate it while watching some Jujutsu Kaisen.

    “Okay now that dinner is done, let’s get presents out of the way before cake.” I suggested standing up from my spot next to Akkun. Everyone nodded before they moved to get what gifts they had brought. Once we all got back to the living room with our gifts the boys started to fight over who would give him gifts first, not wanting to deal with the bickering I spoke up. “Takemichi how about you start, and we’ll go around the room, ending with me.”

    Everyone seemed to agree, even with Yamagishi shouting that I wanted to go last, so I can one up everyone else’s gifts, earning an eye roll and glare from me. After people calmed down from laughing at Yamagishi’s comment, Takemichi gave Akkun his gift. It was a framed picture from our middle school days, specifically the night at Musashi Shrine after a Toman meeting when Akkun had worked up the nerve to finally ask me out. It was one of our best memories together, and it was clear from the look on Akkun’s face, he had no clue this picture existed.

    “When did you take this picture ‘Michi” Akkun asked looking at his friend. “I could've sworn no one was there when this happened.” He just received a cheeky smile from the black haired man.

    After he set aside the picture, he opened the next gift, this one being from Yamamoto. Pulling the gift from the bag, he was once again confused. It was a hoodie which isn’t that weird, but this one was from an amusement park we had gone to for our four-year anniversary, not just the same park but a special addition from the year we went. He looked from Yamamoto to me, utterly confused, why would Yamamoto get a keepsake from our fourth anniversary. Trying to deflect a little, Yamamoto spoke up, “I remember you guys saying you wanted to get that hoodie, but they were sold out, and I found it online so I figured why not.” He shrugged before motioning for the next person to give their gift.

   Each gift made him more confused as I just smiled to myself, glad it was all coming together. Every gift was a keepsake from different points in our relationship, a take-out menu from our first date, ticket stubs from a concert we went to, pictures taken of the two of us when we weren’t paying attention just being us. I could tell he was trying to figure out why our friends were giving him gifts that held some importance to the two of us. “While I do love all these gifts, but can I ask why are they all in relation to mine and Y/n’s relationship?” He asked, looking at a picture of us eating take-out using a box as a table when we first moved into our apartment together. 

    Our friends just shrugged and then looked at me. Knowing that everyone had giving him their gifts, I decided it was time to stand up. After standing, I pulled Akkun to stand with me in the middle of our living room, in front of all our friends. I held both his hands in front of me, and looked him in the eye before speaking.

    “Atsushi, I know today has been confusing. From everyone pretending to have forgotten your birthday, sorry again for that one, to all of our friends giving you different memories from our eight years together, but I promise there is a reason for all of it.” I watched his expression morph from confusion to surprise as spoke. “The truth is everything was part of my plan to make this special. If we made you think we forgot, I figured you wouldn’t expect this. Then the gifts were so we could take a small trip down memory lane with our friends, looking at the big and small events that lead me to make this decision. I know you have probably already figured out where I’m going with this, so I’ll cut to the chase.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out a small ring box. I opened it to reveal a simple ring with two small gems in the shape of a heart, one being turquoise and the other being amethyst, our birthstones. “Atsushi Sendo, would you do me the honor of marrying me?” I asked with a large smile on my face.

   I could see the utter shock on his face, it was obvious he never expected this to be the turn his birthday would take. “Of course, that’s a stupid question.” He said, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. Our moment was interrupted by the flash of a camera, we turned to see a smiling Hinata holding a camera up. She waved and whispered a small sorry, before she was interrupted by Yamagishi shouting again.

   “Congrats, can we eat cake now?” He asked. All he got in response was Akkun taking the ring out of the box before chucking said box at his friend’s head. Yamagishi tried to duck out the way leading to the box hitting Takemichi in the face. After which, chaos in sued throughout the apartment.

   Laughing at his friends, Akkun pulled me closer to his chest, as Takemichi started to chase Yamagishi through the living room. “Thank for this. It truly has been the best birthday I could ask for.” He placed a kiss to the top of my head. “Honestly, I don’t think I could ask for a better partner in this life, I mean, who else would be fine with two grown men running around their house because of a ring box.” He said with a chuckle.

   I rolled my eyes watching the two. “I’m not fine with it, I’ve just accepted it. Plus, if they stay distracted, more cake for us.” I said, turning to look in his eyes. He let out another laugh in response, before we nodded in silent agreement to try and get cake without our friends realizing.

   Eventually, Takemichi and Yamagishi calmed down when they realized we were eating cake. We all sat and enjoyed the cake before our guests left for the night, leaving us to enjoy the rest of our night. Basking in the joyful realization that we are now engaged after so many years together. Ready to start the next phase of our life.

[ecargmura]

My New Boss Is Goofy Episode 10 Review - Autumnal Short Stories

This episode is a bit different from the rest in that it’s more of a compilation of short stories compared to one whole episode. Fortunately, these little stories revolve around the theme of autumn. Basically, this episode is summarized as Momose and Shirosaki doing cute things in autumn, ft. Hakutou, Aoyama and Kinjou.

The first story is about Shirosaki and Momose meeting up during work and then an acorn hits Shirosaki’s shoulder. He thought Momose was calling him, but since the latter didn’t want to embarrass him, he told a white lie by saying he likes acorns. The segment ends with Shirosaki giving acorns to Momose and Kinjou giving Shirosaki a squirrel kigurumi. This is a cute way to start the episode.

The second story is just a cute halloween-themed episode where Shirosaki and Momose stumble upon a halloween festival while out for work. Shirosaki gets scared as usual. There’s an instance where Shirosaki tried going left, but went right and smooshed his cheek against Momose’s. After kids were telling them how to differentiate left and right, they bought them candy as thanks. Cute. It’s okay, Shirosaki; I get my left and rights mixed up at times too.

The third story is about Momose and Shirosaki out on a drive for work-related purposes. Momose was amazed by Shirosaki’s driving skills, but he’s still a goof as he tried getting out without removing the seatbelt. Afterwards, on their way back, they saw a vending machine that only took small bills. So, as Shirosaki went to the convenience store to ask for change, Momose reflects on the difference between Shirosaki and Kurono, his old boss. When Shirosaki comes back, he has a bag of beverages and snacks; unfortunately, Shirosaki forgot he was supposed to ask for change and paid everything with credit card. I get you Shirosaki; that happened to me too! At least, Momose likes driving with his boss now. The little flashback with Shirosaki making a mistake at his driving test was hilarious; I just hoped he got his license on his first try—I got mine on my first try and I still wonder how I did so to this day. There’s also a small segment where Aoyama and Kinjou are in a car together. Aoyama even has a Kumatte-chan GPS!

The fourth story is about Momose and Shirosaki working from home due to a mass infection at Minette. Hakutou’s wondering why they’re at home today. Shirosaki makes a big goof by trying to drink something with his mask on. Since they’re at home, Momose reassures he can take off his mask, which he does. Drinking something with the mask on was something I did once. I think the biggest highlight of this segment was the fact that Aoyama was telling the others that he isn’t wearing any pants underneath. Aoyama, TMI!

The fifth segment is about the two going on a day trip. They decided to buy a book to keep themselves occupied on the train. As a book lover myself, it’s nice see what sort of books they chose. Momose chose a poetry book that contains healing poems; I feel like it’s perfect for someone who needs some mental healing. Shirosaki chose a mystery book with a cat on the cover; I bet he picked it precisely because there’s a cat on the cover. It turns out that Shirosaki already figured out the culprit…because he bought and read the book before. It’s okay, Shirosaki! Having multiple copies of a book is normal for bookworms.

The sixth segment is about taking Hakutou to the vet. Is it just me or has Hakutou gotten bigger? He looks a bit bigger than he did in previous episodes, especially the part where Shirosaki picked him up. Also, the cat noises Hakutou makes are so cute! Props to Hiro Shimono for having such a cute voice! The part about the stethoscope was cute. Also, the taxi driver from Episode 6 has returned!

The seventh segment has the quartet go to an autumn festival. They reflect over what they did in festivals in their youth. Shirosaki had danced but went off course due to his goofiness. Aoyama tried goldfish scooping but they all swam away from him. Kinjou tried flirting with a girl; it turns out he was just being playful towards his mom. Momose had always been kind; when he got the yoyo, he gave it to his mom. The story moved Shirosaki. I think the most hilarious thing is that the habits of their childhood was still implemented onto their adult selves as they repeated the same things they did before, with Aoyama failing at goldfish scooping again, but is given a yoyo from Momose and then Shirosaki getting lost, so Kinjou gets him back by playfully hitting on him. All of their childhood selves were adorable.

The eighth segment has the main duo go to another company to earn a deal. Momose is nervous because he had gone to that company in the past but failed to get a contract; Kurono blamed him for that. Shirosaki sensed his nervousness, and then told him how he managed to overcome nervousness. In the past, he and Aoyama went to another company to negotiate a deal, but his nervousness got to him that Shirosaki accidentally spoke in an arrogant tone. Fortunately, Aoyama was able to do damage control by saying that Shirosaki speaks like a haughty queen when nervous. Despite his mistakes, they managed to get a deal. The story warms Momose’s heart and they actually got a deal! The part where they high-fived was so silly. Momose was trying to call a taxi but Momose mistook it for a celebrating and did a high-five. Haha, never change, Shirosaki.

The final segment is their day off where they legit go on a date. They go to various spots like a restaurant, then the park where they proceed to explore and even go on swan boats! They were talking about how couples who ride swan boats break up, but if they ride the boat with the eyebrows, they’d be together forever; guess who rides the boat with the eyebrows? I think the funniest part about this segment is at the post-credit scene where Shirosaki was like “Wait, we didn’t need to ride the boat with the eyebrows because we’re not a couple.” MM-HMM! SURE!

While this episode was different in terms of formatting, the vibes were still there. We’re now in the double digits when it comes to episode counts. There are only 12 episodes, meaning there are two more episodes left. I’m sad. What was your favorite segment of this episode? I liked the final segment where they went on a date!

[omegaremix]

Innersleeve Records, 2022

There was one more store on the list that I planned on going to. That was Innersleeve Records in Amagansett, located all the way out at the Eastern tip of Long Island. It’s the one trip I really had to prepare for. At 60 miles and 70 minutes to get there, Innersleeve- would be the furthermost locale of any stops I’d make this year. Out east is where the most scenic parts are - the farmland, the famed beaches, lighthouses, and resorts that partially define it and give Long Island its identity.

Innersleeve- was on the list of my last record-store victory tour (‘18). It was to be on my last stop between mid-July and the end of summer in the event that anyone could go with me, because I refused to go all by myself. So I asked all of my radio-station friends if they wanted to join but all I heard from them was deafening silence. I was also dealing with a personal collapse that rocked me like no other before it. Hence why I didn’t take the ride. But this year is a different one which didn’t deal me a bad river card or rolled snake eyes. Like the last, I had plenty of sizeable victories. I was finally going to give Innersleeve a chance I’ve been putting off, even if gas prices were at an all-time high.

It was the day I was going to head out there, a partially cloudy Thursday. I sat in front of the computer having a breakfast egg-bowl with bits of green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and bacon with a glass of orange juice. I popped in a cassette in the deck and let it run through to be digitized while auditioning my music finds for an upcoming radio show. I asked my friends on social media who visited Innersleeve- what they thought and told me it was a pretty good spot, but they also cautioned me that their prices were not cheap but reasonable. WUSB’s all-around good guy Evan told me that he nabbed some spaghetti western soundtracks and giallo for his mother-in-law. (Nice. I guess he was feeling Italian that day.) So, how ‘not cheap but reasonable’ are they, really? Why not visit their page and find out.

Here’s the daily record flip…oh, the fucking horror.

I saw the stickers on what they were selling and it didn’t look good for me. For example: a copy of Talk Talk’s The Party’s Over for $26.99. New records from Interpol, Soccer Mommy, Harry Styles, and King Diamond went for $25.00 to $35.00, some frightening more. Here’s an original pressing of Talking Heads’ '77 album going  for $40.00. The Doors R.S.D. (Record Store Day) sold for the same. A yellow vinyl version of The Smile’s A Light for Attracting Attention spun handsomely for $50.00.  Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper was asking for a whopping $60.00. Wow, seriously? Marie Antoinette would tell me to fuck right off and go choke on a cake.

I’d assume that being they’re located in the trendy uptight part of Long Island, that their selection was pretty straight. I saw nothing but pop, rock, common reggae, all-too-familiar indie artists, American standard jazz greats, and Rock & Roll Hall-Of-Famers. Maybe the occasional Amyl & The Sniffers record? Nothing daring, challenging, or defying to throw in the face of the power-move-making status quo in an uppity part of - wait, nevermind - they carried a copy of GG Allin’s Brutality And Bloodshed For All. That’ll scare all the socialites, Seinfeld, and the rich and powerful back into their bank-account vault homes in no time, eh? I had a laugh for five seconds before I resumed hate-watching their stock. It seemed like they didn’t even attempt to care in hiding their price tags while flipping through their new arrivals.

I remember when I went to Plainview’s Vinyl Bay 777. I looked around and experiencing the freshly-built interior felt like finding a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere. The excitement started to die slowly when I saw that all of their stock was priced three to four times what other stores were selling. They were big on condition and rarity. I only lasted 45 minutes before walking out with nothing and feeling ashamed of myself.

I’m more of quantity over quality. I can care less if the album in question is in tattered condition. As long as I have the physical product and can get it for less as possible then great. I can always stream it afterwards. I knew that -777 and Innersleeve were playing the vinyl revival game and were competing to see who can sell their stock for the highest price possible. They’ll have their case as to why they mark up their selection and even you’d agree it’d make sense. It doesn’t mean you’d want to go broke, and that’s if you were in my position.

That said, their selection didn’t excite me and reeling from sticker shock wasn’t helping, either. Along with the mania of high gas prices ($4.40 a gallon at the time of posting) and spending $893.00 in two days at Amityville’s High Fidelity, it wasn’t worth it. Instead, Innersleeve Records will be replaced by taking a ‘bonus’ trip to (Greenpoint) Brooklyn’s Captured Tracks. After that, I’ll declare my ‘22 Record Store Victory Tour over.

**********

TL;DR: Imagine if I was batting for the Yankees and I hit a zippy ground ball that rolled right to the Red Sox pitcher’s glove. He catches it right before I take my foot off the dirt and then throws it to his first baseman for the out. Now you know how I felt choosing to stay home instead of going to Innersleeve Records.

Innersleeve Records shopping list: no dice.

[alln64games]

Hey You, Pikachu!

JP release: 12th December 1998

NA release: 6th November 2000

PAL release: N/A

Developer: Ambrella

Publisher: Nintendo

N64 Magazine Score: 56%

Hey You, Pikachu! took almost two years to make it from Japan to the USA, and never came out in Europe. This was mainly due to the Voice Recognition Unit that came with the game – which is essentially a microphone were you could say words for Pikachu to understand.

This may sound like something trivial now, but it was very advanced with the times. That said, many people (especially adults, as the recognition was centred around a higher pitch) had issues with it. Using a modern microphone in an emulated version of the game seems to be a bit better, although I still had an issue with some words.

With Hey You, Pikachu getting fairly negative reviews, I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. For how much it cost when new, I can definitely see why, but the game reminds me a lot of more recent downloadable titles which are little stories with some gameplay.

Professor Oak gives you a device that helps you speak to a wild Pikachu, who you quickly befriend. You hold the Z button to speak, then your words will travel in a bubble to Pikachu. You have to grab his attention before you give him commands, and he’ll only understand certain words (which are highlighted in red).

At the start, the controls are quite basic. The camera is locked on Pikachu and you can move about relative to him. In the starting section, you can look after some Caterpies, explore a field, help Bulbasaur prepare a meal and do some fishing. You’ll wake up, meet Pikachu outside, go on an adventure and say buy to him.

On these adventures, Pikachu will ask about items, ask for advice on what to do with them and be very curious. After a while, you’ll be able to ask Pikachu to stay at home with you.

From this point on, you get to choose what to do, you can replay the stuff from the first chapter, or do a bunch of new activities, such as guiding a blindfolded Pikachu towards a pinata, finding lost Poliwags and watering some Oddish. If you do well enough at the pinata game then you’ll also gain access to an island for treasure hunting.

You also have a bit more freedom of movement and gain access to an inventory to store items, some are permanent items while others are sold at the end of the day. You can also play some little minigames, like tag or a name that Pokémon game on the N64 in your room.

Once you’ve done everything you need to here, the third chapter will start. You’ll be introduced to some new view modes: one which locks the camera onto Pikachu and another that lets you look up and down. Now Pikachu will understand what you’re pointing a as well, so you can give more specific instructions. The increase in control complexity was definitely a way to not introduce too much to kids at once, although, annoyingly, returning to older missions will remove these abilities.

The third chapter is mainly more difficult versions of what we’ve seen so far. A diglett will try to trip Pikachu up, a Haunter is roaming the lake and the Caterpies are much hungrier than before. The Caterpie mission was very difficult to begin with (you have to get Pikachu to thunderbolt trees), but I realised that I could get the food myself and help that way.

To progress you need to have performed certain tasks in the various missions, including fully completing the Caterpie ones. Professor Oak will ask you to send Pikachu on his own mission, and you’ll follow him in a cardboard box as you see him remember what you’ve taught him.

After this is done, there’s a surprisingly emotional ending (that also kind of makes Pokémon Trainers look bad).

Hey You, Pikachu is a cute little adventure. While the graphics are fairly low quality, Pikachu himself is extremely well animated and the Pokémon having their show voices is nice to hear in a game. The voice control was a novel idea at the time, but isn’t something people like using that much, due to how few games support voice control when it’s much easer to do now.

I really enjoyed my time with Pikachu, and it was a fun, short experience.

Trying to get Pika to drop the vegetable or keep it for the stew is a nightmare. On more than one occasion he eventually grabbed the right object, but, instead of obeying our ‘Okay, sure’ command, the little swing proceeded to munch on the veggie, swoon and keel over. The result – Pika no like you.

- Geraint Evans, N64 Magazine #50

Remake or Remaster?

A remaster would be really nice for this. Voice commands are much better now and this would suit being an eShop title. Perhaps they could give you full control form the start (at least in terms of movement), as it is more of a second nature now.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no official way to get Hey You, Pikachu.

[freakscircus]

i’m home!! i truly cannot believe i survived a month long research trip in havana. it was definitely a lot less scary than i thought it would be - most of the things i was anxious about didn’t end up happening and my spanish ended up being fine!

i stayed in vedado, which is a more residential neighborhood in havana away from old havana, which is what people picture when they think of the city (crumbling buildings, old cars, etc... vedado still has this but less so) and i am glad i did. but because of the gas crisis, i walked absolutely everywhere. i ended up walking two hours a day every day to get to the archives and back, but i’m glad i did this because it was good exercise and a great way to see the city. i especially loved havana central.

speaking spanish every day was very challenging... if there was a problem it had to be solved in spanish or it wouldn’t be solved at all. i only met one person who spoke english and i loved spending time with her because it would give my brain a break. i built a lot of professional and personal relationships in spanish though, which was unthinkable to me just a few months ago. my language skills are probably what i am the most proud of.

there was definitely quite a bit of culture shock at first... cuba is unlike anywhere in the world. because of the conditions laid out by the revolution but also because of the embargo. it felt like a bit of a wake up call around how naturalized western life feels to me. there aren’t any grocery stores and a lot of things are hard to find.... i searched everywhere for tampons for example (luckily i packed enough!!!) and i just could not find any. i know there are ways to get certain things, but if you are not a cuban it is tough to figure out.

research went well too! i mainly did research and once and a while would do some fun things on weekends like the cuban ballet or the art gallery. figuring out the archives was difficult - absolutely everything is analog. but once i got the hang of the system i spent most days reading documents and figuring out how to piece them into my dissertation. now that i’m back it is time to buckle down and write!! i am really proud of myself for making it through cuba and having a lovely and productive time, but it means that its time to transition into the end steps of this program which is a little intimidating.

and for anyone who is looking for advice on staying in cuba or getting to cuba as an american let me know!! i did a lot of research and learned a lot through the process... by the second week i really got used to the idiosyncrasies of cuban life, but without a ton of prep i would have felt very very lost 

[jacob-in-taiwan]

August 6 - Sicao Green Tunnel, Anping Tree House, Tainan Confucius Temple, and Hayashi Department Store

We had a lot of different places to go today, but despite that fact we didn’t actually get started until 1 in the afternoon. I spent my morning by joining some other people on a trip to a music store. I love to collect vinyl records, so I was interested in seeing what lps the store was going to have. They ended up having way more CDs than anything else, but it was still cool to look at what all they had. I ended up buying a Coldplay cd to give to my sister since its her favorite band. 

Eventually it was time to get on the bus and after a short drive we were at the Sicao Green Tunnel. Riding the boat down the tunnel reminded me so much of kayaking through Clam Bayou in Gulfport, Florida. Of course, this was much more stunning, but the vast amounts of mangroves and wildlife reminded me of the many mornings I’ve spent there. 

Our next stop was the Anping Tree House, which despite the name was not, in fact, a traditional tree house. Rather it was an old building that had been completely taken over by a tree and other wildlife. That combined with the rain created such a cool atmosphere to walk around. I really enjoyed the path that was built up above the building too.

Next on our speed run of tours was the Confucius Temple here in Tainan. It was really interesting to learn that it was the first Confucius temple in all of Taiwan. Additionally, it's also been dubbed as the first academy of Taiwan. We were able to walk around and check out the different rooms, one of which had a whole bunch of instruments. While we were walking around, Peter told us that this temple had a southern style. He asked us if we knew how to tell what was southern and what wasn’t, and since no one knew he told us it’s because northern style temples have much straighter and more rigid designs on the roof. 

The last stop of the day was the Hayashi Department Store. Peter pointed out that the reason the name Hayashi sounds a bit different from other building names in Taiwan is because it’s a Japanese name. I didn’t notice before he told us, but after he did I can’t believe I never realized. Inside the store was a whole bunch of interesting things, and although I was tempted I decided to try and save the rest of the cash I had. 

These final days of the trip I’ve been making sure to be extra mindful of everything I’ve been experiencing and learning. I want to take as much as I can back with me and hold onto it for the rest of my life. Today, the most impactful experience was just traveling around. I of course had a ton of fun with the group and singing karaoke on the bus, but I mean just physically going all around Tainan today. In the span of one afternoon we got to experience four different amazing things. In a couple of days I’ll be back home, and a week from now I’ll probably be in Gainesville. When I’m in either of those places, I won’t have these experiences anymore. Over these past four weeks I’ve learned so much not only about Taiwan, but the entire world. Today I just enjoyed being able to walk around the city and appreciate every detail and aspect of what it’s been like living in Taiwan. This trip has taught me about myself and what I want in life too. I hope one day I’ll be able to come back to Taiwan, as well as explore other parts of the world. I understand better now just how big and diverse it is, so I hope I can explore more soon.