#would THEY eat the food that employee prepared???

[austinbutlerslovers]

Mr. Butlers Babysitter

Label mature 18+

Summary

When you began working as a babysitter for Mr. Butler you were immediately taken by his wonderful children and his beautiful Malibu estate, he also paid handsomely. Having worked for celebrities on a referral based system you prided yourself on being professional and discreet for his family.

With Mr. Butler recently divorced having you help him with the children during their weekend visits from their mother was a godsend. After two months his daughter and son adored you to pieces never wanting you to leave. It seemed like a perfect fit.

One fateful evening Mr. Butler puts you in a highly compromising position. One that could ruin your reputation and your livelihood if word got out. You have two choices: Be exploited never to work in the inner circle as a high status celebrity babysitter again. or go along with his perverted plans.

🚨 Depraved Smut 🚨

corruption kink•dubcon•manipulation• humiliation• degradation •naivety •drug use•alchohol use•edging• fingering•coercive sex•condom use•orgasms•yandere

🫦co-writer/smut consultant @burnthheparaphilia

💝Not for my softies: Very corrupt perverted manipulative Austin

My first corruption smut 😭 no idea what I’m doing but was told I would be good at it. This one was pushed to the front of the request due to incessant demand.

There was a HUGE glitch for the delay I could not post it with the ask ☹️ it crashed so many times so I included them here

Mr. Butlers Babysitter

You were an excellent employee working for Mr. Butler as a babysitter of his two wonderful children. Though he preferred you call him Austin after working two months you still called him Mr. Butler to maintain the professionalism. He was a very famous actor in the early 2020’s. Now in his late thirties he was a full time producer.

He has a beautiful seven bedroom Malibu estate with every luxury perk you could think of. You enjoyed the cliffside drive seeing the ocean on your way to work there.

You would roll down the window and stick your hand out, feeling the ocean breeze hearing the seagulls as the waves crashed against the cliff walls.

You adored his two children Alisa and Daniel. Alisa was 8 years old and full of confidence. She was book smart and excelled in school never once asking for help with of her homework.

His son Daniel was 5 years old, always in imagination land. He was a very picky eater and sometimes you would have to pretend his favorite toy dinosaur would eat his food if he didn’t.

On this evening you and Austin were preparing pizza for the kids in his massive kitchen. He had his own personal brick oven designed to fit the space.

You grated mozzarella as he ladled the tomato sauce. As you sprinkled the cheese on the pizza dough your hands touched.

He smiled at you and replaced the ladle into the tomato sauce before standing behind you and placing his hands on yours showing you exactly how to spread it.

He instructs you gently speaking over your right shoulder “You know how Daniel is with his texture sensitivities if this cheese melts clumped together he won’t eat it” you giggle you totally understand. He slowly releases your hands and watches you work. He gives you a touch of approval on your shoulder before he gets back to ladling the sauce.

There was always a tension in the back of your mind with him. He was very attractive on an unnatural level.

His sandy blonde hair was always maintained in soft waves. His blue eyes had a depth and sincerity that if you stared too long you felt what it meant to get lost.

His jawline and face shape were squared and masculine and his plump lips accentuated his perfectly shaped nose. He was extremely handsome and though he was older he looked and acted so much younger.

Though you found him attractive you had set goals in mind: make money and advance your life. That kept you adamant to remain professional and you also felt so safe and highly valued working for him.

He paid you handsomely, had wonderful children and a beautiful home. You would never ruin this opportunity.

The four of you sat in the back yard that night to watch one of Mr. Butler favorite child hood movies. ‘The Good the Bad and the Ugly.’ It had become routine on Sunday to have movie night before the kids returned to their mothers for the week.

On the enormous hillside yard of his Malibu estate he had a large movie screen and a projector constructed. You all sat under a gazebo enjoying the warm breeze on a plush couch bed with a fire pit infront of it.

Beyond the movie screen you could see the twinkling lights of the city. You rested your head back enjoying the space, he had a very lovely home.

The kids grew restless after only 20 minutes of the slow paced movie but you were able to retrain their attention by asking them questions. “Is that cowboy a good one or a bad one?” you ask as Lee Van Cleefs scowling face took over the screen.

“A bad one!” Alisa yells quickly before her brother answers to prove how smart she is. Daniel’s little face saddens into a pout feeling like he lost. ”I think you’re right Alisa…” you say valuing her effort actually unsure which is the bad one.

You put your hand on Daniel’s little back and comfort him “Daniel look your turn is next! Is that cowboy a good cowboy or an ugly cowboy?” He studies Clint Eastwoods stern face “He looks like a mad cowboy ” he says with his cute voice growling and tiny teeth bared. You and Austin laugh at his adorableness.

“He does looks like a mad cowboy” Austin says assuring him. “Come here little guy sit on daddy’s lap” he motions for Daniel to come and easily picks him up “ah there we go” He says holding Daniel forward facing to watch the movie. He runs his hands through his son’s sandy blonde locks they look almost identical.

“Do you want to do nails? “ Alisa asks you excitedly out of the blue practically bouncing next to you on the couch bed. “Sure if it’s okay with your dad I know it’s getting late“ you admit checking your phone.

She looks to her dad “Plea-a-a-se can I go get my nail kit daddy!“ she pouts with her hands in a prayer. He can’t resist her. “You can get it but you have to be done in less than thirty minutes it’s almost your bed time” he say firmly.

Alisa squeals and you watch as she runs into the house.

Austin’s thumb caresses your shoulder to get your attention. “Look he’s out” he says pointing at little Daniel comfortably resting back in his arms. “Aw look at his little cute face, do you want me to take him up?” You ask gently to be helpful.

He motions his head “No you girls do nails and I’ll sit with him to watch the movie” you agree to the idea just as Alisa comes bounding out of the house with a hot pink nail box kit. She slams it on the flat stone edge of the fire pit.

Austin puts his finger to his lips with a stern face shushing her because Daniel is sleeping. “Sorry daddy” she says to him softly “ I got it “ she says out of breath holding up the kit to you.

She puts the plastic box of nail supplies on the couch bed next to you and pops it open. Pulling out a bottle of hot pink polish “Do my nails this color” she says demandingly but she’s a kid. “If you say please” you sweetly correct her “Please do my nails this color!” She asks with an impatience rising in her voice. You smile and extend your palm to her.

She places her small hand in yours as you brush the color on each of her nails. “and the stickers!” She says pulling out a roll.

You place a sticker of her choice on each nail. She looks them over excitedly “Do you like them?” You ask to make sure she’s a happy client. She jumps up and hugs you tightly around your neck.

The squeeze shocks you and you pat her shoulder tenderly to calm her “Okay honey I’m glad you like them “ you say pretending to sounds like you are being choked and it makes her giggle.

Austin realizes he was so invested in your encounter he wasn’t watching his movie and it’s already been more than thirty minutes. “Okay it’s definitely time to head up” he says carrying a sleeping Daniel as he clicks off all the electronics.

Alisa gathers her nail kit and holds your hand. You all head up stairs to put them in their rooms. Austin heads down the hall to Daniel’s and you head to Alisas.

She does everything on her own in her fully custom princess room. She brushes her teeth, washes, her face and puts on her pajamas before climbing into her canopy bed.

You click on her unicorn night light and click off the main room light ready to head out . “Can you talk to me until I fall asleep” she asks in her soft voice.

It’s a big request because you have classes in the morning and you are tired but you want to bond with her so you pull up a child size hot pink princess throne and sit next to her bed.

“What do you want to talk about hun?” You ask holding her smaller hand in yours and tracing your thumb over her freshly painted hot pink nails.

“Youre not going to leave are you?” She asks with her timid voice. You reassure her “I am going to go to my apartment and then I’ll come back and see you next weekend when your back from your moms” you smile warmly as you tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

Her face suddenly saddens “mommy wants you to make you go away” her eyes brim with tears and her lip pouts as it quivers.

“Aw honey“ you say as you pick her out of bed and place her on your lap. You pet her sandy brown hair and shush her. She begins sobbing against your chest. You pull her face back to look in her eyes. Her face is bright red with tears streaming by this point.

“Alisa honey …aw honey… sometimes people say things they don’t mean.” You wipe her tears. ”You know maybe your mommy is angry because I’m new in your life and she wants to make sure that I’m taking the very best care of you” you pinch her small chin. She still has a sad look in her eyes but she has stopped crying and is now sniffling.

“Mommy is mad because in daddy’s phone she found pictures of you.” she says through her sniffles as she finally starts calming down.

“What kind of pictures“ you ask patting her shoulders comfortingly“

“Like pictures when you bend over?” she admits not sure what it means.

Your face goes bright red not expecting her to say that “Well yes that’s ..um that’s not appropriate how did you find this out sweety ?”You ask out of pure curiosity. “I heard mommy talking to her boyfriend that daddy is a per-vert he takes lots of pictures when you bend over. What is a per-vert?” She asks with an innocent curiosity not knowing the word.

You sigh gaining more information than you ever wanted to know. “How about I tell you a bed time story?” You say to distract her and she nods smiling and snuggles in your arms. You begin to make up one about Princess Alisa and her hot pink unicorn that can fly to her castle in the clouds.

You are never one to pry into the affairs of your clients. You were a baby sitter for another celebrity couple, the Milanos, before his wife packed up and moved back to Italy with their triplets.

You received high recommendations from Mr. Milano to land the job with Mr. Butler due to your discretion and ability to always remain professional.

In the Milano mansion you witnessed several fights. Once Mr. Milano even backing out of his driveway drunk screaming at Mrs. Milano before he crashed into their courtyard fountain.

You took their sobbing triplets inside to avoid them having to watch their parents have another explosive outburst. You brought them to the their enormous playroom and turned on some kids follow along music until they were wiggling and dancing instead of crying.

A word about their issues never left your lips even when the paparazzi berated you with emails and bribes to be a source of information for the infamous impending Milano divorce splashed across every gossip site.

Even as you saw the exorbitant amounts being offered you knew your reputation would be diminished in the elite celebrity circle as a nanny and you’d be scrambling back to a form of lesser employment.

But as you cradled Alisa in your arms you realized this was a completely different scenario on top of the average celebrity family dramatics.

Your first divorced client may actually have a sexual interest in you.

As you finish your story you hold her close comforting her in silence. After a while her body begains to go slack. “I’m going to put you in bed now okay hun?” You say gently and she nods.

You place her in bed and pull her unicorn covers up to her chest. “Promise me you’ll come back”she asks in her sweet sleepy voice trying to keep her eyes open. You reassure her ”yes Alisa I’m coming back” you pet her hand. “Even if my daddy is a per-vert like mommy says?” she asks as your brows furrow at the complication.

“Alisa” Austin’s voice snaps from the doorway. You wonder how long he’s been there as you slightly panic. “You should’ve been asleep a long time ago now it’s very late and you have school in the morning next time I’m not going to let you stay up like this” he says sternly “I’m sorry daddy” Alisa says sleepily.

You interject “Mr. Butler… Austin, sorry it’s my fault the nails, the girl talk bed time story I guess we just got carried away.” You say smiling weakly looking at him with newfound eyes realizing he might have a little naughty photo collection of you in his phone.

He smiles to you “No you're fine I think she just gets really excited having you around I’m going to make sure she goes down. Just wait for me a minute downstairs.” He says as you cross paths. He sits on Alisa’s bedside as you leave the room.

You walk down the hall but slowly enough to listen in and pry. Their voices are muffled but you distinctly hear him in his softest sweetest voice ask her ”Now what were you silly girls talking about in here”

She loves her daddy you know she’s going to rat. You quickly make your way down the stairs through the living room and exit the front of the house.

You enter your car and hold the steering wheel wondering if he’s going to fire you now because his daughters spilled his little secret. “UGHhh!” You exclaim because he pays you four grand just to work weekends every month with the sweetest kids on the planet.

You’ve signed an NDA but that’s still an awkward topic to ignore especially being in close proximity with him, likely complications will arise. You’ll work for him one more weekend and ask him for a recommendation to another high status family.

You look up through the windshield to see Mr. Butler jogging out of his modern glass front estate down to your car. You roll down your window confused. “I thought you left” he says out of breath. “I told you to wait for me downstairs” he says as he reaches into his pocket. “For the overtime” he says handing you a small stack money. Your eyes light up as you accept it.

Counting through a thousand dollars you raise your brow as you look up at him. “Mr. Butler… there’s no way all of this is just for overtime.” He slicks his hand back through his hair looking around to other houses in the distance before he looks back to you with a grin “How about you come in tomorrow on your day off and you make it up to me” he says slyly.

You fold the stack in your hand and bring it to your purse. “Okay if that will make us even” you say matter of factly. He flashes you a charming smile “It’s a date then” he says stepping back from your car “And tomorrow call me Austin” he says as you pull out of the driveway of his estate.

You can’t quite put your finger on it but the whole interaction felt a little off. But maybe he was just nervous about what Alisa may have said to him.

If he needs your help with his sweet kids tomorrow you’re all for it. You turn up the music to play on your way home.

Make It Up to Me

The next day during your morning college course you receive a text from Austin. “Come by at 6:30pm house unlocked” you knit your brow in confusion. Usually you arrive at 10am to help with the kids then it dawns on you it’s a weekday his kids are in school and probably have extracurriculars after so you type in “okay”

After classes you go to the gym and work out for an hour of cardio. You like to stay fit as a baby sitter if a kid can out run you, your toast.

You take your usual Monday cycling class and leave covered in sweat. You shower and open your locker to realize because of the work schedule change you didn’t pack street clothing. You left your apartment wearing your work out gear. Now instead of heading home you’re driving to Malibu.

“Shit” you say finding only a clean pair of black yoga shorts and a sports bra in your locker. “great job “ you murmur to yourself “Wear the skimpiest out fit to your employers house after you find out he probably takes photos of your ass” you roll your eyes at your luck.

Your strait laced thoughts suddenly start to slip as you try to think of when he would take the inappropriate pictures.

There was a time he had you climb a ladder in his storage room to carry down hoolah hoops for the kids. Then proceeded to have you all compete in the living room to see who was the fastest.

You were of course and he readily filmed it as you laughed trying to keep the rhythm of your hips going. His kids had already dropped theirs to the floor and were fumbling and giggling so you stopped to help them.

There was another instance when he installed a boot camp playground for his son before his birthday. He wanted you to test it out with the kids. You guys balanced on beams climbed ropes and had to shimmy on your belly’s under ropes through a sand pit. The low angle he filmed as you crawled didn’t make sense then.

Once somehow Daniel’s nerf football was thrown up into his tree house and the ladder had not been repaired. The kids would be dropped off in an hour and Mr. Butler was adamant you retrieve Daniels nerf football.

He followed you to the yard down the hill to the garden infront of the large tree with the custom house built into its branches. He hoisted you up by cupping and pushing your ass to get you higher. You laughed at the embarrassing way you needed to be helped. You finally wiggled into the tree house, throwing the nerf foot ball down.

You sat on the ledge and Austin gestured you to jump down to him ”please catch me, I don’t have independent health coverage” you joked. “If I break your bones I’ll mend them come to me” he gestured.

You jumped off landing into his arms both falling back onto the grass. His pupils were huge as you stared down at him panting and smiling. You quickly stood up and offered him your hand.

You realize you will definitely have to keep your distance he’s already been trying you.

But you really need this job. It’s saving your life right now he is your highest paying client by far. Your bills are paid your gym membership is renewed and you actually have a savings account.

You begin to wonder if your next employer will treat you as well and pay as much. It’s highly doubtful

You know the kids will be there today and you can leave early with a made up excuse before they fall asleep. Even on weekends you can just plan to leave early every time and should be completely safe.

You search through your locker again trying to find anything to cover you from wearing just sports bra and shorts to his house. You find a zip up black long sleeve jacket to match.

But it’s all form fitting accentuating your ass by covering your top and leaving your legs exposed. You shake your head in annoyance, it will have to do. You don’t have time to head back to because you thrive on being punctual. You tie up your hair in a pony tail and leave the gym.

You drive the route to Mr. Butlers estate with the windows rolled down listing to music. You pull up to his place at around 6:30. You walk in to the grandios living room to find the estate empty. No Austin, no kids, no maid, not anyone.

You reach in your purse and take out your phone texting Mr. Butler. “Where is everyone?” It takes a moment but you see the little dots moving showing he’s typing back. “movie room”. You’ve never been down there before. To make sure it’s not a danger zone you text him back “kids with you?” You await his response there isn’t one.

After a moment he finds you in the living room and smiles as he sees you “It felt kind of weird texting you and were in the same house…” his voice trails off seeing what your wearing

You tug down your sleeve and clutch you purse closer to your body “Sorry it’s unprofessional of me I know but I’ve never been here during a weekday and I forgot to pack the extra clothing.“

He makes a hmm sound looking you over in amusement “You must work out a lot to have legs like that” he compliments and your face flushes. “Don’t be shy about it” he says grinning as he walks by you to the kitchen.

He’s wearing sweats and a black tee but youve always eyed he’s in very good shape himself. He pulls a bottle of wine tucking it under his arm and pulls two Reidel glasses out. “Come watch a movie with me” he says innocently. “Mr. Butler..I mean Austin, with all do respect I can’t.” He eyes you mischievously. “You believe everything an eight year old tells you?” Your face flushes Alisa totally ratted to her daddy.

He has a knowing smile that you return because how did Mr. Butlers ex-wife even have access to his phone?

Maybe Alisa’s mom had it wrong, sometimes moms exaggerate to their kids to villainize daddy. Austin seems very kind.

He motions you to join him and this time you follow him down the stairs to the movie room. He pushes open the doors with his back and it opens to a theater space with five rows of black custom movie couches, it’s a small amphitheater.

“Holy fuck” you say before covering you mouth cursing infront of a client. Your previous clients the Milanos movie theater fails in comparison to this.

Along the back wall he has framed posters of every movie he’s starred in. You begin walking along and inspecting each one.

He approaches you from behind and hands you a glass of wine. “Oh thank you … but I’m not allowed to drink, well I’m legally not allowed to drink until next year .” you smile shyly as your face flushes. The way he stares at you in disbelief makes you feel awkward “You’ve never even had a drink?” He asks lowering his tone.

You tuck your hair behind your ear feeling the heat rising to your face as you try to explain.

“Well I was always honor roll and very goal oriented, not much time for friends. Then I got accepted to a great college on a scholarship. My room and board is paid by it so I really only have time to do my course work, workout ,and come to your house Mr. Butler. From what I can see, drinking kind of makes people wild and crazy and dumb anyway it never really interested me.”

He smiles “Well maybe they are drinking hard liquor this is wine, it’s not instant like a shot, it takes a while to build in your system“

You pry more “if hard liquor makes you crazy, what does wine feel like?” You ask intrigued.

“Mmm like a really mellow mood, no more stress no more anxiety you can just be yourself.” He smiles.

You mull it over staring into the red liquid, thinking about how anxious you are waiting for his kids to get here already. Maybe just a glass. You lift it to sip and he gestures you not to.

“This is a nice bottle when you drink you have to cheers to something.” He proclaims.

“Oh..” you say not familiar with drinking customs. Your mind draws a blank. His eyes squint for a minute until he catches a thought “To a great working relationship” he says and it makes you smile and cheers him clinking glasses then taking a drink. He rests his glass down “You really are phenomenal the kids adore you by the way”. He admits.

You both look over at his Elvis movie poster you have been standing in front of. “You ever seen this?” He asks because of your age. “No I haven’t are you good in it?” He nearly snorts his wine as he takes a sip. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I almost won an Oscar” He exclaims profoundly. ”That’s what we’re gonna watch then” he says leaving you to set everything up in the theater.

He sits center mid row and you sit next to him on the black custom theater couch putting your purse on the table rest of your seat.

You wait as he finds the film in his catalogue with his universal remote then dims the lights. The theater is completely dark and silent.

He refills your wine glass as the credits start. It’s a very haunting Elvis melody. Followed by a montage of him dressed as Elvis. Finally you see him “Wow you look so different with black hair, you say but the theater has surround sound speakers.

He can’t quite hear you so he turns the volume down. You begin divulging too much feeling a bit dizzy ”Oh Mr. Butler no I don’t want to ruin the movie you don’t have to turn it down I was just saying you look so different with black hair it really brings out your eyes. You have very pretty blue eyes” you say staring at him a little too long in the dim lighting.

You wonder why you are suddenly turned on and shake the thought from your head. He listens to your tipsy rambling and smirks refilling your glass. “I’ve seen this movie over a dozen times I’d rather hear you talk honestly” he admits glancing over at you affectionately.

The movie continues to play at a lower volume the bright flashing colors and lights are a dizzying spectacle to your eyes.

Him wearing green, him wearing pink, him jiggling his dick on the screen. “Wait what?” You exclaim. As you sit up he laughs. “I swear I just saw! Oh!! You did it again” you rest back in your chair wondering why you are becoming wet.

The movie continues and you are fully invested in every word he says. His southern drawl is resonating in your ears.

He pours you a glass one more time as the Trouble scene comes on smiling to himself. When the scene shows him on stage you are already labored breathing because he looks so good in eyeliner. As he begins to sing and then dance on the sceeen you audibly gasp.

Why is it so sexual isn’t this the 50s? You watch as he kneels and rises from the floor as women in the audience on screen reach for his cock“ holy fuck “ you say out loud as you pant heavily.

You wonder if he can really do that… inside of you. You squirm in your seat too heavily aroused “Fuck Mr. Butler.. I mean Austin” you say a little slurred and he pauses the movie on the scene when he’s in the cop car.

“Mr.B- -Austin I didn’t eat and I worked out and I had the wine and now I feel really weird…oh god!” you exclaim standing up from the couch “The kids what time is it!”

He stands with you and watches as you try to steady your balance. “The kids aren’t coming” he admits. “What?!” You exclaim louder than you intended trying to focus your eyes feeling like they are vibrating.

“The kids aren’t coming because it’s a week day” he says looking at you as if you got the plans wrong.

You go over in your mind how he handed you the money and you try to remember his exact words ‘Come on your day off and make it up to me’ you realize he wants you to make it up sexually. You take a step back “Oh god Mr. Butler” —-“ Austin” he interjects

You take another step back “Mr. Austin I can’t - - ” he cuts you off again “just -Austin” he says.

Your back hits the wall behind you in a pathetic attempt to avoid his alluring aura. He places his hands to the wall on either side of your head cornering you and standing so closely you can smell his cologne.

“I tried luring you in so many ways but you were just so professional you never relaxed your guard around me. But I finally figured out how to loosen you up.” He says with a smile.

He stares into your eyes with a burning intensity wanting to watch your reaction as he admits it

“A pinch of ecstasy in a full glass of wine.” He smirks

“What!” You exclaim in shock that he’s already drugged you. He smiles “A good girl like you wouldn’t even know what was happening to her.” He confesses with an alluring smile.

He lowers his head next to your ear “Why do you think you’re having so much fun?” he whispers to you as a strange sensation falls over your body.

He smiles against your ear and hovers his mouth over your neck fanning your sensitive skin as he speaks "You didn't leave me another way to have you.....it’s a shame I had to make it this way." He says as he licks his tongue in a trail along your neck.

You go weak and cover with chills as he starts to kiss and suck your neck making your body begin to tingle all over especially between your legs. It suddenly makes sense why the movie colors were so vivid and you felt shocks to your core that made you wet every second he was on screen.

You have fallen in to his trap.

Your breathing increases and you weakly put your hands on his firm chest trying to stop him but it's in vain. You can't fight the effect he has over you. The wine and the ecstasy make you completely surrender his touch, you want more of him as he wants more of you.

He reaches his hand between your legs and presses his fingers against your pussy. It radiates pulses of pleasure throughout your entire body. A small moan escapes your lips. “Your fucking soaked “ he says looking at his wet fingertips.

You grab his hand placing it back to your aching pussy wanting him to touch you more you are craving it but he smirks.

He brings his hand up to your throat placing it gently there instead gazing directly into your eyes knowing he has complete control to pervert you to his wishes.

“I never took a good girl Ike you to be such a slut” he teases and you whimper. “Go on beg your boss to touch you like a slut“ he commands. You slowly muster up the words “please… touch me”

You feel his hard cock press across your thighs instead making your core clench

“Is that what you want?" He asks leaning in to suck onto your neck again. “Yes! Please Mr.Butler touch me” your desperate tone makes his cock harder.

"What did I tell you about my name?" He asks rubbing his hand against your pussy. His touch sends shocks of pleasure radiating through your body distracting you from saying his name. "A-Austin!!" you finally cry out.

"You’re so cock drunk you can't even form words" he says smiling in amusement as he kisses his way up your neck to your lips. He takes you into an erotic kiss gaining instant access to your wanting mouth. He glides his tongue in and twirls it against yours while devouring your lips. He pulls you from the wall back into the aisle and pushes you down on the couch breaking his kiss and making you lay flat.

He holds your legs up pulling the band of your shorts to peel them off of you with your panties, leaving you half naked.

He climbs on top of you settling between your legs. His eyes are full of lust as you see them roam your body. He slowly unzips your jacket exposing your body in your sports bra. "Fuck you look incredible" he says trailing his hand down your stomach.

His left hand hooks his thumb into your sports bra pulling it up enough to let your tits out of their confinement. He gets his phone out of his pocket and takes a photo with flash.

You turn away as it hurts your sensitive eyes. Any dignity you had left was shattered as soon as he took the compromising photo. “Please delete it Austin!” you beg him with your entire career on the line if he shows anyone."Delete it?” He smirks “No, I’m gonna use it blackmail you into doing whatever I desire, and if you deny me it’ll be posted anonymously so everyone will know what a slut you really are” he confesses. “Austin please I’ll do what ever you say please don’t post the photo” you beg him almost in tears the photo would ruin you.

He smiles and squeezes one of your full tits then the other. He tugs at your nipples making you gasp “Our little secret then” He says enamored, he finally has you at his mercy.

Suddenly you feel him slowly sink two of his fingers in your tight cunt. He starts to pump them in pulling against a hard ridge inside that makes your hips buck up ."Austin!" you moan out as he sends shock of pleasure all over your body.

Your core gets tighter as he continues to finger you massaging your tight walls. You are heavily panting feeling the release of so many endorphins firing at once from the ecstasy.

Austin notices the way your legs tremble as your walls flutter against his fingers you’re going to cum. He increases his pace enjoying his wet knuckles smacking against your folds as you moan.

"Austin please don't stop!" you plead as you start to climax. He places his other hand across your pelvis pressing down and using his thumb to circle your clit.

You are high pitched moaning with your core so tight it feels like it will snap “cum for me “he commands and you clutch his wrist feeling how he shoves his finger inside of you as your orgasm.

You deeply moan as sparks explode in your core and radiate through your body. He continues to finger you into aftershock until your back arch’s from the couch as you cry out for him . Then he slows to a stop.“ I know I know” he says cooing at you as he caresses your jaw. It was an intense orgasm you are panting and shivering trying to regain your breath. You rest your head back on the couch in a daze.

The ecstasy in your system has increased your arousal to its peak you have lost all control over your body.

You watch Austin pull a condom from his pocket and tear it open. He reaches in the band of his sweats and releases his thick cock. "oh god..." you say in a shock because he is so well endowed

"Such a slut for letting your new boss fuck you like this" He says as he smiles at you. He presses the condom to the head of his cock and carefully rolls it down his shaft. He sees you eyeing his every movement. "Just a condom on the first time. In the application you sent in it said you are not on birth control, but we’re gonna fix that" he confesses.

Your eyes widen in shock as you whimper. You gave up so much information on your hiring form most that didn’t even pertain to the job. He knows: What college you go to, where your parents live, all of your social media handles, even your time of the month, among so many other things. He has it all thought out and trapped you officially.

“When Mr. Milano referred you to me, I was shocked he’d ever give you up , but with his divorce… no more kids no more babysitter.” He smiles “You were the hottest thing I’d ever seen. The picture he sent of you innocently smiling in your tennis outfit at his house.I pleasured myself to your photo right there at my bathroom sink.” He gazes lustfully between your legs “and now I finally get to try your sweet pussy”

You let out a moan as he settles between your legs and parts your thighs wider. He rests his chest to yours and aims his cock for your entrance. As he penetrates you grip his shoulders and cry out from the piercing of his size.

"MMm my good girl taking my cock so well..-fuck-..your so tight" he says as you gasp for air feeling the stretch. He slowly makes you take every inch of him until it’s too painful "it’s too much A-austin! Too m-much!!" you plead as your eyes well with tears and your nails dig into his shoulders.

You don't think you can handle it as you start to feel how big his cock is. "Be a good girl and take it all for me" he says as he trusts himself deep sinking in all the way to your core. Your back arcs but no sound escapes your throat from the pain as the ecstasy amplifies it.

He works into you your stunned body at a gentle pace “Don’t worry pretty girl…the pain will subside … and you will like it "he reassures you and plants kisses on your neck to distract you as he thrusts into you stretching your tight walls. After a moment his words are true the pain transforms into pleasure and he hears your sweet moans in his ears.

He puts his left hand on your hip increasing his thrusts pushing his deepest to hit your cervix. He turns your head exposing the other side of your neck to kiss and suck your most vulnerable spot creating a bruise.

He pins your hands above your head and tilts his hips thrusting at a deeper angle and increasing your moans. His hips begin smacking into yours as you cry out on each one of his thrusts.“ Austin I’m so closel” you admit in passion.“Gonna make you cum with me” he breaths. He increases his speed until he’s wracking your body with his plows. “I’m gonna cum!” You yell making his cock twitch. He groans as he pumps you full of his seed. He grips your shoulders for leverage and pushes even deeper. You both moan in unison as you orgasm.

He finishes panting heavily above you staring into your eyes. He is thoroughly satisfied and already wants to feel every ridge of your walls without a condom.

You look back up at him as you regain your breath, it was the best sex you ever had. “I’m gonna pull out now” he says and you nod as he slides his shaft back until his cock head slips out. You both moan from the loss of contact. He slowly stands from the couch and pulls the condom off of his cock until it snaps. He fixes his sweats and discards the condom in a lined bin.

You quickly find your panties and your shorts and pull them back on then you stand and zip up your sports jacket. Austin raises the lights to brighten the room as he turns all the other settings in the movie theater off with his universal remote. “Earlier when you mentioned you didn’t eat I wanted to feed you. Can I feed you now” He asks over his shoulder.

You collect your purse. “No I think I’ll just go home.” You say nervously. He turns to look at you then.

��I want you to stay” he offers but you shy away “Austin I have classes in the morning I really wasn’t planning for …all of this”

He approaches you slowly tucking his finger under your chin. He sees in your eyes you are too drunk to even leave his estate.

He smirks knowing you’ll have to stay the night and he’s going to enjoy you again and again. He also has something he can give you that will always get his way with you.

“How much do I owe you for baby sitting me then” he asks slyly looking away to retrieve his phone. He opens the app to transfer money directly to your account. He leaves the number space blank as he hands it to you.

You look up at him knowing it was the best sex of your life but the way he corrupted the situation and controls you with it. You decide to go all in, typing in the number you want and handing it back to him. Double your monthly salary.

His eyes light up in amusement and he immediately hits send. You are well worth it. He wants you more and he quickly thinks of a way to get you to stay during the week.

Your phone alerts the transfer is complete and your stomach jumps in excitement looking at the amount in your banking app. He smiles seeing how happy you are.

As your eyes meet he gazes at you lustfully “For that amount you’ll have babysit me for the rest of the week then.” He admits.

End

To be continued due to high demand ♥️☺️🥀

Available now ♥️

[vanilladove]

~ valentines with the bsd men!

divider creds plutism

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ pairing: various bsd men x gn!reader [dazai, atsushi, ranpo, fukuzawa, nikolai, fyodor, sigma, bram, chuuya, akutagawa, oda, ango, jouno, tecchou]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ genre: fluffy headcanons (some crack hehe)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ content warnings: none! i also imagine all of them wearing suits🙈

~武装探偵社 armed detective agency

dazai osamu

planned out your valentines day date at work (got yelled at by kunikida)

buys you a nice outfit to match his suit and styles his hair like how it was in the dead apple movie o////o

after dinner, you both go on a moonlit walk around yokohama and stop by the bridge overlooking the river dazai asks you to commit a double suicide

you mostly enjoy each other's company in silence, and dazai just admires you (secretly taking pictures of you under the moonlight)

he whispers sweet nothings into your ear and you find yourselves at the Lupin bar

you both drink too much and show too much pda, giggling through the taxi ride home

you're awaited by a bed covered in rose petals, lingerie/boxers and more sake...🤭

atsushi nakajima

SUCH A FREAKING SWEETHEART

definitely didn't sleep at all the night before bc he was nervous about preparations (i'd like to think you're his first partner :3)

called akutagawa for help but he's also just as single...

ends up making you glitter roses (there's glitter all over his dorm now) and a valentines box filled with your favorite things ♡

he definitely has a cute speech for you about why he fell in love with you and how much he cares for you (one/both of you ends up in tears lol)

you guys end the night with a movie + lots of cuddles!

ranpo edogawa

valentines day is his second favorite holiday after halloween bc of all the candy + sweet treats associated with it

buys enough chocolate and snacks to feed yokohama (most of it is just for his secret snack collection...)

organizes a small at-home date where you both make chocolate-covered strawberries + heart-shaped treats

tried to prepare a romantic speech but it ended up being a 'why you're lucky to have me' speech...

gives you those cheesy 'i love you' candies + candy necklaces

you both get insane sugar crashes and don't even make it to dinner or the special valentines book scene he made poe write for you😔

fukuzawa yukichi

secretly very romantic

he takes you on a private picnic in a sakura tree field (it's literally perfect); you have bentos, plum sake, and daifuku. the cherry blossoms fall peacefully over you two ♡

would write a sweet poem/haiku for you and gift you a lavish yukata

you reminisce about the cute moments in your relationship and stay until sunset

you surprise him by taking him to a cat cafe on the way home hehe

~天人五衰 decay of angels

nikolai gogol

thinks the traditional valentines day norms (chocolate, roses, and dinner) are boring

takes you to an amusement park (bonus if it's valentines-themed) instead

drags you with him on every ride--hopefully, you don't have motion sickness or a fear of heights

you eat so much fair food, and he never misses the chance to lick powdered sugar or cotton candy off your lips

takes you to the games section and laughs at your failed attempts. once you're frustrated enough, he wins even though the games are rigged and gets you a giant stuffed animal

you get matching face tattoos and braided hairstyles (he ends up doing it himself bc he's better than the employees lol)

on the ferris wheel, you both share an intimate kiss and he pulls out some roses (they end up being the clown ones though and splashing water all over your face :0)

fyodor dostoyevsky

asked you to be his valentine with one of those cheesy coding things (iykyk)

plans a romantic tea date for you both with lots of russian treats

composes a piece for you and plays it on his cello (forces nikolai and sigma to provide instrumental support in the background)

spends most of his time talking with you, since he's usually always busy

buys a matching ushanka for you, along with european chocolates, and your favorite flowers

you end up falling asleep in his arms reading together

sigma

this is probably his first valentines day ever so he spent a lot of time on social media to find out what people usually get for their partners

definitely uses the sky casino's amenities to put on an extravagant display for you--dancers/live music, a fancy bubble bath with rose petals + candles, couple's massage

has an intimate dinner with you in his office with the sunset in the background

he gifts you lego flowers that you end up building together and gets flustered if you gave him a gift, too♡

bram stoker

GOTHIC VALENTINES!!!!

takes you to his castle and prepares a fancy royal dinner for you

plays instrumental music from his radio but he didn't pay for spotify premium so you awkwardly listen to ads every few songs...😔

gives you pretty jewelry and black roses encased in glass (beauty in the beast style!)

takes you to the balcony and you both have an intimate night chat, which draws some rare smiles and chuckles from him

softly hugs and kisses you, grateful for your warmth and company will suck your blood if you let him

~ポートマフィアport mafia

chuuya nakahara

the definition of a romantic bf...pls

first of all, you wake up with those gigantic boxes of roses that celebs always get, accompanied by a sweet handwritten letter and a custom outfit for the day

he then picks you up in his helicopter and flies you to a vineyard where you make your own wine and drink one he secretly made for you when you both started dating

at the vineyard, a PRIVATE CHEF cooks a fancy 5-course meal for you both to enjoy, and chuuya insists on feeding you the first bite

expect a lot of heartfelt, drunken speeches and passionate french kisses out of nowhere...

on the ride home, chuuya almost crashes the helicopter bc he's so drunk, but his ability saves you both hehe

he ballroom dances with you until you both fall asleep in each other's arms🥹

akutagawa ryunosuke

like atsushi and sigma, this is his first valentines. he asks chuuya for advice but thinks all his suggestions are corny

he ends up settling on making you some red baked goods with gin's help and dark chocolate candies

writes you love letters since he's secretly embarrassed to tell you outright how he feels

takes you on a beach date and lends you his coat if you're cold (he's secretly colder than you after he dips his feet in the water)

you hold hands and talk for a bit under the moonlight until he musters up the confidence to give you his letters and gifts

your happy reaction is worth it and makes him blush ^o^ he hugs you for a long time after you point it out, partly in embarrassment and partly because he loves you so much

chuuya and gin interrogate him about the date after he comes back lol

oda sakunosuke

picks you up from work with flowers, handmade chocolates, and a cute teddy bear

car makeout sesh before going home while you still have some time alone to yourselves

cooks your favorite meal for you and buys you your favorite alcohol

he and the kids bake + decorate a romantic cake for you (it's lowkey ugly but it's the thought that counts!!!) and decorate the house with heart balloons, cute drawings, and candles

you both eat with all the kiddos and sleep together on the same bed ♡

ango sakaguchi

almost forgot it was valentines day bc he was too absorbed in his work...his assistant had to remind him lol

takes you to a classic fancy dinner & buys you your favorite flowers

gifts you your favorite books and some sexy lingerie/boxers (his assistant probably snuck in some toys

your little date helps him relax for once and takes his stress away

gets clingy the next day and keeps trying to call/text you because he misses your presence (dazai and his coworkers tease him nonstop about it)

~猟犬 hunting dogs

jouno saigiku

guys why are there no valentines day cards for these mfs does no one like them or what

takes you to a secluded place away from his annoying coworkers the noisy city

cooks you dinner and gifts you gold jewelry (likely a matching rope bell earring) and some soft sweaters :)

you try to play some board and card games together, but he wins everytime because he can guess your next move based on your heartbeat and movements

after you give up, you both just end up cuddling, and he rambles about his recent missions and office stories

showers you with kisses and caresses; purposely teases your pulse points to get a reaction from you

although you give him gifts (i think he would really like noise-cancelling headphones), his favorite one is your praise. he can't stop blushing when you list off all the reasons you love him hehe

tecchou suehiro

tecchou would take you on a romantic cabin getaway!

you go on a cute couple's hike (it's supposed to be along a heart shaped trail)

he's kind of directionally challenged and gets lost along the way...

as an apology, he gives you the chocolates he bought for you (they melted from the heat though)

he eventually finds his way through the surrounding landscape and you find a secret waterfall connected to a beautiful lake

you both go swimming to cool off and end up laughing off the whole situation

when you get back to the cabin, you order takeout (do not let this man cook) and look through the pictures you took on your hike

he gifts you some plum blossoms he picked on the hike ♡

[yangfleurs]

stray kids reaction: they call you clingy

maknae line

pt.2

(hyung line pt.1 is here)

jisung

what you liked most about being with jisung was that it was never complicated with him. you two seemed to always be in tune with each other, knowing when to keep your distance and when to show your affectionate sides. but you knew jisung was an introvert, through and through, and there was nothing he loved more than his time alone. and so you left him to himself when he needed you to; you and him both knew it was good for couples to have their own lives and interests outside of each other.

it was one of those days with jisung, where he needed to spend some time with himself to recharge so he could be his best self at work the next day. you didn’t mind, obviously; you were a busy person yourself, and between school and work, there really wasn’t any time for you to let loose with jisung today anyway. 

you spent practically the entire morning after breakfast sat on the living room floor and glued to your laptop, fervently typing away on a paper you definitely should’ve started earlier. but if you pushed through it the whole day and only took a few short breaks, you were sure you’d be done by midnight. you were ready to take your first one of those planned breaks to make lunch and eat, but a wave of laziness washed over you. you didn’t feel like cooking at all, not after pouring your brain’s contents into your work for so long. you started convincing yourself you could work through your designated lunch break and just eat a big dinner when jisung came out of the bedroom, bundled up in his puffer jacket.

“I’m going to the convenience store.” he grumbled out, shuffling towards the door.

why didn’t you think of that? you could grab some cheap, prepared food to eat there, while also getting some fresh air on your skin and a little bit of time to spend with jisung. “let’s go together! I need to grab something to eat, too.” you said, rushing to your bedroom to grab your own jacket. you quickly scrambled through your closet, finding your own puffer, before heading back into the living room. when you came back out though, jisung was nowhere in sight. you figured he was just downstairs and hurried to throw on your shoes so he wouldn’t grow impatient waiting for you. if there was one thing jisung hated, it was waiting, you thought to yourself as you skittered down the stairs.

when you got out of your building, jisung was already walking towards the direction of the convenience store, clearly not waiting for you. you ran to catch up with him, a little embarrassed at how he left you behind.

“hey, why didn’t you wait? I literally only took two minutes.” you mumbled, a little bummed out by his attitude.

“I wanna get back to my show, y/n.” he said with an over-exaggerated sigh which made you roll your eyes. 

“you’re always so serious about your shows, it’s cute.” you giggled a little, leaning towards him and reaching for his hand. just as you were about to hold it, he briskly tucked his hand into his jacket pocket, keeping his eyes straight ahead and away from you. you coughed a little and turned your face the other direction to hide the humiliating red crawling up your neck and onto your face.

you arrived at the convenience store in complete silence, immediately going your separate ways to grab your food. you grabbed a triangle kimbap for lunch and then a ramen you could make quickly later in the night for dinner. you made yourself an iced coffee too, hoping some caffeine would help you focus in on your work and ignore the tension between you and your boyfriend. you found him already at the counter, putting his things down. you put your things down to the side of the counter so you could search for your wallet. you pat around your pants and then your jacket, but you don’t feel it anywhere on you.

“shit, shit, I forgot my wallet.” you groaned.

"we’re together.” he muttered, pushing your things with his and handing the employee his card. you thanked him quietly, hiding your smile by looking down. there was your jisung, considerate and always looking out for you. 

“you forgot your wallet on purpose, didn’t you? y/n, I know you’re on the clingier side, but don’t you think that’s too much?” he huffed as he waited for his card to go through, “I asked for literally one day on my own and you just had to follow me to the convenience store and then you just conveniently didn’t remember your wallet? seriously?” he rolled his eyes.

you were stunned, to say the least. the employee looked at you both awkwardly, coughing a little and turning away so she didn’t embarrass you. but it was too late for that; as he started to put the food in his bag, you yanked him by the arm to turn him to face you. he looked at you, completely bewildered at your aggression. you didn’t care, though---if he got to give you an earful, you should return the favor.

“who do you take me for, jisung? god forbid I forget my wallet while rushing out to catch up with my boyfriend who’s running away from me like I’m some sort of fucking plague,” you seethed, “I haven’t eaten in hours, jisung. I’ve been working my ass off, not once even trying to talk to you. I am not as obsessed with you as you’ve deluded yourself into thinking.” you spat, shoving your food into his arms. “and since you’re so concerned about the what, ten dollars, you had to spend on me? take the food. I just lost my appetite.”

you walked out of the convenience store and away from him in the opposite direction, so you could both hide the tears that you were bound to spill as well as to go anywhere but back to your shared apartment. 

you headed to your school, figuring you could finish your paper at the library there. you had already wasted so much time, and an all-nighter was soon going to be inevitable. you also knew you had a limited amount of energy left in you on an empty stomach, hearing it growl as you thought of your situation. you quietly groaned, sniffling as you trudged along. you’d kill to just have your boyfriend comfort you and support you through this grueling assignment, but instead, you were burning with humiliation at being berated by him in front of a complete stranger.

you walked slowly, counting your steps and hoping you’d hear jisung’s heavy footsteps running to catch up with you any moment now. but that moment never came, not even after you’d barely walked half a block in fifteen minutes. you had both, literally, parted ways. and it made you wonder if it symbolized something more than just a small argument.

felix

you were walking backstage to meet your boyfriend, felix, and his members to cheer them on for their final music bank performance of the season. this was a tradition for you; at the end of all of their final comeback performances, you would bring them as well as their staff a well-deserved, expensive meal to end the comeback strongly. it wasn’t burdensome for you; if anything, you were always thankful to them for taking care of felix and you wanted to express your gratitude through feeding them some delicious food. 

you walked in clumsily, stumbling a little as the boys’s manager let you past security. you greeted him politely, handing him the food that was meant for him and the staff. you greeted the staff as well, bowing deeply at all of them like you always did; you knew they were practically family to your boyfriend, so you treated them with as much respect as you would his actual family. you turned to their manager again to speak.

“I’ll take the food for the boys in myself.” you let their manager know with a smile. he nodded, thanking you for the food for the millionth time before freeing up the hallway for you to go down. you bowed one last time before heading to the waiting room. as you turned the corner, you saw changbin coming from another direction .

“oh, hey y/n!” changbin waved, immediately grabbing the heavy bags out of your hands. “I just got out of the restroom, let’s head to the waiting room together.” he said, smiling. you nodded, thanking him for his help. you both chatted as you walked down the hallway, catching up on each other’s lives and listening to him explain how excited they were about upcoming plans for the group. you listened with a smile, making a note to bring it up to felix later when you got some time to talk to him in the waiting room. 

you made it to the door of their waiting room first, and noticed the door was left slightly ajar. you overheard a familiar voice, chan’s, addressing your boyfriend.

“so how are things with y/n?” you heard chan ask felix. “she should be coming with the food any time now. she’s so sweet.” you smiled at his compliment. you shushed changbin as he caught up with you; you needed to hear what felix would say.

“well...she’s clingy for sure.” he chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever dated someone who needed this much attention, hyung.”

 you were taken aback. is that what he thought of you? were you just some needy, clingy person pestering him for his attention all the time? you were a little embarrassed, but not nearly as much as you were hurt. you and felix both loved each other’s attention, you couldn’t believe he would say something like that. you gulped, grabbing changbin’s arm and heading backwards to the corner you had just turned.

“y/n, I’ll talk to him.” he said, distressed. you knew changbin, and you knew he would try to fix the situation like the good friend he was.

“no, you won’t. you’re going to tell him I was busy today and only had time to drop the food off. I’ll figure it out later, okay?” you said in a rush, wanting to get out of the building. the whole place suddenly felt suffocating, you couldn’t stand being there, somewhere you clearly weren’t wanted. you didn’t want felix to think you were any more needy than he already thought you were. your insecurities were slowly creeping in on you, and it was distressing.

changbin hesitated but finally relented when you promised you would talk to felix about it when he came home tonight. you practically ran out of the corridor, giving nothing more than a cursory bow and goodbye to the staff and manager, shabbily covering most of your face with your hand to hide that fact that you were on the verge of crying.

you got into your car and let yourself let go. the tears flowed freely, and you had no intention of stifling them. your relationship with felix was the closest thing to perfect you’d ever experienced. you adored how attentive he was to you---he never, not once, missed a birthday or anniversary. he was the first person to congratulate you when you passed your exams, and the first one to comfort you when you didn’t. there was never a moment when you were both home that he wasn’t following you around, trailing you even to the bathroom sometimes just so he wouldn’t be apart from you. you loved it and you thought he loved it, too. and the attention wasn’t one-sided, either---otherwise, you wouldn’t have even come here, arms overflowing with expensive food for practically everyone that interacted with him. 

you sighed, satisfied with the release of emotions, and wiped your eyes carelessly. you drove yourself home, not even bothering to listen to the radio or try to calm down from your rush of feelings. you got home, unlocking the door and plodding into your apartment, feet feeling weighed down by how heavy your mood had become. you chugged a whole glass of water; all that crying had made you thirsty---and exhausted. you slid your jacket off and onto the ground before plopping down right there on the couch, not even bothering to change or wipe your makeup off. you didn’t want to do anything except stop thinking about the words your boyfriend had said about you to his friend earlier. you drifted off to sleep just like that, with mascara tears and a broken heart.

seungmin

there were a lot of things that went unspoken between you and seungmin. that was one of the best parts about dating him---you could both show your love for each other in the way you were most comfortable with. for both of you, that happened to be doing things to make the other’s day a little easier. 

seungmin took the trash out early in the morning so you wouldn’t have to do the heavy lifting on your own. you made him his coffee before he left. you would order lunch to where he was, whether it be the company building or at the dorm with the boys, in advance so he wouldn’t have to bother with cooking anything. he would stop by during your lunch break at work with your coffee order and a small bite to eat in case you didn’t pack food that day. he has your favorite show ready to play as soon as you’ve washed up after work and you’re always ready to greet him with open arms after a long and tiring day at practice.

you both anticipated what the other needed, and that made you guys always in tune with each other. you’d never even had a serious fight, the worst one being a five-minute quarrel about seungmin buying the wrong shampoo on your grocery list, which was easily resolved by him driving to the store after work and exchanging it for the right one.

tonight, you knew seungmin would come home exhausted. he had practice from sunrise to sunset, with only a short break here and there to eat or use the bathroom. the choreographer for the comeback they were preparing for was one of the best, but she was known for being incredibly detail-oriented (which was, of course, what made her the best), and according to your friend and seungmin’s, hyunjin, she was especially keen on ironing out all the tiny mistakes seungmin was making. she was the reason your boyfriend was exhausting himself for endless hours and the reason he was going to come home tonight like a walking corpse.

you stuck a gatorade in the freezer to chill it quickly, knowing he would need the reminder to replenish himself. you warmed up the food on the stove, laid out his sleep clothes on the bed, and started cleaning up your home so the both of you could head to bed right after you both ate dinner and he showered.

you started putting your hair up and walking back to the living room after washing up yourself when you heard the jingling of keys outside of your front door. seungmin was home.

the door creaked open and seungmin came in, looking pale and drained of life. he didn’t greet you, which you didn’t blame him for---you knew he just wanted to get his rest as soon as possible.

“hey seung, rough day?” you asked gently, earning a passing grumble as he walked straight past you to the bathroom. you sighed, walking to the kitchen to fix him a plate and pulled out the gatorade so he could eat quickly. he could be as moody as he wanted, you weren’t about to let your boyfriend go to sleep without dinner, especially after the hours of choreography he had just gone through. 

the water droplets of the shower softly padded against the walls of your apartment for a couple of minutes before it was quickly shut off. seungmin stepped out right after, lazily drying his hair with a towel as he walked straight into the bedroom. you hummed, waiting for him to come back after changing into his sleep clothes. but a couple minutes soon became ten, which soon became fifteen. you got up from the sofa and walked into the bedroom, worried as to what was taking him so long. you found him lying in bed, scrolling through his phone.

“coming to bed?” he mumbled, not looking up from the screen.

“I made dinner and put out some gatorade for you, come eat.” you said, tugging his leg a little as a sign for him to get up.

“not hungry.” he sighed, turning a little in bed.

“come on, seung. I know you and you definitely skipped lunch to practice more. you need to eat well if you want to do your best tomorrow.” you told him firmly but gently so he knew you were serious.

“why are you so pushy, y/n,” he rolled his eyes, “you’re not my mom. I’ll eat whenever I want.”

you cringed a little at his rudeness but persisted. “seungmin, just eat something. and then we’ll go to bed, it’s not that hard. just do it for me?” you asked.

“oh my god, you are so pushy and clingy. please just leave me alone, you don’t need to always be on my ass.” he groaned, turning off his phone, and turning his face into the pillow.

you were bewildered. seungmin knew you were the type to look out for him; if anything, he should be sympathizing with you, considering he would’ve done the same for you after a rough day. his words felt like being slapped, the hurt fresh and confusing. you turned around and left the room.

“where are you going? can we please just sleep.” he whined.

“I’m sleeping on the couch, I do not want to be next to you right now.” you muttered, heading to the living room.

“seriously? dramatic much?” he groaned, “whatever, suit yourself.” he mumbled turning off the bedside lamp to sleep. you sighed, closing the door behind you.

you covered the food you had ready for seungmin before plopping down onto the couch. you pulled the living room throw blanket on top of you and tried to fall asleep. your legs were cramped together on the too-small couch and your neck was in an awkward position that you knew would hurt in the morning but all you could do was accept your fate and sigh. you shuffled a little, closing your eyes tightly. but with seungmin’s words still reeling in your mind, you knew there was no way you would be getting any sleep tonight.

jeongin

jeongin was your best friend as much as he was your boyfriend; teasing and poking fun at each other was a natural part of your relationship. it wasn’t uncommon for you to take light jabs at each other; you both knew not to take it too seriously---or to take it too far.

it was an unusually quiet evening at the dorms. a bunch of the guys had gone out for a drink and dinner, save for jeongin, who stayed back to spend time with you. you guys were sitting on the couch, stuffed to the brim with a bunch of takeout---you had gotten a promotion at work and jeongin was keen on celebrating. jeongin laid down in your lap with a whiny groan.

“remind me to never order food on an empty stomach ever again.” he mumbled into your lap, making you giggle.

“thank you for treating me, baby.” you hummed, running your fingers through his hair.

he shot up to look you in the eyes and smiled sweetly, pulling your face closer to his and kissing you gently.

“ew, jeongin!” you heard felix yell from the door.

“in the living room? our innie’s an adult!” lino laughed.

jeongin practically flew to the other side of the couch. neither one of you had heard the door unlock and open, nor had you seen all the members pile into the room.

“he has a way of surprising people,” you chuckled a little, patting him on the cheek, “I’m gonna go to the bathroom, be right back.” you winked at him as the red on his cheeks only grew brighter from your teasing.

you headed to the bathroom at the end of the hallway, laughing to yourself thinking about the hell the members were probably giving jeongin right now. you quickly used the bathroom and cleaned up your appearance a bit before you headed back. you straightened out your clothes as you walked back. before you turned the corner, you heard jeongin’s voice loudly defending himself to the boys.

“and besides, y/n’s super clingy and needy for attention. she wouldn’t have left me alone until I gave her a damn kiss! leave me alone, you guys are the worst.” he huffed angrily.

“so you’re just going to make shit up about me and blame me for a kiss you initiated? what, so your friends won’t tease you a little? grow the fuck up.” you rolled your eyes, feeling the irritation start to make your skin burn.

he sat there silently, not even bothering to correct himself or apologize. the boys dispersed immediately, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of your (albeit justified) explosive temper. you scoffed at his immaturity, turning for the door and angrily shoving your feet into your shoes and grabbing your coat off of its hanger.

“call me when you decide to stop acting like a dumb kid who can’t handle his friends seeing him act like a boyfriend to his girlfriend.” you spat. you slammed the front door behind you, still coming down from the adrenaline rush your confrontation with jeongin gave you. it hurt you; how could jeongin of all people make you into a needy, annoying girlfriend? all of that, for what? to save face in front of his friends? you sighed, deciding to just head home to your apartment and call it a night.

[dcxdpdabbles]

Hello ❤️

Can you please write something about Jason x Danny? Maybe something about Jason having a crush on this new guy (maybe Danny works in a library or helping people as a nurse) and just falling cause Danny is sincerely nice and isn't afraid of his Lazarus's rage

Jason first notices the new face volunteering at the soup kitchen when the guy hand-makes flour tortillas for the beans. Just like his mom used to make, alongside Mrs. Huerea before she got into drugs.

It's been years since he last had some, not because Alfred refuses to make it but because the butler never has the time.

It's usually a treat for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or his birthday. Sometimes if Jason is lucky, there is another important holiday for the many members of Wayne Manor, and there is time for Alfred to get them done. He can have them more.

But mostly, Alfred had them store-bought.

That's why he wanders to the other man's line, mouth already watering as the volunteer piles smashed beans with cheese and tortillas onto plates. A name tag has a simple "Danny" on top of a white NASA shirt coupled with slightly baggy pants is the whole outfit of the stranger - odd in Gotham's winter time.

He offers Jason a smile, then, with a wink, places two more fresh tortillas on his plate.

Before he can say anything, Danny pushes the plate toward him. "I can tell you're a man who appreciates fine food. Take them. I can always make more. "

He jerks a thumb to the back, where a press awaits use. It looks just like Mrs. Huerea's iron-clad tool that, for a second, he's six again, early happy the women preparing for Christmas.

When his mother was sober, the Huereas had always opened their home to them. The elderly couple had always felt like grandparents to him.

"Thanks," He says around a forming grin. It matches Danny's.

Jason accepts the food with an excited thrill; for once, the memories of his mother are not so bitter and ruined. He moves out of the way for the next person, making a mental note to tell his men to ensure Danny gets home safely after his shift. It would be in his employee's way.

He does this often, assigning some Red Hood boys to make sure no one bothers any of the volunteers. Jason knows he can't get rid of all crime, not like Bruce believes, but he can at least protect those trying to make this place less of a shit hole.

He sits, savoring the flavor with great appreciation. He's got time to relax a little.

One of his Lieutenant is in the back, speaking to the director of the Soup Kitchen. This is one of Jason's protected areas, but to make sure people know it's not to be taken lightly, the Red Hood gang does require protection money.

He doesn't ask a lot but Jason knows that any place that doesn't have protection money is a bigger target. Of course he also here pretending to be hungry just to make sure the place is actually doing what they promised to do and feed people.

When Jason first took over, this particular place had been known to only give out half of the money they donated in food. The rest was going into the old director's pocket. When he caught wind of the senior director often refusing kids just to save money to steal, Jason quickly fed him to the fish.

His Lieutenant, Rogers, would not be able to recognize him. Jason was eating without a mask. What better disguise than his own dead face? Much less the other people in the soup kitchen.

Although he was meant to observe his surroundings for any funny business, Jason glued his eyes on Danny the entire time. It seemed the man had an easy smile for everyone and a calming personality that seemed to put even the most hostile at ease.

Snow. Jason thinks while watching Danny make more tortillas while chatting with a street kid until the young girl feels she could make one. He lets her round the table easily, showing her how to press down on the metal lever with the same soft ease. He's like pure white snow.

He would not last long in Crime Alley. Nothing pure ever does.

Jason fishes his food, unable to look away from what he knows would be a broken man in only a few weeks.

He leaves just as Rogers returns to the front clutching a brown bag. It looks like he didn't need to worry about the upkeeping of this place. He needs to check on the other kitchens in his territory before the day is out.

After three other Kitchens, Jason is satisfied that he's secured two. He must send Rogers to the last one because a few girls seemed uncomfortable with the leering crew. He'll have the creeps removed by this Friday.

He's swinging around as Red Hood on his normal patrol when he catches sight of Danny again. It's close to two in the morning, so he's surprised to see the other man cheerfully strolling about without any signs of exhaust.

He's also not wearing warm clothing despite the snow slowly falling around them. The only difference between what he was wearing earlier is the large black backpack. Jason half wonders if Danny only has nothing else to wear until the man pauses at an alley entry.

He crouches down, unzipping his bag, before pulling out a plastic-wrapped package. Jason watches him cautiously walk into the alley, following on the roofs out of curiosity.

His eyes widen when he spots a young boy hiding behind a trash bin, squishing himself against the wall as Danny carefully approaches him.

Jason hadn't seen the kid when he had passed by earlier, likely due to the boy knowing how to hide himself in the shadows. How had Danny seen him?

"Go away!" The boy yells when Danny gets too close for comfort. Jason's hackles rise, pulling out his gun in case he needs to intervene. He remembers the days when the sound of approaching footsteps to his hiding places in the streets meant.

Danny stops just on the other side of the trash bin. He places the package on top of it and backs away quickly. "I don't mean to bother you. But I thought you could use these. Stay warm, and if you need to escape the snowstorm, go to the address in the right pocket."

The boy doesn't answer, and Danny doesn't seem to wait for one. He leaves with quick strides. Jason watches him from the roof, noticing he returns to a slow stroll once he's back on the main street.

Below, the street kid carefully pulls the plastic bag towards him once he knows Danny is gone. He unwraps the bag only to gasp in delight at the jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, and socks inside. He quickly slips them on, burying himself in the small amounts of warmth they offer him.

Jason watches the boy for a few minutes before jumping down. The kid scrambles away until he realizes it's Rood Hood. Everyone knows that he won't harm street kids.

"Hey," He says, noting that the boy's new clothes seem to be made from expensive material, all in black and neon green. "Do you have somewhere warm to sleep tonight? Snowstorm is coming."

"I can handle it." The boy scoffs despite the shivers that wrack his body.

"I know you can. But it's not safe out here" He kneels at the boy's eye level. He seems about twelve, likely new to the streets since he has yet to find proper shelter. Dirty blond hair and dark, weary brown eyes stare back at him as Jason offers. "Let me get you somewhere safe."

"I won't go back to the stupid system."

"Nah, that shit's broken. I got a safe house for you to crash in."

The boy thinks it over. "Just us?"

Jason isn't a mind reader to know what the kid fears. "No. It's full of other people."

It takes a few more minutes, but eventually, he convinces Max to follow him. They travel across Crime Alley to one of the empty warehouses he had turned into an illegal shelter. Inside are various Red Hood gangsters passing out blankets and setting up cots for people from the streets to sleep.

The heaters are on, but a few still refuse to remove their warm clothing- likely in fear of theft or that it proves an extra layer of comfort- as they settle down.

Max thanks him as the boy rushes to a corner that seems to be taken over by children. He doesn't approach the others to speak to, but he looks more comfortable picking a cot close to them. Jason's eyes widen slightly when he realizes that all seven children are wearing some form of the Black and Neon Green outfits Danny had given Max.

Rogers strolls up next to him, nodding his chin at the children. "Some street kids have been saying a man is offering them free supplies. He doesn't ask for anything in return and leaves them alone with they tell him to. His calling card is the little neon green ghost he places on each item. Want me to take a few of our boys and check him out?"

Jason grunts. "No need. I already know who it is. He seems like a non-threat."

Rogers appears flabbergasted for only a few seconds before pulling himself together. "If you say so, boss."

Jason turns to stare at the man, and Rogers raises his hands. "All I'm saying is that it's a little odd how good the guy is at spotting street kids."

"How good is he?"

"It's like he can see in the dark. He might be a meta."

Jason thinks back to Danny walking around in his light clothes like it's the middle of summer instead of winter and finds some weight in the meta-theory. "I'll pay him a visit soon."

Rogers lets the matter drop, even if he is confused by Jason's involvement. Usually, he has some of the newest members of the youngest ones who reckon a personable target- or new recruits.

But something about Danny called out to Jason. He couldn't say it, but the man's snow-like personality eased the Pit Rage in him. Strangely it felt like Danny was the calm winter promising rest to the wounded parts of Jason's soul.

He didn't want to see Danny's pure heart ruined by this city.

Jason wonders if he could keep it safe and if Danny will even give him the chance to try.

He hopes so. Danny has such a lovely smile.

[ultimate-chickennougat]

| Your Salaryman Husband | (Vol 3)

Vol 1 Vol 2 (not required) Vol 4 Vol 5 Vol 6 Vol 7 Vol 8 Vol 9

Salaryman!Kento x Housewife!Reader;

When Nanami works at home...

Word Count: 1.2k

CW: SFW, domestic fluff, fem!Reader, light teasing, mentions curses

A/n: Domestic life is calling (as per usual)! Maybe I'll try writing in the mornings...

Three months.

It had been three months since your marriage to Mr. Kento Nanami, the ex-Jujutsu Sorcerer, current salaryman, and the love of your life. 

And it was just last week your husband made a rather interesting decision, something that you were very happy about. At first, that is. 

Nanami, a senior manager at an investment firm, already conducted the majority of his work online. Many people went on calls with their advisors, and lots of paperwork could be handled digitally. That was all good in his eyes, cutting down on paper and increasing work efficiency. He could get home quicker with less things to throw in his bag, which at that time of day was the second most prevalent thought on his mind, aside from you of course. 

It was for those reasons, that his company started to encourage working at home part time, which included a one week trial period. Upkeep on a physical property was expensive, having to hire janitorial staff and keep snacks and coffee in the break room. 

The first three days were to be as usual, going to work, and the other two would be out of the office, simple enough. As much as he loved being at home, training new employees was best done in person, and many clients still preferred meeting face to face. Hence, Nanami considered this to be a temporary situation. 

And so the two of you embarked on your latest project, creating some form of a home office. A temporary work area, furnished with a simple desk in a well lit room, away from the noise of your actions that he didn’t want to disturb. Thankfully your house had extra rooms.

Nanami set himself up in the first floor guest bedroom. It had large floor to ceiling windows, and simple white and beige decor. He could put his desk near the window, and have a nice background of the garden you kept beautiful and thriving - something he didn’t get to appreciate all the time at work.

You were ecstatic all through the week since receiving the news, having two more days with your husband at home. Nanami was never a bother, and being the in the guest bedroom most of the time, he wouldn’t be interfering with your plans. Days one through three of office going had you almost wishing for time to speed up, for the first time in your marriage. The days you loved the most, were the ones where you could spend all your time with him, even if he was working, you assumed.

Finally, your dream four days in a row of Nanami began, it was almost like the weekend - just with work still occuring. The perfect time to show off your domestic skills. 

Though you saw him all the time on the weekends, he wasn’t working then, and didn’t require quite as much energy. He already looked tired, something you hadn’t noticed before when he came home refreshed seeing your face. So you, as his dutiful wife, decided to make him something special to eat.

A fresh salad was going to be prepared using produce from the small vegetable garden you had started cultivating, but that marked the first of your problems. Nanami’s desk was right in the front of the window… in front of the garden. 

You tied your hair up, and threw a light jacket before strolling out the door that morning. Nanami was already working, you could hear his busy typing and the rifling of papers on his desk as you walked by. He gave you a smile before you left, refilling his cup of coffee in the kitchen. Your bag was held tightly in your hands as you walked off to the grocery store and shortly returned with a bounty of items. 

Food was cooked, and you and Nanami ate comfortably. He informed you of his day so far, and you did of yours before he left again, lunch break being over. 

You missed welcoming him home. If there was one thing you had gotten used to most, it was the joy that giving him a hug and helping him with his things Monday through Friday gave that you couldn’t stand not having. Dinner, which was usually special after being apart, was the same as lunch. Mundane things were mentioned, most events already covered hours ago. No great office scandals to report, there wasn’t an important printer to jam at home, or a lunch to steal from the break room fridge.

The next day came quickly, and maybe it was lucky that it was the last. Tomorrow would be Saturday, and his work would be over. It was almost a hindrance. 

As Nanami was being perfectly considerate, never having the volume up too high and keeping out of your workspace, you tried to do the same. The only problem then, was that it was cleaning day, for all the rarely used peripheral rooms of the house, including the first floor guest bedroom and surrounding areas. 

The thought of interrupting your husband’s important work call was frightening enough as you pondered it in your mind, holding the vacuum as you rested against the door of the guest bedroom, having finished with the living room. You could hear him talking, his voice had a trace of agitation as he spoke through his computer, a difference intensified by the cheery voice. 

“Goodbye,” Nanami spoke quickly, shutting his laptop and standing up out of his chair, as you continued to listen. It was a few minutes after 5:00 PM, and Nanami was done with work. You quickly ran away to store the vacuum, before you two could eat dinner, which you finished early. 

“So how was it?” You asked, both of you seated with food on your plates. “It has it’s benefits, I see that now,” he responded, taking a bite. “First of all, I get to eat lunch here with you instead,” you smiled at his comment, knowing how much he enjoyed your cooking either way. “Then again, you seem more stressed than usual,” you swirled your spoon around the dish a few times, avoiding his gaze. “I like having you around more,” a truthful statement. “If I’m causing you any complication with your work, you should tell me, Y/n. Even if it’s just for a couple days.” he stated, putting his hand on top of yours. “I could hear you by my door, you know,” You opened your mouth, but were quickly interrupted. “Don’t even try to deny it, I am - was a Jujutsu Sorcerer,” the two of you let out laughs far better than the ones from yesterday. “Even a low grade curse is more stealthy, though I doubt one could cook as well… among other things…” He muttered, taking a drink of water.

“I don’t think I’ll be continuing this.” Nanami smirked watching your eyes light up. “The trainees were in sweatpants behind the screen,” you nodded, listening intently. “Anyways, we don’t have very soundproof rooms, now do we,” he added, “I’m sure it would make your work much easier.” 

“I’ll still miss you, my darling,” your frown came back. He moved your hand so he could hold it properly, lacing his fingers between yours. “We’ve still got all weekend, right?”

[throwaway-yandere]

Apotheosis Upon Your First Feast (Yandere!Wanderer & Pantalone/Reader)

Commissioned by: @leftdestiny-posts/@eternally-frozen (ilysm. Feel free to kill me later lmao)

unreliable synopsis: After being reassigned to Vanarana when your previous coworker became the Acting Grand Sage, with the help of Ararycan, you reunited met a wanderer on an abandoned machine. Unfortunately for someone, your childhood friend "Pantalone" has ears and eyes everywhere. (Avoid this fic if you’re not a fan of dark content. It’s not too dark but your mental health matters!) 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use the InteractiveFics extension and change “(Y/n)” to whatever name you want, “[Wanderer]” to his chosen name, and lastly, also change “(wood/salt)” to… whichever option you feel like. It’s a surprise mechanic *wink*. If you're reading this on a phone, just pick between wood or salt right now, keep your choice in mind and commit to it : )

Afterwards, would you be so kind as to answer this fun poll after reading the fic? Danke ♡

“Why doesn't Nara (Y/n) eat what Arasaka prepares for them? Does Nara (Y/n) lack appetite lately?”

“O-Oh, well, that’s…” You paused, looking down at the broth, “in all honesty, your cooking tastes bland…”

“H-Huh?!”

Time had passed since Lesser Lord Kusanali's official ascent to power and now is the fifth month since you first made friends with the Aranaras. Many events took place before you found your pyro vision becoming Arasaka's torch as they cooked– and if any of your coworkers saw you now, they probably wouldn’t identify you as Alhaitham’s (only) friend and Ex-Sage Azar’s lazy employee.

Maybe they would've if you helped Alhaitham and his teammates secure Sumeru’s future.

Sure, your name isn’t listed in the coup d’etat, but that’s only because you wished for the Akademiyan scholars to make the epiphany for themselves. As Azar’s ex-assistant, you laid low from projects as a prerequisite so that the populace may acquire a personality of their own to make the nation truly deserving of the title “Land of Wisdom.” 

Alas, that did not happen.

Alhaitham’s tactics were not wrong, but you felt like his group spoonfed Sumeru citizens with the Fatui’s crimes rather than having their own realizations. It did not feel like growth to you. It felt like the people casually learned from a one-sitting textbook rather than a hands-on experiment when they should’ve personally learned how minacious blind ambitions could be. In turn, he argued that your ideas were barbaric and that scholars revolting was not in the realm of possibility– hence, you did not lend your aid. Perhaps your inaction had pissed him off, but it’s more likely that he finds that sending you to Varanara was ideal for his workload. 

And in some strange domino effect, refraining from helping a coup d’etat meant eating the tasteless food known to man.

Since you were personally assigned a senseless task to patrol and report weather patterns in the area (which is unnecessary and quite frankly boring), you had befriended the infamous aranaras children from Port Ormos hear stories about. 

But the mundanity doesn’t hurt your pride as a graduate scholar. It's been fun so far.

“I'm sorry, 'Saka, it's just that I think your food lacks a bit of salt–"

"ASSISTANT (Y/N), THERE YOU ARE!!!"

Both of you flinched, causing Arasaka to topple over. The sound hurts. You snapped your neck towards the sound. An adventurer– Baharak– stood with both hands wrapped on her bag's shoulder straps with a silly grin on her face.  

… You’re turning the setting of your hearing aids down.

“Baharak, it’s been a while,” you spoke. “Would you mind not yelling whenever you call for me?”

“Oops– Sorry (Y/n)! I mean– sorry, Assistant (Y/n).”

Changing her volume doesn’t undo the pain she inflicted on your ears. Gently, you pushed Arasaka behind an elevated jag of root to cover them. To escape suspicion, you continued to stare at Baharak while feigning sleepiness.

“What are you here for?”

“The Forest Watcher received a letter addressed to you. The sender doesn’t have a name again, it just has the coin-seal thing.”

“Please hand it over.”

“Aight!– I mean, alright.”

After dismissing the loud adventurer and giving her spare mora as thanks, you waited until she was out of sight. Arasaka suddenly rose and jumped onto your lap, equally curious about what was written on the salt-scented parchment. Arasaka's preppy manner soon turned sour as they discovered who the sender was.

It’s a letter from your best friend, "Pantalone".

“Aww…” Arasaka whined. “Arasaka was hoping it was the Verdant Nara instead.”

You tore it open.

 

"My dearest, (Y/n),

If it's not too much to ask, may I trouble you to visit my office in Northland Bank soon? I merely wish to see you. Spending Lantern Rite alone this year was not a pleasant experience. It's just for a mere chat- I'll reimburse your traveling and dining expenses. Care to make it up to me?

Your beloved,

As per tradition, you threw the letter in the fireplace. Pantalone doesn’t like leaving a trail of evidence, naturally, you assumed the same applies here.

It's never a chore to visit a friend. Maybe you'll head there tomorrow–

“Arasaka doesn’t like Nara Pantalone.”

The aranara lowered their head, continuing, “Nara Pantalone reminds Arasaka of the Taste of Sadness.”

Cute. 

Every time Pantalone comes to visit, the aranaras behave like envious little siblings. Ever since you started patrolling Vanarana, the place had become the harbinger’s premiere leisure destination. The woods critters frequently tried to undermine his gifts, but they were adorably ineffective. Even if Pantalone cannot see them, the situation is nonetheless amusing.

If you remember correctly, the Taste of Sadness means salt to aranaras, right?

“Ah, well,” you laughed. “I guess you must be incredibly sensitive to his smell. He took quite a liking to salt-infused perfumes last year.”

“Don’t like perfume.”

“But I am wearing one though… Has the scent been bothering you all this time, Arasaka?”

“No, Arasaka was wrong. Arasaka likes perfume, and Arasaka hates salt. Taste of sadness. The scent of sadness.” 

“Oh, no! If Pantalone’s smell makes my dear Arasaka sad, then maybe we should drown him in Varunastra,” you chuckled darkly, expecting the aranara to react loudly over your out-of-pocket remark.

“Of course. Salt Nara would make for decent spare rations!”

You laughed out loud at Arasaka’s even more out-of-pocket reply. Out-of-pocket is an understatement, that comment straight up sounded out-of-the-CASKET. 

Before standing up, you ruffled Arasaka’s nonexistent hair like you would with your deceased sisters.

“I’ll come back in a few days, okay? In the meantime, why don’t you read a cookbook?”

“Hmph! Nara (Y/n), you’re being mean! Just wait! My sisters will make a dish Nara (Y/n) can’t say “no” to!” 

“It’s a dumb risk.”

“It’s a new business venture, dearest.”

“The market for new eyeglasses isn’t going to rise any time soon.”

“Why are you so adamant on opposing this idea?”

“Stagnation breeds putrefaction, especially in business, does it not?” You raised an eyebrow, preparing for a harangue. 

“Je suis d’accord!” The man spoke softly, accentuating his Fontaine pronunciation somewhat boastfully. Knowing your disability, he never raises his voice to the point of it hurting. “And it is precisely why I want to invest in an eyewear conglomerate in Sumeru.”

“Then why are you dropping your prior investments?!”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

You sighed, annoyed.

Pantalone is an amazing businessman, but without your council, he wouldn’t amount to who he is now. Unlike most people, “sneakily ambitious” are not the words you would describe your visionless friend. Such a moniker sounds insulting given his lack of celestial blessings and you know Celestia itself never took kindly towards his well-versed dirty tricks against his opponents.

In your humble opinion, the term “industrious” is a better-suited and less backhanded compliment for him.

You’ve known Pantalone— no— “██████” since childhood. Your history stretched back so much that you no longer recall the circumstances of how you befriended him. He acted as your ears when it came to haggling and normal day-to-day chores. As far as you know, he has always been an older brother to you. In times of extreme poverty, you both prayed and starved together, scraping by using salt rocks as entrees. 

There was no one else that made your deafness bearable except for him. With no family left, he was your only beacon of hope and dear Morax– you’d rather not remind yourself of the time your dead sisters mistakenly ate mud for rice cakes when famine struck.  

You chose Amurta out of the Six Great Schools for a reason:

You can’t afford to watch anyone die of hunger ever again.

When you began living in Sumeru, you had pledged your alliance with the region but never forgot all the toil you had to go through. As a malnourished child, you quickly fell in love with the nation. In Sumeru, healthcare was free– in Liyue? You heard nothing, and you wished that “advantage” doesn’t make you blind from the evil you witnessed in the slums. Poverty ate away your hearing, your family, and your childhood dreams… 

In a way, the only reason you see aranaras in the first place may be that you didn’t have the chance to experience any childlike wonder until you escaped Liyue.

Pantalone scoffed, “whether you agree with my financial decision or not doesn't affect my resolve. Do not press more about this, dearest.”

… But you’re convinced that your closest confidant “██████” had already perished from starvation long ago.

The man before you calls himself “Pantalone” nowadays and you lose all sense of indolence whenever his presence looms. When he watched your last sister perish in your arms, an epiphany gave birth to his cold demeanor towards deities. He found it challenging to worship the Archons who had no need for mora but were eager to take it away from destitute mortals who needed it as you and your sisters did. The death of your younger sibling was his final straw, and in a sense, you also buried your old friend that night. 

Unlike ██████, Pantalone cannot forgive nor trust the Archons for their broken promises. If Lesser Lord Kusanali had abandoned withered forests, Rex Lapis had abandoned those whose blood and tears cannot amount to any mora. You were only allowed to study at the Akademiya after he decided the former was the lesser evil.

Although Pantalone never condemns you for calling him by his birth name, you cannot tell yourself that he and ██████ are fully the same person. There is an unspoken need to straighten your posture and greet him with a semi-scowl to demonstrate your maturity despite him acting cozy and warm. Worse, his lax demeanor never ceases to remind you that despite his uncomfortable reputation, Pantalone is the only companion you’d entrust your soul to even when the world warns you not to deal a contract with the devil.

“You just want to use new brackets every day—”

“I am a businessman, love.”

You speared Pantalone with a pointed look.

“—And why Sumeru? Have you landed a deal with a reputable Amurtan optician? And why didn’t you ask ME first? You weren’t cornered by Dottore or the Tianquan to kickstart an eyeglasses company, were you?”

He scowled, unamused before firing back without skipping a beat. 

“Summer, seven years ago. You accidentally bought six bunraku puppets from Inazuma—”

Your eyes widened. Not this embarrassing anecdote again.

“Woah, woah! Now, why are YOU extorting me?”

“So you’d be silenced quicker.”

“…”

This reticence was slowly exasperating the harbinger, but he never utters a complaint when you're whom he's conversing with. Pantalone cleared his throat with an elegant smile. In that moment of cessation, you figured that he had a seemingly innocent proposal in mind.

“(Y/n), my most dearest baobei…” The harbinger ventured.

“Pantalone…”

He pulled out his desk drawer and ferreted out a parcel that you suspect contains a pair of glasses.

“Would you care to be a test sub—”

“No.”

You have a gut feeling as to where this is going. He’s going to propose that it’s “just” glasses until you find out he’s been using you to track or spy on someone without your knowledge. Classic Pantalone. You won't be duped by that TWICE in a row. If you knew better, you wouldn’t have accidentally leaked intel to the Fatui that Katheryne was being controlled by the Lord of Verdure. All because Pantalone hid a recorder on one of his “gifted” hearing aids...

Listen— just because you refused to lend a hand to the Archon when she was in need and was subsequently confronted by the 2nd harbinger in Sumeru City doesn’t mean you were colluding with these fools. 

You just wanted to remain neutral in any given situation. Unlike your childhood friend, politics bore you to death. And just like the Acting Grand Sage, you’re too lazy to act as a beta tester no matter how minimal the effort the task requires.

“I only ask that you wear this pair of glasses and test its comfortability.”

“I refuse.”

“We can negotiate how much mora you’ll earn—”

“Just stop.”

“Hmm, if I phrase it as a “gift”, would you accept—”

“Hell no.”

Pantalone paused.

“Hmm…” He tapped his desk, gazing at the paperwork neatly piled up.

“Word of advice, (Y/n), it’s highly probable that the price of cocoa will rise next week,” he shrugged. “That fact is, of course, most definitely unrelated to our current discussion.”

Is he… 

Is he threatening to generate chocolate inflation over a pair of glasses?!

You scoffed, eyes wide.

“██████, you worthless SCALPER.“

“The majority prefer to call me a ‘regrator’, but that new nickname is acceptable as long as it is you who makes such mildly unpleasant utterances.”

“GAH! You— YOU—” Even though he may completely ruin your usual routine of buying chocolates after work, it's difficult to curse him out. You have no choice but to spout illogical syllables without a valid clause. “JUST— YOU!!! YOU.”

Smack.

Upon hearing your facepalm resoundingly, he laughed uncontrollably, removing his glasses to wipe his eye with an uneven grin on his face. He tried to keep his composure but he kept snorting. 

You took a peek between your fingers. What a precious noise. You haven’t heard him laugh like this for over three years now.

At that moment, you thought ██████ was alive.

“F-Fine— give me those damn eyeglasses.”

Pantalone drifted the parcel above your palm until he quickly retracted it as soon as you reached forward.

“But before I do that, can you promise me one thing?”

“What is it this time?” You groaned.

“Don’t lend it to anyone else, understand?” Pantalone slightly ruffled your hair. “I had it custom-made for you.”

You rolled your eyes, “that thing is definitely wiretapped. You’re not even bothering to hide it anymore.”

“Oh no, it’s not just that—” 

“Just that?”

He shrugged smugly, which was not a good sign. 

“The eyeglasses function similar to an Akasha Terminal, but of course, the information you’d find there is directly from my database.”

Pantalone opened the box and swiftly put the white-framed glasses on your face. He lightly tapped the frame—

and a control panel window flickered open.

Just like an Akasha.

“H-How on earth—”

“The Doctor and I had a deal. He’ll recreate at least 80% of a regular Akasha’s functions while I help him track down a few… crops. It’s a quid pro quo, I promise. It’s less of him exploiting me and more of me exploiting…— well, that doesn’t matter right now. C’mere, let me see your lovely face...”

Pantalone tilted your chin up with his thumb. His face was inches away from yours, and his piercing lilac eyes observed your glasses and what was behind them, calculating. His breathing was notably strained in a subconscious attempt to make you feel less uncomfortable from the position he trapped you in— ever the perfect gentleman— but you see his entire face flushed in a pinkish hue. A few seconds have passed, and you feel the glove pressed against you twitching. 

Pantalone pulled away, shoulders stiff.

His ears were red.

“I-It’s working as intended.”

If not for the nature of your relationship, you were close enough to kiss– an appealing notion for the harbinger, yet it is not a move he should bring himself to try.

“Y-Yeah, no kidding. That was awkward.”

He gripped his arm, looking at the window.

Pantalone is painfully aware you think of him as an older brother. Or at least, the shadow of one, given how you rarely call him by name anymore.

“My apologies, I simply wanted to take a good look at you.'

He muttered, “you’ve grown into a gorgeous person, (Y/n).”

You didn’t hear him.

“██████– I mean, Pantalone–”

“Go back to calling me ██████, dear.”

“Pantalone.” You put more emphasis on his harbinger name, watching in glee as he rolled his eyes, “I expect to be paid in chocolates and at least two months’ worth of food.”

Indeed, your proposed exchange pleased him. ██████ knows how much you value healthy eating and abhor it greatly when others waste grains of rice. Time and imagination had transformed his early memories as you as a human so close to a skeletal figurine with sunken cheeks and broomstick-like limbs. Those thoughts cause him much sorrow. Pantalone would have pampered you for free if you had only let him– seeing you eating healthy gives him life. Almost like how a father would tell his children that seeing them full is enough to make him full as well. 

Let him spoil you with food. Please.

Seeing you thin makes him feel sad.

“What do you want to eat for dinner later? My treat, as always.”

“Mint salad sounds lovely.”

“Just mint salad?” Pantalone smiled thinly.

His dearest baobei, no longer skin and bones. No longer barely fueled by rice and salt. No longer skipping meals. It warms his heart more than the exclusive springs offered to him because of his mora and title… But it’s not enough. It’s never enough.

“Hmm… Would it be okay to request a plate of Triple-Layered Consommé?” You muttered, gazing at the floor. “I kind of miss your cooking… Just. Just kind of.”

His heart skipped a few beats as he saw your shy expression. 

You straightened up, coughing, “not that your cooking is anything special, it’s just that I don’t want to eat anything too bland and–”

“Of course! Anything for you, my love.”

Pantalone grabbed your hand and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles.

“My baobei, you’d be too full to walk once I’m done spoiling you…”

“D-Did you have to word it so seductively?!”

You blushed once again, which only served to worsen his urge for making you undeniably satiated. 

Oh, how he wants to keep you in a cage, locked up, and fed until he’s satisfied that you’ll never starve again…

Maybe then, you’d let him spoon-feed you like years before...

There's no rest for the wicked. When you returned to Vanarana the next day, the aranaras pulled you in for another chore at Devantaka Mountain.

“Hey, little man, get down there, right now!” 

You screamed with your hands cupped around your mouth to amplify your voice. The aforementioned "small man" scoffed, not shifting an inch from his posture, as the blue aranara crept up behind you.

Ararycan worriedly relayed that a “Wood Nara” had been trespassing the large abandoned Khaenri’ahn machine. The little vegetable-like creature had grown to trust you when it came to scaring off unwanted guests, which usually entailed eremites or treasure hoarders scavenging for scrap metal. 

“Ararycan wants to stop Wood Nara.”

You gently pried the wire off their hand, keeping it in your pocket in a very definite fashion. 

“I know, ‘Rycan, but Naras are stubborn beings.”

“Just like Nara (Y/n)?”

You gasped, eyes widened.

These plant-like beings are surprisingly masterful at the art of roasting.

 “Just like Nara (Y/n), you say?! Rude, Ararycan, rude.”

You laughed humorlessly, masking your jadedness with forced laughter. 

In all honesty, you’re inclined to believe that this job reassignment was Alhaitham’s way of punishing you for remaining neutral. But surprisingly? An Amurta alumnus like you have been enjoying the task and in no small part thanks to these silly little creatures.

It's absurd to imagine that you would consent to be pulled by these vegetable creatures. You initially believed that they were paracosms produced by a lack of stimulation. You once tried to ignore them. Regrettably, that frail facade didn't survive due to a couple of slip-ups. The first to catch you drawing their likenesses next to your weather reports was Arapas. The second was Arabalika, who overheard you whispering about how powerful they were after they defeated a ruin grader, and then Arama who heard you humming their songs. They’ve built up quite the case against you, and you had to fess up before they start giving you a hard time.

By “hard time”, you were referring to how a crowd of tumultuous aranaras huddled up and tugged your hearing aids’ wire with their teeny hands incessantly.

Which was what Ararycan is doing right now.

“Get us up there, Nara (Y/n).” 

"Careful, Rycan– you might damage the wire."

Suddenly, the hatted man's eyes widened after seeing you. Call it intuition, but it seemed like this total stranger knew who you were.

You made an exaggeratedly loud inhaling sound, turning off your hearing aids momentarily.

And then, a scream.

“STOP, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! RIGHT!!! NOW!!!”

The difference between stupidity and bravery is measured by outcome, and neither are variables you wish for this “Wood Nara” to test out. Alhaitham would have you write two pages detailing an incident if the stranger broke something and eight more if the machine awakened. And sadly, you are only a small percent less lazy than that man.

Despite your words droning childishly, you made no move to approach him. His eyes sharpened, but you felt no scrutiny— 

This man you’ve never met wore a blatant look of disbelief.

You looked down.

Maybe he could see Ararycan…?

“Hey— can you see them?”

You swiftly swept Ararycan off the ground, who made a surprised yelp. 

The man winced.

"P-Please… Leave the forest alone…"

"And why should I care about your pathetic request?"

"Please, have mercy… T-There are creatures that live in this area… Creatures you cannot see because you lacked a human heart."

“–Ngh!”

Those memories were hard to swallow, like reading an inked sloppy handwriting submerged in water.

“G-Good riddance…”

The man coiled in pain, gripping his scalp with his lithe fingers. You cannot view the expression on his face, nor were you able to verify that he had yelped. The distance between you two was too great to conceive a communication that did not rely on shouting.

“Nara (Y/n), what are you doing?!”

Although your proximity with the aranara doesn’t cause any communication barriers, that didn’t stop Ararycan from yelling.

For some reason, the stranger flinched after seeing you carry what appeared to be air around “normal people”’s vision. Perhaps he found your actions cringe-inducing… or perhaps it made his migraine worse. Then again, both possibilities are not mutually exclusive. However, you have a feeling he didn’t flinch because he saw Ararycan.

The blue aranara leaped off of your hands.

“Ararycan is worried… Ararycan thinks Wood Nara is going to destroy the giant iron mountain…”

You stared up at the man again, wanting to go on for a long rant but refrained after realizing how immature that is. While you do have a hunch that the stranger possessed a vision, you’d bet mora that he is no match for Arabalika’s accumulated Ararakalari. 

“Say, why do you keep calling him Wood Nara? Is it because of his ginormous hat?” You whispered to Ararycan.

“Huh? Did Nara (Y/n) not notice?” They tilted their head.

“Ararycan calls him “Wood Nara” because he’s made of white wood. Ararycan is not sure if he is a real Nara.”

Their answer entered from one ear and exited in the other. You’re used to hearing the Aranara lexicon that you never take any sentence at face value since you’ve learned your lesson back when Arasaka made you scout the market for a “Taste of Happiness.” Thank the Lord of Verdure that it was only Pantalone who laughed at you for describing sugar as “white, cubic, crumbles when crushed, becomes sand, and can be eaten.”

“Hah, well, he better not be made out of wood 'cause I might burn him.”

“Ararycan doesn’t think that’s easy to do. Wood Nara smells like the taste of anger,” once again, you ignored their riddled words.

You clutched the pyro vision dangling in your cloak’s right shoulder, located opposite where Alhaitham places his. Your skill set does not differ from that dendro user’s repertoire, and you calculated what vertice you should drop upon teleporting. Grabbing Ararycan, you rushed forward...

Without making it past the one-minute mark, you leaped effortlessly to where the stranger stood.

“Excuse me, young man, but do you have an Investigation Charter from the Akademiya?”

With an unused voice when it comes to dishing out commands– much less an implied threat– your approach wasn’t even a fraction of what makes authorities like the General Mahamatra intimidating. Yet, you still tried. You crossed your arms and hovered your hand near your claymore.

This stranger gazed up, boasting his soft face and beautiful lilac eyes topped with a complexion quite like a sheltered princess. He had the finest eyes you had ever seen. Yet, even with a heaven-sent face, his eyebrows were knitted. He continued kneeling on the cold metal of the giant mossed and corroded machine. 

One closer look should’ve made you hyper-aware that his joints were not bound by mortal flesh, but your heart was more entranced by his glassy pupils. 

“We meet again. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.” 

He muttered inaudibly, hence, you did not hear him. Since you also just came back from visiting Liyue and their post-festival fireworks, you’ve turned your hearing aid settings lower than usual. You bent your knees slightly, offering a hand.

“Nana korobi ya oki,” you said. The stranger looked like he hailed from Inazuma, so you thought you’d put your knowledge to good use. “It means–”

Unbeknownst to you, you uttered the same thing in a past long forgotten.

“I know: fall down seven times, get up eight.”

His gloved hand grasped your own, and you tried not to think about how soft yet firm it was as you pulled him up. You grunted slightly from the shifted weight while he didn’t breathe at all.

“No, I don’t have any clearance permit,” he said. “And I still don't have a heart, if that still matters to you.”

You raised an eyebrow.

‘Still’? What the hell is he talking about? Aaru village is miles away from here, but is it possible that the man you’re talking to is a mad scholar? That’s concerning. 

Pushing your glasses farther up the bridge of your nose, you tried to search his face in Sumeru's records– which might be more unlawful than whatever this man's doing, but who's policing you anyways?

…

Nothing.

There's not a single official record on this man.

Not even in the Fatui's database.

Almost like the man in front of you doesn't exist.

"What the hell are you wearing?" The man sneered. "Since when did you have awful eyesight too?"

“No Investigation Charter, no clearance, just what do you think you’re doing here?” You digressed. “May I at least have your name?”

The man tilted his hat up, “and why should I stupidly give my information away?”

Your eye twitched. He kinda reminds you of Arabalika. Maybe if you gave him a cane he’ll calm down a bit.

“I do have a use for your name, awkward stranger.”

“And that is?”

Writing a report to the Acting Grand Sage regarding suspicious individuals.

“Something to call you,” you shrugged with a child-like candor, renewing your request with bold obstinacy. “I’d rather not recount this tale to various parties as That One Time An Awful Little Man Tried To Pry Open A Giant Machine And Failed.”

He exhaled curtly.

… Was that a laugh?

“How childish. Even if you don't know my name, your "friends"– assuming you have some– will remember me by that stupid description.”

“I mean, it's a memorable first impression,” you met his gaze smugly. “But why are you hiding your name, hmm? Suspicious.”

“It’s called respecting one’s privacy. Something you don't understand.”

How rude of him to make assumptions about you, “are you some covert government official?”

“No.”

“Then what? Are you some inhuman being?”

“...” He didn’t say a word.

Something tells you that the answer is close to your hunch.

“[Wanderer].”

He muttered, once again, you did not hear it so he spoke louder.

“That's my name. Don't you dare make me repeat it.”

“[Wanderer]…”

You missed the way he tipped his hat, hiding an uncontrollable smile from your view.

[Wanderer]... That does sound like a fitting name. It reminded you of a character from a franchise or mythological tale you thoroughly enjoyed as a teenager. It might be rude to share that information, though. You’re not certain how this bratty person would react upon hearing that his name might as well be the name of your lotus from a botany class.

Normally, [Wanderer] would snap a “speak up– is there something wrong with my name?” upon listening to hushed whispers or a resounding silence after his many introductions. But you’re different for a reason. 

There was no way in hell he would take the traveler's suggestion over a name you had given him.

Ararycan tugged your pants.

“Hey, don’t just stare at him, Nara (Y/n)! Tell him to leave!!!” Araycan trashed around. “Nara (Y/n) must be a brave Nara if you like the taste of anger.”

[Wanderer] is the taste of anger? Is that what Ararycan was trying to say?

You blushed, fake-coughing behind your hand.

You wouldn’t say he reminds you of the taste of anger– especially with that winsome face. If anything, his appearance looks a lot like the bunraku dolls you accidentally bought years ago.

“Well, [Wanderer], it’s nice to finally put a name to a face,” you said. “But this is a dangerous area. What are you doing here…?”

“I just wanted to look for traces of the Doctor,” [Wanderer] crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, I can’t pry this stupid machine open.”

“The Doctor? Who’s that?”

“The Harbinger who sits at the second–”

“Aah, The Outcast. I see–” you shook your head. “Wait, no, I don’t get it. What does he have anything to do with this machine here? This is a Khaenriah’n creation.” 

“I know, I’m not dumb like you. I'm here because The Doctor had plans for these automatons, that’s why I’m here.”

“But even so, it’s not advisable to wander these parts alone. You ought to have asked for a travel companion. Who knows if you run into a hoard of vanaagnis in marana?”

“Hmph. Do you think I can’t handle a few whooperflowers in a withering zone? The audacity.”

“Arrogance is the capital stock of misfortune– wait, how’d you know Vanaagnis is a term for whooperflowers?” You blinked expressively. “And the meaning of marana too– so you ARE a mad scholar.”

“I’m NOT,” [Wanderer] glared. You noticed how he seemed unimpressed when you mentioned that proverb about arrogance and “capital stock”, and his expression soured more when you accused him of being a lunatic. 

“I just… I just learned from the best.”

[Wanderer]'s stare not wavering away from you.

Your silence did not go unnoticed by the other two.

“...Why do I have a feeling you’re trying to say that you’ve learned from me?” Those words had escaped from your mouth before you could stop them.

[Wanderer]’s eyes widened.

“Can… Can you remember?”

“Remember…?”

He frowned, eyes reflecting his disappointment.

“No, no, it’s probably just a fluke,” [Wanderer] frowned with a finger tracing his lips. “Maybe my expression just gave it away…”

“Nara (Y/n)!!! Tell Wood Nara to leeaaaaveee!!!”

You tried not to flinch at Ararycan’s whining. They don’t seem to understand that having poor hearing doesn’t mean you can’t register their commands.

[Wanderer] walked past you. 

“Fine, I’ll leave this device alone, but on one condition.”

“What makes you think you’re the one in control–”

“Go out with me.”

“...”

“...”

“... What?”

Your eyeglasses flickered red.

But that red light was gone in a blink, you weren't even sure if it existed.

You laughed nervously, “sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly–”

He refused to meet your eyes like a coward.

[Wanderer] replied brusquely, “look– you're partially deaf, but you’re NOT stupid. You heard what I said, so own it.”

"Hold on– where is all this coming from, [Wanderer]?" You pivoted your heel but were too late to yank his sleeve. 

He already hovered a few feet away from you.

"I'll come to visit this place more often," [Wanderer] smirked. "You’ll still be here at the upcoming Festival, right? Mark your calendar. That’s our date.”

“Hey, you can’t just!– Aaand he’s gone.”

Despite his abrupt parting, you couldn’t help but smile over such a cheeky encounter, completely forgetting how that man rummaged through the giant machine you’re standing on without a permit.

Something tells you that you’d see him more often.

And you did.

“[Wanderer]” never failed to visit you at 10 AM sharp every day, until there was only one day left till the next Sumeru Festival. At first, you thought his eccentric personality would make the following days unbearable, but he was rather civil– just sharp-tongued. 

He would show up whenever you wandered in the forest to disseminate knowledge about the local flora and Sumeru's history. Some of them you already knew, while others had you wondering if he knew the Lord of Verdure. While you were trying to interview him for a report, not as a trespasser but as an assistant, you once purposely lightened the atmosphere to get honest responses from him. When you jokingly asked who he was, his reply was unsatisfactory.

“Who I am is not carved in wood nor stone. ᏕᎧᎷᏋᎧᏁᏋ wise told me that it’s a flexible concept and it’s easier to understand through a story, but even then, you’d only see a fraction of who that person is,” [Wanderer] peered dotingly. “If you wish to know who I am, then work for it. I’m not giving you a damn summary.”

Tomorrow is your first "date" with the man and you barely knew him.

Your internalized frustration made him think you’re insatiably adorable. 

How the tables have turned. 

After all, [Wanderer] only responded with the same answer you had given him before.

In a forgotten history, ᎩᎧᏬ were the one that spouts spontaneous philosophical questions that led him into fits of unintelligible musings. [Wanderer] berated humanity for being sentimental creatures yet look at him now, proudly boasting the name ᎩᎧᏬ gave him wherever he went. It is by no means grander than a title like God of Everlasting Eternity or other such monikers, but when Godhood has stripped away from him, that name provided more solace than a seat in Celestia.

“The Puppet”, “Kunikuzushi”– such utterances are water under the bridge. Only [Wanderer] stays afloat, like a bubble on water. Maybe a bubble is only beautiful for a moment, yet that moment weighs more than a meaningless “eternity” and he knows this well…

[Wanderer] had been played by fate. Attaining freedom, independence, and a vision did not absolve what chokehold you had on his synthetic being. 

You're a colorful character, averaging about five meaningful papers per year– all the while considering yourself a "retired" genius. [Wanderer] would've been a kinder and forgiving person if you were his young and impressionable self's creator. He envied your patients, your strange collection of bunraku dolls, and the tenderness you reserve for them. 

He missed you, no matter how often you both fought. Your hums used to enchant him when you lull him asleep with aranara songs, but they now haunt him up at night. You were his puppet and he was your dictator until you had grown exhausted of foreign power enough that you abandoned your neutrality and revolted. 

But you did not revolt against him in this revision. Without a doubt, his revised “past” still mirrored the pain he caused, but through other means. He can’t say he had no regrets when he tampered with the Irminsul. Niwa’s death had less weight in this world, and for the wanderer, death without sanctification for a significant purpose is unnecessary homicide. And instead of helping Azar’s experiment, you became a “disobedient pet” who saw no need to collaborate with his superiority complex.

Yet, despite being such a disobedient pet– in his opinion, that’s a grave understatement–, he can’t help but cherish you.

The puppet missed the way his delusion marked your body. Fingerprint-like blotches collared your neck before, but when the slate was wiped clean, so too did his inflicted bruises. He missed the way you begged him to stop the pain. He missed the way you defended invisible creatures as “Queen Aranyani’s successor.” He missed the way you begged to keep the forest safe.

He missed the way you begged to be his.

But those marks are long gone– the symbol he carved on the nape of your neck had disappeared. You no longer had anything that resembled signs of his ownership.

Not only that, but seeing you wear eyeglasses– something you haven't before– fills him with anger.

The one saving grace from this situation was when this timeline confirmed that you wouldn’t help Azar if it wasn’t for [Wanderer]. You were interested in his personality and disposition as a puppet longing for a human heart, not just any of Dottore’s run-of-the-mill creations. That observation surely boosted his ego. 

Your opinions mattered to him most in that project. Admittedly, he craved everyone’s veneration, even when they lacked true understanding.

But you were the first mortal that made him appreciate his defects…

 

"Is it so bad to live this way?" You combed his hair with your fingers. "Must you try your hand with such heresy?"

"Know your place," Scaramouche gritted his teeth. "You're nothing more than my maintenance worker- you do not deserve an audience."

"Be that as it may, future faux-god, can't you entertain me for just a moment? If I wasn't worried about you, I wouldn't be helping you with this damn treacherous experiment.

You ignored how he snarled at such a nickname, "it pains me to watch you lust for more power when you already boast an acceptable form. What is it that makes you so desperate? Is it because you can't hide the ball joints that connect your fingers and limbs?"

You continued while adjusting the tightness of his skeletal wrists.

"Is it so bad to live on as a defective being? Does imperfection invalidate a life's purpose? I only ask out of curiosity. I have imperfect ears, so does that make my life devoid of meaning?"

Scaramouche frowned, "do not compare your ears to my heart or lack thereof."

He didn't understand why his voice cracked. Scaramouche did not feel his usual temperament sizzling over but something heavy resided in his chest.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, I know you're not sorry," Scaramouche cupped your cheek, sporting an uncharacteristically loving smile.

"And your unapologetic behavior is what makes you my first sage."

His first sage…

[Wanderer] laughed to himself.

His first sage would know that if he gained a heart, he would've seen the aranara you were talking to earlier.

But this is fine. He can start over again. 

This time, he’ll make you love him normally.

Heaven, please help the white wood that fell in love for it will never be human…

…

Out of the blue, Scaramouche spun and hurled three consecutive wind blades toward the woods with precision.

Be that as it may, the walking salt is surely more pathetic.

The “trees” grunted, but [Wanderer] did not miss the smell of salt-infused perfumes.

What a shame. 

The next Sumeru Festival, your “date”, is tomorrow, yet there will always be those who lurk in the shadows to see the mighty fall. 

"Pantalone…" 

The ex-sixth harbinger snarled with unfathomable familiarity. Which was the complete opposite of the ninth harbinger, who coldly greeted him like a new enemy. 

"Good afternoon, [Wanderer]."

Pantalone pulled out a gun from his hidden holster.

"No hard feelings, sir," the businessman smiled thinly. "I am but a simple man eliminating a love rival. You see, it’s not nice threatening to steal someone’s possession."

Scaramouche cackled.

How annoying. He never liked this friend of yours– he much preferred the one that planned a coup. Pantalone was not a coworker Scaramouche liked, much less a rival. This ambitious man was always a parasite, pretending to be worried while threatening to withhold project funding behind your back. Scaramouche will never forget how he boasted insolently that he had known you longer as if eternity wouldn't be enough to make up for it.

"You never change, mortal," he laughed even harder. "I knew something was off about (Y/n)'s glasses!"

"Hmm? Is that so?" Pantalone pushed them up closer– reminding Scaramouche that he’s no terrible shot. "How strange. In any case, I quite frankly don't care what you know or do not know."

He pulled the trigger as Scaramouche stomped his feet.

Only a few knew what occurred in Vanarana that day, but there was one thing the forest remembered.

Before either of them parted, a loud bang echoed that even deaf trees can't miss.

You woke up from Araja’s house (which was the only comfortable place to sleep in Vanarana) after passing out from tumultuous loads of paperwork sent directly by the Baharak. She joked that at that point, maybe she had become a bad omen for you– and you confirmed her suspicions. The tasks the Acting Grand Sage laid out for you were taxing, if not, deleterious for your mental well-being, and worst of all–

He sent a notice that this would be your last week patrolling Vanarana.

When you spread the announcement, the aranaras were saddened by the news. Even Arabalika was unimpressed and asked if you can prolong your services. Alas, it can’t be refuted.

Noticing how tired you appeared, the village chief immediately commanded you to sleep while you pretended not to hear whispers of a surprise farewell party. Considering how the place looked positively empty this morning, you’d wager that they’re busy working on it.

But you do smell that someone’s cooking right now…

The enticing scent emanated from a large pot. As you sauntered closer, you noticed how Arasaka was tending to the food. The aranara gave you a friendly wave that you didn’t reciprocate. It’s rather chilly in Vanarana in the mornings– and the sleeves of your jacket were comfy. 

“Good morning, Nara (Y/n)!”

“Good morning, ‘Saka. That smells delicious,” you smiled bittersweetly.

“Hehe, really? Glad to hear it! One of Nara (Y/n)’s friends helped gather the ingredients. That Nara was good at hunting down prey!”

One of your friends…? You haven't introduced a lot of people to the aranaras. That can only mean it's either Baharak, Pantalone, or [Wanderer], and you can safely remove the first one since they're positively busy with guild matters. 

... Huh. But those two can't see aranaras. Does that mean they stole Pantalone or [Wanderer]'s game?

"Pfft..." You chortled. Yeah, imagining either of them getting confused as to why their hunted boar had gone missing feels like a sight to see.

You took the ladle from Arasaka’s hand and sipped the warm liquid.

…

“Oh, hey, this tastes pretty good!”

“Hehe, Arasaka is glad to hear you liked it! Nara taste buds are hard to please.”

You took another sip as Arasaka watched. The warm soup went down smoothly, but the aftertaste had a serpent-like bite to it. It tastes akin to red sorghums Pantalone would down whenever social drinking was inevitable. Your only critique was that it would’ve been a refreshing experience if there wasn’t a rocky object stuck between your teeth. You awkwardly picked it out.

… And saw a small hint of (wood/salt) between your fingers.

You stared at Arasaka.

Strange…

Something feels… off. 

This doesn't taste like happiness, it tastes like…

You shivered and yet the aranaras around you still had that same painted smile. 

 "Does Nara (Y/n) like the taste now? The taste of friendship?”

… Friendship?

No. That can’t be it.

The spoon splashed back into the bowl. You didn’t say a word, only stared at the boiling pot. You knelt, grabbing both handles to gaze upon the bubbling red liquid. With trembling hands, you picked the spoon back up and swirled the contents. Nothing was of note–

Until you scooped something from the very bottom and found thick strands of dark hair.

A very familiar strand of dark hair.

You adjusted your glasses in an attempt to find out where this human hair came from–

“Nara (Y/n) likes the scent of (wood/salt) Nara so my sisters added him in!” Arasaka innocently cheered.

Your heart dropped.

You turned pale– gagging.

No. It can't be.

Did you just eat…

“So, Nara (Y/n)– does our cooking taste bland now?”

… “him”?

“Oh, Nara (Y/n)’s friend is approaching! Don’t forget to thank him for the food!”

[monarchberrysblog]

'𝔴𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤' 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔶𝔬𝔲 (𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔞𝔩𝔢)

Summary: “…I’m in love with you.”

Content Warning: sweet, wholesomeness, a little bit of mutual pinning, idiots in love but they finally admit it 😦

Word Count: 2.2k words

Author’s Notes: This is the finale of ‘waiting’ for you! I was not expecting to see many of you guys tune in, and thank you for the support; it means a lot to me as a small indie author here on this platform. Once again, thank you for your love and support! (If you see errors, no, you didn't—)

Standing at the hostess stand with the restaurant door in front of you has become a familiar sight over time. Seeing the brown carpet and warm lights was a sight your eyes bore to. It's been repetitive, but you didn't mind. As long as things don't happen out of the ordinary, it's okay. Everything from the outside may show two women next to each other having small talk is normal, but the context of it says otherwise.

“Yeah, I see what's going on here…” Jess jokingly announces to you. “Oh, what are you talking about?” You dodge her statement by providing a rhetorical question you desperately didn't want to know her comment to. “Hey, I'm a grown woman, married and about to have a child. I can smell the tension and chemistry from here.”

“Okay, but we don't know if Miguel handed me the umbrella a couple of days ago.” You added on.

“You say you don't know if Miguel lent you the umbrella, but why did you bring it into the restaurant and leave it leaning against the doors?” Jess inquires. You rolled your eyes and neatly stacked the menus next to you. “You know what I think?” She continues. You let out a long sigh and prepared to hear Jess’ investigative skills on the table. “I think that you know that it was Miguel who lent you that umbrella.”

“Nah, you think?” You hear the sarcasm in your voice before you turn your body away from her in response. “Do you like him?” She challenges.

“No, Jess.” You grumble, looking over your shoulder just to look at her for a moment.

A little smirk formed on her lips as she noticed you peel over to her. “Admit it; you like Miguel, don't you?” She mocked, waiting for a response. You turned away and huffed. “I don't know what you're talking about.” You mumbled, barely loud enough for even yourself to hear.

The sudden appearance of the restaurant's bartender hopping out of nowhere was enough to make you cringe. “You said otherwise on text last night while you were three drinks in.” Lyla jumped into the space, showing her pink iPhone to Jess, causing you to tackle the shorter, petite woman nearly. “No!” You huffed, wanting to grab the mobile device from her. The phone was no longer in her hands but in Jess's hands. “Very interesting…” She mumbled, scrolling through the drunken messages you and Lyla shared the previous night before, reading them.

The slight frown on Jessica’s lips soon evolved into a shit-eating grin. “Oh, this is too good…” Jess snickered, scrolling through the messages. “Jess, give it over…” You demanded, walking over to her. “Oh hell no, this is just a chef’s kiss to the recipe of ‘I told you.’ Jess laughed out loud, handing the pink iPhone back to Lyla. “Thanks for sharing, Lyla.” Lyla gave you a grin and left the area back to the restaurant‘s bar.

You covered your face with the menus, slowly sliding them down to reveal the burning look on your face. Silence filled the space before you fixed your hair and looked at an odd corner. “So, you do like him.” She muses.

You sigh and see a couple of hungry customers enter the restaurant. “Interpret it as you will.” You huff before you grasp the restaurant's menus and usher the guests to a clean table.

/

It was the thirtieth-anniversary opening of the restaurant, which means that the restaurant would close early for the employees to celebrate amongst each other and have a poor excuse to get free food and beverages. This night was no exception.

“I'm not drinking that, Lyla.” Miguel huffed to the bartender. “Oh, come on! This soda tastes amazing!” Lyla held the ocean-like teal color soda to Miguel, insisting he take a sip. “This looks like this would send me to a coma!” He groans in disgust. “But it's a Baja Blast!”

“I would never put that in my system even if it was the last drink on this planet.”

Lyla shrugs and sips on the drink. “Suit yourself.”

/

The cool spring breeze accompanies the silence on the rooftop of the restaurant. The city's skyscrapers brightly shined, giving any on-looker a sight to see. “I didn't expect to see you up here.” Miguel greets you, soon sitting on one of the garden chairs next to you. “I don't do well in loud, crowded spaces.” You shrug, taking a sip of water from your bottle.

He nods and leans back a bit on the iron garden chair. He glances back to the garden bed momentarily and nods, deciding to initiate conversation. (In the worst way possible.)

“You know, six years ago, a year before you came in, we used to have a garden up here on this very rooftop.” You turned back and saw the now-empty garden bed lacking the green veggies, let alone a single sprout.

“What happened to it?” You ask, soon turning back to look at the bright scenery before you two. “Since Alex came in, he wanted us to bargain for our ingredients rather than grow them. Too expensive, he says.”

“Isn't bargaining with food suppliers more expensive than buying a bag of mulch?” You questioned, glancing back at the empty garden boxes that once contained fresh, healthy veggies ready to be grown.

“To him, the garden was a waste of time due to a lack of produce during the winter.”

“Ah.”

Silence filled the space between the two of you, only allowing lowly sirens of police cruisers on the streets to fill the giant, awkward silence. “Why is it hard to talk to this man? But enough! Maybe it's time to actually talk…”

“So—” The two of you spoke at the same time before you two started to stack on each other sentences like a tower of Jenga. “Sorry, go ahead.” You laughed awkwardly, soon tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “No, you've heard enough of me; what did you want to say?” Miguel dismissed his words, waiting for you to speak. You nod and soon take a deep breath.

“Well, we’ve been working together for a couple of years now, and I realized,” You look over to him and lean back on your seat. “I'm always at the front, and you're always in the kitchen, and we rarely see each other—I mean...” You pause for a moment and decide to spill it. “…This will sound weird, but it feels like I've known you forever.”

Miguel raises a brow before a lowly chuckle fills y'alls bubble. “Yeah?” Miguel chuckled before turning to look at you, locking eye contact. “Name one thing about me that you know about me.”

You think for a moment before you recall an odd detail. “I know that you have an orange cat named Lyla.” You announce confidently with a little smirk on your face. “C’mon, almost everyone in this restaurant knows that.” Miguel retorts, remembering his little friend back at his apartment.

“Okay, but tell me why you named the cat that? Is it because of Lyla, our bartender?” Miguel let out a sigh at the question and then nodded. “Yeah, because the orange cat is similar to her, wild and energetic. Let me show you.” He then pulls his phone out and scrolls around for a bit before he pauses and shows the screen to you.

The phone presented a video of the marmalade cat zooming around his bedroom, jumping on his nightstand, bed, and desk, presumably in the early morning hours. “Lyla, ya parale con tus joderás…” You can hear Miguel’s raspy voice through the phone’s speaker. The cat in the video only responded with multiple chirps and continued to zoom around, knocking Miguel’s desk lamp and creating a loud crash. The lamp breaking earns a low groan from Miguel in the video.

The video ended, causing you to laugh at the active animal. “I can see why you named the cat after Lyla. Very similar when it comes to sudden bursts of energy.”

The man only groaned in annoyance, not to you but to the feline he has as a pet. “She is always knocking stuff down and scratching things up. It's her favorite pastime while I'm here at work.”

You shake your head while smiling at the cat’s antics. “Well, that's one more thing you know about me.” Miguel shrugs, resting his arm on the garden table near yours. You could almost feel his pinky against yours. One sudden shove and you would be resting your hand on his.

I want to know more…

“What about you?” The question returned you to reality, snapping your focus into the conversation. “What about me?” You laughed nervously. “Other than talking to me, you seem to be the type to come in and do your job.” You felt yourself cringe at his words as it wasn't far from the truth.

“Yeah, I mean—it's not every day that an old man throws soup at you or a lady complains about blood in her steak when she ordered a rare steak.” You grumble, soon moving your hand away from the table to massage your temples, recalling an unwanted event.

“Like today, a lady wanted warm water to ‘sanitize’ her utensils.” You can see the look of troubled cross Miguel’s face. “Sanitize?” Miguel nearly laughed at the claim. “Does she know that we have a dishwasher we pay?” You shake your head at the question and groan. “No, apparently, because Health Codes don't exist in her world.”

“Did she do the same thing with her cup of water?” Miguel laughed in a troubled manner, hardly believing the interaction. “No, and then I told her: You do realize that the water has to be 145°F and the utensils have to be marinated for five to ten minutes?”

“And what did she say?” Miguel chuckled out. “She stayed quiet.” You chuckled, remembering the disbelief look on the customer.

“Well, you know people say ignorance is bliss,” Miguel added, soon taking a deep breath from his chuckle.

“I wish I was that happy about life.” You moved your hand away from your temple and rested it on the garden table. But it wasn't the garden table; it was his arm. You moved your hand away immediately and kept your hands to yourself.

“Sorry.” You sighed and got up from your seat. “Im going downstairs to get a drink, is there something you want?”

It got quiet again, and it was going so well. Why did you have to ruin it!!

“Hey,” He paused momentarily, stopping your footsteps. A pregnant pause filled the bubble between you two as Miguel deeply inhaled, creating a sharp sound between his teeth. “I’m in love with you.”

“…what?”

“I’ve been in love with you. Ever since you became a hostess.” You nod, a bit troubled at the confession. “It’s constantly with you, and it will continue to stay that way.”

Your little heart fluttered while your stomach dropped in excitement. Seems as if the feelings were mutual. Instead, you kept quiet and kept your response silent and to yourself.

“But will getting to know each other make things better?”

Silence hung the environment with ease. He got up from his seat and stood before you, locking his eyes on yours.

Nothing comes to mind, leaving you frozen. Nothing at all. It felt as if Miguel sucked the words out of you. “I—” You began, but Miguel placed his finger against your lips, pausing your words.

“You don't have to say anything if you don't feel the same way. We rarely speak, but I wanted you to know and get to know you better.”

He moved his finger away and waited for you to say something—even a single peep from you. “Say something, please…” He pleads softly, a tone you always hear whenever you speak to him, contrasting what your coworkers always hear.

“Miguel, I—” You felt a soft, plush sensation against your lips. The sensation of his arms pulling you close to a warm embrace while his lips sewed onto yours. The kiss tasted sweet, like the desserts he often snuck to you under Alex’s nose. The warmth from his hands against your upper back is enough to make you melt, leaning into him.

After a brief moment, he pulled away and fixed your hair for you, being gentle with his touch and motions. He looked down and saw the look in your eyes, little hearts in them, accompanying admiration.

You clicked your tongue before you took a deep breath. “…I like you too.”

“I would like to know you better, too.”

A small sigh of relief leaves Migurl before he gently grabs your hand. “That's all I needed to hear.”

/

SEVERAL YEARS LATER

(You can read it if you like—)

The lively, lightfall footsteps of a child filled Miguel’s home floor in Brooklyn. The footfalls soon entered the kitchen with lively brown eyes looking up at Miguel with admiration. “Papí!” The toddler yelled out, running to him at full speed and embracing him tightly. “Ay, Gabriella…”

He stopped chopping the vegetables, placing the knife down, and lifted the toddler.

“Did you sleep well?” He soon planted a forehead kiss on the tiny girl. “Yes! Can you make cheese omelets, papí?”

Miguel chuckled before he glanced at the chopped veggies on the cutting board. “Yes, mija, but you need your veggies, too. Especially onions and bell peppers.” The toddler expressed a “blerg” in response, looking down at the chopped onions and tomatoes. She leaned down, grabbed a small fistful of diced ham, and began to snack on it.

“Why is mommy crying more?” The toddler asked, looking up at her father while eating the uncooked deli meat. “Well, it's because she's carrying your little brother, Samuel, and she's been more tired recently.” The toddler pouts her lips for a moment and nods. She finishes eating her ‘snack’ and thinks momentarily before her eyes shine in excitement.

“Can we make mommy a cheese omelet to make her feel better?”

“Claro que sí, hija.”

While the father and daughter interacted in the kitchen, a marmalade cat strolled past the two to the door. As always, the cat looked up at the umbrella bucket, now seeing two umbrellas in the long container.

Translations:

ya parale con tus joderás (stop with your bullshit.)

(If I missed any, let me know)

Tag List:

(Tumblr hates me istg—)

@soymiguelsesposa @huniedeux @improbable-outset @leafyturtle @oharafilipinawife @daisy-artfield @freeingrebels @roserfz27 @heyybaejjk @esmedelacroix @yougavemeyourheartyouknow @rosegnome @lazyjellyfish300 @peachey-pie @itswhateversworld @tryinghardatlife @famouscattale @safixiovi @miguelzslvtz

[henrioo]

°•*⁀➷ BEACH DAY: CROCODILE

꒰ SYNOPSIS ꒱ : "Crocodile is a king, and kings don't fulfill anyone's wishes, unless that someone is you. The small, young and only son of one of the most feared pirates, a child who would never have his desires denied by his father.

꒰ WARNINGS ꒱ : Platonic! Crocodile, IT'S NOT A ROMANTIC STORY, Dad! Crocodile, Child! Reader, Male! Child! Reader, difficult childhood due your Dad's business, mentions a lonely childhood, mean children

꒰ WC ꒱ : 995

꒰ NOTES ꒱ : Trying to back in my schedule of posting and writing, I'm passing through some bad time with a lot of personal problems so my mind is kinda off for everything, but at least I gonna try to post what I already had (I always say that and never do) anyway enjoy :p

Firstly, your father would be extremely offended if his precious son asked to go to the beach. Dear, your father is the king of the desert and is literally made of sand, why on earth would you want to go to a beach full of stupid people with dirty sand?

Of course, just as Crocodile is unable to refuse your requests every time, what can he do? He spoiled his little boy a little… so soon he's planning a trip to the beach while putting up with you talking about it every day since you as a little child couldn't contain your excitement.

Initially he thought about going to a private beach, he could rent an entire island just to avoid other people, but when you looked at him with those huge puppy eyes saying “but then there won't be other children for me to play with?” He gave up and was at your feet again, bless you, your perfect son who had him wrapped around your finger.

He agreed to go to a public beach, but that doesn't change that he didn't want many people, so he planned to go to a less inhabited island and during a period when there would be fewer people, of course, he made sure the beach was very beautiful and big enough so you can have the most fun. He wasn't ruining her experience for his own selfish limits.

Father of sunscreen, Crocodile doesn't want to see you turning into a pepper, so he makes sure you're completely white from all the sunscreen. It's a little difficult to do this with just one hand, but you were always a patient child and helped your father without any problems, soon you were ready, with your crocodile themed children's swimwear, your colorful floaties and animation for a lifetime.

Crocodile wasn't very excited about swimwear either, so he just wore an open shirt and longer shorts. The problem was that everyone on the beach was staring at the seductive man, was it his fault for being so handsome? Of course, having Daz Bones next to him staring deathly at everyone ensured that no one bothered him, which was perfect for the pirate.

Swimming too deep is a big no, Crocodile can't swim and that means he can't rescue you if you start to sink, not only that, but most of his employees are also Devil Fruit users, which just makes it difficult for him to be sure you will be fine in the water. Now if he goes with you to the beach with a non-user, like Mihawk for example, he may be more comfortable with you going to the deeper parts, accompanied of course.

Crocodile is also very careful about keeping you well hydrated. He knows that children are more sensitive, so he is constantly calling you to drink water, juices or any other liquid. Luckily, you are very obedient and don't waste the chance to drink something delicious, so it was easy to keep it under control. Crocodile also didn't trust just any restaurant or food vendor, so he hired a chef to prepare everything you could want to eat on the beach, whether it was fried fish or ice cream, you had everything at your disposal, prepared by someone you trusted, so Crocodile knew you I wasn't taking any risks.

He gets a little apprehensive when you get close to other children, Crocodile is extremely protective of you. After all, you are his greatest treasure, he would kill and die to prevent you from getting hurt in any way, but when he sees you smiling while playing with the children, he feels his heart relax, in the end, you are still a child, and he doesn't want to in no way to deprive you of having a normal childhood. He already knows how terrible it must be for you to be the son of a pirate, to live on a ship without ever settling on an island for long, the lack of children for you to live with, you can't even go to school, and instead you study with him, his life is not normal like most children and any opportunity he has to give you some moments of a normal childhood he is definitely doing it. He just wants you to grow up happy, regardless of everything.

Now, that doesn't mean he won't be a protective father. All he has to do is see you building your beautiful sandcastle, which he may have helped to stand with his powers without you realizing, when another older child approaches. He is reluctant but doesn't want to act immediately, it's only when the child kicks his castle that he gets angry, then a wave of sand covers the child, knocking him to the ground, the boy has probably swallowed enough sand to never but forget the taste. As soon as the boy runs away crying to his parents, Crocodile rebuilds his entire sandcastle before you can even miss him or cry about it. Your bright smile along with a “thank you daddy” makes it all worth it.

Although he enjoyed the beach day, which basically consisted of him sitting around watching you being a normal kid and having fun and the occasional discussion about business with Daz, the best part for Crocodile is when it starts to get dark, and you're already too tired. He carries you in his arms, using his powers to clean all the sand from your body, you are completely exhausted and sleep like a rock, with the only detail of holding your father's shirt with your small hand.

Crocodile just puts pajamas on you, preferring that you take a shower when you're awake, then he puts you in his bed and covers you. You have a huge smile on your face and are probably having sweet dreams, he watches you for a few moments before leaving to finish some things and then going to sleep.

[lilacmingi]

MALL ELF

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you are under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Mall employee!San x mall elf!fem reader

Word count: 2,634

Note: A couple of you guys have let me know how much you’re enjoying these Christmas imagines and it’s so nice to hear! I’m glad that people are genuinely getting enjoyment out of reading these 🥹 Reminder: This imagine is from Wattpad so there will be no continuations or extra parts

You trudged up to the Baskin Robbins in the food court, your legs aching and feet burning from being on them all day. You didn't even take time to change out of your uniform, going from your job straight to the food court as soon as lunch break started.

You approached the ice cream joint, dropping your head on the counter.

"One (your favorite ice cream)." You said, holding an index finger up before dropping your hand back down onto the counter.

"Rough day?" Your friend San's voice came from above you.

Lifting your head, you gave him an expression that said "You think?"

"Let's see, some kid waiting in line wiped his boogers on my tights, another one cried... a lot, and it's always a jolly day when someone gets so excited to see Santa that they could just about throw up—and they do! You know who had to clean it up?"

"Let me guess? Santa's happy little helper?"

"Ding, ding, ding. Correct." You rolled your eyes. "So did I have a rough day? You you tell me."

"I'll get that ice cream right away."

You watched as San got to work preparing your frozen treat, resting your elbows on the counter. As you were waiting, a little girl ran up, tugging on the bottom of your elf costume.

"Excuse me. When will Santa be back?" She asked.

You turned to the little girl, bending down to the her height, a warm smile on your face.

"He's eating lunch right now, but he'll be back very soon." You assured her.

Suddenly, a woman who you assumed was the girl's mother came hurrying over.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" She asked, gently pulling the girl away from you. "I'm so sorry." She apologized, giving you a sympathetic look.

"It's totally fine. Don't worry about it." You waved it off.

San, who was watching the whole exchange, couldn't help but smile as an overwhelming feeling of adoration took over. Just a moment ago you were complaining about kids and being tired, yet you put on a bright smile for the sweet little girl that just approached you. He watched with a fond gaze as you spoke to the girl, assuring her that Santa was eating lunch and would be back soon. The girl proceeded to ask you what he eats besides cookies because, "He can't eat cookies all the time."

When the girl and her mother walked away, San handed your ice cream to you. You began digging for money, but he stopped you.

"It's on the house."

"What? You have to let me pay you."

"Anybody who has to clean up puke deserves a free ice cream." He told you.

"You're too kind, San." You said, taking the frozen treat from him.

"You deserve it. I know you've had a tough day."

"You're the best."

"I know." He grinned, cutely. "It's almost time for my lunch break. I can see if I can take it early and we can hang out. Does that sound good?"

"I'd love that. I could use some company."

San disappeared in the back only to return a few seconds later.

"Manager says I can take an early lunch break." He beamed. "Let's go."

The two of you found an empty table nearby and took a seat.

"You in the mood for any real food?" San asked. "I'm sure ice cream isn't very filling."

"Maybe a slice of pizza. I'll have to eat something pretty quick. My break ends in about 20 minutes." You told him.

"You stay here and finish your ice cream and I'll order us something, okay?"

"Sounds good. Let me give you some money for my food."

"That's not necessary."

"Again?" You asked.

"Yes."

You opened your mouth to protest, but he stopped you.

"It's just a slice of pizza, Y/n."

You sighed, a reluctant smile playing at your lips. "Alright."

San left for food while you stayed put at the table. The ice cream you had been given was making you feel better, and sitting down to rest your legs and feet was nice as well. You pulled your elf hat off, placing it on the table before smoothing your hair.

As tired as you were, you didn't exactly dread getting back to work. All you really did was stand around and hand out candy canes, sometimes you would unclasp the velvet rope at the beginning of the line, letting kids and their parents through. The job was easy, the only crappy part was standing on your feet all day.

"I'm back." San announced, placing a slice of fresh pizza in front of you, the delicious smell drifting upwards to your nostrils.

At this point, you had just finished your ice cream and were ready for pizza, in need of something salty to balance things out.

"Thank you." You grinned, excitedly.

San grabbed his own slice of pizza before taking a huge bite, the cheese stretching as he pulled it away from his mouth.

You were quick to start eating yours, a hum of satisfaction escaping you.

"This is so good. Really hits the spot."

"Mhm." San hummed in agreement.

Once yours and San's plates were empty, you pulled your phone out to check the time.

"It's time for me to get back to work." You spoke up.

"Bummer."

"Yeah. As much as I'd love to stay, there's probably a line of kids waiting to sit on the big man's lap."

"You're right. You go on, I can clean up."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I don't mind. Plus, you need to get back as quickly as you can."

"Thanks, San."

"Of course."

With that, you hurried off, back to work.

You headed into the mall, decked out in your red and white striped tights and green elf dress. You weren't really in the mood to work, but the hours weren't that long and it was sometimes nice seeing the happy smiles on the kids' faces when they see Santa for the first time.

You approached the large area decorated especially for Santa, some other workers standing around, all seeming a bit nervous.

"What's going on?" You asked.

"We're one elf down. He didn't show up and when someone got in touch with him, he said he was sick." One of the workers responded.

"Yeah, we're supposed to have five people here today and there's only four." Someone else spoke up.

"I think I know someone who can help out." You told the three.

"Can they get here quickly?"

"I think so."

You stepped aside quickly dialing San's number. He answered after just a couple rings.

"Hello?"

"San! This is so last minute and I know this is one of your off days, but we're one elf short today. Do you think you could fill in?"

"Fill in? What would I be doing?"

"Opening and closing the little velvet rope, lifting kids onto Santa's lap, or handing candy canes to the kids as they leave. It's super easy."

"Sure. I can help out. How long do I have to get down there?"

"The meet and greet starts in about fifteen minutes."

"I can do that."

"You can?"

"Of course."

San was at the mall within ten minutes and had been given a uniform. Thankfully, the people behind the whole meet and greet carried extra uniforms with them.

You watched for San to return from the bathroom where he went to change. You were quick to spot him as he walked over, donning the red, green, and white costume. You had to admit, he looked pretty handsome, even in tights. You weren't surprised by that, San is a good looking guy, it doesn't matter what he wears, he'll always be able to pull it off.

"Well, don't you look cute." You giggled.

"No teasing. I'm doing you a favor." He pointed.

"You're right. But, you do look good."

"Really?" He asked, glancing down at the costume.

"Yeah. You can pull off anything. Even little striped tights."

"They do make my legs look great, don't they?" He asked, sticking his leg out.

"Yeah, yeah." You waved your hand dismissively. "Come on. Santa's here and we're about to get super busy."

San was told by one of the coordinators to take his place by the exit and was handed a basket of candy canes while you stood at the front of the line, pulling the velvet rope back for the first family to pass by.

Hours went by and lunch break was called. You and San paired up and headed to the food court together.

"Aren't you embarrassed to be seen in your work outfit?" San asked.

"Not really. It's Christmastime and people know there's Santa meet and greets at the mall, so I'm not really embarrassed. It's not like I'm dressed up for no reason."

"Hm."

"Why? Are you embarrassed?" You turned the question back on him.

"A little."

"Don't be. Plus, I already told you that you look good."

"I never got the chance to tell you, but you look adorable in your costume."

"Adorable?" You parroted, your cheeks feeling a tad warm.

"Yeah." He smiled softly.

"Ah. Well..." You trailed off, not sure what to say.

San could tell he'd gotten you flustered and he was proud of it. He watched in amusement as you struggled to find the words to speak.

"What are you in the mood to eat?" He inquired, changing the subject (for your sake.)

"How about Chinese? They always have good food at that place over there." You pointed.

There were at least three different Chinese restaurants in the food court, but the one you pointed to was the best out of the three.

This time, you paid for lunch. It was quite the task, but you managed to drop a wad of cash onto the counter before San could. He gave you a look that told you, you successfully caught him off guard.

"I can't believe you did that." He mentioned as the two of you sat down.

"You're helping me out today, it's the least I can do."

"Alright. You have a point. I'll let it slide, but just this once."

"We'll see." You grinned, taking a sip of your drink.

Your lunch break ended sooner than you would have liked, but you were happy working with San. He made work much more bearable just being there.

San stood by the exit, watching you as you pulled back the velvet rope, allowing the next family to see Santa. As the kid spoke to the jolly man, you clasped the velvet rope back into place, the next kid in line tugging on the bottom of your elf dress.

San was close enough where he could hear the conversation.

"What's it like at the North Pole?" The boy asked.

"Ah. Well, it's always covered in snow and there are Christmas lights everywhere on every home and workshop. The streetlights look like candy canes and there's a huge Christmas tree at the center of town."

"Wow." The boy gaped. "I wanna go there one day."

"Maybe you can." You smiled.

The mother and father gave you a kind smile, happy that you played along.

"Oh. It's your turn now." You told the boy, unclipping the rope.

San handed a candy cane to the girl who was leaving, his eyes staying on you. Every time he sees you, it feels like he falls harder and harder for you. At this point, it was too much and he had to say something. He couldn't hold his feelings in any longer.

At the end of your shift, you went and changed out of your uniform into regular clothes. San, who had accompanied you to the restrooms to change himself, was waiting outside for you when you were done.

"Thanks for filling in today." You told him.

"It was no problem. I enjoyed working with you."

"Likewise."

The two of you walked side by side, exiting the mall. The Santa meet and greets go on until about 7:00, which is two hours until the mall closed. Due to it being winter, the sun was mostly set, the sky a dark blue color.

"Where'd you park?" You asked.

"Over that way near the Barnes and Nobel." San pointed. "Where are you parked?"

"Down that row somewhere." You pointed to a nearby row of cars.

"I'll walk you there."

You allowed San to accompany you on the short walk to your car.

"Is it okay if I drive you to your car?" You asked. "I'd feel bad letting you walk halfway across the parking lot to get to it."

"Sure." He smiled.

You drove San across the lot, allowing him to direct you to the spot where he parked. When he got out, you couldn't help but notice a bit of hesitancy in his actions. He came to a stop when he got to his car, standing and staring at the driver's side door. Putting your vehicle in park, you stepped out.

"Is something wrong?" You asked, stepping towards him.

"I have to tell you something." He spoke up.

You frowned a bit, wondering what it could be and if what he had to tell you was the reason for his sudden odd behavior.

"Yeah?" You urged, wanting him to continue.

"Y/n, I like you."

Four words. That's it. Plain and simple.

Your mouth was slightly agape as you processed what he said.

San likes you? San likes you? San likes you?

You blinked a few times, bringing yourself back to reality as San waited anxiously for an answer.

"I like you too."

San was so excited by your answer that he grabbed your face and abruptly kissed you. It caught you off guard and before you could reciprocate the kiss, San had already pulled away, surprised by his own actions.

"I'm sor—"

He couldn't even get the apology out before you smashed your lips against his. San's eyes fluttered shut as his hands made their way to your waist, gently pushing you against his car.

Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as the kiss got a little more heated. San's fingertips dug into your hips as he angled his head a little more so your mouths fit closer together. Part of you was vaguely aware that you were making out with your friend (and crush) in a parking lot, but you didn't care.

At some point, you had to pull away. Your mind was in a foggy haze as you gazed at San.

"I left my car parked in the middle of the lane." You breathed out.

"Right." San responded, clearly out of breath as well. "I should let you get back to that."

"Yeah."

The two of you stared at each other for a few moments, neither one moving.

"I don't want to leave." You spoke up.

"I don't want you to leave either."

Your hand rested against San's cheek, your thumb stroking the side of his face, lovingly.

"I have the weekend off." He spoke again.

"Then let's make out—hang out." You corrected. "Let's hang out."

A smirk tugged at the corner of San's mouth as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip, amused by your slip up.

"You're cute." He chuckled. "Yeah. Let's hang out. I'll text you later tonight and we can talk about it."

You hesitantly parted ways with San and got back to your car, giving him a small wave before driving off.

Your brain was still a little foggy from the kiss and you struggled to process it. It wasn't until you got home that the events truly sunk in.

Your face became hot as you replayed what happened earlier. As if on cue, your phone buzzed.

San

So, when are you free?

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

[growingstories]

The ranch

Chad, the 40-year-old ranch owner in New Mexico, had taken over the family business from his parents. With a massive ranch close to Santa Fe, Chad enjoyed his own company and cherished the solitude it provided. He spent his evenings sitting on his porch, engrossed in books, and took care of the cattle in the early mornings. During lunchtime, he dedicated two hours to his fitness routine, frequently hitting the gym. The afternoons were spent attending to various tasks on the farm, with approximately ten full-time employees working under his supervision. Chad was known as a great boss who paid his workers well and was admired for his toned, tanned body, especially compared to his peers of a similar age.

Chad never had much of a taste for alcohol and took exceptional care of his body. He was disciplined about his diet, always striving to eat healthy. He did, however, indulge in a dessert or some sweets on weekends. Although he rarely went out and lived a relatively solitary life, Chad would occasionally open Gr,indr a dating app, twice a year when he desired a physical encounter. After satisfying his desires, he would promptly close the app and resume his usual routine. Chad appreciated the anonymity and separation it provided from his everyday life.

For the past thirty years, Maria had been taking care of house and the preparing meals for Chad. She developed an affection for him over the years, but being at retirement age, Maria planned to eventually retire. Maria cooked delightful, healthy Mexican food for both Chad's lunch and dinner. Chad admired her culinary skills and was disciplined in his eating habits. On weekends, he would allow himself a dessert or occasional indulgence. Chad's strict approach to his diet was well-known among those who worked with him.

Every year, around September, the ranch employed a group of seasonal workers for the harvest. They received good wages and had all their necessities provided for by Chad. Additionally, Chad hired a cook to prepare three meals a day for the workers. To show his gratitude and support, Chad would often join the workers for a meal, fostering a sense of camaraderie and appreciation among his employees. This year, there was a new cook named Miguel who caught Chad's eye. Miguel was not only an excellent cook but also an attractive man.

As Chad interacted with Miguel, he discovered that Miguel was gay as well. Intrigued and enjoying the delicious meals he prepared, Chad began joining the workers for lunch more frequently and engaged in conversations with Miguel afterward. Miguel felt a deep confusion about the growing attraction he felt towards Chad and believed his feelings were somewhat insensitive given their professional relationship. The temptation became too strong, leading Miguel to open Grindr to seek a hookup but quickly closed it, feeling unfulfilled as he couldn't help but think about Chad.

To win Chad's affection, Miguel became increasingly focused on impressing him. He prepared larger and more extravagant meals, providing Chad with previews of his culinary talents. Chad, in turn, found himself slowly opening up and developing feelings for Miguel. Eventually, Miguel gathered the courage to ask Chad out, and Chad enthusiastically accepted. What began as a simple drinks outing quickly blossomed into something Chad realized was love. Miguel shared with Chad that he had previously studied to become a butler but disliked the rigid environment it entailed. Instead, he made a decision to travel the world and cook wherever he could.

As the final day of Miguel's employment at the ranch approached, they said their goodbyes but promised to keep in touch. Miguel kept his word and continued sending updates about his whereabouts across the globe, charming Chad with his adventurous spirit. Chad yearned to find ways to see Miguel again, hoping for a future together.

One day, Maria approached Chad and admitted she could no longer handle the household responsibilities. Considering Maria's retirement plans, Chad offered her the opportunity to continue living on the ranch for the remainder of her life. Chad contemplated replacing her and decided to propose a three-month trial to Miguel, offering a good salary and ideal conditions. This period would allow Maria to pass on her knowledge while Miguel could learn under her supervision.

When Miguel officially started, he prepared a grand dinner for Chad as a gesture of gratitude. Overwhelmed, Chad apologized for not being able to devour all the food due to its excessive portion size. Maria, surprised by Chad's newfound friendliness, reflected on how he had rarely engaged in conversation with anyone before. That night, Chad sat on his porch, frustrated and filled with desire, and resorted to eating all the leftovers as a way to cope.

Recognizing Chad's frustration, Miguel prepared even larger portions of food. Maria began feeling slightly jealous, as Chad never consumed her leftovers but readily devoured Miguel's creations. In her attempt to gain his attention, Maria started making cakes for dessert. Chad indulged in these as well, feeding his mounting desires. Throughout this time, Chad would often visit town for random sexual encounters as a way to release his pent-up frustrations. Miguel, observing this behavior, became increasingly jealous, yearning for an intimate connection with but Chad hesitant due to their professional relationship.

A constant battle for Chad's affections and taste prevailed between Miguel and Maria as they both sought to outshine the other's culinary offerings. The resulting portions became larger, exacerbating Chad's growing frustration. Unbeknownst to him, Chad began gaining weight, as he had not weighed himself for the past ten years, simply assuming his body remained the same. Miguel, aware of Chad's cravings, further teased him with his shirtless cleaning, running, and stretching, igniting an intense tension between the two. Chad's sexual frustrations continued to mount, leading him to masturbate frequently and seek out random hookups in town. His mornings were clouded by exhaustion from late-night rendezvous, causing him to forgo his lunchtime workouts.

The three-month trial came to an end, and Maria retired, settling into a small house on the ranch for the remainder of her days. Chad called Miguel in for a discussion about the future after saying goodbye to Maria. Miguel expressed his desire to stay on the ranch and assume responsibility for the household. Chad was elated to hear this news.

That night, Miguel witnessed Chad sitting on the porch, devouring a leftover pie, clearly showing the weight he had gained. Miguel took pleasure in witnessing his boss consuming his food. The next day, Miguel prepared an exceptional meal as a thank you. Chad happily consumed it, simultaneously realizing his growing weight gain and the need to take action. He ordered Miguel to return to preparing healthy meals, similar to Maria's, and vowed to return to the gym to reverse the effects of his overeating.

Though reluctantly, Miguel acquiesced to Chad's request and reverted to preparing healthier fare. Chad diligently worked out, even incorporating protein shakes into his routine. However, Miguel discovered the inevitable consequences of Chad's frustrations and desires. Observing his boss becoming more frustrated again, Miguel resumed preparing larger meals. Chad continued fluctuating between moments of discipline and moments of indulgence. As a result, he gained more weight.

Chad's physique transformed into that of an ex-jock, now helpless against Miguel's allure. His insatiable appetite and inability to resist Miguel's cooking further solidified Chad's belief that Miguel would leave and start dating someone younger and fitter of he would not be honest. He decided to come clean to Miguel and tell him he is in live with him. It was mutual and that night they finally had kissed. They agreed that Miguel couldn’t keep working for when they would be a couple but they had to find a solution first.

The ranch thrived, and Chad continued to grow, relishing in the feasts provided every night by Miguel. Lavish dinners were followed by passionate lovemaking and indulgence in nightly desserts.

Chad hired Maria's daughter, Julia, to take over the cooking. Julia's skills proved to be as remarkable as Miguel's, providing little change to the extravagant meals. However, Miguel, left without a true purpose, began spending extensive hours at the gym, relaxing in the sauna. Chad, busy with the ranch's operations, remained on the farm, occupied with instructing the new staff on farm-related tasks.

As Miguel's physique grew even more remarkable, Chad's allure towards him intensified. Chad's weight gain did little to diminish his physical attraction to Miguel. The couple's routine continued, with Miguel acting as the primary feeder and indulging Chad's desires. Meanwhile Miguel started to become bored and started experimenting in making cakes. Also his gym hours declined and without a real purpose he just keeps experimenting in baking. The days were filled with lavish dinners, sexual encounters and then Miguel’s desserts. Chad's weight continued to increase over the years, and he reveled in his newfound life.

Chad was also aware of Miguel's gradual weight gain, it did not concern him, it reassured him that Miguel would not leave for a young fit man.

As time passed, the ranch flourished, and Chad's size became enormous. He ate and ate, seemingly insatiable. Miguel joined him in this indulgent lifestyle, tirelessly experimenting with new desserts alongside Julia. Food tastings became increasingly frequent, and Miguel's portions grew in size. The once-lengthy dinners turned into extended evenings of conversation, sex, and even more indulgence. Miguel's lack of purpose led to laziness, causing him to gain even more weight. Chad adored his overweight physique, finding him even more attractive than before.

Chad and Miguel created a life filled with passion, food, and love. Chad reveled in his tremendous size. The couple's affection for one another remained unwavering, with lust and desire fueling their daily activities. The ranch continued to flourish, permanently entwining their lives in an indulgent feast of lavish dinners, endless desserts, and passionate nights.

[goldenmetstli]

General Headcanons of Seto Kaiba

I have nothing to say but that he has been on my mind lately lol ¯\(ツ)/¯

✮ Doesn't like being touched, and Mokuba is the only one who can hug him. When they were kids, Seto was more affectionate; they held hands while crossing the street; when Mokuba had a nightmare, they cuddled, etc. After being adopted and enduring Gozanburo abuse, Seto now has a hard time being physically affectionate.

✮ He's always extremely busy, so he doesn't get to watch a lot of movies, but his favorite genres are horror and sci-fi.

✮ He is running with 5 hours of sleep every day, eats only when he remembers (or has quick snacks like nuts and berries) and his mind is always running. Even with that, he tries to be healthy because he is one of those people that, when they get sick, they get knocked down for days.

✮ In his job, he is pretty innovative and willing to try new technology to improve his company, but in his private life, he has specific meals and drinks that he enjoys and rarely tries anything new. They also need to be prepared in a certain way; otherwise, he won't eat them.

✮ Not a fan of fast food and sweets, the complete opposite of Mokuba, who always has candy in his pocket and wants to eat out every day.

✮ Rarely cooks for himself, but he knows how to make basic meals and occasionally puts together a sandwich as a quick meal (with very expensive bread and meat, of course).

✮ Kaiba usually works on silence, but in his spare time (if he has any), he listens to rock and alternative music.

✮ Reads A LOT, primarily business-related. If he doesn't have time to read, he listens to audiobooks, usually in Japanese and English.

✮ He can speak english, chinese, korean and french.

✮ Until puberty, he had a stylist, but after becoming the CEO of Kaiba Corp, he fired them. He chooses what to wear for events and has even designed some of his outfits (his coat, for example). Needless to say, all of his clothes and shoes are very expensive.

✮ Even if he is extremely busy he would never ever spend more than a day without taking a shower. He takes great pride in looking clean and presentable. He has an image to maintain, so you bet he always looks his best and smells amazing.

✮ Does he consider himself good-looking? Yes, and not only that, but he knows he is effortlessly handsome, so trying to look hot is not a priority because he knows he just looks like that. Still, it is not like he flaunts his appearance; he is more proud of his mind and hard work.

✮ As much as he stays current with the latest technology and business practices, he is very far removed from internet culture. So yes, he only knew what a meme was when Mokuba told him, and now Mokuba helps in the digital marketing area.

✮ He's pretty much a jerk, but he is extremely professional and pays fairly to his employees. The work environment? Well, the higher your position, the higher the anxiety, but if you work at the desk, it is a pretty good job. But mind you, he expects you to give your best even if you are in the lowest position in the company.

✮ On days when he has had a lot of work and has not been able to sleep well, he has fallen asleep in his limousine.

[inactivewattpadauthor]

Fujin x Fast Food Worker Reader + Bonus

A/N: Making this while I'm at work sitting in drive thru🤧

I was inspired by some Fujin headcanon that mentioned him getting used to ordering Fast Food ~~~~

It was beginning to turn in the evening, nearly the end of your dull shift. It's been quite some time since a customer showed up, but you didn't dare think or say anything about it unless you wanted to jinx the peace.

And God, you didn't want that to happen.

Your manager walks past you as you were leaning against the front counter, doing nothing. The second you make eye contact with her and see that judging glance, you already knew she was about to say something.

"Don't just sit there until you have to clock out, Y/n. Go sweep the floor! And make sure you don't clock out a minute late again! I don't need another violation from the boss!"

"Yes ma'am." You blankly replied, still not moving from your spot as she disappeared from sight.

Your eyes wandered to the glass door, catching something odd in the sky. It was heading your way, and the shape was odd to be a bird.

'The hell is that?' You squinted. 'Is that a guy? How is he running in the air like that?'

Disbelief and confusion drifted your mind, watching as that man entered the restaurant.

You felt more baffled as he had glowing white eyes and the armored outfit he's wearing.

His long white braid also had your notice, but that's just because it looked nice.

The man glanced around the building before noticing you at the register. You stood up straight, instantly, feeling intimidated.

"Greetings there." He smiled warmly at you. "Doing well today, ma'am?"

"I- uhh, yes sir!" You tried not to stumble over your words. "How may I help you… today?"

"Hmm…" The man looked above you at the menu, placing his finger over his chin.

You still couldn't stop looking at his eyes. Why were they like that?

"I'll take one of those small sandwiches, please." His gaze and smile returns to you.

"A cheeseburger?"

"Correct!"

"Would you like some fries with that, sir?"

"Sure! Ooh, and one of those small meals for kids that come in those little adorable boxes!"

"Um, yes sir… Your total is 11.27."

The man nodded before handing you a small pouch. Opening it, you felt something inside you crumple as you see the concerning amount of coins he has handed you…

You just prayed it was the right amount before just putting it in the register and going back to prepare the order.

A few minutes after bagging the order and whispering among the staff about the abnormal customer, you went to him and cautiously handed his food.

"Thank you. Take care of yourself now." He bows to you before heading out. You and a few other employees watched as he started walking in the air pretty casually.

It was silent before one shrugged and spoke, "Meh. Just the average weirdo, I suppose."

~~Back at the Sky Temple~~

"Fujin, I'm not taking it. We, as demigods, do not need consumption. And it looks childish." Raiden pushes away the small, red box Fujin tries gifting him.

"Oh, come on, brother! Don't be like that! These mortals have such amusing cuisine creations!" Fujin chuckles. "Just try it!"

"Fujin!" Raiden growled.

"Please, brother?" Fujin pleaded with more sincerity in his expression, making Raiden give in.

"Fine." Raiden sighed with defeat of his dignity.

Now there the Storm brothers were, sitting at the small table; Fujin eating his burger while watching Raiden sulk and pick at the chicken pieces in the kiddie box.

At least he showed a little interest in the toy that came along with it.

[obey-me-disaster]

How would they spend their Valentine's Day in the human world

This is part of two of this post, but this time with the dateables. Ignore that Valentine's day has already passed ^-^

Dateable x gn!MC (without Luke)

Diavolo

He was beyond excited about spending Valentine's day with MC. Even more so in the human world. This way they can get away from prying eyes in Devildom.

Makes reservation to some of the best high end restaurants in the human world. He takes the oportunity to try various foods from the human world, especially the ones that MC seems to like.

This is the guy that bought a plot of land for Lucifer just for fun. He will spoil the hell out of MC. I am talking about the finest of jewelry/clothes/items related to their hobbies. He does not hold back.

After dinner he takes MC to explore the city. If it's a city they are familiar with he will beg ask them to show him around. If they are in an unfamiliar place he will insist they go sight seeing together.

He will get some weird looks from people. While in the human world no one knows him as the future king of Devildom, he is still the owner of one of the most successful hotel chains. Also he is dressed extremely fancy but that's beside the point.

He got no sense of danger when it comes to human world. It's canon that he does not understand the concept of stranger danger. He will get scammed if MC is not careful not that his wallet would feel it..

Barbatos

It's Diavolo that convinces him to go celebrate it in the human world. That way he would be far away from his duties as a butler.

Since he is in the human world he wants to try and bake different pastries. He will especially try to make ones that he thinks MC might like.

Would love it even more if they joined him in both shopping for ingredients and baking. It would be like a cute cooking date before actually going out.

Once they are done with baking Barbatos will take them out to have a picnic somewhere with a nice view and away from people. With his powers that could be anywhere. Literally-

MC will have to stop him from trying to serve them different foods and actually relax and not act like a butler. Nothing that a bottle of demonus can't solve MC gotta thank Diavolo for giving them some of his expensive demonus

In theory, once their date is gone they could easily go back to Devildom using Barbatos's powers but he decides to spend the night in the human world. Once he will be back to Devildom he will get busy again, so he wants to enjoy MC's company as much as he can while they are still alone with him.

Depending on MC they could also go to a metal concert while in the human world. He likes that kind of music.

Simeon

It doesn't matter if the two of them will go eat somewhere, he still prepared some home made snacks for the two of them. Luke even helped him!

For the first part of theit date he would love to take it slow and enjoy the human. They might go together to a library and choose a book for each other and then start reading while they eat the food he made in some park.

Once he makes sure that MC is well fed and energized he takes them to an escape room! He loves those

It would be like they have their own adventures, just like the characters in one of his books.

It would probably try to take his sweet time escaping just so he could make the date last as long as possible. He thinks he is being really smart about it...but he forgets about the employees looking through the security cameras. More like he didn't even knew about them.

Even MC noticed the he would try to slow down their escape just so they could spend time together. He could blame it on him not being good with technology so many times after all..

He got no choice but to speed up the whole thing once he got told he can't delay escaping any longer.

This happens after both of them get back to Devildom, but Simeon wants to share all the photos he took on their date...only to realize that 90% of the photos are so bad that he has to delete them...

Solomon

Date at an interactive museum. He loves to experiment and learn new things so he would take MC to one of those museums where you can interact with all sorts of things.

The two of them just spend a lot of time fooling around in there before they leave to go somewhere else. Since they are in the human world he would like to keep it 'normal' but he can't resist the temptation of taking them to various magical places.

I am talking about going to see fucking fairies and magical museums that are hidden in plain sight. Anything that MC might think were only fairy tales or urban legends, he will prove them other wise.

The date quickly turns into 'showing MC all the magical stuff they didn't think it was real. On one hand he doing it that to make them happy since he likes the look on their face when they discover something new, but for the most part he is just showing off.

He even takes them flying in a place where he knows humans wouldn't see them or the levi couldn't follow them using a drone.

The night would have ended like some fairy tale if it wasn't for Solomon insisting that he cooks something for them to end things on a good note.

[lesgetittkookie]

redamancy - jjk (part II)

⤖ genre: fluff, future smut, angst, gardener!jeongguk x rich!reader, okay but jeongguk isn't really a gardener like that but you'll see, kinda slow burn but not really

⤖ pairing: jeongguk x female reader

⤖ rating: 18+

⤖word count: approx. 12.2 k words

⤖ warnings: explicit language

summary: jeongguk is just a normal dude with a simple routine. wake up, go to the gym, work his job as a waiter at this posh upscale restaurant in the heart of gangnam before coming home to a night full of video games and ramen (it's delicious and cheap). that routine gets disrupted when he accidentally taps the back of an expensive sports car of one of the richest men in south korea. considering he's broke, he couldn't afford to pay for the damages so the man makes a deal with him by offering him to work at his house as one of the gardeners. jeongguk takes it but wasn't prepared to meet this beautiful young woman who's constantly lounging by the pool, you, the rich man's daughter.

author's note: hiiii here we are with part 2!! i just want to say that when i originally started this story, i did not intend for them to immediately jump into things. after outlining this story, i didn't realize it would be kind of slow burn. but honestly tho, it's really not that much of a slow burn. i hope you guys enjoy part 2. i have to be honest and say i had trouble writing it at first because i just wasn't satisfied with how it was turning out. i also didn't expect it to be this long but here we are lol. on a side note, i've noticed people saying that they'd like to be added to the taglist which i've actually never made before. but if you want to be added to the taglist, please send me an ask. have a lovely day!

Your legs felt like they were ready to give out at any moment. With the lack of food in your system and the amount of walking you’ve done, you’re just about ready to collapse to the ground. Meanwhile your mother continues ahead of you, happy to step into the next shop to search for more clothes. 

It was a pain shopping with your mother. She must take her sweet time, having the store employees bring her clothes so she can scrutinize them one by one until there’s something deemed to her liking or approval. 

You just came out of the Hermes store after what seems like an hour later, your mother having bought four new purses because according to her, “My other Hermes bags are in poor condition.” Though you know it was an excuse to buy four other colors so she can match them with her outfits. If there’s one thing your mother isn’t, that is an outfit repeater. You would never catch her wearing the same outfit in public more than once.

You love your mother, you really do. It makes you happy to spend time with her, especially since you were away from her for so long. However, her way of spending time with you is by going shopping whereas all you want to do is sit in and watch a movie with her. You don’t think this woman has ever actually sat down to watch a movie since you were a kid. 

It’s been a few days since you’ve been home. There hasn’t been much going on other than you watching Netflix in the theater room you guys have in the house and munching on whatever the home chefs have cooked. 

Your mother walked in on you eating a pint of the brown sugar brittle ice cream while binging the latest Korean drama people have been raving about on social media. With a disapproving look, she had told you she wants to go shopping because ‘it’s been a while since we’ve had a mother-daughter day, my love.’ 

Hence, here you are trudging behind your mother who is dressed to the nines with not a single hair out of place. Meanwhile you’re clad in a black turtleneck dress topped with an oversized dark grey blazer that reaches your mid-thigh. A large buckle is cinched around your waist, and you’ve got on a pair of black platform boots that go slightly above your ankles. In your hand you hold a black leather quilted Chanel bag. 

It's a requirement from your mother to be dressed up whenever the two of you go out because, ‘Y/N, it would be embarrassing if a fashion mogul’s daughter were to wear such basic clothing.’  Not that you have any complaints, you enjoy dressing up. You have the money and privilege to buy nice clothing you might as well take advantage of it. 

More than yourself, you feel bad for your mother’s assistant who is walking beside her with at least ten bags in her hands from all the designer shops you’ve visited. You insisted on helping her carry some of them, but she just wouldn’t budge. Probably too afraid to hand you a bag in front of your mother. 

You need some form of food or beverage in your system before you pass out. You call for your mother before she enters the MAC makeup store, causing her to stop in her tracks and look at you expectantly with a raised eyebrow. 

“Mother, you can look through this store while I get a drink from that café we just passed,” you tell her, referring your hand to the coffee shop two stores behind. 

She raises her eyebrows, gaze switching between the café and you before speaking, “Sweetheart, we have reservations at Pierre Gagnaire à Séoul at seven.” She taps her manicured nail on top of her Rolex watch to point out the time being six-thirty. 

You purse your lips, eyes shutting so you don’t end up rolling them at her, “It’s just a drink, mother.” 

“Drink that is probably made with cheap ingredients. I’m sure the French restaurant has a—” She starts but you interrupt her before she can finish. 

“Mother, I’m just really thirsty right now and would like a drink,” Voice controlled in attempt to not sound too irritated with her, you give her a tight-lipped smile. 

She lets out a defeated sigh, looking at her assistant who just shrugs in response. “Fine but be quick.” And with that, her assistant opens the door of the shop, bags rustling on her elbow and your mother disappears inside. 

Shoulders relaxing and a breath of relief escaping your lips, you head inside of the café. The sweet smell of pastries and coffee immediately fill your nostrils, making you smile in delight. The atmosphere is nice and cozy, korean ballads playing on the speakers. 

+ 

“Okay so what other suggestions do you have?” Jimin asks Taehyung incredulously, straw touching his pursed lips. 

“How about sky diving?” Taehyung responds, slurping his strawberry crème Frappuccino loudly. It’s quiet for a moment, causing him to look up between his friends, “What?” He wonders in genuine confusion. 

Jeongguk just shakes his head tiredly, drinking his own mocha frappe and enjoying the frozen taste of the chocolatey beverage swirled with a hint of bitterness. He’s more of a Frappuccino and juice kind of guy over lattes and americanos. He doesn’t understand how his friends drink that nasty stuff. 

The three of them are currently sitting in a booth of a coffee shop they frequent at since it’s close to the record store their friend, Yoongi, owns. Well, also because their Jin hyung is the manager here and he’s currently working at the front. They can hear his windshield wiper laugh at something one of the old men playing chess by the window said.

Jeongguk met up with the other two after finishing his shift at the restaurant he works at. Luckily, he didn’t have to go to the Kim’s estate today for his gardening job. Taehyung was coming from his job where he works at a pottery studio whereas Jimin just finished teaching a dance class. The three of them were talking about things they can do for Jeongguk’s birthday which happens to be in a few weeks. 

Jeongguk insisted it was too early to even plan anything, but Jimin insisted that they should at least have some form of idea for what they can do. Being the angel that Jimin is, he would never let any of their friends not celebrate their birthday. He was the one who started the whole celebration tradition every time someone in their friend group’s birthday came around. 

“Tae,” Jimin holds is head in his hand, “You do realize Jin hyung and Hobi hyung would never do that.” 

“Sure they would,” Taehyung quips enthusiastically, mouth wrapping around the straw again to slurp his drink. 

“No,” Jeongguk shakes head, “They won’t. They would piss themselves before we’d even get on the plane.” He looks at Jimin, “Why do we even ask him for suggestions? You know he always has spontaneous ideas.” 

With an offended look, hand on his chest, Taehyung says, “My ideas are always fun. It’s not my fault you guys are pussies.” 

“We can’t even afford to go sky driving, you fool.” Jimin tells him and Taehyung pauses in place, mouth open in thought for a few seconds. 

“Wait, you’re right. We’re too poor for that.” Taehyung deflates, leaning his back against the cushioned booth. 

“Look, we still have time, hyung. And you know me,” Jeongguk leans back against the cushion as well, twirling his straw in his drink, “My birthday isn’t a big deal. We can just hang out at Jin hyung’s apartment or something.” He suggests. 

“Yah! Why do you guys always wanna celebrate at my apartment?” The handsome man in question interrupts, walking up next to their table. There was a black apron wrapped around his waist, indicating that he was still on his shift. 

“Because your apartment is the biggest out of everyone’s,” Jeongguk tells him matter-of-factly, scooting over with an irritated sigh when Jin shoves him aside so he can sit down.

“So what? You guys always make a ruckus every time you come over,” Jin whines, “Remember last time when you were at my house. I had complaints from the floors above and below and my neighbors next door.”

“It’s not our fault Jimin hyung was cheating in monopoly,” Taehyung remarks and Jimin gasps out of offense. 

“For the millionth, I was not cheating!” He defends but the three of them still don’t believe it. There was no way he was able to win all those properties. 

“Yeah yeah,” Jin waves off, “Whatever you say.” Jimin just pouts in return, arms crossing over his chest as he leans back against the booth. 

“You guys are dickheads, full offense,” Jimin sneers at all of them. “You have no faith that I can win at a game just because I—” He’s cut off by a loud gasp coming from Taehyung, startling all of them. 

“What is it?” Jeongguk asks curiously, taking in his friend’s agape jaw as he stares passed them towards something at the front. 

“Did Mr. Lee flip the table again after losing in chess?” Jin groans, about to stand up so he can break up the fight between the two old men again. 

Those chess games are always intense. Last time Jeongguk was at the coffee shop, he saw Mr. Lee raise his cane at the other man out of anger but before he can smack him, Jin had to step in between only to get whacked in the head. Jeongguk could’ve sworn that he was going to die of laughter that day.

“No dude…” Taehyung leans his cheek on his palm and sighs dreamily, “There’s this really pretty girl who just ordered at the cash register and she’s holding one of those leather quilted Chanel bags.” They all shake their heads at him because he’s so damn dramatic. 

“No way,” Jin grunts, “Every customer I served today was old and smelled like—”

“Holy shit, she’s got the cutest face,” Taehyung pants and everyone at the table grows curious. Jimin scoots all the way down until he’s sticking his head out the booth like Taehyung to see what he’s talking about. 

“Oh, he’s not kidding,” Jimin stares along with the boy. 

This peaks Jeongguk and Jin’s interest, causing them to turn their heads and look as well. Jeongguk follows their line of vision, eyes widening in recognition because it’s you. You’re standing there in front of the pick-up counter, dressed in stylish clothes that are most likely very expensive. Your eyes wander around the coffee shop, a small smile playing on your lips as you wait for your order

Jin whistles, mouth open as well, “She looks expensive.” He comments. 

“She is,” Jeongguk responds, causing the three of the guys to look at him questioningly, “That’s Mr. Kim’s daughter.” 

“That’s her?” Jimin gawks.

“You weren’t kidding about how hot she is,” Jin adds. 

Jeongguk doesn’t look away, watching how you hold the door open for an elder lady whose hands were full, offering to help her out. The lady shakes her head with a smile on her face and you lightly bow your head in return, giving her a sweet smile. 

He’s been seeing you by the pool from time to time. It’s been a few days since he first met you. You guys didn’t interact much. Whenever you were around one another, you would greet each other with a smile or wave but nothing more. You’d say hi to Jeongguk whenever you were sitting by the pool and he’d wave back, trying not to stare at you for too long because he didn’t want to look like a creep. He just couldn’t himself sometimes and peek some glances at you reading a book, clothed in a new swimsuit. Some of them would show a little more cleavage than normal and he’d try not to look.

Sometimes he would see Dohyun attempt to conversate with you, stuttering out of nervousness but you were never rude about it, just responding back politely to the boy. 

You genuinely seemed like a nice person much to Jeongguk’s surprise. He would’ve thought the daughter of a rich family like yours would be stuck up and snobby. But you weren’t. You seemed to be independent, doing things yourself without the help of the butlers or maids in the house. 

“Dude…” Taehyung whispers, “I can’t believe you get to see her whenever you’re working. You must be jerking off somewhere in private.” 

Jeongguk looks at him with furrowed brows and a scowl on his face, “Listen, there’s a time and place for jerking off and it wouldn’t be at their house.” 

“Ahhh so you admit you do that when you leave from there?” Jin smirks but Jeongguk just glares in return. 

“I can’t stand you guys sometimes,” He mumbles, peaking at you one more time before looking down at the table again. 

He would’ve loved to talk to you more but for some reason, he’s been hesitant. He doesn’t know if it’s because you’re basically the daughter of his boss and he’d get in trouble for talking with you, let alone being near you.. Or he’s just intimidated by you for some reason even though you look like you wouldn’t even harm a fly. 

“What was her name again?” Jimin asks.

“Y/N…” Jeongguk mumbles. 

“Don’t worry dude, I’ll help you out,” Taehyung reassures and Jeongguk just looks at him confused before his eyes widen because— “Hey Y/N! Over here!” 

Jeongguk wants to die. He wants the ground to open a hole and swallow him. He wants to disappear for good. Maybe move to Amsterdam. But before running away, he’s going to murder Kim Taehyung and toss his body into the Han River. 

“Tae!” Jeongguk hisses, lips pursed and nostrils flaring out of annoyance. 

“Oh shit, she’s coming over here,” Taehyung whispers, smiling excitedly and waving at the approaching person. 

Stupid Taehyung and his stupid social butterfly personality. 

Jeongguk covers his face with his hand, feeling his ears burning up because you’re going to see that it’s him and know that he talked about you to his friend because how else would Taehyung know your name. 

“Hi…do I know you? Oh—Jeongguk?” You sounded wary at first, most likely because you didn’t know who Taehyung was and why he knew your name, but your voice changed to realization when you recognize him sitting at the table as well. 

Jeongguk lifts his hands from his face to look at you, “Hey Y/N.” 

“Hey…” You greet back, flashing him a small smile. “I was wondering how you,” You refer to Taehyung, “knew my name.” 

“Ah yes, Jeongguk told us you live at the house he’s been working at,” Taehyung clarifies, and you look like you’re holding back a smile. Jeongguk attempts to avoid your curious glance, staring down at the table. “I’m Kim Taehyung, Jeongguk’s best friend.” 

Ex-best friend now, Jeongguk thinks. 

You shake the hand Taehyung is holding out, “I’m Y/N but it looks like you already know that.” You chuckle. 

Death, where are you? When are you coming?

“I’m Jimin,” The boy sitting next to Taehyung introduces himself, flashing his signature eye smile where his eyes turn into crescent which automatically causes you to smile back in return. 

The Park Jimin effect. You already seem charmed by it. 

“Nice to meet you, Jimin,” you nod your head towards him. 

“And allow me to introduce myself, I am Seokjin, but you can call me Jin,” The older man speaks, holding out his hand for you to shake as well. “I am the man who raised,” Pointing his thumb towards Jeongguk behind him, “This kid right here.” 

Jeongguk scoffs, “You didn’t raise me.” 

“As you can see, when they grow older, they become ungrateful pieces of shits,” Jin speaks through a smile, making you cover your mouth and laugh. 

“I see,” Your eyes meet Jeongguk’s once again before they look away. . 

“So, what brings you down here, Y/N?” Taehyung asks, chin resting on his hand to show you that he has your full attention. 

“Oh nothing,” You shake your head and let out a tired sigh, “Just been shopping with my mother for hours. I got thirsty and decided to get a drink.” 

Jeongguk can see how nervous you are with the way your hand is tightly clenching the chain of your purse. The tip of your ears are a little red and you don’t hold eye contact with any of them for too long.

You must not talk to people often. 

“Nice, nice,” Taehyung nods and then glances down at something in your hand, making you curious and check what he’s looking at. 

Jeongguk wants to smack his palm against his face. There’s no way he’s about to ask if—

“Is that real Chanel?”

Of course, he would ask. 

There’s no way Taehyung wouldn’t ask when he’s a fan of fashion and constantly splurges on designer wear when he can. 

“Oh, um I think it is,” You hold up the black purse, “I’ve had it for some time I guess it looks a little worn out.” 

“No way, I just…it’s so shiny,” Taehyung marvels, making you chuckle. “Do you mind if I look at it?” 

Yep, it’s done. They’re done. Jeongguk can’t do this anymore. 

Jimin smacks Taehyung’s shoulder, causing the other boy to flinch while Jeongguk groans, face in his hands again. Jin just laughs out loud, smacking the table.

“Yah! You don’t just ask someone that,” Jin muses and Taehyung just pouts, looking like a kicked puppy.

“It’s okay,” You laugh, “I don’t mind.” You hand the purse over as if you’ve known Taehyung all his life and there’s no big deal with just simply handing him a two-thousand-dollar purse.

You just met the guy, Jeongguk thinks. 

“Iced vanilla latte for Y/N!” One of the café workers call, forcing you to look away. 

“Oh, I’ll be right back,” You inform, pulling away from the table to get your drink. 

As soon as you leave to get the drink, Jeongguk crumbles his receipt and tosses it at Taehyung’s face, hitting his forehead. “What the fuck are you doing?” 

Taehyung ignores Jeongguk, “This is such a nice purse, guys feel it.” He holds out the purse in the center of the table and Jimin and Jin poke it curiously. 

“Feels luxurious,” Jin comments and Jimin nods in agreement. 

“You guys are killing me,” Jeongguk groans, watching you walk back to the table after saying thank you to the worker. 

“Y/N, this is such a nice purse,” Taehyung tells you, handing you your purse bag so you can shrug the chain onto your shoulder again.

“Oh, thank you,” You wrap your lips around the iced latte to take a sip. “This is a good latte.” 

“It probably would’ve been even better if I made it,” Jin jokes, though Jeongguk knows he’s being serious. You giggle, straw between your lips. 

You have such a cute laugh, he thinks. Jeongguk wouldn’t mind hearing it more. In fact, he’s a little jealous that his friends are making you laugh when he’s barely talked to you. Before anyone can say anything else, the sound of a cell phone ringing causes you guys to halt. 

“Oop, sorry about that,” You mutter, setting your drink down onto the table so you can open your purse and dig through it for your phone. He notices how you roll your eyes, clicking the volume button to turn off the ringing. “It’s my mother. She’s probably wondering where I am right now.” 

Jeongguk deflates, a little bummed that you must leave. But at the same time, he feels relief because he doesn’t think he can handle any more embarrassing comments from his friends. 

“Awh that’s okay. It was nice meeting you!” Taehyung beams. 

Your lips pull into a bright smile, “You as well. It was lovely to meet all of you.” 

Your eyes meet with Jeongguk’s a little longer than the rest of everyone else when you say goodbye to them, causing his lips to pull into a small smirk. There’s a certain gleam in your eye and he notices that you’re trying not to smile too widely. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jeongguk,” You mutter shyly, and he nods, watching you wave at the other boys one last time before leaving the coffee shop. 

“He’s staring,” Jimin laughs, seeing how Jeongguk’s eyes watch you disappear down the sidewalk. 

He feels something wet in his ear, causing him to flinch. He looks at Jin in disgust when he realizes the man put his finger in his mouth before poking it into his ear. The older man is just laughing that hideous laugh of his.

“Dude what the fuck,” Jeongguk whacks his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re older than us? or are you 10?”

“Yah! We were calling your name, but you were too busy watching her leave,” Jin snickers. 

“I was just…” Think of an excuse, Jeongguk. “I was trying to make sure she left safely.” His eyes might’ve stared a little too long at your bare legs, but he won’t admit that. 

“No but for real dude, you weren’t kidding. She’s cute,” Taehyung says and the other two boys nod. 

“You calling her over here, did not fucking help,” Jeongguk glowers and Taehyung just waves it off. 

“Please,” Taehyung finishes the rest of his drink, “You’re gonna thank me later because at least she knows you talk about her.” 

Jeongguk just stares at him, lips parted, and eyebrows furrowed. “She’s gonna think I’m weird.” 

“You’ve always been weird. Somehow chicks still dig that,” Jin adds, standing up from the table to go back to the kitchen. 

“She was definitely looking at you a lot, Guk-ah.” Jimin remarks and Jeongguk just shrugs in response. 

“Taehyung, you’re dead to me,” Jeongguk scoots out of the booth, ready to go home. 

“Thank you so much, Taehyung.” Taehyung changes the tone of his voice to try and imitate Jeongguk’s. “Thank you for giving Y/N the push to talk to me.” 

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Jeongguk grumbles, tossing his cup in the trash. “I’ll see you losers later.” 

+ 

The following day at the Kim estate, Jeongguk is wiping the sweat off his forehead after he finishes throwing some mulch on top of the soil. He heaves out a deep breath, squinting to avoid the sunlight that’s directly beaming down on him. He pulls off the thick gloves he’s wearing and tosses them onto the ground. His palms are sweaty, causing him to grimace and wipe it against his shirt. 

Pulling his phone out from the pocket of his jumpsuit to look at the time, it was three thirty-four in the afternoon which means it was almost time for him to pack up and go. He begins putting the tools into a bucket, ready to take it back to the shed. 

Luckily, Dohyun isn’t here today to bother him like he usually does by the end of the work day. He called in about something important he had to do. Jeongukk doesn’t know and he certainly doesn’t care. 

Earlier when he was in the backyard with one of the other workers, he noticed that you weren’t there yet. Quite frankly, he doesn’t know if he wants to see you after what happened yesterday. He’s still a little worried that you might think he’s a creep now but judging from the smile you gave him before leaving, you might be okay. 

When he’s walking towards the back with the bucket full of tools in one hand, he looks up and sees you lying on the sun lounger once again in your usual position with a book in your hand and wine glass in the other. He bites down on his lower lip, trying not to smile or look excited. However, the corners of his mouth can’t help but pull up at the sight of cute you look, invested into the book you’re reading. You eyebrows are furrowed and there’s a pout on your glossy lips. 

He disappears into the shed, setting the bucket onto the shelf. Resting his hand on top of one of the wooden tables, he taps his finger against it in contemplation. Maybe he should walk up to you and apologize about his embarrassing friends yesterday. He’s not really the type to get embarrassed though. Jeongukk doesn’t know why but your opinion of him matters for some reason. 

He also unfriended Taehyung on their PlayStation connect, refusing to play Call of Duty with him just to be petty. The other boy had called him through Jimin’s phone to whine and eventually, Jeongguk gave in. 

He turns around, walking right out of the shed only to harshly bump into your body. You almost lose balance and fall back but he quickly catches you by wrapping one of his arms around your back like the males do in those Korean dramas Jimin watches. You squeal, hands pressing to his chest. 

“Hi,” Your cheeks are flushed pink. Jeongguk just thinks it's cute that you’re flustered. 

He’s trying so hard not to dip his gaze below your neck, knowing you were in another swimsuit where your cleavage is spilling out yet again. It looks even more visible from his angle above you due to his tall stature. Jeongguk gulps, a large hand pressed over almost the entirety of your bare back and he can feel you slightly shiver. 

He is a weak man. 

Your eyes are full of surprise, lips in a pout yet they look so damn kissable. He has the strong urge to lean down and press his lips against yours, curious about how they would taste. How it feels to put his tongue in your mouth and ravish you. Your neck looks kissable too, smooth, and bare and perfect for him to bite into. 

Calm the fuck down, Jeongguk. 

“Hey,” Jeongguk muses, lips quirking into a smirk. “Looking for me?” 

“Uh…” You let out a breathy laugh, looking away, “Actually I was.” 

This takes him by surprise, brow raising in question. You purse your lips, eyes trailing from his face to his chest which your hands are still pressed against. It appears you’re trying to control yourself as well. Avoiding looking at his chest, Jeongguk tries to hold back a laugh. Clearing your throat, you pat his right pec, signaling him that you were okay, and he quickly lets go. 

“Sorry,” He mumbles, and you just shake your head. 

“No no, you’re fine. It was my fault for bumping into you like that,” You reassure, fingers twiddling together. 

“How are you doing?” You ask him and he just shrugs, leaning his shoulder against the doorway of the shed. 

Keep it cool, Jeongguk. Pretend like yesterday didn’t happen. Don’t even bring it up. 

“I’m alright. About to head out actually,” He informs you. 

“Aw really?” you ask and Jeongguk could tell you’re a little disappointed from the way your shoulders drop. 

“Yeah, it’s been a long day,” he tells you, making you nod understandably. “Is there something you needed?” 

Your eyes widen in surprise for a second before they turn back normal, “Um I just needed help with something but it’s okay, you can leave. I don’t wanna hold you up. I’ll just ask someone else.”

Jeongguk shakes his head, “Nah don’t worry about it. What’s up?” He prods. 

You look hesitant to speak, probably worried you’re being a bother even though you’re not. At least you’re speaking to him. He thought you would want nothing to do with him.

“The umbrella by the sunbed isn’t opening. I think the lever to pull it up is stuck,” You explain, hand referring to the closed umbrella by the chair. 

Jeongguk looks at it before glancing back at you, “I can help you.” 

Your eyes light up in happiness but you still ask, “Are you sure?” 

He responds with a nod, giving you a reassuring look, “Yeah, it won’t take long I think.” He walks with you following in toe behind him. He feels your eyes on his back and he smirks a little. 

He knows he has a nice ass. He’s been told by many. He takes great pride in it. However, it boosts his ego even more when he knows that you’re looking.  

Wrapping his hand around the lever, he grunts when it takes a bit of a push to pull it up, but it eventually does, making you clap. 

“Yay, thank you!” You grin, “The sun has been bugging me.” 

“Yeah, no problem,” He rests his hands on his hips, glancing down at the book on the table. The edge of his lips quirk up.

“What?” You follow his line of vision and notice him staring at the book, “Have you read that book before?”

“Yeah, and the ending sucked,” Jeongguk tells you, picking up the book. 

You groan, “No way, really?” And he nods in response. “I didn’t know you like romance books.” You say, curiosity in your tone. 

Jeongguk shrugs, “I don’t,” That’s a lie, he loves them. “But my little sister loves them,” No she doesn’t, she’s a fan of the horror genre but you didn’t need to know that. 

“Ah I see,” You look down at the floor, “I didn’t know you have a sister.” 

“Yeah, she’s thirteen.” Jeongguk doesn’t know why he tells you that when you didn’t even ask. 

You nod at the information, the air becoming silent for a moment. Neither of you speak, unsure of what to say. You seem to find the pool interesting, eyes set on the water, but your cheeks are flushed and you’re biting into your lower lip. Jeongguk takes that minute to allow his eyes to travel over your beautiful figure clad in a black one-piece that hugs your curves. It has a sweetheart neckline which again, shows a bit of your cleavage. There are slits running down on each side, revealing your skin even more. 

He just wanted to pick you up and take you somewhere where he can devour you. Maybe even on the sunbed but that wouldn’t look good if someone walked in. 

Jeongguk really needs to control his damn thoughts. You might not even be interested. 

Mentally slapping himself out of his horny thoughts, he clears his throat, “So I notice you read a lot of books.” 

Your eyes move back to his face and there’s a glint in your eyes, brow raised in question. “You must be looking over here a lot to notice then.” 

Fuck, Jeongguk really dug his grave for that one. Why would he say that? 

You have a knowing smile on your lips, but Jeongguk refuses to be nervous about it. Instead, he holds up his hands in defense and says, “It was just an observation,” You giggle and that makes his stomach flutter because holy shit, it was such an adorable sound, “I can’t help but look at what’s in my peripheral vision every time I come here.” He points to the shed. 

You hum, amusement apparent on your face and you don’t push it any further. Instead, you respond, “Yeah, I read a lot,” A sigh escapes your lips, “I have nothing better to do if I’m being honest.” 

Before he can even think he asks, “Don’t you have friends?” He wants to smack himself at how rude he must sound but you don’t seem to look offended. 

Rather, you have a small smile on your lips, but it looks a little sad, and you shrug mindlessly, “Not really friends friends. Most people become friends with me because they know who my parents are or they’re too stuck up for my liking. My mother tries to get me to go out with some of the girls from people that she knows but…” You shake your head, a frown on your face as if thinking back to a memory, “…they’re really not my cup of tea.” 

Jeongguk catches the small glimpse of sadness on your face and for some reason, it causes a small ache in his chest. He doesn’t know you at all, but he can tell you are genuinely being truthful about it. You seemed afraid to befriend someone without the intention of them using you. You’re not the type of person to let someone use you, he can see that. But you also seem to be a little worried about how people view you based on how he saw you interacting with his friends yesterday. 

“So, you just sit by the pool and read all day?” He asks and you nod. 

“Pretty much,” You confirm before adding, “Or watch Netflix in the theater room.” 

Jesus, they have a theater room in this house? It shouldn’t surprise him, considering how large the mansion is but it still takes him by surprise. He can only imagine how amazing his video game would look on the large screen. 

“Sounds…boring,” He states bluntly and you just laugh, nodding your head. 

“It can be boring,” You agree. 

Jeongguk ponders for a moment, looking away from you. Your life sounds pretty lame if he’s being honest. You’re a nice girl, he thinks. You don’t have much going on and you just got back from college. He can’t imagine how your days are going to look. If you’re just going to sit by the pool and read the rest all of the time…then maybe he can help. 

He doesn’t know if he’s going to regret this. Or if he’s going to get in trouble for being involved with you, let alone talking with you. Jeongguk likes to think of himself as a pretty fun guy. Maybe he can show you just how to have fun. 

He can’t believe he’s about to offer you this. Here goes nothing. 

The tall boy clears his throat, opening his mouth to say, “You know,” You look at him, listening, “I was actually just about to head to this bar after work.” He really wasn’t but he can use a drink. “Do you wanna come?” 

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the question, “Me?” 

Jeongguk snorts, “You’re the only one here aren’t you?” 

You roll your eyes, cheeks tinting a little but you compose yourself, “Right. That would be–” 

Before you can finish answering, a shrill voice calls for your name, causing you both to turn your heads to the door. Standing at the door dressed in a pristine white suit is a woman, sunglasses perched on her nose and hair tied in a tight bun. Her lips are set in a straight line and she’s staring at Jeongguk and you. 

She looks kind of scary if you ask Jeongguk. 

Is this who Jeongguk thinks it is? 

“Y/N, what are you doing?” The woman asks accusingly. 

“Mother,” Mother? “I just had to ask Jeongguk for help,” You tell her, “The umbrella wouldn’t open.” Your hand refers to the umbrella by the sunbed. 

The woman hums but she still looks unimpressed. Jeongguk can already tell she wasn’t a fan of him. He can’t imagine how the scene looks to her; you standing a tad bit close to him, a house worker who she must think is slacking on the job. Not only that but the tattoos all over his arm must make her think he’s some sort of punk. 

Not that it’s new to Jeongguk. He’s used to the last bit. 

“Hm, well come inside,” Her voice is a little stern and he catches you rolling your eyes at ground, “And you,” She looks over Jeongguk, “Get back to work.” 

You would think that Jeongguk is intimidated by Mrs. Kim but he’s really not. Instead, he gives her a smug smile, “I’m actually off work now, ma’am.” 

“Oh,” Seoyeon has a fake smile on her face, “Well then you can lead yourself out of the gate over there.” 

“Of course,” Jeongguk bows, pretending to be oblivious to her small frown. He looks over at you to see you staring at your mom with a look that says ‘you’re being rude.’ 

“I’ll be there in a second,” You inform her. 

“No, now,” Your mother demands and he holds back a laugh when he sees you look up at the sky, shutting your eyes and taking a deep breath to control yourself. 

He wonders if you two get along. 

You look over at Jeongguk, taking a few steps closer and whisper, “I’ll meet you outside of the front gate. Give me twenty minutes please.” Jeongguk’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise but his lips quirk up into a smirk. You bow to him and say, “Thank you for helping me with the umbrella, Jeongguk-ssi.” Your voice is a little loud so your mother can hear. 

Jeongguk bites down on his lower lip to keep himself from laughing before he gives you a small bow as well, “Of course, Ms. Kim,” He emphasizes your name and you narrow your eyes at him before quickly walking away. 

He tries not to turn his head to watch you walk away, knowing that Mrs. Kim is staring. Instead he walks towards the gate to leave so he doesn’t have to feel her eyes on him anymore. Jeongguk isn’t bothered if the woman doesn’t like him, it’s not like he’s going to work here for very long. 

Stepping out of the gate, he walks down to his beat up truck that’s parked down the street. There’s excitement swirling in his stomach at the thought of going out with you. He doesn’t know what to expect out of this but he’s about to find out. Maybe he’ll see that this nice personality of yours is just a facade and he’ll see your true colors.

Who knows? 

If so, he would feel disappointed for some reason. 

+

“Y/N, what was that?” Your mother asks you as soon as you walk in. 

You feign innocence, “What was what?” 

“Why were you speaking to him?” She presses, sliding her sunglasses into her hair. 

You let out an exasperated sigh, “I told you why. He was literally just helping me.” You don’t understand why she’s being like this. She never cares about who you talk to. Somehow your interaction with Jeongguk is bothersome for her. 

She stares at you for a moment, studying your face as if to figure out if you’re telling the truth. Few seconds later, she lets out a sigh, shaking her head. “That boy looks like bad news. I was just concerned that he was making you uncomfortable.” 

“He wasn’t,” You quickly defend. Not once has Jeongguk done anything to make you feel uncomfortable. This is your first time interacting one on one. Sure you feel his eyes on you from time to time when you’re by the pool but you like that. You’ve purposely been sitting there, hoping to catch his attention. You would pick the cutest swimsuits just for that reason. 

You would pout, feeling defeated every time he would leave without saying anything to you. Maybe he’s just not interested in you like that but your interaction with his friends says otherwise. You were determined to find out. 

For him to invite you out to the bar had you feeling giddy and full of excitement. He doesn’t seem like he has any ill intentions. He honestly might just feel sorry for you because of how lame your life is. You’re not sure. But you want to explore more. You want to get to know him more because he’s lit this spark of curiosity in you that just wouldn’t go away. 

“Okay,” Your mother gives you a tight lipped smile but she doesn’t look convinced. She changes the subject, “I was going to head out to the Kangs house for lunch. Their daughter just came back from Europe and I thought you would want to go.” 

The Kang’s daughter? As in Kang Sohee? You would never willingly hang out with her. Not after this one time you went to their house when you were just a teenager and found her snorting cocaine off her bathroom counter. Immediately panicking, she begged you not to tell her parents. That was your first and last time ever going to Kang’s house. 

So no, you don’t want to go. 

“Actually, I’m going out with some friends,” You lie. You wouldn’t consider Jeongguk a friend, not even an acquaintance. You barely know him but who knows, maybe that could change after today. 

Your mother casts you a look of surprise. Do you really look that much of a loner to everyone? 

“Oh,” she responds, “Do I know them?” She wonders. 

You shake your head no, you would never tell her who it is. Considering the way she acted earlier when she caught you speaking with Jeongguk, you know she would be unhappy if she found out you’re going to a bar with him. 

“No, you don’t. I met them in America. They’re visiting here,” You explain and she nods, seeming to believe your words. 

“Okay then,” Your mother looks a little speechless, “Have fun I guess.” 

Shoulders relaxing, a shiver of excitement runs through your body when you turn around and go upstairs to your room to change. Before you can go up the second step, your mother calls for you, causing you to pause in your tracks and look at her questioningly. 

“Y/N sweetheart, just be careful around that boy,” Your stomach drops when you realize she’s referring to Jeongguk and you think it’s because she might’ve figured you out. “He doesn’t look like a good influence. Let him do his job and leave.” You relax, realizing she just meant from what happened earlier. 

You don’t say anything other than, “Okay.” Before going upstairs. You’re a grown adult. You can make decisions for yourself. You’d be damned if you let her words stop you from getting ready to go. 

You rush into your walk-in closet to find some clothes. After a few minutes of searching through the racks, you go with a tight black off the shoulder top and pair it with high waisted loose jeans. To top it off, you wear a pair of chunky black heeled ankle boots on your feet. You don’t have time for doing a full face of makeup so you just put on some mascara and eyeliner. Smacking your strawberry flavored lip gloss against your lips, you run your hand through your hair that cascades down your back before grabbing the same Chanel purse you had on yesterday. 

Rushing down the steps, you head out the front door, looking around to make sure you’re not leaving at the same time as your mother. You bow to the doorman at the gate, greeting him before he opens it and lets you out. Eyes wandering around your surroundings, your head snaps towards the sound of a car honking and you look to see a tattooed hand waving out of the window. 

Your shoulders relax and you look behind you one last time before walking towards a black pick up truck. You open the door, greeting Jeongguk with a small smile and close it shut. 

“Hi,” You greet shyly, tugging on the seatbelt. 

Jeongguk looks amused, pierced lip curled up into a smirk, “Hey.” He then adds, “Sorry I didn’t get out to open the door for you. Chivalry is really dead, you know.” 

You laugh at his honesty before saying, “It’s fine, I’m sick of people opening the door for me anyways.” You turn to look at him and swallow at how good he looks. 

He must’ve changed in his car while waiting for you because now he’s wearing a black baggy shirt with a pair of ripped jeans. There’s a silver chain around his neck and his hair looks wavy as it curtains on each side of his face. One tattooed hand is resting on top of the steering wheel while the other is holding the gear stick. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” He comments and you roll your eyes, cheeks heating up. 

Way to be fucking obvious.

“Whatever,” You respond, sitting back in the seat. You look around, eyes observing the car

“Yeah, it’s a pretty shitty car I know,” Jeongguk says as he pulls the car into drive. 

You quickly look at him and shake your head, “No, it’s cute.” You shrug and he snorts, “I love the little key chain.” You reach up to play with the little anime keychain hanging from the rearview mirror. 

“Cute huh?” Jeongguk muses and you just nod. 

“Smells nice in here,” You remark. 

“Oh yeah, I’m sensitive to smell. I’ve got like four car fresheners,” He tells you and you raise your eyebrows at him. 

“Four car fresheners?” You ask, judgment clear in your tone and Jeongguk opens his mouth to speak again. 

“You try sitting in your own sweat after a long day of work. It stinks.” He defends before adding the next in a much quieter tone, “And I like the smell of flowers.” He mumbles, making you giggle. 

“I don’t judge,” You respond and it's quiet for a few moments. 

“Your mom certainly does,” He utters, clicking his tongue before looking at you, “Too soon?” 

You shake your head, “No, it’s fine. She can be quite judgemental about people who aren’t…” You hesitate to finish the sentence but Jeongguk does it for you. 

“Rich,” He states and you nod guilty. “It’s fine. I get it. I wasn’t really surprised if I’m being honest.” 

“Really?” You stare at his side profile, taking in the slope of his nose and his sharp jawline. The silver barbell that runs through his dark eyebrows. God, he’s so fine. 

Jeongguk just shrugs, glancing at you before he makes a turn, “I mean yeah. I guess it’s kind of something I expected of rich people.” 

Your lips pull down into a small frown at his words, sullen from the thought that he may see you as judgmental. You don’t consider yourself judgmental. Or least, you try not to judge. And you definitely hate the whole rich people only talking to other rich people thing. That’s probably one of the many reasons why you aren’t friends with other people that your family knows. They always think they’re above everyone else. 

You gather the courage to ask, “Is that what you think I am?” You wonder before adding, “And be honest.”

The car stops at a red light and he turns over to look at you, an unreadable glint in his eyes and his lips tug into a small grin, “You might not be so bad.” You relax at his words, the tension leaving your body. For some reason you just didn’t want him to view you as those arrogant rich people. He then adds, “Or you can just be fooling me right now and you could be crazier than you look?” 

Your jaw drops in offense and you smack his shoulder, “What do you mean crazier than I look?” 

Jeongguk cackles, throwing his head back and you gulp at the sight of the veins in his neck. “I’m kidding.” He says. 

You scoff, crossing your arms to pretend to look annoyed. “I’m sure you were.” 

“I aaaaam,” He drags, tugging at your elbow and you try not to smile. 

In contrast from earlier when the silence was awkward by the pool, it seems to be more comfortable now that you’re talking and joking around. You can’t stop thinking about the smile Jeongguk had when he laughed. His bunny teeth displayed and his eyes crinkling. It had to be your favorite look on him and it makes you happy that you were the cause of it. 

“So where is this bar?” You question, staring out the window as you drive through the city. 

“It’s a bar in Itaewon,” He answers, making another turn at a light. “My friends and I go there all the time.” He tells you before adding, “You know, when we’re not broke and finally get our paychecks.” 

You chuckle at the last bit because of how casually he says it and then you ask, “The friends I saw yesterday?” 

“Mhm,” He confirms. 

When your mind wanders to the events that took place yesterday, you remember how all of his friends were good looking. You recall the conversations you had but the main thing that brings a small smile to your face is when you realize how they knew your name. 

“So,” You start and hear Jeongguk mumble under his breath ‘Oh god’ because you think he knows where this is going, “You talk about me to your friends huh?” 

Jeongguk groans, looking as if he was dreading this conversation, “Look, I saw you walk into the coffee shop, recognized it was you and told them who you are.” He says and you narrow your eyes at him suspiciously. He notices and clicks his tongue, “I’m serious, that’s what happened.” 

“Right,” You say slowly, “Whatever you say.” Voice in a sing-a-song tone. You knew there had to be more to it but he wasn’t going to tell you it seems. 

“Please, I’m sure you gushed about me being hot to your friends,” He says 

“I told you I don’t have any friends– wait! Ah hah!” You raise your finger at him accusingly. “So you told them I was hot.” You feel a sense of pride at that, internally gushing over the fact that he finds you attractive.

“What–No I,” He tries to come up with something but at this point, there’s really no saving. He lets out a defeated sigh, “Yeah yeah, I might’ve mentioned that. So what?” He tries to be nonchalant about it. 

Your lips pressed together to suppress a smile and you turn your head the other way so you’re looking out the window again, “Nothing.” Gathering up the courage you then mutter quietly, “I found you attractive too.” Your cheeks feel warm and you refuse to look at him. 

Beside you, Jeongguk has a small smile on his face as he looks at the road ahead after hearing you utter the last part shyly. 

+

The sound of glasses clinking and chatter fill your ears as you walk into the bar with Jeongguk. The interior design was dark and sleek, booths against one side of the wall and a row of tables pressed up against the other. The lights are a little dim but it fits with the vibes. The smell of bar food fills your nostrils, causing your mouth to salivate. There’s not many people right now but you can imagine how busy it’ll get later. There’s a bunch of men playing pool, laughing while sipping on their drinks. 

You’re oblivious to the lingering eyes of other males on you until Jeongguk points it out, making your eyes widen in surprise. Curiously, you look around only to meet the eyes of a man who’s starring you up and down before he gives you a wink. Your face scrunches up in distaste and you roll your eyes before looking away. You feel the warmth radiating off Jeongguk's body which is pressed close to your side, his hand hovering over your lower back but not fully touching it. Almost as if he’s hesitant to touch you. 

“You really don’t realize the effect you have huh?” He chuckles, pulling out the stool for you to sit on. 

“I thought you said chivalry is dead,” You joke, sitting down on the stool before patting the one next to you. 

“Listen, I’m not that much of an asshole,” He remarks, sitting beside you and you just giggle in response. 

“Hey Jeongguk, what’s up man?” A tall man behind the bar greets, bumping his fist with the boy sitting next to you. He’s got tattoos as well though, not as much as Jeongguk but a few scattered on his arm and peaking out of his chest beneath his t-shirt. He’s got a handsome face as well. 

Jesus, are all of his friends good looking?

“Yugyeom, hey,” Jeongguk greets. 

“You guys on a date?” Yugyeom asks, wiggling his eyebrows before looking at you. “Hi, I’m Yugyeom, nice to meet you.” 

You give a smile before introducing yourself as well, “Y/N.” Yugyeom bumps his fist with Jeongguk again, with a look you don’t seem to understand and you don’t think Jeongguk will explain to you either based on the sheepish expression on his face. 

“So what can I get you guys to drink?” The bartender asks, hands pressed against the counter. 

Jeongguk looks at you expectantly, waiting for you to respond. You shrug, “What kind of wine do you have?” 

“Wine?” Jeongguk snorts, making you pout out of embarrassment. 

“Leave me alone,” You whine, “I’m not much of a drinker.” 

Jeongguk chuckles, shaking his head before turning to look at Yugyeom, “She’ll have a cranberry vodka and I’ll have the usual.” 

Yugyeom nods, “You got it.” He turns around to begin making the drinks. 

“I can’t believe you wanted wine,” Judgement in his tone but you can tell he was joking. 

“That’s the only alcohol I really drink,” You defend, eating some of the complimentary nuts in front of you. 

Jeongguk puffs out a laugh, “The wine you drink probably costs more than what my car is worth.” He says in a matter-of-fact tone. 

Rolling your eyes at his words, you just munch on the cashews. You notice how Jeongguk doesn’t grab those specifically, probably noticing that you like those the most from the way you kept eating them. You can’t help but smile at that, chest fluttering. 

“Alright,” Yugyeom comes back, “Rum coke for you,” He hands the glass to Jeongguk, “And cranberry vodka for the pretty lady.” He gives you a charming grin when he hands it to you. 

“Thank you,” You tell him and he just bows at you before walking away to another customer on the other side. You bring the glass up to your lips, feeling Jeongguk’s eyes on you when you take a sip. You smack your lips together, trying to decipher the taste. He’s looking at you curiously, small smile on his lips. 

“What?” You ask him, wondering why he’s staring. 

“How is it?” He asks. 

You shrug, taking another sip and then say, “It just tastes like cranberry juice.” 

“Here,” He slides his glass over to you, “Wanna try some of mine?” You nod in response, picking up the glass to take a small sip. 

The taste is refreshing of the ice cold coke but you can feel that hint of bitterness from the rum hitting the back of your throat. 

“Mm,” You hum. “It’s good. Refreshing, I like it.” You tell him truthfully. “Try some of mine,” You push your drink towards him. 

“I’ve had this before,” He says but picks up the glass to take a sip anyways. You watch him when he does, eyes falling to his throat where his Adam's apple moves when he swallows the beverage. “I mean it’s good I guess.” He tells you before commenting, “It tastes like juice.” He reiterates with a shrug and you laugh in response. 

“I told you!” You exclaim, taking another sip of his coke before handing it back to him but before you can, he shakes his head. 

“Yeah honestly my hyung knows more about alcohol than me.” He tells you with a grimace before adding, “You can have that one,” you look at him questioningly but he just waves it off. “You like it, drink it.” 

The butterflies in your stomach are intense, your heart swooning at his action. He’s just making you feel more and more interested in him. You did not expect him to be so thoughtful. Maybe it isn’t a big deal to him but for you, it’s such a kind gesture. 

“Thank you,” You say, drinking again and he just nods in response. 

“So how did you end up working as a gardener?” You wonder. 

Jeongguk seems to choke on his drink a little, causing you to jump in surprise and look at him in concern. He clears his throat, setting the glass down onto the coaster.

“I uh…you don’t know?” He asks and you glance at him in question, shaking your head before bringing the glass up to your lips again. “Well… I hit your dad’s car.” He tells you and this time, you’re almost choking on your drink. Jeongguk holds out a napkin so you can wipe your chin. 

“You what?” Your eyes are wide, mouth open and you look at him as if he’s joking. 

He’s not.

He clicks his tongue, “Yeah… but listen, it wasn’t that bad. I just kind of tapped the back of his car but….yeah I couldn’t get away with it.” He shakes his head as if disappointed at that and it makes you laugh. 

“Well at least you guys were okay,” You say pointedly and he nods in agreement. 

“Your dad’s a real cheap ass you know that,” He says bluntly and you snort at that. “No but really, he is. Because he could’ve just let me go, you know. But no, he had to get my contact information. He knew I was broke by the looks of it so instead of paying him back directly, he told me I can work off my debt.” He explains, not caring one bit that it’s your father he’s talking about. You’re not offended in the slightest, looking at him in amusement which prods him to say, “What?” 

You shake your head, pressing your lips so you don’t laugh, “Nothing. You’re just very honest.” You tell him. 

His eyebrows raise in surprise, hand playing with the straw of his drink and he asks, “Is that…bad?” 

“No,” You smile. “Not at all. It’s refreshing honestly.” It’s true. Half the time people talk to you, you can tell it was a facade sometimes which would be quite frustrating for you. They’d be afraid to say anything that would offend you, not wanting to be on your bad side. 

But Jeongguk, he didn’t care. He was honest. You liked that a lot. 

“That’s good,” He tugs at the piercing in his lip thoughtfully, “My hyung tells me I can be a real dickhead sometimes.” 

“I wouldn’t disagree with that,” You mutter jokingly, causing him to look at you with narrowed eyes, tongue poking into his cheek. 

“Gee, thanks.” His voice is monotone when he says it and you snicker. 

“Now I have a question for you,” He says and you look at him, wondering what it could be.

“Sure, what is it?” You ask. 

He purses his lips together in wonderment before asking, “How did Dohyun know you the first day we met? He talked to you as if you guys have been friends for a while.” His tone says that he was genuinely curious. 

You suck in the air through clenched teeth and shake your head, “I wouldn’t say we’re really friends…maybe acquaintances? I’m not sure. I might sound like a bitch for saying that.” Jeongguk shakes his head as if saying no, encouraging you to continue, “His grandpa used to be the gardener for our house. He’d always come with him when he was a little boy,” You explain to him, thinking back to the times when you were just twelve years old. 

Sometimes he’d come up to you when you were playing on the swing set and he’d hand you a single flower which you would take from him out of politeness. He looked so excited whenever you took it out of his hands and said thank you, almost as if it was the greatest achievement he ever made. 

Other than flowers, he’d bring you single pieces of candy and you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you hated orange flavored candies. You would secretly give it to your younger brother everytime. 

“And he’s been working there ever since?” Jeongguk asks and you nod in response. 

“Yeah…pretty much. He was pretty upset when I had to leave for America,” You don’t know why you tell him that. 

“Yeah?” He sounds amused, “The boy is quite literally whipped for you.” He tells you and you just shrug in response. 

“Oh I already know,” You tell him and this time he looks at you with wide eyes, sipping on his drink as if this is the most interesting thing he’s heard. “It’s been like that since we were kids. I think he wanted to tell me before I left but I had to go so…he said he would tell me when I would come back.” 

“Hm,” He hums, tongue pressing against his teeth as if pondering, “Well you’re back. Has he told you yet?” 

You let out a relieved sigh, “No not yet. I’m afraid when he does tho. I don’t know if I have it in me to see the look of heartbreak on his face. He’s always smiling.” You tell him, feeling him look at you. 

“He’d definitely be heartbroken, I can tell you that,” Jeongguk says before adding with a snort, “Could’ve sworn he was about to pop a boner when he saw you by the pool the first time I was with him.” 

You look at him in disgust and he just cackles loudly, throwing his head back when he does, making you smile again. You just love when he laughs like that. 

You purse your lips before asking, “How about you?” 

Jeongguk looks confused, looking at you quizzically, “What about me?” 

“Did you pop a boner when you saw me?” You joke but there was some underlying seriousness to it. 

Jeongguk scoffs, looking down at the table, “As if I’d ever tell you that.” 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” You grin, about to take a sip of the coke but he grips the hand holding the cup before you can take the sip. 

“Didn’t your parents teach you any manners? Gimme back my drink,” He commands, trying to take the glass away from you but you tighten your grip on the glass as he tries to pull it away from you but instead, tugs you along with it. You squeal, shuffling forward and instantly gripping his strong thigh when you feel yourself leaning back as if you were about to fall and he quickly wraps his left arm around your back to prevent it from happening. 

Your faces are closer in proximity now, eyes staring at one another. There’s a certain glint in Jeongguk’s eyes when you look at them and you can’t help but fixate on his rose colored lips that have the silver piercing. You wonder what it would feel like against your own lips if you were to just lean forward and kiss them. 

Your heart is pounding in your chest, teeth biting into your lower lip when you notice him glance down at your lips as well. Before anything can happen, you feel a finger poke your stomach, causing you to immediately recoil. 

You look down to see Jeongguk’s pointed finger that did the action, surprised that you didn’t seem to notice it move away from behind your back. You also failed to notice him take the glass right out of your hands when he poked you, causing you to whine. 

“Asshole!” You exclaim, attempting to get it back but he just turns his body away from you to take a sip, his left arm held in front of you as if to block you.

Jeongguk says after taking a sip, “I’m not the one asking people if they pop boners.” You roll your eyes at that, giving up and crossing your arms. 

“I’m just kidding, here,” He holds out the glass for you and you lift your hand to take it but he pulls it back again to tease you, “Say please.” His voice is stern. 

Instead you respond monotonously, “You’re a dick.” 

Jeongguk sucks the air through his teeth and says, “You seem to be quite fond of my dick.” He jokes and you smack his shoulder, snatching the glass back so you can drink the rest of it. 

For the rest of the night, you guys talk and laugh about random things while munching on the bar food Yugyeom gives you guys on the house. Jeongguk would make you giggle when he makes commentary on the men who were playing pool, making fun of how badly one of guys were playing and it was the same guy who had winked at you earlier. Once it was reaching 8 o’clock and the bar was in full swing, that’s when the two of you decided to leave. 

This time when you were leaving the bar, his arm was wrapped around your back protectively as he guided you out of the place, fending off the lewd looks coming from the other men. Once you were outside and were walking towards his parked truck, you pause in your tracks, making him stop and gaze at you curiously. 

“Wait,” Your eyebrows are furrowed, “Are you okay to drive?” You ask, realizing that you both just drank alcohol and that he still has to drive back. 

Jeongguk breathes out a laugh, looking at you in amusement, “What do you take me for? A light weight?” You just raise your brow at him in response and he lets out a sigh, “I’m fine. It was just one drink. I wouldn’t be driving you back home if I knew I couldn’t.” His voice sounds truthful when he tells you this and for some reason, your heart stutters at that. 

“Okay,” your shoulders relax and you nod, believing him. 

Jeongguk releases his lower lip from his teeth and says, “If you’re still uncomfortable, I can call you a cab.” He offers and you just shake your head. 

“No it’s okay,” You say before adding, “I trust you.” 

He stares at you for a moment, eyes flicking around your face as if to see if you were telling the truth before he nods, “Alright, come on.” 

The car ride back to your house was quiet for the most part. You’d say a few things here and there and Jeongguk would respond but there wasn’t more to it. The silence isn’t awkward however. Rather, it’s pleasant, a new wave of comfortableness between the two of you.

You had a really fun time tonight, you think. Probably the most in a while. You don’t think you can remember the last time you’ve laughed as much as you did tonight and it brings a smile to your face when you think about all the funny moments and jokes the two of you shared. 

Jeongguk has ignited this fire inside of you that you don’t think you’ve ever felt. He’s funny, handsome, honest and thoughtful. For a guy you only literally just started talking to, you can already feel yourself starting to like him a lot more than you anticipated. At first you just found him to be attractive and thought he’d simply be a nice eye candy when you’d sit by the pool. However, after talking to him tonight, you found yourself wanting to get to know him more. He talked to you like you were any other person, not seeming to give a damn about who you are. 

You don’t realize you’re smiling until you hear Jeongguk clear his throat, snapping you out of your thoughts and you notice how the car is now stopped and parked in front of the large gate outside of your house. 

“Well, this was fun,” His tone is a little awkward when he says it, fingers tapping against the steering wheel. 

You nod in agreement, grinning, “Yeah it was. I had a really good time.” 

His lips quirk up into a small smile at that and he says, “That’s good. I’m glad.” 

It’s quiet for a moment, the both of you unsure what to say. You break it first, “I guess I should go then.” He nods in response, clicking the unlock button of the doors.

You open the door, hesitating to get out. You’re about to step out but pause for a second, turning to look at him only to find him already looking at you. He looks curious when you stare at him and asks, “What?” 

Here goes nothing. 

You scoot over in the passenger seat, leaning over the console to peck the corner of his mouth before pulling back and stepping out of the car, “Goodnight. See you tomorrow!” You speak fastly, swiftly shutting the door before rushing towards the gate.Your cheeks are warm and he probably saw how red they are. He just stares at you wide eyed, almost in disbelief at what just happened.

You press your lips together, keeping yourself from smiling before waving at him one last time. You hope it wasn’t weird for him. If you read this entirely wrong the whole time, you don’t know how you would face him tomorrow. 

You had no idea that Jeongguk was still sitting outside in his truck, a smile playing on his lips at what just happened. 

+

Jeongguk couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday night. The way you would  throw your head back and laugh, hand covering your mouth. He kept making jokes and waggish commentary about how ridiculous other people in the bar look. He noticed that you were definitely a light weight. You weren't drunk but you were a little tipsy. 

You became a little more touchy, shoving him or smacking his shoulder at times when he’d tease you. At one point, your hand was on his thigh absentmindedly and he’d begun to get nervous when it fell dangerously close to his crotch. It wasn’t intentional. You were clueless to how close your hand was, too busy rambling to an old man about the tricks of blackjack. 

Did he mention that you’re more socializing after drinking alcohol? 

Jeongguk found himself having a good time with you, enjoying your bubbly and talkative personality. You were more open and comfortable around him so it was gratifying to see this side of you. You didn’t have some nice act persona that you were putting up. 

It’s what happened at the very end of your time together that had him stunned. When you kissed him on the corner of his mouth and gave him the prettiest smile he’s ever seen on you. Your cheeks were flushed a pink and you looked proud of yourself from the glimpse he caught your face before you rushed out of his truck. 

It brought an automatic smile to his face, hand touching the part where you kissed him. How soft your lips felt on top of his skin. The scent of strawberry coming from your lip gloss that lingered. It’s not like Jeongguk hasn’t been kissed before. He has. But this felt different. This kiss came from you. He can feel himself having an actual crush on you. Not just physically wanting you but emotionally. He can feel something there. He was willing to explore it with you. Take it further. 

Is he thinking too far ahead? 

Sue him, this might just be his first real crush in so long. He knows there’s still so much to learn about you but after last night, he thinks he gets the idea. He just wants to see where it goes.

All he knows is that he likes being around you a lot. 

A small smile is playing on his lips as he cuts the unnecessary weeds out of one of the bushes and he doesn't realize it until Dohyun comes up to him and points it out. 

“Hey hyung! What’s got you all happy?” The boy asks in bafflement, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile since you’ve started working here.” 

Jeongguk’s smile immediately drops, mouth pulled into a straight line. He’s not telling this guy why he’s happy. Considering Dohyun has the biggest crush on you, he has no idea how he’d react. Not that he’d trust Dohyun regardless of if he has a crush on you or not. Jeongguk assumes no one around the house is allowed to know about you and him hanging out and maybe he just prefers to keep it that way. 

He feels a bit bad for the guy if he’s being honest. Dohyun’s been crushing on you since guys were just kids meanwhile Jeongguk just met you. However, you’ve made it clear that you do not see Dohyun in that way at all. 

If you really like Jeongguk, he’d be an idiot to pass that up. 

“Nothing man,” Jeongguk responds, turning to look at Dohyun only for his eyes to widen at the sight he sees before him. 

Dohyun no longer has the long hair that gets into his face. His hair is now cropped short on the sides and trimmed at the top. Gone are those thick rimmed glasses that’s constantly pushing up the bridge of his nose. But that’s not what takes Jeongguk by surprise the most, it’s the black slacks and white button down that he has on that makes the older wonder what he’s up to. There’s a bouquet of red roses in one hand and a box of what looks like chocolates in the other. 

Oh God, is he about to do what he thinks he is?

“Uh hey…” Jeongguk starts, dropping the plant snips onto the floor, “What’s with the whole…” He gestures his hand towards Dohyun’s get up. 

The younger man grins, cheeks tinting a little pink, “I’m about to ask Y/N out on a date.” 

Well fuck. 

+

taglist: @janedukiesworld @rjsmochii @mwitsmejk @jjeonjjk7 @whoa-jo @tearsdntfall617 @linda-botello

[eightmakesonebraincell]

GOING FERAL AS I SPEAK LIKE WHAT IS THIS BEHAVIOUR KANG YEOSANG. LIKE HE LOOKS SO AHDBHJDBNDAKS

okay but imagine this

michelin chef!yeosang who runs a fancy high-end three-star restaurant that takes months in advance to get a booking at. he's renowned for his incredible cuisines that combine flavour with art but he's notorious amongst his staff for being cold, blunt and intolerant of any dish that is less than perfect

you're a distinguished food critic who has travelled the world and dined at more michelin-star restaurants than you can count. it hasn't been long since you've arrived back in korea after reviewing a restaurant in spain. you have a booking for a restaurant that has rapidly made a name for itself over the last two years, under the tight reign of kang yeosang. you're intrigued to see the skills of a pretty face

as you're served course after course, you can see why his restaurant has its three star rating. each dish is presented with delicacy and finesse, the textures and flavours exquisitely balanced in harmony, setting luxurious and servers graceful. but as with any work of art, it's subjective to the consumer. and quite frankly? there's nothing particularly special about kang yeosang's cuisines that make them stand out in the long list of three-star restaurants

and you're honest with such. you publish your review and it quickly garners attention because you're one of the first critics to stand on the other side of the fence in terms of what kang yeosang's restaurant can deliver to its patrons

yeosang has had plenty of critics, journalists, bloggers and tourists review his restaurant before; people with huge social media followings and people who simply review for their own keepsake. regardless, he's never been concerned over the reviews. he knows his restaurant and his skills are the best out there. and yet, it would be a lie to say that yeosang is indifferent to your review

one of his staff had passed him a tablet, your published words glaring on the screen. yeosang thumbs through it noncommittally before thrusting the tablet back into the wringing hands of his staff. "you think this shit is worth any of my time?" he scoffs and the employee scurries away

he turns back to his countertop, fingers gripping the edge a little harder than he would like to admit while he stares at the puree and spiced crumb he has been preparing. one corner of his mouth lifts up in a sneer as your name repeats itself in his mind

y/n, huh. he's going to prove you wrong and make you eat your own words

[simplyavatrice]

I feel your compliments like bullets on skin - chapter three

One lesson Beatrice learned at a young age was that the things you dread the most always seem to find you.

No matter how hard she would prepare for one of her father’s bad moods, Beatrice always managed to end up in spaces with him by herself. He never focused his anger on her (not until she made the mistake that cost her a home) but he would get so angry so easily.

He had a short temper and his outbursts always scared her - they made her home feel unsafe and the world had a way of making sure she was always nearby when it happened.

That didn't change when she left. It seemed the nuns at the boarding school were always nearby anytime Beatrice ever took a chance to do something fun.

Jennifer Chase was the first real friend Beatrice made there and if she’s being honest, was probably the only person who had the patience to deal with everything that Beatrice came with.

Thinking back on it now, Jennifer took a lot of risks to give Beatrice a few good memories to take with her after she graduated. Her second kiss (the first one is a memory she has long since repressed) and her first real experimentation with any sort of intimacy.

But also more coming of age situations like drinking and eating brownies laced with marijuana that she somehow managed to get from an employee at a fast food restaurant near their school.

She was an enigma, a girl so out of place that Beatrice (and a lot of other people) were drawn to her.

Yet, for some reason she took a liking to Beatrice and guided her through the stages of growing up even when Beatrice had no idea what was happening at the time.

Then, like every good thing in her life up to that point, it was taken away from her. Jennifer was kicked out and sent home and Beatrice never had the chance to thank her or even say goodbye to her.

She’s looked her up a few times but never found her.

CONT ON AO3