#{the job question is funny since just the other day my boss was asking the same things}

[grapementos]

walk away as the door slams

aged up bakugo x reader

cw: heavily! toxic relationships, emotionally abusive (gaslighting, etc.), angst.

pt 2 here.

bakugo isn't the same person he was in high school. he grew into a top five hero and opened his own agency, only to be brutally torn apart by the tabloids.

scandal after scandal, you watched him crack. like glass, he grew more and more fragile each time he was made out to be a monster, an asshole, a douchebag--whatever other name was thrown out there.

each time, you were there to comfort him and stand by his side against every rumor and generalization. still, it scared you as you watched his resolve weaken. it was as if he didn't see the point in being a hero anymore.

then came the headline, the article that had him hanging up his gauntlets in exchange for civilian life. the article had an incriminating photo of him holding up his hand to a child. of course, it was taken out of context; bakugo had merely been guiding the child away from the rubble of the building near them.

however, the media ate it up, and bakugo decided that being a hero wasn't worth the false allegations. he announced his resignation the same day and rid the entire house of hero news.

it broke your heart to see him give up his dream, so you'd tried and failed time and time again to talk him out of it. you even invited midoriya and kirishima to persuade him to become a hero again, but his mind was made.

he'd since picked up a new, low-brow job that kept him out of the public eye. with that, unfortunately, came stress regarding bills, grocery shopping, and necessary budget cuts. it was a huge adjustment, one that led to frequent arguments.

you worked from home, so you were able to keep it clean and cook meals for the most part. you tried so hard to keep your home a place where the two of you could coexist happily, but he always came home with an unfulfilled look in his eyes.

truth be told, you were exhausted, but bringing it up just made bakugo frustrated, so you avoided the subject. instead, you'd ask him about work, only to be brushed off.

it hurt.

"katsuki," you called from your spot at the table, finishing up some work, "what do you want to eat tonight?"

"dunno." he grunted, walking out of your shared bedroom.

"right. so helpful." you sighed, looking at your laptop once more, "do you have a general idea? or do you want to cook?"

"i just got home from an 8-hour shift." he looked at you like you were dumb, eyes narrowed, "can you lay off with the million questions?"

"it's a simple question. i need to know if i have to defrost anything." you shut your laptop a little harder than necessary, "i work too, you know."

he laughed bitterly but didn't say anything.

"what?" you demanded, hands on your hips.

"oh, nothing. just thought it was funny, is all."

"what's so damn funny?"

"you, sitting on a laptop all day. 'working'," he used air-quotes, opening the cupboards.

"really? you wanna go there?" you closed the cupboard he was looking in, cheeks flushed with frustration.

he stared at you, jaw clenched, "can you move?"

"can you stop being so damn mean?"

"god, i'm not being mean." he shook his head and opted for digging through the fridge instead, "y'just being too damn sensitive."

you took in a deep breath, red hot anger beginning to boil up in your gut and through your hands all the way down to your fingers.

"stop digging through the fridge when i'm trying to talk to you, please."

he didn't even spare you a glance, pulling out the last cold water bottle.

"katuski." you demanded, louder.

"my god, what?" he slammed the fridge closed, leaning back on the counter, "as if i don't get nagged enough by my boss."

"i'm not nagging you. i'm," you stammered, trying not to escalate the situation into an argument, "i'm trying to see what you want for dinner. that's all."

"just make whatever. i'm not hungry anyways." he tossed the plastic bottle into the trash, plopping down at the table.

you rubbed your temples, trying so hard to maintain your calm, "okay."

-

the two of you were sat across each other at the kitchen table. you ate something quick you'd whipped up, finally breaking the silence, "they're considering me for a promotion. it's a pretty significant payraise, and i think i--"

"god, are you fuckin' kidding me?" he interrupted, eyes suddenly aflame.

"what?" you cocked your head, confused at his sudden irritation.

"you just love rubbing that shit in my face, huh? you're always talking about how you get paid more than i do, how work is so great, and now this? great job, breadwinner."

"katsuki, we're partners, we both contribute to this household no matter what. i'm not the... breadwinner." you insisted, pain blooming in your chest, "i thought you'd be happy for me."

"like you were so happy for me to quit that hero gig? so you can get all the glory of supporting us?"

"is that really what you think?" you stood, not able to control the flames of anger licking at your chest, "katsuki, you know damn well i gave my all trying to talk you into staying a hero."

"bullshit. you just wanted it to look that way." he stood too, hands planted firmly on the table, "because that's what you do. you pretend you care, and then just soak up all the glory for it."

you clenched your jaw, "not everyone cares for glory as much as you do. i don't know why you think that, but i know you loved being a hero, and i supported that because i love you."

"do you? or did you only get with me to be the partner of a hero?" he spat, eyes narrow and downright venomous, "poor partner of dynamight, they must go through so much to endure his anger issues. poor fuckin' you, right? poor y/n."

your lower lip quivered, the back of your eyes burning, and he laughed. he laughed.

"what? you're gonna cry, really?" he scoffed, shaking his head, "fine, fuckin' cry. that's all you seem to know how to do."

you inhaled sharply through your nose, eyes trained steadily on him, "fuck you." you whispered, hands balled into fists by your side.

"say it louder." he challenged, "maybe it'll actually do something."

"fuck you, bakugo katsuki." tears fell freely down your cheeks, but you weren't sad. you were pissed.

you walked around the table and jabbed your finger in his chest, "i have done so much for you. so goddamn much. i have stood by you, i have disproved every bad thing the media had to say, i've supported you, and-" your voice wobbled, "it's never fucking enough. nothing is ever enough for you. someone is always after you, someone is always praying on your downfall, because everything's about katsuki, right?"

he was stunned silent, leaning back away from you. his face was conflicted, eyes wide with surprise.

"well news-fucking-flash, the world doesn't revolve around you. and neither do i," you dropped your hand, wiping at your cheeks, "so i'm done. i'm done fighting for us, because you have never once tried for me."

"y/n--"

"y'know, katsuki." you paused on your way to the bedroom, "i think they were right about you. you are a douchebag. an asshole. a monster."

[mapofthemazeinthemirror]

Hybrid!txt when you smell like someone else

Warnings: gender neutral reader, but for Taehyun's reader is mentioned to have a boyfriend. I should probably mention that when I write hybrids, I don't really picture people with animal features like ears and tails, just animal senses and behaviours? That should help this make more sense. This could also work for werewolves if you prefer to imagine it that way!

Note: this has been sitting in my drafts for months, it kept getting pushed back by other ideas. So glad to get it out. Please let me know which is your favourite scenario!

☆ gender neutral reader

Soobin

You were standing in the kitchen filling the sink with water to start the dishes when you heard the front door. It was game night; the night your boyfriend and his friends ordered in dinner and hogged the TV to play games until they wore each other out, or on some occasions, to tears. So you didn't mind doing the dishes tonight, even though it was technically Soobin’s turn.

"Yah, what's that smell?”

You turned to see Soobin and Beomgyu appear in the kitchen, bags from the convenience store slung over Beomgyu’s shoulder, a telltale sign that he'd lost at rock paper scissors. “Hi guys.”

"Is someone here?" Soobin asked, glancing down the hallway. You shook your head and he immediately dropped his confused expression, his face scrunching in disgust. “Then what smells like dog?”

"I don't... oh. It's probably my new boss, we had a meeting today." After all the time you'd been with Soobin, all the time you'd spent around his friends, you were still not that used to this whole thing. You couldn't always spot their kind, and sometimes you forgot about your boyfriend's intense senses, though you had gotten better since you started dating.

Beomgyu placed the bags atop the counter and scratched the back of his head. "The other guys will be here in a minute, so..." He looked up at Soobin who met his eyes.

This was another thing that happened often. It was like they could just lock eyes and know what the other was thinking without saying a word. The two seemed to finish their silent conversing, turning back to you, matching grins growing on their faces. Your eyes darted between the two of them, trying to get a clue as to what you were left out of the loop about, before they were coming at you. Sandwiching you between them, they both began rubbing their cheeks against yours, scenting you as you squirmed.

"Is this what you're going to smell like every day now?" Soobin asked into your hair.

Beomgyu was finding this funny, his laughter in your ear as you whined in complaint. "You reek! Maybe it's time to find a new job."

Once they were satisfied with their work, they stood back, chuckling at how mussed up your hair was from their handiwork. You pouted up at them and they were even more amused.

The doorbell rang before Yeonjun let himself in, the door still being unlocked. He waltzed into the kitchen with Taehyun in tow. "Who's ready to get whoop-" his face fell and his eyes began to search the floor, before looking between you and Soobin, brows furrowed. "Did you guys get a dog or something?"

Before Beomgyu or Soobin could do anything except smirk at you, you were turning on your heel and announcing that you were going to take a shower.

Yeonjun

When he arrives home, straight away his senses hone in on your jacket hanging over the porch railing, soaking wet—yet still he can smell what you've tried to erase. As soon as you hear his key in the door you’re there explaining, before he can utter a single word.

"This guy at the bus stop was all over me. I had to get a different bus so he wouldn’t be with me on the way here."

He stops midway through taking off his own coat, the shoulders of the garment hanging at his elbows. You hear the strain in his voice, see the fervor flash through his eyes. "What do you mean all over you?"

"He put his arm around me. He kept putting his face close to my ear to ask me questions… but-but I washed my hair when I got home. I washed my jacket twice but I wasn't sure if it would still get to you, so l left it outside. I'm sorry."

His expression faded as he relaxed a little. Still he kept his concentration solely on you as he pulled his hands from his sleeves and hung the coat up. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. Did he do anything else, anything more? Are you okay?"

You sighed tiredly, glad Yeonjun was home and you could have dinner and relax together and put the day behind you. “No, I’m fine.”

Stepping forward, he pulled you into his arms and pressed his cheek to the top of your head. “That’s all that matters.”

Beomgyu

Beomgyu stepped out of the cool night air and into the small store you worked in. He always picks you up when you work the night shift, preferring to drive you home than you taking the bus so late.

You haven't yet noticed his presence, despite the place being empty, busy tidying the shop for closing. As he slinks over to you, you reach up on your tip toes to put something away on a high shelf, and he means to put his arms around you to surprise, but something made him stop short behind you.

"Not again," he says, making you jump out of your skin.

"Gyu!" you yelp. "Don't do that!"

He pouts. "You smell like not you."

Pulling the fabric of your shirt to your nose and inhaling, you shake your head. "I don't smell anything."

You move off to the front desk, Beomgyu trailing behind, still complaining. "Of course you don't smell it, you pure-bred human—" and when you send him a look, he adds, "—affectionately. You just have to take my word for it."

He watches as you clock out and untie the apron from your waist, looking up at him tiredly. "Let's just go home, okay?"

He nods, and after turning off the lights and locking the doors, you make the short walk to his car. It's still warm inside, and it's such a relief to sit down after hours on your feet. You let your head rest back against the seat and look up at your boyfriend as he puts the key in the ignition.

"Thank you," you say tiredly.

As he looks over at you, he grabs something from the mirror and holds it out to you. Taking it from him, you look down to inspect what you've been given—his car air freshener. "You're welcome."

Taehyun

Taehyun couldn't hide his smile as he opened the door, until he got a whiff of something he didn't like. "Hey," he said, trying to act casual despite his senses waving tiny red flags at him. Yet, before he could stop himself, he was asking, "Where have you been?"

He watched as you took off your shoes, a hard task with your hands occupied with the pile of books and stationary you'd brought for studying, and usually Taehyun would be a gentleman and take them for you, but right now his mind was distracted.

"I stopped at my boyfriend's place. I'm sorry, am I late?"

Your boyfriend. He hadn't known you had a boyfriend... had he? He tried to rack brain, think of who you hung out with at school as he lead you into the house. "Oh... no, uhm..."

You walked across him to put your stuff down at the table and he got a stronger smell of the scent that hovered around you. Your boyfriend was definitely not completely human. He wondered if you knew. He wondered if he could compose himself enough to study with this smell hanging around.

"Let's get started," you were saying as you took a seat.

Taehyun tried to ignore his thoughts as he sat with you, listening to you talk about the assignment and dividing tasks. He did his best to focus on the words you were saying, your voice, your eyes, anything he could hold onto. But his instincts were strong. He stood up suddenly, your eyes following him, mouth forming a question. "Would you like anything? To eat or drink?"

Your expression cleared of confusion. "Sure, water would be nice."

Thankful to busy himself and get a break, he walked over to the kitchen and filled one glass, then another, breathing deeply all the while to try to calm his system. As he returned to the table, you were coming back from the front hall, suddenly without your jacket on. You reached out and took one of the glasses from him and sat down once more. He noticed that most of the scent was gone; he could bear being so close to you now.

"I really like that jacket you were wearing," he commented nonchalantly between discussions of school work.

You looked up from your notes with a smile. "Oh yeah? Me too. It's my boyfriend's, I'm always stealing it when I can."

He nodded, trying to keep the small smile from fading. It's okay, I'm okay, his mind was trying to console him. It probably wouldn't work out between the two of you anyway... right?

Huening Kai

He found you on the couch, laying on your side, tucked into a ball. “Hi hun,” he spoke softly, knowing this habit of yours meant something was up. He wasn’t going to bring up the scent he had picked up before he’d even opened the front door just yet.

You peeked up at him and he could tell you were exhausted. “Hi." His smile and his eyes were so warm that you immediately blurted out what was wrong without him needing to ask. "I went to a party.”

“Oh?" Your voice was so small and meak it tugged at Kai’s heart. "A party?”

“I didn’t want to go but my friends… they dragged me there, and I… I’m pretty sure everyone there was…” You pressed your lips together.

“Stinky,” he finished for you with a playful scrunch of his nose.

Nodding, you uncurled yourself to make room for your boyfriend on the couch. He sat and reached for your hand, holding it inside his big, warm one. His hands were always warm. He was always warm. It was one of your favourite things.

“It was kinda scary,” you admitted. At this, he tugged your hand towards him, a sign for you to come closer, and soon you were tucked into his lap.

"I know," he said softly, rubbing his hands up and down your arms soothingly. "I know it's still all new to you."

Humming in agreement, you allowed your head to fall into the crook of his neck. This was the place you felt safest in the whole world, even before you knew that the world was not as you had always thought.

Kai's voice rumbled through his chest, vibrating through you as he spoke. "Maybe a bath might help you relax."

You looked up at him, and he brought his face down to rub his nose against yours, his trademark show of affection with you. "Do I really smell that bad?"

The boy couldn't hide his smirk. "Just a little."

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

[alexa-fika]

Aight here me out

Buggy has a child but instead their like moody, grumpy and stuff (like Octavia and loona from helluva boss) but they love buggy and would do ANYTHING for him

Happy go lucky dad 🤝 looks like it would kill you would kill you child

Substitute Assistant ( Cross guild x f!child!reader)

A/N not gonna lie I totally forgot who loons was, it’s been a hot minute since I watched helluva, since we are talking about helluva boss here, specifically loona, do expect a few swear words here and there. This one is kinda a flop but hopefully it lives to your standards Cosmo, I am surprised it wasn’t a Whitebeard request 😂,

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Reader in japanese

Dividers by @/saradika

“Here you go, asshole,” Dokucha growled, throwing a stack of paper on Crocodile’s desk, a task that they had called her father to do

Crocodile lifts his gaze from his work to the child, taking another look at the stack that now lay on their desk

“Where is the clown?”

“Why the hell do you care?! You have your stupid reports, now leave my dad alone asshole!”

“Should a child your age be using such words?” The voice of the swordsman drawls from the sofa next to them

“Shouldn’t grown men be over bullying others like little children?” She snapped back

At that Crocodile let out a low chuckle that slowly grew into a full-out laugh

“Well, Well seems the brat has more guts than that useless clown,” he grinned

“Don’t call him that!”

“Would you prefer us we call him a coward instead?” Mihawk questioned, taking a sip from the wine in his hand as he continued observing the child’s rage bubble more and more

“Shut up! You assholes know nothing of Dad! He has done many things and gathered people of all kinds with his charisma alone; unlike you, he doesn’t have to pay off or bully people into being his followers!”

Crocodile lets out a dangerous smile at her words

“Funny seeing how it was your father who borrowed money from me, money that he lost and got him where he is now, so by all means, go ahead and tell me more about paying people off.”

“Just leave him alone; you got the business you wanted. Now leave him the hell alone.”

“No can do, little jester, see those people that your father won with his ‘charisma’ have named him the president of the guild; he’s not going anywhere,” Mihawk spoke

“Whether you like it or not, it was Buggy’s decisions that brought him here; he has no one to blame but himself,” he finished, swirling his cup around and downing the liquid inside

She growled, turning around and leaving the room only to be stopped by Crocodile’s voice

“Be a good child and bring me a light, will you?”

“Why the fuck would I do anything for the likes of you.”

“Because if you don’t, then I have no trouble calling your father in instead. While we’re at it, I might have a friendly chat with him about his brat’s behavior.”

She grits her teeth at his response, glaring at him as he chuckles in response

“When you return, I have a few other jobs for you to do, so don’t be long now.”

“Fine,” she snarls, stomping her way out of the office

-

“Dokucha, where did you run off to? I missed you, my little star!” Buggy cheered as the small girl entered the room

“I was busy,” she mumbled

“How was your day today, Dad?” She questioned

“It’s so much better now that my favorite act is here!” Launching himself toward her, babbling about the different things they could do on their next performance

She chuckled as he draped himself over her, hugging him and nuzzling into him

“Hey, Dad?”

“And then Richie would app-hah? Yeah? “He asked, pausing his rambling

“I love you.”

He looks at her for a few seconds before he begins coming apart in surprise, fumbling to put his body together

“Little Star! You are just the cutest,” he cried, hugging her tight

“Okay, don’t go too far, old man,” she grumbled, trying to get away from the suffocating embrace

“Of course, anything for my little star!”

Again this was kinda weak but I hope you like it, obviously Dokucha is more mellowed out compared to Loona, and she doesn’t have that tsundere side with Buggy , hope you find the dynamic interesting

Taglist:

@imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

[seancekitsch]

How did Vox and Assistant get together?

hehe i wrote a little something about it!!

also reminder that requests for hazbin hotel/ helluva boss are open!

“Say, Y/n,” your boss’ voice melts over the sound of his office, computer fans and clicking keys, “you consider yourself smart, right?”

Is that some kind of trick? Did you mess something up? No, you couldn’t have. 

“Remarkably intelligent,” you retort, eyes not looking up from data. His newest algorithm on VoxFlix is rolling out perfectly, and your finishing touches on it are making new subscribers flooding in. 

“Would you consider yourself skilled?”

Definitely a game he’s playing; you can see he’s in the same data set as you. He’s seeing what you’re seeing. Your eyes flicker up above your VoxPad, but not to him.

“In all the ways that count, sir,” you sigh, feigning annoyance but interested in where he’s taking this. 

“Hardworking?”

“As hard as I can be without a chair of my own,” you quip, making a jab at his poor planning skills. Vox has you standing over his shoulder almost all day, following him to meetings, standing in the background of presentations. You’re glad you’re already dead or your feet would be killing you. Vox just laughs.

“You think you’re funny?” 

Oh, just from that tone you know you got him. This has just become a tennis match, back and forth.

“Incredibly witty,” you tilt your head towards him, and close out the document you were viewing, “and maybe a bit charming too.”

Vox leans over his desk, now entering your space. You can’t help but lean closer too, your body reacting to him. It’s not a secret your boss is one of Hell’s most handsome eligible bachelors, and you are not immune to the effects of that fact. His eyes are trained on you, sharp and bright; his full focus on you. 

“Pretty?” he asks, and strikes a nerve. 

“Enough to get by,” you deflect, “What’s with all the questions, sir? This an interview?”

You’re not sure if you should be this flippant with a dangerous man like Vox, but it rolls off the tongue naturally, as it has since your first meeting with him. 

“Yeah,” He smiles, “I’m making sure you aren’t gunning for my job.”

Your eyes flicker down to the sharp corner of his smile, the way it grows under your attention.

“I wouldn’t dream of it sir,” Your smile matches his, and he leans in further. 

Vox catches your lips on his screen, the slight tingle of static at the corners of his mouth. It’s nothing like you thought it would feel like, and yes, you’ve definitely thought about it. You let your mind wonder sometimes when you lean your him against his desk and you swear you see his screen glitch, or when you hand him his mug and your hands touch. Electricity in his touch as he pulls you closer, his hand moving to the back of your head to pull you in closer to him, the two of you bent over opposite sides of the desk to join. His kiss is gentle, but firm; he presses where lips should be against you, and yet his mouth opens, your lips slotting in perfectly. His tongue licks between the seam of your lips, you part them eagerly. 

Vox deepens the kiss, climbing up onto his desk, his free hand throwing his keyboard to the side to make room for his knees, his hand behind your head moving to your back to pull you up and closer to his chest. The hum of fans kicks in, and you smirk as best you can through the kiss. You recognize them as Vox’s fans, his internal cooling system to prevent shutdown. It’s a rush of blood beneath your skin, a pumping racing feeling of an ego boost knowing that simply kissing you made that happen. His other hand comes to your waist, his claws immediately bunching up the fabric of your shift dress to make it rise dangerously high. You let out a moan- fully accidentally. You hadn’t wanted to let Vox know how much you were enjoying it. He breathes against you, hot air pushed from the fan against your neck, and he pulls away fully, his lips and hands leaving you.

When you open your eyes you see him kneeled on his own desk, desperation causing him to move across it for you. Any other demon and you’d find a move like that pathetic, but with Vox it feels hot, powerful and sexy. In his hand is his VoxPad, his thumb swiping before he shoves it your way. 

“I’m not signing a deal with you,” you spit immediately. Always count on an Overlord to spoil a mood, you think. 

“It’s not a deal,” he urges you to read it, and you oblige him to skim it. 

…non disclosure of relations…

…no press…

…strict rules of relations… no others…

“Is this a fucking NDA?” you ask, forgetting any manners or sexiness. That was out the window with this document shoved in your face. 

Vox’s screen flashes, and he looks almost sheepish. He looks embarrassed for even showing it to you. Poor baby.

“It’s not… not an NDA,” his screen stutters with static. Oh, he’s genuinely nervous. You’ve got him. You look him up and down, sizing up your boss perched on his desk, red streaks of shared spit smeared down his screen, his jacket rumpled; a powerful man disheveled. 

You drop the VoxPad to the side, your hands moving back to your boss. You let your fingers walk up Vox’s sleeve, slow and seductive. 

“You still gonna kiss me even if I don’t sign it?” you coo, you really don’t want to sign any paperwork that isn’t your normal work contract.

“Well,” Vox’s screen twitches, and he thinks about it, “I guess I could just… trust you.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him, fingers now dancing around his lapels, then yanking on his bowtie.

“When have I ever given you a reason not to?” you ask, and he just kisses you instead of answering; you’d never crossed or even contradicted him. 

Your tongues lick and lap at each other, static making your hair stand on end, his claws back in the fabric of your outfit. Vox pulls you onto the desk as well, pulling your body flush with his, letting you feel all of him. His hands go immediately to your ass, handfuls he digs into. He’s hard against you, and fuck, you want him. He’s bigger than you’d imagined, you can tell even through clothing. Heat burns through you, flushes to your core. Need floods you unlike the curious want of before. 

You break apart from the kiss with a sharp gasp, not breaking away from his embrace. 

“Fuck,” you pant, “I’ll blow you right here if you never bring up that NDA again.”

Immediately one of his hands leaves your ass to slap around for the VoxPad until finally he grasps it in his claws. 

“Consider it deleted, Doll.”

[cowboyjen68]

Hello Cowboy Jen! I was wondering if you had any advice for me

Here’s the situation- I’m a young lesbian (I’ll be 17 going into college) and I’m going to study geology. I’m assuming my classes and later on my work environments are going to be mostly men since geology is a male-dominated field. Any advice for being in spaces without very many women? And picking a different field’s not a very good option either, geology’s been my obsession since I was five and I doubt I could give any other field as much attention and focus.

When I was DEAD SET on being in the DNR or a Forest Ranger or some kind of Park worker I was in my tweens and early teens. I loved the idea of working with people and animals and outside and getting to use my hands and my knowledge of land and history. Then some Jack Ass at the Corps of Engineers station I volunteered at told me women couldn't really do the job right and it was too dangerous and I lost confidence. I stopped going and didn't reapply for the Mayor's Youth Parks program I had worked at for two years. I just left the idea behind. I see now all the older women park rangers that are around and read stories of women like my current boss who was a naturalist for years in our county. I work at a nature center almost entirely staffed by strong women with the exception of the CEO, the marketing guy and one outreach guy. If I had seen any of these women in my teens i would have said "heck yeah women can do this".

You are going to be that leader, that beacon. That is a thought to keep in your pocket on hard days.

The truth about working with men is, in general, they don't really care and they kinda just feel awkward. They lack social skills around women so they end up saying the dumbest stuff. I am not saying men can't be total pains in the ass or feel threatened by you being around, they absolutely can. At the end of the day we are all human and women are 50% of the population so at some point they have dealt with women in class or at a job.

Mostly just start off with giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. Saying stupid stuff to try and be funny is not the same as harassment or hate. If you don't feel offended or insulted or threatened don't try feel like you are because you think you are supposed to be.

Look them in the eye, do listen to those who have good things to share, teach or discuss. Don't dismiss men for being men. Just as many humans, they want to share what they know and tell you what they have learned. I have been taught so much by the men I work with at the farm but I had to tell myself to listen and not just paint them in my brain as being bossy or mansplaining.

Don't shy away from questions when you need help. Ask when you need to ask and thank them for helping when they do. If you are interrupted by them say "I am not finished, please wait your turn" or something similar. Stand up for your right to share what you know or to get more information when you require it.

Basically, think of men as neutrally as possible until one proves he is to be avoided or ignored. Listen to your gut if you feel unsafe or degraded and keep notes on that behavior. If you must, tell your professor or a dept head if you feel like the bad actor will continue or possible endanger you.

Once you learn your trade you can recruit other women and share your love of your job/degree and some day it will not be more men than women around you!

[verinarin]

𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨; 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬

in which he lets her measure his body for a new set suit for him, riddling him with her innocent touches; his view meaning the fic is written in his point of view

fluff with a lot of tension, like drenched with it. Gallagher lowkey being obsessive and loves to tease and spoil his little lady; 2K words!!

It’s Saturday.

She said she wouldn’t be home until later tonight, so I’m alone for the rest of the day. I’ve been sharing my roof with her for around 3 months now. Funny, I seem to forget how quiet this place is without her. At this hour she would be on the couch with the television on, her favorite shows would air around this time.

Am I being a creep for knowing her daily schedule like this?

Hope not, I mean that brat has been stickin’ beside me ever since day one.

Ah shit, it’s supposed to be the other around. She’s my secretary, but here I am acting like I’m some sort of personal assistant of hers, ah that little minx had me all wrapped around her pretty little manicured fingers huh?

Can’t complain though, not when she does her job perfectly.

It’s just that I rarely wanted her to work, to begin with. Her day consists of following me around like an assistant yet she treats me like I’m her assistant instead. Ahahaha I ain’t setting up a good example as her boss, but then again no one could blame me.

I mean with those fucking doe eyes and pouty lips, she’s the type of woman people wrote on their poetry. At this point, It’s clear as day that I miss that little brat. Y’know I’ll just take a quick shower before she comes home, I don’t want her to drag me to the bathroom again like yesterday.

Stepping into the shower made me realize that every single thing here smells like her. Her vanilla-scented shampoo bottle sits next to mine, her body scrubs, her soap. Damn, I never realized how much product she used, no wonder she cooped up in her for a good hour or more, being a pretty lady like her looks like hard work, perhaps harder than my line of work.

She smells like heaven afterward though, so I won’t complain.

Never mind, I would actually complain about one thing.

The fact that her scent drives me crazy sometimes, not to mention the fact that while working she often clings to me like a second skin. The amount of questions I get asking about why my clothes smell like vanilla and roses is crazy. The other hounds, hell even Siobhan tease me for smelling like a lady.

Well, as long as I don’t reek of smoke and alcohol like I used to I guess it’s a good change. As the cold water rinses through my body, I start to worry about her. She’s an adult, she would be fine traveling around Penacony, but why am I worried about her like I’m her old man? Probably because she didn’t tell me where she was going, this girl goes on a shopping spree almost every week and the one thing she never forgets to bring is her walking ATM, which is me.

Should I go look for her?

Nah, she must’ve needed some time alone. She’s probably sick of an old geezer like me, all I could entertain her with is my crappy dad jokes and a little mixology classes here and there. She seems to like my cringe dad jokes though weirdly enough and she also learns quickly on mixing beverages.

Once I finished rinsing my worries away, I put on a pair of sweatpants. I sigh as I brush my damp hair back remembering that I forgot to bring my shirt inside, my age is starting to catch up on me. Oh well, it’s not like she’s coming home soon. I let out a small chuckle as I looped the small towel I used for my hair around my neck.

The mirror in front of me reflects my rugged face, my fingertips graze upon my stubble feeling the sharp little hairs protruding from my cheek. I’ve been thinking of shaving it clean off for a while, but I remember her weird fondness for my stubble. That girl loves rubbing the back of her hand across my face like I’m some sort of a dog, which in this case relates to my line of work funnily enough.

I figured I’d let it be for now, can’t have her whine about my appearance now like she did last month when I talked to her about cutting my hair short. Her argument was if I did cut my hair she wouldn't be able to play with it anymore, such a silly girl that one.

I should fix myself a cup of coffee before cleaning around the house, it ain’t like I have anything better to do other than waiting for her like a lost puppy. I let out a hefty yawn as I walked towards the kitchen. It's easier for me to find things these days since she arranges it in a specific way. Before her, it took me around 5 minutes to search for the coffee bean, but now I can see the labeled jar from far away.

I couldn't help but let my lips curve into a small smile as I twisted the jar open, the charming scent of the coffee beans she picked emanated through the air, that little lady has good taste I must admit. Heh, she must’ve learned it from me. She used to be a tea gal before she met me, but now it seems she quite enjoys a little more caffeine here and there.

Can’t help to let out a small smirk as I brew myself a cup of coffee. She utterly consumes me at this point, every single damn thing reminds me of her it ain’t funny. I never thought I could still feel this giddy like a teenage kid at my current age, but then again she had always said that I still have my child-like wonder.

I rest my body against the counter, the cold marble hits my bare waist making me wince at the sudden temperature difference. After this, I’ll do laundry and then afterward I should start preparing for dinner.

As I lost myself in my thoughts I could hear the sound of a key twisting inside the keyhole, ah she’s home. “I’m back. Miss me, old man?” she muses as she turns her head towards me.

“Nah, I’m starting to miss my short-lived tranquility though,” I smile, pressing the rim of my glass against my lips to hide my smirk. She on the other hand has her eyes wide open, her mouth wide agape.

She stares at me a little too long before I finally break the silence between us, “Why'd ya look at me that way kid ?” I ask as I gaze toward her small face, analyzing her expression.

“You’re practically half naked, but wait that’s good actually,” shit, I forgot about that. She starts to walk towards me with a nasty smile, oh she’s scheming something alright.

“What? why is it a good thing? you've never seen a man’s body before ?” I snicker, masking away my flustered interior.

“Oh because I could clearly measure it now,” she smiles. Now hold on, measure what ??!!! The seemingly ambiguous sentence drives my mind toward possibilities that would definitely put me behind bars.

“Measure what huh ?” I let out a small chuckle, I put my cup down and leaned towards her eye level.

“You definitely won’t fit a size XL,” she sighs. Well ouch! cut me some slack little lady. I might be slacking off on my training, but I’m still in good shape. “What a way to break this old man’s heart you little brat, fyi I’ll definitely fit a size L,”

“Said that to your shirt. The poor thing needed its button to be stitched back up yesterday,” okay maybe she’s right but it still stings, my lips curve downward as I look at her, she’s out here breaking my heart to pieces.

“I’m not saying you’re putting on weight, what I’m saying is I want to measure your measurements so that I can buy you something custom-made,” she caresses my chest as her eyes lock towards mine.

I could feel my heartbeat drumming against my eardrum as her touch burned against my skin, marking it as hers. Fuck, feels so fucking good to feel her touch. Is it greedy for me to want more of her?

Her pink ‘nd soft lips curve into this delicate smile.

Fuck, she looks so pretty like that.

“Oh, what’s the occasion for dressing up this old hound ?” I smile as I lean forward to close the gap between us, trying to take control of my not-so-innocent thoughts about her lips.

I can’t recall anything worth celebrating between us, maybe the fact that I’m cutting down on smoking, but that’ll be worth something when I fully ditch it.

She merely chuckles before lightly hitting my chest like I’m telling her a funny joke, “You are an old man after all, how can you forget that three months from now is going to be the annual family?”

Ah right….

I was never the person who enjoyed those fancy parties, but hey I have her by my side so maybe I might change my stance.

“Those types of events were never my thing,” I avert my gaze, my finger drums against my nape.

“Well those types of events are my thing, so you’ll come right?” I mean with those puppy eyes, of course I’ll come.

“Fine, I guess this year’s gala could be bearable with you by my side,” I could only sigh as I stroked her hair, truly she dictates the same way as an old friend of mine.

With a smile that rivals the sun curving on her lips, she pulls out a measuring tape from her purse. Ah, so this is the ‘measuring’ part she talked about.

“Since when you’re a tailor,” I snicker as her fingers trace the long tape to find the zero mark.

“Oww hush, you’ll be the first person I’ll measure so be kind,” she mutters as she unravels the tape, “Alright lady,”

She leans closer to me as her finger holds one side of the tape beside my bare ribcage, “Stay still,” she mumbles, easier said than done.

How can I stand still when her fingertips press against my skin? It’s my damn Achilles heel. She’s too close, way too close. I don’t know how to act nor what to think when she’s soo damn close to me, the air feels stuffy and the atmosphere feels way too intimate and somehow sexual?

Kill me now.

She almost has her small face pressing against my chest, my bare chest to be exact which made this seemingly harmless interaction so dangerous.

Her other hand still struggles to find the tape behind my back. “Your chest is too broad,” she complains, I just let out a snicker at her statement which made her lose her focus.

“M’sorry anything I could do to help ?” I couldn’t do anything though, I could only extend my arms to the side to let her in, closer to me.

“Just stay still,” she huffs. Alright then, I’m cool as a cucumber. Without any warning, her cheek presses against my chest as she hugs me.

The warmth of her skin seeps through my cold chest, now this warmth burns inside me. “Ah! This works,” well I’m happy for her but there’s practically no distance between us, not even an inch.

“Stay still ol’ hound,” I must’ve been moving too much. I look down at her, her fingers skillfully bring the other side of the tape in front of my chest.

Now her forehead rests against my chest as she struggles to read the number that transpires, “Uhhh how do I read this again ?” she huffs.

“Can’t read a simple measurement now ?” my hand finds its way back toward her head, brushing a loose strand back behind her ear.

“Don’t tease,” well of course I’m going to tease as if I’m not the one who's secretly flustered as hell.

“Alright got it, now I’m going to drag this down to your waist,” she smiles as she drags both of her hands down and tightens the tape around my waist.

I never thought of myself to be a squeamish person, but I am now. “Oh wow, your chest and waist ratio are quite something….”

“What d’ya mean by that ?” I ask as she looks up towards me, “Your waist is quite slim and also your shoulders are broad so you do have that hourglass silhouette…” she muses to herself.

Well, ain’t that interesting…..

“Oh yeah your shoulders and back !” she naps herself back from her trance, cute.

With that, she took a couple of minutes to measure my upper body to the best of her abilities. Albeit the fact that I need to crouch down a bit for her to be able to measure my shoulders and back.

She takes a couple of steps back with newfound determination exuding her. I guess it’s from the fact that she’s getting the hand of measuring me.

“Are we done now ?” I ask, rather impatiently. Her fingers still linger in any direction she wants. Mapping every single inch of me into her memory.

“Still a long way to go,” she huffs. I see that she wants me to be as still as a mannequin, the things I do for her…

She hums a familiar tune, a song I like to hum. She crouches down bringing the tape around my hips, then she circles back in front of me, “Pardon my intrusion,”

Well the sentiment is rather too late now, she had been breaching my personal space since the very beginning. She couldn’t help but rest her forehead against my lower stomach as she looked down, reading the tape.

“Take your time, s’not like I could go anywhere,” I sigh as I stroke her hair, letting her silky smooth locks stream through my fingers. “I thank you for your coordination,” she snickers as she looks up at me, pretty little thing she is.

So stinkin’ cute. I smile as I cup her cheeks, letting my thumb graze against his lower lip, “Anytime, Lady,” I reply, before casually folding my arms back against each other.

Why the fuck did I just do that?

“I’m going to go lower now, I need to get some measurements for your pants,” she continued her current action without any signs of discomfort, thank god. “Oh wow even a pair of pants, you spoil this ol’ hound too much,” I feel as though my chest cavities were filled with cotton, making my heart all warm and soft.

“We both know you spoiled me rotten, Gallagher,” she cuts me, the tape now encircling around my thighs.

“Have I now?” Honestly, she deserves more than I could afford.

“You have you silly hound. Now let me repay your kindness,” her face now rests against my thighs as the tape travels slightly lower.

“Heh is this your way into getting to my pockets again,” I snicker, knowing that it’s one of her best manipulation tactics. Acting all cute and then stealing my money.

“Hey! I’m spending my own paycheck on this mister,” she protests as she stands up. “Oh, she’s a big girl now. She doesn’t need my money anymore right ?”

“Well technically no,” she looks away to the side, biting her lips in annoyance.

“She doesn’t need my money, but I’ll give it to her anyway because she has me wrapped around her little fingers,” I cup her cheeks, guiding her face to see me. “Cuz she’s my lil lady,” I smile as I press our forehead together, I can feel a thin imaginary veil between us.

“Of course I am and you’re my old hound,” she wraps her arms around my neck as my hand rests on her waist.

The thin barrier that puts a blur in our relationship, but somehow it just feels right, whatever we are it’s perfect. I don’t need more or less, just her warmth against mine.

[foolishlovers]

CO-WORKER AUs: Below you can find a list of Good Omens AUs in which Crowley and Aziraphale are co-workers. (oh my god they were co-workers)

[Requested by anon. You can request more fic recs here.]

Hit me with your ledger by KissMyAsthma (G, 1k) Corporate accountant Aziraphale has been infatuated with his coworker Crowley for a long time, but he has done nothing about it. One day, opportunity strikes and… Sometimes, an accidental nude is all it takes to score a date.

Get Down by AppleSeeds (T, 3k) When Aziraphale calls downstairs asking them to send up someone to fix the fax machine in his office, he doesn't expect them to send the most handsome and stylish man he's ever encountered in his entire life. Hopefully he won't end up doing anything foolish to embarrass himself.

The Piano Serpent by journeytogallifrey (T, 3k) Aziraphale owns The Flaming Sword, which is one of the premier gay bars in London. Everyone knows this… except for their pianist, Crowley. While the regulars take bets over whether he's the clueless straight person he seems, Aziraphale just tries to prevent himself from falling further. But one night Crowley plays a song written specially to honor their regulars, and Aziraphale can't hold the truth in any longer. How will Crowley react? Will the truth really set them free?

Hold the Lift by CemeteryAngel725 (T, 5k) Crowley just wants to get to work on time, but when he gets stuck in a lift with new guy Aziraphale, he ends up with a lot more than he bargained for. See, Aziraphale has this list of 36 questions…

!False (It's Funny Because It's True) by MirjamOmens (E, 6k) Aziraphale drew a long breath through his nose. Crowley, of course it had to be Crowley. The new guy in the sales department, who would promise potential customers just about anything to close a deal. Arrogant, annoying – and wildly, stupidly attractive. Aziraphale hated him. Aziraphale is a stellar software architect and a project manager, who is so done with the sales department selling unrealistically scheduled and budgeted projects. And he definitely doesn't have a crush on anyone, thank you very much.

Bang This Out? by crepesandoysters (E, 9k) As far as work friendships go, Aziraphale and Crowley have won the jackpot. They work well together and know how to make each other laugh, the whole metaphorical package. They could even be called best friends. Or, at least, they could be called that until today. Today comes with a kiss, and the kiss comes with more. A lot more if it were up to them. Except that their workplace seems to have other ideas.

Cock Tales by TawnyOwl95 (E, 12k) Crowley’s love life is on the rocks so he finally swears off men. Typical that his new job places him with a co-worker who's so straight up sexy. Or in which, Aziraphale tries to mix things up, Crowley is shaken and Anathema is a right stirrer. But could a relationship be worth a shot?

I'm Beginning to See the Light by ineffabildaddy (E, 15k) There was Crowley - the paragon of cool, the overlord of apathy, breezing easily through each and every one of their exchanges and giving no fucks while doing so; then there was the anachronistic, cloying Aziraphale, trying and failing not to live life like a Thomas Hardy protagonist, and giving many fucks indeed. Or: Aziraphale has quite the pash on his colleague Crowley, who seems resolutely disinterested in him. As their annual Christmas party progresses, it appears that Crowley may not be as disinterested as Aziraphale first thought.

House Style by soft_october (M, 24k) “Since that's all settled, the real question is did he give you his number?” Anathema laughed. “He was looking at you the way you look at lunch.” “Forget lunch!” Michael declared. “He was looking at you the way you were looking at him!” Aziraphale is content in his job as an editor at Celestial Publishing, though he could go for a bit less of doing his boss' job for him. But everything goes a bit screwy when the CEO brings in a consultant with plans to build a program that will turn the entire editorial department on its head. If only he wasn't so handsome.

All Lines Are Open by TawnyOwl95, FeralTuxedo (E, 21k) Anthony Crowley, bored host of a trite call-in radio show on Tadfield FM, has very few pleasures in life beyond annoying his long-suffering producer Aziraphale. When a caller reports suspicious activity at the abandoned Tadfield Manor, Crowley is determined to investigate, dragging Aziraphale along. Both of them are going to get more than they bargained for. A local radio AU

Heavenly Wicked Cafe by WaitingToBeBroken (T, 33k) There is a terribly rude barista that makes amazing coffee and a saint of a barista, whose coffee tastes vile. And they are in love.

i've found a way (a way to make you smile) by curtaincall (T, 40k) Crowley worked in Sales. He had never intended to work in Sales. It had just sort of happened. One moment, there he’d been, a newly minted university graduate off to change the world, exquisitely useless Philosophy degree in hand, and now here he was, having sauntered vaguely downwards into a Hell that consisted mainly of cold-calling new customers and sucking up to existing ones.   AU based on The Office.

First Class (Hons) Christmas, University of Tadfield. by heloluv (M, 41k) Dr. A.Z. Fell is a renowned literature tutor at the prestigious University of Tadfield. December is upon the University, and Dr. Fell is leading the Christmas Charity Drive. He needs volunteers. Dr. A.J. Crowley is a skilled plant ecologist who recently began his tenure at UoT. He can't stand Christmas, and nothing at all could ever possibly convince him to partake in "festivities". Until a certain literary expert catches his eye. A Christmas and New Years fic, in which Aziraphale teaches Crowley how to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.

because thinking makes it so by summerofspock, NaroMoreau (E, 41k) It's supposed to be an exchange. An arrangement. Something to make them both feel better and less lonely. But Crowley's never had the brightest ideas.

Tadfield's Finest by angelsnuffbox (E, 51k) The sleepy town of Tadfield is thoroughly shaken by the arrival of DI Crowley. Where barely anything ever happened before, there is now a bustle of low grade criminal activity, and everyone knows where to point the blame. Gabriel thinks he's a bad omen for the town, many others are quick to agree. Meanwhile, Aziraphale from SOCO just thinks he's hot. Ridiculously so.

Golden Handcuffs by seekwill (E, 70k) Far from any city, near the Scottish coast, Tadfield College has a celebrated history, an unrivaled academic reputation, and two departments at war. When the Biology and English departments are forced to share a building, Senior Lecturer and botanist Anthony Crowley finds himself drawn into the orbit of the polite but strange English professor, Dr. Aziraphale Fell. As the new term begins, two academics navigate the politics of both their offices and academia, and try to solve the puzzle of one another.

Wild Hearts by foolishlovers (E, 124, WIP) In the idyllic English countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, two teachers at Willowbrook Hall set out to transform their students’ lives through the world of theatre. But for Mr. Crowley, the challenge of navigating his long hidden feelings and dear friendship with Mr. Fell may prove to be the greatest drama of all.

Sugar And Spice by SylWritesStuff, ladydragona (E, 179k, WIP) Queer technology giant Anthony J. Crowley is just about ready to throw in the towel after relationship after relationship has failed, but there's a new barista at the company coffee shop and he's cute and sweet and Crowley's never been able to resist blond hair and blue eyes. The tabloids will have a field day, they always do, but his assistant is getting married and a temp is needed. A temp who really isn't very good at making complicated coffees, has past experience in reception, and absolutely no idea that the latest complicated coffee order came from the owner himself. Aziraphale only knows that he's handsome, patient, and was the first person who told him he was doing well. How could he refuse the temp position? Or, he soon discovers, more.

[you can find more fic rec masterposts here]

[theagstd]

One Night Stand

➥ rundown ; as if the unexpected twist of a one-night stand turning out to be your CEO boss wasn't surreal enough, the situation takes a more challenging turn when both of you discover that you're expecting his child.

→ genre ; enemies to lovers | CEO au | pregnancy trope | slowburn

→ Jungkook x y/n

→ contains smut, fluff and angst

→ Chapter Three ; wc | 6.5k

primarily on Wattpad

index ⇢ next chapter

"Okay now this is so fucking amazing! he really decided to choose me of all, this was unbelievable but- also what the heck?" You speak to yourself, walking side by side in your living room while you bite your nails and look at the damn email that you received.

Congratulations on Your New Role as Graphic Designer

Dear Ms Lee Y/L/N,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to extend my heartfelt congratulations on being selected for the Graphic Designer position at Jeon Industries.

We are thrilled to welcome someone of your talent to our team. Your portfolio speaks volumes about your ability to bring fresh and innovative ideas to our projects. We are confident that your expertise will significantly contribute to the success of our design team and elevate the visual appeal of our brand.

As you prepare to embark on this new journey with us, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if there's anything you need to facilitate a smooth transition. We believe that your unique perspective and skills will be invaluable to our ongoing projects, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact you will undoubtedly make.

Once again, congratulations on this well-deserved achievement. We are excited to have you on board and are confident that you will thrive in your role as a key member of our creative team. If there are any preliminary tasks or preparations required before your start date, please let us know, and we'll be happy to assist

Best regards,

Lee Y/L/N

Graphic designer

Jeon industries

See, the mail looks inviting, warm, exciting, and a mix of emotions rush inside your system. It's happiness as well as nervousness and anxiety. Like you're unsure of this yet. It doesn't sound very accepting yet, especially after you've seen the CEO himself. "they really did not have any choice?" You ask yourself and sit on the couch. As you give it thought, it also sounds funny. Remembering your now CEO, Mr. Jeon. You think that he probably has had many nightstands in his life.

It isn't surprising, as he's like every other man who has his needs, besides he's also good-looking and very rich. chuckling, you mentally slap yourself at the though of him fucking other women. "Sounds so fun!" You tell out loud, planning to hook up with someone sooner again. But with work now, you don't think you'll find the time especially after the phone call you received by an unknown number that was from Jeon Industries,

informing you that they need you present tomorrow to sign the contract and immediately begin work as the recruitment process had taken way too much longer than planned and the new project coming up needs you to be a part of the innovations too. That definitely scares you, thinking about how you're gonna work tomorrow and it being your first day sounds so hectic but now you've got nothing to care about except the job. You've finally been recruited after working at multiple cafés for a small salary. saying goodbye to the few friends you made at the cafe wasn't too bad considering how the friendship lasted for just about 3 months. you changed jobs a number of time so it wasn't a big deal neither was it too sad. 

But working your passion, graphic designing is all that you've been wanting, and when the opportunity grabs your hand, all you've got to do is hold it back and tighten it to your palms. Leaving your phone on the couch you moved to your bedroom, grabbing the outfit that you're gonna wear tomorrow so you could iron it with no creases since you must look presentable on your first day.

You're gonna meet the other employees, see everyone there so you must look amazing too. Considering how elegantly the women looked when you first entered the Jeon building for your interview they walk around with files in their hands, their identification card around their necks and their heels clicking on the tiles, carrying them confidently.

You picked out a black turtleneck and wide leg pants that were grey to match with your top. It was classy and simple enough for your 8 hour shift. Dinner was down too, you weren't very good at cooking even though your mother passed down her old recipes to you in her cookbook that's probably somewhere inside a drawer, dusty and torn papers. You're not the cleanest person you know and you are also not one to treasure stuff, the cook book was your moms precious item but it's hidden under tools and you're the least bothered about it. So you stuck to eating food from the convenience stores down the street as it's open 24/7. It's one of the best parts about Korea, having stores open every hour and having a wide range of food to choose from.

It's amazing and there's always something new to try, it's fresh too and keeps you healthy or that's what you think. You missed out on it while you were at college because even though you were born in Daegu and your parents are from Daegu and Ilsan, you three moved to Canada at a very young age due to most of your family migrating there and also for financial purposes since your dad worked there for years and basically lived in Canada all his life even after marriage until he decided to move his family there so he wouldn't have to transfer money and was also welcomed home to his wife's and daughter's presence.

Preparing for bed, you picked up your favourite book 'shatter me' that you've been hooked on the past few days, it's a better way to fall asleep than viewing social media at night. The words blurred a bit while you read, until your eyes completely shut so you placed your book at the night stand and turned to hug your plushy so you could sleep well.

-

You are glad that the loud sound of your alarm broke your sleep and hurried you to dress up. you're glad that your apartment has a close distance to the building you are now working at. It's just a few kilometers and that allows you to be calm. When you stepped into the building, you were guided by the staff member to the CEO's cabin. You take a deep breath before you step inside the room to see the man seated on his chair, in his tailored black coat that was put around his chair leaving him with his shirt and inner waist coat. He was typing into his mac book and when you walked in, his eyes flicked to your figure then back to his screen.

The man who guided you here, whispers over to you to take a seat and pay attention to Mr. Jeon's words. Jungkook looks at you when you've finally settled on the chair, he pushes his mac book down and looks at you with his dark hooded eyes that look empty. Before his eyes could meet yours, he saw the fumbling of your fingers, that portrayed your nervousness to him even though your face showed no sign of anxiousness. He looks into your eyes as yours bore to him. One thing he now knows is that alcohol does shit to people but he doesn't think it affects you much because even though your breath reeked of champagne and your movements assured him that you're so fucking drunk, he can still see the same person seated in front of him. Only a bit more contained and disciplined and who speaks with respect.

"How have you been, Ms Lee?" He questioned you with an intimidating voice, he now places his arms on the table as his palms join together while he glares at you. His stares do make you flush but you avoid thinking about it so the effect doesn't show itself on your face. "Very well, Mr Jeon, how have you been?" You replied to him, keeping up an affirm tone, to hide back your anxiousness that slowly creeps up in between seconds. "Likewise." He responded confidently while his fingers drummed on his table that definitely didn't go unnoticed by you, his slim fingers looked gorgeous and were so beautifully molded.

The man tossed a file in front of you after questioning your wellbeing. "Read this carefully, and sign it if you agree on the terms and conditions and are fully aware of the employment contract." nodding at his words, you open up the document and progress to read each page not missing out on a single word. You don't want to make any mistakes so you go slow and steady with this, as it's the first step.

You signed the papers when you found everything okay, it was all fine and you agreed on all rules and information listed. "If you have any questions, proceed to ask Mr. Jung. He will give you a tour around here. You may leave." He muttered as he got back to his work, opening his mac and typing what he left incomplete. His tone was not something you were a huge fan of, it was arrogant, you could see it but he was also so full of attitude and full of himself. He spoke a handful of words and they were already too painful for your ears. You stood from your chair, bowed at the man before leaving the room.

You left out a loud exhale and walked out of the room. Mr Jung, the man with parted hair, full suit and a long face stood beside you after you walked out, he chuckled when he heard you sigh. "We all feel that when we meet Mr. Jeon. Let me give you a tour of the building" He guided you to the elevator, taking to you on level 31, just one floor below Mr Jeon's office. As the elevator opened up, you could see how well focused and quiet this department was. You walked along with Mr Jung, and he led you to your area.

"So this is the most important department, the graphic designing department, since our company Jeon Industries prioritizes our employees needs and wants, we have a very comfortable and convenient area for you, as you're the graphic director. There's some important features you must know. Before that, let me introduce myself. I'm Jung Hoseok, the manager of this department, you can call me Hoseok."

He reached his hand out to you, which you gladly shook with a smile on your face. The man had a beautiful smile that expressed his kindness and softness in his voice. "So, as you are aware, Jeon Industries specialises in advertising and selling of brands, brands that we own, as well as supporting the biggest companies out there. How does graphic designing work out? Well, we do adverts for the biggest and the best companies in a variety of industries, makeup industry, fashion industry, and even the food industry. And to mention Mr Jeon also has his own brand of clothing. Hence, this falls quite heavy on the graphic director, you."

Hoseok said, this made you exhale a quick breath, which you soon covered with a smile when you hear the man speak about his serious business. "It's not too bad, you'll do it. And The campaigns that you've obviously seen on TV, social media of Dior makeup, Kylie cosmetics, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Celine, Gucci, Louis Vuttion, Veneta Bottega and more were done by us, thus increasing their sales like shooo."

He gestured with his hands, showing the increase of sales and exaggerating it. "We've been doing well in the business world and have very high recognition for our amazing advertising team and creativity, so you've got to work a bit harder. We've got a project in two days and that's the reason why I'm explaining things fast and detailed. You must be prepared for anything and please don't hesitate to ask anything from me.

Treat me as your friend." He placed his hand on his chest and bowed. You already liked this man a lot. "So I will leave yo -" "Well, well, look, who's here?" A raspy honey-like voice spoke, you turned around to face it, and there you saw a beautiful man walking towards you with his palms inside his pants pocket. His beauty was out of this world, his expressive eyes that looked into your soul, and his walk? He doesn't walk, he models.

You noticed how Hoseok was sighing deeply when he saw the arrival of this man, he scratched his forehead and looked away, without meeting your curious eyes. "So this is our new graphic director? Ms. Lee Y/n! The one who replaced me in this position with zero work experience." You frown when you hear the words that come out of his mouth. Replaced him? Was he supposed to be taking this job? "Jimin, there's no need to -"

"Ah, ah, there is a need to let her know the damage she's done." The man pushed his silky blonde hair back and smirked. you noticed how plump his lips are, looking at you with a fake smile. "I was supposed to be the creative director, but you, Ms. No work experience replaced me! So you'll have to pay for it. You've got to survive in this job before you fly high." He speaks, gritting his words from his teeth before he walks away, knocking Hoseok with his shoulder. You looked over at Mr Jung, who clicks his tongue and heaves a sigh. You needed an explanation, if that man is gonna bully you at work for something you hadn't done and have no idea about, then you're gonna have to let the CEO know about this, you're not here to tolerate shit.

"Mr Park didn't-" "What did he mean by I replaced his position?" You asked, curious as to why the man was blaming you with hatred. "Since all the applicants weren't to the standard, Mr Jeon acknowledged Mr. Park and considered handing over the position to Jimin but that was not promised, the shortlist of applicants were not up to mark until you turned up so Mr Jeon decided to fill the vacancy with you."

"Why did Mr Jeon not give the position to Jimin? Hasn't he been working here before?" Hoseok looked at the ground, contemplating if he should go into more detail with this, but he decided it would be best if you know what the problem is since it concerns you.

"You see filling the vacancy with internal recruitment is a good idea, Jimin is well aware of how things work but filling the vacancy from external recruitment brings new ideas to the business and that's exactly what Jeon Industries needs you know-" Hoseok spoke, obviously hiding something because his eyes looked everywhere except yours which was quite obvious since he spoke to you making eye contact before. "Is there anything more?" He bit his lower lip, caught.

Is he really an open book with his expressions, he thought. "Well- Mr Jeon does not like Jimin very much, it's due to Jimin's behavior towards work but anyways I'm gonna let you look around your work space, remember if you need me I'm just by the corner of the right corridor."

Hoseok said, and you nodded, thanking him and letting him continue his work. You walked inside your corner, taking a seat on the office chair,looking around your personal office. You've now got a desktop, a laptop, and an ipad of your own to work with. There's some files and papers lying around and expensive stationery too, but overall what you liked the best was the privacy that you obtained here, your own working space.

"Wow, this is very different from a cafe." you speak to yourself and laughed quietly about it, Sighing, you leaned back on the chair and closed your eyes. You finally got a job that can show your abilities. Applying the years of hard work is gonna pay off now, and that makes you feel so happy.

-

waking up at 7 in the morning is difficult considering how you usually work part-time at the cafe so you had your own shifts but full time working is new to you, though it's exciting it is also nerve-wrecking to wake up so early and it's still your second day at work. 

You didn't have much to do today, but you were informed to be prepared for a meeting tomorrow that will test your abilities. It's a meeting with Han Paris, and he's said to be the largest alcohol manufacturer and wants to advertise his latest alcohol flavor to the market. No lie but you're definitely feeling anxious about it but nevertheless you were ready to take up the challenge to showcase the best idea out of all now that you've got the position, you must show justice to it and not disappoint the CEO himself. When you got home, you finally felt relieved, like a burden was removed from your shoulders.

You've been living off with a pretty okay number of won that you earned from the café that you worked part time in. Finally, you're earning a salary that serves the right amount to live off with. To pay your rent, your monthly rations, and even have a very fair percentage to save or get yourself anything you want. Getting into your pj's, you prepared dinner for yourself, just a light salad, nothing too heavy, because Hoseok treated you with an evening snack as a welcome gift from him . That was a very sweet act. You didn't have to think about tomorrow's breakfast because the cafeteria is always open and the food tastes amazing!

You decided to check out some of the advertisements done by Jeon Industries just to get an idea of what they've been doing for years. So you pulled out your work laptop, Hoseok said you could take it home for any preparations, so this was the opportunity to use it. Everything was already saved in the folders. What blew your mind was that each ad campaign was very different from one another. That makes you think how innovative the ideas of the designers are, and that also scares you because tomorrow you will be seated with them and they'll be your competitors, though you all aim to just get the deal for Mr. Jeon.

You've got to present your idea and hear them out but it's not that easy, you want yours to stand out because it's not just about the idea, it's also a test that Mr Jeon has put you to, Hoseok mentioned that if Mr Jeon says you to be prepared he means it. Everything should be perfect, as he's a perfectionist, you can't afford to make a mistake. You're gonna work hard to achieve it. Moreover, it's his reputation and money that's at stake. Anyone would want it to be perfect. Once you've grasped the amazing and unique ideas of the past campaigns, you decided to research Han Paris and his business.

Since apparently, the latest wine has never been in the market before, the target audience is adults that drink and if that's not enough the prices of the wine are premium, that explains enough to you. You really took time to read every detail mentioned in the document that was sent by Hoseok, and then you took some time to think. The alcohol flavour is not just any berry, It's a vanilla mulberry flavour. When you think of berries, you remember the beautiful nature, but also, you remember how you grew up with your grandmother, spending your holidays with her at her lovely cottage where she planted a variety of vegetables and fruits. You smiled, remembering those tiny moments in life. You looked at the bottle and the packaging of the wine, it's very classy and expensive. Nevertheless, you decided to stick to your own vision of creativity. Maybe something new and out of the box could make it? We don't know unless we try.

You did a little presentation, wrote down details and points regarding it, and prepared yourself for what's coming tomorrow.

-

it's meeting day and you're nervous, your face shows and your fumbling with the fingers give it away too. but you're so glad that Hoseok was there by your side to give your company so you don't feel alone. for the betterment of your meeting, Hoseok advised you about how things work here during meetings. He'd also give you more closure to the CEO's working attitudes. How Mr Jeon, has direct communication, he'd give feedback only when he wants to, if he doesn't. Don't expect. Decisions made by the CEO are tough and final, he prioritizes the efficiency for his business and has high standards that he expects his employees to achieve and exceed, as a matter of fact, Mr Jeon has limited social interactions and he avoids making conversations to anyone in the building. "He may also raise his tone, if he's unsatisfied with your job, so don't freak out." Hoseok says at which you roll your eyes. Of course, he's got the money. And the right to do so.

Lucky for you, you haven't seen much of him after signing the contract, but since he'll be here for the meeting, you wont lie that you feel slightly more than just nervous now, knowing more about him. Its funny how he was a totally different human when he fucked you.

At 2 p.m., you walked into the board room along with a handful of other staff members that included Jimin. You took your seat, and Jimin sat in front of you. You didn't miss how his eyes looked right through you or how his eyebrows moved a lot while he smirks. He looked confident, very confident that his idea will be selected, and it's only making you feel anxious but you keep your face as blank as an empty canvas so no one sees what you feel inside. In about 10 minutes, the CEO of Paris Aliénor, Han Paris and three of his staff members walked inside. Everyone in the room stood to greet him. The man had minimal facial action, that means he had no smile. But he did have his chin raised, like he belongs here and holds superiority.

"Where's Mr Jeon?" He questioned and the staff looked at each other's faces, including you. "Uh, Mr. Jeon will be-" "call him now. You -" he pointed at you with his index finger. "Call Mr Jeon right now. My time is precious." You looked at him and pointed your finger at yourself because you weren't certain if he gave the instruction to you, the staff seated beside you elbowed you and gestured you to do as he said as you nodded and stood from your chair to get Mr Jeon.

"Shit, why did he tell me?" You murmured to yourself while walking towards the CEO's cabin. "Fuck, Just knock, poke your head in, and tell him to come, that's it." You exhaled and then pushed the door open only for it to be fully opened by Mr Jeon himself. You stumbled a bit and then looked up at him, and he looked down at you. "Uh- Mr. Han asked for y- "I know, you may leave."

He spoke without glancing over you even once, the tone he uses to speak has a hint of arrogance. It was rude. You nodded your head and walked forward while he followed you. Jungkook looked at your back while you walked, that same back;

"Fuck- let me go! Horny." You speak as the man tried to put his dick back inside you but you're worn out and cant take anymore, its almost 3 am and you've both been fucking each other like animals. It seems like it wasn't just you that was desperate for sex, he was too. Much more than you. "Fuck- one more round." He whispers to your ear in his raspy voice but you pushed him away and stood from the bed that was wet from all that white slime.

"No, i don't think i could walk-" your feet wobbled a bit when you stood, you didn't walk until you balanced well. The man admired your naked back, he loved how you had the perfect proportions. He could not take his eyes off you. "Seems like your ex hadn't fucked you right." This made you chuckle. "He didn't." You picked up your dress and lingerie, hooking it before slipping into the black dress. "Quickie, i'll be fast-" "get your ass home!" You both bickered, he looked up at the ceiling and laughed quietly. "Zip it up for me."

He turns his gaze on you, sees your back out open. Smirking as he grows closer to you, the elbow helps him lift himself higher so he can zip the dress up, he did, slowly as he took the time to kiss. "Fuck! you're one fucking woman!" "Of course I am." He places his palm on your hair, gripping it and pulling you down to kiss your neck. "I'll mark you for the last time, darling. Then leave and don't ever come back."

He shook his head to forget what he did and all that he told you. He had to permanently delete it off his brain, god he was so done with this. He could sense the tension, but he didn't want to act obvious. You both walked into the board room, and everyone greeted each other before the meeting started. Everything was going okay until the staff were asked to present their ideas. Jimin started off first, and his idea was a classy club advertisement. Han Paris seemed to really like it because you noticed how he kept nodding his head while Jimin spoke the details out and explained his vision. Mr. Jeon had no expressions on his face, like a clear palette. No emotions.

"Thank you so much for your attention." He spoke before taking his seat. He looked at you with a smirk like as if he had already won, and that only made things more difficult for you. Jimin mouthed, 'I win' with his plump lips and you sighed in nervousness, Jungkook noticed the interaction between the two of you, glancing at Jimin then you and he understood immediately, this was Jimin's trick to always out on his opponent even if they both work for the same company. "Ms. Lee, anything prepared for us today?"

Jungkook spoke, and you soon looked at him and then nodded. You've always been confident. Just go for it, don't let anyone make you feel nervous, come on. You thought to yourself and stood from the chair, walking towards the center, you plugged the wire to the laptop and the screen showed everyone your presentation.

You cleared your throat and then spoke about your idea. Everyone had their eyes on you, and that somehow made you feel comfortable talking more about your idea as they seemed interested. "When I first read the description of the product, It immediately took me back to my old days where I would spend my vacation with my aunt and grandmother in the countryside. We had a beautiful mulberry tree, that is the main feature of you-" "can we move on to the other details."

Han Paris interrupted your speech, wanting you to skip the part of your opinion on alcohol. He found it unnecessary and a waste of time. "Uh, s-sure." although you were understanding, it somehow broke your confidence and your flow of speech. suddenly you don't know what exactly to say so you just conclude the speech as fast as you can, so you don't feel anymore anxious

"I think a 90s colourful theme of an advertisement would attract more adults to try out the new flavour, in my opinion, that brings us to an end, thank you for hearing me out." Everyone nodded and gave a slow round of applause while you walked towards your chair to take a seat. Jungkook looked at you from the corner of his eyes and sighed. "What do you think, Mr Jeon?"

Han Paris questioned him, and then Jungkook turned to face him with a fake smile. "I think all my employees' ideas are very unique in their own ways. It's best if you decide along with your team." Han contemplated a little, speaking to his secretary and a few other businessmen from his side, and then he nodded when everyone agreed to him.

"I find Park Jimin's idea suitable. I appreciate everyone's efforts, but I'm going with Park Jimin's." Jimin looked at you and scoffed in arrogance, his actions made you feel worse about yourself. Jungkook nodded and then spoke, "we will begin with the preparations of shooting the advertisement." He swiftly looked at you as you're the creative director now and have to engage in the entire creature process.

"That sounds good to me." Han spoke and then shook hands with Jungkook as they both stood from their seats and then Han walked out of the room, Jungkook fixed his tie in place and looked around the room, he could see how upset you looked behind that fake smile you put on. "Everyone did their best, and all ideas were great in their own way. Don't feel down because you weren't chosen today. There's always a next time."

He spoke still coldly, it's what he always says once a meeting is done. you appreciated his words that he said before he walked away, after everyone stood from their seats to pay respect. "Oh, Ms. Lee, maybe next time, mm?" Jimin spoke and chuckled as he left with the rest of the staff, leaving you alone. You're not being dramatic. You're just embarrassed, and that's obvious. In front of your boss? And stupid Park Jimin, who now has something to laugh and mock about. You stood from your seat and took your belongings as you walked towards your desk. As soon as you placed your stuff and sat on the chair, Hoseok ran towards you.

"Hey, I heard the meeting went well. How was it for you?" You looked up at him and gave him a soft smile that he didn't mirror because he could see that it was fake. "What's wrong?" You sighed deeply and said, "it was okay, Jimin's idea was chosen." Hoseok rolled his eyes. He knew Jimin was already too arrogant and proud of his idea. Now that his idea was chosen, he's surely gonna make it a huge deal. "You did your best, and this was your first meeting. Come on. Cheer up"

You nodded and then chuckled sarcastically under your breath as you whispered, "Han Paris literally embarrassed me in front of everyone." Hoseok squinted his eyes and looked at you with concern. "What did he do?" "He shut me when I gave my own opinion and a story about my family relating to his wine." Hoseok groaned loudly and then looked at you, "you know what, screw him. Let's go get you a treat." You frowned and looked up at him.

"Treat?" "In celebration of your first meeting in Jeon Industries. Come on!" He gave you a wide smile, his white smile and oh boy, does that smile look lovely. You nodded, standing from your seat. You followed him to the elevator to get to the cafeteria. Hoseok is the only one who's being nice to you so far. Everyone else seems to have not noticed your presence yet.

"Did you have your lunch?" "Uh not yet, but-" "I need two cheeseburgers, two sprites, and a blueberry cheesecake, please." He ordered lunch for you even though it was not necessary. Maybe you should treat him with lunch next time. In a few minutes, he walked towards the table with the food in his hands, giving you a wide smile as he handed over your share of the lunch.

"Thanks, Hoseok." "No mention." He said as you both took a bite of the oozing cheese burger. He then took out the little box from the brown paper bag and placed it in front of you, "Here's your treat, the best cheesecake in town for your first ever meeting here at Jeon Industries, congratulations! More to come." You began to laugh, and so did he, laughing out really loud.

Like really loud. "You didn't have to." You say, and he waved with his hand, gesturing to you that it's fine. "I wanted to do this, and we can also take it as the beginning of our friendship." "Sure." The both of you giggled and high five. Hoseok took this time to speak a little more about himself and he even mentioned that his family and friends called him 'Hobi,' so you decided to tease him with the name Hobi too, he shrugged and said he doesn't mind it.

You didn't want to speak a lot about yourself, but you're surely excited to hear more about him. Like this, the working day ended and you didn't really feel bad about the meeting after all, it's a part of learning and now you know you should limit your speech when it comes to your opinion, people like Han Paris just don't care.

You learnt quite a lot for the day, and when you thought this was gonna be the worst day, it turned out better than you imagined. Except meeting Park Jimin in the basement. You walked towards your car, humming to yourself in your own world. Jimin rested his back in your car with folded arms and a smirk on his face. He's the last person you wanted to see.

He's getting on your nerves now. "Well, Ms. Lee, I came here to congratulate you." 'How you embarrassed yourself!' He could clearly see the frustration in your eyes and frown lines. Deeply exhaling, you continued to walk to the driver's side, opening the door, but he closed it with his hand and leaned towards it. "Oh, come on."

"What do you want, Jimin?" You murmured exhaustedly, still holding onto your car door not meeting his eyes because you just want to go home and sleep, you laughed too much today, ate too much, Hoseok treated you with his hidden snacks and you spoke for hours. You need some rest to get charged for tomorrow, and Jimin is certainly not helping. He sniggered cockily, not making any eye contact he looked up at the other cars that were leaving the car park.

"What do I want? Mmm, I love that question- I want your position, and I can only get that once you're out of here." Lord, it's been just your second day, and the man here is trying his best to get you out of your job. Why? Like he's already been paid well. "Jimin, not today, please -" "nuh uh, you stay here."

He pouted his index finger at the ground, showing his dominance with them and how he made his eye contact, his eyes so dark that you couldn't even see any light in them. "Jimin, I'm not in a mood to argu-" "So hear me out!" He spoke louder, making you flinch. He smirked at it and chuckled evil, looking up at the cement wall.

"Oh, Ms. Lee, you don't know what I'll do for the position. I'll do anything and everything to get it. And I mean it." The words came out of his mouth, teeth gritting at each letter, and he was dead serious about it. He's trying to scare you, and it's working. You got into the car without any hesitation, you can't stand him any longer, he looked like he would kill you alive. You, now officially, are a closer step to hating Park Jimin to death.

Day two, and it was fucked up.

when you got back to your apartment you removed those heels, threw your bag on your couch and immediately walked to the washroom. You removed your makeup and took a nice warm shower, still hearing Jimin's words in your head. He surely is crazy, crazy for this position, but there's no way you're giving up on it.

you weren't just given this job from the sky. You worked your ass off with part-time messy jobs, and now, finally, you got a full-time job that shines your inner talent. Fuck Jimin. You had no energy to watch TV or eat. God, Hoseok can eat so much! He forced you to eat with him. But he's a lovely guy, made you feel welcomed and all. You drifted off to sleep, and damn was that a good sleep.

-

You felt motivated to work today, and indeed, the day was going well. Rosè, the receptionist greeted you warmly, and of course Park Jimin had to bless your day on the first floor of the building. You discreetly ran away. His presence can literally ruin a good going day. You pressed level 31, the elevator stopping at a few levels, and employees walked in, greeting you with a bow, and you did too.

The elevator stopped at level 17, the door opening only to make eye contact with the CEO himself. Jeon Jungkook. His eyes met yours, and he immediately looked down at the floor, walking inside. You both could feel the tension building up, and it was suffocating because that night's visions always manage to pop up when he's around.

He gets them, too.

The lift began to get full, and he had to make more space for the employees to enter. He unintentionally grew closer to you, his arm rubbing against yours, and he sighed. You gulped and clutched your bag tighter. You've got no reason to feel this way, but you're more afraid. Afraid that people will notice this because that's the worst scenario you could imagine. As the elevator stopped at 24, a few employees left, leaving you with Jungkook and a handful of people. "Lee y/n, right?" A man with glasses who didn't look older than 22 spoke, holding a stack of papers in his hands.

You nodded, and then his smile widened. "I heard about your idea from a few employees. Guess what? it reminded me of my parents, too. My dad loves mulberry, and when I heard about your nature idea, I was surprised they didn't choose you." His words made your heart warm. People really spoke about your idea? For real?

"Thank you, um - there's always a next time." The boy nodded, and you smiled, bowing when he left at level 27. You couldn't hide that smile that kept getting wider and wider. You had to bite on your lower lip to refrain yourself from giving that extremely huge white smile.

Jungkook looked at you from the corner of his eyes, he obviously had distanced himself from you, leaving a meter gap. Seeing you hiding your smile had him scoff. The door opened, and Hoseok passed by. You immediately ran to him, forgetting that your CEO is just standing there watching you.

"Hoseok! Guess what?! "Woah woah, what is it cheesecake?" He joked, and you hit his arm. "What the hell is-" "cheesecake?" Jungkook whispered under his breath as the elevator door closed and had him all confused. Since when did Mr Jung call people by nicknames? 

next chapter ⇢

[chronicbeans]

Wally and a Puppeteer Reader (part 2)

My brain won't shut up about this, I like it, and others seem to like it as well. I'm so happy people seem to like my stuff!

TW: Obsessive Behaviors, Stalking, Idol Worship, Scopophobia/Eye Imagery

🎥Today was the day! Apparently, Welcome Home has become beloved enough that someone has decided to interview some of the producers, directors, and cast. Cast including the puppeteers, which means you.

🎥 To be honest, you never really liked being on camera. That isn't to say you didn't like being a puppeteer! No, no, no! You LOVE your job. You love Wally, Home, every character in the neighborhood. You would just rather be behind the scenes. So, this interview is a little daunting.

🎥 When everything is all prepared, you look around the room. Every other puppeteer is sitting with their puppets, just like you are with Wally. Currently, you are all just waiting for the interviewer to finish up with the producers and camera crew. There's been punch laid out and everything for them. It seems like the boss really wanted to make a good first impression with whoever has come in.

🎥 Home is right next to you, with your chair positioned right beside it. It's pretty big, simply because there has to be a couple different versions of it. Ones that fit hand puppets perfectly through the front door and ones that fit the walk around puppets. The larger of the two versions of Home is next to you, with the smaller Home on a table near the title card set.

🎥 Everyone is chatting about their memories making the show, from funny trips that Eddie's puppeteer has made to the improve comedy that Barnaby's puppeteer has come up with for his skits. Everyone is having a jolly good time, except for you. You have this odd feeling like something is going on. Like something is wrong.

🎥 You look down to the little puppet of Wally, which you have nearly sat upon your lap. Ever since the odd incident with storing him away, you have been a bit more protective of him. You don't want him to be messed up. Improperly storing him could result in him being misshapen, so finding out that someone messed with him was alarming.

🎥 Worse yet, though, is that ever since that little incident... you have been feeling like someone is watching you during work. Then there's the colorful letters and drawings you have been getting. Every single one of them has been found on your desk in the storage area for props related to Wally. The language used in the letters are childish and cutesy, such as saying "If you were an apple, you would be the most sparkly and red one, because you are the most!" Every drawing is drawn entirely in crayon, with paint splatters here and there...

🎥 The interviewer comes in, saving you from your own anxious thoughts, as he waves to everyone. He introduces himself, fixing his black suit as he speaks in a formal manner. "Good evening, everyone. I apologize for the delay. Your boss was so excited to tell us about the plans and passion behind this show, I couldn't help but ask him many questions. Now, lets begin."

🎥 It takes a while, but soon, the interviewer gets to you. He asks you simple questions, such as what inspired you to become a puppeteer and what drew you into working on Welcome Home. You give the best answers you could provide, before he asks one that really intrigues you.

🎥"I have heard from some of the production and directing crew that you care a lot about Wally as a character, as well as puppet care. What exactly is it about Wally that you like? What made you want to play him?"

🎥 You couldn't help but grin, explaining everything you loved about Wally as a character. You talk about how he interacts with the audience, small quirks he has and how they are displayed on the show, and even pick him up to go over his character design.

🎥 One sentence you say suddenly makes your brain click in an odd way. The second you let the words "Wally lives to draw art for the viewer of the viewer, due to having a deep appreciation for their kindness" leave your lips, you can't help but remember all of the weird drawings of you you have been finding on your desk recently. You keep talking, though, in the hopes that the memory will just go away for now.

🎥 The drawings can wait. The letters can wait. All that you really want to talk and think about right now is how much this show means to you, as well as how proud of your coworkers you are for helping everyone make Welcome Home as popular as is it. Maybe this interview isn't going as bad as you thought it would?

🎥 You are so invested in talking and answering questions, in fact, that you neglect to notice how Wally seems to subtly curl into your touch. Then again, no one else seems to, either.

[sappymix1]

Okay writing prompt -> office au dnf where George is the front desk worker and Dream is in sales and they meetup in the break room and always flirt

hi anon so funny thing it did not occur to me that you meant office au as in the show the office until I turned on the tv earlier today and it was there lmao. but anyway here is 1.3k words of dnfies working for a company that supplies textbooks to high schools lmao

[12:14] 🐈‍⬛: Dream

[12:16] 🐈‍⬛: Hellooooooooo

[12:16] 🐈‍⬛: This is so messed up why are you ignoring me

[12:19] 🐈‍⬛: Dreeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaam

[12:21] 🐈‍⬛: Stop ignoring me, idiot

[12:25] 🐈‍⬛: I’m so bored. I haven’t had to do anything all day. This is so boring.

[12:27] 🐈‍⬛: And now you won’t even text me back. You hate me. 

[12:31] 🐈‍⬛: You should come talk to me so I don’t die of boredom. 

[12:34] 🐈‍⬛: This is me because of you

[12:34] 🐈‍⬛: Ignore the caption

[12:37] 🐈‍⬛: I’m going to start texting Foolish instead of you. I’ll find his number in my computer.

[12:38] 🐈‍⬛: I’m doing it. I’m going to do it. I’m going to find his number and text him asking if he can show me his muscles

-

“Thank you, Ms. French; I’ll make sure that gets worked out for you. Have a good day.” Dream hung up his phone, posture immediately worsening as he screwed his eyes shut, trying to force down the headache that had been brewing since about the third question about the difference in price between the fourth and fifth editions of the biology textbook some forgettable high school in Vermont was attempting to purchase before the new school year began. 

Dream was pretty good at his job, mostly because he was pretty good with the people. He thought he had a good voice, one that made him good at dealing with people over the phone because it prepped them to like him by that alone. He was a bit more awkward in person, yeah – a bit too tall, not quite sure what to do with his arms or his feet – but clients were already endeared to him enough that at that point his slight awkwardness just ended up being charming. That wasn’t the point though; the point was that he was ordinarily really good at phone sales, customer service, that sort of thing. This particular call had just been a bit exhausting. He had barely even passed his own high school biology class; he definitely did not know which text book was the better option even though he had to at least sound like he did. 

Dream glanced over across the office, over to the desk up by the door. His vantage point, unfortunately, wasn’t that great these days. His boss had gotten it into his head that some change of scenery would make everyone more productive as they got deeper into the hot months of summer and, as a result, Dream had traded his desk conveniently within eyeshot of the front desk for one much farther away, and all he could see over, of all things, the fucking broken printer was a little bit of curly dark hair that drifted back and forth in a way that made it obvious that its owner was rocking back and forth in the swivel chair. 

Dream wasn’t quite sure that this rearranging was having the effect on productivity his boss had desired. He reached into his pocket, and he slid out his phone.

His lock screen was covered in a long chain of texts, all coming from a contact saved simply as a familiar emoji. Dream scrolled through them, automatically smiling as his stomach buzzed with strawberries and oranges. Apparently, he was not the only person struggling to focus.

[12:47] me: get better bait. you would text foolish telling him to die before you asked to see him shirtless.

[12:47] me: besides, you’d never do that to tina

Dream went to flip his phone over, not wanting to risk someone noticing that he was off task, but immediately, his phone buzzed with a response. 

[12:48] 🐈‍⬛: What are you doing?

[12:48] me: i was on the phone. 

[12:49] me: lunch?

This time, he didn’t bother putting his phone down, just watched the three little dots indicating someone typing on the other side of their conversation. He realized quickly that he was holding his breath, and he forced himself to let the lingering air leave his lungs. Don’t be stupid. 

When the text came, it was much shorter than the time spent typing it would have implied. Dream could imagine him going back and forth and back and forth, fingers freezing on the same anxiety that both worried and excited Dream. 

[12:50] 🐈‍⬛: Yes

Dream got up from his desk, heading to the break room to get his lunch. Once the door fell shut behind him, cutting off the low buzz of the lights and computers and air conditioning of the main office with a tight thud, he went to the fridge and pulled out the container of sliced up mango and half a sandwich in a baggie. A green sticky note with a smiley face adorned both of them, identifying them as his. He was in the middle of trying to crack the seal on the lid of his drink when he heard the door swing again and quickly felt arms encircle his waist.

“You’re so, like, needy, today,” he said without turning around. “What’s wrong?” Half teasing. Half so sincere that it made both of them squirm a little bit. Dream had always been good at that – caring about people. Especially certain ones. 

“Nothing.” George – the receptionist, the cute British guy in the office, the most important person in Dream’s phone – pressed his face against the back of Dream’s shirt, muffling his voice. “I’m bored. You were ignoring me.” 

Dream scoffed. He set his lunch down on the counter and turned around to face George. George was looking up at him, lips pressed together like he was trying and failing to keep himself from smiling. Failing, both because George wasn’t particularly good at hiding his happiness and because Dream could read his emotions from a single movement of his rich dark eyes. “I wasn’t ignoring you. I was working. I spent, like, half an hour stuck on the phone talking about biology textbooks.”

“Wow, poor Dream,” George teased, reaching to open the fridge and find his own lunch – left over chicken nuggets, apparently, as well as a plastic bag filled with apple slices – before settling across from Dream at the table. “Forced to spend all day on the phone, while I’m dying at my desk.” 

A bite of his sandwich. “Dying? Of what?” 

“Boredom and neglect,” George said, sounding extremely put upon. “It’s so messed up that you’re letting your stupid job get in the way of our relationship. Just so that you can, like, have money or whatever.” 

“I can’t believe you’d let Patches go hungry like that.” Dream reached over to steal a sip of George’s peach ice tea, and George just grinned at him before sighing. 

“I guess that’s a good enough reason.” They were both quiet for a few seconds, ankles brushing under the table as George chewed on his apple slices and Dream picked at his mango with a plastic fork from home. It was comfortable, or at least as comfortable as lunch at a tiny breakroom table that was so short that Dream banged his knees against it every time he sat down could be.  It was, arguably, one of the least remarkable days of Dream’s life. Tomorrow, he would put back on his scratchy work clothes and the shoes that pinched his toes, make a million more phone calls to talk about textbooks he couldn’t care less about, and eat another dry sandwich in the shitty breakroom. The same mundanity that he had found, despite the big dreams that he had had growing up, to be his life these days. And, just like he eventually did today, before they threw out their trash and tried to leave the breakroom far enough apart to make it inconspicuous, George would ask if he could come over after work, and everything would feel a little bit more special.

[minisugakoobies]

Okay hear me out

Husband = Jungkook, high school sweetheart

Boyfriend = Glasses M I N G I

First of all, if that woman is reading this, GET 👏 A 👏 DIVORCE 👏! Keep that silver fox!!

Anyway…. thoughts under the cut because they get a little smutty… (minors go away!)

I'm imagining this a little differently from that tiktok story. Jungkook and OC are high school sweethearts for sure. JK was the star athlete of the school, went to college on scholarship, but got injured and had to stop playing before graduation. Fell into a job at OC's dad's company - her dad wasn't the boss but he pulled strings. They've been married for 10 years now, right out of college, still no kids but JK keeps telling her "one day." Their life is comfortable, their sex life steady (quality over quantity), and OC feels pretty content.

But JK is not. He tells her he's been feeling stuck lately. Frustrated that he couldn't turn his natural talent into a high-earning sports career. His company's been bought out by another and he just discovered that in a few weeks when the merger is complete, his boss will be replaced by one of their guys, some young buck fresh out of business school, and JK's angry he's been passed over. JK tells her he needs something new in his life, something to make him feel young again, and says he wants to open up their marriage. She goes along with it, so in love with him even though she feels hurt, thinking she's not enough for him. He finds a girlfriend within days. Starts spending all his time with her. OC cries and cries for the first few weeks, until she talks to her best friend Jimin, who reminds her that she deserves happiness too. She says she doesn't know how and he tells her to be brave and go find it.

She tries the dating apps but all she finds are creeps or scammers so she deletes and decides to just go out to a bar and see what happens. It's been literal years since she went out by herself and she's nervous, not expecting to really meet anyone right away, but just wanting to check out the scene. She decides to go downtown, to a bar tucked away between a few hotels, orders one drink, two, is playing with the ice in the third when a man takes the empty seat beside her. He's tall, broad, a few years younger than she is, wearing glasses and a suit, tie loosened around his neck. He looks exhausted, wearily orders a double. He and the bartender strike up a little conversation when he asks where's a good place to get some late night fried chicken. Bartender says sorry, I'm a vegan, and walks away. OC doesn't know what prompts her to speak up, but she leans over and names a restaurant. It's a place she and JK order from frequently. Younger guy looks her up and down and smiles for the first time since he sat down. She feels the stirrings of butterflies that lain dormant for years as he asks her name. Says he's Mingi. He just got off a plane, in town for a few days for work, and is starving. She's suddenly hungry, too.

They talk a little, and she mentions that the chicken place is only a few blocks away, so they go for a walk. At the restaurant, she's impressed by his ability to eat so much. JK's still fit, but he's not built like this man. He's funny, and nice, this other man. Asks her questions about herself. It's been ages since someone wanted to hear about her. He tells her about traveling for work and how he's just accepted a new position that will hopefully be more of a stationary position and not require him to log so many miles. After they're finished, he asks her if she'll have another drink with him - he's jet-lagged from his flight, doesn't want to go to sleep just yet. "The longer I stay awake, the better I'll adjust to the time zone." She knows she'll just be going home to an empty house, so she agrees, and goes back with him to his hotel.

As her glass goes from full to half-empty, her nerves return. There's a tension in the air now between them. She wonders if he's going to invite her up to his room. She realizes she wants him to. She decides to be brave, and brushes his arm to get his attention.

"Are you starting to feel a little sleepy?"

He glances at her hand, where it rests on his arm, and nods.

"I don't think drinking is the solution, then." She shifts closer to him, runs her fingers along his tie. "Maybe there's something else I can do to help keep you… up."

She giggles as he splays a large hand on her back, practically pushing her out of the bar and into the elevator. As soon as the doors close he's on her, pressing her into the mirrored wall, lips and hands drawn to her like magnets. Her head spins from the rush of arousal that suddenly rolls through her. When they reach his room, Mingi kicks the door closed, then grabs under her thighs, lifting her into the air. She's not the same girl she was when she and JK started dating - it's been a very long time since anyone was able to lift her like that. He carries her into the bedroom, gently lays her on the bed, and drops to his knees.

His mouth pulls an orgasm from her, then his fingers pull another one, before he even undresses. He's HUGE. And dripping with excitement. She's dizzy from the heady combination of her climaxes and the feeling of being desired again. She offers to go down on him but he basically says "if I don't fuck you I might die" and, well, why would she argue with that. It's so different from when she and JK fuck. Mingi doesn't know her body, but he's full of boundless energy and so eager to learn. He doesn't make her cum the first time, folding her legs to her chest as he pounds away, unable to stop himself from reaching his own end in desperation first. But he makes it up the second time, after he's had a moment to rest, pulling her into his lap and bouncing her on his cock until she falls apart around him.

In the morning, he asks for her number, if it's ok to see her again while he's in town. She agrees, and for the next few days, she's happier than she's been in months. Maybe years - maybe what she thought was "content" was just "numb." And now she feels again.

It's not until he's leaving again, to return to his hometown and pack up his life for his move for his new position, that he tells her the name of his company. Her eyes widen with recognition. Mingi asks her if she'd like to see him again when he comes back in a few weeks' time. Of course she says yes.

Suddenly, she can't wait for JK to meet his new boss.

***********

Me: I'm gonna answer this quick Also me: One hour later… 🙈

Um… tagging @kiestrokes @chans-room @yeontan-my-love just for the heck of it (you can yell at me to stop, I can handle it)

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

More Boss!Mingi

[kimbap-r0ll]

Hi Kimbap!! It's been a while since I requested but i'm glad your askbox is open again!! Youre always writing so much it's amazing! Hope it's ok to ask for a Chrollo x reader where she is very angelic and holy but she's also an assasin, and sings to lure in and captivate her victims, she always has small cherubins around her and it's not clear if she's actually human or not, what would he think?

Thanks in advance i hope it's not too complicated!!!

Hi, thank you for the ask and for enjoying my writing! This is an interesting ask, it was a lot of fun to write for, I stuck with headcanons for this one, hope you enjoy!

Chrollo x assasin!reader - angelic disguise

I would say for Chrollo the reason why he first fell for you was because of your skills as an assassin. He knew about your ability from rumors that floated around from the mafia he was targeting. Someone was apparently beautiful, untainted by blood yet that was all a guise of someone so good at killing they were called the "heavenly reaper"

He met you by accident, the two of you happened to be waiting for the same mafia boss that night. He was at a high-end club with you and you were posing as the mafioso's date. Chrollo sensed you weren't just any random person, so he kept an eye on you and followed you after the club to the alley ways. That was where he first heard your voice

To start off, the only reason it didn't really affect Chrollo was probably because of a condition on your nen, but it was interesting to watch. He was at a distance, but he could clearly see the little cherubins around you. It was a little funny seeing the mafia boss so helpless, someone who used to rule a city, die at the hands of someone so easily

"Well done" Chrollo said, clapping slowly as he approached you. Of course, you weren't expecting anyone but you knew Chrollo was around. "What do you want?" you ask, standing up from your latest victim who was bleeding out on the floor and cursing you

Chrollo won't ask for you to join the troupe but he'll compliment your abilities. If you two happen to be from Meteor City, you'll know who he is since the troupe is so popular. However, Chrollo jokes that the next time he sees you he'll want to see your ability again (basically he wants to take it)

However, the next time you two meet up it will be pretty casual, more like a small talk in a book cafe and you two didn't recognize each other for some reason. After exchanging phone numbers and hanging out for a while, you will likely have to confess to him first.

It is after all of this and maybe one date that you guys realize "Oh, you're y/n from that night!" It's a little funny, yet the two of you somehow hit it off (go you!). He does like that you seem to target mafia bosses since it makes his job easier, however he'll warn that you shouldn't try targeting the troupe or you won't last for long

Will he take your ability? He might try, but you'll just have to keep your guard up. Does he ask about your nen a lot or your background? Yes. He's naturally a curious person, so you'll have to power through most of his lowkey too-personal questions haha

He loves it when you sing by the way, it could be during a car ride or perhaps if you happen to be in the mood for some songs while hanging out with him in wherever he happens to be staying for the next heist. You two should duet one day (though Chrollo might not be the best singer haha)

[bucketinyourwalls]

Body Guard!Postal 4 Dude x Reader

WARNINGS: Slight angst, mentions of a gunshot and stab wound, blood, OOC Dude (I’m far too dumb to get his personality right), rushed and shit writing

Word Count: 1449

A/N: It’s been a good while since I’ve written anything so I’m sorry if this turns out to be shit. And thanks to @strawbrygashez for inspiring me to take a stab at writing fanfiction again so I can write about two old people in love <3. And as an add-on, gonna have this take place after the events of Postal 4, primarily since I’m too lazy to look up the lore and try to remember everything about this game past Tuesday.

“Come in.”

You stared at the door as you heard a knock, assuming it was the new bodyguard your boss had sent you. You were due for a meeting with one of the people you work with in a few days, so your boss figured you’d need a bodyguard. She knows you’re able to fight and defend yourself if all goes to shit, but you’re getting up in age and figured extra help would be nice. Besides, having a bodyguard would be nice. At least for this job.

But with those thoughts finishing up, you saw a man enter your office. And to say the least, he looked like shit. Guy was in a purple bathrobe of all things and may as well just be wearing pajamas. And... are those socks with sandals?? But eh, whatever. Maybe this guy will be better aside from his appearance and god awful smell.

“I’m assuming you’re the bodyguard my boss hired?” You stared at him as you spoke, carefully studying the man as he sat down.

“Uh, yeah. That’s me, I guess.” He responded while glancing around the place, seemingly bored. And honestly, you don’t blame him. The place wasn’t too interesting, nor was the job. And for a man of his age from what little scraps of information you’ve gotten, the work would better be suited for someone younger. Or just someone with an actual interest.

“Mm, yep. Say, aren’t you just a tad too old to be working jobs like these? Or are you just doing this for fun while in retirement?” You continued staring at him while speaking, with the man quiet for a few seconds before laughing. “Man, you’re kind of funny. If that’s the case, wouldn’t you be too old for this kind of shit as well-?” He asked while looking at you, crossing his arms and seemingly enjoying the interaction between you two.

“Ah, I wish. That would be so damn good to just get some rest...“ You softly smiled at his words while thinking, but quickly returned to a more serious demeanor. “So, ‘Postal Dude’, right? Man, your parents must have hated you for that to be your legal name. And as an extra note, couldn’t you have come in something just a bit more professional? Plus, you smell like shit.” You kept examining him while questioning, wondering just why he had to come here dressed like that. What the hell does your boss see in this guy?

“Eh, don’t care much. Just here for some quick cash. And yeah, guess my parents really did. But eh, at least the names a bit funny.”

With his answer you just sighed, getting up from your desk and placing a hand on his shoulder as you headed towards your door. “It’s almost lunch, so I’ll be going now. But, for the day that you do start working with us make sure you actually smell good. And try to dress at least decently. I don’t want to be seen with a guy that goes to work in a bathrobe.” And without further words you walked out to grab lunch, not bothering to let him ask for anything further.

For now, until the job was over the two of you were stuck with each other. And after the job, you two were still stuck.

Surprisingly, he did a really good job. And so, your boss permanently hired him for the rest of your work. At first it definitely wasn’t the best, but thankfully you two actually managed to become friends, and your work is now just more enjoyable. Hell, you even managed to gain a little crush on the guy. It was confusing as hell, but you already knew the feelings weren’t mutual.

Especially now that you’re dying in an alley.

Hah... how could a simple smoke break jump to you being attacked by three guys looking to take your shit? God, the world is so shit. And now because of a simple smoke break, you had a gun wound near your side and a deep stab wound in your thigh. Maybe even a badly bleeding cut near your neck. Not even mentioning all the other less deep stab wounds closer to areas considered fatal and all the little cuts constantly stinging. Either way, you’re bruised quite badly, your face is bloodied to high hell, and you’re bleeding out.

“Heh... this sucks.” You quietly muttered to yourself, holding to your bleeding side and trying to keep all the blood in. If you’re lucky, maybe Dude would find you. Maybe he would save you. But, you already knew that was a hopeless possibility. Life isn’t a fairytale, after all. It’s shit, and people die. And now, you were about to be one of those people.

God knows how long you just sat surrounded by trash and your own blood. You could already tell that your vision was slowly going black and fading. Guess this dingy alley is where you’d die, huh? Too bad you never got to tell Dude about your little crush on him. Too bad you never got to say proper goodbyes to what family you have left, both biological and found. Too bad you never got to finally retire.

But none of that mattered now. Your consciousness was quickly slipping, and your body slowly went limp. And as the black void nearly consumed your vision, you heard a voice yelling out for you, with both the voice and rapid footsteps quickly coming closer. It was Dude’s voice. But, none of it mattered anyways. At least he was willing to help you, even if you were on your dying breath.

But just maybe, you managed to live. It’s a surprise to be sure, but a pleasant one. And speaking of pleasant surprises, you slowly woke up and softly hissed at the bright lights, having to take a while to adjust to the sheer white.

“Jesus, I thought I lost you!”

At the words you slowly looked over to your right, beholding a noticeably concerned Dude sitting by your side. Did he really wait here the whole time?

“Dude-? Did you really wait for me?” You asked while quietly chuckling, with Dude blushing a small but noticeable shade of red. Huh, weird.

“Hah, you look cute when you blush.” You chuckled again, enjoying his reactions before he gently grabbed your hand, wearing a concerned expression.

“C’mon, quit joking around. You could’ve died y’know. Tch, you’re a fucking dumbass.” As he spoke his voice was laced with concern, with his eyes constantly darting around. Even with his sunglasses on, it was noticeable as all hell. “Damn, you sound so sappy. It’s disgusting, stop that.” You joked while playfully hitting his shoulder, doing what you could to cheer him up and keep yourself calm at the same time. But well, it wasn’t quite working for either of you.

“Besides, why do you care so much? Not like you’re in love with me or anything.” You continued joking around, but his awful silence and growing blush certainly said another story. “You’re not actually in love with me, right?”

For a good while he remained silent before smirking, quietly laughing as he put an arm around your shoulder, mindful of your wounds. “Of course I am, and I know you are too. What, don’t think I’d notice the little crush you had on me?”

And now was your turn to become flustered. Has it really been so noticeable the whole time? But either way even with his words, you were simply glad that your feelings were mutual. And for the first time in a while, just glad to be alive.

“Well, I’m glad those feelings are mutual.” You softly chuckled before gently grabbing his chin, moving a few loose gray hairs out of the way while admiring his cute ass face. “May I?”

“Of course, my love.”

And with his confirmation, the two of you shared a kiss. And honestly, it was better than you thought. On both ends it remained soft and satisfying, lasting for as long as it needed until the two of you pulled away from each other. The slightly dazed look resting upon his face was certainly a sight to behold.

“You look so fucking cute, y’know that?” You softly smiled at him and his dazed face, with him doing the same. “And so do you, my love. God, I love you so fucking much.” And with his response you continued smiling, resting your forehead against his own. The moment was so nice. It was so peaceful. And the two of you never wanted it to end.

“I love you so much, Dude.”

“Hah... love ya too, my dear.”

[spoiledlemonsbiggestfan]

SORRY I DISAPPEARED

Hello there! It has been way too long since i updated you guys on how i've been doing, and i've probably only got myself to blame on this one. But i have FANtastic news to share! (get it? Cus i'm fan? Genious, i know.) I finally managed to get a job! And a decent one this time, no more cleaning mediocre school halls for me! (Horrayyy!)

So this entire hiatus hasnt been for nothing, i've been very hard at work finally being able to persue the thing i love the most, writting! Now i can officially call myself a journalist instead of an amature blogger. The self-improvement sure is real, love to see it. Sadly, I am constantly restricted from putting my heart and soul onto the paper in favor of transmitting what could be classified as useless information to whoever is bored enough to watch the news. And that constant restrain has made me miss the days of the good ol' Fan blog, so i guess you could say that's the reason i'm here. I've missed writting whatever i want to without the need to always double or triple check my work, its fun to not worry if every single word i type fits into my current streams of thought and stuff like that. But you don't wanna hear about all of that do you? You wanna hear about the funny stories! The authentic work experience i have gained! Atleast i hope so, because if not then youre probably in the wrong blog. But if that IS what you came here for, bluckle up bukaroo because im about to tell all about the working woes and friendly foes!

First off the job aplication process was VERY off-putting, my 2 future bosses took care of the interview and they asked... odd questions. They were also always a little too...rude. But thats ok! Nothing that i havent already handled. On the job i have met some interesting personalities such as suitcase! (I was given permission to state her name, duh) suitcase is very kind and funny, but she also has social anxiety, which is weird considering she is one of the few reporters we have, the type that usually goes out, interviews others and deals with harsh weather conditions for some reason. Suitcase is always busy going from one place to another so she can grab the needed fotage, and since im normally the one who writtes her scripts, i get to go with her sometimes! The news channel utilises this totally not ominous and cramped mini-van to cary all of the needed equipment and people. Surprisingly enough, my supervisor is the one who drives the van! She's quite chill, her voice is so smooth that i have to stop myself from yawning when i'm around her. Dont get on her bad side though, i once saw her almost yell at our make-up artist. Speaking of that, they both have some weird relationship going on, i genuinely have no idea if they are friends or enemies and at this point i am too scared to ask suitcase about it.

Working there is pretty chill, i tecnically dont need to phisically be there but hey, a bit more of social interaction wouldnt hurt. Besides, i wouldnt have met suitcase if i only sent my scripts via e-mail! So its a win-win! What else do i have to say abt work? Hmmm.... oh yea! I have a funny story to share!

On my first few days, suitcase told me that the make-up artist was an extreme chatter-box that preferably likes to "spill the tea" on everyone. But if you've been following this blog for a while now, you'd know that im not really good with understanding these types of frases, so for the longest time i thought that this guy actually spilled tea on people on porpose. (he looks really refined, so i just assumed he would be the kind of guy to like tea) So i, being extremelly cautious to not get tea on my lovely red paper, avoided him for like 5 days straight! He eventually caught on and complained to suitcase about it, she then told me so, and i explained my conundrum to her. After she explained what the frase actually meant, we couldnt stop laughting! I never actually apologised to the guy, i sure hope he doesnt hold grudges!

[pretty-blkgirl]

Vengeance

//Detective!gnReader//Criminal!Skz//Explicit Language//Triggering themes- such as mentions of murder, su!c!de, torture, overall violence, angst//

PLEASE INFORM ME IF IM MISSING ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS

PART THREE OF THREE

~~~~~|~~~~~

“Favorite color?” You ask, wondering why the men sitting around you were asking such boring questions. Before this, they asked your favorite food and then favorite holiday.

“Yeah” Han smiled, “Mines is Orange”

“I’m more of a green guy myself” Jeongin grinned, “And you, y/n?”

“Purple” you answer with a slight shrug. Lee Know was watching you intensely, making you squirm under his gaze.

“Our Seungmin loves purple” Hyunjin said with an odd looking smile. You nodded and turned back to Chan, waiting for the next question.

“Question number four, do you have any siblings?” He asks. This made your heart drop, as Cecilia was your only sibling. And then you remembered how you were seated with the very men that killed her- then you got angry all over again.

But you couldn’t show it, no. You have to play it cool.

“I have one brother. His name is Caleb”

“Really? Is he older or younger?” Jeongin asked

“Older. By three years”

“That’s cool” Han nodded, “I have an older brother too. It’s just us two, no sisters”

“I have sisters” Felix giggled, “And then these guys are my brothers. I have no biological ones”

“I wish I had a sister” Hyunjin sighs long and dramatically. His eyes scanned the people around him before they landed on you, “I’m the only child but, these guys are like my brothers so I’m not missing out on anything”

“Same” Lee Know agrees. This was the first time he spoke since the game started, “I’m the only child too. I was lonely until I found them”

“Oh” You nod, already knowing of everyone’s family situation. You read it in their files. You can list off each of their parents names if asked of you.

“How did you guys meet?” You question. Your plan was simple, try to seem as oblivious as possible. Even play dumb if you have to. Gain their trust, get close to them, take your revenge. Easy as that. Though, you can’t harm them- all you can do is gather enough evidence to get them arrested.

Take pictures, record conversations- you’re gonna do everything to get justice for Cecilia.

You have to play your cards right, doing anything wrong can land you out of a job or worse- meeting the same fate your sister did.

You just wish you had the authorities on your side, your boss doesn’t even know you’re working this case. He told you to stay out of it- realize your sister killed herself and get over it.

But it’s fine, you can do it on your own. Just stick to the plan.

No wrong moves, no slip ups.

“It’s a funny story actually” Felix smiles, “Chan and I both lived in Australia- both in Sydney! But we never met until we came here. Right Channie?”

“That’s right” The elder confirms, “I moved here over ten years ago, seeking a music career. I stayed with my uncle, and he was able to get me an internship at an entertainment company. I met Han there”

“Yep” Han says, “Channie hyung and I met first. He was so scary initially, wore all black and a baseball cap that covered his eyes. I thought he was so cool.”

Chan laughs fondly, making you crack a small smile.

Han continues, “My father worked at the label, and even owned a studio there. So I was there all the time. When Chan started working there, I begged my dad for a job. He was able to find me one and then Chan and I became best friends”

“Just like that?” You ask

“Just like that. It was hard to not become friends, we were together all the time”

“More like you followed me around and I just gave in” Chan jokes, “But yeah. After that, Hyunjinnie, Innie, and Binnie showed up. Not at the same time but days after each other.”

Changbin smiled, “We were there as trainees. We all kinda gravitated towards one another, and then we met Han and he introduced us to Chan”

“Then I came into the mix” Felix interjects, “I was a trainee too. I met Channie first though, he was in Han’s dad’s studio making a beat. The door was cracked and I heard it, went to investigate and the rest was history”

“Me and Seungminnie were the last to arrive. I was a professional dancer at that point but I felt like I could still improve. The company had some dance classes so I went there.” Lee Know says

“And I came for the singing classes.” Seungmin shrugs

“Wow” You sigh, “So it was fate, kinda?”

“Oh definitely” Chan agrees, “And we still do music. Han, me, and Binnie are a producers and writers now. We’re doing pretty well for ourselves”

“I write and provide backup vocals for artists” Seungmin smiles proudly, “Innie does the same, he’s co-written with me before. We’ve both gotten awards for our writing”

“Hyunjin, Lee Know, and I dance professionally. We hold dance classes and have choreographed for some pretty big names.” Felix brags

You’re pretty sure you looked like a dear caught in head lights by now. They’re…..successful business men? Like, outside of the criminal activity? You read their files cover to cover and you saw nothing about that.

“R-Really?” You ask, trying to mask your combined confusion and shock.

“Yeah” Han says proudly, “But no one knows it’s us though”

“They know the producers, 3RACHA, the dancers, danceracha, and the singers, vocalracha” Hyunjin says lowly, dropping the sweet smile he had.

“Everyone we work with has to sign an NDA. They can’t address us by our real names- can’t tell anyone they’ve worked with us.” Changbin explains

“Wait” You say, holding a finger to the group, “Seungmin just said he won awards for his writing? How can he-”

“Vocalracha won the awards. We weren’t at the award show. We took no pictures, did no interviews. We were at home watching along with everyone else, then got the award in the mail. Simple as that” Jeongin shrugs

“…Okay?” You say, still utterly confused.

“Don’t think too hard about this y/n.” Felix says in a comforting tone, “We always had a passion for music. It never left, not even when we started our other business”

“Other business?” You question

“Yeah. You know, the illegal stuff” The freckled faced man had such a big smile on his face. He looked so sweet, so safe. That made you shutter.

“Lixie! We haven’t even finished our game yet!” Jeongin scolds, “But oh well. Let’s just skip to the last two questions”

He looks you dead in the eye, not even blinking as he begins to speak in a low tone

“The second to last question; how’d you know my name if I never gave it to you?”

Your heart dropped. What? What was he talking about?

Surely you asked for his name, you couldn’t have been dumb enough to not ask for his name.

“What do you mean?” Your palms were sweaty now, your lip quivering slightly, “You told me at the bar”

“No I didn’t silly, but somehow, you knew it. You told the boys that Jeongin and you met at the bar, right?”

You nod

“I didn’t know your name, and you WERENT supposed to know mine” He shakes his head, “Come on sweetheart. You had one job; make us trust you- fool me, you know I’m the easiest target.”

“Wanted to play dumb, acted like you had no idea who we were, Baby, there and fucking signs around that warn you of us. And your plan was to play dumb?” Lee Know chimes in, laughing hardly.

“If you were smart, you would have somehow gotten Innie’s attention, played scared, make him reassure you that he doesn’t hurt innocent people, tell him you like what he does for the community, would have gained a little trust”

“Not gonna lie, you probably would have gotten me if you went that route” The youngest shrugs, “But we know you who you are. Had eyes on you y/n. Ever since what happened with Cecilia”

Your eye twitches at the sound of your sister’s name leaving his mouth. So they know why you’re here, how long have they known?

Eyes on you? Did they know you were eventually gonna come here for vengeance?

“Poor girl. Came here for revenge, ignored all the warnings to stay away from us. Somehow found Hannie at a club- asked us to do a job for her. Promised us $50,000 and international connections because her sibling was a detective.” Chan sighs, “Needless to say, she couldn’t pay us. But we pitied her, told her to give us $5,000 instead. She fled before she could pay us, then tried to tell on us”

“I still wonder why she did that? Honestly all she had us do was torture an ex boyfriend of hers. I wouldn’t have even minded if she gave us $1,000.”

“I wouldn’t have cared about the money if she just kept her mouth shut. Dude seemed like a jackass anyways. Cheats on your sister then leaves the country with a woman twice his age and twice as rich.”

“But it’s the principle of the thing” Changbin says, “And besides. She was no angel”

“My sister was a saint” You spat, “Never done anything wrong”

“Oh yeah? So she didn’t steal $20,000 from you last year?” Hyunjin asks, “And she didn’t rob two elderly women to get money for drugs? And she didn’t mortgage your mother’s house…and she didn’t sell the last possessions you had of your father?”

“And that was just last year!” Han laughs, “Your sister did that and worse! Face it y/n, she was a bad person. Stop pretending like she wasn’t”

“She just got involved with the wrong people. That’s all! She was precious, s-she was-”

“Willing to get you killed if that meant she could survive” Felix finishes, “The last thing she said before she died; ‘Take my sibling, y/n, they have money. I can get it for you. Kill them, let me live. They throw people like you in jail’”

You could almost hear your world crashing around you. Time felt like it stopped.

They were lying, had to be.

Not your little sister, your sweet little sister.

Sure she’s done some bad things before but that wasn’t her fault! She was going through a lot.

“That’s a lie”

“When she told us that…” Jeongin continues, “We looked into you. You’re not a quitter, are you? Known to do everything in your power to catch the bad guys! So good at your job”

“So we knew you’d do everything you could to find us. And we’re glad you did. Because we have a proposal”

Felix smiles and inches closer to you, again giving off such a warm and safe feeling.

“We want you to work with us. We could use someone like you on our team. You’re good at figuring stuff out, finding the people you need to find. Plus, we’d have some international connections”

….You couldn’t believe your fucking ears. They want you to work with them? The people that killed your sister? Be a criminal?

“Please” You scoff, “I’d never help the people that killed my sister”

“Your sister was ready to have you killed. Really, stop making excuses for her. We don’t kill innocent people. If they don’t deserve to die, they don’t die”

“Not even if they’re in debt to us, we’re not as merciless as people make us out to be”

“Why do you think we’re loved so much by the community?”

You stayed quiet, trying to wrap your head around everything that was happening. You were so zoned out that you didn’t realize Chan had walked up to you. He looked so….sympathetic. So ready to help. Looking at you as if you were a wounded animal.

“Last question” He whispers, “Do you accept our offer?”

How could you? They could be lying for all you know.

Maybe your sister wasn’t as good of a person, but she couldn’t have offered your life in exchange for hers- right?

But, this wouldn’t be the first time she’s done you wrong.

She wasn’t the best sister…or daughter. Caused your parents so much hurt. Hurt them so bad that it put your father in an early grave, made your mother move across the country to escape her.

Almost got you evicted, stole your car, almost got you fired a couple times.

Wow…

She did it, didn’t she?

That bitch almost got you killed.

Your sister, the person you dedicated your life to helping get back on her feet. The person you cried and screamed over. The person you vowed to avenge.

How could you be so….stupid?

“Well?” Jeongin asks, “Your answer?”

You sighed, feeling the tears dry up on your face, “What do I get out of this?”

“We’ll pay you handsomely. A house and a car here, 24 hour protection in Korea and back where you live. Your mother’s mortgage paid off, and other things can be arranged if you want as well.” Chan reveals, “We just ask that you give us any information we need, carry out any tasks we give, and please- for the love of God- don’t screw us over”

You stayed quiet for a while, going through your options.

Well, you only had two; say yes or die.

What more did you have to lose?

“Okay. I’ll join you”

_________________

Hi! So that was the end of Vengeance!

Honestly not so happy with this story, I feel like I could have done a lot better but I think it was pretty okay for my first story on this app.

Please give me any feedback you have and as always, requests are open <3

[kingsofeverything]

I’m interested! Can you post The fake relationship for a work party? 🫶

Thank youuu 💛 Yes! This is based on a tumblr post that I can’t find now.

Anyone who reads this, remember it’s unfinished, unedited, etc.

And here’s the list of other WIPs

“Yes. Yes, sir. Sounds great. We’ll see you then,” Louis says, and waits for his boss to hang up first. As soon as he does, Louis slumps in his ergonomically designed desk chair and sighs.

He never meant to lie to his boss. It’s not the sort of thing he normally does. But when he first started the job almost a year before, his boss asked if he had a girlfriend or a boyfriend, and his brain couldn’t keep up with his mouth. He answered as if it was a multiple choice question instead of a yes or no question, accidentally outing himself as well. Thankfully his boss just smiled and nodded and told Louis to bring his boyfriend along to happy hour at the bar around the corner.

That first day, Louis went out after work with his new boss and coworkers like a dutiful employee who desperately wanted to keep his job. It turns out that, for a group of accountants, they’re a rather wild bunch. And at almost twenty-eight years old, with a good bit of bartending through college, Louis is… not so wild.

He had more than his fair share of booze and boys over the last decade or so, but as he’s gotten older, his hangovers have gotten worse, and his tastes have changed. Now he much prefers a glass of wine with dinner (two on weekends), video games or movies on the couch (the ability to pause and go pee is underrated), and a ten o’clock bedtime (midnight on weekends). He does go out occasionally, usually with his best friend and roommate Harry, though with his schedule at the bakery, they tend to stay in more. But Louis hasn’t had time to date, really. Or hasn’t made time. He hasn’t found a guy who can give his comfy couch any competition.

But his boss doesn’t know any of that because Louis had the brilliant idea that first evening out after his first day on the job, to use an imaginary boyfriend as an excuse to leave early. He’s done the same every single night out since. Sometimes he’ll stop in for one drink and make a joke about getting home before his boyfriend goes to bed. But most of the time he successfully uses his imaginary boyfriend’s odd work schedule as a reason to skip out on everything. Even the annual company picnic in the park the previous summer.

When he started the lie, he kept it bland and boring, with no details about his imaginary boyfriend or his job. Less than a month into it, Louis started to elaborate. First, mentioning Harry by name, and then dropping little details into conversations. It was easy when no one knew Harry and Louis knew Harry wouldn’t be stopping by his office or anything like that when it’s way across town from the bakery and their apartment. And it wasn’t as if Harry would care. He’d probably think it was funny. So Louis just kept his little lies to himself, not wanting to burden Harry with keeping an unnecessary secret.

Now he’s backed himself into a corner. Because his boss gave him plenty of notice and has practically begged Louis to bring Harry to the company holiday party.

So he has less than a month to find a new job.

Louis flicks his finger against the clip art of the printed invitation, eyes darting around the office to check that no one is watching him, not that they’d be able to see his text conversation. Still he backs up to the far wall of his cubicle, the one that’s actually a wall and not a partition, and sends a quick message.

Louis: Need a favor

He bites his lip, staring at the screen, but a reply comes almost immediately.

Harry: What

Louis: Come to my company xmas party and pretend to be my boyfriend and I’ll give you $20

Harry: What

Louis: $20 and a $20 Starbucks gift card to pretend to be my boyfriend for one night and not ask why

No dots appear. Louis blinks at his phone, trying to will Harry to agree.

Harry: $20 and a $20 Starbucks card, a foot massage, buy me sushi for dinner, and you have to take the trash out without complaining about it for the next year. And we’re talking about this when you get home tonight. I might need to add to my list of demands.

Louis: Ok

If that’s all Harry asks of him, he’ll gladly give it.

—

“Hello, darling,” Louis says the second he opens the door and sees Harry laying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. The hood of his sweatshirt is pulled tight around his face so that only his eyes and nose are visible. He looks tired, but comfortable and warm. “That’s my hoodie you’re wearing.”

“Finders keepers.” Harry loosens the strings of his hoodie to uncover his pout, pushing it back off his head. With a quick pat to the couch cushion, he says, “Come sit.”

Kicking off his shoes, Louis drapes his coat over the back of the couch. Harry lifts his head, and Louis sits, waiting for him to lay back down so he can comb his fingers through Harry’s curls.

The weight of Harry’s hand against his shin is warm even through his trousers. Harry reaches down and slips his fingertips under the hem, pushing down Louis’ socks and scratching lightly at the hair on his ankles. He sighs and his breath is hot on Louis’ thigh. “Explain, please.”

Louis starts at the beginning. It’s less embarrassing than he expected it to be. He really thought Harry would give him hell for lying to his boss. But he doesn’t even seem mad that Louis lied to him. He listens quietly to Louis’ explanation, humming and nodding occasionally, rubbing circles over Louis’ ankle, and not speaking until Louis is finished.

“Since you started the job in January?” Harry asks, tapping his fingers against the back of Louis’ calf.

“Yeah.” Louis holds his breath.

“What if you’d like, met someone and wanted to bring them to the party?” Harry glances up at him. “You would’ve just like, imaginarily broken up with me? And I never would’ve known.”

“Suppose so,” Louis says, exhaling and tracing the curve of Harry’s ear with his eyes. “I haven’t been on a date in forever though.”

“True.”

While Louis twirls Harry’s curls around his finger, he thinks back to his last date. It was a few months after they moved into the new apartment, right before he put in his notice at his old job. The guy hadn't been awful or anything, Louis just found himself wondering why he’d bothered leaving the house halfway through dinner. And Harry can’t really say anything when he’s been “quite happily single, thank you very much” for going on two years now.

Finally, Harry says, “I’ll do it.”

“You will?”

“Yeah.” Harry rolls onto his back, looking up and meeting Louis’ eyses. He catches his lower lip between his teeth, studying Louis’ face. “Do you have a plan?” When Louis shakes his head, Harry says, “Okay, so… You haven’t really lied about anything other than like, calling me your boyfriend. I’m not like, pretending to be someone I’m not, so it’ll be easy. I’ll just be me, but like, with hand holding and kissing and stuff.”

“What?” Louis frowns down at him. “Why kissing?”

“Please, Louis. This is an office party. There’s always mistletoe.” Harry rolls his eyes and sits up, hair standing in all directions from Louis’ attention. “I don’t mean, like, making out or whatever you’re thinking. But…” Slowly, Harry leans in, licking his lips and Louis’ eyes track the movement. He glances up holding Harry’s gaze as he presses a slow, gentle kiss to his parted lips.

Instantly, Louis’ face heats. “What… Why’d you do that?”

Harry snorts. “The party’s tomorrow and we’re supposed to have been dating for more than a year, Louis. You can’t blush and stutter if I peck you on the lips.”

“It’s not… I didn’t…” Louis holds his hands to his cheeks, trying to cool his heated skin.

“I’ll be your fake boyfriend, Lou, but you clearly haven’t thought this through.” Sitting back against the armrest, Harry takes a breath and blows it out, puffing his cheeks. “We have to like, practice kissing under the mistletoe.”

Narrowing his eyes, Louis lowers his hands, though his cheeks still feel flushed. “I feel like that’s probably unnecessary.”

“Nope. Totally necessary.” Pushing himself up off the couch, Harry yawns, then says, “I’m exhausted. I’ve got an early morning, and a party to possibly attend.”

“Possibly?” Louis asks.

“Yeah, I mean, like I said, I’ll do it, but not if you’re going to argue with me about the like, logistics.”

“Logistics?”

Harry nods, stretching his arms overhead so that Louis’ hoodie lifts up and Harry’s sweatpants slip down. Louis almost misses Harry’s response, but he leans down and ruffles Louis’ hair, drawing his attention. “I’ll only be your fake date if you make out with me — with tongue — for two whole minutes.”

“What?” Louis jumps up from the couch.

“Two minutes,” Harry says, shuffling off towards the kitchen so that Louis has to follow him. He reaches for the tin of mints he keeps in the junk drawer and pops one into his mouth, holding the container out towards Louis. “Mint?” While Louis takes a mint, Harry pulls out his phone and sets a two minute timer, showing the face of his phone to Louis. He loudly chews his mint, swallows it, and taps the start button on the timer.

That is apparently what Louis needs to convince him that Harry isn’t joking. He hurries to swallow the mint in his mouth, and almost chokes, while Harry lounges against the counter, arms crossed, smirking like he doesn’t think Louis will do it. The timer doesn’t make a sound, but Louis can see it ticking away on the screen of Harry’s phone, and it suddenly feels like now or never.

Reaching out, Louis tugs on the strings of Harry’s hoodie — Louis’ hoodie, but finders keepers, apparently — twisting them around his fingers and pulling Harry down to meet him just as he moves fully into Harry’s space. He steps to either side of Harry’s crossed ankles, and Harry drops his arms, grabbing onto the counter with both hands, fingers curling over the edge. Harry’s eyes flicker down and Louis brings their lips together, releasing his hold on the hoodie to cup Harry’s face with both hands.

Two whole minutes, with tongue, Harry said.

Behind his closed eyelids, Louis rolls his eyes. He tilts his head slightly to the right, stroking his thumb over Harry’s jaw and guiding him to meet him, their lips parting at the same time. Harry hums, pushing off the counter, forcing Louis to take a step backwards. He grips Louis’ hips, steadying him, and Louis grabs hold of his shoulders, still feeling unsteady. Mostly that’s due to Harry’s mouth on his because of course he’s a good kisser. He sucks on Louis lip, one hand pressing into the curve Louis’ lower back, the other creeping towards Louis’ ass, when the alarm on Harry’s phone blares and they both jump backwards.

“That wasn’t totally horrible, was it?” Harry asks, slightly breathless.

Louis shakes his head, because it wasn’t, but also because he’s known Harry for a while and never thought to kiss him before and he doesn’t know why. Definitely not horrible. He reaches for the fridge in search of a distraction and something cold to drink.

“Okay, so, I’m going to bed.” Harry snatches Louis’ water bottle from him and takes a sip before handing it back. “Don’t worry about your boss or whoever. I think we know each other well enough that we won’t have any trouble convincing them we’re together.”

“So you’re in?” Louis asks, taking a step back and gulping his water. He raises his eyebrows and says, “You’re going to make this fake dating au a success?”

“Yeah.” Harry nods, scrunching his nose. He pulls his hood back over his messy curls and says, “I suppose I need to wear a suit.”

Louis shakes his head, pulling Harry’s hoodie strings again, this time so tightly that Harry’s nose is all that’s visible, tapping it lightly with the tip of his finger. “Wear whatever you want. Glitter, lace, a tux, a dress…”

“Okay,” Harry mumbles through the fabric of his sweatshirt and Louis pulls on the hoodsweatshirt until he can see Harry’s face againthe hood falls off. “’Night, Lou.”

“’Night, darling,” Louis says, tucking Harry’s hair behind his ear.

——

Louis spends all day Friday working from home and regretting the past year of his life.

In the late afternoon, Harry comes home with shopping bags, and Louis finds himself grinning at him like a loon. He catches himself mid-sigh, and freezes, eyes going from almost closed the force of his too big smile, to wide open, and jerks his head around to stare back at the television.

“Sorry I’m late,” Harry says, rustling his shopping bags before dropping them onto the couch beside Louis. “Realized I didn’t have anything to wear to an office Christmas party.”

“You don’t have to dress up.” Louis turns and pulls his feet up, watching Harry unwrap his scarf and take off his hat. Combing his fingers through his hair, Harry scratches his scalp, stuffing the beanie into the pocket of his coat.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Harry stops, coat dangling off his arms. He hurriedly joins Louis on the couch, and says, “I meant to text you earlier. I thought about it today and I think I’ll need some time to like, get into character. I meant to give you some warning. Sorry. But, um… I’m officially your fake boyfriend as of right now.”

“Now?” Louis frowns, reaching for one of Harry’s shopping bags, but Harry smacks his hand away. There are still X hours until the party.

“Yes, sir.” Harry nods and winks, which Louis always finds annoyingly endearing, because he’s never sly about it, always obnoxious and over-the-top dramatic, with accompanying sound effects and open mouth. “I need a shower. You coming with me?” Before Louis can register what he said, Harry barks a laugh.

Standing and gathering his bags, he walks around and looks down at Louis from behind the couch. Louis tips his head back, about to ask Harry if he plans on being a pain in the ass as of right now, too, and if that’ll carry on all night at the party, but Harry bends down and kisses him before he can speak. It’s no two minute kitchen make out session with tongue, but it’s unexpected, and somehow, even at an angle, Louis’ barely open mouth lines up perfectly with Harry’s cold, peppermint chapstick flavored lips.

Harry walks away and Louis is left there, the tips of his fingers hovering in the air in front of his mouth. The tingling doesn’t dissipate when he finally touches his lips.

Perhaps a better use of his day would’ve been shopping for himself or even sorting through his own clothes in an effort to find something to wear to the party, rather than simultaneously regretting his life choices and trying to figure out when the hell he developed these feelings for Harry and why he didn’t notice them before.

While Harry showers, Louis rifles through his closet, searching for magically hidden clothing that he’s forgotten owning or buying. All he finds is a black blazer and his fitted black trousers — the ones that he never wears anymore because they’re a bit snug. No one’s looking at his bum when he sits behind a desk all day. His deep red scoop neck t-shirt seems festive enough, but he refuses to do more than put on deodorant and blow dry his wet hair after he showers.

It’s a sort of penance for jacking off to the memory from the kitchen the night before. He had to do it. No question.

Harry seems to be all in with this fake boyfriend thing and Louis is powerless to stop it, which means that if Harry’s as big a proponent of PDA as he suspects, he’s going to spend the duration of the party touching Louis in one way or another. However innocent the intention, Harry’s hand in his all night would still give him a boner eventually. God forbid Louis rest his palm on Harry’s lower back.

So he pregamed it a bit. Tired himself out. That way, Harry can kiss him under as much mistletoe as he likes and no matter how red Louis’ cheeks get, at least he’s less likely to spring an erection in the middle of his office Christmas party.

Louis adjusts his hair in his reflection in the bathroom mirror, flicking it off his forehead. He steps out of the bathroom just as Harry opens his bedroom door and they both stop short as Harry drops his coat.

“Oops,” Harry says, but Louis catches it before it hits the floor.

“Hi.” Louis tries to see as much of Harry as he can in the few seconds he allows himself to look.

“That’s very boyfriendy of you, Louis,” Harry comments as he slips his arms into his waiting coat. Louis brushes the backs of his shoulders, straightening Harry’s coat, though it doesn’t need it.

“I try,” Louis says, wondering if he should behave any differently towards Harry. Maybe he ought to change the way he talks to him or acts in his presence as a boyfriend rather than just Louis. He drums his fingers against his stomach and smooths his brow, unsure what he’d need to do differently.

The walk to the subway is colder than Louis thought it’d be, which is typical of him in any winter weather. Harry’s always telling him he should wear more layers. He keeps his hands in his coat pockets, balling them into fists until Harry tugs on his elbow, pulling his hand free.

Even without gloves, Harry’s hands are warm, or at least warmer than his own. He holds Louis’ hand between both of his as they walk, forcing Louis to stay close by his side until they reach the first step leading them underground. Louis follows, keeping his eyes glued to the back of Harry’s head where the ends of his hair curls over his scarf.

The party is being held at the same bar around the corner from the office where everyone else goes for happy hour. As soon as they walk through the door, Louis takes their coats, and when he turns back around, Harry passes him a beer.

“Introduce me,” Harry mutters, slipping his arm around Louis’ waist, and tucking his hand through the vent in the back of Louis’ blazer so that it rests on Louis’ hip.

Turning at the warmth and weight of Harry’s palm, Louis finds Harry already leaning towards him, making it easy for Louis to mutter, “Mr. Davidson is my boss. He’s at the end of the bar. Blue jacket, glass of whisky?”

Harry nods and smiles and proceeds to charm every person in the room. It’s completely unsurprising, but Louis is annoyed at how well he plays the part.

“So what else is there? Someone has to get drunk and dance on a table.” Harry props his hands on his hips and twists at the waist, looking around the room. His eyes go comically wide and his lips form a perfect O. “Presents, Louis. There are presents over there. Were we supposed to bring something?”

“Don’t worry about it. Didn’t want to bother you, so I picked up another $20 Starbucks card.”

Clearly affronted at the thought, Harry gasps and squeezes Louis’ upper arm. “You know I love gift exchanges.”

“Yeah, but there wasn’t a lot of time. Sorry. I—”

“Next time,” Harry says, frowning at the envelopes (?) when Louis pulls them from his jacket pocket and puts them on the table with the other gifts.

Louis nods and let’s Harry guide him away, hand cupping his elbow. He doesn’t want to get drunk, after all, it’s his office party and his boss is present. Aside from that, he could easily slip and say something that would ruin their story.

“Louis!”

Louis and Harry both turn and Louis smiles at his favorite coworker. “Merry Christmas, Niall!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Niall says, pointing with his beer bottle. “This the famously mysterious Harry?”

Louis rolls his eyes as Niall shakes Harry’s hand. “This is Harry, yes. I wouldn’t say he’s famously mysterious though.”

“Sure. Okay. It’s not as if anyone placed bets as to whether or not he existed.” Niall nods and winks and Louis is pretty certain such bets were placed and he’s curious about who won and who bet which way. He turns to the tall man standing next to him and says, “This is my boyfriend Shawn. Been trying to get you to meet at happy hour, but—”

“Actually, um…” Harry starts, then frowns, scratching at the stubble on his chin. “Shawn and I kind of know each other?”

It’s said like a question and Louis panics at the thought that perhaps Harry and Shawn have slept together at some point over the past year, but Shawn quickly puts that fear to rest. He grins, reaching for Louis’ hand, and says, “I work around the corner from Harry's bakery. Stop in all the time for coffee and too many pastries.”