#Bio-based plasticizers

[chemicalmarketwatch-sp]

The Global Plasticizers Market: Trends, Challenges, and Future Outlook

The plasticizers market plays an indispensable role in modern manufacturing and industrial applications, enabling flexibility and durability in a wide range of materials, primarily plastics. This dynamic and growing market is evolving rapidly due to various factors including regulatory changes, shifting consumer preferences, and technological advancements. This article aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the current state of the global plasticizers market, highlighting key trends, challenges, and the future outlook

I. Overview of the Plasticizers Market

Plasticizers are additives that enhance the plasticity, flexibility, and durability of materials, particularly polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is widely used in construction, automotive, healthcare, and consumer goods industries. The global plasticizers market was valued at USD 17.0 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 22.5 billion by 2027, growing at a cagr 5.7% from 2022 to 2027.  Key drivers of this growth include increasing demand for flexible PVC in construction, packaging, and automotive sectors, as well as the ongoing need for sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives.

II. Key Market Segments

The plasticizers market can be broadly categorized into several types based on the chemical composition and applications:

1. Phthalates

Phthalates have long been the dominant segment within the plasticizers market, accounting for nearly 60% of global consumption. Key types of phthalates include dioctyl phthalate (DOP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). These compounds are known for their cost-effectiveness and versatility in applications, especially in flexible PVC products like cables, hoses, flooring, and medical devices.

However, growing concerns over the potential health and environmental impacts of phthalates, particularly endocrine disruption, have led to increased regulatory scrutiny, pushing many manufacturers to explore non-phthalate alternatives.

2. Non-Phthalates

The non-phthalate segment is the fastest-growing segment in the market, driven by increasing regulatory pressures and consumer demand for safer, more sustainable materials. Notable non-phthalate plasticizers include adipates, citrates, and bio-based plasticizers. These alternatives are often used in sensitive applications such as food packaging, children’s toys, and medical devices.

The adoption of non-phthalate plasticizers is expected to continue rising, particularly in Europe and North America, where stricter regulations are in place. Major chemical companies are investing heavily in the research and development of non-phthalate solutions to meet this growing demand while maintaining performance standards.

3. Bio-Based Plasticizers

Bio-based plasticizers are gaining significant traction as the market shifts toward sustainability. These plasticizers, derived from renewable resources like vegetable oils and other natural products, offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional petrochemical-based plasticizers. While still a small portion of the overall market, bio-based plasticizers are projected to experience robust growth due to increasing environmental awareness and regulatory support.

III. Key Trends Shaping the Plasticizers Market

1. Regulatory Changes

One of the most significant drivers of change in the plasticizers market is the evolving regulatory landscape. Agencies such as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have introduced stringent regulations regarding the use of certain phthalates due to their potential health risks. For instance, the European Union’s REACH regulation has restricted the use of several phthalates, including DEHP, DBP, BBP, and DIBP, particularly in consumer products.

These regulations have accelerated the transition toward non-phthalate and bio-based plasticizers, especially in regions with stricter compliance requirements. Companies that fail to adapt to these changes risk losing market share or facing legal penalties, making regulatory compliance a critical priority for industry leaders.

2. Increasing Demand for Sustainability

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword but a core component of business strategy for companies across industries. In the plasticizers market, there is growing demand for materials that have a lower environmental impact, both in terms of production and end-of-life disposal. This has led to a rise in bio-based plasticizers and increased research into recyclable and biodegradable plastic products.

Major industry players are investing in sustainable technologies, not only to meet regulatory requirements but also to appeal to eco-conscious consumers and businesses. C-suite leaders must align their long-term strategies with sustainability goals to remain competitive in an increasingly green market.

3. Technological Innovations

The plasticizers industry is undergoing a period of technological innovation aimed at improving the performance and environmental profile of these additives. Advancements in chemical engineering have led to the development of high-performance plasticizers that offer enhanced durability, flexibility, and safety.

For example, the development of bio-based plasticizers has benefited from breakthroughs in green chemistry, which enables the production of non-toxic, biodegradable materials without compromising on quality. Additionally, new processing technologies have made it easier to incorporate these eco-friendly alternatives into traditional manufacturing processes.

To know more download pdf brochure : 

The global plasticizers market is at a pivotal moment, with significant opportunities and challenges ahead. Staying ahead of regulatory changes, investing in sustainable innovations, and navigating the complexities of global markets will be crucial to maintaining competitive advantage. By embracing new technologies, aligning with sustainability trends, and adopting a proactive regulatory compliance approach, industry leaders can position their companies for long-term success in a rapidly evolving market.

[slimemoldscholar]

it's been 2 years since the last of these were posted, so I did some digging (on the plastics specifically, since I am currently working on a research project about industrial bio-based plastics).

firstly: the soft/plant elements are indeed now made of bio-based plastic (bio-PE to be specific) from sugar cane.* bio-PE is not biodegradable, though it's a common misconception that all bio-based plastics are biodegradable. (the reason I am saying bio-based is because depending on who you ask, bioplastic sometimes includes biodegradable plastics that are petro-based. this, of course, just makes the misconception more common). in fact, the reason that replacing their previous plastic with bio-PE worked so smoothly is because bio-PE is a drop-in polymer, meaning that it's the same chemical composition as an existing petro-based plastic (in this case, PE aka polyethylene), just from a renewable source. this makes manufacturing them much easier because they can use existing processes. about 2% of LEGO's total production is bio-PE.

secondly: it looks like the current prototypes for hard bricks are recycled PET from plastic water bottles. PET is not as strong as ABS, the current plastic that they're using, so they are apparently working on a process to strengthen it.

thirdly: it really isn't that easy. while drop-in polymers allow for bio-based materials to substitute in for many existing materials, a lack of robust recycling means that they'll still wind up in landfills. on the other hand, biodegradable plastics are typically only rated for industrial composting, which is hard to find, and many places won't actually take biodegradable plastics, leaving them to also go to landfills, where they'll anaerobically break down into methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. bio-based plastics unfortunately aren't a magic bullet. the best approach is one that combines a lot of approaches: increasing access to recycling, manufacturing more bio-based where possible, using renewable energy for manufacturing, and, notably, cutting down on how much plastic is made, used, and discarded in the first place. this is obviously a huge project, which requires sustained collective action and education rather than nice moves from corporations. though I do like the 100% renewable energy very much!

*the complexities of comparing and contrasting feedstock options is more than I feel like typing up lol

[ilbioeconomista]

Michelmersh, Elite Plastics and Braskem I'm green bio-based partner to reduce Carbon Footprint in the construction industry

Michelmersh, UK’s premium producer of clay bricks, is an industry leader in sustainability and innovation, renowned for quality clay products and bespoke services is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Braskem I’m greenTM bio-based, a global pioneer in sustainable bio-based renewable materials. This collaboration was enabled by Elite Plastics, the UK’s leading manufacturer of…

[drinkinlovecom]

Sip Greener

How the Sustainability Movement is Revolutionizing the Beverage Industry The Growing Sustainability Movement The Growing Sustainability Movement is gaining momentum with more and more individuals, companies and organizations recognizing the need for more sustainable practices in day-to-day life. Sustainability is a key component for the health of our planet and is becoming increasingly…

[just-a-little-unionoid]

Okay yeah that's what I thought

Well maybe then you should read the op again bc it was very much about companies being like "oh we're so proud of using plastic instead of animal products 🥰" like they gave a single shit about it, bc no matter what plastic is STILL bad for the environment, and if they did gave a single shit they would use durable methods of tanning, make more durable products and work only with materials from organic and animal wellbeing focused farms, and makes it so it's still somehow affordable.

Corporations don't give a single shit about animals or environment and that was what the post was about, not about the consumer side of the problem.

companies will be like “we’re so proud we don’t make anything with feathers, leather or fur” and then make stuff out of synthetic materials that will not decompose but will shed micro-plastics with every wash like…..yas so good for the animals so animals rights

[reasonsforhope]

"At the University of Maine, one of the world’s largest 3D printers is using sawdust from the state’s lumber industry to 3D print cozy wooden cabins.

It’s part of a move towards making 3D printing faster and more sustainable in a state where the housing shortage that has metastasized in most states around the country is dire.

It’s thought that 80,000 new homes will be needed over the next 5 years to keep pace with demand, and though it takes years for building codes to be changed, the technicians at the Advanced Structures & Composites Center (ASCC) at the Univ. of Maine hope their new toy can help address this need.

Guinness World Records certified the machine at ASCC as the world’s largest prototype polymer 3D printer, capable of creating a 600 square foot house 96 feet in length, 36 feet in width, and 18 feet tall entirely out of bio-based material at a rate of 500 pounds per hour.

In 2022, it could print the walls, floors, and roof of the house in just 96 hours, but the ACSS has been refining the design with the hope of doubling the printing speed and getting it down to a 48-hour timeline.

“When they’re doing concrete, they’re only printing the walls,” Habib Dagher, the executive director of ACSS told CNN. “The approach we’ve taken is quite different from what you’ve seen, and you’ve been reading about for years.”

Indeed, GNN has reported on a fair number of 3D printing projects, but most if not all involve printing only the walls. One fantastical exception is an Italian firm that is 3D-printing domed, beehive-like, modular concept homes inspired by the Great Enclosure in Zimbabwe.

STAND-OUT 3D-PRINTING PROJECTS: 

First 2-Story Home to be 3D Printed in the U.S. Reaches for the Sky in Texas 

The World’s Largest 3D Printed Building is a Horse Barn That Can Endure Florida Hurricanes

This 23-Year-Old Founder is 3D Printing Schools in Madagascar Aiming to be a ‘Stepping Stone’ for the Community

A Startup Is Using Recycled Plastic to 3D Print Tiny $25,000 Prefabricated Homes in LA

The ASCC is calling the house design the BioHome3D, and says it’s rare people who tour the concept version don’t ask when they “can have one up?”

The interior gives the feel of a modern Scandinavian wooden cabin, making it fit well with the Maine aesthetic. The ASCC is now doing work on how to incorporate conduits for wiring and plumbing “exactly where an architect would want them,” says Dagher.

WATCH a time-lapse video of the printer doing the job…

-via Good News Network, August 16, 2024. Video via The University of Maine, March 3, 2023.

[papurgaatika]

Scarcely Can Speak For My Thinking, What You’d Do To Me Tonight

Pairing: VA! Joel Miller x f! reader 

Minors DNI with my work please!!

A/N: howdy howdy my lovelies. I know what yall are thinking: papaya didn't you post a fic literally less than two weeks ago? And to that I would say yes, yes I did. However, I have been working on this one for a while and somehow managed to finish it on the plane! Thank you as always to my lovely beta readers @carlynkurin and @joelsdagger The title is a Hozier lyric (are yall really surprised?) This is officially dedicated to my beloved @joeloverture and despite my darling vetty's step off of tumblr, she truly deserves the world. also if you're mean to her i will find you. that is a threat

I hope y'all enjoy the read, and that the filth keeps you going in times of need. Peace and love on the planet Earth from me!!! Remember that TLOU is created by a zionist so please look at the resources at the end of this fic and in my bio on ways to donate and educate yourself!!

Tags: Erotic voice actor Joel! AU, Young Joel, No outbreak AU, smut, condescension, degradation, f! masturbation, praise, squirting, smut, LOTS of dirty talk, oral (f receiving) friends to lovers, fingering, voice kink, Joel loves thighs, Joel Miller arm appreciation, the reader is a mess, no use of y/n, Joel can pick reader up but he’s HUGE so it makes sense, no description of reader, 18+ Word Count: 5.2k

Summary: you have been using audio erotica to get off for a month, and manage to accidentally let it play in Joel's car, leading to an awkward night in 

You let out an exhausted huff as the dim light of your phone reflected on your face. Your headphones connected, your vibrator was charged, but in some godforsaken twist of fate, there was not a single thing worth listening to on the newest audio erotica page you could find. Videos hadn’t been doing it for you, the ethical concerns were too high for you to be horny, and as much as you liked a good fanfic, you had gone through most of the ones you liked and needed something new.  You click on a post with semi intriguing tags, immediately rolling your eyes and exiting out of it when you hear the all too familiar vocal fry of men trying to sound hotter. News flash: you don't. 

You were moments away from calling it a night and opening your backlog of smutty ao3 fics when another post caught your eye. You let out a snort at the username save_a_horse and glance at the tags. Okay you were definitely interested now, a degrading instructional… you hit play with baited breath, prepping for the worst, but you were so mistaken. 

“Filthy little thing aint ya?” the voice rings in your ears, heat pooling between your legs embarrassingly quickly. “Must be so pathetic if you’re clicking on a mean stranger's voice to get ya’self off” his voice was like hot honey. Sickly sweet and keeping you waiting for his every word but with an edge that stung in the best way. You shuffle yourself back onto the pillows and throw your covers off, fully prepared to enjoy this rare gem. Your breathing picks up, heavy with want as the man in your ears calls you a desperate little slut. 

“Go on, get your toy wet slut” his voice croons out at you “know ya have one, too fuckin’ needy not to.'' Always eager to please, your lips find the base of your curved g-spot vibrator and let the soft plastic fill your mouth, drawing sounds that were almost too debauched for you to be sitting in bed alone. “Bet you love havin your mouth filled like that.. Lord, I'd love to have your pretty little lips around my cock” your eyes practically roll back at that, spit running down the base of your toy before he finally tells you to put it in.  

“Atta girl, such an eager thing” The toy sinks into your sopping cunt with ease as the voice envelops your mind, solely focusing on him. You listen with intense obedience as he tells you how deep, how quick, how much you were allowed. “Go on then, fuck yourself on it. We both know you want to” 

You let out a soft cry as you slip the toy in and out, the curve just hitting the spot that makes your back arch. Your breathing hitches as you press down on the button to turn the vibrations on. “Creamin’ all over yourself I bet,” it was like he could see you. Like he was able to see your arousal dripping onto the sheets below you, how the damp sheets clung to your thighs as they shook and twitched with pleasure. 

“Bet you’re so damn close.. Go on then slut, cum while listenin’ to me'' he taunts slightly as your orgasm washes over you in waves. “Gonna ruin ya,” his words are assertive, less of a promise and almost a threat “ain’t gonna cum unless it's to my voice anymore. Good fuckin’ girl”  You take a few steadying breaths as the audio clicks off, and you blink up at your ceiling unsure of how to go on from there. You glance down at your phone which has made its way to the opposite side of your bed and move to grab it.

You hit play on another audio. 

As the weeks go on, you and the mysterious cowboy in your ears have an immensely good time together. You practically spend every night listening to every one of his audios, leaving silly comments on the ones that make you cum particularly hard. It might have been an issue, how often you found yourself waiting for him to upload, how quickly you would pause your tasks to listen to new updates, but you were having fun and it wasn’t like you were hurting anyone in the process. 

You had just finished an audio before the blaring noise of a horn outside your door rattled you. The clock on your phone taunts you as do the several missed calls and texts from your best friend. “Fuck. fuck okay” you grumble, grabbing a towel and wiping yourself off before tossing a pair of comfy shorts on and grabbing your bag, and heading outside “have you never heard of a virtue called patience miller?” you quip as you slide into the passenger seat of his truck 

“Had it for the first five minutes, but about 10 minutes after that, I was damn ready to break your door down myself” he scoffs “what took you so damn long?” he rolls his eyes as you fiddle with the bluetooth in his car, not wanting to be stuck with what you call ‘old home music’ 

“I was just finishi-” your words are cut off when the sound of a moan plays over the speaker. Just your luck. You kept the grumpiest man alive waiting and then played porn in his car. Hooray for you. “Jesus fucking-” you squeak, fiddling with your phone and closing out of the app “Joel-” you start, cheeks burning and excuses already at the tip of your tongue, before he silently shakes his head and puts the car in reverse. 

The ride back to his house is awkward to say the least. “Joel listen I didn't mean for-” you mumble out meekly, but his sharp gaze on yours has you clamping your mouth closed immediately. You fiddle with your fingers, thinking about playing music, but it just doesn’t feel right anymore. The grip Joel has on the steering wheel is practically iron-clad, his knuckles almost white with the tension as he pulls into his driveway and puts the car in park. You walk into his house with a huff, your weekly game nights off to a bit of a rocky start, but you’ve had to deal with worse with him. Joel had given you moral support when your menstrual cup had gotten “stuck” during one of your first times using it, he could deal with knowing you listened to porn. 

You plop down onto his couch, stretching your legs out on the coffee table while he gets you a glass of iced tea. You take a sip of your drink and mentally prepare yourself for how bad he was going to tease you about this, but are met with shocking amounts of silence. For a man who is ruthless on game nights, the lack of trash talk and absolute avoidance was almost irritating you. Finally, after you beat him in uno for a third time in a row, you snap “What is your issue tonight miller?” you groan, placing a +2 card down “Listen I know that was awkward but we’re both adults I don't see what the big deal is'' 

Joel groans and places another +2, changing the color (much to your annoyance,) “just drop it, nothin’s the issue”  You, petulant and stubborn as ever, did not drop it. You huff as you have to take like 5 cards from the deck before getting one that you can play, and narrow your eyes at him. 

“Bullshit” you move to sit cross-legged on the couch “I never beat you in this game, something is wrong with you tonight,”  it was almost as if nobody had ever taught you not to poke a sleeping bear. Or maybe you figured that the bear was your best friend and probably wouldn't bite your head off… probably. 

“Just drop it peaches,” his words are terse, hands gripping his, now slowly diminishing, uno cards much tighter than he needed to. You groan again when you have to get another few cards. The irritation at his childish behavior, coupled with the stack of 20 cards in your hand makes you more of a menace than you probably should. 

“Don't be such a baby, Miller,” you poke his leg with your foot knowing full well he hates it, a yelp leaving your lips as he grabs your ankle and pulls you forward “Joel!” Your cards fly out of your hand 

“Told you to fuckin’ quit it peach.” His voice is a low timber, stirring something deep in your belly. “Never fuckin’ listen to me” 

You just snort at him when he releases your ankle, moving to pick up your cards, “you suck at uno today Joel” you hmph, rising to your feet “'m gonna get something else” you hear Joel protest and try to grab at your arm but you’re too determined and he’s far too comfy to get up quick enough.  You manage to make it to his spare room, swinging the door open, imagining you’d see a shelf with his board games only to stop dead in your tracks, “what the fuck-”

What you had always assumed was just his spare junk room or random linen closet, was what looked like an at home recording studio. A desk with a PC and speakers, full microphone set up, and what you could only assume was something to help with soundproofing  “What the fuck Miller?” Your voice is slightly full of awe, “are you recording shitty male superiority podcasts now?” you tease, a sly grin on your face. 

Despite how pleased you are with that crack at him, he looks absolutely unamused. He practically clomps over at you, big finger poking your ribs ``you know damn well I ain't doin’ that shit.” He rolls his eyes at your teasing. The idea of Joel Miller getting on the internet to talk about women in a way that wasn't him sitting at his desk going ‘they’re the best damn thing’ was laughable. He was a perfect gentleman to everyone, except maybe to you, but frankly you deserved it for all the shit you gave him. 

You squeak when his finger prods at your skin “okay, okay well what creepy shit are you doing in here then?” you wiggle your eyebrows at him, sauntering to his PC set up. The computer and speakers were calling out to you like a siren, and you did not have the common sense to plug your ears. 

Joel knew you. He could read you like a fucking book with how close the two of you were. He used to say that the one braincell you had spent fifty percent of its time inside his mind with how predictable you were to him. “Peach do not fuckin’ dare-” his voice is low, warning you. 

If you had better self preservation skills you would have probably heard the alarm bells ringing in your head telling you that he was serious, or paid better attention to the way his sweats were a little more tight. But you unfortunately were a complete menace, so neither of those items really registered to you. You clap your hands in an evil little giggle when you move the mouse “still no password? Shit you make my life so fucking easy-” you grin as you see the different clips of audio layered together in whatever program he uses 

Joel has somehow silently appeared behind you, his hand pulling you away from the computer. “Quit it peach, I’m not fuckin’ around,” he grits out, the hold on your wrist almost impossibly tight. He means business this time, and despite how much of a hellion you can be to him, you didn’t have a death wish. 

You scrunch your nose at him trying to pull your wrist out of his grip “okay jesus chri-” you yank your hand away from his, elbow bumping into the keyboard and are cut off with the sound of a gravely moan coming out of the speaker. Both you and Joel look like deer caught in the headlights. Your eyes flick between Joel, whose face has gone impressively red, and the screen of his computer.  “I- joel this is-” you stumble over your words, unsure of what to say in this situation. 

“Not a fuckin’ peep.” he practically growls at you. Your mouth clamps shut as he leans over you and presses pause on the audio. Your mouth is drier than it had ever been. That was a clip of your best friend, the one who was looming over you at this very moment, moaning into a microphone. You were certain that if you had listened any closer you would have been able to hear the sounds of his hand stroking his cock. The slight creak of his chair, the wet noise of the lube, or was he a spit guy? He however, was not interested in sharing any more of the audio with you, and you would deny it if anyone asked, you were a little disappointed. 

You need to say something, you had to, and despite your better judgment telling you not to, you do. “I mean you sound nice-” You sound nice?? You were so fucking ridiculous, even you knew that wasn’t the thing to say. Joel’s eyes darken at your words, and for a moment you fear he’s going to kick you out, to get truly pissed off at you for the first time since you finished his Dr. Pepper stash.  “I didn't mean-” you try to backtrack “I just meant- it... You sounded like you were enjoying yourself at least-'' you were actively digging the hole that you were in deeper, rambling and stuttering, all while Joel just stared at you silently, his eyes burning into you

You swallow hard, his eyes still not leaving yours “listen I can go I'm sorry I shouldn't have-” you go to make a beeline out of the room but a firm hand pulling you back into the chair stops you. You fall back with an oof and look up at Joel, who by all accounts looked pissed but there was something else. His pupils were blown and his eyes trace every single one of your movements. The bear had managed to lock in the own cage you had set out for him. 

“Didn't tell you to leave.” he practically grunts at you. Ladies and gentlemen, your best friend, always the most well spoken person in the room. You move to protest again, but the look he gives you stops the words before they even form on your tongue.  you bite your lip and fiddle with your fingers unsure what to do “think I sound nice peaches?” his voice cuts through the anxious rambling in your brain and you're almost certain you've heard him wrong 

“Huh?” you look back up at him through your lashes. He was leaning against the wall where his microphone was set up. His sweats were riding low on his hips and his hoodie covered the toned muscles of his arms, that if anyone asked you had never stared at. The tanned skin you never dared to fantasize about in your bed. The hair that covered his arms, the veins that often made more appearances when you asked forced him to do manual labor that you refused to do yourself. 

“Asked if you think I sound nice, Peaches?” he hums, raising a questioning brow at you. your mouth opens and closes ridiculously a few times before you simply just nod at him  “that's good..” he muses as he comes back up to you “do you think about me?” he prods, a patronizing pout on his lips as you gape up at him. “when you're listening to those dirty little audios and lettin’ your fingers touch that needy cunt?”  you can't help but squeak at his words. the way he said them, the way he spoke was just so… familiar  “come on, pretty peach, tell daddy what you think about when you're fingering that slutty little pussy” he practically grins at you and it fucking clicks. 

Daddy. Daddy. It was him. The stupid cowboy, the random man whose voice sent your tummy into knots, the one who had been getting you off for weeks now was your best friend.  “Joel-” you practically whimper at him. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest and also very distinctly between your legs. “Listen i didn’t know it was you-” there’s a shit eating smirk on his face, one that you would have told him to wipe off his face before you smack it off in any other scenario. 

“No?” he hums at you, his brow quirked up as he towers over you in that stupid recording chair “didn't know it was me when you were commenting all those pretty little reviews?” You whimper out a noise, somewhere between a no and a general sound of timidity, as his hand tilts your chin up to meet his eyes  “Lemme see if I can remember what it was you said before I got you in the car today peach?” he takes a moment to obnoxiously tap his forehead mocking the way you recall things “what was it you said? ‘This made me late to see my friend, but it also made me ruin my sheets’? Was that it peaches?” 

You take a shaky breath, your skin burning under his intense gaze, chin still in his hands. You nod softly at his question, knowing that if you didn't, he would just push you until you did. His grin turns wolfish at your confirmation, and you feel him shift his legs between yours, pushing them apart “yeah peach?” he tuts at you “made me wait for almost 20 minutes outside your house. just so you could cum to my voice… ain’t real nice of you” You take a wobbly breath at his words and try to reply, unsure of what you would even say. An apology maybe, an explanation? But before you can even move to open your mouth he’s cutting you off again 

“Woulda just given you the real thing baby,” he tuts at you “all you had to do was ask.'' His voice is low and almost condescending. You shouldn’t let it turn you on, you should tell him to fuck off, but you feel yourself gush at his tone, your bottom lip getting caught between you teeth. He whistles at the look on your face, his cock practically straining against his sweats, “bet you’re just creamin’ in those slutty little shorts baby'' his words aren’t a question, he’s stating it like he can read you like a book because he knows he can. His legs shift to press your legs further apart until your knees are bumping into the arm rests, your eyes unwavering from his.

Your breath is caught in your throat as he leans down to you, his lips pressed up by one of your ears “Listen to me like this peaches?” he whispers into your ear, a warm breath making you shiver before he moves to the other side “like having me in your ears with your legs spread?” 

“Yes.. fuck yes yes I do-” your words are rushed and lustful as you feel his hands dip into the waistband of your panties. Your hips jolt up into his touch, panties absolutely drenched with your arousal. Your eyes flutter shut for a moment, lips parting with a silent cry of pleasure. 

“Knew she’d be droolin’ all over” he hums as he brings his slick covered finger up to his lips and tastes you with delectable pop when he pulls off. “Tastes like I fuckin’ imagined. Like a fuckin’ peach” he groans and for a moment you swear you could cum just like that. 

“Shit Joel please-” he cuts you off with a shake of his head and a shushing noise, as he steps away from you. Your legs are still spread against the chair and you practically whine when he moves away from you, flicking on his recording set up. “Joel what-” he shushes you again, giving you a look that leaves no room for argument. 

“Quiet,” he mumbles, fiddling with the mic and pulling the rolling chair closer to it. “Like listenin’ to me so much, thought i’d use you for better effects. You okay with that peaches?” he asks, looking down at you. Despite the teasing and the mockery, you knew he would stop if you told him you didn't want it. But the idea of him stopping, even for a moment was going to make you explode. You nod, maybe too eagerly for someone about to get fucked on microphone, and he grins. 

“God always knew you were fuckin’ desperate for it” he kneels between your legs, and you stifle a giggle when his knees pop.  “Quit it you menace” He swats at your thigh playful smirk on his lips, making you jump slightly. “Gotta stay real quiet for me, understand?” you watch with bated breath as he moves the mic so it rests delicately in the tension filled space between your spread thighs and his face. 

You nod, lips parted, pupils blown, cunt practically dripping for him. He lets out a soft hum of approval, lips pressing a soft kiss to your thighs “nothing fuckin’ softer than a pair of soft thighs” he muses, half to himself, half to you and the mic “could just live between them forever, die happy if a girl pretty as a peach would let me bury my face there.” You feel yourself clench around nothing, feeling maddeningly empty all of a sudden. You shift to try to gain some friction, the chair giving a slight creak at the change in position. Joel looks up and glares at you, your body going still immediately under the intensity of his eyes. 

He sticks his hand out behind him, pausing the microphone from recording. “You need to stay. still.” he grits out at you “don't need the whole internet hearing how much of a desperate little thing you are.” You nod at his words, hands gripping the armrests so hard your knuckles turn white. He flicks the mic back on and his lips find your thighs again. Nipping and kissing the soft flesh just below the hem of your shorts. He slides his hands further up, popping the button open and you have to bite down on your fist not to moan when he drags the zipper down with his teeth. He shimmies you out of your shorts, leaving your bottom half clad in your embarrassingly wet panties. 

He lets out a growl at the sight of your cunt, clothed and practically dripping for him. “Look at her… practically creaming already and I ain’t even touched you yet” He lets his thumb press against the wet spot the slight pressure just barely teasing your sopping hole dragging a breathy sigh out of you. You look down at him, eyes hooded and lips parting, practically begging for him without uttering a damn word. 

He looks up at you as he slides your panties to the side, blowing a stream of cold air straight onto your clit, making you jump. “Pretty fuckin’ pussy…” he practically salivates at the sight of you “nothin’ fucking better than seein’ a drippy, needy, little cunt in front of me…” he presses a kiss to the inside of your thigh, right next to where you want him, where you need his lips 

You feel a shiver run down your spine at his words. Somehow it felt filthier being able to see the look on his face, the absolute need he had to taste you. The grip he had on your thighs was bruisingly tight, not helping your arousal die down in the slightest. His mouth finally finds your slit, tongue licking a hot wet stripe at an agonizingly slow pace. He lets out a guttural moan and practically salivates at the taste of you. “Taste so fuckin’ sweet” he groans, tongue dipping back down to taste more of your slick. One of your hands leaves the armrest of the chair and moves to cover your mouth when his lips place three gentle kisses around your clit before relenting and wrapping his lips around the aching bud, with a quiet hum. 

You bite down on your hand to stifle the moans threatening to spill, desperate and eager to please him. Your thighs shake when he slips a finger into your dripping cunt and curls them to hit that spot. He lets out a chuckle, lips still sucking on your clit. The vibrations of his warm breath on your aching clit elicited a desperate wine from your mouth, despite how hard you were trying to be quiet for him “Ffffuck-” 

He raises a brow at you, not even pulling away from your skin, his baby eyes just gazing at you from between your legs as his fingers work at you. Your bottom lip gets caught between your teeth in an effort to stop your sounds, but your attempts seem futile as your climax starts to draw near. Joel slips a second finger inside of you with embarrassing ease, the sound of his fingers curling inside you, joined only by your soft little breaths and his lips on your clit. His fingers stretch you in ways your fingers never have, scissoring and sliding inside of you with practiced precision. “Atta fuckin’ girl..” he growls as your toes curl instinctively, heels digging into his shoulder blades as the coil inside of you finally snaps. You feel yourself gush on his fingers, your thighs clamping around his head as he works you through it “squirtin’ all over daddy’s face huh like the needy thing you are.” 

He pulls your legs off from his legs and hits save on the audio, before glancing back at you with a smirk. “Ain’t posting that anywhere..” he whispers, the gentleness a shocking turn around from the filth he whispered to you earlier. Your breath is still coming out in shaky pants, looking up at him through hazy lids “keepin’ that all to myself” he hums, pressing a little kiss on your head. 

He scoops you up like you’re a ragdoll and practically clomps over to his bedroom, throwing you onto the bed. His fingers work deftly at the tie of his sweats, pushing them off. You squeak softly when you see the trail of hair going down his pelvis, the lack of boxers making heat rise to your chest. You work your top off, while he throws his hoodie across the room, a guttural groan leaving his mouth as he sees your breasts. “Fuckin’ perfect..'' His words aren’t necessarily for you, his thoughts just find themselves being voiced aloud. His calloused hands grope and knead at the softness of your tits before he presses wet kisses to each of your nipples. “Need to be inside ya” he practically begs, cock hard against his stomach leaking pre-cum. 

You could salivate at the sight, hell you truly might have a little bit. “Fuck me, Daddy, need you to fuck me Joel, please i can be good im ready, I'm on the pill-” your words were babbled, fast and rushed together, your intense desire for the man in front of you the only thing your brain could comprehend. Your legs part on the bed, your arousal dripping down your thighs calling to him like flowers call to a honeybee. 

“Christ, baby,” he groans before grabbing your legs and pulling you to the edge of the bed. He fists his cock and slides it through your aching pussy, both of you letting out simultaneous cries of shit when your wetness coats his length. He slides into you with gentle thrusts, letting you adjust to his size slowly, before sinking in all the way with a soft whimper “take me so good…” his words are quiet and breathless, almost as if he was in awe of how your body made room for him. 

“Oh my god-” you cry out, your hands fisting in the dark sheets under your skin. “so fucking big joel..” you clench around him, body on fire with how good he felt inside you, with how perfect it was. It was like you were made to take him like this. His thrusts get faster and your legs curl around his waist, pulling him in as deep as you possibly could. The feeling of his hand pressing on your lower stomach has you arching your back into his touch. 

“Perfect fucking thing,” he grits huskier than usual, with a thrust that knocks the air from your lungs. “Feel me peaches?” he thrusts into you again and presses on your tummy “right fuckin’ there.. Right where I god damn belong…” his words were lust filled and hazy, his own need and orgasm clouding all judgment. Your hips roll against his, the coarse hair brushing up against you, and your head lolls back into the mattress as his thrusts get sloppier. 

“Inside, Joel fuck-” you whimper at him, eyes wide and pleading as your second orgasm builds in the pits of your belly “please cum inside me, wanna feel you please..” for a moment he swears he’s died and gone to heaven. The sounds of your pretty little moans and begging are like a dream come true for him. He just nodded and shifted so he was practically cradling your body under his, cock buried so deep inside you that you knew you’d be feeling it for days afterward. 

He grinds his hips lazily against yours while his thrusts are shallow and pointed. Your legs shake while you meet his lips in a sloppy kiss, all tongue and teeth as you both fall apart practically molded together. “Jesus christ-” his breathing is ragged and hoarse “takin’ me so damn good, gonna fuckin’ fill you up” he gives a few more thrusts before he pulls out of your quivering pussy, your own orgasm sending stars into your eyes. 

You both stay like that for a moment, Joel's forehead resting softly on your shoulder as his cum spills out onto his bed. You shift softly to pull him next to you and curl into his touch, giving him a cheeky smile as you tilt his face to meet your eyes. “You…” a breathless little laugh escapes your lips “how long did you know I was commenting on your posts?” you ask softly, brows raised at him. 

He snorts at the question and flicks your forehead gently, earning a playful pout to be thrown in his direction. “Bout damn near two weeks ago” he replies, classic shit eating grin plastered to his face. “Figured it was you when you came over lookin’ like you’d won the damn Powerball and some little fan called peaches_and_cream left a comment about cummin’ three times to one damn post” you let out a muffled groan and bury your head into his chest, mumbling something about him being an asshole before you both shift into a comfortable silence. 

He moves, patting your hip and telling you to go use the bathroom after a few minutes, preaching his favorite safe sex speech and you roll your eyes at him before you saunter over to his bathroom. “Oh and Joel-” you call out before you walk in, eyes meeting his as he waits for you to finish your sentence “send me that audio, would ya?” 

A/N: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free

READ: This account stands with Palestine unequivocally, and so— I require everyone who interacts to educate themselves, and support/donate. READ THESE; 1, HELP HERE, BOYCOTT. Silence is complicity, do not scroll past this.

DO NOT BUY THE REMASTER, TLOU2, TLOU1, OR ANY GAME FROM NAUGHTY DOG! neil druckmann (the creator) is a zionist.

PLEASE READ THIS. AND REBLOG THIS. 

Thank you for reading, and free Palestine

[hwashotcheeto]

𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅'𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 (9)

Best Friend's Mother Masterlist

Chapter: Nine

Milf!Park Seonghwa X gn!reader

Summary: The Christmas party is finally here, and you get to meet the family. The good and the bad.

WC: 8k (I'm so sorry 😭)

CW: Fluff, party antics, all of the Ateez members are here, mentions of eating a lot of food, alcohol consumption (not done by the reader), angst, arguing, screaming, crying, comfort, hugs, kisses

AN: I knew this would be long but not THIS long, I'm so sorry about that, and I'm sorry this took so long, but it's finally here. 🥰

Disclaimer: The bio mom in this story is NOT based on anyone irl. Her character is made up and her name was chosen at random.

With that said, this might be a triggering chapter for some of you who have dealt with abusive parents, but that content is towards the end of the chapter. Please keep that in mind as you read.

With that being said, most of the chapter is still fun and fluffy, and as always, I hope you enjoy. 💜

Tag List: @hyunjinsjeans @malldreamprincess @unlikelysublimekryptonite @becauseilovedyou @kittkat44 @babyxhoiz @asleepylilcat @mxnsxngie @rxnexxi @mommahwa1117 @acciocriativity @anxiousskylar @h3arteyes4mingi @jus2passtime @asjkdk @soso59love-blog @i-love-ateez @cb97s-laptop

Wooyoung came to your side at the decorative table that Seonghwa had by the Christmas tree, carrying a plastic bag of assorted candies. Some of them were the usual Christmas themed ones, like Christmas Hershey kisses and M&Ms. But there were a few you didn’t recognize. 

You pulled out a box that had a small tray of what looked like Neapolitan ice cream on it. Next to it was a kid with a green hat eating some of it. The word “Duvalin” was written in big yellow letters above the candy and the kid.

“What’s this?” You asked, looking over the box again. Wooyoung looked up from where he was laying out the other candy in fancy glass plates and bowls. 

“Oh, Duvalin. It’s kinda like pudding, but thicker.” He took the box from you and opened it, offering one to you. “Here, try it.” 

You took the small tray from him and peeled off the plastic. Like the box, it had the three flavors of “pudding” laid next to each other. You were about to dive in when Wooyoung offered you a small stick. 

“If Eomma sees you eat it like that, he’ll have a heart attack.” 

You looked over Wooyoung’s shoulder, seeing Seonghwa in the kitchen working on setting the food up in the kitchen. He paid no mind to either of you, he was busy making sure everything was set up for when people would be arriving. 

(Even though they wouldn’t be here for another hour)

You still took the spoon from Wooyoung and scooped up a generous portion of the three flavors before you took a bite. And it tasted like Neopalitan ice cream, as you expected. But it was sweeter, and the chocolate tasted more like Nutella. 

Wooyoung went back to his chore when he saw you nod and continue to happily eat the candy. “My friend introduced me to that, and a few others.” 

“Do I know this friend?” You asked, going back for another scoop. 

“No, she’s from high school. She went to another college, so you’ve never met her.” 

“Is she coming to the party?” 

“I asked her.” Wooyoung poured the Christmas M&Ms into an intricate glass bowl before he put the lid on top. “But apparently she’s with her own family right now, and she said that they probably would let her leave.” 

You were befuddled at the idea of an adult visiting their family would suddenly have their rights revoked like that. But then you realized that your parents probably would’ve done the same to them if you still talked to them. 

“I’ll introduce you someday.” Wooyoung looked up at you and smiled. “You’d like her.” 

“Wooyoung!” Seonghwa called from the kitchen. “Please come here, I can’t hold all these things at once!” 

Wooyoung quickly ran off to help Seonghwa, and you were left there by the front door with your cup of Duvalin. You were surprised when you felt a little hurt that you weren’t asked to help. 

As you stood there slightly stunned, there was a knock at the door. 

You stared at the door like a deer in headlights for a few moments before you finally shook yourself. Just answer the door, you thought, but you couldn’t. You were stopped by questions you didn’t have answers to. Questions that needed to be answered. 

How did you introduce yourself? You and Seonghwa hadn’t discussed if you were going to tell his family that you were “together.” 

But if you didn’t tell them now, and just introduced yourself as Wooyoung’s friend, when would Seonghwa tell the others? How would they take it after knowing they’d been sold a lie? 

How would they accept the relationship at all? Would they? Would any of them approve of a relationship between someone much older and younger? 

What if- 

“Why are you frozen?” Wooyoung asked, walking past you to the door. You shook yourself out of your thoughts as he went to open the door. You did your best to swallow back the anxiety and put on your best fake smile. 

Then you remembered your cup of Duvalin, and you quickly put it aside on the candy table. 

Wooyoung pulled open the door, and his eyes lit up with stars. “Hongjoong!” He threw his arms around the man standing there, who returned the hug with one arm, a warm smile on his lips. 

“Hi Young-ah,” he said, and his voice was higher than you expected, but he sounded safe. Even just from that, you knew this man was safe. 

Wooyoung pulled back and led Hongjoong into the house, where he stopped and smiled at you. Now you got a better look at the older man, who wasn’t much taller than Wooyoung. 

He wore a flowy white shirt and black dress pants underneath a brown fur coat. The top of his shirt left open to show off a little bit of his chest. His blond hair was combed back away from his face, but there were a few strands left out to frame his face. 

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t blush a little. 

“I’ve never seen you before,” Hongjoong said as he slipped his shoes off, looking at you as he spoke. Anxiety pumped inside you as you tried to figure out the correct words to introduce yourself. 

“Oh, I’m Wooyoung’s friend,” you said simply, adding your name afterwards, flashing the best smile you could. Hongjoong nodded as he slid the coat off his shoulders, a warm smile still on his face. His comfort and ease made you relax a little. 

“I’m Hongjoong.”He bowed to you, which left you a little confused before you remembered to return the gesture. Hongjoong came back up and smiled at you. “We’ll talk more in a moment, I just need to talk to Seonghwa first.” He turned to Wooyoung the next second. “Is he in the kitchen?” 

“Yeah, he’s dealing with the food.” Wooyoung was holding onto Hongjoong’s coat, looking for the moment he could yank it away. You bit your lip to keep the laughter in. 

Hongjoong caught it too and smiled, pulling away the coat. “Thank you, I’ll go talk to him.” Wooyoung pouted as he watched Hongjoong hang his coat up in the closet before he went to the kitchen. 

“I wanted to do that,” he whined, and you finally laughed. 

“It’s a jacket, Woo.” 

“And I wanna steal it.” 

“Good luck with that!” Hongjoong called from the kitchen. Both you and Wooyoung burst into laughter at that. 

Not long later, you and Wooyoung were setting out appetizers on the dining table when there was another knock on the door. Wooyoung ran over to open the door again, and there were two men instead of one this time. 

The blond one was only slightly taller than the brown haired one. They were dressed similarly to Hongjoong, but they wore knitted sweaters instead. The blond’s was cream colored, and the brown haired one’s was black. 

They both looked up at you and smiled. “Wooyoung, who’s this?” The blond one asked, motioning to you. Wooyoung looked over his shoulder and waved you over, to which you smiled back as you walked over. Wooyoung put his hand on your shoulder as you stood next to him. 

“This is my friend, they came with me this year.” 

“You’re not spending Christmas with your family?” The brown haired one asked, sliding his coat off. The blond haired one took it and started putting both their coats away, but not without a disapproving look. Wooyoung’s hand tightened on your shoulder. 

You panicked for a moment, because you expected this question, but you weren’t sure how to answer it. You didn’t need to tell all Seonghwa’s friends all the reasons why you didn’t talk with your parents, but you knew some people would still press for answers. 

But what came out was simple and to the point: 

“No, I’ve been with Wooyoung and Seonghwa since Winter Break started.” 

The brown haired one looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but the blond grabbed his hand and squeezed, giving you a sweet smile. “Well, we’re glad to have you.” You smiled back and nodded in thanks. “I’m Yunho, this is Mingi.” 

Mingi smiled now and nodded too. “Or you can just call us “uncle”, since that’s what Wooyoung calls us.” 

Looking at the two men, they looked nothing like Seonghwa, and Wooyoung looked nothing like them. You deduced that they were uncles in the “friends with your parents” way. You just nodded, knowing you very well might forget their names. 

Your eyes drifted down and you noticed a band of gold on Mingi’s left hand. Your eyes flicked back to the men’s joined hands and saw a matching one on Yunho’s finger. 

To be honest, you could sense it from the moment you saw them. 

“Eomma’s in the kitchen,” Wooyoung blurted, breaking the short silence. 

“Alright, we’ll go see him,” Yunho said as he smiled at Wooyoung, ruffling his dark hair. He added a short sentence in Korean as he and Mingi made their way to the kitchen, which made Wooyoung shoot something back as he laughed. 

“What was that?” You asked as Wooyoung turned back to you. 

“He told me to behave and not drive Eomma crazy.” 

“And you said?” 

“I said no promises.” 

“I don’t expect any less from you.” 

You both burst into laughter all over again. The four men in the kitchen couldn’t help but smile at the lovely sound. 

“Wooyoung’s never brought a friend home for this long,” Mingi said as he leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms. “Are you sure they’re “just a friend”, or are they more?” 

Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek, knowing the obvious answer, but he wasn’t ready to tell his friends he was involved with someone about half his age. Even though Wooyoung was okay with it, the relationship itself was still looked down on. 

His friends hadn’t judged his relationships, his lifestyle, the way he dressed, or his job. His friends had been incredibly supportive of him, and Wooyoung too. 

But he wasn’t ready to tell people yet. 

“No, those two aren’t together,” Seonghwa said, leaning on the kitchen island on his arms. 

“How are you so sure?” 

“Because Wooyoung wouldn’t be able to keep it hidden.” 

The four men laughed to themselves. But with that revelation, anxiety prickled across Seonghwa’s skin. Hopefully Wooyoung wouldn’t accidentally let anything slip about you and him. 

“He can’t keep secrets to save his life,” Hongjoong added, leaning back on the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Once when we were still dating, I told Wooyoung I had a surprise for Seonghwa, and we hardly made it five minutes before Wooyoung said something.”  

“Did he outright say it?” Yunho asked, leaning against the counter next to the sink. Mingi was next to him, his arm around the other’s waist. 

“No, he didn’t directly tell him, but it was obvious enough that Seonghwa figured it out.” 

Seonghwa smiled as he thought about it. Hongjoong had surprised him with a date night, where they’d go to a restaurant and then the newest Star Wars movie at the time. 

Wooyoung, who was coming with, couldn’t stop talking about the movie for the rest of the time between when he got home with Hongjoong and the time Seonghwa got his surprise. 

Hongjoong stopped telling Wooyoung his plans for surprises after that. 

“I still enjoyed it,” Seonghwa smiled at Hongjoong, to which Hongjoong returned it. 

Sometimes, Seonghwa considered trying again. Opening the door back up and seeing if they could make it work one more time. 

But Hongjoong had found a girlfriend a year prior. And now Seonghwa had you. 

The four looked towards the living room when they heard Wooyoung’s voice again, along with a few new ones. Seonghwa stood up and excused himself to go see Wooyoung’s friends, two of whom he knew already. 

But as Seonghwa reached the front door, he met the one he was unfamiliar with. He was taller than Wooyoung by a few inches, with broad shoulders and massive arms. He stretched out the material of his dress shirt thin when he put his arms around Wooyoung to hug him. 

He had dark, slicked back hair, with sharp facial features, and eyes that could kill. 

Honestly, he was incredibly intimidating. 

But then he watched you and Wooyoung take turns hugging him, and all the intimidation melted away. He spoke brightly, with his dark eyes turning to little slits when he smiled, and little dimples on his cheeks. 

“Wooyoung, who’s this?” Seonghwa asked as he walked up to his son. 

You looked up and ducked out to talk to Yeosang and Jongho as they were putting away their coats, but all of you were watching the three of them out of the corner of your eye. 

“Do you think he knows?” Jongho whispered, in reference to Seonghwa knowing about Wooyoung and San. 

“How could he not?” Yeosang whispered back, side eyeing the two boys. “It’s not like they’re very good at keeping the ‘secret’.” 

You and Yeosang tried to stifle the giggle that threatened to come out by covering your mouths, but Wooyoung heard it, and shot you both a dirty glare before he turned back to Seonghwa with a smile.

“Eomma, this is San. San, this is my mom, Seonghwa.” San smiled brightly at Seonghwa, his eyes turning to slits again before he gave a small bow. Seonghwa returned it, as he began to see his son’s taste more and more. 

And he was approving of the man he chose. 

“Thank you for letting us come to the party,” San said as he came back up. 

“Of course, you’re always welcome here.” Seonghwa put his hand on San’s shoulder, and that was the moment that San realized that Seonghwa knew. 

As if Seonghwa couldn’t tell from how San’s arm was still around Wooyoung’s waist, or how Wooyoung had his arm on San’s shoulder. The way Wooyoung looked at San with stars in his eyes and the sweetest smile. 

“I trust you with my son,” he said softly before he pulled back. 

Wooyoung’s eyes went wide before his face turned tomato red. San’s cheeks began to turn red and he looked away, his arm tightening around Wooyoung. Seonghwa still just smiled as you were giggling with Yeosang and Jongho by the door. 

The tension in the air disappeared. It was warm instead, as it should be on Christmas. 

And then Wooyoung interrupted. 

“How did you know?!” 

All of you burst into laughter. The three men in the kitchen were laughing too. 

With all the joy and laughter, with the happy arrival of your friends, with meeting the uncles, you managed to relax. In the comfort of your friends, everything seemed bright and happy. 

So much so that you almost forgot that the night was far from over. 

Seonghwa had excused himself to change into something more fitting for the party. And when he came back, you nearly fell to your knees. 

He wore a strapless, floor length, red velvet dress. The bodice was similar to a corset, with jewels over where the boning would be, and all over the waist line and top of the dress. The skirt was form fitting, hugging his body just right and showing off everything. 

He’d done his hair and makeup too, letting the dramatic looks out for once. He’d curled his hair, but put half of it into a ponytail, letting the rest fall free.

He’d worn red sparkly eyeshadow with large eyeliner wings, with glossy red lips to match and a little bit of pink on his cheeks. 

He looked at you with his eyes half closed and smiled softly before he went to greet some of the guests that had arrived when he was gone. 

You could’ve shattered the glass of the drink you were holding. 

You wanted nothing more than to grab him and hold him so tight, to kiss his stupid shiny lips and tear the gorgeous dress off his body. Wooyoung was giggling beside you as you loosened your death drip on your glass. 

“What are you laughing at?” you spat, looking at him instead. 

“You, idiot. You look like you’re about to explode.” 

You smacked his shoulder, which only made him giggle more. “Maybe I am,” you mumbled before you took a sip of your drink, 

Wooyoung had changed too, but he just wore a big blue and white striped sweater with nice pants. You were wearing something similar, valuing comfort over fashion tonight. Seeing Seonghwa’s outfit now, it felt like you both were underdressed. 

The party had been amazing otherwise. Wooyoung had introduced you to the other aunts, uncles, and cousins that had come to the party. Thankfully, most of them didn’t ask why you weren’t with your own family. 

Wooyoung dragged you along to talk to Hongjoong, Yunho, and Mingi as well, which you were hoping to do anyway. 

You hung onto Hongjoong’s every word as he talked about the many artists he’d worked with, the songs he produced, and he even let you and Wooyoung hear sneak peeks of some unreleased projects. 

Yunho and Mingi were both lawyers at the same firm, but they both insisted that they’d rather talk about anything else than their job on Christmas. So you talked about a great deal of things, and even eventually asked how they met each other. 

The two gave each other a smile before they looked back at you. “We were on opposite sides of one case,” Yunho began, with a storyteller type tone, far off and dreamy. “We ended up meeting each other after it was settled, and the rest is history.” 

“Who won the case?” Wooyoung asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear the answer again anyway. 

Yunho sighed as Mingi smiled proudly. “Mingi did.” 

Mingi reached over and squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t an easy win.” 

“Of course not, I worked my ass off for that case!” 

You and Wooyoung couldn’t help but devolve into giggles like little kids. 

But for most of the time, you stayed with San, Yeosang, and Jongho. You all naturally gravitated back towards each other when you were pulled away, so you all ended up sticking together. Laughing, yelling, messing with all of Wooyoung’s family, stealing the food. 

Then Seonghwa came back and nearly turned you into a puddle in front of everyone. 

You were trying to clear the redness from your face, Wooyoung still giggling beside you, when you heard a knock at the door. 

The part you’d forgotten about. The catch to everything. The rain for the parade. 

You almost didn’t hear it over the chatter of the party, but Wooyoung definitely heard it. His face instantly fell and body went rigid. 

You put your drink down and grabbed Wooyoung’s hand. He shook himself out of his frozen state to look at you, and you saw that scared little boy again. The same one from those weeks ago when he opened up to you about the villain who was on the other side of the door. 

You’d promised him many weeks ago that he wouldn’t be alone. You’d be by his side, you wouldn’t let him go through it alone. Especially not now. 

“I’ll go with you,” you said softly, squeezing his hand. Wooyoung squeezed your hand back. 

“Okay,” he mumbled, staring at the floor, his shoulders drooping, his hands growing slick. 

You knew this feeling all too well. This internal battle. This anxiety that threatened to consume you completely. You began to feel your heart pounding against your ribs. You were hoping you’d have more time before you had to confront something like this again. 

But you’d do it for Wooyoung. You’d shove your fear aside to support Wooyoung. 

You walked with him to the front door. You kept your fingers laced with his as he hesitated to open the door. You squeezed his hand again, and he squeezed back. 

You could hear your heartbeat in your head now. Breathing was growing more difficult. 

You both took a deep, long breath. And then the door was open. 

At first glance, she didn’t look like much. She was shorter then Wooyoung, about your height, with long dark hair done in a braid down her shoulder, with a dark green knee length dress. 

But everyone knows this song and dance: Looks can be deceiving. 

“Wooyoung!” The woman squealed, throwing her arms out to hug him tightly. Wooyoung used his free arm to hug her back, still keeping his hand locked with yours. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much! It’s been months!” 

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Wooyoung said flatly, patting her back. 

The woman hugged him a few seconds too long before she finally pulled back and came inside the house. “Oh, who’s this?” She asked, her tone teasing, clearly hinting at more as she saw your joined hands. Instinctively, you wanted to pull your hand back and tell her it’s not what she thought. 

But you shoved that aside as you just smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m his friend. I wanted to spend Christmas with him this year.” 

“Not with your own family?” She cocked an eyebrow as she looked at Wooyoung, as if he’d somehow have the answer. He just looked at you. 

You could’ve said a lot. You were already thinking of venomous retorts you could throw at her. Her, who you knew despite her pretty face and sweet voice, was exactly like the people you’d escaped years before. 

But all you said was: “Nope.” 

Wooyoung’s mother blinked in confusion, expecting more, but when she realized you weren’t going to say anything else, she forced a smile. “Alright, well, I hope you’ve had a good time with him.” 

“I have,” you said simply, giving her the same fake smile she gave you. 

You were already growing exhausted of this facade. Your heart was pounding so hard, you could hear it in your head. Your hands were slowly growing slick. 

She simply nodded before she bowed only her head. You returned the gesture. “My name is Hajoon. Yours?” 

You gave her your name. Begrudgingly. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Hajoon said dismissively before she turned back to Wooyoung. But you stayed beside Wooyoung, holding his hand that was tightly gripping yours. 

“Woo, honey,” she cooed, reaching up to hold Wooyoung’s cheek. It took everything in him to not flinch and not move away from her hand. “You haven’t answered me in months. Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he said. He shifted his weight around and swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I’ve just been busy this semester.” 

“Aww, my poor baby.” Hajoon pouted. “You can always ask me if you need help, you know.” 

“I know, but I have help already.” Wooyoung raised his hand which was joined with yours. “If I didn’t have their help, I would’ve been kicked out a long time ago.” 

Hajoon looked at you as you looked away, a blush creeping into your cheeks. He was giving you a little too much credit, but it wasn’t a complete lie. He did need your help sometimes, and you were willing to help. 

“Isn’t that sweet?” Hajoon gushed with a big smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m glad you have help, baby, but I’ll still be here if you need it.” 

Wooyoung nodded once. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Hajoon stayed silent for a moment, but when she realized Wooyoung had nothing else to say, she just nodded too. 

She hugged him again, and like before, Wooyoung just patted her back with one hand. She pulled back and pressed a kiss to his cheek before she let go. “I’ll go say hi to everyone else, and then we’ll talk more, okay?” 

Wooyoung mumbled an “okay” as she walked away. As soon as she was far enough away, he rubbed his cheek with the sleeve of his sweater. 

You let out a huge sigh of relief as you finally let go of Wooyoung’s hand. You both wiped your hands off on your clothes before you turned to each other. 

“That was exhausting,” you said as you watched Hajoon make her way through the people with that goddamn fake smile. 

“Exactly.” Wooyoung took a deep breath before he hung his head. “I just hope she doesn’t start anything.” 

“I’ll be here.” You rubbed his shoulder. “You’re not alone.” He still didn’t look up at you, but he nodded. 

She took everything out of him. It was only a little over a minute, but Hajoon just being here exhausted Wooyoung. You felt it too. The exhaustion from just being stressed that this person might do something, from keeping up the mask that you tolerate this person. 

Your heart ached when you saw it. But it was a different ache. It was painful. It hurt so badly. 

You pulled Wooyoung into a hug and held him tight. He hugged you back instantly, leaning his head on your shoulder. 

“You’re not alone,” you said softly, rubbing his back. Wooyoung nodded again. You couldn’t see it, but he was fighting tears. 

You’d say it until you couldn’t anymore. You’d be there for him. You’d be at his side tonight. 

He wasn’t alone. And he never would be. 

Seonghwa saw the two of you locked in the hug and went over, putting his hand on Wooyoung’s back. Wooyoung pulled back and looked up, wiping his eyes. 

“If she says anything to you, I’ll take care of her,” Seonghwa said softly. Wooyoung nodded, blinking back the rest of the tears. You reached up and rubbed his arm, leaning your head on his shoulder. 

Seonghwa leaned in and pressed a kiss to Wooyoung’s forehead. Wooyoung returned the kiss with one on his cheek before Seonghwa pulled back. “You know, Hongjoong was telling me he had some artists you’d probably like to meet before you go back to college.” 

Wooyoung’s face lit up and his smile melted away any of the tension that was there. “Really? Where is he?” 

“He’s on the couch, I told him I’d go get you.”

Wooyoung took off running for the couch, leaving you and Seonghwa alone by the door. He looked at you, and you looked at him. 

As badly as you wanted to hug him and kiss his Christmas red lips, you’d have to restrain yourself until the party was over. 

“Are you enjoying the party otherwise, dear?” Seonghwa asked, his mother voice coming in thickly. You gave him a small smile as you nodded. 

“Yeah, I’ve been having fun.” 

Seonghwa smiled back. “Good. I hope it stays that way,” he added, trailing off. You could only nod in answer, hoping for the same. 

If only you knew. 

It’d been only an hour after Hajoon arrived, and everyone already wanted her gone. 

Not because she was fighting with anyone, but because everyone knew her “rot your teeth sweetness” was a bald-faced lie. 

She stayed close to Wooyoung most of the time, being touchy and huggy, talking about herself more than talking with him about anything else. 

You were with Wooyoung through it all, and you were both bored to tears hearing about her jobs, her friends, her latest ex boyfriend. It’s like she was gossiping like a teenager, but she was in her forties. 

It didn’t help that Hajoon was the biggest drinker there. She was already halfway to hammered by the time the first hour was over. 

Her conversation topics started becoming more nonsensical and inappropriate. Most of the time, neither you nor Wooyoung had any clue what she was trying to say. 

It was mostly tame until Seonghwa came up behind you two. You were sitting on the couch, and Hajoon was sitting in one of the chairs. She scowled as he put his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulders, but he ignored the look, focusing on you two. 

“You can eat dinner now if you’re hungry,” Seonghwa said, looking between the two of you. “Some people have already gotten theirs, so it’s not as crowded.” 

“Thanks Eomma-” Wooyoung started, then instantly shut his mouth before he spoke again. “Dad.” 

But Hajoon heard it. 

Wooyoung tried to cover it up and flash a sweet little smile, but his death grip on your hand told you otherwise. 

“He’s not your eomma,” Hajoon slurred, her words barely discernible from each other. “You never call me eomma, Wooyoung.” She was trying to be serious, but the slurred speech just made her sound ridiculous. 

“Hajoon, go eat something, you’re drunk,” Seonghwa spat, more forcefully than you or Wooyoung expected. 

And that was the moment you both realized that it was time. The event you were both mentally preparing for, this was it. 

You both braced for Hajoon to spit back at him, but she just stared. But if looked could kill, Seonghwa would’ve been dead and buried. 

She kept up that stare for a few seconds before she got up and stormed into the kitchen. 

You and Wooyoung looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Seonghwa was stunned. 

“Take it and don’t say anything,” you whispered. Wooyoung and Seonghwa both nodded in agreement. Don’t push her, don’t say anything else that might piss her off. 

She was already a bomb with the fuse lit. But the length of said fuse wasn’t anything the three of you knew. 

“Why don’t you two wait a minute, then go get food, okay?” Seonghwa offered. You and Wooyoung nodded, to which Seonghwa nodded back before he walked away. 

The two of you sat in silence the minute you waited to go get food, your hands still interlocked. Why hadn’t Hajoon said anything? It was the perfect excuse for her to go off, but she didn’t. Why? Did she think it wasn’t worth it? 

Wooyoung knew her far better than you did (obviously), and he knew that in all Seonghwa and Hajoon’s years of being broken up, she’d always take a chance to start a fight or say something to him that she didn’t need to. 

She wasn’t always the instigator though. Sometimes, Seonghwa would start it. If Wooyoung happened to overhear or be present, he’d apologize for it. But the point of the matter is that the two had countless spats over the years. 

So why Hajoon stayed silent was a mystery to him and Seonghwa, and you by extension. 

You didn’t need to know their history to know that an abusive narcissist loved to fight, especially if they thought they were correct. Especially when she was drunk, no less. 

Whatever the reason, it made you both tense for whenever she would actually start something. 

You both tried not to think about it as you went to grab food. By that point, you were the last two besides Seonghwa who had to eat. Thankfully, because of Seonghwa’s wonderful planning, there was still plenty of food for you to grab. 

You loaded your plates up with as much food as you could, as you both hadn’t eaten for hours. Wooyoung especially was stacking food on top of itself. 

“Are you sure you’re gonna eat all that?” You teased. Wooyoung just gave you a sly smirk and said nothing. 

You were both ready to make your way back to the couch, but as you were ready to leave the kitchen, San, Yeosang, and Jongho were already at the dining table, calling you both over. 

Wooyoung happily went to sit with them, and you were about to follow, but Seonghwa gently grabbed onto your arm. You didn’t even realize he’d come into the kitchen. 

You looked up as he pulled you back a little, smiling warmly at you with half closed eyes. “Stay back with me for a second, please? I need some help with something.” 

You knew by the look in his eyes that he didn’t actually need anything. 

Except for you. 

You set your plate on the kitchen counter and let him lead you to the back of the kitchen, to a walk-in pantry, of which Seonghwa pulled you into and closed the door behind him. 

“We’re not going to-” You started, but Seonghwa was already shaking his head as he pulled you into his arms. 

“No, not now,” he murmured against your hair, holding you tight against his chest. “I just wanted to hold you.” You gladly melted into his arms and hugged him back. 

You’d been waiting for a moment where you could sneak off with Seonghwa and be with him for just a few minutes. To be in his arms, to just be you two again away from everyone else. Being around other people and pretending he wasn’t anything to you was torture. 

But now you two were alone, and now you were wrapped up in his arms, just like you always wanted to be. 

“You look gorgeous,” you said softly. Seonghwa couldn’t help but smile as heat rushed to his cheeks. 

“Thank you, jagiya. You look adorable.” You smiled bigger and nuzzled into his chest. His velvet dress felt wonderful against your skin, so soft, just as you imagined it would feel. 

You both needed this. Just a couple minutes alone, relaxing in each other's warmth. 

You knew you were going to be back in Seonghwa’s bed by the end of the night, but you couldn’t wait that long to hug him again. 

You wished you could’ve been by Seonghwa’s side all night. His arm around you while you were pressed against him, leaning on his shoulder. Your gorgeous boyfriend, keeping you with him, showing you off as his cute little partner. 

Maybe someday, you’d get there. 

You pulled back and looked up at Seonghwa, giving him your own half closed, loving gaze, similar to the one he always gave you. He held you even tighter as he came up to hold the back of your neck to pull you into a soft kiss. 

His gloss tasted like cherries. 

It was meant to be a soft and quick kiss, but one kiss turned to two, three, four needy ones before you knew it. 

Four turned into who knows how many, with you both gripping onto each other desperately, Seonghwa’s tongue pushing it’s way past your lips to deepen the kiss. You were addicted to his soft moans and heavy breaths, the way they were swallowed up by your kisses. You ran your hand down his body to keep them going- 

“What the fuck?!” 

You both jumped away from each other at the screech, You whipped your head to the door and your heart sunk to your feet. 

It was Hajoon. 

Seonghwa quickly stepped in front of you and held his arm out to keep you back. “Hajoon, this is none of your-”

But she cut him off, screeching like a wild animal. “You’re disgusting! Forcing yourself on someone your son’s age!” 

“He wasn’t forcing-” You tried to interject, but Seonghwa pushed you back a little more as Hajoon continued. 

“You couldn’t find anyone else our age to tolerate you, so you’re going after our son’s friends?! Were you just gonna go down the line and take your pick?!” 

You reached out and held onto Seonghwa’s hand. It was hard to get air in, like your lungs had shrunk. Your heart felt like it was about to explode. Your clothes were clinging to your body with sweat. 

“Hajoon, enough.” Seonghwa’s voice had dropped lower and his head was tilted down, staring at her through his brows. “You don’t know everything-” 

“I don’t need to know anything, I can see it all right here!” 

“Hajoon-” 

“Pretending to be a woman wasn’t enough for you, now you’re a predator?!” 

Just like that, the fear disappeared, and white hot anger washed over you. 

But as you opened your mouth to tear her to shreds, another voice popped up. 

“You do NOT get to call him that.” 

Wooyoung stormed up to Hajoon and stood in front of her, staring her down, his eyes dark and devoid of anything else but pure rage. 

But she just stared at him with the same anger she had for Seonghwa. 

“Oh, so you’re defending this?” She spat, motioning to you and Seonghwa as the this. “You’re okay with your father forcing himself on your friend?!” 

Wooyoung’s hands were clenched into fists at his sides, shaking a little. His jaw was clenched tight like a vice. 

You’d never seen him more infuriated. 

“He’s not forcing himself on anyone,” Wooyoung all but growled out. “You don’t know anything about this, Mom.” 

“Why would I need to?! This is wrong! What if I started dating one of your friends, would it still be okay then?” Despite being shorter than Wooyoung, Hajoon still seemed like she was larger. Like an unstoppable force, an immovable object. 

Wooyoung stared at her for a few moments, turning the words over in his head before he finally spit them back out at her. 

“No, because I wouldn’t want my friends to date someone as bitchy and abusive as you.” 

There it was, the spark that finally set off the bomb. 

“How dare you?!” Hajoon screamed, then began to sob. Your hands shook with anger as memories came up again. “It’s not true, but you keep saying it! What did I do that was so cruel to you, what made me so abusive?!” 

But despite her crying, her begging, her drunken, wild craze, Wooyoung didn’t flinch. There was no sympathy in his eyes. There was nothing. 

“Do you really want a list?” He asked flatly. Hajoon wailed again. 

“You’re such a liar!” She cried, wiping away some of the crocodile tears off her cheeks. “What made you like this?” She started to reach out to hold his face again. “What happened to my sweet Wooyou-” 

He stepped away before she could touch him. Hajoon doubled over as if she’d been punched in the stomach, and she let out a painful sob with it. 

You and Seonghwa finally stepped out of the pantry now that you had space to. Everyone was standing in or just outside the kitchen, thanks to Hajoon. Shame washed over you and Seonghwa, but everyone was more focused on Wooyoung and Hajoon. 

“You did,” Wooyoung ground out. “YOU happened to me, Mom.” His voice cracked as his eyes filled with tears. “You taught me that screaming at people was a good way to get them to listen, you taught me that apologies don’t matter, you taught me EVERYTHING YOU NEVER want to admit to!”

The tears spilled down his cheeks the more he spoke, until all his words were just sobs and gasps. The scared little Wooyoung was back. 

The scared little boy who just wanted to be loved. 

But Hajoon didn’t see it. “Wooyoung, I have never-” 

“Hajoon,” Seonghwa interrupted, his own voice now shaky. “Leave my house.” 

She looked up at him in bewilderment, hoping he wasn’t serious. But he was giving her a similar cold look to the one Wooyoung gave her. But Seonghwa’s was more desperate. More tired. 

“Seonghwa-” 

“Don’t ever come back.” 

You squeezed Seonghwa’s hand. He finally squeezed back. 

With one final cry, Hajoon stormed out of the house, pushing past everyone else to grab her things and slam the front door behind her. 

No one said a word. The house was filled with a tension so thick, it was suffocating, like it was invading your lungs and forcing out the air. 

There was a lot that needed to be said. Looking at everyone’s confused and worried faces, there was an imminent and long conversation that needed to be started, but you didn’t know what to say. 

But you looked over at Wooyoung, who’d pulled himself back against the wall with his face covered, trying to stop crying, and you couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over yourself. 

You pulled away from Seonghwa and nearly ran to Wooyoung, throwing your arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He hugged you back instantly, and you both cried in each other’s arms. 

“You did good,” you whispered, not being able to speak any louder. 

Wooyoung tightened his arms around you. “I’m a mess.” 

“That doesn’t matter.” Your throat closed up and another sob shot from your lips. “You did good, Wooyoung.” 

You didn’t know it at the time, but your words meant more to him than you knew. Wooyoung’s heart swelled hearing the words, and thankfully, he believed you. Even if he did look like a mess, he believed you when you said he did good. 

Because he did. From the way they spoke, it sounded like Wooyoung had tried to confront Hajoon, or make her see how she hurt him. 

But he properly stood up to her this time. Even if she didn’t take a single word of his and think about it, he got it off his chest. 

Wooyoung did it for himself. 

Hongjoong stepped through the crowd of people and walked over to Seonghwa, and his hands began to tremble. 

Seonghwa fully expected criticism from everyone. From not being told up front to how disgusting his current relationship was. Countless lectures and people talking down to him, telling him how wrong he was to pursue someone his son’s age. 

But Hongjoong’s eyes were sympathetic, and his body was relaxed. Seonghwa looked behind him, and Yunho and Mingi were at the front of the small crowd, with the same sympathetic look. 

San, Yeosang, and Jongho were right behind them. San was looking at Wooyoung, his face contorted into pain like he was being stabbed. 

“Do you want to tell us the truth, and not what Hajoon said?” Hongjoong asked, his voice soft. Seonghwa took a shaky breath before he nodded. 

“Yes, I’m in a…relationship of sorts with them,” he started, his eyes falling to the floor. “It’s been going on for a few weeks. I didn’t force them into this, everything, I made sure they consented.” Seonghwa’s vision grew blurry as his throat closed up, cutting off his words. 

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t stop hearing Hajoon’s voice. Predator. 

It’d been his fear since the beginning. Isn’t that what he was? An older man pursuing someone much younger? A predator? 

“I believe you,” Hongjoong said softly, putting his hand on Seonghwa’s arm, sliding down to hold his hand. “Did you initiate this because they’re younger?” 

“No,” Seonghwa instantly spit out. “No, never.” His eyes drifted over to you. “At first, it’s because I found them attractive. But they’re sweet, and funny, helpful, respectful, patient, understanding...” He trailed off and looked back at the ground. “And they didn’t want me as just a perverted sex doll.” 

A whimper left his lips as he finished his sentence, his hand coming up to try to keep the rest of the tears inside. Hongjoong’s eyes grew heavier as he held Seonghwa’s hand tighter. 

“Then you’re not a predator, Seonghwa. I know you’re not. Please believe me when I say you’re not.” 

Seonghwa didn’t want to think he was. He didn’t want to believe he was. 

But hearing himself talk about you, and never bring up your age once made him realize it. 

He didn’t want you because you were younger. He wanted you for you. 

You pulled away from Wooyoung as your crying tapered off. You both wiped your faces off with the sleeves of your sweaters as you turned to Seonghwa. 

Neither you nor Wooyoung hesitated to hug him. The tears turned into full blown sobs as he hugged you two back. It was his turn now. 

And just like you’d known the night before, you three were together. You were still together. 

The ache in your heart was back, all over you, in every part of you. It made you squeeze Seonghwa tighter as you pressed your face back into his velvet gown. 

Unbeknownst to you, Seonghwa was feeling it too. But so was Wooyoung. 

That moment solidified to you that you really had found a family. A family who cared. A family who would protect you. 

A family who loved you. 

Seonghwa closed the door as he said good night to Hongjoong, then turned back to you. 

Thankfully, everyone else was mostly accepting of the revelation that you and Seonghwa were in a relationship, but it killed the mood of the party, so everyone instead finished their food, exchanged their gifts, and agreed to call it a night. 

A lot of them agreed to help clean up, those being Hongjoong, Yunho, and Mingi, mostly helping clean up the kitchen. You and Wooyoung worked with San, Yeosang, and Jongho to freshen up the living room and dining room. 

“You two are really dating?” Yeosang had asked. You just nodded. He looked at Jongho, who looked back at him, and then at you. 

“How do you even start that?” Jongho added. 

Wooyoung piped up then when he grabbed your shoulder. “When you can’t stop drooling over the other.” 

The boys started laughing as you tried to smack Wooyoung, your face burning up remembering your first night. You were grateful that they were accepting too, but now that meant you’d get teased about it endlessly. 

But you’d rather take that over no friends at all. 

Because it was late by that point, the boys decided to stay the night (and definitely wasn’t because Wooyoung convinced San to stay first), so after clean up was done, Wooyoung took them upstairs to show them to their rooms. 

So here you were, alone again with Seonghwa. 

“I should’ve been more careful,” Seonghwa said softly. “It wasn’t a very good spot to hide.” 

“Don't beat yourself up.” You walked over to him and slipped your arms around his waist to hug him. He hugged you back, holding you tight. “You didn’t know she was going to follow us.” 

“I still regret it.” 

You knew you wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise, so you didn’t try. You just squeezed him instead before you looked up at him. 

“Let’s go to bed,” you offered. Seonghwa nodded, and held your hand as he led you back down the familiar route to his bedroom. 

You quickly changed into an oversized t-shirt and shorts, like you usually did, and were going to wait in bed for Seonghwa to be done. 

But you still wanted to be with him. So you went to the bathroom, where he’d already changed out of his gown and into a small pink robe, and was preparing to wash his makeup off. 

“I wanna help,” you said softly as you grabbed onto his arm. Seonghwa looked at you and couldn’t help but smile. That might’ve been the most adorable thing you’d done since you’d gotten here. 

He sat down on the toilet, and guided you through how to take off his makeup and wash his face before bed. You were gentle in everything you did, going over his face like he was made of glass. 

He gratefully leaned against your hand when you held his cheek, smiling in a tired little daze as he thought about how lucky he was to have you. 

You, who was so gentle and sweet to him, who wanted to spend so much time with him, who helped him unasked because you wanted to. You wanted to help him. 

It’d taken so many years for him to find someone again who actually wanted more from him than sex. And he found it in the most unexpected way. 

Once you were done, you both went back to bed and curled up under the covers, holding each other like you had every night before. 

You didn’t know how you were going to sleep without his steady heartbeat anymore. Without his arms holding you tight. 

You didn't want to think about it, especially as your eyes were falling closed from exhaustion. You were spent, and you were finally willing to listen and give in to the tiredness. 

Seonghwa pressed a kiss to your head as he slowly rubbed your back. “Good night, jagiya,” he whispered, closing his eyes. 

“Good night, Mommy,” you whispered back, finally succumbing to sleep in Seonghwa’s arms.

Thank you for reading! Please reblog if you enjoyed! 💜

This is a work of fiction written by me. This does not represent the idol(s) in any way. Any re-upload is not allowed and will be reported.

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Sylvester Ashling Power Analysis/Speculation

Sylvie has been on the mind for a while, so here's my interpretation of how his epithet works (with evidence where I can find it)

Sleep Dust

Sylvie's sleep dust exists as a thin coat on him at all times

Evidence: "[Wonder how] your jacket is white with all this... weird orange dandruff?" (Prison of Plastic - CAST LIVESTREAM! [PART 2])

This coat is loose enough that any movement is enough to dislodge it

Evidence: Molly bumping into Sylvie (EP1 - Quiet in the Museum!)

Sylvie can release the sleep dust at will, but the speed changes depending on how spread out it is (Smaller = Faster). The largest range he can release it is at least the size of a museum room.

Evidence: Putting Indus to sleep (EP2 - Bear Trap)/Using Sleep Dust on Molly + Giovanni (EP2 - Bear Trap)

Once the sleep dust leaves Sylvie's body, it doesn't last long

Evidence: The sleep dust disappears completely after Giovanni blows it away instead of falling back down (EP2 - Bear Trap)

The sleep dust is able to put a person to sleep for several hours. However, you can still wake up from it the same way you would as if you fell asleep normally

Evidence: Molly falling asleep for at least 4 1/2 hours (EP1 - Quiet in the Museum!)/Mera waking up Indus (EP3 - The Doctor is In)

Sylvie likely has an immunity to his own sleep dust

Counting Sheep

Counting Sheep trades Sylvie's sleep dust's potency for mobility

Evidence: Molly only becomes sleepy for a few moments when a Counting Sheep hits her, rather than falling asleep for hours like before

Sylvie can summon at least 27 sheep at once

Evidence: 27 sheep onscreen for like one frame (EP2 - Bear Trap)

Nightmare Fuel

Nightmare Fuel requires the target to have a certain amount of drowsiness before it can be activated, but nightmares can still be summoned without the target being asleep

Nightmare Fuel summons a past nightmare the target has had, usually their worst one

Evidence: "That fire he summoned was from my nightmares" (EP3 - The Doctor is In)

Sylvie doesn't need to know what a person's nightmare is to summon it

Evidence: "Pyrophobia, huh?" (EP2 - Bear Trap)/Being confused when Mera's nightmare is already reality (EP4 - Reflection)

Sylvie uses his yo-yo to activate Nightmare Fuel

Evidence: An orange light travel along the string of the yo-yo whenever he activates Nightmare Fuel (EP2 - Bear Trap/EP4 - Reflection)

Sylvie can manipulate any Nightmare Fuel he summons

Evidence: "I'll keep that fire where it is" implies he can control where the fire moves (EP2 - Bear Trap)

Nightmare Fuel can be used based on any nightmare a person has ever had in their life

Evidence: Nightmare Fuel has summoned more things than the target's worst fear (Bear statues coming to life/Duck/Blue fire)

Dream Big

If Sylvie were to use Nightmare Fuel on himself, "he will be paralyzed and his heart and thoughts will race in anxiety until the spell gets dispelled"

Evidence: Majin Ask (Thank you to gayfrogstheremix for providing me the source)

Sylvie can bring dreams to life. This includes himself, but potentially also includes anyone else who is asleep

Evidence: "Can lull targets to sleep and bring their dreams to life" (Sylvie Bio)/"Sylvie can use his powers to examine his patients’ dreams up close and personal." (Epithet Erased Website)

Sylvie had to train himself to lucid dream Beefton, although he is still unable to control him completely

Evidence: "I think Sylvie had to do training, to like, specifically kind of lucid dream a Beefton into existence" (Epithet Erased QnA Stream Part 5)

Beefton was first created when Sylvie was 11

Evidence: Beefton is 4 years old (Beefton PoP Infocard)

Sylvie could bring any of his dreams to life through Wild Dream but chooses not to

Evidence: "He could probably Wild Dream about whatever he wanted, but it might not be helpful, it might be destructive." (Epithet Erased QnA Stream Part 5)

Sylvie likely uses Dream Big in his day-to-day life, even outside of battle

Evidence: Beefton's interests include "Doing Sylvie's homework after Sylvie falls asleep" (Beefton PoP Infocard)

Sylvie could theoretically use Dream Big to use another epithet, but he would have to train to do so

Evidence: "Could Sylvie like fall asleep and then dream of having a different epithet?"/"Yeah?"/"He could. It'd take a while." (Epithet Erased QnA Stream Part 5)

Miscellaneous

Sylvie can likely drop asleep at will. He may also enter the REM stage of sleep (when you have the most vivid dreams) extremely quickly

Evidence: He can dream Beefton only a few seconds after falling asleep when it usually takes ~90 minutes to enter REM sleep

All of Sylvie's summons are made of his sleep dust

Evidence: Counting Sheep explode into Sleep Dust (EP2 - Bear Trap)/Mera's Duck + Beefton is the same color as the Sleep Dust

All of Sylvie's (personal) summons have some form of sentience

Evidence: Counting Sheep have the ability to distinguish themselves from each other ("The pompadour sheep thinks it's the leader of the flock" (Sylvie Trivia 2))/Beefton has a personality and memories separate from Sylvie ("Beefton did all that!?" (EP3 - The Doctor is In))

The 'realness' of a Nightmare Fuel/Dream Big may depend on how asleep the target is

Evidence: Molly's fire leaves no trace behind (EP2 - Bear Trap) but Beefton's damage remains (EP3 - The Doctor is In)

Sylvie will most likely reach tier 2 in a decade or so

Evidence: "Sylvie's stats are currently in the high-stars, but if he continues on his current trajectory then it's very likely he'll reach the Orbit tier in Proficiency by the time he's in his late 20s to early 30s." (Star Mechanics Explanation)

[solarpunkbusiness]

Mycotech: The Indonesian Startup Biofabricating novel materials from mushrooms

Called Mycotech Lab, the company was inspired by tempeh, the traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans, and came up with its own technology to grow its ethical and carbon-friendly mycelium-based materials. 

Mycotech Lab decided to experiment with the fermentation process used to make tempeh to make a new fabric out of the complex root structure of mushrooms, otherwise known as mycelium. It was a lengthy trial-and-error process that kicked off in 2016, but “finally, we found one mushroom with a mycelium that can be made into binding material,” said Erlambang Ajidarma, head of research at the startup, in conversation with Reuters. 

The final product, developed with fungus grown on sawdust that then gets scraped off and dried and cut into different sizes, is Mylea, a fibrous but tough material that acts just like the real thing. It’s waterproof, pliable, durable, and most importantly, is far more sustainable than existing plastic-based synthetic leathers or carbon-intensive real leather made from hide. 

Mycotech also uses natural dye extracted from roots, leaves and food waste in the region to colour their leather alternative, which again is a process that is far less polluting than traditional tanning processes used for real cowhide that leaves behind solid and liquid waste that contains chromium and other hazardous compounds.

Since its inception, Mycotech has managed to grow its client base with no marketing budget because the demand for sustainable alternatives has grown alongside awareness of the damaging effects of animal-based materials in the fashion industry. 

We the Fungi

Bio Binderless Board | Sustainable non-adhesive binder board from Mylea™ byproduct to meet modern architectural and design standards

Biodegradable Solid-Composite | Utilizing mushroom mycelium that grows and is shaped into desired form and utilities.   

[queenhunter102]

Part 3

(Part 2) (Part 4) Lore Page Your growl vertebrates off the walls of the med bay, Doc bounces from his seat, quick to take a stand between you and the ‘Captain’

“Captain, stop it, would you? The constant growling is giving me a headache” Doc said near enough barking at the ‘Captain’, forcing him to take a step away from you, “Doc really? ” Doc nods his head “Yes really, out” Doc says pointing out of the room, the ‘Captain’ leaves finally, but not without a warning growl at you, Doc gives one back, telling him to stop.

“Well now wasn’t that fun” Doc says, as he closes the door and slides the lock in place with a click “Why I didn’t do that in the first place I don’t know” he says turning back to you, he sighs walking over to his desk picking up the phone that lay there, “Why are you here?”

“I’m the new recruit from MI5, the specialist in Bioengineering” you say, your fingers grazing over the freshly forming bruises on your skin, Doc’s eyes go wide “Ahhh, you’re the new one for the 141” He says as he presses buttons on the phone, you watch as Doc waits for the phone to ring out to whoever he was calling.

“Saregent come to med-bay I have one of yours” Was all Doc said before he hung up the call, placing the phone on his neat desk, “I thought you weren’t supposed to come till Friday” Doc said, walking over to a tap and filling it a small plastic cup with water walking back to you, handing out the small plastic cup.

You took it with a slight shaky hand, your adrenaline high now leaving you shaky and a little unsteady “I was but my Unit Chief wanted me gone as fast as possible” you said, taking a small sip of water, Doc nods his head, sitting back down in his little rolly stool “ Well seeing as I have you here might as well run the usual Bio-test and get you sorted before they put you in the field” Doc said, as he rolled away to his desk picking up a clipboard before rolling back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were three sharp knocks on the door to the med-bay door, your head snapping up from the sound.

“Ahh finally the Sargent” Doc said, getting up and unlocking the door revealing a 6’2 alpha male, you eye him taking him in, from his mohawk to his shaved sides, to the sharp angles of his face all the way down to the dirt that covered his hairy forearms.

Doc welcomed him in, “Welcome Johnny, how was Captain John”

The ‘Johnny’ groaned “God don’t, he’s been pissy all morning him and L.T” ‘Johnny’ said his accent decidedly Scottish you thought, Doc laughed “Oh I know I put him in it and so did they” He said, his head pointing to you, who still sat on the med-bay bed, Johnny turned his head to you.

“And you are?” Johnny asked, his gaze bouncing between you and Doc, “I’m the Bio Engineer Specialist” You say, Johnny nods his head as if pretending like he knew what you have said then he pauses, “Wait, the Specialist?” Johnny asked, you again nod, “You weren’t supposed to be here till Friday,” Johnny said, you sighed “My Unit Chief wanted me gone”.

Johnny lifted his brow as if he didn’t believe you, but he chose to not push any further, he turned his head to Doc “Doc are they all good to go?” Johnny asked, Doc nodded his head “Yeah just make sure that they come back for their Vaccinations” Johnny nodded, before turning his head back to you “Right then, come along Specialist” he said, nodding his head to the door of Medbay.

You climb off the bed, walking with a small limp over to Johnny, Johnny’s eyes narrow at your small limp but he does not ask about it, he just lets his gaze sweep over you checking for any other injuries, before walking out of Med-Bay.

You waved bye to Doc before racing after Johnny and his long legs, “Johnny Slow down!” you shout, as you try and run, the limp forcing you into a weird sort of Jog, you stop when you practically crash into Johnny.

“Call me Sergeant, at least for now” He said, before continuing down the hall, you followed him through the base till he brought you to a barracks.

“I know Omega’s prefer to have company of some sort but, you’re our first Omega on base since the base was first established” Johnny said, as he swung the door open revealing an aisle with beds on either side.

Johnny walked down the aisle down to the bottom showing you two doors he opened one showing you a cupboard filled with extra pillows and blankets, ranging from soft to rough textures, the pillows being plush or ridged.

“We weren’t sure what you would need, so we made sure that you got everything and if anything that you need isn’t there just let me know and I’ll get it” Johnny said, before closing the cupboard door, turning and opening a private communal shower and bathrooms.

“We also couldn’t risk you being around to many alphas without somewhere safe to retreat to, I also know that some omegas are super sensitive to Alphas and their pheromones, so there should be body wash, shampoo and conditioner somewhere” Johnny said, you nod thinking that the team you’ve joined have been super considerate so far, thinking if you were hypersensitive to Alpha Peramoanes.

“I-I have a question” you say your voice coming out a little rough sounding from all the growling you had been doing, Johnny nods to you, signalling for you to ask you a question.

“I was supposed to have a guide in some Ghost mask, what happened to him?” you ask, Johnny tilts his head side to side, as if thinking how he should answer you.

“He is busy dealing with our Captain and is dealing with the Alpha you had a small brawl with earlier, good job by the way, he looks rough '' Johnny says, before closing the bathroom door and walking up to the door of the barracks.

“The rest of your things should arrive soon, so I’ll leave you to settle in” was all Johnny said before closing the door, closing you in your new home.

[sparkletastic-cookiedough]

Link Library

Literally just a link collection of all my tumblr writing.

Favorite Posts

DPxDC: Danny Phantom fan Damian, best friends with Dash. (they hang out at an arcade, also BATNIPPLES)

DPxDC: John Constantine is Danny's comfort human

DPxDC Dick Grayson is investigating a travelling circus (my favorite prompt, but it's just a prompt)

DPxDC: Vlad masters is a lion? Completely centered around Zeke Morris, an OC.

DPxDC: Danny does his taxes.

DPxDC: Cardboard Danny AU

Danny Phantom: Jazz Fenton Gaslighting People (Short)

DPxDC: The Tangerine Pimpernel (Long)

DPxDC: Danny is applying for a grant with Wayne Enterprieses (The best dramatic irony)

DPXDC: Constantine taking care of baby Danny

DPxDC

Danny in a Maid Dress (RECENTLY UPDATED)

The Phantom Cafe (Short)

In Love With The Speed Force : Barry Allen is obsessed with a god. Also the Justice League gets high in this one.

Bartender Dan has a no bats policy.

The Justice League investigates Danny's box selling business. (Featuring the Bodacious Vibes detector)

The Titans discover Danny and Dani are different people

Danny has access to dead knowledge

The Fentons make arrows for Green Arrow (Short)

Trans Danny, mourned by Bio-sibling Damian

The one where Team Phantom destroys all conflict in the Batman universe

Dani is in Hally's Circus, Dick thought she died and now she's back

John Constantine "rescues" Danny from the ghost zone

Steph plans to prank Batman

Bodyguard Danny

Danny vs Plastic Man vs Nightwing: Who would win at Twister? (short)

Wes Weston gets ghost powers, Flash is concerned

Riddler kidnaps Danny, Batman has to answer a riddle to save him

Team Phantom produces a fictional movie on Amity Park

Danny is traumatized, the Batfam is traumatized, everyone is sad and traumatized. (short-ish, hurt/ comfort)

Danny can predict the future, thus Flash yells at god (again, more of a prompt than a full story, cause sometimes I only write the beginnings.)

Dani pranks the justice league

The DC universe is about to collapse, Danny has to herd them out. (Prompt, as I am addicted to beginning stories and never finishing them)

Danny's family reincarnates (yet another prompt.)

Tim has infinite spleens

Jason can see through the fourth wall, and is not down for this Phantom of the Opera nonsense.

The Bats investigate Jazz

Wes is investigated by Superman, Magical shenanigans occur.

Catwoman steals an artifact that has a ghost in it.

Danny putting on his own Brucie Wayne act as Bruce's secretary

Jazz as Damian's Babysitter

Zatanna interacting with a Liminal Gotham

Danny is Batman's Clone (Dramatic Irony, my beloved)

John Constantine accidentally adopts Danny

Jason is dating Jazz, gets Tim and Danny to meet (mostly just Jason and Tim fluff)

Dash Baxter, Metropolis Cop (short)

Queer Platonic Relationship Fluff with Tim and Danny (features a prompty cliffhanger that goes absolutely nowhere)

Danny runs over Kori with a car (featuring yet another cliffhanger prompt ending that goes nowhere)

Clone Adoption Agency

Tim gets his spleen back from Cujo

Danny runs a daycare in Gotham

Maddie is Jim Gordon's Sister (short as heck and not great, but it's the first one I wrote, so it's special to me)

Batman Crossovers (No Danny Phantom edition)

Batman and the Muppets

Miraculous Ladybug: Marinette in Gotham (Fic itself is short, use of ai by another user in the beginning, more of a prompt than a post)

Batman x Game Changer: Robins do Robin trivia

Batman x BNHA: Batgirl gets isekaied into BNHA universe (Like the first chapter of a hypothetically longer fic)

Just Batman (and other DC characters)

Superbat Ship: featuring Batfam Fluff.

Jason can see through the fourth wall (short, more of a prompt than a post, and a continuation of the AU from an above DPxDC post.

Batfam tries to steal the watchtower (based on art!!!)

Matchmaker Tim Drake (again, more of a prompt)

Neurodivergent Batfam Moments

Hero Swap (Based on ART!!!)

Bruce Wayne time travels (short)

Bruce wearing his kids merch (short)

Clark Kent covering Bruce Wayne's drama

Superbat ship stuff (Short)

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson & Harry Potter Crossover: Percy Jackson Vs Potions Class

Percy Jackson Gods react to Hadestown (Short)

Percy Jackson and Danny Phantom Crossover: Nico wants the Ghost King as his twitch username, but it's taken.

Other Fandoms

Gravity Falls: Levity Rises - the portal incident.

Just Danny Phantom: Jazz dealing with trauma (a bit of a character study, based on art)

Danny Phantom x BNHA crossover: Jazz and Nedzu meet.

BNHA: All Might and All for One completing to be the best dad. (Plot outline.)

BNHA: Izuku becomes a cult leader. (Plot outline)

[mindblowingscience]

As kimchi has been drawing attention as a global healthy food trend, cabbage is one of the representative vegetables used as a main ingredient for manufacturing kimchi overseas. The annual global production of cabbage and other Brassica crops is reported to be 72 million tons, and more than 30% of them are estimated to be discarded during the manufacturing and distribution processes, causing environmental pollution as well as considerable waste disposal costs in the industry. In connection with this problem, Hae Choon Chang, President of the World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim), has announced that the institute has developed a bio-refactoring-based upcycling technology that can convert cabbage byproducts discarded as waste during the food manufacturing process into biodegradable plastics.

Continue Reading.

[fourteengpc]

I keep seeing people talking about dungeon meshi modern aus so these are my takes:

Senshi is an old hippie an outspoken advocate of clean local foods, monster-based and non, and runs the best food truck in the city. It is also, though, hilariously illegal, so he only shows up at odd times and places because he's in this for the passion anyway, not for profit

Laios is a schmuck college student (bio/zoology, he loves the content but is bad at academics and test taking U_U) who often works for Senshi in exchange for food. (As broke as he is, this is an excellent deal) Falin is also a student, (still magic? some kind of science? magitek??) and Marcille is her classmate/girlfriend. She occasionally gets dragged on Laios and Falin's mushroom-hunting hikes, fighting for her life by the end of it bc occasionally one of the siblings will just bound off into the woods like an excited dog and come back covered in dirt and bugs Chilchuck is the local business owner who puts up with these people loitering around his shop-- often talks a big game about kicking them out but rarely actually does anything more than hitting Laios with plastic bottles

Izutsumi, as per canon, is a stray cat that Senshi adopted

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

GAC ERA Concept, 2023. A prototype full-size SUV crossover powered by a hydrogen fuel cell-based powertrain that produces 540hp and an 800km range. The aerodynamic bodywork is made from marine recycled plastic and seaweed bio-based materials. When travelling in autonomous mode the front seats can rotate to face the rear.