#Brand New Cars Japan

[ahundredtimesover]

I Want You to Stay (07) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: boss!JK x assistant!reader; idiot strangers to lovers; slow slow burn; k-drama feels; angst, drama, fluff, smut

Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, unhealthy coping mechanisms; family drama; minor injuries; power dynamics (JK starts off as a jerk); work-related anxiety, feelings of helplessness, insecurities; childhood traumatic experiences, nightmares; sexual harassment, prior incidence of domestic violence (PLS PLS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING); arts and business/property devt talk that’s probably inaccurate; commitment issues & emotionally constipated characters; cold and detached JK; eventual explicit sexual content (specific warnings stated per chapter) (18+)

Chapter Word count: 15.4k

Series Masterlist

Status: Ongoing

Series summary: Working for Jungkook isn’t the same as working for Hoseok. For starters, Jungkook doesn’t smile, he doesn’t appreciate you, and he gives you too much work. It doesn’t help that he’s incredibly handsome and has women at his beck and call. But as the tension grows, it becomes impossible to resist him. You’ve dedicated yourself to your job for 8 years so when you finally decide to put yourself first, he asks you to reconsider. And while you know that leaving is difficult, you learn that when it comes to Jungkook, staying is always so much harder.

Playlist 🎶: on the way home

A/N: One of my fave chapters! I hope you like this one! And just a heads up that intervals between posting days will be longer as the chapters get longer, too. And bc u know, life... HAHA but again, thank you so much for all the love for this like??? HOW. PLS you've all been so nice so thank you! 🥰 Also… JK in that SNTY suit.

And as always, my biggest thanks to @wonwoonlight  🥰

PS. If I can’t tag you, pls fix your settings!

Mr. Ri loads the luggages in the trunk and you double check that all bags - which you helped pack yesterday - are complete. You enter the car right after and head to the airport where Jungkook will fly to Singapore for a few meetings and to attend Seokjin’s alcohol launch party. 

It’s been over a month since the Arts Center event and so much has happened since then. Jungkook went to Jeju to meet an artist and then to Japan over a weekend to meet another two. He’s been on calls with a few more with plans to meet in their country of residence in the next months, and he’s gone around different local towns to meet with craftspeople for souvenirs and future exhibitions. He’s also touched base with various national and international Korean arts and culture organizations for promotion and joint projects. The event opened doors for a new network that he hoped for. There are now proposals for other collaborations and side engagements that’s doing a lot for the company’s brand and expansion. 

To say that Jungkook and the team have been busy is an understatement. You went back to work after those few days of recovering with everyone overwhelmed by all the things they had to do but like you expected, you all managed and got things organized. There are still multiple things to handle all at once, but everyone’s just been on top of everything and showing how competent you all are as individuals and as a team.

Within that period, Jungkook has stopped by the team’s office and the pantry more times than those first months. He also managed to laugh at Do-hyun’s unfiltered remarks a few times and even slipped his own that got the team giggling. He’s seemed a lot more relaxed and so has the team. Lunch meetings have been regular given all the work you all have to do. Yohan and Chin-sun even say that they’ve gotten to know Jungkook a little better through their visits to the Arts Center. And while they do think he’s still a bit detached and catch him in his own world sometimes, he’s a lot more engaged and is actually way smarter than they’d initially thought. 

Jungkook checks his phone and sighs, prompting you to turn to him.

“Seokjin says the party is an intimate event but there’s gonna be over two-fifty guests so I don’t know about that,” he shakes his head, showing you the restaurant bar where his friend will be launching his alcohol brand. “For some reason, he expects me and Tae to entertain guests on his behalf.”

This was another development you hadn’t expected. Since that morning when Jungkook sent you food when you were unwell, your relationship changed. It’s still professional but there’s more openness now, as if that prompted both of you to be comfortable around each other. 

There’s more trust and honesty, too - he lets you make decisions, lets you handle the team when he’s away, and asks you for your unfiltered opinion. You feel like all the time you spend together has allowed you to learn how he sees and understands things; you even finish his sentences sometimes. 

He’s also loosened up a bit and allows himself to laugh and smile more. They’re still rare occurrences but you never point them out, not wanting him to feel awkward and then stop. They often catch you off guard so you haven’t been able to fully appreciate them but at least he feels comfortable around you, enough to even talk about non-work stuff and things that fill his mind, like random questions or small concerns. 

You’re unsure if he notices how uninhibited he’s become but you don’t point it out either. He still has his moments of living in his head, his faraway thoughts rendering him quiet and observant, and his perfectionist attitude means he’s still critical sometimes. But he doesn’t take anything out on you - not his frustrations nor his fears. He’d usually keep to himself and talk to you once he’s cooled down and you’d take that any day, so long as you keep your sanity and are able to do your tasks as instructed.

In return, you let yourself be the same. You’ve fully restored your confidence and that’s allowed you to show just how capable you are. You’ve been more vocal with your thoughts, too, and don’t take it personally when he doesn’t agree. You smile a lot more, joke with him even, and have been more generous with words of encouragement and affirmation. They come more naturally than you expected, and you appreciate that he doesn’t turn you away whenever it happens.

He’s actually okay to be around when he’s not being grumpy or difficult. You suppose that the situations he was put in - and how you responded with patience and understanding - allowed him to see that you’re truly on his side and that let him put his guard down a little. You’re past trying to please him for the sake of making your job bearable; there’s actual joy in it now, and while the search for who you are outside of all this continues to ring in your head, you think that sticking around for now isn’t so bad either.

“Perhaps Seokjin has seen how good you are with entertaining guests now and deems you worthy of being an extension of him,” you respond to Jungkook’s earlier musings. “And he wouldn’t be wrong. You’ve become really good at it.”

“You know, I think you oversell me sometimes,” he chuckles. 

“Hmm, I think I don’t,” you counter. “If I may say so, Mr. Jeon, it's just that the bar was pretty low so the improvements are quite striking.”

“Fair enough,” he laughs, not taking offense.

“You can still do better at charming people. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from Seokjin and Taehyung,” you push.

“Those two flirt, they don’t charm,” he playfully rolls his eyes.

“Well, I completely disagree, sir. I mean, I’ve seen it firsthand. And I’m not one who’s easily charmed.”

“Fine, I’ll see what I can pick from them, then,” he concedes.

“Kidding aside, I think you’ll be fine, Mr. Jeon. Plus, it’s unrelated to work so there’s no need to impress anyone,” you state. 

“True,” he hums. “But just thinking about these next few days is already making me tired. Tae rented a yacht for tonight. We have Seokjin’s launch tomorrow, and to celebrate, he’s throwing another party the day after.”

“Hmm, must be that you’re getting old,” you tease, earning you a hum in agreement. “But you’re used to that though, right? They always said that was your life back in Singapore.”

“It was. I had less responsibilities and people to manage but back then, everything seemed too much,” he shares. “I took the weekends seriously and really just did whatever I wanted. I haven’t done much of that these past weeks because I’ve been so tired and I feel like I’m under the microscope when I’m here. So yeah, I’ll probably just take advantage of being back there and just enjoy it.”

“As you should,” you say. “You’ve worked hard and you deserve to spend your weekend however you wish. Just, uh…”

“What?”

“Probably give Lucas a heads-up in case a half-naked woman greets him in the kitchen on Monday morning.”

The silence is deafening and you think you’ve crossed a line with this one. You turn towards him and he looks stunned at your unfiltered remark.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Jeon,” you bow in apology. “That was too personal.”

“It’s okay,” he responds after a beat of silence. “I guess I deserve that. I mean, I never apologized for the morning when you experienced exactly that. And for when you found that underwear on the floor, which I forgot to clean up. So, uh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, too. I got over it,” you assure him. “And if anything, I’m pretty sure she left that on purpose so she’ll have a reason to come back.”

“That’s exactly it,” he groans. “She saw me again and wanted to go to my apartment so she could get it. I told her I threw it away.”

“How brutal,” you tease again.

“Not my finest moment but yeah, I’m sorry to put you in that position. Must’ve been tough seeing proof of all the washroom gossip.”

“You know about those?” You gasp. 

“I’ve heard about them,” he sighs. “Mr. Ri’s got eyes and ears in the office.”

“It’s hard to defend so I just don’t try,” the older man shakes his head. “Not like you deny it anyway.”

“Not like I really care,” Jungkook shrugs. “But even then, I guess it wasn’t the best start for us,” he tells you.

“Perhaps not, but I’m not one to judge, Mr. Jeon. That’s all in the past now, and that feels like a lifetime ago.”

“It does,” he hums. 

It’s during these casual exchanges when you get to see a bit more of Jungkook as the person that he is, beyond the perfectionist executive who still harbors fears and worries about his new role. He’s still a human being who finds ways to deal with the stresses of life, someone who needs time to step away from his burdensome responsibilities, someone who seeks intimacy and connection and finds ways to attain them in his own ways. The doubts and worries are still there, but the foundation has stabled a bit. Somehow you think that you’ve created a space safe enough for him to talk about them, to apologize, and to try to be better. You hope he gets to create that for himself, too, and if that’s what you’ll leave him with by the time you decide to step away from this job, you think you’d be satisfied. 

Silence engulfs you both and like he often is after being vulnerable with you, he keeps to himself once again. You wait a while before running through his meetings for today and next week and inform him of what the team will be working on while he’s away. Jungkook responds with a few last-minute instructions, especially about the tasks he needs done in time for your team meeting on Monday. You’re both back to professional talk and you don’t really mind; there’s something about being honest and open that could be a bit disarming.

The car stops and Mr. Ri exits to retrieve the luggage from the trunk. Jungkook, in his navy blue suit, gathers his things and says goodbye. Before he can close the door, you call out his name.

“Yeah?” He asks, his one hand carrying his bag and the other, on the roof of the car as he bends to look at you.

“Happy birthday,” you say. “I know you think it’s just an ordinary day but I hope you celebrate well.”

“Thank you,” he says after a few seconds, basking in the softness of your smile for the short moment that he can.

Jungkook steps away then closes the door. He heads to the airport lounge before taking the 6-hour flight to Singapore, spending it on reviewing reports and design proposals. He goes straight to the office when he lands, settling down in his room where he responds to emails. He munches on some dumplings for lunch, thinking he’s missed the ones from the restaurant across the street, but then Lucas enters and sets down a bowl of seaweed soup.

“Ms. Cho asked me to get this for you, Mr. Jeon.”

Jungkook is caught off guard but manages to dismiss Lucas and tastes the dish. It’s nothing like his mother’s, but then again, he hasn’t had it in years. When Jungkook moved here, there were no celebrations apart from getting drunk at a club, which is also why he’d stopped thinking of his birthday as anything special. There were no traditional meals or well wishes or birthday cakes.

He’s here again. There’s that yacht party tonight but it won’t feel like a celebration. Somehow, with this bowl of soup, this does. You’re a thousand miles away but even then, he still feels your presence. Even then, he feels more cared for than he has these past several years combined.

Jungkook wakes up the next morning with a splitting headache. His neck feels a bit strained, given that he’d slept in an awkward position wearing his clothes from last night. He also barely remembers much. One minute he was drinking with a woman around his arm and the next he’s… here. 

He shifts and lays flat on his back, groaning as last night’s happenings manifest in the soreness of his entire body. The yacht was fancy, as he’d expected from his best friends. There was overflowing food and drinks, the music was great, and the guests were honestly too many for his liking. There were familiar faces and new ones, but he mostly stuck around with those he knew. What he also remembers is not being able to taste his cake. He’s definitely calling Seokjin to complain.

Suddenly hit with the thought of not knowing how he’d gotten home last night - or with whom - Jungkook sits up and groans once more, the incoming call adding to the ringing sound in his head.

“Mr. Jeon,” Lucas answers on the other end. “How are you feeling today?”

“Terrible,” Jungkook says, now finding the strength to get off the bed. “Did you take me home?”

“Yes, sir. You wanted to leave so Mr. Ri and I took you to your penthouse,” Lucas answers. “Your valuables are on the table.”

Jungkook sighs, knowing it was one of those nights. Removing his clothes, he sees the fresh marks on his chest. Wanting to prepare himself before finding some stranger in the other room, he asks his assistant if he’d brought someone home with him.

“No, sir. It was just you. She, uh, she asked to come but you told her you were too tired so she stayed behind.”

“Oh, good,” Jungkook exhales in relief, not wanting to deal with any of that this morning, which is one reason why he always asks them to leave. “How long do I have until I have to get ready for tonight?”

“About five hours,” the younger man replies. “You have a scheduled dinner with your friends at 5:30 and then the event at 8. I’ll be there before that to help you get ready.”

“Alright, thanks. I’ll just workout to deal with this hangover.”

“Medicines are in the cupboard, sir. Please just let me know if there’s anything more you need.”

“I will.”

Jungkook hangs up and presses on his temples as if that’ll do anything. He retrieves the medicine as advised and thinks of something else he needs - a cup of lemon ginger tea. Ever since you’d prepared one for him that one morning, he’s been having it after every night out. He calls the butler to have it prepared for him, given that he doesn’t have the energy to do so himself. 

It arrives, and coupled with the aspirin, he’s starting to somehow feel better. He knows that heading to the gym will do the trick, as it always does, but it still makes him think that he shouldn’t have drank as much as he did last night. 

For someone who’s not particularly fond of people, even Jungkook sometimes wonders why he goes out and parties as much as he does. 

He wasn’t always like this though. His weekends used to be spent on food trips and travels, but after the breakup with Chaerin, those days became free, and he’d stay out late so he could sleep the rest of the next day. The women were to make up for the loneliness; the alcohol was to forget why he needed them in the first place. He hates loud and unnecessary sounds, but the music and the chatter started to become white noise for him; they’d become a companion to help deal with the noise in his own head, or the lack of it. 

Years later, the remaining thoughts in his mind were just all about work, and he’d revert to the same habit for relief - the women became his thrill; the alcohol was so he wouldn’t remember them. 

And it works. The ecstasy lasts only through the night. It’s fleeting as his desire for them is. He doesn’t recall names, just that they made him feel good and that they felt the same; they often try to hook up with him again after all, seeking him in the clubs they know he frequents. But he rarely entertains them; a second time leads to a third, and he can’t be assured that they won’t ask the same tiring questions he hates hearing - why doesn’t he have a girlfriend? Why doesn’t he want to commit to anyone? Does he see himself settling down and having a family? What’ll make him want that?

It’s happened a few times, during the rare instances that there’s a lull in between and they take advantage of his brief period of vulnerability to make him open up. He never does, and it’s not because he thinks it’s a weakness to do so, but he just never really let the moment linger to find out. 

After a light meal, Jungkook heads to the gym and spends three hours expending his energy so he could get it back. 

This is his other means of dealing with his stress. Working out makes him focus on something else and it helps in releasing all his anger and frustration. As he stares at his bare body in the mirror right after - the marks from last night still visible - he scoffs at himself. 

He’s so stereotypical, it makes him sick. He’s allowed himself to let his life revolve around the shallow and fleeting sensations of pleasure to counter the permanence and inevitability of his job. This is his world and he made it this way. And while he drowns in the nothingness inside the walls that he created, he still thinks it’s better than being outside; somehow he thinks it’s lonelier and more burdensome out there. At least in here, he’s all he has to deal with; he’s all he can disappoint.

But there are still moments when he wonders what it could be like if he just dared to live differently. Like when he watches Seokjin animatedly explain the history and creation process of Korean traditional alcohol during the product launch that evening and how his passion is moving and infectious. Or when he observes how Taehyung freely moves around the club and makes connections with others as deep as his smile. 

Jungkook thinks about all this as he glances at the woman next to him later that night, bare under the covers like he is, her body curled into a cocoon as she takes a break. 

She’d caught his eye earlier because she wasn’t trying to get his attention like the others were. She spoke less and screamed more, let him do what he wanted but touched him softly as she pleased.

“You’re a good lover. Why do you waste yourself with something temporary like me?” She’d asked. 

It left him speechless and he shrugged - a change from his usual dismissal - but there’s really nothing to say. 

Why does he? He doesn’t know. He doesn’t want to. 

But it’s at this moment that he tries to imagine what it would be like if it were the same face he saw next to him every morning, if it were the same hand he held everyday, if it were the same warm body he curled into every night. His mind wanders too far, into the depths of a place it can’t go to, beyond boundaries he can’t cross, and the sight is both terrifying and calming. 

It’s safer where he is.

So when she wakes up from a short nap, she looks up at him, her soft eyes wishing for something she knows she shouldn’t.

“You should go,” he says, the softest he’s ever uttered the words. 

“Okay,” she whispers in submission. 

She gets up from the bed, finds her stray clothes on the floor, and puts them on. Jungkook follows her to the door, a first for him. Maybe it’s her gentleness, or the unspoken understanding between them, or maybe because she doesn’t ask for more even if she seems to want to. 

But though he contemplates pulling her back to try to feel what that’s like - seeing her in the morning, holding her hand, curling into her embrace - he doesn’t. He knows even that desire would end; it’s fleeting just as everything around him is.  

He holds open the door. She turns around with a smile.

“I hope someday you find someone you’ll ask to stay,” she says, surprising him again. “I’m sure they would.”

You walk around the store in awe of the luscious plants displayed on the shelves, your eyes as bright as the lights that shine over them. There are so many to choose from, and though you have an idea of what you want to have, it’s tough deciding which ones to get right now. The money tree is a must, so is the Chinese evergreen. But do you go for the orchid or the peace lily? Can you keep up with a spider plant? How many of the asparagus ferns should you get?

Your eyes flit from one plant to the next, eventually deciding on getting everything on your list then placing them on the cart for payment. 

Jimin chuckles next to you. “Since when were you a plant mom?”

“Since she got that aloe vera from Yoongi and she was convinced that she has a green thumb after it didn’t die,” Soomin deadpans next to you as you frown at her sarcasm. “That’s also after my weekly reminders to water the plant because ‘no care’ doesn’t actually mean it’s going to survive on its own.”

“Oh, shush,” you scoff at her. “You told me I was doing a good job.”

“You’d send a photo every few days, hun,” she laughs. “What else was I supposed to say?”

“True. I needed the encouragement,” you shrug, paying for your haul. “But also, I’m a plant newbie. Yoongi said that I probably need some of them at home and in the office for positive energy and he’s not wrong. All the frustration from months ago just accumulated in my apartment and I need a change.”

“So… Is Yoongi a plant dad, too?” Soomin wonders.

“No. He just knows about a lot of things,” you reply. “Plus, he’s an architect and a designer. He knows a thing or two about plant decor.”

“Why isn’t he here with you, then?” She arches an eyebrow.

“Because I’m with both of you, duh,” you roll your eyes. “And before you say anything more, I don’t really like mixing my work friends with my personal friends. It’s different.”

“Well, I’m glad we could join you on this new phase of your life,” Jimin tries to be encouraging. “It’s like turning over a new leaf.”

You scold him over his terrible pun but laugh anyway, enjoying the comfort and playfulness that only your best friends could bring. They picked you up from work last Friday then you all headed to a club after dinner. You spent yesterday at a beach at their insistence then stayed in during the evening. It’s now Sunday and you’re dragging them around as you run errands before saying goodbye to them again, and it’s not a normal day without Soomin mentioning Yoongi. Perhaps it’s because of all the guys you’ve mentioned that have taken interest in you, he’s the only true green flag; he’s also the only one you didn’t entertain at all. You suppose that’s something she’ll not really get over. 

The three of you head to a nearby cafe. Jimin excitedly talks about the latest menu item in their chain of restaurants while Soomin groans about the stuff she has to deal with as she manages her family-owned shipping company that’s the biggest in the port city of Busan. They turn to you and ask how the rest of your week is going to go, with slightly surprised looks when you don’t talk about work with as much disdain as you used to. There’s excitement, even, something that Soomin points out, and when you mention that Jungkook is on an overseas trip, she assumes that’s the reason why.

“Not really,” you clarify. “He arrives tomorrow evening, but the week’s packed - we’re visiting the Arts Center for inspection and then I’m doing an ocular with Chin-sun for the VP events we’re holding in the next few months. I mean, I won’t be buried in files nor will I be in meetings all week. So yeah, it’s not bad.”

“That’s good,” Jimin beams. “At least it’s nothing like how it used to be. Right?”

“It’s a lot better, I told you guys,” you say, reminding them of a similar talk you had the last time they were here, which was a week after you’d gotten sick. “Jungkook is… rational, less grumpy and impulsive; he also listens to me and trusts me. He’s even smiled a few times.”

“Wow, he really set the bar low for you, huh,” Jimin chuckles, earning him a nod.

“Does that also mean that he’s now completely bearable and no longer your type because he’s not an asshole anymore?” Soomin chimes in, being the blunt and bold one among the three of you.

“He never was my type in the first place,” you scowl. “Plus, he’s literally my boss, Soo. That’s like, not some flag, it’s a whole ass brick wall that shall not be crossed.”

“Right. That’s why Mr. Min didn’t make the cut,” she points out. “Told you you should’ve just quit your job so you could date him.”

“And I also told you that wasn’t the only reason why I didn’t want to,” you remind her. “Yoongi’s exactly the type of person I need in my life, and being more than friends is the surefire way of making sure that doesn’t happen. Like, why would I risk a good friendship for something that may not work out? Whether I break his heart or he breaks mine, it’s pain I can’t handle. There’s just no going back from there.”

“Right, that is your biggest fear,” Soomin replies softly, the sympathetic tone in her voice telling you that she does understand where you’re coming from. “I mean, it’s still possible that you wouldn’t hurt each other but I get it. It just sucks, I guess. The good ones often start as your friends.”

“I know. And I’d rather have them and be single than none at all,” you sigh. 

The thought is simpler than it seems. You won’t deny that you’ve thought of how things would’ve been if you gave Yoongi a chance, but the fear of what you’d lose always trumped that type of possibility. 

There’s a kind of pain you don’t want to experience, one of a broken heart caused by losing someone you’ve given your all to. It’s how you think you love, after all; you can’t give any less. But it’s also why you’ve never done it. No one’s inspired that kind of devotion for you. 

Soomin has pointed out before that it’s probably also because you don’t open yourself up to the possibilities as you should. Maybe you’ve just been too focused on other things. But maybe you also just haven’t felt the kind of all-consuming desire for someone who would be worth it, one you’d want so much that you’d willingly face the fear of paralyzing heartbreak just to be with them. 

You suppose that’s the difference. That’s the irony, too. You’re scared to love because you’re scared of the pain, so you keep your distance to keep yourself safe but it’s also why you haven’t found someone you’re willing to crawl out of your walls for.  

There’s not much you feel passionate about in life. Maybe it’s love. But you’re too cautious to feel it, to look for it, so you don’t really know. Maybe it’s something else completely, and working in the environment that you do hinders you from discovering it. You’ve kept your distance from a lot of things over the past years and the thought that one day, you’ll be able to feel free from all the burden you carry because of a past you couldn’t control, makes you look forward to the day when you get to walk away from all those and hopefully, find whatever it is you’re looking for. 

Jimin nudges you after you zone out, and you switch the subject and ask about the latest gossip in their hometown. You enjoy living vicariously through their social life back in Busan. They not only come out here to Seoul to see you but also to take a break from all the drama that they can’t really escape from, given the type of people in their circle of friends. You always thank the heavens you got lucky that at 10 years old and making a new life in a new city, you found Soomin and Jimin, perhaps the only other people aside from your mother who make you feel safe and protected, a feeling you don’t take for granted. 

They indulge you and share some stories, but when Soomin goes through her social media feed to show you something, she gasps instead when she realizes that the men in her friend’s Instagram post include Jungkook.

“Did your boss just go there to party?” She asks, showing you the photo.

“Partly,” you reply. “His best friend hosted the launch of his alcohol line there but there are a couple more parties because it’s his birthday weekend. Your friends went?”

“Yeah, some of them are Kim Seokjin’s friends, apparently,” Soomin says. “Small world. But then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. Seoul and Busan socialites attract each other.”

“Why aren’t you there, then?” You chuckle. 

“We’re choosy socialites,” Jimin clarifies. “Or like, pretentious. We just act like we are but we really aren’t, just to say that the Park and Cheon kids are interesting and sociable like the rest of them.”

“Who says they’re interesting and sociable?” Soomin states incredulously. “My eyes roll to the back of my head every time I’m in those shitty events. The lack of self-awareness of rich people repulses me. And I obviously don’t count us in.”

“And you shouldn’t,” you confirm. “I attract good people, I guess. I’m glad you’re not like them.”

“Well, what about Jungkook’s friends?” Jimin asks. “How are they like?”

“What I can say about the Kim brothers is that they’re nice people,” you say. “Very charming, ridiculously good-looking... And they sound like good friends, too. I can’t say much else. Their dating game is pretty strong though.”

“I’d assume. I mean, when you look like that, how could you not be?” Soomin states. “I mean, even Jungkook’s on point. That’s some hot girl he’s got.”

She shows you a couple of Instagram stories from her friends posting about the launch party. It turns out, there were a lot of Korea-based personalities who were invited. You spot Jungkook immediately, wearing the all-white ensemble that you packed for him the other day. His hair is a bit curled and the knitted top underneath the simple coat highlights his taut physique. There’s also that gorgeous woman around his arms, and if what you know about him is enough, you’d guess she’s probably one of those he seeks for a good time. 

The sight of him loosening up a bit and enjoying himself is something you appreciate. He’s always stressed when he’s here and you’re glad he could spend a few days partying elsewhere without having to think about work, especially during the week of his birthday. You don’t know how much of this aspect of his life he enjoys, but he does seem a bit free yet still somehow detached. You suppose that’s something he’ll always be - a man trying to live his life while separating himself from the meaning of it. You’re unsure of how he does it but perhaps it’s not that different from how you are, too. 

After lunch, Soomin and Jimin do a few more of your errands with you before dropping you home and then heading back to theirs. You spend the rest of the evening arranging your plants in your tiny apartment and feeling like more life is breathed into it with every one of them finding their home in a corner or on a shelf. Oddly enough, you feel a bit less lonely. That’s how you think you’ve been doing things, after all - finding substitutes for the kind of company you’re yearning for, for the kind of relationship you’re so afraid to have.

Jungkook wakes up that Monday morning feeling a lot better than he did the days before. For one, there’s no ringing in his head nor the feeling of dehydration. Bare under his soft covers, there also aren’t any fresh marks on his chest that signify the kind of night he usually has. In fact, he remembers most of it - he stayed by the bar and briefly chatted with the women who’d approached him. 

Suzy was there last night, too, the only one he’s hooked up with more than once, and probably the only one he’s had proper conversations with, given that she’s a landscape designer. She’s been away on business trips and had just gone back, her bluntness about going back to his apartment that she’s too familiar with being met with a rejection that she didn't take personally. 

“Has Seoul changed you?” She asked, her eyebrow arched in anticipation of his reply.

“Do you think a place would do that to me?” He laughed.

“No, but a person would,” she shrugged. 

“None of that,” he shook his head. “There’s no one. I’m too busy, too tired.”

“But not too lonely?” she asked. “It’s the only reason why you would call me.”

There was no bitterness in her words but still, he asked. “And why did you always come, then?”

“To see if each time would be good enough for you to not make me leave.” 

The conversation took a turn that he didn’t expect, the usual honesty in her words being too honest for him. He fumbled for something to say but she shook him off, claiming that she knew what she was getting into every time he took her home and that constantly hoping for something doesn’t guarantee that she’d get it one day. 

He drank a couple of glasses of whiskey after she left but managed to call his butler for a sandwich and lemon ginger tea in time for his arrival at his penthouse. The meal did the trick, as he’d slept soundly after a warm bath without a splitting headache and regrets the next day. 

It’s Monday, after all, and it’s back to work as usual. He has a few meetings to attend before flying back to Seoul, one of which is with the team. He gathers the energy to get off the bed for a half-hour exercise before getting ready. He eats the breakfast that the butler orders for him then heads to the office where he briefly meets with Lucas. 

Settled on his desk, he proceeds to virtually meet with the team, who all promptly greet him from the conference room. He asks how their weekend was, with most of them looking surprised because he rarely asks them about it, but they answer anyway. That’s when he notices that you’re not around, prompting him to look for you.

“I’m here, Mr. Jeon,” you answer off camera before appearing on screen with a candle-lit cake in your hands.

He’s surprised when the team sings him a happy birthday, your eyes fixed on him as you mouth the words with a soft smile on your face. Do-hyun giggles at his silence, saying that he probably forgot it was his birthday or he maybe didn’t expect that they’d prepare something for him. 

“We like you now, Mr. Jeon,” she teases, earning him a nudge from Chin-sun but she doesn’t seem to mind and neither does he. 

It’s what makes him laugh, hoping that the pink on his cheeks aren’t visible on screen. He hadn’t expected this. He also knows he doesn’t deserve it, but he’d bet that you had everything to do with this.

“You’ve probably been too busy to celebrate but we haven’t forgotten. More like, Ms. Cho made sure we remembered,” Manager Lee chuckles. “We hope you enjoy this little something we prepared.”

“It’s an ice cream cake so it’ll just be in your refrigerator and you can have some when you return,” you say. 

“Thank you,” he finally manages to say. “You didn’t have to but I appreciate it. I’m looking forward to having some when I get back. Ms. Cho should also buy another one big enough for the team to share.”

You nod in acknowledgment of his instruction before starting with the meeting. There’s a lot to talk about, given the Arts Center construction and activities, as well as the upcoming year-end events that they have to organize and coordinate. It goes on for over two hours and it ends with your gentle smile after he says goodbye.  

The rest of the day feels too long for Jungkook, especially during the late afternoon flight and eventual ride home. He stares at the photo you sent of the cake, making sure he sees the greeting on it. 

“Get home safely, Mr. Jeon,” you text him after he says thanks. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With the reminders of the impermanence of things and people this weekend, Jungkook finds comfort in the stability that you provide. It’s in your smile, in your reminders and organization of his life, in your thoughtfulness and patience. It’s in the assurance that tomorrow is another day, one in which he gets to see you once again.

The cake is simple but sophisticated. The mint chocolate flavor is exactly how he likes it and in ice cream cake form, it’s really delicious. He’s glad he gets to have this all for himself, as the team was able to enjoy one yesterday as per his instruction, and you’d sent a group photo of everyone enjoying it to him, the small smile that formed on his face no longer surprising him. 

For one, the comfort is there. He’s seen just how much better the team is working together because of it - they’re more open to giving him feedback and receiving his, any moment of frustration is easily mended with laughter, and his encouragement and affirmation have been motivating them as well. In the midst of it is you who makes sure that communication flows smoothly and that everything is on track, acting as the glue that keeps everyone together. 

He sees firsthand just how good you are at handling things, and how despite all the stress, you manage to get him seaweed soup and a cake for his birthday. It’s more than just the details regarding work that you’re on top of; it’s also details about his life, and how he’s responding to it tells him that maybe, whatever change there is like what Suzy observed, a big part of it is because of you.

“I’m glad you like it, Mr. Jeon,” your voice cuts through his thoughts. 

He looks up and sees you with a portfolio in hand, motioning towards the cake that’s now one fourth eaten.

“Ah, yeah,” he says, not denying it. “I feel like I haven’t had sweets in a while. Where did you buy this?”

“Oh, uh, I asked the baker who made desserts for the Arts Center event if she could make a customized ice cream cake,” you explain. “Fortunately she could. And thankfully it’s delicious. She enjoyed working with us so she gave us a discount.”

“You… had this made for me?”

He’d expected it to be store-bought, but learning you made the effort to reach out to someone reminds him once more of your thoughtfulness, of your care.

“Yes, I, uh, I just assumed you’d receive a few and I thought to give you something a little different.”

“It’s the only one I got actually,” he says, catching you off guard. Your face falls a little so he follows it up. “Like I told you, I don’t celebrate my birthday so I don’t let people know about it. And the ones who do also know that I don’t make a big deal out of it so they don’t really give me anything.”

“Oh,” you say, feeling a little sad. 

You’re not one to have big celebrations but you do have a bit of it. For your 30th birthday at the start of the year, Jimin and Soomin threw you a little party in your humble home in Daegu where they performed some of your favorite songs and enacted your favorite drama scenes to make you happy. There was no need for anything fancy - just your loved ones and your mom’s and Min-woo’s amazing cooking. 

But even before that milestone, your friends always made sure to at least get you seaweed soup and a birthday cake; they want you to remember that there are lives impacted because you were born. You can’t really say that Jungkook’s impacted your life the same way but you still value his existence; a small cake is just a little something to celebrate that. But the idea that his family and friends pass up on the cake - and perhaps the gifts, too - makes you think that there’s really not much in Jungkook’s life he feels he could share with others, that there’s not much he could give and receive in return. 

“I hope I didn’t cross a line if it’s something you don’t like people knowing,” you continue. “I just thought… it would be nice to receive something from us.”

“It actually was,” he admits, his voice soft and low. Turning away, he says, “it’s been a while since I actually thought about my birthday as anything other than ordinary. It’s nice to be reminded sometimes. So thank you, Ms. Cho. For the soup, too. I appreciate it.”

Perhaps it’s his honesty that does it, but you can’t help the smile that forms on your face. If learning how to express gratitude is something you could teach him, you already feel accomplished. 

It’s the next day when you find yourself back in Jungkook’s office, staring at the potted plant in your hands. You’ve gone from debating on whether to leave it on his desk or the coffee table, to even giving it at all. You won’t lie and say you didn’t know what you were thinking when you passed by the plant store after work last night to get this specifically for him. You did - you wanted him to feel that joy of receiving a gift, which you suppose doesn’t happen, especially for someone who can literally buy anything he wants. 

But still, it doesn’t mean that your good intention will be received well. You’ve given Hoseok a small gift every year for his birthday, partly because he likes receiving them and also because it’s your way of saying thanks. 

You want to give this to Jungkook as a form of gratitude, too. Despite how you both started, the amount of things you’ve learned from him and continue to have somehow made up for it, and you also know that he’s learning from you as well. He’s given you agency to make decisions. He’s also given you events and small projects to manage, making you realize it’s what you really enjoy doing. Seeing things come together the way you envisioned it is so satisfying. Perhaps without intending it, Jungkook’s showed you a way out, a path that you want to explore so much that you’re willing to let go of all that you know in this company for something new, for something that feels more like you. 

Your thoughts have completely digressed and with the time you took debating and reflecting, you hadn’t heard his footsteps, and so you jerk a little when he calls out your name.

Turning around, you bow in greeting, remembering at the same time that you have something that you’re not 100% sure yet you want to give right now. But as always, he calls you out on it. 

“Is that a snake plant?” He asks, walking towards his seat.

“Yes.”

“Is that the one on your desk?”

“Uh, no, actually,” you laugh dryly, knowing you can’t turn back from it now. “I… I meant to give it to you, sir. I just thought that, uh, the money tree on the shelf might be too lonely so I got you a desk plant. I heard it’s good for positive energy and to filter the air.”

“It is,” he hums. “Is that why you got yourself one?”

“I suppose. I figured it could help improve my mood. Yoongi suggested it before but I just kept pushing it back. I finally got some for my apartment last weekend,” you explain, just so he knows it didn’t come out of nowhere. 

“And you think this will improve my mood?” He arches an eyebrow. 

“Maybe,” you shrug. “We’ll probably need a dozen of them here but we could start with one.”

He matches your soft laughter with his own, which you’re thankful for. He reaches out for the plant, nonchalant like you when your fingers brush against each other. 

“Hopefully this will work,” he says as he places the small, white pot next to his desktop. 

You leave him so he could prepare for a conference call while you’re set to meet with the marketing team. Jungkook gazes at the plant and notices the little note attached to the string around the stem. 

Happy birthday, it reads. 

This wasn’t just something to match the money tree that Hoseok left for him that he hasn’t been caring for much. This was a gift for him. You probably assume that if he doesn’t receive birthday cakes, he wouldn’t be receiving gifts, either. And you’d be right. His best friends just throw him parties. And once he left Seoul to obtain his MBA in Singapore and stayed to work in their Southeast Asian headquarters, the distance between him and his parents grew. They’d reach out but he didn’t bother much, so he’d stopped expecting anything. After he broke up with Chaerin, he stopped receiving anything at all. This is the first time he’s gotten something from someone after a long time. 

It’s simple in its meaning and honest in its intention, and he doesn’t hold back the smile that forms on his face.

You watch the realization dawn on Jungkook from outside. You’d remembered the silly note you left right as you sat down and didn’t have time to take it back, which really wasn’t much, but you suppose it’s enough to tell him that the plant indeed is a gift. You don’t know if someone like him even receives them, or would even appreciate something so cheap and humble, but the gentle smile he has on tells you that he probably doesn’t get much, but that this is something he welcomes. 

Your smile follows soon after but it feels different this time. There’s pride somehow that your little gift could elicit something so rare out of him. There’s also a bit of awe; this is the softest he’s ever looked, with that tinge of gratitude and yearning, a complete contrast to what you know of him, to how you’ve always seen him. It’s… it’s actually beautiful. 

And this is when things start to get confusing, especially as your phone beeps with that SMS from him.

[From: The Boss] Thank you, ___.

It’s the non-work message. It’s the use of your name. This is personal for him and you acknowledge that it’s the same for you. Perhaps there’s a reason why you made the effort to get the gift last night, why it mattered to you that he received something to celebrate his birthday, and why seeing him appreciate it the way he does is making you giddy and satisfied at the same time. 

Maybe it’s the care you’re starting to feel for him that’s beyond just wanting to make your job bearable. You’ll dissect what that truly means later on, but right now it’s just you, him, and the glass wall in between the both of you. There’s distance, there’s a boundary, but there’s a transparent barrier that allows you to see what’s on the other side, one which allows you to know who he is behind the man you’ve come to know. And you admit, he’s not so bad after all.

The construction of the Arts Center is going better than expected. Given some of the delays due to the wrong materials delivered and some permits that took a while to get, the workers were able to make up some ground, largely due to Jungkook’s supervision. When you both visited a few weeks ago, there were many things to work on, and he managed to identify the priorities and find ways to get the project back on track. 

It was during those few days of constantly being on site that you saw how efficient and effective he really works. You admired his precision and attention to detail, how he instructed the team leads and project managers and laborers, how he put together the design of one of the rooms just as he’d envisioned it. 

He was commanding and decisive, and you appreciated his thorough and simple explanations that allowed you to keep up with him. He’s said that he wants you to understand what’s happening so that you’re well-informed should you need to communicate to others on his behalf, and what initially intimidated you turned into something you became interested in. Since then, you’ve been watching design shows to help you further. The challenge was welcomed, and now you feel like everyday, you’re learning something new on the job. 

His instructions from that time were followed, and you’re back today to inspect the rest of the spaces. Everything is so massive, and with one half of the wall of the performance hall already done, you can clearly see the upgrade. The details are impressive, and the way that the traditional designs merge with modern elements is a feature itself. 

You’re immersed in the intricacies of the ceiling, walking towards the wall to get a closer look that you don’t immediately notice the workers walking past you with a massive slab of marble. The moment that you do, you step back too quickly, tripping on your heels, and just as you brace yourself to hit the ground, you instead feel your back against a firm chest, with hands on your elbows breaking your fall.

You sigh in relief, even leaning your head back because nothing could be more embarrassing than falling on your ass in front of many people, including your boss. That is, until the familiar scent of jasmine and bergamot wafts through your nose and you realize that what you just did is debatably more embarrassing than what could’ve happened. 

The familiar clearing of the throat is what finally does it for you, and with wide eyes, you turn around and face him to apologize. 

“I’m sorry, sir. I—”

“Was so much in awe that you didn’t notice the workers passing by,” he finishes, his slightly teasing smile calming you down.

“Ah, well of course. The details are too pretty,” you reason, stepping back only a little. You look at him shyly. “But thank you. I was about to fall.”

“I know. And I was about to lose it if my assistant got injured on the job.”

“True. It’s bad publicity, I guess,” you shrug. “And distractions could cause delays. And that’s bad, too.”

“Or you know, I simply just can’t have you injured, simple as that,” he says with a little frown on his face. 

“Imagine if I didn’t see them? They could’ve dropped the marble and I would’ve completely lost it!”

“Why?” He arches an eyebrow.

“That slab is like, two months’ worth of salary, Mr. Jeon.”

“It’s actually more but that’s not the point,” he fully frowns now. “If you didn’t see them, then they could’ve hit you, and then you would be whining in pain right now. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt, ___.”

His voice is firm and low, and you nod in acknowledgment because you also know he’s right. The workers’ vision was limited but yours wasn’t; you were just too distracted and if you hadn’t pulled early enough, that marble really could’ve done damage to you. And if it wasn’t for Jungkook catching your fall, then something bad still would’ve happened to you.

“But are you okay? You didn’t twist your ankle or anything?” He asks.

“No. Uh, the heel’s just a bit loose but I’m fine,” you reply, still trying to wrap your head around how he’d said your name - informally, in this setting, as he told you that you could’ve gotten hurt. Maybe you weren’t imagining the worried tone of his voice earlier.

“Okay,” he sighs. “You have to be careful next time.”

“I will, sir,” you reply. 

You step aside and Jungkook sees you from his peripheral vision as he returns to assessing, staying put and only glancing at the ceiling unlike earlier. He’d seen you marvel at the design of the hall earlier, and while he was initially doing the same, seeing you wide-eyed and impressed caught his attention more. 

Many times, he’s seen you look dejected, frustrated, angry. He’s seen your moments of focus and joy, too, but this is the first time he’s seen you be in awe. There was this softness on your face that was still filled with emotion, and he’d been drawn to you enough to see that you were about to fall. He’s glad he has quick reflexes and was able to get to you in time, the worry he felt at the thought of you getting hurt in any way was quite overwhelming for him. And while it’s partly because you’re his responsibility in this case, he also knows it’s more than that. 

He gestures moving to another room and you follow him outside, and just as you try to stay close to him, Jungkook also makes sure you’re away from any kind of danger. He moves to your side when there are workers nearby with their heavy equipment and large materials. He shields you from the drilling. He glances at you as you both walk towards the other performance hall. And when you get there, you see the ceiling installation is ongoing, and Jungkook immediately calls for hard hats for the both of you. 

He hands you one and you put it on, fumbling with the strap underneath your chin. You groan in frustration when you’re unable to lock it, and that’s when you see him move towards you. 

“Let me,” he says.

You stop your movements and shyly nod in agreement, and he waits for you to let go before he fixes it himself. 

It’s a little odd being on the other side, since it’s always you who fixes his tie or his coat. But you’re the one watching him now, with his furrowed brows and seriousness in securing this safety gear on you making you feel warm inside.

He steps back then looks at you, trying hard to control his laughter.

“Are you laughing at me, sir?” You pout.

“No. I don’t make fun of people,” he says, turning serious now, but you don’t miss the grin on his face.

It’s unfair that he looks good even with a hard hat on.

One of the project managers calls him and he goes around, with you staying close by. This performance hall is bigger and boasts of a more traditional design, which would hold the cultural performances that the Culture Minister is very excited about. You watch Jungkook inspect the space with thoroughness, checking each wall panel and each seat. 

It’s amazing to you just how involved he is with this project even with the project managers handling things relatively well. He wants to be on top of everything, he’s said; it matters too much for him to not know what’s going on. 

You see Yoongi enter the room and approach him. Once he sees you, he laughs as well.

“Do I look that bad?” You groan. “Mr. Jeon was laughing at me, too.”

“It’s a little big, and I guess I’m just not used to seeing you in one,” Yoongi shrugs.

“Why don’t you have one?”

“I don’t need it. I’m here all the time and nothing happens.”

“Well, I’ve been here a few times and I almost fell earlier,” you say, recalling the almost-embarrassment.

“I know, I saw it,” he chuckles.

“You were there?!” You gasp.

“No, I was totally in the other room that’s why I witnessed you almost get hit by the marble then trip on yourself,” he deadpans. 

“I didn’t see you, that’s all,” you shrug. 

“I was by the doors. I checked these spaces yesterday and I just wanted to be around in case Jungkook had new instructions,” he explains. “But I gotta say, you guys were kinda cute earlier.”

“Almost falling on my ass isn’t cute, Min Yoongi,” you scowl. “I could’ve either ruined the marble slab or hurt my bum. Either way, it would’ve been embarrassing.”

“I didn’t mean just you. I meant you guys,” he gestures towards Jungkook. “He caught you, didn’t he?”

“Yes… That was embarrassing, too,” you frown. “What’s cute about that?”

“He looked worried. It’s just not something I’ve seen him be towards other people, that’s all.”

“It’s because an injured employee on site isn’t good, okay? Plus, if I’m incapable, then no one’s gonna be around to make his life easier,” you reason.

Yoongi stares at you for a while before shaking his head. “Wow, you really are dense.” 

“I don’t know what you’re on about,” you cross your arms in frustration. 

“Forget about it,” Yoongi shakes his head, deciding not to push it. 

He’ll tell you another time that he’s glad you’re becoming more of yourself again, that the light has somehow come back, that there’s now comfort you exude around the man you’d once despised. Yoongi feels assured now that there’s someone else who seems to be looking out for you, and that it’s something you don’t seem to mind at all.

“Yah! You’re being all mysterious again!” You pout, something he chuckles about. 

“Me? Mysterious? Come on. I’ve always been an open book,” he teases. 

You’re just about to nag him again when you hear Jungkook clear his throat, and you turn towards him and ask if he’s already done inspecting.

“There are still a few things I want to run by my design lead before leaving,” Jungkook says. “Please move my meeting to 3PM.”

“That’s noted, sir. I’ll give Mr. Hong’s assistant a call.”

You excuse yourself and step outside, leaving both men alone.

“Angering my assistant, are you?” Jungkook asks Yoongi, the curious yet playful tone in his voice evident.

“Nah, just teasing. That a problem?” Yoongi answers back. 

“No. It’s good she has someone she’s comfortable with at work.”

“Could be you, you know? That isn’t so bad,” Yoongi remarks, surprising him. “And it doesn’t cross whatever boundary you’re trying so hard to stay behind.”

“We’re not… on that level. I mean, I don’t know how to be someone other people are comfortable being around,” Jungkook admits.

“I don’t know about that. Seems like you’re already that for her,” Yoongi says. “I was just teasing her about how you guys looked cute earlier, when you broke her fall.”

“You were there?”

“Both of you really don’t notice other people when it’s just both of you, huh,” Yoongi laughs. “But yeah, I was. I saw her relief. And I saw you worry.”

Jungkook merely shrugs, not wanting to confirm. Even if he denies it, Yoongi will still believe what he wants to believe. But the older man knows you well just as much as he knows him. 

“You care about her, don’t you?” Yoongi responds to the silence. “And I mean not in a superficial way, or a good boss caring for his employee type of way. Like, you worry when she’s sick or overworking, when she’s hurt or in danger. You want her to always be safe, to get rest. You like having her near. You wanna know that she’s happy.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Jungkook finally answers. “I can’t think of her that way.”

“I know. That’s why you were the way you were,” Yoongi says. “How else do you respond to things you can’t control than through anger and detachment? But just because you shouldn’t, it doesn’t change the fact that you do.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that it’s wrong,” Jungkook counters.

“Well, irrationally calling her out and being angry were wrong, too, and you did those because you weren’t being honest with yourself,” Yoongi argues. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, the least you can do is be true to yourself about how you feel. Because the more you deny, then the more you resist, and when you do that, you end up hurting her. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not.”

“Then just… accept things - what you feel, what you both are, what you can or can’t be.”

Jungkook looks at his friend as if some epiphany had just transpired. It’s been difficult for him to make sense of what he feels around you. There’s always that air of familiarity, but the warmth and comfort are new. There’s the reality that you come from different worlds, but that you both somehow feel and experience and maybe desire the same things. There’s that sense of fear over change and of what he can’t control, yet you somehow provide the calm and stability that he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

It’s all these contradictions that have been messing with him, and Yoongi’s right - because of all the times that Jungkook had wanted to create that distance, all it did was hurt you. That’s the last thing he wants, he realizes now. He’s seen you struggle, and even if that’s just a fraction of what you normally go through, it’s enough to tell him that he doesn’t want you to experience that again, especially not because of him. It’s too early to say the extent of his care towards you, and it’s not something he’s willing or ready to explore right now. But just as Jungkook’s about to comfort himself that it’s fine, and that he shouldn’t dwell on it anyway so as not to further nurture it, Yoongi speaks again.

“Just… just a heads up, though,” he adds. “The care that I felt, that’s how it started for me.”

“What started?”

“Me, liking her.”

It’s at that moment when you come back from your call, and you inform Jungkook that the meeting’s been moved and that he has a scheduled one with some of the directors on Monday. 

“Alright,” he says, directing you and Yoongi towards the souvenir shop, temporarily disregarding what he was warned about.

“You two looked so serious. Everything okay?” You whisper to your friend. 

“Yeah,” Yoongi hums, giving you the most genuine smile he could give. 

There’s that sparkle and softness in your eyes that had captured him all those years ago. They dimmed throughout the years and they’ve just been sporadic, illuminating only during specific moments. He’d seen them again a lot more regularly, and even today, as you looked around the halls and admired the designs of the space. 

Yoongi doesn’t know if a certain person is the reason for that. He knows you enough that you wouldn’t even notice it, so you definitely wouldn’t know what caused the change. But as your friend, he hopes one day you will, so that if you’re brave enough, too, you’d try to make sure that the light stays. 

The inspection ends and you get back to the office at 4. You return to piles of documents you have to sift through and encode, and your original plan of leaving on time changes. 

Jungkook spends over an hour talking with Yoongi and the construction lead about the Arts Center, and once that’s over, you see just how exhausted he is. He’s massaging his temples and sighing deeply, and you know that whatever just transpired, he’s going to be thinking about it all throughout the weekend, which he doesn’t really have time for. The gala that one of the Board members throws annually is tomorrow night, an event you’ll be attending with him as well. 

You enter his room to remind him about it and to give some forms for his signature. He signs them off, and when you say you’ve got a few more requests that you’ll leave on his desk for Monday, he tells you to just wait until then.

“Go home, Ms. Cho,” he says. “It’s been a long week. And it won’t end until after tomorrow night.”

“What about you, Mr. Jeon?”

“I’ve got some stuff to sort through after inspection. I’ll probably leave in an hour or so.”

You frown, a mannerism of yours that he’s gotten used to seeing. It’s mixed with a pout that often makes him internally laugh because it seems unlike you. It also always means there’s something you want to say that you’re holding back.

“Should I not?” He arches an eyebrow.

“Hmm. Just thinking that it might be better for you to take a rest tonight, too,” you advise. “The gala could be quite draining and it would be good to save your energy for that.”

“I’ll think about it,” he hums.

“Then I’ll think about going home, too,” you answer back. 

Jungkook chuckles, knowing you’re always going to counter him in some way. And he’s glad that you do.

“You may go. And get a good rest, too.”

You nod and bid him goodbye, exiting the room to start packing your things. It’s five minutes later when the door opens and you see him with his bag, ready to head home as well.

You smile at his tender doe-eyes as he admits through them that you were right - he doesn’t have a reason to stay behind, so he’ll call it a night and get as much rest as he can. 

He pauses by the entryway, and you pick up that he’s waiting for you, perhaps to make sure that you’re indeed going home. You quicken your pace and walk next to him, steps in pace as you both go to the elevator and down to the lobby. 

“Mr. Ri can bring you home after me,” Jungkook says. “It’s late already.”

“Not late enough,” you reply. “I’m okay, Mr. Jeon. It’s not necessary.”

He concedes, and you wait for the car to arrive and say goodbye to him again. 

There’s a softness on his face as he lingers before he enters. A small smile forms, and it’s what you see until you fall asleep that night. It’s the same one that’s oddly been giving you comfort lately - it’s a little restrained but somehow it still looks vulnerable. Perhaps it represents how Jungkook’s been to you - there are some contradictions, but beyond all that, there’s care.

Mr. Ri happily greets you as you enter the car that late Saturday afternoon to head to Jungkook’s penthouse. He compliments your dress, saying it’s nice to see you in something formal that fits your style - it’s simple yet elegant, and you tell him that your mother wouldn’t stop gushing over you through the screen, nagging you to send full-body photos so she could appreciate you more.

Jimin and Soomin surprised you in the morning to help you fix up, insisting that they wanted to make sure you spoiled yourself for the event. If you wouldn’t, they would, so they treated you to the hair salon and had your nails done. They’re the ones who took so many photos like some formal dance, and Jimin commented that the only downside was that they were sending you off to pick up Jungkook. 

Defending your boss the way you did surprised you a little; it surprised them a lot more. You’d said that he bought you the dress, that he’s been nothing but kind, and that whatever negative feelings you had towards him are all in the past. Your friends understood, deciding not to ruin your night and then letting you go so they could eat out and meet you back at your apartment once you’re done. 

You chat with Mr. Ri about how things have been at work, your friends, and your family. You also talk about the gala and how it feels a little nerve-racking attending this time, given your experience with Jungkook. 

It’s a grand event that the company’s executives attend, and guests are asked to refrain from going solo. For such requests, it’s not unusual for them to bring their assistants. You’re expected to attend anyway, and assistants usually partner up with each other and it always worked. You went with Hoseok last year because A-yeong had a work event, and while you expected that Jungkook wouldn’t care for such request and maintain that he’d go by himself, you also didn’t think that CEO Jeon would insist that his son take you as his date so he wouldn’t be alone. 

The elder Jeon had reasoned that business discussions usually take place during the gala, and it would be good for you to be around and be familiar with the new people on the scene. Hoseok had said that they’re expected to stay through the whole thing, and it’s much better for his cousin to have a companion so he could survive the night. That was months ago when things were still a little shaky for you both. You still remember Jungkook’s displeased look when it seemed like he had no choice in the matter, especially since he probably thought that his father just wanted to make sure he’d act accordingly. It feels like a lifetime ago, really, as you think about his soft smile from last night. 

You don’t know exactly what you’re feeling, why his gestures or mannerisms suddenly mean something to you, or why there’s excitement when you think about seeing him outside of work. You’re unsure why the curve of his lips when he grins or the deep huff that follows his laugh makes you a little giddy, or why his eyes lingering on you makes your heart beat a little faster than usual.  

Just like right now, as they gaze at you while you seemingly do the same. 

“You look, uh—” he starts, unable to find the accurate but appropriate term to describe how you look. 

“Nice?” You finish, recalling the term he’d used when you tried this gown for the first time. 

“Something like that,” he chuckles, earning him a giggle from you.

He playfully shakes his head, perhaps knowing that you’re used to him not making grand compliments or anything. But he does smile after, and there goes that blissful feeling again. 

Maybe it’s because for the first time, you’re being appreciated. Maybe just like how it’s been recently, he likes being around you, prefers it, even. And given how you felt so unwanted during his first few weeks here, this is a blessing, as if in his appreciation of you, you’re liking yourself as well.

“Well, in my opinion, you look quite dashing, Mr. Jeon,” you say bravely. “Except your waistcoat seems to be uneven.”

“Exactly what I thought,” he sighs. “I can’t quite align it properly.”

And as you always do, you approach him, your hands immediately going towards his shoulders to flatten the vest, then his sides to pull it down. You adjust it a little bit more then fix his collar after, and suddenly this feels so natural - being close to him, taking in his scent, and smiling as he glances at you. 

“Do you need help with your coat?” You ask once you finish.  

He nods and you follow him to his walk-in closet where you take the last piece of clothing and assist him in wearing it. He adjusts the lapels while you assess if all wrinkles have been flattened. You watch him look at himself in the mirror and you can’t help but admire him as well. He exudes confidence, which you can say now is strikingly different from the Appointment Dinner where he still looked a bit unsure. But now, he commands respect. The deep black color of his striped three-piece ensemble with his slick hair parted in the middle makes him even more handsome, and you manage to hold in the gasp you were about to release as he faces you for a final look.

“All good?” He asks. 

“All good,” you smile, turning around and walking back to the living room. 

He follows, and he takes this time to bask in your beauty before he has to act like it doesn’t affect him again.

There’s a reason why he was rendered speechless the first time he saw you in this gown at the tailor shop, so much so that he had to step out to get some air. You look even more stunning now, with your classic but natural-looking makeup and your styled hair. You exude a certain kind of glow that sucks him in, that makes his heart race yet soothes him just the same. 

It’s a little dangerous for him, given that he’ll be spending this entire evening with you as his date, looking the way you do while he has to act disinterested, as if his attraction isn’t slapping him in the face and his internal alarm bells aren’t ringing.

But he has to act professional. He has to stay behind the lines even if his mind is yelling all the words about your beauty that he has to ignore. So he gives himself this short moment where he gets to admire you, and when you make it to the elevator and become confined in a small space, he holds his breath as you smile at him shyly, hoping that he doesn’t give himself away. 

He’ll get himself together, he orders to himself, and he’ll make sure he doesn’t scare you off. 

You make it to the lobby and enter the car. The drive to the venue is quiet at the beginning. It’s technically not a work day so there’s no reason to discuss work. You and Jungkook may have started talking about non-work matters but it doesn’t mean you readily talk about actual personal things. They’re occasional, as it’s not something he seems to do much and you’re often guarded about yours. It took a while for you to open up to Yoongi and even then, there are many things he doesn’t know. You’re comfortable around him, there’s no denying that, but there are still parts of you that you don’t like to share with others, and you suppose that Jungkook is the same.

But still, you ask how his evening was and how his day went, expecting he’d give a basic answer.

“I just stayed home last night and watched soccer over drinks,” he says. “Then I did my workout and went for a swim this morning. I did a bit of work in the afternoon and then got ready.”

“Ah, no party last night and then recovering from it in the morning?” You tease, knowing that’s a usual occurrence for him. Lucas did mention about the Singapore trip and how he’d taken home a passed out Jungkook on the night of his birthday. 

“Well, there was a party,” he responds. “There always is, but I passed up on it. I didn’t want to feel out of sorts tonight. There’ll be a lot of new faces and I don’t wanna mess up.”

“Oh, you won’t. You’ve been doing really well, Mr. Jeon. And that’s me being honest.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” He arches an eyebrow. “Would you tell me otherwise?” 

“Well, the me of now, would. The me of a few months ago would want to but wouldn’t.” 

Jungkook dwells on your answer. “Hmm. What changed, then?”

“I got used to you.” 

He meets your gaze and somehow it feels too long. You don’t really know what prompted you to say it but you felt a little bold, a little too honest.

“In what sense?” he wonders, turning away now.

“I’d say I got used to the mood swings but then again, they haven’t been intense compared to those first few weeks,” you admit. “But surprisingly, it’s the calmness I’ve become accustomed to. And the seriousness and occasional zoning out, but also, the…”

Care, you want to say. Or the thoughtfulness. 

“Consideration,” you say instead. 

Jungkook’s throat dries up as he finds the words to say. He’s now afraid to look at you because he might give in and say something he’ll regret. He’s been praised before for his work and his designs, but he supposes that no one’s really complimented him for something he does for other people, specifically for you. Maybe that’s why he thinks he doesn’t deserve it; he’s unsure if he’s really considerate by nature or if he just is towards you. It’s why he brushes it off, insisting he just has his moments.

“But those moments could mean a lot to the one it’s shared with or directed to,” you counter. “Even if it was just once. Or even if it was so trivial that you probably forgot already. But the other person doesn’t. Or they would, but something about that moment stays.”

Jungkook thinks about the moments you’d shown him consideration. Or even care or thoughtfulness, but he wouldn’t word it that way to you. There are the big ones - when you showed your support of the Arts Center to his father, when you calmed him down during that first Board meeting, when you gave him the noodles when he was sick, when you stayed with him during his interview with the magazine publications.

When you stood up to him. When you didn’t quit after that first week.

There are also the small moments - the ginger and lemon tea on Monday mornings when he looks like he’d drank too much the night before, the biscuits you serve with his coffee, the affirming looks during team meetings, the comforting smiles from outside his office when he’s stressed. 

There’s a lot of those you show him, and he realizes now that he remembers each one. 

The silence returns soon after, as you both seem to prefer basking in the soft music that Mr. Ri plays. 

It’s 15 minutes later when you arrive at the venue. You get out of the car and meet Jungkook by his door, surprised when he offers his arm that you take. 

“This is how they do it, right?” He looks at you questioningly.

“Yes,” you chuckle. “It’s a little over-the-top but the hosts treat this like it’s some red carpet event and I just follow what the others do. Bitna says it’s the one time we could feel like proper ladies or something, whatever that means.”

“Hmm, makes sense. I guess I’ll be a proper gentleman, then. Whatever that means.” 

You hold onto him lightly as you both make your way inside. You try to disregard the firmness of his arm and the way it feels under your touch, so you gently let go not long after and clutch onto your purse instead, not wanting to give off the idea that you’re anything more than each other’s dates. You greet the guests and establish your position to those who are unaware in an effort to show that this social event is a work function as well. 

Jungkook talks about the Arts Center when he can, and you mentally take note of certain projects, sites, events, artists, and patrons that are mentioned, quickly typing them on your phone for future reference. He talks to you about them in between flutes of champagne and canapes that are some of the most delicious you’ve ever had.

Jungkook laughs as you down another brie and cranberry bruschetta.

“What? I like fancy food,” you pout.

“Yes, your normal people’s taste buds like fancy food,” he teases. 

It’s a statement you make often and you smile that he now uses it against you.

Your moments of casual ignorance of what’s going on around you are ones you find yourself enjoying too much. You internally sigh every time a guest approaches him, and even more so when you find yourself with a few others and someone stands a little too close, or has his hand linger on your elbow, or whispers something in your ear as if you’re at a bar and the music is too loud, which it isn’t, so there’s really no reason for this son of some business tycoon to be asking you to head outside “to talk.”

“Don’t you have a date?” You ask after he insists. 

“Yeah, some girl,” he shrugs. “She’s kinda boring. Lucky I found you.”

You awkwardly smile, knowing it’s not your place to reject him and make a scene. He looks to be the type who always gets his way and if he doesn’t this time, you’re afraid of how he might take it. 

You don’t budge and call for another flute of champagne instead, finishing it in one gulp that has the man releasing a deep breath in front of you.

“So you’ve been working for the Jeon’s for 8 years, you say?” He speaks again.

You nod, looking around to avoid his eyes.

“That’s quite a long time, yeah? I’m sure I can get you a spot at my company,” he brags. “I mean, we sell luxury cars. That’s way more interesting than buildings and shit.”

“I don’t drive,” you say too quickly. “I mean, I don’t know how to.”

“Perfect. I can teach you then,” he smirks. 

It’s the look that heightens your level of discomfort, and just as you’re about to make some excuse and run away, Jungkook calls your name that has you immediately turning towards him.

“Yes, Mr. Jeon?”

He’s not too far away; he comes closer yet still maintains a bit of a distance. 

“Hoseok’s asking for me but I want to speak to Mr. Saito before he leaves. Can you go to my cousin on my behalf?”

“Of course,” you say, excusing yourself and scurrying away from the scene, sighing in relief at the sight of a familiar pair of faces.

A-yeong gives you a hug and you return it, then you turn to Hoseok and ask what he needs Jungkook for.

“Nothing,” he says. “I didn’t call for him.”

“Oh, okay. Well, he said you did.”

“I haven’t spoken to him since we got here,” Hoseok replies. “You know how this gala goes. So many people to meet. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just… uh. Well, I just met Mr. Kwon’s son. And let’s just say, I don’t want that to happen again.”

“Oh, ___,” A-yeong sighs, knowing exactly what you mean. “Just stay with us. Or don’t leave Jungkook’s side.” Turning towards the man who’d just arrived, she adds, “stay close to her, okay?”

Jungkook looks at you, his eyes asking a question that you know the answer to but neither of you says anything. 

“I will,” he nods. 

Both of you stay where you are for a while before heading back to your seats for the sit-down dinner. You converse with those at your table, thankful that they’re all decent and entertaining. After that, Jungkook doesn’t leave your side. It almost seems like he’s your date rather than the other way around, but you appreciate his presence, especially when he calls your attention once you start looking uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh. “I just… I just get a little uneasy when people I don’t know get too close.”

“I understand. I’m the same,” he says, prompting you to look at him. “But I just feel uncomfortable, not unsafe. There’s a difference. And it’s not okay if that’s how they make you feel.”

He knew without you saying the words. It takes you back to that night at the restaurant with Hajoon and how Jungkook had looked the most guilty he’d ever been when you said that his staring made you feel uncomfortable. You supposed then that it was mostly because he thought he was causing a rift between you and Hajoon but you realize now that it was more than that. For all that Jungkook is, you’ve come to see that there are things he can’t stand himself doing; deliberately making you feel unsafe is definitely one of them. Perhaps it’s why at this moment, you feel the exact opposite being around him. 

And that’s how the rest of the night goes. He stays close but when he’s caught up in a conversation he can’t get out of, he gives you that look to remind you that it’s okay to step away, that you have the ability to remove yourself from a situation you don’t feel good being in. And you do, and the worry you used to have about being a mere assistant fades away. You never thought that one Jeon Jungkook would give you the permission to do that.

You’re seated on a chair some time later, the hours of walking in your high heels taking its toll on you. You wave to Hoseok and A-yeong, no longer having the energy to walk up to them for a proper goodbye. You sigh to yourself, feeling the tiredness slowly overtake you. It was still a good night, but it took a lot of energy from you, too. 

“Hey,” you hear Jungkook call out. 

You turn to him, still looking handsome as he stands nearby, his hands in his pockets as he mirrors your exhaustion.

“Ready to head home?” He asks.

“Yes,” you say too quickly, earning you a laugh. 

You stand up, limping only a tiny bit, but you think Jungkook notices, as he offers his arm just like he did at the start of the night.

“This is what a proper gentleman does, right?” He asks. 

“I suppose. Although I might say, Mr. Jeon, that’s what you were the entire time. So thank you.”

Jungkook nods in response, unsure how to receive your gratitude. He knows what you mean, as the first sign of your discomfort had him looking at you constantly. He was worried all night but he supposes there’s no reason to feel that way now, as your faint smile just signifies that you’re tired more than anything. 

For the short moment it takes for you to walk closer to him, he basks in your beauty once more. The night will be over soon, and he’s glad he could give you some reprieve this time. He tries not to lose it when you tighten your grip on his arm for support though, but that’s something he can think about later on. 

The walk to the car isn’t that long and you let go of him eventually. You head towards the other door then enter, the space in between reminding him of where you both belong - on either side of a line, one that he shouldn’t think of crossing.

You sink into your seat, fighting the urge to curl your body and take a nap, so you sit up straight and hold yourself together after once again feeling Jungkook’s arm under your touch. Most of the alcohol has left your system but perhaps not enough, as you boldly look at him and smile in appreciation. He returns it, perhaps knowing why you are.

You look out the window, appreciating Seoul’s night sky, until the vision starts getting unclear, as the rain falls steadily on the window. The tapping of the droplets on the glass is a sound you’ve come to appreciate, among other things that you used to be terrified of. 

There’s just this calmness, as if the rain is greeting you, accompanying you in your thoughts. But the sound of the radio getting louder disrupts that a little bit, and in looking at Mr. Ri in question only to find him glancing at the rearview mirror to see the man next to you, do you realize why he’s doing so.

Jungkook’s demeanor has changed, a complete 180 to how he looked not long ago when he seemed satisfied, fulfilled, almost proud of himself for surviving the night. He’s now cross-legged and cross-armed, with his eyes closed and jaws clenched, as if he’s trying to hold himself together. Or trying his best to drown out the sound of the rain, the way Mr. Ri is trying to do for him.

Your face falls at the sight. You’ve seen Jungkook stressed and angry and disappointed; you’ve seen him anxious, too, but this is different. There’s a bit of fear in there, and with the way he flinches and how he’s clutching onto his arms, you know this comes from somewhere and this was caused by something. If it’s anything similar to what you know, then this was because of something painful.

You want to reach out to him but you know you shouldn’t. You helplessly look back on the road then glance at Jungkook every few seconds as the rain continues. It doesn’t seem like it will be a terrible downpour but it’s stronger than usual. 

You try to remember instances in the past where he’d acted this way. A few come to mind, and you think now there’s a reason why he becomes uneasy when it starts to drizzle. That happened the other week while you were on a site visit with him for a small project, but you hadn’t thought much of it, given that he was on his fourth cup of coffee on the way there. 

But right now, you wish there was something more you could do; anything is better than nothing. But you feel constrained - by the distance, by your position, by his boundaries that seem to always be there.

By some miracle, the rain weakens, and it’s stopped by the time you arrive at Jungkook’s apartment building. The car halts and with him still in the same position, you think he probably doesn’t realize he’s home. 

“Mr. Jeon,” you say softly, gently tapping his arm to get his attention. “We’ve reached your place. And the rain has stopped. It’s… it’s okay to open your eyes now.”

It takes a few seconds but he takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, then looks around. It’s just droplets frozen in time on his window and he sighs in relief. Somehow the assurance that he’s okay means something to you this time; you hate to think of what burden he carries that he hides away.

He opens the door, and there’s a bit of disappointment you feel when he closes it and leaves without a goodbye. You suppose he just wants to get to his place immediately and rush to safety. But you don’t want to intrude, not if distance is what he needs, so  you settle with just watching him walk away. 

But then he turns around, and with that bit of boldness left in your body, you open the window and give him another smile. You wish he feels the tenderness in it; you wish somehow it’s enough to let him know that you understand, and that he’s not alone. 

“Good night,” you manage to say, and he hears it despite the distance.

“Good night, ___. And thank you.”

It’s the use of your name. It’s the softness of his smile and the words of gratitude. It’s the way he lingers as the car starts to drive away and you’re left watching him even from afar. 

It lets you know that he knows. And it’s the reason why you sleep soundly that night and why for the first time since you’ve met him, you can’t wait to see him again. 

Series Masterlist

Permanent Taglist: @sherlynxx @di0rgguk @thequeen-kat @fan-ati--c @cravingforhotchocolate @adoraminie @helenazbmrskai @weasleyswizarding-wheezes @gukssunshine @kookxin @petuliii @yoursthv @libra04 @fancycollectormoon @twixxxpie @ignoretheskies @ohmydarlin-g @bids97 @minyoongiboongi @main-bangtansmauyeondan @bora-bae7 @investedreader @petalsofink @jvngkooker @stopeatread @craftymoonchaos @alpacaparkaseok @coletaehyung

Series Taglist: 

@xhazmania @ash07128 @rinkud @junniesoleilkth @junecat18 @peachytokki @baechugff @coralmusicblaze @jalexad @pamzn @hoseoksluv89 @familiarlikemymirror3 @kookies-n-spice @hyuneyeon @thisartemisnevermisses @jk97bam @nadzzzblog @xyarinx @megnugget98 @shameless-army @jkslvsnella @lvr2seok @nayashalouiseburrows @peterstarkchrishiddleston @kgneptun @cynicalbitch666 @roxexexee @llallaaa

[17020]

# I HEART PUBLIC RELATIONS

in order to your boost your popularity as a lifestyle influencer, your manager decides to partner up with anri teieri and jinpachi ego, for a pr stunt with a man from one of japan's most famous content houses: BLUE LOCK.

the rules are simple: choose a man, post three videos together a week, post an (undisclosed) ad weekly, and interact with each other on social media. ooh! don't forget! the more chemistry between you two, the better.

STARRING . . . yoichi isagi, meguru bachira, hyoma chigiri, rensuke kunigami. fem reader!

CANDIDATE 1 — YOICHI ISAGI

USER: ISAGIYO FOLLOWERS: 893k CATEGORY: LIFESTYLE/FITNESS

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

the day you met isagi at the house, you immediately clicked. there was something so comforting and inviting about him, you knew the chemistry was going to be natural. seeing as you were both lifestyle influencers, you settled on doing vlogs and 'what i do in a day' videos for both your profiles.

the first tiktok you ever filmed was inside the house, with isagi inviting you over to try out gigi hadid's famous vodka pasta. it was an absolute mess, as the flour spilled everywhere and isagi almost overcooked the pasta. not to mention, he suggested you take some shots of vodka every now and then to keep things fun. people already speculated that isagi had something going on with you since bachira accidentally revealed in his tiktok that "isagi's having a girl over, so we're stuck outside." the fans absolutely adored the two of you cooking, and how after each shot, isagi became more loose, letting out more jokes and feeling confident enough to compliment you on your cooking skills.

the second tiktok was outside in the streets, with you and isagi filming a review of a well-known puppy cafe. it was so adorable to see such a strong man be so delicate with puppies, and you weren't the only one melting over it. fans went absolutely insane, thanking you in the comments as it was your idea to take him there in the first place. the comments were also filled with people pointing out that, in the video, isagi was completely red from all the times you complimented him, calling him cute and adorable. you took pictures for yours and his socials, captioning the post as "puppies weren't the only adorable thing there :)". news outlets caught wind of this interaction, popularizing your 'situationship' even more.

the third tiktok of the week was a gym vlog. isagi was also a fitness influencer, posting gym videos and advice from time to time, so he and you did the trend where you try to lift the weight the other usually does in their routines. safe to say, you struggled with his weights for arms, and he struggled with yours for legs. after filming the tiktok for his account, you decided to stop by a famous cookie shop, buying the weekly menu and trying it in the car. fans loved the way in which you bonded over cookies while sitting inside his car, commenting on the fact that you shared an indirect kiss from biting the same cookie. the fans want you to date already!

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . BLOOM!

when isagi and you got reached out to by bloom, you were thinking of how to incorporate it into your content. it wasn't hard, since its greens, and you and isagi had gained a new hobby together: going on walks, so that people could take pictures of you two, laughing, being happy, and looking at each other with lovesick eyes. you settled on filming the preparation of the drinks, then going on a walk focusing on the glass bottles with green liquid in your hands. isagi was nice enough to tag the brand and use a hashtag. he had to rerecord some clips as the first time you tried the drink, you almost spit it out, and so did he. but hey! money is money, right? fans were not amused that you promoted bloom, but they quickly got over it because you're both hot, and make a great couple.

"Can't go on our weekly walks without our @.bloom ! #bloompartner"

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

in every video, isagi just couldn't get his eyes or hands off you. he always had his hand on your arm, your shoulder, holding your hand, or had his arm wrapped around your waist. fans began to make compilations of the times in which isagi truly got lost in your eyes, or was a blushing, stuttering mess. so much for a pr relationship, huh? you both ended up gaining around 20k followers from this stunt, and when isagi hit one million followers, he decided to celebrate for the camera with everyone, and then privately at his parents' house with you, confessing that to him, everything was absolutely real.

CANDIDATE 2 — MEGURU BACHIRA

USER: MEGUUURUUU FOLLOWERS: 579k CATEGORY: DANCE/ENTERTAINMENT

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

you met bachira at the house and knew he had to teach you how to dance and paint. bachira is a natural when it comes to all forms of art, so when you signed the contract, the first thing he suggested was that you go to his little studio for some dance lessons.

that was the first tiktok you made; bachira teaching you how to dance everything—from tyla's dances to jojo siwa's, you and bachira spent a good few hours dancing and making a few videos for his account, with yours posting the behind the scenes. fans loved how you tripped over bachira's feet once, and how he was eager to help you get every move right. the comments begged for more appearances from you in bachira's account, since the chemistry was off the charts.

the second tiktok was you and him at the house, sitting across from each other in the dining room, a canvas and paint in front of you. you decided to paint a portrait of each other, accompanied by some mocktails. you weren't sure if bachira was pretending to be bad at art or if he genuinely did not inherit his mother's talent (something he shared while painting), but he made you look like someone drew you from memory. you died laughing when he showed you the portrait, and he almost shook the whole house from his laughter when you showed him yours. the comments were filled with love for both of you, showing appreciation for the sweet comments that you threw towards one another while painting (because yes, you posted bits and pieces of the process, catching bachira call you beautiful on camera.)

the third tiktok, you filmed the disco dance in a parking lot, after leaving his studio. the way in which you looked at each other while swaying to the music was enough to have people's whole families in the comments gushing over how cute you looked. people focused on bachira, and how he always seemed to have the biggest smile on his face when you were with him. he posted pictures with you snuggling in his car on his story, captioning them "date with the cutest! :3", driving his fanbase insane (in a good way). he forced you to go a to a drive thru, a rose between his lips as he laid on the hood of his car as you ordered a water and a burger. poor worker, he deserved a raise after that.

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . BOSE!

bachira is known to partner up with technology brands as he is constantly dancing, so it was no surprise for him to partner up with bose. they sent him (and you) a pair of their wireless earbuds, which acted as the coolest accessory for him and you as you danced on the streets of tokyo. even better, he also got sent noise cancelling headphones, asking you to put them on and for him to say whatever sentence he felt like, and for you to guess what he said. he spent the entire video telling you how gorgeous you looked, and how he loves you! such a nice sponsorship, in fact, that the paparazzi caught him the next week using airpods. yikes! someone call crisis management.

Don't think she heard me telling her how beautiful she looks @.bose #teambose

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

bachira is a flirt, and the public knows that. what they didn't know, was that his flirtatious ways would absolutely multiply by a thousand when it came to you. even you were shocked, and people commented on your wide eyes and how red you were from bachira's compliments and nicknames for you. the dance videos had you and bachira so close to one another, people genuinely wondered if you guys would share a kiss at one point. bachira granted everyone's wish, sharing a tiktok of his face covered in lipstick stains, pecking your face so that you can match. he got around 20 million views from that video alone, and you both gained around 40k followers. who said this was all pretend? the next week, bachira was already asking you out on a date, no phones allowed, so that he alone can enjoy your presence.

CANDIDATE 3 — HYOMA CHIGIRI

USER: CHIGIRIHYOMA FOLLOWERS: 670k CATEGORY: BEAUTY/HAIRCARE

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

as soon as you stepped in the house you noticed how chigiri's hair almost blinded people from how shiny it was, so the first thing you bonded over was haircare. you both decided to have the next few tiktoks be centered around beauty, as both of you were interested in get ready with me's.

the first tiktok you recorded was a heatless curl tutorial, with you and chigiri trying out the famous satin curler sets everyone gushed about. your presence on chigiri's account was expected, as the week prior you 'unexpectedly' commented on his video on how he should definitely do your hair. he replied to your comment with his video, with you and him preparing your hair, and then posting a second part where you showed the results. fans were shocked from this video, as they deemed this as a 'i never expected them to collab' type thing, but they didn't complain! they liked how you gushed over chigiri's hair, with him carefully helping you do yours.

the second tiktok was a get ready with me with new, viral products… except chigiri was doing your makeup! from skincare prep to setting spray, chigiri delicately applied new makeup on your face, commenting on the fact that you look incredible with and without it. you and chigiri were honest about everything, what you liked and didn't, and in his words, "mikayla nogueira has nothing on us, so trust when we tell you something's good." the fans went insane over chigiri's commentary, and you even got a response video from her. the beef with her made your accounts more known and had people praising you and chigiri for your honesty. you didn't need ardell wispies to prove a point, because chigiri made the l'oreal telescopic lift look fantastic on you.

the final tiktok was you doing each other's nails. you acted as his nail artist, carefully filing and painting his nails. while you did his nails, you asked him questions, to which he happily answered. the comments died when you asked him if he was single, to which he replied "why? you wanna date me or something?", followed by a lighthearted laugh. you painted his nails a beautiful shade of baby pink, and chigiri thanked you for your hard work. for your account, he did your nails with design, and as determined as he looked, his french tips looked like a french disaster, with your fingers filled with polish, and him scurrying to use acetone to clean you up. good to know that chigiri didn't excel at something for once!

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . DYSON!

he brought you into his bathroom to film his hair routine with you, and once you stepped out of his shower, the styling tutorial began. he had been given the dyson airwrap, and he used you as his human model to try out a blowout. he sectioned your hair and dried it, leaving you with the softest, shiniest blowout of your life. you tried drying his hair, and certain parts had to be cut out since you accidentally had the dryer too close to his scalp, with him cursing from the shock. the fans knew that a sponsorship from dyson was bound to happen, and they were so happy that it did. they thought you were the prettiest model, and your video had so many views that dyson actually reposted your video on their other social medias.

Gifted by Dyson, thank you so much. You made me and Yn's hair look absolutely fantastic. @.dyson #dysonpartner

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

chigiri was extremely attentive to detail and was very delicate when it came to you, and that excited fans. never in their lives had they seen chigiri so concentrated on someone else, and that meant that you were special. you became such an iconic duo in the beauty industry that you and him began to be invited to launch parties and events, going together as a couple. fans were totally in love with your vibes, as you both looked like models straight out of the runway. chigiri was attached to you after the stunt, unable to get you off his mind. after gaining more than 30k followers, chigiri asked you to sleep over at the house, having a nice, romantic movie night with face masks.

CANDIDATE 4 — RENSUKE KUNIGAMI

USER: KUNIGAMIREN FOLLOWERS: 740k CATEGORY: FITNESS

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

the first time you saw kunigami you knew you fucked up because this is a gymrat. his tiktok was filled with gym videos, routines, protein smoothies tutorials, and more. you prayed to every god and deity out there to help you out. luckily for you, kunigami was open to adapt to your lifestyle content, which would open doors for him, essentially finding a new audience.

the first tiktok you recorded was a staged first meeting. you recorded yourself at the gym doing lateral pulldowns, only to be approached by a big, muscular ginger. he asked if he could help you correct your form, to which you agreed. giggles were exchanged, and people could feel the tension through the screen. the comments went crazy telling you that yes, that was the rensuke kunigami, and you need to see him again. on kunigami's tiktok, you made a cameo as he filmed his workout vlog, showing bits and pieces of you as he explained how he stopped his pull ups to help you out. the fans begged him to return to the gym to find you again, because according to them, you were definitely worth meeting.

the second tiktok was both of you trying out the rock's leg day routine. to say both of you were absolutely dead was an understatement, with both of you sweating like crazy and then stopping by some store to try out some smoothies. you were dead tired, and kunigami offered to give you a piggyback ride to the smoothie place. after trying to deny, he insisted that he could carry two of you at once, sweeping you off your feet and carrying you bridal style instead. that made for some cute pictures from fans who were on the scene, which later went viral on social media. he took a picture of you with your smoothie, posting it to his story with the caption "look who i found". safe to say that his fans went crazy.

the last tiktok was something nobody saw coming, as you signed both you and kunigami up for zumba lessons. after the experience of the rock's workout (which was unsurprisingly suggested by kunigami), he then suggested you both do something more to your liking. then, you proceeded to not tell him what you signed him up for until he arrived at the gym, with you dragging his ass to a zumba lesson. he was so stiff at first, but quickly got the hang of it. he seemed to have caught the attention of the women in there, with them swarming him with comments about them having daughters around his age. he denied, saying that he already has someone he can dance with, turning to you with a smile. of course, you got that all on video, posting it on both your accounts. even youtube channels covered this fiasco, with you and kunigami reigning on the youtube thumbnails. "RENSUKE KUNIGAMI DATING YN LN CONFIRMED? *not clickbait*"

(UN)DISCLOSED AD . . . ALO!

alo reached out to you and kunigami for a nice photoshoot for their latest drop, and even sent you some pr packages for you to unpack. you and kunigami proceeded to go workout, but not just anywhere… alo flew you to their williamsburg sanctuary! some nice yoga classes for you and kunigami awaited, as well as some nice hotels and champagne. you, of course, enjoyed your trip to brooklyn with kunigami, posting pictures of you two on your stories, wearing matching sets from the brand. thankfully, kunigami does like to disclose his ads, even thanking the brand for flying you out. the comments freaked out over you two, deeming you tiktok's gym couple goals.

#AD | Thank you to @.aloyoga for flying us out to try the Power Class at the Alo Sanctuary. Truly enjoyed my time sweating with @.yn #alopartner

THE VIEWS SKYROCKETED! BECAUSE . . .

because there was so much tension between the two of you it was actually insane. people were commenting on the fact that you and kunigami were basically eye-fucking each other in every video because of how into each other you were. and it was true, kunigami couldn't stop staring at you, and you couldn't keep your eyes off him. the way in which kunigami helped you work out in your tiktoks made him known as husband material, which you agreed with. after the stunt, both of you gained around 40k followers, and to celebrate, kunigami offered to take you out to dinner, as well as a whole week doing things you like. you had to accommodate to his content for a pr stunt, so he stood outside of your door with a bouquet in hand, ready to spoil you.

tags: @kaiser1ns @o-sachi @kaiser-impact @empress-ruby @meowkages @plsmarrymehioriyo @vayahatesu @karasuglazer @megutime @celestair

[remiivu]

Ghostly Companion-- Chapter 2

<---- Last Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter ---->

Thank you everyone for reading! This chapter features mostly soft, domestic fluff as I work out the plot! Next update in ~3 days. Enjoy!

[Ao3 link]

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

“Hehehehe!” Is what you awoke to, followed by the heart-stopping blare of cars passing by way too close for comfort.

You jolt, held in place by Mr. Crawling’s firm arms. He laughs again, giving your face a poke. “Not ∎∎∎∎!” He coos rather loudly, and you sigh.

“Yeah, good morning, Mr. Crawling,” you say, despite the sun hardly being up. It’s actually still pretty dark, and as you survey your brand new area, you notice that you’re on a rather steep part of the mountains, adjacent to some dirt roads and the scarce road lights illuminating the area.

“∎∎∎ stops!” Mr. Crawling says, rocking the both of you gently in a soothing back-and-forth motion. Huh, for being dead and rather thin-looking, his lap was actually pretty comfortable. 

You eye the area, trying your best to repeat “∎∎∎?”

Mr. Crawling nods quickly with a smile. “∎∎∎!” He says, pointing at the road.

Oh, road?

But– wait, the road is very obviously continuing off towards somewhere, you muse quietly. Perhaps something more like… the path? If you look from his perspective, the monotonous dirt mounds, roots, and rockers were most definitely cut off by the road.

So, path will probably fit somewhat better.

You nodded, “Mhm, path stops. Go with me.” As you stand up, you groan a bit, stretching stiff limbs held tightly together for an extended period of time. Judging by the sky, he must’ve been dragging the two of you for a good amount of time.

You look right and left, and upon seeing no cars, you hurriedly cross the road, watching with relief as he does the same– in fact, he moves much quicker here, traversing the flat land with glee.

Upon crossing the road, you see the lights and tall buildings of your city, numerous of which you recognize based on the shape, ads, or colors. 

“Oh thank god,” you smiled, looking back once more to check on your ever loyal ghost. Though he most definitely didn’t understand your relief, he seemed to mirror your relaxed and happy demeanor, swaying ever so slightly as he waited patiently for you to continue.

You grinned, then began to carefully trek through the remaining hills and bushes, mostly following the road from a safe distance. After all, you weren’t quite sure whether or not other people could see your new companion, and you’d much rather get back to your tiny apartment without any extra screams or the need to act like Mr. Crawling wasn’t 2 feet behind you. 

Fortunately, Japan is much quieter at dawn than at midnight with most office workers having already gone home after a night of drinking or overtime. The few that remain were early risers much too tired to give their surroundings a second thought or still half drunk and passed out near the station or a random nook in an alley. 

Lucky, lucky, lucky you think to yourself as you made steady progress to your apartment building. Feeling slightly more rested and in a better mood, you allowed Mr. Crawling explore the new setting for a few minutes, laughing at his reaction to window displays or any vending machines you passed by.

You felt far more secure walking around an area you know compared to the mountains.

“∎∎∎∎!” Mr. Crawling says, stopping to inspect a small collection of Gachapon outside a large convenience store.

You let out a small snort, his amusement infectious. You can't remember the last time you were that excited over a capsule machine. Maybe it was elementary school? 

“Want one?” You ask, giving your bag a small shake to confirm that it still had coins in it.

Mr. Crawling brightened even more, “Me can?”

You fish out your coin pouch, digging around for some 100 yen coins. You pull out 2, handing them over to his hand and placing them in his palm.

You grab 2 more coins and demonstrate, picking out one depicting cute foods. You inserted the coins and twisted the lever, watching as a yellow ball rolled out. You picked it up, popping it open, and unfurling the wrap covering your brand new keychain, revealing a piece of cartoony buttered toast.

Mr. Crawling scooted closer, giggling out “cute cute cute!” as he poked and prodded at the small plastic thing.

Without a moment of hesitation, he inserts his coins into the same machine you had picked out, his hand turning the lever making a suspicious creak and clicking that, in your heart, signified something breaking. 

Ah, shit… you thought half-heartedly as he took his yellow capsule, popping it open and tearing off the plastic covering. He let out giggles, staring at his tiny new keychain.

A cute fried piece of mackerel with little x marks over its eyes.

You let out your own laugh, absentmindedly patting his head as he poked and moved his keychain. His head jerks up, grin radiant, as he says “Me like ∎∎∎! Thank you!” 

You felt your heart melt as you gave his head a rougher pat. “Of course. Me happy…uh– me happy you happy.”

Mr. Crawling gushed, lunging up to give you a tight hug that nearly brought you to the ground again. Your far more controlled yelp was cut off by your own laughs paired with his giggles as you combed your fingers through his hair. It wasn’t as neat as before, slightly ruffled up and tangled around small pieces of dirt, leaves, and rocks.

Yikes, he needed a bath. Do ghosts need baths? Well, regardless, you probably weren’t that far off, and the remains of dried blood would probably stop looking like the dried mud you knew other people assumed it was when the sun fully rises. 

And so, the moment was rather brief, interrupted by some cars passing by, but it was more warmth than you’ve ever really experienced since childhood, and you truly cherished it.

“Alright, c’mon,” You grinned, taking a half a step back to indicate you wanted to move. “We go.”

Mr. Crawling, as sweet as can be, followed after, keeping his new keychain as… safe as can be tucked between his razor sharp teeth, the little mackerel swaying against his chin and jaw.

You tried your best not to laugh at the sight.

The journey to your apartment afterwards was as tedious as you recalled, the same streets looking hardly any different despite the fact that you were basically kidnapped into a new world and nearly died quite a few times. And, while the rush of laughter was nice, you could feel the remaining exhaustion built up from the past 24 hours weighing heavier on your shoulders with every few steps, your hour-or-so long nap hardly the rest you actually needed.

But, you can’t deny, having Mr. Crawling by your side was the motivation you needed as you hiked up roads and through narrow roads as you began to walk away from the most busting parts of the city, entering a residential area that was fairly secluded from the main streets. 

Your building was more run down than most, cheap with some decent space for one person and some nice, elderly neighbors (that you really don’t want to traumatize). So, you opened the creaky entrance as quietly as you could, feeling confident that Mr. Crawling wouldn’t make much of a peep of noise until you reached your room.

You were 3 floors up, and you stopped yourself from letting out another huff of laughter at how at-home Mr. Crawling appeared to be on familiar concrete floors and stairs. That was too bad, honestly, as your house had wooden floors and some tatami mats, but a part of your mind, despite knowing how sturdy his limbs were, felt better that he wouldn’t be constantly kneeling and crawling on cold concrete floors like before.

And, really, it would be best for the both of you to leave that place as far behind as possible. In fact, you’d like to convince yourself that everything was a dream, and you simply found a ghost in the mountains like all the ghost stories had warned you about. No blood, no torture room, and no man in red.

All normal. Regular life. No deaths or blood or a creepy face peering at you from every dark crevice. 

You pull out your keys, giving your doorknob a soft rattle as it opens, and you breathe in a lungful of air you didn’t realize you could miss so much.

The air was slightly stale, but it was nothing an hour or so of airing out could fix. 

You walk in, kicking off ruined shoes by the doorway and hesitating for a moment when you see Mr. Crawling’s… attire.

It wasn’t bad. For crawling in a damp mountain, it was actually very clean, but you were still on the edge of letting dirt and grime inside.

But when Mr. Crawling tilts his head, mackerel clicking against his cheek, you felt yourself give in with a small sigh, and nod with a smile that you simply couldn’t help.

You walked in, waving him in, and once settled upon the hardwood floor, you shut the door tight, ensuring everything was locked.

“∎∎∎?” Mr. Crawling asked, mouth free of a charm. It was now back in his hands.

You hummed, giving him a blank look that you knew he knew meant you didn’t understand.

Mr. Crawling, hardly deterred, points at your home. “∎∎∎? You ∎∎∎?”

Hmm… You contemplate, looking at your room. Was he trying to say home?

“Home,” you say patiently in your language, watching as Mr. Crawling had a turn of looking confused. “...H..” He mumbles, and you nod.

“Home,” you pointed all around your home. “Home. Me home.”

Mr. Crawling followed where your finger was pointing rather comedically, head craning backwards and torso twisting around to see everything you were showing him. “You ∎∎∎. You… home?”

Your smile was instantly matched by his as you nodded quickly in affirmation. “Yes! Me home! Me language. Home.”

Mr. Crawling giggles, then crawls further into the house, exploring. You take the time to get settled, placing your bag on the hanger and plugging your nearly dead phone into the nearest outlet. Stretching your tensed, spent muscles, you finally took the time to look at yourself in the mirror and cringed at the sight.

Firstly, your hair was an utter mess, grime and browned blood crusting up in it, on your face, and on a good amount of the rest of your body. Your clothes were frankly ruined, and you’ll have to burn them or something. There’s no way you’ll be able to explain why that much blood from a presumably missing person is all over you.

You give a glance at Mr. Crawling who paused his cabinet-inspection to, in turn, look at you. 

… surely… you contemplate, not even registering the way he’s shuffling a bit under your gaze. Surely I can leave him alone for… 20 minutes? I need to shower at least… scratch the bath. I’ll probably fall asleep if I stay there. 

Mr. Crawling hurriedly began shoving stuff back in, the clacking and banging drawing you out of your thoughts.

“Huh?” You question, eloquently, as Mr. Crawling asks, holding a dustpan, “You mad?”

… Oh? “No, no.” You quickly reassure, crossing the room to bend down a bit and pet his head. “Me happy you happy. You… uh..” You pause, eyes scrunching shut as you begin digging in your mind for a word.

“You… can.” You eventually settle with, feeling assured that he understood when he smiled. You watched for another few seconds as he re-emptied the now-messy floor cabinet, digging out items that you’ve frankly forgotten about, before turning away with a small laugh and walking off to the bathroom.

You pulled out a spare set of clothes, dumping your current ones into a pile, and watched as grime and crust poured into the drain.

________________________________

When you step out, feeling refreshed and relaxed, you spotted a mini pile of mess surrounding your brand new roommate who seemed eager, mackerel keychain in mouth, to explore.

You hummed, observing his dirty appearance, before making a decision.

After all, you can’t have someone that dirty resting on a clean, white futon– or even the tatami mats he thankfully hasn’t walked over yet. He needed a bath earnestly. 

“Mr. Crawling,” You say, watching him turn in excitement.

“Hello!” He greeted, crawling towards you.

A brief half-second thought ensures that you truly had no word associated with water, wash, or anything along those lines, so you simply pointed into the bathroom, motioning towards yourself and your clean body.

“Uhm, wash. Bath,” You said, heading inside the still steamy room as you rinsed the tub and began filling it with water.

Mr. Crawling inspected it, peering at the warm water. “You,” you said, pointing inside the filling bathtub, followed by the motion of you washing your hair.

He tilts his head, jaw gently chewing at the keychain in his mouth. Then, when he sunk his arm in, you nodded fervently. “Yes yes,” You encouraged, motioning for him to get in.

When he sinks in, clothes bubbling to the surface, you contemplate asking him to take it off, but…

Yeahh, maybe not. You weren’t ready to see… whatever male ghosts had down there.

You pushed the fabric into the water, letting it soak up water until it sunk on its own and grimaced at the small wave of dirt that rose to the surface.

Yikes.

_____________________

Giggles erupted from the bathroom followed by small shouts of laughter periodically for the next 30 minutes as Mr. Crawling enjoyed the bath, splashing water out the tub and nearly melting when you firmly scrubbed his scalp and feet-long locks of hair.

You had drained and refilled the tub about 3 times now, the water finally a consistent clear color, that allowed you to wash and rinse the poor guy with some peace of mind.

“Good good! Happy!” Mr. Crawling cheered as he pushed his head up against your palms and fingers pressed against his head. “Thank you! Thank you!”

You laughed yourself, rinsing out the shampoo by scooping up buckets of water and pouring it over his head. “You really needed this,” you mused, gently layering a thin amount of conditioner onto his hair and letting it sit out on the side of the tub.

You can already see your bank account taking a foreseeable hit once your hair products run out.

Mr. Crawling giggled, taking out his now-warm arms to pet your (thankfully still wet) hair as you briefly scrubbed his legs and arms and attempted to wash his torso through his clothes. They seemed to be thin enough, after all, and it doubles as washing the fabric.

You snorted as hair fell into your face, large damp fingers clumsily pushing them away before you could really react. “You safe!” Mr. Crawling chirped, using his warm hands to cup your face and keep anything else from falling onto your eyes.

You felt your heart skip a beat as your cheeks began to warm themselves up, a soft smile firmly planted on your face. “And you’re very sweet,” you hum good naturedly, finishing up with a last rinse, drain of the tub, and wash down with the nearby showerhead.

You squeezed out as much water as you possibly could from your brand new sentient, crawling mop before helping him out of the tub and onto a towel. You gave him a small warning, motioning him to cover his ears as you plugged in the hairdryer, doing your best to dry him off.

He giggled, pulling his hands off his ears after a few moments and observing the hairdryer, reaching out to touch it a few times. “Cool! Noise ∎∎∎.” He said, watching his hair fly all around the room.

By the end, your arms were sore and your eyelids were heavy with the need to sleep, but he was dry and clean– very, very clean, skin no longer various shades of gray and clothes a step lighter than they used to be.

Before you could stand up and begin your voyage to your bed, he gently tugged you down, pulling you to sit on the towel.

“Huh?” You ask, watching as he fiddled with your hairdryer. He giggled when it roared to life, pointing the heated air at your head and clothes.

Oh… You relaxed, smiling as he tried his best to dry off whatever remaining moisture was in it. It was only slightly damp anyways, the air having done its job, but the tenderness of his fingers trying to run through your scalp and the warmth of not only the hairdryer but also the comfort of returning to some sort of semblance of a normal, soft, and loving life was enough to give rise to brand emotions that surged up from your chest and into your eyes. 

You did your best to choke out anything threatening to escape your throat, but there was no hiding the tears burning in your eyes or the way your body tensed up against the knees pressed against your back. 

Suddenly, the hairdryer shuts off, and a head smelling like your favorite shampoo pops in your vision, followed by “You sad? Hurt? Sad, you sad, me ∎∎∎.”

You sniffled, giving yourself that at least, and shook your head, quickly wiping off any tears. “No. No, me happy. You… nice. You nice… much. Me happy. Thank you.” 

Still, Mr. Crawling looked concerned, giving your body a quick check over and closely inspecting your head to ensure he really didn’t hurt you. When he finds nothing, he leans back, crawling to your side.

“You rest?” He says, and you give a jerky nod.

“Yeah, me… rest. Need rest.” You mutter, standing up and kicking the towels off to the side as well. You could clean that up later.

You lead Mr. Crawling out the room and into the small alcove covered in a tatami mat, opening a cabinet and pulling out 2 futons, unrolling them onto the floor. You then grabbed your pillows, blanket, and hurried to make yourself as comfortable as possible, handing him his set so that he could do the same.

But, instead of setting up his bed like you, he just sat right beside you intently, merely laying down the futon and pressing his pillow against your side.

“What are you doing?” You mumble, voice slightly nasally and eyes a bit puffy. You simply laid down, too tired and half-embarrassed to remain sitting up, but let out a small noise as his body laid on top of yours.

“What are you–”

“You rest,” Mr. Crawling says with a smile, face pressed against your abdomen and his blanket resting against his legs. “You rest. Me ∎∎∎∎ you safe.”

And, honestly, you don’t bother with trying to refute anything anymore. You sighed, letting your overworked muscles relax and gently resting your hand on his head. You were home, you were safe, and you… you weren’t alone. You had someone there with you now. Someone who protected you and could keep you safe in your sleep.

You blink open your eyes briefly when you felt something cold and foreign press into the other hand resting at your side, but upon seeing the small mackerel and toast keychains resting in your palm, you let out a small snort and let your eyes fall shut once again, mumbling a small “goodnight..” as you felt yourself drifting off to sleep almost immediately.

.

.

.

.

“...g…goood…niight…”

That's all! Gave you guys a bit of a longer chapter (~3.2k words) as an extra thanks! Hope you enjoyed ^^

<---- Last Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter ---->

[Ao3 link]

[wttcsms]

we play our fantasies out in real life ways ; shouto todoroki.

pairing shouto todoroki x f!reader  word count 2.7k  synopsis knocking up his sugar baby seems (and feels) like a dream come true for the future ceo and youngest son of japan’s richest conglomerate family. content contains sugar daddy!shouto, yandere themes, car sex, creampie, breeding kink, quirkless au, ceo!shouto, tiny daddy kink author’s notes this is a repost of an old fic but pls tell me we are still horny 4 shouto. also ignore the Tesla promo, i was feeling silly when i wrote this </3

He can have anything he wants, you know.

And of course you know this. Of course you do. It’s hard to ignore this fact whenever he’s the exact reason your closet is overflowing with more dresses than you know what to do with; why your dresser can barely stay shut due to the amount of lacy lingerie you’ve had to shove in them; why you’re a third year college student driving to campus with a brand new Mercedes that technically isn’t even supposed to be out on the market ‘til next month. 

He can have anything he wants, and because you’re his, by extension, you have the power to make all your material wishes come true, too. All you have to do is ask him.

All you have to do is look up at him and give him those puppy dog eyes of yours and say, “please, daddy, can I cum?” and he’ll let you. You know he will, because stoic Shouto Todoroki, the future CEO and prized son of the Todoroki clan that happens to be one of the most famous conglomerate families in all of Japan, just can’t seem to say no to you. He signs off multi-billion yen deals as easily as one blinks and running multiple companies is just something he’s been born to do. It’s no easy feat to give commands to such a powerful man. 

And yet, one look and a tiny whimper is all it takes to turn him into putty in your hands. 

It’s always an out of body experience when you’re with Shouto. Being with him is like constantly being the main character of a movie. He rents out entire restaurants so the two of you can dine away from prying eyes. He sends you good morning and good night texts every single day. (One time you joked about him forcing his assistant to do it because there’s no way a busy man like him would ever have time to do something so insignificant; he didn’t like that you couldn’t seem to wrap your head around the concept of you being someone very important to him.) Shouto is incredibly good to you, incredibly good for you.

He’s incredibly good with a lot of things. Taking care of you, for one. Taking care of all his businesses, for another. And right now, he’s taking real good care of your cunt when he’s got three of his fingers knuckles deep in you. 

The windows to his sleek, outrageously priced car are tinted so dark, even you struggle to see through the windshield. You always tell him it’s dangerous, but he reminds you that there are always reasons for the things he does. You wonder if getting tinted windows so he could fuck his college student sugar baby with some semblance of privacy is the reason. 

And then all thinking on your end comes to a stop when he nips at the skin of your neck, biting down softly and getting you to let out a tiny whimper. It doesn’t hurt. You don’t think Shouto is even capable of hurting you; not because you’re some unbreakable being, but because you don’t think the calloused hands that have caressed every centimeter of your body is capable of harming you. 

The two of you are currently parked in the lot right outside the building where his main office is located. In about ten minutes, the parking lot will be flooded with employees who have just clocked out and are getting ready to speed home. In about ten minutes, anyone could accidentally (or purposely) become a little voyeur to the activities going down in the future CEO’s luxury car. 

Your back is pressed against his chest. More often than not, you find yourself naked while he’s practically still dressed, and it’s the same thing that’s happening right now. The buttons on his shirt are digging into your back, but you can’t find it in you to complain. Instead, you focus on gripping the wrist of the hand that’s in between your thighs. The sleeves of his button down shirt are rolled up, and if you take your tiny fingers just a bit higher, you can feel the veins running down his arm. 

“Tell me what you want, baby.” The baritone of his voice is smooth, calm, collected — in control. Because you can make any request in the world, and Shouto will fulfill it for you, but that does not mean that you are the one who makes the final decisions. At the end of the day, everything you have, everything that is given to you, is because of him, because of the decisions he makes for you.

His eagerness to gift you the world thinly veils the true depth of your submission to him. A subconscious part of you is well aware of the power imbalance in this relationship, but if all has been well these past two years, then surely it’ll only be smooth sailing from here?

You lean back, leaning into his warmth, breathing deeply to inhale the scent of his spicy cologne that costs more than your textbooks (that he bought for you). 

“D-daddy.” You moan out, trying to coax him deeper in your tight little cunt, as if his fingers aren’t already as deep as they can go, spreading out your hole to prep you for what he knows you truly crave. 

“You’ve got to speak up, love. I can’t give you anything if you don’t tell me what to give you.” His breath is warm against your ear, and it’s so hot in the car. So, so hot. You wonder if it’s just you feeling the heat, though. Shouto seems as collected as ever, not the least bit uncomfortable at all. 

“Mmm — w-want you.” You wriggle a bit in his lap, but his free hand grips your side and squeezes you with a firm, nonverbal command to stop moving. You do, immediately. Because that’s what you always do: follow his command. 

“I know you do.” He coos, finally moving his fingers. It’s agonizingly slow, too slow. The car is silent save for your little pants and the obscene wet sounds that come as a result of his fingers thrusting in your wet cunt. 

“Faster, daddy.” You whine out, looking up at him. The sun is setting, and despite the tint of the windows, the orange glow from the sun still shines against his smooth skin, casting his face into something that’s half sunset/half shadow. It’s a good look; a sharp contrast that matches his hair. Seeing your blatant admiration of him only spurs him to give in and go faster. He had planned on drawing this out for as long as he possibly could. He had originally wanted to coax you into as many orgasms ‘til you were nothing but a fucked out little mess, too worn out to pay attention or even care when he finishes your little session with you plugged up with his cum. 

The lives of children born into the Todoroki family are more cursed than it is blessed, and Shouto had, a very long time ago, made a vow that he would never continue the bloodline. He would have no children, which would be easy because he planned on never having a lover.

And then he met you, started providing for you, realized how much he enjoyed providing, and realized even more that the only way to strengthen this transactional relationship is by forcing your hand. He likes to think that you would stay with him willingly, but there are some chances that he’s just not willing to take; there are some extremes that he’s all too entirely happy to go far to, though. 

Your sweet moans mix in well with the lewd sounds of your pussy getting thoroughly fingerfucked. His fingers are so much longer than yours, can reach spots inside of you that you can’t quite reach yourself. He’s efficient with anything and everything he does, and you’re not surprised when he doesn’t slow his pace. The consistent strokes of his fingers, your lowered inhibitions when around Shouto, and the look on his face (equal parts concentration and adoration) all help in making you cum all over his hand. 

“Good girl.” Shouto whispers, removing his fingers and holding his hand up. The sunlight beaming through makes his digits glisten even more, and you’re enraptured as you watch him bring his fingers to his lips to suck your essence off of them. Piercing heterochromatic eyes never leave yours as he sucks on them, and you have to turn away from embarrassment. How can he keep such a straight face when literally licking your cum off his fingers? 

“Don’t turn away from me.” His hand — still wet — grips your chin and forces you to look at him again. “I don’t like it when you shy away from me.” 

You nod meekly, and Shouto sighs. 

“You shouldn’t be shy around me. I don’t like making you feel uncomfortable, you know that, don’t you?” 

You nod again, a subtle, barely there move. He’s not impressed. 

“Answer me properly.” There’s a hard edge to his tone, and you sit up a little straighter. Shouto would never lay a hand on you with the intent to physically harm you, but he’s not above roughing you up during sex. You’ve heard him get this way before, and the imprint of his fingertips and the purple hickeys littering your poor body took three days to fade properly. 

“I’m sorry, daddy.” You say with a pout, trying to conjure up any sort of leniency he can spare. Judging by his facial expression and the wavering look in his eyes, he’s already softening up. You just have to make it up to him now to have his complete forgiveness.

Maneuvering in the limited space the driver’s seat gives is no easy task, but you manage to shift positions to where you’re straddling his lap, finally facing him properly. He’s leaned back, watching you with a hungry glint in his eyes that makes you feel like the most wanted girl in all of Japan. A surge of heat flows through your body, from the tips of your ears to your cheeks and all the way down to between your thighs. If you were in a different position, you could clench them together, try to rub your thighs in an attempt to ease the need for friction. 

Your fingers make quick work of his belt and his zipper, pulling down on both the waistband of his slacks and his briefs to finally free his cock. He’s already hard, and you admire the way your hand can’t even wrap fully around him. The tip is flushed red, pearly beads of precum already present. 

This is the part where you look up at him, almost as if you’re unsure about what to do. You don’t know what it does to him, to see you sitting on his lap with his cock looking outrageously large in your tiny hands. He can see your pretty pussy practically dripping all over his slacks. Now’s not the time for you to be playing the role of an innocent, unsure little girl, but then it hits him: you’re asking him for permission. He almost lets out a bark of laughter. 

“You’ve already taken it upon yourself to tear into my pants and make a grab for my cock. Surely you don’t expect me to beg to fuck your little hole now, do you?” He has a cold smile on his face as he brings you closer to him. “I thought this was my apology. Don’t tell me you’re going to make me do all the work?”

“O-of course not!” You look startled at the suggestion, eyes going big and round. He looks at you expectantly, as if telling you to do something. 

It always burns when you first take him. It doesn’t matter how many times he makes you cums, doesn’t matter how long he spends stretching you out on his fingers. By now, your pussy should have memorized the feel of his dick, should have been moulded to fit him and only him. And while there’s a tiny flash of pain and discomfort for you (which Shouto hates), it’s hard not to be in love with the feel of just how tight you are. 

The stinging pain is brief, though, and is easily replaced by one of satisfaction from being stuffed by the prettiest, fattest cock you’ve ever taken in your life. 

You moan, rocking your hips back and forth. Maybe this was originally supposed to be an apology to him, but it feels more like you’re using him as your own personal toy, and Shouto really couldn’t care less. After all, if it brings you pleasure, it brings him pleasure. 

“Are you enjoying yourself, baby? What would happen if I never met you, hmm? Are you willing to spread those pretty legs of yours for any man?” He says the last sentence with a tone sharper than usual. You shake your head as you continue to rut against him, chasing after your own high because you might not be a simpleminded slut for anyone, but you are nothing more than a cockslut when it comes to Shouto. 

“Ah — fuck, fuck, fuck!” You moan out, falling against his chest, burying your face into the space between his shoulder and neck. “D-daddy, fuck!”

He holds you close to him as you cum, not even minding the mess you’ve made of his work pants. “Daddy’s got you.” He coos, his hand finding the back of your neck and squeezing you there, gently. “You must be tired now…”

You’re still too fucked out to really comprehend what’s exactly going on ‘til it’s happening, but even with your slow reaction times, you still manage to let out a slutty moan as you feel Shouto thrusting up into you. It must be uncomfortable, you think. This position doesn’t make it exactly easy for him to chase after his own pleasure, but then you remember that Shouto Todoroki doesn’t back down or break down when it comes to challenges.

He perseveres. 

You’re like a rag doll, like a personal little fucktoy, made for him to use (and maybe even break) as he pleases. Every thrust is sharp and intense, and his teeth are clenched as he continues to use you, enjoying the warmth of your tight walls and admiring the ring of white that coats and clings to his dick every time he pulls out. 

It doesn’t take him much longer to finally finish; he grabs you by your hips, raising you slightly before abruptly pushing you down on his cock, making sure that he’s nestled as deeply in you as he can be when he finally cums. He’s breathing a bit harder as he comes down, and then he’s grabbing you by your hair, making you stare at him. 

His cheeks are flushed, there’s some slight sweat building up on his forehead, his shirt is wrinkled. He’s never looked better. You’ve never felt better. 

Or, more accurately, never felt fuller. 

“Shouto, did you c…” You can’t even finish the sentence. Did you cum inside? Not like you have to; you know the answer. Some of it is dripping out of you. 

All he does is give you that small smile, the one that he rarely lets anyone see, and starts up the car. 

If he doesn’t want to talk now, there’s no way you can get him to answer properly. You try to remove yourself from his lap and make your ungraceful, disgusting journey to the passenger seat, but Shouto places a firm hand on your waist, forcing you back down.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Shouto, you can’t possibly drive while I’m sitting here on your lap.”

“I bought a Tesla for a reason.” 

Right. Because everything Shouto does has a reason for it.

You think about this on the drive back to his penthouse, a little bit of fear building up in your lower belly. Shouto does everything for a reason, and what’s the reason for any man cumming inside?

[isekai-crow]

Mashle Ending Cars

My Beetle is a massively certified mechanic in Japan who is a bit of a motorcycle fanatic. (I cannot emphasize how much I am understating the term FANATIC here.)

So naturally since I know nothing about cars and they're tangentially related to motorcycles, I asked him to tell me the names of all the cars in the ending, and he did well.

Mash - Nissan Fair Lady's Z 2008 model - He was able to get this one immediately and was like, "Anyone who knows their cars would know this immediately."

Lance - Beetle thought it was a Mazda RX-8 but it might be an import model - We guessed a Ferrari, but a lot of them have different headlight shapes.

Dot - Jeep Wrangler. Thats it. No numbers for you lmao

Finn - Morgan Plus 4 (had to google this one because too many similar looking classic cars and this STILL doesn't look exactly right.)

Rayne - Rolls Royce Phantom III baybee

I LOVE THAT THE AMES BROS HAVE CLASSIC OLDIE CARS. THEY'RE SO STYLISH. We already know that Finn is the only one in the main group with any sense of style and THIS JUST PROVES IT. I wanna go for a spin with him.

(Also classic cars as SO. FUCKING. EXPENSIVE. to own in Japan. The older your car is the more you pay in taxes. Which I wonder if it means anything here...)

Draco Malfoy Ryoh Grantz- Mercedes-Benz Vision Gran Turismo or one of the other versions. This also took a bit of googling cause he could only pin the Brand Name and not the car itself cause it's too new.

Harry Potter Orter Madl- Ashton Martin Vanquisher (THE NAMING SENSE. DID THEY PICK THIS CAR SOLELY FOR THE NAME VANQUISHER???)

Carpaccio - Porche Boxster - He picked up on the headlights immediately because we had a low budget Porche at one point, inherited from his brother.

Margarette Macaron - BMW r100 - This was of course the fastest on he pinned and AHHH MY BELOVED MARGARETTE they're so cool for riding a motorcycle.

Also.

The Mash's dads on a driving date.

Love that for them. So sweet.

And fucking of course this is a euphamism for magic and MASH IS THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT A DRIVER'S LICENSE SO HE'S PUSHING THE CAR.

AND THAT CAR IS IN PARK AND/OR HAS THE BREAKS ON because of course it fucking does why am I surprised lmao

This song is a banger too. When I get around to it, I wanna do a break down of the lyrics to this and other OPs and EDs.

[coimbrabertone]

MotoGP and the KTM Situation

So...KTM's parent company, Pierer Mobility Group, is in a bit of a mess.

A $3 billion in the red kind of mess.

How did this happen? Well, the short answer is that Pierer Mobility Group and KTM expanded too fast, too quickly, and now their debt is catching up with them. As for the long story, well...

Stefan Pierer, an Austrian businessman, founded an investment company called Cross Industries (what is now Pierer Mobility Group) in 1987, and in 1992, he took over KTM Motorrad in his native Austria. In 1994, KTM launched the Duke line, which took the traditionally dirt-bike focused KTM brand into the road bike business for the first time.

Dirt bikes remained a key element of KTM's business - and racing dirt bikes in things like Motocross and the Dakar Rally is a huge part of KTM's identity - but the allure of road bikes is what we'll be focusing on for this story.

A series of adventure and supermoto bikes followed, before in 2003, KTM entered Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing for the first time. While Ducati entered into the 4-stroke 990cc top class that same year, KTM instead focused their efforts on the 2-stroke 125cc class, as well as the 250cc class from 2005 onwards.

They took their first win at the 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix when Casey Stoner won the 125cc during his only season on KTM machinery, followed by a championship challenge the very next year. Mika Kallio won at Estoril, the Sachsenring, Motegi, and Valencia, whilst teammate Gabor Talmacsi won at Mugello, Assen, and Qatar. Qatar and Valencia were 1-2 finishes for KTM, and ultimately, Kallio finished second in the 125cc standings while Talmacsi finished third. Julian Simon on a third bike would win in the wet at Donington Park and finish eighth, putting three KTMs in the top ten in 125s in 2005 - a very respectable showing in just their third season competing.

Kallio would again finish second in 125 in 2006, with three wins to his name, whilst in 250cc, Hiroshi Aoyama won at Turkey and Japan, finishing third in those standings.

Aoyama and Kallio would both compete in 250cc in 2007, with Aoyama winning at the Sachsenring and Malaysia, while Kallio won in the wet at Motegi and then again at the season finale in Valencia. Aoyama would finish sixth while Kallio was seventh.

2008 would mark a full barreled 250 effort with Aoyama and Kallio joined by returning third bike man Julian Simon. Kallio would perform well, winning at Jerez, a wet Shanghai, and at a dry Donington Park, but Aoyama and Simon would go winless. The 125cc effort had also atrophied by now, with the most notable result being some rookie called Marc Marquez taking a third place at Donington.

KTM's attention was fading by this point, and their road bike efforts turned from Grand Prix racing and towards their new RC 1190 superbike. Additionally, the X-Bow track car gave KTM an exciting new toy to play with.

Their Grand Prix efforts were winding down.

KTM only competed in the 125cc class in 2009, and with Marc Marquez only managing a single podium at Jerez, they decided not to continue for 2010.

Marc Marquez in 2010 would move to the Red Bull Ajo team riding a Derbi/Aprilia RSA-125 and would win 10 races to dominate the championship.

So yeah...it wasn't a rider problem, their bike just kinda sucked by that point.

Meanwhile, KTM continued to expand their company. In 1995, they acquired Husaberg AB, a manufacturer established to keep dirt bike production in Sweden after Husqvarna's parent company Cagiva moved their production to Varese, Italy. KTM would in 2003 move Husaberg production to Mattighofen, Austria, making the whole thing rather pointless. Next, in 2007, came ventures with Indian giant Bajaj, who began distributing KTMs in India in exchange for a 14.5% stake.

In 2011 a similar collaboration would begin with CFMoto in China, which in 2017, became a downright joint venture between them and KTM.

Then in 2013, Husqvarna - now in BMW's hands - was sold to the Pierer Mobility Group, who promptly merged it and Husaberg, so instead of being produced in Sweden or Italy, it was all now in Austria.

In 2012, KTM would reenter GP racing with the introduction of the 4-stroke 250cc Moto3 class. They'd win the championship with Sandro Cortese, while in 2013...they won everything. Maverick Vinales in first, Alex Rins in second, Luis Salom in third, and Alex Marquez in fourth were all on KTM RC250GPs.

Fifth place was Jonas Folger on a KTM-engined Kalex.

Complete and utter domination.

On the back of this, KTM planned to enter the top class for the first time. With a V4 engine, a steel trellis frame, and Red Bull sponsorship, KTM entered the RC16 in the 2016 Valencian GP ahead of a full debut in 2017.

Who rode the RC16 at Valencia? None other than Mika Kallio, the Finn returning to KTM as their test and development rider after stints with Ducati in MotoGP and Marc VDS in Moto2.

Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith would be their full-time riders for 2017 and 2018, with Pol scoring KTM's first podium at the 2018 Valencian GP - KTM sure does have a weird affinity with Valencia, eh?

2019 would mark two big changes: first is that Johann Zarco replaced Bradley Smith, second is that KTM gained a satellite team for the first time. Yup, after competing as Monster Energy Yamaha for ten years, Tech3 became Red Bull KTM Tech3, with Hafizh Syahrin and Miguel Oliveira riding for them.

Zarco would force his way out of KTM before the year was even over, forcing Kallio to fill in for him at the final six races, but other than that...KTM's 2019 was more of a building year. They collected some points while, in the background, KTM began to move away from the steel trellis, aluminum swingarm, and old school screamer engine.

The frame became a more typical steel/aluminum hybrid, the swingarm a radical carbon fiber, and the engine conformed to the now ubiquitous big bang firing order.

The results? Rookie Brad Binder wins the 2020 Czech Grand Prix in just his third start, while on the Tech3 bike, Miguel Oliveira wins at Styria and Portimao.

KTM also took the opportunity to buy out the struggling GasGas brand in 2019, giving Pierer Mobility Group its third brand.

KTM was winning in MotoGP, it was expanding its business, but it was also already signing its own death warrant.

With the purchase of GasGas, Pierer Mobility Group now had three different brands that were predominantly in the dirt bike business. They tried to position GasGas as the entry level brand, KTM in the middle, and the Husqvarna as a premium brand, sort of trying to be the General Motors of motorcycles, there's just two problems with that:

One: Bikes are so much more niche compared to cars.

Two: even in cars the multi-brand thing doesn't work so well, with GM killing off storied brands like Oldsmobile and Pontiac in recent memory, along with more recent ventures like Saturn and Hummer failing to carve out a niche.

Nevertheless, with COVID giving a lot of people a lot of time on their hands, KTM initially had very strong sales. Lots of people were trying out their motorcycles for the first time, and with KTM giving variety between dirt bikes, road bikes, and even teasing a return to the superbike market with the RC 990, maybe things would work out.

They did not.

KTM banked on the COVID bubble.

They spent money acquiring the likes of GasGas, Husqvarna, and now a 50.1% stake in MV Agusta as well, they banked on joint ventures with Bajaj and CFMoto giving them access to the eastern markets only to develop a reputation in India for being overpriced and having bad build quality. On top of this, KTM began the scummy business practice of hiding riding software behind a paywall, most notably with their cruise control.

(For no reason at all, I'm also going to point out that Stefan Pierer has a seat on the Mercedes-Benz supervisory board.)

The end result of all this? KTM sits on 265,000 unsold bikes. Unsold bikes which only meet Euro 5 emissions standards, meaning that when the Euro 5+ standards come into effect in March, KTM will not be able to sell those bikes in Europe, where, with 11.8% market share, KTM is the largest motorcycle manufacturer.

Furthermore, KTM was not able to pay its workers their December salaries until last Friday, the 27th. November salaries remain unpaid, and Christmas bonuses have been cut entirely.

300 jobs at KTM are expected to be cut in January.

So...with all this going on, there are some big, big question marks about whether KTM will be able to continue racing in MotoGP.

They have released a statement confirming they will race in 2025 and with KTM having already sending two of their three factory rally raid riders to Dakar - the third is out with a leg injury - that seems reasonably secure.

Beyond that? It's unclear.

It's unclear how much development KTM will be doing to stay competitive as well. Initial reports suggested that KTM has already paused development, but KTM disputes this.

Now, a recent Austrian report says that KTM plans to withdraw in 2026, citing contracts and not wanting the PR disaster of early termination. What does that mean.

Well, KTM is contracted with Dorna through 2026, the end of the current regulation cycle.

Brad Binder has two years left on his contract, while Acosta, Vinales, and Bastianini are all on multiyear deals - traditional wisdom in racing says that multiyear deals typically translate to 2 years + a 1 year optional extension.

Furthermore, an engine freeze is coming into MotoGP in 2026, which will reduce development costs.

So...I believe that this means that KTM will see out their contracts, racing through 2025 and 2026 with their current set of riders. 2025 is already budgeted and we know that's secure, while seeing out the 2026 season and leaving at the end of 2026 seems to match up with these Austrian reports.

This is still a developing story, so I may well be wrong here.

It's also important to remember that this is about more than racing, it's about the people. Many, many, many people work at KTM, both on the production bike side and on the race team. These people are going through a tough time right now with this KTM bankruptcy drama, and you have to hope things turn out well for them.

I'm not much of a KTM fan - I don't oppose them either, I suppose I'm more of a neutral then - but I'd hate to lose them in MotoGP. I'd hate even more to see people lose their jobs because the ownership chased unsustainable growth.

That COVID bubble has been vicious to the business world.

[greatestrival]

Yuki Tsunoda: 10 Things I Love for GP RACING MAGAZINE APRIL 2024 ISSUE

scanned by me (please credit if you repost lmao these took so loooong)

text under the cut

10 THINGS I LOVE

RB's Japanese racer on his love of saunas, good coffee and - well, food, of course

Fashion

I like fashion. I like to choose my outfit according to my mood or where I'm going. And I like to show my colours, if you like. In short, it feels good to look good.

Food

There's no particular cuisine I like, but for me a good meal is a kind of tool to reduce stress and feel happier. It doesn't matter what kind of food it is - if it's good, I enjoy it, whether it's tacos or sushi. I really like pasta. When I'm in Italy that's what I usually eat. But it's important for me, wherever we go, to find a good restaurant so I can enjoy the food. Because in a way, as strange as it may sound, it gives me the same feeling as driving a Formula 1 car. When I drive, I just concentrate on that. It's not that I don't think - of course I do, especially during the race - but when it comes to driving, it's more about the senses than thoughts. When I'm driving I don't think about anything else. And it's almost the same with food. You just enjoy the taste and flavour - and I really like that!

Nature

We travel a lot and are surrounded by electronics and computers, Laptops, telemetry, data is our world - and sometimes it's just too much. So I like to get away from it all, to go hiking, for example, or just get out into nature and experience a different environment to Formula 1.

Jason Statham

Definitely my favourite actor, especially after meeting him in Abu Dhabi last year. I've always liked his films and Transporter is my favourite - but sometimes when you meet your hero and get to know the person better, you can be disappointed, can't you? It wasn't like that with Jason. He is such a great guy, really nice, talkative, very respectful and really, really strong! He's got everything you need. He's strong, he looks cool, he's bald. I might go bald in the future to look more like him...

Singing

I'm not the one who sings in the shower, but I do sing in the car. I just feel like it, to feel the rhythm, to have fun. And when I'm singing, I feel like a real singer.

Saunas

It's something I like to use to reset. 20 minutes in the sauna, then a cold shower and lying down - at that moment I feel like I'm in space. And it is an incredible feeling. It feels like your body is resetting itself. It feels like all the stress I have, it just comes out with the sweat, so after the sauna I feel fresh. Like a brand new me. It's funny, I didn't really like it before, but my friends kept telling me how great it was. So one day I just decided to give it another try and finally understood what they were talking about. Now it's one of my favourite things to do: just go to the sauna and relax.

Coffee

I have a good coffee machine at home. I like to grind coffee beans in the morning and make myself a good cup of coffee. Good coffee makes my day.

Wine

I don't drink alcohol very often, to be honest. And I'm not a guy who knows a lot about wine, about different types and varieties of wine. I'm not an expert, if you like. But it's nice to have a glass of wine with good food. It helps you enjoy it even more

Apex Legends

I used to play a lot more when I moved to Europe from Japan - and Apex Legends was my favourite game. I don't play as much now, but during my junior career it was a way to keep in touch with my friends in Japan because we were so far apart. Of course you can call and chat, but doing something together, playing and talking at the same time, is a lot more fun.

Football

I sometimes play football with the mechanics, engineers and other guys from the team in Faenza. And I love it. Because first of all I like the game itself, but then it's also good to hang out with the guys from the team - especially considering that it's usually the guys who don't go to races and stay at the factory, so it's also a good opportunity to bond with them.

[niuniente]

how... how did you find 190 different icecream flavors? Like you go for the signature name they are given(like one brand call vanilla vanilla but another one calls it cream paradise)? they're manufactured, home made? from those gourmet shops? those you find in supermarkets? You travel for them? or is all that around where you live and places you have passed by? you only consider milk based or also water based(tho those usually have another name)? does popsicles and things like icecream sandwich counts as flavors? have you ever gone on a trip specifically to try a region's typical ice cream? i'm sorry i am just honestly curious how you do your icecream flavors curatorship. and what is your top five out of 190 flavors.

I find ice-creams the following ways:

Cafes (we have many cafes selling their own gelato with unusual flavors, like cinnamonroll and avocado)

Traveling (Japan is a very good place for ice-creams! Although last time there I didn't find anything new.)

Finland consumes the most ice-cream per capita in the Europe. Because we're an ice-cream nation, every summer we get limited edition ice-cream flavors for all stores and kiosks. For example, this summer's new limited edition flavors are marshmallow-Biscotti cookie, and caramel-macadamia.

Manufacturers are supposed to come up with new ice-creams and also import new flavors and brands.

International stores quite often have ice-creams and sometimes I discover new flavors from their selection.

I know how to make ice-cream but only 1 flavor from the list is self-made.

To other questions!

If it made out of milk or a milk substitute, it's an ice-cream. Popsicle, sherbet etc. are not counted as ice-creams but ice-cream sandwiches are.

We have no regional specialties that much, although I know in Porvoo city there's an ice-cream factory with really wonderful flavors. Some of their flavors are available in stores but to get to taste them all I should travel to Porvoo. Without a car it's a day's worth of trip and I'm too sick to travel just to get certain ice-creams.

Having said that, I've had some regional ice-creams in Berlin, Germany!

Someday when I'm rich and healthy, I can travel somewhere just to go to try out their ice-creams.

TOP 5 (really hard to choose, so many that I like!)

Matcha

Royal Milk Tea

Spruce

German Spekulatius Christmas Cookie

Milk

But honestly speaking? If I didn't live in the country which eats ice-cream like maniacs, I wouldn't be able to get new flavors on my list that easy. Just in the past week I gained 4 new flavors (Rom-Brittle; Quark-strawberry; Marshmallow - Biscotti cookie; Vanilla-honey)

Just in these 7 months I've found 20 new flavors, all in Finland.

My ice-cream list, which updates as I find new flavors, is here.

[bangtaninborderland]

KTH- Quiet Getaway

You were used to Taehyung surprising you, wether it be with a new dog, a new car, a new dress to match his favourite suits or even a bouquet of flowers. So the fact he had planned an entire week holiday to Japan should have been nothing, but it was not.

He hasn’t booked a room at a hotel instead renting an entire house, accompanied with a pool, a tennis court and even a mini golf court.

It was safe to say you were amazed, taehyung was much more privy to these luxuries than you, even though he always made it clear you was entirely welcome to join him and the members on their travel you always felt like something of an imposter.

He was always quick to reassure you that you wasn’t the case. However the last incident had put you out of commission for attending any kind of luxury places for the near future, even the thought alone made you cringe.

You had accompanied Taehyung on a trip to Paris for fashion week, he had been personally invited by celine. The brand had wanted him to attend so much so that they sent a private jet to accommodate his travel.

Fans had lined the streets of Paris chanting for Taehyung and he bounced between the fashion houses and various stores. Your relationship with taehyung hadn’t been made public, instead you had both decided along with the company that they would portray you as a staff member to ensure you both had privacy.

You tried to explain that to the security guard at one of the Luxury stores but he was not in the mode to listen, instead directing you back to stand with the other fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the idol.

You tried to text taehyung to let him know that you had gotten stuck in the crowd outside and soon enough he came to rescued you, having his manager explain to the security that you too was supposed to be with Tae. The security guard has apologised profusely and you had accepted wanting the situation to be over but it couldn’t held the embarrassment you felt.

The thought that you could not be someone to THE Kim Taehyung was somewhat disappointed but he made sure to keep you happy through the day, he asked the manager to walk beside you to prevent it happening again but you declined telling him you were going to head back to the hotel.

You felt bad at seeing the worried look flash across his eyes but you dismissed it with a smile saying you were just dealing with a bout of jetlag.

He didn’t believe you and you knew that as such but he still wanted to explore and had a few more meetings to attend so he let you go, discreetly kissing you in the back of the car before having the driver drop you off at the hotel.

You felt humiliated as you climbed into the bathtub, you cried until your eyes were sore. You knew Tae would ask but you had no way to explain how demeaning it felt to have someone deem you as “not enough” to be a staff member, let alone his girlfriend.

It hadn’t been the first time it had happened in the three years you had been together, the memories of being pushed aside by security at concerts or fan sign events had given you some what of a fear to attending. It didn’t mean you supported him any less just that you wanted to save him the trouble of continuously rescuing you.

When he got back to the hotel that day he had already planned an apology, coming in with flowers and your favourite chocolates and food. He held you for a while, explaining how sorry he was, how he should have noticed. You tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault but he was firm that it was, that he should have put you first.

That was 7 months ago and you hadn’t gone with him to any event since, he knew it wasn’t a personal thing, he knew you loved him, he truly could understand.

You were ready to decline when he asked you to come on a trip with him but he assured you that it would only be you two, no camera, no schedule, just a couple having a week long trip.

The flight was quiet, thankfully you’d avoided Kmedia and no one happened to recognise either of you. You still hadn’t gotten used to the luxuries of first class but Tae was making sure to fulfil your every whim. You loved how much effort he put in to try and make it such a memorable experience for you both.

“Baby we landed, you gotta get up.” He shook you lightly, his voice gruff as if he too had just woken up. You found his disheveled hair adorable as you reached up to card a hand through it before standing up.

“Do you have everything?” You asked before you both began following the instructions to exit the flight to which he nodded, lacing his hand in your own as he guided you off.

He had already planned for a driver to take you to the place you were suppose to be staying at. The drive was quiet, both of you taking in the sights and trying to recover from the tiredness.

You audibly gasped as you see the house for the first time.

“It’s called rusutsu chalet.” He explained. As he climbed out the car, thanking the driver as he helped you bring your luggage inside.

You made note of the artwork on the walls, something that was very much Taheyungs style.

“What do you think” He laughed as he nudged you further into the house, giving you the go ahead to explore as much as you wanted to.

You were at a loss for words, you’d never seen something so high class, secretly you were afraid to touch anything, it all seemed so delicate and not something you could afford to replace.

It was truly stunning, you were unsure how anyone could stay here, the house belonged in a museum.

You had wandered around for nearly twenty minuets, enjoying and exploring the property, even peeking outside before Tae called you over to the extremely large couch.

“There’s something I want to explain.” He said with his lips pursed, a focused look on his face only making you worry.

You walked over to him painfully slow, was this where he ended it?

Rationally you knew it made no sense to bring you all the way here to break up with you but you’d never seen him this serious when it came to a conversation with you.

“What’s wrong Te?” You asked, keeping your voice as neutral as possible.

He buried his head into your neck forcing you to lay backwards where he kept you for a while before pulling himself up and you along with. You weren’t sure whether you were going to have sex or be made single but either way you were highly confused.

“I paid for this, for us.” He explained, gesturing round to the house.

You nodded, of course he had. “I know Tae, I wish you’d let me help pay it must be so expensive for the week.”

He shakes his head sighing. “No I mean I brought it for us, the house.”

“You did what?!” You shot up, thrown off by the unexpected revelation.

He laughed, gently pulling you back down to the couch. “I know that every time we go somewhere the majority of it you’re too worried to be shut out, too worried to be a burden. I called the airline and set up my card with them. Any time you want to enjoy yourself you just call them and book a flight here. I thought it would give us somewhere private where you could enjoy all the wonderful things you haven’t been able to. I also thought it would be better to have a second place to go to so that when we want to be together but it’s too busy in Korea we can come here.”

“So this is what you were doing last week when you said you had to sign contracts!” You slapped his arm playfully.

He laugh nodding. “I want you to feel as important, regardless of our income or job titles I want you to know that with me you are my equal. There will never be a place I go that you are not welcome.”

“Tae..” Your vision blurred as he engulfed you in a hug, you didn’t mind the way his hair ticketed your face or the way you were twisted uncomfortably. This was the most selfless thing anyone had ever done for you.

“Do you like it?” He asks again, this time more hopeful.

“Although I’m not happy that you didn’t talk to me about it because god this looks so expensive I think if I ever knew I’d cry, I am so touched that you would create a place for us that was our own.” You kissed him, letting your hands roam across his stomach, dipping daringly below his waist band.

His breath hitched, a sign telling you that his calm composure was a facade. “You know, we live together right? Back home? We always have a place that’s our own. Wherever you are is where I want to be.”

“Such a thoughtful boyfriend aren’t you Tae Tae ?” You whisper against his ear, feeling your own excitement pool between your legs.

You was not expecting it as he bent down, picking you up in his arms as if you was a baby as he headed towards the stairs.

“Tae! Put me down!” You squealed.

He landed a spank to your ass, effectively silencing you. “Nope. I’m going to fuck you in every single room of our house.”

“I love you Kim Taehyung.” You whispered breathlessly.

“I adore you most, my love.”

[waffledforbreakfast]

Dreams of You [pt2] - Sae x Reader

Sae x Reader , oneshot, slight angst + comfort

[pt.1] <- the angst

[ BLLK Oneshot Masterlist ]

TW: heavy ooc, bad grammar, bad spelling, bad formatting, cringe, scuff, etc.

(Req by: @darkcowboypirate + @sereniauhhh ! ty u two sm for techincally my first req on tumblr :D)

Sae lucked out. 

Usually he doesn’t take up promotion offers or other sponsorships and such, but when the chance came to model with you on a shoot, he had agreed before he could even comprehend what was happening.

The brand was a pretty big one, one of the biggest sports brands in Japan. They were known for hiring big name athletes, and with soccer being on the rise, they had extended invitations to you and Sae.

(you could be requested since ur a model, or being a pro soccer player, or just a normal person with connections to the agency, it’s up to you!)

Sae wasn’t sure if you had declined your invitation, the agency said that you had yet to get back to them when he asked.

But Sae would be willing to wager his right foot if it meant there was even a chance to see you again.

He had deleted all your contacts the day he broke up with you, and he hated himself for it. Sae had considered buying a phone book just to flip through every page to find your name, or contact the phone agency to go through their database. But he told himself to keep some dignity so you wouldn’t think he was pathetic. (he knew he was. And it was his fault)

The dreams of you never went away. But slowly he started to find comfort in them. Going to sleep sooner, and trying to get himself to fall back asleep were unfortunately now part of his schedule.

“I miss you” “What are you talking about Sae, I’m right here!” “...I wish you were.” “?” “I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me.”

✈️✈️🕓

Sae’s eyes opened slowly, he grumbled and sighed before rolling over and checking his phone for the time 

7:45am

Sae’s mental health started to get better, the more he accepted that he missed you. But obviously with that, he was thinking of you more. You were his wallpaper, password, he buys your favorite food and drinks when he goes out, everything.

If ur famous, he even has some of your merch, and has made donations to you before.

“If I can't have the real thing I'll settle for this”

Sae was happy to just be your fan (even if you aren't famous), he could still love you without having to hurt you.

But part of him still hoped you were single, that you still loved him, at least that you didn't hate him.

He wanted to apologize, he needed to. Unless you've moved on already… was it bad that he hoped you didn't?

Whatever… it was time to get going anyway.

Sae threw on the first articles of clothing he could find, since it was a modeling shoot, he would be given new things to wear anyway.

He wondered what you would wear.

His hoodie maybe? No. He demanded it back when you broke up, and now he was clinging to your scent on it like a dog. He wished he'd at least left you with something 

Sae mindlessly waved off the tact driver as he got out the car and walked through the building. The shoot was set to take place on the 53rd floor.

He spammed the elevator button, unconsciously wanting to see you sooner. He even arrived early and everything, knowing that you often showed up a half hour before anything started.

The elevator doors opened, Sae felt a bit disappointed that he hadn't accidentally ran into you. Whatever. He'd see you in a few minutes anyway.

As the numbers indicating the floors went up, Sae’s mind became just a bit more crowded. His palms had a few beads of sweat as he quenched his fist, he hadn't been this nervous even for the BLLK vs U20 game.

He shut his eyes and focused his mind. It wasn't that big of a deal.

The doors opened. Finally. 

Sae stepped out and tried not to walk to fast and seem desperate, he pushed open the door to the designated room.

Even though there were still 30 minutes til the shoot, camera men, makeup specialists, designers, and staff were running around, helping the other models.

But Sae payed no mind to them. He skimmed the faces of everyone, getting more and more frustrated that you weren't there.

“Mr.Itoshi!” An assistant called out “Please, right this way, let's get you dressed-”

“Quiet.”

Sae shushed him instantly.

He continued looking around, and there you were.

You stood outside the room, leaning out on the handrails of the balcony looking down.

A shiver went up your spine, you hated heights. What were you doing here?

Right. Avoiding a certain man Calming yourself down before the reunion  Nothing really.

You sighed. You had no clue if Sae would show, of if you even wanted him to…

Who are you kidding. You've been dreaming about the man for the past several months, of course you missed him.

If only he missed you too. 

“Careful now”

An arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you back from the railing and into their chest.

“I thought you hated heights.”

“...Sae…? I thought you hated me?”

“No. I would never.”

Sae brushed your hair out of your face, Fuck. He was in love again.

You looked down, not sure what to say as you avoided his gaze.

“Hey. Look at me.”

He lightly tilted your head up with his finger, eyes locked on yours

“I missed you.”

He leaned in and kissed your lips, which he had missed oh so much

“You don't know how many times I've dreamt about this.”

A/N: yippee it's out :D hope u liked it, tbh i wasn't expecting people to want a part two, im literally so happy :'3

anyway thanks again for being my first requesters! i appreciate u two dearly :D

[raquellemonsta]

Hi!! Just saw ur post announcing that you’ll be taking requests so I’d love to send one in! I would love love LOVE a timeskip! Tobio x supermodel/influencer/celebrity gf who is like the IT girl of Tokyo and is super gorgeous Bcs I’ve just forever had this thought that timeskip tobio just SUITS so well w like specifically a famous celebrity that compliments him yk?? And not to mention he’s also canonically attractive like YESS. It just makes so much sense bcs I def think Kageyama fits into the unpopular/quiet guy trope with the ultimate sunshine/popular gf yk?? So so excited to read it!! <33

i LOVEEE this idea. i think his personality perfectly contrasts a popular/famous cosmo girl. i kind of went crazy with this one, and it has it's own little twist on it so the two aren't initially dating (also enjoy the lev cameo <3). hope you like it!!

timeskip! kageyama x celebrity/model! reader

4.0k words

(part 2)

----

you live a pretty normal life. you have lots of friends, lots of clothes, and your very own makeup brand. plus, you have millions of followers on all of your social medias, enough brand deals and fan mail to fill up an entire house, and weekly photoshoots for fashion magazines. and not to mention a beautiful penthouse in the most expensive part of tokyo. okay, maybe your life isn't that normal.

at only 23, you've been on the cover of famous magazines (both in your home country and abroad), developed your own million-dollar beauty brand, and even starred in a few popular movies. the spotlight has always seemed to find you.

when you were younger, you participated in pageants, first locally and eventually moving up to larger-scale competitions. you would start to get spots in commercials for random products. you had become locally well-known, however it would be at the end of your teens that you would be catapulted into real stardom.

when you were 19, you were crowned miss universe japan and were the runner-up for the miss universe competition. ever since, you had become a national celebrity and were known internationally as well. you now lived a lavish lifestyle and surrounded yourself with glamorous possessions and people (though not to say you didn't appreciate and even miss your life before fame). as tokyo's beloved 'it' girl, your life is exciting and lots of business at the same time.

which brings you to now, you were sitting in the backseat of your car after just leaving your manager's office. you kept replaying the conversation you just had with mr. gushiken.

"i don't understand what you're trying to say" you admitted.

"you're going on 24 (y/n), and you've never publicly dated anyone! you're going to become less relatable if you keep it up" he warned. your manager has been on your case about getting into a relationship to boost people's view of you. personally, you didn't care how relatable you are, but the more you thought the more you realized people might find it weird that their favorite megastar hasn't shown any sign of a love life. that didn't mean you wanted a 'pr' relationship though. you want love to find you, you don't want to force it or fake it. if that means waiting for the right person then so be it.

when you finally come back to reality, your driver informs you that you're almost to your destination. your manager booked you a shoot for some designer handbag brand that's going to pay you a large sum for the photos. you're even getting a free purse from their new line, so you're not going to complain.

entering the studio, you're greeted by an intern and shown to the set area. you're caught off guard when you see lev haiba at the set with you. you are aware of him, though you've never collaborated with him before. you most often see him in perfume/cologne advertisements, while you usually appear for fashion brands.

with the context that your manager wants you in a relationship, though, you start thinking that maybe you're being set up. a sinking feeling in your chest causes you to consider what dating lev would be like, and then onto lev himself. what is he like?

"hey (l/n), it's nice to work with you!" lev excitedly greets you. he has a wide grin on his face and talks faster than you can even keep up with.

"i'm happy to work with you too lev" you smile back. you make your decision then and there.

lev is very handsome, he's a model for crying out loud! but he isn't your type. superficially, you've always been into tall guys with dark hair. but honestly, appearance didn't matter to you as long as he had certain other traits. personality-wise, you liked when guys aren't like yourself. you find yourself clashing with lev simply because the two of you are very similar in your dispositions. it's nice as a friend and colleague relationship, but you don't see it working out romantically.

"alright ms. (l/n), please follow me" a younger man calls for your attention and lead you to a dressing/makeup room. your makeup took a little over half an hour, and then you were helped into the elegant red dress you were given for the shoot.

following the same man back out, you see lev already waiting for you so the shoot can begin. you shake hands with the photographer before getting some individual shots with the bags. then, they decide to have the two of you do some photos together. at first, it's innocent enough, but then they start asking you to get into some slightly more intimate poses. for example, the photographer has their intern move you two into a pose where your back is to lev's chest. they have him place his arms around you while you hold a handbag (and he has one over his shoulder). it's a very couple-y pose and you can just picture your manager scheming with the shoot photographer.

the thing that finally puts you over the edge is when they expect you and lev to kiss. that basically confirms your suspicion that this was some sort of plot to make the public see you and lev as a couple and spark a pr relationship between two models. your heart picks up its pace, but not in a positive way. you start to breathe heavier and feel on the bring of an anxiety attack. the only thing really stopping you is knowing how it could affect your reputation.

it's too much. i need to get out of here.

you settle for a kiss on the cheek, before announcing that you're not feeling very well and rushing off the set and back to your dressing room. you chug from your water bottle and breathe deeply, knuckles white as you clutch the edge of the table. you give yourself a few minutes to breathe before quickly getting out of the red dress and slipping into a slightly more casual black one. you grab your purse and walk back down the hallway, saying thank yous and byes to people as you go.

you give a more personal goodbye to lev, and give him a kind smile to show that it's not his fault that you ran out. he smiles back at you in understanding as you leave the building, your driver waiting out front for you. the sun is getting lower in the sky, and the streets are still bustling.

after that interesting shoot, you really need to unwind. you have your driver bring you to an upscale club in the heart of tokyo. you aren't an alcoholic by any means, but you really wanted a distraction and didn't think you would find it in your quiet apartment.

finally reaching your destination, your bodyguard opens the door for you. you thank your driver before walking up to the entrance of the club. several of the people in line excitedly point at you, whisper-shouting that you're even prettier in person and various other compliments. you grin at them before happily greeting the bouncer. this is a club you frequent, and the bouncer is used to seeing you.

you walk inside and immediately feel the speakers vibrating the floor. this dark front hallway merely conceals the colorful dance floor and lit-up bar. one of your favorite things about this club is the lighting perfect for insta pictures. you say hi to some of the people you recognize before feeling the need for a drink.

you head to the vip section and take a seat. your bodyguard is hidden away in the back, giving you some semblance of privacy while still ensuring that he'll be ready at a moment's notice, though you doubt you'll need his assistance here. while waiting for the server, you look down from the indoor balcony that gives a view of the dance floor. there are actually a lot more people here than usual, now that you think about it. there's a lot of really tall, really hot guys here tonight on top of that. a server comes by and you order a drink before asking about all of the extra people here tonight. he tells you that japan's national volleyball team are here

you wait for your drink by doing some more people-watching. you look around the vip area from the chair you're on when your gaze falls on a man across the room. he seems vaguely familiar, but you can't put a name to the face you're currently openly staring at. he's insanely attractive and fits the tall, dark, and handsome archetype to a t. even from where you're sitting you can tell he's particularly muscular, and his features are sharply defined.

is it cheesy and cliché to say this is love at first sight? you can't think of another way to describe it. you feel your heart start to thump faster in your chest, and unlike earlier it's a positive feeling. you look back at him and to your surprise, find that you're making eye contact with him before he quickly averts his eyes.

did you just catch him staring at you?

now you have to find out about him. by going over to him and asking? well no, he had three other guys currently sitting at his booth with him, which runs the risk of him blowing you off even if he is interested. so you do what makes the most sense and ask random clubgoers about him instead of approaching him. like any drunk person down there would ignore a pretty girl anyway.

you head down to the dance floor, where the music is nearly deafening, and try to ask around to find out who this guy is. it takes only one person to find out the identity of the handsome 'stranger'.

a girl around your age is able to tell you that it's kageyama tobio, a professional volleyball player. that explains his excellent physique. you look his name up on your phone and sure enough find the man and numerous pictures of him throughout his career. damn is he hot, especially in his action shots. you also realize you've definitely seen him online before, probably in a headline as part of his impressive volleyball team without even realizing it. apparently, he's a very talented setter and a key part of his team, despite being one of the younger ones on the team (when you see he's 24 you want to yell out loud that finally an attractive guy is actually your age and not a questionable amount older).

you're told by others that he's 'emotionally unavailable' and that he is already in a committed relationship (with volleyball) though. you aren't going to let that stop you, plus he was actually staring back at you earlier. that has to count for something! besides, even if it doesn't work out, the chase itself is fun.

you make your way back up to your seat. you feel eyes on you and find him at the other side of the vip intently staring at you again. one of his teammates (you assume) is sat across from him, though his attention is clearly on you. you wave at him and give him a flirtatious wink, which causes him to furrow his brows. he looks behind and then around himself while you continue to stare at him. is he really so surprised you're interested in him? does he not know how attractive he is?

when he's finally alone, you decide to make your move. pushing your chair back, you make your way over.

"hi. mind if i sit?" you ask. you're not going to beat around the bush or worse- make him feel like he's wasting his time.

he looks at you, likely recognizing you as the beautiful woman across the room that seemed interested in him. he then takes in the rest of you, and you're happy you had decided to wear a short but flattering black dress that highlights your favorite features.

"hey. no" he shortly responds. he shifts over in the booth despite the entire rest of it being empty. you take the opportunity to be close to him and sit in the area he made space for. you bump his shoulder accidentally before placing your drink down.

you sit down and get a good look at him up close for the first time. you have to say, he's even more attractive in person compared to your phone screen. his eye contact with you is inconsistent, as you'll catch his gaze for a few seconds before he looks away with pink cheeks.

"i haven't seen you here before" you say, "what are you doing here tonight?" you question, taking a sip of your drink. you want to hear from him, even though you kind of already know the answer. you look up at him to find him already looking at you, for some reason surprised that a pretty girl is actually this interested in speaking with him. after several moments of his incredulous look, he finally answers you.

"i'm on japan's national volleyball team" he explained, "we're here for 'team bonding' or something". he doesn't say much but you find yourself hanging on every word he speaks. he has an alluringly deep voice that you noticed more with his longer sentence. "i know who you are" he says.

you're shocked by his sudden assertion. honestly, you shouldn't be because you're literally one of the most famous people in tokyo, but still. you honestly feel kind of bad that you hadn't really known who he was when he caught your eye from across the room earlier.

"really?" you ask.

"who doesn't?" he responds.

kageyama does know you. he knows a lot about you, truthfully. you've been his 'celebrity crush' for several years, ever since he happened to see you on the miss universe competition representing his country.

he had been visiting home, watching tv with his sister. miwa has always been a big fan of reality tv and beauty competitions. he hadn't really been paying much attention to what she was watching, opting to play some random game on his phone while waiting for dinner. that was until his sister started freaking out and squealing at the tv. who was the older sibling again?

"tobio it's her! miss universe japan!" she excitedly shouted. "she's so beautiful" she had quieted down a little, but still had her eyes glued to the screen. kageyama looked up from his phone and at the screen and was surprised to see a breathtakingly beautiful girl wearing the 'miss japan' sash. she was smiling brightly and he felt a thump in his chest even though the smile wasn't directly aimed at him.

words on the bottom of the screen came up: 'miss universe japan: (l/n) (y/n)'. he immediately went to look up your name online, and found plenty of pictures of you, along with your instagram with hundreds of thousands of followers. he only scrolled for a few seconds before following you and looking back up at the screen, entranced.

it was a whole new thing to see you in front of him now. slightly older from the first time he had laid eyes on you, but still just as alluring. your smile still makes his heart skip.

"well, i'm honored that the kageyama tobio knows me" you say. he merely stares back at you in awe at finally meeting you in person as he tries to think of something to say.

one of your favorite poppy songs comes on and you excitedly jump up. he gets slightly nervous at your quick action.

"dance with me?" you ask. you have a wide smile on your face and hold your hand out to him.

"i don't dance" he tells you. which is true. whenever he comes to clubs or bars, he feels out of place. while his friends and teammates are able to unwind and attract the attention of women, he finds it much harder to do either. he's much too quiet and emotionally reserved to hold the attention of most women, while others are put off by his 'unsettling' smile.

"it'll be fun! there's so many people here no one will be looking at you anyway, you have nothing to be worried about" you reason. you can clearly see the inner turmoil written on his face.

little do you know, kageyama is so nervous he's going to embarrass himself in front of you. he's never gotten this much personal attention from such a gorgeous girl, let alone a famous one he'd been crushing on for several years. he's almost always had fangirls, but people have always said he's unapproachable and too volleyball-minded for girls to ever have any attraction beyond physical. you've been talking to him for this long though, so he can't help but think this is different and you might actually be genuinely interested in him.

he mutters a small 'ok' and you take your chance before he can change his mind. you grab his hand and pull him from the booth and down the stairs all the way to the dance floor. turning around to face him, you have to look up to meet his eyes again. definitely over 6 foot, but he doesn't tower over you as much as lev does. it's a good, happy medium. he's standing very stiff and looking around at everyone before he looks back down to you. you give him a warm smile, encouraging him to loosen up a little.

you decide it seems like he needs you to help him. you grab his hands and sway back and forth in a goofy way. he only follows your actions, letting himself be wildly flailed around by you. he can't help the smile that breaks out onto his face, one he hasn't let himself show to anyone in a very long time (due to the many comments people had made about it). when you give him a strange look, he quickly tries to go back to his straight face and pulls his hands out of yours, turning around so you can't see his expression. he's already managed to mess up.

that's not how you see it. you're surprised at how his smile makes you feel. you finally understand what people are talking about when they say they have butterflies in their stomach. you feel light and airy, while also being tied down to this world next to him. your entire body heats up and you swear you're about to catch on fire. you haven't felt this way for a guy in a very long time, especially not this quickly. everything about him demands your attention and makes you wish you didn't need to blink so you never have to miss a glimpse of him.

"your smile is cute" you tell him honestly. it's a little unconventional, but you mean what you say. you can tell it's genuine and true, and that in itself is what makes it so beautiful. he gives you a strange look with something you can't really grasp. the best way to describe it is like he's really seeing you for the first time. not just your face, your body, your looks. he sees into you.

"you're gorgeous" he tells you. it's something you've heard thousands of times but it holds an entirely different meaning when you hear it from his mouth. you glance up at him and find him giving you an intense look of admiration and maybe even more.

"kiss me" you whisper. he doesn't respond verbally, and instead grants you your request. the butterflies in your stomach explode and go all over your body. it's an amazing sensation that leads you wanting more. his lips are slightly chapped, and you have to admit he seems slightly inexperienced, but you don't care. if anything, it's endearing. you hear some of the people (they sound like guys so you guess they're probably his teammates) whistle and holler in your general direction, but neither of you pay any mind to it. his arms fold around your back and pull you in closer, causing you to reach up and place your arms over his shoulders and around his neck. after what feels like forever, you pull away though he follows you. you hide your face and just embrace him. he's so warm and the feeling calms you. you feel safe with him, and wish the two of you could just be alone with each other.

you tell him as much, and he offers up his place for the two of you to go. you smile at him before texting your driver and your bodyguard (who was watching you now), telling them the address you would be heading to.

honestly, the rest of the night is history.

a package turned up at your apartment, something which at first makes you a little nervous. being as famous as you are, it's unsettling to think a 'fan' might show up at your door or have bad intentions with you. fortunately, the package is addressed to you from your manager. why not just text me, we're in the 21st century? you think, but pass it off as him being an 'old man' (he's about 50, so you decide).

you sit down with the package on the couch in your patio. opening it up, you find one of the most popular celeb news magazines and immediately recognize the two people on the cover. it's a picture of you and tobio walking down the sidewalk after one of your recent coffee dates. he had been walking you to one of your friends apartment buildings to visit her (and more importantly her dog). the photographer had caught you animatedly talking about god knows what, but you were more interested in tobio. he was looking at you intently with the faintest smile that most people probably wouldn't notice. if they didn't notice that, though, they definitely would notice the look in his eyes: lovestruck. if it was a cartoon you were sure he would have literal hearts in his eyes. you held your frappuccino in the hand not intertwined with tobio's. though you could find paparazzi annoying and even creepy at times, you have to admit you love everything about this picture.

the picture of course has a caption. in big letters it reads:

'tokyo's hottest new couple!: (l/n) (y/n) & kageyama tobio are official!'

you can't help the smile on your face. flipping through the pages, you finally come to the one about you and kageyama. a small slip of paper falls out when you do so, and you find it's a note from your manager:

congratulations on front cover again. he's a keeper - gushiken-san

"what's that?" a familiar voice behind you questions. you feel arms wrap around you and you smile. it seems someone's finally gotten out of bed.

"us" you show him the cover, to which he makes a low hum in response.

"i'm putting this on the fridge" you joke. you turn around to face him in all of his bedhead glory, wrapping your arms up around his shoulders.

"seriously? i look weird in that picture" he scoffs. you playfully swat him for making such an objectively wrong claim. you always help him with his self-esteem. he never doubts his abilities in volleyball, but in nearly ever other part of his life he needs some assistance. even now that the two of you are actually dating he doesn't feel worthy enough, friendly enough, attractive enough for someone like you. you do everything you can to convince him otherwise. he is worthy, sweet to you, and definitely attractive enough.

"you look handsome in it! but you always do so i'm not sure why you're surprised" you teasingly flirt. his cheeks darken and you reach up to pinch one. he moves his head away but moves back to gaze sweetly into your eyes. you look back just as sweet, and can't help but be lost in his beautiful blue eyes.

"if you say so" he responds with a kiss to your cheek. you respond with a kiss to his lips, followed by many more.

[808airsoftbros]

Along For The Ride (Nakamura Kazuha)

Author: Just a oneshot story from one of my Wattpad books. Also if you want to see more of my works check out my Masterlist.

Y/N's POV

Washing my brand-new 2022 Ford GT that I've recently picked up a couple of weeks ago, and I've already fallen in love with it as it was my dream car since childhood.

Even though I live in Japan and some car fanatics find it odd that I bought an American sports car instead of Japanese models like Nissan or Toyota.

But it's whatever, I've made some modifications to the exhaust pipes and added a spoiler making it look more badass.

While power washing the windshield I heard my phone ringing, quickly finishing up cleaning the windshield, I set aside the gun and looked at the screen to see my good friend Mina calling me.

"Yes, Minari?" I greeted as I continue washing my car.

"Hey, Y/N/N, you coming to the car show tonight?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Well, thought I might want to tell you this, the famous rookie Idol and member of Le Sserafim is coming to the show!" She informed me and I raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you referring to?" I asked.

"Nakamura Kazuha," She answered and my eyes widened.

"W-What?!" I exclaimed and I heard her giggle over the phone.

"That's right~! Momo and Sana are coming along as well and since we're all Idols, could give you a chance to talk to her!" She replied and I sighed.

"U sure that's fine, Minari?" I asked.

"Of course, it's fine, you're our friend!" She assured.

"H-Haha, alright then, see you at the car show, Minari!" I said my goodbyes.

"Yeah, see ya there~!" She replied before hanging up.

Jeez, who knew my ult bias in Kpop would be there at a car show tonight...? That means that I have to make sure my GT is presentable at her best so I won't make myself look like a fool.

Anyway, I finish power washing my car, drying it using a microfiber cloth to remove any fingerprints and some water stains left from the hose.

After doing a final check on the bodywork, everything looked to be ready to go for the show, and I couldn't wait to see the look on Sana's face as she is not aware that I bought a Ford GT.

When it was around five in the afternoon, I take the car keys, open the door, hop inside the driver's seat, insert the keys into the ignition switch, and hear the magnificent sound of the engine starting.

Hearing the loud roar coming from the exhaust and engine running was like music to my ears even though it does piss off my neighbors but that's not important right now.

Taking off the parking brake, I roll down to the street and drive out of the neighborhood to the main road.

The drive was about fifteen minutes until I arrived at the big ass parking lot in the mall and seeing all the Nissan GTRs and Toyota Supras and all sorts of cars was a sight to see.

When I rolled in with my Ford GT, the photographers began taking pictures of my car from all angles and everyone was checking it out but I didn't mind.

Pulling in front of the girl's cars, they were all astonished except for Mina since she was there the day I picked it up.

"Oppa, is this your car?" Momo asked and I got out of the car.

"Yep," I answered and I locked the doors using the keys.

"Do you know how much that model cost nowadays?!" Sana asked and I nodded.

"What can I say? Running that online business really paid off," I answered.

"Wah, so trading stocks really does work..." Sana replied.

"If you have the right cards that is," I mentioned.

Discussing my work in the trade market, everyone else was preparing their cars for presentation, I heard a loud roaring of an engine and I turn around to see a Red 2017 Acura NSX pulling up into the parking lot.

Once the Acura NSX was parked, the doors opened revealing a man in formal attire and Nakamura Kazuha herself.

"Uhm, Minari, who is that guy?" I curiously asked.

"You've never heard of him? That is Jay Nam he's Kazuha's rich boyfriend, he runs a trading business like you do but he's a bit arrogant since he makes ten times the amount of money our band makes in a year." She explained.

"Jay Nam, huh? Damn, that is surely a nice ride," I replied.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all for taking the time to come here and showing off your babies to everyone!" Jay thanked everyone.

With their arms locked to each other, I can't help but envy him as he's literally dating my dream girl and my ult bias.

"Now to start off, I can't help but admire all of your masterpieces that you've all brought here tonight! As you all may know, I am your host and founder of this event... Jay Nam!" He introduced himself and everyone cheered.

"But tonight! This isn't just going to be any other car show the likes you've ever seen, I will also be hosting races and a competition to see who's the best of the best!" He announced making everyone excited.

Damn, this Jay Nam guy really knows what gets us car fanatics siked and happy, maybe he isn't so bad after all...

"Wait a second...? A Ford GT? Now that is a first, although it is a nice-looking sports car but what's an American sports car doing all the way out here?" He asked.

Okay, I take back everything I just said about him... He really is arrogant like Minari warned...

"Ahem, getting to the point, who is excited about some races?!" Kazuha barged in and everyone cheered once more.

Seeing Jay glaring at her, Kazuha ignored him, and they stepped off the stage but I could actually hear them argue about something.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you have any idea this could hurt your image?!" Kazuha angrily asked.

"I should be asking you the same! How about you let me handle this and stay out of my way!" He angrily replied.

"Do they always argue like this?" I curiously asked and she nodded.

"Yep," She simply answered.

When they were finished arguing, Kazuha walked away from Jay making him deeply sigh and he slowly approached me.

"Are you the owner of this American trash?" He mockingly asked and I crossed my arms.

"Yes, why?" I asked in a monotone voice.

"Haha. Out of all the sports cars in the industry, you seriously went with a Ford GT?" He asked and I grinned.

"Don't be so smug, Jay, remember the Ford GT is the car that beat Ferrari in Le Mans," I mentioned and he chuckled.

"Oh, you poor thing, my Acura NSX can go a lot faster than any Ferrari not to mention Ford," He replied.

"You wanna bet on that?" I asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm listening..." He said.

"How about this? If I beat you in a race, you have to get on your knees and admit that Ford is better than Acura in front of the whole crowd," I proposed and he chuckled.

"You've got some spirit, kid, I'll give you that... But if I win, you'll have to be my butler and I'll get to fuck my girlfriend along with your other girlfriends in front of you!" He explained and I grinned.

"It's a deal then," I agreed making everyone go woah.

Walking away from Jay without saying a word, I felt my arm being tugged and I turned around to see Kazuha with a worried look.

"Oh... Uhm, h-hey Kazuha," I nervously greeted.

"You're a fool, you know that?" She asked and I was lost for words.

"W-What?" I asked and she sighed.

"You really shouldn't have taken that deal with Jay, he's never once lost a race, and believe me there are others that tried and they lost. I've seen what happened to them and trust me... You don't want to be one of them." She warned and I nodded.

"Maybe so, but I'm not going to let an arrogant shithead like him beat me in a race, I've made my word Kazuha, and I'm certainly not going to back down now," I replied and she nodded.

"Fine, have it your way then," She said before walking away.

When the race track was all set, Jay and I pulled up behind the starting line, the grid girl stood between our cars and explained the rules and the entire track we must follow.

Holding the green flag high in the air, we started our engines, and the second she signals the start of the race, we sped off into the distance.

At first, Jay went in front of me, I shifted to the next gear increasing the power to the engine and I started to catch up.

When our cars met side by side, he glared at me for a second and put the pedal to the metal but I wasn't going to let him get away.

Shifting to the next gear, again increasing the power and speed, we drifted around the turns and I did them flawlessly as Jay did the same.

We were halfway toward the finish line and the race began to grow more intense as we kept increasing speed but I had to be careful to reduce RPM as I drift otherwise I'll spin out and crash.

But I can see Jay was starting to get a bit cocky with his drifting skills as he spun out at a turn because he was going too fast. Didn't Kazuha say he's one of the best drivers in the country?

Anyway, when we are approaching the finish line, we put in full power to the engines and shift the gears to the max.

Right when we crossed the finish line, it was pretty much at the same time causing everyone to gasp and we hit the brakes putting our cars at a halt.

We both get out of our vehicles with Jay giving me a deadly look claiming that he crossed the line first but I argued that I crossed it first and we argued for God knows how long until Kazuha and the others broke us up.

Waiting at the parking lot as the racing officials and the camera crew playback the footage determining who won the race and it's been nearly half an hour and felt like an eternity with the anxiety and pressure.

"We have a winner!" One of the crew announced.

"With just barely an inch to spare... The victor of this race goes to... Jang Y/N!" The crewmember announced and everyone clapped and cheered.

Left speechless that I'd actually defeated Jay Bitch in a race, he was left in utter humiliation and embarrassment, and based on the look on his face, he wasn't going to give up easily.

"This is bullshit! I want to watch that footage for myself!" Jay demanded.

"Sorry, Jay, but we've fully reviewed everything in the footage and we determined that Jang Y/N has won fair and square and you are just being a sore loser," He replied and he grabbed him by the collar.

"Nobody calls me a sore loser! Nobody!" Jay angrily said.

It didn't take long until the parking lot security stepped into the situation and forced Jay to let go of him but he somehow managed to push them all away.

Everyone backed away in fear, Jay goes into his car, takes out a metal baseball bat before going to my Ford GT and swinging the bat onto the windshield until it shattered into pieces.

Immediately, I stopped that maniac from causing more damage to my car by grabbing the bat and kicking him in the stomach.

Raising my fist, I punched him in the face as hard as I could causing him to lose his grip on the bat, and I got a hold of it before finishing him off by swinging at his head knocking him out cold.

"Go smoke a dick, Jay Bitch..." I said before spitting on his face and tossing the bat on the ground and Kazuha walked up to him.

"Consider me your ex-girlfriend, you were a great man, Jay, but now look at you..." Kazuha mentioned before sighing.

"How long have you two been dating?" I curiously asked.

"About a couple of years, he was once kind and caring toward others which is the reason why I fell for him that was until he started his online marketing business. He became greedy, selfish, and arrogant. I've been thinking about leaving him for a while now and I'm a fool for not doing so sooner." She explained.

After that whole fiasco was over, the tow truck came to tow my car to take it to the body shop to replace the broken windshield and I knew it wasn't gonna be cheap.

Leaving me with no ride to get back to my house, Mina drove me back to my house, she couldn't help but feel sorry but I assured her that it was fine since beating up Jay was a good enough compensation.

The next day, when it was morning, I finished showering, I was eating breakfast at my dining table until I heard the doorbell ringing.

Getting up from my chair, I walked up to the front door, looked through the peephole, and I was shocked to see Kazuha standing on my porch so I opened the door.

"How did you find me?" I asked and she smiled.

"I simply asked Mina-Unnie for your address just to deliver this," She answered before handing over an envelope and a signed album.

"What's all of this for?" I asked.

"For the damages to your car, should be more than enough to cover the bill and you can keep the rest and the album as an apology gift." She answered.

"A-Are you sure?" I nervously asked and she nodded.

"Yes, of course! Also, I never thought you had it in you... You're the first guy to ever publicly humiliate Jay. From what I heard, all of his buyers are calling off their contracts so it's only a matter of time before goes into bankruptcy." She explained.

"Looks like I've made history, the Ford GT not only beats Ferrari but also Acura, something to add to the books," I jokingly replied and she giggled.

"It would seem so, it was nice talking to you but I gotta go now, my manager is waiting for me in the car," She said and I nodded.

"Well, it was sweet meeting my ultimate bias, and thank you for the money," I thanked her and she smiled before waving goodbye.

Walking away to the SUV parked in front of my driveway, she gets inside the passenger seat and the SUV drives out of the neighborhood.

Going back inside my house, I take a looked at the signed album of all the members of Le Sserafim which made me smile as it was quite thoughtful of her.

Opening the envelope using the letter cutter, as expected, there was over five grand which made me choke as this was a fuck ton of money to give to some random fan like myself.

But there wasn't just money inside the envelope, there was a handwritten letter that obviously, Kazuha wrote herself, and I read it.

Hey Y/N,

I wrote this letter to formally apologize for my ex-boyfriend's actions of vandalizing your car over losing the race between the two of you last night. Inside this envelope should be at least five thousand US dollars and that should be more than enough to cover the replacement of your front windshield.

Oh, and one more thing... If you ever want someone to talk to... Call me (Insert Phone Number)

Sincerely, Nakamura Kazuha ;)

After finished reading her letter, I can't help but blush as Kazuha gave me her phone number, and I can already guess that Mina and her friends are going to relentlessly tease me.

But I know this for certain... This could lead to something more interesting...

[bloodmoonmuses]

the weatherman's weathered heart | mark lee

genre: weatherman! mark lee x reader, enemies to lovers, slowburn-ish

[previous chapter] [series masterlist]

chapter two: the shirt

You resent letting your sense of justice prevail as you slither into Mark’s junky ass Prius. It’s cluttered with files and binders in addition to textbooks that are strewn haphazardly across the backseat. Most of the books are about meteorology, but you spot a music theory textbook as well.  

You sit quietly in the passenger seat, fiddling with your hands. Despite having a driving license, you don’t have a car of your own, resulting in you usually catching a ride with Hongjoong when needed. To be honest, you don’t really have many friends outside of Hongjoong. Perhaps you need to get out more- you’ve forgotten how to socialize. The awkward atmosphere is suffocating.

For a bit, you contemplate calling the whole thing off. Maybe this wasn’t necessary. Maybe you could be a nice person for the sake of being nice, instead of extorting the man for a shirt.

Then, you glance at your top, the coffee stain staring back at you angrily. It was a gift from Hongjoong, actually- a silk blouse he had thrifted in Japan. You wear it so often, it’s worn at the seams. It was due for a replacement anyway. Now you could do so on someone else’s dime.

At last, Mark breaks the silence. “What store do you wanna go to?” he asks. Since it’s thrifted, you’re not even sure where your blouse is from, nor do you know where to get something similar.

“Could you, um, check the brand on my tag?” you ask.

Mark gives you a look. It’s a mostly neutral one, but there’s something in his eye as he puts his phone down to fulfill your request. “Here,” he says, “turn around.” 

You do as you’re told and Mark places his fingers on the collar of your top, flipping it outward to read the tag. Briefly, his fingertips make contact with your neck, sending a shiver down your spine. You hope he doesn’t notice you shudder.

“It says…Banana Republic. I think there’s one across town.” When Mark pulls away from you, you instantly miss his warmth. The feeling of loss settles in your gut, the ache extending to your tender fingertips. 

You’re touch-starved. And it’s cold out. (-is what you tell yourself to justify your yearning body.  Shaking the thoughts away, you put on your seatbelt. 

Mark puts the address into a navigation app and drives away from the printing shop. When you’ve been riding for a few (silent) minutes, you get a text from Hongjoong:

HJ (derogatory): [Spotify Link] “Make His Pockets Hurt” by Lil Kayla. Listen Now!

You: [eye roll emoji]

HJ (derogatory): u know what to do.

You roll your eyes, in real life this time, stifling a laugh. Mark eyes you in the rearview mirror. 

“What’s so funny?” he says, pouting for being left out of the joke. Cute. 

“Nothing!” you say. You close out of Hongjoong’s message, putting your phone back in your purse. 

The Banana Republic you arrive at is desolate. There’s an old lady at the cashier, who genuinely looks like she’s on the brink of death- respectfully. You and Mark linger around the front entrance, unsure of how to proceed.

You glance at him. “Should I… grab a few things and try them on?”

“I don’t care. As long as I can get that paper edited,” he retorts, aimlessly scrolling on his phone. Not cute. 

“Suit yourself.” You begin to peruse the blouse section, picking up a few beige ones. One has a ruffle at the neck, one has a bow and the final one has puffy sleeves. As you gather options, Mark takes a seat in the waiting area outside of the dressing rooms.

“Okay, gonna try these on,” you tell him, gesturing with your head. Mark waves you off wordlessly, promptly returning to his phone.

You end up liking the blouse with the bow the most. It’s a little cuter than your usual style, but you wanted to try something new. When you walk out of the dressing room with the top, Mark looks at you incredulously. 

“You’re getting that?” he says.

“Well, what would you suggest, Mark?” You’re a bit agitated. You wanted this to be an in-and-out situation, not a day-long ordeal. Also, what’s wrong with the bow blouse? It’s nice!

Mark looks you over, again, then glances at the blouse as if it had cursed his mother. “Anything but that.”

Now you’re the one pouting. “I don’t really care about your opinion. So.”

“I’m not paying for that hideous thing,” Mark states, crossing his arms with finality. 

You sigh, attempting to make your voice sound less annoyed. “That takes me back to my previous question. What would you suggest?” 

Mark looks around. “Gimme a sec.”

Before you know it, Mark is heading towards the blouses, scanning the selection. Instead of all beige, Mark picks up an array of tops in jewel tones. He looks at you, then the tops, then you again, deciding to put down a maroon top.

“Too flashy.” He simply says. Mark shoves the pile of tops into your arms, jutting his head towards the dressing rooms. “Are you gonna try these on or what?” 

So pushy, you think, but you do as you’re told. This time, you walk out each time you try on a new top, Mark giving feedback on each option.

The plum top ages you, Mark says. The golden blouse is cut too similarly to the despised bow top, and the lighter green top is too fluorescent. It isn’t until you walk out in an emerald blouse with a v-neckline, that Mark’s critiques come to a halt.

“What? This one’s hideous too?” you say. You swear you see his eyes flick downwards for a half a second. Your face gets hot.

Mark coughs. “It’s fine, I guess.”

You roll your eyes. “Then let’s get it. I guess. Need to get back to the shop anyway.”

After changing out of the shirt, you walk up to the register behind Mark. Maybe you’re overly frugal, but sixty dollars for a piece of fabric is insane to you. Hongjoong will be happy, at least. Though, the top looks nothing like the one he got you. 

As she’s ringing him up, the lady behind the register looks at you and Mark. “Buying this blouse for your partner here, I assume?” Then she turns to you. “This color is gonna look lovely on you.” 

Mark scrunches his nose. “Not my partner,” he quickly amends. “We’re… uh.. acquaintances.”

With that, the two of you exit the store.

The car ride back to the printing shop is even more awkward than the ride out. You feel bad for practically blackmailing the guy, especially considering there was no guarantee the newspaper would edit the article. Speaking of which-

“So if it isn’t tax fraud, what did you do?” you say without really thinking. The curiosity was killing you. You expect Mark to brush you off immediately, but he answers promptly.

“Huh? Oh, you mean the article.” He turns into the parking lot, switching off the ignition. You look at Mark, expecting him to exit the car, but he sits. For a moment, he’s lost in thought, eyes far away from the small space you share. 

“Hey, I’m just kidding-” 

“I’m-” Mark cuts you off, “divorced… and the journalist included my ex wife’s name. It read more like a tabloid than a genuine interview. I was just expecting something more… earnest. Not sure why,” he admits. 

You’re not exactly sure how to respond to this. If anything, you’re fascinated. Mark looks so young, no older than 25. 

He’s fallen in love, gotten married and divorced in that time? It must’ve been a pretty bad fall out- he can barely get the word “divorce” out of his mouth. Plus, the lengths he’s willingly to go to to have this article axed is evidence enough of the hurt. This wound is fresh. And that “journalist” is an asshole. 

“Don’t do that,” Mark says, looking at you through the rearview mirror.

“Do what?” 

“Pity me,” Mark says. “Don’t pity me.” 

“I don’t pity you,” you huff. “This whole situation sucks. I’m really sorry.”

Mark chuckles. “Don’t be sorry either.”

“Sorry- I mean, okay.” 

A beat passes, during which neither of you say anything, and Mark shifts to look at you. For real this time. Not through a mirror.

“Do you think they’ll change the article?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper. 

Probably not, you think. But for his sake, to rid his eyes of the pain glistening in them, you hope to god those assholes at the newspaper get rid of that part as requested.

“Yeah. Of course.” You exit the car, shoulders tense with anxiety.

Hongjoong is at the front counter, sketching in a notepad, when you and Mark walk into the printing shop.

“Have fun?” Hongjoong inquires.

“Not really,” you say, placing your shopping bag on the counter. 

Hongjoong inspects its contents, humming in approval of the blouse. “Not bad,” he says.

Mark scoffs. “Should I take down your number?” he asks you.

“Yeah, probably.” You write it down and hand it over. “I’ll shoot you a text when I hear back from the newspaper goons.”

Mark laughs at this and leaves. The yearning in your gut returns. 

When it’s time to close up the shop, Honjoong packs up his things with record speed. Slinging a messenger bag over his shoulder, he says, “Wanna come over for drinks?” 

“Yeah, I’ll take a cab to your place. Gotta make a phone call real quick.” you reply.

“It’s okay, I’ll wait for you,” Hongjoong contests.

“Don’t wanna hold you up. Get outta here, nerd.”  You wave your hand at him, shooing him off. 

Hongjoong lingers in the entryway regardless, shooting daggers with his eyes. “You and your secrets…” he says.

“Secret? What secret?” You quirk an eyebrow, feeling sheepishly defensive. 

“Save it. I’ll let it slide this time,” Hongjoong states. “My place in thirty?”

You nod.

“Cool.” He lights a cigarette on his way out.

With Hongjoong now gone, you take out your phone and call the newspaper office. You’ve been printing for Jackson for years now, so you’re sure he can make an exception this one time- even if a little schmoozing is necessary. You put on your kiss-ass voice, hyping yourself up as the phone rings.

“Hey, Jackson! It’s _____ at Jagerman Printing Co.! Yes… Um, we actually had a power outage here. That, coupled with the order screw-up by the intern… we’re swamped over here... Just scrap the whole thing? Oh, it’ll be fine. Yeah, of course! I’ll take a bit off of next week's orders. And I know your daughter’s birthday party is coming up, so consider her invitations on the house. Sounds good! Thanks!” 

When you hang up the phone, you sigh. Canceling a whole week of orders for a guy you just met… It wasn’t exactly logically sound. You’ll have to open commissions to account for the dip in income- extra work you can take up without Hongjoong knowing. Without Mark knowing.

Kindness for the sake of being kind. Before you head out to meet up with Hongjoong, you text Mark:

You: the newspaper goons had a change of heart. have a nice night :) 

Early the next morning, you beat Hongjoong to the printing shop. You watch the sunrise from your desk, its light flooding the room with a golden sheen. Briefly, you think about your actions from the night before. Surely you were out of your mind. Canceling a week’s worth of printing for some smarmy weatherman? It’s ridiculous. 

Well, it’s too late now. It’s not like Hongjoong would care. He’ll be happy to hear the lack of work necessary on a Friday. He’s probably hungover from last night anyway. The door swings open.

You expect to see Joong, but when you lift your head, it’s Mark. You walk to meet him at the front of the shop. He’s not in a suit today. Instead, he looks way more his age. He’s in a band tee and jeans. Perhaps this was what his fashion advice was founded on. It’s a stark difference from his weatherman get-up. Mark is also holding a bouquet of flowers.

He places the flowers on the counter delicately, beaming at you. “For the shop,” he states. You make a mental note to buy a vase for them.

Mark’s smile is absolutely blinding. You look away like someone just waved a flashlight directly into your eyes.

“I don’t know what you did- or if you did anything, but I just wanna say thank you,” Mark says. 

What a change in tune for someone who literally spilled coffee on you without a second glance just a day ago. Maybe this weatherman isn’t so bad after all. 

“Um, I didn’t really do much, in all honesty, but I’m glad everything worked out.” you respond.

You’re not sure why you felt the need to lie. Actually, you know exactly why. You’re too prideful. 

“Well, thank you anyway. I could literally cry,” he retorts with a chuckle.

“Please don’t,” you say jokingly. 

Mark thinks for a moment. “How can I repay you?”

“Like I said, I didn’t do anything. And you already got me this shirt.” You gesture to the emerald top from yesterday.

If you knew he’d be here today, you wouldn’t have worn it. However, as you were getting dressed this morning, you couldn't stop thinking about the way your stomach ached when Mark looked at you yesterday.

“What about I treat you to dinner?” asks Mark. “So we’ll be even.”

“I’m good, thanks.” You didn’t intend on him feeling indebted to you.

“Okay, “ Mark pivots, “Can we grab drinks instead? I’ll pay. Tomorrow 6pm.”

“With all of your weatherman money?” you joke.

Mark’s phone rings.

“I’ll text you,” says Mark. When he answers the call, he continues mouthing to you as the person on the other end of the line begins to speak. “Text me back.”

“No promises,” you mouth back.

As Mark exits the shop, Hongjoong enters. He does a double take at Mark, then looks at you inquisitively. “What was that about?”

“Nothing,” you say as a blush creeps up your neck.

a/n: unedited and feedback is always appreciated! <3

[aesrryssa]

An Arranged Love (Bakugou x Reader | Arranged Marriage AU!)

Summary : Being left pregnant by her Ex-Boyfriend, to keep the good name and the reputation of the family, Y/N was arranged to marry Dynamight, The number 2 Hero in Japan. Will they found love for each other further in the marriage or will they hate?

Warning : Bad words, pregnancy, break up, arguments, fight, family issues & force marriage, brand names are being mentioned.

A/N : This is my first time writing a story so I’m sorry if there’s any grammar error. I just wrote the first part of the prologue first because I’m afraid that it’ll be too long to read😅 Enjoy!

Taglist : @xoxo-teddybear @citrustsuki @mymysenpai @abbylouamanda

Prologue: Part 1 | Chapter List🕊

I look out of the window, looking at the busy street in front of me. Sitting by the window really helps you to distract yourself from current time. looking at what people are doing.

Like a man wearing a suit walking to work, a group of girls talking to each other while carrying their shopping bags, a couple with their kid holding hands, people crossing the street, cars driving by and a lady walking her dog. It is a fun way to distract yourself for a while

It’s a Friday morning. I’m sitting at the end of the cafe, where it’s hard for people to notice me. I’m wearing an all-black attire today. I don’t to pull any attention so I put on a mask and a cap. The hoodie covering my hat

I was here since half an hour ago. I’m supposed to meet someone, but it seems like they’re late.

I was distracted from my thoughts when my phone chimes. There’s a messege from Sayaka Hayashi. We’ve became best friends since elementary school. It’s been a long time since we last met. We often call each other. But lately we’ve been more busy with work and our daily life.

Saya-Chan : I’m here.

I see the door of the cafe opens and Sayaka walks in. She see me and walk towards my table. Her expression have a mix of concern and curiosity. I stand up and hug her tight. It feels so good to have someone to hug, especially in times like this. She returns the hug just as tight.

“I’m sorry for being late.” She said apologetically. “It’s okay. I know you have something to do...”. We sits across of each other. A waitress came and ask for our order. “Would you like to order, Ma’am?” She asked. “I’ll have Iced Americano. (Y/N), do you want anything?” Sayaka asked. “No, I’m good.”. The waitress go and send her order.

“(Y/N)…” Sayaka called my name. I looked at her and the looked of concern is still on her face. “Tell me, you’re not joking, right? Because this isn’t funny.” She asked worriedly. “It’s true Saya-Chan. I’m not joking.”. She’s asking about the new discovery that I just made. It’s really unbelievable, I almost didn’t believe it at first. “Oh my god…this is a lot to take…” She sighed. “Ho-How did you found out?” She asked curiously. “I have my own suspicions for the past weeks…but I just ignored it… until I feel like I have to get It checked up…” I explained to her. “But it could be wrong...” She said, still denying it. “How can’t be wrong if I’ve went to the clinic and they’ve confirmed it.” I said.

Sayaka sigh and lean back into her seat. There’s a long silents between us until Saya-Chan breaks it. “Do you know how far along are you?” She asked. “Yeah. They said that I’m 4 weeks in.” I said.

“Have you tell him about this?” She asked. The concern expression never fell from her face. I take a deep breathe “No…not yet…I don’t know how to tell him…”. There’s a pause until I continue “How can I tell him that I’m pregnant?!” I said, almost yelled. “How would he react?! You know that he doesn’t like kids! What if he leaves me?!” I’m starting to freak out. Sayaka notices the tables around us are looking at us so she calms me down. “Hey-hey! It’s ok! Relax, calm down. Deep breathes” She said and I do as she told me to.

“I’m sorry… I’m just-..” Sayaka cut me before I can finish my sentence. “It’s alright! I understand. I know that this overwhelmes you and belive me, it does for me too. But it’s going to be okay.” She said with a warm smile and reassuring tone.

That warm smile that she have always worn since elementary school never fails to make me feel better. That’s one think that Sayaka have always been good at.

I take a deep breathe “Thank you Saya-Chan…” I pause “My head is messed up right now. I almost don’t know what to do…” I said to her. Sayaka reach for my hand and put hers on top of mine. “It’s okay (Y/N), I’m always here for you. If you need anything, just tell me.” She told me. There’s warmth in her voice that always makes me calm. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

I sigh and look up at the ceiling. ‘What should I do?…should I tell him?…what if he leaves me?… I could tell my parents, but they’ll be disappointed in me…’. I look back at Sayaka and ask “Saya-Chan, should I tell him first or should I tell my parents?”

She pause and think. After a minute, she finally answers my question. “I think you should tell him first. If you tell your parents first it’ll make the situation harder and more complicated. Especially when your relationship with them is not that good.” She said.

Right, she does have a point. Well, my family is well known for our status and wealth. My father, (F/N) (L/N), owns a big modelling agency, EL Modelling. His agency is known for their super hot, beautiful models. He have worked with a lot of designer brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, YSL and etc. While my mother, (M/N) (L/N), owns an entertaiment agency called RUBY Entertainment. The company is know for their strong reputation of debuting many talented and succesful idols.

Me and my brother, (B/N), worked as a model at my father’s agency. Both of us have been a model since we were a child. Since then, we were always used for product advertisements. From clothing, food, appliances to cosmetics and skincare products. We also have participated three times in a runway show for Vogue.

Seems like a pretty fun life, isn’t it? But no. Despite having the same amount success as my brother, my parents seems to favour him more than me. They always say something like “Oh! (B/n)! You always makes us proud!” Or “You did a very good job, (B/N)!”. But whenever it comes to me, it’s always “You should do better! Why can’t you do it?!” Or “Doing great? Ha! Your work is never going to be great! Do better or else!” And “Can’t you be more like (B/N)?! Look at him! He always does his work perfectly!”.

It’s not that I’m not doing my job properly. In fact, I put more efforts into my work! While he just lazying around and doing nothing! He does do something but not as much as I am! It’s not like I’m saying that I’m better without prove but it’s fact! I always try my hardest! But yet, they’ll never see it… it really disappoints me.

Since I was a kid, they’ve always belittling me. Always point out the worst in me. And that really makes me sad and disappointed in them. But I bottle up the feeling. And I’ll never want to show it. So, I do as they say.

“Yeah.” I said. Agreed to what Sayaka said. “I guess I’ll do that…” I say as I look down at my lap and put a hand on my stomach. Sayaka squeezes my hand and I look at her. “Remember, I’m always here for you.” She said with that smile again. I smile back and nod.

Her drink arrives and we talk a little bit about work before we go to pay at the cashier. Getting out of the cafe, we hug each other in front of the entrance door before we say our good-byes.

We go our seperate ways. Sayaka said that she has something to do at work so she’s going to the office. I don’t have anything scheduled for me today. I’ve asked them to give me about a two weeks off from work. I’ve been really sick these past few weeks. And you can already tell what’s the cause of it.

I’m waiting for my car outside of the cafe. After 10 minutes of waiting, it finally arrives.

I hop in the car and it drives from the cafe. I’m heading home. I’m currently living in a Condominium I owned here in Tokyo. Living here makes it easier for me to stay away from my family. I got more privacy and space. And there’s no one besides me who lives here. No servants, not a single person live with me. Just my self.

The car stops as we reach the traffic light. I watch as people are walking using the zebra crossing and cars waiting for the light to turn green.

I sit here in the back seat, thinking. ‘How am I suppose to tell him?…How am I suppose to tell Ren?…’.

Ren Inoue…we’ve been dating for almost 3 years. We kept our relationship secret from the public and our parents. The only people who knows about our relationship is Sayaka and some of his friends.

I met him by a colleague. He introduces Ren to me. We became friends and not long after,…I realise that I have feelings for him. I confesses to him and he said that he also felt the same for me. After that, we started dating. Going to each other’s places, hanging out, going on dates. He makes me feel so happy. Feel appreciated. By someone else besides my friends, or family…

I was pulled out of my thoughts when the car stops. I than realize that we have reached my the condominium building. I get out of the the car and thank my driver.

I walk towards the lobby and towards the elevator. I press the button and waited. Soon, the door opens and I get in.

This building has 30 floor and my house is on the 20th floor.

Once the elevator reach my floor, the door opens and I get out.

The hallway is quite. I guess it’s because people are at work right now.

I walk towards my apartment. I reach down to my pocket for my keys and unlock the door.

I walked in and turn on the lights and walk towards the living room. The apartment was decorated with industrial designs. I’ve always been a fan of the style.

I take of my cap and put my bag down on the coffee table. I pick up the controller form the and turn on the TV and put it back down. This has always been a habit of mine since I moved out of my family’s house. I’ll listen to something while doing my work or chores. It kinda makes me feel less lonely.

I walked into the kitchen roll my sleeves up to wash last nights dishes. I didn’t get to wash it this morning since I need to meet Sayaka.

After I finished, I walk to my room and lay down on the bed. I reach for my pocket and take my phone out. I open my message and go to Ren’s contact and texted,…

“Baby,…can we meet tonight?…”

.

.

“ There’s something that I wanna tell you…”

.

.

[wttcsms]

🏐 wttcsms written works, haikyuu ;

last updated feb 23, 2024

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐔 𝐌𝐈𝐘𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles and i can't make you stay (in this broken place) — ( nsfw )  i sin too much to pray for you — no one can believe that one of the most powerful crime lords in the underground world of japan, atsumu miya, is wrapped around the finger of a naive girl like you, but love doesn’t really care about boundaries anyway. take care of you — ( nsfw ) atsumu just wants to give you everything he can offer: an easy job, a brand new car, a baby… wanting was enough (for me, it was enough) — ( sfw ) "He carries your confession home in the to-go box from the diner. It’s heavy, matching the American theme of burgers containing his weight in meat and fries slick with oil and grease. The two of you are walking together, and he wants to ask you, specifically, what did you mean when you told the team you liked me?" paper rings — ( sfw ) the tiffany blue ring box currently resides in the second drawer of his night stand, unceremoniously buried underneath several pairs of calvin klein briefs. when you know, you know — ( sfw ) atsumu considers marriage to be a trap, until he realizes that even a lifetime commitment to you isn’t long enough

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : domesticity with atsumu — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : ex!atsumu seeing you're engaged to oikawa — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : how atsumu says i love you — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : atsumu and you having "non-dates" — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : atsumu's green flags — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : dating atsumu — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : dad!atsumu — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : mastermind inspired — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : atsumu randomly showing you his camera roll — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : in a world of boys, he's a gentleman — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : atsumu as a college interviewer tiktoker — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : husband atsumu using ur purse — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : you're the first person atsumu wants to tell anything to — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : the miya divide — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : girl dad atsumu — ( sfw )

multipart afterglow — ( nsfw ) finding out that his hot supermodel girlfriend is dumping him for some baseball player? that sucks. finding out via her red carpet debut with her new man as her plus one? sucks a bit more. having this happen to him the same day he just lost the last game of the season? yeah, it’s starting to feel like the universe has it out for him at this point, right? but atsumu miya is nothing if not petty, childish, and immature. he’ll get back at her. after all, there’s a secret dating app created by publicists and agents that pair up perfect matches for brightening up any celebrity’s public image. all atsumu has to do is pay a pretty sum of money to convince the media (and mainly his ex) that atsumu miya is still on top of the world and living his best life with the best (albeit, fake) girlfriend ever. unfortunately for him, his perfect match just so happens to be you — his first girlfriend, his highschool sweetheart turned sour, and the first girl who ever broke his heart. you know what they say: when it rains, it pours.

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐔 𝐎𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles customer satisfaction — ( nsfw ) you go above and beyond for your customers...

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : engaged to oikawa when atsumu's your ex (yikes) — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : ex husband!oikawa still in love with you — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : ice skating au — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : royal au — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : learning about the tradition of giving the first slice of cake to who you love the most — ( sfw )

multipart forever golden — ( nsfw ) everything is going fine: you just graduated with your first degree, you get to work alongside your older brother for the 2021 olympics, and you think now might be the perfect time to finally jumpstart your dating life (atsumu miya certainly seems cute...). there's no time for you to think about torn acls, shattered dreams, and the fact that this was never your original goal in life. and there's certainly no time for you to worry about tooru oikawa, the boy who practically grew up in your house now turned into the man who poses as your team's fiercest competitor. you definitely don't have the free time to remember how he's the first boy who ever had (and subsequently broke) your heart. or that the two of you went from practically joined at the hip to total strangers for the past four years. you don't even bother wondering why he suddenly wants to repair the broken bond between you two, and you totally don't give in to him (except for the times that you do... which is almost all the time).  yeah. everything is going fine.

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐊𝐈𝐘𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐈 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐒𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles rapture — ( nsfw ) his tenacity and stamina prove to be a deadly combination indeed. you know you make my cold heart warm with a touch — ( nsfw ) how else can kiyoomi show you how close to his heart he keeps you than by fucking into you so deep, you’re pretty sure you can feel him reaching for yours?

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : how kiyoomi says i love you — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐎 𝐊𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐌𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles as the world caves in — ( sfw ) they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. if that’s the case, then that explains why kageyama only sees you.

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   :  kags' act of service — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : tobio craves your attention — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : vampire hunter!reader x vampire!kags — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : he responds to all your texts individually — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐇𝐀𝐉𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐈  ✩ ✭

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : domesticity with iwaizumi — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : shoujo concept with iwaizumi — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles it's the same damn thing that made my heart surrender — ( sfw ) you never do get over your first love. / you fell first, he fell harder.

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : domesticity with suna — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐉𝐈𝐌𝐀  ✩ ✭

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : marriage of convenience with ushi — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : underground fighter ushi — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐓𝐄𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐎  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles in every universe, it's still you — ( sfw ) in all the universes, in all the different versions of you and kuroo, you’re certain of two things: that he’s always a good person, and that you love him.

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : fake dating au — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : business school academic rivals to lovers — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : kuroo tweet — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : dad!kuroo is the best — ( sfw ) ✩✮   : single!mom reader x kuroo office romance — ( sfw )

multipart get him back! — ( nsfw ) so, in an attempt to get back at your ex - who posted a sex tape of himself cheating on you with your best friend - you decide that you’re going to upload your own film, and it’s going to be even hotter than theirs. you don’t anticipate your class’s teaching assistant being your co-star, especially considering that he’s the one who took your virginity, and after all was said and done, you ran out on him. but there’s no running from him now, especially whenever your tape does better than expected. now, you’re one of the hottest up and coming content creators on the platform, and the cash is too good to let this opportunity go to waste. what starts as a petty revenge scheme results in a lucrative business partnership with three simple rules: profits are split 50/50, all videos remain faceless, and this newfound partnership means absolutely nothing. just because you two fuck on a daily basis does not mean you’re friends, and you’re certainly not lovers. then again, things hardly ever are that simple.

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles paper rings — ( sfw ) shinsuke kita is a creature of habit.

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : influencer!reader x kita — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐔 𝐌𝐈𝐘𝐀  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles xoxo — ( nsfw ) just thinking about recreating the infamous maison margiela kiss button-down shirt for your boyfriend osamu

headcanons & concepts ✩✮   : the miya divide — ( sfw )

( 🏐 )  ⸺ 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐈 𝐅𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐈  ✩ ✭

one shots & drabbles everything's blurry but you — ( sfw ) barely in your baby twenties, and you think life is so over for you. then, while at rock bottom, you run into futakuchi, and realize that 1) he’s kinda pathetic, and 2) someone else’s pathetic-ness totally distracts you from your own. so, guess you two are in it together.

[tigreblvnc]

BLUE LOCK MATCHUP — @krowedes

Your match is...

— Karasu Tabito

✦ For you, my decision didn’t take long to arrive.

✦ Usually, when I make matchups, I keep in mind the characters' preferences regarding the qualities they like, what stimulates them, or what could create an interesting chemistry.

✦ Eventually, one of them ends up stepping up to the starting line when I read something that makes me think, "Ah! I know who I’m going to pair you with."

✦ And this time, it didn’t take long, and for the first time since I’ve been doing matchups, it’s our crow boy who took off from the starting blocks.

✦ (I’m thrilled because I think he’s one of the coolest characters in the entire manga)

✦ From memory, Karasu is attracted to strong, intelligent personalities who know what they want and won’t give up. Lions thrown onto the battlefield who aren’t afraid to take the plunge and can make decisions quickly.

✦ "I see myself as someone who is very decided. If I have a dream or a goal, every decision and every move I'd make will be made all so that I could make my path toward that goal easier and smoother." Well, that's exactly the kind of temperament that can leave a strong impression on him. Someone who doesn’t give up and fights to the end, methodically, without losing sight of their goal.

✦ Because there are those who rush in without a plan. But the ones Karasu prefers are those who have thought their plan through well in advance, taking into account all possible parameters. Since he’s of the same caliber, it means he’s facing someone who could potentially challenge him, and he likes that.

✦ I see him mainly in a relationship of balanced rivalry, you know, where it could tip at any moment.

✦ "My tongue is loose, and that makes me unafraid to share my opinions, even if said opinion is harsh." Yes, again, I don’t see him getting attached to someone shy who can’t assert themselves.

✦ "I’m also very fond of sweets and eating meat – I could eat on and on and on without gaining weight, which is a huge win for me, especially in all-you-can-eat restaurants." Oh dear, you’re speaking to my carnivore heart... Out in public, we’ve seen Karasu well-dressed and liking to talk business, so to me, he’s clearly someone who has his head on straight and knows how to handle his affairs to generate profit. In other words, like Reo, he’s business-oriented and knows how to manage his finances. So five-star restaurants with all-you-can-eat buffets, exceptional cuts of meat cooked by award-winning chefs; he knows them and knows where to take you.

✦ "BECAUSE I DO NOT LIKE COOKING" Haha, that’s why you go out to eat so often.

✦ "I also like dressing up a lot and putting on makeup that is vibrant and shiny, so much to the point that I have an Instagram account that I use to track all of the makeup styles that I do." But isn’t that how you met? I imagine Karasu more on the casual chic side in terms of fashion. He’s rather sporadic on social media but follows carefully selected accounts, and I can see him talking about big brands or things like that with the people he follows.

✦ For me, his use of social media is to keep up with sports and business news, but also to stay on top of luxury products, clothing, furniture, and maybe even cars because he likes traveling on Japan’s highways (no joke, they have super convenient rest stops with incredible and massive shopping centers).

✦ I’m sensitive to the way texts are written, and I can sense a lot of pep and curiosity behind your words! These are qualities Karasu would really appreciate. He needs someone dynamic and adventurous. At the same time, not someone who’s always hyper because I see him also having his moments of solitude, even though he’s very grounded in the real world.

✦ And because the idea obsesses me, yes, you and Karasu regularly go on road trips across the country to find the most beautiful landscapes (often with the idea of posting the photos on Instagram because honestly: they’re too beautiful). You’re the couple, you know, who takes a selfie together while wearing sunglasses, with the beach and seagulls behind you.

✦ As cliché as it might sound, you exude luxury.

✦ And at the same time, you’re the couple friends love inviting to parties because besides being super well-dressed, you’re cool, laid-back, and have that touch of sarcastic humor on your tongue when something happens. Even when nothing happens.

✦ (I’m sure Karasu would love wearing Lacoste) (The polos and the cologne)

✦ (The pair of sunglasses tucked into the shirt collar...)

✦ (Really the slightly bourgeois but cool couple, and that’s what makes the difference)

A word about your match: No hesitation really, the crow showed up on his own and never left.

© TIGREBLVNC 2024 | AUGUST '24 MATCHUPS EDITION.