#Got him on sale too hehehe

[4ddi3addie2005]

ALWAYS gotta personify my stuffed animals 💯

Best purchase evahhh

[luffyvace]

Helloooo! I saw ur request open and writing for saiki k! I see so little context of him 😭

May I request where saiki is dating his favorite author(she is an anonymous writer) and he didn't know (like she Naver though to tell him about it and she Naver really think of her work when w him or when in school) and maybe finding out through his dad that she is ? And how would he react and think after he found out ?

(sorry if my request was long 😭)

Yeah me too !! 😭

ohhh wow! What an interesting and fun request! Thank you :}

(you used ‘she’ so reader implied is fem but I won’t mention you being a girl just in case <3)

Don’t worry it’s not too long at all~

☕️🌷

Everyday you get home after school and write, as a comfort and to make some change to buy things you like :)

You do publish your work, but your an anonymous writer

your sales have been doing really good and everything! Your forever grateful!

it makes you happy seeing as though writing makes you happy and is your comfort!

so the fact that you could be doing that for others makes you joyous 💓

there’s also your boyfriend Kusuo!

he’s a reserved and genuine guy who treats you very well :)

you’ve been an item for a while now and your really happy in your relationship!

man you’ve really got it going for yourself!! 😋💪

this company has been loyally publishing your work for quite some time which makes you satisfied to see they like your writing!

school’s good too! You and Kusuo have a friend group who you go out with pretty often

(alright that was a little bit of some reader POV now here’s the fun part! 😆)

Kusuo finished his coffee jelly and was going down stairs to put the dishes in the sink

until he spotted his dad reading his favorite book/manga!!

”hey dad what book is that?”

his dad’s inner dialogue: “holy crap my son is talking to me!”

“oh uh nothing son just uh (book/manga title name)—I uhh, brought a copy from work home”

”they have that series there?”

”yeah! We do! We have every chapter! Actually, we’re the ones publishing them! Do want me to get you the set?…..if I lick my bosses shoes a couple extra times I’m sure I could pull a few strings..”

”thanks.”

his dad’s inner dialogue: “holy crap I just had a conversation with my son! He was wanted to talk to…me! I can’t believe it..!”

saiki’s inner dialogue: “goodness..😒🤦”

”n-no problem son! Heheh..”

He was gonna go back to his room but stopped at the stairs

“hey dad..the author uses a pen name..do you know who they are?”

“Huh-! Oh!- yeah I do! I’ve met them in person actually- do you wanna meet them?”

Kusuo nods and walks off

his dad then proceeds to dance in his living room, as he’s had a successful conversation with his son that Kusuo started 🕺🕺

Later that week, saiki and his dad wait for you to show up at his job with the latest chapter

he was indeed able to pull a few strings…by licking some shoes..

when you walk in Kusuo’s dad came up to you and (re)introduced you to his son

”Kusuo this is (Name), the author you asked me to introduce you to. (Name), meet my son Kusuo”

you looked surprised to see Kusuo and that he wanted to meet you?? I mean you know your anonymous but he likes your work?! You had no idea he was buying!

Kusuo has a slightly amused expression on his face

“Kusuo? You…”

..were at a loss of words at such a funny situation! (LOL)

you two ended up explaining both sides of the situation

you said you love to write, but anonymously and you never got around to telling him

he said this is his favorite series from you and your his favorite author, he’s been buying for a while to be frank!

ohhh!

this may be the way his parents found out you were a couple and let me tell you he was less than pleased..(not that he wanted to hide it but his parents…..:^ yeah 😃)

Saiki got the privilege of getting the first copy of the latest chapter before it was even published! :)

and now he always does <3

he also has the perk of getting it for free!

horray! Now he can save his money for coffee jelly- 😚

LOL not that he doesn’t wanna support you

you simply give it to him and he accepts ♥︎

he also gets the honors of helping you decide things for the story!

He gleefully reads the parts in which his opinion was inserted

however he doesn’t want to influence any major plot points- he doesn’t like spoilers :P

(It is possible he persuades people at school to buy your books so you can have the funding to keep going and make you happy simultaneously—but we’ll never really know 🤷‍♀️ )

your actually my first saiki k request! Thank you! I appreciate it love!

hopefully you had a good meal out of these headcanons cherished anonymous~ ☺️

[otomiyaa]

Day 23: Party

Momose x Shirosaki

[Miya & Mia’s Tickletober 2023] - Another niche tktober 2023 fic I'm fishing out of its grave muhahaha. I realize this is actually up there with my fav anime and pairings EVER. I'll go down with this ship!

Word Count: 1.1K

Momose felt moved. Never had he seen such a thing. The office was decorated, a tray of cupcakes was on his desk, music was playing, and everyone in the department welcomed him with applause. 

“Happy birthday, Momose,” Shirosaki said, and he and a few colleagues fired confetti at him. They all started singing. Woah!

“Happy birthday!” 

Momose blushed and awkwardly wiped the confetti from his head. He then bowed deeply, his hands gripping his pants.

“T-t-thank you very much!” he said, trying hard not to cry. At his previous job, no one had ever done something this considerate for him, let alone his boss. 

The only thing was…. Today was actually not his birthday!

He could understand how his goofy boss mixed up the dates and accidentally swapped the day and month numbers. 

“Today is your first birthday since you started working here. I wanted to celebrate in style,” Shirosaki explained fondly. Aah, so cute. Momose would rather take this day as his new official birthday than admit to his sweet boss that he got the date wrong.  

“Thank you, manager… What about work, though?” Momose tried to say casually as he wiped away a tear from the happy emotion, and he looked around, amazed to see everyone in the office was having fun. People were relaxing, eating cupcakes, chatting, watching MyTube and laughing together. It really was a party, on a plain Monday morning at the Planning and Sales department of Minette.

“We will resume work after lunch. Right now, we will enjoy the surprise party,” Shirosaki said. Momose felt so guilty that everyone was making time for him when it wasn’t even his real birthday, but he couldn’t help but feel happy and honored too, and he thanked Shirosaki again.

“Thank you so much!” 

Aoyama suddenly stood by their side and he proudly munched on a cupcake. “You became a fine boss, Shirosaki-kun, even remembering what to do on your employee’s first birthday at the office.”

Shirosaki thanked him with a humble nod. “Section Chief, thank you. You taught me well.”

"But… aren’t you forgetting something?” Aoyama added, looking very suspicious all of a sudden.

Momose cocked his head, but Shirosaki seemed to understand and nodded. “Ah, right.”

To Momose’s surprise, Shirosaki stepped towards him, and Momose’s initial reflex was to flinch - his former boss had been quite the intimidating figure and he wasn’t over it yet.

However, what happened next was anything but scary. More like… weird?!

“Huhuhuh? W-whahahat, mahahanager!” Momose felt embarrassed to suddenly be tickled on his sides, and he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around his middle, dancing awkwardly in response to the random tickles.

“Happy birthday tickles,” Shirosaki announced dryly.

“Whahat? Hehehehe thahat’s s-sohoho suddehehen!” Momose laughed, shaking his head and trying his best not to jump away too fast since Shirosaki seemed so eager to tickle him.

“A-aren’t Manager and Section Chief the only ones upholding this tradition?” a female colleague asked, but Aoyama hissed “Sshh don’t tell him!” while Shirosaki tickled Momose playfully.

Momose couldn’t believe he was getting dragged in a weird little birthday tickle tradition (?) between the two of them, and it surely was a little humiliating to laugh like this in front of everyone.. but Shirosaki looked like he was having so much fun.

And in return, Momose felt a kind of joy he hadn’t felt in a long while. All of his remaining past work trauma was about to disappear with the magic of Shirosaki’s gentle tickles.

“It tihihickles! Hehehe mahaha-manageheher!” Momose giggled, squirming and wiggling as Shirosaki continued to tickle his sides.

Shirosaki nodded. “Yes. It should tickle.” Hehe! So serious!

Other employees slowly distanced themselves from their awkward tickle party, leaving Momose with only Shirosaki, and Section Chief Aoyama who stuck around too.

“A little bit here too,” Aoyama said, suddenly joining in by poking Momose between the ribs. Momose twitched between them and yelped as they both tickled him.

“Hehehe nohoho!” he whined. Both men tickled him a little more, but not too much. Though embarrassed, Momose truly felt happy after genuinely laughing like that, and he caught his breath with a smile on his face.

“This is for you,” Shirosaki finally said, handing him a wrapped gift. “From me,” he added, blushing adorably.

Momose was glad he already had tears from laughter in his eyes, or he would start crying new tears all over again because of how cute his manager was.

“You even got me a gift!” he whined thankfully, and he opened it after Shirosaki’s encouragement.

“Ah - t-this is…” Momose admired the cute keychain with on one side a photo of Hakutou the cute kitty, and on the other side a photo of Momose and Shirosaki together - a photo that was taken of them when they were at the amusement park.

“You can put it on the house key I gave you. Or… on something else, of course,” Shirosaki said with a cute blush.

Momose’s eyed widened, and he could hear the nervous bursts of laughter from some colleagues behind them.

“A family picture?”

“Are they a married couple?”

“That’s right - didn’t he propose to him the other day? They are moving fast!”

“They even named the cat ‘Hakutou’ after themselves!” they gossiped.

Shirosaki blushed when he overheard them just like Momose, but Momose giggled and held the gift with both hands.

“Manager, thank you so much. I love it,” he said with teary eyes. Shirosaki smiled gently.

“I’m glad,” he said, and he walked away. He showed his cute and goofy side when it appeared he didn’t remember where he was walking off to, so he turned around again and returned to Momose’s side.

“Momose? I wanted to ask. If… Well, if you do not have any birthday plans today… You are free to visit Hakutou and me. I have some drinks too, a-and Hakutou will be pleased to meow you happy birthday,” Shirosaki offered shyly.

Momose blushed. So cute! Of course he did not have plans since it was not his birthday, and he nodded.

“I would love that!”

“Great. Also, I apologize,” Shirosaki said. Momose frowned.

“For what?”

“I realized I should have asked you first… if you wanted happy birthday tickles. My boss gave them to me on my first birthday at the office, and it took me by surprise. I ended up doing the same to you.”

Pfft!! Momose threw his head back and laughed. God, he loved it here.

“That’s alright, ahaha!” he laughed.

My abusive boss gave me mental stress and an ulcer, so I switched jobs. My new boss is the goofiest and cutest person I have ever met. He threw me a birthday party on the wrong date, gave me happy birthday tickles, and invited me to his home!

[m34gs]

Saw AU ask time: Yuu has to go to some Fancy Event on campus for their History Department. The invite also says they can take a plus one. While there is no obligation, Yuu wants to have some company because some parts are going to be boring. So, they ask their friends. Problem: the night of this event is a trap night but everyone wants to go with Yuu.

Please tell me:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

2) How did they decide this?

Hi friend! Thank you for asking, I am eager to answer!!!! (I got clarification from Kimium; the question is meant to be per dorm, as we usually do!).

Under the cut for length, but no warnings this time! The answers don't have much to do with any of the gore or murder parts!

Heartslaybul:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

They absolutely do a draw for it. Each of them puts their name into a secure box, and then an unaffiliated student who is impartial and fair will draw the name of the student who gets to accompany Yuu.

2) How did they decide this?

Riddle determined it would be the most fair to leave things to chance. And it probably also has to do with some rule or other from the Queen of Hearts. He decides they need an outsider drawing the name though, to keep it fair. He doesn't disclose the actual reason to the person drawing the name, making something up about having one too many people on chore duty which is against [insert rule here] and he needs help making sure the person chosen to be relieved of chore duty is chosen fairly. He also makes them take apart the box afterwards to count the names and make sure no one put their name in multiple times (Ace did) and punish them if necessary (Riddle does).

Savanaclaw:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

Since, in this AU, they run a casino, I think they would go with a round of roulette. (Not the Russian one)

2) How did they decide this?

It leaves things up to chance, prevents cheating, and it's a method they have easy access to and have to do minimal work for. Ruggie and Leona think it was the obvious option. Jack agrees it is fair but he would be fine with having to make something like a box to draw names from like Riddle did if necessary.

Octavinelle:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

Azul tells the twins whichever one of them rakes in more sales for their shift gets to go.

2) How did they decide this?

The reason Azul himself isn't going? He could leave a trap to Jade, no problem. He knows he could not leave a trap to Jade AND Floyd, because Jade would let Floyd get away with murder (literally) and he just cannot have that (he has worked too hard on this trap for it to get sabotaged if Floyd decides he's bored). So, he decides on a way that will act as an incentive for them to work hard, stay out of trouble, and will potentially earn him some extra dollars...hehehe

Scarabia:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

Rock, Paper, Scissors! Best 2 of 3 gets to go with Yuu. They have a third person watch as "judge" to make sure the throws are fair and in-sync.

2) How did they decide this?

Kalim decided this would be a fun yet fair way to determine who could go. It also takes the pressure of deciding off of him and Jamil (especially Jamil, who just about had an aneurysm trying to decide if Kalim would be safer "alone" with Yuu at a History Department event, or alone running the trap without Jamil there to glare at every suspicious shadow - he's getting better but it's taking time and old habits die hard)

Pomefiore:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

They decide based on the results of a quiz. Yes, a quiz. Specifically, a history quiz, which will be administered by someone outside the situation, graded, and given back to them. The one with the highest score gets to go.

2) How did they decide this?

They decided Yuu's companion should be someone who has an adequate knowledge of the subject matter being discussed and be able to converse about it with Yuu and the other event members easily so as not to embarrass Yuu in front of everyone. So they get a third party to administer a history quiz based on the theme of the event and the highest score gets to go. (personally, I think Rook would kick ass because I bet he finds a lot of history beautiful and interesting to learn, but Vil could probably hold his own. With the high standards he has for himself, he would not be a slacker in any sort of school/learning environment. RIP Epel.)

Ignihyde:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

There's no choosing. Idia goes. Ortho says so.

2) How did they decide this?

Ortho heard "I want to invite one of you to come to an event with me" and went "SOCIALIZATION OPPORTUNITY FOR IDIA?!?!?!!?!?!" He told Yuu he was busy and that Idia would be there. The day of, he made sure Idia was well dressed, tied him up, slapped a bow on his forehead, then dragged him to Yuu's doorstep and flew off into the sunset after ringing the doorbell.

Diasomnia:

1) How do they pick who gets to go with Yuu and skip trap duty?

Unanimous decision by the other three that Malleus is the one to go.

2) How did they decide this?

...

So, like, originally, they were gonna play a card game and have the winner go, because it's an easy way to eliminate three people at once and it has a certain amount of luck and chance involved. But then they all looked at Malleus's face. And suddenly they all decided they absolutely couldn't miss Trap Duty that day. (he just looked so longing and yearning, none of them had the heart to even attempt to deprive him of spending time with Yuu. Lilia is also hopeful Malleus will get on well at this event since he knows a bit about history - though not as much as Lilia does)

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed those answers; I had a lot of fun thinking them over!! I love this AU, and I love you friend!!

[perch-the-cat]

The Yard Sale

I'm starting a little series for Mario headcanon. They aren't Major events but I hope yall enjoy,

*Opens to the inside of Bowser's Castle*

*everyone is sitting in their normal spots in the dining room. Bowser was taping his fingers hunched over*

Bowser: *jerks up* THAT'S IT I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

*Everyone looks at him*

Larry: take what?

Bowser: There is too much random shit in this Castle! We need a yard sale!

*slams both hands against table, a huff of smoke comes out of his nose*

Iggy: I don't really want to sell anything I have though-

Bowser: I don't care, we have to sell at least 5 things you don't need anymore!

Roy: Well I think we should sell Iggy and Lemmy-

Lemmy: Dude- WHY!?

Bowser: You aren't selling any of your siblings!Roy: damn it-

*later*

*they all managed to get at least 5 things out of their bedroom and outside for a yard sale*

Wendy: This is stupid, I shouldn't have to sell any of my stuff! *Wendy crosses her arms* besides, Larry is probably gonna take all the money I get anyway!

*Larry looks at Wendy and chuckles*

Larry: You're right bout that sis hehehe...

Wendy: SEE!?

Ludwig: Wendy, you have hundreds of outfits you have never worn, you only brought this on yourself.

Wendy: oh fuck you!

*Morton comes out of a castle with a cake*

Roy: Morton, why do you have a cake?

Morton: Morton couldn't really find anything to sell, so Morton made a cake to sell!

Bowser: *walks over to Morton* Morton, you can't just sell a cake-

Bowser Jr: Well Morton doesn't really have anything that isn't food to be fair and I don't think anyone would want to buy food crumbs that have been particularly eaten by ants.

Lemmy: Yeah the only stuff Morton really has is a bed, tank of fish, refrigerator, his Hammer, and a whole lot of Legos.

Morton: Morton likes an empty room!

Ludwig: *rolls eyes* I could tell-

*Koopa comes up to Bowser*

Koopa: um how much is this stuff for?

Bowser: the paint is 14 coins each and the chair is 40 coins.

Koopa: ummm ok… how much for the plant looking guy? *points at Iggy*

Wendy: oh he's not- *gets cut off by Roy*

Roy: 10 coins

Iggy: ROY!

Koopa: Ok, I'll also buy em… here's the money *hands Roy the money and takes Iggy, The paint and the chair*

Iggy: WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME ROY!? *has now been dragged off by the Koopa*

Roy: *chuckles* now that got rid of one problem, onto the other one *looks at Lemmy and smirks sadistically*

*Lemmy backs up with a hint of fear in his eyes*

Bowser: eh I didn't really like Iggy anyway… he'll find his way back… *walks off*

Larry: *takes the coins out of Roy's hands* yoink!

Roy: Hey that was mine!

Larry: not any more! Hahaha ha!

King Boo: *floats over* What are you guys doin?

Wendy: selling stuff, wanna buy anything?

King Boo: no, where's Bowser? He said we could get drunk at my mansion…

Bowser Jr: inside the castle

King Boo: Thanks… also I think someone stole your Iggy-

Morton: Roy sold him!

King Boo: … that makes since-

*Later*

*Everyone was sitting at the dining room table again*

Bowser: … 753, 754, 755, 756. We got 756 coins out of that!

*Iggy crawls in through the window and falls on the ground with a loud thud*

*Iggy literally crawls to his seat and sits down, leaves and sticks in his hair. Some mud on his legs and elbows*

Wendy: *has a look of disgust on her face* What happened to you?

Iggy: I escaped the guy Roy sold me to-

Roy: Damnit, I thought you were gone for good…

Ludwig: You look like you've seen some things-

Iggy: *eyes widen in trauma* I did… and I don't want to talk about what they were making me do…*Larry gets out a notebook and writes something down*

Larry: Iggy, possibly raped…. Alright. Got it!

*everyone just continues eating their food like nothing happened except Iggy who didn't have any food since they all thought he was gone. Instead he laid his head on the table*

Beginning/Previous/Next

[bonnvivre]

a funny thing- ch 24/25 word dump

WUAHAHAHA 4AM BABEY YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS

i’ve been cookin low and slow with this one and i mean real slow like. too slow . as in 2 weeks later whoops

this one’s a real doozy so grab a snack

FIRST PAGE ON THE GOSUKU TAG WHEN YOU SORT BY KUDOS LETS GOOOOOOO major rweiser W

———————————————

ch 24

thinking abt yuuji flying down the sidewalk and megumi becoming the equivalent of a flag whipping behind him pls yuuji not everyone can keep up 😭

fred says fuck

mmmmmm crunchy cookies i love me some egg shell

yeah with cooking, you can play around with the measurements and adjust along the way, but baking is whole different beast :[ i made creme brulee for our new year dinner, my first time baking actually, and i was terrified the entire process cus one wrong step and its over (they turned out good in the end, though i wanted to leave it in the fridge longer) 

sukuna and uraume on the same wavelength love that

daww megumi just be a kid its okay 

gojo’s nicknames for toji PLS father-fushi and fraidy-guro

hehehe he technically called sukuna pretty ,, i agree

LMAOOOOO AINT NO WAYY OFC HE SABOTAGED HIM 

i feel like toji would actually do well in getting sales (if he had the proper cookies) considering he’s “a pro at freeloading off women” which leads me to believe he’s got hella charisma . 

“Fushiguro stops just before the table, one hand balled into a fist so tight, the muscles of his arm are easy to see, flexing dangerously beneath his skin.” uwwheheheerhfbud sorry

OH SHT THE GIRLIES ARE FIGHTING YOOOOOOOO AND SUKUNA JUMPING IN FOR GOJO ???? in front of the kids in a school fundraiser is crazy lmao

pinky

gojo taking bets on who’s gonna win reminded me of mei mei betting on the gojo-sukuna fight

i had a crazy amount of secondhand embarrassment going thru that hhhhhh yknow that feeling when you just wanna curl up and cover ur eyes and you’re fighting to even look back ? yeaaaaa

“Hurting people is bad. And you’re not bad!” ohh yuuji ughhh he has no idea of what sukuna was before, that he’s done more than hurt people .. children really only see the side of their parents that they’ve allowed to show them. it’s why kids usually think the highest of them, so yuuji saying that sukuna’s not bad gets me cus he’s known and seen only the best of him. but it makes me feel gooey inside cus, while everyone else sees the former king of curses, yuuji sees his dad and when he does eventually find out, he’ll still always be his dad before anything else (does this make sense i hope it makes sense im trying to make my thoughts coherent)

oh hey they’re talking abt it !

I GASPED OH MY GOD PLEAS EOLASOE APLEAS EPLAS EPALEAPSLEAPSH NOOOOOOOOO FFGGHGBBVV HITTING MY BED GRFGHJVNGRRAAGGHHFEG

im being tortured i thinj you’re trying to kill me here this is the worst case of edging ive ever had in my life (no not like that) 

post-chapter notes:

IM ALREAYD RIOTING YASTOP BLUE BALLING ME

id read real housewives of jujutsu sorcery

————————————

ch 25

GRADE 1 ?? AS IN ONE ?? AS IN  O N E  ?? AS IN, YUUJI IS NO LONGER A PRESCHOOLER

when you said small time-skip, i thought you meant a few months later . i was wrong

aight time to update the time board: yuuji’s in first grade so he’s 6 yrs old, we’re in 2013 now (i think), gojo is 24 yrs old  23 yrs old (chap takes place during summer, bday not passed yet)

it’s 2013, he can get a 3ds now :D im gonna get him on smash bros . OR KID ICARUS UPRISING IT SHOULD BE OUT ALREADY

they should totally name the potential pet after me (jk)

OKAYYYY THATS A START HE KISSED HIM ON THE HEAD !! WE’RE GETTING SOMEWHERE :O now go lower. preferably on the li

oh yeah yeah definitely not together whatever helps you sleep at night man

im gonna need the bad bitches birthday bash one-shot someday with the way shoko’s bringing it up

the fact gojo’s heard the threat so many times before that he can finish it and brush it off

CANDY CRUSH  !!?!??

AWWWWWW THATS ADORABLE ;____; sukuna wanting to do something to surprise gojo’s first day as a teacher and yuuji suggesting to make a cake cus he knows his daddy loves sweets AND they spent the whole day prepping awawawawaw so cutee

they called on uraume for help too LOL poor them 

yuuji being a snitch HA i can’t help but think of my siblings

you can’t be serious gojo, not after that? people also don’t usually sleep and cuddle the homies cmon man

mother is mothering and mother is leading the herd (no but i love how he adapted to the role very easily, likely to prior experience)

whuh the fundraiser was last year ? am i overthinking the timeframe … ok im back after going thru the calendar that makes sense 👍 carry on wait hold on first semester of first grade ended so they’re on break ... summer break ?? unless this is going off of a different schooling system (oh yeah duh japan lol)

ohhh please let them meet mama-guro i can imagine the absolute shock on their faces trying to comprehend how someone like toji managed to marry someone like her 😭 bonus points if toji is much more softer around her too and the sheer whiplash of seeing him having ANY sort of loving side is enough to send gosuku into a spiral

“It’s exactly the type of thing Sukuna would never be caught dead wearing, which means Satoru must do all in his near-infinite power to make him wear it.” real

THESE THREE ARE RIDICULOUS LMAOOOOOO sorry kids your fathers are busy trying to one-up each other

“But, then again, these are just go-karts; how much damage could he really do?” famous last words before disaster

oh no

hey sukuna’s living life at least he’s having fun and that’s all that matters 🥰

not the pyramid projectiles

CONICAL AMMO !?$&7)-)26 MARIO KART IRL GONE WRONG oh my god its too late for this i need to sleep

OH MY GOD ?????? 

WHADDYA MEAN THEY’RE GONE ??????

post chap notes:

what just happened

no really what jusr happened

the amount of times i’ve said oh my god throughout the entire go-kart scene i was clutching my pearls

he recreates his reign in the silliest ways, all while wearing nice little red bow :3

nah i get it the entire first arc was dedicated to how messed up he was abt suguru so i understand the doubts but they’ve also near kissed multiple times .. unless they were super down with kissing the homies 

“I sure hope nothing bad has happened to them...” STOP

[twilightmalachite]

Christmas Live - Dot to Dot 1

Author: Akira

Characters: Yuuta, Shinobu

Translation Team: Mika Enstars & 310mc

EN Proofer: ryuseipuka

"Whaa, who said that… If your annoyance level is at 1, then my Aniki’s is at like 530,000, so it’s fine."

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Classroom 1-B

Shinobu: (Hmhmhm~♪)

(Just a few more nights~ and it’s Chri~st~mas~♪)[1]

(Ehehe, what’s Santa-san’s present for me this year…? ♪)

(Ahh, I can barely sit still from excitement! I’m just so hyped~♪)

(Because Christmas only means one thing, and that’s of course… Ninjas! ☆)

(The skillful art of fulfilling one’s mission by infiltrating a home without being caught! Santa-san is truly a descendant of ninja, who has survived until the present day!)

(Even his fashion sense also somewhat resembles that of a ninja, in my opinion…!)

(That’s why during Christmas time, I get so happy~ It feels as though my comrades have grown~♪)

(In fact…! One day, I will become someone splendid and famous… And then, I’ll absolutely make ninjas as mainstream as Santa-san!)

(And once that happens, I’ll make Hattori Hanzō’s death anniversary into a national holiday~♪)[2]

(That’s another reason why I will do my best with my idol activities! Although, I believe there isn’t any work for RYUSEITAI today?)

(Actually, for a few days now, we have had days off from not only work, but practice, too…)

(Well, we might suddenly be called over for something, like how we were during the summer holiday…)[3]

(Taichou-dono makes sure to provide us with sufficient days off overall. But on the other hand, that means we tend to be overworked when we do have work…?)

Shinobu: (Mm~ It feels lonely~… Without any RYUSEITAI activities, I end the school day talking to practically nobody.)

(I’m aware that ninjas live by concealing themselves without uttering a word, though…)

(……I’m really starting to feel sad now. It is getting chilly out lately~ They say that “cold” and “lonely” go hand-in-hand during these times.)

(Maybe I'll call Isara-dono on my phone… Wait, no, he is probably busy with Student Council work right now.)

(Perhaps I’ll try visiting him under the pretext of helping him out with work… But would that just bother him instead? Urmm~?)

…Fwah!?

S-Something just fell down! This is… hmm, a talisman?

Yuuta: Oh, sorry. Do you mind picking up that flier for me, Shinobu-kun?

Shinobu: Ah, a flier? Oh yes, I see that it’s advertising a shop’s Christmas sale. I’ll pick it up right way, Yuuta-kun~♪

…Wait—What on earth are you doing?

You’re adeptly balancing yourself at the top of a crazy amount of piled up chairs!

Fuhaah, acrobatics~! You’re a skilled performer, Yuuta-kun! ♪

Yuuta: I’m sure even you can do this much, Shinobu-kun. Since you’re crazy lightweight, and all.

I just don’t want to be wasting any of my time… I don’t want to miss out on any training I can get done while doing something else.

I’m working on my sense of balance right now. Wanna join, Shinobu-kun?

Shinobu: Ah, no, no. I’m scared to climb onto what looks like some sort of new party game~ You’ll only injure yourself if the chairs end up collapsing, you know~?

Yuuta: Heheh, as if I’d mess up doing this. …You’ve been chatting with me lately, Shinobu-kun, I’m happy~. ♪

Shinobu: Huh? U-Um!? I apologize! Have I been annoying you!?

Yuuta: Whaa, who said that… If your annoyance level is at 1, then my Aniki’s is at like 530,000, so it’s fine.

Shinobu: I’m not sure I understand that logic… That being said, why have you been looking at that flier?

Are you perhaps going to hold a Christmas party? Are you trying to find the right cake to buy?

Yuuta: Hm~. Well, Aniki goes all out and makes a super huge cake every year for no good reason.

‘Cause you know, he’s got a sweet tooth. What one likes, one will do best, and so that guy’s great at making stuff like sweets.

Well, anyway. Basically, I’m looking for work.

Since it’s almost Christmas, you know? I thought maybe there’d be some shops looking for people to liven things up.

Shinobu: Oooh! You’re so diligent, trying to find work even during Christmas. Are you a vassal of Santa-san, perhaps…? ☆

Yuuta: My Santa is Aniki~, ‘cause the person who’s apparently my father isn’t too enthusiastic about those sorts of things.

That’s not it, though—Holidays are a good time for idols to earn some money, aren’t they?

I’d like to find a way to make my seniors look better, or rather… I wanna sell 2wink better, since we’re comparatively mediocre.

Well, the leader is supposed to be the one to think about this sort of thing, though.

But since all Aniki’s thinking about are Christmas cakes right now… I gotta be the one to find some work to do.

You can help me if you want, Shinobu-kun! If you’re not busy, that is.

Shinobu: O-Okay. RYUSEITAI has the day off today, so I shall assist you~♪

Yuuta: You strong units can afford to do that, huh. …But you better watch your step, you don’t know when you’ll lose your footing!

‘Cause startin’ next year, 2wink will be takin’ over Yumenosaki Academy! ♪

Shinobu: Mhm, hard work deserves to be rewarded. Ahaha, not that I have any right to say something as impudent as that~

How about this shop’s job offer? You’ll wear Santa-san’s outfit while selling cakes! ♪

Yuuta: That’s just a regular old part-time job. I was hoping for something more idol-like…

Yuuta: Hmm… It kinda feels like all the good jobs got taken up by the other units, I guess?

I’d like to increase 2wink’s market value, though… Maybe I’ll ask Anzu-san, like, “Give me a job as a Christmas present ♪”, or something?

[ ☆ ]

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Shinobu is singing a different variation of the song mou ikutsu neru to oshougatsu (Just a few more nights, and it's New Years). Read more here, with the lyrics.

Hattori Hanzō was a famous ninja in the Sengoku era. Read more here.

Referring to Pirate Festival, which happened in summer.

[draconicsparkle]

Time to go to the aqua zoo! Along with smol snek!!! Who has the most devious of plots. Hehehe.

Another suggestion from @bobasriduur! You got lots of good ideas, my friend. Thank ya for all the help!

And you can send me ideas as well! Just comment down below!

Nagito pet the head of his tiger and plesiosaur plushes in his terrarium with a smile. He tried to make sure that they were always clean and presentable, even though only he and Hajime were going to see them. But he still did it, as he loved his space and possessions to be clean.

He was grateful that Hajime also tried to keep his apartment clean. He wasn’t sure what would have happened if his human was a messy person. Seeing the mess and not being able to clean would have driven him crazy. But he was fortunate, a fact he reminded himself of every day.

Currently, Hajime was on his bed, typing stuff on his laptop. The naga wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing. Could be homework, could be something else. It didn’t matter too much to him, as he was at an angle where he could watch him work. And he could see Hajime’s expression change every so often from the comfort of his terrarium with his stuffed animals. It was wonderful to witness.

But he would admit that he had a bit of a selfish desire. He wanted more; more stuffed animals to fill his area. But he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted yet, and he didn’t want to drain Hajime’s wallet. So he would have to grow his collection with strategic moves over time.

Luckily for him, a potential opportunity presented itself to him. “Hey, it looks like there’s an aquarium nearby. There’s a sale on tickets. Want to go?”

“An aquarium? That’s like the zoo, right? But just for aquatic animals,” Nagito asked, getting excited. Not just because of the potential of new plushies, of course. He actually was interested in learning more about the world’s species. And anything he did outside the apartment with his human was fantastic.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m assuming you are on board with this. We can go tomorrow afternoon.” Hajime glanced over top of his laptop to see the naga, a half-smile present.

“Yes! I’m excited to go!” Nagito replied, hugging his tiger’s neck in happiness. Tomorrow, yes, he could wait that long. An adventure awaited, and he looked forward to it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Time passed. And soon, the new day was upon them. Which meant that their plans could commence.

This conclusion was running through Nagito’s mind as he laid coiled around the human’s neck while he traveled to the aquarium. He didn’t bother to try and hide, knowing that he was safe to be out and in sight. And everyone around them were being respectful, with no one trying to approach to ask questions. He watched with observant eyes as Hajime walked, interested in all the sights they passed. But none could compare to the actual aquarium building. Decorations depicting coral reefs and some of its inhabitants were on display, indicating what could be found inside. The walls of the building were also painted with marine life. It was all so colorful. He couldn’t wait to see these animals in real life.

And maybe perhaps get one in stuffed animal form, but that would come later.

For now, he gazed at everything. He hardly registered Hajime presenting the tickets and speaking with the other humans. He was too enraptured with looking at everything.

Then they entered the first room with the giant tank.

Every ounce of air was stolen from his lungs when he first laid eyes upon it. It was so enormous, with all sorts of colorful creatures happily swimming around. So many shapes and sizes. It was nearly impossible to count every individual animal inside. “It’s so beautiful. I could watch this for hours,” Nagito whispered.

Hajime heard him and replied. “I could, too. It’s truly something special.”

The two fell silent as they watched the fish swim around for a good ten minutes. But eventually, Hajime tapped on the green tail. “Hey, there’s more areas we can go see. There’s a lot more animals they have living here.”

Nagito looked up at his human, shocked. “They have more? More than what’s in here?”

Hajime grinned, amused by his reaction. “Oh yeah. There’s a lot more. Let’s go see them.”

And so they left the enormous tank behind to see the others who were in their own enclosures. And Nagito was astounded by every single one. The jellyfish that floated around in their cylindrical tank. The horseshoe crabs that he got to touch. The eels that poked their heads out of their pots to look at him. The turtles, both freshwater and saltwater varieties, and their colorful shells.

But none impressed Nagito more than the octopus. The way it moved and looked were already impressive enough, but it also changed its patterns and colors right before their eyes! He didn’t think that was actually possible! “What an amazing creature. So unique and talented,” he found himself whispering, entranced by the octopus.

He felt Hajime move his head to glance down at him. And he also felt the muscles in his neck move as the human smiled. “It really is. It’s one of my favorite sea creatures.”

“I think it’s mine, too.” Nagito squeezed his coils in excitement at a new thought. “I wonder if they sell stuffed animal versions of the octopi. What colors would they choose to make them?”

Hajime caught on. “I bet you are going to ask me to buy you an octopus plush. Am I right?”

Nagito looked up without an ounce of shame. “We simply must bring home a souvenir to help remind us of our time here! And I choose to get an octopus. Simple as that.”

The brunette rolled his eyes, though he still was smiling. “I swear, you are the most spoiled naga.”

Having just gotten confirmation that he was indeed getting his prize, he thanked the human with a neck hug. “Perhaps I am. But I am nonetheless grateful to my Hajime for his kindness and generosity.”

He wasn’t fooled by the human’s indifferent huff, as he could feel the skin heat up under his touch. “Fine. We can go to the gift shop. But only one thing, got it?”

“Understood.” Nagito rose and gave Hajime’s cheek a nuzzle. “Thank you.”

The human certainly turned red at that, making the people around them grin at the sight. Hajime tried to calm himself down and walk away, ignoring the knowing giggles of the other visitors. He had managed to make the blush mostly disappear by the time they arrived in the gift shop. Several different types of items were for sale including clothing, home and lawn decorations, toys, and books. But Nagito had his sights trained on a specific section. The rows and rows of stuffed animals. And to his delight, there were indeed some octopi for sale.

But then came his dilemma. Which color should he choose? There were so many options, but he was limited to one. So what color did he like the best?

As he agonized, he was barely aware that Hajime was moving, arm stretching to grab something. He didn’t have to wait long until the reason was revealed.

“This one was kinda hidden on top. I wonder why it was in a different area. Oh well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. What do you think?”

And now, before his eyes, was an octopus with rainbow fabric. The colors swirled and mixed perfectly, creating a beautiful pattern. “That’s the one. I shall choose this octopus,” Nagito declared, reaching out to pet the head.

“Alright. It’s yours,” Hajime replied, beginning to head to the register. “You will have to make room for it in your terrarium. Better start planning.”

“Oh, don’t you worry. I already have a plan in mind,” the naga said cheekily. His tail tip swayed with happiness as he watched the rainbow octopus be lowered into a paper bag. Yes, he was pleased with today. New memories and a new friend had been made. He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Masterpost

[moonrisecoeur]

GIRLIEEE please dont remind me how out of my age range leon is 😭✋

also idk most of those artists songs ngl i be living under a rock but idk ! he might!! he seems like an open to different music types of person to me (i am one hehdhdh) so i could see him having a pretty large listening range. imo his fav genre is grunge/rock but ngl. i could see him liking the early 2000s white girl music HSJSDHSNNDKAKSNSB, and theres a few linkin park songs that come to mind...idk about more recent music tho LMAO my brain is too tired to think of any. tbh ppl should include more older music too when talking abt him, actually i just want to encourage ppl to have a larger music palette bc its 👌

also GRRR RRRRGHHHR im so envious of you. literally none of my friends are into resident evil and none of them wanna hear me horny talk about leon 😭😭😭 im dying here. im literally screaming into the void abt how badly i wanna top him.

ngl i got into resi because uh. leon was literally the only resident evil character ive known about (i watched a lot of like lore/glitch videos when i was a teen) and resi 4 was super popular still. i always thought he was cute but never got into the series bc. horror games scary (they still are but i tough it out for my pookie wookie 😤). but like one of my friends plays dead by daylight a lot and i wanted to look into it bc i like spending time w ppl and. i saw leon was a playable character and i bought it immediately. AINT EVEN KNOW THE MAN MUCH AND I WAS ALREADY DOWN HORRENDOUS !? HAD ME BY THE THROAT FROM THE START !! anyways his whimpers in dbd-

-🐕

my guy i’m sorryyy if it makes u feel any better leon is also more than half my age BUT it’s ok tho!! he’s fictional so in my head he’s actually still 21 like in re2 hehehe

NO BC UR SO RIGHT HE GETS DOWN TO 2000s WHITE GIRL MUSIC !! AND SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK !! 💥💥💥

he’s (my friend not leon) literally my best friend in the whole world i love him so much he got me into resident evil and i got him into mortal kombat so it works out !! but it’s okay… do u know why it’s ok??? bc i’m ur friend now :)

i mostly got into re because i thought leon and carlos were hot let’s be so for real but i bought resident evil 2 when it was on sale for 10 bucks and played it and fell in love!! i like the action and horrorness of the games, i killing zombies and mr x scaring the shit out of me it’s so fun!! but i totally get why people don’t really like it and are just into re for the lore and the characters

leon dbd whimpers help me sleep at night they were IN MY SPOTIFY WRAPPED Y’ALL IM SO SANE

[slyshyfoxy]

Hello its meee,these days i have been feeling a bit like mix of fear and sadness? i don't know why, but I assume that maybe at the start was because of my project director scolding me and jolyn leaving to go bali, to be very honestly, I shouldn't feel so much affected by my stupid director, because I believe he is just having a bad day and just trying to find someone to scold that day.... then just happen to be me , like I shouldn't take it to heart, because I don't want it to be in my heart for so long also, so I will move on from it and not get affected from it anymore, furthermore today the Liphoew also come bbq me out of no where, where I also feel moody, think he is also having a bad day and communication between us was unclear, so I don't have to take it to heart too, I am much capable than what he think I am that's why I get scolded by him? Basically, work is just work, It is not my entire life. My entire life should be dedicated into making my ownself happy and not thru what other people treat me etc, they are just rubbish. So I am gonna focus on things that make me happy instead of making me unhappy. And then today my bro also want me to return 13k of his amount, honestly I do not want to return it LOL cause I want to have this amount in my bank for my uses only. Think I just ignore him a bit longer and longer till he forgets about it.....Or when next time I quit my job in feburary, I join sanho and start earning more money then I can just return him back by then. But u must always remember, once u join sanho, sky is the limit, and I got more time to pursue whatever I want, such as buying a car will be imminently possible , furthermore, I can find new ways to earn more money that I have yet to discover, I don't have to stick to my icky job that 8-6pm and getting scolded by people. I will have freedom, I can travel around, make myself pretty pretty and connect with people and work hard in a positive environment, for now I just need to suck it up and work for till start of Chinese new year, actually counting down is just 20 days. And when I start sanho I hope to and want to make 50k a month sales if possible, and draw a 4k above salary for myself. That is when I quit tiongseng. For now what is my purpose in tiongseng? it is to solve problems and solve as many as I can and get used to this, which means like get things into my own hands and not ask for other people help so much. But basically, how to deal with all those emotional people? is just focus on ur tasks, and not absorb so much on what they thinking and all.. Finish my tasks can already, less emotions more of doing and less of thinking too much also, one thought at a time. Summore don't be stupid to suffocate urself during ur off work timing, enjoy it, it is ur free time, don't think of things to suffocate yourself. Think of positive things, and enjoy the things u do such as gaming valorant, reading manga, and watching shows you know? Alot of bad things has passed, and I am still alive right now what? this is just really simple things that u shouldn't be upset and down at, if I'm down at like this only, in the future how am gonna handle much bigger things? I am bigger and stronger than this please. I am a person whos gonna earn 5/6 digit a month next time, this is just simple things. HAHAHAHA, and own 2 cats and a house and a nice car ! Anyways stay positive, always write to yourself when u feel down, you will feel okay afterwards, bad things don't last, only strong people last such as urself ok. Oh ya and I really finally passed my driving test, very good job :DD I finally can drive a car out to get supper etc hehehe. GOOD JOB JENNY! There are still people who u haven't met that is gonna be good to you, there are still places u haven't go to discover, and greater height of in ur career and money that u haven't obtain. I believe next time I will earn a few millions in my bank account, I swear. Aim is by 35. Right now my aim is to get a car by 27.

U can fucking it do it jenny, honestly how many times u have doubted urself? But u still fucking did it ? even tho it takes a few years but u never gave up on urself, u kept on trying and trying, and that is honestly the formula to success. Dont fucking give up on urself and always love urself more, don't bully yourself with negative thoughts. Because destiny is prepped much greater for u than u can ever imagine. Next time I hope I can open a company with 300 people working under me heheheheh. All the best jenny ! Try ur best not to be late at work.

From Jenny , number 1 positive supporter of your own self :D - 8 Jan 2025.

[kudosmyhero]

Batman: The Long Halloween #1: Chapter 1: Crime

Read Date: June 20, 2023 Cover Date: December 1996 ● Writer: Jeph Loeb ● Penciler: Tim Sale ● Inker: Tim Sale ● Colorist: Gregory Wright �� Letterer: Richard Starkings ● Editor: Archie Goodwin ◦ Chuck Kim ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● the high-contrast panels with jet black shadows are where the art in this shines so far

● “On this, the day of my daughter’s wedding…” ● some really great panels! it’s hard choosing just one to share ● though in panels that are lit with less dramatic light, the art is rather more “meh.” still pefectly serviceable. just not nearly as visually interesting ● heheh, Batman said “nipple” ● (I have the humor of a 12-year-old boy sometimes. leave me alone.) ● the jangly bracelets on Catwoman are not a good idea for a character who often moves stealthily ● damn… ● 👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: At the wedding party of Johnny Vitti, Carmine Falcone talks to Bruce Wayne about making business in one of Bruce's banks. Bruce refuses and leaves Falcone's office but stays outside to listen to whatever the man might talk about afterwards. Alberto Falcone notices Bruce's presence and asks Bruce for a reason to be inside the house. Bruce plays dumb and fools Alberto, telling him that he got lost looking for the bathroom. Bruce goes outside to where the party is and is planning on leaving before he notices that Selina Kyle is among the guests. They get together and stay in the party for a little longer.

In his office, Carmine is pondering about the future of his organization and how it all depends on Alberto to keep running his business. Milos, the bodyguard, spots unusual activity in one of the security cameras. There is a man in the building's garage and Carmine recognizes him as District Attorney Harvey Dent. Falcone sends some of his personal guards to deal with the intruder and three men beat Dent to a pulp until he passes out. Moments later, Dent is found unconscious by Bruce and Selina, who are just leaving the party. Dent thanks them but he manages to make his way out by himself. Selina asks Bruce what will they do next but Bruce excuses himself and tells her that it is already too late for him.

Harvey arrives at the GCPD Headquarters and tells Captain James Gordon what happened at Falcone's. Gordon isn't happy with Dent's unnecessary risks. Gordon also tells him that a "friend" of his might be able to help them to catch Falcone.

The party at Falcone's place is going smoothly until Carmine notices a dark figure entering his penthouse. Batman breaks in with the intention of searching Falcone's safe and finds that someone is already inside. Catwoman is stealing from Falcone's safe and Batman's presence startles her. They fight each other and Batman tells her that he has no business with her. Falcone's bodyguards enter the room and shoot at them. Batman uses a smoke bomb to get away along with Catwoman. Carmine isn't happy with his bodygards and for the intrusion, he places a bounty of one million dollars for the heads of Batman or Catwoman.

On their escape, Batman and Catwoman fall down from the penthouse but they land safe. Catwoman turns away from Batman and escapes. As Batman loses track of Catwoman, the Bat-Signal appears in the sky.

Gordon and Dent are at the rooftop of the GCPD HQ, waiting for Batman to show up. When he arrives, they decide to start a campaign against Carmine Falcone without breaking the law. The three of them agree and Batman leaves a ledger he managed to take from Falcone's penthouse. The ledger contains information on Falcone's illegal activities.

The next day, Bruce talks to the Bank board and refuses to let Falcone's money be allowed in the bank. However, Richard Daniel, the controlling shareholder, decides to make business with Falcone. Later that night, Daniel is visited by Batman and forced to resign his position in the bank, allowing Bruce to take control of all the bank's business and thus, cancelling Falcone's deal with the bank.

Johnny Vitti is told by his uncle Carmine to kill Richard Daniel as payback for resigning from the bank. Vitti murders Daniel in the middle of the street by shooting him.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the city, a man is preparing a gun by taping the handle, filing off the serial number and placing a baby bottle nipple as a silencer.

At his home, James Gordon receives a call to notify him that Daniel has been murdered. Gordon calls the Dent's house and Gilda Dent takes the message. She looks for Harvey and finds him in the basement, working with his tools. She tells him what happened and worries about Harvey's own safety. Harvey embraces and comforts her, but his eyes look away in a suspicious way.

Johnny Vitti is taking a bath when someone enters his place, points a gun at him and shoots him twice, killing him. The killer leaves the gun and a halloween carved pumpkin at the crime scene.

Later in James Gordon's office; Batman, Dent and Gordon analyze the evidence and can't find anything useful that would tell them the identity of the killer. The .22 caliber gun has been modified so that it was untraceable and the pumpkin might just be due to the fact that it was halloween already. Batman notices something outside and leaves Dent and Gordon alone. Batman finds Catwoman spying on them in a nearby rooftop. She tells Batman that she might be able to help them if in return he would help her when she needed. Batman agrees with no guarantees and Catwoman gives him valuable information on Carmine Falcone.

Batman and Dent follow Catwoman's information and they end up in a warehouse near the harbor. Inside the warehouse, there are large amounts of money stockpiled. It all belongs to Carmine Falcone and as he hasn't been able to deposit it in any bank, he has been forced to stock it. Dent reflects about how easy it would be for them to take some of that money and never be connected with it, but Batman doesn't allow him to think in that way. They pour gasoline on the piles of money and then they set it on fire as a way to harm Falcone.

It is Halloween night and Harvey arrives at his place after being successful in his war against Falcone. Gilda welcomes him home and Harvey notices a strange package delivered to their home. Harvey asks Gilda what is it but she doesn't know. When Harvey opens it, his home is blown to pieces by an automatic bomb inside the package.

(https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Batman:_The_Long_Halloween_Vol_1_1)

Fan Art: Carmine Falcone (Earth-27) commission by phil-cho

Accompanying Podcast: ● Bat-Books for Beginners - episode 14

[katalnitskaya]

Oh my god mosshead is too cute, will you be selling those keychains?

Thanks!! I love him too hehehe

Yes!! Some more items for this keychain should arrive in January, and when I've got them all together, I'll put them up for sale.💚✨

But I don’t know how things will go with international delivery... :/

[otomiyaa]

Day 31: Rest

Narumi x Hirotaka | Nim's Lovely Tickletober 

Word Count: 600

"Oh noooo, I'm totally falling asleep and we still have about four more hours to gooo!" Narumi whined.

They were having a short coffee break outside, enjoying some fresh air and resting a little before they would have to continue selling her BL works for the rest of the day.

"Such a relief that Hana-chan came by to take over for a moment. We deserve a break," Narumi sighed. She leaned against Hirotaka's shoulder.

"If you're that tired, you should rest longer. I can take over if you want," Hirotaka offered. Narumi shook her head.

"I can't possibly leave you alone for so long, what ifー oh!" She suddenly perked up and looked at him.

"Hirotaka!" She threw her arms up. "Tickle me!"

Hirotaka froze. "Huh?"

Narumi nodded and kept her arms up. "If you tickle me, it'll help me wake up."

When Hirotaka only stared at her, she lowered her arms again impatiently.

"No?" she asked, pouting.

"....You're too ticklish, Narumi," Hirotaka said. He admired her confidence, but this was just...

Narumi nodded. "I know! But that's good! You'll wake me up good. Please?"

Hirotaka had never imagined she would make a request like this. He looked around.

"There are people here."

Narumi shrugged. "It's an anime convention, weird things happen all the time. If you don't want to tickle me I'll ask Hana-cha- ahhh!" Narumi squeaked when Hirotaka pulled her closer, pressing her against him as if he were embracing her. In this way he could subtly slide his hand around her and squeeze her side.

"I got it, I got it. So, like this then?"

Narumi immediately let out a couple of adorable giggles. "Y-yehehes!"

Hirotaka looked around. Maybe she was right. He had seen weirder stuff around here than people tickling each other. Feeling a little more confident, Hirotaka reached for her with his other hand as well, and he wiggled all fingers playfully up and down her sides.

"Heeeheehee!" Narumi jumped and almost gave him a headbutt. Hirotaka dodged swiftly and to punish her, he clawed viciously at both sides. Well, she asked after all.

"AHAHA! Okahahay I'm awahahake!" Narumi squealed. Already? Now that he was starting to get into it, Hirotaka couldn't help but want to tickle her a little more.

"So soon? Are you sure?" Hirotaka asked. He changed from tickling her ribs to tickling her tummy, and Narumi twisted around and tried to flee hilariously.

"YEHEHES!" Hirotaka pulled her back and hugged her from behind while keeping up the playful tickle attack.

"Did you rest enough to keep it up until closing hours?" Hirotaka asked teasingly.

Narumi nodded hysterically and helplessly pried at his hands that kept up the continuous tickle assault.

"Hehehe yeeees! Stohohop!" she whined. Satisfied, Hirotaka finally stopped, and Narumi turned around in his embrace again. She looked up at him with that sweet smile and she sighed.

"Thank you," she said genuinely. Hirotaka smiled back.

"....You're welcome." She really was something else.

"Hey! You don't look well rested at all! Do you need some more time?!" Hanako yelled when they returned to Narumi's booth. To Hanako her friend must've looked like she ran a marathon. Her face was all flushed from that brief tickle torture and Hirotaka only noticed now her hair looked a little bit messy from their struggle.

"I'm fine Hana-chan! I'm gonna nail it until the end! You go have fun at the convention!" Narumi said with confidence.

Hanako first looked surprised, she then looked at Hirotaka and smirked (???) and finally said "alright then, do your best!" and left the sales to Narumi again.

Heh, well if Narumi ever needed a 'rest' like that again, Hirotaka was more than willing to assist.

[moccahobi]

Do you enjoy neighbors aus? Complex situations where both sides can be understood and explored? With a cute puppy plot? This is the fic for u!

It's such an adorable story and I rly love the mix of plots! Jo does so well balancing three plots and I absolutely love it! The many plots weave together nicely to give us a well rounded and such a good story! I'm rly curious abt Jimin and their drama tho 👀👀👀

Jo has masterfully woven Seokjin and the MC to be complex and imperfect characters. Both making mistakes and acting from places informed by their pasts. Their journey together is bumpy and imperfect and it makes it all the more realistic!

This was such an enjoyable read! Thank you for writing it! 💜💜💜

My live reaction is under the read more.

Omgggggg. What an introduction to the MC's dog!

Oh! A dog run is quite nice!

Rip! No dog poop bags! 😖

Noooo! Not their shoes!

🤣🤣🤣 The song of her people! Love it

KIM SEOKJINNNNNNN

What a flirty guy! M giggling!

Oop--- THE DOG 😭

Lolol. Jin could most def sell a used tissue. Esp if it's his. 🤪

Caught him? OMG DID THEIR EX CHEAT???

Ooof. What a rough morning!

Oh no! The day is getting rougher! 🥺🥺🥺

Hehehe. For puppy purposes. Sure jan. Sure.

Wish he took more advantage of having the MC's # 😏😏😏

Omg the skill! So proud of the pupper for sitting. Lol

Oh? Why don't they wanna see Jin?

Oh no! I hope their dad is ok!

Awwe. Jinnie being a sweetie trying to be the MC's friend. Cute!

Jin's so understanding 🥺

Lolol thirsting after Jin cooking is so understandable 🤣

THE FLIRTING! I LOVE

Oooof. I so relate to the MC's feeling and reaction abt the good news. It can feel so heavy and reliving at the same time.

I rly like the boardgame reference! Rly adds a bit of comedy to the tense scene.

Jin is so caring. I love 🥺

"Any and all babies" OMG THATS SMOOTH JIN

Love the Convo/time skip in the hike! It gives us good flow and hints at their conversations!

JIN WAS CHEATED ON TOO???? THE AUDACITY!

WANT TO DATE ME?!?!? OMG JIN SMOOTH

Lolol continuing the sale metaphor r we lolol? I love!

Love his flirtieness with the jello legs comment lolol

Oh no! Their dad? What happened?

Oh no! Heart surgery!

Oooof! No! Don't tell Seokjin that! He wants honesty! And he cares! He was there for u earlier! Tell! Share!

Omg! He's ignoring them so much. I wonder if he thinks the MC's brother is another romantic partner in their life???

Jin is rly hurt it seems. 🥺🥺🥺

Ooof. What a tough situation. I rly do understand both sides of it. 🥺

🤔 U know. Idk if I'd say he acted childishly. He didn't go into it much but he clearly is quite traumatized and uncertain about his past relationship. The lying clearly got to him. I rly do get his reaction. He tried to set a boundary during the hike and the mc didn't respect that. I also get the MC's feelings. It's hard to share generally especially with new relationships and heavy topics. It's understandable that they were uncertain. Rly reminds me how much we r all just bouncing against each other and occasionally those bounces lead to breaks.

Communication goes two ways MC! Both of you can grow from this fight. N I hope u both do. 🥺

Oh! Love the color association again!

Lolol stay. What a wonderful last word! I love!

Sit. Stay. || KSJ

(banner by @kth1)

Title: Sit. Stay. WC: 14k one-shot Genre: fluff, s2l, neighbors!au, baby angst for a quick minute?, smut

Summary: Your new puppy, Zinnia, has turned your world on its head. She’s ruined everything from your sleep schedule to your favorite shoes, and you know it’s your own failure to train her properly. When your cute upstairs neighbor tells you about a local obedience academy, he slowly starts to make himself a place in your schedule, your life, and your heart. After your last relationship went up in flames, will his affections be something else you can count as a failure?

Rating: NSFW - Minors DNI, i mean it

Warnings: language, casual drinking, a parent is having heart problems and seeing doctors for it, miscommunication sort of, immaturity lol, kissing, mentions of surgery/doctors/hospitals - but everyone is okay!, an argument, protected penetrative sex, doggy style (i mean how could i NOT), fingering, a nanosecond of nip stim

A/N: Written for the Paw Prints Academy Collab hosted by @kth1fics! Typo-check by @oddinary4bts - thank you, Ella!!!

--

You’re asleep, dreaming something plotless - your grandmother, long deceased, is there. It doesn't feel sad - it feels peaceful. It feels like, oh, it’s nice to see you again. 

And it’s ruined, too early, by a long, high-pitched, inhuman cry. You startle awake, heart pounding as your brain scrambles to make sense of the sound. The whine - it’s a whine despite the loudness of it - dies down and is followed by a series of yips and sharp barks. Every noise seems to pierce straight through your skull.

You haven’t slept through a night in four days.

“Zinnia,” you beg, pushing the comforter off your body and making your way blindly across the unlit bedroom, “you have got to chill. You are not dying.”

Zinnia, an eleven-week old chocolate labrador, yaps even louder once she hears your voice.

You’re reinforcing bad behavior by getting up, a voice in your head reminds you.

You know it’s true, but what’s the alternative? Let Zinnia wake up every apartment on the whole floor? 

You open the bedroom door, and Zinnie bounces with excitement in her crate, her tail flapping against the wall of it with a rhythmic thwap-ap-thwap-ap.

You sigh. She’s so dang cute, you can’t even be pissed that it’s two in the morning. “Hi, silly girl,” you say, resigned. She rolls herself in a full circle, going belly up and then back to her feet in less than a second. 

You unlock the crate and watch absently as she catapults around your feet, races into the kitchen, slides across the linoleum and crashes sideways into a wooden cabinet door, and then dashes - unphased - back towards you, barreling into your shins. 

You sigh again and head back to your bedroom for a hoodie and some shoes. Miss Zinnie needs to run, apparently. 

You hook up her leash and grab your keys, patting your pocket to make sure your phone is in there before heading to the hallway. Zinnia zips left and right, tripping you more than once on the way to the elevators. 

You take the elevators up instead of down. There are a lot of perks to your high-end apartment building - covered parking, a pool, a 24-hour gym - but the best is by far the dog run, outside on the twelfth floor. You’ve used it approximately sixty times in the days since you brought Zinnia home. 

You realize as you push open the glass doors to the rooftop space that you forgot poop bags. 

“Zinnia,” you say seriously, “I need you to promise not to poop. Got it?”

Zinnie gags once as she pulls too hard on the leash. You rub a hand over her face and reach down to pick her up, opting to carry her hyper ass the rest of the way to the dog run. You hold the door on your way back in for a tall guy with a baseball cap tugged low over his brow, leading a fluffy, blue-eyed dog back into the building. He nods in thanks and hurries past you. You have to step inside for a second to let him by, his shoulders take up so much of the doorway despite his slender frame. 

“His dog isn’t choking itself on the leash,” you point out to Zinnia sourly. You make your way over to the dog run and make sure to latch the gate before setting Zinnia back on the ground and unclipping her.

“Go, you absolute menace,” you tell her. “Go run until you’re tired. Please, for the love of god, run until you’re tired.”

–

You’ve always gotten a mid-afternoon energy slump; Zinnia’s nighttime shenanigans haven’t helped that at all. You’re bent over your desk, trying to inhale the caffeine from your two pm coffee, when your phone pings on your desk.

Your heart sinks when you see the name of the college kid who’s supposed to watch Zinnia on weekday afternoons. 

“Please just be a cute picture,” you mutter as you unlock your screen. No such luck. The text informs you that, in your absence, Zinnia chewed through a pair of shoes you’d been stupid enough to leave out.

There is an attached picture.

It is not cute. 

–

You get home earlier than normal somehow, letting yourself into the apartment and kicking off your shoes. You immediately pick them back up, cradling them against your chest like they need to be protected.

They kind of do. Zinnia hears you and blasts straight at you, running circles around your legs, tail flopping side to side so hard her whole butt wiggles.

“Hello, silly beast,” you say affectionately, though truth be told you’re still mourning those chucks she’d ruined. 

Ry, Zinnia’s college pal, gathers her belongings and tells you goodbye. Alone with your shoe-destroyer, you sigh and head to your bedroom, closing the door behind you. Abandoned in the living room, Zinnia begins to sing the song of her people.

“Oh my god,” you huff. “Please, can you let me pee and change clothes? It is okay to be alone for five seconds!” 

You ignore her complaints as you do just that, emerging in joggers and a hoodie, and sneakers that aren’t your chucks, since those live in the garbage can now. 

You’d been planning on taking Zinnia on a walk walk, but there are some pretty ominous clouds out there. You pull your phone from your pocket and check the hourly - 80% chance that it’s already raining. 

A quick trip to the dog run will have to be better than nothing. 

You two head to the elevator, and you push the button for the twelfth floor, the ring around the button lighting up red.

The elevator slows to a stop on the eighth floor. The doors open and you spot the dog you’d passed last night, the one with the pretty blue eyes. You raise your eyes to look at its owner, the guy with shoulders the width of the moon.

He’s got a cap on again, but you can see his face today. He lights up when he sees you, stepping inside to let the doors close behind him. He glances at the button panel to make sure his choice is selected - he must be heading to twelve as well.

“We met you last night,” he says slyly, smiling at you. You’re unable to answer for a second; he’s so good-looking you think he must model or something. He’s got a strong brow, beautiful dark eyes, and lips that should be a museum, carved from marble.

“I think we did,” you agree, feeling suddenly shy, completely unqualified to speak to this absolute god.

“We did,” he says confidently. “I’d remember a face that cute anywhere.”

You feel yourself flush, suddenly so warm that you want to strip off your hoodie and maybe your shoes too, just to cool down. Then you realize that he’s looking down at Zinnia, whose tail is wagging so ferociously that she’s almost toppling over as she sniffs noses with the stranger’s dog.

“Is she okay?” you ask suddenly. “Do I need to –?”

“It’s fine,” he says easily, flapping a hand at you. “Blue’s very maternal. She knows a baby when she sees one.”

“Okay,” you say, sighing a little in relief. Being a Bad Dog Owner is bad enough, you’d hate to make a mistake with someone else’s dog in the equation. 

The elevator doors open on the twelfth floor, and the guy holds out a hand, beckoning you to go first. You try to exit, but Zinnia is so obsessed with the guy’s dog - Blue - that she won’t budge.

“Good god,” you grumble, reaching down to lift her, stalking out of the elevator with only a scrap of your dignity. You’re pretty sure you hear the guy snicker as he follows you towards the doors to outside. 

There’s an elderly lady and a corgi in the dog run, and you and the guy from the eighth floor hurry through the gate and latch it quickly. 

Zinnia takes off sprinting the second you unclip her. Blue trots over to the corgi first.

“So,” you say. “You have a dog that listens.”

The grin he shoots you is amused. “I’ve had Blue for almost eight years. You have a baby. A lot of her behavior right now - the energy, chewing on everything she finds - she’ll grow out of.”

“That’s a relief,” you say, thinking of the ruined chair legs under your kitchen table. You’d had that kitchen set for a decade and Zinnia left it covered in teeth-marks within the seven minutes it took you to switch laundry loads. 

He shrugs. “Some of it has to be trained out, though,” he warns you.

“Damn,” you sigh. A raindrop hits the back of your hand; instinctively, you raise your eyes to the clouds. Beside you, the guy does the same. On the other end of the dog run, the older lady calls her corgi over and clips its leash, ready to head in.

“You better pee fast, you monster,” you tell Zinnia, who doesn’t hear you and wouldn’t care even if she did.

The guy laughs quietly under his breath, then whistles once. Blue stops sniffing the ground and trots over immediately. Either his competence is really sexy, or you’re biased by his face. 

“I’m Seokjin, by the way,” he says, looking up at you as he bends over to clip the leash back on. “Most people just call me Jin. This is Blue.”

As the rain starts to patter more strongly, you tell him your name, and then point at your bonkers puppy, who is currently trying to wedge herself under the metal beam below a bench. “That absolute disaster is Zinnia.”

He smiles and repeats it. “We’ll see you around,” he says, heading back in towards the building, leaving you and your puppy in a suddenly steady rain. 

–

You stagger like a zombie to the elevators in the morning, hands clasped around a travel mug full of hot tea. Inside, you lean heavily against the wall, willing your eyes to stay open as you descend. 

You’ve made it down two floors before you even register that another human is in there with you. One more before you register that you know that human.

“There she is,” he says brightly, when he sees that you’ve clocked him, finally. “Good morning!”

“Sorry,” you say, smiling ruefully. “I’m exhausted.”

He nods understandingly. “New puppies will do that,” he says, still cheerful. “Are you crate-training her at night?”

“Trying to,” you grumble. “It’s not going great.”

He seems like he’s going to answer, but the elevator stops on floor three and four more people shuffle in between you. When you’re released into the lobby, he nods goodbye from the opposite side of the small crowd as you make your way through the front doors. 

–

You barely make it through the work-day without taking an illegal nap at your desk, but somehow you do. When you get home, Ry slipping out your front door the second she hears you, you want nothing more than to collapse on the couch and close your eyes. 

Instead, you leash up Zinnia - without even changing clothes first - and head up to the dog run. You figure if she handles her business now, it might buy you a few hours of couch time.

You also wonder if the guy - Jin - is usually out there right around now. He was yesterday, after all. Maybe that’s his normal schedule. 

He’s out there before you, this time. Your hunch was right. You unclip Zinnia and lean back against the fence, hoping you don’t fall asleep on your feet like this.

Jin sidles up beside you and you can’t deny the warm, pleased feeling that rises up in you. 

“Tough day at work?” he asks.

You can’t fight the smile off your face - you don’t even try. “Normal,” you say. “Yours?”

He shrugs. “Normal.”

You wait a beat, two beats. Jin leans comfortably next to you, his eyes watching Blue as she runs happily alongside someone’s doberman. 

“What do you do?” you ask, curiosity getting the best of you. 

He gives you a sideways look that you can’t decipher. “You’ll be disappointed,” he says, sort of like a warning.

This surprises you. “Disappointed? Why?”

He shrugs. “It’s pretty boring.”

Your smile turns a little knowing. “And you don’t like looking boring?”

His mouth twists to the side. “I don’t like feeling boring. But anyway - I’m a salesman. I work at a sporting goods store. I do consultations for certain equipment, but most of the time I’m just trying to make commission.”

I think with that smile you could probably sell me a used tissue, you think unhelpfully. 

“That’s more exciting than mine,” you tell him, hoping it cheers him up. “I spend all eight hours behind a desk.”

He grimaces. “Do you hate it?” he asks. 

No one’s ever framed the question like that before. You ponder this as, across the dog run, Zinnia happily harasses a pair of doodle-mixes. 

“I don’t hate it,” you say slowly, weighing the truth of the words. “It’s just… monotonous, sometimes.”

“So you got a puppy to break up the monotony,” he guesses. 

Now it’s your turn to grimace. “I got a puppy because my boyfriend moved out.”

He turns to look at you sharply, expression stricken. “I’m sorry - I didn’t -.”

“It’s fine,” you assure him. “I kicked him out. Caught him - well - it doesn’t matter. The point is I wasn’t sad to see him go. And I’d been trying for a long time to talk him into getting a dog, so. I gave myself a few months to get back on my feet and then I got myself a damn dog.”

And now she’s eating everything I own, you don’t add.

“Sorry you went through that,” Jin says seriously. You wave him off.

“It’s ancient history,” you tell him. “Besides, I’d trade him for Zinnie any day. Even when she pees inside.”

He laughs at this. 

You stand chatting for a while - long enough for the doodle-mixes to get taken inside, and for a whole herd of dachshunds to come, chase circles around Zinnia for thirty minutes, and leave again, shepherded out by a middle-aged man. Long enough to learn that Jin went to college in the city, has an advanced degree in Business Management that he’s never used, adopted Blue when he was twenty-one. Long enough to learn that his parents live on the coast, that he can do most board-centered sports well, that he likes food and video games more than he likes most people. Long enough for him to learn your answers to the same questions. 

“I should probably take her in,” he says finally, as dusk settles around you. “We both need dinner.”

“Sure,” you say. “I should, too. Zinnie! Zin! Zinnia, come!”

Jin snorts as Zinnia happily ignores you. 

–

Your Friday is off to a bad start. Not only did Zinnie scream through the night, until you caved and let her out of the crate and spent the rest of the night on the couch so she wouldn’t feel lonely, but you break a heel on your way out the door. 

The sudden break sends you sprawling onto your carpeted entryway floor. Your thermos of tea rolls away - thankfully sealed tight - but you feel your tights tear on your knee where you land. And your face ends up almost under a kitchen chair, eye to eye with a delightful little gift that Zinnia must have left you sometime while you were trying to get dressed.

You pushed yourself to your feet, eye your ripped tights and then the clock, and burst into tears on the spot. “Zinnia!” you wail. “I do not have time to go change! And I definitely do not have time to scrub the carpet right now!”

You do both, shooting the puppy death-stares as you scoot out of the apartment twenty minutes late with a blotchy face. You’d better not meet Seokjin in the elevators today, like this.

Luckily you don’t - but that’s about the last good thing you can say about the rest of your day. You get a nasty email from your boss for arriving late, you realize once you get to your office that you’d left your thermos of tea back on your kitchen table after you’d tripped, and Ry texts you to say she’s got a flu and she can’t take Zinnia out to pee after lunch the way she usually does. 

You can’t leave early to handle it; you’re already in hot water for being late. You have to accept the fact that you’ll be going home to a mess - Zinnia can’t be expected to hold it that long, and it’s your fault, not hers. You just hope that, without someone there to play with her, her tiny, baby bladder is the only mess you’ll find, and not more ruined furniture. 

It sucks, and you feel horrible - hoping she doesn’t cry and bark all afternoon, alone - but there’s nothing you can do about it.

When you get home, it’s about what you expected. You spray the carpet, hurry to change clothes, then come out to scrub where the spray had been sitting. You clean this up, and then the shreds of paper towel from the paper towel roll that Zinnia somehow got from the kitchen table, and face the puppy, utterly exhausted and at wit’s end. Somehow, you find yourself wanting to cry again.

“Maybe,” you tell her, as she looks up at you expectantly, “I am just not meant to be a dog parent. Maybe you need someone who knows what they’re doing. Or works from home. Or has a roommate to help. Something. Something that isn’t this.”

Oblivious to your emotional spiral, oblivious that you’re questioning your place in her life, Zinnia lays down and yawns, pink tongue curling and paws stretching as far as they can reach. 

You skip the dog run. You think she probably needs an actual walk since Ry didn’t play with her this afternoon, and you don’t think you can face Seokjin in your current mood. He’ll either be friendly or sympathetic, and you can’t handle either of those with grace right now. 

You strap Zinnia into an actual harness, not trusting her on just a clip-leash off the apartment property, and head towards the river. You detour through the park on your way, hoping the fresh air, exercise, and sunshine will work their magic.

They don’t. You fight back tears all the way to the riverside, Zinnia trotting along at times, pulling the leash towards passersby and random garbage at others. 

Near the river, you spot a restaurant with outdoor seating. A few tables have brought their dogs; they lay on the pavement next to their humans’ tables happily, causing no fuss.

“What do you think?” you ask Zinnia wryly. “Can you be good long enough for one drink?”

You don’t give her the choice, getting yourself a table and tying her leash securely to your chair. One drink turns into two, then somehow you’re working on a third, your chin resting in your hand, a little stormcloud brewing above your head. 

You’re startled when a body drops into the chair across from yours. You reach for Zinnia’s leash, alarmed, and then you realize it’s only Jin.

“What are you doing here?” you ask, at the same time that he says, “You look miserable.”

You stare at each other, not sure who should address what first. 

“I was on my way home,” he explains. “The subway stop here isn’t that far from our place, so I’ll take it sometimes when the weather’s nice.”

You nod, accepting this. Then you decide to address what he’d said. “I am miserable,” you admit. “I am the worst dog owner on the planet. Come see me in five years, I will have one hellion of a dog, and exactly zero unruined square inches of apartment.”

Jin looks at you with an expression that’s both amused at your hyperbole and a bit sympathetic. You don’t know what you expect him to say, but it isn’t this - he leans forward, brows furrowing seriously, and asks you, “Can I make a suggestion?”

“Please,” you say, somewhat desperately. “I will take any suggestions.”

He sits back, the intensity leaving his face. “I have a few friends who work at this place in town? It’s called Paw Prints Academy.”

You chuckle. “Is it for bad dogs?”

He flashes you a smile. “Their secret, unofficial motto is there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.”

“Sounds like the place for me,” you admit. 

“They’ve got it all - obedience classes, experts to run your questions by, groomers, boarding, day care.”

“It sounds great,” you say. “I obviously need some expert help. I’m a disaster.”

“I’ll send you their website,” Jin promises, and then pauses, his hand halfway to his phone. He seems, suddenly, less sure. The tips of his ears are suddenly red. “I… that is… if you’re okay with giving me your number?”

You hide your smile behind a hand. “Sure,” you say, trying to bite back the grin. “You can have my number.”

“For puppy purposes,” he clarifies with a cheeky smile. As if you both know that’s a lie.

“For puppy purposes,” you reassure him, feeling your little stormcloud start to dissipate.

–

Seokjin doesn’t abuse having your number. He sends you the website to Paw Prints Academy, and adds, “my friend’s name is jimin, tell him you know me” and then you don’t hear from him again. You call the academy and get Zinnia registered for obedience courses. You also sign yourself up for a seminar called New Puppy 101. 

Slowly, things actually start looking up. It happens in a trickle, so gradually it’s barely noticeable. You don’t notice - until the first morning your alarm goes off and you realize with a jolt of terror that Zinnia hadn’t woken you up in the middle of the night, even once.

But when you trip over your own feet in a panic, throwing open your bedroom door, terrified of what you’ll find… you find Zinnia lying peacefully on her side in her crate. She begins to thump her tail happily when she sees you, and you nearly sag with relief. 

Things improve for you at work, too; it’s almost like getting a full night’s sleep makes you more productive or something. 

You go a full five days without scrubbing your carpet or throwing away any shoes.

And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that you meet Seokjin and Blue up in the dog run nearly every evening after work. 

It’s during one of these unscheduled, yet oddly routine instances that Jin points out Zinnia’s progress. 

You’re leaning against the fence together, watching absently as the dogs run around, as you have almost every day lately. Sure, you take Zinnia up as soon as you get home from work for her sake. But the coincidence that Jin is usually there around the same time doesn’t hurt.

“She seems way better,” he observes, turning his head to watch Zinnia zip by. “I can’t believe how big she’s gotten, too.”

“I know, right?” you explode, responding to both observations at once. But you can’t help it - you’re proud. “Watch this! Zinnia! Zinnie!”

And Zinnia, your wild baby, stops running and turns to look at you eagerly, waiting. 

“Sit!” you call.

And Zinnia sits.

Seokjin whistles low, appreciative. 

“Jimin’s a miracle worker,” he says. “I’m glad you called them.”

“Me too,” you admit. “Did I ever thank you for sending me their info? Because, seriously, I think you saved my life.”

Jin laughs, full and deep.  

It scares you how much you like the feeling of making him laugh. It makes you want to sprint out of there, with or without Zinnia, hopping the fence if you have to.

–

The next afternoon, you get home and get ready to head up to the dog run. It’s a beautiful day, but you barely notice as you rotely go through the motions - change shoes, clip Zinnia’s leash, grab your keys from the countertop, head for the elevator. You keep your phone in your hand, hoping for a vibration, terrified of the vibration.

The dog run is empty when you get there; normally you’d be a little bummed that Jin isn’t there with Blue as he is almost every weekday evening, but today you’re relieved that you don’t have to try to carry a conversation. You unclip Zinnia, who darts away, and give a heavy sigh, leaning heavily against the fence, your phone still between your white-knuckled fingers.

Your relief is short-lived, because the building door opens less than two minutes later and Blue leads Jin out into the sunshine. 

He smiles when he sees you, loping over and taking his now-familiar spot next to you as Blue sniffs the ground next to the metal bench to your left. 

He’s chattering at you, and you think you’re answering, but it all kind of flows around you. After a few minutes of this, he pauses mid-sentence, brows furrowing.

“Hey,” he says kind of softly - there’s a definite change in his tone, which is honestly the thing that grabs your attention. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you answer on instinct. “All good.”

There’s something sharp in his sideways glance. “You sure? You seem distracted.”

You wave the hand holding your phone a little, nodding your head toward it. “My dad’s at a cardiologist appointment right now. I’m waiting to hear if everything is fine… or if everything is not fine, in which case I probably need to go pack a bag and look up train times…” You trail off. Seokjin is listening intently, his face serious. You feel a flush of embarrassment anyway. “Sorry. I shouldn’t unload on you. We’re practically strangers.”

The crease between his eyebrows deepens with his frown.

“Well, now my feelings are hurt,” he complains. 

You blink back at him, surprised. This was not the response you were expecting. 

“I thought we were friends,” he continues, an exaggerated pout creeping into his tone and onto his features. “I don’t keep a steady schedule at the complex’s dog run for just anybody, you know.”

Your heart trips over its own feet and faceplants in the dirt. You feel your eyes go wide as he puts words to something you’d suspected but had been afraid to assume - that you’d both been coming here at the same time on purpose. Not just you, but him too.

The playfulness melts away with the fake pout, and he’s back to looking at you seriously. “Have you had dinner?” he asks. There’s something gentle about the way he says the words; you feel something warm drop to your toes, intoxicating. “Let me cook for you.”

“You cook?” you blurt. 

He smiles warmly, a touch of amusement in it. Like he’s thinking, but is too polite to say, how much you don’t know about him. It’s definitely what you’re thinking. 

“Come on,” he says, heading around you towards the gate, giving your elbow a gentle touch on his way by. “I’ll make you something good.”

–

Jin’s apartment is cleaner than you’d expected, to be honest. He sets you up at his breakfast bar with a generously poured glass of red wine and gets to work in the kitchen. 

“Is Zinnie okay?” you ask him, looking over your shoulder anxiously as Zinnia sniffs his couch frantically, like the fabric is holding every secret the universe could ever hold. “She tends to… chew. It’s been better since we started classes with Jimin, but nobody’s perfect.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Jin says, waving a hand at you. “Blue did her share of damage to my stuff when she was a baby.”

You watch him in comfortable silence as he dices vegetables, a pot of water heating on the stovetop. Maybe it’s the wine talking, but it’s lowkey pretty sexy how he works a kitchen knife. It’s almost enough to distract you from the churning pit of anxiety in your stomach as you tap your fingers absently on your darkened phone screen.

“So it’s been going well with Jimin, huh?” Jin asks over his shoulder, and you tear your gaze away from your phone and try to catch up to the conversation.

“Oh,” you say, once you’ve processed. “Really well, actually. I think he’s a dog genius.”

Jin laughs at this, lifting the cutting board to slide what he’s chopped into the pot of water. Then he comes over to his side of the breakfast bar and picks up the other glass of red wine, still untouched. 

“He’s good at his job,” Jin agrees. “I don’t know about genius. Did you know he’s secretly a cat person?”

This makes you giggle a little, your eyes falling back to your screen. Again, Jin tries to pull you back.

“Is she following any other commands now?” He eyes you over the top of his wine glass as he takes a long drink from it.

You smile a little, well aware that he’s distracting you on purpose, well aware that you aren’t sure you deserve this level of care from him. 

But apparently you’re friends.

“She’s pretty good about here, and sit,” you say. “Not so good with stay. It’s a work in progress.”

Jin grins at this, something sparkling in his eyes. 

“She’s sleeping in her crate at night, too,” you add.

“Wow,” Jin says, eyebrows raising. “That must be nice.”

“I don’t know how I was surviving before,” you tell him seriously, and he laughs again as he turns back to the stove to handle something.

You chat like this, in starts and stops, until the meal is done. Jin slides a steaming bowl before you and sets up a few sides before coming to take the seat to your right. Zinnia appears underfoot, nose sniffing wildly.

“I agree,” you tell her seriously. “It smells amazing. Who taught you to cook?”

His smile softens, going a little sideways. “My grandfather, actually. Weird, right? He was widowed when my dad and my aunts and uncles were all pretty little, so he had to learn, had to feed all those kids.”

“That’s not weird at all,” you tell him. “It’s actually kind of beautiful.”

Emboldened, Jin continues, the fond smile remaining on his face. “He’s a brilliant cook - we’ve told him forever he should have a cooking channel.”

You laugh a little. “People would probably be into that. Especially if you were the assistant.”

This comes out of your mouth without you realizing; the second you register that it has, you feel yourself blush furiously. And, dammit, Jin clocks the whole thing.

“Oh yeah?” he asks, that soft smile turning razor sharp. “Why’s that?”

You’re saved by your phone buzzing on the table, the screen coming to life, illuminating with the notification from your messaging app: Mom.

Frantically, you swipe to open the message, eyes flying across the screen as you read her update. Then, you close your eyes, pressing your forehead to the breakfast bar, the fake granite cool beneath your skin, letting out a shaky exhale.

You feel Jin; he’s instantly in your space, one large hand resting lightly over your shoulder as he hovers closer to you. Aside from his hand on your back, comforting, he’s not touching you at all. But somehow it feels like he’s surrounding you.

He says your name quietly, inquisitively. 

You reach out blindly, your hand finding his knee. “It’s okay,” you say, taking a deep breath and sitting up. Your head spins. You press the heels of your hands to your eyes and take another deep, bracing breath. Seokjin’s hand stays on your back. “It’s good news.”

You hear Jin exhale beside you, his fingers twitching against your shoulder blade, almost like he had the reflex to squeeze you and fought it just a second too late. It strikes you, deeply, that he’s relieved. He doesn’t know your parents, has no real stake here. But his relief is palpable next to you; your worry had become his own. 

“I’m sorry,” you tell him. Your problems shouldn’t be his to bear. “I know I wasn’t great company tonight.”

He shakes his head, following your lead and placing his hand back on his own legs, as if wanting to cover the spot on his knee that you’d left vacant. “I enjoyed your company,” he says openly. “I’m glad you came over.”

You sit in silence, both sneaking glances, neither knowing what move to make yet. You feel like you’re playing Chutes and Ladders and a chute just sent you sideways around the Peppermint Forest and dumped you seven spaces ahead when you don’t really belong there yet. Or maybe you’re mixing up your board games. 

“I should probably go give them a call,” you say reluctantly. “Can I help you clean up? You cooked.”

“No,” he says firmly, shaking his head. Both dogs look up at this familiar word, gauging if they’re the ones in trouble. This makes you smile, and it breaks you out of the weird headspace you were in. “I’ll clean up.”

You rise, calling to Zinnia as you grab her leash. You clip her up and head for the door. Jin trails behind you, walking you out. You pause near the door, looking at him balefully.

“Thank you,” you say quietly. “Seriously - for everything. For… caring about my problems. For the delicious food. For cooking and cleaning up. You should have let me do the dishes.”

He smiles at you, sunlight spun into the quirk of his lips, the soft wrinkle at the edges of his eyes. “If you’re that worried about it, I know how you can make it up to me,” he says, his voice a little teasing. 

“Oh?” You quirk an eyebrow. You’ve got emotional whiplash; in the last three hours you’ve gone from flirting to panicking to soft to awkward to flirting again and you cannot keep up.

He leans against the wall, crosses his arms over his chest, that smile turning sharp again. God, you like his face so much. You like him so much. “Mhm,” he says, mock seriously. “I found a trail I want to check out with Blue, but as a general rule I don’t do mountains alone.”

“Sure,” you deadpan. “You need an Adventure Buddy.”

“Yes,” he says eagerly, snapping his fingers in excitement. “Exactly. So, what do you think? This weekend? The weather’s supposed to be great.”

“Can I let you know?” you ask. “Text me the details.” Truth be told, you want to look up the trail first and decide if it seems too challenging. 

Jin slips out of that teasing, flirtatious mode easily. “Sure,” he says, all casual again. He’s so hard to keep up with, you think you’ll never get used to it. “I’ll text you.” 

You open the door, tripping over Zinnia a little as she pushes past you into the hallway, but you’re stopped when Jin says your name one more time. You look back over your shoulder, curious.

“I’m glad your dad’s okay,” he says, giving you a rueful smile.

You give a tiny smile back before Zinnia bodily tugs you further away, spurring you into movement. “Thanks,” you say, and turn to go.

–

[9:19 PM] You: idk about this trail…. looking at the elevation… do you think it’ll be too hard for Zinnie? she’s just a baby :’)

[9:21 PM] Seokjin: the elevation’s misleading, it’s honestly not that bad

[9:22 PM] Seokjin: you’ll be totally fine

[9:23 PM] Seokjin: oops i mean “Zinnia” will be totally fine 😏

[9:23 PM] You: … what exactly are you implying here

[9:24 PM] Seokjin: just that any and all babies will be fine :) 

[9:25 PM] You: …….i think we’re fighting

–

Seokjin drives you - and the dogs - to the trailhead early Saturday morning, the low rising sun dodging in and out between buildings as they pass you by. The forecast calls for a beautiful day - bright and clear, not too hot to hike, but not so chilly that you’ll shiver the whole first leg. 

As Seokjin parks and organizes his backpack, you stand next to the car, shielding your eyes and peering at the top.

He laughs when he notices, the sound alive and as bright as the weather. “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he promises, coming close, looking at the top with you. His presence, so close to you, feels thrilling - like electricity, like a promise.

“You keep saying that,” you deadpan, “but if Zinnia conks out on me, you’re carrying her up the mountain and back.”

“Have some faith,” he teases, and heads for the place where the trees split, the path tamped down from many feet, leading into thick forest.

Zinnia keeps up pretty well, actually, and you and Seokjin set a steady pace up the trail. 

About a half a mile in, he asks, “How’s your dad?”

It startles you, and you look over at him kind of wildly. He looks back at you like it’s nothing - like it’s nothing that he remembered and thought to ask - waiting for your response.

“Fine,” you say, a habit. Then, reconsidering, you add, “I mean, the same. He’s got more tests and stuff lined up, but the verdict from the cardiologist was that there’s no immediate concern. So… that was a relief. His primary care doctor looked at his EKG results and said to go immediately, so we were pretty scared.”

“I’d be scared, too,” he admits. “I’m glad you got good news. I would have been a wreck.”

You continue talking as you walk - about your families, your parents, your siblings. This moves into a conversation about things you both remember from growing up, until the conversation has delved into you both laughing too hard to get a sentence out as you manage, “Wait - wait, do you remember -?”

This takes the conversation to old movies you remember fondly.

“Can you believe my ex had never even heard of those?” you ask a little indignantly, before registering that maybe that was a weird thing to say. 

But Seokjin takes it in stride. “The one who cheated on you? We’ve established his poor taste already.” 

This makes you giggle. “Yes, that winner.” 

He looks over at you, as the trail veers left and sharply steepens. “I’m sorry you went through that,” he says evenly. “I can kind of relate. It’s not fun.”

You peer back at him, not sure how heavy this conversation is going to, or should, get. 

Hesitantly, you ask, “Do you want to tell me about it? I don’t want to… y’know. Pry.”

He shrugs. “At the end of the day, there’s not much to tell. My last girlfriend… I don’t think she cheated - or, well, I never had proof that she did.”

“You suspected?”

He wiggles his head, indicating a maybe. “I think it was heading that way with her and a co-worker. It’s possible that I ended things before it got to that point. But she started lying to me about him - about little stuff, stuff that shouldn’t matter. And I just… I’m a pretty understanding, easy-going guy, but I’m not going to tolerate someone lying to my face.”

You continue in silence for a few minutes, weighing these words in your mind, adding this new knowledge to the idea of Jin that’s in your head. 

Then, he flashes you a cheesy grin and says lightly, “And that’s my sales pitch! Want to date me?”

You laugh out loud, mostly in surprise. But he’s still looking at you, and you feel your eyebrows raise.

“Was that a real question?” you ask, a little disbelieving. God, he’s the most unserious person you’ve ever met. 

“A little bit,” he admits. 

Stunned, you manage, “You might need to do a harder sell.”

His brows furrow dramatically. “Please, I’m a catch. Didn’t you taste my food the other night?” 

“That’s true,” you muse. “The food was bomb. I’ll think about it. Gotta decide if this purchase will break the bank or not.”

While you’re just going along with his little bit, it kind of feels like code. You do need to consider if you can afford dating Jin - emotionally. Mentally. Are you ready for a relationship again? Would that even be what he wants?

“That’s fair,” he says easily. “Crunch some numbers and let me know.”

You think with anyone else it would be awkward the rest of the way, but Jin doesn’t allow it to be. He carries the conversation onto the next topic - gossip about your dog-trainer, Jimin - without a hitch.

You follow the conversation somewhat absently, still in your head, questions rising up to stare at you like Marley’s ghost, covered in chains. What do you want? What are you ready for? 

You aren’t sure - about any of it. But Seokjin’s presence feels like warm rays of sunshine, warming you from a chill you didn’t know you had, and his laugh feels like the toll of city bells, telling you it’s time to come home. 

–

Zinnia doesn’t conk out on her way up the mountain, but she definitely slows. Jin ties the girls’ leashes to a low branch near the trail and fishes a collapsible water bowl from his backpack, filling it with water and setting it down.

“Wow, that’s fancy,” you marvel, as Zinnia attacks the water bowl with vigor, water splashing the rock beneath, painting everything a darker shade of grey. “If we’re gonna keep doing this, I might need to get one of those.”

But Jin’s attention isn’t on the dogs anymore - it’s on the view. He’s wandered to the edge of the flat expanse of rock, where grey meets the green of far down below. You join him, and he puts an arm around your shoulders, glancing at you to make sure this is okay. You look out at the view, and it is beautiful… but your mind is too busy to appreciate it.

“Jin…” you say slowly, and he looks down at you, hand tightening against your shoulder almost reflexively. 

“Hm?”

“If I were interested… what exactly are the terms of sale?” you murmur, feeling kind of shy. 

Jin laughs, delighted, throwing his head back with it. His hair falls away from his face and he uses the hand that’s not on your shoulder to push it back. “What do you want them to be?” he asks, and you feel a tingle down to your toes at the dangerous undercurrent that flows along with the question. 

“I’m not totally sure,” you admit quietly. “Is there any kind of… trial period? Any way to start is slow and see how it goes?”

Seokjin gives you an understanding squeeze. “Listen, as much as I love the bit and your dedication to it, I really want to communicate clearly about this. So - just to be very clear - I’d really like to date you. If you’re more comfortable starting slowly, I’m okay with that.”

You press your lips together, reaching a hand up to gently touch his fingers where they rest on your shoulder, considering. 

Seokjin watches your face, then says, “I know a great burger joint on the way home. Let me buy your dinner, and we can call this a first date. What do you think?”

You turn to face him, looking up and up into his warm eyes, and his hand shifts from your shoulder to the center of your back, holding you loosely enough that you don’t feel held in place, feel free to go if that’s what you choose. 

“That’s a pretty good first date,” you say seriously. “But it’s really gonna depend on how the burgers are.”

He grins, cocky. “They’re pretty good,” he says. “But, honestly, mine are better.” Then, he presses the knuckle of his index finger gently to the bottom of your chin and kisses you gently - again, so gently it’s barely there, so gently it would have taken just a breath of space for you to pull away if you wanted to. 

You don’t; instead you press forward, pressing your lips more firmly against his, your hands coming to rest on his upper arms, feather-light. Behind you, Zinnia begins yipping - loud, insistent, each sharp sound piercing the silence around you.

You pull away from Jin, flushing, pleased to see a smile on his face. “She’s just jealous,” he deadpans. 

You roll your eyes, laughing. “Please. She gets to kiss me all the time. She can share.”

Laughing, Jin heads for the dogs, ready to head back down to the cars. “Come on,” he says over his shoulder. “Let’s go get some pretty good burgers.”

–

They are good - better than pretty good, you think, and you tell Seokjin so after a beer and a half at the burger joint’s outdoor patio. The mountain you’d tackled looms in the distance, blue and shadowy.

“I’m telling you, mine are better,” Jin insists. “I have a secret method.”

“Yeah?” You tease. “Taking it to the grave?”

“You say that like it’s a joke,” he says seriously. “But I am.” 

On the wooden deck beneath you, Zinnia lays on her side, eyelids fluttering and paws twitching as she dreams.

“We really knocked her out,” you observe.

Jin laughs, reaching his arms over his head to stretch, the movement causing his shirt to ride up just enough to show a slip of belly before it falls back into place. You try not to look, try not to remember kissing him at the mountain’s top. 

“That’ll be us in a few hours,” he jokes. “I always knock out after a hike like this.”

“I’m going to be sore for days,” you agree, rubbing your calves in anticipation of the aching muscles you’ll have tomorrow.

“I have a suggestion,” Jin says, voice low. You flush, expecting him to flirt, to offer to rub your tired legs or something suggestive. Instead he says, “You ever try epsom salts?”

You blink at him, bamboozled. You just can’t predict him - he zigs when you expect a zag every damn time. 

“I have, yeah,” you finally stammer. “I don’t think I have any left, though.”

“I have a huge bag,” he tells you, finishing the last of his second beer in one long draught. When he sets down his glass he tells you, “I’ll bring you the bag later. It’ll help a lot, I promise.”

You look him over. “You’re a guy with a lot of solutions, huh?”

He coughs, averting his gaze. You notice the tips of his ears turning pink and you hide a smile behind your hand. So cute. 

“I try to be solution-oriented, yes,” he mumbles, embarrassed. 

There’s no sign of that - the pink ears, the averted eyes, the mumbling - when he shows up at your door about twenty minutes after you arrive home. Zinnia is passed out on the floor behind you, having first lapped up her body weight in water from her silver bowl in the kitchen. As for you, all you’ve managed to do so far is shed your sneakers, your jacket, and the tshirt that had been sticking to your back, leaving you in athletic leggings and a sports bra. 

Jin’s gaze sweeps you from head to toe and then settles determinedly on your eyes, like he’s got to work at it. “I brought the epsom salts,” he tells you unnecessarily, holding up the bag. 

“I see that,” you murmur, feeling warm under his gaze. “Thanks.”

You reach to take the bag from him, but he tugs back on it a little, effectively pulling you to him. You trip into his arms willingly, ready for it this time when he kisses you. 

He walks you backwards into your apartment, out of the threshold, letting the door close behind him. You hit the wall of your entryway, let him cage you in against it, his lips insistent against yours. When he runs a hand softly up your arm, summoning a wave of goosebumps in its wake, you sigh against his lips. 

He takes advantage of the opening, teasing your bottom lip with his tongue before venturing further. You open for him happily, leaning back against the wall, reveling in the feeling of his strong arms on either side of you, the feeling of his tongue sliding against your own, the feeling of his hair between your fingers - when had you grabbed his hair?

You kiss him until you’re dizzy, until your legs feel weak beneath you, until you feel his hand travel from between your shoulder blades, to the small of your back, to the side of your ribs.

You break the kiss gently, nearly panting for breath. You can feel Jin’s pulse jumping as he does the same.

You look at each other for a long moment, communicating silently, weighing options.

You could invite him in. He’s here already, Zinnia’s unconscious, you’re holding a bag of bath salts (wait, no, the bag is on the ground - when did you drop it?). But something in your stomach tugs, tells you not yet. So that’s what you tell him, on a whisper, your teeth coming to toy with your swollen bottom lip as soon as the words are out - not yet. I’m sorry.

“Hey,” he says, cupping your cheek with a hand, so soft. “It’s okay. I wasn’t expecting anything. Don’t apologize.”

You glance around the room, desperate for a distraction, but nothing comes. “I, um,” you say, looking anywhere but him, “I think I’m gonna try the salts now. My legs are like jello.”

He gives you a tiny grin, and you roll your eyes. “From the hike!” you protest.

He gives you a playfully disbelieving look but backs off, giving you some space again. “Sure, of course,” he says, smirking. 

You bend to pick up the discarded bag, holding it in your hands, feeling along the rubber zipper. Then, you cross Jin’s path and open the front door again, looking up to find him still watching you.

He gives you a playful smile. “I had a nice first date and a half,” he says, losing the fight against a pleased smile. 

You huff out a laugh. “This was the half?” you clarify.

“I don’t kiss like that on the first date,” he sniffs in mock indignation.

You giggle, following behind him as he heads to the hallway. “Goodnight, Seokjin. Thanks for the salts. And the date and a half.”

–

You soak away your sore muscles and sleep deeper than you have in months. 

Your days continue this way as April’s grey and rainy afternoons give way to sunshine, bright afternoons, trees starting to bud as the temperature grows milder. You meet Jin at the dog run every afternoon unless you text to make different plans - sometimes a walk with the dogs through the park nearby, sometimes dinner out, sometimes dinner in. 

Dinner in usually means more kissing.

Sometimes, dinner out does, too.

In retrospect, you should have known. You should have known that as you fall for Seokjin little by little something else must be coming. Things can’t just be bright sunshine and Seokjin’s laugh, Zinnia’s wagging tail and linked fingers under starry skies.

Your brother shows up at your door, unannounced, almost a full month after your first date with Jin.

You almost don’t recognize him; it’s not that you haven’t seen him in that long - you have. It’s just that he’s still a kid in your head, a gangly, acne-prone teenager with earpods and a scowl. The man who stares at you, a rolling suitcase in hand, is in a suit. He looks put-together, and grown.

You say his name nervously, and he sort of grimaces at you. 

“Sorry I didn’t call,” he says. “I’ve been on the phone with Mom and the doctors.”

“Doctors?” you echo, backing up to let him inside. 

He gives you a look as he wheels his little suitcase inside. You don’t like the look. It says something bad is coming. 

“It’s Dad,” he says.

–

You end up going out to grab dinner - you have no groceries to cook him a meal, and you’re a terrible cook anyway.

Your little brother fills you in - that cardiologist appointment over a month ago had ended with a positive outcome. They’d told your parents not to worry, there was no immediate danger, but there were certainly concerns.

Concerns that had worsened in the following month, apparently.

“They’re going to see a cardio team at the hospital here in the city,” your brother explains. “Mom was going to call and explain all of this to you, but I told her I was coming here anyway. She can focus on them - getting a hotel set up, packing, all that stuff. It looks like he’ll probably need surgery - they’ll decide at his appointment tomorrow. If that’s the case, they’ll stay in the city for a little until he’s recovered enough to go home again.”

You feel like you’re in shock; it’s a lot all at once. Your whole family suddenly in your city, under terrible circumstances. Surgery? Heart surgery?

“I’ll get a hotel, too, if it turns out they’ll be here a long time,” he says.

You come back to earth sharply. “You don’t need to do that. You’re welcome with me and Zinnia as long as you need, okay? Seriously. I’ll talk to Mom in the morning. We’ll get everything figured out.”

Just like that, the toughness drops out of him. Somehow he’d been the one your mom had called, the one responsible for relaying the information, the one responsible for making and supporting medical decisions. You’re the elder, it should have been you. As soon as you take the reins again, he folds, pressing his hands to his face and letting out a shuddering breath. 

You feel horrible, instantly. He’s the baby, he’s not supposed to have to shoulder the responsibility. 

“Hey,” you say softly. “It’s gonna be fine. Dad will be fine. We’ll find out tomorrow what his treatment plan is, and how long they’ll need to stay. You’re fine staying with me, okay? It’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” he says, uncovering his face and reaching for his water glass. “You’re right.” Then, quieter, “You’re right.”

At the end of the meal, walking back to the apartment, you stop near the door and give him a hug, your brave little brother.

“You did well,” you assure him. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

He hugs you back, holding you like he’s been drowning and you’re a buoy. It breaks your heart to think that may sort of be the case.

Neither of you notices Seokjin and Blue pass by, glancing at you curiously over his shoulder on his way into the building.

When he texts you that night, not long after you’ve set your brother up on your couch and crated Zinnia for the night, it’s not entirely unexpected, considering you’d skipped your normal trip to the dog run earlier, and you’d been too spun in circles to text him an explanation.

His message lights up your screen - “missed you earlier. everything ok?”

You hesitate, nibbling at your lower lip as you consider. What could you really tell him right now?

Not really, my baby brother showed up unannounced and emotionally hanging by a thread, and we’re waiting to find out tomorrow if a team of surgeons will be opening my elderly father up for heart surgery. 

Not really a text message conversation, right? Honestly, you’re not sure it’s an in-person conversation, either. The relationship - if you can call it that without having discussed exclusivity yet - is still new, blooming, fragile. Is it too much, too soon? Would you be better off telling him later, when things are settled, when you can tie up the story nice and neat?

We had another health scare with my dad, but it’s okay now. He’s recovering. 

Isn’t that less heavy? Your problems should not be Seokjin’s to carry, and you know he’ll try to carry them. He’s wonderful that way, always doing. There’s something scared and snappish inside you that wants to keep him far away from this until you’re sure you can look brave, until you’re sure you won’t fall apart in front of him. 

In the end you send back, “all good! just got busy. how was your day?”

It strikes you as a little weird that he hasn’t answered by the time you go to bed. But as soon as you’re up the next day, you’re completely focused on your parents. You call them before you’re even out of bed, checking up on where in the city they’re staying, what time your dad’s appointment is. You call out sick from work, glad you hadn’t wasted sick days back when Zinnia was keeping you from sleeping - even though you’d definitely considered it more than once.

You and your brother both go to the cardiologist appointment, you two and your parents squeezing into the little consultation room as the surgeon examines your dad’s results on his computer screen.

Your heart hammers as you wait. You see your mom’s foot tapping, tapping, tapping, and you reach to hold her hand, hoping to comfort her, calm her down.

The surgeon removes his glasses and looks at your father seriously. “I do think surgery is the best course of action,” he says calmly. Your heart drops. The doctor continues, “It’s a pretty routine procedure, as far as these things go. Nothing to worry too much about. I’m confident that a stent will work.”

You lock onto the words minimally invasive, listening eagerly as the doctor continues to outline the plan he thinks will work best. 

“I think it’s best to admit you today and schedule the surgery as soon as possible,” you hear the doctor says, and the rest of the day is a blur - signing papers, answering doctors’ questions, running back to your parents’ hotel to throw together a bag of personal items for your dad, running to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee that has been your only meal all day, more papers, waiting room after waiting room after waiting room.

When you finally get home, long after dark, your brother trailing wordlessly behind you, you’re so mentally and physically exhausted, you could cry. Zinnia waits for you in her crate - Ry had luckily been around when you texted, and came to take her outside a few times while you were gone. You let Zinnia out of the crate and collapse on the couch. Your brother takes the recliner, staring at you like you’ve both emerged from a warzone. 

As you unwind, try to unclench your brain and your jaw and your shoulders, you think to check your messages. Part of you hopes Jin’s sent you something.

But your messages are empty. Your heart sinks with disappointment. You plan to go to work tomorrow; your dad’s surgery should end midafternoon and you can go straight to the hospital from work. It’s another day that you’ll miss Jin at the dog run. You think about texting him with an explanation, but that last message you sent him still sits there, unanswered, calling you a fool. So, instead, you slide your phone into your pocket and ask your little brother if he wants you to order delivery.

–

It takes you two more days to really get the message - Jin’s silence is deliberate. Your father’s surgery goes well, and if all goes according to plan your family should be heading back home in just a day or two. Crisis handled, on the day after surgery you swallow your pride and send Jin, “Sorry I’ve been MIA - family thing. All good now. What’s new with you?”

Not only does this go unanswered - like the one before - but another three weekdays go by and your trips up to the dog run at 5:15pm remain devoid of company. 

Your father heals. Your mother takes him home. Your brother packs up and leaves just a folded up blanket on the couch he’d occupied for almost a week. April turns rainy, like the children’s rhyme says. And you… you slide back into your old routine, sans Seokjin.

You’re sad - of course you’re sad, you liked Jin. He was funny, charming, and so ready to do for you. You’d gotten used to having him around - his windshield wiper laugh, his great cooking, the way he’d carry the same joke or bit with you for a whole day before letting it go, the way the monotony of your day to day seemed interesting again once he was in it.

And you missed Blue, too.

But it wasn’t that deep - not yet. You’re not sobbing, heartbroken, into your pillow or anything. You feel disappointment above all else - disappointment at the loss of what could have been something. 

You really do think it could have been something real. 

You also feel… confused. What had happened? Had Jin seriously gotten mad at your silence for a few days and just ghosted you? You replay your last few conversations in your head, scour your last few text exchanges for anything that would make sense, but nothing does. 

Some little part of your brain niggles, suggests that you’ve been wronged, somehow. That something had happened to you that you didn’t deserve. It’s enough to start just the tiniest flicker of anger, deep in your belly. 

Thursday brings rain - relentless, cold, the kind of rain to make you wrap up in a jacket and tell Zinnia to hustle when you bring her upstairs to pee. 

For the first time since the day your brother showed up at your door, you run into Jin and Blue. Jin is coming in from outside, both he and Blue soaked from the rain. His jacket sticks to his chest, his drenched hair pushed away from his face. He pauses as Blue shakes the water from her fur, and that’s enough time for your eyes to catch his.

You freeze, not sure what will happen - will he talk to you? Should you say hi?

His face, already blank, somehow slides blanker, like something falls away from it and leaves it even more empty. Then he pulls his gaze away from you, orders Blue to his side with a single, muttered syllable, and turns on his heel to walk to the stairwell at the end of the hall. 

He’ll take the stairs, you figure, so he doesn’t have to walk past you to get to the elevator.

That little flicker of anger builds into a flame, and even the mid-April downpour can’t put it out.

–

It rains for days, your apartment cast in grey. You don’t know if it contributes to your mood or if it’s just mirroring it, but you feel grey, too. You quit using the dog run and start taking Zinnie on loops around the block, instead. After her walks, you lay on the couch, cheek pressed against the soft material, dramas playing on the screen without your attention.

Zinnia lays on the floor against the couch, occasionally whining and licking your hand. Sometimes she digs out toys - rubber kongs, plush ducks she’s practically decapitated, rawhides - and drops them at your feet, looking at you hopefully. You toss them for her or play tug each time, but you think she knows your heart isn’t in it.

Later, when you try to remember April, all you can think of is grey and rain.

–

It seems, though, that you’re not the only one who gave up on the dog run. On the first weekend in May, on a day that is - yes - grey, but thankfully not rainy, you run into Jin on the sidewalk a few buildings down from your own.

Blue wags happily when she sees you, but you feel yourself frown, already sliding your gaze to the ground. You don’t want to watch his face go ugly again, like last time. You can’t bear it, you think you might snap. That indignant little flame tickles in your veins. 

You have to pass each other unless one of you turns around, so you grit your teeth and push on. It feels like an imminent collision, tension and anxiety building in you the closer and closer you get - and then Zinnia decides to make it an actual collision, zigging sharply towards Blue at the last second, knocking you off-balance right into Seokjin’s space.

His hands take you by the upper arms, steadying you, placing you back on your feet. There’s something tender in his touch, you think, and then you glimpse his face. That blankness again, the flatness nastier than any scowl he could send your way. 

His hands are off you quickly, and he’s pushing past you, not a word spoken.

That flame bursts from a tickle to a storm.

“Hey!” you shout, the word tearing from your chest like it had to detach from something, burning up your throat like the burn of liquor. Seokjin turns, that flat expression starting to border on a defensive sneer. “What the hell is your problem?”

Now it is a sneer. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” you shout, stomping closer. Zinnia follows, her tail down, sensitive to your tone. “What exactly is the problem, Seokjin? I’m dying to know.”

He opens his mouth to answer you, but you cut him off with a bitter laugh. “No, seriously,” you say, that same bitterness marinating every word. “I’m dying to know. I’ve been trying to figure it out, and I can’t. So please, enlighten me. What did I do?”

Your body sings with adrenaline, your chest heaves with quick breaths as your body tells you it’s ready to fight. 

Seokjin lets out a single huff of a laugh. “What did you do?” he echoes sarcastically. “Literally the only thing I consider a hard no.”

You don’t follow. “What?”

He shakes his head, like he can’t believe that you don’t get it. “I saw you hugging that guy,” he says evenly, “and then I texted you to see what -.”

“That was my brother,” you blurt furiously, eyes narrowing. “Is that what this was all about? You didn’t strike me as a jealous, jump-to-conclusions kind of person -.”

“I don’t care about that,” he says over you, tone stoney. “You lied to me - right to my face.”

You stare at him blankly, trying to put the pieces together. He’d seen you hugging your brother, and then he’d texted you “everything ok?” and you’d said… “just busy”. It was a lie, sort of - barely. 

You laugh - actually laugh. “You’re out of your mind,” you say coldly. “You dropped me over that? I had things going on that I didn’t want to get into. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I don’t care,” he says, not cruelly, just truthful. “It was a lie.”

You heave a frustrated breath, casting your gaze at the full clouds above you. “Seokjin,” you say slowly, “you’re not being fair.” It feels suddenly very important to you to defend yourself, to explain it all away - even if he still walks away after, you want to be sure he knows he was wrong. “I wasn’t lying about, like, where I was, or who I was with. It was just… omission. The situation felt… too heavy for whatever this is. Whatever this was,” you amend. 

He just looks at you silently, but you can see the changes in his expression - that flatness melting away almost imperceptibly, making way for something chagrined. You take this as a good sign and continue, explaining what had happened - from your brother showing up, to the surgery, to your family heading home again - leaving your space emptier than they’d found it. 

Finished, you look at him silently, watching him process. Then, everything off your chest, you move to continue on. You feel, suddenly, like you have nothing else to say to him. “We were just casually dating,” you point out as you take a step away. His ears are red again, but he hasn’t tried to speak. “At no point did I lose the right to choose what to tell you and what to keep to myself. You acted like a child when you could have just communicated with me.”

You give Zinnia a gentle tug and she follows as you head back to the apartment’s front doors. You don’t look back; you don’t think you can.

–

Upstairs, you unclip Zinnia and sink into a kitchen chair, head in your hands. It felt good to yell at him, felt good to find out the reason for his silence. You’d made your peace already with losing him - so why do you feel worse now?

You’re there only minutes when you hear a soft knock on your door. You sigh, knowing exactly who and what it is, and forcing yourself to rise anyway. All the anger you’d felt outside seems to have leaked out of you; now you just feel resigned.

Jin’s ears are still bright red. “You’re right,” he says in greeting. Then, he waits, leaning against the door jamb as you process, as you decide how to respond. Blue stands just behind him patiently, the leash slack. 

Mouth twisting, you look at him flatly. “Care to elaborate?”

“Ah,” he utters. He looks embarrassed, one hand still absently on the back of his neck, eyes on the ground. “I owe you an apology.”

When you still say nothing, he continues. 

“You’re right - you don’t have to tell me your business. I’d like you to - or, I’d like to feel like you can - but you’re not obligated to. I… overreacted. And then I was being too rigid to look closely at what was going on. I just…” 

He trails off and looks at you balefully. “I’m not trying to make an excuse,” he tries to explain. “I know I was wrong. I just made myself a promise years ago to never let anyone lie to me again… hoping I’d never feel so stupid again… and I let it… take over. I’m sorry.”

You consider this, foot tapping nervously. “Okay,” you say finally.

Something hopefully breaks over his face; he moves minutely closer to you. “I feel horrible,” he admits, voice hushed suddenly. “You were going through all that, and I absolutely made more problems for you. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you say, your voice echoing a little flatly to your own ears. “I forgive you.”

He takes a step back, like the unbending insincerity of your words actually knocks him off balance. 

“Okay,” he says, his voice somehow small. He starts to back away from your door, Blue scurrying out of his path, but his eyes remain on you. “I’ll, uh… I’ll probably be at the dog run tomorrow? Normal time?”

The way he says it, a question, asks if you will too.

“I don’t know,” you answer, even though he didn’t technically ask. “I don’t know yet. Maybe. We’ll see.”

You agonize over it all night. You’re mad - mad that he reacted childishly, mad that he added stress during a hard time for you, mad that he doubted you and judged you and didn't give you a chance to explain yourself. Mad that he let you down. 

But, something logical inside you counters, he’s apologized. He’s taken accountability for it, admitted he’d behaved immaturely. Didn’t people, generally, deserve second chances? Didn’t you want to give him a second chance, regardless?

By the time you get ready for work the next morning, you still aren’t sure. Your stomach churns with indecision all day. When you get home, you sit on the couch, still in your work clothes, and eye Zinnia thoughtfully. She sits and cocks her head to the side, almost quizzical. Like she’s asking, okay, boss, what’s the plan?

You still don’t know. With a sigh, you change out of your office attire and take Zinnia out. At the elevator, you stare at the buttons: physical embodiment of this choice.

In the end, you hit down, taking Zinnie out through the lobby and heading down the street. The idea of Seokjin up at the dog run, eyes on the glass doors - hoping to see you, makes you hunch your shoulders up against a wave of guilt.

You feel like now you’re being the childish one. You know you want to give him another chance. Pretending otherwise just to punish him for hurting you… it’s not a good look, and you know it.

When the knock on your door comes, several hours later, as the sunset casts your apartment in deep blues and shadows, you feel like you were expecting it the whole time. You feel like it’s your own second chance.

“You didn’t come,” he says, frowning adorably. 

You sigh, taking a step backwards to let him inside. He does, the door shutting behind him.

“Why are you here?” you ask; not demanding, not to fight - you want to know. You want to know what he’s hoping for right now, what he wants to happen, so that you can decide if you’re game or not. 

He seems to understand, seems to hear the question for what it really is. He says your name, still hushed, like if he says it with too much force the letters will blow away like dead autumn leaves in a November squall. 

“Well?” you prod.

“Please,” he says, something so desperate playing on the notes of the word. 

“What?” you repeat, hating that your voice is choked. “What do you want, Seokjin?”

He closes the space between you, one hand coming to cup your jaw so light you aren’t sure he’s actually touching you or if you just feel the warmth of proximity. “Forgive me,” he whispers. “I want you to let me try again. Let me do better.”

“I don’t know,” you whisper, but you lean into his touch, closing your eyes. He strokes your cheek gently with his thumb, then pulls his hand away and cups the back of your head, guiding you close enough to press his lips to the top of your head, the kiss lost in your hair.

“I promise,” he whispers, “I won’t fuck up like that again. I want to try again - I like you so much, I want to do everything right for you. I feel like such an idiot for wrecking it.”

“You are an idiot,” you say, and you feel him smile against your forehead before he laughs. 

“Never again, Jin,” you say sternly, leaning back to look up at him. His hand slides down to the back of your neck, resting comfortably. “I don’t do bullshit like that. We’re adults. We have to communicate. We have to speak -”

Behind you, Zinnia barks once, sharp and proud. 

You and Jin both dissolve into giggles, both of you praising Zinnia for following the command. 

When you turn back to Jin, he’s looking at you warmly, eyes shining with fondness. He dips his head to kiss you, and when he feels you kiss him back he tugs you closer by the small of your back, grunting into your mouth when your bodies collide. 

He breaks the kiss and whispers against your jaw, “Let me show you how sorry I am.”

You let out a breathy sound somewhere between a whimper and a sigh, tilting your head to give him more room as his lips go from whispering his desire to kissing your pulsepoint, teeth barely there before his lips soothe the spot. 

You fist your hands in the fabric of his shirt, holding on tight, relying on him to hold you upright as his mouth makes you dizzy. When his lips make it back to yours, you tug on his shirt and walk him backwards towards your open bedroom door. You giggle against his lips when he kicks it shut behind him. 

You’re kissing again as you shed layers in tandem, breaking apart to pull shirts over your heads, kissing messily again as you balance on one foot at a time to remove socks, giggling as you lean back to get a good look at him as he undoes his belt. Would it be crass of you to whistle in appreciation? His shoulders are just... so… wide.

When your leggings pool on your carpet next to his blue jeans, he backs you up to the bed, where you sit heavily. He crawls over top of you, mouths clashing again as he holds himself over top of you. You feel like you’re spinning - you cling to his shoulders, focus on the feeling of his tongue sliding against yours, his fingers tracing the outline of your breast, the insistent press of his clothed erection hot against your thighs.

He kisses you like he’s devouring you, like he’s claiming you, like he’s pouring out every frustration into his lips and teeth and fingers and tongue and they’re all spinning you in bigger and bigger circles, ever widening.

Then the spinning crashes to a halt, because his fingers are meandering lower and lower, skimming your last rib, skating over your lower belly, sliding over your cotton panties and hovering just out of reach from where you want him the most. 

He presses kisses down your jaw, down your neck, goosebumps rising up your arms as his breath ghosts along your throat. His fingers skim your slit over the damp cotton, making you moan shamelessly against the top of his head, but his hand travels back up, fingers sliding up your stomach and back to your chest. 

“Jin,” you breathe, as he rolls your nipple between thumb and forefinger, sending jolts of electric delight clear down to your toes, and he answers you with a low groan before capturing your mouth in another deep kiss. 

You’re spinning again.

Then his hand is back where you want it - fuck, you want it everywhere - fingers sliding through your folds before pushing deep into you. You gasp, but your body shifts to meet his knuckles, hips tilting to let him deeper still. 

It takes you only minutes before you’re begging for him, unashamed, whispering his name around a litany of please and I need you and more, please, more.

He rolls away from you wordlessly, shifting to dig through his wallet. You hear the telltale sound of foil ripping and then he’s back over top of you, lips marking a path from your stomach, up between your tits, past your collarbones, before latching onto your neck as he gives you exactly what you asked for.

The stretch stings but you don’t care, moving to meet him, to take him all the way. Seokjin buries himself deep with a throaty groan, the sound mingling with your own whine.

He keeps a slow pace at first, content with exploring every new everything - every new sound he can pull out of you, every new spot he can touch that makes you arch your back and moan a little louder, every angle that makes you pitch go high and your nails find his shoulders. 

It’s not long before his resolve breaks, his pace quickening as his hips snap into yours, the room filled with the sound of his thighs slapping yours. The tightening ball in the pit of your stomach swells, and your fingers find your clit as you careen towards the edge. Seokjin talks you through it when you crash past the precipice, calling you beautiful, telling you that you feel so good as you clench around him in waves. 

Your limbs feel like jelly as you come down from the high, but Seokjin isn’t done with you. He presses kisses to your jaw, your cheek, the space just beneath your ear. Then, he whispers, “Can I go behind you?”

You nod - words are still too far away, slipping just outside of your fingertips. You can touch them, but can’t pull them close enough to use. Jin uses gentle hands to roll you over and backs up to stand next to the bed; he guides your hips backwards until your knees rest on the edge of the mattress. Still boneless, you fold your arms and press your face into them, moaning loudly when he enters you slowly. 

At this new angle, you feel like he’s somehow, impossibly, deeper, and it’s all you can do to dig your fingers into the sheets beneath you and survive. His pace is slow for only a moment, letting you adjust, and then he’s pounding into you again, hands tight on your hips, pulling you backwards to meet each thrust. 

You can tell it immediately when he’s close - the sounds spilling out of him turn from deep grunts and quiet gasps to lengthier sounds that verge on whiny. You gasp in time with him as he pumps into you more shallowly, barely pulling out at all, as one last strangled, broken sound leaves his mouth. 

You collapse forward onto the bed the second he releases you, your heart hammering. Behind you, he must be handling the condom because when he flops next to you, eyes searching for yours, it’s gone.

“Hi,” he says, smiling. 

You laugh. “Hello there.”

He rolls onto his back next to you, radiating happiness. “So?” he asks your ceiling. “Am I forgiven?”

You roll your eyes, but you can’t erase the smile from your face. Oxytocin is a bitch. “I guess,” you allow. “But you’re on thin ice for a while.”

He makes a thinking sound. “I’ll have to fix that,” he muses, one arm thrown over his head. He looks over at you. “How about you go shower, and I’ll cook you something?”

You twist your lips, considering. “Mmm,” you say. “I think I’d rather you join me in the shower first.”

His smile grows impossibly wider, and his hand creeps to find yours, his fingers lacing between yours and squeezing tight.

–

When you think about May, you remember pink. 

Pink flowers blooming on the trees outside. Pink sunsets as you and Jin walk Blue and Zinnia through the park in the evenings. The pink of Zinnia’s tongue, lolling out of her mouth as she pants happily at your feet. The pink of Seokjin’s ears when you tease him or call him handsome in front of your friends. 

You started things slowly - even slower than the first time; you’re nervous that something will happen again, that this second chance was indeed a mistake. But, true to his word, Seokjin shows up for you every day - he misses no chance to remind you that he’s here, and he’s got a score to settle with his past mistakes. 

As the month comes to a close, spring teasing at tepid summer, you make a decision. You head to Seokjin’s place before dinner, as you do most evenings lately, letting yourself in with the door’s code. Blue is resting on a dog bed near the kitchen, placed there so she can see Seokjin even when he’s cooking and doesn’t feel lonely out in the living room. Zinnia slips through your hands the second the door opens, zipping into the apartment wildly.

“Zinnie!” you call.

Seokjin’s voice carries out to you from the bedroom - “Yeah?”

You laugh, shutting the door behind you and heading to where you’d heard him from. “I said Zinnie, not Jinnie!” you clarify. 

He comes out of the room, laughing at the miscommunication, pausing to kiss your cheek. “How was your day?” he asks, before heading around you into the kitchen, where he had apparently been halfway through chopping some veggies. 

“It was fine,” you hedge. “There’s something I was thinking about today, though.”

“Oh?” he says, looking over his shoulder at you as he picks up where he left off with the chopping.

You lean over the kitchen table, palms a little sweaty with nerves. Below you, Zinnia zips around, chasing a rubber ball of Blue’s, barking loudly as if scolding the toy for fleeing.

“I was thinking about us,” you say slowly, and Seokjin stills, setting down the knife and turning to face you, sensing that this talk is serious. His ears tinge pink almost instantly. 

“Okay…” he says slowly. 

You take a deep breath and push forward. “I was thinking about how I asked if we could do this slowly. How we were taking it one day at a time, not putting a name to it or anything.”

He nods, eyes on you, listening.

You shrug, look away and lick your lips. “I think I’m ready - I think what I want is…”

Behind you, Zinnia’s repeated yaps overtake the room, echoing through Jin’s kitchen. 

You try to speak over her, stumbling over your words. “What I’m trying to ask you is… will you…”

Zinnia’s barks get louder; the ball is stuck under the couch and she is pissed. You turn, calling to her, “Zinnia, sit!” 

The command works. She plops onto her butt obediently, and silence descends on the room like a sprinkle of snow. 

You turn back to Jin, heart racing, to finish your question. “...stay?”

--

Thank you so much for reading! <3 Please look forward to the other fics in the collab and support those excellent writers as well!!!

[larissoupy]

Mentioning it here real quick

I've used like...4 tablets I think

Wacom graphire 2, Wacom intuos draw, XP pen artist 12 pro, and a huion kamvas pro 16 (I think)

All of them were gifted except for the XP pen, that one I did research on and got for myself.

So I'm gonna have a bit of fun and rank my tablets

Wacom graphire 2: got this tablet from my dad, well, more took from him. No idea why he had it, but I wanted to get into digital art and my brother said I could have it if I found the pen and I did, heheh

Compatibility ⭐ ⭐ worked with my mac at the time but this thing is old as shit, if you have an old ass computer, go for it

Ease of use ⭐⭐⭐ pretty good, had buttons on the pen, you could flip it and use an eraser like on a real pencil, that was pretty neat. No tablet buttons, came with a mouse???

Quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐ it's a screenless tablet, it's old as shit...and it still works, definitely a product of its time lol

Wacom intuos draw: got this as a gift for Christmas from my brother. I'd say get it

Compatibility ⭐⭐⭐⭐ newer tablet, pretty small but like, definitely good, worked with my mac and my PC, had a weird issue where it slowed down my mac and the school pc when I downloaded the driver and had to redownload it until it...didn't do that

Ease of use ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ most convenient motherfucker I've ever used, 4 tablet buttons, optional wireless, two tablet buttons, incredibly easy to switch pen nibs, good texture. Regularly bring it with me if I'm working with a computer that isn't my own.

Quality ⭐⭐⭐ cable broke. Pen good, but texture of tablet wears down the nib easily, nibs cheap as hell though, need to replace about once a month

XP pen artist 12 pro: ...I have words. Bought this during a Valentine's sale, was still expensive...XP pen tablets are pretty budget

Compatibility ⭐⭐⭐ I'm giving it 3... because it *can* work with modern stuff but...oh boy...I'll go into it in ease of use. Used it on my mac, was able to use while still having my intuos draw drivers

Ease of use ⭐⭐ you dissapoint me. Ok this is gonna be long but when I installed it, I followed all the steps for my mac and it just...didn't work. Had to contact support to get help with it and they did, ended up having to fuck around with accessablity settings. Scroll wheel is odd but nice, has a pen case that's pretty good, didn't need to replace pen nibs but honestly I didnt use this tablet that much and ended up going back to my Wacom.

Quality ⭐ and a half. Once again, long to explain but I'd be drawing and it would just...cut out. Itd go black for a second, it'd start having crazy lines, itd crash my computer, there was this weird line up issue where it would like...draw my cursor closer to the middle...it just... infuriated me.

Huion kamvas 16 pro (I think, I got it as a gift, it did not have a box): got this from a friend who just...didn't want it, but I love it, it is my favourite so far

Compatibility ⭐⭐⭐⭐ pretty fucking good, easy to set up, only used it on my PC so far but...I unfortunately did have to remove my Wacom driver to use it (rip intuos draw, you'll be used eventually) works as a second monitor too, loving it.

Ease of use ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ incredibly easy to use, good UI, a fuck ton of buttons and a slider, it's like if my XP pen was actually good

Quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ bro has been through me drawing for hourssss, been through streaming for hours... It's been through me, and if it can handle me without pulling an XP pen, it's great.

Anyways those are my tablets, thank you pickles for the huion, I'm treating it well

[just-absolutely-super]

OP au crack

Dex: bad news you guys. We're running low on food.

Lan: what!?

Mega: I thought you filled up at the port town we were at two days ago?

Dex: I did, but I didn't double check properly and the guy sold me some bad stuff

Mega: bad stuff how?

Dex: bad stuff as the fruit and veggies are starting to rot and the meat now smell funky

Lan: it's inedible!!

Dex: fraid so

Mega: is there something we can eat at all?

Dex: we got spices, rice and some canned food. But they won't last us long

Mega: looks like we'll have to start fish

Lan: you fish, I'll dive. And if we run into that seller again-

Mega: Lan! No!!

Lan: oh please, don't lie. You want to deal with him too

Mega: I can deal with people without starting a brawl!!

Lan: sure whatever you say

Mega: it's true!!!

The next time they had to deal with a bad sales man Hub did in fact try not to start a brawl. He wasn't as successful as he hoped

Salesman: I've got a good deal on this slice of meat here

Mega: It smells more awful than typical raw meat!

Dex: Definitely going bad...

Mega: We aren't taking this, give us something more fresh!

Salesman: Sorry, but the bad stuff has to go first before I can sell the fresh. Take it or leave it!

Mega: What kind of business is that?!

Dex: Hub, let's go to another stall, I think they--

Mega: No, I'm going to give this guy a piece of my mind! Listen here--

Salesman: Hey, I don't take too kindly to pirates. If you have a problem with me... *brandishes a knife* Then we can always "talk" hehehe

Mega: I'm not trying to start a fight, I just want fresh meat!

Salesman: In this town, the merchants run the show. You want fresh meat, then take it! Go on, I dare you!

Dex: Hub...

Mega: I'm not stooping so low. Let's go Dex--

Salesman: Heh, I knew you weren't much of a pirate. You're such a chicken, bwak bwak bwak!

Mega: ...

15 minutes later

Lan: *teasing smirk*

Mega: ...

Lan: So...you lost your cool and punched out a sales guy huh?

Mega: He pulled a knife out on me, it was self-defense!

Lan: That's not how Dex tells the story

Mega: Dex over-exaggerates! Anyways, we have fresh meat now, so let it go!

Lan: We're also banned from that particular town in general

Mega: It's fine, what's the chances we'll come back here again?

Lan: Spoken like a true gremlin!

Mega: Please stop...