#How To Open A Business Credit File

[sinestrosmind]

got some posts queued up and decided to start adding a little disclaimer at the bottom about permissions, since apparently my pinned is not enough

might throw the same in my blog description tbh

also oh boy was last month a weak month art wise now that I'm looking at that folder lmaooooo

[yundeob]

the parent trap | KHJ

part 1 of the Night in Hollywood!series

☆ trope: exes to lovers!au, divorced!au

☆ pairing: producer!hongjoong x designer!reader, dad!joong x mom!reader

☆ warnings: nsfw (mdni), swearing, mentions of food, mentions of food poisoning, female desc. reader, drinking, suggestiveness, smut, slight!breeding kink, oral sex (f. receiving), overstim, unprotected sex (wrap before you tap!) nipple play, titty sucking, marking, praise, slightdom!joong, blond!joong bc that itself is too much for me, mentions of (early) pregnancy, you’re both in your early thirties and make an unbelievably stubborn couple in this!

☆ synopsis: AS DIVORCED PARENTS to two twin daughters, you and hongjoong have your fair share of work cut out. Driving to piano lessons, cheering at hockey games, drop offs at each other’s houses, it can all be a little much. But could a relaxing summer retreat as a whole family possibly rekindle past emotions you’ve swept under the rug? . . .

☆ word count: 18.1k

☆ playlist: soulful strut by young-holt unlimited, l-o-v-e by nat king cole, just the way you are by billy joel, slipping through my fingers by abba, this will be (an everlasting love) by natalie cole

☆ a/n: it’s finally here. I can’t believe I’m writing this and saying it’s finally here oh my goodness. first off, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported me with the series so far (shoutout to @kitten4sannie , @byuntrash101 and especially @desirehorizon for being amazing!) everyone’s sweet comments have been greatly appreciated, and I just hope this silly little fic brings a smile to your everyday lives.

ty for making writing worth it as a writer. now cue the opening credits!

“ABSOLUTELY NOT” Hongjoong says.

“But dadd,” she whines, clutching the wrinkled pamphlet closer to her chest. Eunseo’s small hands are covered in purple doodles her sister drew using a glitter pen. 

“Why not?” the girl complains, shrugging her shoulders. 

He sighs, pushing his glasses up with one hand as he continues typing away at the important document the producing company sent him on his laptop. He tries his best to reason with the child.

“Because, baby…” pausing to think for a moment before responding. “It would be hard for your mom and I to find a time that fits into our schedules. I’ve got work, and she must be busy as well.” 

Eunseo glares at her father’s excuse. 

Okay, yeah, the man knows it’s somewhat of a lie, himself. 

She continues to protest by shoving the advertising pamphlet in her dads face and blocking his view of the screen. Thankfully, Hongjoong is used to these sort of work distractions, expertly avoiding her by craning his neck sideways and continuing to type away.

“But dad, it’s an amazing cottage resort! They’ve got a lake where you can go swimming in, a forest hiking trail, a bonfire to roast marshmallows and even a diner less than fifteen minutes away! So if you end up burning the camp food like last time, we can just order and eat in! Isn’t that great?” She beams. 

He stops typing for a second, fingers hovering over the keyboard as he gives his first born a look that makes her immediately break into a sweet smile, batting her lashes and flashing him a look of innocence. 

“Please?” She begs, standing on the edge of her feet as she gazes up at him. “The last time we went was when Eunbyul and me were toddlers.” 

And how on earth could any dad’s heart not melt at the sight of his daughter trying to convince him about one harmless vacation? 

Hongjoong wheels his office chair back, turning so he could look her in the eyes properly and tuck a stray hair behind her ear. 

“Listen honey, I’m sorry, I really wish I could, but…” he trails off, looking back at the open tabs and file documents displayed on his computer.

Turning his head around and upon seeing a frown form on his daughter's face, he quickly reassures her. 

“Once you finish your final piano recital tomorrow and your mom picks your sister up to take her to her hockey game, how about we go fishing the weekend afterwards?” he suggests, brows raising. “That’ll mean I have just the two of you all to myself.”

Eunseo mumbles under her breath, quiet but insistent enough that he catches it. 

“But we’re supposed to be a family of four.” 

She sulks, thinking of how that would leave you, her mother, left out of their plans. The arms holding the pamphlet up, ultimately fall down in defeat. 

He places a peck on her forehead, patting her on the back. “You know, if you can get your mom to say yes, then I’ll think about it” he chuckles, knowing the highly unlikely probability of the event.

Adjusting his glasses, the producer goes back to his work, peeking his daughter slugging away from the corner of his eye. 

Eunseo slumps her shoulders in defeat as she walks out of her dads office, turning the corner to see her twin sister, Eunbyeol, pressing her ears near the door with her neck outstretched. Clearly she’s been caught in the middle of trying to overhear their conversation. 

The twin younger by fifteen seconds quickly rushes over, waiting expectantly.

“So? What did dad say?”

Eunseo exhales, throwing the information pamphlet away on the wooden floors and slumping against the living room couch. 

“He’s totally not buggin. Said he wants to take us fishing next weekend instead. Just us three.” she grumbles. 

Eunbyeol scrunches her nose at the idea. 

“But dad sucks at fishing.”

Her sister groans, kicking her small feet against the couch in frustration. “I know!” Eunbyeol starts to worry, coming to sit beside her.

“Then how on earth are we going to get mom and dad to get back with each other again? They haven’t been in the same room since we were like, five!”

Her twin sister scoffs, “First, we gotta get them to have a proper conversation with each other. They barely even talk when they drop us off at each other's houses.”

Nobody truly knows why you and Hongjoong had divorced so suddenly when the girls were young. Not even themselves.

All they were used to were cold stares and one word replies shared amongst their parents, refusing to find harmony in their co-parenting.

Frankly, your girls have had enough of the performance you were both trying to maintain, looking past your expressions to realize you and your husband still held feelings for the other. It was only a matter of time and place in order to set you two up together, thus, the idea of an intimate, family getaway came into their minds. 

After a few moments of letting her words hang in the air, Eunbyeol’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. 

“That’s it!”

The older twin looks up quizzically, watching her sister jump off the couch and gaze at her excitedly. 

“We’ll just have to force them to meet each other! We can always guilt trip them for dropping us off at their houses and making us play alone!”

Eunseo rolls her eyes at the idea. “Right, and how are we going to do that dummy? The only reason they’d do that, was if it was an emergency.”

Whoever said twin telepathy wasn’t a thing was a liar, because the second Eunseo catches onto what her sister is saying, the twins share a look of pure mischievousness, the gears in their brains working together as one. 

With hushed whispers and quiet giggles, the twins immediately begin conducting their plan in secrecy near the corner of the living room, backs turned and in the middle of discussion when Hongjoong walks out of his office with an empty coffee mug. 

“What are you guys doing over there?”

“Leave us alone! Family man traitor!” Eunbyeol shouts, holding a slightly hostile grudge to her father before turning back to whisper to her twin. 

Hongjoong shakes his head, sighing as he heads into the kitchen. 

“Then it’s perfect! I’ll stay here with dad once my piano recital is over, and then when Mom picks you up for your hockey game tomorrow, we’ll try convincing them together!”

Eunbyeol nods her head in agreement, eyes lighting up with excitement as she whispers in a hushed tone. 

“And once both events end, we’ll pretend to be so sick that they have to take us to the nearby hospital.”

The other twin smirks. ”Where we’ll end up guilt tripping them into taking us to the cottage.”

They double high five in victory at their flawless plan, already waiting for tomorrow to come as soon as possible.

“A summer cottage?” you repeated, brows raising at the idea as you made a left turn onto your street. 

Eunbyeol nods eagerly from the back seat after getting picked up, having ranted on and on about the ad in the pamphlet since the moment you saw her.

“It's an amazing establishment mom,” She boasts, making you laugh at her words while parking the car and unbuckling your seatbelt.

“They have everything you could possibly think of!”

“Oh, really?” You say skeptically, opening the door for her. 

Eunbyeol is lost in the middle of passionately describing all the relaxing activities you could do by yourself, or rather per se, with a special partner together. 

“There’s couples hiking retreats, couples canoeing, couples yoga… did I mention couples hiking retreats?” She confuses, retracing her words. 

You roll your eyes and smile, keys jangling as you walk through the entrance of your apartment flat while balancing the bags and items in your hands.

Being a wedding dress designer and yet picking up your daughter from your ex-husband's house could’ve been ironic to some people. But after having split with Hongjoong since the girls were so young, you came to grow fond of having some independence as a divorcee, channeling your main focus into setting up your own bridal shop downtown.

It was through that hard work and focus that you did it all by yourself with no additional help.

You’d be lying if you said you haven't opened a bottle of red wine some nights due to loneliness as a divorced single mother, but at least that was what you had your daughters for.

You made sure to work just as hard as you did enjoy playing and spending time with them. After all, they were the light of your life and purpose for living.

Balancing the pizza you picked up on the way home, you set it down on the kitchen island, telling Eunbyeol to go wash her hands in the sink. The girl doesn’t stop ranting.

“There’s usually only two rooms in the cottage, so you’ll have to sleep together with dad, but I guess you won't mind, would you? After all, you were once married” She rolls her eyes, reaching for the soap.

You shake your head with a sigh. ”What is up with you and getting me and your father together in the same room?” you muttered as you took out the plates and utensils. 

Eunbyeol eventually walks back to you, wiping her hands on her baggy jeans before sitting on the kitchen stool. 

“It’s not that I’m obsessed, Mom. Actually, Eunseo and I are just dying to get away this summer now that school is over.”

Turning around from plating the pizza and salad, you chastise your daughter, telling her to sit with her bum flat on the stool so she doesn’t fall. She immediately listens, carrying on with her persuasion. 

“We just want you and dad to get the chance to relax as well, that’s all!” her mouth full from a bite of hot, greasy pizza. 

You smile, wiping your washed hands on the kitchen towel and coming over to wrap your arms around her affectionately. 

“Spending time with you and Eunseo every week is how I relax,” you assured her, smothering your baby with kisses on her cheek.

Byeol lets out a squeal of annoyance, taking another bite of her pizza. “You’re squishing me!” She tries hiding her smile, failing when you lean in closer. 

You pull back in laughter, ruffling her hair as you walk away while reminding her.

“Oh! Don’t forget you’ve got your hockey game tonight!”

Byeol chews faster, munching on the soft crust and counting down the hours on the kitchen clock. 

She smiles to herself. 

“Don’t worry, I know!”

“What do you mean you need to go to the hospital?” Hongjoong asks in a worried voice, standing against the women’s washroom stall. He holds Eunseo’s congratulatory flower bouquet for first place in hand, feeling the stares of multiple women passing by, clearly judging him for being in the ladies room with them. 

“Honey, is everything all right?” He asks worriedly. A string of groans come from behind the door.

“You need to leave!” one old lady thrusts her walking cane at the father, lips pursed in dissatisfaction. 

Eunseo did such a phenomenal job tonight for her piano recital, that Hongjoong was shocked to see his daughter clutch her stomach first thing after running down the steps of the stage, dashing to the washrooms.

He whips his head back. “My daughter’s having a bit of a situation in here, okay miss? Have a bit of understanding!” He barks frustratedly out loud to the onlookers before speaking softly back to the stall door. 

“Eunseo, baby, talk to me, is everything alright in there? Are you sure you need to go to the hospital? Is it that bad?” 

The girl continues her acting performance, letting out fake groans while typing furiously on her cellphone. 

“Oh the pain! I think I might have food poisoning, dad!”

Seolie: How far along are u

Byeolie: Mom’s outside, banging to come in. 

Seolie: same, I told dad I needed to go to the hospital.

Eunseo lets out another groan of pain, causing Hongjoong to worry even more. 

“That’s it, Eunseo. Let me in and help you” he decides, searching his bag for a painkiller or at least some sort of medication for relief. 

The girl frantically checks her phone, eyes lighting up at the new message. 

Byeolie: Mom’s getting the car to take me to the hospital. I’ve got her convinced to call dad soon.

Eunseo types as fast as her small fingers can move, even faster than when she performed her piano solo from before. 

Seolie: Then what do I do????

Hongjoong gets slightly suspicious at the lack of sound coming from the stall, calling to his daughter again.

“Eunseo? Everything alright?”

At the next notification, the girl makes up her mind, getting the signal from her sister. 

Byeolie: play dead. Mom calling soon. See ya there.

The actress gets into character, gaining her composure before unlocking the washroom stall and holding her stomach as she stumbles into her dad’s surprised arms. 

“Eunseo!”

She wails, falling limp. “Oh, dad! Please! Take me to the hospital, it hurts too much!”

It’s truly a mystery which parent she got her acting skills from.

But she doesn’t have to tell him twice at that point. The man is already piggy backing his fainted daughter and sprinting out of the ladies washroom, reassuring her with soothing comments as he makes a beeline for the parking lot.

“Stay with me baby!” He huffs, unbeknownst to Eunseo who peeks one eye open. 

Only after he straps his daughter in the backseat and is turning on the engine does he receive a sudden phone call from you, pressing the speaker for the whole car to hear your panicked voice. You break the news to him first. 

“Eunbyeol’s severely sick. She fainted right after her hockey game.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened. “What?”

You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “She was holding her stomach saying she ate something wrong. Is Eunseo okay?” 

Hongjoong puts the stick into drive, backing out of the parking lot and replying in a hurry.

“She’s hit with the same thing right now. I’ll meet you at the Hospital in ten” he grunts, sweat forming on his brow as he speeds through traffic, not caring if he gets a ticket. 

Had he looked in his rear view mirror, he would have seen Eunseo sagging near the car door, clutching her stomach with a small grin on her face.

You never liked the hospital. 

The sounds of babies crying and hospital beds wheeling become the background noise, shifting nervously in your seat that was in the emergency pediatrics unit waiting area. 

Hongjoong has his eyebrows furrowed, hunched over one seat beside you as he hangs his head in his hands, knees bouncing up and down. A middle aged nurse nasally calls on the next family waiting from the front desk, boredom laced in her voice. 

You sigh, uncrossing your legs and choosing to bite at the fingernail on your right hand once realizing you’ve already done the same to all the ones on your left. 

“It’s all my fault.” Hongjoong confesses, suddenly sitting still. 

You glance to your left, watching as he sits up slowly. 

“Last thing they ate together would’ve been at my house. I probably made them sick with something I fed them,” he dejects, hanging his head down in shame. 

“It’s all my fault, god I’m so stupid!” He beats himself up. 

You have half the mind to snap at your ex-husband, anger already filling up inside you earlier when you heard Eunbyeol suggest it was something she ate at her dad’s house. You really did want to yell at him for being so bad of a chef that he sent his own daughters to the emergency pediatrics unit, undeniably relieved that Seonghwa was working tonight’s shift. 

But those cruel words sitting on the tip of your tongue are thrown away when you glance down to see your ex-husband missing a shoe on one of his feet. 

Hongjoong rushed over here so fast with Eunseo that he left his shoe behind like some sort of fairytale, Cinderella. He hasn’t even realized he wasn’t wearing one right now.

You exhaled, knowing that if there's one thing you’ve learned while parenting, it was that to have patience and understanding was a virtue. Even for your ex-husband.

“It’s not your fault,” you sighed, staring at your hands folded in your lap. 

It feels awkward when Hongjoong stops tugging at his blond locks to look at you in surprise, continuing to speak as you place a gentle hand on his thigh. 

“That could’ve happened to anyone. We don’t know yet if it was because of the food. Let’s just pray and wait and see” your voice being a sign of reliability to him. 

The man is a little shocked at your supportive nature to tell you truthfully. He delivers all the things he needs to say through his grateful gaze alone, reciprocating a small smile. 

“Didn’t think I’d see you guys tonight.” Seonghwa chuckles, walking in before Hongjoong has the chance to reply. He comes from the patient's room wearing his dashing, white doctor's coat. “Together, at that” he mumbles under his breath before looking up and flashing you a polite smile while giving his worried friend a soft pat on the back.

Hongjoong holds his breath when he asks: “How are they?”

“Better,” he tells him, flipping through some papers on his clipboard. “But it was a big shock to their bodies. They need some rest at the moment.” 

The pediatrician tries not to show his smile, standing in front of you and Hongjoong while hiding his expression behind his clipboard as per his niece’s request.

To be fair, if someone had told Seonghwa earlier that evening that he would receive a fifteen minute pep talk from his best friend's twin daughters that day in the emergency unit, he would’ve laughed in their faces. 

Alas, life was always filled with surprises. Here’s what went down thirty minutes earlier in the hospital room:

“We’re trying to get them back together,” Eunseo announced confidently, sitting next to her sister on the hospital bed. 

Eunbyeol nodded, eyeing the dumbfounded medical professional standing in front of them with his clipboard tucked under his arm, hands in his pockets. 

“So.. you guys don’t need an IV drip?”

“It’s this whole entire thing, Uncle Hwa, we’ll explain to you later.”

It took a minute before Seonghwa reclaimed his composure as an adult, chastising the twins for pulling a false alarm over something like this. He made sure to make them promise him they wouldn’t do something stupid like this again. But after that, of course Seonghwa is immediately pairing to help them with their plan on getting his best friend back together with his ex-wife. The man is just tired of watching Hongjoong beat himself up half the time about missing you. 

“So you essentially want me to lie about the fact that you guys don’t have food poisoning, and were just faking this whole thing so your mom and dad would have a reason to see each other.” 

The twins nod, one of them pointing out. “And make sure to tell them we’re fine of course. Maybe throw in we’re like, really sick, but that we’ll live so it’s best if we get rest.”

“At like a cottage or something” the other chimes in, wiggling her eyebrows at the hint. 

The doctor sighs, scratching his neck sheepishly. 

When Seonghwa leads you and Hongjoong into the hospital room, both of you feel awful seeing your babies laying in their beds, dressed in the children’s gowns. 

Eunbyeol peeks open her eyes first, voice hoarse (she practiced). 

“Mom? Dad? Is that you?” she groans, pretending to clutch her stomach in pain. 

Both you and Hongjoong rush to each child, grasping their hands and stroking their heads softly with sympathy. 

“Hey baby, I’m here” you coo.

“I’m so, so sorry girls, it was probably all my fault. I should’ve never cooked for you guys earlier today.” their dad cries out painfully, looking down in shame.

You come to stand beside him, reassuring them both. “But what’s important is that you guys get better now. We want to make sure you get the rest you need” you say, making eye contact with your ex-husband. 

Seonghwa clears his throat, crossing his arms as he flashes a wink to the girls behind your backs. 

“They seemed to have been mentally exhausted as well,” He asks on purpose, watching as you and Hongjoong share a look with each other. “Have they been receiving proper familial support at home?” 

“I can’t even remember the last time I saw my parents in the same room together.” Eunseo weakly admits, showing a faint smile. 

As parents, you and Joong feel the most amount of guilt anyone could ever feel. You realize how exhausting and stressful the pickups and drop offs to each other's houses could’ve been, especially when you two were so busy with your respective jobs to spend time with your daughters now that it was summer break for them. 

Hongjoong smiles, holding both their hands and making a promise to them. 

“Make sure to rest you two. Tell me, is there anything you guys need right now? Anything you guys want I'll make sure to get it for you.”

”Do you guys have crunchy ice?” Eunbyeol blurts out loud, breaking her weak facade. 

Eunseo almost wants to shoot a glare at her sister but she realizes both of you are still looking at them. 

“I can get you some ice!” Seonghwa quickly assures you and his nieces, mouthing to them good luck for support as he shuts the door behind him. 

You sigh, coming over to stroke Eunseo’s hair and caress Eunbyeol’s hand. 

“Well? Is there anything else you guys need from us?” Hongjoong states, eyes soft in sympathy. You nod, waiting to hear their response.

“Let us know girls, anything at all.”

Eunbyeol and Eunseo finally take their chance, sharing a hesitant look before speaking at the same time. 

“We want to go to the cottage”

“Together,” Eunseo says.

“As a family.” Eunbyeol adds in.

You and Hongjoong share a silent look. 

Later into the night, the twins are finally discharged from the hospital, deciding that they would stay at Hongjoong’s mothers apartment which was closest nearby, considering they were both tired and immediately needed a place to rest. 

The car ride home is awkwardly silent, even as the kids are (what you think) to be fast asleep, hockey gear and a bouquet of flowers riding with them in the backseat.

It was at their request for you to drive them to their grandmother's house, wanting both their parents with them till the ride home. Hongjoong settled on driving your car and dropping all of you off, planning to take a taxi back home and pick up his own car in the morning. Despite your protest on how inconvenient that was, he insisted as he didn’t want to disappoint the twins.

But suddenly the man begins to regret his offer, currently driving in complete silence on the highway, eyes facing forward and shoulders tense. Quiet FM nightly jazz plays from the radio. 

You’re sitting passenger seat up front with him in what feels like forever, looking solely at the reflections in the window, the street lamp lights scattering across your face as you travel through the nighttime traffic. It’s awkward being together like this.

You hear him clear his voice, speaking softly so he doesn’t wake up the girls.

“So, are we really considering that cottage retreat?” he glances back at you. 

You sit up, straightening your back and exhaling as you secretly wanted to have avoided that topic of discussion.

“We can’t Hongjoong,” you reasoned, shaking your head. “I couldn’t possibly take a whole vacation from the dress shop. Not unless I had someone take care of it for me, which my staff probably aren’t ready to do.” you explained, voice tense.

Hongjoong nodded, understanding your point of view. “I realize that. I’ve got a few projects I have to record and demo with Eden.” he tells you, an arm placed on the wheel with his sleeve rolled up. His veins become perfectly outlined as he passionately tells you about his producing job.

He’s so hot like that.

Jesus what were you thinking? Cursing your mind as you clear your voice and try to change the topic.

“How’s everything been going then?” you say stiffly. He nods, still awkward with sharing conversation with you. 

“Um, it's going good. You?” he asks.  

“Fine.” you swallow. 

Silence prevails. He’s first to speak again, building the courage to say the next thing in his mind. 

“I’m willing to put things on hold if I need to.” He confesses. 

Hongjoong continues to drive normally after having said that. Now it becomes your turn to stare at him now, watching how he glances at the side mirror, switching lanes swiftly like the pro-driver he was. 

“What do you mean?”

“Honestly, I think it would be good for the girls,” he admits, calling you by your name. Even hearing him call you your name feels weird. It feels foreign, like it almost wasn’t yours. 

“Hongjoong-” you warn, shaking your head at the warry possibility. 

“Just hear me out, alright?” He states firmly, making you quiet. 

He glances back into the rear view mirror, watching your girls peacefully asleep with their heads leaning against each other. 

“It’s been almost seven years. Seven years since they’ve last seen their parents speak to each other without breaking into a fight. Tonight was the first time they saw us together without having to plan a drop off and pick up in god knows how long.”

Hongjoong licks his lips, gripping the wheel as he emphasizes. “Seven years since they’ve gotten a goodnight hug and kiss from us at the same time in one place.”

You scoff, turning to face him properly this time. “I don’t know why you’re acting as though we can make this request of theirs come true Hongjoong. This is a big deal-”

“It is a big deal!” he exclaims, trying to get his point across. “I can see how badly our daughters want us to both be in their lives more, to acknowledge the fact that the other still exists after splitting apart.”

He sighs. “Us, not acknowledging each other’s existence at all is worse than if we had to see each other regularly.”

You bite your lip, getting angry. “So what Hongjoong? You’re saying you want to suddenly play family with them at the cottage?”

You shrug your shoulders. “Do you really think we can pretend to be normal parents to them without fighting like we are now? There’s a reason why our current schedules work. Don’t make me seem like the bad guy for not wanting to take them.” You glared, pointing a finger at him. His jaw locks. 

“You fully knew the lifestyle changes we would need to make as a couple when you signed those legal papers—”

“Well then did you also predict everything that happened after you brought me those papers?” He spits like venom, gaze hard as he clenches the wheel.

You blink your eyes at his words, pressing your knees together at his sudden attack. 

You don’t remember clearly if you even meant what you said at the time when you threw those papers at him seven years ago. But all you still know is that Hongjoong was just as stubborn as you were, making up his mind to sign them in the end regardless.

Looking in the rear view mirror, you muttered to him quietly. 

“Don’t raise your voice. The kids are sleeping.”

Their dad scoffs, muttering a sure, under his breath as he switches lanes. 

The kids were in fact, not sleeping, and very much awake. Eyes closed but ears wide, as they were listening in to the first real discussion their parents were having in so long. Or perhaps it was an argument?

At the right turn into his mother’s apartment’s underground parking lot, Hongjoong shuts off the engine, getting out of the car without another word and shutting the door in your face. 

You pinched the bridge of your nose, hear the back door open. 

You watch in the corner of your vision as his demeanor immediately changes, softly caressing Eunseo and Eunbyeol’s hair. 

“Hey girls, we’re here now. You gotta wake up.” He coos.

They yawn theatrically, pretending to stretch their arms. 

“So soon?” Eunbyeol mumbles.

A few feet ahead, you see your mother in law walking out from the elevators, a knit cardigan wrapped around her small frame. You smiled, getting out of the car and greeting her first. 

“We’ll leave Eunbyeol’s hockey gear with you for the night if that’s alright Mom-” 

Hongjoong’s words are cut off as the woman who birthed him walks straight past him, ignoring him and immediately taking you in her warm embrace, eyes forming crescent moons. 

“How are you my dear?” she asks, causing you to smile and hug your mother in law affectionately. “It’s been so long, I’ve missed you so much!”

Despite the break up between you and Hongjoong, you were thankful for one thing, and that was the fact that your relationship with Hongjoong’s family stayed strong, especially with Mrs. Kim.

“I’ve missed you too” you tell her genuinely. “I’ve been good, I’m just sorry for dropping them off so suddenly at your place,” You say, feeling apologetic for waking her up late into the night. 

“We had a bit of a situation,” you explain, watching as Hongjoong collects their things. 

She shakes her head, reassuring you. “Nonsense! Why would you be sorry for that.” she grins, turning her head at the car. “And where are my girls, may I ask?”

At the sound of her voice, Eunbyeol and Eunseo dash out from the back seat and into their grandmother's welcoming arms, pressing soft kisses to her cheeks.

Hongjoong is the only person that stands all alone, awkwardly holding the bouquet of flowers with heavy hockey gear and a duffle bag perched on his shoulder. 

“Oh, how I’ve missed my little squirrels!” she exclaims using their signature pet name and happily reuniting with her grandchildren. 

She turns her head, face falling at the sight of her son and lips pursing into a frown. 

“And where on earth have you been? Not giving me a call!” she snaps, slapping her son on his back. Eunbyeol laughs out loud while Eunseo tries to keep her giggles in. 

You hear your ex husband protest to her while you close the back seat door. 

“OW! I’ve been busy alright?” he mumbles, massaging his sore arm. 

Your mother in law takes both the twins hand’s on each side, nodding her head to you. 

“Leave all the kid’s stuff to Hongjoong, he’ll take care of it darling” she smiles sweetly, sending a glare to her son to take a hint and be more of a gentleman to you. She walks away with her smiling granddaughters, exchanging light-hearted giggles and excitement. “Bye, mom!” The twins wave back. 

Hongjoong cranes his head up, sighing at the ceiling before taking Eunseo’s piano bag that you were holding in your hand in one swift motion, walking reluctantly behind the three. 

“Stay here. I’ll drop them off.” he briskly walks away, leaving you stunned. 

Hongjoongs words from before can’t help but replay inside your head as you wait for him to come back down. 

Before you guessed it, it was already the ride back home, and the car was painfully silent once again. In reality, you were each thinking deeply to yourselves about the possibility of the cottage retreat. Could you really be a mom and dad together as a couple to your kids?

“Are you giving your plants enough water?” He brings you out of thought, the car slowing down as he turns onto your street. 

You look up, giving him a confused look. 

Hongjoong nods in direction, following his eyes to look at the measly, dying flower pot perched on the steps of your flat’s entrance as the car stopped to a halt. “You know, it’s really hard for plants to die when they’re outside.” He says in amazement at your shit gardening. 

You scowl at him, asking him when he became such a plant expert all of a sudden. 

He continues to poke fun at you, smirking when he undoes his seat belt. Hongjoong suddenly leans over to help you unbuckle your own, face dangerously close to yours as he lowers his voice. 

“Unless their owner just really sucks at taking care of them.” 

His eyes gaze into yours for a split second, feeling your face heat up from the proximity. You let out a tiny gasp for air when he leans back in his own seat. 

“Fuck off” you replied harshly. 

“You should give them some more care,” he suggests, ignoring your swearing. 

You don’t reply to his stupid comment, refusing to look at him as you get out of the car. 

“I can go in by myself” you press, adjusting the strap of your purse on your shoulder. You didn’t think it was necessary to draw out your time with this man any further.

Hongjoong straightens his dress shirt as he moves to your side of the car, shoving his own car keys in his trousers as he locks your doors and hands over the keys. You take them hesitantly, watching as he rests against the car door, strong arms crossing against his chest. 

“Think about it at least.” he mutters to you. 

You look at him, eyes shutting softly when you realize he was still talking about the cottage getaway. Sighing his name is exasperation, you run a hand through your hair. 

“Hongjoong-”

“Would it kill you to spend a week with me and our daughters?” He scoffs as he asks you straight up, looking at you in a way that makes you hesitate to say your next words. You observed one hand come to shuffle with the silver lighter in his trouser pockets. 

You stayed silent for a moment, genuinely thinking back to your daughters and what this meant to them if you went. What this would mean for you two as well. 

Finally, you look up to him, returning his gaze.

“I need time.” 

He nods, face serious. “I understand.”

“Let me think about it.” You mumbled. 

And with that you turn around, walking up the steps to your front door. At the sight of your flowerpot, you quickly remember his comment and snatch it in your hands, slamming the door shut to Hongjoong as he finally lets a soft grin break out on his face. Letting his back come up from leaning against the door, Hongjoong nods his head, satisfied enough at that answer, as he walks silently down the road while opening his Uber app. 

At least you’d give it some thought. 

Okay, maybe now you’ve given it too much thought. 

Sipping your fifth glass of wine of the night, you’re sitting, back hunched over with your knees tucked into your chest on the breakfast table chair, zoning out as your best friend Sophie continues barking at you and your inconsistent commitment. 

“I don’t even understand why you’re considering going! Does the man realize what it takes to leave your own shop for a full week?” she fumes, adjusting her royal jelly sheet mask while cursing at your ex-husband for pressuring you into going to the family retreat. 

“Not everyone can just pack their bags and go swimming at the cottage, Jesus Christ” she rolls her eyes. 

“He didn’t pressure me,” you told her pouting. “He wants to do it for the kids” you mumbled looking down as you defended him. 

You invited your best friend Sophie over to your apartment that evening for your weekly slumber party, a time you each looked forward to dedicating a bottle of wine and chardonnay over some gossip, spilling all the uneventful drama in your lives. 

Perhaps you revealed too much drama to your best friend tonight. 

“I don’t think I would mind going, to be honest” you hiccup, words slurring. “I haven’t had a vacation in so long, Sophie, and the girls really want to go! I would feel bad for leaving them with nothing to do this summer.” confessing through the alcohol. 

Cheeks flushed, you sigh as you play with your silk robe mindlessly while Sophie shakes her head at you, one hand coming up to snap at you and bring you back to reality. 

“Hello? Earth to Ms. Divorcee?” She sighs, rolling her eyes in frustration. “You said you wanted to set boundaries with him! To cut the line straight and keep your distance so you could get over your feelings for him! Show him who’s boss!” 

“He said he’s willing to put his music projects on hold for us,” you muttered quietly, the thought making your heart weak as you smiled at the memory of Hongjoong teasing you about your flower pot. Your chest blossomed with warmth now. 

Sophie sighs, shaking her head as she thinks just how differently you were feeling four wine glasses ago.

“Listen, honey, I’m just warning you in advance” she sips the golden liquid in her glass before placing it on the table. 

“Take it from a girl who’s had three divorces. I mean look at me! I’m still somewhat young, I’ve got no kids, no responsibilities, filthily rich, and not once have I had to pay for my own divorce settlement fees!” 

You nod mindlessly, eyes blinking softly under the bright kitchen lights. 

“What you need is a provider, sweetheart,” she crooned, caressing your head. 

“A guy who won’t leave you stressed and unimpressed like Hongjoong does.”

You continue mindlessly nodding your head at her words, ears perking up when you hear small footsteps come down the stairs. 

“Hi mom, Hi aunt Sophie.” Eunbyeol greets, eyes glued to her iPad that Eunseo trails after from behind, whining how it was now her turn to play Super Mario.  

“Hi girls,” Sophie replies like the cool, hot aunt she is, eyes shut as she’s concentrating on giving herself a collarbone massage right now. 

“Hey sweetheart,” you mumbled, smiling at your daughters standing near the fridge getting a glass of water. 

“Say, did your dad tell you guys anything about the cottage?” You blurt out loud, avoiding the look that Sophie gives you. Eunbyeol looks up from the glowing screen, ears perking in interest. “No, not much, why?” 

Eunseo snatches the iPad from her twin, coming over to you. “Did Dad say we’re going?” She asks enthusiastically, eyes widening. Sophie is quick to assure them. 

“Now of course not girls, your mother here was just-”

“Oh fuck it, why not?” you say confidentially, shining a bright smile. “Let’s go to the cottage!” You exclaimed in drunk excitement, all three girls staring at you with their jaws hanging at your sudden profanity as well as your final decision. 

Oh, how dangerous the effects of a bottle of wine were. 

Eunseo and Eunbyeol immediately embrace each other in a passionate hug, squealing in excitement that their plan actually worked. You and Hongjoong were now both convinced. “Oh my gosh, we’re going to go as a family!” They cried in happiness. You giggled at their joy, reciprocating their enthusiasm.  

Sophie leans back in her seat defeated, shaking her head with pursed lips as she picks up the whole Chardonnay bottle and sips it. 

“Oh whatever. . . This isn’t my problem anyways.” 

When Hongjoong drops by the next morning to pick up Eunbyeol and Eunseo from your house for the weekend, he can’t lie but be a little heartbroken at the way his daughters ignore his kiss to them first thing. They instead, immediately shove the cottage advertising pamphlet in his face with victorious grins. 

“See! We told you mom would say yes!” 

“Say yes to what?” He pouts, avoiding the paper and obsessively trying to peck a kiss to each of his daughter's cheeks. The idea of going to the cottage almost slipped the busy man’s mind after almost a week of no news from you. 

“What’s so important that you guys don’t even say hi to me anymore?” he sulks.

Eunseo giggles, fighting back her laughter when her dad tries to tickle her with his kisses. 

“We’re going to the cottage!”

Hongjoong stills himself, leaning back to make sure he heard her correctly. 

“We’re what?”

Eunbyeol, taking after her mother, has a cheeky expression on her face as she places her hands on her hips and sasses her father. 

“Pack your bags and swimming shorts, daddy, we’re going on a family vacation!” 

In perfect timing, you manage to stumble out your front door, coffee mug in hand and mid-yawn when you realize Hongjoong is already staring at you in shock. 

“What?” you snap, still grumpy from your slight hangover. “You’ve never seen a woman wake up before?” You replied, asking your kids if they packed all their stuff. 

The twins watch as their dad stands up from his crouched position. 

“You’re going to go to the cottage?”

At Hongjoongs words you freeze, everything coming back to you all at once. The wine, the twins, the promises, it hits you like a moving truck. 

“Well…”

“No take backs mom! You said it yourself last night that you were excited to go to the cottage!” One of the twins pointed out. 

Hongjoong doesn’t take his eyes off of you. 

“I-I did say that, didn’t I?” You chuckled sheepishly, toes curling at the rookie mistake you made in parenting 101: saying yes when you should’ve said no. 

Your ex-husband quickly tells the kids to put their things in the trunk, promising he’ll be right with them after talking to you. As Hongjoong dashes up the stairs in his white polo golf shirt, you feel slightly exposed being in only your silk slip dress and robe. 

“I didn’t realize you’d be here so early” you mumbled, looking down at your toes. 

He ignores you. “So I’m guessing we’re going then?” He smirks, looking at you with an expression of undeniable cockiness and peaked interest. 

You shrug nonchalantly. “Let’s surround the focus of this trip towards the kids” you remind him, straightening your back.

Hongjoong nods, agreeing with you wholeheartedly. “Of course, that was my intention from the beginning,” he smiles. 

You swallow the lump in your throat, unnoticing his stare drop at your breasts perking up from the cool morning air. You jump in surprise as you hear the honking of the car. 

“Come on, love birds! We gotta go back to dad’s to get our swimming stuff!” Eunbyeol cackles, leaning from the backseat into the driver's seat window. Eunseo already begins journaling in her hello kitty note book, an organized list of what she’ll need to bring to the cottage.

Hongjoong looks back at his daughters, before looking back at you with a smile. 

“Let’s keep in touch about details, alright?”

You nod silently, gripping your mug. At the sound of your nextdoor neighbor coming out, Hongjoong contemplates for a moment before quickly leaning forward, shielding you from their view with his backside. Clearing his throat, Hongjoong nods his head to the inside of your house, leaning forward to whisper to you. 

“Think, um, you should get inside, it’s getting cold,” he mutters, his dimples faintly showing. You glare up at him, “I’m going to say goodbye to my own daughters”. Still clueless to what he was referring to. He grins, shrugging his shoulders before looking at you. 

“If you insist. Just thought you wouldn’t want your neighbor to see what I can see, would you?”

You gasp at his words, looking down at your chest to see what he means before wrapping your robe around you. You quickly waved goodbye to your girls before you shut the door in Hongjoong’s smug face. 

It’s now become the second time you’ve done that.

Thankfully, the next time you see Hongjoong you’re wearing a much more appropriate outfit. In a white cotton blouse and casual jean shorts, your effortlessly chic vacation outfit was the only highlight today, considering the day you had been internally dreading for so long was finally here. 

You tried to take deep breaths while scurrying all over your house and finishing some last minute packing. Reassuring yourself that a family getaway couldn’t kill you. 

Right?

Reservations at the cottage were made over the phone last week, booking a house with the perfect lake side view, access to the forest trail and close proximity to the offered activities. It would only be a seven day stay, both in your respective rooms, (you clearly emphasized you and Hongjoong had to have separate ones) while the twins would lodge together. You had no intention of interacting with your husband alone together on this trip, apart from the quote on quote, ‘family bonding times’ you promised your daughters. And yet why were you here sweating nervously like a sinner in church?

“What a hot lady!” Eunbyeol wolf-whistles at your outfit when she walks through your bedroom doors. You jump at the sudden entrance, realizing Hongjoong was already here to pick you up with the girls.

A pair of black designer sunglasses slightly too big for her sat perched on her nose. Eunbyeol smiles before jumping onto your bed of clothes. You already know Hongjoong must’ve spoiled her and her sister with those, buying them a pair each.

“C’mon Byeol, off the bed” you quipped, packing your toothbrush as she reluctantly slugged off the covers. 

Your suspicions of Hongjoong buying them designer items are correct when Eunseo walks in, classily perching her matching white ones on her head before chastising her sister's tasteless compliment. 

“Elegant. She’s Elegant, Byeol. You don’t just go around wolf-whistling at people.” she rolls her eyes. 

“You look very pretty by the way, mom”

You smiled, nevertheless pleased at both their compliments and thanking them before going back to doing a last minute check of your things. 

Sun cream, clothes, makeup bag, swimsuit…

At the thought of your swimsuit you immediately blush, thinking back to how Sophie forced you to borrow her yellow bikini that left very little to the imagination. Despite your protests that you wouldn’t be needing it, she insisted. 

Hongjoong is last to walk through your front doors, swinging his car keys around his index finger and calling to his three girls from the downstairs foyer of your apartment. The man is clearly excited for the trip, he can’t lie. 

“Come on ladies, we’re gonna miss the chance to swim in that lake if we don't leave soon!” 

Hongjoong is your typical dad, except for the fact that he does not mess with dad!fashion. The producer is dressed classily from top to bottom in a loose-fitting designer button up with a pair of reformed denim pants, his pearl earrings and gold piercings complementing his outfit perfectly. 

Kim Hongjoong didn't play when it came to fashion. Even as a father. 

“Coming!” You exclaimed, ushering your kids out of your bedroom and making your way down the stairs with your suitcase. Seeing that it would only be a week at the cottage, you tried to pack light, though you may have to reconsider that thought with the way you struggled to lift the case properly. 

“Need some help?”

A strong hand comes to help you, immediately inhaling the scent of Hongjoong’s cologne as he brushes his knuckles near yours. “Here, I’ve got it” he assures, making you step back and admire your undeniably fine husband. 

Ex-husband. You meant Ex-husband. Scratch out the fine as well. 

You watch from behind as he struts out the foyer, smiling and joking playfully with his twin daughters, carrying your luggage out the door with them. 

What was this trip doing to you?

Once you’re on route to the cottage resort and the GPS is set, the car is blissfully quiet, each and every one of you surprisingly at peace. Jittery excitement still lays deep in your daughters' minds as you overhear them talk about what they want to do first once they arrive. 

Hongjoong’s 2000s soft rock and ballad playlist is playing quietly throughout the speakers right now, relishing in the music as luscious, green trees flash by you from the passenger window. 

While Byeol and Eunseo distract each other on their own, Hongjoong turns to talk to you. 

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been forever since I’ve been on a road trip” he smiles.

You copy him, feeling good in the moment. “Same, I don’t remember the last time I went to one.” you confessed, thinking only of all the times you had in the past when you were a child and as a teenager. 

Even back to when you were a young college student, wide eyed and so innocent to the chaos of your first college retreat with Hongjoong. That was the summer you two began dating, and boy were you fools in love. You cautiously look to your husband driving, bringing up past memories.

“Do you remember that one college retreat we went on during second year?” 

The corners of Hongjoong’s lips are already grinning upwards, smiling as he reciprocates your expression. 

“Right, like I could forget that summer” he replies sarcastically, gripping the steering wheel. 

It’s an easy memory to digest. A time when you were both so young, filled with nothing but dreams and passionate love for one another. Love so deep, that you remember the nights you’d spend locked up with Hongjoong under the sweaty bed sheets inside your cabin, blissfully making love until the sun would rise and he would finally kiss you to sleep. Perhaps, it was that summer when you realized you were going to marry and be with Kim Hongjoong forever someday. 

Though it’s too bad, someday already passed. 

“Do you remember when Seonghwa got so drunk he ended up confessing to Jieun in front of all the girl’s sleeping cabins?” Hongjoong snickers, relishing in the embarrassing memory his friend always hates him for bringing up. You laugh out loud, remembering the memory. “Oh my god, yes!” You turned to face him, shaking your head. “In nothing but his underwear, right?” 

Hongjoong nodded, smiling with one hand on the steering wheel as he drove.

“Didn’t he end up jumping into the lake afterwards? With you having to go in and save him as well?” You share your laughter with one another, catching up on past memories as your twin daughters listened attentively in the back, reliving them with you together.

That's what makes the hour and half drive from the city into the wilderness feel so short, finally pulling into the graveled parking lot of the vast cottage resort. White suburban cottages lined along one another, a good amount of distance in between each for every family staying. 

As Hongjoong parked the car, the view outside was so glorious you had to hold your breath. Glistening clear blue waves in the lake reflect the bright sunshine from above. A light breeze is present today with the way the willow and oak trees swayed gently. 

“It’s beautiful” you gasped from as far as you got out of the car, stretching your upper body with eyes closed as you inhaled the fresh air. 

Hongjoong stills his movements, shutting the door before replying with his gaze caught at your backside.

“Yeah, it is” he smiles.

Both of you turn around at a loud voice coming from behind. “We’re gonna explore the campsites and souvenir shops first!” Eunbyeol shouts as she runs away with her sister's hand in hers, towards the wooden cabin that's settled further away. 

“What about lunch?” you call to them. 

“We’re not hungry!”

Hongjoong tells them to be safe, and to stick around nearby. You smirked, helping him unload the trunk as you told him. “They’ll be fine. They’re probably too excited to even think right now” you giggled, bumping shoulders with him. 

You feel the tension that was once so strong between you two fade slowly, walking up the wooden steps of your lodge and exchanging conversation with each other.

“Hey, I just want my babies to be safe” he admits, a grin on his face as he holds the cooler in his hands. You chuckle, shaking your head at his protectiveness. 

“Here it is!” he exclaims, setting the suitcases in the front foyer as he opens the door. “Lodge number 1117”

The two story cottage is larger than it appears from the outside, having a modern yet rustic interior that you and Hongjoong admired. It had everything you would need, from a well designed kitchen area to a cozy living room space.

“It’s perfect, the kids will love it” you beam, looking at the hanging hammock chair in the corner of the living room and the gray stone fireplace. It fit perfectly for your family. 

Hongjoong smiles, sunglasses perched on top of his head as he sets the luggage down near the kitchen. Walking up beside him, you help him unload the cooler and ice boxes first, settling into your new home for the next few days. 

“I’m guessing you still drink?” you ask, looking in his direction as you unloaded the case of beer you saw him bring from the trunk.

He gestured to the booze. “C’mon, it wouldn’t be a vacation without it, would it?” 

You wholeheartedly agreed, placing a few in the fridge before you shut it closed. 

“Hopefully, this time we won’t end up shit faced like we did back in college” you laugh, turning to face him. 

“I can already picture that time we got so drunk from that bottle of tequila my friend brought, we snuck out of the campsite and went to the forest and got lost.” you spoke, the memory a little foggy but nonetheless fresh in your mind. 

Hongjoong smiles, listening as you speak.  

“There wasn’t anything but trees and bushes in that forest!” You exclaimed, shaking your head. “What did we even do there?” 

Hongjoong replies nonchalantly, folding the cardboard box in his hands.

“I’m pretty sure we fucked.”

You momentarily freeze at his words, before letting out a soft awkward laugh, causing him to look up. 

“No we didn’t, Hongjoong” you immediately deny, not believing his words. But your brows began furrowing at the foggy memory, starting to realize you really couldn’t trust your alcohol tolerance, now as an adult and even back when you were a college student. Did you guys have sex? In a forest out of all places?

Hongjoong leans against the kitchen counter, across from you as he crosses his arms in front of his chest and smirks smugly. 

“Nope, I distinctly remember it” he recalls, taking a step closer so he was now in your space. 

“I held your hand in mind as we walked up that trail by the cliff. And gosh, were we horny that night, because I remember you complaining about all that dirt you got on your knees from giving me the greatest head i've ever experienced in my entire life-” 

Slapping your hands over his mouth to stop him from going on, you blushed as you glared at him. 

“Jesus christ,” you mumbled, rolling your eyes before confessing.

“I get it, we fucked.”

Suddenly, you and Hongjoong break out into giggles like varsity sweethearts again at the story. Though embarrassed and cringing internally from the way you acted as young adults, it was nice to share them together now. At the proximity in which you’re standing in, you can't help but stare at each other softly. A hand wraps around your waist, making your breath hitch as he pulls you closer. 

“What are you doing?” you grin, watching him.

He looms over you, able to tell that something sits right at the tip of his tongue that he hesitantly decides to say. “I’m pretty sure,” he mutters, staring at your face and cautiously grazing the skin under your blouse. You feel your breathing speed up. 

“I also held you like this in my arms as you were leaning against that tree” his grip gentle and immediately transporting you back to the scenery that night. His sharp tone contrasts his touch. 

“Yknow, the one we fucked against?” he teases to you one more time.

The scent of burning campfire. A cold, midnight breeze. The feeling of the rough cedar tree against your back as Hongjoong thrusted inside you with every delirious snap of his hips, holding you close while he fucked you to oblivion with only the forest animals standing witness to your sinful actions. The film replays like a cheesy R-rated romance movie in your mind. 

“Did you, now?” You gulp, looking up at him as you adjust to the foreign feeling of his touch on your hips. 

“Yeah. I remember it all” he states, smirking down at you with an intense gaze.

The memory dies down when you catch yourself staring at his lips, arms finding their way around his neck as he dives down to whisper softly to you.

“Do you remember too?” He asks.

How he held you in his arms. How he whispered in your ear while you came around his cock, drool and traces of cum littering the corners of your mouth while Hongjoong didn’t care if you were stretching his flannel from how hard you were tugging at the material.

You nod. “I do,” you muttered, lashes fluttering as you felt as though your heart wouldn’t stop beating. “I remember you kissed me on the lips,” you confessed. 

Perhaps you wanted him to do it again right now. 

He looks in your eyes, searching for your approval that you desperately give, breath hitting each other's faces as he slowly leaned down to try and connect your lips. His chest is pressed against yours, and you begin to realize you haven’t shared the same breath like that in so long. You were so close to kissing right then and there.

If only you leaned in closer…

“We’re back!”

You push Hongjoong across the kitchen, shoving his hip painfully into the marble counter and ignoring his high-pitched groan of agony as you immediately look away to avoid suspicion, continuing to grab the beer from the icebox in front of you.

“Girls!” you exclaimed, voice wavering. 

Of course, Eunbyeol and Eunseo walk in with matching postcards and goodies from the souvenir shop in their hands, their sunglasses perched on their heads as their eyes lit up with excitement. They were still oblivious to the fact that they almost caught their parents about to make out in the kitchen.

“Dad, this place is amazing!” Eunbyeol deadpans, telling her father. “They even have jet skiing on the other side of the lake! We gotta go now!”

Hongjoong clutches his hip, pursing his lips as he hides his expression of pain and surprise. 

“Really? That's great sweetie”

Eunseo however, is quick to catch on.

“What were you guys doing?” she looks at you suspiciously. Her words hang in the air for a moment. 

“Were you guys about to kis-”

Hongjoong and you frantically scurry to find a plausible excuse, shuffling awkwardly. 

“I was helping your dad unload the cooler” 

“I was helping your mom get something out of her eye”

Both girls stare at you meekly. Eunbyeol scrunches her nose. “Huh?”

Plastering on a fake smile, you briskly leaped over the luggage nearby, ushering them upstairs before they had the chance to ask anymore questions.

“I think it’s time to unpack your things.” you watched their eyebrows quirk at the way you pushed them out the kitchen.

“We can do it on our own, mom! It’s really no big d-”

You clamp Eunbyeol’s mouth shut with your hand, blushing profusely as you walk away with them. 

Hongjoong stands there alone in the kitchen, rubbing his hip and wondering what the hell just almost happened.

The next few days, you and Hongjoong don’t discuss the incident between you two. Rather, the beginning of the trip after that event has become a painful performance trying your best to be eerily polite yet distant to each other in front of your children, as if that would make you forget the fact that you two almost kissed in the kitchen.

“Could you pass the sunscreen, honey?” Hongjoong would say awkwardly, turning his back to flash you a cheery smile on the lake deck as Eunbyeol and Eunseo watched you interact while floating in the cool, summer waters. 

You passed the bottle to your ex-husband while maintaining awkward distance. “Of course, darling!” 

“Thanks honey!”

“No problem sweetheart!”

This resulted in Eunbyeol and Eunseo looking at their parents in horror, the youngest twin muttering under her breath as they discussed an urgent change of plans.

“We have to get them to stop being weird.”

Apart from that, the ‘family bonding time’ promise to your daughters was maintained, and each day was an adventure for all of you in terms of what you would do together next. An accumulation of forest trekking, water-skiing and outdoors barbeques on the patio of your cottage made everyday feel more and more special for your girls, seeing how they relished in having both their parents with them at the same place and time. It became moments of peace and resolution that eventually became special for you and Hongjoong too. 

“I hope we stay here forever,” Eunseo blurted out one evening after a blissful day near the lakeshore, watching as the sun began to go down. She was busy licking the sticky sides of her melting ice cream cone in one hand, the other one held in yours. 

Hongjoong and Eunbyeol were a few feet ahead, laughing loudly and holding hands as they compared their fruit popsicles with one another to see whose was bigger. 

“You and Byeol would eventually get sick of going to the lake all the time” You smiled, the corners of your mouth turning up before her next words made the strings of your heart tug. 

“Sure, but at least you and dad could be together with us too.”

You watched as she ran up to her sister and dad, joining in on their fun as she began boasting that her ice cream was better than theirs. Hongjoong’s smile is the biggest you’ve ever seen it to be, looking down at his girls with a golden tan from the past few days spent outside, and hair slightly damp from swimming. 

Any person could tell the love in his eyes was as pure a father’s love for his girls could be. 

Her words stuck with you until that very night, where after dinner, board games, and much pacing back and forth in your own room before getting into bed, you decided to cautiously approach Hongjoong’s room on the opposite side of the second floor.

Bare feet padded across the wooden floors as you peeked through the sliver of the open door.

He's wearing an oversized sleep tee and blue pajama pants, getting in some nighttime reading before bed. His glasses are perched on his nose, intently reading his paperback novel. He looks as domestic as a husband gets. 

At the sound of your steps though, he sits up from his relaxed state on his bed, one arm that was supporting his head coming out as the other hand settles the book down on his abdomen. He looks surprised to see you. 

“Hi” he states, looking at you. 

“Hey”

Hongjoong’s expression immediately softened at your figure, watching as you shuffled awkwardly in front of him. The room is quiet. 

“Can I come in?”

“Of course,” He nods, setting his bookmark in the spine of the cover and turning his attention to you, offering you to take a seat on his linen covers. You see his polaroid camera with photos taken of Eunbyeol and Eunseo perched on a desk nearby. 

You don’t see the ones he secretly took of you, as those are in his drawers. 

“Don’t tell me you can’t sleep by yourself” he gently teases before watching as your smile doesn't reach the ends of your eyes. You wrap your silk robe closer to your body, feeling sort of vulnerable. 

“How do you like the resort so far?” He asks, watching as you played with your fingers absentmindedly. “Is the room okay?”

“It’s wonderful Hongjoong, better than I could ever have hoped for.” You spoke up, telling the truth.

It’s hard to arrange your thoughts in your head when it’s just the two of you in his room. The kids were already fast asleep. Now was your chance to just tell him how you felt. Why were you hesitating so much?

“Hey, look at me.” Hongjoong’s soft voice calls out to you, a protective hand coming out to caress the back of your head in habit. He can tell you want to say something, and the gesture makes you emotional, remembering how he always used to do that to ease your nerves when you were younger. 

“What’s wrong? Am I making things uncomfortable on the trip?” he worries about the boundaries you established with him at the beginning, watching as your lip begins to quiver and the emotions suddenly overcome you. 

“I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry.” you sniffled, tears forming near the brim of your eyes as you looked up at the father of your children. 

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, shifting through the covers over to you. “Woah, hey, shh that’s alright I got you” he coos, immediately going into dad mode and embracing you in his arms, letting your head rest against his chest. 

The action is natural, no longer foreign or weird, and you silently thank him for leaving reassuring circles on your back. Husband or not, Hongjoong would always be your best friend first. You had forgotten how much you missed this comforting side to him.  

“Tell me what you’re sorry about” he states, chest tightening at your wet cheeks before he slowly raises your chin to look him in the eyes. 

“For being mean to you for so long” you sniffle, a weakened state of emotional guilt eating away at you. You let him watch you carefully.

“I’ve been thinking about how happy the girls have been during this trip. A-And it kills me that we’ve been fighting for the past seven years, and that they’ve grown up seeing such bad parts of ourselves, of my own self” you ramble, confessing how you felt. 

You look up. “They’re happy because we’re together Joong. Because we’re not fighting or avoiding each other like we used to do before.”

He watches as you look up at him with tears forming in your eyes. 

“You’re such a good dad. And I realized you deserve to hear that.”

At the sounds of more sniffles, Hongjoong finally speaks, smiling as he brushes stray hair from your face. 

“I wouldn’t want anyone else but you to be the mother of our children, I hope you know that”

His truthfulness throws you off guard.

“I’m sorry too” he sighs, letting you sit up straight and look him in the eyes properly. “I haven’t been the best partner either, baby. We were both mean to each other.” he says, brushing a tear away from your face.

“I’m pretty sure you’ve thrown a hair dryer at me once before as well” he attempts to make you laugh, affection blooming in his chest when he sees he succeeds, wiping your tears. 

“But I already knew how you felt, sweetheart. I always know” he smiles, eyes mirroring a weak ache in his heart.  

“Married or not, we were once friends. And now we’re family” His voice turns deep, strong and dependable like the father he’s become.

“We can start over” you tell him, smiling as he folds his hands over your palm. “We can always do better from now and going forward. For ourselves, and for Eunseo and Eunbyeol.” 

Hongjoong nods, hesitantly for a split second before he leans over to press a soft kiss to your cheek, showing a gesture of affection that you longed for so long.

You shut your eyes, the kiss making your heart flutter. 

“Friends again?” He whispers, though silently wanting something more. 

You sighed, pulling him in closer to embrace in a hug. “Friends” you nodded while inhaling his comforting scent. 

The next morning, and for the rest of the remaining trip onwards, you and Hongjoong’s relationship dynamics did the equivalent of a 180 degree turn. 

It’s hard to believe you two really just wanted to be ‘friends’

Eunbyeol and Eunseo could tell by the way you talked to each other more, noticing you share more secret glances and fleeting touches that were innocent to the eye, but concealing a longing that you both tried to hide. You knew you couldn’t get carried away. You and Hongjoong were simply resolving a rough patch in your parenting. Not getting back together in a relationship. 

But after spending more time together while Eunbyeol and Eunseo became occupied on their own, it was hard keeping the interactions to a justified amount. Long walks in the forest, evenings spent cooking together, even cuddling together on the couch during family movie night. Thinking your kids were too busy watching the vintage Disney movie play on screen, when in fact, the real love story they were more invested in was happening right in front of their eyes, watching their parents falling in love again.

This led to the last event in their plan that they hoped would finally seal the deal. 

On Saturday night, the last night of your trip before you had to go back to the city, you and Hongjoong are surprised to find mini invitations left on your beds, scribbled in glitter pen and cursive handwriting reading out the following:

Gourmet Dinner Date for 2

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: Outdoor patio 

Dress code: Formal and Classy

You and your husband chuckled at the cards left on your beds, suddenly finding a twin each by your side and ushering you to get ready. 

“Do you and your sister even know how to cook dinner, Eunbyeol?” You questioned as your daughter rushed to push you into your walk-in closet, forcing you to get ready. 

She huffs, placing her hands on her hips looking offended. 

“At least my cooking skills don’t take after Dad’s, mom.” She mumbled, choosing your shoes for you. “Have some trust in a girl!”

Meanwhile, Hongjoong gets pampered by Eunseo in the other room, though in reality, her blunt critiques on her dads fashion are bruising his pride at the moment. 

“Dad, you have many normal clothes to wear. You have to chill with the ripped baggy jeans.” she demands, trudging through his closet to find something formal for him to wear. 

He begins to protest but his daughter shakes her head. “You’re supposed to look good for mom!” she huffs, searching on her own. At Eunseo’s words, the man starts to slightly worry, scratching the back of his head. 

“You and Byeol are gonna join too, right?”

She stops for a second, looking back to her father as she avoids the question and instead retorts back. 

“It’s just a date, Dad. Relax”

Back to what was happening in the other room at the end of the hallway, you huffed in frustration when you walked back into your closet after Byeol rejected another one of your outfits for the dinner date. 

“I have nothing else to wear, sweetie, these are all the clothes I have.” you came to terms with a hand coming to your forehead after having searched in despair. 

The ten year old shakes her head before pushing you out of the way and digging deep into your suitcase. She reveals a delicate piece of material you didn’t even realize you packed. 

“We got some help from Aunt Sophie and Uncle Hwa to pack you guys clothes that you could wear for a special occasion.” she wiggles her eyebrows, a smug grin on her face as you gap in shock. 

You inspect the dress, lips parting in disbelief as you feel the material. 

“I haven’t worn this since I was in college.” You uttered softly to yourself. 

At one longing look of the short dress, you shake your head, walking back into the closet to find something else. “I-I can’t wear this Byeol, what would your dad think?“ you asked nervously.

“Dad said he thinks your boobs looked hot in this dress so Aunt Sophie and I picked it specially” she looks up at you, proud of what she just said.  

You whip your head around, mouth hanging open in shock.

“Byeol! Where did you hear that from?” 

She sighs. “Dad had one too many drinks this one time and started talking about you guys back in college” she explained before shoving the infamous black dress in your hands. 

“Talked a lot about how pretty you were,” she draws out her words in a teasing voice. You curse your husband for his mistake.

You bite your lip as you stare down at the fabric in your hands. 

It was undeniable. You knew you looked amazing in this dress. You could testify from the amount of times Hongjoong ripped it off of you after countless night out’s filled with sexual tension and playful flirting. For god's sake, Eunbyeol and Eunseo could’ve almost had another sibling thanks to that dress.

“Fine.” you muttered bashfully, turning away as you walked into the closet to change. 

“But I’m just gonna try it on.”

Thirty minutes, one mental breakdown and too many outfit changes to count later, you walk down the stairs wearing the dress Eunbyeol had successfully persuaded you to wear. 

What do you know, the kid was right. Your boobs looked amazing in that dress. 

Not just your boobs, your whole body looked incredible with its strong curves and the beautiful fill it gave to the dress, making it slightly tighter than when you wore it as a twenty year old, but still all the more mature and sophisticated. You really did look hot.

Eunbyeol rushes down the stairs before you, catching up with her sister to inspect her job on their fathers preparation. 

“Well?” She says expectedly, looking at her dad. “Let’s take a look!”

He sports a simple yet timeless white collar dress shirt, the first few buttons undone as he wears a form fitting black dress-vest that accentuates his waist, dress pants paired to go along with it. Though simple, his silver rings pulled the outfit together, making him just as good looking and sophisticated as you were. 

Hongjoong’s back faces towards your front, watching as the man nervously shuffles his hands in his pockets.

“How do I look guys?” He gulps, adjusting his collar and sweeping his blond hair back. 

Eunseo rolls her eyes, a grin on her proud little face. “Do you even have to ask, dad?” She’s more than confident in the outfit she and Seonghwa coordinated together. 

He chuckles, shaking his head as he nervously tells them. 

“I want to look good for your mom, you know what I mean? She's a difficult woman to impress sometimes.”

“I’m difficult?” You tease, walking down the last few steps of the stairs. 

The man turns his head around, losing his breath at the sight of you standing there in front of him, wearing that dress that he hadn’t seen you wear for so long, looking breathtaking in every possible way. 

“Hi” you grinned softly, feeling sort of shy.

The way you fit in that dress made an insatiable hunger fuel inside Hongjoongs chest, eyes gazing at the way you strutted over in the black, lace covered material with your hair tied back and glossed lips turned upwards as your dimples showed. He breaks from his admiration when you quirk a brow at him, making the man almost fall to his knees and stutter uncontrollably. 

“I-I No I didn’t mean that-“

You giggle as you bravely take Hongjoongs hands in your own, shutting him up as you turn to your daughters standing in front of you, starstruck at your aura. 

“Outside, right?” you winked at them. 

“Right this way!” Eunseo enthusiastically leads you out back to the outdoor patio, a perfect view of the garden and lakeside coming into effect. Hongjoong slips his hand from yours, and slides it across your waist, pulling you into his side. 

“My parents are too cool” Eunbyeol sighs under her breath, watching from behind in awe.

Your ex-husband makes you swoon when he leans in to whisper softly. “You look breathtaking, sweetheart.” feeling an immense sense of pride at how lucky he was to make you the mother of his children. 

You blush, turning to him to whisper playfully back. 

“Not bad yourself.” 

You both look forward when you come to a stop at the patio steps, sheer amazement at the full preparation your daughters did for this event. Fairy lights were hung around the area, a table with two chairs on either side placed with a white table cloth and a bouquet of freshly hand picked flowers from the forest, battery powered candles that were sold at the souvenir shop lit in the middle and glowing softly. 

Eunbyeol dashes to the door when it rings, making you and Hongjoong furrow your brows. 

“Is someone here?” he asks, watching Eunseo fold a napkin over her arm like the pro waiter she was. The other one walks out, an oily fast food paper bag in her hands as she smiles. “Dinner is served!” 

“Turns out that diner 15 minutes away also delivers!” She chuckled, helping her sister plate the two cheeseburgers, fries, and vanilla and strawberry milkshakes. 

You and Hongjoong continue to watch in stunned amazement as the girls prepare the not exactly gourmet(?) but still impressive meal in front of you, their small hands working swiftly. 

“You guys prepared all of this?” You asked, getting a little emotional. They grin proudly, nodding their heads. “We called the place earlier and planned it all by ourselves!”

You pressed a kiss to each of their soft cheeks, thanking them both as Hongjoong did the same. 

“What did I do to get so lucky with my girls?” he smiles, ruffling their heads. 

“What about you guys?” You asked, watching as they slowly backed away to give you two some privacy. 

“Natalie and her mom invited us over for dinner and a sleepover tonight at her cottage,” Eunbyeol smiles. At the mention of their newly made friend that they had gotten close to over the week, Hongjoong looks at you then back at them. 

“What? But- ”

She cuts him off, rolling her eyes. “Her mom said it’s totally fine with her. She’s only two cottages down, and she’ll make sure we’re back in time again for tomorrow when we leave!” 

The two girls smile in excitement, though the both of you have your parental instincts kick in. 

“Please?” they begged, wanting you to let them go so that they could do this for you guys as much as they wanted to do it for themselves. “She’s waiting for us now!”

Hongjoong feels guilty. “C’mon, you guys should still join us!”

Eunseo immediately shakes her head, declining the offer. 

“Tonight is all about you guys. We don’t want to intrude” she chuckles, bumping shoulders with her sister who chips in.

“We’ll text you guys in the middle to let you know everything’s good of course” 

You and Hongjoong smile, a feeling of immense proudness overwhelming you from seeing your daughters act so grown up. There wasn’t anything else you felt grateful for more. 

“Thank you girls.” you muttered softly, watching as they flashed you a wink before hurrying out through the backyard door. 

“Don’t get all kissy in the backyard!” Eunbyeol teases, making cheesy smooching sounds with the back of her hand as her sister rolls her eyes and shoves her out. 

Before you know it, you’re left standing with just the sound of smooth jazz playing on the patio speakers and the buzzing of the summer cicadas. 

“She takes after you, I hope you know that” You told Hongjoong softly.  

He chuckles, “Not as much as you.” He gestures to the table. “Shall we?” 

And that’s how the next few hours seem to pass by without even realizing. 

You see, there was a reason why you fell in love with the man sitting in front of you, and you’re just beginning to remember it now. Being with Hongjoong felt as if the moment was everlasting, and you could testify that from the amount of laughter and deep conversation that was shared over dinner, bringing you to sit on that patio until the sun had set. Every so often you’d smile again at the thought of the twins preparing this all for you. 

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve been on a date like this” You blurted out after laughing about something, taking a sip of your strawberry milkshake through a straw. 

“Oh, so we’re going on dates now, are we?” Hongjoong grins, making you roll your eyes at him. 

You lean forward on the table cloth, watching as a glimmer passes through your husband’s eyes while he sits back in his chair, cocking his head to the side as he clears his voice. 

“But you’ve gone on dates after we split, haven’t you?” he asks, leaning forward in interest now, letting his chin rest on his palm. 

You shook your head slowly.

“Nope. Not since signing those papers” you revealed. 

Hongjoong furrows his brows in surprise. “And why’s that?” 

You suddenly didn’t have an answer. “I-I don’t know, I just…” You began, watching how he looked at you with an unreadable expression. You smiled, looking down and suddenly feeling embarrassed. 

“I guess I was too focused on running the bridal shop, I couldn’t find the time to.” You use as a cliche excuse. 

“Bullshit” he retorts back immediately. 

“It’s true!” You protested, throwing a fry at him that he dodges, landing on his finished plate. 

“You always did say back when we were younger that you wanted to be a designer. And look at you now” he admires, letting the candle lights shine a youthful glow to your face. 

“You always said you wanted to become a music producer and write your own songs.” you reciprocated, smiling as you soaked in the presence of one another. “And here you are now.” 

You think for a moment before asking the same question. 

“How about you?” 

Hongjoong silently shakes his head as his answer, though silently thinking about something else. The music changes to some old Billy Joel song in the back. You don’t realize it, but Hongjoong smiles to himself when he realizes the girls added it to the playlist. Of course they had to, it was one of the songs you played at your wedding. 

“What were we thinking when we got married like that?” You asked out loud, looking at how far you’d both come. You definitely skipped some of the order of the stages of a normal relationship. 

“I mean, we had no money, no prospects. Hell, we didn’t even have a car, Hongjoong!” you realized.

Your husband laughs, sitting straight and letting some skin show through his unbuttoned collar. 

“We were young” he justifies. 

“Yeah, and stupid too,” you pointed out, feeling the summer breeze pass by. It felt good to sit here like this with him.

You wondered, could sitting here like this with Hongjoong be a regular thing? After this trip, would you be able to walk back into each other’s lives again like this? 

As both parents and lovers?

Hongjoong brings up something you wouldn’t have expected him to. 

“Do you remember when we first found out about Eunseo and Eunbyeol?” he questioned softly, looking at you. 

You blink, taken aback. Suddenly you’re back in your college dorm washroom, sobs wracking through your body as Hongjoong who had only just sent his first few mixtapes to recording stations and companies nearby, pulled you close into his chest, eyeing the two lines left on the counter while he caressed your back. Only twenty years old and figuring out what you wanted to do with your lives, you were suddenly stuck in a sudden situation that had made you feel like your dreams would have been given up on completely. 

“I do,” you told him, pulling yourself from the memory. 

“I remember because in that moment I felt like the whole world was caving in”. You laughed, though it wasn’t fully cheerful.

“I don’t regret it, though” Hongjoong replies after some thought, gazing at you with truth in his eyes. 

You shook your head. “Of course. Neither do I.” 

It was a blessing to have two beautiful daughters as the product of your love.

“I don’t regret you either.” Hongjoong states.

You lock gazes, unable to take your eyes off of his face. 

“I loved you when I first met you and I still loved you when we divorced,” he says all at once, making your breath hitch and heart waver. 

“Don’t say that.” you tell him, looking away and suddenly reminding yourself you’re still divorced from the man sitting in front of you. 

How could he still love you after all this time? How could you feel the same about him?

Hongjoong continues, shaking his head as he bites back the lodge in his throat and makes up his mind. He has to tell you. 

“Truthfully, I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you.” 

Don’t do this to me you begged silently.

“I’ve hurt you just as much as you’ve hurt me.” He swallows, thinking back to the times you already knew he was referring to. The times where you fought to the point where there wasn’t even anything worth fighting for anymore. 

“But you have given me the greatest gifts of my life.” He smiles, holding his tears back.

“And for that I will always love you.”

You push your seat from the table, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and wanting to avoid him.

“I can’t do this anymore.” you dejected, walking away from the patio and from Hongjoong.

There wasn’t anything else you could fake anymore. You couldn’t bear to hear the man you once loved, possibly even still love, say these things like he had a dagger lodged in his heart. Didn’t he know he was only going to do the same to you?

Hongjoong is quick to catch up, holding onto your wrist and turning you around, that your back collides with the nearest wall inside, pressing your fronts together and closing the distance.

“Why do you always run away from me? From the possibility of us?” He exclaimed, voice breaking. His heart crushed at the way you turned your head, hot tears already clouding your vision. 

“Because ‘us’ can’t happen again, Hongjoong!” You cried, staring up at the man you once promised your life to.

“Don’t you get it? Us going on this trip isn’t a sign to get back together. What would we do seven years after breaking up?”

“We could do it” He states firmly, staring you down, both your chests heaving.

You bite your tears back again. “No we couldn’t, honey. We would be pretending to think we solved our marriage. What would we do about our daughters? After putting them through our constant fighting— ”

He slams his lips to your own, shutting you up as you painfully resist his touch. Your hands came up to push him away, but at the sudden gesture, you’re already giving in and sobbing softly, letting him hold you for just one last time. 

Your lips mold so perfectly, it almost hurts how much you missed this feeling. To have him slot his arms around your waist, pull you in close, and cherish you. You almost forgot this feeling. 

He pulls away softly, watching your lashes flutter, pleading to you for a chance as he leans closer, making your breath hitch. 

“We could be together as a family again,” he states firmly, your name leaving his lips in a desperate plea. “We never know if we try—”

You drown out his words, looking up with tears falling as you cut him off. 

“Seven years ago I gave you those papers to sign, thinking that you would’ve chased after me,” 

Hongjoong holds his breath, watching as the next words stumble from your mouth. 

“I realize now, how stupid I was to think that.”

“I didn’t know you wanted me to chase you”

Shoving his chest away while mustering the last of your strength you uttered. “Of course I wanted you to chase me.” You let go of his hands. “It’s too late either way”, walking away from the defeated man.

Hongjoong stands alone near the patio entrance, watching his tears fall to the wooden floorboards. Holding the ring he had kept hidden in his trouser pocket, he plays with it in his fingers, silently wishing he had given it to you sooner. 

It rains the next morning on your departure back to the city. Perfect, considering it reflects the sudden storm of utter depression that falls upon your family. Long gone are the cheerful giggles and longing stares that were shared between you and Hongjoong during the ride to the cottage. 

There was no room for that, not after last night.

Eunbyeol and Eunseo sat slumped in the backseat, rain hitting the roof of the car as they mindlessly played on their cell phones. Really, they were peeking from behind every so often and watching their parents sit in the front seat with tension so thick, you could’ve cut it with a knife. 

What had they done wrong? They planned the trip, the activities, the dinner— it was all perfect. And yet why were you still fighting with each other? 

These questions racked in their brains, baffled to have witnessed the sight of their parents refusing to talk to each other after walking back from their friends' sleepover. 

Eunbyeol and Eunseo felt as useful as matchmakers without a couple, feeling their efforts all gone down the drain. 

At the sudden ring of your cell phone, you pick up, answering at the voice of your assistant. 

“I’m driving back up right now”

Hongjoong continues focusing on the road, the occasional wiping of rain from the windshield wipers on the front window. 

“Yes. That’s okay, I'll take care of it.” You muttered, glancing at the rear view mirror for a moment. Your twin daughters immediately sigh, having an idea of what to expect when you say those familiar words. 

“Thanks for letting me know.” 

You hang up the phone, 

“One of us isn’t going with you, are we?” Eunseo asks, making you look back at her with a sigh. 

“No, you’re not” You confess, apologetic. ‘I’m sorry honey. I really am.”

You look back facing the front, swallowing as you told Hongjoong. 

“You’ll have to drop me off at the studio. Some things aren’t working out with the client so they need me to come in and take care of it.”

He nods, unphased as he continues to look straight. 

“Will you be fine with the girls?” You asked carefully, watching them as they were slumped in the backseat.

Hongjoong grips the wheel before turning to you. 

“I‘ll be fine. Don’t worry about it” sending a small smile, though it doesn’t fully reach his eyes. 

The twins thank god that at least neither of them had to choose to go back home with either parent. 

They would’ve hated that more. 

After barely being able to depart and say goodbye to your daughters in front of your studio, holding them close for a warm embrace and thanking them for an unforgettable weekend, Hongjoong drives off with his daughters, an empty feeling cascading his thoughts. He puts on a smile still, trying to cheer up his girls. 

“What do you want to do first when we go home? Want to unpack and then eat? We can eat and then unpack. Or we could- ”

Eunseo crosses her arms, having been fed up for far too long.

“Dad, you must be out of your mind.” 

Hongjoong stills, furrowing his brows and peeking at the first born who crosses her arms, holding an attitude. 

“Eunseo, what are you- ” 

“You’re telling me you and Mom just spent a whole entire week together at the cottage, had the best time of your lives since separating with one another, and now you’re just going to go back to not speaking or talking to each other again?”

Hongjoong blinks at his daughter’s sudden outburst, already making a turn into the driveway of his house.  

Eunbyeol now reciprocates her twin, looking at her dad as she slouches beside him, coming near the front seat area. 

“She’s got a point dad. Do you really just not love mom anymore?” She worries, looking up at him genuinely concerned. 

Hongjoong doesn’t know how to answer these sudden questions right now, stuttering to reply.

“Me and your mother are fine!” He lies, trying to reassure them. “That trip wasn’t just for us, it was also for you two to enjoy— ”

Eunseo asks the million dollar question. 

“If you still love Mom, why are you letting her go a second time?” 

With the engine turned off, it's gone silent. Two pairs of eyes staring at their father, awaiting his response. 

“Well? Are you going to chase after her or not?!” Eunbyeol groans, her fathers lack of response making her pull her hair. 

They were right. How could he have made the same stupid mistake twice?

Hongjoong struggles to put the keys back in the engine, telling them to put their seat belts back on. Their eyes begin to glow with hope.

“Do you girls mind staying at your uncle’s for a bit?” He asks hurriedly, punching into his cell phone to call his brother for a favor as he pulls out of the driveway. Eunbyeol squeals, hands clamping over her mouth as her sister speaks on behalf of them both. 

“Dad, if you don’t drop us off and get your butt over to mom’s right away, I’m gonna report you to child services.” she threatens, watching as he steps on the accelerator, heart pumping so fast as he smiles through the rear view mirror.

You sighed, holding up your cellphone to your ear. 

“Call me once she approves the design then,” you told your assistant through the receiver, one hand looking over the sheets of paper, highlighting the changes to the new blueprint. 

“Alright then, bye.” 

After hanging up the phone, you rubbed your temples, head pounding as you tucked the files back into the folder. 

The clock in your studio showed the hands about to reach seven pm. A few hours had already passed since coming back from your trip to the cottage, trying to forget everything by burying your focus into the new dress prints a client of yours requested, remodeling them after the original was rejected. 

Fingers worked away swiftly, comparing textiles and fabrics as you looked at the piles of papers and messy sticky notes in front of you. But yet the gears in your mind seemed to churn achingly slow, sighing as you repeatedly told yourself the same thing. 

Just focus on the dress, focus on the dress, focus on the dress.

Don’t think about him. 

The task is impossible. Your mind can’t help but slip back to what your relationship has become with Hongjoong, and what you were going to do now that those seven days were over. For so long you had deprived yourself from indulging in your love life, prioritizing taking care of Eunseo and Eunbyeol while juggling your job as a designer. Had you been doing it all wrong? 

Hongjoong’s words repeat in your head like a broken record player. 

I will always love you

Lies. That promise couldn’t be kept. Your divorce was a clear outcome of it. You and Hongjoong were two people not meant for one another. You were too different, all you would do is hurt one another, make life an unbearable living hell—

And yet you missed him. You missed Hongjoong so much. 

What was fucking keeping you from loving him? Was it your stubbornness? Was it really the fact that he didn’t chase after you? Or was it none of that and just your own self being stupid?

The front door of the studio opens, pulling you from your thoughts as you got back to the sketches. You called up from your desk as you worked quietly. 

“The studios closed for the- ”

Heavy breathing. The man who just walked in catches his breath from dashing out of his car and up the three flights of stairs, driving through almost an hour of traffic in pouring rain to be here in this moment with you.

“Hongjoong?”

He’s drenched, making a mess on the floor of the studio as the droplets fall softly one by one. 

Suddenly he's striding over to where you’re sitting in long steps before slamming his lips against yours. The kiss throws you off guard, the shock of his cold hands cradling your face makes you close the gap unknowingly. 

Linking your arms around his neck while kissing back passionately, you let your hands rest on his shoulders, pulling back for air as you panted heavily, catching your breaths and looking at each other with pure love and lust. 

“Why are you here?” you asked, feeling dumb because your heart already knew the answer. His hands wrap around your waist, desperate as if you would leave him again. 

But he’s just so fucking tired of that now. He just wants to love you now.

“I lost you once.” He breathes, eyes watering.

“I’m not going to lose you again”. 

Suddenly, everything that kept you from being with each other is thrown away. 

That hate, that fear, everything is gone because you realize you still needed each other. You’re still the same twenty year old couple standing in that dorm washroom, holding each other close and knowing it’ll be okay because at least you had each other. 

You grasp onto his damp shirt, pulling him down with such force that your lips meet again, taking charge as you finally allowed him to have you. 

“You’re a fucking idiot” you whined between kisses, curses escaping your lips when he softly bites the flesh of your neck to test the waters. “I hope you know that”

He agrees wholeheartedly, nodding as if he was already getting pussydrunk.

“I’m an idiot” he mumbles to himself, letting it escape his lips like a mantra. Well, he was stupid enough to only chase after you this late, so if his wife told him he was an idiot, then so he was.

“Let me prove how much I love you,” a hand comes to graze near the collar of your shirt. 

You gasped, watching as Hongjoong lifted you from your seat and rutted his hips against your core pathetically, your ass digging into the edge of the table.

“Here?” Your eyes widened, watching his expression turn dark. He presses kisses on your collarbone, making your hands grasp the wood for support. “Hongjoong wait,” you exhaled in a deep breath, heart beating against your chest.

But he doesn’t give a shit. He’s tired of waiting. 

“It’s been too fucking long” he protests, ripping your top off. You’re dizzy from how abruptly he’s stripping you, latching onto his shoulders for support as you wobble from him unzipping your jeans and pushing them down, exposing you in nothing but your underwear and bra. 

And like the good little whore you are, you immediately spread your legs, letting Hongjoong get a view of the embarrassingly wet patch leaking through your panties as he’s crouched down to let you step out of the denim near your ankles.

Holy fucking shit

You stand bashfully, toes curling from how exposed and vulnerable you were being the only one naked. 

“Please?” you asked nicely, letting your foot rest on his shoulder as your pussy was now on full display for him.

You don’t have time to even finish the last word before Hongjoong dives in, lapping at your soaking cunt and humming in pure ecstasy at the taste. The muffled vibrations make you throw your head back, tugging on his locks to shove his face further. 

Hongjoong’s hands press into your thighs that cage his head in, leaving a grip that you guarantee with littering the flesh with red splotchy bruises. Did you mind? Not at all.

When his tongue pokes at the gummy flesh of your walls, you let out a full moan, echoing throughout the studio as the air begins to smell like sex. 

“Right there, yes” you urged him, leg beginning to shake from how weak it was getting. 

He's so invested, you fear he might suffocate any longer if he doesn’t pull back for air. So you grasp his head, pushing him away from his meal while you both gasped lightly.

You watch him wipe his slick covered chin with the back of his hand, not breaking eye contact as he stares. 

“You were just begging to be fucked for all these years, weren’t you sweetheart?” He teases. 

Though you wanted him to lap at your juices until you came, you knew you needed to still feel his cock inside after so long. 

Your fingers played with the hem of your underwear, smiling back at your husband. 

“And you were just begging to get a taste of this pussy, weren’t you, Joong?” wiping that smug grin off his face.

”Lay down for me” he demands, getting up so that one hand finds its way to the back of your bra to unclasp it. The other clears half your desk covered in wedding dress blueprints and sketches, making sure nothing would make you uncomfortable before he fucked you on that mahogany surface so all you’d remember would be his name. 

And people said romance was dead. 

When the bra slides off and your bare back hits your desk, you suddenly realize what Hongjoong’s intention was when he ordered you to do that. 

Soft mounds spill out as your breasts take their natural form, giving Hongjoong the perfect view of your tits. Pervert. 

He immediately latches his tongue on a nipple, taking his hand and playing with the other, twisting painfully. 

A cry escapes your lips, parting them open as you let him play with them as much as he wanted to. He smiles against the motherfuckers, knowing that shut you up perfectly. 

“Are you ready for me to fuck you now?”

“Please, Joong, I need you” you whined, submitting yourself to your husband. He already knows you’re in need of one last kiss, coming up to give his wife what she wants by slotting his lips against yours again, this time much harsher. 

“Tell me so that I treat you good, baby” he mumbles, pulling back and making you clench your thighs together. He undoes his shirt in the meantime, unbuckling his belt and pressing a sweet kiss to your cheek when you sobbed. 

“Fuck me, please” 

His fingers slide your panties to the side to press his aching tip to your wet core. 

“Like this?” He teases.

“Inside, Hongjoong” you emphasized, meaning what you said with the way your nails dug into a pile of papers nearby. Biting your lip from how sensitive and needy your cunt was. 

“I know, I know,” he murmured, smiling to himself after messing with you. 

“I just missed this pretty cunt” before in one strong thrust, Hongjoong’s bulging tip enters inside your walls, giving you a stretch you forgot how much you loved. You whined softly. 

“Shit” he curses, relishing how the buildup finally led to this moment. 

The man is ravenous, but he’s genuinely trying his best to ease the painful stretch as you adjust to his thickness, nipping your neck in a trail of hickeys and love bites posessively.

With every thrust he makes, you arch your back, pencils and papers shuffling near by you. 

“Fucking look at my wife” he admires proudly, watching the woman he loves bounce her tits at every thrust of his cock. 

“S’too much” you caved in, shaking your head at the stimulation. 

You claw at his arms, head turning to the side as your eyes roll back from pleasure. 

“I know, mama, I know” 

He grabs a tit in his left hand, the right one coming down to play with your clit, pressing slow circles near where you were connected. 

“Fuck, I missed these” He rasps, savouring the feeling of your soft flesh in his hand, making you throw your head back. 

“Missed how they looked when you were pregnant” he says, thinking of how ethereal you looked when you were knocked up with his kids. 

“God, at this point I’m gonna get you fucking pregnant again” Hongjoong grunts, snapping his hips deliriously back and forth. He envisions you round and full, fulfilling his inner fantasy. 

“Shut up.” You spat, breaking the mood as you bit your lip to suppress a moan. He almost laughs when you then crane your hips back to give him easier access to keep penetrating you. The desk shuffles. 

“Your mouth is saying one thing, honey, but your body is saying something else” 

After hearing his words, you suck him in further, both of you now getting close. 

“M’close. M’so close!” you whimpered, sitting up so that now Hongjoong could hold you in his arms, caging your body so his cock could stuff you better. 

Your mouth hangs open in silent bliss, hands scratching his back. You leaned into his ear, making the final chord inside him snap. 

“Make me cum, daddy” 

And just like that, you’re clenching around Hongjoong’s massive cock as a creamy white ring begins to form. Hot ropes fill you up inside, tangled in a sweaty mess as he purrs, caressing the back of your head again in habit. 

“So fucking good, sweetheart. You did so good for me”

The sounds of your breathing fill the studio, a pencil or two rolling quietly away on the ground from being shoved off the desk. He shakes his head when you try to pull your sweaty bodies away, hair sticking to your neck but feeling the way he refuses. 

“Just let me love you,” he mumbles into your shoulder, dick softening inside you. “Just for a moment.”

You’re too tired to say anything back, so you finally give in. 

Seven years passed by you two without even realizing how much you still loved each other. Though you wouldn’t be able to get that time back, for once, there was something that you and Hongjoong agreed upon. 

You had no intention of wasting that time any more. 

����𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄:

Months later, and it still takes everything in Eunbyeol and Eunseo hearts to not scream at the sight of their parents when they walk hand in hand, smiling happily in public as they pick their daughters up from the first day of school. 

The girls jump into their parent’s embrace, eying the two silver rings they now wore proudly together. 

“How was school, darlings?” Hongjoong asks, pressing a kiss to Eunseo and Eunbyeol. 

“It was fun! We watched a documentary about lovebirds” she smiled, looking back up. You laughed softly.

“Which reminded me to tell you,” she grins, watching as you, her sister, and father all looked at her. 

“I hope you know that getting you and dad back together was my plan from the start.” she confesses, smirking at Eunbyeol who scoffs, crossing her arms. 

“Nuh uh, this was my idea first!” 

Before her sister could yell at her twin, you jumped in. 

“Plan? What plan?” You asked quizzically, both you and Hongjoong standing there confused.

“To get you guys to fall back in love again, of course!” Eunseo smiles, both her and her sister now giggling softly together.  

“How am I just finding out that there was a plan?” Hongjoong mutters, scratching his neck in confusion. You turned to the two girls, stopping in your tracks on your way to the car

“When did you two even think of all this?” grinning in astonishment as you felt Hongjoong slot his hand and intertwine it with yours. It felt natural now.

“Yeah, I'm curious too” he states, leaning close and becoming intrigued.

Your daughters look at each other before smiling. 

“It’s a long story.”

But at last, time is something you finally now have as a reunited family of four, walking back to your car, holding hands with a twin on each side.

Listening carefully, as your daughters start from the very beginning.

taglist: @vent-stink @dazzlingstarrs @vcutparis @xpixie @potatos-on-clouds @showingmafandomlove @bibbleypoof @kpop-will-kill-me @avantalem @beabatiny @gabrielle-brugger @nsixns @amaranth1ne @stayminho @myblovedjyh @kkeshia @rebekah-reads @yoonbroom @4kwp @butterflydemons @iwaizumiismybae @soobinsputnik @stayatinykatsy @atitties @justconniez @kitten4sannie @ghostskilledmyaddiction21 @cheolsthicthighs @morethingsfandom @geminiml95 @byuntrash101 @quailbagutte @syubseokie @newworldwritings @urmom26john @sleepy-kat-here @pearltinyy @hjshyhyssnmgwyjh @cursedeastern @starryunho @piratekingateez2001 @jiminbility @paumll @drinkingrumandcocacola @roomsofangel @channies-bbg-room @meanaonthemoon @teeztopia @pommelex @kiln9z @sanhwalvr @youresolivlie @edawg77 @a-0206 @summer-gyu @bvidzsoo @yoongzsmile28 @tournesol155

[atlabeth]

plastic hearts

pt 2

pairing: spencer reid x fem!gideon reader

summary: spencer gets a front row seat to some gideon family matters.

a/n: full 100% credit to @hotchfiles for her gideon!reader idea and thank you sm for allowing me to take a stab at her w spence, i love messy women and this was actually so fun for me lmao. i owe you everything for getting me out of this mini writing slump!! this just reinforces the fact that arguments are my fav thing to write bc this came out of nowhere lmao

wc: 1.1k

warning(s): very messy family relationship lol gideon and reader argue the whole time. reader's got daddy issues and a one-sided grudge against spence. drama and tension and not a good time for anyone but me

“Gideon, I was looking over the most recent case file and I—” 

Spencer is just barely able to avoid stumbling over both his words and himself only after he’s walked halfway into Gideon’s office. He’s nowhere to be found, only a pretty girl around his age sitting in the chair across from his desk with taut lips and a frown that you turn on him. 

“You’re not Gideon,” Spencer says dumbly. 

“Very astute,” you say. “They clearly hire the best here.” 

“W— who are you, exactly?” he asks. “And why are you in Gideon’s office? And where is he?” 

“That’s a lot of questions.” You tilt your head to the side. “Not surprised he hasn’t talked about me.” 

And once again, Spencer finds himself just staring at you. He’s pouring over every interaction he’s had with Jason Gideon since he started working here, every knickknack and tchotchke he’s ever seen on his desk, any pictures he might’ve seen from glimpses at his wallet. 

“You’re Reid, right?” Your eyes narrow in, and despite being around you for no more than a minute, he already feels like he’s doing something wrong. “He talks about you a lot. Probably more than me.” 

“Spencer Reid,” he says. “Uh— Doctor Spencer Reid, actually, but—” Spencer blinks and shakes his head, because why are you the one leading the conversation here? “Who are you, exactly? Because Gideon doesn’t really like visitors and he never really has them anyway and I really have to talk to him about something, so if you could just tell me where he is that would be great.” 

“I don’t know, but I’m surprised you don’t. He seems to like you a lot more than he likes me.” You huff a laugh. “I’m supposed to be here. He probably just forgot about it.”

Spencer opens his mouth to ask you again to just please say your name because the last thing he needs on his hands right now is a security hazard with him as the first line of defense, but he’s saved by the bell, because Gideon walks in right at that moment. 

He stops in his tracks as soon as he crosses the threshold, the pile of files and folders in his hands losing his interest—Spencer doesn’t even think he sees him, the way his eyes immediately lock in on you. He says your name, and Spencer doesn’t have to be a profiler to pick up on the annoyance. He swears he gets a hint of guilt, too. 

“I didn’t know you were coming to the office today,” he says. 

“Figures,” you remark. “We only made plans a week in advance and I only emailed you three times and called you today to make sure. How could you possibly remember?”  

“I never got a call.” 

“You never picked up.” 

“I was busy,” he says. “This job—” 

“I know,” you intone dryly. “It’s always the job.” 

“Gideon, I have a question.”

Spencer knows it’s not the best time, but the tension has shot up and the temperature has shot down, and he would really like to get out of here as soon as possible. Gideon frowns as he looks at him, and if Spencer didn’t know who he was working with he would have thought he was noticing him for the first time. 

“How rude of me.” Gideon walks over to his desk, and his voice is oddly restrained as he gestures at you. “Reid, meet my daughter.” 

He doesn’t even get the chance to say that wasn’t his question, because his eyes nearly burst out of his head as Gideon says your name and, more importantly, your title. 

“Your— your daughter?” 

“There it is,” you say wryly. “It’s heartwarming to know how much you talk about me, Dad.” 

“We don’t need to do this right now,” Gideon says as he sets his files down. He looks more tired than usual. 

“No, I think we do.” You lean forward, resting your elbows on your legs. “Because you finally agreed to fit me into your schedule for once, and instead, I meet boy wonder before I meet you.” 

“You don’t need to bring Reid into this,” he says. 

“I think I do,” you repeat. “Because I know about him and his three PhDs and how he’s the youngest agent here, and he doesn’t even know my name.” You look at Reid, a falsely disarming smile spreading across your lips. “You didn’t know my name, did you? I mean, based on that reaction, I don’t think you knew he had a daughter.” 

Spencer’s mouth opens and nothing comes out. He looks at Gideon for help, and he lets out a deep sigh as he says your name.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “Can we reschedule?” 

“No,” you say. “I have a job of my own too, y’know. This was the only spot I could carve out to come see you—I’m blocked in for the next month.” 

“We just got a case,” he says. “We have to brief everyone and be out within the hour.”

“Of course,” you say bombastically. “You always have a goddamn case, Dad.” 

“I have no control over it,” Gideon says, his voice pained. “You know that.” 

“Maybe not over the case, but you have some pull here,” you say. “And you’re in full control when you decide not to pick up the phone.” 

“I didn’t ignore you,” he says, but you’re already shaking your head. 

“That’s not good enough.” You pick your purse up from the ground and sling it over your shoulder, and your glare shifts to Spencer. “Maybe I should get a job here. Maybe you’d give me the same attention you give to him.” 

Spencer blinks. He doesn’t know if he’s ever been more uncomfortable in this office, which is saying something with their field of work. 

“I— I’m sorry,” he stammers, because what else is he supposed to say?

You huff a mirthless laugh and shake your head. “At least one person is,” you mutter. 

You walk out without another word, and Spencer sees Gideon’s jaw clench for just a second. 

He calls out your name, mostly in annoyance with a hint of desperation, and he starts towards the door. He pauses before he can cross the threshold, and he looks at Spencer. 

“Not a word of this leaves this office.” 

Spencer nods far too many times in confirmation, and then Gideon dashes out. He hears him calling your name yet again in the distance. They have a new case, they’ll probably be on the jet within the hour, he still has these files in his hands and that unanswered question, and yet he’s rooted in place with wide eyes. 

“Gideon has a daughter?” he repeats quietly to himself. 

[phoebejaysims]

Boutique Mod - DOWNLOAD

Inspired by the sims 2 shopping for clothes system, I present a sims 3 take on buying clothes, accessories and running a thriving boutique! Set up shifts, keep the racks stocked, and you might find yourself in profit!

Required:

Ambitions

NRAAS Master Controller + Integration Module

Optional:

ITF if you want to use the clothes mannequin and some visual effects.

Late Night if you want the animations for the security guard.

Seasons for extra interactions on the mannequin.

Savvy Seller Set for some visual and audio effects.

Full Documentation is included in the download. I spent a while writing it out, so please read thoroughly!

How Stores Work:

Set up a shift

Hire Employees (bosses count as employees so stores are fully functional with only one sim!)

Link at least one rack to the register

Open for business!

Employees:

Store employees can be given three types of roles: register attendant, sales attendant and security guard.

Employees will do their jobs automatically but you can always manually tell them to do things too like: restocking, dressing up mannequins, helping customers, among other things.

Customers:

Inactive and active sims can browse through the racks and have the ability to purchase items. They'll interact differently depending on if they are shopping at a clothes rack, accessory rack, or at a mannequin.

Inactives won't purchase outfits from mannequins unless you direct them to (or you enable auto-purchasing in the XML). However, they may "fake" buy clothes.

Once finished shopping, customers hold their bags and wait to be rung up! Take too long and they may abandon their purchase.

Shopping:

Adjust prices and restrict customers by age and gender to customise your store!

Clothes Racks:

Buy Clothes for your own sim, sims in your household, or (if you're an employee) suggest clothes for customers.

Employees that suggest clothes for customers can fulfil Ambition Stylist jobs this way.

Accessories Racks:

Choose accessories to be sold by adding them to the XML in the package file. The XML comes loaded with a few base game items already plus a couple modded items (Arsil's Sunglasses and lipstick - that won't be loaded unless you have them installed).

Sell buy-mode items as well as CAS items!

Make your CAS items wearable from your sim's inventory using your own meshes or my dummy accessory (see Documentation and XML for details).

Blacklist certain categories from being shown. If you want a dedicated shoe shop or an opticians, you can have it!

Try on products before buying them to see if they suit your sim. If there's a mirror in the room, they'll check themselves out in it.

Clothing Mannequin:

Try on the mannequin outfits to see if they suit your sim.

Plan different outfits to display and even set them to be rotated through seasonally.

Let your employees be creative and choose a random outfit for the mannequin to wear.

Buy clothes for your own sim, household members, or customers.

Allow or disallow inactives from automatically purchasing display outfits.

Security Gates:

Give your security guards something to stand and look threatening by.

You can try your luck at stealing from the shop. If you're caught, you'll have to pay up. If you get past the gates (or if there are no gates), enjoy your bounty!

Boutique Door:

Cloned from the Savvy Seller doors without the annoying 'kick-every-last-person-out-the-building-come-closing-time' feature.

Link this to a register and let the open and close sign automatically flip itself. Also, close the store or rename it, straight from the door.

Phone Interactions:

Ask for time off work (paid or unpaid).

Call in sick.

Cancel vacation days.

Credits and Thanks:

@dhalsims for adding geostates to the ITF rack for me. Modders, I really recommend her if you need any 3D models made also!

DouglasVeiga for the BG rack with the geostates.

@aroundthesims for allowing me to use her objects in my mod as always!

Sims 4 for all the animations that I converted.

Simstate & merchant mods for the idea to go into a mode to link racks to the register.

The OG shop for clothes mod and pedestal by @anitmb.

Arsil and @zoeoe-sims for wearable CAS items idea that I adapted.

Ani's Candle mod & Amb. Makeover XML which I looked at for inspo on how to do accessory rack xml.

Compatibility:

All new objects so shouldn't conflict with anything really.

Removes the 'plan outfit' interaction from dressers.

Made on version 1.67.

If you would like to donate as thanks, please feel free to do so at: my kofi! I don't take your generosity for granted!

Download: - Simblr.cc - 2t3 Boutique Mod Suggested Extra CC: - Lyralei's TS2 Conversions (incl. clothes changing booth) - More ATS3 Security Gates - ATS3 Friperie Set

Known issues, prop information and the full feature breakdown are all in the documentation.

Please be patient with me if there are bugs to fix. Also, anyone who DMs me "I don't know how to create a new shift" will be immediately fined £150.

With that said, please enjoy the mod and tag me in your beautiful boutiques,

Phoebe :)

[sergeantbarnessdoll]

Bucky and reader on a long mission where they’re a married couple attending their new “friends” wedding reception. Bucky asks the reader to dance with him, because what kind of husband would attend an event like this and not dance with his amazing wife?

Dance With Me » Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Pairings: Avenger!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Female Reader

Summary: You and Bucky attend a wedding as a fake married couple for a mission.

Warnings: Fluff, language, fake marriage, kissing, pet names

A/N: Thank you to the lovely anonymous person who requested this🩵

Written on my phone. My apologies for any mistakes.

Header made by @buckys-wintersoldier

GIF IS NOT MINE! Credit goes to the creator.

“You ready to do this?” Bucky asks as the two of you stood in front of the entrance to the venue.

“I’m ready whenever you are…” You looked up at him. “Husband.” You say.

“Let’s do this, wife.” He says.

You linked your arm with Bucky’s right arm and walked with him in the venue.

You and Bucky are on a mission as a fake married couple attending a wedding of two new “friends”. You two weren’t actually going to pay attention to the wedding festivities, except say hi to the bride and groom you two became “friends” with. You two are actually there for a flash drive that has very useful and important information on it for the Avengers.

“Look ahead.” You tell Bucky, seeing the bride and groom walking towards you guys. “Act natural.” You say.

The bride practically squeals when she sees you and Bucky, greeting you guys with a hug.

“How are you guys?” She asks. “We haven’t seen you two in a while.” She says.

“Sorry about that.” You apologized. “We were so busy with our kids that we forgot that we have a social life and friends.” You tell her, making something up.

“That’s ok.” She smiles. “We’ll catch up sometime soon. In the meantime, I hope you two enjoy our wedding as much as us.” She says, holding onto her husband’s arm.

You and Bucky gave them a nod and a smile as they walked away. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“We have kids now?” Bucky teasingly says with a playful smirk.

“It was the first thing I came up with!” You say.

“I’m not making fun of you.” He said. “I actually thought it was clever.

“Thank you.” You say with a proud smile.

“You’re welcome.” He smiles back. “Now, let’s get that flash drive, wife.” He says.

“Let’s do this, husband.” You say.

You and Bucky managed to slip out of the room the reception is in without no one noticing and walked down the hallway, looking for the room you two are looking for.

“Bingo.” You two stopped in front of the office you two need to search. “This is it.” You say in a whisper.

You put your hand on the doorknob and turned it, only to find out that it’s locked. You huffed quietly and turned to face Bucky.

“The door is locked. How are we going to get the flash drive?” You asked.

Bucky stared at the locked door for a short moment before smirking to himself. He put his vibranium hand on the doorknob and turned it just enough to break it, opening the door afterwards.

“After you, doll face.” Bucky says, gesturing for you to go in the office first.

You walked in the office while Bucky stood guard at the door. You rummaged through every filing cabinet and every desk drawer, but couldn’t find the flash drive. You were about to ask Bucky for help, but you discovered something. The desk drawer you were looking through had a little secret compartment. You opened it and found the flash drive with ease. You grabbed it and put everything back the way it was.

“Here you go.” You say, handing the flash drive to Bucky.

Bucky put it in the pocket of his suit jacket and you two got out of there before someone saw you guys. You two managed to sneak back in the room the wedding reception is in with ease. You two looked around the big room to make sure no one was looking at you before making your way to the exit.

“The coast is clear. Let’s get out of here.” You say.

“Wait a minute.” Bucky said. “May I have this dance?” He asks when a slow song began to play through the speakers.

“What?” You asked, blinking a couple times.

“What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t dance with my wife at a wedding?” He says.

You could sense his 1940s charm coming through, which made you smile. You happily accepted his offer for a dance. You two made your way to the dance floor and tried your best to blend in with everyone else. You wrapped your arms around his neck while he put his hands on your waist. You two swayed to the slow beat of the song. You two gazed in each other’s eyes while swaying to the music. Before you knew it, his lips were on yours. Your lips moved against his in sync.

“Mmm…” You hummed against Bucky’s lips before pulling away from his lips. “Let’s not steal the spotlight from the bride and groom.” You whispered.

“Good idea.” Bucky says with a small chuckle.

You and Bucky continued dancing while you thought to yourself. You’ve always heard about Bucky’s charm with the ladies in the 1940s, but never seen it until now. You have to say you definitely like this part of Bucky and you most definitely want to see it more often.

“What’s on your mind, doll?” Bucky asks, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Hmm?” You asked, humming in response.

“I asked you, what’s on your mind?” He asks again.

“I was just thinking.” You answered.

“Thinking about what?” He asks.

“You and your 1940s charm.” You answered. “I love this side of you and I would like to see it more often.” You say.

Bucky dips his head down so his lips are near your ear.

“I’ll show you this side of me anytime you want. All you have to do is ask, doll face.” He whispers in your ear.

“I can tell you what else I want from you.” You say.

“Oh yea? What might that be?” He asks.

Instead of telling him what it is, you kissed him passionately. Bucky immediately kissed you back. You pulled away, looking deep in his blue eyes.

“I have to say…” You started. “Being fake married is fun.” You say.

“I agree.” Bucky says, agreeing with you.

Bucky kissed you once more before you two realized that you two are accidentally stealing the spotlight from the bride and groom.

“We’re stealing the spotlight from the bride and groom.” You say with a small giggle.

“I don’t care.” Bucky pecks your lips softly. “I enjoy kissing you.” He admits.

“I enjoy kissing you too.” You admitted.

“Then we should get out of here.” He says.

“Let’s go.” You say.

You and Bucky walked over to the bride and groom to say goodbye to them before leaving.

“We’re going to have to cut the night short. We have something to do tomorrow and we have to get up early for it.” You say, making it up.

“Oh ok. Well, thank you for coming. We should catch up sometime when we’re not busy.” The bride says.

“Sounds good to us. Don’t you think, doll?” Bucky says.

You hummed and nodded in response. You two then left the wedding and got in the car.

“I’d like to dance with you again sometime.” You say.

“We can dance again when we get back to the hotel.” Bucky says.

“Sounds good to me.” You say with a smile.

Bucky leaned over the center console and pecked your lips softly.

“Wife.” Bucky says.

“Husband.” You say.

🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖🪖

-Bucky’s Doll

[mostlysignssomeportents]

“Carbon neutral” Bitcoin operation founded by coal plant operator wasn’t actually carbon neutral

I'm at DEFCON! TODAY (Aug 9), I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). TOMORROW (Aug 10), I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Water is wet, and a Bitcoin thing turned out to be a scam. Why am I writing about a Bitcoin scam? Two reasons:

I. It's also a climate scam; and

II. The journalists who uncovered it have a unique business-model.

Here's the scam. Terawulf is a publicly traded company that purports to do "green" Bitcoin mining. Now, cryptocurrency mining is one of the most gratuitously climate-wrecking activities we have. Mining Bitcoin is an environmental crime on par with opening a brunch place that only serves Spotted Owl omelets.

Despite Terawulf's claim to be carbon-neutral, it is not. It plugs into the NY power grid and sucks up farcical quantities of energy produced from fossil fuel sources. The company doesn't buy even buy carbon credits (carbon credits are a scam, but buying carbon credits would at least make its crimes nonfraudulent):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/31/carbon-upsets/#big-tradeoff

Terawulf is a scam from top to bottom. Its NY state permit application promises not to pursue cryptocurrency mining, a thing it was actively trumpeting its plan to do even as it filed that application.

The company has its roots in the very dirtiest kinds of Bitcoin mining. Its top execs (including CEO Paul Prager) were involved with Beowulf Energy LLC, a company that convinced struggling coal plant operators to keep operating in order to fuel Bitcoin mining rigs. There's evidence that top execs at Terawulf, the "carbon neutral" Bitcoin mining op, are also running Beowulf, the coal Bitcoin mining op.

This is a very profitable scam. Prager owns a "small village" in Maryland, with more that 20 structures, including a private gas station for his Ferrari collection (he also has a five bedroom place on Fifth Ave). More than a third of Terawulf's earnings were funneled to Beowulf. Terawulf also leases its facilities from a company that Prager owns 99.9% of, and Terawulf has *showered * that company in its stock.

So here we are, a typical Bitcoin story: scammers lying like hell, wrecking the planet, and getting indecently rich. The guy's even spending his money like an asshole. So far, so normal.

But what's interesting about this story is where it came from: Hunterbrook Media, an investigative news outlet that's funded by a short seller – an investment firm that makes bets that companies' share prices are likely to decline. They stand to make a ton of money if the journalists they hire find fraud in the companies they investigate:

https://hntrbrk.com/terawulf/

It's an amazing source of class disunity among the investment class:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/08/money-talks/#bullshit-walks

As the icing on the cake, Prager and Terawulf are pivoting to AI training. Because of course they are.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/09/terawulf/#hunterbrook

[andikiramman]

are you down to be...?

sub!caitlyn kiramman x reader

wc: 2.5k

(FORGIVE ME FOR SOME REASON THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO MY OTHER CAITLYN POST BUT I FORGORRRR)

caitlyn kiramman was bored.

she did not often feel this way, considering her job as the Sheriff of Piltover kept her busy most days, but after making the decision to delegate the solving of a certain case to her elite task force, she realized just how much she time she actually dedicated to her work.

which is how she ended up here: standing in front of her bedroom mirror decked head to toe in her birthday suit, trying and failing to wipe the smirk off of her face.

she silently trailed two fingers up from her belly button, tracing her lithe form as she thought of the ways her little plan might play out. she bit her lip, a rosy pink spreading across her cheek as she envisioned the look that'd be on your face as you'd notice her naked form standing at the doorway to your home office.

oh how she missed you...

you hadn't gone anywhere... and that was the problem. you'd waken up before she had, trapping yourself in the office as you drowned yourself in paperwork.

she hadn't expected you to take up her offer of joining the Enforcers, but you took to it like a fish to water. you progressed and climbed the ranks quite quickly, now even being in charge of your own division. you'd been overwhelmingly supportive, assisting in caitlyn's cases when you had the time. your only problem was your insistence on taking your division's matters into your own hands. while caitlyn had no problem trusting her squad with both major and minor tasks, you were quite typical about the way things were done, which led to you doing most things on your own. cait had to give credit where it was due; you certainly worked hard. too hard, in fact.

she didn't know how you'd react to being distracted from your work, but that's what thrilled her the most.

steeling her resolve, caitlyn slipped out of the master bedroom, steadily creeping down the hallway naked as the day she was born. when she reached the door to the home office, she took a deep breath, waiting a bit before slowly opening the door.

there you were, just as you had been the entire day: hunched over scattered piles of paperwork with your signature black pen in hand, focus darting from one sheet of paper to the next and writing where need be. though your desk looked to be a mess of office supplies, everything was organized just the way you needed it to enhance productivity.

realizing you had yet to notice her presence, cait silently made her way over to you, her feet gently padding along the wooden floor.

"baby, you're still working," she finally verbalized, an observation moreso than a question.

"yes dear," you replied, focus unwavering as cait decided to start rubbing the back of your neck. "do you need something?"

cait bit her lip as she smiled. "yeah, you..."

she watched as your expression formed into one of confusion, an eyebrow raising as you finally looked away from your desk. "i beg your-"

the room was silent as you took in her nude form. it was quick, the moment you realized exactly what your darling was referring to, but cait noticed, of course. the way your pupils dilated as your gaze zeroes in on her breasts for just a moment, before tearing away from the temptation.

"my love, i'm working," you said finally, turning your head away and looking down at the files in front of you.

"as you have been since you woke up this morning," caitlyn responded dryly. "did you even eat anything today?"

you sighed, locking your eyes on caitlyn's own. "if you must know, i have," you answered simply.

and yet, she could see the hunger lying within your gaze as you forced yourself not to take another look at her body. this battle was already won, but cait knew you wouldn't go down without a fight. though it seems she wouldn't need to do much fighting.

"you need a break," she insisted. cait gripped the back of your rolling chair, pulling it away before standing in between you and your desk.

"my dear, i'm almost done, please just let me finish-" you weren't even given a chance to complete your sentence before your pen was taken from your hand and mindlessly tossed to the other side of the room.

in a moment of defiance, cait climbed into your lap, long legs on both sides of your own. she took your hands in hers, placing them on her waist and being pleasantly surprised when you kept them there.

"you've been at it all day," she whispered. "please, just allow me to distract you for a mere few minutes."

you swallowed thickly. your pupils were completely blown out at this point, breathing heavy as your hands gripped caitlyn's flesh.

"you and i both know all too well that this will take more than just 'a mere few minutes'..."

caitlyn smirked when she realized she completely won you over, her hands coming up to cup both sides of your face.

"guilty as charged."

no more words were exchanged between the two of you as she pulled you in for a deep and passionate kiss. caitlyn groaned in a mix of pleasure and relief. oh, how she's missed this, how she's missed you. from the way she held you so, it'd be hard to imagine that the two of you were in a similar position just a day ago.

the way your hands massaged her waist and her lower back had cait absolutely melting on top of you, her desire for you building up to a point where she started grinding against your thigh.

she broke from the kiss to whimper out a small "fuck~" the moment her clit brushed just right against the fabric of your trousers.

"is this what you came to distract me for, darling?" muttered lowly. "to grind against my leg like a damned bitch in heat?"

caitlyn let out a whine as you gripped her hips tightly, encouraging her movements. "you could've jus' fucked yourself on my pillow if this is all you wanted to do... seeing how impatient you are, i'm sure that's something you've done before, isn't that right?"

oh god, caitlyn thought she could cum just from your words alone. you always knew just what to say to drive her into a frenzy.

she hid her face in your neck, eyes rolling to the back of her head as you starting moving your leg in sync with her grinds.

"a-ah, baby~" she cried out as one of her hands tightly clasped onto your shoulder. "want you s-so bad, please!"

“oh, i’m sure you do, my love," you chuckled. "make yourself cum first... i'll give you whatever you want after that."

"please, yes!" cait cried out, always one for a challenge. she doubled her efforts, short and quick thrusts against your thigh that sent waves of pleasure throughout her body.

she could feel your blunt nails digging into her sides; she knew there'd be bruising in the morning, but that thought was pushed to the back of her mind once she felt her core grow hotter. cait's movements grew sloppy as she felt her orgasm building up from within. she pressed her face harder against your nape and gripped your shoulder tighter, attempting to curl in on herself.

"oh, you're so close, aren't you, darling?" you cooed at her, voice smooth with a mocking lilt to it.

"please... need it, please!" cait begged in between breathy moans.

"oh, you don't have to beg, my dear," you replied. "go 'head and take what you want."

with that, caitlyn tipped over the edge, her entire body quivering as her orgasm rushed through her. she sobbed into the side of your throat, the rolling of her hips losing rhythm.

finally, she slumped against you, tired breaths coming out in whimpers against your neck. your once harsh grip turned into gentle strokes of your fingers along her back, bringing her down from her high.

"that was marvelous, darling... do you think you can take one more?"

caitlyn lifted her head up to finally look you in the eyes. you still had that hungry look to you, like you wanted to just eat her alive.

"please," she sighed. "i need more of you, please..."

"oh, you poor thing," you cooed. you slipped your hands under her legs, and in a sudden yet impressive display of strength, you stood up with her, making your way over to your desk and placing her on the side that wasn't so occupied.

you kissed her gently, caitlyn basking in the afterglow of what she'd just experienced. she cupped your face as she brought you in closer, wrapping her legs around your waist. she moaned softly when you started kissing her neck, your warm breath causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up.

she could easily lose herself in this soft moment...

that is, until you tangled your hand in her hair and pulled.

she yelped, eyes widening at the sudden painful sensation.

"i've been all too kind to you," you mused. "you come in here, get in the way of my work, and i just give you exactly what you beg me for... you're one lucky woman, you know that?"

cait could only let out a whimper. of course she knew. you always put her first, no matter what.

"i won't be so kind the next time this occurs. do you understand, my dear?"

"crystal," she rasped. lord knows what you would've done if she pulled this stunt while you were already in a bad mood.

the thought sent a thrill along her spine.

"now," you spoke again, "it seems i have yet to completely satisfy your needs..."

your free hand came up to one of her breasts, groping it before taking her nipple between two fingers and pinching. caitlyn let out a sharp cry, eyes squeezing shut as she threw her head back.

"everything about you is so damn pretty," you said aloud, seemingly to yourself. you let go of caitlyn's hair, cupping her cheek instead. "from this pretty little face of yours..."

your hand slid downwards to massage her other breast, eliciting a soft moan from caitlyn. "to your tits..."

finally, your hand slipped down in between her legs, fingers coating themselves in cait's arousal. "to this sweet fuckin' pussy of yours."

"oh my god," caitlyn whined as you traced slow circles against her clit. "oh, fuck yes~"

"what do you want from me, baby?" you muttered, bringing your lips to her jaw. "tell me and i'll let you have it."

"eat me out," caitlyn moaned out. "need to feel your mouth on me... please..."

you smirked, letting out a deep hum. "very well then... your wish is my command."

caitlyn watched in anticipation as you lowered yourself onto your knees, maintaining eye contact with her the entire way down. you began kissing her inner thighs, dangerously close to where she actually wanted you.

"babyy," she whined impatiently. "stop teasing, pleasee."

you rolled your eyes at that. "you know, for someone who came in here being nothing but a distraction, you seem rather hasty. i've already long since disregarded my work; there's no rush."

cait was not satisfied with that answer. "but i need you now," she retorted, lifting her hips up to bring herself closer to your face.

you scowled at her for just a moment before rolling your eyes. "it's no wonder you had the audacity to barge into my office and disrupt me like this. i truly do spoil you."

you wrapped your arms under caitlyn's thighs before diving in, licking a long and slow stripe from her leaking hole up to her puffy clit. cait squeezed her eyes shut and her jaw dropped as a wave of pleasure ran up her spine.

"ohhh... oh fuck," she sighed out. "please..."

without warning, cait suddenly felt your tongue delve deep inside of her, her back arching and a loud moan escaping her in response. you hummed as you tasted her, and cait couldn't help but move her hips in sync with your tongue, hoping to feel you ever deeper.

instead, you slipped your tongue out, opting to wrap your lips around her aching clit and sucking. cait's thighs tightened around your head, trapping you in and seemingly never wanting to let go.

"ahh, o-oh please, please keep going," she cried out in pure ecstasy. "oh, i'm so close baby, please!"

she felt the vibrations when you moaned in reply, letting herself fall back against your desk as she could no longer hold herself up. ignoring the digging of writing utensils in her back, her hands tangled themselves in your hair, needing something, anything, to keep her grounded as you ate at her very being.

she felt you throughout her entire body, from her scalp to the very tips of her toes. with each calculated maneuver of your lips and tongue, you lifter higher, higher, and even higher...

until she was falling, tumbling over the edge with a wail, her body tensing up ass tears flowed down the sides of her face. you didn't stop, though, the quivering jerks of her hips overlooked as you kept your pace.

"b-baby please!" caitlyn cried out. "s-sensitive!"

her pleas only fell onto deaf ears. it seems you had a mission: to lift her right back up to the peak again just to bring her right back down.

you did exactly that, caitlyn crying out as her orgasm overtook her once more. this time you let go, poor caitlyn finally getting a chance to relax. she felt your warm hands gently rubs her legs, before reaching higher to rub her stomach.

"are you finally satisfied, my dear?" you wondered aloud.

"mhm," caitlyn hummed groggily, her eyes remaining hut as she brought her arm up to shield them from the light.

she felt you put her legs down as you stood up, before her upper half was suddenly lifted off the desk into a seated position. she yelped, her eyes snapping open and being met with your warm smile.

"i'm glad," you responded. "what do you say we call it a night?"

caitlyn nodded. "but what about the rest of your paperwork?" she asked as you lifted her into a bridal carry.

"oh how ironic, you suddenly care about that?" you questioned sarcastically.

"i'm just asking," caitlyn pouted.

you kicked the door open, carrying her down the hallway and to the bedroom. "don't worry about that, i'll finish it at the precinct in the morning."

"okay."

you kissed caitlyn's forehead. "in hindsight, i really needed that, a distraction, that is... thanks for that."

caitlyn's cheeks flushed pink, and she blinked in surprise at your admission. "o-oh, really? you're welcome, then."

when you reached your room, you set her down on the bed before climbing up and laying down next to her. she instantly wrapped her arms around you, her leg resting on top of your own.

"why don't we go on a date tomorrow?" you suggested. "i'd like to spend more time with my darling."

caitlyn could feel her heart doing flips in her chest as you gently turned her face towards you, pressing a succession of soft kisses against her lips.

"yeah... i'd like the sound of that."

hope u guys enjoyed reading this! likes, comments, and reblogs are super appreciated!! o((*^▽^*))o

[wanderingsoul6261]

Gif credit to thepalmofyourfreezinghand

James Beaufort x tailor!Reader(Female)

Synopsis: Reader is James new tailor. Will be a small series. This fic is small, as it sets the basis, paves the way, whatever, for the series.

Mortimer is probably a bit OOC in this (but I set it where he is good friends with the reader's family? And things will be explained further in the series. But Mortimer is good friends with her father and grandfather primarily) I don't know. We will see where it goes. I might make edits if it's not working in the way I'd like.

The doors to the room burst open, alerting the Beauforts. Heads turned, and glares were given at the intrusion. James had wrinkled his nose in disgust at the newcomer, who wore ripped jeans and a baggy hoodie and had all but practically fell into the room. His eyes moved to his father, whose eyes were on the girl in an instant. James had expected his father to look at her the same way he had and give her an earful, but instead, James was caught by surprise by his father's reaction.

“Ms. Y/L/N.” James whipped his head back towards her. This was his new tailor. This girl, in civilian clothes. Could she even afford lavish clothes? Did she live in a one bedroom house with the rest of her family? 

“Mr. Beaufort. I'm so sorry for being late. I had a family emergency to attend to. I told someone to let you know.” James went to open his mouth to say something sarcastic in response, but his father beat him to it. 

“No need for apologies. I was informed. I hope all is well. We aren't in particularly a rush today, so all is well.” Mortimer turned to his son, who looked between his father and the girl in astonishment? What happened to his father? The brute that threatened to wreak havoc at the smallest of inconveniences. 

“This is Y/N Y/L/N. She is your new tailor. She has trained under some of the finest tailors in the business, so I expect some good things.” James only stared in silence at his father, before his attention turned to her, his jaw clenching. This had to be some joke, but as she readied herself with a measuring tape and motioned for him to take his spot, he knew it wasn't so. “In the meantime, me and your mother have business to attend to.” With that, Mr. and Mrs. Beaufort gave her a polite smile and left the room, Lydia in tow. She shared a look with her brother, who didn't look enthused in the slightest. 

He watched his family leave, and then turned to Y/N, who waited for him to move. But he stood there and stared at her. 

“You're my tailor?” He spoke with a tone that held disgust, his eyes somehow showing the same as he looked her over again. 

“And you're my client? I know. Not how I wanted to spend my afternoon.” She bit back and it surprised him. Not many spoke to him in such a tone, especially someone dressed in such a way that she was. “The Beauforts. Known for their money, and their arrogance.” His jaw clenched, as well as his fists. He wanted to fire back. She hadn't said much to warrant anything too nasty from, but he didn’t like people speaking about his family in such a way.

“You say that, but you still decided to work for us?” It came out as more of a question.

“My family has worked for the Beauforts for many years. Just carrying it on.” her tone altered slightly, almost in a solemn way, before it changed into a mock cheeky tone. 

“And while I know that much about your family, we both also know how your father can be with inconveniences, so we better get started before we really set him behind schedule.” He did know his father, which was why James was surprised when he didn’t lash out when she was half an hour late to their appointment. But he also knew that she was right. The half an hour was small, miniscule. But anything more than that, was up for debate. He didn’t want to see or hear what would come if they fell even further behind schedule. 

“Aren't my measurements already on file?” He asked instead, looking at her pointedly.

“Bodies change, Mr. Beaufort.” She spoke with snark in her tone. “I just want to be sure. Ya know. The ‘do the job once and do it right’ kind of thing’.” She gave him a cheeky grin. Oh how bad he wanted to swipe that grin off her face. She infuriated him, and they have known each other for all but ten minutes. 

He finally took a few steps towards her. 

“Oh, what a good Beaufort!” She exclaimed. He whipped his head towards her in a sneer. 

“Do not, speak to me in such a way.” Y/N had looked almost bored at him. 

“I'm so threatened. Now get over here so I can do my job. I don't want to be here as much as you do, you can trust me that much. But I'm not doing it for me or you, no less your father.” She matched his glare, the two of them knowing full well where these appointments were going to go every time he had one. 

James blew air out of his nose in irritation, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he stared her down. When she only raised an eyebrow and stood her ground, he finally gave in, but if she wanted a fight, James was going to give her one. 

When she was finally allowed to, she finally got to work with measurements, surprising James with how gentle she was being, despite their tiny spat. 

But as she continued to do her job, he felt several emotions. Anger, frustration, disgust, amongst others that described his distaste for her. The other was confusion. Who was she? What was her status? Why did his father treat her with so much respect? And what happened to the man that was his previous tailor? 

----

taglist: @honethatty12 @lifeonawhim @ashamedtobewhitemanswhore27 @maryvibess @wheredidmyeyesgo @imasimptoowth @avada-kedavra-bitch-187

@sillyfreakfanparty

[misahyochaeng]

“C'est la vie”

Jihyo x Fem!reader.

Chapter 1-(?)

Other chapters here:

tw: angst, cursing, mentions of violence, NOT PROOFREAD.

—

Jihyo tapped her pen on her dark colored meeting table, she had her legs cross as she analyzed the company stat numbers on her file paper.

She found herself at a high-stakes meeting about the company’s flagship luxury brand. The company in financial trouble due to increasing competition, declining market share, and a terrible PR scandal that left the whole company in practical shambles.

She radiated authority, control, that’s all she needed—all she wanted in life, she bit on her customized pen as she stared at her workers who had fear in their faces. Almost like a bomb was about to go off in seconds, one of them spoke up.

“Ma-Ma’am, last quarter's revenue dropped 15%. At this rate, we won’t make it through the next fiscal year without drastic measures." they stammered, fiddling with their note pages and scribbling down rather stressfully, trying to scan Jihyo’s face for any sign of approval.

“Stop staring” she bit back at the worker “S-sorry ma’am..” they jolted as they put their head down in shame, shoulders hung low. “We’ll cut back on unnecessary expenditures. Focus on high-margin products and reduce reliance on underperforming lines.”

Yoo Jeongyeon, a close friend and other worker in the meeting stood up, a bit of authority in her words; she knew Jihyo, she knew how important the company was for her and how stubborn she was— she retorted in a scolding tone. “That’s not enough, Jihyo. The competition is eating into our market share. Investors want results.” she stared into her eyes, Jihyo’s darkened and narrowed, her patience was wearing thin.

Jihyo cursed under her breath, taking a heavy sigh before speaking up. “Then we remind the market who we are. Revamp the flagship brand. Launch a bold campaign that no one can ignore. If we can dominate the luxury sector again, we’ll be sure to pull through”— she bit the inside of her cheek.

Another worker interrupted, Sana, the company manager, almost like a relative to Jihyo, “How do you plan to finance this ‘bold campaign’? The bank rejected our last request for additional credit.” she used air quotes.

Jihyo clenched her fist, gritting her teeth as she spoke up, voice husky with annoyance. “Fucks sake, we don’t need them. I’ll negotiate with new partners.” her pen snapped lightly from the tight grip she had on it, the ink bleeding into her palm.

That’s when someone slammed the door open, “Jihyo-ssi… about that,” her mother walked in the room, the atmosphere growing even more tense. “What the hell are you doing here” Jihyo uttered with resentment “Have you been overhearing this entire conversation? This is none of your business.”

Her mother slid a file to her end of the table, “That’s not the point. I want to talk to you about that... There’s an alternative. We’ve been in talks with the Beaumont Group.” Jihyo’s eyes widened, she tried maintaining her compuse, not allowing herself to be vulnerable infront of anyone.

“The Beaumont Group? The one we've been competing with for years?” Jihyo’s eyes widened as she closed herself off more, the pen still staining her hand—a quiet mark of the decisions she could no longer avoid.

“They’re willing to partner with us... under one condition.” Her mother took off her sunglasses, i look of worry and slight guilt in her eyes, Jihyo knew something was off. “And what’s that?” her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

Her mother hesitated. "A marriage. Between you and Y/N Beaumont. It’s non-negotiable."

Jihyo stood up abruptly, the disgusting name leaving her mother’s mouth was her last straw, and knowing she’d had to marry that putrid woman made her blood run warm, the pen finally snapping in half, it fell to the floor. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding. You want me to marry someone for the sake of this company?!”

“This isn’t just about you, Jihyo. It’s about saving what your family built” Jihyo’s mother muttered, this time more sternly.

Jihyo sighed, her coworkers stared at the commotion in fear.

“Get out.” she mumbled as everyone stood still.

“Get the fuck out!” everyone picked their bags in a rush as the room fell empty little by little. Jihyo’s mother sat down next to her

“Listen to me…”

—

Three clicks of a camera.

Multiple flashes.

“Y/N over here!”

“Move your hands more to the side”

“Perfect!”

“You’re so beautiful, Ms. Beaumont! A true doll!”

You smiled, moving to your best angle, adjusting your head and giving a picture perfect smile.

“That’s it, Y/N! Hold that pose—turn your head slightly to the left. Perfect. You’re killing it!”

You shifted effortlessly, your chin tilting just enough to elongate your neck, the corners of your lips curling into a knowing smile. You knew you were untouchable—at least, you liked to think so.

From the corner of the studio, your manager—and childhood friend—, Momo, approached hesitantly, clutching her phone like a lifeline. The lines of worry etched on her face stood in stark contrast to the polished, almost ethereal scene before her. “Love, we need to talk, it’s important.”

You didn’t flinch. Eyes stayed locked on the camera as if her voice had no place in your world, “Momo, dear, can’t you see i’m a bit busy right now? Unless it’s about booking Paris, it can wait.” you said inbetween your smile.

“This can’t wait, Y/N-ie.”

The photographer lowered his camera, a hint of irritation crossing his face. "Can we get five minutes? You’re ruining the shot here, ass-face.”

“First of all, who are you calling Ass-Face?! It better not be her cause the only ass-face you’re getting is yours when you see your paycheck after this shoot, cock sucker.” You exhaled sharply, the sound of your frustration cutting through the studio hum. With a flick of the wrist, you waved off the crew and turned on your heels, the hem of your gown trailing behind you like a stormcloud.

"Fine. Five minutes, Momoring, what is it?."

You said as to stepped off the set, towering in stilettos, every inch of you still radiating the effortless control of a goddess. Yet, as you faced Momo, the faintest flicker of annoyance darkened your expression.

Momo hesitated, looking anywhere but directly at you. She ran a hand through her hair, the tension palpable. "Your parents have been in talks with the Park Family. They’ve come up with a... plan to strengthen both families’ positions."

Your eyebrows furrowed together, “What kind of plan..” a pit grew in your stomach as your anxiety grew. “An arranged marriage. To Park Jihyo."

For a moment, you blankly stared, the words sinking in like a hollow stone dropped into a body of water. Then, you laughed—a sharp, bitter sound that cut through the studio like glass shattering. "You’re joking, Momoring. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard." you slapped her shoulder playfully.

Momo didn’t laugh.

"You’ve met Jihyo before. At the charity gala last year."

Your laugh cut off abruptly. Eyes narrowing as the memory surfaced—Jihyo, stiff as a board, barely speaking, radiating cold disinterest; that was until the most expensive luxury piece of her brand snapped off your neck, falling to the floor and shattering in pieces. The argument you had blared your ears, and tears swelled in your eyes as you thought about it again.

"Oh, that Jihyo. The one who spent the whole night glaring at their phone and avoiding eye contact, until i ‘broke’ her shitty brand necklace!? You’re telling me I’m supposed to marry them? I didn’t even fucking break it!!" Your voice cracked slightly at the end, the weight of the word "marry" pressed down on you like a stone.

Momo tried to speak up, a hand caressing your side to comfort you, "I know this isn’t what you want, but—"

"What I want? You think I want any part of this? I don’t even know them, Momo!"

You ran a hand through your perfectly styled hair, disheveling it slightly. The gesture was so uncharacteristic of you that even Momo looked startled.

"Y/N, this is bigger than you. It’s about your family, your legacy—"

You pulled Momo close, going to whisper in her ear, voice breaking slightly, "It’s always about them, isn’t it?" Your shoulders sagged, the fight draining out your body. For once, you didn’t have a quick retort or biting comment. You looked down at your shaky hands, noticing the faint smudges of makeup from touching your face, you wiped them on your gown without caring.

"I need a minute." Without waiting for a response, you turned and walked back to the set. The photographer called out to you, but his voice barely registered. You slipped back into position, forcing a smile onto your face. The camera flashed, capturing her perfection.

But in that moment, you felt anything but perfect.

[seokgyuu]

TEASER part of the @svthub 70's collab

Lee Seokmin is a very successful and admired Detective in the NYPD. Up until now he has had no trouble catching the bad guys. But when an especially horrific serial killer starts roaming the streets of New York City and he faces perplexity for the first time in his career - his superiors send a unit from the FBI trained to profile Serial Killers, which contains none other than you - Seokmin’s High School Sweetheart.

Pairing: Detective!Seokmin x FBI Agent!Reader

Genre: Criminal Minds/Detective AU, exes to enemies to lovers, Serial Killer AU, angst, Smut (MDNI!)

Warnings: Serial Killer theme, description of violence, description of dead bodies, cult themes, mentions of suicide, mentions of blood; smut warnings: will be added

Wordcount: teaser: 1045

Seokmin looks up from the file. 

“Why is this different from the other four victims? Because she has an important dad, suddenly the tables turn?” 

Bream sighs, pulling a hand over his red face. 

“It’s not fair, I know that, Lee. But this changes everything. The judge is furious. He wants the slasher to be caught yesterday.”

“Oh, and we don’t? Captain, please, this is bullshit!” Seokmin scoffs, throwing the file back on the table and glaring at his superior, who looks straight back at him.

“I know. We all know Seokmin. It’s a bad situation. But, some might say, it did bring something good.”

“And what’s that?” Stolper speaks up, crossing his arms. Bream clicks his tongue.

“We got sent help. From the FBI.”

Silence is what follows. Seokmin feels the ice inside his veins melt and instead get replaced by fire. He knows Stolper feels the same. Everyone here feels the same. The fucking feds.

“They can’t take this from us. We’ve been on this for months,” Seokmin hisses, and Bream nods again, licking his dry lips.

“They won’t take it from us, Lee. They are only here to help. In fact, they aren’t… our usual feds.”

“What does that mean?” Seokmin raises his brows, leaning forward, hands on top of the table.

“They are a completely new department. Focused on the behavior of criminals, analyzing them, trying to figure out what is wrong with them.”

“They are killing people. That’s what's wrong with them!” Stolper shouts, and Bream holds up his hand. 

“I understand that you’re upset. God knows I am, too. But there is nothing I can do. Go talk to them. They just arrived.”

The ice is back, and this time it hits Seokmin right in the face. They are here already? Waiting for them? Embarrassment flows through his veins, mixed with an emotion he has never felt before at this job: failure. His legs are shaking as he gets up, but he tries to play it off, his body tensing when Bream leads them to the door and opens it. 

The hallway to the main hall suddenly feels longer than it is. The walls are closing in on Seokmin, the gray concrete threatening to suffocate him as he walks over the horrendous blue tiles he never understood were placed in the first place. Nothing really seems to be matching in this precinct. Most especially Seokmin and the federal agents waiting for them downstairs. He doesn’t know how his legs lead him to the glass front that shows the inside of the busy precinct downstairs. Everything is the same gray color. Everything is the same horrible blue. The only difference is the people standing in the right corner of the room all gathered around the whiteboard Seokmin has so carefully put together these past few months. 

His hands are sweating. This isn’t fair. This is his case. They aren’t supposed to be here and take credit for what he has done so far. What exactly have you done, Lee Seokmin? The voice in his head reminds him, and he balls his hands into fists as Bream opens the door leading to the stairs that will finally bring him to the federal agents he knows he’ll hate already. 

The atmosphere in the room is tense. More tense than usual because everyone in it is unhappy with the current situation. As if it isn't hard enough that there is a killer on the loose, now there are FBI agents trying to take this away from the NYPD? This is his town, Seokmin’s town! No one knows it as well as him. He knows every corner, every store. Every good place to eat, every bar to avoid. The people know him; they trust him with this, and now he is just supposed to accept that he can’t continue what he started?

He doesn’t know how, but somehow, he does end up right behind all the agents and one of the other detectives, Jeanne, and doesn’t even try to hide the fact he is bitter. His arms are crossed as he listens to Jeanne explaining what is on the board. She had been a part of this - all of the higher detectives have been whenever they could. It’s not like crime suddenly stopped in New York City just because a serial killer was roaming around. If anything, it just got worse. 

“That’s about all we’ve gathered. I know it’s not much, but it’s all we got.” Jeanne closes her explanation, and Seokmin watches the backs of the agent's head nodding. Bream then clears his throat, making the others aware that they have joined and once the team of strangers turns around, Seokmin thinks someone has yet again taken a bucket of ice and dumped it all over his head. Because why on earth are you here? 

You see him the second he sees you. It’s almost funny how your professionalism slowly slips out of your control, how seeing him makes memories flood your brain and almost drowns you. Why is he here? He, who had left you with a sour taste seven years prior to this moment? Why is he standing there in a well-fitted suit, looking the best he ever had in a precinct that shouldn’t have anything pretty inside it? 

“Detectives, may I introduce you to agents Son, Song, Kim, Seok and Y/L/N. They were sent here by the FBI to help us with the investigations.” Jeanne smiles, but Seokmin knows it’s not an honest smile. You see it, too. When you had gotten the memo to go to New York City and help with the slasher murders, you had already known the detectives wouldn’t be too happy to see you and your team. 

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m the team leader, Hyunwoo Son.” You hear your boss speak, and you want to look at him, but your eyes are back to being glued to Seokmin. Lee Seokmin. The one who had taken everything from you when you were 19. 

“You too. I’m Detective Stolper. This is Detective Lee.” Bream doesn’t sound sincere. For once, Seokmin is relieved his older colleague likes to speak over him. He doesn’t know if he would have been able to say a word. 

header credit @playmetheclassics

[virescent-v]

phone tag pt. 2

Summary: Emily finally comes home!

Warnings: Again, this is straight up porn. Minors, DNI. This ain't for you. A little derogatory talk if you squint, strap-on use, blah blah blah, the typical smut.

Word Count: 4.4k+

Read part one: here

Emily had thought that the case would wrap up in a day or two. But, like usual, the case was unpredictable and the unsub was more clever than they gave him credit for. 

The case was still ongoing. 

It had been three more days since you had almost gotten Emily caught talking dirty to you while at the precinct. 

You haven’t been able to cum since. 

You tried. Oh, boy, did you try. But every single time you got close, you just couldn’t get off. You weren’t sure what was happening. What was holding you back. At first you thought that it was just the lingering embarrassment from almost being caught, but that quickly passed. Then you thought it was just from missing Emily. That you wanted it to be her hands touching you, fucking you. And, while part of that was true, your cunt kept throbbing, ruining many pairs of panties. 

Of course, Emily had no idea how bad you were struggling. You’d not had the chance to talk on the phone anymore since the incident. She’d sent you a few texts here and there, but the whole team was incredibly busy, running themselves ragged trying to catch the unsub. 

So, here you lay. Wide awake after midnight. Alone in your and Emily’s bed. Wetter than you’ve ever been. Hornier than you can ever remember being. 

You contemplated just trying to go to sleep. You thought about taking a cold shower. 

But you knew the incessant pulsating of your clit was going to keep you awake for hours regardless of what you did to try to stop it. 

So, you thought about touching yourself again. Just to see if you could get off to get some relief. You wish Emily were here to help, but your options were to try or to just suffer. 

And you never backed down from a challenge. 

Your fingers started to slowly graze over your body. You felt goosebumps erupt over your arms, sending a chill down your spine. You let out a little whimper. Oh, how you wish Emily could hear you. You knew how much she loved to hear all the noises you make for her. 

You stopped. 

Maybe you could let her listen to you. 

Your legs twitched with the thought. 

Reaching over to the nightstand beside your bed, you grabbed for your phone. You opened the voice memo app. You paused for just a second, wondering if it was a good idea. 

Not second guessing yourself, you hit record and laid back down on the bed. 

The idea of touching yourself, recording yourself, so that Emily could listen to you sent your heart racing. You trailed your hands over your breasts, playing with your already hard nipples. You’ve never really had super sensitive breasts, but the thought of Emily listening to you had turned you on so much you couldn’t help the little whimper that escaped. 

You were already so worked up, you didn’t feel the need to linger. You trailed one hand down, gasping at how wet you really were. You teased one finger up and down your slit, spreading your wetness around. You could feel how hard you were breathing and wondered if Emily would be able to hear it on the recording. If she’d be able to tell exactly what you were doing to yourself in her absence. 

You finally gently circled around your clit with one finger, throwing your head back at the sensation. The moan you let out was indecent. Loud, guttural. You swirled your finger around your clit, putting a little more pressure. You felt the pleasure shoot through your core before shooting through the rest of your body. It made your toes curl, a whispered, “fuck, Em,” leaving your parted lips. 

You imagined Emily alone in her hotel room, opening her messages to an audio file from you. She’d likely be confused at first. You’ve never sent her audio messages before. Her eyebrows would likely be furled, she might even be chewing at the skin of her thumb from her not knowing what’s on the audio. 

You wish you could see the look on her face when she realized exactly what the audio was, how her mouth would part in arousal and excitement. She’d probably get a little smirk on her face from realizing how worked up you were all from the thought of her. She’d grip her phone a little tighter at the needy whimpers and breathy sighs you let out, feeling her own wetness starting to drip down her legs. 

Your breath stuttered at the image, your finger rubbing tighter, harder circles around your throbbing nub. Imagining Emily listening to your audio was doing wonders for your arousal and you knew you’d be able to get off this time. You wanted to make sure she understood how much you missed her, how crazy you were about her, and how much you wished it were her fingers pumping deep inside you. 

As you thrust two fingers into your tight cunt, you couldn’t help the rough, gravelly sob you let out. Wet noises filled the room each time you pushed in and pulled out. You were almost sure she’d be able to hear it on the audio file. Biting your lip, you were overcome with pleasure, your legs shaking from how close you already were. “Shit, Em, fuck. I wish you were here.” 

Your thrusts started to pick up speed the second your fingers made contact with that special spot inside you. You were close. Closer than you have been in the past few days of you trying to cum without Emily being here. The moans and whimpers were coming faster. You could feel the pressure building in your lower stomach, your muscles starting to clench. You reached your other hand down and started rubbing your clit in time with your thrusts. A few fast, solid circles and you felt your cunt clench down around your fingers, wetness spilling down your wrist. “Oh, god, Emily!” 

You fucked yourself through your orgasm, slowing your fingers to match the pulsating of your pussy. You whimpered a little at removing your fingers, feeling sated but empty. You tried to calm down your breathing, taking a few shuddering breaths to regain control. “I love you, Em. See you soon.” 

You ended the audio. 

Not letting second thoughts get the best of you, you attached it to a text following it up with a quick, “I miss you. I wouldn’t listen to this around anyone else.” 

You hit send. 

*** 

You were gently pulled from sleep from the feeling of something soft trailing over your skin, almost tickling in nature. Whatever it was gently caressed your leg, moved up towards your hip, trailed around your soft belly, lingered on your breasts, before ending at your upper chest and neck. You were further lulled from your slumber by the slight rumble of a very familiar giggle. 

“Mhh, good morning, Em,” you drawled, your voice still rough from sleep. 

You could hear the smile in her voice. “Good morning, baby. How’d you know it was me and not some intruder?” You could feel her gaze on your body, the slight raise of her eyebrow. 

You smiled. “I know that laugh and that touch anywhere, love.” 

You finally opened your eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the early morning light that was trailing in through your curtains. You turned your head, taking in the sight of your beautiful girlfriend who was kneeled on the bed beside you. She was still wearing her slacks and a white button down shirt with a couple of extra buttons undone. She looked a little tired, no doubt exhausted from the case, but also a little mischievous. 

As her smirk grew, you woke up more. 

“So, I got an interesting text while on the jet,” Emily said. 

You cleared your throat, attempting to sit up. “Oh?” 

Emily’s hand on your chest stopped you from making too much progress. “Uh huh.” She paused, continuing to trail her hand over your skin. “Of course, it was followed by ‘don’t listen around anyone’ so I went into the bathroom, popped in my headphones, and listened to it.” 

Her hand was just barely grazing over your skin, leaving goosebumps all over you, tightening your nipples to solid points. You’re not sure how she managed to uncover you without you realizing, but the cool air of the apartment was only helping her. 

“And? What was it?” You were going to play dumb. You still couldn’t figure out how Emily felt about it, but guessing from her touching you she likely wasn’t upset about it. 

“It was a very salacious audio file of a naughty little slut making herself cum without permission.” 

You gulped. While you expected maybe a little teasing from Emily, maybe even a little bit rougher of a fucking, you kind of weren’t expecting any punishment. You knew she likely figured out how courageous you had to be to even record it and send it in the first place, but you figured she’d save it and listen to it later. You expected a cute little love making when she got home. But, judging from her body language, you were in for it. 

“Oh, uhm. Well. She probably just wanted her ma’am to know how much she missed her while she was gone.” 

Emily scoffed a little before laughing. “Good girls wait, don’t touch themselves without permission, and ask to cum. She did none of these.” Emily pinched at your erect nipple, making you jolt a little from the slight pain. “Why should I not tease her, edge her, and ruin her orgasms for a while to show her who she belongs to?” 

You whimpered, mostly because you could tell it was a serious question and Emily expected a serious answer. 

“I missed you, ma’am. I just wanted you to know how much. Plus, I figured you could save it and listen to it when you missed me, too. I didn’t mean to make you upset, but I had been so fucking horny for days and didn’t know when you’d get back to help me.” You pulled your lower lip between your teeth, stuck your bottom lip out just a little more than usual, and made sure your eyes were conveying how much you really were sorry. You knew it was a look that drove Emily crazy, and was one you used to your advantage often. 

Emily shook her head slightly. “I missed you, too, angel. And it was so hot to hear you moan for me. All I could think about on the ride back to Quantico was how much I missed you and all of the ways I was going to show you how much.” Emily straddled you, finally cluing you into the fact that she was packing. 

You couldn’t help but grab her hips and squirm. 

Emily grabbed both of your hands, pulling them above your head and pinning them down. This new position put her face so close to yours. You could smell the minty gum she had been chewing on the drive home. Your eyes trailed back and forth between hers, your breath starting to pick up as you continued to wiggle beneath her. You could feel your wetness growing at finally having your love here. 

“These stay here for now,” she said, pressing down slightly harder, making sure you knew that you weren’t meant to move your hands from above your head. 

She kissed you lightly, a way to check in and to show how much she missed you. However, she didn’t linger, quickly moving down the side of your neck, zeroing in on the spot behind your ear that drove you crazy. You grunted, tilting your head to the side so she’d have more room. 

She left one more quick peck there before continuing down, circling your one nipple with her tongue, sucking at it briefly. She trailed over to your other breast, doing the same to that one. She moved back toward the center of your chest, making sure to glance up at you every so often. 

Your hands were still above your head, which was thrown back into the pillow below it. Your mouth was parted slightly, your breath coming in short little bursts. Your eyes were closed, helping you to focus solely on the feel of Emily’s mouth on you. 

She continued lower, circling your navel with her tongue, dipping into it slightly. It was a spot that always made you giggle from the slight tickle of it. 

Before you knew it, she was positioned between your spread legs, her hands on your thighs to keep them apart. You glanced down at her, reveling in her mouth being so close to where you wanted it most. “Please, Em, please.” 

“Don’t worry, baby. I got you.” 

She licked one broad, slow stroke straight up the center of your clit, getting the first taste of you for the day. The moan she let out turned you on even more. You know how much Emily enjoys eating you out; she often made you cum on her face multiple times in a row before moving on. 

She wasted no time before diving back in, focusing her attention on your throbbing clit. Her tongue alternating between broad circles using the flat of her tongue or sharp, quick flicks with the tip. Her constant changing did nothing but further drive your arousal up, never letting you reach your peak. 

You could feel yourself starting to squirm harder, your hands gripping tightly at sheets beside your head. You tried rolling your hips up into her face, trying to direct her movements. You could feel Emily smirk against you before pinning your hips down more tightly so you couldn’t buck up into her anymore. 

She started to focus more on quick flicks against you, it almost felt like she was vibrating against you. You could feel your peak getting closer, the coil in your belly tightening to almost uncomfortable. 

You could feel your orgasm just on the precipice before she stopped, completely pulling away from you. 

“Emily!” 

She smiled wide. “You didn’t think I’d let you come that easily after the stunts you’ve pulled in the past few days?” 

You groaned. “But you enjoyed them!” You could feel the pout beginning to form, wanting to cross your arms in indignation. 

Emily pinched at the skin of your hip. “Lose the attitude, princess. You’re only going to get what you deserve.” 

Before you could retort something that would likely dig you into a deeper hole, Emily swiftly thrust a finger into your soaked cunt. 

“Fuck!” 

Emily set a furious pace, making sure to curl her finger upwards on the outstrokes. She quickly found your g-spot, her knowledge of your body helping her to play your body easily.

 You looked down at her between your legs, groaning at the look of concentration on her face, the way her forearm flexed with each movement of her arm. 

You could feel your pussy pulsating around her finger, almost as if it was trying to grip her and pull her deeper inside of you. You could feel the wetness leaving your body at a frantic pace, the sounds of her fucking you echoing in the quiet of your room. She finally directed all of her attention at fingering your g-spot in an almost frantic manner and you could feel the beginnings of your orgasm climbing again. 

“Please, please, please ma’am. Please let me cum,” you almost sobbed. 

“Oh, look who knows how to ask for permission now?” She asked cockily, her voice steady despite the fact that her finger was almost jackhammering inside of you. 

“I’m sorry, Em! Shit. I need to cum, please, baby,” you begged. 

Emily leant down, her tongue finding home on your aching clit again. Her thrusts, somehow, seemed to get stronger, deeper, faster. The pressure inside of you was growing exponentially, all encompassing, practically overwhelming every synapse in your body. You wanted to cry with how much you wanted to cum right now. 

Just as the pressure reached its peak, Emily pulled out of you, lifted her tongue off of your clit, and backed away from you. 

“No! Emily Prentiss! Get back inside me right now!” You slammed your hand down on the bed in frustration. You were so close to cumming and she ruined it. Again. You sniffled slightly. “You’re being so mean, Em.” The pout was back in full force and this time, you did cross your arms across your chest in annoyance. This was worse than not being able to get yourself off for days. 

Emily tossed her head back and laughed. Actually full belly chuckled. “You look so cute when you pout, baby.” Her hands caressed your thighs and hips. “But you don’t get to call the shots here. I do.” Her hands traveled back up your body, pinching at both of your nipples hastily. She leaned down, kissing the pout off of your lips. She pulled back slightly, whispering against your mouth, “Now turn over.” 

You moaned. You hoped Emily was finally going to fuck you with her cock. You on your hands and knees is one of her favorite positions to fuck you in. You immediately rolled onto your stomach, pulling yourself up so you were on your hands and knees, making sure you stuck your ass out enough that she could still catch a glimpse of your swollen, needy cunt. 

“Please, ma’am. Please fuck me hard. Fast. However you want. Just get inside me.” 

Emily’s hands gripped your ass, spreading you apart to get a better look at you. “Look how needy you are. My little slut, begging for my cock. What would everyone think if they knew how much of a whore you are for me, hm?” Her hands grabbed more firmly when she heard how filthily you moaned. 

“I knew it, you like being my little slut, don’t you?” 

Your brain was on overload. You could barely focus on anything other than Emily’s hands on you. You pushed your hips back, trying to entice her to get to fucking you. 

Emily slapped your ass, the sound reverberating through the room. You pushed back again, moaning louder, your head dropping down to the mattress. “Fuck,” you whispered. 

“Answer me, angel.” 

You swallowed thickly. “Yes, ma’am. I enjoy being your good little slut.” Your breath stuttered on almost every word. You could feel your blood racing through your arteries and veins. Emily knew how to rile you up, challenge your kinks, and manipulate your body into hyperdrive. 

If you didn’t get to cum soon, you might break down, or worse, take matters into your own hands. You were almost delirious with pleasure, constant pulsations of arousal shooting all over your body. 

Emily’s hands continued to move around your hips, ass, and thighs, keeping your arousal buzzing, but not enough to get you off. You wanted her to just fuck you already, kept pushing your hips back to make contact with her front, but she kept moving back out of the way. 

“Emily, fuck, I can’t take much more of this,” you panted. You tried to rub your legs together, tried to grind down into the bed, just to get some friction where you wanted it most, but at every attempt Emily held you still, forcing you to groan in frustration. 

“Aw, my poor baby. If only you hadn’t been so naughty,” she said, putting one of her hands between your legs and teased your outer lips. It felt good, but it definitely was nowhere near the amount of pressure you actually craved. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” You could feel the frustrated, overstimulated tears starting and you didn’t want to release them. But everything about Emily turned you on. Her voice, the way she touched you, how she carried herself. She didn’t really need to even be touching you to have you in a frenzy. “I’ll do anything, ma’am, to make it up to you.” 

Emily chuckled. “I love watching you descend into a begging, pleading, needy mess.” Her fingers between your legs started rubbing quicker, with more pressure. “And you certainly will make it up to me, baby. But for now? I want you to cum hard for me until you can’t remember your own name.” 

You’re not sure how she managed it, how you didn’t notice one of her hands leaving your body to undo her zipper, but somehow Emily had gotten her cock free from her pants. The second it made contact with your overheated cunt you let out a moan that was needy, husky, and rasping. You all but choked on the air you were trying to get into your lungs. 

Emily wasted no more time teasing you, as she could read your body better than anyone. Her first thrust into you was slow, but strong, letting you accommodate the new, thick intrusion. She stilled once she was all the way inside, not wanting to hurt you. Once you bucked your hips back, silently asking for movement, all bets were off. 

Emily snapped her hips back and forth at a rapid, energetic pace. She made sure to push down with her cock on the thrusts in and pull up on the thrusts out. It felt like she was stretching you wider than you’ve ever been before, the feeling of her inside you overwhelming. You couldn’t focus on anything other than the feel of her inside, how tight you were around her, how with every thrust in your pussy clamped down as if trying to keep her inside. You weren’t even sure if you were breathing anymore, not that it mattered. 

All that mattered was how utterly incredible it felt to finally be on the receiving end of Emily’s fucking. 

The noises you were making were barely recognizable, a few ‘oh gods,’ ‘fucks,’ and ‘Emilys’ thrown in here and there. But the momentum of every push and pull from you made your voice catch, your breath stutter, and your eyes roll back. 

Emily could tell you were getting close just from how tightly your cunt was squeezing at her as she moved within you. She grabbed your shoulder, raising your torso to hers. Your back pressed securely to her front, her hips still able to move back and forth, the sound of slapping skin reverberating throughout the room. One of her hands held securely around your middle, keeping you plastered to her. The other made its way up your body, grasping tightly at a breast before gripping around your throat. Her breath was heavy and hot against your ear, but it still managed to send tingles down your spine. 

“I can feel you squeezin’ me tight, angel. I can feel how close you are.” Her hips were still frantically fucking into you. Her athleticism was so appreciated when it came to fucking you. 

Her hand around your throat tightened. Her other hand moved down to your core, a finger making contact with your oversensitive clit. “Now, be a good girl and cum for me,” she cooed. Her finger on your clit started rubbing back and forth just as furiously as her cock pumping into you. “Cum hard all over my cock, baby. Now.” 

“Oh, God! Fuck! Emily!” Your pussy clamped down hard on her as your body shook with intense tremors, euphoric pleasure shooting out around your body, making your breath catch. Emily kept pushing into you as you rode out your orgasm, making it seem like it lasted minutes. She let go of your upper body, allowing you to fall back to the mattress. 

Just as your peak started to taper off, Emily’s pace picked back up. “You’re going to cum again for me, angel,” she panted. She put her hands on your hips, forcing you to hold still, essentially fucking you into the mattress. From this angle, your clit had just enough friction from the thrusts against the bed, and you could feel your arousal skyrocket again. 

You could feel yourself climbing the peak again, more quickly than last time. Before you could tell Emily to slow down so you could enjoy the ride, she gripped your hair in one hand, forcing your head back. The slight pain and dominance of your body catapulted you closer to the edge. 

“Ready to cum hard again for me, pretty girl?” You could feel yourself start to nod, but your whole body froze in intense pleasure when Emily reached down and turned on the vibrations of her cock. The sensation was strong causing flutters to erupt from deep within your core. 

“Ughn, Em, fuck!”  

Your mouth was wide open, trying to gasp in the air you needed. It felt like your whole body was on fire, your skin electric, every movement spine-tingling. The vibrations were too much, like your brain didn’t know how to process what was happening to you. You weren’t able to vocalize how concentrated your pleasure was, how much your body felt like it was in a completely different state of being. 

With a few more abrupt, deep thrusts, and a well timed smack to your ass, your body exploded in euphoria. You made a few indistinguishable sounds, your voice failing you as the pleasure took hold. The tremors this time were more intense, you could feel your wetness soak Emily’s cock as she continued to thrust, dragging out this orgasm. 

As your high started to settle, you whimpered as Emily pulled completely out of you. You were too blissed out to ask what she was doing, but she quickly moved down, using her tongue to clean you up as best as she could, avoiding your more sensitive areas. 

As you tried to catch your breath, Emily moved up, laying her body on yours, trying to help soothe your overactive nervous system. Her lips trailed lazily over your shoulders, her hand trailing through your hair. Everything she was doing was to calm your sweaty, sensitive body back down. 

You tried to talk, but your throat was dry from screaming, from uttering nonsense while she was fucking you. 

“Shhh, baby. Just relax. Sleep, if you need to.” Emily’s hands continued to move across your skin, this time to subdue you, console you, and bring you down gently. “I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

You hummed in acknowledgement, succumbing to your exhaustion, letting the gentle touches of your love lure you into a dreamy, sated slumber.

**

A/N: heheheheh 🤭 thanks for reading!

[sergeantbarnessdoll]

Want To Be Happy For You, But Can’t » Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier

Pairings: Avenger/Best Friend!Bucky Barnes x Best Friend!Female Reader

Summary: You tell Bucky you’re engaged and he wants to be happy for you, but he can’t cause you’re engaged to a man who’s not him and little do you know that Bucky is in love with you.

Warnings: mix of Fluff and Angst, language, crying, kissing, best friends to lovers, pet names

Written on my phone. My apologies for any mistakes.

Header made by @buckys-wintersoldier

GIF IS NOT MINE! Credit goes to the creators. I found it on Pinterest.

“He proposed!” You squealed, showing Natasha and Wanda your engagement ring.

They gasped and admired the beauty of the diamond ring on your ring finger. A smile grew on your face as they complimented you and the ring.

“What’re you girls talking about?” Bucky asks, taking his jacket off as he walks in the lounge room.

“He proposed!” You tell Bucky, showing him your engagement ring.

Bucky felt his heart drop. He put a fake smile on his face and tried to be happy for you.

“That’s nice. You’re a very lucky girl.” He lies through his teeth. “I have to go.” He says, walking out of the room.

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. For as long as you’ve known Bucky, he’s always been there for you and happy for you, except for when you got a boyfriend and now engaged. You didn’t think much of it so you just shrugged it off.

Over the next couple of weeks, Bucky has been avoiding you and coming up with excuses. You aren’t sure if he’s actually busy with work or if he’s just coming up with lame excuses to not talk to you. Whatever it is, you’re going to find out.

“Hi Bucky!” You chirped as you walked in the conference room.

Bucky was sitting at the conference room table, filling out paperwork from a previous mission. He completely ignored you and didn’t even acknowledge you. You sat down next to him.

“Bucky?” He didn’t answer you. “Bucky?” He didn’t say anything. “Bucky?” You say once more, earning a response from him.

“What?!” Bucky snaps, making you flinch at his tone. “Can’t you see that I’m working?” He says.

“Yes, but I wanted to talk to you and make sure you’re ok.” You say.

“I’m fine. Just peachy.” He answers, going back to his work.

“Are you sure?” You asked. “It sounds like you have something on your mind.” You say.

Bucky sighs loudly and put the paperwork in the file and stood up, leaving the conference room without saying a word. You followed closely behind him. Bucky stopped and turned around causing you to bump into him.

“So you’re following me now?” He says.

“I just want to know what’s wrong with you.” You say.

Bucky grabbed your arm and pulled you into a supply closet, closing the door behind him.

“You wanna know what’s wrong with me? I’ll tell you what’s wrong with me.” He starts. “It’s all because of that stupid fucking ring on your finger.” He says.

“My engagement ring?” You asked, looking at it. “What’s wrong with it?” You asked.

“You see it as an engagement ring, but I see it as you signing your life away to someone who doesn’t even love you.” He says.

“How can you even say that?” You asked. “You’re supposed to be my best friend and be happy for me.” You say.

“I want to be happy for you, but I can’t.” He says.

“Why not?” You asked.

“I can’t be your best friend and be happy for you.” He says.

Tears filled your eyes. It felt like someone just ripped your heart out of your chest and crushed it with their bare hands when Bucky said that.

“You don’t mean that, Buck.” You say, your voice cracking.

“Yes I do.” He says.

“So what are you trying to say?” You asked. “Are you saying our friendship is over?” You asked, hoping that it doesn’t come to that.

“Yes.” He confirms.

You scoffed and tears began to flow down your cheeks. You opened the door without looking where you’re walking and accidentally bumped into Steve. You mumbled an apology, keeping your head down as you walked away. Steve watched you walk away before looking at Bucky.

“What’s wrong with Y/N?” Steve asks Bucky.

“I don’t know. Don’t ask me.” Bucky says, walking out of the supply closet.

Over the next few days, Bucky thought about the things he said to you. He didn’t mean to make you cry and he sure as hell didn’t want yours and his friendship to end. He was just pissed. He wishes that he can take back what he said, but he can’t. Besides Steve, you’re the only person he can trust and confide in.

To get his anger out, Bucky has been punching the punching bag with all of his strength. With one last hard punch, he sent the punching bag across the gym with sand leaking from it. Bucky stood there panting and ran his fingers through his hair. Little did he know that Steve was standing a few feet behind him.

“What did the punching bag ever do to you?” Steve asks, trying to lighten the mood.

Bucky rolled his eyes and walked past his best friend. Steve followed him and grabbed his arm to stop him in his tracks.

“Buck, talk to me. What’s wrong?” Steve asks with concern in his voice.

“Nothings wrong.” Bucky says, yanking his arm out of Steve’s hand.

“Bucky, you’re my best friend and I want to help you with whatever you got going on.” He says.

“You can’t help me with this. No one can.” He says.

“Just tell me.” He says.

Bucky sighs before saying anything.

“The reason why Y/N was upset the other day is because I can’t be happy with her engagement. She’s throwing her life away to someone who doesn’t even love her. He doesn’t know her like I do. She’s my best friend- was my best friend and I can’t be happy for her.” Bucky tells him.

“It seems to me that you’re in love with her.” Steve says.

“Yes I am and it’s killing me that I can’t tell her.” He says.

“Go tell her. I’m sure she’ll understand.” He says.

“She doesn’t want to talk to me.” He says.

“Just try.” Steve encourages his best friend and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll listen to you. She always listens to you.” He says.

Bucky gives him a small smile. He went to his bedroom to get cleaned up before seeing you.

Bucky stood outside of your apartment, taking a moment to himself before knocking on the door. His enhanced hearing picked up sniffles before you opened the door. He was met by you with tears streaming down your face and red and puffy eyes.

“What the hell do you want?” You asked, your voice hoarse from crying.

“I wanted to talk about our fight the other day.” Bucky says.

“You can clearly tell that I don’t want to talk. Bye.” You say, closing the door.

Bucky caught the door with his vibranium hand before it closed. He let himself inside and closed the door behind him.

“Doll, please.” He pleaded. “I’m trying to fix our friendship.” He says.

“Don’t call me that!” You shouted. “You don’t get to call me doll anymore. You’re the one who ended our friendship because you couldn’t be happy that I was engaged.” You say.

“Was?” He asks. “What do you mean was?” He asks.

“He uhh-” You took a deep breath before saying anything. “I came home upset the day we got into a fight and I kept talking about you. He got mad cause I kept talking about. He got jealous and ended things.” You explained. “He called off the engagement.” You tell him.

Bucky’s heart broke for you. He watched you break down in tears. Your legs gave out and he caught you before you fell. He picked you up bridal style and carried you to the living room. He sat down on the couch with you on his lap. He rubbed your back to soothe you.

“I’m sorry.” Bucky says after a few minutes.

“I’m sorry too.” You say, sniffling and looking up at him.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I do.” He states. “You just wanted me to be happy for you and I feel like I took that from you. I didn’t want our friendship to end. I was just pissed. I hate the thought of you marrying him and having his babies.” He explains. “I love you. I want to marry you and you to be the mother of my babies.” He confesses.

“What?” You asked, making sure you heard him right.

“I love you and I want you to have my babies.” He repeats. “That’s all I want.” He says.

You maneuvered yourself so you were straddling his lap. You looked deep in his beautiful blue eyes and caressed his stubbly cheeks. Bucky was caught by surprise when you kissed him. Not that he had a problem with it. Your lips moved in sync with his. There was so much passion in the kiss that it left you two breathless when you pulled away.

“I love you too and I want to have your babies.” You tell him softly.

Bucky smiles widely when he heard you say those words. He kissed you, but this time with more passion than the first one.

“Does this mean you’re my doll again?” He asks.

“If this is your way of asking me to be your girlfriend, then yes.” You answered.

The smile stayed on Bucky’s face. His hands cupped your cheeks and he pecked your lips softly a few times.

“You might want to take that ring off.” He says.

You giggled and took the ring off of your finger, tossing it onto the coffee table behind you.

“Finally, you’re all mine.” Bucky says, sighing happily.

“And you’re all mine.” You smile widely. “You better take me on lots of dates to make up for being mean the other day.” You say, followed by a small giggle.

“You already know I will, doll.” He says softly with a smile.

🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

-Bucky’s Doll

[shroomthedecayedfox]

Last time I went crazy over Byleth's heartbeat, it's Edelgard's turn now. 

In my last ramble I briefly mentioned the presence of Edelgard's leitmotif, but I didn't really get into a whole lot about how that one works in particular. Because it's both really strange and pretty cool. 

So part of how leitmotifs work is that the audience or viewer doesn't necessarily need to understand the intricacies of its mechanics. The audience just needs to hold onto the auditory cues being presented to them. Whenever that character or symbol is on stage (or for our purposes, on screen) you as the audience are being given a musical cue for them. This visual (the character) goes hand in hand with this music (the leitmotif). Through repetition, the audience makes the mental connection even if they don't quite understand how that connection was set up in the first place. 

This is why Rhea straight up sings her leitmotif to you. That moment in the entrance hall is the game’s way of making you pay attention to that music in isolation from the soundtrack. Which is why it suddenly comes back in “Funeral of Flowers” at the end of Silver Snow. You’ve heard this song before, you’re reminded of Rhea, and hey, that’s the important figurehead in this fight.

"Funeral of Flowers":

“Song of the Nabateans”:

Edelgard's leitmotif doesn't operate under this principle. It's busy doing its own thing: very fitting considering the character it's linked to. But, that's mainly because it reverses the process of a leitmotif. "Edge of Dawn" doesn't play over the course of any of the routes, it only intentionally appears in the end credits. 

And I say "intentionally", because if you stall out on the main menu the game starts to play its equivalent to an anime opening. With "Edge of Dawn" acting as the music between the shots. However, even here it's still reversing the leitmotif setup. A new player wouldn't have the context to understand the layers of the song they're listening to. They wouldn't understand that the singer is representative of Edelgard and her perspective across White Clouds, nor that this particular piece of music is going to be linked to that character in particular. 

Because you haven't met her yet, you need to wait a couple minutes. 

For me, I never encountered "Edge of Dawn" in the main menu because I was too busy loading my save file and starting the next chapter of the game. (The same thing occurred for my sister, neither of us realized that the song played this early.) 

So, there's a good chance that an average player won't encounter the song in the main menu, but even if they do they won't properly understand what's happening with the leitmotif. They may simply misinterpret it as just the musical theme for the game itself. 

Because then there's the other aspect of the leitmotif's setup: the sheer amount of times it shows up in the soundtrack. It's EVERYWHERE. I'm just gonna give you guys a brief list, but seriously. Pull up the soundtrack and start shuffling through the songs: 9 times out of 10, whatever one shows up probably has it in there somewhere. 

But for the sake of convenience, these are just the ones I noticed:

Fodlan Winds: at around 17 secs the leitmotif can be heard as a piano piece in the background of the composition.

Between Heaven and Earth: at around 28 secs the leitmotif shows us in the horned instruments.

Apex of the World: opens with the leitmotif.

Respite and Sunlight: appears and blends into the composition at around 18 secs.

A Promise: It’s literally just the leitmotif, but upbeat.

Unfulfilled: leitmotif encompasses the piano/horned instrument sections.

Learning Lessons: Shows up as the plucking of string instruments.

Words to Believe In: Shows up about a minute and 10 secs in.

Hope as a Melody: Leitmotif but with choir.

A Guide for the Future: Forms over the course of the song.

Life at Garreg Mach Monastery: Very beginning, can’t miss it.

Broken Routine: shows up in the beginning.

Scales of the Goddess: background composition.

The Colors of Sunrise: piano.

The Archbishop: choir singer.

The Officer’s Academy: background composition.

A World for Humanity: bulk of music.

A New Dawn: bulk of music comp.

Three Houses Main Theme: 45 secs in and the Edge of Dawn section.

Edge of Dawn/Lady of Hresvelg: It’s literally just the leitmotif.

And this is why "Edge of Dawn" is so weird. Because, in context, you as the player know this is SOMETHING. What that something is and who it's alluding to, however, is not an objective the game has any interest in telling you about yet. You are left to understand that this musical cue is important, but you aren't told why it's important. That is until the very end of the game. 

The end credits.

When the game comes to a close, you are finally hit with “Edge of Dawn” in a manner you can’t happenstance into. And it’s here where you’re suddenly confronted with the WHY of why this musical cue is so important: it’s for Edelgard. Because as you listen, you recall all the times that leitmotif has played. You’ve heard this song before, but not in this manner. From the 25 or so hours you played White Clouds, to the next 25 or so hours you played in the Post-Timeskip section. The point of the leitmotif’s presence in just about everything is to prime the player to suddenly lock in and figure out what the hell was the reason that made this cue so important. 

And what you’re told musically is that it’s Edelgard. Edelgard is important. From the singer to the lyrics to the music; the song is about Edelgard’s perspective. The game, in this moment, is musically inviting you to play again asking you to go back and understand Edelgard. Whether or not that invitation is effective is left up to the player, but it doesn’t remove the fact that the game is making that invitation in the first place. But wait, this isn’t the entire truth. Crimson Flower doesn’t play “Edge of Dawn” at the end credits. When Crimson Flower ends, it starts playing “The Color of Sunrise”. Why? A player who went through Crimson Flower wouldn’t need the invitation. They know and already understand Edelgard’s perspective. They picked her after all. (The process of making this choice will be the subject of another ramble, I promise).

“The Color of Sunrise” is also entirely orchestral. There are no lyrics to interpret. You hear the leitmotif again and you are reminded of the journey you took to get to this point. You are reminded of the path you walked with Edelgard.

This is why I find Edelgard’s leitmotif so fascinating. It inverts the process of its explanation and only offers said explanation to a player most in need of it. 

And that’s just so cool to me. :)

[new-holocene]

ode to abandoned projects

normally i dedicate my public facing social media accounts solely to sharing my finished artwork, but I figure some reflection on the past few years of my development as an artist would be worthwhile. I was initially trying to find an old gmod map I made (I didn't find it), and in the process I found a number of screenshots of WIPs spanning the past 7 years. for many of these projects, they were abandoned because I got too busy with school/university.

from march 2017. made in unity. I don't remember the specifics of this project. I think I was trying to make a short narrative walking sim.

from december 2017. I wanted to make a short smw romhack. I remember drawing level designs on a spare piece of paper after finishing a secondary school exam early. one day I'll make a romhack, one day...

from may 2018. I had just replayed marble blast ultra after finding it had a PC port. shortly after I found all the textures were just in the game files and could be modified easily. myself and an old friend wanted to make a 'games repainted'-esque mod. I claim full credit for every marble game since that's included a 🤔marble skin.

from march 2020. a mockup of a piece I was calling 'alignment chart' for the first time I had ever applied for a bursary. this used a mixture of generative art pieces i made in processing and graphic design. this piece is interesting to look back on because it marked the development of my art style for the first time, and the psuedo-cuneiform generator ended up being a recurring feature of my art. my application was rejected because i did not read the terms and conditions to realise it wasn't open to university students - and I was still studying computer science at the time.

from may 2020. I was aiming to participate in the low res game jam but never got to finish due to university work taking up my time. I never fleshed out the mechanics of the game, but the goal was to take care of the tree in the center of the map. it doesn't look like much, but I really pushed myself (or rather, tortured myself) by not using a game engine and writing this in C++ with raylib instead.

from april 2020. this was going to be a browser based demake of five nights at freddy's (a game I've never played and have no interest in) titled "five years at yanderedev's". I figured that it felt too close to participating in lolcowing someone and that it was in bad spirits, so I scrapped it.

from september 2020. a mockup of my homepage sharpfourth.net. I kept the logo and general layout for whats on the site currently, but didn't include the scanner warped images.

from october 2020. I wanted to make a walking sim in the quake engine, but once again, university work got in the way. however, this got me familiar with the basics of using trenchbroom (a map editor for quake), which came in very, very handy for later projects.

from october 2021. myself and some close friends had planned to make a zine detailing how to do DIY feminising HRT in Ireland (and maybe the UK). we never got around to writing it (partly because we feared potential legal repercussions for disseminating medical advice lol), but this marked a further development of my art style.

from october 2021. I had hoped to make a first person RPG in godot. once again scrapped because I got too busy with uni. I spent ages trying to implement a wonky movement system that could be exploited, being inspired by bhopping from source or strafe jumping from quake. the dialogue system was the last thing I worked on. I used trenchbroom again - this time with qodot - for making the prototype map. while making this demo, I realised the potential use of godot and trenchbroom in visual art, something i would revisit during my first gallery residency.

from march 2022. this might be the most unassuming piece in this collection, but it marks a significant turning point in my life. I was tasked with making diagrams for a group project in uni, but given that I was facing extreme burnout and apathy towards the course, I instead "doodled" with the elements of the diagram. this spiraled into me writing my zine/short-story EATARTHU, which I then used to apply for a gallery residency. I was fortunate enough to get the residency, and I dropped out of college to pursue art.

as discouraging as it might be to constantly start and abandon projects, it's important to stop and remember that ever single abandoned game or drawing or album or whatever marked a chance for you to learn and develop as an artist. one day you might very well finish a project, and it'll reflect a bit of every single abandoned one of its precursors.

[nightlyxeternals]

08. NEON LIGHTS ─ Free Google Doc Character Template

trying to make some more free docs while i figure out larger paid for docs. this one is kind of mobile friendly but still has drawings that need editing ♡ i've been trying my hand at making some more simple/small docs and i am in love with them right now. i promise soon i will release a larger more detailed doc! i've got a job interview soon so i will probably be a little more busy, but i will release when i can! it may need a little editing here and there but i did my best to make sure it was as user friendly as possible! if you have any questions feel free to ask me!

** click source link to gain access **

rules & features:

01. please don’t remove credits or claim as your own ─ you may edit it how you like just don’t remove credits/claim as yours 02. i don't own any of these images nor did i edit them 03. changing around image sizes may mess with the doc a little as well as going over/under text limit in text boxes 04. please like or reblog if you like this template and consider donating to my ko-fi ♡ 05. this is a free doc so feel free to share with friends but if you want to donate to my ko-fi that would be wonderful as well! 06. this is for personal use only ♡

01. single muse google doc template 02. 5 pages available 03. character cover page, personality, aesthetic, connections, and backstory

how to use:

01. after purchasing open the link and hit file > make a copy > name your doc and edit and have fun with it 02. add your own images and note that some may need to be edited to shape outside of doc template ─ the color boxes at the top of the doc as well as some others are a drawing so you must edit it as so

feel free to share with me what you’ve made! i’m always curious to see what people create with my docs!

[symphonic-scream]

More of Fool Makoto Swap

So, things start much earlier. The one running the scene in the bad guy sense is Kaneshiro, and he takes care of anyone investigating him. Which includes taking out two investigators about to blow things wide open.

He goes to their private office, threatens them to back off, and they don't. On the way out, he's seen, heard making his threats. Makoto is ten when she watches him walk away. She's ten when her parents drive off the road later that night. She's ten when she's separated from her older sister by adoptive parents who couldn't care less about her, only took her in cause of the money they'd get

Makoto doesn't hear from her sister for years. She believes the whole time that Sae didn't wanna have anything to do with her. She keeps her head down, does as she's told. Until, she gets caught breaking one of the house rules. She kisses a girl.

So, she's accused of stealing money from her adoptive parents, and they throw her out. Luckily, they don't actually file charges against her. But, she's 15, and with nowhere. Until she's told she's being sent to Tokyo, cause she's going to live with her older sister

Sae Takemi, as she's known now, is a Criminal Investigator like their parents were. She's married to a doctor, Tae, and they've recently adopted a son. Morgana. She's missed her sister all this time, tried to call and send letters, but of course it was all blocked or burned

Makoto lives in the main house in this au, and Morgana as the Hermit is introduced from the start. As many of them as possible are, but that's semantics. Makoto lives in the basement, so she has her own space away to get used to things, and she adjusts to being allowed to be a teenager

She's less ostracised than Joker was. But, rumours start coming around. That she reason she's in Tokyo was cause her adoptive parents didn't want her anymore. Lies about how her sister only took her in cause she had to. Add on the fact that she shows up quiet, with her head down? Yeah. She's not really popular

(everyone is a year younger here so I can have Makoto and crew be in second year cause I want to)

Anyways. On her walk to her first day, she spots a girl. A kind of sad look to her, standing with an umbrella. And Makoto just stands there getting soaked in the rain, and maybe feeling a little gay, and before the other girl can say something, a car pulls up

It's Shido, a boy in his passenger seat. He greets the girl, Haru Okumura, and kicks his son out of the car so he can give her a ride

And that's how Makoto meets Goro. He scowls at the car driving off, curses out his perverted father, and they walk together. But they get sidetracked when they pass the local gov building two streets from the school

PALACE ONE IS SHIDO

He's using internships with Shujin to get at young girls. Keeps Goro there as an assistant to do dirty work in exchange for supporting his mom. Haru is only there cause her dad wants her to help the business from the gov side

Magician is Futaba. She's in the Metaverse kinda like Sophie I'll figure it out

They take shit down and I'm working on stuff past this but I do wanna say Makoto's persona? Based on Julie D'Aubigny. Fire Protag

After the first palace the gang all change up their school uniforms a bit. They all were proper before, because two of them were in political internships and one of them didn't want to do anything to draw attention

Goro adds a vest of some sort. Not uniform, and dark red. Haru gets like themed socks? Maybe kitty socks, something else that's kinda cute maybe. Makoto has a hoodie on under her blazer, dark blue and black. Also, pants.

Next palace? KAMOSHIDA. Ryuji comes in here, but he lives in Yongen, so he's run into Makoto during a jog here and there. He's a first year at Kosei, and he's been working with the track team and they're improving so Kamoshida starts taking the credit for it. Says if Ryuji says anything, his scholarship will go away

Then, idk who the palace ruler for 3 will be but the Priestess is Ren. He and his brother, Akira, are twin former child actors at Shujin, and are now trying to live normally. Says Ren, at least. Ren is the quieter twin, whereas Akira is snarky and known to be trouble in a kind of flirty, fun way

Ren, Akira, and Makoto are all members of Student Council together, so that's how they're shown earlier.

Hermit Palace is Morgana, it's like a cursed mausoleum, cause he thinks he curses those around him. Thinks he's responsible for the death of his parents, and for the misfortune he sees happening to his new moms, Sae and Tae

He's 10, as old as Makoto was when her life fell apart. So, she really feels for him. He's been silent since they met, withdrawn, all sad and shit. He doesn't go to school regularly either, and Sae and Tae mention to Makoto that he's nervous about a lot of things. That he sees the same therapist they have her going to as well

(Maruki, the Sun Confidant)

Morgana and Makoto really bond in this, as mock Big Sister Little Brother, cause she's technically his aunt. A big thing is he starts going to school again in the fall semester, and starts acting like a normal kid more

Like. I'm really centering on making this little family very healing. Sae and Tae are home as much as possible despite their busy jobs, and they make a show of celebrating accomplishments with dinner out

After that, well, it's Madarame Palace. Empress Yusuke! Still working on the details here, but Makoto would've encountered him by now so he's not just introduced in the second to last act and not getting development

Oh and I'm working on Faith Ann, too

Justice in this? It's Akira. The Palace before Kaneshiro is Wakaba, whose daughter is in a coma cause of the research she was doing for Kaneshiro (psst that's the Futaba origin story) and then the holy grail and shit

I think that's most of what I have for this?? But yeah. The Thieves here would be very close, and I'd make sure they're shown as actual friends, like the IT. Almost like family, y'know?

I'm thinking for the Temperance, I might do Iwai. I havent done that variation of him yet, and I think it could work. And maybe Counselor Yoshida? That or Kawakami

Anyways WHAT DO YALL THINK