#I just love being gifted stationery it makes me so happy even though I feel bad using some of the stuff because it's just too adorable lol

[berribuggie]

my new miffy erasers ᐢ. ₓ .ᐢ

[blacksurvivalnostalgichanges]

black survival  characters’ preferred gifts

Adela:she doesn’t have a lot of traits that make it easy to figure it out beyond the obvious answer. so. i once saw this cool, glass chess board. she might find that sort of thing sick

Adriana: she’s too obcessed with fire. she would only be happy if you gave her anything that either burns well or can make fire. maybe a novelty lighter

Aiden:he would legitimately be happy to recieve socks

Alex: do i specifically need to give context on how i got this information. no, not really. i think he’d like the tetris themed shit this one company sells. they have tetris gummies, tetris portables, the works. he’d find that fun

Arda:i can’t shake off the image of him being all happy to get one of those kids’ toys but then it’s an archeology one. though i feel like he’d be happy to get stationery. get him a nice notebook

Aya: she would legitimately be happy to recieve socks. but even more than aiden. like, with him itd be casual “oh thanks”. she’d legitimately be happy to recieve a christmas gift that is just normal plain socks

Barbara:i think if you can get her anything mechanical she can tinker with she’d like it. my brain says clock

Bernice:canonly doesn’t want to get things because he doesn’t want to get attached. but also i love the image of him getting one of those christmas sweaters that went viral on tumblr with the silly little things and wearing it all day

Bianca: i think she’d like bratz. she doesn’t seem like a barbie girl, she seems like a bratz girl. i guess by extension myscene because it’s bratz but barbie. actually i’m getting flashbacks of this ugly ass huge doll my sister had. i looked it up, one meter tall, which is as tall as i was at the time. and my cousin said this creepypasta she heard to my sister of the doll coming alive and killing everyone. and i insisted on hearing it. and then my grandma had to watch me sleep or i wouldn’t sleep. she wasn’t there when i woke up. first betrayal scaramouche style. anyway if she liked nina she’d like that doll

Camilo:he’s canonly self-obsessed. either anything flattering like sexy outfits if you can get it in his size, or just. mirrors. narcissus ass man

Cathy:now i looked at danganronpa gift lists to get some ideas and. i feel like if you gave her a skull you would be strange. but she would not even blink and get so happy you gave her that and display it

Celine:bomb obsessed. give her bomb

Chiara:struggling. i feel like she’d refuse gifts because of her self loathing. she wouldn’t like most things because she has a pathological hatred for cute things. the first idea i’ve got is cool dagger

Chloe: giving her a doll would be hilarious. she’d want to kill you with her mind

Daniel:he seems too... not fond of material things. maybe art supplies. maybe new scissors

Echion:give him boxing gloves. wouldnt that be funny. anyway considering his likes and dislikes section basically says he acts like a dog, give him a whiskers sachet. there is a non-zero chance he’ll like it if you don’t let him know that’s animal food

Elena:man. she does not give much to work with. all we know is figure skater, russian, greasy food, no like heat. idk man give her cool ice cube trays

Eleven:she likes everything. but i think she’d be happy if you gave her cute things. like cute accessories, or things like stuffed animals, if we’re going more traditional. give her blahaj

Eva:we don’t actually learn much about what kind of gift she’d like but my head insists she’d like to get nice clothes

Emma:well when i was a kid my mom gave me a magic book that taught you simple magic tricks. shed get a kick out of one of those

Felix:he’s the sort to accept anything. but i think he’s struggling enough with money to be happy just getting money

Fiora:practical gift fan. you get her a stepstool and she’s like “sick”. you get her a toolbox and she’s like “oh thank god there’s a loose screw in my house”

Hart:similar deal to felix. accepts almost anything. except i think she might be too prideful (maybe not the right word) to plainly accept money

Hyejin:i think she’d love to get books. but also she’s the sort to cherish anything you give. also think she’d like cute stationery actually

Hyunwoo:too obsessed with becoming an adult to accept a max steel. so. i don’t think he’d like clothing, really don’t. but because of that line of thought i’m picturing him being like SICK, A RICE COOKER

Isol:if it’s not useful like a swiss knife he probably would straight up reject it even if he liked it

Jackie:knife, chainsaw, knife sharpener, if it’s not to kill shit she might not be that interested

Jan:he strikes me as the sort of guy to think the strangest things are great gifts. like. you get him shit like a first aid kit and he’s happy

Jenny:material girl, whether she’s actually an enjoyer of it or just wants to look it does not matter, she’d be the fucker who has a minimum price on secret santa. baiengiaca shoes only

Johann: he likes wine. so. we don’t have a lot else. bottle of wine

JP: i think hed be happy if you got him another poster of a buff guy wearing feminine clothing to add to his collection. otherwise i can’t imagine many things that count as gifts he’d be into

Laura: expensive things, probably. generally

Lenox:strikes me as the sort of person who isn’t into material gifts. she’d be happy to just hang out for the day. but also she canonly keeps around old shit and you can probably just buy her an upgrade of something and she’ll be happy

Leon:difficult to say actually. because if you gave him, like, a cute plushie, he’d tell you off. but also i’m convinced he’d keep that forever

Li Dailin:bottle of anything alcoholic. moving on

Luke:he might like another colorful shirt for his collection. or like. a new mop

Magnus:5 in 1 shampoo that smells like motor oil

Mai:i think she’d like to recieve accessories. like hairpins. belts. etc

Nadine:practical gifts only. it’s said she likes to use meat and leather to make things and i assume she’d like to get tools to handle those things. unless she tries them and decides it’s easier without

Nathapon:new camera, or more film. printer if you want to be slightly evil

Nicky:probably only wouldn’t do her whole “i need to complain first and realize i fucked up” thing if you gave her something deeply practical for her that she currently needed. like if her gloves were tearing and you just got her new ones

Rio:loves cats. just give her a cat thing. like a keychain or sticker or even hoodie if you want to go over the top

Rosalio:canonically will complain about your gift, brother. he might complain about money

Rozzi:extremely difficult to work with, i know it. good luck figuring it out. if you try to get her, like, a knife, she’ll try to break it in front of you and if it does break she’ll chide you, i know it

Shoichi:when the post idea first floated around the best suggestion was stuffed animals for azuko.  also that if it’s for him he’d really rather plain get money. you give him a shirt and you find a facebook marketplace ad, by him, selling it. though he does like tea, maybe giving him tea could be what makes him not sell it

Silvia:no clue. she doesn’t seem to put value into things. maybe clothes. shoes

Sissela:maybe art supplies

Sua: i feel like everyone gives her books. and she always has that book already. and she never says that she has it, she gets really happy instead. but then she has like five copies of the same book. handy for borrowing, maybe she donates some of them. but on average? confusing bookcase

Tia:definitely art supplies and stationery. at least partially because she can draw anything into life, good luck beating that

William:maybe new headphones. or stuff for gardening since he seems to be kinda into it

Xiukai:he might be too picky with his cooking supplies to get a good gift out of that. but maybe. we don’t know much about him

Yuki:i think he’d thank you politely for any gift but you’d know if he disliked it because he’s a “it’s nice that you thought to do this” kinda guy. anyway he’d like to get shiba themed stuff probably

Zahir:cannot get a read on his likes and dislikes either. zero idea. too unmaterialistic. i guess he had his gold jewelry. maybe that

[lacharcutiere]

gifts and dates 🤍

characters: akaashi keiji, asahi azumane, bokuto kōtarō, iwaizumi hajime, kageyama tobio, kuroo tetsurō, miya atsumu, miya osamu, oikawa tōru, semi eita, sugawara kōshi, suna rintarō, tendō satori, terushima yūji, tsukishima kei and yamaguchi tadashi

hq boys x gn!reader // canonverse-ish ?? // sfw, fluff

welcome to marg’s vday special !! i wanted to do a mini drabble event thingy so here’s what i came up w :) ALSO if y'all want me to do any other characters for this, feel free to send in a request ! i was gonna do more originally but yk,, had to have this out by a certain time lolol but i can do more parts if u want :)) happy vday bbs 💘💖

haikyū!! masterlist

akaashi keiji

BOOKSTORE DATE omg and he'd buy you whatever books, stationery, etc. you want. you'll force him to let you pay for coffee and a bakery order afterward because he spends so much on you without even blinking. he tries to fight you over that too, but he ends up letting you because he know's you'll probably just be passive aggressive later if he doesn't let you lmao. but if you go out for dinner after that, he's paying. he will not allow you to.

asahi azumane

he’ll take you out to dinner at a super nice restaurant and take you back to his place for a “surprise” afterward. you know it’s that he got you something because he’s super excited and therefore terrible at hiding it, but you humor him anyway lol bc he’s so cute and sweet. the surprise back at his place consists of a book that made him think of you, a few plushies, and a pretty pandora ring. it ends with the two of you dancing in the kitchen until late at night<3

bokuto kōtarō

oh my god you cannot tell me that bo wouldn't make you one of those lil voucher booklet thingies with stuff like "free hug" or "free shoulder rub" or whatever, even tho he'll do that for you whenever you want anyway. and he'd totally also get you a plushie or something, and he’d def take you out to a nice dinner if you're into that kind of thing, but honestly he's just happy with a movie night or any kind of casual alone time where he gets to hold you:)

iwaizumi hajime

okay okay hear me out: rooftop restaurant at sunset. it’s classy and the view is gorgeous but it’s also just chill enough that you don’t have to worry about it when you laugh a little too loud or freak out a little too much when he surprises you with one of those promise rings from pandora. there’s live music, too, and even though he acts like he doesn’t want to, he thoroughly enjoys it when you drag him out of his seat to dance with you.

kageyama tobio

he keeps it classic partially bc he has no idea what he’s doing and texts you in the afternoon to get ready because you’re going somewhere nice. he shows up at your door with a bouquet of flowers and a cute plushie an hour later, and he’s a lot more dressed up than he’s used to being and lowkey looks kinda uncomfortable about it but it’s cute. and the food is super good, so even though he admits later in the evening that he does, in fact, hate getting dressed up, it’s worth it

kuroo tetsurō

museum date museum date museum date !!!! (i wanna say it's probably not an art museum, it's probably history or science or something. i love art museums but those are also so so dope.) and his gift would be based on some inside joke the two of you have, complete with a card that *looks* like it would be super sweet based on the outside of it, but on the inside there's just literal printed out memes that he's glued into it. what a fucking dork. he's gonna make it up to you tho, spending the entire day telling you how much he loves you and clinging to you until you're sick of him.

miya atsumu

he would write you the sweetest, longest fucking letter. you're a little pleasantly surprised tbh; you didn't expect this from him. he's also kind of embarrassed when he gives it to you which is so so cute, so bonus points. he literally tries to shove it in your hands and run away to hide somewhere, but you grab his sleeve before he can go and force him to sit with you while you read it. he's super blushy and trying to hide his face the whole time lmao

miya osamu

okay, duh he takes you out to a nice dinner. and in the way of gifts, he’d also get you food because that’s a no-brainer, but he’d make you share it with him lol. which is totally fine, because he brings over so much. like, boxes of chocolates, homemade pastries, a whole fucking cake, all that. and after you get back from dinner, you slump on the couch watching netflix and pigging out together. it’s a good time.

oikawa tōru

cute and kinda old school date—he takes you out for a casual sort of dinner, maybe at the place where one of your first dates was. you have a chill conversation and laugh while you eat (admittedly more time is spent talking than eating), and when you're done he surprises you with a necklace you've been eyeing for a while but didn't want to splurge on because come on, if he picked it himself it would probably be so tacky

semi eita

another one to be super cute and flustered and have no idea what to do while you read his card !! at the end there's a lil qr code, and when you scan it, it takes you to a playlist of all the songs that the two of you have discovered together, or just songs that make him think of you. and then he's like, wait, that's not all, and pulls concert tickets out of his pocket. they're for the same artist you guys went to go see when you first got together<3

sugawara kōshi

he picks you up in the evening and doesn’t tell you where you’re going, partly because he also doesn’t know because he’s leaving it up to you !! so he pulls up downtown and for the rest of the night, whatever you’re doing is all up to you. if you’re one of those people who’s like, “uhh, idk, what do you want to do?” he will literally not allow it. he’ll just keep bugging you until you choose something. also takes you on a mini shopping spree:)

suna rintarō

pretty lazy, but not in a bad way— tbh, the biggest thing for you guys is just that you get to spend quality time together, no matter what you’re doing. if you wanna go out then you will definitely be going out because he’s down for whatever you are, but if you’re also feeling lazy, he’d love to stay in with you and just cuddle while the two of you play video games or watch movies or something. also he gets you one of those comically large stuffed animals “because you’re always clinging to me when you sleep and i can’t always be there”

tendō satori

i feel like it would actually be something super chill and low-key, just some quality time that you guys get to spend together. he'd take you out for lunch (maybe ramen or something ?? idk i feel like it would be something between casual and super fancy) and then you'd wander around the city together and end up chilling at his place, making dinner together and laughing and cuddling until you fall asleep

terushima yūji

knowing him and his fucked up/nonexistent sleep schedule, you'll probably pull an all-nighter talking to him the night before (but hey, valentine's day is on a sunday this year, so it's fine !!). he'll call you at, like, 6 a.m. and drag you out to watch the sunrise with him, sitting on the hood of his car while you lean on his shoulder, still half-asleep. you'll take it slow together for the rest of the day, grabbing coffee and playing rock, paper, scissors to decide what you’re doing next.

tsukishima kei

for all the teasing and bitching you put up with on a daily basis while dating him, he’s actually probably one of the most thoughtful when it comes to this. he’ll have a fucking itinerary for the entire day, starting with having you spend the night at his place the day before so that he can surprise you with breakfast in bed. he’s another one of those who’s kind of shy about his gift (a pretty bracelet accompanied by a shockingly vulnerable letter). it ends with the two of you making dinner together and falling asleep on the couch after eating<3

yamaguchi tadashi

just. everything. all the typical valentine’s day gifts, emphasis on all. he shows up at your door with an armful of candy and flowers and stuffed animals, topped off with a super sweet card. he’ll probably show up earlier in the morning, too (he’ll make sure you’re awake first, duh), so that he can make you breakfast and you can spend a lazy morning together.

haikyū!! masterlist

[lexsssu]

Shall We Date: Worship Me AU - Gabriel (Avatar of Diligence)

What if the MC gets transported to the Celestial Realm instead? What if the angels were the love interests?

GENERAL HCs

Known as the “Voice of God” and as such, is Big G’s primary messenger to the human world and the devildom

Because of this, he’s pretty well-known in the 3 worlds and knows a heck lot of different people

Also has a beautiful voice, the kind you’d want to listen to in an ASMR, podcast, audiobook, etc.

Then again do you really expect God’s voice to have anything other than a beautiful voice?

Like seriously his voice sounds like warm melted dark chocolate

He’s also Uriel’s younger twin brother

While Uriel is more akin to the cool and comforting countenance of the moon, Gabriel has the blazing warmth of the sun

Perpetually smiling, but each smile holds different meanings depending on how big it is, if there was any crookedness to it, if he showed his teeth, etc.

His close friends and family can usually tell which smile is which, but it’s his twin that can ALWAYS tell whatever mood he was in even just from analyzing his smile

Most of the time however, that smile hides a rambunctious imp that particularly likes playing tricks on anyone and everyone

He enjoys freaking people out and relishes the reactions they make. The more exaggerated the reaction, the better

That time Big G talked to Moses by going into that burning bush? It was Gabriel’s bright idea

Seriously though, that memory of him freaking out is one of Gabriel’s most treasured moments

Although truth be told, his all-time favorite reactions are the ones he least expected

One of his favorite pastimes is trying to coax a surprised reaction out of Uriel, seeing as his brother was normally so stone-faced

He feels that it’s his divine mission to get as many reactions out of Uriel as he can

He enjoys tormenting Raphael as much as he enjoys mentoring their youngest brother on how to speak effectively

A master of the art of speaking, so he knows every manner of using one's voice no matter what their intended outcomes were

Whether it's to soothe, anger, or seduce someone, Gabriel knows them all

But he asks a price for his services. You have to call him "Big Brother" sweetly if you want to even remotely get his attention for whatever favor you plan on asking him

Gabriel enjoys teasing others aside from pranking them

The flustered reactions he gets is always a nice treat

Don’t get him wrong though, he enjoys messing with others but it’s all light-hearted fun on his end and is never done with any intended malice

Rather, he actually makes sure that he never touches upon sore spots for anyone

He’s just a prankster, not an asshole

Out of the seven virtues, he also the one who still gets in touch the most with Lucifer and his brothers

He is a messenger after all so it’s a given he sends and receives messages the most

With how many prophecies, signs, and dreams he has to deliver Gabriel is almost always out and about. So he’s actually the one who’s least present in the celestial realm

You’d usually catch him on the rare times where he’s on break or in-between deliveries

Sometimes when he’s in need of a little entertainment during assignments, he’d spice up his deliveries by changing the method of delivering the messages

Like perhaps he was supposed to give a human a sign from Big G through a dream, but that’s so old-school so instead he delivers it when they’re wide awake and by themselves

He can’t possibly pinpoint the fact why some humans went to loony bins after he delivered their messages

P.S. They thought they went mad because of those “divine hallucinations”

A chaotic force of nature in all his white-haired, molten chocolate goodness

Emphasis on CHAOTIC

Like the rest of his brothers, he enjoys spoiling Azrael in the way normal big brothers spoil their younger siblings

Obligatory noogies, random wrestling moves, cheek pinching, etc.

An advocate of "No one can bully my siblings except me"

Frequently gets souvenirs from wherever he'd last gone to. He doesn't just get souvenirs for him though, he also gets some for his brothers

Limited edition keychains for Michael for example, sweets for Azrael, local ingredients for Cainabel, tea leaves for Raphael, a new book for Uriel, and etc.

For some reason people like giving him random stuff. Like he could just be passing by and one of his acquaintances or even someone who he'd never really hung out with but knew of him had just harvested their mango tree and now and a surplus of them, or ordered a bit too much of this or that and would give him their extras instead

That's why his pockets are perpetually full with little snacks, candies, and all a manner of random stuff

When his pockets get too full he pops up in the other virtues' offices to lighten his load so to speak

More often than not, it's Azrael who benefits from his brother's popularity since Gabriel himself doesn't eat too many sweets

He doesn't actually notice just how good-looking he is and couple that with his beautiful voice, you can see how and why he's so popular

His generally sunny and rambunctious personality has also earned him many fans

A fan of collecting stamps and has hundreds upon hundreds of books which contain every stamp that has ever come into existence

Stationery otaku

Michael once gave him a pen, one of those cheap ones you get at dollar stores with a cute character at the top. He still uses it until today and never leaves home without it

Regardless of how tacky something is, if it's from his brothers then Gabriel is sure to use it with happiness and pride

ENG VA: Vic Mignogna

JP VA: Mamoru Miyano

ROMANTIC HCs

He’s already a normally friendly and handsy type of guy so it’s kinda hard to notice if he’s actually romantically interested in you

Heck, even Gabe doesn’t realize that he’s into you for a good while because he believes the way he thinks about and reacts to you was still included in the realm of being platonic friends

So what if his heart does those little flips whenever you laugh good-naturedly at his antics? When you gave him that little smile of yours that he liked to think was reserved solely for him?

It’s probably nothing when his skin heats up a little bit whenever his skin touches yours even for a little bit

What do you mean he’s always hanging around you? You were his best friend so of course he’d almost always be with you!

He’s kind of like a bird in the sense that his attention span is always moving from one thing or another, but the fact that you manage to hold his attention for so long even when you’re not there was something that surprised and baffled his brothers

Most notably Uriel who was used to Gabriel flitting about, kind of like a hummingbird if he was being honest

Also like a bird, Gabriel gets a lot of random trinkets. Both of his own accord and because people just like randomly giving him stuff and if he deems any of them worthy enough for you, he’s sure as heck gonna present it and gift it to you as soon as possible

He practically preens whenever you accept his gifts (it doesn’t help that his wings sometimes pop out in all his happiness and excitement). Even just a little compliment gets him so happy and excited for the rest of the day

Offers you his wing to touch if you show even the slightest interest in their angel wings

“ You wanna touch them? They’re 100% guaranteed SUPER SOFT. I always keep my wings nice and tidy since I gotta keep up appearances as a messenger, ‘ya know? ”

Gabe doesn’t realize/forgets that to offer someone to touch the symbols of his power, his wings of all things, showed that he held you in high regard

It confirmed your purity of soul, because to be judged by an archangel, a Virtue even meant that you were a special type of soul, a diamond in the rough so to speak

Although Gabe himself doesn’t notice it, his brothers definitely notice his sudden fixation on you. It’s almost worrying seeing him sitting still for once

While most people would think Gabe would be as chill as he normally he is when facing the truth of his feelings...he isn’t

Many forget that he and Uriel are twins, born of the same core split into two by the Heavenly Father. They shared much more characteristics than just their looks

Once he’s enamored by something, this angel shows his almost infallible dedication to it and only God sits above it

Like Uriel, he does his best to observe and learn everything about you, but what’s scarier is that he does it so covertly that you don’t even know he’s fishing for information all the while relishing his time with you

It doesn’t help that as the Voice of God, his charms are nigh impossible to resist or even detect so you sometimes don’t even realize that he’s playing you right into the palm of his hands

Oh but you don’t have to worry though, Gabriel loves you with all his heart and only wishes to court you properly and perfectly. That’s another of the traits that he shares with his twin

You’ll never have to worry about him coaxing you into something you won’t like or is bad for you. He merely aims to show you the true extent of his pure love

Dates with him are always at different locations or generally something new, because there’s so much that he wants to show and experience together with you

Karaoke dates are a fan favorite between you two, because who DOESN’T wanna hear the Voice of God himself sing?

Like his voice is already like pouring warm melted dark chocolate to your ears but his voice is enough to send you floating happily into the Celestial Realm

“ So where should we go to next? ...Karaoke again? Do you really love hearing me sing that much, cutie? You know I can sing for you as much as you want. I’m all yours~ ”

[yuusa]

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝟏𝟏

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏𝟖𝟔𝟎

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝 

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟏𝟏:

You walked towards the stationery store, looking around for nothing in particular as your shift would start in only a few more hours. You didn't really know why you wanted to come back to this store, but there was something drawing you to this place which made you feel comfortable. You scanned the variety of pens and pencils that were lined up next to each other, doodling on one of the testing papers and watching as customers flood in and out of the store. From the corner of your eye you noticed the old woman carrying a new box of supplies from outside the door, she was struggling to carry the weight of the box and it almost looked as if her arms might even fall off. 

"Ah! Honored grandmother, I can carry this for you." You quickly walked to her side and picked up the box from her arms, sparing them. She sighed in relief before stretching her arm.

"Thank you dear, you would not believe how much work it took carrying that, please bring it over here." She guided you towards the back of the store. She peeled back the curtains to let you into the back room and you placed the box of supplies on the floor. 

The box itself wasn't really that heavy, but it would be rude to dismiss her struggle. She gave you a smile before opening the top of the box with a boxcutter, revealing the new pens and notebooks that were delivered to her store. She noticed the way your eyes shine brighter as you stared at the newly unopened notebooks. The old woman smiled and picked up one of the pens from the stack and handed it to you.

"Here's another gift for helping me out." She placed it into your hand and wrapped your fingers around it, similarly to the way she gave you the first few gifts.

"O-Oh, you really don't have to!" You smiled as you stared down at the pen. 

"You could just call me Aikyo-san." Her smile was very pure. Her wrinkles were prominent but it never distracted you from the beauty that she was.

"Do you need me to reshelve these items?" You pointed over at the pens, pocketing your gift.

She nodded and guided you towards the few empty shelves, "yes, deary I would love for you to do that." 

You picked up the box and made your way around the store, organizing the different variety of erasers and notebooks onto the shelves. Your heart felt light as you stacked the objects together against the wooden shelves. There was something so therapeutic about being able to engage in something you found to be relaxing. The colors of each pen and pencil matched so well together with the color of the wood, with the fresh scent of pine and wood filling the air, it was calming to your mind. 

Aikyo walked over towards you as you crouched down to fill the bottom shelves with notebooks, "I used to have a daughter who previously worked here, but some things just change. I'm happy to see someone here at the shop with me." 

"I see. . ." There was a bit of tension in the air. You slowly stacked the notebooks together, "do you miss her a lot?" 

"Yes, I miss her very much." She turned to one of the red notebooks from the stack and picked it up, showing the intricate print of the cover. It had various flowers and small specks of gold-dusted around them. The red was the shade of a ripe strawberry and the pages inside were hole-punched perfectly. "Her favorite color was red. She loved to write and she really was an artist at heart." 

"She would come in the store with a smile, this was like her home." She grimly smiled before placing down the notebook, "when she called me okaa-san, I was so moved. She told me that she would run this store when I grew old. My little bird was flying so high but. . ." Aikyo held in her tears, trying not to remember and cry about the loss of her daughter several years ago. 

"It makes me happy, you remind me of my daughter so much." 

You pressed your lips together, unsure of what to make of the situation. A part of you felt guilty and sympathetic to her, you must have brought up cheerless memories with your presence. You weren’t the best when it comes to comforting people, you didn’t even know how to comfort yourself either. You didn’t know how to respond, not understanding the feeling of being a mother.  

You only had a neglectful mother, you wondered what it felt to have someone as sweet as Aikyo to be a part of your family. It was a selfish thought though, you already reminded her of someone she misses dearly. You held in a sigh as you continued to stack the notebooks together.

You turned your head to the clock in the room, seeing your shift nearing closer.

“Sorry Aikyo-san, my shift will be starting soon.” You quickly wrapped up the other supplies and handed the near-empty box to her. “I was almost done with it, but I have to go.”

“You’ve done more than enough dear. Will you be coming back soon?” She gave you a smile. Your eyes widened at her request, seeing that she wanted you, despite your gloomy and almost boring presence.

“Mhm. I’ll come back.”

“(L/n)-san is there something going on with you and your family?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back on his chair. “You’ve been coming to school injured, I’m worried for you.”

Shut up.

“Are you doing okay at home?” She asked, grasping onto your shoulders as she kept you after school. She pushed up her glasses as she looked down at you. “I’m concerned about your wellbeing. As your teacher, I should know about these things.”

Just shut up already.

“Should I call your mother and father to ask about your behavior at school? If you just tell us we can help you, you’re not alone (L/n)-san.”

Stay out of my life.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about sensei,” You smiled, “my life is fine.” 

You quickly sat up from your bed, sweat dripping down your neck as your head pulsated with pain. You felt lightheaded and your mouth was dry, your body desperate for a drink of water. Your body was weak as you clutched your head, gripping onto it with your nails as you stared down at your lap. 

How many times must you wake up like this?

Waking up with a cold sweat every single day, never given a break no matter how many times you try. You slowly crept out of bed, walking towards the bathroom to wash your face. You reached out to the mirror, noticing the small dark circles underneath your eyes. Turning on the faucet, you let the water run underneath your hand, the cool temperature contrasting the warmth of your hand. You cupped the water into your hand and splashed into your face, the small droplets dripping from your cheeks. 

You sighed in relief before coming into the kitchen to get a drink. By the time you had opened the fridge, your phone began to ring. You frowned and picked up your phone, seeing the blank picture you had for Yuki’s contact. 

“What's with the sudden call Sohma-san?” You asked, bringing the phone with you back to the kitchen, placing it on the crook of your neck as you opened the fridge to get water.

“Oh, I just wanted to check up on you. You weren’t here the other day and I got worried.” On the other line, he was leaning against the traditional walls of the hot springs he was attending, luckily alone and away from Momiji and Kyo who would cause trouble for him. 

“Worried? What for?” You skimmed through the recipe book that you bought several years ago, flipping through the pages to find a decent meal to cook.

“Haru didn’t apologize to you about the race and I haven’t seen you since that day, I just wanted to say sorry on his part.” 

“It’s fine. It doesn’t really matter.” You replied, although your voice and emotion being quite dry. “I needed to go home anyway.”

“So. . . Did you do anything on Valentines Day?” 

You pressed your lips together, feeling a slight bitterness in your tongue, “I went out on a date.” 

“I see. Who did you go with?” Yuki dragged his nails across the tatami floor, feeling anxious on the inside at the anticipation. 

“A friend I guess.” 

“Hmm. . . Do you want to hang out tomorrow, when I get back home?” He asked, trying not to think too much about the strange connection between you and Akito. He really didn’t want to burden you with his own problems.

“Where would you like to go?” You responded, finally finding a specific recipe you could cook at home. 

“Is it fine to stay over at your house then?” 

You scanned around your room, seeing your floor covered in a variety of clothes and books. You turned your attention to the laundry basket with Yuki’s shirt still in there, this might be a good time to clean and wash his shirt so you could return it to him.

“Sure. Do you want me to make you food?” You asked, pulling up the phone before it could slip away from the crook of your neck.

“You don’t really need to, it could just be a simple study hang out.” 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want any food? I would hate for you to be bored here.”

“I think I’d be fine tomorrow. I just wanted to check up on you.”

You rummaged through your cabinets for the needed supplies, “I see. I’m fine Sohma-san, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Trust me, I feel really bad about what happened with Haru.” He hummed. 

“I’m not really part of your family Sohma-san,” you started, “I just been thinking tha-”

From the thin walls he leaned against, he could hear Kyo and Momiji coming near the room. This was going to be troublesome if Momiji finds out he was talking to another girl outside of school. He internally groaned on the inside, trying not to express his displeasure in the phone call. 

“A-Ah, I’m sorry (L/n)-san, I have to cut this call short, Kyo is coming back. I’ll see you at your house tomorrow in the afternoon okay?” 

“Sure.” You mumbled, hearing the other line cut off and you sighed. 

You were going to try to tell him about how you felt about being in his personal life as a friend. You wanted to distance yourself away from him as a way to ease his burdens but you never seem to find the right time to say so. With a groan, you continued with the search of your ingredients and supplies.

Perhaps you will try to tell him tomorrow.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Island hopping for gyroids

It's been busy these past few days, traveling from one island to another, staying undercover, and retrieving gyroids. Jamie's on a big gyroid mission so she recruited me and two old friends I haven't seen in forever. Tagging along with Jamie on her adventures are always fun, especially when it involves traveling and high stake escapades.

Joining us are our old friends from Wizpire - Alex and Holly. I haven't seen or spoken to them in years so it was nice catching up with them. Being with them again almost feels like old times, except everything's a lot different now.

Holly used to drop by Wizpire once in a while to donate paintings to the museum but since her garden in Camellia really took off, she's been super busy. Holly's latest project involves putting together rare hybrids to make even more rare flowers. She also teaches online classes on interior decor for the Happy Room Academy.

Last I heard from Holly was a couple years ago when she was living in Airy. She was a well known patron at the museum much like how she was in Wizpire. Holly was also seeing Sam, though they drifted apart about a year later. Sam's a good guy and a dedicated father, but I always felt that he and Holly were incompatible as a couple. They're both old fashioned, though I think Holly's more progressive while Sam's more traditional. There's also the fact that it shouldn't be Holly's job to coddle him when he puts his foot in his mouth, which I'm pretty sure was the source of their conflicts.

Right now Holly has no time for romance. In fact, after being with Sam, she realized that she has no interest in it at all. Holly always figured that she'd be into a romantic relationship when the right person comes along, which obviously turned out to be false. There's nothing wrong with having no desire for romance. From experience, coming to the realization that it's okay to be who you are is a freeing thing. It's also good to know that you're not broken or messed up just because you've never had a crush or experienced attraction towards someone.

I'm glad that Holly's out there living her best life. She made the decision to move to Wizpire on a whim and never looked back. Before that she had an unfulfilling corporate job that constantly stressed her out. Finally, she had enough and took the plunge. Now look where she is, donating to museums, growing a garden, being a seamstress, and teaching interior decor!

Alex has kinda dropped off the face of the earth since leaving Wizpire. She's always busy, hopping off from one thing to another - that's just the way she is, you can't keep her in one place for too long. From deep diving in the Cavernous Seas, racing down Rainbow Derby, skydiving at the Double Helix Nebula, to making treats at the Land of Sweets - Alex has done it all!

Right now she's been staying in Charma making scooters and bikes. After that she plans to move to Etienne Falls to dig up fossils and other hidden treasures. Alex runs a travel blog called Girl on the Run and at this point I think she's traveled to over a thousand different places. As much as I enjoy traveling, I don't think I can keep up with her lifestyle. I like trying out different things and going on adventures but I also need downtime where I can do nothing without feeling like I'm wasting time.

So we've been busy traveling to various islands to retrieve lost gyroids to take back to their respective homes. Some places are easier to access than others, and no two islands are alike so we have to be prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

The first island we stopped by was Banana Bay, where we went digging at the beach. There, we found a couple gyroids, some old tech, and a couple of rusty keys. Since we needed the keys to get access to an old hideout where the other gyroids were hidden away, Jamie took them to a friend to get them cleaned up. While we waited for the keys we had coconut banana ice cream with bubble waffles, a local treat that was perfect after a long morning of digging in the sand. By the time we were done, they keys were ready to go.

As expected, the old shack was armed with security robots. No one really runs the place anymore except the machinery. The tech may be outdated by over twenty years but the alarm system's still up and running so a simple slip up can put the entire place into lockdown and get us into a heap of trouble.

I was given the task of unlocking doors and disabling cameras. I'm no hacker but the tech is pretty primitive - meaning easy to figure out. All you have to do is solve a bunch of puzzles to get into the system and most of them aren't even that hard. Meanwhile Alex came up with strategies to evade the robots while Jamie and Holly split up to retrieve the gyroids.

The robots were more of a nuisance than a challenge to get through. The blue ones with the giant red eye creep me out though. I made the mistake of looking into one of them and instantly regretted it when a giant four headed spider peeked through.

On day two we went to two islands that were side by side to each other - Teal and Turquoise. In contrast to the sunny beaches of Banana Bay, Teal Island was a snowy forest. In order to get in the caves we need stones to unlock the passageways and pickaxes to get through caved in areas.

We happened to arrive after a big blizzard so that complicated things a little. Light snowfalls made it a bit hard to see, which means we have to be extra careful. Wolf tigers roam the island and they're aggressive as fuck. Ice balls will do the trick when you need to subdue them, but you have to be quick because they can sneak up on you when least expected. Jamie and Alex have dealt with their share of wolf tigers so Holly and I were well covered. Those creatures are scary fast and sneaky.

Walking into the caves was kinda like heading towards a death trap. Along with the wolf tigers, we also have to worry about falling rocks, scorpion bats, and mega tarantulas. While preparing for the mission Holly made us gloves and masks so we won't hurt ourselves with the sharp rocks and dust. I had some of Em and Ludwig's light formula so we used those as flashlights.

As soon as we got what we needed, we headed to the neighboring island of Turquoise. Since we were a little traumatized by the caves, we hung out at the motel and went sightseeing. I found a cute stationery shop called Milk Clouds and bought some washi tapes, stickers, and a notebook. Alex bought a bunch of scented candles from Petrichor Gifts, Jamie treated herself with a lovely handmade silk dress, and Holly bought some handwoven fabric and starflower peach seeds.

Then off we headed to the long abandoned labs in the far end of the island. Jamie rented a plane so we can get there instead of having to go through a dense jungle. We had to land on top of a cliff and then parachute down in order to get to one of the entrances.

Although the lab is pretty much abandoned, it's home to many hostile creatures so we have to be careful if we encounter them. They could care less about the gyroids - and could've made our job a million times easier if they helped us out - but alas we have to that ourselves. Jamie managed to talk to a few of them beforehand and they pretty much just said as long as we stay out of their way then it's good. Do what we have to do and get out. Fine by us.

So that's what we did. There wasn't even that much to look for anyway, and some of the gyroids were in such a bad state that we didn't even bother. I mean it was expected that we can't save everything, still, it's sad that some things will remain lost forever.

Thankfully, the rest of the island is nothing like the hostile creatures residing in the lab. I think I was more traumatized by them than the cave. I try to see the good in everyone but you gotta listen when the warning bells go off in your head. I'm sure a few of them have some good inside them but it's the power hungry and abusive ones who run the place, so you can't let your guard down.

Day three - earlier today - was the final stretch. First, we swam to Crick Island - as in we scuba dived there. Planes can't access it so we have to travel underwater. The island has no residents but it's heavily guarded as it's full of stolen artifacts. It's run by a secret organization that Jamie's been trying to hunt down for years, only for them to elude her as soon as they were within her grasp.

The underwater passages are full of security robots that go off if we bump into them. They only move around the same place so they're easy to bypass. Problem is the water  makes it hard to move - unpredictable currents and such. Luckily we're all pretty strong swimmers, but those currents can get pretty rough. Getting thrown into a tangle of weeds is much better than accidentally hitting a robot, no matter how frustrating it is to get out of a sticky situation.

From there, we were able to infiltrate the pyramid lab. Alex was tasked with unlocking doors and disabling security, Jamie did the navigating as she knows the ins and outs of the place pretty well, I evaded the robots while Holly kept a lookout for guards. Since the lab is far from being abandoned or run down, we had to be stealthy and clever.

Then it's back to the underwater passages where we swam to two more secret labs - radium and ionic. I have no idea if the names mean something or they're just random. Had a few close encounters where a guard could've walked in on us but thankfully we managed to steer them away easily. I don't mean to judge but their snobby attitudes just scream pretentious assholes - not the kind of company I'd wanna get stuck with if caught.

Now we're back in Banana Bay, taking it easy before having to do inventory on what we found. It's been a lot of fun but I think that's enough high stakes adventure for me. We're leaving tomorrow evening so Jamie and Alex will go off their separate ways while Holly's gonna be staying at the camp for a couple days before heading back to Camellia.

Gonna treat myself with bubble waffles and coconut banana ice cream - we sure as hell deserve it!

[tanookikiss]

With Love, Your Biggest Fan

Happy birthday @terraqua111​ ! Thank you for being such an awesome friend! This one’s for you ~ I hope you enjoy! <3

Pairing: Gene x Eric.C

Rating: G

.......................................................................................

POV Gene

Eric Carr had been our new drummer for a couple of months. Life on the road was making him feel like a fish out of water. Though he desperately tried to hide it, it was as clear as day to me. It happened after every show. The fans and groupies would swarm me, Paul and Ace, praising and fawning over us like gods. They would run right past and sometimes into Eric, not even acknowledging him a simple glance. I mean, he was a bit of a small fry in the crowd. They don’t thank him, or tell him he did a good job. To them, The Fox was simply a temporary drummer until The Catman returned.

Night after night, I observed as a tensed Eric stood alone in the corner backstage. We would try to pull him in front of the crowd and talk of all the great things he did and how his drumming was breathing new life into KISS. It only fell on blank stares and deaf ears. The KISS army had not quite accepted Eric as the band’s new drummer just yet.

Eric never once resented us or the fans for his exclusion. He understood replacing a founding band member would not be easy. He, himself looked up to Peter Criss, and he knew he had some big shoes to fill once he accepted the role as KISS’s drummer. Eric continued to work his ass off with a big smile on his face on and off stage. His optimistic attitude never faltered even when he didn’t receive any fan mail.

Eric would sit quietly, pretending to busy his interest with the TV Guide while we dug into our Mount Everest sized piles of handwritten love letters. Eric didn’t know that I was secretly watching him. The pain on his face haunted me later that night. I couldn’t sleep, every time I closed my eyes all I could see was his face flushed red with tears brimming in his eyes. I overheard him confess to a crew member that he didn’t feel like he belonged with us. That confession broke my heart. He was hurting, and I had to do something about it. I wanted to show him that he was very much loved and adored too!

I sighed as I got up from my hotel bed, flicking on the little lamp on top of the work desk. I pulled out a pen and the stationery from the drawer and started writing my letter.

With Love, Your Biggest Fan

The reaction was far greater than I ever imagined. I had snuck the letter into the band’s incoming mailbag on the way into the rehearsal space. The look on Eric’s face was priceless, he looked like an excited child on Christmas morning. As soon as it was handed to him, he opened it as carefully as possible, as if it was made of the most precious material in the world. Once he read the actual letter, he was literally bouncing off with the wall in joy. Pure joy. Not just the fake smile he would give to hide behind the pain that he had felt. He was truly happy. My breathing hitched and it took every ounce of self-control to keep me from getting teary eyed. Eric was precious. I would do anything to keep him this happy forever!

I started to write the letters as often as possible, each one becoming longer and more passionate than the last. I was a bit confused at these sudden intense emotions for Eric. All I wanted to do was to cheer my friend up, but I just couldn’t stop baring my soul to him on paper. I couldn’t imagine a world worth living if Eric was unhappy. Whenever he smiled, my heart would stop. I wanted to hold Eric tightly, daring any evil to try and hurt my sweet little fox!

With Love, Your Secret Admirer

I don’t remember when I started signing that, it just started to happen. I was becoming more comfortable writing these love letters. Eric seemed in constant high, always singing a happy tune to himself and walking with a spring in his step. He looked absolutely gorgeous smiling brightly as he hugged my letter against his heart. I desperately wanted to kiss him.

I wanted to kiss him?

I wanted to kiss my dear friend…

I stared at the paper, my mind a flurry of emotions. The pen trembled in my hand as tears of frustration fell silently, though I made sure not to let them spill onto the letter. With a heavy sigh, I wrote what needed to be said.

With Love, Your Biggest Fan and Secret Admirer

It wasn’t a fictional person sending Eric these letters. I was not writing them from a point of view of a fan that had never spoken to Eric before and only thought of him as a Rock n’ Roll God. These were my thoughts and feelings for him. I had come to terms that I was madly in love with Paul Charles Caravello.

I had never been more anxious in my life then when Eric read this letter. Eric was confused at first and re-read it dozens of times before it actually sunk in. He wasn’t angry or creeped out, thankfully. He actually blushed.

And he didn’t stop smiling.

Eric didn’t know it was me. He didn’t know I was the one professing my deepest desires for him. He couldn’t know, no matter how much I longed for those smiles to be for me, no matter how much I craved for his touch, no matter how I would kill for just one kiss, he could never know the truth.

Because it would hurt him.

He would resent me and I couldn’t live with that.

I was always so careful when I was writing, especially when Eric shared a room with me. I always completed and hid the evidence from Eric before I fell asleep. Only this time…I was distracted with a phone interview that I had accidentally left the letter out on the desk while I was in the other room.

My entire world came crashing down when I returned to a devastated Eric.

Eric was standing at the desk, holding my letter, shaking violently, a look of horror and terror on his face. The look on Eric’s face caused my blood to freeze and my heart to practically shatter. He looked betrayed, as if I had destroyed everything that mattered to him.

He wasn’t smiling anymore.

I tried to speak. My throat was dry and I could barely breath, until I saw the tears.

I had hurt him.

Suddenly, I started confessing or rather babbling incoherently of all of the things I would write about, and why I wrote about them. I talked for hours, tears streaming down both our faces. I tried to focus on an explanation, but I kept repeating the very things I wrote to him. I told him how beautiful he was to me, how much he meant to me and how much I wanted him to be happy. I couldn’t shut up if I wanted to.

I told him how much I loved him.

He had stopped crying by then. His face was blank but as soon as I started to speak—

He hugged me.

“Did you really mean everything you wrote, Gene?” He asked softly, his face buried into my shoulder.

“Yes, with all my heart,” I wailed, holding him tight, placing a gentle kiss atop his poofy mane.

Pulling back, he looked me in the eyes and gave me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen from him.

He was smiling for me!

It’s been a few months since then. The fans have started to accept Eric and realize what an incredible person he truly is! He has fans and groupies stampeding towards him after the shows now and, he has even started receiving an abundance of fan mail. He receives as many love letters as Paul, much to Paul’s dismay!

I still write him love letters, leaving them on his nightstand before the show, and Eric silently reads them afterwards. He tells me my letters are his favorite ones to read! The angelic smiles he gives were no longer for a mystery person who lived in the shadows. They were for me.

And that was the greatest gift I could have ever received.

[pffbts]

a fool`s act.

GENRE. fluff; angst; school au!

CHARACTERS. ateez`s choi jongho x female reader | no supporting character.

W.C. 3K

AUTHOR`S NOTE.

this is a special request by my younger sister @reee-01 jongho is like her one true love and also it`s his 19th birthday so this is just a special gift for him and her at the same time. also @pookastudies (special tag) anyway, happy reading, bubs! 

masterlist | playlist

[01:15 PM] [the words that don`t get uttered but still floats in the air]

―it was no mistake.

if only you would`ve turned your head to your left side, you could`ve seen him. but your history teacher was in-between his revision session with your class and you had no other option but to stay hid in your classroom with your words stuck at the back of your ribs in the form of feelings that never came to the surface.

choi jongho―transferred himself to this school two years ago and it didn`t even take a month before he was already a strong player in the school`s basketball team. for your case, it took him only a week.

though you didn`t want to completely conclude that it was accurately a week but it might be roughly counted as love at first sight. you, apparently, took your time to adjust to the way he was in filtering your mind and it was soon evident during the first weekend after meeting him that you`ve actually started missing him and it was sure a sign of love because you didn`t really feel any sort of intention of being not just his friend. you wanted to be something more than that.

but two years have already passed and both of you have been separated by your respective stream choices. while you`ve taken arts, he has gone into the science stream but it shocks you how he still finds his way inside the basketball court with the same kind of open laughter he did when he first came.

you glance towards the clock that hangs over the blackboard. ah, it`s almost time for the end of today`s school, you sigh. no matter how much you dread this, you still had to accept the fact that you miss him more these days. even though you probably see him walking by your classroom every day towards the basketball court, even though you see him taking the train just before yours at the station while going back home, even though you see him every day at the assembly hall every morning―it has always come back to this, that as the end of your high school comes, you`re probably going to be eaten up by the guilt of not letting out your feelings.

you wished you could go back to the time before his transfer and change your classroom so that you could`ve never met him in the first place. your glances towards him would`ve been much lesser than what it used to be and you would probably not stay up late during your school nights, waiting for the sun to break into the sky so that you can finally dress up to have a taste of his presence in the air of the room you both will sit. the distance never mattered to you as long as you were breathing the same air as him.

craning your neck to remove the aching pain behind your head, you watch the teacher scolding one of your classmate for not giving the proper answer. as you almost start feeling bad for him, you heard the bell ring. the previously shunned classroom became a carefree chaos as you joined in it silently to pack up your textbooks and stationeries.

as you got up from your seat, one of your friends comes at you with a hug and you almost hold yourself against the seat from falling, “i will miss you a lot, _______! can`t believe next time we meet it will be on exam day.”

you feel a sudden jolt inside you as the abrupt clenching inside your chest made it feel more painful. your eyes now as wide as the biggest circle you`ve drawn, your mind settles with the fact that today is, in fact, the day of your last regular high school life. it wasn`t like you were returning her hug rather it was like you were holding onto her from the immense pain that pushes itself now through your chest to your stomach. this bad feeling―you never wanted it to come.

you laugh back at her and your friend makes a pouty face expressing her sadness. “we can meet whenever we want, you know.” you said, though you know it was half-true.

“sure! now let`s go!” she pulls you by your hand and you both eventually got out from your classroom. just like any other day, you turn your head back towards jongho`s classroom only to sigh in despair that he`s probably not in it right now.

the wind struck you repetitively as you stood on the platform waiting for your train which arrives after half an hour. during the other days, you would sit but today your body wasn`t tired enough rather it was your head. you had a hard time looking up at your eye level. the only thing that you watched were the active feet of the platform occupants like you.

suddenly, you heard a voice but it was very unclear. maybe it was the ringing inside your head that was making it more difficult to clearly hear the words. you tried hearing the words clearly. it was trying to say something and you were fighting your earnest to make out the syllables. soon you feel a strong hand slightly shaking your left shoulder. your eyes jerk open at the sudden pressure and you turn your head fast only to meet with the last person you would`ve probably thought about.

jongho`s eyes carried a concerned look and his mouth had formed an irregular shape which only meant that he wanted to say something and not say something at the same time. he was, at least, looked confused. but your fuzzy brain had a hard time realizing what was happening and why is he here holding your shoulder like this.

“_____, are you alright?”

as your name got uttered by him, everything in front of you became clear as the open sea and the air of an early morning. your head started feeling lighter and you gave him a small smile which doesn`t reach your cheeks.

“do you have water with you? you should drink water,” he looks around you and notices that you don`t have enough water with you. he could see it because your bottle was transparent.

huffing back, he pulls out his own bottle to give you a sip. he even goes on to open the cap for you but you remain staring at him the same way. when he motioned his bottle towards you while raising his brows at the same time, you spoke for the first time.

“why are you making me drink water?”

“huh?” his voice sounded like he couldn`t believe what you were saying, “you almost fainted before i caught you by your shoulder. are you being serious right now?” finally without hesitating any longer, he takes your hand in his and makes you grasp the water bottle and forces you to drink at least a mouthful of it. “if you don`t drink this, i`ll just have to call the hospital. you`re making me worried for you, ______.”

you`re making me worried for you.

the words hit you as if you were standing in the middle of the road and a car just suddenly switched on its headlight without any warning. your grip around the water bottle tightens and jongho`s attention diverts from your face to your hand. he was still, though this time gently, holding your wrist.

you looked away from him and turn around facing the other side of the platform and drank almost half of the water he had in his bottle. it was at that time you realized that you`ve been deprived of any hydration, that your body was screaming for even a drop of water, that your mind which previously felt distorted and empty was suddenly asking for confrontation and words that would be only be spoken by choi jongho.

jongho looks at you in awe and then a smile climbs onto his mouth when he gets amused by your way of drinking water like you`ve been thirsty all this while. he watches you pull back the bottle and shove it onto his chest. “thanks.” and, that`s all he heard.

“you need to stop hurting yourself like this,” jongho speaks while he pulls off the straps of his bag from his shoulder. he has settled not only himself but yourself too by almost dragging you into the waiting room. when one of the station officers asked why you both have entered into a room only for the reservation carrying passengers, jongho has taken a defence mode only to request just some minutes because of your sudden health issue.

“what do you mean by that?” you ask in return of his sudden accusation.

“i can see you`re hurting yourself.  just because some people doesn`t respond to your glances, your words, your feelings that doesn`t mean they are ignorant of your feelings,” jongho leans back, resting the back of his head against the light blue painted brick wall, “maybe they know more than what you really think.”

“that doesn`t make any sense,” you turn your head to your side this time staring directly at his side profile, “you know that, right?”

instead of replying, jongho turns his head at your direction and just return your glance. your eyes followed his own and you noticed how it travelled slowly from your eyes to your mouth and as it reached back to your eyes, they carried a soft look. his eyelids shivered with an unknown feeling and you had no idea why he was acting this way.

it was evident all these years that your love for him was just one-sided and today as the last school bell rang, you knew it will end like that till you breathe your last. maybe it won`t hurt as much as you think but maybe these memories won`t fade that slowly. but it`s okay, as you told yourself, that it`s okay to be a little crazy sometimes.

but right then as the almost empty reservation room gets emptier, as the air around you becomes much lighter, you realize that he`s finally looking at you and what was that thing in his eyes―you must have seen it, read it so many times in those books. it was like he has waited for such a long time for this moment to come, for this exact minute to come and just return your gaze. it was like, the weight from his shoulders have been lifted, his mind is clearer and he`s finally with you, all alone and no one to take a question out of you.

“jongho.”

it wasn`t a question and neither it was a statement. it was like breathing and you felt something new inside you, at the tip of your tongue. but all he does is smile and this time his smile made his little baby teeth, his gums to show with prominence.

“________, stop being such a worrisome kid,” he closes his eyes for a split second and continues, “you should know, you must know it`s all for you.”

“i`ve no idea what you`re talking about.” you stated, moving your face away from his direction and faced forward.

“thank you for the notes.”

“notes?”

jongho hums back, “i never thanked you because we changed our streams after that.”

your eyes widen as the memory cascades down in you that you did, in fact, shared your final notes to him and it was only because he was not able to catch up with the school works due to his late transfer to the class.

“it`s okay. it`s been ages already.”

“why? but it`s still due, isn`t it?”

“it`s okay. i said, it`s okay.”

“you`re still hurting yourself.”

“will you stop with that?!” you ask that a little loudly and in doing that you almost throw your own backpack to the other side of the room. jongho, who was observing your every change of expression, moved swiftly to the floor and picked it up and put it back right beside you.

“i`m sorry if i`m being a bother,” he starts, “but i just want you to stop thinking of me like a fleeting time. i`m not going to forget about you and i want you to never forget about me. i don`t know what you like, what you love, what books you read, what you do in your free time but i know whom you love,” he watches your face carrying a horrified expression. he watches how you move your head and slowly look up to him but you still aren’t looking into his eyes so he continues, “and i don`t want to escape from that place where you carry me. i`m happy that i`ve been able to stay in someone`s heart. was i able to give any sort of comfort while i was there?”

yes, you wanted to say, yes, you did. you were always there for me, you were always smiling and i didn`t even know if you were hurting from inside or not but when i was hurt you still smiled without even knowing what i was feeling from inside. you were there since day one and even now as i say this in my mind, i think you can still hear me but i`m stupid, i`m scared of losing people and things and all these feelings. so i hide. please forgive me but that look you`re giving me right now doesn`t make things any easier. please smile.

“you`ve no idea,” you say, finally.

choi jongho only smiles.

it was no mistake.

if you would look back at every word he said, they carried so many different meanings that you had a hard time connecting the dots to the line he created where you both stand at each endpoints.

jongho eventually stayed till your own train arrived. he even voluntarily missed his own one, walked you to your home where your mother ended up thanking him a multiple time and also invited him for an afternoon snack which he very politely declined. after all, it was really getting dark and he had to take the next train on time.

days later after the end of your and his last school exam, he had done the same thing as above but this time he did stay behind for the snacks and when you saw him out of the door, he had given a bow at your direction thanking you.

“it`s alright. you can always come in and hangover.”

when jongho lifts himself up and looks down at you from his height, he smiles the same way he did when you had shouted at him some days back in the reservation room.

“no, i didn`t thank you for that.”

“then, why?”

it was at that moment when he starts walking backwards, his eyelids shivering the same way and he says back, “thank you for carrying me in your heart. bye-bye!” and, off he runs out of your sight.

it took you hours and hours of realization to hit you with the fact that it wasn`t just a thank you―it was a farewell of some kind and you heard something breaking with a crack from somewhere.

fin.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Kawaii Box May 19

Before I begin I have an announcement: later/tomorrow I plan to post a sort of... glossaryish post that will be about ALL the boxes I subscribe to :D Because earlier today it occurred to me, I never really talk about the brands themselves anymore unless they have some update or if I complain in my reviews. I thought this type of post would be nice for anyone who just wanted to learn more about a specific box to see if they would be interested in it. I will also be including my own opinions on the box as a whole, pros and cons, how the box has changed, etc.

So if you like things like that, then make sure you come back soon!

Until then, we’re gonna focus on this:

Word of the month: Tanjyoubi - Birthday

Disney Princess Dress-Up Puffy Stickers

Our first item is a set of Disney Princess Ariel/Little Mermaid stickers. Covered to the brim with stickers, this sheet has multiple outfits, accessories/props, and deco bits to have fun with the sticker doll and then-some!

Besides Ariel, there are other Disney Princess and I’ve even seen they added a really cute Minnie mouse one on Blippo.com. Those in this set each cost $3.90.

I was really torn between all 3 dresses, the turquoise one was a classic for Ariel, and I love how the pink one reminded me of Aurora, but I actually settled for the purple one because I though it looked really pretty on her. Then I chose the shell purse and matching decoration/accessory and a light pink sash to add more to her dress, what do you think?

While on the subject, which dress would you have chose for her? Or would you have given her a different colored dress entirely?

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s really simple, but it’s also pretty fun and cute, I love dress-up stickers because of how creative you can be. I mentioned this before but I really want to start a scrapbook or photobook and fill it entirely with dress-ups~

The stickers puffiness is nice and soft, and I like how these don’t feel finished. So I could go back to it a few days later and swap out her purse and hair piece to make her classier with a sun hat. Or I could give her the turquoise dress if I wanted. 

Sanrio Ziptop Bag Set

Next up is this pack of adorable Pompompurin zipper bags. You get 6 in total, including 3 Small 70mm x100mm, and 3 Medium 160mm x 190mm. Each set offers different designs, and besides Pompompurin (who I couldn’t find on blippo btw) there was also the other basic characters like my Melody, Gudetama, Little Twin Star. Each set costs $5.90.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I think these are really cute, and practical :D according to the back of the package you could put all sorts of things in these, and I like that both sets are zip-locks. These would be a perfect gift for any Pompompurin fan.

Kawaii Dreams File

This is the monthly Exclusive item, a file folder featuring a variety of kawaii designs and items you can find on the Kawaii Box box and booklet, with the inside panel being white and pink to match the box’s color scheme. It’s kinda small-medium, about the size of the booklet that comes in each box, and it’s a little flimsy, but for most part it feels durable and sturdy.

You can buy this off of Blippo for $2.90.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  

I usually don’t look forward to getting these files in the boxes because as cute as they are, they’re always big and bent. This one fits in the box with no problem, so I feel like even though you would need to fold certain things into it, it’s more practical. I also like how despite how colorful and busy it looks, it doesn’t feel too-busy.

Soft Jell Rainbow Gel Pen Set

I loved gel pens growing up x3 my friends and I loved to draw on our things and each other during class (but only when we weren’t actually doing anything important <3< I wasn’t a model student but I didn’t get into trouble either), and I remember just admiring the massive rainbow collection my friend had; she must have had at least 100!

My collection was much smaller and modest though, I only had a few glittery metallic ones and a couple multicolored pastels. So for someone who used to love these, getting a whole pretty set like this just made my day~

It’s also pretty rare for us to get a whole set of anything in the boxes. If you’ve seen my prior reviews (or check out the items on blippo) its usually just one separate of your choosing. This set costs $6.90.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The colors are vibrant and really pretty, as you can see I did decorate the box with them which in hindsight might not have been the best thing to do, but they still worked once the ink got flowing. They’re juicy and are capable of long lines, writing, dots, coloring.

My only complaint is that both blues (or I suppose you could say one is indigo? Turquoise?) look almost exactly alike. It’s the same in the actual pens, but there’s still a noticeable difference until you go to use them both, so I wish they would have darkened or lightened one of them to make the difference more noticeable.

Cute Animal Friend Masking Tape & Nekoni Cherry Blossoms Badge

For our next items, I got bunnies for both ♥

 First is an adorable pastel bunny washi tape that consists of a kawaii bunny doing some silly actions. I would have taken out a piece to show the design, but when I unraveled a long, long amount of it I saw no end to the pattern >3< like it kept going, there was no repeat bunnies. Each bunny was cuter, or sillier than the last.

There are several varieties you could get, and you can guy them in sets of 4 for $5.90 on Blippo.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Well besides being very cute and silly to look at, I like how this doesn’t seem to be repetitive like most tapes. I’m sure it starts repeating somewhere but for now, I just think it would be cute to use them individually as little emoji icons, like for notes or letters or something.

-----

From the brand Nekoni are these adorable pastel badges with cherry blossom designs, ranging from animals, a human girl, scenery, and adorable foods. Each badge costs $1.90.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s very cute, but there isn’t really much I can say about a badge other than the fact it seems to be fine quality. There was no problems with it or anything to complain about.

Cute Stationery Buddy

This probably would have been better suited for a school theme- but you also use stuff like this to decorate :P so, our next item is an adorable, soft but firm plush themed after various stationery items. There are 7 in total, each with a ball chain and costing $4.90.

I really hope I’m not the only person, but when I saw this (and even now) I think of a snail; it’s a roll of tape! I was so surprised initially but now that I’ve had it for a while I’ve been seeing it more.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Again, I find myself with little to say. It’s really cute though, and the quality is nice, there’s no obvious flaws or issues.

Yogurt Jelly Hair Clip Set

In comparison to stationery, we always get sets of hair clips so I’m happy about that :3 I love their kawaii hair clips and accessories, they’re usually always one of my most favorite items~

Anyway, this set is themed after yogurt jelly and features a small translucent clip attached to a clear, colorful, glittery yogurt jelly attached to it, each with labels, a colorful lid, and a tiny lotte written in the corner. These come in several cute color schemes, each set costs $2.90.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

As I’ve been saying this entire review, these are very cute. They’re also well made, in that the pieces don’t feel loose or flimsy, which has been in a problem with one or two past-sets I’ve gotten, but you can easily fix that with some good glue. I was also very happy to get a very pink set, but you couldn’t go wrong with any of them in my opinion!

DIY Fruity Doodle Pen & Flower Candy

Our last item is this cute little fruity doodle set. Technically I don’t consider this to be a DIY considering you’re just spreading gel on the gummies, but it’s very cute and I really wanted to try it. I started seeing it like a year or two ago?

It’s available on Blippo for $3.50.

As you can see, I got tons of yellow gummies, along with a single pink, and two blues. The gel is supposed to be sour, but it’s actually very light- it reminds me a lot of strawberry jello/gelatin. The gummies are individually flavored, and this is what I thought:

Yellow - might be apricot? It tastes a lot like the apricot jelly filling in the mochi I buy from the mall.

Blue - my favorite, tastes like blue raspberry.

Pink - no flavor I could pick up, just sweetness.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

As I said, I’m not sure this is entirely a DIY so I didn’t make a separate post on it. All you do is apply the jelly, which I thought actually tasted the best out of everything in the set, but it was very tasty and cute overall, I just wish the colors/flavors of the flowers were more varied.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content -  5 out of 5: I’m not sure they were all my absolute favorite or anything, but I did genuinely like everything we got this month. I found no quality issues or problems, plenty of variety in both the types of items, and for each item. A very practical and fun box. Some items were fairly pricey though, and I’m not sure if I agreed with some of those. Also, we got one item less than usual, which I assume has something to do with the price?

Theme -  ????? out of 5: I found this Happy Birthday theme to be extremely open and up for interpretation, so I had I’m not sure how I feel about how they did on it. On one hand I could say “yes, these are items you could use for gifts or decoration for a birthday“, but on another I’d say “sakura badges and yogurt hair clips don’t make me think of a birthday.”

Total Rank: 8.5 out of 10 Cuties. I liked the items, and I can see why they chose the theme they did, but because of how open it is, I’m not sure how my feelings are towards it. The items worked great and I would recommend mostly all of them. I’m not sure this is my favorite box though...

(I’m sorry but I ended up skipping the last part of this review, I was fine this entire time but towards the end things got really busy in the house and I’m not feeling well at the time. I would have went to lay down but my laptop has been weird lately and I didn’t want to risk losing the work T^T sorry if you were looking forward to that part.)

[the-canary]

Pastel Colors - B.B (12/15)

Summary: If only the cute teacher would stop pestering you for a pen.(Library/Teacher AU! Reader/Bucky Barnes)

Prompt: you’re always asking me for a pencil because for some damn reason you don’t know that there is a whole store for stationary—happy birthday here’s a gift card to that store. wait, you work there? what the hell?

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @bithors writing challenge. REVELATION CHAPTER! On so many things will finally be revealed and I hope you don’t get ya heart broken along the way. 2 chapters + epilogue to go!  <3 There is still time for drabble request too! 

Feedback is always appreciated. 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 

Rebecca tells Bucky to wait two weeks, that’s all the time she needs to have everything set in motion. If it had just been her telling him all this, James doubted he would have gone through with such a plan because he knows what goes on in said amount of time and he would rather have a good memory of his early birthday party than one where you potentially crushed his heart -- like that old Simpsons episode that used to scare him so much. However, a grinning Pietro is sitting across his coffee table and him being here, the person that knows you best, has to mean something, right?

It is due to the simple fact that James decides to wait. At least if it doesn’t work out, he’ll have a week away from you to tend to his broken heart through that yearly conference that he always goes to -- truly like Orion and Diane. However, his sister and Pietro won’t leave until he answers that one question, the one that has been boggling their minds since they put two and two together.

How exactly did you fall in love with her?

With a lovestruck grin, James starts a little tale because he had been in love with you since before he even saw you.

James Buchanan Barnes came to this dingy high school during one of the worst times of his life. He had lost his fiancee to a trusted coworker because she was “feeling lonely”. His job was fulfilling but without this other half, Bucky Barnes lost some deep part of himself -- one that told him it was all worthwhile, so he ran. He ran back to New York with Steve and Peggy welcoming him until he got back on his feet again. Hell, Steve even recommended him for the teaching position at the high school he worked at, without many options, James accepted it though his heart was never fully in it throughout the whole hiring process.      

It isn’t until his first day sometime before winter break ends and he is bringing in his stuff into the empty classroom and James see the little welcome basket on his desk, that he starts to feel something warm and welcoming after such the emotional drought he had been through.

He pauses and clears away the plastic wrapping only to see the basket full of sweets and school supplies -- the all too familiar bee logo his father made looking back at him. He has to sit down and stares at the casing with longing, reminding himself of how he hadn’t seen his parents or sisters since moving back. James didn’t want to disappoint them, but god looking at all these pens and stationery make him want to go back. He wonders if the person who made this (maybe Steve) knew that. His eyes get a little misty, as he finally notices a card envelope with a flower motif.  

Welcome to our school, Mr. Barnes!

I was in your shoes not that long ago, but I hope you feel welcomed here! Everyone always says: “we’re lucky to have you”, and with someone like you we are. But that’s not the point, sorry.  Our school’s motto is: If you want support, you must offer something in return. Now, that could be taken in a bad way, but to me, you being here is making our teachers and students stronger. You’ve got our back and we got yours, ya know? It’s a little family here, even if you don’t see everyone! So, even when you’re weary or tired, maybe even about to give up, remember -- I got you.

I hope you have a great first year.

And in the darkness of his classroom, James has his heart stolen by a few words.  

Two weeks. Rebecca tells you to wait two weeks before moving forward with anything. You’re a little confused by her sudden demands, but after getting Pietro’s advice you wearily agree to. However, you didn’t think that you were going to stop seeing James all together either. It feels like that moment all those months ago, but worst because you can’t help but look at the door every time it opens, hoping that it's him. The library was silent, no more laughs at lunchtime or geeking out over the VR tech, and for the first time in your life the building you loved couldn’t stop the loneliness you felt deep inside your heart. That’s when you knew --a week in-- that James was it for you.

“Hey Lib, are you okay?” Michelle asks the 2nd Tuesday without seeing James, after lunch though she decides to stay behind and skip. Usually, you would shake your head and give her a note for when she needs it, but this time nothing -- just staring blankly at your desk. Her voice breaks you stupor for a moment, as you give her a sad smile. Then, it clicks.

“What did Mr. Barnes do?” Michelle asks in accusation, as you shake your head.  She frowns, not entirely sure what to do besides grabbing your laptop and pushing it in front of you.

“You know what’s the best advice you can get from a teenage girl?” she states, while grinning and feeling slightly accomplished when you crack a smile at her own self deprecating comment.

“What?”

“Shop ‘till you drop,” she grins and the two of you end up surfing for new clothes and stationery from different countries until the end of school, and while you feel a little guilty, you can’t help but feel a little better.  

Here’s the thing, every early March for awhile now, the adult Barnes kids celebrated James’ birthday early because soon afterwards he would be traveling to different science and space conventions that he was invited to. This year was a little different since their parents were on a cruise and their younger sisters, due to various reasons, couldn’t attend. This left a very bossy Rebecca and William to deal with everything  with some side help from Steve and Peggy, but this also allowed her to set-up the stage for your inevitable confession.

The problem was that you didn’t know that James was her older brother, so it had been struggle for both her and Pietro to convince you to go when you clearly didn’t want to date the man, especially when you clearly loved someone else. It had been a hassle to get everyone gathered in Washington Market Park (with the traditional party set up around an old wooden bench with starry tablecloths and plates since everyone was going to bring something), Rebecca knew the memories that felt special for Bucky in this particular area and she wanted to make him happy again. What she didn’t expect is how early you would get there and just  how pretty you would look in the late spring weather, as you give her a bashful smile, wearing a blouse and long skirt with a stylish pair of shoes. It seems like Michelle’s instance worked out in the end.

“He’s just gonna die, when he sees you like this,” Rebecca smiles, as you stand in front of her and  give her a confused look. It was now or never,she thought with hope and worry in her heart.    

“Becca, I don’t know your brother,” you explain, unsure of where this is all going, “I thought--”

“You do know my brother, sweetie,” Rebecca tries to soften the blow, as she looks into your panicking eyes, “Please don’t be mad, but do you know what the ‘B’ in the store’s name stands for?”

“Bumble bees?”

“Close. More like the Barnes children are all busy little bees ,” she smiles, thinking about her childhood and what her father used to say whenever all four of them used to run around this very same park on special outings. She signs, ready to devastate you but in the best way possible, “Rebecca Barnes is my maiden name, and I run Barnes’ Stationery.”

You’re quick to put two and two together.

“Then, you knew… all this time?” you ask, voice quivering and shock running through your veins, though there is a little part of you that doesn’t want to believe, but you know Rebecca you never lie to you, “Does James know?”

“No, he doesn’t know… this was all my idea,” she explains, noticing the shaking in your hands as the panic gets the better off you and your throat dries out at the moment. She hopes you’ll stay, but your next words don’t shock her either.  

“I can’t do this.” you whimper and even though you know she had the best in mind for you --for James-- you can’t do it like this -- you aren’t ready for the pain, “I gotta go, Becca.”

“Please,” she tries to plea softly, but you have already let go of her hands and run off.

At the same time, Steve, James, and Peggy are all early for this time honored tradition and are walking in the opposite direction and get to see some of interaction going on between you and the younger Barnes, as Bucky watches you walk away with a very distressed Rebecca just standing there trying to take some deep breaths. Peggy looks at the two in a way that they know she means business before heading over to the expectant mother. James stands dumbfounded at the situation and how pretty you look before Steve finally decides to step in.

“Go get her!” the blond yells, as Bucky jumps out of his daydream after seeing that you have gone deeper into the park.

Steve pushes him to get moving, as Bucky nods and starts running down an all too familiar path, too high on his personal emotions to realize it has started raining. It reminds him of how when he’s always at the end of his hope, Steve somehow manages to save his ass -- Bucky really owes that punk too much.

“Oh, are star pens popular now?” Steve questions, as they sit in together during lunch though Bucky is busier grading some quizzes, looking at said writing utensil, “The assistant librarian has one just like yours.”

“Who?” Bucky stops everything and looks at his oldest friend, who obviously didn’t know that James had been looking for the person that written the note all those months back. He had struggled and searched, moving from Natasha to Ms. Hill, thinking one of them knew about the stationery store or even wrote like the little note he had locked up and safely kept in his desk drawer, but no such luck. James had given up.

“Mr. Philips’ assistant. Sweet woman, if not a little shy,” Steve explains, as blue eyes widen, “She tends to hide in the library a lot, but you can always see her running around, doing errands for him.”  

Bucky’s heart staggers and stops. He knows he has to meet this woman, and he wishes with all his heart that it’s her.

James stops running as the rain starts falling a harder, finding himself in an area of the park were there are splattering of old gazebos here and there. He runs a cold hand through his matted air, as he looks every which way that he can searching for you, worry that you might get sick or injured due to the rain burning within in his chest. He walks around a bit more, looking into every gazebo he passes until he sees a figure sitting in one near the lake. Bucky starts walking a bit faster, though he wants to stop and admire how beautiful you look today, taking in the fact you had dressed up in a long, dark skirt and flattering blouse just for him.

Steve is right about one thing, the library assistant is a tough gal to catch though he was sure he had caught glimpses of her here and there. He had even meet Mr. Philips and though he was a quiet man James could tell there was a stern aura to him, that he knew well enough they wouldn’t get along if he ever crossed the library.  

He knows you have those stars pens that Becca carries, hell even the little bag you carry had the familiar bee logo -- the one he knows to make like the back of his hand. It has to be you, but when will get the chance to say something, even a simple thank you. He gets his chance early one morning, half way through his first year. James gets in way earlier to work than he should, but it was one of those nights where his thoughts wouldn’t let him sleep -- he was tired and a mix of all other negative emotions that he still refused to acknowledge. He signs the roster without another word to the office secretary, though he hears an unfamiliar voice that has him perking up for a moment.    

“Good morning,” is all she says softly. The morning sun is swans and heavenly behind her and James is awestruck. She clutches her books a bit closer than before as she gives him a tight but sweet smile before heading out of the office. This is it, this is the one person he had been searching for months now.

This is her, and James falls in love completely. But, he also knows he’s still not in a good place.

However, now wasn’t the time for reminiscing. Right now, James needs to make this happen, this longing and love that has haunted him for 3 years a reality, and that started by calling out your name. He runs a hand through his wet hair as blue eyes watch you shivering for a moment, as you move to the other side of the gazebo, though he doesn’t stop walking towards you until he has you backed into one of the pillars. There are tear steaks on your face and while he wants to hold you, he knows that won’t help his cause.

“What did Becca tell you?” James asks hesitant, unsure of how much of his feelings were told to you by Rebecca, even though he doesn’t want to think of his sister as that type of person. However, she tended to push things to far at times when she wanted to get things done her away.  

“Today, that you’re her older brother,” you explain while playing with the buttons of your new blouse, “Before that you had run back home, bad fiancee. You weren’t doing well back then...she’s was trying to get me on a date with you some time ago though.”

You laugh weakly at the last part, still unsure of how to merge the image of Becca’s deadbeat brother to James’ handsome visage. Maybe, love did really make you blind? However, James only frowns because he had been in bad place for a long time and it wasn’t until everything settled down that he finally did get help -- your note had been a great support during that time. However, he didn’t go to counseling and all those sessions due to the ideal image he had of you, it was for himself -- because James was tired of what he wasn’t, falling in love with you and what he saw every chance he could in those 3 years was part of the process. Everything, including his sister and your best friend melding had brought him to this point.  

Now, if he could just fucking confess.

“I--I--I…” you take a large gulp of air, as you break his train of thought. However, first thing is calming you down of whatever lead to this panic attack, though he knows it is surely related to him.  

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago. First, ya gotta calm down, doll,” he admits and steps forward, placing his hands on top of yours and rubbing circles on your palms; he’s secretly happy you don’t turn him away at this point, “Take it easy, one step at a time.”

You take a deep breathe, gaining all the imaginary courage you have and grip his hands tightly. Your voice is a little sore when you begin, as curious blue eyes stare at you -- wondering if you are going to reject him like he always feared you would.

“I-I hated not seeing you these past few weeks,” you confess, as Bucky stops breathing for a moment,“I’ve known for awhile now, but it took that time for me to realize I’m falling in love with you.”

“What?”

“I know you love someone else,” you don’t let him speak, as everything comes out in a rush due to your fear. Your eyes close as you let it all out, “But, I’m in love you, James Barnes.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart,” he’s surprised, and you’re ready for the killing blow, as he lets out a lovesick sigh. Truly content that everything is finally falling into place,  “There’s nobody else, but you. Been in love with you since Day 1.”

“What?”

“I love you -- just you, have for a long time now,” he murmurs softly, blue eyes full of adoration meeting yours as he brushes your bottom lip with his thumb. You’re dumbstruck as you open your eyes and a faint, weary giggle leaves your lips. He smiles, placing his forehead on top of yours, the rain drowning out anything else, as you press a hand on his cheek with a shy smile on your lips.  

“Literally, two fools in love, huh?” you question with a teasing uptick in your voice, as he laughs. His bubble of happiness soaring even higher, as he places his cold hand around your waist and you don’t push him away, eyes equally loving as his own.

“Yeah--” James begins to say, but the emotions and dizziness that come with such a confession make you a bit bolder than usual, as you move your hand to the back of his neck and pull him -- his lips crashing into yours as he lets out a little gasp of surprise.

Bucky catches up quickly, as he tightens the hold on your waist, pulling you closer to his body heat that you can feel through his wet clothes. Soft and slow, memorizing every part of this moment, James rubs small circles onto your wet shirt just above your waist, as you whimper and put your arms around his neck bringing him in as close as you possibly can -- because it’s not enough, it’s never going to be enough . And you two stand there, kissing and laughing for a good long while, enjoying the simple bliss of it all.    

The stars, and everyone else in the party later on, lets out a collective sigh as these two fools in love, finally become lovers indeed.

Part 13

[canyousevmyheavydirtysoul]

Northern Downpour. (Ryan Ross x Reader)

Note: :)

Listen to- oh, who am I kidding? You all know what to do. ;)

 ‘Hey moon,

Found this little bistro a few blocks down from my apartment block. It’s really cute and homey – kinda like what you would be like, if you were a bistro.

That sounded weird, didn’t it?

I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this, as I’m sure you can tell. I hope my ineptness doesn’t scare you away – especially not before I’m able to take you out on a date. A real date. Not these Skype ones we’ve been having.

Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing your face in a freeze-frame during our crappily-connected video calls, but I’m certain that nothing will compare to seeing your beauty in person.

Did I mention that the bistro is Italian? I checked, and they have all of your favorites: lasagne, double-pepperoni pizza, triple-chocolate gelato… You’ll love it.

I know that I’ve said this perhaps a thousand times before, but lately, I’ve found myself thinking of this more and more – in fact, it's been all that has captured my thoughts for a long while now – I want to see you. In person, not through an insufferably small screen.

I want nothing more than to see you standing right in front of me. I know that it’s not the biggest of possibilities at the moment, but I have to keep reminding you of it.

Don’t think that all of these inconsequential barriers keeping us from being together will stop me from seeing you, because I assure you, moon, there is no force in the universe strong enough to keep us apart forever.

I will come for you.

If all our life is but a dream

Fantastic posing greed

Then we should feed our jewellery to the sea

For diamonds do appear to be

Just like broken glass to me

My heart, my soul, my life is yours,

Northern Downpour’

Ryan picked up the dried-out, pressed peony that was lying in wait on the desk next to the paper, and carefully slid it into the folds of the letter before placing the page into a faded yellow envelope.

He placed the piece of stationery safely inside the front pocket of his messenger bag before heading out the door; it reached you the next day, on the first of the month – just like all of his letters would.

~

The hasty manner in which you ripped open the envelope caused a laceration on the tip of your finger, but you paid no notice to the sharp sting as you swiftly removed the letter from the confines of the envelope.

Your heart fluttered as you unfolded the paper and saw the peony flurry out, your hand instinctively reaching out to catch it just like it had tens of times before.

Your eyes devoured his written words at lightning speed and before you knew it, you were sitting on the floor next to your wooden, paint-chipped coffee table, authoring your response.

 ‘Dearest Northern Downpour,

You should know by now that there’s no need to apologise for your adorably awkward mannerisms; I adore all of them. And I can only imagine that I would enjoy them even more if I were able to experience them in person.

The thought of seeing you has consumed my mind too. I want it more than anything in the world. Sadly, you know that it’s not possible, as heart-breaking as that is. A freelance writing job doesn’t exactly pay for the bills and an airplane ticket.

I’ve made lovely progress with my novel, though. So much so, that I’ve piqued the interest of an actual publisher, and I’m meeting with them next week. I’m counting on this to be my big break; I could use whatever they pay me to come and see you, and we can go on that date you were talking about.

You along with Italian food sounds like my perfect night.

How is your music coming along? Have you gotten any gigs yet? I miss hearing you sing to me; it was always the part of our video calls that I looked forward to the most. Try and get that laptop of yours fixed, won’t you? I miss seeing your beautiful face.

And those lyrics! Oh, they’re wonderful! I know that you’ve only sent me a few lines, but I have a strong sense that this is going to be my favourite song you’ve written so far.  

I have no doubt in my mind that we will be together. Whether it be tomorrow, next month, next year, ten years from now… I know that we will eventually find one another.

And that thought is all that’s keeping me going.

Yours. Forever and always,

Moon’

~

‘Hey moon,

The sound of your beautiful voice – breathless and bursting with elation as you relayed the wonderful news to me – made me so dizzy with happiness that I had to sit down for a moment. I’d forgotten how much of a high hearing you speak gave me; nothing in the world could ever compare.

I’m tremendously proud of you, darling. You deserve this more than anyone. I know how many sleepless nights this book has given you, so to hear that it’s all going to be worth it is absolutely wonderful.

Things are looking up on my side too. Brendon said that he knows a guy (I think his name is Pete) that might be able to get us a gig, so that’s good. Granted, it won’t be at the most exalted of places, but it’s a start. We’re actually crafting the setlist at present; I took a bit of a time-out to write this letter.

And because it was a tad overwhelming.

I’m aware that us getting a gig is a huge deal – especially if there’s a chance we could get noticed – but I can’t help but feel anxious about it. What if I mess up? Forget the lyrics or play the wrong chords? I know that this is something I’ve been waiting for my whole life, but now that it’s actually going to happen, I feel…

To be completely honest, I don’t know how I feel. Nervous, concerned, sick, useless, all of the above…

But whatever it is, I need it to stop. I don’t want to screw up and let the guys down.

I don’t want to let you down.

And then she said she can’t believe

Genius only comes along

In storms of fabled foreign tongues

Tripping eyes, and flooded lungs

Northern Downpour sends its love

 Hey moon, please forget to fall down

Hey moon, don’t you go down

 Sugarcane in the easy morning

Weather-vanes my one and lonely

My heart, my soul, my life is yours,

Northern Downpour’

~

Whatever interest you had developed in your friends’ conversation vanished instantaneously when you spotted the mailman walking the front path of your faded-brick duplex.

Your nearly empty coffee mug clanged as it was dropped onto the counter-top, catching both of the other girls’ attention. (Y/B/F) was about to question your sudden lack of grip on the piece of crockery, but once she saw you sprinting out the front door and to the mailbox, a knowing smile played on her lips.

Your other friend was not as enlightened, and she furrowed her brows. “What was that about?”

“Today’s the first,” (Y/B/F) smirked, taking a sip from her mug and pulling a smug face as you re-entered the room, “which means that she got a letter from loverboy. What’s he say?” she jerked her head at you.

Ignoring her comment, you practically ripped the pale envelope open, eager to get to the piece of Ryan’s thoughts that was inside. Per ritual, you stuck your hand out and caught the peony, clutching it to your chest as you began to read the letter.

Barely two minutes later, you were penning your response.

 ‘Dearest Northern Downpour,

Don’t you ever, ever, in a million years think that you could disappoint me – it’s just not possible. My love, I am so terrifically proud of you and everything that you do – everything that you create – because it’s all unconditionally magical. You have a gift, and an extraordinary one at that, to craft masterpieces that are able to evoke emotions in people that they didn’t even know they had. You’re a true genius, and I don’t want you to ever doubt yourself the way that you are right now.

As for the guys… I know that they feel the same way. They respect what you do. They adore what you do. And I know that they are exceptionally grateful to have you.

As am I.

You’ve made my world so much brighter and wonderful just by allowing me to know you, and the fact that I’m privileged enough to be able to call you mine makes me wake up with a huge smile on my face every morning.  

To hear you degrade yourself like that breaks my heart. Honestly. I wish that you were with me right now so that I could smack some sense into you.

You’re utterly remarkable, Ryan. Don’t ever think otherwise.

So you’re going to go to that gig, you’re going to get up on that stage, and you’re going to make everyone fall in love with you through your music.

I believe in you, my love. Stay strong.

Yours. Forever and always,

Moon’

 You’d been so immersed in your writing that you had momentarily forgotten about the presence of your two friends, reminded of it only when one of them spoke up.

“How long have you been together for, again?”

“Almost a year,” you sighed with a small smile, gently folding the paper up.

“And you haven’t seen each other in person yet?”

“Nope.”

She grimaced. “Have you said ‘I love you’?”

“No,” you said softly, retrieving a travel bottle of your perfume from the desk drawer, “No, we haven’t.”

~

Everything around him melted into a noisy haze as he stood backstage, guitar slung around his neck as his eyes scanned the page he held in his hand, re-reading the words for what must have been the thousandth time.

Once his pupils had swiped over your signature, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath – both to calm himself down and to inhale the faint scent of your perfume. The fragrance would’ve usually been more potent, but his constant handling of the fragile paper watered it down.

“Two minutes, Ry,” Brendon announced, nudging his friend in the shoulder.

After one last glance over the words on the paper, Ryan folded it up and placed it in the breast pocket of his jacket – right over his heart.

~

‘Hey moon,

I played that gig today. God, I was so nervous; I almost didn’t go through with it. The only thing that got me up on that stage was your words from the last letter. If it weren’t for you, I probably would’ve chickened out.

That being said – I need you to be at the next show. The image of your words on paper was enough to keep me going for tonight, but I’m not sure if that will be the case next time. I need you to be here with me. I need to be able to hold you before I go on stage, I need to hear you whisper that it’s all going to be okay, I need to feel your lips on mine as a silent reassurance…

I just need you.

Kinda weird, isn’t it? The fact that I need someone so badly, but I haven’t even met them yet. I have no idea how that works; all I know is that if I don’t see you soon, I’m going to go insane.

The ink is running towards the page

It’s chasing off the days

Look back at both feet

And that winding knee

I missed your skin when you were east

You clicked your heels and wished for me

 Through playful lips made of yarn

That fragile Capricorn

Unravelled words like moths upon old scarves

I know the worlds a broken bone

But melt your headaches, call it home

My heart, my soul, my life is yours,

Northern Downpour’

~

‘Dearest Northern Downpour,

I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am. You did it. I knew you could do it.

Just goes to show that I’m always right.

You know how much I love listening to you sing, and you know that if I could be there for you at every show, every gig that you play, no matter how big or small, I would. But I can’t right now. Believe me, it’s tearing me apart to not be able to be with you in the way that we both so desperately want. Ache for.

They say that money can’t buy happiness, but you are the thing that makes me most happy, and yet money is the only thing keeping me from you.

Cruel, isn’t it? That a couple hundred dollars is all that’s separating us.

I cried today. It wasn’t intentional; I didn’t mean to. I just thought of what it would be like to actually, physically be with you and I got a little bit too emotional.

There’s not much going on with me, otherwise. My book is still being edited – they said it could take up to another five months to finish. But I’m working on another story in the meantime, about long-distance relationships. Bet you’ll never guess where I got the inspiration for that.

Until next time, my love.

Yours. Forever and always,

Moon’

~

Ryan had just about finished reading your letter when the rest of the band barged into his room, panting and out of breath from running but wearing the biggest smiles on their faces. Ryan leaned backwards out of fear.

“What-“

“DUDE, WE WON!”

“Uh, what?” Ryan shook his head, utterly perplexed. “We won? Won what? I don’t remember entering anything.”

“That show we played the other night,” Brendon explained, rushing over to take a seat on the bed as the other two followed him, “Turns out it was actually a competition! They had undercover judges scoring all the bands that played that week in secret, and we came out on top!” Brendon let out a short, triumphant laugh as he threw his hands up in the air.

“Oh wow,” Ryan widened his eyes, looking at each of his bandmates in turn, “that’s awesome. Well done, boys.”

“But wait,” Spencer held up a finger, “there’s more. Tell him, Bren.”

“We made two thousand dollars, baby!” He exclaimed, practically jumping with joy. “That’s five hundred for each of us. Annnnnd, we get to go to the studio with Fall Out Boy and make our own demo!”

Ryan’s jaw dropped to the floor. “You’re kidding,” he chuckled before frowning and turning to the other two, jutting a thumb at Brendon, “He’s kidding, right?”

When no one supported his claim – just stared at him, smiling like idiots – Ryan let out an incredulous laugh before rushing to stand up.

“Did they give the prize money in cash?”

Spencer nodded.

“Good. Cause I’m gonna need my share.”

~

You stood still as a statue as you stared out the window, boring a hole into the mailbox with the intensity your gaze held. Your eyes flicked over to the clock hanging next to you on the wall, and you continued biting the sides of your fingers raw as you acknowledged the time.

The mailman was two hours late, and today was the first, which meant that every second that ticked by was torturous to you. You knew that sometimes things happen, and there could’ve been numerous reasons as to why the mailman was late, but that fact did nothing to ease your anxiety.

You were worried that something was wrong. That Ryan’s letter either didn’t make it to you this time, or that – God forbid – he hadn’t written one at all. It was a totally irrational thought, but it was present nonetheless.

After another thirty minutes or so of waiting, your nerves couldn’t take it anymore and you started out the door and to the mailbox, silently hoping and praying that the mailman had happened to do his deliveries early today.

Your hopes were soon shattered, however, when you opened the hatch and were met by sweet nothingness. The pain resounding in your chest could only be compared to taking a bullet to the heart; it hurt like a bitch.

Slowly and regretfully, you closed the hatch, trying your hardest to contain the emotions coursing through you. Said emotions were so powerful, in fact, that you hadn’t noticed the presence of someone behind you until they spoke.

“Hey moon.”

Your entire body stiffened as a gasp escaped your lips and goosebumps formed all along your skin. You knew that voice. You’d know that voice anywhere. Even when sounding from the deepest, darkest void of the universe, you would recognise that voice.

And you would run to it.

You almost gave yourself whiplash with how fast you turned around, but the sight before you was well worth it. There, standing right in front you, looking as adorably awkward as ever as he held a bouquet of peonies and a faded yellow envelope, was Ryan Ross.

Neither of you could repress the enormous grins on your faces, nor could you stop the tears from spilling over. You wanted to move, or say something, but you couldn’t. Fortunately, Ryan did it for you.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I felt the need to hand-deliver this one,” he explained, holding out the envelope to you; you gripped it with shaky hands, “I think it’s the best one I’ve written so far.”

Tearing the envelope open, you retrieved the piece of paper and unfolded it to reveal three little words.

‘I love you’

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

Taglist:

@darknessdancing

@raversam

@username-number-01834

@moosesmoose

@underscoredarcy

[whipped-for-kpop-fics]

Forgotten Memories. 4

You never wanted new flatmates but yet here you are, sharing an apartment with Jeon Jungkook and Kim Yugyeom. Maybe landlord Taehyung had a reason for letting Jungkook and Yugyeom move into your apartment. You only hoped that they didn't mind living with a ghost.

Jungkook  roommate au ft BTS & Got7

Warnings; Supernatural stuff. Sad stuff. Ghost Y/N. Ghost Namjoon. Mentions of suicide. Mentions of death. Swearing. Harmful things.

Forgotten Memories Masterlist

After Taehyung revealed his suspicions to you and Namjoon, the three of you stayed up all night trying to figure out who would want either of you dead and who would benefit from your deaths. Due to the fact Taehyung didn't know an awful lot about either of you when you were alive and neither you or Namjoon could remember your lives past the building you resided in, there wasn't a single name on the list when you were done.

"Maybe I should talk to Jackson," Taehyung suggested. "He knows you both better than anyone without getting your family involved."

"No, you can't pull him into this." You argued firmly. "First of all, he doesn't believe in ghosts and nothing you could say would convince him that we're still here. And secondly, he is suffering more than enough as it is without knowing we suspect we were murdered."

"You're right." Taehyung frowned. "I don't think anyone else here would know anything helpful."

"And once again, convincing them that we are ghosts and still roaming around the building will be near impossible." Namjoon added.

"Don't you have any information on us, as your tenants?"

"I have next of kin but seeing as you changed that to each other months ago, I have nothing. I don't legally need any information besides the obvious on tenants and I wouldn't feel right having more than necessary."

"If only we had a creepy landlord who stalked his tenants." You replied with a dramatic sigh. Both males chuckled. "So, that's it, we have to quit before we even started?"

"No, we can figure something out." Taehyung assured.

Not a single word was voiced in the apartment for a good twenty minutes while the three of you sat in concentrated silence. Suddenly, Taehyung made a loud sound of realisation that oddly enough resembled the yelp of a dog getting his paw accidentally stood on.

"What the hell was that?!" Namjoon shrieked, looking at Taehyung with wide eyes.

"I just remembered something! Do you two have any belongings of your own left?" His eyes flicked between the two of you.

"Jackson kept some of our stuff."

"Anything particularly precious? I mean really precious?" You and Namjoon looked at each other as you thought hard.

Every item in Namjoon's bedroom belonged to either you or Namjoon himself. Jackson had added more of your belongings to the room after clearing out most of Namjoon's stuff with help from Jimin.  But still, there was a lot Jackson couldn't bring himself to donate or send back to family members.

Honestly, most of the items didn't recall any special memories for either of you so it took you a while to find something.

"Oh! Yes!" You exclaimed, looking at Taehyung. "There is a ring, a promise ring Namjoon gave me on our one year anniversary."

"Oh yeah." Namjoon smiled at the memory. "I spent ages looking for the perfect ring for you."

"I love it, I wish I could still wear it." You looked down at your bare fingers with a frown. "It's my most treasured possession and I can't even touch it."

"I can teach you," Taehyung announced gaining your attention. "I saw my grandmother teach a ghost to interact with objects when I was little. I can help you, at least, I think I can."

"And you're only just telling us now?!" Namjoon cried out. "Taehyung!"

"I'm sorry, I forgot about it." He apologised.

"Why do you want to know about our precious possessions?" You enquired, bringing the conversation back on track.

"You can use them to leave the building." Your eyes blew wide. "Spirits have three possible anchors in the mortal world, the first being their home if they have enough love and important moments there while alive. The second being their place of death but you two don't seem to return to the car where you were found so that is more reason to believe that isn't where you died. The third is a precious object. If someone has the object and leaves the building, you can leave with them but you can only stay within a certain distance of the object. I'm not sure on that distance though."

"It can be tested." You mumbled. "So say if you had my ring and went to the shops, I could go with you?" Taehyung nodded. "You need to get that ring, Taehyung."

"How am I supposed to do that? I can't just break into Jackson's apartment for a ring, I'd get arrested!"

"He's right, babe." Namjoon put his hand on your thigh. "We need to be smart about this."

"What is your precious item, hyung?"

"A watch. It was my grandfathers and he gave it to me just before he died. I broke it though and couldn't wear it for years but Y/N got it fixed for me last Christmas. It's honestly the best gift anyone has ever given me. It was important before then but it's been the more important item to me ever since."

"Jackson has it?"

"He wears it. He knew how important it is to me. Do you think that's why I'm drawn to him a lot?"

"Definitely," Taehyung confirmed with a positive nod. "Do you think he'll take it off?"

"No. I don't even know if he takes it off to shower." Namjoon confessed. "That means I'm stuck here until he leaves, right?"

"Yeah." Their attention turned to you then. "We will focus on your ring then."

"Okay, what should we do?" You didn't argue and shuffled forward to focus on Taehyung's next words.

"You need to somehow get the ring to me so I can take it out with me."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that? I can't exactly just pick it up and walk away, a floating ring is going to look rather suspect, Tae."

"l don't know." His lips turned downwards at his lack of useful ideas.

"How about we just learn how to move objects for now? There's no point in coming up with a plan if we can't execute it." Namjoon suggested realising you and Taehyung were getting quite discouraged.

"You're right." You mumbled before straightening up and pushing your negative thoughts and worries from your mind. "Okay teacher, how do we do this?"

"Well from what I remember, you need to try and imagine your hand as an object itself, like, real, like bones and blood and muscles and skin and-"

"Okay, we get it." Namjoon interrupted with a chuckle. "Pretend we actually have flesh and bones." He summarised shuffling to sit next to you, both of you looking at items on the coffee table. "Do you think weight will affect our abilities?"

"Hm, possibly." Taehyung thought then reached over to move a pen to the table in front of you. "Let's start small. Spirits can move very heavy objects, I think it's because you're not restricted by bodies so you aren't limited to your muscle strength but it will take a while to work up to it."

"Makes sense." Namjoon hummed and hovered his right hand over the pen. His eyes closed as he focused on imagining his hand once again existed physically in the mortal world. He imagined every little mark he had grown to know his handheld, every single visible vein, every crease. A full 72 seconds later, he opened his eyes, a look of determination on his features. You couldn't tear your eyes away from his hand as it lowered over the piece of stationery. You couldn't tell if he had made contact with the item or not, his hand had covered it fully. Slowly, his pulled his fingers in as his palm lifted until his index finger and thumb were directly either sides of the pen. He paused for a second then proceeded to bring his fingers in until they touched the plastic. A gasp left your parted lips as you saw the pads of his fingers indent slightly from the pressure of the plastic. With a proud smile that only grew with every passing moment, Namjoon lifted the pen.

"Wow." Taehyung breathed, awestruck.

"That's my man!" You cooed, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"Here, try and take it from me." He replied with a goofy smile, happy with himself but also your praise. He turned to you and held the pen at one end, leaving the other for you.

You nodded enthusiastically and reached out only for your hand to pass through the item.

"You're too excited." Namjoon chuckled. "Calm down."

"Okay okay, calm." You took a few slow breaths to relax your body and mind.

"Don't forget to imagine your hand as a physical object." Taehyung reminded. You nodded and closed your eyes to try and copy Namjoon's technique.

You concentrated on the feel of your hand against your thigh, how every finger felt individually, how the weight distributed. You didn't spend as long concentrating as Namjoon did and maybe that was where you went wrong or maybe it was the excitement that rushed through your system once again.

Your eyes fluttered open and you looked at the pen. Carefully, you lifted your hand and touched your fingers to it. The second you felt the hard plastic under your fingertips, your face lit up with excitement and you lifted your head to look at Namjoon. He looked so proud and happy for you but he nodded back to it.

"Don't lose focus." He instructed. You followed his words and looked back down only to find your fingers had gone through the item. You whined in annoyance and pulled your hand back. "Try again." Once again, you followed his words but, you couldn't even touch the pen that time.

You threw your body back against the pillows in anger. The second your back hit the material, the lightbulb above your heads on the ceiling exploded.

"Was that me?" You mumbled, a cold feeling spreading through your chest. Since you returned as a ghost, you hadn't felt any temperature difference and you thought you'd be happy to feel something you wished you hadn't felt the chill. It was as if ice had encased your heart and was slowly spreading out from it.

"You always did have a problem with controlling your emotions." Namjoon chuckled. The second his reassuring hand rubbed soothing lines up and down your arm, the ice abruptly stopped. You looked at him to see his lovestruck eyes staring down at you with such a soft fondness that your heart managed to thaw for the most part but there was still a coldness there that scared you. You didn't know what it meant and you didn't want to mention it to prevent the pair worrying but you didn't doubt it wasn't good.

"It's okay," Taehyung spoke, getting up to gather the dustpan and brush. "I have plenty of bulbs." You watched as he cleaned up, wishing you could help him but you couldn't even hold a pen let alone cleaning instruments.

Beside you, the pen clattered to the floor and Namjoon vanished.

"Joonie?!" You instantly called, jumping to your feet. "He's never done this."

Taehyung walked over to the window with the view of the road out the front of the apartment building. "Oh, Jackson is going out." He commented amazed. You rushed over to peer out the glass too.

Jackson was indeed in his car and fiddling with the radio to pick a station he liked while simultaneously plugging in his seatbelt. Namjoon was sat in the passenger seat beside him a little perplexed for a second until he spotted his watch on Jackson's wrist and he realised what was happening and relaxed. Namjoon looked over to the window and grinned at you with an excited wave. You and Taehyung grinned and waved back. Jackson looked up then, getting the feeling he was being watched. He quickly found Taehyung stood at his window and gave a very awkward little wave back. As quickly as possible, Jackson put his car in gear to reverse out of his spot and drive off.

"Wonder where they're going." You voiced, walking away from the window.

"I think Jackson and Jungkook were talking about a new gym last night with state of the art equipment," Taehyung commented, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Ah oh yeah, sleep." You spoke noticing how tired he looked. "Go to bed, Tae."

"No, we're working on your interaction skills."

"You can't exactly do anything." You laughed. "Just go to bed, I'll go up to my apartment so at least it won't be your light bulbs I break."

"Ah, good idea." Taehyung grinned and yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head. "Good night, Y/N."

"Good night, Taehyung." You watched as he dragged himself to his bedroom, leaving the door wide open as he flopped down on top of his bed. You laughed lightly as you left.

Up in the apartment, Yugyeom was just collecting his belongings to leave for work. A glance at the shoe rack told you Jungkook was out already.

"Have a good day." You sang knowing full well that Yugyeom couldn't hear you and walked through to Jungkook's room. You knew it used to be your room, Taehyung had told you that much and you never had a flatmate, you liked it that way and he didn't mind as you always paid rent on time. But, you couldn't remember what you had in those four walls. Did you have a double bed like Jungkook did? You assumed you didn't have a single bed, it wouldn't make sense to have such a small bed for a grown woman, especially in such a generously sized room. You had to have had a bed that was at least queen size but very likely bigger, considering you were in a long-term relationship and Namjoon had a king size bed in his room next door. Did you have as little furniture as him? Did you also only have the necessities? It was clear Jungkook used his room purely to sleep and store his clothing and private belongings. You wondered if you did the same. Was your style similar to his? The fact that you always felt calm and happy in the room told you that is was very likely that your preferred style was also minimalistic and clean.

You couldn't deny that the two young men left you pleasantly surprised every day when you found the apartment tidy without a foul smell. You never expected two 21-year-olds to be so clean but they were and it made you a little less mad at Taehyung for renting your apartment to the pair without consulting you first. They were respectful of their home and their neighbours. You hated to admit it but Taehyung chose the perfect tenants.

Slowly, you looked around but found nothing small left around for you to practise your interaction skills with. With a huff, you left Jungkook's room to enter Yugyeom's. His room wasn't as immaculate. Yugyeom spent more time in his room but it wasn't at all messy. You would describe Yugyeom's room as "lived in", for the most part, everything was where it belonged and relatively neat but a few varied items were somewhere they didn't belong. A pile of freshly washed clothing on top of the dresser ready to be put away. A pair of shoes at the foot of the bed. One slipper by the bed, the other somewhere out of sight. A hoodie slung over the back of the desk chair. A pile of CD's on the desk looking like they could topple over any moment. A handful of pens spread across the desk around a notebook.

"Pens." You gasped, walking over spotting your opportunity. As the desk chair was tucked under the desk, you stayed stood up and simply rested your left hand on the back of it. You held your right hand over a lone pen and closed your eyes.

That time, you allowed yourself almost 2 whole minutes to focus and imagine the flesh your hand once consisted of. Then you opened your eyes and tried to pick up the item.

If anyone had been in that room right then, they would've seen a single pen float up from the desktop before the stack of CD's finally lost the battle with gravity and clattered noisily to the floor. Of course, they wouldn't have seen that you had accidentally helped gravity win that round.

"Shit." You cursed, putting the pen down to crouch down and quickly pick up the CD's, putting them back in their respective cases to stack them back up in a way you hoped looked similar to how they were originally.

It took a few seconds for what just happened to really click in and then you jumped around excitedly until you decided to test your limits.

You opened the door successfully and closed it again, not noticing it didn't shut fully as you were already skipping off excitedly to test your new skill.

***

Hours went by with you interacting with everything in the apartment. You could even lift the sofa up in both of your arms but you almost dropped it so you decided to quickly and carefully put it back down before it really did slip through your grasp, literally.

It barely occurred to you that Jungkook was due home any minute until you heard keys rattling the lock. You quickly turned the TV back off and tossed the remote onto the couch to run off and duck behind the kitchen counter. As Jungkook walked towards his room after taking off his shoes and jacket, you realised that you didn't need to hide. He couldn't see you.

Without warning, Jungkook stopped mid-step and so did you, fearing he could suddenly see you. But, he was staring at the sofa confused. He could've sworn it was slightly further forward earlier. He quickly shook off the thought though, there was no way Yugyeom would move the couch while he was gone, it was really heavy and required two people to lift. Aside from that, there was no reason to move the furniture less than a foot.

As Jungkook looked away from the couch, he noticed the wires behind the TV looked neater. Yugyeom certainly never touched the wires, technology was Jungkook's area and one of the wires was very temperamental so it always took him ages to find the right position. The fact that it was weird got pushed back as annoyance settled in his mind. He wiggled that wire for a full twenty minute to make sure they got all the channels they paid for. Jungkook approached the sofa and made a move to grab the remote from the armrest but it wasn't there. That was definitely strange. It was an unspoken rule to leave it there so it was easy to find, even Jimin knew the rule. Jungkook's eyes found the remote on the seat and although it bothered him, he simply picked it up and turned the TV. His rational mind declared that the device probably was balanced oddly on the armrest and simply fell onto the cushions, it was the only logical explanation. Quickly, Jungkook flicked through the channels, glad to find they were all still working fine, in fact, they had a few HD channels they didn't have previously at least, he was pretty certain they never had them before.

"Nah." He reasoned aloud. "We must've always had them." He turned the TV off and placed the remote on the arm, where it belonged.

A few other things started to look out of place. Jungkook made his way around the living area, taking mental note of all the things that didn't look right. The number was very high.

While Jungkook wandered around the room, closely scrutinising every single object, an image of your promise ring popped into your mind and you were made aware of the fact that you could move the item.

With a spring in your step, you walked past Jungkook and through the front door.

You didn't notice it but as you passed Jungkook, he shivered. A cold breeze passed him by and he straightened up. Once again, logic kicked in and said that Yugyeom probably left his bedroom window open again but the voice was small and something bigger in Jungkook told him to turn around. So he did.

His heart fell still in his chest as he watched a dark shadow pass through his front door.

[fy-kpopfanfiction]

The Perfect Valentine - Showki/Hyungwonho

Pairings - Showki (Shownu/Kihyun)/Hyungwonho (Wonho/Hyungwon)

Rating: G

Word Count: 3754

Ao3 Link (Leave kudos and comments! :))

Or read below the cut~

(Comments, kudos, likes, and messages are much appreciated!)

“Oh! Hyung! Hey!” Hyungwon ran toward Kihyun when he spotted him in the kitchen.

Kihyun stood at the stove preparing the meat that he would cook tomorrow for Valentine’s Day dinner with Hyunwoo. He looked over at Hyungwon. “What?”

“I have a problem, hyung.”

“What kind of problem?”

“A Valentine’s Day problem.”

“You have a date. What’s the problem?”

“I forgot to get him a gift!” Hyungwon hissed. “We’ve been so busy getting ready for the comeback that I forgot!”

“I’ve been busy too, but I remembered to get a gift and a meal for Hyunwoo hyung.”

Hyungwon frowned. “I’m the worst boyfriend.”

“Kind of,” Kihyun said teasingly.

“Hyung!”

“You better run out and get something. I’m pretty sure Hoseok hyung has something great planned for you.”

Hyungwon bit his bottom lip. “I’ll go out right now. Where’s Jooheon? I’ll take him with me. He’s great at gifts.”

“He’s in his room with Minhyuk and Changkyun. I think they’re starting Valentine’s Day early. I would knock before entering.”

“Hyung, don’t be gross,” Hyungwon said with blushed cheeks.

Kihyun smirked. “I’m just being honest. Take Hyunwoo with you. Hint around at chocolate for me. He’s probably forgotten as well.”

Hyungwon nodded, and started off. He turned back when he realized that he didn’t know where Hyunwoo was either.

“Living room,” Kihyun said as if he could read Hyungwon’s mind.

Hyungwon trailed off to the living room to see if his hyung would go to the store with him for last minute gifts.

Just shy of two minutes after Hyungwon left the kitchen, Hoseok walked into it. “Kihyun,” he whispered.

Kihyun was placing his marinated meat into bags to go into the refrigerator. “Hyung?” he said, glancing over.

“I need your help,” Hoseok hissed.

“With what?”

“Valentine’s Day!”

“You have a date. What more do you need?”

“A GIFT!” Hoseok whispered loudly.

Kihyun feigned surprise. “You forgot a gift for Hyungwon?!”

“Shh! Don’t be so loud about it. He’s in the living room! He might hear you.”

“Sorry,” Kihyun whispered as he moved to wash his hands.

“What am I going to do? I’ve been so busy that I completely forgot about Valentine’s Day!”

“I have been busy too. I didn’t forget. This meat is for my dinner with Hyunwoo tomorrow.”

“Kihyun, don’t make your hyung feel bad.”

“I’m only saying…”

“I have to get him something, don’t I? Or is my love enough?”

“Oh, well, your love should be enough…” Kihyun pretended to be busy with his meat, sealing it and putting it safely into the refrigerator. “If Hyungwon hadn’t planned something so romantic and all…”

“What? He did.”

Kihyun shrugged. “That’s what I heard…”

“Oh, no. If Hyungwon is being romantic, I have to do something!!”

“I’ll say.” Kihyun nodded solemnly. On the inside, he was grinning mischievously.

“Will you come with me? Will you help me pick something out?”

“Oh, I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t?!”

“No, hyung. I still have to prep the vegetables for my dinner tomorrow.”

“I can’t go alone.”

“Sure you can.” Kihyun almost suggested that he as Hyunwoo to accompany him, but that would just be too naughty.

Hoseok frowned. “I guess so. Do you have any ideas at least?”

“Hyung, it’s your boyfriend.”

“Right, right. I’ll figure something out.”

Kihyun nodded, and went back to his food preparation.

After Hyungwon explained his plight to his leader, Hyunwoo quickly agreed to accompany him. He needed something for Kihyun as well. Their destination was the little shop on the corner. Earlier in the week, Hyungwon had spotted the most beautiful bouquets, chocolate boxes, and trinkets in the shop window. He should have gotten something for Hoseok then, but he had been on his way to a meeting with the managers. He was sure he would find something perfect now.

"Where is everything?" Hyungwon exclaimed when they walked into the shop to find the Valentine's display bare.

"Maybe they moved it. Let's look around."

A thorough search of the small shop yielded nothing but three fake red roses, tiny boxes of chocolates meant for children with sayings like "Arrren't you happy to be my Valentine" with cartoonish images of pirates, and some questionable hard candies stuffed into a tiny mug with a garish floral design on the side.

"Hyung, I can't give him this."

"It's better than nothing," Hyunwoo said with a shrug. He was fine with giving Kihyun the pirate chocolates. His love should be enough anyway, right?

"But Hoseok hyung has something amazing planned for me! I can't do this."

"He'll like anything from you," Hyunwoo said. "I wouldn't worry."

Hyungwon frowned. "Three fake roses, kid's chocolate, and this ugly mug?"

"You love him, don't you?"

"Of course, I do," Hyungwon replied.

"That's what Valentine's Day is supposed to be about."

"Maybe we should go to a different shop."

"We could try, but it's getting late. They'll be closed soon, and they are probably in the same state as this one."

"I'll just buy him all this stuff then."

"With the exception of one of the chocolates. I need that for Kihyun."

Hyungwon passed over a box of the pirate chocolates with a heavy sigh. They paid for the sad collection of goodies, and left the store.

Fifteen minutes later, Hoseok walked into the same store. He had gone to another shop first, but it had been completely devoid of anything decent. Like Hyungwon would want a box of chocolates shaped like a football that said, "I scored a great Valentine!"

"Where is everything?" Hoseok asked the shop owner when he noticed the bare window display.

"Two guys just came in and bought the last of it," the man replied. "You should have shopped earlier for your girlfriend!"

Hoseok nodded, choosing not to address the annoying heteronormative statement, and walked back out. The shops were closing soon. He had no idea what to do for Hyungwon! He stood outside the shop for a moment, pondering his possibilities.

He could cook dinner like Kihyun. No. There were two problems with that idea. 1. Kihyun was already using the kitchen. 2. He couldn't cook.

He could make something. No. He had no talent for crafting.

It was the football chocolates or nothing. He ran back to the other shop, bought the football chocolates and their last haggard looking bouquet – two daisies and a dying red rose. What a great display of his love.

Hyungwon was seated in the living room with Hyunwoo when Hoseok returned. He had already hidden the things he bought under their bunk bed. Hoseok rushed in to hide his things under his bed. He was afraid of what that might do for the flowers, but then figured they couldn't get any worse.

The next day, the dorm was buzzing with excitement with Hyungwon finally hauled himself out of bed. Kihyun had made breakfast for everyone, but a little something special for Hyunwoo – heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes.

Changkyun, Minhyuk, and Jooheon were even more lovey dovey than usual. Hyungwon could barely keep his breakfast down with them making eyes at each other and playing footsie under the table. Thankfully after breakfast, they left the dorm to see a movie before their dinner reservations – plans that Changkyun had finalized well over a month ago. Hyungwon could really learn something from the maknae.

"You're leaving too, right?" Kihyun asked Hyungwon as they cleaned up the dishes. He'd drawn the short straw, so to speak, being the youngest left after the maknae line fled with Minhyuk.

"What?"

"You're leaving the dorm, so Hyunwoo and I can have it to ourselves, right?"

Kihyun said that in a way that made it clear to Hyungwon that there was only one right answer.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Don't you have some kind of plan?"

"No. I told you last night that I had nothing!"

"You said you didn't have a gift. I didn't think that also meant you were too dopey to make plans for dinner or a movie or a stroll in the park!"

"We can go to the park. It's cold though." He bit his lip. "We can do that though."

"I don't care what you do," Kihyun said, shooing him out of the kitchen. "As long as you don't do it here. I have plans with Hyunwoo, and they do not include the two of you being here."

"Gross," Hyungwon muttered as he left the kitchen to look for Hoseok.

He found him in their room, seated on the bed.

"Hyung..."

Hoseok looked up. "Hey." He smiled warmly.

"Do you want to go out?"

"Oh, yes. Just let me grab some things."

"Sure, yeah, I need to grab some things too." He fidgeted in the doorway. "I'll wait for you."

Hyungwon ran back to the kitchen. "Hyung."

"I thought you left."

"We're going to! I need a bag."

"A bag?"

"Yes! I didn't get a red bag or whatever. I just have the bag the stuff came in."

"Do I look like a stationery shop?"

"Hyung. Don't you have something? Where's the bag you bought for Hyunwoo hyung?"

"In my room. With Hyunwoo's gift inside. There are actually three bags, because I am a good boyfriend who shopped early and bought three things."

"Can't they share a bag then?!"

Kihyung groaned. "I suppose I could put his cologne with his watch." He fluttered away and returned with a white bag with red hearts exploding from a vase on the front of it. The sides were red, and the back had the same design. "Here," he said, shoving the bag toward Hyungwon.

"Thanks, hyung. You're saving a life."

"Yeah, yeah. Get out."

Hyungwon disappeared, and Kihyun went back to fluttering about the kitchen.

A moment later, he felt a presence in the kitchen with him. Without turning away from the counter he was wiping down, he said, "Hyungwon, just leave already."

"Uh, Kihyun..."

Kihyun turned around at the sound of Hoseok's voice. "Oh, hyung... I thought you were Hyungwon."

"No... I'm here for him though, sort of. I bought him some chocolates and I need..."

"Let me guess... You need a bag to put them in?"

"Yeah. Kihyun, you don't get it. There was nothing left when I went to buy stuff."

"Maybe you should have shopped earlier and at better shops."

"Well, we can't all be the perfect boyfriend like you. Do you have anything?"

"Do I have a tattoo on my forehead that says I'm a stationery shop?"

"Why are you being a jerk?"

"You want to be nicer to me, hyung? I'm about to do you a favor."

"Yes, okay, sorry. Please just do this for me."

"I'll be right back." Kihyun walked to his room to combine Hyunwoo's chocolates with his other gifts, and returned with a red glitter bag for Hoseok's gift.

"That's perfect, Kihyun. Thanks!" He shoved the chocolates into the bag unceremoniously and started out of the kitchen.

"You're welcome, hyung. Now, take Hyungwon and get out of the dorm. Hyunwoo and I need some alone time."

"Gross," Hoseok muttered as he left the kitchen with the bag dangling from his right hand.

"Is that my gift?" Hyungwon asked, grinning as he and Hoseok met up at the door to leave the dorm.

"It is," Hoseok said, forcing a smile. He had never felt so ashamed of a gift. "Is that mine?" He pointed to the adorable bag in Hyungwon's hand, sure that it held something much more impressive than his bag.

"It is," Hyungwon said with a smile. He could only hope Hoseok didn't dump him after this crappy Valentine's Day. It was only their second together, and the first had been awkward and sweet. They had only been dating two months and were in the middle of a tour. Their gifting consisted of sharing food from catering and exchanging sweets they had been given by fans. It had seemed kind of lame to everyone at the time, but Hyungwon had loved it, and he couldn't help feeling that it was so much better than this year.

"Why don't we take a walk to the park?" Hoseok suggested. "We can exchange gifts in that little building where they do parties in the summertime. You know what I'm talking about?"

Hyungwon liked that they had the same idea. Maybe going to the park was the big, romantic gesture that Hoseok had planned. They had gone for a picnic there last spring, but it ended abruptly when fans found them. "It's pretty cold, so we should be all alone there, don't you think?"

Hoseok nodded. He didn't add the thought that the other couples who had their shit together would be out doing exciting, romantic things that they planned rather than walking through parks with the lamest gift in the universe stuffed into a borrowed bag.

“This is nice, hyung,” Hyungwon said after they’d been walking a while through the park. They were nearly to the little pavilion where they would sit to exchange gifts. He wondered what Hoseok had planned, if there was a meal or more gifts awaiting them in the building.

“Do you think so?” he asked, smiling over at him.

“Of course, hyung. I always enjoy spending time with you. You know that, right?”

“Of course, I do,” Hoseok said, hoping that spending time with him would be enough to make up for the lame gift. He really hoped that whatever big plans Kihyun seemed to know about weren’t too extravagant. If Hyungwon had gone all out on a gift or date, he would feel even worse. There might be a romantic picnic awaiting him in the pavilion up ahead.

When they reached the door to the pavilion, Hyungwon waited for Hoseok to open it. Hoseok assumed this was because he wanted him to witness the surprise first. He felt a rush of excitement course through him that nearly overshadowed the guilt.

He pulled open the door and the grin on his face fell. The pavilion was dark and empty, dusty even, like no one had been there in months. He flipped on the light switch and found nothing, but a room empty save for a few picnic tables.

Hyungwon glanced around the room, sure he was missing something. When he saw nothing that looked romantic in the slightest, he assumed the big surprise must be somewhere else.

“It’s a bit dusty,” Hoseok commented after they’d shut the door and walked further inside. He had discerned that there couldn’t possibly be any romantic surprise here, so he didn’t think it would do any harm to voice his distaste.

“Yeah… I guess no one uses it in the winter. It’s still really cold in here. All it protects you from is rain or snow.”

Hoseok nodded. What an awful place to bring Hyungwon. He was competing for worst boyfriend of the year.

“Still, it’s nice to be alone with you,” Hyungwon said, taking him by the hand.

Hoseok had to smile at that. “We should have thrown Kihyun out of the dorm,” he said with a laugh.

Hyungwon giggled. “Hyung had a romantic dinner planned at home. We couldn’t have ruined that.” He wondered why Hoseok would joke about that when he had something planned that obviously didn’t involve the dorm.

“Yeah, Kihyun and his grand romantic gestures.” He rolled his eyes. Kihyun was such a little shit sometimes, but he would do anything for Hyunwoo. He truly loved him.

Hyungwon’s brow furrowed. Was he really trying to downplay his own romantic gesture? “Hyung… Should we exchange gifts?”

“Oh, sure…” He was reluctant to hand his off. It couldn’t possibly be as good as the gift that Hyungwon had purchased for him.

“Just, don’t judge me by the gift, hyung.”

Hoseok’s brow furrowed as they passed their bags off. Did he not want him to expect something this big all the time? He opened the bag, and peered inside. His expectations came crashing down around him. Fake flowers, and tiny boxes of chocolate? Oh, and a mug… He pulled the things out, looking them over.

“Is this a joke?” he asked, glancing over at his boyfriend who had just taken his chocolates out. He regarded the football-shaped box with confusion.

“Is this?” Hyungwon held up the box of chocolates.

“I’m confused,” Hoseok muttered. “I thought you had some big romantic gift for me.”

“I thought you had some big romantic gift for me!”

“But… Why would you think that?”

“Kihyun hyung told me you did!”

“But he told me that…” Hoseok trailed off. “That jerk.”

“Why would he…?”

“To make us both feel bad for being inferior boyfriends.” He rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I forgot and when I went to shop yesterday, this was all they had left in the store.”

“Me too,” he said, gesturing to the box of chocolates on Hyungwon’s lap.

“I’m terrible at Valentine’s Day. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry! We both dropped the ball this year.”

Hyungwon was silent for a few moments, and then, “Hyung… I love you. Is that enough?”

Hoseok shoved his gifts into the bag, and turned toward his boyfriend. A smile had replaced the confused grimace on his face. “Of course it is.” He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “We can make this day great just by being with each other. Valentine’s Day or any day that we’re together shouldn’t be about gifts or things we buy each other. It should be about how much we love each other.”

Hyungwon grinned, cheeks blushed. “Hyung, that was kind of romantic.” He chuckled.

“Your hyung is very romantic.”

“Oh, yeah.” Hyungwon laughed.

“Hey, I might not be as romantic as Kihyun with his dinner, but I will make sure you have a great Valentine's Day."

Hoseok made good on his promise, finding a restaurant that had an open table in the back – a reservation canceled at the last minute. They enjoyed a delicious, private meal after which they snuck into a theater – Hoseok buying tickets with his hood pulled down over his face – and enjoyed a sappy romance movie (more making out in the back row than watching).

When they returned home, they were on Cloud 9 – giggling and clinging to each other as they poured in through the front door of the dorm.

Hyungwon extricated himself from Hoseok's arms first, and groaned, "Ack! What is that smell?"

Hoseok squeezed his nose. "Smells like burnt meat," he said in a squeaky voice, thanks to the fingers pinched tightly over his nose.

"Burnt meat?" Hyungwon repeated, his face twisting like he might be sick. "Why?!"

They ventured further into the dorm, surveying the rooms like two men that had just landed on another planet.

They found Kihyun and Hyunwoo seated in the living room. Kihyun's arms were crossed tightly over his chest.

"It's freezing in here!" Hyungwon wailed, noting the open windows.

"Shut up!" Kihyun barked.

"What is going on?" Hoseok asked, crossing the room to shut the windows.

"Leave it!" Hyunwoo shouted, waving his hands in front of him.

Hoseok's brow furrowed, but he stopped in his tracks. "Hyung?"

"I know that you can smell that," Kihyun said, his jaws clinched.

"What happened?" Hyungwon asked.

"I burned our dinner, Hyungwon. Get away from me."

"You burned dinner?!"

Kihyun launched a throw pillow at the younger man's face.

It hit him  and bounced off, but didn't deter the tall boy. "Your romantic dinner?"

"Hyungwon, please," Hyunwoo said. "It's nothing." He sneezed loudly, startling Hyungwon and Hoseok.

"Hyung, you look kinda weird and puffy," Hoseok said, moving closer to Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo sneezed again, and held his head. "I'm fine," he groaned.

"He's not fine," Kihyun growled. "He had an allergic reaction to the cologne I bought him."

Hyungwon gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth. "You did?!"

Kihyun stood up and stomped off to the kitchen to make another feeble attempt to clean the scorched pan that once had their dinner in it.

"What happened?" Hoseok whispered, stifling a giggle.

"It was a disaster," Hyunwoo admitted, covering his face when he sneezed again. "I had an allergic reaction to the cologne and my face swelled up. So we spent two hours at the clinic. This is nothing compared to what my face did look like. We forgot the food when we raced off to the clinic, so the meat was literally on fire when we returned."

The giggle he had been holding back burst forth from Hoseok's mouth.

Hyunwoo grimaced.

Hoseok apologized, clamping his hands over his mouth. Giggles still escaped.

"It serves Kihyun right," Hyungwon said. "I'm sorry you suffered though, hyung."

Hyunwoo sneezed. "What do you mean?"

"Kihyun lied to us and set us up," Hyungwon explained. "I'm not sorry that his stupid dinner got ruined. I am sorry that you got sick though."

"That's not very nice, Hyungwon." Hyunwoo wiped his nose with a tissue and tossed in the already overflowing bin in front of him.

"I'm sorry, but hyung wasn’t very nice. He made fun of me for shopping late, and he told me Hoseok hyung had some big thing planned, and he told hyung the same thing about me. We had a great day though. And Kihyun planned all this stuff and it was ruined. So, so, I just think it serves him right."

"You're so mean, Hyungwon," Kihyun said, reentering the room. His hands were hidden inside pink rubber gloves and he clutched the unrecognizable pan in his hands. "I'm throwing this out," he said, his voice defeated.

Hoseok laughed again. "Kihyun, why did you ever try to clean that? It doesn't even look like a dish anymore!"

Kihyun threw the misshapen, charred black pan at Hoseok. "You throw it away, you jerk! You're all jerks! I'm going to bed!"

He threw his pink gloves at Hyungwon and stomped out of the room.

Hyunwoo scrambled off the couch. "You guys," he groaned, snatching his tissue box before he ran off to find Kihyun.

Hyungwon and Hoseok walked the gloves and dish out to the trash bin on the corner in front of their building.

"Hyung..." Hyungwon looked to Hoseok after he dropped the gloves on top of the unrecognizable pan.

"Hmm?"

"Can we make a pact?"

"About what?"

"A pact to never plan any grand romantic gestures for Valentine's Day."

Hoseok laughed. "Agreed. We'll never be romantic on Valentine's Day."

"We wouldn't want to end like the hyungs," Hyungwon added with a nod.

"True, true... But we might do better than pirate and football chocolates..."

[lordsicheng]

Nothing into Something: Pt. 2

BestFriend!Lee Kiwon (Rainz) x OC

Type: Fluff, Best Friends to Lovers AU

You didn’t notice you really fell asleep for quite a while once you were home, and you scratched your head as you stood up to get to your phone from across your bedroom. You checked your phone to see a ton of messages from your group chat with your friends, and you just opened it without knowing what to expect

“Dude, congrats!” “Yeah, thanks.” “Don’t meddle too much or else y/n’s gonna kick your butt” “Where’s y/n anyway?” “Asleep, probably” “Don’t forget me when you become famous!!!!” “Shut up Sunghyuk” “I’m serious!!!!” “Go to sleep Sunghyuk” “Turn off your TV first , Hyunmin. I can hear you from my room” “Your room is right next to mine idiot we’re blockmates” “I don’t care! Kiwon help me please” “zzzzzzzz” “Wow, rude”

You laughed a bit at how they were acting on the group chat, but you were quite upset by the fact that by then, you already knew that Kiwon took up the opportunity to be in Sori’s band. But then again as much as you hated Sori for being mean to you and crushing a bit of your dreams, you wanted the best of Kiwon; even if it has to do with him being given an opportunity to showcase his own talent. Your phone suddenly vibrated again and you saw a message from Kiwon

“You awake? Can we talk?”

You just sighed and pursed your lips, because you really didn’t feel like talking to anyone that time. You then typed in a reply in just a few minutes after reading the message

“Let’s just talk tomorrow. Good night.”

Once you sent the message, you put your phone away and just looked around to find something to get your mind off. You then saw your small photo album that had lots of polaroids of you and your friends from the past years until now. You smiled as you grabbed the album and opened it to see all the polaroids you had with Sunghyuk, Hyunmin, Kiwon and some other friends. From polaroids during your trip to Busan with the guys, to even ones you took while hanging out at The Grove. You then saw a solo polaroid of Kiwon hugging his guitar as you laughed when you remembered the other three of you gave it to him for his birthday last year. You then turned the polaroid and saw the little note you wrote behind it

“To my best friend, who deserves the whole world!!!!!!

Happy happy birthday!! ♥♥”

 You immediately smiled once you saw this, and just nodded as you quickly put it in your wallet, because you remembered Kiwon’s birthday was also coming up next week

“Shoot!” you said in shock once you remembered and you hurriedly checked the calendar to check how many days were left for you to prepare your gift for him, which you haven’t even started on

“June 20th?!” you widened your eyes in horror as you only had a week left to prepare, plus your classes end by that time too. You then hurriedly grabbed a few of your stationery things to make your gift, hoping you Kiwon would at least appreciate it

-

Kiwon hurriedly walked his way to the cafeteria where you all waited for him, bowing his head while wearing a cap that covered most of his hair. Once he got to the cafeteria, Hyunmin immediately called him and he walked his way to the table you and the others were at. Kiwon just kept looking down even when he sat down next to Sunghyuk, and with you being in front of him, you just looked at him confusedly as you became curious as to what was going on under that cap

“Did you get a bad haircut or something?” Hyunmin asked, trying to take a peek of what was under Kiwon’s cap until he slapped his hand away

“I just wanted to wear a cap today.” Kiwon muttered as he looked down again, adjusting his cap. Sunghyuk then was becoming a bit impatient, and he grabbed the cap in a swift motion. Kiwon’s hair was then exposed, you becoming quite shocked at the sudden transformation

“You’re… blonde? Bleached… blonde?” you asked in between laughing, trying to make yourself not too rude as you questioned

“They said it was for a change…” Kiwon sighed as he looked at the three of you

“You look good, though.” you smiled as you shrugged, but Kiwon was too embarrassed to even look at you

“There’s our new guitarist! Loving the new hair on you.” Sori said as she arrived, putting her arm around Kiwon’s shoulder as she sat next to him, and you just gave her a disgusted look

“The bleaching hurt, you know.” Kiwon said as he shooed Sori’s arm around his shoulder

“But it was all worth it.” she smiled as she stood back up

“Don’t forget, 7:30 tonight.” she smiled widely as she looked at all of you before walking away

“So, what’s the schedule like now that you’re with the band?” Sunghyuk asked as he crossed his arms, resting them on the table

“We’re packed until next week, except on the 26th I think.” Kiwon shrugged as he looked at his phone, checking the calendar

“Wait, you’re performing on your birthday next week?” Sunghyuk accidentally blurted out, and you and Hyunmin couldn’t help but give him an annoyed expression

“Oh, right… my birthday… but hey, there’s no gig on the 26th! We can celebrate by then?” Kiwon grinned, trying to assure that he still wanted to celebrate his birthday with all of you

“Fine. Let’s just have some barbecue by then, I guess?” Hyunmin shrugged as he blew a raspberry

“Hey, I gotta go. I’m supposed to meet the band at the hallway to talk on the gig for tonight.” Kiwon said as he stood up and waved to all of you, and you all waved at him back. As soon as Kiwon was out of the cafeteria, you and Hyunmin looked at Sunghyuk again with an annoyed expression, and Sunghyuk just gave a straight face

“Guys, closer.” Hyunmin gestured you and Sunghyuk to come closer to talk properly, and you both did

“First of all, Sunghyuk you’re an idiot.” Hyunmin looked at Sunghyuk, and he just pouted while giggling

“Second, what are we supposed to do with the surprise busking event for Kiwon’s birthday?” Hyunmin said as he talked fast, and you just sighed

“I’ll talk to Sori and tell her to move a gig for the 26th, that way he’s free on the 27th.” you said

“Are you sure you’re gonna talk to your arch nemesis? Because I can talk to her myself, you know.” Hyunmin asked, sounding quite worried

“If it means that I would have to sacrifice a bit of my pride for Kiwon, then yes, I will talk to her myself. You guys can come, but just hide somewhere as long as you can see me.” you shrugged, and Hyunmin and Sunghyuk just nodded in approval

-

You waited for a few minutes for Sori to get out of class. Once you saw her, you immediately ran towards her, and she just gave you a loathing look

“What do you want?” Sori asked as she continued to walk, and you followed her right to her side

“I want to ask you a favor. Just one.” you said as you walked next to her

“What’s in it for me?” Sori stopped walking and crossed her arms as she looked at you

“Sori, just please.” you looked at her

“Ugh, fine. What is it?” she sighed in annoyance

“It’s Kiwon’s birthday on the 27th, and he said you guys had a gig that day. Is it alright if you could move your gig on the 27th to the 26th? Please, just this once and I swear I won’t ask you any more favors in the future.” you said as you held your hands as if you were begging

“I’ll see what I can do.” Sori gave a sarcastic smile and walked away. Sunghyuk and Hyunmin were hiding in an empty classroom nearby, taking peeks at times. Once they saw Sori walk away, they immediately walked their way to you

“Well?” Hyunmin asked, hoping for a positive outcome

“She says she’ll see what she can do.” you said as you still looked at Sori walking from afar

“Until then, let’s just save that dinner thing on the 26th.” you sighed, looking at Sunghyuk and Hyunmin as they gave worried looks

-

It’s only been a few days after Kiwon got into Sori’s band, and he barely had time for you and the others. This saddened you, but you assured yourself that he was happy with what he was doing, you just shrugged off all the worry you had. You looked at your handmade gift for Kiwon, a scrapbook that had all your polaroids together with the others with small notes of when they were taken, and some with random captions that you knew would make Kiwon laugh

It was finally the 26th, and you expected Kiwon to arrived the restaurant you and Sunghyuk really liked, because hey, who doesn’t like authentic beef barbecue?

You looked at Hyunmin worriedly, thinking Kiwon might’ve had a gig that time since Sori didn’t really update you over the favor you asked of her. Until moments later, Kiwon arrived at the restaurant with Sunghyuk in a really happy mood, because he really wanted to spend at least the day before his birthday with all of you. You sighed and forced a smile, because you knew Sori didn’t really do the favor you asked even though you had to suck in all your pride just for Kiwon, but nonetheless, you and others just wanted Kiwon to have a great time and celebrate.

“So, your gig still up for tomorrow?” Sunghyuk asked Kiwon, and you looked at Sunghyuk to make sure he wouldn’t spoil something again

“Yeah, can you guys go? I mean, you want…” Kiwon smiled as he ate

“I’ll try.” you forced a smile, and Kiwon just nodded

“Me and Hyunmin were gonna go to the arcade tomorrow night since we figured you’d finish late, or maybe even celebrate with your bandmates…” Sunghyuk pouted, trying to sound needy

“We’re only gonna have dinner after our gig, then I’m going home directly.” Kiwon smiled as he patted Sunghyuk on the back

“Just enjoy, Kiwon. Let’s celebrate a better birthday next time.” Hyunmin said as he drank a glass of water

All of you had dinner and kept on talking as if the fact that Kiwon was going to be busier than usual wasn’t a hindrance to all of you. You all had a pretty great time and just chilled, and had a small celebration. You guys decided to go home at the same time, with Sunghyuk and Hyunmin going the other way to their dorm, leaving you and Kiwon walking your ways around the district to the nearest subway. Kiwon just lived within the area, but he always made sure he dropped you off at the subway station himself, for your own safety.

“I had a pretty great time.” you smiled as you walked beside Kiwon

“Me too. Celebrations are best with people you really love and care about.” he smiled as he let out a sigh

Before you knew it, you were already at the subway station. You grabbed your gift for Kiwon inside your bag and quickly gave it to him, where he gladly accepted it with both his hands

“Open it when the clock strikes 12am. Or whenever you’re ready. Don’t open it yet.” you smiled as you gave Kiwon a hug before going down the stairs, and he just looked at you, smiling.

-

“Sooo, it’s Kiwon’s birthday today….” Sunghyuk broke the silence as you, him and Hyunmin were sitting on a cafeteria table for about 45 minutes without saying anything to each other, obviously having a hard time adjusting to Kiwon not being with all of you for a long time

“Just send him cake later.” you sighed and crossed your arms

“It feels really weird not having him around for quite a long time…” Hyunmin tapped his fingers on the table

“We can’t interfere with his practices, Hyunmin.” Sunghyuk said as he took a bite out of his sandwich

“What’s gonna happen with that whole busking event for tonight?” you suddenly blurted out, and Hyunmin widened his eyes as he looked at Sunghyuk, who was just as shocked

“Damn it, I forgot to cancel it.” Hyunmin scratched his head

“I’ll do it?” you shrugged, and both of them looked at you confusedly

“Do what?” Hyunmin asked

“The busking event… I’ll sing, I suppose.” you said as you fed yourself a spoonful of your meal

“Are you serious?” Sunghyuk laughed, but soon his laughter died down as you looked at him with a serious expression

“Y/n, it’s alright. We can find another-“

“I’ll do it.” you cut off Hyunmin, and he didn’t really know what to do

“Fine, but you better be ready.” Hyunmin just nodded and went back to eating

-

 Scrolling through your phone’s music playlist as it was almost past 7, you frantically searched for a song that wasn’t as harsh to sing, but you did feel like you wanted to make an impression. A lot of people were already starting to gather around, and you felt your heart pump faster because it was your first time actually singing in front of a crowd full of strangers. You were scared you were gonna make a mistake while you sing, but Hyunmin patted your back to make sure you were going to be fine.

“You didn’t really have to do this, y/n.” Hyunmin said in between pats

“I have to. I want to.” you forced a smile as you slowly went to the center

“Hey, everyone. Um, my name’s y/n. And well, you guys probably expected Kiwon to perform tonight, but he’s a bit busy. So… I’m just gonna perform instead of him… hope you guys enjoy.” you smiled as you talked through the microphone.

You then inserted the jack of the speakers to your phone and started playing the song. You decided to sing Hoody’s By Your Side, because it was one of the songs you enjoyed listening to with Kiwon. As you sang, you remembered how Kiwon dragged you to a small event Hoody was performing at, and you didn’t even tell him you liked Hoody so much. You were always thankful over how Kiwon was very considerate of you and your feelings, especially if you were really down and wanted a pick me up. He’d just grab his guitar and start playing random songs, even changes lyrics to make you smile and laugh, and he loved it when you just listened to him play songs out of boredom and complimented his talent. Once the song was over, everyone in the crowd cheered and applauded you loudly, and you were so overwhelmed that you couldn’t hide you big smile in front of everyone

“Wow, thank you so much!” you laughed as you looked at the crowd

“Mind if we have a duet?” someone said from the crowd, and you squinted your eyes to see who it was. The people at the crowd suddenly moved and gave the person some space for him to go to you, and your eyes widened to see Kiwon smiling while bringing his guitar with him

“What are you doing here?” you asked as you covered your mouth in shock as he approached you

“I wanted to see you” he smiled as he grabbed a chair from the side and sat on it

“So, duet?” he grinned, and you nodded as you looked at Sunghyuk and gave him the signal on turning on the amplifier and giving the wire to Kiwon, who already plugged it on his guitar

“Wait, what song are we performing?” you gave Kiwon a confused look

“Just sing along with me.” he smiled as he started playing the first few chords

You were shocked as to how he suddenly started singing to Some, and you widened your eyes because this song was also one of yours and Kiwon’s favorites, often singing it at The Grove whenever you both felt like singing really cheesy songs. You both sang and just had fun while doing so, and everyone who watched you both couldn’t believe at how comfortable you both were with each other and your chemistry was just right, and not too cringey. Once you both finished the song, again, everyone applauded you both as you two took a bow and thanked everyone.

“Whoa, that was amazing!” Sunghyuk said as he and Hyunmin ran towards you and Kiwon

“I’m still confused as to why you came here all of the sudden.” you looked at Kiwon, who was just smiling

“I’ll explain later.” he said as he started to put his guitar in its bag

-

You were all hanging out at The Grove, and again, there weren’t many people, so it was as if you all had the rooftop to yourselves

“Wait, you left? Just like that?” Sunghyuk asked as if he expected it to happen

“It just didn’t feel right to be with them. Sori was kind of bossy, and the bassist was just too full of himself.” he laughed as he held his guitar

“So, you’re back to being the normal Kiwon again?” Hyunmin asked as he leaned back on the living chair

“Normal Kiwon. Who is still willing to perform.” he chuckled as he nodded

“Hey, Hyunmin. I need to go to the restroom.” Sunghyuk called as he stood up

“Why me? Ask Kiwon.” Hyunmin whined

“Get up here.” Sunghyuk grabbed Hyunmin by his arm and pulled him to the restroom, leaving you and Kiwon behind

“I still can’t believe we had that kind of chemistry earlier.” you laughed as you stood up, walking behind the sofa where the railings of the balcony were

“It was like magic.” you said as you sighed, taking in the view of the roads by the building. Kiwon then stood up and walked over to your side, holding the scrapbook you gave as a gift. You looked at him as he held your gift, and you just giggled at how embarrassed you were on giving him that

“You know, this is probably the best gift I’ve ever gotten from someone.” he said as he opened the scrapbook again

“Hey, I made that from scratch.” you laughed, and he did too

“Happy birthday, Kiwon.” you smiled as you greeted, and he turned to look at the same view as you

“Check your left pocket.” he said as he smiled, still looking at the view. You were confused at first, but you checked the left pocket of your jacket and saw three polaroids of yourself from earlier, and you wondered how they got there and just looked at Kiwon

“Hyunmin’s good at hiding.” he laughed, and you shook your head

“These polaroids are really cute. But what’s with the numbers?” you said as you saw the polaroids written with the numbers 1 to 3 on the bottom

“Check the back. Start with one. Don’t look at them at the same time.” he smirked without even looking at you, and you just shrugged. You turned the first polaroid, and on the back it said,

“To my best friend, who deserves the whole world!!!!!!”

You chuckled as you remembered you wrote the same on one of his polaroids, and you checked the second one,

“You have always been there for me, through thick and thin. And I don’t want to lose what we have now, so I’m going to ask you one question.”

You scratched your head, confused as to what Kiwon was supposed to say to you, and you thought he should have just told you directly rather than writing on the polaroids. So you just grinned as you turned the third polaroid as it said,

“Will you be mine?^^♥”

You widened your eyes in surprise, and looked at Kiwon, who was blushing a bit because he wasn’t used to confessing, and he hasn’t even had a relationship before

“So you’re asking me this through all these polaroids of me?” you chuckled as you asked Kiwon, and he turned to look at you

“Well?” he smiled

“Hmm, I’ll think about it.” you said as you turned to rest your arms on the railings and look at the view. Kiwon did as well, and just sighed as he felt so embarrassed after admitting his feelings for you

“Hey, Kiwon?” you said, without looking at Kiwon

“Yeah?” he asked, also not looking at you

You just stood still in silence for a few seconds, and you suddenly kissed Kiwon’s cheek. Kiwon was so flustered and he touched his cheek that you kissed, and he couldn’t help but blush

“Yeaaaaah! I told you he could do it!” Sunghyuk cheered from the back, hiding behind a huge plant with Hyunmin, who was jumping around with him, and you and Kiwon turned to look at them fooling around and just laughed before you both looked at each other. Kiwon just smiled at you as he ruffled your hair a bit, and you just smiled back.

[emmatrustsno-one]

Red Dwarf re-watch slashwatch

As I have been on a re-run of Red Dwarf in the last few weeks (it had been an entire six months since I last watched it!! Nightmare!) I though I’d take a break from spirk and post some episode analyses from a rimsy x listy POV. Feel free to add anything you think I’ve missed. I’ll post series 1 for now, but others to follow in the next month, not necessarily in order. To be clear, I am not saying they are simply gay, or even that they are in a relationship; just that they are more than friends and they develop complex feelings for each other. If you can’t handle it, don’t read it!

Series 1, Waiting for God

To begin, it’s not exactly a RimmerxLister moment, but Rimmer’s sassy, animated bitching at Holly in the opening conversation (“we’ll give him 10 seconds to come back from the dead and if he doesn’t we’ll assume I’m in charge...No, he hasn’t managed it”) is as gay as a moustachioed man in a vest and hot pants riding a rainbow-coloured unicorn.

I find Rimmer’s reaction to Lister’s report interesting. Let me explain: I think that deep down Rimmer doesn’t want to care about his career. It causes him constant stress and is a part of his personality that his childhood, especially his father, forced into him. His entire life revolves around being a success in the space corps and ultimately it’s because his father raised him to believe that was the only way to make him proud. He resents it but can’t seem to shake it off. I think he even fails his exams on purpose, even though his conscious mind doesn’t realise it. He barely revises properly: we know he spends forever making revision timetables and arranging his stationery; and he goes into the exam so unprepared he cheats. In my opinion, he is unconsciously stopping himself from becoming that career man his father wanted him to be. Later in the show, in Thanks for the memory, we have the famous triple fried egg chili chutney sandwich scene where Rimmer says that with Lister all the ingredients are wrong but the result is right, whereas with himself all the ingredients are right but the result is wrong. To me, this shows that Rimmer knows deep down that he is living a lie. He is trying to force himself to be someone he isn’t. Lister, on the other hand, is true to himself – he is who he is. I believe Rimmer takes some comfort in this knowledge, which is why he continuously bitches at Lister for being who he is – it grounds him; makes him feel secure, so he brings it up all the time. In the opening scene to this episode, hearing that someone else thought Lister was exactly the person Rimmer thinks he is made him really happy; it increased his sense of security. Rimmer’s anger at hearing his own report backs this up: he is annoyed because he knows Hollister’s description of him is true, and that he can’t manage to stop denying it. Digging deeper, you could say Rimmer is living a lie in more ways than one: he thinks he is straight.

We see in this episode that Lister feels it is fine for he and Rimmer to wear each other’s clothes. Rimmer disagrees, but as I say repeatedly, he is less at ease with his feelings and less mature than Lister.

Rimmer makes a huge effort to be nice to The Cat in this episode, which is possibly part of a growing understanding that The Cat is important to Lister.

I love the scene where Rimmer rushes in telling Lister that the UO is a pod. The excitement of it totally negates the usual pretend animosity, and for a moment they are just big, friendly kids.

Immediately after that it’s Lister’s turn to be the queen of sass. When Lister is taking the piss out of Rimmer about his status in the company (“you’ve been with the company 15 years, and I’ve been with them 8 months” and “that must mean the rest of the crew is better than you then”) he is pushing the exact right buttons to get a rise out of Rimmer and they both know it. How well he knows him. Lister can’t contain his pleasure at doing it either. This is probably the most I have seen him smirk, and it is unbelievably flirty. His cheeky little grin; the way he lowers his head to do it and then flicks his eyes back up to see Rimmer’s reaction; the way he exposes his tongue – it’s all painfully flirtatious. Lister himself even recognises that on some level because he finishes it off blowing joke kisses at Rimmer. For me, this a key RimmerxLister scene but it never really gets mentioned.

I like as well the way Rimmer wakes Lister up when he can’t sleep – he wants to share genuine excitement and happiness with him. It is in this scene that Rimmer appears to ‘accidently’ (?) admit he has never slept with a woman. We know from later episode that that’s not exactly the truth, but nevertheless not far from it. It’s hard to imagine someone of his age having such little sexual experience, even if he is a smeghead. If it is the case, it is yet another reason to feel sorry for him: he is neurotic and has no social skills - another gift from his upbringing. If it’s not the case that he is so inexperienced, we have to assume the bulk of his sexual experiences have not been with women. Perhaps this ‘accidental’ confession is the result of a battle that has been going on in his unconscious since he heard the captain’s report on him? Perhaps he himself understands why the report made him feel the way it did, and he is becoming ready to stop living the lie.

When Rimmer loses his temper at Lister because Lister is going on about Cats while he is trying to concentrate, Lister’s response is laughter. This is quite common in couples: when one is furious but the other doesn’t think it’s a big deal, the calm one can’t help but laugh because they find their partner cute when they are so angry. Indeed, Lister’s laughter isn’t ‘my sides are going to split’ laughter, it’s a sweet giggle at Rimmer being such a drama queen. I love the “TOT!” row that follows this. It’s so camp. Folded arms and expressive head jerks, not to mention the sheer ridiculousness of the word ‘tot’.

[inloveandwords]

If you are participating in ContemporaryAThon or if you are just looking for some great contemporary romance novels for adults, I’ve put together this list of all my favorites.

If you’d rather watch the video (and find out why I love each book), you can check it out here:

Repeat by Kylie Scott

From Audie Award winning, New York Times best-selling author Kylie Scott comes an irresistible new romance – available in audio first!

When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she’s forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did – which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before.

Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can’t seem to let her go again.

Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance?

♥

Atheists Who Kneel and Pray by Tarryn Fisher

Yara Phillips is a wandering muse.

She dates men who need her, but always moves on to something new, never staying in one place for very long.

David Lisey is in need of a muse.

A talented musician lacking lyrical inspiration. When he first sees her, he knows he’s found what he’s been looking for.

Yara believes she can give David exactly what he needs to reach his full potential: A broken heart.

David’s religion is love.

Yara’s religion is heartache.

Neither is willing to surrender, but religion always requires sacrifice.

♥

Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne

In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Emma Chase, Lauren Layne delivers a sexy take on the timeless question: Can a guy and a girl really be “just friends”?

When Parker Blanton meets Ben Olsen during her freshman year of college, the connection is immediate—and platonic. Six years later, they’re still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland’s trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him.

The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker’s ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.

♥

Hate Notes by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes an unexpected love story of secondhand hearts and second chances…

It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.

Something blue.

I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.”

Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.

The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed.

He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did not result in a happily ever after.

But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined.

Something new.

But I have no idea how this one is going to end…

Misadventures of a College Girl by Lauren Rowe

Straitlaced freshman Zooey Cartwright has arrived at UCLA determined to have a heck of a lot more fun in college than she did in high school. What’s the first item on Zooey’s agenda before classes start in two days? Losing her pesky V card. She’s definitely not looking for a boyfriend, so where can Zooey find the right guy to do the deed and move along without a backward glance? At a party thrown by a bunch of football players, of course.

Enter Tyler Caldwell. A beast on the field and off, cocky as heck, and often wearing T-shirts with sayings like “God’s Gift to Womankind,” Tyler is most definitely not boyfriend material.

After a make-out session with Tyler leaves Zooey entirely unsatisfied, she is determined never to see him again. But her schedule lands her in not one but two of his classes, and it doesn’t take long before Tyler is giving Zooey exactly what she wants—and a whole lot more she never bargained for. Can Zooey surrender her body to this bad boy without giving him her heart, too?

♥

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner

It’s crazy how fast the buzz comes back after you’ve been sober for so long.

Whiskey stood there, on my doorstep, just like he had one year before. Except this time, there was no rain, no anger, no wedding invitation — it was just us.

It was just him — the old friend, the easy smile, the twisted solace wrapped in a glittering bottle.

It was just me — the alcoholic, pretending like I didn’t want to taste him, realizing too quickly that months of being clean didn’t make me crave him any less.

But we can’t start here.

No, to tell this story right, we need to go back.

Back to the beginning.

Back to the very first drop.

This is my love letter to Whiskey. I only hope he reads it.

♥

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

♥

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes an unforgettable love story about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances.

Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in one tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.

How to Walk Away is Katherine Center at her very best: an utterly charming, hopeful, and romantic novel that will capture reader’s hearts with every page.

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

From New York Times Bestselling author Penelope Douglas comes a new forbidden love story…

JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.

He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing, take me for granted, or make me feel unsafe.

He remembers me, laughs with me, and looks at me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable.

Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.

I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping.

She’d cook a few meals and clean up a little. It was an easy arrangement.

As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

The more I find my path crossing hers, though, the more she’s becoming a part of me.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.

*BIRTHDAY GIRL is a stand-alone, contemporary romance suitable for ages 18+.

♥

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome; 2) A person’s undoing; 3) Joshua Templeman. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

♥

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.

After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.

♥

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Until it Fades by KA Tucker

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

♥

Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata

Ruby Santos knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she signed up to write a soldier overseas.

The guidelines were simple: one letter or email a week for the length of his or her deployment. Care packages were optional.

Been there, done that. She thought she knew what to expect.

What she didn’t count on was falling in love with the guy.

♥

Lingus by Mariana Zapata

Most people would describe Katherine Berger as a responsible girl with a big heart, a loyal friend who takes care of those close to her, and the possessor of a wicked sense of humor. There was something about her that most people didn’t know. “My name is Kat Berger, and I love porn.”

When twenty-five-year-old Kat is dragged to a porn convention by her best friend, she’s both embarrassed and nervous. The last thing she ever expected was to meet someone who makes her laugh like no other. This is a story about acceptance and friendship, and a love born out of the most unexpected of places.

♥

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

  What are some of your favorite standalone adult contemporary romance novels? Have you read any of these?

      Favorite Standalone Adult Contemporary Romance Novels for ContemporaryAThon + New Video If you are participating in ContemporaryAThon or if you are just looking for some great contemporary romance novels for adults, I've put together this list of all my favorites.