#I say it all the time but man...her learning and becoming fluent in a different language in a matter of months is so cool to me

[fromtheseventhhell]

The Starklings trying to keep up with Arya after she returns to Westeros fluent in multiple languages

[mythicmanuscripts]

Had another Aegon thought that definitely falls under himbo!Aegon/sub!Aegon in which his wife runs everything and being sexy while doing it. Basically they'd been promised to betrothed when they were younger but reader being from a different house thought it best to try and learn High Valyrian to be better suited. But upon finding out Aegon doesn't speak it she keeps it hidden but uses it to defend Aegon whenever Aemond tries to offend him. Just imagine she's sat besides Aegon when Aemond has his whole speech in High Valyrian knowing Aegon can't understand or respond, to suddenly have the biting words of his queen come to his defense having never heard her speak it before.

Man would be looking at her believing she was secretly some goddess or smth!

God I love himbo!aegon so much!! I’m gonna make it a tag just so we can group it all together.

I started out fully intended to keep this SFW and well, I had to put a cut in by the end so we all know how that turned out….

So firstly, I’ve never thought of this before but now that I have I can’t stop: I think Aegon would absolutely have a competency kink? Any time he sees you just completely in your element and doing anything that he doesn’t know how to… he just goes full empty no thoughts only pretty wife.

It’s an interesting development because he’d hate it if it were anyone else. Normally people being so good at things he can’t even grasp leaves him feeling insecure, stupid and inadequate to be king. But with you it’s completely different? With you he just stares in awe and then promptly gets very very turned on cause pretty wife!!! Pretty wife is so smart and talented and he is merely her little gremlin that follows her around asking for attention. He loves it so so much.

(Picturing a scene where Allicent is telling him off and trying to say he lets his wife run everything and he’s no real king but instead of him getting insecure and ashamed and doing whatever Allicent says, he instead just goes “yeah! Yeah she does! It’s great!”)

He loses his little mind every time he sees just how smart and good at politics you are? He hears you saying the perfect things and controlling the situation perfectly and then the next time you’re alone you even tell him what to do next time and just… no more thoughts. None whatsoever his wife is too smart and pretty for him to have thoughts. She is a beautiful powerful queen and he is merely a horny little jester.

You don’t tell him about trying to learn Valyrian mostly because you know it’s a bit of a sore spot for him? He genuinely has tried to hard to learn it, but it’s like his brain just wasn’t made for it. So you keep your lessons to yourself, and decide to worry about how to tell him at a later date when you’re fluent.

The problem, however is that even after you become fluent you still don’t know how to tell aegon without upsetting him. Sure he’s happy to have you make pretty much all decisions, but language skills or lack there of will always be a sore spot for him.

So for the next few weeks you spend most of your time trying to come up the best way to tell him.

When you walk into that small council meeting later that week,’you had absolutely no intention to reveal it there but then Aemond decided to be Aemond. You can understand every insult he hurls at his brother and you know aegon doesn’t understand.

What really makes your resolve break was when you looked over at Aegon and he was just sitting at the head of the table staring down. You can tell just from his body language that he’s trying not to cry and you know it’s not because of the insults themselves but because he actually can’t understand them and he feels so stupid.

You can’t take seeing that and so you fire back at Aemond, speaking to him in Valyrian. The look on his face when he realised that you understood every word he just said was incredible.

Aegon, meanwhile, is utterly astonished and just staring at you with shock and happiness plastered on his face.

He obviously doesn’t understand what either of you are saying, but Aegon knows you so well and he can tell by the tone of your that you’re defending him.

The moment the council meeting is over Aegon runs to put out a pillow down on the floor and kneel there, asking you about how long you’ve been studying been studying it and why. When you tell him you learnt it because knew he struggles with it and you wanted him to have someone he can ask to translate and speak for him without worrying of being misrepresented or misled.

Needless to say, Aegon burst into tears after that because it is quite possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for him. You end up having to pull him up and into your lap because he was literally just sobbing while kneeling on the floor and you won’t allow that for your good boy.

You end up giving handjob while he’s on your laps and you make sure to tell him he’s doing so well and you love him very much.

All of this is to say when you fired back at Aemond in Valyria Aegon has never been more turned on in his life and he is once again reminded how utterly incredible his wife is.

Also, now you can help him with it!! Aegon stopped his Valyrian lessons a long time ago because he just couldn’t get it quite right and all the teachers were just so patronising and made him feel horrible, but now you can teach him!! He doesn’t feel stupid at all when you tell him he’s gotten something wrong and correct him and he also feels so so good when he gets something right.

And honestly, even if he does get much better at Valyrian he’d still rather have you translate for him because then he gets to hear you speak Valyrian.

[talesfromlissom]

ROTTMNT FAM + Mute Reader

Fandom: ROTTMNT

Rating: T

Characters: Hamato Fam

TW: none

Rules

Ask Box

Request: [Anon] could you do ROTTMNT headcanons for the bros (separately and maybe + april) x a mute reader? :) thanks!

Notes - When you said mute, I assumed that you meant completely mute and not selective mutism, etc. So I wrote the reader as such. This can also be read as either platonic or romantic :)

 Raph 

 » He knows ASL. Not as well as Donnie but still. 

 » He’s completely fine with it actually, he’s a pretty strong believer in ‘actions speak louder than words’, this applies to everyone however. He thinks it's more significant for you however, as you can’t really talk. 

 » If you write everything down instead of using ASL, he’s fine with that too. Just hope that he can read your handwriting. 

  »  He mainly communicates with you via text messages. It was actually his suggestion, mainly because sometimes you’d sign too fast and he wouldn’t understand what you were saying. 

Leo

  » “Say nothing if I can eat the rest of your chips” type of mf. 

  » The teasing is absolutely non stop, it’s all in good conscience of course. If it genuinely makes you uncomfortable then you can tell him to stop. Which he’ll do. 

  » He absolutely uses text messages to communicate with you, he knows ASL but he can’t remember it all the time. 

  »  Writing things down works as well, he can read almost anyone’s handwriting. So if this is easier for you then he’s all for it. You just have to remember to tell him you want to say something. 

Donnie

  » ASL KING!!! FR!!

  » This man is extremely fluent in ASL. You’d actually have to learn ‘mutant turtle teen ASL’, in order to understand him more. You’d do it just for fun, and for when he becomes nonverbal. 

  » He actually didn’t want you to text him at first, he enjoyed using his brain in order to translate what you were saying to him in ASL 

  » Probably the best person to have an in person conversation with, as he knows ASL by heart. 

Mikey

  » Similar to Leo, he can’t really remember a lot of ASL. But unlike Leo, he actually tries to learn it continuously. Due to him forgetting it alot, he can understand basic phrases like ‘I want…’ or ‘I need…’ or ‘I like/dislike…’

  » He buys steals a book on ASL, and keeps it close to his night stand. At first he shoved it under his pillow, but now it remains open on his desk at all times. 

  » At one point, he actually began to draw the different symbols in his sketchbook. A good few pages were just drawings of ASL symbols. He also used it to practice hands. 

  » Overall? 8/10. He makes an effort, but if you’d prefer another form of communication he’d be fine with it. He still learns ASL however. Just in case. 

April 

  » Doesn’t know jack shit about ASL. Only knows Turtle ASL. 

  » But she’ll learn. She’ll borrow a book from a library or she’ll buy one on her own. 

  » She actually studies this book harder than the books for her actual classes. 

  » But she loves texting you. To her, everything you say is important, to a stupid quip comparing your teacher to a garbage can, to something related to what you’re doing. She never has her notifications silenced when it comes to you. Even if it means taking her phone away. 

[rahleeyah]

1.0 anon here. You encouraged me to keep checking in with my thoughts as I go.

Just started "Prodigy" (s3e13) and kinda swooned when Benson says "I speak a little Spanish and French. I can Mirandize in three others."

Love me a strong, brave, smart, skilled female lead character who's also got damage and baggage. YES. (Also love that they most likely gave Benson these language skills bc Mariska's got 'em. I hope we get to hear her use them eventually).

And unrelated, but in the previous episode (set in Dec 2001, aired Jan 2002) Cragen mentions "the attacks" in passing and it was kind of stunning that a show about NYPD cops let THAT be the so-far-only treatment of 9/11. I mean, The West Wing interrupted their whole episode flow to air a completely OOC script to allow their characters to process adjacent topics with a bunch of high school students, for a quasi public therapy process...

I know everyone had artistic decisions to make and it wouldn't have worked to make SVU swerve off track and become a terrorism show, but surely (1) SVU detectives would've at least known some of the cops who died in the towers, (2) even if they didn't they'd be traumatized and deeply saddened by all of it, (3) like just about everyone in NYC and the country at that point, they'd be talking and thinking about it??

Maybe this is just the difference between shooting and airing schedules and "the attacks" will have more visibility in coming episodes?

Oh I am very excited about this thank you lol

I find it interesting that while we do hear Liv speak a little Spanish in 1.0 we don't hear her speak Italian until 2.0, and Mariska was fluent in Italian the whole time, having spent time there growing up. But yes!!!! Love that they incorporated that into Olivia's character and I love too the insight it gives maybe not just into Olivia but into her mother; was Serena the one pushing Olivia to learn different languages? Did Serena want her to learn French and Italian, did Serena have books in those languages on the shelves at home, was it important to Serena that her dark haired little fae child be educated, be cultured, be sophisticated? Was Olivia ever enough of those things to make her mother happy?

Iirc the shows don't ever address a personal connection between our mains and 9/11 with the exception of the late reveal that Tucker worked the cleanup and got cancer from it. And personally, I'm kinda glad that they didn't, bc I don't think the show has the skill to handle that topic well. The national conversation about police, and religion, and war and the state, was so deeply, deeply toxic post 9/11 that I shudder to think what a police procedural might have done in that moment in time. Sorkin is a playwright and a man whose work has always had a sharply (white) liberal political bent, and he presented a one hour bottle episode homily that was moving, true, but also deeply informed by his personal beliefs. His audience wasn't lowest common denominator middle America; a lot of middle America hated tww. Some people resent the episode in question, think it's patronizing or over simplifying. L&O was supposed to be for Everyman. Gently teaching middle America about the concept of consent and shyly saying "maybe solitary confinement is bad actually", but even then doing it carefully. Presenting issues as conversations between characters who take up opposing sides, instead of preaching one view point (in 1.0; later when 💡 came on board the show became more preachy). At the time of the attacks SVU didn't have an especially political bent, and given how high tensions were, how emotionally raw the city of New York was, given that everyone involved in making the show lived in NYC (tww was filmed mostly in LA and DC) and how many layers there were to people's feelings.... that's a really delicate line to walk, and the ramifications of doing it badly would be a show killer. Sometimes no response is better than a bad response.

So while I'm interested in the idea of how Liv and Elliot felt as cops working in Manhattan during 9/11, I am glad we don't have Dick Wolf's personal take on it entered in the record, and can instead save this for personal musing, fic, meta and the like. There is a lot to unpack there.

[softguarnere]

Like A Girl (Like A Man)

Shifty Powers x OFC

Chapter 10: Someone Who Will Miss You

Summary: “Donadagohvi,�� he tells her. Until we meet again.

A/N: Early update for this week! Call it a little celebration for spring break or something, I don't know. There are like three different things in this chapter I almost cut because they hurt my feelings to write, so . . . take that as you will 🫶🏼

Warnings: war, discussions of grief and death, religious imagery, language, mentions of the boarding school era

Taglist: @latibvles @mrs-murder-daddy @liebgotts-lovergirl @lieutenant-speirs

Uppottery, England, 1944

My dear baby,

I should have expected that you would be leaving. Part of me hoped that you would push through, but I think we both know that you’ve been doing that for far too long; there comes a time when you can’t hold on to the things that hurt you anymore and you have to let them go.

Maybe you don’t remember it, but after Granny died, you told me that you would never stop being lonely without her. Then you stopped seeming to care about almost everything. I should have seen the signs and known that you were already gone. That doesn’t mean it was any less of a shock to see you go that morning.

I don’t know where you’ve gone. I think I know why, though, and I understand. Or at least, I’m trying to. Matthew and Marilyn told me when they were ready to leave, and then they went. You’ve been wanting to leave since you were small. And then one morning, you did. I just wish that I had gotten to say a proper goodbye to you. I miss you more than words can express.

Now I’m the one who’s lonely. All of my children have gone to make their own way in the world, and all of my family live far away. But there’s a secret to being lonely – one I should have taught you earlier: the people you love never truly leave you. They will always be there, tucked away in your fondest memories, and the love shared will stay alive in your heart, no matter the distance or worlds between you.

You are still in my heart, wherever you are. Just like I know that Granny is in yours. She is with all of us, but especially you – she thought the moon shone over your head. Listen to her when she talks to you. She’ll never lead you astray. She will always be there for you, to protect you. And I will protect you if you ever come home.

I hope you will. I would give anything to see you again, to have all my children under one roof . . . Even for just a moment.

I’m not mad that you left. If it’s fear keeping you away, I want you to know that I will defend the choice you made to leave unannounced. I won’t let anything happen to you.

Wherever you are and wherever you go, I hope that you’re happy, and that you found what you’ve been looking for. I hope you don’t feel lonely anymore. I hope you don’t have to feel lonely ever again. Someday, you will find your place. We all do eventually. And that is what makes it all worth it.

You will find your place. But in the meantime, you will always have a place here to return to if you need it. I hope I will get to hug you soon.

Gvgeyui

Tsatsi

Sunlight glints off the toes of her well-polished Corcoran boots as she sits on an abandoned crate, feet stretched out in front of her. The only thing keeping the telltale prickling sensation from becoming strong enough to turn into a stream of tears is focusing on the sunlight, moving her feet back and forth to watch it dance off of them. Back and forth, back and forth.

Granny had been a fluent Cherokee speaker. Zenie’s conversational skills are limited, since she was only learning it during the short time they lived together. Her Mama speaks even less than she does, since the boarding school she was forced to attend as a child stole the language right out of her mouth and shoved it full of English instead. Looking at the end of the letter, it looks like they couldn’t take it out of her heart.

Gvgeyui: I love you. Tsatsi: your mother.

Even if they could take it from her lips, it still lives within her, somewhere, just like the sister the school stole from her at the same time.

Back and forth, back and forth.

The envelope was so thick because it contained the note from Bobby, the letter from her mother, and pictures. One of Matthew and Marilyn when they were finishing high school, standing in front of the brick building. Marilyn looks tall and proud. Matthew looks relieved.

Back and forth, back and forth.

One of Granny. It must have been taken around the time that Zenie was born, because she’s younger and healthier looking then when she lived with them. But she’s still Granny.

Back and forth, back and forth.

The last one is of Mama. She’s sitting out in the yard on a sunny day, holding an infant Zenie. Marilyn leans into Mama’s right side, grinning big for the camera. Matthew, on the left, is giving Zenie a curious look, like he can’t quite figure her out.

Back and forth, back and –

The tent opens rather abruptly and then falls shut again. Bill stands in front of it, panting, his eyes darting across the airfield but appearing to take in nothing. He pauses for a moment, then storms past where Zenie is sitting. His footsteps echo as he goes.

“Bill?” When he doesn’t answer, Zenie jumps off her crate and starts after him. “Hey, Bill! What’s the matter?”

He turns to face her, but the jovial smile that she’s come to know these past few years is nothing but a distant memory. His eyes flash black as a thundercloud. “What’s the matter? I’ll tell ya what’s the matter, is that I’m not jumpin’ out of one of those goddamn planes right now, ready to kill every Kraut son of a bitch that I see! That’s what’s the matter.”

There is no trace of her friend – the first friend she made at Toccoa – in the man before her. His harsh tone hardens something within her. She feels her jaw clench.

“Do not snap at me!”

There’s some sort of irony in the fact that her demand is snapped back at him. He doesn’t – couldn’t possibly – know that this is years of pent up anger and unspoken despair finally boiling over, words that sound too much like her father’s finally toppling the scales and releasing a taste of the hatred that has rotted within her heart since childhood.

“Do not talk to me like that,” she repeats through clenched teeth.

If she didn’t recognize Bill through his anger, he must not recognize her through hers. Blinking, stunned, Bill studies her for a moment. His shoulders sag and he sighs. “I’m sorry. I – “ A laugh that has no happiness in it. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a letter. “Here.”

Dear Johnny. Zenie raises her eyebrows, but keeps scanning the letter – a letter not intended for Bill’s eyes, she realizes when she catches the words Henry Guarnere; dead; Monte Cassino; Bill doesn’t know.

“Oh.” His brother is dead. He found out in a letter that he was never meant to see . . . right before the biggest event of their lives. If she had known, she wouldn’t have snapped at him. “I’m so sorry.”

Bill presses his lips into a thin line. His eyes flick toward the letter in Zenie’s hand. “What about you?”

Zenie rarely gets mail. Bobby sends her short letters containing news from back home. Ever since her trip to Clinchco, she sometimes gets encouraging letters from Shifty’s family. Unlike the other men, she doesn’t share the content of her letters with anyone.

Now, she hands her friend the letter from her mother, unable to look at him while he scans through it.

“Jesus, Tommy.” Bill stares at her with raised eyebrows. “Ya said that ya weren’t close with your family, but ya never mentioned running away.” His eyebrows furrow as he scans the letter again. “They don’t know you’re in the army?”

She shakes her head. She’s only ever let Shifty in on that bit of information, back when she was explaining why she never used her passes to visit home.

“Jesus. That’s . . .”

“I know. But I had to leave and they would have stopped me.”

Bill blinks. He cocks his head and gives her a sideways look, studying her. It’s not the way that Shifty looked at her when he realized who she was – like he was seeing her for the first time. No, Bill is looking at her like he can’t wrap his mind around what she’s done. (If only he knew the full extent of it.)

“I know it’s not great,” Zenie charges on before he can say anything. “But it’ll be fine.”

Neither of them speak for a moment. They stare at each other in the fading sunlight, Zenie biting her lip and Bill’s eyes dancing between her and the airfield as he searches for something to focus on. Finally, he reaches out and claps her shoulder.

“Yeah, kid. We’re gonna make sure ya make it through the jump and get home to your Ma. It’ll be fine.”

It’s not a question.

The next morning dawns clear and bright. Men crowd around the priests as they come to the airfield. Zenie stays back, watching her friends go. It’s a gentle sight. Nothing like the pastors back home who thump their Bibles and yell at the congregation to get their point across.

Except for the moment when Zenie first arrived at Camp Toccoa and walked into the barracks, she’s never felt so tense around the people that she’s come to call her friends. Now their company stands in small clumps as they wait for their next order – as they wait for the moment that they’ve been counting down to for years.

Zenie and Luz help each other attach their leg bags. McClung tries to help her with her Mae West, which ends up popping, so she can only hope she doesn't end up landing in water. Popeye slips her some extra candy. Toye shoots her a grin when she tosses him her pack of cigarettes. She feels herself smile back at him.

They’ve waited for this moment for so long. Now that it’s here . . . it almost doesn’t feel real, somehow.

Shifty wishes her well. “I know you’re not really religious, but I said a prayer for you.”

Her heart feels like a glowing ember. “I appreciate it.” There’s so much she could say. There’s so little time before they part ways. Instead of saying those things, she settles on, “Thank you, Shifty. For everything.”

He nods. “Of course.”

It happens so quickly that she can’t be sure if he does it intentionally, or if it only happens because they’re standing so close. Shifty’s hand brushes hers, and for a split second, his fingers wrap around hers.

“Donadagohvi,” he tells her. Until we meet again.

“Donadagohvi,” she gasps.

And then as quickly as they touched, he’s moving away to go finish saying his goodbyes and to get on the plane. She stares after him with her breath and her heavy words stuck in her throat like a golf ball. No don’t go come back I –

“Well fellas, this is it,” Luz announces with a clap of his hands. He’s smiling, but it isn’t as wide as usual. He nods. “Good luck.”

Toye nods. “See you boys in France.”

“Don’t do anythin’ stupid,” Bill orders, which makes them all chuckle. “Good luck, boys.”

She should say something. Not goodbye. That feels too final.

“I’ll see y’all later,” she promises. They all start to migrate towards where their platoon is, but Zenie stops.

“Hey, I – “ That damn golf ball feeling is still clogging her throat; tender emotions are not so easily expressed when they need to be. “Uh, I just wanted to thank you. I didn’t really have anyone before I joined the paratroopers, so . . . Thanks for taking a chance on the short new guy.”

Bill’s grief over his brother is still hard and very present, shrouding him like a heavy coat. Yet even with all their equipment on, he tries his best to throw an arm around her shoulder as they walk to join the others. He doesn’t say anything. It’s alright – Zenie understands.

Gene gives her a sage nod when he hands her the airsickness pill. She hopes her nod back can convey how thankful she is that he’s kept her secret this whole time.

God, what’s wrong with her? Yesterday she was resigned to her fate and willing to throw herself out of a plane without hesitation, and now she’s full of emotion for all these men that she’s come to know. Maybe it was the letter. Lipton’s words: I think that someone would miss you. She would miss all of them, if something happened.

She’s never been airsick on any of their practice jumps. She takes the pill anyway, just in case. She doesn’t need one more thing throwing her off her game.

Lieutenant Winters helps each of them up, shaking their hands and wishing them well. “Good luck, Driver,” he says when he pulls her to her feet.

Then she’s at the door of the plane. They all have so much equipment that it takes the help of their fellow paratroopers to lift them up and through the door. It leaves no time for hesitation. The second that she approaches the threshold, she feels hands behind her, pushing her up into the air, toward the arms in the plane reaching down to receive her. It’s a reverse baptism. Instead of the pastor dunking her down into the water and announcing that Jesus lives in her heart and her name is written in the Book of Life, she’s being raised up in a display of team work and her actions are staining the pages of history books.

Inside, the rumbling of the C-47’s engine has never seemed louder. It rattles her to the core. Is the plane shaking, or is it her own unsteadiness as she makes her way to her seat?

Oh my God, she thinks as she watches the other men in her stick clamber into the plane. This is happening. This isn’t a practice run. This won’t be funny, like that time that Bill accidentally had two parachutes deployed on a training jump. This will be real.

Her mouth goes dry at the same time that her stomach turns cold. One thought keeps running through her head: she never should have opened that letter. She would be fine if she were still convinced that no one would miss her, that her possible death wouldn’t be an inconvenience.

Stop stop stop! They’re just kids. All of them. With mothers back home like hers, who are worried for them as they embark upon the experience of a lifetime. Kids going off to fight a man’s war. What are they doing here?!

Across the aisle, someone grins at her. From under the helmet and the face paint, she can’t make out who it is, just that their gesture is friendly enough.

At least she’s surrounded by friends. She trusts all of these men. They trust her. And two of them trust her despite what they know about her. They called her brave, even.

She takes a deep breath. She was fine before the letter, and she’s fine now; she will make it so. She’s ready for this – they all are.

At last, their plane starts to move forward. Too late to back out now, even if she wanted to. Because she wants this. She wanted to get out of her town, out of her house, out of her room, and boy did she. Now she’s up in the sky, heading for foreign lands.

Zenie from the Bird Clan is finally flying far, far away.

[psych---ologically-deranged]

psych 2x13 lights camera homicidio

Steve franks, chris henze, kelly kulchak, andy berman, james roday rodriguez, dule hill

Too many people, but at least most of them have distinct voices

Again with the names. Doing voices I can't hear who they are, & not getting their voices, I'll have a harder time telling who is whom.

Three weeks? Matt Shakman.

The team!

Ppl in costumes in this one shot

Production offices in vancouver babey!

Is it funnier to say guys dressed as toast & then see it, or see it & then say it? Why was it SO important?

Well done Dulé

Smallest waist on a man ever born. 23/43 /j

"Roday could not keep serious whenever Matt would speak in this scene"

SF: Great opportunity for James to ~exploit~ his latin [american] roots JRr: It was man, I was appreciative. I had a blast. Thanks Andy. AB: You are welcome. JRr: My father got a kick out of this too. DH: Did he? JRr: He hasn't heard me speak spanish since I was 4 or 5

"Help me please, whoever you are" JRr: Hey man, say this

Gus was initially supposed to be waiting in a hopsital room to deliver some product, & he was watching tv live, & he sees the stabbing. He was supposed to be in an argument with the woman next to him on whether this guy would cheat. Gus was supposed to say "He'll pay for it. one day he'll die" & then this guy was supposed to be wheeled in on a hospital bed.

*punches shawn in the boob* SS: *falls clutching himself* That was too hard

THE SPANISH THEME SONG

SF: I took no spanish whatsoever. I took french.

Gama Lobo, named after Tony Gama Lobo

SF: When I was in kindergarten, I had a friend down the street named PJ, & one day he just moved away. PJ, if you're wathing this, what the heck happened to you man? That's not how friends treat each other, not even telling me! AB: I'd like to take this opportunity to propose to my girlfriend AB: ... When I actually have that girlfriend SF: Andy, you should be on one knee AB: Should I put my pants back on?

DH: My aunt Tit. She's from jamaica. Her real name is Lavender Gooms.

Uncle Penis, Cousin Placenta, what is wrong with these people?

Was supposed to be another female detective. (Wow she was rude. Juliet was offering her assistance in, say, maybe getting to know the layout, maybe remembering people's names, not writing your own name here & now.)

SS: *would eat meatballs from the trash* Like a jackal salivates for a wounded possum

CH *sneezing attack*

Different kind of Shawn Vision

Adam & John, good music!

Their sound stage is that green one on the screen

JRr: The hardest I got Dulé all season. ...to break. I wish I got to see the extended scene, hip movements, DH breaking character, I wish.

Poor JRr got sick.

Lol the palm trees.

Ooh the dress from weekend warriors.

*actually does smell the dream*

Because they film things out of order, you can see JRr still has some chad makeup on him

Kelly *creeped out that the director pulls shawn's shirt open*

This was ACTUALLY their rops trailer.

*everyone watching DH react to seeing the ep for the first time*

That flier is for their DP's birthday party

That trailer there is DH's, fun fact "I'm only in my trailer all the time when it's cold!"

"We've done nothing but ridicule you for the past three commentaries"

verybody watches this show except for lassiter.

Juliet becoming a child when she's excited. I love.

KK: I'm so glad that you spoke fluent spanish for this JRr: My spanish was... a little rough. *strangled sounding* I know what you mean buddy, my french is so rusty. KK: Aren't you sick? Are you kissing people? JRr: There's not a whole lot of lip touching in there

SF: A lot of people don't know this but the way Shawn's hair is in the episode is actually how James wears his hair in real life KK: Always the blow dried little flip right in the front JRr: Finally I get to do it normal style SF: Are those artificial side burns? JRr: I believe those are my own side burns SF: My mom's favourite line was that you learned all your spanish from Charles on The Love Letter (my deaf ass unable to hear what he's saying) SF: Her favourite episode is Cloudy Chance of Murder, Andy Berman JRr: I had a blast on that episode

Good old Hornstock

"You're like a little bag of granola"

*the board behind them filled with "bad" ideas*

Love Henry seeing Shawn on the tv

Same bed from Black & Tan

I can't hear a word they're saying

Juliet is asking how they got on the friends & family list bc she's trying to make a friend

KK is right, why doesn't Juliet want to be friends with the other female officers

I love it when they don't talk just watch & laugh

Network: He couldn't have read five years worth of scripts (in this amount of time) & remembered that line, & where it came from KK: He's just a good detective

"thumper" ok bestie

I like how they reference the fact that Shawn has been in jail

*puts up his hand & shares a nod*

Her desk is just... at the bottom of the stairs

CH (tho it might be AB): If you listen closely, you might hear me staring at Kelly right now. Thousand click stare

"20 degrees & raining, but that's santa barbara" Me: Do you mean it's a hot rain? (where I come from, rain is cold, I was shocked when my friend from the USA said she was able to wear shorts in the rain.) Do you alternatively mean that it is cold bc you are using fahrenheit not celsius & it's a joke aboutvancouver not being santa barbara? "& James is very sick at this point"

they have indeed mentioned the turkey stuffing sandwiches by Kelly in Craft Services on the commentaries before

DH: There's James Roday's car JRr: Actually that's my best friend Todd's. They named the Harthin's house after that guy

*Takes a picture with a family. They don't know who he is.*

CH: If you ever meet Dule on set, he's walking around with those tissues in his collar

People need to work on literacy. Understanding the difference between fiction & reality is not inherent like some people claim, it is a very simple skill that people need to have.

I forgot that henry said he is not one of shawn's/chad's fans, "I barely even like you" like girl, my man is blurring the lines between fiction & reality & saying this to his son, wow, wowww. I mean, when my older brother introduced me to psych he did say his dad traumatized him into being a good detective. First ever shot I saw was of shawn & henry & I said "I thought they were estranged"

"I want your baby!" 'I don't have any female fans?' I mean

*playing cats cradle*

"Ceramic mug?"

Love it every time they share a phone to talk to the prisoner

Editing the episode, making sure there are subtitles for when anyone speaks spanish & even when not.

Penny, just tell Juliet you feel like she is suffocating you, or tell the chief & say "This person is harassing me. Make it stop before I file a charge." Like, girl. Juliet, go say sorry instead of trying to continue making a friend. (Tho tbh looking at how Juliet is... I could see Penny getting weird vibes. It's the adhd & lack of social understanding.)

We ARE friends we just can't BE friends

She literally didn't ask tho.

the pencil there lol

"Wow" in captions XD

*the most unflattering pose ever*

the chair by Lassiter: Crystal Ball Henze

I love it love it when they stop the commentary to just watch the show

cue cards disappearing

high school spanish comes back to haunt him

"her heart is too big for her chest" *ppl look at her... heavy chest*

Oh all the inside jokes I don't get

His pillow his ricking pillow the pillow on his lap

Good job selling the depth of the well

His spanish XD

Great job

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

Get Involved

“When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. …Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!” Judges 19:29-30BSB

Gory and horrible describes the storyline of chapter 19. Israelites of the tribe of Benjamin raped the man’s wife to death. He sent her body parts to the different tribes of Israel asking for help to avenge her death. Sick? Right? Something had to awaken the other tribes of Israel to the uncontrolled lust of the Benjaminites and the need to punish their wanton ways. The Bible doesn’t cut out the bad and leave only the good stories. Rather, this precious book tells life like it is— full of sinners in the church.

Mankind hasn’t changed. I watched a video of a medical doctor down at our southern border trying to help people. Two families, the cartel killed the husbands for trying to return to Mexico. Then they raped the eight-year-old daughter leaving behind DNA from 67 men. She was in shock, totally unable to speak. And the church isn’t appalled, outraged, and shouting at government officials to close the border!

Is it because we’re that apathetic? Perverted with our own sexual atrocities? (Yes, the church is full of Benjaminite-like behavior.) Haven’t they read: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven… many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23ESV This is one of the scariest verses in my Bible.

We must “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” Ephesians 5:15-16ESV. If the times were evil then, what are they now? The church has always had the heart of love for the hurting, and the lost.

Can we ‘redeem the time’ by working to better the world now? There are foreign missions fields in our nation each of us can serve in. I know a man in New York, who is fluent in Spanish. He’s set up a church within the illegal farm workers winning souls to the Lord. What a privilege I’ve had to witness God’s love, in action, for these people.

Another thing, I’ve witnessed, was women who’d been raped repeatedly as children, some by their fathers. Their minds and sexuality weren’t healthy in adulthood. Having experienced sexual abuse to a lesser degree, I’ve also struggled, all my life to be healthy mentally and sexually.

The video, I spoke of, has to be addressed by the church. Maybe we feel helpless. Yet God says: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you” Isaiah 60:1NIV. We’ve got to let the government know we’re alive and not going to lay down anymore.

There’s a group we ALL can get involved in, called “Flashpoint Army.” They've started up through the direction of Kenneth Copeland Ministries. Their meetings, the Patriot movement, and Turning Point USA members collaborate together. During their assemblies they teach strategies to combat evil. You can find them on youtube or Roku ‘Victory Channel’ on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7 central time and 8 eastern. We’ve got to learn and then go do something. For sure we can’t cut bodies up and send them to the other churches. But we can arise and work. Get involved. It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: Father God inspire us to quit being apathetic sitters and become involved doers to protect the generations to come, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2023 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

[stxrfclls]

daxton  would  not  speak  or  think  of  his  father  often,  nor  would  he  ever  really  thank  the  man  for  giving  him  his  love  of  reading,  but  he  couldn’t  imagine  he  would  have  found  solace  in  the  stacks  of  books  within  the  summer  library  if  not  for  his  father’s  profession.  he  was  granted  rare  access,  a  commoner  growing  up  alongside  the  high  family  to  the  point  where  he’d  not  even  really  known  he  was  any  different.  that  was  in  his  youth,  though,  and  as  he  aged,  daxton  became  painfully  aware  of  how  different  their  lives  were  indeed.  it  wasn’t  until  the  former  lord  of  summer  passed  and  he’d  become  the  scholar  within  the  inner  circle  that  he  truly  began  to  act  more  of  his  own  person,  to  build  a  friendship  with  the  new  high  lady  that  had  often  been  so  sequestered  away  from  him,  from  everyone.  daxton  had  a  heart  of  gold,  his  care  ran  deep  both  for  the  high  lady  and  the  court  of  summer.  his  upbringing  was  shit,  but  the  life  he’d  made  was  everything  now.  because  of  his  interesting  story,  he  often  found  himself  wondering  how  others  came  to  be.  most  high  families  had  simple  stories,  but  he  knew  the  lord  before  him  did  not  follow  that  same  pattern.  dax  also  had  a  deep  respect  to  stay  out  of  darkened  pasts,  the  shadow  on  declan  was  one  he  left  alone.  

“  it’s  difficult  to  remember  where  our  lands  hail  from  when  the  texts  are  in  a  forgotten  language  difficult  to  translate.  ”  he  mutters,  grumpiness  coating  his  tone.  it  was  one  of  daxton’s  sore  spots,  he  wished  he  were  fluent  in  the  old  tongue  like  his  father  had  been.  it  was  disgusting  to  envy  such  a  horrid  man.  “  they  did,  the  texts  are  vague,  but  history  shows  that  prythian  existed  long  before  what  we  learn.  the  powers  are  bound  to  be  more  ancient  than  the  mother,  perhaps  even  created  her.  ”  a�� tilt  of  his  head,  daxton  ponders  the  idea  that  the  cauldron  could  have  brought  this  to  bare.  “  perhaps.  maybe  a  stray  human  or  a  fae  jumped  in.  ”  he  says  as  if  the  cauldron  is  large,  but  daxton  had  never  seen  it.  his  imagination  created  a  large  picture.

“  it’s  understandable,  i’m  certain  the  secrecy  predates  even  her  marriage  to  her  husband.  ”  he  doesn’t  blame  the  woman,  she;s  following  the  code  left  for  her  after  her  husband’s  untimely  death.  another  soft  spot  for  daxton,  the  death  of  a  lover.  even  if  he’d  never  had  that  attachment.  a  slight  chuckle  slips  from  his  lips,  and  he  shrugs.  “  perhaps  we  can.  ”  he  was  willing  to  try  anything,  and  having  a  partner  in  crime  might  make  it  a  bit  easier.  the  words  of  being  a  honeypot  were  still  present  on  his  mind,  he  had  no  desires  to  flirt  with  the  mother  queen.  perhaps  declan  can  take  upon  that  mantle.  dax  would  have  to  do  his  best  to  keep  his  mouth  shut  and  chuckles  to  himself.  “  i  think  it’s  a  matter  of  time,  more  so  than  if  it  will  happen  at  all.  ”  one  can  hope,  at  least.  with  a  roll  of  his  eyes,  daxton  relaxes  even  more  and  shakes  his  head  at  declan.  “  i  enjoy  libraries,  thank  you.  ”  but  he  knows  the  day  lord  is  right,  and  something  other  than  stressing  over  books  sounded  pleasing.  “  i  am  certain  she  wouldn’t  mind  if  i  were  to  take  a  break.  ”  admits  he.  daxton  knew  alina  cared  for  his  wellbeing,  and  taking  a  break  would  be  crucial  to  keeping  his  head  in  the  game.  besides,  she  had  her  own  distractions,  not  that  he  would  mention  that.  “  oh,  it’s  true.  adriata  has  quite  a  lot  to  offer.  ”  and  he  enjoys  it,  it’s  his  home.  dax’s  eyes  sparkle  at  the  mention  of  their  high  rulers,  obviously  speaking  indeed.  “  i  hope  an  alliance  is  formed  from  their  discussions.  ”  admits  he.

𝐇𝐄  𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃  𝐍𝐎𝐓  𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌  to  be  an  avid  reader,  but  as  the  adopted  son  of  the  precious  high  lord  of  day,  declan  felt  he  had  a  duty  to  make  this  adoptive  father  proud.  although  he  had  been  quite  the  troublemaker  as  a  child,  but  he  never  forget  once  what  he  was  given,  that  his  adopted  family  loved  him  as  if  he  were  their  own,  his  brothers  did  not  treat  him  any  differently.  that  he  had  grown  up  looking  up  to  both  his  adoptive  father  and  his  eldest  brother,  cedrian.  it  was  also  his  duty  on  some  level  to  aid  his  brother,  his  court,  in  any  way  he  could  so  he  had  taken  his  studies  seriously,  but  his  knowledge  was  limited  simply  because  he  was  neither  a  high  ruler  nor  a  scholar.  the  younger  high  fae  had  no  doubt  in  believing  this  summer  court  scholar  loved  his  books,  loved  being  around  text,  lived  and  breathed  books  which  hadn't  changed  much  even  after  becoming  the  spymaster  of  his  court.  dec  did  foresee  learning  much  from  the  other  male,  his  curiosity  guiding  him,  as  well  his  enjoyment  of  the  summer  lord's  company.  it  was  perhaps  entirely  thoughtless  to  have  such  a  thought  at  this  time,  but  quite  honestly,  declan  was  just  a  bit  fed  up  with  how  mostly  everyone  seem  to  walk  about  in  such  sour  dispositions.  daxton  seems  to  be  among  the  few  who  was  in  better  spirits,  despite  the  circumstances  even  as  he  aided  his  high  lady.  "you  can’t  forget  where  you  came  from."  he  mused,  in  his  eyes  the  spymaster  had  best  of  both  worlds  the  skills  his  took  prided  him  while  being  allowed  another  to  flourish.  daxton's  next  statement  caused  his  ears  to  perk,  "so  there's  a  chance  these  lands  existed  long  before  we  know  them  as  they  are  today?  ancient  then  mother  herself?"  now,  declan  was  aware  just  about  anything  was  possible  in  their  mysterious  lands.  "what  if  the  cauldron  created  something  else  not  even  mother  saw  coming?"

  "that  does  not  surprise  me,  i've  not  spoken  to  any  of  the  royals,  but  i've  heard  enough  bits  here  and  there  about  the  mother  queen's  rather  secretive  nature  to  keep  records  of  her  land  hidden."  the  day  lord  catches  the  other's  irritation  at  this,  "between  us,  we  can  maybe  coax  her  highness  into  allowing  us  access."  it  was  a  long  shot,  while  declan  could  be  quite  the  charmer,  he  was  not  so  arrogant  as  to  believe  a  few  pretty  words  and  charming  smiles  from  him  would  have  sitara  let  them  into  their  hidden  records.  the  youngest  day  lord  could  see  the  disappointment  in  the  other’s  gaze  as  well  as  his  longing  to  access  the  old  libraries.  a  brow  slightly  slow,   "you  will  have  your  chance,  perhaps  now.   if  the  mother  queen  wishes  to  keep  steady  relations  with  the  courts,  she  will  have  to  relent.”  He  released  a  soft  tsk  noise  to  the  spymaster,  looking  a  bit  mock  disappointment.  “don’t  tell  me  you’ve  placed  your  enthusiasm  for  this  visit  all  into  this  particular  wish.   i  do  think  you  need  a  proper  outing,  Daxton.  If  we’re  all  to  be  struck  here  for  the  foreseeable  future,  we  might  as  well  make  full  use  of  the  time  in  a  far  more  enjoyable  manner.  i’m  sure  your  high  lady  can  spare  you  for  a  few  hours,  tomorrow,  while  I  take  you  around  what  the  capital  has  to  offer.”  the  elder  high  fae’s  words  pull  a  grin  from  dec,  well,  there  was  one  soul  who  didn’t  take  offense  to  his  rather  thoughtless  words.  “i’ve  have  heard  but  i  didn’t  know  it  was  true  until  now.  i  will  be  taking  you  upon  that,  perhaps  I  might  not  be  the  only  one  who  will  visit  if  our  high  rulers  continue  to  mingle.”  declan  had  caught  his  brother  retreating  to  the  balcony  with  high  lady  of  summer  during  the  ball,  now  he  wasn’t  quite  sure  if  that  was  a  friendly  or  a  political  exchange,  but  they’d  find  out  soon  enough.

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

🦊 Being Inarizaki's Manager 🦊

Manager Being s Foreign Exchange Student

Inarizaki x foreign manager (English as a 1st language)

Warnings: Swearing

AN: This is an Anon request! Update: my neck is slowly healing but I'm managing to write 1/2 headcannons a day! I'm thankfully about a week ahead so I'm hoping this gives me enough time to heal and keep ahead!

🌠 Please Like, Reblog and/or Share to help support my writing 🌠

Ok I just imagine being a foreign exchange student would be scary enough

But like being a foreign exchange student, managing the boys volleyball team AND attending Inarizaki 👀

Oof 😬

First off, Aran and Kita are so accepting

Aran definitely questions why you came to Inarizaki of all places 😅

Kita is totally one of those people that the school places new students with

Like he can walk backwards and direct attention to things without even a second thought 🙌🏻

I forgot to mention that this is your third year, which thank god 🙏🏻

Imagine if Atsumu had gotten ahold of you first 😅

Anyways, Kita begins to show you the lay of the land

Basic customs and etiquette that is practiced daily in school and in Japan

It's all very interesting!

Where you come from is very different from your new surroundings and a bit intimidating honestly

Kita will introduce you to Michinari and Omimi next

He's slowly integrating you yn 😊

Michinari is super interested in comparing cultural differences

Please he watches public television daily and his favorite shows are the travel shows ✋️

Omimi is more interested in you personally

Your likes? Dislikes? How you ended up here?

It's honestly a great introduction to high-school in a different country

Unfortunately for you YN, you can't have nice things 🙃

Now you are pretty fluent in Japanese but let's just say English is your first language

You have a basic knowledge and understanding down but it's different in practice

So when the final dismissal happens, you manage to somehow get lost

You misread a sign and ended up in a remote part of the school

A part of the school that just so happens to be home to the sports team rooms

You stop when you see a sign and grab your phone to help you translate

"What are you doing?"- Osamu, eating food and staring at you 😐🍙

"Umm I think im lost?"- you 😬

"Hey aren't you that new foreign exchange student?"- Ginjima says behind Osamu

"Yes I'm YN"- you, extending your hand to shake

They both look from your hand to you

"Oh Im sorry, I'm still getting use to the proper customs"- you

"Hey dumb- well well well who do we have here?"- Atsumu 😏

"Kita's gonna be mad if we don't get practice"- Suna just staring at his phone and walking past, completely oblivious

"Wait you know Kita?"- you

Atsumu will narrow his eyes at you 😑

You could be all of 5'0" tall and this man will still try to assert dominance 🙄

"What do you want with our captain?"- Atsumu

Osamu will roll his eyes and push Atsumu aside

"Kita has been helping me out. I'm just not sure where to go from here"- you, your eyes now welling with tears 🥺

"HEY" - Kita shouts as he and the other third years run to your side

"You guys better not have been bothering YN!"- Aran

"Atsumu was"- Suna

"I WAS NOT! TELL THEM YN!"- Atsumu

You don't speak

Osamu takes this as a verbal que to smack Atsumu 😅

"YN is from a different country you guys, make her feel welcome!"- Michinari

"That's so cool YN! You should be our Manager"- Ginjima, literally not even caring anymore

Mans wants a manager

He prayed 🙏🏻 for one

He's literally that desperate

"Ahhh I uhhh I'm not sure I'd be a good manager"- You 😅

"Nonsense! You'll do fine!"- Ginjima is literally dragging you to the gym

Ok guess you have no choice YN 🤣

Kita doesn't say anything because like he wants a manager too

And like you're cute soooo 👀

Anyways, that's how you become the manager

You soon find yourself being very immersed in everything

Eating meals with the team to pregame exchanges are all a learning experience

And you make your fair share of mistakes 😐

It happens YN, we all make mistakes

But unfortunately Atsumu is on your team and like you know 🙄

"Geez YN, you've been here for what? 2 months? Haven't you learned anything?"- Atsumu

He's an actual menace to society

#bullyatsumu2022

Osamu smacks him ✋️

Kita simply 🎆pretends🎆 he doesn't see it

He can watch the recording on Suna's Instagram story later 🤣

Eventually, you start getting the hang of traditions, customs, and etiquette

Also you learn the quirks of the team

Like how strick Kita is with his cleaning

How to motivate Suna

How to reassure Aran and Ginjima

How truly annoying Atsumu is 😅

Your true test comes in the form of nationals

You managed to survive the holiday season in Japan with the help of Kita

Seriously he literally made sure you had the whole experience

When it came to Nationals however, you were unprepared

Sure you had seen big sporting events but this...

This was a whole other level!

Seriously there is 104 teams 😅

To say it's chaotic would be an understatement 😅

Luckily for you, Aran and Michinari are there to hold your hand

Seriously it's like walking in a forest YN hold on!

You take to your tasks much as you normally do

That is until you see an orange haired child starting at you 👁👄👁

You jump a little because Hinata can be all "children if the corn" when he wants to be

"Hey you aren't from here are you? Are you lost?"- Hinata

You just look around, finally pointing at yourself

"No im the manager for Inarizaki"- you

"Oh nice! I'm Hinata and I'm a middle blocker for Karasuno. Are you sure you're from around here?"

"Well I'm actually a foreign exchange student but I'm managing Inarizaki for the year! Oh and my name is YN"

Hinata is blown alway that you are from a different country

Lile he will literally pop a squat next to you and just talk

It's actually really sweet

Until it's ruined 🙄😒

"You're that little ginger who jumps around Tobio all the time"- Atsumu says coming up behind Hinata

"What do you want with YN?"- Suna

You 👉🏻😐🙄

Hinata 👉🏻 I uhhh 👁👄👁

"He was just talking with me! He's been really sweet"- you

Apparently those are triggering words for our boys YN

"Youve never called me sweet before YN"- Atsumu

"That's because you're not"- you 😐

Ouch 🤣

"Good one YN"- Osamu coming up besides you

Poor Hinata is now crowded by Inarizaki members 😅

"Just for the record YN, I never liked you"- Atsumu

"I like you YN"- Hinata 🥺

"HEY BACK OFF OUR MANAGER"- Atsumu

Seriously you get whiplash from this man 😐

"Lets go YN"- Suna, grabbing your hand and pulling you away

Honestly he's saving you 😅

I'd say you've handled your transition to a foreign country well YN 😍

[labyrinthsofyou]

lucky number nine

pairing: wong yukhei & female reader

genre: fluff & smut

warnings: blowjob, cumplay, fingering, oral, riding and a little holiday celebration

words: 30, 186                      

summary: yukhei unwraps his favorite present.

author’s note: this is a little late or extremely early for christmas.

+

wong yukhei is quite fond of christmas.

he likes the festive decorations. he enjoys the atmosphere. and whether it is morning or night, he thinks some of his most unforgettable memories have been on christmas.

yukhei remembers the christmas when he was five.

it was too early, but he had jumped out of bed that morning. he had ran down the hallway with his little brother trying to keep up with him. his mom had been chasing after them with the video camera. into the cozy living room with the decorated tree and the handful of wrapped presents he had zoomed straight to. yukhei had looked expectantly at his mom because he was dying to open the presents already. she sat on the couch and held the camera steady to record everything while his brother had taken a seat across from him. then a nod she had given him. and because he was the big brother, yukhei had made sure he found a present with his brother’s name written on the snowman sticker tag before he reached for one of his own.

yukhei hadn’t noticed the missing person in the living room. 

too immersed into ripping wrapping paper he had been. his excited scream had filled the small space at the reveal of the box of building blocks. all he had focused on for a long minute was the image of the built fire station, the tiny yellow characters and the fire engine to make his firefighter dreams come true. his mom had lightheartedly asked if he liked his present. in response, yukhei had turned to her and hugged the box with his smile so wide it showed his teeth and made his eyes closed.

but as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. 

the sound of bells jingling and a loud voice booming through their apartment had made him freeze. yukhei had turned his head and there stood santa. tall and big, his eyes had grown two sizes bigger while his breath caught in his throat. in santa’s hands had been two more presents all wrapped up. then the man in the red suit had let out a low and deep laugh that sounded like something yukhei swore he heard before. the bells in his hand he had rung again and yukhei remained motionless as his brother scurried to his mom. one step and another and another santa had begun to take until he was just a foot away from him.

the face underneath the  white beard had been unmistakable. 

without hesitation, the present in his arms had dropped to the ground. yukhei had jumped enthusiastically onto his dad with a big grin. the hug had been strong. his dad had laughed. his mom had never stopped recording. and yukhei had spent the whole morning loudly and proudly declaring he known all along and no one could fool him.

he remembers the christmas away from home in a new country.

homesick yukhei had been, missing the aroma of his mom’s cooking and the tree from his childhood that was still in good condition. he called home in the morning when he had a moment to himself in the bedroom he was sharing with two others. 

it had been nice to speak in a language he was familiar with because yukhei wasn’t going to lie. learning a new language had been difficult. he had learned to order food first, making sure to eat after tiring lessons and classes. but the many ways to say one thing and the varied ways to describe what he was feeling and thinking had been a struggle and felt like a tongue twister sometimes. 

still he had been trying and despite the struggles, yukhei reassured his parents he was well. he had been working hard to make them proud and in no time he would be successful to buy them a bakery or house or anything else they wanted. 

they hadn’t need to worry at all.

after yukhei hung up, he had found everyone else in the living room who was missing home like him too. it had been their first day off in a while. the group of them had spent the day lounging around the dorm eating, playing games and sleeping because all of them had lacked that. and when everyone was finally awake from their naps, the secret santa gifts they all had exchanged. the small box of building blocks yukhei had unwrapped when it was his turn. he had giggled and smiled. memories of childhood christmases had flooded his mind.

home yukhei still missed, but a bit better than earlier he had felt.

he remembers the christmas when it was just the seven of them.

two languages instead one yukhei had been trying to be fluent in now. the plans to debut in the new group had already been set. regardless how they all had trained together and some of them even performing together already, their own group they were now. there had been a bit of awkwardness of getting to truly learn about one another. yet it had felt strangely comforting to know each of them was nervous and excited about the whole new journey they were going to embark on. 

in the living room of the new dorm they had moved into and amongst the mess of clothes and boxes they didn’t finished separating and organizing, they had decorated a small tree. the secret santa that had started from the years before in the other dorms with everyone else they skipped. there had been no time to buy presents. so instead their hands had been filled with lots food deliveries of everyone’s cravings.

the delicious dishes varying from spicy chewy noodles to grilled pork belly had settled in their stomachs with joy. then a christmas cake with decorations of sweet cream snowmen and edible white chocolate pine trees their manager had presented to them. he had wished them success for their soon to be debut as a group. they had ended up digging their forks into the dessert like little kids. and when he finally climbed into bed in the early morning because they had stayed up watching movies and talking about home and their future together, happy and grateful yukhei had felt to be with them.

there are a lot christmases yukhei remembers. there are a lot christmases he won’t ever forget even after a life full of them he is certain. 

yukhei believes this christmas will be another that will be an unforgettable memory. this christmas will be another that will be stamped into his brain and etched onto his heart.

it is not his first christmas together with you. he has spent past christmases with you. 

after he wakes up midday because a day off it was after all, yukhei celebrates with his members. they eat and play games until the winter sky gradually changes colors. then he comes over to see you and it is a celebration with just you and him. a dinner of what your and his heart desires, a mix of take out and a dish or two you cook, is shared and cherished. and when dinner is done, yukhei helps you clean up before you and him exchange and open the presents to one another.

yukhei always ends up staying until the clock strikes midnight and the new day begins. the minute longer he always wishes to stay with you always becomes hours and he leaves when the moon is still illuminating the dark sky.

but this year, this christmas is different from the past of what he has had with you. 

today is the first christmas since yukhei has moved in with you nearly eight months ago. it is the first christmas since he has began calling this apartment his home too. it is the first christmas of him opening his eyes in the morning to find you laying beside him still in your slumber shielded by the comforter and blanket because you don’t care much for the cold.

his hand rises from underneath the cozy covers and yukhei rubs the sleepiness from his face and eyes. a sudden yawn comes out. slowly he turns and lifts his head up the slightest to take a peek pass you at the half burned candle and clock on your bedside table.

it’s just half past seven. another yawn comes on strong and yukhei covers his mouth this time.

“you want to sleep in tomorrow?”

that was what he had asked you in the early morning after the snow and snacks.  

it had been fitting for the first big snow of the season to be on christmas eve. the wet flakes had begun falling in the early afternoon. when yukhei returned home from the late dinner and secret santa with his friends, the city had been blanketed in white. it had looked like a magical winter wonderland as you gazed out the large window of the living room. and even though he had showered and was dried and toasty now, his arms wrapped around you and his mouth rested beside your ear.

“do you wanna build snowman?”

his question had came out in a singsong voice with light giggles following immediately.

you couldn’t resist. 

so out into the snow you and him went. yukhei had laughed so loud, the sound ringing through the cold quiet night while he had ran in the snow of the courtyard. it had been below freezing, but seeing him carefree and happy made it worth every second. then with your mitten clad hands and his bare hands because he had insisted he didn’t need them, you and him set working on the snowman. the body he had made while you made the head. the long broken branches from the nearby tree he picked up for the arms. the leaves of the bushes you had put in place for the eyes and nose.

“i told you we make pretty good team,” he had told you once the snowman was completed. “first we built furniture and now we built a snowman.”  

the tender kiss you had pressed onto his cold smiling mouth was warm.

once pictures and videos were taken together with the masterpiece as yukhei had called it with a chuckle, a walk around the neighborhood you had suggested. your hand he had taken and put inside the pocket of his padded jacket. the nearly similar matching black beanies on your heads had been covered in snowflakes. and when you were just half a dozen blocks from home, from walking through the snow covered streets, the convenient store he had pulled you into. just to warm up for five minutes he had whispered with a small grin. but the five minutes turned into fifteen because the small plastic basket yukhei had picked up.

regardless of the snacks that filled the cabinet next to the refrigerator and placed on the counter in the kitchen at home, the basket in his grasp had quickly filled up. the cola shaped bottle jelly candies yukhei had chosen. a box of strawberry cream covered biscuit sticks you had reached for. bags of sweet and salty chips you and him had never tried before were dropped in. a lip balm he picked up because the cold had made his lips dry. then the items were paid for and the short trip home begun.

once you had stepped foot into the heat of the apartment, the wet padded jackets were hung up to dry properly and a shower was taken to warm up. on the couch you and him had stayed. the snacks purchased were enjoyed and savored with glee as an animated movie of your choice played in the background. when your stomachs were full, too tired and too comfortable enjoying the closeness of each other, neither of you had wanted to make a move into the bedroom. so you had stayed snuggled in his arms with your head resting on his shoulder as you tried to focus on the movie.

“hmm? are you up for it sleeping in?” yukhei had sleepily questioned again. “i know we talked about opening presents in the morning, but at this rate i don’t think we will be able to wake up properly.” he had quietly chuckled and a kiss he placed on your head.

“sleeping in sounds nice.” you had turn to look at him with your gaze soft and sleepy too. “and like i told you already, i’m just really happy.” 

to be with him here and to celebrate the first christmas together in this apartment that had your and his things side by side had made you happy. the whole day tomorrow had been planned to be just you and him. that had been why the secret santa exchange and diner with his members were a day earlier.

yukhei had bobbed his head faintly once and pushed up the glasses that were now on his face. “me, too.”

his strong arm around your middle had tighten and soon enough, half a dozen wet kisses were peppered around your face. a bit more awake you had become with your squeals. when he drew back, the sparkle in his eyes had been there. the curve of his mouth had been beaming and contagious. “and technically since we are already…” yukhei had glanced at the time hanging on the wall. “an hour into the new day… happy merry christmas,” he had softly whispered.

instantly you had giggled, sitting up properly then so you could press a soft sweet kiss to his pillowy lips that were soothed by his earlier purchase. “happy merry christmas to you too, baby.”

a little longer on the couch both of you had stayed to finish the movie. once the credits begun rolling, he had begun yawning continuously and you knew you wouldn’t be able to fight off the sleep much longer either. the coffee table had been cleaned up. the christmas tree decorated with colorful glass and glittery ornaments and twinkling white lights had been unplugged.

after brushing your teeth side by side in the bathroom with the pink toothbrush in your grasp while the green was in his, you had simply put on your moisturizer before climbing into the bed he was already in. yukhei had tugged you close as the snowflakes slowly stopped falling down from the sky outside. you had fell asleep to the sound of his soft snores. he had ended up falling asleep with your back pressed against his chest.

however though, in the middle of the night, you had slipped away from him.

no longer in his arms you are. instead you are curled on your side and facing him with your head lowered a little. a hand is tucked under the pillow beneath your head. the other holds into the comforter. he listens to your steady breaths while turning a little until his body takes the same position as yours. 

yukhei should sleep. he can sleep. he can sleep until the afternoon every day if he was able to. 

but the thought of it being the first christmas with you in this home shared now together gently echoes in the back of his brain. there won’t be another first christmas morning for the first time together. so yukhei thinks he can sleep later. maybe all afternoon if he wishes because there is no schedule. it will be just you and him today. and when the new year begins, there will be four free days where he will most definitely catch up on more sleep. it is a mini break he cannot wait for before they will begin prepping for their next comeback afterwards.

the thought in his head wins.

with a small smile forming on his face, yukhei reaches for you. his hands slips underneath the white sweatshirt with the red printed snowflakes on the front and settles on your naked waist. your body feels so warm compared to his hands and he is certain you feel the difference because a soft whimper you let out. he can’t help but chuckle breathlessly. then slowly and carefully yukhei moves closer and pulls you to him until his arms encircle you. he lowers his head for a moment and presses one and two puckers of his pillowy lips to your forehead. 

“wake up, baby.”

within seconds you’re stirring in his hold. the smile on his face grows a bit when you gradually settle back down with a deep breath. he bends his head a little more and like a lion to his mate, yukhei gently nudges and nuzzles his nose against your warm skin. his thumb strokes your back. he places one and another kiss onto your left cheek.

“it’s christmas morning.” his calm and raspy voice draws you out of your slumber and dreams. the tip of his nose caresses yours as your legs kick away the pillow under your feet and begin tangling with his long limbs. “wake up for me, baby,” yukhei murmurs in a singsong voice similar to last night.

slowly your eyes open. in your half asleep state still, you register his deep low laugh that tickles your heart and makes you sigh. you stretch in his arms with a tired moan as he draws a few inches back. your own arms come out from between the warmth of your bodies and covers to erase the faint blurriness of your sleepy gaze on him. and when you can see a bit clearly, you meet his soft stare underneath a few falling strands of hair and his handsome fresh face. the sight makes your cheeks heat and you grateful for mornings with him. a hand of his dances and strokes your back. the little shiver yukhei feels from you. he is about to lean into you to kiss you properly, but you twist your neck slightly and note the time.

your brows wrinkle and you blink a handful of times to make sure you’re reading the numbers correctly before you turn back to him. an arm shifts to wrap around his shoulder while your other hand grips onto the white t-shirt he wears. you bury your face into his neck. the combination of spring fresh detergent, vanilla and a scent so uniquely yukhei that reminds you of home and comfort fill your senses. he chuckles when he hears the deep breath and exhale from you when his fingertips go higher up your spine.

“your hands are so cold,” you whine faintly against his skin. 

a grin with eyes crinkling you can picture forming on his face at your complaint even if you cannot see it. 

he giggles quietly. “sorry.” the apology rolls out softly, but yukhei makes no indication of removing them.

“i thought you wanted to sleep in,” you mumble, eyes falling close again.

yukhei loves his sleep. he can fall asleep anywhere at anytime even if only for five minutes. he can sleep until mid afternoon even when he is able to sleep early the night before. he would rather sleep than eat sometimes and it is a big deal because he loves to eat. he takes advantage of his days off and the holidays to sleep so he can make up for all the days he does not get enough.

and you do not forget how he had even asked early in the morning about sleeping in.

so right now, you expect it to be at least noon or perhaps much later. you expect the roles be reverse and it would be you waking him up instead.  

yukhei laughs once more while your hand reaches for the nape of his neck. your short nails scratch him lightly and it makes him hum. “that was the plan.” he remembers it was his own suggestion to do so. “but then i realized i have all afternoon to take a nap if i wanted to later. so i thought it’ll be okay to wake up early.”

it is then your eyes open. the sleepiness in you disappears and you are more awake than you were a minute ago. your fingers stop moving. you pull back and his boyish smile greets you. an eyebrow of yours rises up as you eye him suspiciously because what he says isn’t believable. 

you know him too well.

“you’re up to something.”

the accusation immediately makes him giggle, the familiar sound echoing in the quiet bedroom. one arms comes out from underneath your sweatshirt and yukhei reaches for your hand grasping on his t-shirt. he places it over his heart and you feel the steady beats of it. 

“i’m up to nothing. i promise, baby.” the arm still around your middle firms. yukhei lowers his head and kisses you gently on your mouth, making you sigh and want a bit more. he pulls away and you can’t help but lick your lips. the grin on his face is tender and almost bashful. “i was just thinking about it being out first christmas morning together. we can’t get another. i thought this was special,” he whispers with the glint in his eyes.

a sappy romantic at heart yukhei is even when he likes to deny it.

you chew on your bottom lip for a moment. the idea of staying in the warm bed with him cuddling and sleeping doesn’t seem like a bad idea. but what he is saying tugs on your heart too hard. “are you trying to sweet talk me right now so i will agree?” you quietly tease him.

his chuckle is low. “is it working?” he gives you another soft kiss and your gaze fixes on his mouth as his tongue peeks out lick it. 

“you’re not tired?” your eyes meet his once more. 

yukhei hums. “i’m okay right now.” the curve of his lips is boyish and charming. “but you are up now.” even if it is his doing. “so what do you say we get out of bed and we can celebrate our first christmas morning together. hmm?” he looks happy and relaxed. his soothing voice and words are laced with nothing but calm and sincerity. you find yourself inhaling slowly because yukhei’s hard to resist.

the tiny distance between your mouths you close for your lips to graze his. “promise you’ll get a little extra rest later,” you whisper alongside them.

he rolls over a bit then, keeping you between him and the bed. his forehead presses to yours as he stares at you. your arms encircle his neck and his other arm slithers back underneath your sweatshirt for the material to rise. the corners of his lips twitch up and you feel more tugs on your heart.

“i promise.”

you tilt your head. your fingers run up the back of his hair. “hmm, okay. you win,” you surrender.

sweet he always is and you are certain you will forever remain smitten.

yukhei lets out the tiniest triumphant cheer that makes you shake your head with a giggle. he leaves a quick yet tender peck on your mouth and lowers his head into the crook of your neck. he holds you closer as if he’s not laying on top of you currently. a minute longer you and him stay wrapped in one another’s embrace until you turn your head. you dot three kisses on his temple before moving your hands to tap on his shoulder blade.

“you go get ready first,” you tell him softly.

he shifts after a moment and presses a handful of wet kisses to your cheek that make you smile a little too much. his arms come out from below that sweatshirt of yours. at once you miss the closeness and his warmth. yukhei sits up and pushes the comforter and blanket away. the pillows at the foot of the bed for your and his feet and the matching red plaid pajama bottoms come into view.

it had been his idea and his surprise.

“you got us matching slippers, babe.” his reason had made him grin shyly and you laugh sweetly before accepting the article of clothing with sugary kisses and murmured words of gratitude.

the fabric of your sweatshirt rises up even more when you stretch again. the soft skin of your middle he has been holding and caressing catches yukhei’s interest. a few more centimeters and a little higher, he will get a really nice view of you. his stare and his motionless body makes you chuckle faintly. you watch as he swallows the tiny lump in his throat as if he’s never seen you naked before.

but he has. he has also touched you like no one else has ever touched you too.

you clear your throat to get his attention. “you’re staring,” you inform him with your eyes shining.

his gaze meets yours and you shake your head slowly. you tug your sweatshirt back down as yukhei is moving over you and leaning forward. a hand rises to palm his cheek. your thumb brushing back and forth his heated skin. 

“i’m distracted,” he counters.

the butterflies flutter in your stomach.

a final parting kiss he gives you on your mouth and the tip of your nose, yukhei pulls away again. he gets out from the bed and stretches. an inch or so his t-shirt rises. it gives you a peek at his v line and the leopard print band of his boxer briefs. he catches your stare and wiggles his sculpted eyebrows playfully. you chuckle as he threads his long fingers through his tousled hair. he’s been letting it grow a little before he will cut it again for the next comeback. he pushes his hair away from his face and bites his lip teasingly. mischief and satisfaction resides in his gaze as yukhei watches you lick your lips. 

“now you’re staring,” he states with a smirk. 

you playfully roll your eyes even while your face warms. the teasing act he was moments ago turns giggly and he puckers his lips and sends a kiss through the air. he releases his hair, the strands falling down stylishly with a few pieces over his pretty eyes. he slips his feet into the fuzzy gray slippers and turns to you one last time with another wiggle his eyebrows.

“i will see you in five,” yukhei declares before he saunters happily out.

but the five minutes is really eight minutes before he exits the bathroom for you to use.

his glasses he retrieves from his bedside table. his phone he turns on to check for any messages. a quick swipe of the lip balm he brushes across his lips. then yukhei makes his way into the kitchen.

yukhei is confident in many things. but the better cook than you these days though he is not. he’s still working on that, remembering and practicing all he learned from his parents when he isn’t too exhausted to make something else besides ramen and his special homemade chili sauce. 

regardless though he gets to doing something. yukhei fills the kettle with water. when it’s three fourths full for a quicker boil, he places it on the stove and turns on the burner and the range hood.

two slices of soft and fluffy thick cut bread yukhei puts in the toaster oven and he sets it for a light golden toast. he opens the cupboard for the white bowl decorated with navy polka dots and its matching plate. he pulls two spoons and a knife from drawer. the large container of yogurt and the butter he takes out from the refrigerator. the bag of frozen blueberries he gets from the freezer. then yukhei spoons the yogurt into the bowl, doubling the amount because this will be for you and him. a banana he peels, slices and fans along one side of the bowl. the handful of frozen blueberries he piles neatly on the opposite side. the toaster oven dings as he reaches for the oat and honey granola in the cabinet. the slices of bread he takes out and places on the plate. he goes back to the yogurt and sprinkles a spoonful of the granola on the top.

since living together, yukhei has watched you make yogurt bowls for breakfast or for a snack. he grins proudly at what he has made now. but when he holds up the bowl, the white cookie package with the festive silver ribbon glued to the top sitting between the coffee machine and the little pile of snacks on the counter catches his eyes.

maybe this needs a little something else.

and once you come out of the bathroom, the sound of the opened range hood gives you an indication of where he might be. your feet in the pink fuzzy slippers pad quietly across the wooden floors into the tiled floors of the kitchen. the kettle you notice on the stove but your presence he doesn’t realize. something else has his focus. you walk up to him, your touch sliding to his lower back and yukhei doesn’t jump or seem surprise. calm he is and you rub gently on his back.

you peek around him and within seconds you’re chuckling. “what are you doing?” you question amusingly.

a gingerbread man is tucked amongst the blueberries in the bowl of yogurt, resembling a man in a hot tub. you watch entertained as he gives the bag of cookies in his hand a little shake to find another gingerbread man with a slightly different design. he does moments later and puts it right beside the other, slipping it between the pieces of fruit.

yukhei lifts the bowl and shows his creation. “tada! it’s a christmas version, babe.” his beam is bright and so is yours.

you reach for the gingerbread man, scooping up some yogurt and a semi soften blueberry with the legs and take a bite. yukhei stares at you proudly for a reaction and the nod of approval you give him has him laughing and pumping up his fist victoriously. with the remaining half of the cookie, you scoop up a bite like before. but this time you put it in yukhei’s open mouth. his eyes widen in delighted surprise because it really isn’t half bad with the faint notes of spices mixing in and the extra crunchiness of the cookie.

“i’m genius,” he declares after he swallows the bite with a grin.

the kiss you give him in agreement tastes of cinnamon and blueberries and you deem this yogurt bowl one of the best you have ever had.

then in the warmth of the kitchen, you scramble eggs and pan fry the sausages that is one of his favorites to go with the toast and butter he spreads on. the water eventually boils. an iced americano you make for him. the green tea and rice tea bag yukhei puts in your mug before he pours the boiling water in. the ivory colored curtains he pulls back and the living room and the cozy dining space floods with natural light despite the overcast sky.

for the first christmas morning together, breakfast is enjoyed.

“thanks for the food, babe.” 

this meal together isn’t an everyday thing even after he has moved in. not when his schedules and practices vary daily or he is gone for weeks if there are promotions or filming. but it’s a little more often than before. so every time it is possible, at the table for two (and more) you and him sit to savor breakfast together.

“anytime.”

and the clock slowly ticks with quiet murmurs and satisfied hearts and stomachs. the last spoonful of yogurt with another gingerbread man yukhei leaves you while the last scoop of eggs and two sausages you pass to him. the plates and bowls you clear away and wash after. the table and countertop he wipes clean of crumbs.

then with the morning drinks in your hands, into the living room area you walk to with yukhei’s footsteps right behind you. the glass and mug are set on the coffee table. in front of the christmas tree you move to sit. you hug your legs to your chest as yukhei makes his way to the tree, kneeling next to it. he reaches behind it for the plug.

you’re silent and stare at the sudden brightness and glow shining in front of you. even if this tree has been lit up every night for the last two weeks, it feels different today. you believe it just might be the prettiest now on this christmas morning.

two feet away, yukhei thinks the same thing.

his gaze shifts between the lit up tree and the sight of you staring in awe. you look so pretty bathe in a soft glow. he feels the fullness of his heart. he has no regrets of not sleeping in right now.

quietly then yukhei moves to where you are and sits right behind you with his long legs on either side of yours. he presses his chest to your back and his strong arms come up to wrap around you. instantly you melt against him, your hands rising to grasp onto his forearms. his head he rests beside yours. his mouth stays next to your ear before he speaks.

“happy merry christmas, baby.”

his similar words from when he first told you hours ago, his calm and loving voice pulls on your heartstrings. it has you embarrassingly chuckling at yourself while blinking back the haziness building in your eyes. you feel him smiling so wide beside you. a moment passes before your head is turning to find him staring at you. the shine that is always in his gaze are magnified from the lights. the beam on his face is brilliant.

the love you feel for him is beyond words right now.

“happy merry christmas, babe.”

the mere centimeters between your mouths disappear. a few short and sweet kisses are shared before yukhei bestows one to your nose and cheek.

so many more christmases you wish to have with him.

yukhei presses his lips to your temple. “are you ready for presents?” there are notes of excitement in his tone and you laugh softly as you squeeze his arms and bob your head. you’re about to tell him to start because always he insists on you opening presents first.

but yukhei beats you to it with a grin.

he gives you a victorious wink when you playfully glare at him. “ladies first.”

his arms drops and yukhei scoots away from you for his drink. you move to reach for the present placed between the tree and your present for him.

he had brought it home three days ago and made you promise not to peek or touch. you had chuckled and nodded before agreeing with a sweet tender peck to his excited grin.

you look at the pretty present. the neat and rich ruby red bow with a white stitching outline ties the gold matte gift bag closed. the bag is big yet it isn’t that heavy in your grasp. you briefly glance at yukhei who’s smiling confidently as he slides himself to lean against the couch.

a long sip of his iced americano he takes before setting the glass back down. “what can it possibly be?” he jokes, his voice turning light and high with dramatic curiosity.

you giggle and hum before turning back to the present. the thick ribbon you’re about to pull on, but then you hear yukhei clearing his throat. your movements stop and your attention lands on him again. he nonchalantly and faintly juts his chin towards something. you remain frozen and stare at him. 

yukhei does it again. this time your eyebrows wrinkle slightly, unsure of what he’s trying to tell you. however he thinks the third time might be the charm. 

it’s not though. 

he gives up with a defeated sigh.

you watch him scratch the back of his neck a bit shyly while laughing almost embarrassingly. he pushes up his round gold rimmed frames. “you didn’t read the tag,” yukhei finally says with his cheeks warm.

and it takes a second to understand what he is referring to once you look down again. underneath the ends of the ribbon hides the shimmery cream colored rectangular tag with a simply designed green christmas tree embossed onto the surface. it hangs on the handle by a silver twine. you flip it over and immediately recognize his handwriting.

so you won’t be lonely, baby.

the thing about yukhei is that he is not one to often write romantic messages or love notes. awkward perhaps a little embarrassed he feels at times. even his texts to you when he is working or away in another country are simple declarations. he loves you. he misses you. he wants you. then he ends the messages with hearts and kissing faces or every now and then, a picture of his pouting or smiling face. 

because really, for the most part, yukhei thinks written words are not enough. he believes his written words don’t convey as much as what he really wants to say.

instead yukhei favors in telling you, calling and video chatting in hopes his words in his voice will echo in your mind long after the conversation has ended. he rather whisper his desires to you when the morning rays slip through the curtains and he is holding you close. he prefers when the moonlight is illuminating the bedroom and you can feel his heart beat in rhythm to yours. 

so this feels different.

you read the words again and gaze up at him. yukhei’s a little bit more shy and embarrassed now and you cannot control the skips to your heart or the wide upward curve of your lips forming on your face. you nod slowly and move closer to sit right next to him. his hand settles on your thigh, squeezing it affectionately as you turn back to the present.

it’s silent in the room while he watches the end of the ribbon you gently tug on. the bow unravels. the knot you work on. then soon enough you’re pulling the ribbon out from the slits and opening the bag. you are greeted with the sight of sparkling red tissue paper. one layer and then another you remove and suddenly your soft laughter is filtering into yukhei’s ears and filling the space. your eyes settle on the present nestled in a bed of more layers of tissue paper.

the trip to the home and furniture store to buy his bedside table you recall. the birthday surprise from a few months ago flashes through your mind. the words you had confessed to him he remembered.

he really is something else.

you take out the lion plush and move the bag to the side. the harmless wild animal is remarkably soft, feeling like velvet. the color of his body reminds you of golden honey. the mane and tail are silky. the muzzle is white like snow. the black stitching of a smile makes it look more adorable than ferocious. you hold it up like the famous animated movie you have watched too many times before and yukhei laughs warmly besides you.

“he is absolutely the cutest and softest thing ever,” you gush, hugging it to your chest as you turn and press kisses on the infectious curl of his plump lips.

yukhei chuckles and reaches out to pat the head of lion peeking out from between your arms. “i was going to go back to get the one we saw at the home and furniture store.” his eyes meets yours. “but when i had went out with winwin a few weeks ago, i saw it by the window of a cute novelty store. i thought this looked so much more cuddly and cuter,” he tells you with his eyes shining.

you hum. “i love him already.” your thumb brushes over the black stitching for the eyes and nose. “thank you,” you hug him with the plush crushed between the two of your bodies.

his arm wraps you waist and his fingers plays with the softness of your sweatshirt while yours go around his neck. when you pull back, your forehead is against his. one hand runs through his hair and creates a fluffy wave.

“so he’s the meaning behind the tag,” you murmur with a small smile that makes him beam wider and giggle softly.

yukhei nods and the tip of his nose nudges yours. “just don’t forget about hugging me?” he whispers, his tone playfully sad yet affectionate.

you chew on the inside of your cheeks. “you’re still my favorite lion,” you quietly and teasingly reassure him. you lean forward and give him two kisses. but then his hands rise to cup your cheeks and he’s encompassing you with big, sloppy and sweet kisses that has you laughing, squealing and feel so loved. 

“yukhei! it’s your turn!” you gasp out between giggles and every press of his soft mouth on you.

one, two and three more kisses and finally he stops with a bright and almost sneaky grin. a peck he places on your lips. but your attempt to move away from him so he can open his present fails because his arm drops back down to wrap around your waist. his hold is firm and yukhei slowly shakes his head. he pushes up those glasses adorning his happy face with his long fingers.

there’s mischief in his gaze. “now what kind romantic would i be if that is all?”

always you tell him he is. always he tries to deny it.

you stare at him, watching the curve of his lips grow and the corners of his eyes crinkle. “keep looking.” he gestures back to the gold matte gift bag. the lion he takes out of your arms, hugging the soft plush to his chest. yukhei pats your thigh once and then again to get you going.

the puzzled on your face has him chuckling and nodding at you. but slowly you shift a little away from him to get to the bag again. you glance up at him and he’s waiting. the open bag you turn to and you get to removing more tissue paper. it isn’t long before hidden beneath several more layers you find what he means. you can’t stop the quiet surprised noise escaping from your mouth.

the present is wrapped in a shiny champagne colored paper. it is tied together with a thin smooth red ribbon and adorned with the faux holly berries and green leaves. you take it out and you feel the curl of your mouth and the warmth in your chest. when you turn to him he sees the glittering sparkle in your gaze.

“did you wrap this?” you question, holding the present in your hands up.

yukhei chuckles and shakes his head. “i wished i could take credit but the auntie at the shopping center gets it all.” it looks too perfect to unwrap, but his gentle voice you hear again. “open it.”

his words register into your brain. but before you do, you move back to him first. you sit criss cross beside him. a hand yukhei settles on your knee, rubbing small circles on your pajama bottoms. the fleeting look you get of him and he’s smiling faintly and raising his eyebrows urging you to continue.

then you’re pulling the ends of the ribbon and putting the decorations aside. you gently rip the wrapping paper and the maroon red box comes into view. you feel your eyes widen and he hears a soft gasp when you see the name in cursive and gold on the cover. the beats of your heart feels like some is using it for a drum as you shimmy off the lid to reveal another box with a gold embroidered frame around the top of it.

yukhei looks on in a mixture of nervousness and excitement. he feels the warmth in his face and the flips of his stomach while you take the box out and place the bottom next to your knee. he stares as you push open the tiny tab that gently pops open the lid. the eighteen carat signature gold bracelet and the accompanying mini screwdriver nestled in the black cushioning come into your view. 

it shines, glows and looks absolutely gorgeous.

you feel the strong pounding of your heart. “yukhei...” the awe in your voice he doesn’t miss as you turn to look at him.

“do you like it?” the hopefulness lingers in his quiet question with his gaze shifting between the affectionate look on your face and the present in your hands. “i’ve been wanting to get you something really nice, but simple because i know that’s what you like.” always he is attentive and paying attention to everything of your preferences. you give him a faint nod. “and i saw this when i went shopping with winwin earlier this year. i just thought it would be perfect for you and that it would be your taste.” he hums softly. “you could probably wear this with anything too.”

the tugs on your heart are stronger. your gaze turns downcast again. “it really is beautiful,” you remark quietly, your fingertips running over the piece of fine jewelry.

a nervous chuckle from him draws your attention back up to find him looking at you intently. “and if you take out the bracelet...” his tone is gentle and soothing as he gives your knee a tender squeeze. “tell me what you think about that too.”

you follow his instructions, pulling off the security rubber band that holds the bracelet in place. you think that he is talking about the simple circle designs on the outside. but a moment passes before you see what he is really referring to. yukhei hears the tiny sound of surprise. your bottom lip gently catches between your teeth. the box you put down. your eyes slowly begin to blur as you read it once, twice and then even again.

you and me.

your thumb runs over the engraving, feeling the faint curves and cuts of words that mean a lot to you and him. 

“do still remember what you said to me when you asked me to moved in?” yukhei brings you closer until you’re pressed to his side and he’s holding onto your waist.

they had also been the words he repeated that night when he moved in too. words he silently tells himself when he walks through the front door and is greeted by your smiling face, your sweet kisses and your cuddly hugs. words that make him dream of so many more awaiting adventures with you.

his mouth rests next to your ear. “it’s you and me, baby.”

a shaky breath you draw in as a slow nod you manage to offer in response because you remember it so vividly. the first time you said it and the look of surprise on your face when he remembered them weeks afterwards. and now, months later, the words are more real than ever.

you wonder how he does it. how the simplest thing he can turn into the grandest of gestures that make your heart pound uncontrollably and make you feel like the luckiest person in the universe.

yukhei hums once more. a smile you sense from him. “i would have had the whole thing on it, but unfortunately there is a ten character limit on them,” he jests quietly with a laughter.

his love for you is incomparable to anything and anyone you have ever felt in your life.

finally you look up, and your watery eyes are unmistakable and it makes his heart swell while his deep laughter warms your soul. yukhei leans his forehead against yours.

“i’m always with you no matter what, baby. you’re surrounded by me now...” hoodies for each day of the week and more. a lion to hug to sleep when you really do miss him too much. a golden reminder with words that are priceless to you and him. the small sniffle you can’t stop. “so you don’t ever have to miss me too much,” he whispers tenderly and sweetly even if he knows every now and then the separation will still be difficult. 

“what do you think? do you like it?” he teases even if he is certain of your answer.

and before yukhei can joke that the present can’t be returned, you’re throwing your arms around him. his laugh is infectious as the lion falls from his hold so he can envelop you in his arms too. your face you hide into the curve between his neck and shoulder. he’s not sure if his arms holding you are tighter or it’s the other way around. 

“you’re going to crush me,” yukhei softly murmurs into your heated skin with a too wide grin. 

but you don’t care. 

you will hold onto him just a minute longer and harder because despite his words, he makes no effort to find his breath or push you away. 

he is unbelievable. the way he stolen your heart makes you certain he will have it forever. and once you eventually draw back, there is a glittering and playful twinkle in his eyes. he clutches his chest dramatically. 

“i can breathe again, baby.” his declaration makes you let out a breathless giggle as you make a quick dab at the corner of your wet eyes with the sleeve of your sweatshirt. yukhei straightens his glasses and fixes his hair. 

you look at him, head titling a bit. “romantic,” you whisper. 

yukhei hums with a sweet tender grin. “maybe just a little.” the small space between your mouths he erases with a short, soft and loving kiss.

the lion yukhei lays on the coffee table before he takes the bracelet from your hand. “here, let me put it on for you.” he reaches for the screwdriver in the box, carefully digging it out of the little nook it is cradled in. he turns his body to face you. 

“i had to ask the man at the store to show me how to put it on.” he chuckles and you stare at how the screwdriver looks minuscule between his long fingers. yukhei holds the bracelet delicately as if he is afraid too much pressure would bend it. “i hope it fits.” he says once he pulls the bracelet apart. “i didn’t realize there were many different sizes for this and i didn’t want to get the wrong size.” yukhei glances momentarily up at you with a sheepish grin and his cheeks warm. he motions for your hand. you raise your right arm and push up the sleeve to your elbow. “so i ended up trying to measure your wrist in the morning when you were still sleeping.”

yukhei recalls circling his thumb and index finger around your wrist so cautiously in fear of waking you. he remembers winwin shaking his head in disbelief and quietly laughing at him as he showed the salesman the circle size of his measurement.

you chuckle breathlessly and place your free hand on his thigh. the light squeeze you give it has him turning back to the task at hand. it’s quiet as yukhei’s brows furrow. the bracelet he carefully encases around your wrist, making sure it is upright so you can read the words inside whenever you need to. 

and to his and your delight, it fits perfectly.

he lets out a soft cheer and giggles, proud that his unconventional measurement worked out.  yukhei secures it back with the screwdriver. soon enough he’s moving the bracelet freely back and forth on your wrist while you admire how pretty it looks. 

“i’m so good at this,” he says with a beam, putting back the screwdriver in the box. yukhei turns to you, finding your gaze on him before you’re closing the gap between your mouths. you palm his warm cheek. a finger he tucks underneath your chin and you sigh into him when he pushes a little forward. 

you hope you will get to kiss him on more christmases to come.

and when you part a minute later, noses nuzzle together. your thumb brushes his smooth skin. his tongue comes out to swipe across his wet lips and you squeak happily with a tiny smile.

“thank you.”

yukhei hums, turning his head to pucker a kiss into the center of your palm. “always, babe. i just want you happy,” he reminds you.

your hand trails down to his chest to softly pat it. “is it your turn yet?” you question shyly.

he smiles wide and merrily like an excited child within seconds. you pull away from him as he moves forward with a clap of his hands. the bracelet box you close and place on the coffee table beside the lion. the wrapping paper and tissue papers you push to the side into a small pile that will surely grow. yukhei reaches for the present that is his. the playful rise of his eyebrows and the way his eyes grow a bit bigger in shock when he lifts up the box surprises him. big the present is, but not as heavy as he had assume it would be because he had too promised you not to touch it when you finally taken it out of hiding from the storage closet three days ago. yukhei goes back to the spot he was sitting in previously and places the present between his spread out long legs.

“what is this?”

yukhei counts the three different vibrant green bows in various sizes placed on the top. the glossy and glittery red and white diagonally striped wrapping paper reminds him of candy canes. 

but your head you shake, a small and bashful smile forming on your face. “babe, you have to open it,” you tell him, taking a seat beside him once again. 

he gives you a silly questioning look. his fingers slide underneath the tape and the paper he rips off. the simple black box that took you a week to find is revealed and he’s giggling with his curiosity heightened. you take the wrapping paper and pile it to the rest to discard.

yukhei pushes up his glasses before his large hands grips onto the sides of the box. he slips his fingers between the lid and inner section. a light shake he gives it for the lid to gradually loosen and easier to be lifted off. he drops it beside him and the white layers of tissue paper he peels back. his eyes are widening because suddenly he’s transported back to his childhood days. his laughter is loud and thrilled and you’re pleased with the reaction.

a mini plastic toy claw machine in a bright sunny yellow sits inside the box. it’s surrounded by presents of many sizes in a matte green wrapping paper with tiny white snowflakes.

yukhei runs a hand over his mouth and turns to you. “this is seriously all mine?” he questions incredulously with a grin. 

you nod with a chuckle. “it’s all yours.”

“does this thing really work?” yukhei asks inquiringly while taking out the claw machine up and lifting it up easily to study the item in his grasp.

you lightly swat his thigh and notice the childlike shine in his gaze. “of course it does! i even tried it out to make sure it does. what do you think?”

his gaze finds yours and the smile and nod thrown your way makes you happy. yukhei leans over and presses a fleeting kiss on your cheek. then he’s bringing the claw machine closer to his face.

inside is filled with tiny plastic capsules with colorful covers just like he recalls from his childhood days. but instead of the inexpensive prizes inside them, what he sees in each of them is a folded up piece of paper.

“why does each of them have paper inside?”

“because…” you reach for a present from the large box he seems to have forgotten for a moment and show him the number written on the reindeer sticker tag. “each of them is numbered. the presents... like i said, they’re all yours.” yukhei laughs softly and connect his eyes to yours, listening carefully to what you are saying him. “i remember you telling me once about going to the arcades when you were a kid and how happy you were.” your voice softens and your hand rises to brush at his fluffy hair. “you’ve been nonstop working recently and pretty much almost the whole year. i thought maybe this would be a bit fun for you to do. this is nothing like the real thing, but i thought this wasn’t such a bad substitute,” you finish with a tiny grin.

it’s quiet and yukhei’s is simply staring keenly at you. his heart is about to burst from the love and appreciation that is soaring through him. he leans towards you, kissing you shortly and sweetly twice before smiling against your mouth.

“i think this might be the most creative way anyone has ever given me anything,” he murmurs, wondering how long it had taken you to think of and do this. “thank you.”

his nose touches yours affectionately for a moment before he pulls away and returns his attention to the present in his hands. “how does this turn on then?”

your hand goes over to the back of the claw machine, feeling for the black button tab to slide over. immediately there’s a sound of a brief beep as a row of tiny blue lights outlining the top cover of the machine light up. there's a look of giddiness on his face. yukhei eyes the coin slot. 

“is this taking real money?” his wondering and curious question makes you laugh and shake your head. you place the present you are holding back into the box and take out a cute bear head coin purse that has been buried within everything else. 

“here.” yukhei steadies the machine on his lap and takes what you are offering to him. he unzips the pouch and the handful of silver plastic coins he sees. 

more than amazed he is right now with you and this present.

“you have to open the little compartment on the bottom to get all the coins back.”

your voice brings him back to focus and yukhei shoots you a quick glance with a bob of his head. he takes a coin and places the pouch on the floor. then he pushes the coin in to the slot. a carnival melody instantly fills the living room along with his cheerful laughter. the small screen next to the red control stick begins flashing a fifteen second countdown that turns yukhei’s laughter into a sudden scream.

“babe, this is timed!” he yells with a beam.

it’s your turn to laugh then as the seconds disappear and he’s hurrying to place the claw machine on the table for better stability. your gaze shifts between his concentrated face and the claw he’s moving. the time ticks away and when it’s two seconds remaining, yukhei presses down on the lime green button. the claw descends down towards the capsule with an orange cover. it grabs onto it and slowly it rises up and you give him a round of applause that has him chuckling. it drops down the opening as the music stops and his prize is rolling into his awaiting open palm.

the cover he removes. the folded piece of paper he opens. your handwriting he recognizes.

“three,” yukhei says aloud.

his eyes move from the paper to the open box filled with presents. you remain quiet as yukhei finds it tucked behind number seven and number one. he drops the paper in his hands on the coffee table before his lips are curling upwards at the wrapped present. it's a bit longer than his hand and shaped like a cylinder. he gives it a gentle shake and the sound of something solid rolling back and forth is heard.

yukhei thinks for a second and looks at you. “it’s candy,” he surmises confidently with grin. but instead of confirming his prediction, you playfully shrug and move to reach for your mug of tea.

“open it, babe.”

the curve of your mouth you hide as you take a sip of the warm liquid. you watch him tear the paper, the familiar purple and pink tube coming into his and your view. his guess is correct. yukhei lets out a shock and excited yelp because the sweet treat from his childhood is something he hasn’t had in what seems like ages.

“i haven’t had these in forever.” he remembers trying to make the candy last as long as possible, but finding it nearly impossible. it was too good not to be immediately devoured. he hasn’t found this candy sold anywhere here. “where did you find this?” yukhei asks, turning to you.

“there is an online market i found that sold candy from different countries. i remember you talking about this. but you didn’t remember the name. when i saw this, i wasn’t so sure. i didn’t think it could be that different so i took a chance.” another sip you take before putting mug down.

the perforated plastic wrapper around the neon yellow cap yukhei rips off and puts on the table next to the paper. “have you tried them yet?” he asks.

you shake your head. “no, i wanted to try it with you.”

yukhei pops off the cap and in an instant, there’s a sweet scent of sugar and black currants. he shakes out the little purple gumdrop size gummies covered in sugar crystals and brings it to your mouth to eat. when the candy touches your tongue, it’s hardly a second for the flavor to fill your mouth. your sweet tooth is satisfied and you can’t help but squeal. yukhei chuckles at your pleased reaction and pops one into his own mouth. he lets it soften for a moment before he’s chewing on the candy that is transporting him back to his youth.

“i might eat this whole thing today,” he exclaims with a smile and pours out two more pieces into his palm. yukhei holds his hand out and you take one while he eats the other.

the sugar melts against your tongue. “go ahead. i ordered four of them as a just in case,” you inform him with a laugh. the information has his eyes growing big before he plops a kiss on your cheek that makes you giggle gleefully.

two more gummies he puts in his mouth and then yukhei puts the cap back on and places it on the table. he claps his hands once more and gets another coin, ready for more presents. 

you look on at him. “what’s going to be next, hmm?”

the coin goes in. the music starts up once more and the countdown begins. he has his eye on the capsule with the neon purple cover. just a bit to the back and right,  there’s four seconds left when yukhei pushes the lime green button and the claw goes back down. successful he is again and within moments another capsule is in his hand and another piece of paper he unfolds.

“number eight,” yukhei notes to you.

he finds this present in the corner of the box. it’s soft, small and rectangular like his phone. he looks at you questioningly with raised eyebrows when he hears your short and light giggles. you move closer, draping a leg over his. the wrapping paper he tears open and he’s giggling and snorts now too.

yukhei holds up the pair of cobalt blue boxer briefs with the black band embroidered with the designer name in golden yellow. his love for colorful underwear you never forget. your love of seeing him in them hasn’t changed. he pulls off every color that touches his body like no other.

“i saw them when i went shopping a few weeks ago and i immediately thought of you,” you tell him with soft chuckles.                                                                      

he turns to you and looks at you amusingly. “i’ll model these for you later, baby.” the wink yukhei throws at you makes you playfully fan yourself and he leans over and places a quick chaste kiss on your lips. then his pinky he holds out between you and him. you hook onto with a grin and without hesitation.

the underwear goes besides the tube candy and lion before he is focused on the claw machine again. another coin yukhei picks up and pushes into the slot. it’s the capsule with the hot pink cover he aims for and gets. you remain mum, pressing your lips together and stare at him.

he opens it for the paper inside. “it’s number six, baby.” yukhei says while locating the present easily among the rest of them.

whatever the item is, it is inside a box. this present is light and almost feels like nothing. then similar to present number three, yukhei hears something sliding inside when he gives it a shake. his fingers threads through his hair, brushing the strands back while he wonders what it could be. another shake and he rips the paper.  his laugh is loud and he snorts once again. his chest vibrates with those happy sounds as he focuses on you with raised eyebrows and a teasing glint in his gaze. 

the sleeves of your sweatshirt you pull over your fingers. your arms go around his neck, trying to hide the expanding beam overtaking your face. yukhei holds up the box of condoms and gives it another shake.

“we are running out anyway,” you reason with a shy chuckle. “i wanted to make sure we had enough.”

yukhei nods knowingly. the box in the drawer of his bedside table because that’s where they are kept now, has just two left.

he pulls you close, snaking an arm around you while taking a deep breath of the faint scent of vanilla on you. “you think we can use some now?” yukhei hums, almost begging wishfully.

for the last few weeks, exhausted yukhei has been after the long days of practices for the end of the year performances and filming content to be released later. plans for a comeback are being laid out on top of that too. 

it hasn’t been any better for you either. the work load on your desk seemingly building daily. he has come home to find your desk scattered with open books and papers surrounding the computer. and once you and him finally lay in the bed that always is warmer when he is there, sleep won the battle each time.

yukhei has missed you.

your face turns until the tip of your nose is tickling his warm cheek. “soon, baby,” you murmur, smiling against his skin.

and that is all you say. your response, your voice is soft and seductive and yukhei is honestly ready to abandon the remaining presents for a little while and use what’s in his hold.

he doesn’t though.

because it’s the opposite of present number eight. you hold out your pinky for him. his charming and boyish laugh filters into your ears. he nods slowly and lifts his pinky to hook onto yours, energized and anticipating for the soon. you are about to release his finger, but he doesn’t let go of it. instead he draws a few inches back so he can look at you clearly. yukhei sees your eyes sparkling and that beam on your face is sugary sweet. 

a playful defeated sigh he lets out. “such a tease.”

his pout and accusation make you chuckle and kiss him softly, sucking on his bottom lip for a second longer. and it satisfies him for now because you stay close with your arms wrapped around him too. your head tilts towards his and the present for later is set aside because he wants to try at another gift.

“you’re liking this so far?” you inquire as he gets another coin.

the tiny plastic circle  yukhei pushes in. “i’m loving this so far,” he cheers with the music playing once more. even with the seconds disappearing, he turns away briefly from the game to give you a quick peck.

you hum happily as he returns to the game. the control he moves strategically. you’re wondering which one he is going to pick up and he’s speculating what else is in store for him. the lime button he presses. within moments, the capsule with the turquoise lid is in his hand. you are silent and watching as yukhei opens it and takes out the paper.

“it’s number eleven,” he announces with glee despite you seeing the number yourself.

you shift a bit to let him search for the present he has won. your nerves start to act up. there is a flip to your stomach.

then the correct present yukhei finds underneath present number two. it’s a box again. but this one is flatter and just a tad bit smaller than the previous gift. it’s light too, almost weighing like nothing in his hand. he shakes it but no sound is heard. his brows quirk up, glancing at you because his curiosity heightens. down he looks. the first tear of the wrapping paper he makes. you unconsciously chew on the inside of your cheek. a second rip to the paper has your heart skipping a beat because the box is revealed.

it’s the same maroon box like his gift to you and when he flips the box over, he gets his confirmation.

yukhei is staring at the gold cursive name printed on the top. he’s chuckling softly in joyful wonderment and disbelief. he gazes up briefly, the faint bob of your head thrown his way encourages him to continue. his focus returns to the present. the lid he takes off and puts underneath the bottom. the black velvet fabric he pulls back and he’s beaming at what he sees.

“do you like it?”

it’s your turn to ask now.

the hope and nervousness is laced in your question. yukhei takes the bracelet out and puts the box on the coffee table next to everything else. your fingers run up a soothing touch along the nape of his neck and the ends of his hair. you stare at him as he feels the cord band of the bracelet. he notes the three intertwining rings of gold, silver and rose gold that is a replica of the ring that is currently in his jewelry box on top of the dresser in the bedroom.

your eyes lower a little to the item in his hands. “i wanted to get you something that you could wear even during performances and promotions… if you wanted to. this was light and i thought you could wear this comfortably.” because more jewelry he sometimes has to wear for the stages. “and unless someone is looking closely, it is simple that it shouldn’t draw too much attention to anyone.” as much as he loves you and you love him, the world doesn’t know it yet. you clear your throat slightly. “you probably noticed too that it’s the same trinity winwin got you. i thought it would look nice with how they matches,” you finish quietly, keeping your gaze steady on the present in his hands. 

love, fidelity and friendship, yukhei has them all with you.

the quiet encompasses you and him for minute. he takes in your words, feeling amazed at the present and you. then suddenly you feel the gentle bump against your temple with his head. your eyes lift to meet his. yukhei nods and gradually leans forward to connect your mouths together. 

this kiss is slow. your hold onto the back of his neck, tilts his head the slightest for your mouth to mold so perfectly along his. the want and need is there. his tongue teases his way into your mouth and you release a little whimper of bliss. yukhei drags you closer, a hand gently gripping onto your waist. he pushes forward, intensifying the way he is sucking on your lips. 

but air and a little more time you need.

you tenderly nip on his top lip and pull back. dazed he looks as he catches his breath. you press your forehead to his while his thumb rises to wipe the wetness from the corners of your mouth. 

“so you like it?” you breathe out quietly.

the chuckle yukhei releases is airy and carefree. “yeah, i love it. thank you.”

his whispered words of gratitude makes you beam bashfully. he moves back and you watch him roll the bracelet onto his left wrist. once it’s on, yukhei straightens the cord properly. he tugs on your right hand to bring it to the front and intertwines his fingers with yours.

your presents to each other are side by side. the sight makes him proud. the warmth blooms in your chest.

“great minds think alike, huh, baby?” he whispers.

and it doesn’t take long for you to giggle lightly and bob your head in agreement. you shift and reach for the bear’s head still filled with a few more coins next to him. a little shake you give it and the tiny jingle is heard.

“you’re still not done yet. there’s more for you.” 

your voice is sweet and cute and it has yukhei looking between you and what you’re holding. the grin on your face is bright and excited, but the tiniest hint of mischief in your eyes he catches.

“are you up to something?” he questions, narrowing his gaze playfully.

and your question from this morning you recall. you laugh while shaking your head. slowly he takes what you are holding.

“no, baby, i’m not. you just have more presets. that’s all,” you reply with ease.

but your words and tone are unconvincing because yukhei still eyes you suspiciously. there really is that sweet trouble in your gaze. the smile forming on his face can’t be stopped as he turns his attention on the mini claw machine in front of him again.

a coin is taken out. he mentally counts the eight remaining capsules left.  yukhei deposits the money into the slot.

“what color is next?”

the music plays.

“how about...”

however the sentence yukhei doesn’t complete. instead a little to the left and then to the right before he moves the claw back. one second remains and then he pushes the button for the claw to descend. you watch as it opens to grab hold of the capsule with the fire engine red cover. your face warms. the claw rises up with his choice and in a matter of seconds, it is drop into the opening again. your heart beats quicker. he opens the capsule and takes out the piece of paper to unfold.

“number nine,” he says with a charming smile.

yukhei shows you the written number with a bright smile that makes his dimples faintly appear. he turns to the presents that still remain, looking for the what he has won.

his search will be fruitless though.

you watch along, bringing a hand up to shield the smile you are having some trouble controlling. he lifts and turns presents over a few times to double check the numbers.

there’s the faintest of a frown on his plump lips. “babe, i think you forgot a present cause i don’t see it,” he informs you.

yukhei turns to look at you and waits for a response. you do your best to suppress the grin on your face and avoid his gaze. but he doesn’t miss it because he can see the slight crinkle at the corners of yours eyes. his eyes narrow suspiciously at you once more. that frown present moments ago disappears.

“did you hide it?” he accuses you with a giggle.

you finally lift your head up to meet his gaze. you let out an airy laugh and shake your head.

“i didn’t hide it,” you tell him with your smile steady.

you shift, taking the capsule and paper still in his hand and put it on the coffee table. 

“i really didn’t hide it.” you reassure him again. 

then with your hand intertwining with his, you get onto your knees. you move until you are straddling his thighs with your knees against the floor. yukhei pushes his glasses up with his index finger and he sits up straighter. his free hand settles on your waist as you bring his hand you are clasping up to your lips. a sweet kiss you press on the back of it once and twice.

before yukhei has a chance to speak and question you again, you beat him to it. “i didn’t hide it. i promise, babe.”

the reassurance you give him is followed by a tiny curve of your mouth that widens in seconds.

“you’ll get it. but just humor me for a minute because i just want to ask you something first.” yukhei’s nodding slowly, his mind wondering and confused what this is all about. “what do you think of my sweatshirt?” you ask him coolly.

the way his brows furrow, the puzzled look that suddenly etches across his face has you softly chuckling and finding him absolutely adorable. he stares at you because you are serious. the nod in encouragement to just go along with you and answer your question he gets from you. 

his eyes moves to the article of clothing in question. yukhei recalls commenting on it when you and him had decorated the christmas tree together two weeks ago. the bright white reminds him of the clean snow of last night. the thick material makes you look warm, cuddly and huggable. it increases his desire to just cozy up with you.

“i told you i liked it. maybe next year we can find a matching shirt to go with our pants,” he responds, wide eyes meeting yours once more.

another short bob of your head you give him. “and the snowflakes?”

yukhei glances down again, his gaze sweeping over the printed on red snowflakes in varying sizes all over the front. “they’re cute…” he answers. “but not as cute as you,” he teasingly adds in.

you giggle at his cheesiness and embarrassment before you’re gently pecking him on his grinning mouth. it takes a moment to regain your composure as he rubs a little at your waist through the sweatshirt.

“last question...” yukhei stops laughing but the boyish smile is still present. you give his hand a tiny squeeze and he nods because he’s ready for the question. “can you count how many snowflakes you see?” your final question you ask him.

and to say yukhei isn’t more baffled about what you are doing than he already was sixty seconds ago is an understatement. the inside of your cheeks you chew on momentarily. his hand you release as you lift both arms up just to make sure he sees them all.

despite how curious he still is about where this is all leading to, yukhei trusts you because he does what you ask. you’re silent staring at how his pillowy lips move the slightest as he murmurs off the numbers. he counts it once, his eyes going from snowflake to snowflake. then he counts them again just to be certain he didn’t miscount the first time. his unoccupied hand rises and the tip of his index finger touches each red snowflake.

after he is finished, yukhei looks at you again. “there are nine snowflakes.”

your lips you press together and the bob of your head is faint. he stares at you, eyebrows wrinkled a lot because the mischief and sweet trouble in your eyes has returned.

nine snowflakes.

you intertwine your hand with his again and bring it to your mouth, placing another kiss on the back of his hand. a lot lost yukhei is right now, wondering about what connection this has to do with his missing present.

nine snowflakes.

your free hands settles on the back of his neck. you brush back and forth his warm skin. your bottom lip catches between your teeth, certain his mind is in overdrive trying to understand.

nine snowflakes. nine snowflakes. nine snowflakes.

it’s silent. a minute and another passes. then you’re watching with delight at how his puzzled expression disappears and is replaced with one of shock and surprise as his brows relax. his hand leaves your waist and covers his wide open smile before it rises and threads through his hair. yukhei lets out a slow deep exhale. a low groan then laugh quickly follows out as he shakes his head. he pushes his frames up and stares at you in amazement.

you are truly something else.

yukhei really cannot believe it. your hand he releases. he should have realized earlier. your cheeks he cups. forehead against yours, the proximity between your and his growing beams are just centimeters apart.

“are you my present?”

his question is shy. the short faint nod in confirmation is even shyer.

“yeah, i hope you’re not disappointed.”

your hand reaches to grip gently at his shirt. his thumbs are stroking your cheeks. the shine in your gaze is obvious and the warmth is expanding in his chest. yukhei tips forward and breathes in deep. 

he shakes his head slowly. “no, i’m not disappointed at all,” yukhei murmurs truthfully because with you, never he is. 

then his nose bumps and grazes yours. he erases those centimeters, teasing your top lip between his. but you’re pouting ever so slightly and he chuckles breathlessly and yukhei gives you what you want. 

the kiss is soft and intense.

his hold on your cheeks lowers a touch to tip your head up. your hand grips gently on the hairs on the back of his neck. his tongue little by little slides into the warmth of your mouth. your tiny whimpers come out between the wet sounds of your hungry mouths. a hand drops and his arms circles your waist to push your body closer as if you aren’t already sitting on him.

but as much as you want this to continue, there is just one more thing.

you reluctantly break away, reaching to tenderly grasp his face to pull him away. you are feeling dizzy in the best possible way and yukhei groans and chases after your mouth with an airy drunk laugh. breaths are ragged and hearts are racing. your arms move to drape over his broad shoulders while his hands move to rest on either side of your middle. he stares at you like he’s a little tipsy and a lot lovestruck. his wet plump lips are turned up into a charming smile on his face.

yukhei hums. “is that all, babe?” he teases because he’s not done.

he wants more.

always with you he is insatiable.

your laughter is light while you give him a shake of your head. your tongue peaks out to lick at your lips. “no...” your words trail off and his hands you reach for.

slowly you guide them to underneath your sweatshirt, his touch still slightly cold on your bare skin like earlier in the  morning. your head turns and then your mouth is beside his ear. his hands begin to slowly roam around your skin because like a habit yukhei can’t break from. and when his touch gradually goes higher and higher until he’s grazing alongside something that was not there this morning.

your seductive chuckles tickle his skin and heart.

“unwrap me, baby.”

your lips nip the shell of his ear. the tip of your tongue teases his skin. he feels it again to make certain he isn’t hallucinating. then you slowly lean back to get a better look at his lit up face. the way you are licking your bottom lip has him doing the same. the quiet whine and the innocent pout as you flutter your lashes make him raise an eyebrow.

slowly yukhei removes his hand from underneath the sweatshirt and lifts it up. the faint and low groan escapes from his mouth as he stares at your floral laced covered breasts that are pushed very up. they look so full and perfect in the vibrant holiday red color that is so pretty on you. he wants to touch and he does, holding the sweatshirt with one hand as his other runs his tender touch over your chest. yukhei angles his head a bit and bites his lip. the delicate mesh material that wraps around you he likes too and this combination of lace and mesh has him chuckling in joy. 

regardless if you have worn seductive and teasing pieces, he is still excited each time. 

you’re beautiful and absolute perfection.

a little squeak you let out from his gently squeezes. your back arches a little, hoping for more of his touches. and yukhei swears he feels the slight twitch in his pajama bottoms as he smiles and laughs lowly. he is pleased at the sight of you and your reactions. both his hands work then to fold and bunch up the sweatshirt for it to not fall and cover you up. his large hands run gently up and down your sides, cherishing the softness and warmth of your flesh until he cups both of your breasts. he tears his eyes away from the flawlessness and look up to meet your eyes.

your beam is sugary and unashamed at how he is enjoying himself right now. “i know you like the tops with the zippers...” you start.

yukhei chuckles and nods within seconds because he knows exactly what you are talking about. the tops you exercise in. the tops he can’t get enough of seeing you in. the tops he still fucks you in after the exercise sessions together. the tops he leaves unzipped because you’re still the prettiest thing he has ever unwrapped.

“but it’s christmas and i wanted to give you a proper wrapping... bows and all,” you whisper with a mischievous grin.

he quirks an eyebrow. the curve of his mouth grows. “bows?”

and it takes a second for yukhei to notice the small and delicate satin bow in a matching shade sewn in the center between the cups.

yet he only sees one.

just like before you guide his hands. but instead of traveling up this time though, you shift them lower until his fingertips slip below the waistband of your pajama bottoms. yukhei gets the hint because you let go of his hands for him to undo the knot of the white drawstrings. the sweatshirt you hold up with one hand as he grabs onto the top of waistband. you grip on his shoulder gently with the other as you get on your knees. your bottoms he push down and again he’s letting out an airy laugh because he really likes what he see here too.

to your knees yukhei pushes the fabric and you’re giggling as you sit back down on his thighs. your slippers fall from your feet when you lift your legs for him to pull the pants completely off your legs. he discards the article of clothing beside him while you settle back comfortably on him. the combination of lace over your breasts and mesh wrapped around you covers your pussy as well. 

the matching bow in the front of small triangle he stares at, swallowing the lump in his throat. you spread your legs. your feet move to plant firmly on the wood floors. and yukhei truly thinks you are trying to kill him because the fabric that is over your core is barely an inch wide. he gets a glimpse of your folds peeking alongside the edges. you watch as he wipes the corner of his mouth with the pad of his thumb because he’s not sure where to start and what to unwrap first.

yukhei feels another twitch in his pajama bottoms as he groans under his breath.

“this is like a two in one present, you know that?” he whispers in awe and in jest. 

but to your ears, he sounds slightly amused and desperate. it has you briefly tilting your head as you laugh softly.

his hands move to grip gently your thighs before they slowly slide back. yukhei grunts lowly, happy to feel just the flesh of your soft ass because there is no back coverage. both your hands rests on his chest while your knees drop to either sides of him once more. with a sugary smile, you settle right over him. you feel the slight bulge and gasp quietly as you roll your hips again and again. he grunts again. his eyes turn downcast, watching your hips roll like waves. your movements has him growing harder and you a bit wetter while he stares.

once you stop a minute later to catch your breath, you loop your arms around him. an eyebrow of yours arches. your eyes twinkle. “so what do you think? do you like it?” 

for the second time today you’re asking him. however you are simply teasing because you feel his reaction even if he does not explicitly tell you his thoughts.

regardless though yukhei nods. he really does because he’s latching onto your mouth again. the kiss is fervent and wet. your sweatshirt bit by bit falls down. you bite his lower lip while his hands squeeze your ass to elicit a moan before one them shifts a little. suddenly you feel his fingers running along the delicate fabric between your supple ass cheeks. you mewl into his mouth and he grins when he slowly pushes the barrier aside to touch your wet core. 

you feel a little too warm.

your hands clutch onto his shirt. your mouth falls from his as you rise a bit to give him more room to access you. his eyes finds your still twinkling gaze. yukhei strokes you. so soft, smooth and wet you are. after a minute, he slowly pushes a finger into your pussy. he coos when you whimper against his skin. he pulls it out and pushes it back in before repeating it a handful of times. you bite down on your lower lip suppressing the pleased noises when he slides a second digit in. and the two fingers feel better than one as he continues to gently work your pussy and squeezes your ass with the other. the wet sounds of him playing with you makes you moan happily.

“mmm, i miss this,” you breathe out slowly with a tiny smile. carefully you push down on his fingers when he retracts them a little.

yukhei chuckles, letting you fuck yourself on his fingers for a moment. “you’re so wet, baby.” he slowly stops you and removes his fingers  and shows the shiny coat on his skin. “look at this.” 

before you can react or move forward, he licks the digits clean with a satisfied groan. your ass drops back down while your arousal shoots into your pussy watching him grin blissfully when he is done. you lean in and kiss him, hoping for a little remnant of yourself. it's faint and he hears the little sighs into his mouth. 

when he breaks from you, foreheads press together. you bring a hand to his lips and outline his wet lips with your fingers.

“is the soon now?” yukhei quietly asks with a teasing lip bite.

your laugh is breathless, remembering what he had asked before. his eyes sparkle. 

“just one thing,” you reply serenely. 

he nods, the beam on his face so brilliant and charming right now. you back away. what you so desperately want is already in your mind as you move down his long legs a bit to get to the drawstrings of his pajama bottoms. yukhei watches your eager fingers work on the knot while he threads his fingers through his hair to push back the strands. he fixes his glasses just as you pull down the front of his pajama bottoms to reveal the black fabric of his boxer briefs. he hears the light sounds from your smiling lips while you stare in awe at the bulge.

yukhei grunts and you push up your sleeves of the sweatshirt and palm his straining cock. the gold around your wrist against the black fabric makes him moan proudly. 

you look up. “can i baby?” your request is sugary and the small tilt of his head he gestures lets you know to continue on.

his t-shirt you push up, revealing to you the leopard print waistband that you hook your fingers onto. you work to bring the front down. it takes a few tugs of the tight material and his cock is released. his groan fills your ears and you feel another rush into your pussy.

he's hard and looking delicious and your mouth begins to water. but before you make your move, you work again to get the fitted fabric pushed down enough for his balls to come out too. you want them as well. and once you are successful, you glance up briefly at him. the curve of your pretty and slightly swollen lips is so sweet and innocent as yukhei spreads out his arms against the seats of the couch. he can’t stop his soft chuckles at how you look and what you are going to do.

“go ahead.” he whispers lovingly.

your eyes turn downcast at the green light and you reach for his cock. the soft grip has him grunting again but much louder this time. your touch starts from the base to the tip in slow and tantalizing strokes. he inhales deeply and lets it out slow. your wrist rotates up and down around his cock that is growing with every twist of your hand. 

you let go of his cock and t-shirt and scoot down his legs a bit more until you are comfortable in a position to your liking. then you lower yourself, the front of your sweatshirt grazing his pajama bottoms. yukhei holds onto the hem of his shirt against his torso as you grip his cock again. sliding your hand up and down repeatedly once more, you shoot him a fleeting teasing smile. your free hand presses on his thigh and your tongue darts out. your gaze stays on him when you take your first leisure lick of the underside of his length like it’s an ice cream cone. 

how you have truly missed this with his recent schedules and practices and your own work. 

you hum with happiness at his pleased grin. then one and two more licks you take before your lips eagerly cover the tip. you gently suck the head and yukhei sharply sucks in a deep breath. but then the way you put a bit more suction has him letting out a moan. you feel the confidence in you swell. a little lower you go until your mouth reaches your fist  still holding him. your mouth feels so warm and he shudders while you pull back and go back down again. 

“baby, your mouth feels so fucking good,” yukhei moans without restraints. 

you freeze for a moment.

as much you love how his cock feels in your hands, it does not compare to the feeling of him in your mouth. it feels so much more. you relish the heaviness in your mouth. you enjoy the veins and ridges against your tongue. you move back again, the wetness from your mouth visible on his cock as a lone line of saliva trails from your mouth to his tip. you giggle and yukhei chuckles lowly at the slight messiness whenever you blow him. he watches your hands begin to stroke him using the wetness you left behind. you tip forward, your tongue coming out again. this time it’s to swirl around the head while your touch works the base. his moans echoes the wet sounds of your touches on his cock.

soft laughter slips from your lips. “mmm, do you like that baby?” another swirl of your tongue. yukhei groans, staring intently at you and the curve of your ass slightly in the air at this position. “missed this so much.”

you tilt your head a bit and press your tongue flat on the underside and drag the wet muscle up. you repeat it a few of times and the moans from deep within his throat pleases you too much.

“you like being licked like that? hmm? tell me what you want,” you tease.

the groan yukhei releases is his only response because the base of his cock firms a little. your mouth wraps around the head again. a handful of soft tantalizing sucks, you slowly start descending down on his cock once more. inch by inch he disappears into your mouth. he wants to shut his eyes for a second at the pleasure, but he doesn’t want to miss a moment.

he groans. “fuck, babe.” 

you bob your head, moving your mouth on him the way he likes before popping him gently from your mouth. yukhei notices the bit of saliva on your chin when you look up at him and reaches forward to tenderly wipe it away. you hum softly in appreciation while your hand moves up his cock while the other rub at his thighs. his hand rests on the back of your head, caressing you affectionately. your thumb brushes back and forth over the slit as your hand gently moves his cock up a little more so you can have a taste of something else for a minute. 

your head angles a bit, nearly laying on his thigh when you lean forward and kiss and kitten lick his balls. he huffs loudly when you delicately suck on them and curses when your mouth widens to carefully cradle them in your mouth. the warmth combined with the tender swipes of your tongue around them, you feel the tiny bit of stickiness on the pad of your thumb that has been rubbing his slit. yukhei tears his eyes away from you and shifts his gaze to his cock.

it’s reddening and he is desperate for more.

and yukhei thinks you might be thinking the same because you release his balls. you sit up for a second. then eyes connect as you bring your thumb up to your wet lips and suck on what’s there.

his laugh is warm and soft when your lower lip juts out in a playful little pout. “i want more, yukhei.”

you turn back to his cock, your mind imagining how he will be releasing into your mouth. then yukhei watches with pleasure at your enthusiasm as you lower yourself again. he stares at your smiling lips encasing over his cock. he is halfway nestled in the warmth of your mouth before you start bobbing your head. 

yukhei lifts his other arm away from the couch, both hands settle on the back of your head while your mouth moves up and down. he doesn’t push you forward or keep you down. he just wants to hold you someway somehow right now. the loud wet sucking sounds of you enjoying his cock fills his ears and makes him feel bigger in your mouth and pride in his chest. after a minute you pull back for a few deep breaths. the smile on your face when you make eye contact with him is sugary and satisfied before you return to the task of sucking him. 

but as much as yukhei always enjoy his cock in your mouth and he feels the slightest tightness in his stomach, the box on the table catches his attention.

he really has missed you. 

yukhei wants to feel you differently for now. he wants to feel more than the warmth of your mouth.

“babe...” 

your eyes turn up to him when you feel the gentle pats on your head. you reluctantly take him out and hum softly. he pushes his locks back. “can you stop and sit up?” 

he chuckles at the faint frown on your face. regardless though you obliged but not without one parting lick from the base to the top with a light kiss to the tip. then you’re sitting up and slowly dragging yourself up his legs to his thighs with your knees grazing the wood floors. his hands cups your heated face and brings you closer so he can kiss you. 

it’s chaste and sweet despite what your mouth has been doing the last few minutes. 

you break apart from him. “you know, i was enjoying that,” you murmur in teasing sadness alongside his grinning lips.

yukhei laughs and it makes the bottom of your lip jut out. but then the brushes on your skin makes you feel a bit better. “i was too, baby.” you whimper in response because you want him. “but i was thinking of something else we can enjoy first,” he whispers softly. 

you shoot him a questioning look. the box of condoms yukhei reaches for and holds in front of you. your lips break out in a bright beam. you place a peck on the tip of his nose and hum quietly. 

“i can still finish later though,” you insist with a twinkle in your eyes.

he nods, laughing once again. “most definitely, babe.”

your delighted squeal thinks maybe he shouldn’t have let you finished. but then you fist his cock again, going up and down as his fingers are sliding underneath the glue flaps of the box. you lean back a bit and place your feet on the floor to spread you legs a little wider. how wet you were before, you are more now because he sees the faintest darker shade of the fabric. his fingers gradually freeze and yukhei can’t help but smirk when you shift a few inches closer. one hand rest on his knees behind you and carefully you lift your hips up. 

then yukhei watches, entranced at how you begin to rub the underside of his cock alongside your cloth pussy. he feels the slightest graze of your folds. you whimper. your hips roll. your face warms. you are ready, excited and know exactly what you’re doing to him because his hand moves to rest on your hips.

“when are you going to unwrap me, baby?” you mewl seductively. “mmm, yukhei, i want your cock.”

and reluctantly his eyes leave the teasing show to look at you. what he finds is a sweet yet wicked look etched on your face. you whimper once more; the sound so enticing and desperate. 

yukhei shakes his head and bites his lip. “you’re going to kill me,” he chuckles almost bashfully. 

his words instantly make you giggle and you stop the motions of your hips. but you continue with tender caresses of his cock as he focus on ripping what he needs. the box he places back on the coffee table and you sit back down on his thighs, knees falling to the floor again. you watch in anticipation while he rips the foil. you let go of his cock for him to slowly roll the condom over his harden length. he grunts under his breath at the sensitivity. 

you rise on your knees. “can i ride you?” you request. 

the tip he pinches as he glimpses between you and the wooden floor. he pats your thigh. “stand up,” he says gently.

hands on his shoulders, you push yourself up to stand. yukhei glances up at you. for a moment you think he’s going to pull your underwear down. but he doesn’t. instead he reaches to rub you tenderly in the front, feeling the lace and mesh.

“so pretty,” he quietly murmurs with a smile. 

your face warms and yukhei brings himself up. his pajama bottoms slightly falls and he pushes them down until they’re at his feet. he steps out of them and his slippers before he takes a seat on the couch. his legs spread and a hand goes around his cock. you watch him give it a few long strokes and pumps.

yukhei looks up, the ends of his mouth curling up. “come here, baby.” he tells you, patting his thigh.

you walk the short distance and your hand he takes as you climb onto the couch and straddle his thighs once again. your feet on either side of him, he throws his head back a little. his hands massages your thighs and you hum at the tender strokes on your skin and the soft look on his face.

“is this okay? i didn’t want you hurting your knees on the floor. i thought it would be more comfortable like this,” he whispers.

your head tilts a bit. the warmth on your cheeks intensifies.

always sweet he is.

yukhei slowly begins folding up your sweatshirt again. his thumbs brushing over your lace covered your nipples. “yeah, i’m good,” you reassure him with a little grin.

you lift one of his hands and press a kiss to the middle of his palm. soon enough your eyes turn downcast. his cock you are holding gently and firmly again. you rise, crouching with your legs parted and your feet placed against the couch because this angle will be better. immediately yukhei cups your ass, massaging the exposed soft flesh. one hand grips onto his shoulder.

his long finger hooks onto the fabric between your ass, pulling it to the side again and away from your core. you hum happily at the slight coolness.

he gives you a soft nod. “let’s go, baby.”

with eyes connected and matching beams on your faces, you guide yourself down onto his cock. you mewl at the tip entering your pussy. the stretch feels too good and you can’t stop from huffing. he grunts lowly in his throat at the different kind of cozy his cock is surrounded by right now.

“yeah, keep going,” yukhei encourages faintly and affectionately.

when you are halfway down, you rise up until it’s just his tip is in you again. a deep breath you take and he watches you lick your lips before you sink back down just halfway. you repeat this once and then again, each time making him groan and want you a little more. 

then the base of his cock you finally let go. his eyes lower and your hand goes to your knee. yukhei manages to settle a hand on your waist to steady you without looking away. his plump lips are slightly parted at the sight of his cock little by little disappearing.

your walls feel like velvet and his cock feels at home.

and slowly but surely he fills you up, making you chew on the inside of your cheeks at the wonderful feeling of his cock finally and completely in your pussy after the last few weeks. you stare at him and his face is in awe. his cheeks puff out and his tongue sweeps across his curling lips. your body shifts and stills to adjust to him. he looks at where you and him connect and his hands rise up to make certain your sweatshirt will stay up so he can see your bouncing breasts. his head lifts to find you watching him with a sparkle in your eyes.

you giggle softly. “did you enjoy the show?” you coo.

yukhei wants to laugh. he wants to tell you he can watch you sinking down on his cock every day. but then you suddenly bounce once and twice and he thinks what he wants to tell you can maybe wait until later. your hands move to fist his t-shirt and his hand wipes across his mouth before they fall to his side. he’s watches the tiny smirk form on your face as you pant and fuck yourself down on his cock.

“mmm, yukhei. you feel so big, baby,” you whine, the sensations spreading through your body.

your covered breasts bounce with each of your movements despite being still covered and yukhei thinks the sight is absolutely hypnotizing. he huffs before smiling almost dreamily at you. he reaches for them, his light massages on your breasts makes you whimper. 

you slow your movements as his large hands cups them. gradually your knees lower and it takes a moment to steady your heavy breathing. his eyes find yours and you hum. within seconds then you start to roll your hips.

yukhei grunts and you grin. a deep breath you take to start up a consistent rhythm that makes him drop his hands from your breasts to grip onto your hips. 

he moans loudly. “yeah, baby, ride me. you like this, don’t you?” he swallows the large gulps of air as a sweet giggle suddenly escapes from you. your hands spread on his chest for better balance. never too slow and never too fast, you keep the nice and enticing pace going for a few minutes.

his half lidded eyes dance around you. he is mesmerized by the blissed look on your face and your slightly open mouth with the whines rolling out.

a hand rises and he cradles your cheek. yukhei leans forward and his lips finds yours in a bit of a messy and wet kiss. you moan into his mouth. he nips at you and the roll of your hips gradually halt so you can savor the kiss. noses brush against each other. his tongue glides into your mouth and your hands slide up to slither your arms around his neck loosely.

you pull back first, needing air and he hums softly and approvingly at how you lick your semi swollen lips. the upward curl of his wet lips is charming while yukhei settles his hand on your hip again. he nudges you gently and you laugh lightly before you start up once more, rocking down on his cock. you feel so full. your arms remain around his neck. a little quicker you move. your face stay so close to his. he watches you with fascination and love. it has you feeling heat spread over your cheeks. 

yukhei coos with each of your moans that you let out. his hands reach behind and he squeezes your ass. he closes the small distance between your mouth and this time the kiss is quick, but sweet. he smiles so lovingly yet you see the way his eyes darken a little.

he hums. “do you want a little help?”

you can’t help the tiny squeak that comes out. you can’t stop yourself from slowly grinning a little bit too much as you nod faintly because you like what will be happening next. you angle forward. he sits up a bit. your forehead is just mere inches away from his. your arms are still around him, but your hands are fisting his shirt by his collar behind his neck.

within seconds, he grips on your ass tightly. faint crescent moons are pressed into your supple ass. 

and yukhei is helping you along.

he moves you up and down, making you fuck yourself on his cock harder and faster. your mind is suddenly in a blur. the pace you had before is nothing like this. this is what he wants after the time apart. he is relentless and you feel yourself sink into the euphoria of his cock stroking your walls.   

you whine. “fuck, yukhei. baby, fuck .” your face and your sounds are desperate. “mmm, oh yeah, baby. fuck, baby.”

the air around him feels thicker. his breathing becomes heavier against your skin. the sounds from you grow higher and come out quicker. the tingling builds in your stomach. the sweatshirt falls once more and it’s hot. you want to open the window for the cold winter air. but you can’t utter a word of it because all you want is to get to your high. 

“oh fuck,” you moan. “faster, baby.” 

and for a split second yukhei manages to chuckle. “are you close?” he groans out. 

he is. he is so close because that slight tightness from when you were blowing him has been increasing ever since. but he wants it for you first. you nod, your whimpers begging him for more.

yukhei smiles softly. “don’t look away, okay? stay with me, baby.” 

and with eyes remaining as steady as possible with one another, he grants your wish. you’re fucking down on his cock quicker and with more force. his grip tightens and the muscles on his arms are more apparent. the pressure in your stomach grows and grows.

“come on, baby. you got this.”

yukhei encourages into your skin until you do.

your body is trembling as you sob out his name. there is a slight wetness at the corners of your eyes. your pants are heavy as you lean towards him, your damp forehead pressing against his own damp skin. you can’t fight it as your eyes shut for a moment. yukhei holds you tight and tries his best to breathe through his nose as he relishes the quick and sweet squeezes of your walls around his cock. 

slowly your gaze find his that has remained on your face and you stare with a small and almost shy smile at how he’s licking his lips.

a little more pressure he needs.

yukhei hums. “you okay?” 

a nod you give him and leisurely he begins to guide you back and forth on his cock. you’re so sensitive and the adorable whine that slips from you makes yukhei let out a breathless chuckle. your arms unwrap from around him and you place them on his board shoulders. a deep breath you take. your heart still thumps a little bit quicker than normal. but you shoot him a sweet grin. 

“let me, babe.”

he had given you your high. you will give him his. 

yukhei bobs his head as your knees dig a bit into the seat below him while the top of your feet anchors onto his thighs. his hands settle on your hips. soon enough they moving, alternating between deep circular motions and hard thrusts down. 

he huffs, his release just around the corner. “mmm, yeah. keep fucking yourself on me, baby.”

your eyes stay connected and breaths stay ragged. the living room fills with quiet whimpers and low grunts. the pressure in him builds with each of motions of your hips. you let go of his shoulder and he nods and chuckles as you work to push up the sweatshirt that has fallen. 

one of his hand reaches to cup your breast and you let out a tiny squeak. the added visual of just how truly beautiful you are to him, the remembrance that he is the only one who can touch you, does the trick. yukhei is digging his fingertips into your hips. his head he throws back and he lets out a string of whispered curses. he feels himself throb inside your faintly clenching walls.

you feel happy and tilt towards him to bestow kisses on his cheek. you shift, burying your face into the crook of his neck and take a deep breath. you rest for a minute and he lets you stay like this until you lift your head away and turn to him. yukhei does the same. he pushes up his glasses and you can’t help but notice how he looks a little fucked. the laugh you let out is like sugar and too infectious. he lazily removes himself from the back of the seat to get closer to you. his arms wrap around your waist, sneaking underneath the sweatshirt as your hands cup his face for a short moment before your arms go around his neck. you feel his thumb caressing lazy circles on your skin. 

your eyes take in his content and relaxed face. you tip forward to place a chaste affectionate kiss on his puckered lips. 

you smile alongside his mouth. “hi.”

his eyes shine. “hi yourself.”

a few inches you draw back to get a better look at his face once more. your gaze sweeps over his features and his soft look.

“you know you were suppose to unwrap me before you fuck me,” you murmur with a teasing and sweet curve of your lips.

yukhei shakes his head faintly. the curl of his mouth expands in front of your eyes and matches yours. “i thought it would be better to unwrap you on the bed,” he tells you with his voice soft and tone just as teasing.

the way your face lights up is unmistakable yukhei lets out an airy laugh that makes you feel warm. “but let me pull out first.”

you nod and shift back a little. he holds the base and you watch as he tugs himself out, a thread like string of your high is visible before it breaks. you pout at the lost connection. yukhei holds his cock, careful of not getting anything on his boxer briefs or his t-shirt even if he is certain laundry will be done at some time today. he leans forward to place a gentle peck to your lips.

“i’ll clean this up and meet you in the bedroom, okay? go wait for me.” yukhei whispers to you, giggling when your frown turns upside down.

one more fleeting kiss and he rests a hand on the side of your thigh as you unfold your legs and turn on his lap. you place your bare feet on the floor and stand, giving him a view of your smooth ass. but your legs feel like jelly and you are wet and sticky in between your legs. you hear the amused sound behind you and you freeze briefly to steady your balance. his hand holds on your elbow to steady you.

a second passes before you takes a step, giving yukhei the space to stand up himself. he lets go of your elbow and your feet slip into your slippers while he does the same. you turn around and press a slow and intense kiss to his mouth. yukhei pushes forward a bit, making you sigh and feeling a little bit more wet than you already are. but before he has a chance to slide his tongue into your warm mouth, you pull back. he watches the faint glimmer and mischief flickering in your eyes as your tongue peeks out to lick your lips.

yukhei nods with a twitch of his own wet lips. “i’ll be quick.”

walking through the wrapping paper and mess on the floor, you part ways. to the bathroom he turns to while you move towards the bedroom. 

the bed you usually have made in the morning is still messy. a holiday you tell yourself. and besides, it will be messy soon again anyway. you go to the large window to pull back the matching curtains from living room. you turn around and take the handful of steps to the bed. your slippers drop from your feet when you crawl on the mattress. two pillows you haphazardly put on top of one another before you lay down. you quietly sigh, curling onto your side as you bring your hand up. you eye the eighteen carat gold wrapped around your wrist.

you feel the flips of your stomach. the words engraved you whisper to yourself. you feel the warmth spreading from your chest to the tip of your toes.

he is something else entirely in a league of his own.

and when yukhei comes in a few minutes later, he finds you staring and enamored at the present. your fingertips graze the jewelry while the box of condoms he has brought in from the living room is placed on his bedside table. your gaze finally turns to look up at him. his cock is tucked back into his underwear. his hair is tied back in a little ponytail on the top of his head. combined with the frames on his face, you love this look on him. 

yukhei tilts his glasses up on his handsome face. a faint smile ghosts your face. “i love my present,” you tell him in the quietness.

how in love he is with you no one will ever understand.

yukhei chuckles in response. “and i love mines.” 

your face heats up within seconds. he climbs onto the bed, the mattress dipping a bit at the added weight. your eyes never break from his as yukhei moves to sit on the heels of his feet. he places his hands on your knees and twists you around until you’re laying flat on your back.

you hum, the sparkle shimmering in your eyes. yukhei drops tender kisses on your knees. “come on baby, let me see,” he whispers.

and then your legs he parts. the vibrant holiday red  of the fabric against your core is no longer because it is soaked in your wetness. it’s darker now and the pleased laughter rolls out his grinning mouth. you tilt your head. he runs a hand over his lips.

you chew on the inside of your bottom lip. “i’m so sticky.” you jut your lower lip out playfully. 

yukhei chuckles because he knows what you want. he shifts, reaching for the thin band of your underwear. slowly but surely he unwraps you. the fabric he drags down your legs and once it’s completely and finally off of you, he drops it on the floor. you spread your legs open immediately. you let out the sweet sighs of relief and contentment as cool air grazes your pussy. it really feels so nice and yukhei thinks it really looks so nice because he marvels at the glisten of your folds and core.  

he licks his lips. “tell me what you want, baby?” yukhei asks, grabbing a pillow besides him. 

for a moment he fluffs it before he’s tapping on your hips to rise. he tucks it underneath your ass. his hands rub your thighs softly as you shift a bit, adjusting to the angle and added height to your bottom. the sweatshirt still on your body has risen and the peek of lace and mesh underneath yukhei sees when you stop moving. he pushes up the white material a few inches to watch the steady rise and fall of your lace covered breasts. he reaches up and cups both of them. soft massages and light caresses over your nipples has you humming.

no matter how powerful his hands can be, lifting up twenty five pound weights to boxing and hitting punching bags, his touches are the softest and most affectionate. 

yukhei brings his attention back up to your face. you play pretend, thinking for a second to an answer for his question. the sweet trouble and the teasing returns.

“i want your cock again, yukhei,” you state so calmly and innocently.

the void between your legs and the emptiness in your pussy you want and need to be filled once more.

yukhei smirks and feels the satisfaction in him while letting out an airy laugh and nods. it’s a simple request that he can definitely do again. he gets comfortable sitting on his heels and you stare as palms himself. he has a slight bulge already from what you can see. excited you are once more. 

“but how about…” 

he parts open your legs a little wider and pushes them up. his large hands presses down on the underside of your thighs. your gaze he finds again. 

“i just take a taste first, okay?” he smiles because he really cannot resist. 

not when you are so wet. not when he hasn’t eaten you in so long.

you don’t hesitate to quickly nod, the curve of your lips widening because you love his tongue in your pussy as well. yukhei watches as your hand goes to your still slightly sensitive pussy. you whimper, sliding two fingers alongside your folds before parting them from the stickiness and inviting him. the sight has him beaming foolishly, eyes fixated at you teasing yourself and him. then his body lowers and his face descends between your legs. your hand you remove and you lightly hold onto the corners of the pillows underneath your head. you let out a content purr when you hear him take the deep breath against your pussy, inhaling the scent of you. 

it should make you shy. but instead it makes you feel simply wanted and loved. 

the first lick yukhei bestows upon your pussy has you whining. he hums in satisfaction as your juices coat his tongue. he listens to the heavy breaths you’re taking from above and another lick he takes.

how much you enjoy sucking him, he enjoys eating you just as much. 

“baby…”

yukhei chuckles at your neediness, the air tickling your core. a handful of kitten licks he gives it. then gradually he begins to suck, taking your clit and folds between his plump lips. you’re whimpering now, your hands moving to grip onto the bedsheets. you try rolling your hips or closing your legs around him. but it is impossible. his hold on you is tender yet firm as yukhei eats your pussy like he’s kissing your lips. 

sweet yet intense. 

slow but desperate.

and when his tongue is diving deep into your heat and your back arches off the bed with a loud gasp, you are reminded of the way his tongue slides into your mouth. 

smooth and hungry. 

it draws loud moans from your open mouth. “fuck, baby, fuck.” 

yukhei does it again before his wet muscle retreats a little. he goes back to licking and sucking your clit, the sounds echoing in the bedroom. you lift your head a little and move your hand to his head.

you gently flick his tiny apple ponytail and lightly tap him. it takes a moment to pull his attention from eating and enjoying you before he actually looks up. you let out a tiny pleased squeal at his pillowy lips that are shiny and his chin that is glossy. the charming smile his mouth is forming makes your face warm and you desperately want a taste. 

you playfully scrunch up your nose. “sharing is caring.” your voice is sweet and your eyes twinkle.

yukhei laughs lowly and bends his head down to your core again. he sucks on your clit a few more times and laps up what he can before he pushes himself up. he hovers over you within seconds. your arms circle his neck and you bring him closer to capture his lips in yours. you moan into his mouth, your essence you are savoring on him sends a rush to your pussy. the kiss is messy and frantic. your hand threads up his neck to hold and angle him a bit. your tongue slips into his mouth. your feet lowers and your toes graze the back of his legs. 

he pulls apart a minute later for air to fill his lungs. with a delighted smile, you take a quick swipe across his plump lips and pepper a handful of soft kisses and short licks over his chin. it has you and him giggling incessantly.

a faint tug you feel on your sweatshirt. “you ready to take this off?”

you playfully hold out your arms. “i’ve been waiting,” you answer.

yukhei shakes his head in amusement, grabbing the hem of it. it takes a little effort for it to be over your head and off your arms. the heat is on, but there is still the slightest hint of winter air in the room. you feel your nipples hardening. he drops the sweatshirt besides you on the bed and turns his gaze down, fixated at just how beautiful you are and how lucky he is. his wide eyes shine brighter than the lights on the christmas tree in the living room. he bends down until he’s over you once again.

“i didn’t want you getting cold,” yukhei informs you truthfully and shyly.

his response makes your face heat and your heart skips. you tilt your head, moistening your lips while your fingertips trace the boyish grin etching on his face. 

you nod faintly. “then keep me warm,” you challenge him.

his breath fans your skin when he laughs lowly. his nose brushes yours and yukhei grazes your lips like feathers tickling you until you’re pouting a little. he kisses you again, but it isn’t for long because his mouth detaches from yours with a parting bite and travels down to your neck. you inhale deeply to calm your thumping heart as your head turns and eyes close. he’s licking and sucking at your damp skin for a moment and then journeys lower. he bestows kisses from your collarbone to your right shoulder before starting the path to the lace and mesh he has yet to discard from your body.

sweet sighs leave your mouth when your feel the light sucks to your covered nipples. your hand reaches to stroke the back of his head and the nape of his neck. yukhei works them until there is a very wet spot over the tip of them. his face he buries between the valleys of your breasts and he breathes in deep. he smiles faintly to himself, loving the scent of everything on your skin right now.

slowly your eyes open just as his hands cup your breasts to give it a gentle squeeze. you whimper when he’s moving back. yukhei sits on his heels once more. you push and prop yourself up on your elbows as he palms himself again.

you fix your eyes to where his hand is. “how hard are you right now, baby?” 

the question comes out with a sugary beam. the look you give him is sweet.

you turn your attention back to his face momentarily. yukhei coolly adjusts his glasses with a confident lip bite, signaling you to be prepared. but you playfully swoon and it makes him break out in a light fit of giggles. he rubs over his shielded cock and your gaze directs back down. the hem of his t-shirt he lifts. his fingers hook onto the front of the leopard print waistband of his boxer briefs. the black fabric he lowers and his cock gradually comes out until it is in full view.

he smirks so boldly. “yeah, baby, i’m good.”

yukhei tells you as if you don’t see it for yourself. he tells you as if the faint little squeals aren’t slipping from your smiling mouth at how hard his cock is again. he tells you as if you aren’t admiring at the reddening head.

you mewl in anticipation and stare with delight as yukhei pushes his underwear all the way down and shifts on the bed to take them off his long legs. he drops it on the floor and turns back to you. he kneels in front of you again and you stare at  him. the grin on his face is mischievous and his eyes are filled with want and teasing trouble. he reaches for the hem of his t-shirt and pulls it over his head in one swift motion. he tosses it to the floor too. then he looks at you from atop his round gold frames before he tilts them back up and runs his tongue over his teeth. a beam full of coolness and a quirk of his brows, yukhei places his hands behind his head like a model for you. 

he’s beautiful inside and out.

the muscles on his arms are visible and you can outline each of the curves with your eyes. the lines on his torso are prominent. the v line you had a sneak peek of this morning when he stretched is now fully visible. and then he is flexing. you’re left chuckling softly with very heated cheeks, sparkling eyes and another quick rush to your pussy when he also throws a wink in your direction.

“still think i’m hot, babe?” yukhei questions teasingly.

you nod with a wide smile, going to him in seconds to erase the short distance between your bodies. you lick at his hard nipples. kisses you dot over his chest and down to the head of the lion inked onto his pretty and smooth skin before moving back up. your fingers reach up to grasp his jawline, pulling him to your mouth to kiss him eagerly. his hands drop and he slips them between your bodies. you part away in time to see him fist himself.

his strokes move up and down smoothly. your stare dances between his hand and his dark gaze that is watching your reaction. glee and enthusiasm color your face and fills your eyes. there is a tiny amount of precum sitting at the head of his cock. when he is able to hold eye contact with you for a mere moment longer, yukhei gestures to the box of condoms on his bedside table with a jut of his chin.

he huffs. “can you get one for me?”

you hum, shuffle back to get it. you open the box and tear one from the rest and shift back towards him again.

his free hand extends for the item in your grasp. you put it in his palm and his words of gratitude is soft. within a second of his hand letting go of his cock so he can open the package, your touch replaces his. he’s so heavy as always in your hands. the feeling of those ridges and veins you had against your tongue earlier are prominent under your gentle strokes. the penny sized amount of precum that grows makes you swallow the dry lump in your throat. you shoot yukhei a quick devilish look as he pulls out the condom.

“how about i just take a taste?”

and the question he had asked you rings in his ears now. his deep laughter makes you sweetly bat your lashes at him because a taste of his cock you already had. yukhei nods with the small smile appearing on his face soon afterwards.

you make sure he is looking at you as you move forward and your lips wrap around the head. you moan in satisfaction at the stickiness that coats your tongue. you feel the wetness pooling in your pussy. yukhei’s deep laughter turns into a deep groan above as you suckle on the tip like a lollipop. he gives you a minute, staring at your hands caressing his length  that is not in your mouth. gradually your lips moves back and your tongue twists and sweeps around his tip that is growing sensitive. he pats you on your head.

there’s a little love drunk smile on his face. “baby, you ready?” he pants out.

you nod. “i will finish later,” you declare because you want him painting your mouth and throat. one last flick of your tongue across the slit has yukhei chuckling. 

“we can both finish, later.” you hum  in joy at the thought of his tongue and lips against your pussy again. you lean up and press a kiss to his chest right above his beating heart and the action warms his soul. “can you lay down for me?” he requests lovingly.

a bob of you head you give him and you move away and back. the corners of your mouth twitch up. you return to your previous position and get comfortable with the pillows underneath you once more. your arms you throw over your head in a little stretch as yukhei rolls on the condom over his cock with a sharp breath. when he pinches the tip, he glances up at you. your legs are folded, lifted and spread like before. your glistening pussy is inviting him once more to be loved and filled. 

“fuck me, yukhei,” you sweetly command. 

the way you are staring at him with your eyes and smile shining is blinding. he licks the ends of his lips and smirks as he moves across the bed, closing the space to get to you. then one hand he holds onto you hip while his other grips the base of his cock. you reach out, softly clutching his hard muscles. your head rises, hoping to get a glimpse of him sliding into pussy.

but he doesn’t.

yukhei ends up rubbing his cock over your aching core. you whine. “babe, you’re teasing me.” the pout on your face is cute. he shakes his head with a giggle before kissing it away gently.

then yukhei shifts, pumping his cock with a few swift strokes before he’s over you once again. you and him watch and moan together as he carefully and gradually guides himself into your wetness. despite the session on the couch and his mouth, the stretch remains tantalizing. 

yukhei grunts. “you like the show, baby?” 

halfway in and he remembers your question in between the dizzying feelings. your tear your eyes from the connection of your bodies to twist it up at him. his lips are pressed tightly together, his dimples making an appearance. he draws in some air for his lungs and exhales slowly.

little by little he pulls out. you whine and chew on your lower lip. yukhei pushes forward again, deeper than he had been in before. 

“hmm, you feel so fucking good,” you gasp out.

your attention lowers back once more to finish watching him sink into you. the pride spreads in him as you shift and whimper, your head falls back down on the pillow. you're panting and feeling full. his free hand sets on the underside of your thigh, gently rubbing it. he smiles softly at you. a deep breath you take as you relish the feeling of him in you again. gazes connect and glow with want and love.

“yukhei, please move, baby,” you’re nearly begging.

he is chuckling but he does.

his thrusts are slow and affectionate. his grip on your hip tightens a touch. the pretty melody coming from you mixes with the huffs from him. the hand on your thigh continues to stay, helping to keep your legs open and spread wide so he can see so clearly how he is fucking you.

“yeah, you like this, baby?” yukhei coos, his pace steady. “me fucking you again?”

you moan, you body feeling warmer. “mmhmm, yeah, baby.” your hands drop, fingers clutching to his forearms before they go to the pillows beneath your head firmly. “yeah, fuck, baby. faster, yukhei.” your request is sweet and needy and he watches the teasing smile appear on your face with each of his thrusts. 

so fucking good he feels. so fucking good it feels to have his cock stroke your walls.

yukhei looks down, his eyes outlining at how your legs are. deeper he can go into you like this.  your pussy is swallowing each of his thrusts. he tears his eyes away from the beautiful image to look at you. your face is so pretty with your sparking eyes and your parted mouth. whimpers roll out without abandonment.

“harder, baby,” you gasp out.

it feels so amazing. you feel so amazing right now.

he picks up a little speed and puts a little more force into his thrusts at your words. beyond the pride and confidence he feels spreading in his chest, yukhei feels the love. only he can fuck you, feel you and make you release the prettiest melodies. 

“yeah, baby, like that. mmm, please don’t stop,” you whimper.

your covered breasts still bounce despite their confinements. he lets out a low devilish laugh under his breath before a smile spreads across his face. he lowers his eyes again, moaning and fixating on the beauty of his cock sliding in and out so smoothly.

yukhei swallows the thick air around him. “you take my cock so well. look how fucking deep you can take it.” you wished you can, but you can’t. the pleasure coursing through you feels too wonderful for you to want to do anything but to let him fuck you over and over. his gaze finds yours, his hips pushing forward quicker and harder. “this how you want me to fuck you, baby? you feel so amazing.”

you nod, the sound of his cock pumping into your wetness combining with your whimpers turning into desperate moans fill the bedroom. it's feeling too hot and the pressure again starts up in the pit of your stomach.

“you fuck me so good,” you pant. your fingers tighten on the pillowcase. you lick your lips. “mmm, yeah, so good.”

yukhei groans. his cheeks puffing up momentarily at the sudden heat in his own abdomen. the sight and the noises of you he can be surrounded with all day. his hand leaves your hip and goes to your breasts. you watch and expect him to slide his hand underneath and flick on the tiny hooks. but he doesn’t. instead his large heated hand tugs out your breasts in two quick motions. your bouncing breasts are exposed and you gasp out loudly. within seconds your nipples are hardening a bit more from the air. yukhei chuckles and moans at how they jiggle so freely.

he reaches for them. a light squeeze to your supple flesh and brushes over your nipples elicit a needy whine and yukhei grunts. his thrusts quicken even more, his hips snapping so rhythmically and in an instant the whines from you come out higher. 

yukhei smirks, the confidence soaring through his body. “yeah, baby. you’re doing so good for me,” he groans out.

despite his praise, you feel the position getting to you. the soreness is starting to set in. you let go of the pillow. your hands grip onto your thighs, keeping them open for him. 

your world is spinning. “fuck, baby. make me come, yukhei.” your desperate words sound so beautiful.

the tingling in your abdomen is really undeniable. you can’t stop your eyes from falling shut. the air around you feels too heavy.

so close. so close. so close.

the hard and deep thrusts, his cock dragging against your pussy walls relentlessly contrasts to the way yukhei softly coos. “babe, look at me.” your heart beats rapidly and your breaths are uneven. “come on, baby, eyes on me.” and his gentle words coax you and bit by bit until your eyes open to meet a charming and adoring smile on his face.

he leans down. his hips slow just a touch so he is able to press a full and soft kiss to your mouth. you let go of one of your thighs to reach up and cup his damp cheek. the pad of your thumb brushes his bottom lip momentarily when he pulls away. yukhei puckers his mouth against your skin.

“are you close?” his question is quiet and you manage out a long high whimper. he starts to fuck you faster again. the ends of his mouth curl up. “i got you,” he tells you affectionately.

then both his hands grasp your hips while your hands pull at your thighs once more to hold them apart. his goal to make you reach your high he sets to as his pace becomes so fucking sweet and delicious.

“yukhei, yukhei, mmm, baby.” the moans roll out of you and it fans the fire in his stomach. “fuck, yukhei.”

and when your velvet walls begin to contract and the cry of his name echoes in the bedroom, you try your hardest to keep your slightly glazed eyes steadily on him. yukhei smiles warmly and so proudly at the you. he slows his movements, but never stops. his praises are gentle and loving. he watches the quick rise and fall of your chest as your hands fall beside you, unable to hold your trembling thighs.

but yukhei catches them. 

softly he brings them to wrap around his waist. he rubs and massages at your flesh until you calm a bit, the walls of your pussy pressing around his cock between longer periods. he inclines forward again. the tiny shift of his cock still nestled inside causes you to squeak. 

half a dozen short and loving pecks he presses on you. “just a little more,” yukhei murmurs with a tiny glint in his gaze.

a soft beam appears as he moves back into position. he takes a deep breath and watches that despite how spent you are, you reach up to cup your breasts. he chuckles, staring as you play with them. those slow movements he had kept going turns into a solid pace and before yukhei realizes your sweet whimpers are filling the bedroom again.

it feels like a sweltering summer afternoon in the room. your skin is sticking to the bedsheets so bad. you roll your nipples between your fingers, the curve of your pretty lips teasing.

“yeah, mmm, faster. fuck me harder, yukhei.” you stare up at him with a nod faintly.

yukhei feels a sudden clench of your walls and groans loudly. “fuck.” he is close.

his thrusts a bit harder and deeper. he watches through labored breaths as your hand leaves your breasts and descends. you find your clit, rubbing it with each smooth roll of his hips.

an airy and uneven laugh comes from his plump lips. “baby, you want more?”

yukhei stares at you as if you aren’t real. he’s fucking you as if you aren’t already so fucked. you manage a breathless giggle in between your satisfied moans, ready to come together with him.

“meet me,” you whimper with a grin and for a minute the room once more is filled with only the desperate and proud sounds of you and him.

it doesn’t take too long then. you watch the slightest change on his damp handsome face and his curses echo. the noise from deep within his throat resembles a growl and yukhei freezes momentarily, admiring you through half lidded eyes and a pleased smile. you chew on your bottom lip and lift your fingers from your clit. you hold them up to his mouth and he moves forward. yukhei sucks on them gently as you mewl and give him the slightest nod.

he begins to rock his hips once more, still feeling his cock pulsating a little. his hands squeeze your flesh and in seconds you’re clenching so hard around him again. yukhei laughs lowly and in delight as you moan quietly.

your shaking thighs he’s caressing once more. “shhh, you’re so good, baby,” he whispers. 

the bedroom suddenly fills with the softest shushes and more praises. his eyes on you are glowing with nothing but love and you can’t control the sugary curl of your lips while trying to catch your breath. it takes a few minutes before the waves in your bodies subside. his hands glide up your sides and he’s leaning down to capture your mouth and kiss you tenderly. your hand cups his damp and hot cheek and you kiss him back with a soft giggle.

yukhei hums. “you okay?”

your head angles a bit and you bob your head. your other hand rises, fingertips moving to brush up and down his strong arms.

“yeah, i’m really good right now.”

there’s teasing in his gaze. “are you warm though?” he chuckles.

the sheen over your bodies is too visible. “it feels like summer right now,” you tell him in sweet jest.

yukhei snorts faintly, the sound making you laugh even more as he taps your sore thighs lightly before unhooking your legs from his waist. carefully he places them on the bed. your tired legs fall open instantly with a whimper from your mouth.

“i’m going to pull out,” he tells you softly.

the cute little whine yukhei hears and he chuckles. as much as he would love to be nestled in you, he cannot. he presses a tiny peck to the tip of your nose and nearly drags his cock out, causing a light shiver through your body. you wipe your hand across the light layer of sweat on your forehead as he slowly moves away from you and stands. you watch in silence, appreciating everything about his naked form while he carefully pulls off the filled condom and ties a knot on the top. yukhei wraps it up with a tissue and finds the foil packaging on the floor too before discarding it.  once he turns around to you, he is met with  a bashful smile on your face. he steps back towards you.

yukhei bends down and places a short and affectionate kiss against your mouth. “i’ll be right back,” he whispers quietly.

“okay.” you palm his cheek and he turns his head and puckers his lips into it. 

a tiny hum escapes you before your hand drops. he stands and twists away. you stare at his retreating back with ink across his shoulder blades and back as he steps out of the bedroom.

yukhei walks across the wood floors and enters the bathroom. he flicks open the lights. the faucet he turns on and he works for a moment on cleaning himself up once more. when he is done, he goes to the bathroom closet and takes the neatly folded yellow washcloth off the bottom shelf.

for most days showers are afterwards. but on some days when it is a slow and lazy day like today, it is option two. yukhei wets the washcloth with the almost hot water until he can’t handle it anymore and squeezes out nearly all the excess water. the light he shuts off and the bathroom he exits with the washcloth in his hand. into the living room with wrapping paper still scattered on the floor, he pads through it to retrieve your mug of green tea and the discarded pajama bottoms. he throws both pairs over his shoulders and into the kitchen he walks to.

the water in the kettle is no longer hot, but still it’s very warm. yukhei fills the mug back almost to the brim before he takes two long sips. the liquid is soothing on his throat after everything. he refills it again and cautiously makes his way back to the bedroom and you.  

and once he gets to the entrance of the room, yukhei finds you with your eyes shut and your legs closed. your breasts are still exposed and your nipples remain hard from the exposure. his presence you immediately sense even after he takes a quiet and cautious step in. you open your gaze to find him moving to you. the mug of green he extends forward and slowly you sit up. there’s a slight soreness in your body as you lift your hand to take what he is offering. you are certain the tea is probably cold, but some liquid down your throat will feel nice right now.

you are surprised though. 

when the tea touches your lips,  the tugs on your heart you feel.

he knows.

unless it is suppose to be iced, your tea hot or warm you prefer.

“the water was still warm,” yukhei informs you. he watches with a small smile as the ends of your mouth curl happily.

another sip you take. “thanks, babe.”

you are about to shift back to place the mug on his bedside table, but yukhei stops you. he takes it from you instead and drinks a little more before placing the mug besides the box of condoms. he turns back to you, tossing the pajama bottoms on his shoulders by the corner of the bed. the now warm washcloth in his hand you finally notice.

“can you lay down for me?” 

and why and how yukhei says it now differs than before. you hum and do so as he climbs back onto the bed. gently then he spreads yours legs with your pussy coming into his view again. he licks his lips and his eyes darts from your wetness to the way you are staring at him with a little twinkle in your gaze. then in sweet silence and with the utmost care and love, yukhei cleans you up. 

there are faint little wrinkles forming on his forehead. you feel and hear the thumps of your heart. 

you reach for his hand that is resting on your thigh, covering it with your own. “so attentive,” you whisper with a faint curve of your mouth. 

yukhei can’t stop himself from giggling shyly while glancing up at you for a quick second. “i like taking care of you,” he tells you with his voice low, deep and full of sincerity.

just like how you like taking care of him. 

and when he is done and sure you are clean, yukhei drops the washcloth on the floor besides your underwear. he will put them in the washer later. his thumb brushes softly over the sides of your pussy and grazes your folds. you let out a quiet gasp at his touches and it takes you a moment to clear your throat and flick at the little ponytail that still is in good shape on his head. 

“you know, it is pointless cleaning me if you do that afterwards, babe.” you remark teasingly.

his fingers can make you come and mixed with the sensitive state your pussy is currently, he knows it will not take long. 

yukhei tears his eyes from your core with a breathless chuckle and his face warms. he smiles boyishly. “sorry.” it's a soft apology and immediately you and him are softly laughing because both of you know he doesn’t fully mean it. 

his arms snake around your waist and it makes you giggle because yukhei moves from one part of your body to another. he presses kisses over and between your full breasts. he gives you a quick glimpse pass the top of his gold rimmed frames and you hum happily and watch as his lips shift over to one of your harden nipples. you sigh and hold the back of his head. he bestows gentle sucks and flicks of his tongue between the tender nibbles. 

he moans against your chest and small pleased sounds roll out from your mouth. the tiny suctions noises lets you know how much he is enjoying himself as you bring your feet to press against the back of his calves. after a minute yukhei switches, lavishing your other breast with the same and equal amount of love and attention. 

two parting nips he leaves on the peaks before he shifts back. yukhei rolls your wet nipples between his index finger and thumb like they aren’t hard already. he grins and you whimper as he cups and pushes your breasts together. so soft and absolutely perfect they are in his grasp. he gives them a soft jiggle that makes you whine a little and wonder if all that cleaning up he has done will really be for nothing.

a little spent you are, but you can go again. 

then to your surprise, you stare as he tugs back up the lace cups. he tucks your breasts back in, making sure the mesh is against your skin so nicely. your brow arches and yukhei thinks your breasts are looking like a present again for him bow and all. his eyes connect to yours, fixing his glasses. 

yukhei is smirking faintly. “remember this is like a two in one present.” he wiggles his eyebrows, the pad of his thumb swiping across his lips. “so for later, babe.” his laughter is light and infectious.

all day he has with you. 

your own laugh echoes his. you nod, your eyes twinkling with eagerness of what will come of later, of how he will fuck you once everything is truly unwrapped. 

yukhei strokes your thighs and you close your legs and stretch with a sigh. he climbs off the bed and turns to walk to the dresser. the second drawer he pulls open and the vivid red pair of boxer briefs he knows you like very much and that goes with this holiday he takes out. yukhei spins around and you chuckle softly when you notice the color in his hand. his eyes connect to yours as he pulls the underwear on with a wide grin on his face. he tucks and adjusts himself and you wink and gesture your approval of how he looks.

the drawer he closes. “do you need anything?” he reaches for his pair of pajama bottoms and slips his long legs in them while glancing at your naked lower half with a tiny crooked smile.

you know what he’s wondering but you just smile and shake your head. he pulls the hair tie off and you chuckle at the way his hair stands up. then slowly you shift to pat the empty space beside you because he’s really all you want and need right now.

yukhei giggles, threading and fluffing back his hair. “yeah, that i can definitely do,” he replies, moving back to  you.

the pillow underneath your body you finally tug out while he rearranges the others on the bed. he tucks one under your feet. another he places for his own feet to rest. your discarded sweatshirt he notices and fans out. your pair of pajama bottoms he tosses onto the spot where your sweatshirt had been. when you shift to give him the space to share the same pillow even if he can have his own, yukhei drapes the sweatshirt over your middle. 

“thank you.”

he nods with a soft beam and brings up the comforter and blanket next to cover your bodies as he lays on his back. even if you’re feeling still feeling a bit warm and there’s still the faintest dampness on his body, it’s still winter. the sweat of your bodies will dissipate. he doesn’t want you getting cold.

you erase the few inches between your bodies and cuddle up to him. yukhei slips his arm around you, welcoming the feel of your body against his. he appreciates the curves of your form and the way your legs begin to tangle with his. you look at him, your fingertips grazing back and forth on his chest and brushing over his nipples. he sighs in contentment and presses a long pucker to your temple. when he pulls back, he is smiling foolishly and you raise a hand to adjust his glasses.

yukhei hums. “how are your legs?” he quietly and humorously inquires. 

“sore,” your response is quick and your voice is playful. “are you going to do something about it?” your lips purse together in a tiny frown that has him releasing a light little chuckle.

his free arms crosses over. his touch glides over your ass and yukhei gives it a small squeeze before it settles on your thigh. his grip is gentle and he tugs on your leg until it’s over his own thighs. in seconds he’s massaging and caressing your flesh in soothing circular motions that makes your pout disappear. 

yukhei stares at you. “how’s this, hmm?” 

“yeah, it feels better, babe.” you hum delightedly.   

he leans closer and kisses you quickly yet warmly. “good.” 

then he turns his attention towards the ceiling. his eyes close momentarily as yours turn downcast to his chest and your hand on it. for a little while then, his touch continues on and time ticks away as your bodies eventually cools down. you and him stay in bed in this position and in the quiet that is calming. 

you think you can get used to it. you want more of this. 

christmas mornings with him. 

you snuggle a bit closer to him. the sheets and covers rustle a bit with your movements. yukhei open his eyes and you feel a light little nudge from him. you turn your attention back to his face that is shy and grinning. 

“can i you a question?” 

he pulls back just enough to get a clearer view of you. his hands stops moving. there is curiosity in his gaze and interest in his tone. you nod. 

“when did you put this on?” and then you feel his arm unwrap from your waist, his hand traveling up the small of your back to the clasp of the bra. you hum. “cause when we were in bed this morning, i swear i didn’t feel this.” he finishes with a happy but disbelief  laugh that has you giggling. 

you shake your head. your eyes widening teasingly as you bring a finger to your smiling lips. “secrets, yukhei,” you inform him. then a wink you throw his way. 

he nods slowly and his eyes narrows at you in sweet suspicion. the curl of his lips undeniably expands. “how did you know i would get it so soon?” 

another shake of your head you give him while you giggle even more. “i didn’t. i was going to make you play until you would eventually get it. i really didn’t expected it until much later.” 

yukhei lets out a loud and playful chuckle before he is tipping forward to place a kiss on your mouth. it’s gentle, warm and makes you sigh into his mouth. he backs away a minute later with a sweet grin and licks at his lips. 

“just so you know, my intention this morning when i woke you up was really to just spend christmas morning with you,” he murmurs boyishly.

your giggles turn into sugary laughter. “and now?” there’s a spark glittering in your eyes. 

yukhei moves to press his forehead to yours as his body twists a bit. he’s over you, sandwiching you between his warm body and the bed as the sweatshirt falls. lace is pressed against his skin. the tip of his nose grazes yours. an arm you throw over his shoulder. he feels nothing but love and want for you. the butterflies inside of you flutter once more. the kiss he gives you is soft. 

“and now i’m thinking of waking you up early next christmas, too,” he whispers with the ends of his mouth twitching up. “what do you think of that?” 

a lifetime of christmas mornings he wants with you. 

the playful shocked expression colors your face. “you’re going to give up more sleep for me?” you joke softly and dramatically. and it makes him laugh for a long moment because yukhei wonders if you realize, if you know how he will give up so much more for you. the sounds from him little by little quiet down and his gaze fixes on yours and he nods. 

the small beam across his face glows. “for you, baby… anything.” 

you can’t stop the sudden light sting in your eyes and roll your them playfully to rid of the faint blur. then it’s your turn to nod, the images of a future with him building in your head. “i think that sounds like a plan.” and your whispered words tickle his lips and his heart. 

three more kiss yukhei gives you and the plan is official. he shifts to lay on his back again. you move until your head is right next to his and soon after, you and him take back the same position. the sweatshirt he brings back over your cooling skin while touches over one another’s body resumes.

yukhei draws in a deep breath. “i can’t believe the year is ending already,” he sighs, taking a peek past you to glance out the window. 

still cloudy it is outside. too cold he is certain. a whirlwind it has felt like. the months have passed too quickly. the seasons have changed before he truly enjoyed them thoroughly. and now there are six more full days left to the year. there are still things left to do. 

“it went by so fast, didn’t it?” he whispers almost longingly. 

you look at him and yukhei still stares at the world outside. “hmm, you’ve had a busy year, babe,” you murmur with the ends of your lips twitching. 

participating in multiple albums. practices all day. promotions and interviews with news stations and magazines. going on a tour around the world. meeting fans in different countries. he has been on a constant move and everything he deserves he is getting.

your fingertips stop moving on his chest. you gently nudge him with your forehead until he tears his gaze away from the sky. yukhei hums softly and gives you a sweet closed lipped smile. “but it was a good year for you and i’m very proud of you. you know that, right? always i am proud of you.”

yukhei doesn’t waste a second before he leans over and kisses you lovingly. 

he knows. 

you tell him even when he feels it. you remind him when he forgets.  you reassure him when he doubts himself.

“thank you.” yukhei hugs you closer to him, grateful and appreciative doesn’t come close to how he feels with you by his side. “and you too… you had a good year.” a new job you had started nearly four months ago to make all the years of university worth it. “i’m proud of you too,” he says, his words laced with sincerity. “always i am proud of you, too.” 

your cheeks warm a touch and you chuckle lightly. as much of a supporter you are to him, he cheers for you like no other. “thanks, baby.” he nods and places his mouth to your forehead. 

it grows quiet for a minute before yukhei speaks against your skin. “and you know, i think we had a good year, too.” 

a moment it takes for you to register that what he means. 

you and him together this past year. 

yukhei is certain his love for you has grown. deeper and deeper he continues to fall in love with you. weeks apart at times you and him have endured. the adjustments of living together has been filled with conversations and understanding. and what yukhei had told you that day he moved in he still means it. 

he is happy as long as you are happy when he walks through the front door.

yukhei puckers his mouth and kisses your forehead again. when he shifts back to look at you clearly, there’s light in his eyes. it’s the same light when he gets to perform.  it’s the same light when he’s too excited about something he loves. the warmth spreading over your cheeks is intensifying because with every passing second he continues to stare intently at you.

“thanks for asking me to move in,” yukhei finally whispers, his voice soft and a little shy. 

the thumps of your heart are stronger. the corners of your eyes crinkle with the soft beam appearing before him. you can’t stop the soft surgary chuckles. 

this new adventure that has started nearly a year ago still feel like an adventure to this very moment. so much more with him, of him there is left to explore. each moment with him you continue to cherish. those kisses shared when he wakes with his face soft and relaxed makes you feel lucky. the kisses before you close your eyes in the night  when he smiles faintly and dreamily makes you feel safe. 

you bring your hand up, brushing along his jawline. “thanks for saying yes.” your voice matches his and it makes him laugh, the sound sending light vibrations from his chest. 

yukhei's hugging you again. it’s tighter than before and giggles are slipping pass your curved lips. he bends his head to leave sweet loving kisses on your mouth and the tip of your nose before he buries his face into the crook of your neck. he stays in place for moment, just pressing and feeling your body against his. you twist and tug your arms out so you can wrap them around his neck just as tightly.

loving him, being in love with him remains magical and wonderful.  it makes you feel ridiculous and powerful all at once. 

you tilt your head, resting beside his ear. your lips graze the shell of it just by his earring and yukhei softly grins to himself. a deep breath he hears. slowly it is let out.

“do you think we’re going to have a good year next year, too?”

yukhei is not completely sure if it’s fear he hears a twinge of. but he hears something that pulls at his heartstrings and makes him shift so he can look at you. and you do for a fleeting moment before you avoid his gaze and fix it at his pillowy lips that you can never get tired of kissing. 

he lets the seconds pass by, feeling your light strokes on his skin while he waits. quiet you remain though and he has no choice but to lean forward. his forehead presses against yours and you have no way out. those lips you have been staring at twitch up faintly. he bobs his head shortly. 

“i think we’re going to have a great year,” yukhei states softly yet firmly

the slight tightness forms in your chest and your eyes sting a touch because it is not your intention to make him concern. you nod almost embarrassingly as the apology rolls out. “sorry… i didn’t mean to make you worry.” 

and yukhei shakes his head because he wants you to tell him what is your mind. even if it’s a passing moment like this and you need the smallest of the reminders, he wants to know.

he pauses for a second. “what are you thinking about?” his tone is soothing and warm. 

you hum, hazy gaze dancing over his face. “i’m thinking about how ridiculously in love i am with you,” you whisper with a tiny smile and heart beating rapidly. 

yukhei chuckles. “well that’s good because i’m ridiculously in love with you too.” you bite on your lower lip, watching him nod. so much more he is anticipating with you within the new year. “we, we are going to have a great year next year. i promise.” the spark and love in his wide eyes is very apparent.

“it’s you and me, baby.” 

the gentle words of what you had said to him once upon a time ago, of what he has engraved into the gold on your wrist makes the quiet content sigh escape you. 

the fullness you feel in your heart makes you want to burst with joy.

yukhei gives you a light peck. and then you watch the change of his expression. the tenderness of the moment turns almost playfulness within seconds because his teasing grin appears. “and i think that as long as you are my first kiss when it’s the new year, you and me will be smooth sailing,” he states with a sweet giggle.  

he's winking and suddenly you can’t stop your laugh mixing with his warm sounds. you reach up to stroke his cheek and slightly tilt your head a bit. the giggles and laughter gradually subside and the bedroom grows quiet. you chew on the inside of your cheeks momentarily. 

“under one condition though…” 

your words shock him. his sculpted eyebrows raise so quickly and his eyes grow bigger. yukhei stares at you in incredulously. the frames on his face he pushes up. 

“and what would that be, babe?” he laughs in shock. 

there are stars in your eyes. you're smiling mischievously. 

“you have to promise to be my last kiss before the year ends.”

how you want your year to begin, you want it to end the same. 

with him and his kisses. 

then his expression changes once more. the beam etched on his face is brighter than the sun that’s missing from the sky today. 

“what do you think? can you promise me that?” you challenge him. 

yukhei chuckles because it’s a promise he can make you every year. “yeah, i can definitely promise you that.” 

and it’s another three kisses to make this agreement official as well before he rolls off you. almost instantly he tugs you back to him. you tuck your head by his shoulder. the sweatshirt he is draping over you once more. the comforter and blanket he fixes too to make sure again you are completely covered and warm. you curl and snuggle into his side with legs intertwining. 

silence fills the room. comfort and at peace you find in the moment. his arm that is around you provides the security. your hand rest on his chest and yukhei covers it with his own. then you feel the slow and steady rise and fall of it with each breath he takes. 

it means one thing. 

you are certain he is asleep. you glance at him and you get your confirmation. for a second you stare at his handsome profile and the way his lashes curl up softly to the way his pillowy lips are slightly parted, there is no denying it. he is asleep. his glasses you want to help take off so he can sleep comfortably. but you don’t want to wake him though. not when he looks so calm and relaxed. you lean over and brush your mouth against his cheek and for a moment, you swear you see a little twitch up of his lips. you freeze. you wait for him to look at you through half lidded eyes and give you a sleepy smile. he doesn’t. instead he releases a slow exhale that makes you hum quietly. then your gaze lowers and you close your eyes as well to join him in slumber. 

but suddenly he clears his throat a bit and shifts. 

“so what would you like to do now?” your eyes open at the sound of his deep voice laced with sleepiness. you lift your head and turn your attention to him as yukhei does the same to you. “hmm, anything in particular? i think me waking you up early gives you the choice of what we should do next, babe.” he chuckles quietly, a few strands of his hair falling over his eyes. 

you erase the short distance and place a light peck on his smile. “how about we stay in bed for a little while and sleep for a bit?” 

yukhei nods in approval. his hand covering yours begins caressing your skin. “and after?” he questions curiously with a grin. 

you know how he is like after his naps. “and after… all the rice, steak and shrimp in the world for you.”

a meal of some of your and his favorites to eat has been bought and ready to be cooked. yukhei laughs, swallowing hard and thinking about the delicious food as bobs his head against the pillow. 

you know him too well. 

“then maybe you can open the rest of your presents,” you suggest with a tiny curl of your mouth. you haven’t forgotten the wrapping paper filled living room floor or the rest of his gifts that still need to be open.

yukhei shakes his head slowly though. the arm around you moves and his touch travels up your back like before. regardless of what else you have wrapped up for him, ready to be chosen with the plastic toy claw machine, yukhei is certain nothing will compare to what he has right now in his hold. 

“i still have one more here to open.” he murmurs teasingly while his fingertips graze across the mesh on your skin. 

immediate sugary, light and embarrassed giggles are surrounding him. your face heats. “i can’t wait, babe.” 

you really can’t. 

yukhei closes the space between you and him, bestowing a kiss that is affectionate and warm. 

“i love you,” he whispers alongside the beam on your face. 

your hand rises up to cup his jawline and cheek. you return the kiss he gives you just mere seconds ago. 

“i love you more.”

and yukhei smiles too wide and too bright that it makes his cheeks hurt because always he is the one to tell you that. 

“ready for a nap?” you ask and almost on cue, yukhei yawns and provides you with his answer. you’re  chuckling and he stretches a little. “you want the curtains closed a bit?” another yawn he lets out and tries to cover up. but he fails. he’s laughing too deeply with the corners of his eyes crinkling.

yukhei sluggishly nods. “yeah, let me do it,” he says tiredly. 

but you shake your head and pat him gently on his chest. then you pull away from his arms and warmth. he’s watching after you as move away and stand with your back to him. yukhei props himself up on an elbow and adjusts his glasses with a tiny grin while you cross an arm over your chest, your fingers rubbing your skin to create a little heat because your body has cooled and winter it feels like once again. his eyes stay on you and outline the curves of your near naked body. the few steps you take to the window. you look out into the city and then down to the streets. some of the snow has been cleaned from the roads. however the sidewalks still look so pretty with the white powder. 

the curtains you grasp and yukhei catches the glimpse of the bracelet shimmering on your wrist as you pull on them. you leave just enough light from the outside world to seep into the bedroom without it being too dark. when you turn around, that tiny grin on his face has broaden. regardless of  the little light in the room, you can see the love drunk and all too happy smile on his face. 

“you’re distracted.” you remark, remembering his words from this morning. 

yukhei hums contently. “no, i’m just staring.”   

you huff and playfully roll your eyes. he pats the empty space you had occupied before with a charming giggle as you make your way back to him. the bed you climb onto and the sweatshirt you put back on. the sight of lace and mesh is hidden from his view again. the nine snowflakes he counts in his head once more. he expects you to pull on your pajama bottoms. but instead you crawl to him and lay down, your feet landing on the pillow by the foot of the bed. yukhei looks at your naked lower half like he had done so before and arches an eyebrow in curiosity. 

you quietly chuckle. “just keep me close, baby.” you poke him on his chest. “and besides, you’re not even wearing a shirt.” 

yukhei laughs, the sound so contagious as he pulls up the comforter and blanket. he twists a bit and takes off his glasses to place on his bedside table next to that mug of green tea. he slides under to the coziness, resting his head next yours. 

and he does what you say.

yukhei keeps you close like you’re puzzle pieces that fit so perfectly together. his arms slips below your sweatshirt. you snuggle into his side and throw a leg over his. he places a soothing kiss to your forehead that makes you grin. a slow deep inhale he takes in and releases. his eyes close and the images of the morning flashes in his head. and when what is to come once you and him wake starts to flood his mind as the need to sleep is so strong, your voice cuts into the stillness of the room and pulls him out. 

“yukhei?” 

he hums lazily in response. 

“you think our snowman is outside?” 

once your question registers in his sleepily brain, yukhei quietly chuckles. he opens his eyes a little to find you staring at him with a shy beam. how much he loves you right not is indescribable. he leans forward and the kiss he places on your mouth is affectionate and warm.

“we’ll go check later.” he says alongside your lips. 

you make a pleased happy small sound and nod. “i love you,” you whisper almost dreamily. 

even if you told him mere minutes ago, yukhei doesn’t ever get tired of hearing it. his chest shakes a bit as the soft and low laugh slips from him and surrounds you. 

yukhei bobs his head once then twice. “i love you more.” and he says it back with the love drunk smile again because it can never be said enough. “now let’s go to sleep, okay?”

one more kiss is shared. it is gentle and of sweet dreams and it makes you sigh. then your mouth parts from his while your body moves closer. he hugs you tighter. your warm breath tickles his skin. eyes quietly close together. 

the minutes on the clock change. christmas morning ends for the afternoon to begin.

yukhei falls into his slumber like how he wakes.

with his mind and his heart full of you.

he doesn’t want it any other way.

[saladejin]

Admire | 07

Seokjin x Fem!Reader | arranged marriage!au, husband!Seokjin | Strangers to lovers, angst, self discovery, loneliness in luxury, touch starvation (eventual smut), eventual domestic fluff

Summary: You’d never needed anyone else. Growing up alone, living alone, existing alone. It all came naturally and effortlessly, quite like breathing. That was until your somewhat distant parents finally decided it was time to make good on a promise. One they’d made before you were even born.

Warnings: Things are getting a lil saucier

Word Count: 5k

A/N: Whew, finally we’re up to date. I FINALLY got around to re-editing and revamping this latest chapter, but once again I’m sorry for the delay on it. Now I can start focusing on my wips :))

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The driver bid you both a chaste farewell and soon you were making your way up to house both of you had grown used to sharing. These days, it was simply your safe space, a place you’d slowly begun to warm up to, where you could live and work peacefully in the unimposing presence of your husband, who worked equally as hard for his family.

This was your place to finally belong, the stupidly large mansion that could house ten more of you plus your family with ease, but alas it was still your mansion.

Our … mansion. 

You couldn’t recall the moment where you’d begun to think of it as a home rather than a house. In your mind, it wasn’t really the house itself, but rather the people who lived there that made it a place you could truly call home.

You looked over to Seokjin and suppressed a sigh of built up emotion. The man was currently bringing most of the bags inside without a hitch, making use of his broad shoulders and hauling weight as if he weren’t wielding enough hierarchical power to get it brought in for him by the driver. Watching the scene only reminded you of how much had changed during your time away. 

For one, Seokjin had shocked you with how easily he’d adapted to the different atmosphere and routine. There were no complaints from him about accommodation, food, or even the over-the-top rowdiness and friendliness of the company. He’d taken it all on board with a curiosity you honestly found adorable, and even adopted some of the various mannerisms. Watching him carrying all the luggage inside was just an example of his new way of living, one you chose to call ‘like a normal person’.

You were also growing closer somehow. The usually stoic man had opened up significantly, and you were discovering new things about him just as quickly as he discovered them himself. For instance, he found an enjoyment for cooking after helping some of the uncles with their traditional barbeque, he’d shown interest in acquiring a guitar for himself as soon as he could, and he was becoming more talkative as he began relaxing his hold on the professional barrier between you.

It was as if he was finally allowing himself to live the kind of life he always wanted. No luxurious parties, no expectations, no having to save face with every public outing. You were a messy mixture of nerves, uneasiness, and excitement at the prospect of getting to know Seokjin for who he was.

He had to discover who he was first, though.

“Dinner will be delivered soon.” His voice filtered out from the kitchen area distantly, and only then you realised you’d been standing in the front entrance in a daze. Lost in your thoughts like a fool. Even so, it was hard to miss the odd note hidden deep within his tired voice.

“Why do you sound disappointed? Is it not what you wanted?” you queried while leaving your bags at the front door for someone to collect later. You made your way into the living room with probing eyes, trying to find where his voice was coming from before spotting his black mop of hair scattered on the back of the lounge.

He didn’t respond at first, only met your gaze with his own investigative ones. You sat down heavily on the other lounge with a sharp exhale. Seokjin drummed his fingers against the leather while lifting one leg to cross over the other elegantly, and you knew he was just trying to avoid talking about what was on his mind.

“You can tell me, you know.” You rolled your eyes at his silence.

He ran both hands through his hair roughly and you almost felt breathless at how messy he’d made himself, like he’d just rolled out of bed. Considering you were both still in your casual clothing from the road trip, it was a sight that made your whole body tingle with a fondness you couldn’t explain. You were just beginning to see more of his hidden personality, and that made you happy in some indescribable way.

“I don’t know, I was hoping to actually try and cook something for once. Like hyung was telling me…”

“Oh? there��s that word again,” you chuckled, trying to ignore the happy swell in your chest after hearing that he wanted to try cooking the same things from a few nights ago, “and you can get the grill out tomorrow night if you want.”

“Hmm, I’ll see how I feel. Anyway, what word?” he asked while sitting back and continuing to run his hand through his hair lazily, expression puzzled. You felt so annoyed at the longing you felt to be the one doing it for him. You had been wondering what his silky looking tresses had felt like for the longest time.

“Is it ‘hyung’?” You smiled in embarrassment, mouthing out the word carefully to try and pronounce it in an acceptable manner at least, though you could never hope to sound fluent right off the bat. Seokjin’s eyes fell to you as the word left your lips, the small lifting of his cheeks being the only hint that he was trying to suppress his amusement. The way his cocoa coloured eyes sparkled at the sound of his native tongue made your heart squirm.

“It’s a good attempt, but no it’s pronounced more like ‘hyeong’. Try it.”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah, that’s … better.”

You hid your grin with the back of your hand, eyebrows shooting up at his unsure sounding feedback. He even managed to crack a tiny smirk of his own, his full lips making him look even more model-like under the soft lighting of your living room.

“Hey, how am I meant to get it perfect straight away? Besides, I forgot what it means already,” you huffed, and brought your legs to tuck comfortably underneath you.

“It’s just a term we use to refer to older males,” he explained, letting his head fall back against the seat slowly. Seeing his eyes fluttering to a close made you wonder how tired he must’ve been feeling. After spending so much time interacting with strangers, and driving, and pretending to be your husband, you supposed.

The jarring noise of the doorbell brought you to your feet, and you went to collect your dinner from the front door as Seokjin gave a quiet nod.

Now that he’s brought it up, I think I’d prefer a home cooked meal too.

“So, am I meant to call you ‘hyung’?” You laughed inwardly while making your way back to him. You were excited to learn more about him now that he was opening up and unfurling in front of your eyes.

He had to purse his lips slightly to avoid smiling again. “No, and please don’t. It would feel way too odd to hear that from you.”

“Oh.” Your heart cracked a little, thinking of course he wouldn’t want his foreign partner to try and so poorly imitate something such as his native language, something he considered close to his heart and home. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t think-”

“It’s okay, it’s just that Korean women don’t use ‘hyung’. If you are female and want to refer to an older male, or partner…” He seemed to hesitate, as if rethinking his decision to elaborate on the subject at all. “Then you can call m- you can use ‘oppa’.”

You swallowed a mouthful of steak before attempting to copy him. “Oppa?”

Seokjin blinked before giving you a tiny nod. Not a single second passed before he was focusing back on his food, the conversation apparently hitting a weird place for him.

“I don’t have to go around calling you that. It’s not like I’m trying to adopt another culture,” you clarified for him, noting how his shoulders seemed to relax at your gentle tone. “I only want to understand you better, Seokjin.”

His hands faltered in their movements to cut the tender steak on his plate. You didn’t catch any change in his expression, as expected, but his eyes gleamed with something you could only describe as appreciation. A few months ago, neither of you probably thought you’d end up sharing your ethnic differences with one another over dinner like this.

The house had always been so silent with just the two of you, and your mind kept thinking back to your old home where there were always maids, cooks and butlers milling about. It struck you as a little peculiar, so you decided to ask.

“Sorry to change the subject, but why is it that your mother requested there to be no live-in staff here?”

Seokjin continued to eat slowly but looked up with a thoughtful gleam in his eye. “I was confused too, but she always brushed it off. Something about family traditions requiring minimal interferences? I didn’t really get it since I’d never heard of said ‘tradition’, but I never really understood her methods anyway.”

Oh…

Your face burned as you understood what he was saying. It was almost laughable, how oblivious he was to his mother’s implications. The thought probably never crossed his mind that she could be referring to the two of you having sexual relations in some way. Well, why should the thought cross his mind?

This was never meant to be anything more than a fake relationship, an array of masks worn only to fool them into believing it was true. It was easy to understand why his mother would think accordingly. You had been trying to trick her, but perhaps you’d been just a little too convincing.

“Yeah, weird huh?” You cleared your throat, offering to take up his dish as you both finished off the meals. The case of the understaffing was forgotten as you moved back to where your husband was half sprawled on the couch, but now the quiet hum of the television accompanied the room and you were thankful to have something filling the silence. Even if it was something was simple as slightly muffled voices from the people on the big screen.

You plonked back down on the leather and felt relaxation crawl up your spine in the best way. You were slowly beginning to believe that there was almost nothing better than this. Spending a night at home with someone you cared about, watching a movie or TV show, nice and warm and comfortable.

You briefly registered that in your current position, Seokjin’s arm that’d been outstretched along the back of the seat now rested just behind your neck. You thought nothing of it, knowing he sure as hell wouldn’t, but let your imagination take the reins at all the possibilities presenting themselves.

Imagining a smile tugging at his lips as he brought his arm down to drape across your shoulders. His warm hand as it cupped your jaw, a gentle thumb drawing tiny circles into the flushing skin along your cheekbone. You imagined the feeling of your smaller hand travelling up the hardened expanse of his clothed chest, feeling the lean muscle and taut ridges underneath the flimsy barrier separating skin from skin.

You felt your face flush further in surprise when your daydream was snapped away into thin air, the cushion underneath you squeaking as he suddenly moved from his slumped position.

“I’m about ready to call it a night. The driving must’ve taken more out of me than I thought,” he said while sporting a grunt of effort, his face wincing at the pop of his joints once he stretched his long legs out. As he brought his arm inwards to follow suit, you felt the slightest brush of his fingers graze your neck. The small shudder that racked your body from the sensation was instantaneous, and you knew that your shameless imagination from earlier had made the cravings for his touch worse.

Unintentionally, your body shifted to try and follow his hand before you managed to will yourself into a stiff, unmoving statue.

Shit, what was that?

You closed your eyes and blew out your cheeks in annoyance, directed at nobody but yourself. Was it really all becoming too much for you the handle at this point? When had you become so … pathetic and needy? This wasn’t like you at all.

It was only then you realised Seokjin hadn’t moved since your loss of inhibitions. You wrenched your eyes open and glanced over to him, knowing full well that his observant gaze had seen the entire display from beginning to end. Oh God no!

“(Y/n), I’ve been thinking,” came Seokjin’s voice through the robotic sounding laughs emitting from the speakers of the television. He was holding his arm awkwardly in the air just above his own lap, as if it had been electrocuted and was no longer capable of moving.

“About what? Oh, when is our next event? I forgot to ask you earlier,” you uttered faintly, trying to cover up your reddening face with one hand. There was no way he was going to let what happened slide, you knew just by seeing the pointed look in his curious dark eyes. He lowered his arm and kept his eyes fixated on your jittery form.

“Not for ages, but anyway that’s not what I was thinking about,” he said with a lazy mumble to his voice that was honestly just a little too low, teetering on seductive but obviously unintentional.

You mentally implored him to forget your stupid reactions. It was getting out of hand and you were already trying your best to rein yourself in.

“Oh?” You raised a brow, waiting for the inevitable questioning that was surely coming your way.

In all honesty, you just wanted to go shower and sleep for the next week. During the trip you’d had so many restless nights, being too caught up on the whole sharing a bed situation. It got better as time went on, but you still couldn’t shake the feeling that you weren’t meant to be there in between the sheets with him. Every time, you held yourself back from the urge to touch him and shuffle closer to his side.

Rein it in. Rein-

Seokjin finally parted his lips in to respond, “It’s just that I can’t help noticing how you get lost in your thoughts lately, along with all the other odd reactions. You keep getting this look on your face, like you’re longing for something, and I can’t help but think back to what you were saying at Taehyung’s party.”

Okay, well this was a bit more than you expected. You felt shivers of humiliation travelling up your skin at the thought of him noticing your fantasizing, of all things. Were you really becoming that obvious even in a state of subconscious? Damn, things were really worse than you thought.

“What? At Tae’s party?” you murmured, trying to awkwardly laugh it off in the process. How did he manage to call you out like that with the straightest of faces? It was almost unfair that he could be so serious and not become affected by these things.

“Yeah,” Seokjin continued. “How you said you craved human touch all the time because the way you grew up left you wanting. I realised during the trip, how content you looked when you were receiving affection from your family members … and me.”

You snapped your eyes up to him, looking to see if his expression would give anything away about what he was thinking even though you knew it was futile. To your shock, his face actually wasn’t the same blank slate you were used to seeing when he pondered. For the first time, you saw him show slight apprehension as he nibbled on his plush bottom lip.

‘And me’ he’d said. You were suddenly thrown back to that one night in the motorhome, which honestly seemed like a mere fever dream, where he’d run his hands along your body and held you close for the first time. That first night you had shared the same bed, and all the dams had broken within you.

It was the night I opened up to him, and maybe that was when he decided to do the same.

“So, I want-”

He cut himself off and sat forward, looking so bewildered and lost that you were beginning to grow concerned. At the recollection of all these memories, you were already feeling vulnerable and ashamed. His vagueness was not helping you keep your shit together.

“I want you to show me what you mean. What are you asking for when you say those things?” He finished by clasping his hands together and looking up at you as hopefully as he could, which was minimal for him. You couldn’t really believe your ears at this point.

“Show you?” you repeated in disbelief. “H-how?”

“Show me what you need,” he rephrased, straightening his back slightly and fiddling with his fingers.

It was a cute little habit you’d never seen before, but your brain could barely register that when you were already reeling from what he was saying. He was close enough that you could catch the scent of his faint cologne, and it was making your head spin faster and faster. The quiet sound of the television faded out as you focused on his beautiful eyes right in front of you.

“You want me to touch you?” You tilted your head, feeling like you were having an out-of-body experience when he nodded to confirm your suspicions.

“If that’s what you want.”

It was strange, not knowing whether to feel happy or whether to feel humiliated, or relieved, or even saddened; all because of your neediness that he’d seen way too many times.

“Okay.”

Your shoulders sagged in a strange sense of defeat. This whole impasse had been your weakness from the start, and now it was finally coming to light. You were ready to help him understand things from your point of view, and maybe he would start to see why you’d been acting this way.

He’d grown up in a similar environment, even despite some stark differences. Why couldn’t there be just a small chance that he might relate somehow?

“What do you feel when you get close to another person?” you asked softly, untangling your feet from under each other and resting them squarely on the ground in front of you. It was intimidating to look up at his looming figure this boldly, yet being so close to his body heat only seemed to put you more at ease.

You wanted to fall into him and have him cradle you in his arms, but you knew that if you were going to show him the right way, you needed to take it slow.  

“I don’t feel so different. It doesn’t happen often, actually,” he mused while keeping his eyes focused on you. “When I see my mother at galas or balls, I suppose it just feels like I want to get away.”

You stifled a chuckle at the thought of his mother’s smothering putting him off. It was like that for so many kids out there, but you couldn’t share that feeling when it was lucky for you to even see your mother once in a while. Seokjin’s tensed frame seem to falter slightly when you knowingly smiled up at him. Gone was the shyness, the tiptoeing, the never-ending feeling of restraint.

This was your husband in front of you, and now he was asking you to touch him.

“That’s understandable Seokjin, but I mean in other instances where it’s perhaps more welcomed, or even instigated mainly by you. Say, you see your brother after a long time, so you hug him. Yes?”

The man’s black hair bounced slightly as he nodded. You hadn’t made any moves to be closer to him yet, and you could sense his confusion, but truly it was best to go gradual for him to understand. Rather than you just throwing yourself at him in a barrage of limbs.

“How does that make you feel, compared to how you feel normally?” you tried again, your eyes wide with a curiosity that probably burned even brighter than his. A month or so ago, you never would’ve thought you’d be having such a close and intimate conversation about his relationships.

Clearly, the road trip had not only changed you both in multiple ways, but it had also changed the very dynamic tying you together. The foundations of your relationship, and what it meant to each of you. The man sitting before you now was nothing but a far cry from the man you’d once faced at the altar. As foolish as it was, you could not be prouder of him.

“I suppose I was taught to just do it in certain situations. I never thought about how it made me feel,” he offered in a low voice, brows furrowing as he tried thinking about how he could be more helpful. The slight pout to his pinkish lips had your heart beating erratically.

“Seokjin, do you care about me?” you asked, and time drew to a stop.

This was the kind of question you told yourself you would never ask him. It was almost impossible to answer considering your circumstances, and the owlish look in his eyes told you that you were right in thinking so.

“Yes.”

Your world resumed spinning, but the silence continued. Honestly, you didn’t think you would have kept it together if he’d answered no. You loved him, that much you were sure of, but before the holiday you had been confused about whether you cared for the man so strongly out of your pure desire for close friendship and companionship. You weren’t dense though. These feelings were far more than that, and you were an idiot for entertaining them.

You stared into each other’s eyes, trying to read foreign minds and figure out what it all meant. He cared about you, and you cared about him. That much was a given, but the true depth of that fact remained a constant unknown. He exhaled sharply, almost as if he couldn’t really believe he’d answered so sincerely. So quickly.

“I didn’t think I would, but since the beginning you’ve turned out to be quite different than who I thought I’d be married to. My life … changed, but it was seamless and easy compared to the complicated mess I thought I was going to have to deal with,” he explained with sad eyes. His gaze had been trained on the floor since he’d given you ‘yes’ as an answer.

You shifted closer and brought one hand up to lift his lowered jaw, angling it to face you so you could see his inquisitive eyes once more. His large hands remained clenched in his lap, unsure of what to do at this point.

“Seokjin I care about you too, so you don’t have to feel like you’re on your own here.” You laughed quietly, noticing his shoulders relax as you moved your hand up to rest on the side of his face. Your fingertips buried themselves into the shorter strands of his hair.

If only he knew the true extent of my feelings.

You cleared your throat, trying to push away the intrusive thoughts before they took over, and switched your teacher mode on quickly. “This is a … type of contact that you can kind of do anytime, and you can even play with the person’s hair, or just kind of massaging gently.”

You demonstrated by slowly bringing your hands up to run through his marvelous black locks, lips parting in amazement at the feeling of his soft hair you’d always imagined combing back with your fingers. Your other hand shaped itself to his face as you tried your best to stop yourself from leaning any further forward.

You couldn’t kiss him like this just yet. Not when it would actually mean something to him, for the first time.

“Why do you say ‘the person’s’? You know I wouldn’t have the nerve to try this with anyone else, right?” He murmured unexpectedly; his eyes somewhat nervous at what you were implying. You were quick to push your surprise away and nodded, because it was the only response you could think of.

He took a small but deep breath to regain himself, letting his stoic persona continue to melt underneath your touch. “May I?” he asked in a soft voice, and once again all you could do was nod your head.

He brought one of his hands up hesitantly and you couldn’t help a small fond smile at the way he was concentrating so intently on the movement. As soon as his hand made contact with the skin of your cheek, you couldn’t stop yourself from leaning into it. He watched in wonder as your eyes fluttered shut, his other hand now carding itself through your slightly messy hair.

If you’d been a cat, you were certain a distinct sound of purring would emanate from your throat.

He smoothed all your hair back until it was no longer ruffled, and then brought both hands back to cradle your face once more. You didn’t realise you’d been leaning forward and running your hands up his chest until the moment you reached his shirt collar, and your eyes zeroed in on the expanse of his neck just long enough to see his Adam’s apple bob up and down in a hard swallow.

“Um, now you can touch a bit lower if you want. Or just hold my hands if you’re more comfortable with that,” you breathed, trying to bring your thoughts to a focal point while removing your hands from him sharply. He looked so picturesque up this close. You just wanted to stay in this position for hours upon hours.

“Like this?” He voiced hoarsely. You tried to keep your breathing normal as one of his hands fell down to encompass yours, but the other traced the line of your jaw before gliding downwards and brushing against the tender skin of your neck. Just has he had in the beginning before all of this had started.

“Yeah.”

You almost whimpered at the tingling sensation, but kept it in for the sake of the exercise. This man was absolutely dangerous for your wellbeing. It wasn’t even his actions at this point, just his undivided attention and careful eyes tracing over the curve of your figure that had your insides turning to jelly.

“That’s probably enough for now. I can hear your brain working,” you spoke and let out an airy laugh when his fingers hesitated in their descent. It was as if he was trying to compute too much information at once, and somehow, the way he was trying his best was oddly charming.

He grunted. “I’m just- I’m trying to understand you.”

“I know, and I appreciate it,” you responded with a genuine smile, noticing how his words mirrored your own from earlier back when you’d butchered his native tongue. “Now I don’t know about you, but I’m so exhausted I could pass out.”

“Yeah, now I’m really calling it a night.” He cleared his throat with a sigh, mind clearly burning out from the overload of new experiences.

He stood from the couch so suddenly, a stiffness taking hold of his movements. Just what was going through his head at a time like this? You missed his close proximity almost immediately.

Like a robot programmed to move, you also heaved your body up from where it was beginning to sink into the cushions. This whole turn of events seemed unreal, and you could feel your heart still throbbing in your chest at the feeling of Seokjin underneath your fingertips. He had been so warm and had looked so beautiful.

You ran your fingers through your hair as the silence permeated the air, the only sounds being your husband's gentle footsteps as he packed away a few things around the house. You gathered your own bags from the front door and sluggishly traipsed towards your bedroom at the opposite end of the hallway.

I don't want to be on my own.

The invasive thought made you take a few shaky steps back. You were ready to put everything at risk and confess to him how lonely and in love you were, yet to your surprise the sound of his voice softly calling your name made you falter in your tracks.

You stood in the doorway looking outwards as he loitered in front of his own bedroom door at the opposite end, one large hand resting on the doorknob as if he'd been hesitating to open it.

"Did you hear me?"

You relaxed your stance, a sudden embarrassment beginning to settle in at how eager your movements were. "Yeah? What is it?"

Please let me stay with you. Please let me-

"Isn't it - doesn't it seem strange?" He seemed to inwardly backpedal all of a sudden, his pretty eyes falling to the floor and his slightly down-turned nose twitched in regret. "I mean, sorry if this is weird, but after sharing a bed for the entire road trip, doesn't it feel strange to suddenly go back to our own rooms?"

“Ah.” You somehow managed to suppress a hefty sigh of relief, pure ecstasy shooting through your body like some special brand of heroin. You tried to bump up his courage with a reassuring smile. "Jin yes, I still want to spend the night with you."

His eyes rose from the floor as the burden lifted from his mind, shoulders seeming to shake free the stiffness that had taken hold of them ever since the couch fiasco.

"I'm glad. Come over here then."

Copyright © 2020 by salade. All rights reserved.

[junicai]

Relationship with WAYV

➣ KUN ☾ karia

if it wasn’t for dotae potentially coming to kill him, he would steal aria into wayv

he’s the cool dad? 

they can’t spend a lot of time together because none of their schedules match up, but aria takes every third or so weekend out to come have dinner in the wayv dorms

she’s surprisingly close to the china line, and its a combination of ten dragging her to his dorm for an entire month and them just kinda adopting her when they realized she was a foreigner as well 

yuta can fight them, she’s one of them now

he doesn’t like to baby her a lot, and she really appreciates the break from being the “maknae” so to speak 

however does that stop him from giving her the forehead kithes? no

aria sad? forehead kith

aria mad? forehead kith

aria smad? forehead kith + kuddles (kun cuddles)

he has sent her a passive agressive text when he found out that she wasn’t eating enough again and had almost passed out

but he finished it with a heart so its ok

if she isn’t smiling at all times, someone will die

aria feels like she can trust him with a lot; that no matter what she tells him, he’ll never out her or make fun of her

kun actually took a two-week online course to learn how to make traditional japanese dishes when aria mentioned missing her parents

he originally was going to learn how to make irish dishes, but he changed his mind after seeing what they were

“im not giving my kids boiled cabbage and mashed potatoes what kind of post world war-”

wants to give her a chinese name but hasn’t yet because he hasn’t found the one that fits her right and he wants it to be perfect 

aria teaches him japanese phrases in exchange for him teaching her a little bit of mandarin

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

aria saw kun’s back as she entered the practice room, the man standing with three other members in the centre of the floor before the choreographer came in to start their practice. coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, peeking her head around from where she was. “hi!” she smiled brightly.

“hi,” ten chuckled, showing her the camera that had just filmed all of that. 

➣ TEN ☾ tenaria

Whipped(TM)

so so gone for her its upsetting actually

yangyang and aria share the position of his baby 

except aria willingly accepts the title while yangyang would rather fling himself from a rooftop

ten’s instagram is half his cats, half miyazu aria

he posts her dancing practice on his story a lot, with a variety of captions ranging from “thats my baby  ♡( ◡‿◡ )” to “yah that’s not right...(눈_눈)”

such an enabler for her bad ideas 

aria wants to go shopping at 4am? ten agrees, now they’re sitting by han river eating ice cream

pls he’s gonna get her in so much trouble one day

when they walk together, ten likes to take her hand and put it in his pocket 

its under the pretense of not wanting her to get lost 

he just wants to hold her hand

yes he has lost her in a shopping mall, and NO it wasn’t his fault

ten always complains that they never have schedules together and he misses his baby 

“we have superm-” “I NEVER SEE YOUUUU (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ”

if they’re in the same room ten is either watching her out of the corner of his eye, or is actually wrapped around her like a boa constrictor 

hugs n kithes all around

only he is allowed make fun of her mistakes in dancing 

anyone else gets deaded. he will fight for her honor how dare you insult his baby 

sm give these ttwo a dancing duo video pls 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

the first and only time aria and ten had a duet was during their last concert on superm’s first world tour. during the second half of ten’s solo performance, aria emerged from the left side of the stage, coming to join him in the centre stage. no one had ever seen aria as serious as she was then, both herself and ten becoming completely different people in the moment. midway through, aria spun with her back to ten and leaped backwards into the air - eyes closed - completely trusting ten to be where she needed him to be to catch her. 

➣ WINWIN ☾ winria

a love hate relationship at its finest

they don’t actually hate each other it’s just really funny to pretend that they do (especially because yuta complains that 2 of his favourite people aren’t getting along)

winwin is so savage towards aria but it’s ok she claps back twice as hard

at first, before czennies had seen enough of their dynamic they thought that they actually did hate each other

but that’s not true they just don’t know how to express, affection, without brutally insulting the other with a loving tone

they are, surprisingly, the most stable pairing in 127 - they have a dynamic and rarely stray from that, which is a good comfort for the fans

despite what they might say to each other, they don’t mean any of it - and winwin has been seen several times raising his eyebrows with a questioning look at aria to make sure she wasn’t taking any of his playful jabs to heart

oh god the flexibility

the entirety of nct is terrified of them

the day sm gives them a circus act is the day that kun and taeyong have a heart attack

quietly supportive of each other - catch aria “playing” with a water bottle and not getting up to get it when it conveniently rolls across the floor and into winwin’s leg

he makes sure to save some new chinese sweets whenever the wayv members get packages from their familes, and sneak it into aria’s room before the managers can catch her breaking her diet

not really physically affectionate with each other, which played into czennies idea that they didn’t like each other but aria cleared it up in a vlive

“winwinnie and I, well. we don’t hug a lot because i know he doesn’t like it as much as i might, so i try to show him i care with other things :)”

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

winwin and aria going in to each other on knowing brothers, to the point where the mc’s had their eyes popping out of their head and waved about to stop the segment before aria could start attacking winwin’s cooking methods-

nothing is off limits when it comes to them

➣ LUCAS ☾ arihei

besties 

please they’re so cute together - tol child next to tini child she barely comes up to his chest :(

bear hugs

he just swamps her in his arms, and when he doesn’t feel like being bent over he picks her up 

complains that she’s too heavy but then immediately after will throw her around like a softball 

someone tell this man to be careful with her she’s not a barbie doll 

singular braincell energy

don’t get it wrong, they’re both super smart 

so it’s just - being smort together, but then nearly dying because neither of them remembered that you couldn’t eat raw cookie dough when there are eggs in it

she adores how he’s so confident in the things that he does - like convincing the entire nct fandom that he was fluent in english? king behaviour

so aria looks up to him (literally) but also because she wants to have that confidence some day 

lucas says they’re not close and then aria pouts and he takes it all back

nczennies made a 14 minute compilation titled “lucas melting like a popsicle in australia for aria” 

and literally what the title tells you, this man goes :(( when he sees her 

lucas was actually the person to convince her to go ahead with the [redacted] proposal - and reminded her that it was too good an opportunity to pass up just because she felt like she was outgrowing the boys

he’s so proud of her

and she’s so proud of him 

they’re so proud of each other and it makes nczennies want to cry because they never are seen together 

sm stop separating the platonic soulmates first markhyuck and now arihei smh

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

during a photoshoot, aria was standing off to the side of the boys, dressed in white suit to contrast the boys’ black ones. the photographer was calling out to her to get her to move closer, but she couldn’t hear him from so far away, and so lucas (who was on the end) just walked over to her, gripped her by the biceps and lifted her vertically and to the left a little bit. 

“luc-LUCAS?”

“you had to move :)”

➣ XIAOJUN ☾ arijun

honestly these two aren’t super close, just because their schedules never matched up until the NCT 2020 promotions

even when aria was dragged to the wayv dorms, xiaojun kept his distance from her because he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable 

even so, when they were filming Make A Wish together, they seemed comfortable enough around each other

there was a mutual agreement to not try fill the silence with awkward small talk, so they sat in silence when left alone together

they’re both shy :( someone needs to get them to talk to each other :(

even so, aria was all supportive smiles and thumbs-up when she saw him getting nervous before their first public stage as the unit 

he was a little intimidated of her at first, but also really curious about how she was holding her own against the other members

not only physically, but her vibes are tiny let the man be concerned ok

his first impression of aria was just: small quiet? she was sitting apart from the other boys in the practice room, and he almost wanted to go over and ask her if she was ok; before she was approached by donghyuck and her face broke into a bright smile 

aria’s first impression of xiaojun was: eyebrows he was really handsome? at first, she thought he was in the wrong room, seeing as the SM modeling auditions were happening in the next room down

any arijun shippers are starved of content im so sorry guys 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

currently still up for debate between the fandom :(

➣ HENDERY ☾ aridery

ah these two 

you might as well sign a waiver if you decide to do anything with them, because they can and will get you killed 

kun can testify

ten’s the enabler but hendery is the do-er

super giggly around each other, for no reason at all

hendery could pick up and throw a basketball and suddenly aria’s on the floor in literal stitches 

have a secret code 

no seriously

they don’t text in words, they just send various reaction memes and a colourful variety of emojis to convey emotions and scenarios 

it’s become quite a beautiful language actually 

got some nice proverbs in there

they’re like, cousins but the ones you only see at family reunions but get so hype to see them

that energy 

asides from the chaotic, murderous vibes they possess as a duo

hendery knows what it’s like to miss home, to miss your parents, etc etc

and so he tries to make aria feel as home as possible - especially with wayv, because they’re all foreigners who know how she feels 

whenever he gets packages from his parents who have sent things over, he always makes sure to keep some of the small treats/sweets back for aria

1. because he knows she’ll appreciate the thought and she gives good hugs

2. because he knows she’s on a diet constantly and never allowed eat these things when she’s in the dorms with managers around 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

filming the Resonance “Wish” event, aria was put in a skimpy minimalistic mock-suit to differentiate from the others’ clothes. unfortunately, that left aria with a little too much shoulder and chest on display than she would like, and she was noticeably uncomfortable with her clothes, constantly pulling it up and even going so far as to just hold it with her hands. 

hendery saw this, and knew he was finished filming his segment for the time being, so he pulled off his own jacket and tossed it over to aria, who caught it with a grateful smile. “thank you,” she mouthed to him, tugging the dark blue material over her shoulders.

➣ YANGYANG ☾ ariyang

aria. has 9 days of age on this boy and will never let him forget it

“respect your elders you brat” “9. DAYS.”

european pals 

they feel so cultured when they get asked about europe, and then are kindly reminded by hendery that A. Germany started 2 world wars, and B. Ireland was just a British colony until 100 years ago. 

they both hit him for that

aria teaching him curse words in irish and yangyang teaching her curse words in german? more likely than you’d think 

they met before yangyang’s debut was announced, in a practice room that had let them accidentally overlap their practice times 

instead of working it out between them, they actually just started to alternate their songs - and the other gave them some good, constructive criticism 

most of the time

when they found out they were going to be in 90s Love together, they were so happy 

it was going to be their first official schedule together

all the behind-the-scenes videos are just aria and yangyang being children and then ten coming over and cooing at them 

they love ten, but they will trash talk the man behind his back 

yangyang confessed to her that he sometimes feels nervous when speaking korean, like he’s going to make a big mistake

so she tries her best to teach and correct him where she can, and make him as comfortable as possible 

if you look at any of the 90s Love promotions - aria is always beside yangyang

he bit her ear once

she doesn’t know why and he won’t tell her

but now when she makes fun of him, he threatens to do it again 

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

aria skating onto the rink during filming, and yangyang following her because she promised to teach him how to skate backwards.

“ok just, think like you’re leading with your heels. press your knees in, and push outwards, with you-no no that’s forwards. go backwards yangyang.”

“no no no thats a WALL YANGYANG STOP-” 

[asweetprologue]

Geralt decides to retire to Toussaint. He takes Jaskier with him.

Words: 4360, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Witcher

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion

Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion

Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Retirement, Getting Together, Domestic, Fluff

I promise I’m still writing stuff!! this is a soft little one shot I wrote a while ago and just cleaned up. read on tumblr below the cut!

In the end, it’s the weariness that does him in.

Once when they were both younger men, Jaskier had asked him about retirement for witchers. If they retreated to Kaer Morhen in their old age to train the new pups, or if they settled down across the Continent, or gave up the hunt to have families of their own. Geralt had snorted. “We don’t retire,” he’d said, mixing potion ingredients by the light of their camp fire. Jaskier had looked at him with wide, curious eyes. “We get old, and slow, and something kills us. We don’t - buy seaside cottages, or whatever.”

Jaskier had hummed at that, a mournful note that seemed to resonate in the air. It was unfair, Geralt had thought, that his friend managed to convey so much in such a sound while the witcher always managed to say so little. “Seems a bit unfair,” Jaskier added.

Geralt had blown out an amused breath, not quite a laugh. “That’s life, bard.”

But now, three decades and countless battles older, he just felt tired. Jaskier no longer traveled with him as frequently, and the Path was a lonely place. He and his brothers no longer met at Kaer Morhen to winter, not once Vesemir had passed. They would stop occasionally to meet up on the road, but never for too long. Even Ciri was going her own way nowadays, though he saw her the most frequently. As the years wore on, Geralt found himself visiting Oxenfurt more and more often. Itching for companionship, for a cease in the ever grinding motion of the Path. The routine that had once been a comfort was now grating.

Maybe it was time to take a break.

It was with this mentality that he turned to Jaskier on the last day of his stay in Oxenfurt and said, “Come to Toussaint with me.”

Jaskier blinked at him owlishly, the expression making him look ten years younger. These days his hair was streaked with gray at the temples, and when he chose to grow out a beard it was as silver as Geralt’s. “What’s so important in Toussaint?” he asked. They were seated at a table in the rooms Jaskier had been provided, for accepting a temporary lecturing position. The term had ended a few weeks ago, hence Geralt’s visit. Jaskier shuffled his gwent deck as he spoke, the cards weaving together like a cascade. Geralt found himself watching the bard’s slim fingers dance through the motions with an old fascination.

“I have an estate there,” he replied, pulling his gaze from the cards. He meant to look Jaskier in the eye, but a brief moment of contact with the bright cerulean had him turning his head, his heartbeat growing ever so slightly faster. It was too hard to ask this if he could see Jaskier’s face. Instead, he looked out the small window, overlooking the red tiled roofs of Oxenfurt. The city was painted a rich gold in the light of the evening sun, reflected warmly off of the river beyond the docks.

Jaskier spluttered across the table. “You have an estate? Since when?”

Geralt felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. “It was payment for a job,” he said. “There’s a vineyard, gardens. I can send word ahead for them to start renovations on the guest bedroom. Come with me,” he said again, softly. He wasn’t above begging, but he hoped he wouldn’t have to.

Jaskier looked at him with a confused but affectionate look spread across his fine features, and said, “Okay.”

~

Geralt sent a letter ahead to warn the staff of their plans to summer at the estate, and they began their journey to the Duchy.

It was a long journey, but not an arduous one. For once, Geralt allowed them to stick to the main roads, and at this time of year even Velen was bearable. The sweeping fields spread out around them in swaths of green and gold, punctuated here and there by defiant patches of wildflowers. Jaskier wasn’t as quick as he used to be following Geralt on the Path, but they weren’t on the Path anymore. They purchased a second horse and rode side by side at a leisurely pace. When the day grew hot, they would post up in a convenient spot of shade and let the horses graze, lunching on sun warmed bread and sweetmeats. Jaskier rambled the hours away with stories of his students and old antics at Oxenfurt, and Geralt responded with his own tales of hunts and growing up in the keep with his brothers. It was good to have another voice on the road again after months of traveling alone. It was good that it was Jaskier. Geralt had missed him. Once he wouldn’t have been able to admit it, even to himself, but it seemed silly now to hide it. A wall put up against someone who had been inside for years.

They slept beneath the stars and in cramped inns, sharing small spaces like they had for decades. It was different, Geralt thought. Something had released in his shoulders when Jaskier had agreed to come with him. They weren’t in a rush - there were no contracts to fill, no galas to play at. Jaskier’s purse was heavy from his time spent lecturing, and Geralt was able to pick up a few simple contracts as they went. Easy jobs that would put some extra coin in his pocket and lift the tension from the shoulders of the locals. But for the most part it was just the two of them, drinking sweet summer mead and browsing morning markets, getting accustomed to each other’s presence again.

Sitting across the fire from him one night as they camped, Jaskier said, “You’re different, you know.”

Geralt lifted his head from where he’d been skinning the pheasants for supper. “Hmm?”

Jaskier smiled, his eyes soft. “Well, maybe not that different.” At Geralt’s odd look, he went on. “You told me once that witchers never change. That they’re set in their ways. I think you were talking about something like your potions routine when you said it at the time, but I thought it applied to the whole of the witcher experience.”

Geralt hummed again. “It’s true. We age slowly. Get set in our habits.”

“But you changed,” Jaskier said. “I’ve seen it. After Ciri, and now, since we’ve left Oxenfurt. You’re different.”

Geralt shifted uncomfortably. They’d never been on the road together like this, just the two of them as companions. Before Geralt had been focused on the Path, and Jaskier had been cataloguing his deeds as if he were some kind of hero of legend. He knew Jaskier admired Geralt’s drive, his ability to push on towards the next contract. Maybe the bard would think less of him, knowing that he was content to leave the Path behind for so long. “I’m still me,” he said aloud.

Jaskier gave him another smile, warm and honeyed. “I know it’s you, daft man,” he said. “It’s good. To see you… put down the torch for a bit.”

Geralt wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just gave an agreeable rumble in his chest. And then, because he’d spent so long learning how to use his words around his daughter, he said, “I’m glad you’re here, Jaskier.”

A brief moment of surprise passed over Jaskier’s features, his eyes widening. Though Geralt had become better at voicing his affections over the years, he knew that the bard was always taken aback by the behavior. After a second Jaskier’s smile became a grin, and Geralt felt something in him relax even further. “I’m glad to be here, my friend. You know I can’t resist an adventure.”

~

They arrived in Toussaint quickly after that, both eager to end their days on the road. The countryside spread out around them slowly transformed from the muted colors of the north into the vibrant greens, purples and reds of the vineyards and forests. Geralt always forgot how stunning the Duchy was, with its colorful houses and flashy clothes. For once Jaskier fit in with the crowd flawlessly; it would take more than a bright doublet to stand out in Toussaint. Geralt had always liked it here. The peasants tended to be less prejudiced against non-humans, witchers included, and the knights he’d met always treated him as a brother in arms rather than pest control. The winters were mild and the summers sweet, and the wines were rich even if they were impossible for him to pronounce at times.

Of course Jaskier proved to be fluent in the local language - “What do you think the Seven Liberal Arts even entail, Geralt?” - which was helpful when they passed through smaller villages. Those away from the common crossroads or larger settlements tended to have fewer people who spoke the common northern tongue. They made their way to Geralt’s estate through a series of inns, barns and guest bedrooms as Jaskier relentlessly charmed the locals in grandiose displays of hospitality.

As they approached the estate, Geralt pulled Roach to a stop at the top of a hill. “This is it,” he said, nodding to indicate the view.

Jaskier gaped, craning to look out over the small collection of buildings and the dozens and dozens of grapevines that were nestled in the valley below. Geralt could see several workers out tending to the fields; his majordomo must have been overseeing things as agreed upon. They would have to get to know the rest of the staff while they were here. “This is all yours?” Jaskier asked, snapping Geralt’s attention back to the present.

“The house, most of the fields. I’ve not paid all that much attention to it before now, honestly. The house needs work. Never had any reason to sink funds into it before now.” He’d sent a fair sum of gold ahead to Barnabas-Basil to get started on renovations, but it likely would have only been enough to make the main complex habitable. Geralt was confident that he could undertake much of the repairs himself, in time. It would be good to have a project.

“It’s expansive. You produce wine here?” Jaskier asked, turning back towards him.

“Yes, but you’ll have to ask the majordomo which ones.”

Jaskier nodded to himself as they continued down the hill, soon approaching the main gate to the small villa. Members of the staff bustled throughout the property, though many stopped to look as the two of them passed by. As they settled their horses near a storage shed, the majordomo approached them, apparently already made aware of their arrival.

“Ah, Master Geralt, I trust that your travels were smooth? Please, come inside - I will have someone come and tend to the horses.” Barnabas-Basil Foulty was a clean shaven, bald man with sharp, almost bird-like features, and the head of the estate in Geralt’s stead. He stood at perfect attention at all times, shoulders back and head held high. A proud man, if not also an extremely polite one. Geralt liked him immensely, because he was good at his job and could keep up in the cups the one time the two had drank together.

“Ah, this must be the famous Barnabas-Basil. Fantastic to finally meet your acquaintance, my good man,” Jaskier said, jumping in to give the majordomo’s hand a firm shake. “Geralt has praised your skills from here to Redania and back.”

Barnabas-Basil inclined his head towards Geralt, though his spine did not stray an inch. “I thank you, sir, for your kind words. Please, allow me to show you the progress that we have made on the main house so you might get settled.”

The domo walked them through the estate, giving Jaskier a brief tour and pointing out new additions to Geralt. He’d not been to the estate in at least two years, but it was clear that the workers were making good use of the space. The small collection of colorful houses down the road had fresh coats of paint, and children played in the courtyard below the main house. A garden flourished in the space between the manor and the vineyard, dominated by root vegetables and herbs.

“If you would like, we can have it cleared out so that you might use it for your own purposes,” Barnabas-Basil said. His face betrayed no feelings on the issue.

Geralt grunted. “No need. The staff can use it as they wish.” He refused to meet Jaskier’s gaze as the bard beamed at him proudly. After decades of friendship Jaskier still seemed to find it a delight anytime Geralt did something he thought was particularly chivalrous. Geralt was not eager for him to meet the knights, with their virtues and heroic deeds.

The house, as he suspected, was functional but only just. “We’ve done what we could in a short amount of time, sir,” Barnabas-Basil said, his tone politely apologetic. “I assure you renovations are far from complete.”

“It’s fantastic,” Jaskier said, already darting off to explore the other rooms. There was a small kitchen, a bedroom, bathroom and an upstairs loft that could be made into a second bedroom. The additional bed wouldn’t arrive for another week or two.

“We can share,” Geralt said without looking at Jaskier, and did not elaborate further. “Show me what else needs done.”

~

They fell quickly into a routine. Geralt spent his days working with the locals on renovations, slowly breathing vitality back into the old manor. When he grew tired of working with lumber, he waded into the vineyards, to help pluck the delicate grapes from their twisting vines. A pair of women admonished him for his sloppy work on the first day and taught him how to gently cut the branches away and check the grapes for ripeness. Jaskier fluctuated between helping out with the building work and composing, though he also made the occasional day trip into the city to perform. In the evening they would retire to the house to eat, drink and chat over games of cards. At night they would curl up in Geralt’s bed, as they had when sharing quarters on the road.

It was a strange new intimacy, to learn what Jaskier was like in his bed. They had shared bedrolls many times over the years, but never with any consistency. When the nights were too cold or the inn too full, they would sigh and grumble and agree to share a space for the night, as a matter of convenience. But as soon as they had the coin or the resources to do so, they would always put distance between themselves again. Geralt supposed it had been a kind of self preservation instinct, but he now found little threat in the warmth of Jaskier next to him at night. He learned that some days Jaskier woke before the sunrise, throwing himself out of bed in a tangle of limbs to scramble for a quill. Other days he slept late, sprawled out across the sheets and dozing until the heat of the day forced him up. Often Geralt woke to the bard curled around him, an arm thrown across his broad chest, nose tucked under the witcher’s jaw. Those times always made something tighten in Geralt’s throat. No one should trust a witcher like Jaskier did, but he was grateful for the bard’s foolishness. Jaskier had always believed that Geralt would keep him safe, even when the witcher had refused to even admit that they were friends. Jaskier deserved better, but it didn’t stop Geralt from turning into his warmth each morning, wishing to reach out.

When the second bed came, Jaskier made no effort to relocate to the guest room. Geralt didn’t bring it up.

It only took a month for him to openly think about it, but when he finally did he was surprised it hadn’t come sooner. He looked up from where he was carving a notch in a new post for one of the fences and saw Jaskier sitting on the steps of the manor, the end of his quill hovering near his lips. His mouth moved around abstract syllables as he reached for the next lyric in a new song. The soft, repetitive notes rose and fell in the still summer air, and Geralt could see a small spot of ink on Jaskier’s cheek where he’d tapped himself with the quill by accident. Later that night, Geralt would point it out and they would both laugh, and Jaskier would play at being angry Geralt hadn’t brought it up sooner, and then Geralt would offer to help him clean up. Jaskier looked up from his place on the stairs and met his eye, feeling the attention on him as he always did. When he saw Geralt looking he smiled, as brightly as if he’d not seen the witcher in months, instead of moments. Geralt’s chest swelled with an unspeakable feeling, thick and heady affection and trust and something else even beyond that, and he thought, Oh, I love him.

~

Geralt suggested a picnic. Jaskier was ecstatic, though he tried to act as if he had to consider the notion.

“Will there be wine?” he asked, eyebrows raised playfully.

“Jaskier,” Geralt said, fondly exasperated, “we live on a vineyard.”

So they grabbed some bottles from the storeroom, packed a light cotton blanket and some food leftover from lunch and set off up the nearby hill. It took them about twenty minutes to reach the top, but once they did they were quite near the place they’d first stopped to look over the estate. It was nearing evening, the sun hanging low in the sky and making the shadows of the workers coming in stretch out long across the fields. The two men spread out their things, sitting to watch the landscape move below them as they uncorked one of the bottles.

Geralt let Jaskier chatter away about nothing for a while, letting the sound wash over him as they shared the bread and wine. After a while Jaskier fell quiet, leaving them both to gaze out at the beauty of the land around them. Geralt turned to look at Jaskier. The sweep of his brow, the soft bow of his lips. The smattering of freckles he’d collected from weeks on the road, lying in fields and letting the sun kiss his cheeks. To be jealous of the sun, Geralt thought wryly.

Jaskier turned to meet his gaze, realizing that he was being watched. “What is it?” he asked.

“Why did you come with me?” Geralt asked.

Jaskier chuckled a bit, leaning back on one hand. His shirt was unlaced a ways down the front, leaving his dark chest hair exposed. Geralt wanted to put his nose in the hollow of his throat and just breathe there for a while. “I’m not one to turn down a free holiday, my dear.”

“No,” Geralt said, trying to ignore the way the pet name made his stomach flip. “I mean, why did you always come with me? Everyone… People come and go. But you always came back. Why?”

Jaskier gave him an admonishing look. Geralt didn’t know what to make of it. “You know the answer to that,” he said, and his tone held a warning that the witcher didn’t understand.

“I know you value our friendship,” Geralt replied, “but I could say that of many. It’s not the same.”

“Oh Geralt,” Jaskier sighed, his face full of fondness and exasperation and, strangely, an old sort of grief. “You truly are the most unobservant man in the land. You’ve been far more than a friend to me for many years.”

Geralt felt his heart rate pick up at that, the slow thud speeding up to match Jaskier’s. “You’re saying…” He found himself unable to complete the thought. Even after so many years of trying to do better, it was still impossible to form words past the thundering in his ears. This moment felt delicate, like the wrong phrase might shatter it apart.

“I assumed you knew,” Jaskier said with a shrug. The line of his shoulders was just slightly too tense, his body radiating faux casualness. Anyone else may have been fooled, but Geralt had been watching Jaskier for years. “I would never have let it change anything between us, you must know that. You were always involved with someone else - Yennefer, and then Triss and Shani… I didn’t want to get in the way of that. Something that could make you happy.”

“I thought it would,” Geralt said honestly. His gaze flickered over Jaskier’s impassive face. The bard rarely showed his nerves in his expressions, too much a performer for that. Instead it made its way to his hands, twitching over his thighs and worrying the fabric of the blanket, and his heart, which raced in his chest. “I wanted to be the right person for them. Yen wanted me to be useful. Triss wanted me to be a knight in shining armor. They made me feel like I was better than just a witcher.” Jaskier’s lovely mouth twisted slightly, a note of bitterness in his gaze as he looked out over the vineyards. Geralt hurried on. “But you’re the one who made me feel like being a witcher was already good enough.”

Jaskier turned back to him, blinking in surprise. “Well of course it is,” he said, and naturally the bard had missed the point, honing in on his favorite subject: the reputation of witchers and Geralt’s sense of self worth. “You’re already useful, and noble, and good and kind besides all that. You don’t have to be more than what you are to deserve - fuck, basic human connection and love.” He settled slightly, his gesturing hands falling into his lap once more. “Is that why you left them?”

“The Path always calls,” Geralt said with a shrug. “No one but you ever wanted to follow me.”

“Oh,” Jaskier said, blushing. Geralt watched the color rise up over his cheek bones with something like fascination, or maybe hunger. “Well, now you know why,” he continued, with obviously false cheer. He gave Geralt a rueful smile. “I promise I won’t make things awkward. I’ve had decades to practice. I mean, it’s been thirty years. If you were going to fall in love with me you probably would have done so already, hmm?”

“You’d think so,” Geralt agreed. “Sorry it took me so long.” And then he leaned into Jaskier’s space and kissed him.

It wasn’t a very good kiss. Barely a kiss at all, really, considering that Jaskier had frozen under him. Geralt pulled back, lifting a hand to run it gently over Jaskier’s side. The bard was absolutely still, his eyes closed tight. There was a small crease between his eyebrows that Geralt wanted to kiss away, but he wasn’t sure if he should. “Sorry,” he said softly.

Jaskier’s eyes fluttered open. It was unfair that a man could have beautiful eyelashes, Geralt mused, but here they were. “You mustn’t toy with me, witcher,” Jaskier croaked. His voice was raw, as if he’d been singing for hours.

Geralt moved his hand to the bard’s face, his thumb following along the line of his jaw and up to trace across his cheekbone. Freckles like stars under his fingers. “I’m not,” he rumbled. “I swear it, Jaskier. I just -” He paused, trying to marshal his thoughts. “You were always there. No matter how shitty the Path was, or how miserable people were to you because of me, or how much I pushed you away. You stayed. You made me feel like I was worth something, and you made other people think that way too. Every day without you on the Path was always misery. I should have realized sooner, but I’m not… good at this. I’m sorry.”

Jaskier’s head dropped forward, his brow resting on Geralt’s collarbone. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you apologize in the span of a minute,” he said, voice thin. “This is a lot to take in. Are you saying that you… that you love me? You, Geralt of Rivia, are in love with me?”

“Yes,” Geralt said, smiling into Jaskier’s hair. “That’s what I’m trying to say.”

Jaskier pulled away to stare at him. Geralt tried to let his affection through, drinking in Jaskier’s beloved face like he hadn’t allowed himself before. The last rays of the sun played over Jaskier’s hair, turning some of the strands to brilliant amber. His eyes were over bright. Whatever the bard saw in Geralt’s expression must have been enough, because the next moment they were kissing again.

It was, Geralt thought, a miracle that he had ever gone so long without doing so. Now that they’d begun, he never wanted to stop. Jaskier’s lips were warm and soft against his, and when Geralt licked slowly into his mouth he tasted of old wine. They stayed like that for a long time, Geralt holding Jaskier close, decades of tension not so much breaking as releasing like a quiet sigh of relief.

Finally they pulled apart, Geralt nosing at Jaskier’s cheek as he hummed contentment into the bard’s skin. He could feel deft fingers petting through his hair, easily working around the tangles that had formed on the walk up the hill. “I love you,” he said, pressing the words below Jaskier’s ear as if he could speak them into his core that way.

Jaskier shivered once under him. “I love you too,” he said, and Geralt could feel him smiling in the way his jaw moved. He knew Jaskier in his bones. “I’ll follow you wherever you go, you know.”

Geralt pulled back, pushing Jaskier’s fringe back with one hand as he met his eyes. “Maybe I’ll just stop running from you,” he said, smiling. Jaskier grinned back, and neither of them mentioned that his eyes were slightly damp. Geralt pushed himself to his feet and reached down a hand to his bard. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

[readersperspective]

Writing Advice Bilingual Characters

As some of you (who read my reviews) already might have noticed, I am bilingual myself. Sadly, multilingual people do not get represented well a lot in media, so yeah... some advice for writing them. It will certainly not capture every aspect of being bilingual, but it might give you a first idea.

There are different ways to be multilingual.

People who grew up with more than one native language will almost certainly speak all of them fluently. Most of them have two (their parents’ language and their country’s language, or the language of one parent and of the other) but I also know a family where the children grew up with four native languages (the mother speaks Portuguese, the father Italian, they talk to each other in English, and live in Germany, where the children grew up)

Some people speak two or more languages, but cannot write all of them - especially when the alphabets are not the same, for example English and Russian or Arabic. This affects mostly children of immigrants.

Some people can read and write a language quite well, but are not good at speaking or listening comprehension. Those people often learned the language at school with a bad teacher or by themselves with books and apps.

Some people, again mostly children and grandchildren of immigrants, can read and understand a language, but don’t speak it. Mostly, the parents decided to not teach the child the language, and they learned it themselves by listening to their parents talk to relatives.

Confidence can play a big role in this. I understand the dialect of my grandparents without a problem, but I would never try to speak it. I can’t even imagine forming those words with my mouth, and it would sound terrible.

People who learnt a language at school can reach completely different levels of that language. I started learning English at age 6 and am completely fluent by now. Other people in my class barely understand more than easy conversations in English.

Most people will do their very best to hide their accents.

If the person is not a native speaker, but fluent in a language, their accent will be a mix of whatever they can find at the moment. Media is a big influence in that.

Since I watch more British than American TV, my accent sounds a bit british, too. When I watched “Call the Midwife”, I often even unconciously copy the accent of Laura Main. I don’t know why her, but my brain just liked it, I guess.

Also, we will use words, phrases and sentence structures from so many different sources.

People who learnt English through the internet (aka most of the younger generation) will have problems to not use swear words when actually being in Great Britain or America. They just do not have the weight for us, since on the internet they get used all the time.

I have never in my whole live heard a multilingual person switch languages mid-sentence on accident.

We will do it on purpose, though, if the other part of the conversation understands both languages.

Also, we will maybe say the word in another language if we forget the meaning.

Multilingual people that are not natives in the language they usually use in their day-to-day life (immigrants, for example) will often count and calculate in their native language. For example at a restaurant where they calculate the price in their head, they will probably do it in their native language.

Conversations with multiple multilingual people can be very different.

If one person only understands one language, they will probably try to include that person by speaking the language they share. I can say from experience, though, that if eight native Germans that have varying levels of English language skills will sit together with one introverted Turkish person with medium English language skills, they will go back to German quite often. It’s not nice, but sadly natural.

In general, people will try to speak in their native language if possible. You can take two people that share a native language and also both speak English and let them walk around in London - they will probably speak their native language, no matter how well they speak English.

Multilingual people that share multiple languages will switch on purpose when they feel like they can express their thoughts better in the other language.

Many languages have taken words from English.

Especially young people take a lot of English filler words and phrases (or insults) and put them into their native language. “Help, mein Deutschlehrer überfordert uns mit Hausaufgaben, like, what the fuck, glaubt der wir haben nichts besseres zu tun?” Is a sentence you would absolutely hear from a German student.

Many young people that don’t live in Great Britain or America will not use these words and phrases around their parents. First of all, our parents often do not speak English as well as we do, but more importantly, our parents do not like us using English instead of ur native language.

Many professions nowadays have an English name, I don’t know why. What used to be a Hausmeister is now a Facility Manager. The longer the English phrase for your profession, the more likely you will not be taken serious by older people.

Once you have more than one native language, you learn new languages more easily, for some reason. I know a girl that speaks 7 languages, at age 20, 5 of them fluently.

"You speak English quite well” or phrases like that said by a native speaker can be the best compliment ever, or more uncomfortable than nice.

When you are translating for your family and hear that sentence, it is super nice.

When you are only speaking English, that sentence indicates that your accent is still heavy. You do not pass as a native speaker.

When you are a native speaker, that sentence is just weird.

You can indentify the people that learnt a language through reading by giving them words that are pronounced untypically.

For years I thought “precious” (a word that is heavily used on the internet, especially in fan communities, but not that much in school) was pronounces pree-ci-ous. I was shocked when I heard it for the first time.

There are situations where even quite fluent non-native speakers will not be able to understand or talk in their second language.

The first few minutes after standing up (although that can change when the person is really fluent)

When they are in great pain

When they are in great fear

When they are under great stress

Sometimes even when they did not use that language in the last few days

Translating in realtime is terribly hard and will fuck your head. When I was on holiday with my parents, I often had to read the information signs in museums or at sights for them and translate. It’s easier when you first read the text and then summarise it in another language, but trying to translate it sentence by sentence is painful and you will question your abilities in both languages.

This gets just more horrible when under pressure. While we were in England, a visibly stressed young woman came to us and asked us if we had 5 pounds, she had lost some money she needed to take the train back home. I repeated her sentence to my father. In English.

Also sorry to the poor worker at McDonalds who I talked English to while speaking German to my English exchange student.

People abroad will absolutely become friends with every person that they hear speaking their language. While being in London, we overheard a man talking to his son in German about taking a photo, and I immediately asked (in German) if I should take a photo of both of them together. We talked for fifteen minutes after that, even though we had never met before.

On that note, in tourist citys the people that try to sell things to tourists usually speak a lot of languages enough to say things like “Oh, I speak a bit of [language], too, but not well. Didn’t pay enough attention in school. You look like nice people.” Makes it so easy to sell things.

Idioms are literally hell. Best example has been in the news currently, with Greta Thunberg literally translating a Swedish idiom in a tweet not realising that “putting someone against a wall” means something totally different in English. 

Idioms will be hell for you as a writer, too, though, as long as you do not fluently speak both of the languages or at least one of them is fictional, because it’s quite easy to mess up if you use idioms that jus aren’t normally used by people speaking that language.

Bilingual puns are amazing, but sadly rare.

Those are the things I thought of first... Maybe you can find some ideas or inspiration there for your characters, too. The best thing of course is to let someone proof-read your character if you are uncertain, but this hopefully already helped you a bit!

[jajanvm-imbi]

Headcanons of Krel living on earth because he’s my favorite and I love him and I haven’t seen anyone do this yet so I feel like I have to

^^^^^because of this very moment I love the idea of Mary and Darci befriending Krel.

Since Aja,Vex and Eli went back to Akaridion-5, Mother was destroyed, and Claire was busy with Trollhunting stuff, earth gets pretty lonely. So Mary and Darci adopt him into their friend group. 

At first Krel was a little apprehensive to joining their friend group, but he quickly warmed up to it because, he, being Krel, loves the attention.

like I can totally see Mary and Darci taking Krel to like a mall or something and doing those like teen romcom movie shopping montages where he goes into a changing room and the girls judge the outfit until they find the perfect one.

I personally believe Krel would adopt a soft boy look, with like oversized button ups and t shirts tucked into jeans, but thats just me.

anyway, because he’s friends with Mary and Darci, Krel has a new found social popularity in Arcadia.

because of this, Krel would prolly get nominated for Spring Fling king and shit

I would say Krel wouldn’t really care about being nominated, but seeing how he cared so much about the science fair and the Battle of the Bands, he would definitely care

Steve is conflicted because he wants to be Spring Fling King, but he can’t mess with Krel like he did with Jim and Eli cause Krel is his girlfriend’s brother 

Krel notices this and takes advantage of it to mess with Steve and actually tries to win.

like Krel would just dominate the contests, and his theme presentation would be the flashiest and most appealing and people would just generally like him, and that would really worry Steve

like Krel, with four arms would be really good at the Touch-a-Truck-athon or whatever its called.

Krel would prolly let Steve win anyway because watching Steve squirm and freak out over prolly losing the crown and not being able to do anything about it cause he's Aja's brother is much better than any highschool dance crown

also the school 100% asks Krel to DJ future dances and events to save money, and Krel absolutely loves it

He would also definitely do the school play. Seeing how much he enjoyed being in Toby and Eli's short film, and again, he loves the attention, he would totally be down 

Also it would just be another chance to mess with Steve to be the lead. 

Because of this, Ms. Janeth would do another Shakespearean play, but do one of those modern renditions. Like it's the same play just in a modern setting, to take advantage of Krel's Akaridion form like they did with Jim's armor. 

If not in the play he would do stage crew/tech.

Like he would create elaborate settings for them using A5 tech and Ms. Janeth would adore it 

moving on, because home life is pretty lonely with just the Lucy and Ricky for company, Krel loves to host his friends for parties and sleepovers and whatever

and since Krel lives in the coolest house on the block, they love coming over

He hosts girl’s night every other week with Mary, Darci, and Clarie (becauuse she deserves a fucking break) 

since we’ve all agreed that Krel is 100% a gaylien, I love the idea that he casually comes out during a girls night

like Mary would be like “So Krel, are there any girls you like?” and Krel’s just like, “*snort* Girls? Who ever said I like girls?” and the others are like “….....?“ and Krel just rolls his eyes and says "I like boys, ladies” and they’re like “ooooohhhh, okay. Cool.”

So now they spend girls night talking about boys. Claire and Darci about their mans and Mary and Krel about cute boys.

One day the girls give Krel a little rainbow pin and Krel’s just like “what’s this?” And the girls tell him that it’s an earth symbol for the gays and he’s like “theres a symbol for that here? I didnt think it was that big of a deal. On A5 it’s pretty normal” and the girls explain why theres a symbol and he’s like “oh shoot wow, thanks" and he put it on his backpack.

He’s pretty confused the first time someone is homophobic towards him cause like that kind if behavior doesnt happen on A5 and hes just like, “why does this bother you? I hardly know you” and just brushes it off. Its doesnt really bother him, mainly cause he doesnt know the earth insults towards gay people so he doesn’t even realize, but if the girls (or Toby, or even Steve, too) catch anyone being homophobic towards their friend they will attack that asshole on sight. Especially Mary and Steve

Random person on the street: Ha, *slur*

Marry: WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM BITCH???

Krel: Marry its fine, it’s not that big of a dealoHSEKLOSANDGAYLENMARYGETOFFOFHIM

Marry: SAY IT AGAIN ASSHAT, I D A R E YOU

Claire and Darci: *trying to hold Mary back* maRY NO

Steve: THATS MY NINJA KICKING SPACE ANGEL GIRLFRIEND'S BROTHER BUTTSNACK I'LL END YOU

Toby: *now chasing after Steve to stop him* stEVE NO

Mary would 100% find out who the rando is and destroy their life on social media. Like she would leak their job, phone number, email, school/college (if applicable) to her thousands of followers and absolutely ruin them with no remorse. And honestly, good for her

Also whilst on the subject, Krel can not drive or cook for 2 reasons: 1. Hes gay and 2. He’s a prince so he’s never had to do either before

Like he can obviously do math but that’s it.

Proof? That one scene in Wizards when Douxie had him drive the airship. You know the one.

Coach Lawrence refuses to get in a car with him at Drivers Ed after the 3rd day Krel shows up.

Krel gets addicted to sugary coffee shop-esc drinks thanks to Darci. Not coffee cause we saw in 3Below Part 1 that he doesnt like coffee, but refreshers, coolattas, frappuccinos etc…? Definitely.

As for warm drinks, he’s more of a tea person.

Moving on

He face calls Aja everyday because he really misses her

He tells her all about school and his friends and whatever and Aja tells him about the changes she’s making to the A5 government

Thanks to the wormhole they visit each other often. Sometimes Steve tags along cause he misses his ninja kicking space queen angel girlfriend. (And Eli, but that's also for another post)

They take turns housing Luug.

Krel genuinely loves it on earth, but he hates the primitive technology so he begs Aja to send him supplies and materials for his projects. 

He would 10000% apply to HexTech for an after school job. Seeing his reaction to HT in Wizards and the fact that “Akaridion tech and magic are so compatible”, he would be the perfect addition to the HT staff. 

The Wizards wouldn’t be sure at first but after he shows them A5 tech and Douxie’s email of recommendation about the time loop thing they made together, the wizards are like “oh yeah we definitely keeping this kid. This is going to be so much fun.”

Their inventions become more and more extravagant because Krel can and he's just extra and the wizards love it.

He would definitely find a way to use magic using A5 tech. But he would have to study magic in order to figure out how, so the wizards help him learn all about magic. And since he's learned everything there is to learn about science and technology and whatever, he's super excited to learn about something completely different and interesting. The wizards are happy to teach him. He would be the first Akaridion to learn and use magic

Like he would make his own staff with his serrator and everything. He's like "earn a staff? Nah fuck that going to make my own"

Speaking of which he really likes human swear words. But he doesnt know when it is and isn't inappropriate to say these swear words so he's gotten in trouble a few times for swearing at the wrong time

For example:

Ms. Janeth: excuse me Mr. Tarron?

Krel: what the fuck do you want?

Everyone in the room: krEL NO

Anyway, back to Krel at HT, thanks to Toby, he would definitely have a bowl of candy in his little lab. More like multiple jars of different candy just scattered around the room. Small candy like fun sized chocolate and skittles and jelly beans and whatever

And a mini fridge, of course.

Steve, Toby and Arrrgh come over to the lab alot to mess around.

Toby has a lot of sci-fi requests for Krel to make

Toby: do you think you can make a shrink ray? Laser blasters? Invisible ray? My own hoverboard? My own serrator *gASP* WITH A WARHAMMER SETTING???? WITH SPACE ARMOR TO MATCH???!!!???!

Krel: Toby you already have a warhammer and armor why do you need more?

Toby: I dont have a space warhammer and armor Krel!!!!!!

Going back to school life, I feel like Krel would take an interest in Spanish class. I mean, his human form is latino and in Trollhunters (I'm pretty sure the lightning in a bottle episode) he said "Si" in response to a question someone asked him, so I feel like he would like to learn another human language. 

I also feel like he would just like to learn about Latin American culture in general since Mother gave him that form. He'd like to get in touch with his human self. 

Claire (when she isnt busy Trollhunting with Jim and the gang) is happy help him learn about Latin American culture and help him with his Spanish. 

Krel, being a fast learner, becomes fluent quickly with a perfect accent. 

Señor Uhl, who already liked the Tarrons to begin with, would really appreciate this. 

Claire's dad would also appreciate this.

Since he has such a fascination with human music, Krel would especially love Latin American music. Specifically reggaeton, since its kind of like techno music in a way and he already likes techno music.

And naturally, he learns to dance. All the styles of latin american dances. And he becomes quite the favorite on the dance floor.

He and Claire become great dance partners cause they both have the natural Latino rhythm and because Jim respects and trusts his girlfriend he doesnt mind them dancing together at parties and stuff

Although, Jim does ask for dance help at some point cause it looks like fun and he wants to dance with his beautiful talented incredible amazing gf and Krel is happy to teach him and anyone else who wants dance help. 

GUITAR LESSONS with Douxie cause in 3Below Krel said he really wanted to learn how to play guitar, steals Shannon’s guitar from the bonfire and is seen multiple times strumming it throughout the series. So of course this is included.

Toby introduces Krel to YouTube and Krel instantly makes his own channel.

of course his channel is called DJ Kleb and he posts his tracks and remixes. and maybe even some vlogs

its a little slow at first, only Arcadia Oaks students are subscribed to it but Mary blows it up by posting one of Krel’s tracks on her own social media and now he has thousands of subscribers

he also gained other forms of social media like Instagram and Tiktok, platforms to post his music

At this point every girl in school wants to be friends with Krel but not in the toxic GBF (gay best friend) way, girls just genuinely think he's 10x more interesting than every other boy in Arcadia Oaks

I think that's it for now sorry this is really long I just really love Krel and I had so many ideas. Feel free to add on!!

[prettyboyreid]

can you write one where the reader is learning French and goes to spencer all the time for help since they both like each other. One day he snaps at the reader for how annoying it is, so the reader starts asking help from Emily and he regrets being mean to her. Fluffy ending pls!!!

parle moi

Reader overhears a conversation between Spencer and Morgan, which leads to her ignoring him for a few days.

Spencer x Reader

Word Count: 2,869

“Hey Spence?” you asked almost timidly as you approached his desk.  He looked up from a large book, which you probably assumed was some technical book on quantum physics.  He marked the page before turning his full attention to you, giving you a soft smile. 

“Hey, Y/N, do you need something?” he asked, sitting up slightly in his chair so his back was pressed against the soft cushioning.  I felt so much more anxious now that I was actually face-to-face with him, like he would laugh in my face and think I was an idiot for what I was about to ask of him. 

“I, uh,” you started, fidgeting with your hands behind you nervously as you tried to figure out a better way to say what you wanted.  “I wanted to know if you could help me out with some of these pronunciations?  It’s kind of hard for me to understand what I’m supposed to say based on a book, you know?”

You had been trying to learn French for a few months now.  You were going to a family friend’s wedding in Paris in a little over a month, and you wanted to be able to get around a bit without having to look at Google Translate every five minutes.  Spencer, thankfully, was fluent in it.  You had been asking him to help out every now and then, and he’d been more than happy to help.  But lately, he seems to get annoyed every time I ask him. 

He let out a heavy sigh but nodded reluctantly, running a hand back through his hair as he stood up and followed you to your desk.  You had an old workbook Emily had found when she went to school in France, and she had loaned it to you so you could learn a few basic phrases that should get you through your trip.

“What are you stuck on?” he asked, looking over the problems in the workbook as he waited for your response. 

“Um, number six?  The one about which one you want?  I feel like I can’t get it right…” you said, sitting down at your chair as your eyes raked over the sentence once again.  “Set celui que je vuks,” you tried pronouncing it to him, chewing on the inside of your cheek as you watched him shake his head.

“C'est celui que je veux,” he corrected you, folding his arms across his chest as he looked down at the book.  “You’re using English pronunciations on the words.  French modulation is much smoother, they don’t accent on words as harshly as we do,” he explained, his voice slightly hinted with annoyance.  You gave him a soft nod, thanking him quietly as he turned and made his way back to his desk.

Since it was an office day with no case and just some paperwork to catch up on whenever it did come across your desk, you just kept penciling in your answers in between files.  Around lunchtime, you got up to go fix yourself another cup of coffee over in the little kitchenette area.  As you placed your mug under the spout of the Keurig, you couldn’t help but overhear Morgan and Spencer talking by the entrance to the BAU.

“So, pretty boy, how do you like playing professor with your favorite student?” Morgan taunted him, undoubtedly with his infamous grin as he did so.

“It’s… alright,” Spencer answered almost numbly, like he had rehearsed what he was supposed to say. 

“You don’t sound all that excited, considering you’ve been begging Emily to pair you two up on cases so you can get alone with her,” Morgan replied.  You picked up your mug and added some sugar to it, trying your best not to listen to them (though you couldn’t really help yourself.)

“I know, but… I don’t know.  It’s just… annoying, I guess is the best way to put it.”

You felt your heart sink at the words and your face contorted into a frown, picking up your mug before making your way around the desks and back to your own, out of their line of sight.

You hadn’t meant to be a burden on him, you just figured it would help you learn easier.  Plus, you had an excuse to talk to him.  You didn’t often get that.   Next time, you’d just make sure to ask Emily.

-

Spencer’s POV

“So, pretty boy, how do you like playing professor with your favorite student?” Morgan asked as we came back into the bullpen from visiting Penelope.  I rolled my eyes at the question, but just shrugged as we stopped towards the front so no one else would hear.

“It’s… alright,” I told him.  I wasn’t necessarily lying, I just wasn’t being entirely honest with him.  He raised an eyebrow at my answer.

“You don’t sound all that excited, considering you’ve been begging Emily to pair you two up on cases so you can get alone with her,” he said with a teasing tone, grinning at me as he sipped on his coffee.

“I know, but… I don’t know.  It’s just… annoying, I guess is the best way to put it,” I tried to explain, but when I noticed both of his eyebrows raised, I knew I had picked the wrong choice of words.  “Not-not like that… I just mean… I hate that it’s all I really talk to her about anymore,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.  I blew air out through my nose in a huff as he still looked confused, racking my brain as I tried to figure out a better way to express what I was thinking.  I never was good at that.

“We used to talk about everything, you know?  She always would come to my desk when she had free time just to talk to me about anything… Now every time she talks to me it's only to give her a quick language lesson,” I tried to explain to him, my hands moving with my words as an extent of my expressions.

Morgan just hummed and took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head at me with a grin.  ��You could start up your own conversations with her, you know,” he told me, which only earned him a scoff as I sipped from my own hot mug of coffee.  “I’m serious, kid - You can’t complain about not being able to talk to her when you’re not making any of the first moves,” he reminded me.  I huffed softly, folding my free arm across my chest as I begrudgingly listened to him.  

He clapped his hand over my shoulder before bringing me closer to him with a grin and chuckle, leading the two of us back to my desk.  “At least think about it.  You’ll never know if you don’t try,” he reminded me. 

-

Reader’s POV

It had been a few days since you’d overheard Spencer and Derek’s conversation, and you had done your best to avoid him almost completely.  You didn’t have a case this week, which was rare but also a bit of a blessing right now.  Every time you had a question, you went over to Emily’s desk and asked her.  She was always so eager and happy to help, even giving you more common phrases that people were more likely to use.

Spencer, of course, had noticed.  Every time he saw you get up from your seat after a while, he got excited for a moment before he watched you go in the opposite direction.  He would sink back into his chair and just continue to do his work, ignoring everything else around him to try and focus on the task at hand. 

Morgan, as expected, was the first to notice this.  He picked up on you isolating yourself from him (and really everyone besides Emily), as well as Spencer becoming more and more easily aggravated.  He all but bit Derek’s head off when he moved his chicken tandoori lunch to a different spot in the fridge.  

He figured he needed to intervene before it got any worse; he knew how explosive Reid could be. 

You were finishing up one of your files before you opened up your workbook yet again, tapping the eraser end of the number two pencil you held before a call came through on your desk’s phone.  You picked it up, answering in your usual cheery voice. 

“Hey, pretty girl,” you heard Morgan on the other line, smiling a bit as you leaned back in your seat.  “Any chance you can spare me a minute down in my office?”  he asked you.  You checked the time on your watch before nodding, setting your pencil down in the book to mark your page before standing up.  

“Always.  I’ll be down in a sec,” you told him, hanging up the phone before taking the last sip of your coffee.  You headed out of the bullpen and down towards Morgan’s office that Penelope had set up for him a while back.  Given the time of day, the hall was mostly empty, so the only sound was the echoing click of your heels until you opened the door to the office.  You saw him sitting at his desk, going through an old file.  You assumed he just needed help with it. 

“Hey, Der,” you said, closing the door behind you before making your way further into the office.  “What do you need?” you asked, sticking your hands into the pockets of your slacks as you spoke, looking around the almost barren office before your eyes landed back on the tall man.

He looked up with a smile the second his door opened, setting down what he was doing before leaning back slightly in his seat before gesturing to the seat in front of his large wooden desk.  “Have a seat, I just wanted to talk to you real quick,” he said, the pads of his fingers tapping against the arms of the leather chair.  

You sat down as instructed, crossing one leg over the other and rested your hands clasped together in your lap.  “Is everything alright?” you asked almost nervously.  He wasn’t technically a superior to you, but he did hold some power over you.  

He shook his head quickly and chuckled, pulling his chair closer to his desk as he spoke.  “Nah, nothing like that,” he assured you, folding his arms over each other as they rested on his desk.  “I just wanted to know what’s up with you and the kid.”  

You instinctively flinched at the thought, almost forgetting about the entire situation with Spencer until he had brought it up.  “Oh, it’s nothing,” you lied through your teeth, your hands mindlessly tightening around each other.  Morgan frowned.

“Come on, I know I’m no boy genius but I can tell when something’s off with two of my closest friends,” he reminded you, raising his eyebrows as he waited for you to elaborate.  You sighed, chewing on the inside of your cheek as you leaned back into the cushioned seat.

“I heard him say he was annoyed with me the other day,” you confessed to him.  As you saw his raised eyebrow, you let out a breath of air through your nostrils before you explained everything to him. “You two were talking and he said me asking him for help was getting annoying, so I just started going to Emily instead.”

“And ignoring him in the process?”  Derek asked, his arms folded across his chest.  He didn’t mean it to be intimidating, but it still came off that way.  You nodded softly, and he did the same. 

“Maybe you should talk to him about it.  I know for a fact that wasn’t what he meant at all, and I think the both of you need to just sit and catch up before he bites someone’s head off and before you have to go another day without talking to your favorite profiler,” he said with a grin, nodding his head up towards the door as he let his hands fall into his lap.  You gave him a soft smile before getting up, thanking him before making your way out of his office. 

Thankfully, you didn’t have to venture far before you saw the doctor you were looking for, especially since he practically knocked you over as you turned the corner to head back to the bullpen.  His amber eyes went wide for a moment, and his mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish out of water as he tried to think of what to say.  You figured it’d be easier if you said something first.

“Can we talk?” 

He nodded quickly in response, looking around for a moment before he led me back to one of the empty offices.  You assumed he thought you didn’t want to talk in the public eye of your unit, and you were grateful for that.  He opened the door and let you inside, leaving the lights off so people wouldn’t see them as they passed before closing the door behind them.  

You looked around at the room littered with cardboard boxes, a few seats, and a desk, opting for one of the seats identical to the ones in Morgan’s office before crossing one legs over the other.  You watched as Spencer looked around the room quickly and anxiously before leaning against the wooden desk in front of you, waiting for you to say something first.  He almost always hated starting a conversation with you, because he wanted to make sure you said what you needed to before him.

“I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you,” you began, clasping your hands together in your lap as you looked down at them, almost ashamed of your actions as you thought them over.  

“I just… I heard you saying that I annoyed you and I got upset and figured I just shouldn’t bother you anymore.  I went to Emily instead because I hate to think I annoy you because I don’t want you to end up hating me or something, so I just avoided you entirely so you could have a breather from me,” you rambled off.  You noticed that you started doing it a lot more after you had met Spencer, but you everyone assumed that you had always done it and the two of you were just very alike.

He paused for a moment, to make sure you were finished and to figure out the best way to articulate his response, not wanting to say something to push you away even more.  “I’m not annoyed with you,” he started.  He needed to let you know that first and foremost.  “I was more annoyed with myself, I suppose.  All we were talking about was just… a stupid language and we used to talk about everything.  I missed that and I was frustrated that I wouldn’t even try to talk to you about anything else but God it was so much better than not talking to you at all.”

You watched the way he talked with his hands, the way he avoided your eyes so he could stay focused on what he was trying to say - like he’d forget how to speak if he even looked at you.  His eyes finally met yours as he finished, his hands fishing to the bottom of his pockets as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.  

You stood to meet him, folding your arms across your chest as you gave him a soft smile.  “I’ll make you a deal:  You can help me learn some more French, and then you can come with me to the wedding and we can talk about anything you want for a week,” you propose with a smile, which only grows as you watch his face perk up at your offer.

“Are you sure?” he asks you, standing up a bit more from his position, his hands pressed into the hard wood of the desk.  “I don’t want to be a burden or anything.”

You shook your head quickly in response, shifting all of your weight to one foot as you looked up at him slightly.  “I’m positive.  I needed a date for it anyway; I’d rather it be you than anyone else.”

He raised his eyebrows for a moment before they furrowed together, watching as his eyes darted across your face, making sure he had heard you correctly.  “You-your… your date?” he asked, his cheeks flushing a deep pink at the thought.  

You let out a quiet laugh before nodding softly.  “Yes, Spence, my date.  Unless you don’t-”

“No, no, no, I want to,” he cut you off quickly.  “I just- I didn’t want to impose or anything if you were uncomfortable.”  Ever the gentleman, you couldn’t help but grin as he always seemed to think of others before himself. 

“I’ll send you the flight information,” you told him, leaning up on the tips of your toes before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.  You turned on your heels before letting yourself out of the office, doing your best to hide your small smile and your faint blush you felt that heated your cheeks.