#and 'ill just load the dishwasher' suddenly turned into cleaning my whole kitchen and then laundry and then taking out the bathroom trash

[beancalzone]

Ill be damned that emergency cleaning guide from the other day really did unfuck my apartment

[docholligay]

Happy Father’s Day, Senator Hino!

A commission for @keyofjetwolf , who asked for the Bar AU, which can all be found under the tag “scenes from the red high heel” and Rei beiing pissy with her dad. I HOPE I DELIVERED. roughly 2700 words. 

Makoto Kino did not know much about her coworkers, at least not much in the way of their personal histories. She knew that Mina and Haruka lived in the small apartment above the bar. She knew that Haruka gratefully and happily ate any leftover Mako happened to bring to work. She knew that Mina loved men, women, and the unaffiliated with either, but nothing so much as the sound of her own voice. She knew that Rei was irrepressibly grumpy and forceful, and that the bar was a kingdom of her own making, a place she could be queen.

“I signed you up for two community college classes.” Rei nodded at Haruka, who set the box of glasses on the bar in a thud. “The schedule’s worked so you have the time off and the textbooks on the stairs.”

Haruka shook her head. “I didn’t want to sign up for classes.”

“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to.” Rei turned her back and started setting glasses behind the bar. “It’s just basic history and reading. You won’t die.”

Haruka huffed, but Mako knew another thing, that Haruka seemed to also know: The matter was settled.

“What about me, Rei, you got any,” she popped a cherry in her mouth. “Skills, I need to learn?”

Rei looked at her a moment, scowl on her face.

Mina’s tongue popped out of her mouth, revealing a perfectly tied cherry stem.

“There’s no hope for you.” Rei walked off toward the office in the back, cell phone in hand. “You start Tuesday, Haruka!”

“You know you’re right!” Mina yelled at her. “Everything I’m good at, the law says I’m not allowed to do anymore, so I guess you’re stuck with me!” She looked over at Haruka. “You could still get  out though.”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Lots of shops lining up to hire me.”

That was the other thing Mako knew. Both Haruka and Mina had been in prison. For what, Mako didn’t know, and there had never been a good time she thought to ask Haruka, as they’d sat under the buzzing neon out front.

“What are you doing for Father’s Day?” She asked Mina, in a way that seemed safe enough to her. “I wish Rei would get a kitchen. We could make a brunch.”

“Oh, my folks don’t talk to me so much since the whole prison thing.” She grabbed a few lemons out of the fridge, readying them for the night. “You?”

“Mine are dead.” Mako said quietly, suddenly regretting she’d brought the whole thing up at all, wishing she’d picked a date on the calendar that was less loaded. Haruka set another box of clean glasses on the counter, and Mako looked over at her, not wanting to leave her out, even wishing the conversation was finished. “You?”

“Dad? My mom didn’t think that was important for me to know.” She said, walking away, back toward the safety of the dishwasher.

Mina chuckled. “Well, aren’t we a bunch of fucking Disney Princesses. Don’t worry, the bar’ll be full of girls with daddy issues that weekend, bring a net.”

Mako scowled at her. Mina could be so cavalier about people, and it bothered her sometimes. “What about Rei?”

Mina pointed her knife at Mako. “You like your job? Like not getting yelled at? Like Rei not finding a reason to to yell at the rest of us? Don’t ask.”

Mako shrugged and kept wiping down the bar.

“Yes, I’ll see you then. Goodbye.” Rei walked out of the office and took a look over the place appraisingly. “I need you three here late tonight or early tomorrow. This place has to sparkle.”

It could not be said of Rei that she normally ran an unclean bar, and she often walked through proudly just before open and rearranged chairs and brought forward the bottles in a perfect line, chewing on her pen as she reviewed cocktail menus and daydreamed about knocking into the tiny vacant space next door, just enough to expand her kingdom.

“My father is coming in tomorrow morning.” Rei answered the silent question as if it didn’t matter, and Mako looked over at Mina with irritation.

But Mina’s mouth was too busy hanging open to notice. “Your father Senator Hino your father?”

“Your Dad is Senator Hino?!” Mako nearly dropped the chairs she was holding.

“Well, her last name’s Hino.” Haruka looked up from the table she was wiping down, as if she had just explained to Mako that the earth moves around the sun.

“I forgot you were related to a Formula One driver and an idol.” Mina laughed as she leaned across the bar toward Rei. “Miss Tenoh.”

Haruka scowled at her, but found herself unable to raise an argument over the more-famous people who shared her name but not, so far as she knew, any sort of bloodline.

“It’s all right, muffin,” she blew a kiss to Haruka. “You’re the most famous Tenoh to me.” She touched Rei’s arm. “Can I ask why you’re inviting a man you hate, even more than an ordinary man, into your bar, which is only for women, because you hate men, but especially your father.” She looked around the room. “I mean, this is weird, right? C’mon.”

Mako also knew that these three had known each other for a long time, and was always a little annoyed when they acted as if she should have the entire story of their lives memorized.

Rei opened the safe under the bar and took out a fine linen envelope. “I have a present for him.”

She walked away from the three girls, who stood staring as she retreated into her office,  some of them knowing the past, all of them knowing the present, and none of them knowing the future.

Mina called after her.

“Is the present being murdered?”

___

Senator Hino was a serious man, and Mako would have said that his bearing reminded him of Rei’s, the way he commanded the room, and probably every room, as if he owned it, and it was your own foolishness if you weren’t aware of that.

However, Mako had recently added ‘don’t talk about Rei’s father’ to the list of things she knew.

Rei extended a hand out to him stiffly, and they shook in the way that is half formality and half feat of strength.

Mako looked over to Mina and Haruka, who said nothing, their eyes darting around the room, seemingly waiting for the shot to go off, and Mako found herself more ill at ease than she had felt in all her months here. It was one thing, to deal with the drunk men who tried to slither through the door, she knew what the rules were and how far she could bend them. But to stand still as you waited to see what developed, knowing you were only allowed to watch--that was the greatest difficulty to Mako.

And it must have been similar to Haruka, who faithlessly grabbed the box of empty bottles and hurried out toward the alleyway, leaving Mina and Mako to watch.

“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.” Rei had dressed for the occasion in a fine navy suit, with a red silk blouse that perfectly matched her red high heels.

“Business partners often must.”

Rei pressed her lips together tightly,  but managed a smile. “Of course. My office?”

The heels clicked down the hallway like every beat of her heart, louder and faster, waiting for this moment as she’d waited since the day they had opened. Rei had meant so many things for this bar, for it to be a community and to contribute to it, and she meant to make them happen, now that she was done socking away money for her first great goal, in all her life’s grand goals.

She pulled out the chair for him to sit, happily poured him a glass of water, and extended her gift with both hands.

“Happy Father’s Day.” She put the envelope in his hands, so formal in its fine paper, his name in neat, dark, calligraphy on the outside.

He smiled at her as he opened it. “Oh Rei, I didn’t expect--” he stopped, looking at the bills in the envelope. “What’s this?”

“My last payment on the loan you gave me to open the bar.” She set down a piece of paper in front of him. “The deed to the building, ready to be fully signed over to me.” She turned at yelled toward the door. “Mako!”

He looked at her with a mix of surprise and dismissiveness, that look that had defined so many of their exchanges, when he could be bothered to exchange with her at all.

He’d given her that look, and nothing else, the day her mother died.

The rage burned and melted through her like lava, wanting to explode, wanting to let ash rain down over everything. But she was the queen here, and she held command, and so she did not need to fight, wasn’t that true? And to be queen was to be calm.

He looked at the envelope, and the deed sitting on the table, and back at Rei, saying nothing, just watching, appraising, his political rival and not his daughter. He rifled through the bills again, and smiled up at Rei.

“Five years early.” He opened his suit jacket and pulled a sleek Mont Blanc out of the inner pocket, pulling the deed closer to him. “Dedicated, practical. You do take after me.”

Rei snorted. “If I took after you, this bar would be open to whoever wanted to pay me.”

Mako walked in the door and shut it behind her with a firm slam, ready to fight. They stared at her, mirrored faces of anger and determination aimed like two beams, and Mako’s anger turned to confusion.

“Heyyyy…” she waved awkwardly.

“I don’t owe you anything now.” She towered over him, the table between them like a safety fence. “Sign it.”

She walked over to her desk and pulled out Mako’s notary stamp, which she had made a paid-for condition of Mako’s employment. Mako had thought it odd, at the time, but wondered if maybe a lesbian bar had the occasional call to solemnize legal documents, in much the way that a shipping store often sold money orders.

It hadn’t made much sense to her girlfriend, but Mako had faith Rei must have had some business reason for doing so.

Business can be a difficult word to define.

“Is this why you had me become a notary? Just for this moment?” She stared at the stamp. “Why not Haruka or Mina?”

Rei did not look to Mako, just kept her arms crossed and stared at her father. “They’re felons, they can’t be bonded. Stamp the deed.”

“This is the weirdest job I’ve ever had…” But she did not see fit to argue with Rei, any more than she felt a compulsion to tell the wind not to blow, and stamped the paper.

“Felons?” He chuckled. “Interesting choice of partners, my little Rei.”

“Right, I forgot if I work with criminals, they should steal millions, instead of a car.”

Mako was a straightforward woman, and she often struggled with the smaller emotional nuances and sarcasms that Rei and Mina battered back and forth. That teal haired girl who came in and stared at Haruka may as well be speaking Greek.

But she could, from time to time, take the emotional temperature of the room, and if there was a place Rei was going to be angry, she knew something else: It was better not to be there.

She would tell the story a bit more gallantly, later, but the truth of the matter was, she whipped out of the room, suddenly very excited about the prospect of cleaning the front window.

“You’ll leave this bar, because it’s my bar,” She picked up the deed. “And I don’t want you in it.”

“After all I’ve done for you--”

“This loan was the first and last thing you ever did for me that wasn’t a show!” She did not mean to allow the explosion, but the ash and ember felt clean and pure on her lips, fire burning everything that was rotted and ugly to the ground.

In truth, she did not even know that he had truly done it for her. In this one fact of life, she had remained ignorant. There were a dozen reasons at least he could have done it--shoring up the gay constituency without having to do anything for them, looking to be seen supporting women’s businesses, showing his political mates that he was a good father.

It may have been foolish, and Rei would never breathe it aloud, but she needed to believe that at least this one thing had not been a show. She did not, and would not, believe that he was a good man, or had ever been. But she needed to believe that on one moment of one day, he had loved her for herself.

Her father stood, buttoning his suit coat. “You know nothing about being a parent. Or in politics.”

“Maybe I will someday!” She snapped, and she saw the confetti of flame on the air, the one that defined her from the time she was small.

He laughed. “You, with a child?”

“Me, running against you for office.”

There was a flicker of fear in his eyes then, a candle wobbling in the wind, and Rei tasted his worry and it felt sweet in her mouth. She could win, and if not win, then challenge his authority in such a way that would break the back of his political supremacy.

He chuckled, but it was weak, more mist than smoke. “You’ll just waste your time.”

“That’s what you said about the bar. Get out,” She swung open the door. “And get ready, because I’m coming for you someday.”

He turned on his heel, fists balled, and stomped the straight line from the office of the bar to its entrance, where Mako studiously scrubbed the window, and Haruka pulled a few tables apart to wash.

Mina called out as he steamed through the door.

“Thanks, don’t came again, we hate men!”

The only response was a slam so hard it shook the plate glass window, as Rei stormed out of the office. She did not say a word, simply walked over to the bar, slammed a glass down on the counter, and pulled a bottle of smoked whiskey off the top shelf, pouring it roughly into the glass.

“You know usually that’s taken over ice.” Mina deadpanned. “As a recommended serving from the mixologist.”

Rei put the glass to her lips and took a deep drink.

Haruka stood up straight from the table she was cleaning, twisting the rag in her hands awkwardly. “Do you want me to go kick his ass? I can still catch him.”

Mako nodded, crossing her arms and ready for the first piece of logic she’d seen today. She was not sure, and less sure that she ever would be, why Rei and her father were at odds. But after a few months in this job, there were other things Mako knew: She trusted Rei’s instincts, and considered Rei one of the more decent bosses she’d ever had, and when Mako decided she liked you, her fists could come to your aid fairly swiftly.

Rei drained the glass and shook her head, tossing back her hair. “The Red High Heel is mine now. He’s out.”

Mina put her hand on Rei’s leg. “Do you need someone to call Daddy? Because I’m availa--OW”

Rei smiled as she withdrew the cocktail fork from the back of Mina’s hand.

“Mako, I was thinking about expanding to give us a kitchen.”

Mako smiled brightly. “You know I’ve always wanted--”

“You start culinary school coursework next Monday. I signed you up for the restaurant courses across town. There’s a bus pass, and apron, and knives in your locker in the back.” She set the glass in the sink behind her, smiled, and clicked her way back to her office, the footsteps sounding lighter on the old wood.

The girls looked at each other. Rei was Rei, and Rei was queen, and nothing could stop her now.

Mina put her hands on her hips, and yelled back to the office.

“You know I know that you’re only ignoring my development so I can be your trophy wife, right?!”

[myseoulreasonforliving]

Baekhyun scenario when he's your best friend and crush and one days he gets sick so you stay at the dorm and take care of him. And later when he's tired and sleepy because of being ill he tells you how much he's in love with you

Here you go! :) I’m really sorry this took so long. I’ve been focusing on college for a long time, and with all the essays I wrote, I haven’t had time to write much of anything else. But here’s your story, and I hope it’s what you wanted! ^.^

♡ Admin  강아지

                                     Pills Are Hard to Swallow

     Youknocked again on the door to the dormitory, tapping your foot impatiently. Youwere perfectly welcome in there whenever you wanted, but you weren’t about torisk barging in again after the whole Boxers Incident. No, it wasn’t a simplecase of walking in on anyone undressing. You’d opened the door to see the boys amida fierce underpants fight, led by Baekhyun and Sehun. It had already been quitestartling, to open the door to a blizzard of boxers. But then… You couldn’t besure who had thrown it, but a pair of boxers had come flying straight at you,and— well, since then, you just gave them a bit of warning before you walkedin.

     Thedoor swung open, and suddenly you were face to face with a smiling Suho. “C’monon in,” he offered politely, and stepped aside so that you could walk past him.“The rest of us were just about to leave,” explained Suho, as you observed thechaos of boys making messes, scrambling about looking for misplaced belongings,and of course partaking in the usual barrage of teasing and bickering.

     “HELLO!”A loud voice burst out from directly behind you without warning.

     Younearly jumped out of your skin as Chen snickered, clearly proud of having snuckup on you successfully. “Hi, Chen,” you grumbled, fighting the urge to hit himover the head even though he was older than you.

     “Whatare you doing here? Is she coming with us?” Chen turned to Suho with his secondquestion.

     Suho raisedhis eyebrows slightly at this. “I don’t think so. It would risky for a girl tobe seen with all of us, even if we are only going on a shopping trip. And she’sa bit young to pass as staff.”

     “Suhotexted me that Baekhyun was sick,” you explained to Chen. “He asked me to keepan eye on him in case he needs anything while you guys are out, or if his fevergets worse or something.”

     “So…you’re his babysitter?” Chen mused mischievously.

     “Oh, I don’t think I should sit on him,” youdeadpanned.

     Chenlooked at you, opened his mouth, and shut it again. As he turned to Suho forhelp, you giggled and headed toward Baekhyun’s room. Knocking on the door, youheard only a groan from inside. After a moment of hesitation, you let yourselfin.

     Thesight you walked in on was not pretty. There was dirty laundry everywhere, evena dirty sock hanging on the lampshade. The nightstand was stacked with an armyof empty cups, all of them bone dry. Baekhyun lay in a tangle of sheets, hisface quite pale.

     “I’msick,” he whined weakly, when he finally noticed your presence.

     “Really?You’ve never looked better,” you joked.

     Baekhyunpouted and pulled the sheet over his head. In an instant, he threw it offagain, groaning, “Too hot.”

    “Weknow you’re hot. You don’t have to keep throwing it in our faces,” you jokedagain, trying to get a smile out of him.

    Youwere unsuccessful. Baekhyun merely rolled over in bed and laid there limply,and that’s when you really began to worry. A Baekhyun who was too sick to behis usual cocky, jokester self was a very sick Baekhyun indeed.

    Chanyeolpoked his head through the doorway. “Hey, we’re leaving. Good luck! Thanks fortaking care of Baekhyun. Want me to buy you anything?” He grinned, and for amoment you had the impression that you were staring into the sun.

    “No,thanks,” you shook your head as you craned your neck to look up at the tallboy. “It’s unnecessary. I’m just being a good friend.”

    Chanyeoljust laughed and patted you on the head, which felt even more unnecessary toyou, and said “You’re so sweet. I’ll bring you back some candy.” Turning toBaekhyun, he said, “Feel better, Baekhyun!” and then exited just as suddenly ashe had entered.

    Pickingyour way through the mess as best you could, you finally reached the side ofhis bed and sat down. “The boys went on a shopping trip, so I’m going to behere for a little while and take care of you until they get back, okay?”

    “Thankyou,” Baekhyun mumbled, barely loud enough for you to hear.

    Pressingthe back of your hand against his damp forehead, you gasped at how hot it was.“Baekhyun, you’re burning up. I’m going to get you some water, okay?” Takinghis groan as a response, you hurried out of his room again, this time caringless about stepping on things. After all, the clothes were dirty anyway, right?

    Whenyou reached the kitchen, you found a bottle of pills on the counter with a notein what appeared to be Xiumin’s handwriting.

     These are for Baekhyun. Make sure he takes one. I think he might be        hiding them instead of taking them. Idiot.

    Youtook a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with cold water from the tap. Afterreading the instructions on the pill bottle, you unscrewed the cap andcarefully took out one small, white pill. Bearing the glass in one hand and thepill in the other, you returned to Baekhyun’s bedroom only to discover an emptybed. Wrinkling your brow in thought, you managed to inch the glass of wateronto the crowded nightstand and place the pill next to it. You then stacked theglasses inside one another and carried the two precarious stacks out of theroom with you. As you passed the bathroom, you heard retching noises comingfrom inside. Poor thing. You shookyour head in sympathy and continued to the kitchen to set the glasses on thecounter and proceed to load them into the dishwasher.

    Whenyou returned to Baekhyun’s room, he still hadn’t come back. Deciding he’drecover better in a clean(er) room, you began gathering armfuls of dirtylaundry and cramming it into the laundry basket, which you eventually locatedin the closet. There were also other lovely surprises to be discovered whilecleaning, such as candy wrappers, a half-eaten Hot Pocket under the bed, and,for some reason, a long chain of sour gummy worms which appeared to have beenwelded together with a lighter or something of the like, which was under hispillow of all places. You looked at this last one for a very long time beforedeciding you didn’t want to know and throwing it into the garbage bag with therest of the trash. You lugged the trash out to the larger can in the kitchenand disposed of it. Under the kitchen sink you found a can of Lysol, which yousprayed generously around his room for good measure.

    Baekhyun stumbled back into hisroom as you finished straightening his sheets, and collapsed into his bed facedown with a sigh. He laid there for a while before rolling over and lookingaround. “Whoa… What the hell happened in here?”

    “Well, a tornado named Baekhyunhappened here, but I think I managed to pick up a fair amount of the debris,”you answered him drily.

    “Wow.” Baekhyun looked a bit shell shocked.“Uh… Thanks. Sorry. Um, I mean, that it was such a mess. Sorry. You didn’t haveto clean it.”

    “Well, it was either that or riskbreaking my neck trying to walk around in here,” you joked.

    He laughed weakly.

    You were relieved, honestly, to seehim finally laughing. “I brought you some water. And some medicine.”

    “Oh, thanks.” He shot you agrateful look before grasping the glass and gulping thirstily from it.

    “Don’t drink too fast,” youcautioned. “Save some to help you swallow your pill.”

    Theglass was already empty, and Baekhyun set it on the table. “I already swallowedthe pill. Didn’t you see me?”

    “Oh, Ididn’t. I must just not have noti-” You broke off your sentence and eyed himsuspiciously. “Did you really?”

    He eyedyou carefully. “Ye-es.”

    “Okay. Iknow you wouldn’t lie about something as silly as taking your medicine. You’renot a small child after all.” You laughed lightly.

    Baekhyunlaughed too. “Yeah.”

    “Sit upfor a minute so I can fluff your pillows, okay?”

    “Okay,thanks.” Baekhyun sat up, grunting with the effort.

    Youreached for the pillows and then quickly snatched them up.

    “Hey!”Baekhyun protested.

    “A-ha!”Ignoring him, you dropped the pillows and triumphantly pointed at the pillwhich lay innocuously upon his sheets. “Liar.”

    Wincing,he grinned at you guiltily. “Wonder how that got there.”

    Youfrowned and folded your arms. “Baekhyun. You are too old to be scared ofswallowing pills. When I come back, you’d better swallow that pill. And don’tyou even dare hide it again.” Takinghis glass with an exasperated sigh, you returned to the kitchen and filled itwith water again. Bringing it back to his room, you found a sullen Baekhyunawaiting you. “Here’s your water.” When you heard no response from him, youthrew your hands in the air with frustration. “If you just took your medicine, you’d probably be better by now! Just take thedamn pill or I’ll force it down your throat, and I mean it.”

    Shootingyou a baleful glance, Baekhyun took the pill and the glass of water. He staredat the pill so long you almost warned him that it wasn’t going to blink first,but finally he popped it in his mouth, scrunched up his entire face, andquickly took several gulps of water.

    It tookall your effort, but you managed to maintain a straight face throughout thisspectacle. Bending down to retrieve his pillows from the floor, you fluffedthem up as best you could and gently placed them behind Baekhyun. Placing yourhand lightly on his shoulder, you slowly guided him back down onto the pillows.You allowed your hand to linger for less than a second before coming to yoursenses and jerking your hand away.

    Baekhyun’seyes didn’t leave yours.

    You felt like a magnet was holdingyou, forcing your eyes to remain locked on his. You felt a tug in your stomach,a prickle down your spine. You forced yourself to look away. As you were turningto leave, though, you felt another tug, this time at your sleeve. Ignoring it,you tried to walk away. The tug was too strong, though, and you couldn’t.Confused, you looked at your sleeve. There you realized the source of theproblem; there was a hand on your wrist.

    Baekhyun clung tight, his eyesbeseeching. “Please don’t leave.”

    You stared at him, feeling yourheart beat oddly quickly.

    “It’s boring in here all by myself.I’m too sick to do anything. Even my phone is too bright. Could you pleasestay? At least until I fall asleep?”

    Sighing slightly, you nodded andsmiled. “Of course I will.” Gingerly, you sat down next to him on his bed,making sure to keep a few inches of space between you.

    Baekhyun smiled slightly, andnestled into his pillows. His eyes drifted shut, and he sighed. His hand didn’tleave your wrist.

    At first you thought he was asleep,but his brow was still creased. Occasionally he would squirm slightly, tryingto get more comfortable. You felt sympathetic, watching his struggle to get somerest in his feverish state.

    Moving your free hand slowly, youallowed it to tangle in Baekhyun’s hair. Softly stroking his head, you hummedquietly, hoping to lull him to sleep.

    Instead, however, his eyes opened. Hewas staring dreamily at you, mesmerized. “I love you so much.”

    Was he delirious? You pausedmomentarily and then carried on almost as though nothing had happened. Unableto meet his gaze any longer, you looked down at your wrist. He squeezed it, thenallowed his hand to slip down so that he was holding your hand.

    “I love you, too,” you whispered.