#and he took a picture of our other coworker and replaced the background with a picture of some woods

[theygotlost]

you ever forget to turn off your Online Phrases in a conversation and everyone thinks its diproportionately funny but you know youre a fraud

[its-still-cuppi-cakes]

Split Apart by Chaos

Sweetheart's pov

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Author's note: Sweetheart is referring to Milo as their husband because of how long they have been together. TRIGGER WARNING!! In this fanfiction mentions death, is emotional, and an implied anxiety attack. If that's not your type of read, don't continue here.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Milo Greer. That's the only thing on my mind. My husband. My mate. The man who has been in my life for over half a decade made me the happiest person in the world, could be dead.

I was in my office when I was told about it. My coworker, Detective Gomez, came in and asked if I heard from my husband. I looked at them, my brow sewn together. "No, why?" Silence replaced the air in the dark room. His face grew pale, making my stomach turn. ".. You didn't hear?" I stood up, looking at them with fear and worry. "Hear.. what, Gomez," I press. He looks at me, hurt in his eyes. "The E&E games.. shades.. hundreds of them.. came into the stadium through a ward.. the Shaw pack was working as security for them, weren't they..?" The color in my face dropped to my shoes. "..Fuck."

I grabbed my jacket and stormed out to my car. I didn't even clock out. And I dare for the department to tell me jack shit about walking out. I didn't care and I don't care now. All I care about is my family.

I speed to my old college, running red light after red light, flooring the gas. I pull up to the parking lot, and security from D.U.M.P. is standing at the door. Getting out of my car, I grab my badge and phone. Heels clicking onto the concrete, I head to the door. One of the guards stands there, moving his arm to stop me. Before he could, I held my badge to his face, not stop walking. "Detective Greer, reporting from D.U.M.P., move."

I shove the two men out of my way by my shoulders, leaving them confused and stunned. Milo's gonna have my ass for being rude to the department I work for. Didn't care. He can lecture me all he wants, as long as I know he's okay with me. By my side. Holding my hand. I want to see his shit-eating grin and his eyes. His smile. His wolf form. Anything.

I pull up a picture of him holding our cat, Aggro. I'll use it to show people it and ask if they've seen him around the building. The window in the background tells me it was early in the morning when I took the picture, and the bed he was lying on was messy and unmade. Aggro, in his arms, looked tired and groggy as Milo looked at the camera with a pearly white smile. I tear up at the sight. "Please be okay," I mumble.

I look around, trying to see any sign of my werewolf lover. Chaos is all I see. Families and friends looking around the building, similar to what I look like. A mother was being held by what I assumed to be her husband, holding her as she panics. "It's technical difficulties, Honey, he's alright, I promise." "I'm sorry? Technical issues?" I think to myself. "Why the hell is D.U.M.P. lying to the public about this? Are these people not in this building to help?"

Never mind that right now. I have to find Milo and the others. I feel my anxiety crushing my chest. "Excuse me, have you seen this man around here? His name's Milo Greer. ... Okay thank you. " Excuse me, I'm sorry but have you seen any shifters around here? I'm trying to find my husband. He has a t-shirt that says Shaw Security on it. Have you seen anyone wearing anything like that? ... Okay, sorry. Stay safe."

Panic weighs on me. "Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck," I mumble to myself as I pull up another picture of Asher, David, Milo, and Tank in a living room from the past Solstice vacation cabin. I frantically look around. "Milo, please."

"Milo, please, please, please, please don't be in there. Please don't be dead." Tears fall as I try to push that thought out of my head. The image of his body... "No. He's not dead. He's fought shades before. He's more experienced in them. He knows what they're capable of. But they're shades. They're unpredictable. And you can't fight them off unless they're solid enough."

I flashback to our first date. If you could even call it that. Milo and I were working together to catch a shade that was causing trouble at big events like this. Milo was fighting off two that were almost fully solid. Mine? Not so much. It was enough to get ahold of, but only at certain parts of the body. Any part of it above its shoulders and below its waist was physical. My gun was torn by then dead shade's teeth during the fight. My knife was all I had. I was about to cloak when it struck me in the stomach and crawled at my clothes, ripping the bottom half of my shirt.

Pinning me to the wall,, its claws sinking into my neck. I saw its eyes. Black like a shark's, nothing held in them but hunger. As I thought that death was a breath away, I heard a growl. A low, angry growl. I smirk at the shade as it snarls, drooling on its grey lip.

The brown and white werewolf tackled the shade, digging his teeth into the shade's neck as it screeched, death sub coming to it. Milo snarled as he threw the corpse out of his mouth. Milo walked to me as I lay on the grass and dirt, gasping for air. I look at him. He looked at me softly. He looked at me like he was asking if I was okay.

From that day on, he has been gentle with me. He's been there for me. My wolf. My protector. My mate.

I snap back from my thoughts to my phone on my lap, vibrating. I look at the notification, reading my mate's name on the top. "Sweetheart, there's something going on at the games, I'm okay but I'm going to try and find out info on what's going on and how I can help. I love you." Sent two hours ago. The interference with the ward must have slowed the text down.

Frantically dodging the people in the crowd as I slip by them. I look around, trying to find Milo in the sea of people crying and talking over one another. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends sit in the cafeteria of the school. Some calling, many legs bouncing, parents pacing. I look around the tables, hoping to see any familiar faces.

I stop in my tracks, seeing a familiar figure in the crowd. Brown hair, Brooklyn accent, black t-shirt with the name [GREER] across the shoulder blades. I stand there, crying in relief. My voice quakes.

"Milo!"

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The End!!

[notbleachtea]

Favorite Shirt

Okay time to post again. Slight warnings, mention of death, toxic relationship, slight emotional abuse.

Word count ~2.9k

"Tch, I guess it’s about time I clean my desk. I can't work with all of this crap on it." Jotaro annoyedly says.

While cleaning off the countless stacks of paper he pauses. All desire to clean is quickly knocked out of him. He sits back down in his desk chair holding the group picture you all took in Egypt. He glances over each face in the image, some happy memories, some not so much. He would give anything to go back in time to change the way things played out. So many stupid mistakes. His eyes immediately halt when he gets to yours. His face expressed sorrow and longing.

His favorite memories of the two of you start to come rushing back to his head, and for a moment, he smiles. The constant flirting that always occured between the two of you. The silent stares you each felt from one another. No matter how much the others teased you two, you still weren't sure if admitting your feelings was the best idea. You each had your own reasons for keeping distant. The mission was much more important anyway, and so was your friendship.

He recalls one of his favorite memories with you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a long week of tiresome stand battles, the closer you got to Egypt, the more intense they became. He noticed this was taking quite the toll on you and made the gang find a hotel that night so you could get some much needed rest. In the meantime he suggested that you use him as a pillow in the car on the way there.

Honestly, you took him up on the offer. You took everything you could at the time knowing that it would never go any further no matter how bad you wanted it to. Your head rested on his large chest, which was surprisingly soft for how tough he was. Every now and then he'd tug on his hat to cover his face when in fact he was just trying to steal a few glances at your peaceful, resting figure.

"Alright, we're here, group up and we'll get going into our rooms," Joseph states.

"I ca-"

"She's staying with me. There's no discussing it." Jotaro then picks you up and carries you to your room.

You started to wake up from the movements and the background noise going on in the hotel, and the first thing you saw was Jotaro's face when you opened your

eyes.

"Clearly I must be dreaming," you thought.

"Look who decided to wake up." he scoffed at you. "Really left it up to me to carry you all the way up here."

"I'm so sorry! I won't let it-"

"That's enough. I was just kidding anyway. You fought really hard today, it's the least I could do."

You smiled back at him as he set you down on the bed. That was honestly all the thanks he needed.

"Anyway, I'm going to go get something to eat, I'll bring something back for you if you want, but you should probably get some real rest soon."

You began to crawl up into the bed in your dirty and torn clothes from the day you just had.

"Good grief, what do you think you're doing? You're really going to sleep in a nice clean bed in your dirty clothes??"

"Well, I don't really have any clean clothes left right now, so, unless you have a better ide-"

You were quickly cut off with a soft hit to the face. Jotaro threw one of his clean shirts at you.

"Here. You can use this. It'll be more comfortable anyway."

Jotaro had left to go pick up some food and when he came back he was greeted with his favorite shirt filled with his favorite person. Wearing only that shirt made you look much smaller than you actually were, it practically went down to your knees.

"Thanks Jotaro! I promise I'll get it back to you as soon as I can."

"Keep it. It looks better on you anyway." He cooly tried to say as he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After everything that had happened in Egypt, you just wanted to get away from it all for a while. Go out on your own to a new place with no reminder of the loved ones you lost and all the feelings you never acted on. As a thank you for your hard work, the SpeedWagon Foundation offered to pay for everything of whatever you decided to do. You thought maybe you'd try going to school in America for a while. It was great, you had all the experiences you grew up seeing in movies and on TV. You made plenty of new friends there and even dipped your toes in the dating pool.

Right after you finished school, you and your boyfriend got married. You thought that's what you ought to do, you've been with him for so long. Everyone thought you were the perfect couple. He always took you out on extravagant dates and bought you expensive jewelry. Every girl wanted to be you. But that was only because they didn't know what happened behind closed doors. He never physically hurt you, not many people could, I mean you could hold your

own in Egypt, you're pretty tough, but mentally, he knew you were weak. You would confide in him in the beginning of your relationship about all your friends back home that you missed. He never let you call home or talk to them either. The ones you could never see again. Everytime he wanted you to hurt he would just remind you that they were dead because you weren't there for them, you weren't strong enough to save them. Countless letters came in from your friends and family and he'd throw them away before you could see them. He would even tell you that no one was writing to you anymore.

Every now and then you manage to chat with Jotaro. He'd call you on your lunch break at work from time to time just to play catch up. Asking things like 'how's life?' and 'are you doing okay?' and the sort of thing. Everytime you told him you were doing great. You love your husband and you even try to brag about how well he treats you by describing all the luxurious gifts he's been buying you. Everytime Jotaro ended the call saying he was happy for you and then a

quick update on his life.

To be honest, Jotaro wasn't falling for your phone calls. He knew something was wrong, but he never knew how bad it really was. He thought it was strange that you never wrote to him or called him outside of your work hours. It was also strange how you never really went into depth about your personal life either.

One fateful day, you're having a routine call with Jotaro when your husband decided to stop by to take you out to lunch. He asked the secretary why your door was closed to which she simply responded, "Oh, she's talking to her childhood friend Jotaro! He usually calls about this time every week."

He walks into your office catching you off guard while you're still on the phone. The shock alone causes you to drop the phone with a quiet screech.

"Y/n, are you there?" Jotaro stays on the line worried about what he just heard.

Your husband shuts your office door leaving just the two of you in there and is yelling just loud enough to where your coworkers can't hear him.

"I thought I told you no one wanted to talk to you anymore? They're all fed up with you, can't believe you let your friends die back in Egypt. They'll never

forgive you for that."

"You're right I'm sorry just please don't do this here."

"What makes you think you can tell *me* what to do? That's not how this works. And who gave you permission to talk to other guys? There's going to be some serious consequences for this when you come home." He walks out of your office smiling at all of your coworkers like nothing had just happened, followed by a shut of your office door and your muffled cries.

"Y/n?? Are you still there? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Wh- what did you hear?" You managed to squeak out, choking back tears.

"I heard enough y/n, he's not a good guy. I knew something was wrong. We have to get you out of there."

"No. This is my life now. I don't need your help, I told you I'm perfectly fine."

"Y/n I'm not kidding, you have to get out of there *now* and I won't take no for an answer."

"I can't, okay! I have nowhere to go. No one would believe me if I said the things he's done to me. Anyone who I try to run to just rats me out to him and the situation gets worse."

"Y/n, go pack your most essential things while he's out of the house. I'm buying you a ticket home for tonight. You'll be safe here this time tomorrow."

The instant care Jotaro had just shown you only causes you to cry more. How could you let yourself get like this? You really weren't okay. You were just too headstrong to admit anything was wrong.

"Thank you." You were able to muster through even more tears.

After picking yourself up off the floor and drying your face, you left your office, no intention to come back. You rushed home to grab only your essential items while your husband was finishing his day at work. You grabbed a few sets of clothing, your toothbrush, hair and makeup accessories, a few pairs of shoes, and your folder of important documents. Everything else was replaceable and or retrievable at a later date.

You take a deep breath and get the courage to call a ride to the airport.

Free from your husband's control, you weren't scared to text or call Jotaro on your own phone now. You called him letting him know that you were on your way.

One short plane ride across the ocean later and Jotaro was waiting there for you to take you home. You're not sure how long he was there for but you're convinced he was waiting there since before you even took off.

"Y/n, over here." He waves you over.

You walk over shyly and ashamed of what he had witnessed just the day before. You couldn't even pick your head up enough to look him in the eyes.

"Y/n it's okay now. You're here with me, he can't get to you right now."

"Ye- yeah I guess you're right. So where do I go now?"

"C'mon, I'll take you back to my place."

"We're stopping there before the hotel?"

"I'm not letting you stay alone right now. You're staying with me at my house. The only reason I let you fly alone was because it got you out of there faster."

Jotaro takes your bag and you both head to the taxi.

"C'mon short stuff, get those legs movin' faster."

"Hey! Not everyone can be freakishly tall."

Jotaro raises one eyebrow, "So I'm a freak, aye?"

"Sorr-"

"Don't apologize, you're already more vocal when you're free around here. I like it."

The taxi drops you two off at his house. The drive felt like an eternity when in reality it was only a few short minutes. You stared out the car door window in awe.

*So this is what he's been up to this whole time*

"Well c'mon now, let's get inside."

You quickly follow after him like a lost puppy.

"There's a spare bedroom upstairs and down the hall, why don't you take this time to relax and freshen up while I make us something to eat?"

"You really don't have to do this for me Jotaro, but I appreciate it."

You head upstairs with your bag. It really was a long flight. You decide to take a quick shower and put on some clean clothes.

About an hour goes by when Jotaro comes by your room to collect you.

"Dinners ready y/n."

"Okay, I'll be right out, I just have to put some makeup on first."

"Uhh, what for? We're not going out anywhere."

"I don't know. I just always do. He always made me wear makeup, even at the house, I guess I'm just used to it."

Jotaro quickly turns around and starts heading towards the kitchen, but not without leaving a remark, "well don't. You look better without it anyway."

You follow soon after him with a fresh blank face. The table has already been set beautifully and you can already smell your favorite dish. He brings over two plates of food followed by a new bottle of wine.

"Why don't we catch up for real this time?" He asks.

Hours go by at the dinner table along with a few bottles of wine. The two of you bickering just like the old days. You missed this. You needed this.

You finally caught a glimpse of the time and stood up to help clean up the table.

"You don't need to help clean this up y/n. We can even clean it up tomorrow. Why don't we go talk in the living room for a bit longer?"

You move forward as an attempt to get to the couch, finally realizing how much you actually drank, you're quite tipsy in fact. Jotaro moves over to the couch to join you. Sitting side by side he grabs your hand with a guilty look on his face.

"Y/n, I'm so sorry this happened to you. It's all my fault."

Clearly he's a bit tipsy too if he's actually trying to admit being at fault right now.

"None of this is your fault Jotaro, what are you going on about?"

"If I was just straight with you when we were younger. If I actually had the courage to say something to you. Maybe you would have stayed. Maybe you would've ended up with me instead. Instead I thought you were too good for me."

Your eyes start to swell up. "Don't say that. Ever. I'm the one that's not good enough for you. Why would you ever want someone like me?"

"Well, you're you, that's why. You're strong, you held your own in the desert, you tried your hardest for us and you made it out. I've never met anyone as strong as you, and to know that someone took advantage of you? And I wasn't there to protect you? I'm so sorry for all of it."

Now full on ugly crying again, Jotaro wraps his arms around you and pulls you in for a hug.

"I'm so sorry Jotaro. Can you forgive me?"

He lifts up your crying head by your chin and brushes all your loose pieces of hair out of your face. He holds you here until you return the look into his deep aqua eyes. He moves forward, crashing his lips into yours. There was no hesitation on your end, you kissed him back just as hungrily. Neither of you needed words to figure out what the other one was thinking. You could feel the admittance of your love for each other from just that embrace. Jotaro pulls back and pushes your head into his chest so he can hold you once again. He pats your head.

"It's all okay now, I'm sorry it took this long," and he leaves a kiss on the top of your head.

The moment is only ended by your yawning since you've been up for lord knows how long. Jotaro picks you up and carries you in his arms to his room. He notices the slight confusion in your face.

"I was thinking maybe you sleep in here with me tonight, kinda like old times?"

"Okay, just let me go change into my pajamas. I don't want to get in the nice clean bed in my dirty clothes.".

You walk back into his room in just his old t-shirt you kept from the desert.

"You really kept that old thing?" He spouted.

"I really did. It's how I kept you close that whole time I was gone." You said with an embarrassed smile.

"It really does look better on you ya know?" He says through a full face of blush. Just seeing you again in that shirt made him think of all the things he wanted to do to you now and then.

You moved to go lay down alongside Jotaro in his massive bed. He always wanted to know what it'd be like to hold you in his arms in his own bed.

Jotaro pulls you into his chest to hold you tight, with no intention of letting you go. He places a delicate kiss on your cheek. You squeeze his hand as a subtle sign of acceptance and nuzzle into his broad figure.

“Goodnight y/n. Sleep tight.”

[redcameleon]

Superstar Series

Chapter 13: Reunion

Summary: The group finally kicks off their tour, and Sakura and Sasuke’s interactions have never been this awkward. 

Rating: K.

It is only a few weeks before they kick off their first tour date. Stress levels are building up higher than before. Despite his intention, Sasuke can’t stop thinking back to his little encounter with Sakura the other day. He can still vividly remember her face, the words she said to him.

Shikamaru has just finished a meeting with the creative board and the head stylists as they all exit the conference room. Sasuke just happens to pass by when he notices Ino, Hinata, and Karin murmuring among themselves as they exit.

“Do you think Sakura will agree?” Sasuke’s eyes perk up at the mention of her name.

“I don’t know but she has to.. At this point we could use all the help we can get!” What is this? What is Sakura supposed to agree to? Shikamaru notices how Sasuke stops in his footsteps and moves to greet him.

“Sasuke.” Shikamaru motions him to enter the room. Sasuke gives him a nod before entering and closing the door behind him.

“I want to let you know first. You know how swamped we are right now, right?” He nods. Sasuke notices the bags underneath his eyes that mirror his own. He can’t possibly miss the mess that has been going on around the office. Understaffed is just one word to describe it. To be fair, they never expected their company to skyrocket in the past year alone. Being from a small company, there is only so many you can hire. But now that their scale is getting bigger, that means their performance venues are getting bigger, and they will eventually need to hire more help.

“We’ve decided to rehire Sakura for this tour.” Sasuke’s eyes widen in surprise. Not because of how outrageous the idea sounds, but because of all people, he never would have thought Shikamaru to be the one to propose the idea. After all, based on their last interaction at the office, Shikamaru’s words had pretty much influenced Sakura’s decision to quit. But now here he is, trying to get her back to the company. Honestly, Sasuke is delighted at the news. If Sasuke alone could not convince her to come back, maybe a more formal invitation will.

.

.

Sakura sits on the chair across from Shikamaru. The background jazz music fills the space, tuning out the indistinct conversations around them. Sakura fiddles with her straw as she shifts her gaze between the beverage in front of her and the folder lying on the table.

“Please give it another thought. We really need the help. You’re one of the most senior staff members, and we simply don’t have enough time to recruit a lot of new people.” Sakura takes a sip of her drink.

“When do I have to decide?” Shikamaru leans back in his chair.

“I’ll give you two days. Should be more than enough.” Sakura gives it one last glance before sighing and grabbing the folder.

“I’ll contact you with my decision.”

Sakura tucks the folder in her tote bag, bows to Shikamaru and exits the café. She walks back to her apartment, mind heavy with thoughts. To some this might be a straightforward answer, but to her, this concerns too many things that she can’t carelessly decide on the spot. Heck this will only make her resignation look like a joke. The reason she resigned in the first place was to draw the line between her and Sasuke’s relationship. Coming back to work for them, to work for him, would mean that all of that effort to stay away from Sasuke will be in vain. It is a different story if they both no longer have feelings for each other. But just from their little encounter at the park the other day, they both know that is far from the reality that they both still care about each other. Perhaps too much to maintain a professional relationship. If she were to come back, there is no guarantee that they can keep their relationship under wraps. The risk of being exposed and ruining each other’s lives are still up on the table.

Sakura comes to a stop at the red light.

But then, she can’t be so selfish as to turn her back on them. Like what Shikamaru said, they need the help. And being one of the senior staff members for their group, it’ll take years for someone to be able to replace her, and they both know time is not a luxury they have right now. She cannot stop thinking about her coworkers, Ino, Hinata, and Karin, how they were the ones who must have stepped in her place to fill her void. She cannot imagine the amount of stress that must have given them. She secretly feels guilty for her decision that a tiny part of her is starting to regret it.

Meeting Sasuke the other day was not just a coincidence. It was destiny. She had to see him one last time to be sure. One thing she is sure of is that her feelings for Sasuke will not go away. Not then, not now. No matter how hard she tries to not think about him, her heart cannot lie. She will always love him. Now she has been given the perfect opportunity, or excuse?, to come back. They need her. How can she turn her back on them?

She takes out her phone and dials Shikamaru.

“Hello?”

“Shikamaru-san.”

“Hn. That was faster than I thought.” Sakura smiles.

“Yes. I’ve given it some thought, and-“

.

.

Ino sits in her cubicle, chin in her hand as she browses through some pictures and concept ideas. She scribbles down some notes, making a relatively long to do list for her and her make up team. Letting out a tired sigh, she runs her hand over her face, deciding to get up to the vending machine and fetch a nice cold brew. Nothing like a good ol’ cup of coffee to wake her up.

Just as she gets up from her chair, she notices a figure standing a few feet away. She focuses her gaze and immediate recognizes her old coworker, and friend.

“Sakura!”

“Hi there.” Sakura giggles, spreading her arms.

“You-“ Ino runs up towards her, embracing her in a tight hug. “I can’t believe you’re here forehead! It’s been so long!”

“Sorry it took me so long.” Ino pulls back to look at her.

“So, does that mean you’re working here again?” Sakura gives a reassuring nod, and Ino has a sudden urge to hug her again.

“Yes! Oh my god I have so many things to tell you!” Ino swings her arm around her friend’s shoulder.

“Me too. I guess I haven’t been entirely open about myself.” Ino is no idiot. Even though Sakura hasn’t told her about Sasuke, she was able to figure things out rather quickly. She just does not know all the details.

“How about you buy me some coffee and we can catch up?”

“Sounds good to me.”

.

.

Huffs and puffs of air fill the room as the music comes to an end. The four men immediate plop to the ground in exhaustion.

“Hey, we did great! Don’t you guys think so? We’ve never been more in sync.” Naruto comments, pride evident in his voice.

“Well yeah, we’ve been busting our butts for months, we better be good!” Kiba comments, making Naruto chuckle.

“Looks like I caught you all in the right time.” A female voice enters the room, prompting them all to sit and turn their heads to the source. Their eyes widen when they see a certain someone peeking through the door with a bag of snacks.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto gets up, as if all his strength has been replenished and pulls her into an embrace. “You’re back!”

Kiba and Suigetsu join him, giving her side hugs.

“We’ve missed you lots!”

“You mean my snacks?” Sakura eyes Kiba.

“Nonsense! Of course we miss you.” Sasuke stands in the middle of the room, observing their interaction. His heart is beating at two hundred beats per minute, unsure if it is from their dance practice or from her.

Sakura hands the delicacies to the members, happy at how quick they dismantle the packaging and devour their contents. Sasuke slowly walks towards her, eyes never leaving her form as he takes in the sight in front of him. She is here. She is finally back. Is it for good? That is the only question that remains.

Sakura gives him a warm smile as he approaches her, keeping himself at an arm’s length.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“You’re back.”

“Hm yeah.. Shikamaru did a pretty good job convincing me.” He needs to remember to repay him somehow.

“So you’re staying right?”

“For now.” That’s a good enough answer for him. For once, he can finally be around her again.

“Hey Sasuke, if you’re not having any we’re gonna finish all of this.” Suigetsu chimes in. Sasuke gives her one last smile before heading towards the members.

“Leave some for me, will ya.” He ruffles Suigetsu’s hair before he sticks his hand in the bag, ruffling around a bit and taking out an onigiri.

Compared to their other practices, nothing can top off today’s.

.

.

The following days seem more vivid for Sasuke compared to other days. He does not know why but his mood has been greatly lifted, although his members seem to know what caused it, or who. The way his face would light up, the way he walks into the room with his shoulders broad, and his confidence apparent, only a blind man cannot see the effect Sakura’s return has caused him.

Trying to get back into her groove again, Ino informs Sakura on the latest changes. Reading meeting notes after notes, and going over sketches after sketches, Sakura is determined to get back to her professional self again. She is not going to let herself fall behind just because she was absent for a few months.

Occasionally bumping into Sasuke in the office, they only manage to spare a brief hello, how’s it  going, and see you later. Still seemingly flustered around each other, they try to avoid any unnecessary physical touch. Of course, it is nearly impossible when Sakura is in charge of dressing up Sasuke.

Both crave for more, yet a tiny voice keeps holding them back. The pent up frustration somehow lingers in the air. All he wants is to just grab her cheeks and pull her into a kiss. All she wants is to run her hands all over him, to finally let herself love him fully. All they want is to just be in each other’s arms, to fully let themselves love. Knowing better that that will not do them any good, especially in the media’s eyes, they bury their urges deep down.

Days quickly turn to weeks, and before they know it, they are leaving for their tour tomorrow. They have one last meeting before they end the day early, giving everyone a good night’s rest to prepare for their departure.

One by one, the rest of the staff leave the building. Sakura is cleaning up her desk when Naruto walks up to her cubicle, leaning over the partition.

“It’s nice to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back.”

“You know, Sasuke seems to be in a much better mood lately.”

“Oh yeah? That’s good to hear.” She does notice how much he’s been smiling lately. Just his overall aura seems more.. cheerful. And her eyes would linger at him for too long, admiring how much happiness suits on him.

“You know it’s probably because of you, right?”

“I’m sure he’s just excited because the tour is nearing.”

“You know that’s not all.”

“I know.” She pauses. “But I’m not here to get back together with him. At least.. Not now.” She can’t seem to stop speaking when it comes to Naruto. He has that effect on people; he just makes people so comfortable.

“But you do want to get back with him?” Naruto eyes her, looking for some sort of confirmation.

“Well.. someday I guess? I don’t know Naruto. You guys don’t get the luxury of dating like normal people once you become famous. And I don’t want to be a burden for Sasuke, or cause his fame to plummet.” All of Sakura’s words have truth in them. All except for one thing.

“Believe me, you’ve never been a burden to him.” Sakura looks up to him, and sees fire burning in his gaze. She seems to wonder how Naruto can be so sure about that.

“How do you know?”

“I just know.” Sakura cannot deny the butterflies that are beginning to fly in her stomach.

.

.

The beginning is always the hardest part. Being that this is their first tour, things are bound to go wrong, and they just have to roll past it.

Running frantically across the room, Sakura grabs some tissue to dab Sasuke’s sweat away. The members have just finished their first set and are off to change for the second set. With just a ten minute intervention in between, they are being chased by the clock. She quickly gets Sasuke off his navy blue shirt and into another shirt with beaded accents on the collar and cuffs. Sasuke buttons it up while she dabs some more powder on him, fixing his make up.

“Great, all set!” After muttering a quick “Thanks.”, Sasuke speed walks out of the room and into the stage elevator.

They are all running on autopilot as they let their bodies go through each song just like how they practiced. With a few bumping ins into people, and a few shoutings here in there backstage, they somehow manage to finish their first day cleanly.

The fans’ loud cheering can be heard from outside the venue, and nothing feels more refreshing than knowing how months of preparation, rehearsals, and meetings are starting to pay off.

Days go by as they move from one city to the other, and one country to the other, meeting fans from all over the world. Their energy never dwindles as they keep getting more strength from their fans.

But of course, just as they think the tour is going fine, a disaster happens. Suigetsu limps off the stage, arms swung around his bodyguard and leaning his body on him. During one of their final songs, he seems to have lost his footing and twisted his ankle. Withstanding through the pain and still managing to end the concert beautifully, all the adrenaline finally runs out as he feels a pulsating pain from his ankle.

They quickly summon the doctor to take a look at him. Suigetsu lies on the floor, panting as sweat streams down his face and neck. He winces when the doctor tries to lift his foot. The doctor wraps some ice packs around his ankle, and rests it on a pillow.

“I’m afraid you twisted your ankle. You need to take it easy for the remaining tour. And that means, no dancing. In fact, I don’t think you should perform at all.”

“What?!” Suigetsu abruptly props himself up by his elbows. There is no way he is going to miss out on a performance, not when they are at their final leg of the tour. “There’s no way I’m gonna miss out on a performance!”

“Suigetsu, don’t be ridiculous. You won’t be able to perform at all if you insist on dancing during the rest of the tour.” Shikamaru places his hand on his shoulder, trying to reason with him. Suigetsu looks over to the side, clearly frustrated with the whole situation.

Luckily, they are able to come up with a solution for him to still be on stage, as long as he does not dance. During their performance the following day, they let him sit on a stool in the middle of the stage while the rest of the members dance in front of him. His condition clearly bothers him. Nevertheless, he tries to put on a smile and sings through his parts. The members would sometimes dance around him, making him laugh. All the fans still give their all, cheering throughout the entire show, screaming his and their names.

.

.

The drive back to the hotel is quiet. The four members lean back on their car seat, looking over the window. Their minds keep replaying their performance, each taking mental notes of individual things for them to improve. They talk over some parts of their performance where Kiba’s tempo was slightly off beat, where Sasuke kept brushing over Suigetsu, where there was a part where Naruto sang off key.

Letting out a sigh, the members’ mood seems to be defeated as the car ride grows silent.

“But hey we did great too! I mean the fans loved us!” Naruto tries to cheer everyone up. Despite it being their first tour, they have to admit that they’ve been doing great so far, and Naruto is trying to make sure they all know that.

“Come on, we just have to practice harder and do a better job for the rest of the tour.”

“Easy for you to say, I can’t even dance with you guys!” Suigetsu flails his arms around in frustration. The members do not say a word as they all understand the pain of not being able to perform when it is their whole life! Suigetsu is just glad it is only temporary.

“Hey, you’ll still be with us on stage! You just have to focus on getting yourself healed. The faster you heal, the faster you can perform again.” Kiba gives him a reassuring smile, and slowly, Suigetsu’s mood is beginning to be lifted.

“Yeah you’re right. Thanks guys.” If it were not for each other, who knows how quick they would give up.

As they arrive at their hotel, the only thing on their mind is a nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep. Sasuke shuts the door to Suigetsu’s hotel room and begins to head over to his own room when he notices Sakura walking towards him. He can only assume she is walking over to her room, which he believes to be the one next to Suigetsu’s.

“Hi!” Sakura stops to greet him.

“Hey.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Aa. We ordered room service earlier.”

“Ah great!” Sakura fiddles with her thumb. She cannot believe how awkward she is with Sasuke. She just wishes she can start being herself around him again, whenever that will be.

“You were really great today!” Sakura glances over to him, a tint of blush painted over her cheeks.

“Thank you.” Sasuke looks at her, and he has to fight off a blush. He curses himself for not being able to say more, but he can only manage to say, “Thanks for helping us today.”  

“Of course.” Sakura beams up. When did things go so awkward between them? He wants nothing more than to be around her comfortably. He thinks it must be from the stress. He supposes he can ask her to come over to his room. Some privacy might be better. That way, they can talk freely without being heard by anyone in the hallway. But is it the right thing to do? He still has not talked to her again about this, them. Would it confuse her even more? When he is lost in thought, Sakura speaks.

“I think I’m gonna hit the hay. Good night Sasuke-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Aa. Good night.”  Sakura walks pass him and enters her room.

Tch. His heart aches for her, for her presence, for her love. Oh, how much he misses her.

She closes the door behind her and leans on the door, letting out a heavy sigh. Her heart aches every time she sees him. Oh, how much she misses him.

.

.

to be continued.

<--Chapter 12        Chapter 14-->

[jamaisvuandyou]

Please Dry My Eyes: Part 4

Description: Jin, Hoseok, and Yoongi have had a running streak of bad luck, but Jin isn’t sure what to make of this one: His old friend’s trickery that leads to him being the new father of a little toddler, Jeon Jungkook.

Posted: 08/05/2020

WARNING: None that I’m aware of?

Angst/Fluff: 2,846 words

A/N: Apparently I was on hiatus. So, here’s the next part. 

Previous Part.  Next Part.

“He seems like he’s adjusting well,” Namjoon said softly as they both watched the one-and-a-half-year-old play with his bunny and a puppy stuffed animal Yoongi brought home the day before.

“He only started smiling a few days ago,” Jin replied, smiling as the boy woofed for the dog. “And we got him to laugh. He lets Hoseok play with him now, too, which is a relief.”

“You’re doing great, Jin. Really. He didn’t even smile with me, and he’s known me longer. Also, he’s already acting more independent. He would never have played like this before.”

Jin felt his heart breaking more. “Was he living with his father before?”

“Sort of? It was complicated because of the custody rights and all, but he did spend most of his time with his father. Friday through Monday would typically be spent with me for the past year because of his mother’s death, and his grandparent’s trying to win custody. But the courts declared that they weren’t allowed to have custody. I still had him though, because his dad…well…he wanted you to have custody of his son. He was scared, and he kept saying that you would make a better father. It’s like a god-parent situation. He didn’t feel that he was the proper guardian for his son. I’m just glad he was right about you being good for Jungkook.” Namjoon smiled softly as said boy placed the puppy toy in his lap before squirming up and onto Jin’s lap.

“Jinnie, Nunny hurt,” Jungkook said gravely, eyes looking misty.

“Oh no! Where did Nunny get hurt?’

Jungkook revealed the tear in the bunny’s arm, chin wobbling. “Fix?”

Jin smiled and nodded, carefully taking Nunny and kissing Jungkook’s face. “I’ll take him to the doctor and get him all fixed up, okay? Right now, we’ll let him sleep so that he’s strong and brave for the doctor. Do you want to stay here, or play with your Pup?”

“PupPup,” He murmured, staying cuddled up in Jin’s arms for another minute or two and then sliding down and taking the stuffed dog and going back to the fabric blocks, playing.

Jin grabbed the sewing kit and started threading the needle. “You know, I never thought I’d need to know how to do this.”

“Hey, at least you know how. I had to take it to my mom because my initial solution was to try and replace it. To be fair, it had been a bad week, but I still should have remembered the importance of toys like Nunny to kids like Jungkook. You know, if this goes well for the next few months…would you maybe consider fostering kids every now and then? Some of them wouldn’t be long-term, just until we could find a foster home, but I think you could be really good for them.”

Jin bit his lip. “Maybe. But…it would have to be way down the road. Jungkook is my number one priority right now, and until he’s living like a kid his age should, I don’t want to do anything to upset the balance. If it’s an absolute emergency, then yeah, you can call me. I would never turn away a kid in an emergency, and hopefully Hoseok and Yoongi will be completely in Jungkook’s good graces before that ever happens.”

Namjoon nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, hyung.”

The more he thought about it, the more at peace with the idea he was, provided Jungkook was unaffected by it, he would gladly help any other kids that needed it.

Later, when Jin was telling Hoseok and Yoongi about the conversation, Hoseok agreed.

“I think he’s right, hyung. You’re so good with kids, and if it would be for emergencies, then how could we even think of saying no? Poor kids. It could have been us,” Hoseok said softly, almost hugging his mug of peppermint tea.

Yoongi nodded. “But I’m glad you said it depended on Jungkook. He is your adopted son, after all, and until he’s more comfortable around us, it’s just not practical to bring other kids into the house. Until he know that we won’t leave him, we can’t bring in people that will. I mean, he seems to know that Namjoon will come back, but he still cried for how long after he left?”

“Two hours, but I was able to give him a fixed Nunny and that at least calmed him down enough to lay down for a nap.” Jin stretched, trying to get his back to crack to no avail.

“What happened to Nunny?” Hoseok asked, eyes wide.

“The arm ripped a bit. I think I got it on there well, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem. He’s named the dog PupPup, by the way, and it’s suitable for when Nunny needs to rest.”

Yoongi grinned as Hoseok made an adoring sound.

“Did Namjoon say anything else?”

Jin shrugged. “He told me a bit more about Jungkook’s situation before this, said he was really happy with the improvements he saw in Jungkook already. Said he’d be back in a week.”

“Jinnie!” The despairing wail seemed so loud in the house and had all of them rushing to Jungkook’s nursery.

Jin scooped up the sobbing boy, cuddling him close. “Hey, it’s okay, Kookie, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m never leaving you.”

Yoongi looked angry, and Jin knew why. It was the same reason he was so heartbroken.

Hoseok leaned in and kissed the boy’s tear-streaked cheek. “Aww, our poor Kookie,” He whispered in a soothing tone. “It’s okay.”

Yoongi seemed to give in after holding Jin’s gaze for a while, coming over and lightly rubbing the tiny back of the toddler. “We’re here, Kookie. We’re all here.”

Jin carried him out to the couch so that they could all sit together while the boy cried it out.

Hoseok immediately curled so that he could pet the baby-soft hair.

Yoongi sat down, but looked awkward for a while, shifting around until he finally just lay with his head on Jin’s lap, the top of his head against Jungkook’s leg.

It was cozy, and as Jungkook hiccuped into a calmer state, Jin could feel himself starting to doze. He was tired. It’d been a long night because Jin had been quietly comforting Hoseok, who’d had another rough day at work and that had been too much for Yoongi to handle on his own, plus he’d been worrying about Namjoon’s visit.

He felt Jungkook moving, but didn’t register it until suddenly the little bundle of warmth was missing leaving his chest a little cold. “Hmm?”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Hoseok whispered, and Jin barely registered the blanket covering him, but curled toward his warm companion a little, careful not to move Yoongi. “Jungkook is cuddled up with Yoongi.”

Jin smiled, forcing his eyes open to see the child curled up under a throw blanket on Yoongi’s chest. “Does he work tomorrow?”

“Not until later in the day. I took pictures,” Hoseok whispered, petting Jin’s hair. “With your phone. And I might have accidentally read some of your texts.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Namjoon sent you texts saying if you were considering it in the future, that he would need you to fill out paperwork now so that it had time to process. And that you should talk to us about agreeing to a background check.” Hoseok wrapped his arms around Jin a little tighter. “And there was a text from one of your coworkers.”

Jin frowned.

“I wanted to delete it. Can I?”

“That bad?” Jin’s heart fell.

Hoseok nodded.

“Do it. I don’t want to see it.” Jin shifted so he could see Jungkook just by opening his eyes. “Hoseok…Jungkook is getting better, right?”

“So much better, hyung.”

“You know that, hyung,” Yoongi murmured. “You’re just tired. Relax. Hoseok and I have Jungkook. And he allows us to have him, now. Because he trusts you. Someday he’ll trust us, but for now he trusts you and that’s enough. Don’t think, just sleep.”

“We should have that framed on our wall,” Hoseok chuckled lowly, more to himself if Jin was guessing. “Except, usually, Jin-hyung is saying it to us.”

“Jinnie!” Jungkook suddenly squeaked out, jerking up from Yoongi’s chest and almost sliding off—prevented by Yoongi who was equally as startled and slightly injured from the boy’s head hitting his chin.

Hoseok moved before Jin could get his body to comply, scooping up Jungkook while Yoongi went to get an ice-cube for his tongue, which was apparently bleeding.

Jin didn’t even need to move, really, just hugged Jungkook and blearily watched his best friends taking care of one of their tongues and making sure that they didn’t need to take him to see a doctor.

Jungkook seemed to find Jin’s presence enough to calm himself, and get curious about what the other two were doing.

Jin just shrugged down at the boy when the little one pointed toward the kitchen. “Yoongi hurt himself. Hobi is taking care of him.”

Jungkook nodded, still sniffling from his quick bout of tears. “Kiss make better?”

“Uh, not this one. He bit his tongue,” Jin told him, sticking his tongue out to illustrate.

Jungkook’s eyes got huge, but then he let out a choked, snort-giggle that had Jin rushing to grab a tissue and clean his face. Because if there was one thing they all knew, Jungkook did not like to be dirty or icky.

Hoseok came over, looking queasy. “I can’t.”

Jin nodded. “I have to go help Yoongi, okay, Kookie?”

Jungkook nodded, grabbing another tissue and playing with it a little, casually crawling onto Hoseok’s lap as he sat down.

Jin went into the kitchen, where Yoongi was holding ice wrapped in paper towel to his tongue and making a pained face. “Let me see.”

Yoongi reluctantly moved the ice.

Jin looked it over, using a towel to clear blood from it, then shook his head. “Hang on, let me get some gauze from the bathroom. It doesn’t look bad, right now.”

Yoongi just grunted.

Jin got some gauze and went back, placing it and then using them to apply pressure. “Hold that, same pressure.”

Yoongi did as he was told.

“Do that for the next few minutes. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, we’ll go to the clinic. If it does, then you’ll be fine. Just…maybe avoid super hot food for a while. Like with wisdom teeth.”

Yoongi stared at him blankly.

“Yoongi…you’ve had your wisdom teeth out…right?”

Yoongi slowly shook his head.

Jin closed his eyes. “When you went to the dentist—because I made you, by the way—did they mention anything about your wisdom teeth?”

Yoongi slowly nodded.

“Did they mention that you needed to get them out?”

Yoongi nodded.

“Was the word ‘impacted’ mentioned?” Jin could see by the immediate wariness in Yoongi’s gaze that it was, even as the younger man nodded.

Jin groaned and kicked the dining chair back so he could drop into it. “Yooongiiiii.”

“ ‘E ah ‘o o’ey!” Yoongi protested, still holding his tongue—in the literal sense.

“We do now! You’re doing it. Quit your job, go to the dentist, get your wisdom teeth out, suffer and make the rest of us suffer with you, then find another job.” Jin got up, shoving the chair back in to check Yoongi’s tongue again. “It’s fine. It doesn’t look swollen either so you can discard that ice.”

“Hyung,” Yoongi murmured, grabbing Jin’s sleeve with his clean hand. “I can’t—”

“You can, and you will. I put us on the budget, I can adjust it as needed to accommodate what we need. Don’t fight me on this, Yoongi. Please.”

Yoongi’s grip tightened. “Hyung��I haven’t told Hobi yet. I got fired. I was job searching earlier.”

Jin hugged him, ignoring how Yoongi doesn’t normally like hugs and physical affection. Holding him tightly until Yoongi seemed to crumple and start quietly crying.

Hoseok brought Jungkook in and they both got in on the hug.

Jungkook even kissed Yoongi’s cheek. “No cry, Yoon’i hyungie.”

Yoongi just took Jungkook from Hoseok, holding onto him like it was the only way he’d ever be okay.

Jungkook hugged Yoongi’s neck. “Is okay. Jinnie make better.”

Jin shook his head behind Jungkook, trying to figure out what he did to make the toddler hold so much stock in his ability to fix things.

Which was how Hoseok’s worried face caught Jin’s eye, mouthing the question that Jin couldn’t answer. It was Yoongi’s question to answer.

So instead, Jin put an arm around Hoseok’s waist and pulled him more tightly into their little group hug.

Family hug.

Hoseok snuggled tightly to Jin’s side, clutching the back of his shirt.

Yoongi finally seemed calm. “He’s asleep again.”

Jin nodded. “I’ll put him to bed. I’ll also try to stay in the room next to him tonight instead of in the room. Keep the baby monitor.” He carefully took Jungkook and headed down the hall so that Hoseok and Yoongi could talk.

Jungkook looked like he was sleeping peacefully now.

Jin adjusted the baby monitor, then arranged the stuffed animals in the corners of the crib the way Jungkook liked because of Jin’s story about them protecting him some nights ago. Then he quietly went out and changed, before crawling under the covers of the spare bed in the room next door, leaving the master bedroom to the others—who he could still hear in the kitchen.

He shifted down to get more comfortable, the drowsiness from before sneaking back up on him.

“Hyung?”

Jin looked up and blinked sleepily. “Hoseok?”

Yoongi’s head poked up from behind the other. “Jin-hyung….”

He relaxed and moved over with a smile, knowing exactly what they wanted. “I’d love that.”

Hoseok scurried into the bed with him, pressing against Jin and hiding his face in his shoulder.

Yoongi was slower, shuffling over and getting comfortable on Hoseok’s other side, making sure all three of them were covered.

“Think he’ll sleep through the night?” Hoseok asked, sounding like he was slipping quickly into dreamland.

Jin hummed a minor note, not optimistic about his chances of sleeping through the night. He carded his fingers through Hoseok’s hair. “You work early tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok sighed softly.

Jin nodded. “I’ll wake you up.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

Yoongi shared a fond look with Jin as Hoseok fell asleep. “I know you’re worried about me and all, and I’m not going to tell you not to be. But…how are you doing?”

Jin shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m tired, and the sadness comes and goes, but seeing Jungkook start to be okay is just so…fulfilling. Most of the time I just feel angry, though. How could anyone leave him?”

“Hyung,” Yoongi softly intervened. “How are you?”

Jin swallowed, holding Hoseok tighter. He shook his head again. “I can’t relax. Not easily. Not even then Namjoon said I was doing great with Jungkook. I’m always afraid that something is going to happen to take him away, to remove him from us. Throw us back into the hole we’ve been down for so long, just as we were climbing out. Just as we were finally having a streak of good luck. I think I have more nightmares than Jungkook, Yoongi.”

Yoongi took one of Jin’s hands. “He’s yours, hyung. Forever. You’d have to really ffff—mess up,” Yoongi carefully amended when Jin gave him a slight glare. They had agreed to eliminate swearing from the house since the one time Yoongi had slipped Jungkook had started bawling and wouldn’t let Yoongi near him for the next three hours and only calmed down when he was hiding in a closet with Jin—which had honestly just been Jin trying absolutely everything, because he remembered his childhood dog hiding in the closet when it was scared.

“I should make you add money to the swear jar, but then Hoseok might get cold. How’s your tongue?”

“Still hurts. Mostly it’s just irritating. Brushing my teeth was a nightmare though. That stung.”

Jin winced. “I bet.”

Yoongi nodded, but kept playing with Jin’s fingers. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about my job. Or the wisdom teeth.”

“No, it’s fine. You’re right about the wisdom teeth, we didn’t have the means to take care of it then. But we do now. So, tomorrow, we’ll call the dentist office and get you an appointment for cleaning, then talk to them about who to go to for your wisdom teeth.”

Yoongi looked uneasy.

Jin sighed. “Do you want me to go with you to ask about the oral surgeon?”

Yoongi nodded almost imperceptibly.

Jin nodded. “Alright. We’ll schedule it for when Hobi can watch Jungkook.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

“G’night, Yoongi.”

“Night,” Yoongi murmured, eyes closing.

Jin lay there, watching his two friends sleep, wondering if the reason he fell into parenting Jungkook so naturally was because he was also raising these two dorks.

–

Previous.  Next.

Masterlist.

[johnnysnostril]

You’ve Always Been Mine

chapter 2

`jooheon

I furrowed my brows as i heard Nori groan in the background. Chucking a little as she picked up the phone, I threw my body on the small couch in the dressing room. “Hey.” i replied back as she spoke. “What was all that about?” i nodded over to my manager, who stood in the doorway- waving me over to him. “Uh- nothing. You guys did amazing, as always.” Nori said in a low tone. I thanked her as i got up and approached my manager, who handed me a folded piece of paper. I examined the white square and tilted my head. “You there?” i heard Nori say. “Oh yeah, sorry. I was just looking at something.”

As Nori spoke about her day in the background, i held the phone with my shoulder and began to open the paper, which read “call me sometime ;)” with a number written below it. I pressed my lips in a straight line and repositioned the phone to my hand. “who gave this to you?” i said looking up. My manager had disappeared and i shook my head. “what?” Nori asked. “Nothing- sorry. you were saying?”

Just then, Minhyuk’s voice rang in my ear as he called out for me. I approached the door and looked down the hall. He moved quickly and had a huge smile on his face, juggling two plates of food in his hands. “Hello?” Nori’s voice was quiet, almost like a mouse. “Oh yeah, sorry. What was that?” i waved minhyuk over, shoving the note in my pocket as he entered the dressing room. We sat down at the table, across from each other. “I asked how your day was..” the tone of her voice was dry and solid. “Uh well- we just finished our stage, so.” I picked up my chopsticks and began eating, smacking into the phone- involuntarily. It was such a bad habit of mine.

As the rest of the members filed in with their plates, the room was filled with laughter and light screams. Nori kept talking but i wasn't really paying attention. I was listening to the boys joke about some video they were watching. I laughed a few times then heard a sigh from Nori’s end of the phone. “Who are you talking to?” Wonho asked. I mouthed “Nori” and wonho nodded. “Oh, Nori?” Changkyun stood up and reached across the table for the phone. I shook my head and got up from the table, walking to the corner of the room for some privacy.

“You seem busy.. We can talk later.” i could tell she was upset with me. My attention-span wasn't the greatest and i knew that was the culprit. “No! Its okay. Actually, there's this thing tomorrow and-” i started. Changkyun attacked me front behind, snatching the phone- accidently ending the phone call in the process. “NORI!” he screamed into the phone. His face went blank as he pulled the phone back. He stared at the home screen and i rolled my eyes. “You just hung up on her.”

`nori

The phone beeped in my ear and i drew my device back.

Did he just hang up on me? He just- hung up on me.

I set my phone on the counter and looked at Misun. Her elbows were propped on the cold marble- supporting her chin with her palms. “that was the most AWKWARD phone call i think i've ever witnessed.” she stared directly at me and didn't blink- not once. I shrugged and looked down at my sweatshirt- well, Jooehon’s sweatshirt. “He was acting so weird. He's never been like that with me before.” i mumbled. Exhaling, I pulled my sleeves over my hands. “I think i'm just gunna go to bed.” i made my way over to Misun, hugged her- leaving my phone on the counter, then made my way to my bedroom- shutting the door.

the next morning

I slowly opened my eyes as i smelt the sweet smell of coffee. The smell i never got tired of. I sat up, tossing the covers off my body and groaned. Looking down, i smacked my lips. I never changed out of Jooheon’s clothes. Our conversation quickly ran through my head and i got upset all over again. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and placed my feet into my slippers- dragging myself to the kitchen. I spotted my phone and sighed, picking it up. My eyes widened at the number of missed calls, then a rush of sadness hit my chest. Now i feel bad for being upset. I mean, i know he’s busy all the time- that never changed. Not even for me. I touched the screen, selecting his name to call back, then immediately pressed the small red circle- ending the call, as Misun came out of her room- smiling.

“Good morning, sunshine.” She uttered. She was such a morning person- i wasn't. If only i could be like her. She handed me my cup of coffee as she walked into the kitchen. “So- since you're off today, i went ahead and made plans for us. Best Friend date!” i took a sip of my coffee and hummed- then swallowed. “We haven't had a date in forever- i need this.” i laughed. “I know you do. we’ve been working so much lately. A break is needed for the both of us.

Misun and I both showered, and dressed- before meeting each other in the living room. I raised my eyebrows at her outfit. “Uh-oh. Are you trying to replace Shownu already? You look sexy!” i chuckled. Misun rolled her eyes at me and flipped her hair. “I could ask you the same- but thank you. you look cute girl.” she playfully winked at me before reaching in her purse to grab her phone. “Let’s take a picture.” she wiggled her hips and stood in front of the long mirror beside the front door- reaching her hand out for me. I shook my head, then joined her.

nori’s outfit

misun’s outfit

`jooheon

The next morning, i laid in bed- staring at my phone. “Still nothing?” Shownu asked as he barged back into the bedroom. I looked up at him and shook my head. “Maybe she's working- give it some time.You should get ready for schedule though- the car will be here in 20.” he threw a towel at me, signaling me to get in the shower. I huffed and stared at the ceiling. “Why can't we just take a vacation. Just a little one.” i yelled as he walked out of the room.

`nori

I walked beside my best friend, our arms linked together. Misun rambled about Shownu- as she normally did- while we walked to the train station. “So where are we going anyway?” i said interrupting her. She stopped, mid-sentence then smiled. “Okay so. my coworker bought these tickets to this really popular museum for her and her boyfriend- but since they broke up, she gave them to me. So i figured we’d utilize them.”

Oh- did i forget to mention that Misun works at the most popular magazine company in Korea? Yeah, let me tell you. She's the best photographer they have. It was kind of a surprise job, if you ask me. There was this one time- where she was out, taking pictures for this festival and basically got street casted, if you will. The director of the company took a look at her work and BAM! She got offered the job on the spot. Lucky huh?

“I know you might think it's boring, or whatever- but, she did say there was a special tapping there so maybe we can get on camera for a few moments!” she said wiggling her brows at me. I laughed at her comment. “What kinda special tapping would be at a museum- unless it's a boring informationally documentary?” Misun playfully smacked my shoulder and we both laughed.

As we approached the building, there was a HUGE line outside. “Please tell me we don't have to wait in that thing.” i whined. Misun waved the tickets in front of my face. “We don't!” she pulled me to the doorman, as she skipped. Handing him our tickets- we passed the double doors and walked inside. I immediately looked down at the floor, noticing the expensive marble. “What kinda museum is this?” i mumbled. Releasing Misun’s arm, i looked around and sighed.

Okay- let me say this. I have a love-hate relationship with going out. Don't get me wrong, I like spending time with Misun, but i also HATE crowds. They make me feel uncomfortable and Misun knows this. Ever since i've shared it with her though, she's been trying to crack the code on how to get me to not be afraid of them anymore. I guess she thinks if we just keep going to places with lots of people, i’d overcome this fear. Although, i'm not entirely sure on how well that’ll work.

We both looked around- seeing amazing pieces of artwork, sculptures and a whole bunch of unidentified shapes. The both of us walked slowly, hand in hand- as we admired everyone's work. Suddenly, a group of screaming girls ran past us and we both looked their way. “What in the world?” Misun scrunched up her face as we watched the girls run off towards a seperate room. “This place is this popular?” i laughed. Misun shrugged then we continued to walk around. I stopped in front of a weird looking sculpture. I examined it for awhile before turning around to check on Misun.

i groaned. “Oh come on- you look great. There’s no excuse you can give me, to get out of this. Now smile.” she demanded as she held her camera. I playfully rolled my eyes and gave her what she wanted. “AH! The money shot.” she snapped the picture and laughed. I watched her as she examined the film, her smile fading slowly. “Uh..” Misun uttered. “What’s wrong? Did it come out bad. Look, you get one more and that's it.” 

I centered myself in front of the sculpture and curved my lips into a fake smile. “Nori.. it's not that..” i looked towards the front door, and saw a sea of girls- running in my direction. I quickly ran to Misun and took her hand, pulling her off to the side where it was safe. Misun’s eyes were glued in front of her. “What's wrong with the picture? You're probably just over-reacting. You can be a perfectionist sometimes- let me see.” i took the camera out of her hand and looked at the small screen. The picture had been zoomed in to a person in the back. “Someone photobombed us. Big deal.” i pushed the camera into her chest and looked at her. “It’s not just SOMEONE.. It’s-”

“JOOHEON!” a group of girls screamed.

I quickly turned around, feeling my heart sink into my stomach- as the boys lined up on a small stage in the distance, smiling and waving.

[flannelplanet]

Stranger than Fiction

Huge thanks to @jandjsalmon who’s the best ever. Without her, this probably would have ended up being a crappy little oneshot. Now, it’s a multi-chapter monster.  Also, thanks to @youbuildmeupbeliever, @it-happened-one-starry-night, and @colesmoles who helped keep me motivated and chatted with me while I wrote. Here’s to you, ladies.

Rated: Explicit

Dom/sub undertones will be frequent throughout this fic so if that’s not your thing, please skipity skip it. 

Summary: With the wine lowering her inhibitions, Betty threw caution to the wind. She clicked the “follow” button up at the top right corner of his blog. For some reason, her fingers were shaking. Following that blog was an extremely uncharacteristic move, however she felt invigorated by her decision. And nervous. She sighed and began reading his latest post, allowing his words to wash over her and calm her nerves. “I am the man of your dreams. Tall, dark, and handsome. I have my hand stretched out towards you. You’re feeling hesitant so I encourage you with a slight nod and a soft smile. Though you know better, you take my hand regardless and we leave this hell-hole of a party. You’re wearing your Little Black Dress and I swear I can see your peaked nipples through the fabric. Your white gold necklace is draped beautifully over your collar bones and I find myself hard at the thought of replacing it with something I’ve given you, when the time is right, of course.“

Chapter 1/6 under the cut. Read on ao3!!!

“Night, Karen,” Betty called out as she turned out the light in her office. She had just finished up a long day at work and all she could think about was getting home, getting a huge glass of wine, and enjoying some Betty-time in her ornate garden tub. Her coworkers who still remained at the office wished her a good night and she made her way to the gated community she called home.

Upon arriving at the main gate, she entered in the passcode and proceeded once the barrier raised. She knew it was probably overkill, considering the fact that what happened had happened so long ago, but it made her feel safe. Every person living within these gates had been interviewed and passed background checks. Part of her felt silly, but then the other part of her felt safe. Safe from the ghost of a terrible memory.

Betty shuddered. She lived a much happier life these days. She worked as a journalist, getting to write in-depth articles about things she found interesting. She liked reading and often chose to interview up-and-coming authors to promote their work. She loved helping people get exposure and she had met many colorful people through her short career. But that was just her day job. She also ran a baking blog which was called cookiesandcupcakes , and though it was not wildly successful, she loved doing it. In fact, it was her outlet. She needed a distraction from her mundane life every once in awhile and baking brought her a joy that she seldom found anywhere else.

After locking her door behind her, Betty walked to the kitchen. From there, she poured herself a decently sized glass of Riesling, sweet but not overly so, and proceeded to her bathroom. As the tub began to fill, Betty added her favorite oils- bergamot and sandalwood- lit a few candles, and grabbed her laptop. There was a neat little set up for it on the tub so she could soak and work, however, tonight she had different plans.

Once fully immersed in her heavenly bathwater, Betty opened her laptop. After checking all of her notifications and messages, she ventured to her most secret guilty pleasure- a blog called wordsbyjughead . She would never admit to reading it to anyone who asked, though, as the words that graced those online pages were pure, unadulterated smut. It was enough fantasy fuel that she didn’t need physical images, his words were enough.

She had been considering following him, but was terrified to do so due to the graphic nature of his blog. Her blog was much more innocent and how would it look if she got hacked? Whoever hacked her would be able to see his scandalous stories right there in black and white littering her dash. But she still checked his blog every day. Plus, she could always send him a nice message thanking him for his writing, no harm done, right?

With the wine lowering her inhibitions, Betty threw caution to the wind. She clicked the “follow” button up at the top right corner of his blog. For some reason, her fingers were shaking. Following that blog was an extremely uncharacteristic move, however she felt invigorated by her decision. And nervous. She sighed and began reading his latest post, allowing his words to wash over her and calm her nerves.

“I am the man of your dreams. Tall, dark, and handsome. I have my hand stretched out towards you. You’re feeling hesitant so I encourage you with a slight nod and a soft smile. Though you know better, you take my hand regardless and we leave this hell-hole of a party. You’re wearing your Little Black Dress and I swear I can see your peaked nipples through the fabric. Your white gold necklace is draped beautifully over your collar bones and I find myself hard at the thought of replacing it with something I’ve given you, when the time is right, of course.

“Until then, I live in the moment. We hail a cab back to your apartment. You tell the cabbie your address while I trail my fingers up the exposed skin of your arm lightly enough to cause an eruption of goosebumps and an uptick in your pulse. I brush your hair to the side, gently of course, exposing the long column of your neck. I long to latch on, to mark your body, to remind you of our night together for days and days to come.

“Your thighs squeeze together. You’re far too turned on to think straight and I’ve barely even touched you. You’re so responsive, such a good girl.”

Betty’s fingers found her own skin as she scrolled through the story. She let his words cleanse her mind and allowed herself to imagine the scene he was setting as if she were this mystery woman. She thought of who would play the part of “tall, dark, and handsome.” Since she had no face to place with the author of the story, she let her mind wander until her thoughts landed on her sexy next-door neighbor. He was tall, he was dark, and he was hot as hell. He also had a confidence about him that she could sense the author was going for when writing his narrator. Yes, Mr. Jones would do just fine for this particular fantasy.

“Our cab approaches your building quickly, and thank fuck for that. I can’t wait to get my hands up your pretty little skirt…”

Betty gulped.

“We pay the cabbie and run inside. As soon as the elevator doors close my mouth is on yours. You eagerly allow my tongue access and we explore one another. You let me have control of the kiss which elicits a soft growl from my chest. This is exactly what I was hoping for. I reach behind you and slowly unzip your dress, letting my fingers trail against your smooth skin as they descend.

“The sound that escapes from your lips is auditory sin. It encourages me. I slip your dress down your body and take you in. No bra, no panties. Just a garter belt holding up your thigh-high stockings and heels. I swear I’m in love with the sight of you.”

Betty sighed, allowing her fingers to explore her body and let her mind escape for a while. She pictures Mr. Jones standing before her in a dark suit, that unruly curl falling in front of his eyes as he drinks her in. She imagines his intense stare, which exposes the deepest parts of her soul. She imagines it would be raw, her and Mr. Jones.

Her eyes close. Behind her eyelids stands Mr. Jones wearing his most perfectly tailored suit; the one that fits him like a goddamned glove. His eyes are dark. She feels her body respond to the look in his eyes. It’s hungry. He looks like he could devour her. She feels as though she would let him.

Beneath the water, Betty’s fingers find her delicate folds. She lets herself play while she imagines Mr. Jones taking a step toward her. She feels herself grow wetter, despite the bathwater, as she remembers Jughead’s story. She’s naked in this fantasy save for a scrap of fabric around her waist. She imagines what Mr. Jones would do once he reached her. Would he grab her breast? Would he taste her neck? Her mouth? Or would he drop to his knees and worship her from her core?

Betty’s breathing was coming faster now. She pictured Mr. Jones grabbing her by the back of the neck and bringing her face to his for a bruising kiss while letting his fingers find her most intimate spot, already eagerly awaiting attention from him. “Fuck, Baby. You’re so wet… Is this all for me?” He’d ask.

She would whimper in response. “Yes, yes Mr. Jones. It’s all for you. Just for you.” He would smirk against her skin, all the while continuing his ministrations.

“Such a good girl, Betty.” She couldn’t help the moan that slipped from her lips. She was so close. “Come for me. Come, now.”

That was all she needed. Release found her instantly. She rode out her climax and slinked down into her bathwater sated and more relaxed than she had been in days.

-

She didn’t know how long she had been zoned out in the bath, but it was long enough that the once steaming water was lukewarm at best. She stood and made to get out of the tub when she noticed a message notification on her blog’s dashboard. She wrapped herself in her plush towel and grabbed the laptop carrying it out to her bedroom.

Once she was dressed for bed and tucked in, she opened her messages. She almost choked on air. The message waiting for her was from none other than the author himself, Jughead. Shit, she thought to herself, calm down. It’s just a damn message Betty, not a marriage proposal .

wordsbyjughead: Forgive me for asking, but did you actually mean to follow me or did you do so by accident?

Betty took a deep breath, tried to calm her nerves, and started typing.

cookiesandcupcakes: You’re forgiven. I followed on purpose. Why, is there an issue with me doing so?

wordsbyjughead: No issue at all. Judging by your blog, you’re not my typical audience is all. It’s actually refreshing to know my stories are being read by more than just porn blogs.

Betty giggled. Embarrassment in doing so clouded her mind and her face flushed.

wordsbyjughead: You know, I really love to eat. Your blog is heavenly. You really make all those recipes yourself?

cookiesandcupcakes: Yep. All mine. Baking is therapeutic, plus I have a really big sweet tooth.

cookiesandcupcakes: I also really enjoy reading, which is why I followed your blog. You’re a really great writer. Have you considered publishing?

wordsbyjughead: I also have a sweet tooth the size of Texas, if we’re being honest.

wordsbyjughead: And yes, I have considered publishing ;)

cookiesandcupcakes: Really? Does that wink mean you already have?

Betty could feel her sleepiness leaving her as she chatted with Jughead. She never would have thought he would be so easy to talk to.

wordsbyjughead: It’s a secret. So, if I may ask, what’s your favorite story on my blog?

She thought through all the stories of his she had read. They were all incredible.

cookiesandcupcakes: They are all great. Are you fishing for compliments, Jughead?

She hit send before she could talk herself out of it.

wordsbyjughead: Maybe I am. But I’m also a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person by what they read. You’re no exception.

cookiesandcupcakes: Let me think about it and get back to you.

She ended the chat and shut her computer down before she could get herself into any more trouble.

[capracornia]

◌ MYSTIC MESSENGER: ANOTHER STORY OPENING ANALYSIS ◌ I’m a bit bored, so I’m going to just kind of analyze the intro for V’s route, because I l o v e these characters holy fuck. ◌ NOT! SPOILER! FREE! FOR ANY ROUTE! ◌ Line by line~ ◌ “In search of a shining ray” this is our opening image: a sunset silhouette of V. It’s beautiful, like him, but it’s also obscure. The lyrics mention him ‘searching’ for a shining ray, such as sunlight. Sun? Rika. He’s searching for Rika– but he’s also searching for his own ‘ray’, his independence and happiness. ◌ “Daffodil swaying beneath the blaze”. Daffodils are a big deal. Heck, it’s even the silhouette with the sky in the first image behind V. It’s repeated like a mantra that they mean self love– and that’s the purpose of V’s route. It isn’t liberation from Rika, or revenged, or justice to Searan. It’s about making V realize his own worth, and learning to love himself and others simultaneously. ◌ “Trying to bloom with all its might” isn’t it curious that Rika’s silhouette pops up? Like V, she’s an obscure character in the beginning of the game. You don’t actually know who she is, only that she founded RFA. Contrasting V’s light background, hers is dark but still beautiful. This is a very big nod towards the focus of their soliloquies– how V’s love is a blinding, relentless light, and how Rika’s darkness is something she is not afraid of, but embraces. They flourish in these environments, and die in the other’s, no matter how hard she tries to “bloom”, she’s unable to. ◌ “It pulls in all its heart” this could have two meanings, whether due to translation or I’m not understanding. Since before it was talking about blooming, it could mean it’s trying to pull apart and unveil itself, the “beautiful” part of the flower. She’s trying to open up to others. She’s trying to be this “beautiful” she doesn’t feel she is, and it’s taking all her strength. On the other hand, it could mean she’s pulling her heart, her emotions, inwards, in order to protect herself. ◌ “This, a song of dreams sweetly sung” the this they’re referring to is, of course, the game. The story. Dreams are often light, fluffy, and kind. That’s what we expected from the game (so hOW DARE YOU CHERITZ). ◌ “This, a song of memory lonely sought” It’s interesting that Zen and Jumin are the two present during this line. They’re presented as having nothing in common, being total opposites– hell, they even stand on opposite positions on the screen (Jumin left, Zen right, despite that probably being for positioning purposes) but at the same time, they share something fundamental to their characters: loneliness, just as they share the “light” background. Aside from Seven (who oh boy we’ll get into), they’re probably the loneliness in the game, but in completely different ways. Jumin’s surrounded by family, coworkers, and people who would kiss his shoes at the drop of a hat because of his wealth. But he’s lonely. He projects his feelings that are unrequited onto Elizabeth 3rd. He hates women because of his father, and hadn’t even thought about dating or befriending any. He only had V and Rika, one who left, and the other who seemed to pile up secrets. If it weren’t for all Seayoung’s backstory, he’s probably the loneliest of the RFA. Zen didn’t grow up surrounded by people. He ran away as a kid: no longer have parents actively in his life. He debuted as an actor when he was 16: he’s constantly switching stages, theaters, roles. Acting doesn’t let you make many friends, coworkers changing according to your scene and persona. I bet he didn’t have a real friend until Rika came along. Even though he’s egoistic and acts like he’s got everything perfect, he’s a lonely character. ◌ “Into the light the flower may flourish” Jaehee are also complete opposites. Trend much, Cheritz? Jaehee’s a relentless worker, strict, closed off, but kind. Yoosung’s a bit of a slacker, laid back, heart-on-sleeve, but can’t handle his emotions much better than a child can. These two have the most to learn. Not academically of course, they’re both smart. Jaehee’s step “into the light” for her to “flourish” is learning to treasure herself, socialize herself, and open up to others. To follow what she wants in life rather than what the deems is good enough (coughcoffeeshopcough). Yoosung’s flourishing comes with maturity, grief, and accepting that V is not perfect, but did try his best. Light also can mean truth. If they learnt the truth of everything that happened, would they flourish sooner? ◌ “It takes a push to make me perish” I’VE GOT A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE. This has the Choi twins as our image, in their light/dark contrasting scheme, and notice something interesting about their positions (which I talked about w/ Jumin and Zen). They’re both in the middle, and they’re both looking towards the right (at least in the screenshot). They’re the exact same person, only one was brought into the light, and the other left to die in the dark. As for the lyrics, ‘perish’ can be used both literally and figuratively. It takes only a push– one small action, to wipe these two off the grid of existence. They’re illegitimate children. Nobody is supposed to know they exist. Seayoung works for a hacking company, and as such, changes his identities all the time. Searan lives in the Kint Eye cult, and isn’t recognized as a person by the outside world. One slip up and ‘707’ could disappear forever. One push, and all Ray, Unknown, and Searan will be destroyed with the bomb. Emotionally, they’re the same too. They’ve suffered so much in their life, it wouldn’t be hard to destroy them emotionally. Abuse them, mistreat them, and control them. They only seek comfort, assurance, and love, something they don’t find themselves worthy of. In one word, you could break their hearts, and make them ‘perish’. ◌ “Shall there be light, do forgive me” Rika, who knows the light will “kill” her and her devil, sings this to V. She’s apologizing that it will happen inevitably if there is “light” from V’s love. Forgive her for the acts it will drive her to commit. Forgive her for her devil. Forgive her for who she is. ◌ “Even the act I feign to protect me” This shows her in her masquerade outfit. This “act” she puts on is the act of kindness. She becomes an incredibly kind person who cares about others and only wishes the best because, if she doesn’t, her “devil” will control her to do awful things. It’s protecting her from her devil– but, it also protects her from the world. We don’t think kidnapping and drugging people is excusable, no matter the reason– with good thought, too, and it’s a good thing our society frown upon that. If Rika didn’t put on her act of happiness and love and let that control her push for a better world, she’d have started Mint Eye far sooner, reciting criticism and hate from the public. ◌ “Shall there be hope, flower shall blossom” Let me take a wild guess and say these flowers are daffodils. If there is hope, then the daffodil can bloom. If there is mistrust and doubt, it will wither and die. Now replace dandelion with its meaning of self love. If there is hope and trust in V, he will blossom and become a better man who will love himself. If we don’t, he will crumble and end up destroying himself. ◌ “Even if surrendering my everything in whole” we get it V. You’re a martyr. Throughout about 99% of the story, you hear V talking about his willing to sacrifice himself in order to save MC. He repeatedly begs Rika to leave MC alone in exchange for whatever she wants from him. He will give every limb, leg, and more for the safety of those he loved. It’s been this way since Rika. He promised her he’d love her regardless of how evil she was, if she hurt him and took everything she had. ◌ “Love tenderly this daffodil.” Back to self love, this is very self explanatory. Give V love. Whoa– but why is Rika in the picture then? You have to love both of them for a good ending. You can’t blame Rika and become rude and aggressive towards her. Not only is your goal making V love himself, you have to try and convince Rika to lover herself by getting the help she needs. Loving these daffodils will bloom to the good ending you paid 300 hourglasses and 11 days of hell for. ◌ “The sun is the mother of all.” I like that this one’s silent. Like the words, it’s a message unheard in the game, but still is prominent. The sun is Rika, and Rika is this “mother of all”. The whole damn game revolves around her. No matter who’s route you’re playing, you’re bound to wind up in some freaky stuff that Rika pulls. The guaranteed one being that Searan leads you to the apartment. Like the sun, she provides the “life” of the game, but she is also burning and bright and beautiful and destructive. Completely unattainable, you can’t save both her the RFA. ◌ Ah!! That was so long. I was originally going to post this on Instagram but I ran out of space after like, image no. 2. I had to smush them together for spacing purposes~ I’ve seen analyses floating around for this intro before, but I had a lot to say on my own!

[artisanalapothecary]

My conservative mother-in-law and her new love of hemp!

Do you get side-eye from your: spouse, coworker, friends, neighbors, parents or (insert any other judgmental person or people you know here) when the subject of marijuana comes up?

If you share your love of all-things-pot in mixed company, are you made to feel like a loser, a criminal, or some lazy “pothead” who is capable only of making poor life choices?

If you are still reading this, my guess is yes. I’m here today to tell you that I’ve been there too. I’m also here to tell you that there is hope! How do I know this? Because I have witnessed a miracle. My conservative, Persian mother-in-law LOVES cannabis!

In today’s society, the winds of change are a blowin’ when it comes to the subject of ”weed”. With the legalization not only of medical marijuana, but recreational marijuana as well, more people are speaking freely about the benefits of using cannabis both medicinally and casually. Until recently, my mother-in-law was NOT one of those people.

Let me give you some background information to set the scene. I will change the names here to protect the innocent. My amazing, loving Middle Eastern mother-in-law, let’s call her Mary Jane, or Mary for short, and I have a wonderful relationship that has spanned more than two decades. That said, we have a little bit of a language barrier. She understands some English, but is shy to speak it. My Farsi (Persian language) is fantastic as long as I keep it to ”Hi, how are you? I’m fine, thank you. It’s warm/cold.” After that, somebody could yell fire and I would reply “It’s cold.” You get the picture. Our communication is either translated by my sweet husband, or my fabulously glamourous sister-in-law (more on her later), or through a series of award-winning charades.

More often than not, Mary and I lose some of our conversational impact through these translations. I suspect my husband, referred to from here on out as “The Hubs”, and my sister-in-law whom we will call Sophia (because everybody she meets tells her she looks like Sophia Loren) cheat and don’t always tell Mary everything I’m saying. This is not due to lack of understanding, or laziness. This is for my own protection. If Mary knew everything I’m saying, she would be very concerned for her only son because he is married to a crazy person.

Mary eats only very healthy food that she prepares herself. She does not drink alcohol, use tobacco, or use prescription medication. I‘ve never even seen her take an ibuprofen. Mary exercises every day, and takes all of her vitamins. I’m not going to share with you Mary’s age, because even though we have changed her name here, she will murder me. I will say she has not reached the age of eighty yet, but you could torture me with shredded coconut and Keeping Up With the Kardashians reruns and I still wouldn’t give up the goods.

In addition to adhering to this strict regimen to care for her aging body, Mary also adheres to an unwavering loyalty to conservative thoughts and behaviors. Loosely translated, she is a bit of a worrywart. And I mean that in the best way possible. If there is a loose screw on the floor, hours will be spent wondering and searching for its origin, in the event the house might fall down if not replaced. If a missed phone call is not returned immediately, subsequent phone calls to all people and possible locales are placed until the recipient is tracked down to:

1. Make sure all parties are safe, and not lying in a ditch somewhere.

2. Ensure that said parties have been fed properly.

3. Offer lunch at the house - even if we’ve already eaten. Twenty minutes ago. Really, we’re not hungry. What? Oh yes, we’ll drive to the house immediately to pick up homemade Persian food for later, thank you!

Mary is of the mindset that all rules must be strictly adhered to, particularly when it comes to the government. There is no black and white when it comes to obeying the law. We have established that Mary is a worrywart, so you can imagine the stress it caused her to learn that her favorite (only) daughter-in-law had started a cannabis-based business. Yep, we told Mary that I’m into pot.

Who explained to Mary details about the new CBD-infused bath product line I created with my friend and business partner? The Hubs and Sophia of course! Prior to the unveiling of this information, I was quite nervous. The Hubs, Sophia and I discussed at length our plan of action and just how to break the news without breaking Mary’s heart. The first step was to explain exactly what the products are, and what makes them so great. After explaining the benefits of absorbing CBD through the skin, we had to attack the legality of the situation. CBD is legal folks! More on that subject here.

Lastly, moral implications had to be addressed. After convincing Mary that customers would not be going to jail for buying our products, and that I would not be going to jail for making them, and that The Hubs would not be going to jail for be married to a drug lord, it was challenging to reassure her that I was not taking the first steps on a path leading directly to drug addiction and homelessness. You see, CBD does not get you high. THC, the other stuff found in marijuana gives users the psychotropic effect of being “high.” And there is NO THC in any of our products.

What was the final tactic used to convince Mary that we are on to something good? We asked her to try some of the merch. As well as Mary takes care of herself, she does suffer from ailments that you would expect a not-yet-eighty-year-old person to experience. Muscle pain, joint pain, insomnia, digestive issues, anxiety...just to name a few. You know what CBD is good for? Alleviating muscle pain, joint pain, insomnia, digestive issues, anxiety...just to name a few.

So we started with Bath Crack CBD Bath Salts. Sophia oversaw the project by drawing the bath, adding the Bath Crack and keeping Mary in the tub long enough so as to experience the benefits of the CBD. The result? Epic fail. Poor Mary who is not a bath-taker just could not relax and enjoy. Getting in and out of the tub is no fun, and once she was in, it was uncomfortable for her. Ok, back to the drawing board. How could we share with Mary the amazing experience of CBD?

Vaping was completely out of the question (Have you lost your mind?) and with a very sensitive tummy, we did not think that oral consumption was the right decision either. Think, think, think…and bingo. We have to make a lotion that Mary can use. So came the birth of CBD Whipped Body Butter.

It took us some time to finally come up with the right formulation. Not too greasy, not too runny, scent had to be just right (Amber Oil and Orange Blossom, yummy) and of course, we had to get the right amount of CBD into the jar. Once we got the consistency, the aromatherapy and the potency right, it was time to roll out the ultimate test: the Mary test.

We gave Mary a jar and asked her to rub some on any part of her body that hurt. She started with a little around her neck and shoulder area. She loved the scent! A few minutes later she rubbed a little more. Wow, starting to feel good and pain feels like it is lessening. Let’s rub some more…in more places. This is great for the back too! And hands, and feet, and arms, and legs and so on and so forth. Thirty minutes later, Sophia is gently reminding Mary that a little bit goes a long way. An hour later, Sophia is wrestling the jar away telling Mary that she should probably save some for later.

That incident was three weeks ago. Since then, we have not seen Mary without her jar of CBD Whipped Body Butter in her hand. She is either using it on herself, or any unsuspecting victim within reach. She loves the relaxing qualities of CBD and aromatherapy in addition to alleviating her pain. Mary has several siblings residing all over the world. She calls them daily to rave about how much she loves the product and how proud she is of her favorite (only) daughter-in-law. She has spread the word to all of her friends, and may have tried to strike up a conversation in a grocery store line about it.

So there you have it dear reader, the story of how this girl and her family introduced pot to Mary Jane.

When faced with cannabis skepticism, honest and clear communication is most effective. Understand that age, cultural background and upbringing all affect a person’s outlook on certain subjects. Love and patience are the keys to bringing awareness to all facets of hot-button topics such as cannabis, or politics, or the ongoing dispute of over/under for the TP roll. Actually, no discussion needed for TP – over, ALWAYS over. Under should be a punishable offense.

Do you have more questions about CBD? Check this blog for frequent posts, or check out the Home and FAQ pages of our website for more information. Wanna get your hands on some Bath Crack Bath Salts or CBD Whipped Body Butter? Buy direct here.

[bitterxweetencounters]

Long story short?

I believe it has been around 10 months since I last did a life update so I think it’s time for another one. Oops.

I went to two camping trips this year with the usual crew - one during the first week of the year where we stayed at this really nice tree-top sort of place which had a beautiful interior. We saw a massive deadly-as looking spider in the kitchen it was sort of hilarious how we tried to kill it. This was also the time I injured my toe trying to catch Jasper from falling and I remember waking up wondering why my toe was so sore. I injured the same toe in kickboxing a few months after, but more on that later. The other camping trip was to the snow and we stayed at this place called Merrijig, in a small, cosy cottage sort of house but with heaps of bunk beds inside. We ended up seeing a few people we knew at the place and they ended up going with us to Mt. Buller on the day we drove up the mountain. Going to the snow together was nice since we haven’t gone as a group to the snow in what seemed like years. We did the good ol’ toboggan train down the slopes, had a nice lunch, took some pictures (the lighting at the snow is very good !?), even had a snow ball fight in a nice little secluded area we found (someone hit me with a massive, hard ball of snow on my backside and I think it bruised) and got some hot donuts which smelt so damn good you could smell it from a mile away. Funny story about that - we (we, as in Jasper and I lololol) were so keen on getting the donuts ‘cause we had been waiting in line for it. But you see we were also in a hurry to go to the chair lift ‘cause it was going to close soon. I remember my sister telling me we had to go and I asked her if we could wait another 5 minutes as the donuts were almost done (the woman was cooking them fresh). So after we finally got the donuts, we still had to wait a little bit for the shuttle bus to come by, and then we had to walk a bit to get to the actual place where you buy the tickets for the chair lift. When we finally get to the place, the person at the counter told us we were too late and for us to just come back the next day. Which sucked ‘cause we wouldn’t have been able to since we would be going home the next day and it would cost us more money to drive back up again to Mt. Buller as there was an entree fee. At this point we were all pretty bummed out and I was highkey feeling guilty ‘cause I felt like we missed the chair lift due to my eagerness to get the donuts. As we left and started making our way back to our cars, it started snowing heavily which was a pretty nice way to end the day especially after what just happened. So we were all just there trying to get the snow in our hands, taking videos and pictures and looking in awe at the first sight of falling snow that day, when we see the guy from the counter earlier running frantically at us and telling us that we could still go on the chair lift. It turns out that they extended the closing time for us. I remember breathing a sigh of relief and was thankful I didn’t have to spend years looking back at this day and remembering it was mostly my fault that we didn’t get to go on the chair lift ‘cause of the donuts. So yeah we ended up going on the chair lift after all T^T. I was in a chair with Kyle, Jasper and Levy. Levy was putting a brave face on but we all knew he was terrified. I tried to take some pictures and videos with my phone but it kept turning off randomly and I figured it might’ve been ‘cause it was way too cold. But it was hella freezing up there and it was still snowing heavily at this time so our faces were absolutely frozen - but the view was amazing. It was silent and all you could hear was the sound of the wind blowing. We were all eager to go back to our warm cottage and rest up after that - it was a tiring but fulfilling day. I was recovering from a cold before this snow trip, but after it was all done, I think I got sick again. ^^”

Right before the snow trip, we had a musical production for church which I was a part of - as a dancer. The production was to commemorate the 50 years that the church has been in the West of the world. The dance crew was hella different this time around; different people, more of the younger ones and most of whom I haven’t met before. It had a different vibe and feel, if I was to be honest. But I went through with it anyway ‘cause the musical production seemed exciting and I wanted to be part of it. Weeks of rehearsals went by and when performance day finally came, it turned out great. I’m still thinking about whether I want to continue with dance or if maybe it’s time for me to venture into a different area and let the younger ones take over from here. I guess we’ll see.  

On the other hand, right after the snow trip when I returned to work, I came back to the news that I was no longer getting offered a position in the Production department at work. It was a role with better pay of course, but more responsibility. The way it was all done was quite unprofessional though, and quite discouraging. Up until that point, it had never occurred to me to want to leave the company for any reason but upon receiving the news - and quite bluntly and abruptly as well - I no longer felt like I could stay in the company long term. It’s weird when you start to prepare your mind and your body for a different stage in your life and then to be advised otherwise. So to give you all a bit of a background, long story short, my Manager sat me down one day and asked me how I was going with my current role as a Project Coordinator and proceeded to tell me about how he thinks I’m struggling a little bit with the role and how I might be better suited for an alternative role in the company. So I was like yeah sure I’m open to anything. He then told me that there was a position in the Production department as a ‘Production Scheduler’ and that he reckons I’d be a really good fit for the role. So I was like YEAH SURE BRING IT ON MATE. On the same day, the Operations Manager and Manufacturing Manager invited me into their office and wanted to talk to me about the potentially new role for me in which I discovered was being made available as they need a replacement for the current person in this role as they’ll be leaving the company soon. So I was hella keen y’know. I wanted to try something new and help in the company wherever I was needed. AND the Operations Manager guy kept telling me that he’s heard good things about me from my colleagues and from other people around the company so he thought I would be perfect for it. At this point, they were basically already offering me the role and soon enough (basically the day after) I got the letter of offer for the position, which I signed and they signed and it was all settled, right. From this point on I still had to do my current duties as a Project Coordinator AND do training with the girl who was about to leave soon. I was juggling two roles at a time, but I was fine with it and was hella keen and pumped to get through all the tasks and training I needed to undergo in order to transition into this role smoothly. I only got to have training with this girl for around a week or so as she was going to be leaving a few days after I would be on leave for the snow trip I mentioned earlier. Everything happened so quick, and I was always asking the Operations Manager guy when I could officially leave my current role fully, what the go was with my training and how we would be doing things in the coming weeks. But all I got every time was “Not too sure at this point, I need to have a chat with your Manager and see when we would be able to draw the line”. At this point, pretty much everyone in the office knew I was going to be going into this new role soon and they always asked me when I’d officially be going “up there” (the Production department is upstairs). I would just respond saying that I didn’t know, ‘cause I literally DID NOT KNOW. I had already told my parents and some of my close friends about this “promotion” I was given and they were all excited for me and things were looking up. Anyway it was a Thursday when I returned back to the office after the snow trip and I remember the Operations Manager guy asking me to come into his office towards the end of the day on that day to have a chat. When I sat down, I was smiling, hopeful and excited, thinking, “yay I’ll finally get an update on my training with this role” and “yay it’s finally happening”. Instead I got a “I’m really sorry you had to come back to this straight after your snow trip, but we’re going to have to withdraw the offer”. It was probably the biggest slap in the face and I was furious. I asked why, and I was told that “he didn’t think I was suitable for the role”. Which made no sense as they were the ones who were trying to convince me that I was perfect for the role. The very least they could have done was hold off from giving me the letter of offer so I didn't believe that it was official yet and I wouldn't now face the dreading responsibility to tell my parents, my friends and my coworkers that I was no longer being offered the new role. It was difficult ‘cause I had already made mental preparations for moving to a different department. I had already spent hours before, picturing what my new life would be in the new role and made decisions based on my expectations of getting “promoted”. It was disheartening and discouraging. I considered quitting altogether on that same day. Yes, I was that disappointed in the company. But I had learned that quitting impulsively was not always the solution (for those of you who remember how I quit my previous job lolol). And I needed the money until I could figure out the next step I was going to take. The next morning at work, my Manager sat me down and talked to me about what happened and how he was disappointed in how the whole thing happened as well, and that he’s “more than happy to take me back”. I don’t know about you, but I felt so pitiful and pathetic hearing those words. I sort of felt like the “leftovers” you have from the previous day ‘cause you can’t find anything else to eat. I felt like no one really wanted me and my self confidence hit rock bottom. On that same day, my Manager organised for the everyone in the Projects department (my original department) to have lunch at the Lynbrook Hotel - his treat. It was nice of him to do that, and I felt like he wanted me to feel welcome and part of the team again. This all happened at the beginning of August and it’s almost October now so I have settled back down into my role and I’ve moved on from what happened. P.s: For those of you who want tea, the wife of the Operations Manager guy started as the Production Scheduler role a few weeks later, then quit a week later. Life is hilarious like that don’t you reckon.

Looking back at being rejected for that role, I’m sort of glad now that I didn’t get it. It was a blessing in disguise. The Production department is a mess at the moment and heaps of people are leaving. I would’ve been under a lot of unpleasant pressure had I gone ahead with that role. A lot of other people in various departments have since left the company as well such as our General Manager, our Sales Manager, our HR. The Production Manager and Production Supervisor will be leaving in a few weeks too. These are all people who have worked for the company for years - some for 8, some for up to 20 years. It’s a shame and it’s sad, but also interesting that so many people are leaving. I think over 10 people have quit the company this year and that’s a lot. I might be one of those people soon. One of the things that have kept me from quitting is the Annual Conference that the company had scheduled for mid-ish September. It was a two-day conference where we drove out into a nice resort/spa place which had accomodation, so we slept there overnight. It was an overall very nice experience and it was very refreshing from the usual day-to-day work. I actually made an effort to look nice for a change (I put no effort in the way I look at work) and a few of my coworkers complimented me - some on my hair and some on my overall look. The weather was kind to us and was perfect for the two days. The first day we started off at the conference room where were put into groups and we did a few talks and activities, but one that stood out to me was the competition of who can make the tallest tower out of pasta and a piece of marshmallow being supported on top. No one ended up winning as everyone was over ambitious and all fell down, and some cheated and used the ceiling to support the tower, but it was all for laughs I believe. Also, we played “Simon Says” and I was one of the winners so I got a prize. LOLOL. We had over an hour to ourselves right before we had dinner that day to which I spent at the gym, doing a few laps on the treadmill. My coworker told me they were having a few drinks in their room before the dinner but I wasn’t interested. Lol. I needed to break a sweat anyway as my skin had been pretty bad lately so I saw greater benefit in the gym. I had a nice shower afterwards and was able to clean up pretty well for the dinner. Some girls turned up in a nice dress (and I was actually going to as well but decided I’d prefer to be underdressed than overdressed since the attire was quite vague). The 3-course dinner was lovely and the night ended in a trivia which was heaps of fun. It was a really nice way to get to know my coworkers and everyone enjoyed themselves a lot. Some people stayed back afterwards to socialise but I went straight to my room to try the jacuzzi. YES, THE JACUZZI. I had a room to myself (originally I was supposed to share with someone but for some reason we didn’t end up) and it was a really nice room, mind you. I think it’s rated like 4.5 starts and the TV even said “Welcome Abigayle” like it knew I was there. LOL. I had a queen sized bed, a big bathroom, a living room and a balcony all to myself which just blew my mind. Anyway I did the jacuzzi and then went to bed. The next day we had to checkout and it was nice taking my time getting ready for the day right before breakfast. The rest of the day consisted of more talks and activities and a motivation speaker named ‘Matt Church’ did a talk which was quite good. We all got a copy of his book in our goodie bag. We had a paper plane competition outside to see whose group can make the plane that travels the furthest. Unfortunately my team didn't win, but it was fun. We also had to paint our hand either grey or red and stamp it onto a door and write our name beside it and a few words to describe the qualities we want to bring into the workplace if we were to be the best version of ourselves. Overall, the conference was a pleasant experience and I almost felt like I could stay in the company for a long time after all. But I knew deep down that my passion was somewhere else. Which brings me to my next point.

I’m currently in the process of applying to start a course in graphic/communication design, which I’m excited about. The application closes in around a weeks’ time so I’m in a hurry at the moment to complete the application. I’ll do an update of the outcome of that in a few weeks’/months’ time. 

On a sightly different note, for the past few months I’ve been breaking out quite badly and I’m not sure why. I suspect it’s due to eating fast-food. I’ve been staying clear of fast food for a while now and I can say that my skin is improving so it might be that, and now its a matter of fading out my scars. 

I feel like I’ve written too much now but before I end this post, I would like to announce that I have officially quit kickboxing. I know I was hella keen with it but nowadays I feel like I don’t have time for it and since there’s 3 classes a week for it and money gets debited from my account every week regardless if  I attend classes or not, I figured it might not have been worth it anymore for me. It was nice while it lasted but I feel like I’m ready to commit my time to other things now. Like gym for instance. Once I get a better rhythm going with my life, I’m going to try to get back into going to the gym regularly again as I’m still paying for it as well. Lol. This time I might try to have a few sessions with a PT though, and try to have a set routine or goal in mind more.

Sorry for writing so much but I haven’t had a whole day free to do this in such a long time till today. I’ll probably be back again in a few months. So till then ~