#best car hire app

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[yeonzzzn]

can’t help but to think about jake being your family’s car washer, shirtless in the garage, sweat all over his face and dripping down his abs, panting due to extreme fatigue. You can’t help but stare at him as he noticed how you’re drooling over his naked body and how you practically eye fuck him. And of course, who is he to ignore your stares as he walk towards you and made you touch his exposed chests and abs, which leads to the both of you fucking on every car you have in the garage. 🥵

As one of the best writer here in this app, I request you to continue this 🤭 I love your fics btw and thank you for interacting with me 😫

HOLY FUCKING SHHIIIITTTTTTTTT YOUR BRAIN IS CHEF KISS ON G O D. I am so in love with this scenario like just imagining shirtless, sweaty, wet, and soapy jake fucking you on the clean car he just finished washing, leaving soapy stains and hand prints all over the hood…and THANK YOU for requesting this🤭 I am happy you put me into the category as one of the best writers…it gave me a hella ego boost fr fr!! this one is for you bae 😘🩷

jake x afab!reader word count: 2.2k

Ever since your family hired Jake as their personal car washer, you’ve struggled to keep your eyes to yourself.

You thought the idea of your family even hiring someone for such a job was, in fact, stupid. Completely ludicrous. Why hire someone to wash your cars when there are LITERAL car washes to drive your car through? Or ya know, the hands of the family members doing it

You guessed since your family had money to blow and not enough time on their hands, hiring Jake was something they wanted. You couldn’t argue with your parents, not when they are paying for your college and letting you live at home still rent-free…who were you to complain?

Obviously, the first few times Jake came to wash the cars, you’d scrunch your nose at him, purposely getting in your car and driving away, making his job harder on him. You didn’t care at first, you thought this idea was stupid and a waste of money when you could just wash your car yourself.

But it wasn’t until you took a nap after class completely forgot Jake was scheduled to wash the cars. Hearing the sound of water from the hose hitting the hoods of one of the cars that you jolted from your bed and quickly rushed to the window peeking behind the blinds, seeing Jake bent over your father's car, clothes completely soaked and soapy with the massive sponge in hand as he cleaned the hood.

You are filled with anger after seeing your car was moved and parked in the grass, seeing it was already cleaned.

Jake wasn’t stupid, he knew you hated him even if it was for reasons unknown, not that he even cared, he was getting paid bank to wash four cars once every week. So when he arrived for his scheduled time and saw your car parked in the garage…oh the sweet shenanigans that filled his brain.

He’d knock on the front door like he does every time, smiling at your mother’s face when she opened the door for him, her earpiece attached to her ear showing that she was in the middle of a meeting. She smiled at him, raising her index finger to her lips and giving him a wink, waving him inside to grab the keys.

Jake grabbed the keys from the key bowl your family kept beside the garage door, his smirk growing ever more wide at seeing your keys sitting there.

So Jake washed your car first, pulling it from the garage. He didn’t even put the seat back into place after he was done like he normally would. He wanted to make your life hell the next time you sat in your car. Wanting to give him side-eyes, scrunched nose, and nasty looks every time you saw him? He’ll play your game. He even moved all the mirrors so you’d have to move them back and purposely leave your car parked in the grass in the front lawn knowing once you put two and two together you’d either rush outside to yell at him or stare at him from the second floor in your bedroom.

But you took too long to notice him, and he went ahead and started on your father’s car.

The early summer heat was making Jake exhausted. He was soaked, had soap literally everywhere, and could feel the sweat dripping down his face and body. He flung his head back, closing his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows cursing the heat. But when he opened his eyes and saw you staring down at him from your bedroom…the game was back on.

Jake dropped the sponge into the water bucket, eyes going back to you and keeping eye contact as his fingers reached for the ends of his shirt, slowly lifting it above and over his head and dropping it onto the ground.

You quickly looked away from the window, slamming your back against the wall, hands slapping against your face.

Oh god, he’s hotter than I thought.

Since then, you didn’t mind Jake being around. You purposely started putting reminders into your phone on the days Jake would show up.

You always found Jake attractive, but that day he took his shirt off…it sent you to another world you didn’t think was possible. You were so angry at your parents for hiring him, but now all you did was thank them.

At first, you tried to hide that you were watching him, but he’d catch you every single time. And as the seasons changed from spring to summer, the less clothes Jake started to wear.

Again, he wasn’t an idiot. Jake knew you were eye fucking him every chance you got. You stopped being so secret at watching him. Giving every excuse in the book to walk into the garage to “grab something” or “get something from your car before he washes it”. It boosted his ego every single time knowing that you wanted him. He purposely started showing up wearing tighter shirts to tight tank tops that showed off his toned arms. Tighter shorts that gave away completely that man is packing.

Jake obviously thought you were hot too and he couldn’t deny that fact he’s thought about dicking you down against every single car in the garage. Imagining how completely dumb he’d have you on his cock.

And he finally was given that opportunity.

It was one of the hottest days of the week. Jake took off his tank top to cool himself off for once instead of doing it to make you tremble. But it worked in his favor as he walked into the garage to cool and dry off before moving the final car back into the garage, and you walked out.

Jake stopped halfway into the garage, eyeing you up and down.

You were wearing a white crop tank top that hugged your breasts perfectly. Jake loved the fact you weren’t wearing a bra, noticing quickly how your nipples poked through. And oh GOD he noticed how tight your shorts were, hugging your thighs and pushing up in between your pussy’s lips, showing off the outline. Jake could only imagine how good your ass looked in those shorts, silently begging that you’d give him an excuse to grab something and turn around so he could see the view.

“Oh uhhh…” you said, eyes scanning his body and stopping at his abs. You weren’t expecting to see him in the garage, clearly already finished his job. Every excuse you had to use was thrown out the window, “Finished already?”

Jake chuckled slowly walking towards you, “Since when have you cared when I’ve…finished?”

Jake was getting too close to you, well not too close to the point you didn’t like it, you obviously wanted him closer, but you weren’t prepared for it at this moment.

“I uhh…” you tried to search for the right things to say, any excuse you could say. At this point any bullshit. You’ve only ever stared at him from a distance, talked to him in passing so you could stare at him. These were the consequences of your actions.

“Use your words, baby,” Jake said, his body now inches away from yours, chuckles escaping his mouth, “What? You were so vocal about how much you hated me when we first met, why so quiet now?”

Because you’re the hottest human being I’ve ever met

You just slightly shrugged, still trying to find literally anything to say.

“I said,” he whispered, his wet, soapy hands grabbing both of yours and blessing them on his wet, soapy, sweaty chest, “Use your words,”

You tried to not moan out just from touching him. The warmth of his chest was enough to send your whole body temperature skyrocketing. Your eyes wander down to his chest, watching as the water mixed with his sweat rolled down his body, how his chest raised and fell, feeling how fast his heart was racing.

You slid your hands down his chest, stopping at the top of his abs, letting your fingers trace around them.

Just from your touch, Jake was already rock hard. He wanted nothing more than to drag you up the stairs and bend you over your bed, face pressed so deep into the sheets while he railed you from behind. But he couldn’t get up the stairs without passing your parent’s shared office. The garage would have to do.

Jake wasted no time flying his hands to your waist and pressing you to him, his lips pressing aggressively with yours.

Your thighs rubbed together at feeling him against you. You wanted him. Oh god did you want him.

Jake mapped out the garage in his mind, looking for a place he could fuck you without making anyone in the house take notice of it.

And there was only one place he could think.

Jake quickly twisted you around, your back being pressed against the hood of your car. The water and soap from Jake’s body were now seeping into your clothes, making them soaked.

Jake groaned at your now wet shirt, your nipples showing through completely and he didn’t even have to remove your shirt for it.

Jake’s lips found yours again, his fingers sliding down to your heat, rubbing it gently. You were already so soaked and he barely touched you.

“Fuck baby girl, already so wet for me?” he smirked against your lips, “Already so needy for my cock.”

You quickly nodded, wanting to feel more than just his fingers rub against your cunt.

“Use your words, we’re both adults here,”

You now wanted to beat the shit out of him. Jake was loving this, loved the way you scrunched your nose at him teasing you.

“Fuck me, Jake.”

Jake took your wrists in his hands, pinning your hands above you, “Where are your manners?” he rubbed his clothed hard dick against your cunt, “Only good girls get what they want.”

You wanted to roll your eyes, wanted to be a brat, but didn’t want to test Jake’s patience.

“Fuck me please Jakey,”

Jake groaned at the nickname, his hand going back down to your folds and sliding your shorts to the side and pushing his wet shorts down far enough to release his throbbing cock.

You bit your lip at the sight of his cock, your pussy clenching around nothing at the anticipation of him fucking you.

Jake lined himself up with you, then pushed himself in.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you, pushing him deeper inside of you.

“Fuck you feel so good,” he moaned in your ear, having to steady his hands at the side of your head to help fuck into you, “Fantasized so much on how good your pussy would feel wrapped around me.”

You had to bite down on your lip to keep your moans from escaping, not wanting to get caught.

Jake had other plans.

His hand reached up to your chin, fingers pulling your lip from your teeth and spreading your mouth open, “Oh no sweet thing,” he growled, “You’ve been so vocal before, you aren’t going to go quiet now.”

He fucked into your harder, faster, making the car beneath you two shake at his pace, “Moan for me. Moan my name, use that pretty voice of yours.”

You tilted your head to the side, attaching your lips to his ear, moaning out his name.

If you were going to be vocal, it was going to directly be in his ear. And oh man Jake was loving it.

“Fuck fuck fuck,” he groans, his fingers trying to keep their grips on the hood from how wet and sweaty he was, from the soap that covered his body making it hard to keep in place. But he didn’t care. He was balls deep inside you, you were moaning his name like it was the only word you could speak. He was in heaven fucking an angel.

Jake didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to last, your tight cunt was sucking him so good and he was so pussy drunk he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop until he was unloading himself into you. His climax was fast approaching, but he’d be damned if he came before you.

His hand flew to your cunt, thumb rubbing circles against your clit and his lips sucking on your soft spot just below your ear and jaw, “Cum for me baby,”

Your pussy clenched around him, the sensation and the magic of his fingers was sending you over the edge. Your hands gripped the hood of your car the best they could as you released onto him.

“Oh fuck yeah,” he moaned biting your skin, his thrusts slowly coming to a stop as he made one final push, painting your gummy walls white.

Jake placed a kiss on your forehead before pulling out of you and setting your shorts back into place.

Fuck you were a sight to see, looking so fucked out against your car that he just finished washing that now had your and his hand prints all over the hood.

Damn, guess he now has an excuse to have to come back over tomorrow to “wash it again” or better yet fuck you against it and every car in this garage.

And by the look on your face, Jake knew you were thinking the same thing.

[kukuandkookie]

People keep claiming Chinese BL manhua really only have stories featuring toxic male leads, so I offered to give recommendations with green flags... Someone finally said yes, so here's what I typed up in response!:

I Ship My Rival x Me:

One of my personal favourites!

Based on the hilarious novel, commonly known as I Ship My Adversary x Me and also has an audio drama adaptation on MaoEr FM. Basically a story about two actors who are seen as complete rivals by everyone except the actors themselves, which annoys the main character (Wei Yanzi) enough that when he discovers there are actual fans who ship them instead of pit them against one another, he’s so excited he sort of starts shipping them too (in like, an abstract, theoretical manner lmao). This of course causes shenanigans as he actually gets to know the person who people ship him with/pit him against, Gu Yiliang.

Gu Yiliang is a true sweetheart and the greenest of green flags. He’s a complete puppy and I love him. And this means, naturally, the only misunderstandings in this story are of the hilarious kind (you’ll know what I mean if you read it lol). 😂

This one actually used to be available officially in English on the Bilibili manhua’s international app before it got shut down, but it recently got picked up by Seven Seas, the company behind a lot of official English translations of danmei (Chinese BL)!

Touch Your World:

A literally colour-blind boy (as in, he cannot see colour at all and only sees things in black and white) discovers someone who he can see colour on. This person is a designer who has suffered past betrayal and trauma that has caused him to shut himself up and grow much more on edge, but this chance meeting draws both parties out of their shells.

Pixiu’s Eatery, No Way Out:

Not a green flag top in the traditional sense, but here we meet the mythical Pixiu: an ancient Chinese mythical creature who now runs a restaurant. While he’s a penny-pincher with a temper and he doesn’t get along with his love interest at first (a ghost named Wen Xi who he finds suspicious due to Wen Xi’s ties to a past rival of his named Taotie), Pixiu and Wen Xi eventually grow, quite naturally—and hilariously!—into a found family.

The Wife Is First:

Based on a novel of pretty much the same name (and is written by the same author as the popular manhua and donghua, No Doubt in Us (a heterosexual body-swap romance, which also has a subtle gay side ship)). Here we meet Jing Shao just as he’s about to lose everything: once a royal and a powerful general, he has been betrayed by all those around him…except the husband he has never treated well.

As such, when we first meet him, we actually witness his—and his husband’s—deaths. But then he awakens and finds himself back in time to the night right after he was forced to wed this husband of his, and Jing Shao vows to treat him well from now on because he stuck with him through thick and thin despite everything.

Don’t Say You Love Me:

A high school romance with a supernatural twist: Lin Yutong was confessed to by his best friend, Qin Weiyun, at their graduation party. When he drunkenly freaked out and ran away, Qin Weiyun was hit by a car during the chase…

Devastated by his loss, Lin Yutong quickly wakes up to find himself back at the start of his high school journey, right before he meets Qin Weiyun… And this time, he wants to keep Qin Weiyun safe.

But his overly familiar attitude at first gets the wary Qin Weiyun a tad suspicious, because he’s actually quite an aloof person.

The author and artist of this one is also behind another popular manhua titled Your Dream Is Delicious, which is about a demon named Yi Kui who discovers he enjoys eating the nightmares of Lin You. This eventually leads to them—you guessed it—falling in love.

It’s Not That I Want to Wear Women’s Clothing:

Our main character is hired to crossdress to help this CEO get over his gynophobia (fear of touching women) without him knowing. Naturally, this leads to an awkward romantic journey of both identities of our main character getting close to this CEO…who at first glance seems like the typical cold and aloof CEO type, except he’s actually quite a sweetheart.

Salt Friend:

A slice-of-life high school story about the “school bully” named Tong Yang who’s actually a crybaby and the aloof person named Xiao Zhen who discovers him crying. While the two don’t seem like they’d get along at first glance, this quickly becomes a friends-to-lovers story that navigates family drama alongside the romance.

How’d I Get a Heroine’s Script?:

A transmigration story with a twist. Chao Yi is wheelchair-bound but finds himself eventually as a young lord in what is basically a palace drama (court politics, intrigue, family drama, all that good stuff). His System, Qin Que, tasks him with wooing the difficult 7th prince, Gu Yunheng, who smiles on the surface but is quite cold in actuality.

Despite the two getting off on the wrong foot—mostly because Gu Yunheng is really hard to get close to—they soon end up as unlikely allies…especially since there’s a lot of secrets, such as regarding the death of the body Chao Yi’s occupying, the scheming princes, and even Gu Yunheng himself.

See You My King:

Zhang Li, a student interested in what is basically ancient Egypt, goes on an expedition to the ruined civilization and nearly loses his life. Except at the same time, he discovers an ancient tomb with a statue that actually comes to life and saves him…

And this statue even follows him home. This statue is sweet and loving despite its inability to speak, and Zhang Li grows attached to it (or him)… But then the statue falls apart and Zhang Li is devastated.

In wishing for a miracle to bring them back together, the statue’s stone heart sends Zhang Li back in time…to when this ancient civilization is still present. And that’s how he discovers his stone statue is the “tyrant king” of this region, and as cruel as he seems at first glance, both this king and Zhang Li eventually grow close and unfold the different sides to one another that makes them inseparable in the face of all kinds of threats.

Trapping the Foxy Doctor:

A doctor and a psychiatrist meet…except it doesn’t seem like a perfect love story at first glance. Not because the doctor is traditionally foxy (seductive and/or cunning), but because he’s so silly and on-the-nose that he initially kind of rubs the psychiatrist the wrong way. Except, of course, with the kind of sunny sincerity displayed by our doctor Zhi Banyi, you can’t resist him for long…

And the psychiatrist, Lin Li, is himself quite a polite soul despite his complex upbringing. As such, the two end up together through a series of cases where they have to collaborate and help clients, with a lot of shenanigans sprinkled in between (including the fact Lin Li has a side-job live-streaming as a woman—and “she” just so happens to be Zhi Banyi’s favourite streamer lol).

Pirouette Into My Heart aka Salad Days:

You know the “he was a skater boy and she did ballet” kind of set-up? Well here we have a boxer and a ballet dancer…and hey, “can I make it any more obvious”?

This one is basically a feel-good story of the century. It’s childhood friends to lovers, and it’s soft and cuddly and encouraging, as we follow the main character, Jiang Shen, in achieving his ballet dreams. And on every step of the way, he’s accompanied by the boxer Bai Jinyi, who’s also chasing his own dreams.

The draw of this one is that while there’s obviously conflict to drive the plot along, it’s ultimately a comforting story, so you get all warm and squishy inside reading it. Bai Jinyi and Jiang Shen are very supportive of one another, as is everyone around them.

There’s even extras at the very end that swap the classes of the two main characters, which makes for a similarly compelling AU. 🤭

Beryl and Sapphire:

Not always BL but often is. What do I mean by that? Well it’s a story that can switch to any universe even as the characters stay the same, and some worlds are just one-off gags while some are whole story arcs. The original manhua features stick figures, so if you really want to experience this one, I’d recommend the donghua. The first season also cleverly shows the main characters as actors in the OP, which explains all the world-switching pretty easily haha.

Don’t Pick Up Boyfriends from the Trash Bin:

Unfortunately I’m not sure the manhua for this one is still ongoing, but the original novel (all about transmigration and hopping multiple worlds) 100% features a green flag top.

The Guy Inside Me:

I know the title sounds sexual lol but it’s actually a joke about how it’s a body-swap story. 😆

The original Chinese title is “This Question Is Too Difficult”) and of course, the author also wrote Fake Slackers, which has two very smart students act like terrible ones due to not wanting trouble.

Falling to Where I Belong:

The thing about this one is that the top is 100% a total green flag... It's the main character that's more of a red flag, in the sense he at first only asks the top out to humiliate him due to a misunderstanding.

But it's still a heartfelt story filled with regret and growth, and I did really like the portrayal of Cheng Feichi. Personally I think the manhua humanizes him a bit more than the novel since we didn't really get his POV in the novel that often, but I did hope for even more emotion in the ending... Still, it was a satisfying read, and while I would like to comfort the main character, Zhen Yeming, over his regrets, I really want to just give all the good things to Cheng Feichi, who definitely deserves it after everything he went through.

More Than Brothers:

For the "non-freaks" out there, they're not actual brothers, don’t worry; not adopted brothers either. Just a guy who saw his younger friend as his bro…until this friend disappeared from his life and apparently got into a bad crowd… Except in reality he is being harassed and is struggling to leave his abusive family.

The Protagonist Just Wants to Fall in Love:

Kind of a classic in the transmigration genre, except now we get multiple worlds in multiple arcs. Our protagonists are Systems on their final mission, aiming to become human by the end of it, and their task is to guide their protagonists away from the path of "darkening" (essentially corruption).

And each and every one of these systems do so by getting their protagonist to fall in love with them lol.

Unsurprisingly, my favourite arc so far—in the manhua at least!—is the historical one between the advisor and the emperor, but the third—and currently ongoing as the time of me writing this—world between two university students who started getting close during military training and by playing games is also quite cute.

And okay, man I could really keep going, especially with the manhua that are based on novels, but this post is already really long asjakfl. It was, in fact, so fucking long YouTube wouldn't even let me post it at first until I cut it down AMFKGSJDFGS.

But I still want to at least give a shout out to some of the manhua with pretty healthy, green flag tops/gongs!:

Like Han Yuan, despite the characters not getting along at first and Yu Han being rather aloof to the spoiled Luo Linyuan, is still quite sweet at its core. Lovely Allergen is as well, even with their "brotherly" relationship being the forefront of the conflict between Song Yu and Yue Zishi.

Another kind I wanted to bring up is the ones where their worlds or stories are dark, but the characters aren't necessarily. Like The Film Emperor, He Insisted on Being My Patron has a very green flag gong (he's such a puppy!), but he and the main character are up against the reddest of red flags of a villain LMDFKGSJFD.

It's also not a manhua I think people who want green flag leads would necessarily enjoy, given that beyond being "darker," it also goes into the territory of fan service-y and "problematic" nsfw content, but again, the male lead is really quite sweet to the main character despite the shitty situation they're in.

And I thought of Bu Chonghua from Tunhai aka Swallowing the Seas (another one based on a novel), since the main character there, Wu Yu, comes to see Bu Chonghua as so good and just that he pushes him away because he feels like he can't dirty such a man with his own darkness, both in his past and personality. It's a trope I really enjoy.

I'll briefly mention some ⚠️ spoilers ⚠️but the reason I wanted to highlight it is because: the latest chapter of the manhua has Bu Chonghua overhear Wu Yu saying he likes Bu Chonghua, and this is after Wu Yu disappeared and Bu Chonghua is worried he skipped town for good. He follows Wu Yu, all while wondering if the like Wu Yu holds for him is the same as his liking of Wu Yu, and when Wu Yu is about to be gravely injured in an underground fighting ring, Bu Chonghua steps in to save him... The chapter ends with Wu Yu holding him back pleading with him to stop because it's not worth dirtying his hands with such a man as his opponent, and that's such a delicious flavour of angst because like...Wu Yu thinks it's fine for he himself to fight against such a person, but he doesn't want Bu Chonghua to. ;-;

Oops. I didn't mean for this to become a deeper ramble of Tunhai KMSGFKGHSJ. It's just interesting to me since Tunhai and its prequel, Poyun aka Breaking Through the Clouds, may not have what the people who prefer green flag tops want in terms of content, but its tops are technically not that much of a red flag either.

Which also get us to the kind of stories where plot can also sort of outweigh whether a top/gong is a green flag or not. Like No Arguing With Mr. Mo has two characters who struggle greatly in their relationship, with the question of "are they in love?" being an overarching issue for them, meaning it's not exactly healthy, and prevents them from being fully either green or red flags.

I also didn't bring up a lot of historical/xianxia manhua, which I'm sure some people may disagree with... Like the leads in Tianbao Fuyao Lu are arguably quite good, and while I haven't read Dinghai Fusheng Lu yet, I assume it's in a similar boat as something set in the same world.

And then there's the ones that develop into green flags... Like Mo Ran starts off awful, yes, but he does become much better later on!! But I don't think that's what those people after green flags want to hear lol. Plus I'd argue Erha is best experienced in novel (or audio drama) form over the manhua anyway—the manhua feels more like something made for established fans in my opinion.

Regardless, I hope this shows that with so many listed above, many manhua actually feature male leads who really do care for their love interests in a healthy, respectful way, whether they're 100% green flags or they develop into green flags or they're not even complete green flags. ^^

Edit: Oh I forgot to link my full list of danmei/baihe manhua recs HMSKFJSKS. I currently don’t have any summaries, tags, or content warnings in this list though, but there’s quite the range of stories!:

[glass--beach]

hi !!!! :3 so, pd seems, in my reading like its a decent part about the kinda mass surveillance and commodification of personhood shit the world has got going on rn, in a kinda (yes, its cliche, but the radiohead influence makes it a bit more palatable) modern ok computer-esque way. anyways, i wanted to ask u, what motivated u to write about these subjects especially ??

i am transgender and so so scared

near every single person in the world carries a camera on them at all times with the capability of broadcasting its view to all of the internet. we have a culture of emotional armor and swords built to slip between its plates, to be angry or afraid or upset or even the wrong kind of happy is cringe. those who believe in some shadow government in some hidden room somewhere spying on us at all times are delusional - this is wrong - where labor can be outsourced for cheaper it will be. taxis are expensive to run, making people drive their own cars and find customers on an app for measly pay is much more cost effective. giving a music writer a salary is too pricey compared to hiring freelancers on a per article basis. and now surveillance has been, like so many other things, outsourced to civilians and their cameras and smartphone apps. a man sitting oddly on a couch is cheating on his girlfriend, a fold in a woman’s clothing is a hidden penis, we are the panopticon and the prisoner… this is the “society of control” - freedom as tyranny.

the nature of reality is at stake in our culture - “what is a woman?” “a woman” - those who refuse to understand transgender people are helplessly tied to some “deep reality” - “i know what you are!!” - which is ultimately an enforcement of the status quo socially constructed reality. transgender people recognize reality as something socially constructed and seek to bend it to their liking… pronouns and chosen names are after all meant for others to use rather than ourselves, they are third person terms, gender never worms its way into the terms “I” and “We”. our personhood is defined by other people, and can be invalidated or revoked by others… the insecurity created by this tension is ripe for advertising. take this boner pill, it will make you more of a man. take this injection, it will make you a woman. we are defined by our outside, our house, our car, our clothes, our skin, our bodies.

this is where the “family nexus” concept comes in - groups of people create their own pockets of reality. to christians, god is real and to deny this is insanity. to hardcore atheists, believing in god is insanity. to many psychiatrists years ago and some still today, to believe to be a different gender is insanity… and the insane deserve less rights than the sane, they don’t even know what is best for themselves. queer people seek to create a new sane. or rather to go “insane” in our own way the same way anyone who believes in anything does. create our own nexus where our experience of reality is simply true.

hope that helps at all and makes any amount of sense

oh yeah ok computer… maybe i’ll go off about that another time… much of the themes and sound of that record were a jumping off point for us. written in the 1990s, the end of history, time has marched on and yet we are still here stuck in capitalist reality. “did you lie to us tony” as if labour could ever do something about the fact that post 1991 “there is no alternative”… deeply tragic record but love runs through all of it undeniably… maybe i’ll go off about that in another post…

[yeoandmoon]

i found the cure to growing older (and you're the only place that feels like home) ( hongjoong x fem!reader )

you're destined to follow park seonghwa. that's how it's been your whole life, and you'd prefer to keep it that way - thank you very much. it doesn't really come as a surprise to anyone when you follow him across the country to seoul to join the lucrative music industry, but perhaps the real surprise comes in the form of seonghwa's 5'8, pink-haired leader - kim hongjoong - and the late night studio visits that he's prone to.

smut, idolverse, producer!reader, friends with benefits, childhood bestie!seonghwa, a lot of music references (both joong and reader are little music snobs), implied seongjoong x reader (if u squint), studio sex, come eating, fingering, clit play, praise kink, bratty hongjoong, marking kink, implied dacryaphilia, wc is 3.1k

note: :) hiiiiiiiii (louder than anyone else) it has been a while! ngl here - this might be a little rusty! but i hope you all still enjoy it :) title is from i slept with someone in fall out boy, and all i got was this stupid song written about me by fall out boy! (ps. shoutout to the girl at blenz who watched me down a peppermint matcha and then go crazy writing the second part of this)

You owed a lot to Park Seonghwa.

You owed him far more than the cheap soju and street side corn dogs you bought him on nights out, despite listening to him whine that he had the idol money and could easily buy for both of you.

Seonghwa had gotten you the job at KQ Entertainment after a drunken night of you musing to him that no one in all of Seoul was hiring musicians, and you were about ready to pack up and move back with your grandma (who had been, in fact, right about moving to the big city) in the countryside. He helped you settle in the small studio full of instruments and sheet music, and he spent time with you around his busy schedules & hectic idol life.

(“It’s like you’re deliberately trying to keep me by your side, Hwa.”

“I did promise your grandmother I’d make sure Seoul didn’t chew you up and spit you back out, didn’t I?”)

He pushed you hard on quiet days, and would sit on the dingy little loveseat on the far side of your studio while he filled you in on random idol drama and rumors that filled the music show halls. Seonghwa would sometimes patiently watch you record instrumentals for songs, and go through demos the company would send you. He’d laugh at the jokes you’d crack about the bad demos, and sometimes you two would produce silly little raps & songs for the demos - seeing if you could somehow save the tone deaf beats & loud guitars that filled the GarageBand app.

Those were the days you longed for; the days you missed with your sweet best friend.

You understood the high school days once filled with old Fall Out Boy songs and pepero sticks were long gone, but you still tried to cling to the remnants that remained in your life.

Perhaps then, it would only make sense that Seonghwa would be the one to introduce you to Hongjoong - KQ’s Golden Boy and his closest friend within the idol world. In Seonghwa’s mind, this was a logical friendship. You two were ‘similar’ and ‘weirdly into music’, Seonghwa would tell you while on early morning coffee runs. He would grin at you when you raised an eyebrow at him.

“‘Weirdly into music?’ You’re the one with your face plastered onto subway cars, Mister Global Idol.”

(The small quips didn’t stop Seonghwa’s mission, though.

“I want you to meet someone.” He had told you, stalking into your cluttered studio one day.

A familiar figure followed Seonghwa through the door, his small stature dwarfed by your best friend. Kim Hongjoong was a colourful man. His hair was a vibrant blue, and his nails were painted a hot pink. He wore a backwards dad hat with the picture of a pastel coloured bass on it and a corny saying that you couldn’t quite catch before he looked up at you with bright eyes.

“So, you’re the one who produced the One Direction and Fix On remix?”)

After all, Seonghwa knew you better than anyone else. He knew all your deep secrets, and happy moments; he knew the things that made you tick and the things that brought you joy. So - maybe that was why you didn’t find yourself surprised when, none other than Seonghwa’s pick himself, Kim Hongjoong showed up outside your studio at 3 in the morning a mere few nights after being introduced; maybe that’s why it didn’t entirely baffle you when he placed a pile of cds ranging from newly released hip hop to eighties new wave, & everything in between, and asked your opinion on each and every cd in the pile. You soon found yourself arguing over the cultural shift you felt ‘Jolene’ brought, and cackling over Hongjoong’s Matty Healy impressions. 

Maybe that was why you weren’t surprised when he reached over and kissed you hard while a Shinee song played from your old MacBook and drowned out the soft moans that soon filled the small studio space.

Perhaps it was the late nights that followed the ‘Shinee Incident’; or, perhaps it was the fact you were both workaholics. You knew you should talk to Hongjoong outside of the oasis you felt you two had built yourselves within the rooms of KQ Entertainment, but sometimes you found the quietness of your late night rendezvous and stolen daytime kisses in the empty practice rooms was easier than the loud bustle of the Seoul streets and the distractions that came with Hongjoong leading a loud group of 20-something year old men.

You could also think of a hundred more reasons why you and Hongjoong kept meeting like this, but you were also content with just ignoring it and accepting whatever was going on until it was over.

[ from: hongjoong :) ] are you around??? [ from: hongjoong :) ] i can hear you playing with the piano. lol

Just like clockwork, you thought when your phone lit up. 

The bright little clock on your phone reads 03:19, and the piano you were working on was nearly finished. You were tired and craving your own bed; your ass hurt from the hard bench you had been sitting on for hours at that point. Despite that, you still found yourself reaching for your phone.

[ to: hongjoong :) ] yea im next door [ to: hongjoong :) ] :-)

Maybe you were craving something else too; maybe part of you was desperate for human affection, and you knew Hongjoong could give you that.

[ from: hongjoong :) ] :-)

(One could only take so much of the vibrator tucked away in their nightstand, of course.)

There was a shuffling in the hallway before the outline of Hongjoong appeared in the stained glass of the instrumental studio’s door. You watched the doorknob slowly turn before Hongjoong peeked his head into the room, a dark green beanie covering his faded pink hair. He smiled, and you swore his eyes always brightened at the sight of you.

“Hi.” You say, wincing at the exhaustion evident in your voice.

Hongjoong stepped into the studio, his eyes glancing around at the array of instruments surrounding you both before stopping back to where you sat on the piano stool.

“Hi.” He echos, stepping further into the room.

He’s wearing a tan hoodie that has little purple butterflies flying up the sleeve - and for a brief moment - you think it’s so sweet and so Hongjoong that you almost don’t want him to take it off. Then, he takes another step towards you and you see how his eyes darken as they take in the way your own hoodie is falling off your shoulder, exposing the lace black camisole and deep purple bra strap underneath. Something in his look stirs you, and you feel your cheeks begin to heat up as you look at the man in front of you.

“How’s the comeback going?” Your words crack, and you know your cheeks must be burning.

“It’s good,” Hongjoong says, his tone confident while he keeps his eyes on you, and pulls the hoodie over his head. A dark brown t-shirt is revealed, stretching across his chest and riding up enough to reveal to you the boxer band peeking from under his jeans. He throws the hoodie in the general direction of your computer chair and a smile plays at his lips, “Hwa and I are recording part of the rap tomorrow.”

He takes a step forward as he speaks, and you can hear the way his own words crack as he speaks so casually about your shared friend.

You know he needs this as much as you do - if the thick bulge in his jeans says anything about Hongjoong’s current state of mind.

You force yourself to pull away from blatantly checking him out and look up at him, “Did you happen to get that song I sent you?”

Hongjoong takes another step forward. “The Counting Crows one?”

“‘A Long December,’” you move to get up from the piano bench.

Hongjoong is suddenly on you with a sense of urgency, and the small talk portion of your evening is abruptly finished. “Don’t get up,” he tells you, pushing you back onto the bench. 

You see then how affected he really is; his pupils half blown, and his cheeks beginning to match the peach in his hair. “Cute.” The compliment falls from your lips before you can stop yourself, and your hand comes up to cup his cheek.

It delights you the way Hongjoong’s cheek burn at the simple word, and he moves to his knees in front of you, “‘Want you to stay there for me, yeah?” One of his hands moves to rest against your hand on his cheek.

You swallow and nod, not taking your eyes off the man who had managed to pry your legs apart, and was getting comfortable on the floor between them. You’re suddenly aware of your body’s reaction to Hongjoong - how sticky your panties were becoming & how heated your body was beginning to get.

Despite how common this occurrence was becoming, you never seemed to get used to how overwhelming his presence was; how much Hongjoong overtook your senses in every way possible. His hands moved to your waist, and he glances at you again before moving to the waistband of your leggings. His fingers gently slip under the waistband, and he nods to you - a request to move forward.

His fingertips are cool against your skin. They feel nice, you think as you nod to him.

Like most things with Hongjoong, he begins to move with urgency after he receives your consent. He leans up to pull you into a heated kiss as he tugs at your leggings and panties, urging you to shimmy out of them so he can get his hands on your thick thighs and the soaked core that’s between them.

Once exposed to him, one of his hands is immediately between your legs - his thumb pressing into your clit while two of his fingers gently run through your folds, gathering the wetness that lays there and sending your brain into a frenzy of Kim Hongjoong. 

You moan into the kiss, and your hands move up to tangle in his hair and pull him closer to you in an attempt to deepen the kiss. He smiles into it, and you just know that if you weren’t too busy kissing the smile away, it would be that impish, cocky smirk he gets every time he succeeds and wins; it’s the same smile he holds every time Ateez wins a music show, and it's the same smile he holds every time he makes you cum. One of his fingers gently breaches your sopping entrance, and you let out another moan against his lips.

“That feel good, love?” Hongjoong laughs against your lips before stealing another kiss.

Before you have a chance to answer, Hongjoong knocks your legs further apart and presses his thumb harder into your clit. His finger pushes into you and all you can do is swear, “Fuck! Hongjoong!”

Hongjoong releases another breathy laugh from his spot below you before pressing kisses down your neck. You feel his other hand begin to crawl up your tummy from its spot on your waist before stopping just as his fingertips hit the wire of your bra - it rests on your soft skin, and he hums against your skin before softly biting down. The sudden sting makes you gasp and your hand in his hair tightens on the strands you were holding, making Hongjoong hiss against you.

“Take it off.” He tells you, his hand coming up over the bra and tugging at the top of the cup to free your tit. His voice is lined with a growl, and his hand on your thigh tightens.

You know there’s bruises forming under Hongjoong’s fingers - adding to the collection of bruises he’s already left along your neck, tummy and anywhere else Hongjoong could possibly mark you. The possibility of them excites you; fills you with a pleasure, and rush of arousal.

His fingers immediately pinch at your nipple and you bite back a particularly loud whine, your hips bucking up against Hongjoong’s fingers. You begin to peel the hoodie off, letting it fall to the floor in front of the piano, while Hongjoong wastes no time to move his hand from your chest and tug the camisole over your head. It quickly joins the hoodie on the floor, and you’re left in only a lacy black bralette for Hongjoong’s hungry eyes.

“Take your shirt off.” You say, locking eyes with him and reaching for the brown fabric, “I wanna see you too.”

The light blush returns to Hongjoong’s cheeks, and you feel a sense of accomplishment rush through your veins. He leans back onto his legs and looks up at you - in the low & warm LED pink lights of your studio, Hongjoong looks pretty. His eyes are dark, and his hair is tousled from your pulling & tugging on it.

“Okay, love,” Hongjoong replies, “just gotta clean up first.”

There’s a small smile playing at Hongjoong’s lips as he moves his hand from your core, and keeps his eyes on you as he brings his hand to his mouth. His eyes flutter shut as he begins to lick his fingers clean, and all you can do is watch in pure pleasure as he licks your juices off his hand. He lets out a small moan, and your eyes widen as another rush of arousal surges through your body.

You tighten your thighs and try - & fail - to conceal the whimper that falls from your lips, and Hongjoong tilts his head in faux confusion. He moves his hand from his mouth, “What’s the matter, sweetie? I just wanted to taste you.”

You’re utterly, and completely, speechless and all Hongjoong can do is giggle from his spot below you. 

He leans up to kiss you again, with his (now “clean”) hand coming up and cupping the back of your neck to pull you closer. You kiss him back and part of you revels in the faint taste of yourself on his tongue. Your hands move to the bottom hem of his shirt, and you break the kiss to pull Hongjoong’s shirt over his head.

It’s added to the ever-growing pile of clothes that are gathering at the bottom of the piano.

“You’re gorgeous.” You say, and you can’t help as your eyes rake down Hongjoong’s newly exposed body and the piercing that glints in the light on his left nipple.

Hongjoong’s eyes flash, and his other hand tightens on your thigh again, “Do ya’ think flattery will get you somewhere, sweetie?”

You play along with Hongjoong’s games. You pretend you don’t see the way he gets flustered & bothered when you compliment him, and he pretends not to notice that you like making him feel like that. You couldn’t deny the absolute rush it gave you every time he whined your name at the smallest praise.

You take a deep breath before nodding, “Will you let me cum?” You ask, giving him a pout.

Hongjoong’s cocky smirk is back, and your hands grip the edge of the bench. They’ve become so tight against the wood that you’re sure your knuckles are white; it was your turn to become flustered. Your mind was beginning to fray at the edges with every second that passes of Hongjoong’s intense stare and the way his hands slowly began to move up your thighs again. 

He pushes your thighs apart again, and promptly takes his spot back between your legs. He gives you a cheeky smile while you gasp at the cold air against your soaking core; before he pushes you back against the piano and pushes his two fingers back into your hole, chuckling when you let out a cry of his name. The piano keys sound out throughout the room, but Hongjoong ignores it as he drives his fingers harder into you.

If Hongjoong wasn’t so determined to fuck you stupid, perhaps you’d think he was trying to see what notes he could produce every time your back bounces against the keys. Perhaps, just maybe - you’d even suggest turning the microphone on, and recording the notes and moans that’d be produced.

You open your mouth to say something - possibly to beg, possibly to cry for Hongjoong but all thoughts are abandoned when Hongjoong leans forward and takes your clit in his mouth. He sucks on the little nub and you swear your brain goes blank.

You cry out in pleasure, and your hands go down to find purchase in Hongjoong’s hair. He groans against you, one of his hands coming up to hold you waist as you gently rock your hips up against his face.

“Joong…” You plea, “Hongjoong, I’m so close. You feel so good, Joong.”

He adds another finger into you, heightening your pleasure and beginning to scissor them to stretch you out as you gasp, “You’re gonna take my cock after this, right sweetie?”

You nod. It’s all you can really bring yourself to do - although you know you’d do anything for Hongjoong at this moment. You’d probably allow Seonghwa to see you like this, if he wanted you to.

Hell, you’d allow Seonghwa to join in, if Hongjoong asked you too right now. 

“Hongjoong, please…”

Hongjoong kisses your cheek, and you flutter your eyes open to find him level with you, “Go on, love. Let it out for me.”

The simple words were all it took for you to come. The overwhelming euphoria of Kim Hongjoong took over your psyche, and you cried his name as you gripped his arms. 

You ride out your orgasm while you chant Hongjoong’s name, and he kisses your cheek & jaw. He now stands over you, his hand gently running through your hair as you slowly recover, resting your head on his tummy and reveling in the feeling of his hand in your hair.

It takes a moment to look up at Hongjoong. You’re still panting, and you feel tears on your cheeks begin to settle. He smiles sweetly at you, before leaning down to kiss you - softer than any other point during the night.

“Do you want to keep going?” Hongjoong asks, his hand coming to rest on the back of your neck.

You begin to pull away as your hands come up to undo his belt, “I gotta keep my word, don’t I?” You bite your lip to stop the smile beginning to grow on your face.

[229zmi]

AU REVOIR

PAIRING: Kuroo Tetsurō/Reader

CONTENT: embarrassing moments, you and kuroo are #strangers, kuroo is late to a job interview, phonecall with kenma

WORD COUNT: 1.9k

“Hey, uh. Can I help you?”

Oh, god. Kuroo Tetsurō has never been more embarrassed.

Not even when he was suffering from a particularly bad case of borborygmus in a completely silent lecture hall, or when he accidentally liked someone’s post from 176 weeks ago. Nor was he this embarrassed the time his umbrella turned inside out and cartwheeled out of his hand into a ditch in front of several cars stopped at a traffic light. And who knows how many embarrassing moments he’s had throughout all his years of volleyball— but this moment right here. It still takes the cake.

Pause, rewind, play: this morning, ten minutes ago. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and Kuroo Tetsurō? Ten minutes ago, he was suddenly woken up by a loud sound, although it wasn’t the sound of an alarm, no, for there was no alarm to wake up to. What woke him up was actually a call from Kenma, who almost never called him, so he figured it had to be important.

“Hello? Everything okay?”

“Are you on your way to your interview?”

Of course. How typical of Kenma, always straight to the point, no pleasantries or—

Wait.

“Wh—“ Kuroo blinks a couple times to wake himself up, groggily rubbing his eyes. He lets out a yawn loud enough to shift earth’s tectonics before continuing his sentence, “What’d you say?”

“Your job interview,” Kenma repeats from his phone, “it starts at eight-thirty, doesn’t it?”

Silence fills the conversation for a while. Kuroo’s eyes begin to flutter shut, lulled by the faint sound of static emitted by the call. It isn’t until his phone slips out of his hand and hits the sheets with soft thud! that Kenma speaks up, impeding the drowsy man’s short-lived slumber.

“Hello?”

“Hm,” Kuroo hums.

“You are ready, right?” His best friend’s starting to sound concerned. “Like, all dressed up and halfway out the door ready. Right?”

“Mm… hm.”

Kenma restrains himself from somehow reaching his hands through the phone and violently shaking Kuroo by the shoulders. “That does not sound convincing. Please don’t tell me you’re still in bed.”

Still clueless, Kuroo yawns again, rolling over onto his other side. “And if I am? I set an alarm last night, you didn’t need to call me. I can handle it myself.”

“Kuro,” Kenma says. Now he sounds dead serious, like he’s about to be the deliverer of either some grave news or an overdue love confession. Unfortunately for Kuroo, it’s the former; Kenma drops the bomb without hesitation: “You have twenty minutes before your interview starts.”

“I didn’t realise you were so punctual, Kenma. Twenty minutes, that’s plenty of t—“

Oh.

Oh.

(Pause, rewind, play: the night before. Kuroo turned off all the lights. Hopped under the covers. Went straight to sleep. He did not set his alarm.)

Shit.

“I swear I set my alarm last night,” Kuroo speaks into the phone, running a hand through his hair out of frustration. In the past seven minutes, he’s managed to brush his teeth, get dressed, and exit his apartment without any major troubles. Sure, his hair’s a little… controversial in the back, and there’s some noticeable creases in his button-up shirt, but clearly, a bigger issue lies at hand — and no, it’s not the judging stares that the other pedestrians are giving him as he power-walks through the city. “You don’t think they’ll mind if I’m a few minutes late, do ya?”

Kenma audibly sighs.

“I don’t know what that means, so I’m taking that as you telling me they’ll one hundred-percent hire me on the spot.”

This time, Kenma doesn’t make a sound, though Kuroo senses he may have rolled his eyes. Either that, or he made a face akin to someone tasting a lemon.

“I’m hanging up,” his friend finally says, deciding he’s done enough to help today. Even this is something he considers charitable in their friendship; usually, Kenma prefers to treat calls with his friends like another app on his phone and close out of the call without warning, so maybe Kuroo should be grateful on this glorious day, he thinks.

“What? No, you can’t do that. That’s.”

“…That’s what?”

“Treason,” Kuroo finishes. “I still need your moral support. So—“

There’s a dull beep coming from the other end. Betrayed, Kuroo pulls his phone away from his ear only to be met with the image on his lockscreen — a photo of an outing with his friends some weeks ago — and the ever-daunting time, which currently reads: 08:19. A second later, the screen turns black and he catches sight of his reflection, including his unfortunately dishevelled hair and his wrinkled shirt and—

He winces.

His tie needs serious fixing.

The building where his interview will be at is only a few blocks away. After only a moment’s contemplation, he decides it won’t hurt to spend a minute or two trying to fix whatever fucked up knot he made while he was still dealing with the effects of being just woken up several minutes ago, veering away from his line of travel toward a car parked along the side of the street. Using the tinted window as a mirror, he tugs at the fabric in an attempt to undo it, although to no avail.

Then, the window rolls down.

“Hey, uh.” Concerned eyes lock with his. Kuroo short-circuits, his face turning a sickly colour as his mouth drops in horror, giving the illusion of a fish out of water. “Can I help you?”

Tapping along the rim of your steering wheel, you wait for a response. It isn’t that you’re annoyed or mad or anything along those lines; rather, you were almost flattered at first by the sight of a handsome yet serious-looking man speed-walking past your car before doubling back and staring at you through your window with what you misunderstood as passion in his eyes. But after watching him fidget with his tie for a solid minute, the realisation crashed onto you like tidal waves: he was in fact not nervously blown away by your copious amount of beauty, and now you’re more disappointed than anything.

“I’m so sorry,” Kuroo says with an apologetic smile, straightening from his previously hunched position over your window after realising how creepily close he is. A voice in the back of his mind tells him you have pretty eyes — and pretty hands, he notes a moment later as he steps back to put more distance between the two of you — but he pushes back both thoughts. “Really, I didn’t know you were there.”

“Were you planning to steal my car or something if I wasn’t inside?” You intend for this to be a light-hearted joke, but maybe your tone comes off too bland for him to get it, and now that enough time has passed for you to think about it, you’re not sure what you were trying to do with this ‘joke’ either. Nonetheless, you find amusement in the way his expression swiftly switches from aghast to frantic and even more in the transition of his face to a deeper shade of pink.

However, there’s a part of you that feels bad, so you eventually reassure him, “I’m joking. Would you like some help with your tie?”

Out of the benevolence of your heart, you decide to leave out the part where you mention how it looks like a three year old trying to tie their shoes for the very first time.

Kuroo looks grateful, relieved almost. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

“C’mere, then.”

You motion for him to come closer and reach your hands out the window. Kuroo takes a tentative step forth, though that’s not near close enough for you, so you extend your arm and gently tug on the tie, pulling him forward until your elbows are barely past the window. To make things a little easier, Kuroo spreads his knees slightly, creating a wide triangle with the ground and lowering himself so that he’s level with you. For a brief moment, your eyes drift to meet each other’s before immediately looking away. You focus on fixing his tie, and Kuroo acts interested in a crack in the ground all of sudden.

Even if he does look a bit odd standing like this, he supposes it’s worth the judgmental stares from passers-by once again because in only a matter of a minute, you somehow manage to untie the hideous knot. As you begin retying it, you make an attempt to start up conversation.

“Got something important today?”

“Just a job interview.”

You hum, mildly intrigued. “Where?”

He tells you the company and building, and you beam in recognition of the name.

“I work there! Today’s my day off,” you tell him. Once you’re done, you tug at the tie one last time before, without thinking, moving to brush the dust off his suit jacket with your hands. You freeze up as soon as you realise. (Whatever deity of embarrassment that exists up there must be having a field day with the two of you today.)

“Sorry. That was. Force of habit. I mean, I’ve never done that before— sorry, again. I really don’t know why I did that,” you say honestly. Maybe it’s a thing you’ve seen married couples do on television and subconsciously kept inside your brain like some kind of secret weapon to only be unleashed when you want to woo someone, but you think it’ll be more humiliating if you admit that.

Kuroo laughs. It’s a unique sound, and you find yourself liking it a lot, unable to keep yourself from returning a small smile at him. “It’s fine. We all have our moments.”

“What time’s your interview at?” you ask out of curiosity, leaning an arm out the window.

“Eight-thirty.”

The both of you stare at each other in silence for a couple of seconds.

You purse your lips. “Isn’t that…”

“Yeah.” He glances down the street, then back at you, and it looks like he doesn’t really want to leave yet. Even though he really should. Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he reads the time: 08:26. “I probably should get going.”

“Well, it was nice talking to you. Good luck with your interview,” you say, trying your best to not sound dismayed. Right before he leaves, however, something — perhaps the prospect of him not getting the job and you never getting to see him again — urges you to call out to him, “Wait.”

He turns back.

“I, um. Parked here ‘cause I was searching up directions to this café that opened up recently. If you’d like, after your interview, we could go get coffee together. You can tell me all about it if it goes well… or complain if it doesn’t.”

“Of course,” he says immediately. He can’t help but feel giddy inside, internally wanting to kick his feet, twirl his hair, and giggle and squeal like a pig all at once. If he was inside a building or a room, maybe he’d also be comically bouncing off the walls like in cartoons. Regardless of these overwhelming compulsions, he retains his composure, cooly adding, “I’d love that.”

“I’ll wait for you here, then,” you affirm with a smile. “See ya later…” Oh, right. You’ve yet to exchange names, but you suppose that can wait for now. “…stranger.”

Amused, he returns, “Later, stranger.”

As he walks away, a voice in the back of his mind makes note yet again of the fact that you have pretty eyes, pretty hands, and, just now, a pretty smile. Maybe, he thinks, he’ll tell you after the interview.

[bagopucks]

T. Zegras - Disheveled Duckling

✄————————————

Trevor Zegras x Reader

Requested✨

Word Count: 4.2k

Warning(s): Insecurities, and a tiny tiff

—————————————

“Whose decision was it to make Zegras the cover of NHL 23?”

“Tried and failed to make the new face of the league Trevor Zegras.”

“What an absolute joke.”

“Too flashy. Not enough skill.”

“Good thing the Ducks hired another useless player. I was afraid they might actually make the playoffs.”

“Wonder if he has to hold onto sh** when the wind blows”

“His girlfriend need a man’s man?”

“Holy shit!” I slammed the door to the house I’d slowly grown to love. Trevor and Jamie’s.

Jamie’s head shot up from the couch, startled and frightened by both my abrupt arrival and my anger.

“You good?” I heard him chuckle. No doubt nervous. I took my shoes off, locked the door, and turned to look at my boyfriend’s best friend. Silence filled the air around us. Jamie’s nervous smile immediately disappeared.

“It’s impossible.” My shirt was dripping with water, as were my hands. “And you didn’t even come outside to help!”

“Trevor’s car is really that unclean-able?”

“It’s yours! It’s your Jamie! What are you driving through?” His cheeks turned red. Trevor was out for a hockey game, but when I informed him that my work place was trying to schedule a late night meeting, and we hadn’t known how long Jamie was going to be at the doctors office, Trevor said he’d simply take an Uber. I felt bad when Jamie came home five minutes after Trevor had left. So I decided to go out and wash their cars for them. It was a nice day anyway, a little outdoor time hadn’t hurt.

“I don’t know?” I had managed to get Trevor’s car practically spotless before I had waxed it. But Jamie’s was something else. It had tiny asphalt pieces all over. Which was usual on a car, but I couldn’t scrape them away without chipping paint, and they wouldn’t just wipe away either.

The sun had begun setting mere minutes ago. I had given up on Jamie’s car. I was tired, I’d missed more of the hockey game than I wanted to, and now I was simply angry.

“You’re lucky I have a moral compass that says I shouldn’t hit injured people.” I grumbled as I left the living room, walking through the house to find mine and Trevor’s bedroom. I needed a change of clothes. Something comfortable.

I had been getting notifications for a while on my NHL app. I had only stopped to look at a few, but from what I’d seen, the Ducks were losing. Another reason to be stressed. Another reason to worry about my boyfriend.

I met Trevor when he played for the USA hockey team. We just happened to be in the same town and in the same pastry shop the night it happened. He was trying to order a bear claw, and I had let out a rather exaggerated sigh over the fact that it was the last one. We shared it over two cups of iced coffee.

After that, we became friends and remained so for a long time. The year he got drafted into the NHL, it seemed he’d been on enough of an adrenaline rush to ask me out. I said yes. He pursued his dreams while I pursued my own. Our paths of life ran parallel, but close enough to hold hands along our walks.

I’d been around long enough to see Trevor make records in USA hockey, get drafted, play in the AHL, and eventually join the league permanently. I’d also seen the rise and fall of his mentality as those years went by as well.

I couldn’t pinpoint when it truly started, but I would certainly say when the media began pushing to make him the new face of the league. That was when Trevor began to feel the anxiety.

To everybody else, he loved it. To everybody else, he ate up every second of attention he got. He loved the videos online, the commercials, the sponsorships and free stuff. And part of that was true. Trevor did love all of those things.

But people put so much pressure on you when they expect you to be the poster child of anything. It can change people. Hell, Sidney Crosby’s first year in the NHL was spent screaming at any ref he could over a call he didn’t like. Getting misconducts and penalties he ought not to. Good men can fall long ways under immense pressure. But when the spotlight is on you, all people want is to see you fall and fail. People want to see the hero bend and bend and eventually break.

Trevor loved the attention, but he despised the hate. He didn’t like opening his sports news apps to find articles on himself, and not having the impulse control to not read them. He hated posting something on Instagram, and going back to check a comment from a friend, only to find hate surrounding it. He hated hearing people he looked up to all his life’s putting him down left and right. He hated being misunderstood, but not given the platform to express his grievances. He had no right to discuss his feelings. Nobody would listen.

Perhaps that had been what made him feel like he couldn’t come to me. What made him pull away when I could tell he was tense and disappointed. It took me forever to really understand why he would come home looking so defeated. Looking like a parent who should have expected better from their kid. It took me forever to realize how much Trevor hated himself.

I blamed it on the publicity over and over again. They built him up so much, just to tear him back down. And I knew with each loss, there was a new article. A new post. A new video. A new comment.

My hopes were whisked away when I opened the NHL app to see the score. 5-1. Not a good look for the Ducks. Then of course, upon further inspection, opening the live summary of the game, I realized Trevor had his own ten minute misconduct.

I was never happy that he fought. That he got in people’s faces and picked fights with guys who could have pinned him down to the ice in one shove. But I understood somewhat. Trevor was just trying to look out for himself. Trying in his own short tempered way to be heard in a league that would not listen to him. But we both found through time that nobody was on his side other than his team and few friends.

“Jamie!” I tossed my phone down onto the bed as I grabbed a spare shirt and a pair of shorts. I quickly changed, the lack of response leading me to assume Jamie was ignoring me. I rolled my eyes as I walked back down the hall, stopping once I was in the living area and over the couch.

Not ignoring, somehow asleep. I worried sometimes about him and his pain medication. He was responsible with it, but I still worried. I gently nudged him. Easy to wake, per usual. And he couldn’t have been out that long.

I nudged Jamie again, watching his eyes flutter open. I gestured for him to move, and he quickly cleared a space for me on the edge of the couch. I sat and took the tv remote, turning the screen on.

“Have you had the game on at all?”

“No.. it’s been.. kinda- stressing me out.” I nodded.

“Trevor got into another fight.” Jamie wasn’t surprised. But he knew as well as I did that Trevor was struggling. On his own little broken sailboat, refusing help because he didn’t want anybody else to be caught up in his storm.

“It should be over by now.” Jamie shifted and sat up, leaning against the arm rest of the couch.

I found the channel and flipped it on. Sure enough, Jamie had been correct. I crossed one of my legs over the other, eyeing up the tv in search of my boyfriend. When I couldn’t find him, I assumed they had kicked him out of the entire arena for the last ten minutes of the game. Banished to the locker room.

I used to love games that took place in the middle of the day. Trevor would come home and we’d have dinner together. Then we’d curl up in bed and whisper for hours until we fell asleep. Now, games in the middle of the day meant there was extra time to avoid aggravating Trevor.

We sat in silence until the goal horn sounded, frustrated Ducks players exiting the ice. It was a waiting game now. One Jamie and I were happy to do together, so neither had to worry about Trevor alone.

“He’ll probably be fine.” Jamie broke the silence with a statement we both knew to be false.

“He hasn’t been fine.” I knew that in my mind, but my heart broke at the first confession of the fact. Trevor had been a wreck of emotions and I hadn’t been able to fix even one of his problems.

And he hid it all so well underneath that big smile. And all those jokes.

Jamie and I returned to silence not long after, but when we caught the headlights through the window, he had been the first to get up to leave.

“You should handle this one.. right?” I gave a nod in approval to his suggestion.

“I’ve got him.”

Jamie retreated to his room after that. Always only one call away if Trevor or I ever needed him. I was supposed to be one call away for Trevor too. Why didn’t he ever dial my number?

I waited for what felt like hours for Trevor to come inside. He never did. So I decided to see what was going on. I unlocked and opened the front door, surprised by the sight of Getzlaf’s car in the driveway. I could just barely make out the silhouette of two figures, one pointing at the other in a manner that looked tense.

I leaned in the doorway, and waited patiently before I was spotted. Getzlaf gestured, and Trevor climbed out of the car. He grabbed his gear from the back, and I heard his voice shout something to his old captain before making his way up the short drive to the door. I wasn’t sure what to say, so instead I stood there, staring at Trevor as his eyes met mine. He looked like he was waiting for something.

“Can I come in?” I was surprised by Trevor’s tone. Playful and lighthearted. I looked skeptical, but I nodded and stepped aside nonetheless.

“I was thinking we could do dinner? I miss that. Maybe- we could try.. like steaks? I know Jamie just got a pack the other day.” Trevor’s always been talkative, but this time it feels off. There was a sound in his voice I didn’t know how to place.

“Trevor I can’t cook steaks.”

“Let me do it.” I stared at him as he shut the door. He hated cooking.

“Come on! It’ll be fun! Let me take care of you.” I shrugged. What’s the worst that could happen?

Trevor insisted I sit at the table while he did his thing. I was hesitant, but I allowed him space nonetheless. Trevor tried to talk about the game a bit, but the bitter laugh that occasionally fell from his lips, and the sad sound in his voice usually caused him to stop before he got into any good details. He often stopped his own comments with something like, “guess it doesn’t matter anyway.” And the repetition of the phrase made me feel like it was a media interview. Like he was repeating and repeating just to get me to go away and stop asking questions. I hadn’t asked any in the first place. That’s what he was hesitant about.

“And the misconduct?” I hoped to look disinterested. Like it didn’t bother me, so I looked down at my phone. Trevor never turned to look at me.

“It was bullshit.” I glanced up at him. His shoulders rose slightly.

“What was it on?”

“You didn’t watch?” Trevor turned to look at me, and I don’t know why, but this time he seemed upset. I had missed games of his before… but this was the first in a long time.

“I was a little busy.” I smiled at him, hopeful to keep the clean car a secret until he could see it in the morning.

“No that’s cool..” he shrugged it off and turned back to the stove. It was definitely not cool, not to him, but he wanted to move on. So we moved on.

I listened to Trevor occasionally mumble under his breath about whatever he was making, the sweet smell of cooked meat filling the kitchen along with the sound of the sizzle of two steaks on the pan. I was certain I hadn’t missed out on Trevor learning how to cook.

Once they were finished, my boyfriend beckoned me over, and I was quick to join his side. He cut a piece and I waited for it to cool off before biting the tender piece of meat off the knife he held. At first it was perfect. Then it was oddly sweet. I made a face. Trevor noticed.

“What’s wrong with it?”

My eyes searched the various items and ingredients strewn across the counter. When I noticed it, I giggled.

“Trevor,” I nodded my head toward the container I used for sugar. I never labeled it because I knew what it was, and the boys didn’t use the big box of sugar I had set aside for baking.

“That’s sugar.” His face fell for a split second. Then he started to laugh. I thought about joining him before it all just felt off. Trevor’s eyes quickly adopted a glazed over look, his smile falling into a frown as the laughter ceased and an overwhelming look of grief overcame his features.

Trevor shook his head before turning the stovetop off. I reached for him while he reached for his keys in his pocket.

“Where do you wanna eat?”

“Baby no. We’ll fix this.”

“I don’t want to. Where do you want to eat?”

“Trevor.”

“I said I don’t want to!”

We didn’t get into fights much. We didn’t like to, but I couldn’t keep disregarding his feelings for his comfort. Something had to give.

“I love you, but you’re gonna sit your ass down and talk to me Trevor.”

“Fuck this.” He shook his head, tossing his keys onto the counter and turning to walk away.

“Trevor!” I snapped and followed him. “I am so sick of seeing you so- so sad! You have to talk to me!”

“I don’t!”

“Then who are you going to talk to? Huh?” Because I knew he was horrible at opening up.

“I don’t know! Nobody fucking listens!” I followed him all the way into our room, pushing the door shut behind myself.

“I’m listening!” I was desperate. “Trevor, I’m right. Here.” He turned to look at me. His anger eased into a blank stare, and it seemed my offer brought everything crashing down at once.

We stared each other down. Both waiting for the other to give up or make some kind of move.

“I’m so tired.” Trevor’s voice quivered, his lips pulling into a frown I hated to see. His eyes fell to the floor.

“Everybody’s so…” he drew in a breath. “Too much- it’s all too much.” Trevor sat down on the side of our bed, his head fell into his hands. “They hate me.”

There was a little kid in there. Devastated. Heartbroken that his heroes wanted him gone. That kids parents didn’t deem him a good role model. That he was ruining his own track record by trying to stay afloat. Trying to survive when nobody respected him. When refs pushed him around and legends dragged his name through the mud. Trevor just wanted to live his dream. He had fun before all the publicity. He didn’t need it, but it was forced on him.

“Nobody hates you.” I slowly made my way over, raking my hands through his hair. Trevor lifted his head to look at me, his brow furrowed and his cheeks red.

“Everybody does! I don’t want to be the guy everybody hates!” Trevor raised his voice, but I couldn’t be bothered to be upset. This was only the tip of the iceberg.

“They liked me..” his voice dropped to a mere whisper. My brow furrowed as I rested my hands on his cheeks, prepared to wipe tears as they began to fall.

“Huh?” I met his volume, Trevor closed his eyes tightly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“They liked me.. and I ruined it.” Sure, he hadn’t been perfect, but even the aggressive egotistical asshole players had fans. This wasn’t Trevor’s doing. This was the media realizing they failed and then deciding to spin his story. To make him a villain.

“It’s all my fault.” His words were interrupted by a broken gasp, I guided his head to lean against my stomach, pushing a sigh past my lips as I tried not to get too emotional.

“Trevor, this is not your fault.” I ran one hand through his hair while the other held his head.

“I just can’t- fuck!” His voice was muffled in my shirt. “I don’t want this.” I glanced down at him again, my hands travelled to his jaw to move his head from my body.

Trevor’s eyes met my own. So sad. So lost. So broken.

“I don’t want hockey if it comes with all this shit.” He tried to bury his head back against my body, but I held his jaw tightly.

“Trevor.” I carefully moved forward, resting my legs on the bed on either side of his own. I sat on his thighs and pulled Trevor in for a tight hug. His hands gripped the sides of my shirt.

“You just have to be patient. They’re gonna test you.” I whispered against his ear as his head buried in the crook of my neck.

“They test me every day.” I sighed. I didn’t know how to help. “I mess everything up.. they don’t want me. They want somebody who can actually get shit done. They want somebody bigger and faster.. and stronger. They want what I’m not.”

I rubbed at his back with one of my hands.

“Trevor, nobody gives a shit about your weight.” I had never heard a single thing on it before. Sure, maybe his mom made a comment or two about how skinny he was, but it was more so commentary when she was trying to feed him. It never had anything to do with his job.

“Yes they do.” He was insistent. I knew this was a projection. Him trying to find a reason to blame himself for something he couldn’t help. Not everybody gained muscle easily. It wasn’t a bad thing. But to him it was. To him, it was embarrassing.

“I think you look great already. If you get too big, then you can’t lay on top of me any more.”

“That’s not the point.” My joke crash landed. It only seemed to frustrate Trevor more. “People just.. they say shit.” I rested one of my hands on Trevor’s forearm while I worked the other through his hair.

“Like what?”

“That I can’t keep up.. that I’m too scrawny. I need to ‘build up.’ But I can’t! I try and I can’t! I don’t know what’s wrong with me!” He sounded desperate. Desperate for answers I didn’t have.

“It’s genetics Trev. It’s not something you can help.” I knew he tried a million different things. Nothing ever worked. And I knew how hopeless he could get when he’d go to take a peek in the bathroom mirror, and see absolutely no progress. Trevor never had an issue with his body until people started saying things about it.

He’d always wanted to get bigger, but he was patient before. He was willing to really take his time. Now one comment could leave him in the gym for more hours on end than he ought to be in there for. One chirp left him laid down next to me in bed with a shirt on and a pair of pants, curled in on himself like it would somehow make him and his insecurities any less noticeable.

“Or maybe I just shouldn’t be playing hockey. Maybe I’m just not cut out for it.” His sadness had shifted into acceptance. Like he was ready to give up.

“They drafted you Trevor. People talked about you forever. People were elated to have you in the league.”

“Yeah. Were.“

“They still are.” I sighed. “So you have an attitude? They’ll get over it. You know how many people have said they love you? They love your personality, and your talent? You’re a new version of the game. A new type of style everybody is going to know you for.” I moved my hand from Trevor’s hair. I gently traced his jawline with my fingers, holding my breath at the sight of my disheveled duckling.

“What if it never gets better?” Trevor had thought about this more than I realized. I shook my head.

“It will. There’ll be some new hotshot they’ll idolize and attack. Some new player who takes a downward spiral that they decide to torture. This won’t be you forever.. you just have to stay strong while it happens. Okay?”

“I just wanted to play hockey..” exhaustion was evident in his tone. I allowed Trevor to rest his head on my shoulder again, his breaths were heavy from trying to hold back the tears that hadn’t fallen.

“It’ll all work itself out, Trev.” My voice lowered to a whisper. “They did the same thing to Jack.. they did the same thing to Crosby. You just have to handle it better.. that’s all. You know I love you, I just think they get under your skin too easy.”

“I know.” Trevor sighed.

“You have to remember to calm down sometimes. Nobody’s ever going to listen if all you do is yell and fight.”

“That’s what Getz said.” I had been curious, but at no point did I consider asking what Getzlaf had said to Trevor. It hadn’t been my place. But I was happy Trevor told me nonetheless. It was reassuring to know somebody else was telling him the same things.

“You need a stress ball out there or something.” I joked softly, running my hand through Trevor’s hair one last time before I rested my hands on his shoulders, pushing him back so I could see him.

Trevor mustered a sad smile at my words.

“Maybe you just need to chew on your glove like Jack.” I added, trying to go two for two. It seemed that comment earned a giggle from him.

“Or reach out and talk to him.” My tone took up a more serious sound. Trevor pursed his lips and nodded. “You guys don’t talk as much as you should. He probably gets jealous of Jamie.”

I went three for three the second I noticed Trevor’s smile widen, his eyes squinting as well when he laughed.

Silence enveloped our own little world. I tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. Trevor seemed to finally relax.

“We’re gonna be okay,” I whispered as I gently placed my hands on his chest. Trevor picked up the cue to lay back as I propped myself up over him.

“And I love you.” I added softly, pressing a kiss to his collar. “And Jamie loves you,” Trevor smiled again. “And your mom, and your siblings, and your dad. And all of your friends all scattered about.” I climbed off of Trevor and slipped off the bed. He looked confused before sitting up to look at me, eventually standing as well.

“You don’t have to be perfect.” He stepped closer, resting his hands on my sides as my own slipped beneath his shirt to hold his hips. “Nobody needs you to become a body builder.” I continued. Trevor nodded slowly. “And nobody needs you to lose that attitude.” I wrapped my arms around his body beneath his shirt, gently scratching his back. His weakness. He loved back scratches. “Just keep being the Trevor I know and love. Just be yourself, okay? Everything comes after that.”

And everything did come after that. I didn’t want Trevor to lose himself or his confidence because of others.

After I got him settled, Trevor and I had cleaned the mess in the kitchen and I took him out for a quick dinner. We ate on some curbside, talking and laughing over nonsense. When we did get home, I had checked up on Jamie, prepared to ask if he was hungry before I found he’d been asleep. After that, I slipped back into our room and got settled in bed with him, flipping through streaming services until we found something to fall asleep to.

✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾❀✾

[mybl--dyvalentine]

Insufferable જ⁀➴ Vernon

✮ idol! vernon x manager! fem! reader

✮ Summary: Job searching wasn't always the easiest. Employers read your resume and completely brush you off once they deem you as unfit. Until an unexpected acceptance from one of the biggest idol companies in the world reached you. Who knew that the job would lead to a meeting of fate.

✮ Genre: Angst? girl idk.

✮ Warnings: Swearing and a near death experience

✮ Word Count: 2,832

Y/N:

The sound of birds chirping filled the room, which woke me up. I blink until my vision begins to clear and stare at the ceiling, contemplating whether or not to be productive or procrastinate. My phone lights up with a notification. I pick up my phone and stare at the notification, processing what it says. 

"Hybe Labels... Why does that sound so familiar?"

I swipe up and press on the safari app. Halfway through typing in Hybe Labels to look it up, I remember. THE Hybe Labels emailed ME? I applied for so many different jobs that I completely forgot about which companies I even applied to. A small scream left my mouth before I grasped the situation. I have to open the email. Anticipation took over my body, controlling it to the point where I stood and stared at my phone for a couple minutes. After building up enough courage, I opened the email. 

Hybe Labels: Employment

Hello Y/N,

After careful consideration, we ultimately decided to hire you as a manager! The group you will be managing is SEVENTEEN. We will provide more information after we get your verbal acceptance during a meeting with the head manager. 

Best Regards,

Sung-Ho

I fall back onto my bed and let out a huge sigh. After job hunting for so long, I thought I'd end up broke this month. I grin and get up, ready to start my day.

"Who knew picking an outfit would be so difficult?" I say to myself while looking in my mirror and posing.

Currently, I'm sporting a fitted grey button-down tucked into a darker grey pencil skirt with black pumps and black tights. My hair is up in a claw clip, and I decided to wear black rectangle glasses to complete the outfit. The goal was to look like a manager, and I ended up looking like a generic office worker.

"Well, at least it's business casual." I say while grabbing my phone to check the time.

"Oh shoot! It's already 11 am? I need to leave right now."

After grabbing my purse and keys, I ran to my car. I finally head to Hybe Headquarters. After parking, I realized I forgot to do makeup. In a rush, I quickly slapped on some lip balm, lip tint, concealer, mascara, and blush. I exit my car immediately after and speed walk to the entrance. The place is very sleek and modern. It exudes richness and is kind of intimidating. I look around the lobby and see a person who looks like a receptionist. I quickly make my way towards them.

"Hi, I'm here for a meeting with the head manager?" I ask.

"What's your name?" They say.

"Y/N." I say with a smile.

They look at their monitor and start typing. The typing went on for who knows how long until I was snapped back into reality by their voice.

"Okay, you can head up. The head manager is going to be there at 2 pm. Just wait outside the door with the number 224 on floor three. There should be some chairs near it so you can sit down."

"Alright! Thank you." I turn to face the elevator and head over to it.

I punch in the upwards arrow and wait for the elevator to arrive. I take a quick glance around the room to get a grasp on the atmosphere. It's mostly people dressed in monochromatic outfits and all look somewhat wealthy. I really don't fit the aesthetic of this place. The elevator dings and I look at the slowly opening doors. I walk into an empty elevator and press the button with the number three on it. The doors close and I patiently wait to reach floor three when the elevator stops at floor 2. Once the doors finally open, I'm greeted with a man. He looked quite familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. He glances at me and doesn't utter a single word.

"Hello. Which floor are you headed to?" I ask curiously.

He takes a couple steps to reach the buttons and presses the button with a four on it while completely ignoring my question.

"Ooookay." I say quietly.

It doesn't take a lot of common sense to answer a simple question that doesn't even take up that much of your time. Plus I was trying to help by pressing the button for him. I roll my eyes and wait for the elevator to reach floor three. The elevator finally dings and I walk out looking for which side has the room number 224. After reaching the room, I take a seat and pull out my phone from my purse to check the time.

"1:59? I made it just in time." I sigh with relief.

I pocket my phone and lightly tap my fingers on one another while looking around. There wasn't much to see other than a big grey door, some chairs, and a couple potted plants. Some footsteps and voices emerged from the direction of the elevator. As they got closer, I got more anxious.

"You must be Y/N." A man asks while another opens the door.

"Ah, yes that's me." I say nervously.

"Great! Come in." He waves his hand into the now open doors.

I slowly walk in and see a long table with lots of chairs filling up the empty spaces.

"Have a seat right here." He points to a chair next to the biggest chair in the room.

I sit down and wait for them to start asking questions. The men settle down in their seats and finally look at me.

"I assume you've read our email considering you're here right now?" The man in the big chair asks.

"Yes, I have. I'm here to verbally accept your offer to work as a manager for seventeen." I say.

"That's wonderful. Here we have your resume, I took a quick look at it and I truly believe you are perfect for this job."

"Thank you sir."

"It says here that you have managed for an idol group previously correct?"

"Yes, I have."

"It's nice to hear you won't need that much time to get in action."

I stifle a laugh due to the tense air.

"Well anyways, Are you able to start today? Seventeen is supposed to be recording a GOING Seventeen episode today and we'll need someone to manage them."

"Of course!"

"Great. I'll have you formally introduce yourself in a bit. Go head up to their practice room on floor four. They should be there right now. I'll send them a notice that you'll be arriving."

"Alright. Thank you sir. I'll be on my way now." I grin and get up from my seat to leave the room.

After closing the door, I let out a sigh. The tense air really made me struggle to breathe. At least I secured the job before I said anything weird. I walk back to the elevator and press the upwards arrow. The elevator dings and I see a man inside.

"Hi! I don't think I've seen you here before. My name is Seungkwan." He holds out his hand.

"Hello, my name is Y/N." I shake his hand. "And uh... I'm your new manager."

He pauses for moment, staring at me.

"Oh good! We've been needing one since our last one got sick and had to quit. Which floor are you headed to by the way?"

"Floor four. I was on the way to properly introduce myself to you guys in your practice room. The head manager said he'd send a notice to you guys."

"Ohhh that's what that was? Well anyways It's nice to meet you." He says while punching in the number four.

"It's nice to meet you too." I say.

The elevator dings and Seungkwan and I step out of the elevator to head towards the practice room. Loud music could be heard throughout the entire hallway. We finally reach the door to the practice room and Seungkwan stops me.

"Could you wait out here for a second? I'll let the guys know that you're here so that they could get themselves ready."

"Sure."

He opens the door and walks in closing it immediately. I could hear faint talking which was quickly taken over by the sound of sneakers. The door then opens shortly after and Seungkwan pops his head out.

"Come on in!" He grins while opening the door wider.

I slowly walk in to be greeted by 12 other men. A barrage of greetings came my way as I walked towards them. I returned the greetings and finally had a good look at all 13 of them. While I was scanning each of them, one of them caught my eye. He looked familiar. It was the same guy that ignored me earlier!

"I have a quick question." I say glaring at the inconsiderate guy.

Vernon:

"By the way guys, the head manager said that we'd be filming a GOING Seventeen episode today." S.Coups announces during a break from practicing.

I give him a nod and head to the water station in the practice room. After pulling out a white cup from the stack and setting it under the faucet, I notice that there wasn't any water inside the jug.

"Seriously?" I say to myself.

"What happened?" Jun asks.

"There isn't anymore water so I'm gonna have to go all the way down floor 2 to get a drink."

I put back the cup on the stack and exit the practice room. After pressing the button with a number two on it, I walk inside the elevator. My song "2 Minus 1" is quietly playing inside the elevator. While humming along to the song, I exit the elevator and head towards the nearest water station on the second floor. Once I finally reach the station, I quickly grab a cup and fill it to the brim with water. I empty the water into my mouth and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. After trashing the cup, I make my way back to the practice room. The elevator dings and I see a woman standing inside. I give her a quick glance and enter the elevator.

"Hello. Which floor are you headed to?" She asks.

None of your business. I'm already irritated from getting a couple moves wrong during practice, so I don't feel like answering anyone's questions let alone someone I've just met. I just move in front of the buttons and punch in the button with the number four on it. I hear her mumble something under her breath, but I pay no attention to it as I've already tuned her out. The doors open with a ring and I shuffle out of the elevator and walk to my practice room.

"Hey guys, are we going to continue or are we waiting on someone?" I ask while opening the door.

"Oh, Seungkwan is currently out right now. We'll start back up when he gets here." Hoshi answers.

Five minutes later, the door opens and Seungkwan appears.

"Okay, get together guys we finally have a new manager. She's right outside and waiting to introduce herself to us." He says.

We all nod and get in a group. Seungkwan opens the door to reveal a woman who looks very familiar. It's like I've seen her somewhere before. All of the other members proceed to introduce themselves while I'm deep in thought.

"I have a quick question." She says while staring at me.

"I don't think I caught your name." She points out.

"Oh! Um... It's Vernon." I say reluctantly.

"Oh I remember why you looked so familiar!" She puts a finger in the air.

 "Care to explain why you ignored me earlier in the elevator?" She tilts her head.

The other members all look at me. Each of them sporting a confused look on their faces. I quickly glance at each other and open my mouth to say something. But nothing comes out. My ears turn red and my brows scrunch. How dare she embarrass me in front of my members!

"U-um.. I'm sorry for him, I think he's having a rough day. A couple mistakes during practice you know?" S.Coups grins trying to cover for me.

The other members nod their heads and change the topic.

"Shouldn't we head out soon? We have an episode to record today." She says while checking her phone.

Everyone collectively agrees and leaves me standing alone in the practice room. I head over to my bag in the corner of the room.

"I swear she's out to get me." I say while picking up my bag.

"I'll get her back." I say while walking out the practice room.

Y/N:

"CUT! That marks the end of our filming today. Great work guys." The director says through a megaphone.

This episode was all about water sports so each of the members were decked out in swimming gear. I felt good about today. Being able to help on set of a GOING Seventeen episode is new to me but it seems as if I did a good job. 

"Y/N! Could you come here for a second?" Vernon yells.

I look away from the director and to him. A confused expression wipes away my previous smile.

"Oh. Uh sure." I yell back.

I treads over to me and he give me a quick smile.

"Isn't such a beautiful day?" I says while staring at the sky.

"You're right. It is a beautiful day." He says back.

I stood still analyzing each of the different clouds and colors in the now sun-setting sky. It was so pretty it captivated me. Then it was oddly silent. It felt as if Vernon disappeared and I was left there. I turn my head around to see if anyone was still there.

"Hello?" I say while looking for another person.

Then suddenly I feel a push behind my back. There was a strong wind and then a cold temperature engulfed my body. All I could see were plants and a clear turquoise liquid. Then it hit me. I was underwater. Bubbles quickly rushed upwards as I frantically tried to reach the surface. I flailed my arms and legs to try to push myself upwards, but my position remained the same. In a final attempt I extend my arm as far as I could to at least give a signal that I was drowning. My vision started to blur and by this time, I lost too much air. This was it. I'm going to die here.

---

A bright light slipped into the crack of my eyelids. I look around the room. The place was neatly decorated and I was laid on a couch. Memories flooded my brain. I was never taught how to swim, so drowning was always one of my greatest fears. I looked at my body. Someone changed my clothes. I'm in a big t-shirt and shorts, my heels at the bottom of the couch. I get up from the couch and find a mirror in a hallway. My hair is damp and tousled and my makeup is completely ruined. I put my hands on my arms and turn around to check my phone. As I walk towards the couch I hear something.

A deep voice came from outside, "how was I supposed to know she couldn't swim? It was supposed to be a harmless prank."

"Harmless prank or not, it still put her life in danger. I hope you realize that being rude doesn't get you anywhere." Another voice answers.

I storm outside, frustrated that Vernon pushed me and thinks that this was just some 'harmless prank'. Once I get through the door, I see him. Vernon. He's talking to S.Coups with a pained expression.

"What the hell was that for huh? Who thinks that it's a good idea to just push someone into a body of water?" I yell.

He looks at me a little shocked, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-."

"I don't wanna hear some half-assed apology! You almost got me killed and all you can say is 'look, I'm sorry'?" I raise my voice.

"Well then what DO you want to hear? At least I'm apologizing no?" He crosses his arms.

My face flushed. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to hear. It's as if nothing he could say would make me forgive him. He stared at me. Waiting for an answer.

"Look guys, that's enough. You both need some time apart. Y/N I'll talk to Vernon and make sure we get this whole situation figured out." S.Coups says.

"No, I think that she shouldn't be so-." Vernon says before getting his mouth covered and dragged away by S.Coups.

I glare at Vernon as he's being pushed away. How could he? What did I ever do to him? These are questions that I need desperately answered.

i hate this idk if i wanna finish this

[bluebellhairpin]

i need to talk about this rn i'm sorry but i've been having baby fever and been thinking so much about erwin as a dad 😞🩷 (cw pregnancy)

firstly, he suspects you're pregnancy before you do. he's so observant and knows you so well, so when you start to look tired, or have cravings/aversions to certain foods you didn't before, he takes note. what seals it for him is when he notices your pet (let's say a dog) clinging to you. of course they like you, but now it seems they don't want you out of their sight, might even growl whenever he tries to touch you in their presence. and of course, he notices if you haven't yet had your period (he doesn't even need an app he just remembers your usual time of month) but of course he is considerate that you may want to surprise him, and he is gracious enough to be surprised and over the moon with you when you tell him because of course the confirmation is better than the suspicion. he does admit to knowing already later on, but how can you be mad that he pays attention so well??

and when you get rounder, you learn quickly the baby has a preference for his voice. if the baby is hiding from you in the belly or keeps kicking when you want to rest, they only listen to his voice, he'll say something like "Be kind to your mother," and the child will literally stop and you're just like " •_•"

also he will absolutely hire someone to help with cleaning and cooking while you recover postpartum, make sure you don't have to lift a finger for anything besides the baby and your own wellness. even after the first couple weeks and the person he hired is gone, he'll still do most of the cleaning and cooking while you recover because he understands that while you focus on cariny for the baby, he has to focus on caring for you. he will also want to be involved with learning about how to best care for the baby as much as possible (he becomes a master at burping 😌)

and the first time you guys drop the child off at daycare, he's pretty straightfaced and serious to anyone looking at him, gives a quick hug and a kiss to his little one but mainly focuses on making sure everything is accounted for in their bag and lunchkit. the staff might think he's too cold and aloof to be so unemotional about his child's first day at daycare, but what they don't know is that the second he gets in the car and out of the kiddo's sight he puts his hand over his face and starts weeping softly, holding your hand so tightly with the other because his baby is getting so big so fast and he's proud but also sad after hearing them cry as soon as you both walked out.

he just becomes the most wonderful father and husband and loves his family with everything he has ☺️🩷

ik I told u like two days ago I was letting this cook and I'd answers that night but OOF i forgot. however i've enjoyed being reminded each time I went into my ask box! I read though it each time! loved it so much! anyway i'm gonna pop som thoughts below so this doesn't get too long for the poor people who don't wanna be Erwin's baby mama's lol <3

cw pregnancy for below

I very much headcanon Erwin as an observant man, so I 100% agree with the notion that he notices you're pregnant before you do. the food tastes changing, the sickness (the dog! (in my little world there's a dog! (his name is Atticus))) - the notes it all away but the little shit says nothing. he might partially be being considerate and letting you tell him, but i also think he isn't above waiting how long it take you to figure it out after he does. it's like a little bet he has with himself lol

AND THE BABY LIKING HIS VOICE ofc my child would only listen to Erwin smh. that's kinda so funny to me though, I love that idea. maybe Erwin spoke quietly for a while and the baby was real still, you kind of panicked a little, but as soon as Erwin went "oh my god, What?!" the babe went wild as if to say "oh, daddy is here! yay! he didn't leave us alone!" bc yk. the baby is a little shit too just like it's dad.

He also totally doesn't like the idea of you lifting a finger. he says your body is busy making a whole human being, don't you dare make him dinner too, making it himself is the least he can do. I also firmly believe afterwards he's a very hands on dad. yeah perhaps he'll keep some hired help around for the days where e's not there, but when he is there? you're surprised he isn't run off his feet. the man has so much energy for being so chill and stoic. he'd be out here being dad, mum, housekeeper, cook, taxi AND CEO, and still cuddle up to you at the end of the day and wanna attempt to ENTHUSIASTICALY put ANOTHER baby in you.

thEN the picture of him breaking after dropping your kid off for their first day! my heart! he is such a softie. big fucking teddy bear. full of marshmallows and clouds. he can look cold and aloof all he likes but we know the truth. we've seen him cry while watching both The Good Dinosaur and Bluey. he can't hide from us.

[zhongscara]

can we see teyvatarrangements i need to see the dating app fuckery or zv idol au !!!!!!!! -@welcometoteyvat

ok teyvatarrangements has my middle of the night typo filled ramblings so ill just explain... JDNWJSAJJS

basically childe and scara are unfortunately friends. childe is bored and in his infinite wisdom hes like We should make profiles on this app. scaras like Youre fucking insane. but gets roped into it anyways bc hes not *that* above childe no matter what he thinks.

2 weeks later childes like Boo i just got bots ;( and scaras like lmfao you checked? bc he ignored it ever since LMFAO childe makes him check it and scara finds a message from zhongli except its a profile made by hu tao bc shes tired of him being a single old man in her house JDNWHSWJJSWJSJ (in this au shes like his niece or something. i also considered venti as the person who made the profile lol)

i do wanna show some snippets of zhongven idol au tho!!!

Kaeya scratches the back of his neck. “We’ve, well, we decided maybe the best thing to do would be to hire a new manager, y’know? Someone who can—”

“Someone who can actually get you to stop partying nonstop,” Diluc interrupts, typing out something with more force than necessary.

Kaeya has the decency to look sheepish when he shrugs. Diluc makes no such attempt though, looking at Venti angrily from behind his monitor.

“Maybe some Liyuen discipline will set you straight.”

another one

“You have 15 minutes to shower and get dressed,” Zhongli says, looking down at his phone, “You can eat your breakfast in the car.”

Venti blinks. “What happened to good morning?”

“You’ll be late for your schedule if you don’t get up within the next 5 minutes. I suggest you shower as soon as possible so you can get your hair at least half dry before we leave.” Zhongli replies, not even bothering to look at him.

Rude. Venti thinks, shuffling out of his bed anyways. This guy’s not a manager, he’s a fucking pain in the ass.

*

Once he sits down, Zhongli unceremoniously drops a paper bag in his lap. “Breakfast,” he says.

Venti opens the bag, finding an iced coffee and a wrapped sandwich. Huh. When did the old man get this?

[eternally-frozen]

A deer in the headlights

Synopsis: You date doesn’t show up after hours of you waiting. In frustration you drive over to Pantalone’s house, knowing he’ll always comfort you. Little did you keep in mind that deers run around at this time of the year.

Warning: Yandere, car crash, implicated kidnapping/human trafficking, Pantalone is rich, dead/mangled body 

Note: I am back. For now...

Special thanks to @teabutmakeitazure​. You’re amazing and a literal angel. Thank you for reading through this and telling me it’s not shit XD

"Hey, it’s me. Your phone has been on voicemail for a while now – you’re probably asleep, but I'm almost at your house. I know, I know, I shouldn't come to your house in the middle of the night but once again, you were right."

There is a short silence. The road ahead is barely lit up and abandoned for the most part. It’s no surprise that the banker lives in a big house isolated from the busy capital.

"It’s really annoying y’know. I wish I could see through people like you do."

You sigh. You’re rambling again, how embarrassing. 

You hope Pantalone leaves his voicemails unread, but you know better.

“Anyways, I’m almost at your home. I got the key to the gates, so I’m entering your property. Sorry, not sorry.”

There is a short silence before you end the voicemail. You previously had the phone on loudspeaker, and although you know you shouldn’t drive and call, the road to Pantalone’s home was – and will always be – abandoned.

You’ve never seen a single car on this road.

Your headlights illuminate the black road more than the dim lights on the side of the path do.

Hours before you'd been getting ready for a date that ended up ghosting you. It wasn't the first time you'd been in a fancy restaurant either. Nowadays the dating apps had been full of losers that'd leave you without ever showing up.

Not to mention how awkward you felt when you arrived at the restaurant sitting alone for an hour or so on the table hired for two.

You wonder why those assholes bother at all to reserve tables when they're never planning to show up.

The ride is silent and your thoughts feel like they’re getting louder and louder. You still somewhat await a call from him. If it turns out he'd really been asleep you'd feel extremely guilty to bother him for something as stupid as being abandoned on your first date.

The longer you think about it, the better the idea of adopting a cat sounds.

As you continue forward, the gates surrounding property come in sight. 

It still surprises you how much he owns. He lives miles away from his neighbor. He's got a charming personality but he always seemed to appreciate the quiet over the chaos in the capital of Snezhnaya.

You can't blame him.

As your car rides past the open gates the forest part of his property comes in view. Or, that’s the best way to describe it at least. A hundred meters filled with trees and nature before you actually approach his house.

Your frown turns into a smile when you hear the upbeat tune of your ringtone.

“Pantalone!” You hold your phone to your mouth.

“Darling, would you be so kind to tell me where are you right now?”

You raise an eyebrow.

“Did or did you not listen to the voicemail.” You ask. If he asks you that question he surely already knew you were on the way, but in your voicemail you had told him you’d be approaching his house, and that was a few minutes ago.

You heat some voices in the background on his end of the call. In confusion you take your eyes off the road, adjusting your volume to hear him better.

“Are you busy?”

You take a quick look forward and then turn back to your phone again.

In a split second you hear a crash. You let go of the gas button and the hand that had still been on the steering wheel drifts to your right side until the car crashes into yet another force.

You momentarily are stuck unable to breath, the wind got pushed out of your lungs and you have trouble to fully grasp what had happened.

Did a deer wander around his property..?

“Y/n!” You hear Pantalone’s voice through your phone from a distance. Did your phone get thrown back to the back or front during your crash?

He seems to be talking to some other people.

The voices from the phone make your head throb louder and you find yourself climbing out of your seat.

Just walk it off, walk it off.

Your body sways and you put your hand onto your car to keep yourself upright.

When you look at the front window of you car you realise that the window had broken into millions of pieces. They litter the inside of your car and the outside. There’s blood as well. You don’t feel pain, is it the adrenaline?

Right.

The deer.

You continue to block out the voices coming from your phone as you make your way around the car, still one of your hands pushed against it, until you’re facing the road.

Now that your car is facing the trees it’s hard to make out what’s on the street.

Still, it’s hard to miss the silhouette crawling forward.

You lift a hand to your head.

A silhouette?

You blink a few times. The world is still spinning and you force your eyes closed for a few moments. The voices in the background become louder and louder, making your head hurt more and more. Your body starts to feel less warm and pain suddenly floods over your being.

The silhouette on the floor is still there when you open your eyes.

It seems to be crawling forward away from the house.

Right…

Pantalone.

You turn around back to the car. You need to let him know to call for an ambulance.

A light blinds your face and your headache becomes unbearable until it moves away from you.

When you follow the light you see the girl crawling forward on the pavement.

Her clothes are ripped, blood pools up around the middle of her body and she seems awfully skinny, underweight even.

Did you hit…

“Y/n.” Pantalone shields the sight from you with his body and his eyes move over your body.

“Can you move?” He asks.

His figure is hazy, you see his head move around but you can’t see where he’s looking at. You don’t really process what he’s saying any more.

“Let’s get you inside, alright?”

He seems calm…so, you’re fine.

Pantalone wouldn’t lie to you.

You got into a car crash because you hit a deer and in shock you ran into a tree, you hit your head and now you’re dizzy.

Simple.

A hand moves you forward and you follow. You see many lights as you continue forward, you hear many voices too, but Pantalone’s is next to you. His warmth makes you continue forward.

•

The next time you open your eyes, you’re in Pantalone’s room.

You know this because he once showed you his collection of Liyuen jewerly after you couldn’t decide whether to get it yourself or some from Inazuma.

The sun is up and your headache has died down. When you look outside you can see that the sun is above the horizon. It looks like it’s the late morning already.

You think of last night.

You can clearly remember the date-gone-wrong, the crash too, but you can’t recall how you got to Pantalone’s house. Did you pass out?

You know you shouldn’t have called without driving, and you know you shouldn’t have assumed his roads would be abandoned as always,

But…

Was it really a deer that got in your way..?

As you shovel through your memories, you hear Pantalone enter the room unannounced. His expression shifts from a frown to something you’d describe as relief.

He apologises for entering before knocking.

“It’s alright. I’m the one who should say sorry. I…”

You frown, trying to remember what happened. “I can remember crashing my car but anything after that is fuzzy.” You stop for another moment, “It’s like my brain stopped working.”

Pantalone sits down on the edge of the bed and he places his hand near yours. “The doctors told me you had a concussion. Nothing time can’t fix, but you should remain here in my care until you’ve fully healed.”

You put your hands up in a defending motion and give an chuckle. “I’ve already made a big enough mess. I wouldn’t want to bother you more.”

You place your hands down onto the blanket that covers your legs. You are dressed in an oversized pajama, you assume it’s Pantalone’s, and you wonder where your own clothes are.

Pantalone tilts his head and eyes you over his glasses. You know that look, he’s sent it many times before when you told him you met yet another seemingly perfect guy. It’s a look that warns you, something to remind you of the reality.

He places his hand on yours, you realise he’s wearing gloves today, and he squeezes gently.

“You can depend on me, my dear. I’ve already informed my costumers that meetings in my house will be put off for the upcoming week.”

You sigh, a mix of disappointment in yourself and frustration.

“I’m really sorry. I know I shouldn’t call and drive but-“ You groan in frustration, bringing your knees to your chest and burying you head into your hands. “I just didn’t realise deers can waltz into your property.”

You fling your hand forward in frustration. “Just my luck.”

It’s silent for a moment and you grow nervous thinking Pantalone might be mad. When you lift your head up from your knees you look up at him.

He has one of his hands under his chin. He appears to be lost in thought, slightly frowning and lips pursed.

“Pantalone?”

His head moves to turn towards you. His frown turns into a soft smile and he puts his hand on your knee. “Just thinking.”

He continues, “I’ll make sure to fix everything for you. In the meantime, take some time to rest, my dear. I shall be here if you need anything.”

You nod and he stands up, patting your knee affectionately before he disappears back into the corridor.

As much as his presence calms you, you have a certain feeling of dread.

You’re missing something.

You try to sum up last night’s events one more time.

Date, he doesn’t show up, you decide to go to Pantalone instead of home, you cant reach him, you leave a voicemail… He calls back and you crash when you adjust your volume.

Why did you adjust your volume?

The background noise.

Right, you adjusted the volume and looked away, but you didn’t crash into the tree immediately. Something ran from the woods into the street, right where you were riding.

You remember vaguely getting out of the car, but you’re uncertain.

‘At least I’m not hurt.’

When you try to go back to sleep you find yourself unable to. A vague imagine of a mangled body comes up in your mind over and over again.

You sit up and hoist the covers from your form.

Pantalone always favored exported silk and rich feathered blankets and pillows. When you step out of his bed you’re met with the cruel winter cold.

It’s almost enough to keep you forever in his bed.

But curiosity takes over your body and you find yourself walking over to the window.

The curtains are closed but you lift one side.

In the sunlight the main road is visible up till it reaches the gate.

Your car is gone,

But you see the long trail of blood on the street.

The imagine of the mangled woman pops up in your head once more. Her dirty and worn out clothes, her leg that had been twisted at an inhumane angle, her bones that stuck out from beneath her skin.

“Y/n.”

You let the curtain fall from your grasp and you turn around.

Another flash pops up in your mind. You remember the man that walked up to you with the flashlight, the other people who Pantalone yelled at, the way the woman started begging for her life when one of the men crushed her skull with his boot.

Two hands place themselves sturdy on your shoulders. You snap out of your shock and you jolt backwards, or you try to. Pantalone’s hands keep you in place.

His expression is calm, friendly, as ever. His eyes remain closed and he users you back to his bed, telling you that you’re still unwell and that you need rest.

You ask him about the woman.

“My dear, whatever you think you saw, you brain is shaken from the crash. When I, alone, came to your car you were already passed out. I ended up calling one of my friends who works as a vet to pick up the dead dear and another friend to take your car away.”

He gently brushes his fingers from your forehead to your cheek before placing them at his side once more.

“The doctors already told me something like this might happen.”

He looks solemnly down at you.

“That, my dear, is why you should stay here. I can take care of you until you’re healed.”

You nod your head. It’s slow and unsure, but you nod and place your trust in Pantalone. You’ve been friends for so long… He wouldn’t lie to you.

You laugh shortly.

“Why would there be a woman running around at night on your property anyways.”

He opens his eyes halfway.

“Right.”

[kpforpresident]

Clexaweek Day 6: workplace romance 🌱

Plant shop AU. Or, an AU of an AU. 

collab with @thecrimsonknight, the link to the beautiful moodboard that they made is here.

It had been raining all day. Fat streams of rainwater poured off of the dark green eve that sagged defeatedly under the sheer weight of rain, the tinny plink plink plink of drops hitting the metallic gutter echoing under the door frame as they soared through the humid mid-July air. Puddles splashed merrily under harried car wheels as they rushed by the street corner where Lexa’s cozy shop sat, hunched figures under black umbrellas milling about the street corners as people hastily tried to get from their point A to point B relatively dry. A city that sat nestled in the PNW, Polis was no stranger to wet, gray days or foggy cool mornings. However, this summer had been particularly rainy, long weather forecasts of dreary little clouds sitting like sullen soldiers on Lexa’s weather app no matter how often she refreshed and hoped for a crack of sunshine in the little line of weather emojis. 

Lexa fidgeted impatiently on her stool, hands clasping and unclasping in front of her and she fought the urge to reach out and straighten the spool of twine that sat primly next to her favorite gardening shears. Chancing one more glance at the slim gold watch that sat clasped around her left wrist, she sighed as she gave up and straightened from her boredom-induced slump, feeling her spine pop slightly as she unfolded from the rickety little stool to standing. 

This chick has two more minutes, and then I’m locking the door and going home to watch trash TV and eat dollar ramen noodles, Lexa thought absentmindedly as she drummed her fingers on the battered workbench, watching the secondhand slowly tick towards 4:02. This is the last fucking time you hire one of Raven’s friends- just because she’s Anya’s girlfriend doesn’t mean that you have to let this weird ass best friend nepotism stand- remember what happened when you hired Octavia’s brother to build shelving? That was an entire shitshow… Lexa snarked internally as she wandered through the rows of cut flowers, straightening a wilting tulip as her eyes darted against her will again towards the door and the unrelenting deluge outside. Blurry figures continued to rush by, heads toward the ground, shoulders hunched as they all moved in a coordinated, practiced dance borne of many, many rainy days. 

A whole sixty seconds goes by as she stares silently at the thin hand, finally letting her mouth slip into a frown when her expectant gaze darts towards the door to see….no one. Lexa finally let her shoulders slump minutely, hands dropping from where she had been fussing with an all-green bouquet arrangement. Turning the trimmed piece of eucalyptus over and over in her fingers, Lexa turned to the back of the shop and prepared to grab her coat and trudge home once again, mentally preparing for the soggy walk three blocks home to her small albeit cozy apartment. 

As she twisted the eucalyptus branch over again in her fingers, she heard the cheery tinker of her door chime, followed by the door flinging open. Lexa was turning around, warm customer service smile plastered onto her face as the human embodiment of a tsunami bounded through the glass door. 

Lexa felt the smile fall in abject horror off of her stunned face as the same whirlwind promptly swept into the shop and managed to place their foot perfectly into a plate-sized puddle just beside the door mat, arms and legs pinwheeling spectacularly as her feet skidded out from under her. 

She hit the ground with a loud whump, followed by a soft oof as the girl sat up slowly, painfully. Colorful swear words poured from her lips unceasingly as Lexa watched her flex various body parts with increasing confidence among finding the movements absent of pain, clearly going through an inventory of all of her working limbs post- tumble.  

Lexa crouched down hesitantly, trying her best to gather the pile of cream-colored papers that had flown from her hands like feathers from a split pillow as the stranger had crashed to the floor of her shop. Sheath of papers finally gathered into a messy stack, Lexa looked up, mouth opening involuntarily as she accidentally locked gazes with the bluest set of eyes she’d ever encountered. 

“I- you- you wouldn’t happen to be Clarke, would you?” Lexa managed to croak out after a long moment, where the stranger- Clarke- slowly staggered to her feet with a small wince, free hand rubbing where her hip had made contact with the concrete floor as she nodded in confirmation. Clarke’s other hand tentatively extended to take the stack of what Lexa now realized were art sketches, a small smile breaking across her face like the sun after a rainstorm as their fingers brushed slightly. Lexa absently mirrored her expression, eyes widening slightly as she did so. She flexed her hand as she retreated to behind the workbench, managing to settle onto her stool without looking like too much of a dunce. 

Raven, in typical menace fashion, had neglected to mention that her artist friend that Lexa had hired to paint a mural on the blank back wall of her studio, was shockingly, jaw droppingly attractive. Not that Lexa should’ve been surprised. Raven, with her warm brown eyes, flawless skin, and shimmering black hair, could’ve walked straight out of a playboy version of a Mechanics Monthly, even covered in car oil and grease as she usually was when she came home from work from the small shop she owned with Lincoln just outside of Polis. Lincoln’s fiance Octavia was similarly stunning, with sharp cheekbones and a muscular figure, dark eyes cunning and softened by a perfect pouting mouth. Lincoln clearly felt similarly, his gaze becoming soft and dreamy when Octavia would stride into the shop in her free time, a gym bag slung over her shoulder on her way home from the boxing studio that she co-owned with Anya. 

Lexa shouldn’t have been shocked that Clarke looked like a Botachelli angel, curves enclosed perfectly in a dark wash pair of jeans, a faded t-shirt slouching perfectly on her shorter frame, but still she floundered for words as the bright cerulean gaze met hers expectantly, Clarke hobbling forward to spread her cache of doodles across Lexa’s desk. Lexa tried not to drool obnoxiously as a pair of worn Doc Martens came into view at the bottom of her field of vision. 

Sappho, give me strength, Lexa thinks frantically, heart beating a tempo against her ribcage as her fingers tap the wooden desk nonsensically, desperately, as a wave of sweet perfume engulfs her when Clarke shifts slightly to tuck a graphite pencil behind her ear, shimmering waves of blonde hair tumbling out from a harried braid. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Clarke blurts out apologetically, tracing her finger over a smudge of charcoal in the lower corner of the topmost sketch. Lexa was already shaking her head before her brain engaged, dismissing Clarke’s wavered apology before it had fully passed her lips. 

“It’s totally fine, Clarke” Lexa soothes as she darted her gaze down to appraise the charcoal lines that Clarke had spread as a silent offering in front of her, sentence petering off slowly as she leaned closer to appreciate the drawings. ‘“These- these are amazing, Raven mentioned that you left your pre-med track to go to art school downtown after your dad died?” 

Clarke nods silently, chewing on a rose colored lip as her thumb smoothed over a sketch of an apple blossom, a feathery fern bending effortlessly in the background. Lexa notes the slight tension in her shoulders at the mention of her father and steers the conversation to safer waters, hair falling out of its tired bun as she bends over the drawings to examine them in more detail. She’s so entranced by the sketches she doesn’t see Clarke’s gaze trace over her figure, lingering on how Lexa’s lips purse in thought as she traces a reverent finger over a very realistic tulip bud. 

“I mean, I love them all,” Lexa concludes helplessly as she runs a thoughtful hand through her hair, chancing a glance up at Clarke, who happens to be gazing at Lexa from her higher vantage point at the same time. “I would love for you to paint any of them on the wall, I’d love to just let you go wild. I’m happy to pay for whatever paint you need on top of your base rate for your time, I know it’s a big wall.”

Lexa can feel her cheeks go crimson as they lock eyes again, standing awkwardly to gesture uselessly at the large white wall that borders the back of her store, decorated only by a small floral fridge on the far right side. 

“I- do you like italian food?” Clarke blurts out from somewhere behind her shoulder, Lexa turning incredulously to be met with a twin set of flaming pink cheeks. “Can I buy you dinner, and we can sketch out the mural? Is that ok? Is that breaking some sort of client contractor rule? Because I already swore to Rae that I wouldn’t fuck this up, because Anya’s essentially your sister and all–” 

“I’d love to get dinner with you, Clarke.” 

///

Four months later when Clarke finally puts the finishing touches on the mural, they celebrate with takeout Italian food and champagne on the floor of the little flower shop.

[rxgueone]

TIME

Word count: 5,107

Summary: Austin’s a single father of his six year old daughter with a butler. He decides to hire a nanny to help around the house with his butler. The new nanny, who is a young college student, begins to make moves on Austin. Until things go south between the two.

Warnings: fluff, awkward dad Austin, single father, Austin is a widow, angst (?), loyal Austin, (mf is a loyal husband), manifestation

Tags: none.

Note: I guess this is… a continuation of INTERVIEW because why the hell not lmao. I loved writing that story so why not. Idfk what’s up with Tumblr but this app has been deleting fuckin paragraphs. So if things are missing. I apologize.

MASTERLIST — SERIES

—

Austin leaned back against the chair, looking at his computer. His hands were resting on the table, with his legs spread apart as he sat. He wore a black tank top with denim jeans, buckled with a brown leather belt, finished with white socks. Behind him was his six year old daughter, Leia.

She was holding a toy in her hand. It was her blue 1969 Mustang Mach One replica, something Austin had bought for her as a birthday gift. It was her favorite toy due to it being Austin’s favorite car. Not to mention, it looked just like his car.

Fredrick, his butler. Had been watching Leia quietly, making sure she was being safe. Austin could hear his little girl talking to her dog. “Serpent Serpent Serpent.” She repeated the dogs name. Austin looked back at the duo, seeing the Doberman having his head on her lap. Leia was leaning over Serpent’s head, her arms wrapped around his head, hugging him. She quickly kissed his head, and the dog’s little tail was wagging.

Austin looked back at his computer, his gray eyes focused on the screen. Fredrick had walked past Leia and Serpent, standing behind Austin. “Honestly Butler, I don’t know why you’re looking for a nanny when you have me.” Fredrick mumbled, a twinge of annoyance in his tone. He felt as if he was getting replaced.

“Yeah but it can’t just be you taking care of this whole mansion. I’m sure you need help. Plus,” Austin looked back at Fredrick, “Leia needs a female figure in her life. All she has is…” he trailed off, looking at Serpent, himself, then Fredrick, “guys.”

“Still.” Fredrick looked at the screen. “Oh, for Gods Sakes Austin.” He rubbed the back of his head.

“Daddy’s right.” Leia commented, causing Fredrick to look back at her. “Freddie needs a friend!” She got up to walk over to Austin. Trying her best to climb onto his lap. He had leaned down to pick her up, placing her down on his lap, and she scooted back until her back pressed against his chest.

“See?” Austin grinned arrogantly at Fredrick. “Leia agrees. She wants a nanny.”

Fredrick groaned from annoyance, rubbing his temples as if he was getting a headache. Letting out a sigh, he looked through the window of Austin’s office. May as well give in. He’s too stubborn for his own good. “I bet the young neighbor across the street could be her nanny.” He gave into the idea. “I’m sure you’d pay her handsomely.” He added.

Austin said nothing but look through the window. He felt his daughter fiddling with his fingers, holding his golden band on his left hand, making it twist around his ring finger. Austin blinked his eyes, then got off the chair, holding his daughter in his arms.

She wrapped one arm around his neck, looking forward as he walked towards the window. Fredrick had followed closely behind, Serpent following them as well. Austin stared through the window, cocking up a brow. “What do you think, sweetheart?” He asked Leia. “You think the neighbor will be a good nanny?”

“Mhm mhm.” She nodded eagerly, looking at Austin with her brown eyes. She wrapped her arms around Austin’s neck fully, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Alright sweetie.” He gave a nod. Looking over at Fredrick. “How old is she anyways?” He asked.

“She looks to be in college, sir.”

Austin kept a brow quirked up. Questioning if this was a good idea. A nanny in college only meant trouble for him. But if it was what Leia wanted, then so be it.

Later that day, Leia had taken her nap. Fredrick watching over her, and Serpent had laid beside her bed like usual. His eyes remained open, watching after the little girl.

Austin walked over to Fredrick who stood by Leia’s bedroom. He fiddled with his golden band, standing in front of Austin. He was gonna go to his neighbor, requesting if she could watch after his daughter and the house when he was off doing whatever his job needed him to do. “You’re gonna ask her in that?” Fredrick looked Austin up and down.

He wore a tank top, a tight one that seemed to hug his abdomen perfectly. Austin was a gym bro sure, but the guy was jacked. His abdomen was flexed naturally. Due to his tank top, Fredrick could see every muscle of his. Not to mention, he wore black slacks, and a black belt.

Austin quirked a brow up. “I always wear this.” He said in a confused tone. He found tank tops to be comfortable. At times he’d just wear them with a blazer over it to look nice.

Fredrick and him walked down the stairs of the mansion to the first floor. Fredrick guided Austin to the front door. “Y’know,” Austin started, “you’re my butler. You’re gonna start coming to shoots with me, since she’ll have a nanny now.” Austin grabbed the doorknob of the front door, a smirk plastered on his face.

“Do you even know what you’re gonna say?” Fredrick asked, his hands remaining at his sides.

“Sure. Just gonna ask if she has a job and if not. She could work for me. I’ll pay her, cash up front.” He shrugged it off as he stepped out the house.

Fredrick groaned, rolling his eyes at Austin. Watching his boss walk past the driveway then to the side walk. Austin looked both ways before crossing the street to his neighbors house. Fredrick watched quietly. “That boy is… ugh, he gives me such a headache.” Closing the door, he had walked back towards Leia’s room.

Hearing three knocks on the door. “I’ll get it!” The girl inside called to her parents, running up to the door. She quickly pulled it open, seeing a tall blonde in front of her. He had his hands in his pockets, his eyes looking her up and down.

She instantly recognized him. Austin Butler. Holy fuck it’s Austin Butler. “Hello.” He greeted her. She blinked, still trying to process it. She had known that he was her neighbor across the street, but she never thought he’d come to her house.

“H- hi.” She stammered, her face flushing from embarrassment due to her stammering.

“Honey, who is it?”

Austin kept still, tilting his head to peek into the house. “Oh it’s- it’s Mr. Butler! Our neighbor!” The girl answered. Austin blinked, wiping his nose then putting his hands back in his pockets. He could see an older woman and man walking towards the entrance.

Fred didn’t tell me she lived with her parents. Austin thought to himself, slightly annoyed. Maybe he didn’t know. He commented in his head. The idea had soothed the annoyance that had pricked up.

“Oh, Mr. Butler!” The older woman smiled. “You were in Masters of the Air right? My husband loves World War Two. And your show was so accurate, he really did love it.” Reaching her hand out to shake Austin’s. He took the offer and dipped his head to kiss the back of the older woman’s palm, pulling away from her.

“Yes, I did.” The husband nodded, slightly surprised from Austin’s actions. “You were great in that.” They smiled.

Austin dipped his head gratefully. “Thank you.” He started. “You three are?”

“Oh!” The woman exclaimed. “Excuse us. I’m Barbara, this is my husband Jim, and our daughter Maddie.” She pointed to all of them.

“Pleasure to meet all three of you.” Austin smiled, slipping his hands into his pockets. Maddie had been staring at Austin, seeming entranced.

“Do you need something, son?” Jim asked, curious as to why a famous actor such as Austin would even bother with them. Austin had rarely came out of the house on his own, only when he had to work. The only times when they’d spot the actor was when he was in his car with his daughter and butler.

“Oh, yeah,” Austin chuckled lowly, “see I have a little girl. And I need a nanny. I was just wonderin’ if your daughter had a job, and if not, she could come work for me. Y’know, watch after my little girl.” He had an enthusiastic tone. With a charming smile across his face.

“Oh,” Barbara blinked, surprised by the offer, as she looked back at Maddie, “well Maddie?”

An offer to work for Austin Butler? No shit I’ll take it. Without any hesitation she nodded. “When do I start?” She asked him, accepting the offer.

Austin kept his smile, but leaned forward, his hands still in his pockets. “Whenever you want.”

“Can I start today?”

“Sure.” He nodded, and she squealed from excitement. “Just y’know, get a change of clothes. I’ll be out here when you’re ready.”

“Okay, awesome! Thank you.” She turned around, running up the stairs.

Barbara and Jim had looked at their daughter. Then back at Austin. “By the way Mr. Butler,” Barbara said, catching his attention. “I’m sorry for what happened to your wife.” She sympathized. “How old was your little one?”

“She was two when Rose passed away.” Austin answered. “But, it’s alright. We see her just about every day still.” He smiled weakly, his own heart sank a bit when the death of his beautiful wife was mentioned. Barbara gave a nod, frowning in sympathy.

Maddie had walked down the stairs, wearing a thin t-shirt with some denim shorts. Austin looked at her, then at the couple. “I believe your daughter is ready.” He commented with a smile. “Well, I’ll cya Barbara and Jim.” He dipped his head in goodbyes, turning his back on them. He didn’t want to look at Maddie, she was wearing thin clothes, so thin he could see her breasts, and he thought about how much trouble he’d be in.

Maddie had bid her goodbyes. Her parents kissing her forehead, encouraging her. Austin stood at the sidewalk, hands by his side, waiting for Maddie to arrive. She walked over to him, looking at his broad shoulders. She had noticed that he had the physique of a swimmer, broad shoulders but a small waist.

“I’m ready, Mr. Butler.” She said, walking up to his side. She looked closely at his face. He had an unshaven stubble, wearing a chain necklace with the letter ‘R’ on it. She looked at his hand, seeing his wedding ring. There’s no way he loves a dead woman.

“Aight lets go.” He said once the street was clear. They walked side by side, she looked down at his shoes. Seeing cowboy boots, his shoe size looked abnormally big.

Opening the front door of his house, he walked in. Seeing Leia, Serpent, and Fredrick standing by the door. They had been waiting for him. “Daddy!” Leia squealed, running up to him. He leaned down, scooping her up into his arms. “Where have you been?” She asked him.

“With your nanny, see?” He looked at Maddie, who enthusiastically waved at Leia. Leia looked at Maddie, waving at her, then hid her head against her father’s neck. “Sorry,” he looked at Maddie as he carried Leia, “bit shy.” He apologized.

Serpent had walked up to Maddie, sniffing her, then stepping away to fall to Austin’s side. Looking up at Leia to make sure she was okay. Fredrick reached his hand out, and Maddie shook it. “I’m Fredrick, the butler. It’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Maddie.”

“Pleasure to meet you Maddie.” He nodded. Fredrick wore a tailcoat tuxedo, despite being a few decades older than Austin. Fredrick looked fit, he looked young and decent if she had ignored his slicked back metallic hair.

For Leia, Maddie saw that she had blonde hair like her father, but brown eyes. She had assumed this was due to his ex wife having brown eyes. She had dimples, and clung to her father as if there was no tomorrow. Leia had her hair tied up in little buns, and she looked like Princess Leia from Star Wars.

Maddie was curious if Leia was named after her. But didn’t want to ask, thinking it was too rude. “It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Maddie.” Fredrick started, gaining Maddie’s attention.

“Oh- yeah!” She chuckled shyly. “It’s amazing.” She saw Austin put Leia down on the ground, holding both of her little hands in his. He was whispering something to her.

“Knowing Mr. Butler, I’m sure you start today at this very moment.” Fredrick side eyed Austin. “I’ll take you on a tour of the place.”

Whilst on the tour, Fredrick took her to the kitchen. On the kitchen counter was a photo of Austin’s late wife, Rose. Maddie had noticed that Rose had brown hair, she was beside Austin, kissing his cheek.

Maddie for some reason felt a twang of disgust just by looking at their photo. But, there was photos of Rose every where in the house. She had gotten the hint that perhaps Austin wasn’t over his ex wife, that he was still deeply in love with her.

But he’s single now… she started in her head, he’s been single… but he’s up for grabs. He’s Austin Butler, rich and famous. I’d do anything to get with a man like that. She thought to herself. Smiling a bit as she kept looking at the photo. Sorry Rose.

“You comin.” She heard a raspy voice, seeing Fredrick waiting for her to go to his side.

She caught up with him. “Sorry, I just noticed there’s a lot of photos of him and his ex wife.” She commented.

Fredrick glanced at her, his brow perked up. Calling Rose his ex wife is rather insulting. Just for that, Fredrick didn’t like the girl, at all. “Yes of course, he loves his wife. They were both incredibly happy, and were married for a decade until she unfortunately passed.” Fredrick agreed with her. “Rose- she’s the love of his life.” He added quietly. “She hired me just before she passed away.”

So Austin married her when he was 20? He must’ve been confident in their love. But, Maddie was also curious as to why Fredrick was hired. “Why?”

“She wanted someone to look after her hooligan.” He chuckled lowly, shaking his head in amusement.

—

Austin was sitting with his daughter, she was looking up at him. Touching his stubble. “Your face is rough, daddy.” She commented as her little hands kept patting his face.

“Do you not like it, sweetheart?” He chuckled in amusement.

“Noo!” She whined, shaking her head.

“What should daddy do then?” He cooed, smiling at his daughter.

“Take- take it off.” She kept brushing his stubble. “Take off your hair. It’s rough.” Her little hands pat his face. “It’s spikey, and rough.” She put her hands back onto his. “When you kiss it hurts!”

“You want daddy to take it off?” His voice was surprisingly high pitched. Maddie poked her head into the office of Austin Butler, seeing him playing with daughter. Their dog, Serpent, was right behind Austin. His body curled in a comfortable sleeping position.

“Take it off, daddy.”

“Alright sweetheart, daddy will take it off.” He promised. She squealed happily, standing up in front of him. Serpent had woken up, looking at the little girl. She toddled over to Serpent, sitting in front of him.

Austin smiled as he watched his little girl. Keeping his hand on her head. She leaned down to cup Serpent’s face, feeling his saliva on her fingers. “Eww Serpent!” She giggled, kicking her little feet in the air. “You’re all slobbery.” She leaned down to hug Serpent’s face. The dog licked at her face, and she smiled brightly. “Serpent!” She called his name, wanting the dog to stop. “Stinky breath.”

Maddie kept watching the two. Fredrick walked past her and into the office casually, surprising Maddie. Austin got up, looking at Fredrick. “I gotta shave. Watch her for me will you Fred?”

“Of course sir.” Fredrick promised.

Austin walked past Fredrick, looking at Maddie who was at the door. “Sup Maddie.” He flicked his head to her, a charming smile flashed on his face before he went to the bathroom. Just with that, Maddie felt her heart pretty much explode. Her adrenaline high, with her face flushed as all of hell.

Maddie watched after him in silence, following him to the bathroom. You could do with some help. She saw the bathroom door left open, seeing him get his electric razor. His body was leaned over the sink. “Do you need help shaving Mr. Butler?” Maddie asked as she walked in the bathroom.

“Oh no, it’s alright.” He brushed it off.

“You sure?” She stood by his, arm brushing up against his. He glanced at her, confused for a moment as he brought the razor to his face.

“No, I’m quite alright.” He smirked a bit before trimming his stubble.

“Well, I was just wondering. Since I’m the nanny and all.” She kept close to him.

Austin nodded his head in understanding. “I get that ma’am.” He emphasized the ma’am. “You’re the nanny. Not the wife.” His gray eyes darkened, eyes narrowing at Maddie. “So, I’m quite alright.”

“Right, sorry Mr. Butler.” She gulped down, stepping away from him.

After awhile, Austin had came back to greet his daughter. He had sat down on the floor of his office with her. She was playing with her toy cars. “Vrooom!” She hummed as she played with her Mustang. She looked up at Austin then, seeing how he sat beside her.

“Hey baby.” He cooed, and she smiled the moment she saw him. She had crawled into his lap, her doe eyes looking at his clean shaven face.

“What- what happened?” She asked innocently, as she cupped his face in her little hands. “It’s all gone.”

“Yeah daddy shaved his face.” Austin grinned at his little girl.

“Woah!” She giggled in amazement. “Your- your face is soft.” She kept patting all over his face with such an innocent smile. Austin couldn’t help but soften his gaze around her.

“You told me to shave, bubba.” He cooed. She couldn’t help but grin at her father. “How do I look sweetheart?”

“Handsome.” She wrapped her arms around his neck to rest her head on his shoulder, wanting her father to hug her. “You look beautiful daddy.” She looked at his face, her small fingers still feeling how smooth his face was.

“I look beautiful? Thank you, love.”

“I love you~!” She hummed, squealing happily.

“I love you too, sweets.” He kissed the side of her head. Looking back to see Fredrick smiling at the two, Maddie staying by his side.

—

‘The boss’s office, is off limits.’ Fredrick warned. ‘Only his close friends can come in.’

Well everyone is asleep now, so who cares. She brushed Fredrick’s warning off. Maddie stared at Austin’s office. He had left the door open, and she looked back at Leia’s room. The door was also left open, with Serpent the Doberman sitting at the entrance.

Maddie crept into the office of Austin Butler. She looked at his desk, seeing a photo of his family. He had a bright smile on his face, his hand intertwined with his ex wife Rose, who was leaning against his shoulder, a gentle smile plastered on her face. Between them was Leia, her blonde hair was tied in two buns, and she was holding her father’s hand, Rose holding her other.

They look… happy. Walking towards the desk, she opened a drawer. She was met with a singular locket and a pair of glasses, as well as a box with what seemed to be holding a ring. She leaned down to grab the box with a ring inside, she opened the box. It was a wedding ring, a beautiful wedding ring. It was a silver band that was covered in diamonds. In the box was a small note, written. ‘I love you so much, Rose. Thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin. Will you marry me.’ Without thinking, she took the ring out of the case. Slipping it onto her finger, it was a perfect fit. She smiled a bit. Married to Austin Butler wouldn’t be so bad. Bearing his children would be such a bliss. She continued in her head. Finally, she put the ring back in the box.

She closed the box, putting it back in the drawer. She felt jealous just by reading that little note. Then she reached over to the locket that laid beside the box. She unclipped it, opening the locket. It was a photo of Austin and Rose, his lips were pressed against her cheek with a bright smile on his face. The left side of the locket had Serpent and his little girl, with Fredrick crouched beside the pair with a bright smile.

He must love his family a lot. She closed the locket. Wouldn’t be so bad if I was maybe apart of that family. Closing the drawer of the desk. She looked around, seeing the toys that were left on the ground.

—

Austin had sat on his chair by the desk. His eyes staring at the photo he had of Rose and him. Opening the drawer of the desk, he stared down at it. Noticing how it looked different than the way he left it. He nibbled on his lower lip, annoyed. Fred wouldn’t go through my things. Unless that chic did. He grabbed the box with Rose’s wedding ring, opening it. He stared at the ring, anger boiling inside of him. Aint no fuckin way. He thought to himself. The ring inside the case was crooked. That bitch!

—

Maddie had been trudging around the house. Bored as hell. Fredrick took care of mostly everything as far as she could tell. He cleaned the house, and would at times walk the dog.

Serpent for some odd reason didn’t like Maddie. Whenever he saw her he would growl and bark like there was no tomorrow, seeing her as some sort of threat.

She walked down to the garage, looking at the cars Austin owned. She could see a blue 1969 Mach One Mustang, it looked just like the one that Leia would carry around with her.

She saw a few other cars that she didn’t recognize, as well as a motorcycle. Outside in the yard, was Austin Butler. What is he doing? She questioned. Approaching him, she saw Leia was with him. Playing with her Mustang. “Vroooom!” She sang, pushing the toy car around.

Austin was shirtless. She could see sweat dripping down his brow, covering his chest. He was leaning over his sports car, which was yet another mustang. She saw a cobra badge on the mustang, and GT500 was painted on the side of the car.

“Hey Mr. Butler,” she greeted him.

He looked back at her, breathing heavily. She could see that his fingers were black from the grease. Not to mention, his abdomen was covered in grease. It was evident that he had been wiping his hands off on his abs. “Hey Maddie.” He flicked his head, instantly looking back down in the hood.

“Whatcha working on?” She asked him, standing by his side.

“The shifting is a bit y’know,” he breathed out, “bit rough.” He bit his lower lip. He looked back at his daughter, seeing his Doberman sniffing at the grass in the driveway. Before turning around to face the three, he ran back to Leia’s side. Growling at Maddie already, his canines showed.

“Oi, Serpent. Not right now boy.” Austin said to the dog. Serpent hushed immediately, sitting beside Leia. Austin looked at Maddie, confused. “Wonder why he hates you.” He had a sarcastic tone, knowing damn well what Serpent was seeing in her.

“Me too.” She glanced back at the dog, clearly not catching onto to the sarcasm as she then stared at Austin. She brushed her side against his. “Want me to help you with this? Or get you a towel to wipe the sweat off your brow.” Her hand rubbed his arm that was resting on the hood of the car.

“No. I’m fine.” He said in a harsh tone. “Rather get Fredrick to help me.” He looked back down at the hood, leaning over to screw something in.

“Why Fredrick? Because he’s a man?” Maddie had a defensive tone.

Austin immediately turned to face her, his gray eyes darkened. “No, because he’s like a father, and knows about cars. Unlike you. You clearly don’t know anything about cars.” He growled lowly, not wanting his daughter to hear how he was treating the new nanny.

“I do too.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the year of this car. The engine size. The horsepower. The model.”

“…” Maddie fell quiet. “Well-“ she started, “-it’s a Ford Mustang. GT-five-hundred. Cobra.” Her voice was shaky, unsure. Austin nodded his head, wanting her to continue. “Erm…” she trailed off.

“Excuse me,” she heard a diligent tone, swishing around, it was Fredrick. He had glanced at Maddie, “I apologize for the intrusion Mr. Butler.”

“No worries, Fred.” Fredrick could see the relief on his friends face. It was obvious that this bimbo of a nanny was annoying his boss.

“But here you are sir,” he handed Austin an envelope, “invitation to the Met.”

“Oh shoot.” Austin blinked, looking at the envelope.

“And to answer your question. This is a twenty-fourteen Cobra slash Shelby GT-five-hundred, Ford Mustang. With six-hundred horsepower.” Fredrick side eyed Maddie, turning away to leave them both alone. “C’mon Leia, lets go.” He called to the little girl.

She looked up at Austin, to see if she had permission to leave her father alone. “Go on, love.”

“Bye daddy!” She waved bye at him, running to Fredrick, then held his hand. Serpent trailing behind the little girl, barking softly as he fell to her side. Fredrick held Leia’s toy, and Leia placed her hand on Serpent’s side. “Serpent, do you wanna play hide and seek later?” Austin heard his daughter innocently ask the dog, as if he was a human who could talk.

Austin watched the trio before looking at Maddie. “You’re her nanny y’know, you should be watching her.” He retorted before looking back at the car.

“Oh c’mon Austin,” she grabbed both of his hands, slipping in front of him. Her tone was suggestive, and she wasn’t hiding her intentions. She wanted to gain his attention. Austin stepped back, “you’re the Austin Butler. An incredibly talented and famous actor. You’ve been single for so long, don’t you want some fun?” She rubbed his arms. “I could be her step mother.” She suggestively said.

Austin glared at her, his face distorting in disgust. “I’m married.” He calmly said, pushing her hands away from his. “Happily. Married.” He added lowly. “She has a mother, and that’s Rose.”

“You’re not married.” Maddie cupped his face, forcing him to look at her eyes. “You’re clearly lost, and grieving, but Austin you’re single. You’ve been single. Just let go of her.” She tried her best to convince Austin to let go of his past. Moving so close to Austin that her breasts were pressed against his chest, her hips were rubbing against the front of his jeans. “You’ve got me, a young fling.”

Austin stared down at her with a blank face. “No.” He grabbed her hands, forcing them to pull away from his face. “I’ve got a fuckin’ wife. Maddie. I’m married. I never divorced her. I’m married. I got a daughter, a butler, and a dog.” He lowered his voice, so low it sounded like he was going to murder her. “I’m not gonna fuckin’ ruin that. Yes, Rose passed away. But I am still deeply in love with her. I dream of her every night. You’ve seen the photos of my wife everywhere in the house.” He stepped away from her. His voice firm, he knew what he was saying. He was confident in himself. “Fuck off Maddie. You’re the fuckin’ nanny. That’s all you are. A nanny. You ain’t Rose. You ain’t my wife.”

“Aus-“

“It’s Mr. Butler,” he grabbed her arms to push her away from the car, “and don’t touch my car.” He snapped angrily. “The only person allowed to call me Austin is my daughter and my butler. This isn’t personal darling, this is professional! So get your shit together and stop tryna fuck me.”

She had resisted Austin. Moving in front of him, her back rubbing against the front of the car. With her hands on Austin’s bare chest. “What- so Fredrick. Someone who works for you, can call you by your name? But I can’t? I work for you too.”

“Fredrick has watched over me since forever, Maddie. He’s like my father. He lives with me. You don’t, frankly. But he does. And my wife hired him.” He stood his ground. Craning his head towards Maddie’s face. “I’m not ruining my marriage for fucking some college whore.”

“Oh, so that’s how you see me?” She flinched, hurt from the comment.

“Yeah. Now get out of my fuckin’ face. I don’t wanna see you ever again.” He shoved her away from the car. Stumbling back, she had almost fell on the ground. “I don’t have time for your games. Not when I got a little girl.”

“Austin you can’t fire-“

“I’ll get the dog. I swear to god, Maddie. Leave!” He shouted.

“You wouldn’t-“ she was interrupted with a whistle. A wolf call. And in seconds she could hear barking coming from the house, and could see the dog running out of the garage.

Austin snapped his fingers, pointing to the floor. Serpent understood the command. Heel. And his body pressed against Austin’s side, looking up at him. “Leave.” He threatened her, and Maddie had walked away. Serpent watched after Maddie, growling lowly. “Good boy Serpent.” He leaned down to pat the dogs head. “I should’ve listened to you, buddy.” Kissing Serpent’s head. “You’re far more intelligent than I am, bubba.”

He cupped Serpent’s face. “Good boy bubba, good boy.” He cooed.

[wardingoffevil]

Carl as a Dad

Okay… I may have enjoyed this more than I thought I would. We all know Carl doesn’t want children. The thought literally triggers an anxiety attack, but I think he would gradually come into his journey.

📱 Carl is absolutely beside himself when he finds out he’s going to be a father. He is mostly full of fear and apprehension. He has the nervous sweats, nauseous, almost passes out. Luckily for him, he has his inhaler for emergencies.

📱 After many, many efforts of calming him down, he manages to come to terms with it and is incredibly supportive.

📱 He buys every single pregnancy and fatherhood book that he can find. Literally every. single. book.

📱 He hires an interior designer to design his nursery. He’s already stressed out, Chelsea will only make it worse.

📱 Carl will only have one child. A son.

📱 All of his son’s milestones are kept in a baby album. His firsts are all dated and timed. Carl likes to believe his son is hitting them before other children in his age group, and that makes him incredibly proud.

📱 You can bet that there are multiple albums in his photos app of his son. He even has pictures of him in his business office and home office.

📱 Carl likes to run ideas by his son, even if his son can’t talk yet.

📱 Yes, Carl is very involved in his life. His son goes to the best schools with the best education. It wouldn’t surprise me if Carl’s son is a prodigy.

📱 They enjoy takeout and movies. Catch them nerding out to Marvel movies, Star Wars, Star Trek, and any kind of futuristic movies! Yes, Cosplaying will happen.

📱Carl hires someone to teach his son to drive because he is scared his son will wreck his car.

📱 Listening to Carl talk about dating with his son is funny because he’s so nervous and stuttering. He ends up just sending him a link to a Youtube video.

📱 Carl tears up at his son’s graduation. He only cries when he gets home and is alone in his office. He saw his baby picture and sat in disbelief of how he’s grown.

📱 Carl’s son is very involved in his dad’s company. Carl teaches him everything. One day he will inherit the company. So, his son attends university to get his business degree.

📱 Fatherhood and babies was enough to make Carl sick. After seeing his son for the first time, he felt a warm feeling take over his heart. He vowed to be the type of father that he wished he’d had growing up. No one is more proud of their child than Carl. And no child is as lucky to have such a devoted father than Carl’s son.

Thanks for this request, anon! I did enjoy this. Sorry it took me a bit. I think Carl would be a great dad, but I understand his reservations. 🖤

[dollsonmain]

Yesterday some guy came in and got all flustered then asked me how tall I am. I was like ???? I'm short, man. He said I looked REALLY tall and I was like oh I'm up on a step. I don't know why it's set up that way, but the bull pit floor is about 6 inches higher than the rest of the store.

Maybe it's to make it more difficult for people to reach through the window and grab at the register or something.

Looooooooong boring work blather.

Yesterday Manager tasked me with finding space for another flavor of bagged mini donuts so I was out there like "There are already way too many varieties and they're all crammed in willy nilly... I'll have to take out these empty boxes and shift everything around." which I did. The space for Little Debbie snacks is relatively small. My best guestimate is that it's about 4ft tall, 1ft deep, and 3ft wide.

And then I found more of the ones I'd taken out stuck in the cooler.

She needs to order fewer varieties of things. There simply is not space for everything. Better inventory management would help, there, unless it's the vendor sending her just whatever, though I suspect it's poor inventory management because those are items that don't scan.

It would also help if there were actually a storage room somewhere. Little Debbie snacks shouldn't be refrigerated, it can cause the waxy chocolate coatings to separate and condensation to form inside the bags from the wet cakes being chilled.

-

Before getting hired I'd looked at reviews of the store which is how I knew to check the dates on the milks, and Google has this "activity tracker" that shows when the store is more or less busy, I guess, based on how long phones with a google app on them stick around the shop.

Monday is pretty typical, though the late-night activity is a little surprising.

I'm surprised that Tuesday is one of the busier days at the time that I'm usually there, but I don't get scheduled on Tuesday.

Wednesday looks like the best day to get things done, but I've not been there on Wednesday, either.

You know why Thursday looks like this?

It's not because it's particularly busy. It's because multiple vendors come in on Thursday right around that time and it takes time for them to get their product checked in, especially if there are lots of customers because they have to wait, and then for them to set up their product or wrangle it into the cooler for us to set up when we get to it. Their trucks in the way also slow down other people, though they're good about parking at the far end of the lot.

However, the far end of the lot, where a bank used to be, is being converted into a daycare center so there may not be room for them to do that once the center opens.

Fri, Sat, and Sun look about as I'd expect, and every weekday having a little spike around 7/8am is as expected, other than I would think Saturday night would be more active IF this gas station weren't kind of out in the middle of nowhere.

Manager had said that 4-6pm is the busiest time but that's not what these charts indicate. They show busiest overall is right around lunch time.

Anyway, I'm most interested in looking at the early hours because that's when I'm going to be there from now on afaik, and I like that it's pretty dead, tbh. Being busy makes the time go by, but not being so busy I can't get my tasks done makes shifts more satisfying.

I also don't know if I'm still going to be doing only 12 hours a week or getting more hours... My availability is like 5am to 3pm though I could come in earlier, and that's a goodly chunk of time, but she did say she doesn't like to schedule people for long hours because employees tend to get a little burnt out on dealing with customers if they're doing it for a long time. I might get more days.

If I end up working like 5am to 9am, I can also look for another part-time job somewhere in town that starts around 10/11am or so, if I can get a car.

[your-thorn]

[On Kidnapping and Its Application] {My Speculation and Opinion} Trigger warning for everything. For the yandere community. Block, don't report. Have a good day.

Chapter 2

Last chapter we discussed preparation in a half-hazardous way including aftercare, basic psychology, and some common sense. Here we will highlight one of these topics, and it will be common sense.

Common sense includes the various spectrum of knowledge allowed to everyone or known to a great many people, but can we really call this kind of knowledge common?

Firstly I'll discuss the obvious; employment for us can be spotty or spacey, this is to be expected. To find a job and stick with it can be the most draining thing, but is important to keeping your victim, especially if they are too disabled to keep a job or if you want them to stay at home.

I've heard of some companies using an AI to hire their employees and that there's a way around it (according to reddit, take this with a pinch of salt) by putting that they went to a big university of college (Harvard, Yale, whatever) but then made those words transparent so people can't see it, but the AI can.

Or the old method that companies use as well; lying. (Immediate termination is often the consequence as well as sometimes being blacklisted.)

Or just get a regular job. Your victim will likely not be working (unless you've already had communications with your victim and they have employment, then income won't be too much of an issue.) Even a minimum wage job would be better than nothing.

Make sure they live alone. If they live with their family/significant other then assume people are on alert, even when asleep. Assume every house has a self defense bat, mine does, so I assume every home has one or an equivalent. BE AWARE THAT PEOPLE DO CARRY BLADES/GUNS.

Transportation; a car or motor vehicle is often used. A quiet car would be best, if you don't have one then park your car some distance away before approaching the residence. Make sure you have a plan for getting your victim onto/into your vehicle without too much fussing about.

{Requested ADDITION EDIT OF SEPTEMBER 22 2023/ NOVEMBER 21 2023

How to keep your location a secret? In this day and age your location can be tracked just about anywhere, I have no cure all but I think turning off your phone's location at home is a good bet (because then your last recorded location was at your residence), learning the parts of the phone so you can just pop it out, or just leave it at home. Seriously, just leave it at home or get a burner, I don't know how this works or else I'd give better advise. (Sorry to those who think I'm a guru on this)

If you're stalking then do yourself a favor and look vague; hoodie, sunglasses, a hat, keep your distance. If you must listen in on the target's conversations then get one of those apps for amplifying noise. If you can insert yourself somewhere in your target's life, then do so, it will be easier to gain their trust this way (clubs or online communities are a good way, even if you aren't good at what's being done its better to try than to have never even had the possibility at all)}

[credit to...♡ @lonedarling ♡ for the suggestions]

Check for a security sign in front of the home, the sign will give you the company name, the company has a website, the website will give you information on how they rig the house (or a phone number to call and ask questions as a "potential buyer") granted, some areas (or countries) just don't have these. Use your common sense.

If no security sign is present, then assume these people will sleep lightly, tread with caution and make sure to take your shoes off to avoid excessive noises.

Distribute your weight evenly if they have genuine wood floors as that might create less noise.

!->First time you see the house is time for reconnaissance.<-!

Slip in a few times and get used to their home, walk around and get a feel for the place. Look at the brands they use, their trash, their medication... it is all useful cause then you can look online for the specific stores that carry those products.

!->People will often use a single store for their shopping needs.<-!

If their phone is just lying about... try to unlock it. If you've been paying attention then you have their password.

I purposely left out actually kidnapping them. That should be done in your way, using your mind, but I can add a tip or two if people request it... I won't let you guys flounder if I have a solution...

Now you all have some very useful knowledge... Next I shall discuss the psychology of your typical victim in more detail.

Fin of chapter 2

Author's note: you guys may have more info to add here, please do. I love you guys and I hope you guys have a good day. I'll make the next chapter soon.