#but this beautiful scenery? it lives rent free in my head lately | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

alluringjae · 4 years ago

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au cours de l’été - jjh

⤑ translation: over the summer

⤑ summary: this is a story of an exhausted painter who needed a breather from the hectic city life. so aside from moving to the countryside, the needed air in your lungs also came in the form of a person. this summer meant for pure relaxation, perhaps your heart may dive into him too.

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 15.2k (so much for saying that i’ll be writing shorter stories)

⤑ genre: fluff, romance, smut | author!jaehyun, painter!reader, strangers to lovers!au, 50s-60s!au, summer love in france!au

⤑ warnings: me inserting some french phrases because I want to practice (feel free to correct me if I made mistakes, i’ll appreciate them), fictional interpretations of real-life people, explicit language, jaehyun being such a romantic pls im in tears, mentions and scenes of burnout (the worst)

⤑ author’s note: this was an idea that just came to me after pinterest kept recommending me poetic beauty/try again jaehyun, so here we are! i intended to write less than 5k words but sometimes plans don’t go as planned once you really invest in the story yet i’m really happy how this turned out!

the romantic exhilaration in my bones are off the charts because this is jaehyun we’re talking about lol enjoy!

⤑ masterlist

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism, or hellos!

3 juin 1957

The city life overstimulated your entire system, losing your brainpower and inspiration. Another exhibition that’ll feature your works with other influential painters was happening at the end of the year, and you had nothing prepared so far. You’ve crashed to the deep end of creative fatigue.

So you needed to get away again; somewhere quieter and surrounded by nature.

That’s why you ended up in the countryside down south, somewhere within Provence. It’s purely just for the summer, but extensions were okay as long you get back at least a month before the show. Filing that leave of absence at the studio you worked at was worth it.

You rented an apartment overlooking the marketplace, where the heart of the village was. After arranging things from your boxes and luggage the entire day, you found out that you lacked in the food department.

So the succeeding day, the entire morning was spent on grocery shopping downstairs then stocking them inside your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Right after changing out of your pajamas into a flowy floral dress and sandals, you decided to bike to the bakery that locals suggested. A must-go place for newcomers, they all raved.

“Café des Étoiles Perdues.” (Café of Lost Stars.)

The clear chimes of the bell resounded through the small, cottage-like lobby as you entered inside. An old woman, whom you assumed was the owner, welcomed you openly.

“Oh la la, vous êtes belle! Vous vous appelez (Y/N), la nouvelle venue, n'est-ce pas?” (Oh la la, you’re beautiful. Your name is (Y/N), the newcomer, right?)

She complimented, making you shyly mutter your answer. Wiping off the flour from her apron, she introduced herself kindly.

“Je m’appelle Camille. Mes spécialités sont les macarons pisctaches et des croissants avec des amandes. Autre chose que tu aimes?” (I’m Camille. My specialties are the pistachio macarons and croissants with almonds. Is there anything else you like?)

“J'aime tout ce que vous suggères, Madame.” (I’d like anything that you suggest, Madame.)

A younger man, who went by Jaemin, was a part-timer barista who asked for your coffee order. As he directed you to the best seat of the café, which was outside overlooking the garden of blooming sunflowers, you pulled out your sketch pad so you could capture this dreamy view. It was nothing like you’ve ever seen in your life.

You’ve decided on a theme already for your exhibit thanks to your conversations with locals yesterday, which was related to freedom. After being chained to cities for so-called better living and financial standards, it’s actually how your inspiration to create squeezed the life out of you like a lemon. Although it was fun at first to see those tourist spots, it eventually got tiring.

Another matchstick to graze intensity through your bones was what you prayed for.

While you’re engaged in a rough sketch of the scenery, the dandy presence of a young man entered the café with his books. White shirt, red trousers with a matching beret, he sported freckles on his pale face. Despite visiting his favorite café numerously, Camille was overjoyed to see him and his serene smiles.

“Jaehyun! What brings you here?”

“Bonjour, Madame! I’m starving for your croissants because I ran out back home.”

“Not to worry! I’ll pack up some so you’re on your way.” She lightened him up like one of her kids, taking one of the bigger paper bags.

“No rush though, Madame. I’ll be reading and working here for a bit here.” Jaehyun affirmed, bringing it out his wallet and called out for Jaemin.

“Un café crème, s’il vous plait.” (One cup of cappuccino, please.)

Jaehyun’s usual chair was by the large window, overseeing the wide garden planted by the citizens of the village way before he was born. It was places like this he missed after moving to the city for his education and work’s sake.

That’s the thing when you’re coming from a rich family; you don’t have much of say with what your parents order you to do. However, his recent request to stay in his childhood home (or mansion) again was fulfilled because he couldn’t search for what he needed in the cities anymore.

Jaehyun was a sucker for romance; an old romantic others would say. A lot of women mistook his kindness as flirting on many occasions, but ironically he just wasn’t looking for anyone yet.

Starting as a novelist in the said genre based on real-life stories of people he met in Paris, Barcelona, London, and more, his stories were popular hits especially to young adults who aspire to find love one day.

However, traveling to the known places no longer felt fun as he got older. The stories he gathered were very similar, just in different languages. It took an enthusiastic dinner with his family, specifically his only older sister Krystal retelling fond stories from their younger years to get the idea of moving back for a bit. So consumed with the city life, he wanted to see things from another perspective.

What was the difference between a love story formed in the countryside than in the city?

It’s been a month since he arrived, but he didn’t hurry himself to do his research. He’s been reading books in his family library, revisiting monumental places, exploring around the village, and reconnecting with old friends as if he never left.

Readjusting to his former life would make writing easier when he’s motivated enough to do it again. Besides, his books were profiting well enough to his taste; good enough for the next 10 years according to his personal accountant, Kim Jungwoo.

Jaehyun resumed reading this book his mother recommended him before he left. Entitled “Réessaye”, which was about a young man who reunites with his childhood sweetheart after his arranged marriage failed. After what she put her through, he’s hesitant whether to try again or let her go.

Jaehyun enjoyed reading books with realistic outlooks on love because he found them more meaningful, enlightening how exactly it makes you feel and do. Even if he enjoyed reading sappy, fairytale-like stories from time to time, he always returned to the real ones as they only displayed the truth.

That love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, but something that can also break you especially if you go after the wrong person. This kind of mindset was how he toiled on his stories, which gained him a status outside of his unavoidable labels such as “the only striking son of the Jeong family” or “Valentine Boy”.

He diligently browsed through the climax, where the main male character confessed all his constrained emotions to his sweetheart. But it was until Jaemin pressed the bag of croissants in front of his face after placing down his childhood friend’s drink to disturb his peace.

“Reading again?” He taunted, snatching his book away and throwing the bag on Jaehyun’s lap. “When are you writing that book already? Everyone is practically dying for you to release something new again!”

Jaehyun flatly shook his head, drinking his coffee quietly. It’s not the first time anyone asked (or pressured) him about his next release, and it’s the last thing he wanted to think about. “Not in the mood right now, Jaemin. Now off to work before Madame Camille scolds you again.”

“You’re just stalling because you have nothing to write, don’t you?” Jaemin cunningly expressed, raising a brow. He’s known to catch onto the people’s bs easily; the last person you’d want to say your secrets too and Jaehyun realized too late. Though lucky for him, Jaemin shut the topic down right away so he wouldn’t pop a vein.

“Sais-tu de la nouvelle venue dans le village, d'ailleurs?” (Do you know about the newcomer in the village, by the way?)

“Une nouvelle venue?” (A newcomer?)

Being stuck at his mansion recently, news about village affairs were now late to him. Jaemin’s finger discreetly pointed outside the window, pertaining to a young woman sat outside painting her view in front of her.

That would be you, shading all the flowers in bright colors.

Seeing a new face amazed Jaehyun, especially when she was almost someone right out of a book. In a neat bun with white daisies printed in her dress, she crossed her legs whilst continuing her movements. She bit her lower lip, frustrated over an accidental smudge she made and trying to fix it by blending it with another color. When she accomplished it, she swapped brushes. A thinner one, to outline the shapes of the flower. Her lips curved to a smile after finishing another one perfectly with the rest.

“Jaehyun?”

Jaemin snapped his fingers to his distracted friend, zoning out the window. Still something he hasn’t stop doing, he pondered. With a final snap, Jaehyun broke away from falling hard from his abstract. Jaemin calculated the problem so quickly, analyzing his friend breezily like his medical school requirements.

“Elle est splendide, n'est-ce pas?” (She’s gorgeous, right?)

“Elle ressemble à une personne décente.” (She looks like a decent person.)

Jaehyun pushed it aside, flipping back to the page where he stopped reading. Before Jaemin responded, the door chimed open again to alarm him that a new customer came in. He excused himself to his friend, warning him that this wasn’t the last time he’ll talk about the newcomer too.

Jaehyun nodded along, not taking his friend’s cheeky words so seriously. However, the final result you attempted to create tickled his curiosity, so he slyly peeked from his book to the window.

You’ve freed your hair down, victorious to have started your collection this early in your break. A fantastic start, you let the paint dry first and munch on the croissant that served as your reward. However, you ‘re quick to notice a manly figure glancing through the window. From the side, his brown eyes appeared lively even if his entire face was hidden by the book.

Réessaye by Mark Lee; he must be a romantic. Every person in your studio read it, excluding yourself. Painfully beautiful, they’d summarize it.

Daring to meet more people, you locked eye contact with him. He didn’t expect it, almost flipping from his chair. Bashfully, you waved him a hello to somewhat break the ice. However, it broke his composure, and suddenly, he scurried off with his things from the café.

Now, you got quite worried. You checked your tiny mirror if he saw anything unpleasant with you, but you’d say you look relatively fine. Oh, maybe you could redeem yourself the next time you saw him. After bidding goodbye to Camille and Jaemin, the latter chased after you when you prepared yourself on your bike.

“By any chance, did you say hi to a guy with brown eyes and a red beret?”

“Well, more like I waved at him, then he zoomed out. Did I do something wrong?” You questioned with concern, putting your hands on the handles.

“That’s my friend, who’s quite reserved with strangers. I’m sorry on his behalf.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” You brushed it off politely. “See you again soon, Jaemin!”

Peddling away, letting the cool breeze fan you, your mind reverted its thoughts to that strange man. Maybe you’ll give it some time; you had a lot of it.

“Shucks, he was pretty cute.”

12 juin 1957

The world must really be on your side with these good decisions because you crossed paths with the strange man again in the café a week later. But instead of running away, he asked nicely if he could sit across your free chair in front of your table outside. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed.

“Joignez-moi, s’il vous plait.” (Join me, please.)

You insisted, giving yourself time to subtly observe his physique a lot more. Freckles dotted under his eyes like a constellation, bushy eyebrows, pink cheeks to match his pale complexion, and wearing a fuzzy knit sweater that meshed well with his green beret. He had some sort of necklace too; there was a heart pendant.

“Vous êtes une artiste.” (You’re an artist.) The small wooden palette of paint beside your small sketch pad was exposed, finding it as a great icebreaker.

“Une peintre, spécifiquement. Franchement, les visuels ici sont trés captivants qu'à Paris.” (A painter, to be specific. Frankly, the visuals here are more captivating than in Paris.)

“Je suis d’accord,” (I agree,) Jaehyun leaned against his chair, taking a better look at you with the remaining light from the descending sun.

“Oh, vous êtes comme moi. J’habite à Paris aussi.” (Oh, you’re like me. I live in Paris too.)

“Bon, je suis née à Londres. Puis, j’ai déménagé où je voulais en Europe depuis j'avais 18 ans. Mais oui, j’habite définitivement à Paris maintenant.” (Well, I was born in London then moved wherever I wanted in Europe for inspiration since I was 18. But yes, I live permanently in Paris now.)

You clarified, beginning to enjoy his comforting company. Initiating conversations with people you’re not acquainted with wasn’t in your range of skills, though he didn’t have an intimidating vibe. He looked too youthful to act like that.

“Je m’appelle (Y/N), d'ailleurs.” (I’m (Y/N), by the way.) You stuck out your hand as a sign of respect, which he enthusiastically obliged.

“Salut, (Y/N). Je m’appelle Jaehyun.” [Hi, (Y/N). I’m Jaehyun.]

He kissed it in a gentleman fashion, applying the manners he’s been taught since he was a child. Should you have been flustered, but no. It’s been a long time since anyone greeted you like that, specifically back home.

Throughout your talk, you learned more about who he was, his job, and what his life in the countryside is like. He was an author of romance novels, yet you’ve never heard about him prior. Heavily prioritizing your work, you don’t keep up with the new releases or trends at all. Though after mentioning his last name, it piqued your interest.

“Jeong? As in the business, Jeong Tea Inc.?”

“Correct.”

His family was one of the most affluent families in Parisian society. Old money immigrants from South Korea, they brought their tea business to France and it boomed successfully. You’re quite sure you’ve seen his parents in past exhibits, but never did you approach them because you were a rookie then. But he reassured you that it was fine, and to just treat him like you’d treat your friends. Plus, it came to your knowledge that he was the same age as you too.

He opened up how this village was where he lived his childhood, so he asked his parents if he could hand over their mansion for a while for rest. It then shocked both of you at how identical your reasons were for staying in the countryside.

“I’m burnt out from the city, so I’m trying to regain my spirit here hopefully. Besides, I needed a change of scenery after living there for 3 years. My longest stay yet outside of London!”

“I need new ideas for my books. The cities don’t charm me anymore, so I returned here for peace and quiet. Maybe let these ideas come to me rather than me going after them.”

From a bigger lens, people would conclude your interaction as a sight of two artists who passionately talk about their art. But to you, you’d interpret it as two relaxed, young adults in their twenties who simply wanted to run away from the pressures of their art and enjoy the summer as every young adult should.

Not cooped up in the studio or office, but innocently waltzing around with your youth while it’s still there.

début de juillet 1957

“Dépêche-toi, (Y/N)!” [Hurry up, (Y/N)!]

Jaehyun yelled at your open balcony from downstairs, parking his mini car beside your bike. He planned on taking you somewhere a little farther this time; to absolutely feel like one of the locals.

The countryside urged you to wear more dresses and flat shoes, so you took out a turquoise dress with a white scarf to wrap on top of your head. Like your relaxed fit, your mindset too was calm. Upon meeting him, he wore his round spectacles with a red knit sweater over a white turtleneck long-sleeved top. His fingers were adorned with silver rings, then around his neck was a thin black ribbon. He curled some of his hair again, a style you really liked of his.

You can’t lie, but this man could pull any trend or style and still look extra pretty.

Out of all the locals you’ve befriended in your stay, Jaehyun was always your companion. He took you to varying places that those locals don’t visit nor tourists acknowledge in their reviews for the past few weeks. For someone who hasn’t been in the village for a long time, his memory didn’t disappoint. His childhood was only filled with cheerful moments.

Today, he was taking you to a peaceful district of shops in the farther part of the village. It’s where he’d buy sweets, journals, and accessories with his mother, Krystal, and one of his housemaids every other weekend.

All the stores there were currently bombarded with blooming flowers along their alley, bringing more enticement to those who were roaming around. There was so much life here; the head waiter of one restaurant smiling at every passing customer, one florist handing a free flower to anyone who asks, and a young lady showcasing her jewelry collection to a bunch of women who looked like tourists.

“Cette librairie vendent des livres enveloppés dans du papier. Ma mère m'a offerte l'un d'eux pour mon anniversaire tous les ans comme une surprise.” (This bookstore sells books wrapped in paper. My mother gifted me one of them on my birthday every year as a surprise.)

He trained his attention at a rustic shop with open wooden windows giving a glimpse of their shelves.

“Avez-vous fini les lisant?” (Have you finished reading them?)

“Du début à la fin.” (From cover to cover.)

He took you to this rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire plaza. Since he didn’t arrange a reservation yet didn’t get rejected, he must know the owner. Especially how a lot of the staff gave casual hellos and high fives.

Speaking of the owner, he walked out of his kitchen to introduce himself to you. He went by the name Moon Taeil, another one of Jaehyun’s childhood friends whom he used to play at his house whenever his parents came along.

Gobbling up in the appetizing food Taeil prepared beforehand, Jaehyun brought up your painting exhibition again. He loved hearing artists talk about their works, wanting to know more about their driven mindset and what their imagination is like. After all, it does vary for everyone.

“So far,” You poked your fork through the chicken, taking a bite of it. “I’ve produced 3 paintings. The garden of flowers outside Café des Étoiles Perdues, the kids playing hopscotch in the alley, and the peach tree outside your house.”

“Woah, you’re on a roll.” Jaehyun clapped across you, pouring you another glass of water. He recalled the nights you ranted not having any clue what to do for the exhibit. Then after taking you to more places, he’s rewarded to see you be creatively active again. “How many artworks do you left to make?”

“Around 3-4 left. I have ideas already, but I’m still brainstorming.” You internally rejoiced, loving how much progress you’ve made. “How about you, Jaehyun? How’s your progress?”

Unlike you, Jaehyun still felt stuck. Although he did find couples around the village, none of them intrigued him as much as his past stories. But he won’t give up easily; that’s not in his work ethic.

“Still searching, but I’ll get there.”

Recently, you got ahold of some of Jaehyun’s books from him personally since they weren’t sold in the village. You wanted to understand how he became so well known outside the labels people put him under. Reading his first novel entitled “Des Papillons” (Butterflies), it was about a couple separated during World War II without contact or knowledge about their well-being. Yet whenever they saw butterflies on the day they parted, they took it as a sign that the other was alive wherever they were.

You’re always hanging on the cliff when the scenes revert back and forth to the main male lead getting stuck in intense war scenarios, rooting for him to get out alive each time. In the end, it took 7 years before they were reunited and wed.

Jaehyun had a wonderful way with his words and descriptions, managing to enwrap you in as if you’re also a character in the book. Like how you rooted for that male lead, you’re rooting for him to find his spark again.

Following this uplifting conversation, Jaehyun finally took to your greatly anticipated spot. It was the main viewpoint of Gordes, one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in the country. The sunset was about to hit, and the lights from the city across you slowly turned on like a bunch of dominos.

As you marveled at its aesthetics, Jaehyun leaned against the hood of his car. He sensed how in awe you were, more than you ever were in the city he assumed. So used to the city that being surrounded with nature became foreign to you.

He took out his polaroid camera from his trunk and captured a photo of you from behind. The shutter sounds were obvious, turning your back at the commotion. Jaehyun fanned the freshly printed photo to dry, giving a mischievous smile.

“What can I say? While you’re fawning over the view, mine was more enamoring.”

Although Jaehyun felt overwhelmed the first time he locked eyes with you, he can’t resist the power of his developing feelings for you. The more time he took you around, the more his heart found different details about you to admire. After listening to all those love stories in the past, the people he spoke to shared how there will be some distinct moment where your heart decides who they’re longing for.

That exact view of you by the cliff, he already knew.

He’s infatuated by you.

“Tu es très ringard, Jaehyun.” (You’re so cheesy, Jaehyun.) You scoffed sassily, with a hand on your waist.

“Un gentleman ne ment jamais, (Y/N). Allez, il fait nuit maintenant.” [A gentleman never lies, (Y/N). Come on, it’s night already.]

He cleverly responded, grabbing his car keys from his pocket. The trip back to the village was energizing, putting down the roof of his car to relish the chill breeze of the night weather. You even raised your arms in the air, losing your scarf even from the speed Jaehyun went at!

The two of you belted along to the songs on the radio when the fields were the only ones surrounding you, no neighbors to shout at your rambunctiousness.

The late-night hours drew by so quickly almost like dinner with more of Jaehyun’s friends didn’t happen. Arriving at the front doors of your apartment complex, Jaehyun raced over to your side to open your door. Always maintained proper observation of manners, you appreciated that side of him. Rarely anyone in Paris that you’ve encountered treated you that way because you were a foreigner.

“Bonsoir, (Y/N).” [Goodnight, (Y/N).]

“Bonsoir, Jaehyun. Quand est-ce que je te revois?” (Goodnight, Jaehyun. When can I see you again?)

“Demain et après-demain. Appelle-moi quand tu es libre.” (Tomorrow, and the day after that. Just give me a call when you’re free.)

With a short wave, you entered your building and marched up to the stairs. A good day only meant being tired to the core, ready to crash and fall in your soft bed. Opening your wide windows to let more of the cool breeze in, your eyes easily caught Jaehyun’s classy car still there. As for the owner, he didn’t move an inch from his leaning position.

“Rentre à la maison, Jaehyun! C’est tard!” (Go home, Jaehyun! It’s late!) You shrieked, peeking side to side to make sure none of the neighbors scold you.

Jaehyun laughed wholeheartedly, not budging at all. “La nuit ne fait que commencer, ma chérie.” (The night has just begun, my darling.)

“Comment tu m'as appelé?” (What did you call me?)

Either your ears were fooling you or he addressed you by a divine pet name. The gasp you swallowed, as your entire body tingled with exhilaration. Your mind would simply disregard it like his former teasing words, but your heart begged to differ.

Rather than responding with words, Jaehyun’s voice serenaded you with a wondrous song, C’est Si Bon by Eartha Kitt, that played on the radio earlier. Out of the blue, a random guitar accompaniment followed his baritone vocals.

“En voyant notre mine ravie,”

Against the railing of your wired balcony, your body shifted forward to watch him better.

“Les passants dans la rue, nous envient,”

Your hand perched on your cheek, admiring his talent.

“C'est si bon de guetter dans ses yeux,”

It was like a lullaby, and here you were drowning in its peacefulness. Sensing the passion he gives off in his singing, your heart couldn’t refrain the strings inside from being swayed and tugged.

This was your moment of realization: that you too were smitten.

“Un espoir merveilleux, qui donne le frisson…”

À la mi-juillet de 1957

“Hello, nature!” You greeted brightly as your legs raced the huge garden in his manor. It was the first time he invited you over, too lazy to go out of the city. His social battery needed a recharge for the weekend, so a picnic within his home would do the trick. Additionally, it was an excuse to bring you over after the numerous times you’ve begged him to.

Jaehyun merely shook his head, enjoying the rush of childlike fun in your veins while you squealed and grazed your hands through the flowers.

He carried a wooden basket full of treats his family maids cooked, taking his time to venture through the rows of flowers. They were growing healthily and phenomenally these days, sometimes riding his bike to personally water them since he became busy with writing again. Lately, he found inspiration again, and so he wrote day and night to set them free.

“Voila!” You yanked out a sunflower, sniffing it a little. “Come on, Jaehyun! Pick up a few for our lunch!”

He followed your order, picking out some he found ideal. But just for fun, he put down the basket and carried you from behind out of the blue. You tried kicking him away, but his muscular arms can’t compete with your soft ones.

“What are you doing?”

“You said to pick up a flower, so I did. The prettiest of them all.”

His flirtatious words were never serious, yet you took it as a compliment. That’s how high your confidence is. Only we define our own worth, not others. The two of you chatted more about your lives until the first rain of the season poured down, chilling down from the raging heat. None of you had an umbrella; the weather was too unpredictable.

Deciding to just run for it, he gave you the wooden basket to protect yourself whilst he used the blanket you’ve sat on. Running with laughter to return to his mansion in the muddy dirt, the cool drops shivered your figure yet felt fantastic.

If you were in the city, you’d panic because it’d mess your appearance and your boss would be infuriated by your unprofessionalism. But in the countryside, it didn’t matter at all. The condition of the rain wasn’t budging to improve, getting stronger by the minute. His entire house even lost power, his housemaids having to bring candles to his bedroom and your assigned one once night dawned.

It was hopeless to return home for you, plus it’s dangerous to drive in in the dark, narrow streets too. Jaehyun handed you some of his fresh clothes so you’d be free from flinching from cold dress sticking to your body.

“Get dressed and some sleep, (Y/N).”

Nodding, you excused yourself to find the bathroom. You’d assume it’d be easy, but this was your first time in his house; a mansion even. Doors from left to right, long corridors that seemed never-ending, no maids were within the vicinity whom you can ask for guidance.

Resorting to return to Jaehyun’s chamber for help, you were taken aback by what your eyes laid on. In front of his full mirror, he discarded his now-dried shirt. Even with the dim lighting, you could make out that he was fit by the transparent view of his abdomen. Peeping like this was wrong, yet you couldn’t turn away just yet. The heat in your cheeks was inevitable, finding composure in such an unholy sight.

Though a gear in you suddenly twisted; a gear that straightened your nerves. You’re taking a bold move on the chessboard of your feelings. Wholly opening his bedroom door again, you leisurely sauntered inside without warning.

“Oh, (Y/N)! Ne peux pas trouver la salle de bain?” (Oh, (Y/N)! Can’t find the bathroom?)

Unbothered as he stood shirtless, you on the other hand silently dropped his clothes on the floor. Holding intense eye contact, your fingers graciously unzipped the side of your dress. Inch by inch, the tension built up like the strong tiny flames lit on the candles around you two. Joining the pile of clothes, all that remained were your white lace undergarments. Unplanned for the get-go, it’s the ideal set for your earlier outfit at the picnic.

“Je me suis perdue, mais je pense avoir trouvé quelque chose de mieux.” (I got lost, but I think I found something better.)

Your fingers grazed your arm up to your collarbones, faking your naivety. From your lust-filled stare, the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes darkened. He gulped at the revealing sight of you, brushing his hair back to restrain himself.

None of you could utter a single word, only the vivacious rain being the only sounds ringing around you. Thus, you allowed your actions to pursue precisely what you desired to do.

Taking baby steps towards him to test the waters, he met you right in the center and closed the leftover space. His hands cradled your face, whilst yours clung to his chest. His lips tasted like red wine, watching him pour in a glass for himself earlier. He did offer, yet you declined.

Your tongue darted his lower lip, gaining access after. Sensing the edge of his bed, you plopped yourself down the cushion. His knee urged your legs to widen, letting his body slide in. From your face, his fingers lowered to the back of your bra, snapping the clasps open.

“It takes skill to accomplish that in one try, Jaehyun.”

“I lived in Paris too, ma chérie. You out of all people would understand and have the experience.”

His palms massaged your freed breasts, throwing your head back even more to his pillows as his lips ravaged down from your stomach until the fabric of your not-so pure panties.

“Call me that again, please.”

“Ma chérie, seras-tu mienne?” (My darling, will you be mine?) He kissed and licked the tiny ribbon in front repeatedly, where your now-swollen clit laid. It electrified your bones, pulling on to his ruffled hair.

“Tu peux m'avoir.” (You can have me.)

Sex in the form of one-night stands were all you’ve invested; upcoming artists like you weren’t capable to maintain long-term relationships. Les plans à trois even if you’re extra freaky or drunk from the afterparties of your events. All that these occurrences had in common were not seeing those men ever again after sneaking out of their apartments in the morning.

This time, it’s different.

When they said that doing the deed with someone you’re romantically entangled with was more special, they didn’t bluff. You could plan bits of your life, but it can sometimes change aspects of it when you least expect it. Sometimes for the best or the worst, but right now, it went beyond your expectations.

It’s rewarding that the man you’ve slowly fallen for within your stay returned your affections.

Around late 3 am that night, your brain jolted with artistic ideas that awoken your sonorous rest. There are no hopes of sleeping them off because they tend to bother you for hours until you do something about it. But you’re already so cozy having Jaehyun’s arms around you, skin to skin under the duvet. His lips daunted right above your forehead, recalling his endless kisses there that helped you fall asleep.

Well, these ideas don’t work themselves unless you do. Untangling him tactfully, you stepped out of the blanket and wore one of his long white shirts he gave you earlier before pulling out your sketchpad and palette of oil paints.

Luckily, there was still one available candle to use as the rest have melted indefinitely. You slid the matchstick again to the sand surface, boring a flame from the friction which you placed on top of the wick.

All your ideas that night leaned towards one thing, or person rather: Jaehyun.

You spent a few minutes retracing how he vividly looked at the picnic, leaning back from the chair of his work desk. His outfit of a turquoise turtleneck underneath a white button-top with trousers matching the said turtleneck looked good together, how his ears tingled red after you complimented his newfound inspiration for his book, and the prominent veins in his arms when he rolled his sleeves due to the heat.

The thin brush you held defined the shape of his face, then paying attention to the messy strands of his hair. Stroking in a circular way to outline his eyelids, a hoarse grunt disturbed the peaceful silence.

“Get back in bed, ma chérie.” His eyes drowsily opened, lying on his side. The moment he no longer felt your warmth, he worried something happened. Instead, you’re working late at night after quite a rough yet romantic night.

“Shush,” You shunned him down with your index finger. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Perhaps, are you painting me?” He hunched from the covers. “Your eyes looking back and forth would never lie to me, would they?”

“Maybe…” You teased, batting your eyes at him without any risky intentions. Or not?

He deeply chuckled, sluggishly removing himself under the covers. In his pure nudity, he advanced himself towards you. You shrieked, covering yourself with your free hand.

“Jaehyun, stay back! I told you I’ll be there soon!”

Not listening, he carried your bridal style, making you drop your precious palette to the fur rug. Laying you carefully, he popped each button open. By the sight of his cock hardening again, you knew you were in for another round with him.

“Wet again, ma chérie? Oh, this will be fun.”

Fin de juillet 1957

So this kind of summer romance concept that everyone fantasized about… it became your present.

Together you’d stroll in the smaller streets and immerse yourselves in the unique culture of the village. Whenever anyone saw you together, holding hands, biking, or what-not, they’d praise in the name of love for bringing you both together. A romance like yours in the countryside was a lively sight.

Remember how extensions were a possibility if your search for inspiration wasn’t found? Well, it’s not a question that you’d make one, except inspiration found you instead. And he had one arm around you as he slow danced with you in the open grounds of the village, listening to the live band covering song classics.

In particular, Chet Baker. He was Jaehyun’s favorite artist at the moment.

There was an ongoing week-long festival dedicated to summer, giving more plants their bloom and spreading gratitude to the hardworking people. Especially the students, off on their break.

The faint radiance from the post lights as Jaehyun swayed you around, making you laugh as he tried to mumble the lyrics of the song. All those glasses of wine he tried earlier with you from the bartender offering it for free had its effects, and you weren’t off the hook from them either.

Blisters started to form from your ankles, adjusting to the new pair of heels Jaehyun gave (or insisted to buy) you a while ago after staring at them like lasers. You’ve always provided things for yourself that being spoiled by someone else felt weird to you.

“If there’s anything you want me to buy for you, just tell me.”

“How can I buy you if you’re already mine?”

His smooth talk often made you punch his shoulder, but it’s just a mechanism to hide the exhilaration.

Under each other’s spells in your dance, you laid your head on Jaehyun’s chest. Feeling the strong beat of his heart, you were reminded of how much life he’s filled with. And you became a part of it, in the same way he crossed yours.

Jaehyun’s lips sank to the top of your head, pecking it affectionately. The first-ever summer where he wasn’t stuck at his desk working or drinking his life away with his rich friends in their Parisian homes, it couldn’t get better than this.

“Oiii! Flirtez ailleurs!” (Oiii! Flirt somewhere else!) The distinct voice of Jaemin, handing out pastries to passersby, shouted at the both of you, making you flip your middle finger at him.

“Trouve une copine d’abord, d’accord?!” (Find a girlfriend first, alright?!) You shouted back jokingly, almost falling due to the ache of your feet. Your immodest behavior was censored by Jaehyun’s large palms, not wanting the kids around to see it. Whispering closely to your ear,

“Tu es ivre. Laisse-moi te ramener chez toi.” (You’re drunk. Let me take you home.)

You changed back into your sandals as Jaehyun led you through the different alleys. Your vision was too hazy to navigate, so he had one arm wrapped around your shoulders. The weather grew cold too, shivering your bones so he draped you in his blazer.

“Wait,” You stopped, making him do the same. But before he could ask for your reason, your hands yanked him by his suspenders and your legs walked backward to reach the brick wall. Standing in his 5’11 glory, you were overpowered.

Yet your lips captured his effortlessly, raising to your toes to press yourself closer to him. He moved fast, one arm hugging your waist while the other hoisted your leg up. Tangling around his waist, the urge to move your hips against his crotch couldn’t be contained any longer.

Everyone was probably still out at this time or sleeping. The sloppy sounds you’ve produced were beyond suitable for any audience. Not to mention, the nasty words Jaehyun’s pretty mouth spoke in your ears desired you to fall to your knees.

“Not afraid of getting caught, ma chérie? You want me to ruin you right here, right now?”

“God, Jaehyun,” Your hands tugged his belt forward, the friction it gave to your core twitched the naughty side out of you. “Do it, please.”

The idea of public sex thrilled your mind into overdrive, yet you’ve never done it. In Paris, a city where several people started to know your name, you didn’t need a scandal to be plastered in your resume yet.

Jaehyun himself included, and still opted not to give it to you.

“Another time, ma chérie. Your apartment, now.”

The moment you unlocked your apartment door, Jaehyun was far from gentle like in the mansion. Ripping you out of your frilly dress didn’t take long, so was unbuttoning his trousers down to the floor.

On your knees, his hand gave you a makeshift ponytail as your tongue flicked the slit of his cock. Then slowly taking him inch by inch on your mouth, you’d let out a loud pop when you needed to breathe. Your hands fondling his balls, he groaned from the edge of your bed and tightened his hold on you. Tears formulated in your eyes as you got to swallow him whole, uncontrollably bobbing your head.

He felt like putty when he released, your throat taking the salty base. You hastily unhooked your bra in front of him when suddenly, his hand flicked on the fabric of your panties, cueing you to stop your motion.

“Keep them on when you ride me.”

Straddling on his lap, his head laid against the headboard of his bed. His arms roaming around your back to stabilize you, your fingers pushed your panties to the side as you pushed yourself down his protected length. Your moans became shaky. Up and down, you bounced while bracing on his shoulders.

Against his ear, your moans were harmonious. His hips moved against your beat, hitting your g-spot like the sexual ace he is. His thumb rubbing your clit, you shuttered your eyes at the impending high approaching you like a bus.

“I’m close.” You choked out, the overstimulation overwhelming your nerves.

“Fuck, me too.” He grunted, slapping your butt that made you shriek.

Soon enough, everything hit you both all at once. The knot snapped, and so did your body falling on his chest after a single scream. Panting, Jaehyun pecked on your temple as his cock softened up. Once you returned to your senses, you lifted yourself from his length, laying bare beside him.

His eyes started to fall, but before they did, he muttered huskily. “Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

It was the first time he’s said those words in the way they meant, and he’s more than certain that it’s what he felt with you. Sure, it started as mutual infatuation, but now, it can’t leave. Not on his watch.

Love was a concept unfamiliar to you, but Jaehyun slowly taught you what it was and how it felt like. Books and films may give sneak peeks, but to personally give and receive it back was made possible by him.

From this moment on, you could conclude that yes, you reciprocated it.

“Je t’aime aussi, Jaehyun.”

16 octobre 1957

Autumn made its way to the countryside.

The leaves switched into red-brown shades, the weather in the south was warmer, and the wine harvest was highly anticipated. Jaehyun’s camera was a common item in your outings, taking as many photos as he could so the two of you had something to look back on.

Planned and candid, his range was wide. These were moments that proved that your youth was as happy as you wished it to be. You wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Painting in his mansion was a regular thing, having new canvases prepared at his patio. There were so many items that amused you there like you could base your entire collection on his home. It’s not like Jaehyun could argue; it meant more time with you whenever you came over.

“Jaehyun, if you smudge paint on me, so help me Go-” He refused to listen to your “threats”, smearing black paint on your cheek.

“You were saying?” He cockily pestered, showcasing his paint-filled fingers. You dipped one of your brushes into the new paint and chased after him without hesitation. The entire evening became a paint war, a laugh fit even after seeing your reflections in the mirror. But before you could clean yourself, Jaehyun’s camera was by your face and he pressed the button.

“Still breathtaking.”

But the middle of the season arrived, that’s where your planned extension you’ve reached its end. The exhibit was next month, getting calls from your boss regarding your return and the paintings you’ll present. You informed her that you already had them mailed to your studio way back, so there’s nothing much to worry about.

All your bags were packed in the private car Jaehyun rented. Here, you’re bidding your goodbyes to every friend you’ve made outside the doors of your apartment complex, saving your last words with Jaehyun.

The night before, he stayed over and helped you pack your last items in luggage bags. He even brought extra clothes for you so you wouldn’t work extra. You’ve talked it out the whole evening through what happens next to ease your worries. In your bed, he opened the wide windows and pulled you under the sheets.

“Write to me.”

“Call me when you’re free, or whenever you feel like it.”

Leaning against the railing of the stairs, watched the sorrow in your face over this parting. He sensed how bittersweet everything was, but he wouldn’t change anything about it. He’s positive that your story won’t end here, not right now.

Sauntering to him, you sighed whilst taking your bag he held the whole time from him. His touch was tighter as the two of you hugged tenderly, nuzzling his head on your shoulder. The scent of his citrus cologne that implanted in your brain felt comforting, despite the uncertainty of everything between you.

You hinted a minty taste from the menthol candies from his home as his lips brushed yours, colliding it timely. He waited when everyone left, relishing these last seconds.

Stepping inside the vehicle, you waved your summer love farewell one more time before the driver hit the pedal. Your eyes couldn’t stray away from looking back, the distance between him and your former apartment widening. Only when he was no longer in the frame, you shifted your focus back in front.

Your fingers fiddled with the charm bracelet he gifted you from the market. It was custom-made by a jeweler who was great friends with his mother in his younger years. There were two pendants chained on it: a paintbrush and the sun.

“A paintbrush to remind you of your passion, and the sun to remind you of the summer we first met.”

The man was like one of his romance books, in human form. He knew how to catch your breath effortlessly.

Your stay, for now, may have concluded, but there was always next summer. And the ones after that. The village felt like a second home, one you can’t neglect like the other places you’ve lived. Then having Jaehyun here, the more reasons to return.

Undoubtedly the best vacation you’ve ever been in your adult years, one that didn’t sacrifice for your art so you could compete with other artists. The weight on your chest poofed into thin air, and you felt ready for what the next steps as a painter were.

Appreciating the greenery you passed by, you peeked over the side mirror of the car only to find Jaehyun quickly biking in your direction.

Now, what was he up to?

You instantly requested the driver to slow down his pace, rolling down the window of the car. Not caring about the strong winds, “You fool, what are you doing?!”

Although he trusted your last words, he had the greed to see your face again. It would be a long time until he’ll see you in person again. So he pedaled as fast he could to still reach you. Oh, the things you do when you’re in love.

“Mon cœur bat la chamade pour toi, (Y/N)!” [My heart beats loudly for you, (Y/N)!]

You giggled at his silliness, throwing out flying kisses.

“Je reviendrai bientôt, Jaehyun!” (I’ll come back soon, Jaehyun!)

21 octobre 1957

Only your friends at the studio gave you a warm welcome back, receiving comments like “get back to work” from your first encounter with your boss. Popping a champagne glass open after work hours on the rooftop of your studio, they interrogated you with all the questions they could think of.

“So this village in Provence…. was it beautiful as the tourists said?” Ten, who moved from his home in Thailand to Paris at a young age, expressed his curiosity whilst leaning against the railing overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

“Beautiful is an understatement, Ten. I miss it dearly!” You heaved a sigh, twirling your glass.

“So this inspiration you were looking for…” Amélie, your dear friend since your university days, created some tension as she prolonged her last word. Playfulness twinkled in her eyes, crossing her legs. “Was a person involved by any chance?”

For a moment, your throat almost gagged on the sizzling alcohol going down.

“What do you mean?” You acted clueless, pouring your now empty glass with more booze. But the moment Ten gave you the troublesome look coordinating with Amélie, you already knew you wouldn’t hear the end of it. These two were such gossips in and out of the studio.

Ten took the seat across you on the table and leaked all his pent-up information.

“So you know Seo Youngho, the only son of the Seo family. Rich, socialite, a total hotshot… yeah, all that jazz.” He dived in, seeing you nod over knowing that man. Someone in the past you’ve slept with, but that’s another story. “Well, Amelie and I attended one of his parties at his large penthouse. He had his usual crowd there; Kim Doyoung, Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, and Lee Minhyung. But fun fact: there’s another member in that friend group who doesn’t go to these kinds of events.”

“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Amélie excitedly took off like the pipelette (chatterbox) she is. “Youngho, who was talking to us for a bit, asked where you’ve run off. Poor him, he must’ve missed you in his bed but anyway! We told him that you went down south somewhere in Provence for a break. Oddly enough, he mentioned how the mentioned member moved back there for the same reason.”

Ten and Amélie gave each other another frisky look, merely to piss you off. So predictable of them.

“Get to the point please!” You screeched.

“Jeong Jaehyun, ever heard of him?” Amélie imitated your tone of voice. “I mean, you should since you made a whole painting of him.”

“H-How,” Speechless, that’s what you were. Ten went on a fit of giggles, signaling the build-up of his intoxication.

“Youngho visited the studio to find a specific painting for his home, and we helped him in choosing. Then when your deliveries of paintings arrived that day and were unwrapped, the look on his face when he saw Jaehyun’s painting was priceless. Things started to add up, especially when he told us that he called up Jaehyun prior, he said that Jaehyun was seeing a girl during his stay there.”

“A young, burnt-out painter from Paris, to be specific.”

They’ve put you on the edge of the cliff, and it was too close to call it a coincidence. Of all things to be revealed, this had to be the first.

“Well, I was waiting for another time to tell you guys about him though.”

Their gasps of joy could give you guys a noise complaint by the neighbors, telling all about your escapades of him and you. During it, the more you missed seeing him daily either on his bike or his car. It was stuck in your routine, but now it’s reverted to your old one.

Could the next summer come any faster?

14 février 1958

Perhaps your newest collection at the Louvre was your most successful one yet.

Entitled “Inspirez, Expirez” (Breathe In, Breathe Out), your sceneries during your stay in the village varied. An old couple slow dancing under the night sky, and the quiet district of shops Jaehyun took you, those were some of your last additions.

A multitude of positive reviews on the newspapers and art magazines came in, commending on taking on a fresher, brighter outlook for a change whilst finding your spark again. As fulfilling it was, what you longed the most was the one responsible for it.

Lately, it’s been tough to contact him. His maids always answered the calls, informing you that he was busy with work or family matters. It’s so rare for him to act like this. Whatever it was, it wasn’t grand or serious hopefully.

Back to your collection, tonight was the last night of it. Just in time for Valentine’s day, where numerous socialite lovers embarked on this event, but you’re more fixated that it was also Jaehyun’s birthday. A boy full of love born on the day dedicated for it, things made more sense. In case, you’ve sent your birthday wishes to him through letter and passing the message to one of his maids. Even on his special day, he hasn’t reached out to you.

But to momentarily forget about that, there was a closing ceremony held for this exhibit with the other artists involved, and it was your turn to give your final remarks. More esteemed socialites and journalists were present, which didn’t halt your nerves the slightest. You were a professional after all, holding pride in your craft as you stood in front of the microphone wearing your new favorite custom-made gown.

There are perks when you have close friends in the fashion industry, specifically Kim “Key” Kibum from the House of Key. After defending him from a disrespectful client when you were picking up a dress for your boss during your internship years, not only did you earn his respect, but an invite to his shows and first claiming of new items from his collections. Dining in expensive restaurants in the metro was a plus, catching up on your lives. Sometimes calling each other out for your sexcapades too.

Speaking of him, he was in the crowd that night, ordering every photographer to take photos of your gorgeous self in one of his dresses. Or in your opinion, bribing some by how he stuffed a few thick stacks of Euro bills down their pockets.

Only one of it ever made. A dark green satin v-neck off-the-shoulder gown, where diamonds adorned your neck and ears and white stilettos kept your perfect balance. Also courtesy of Key.

Because it’s the winter season, he gifted you a limited edition white fur coat every socialite tried getting their hands on. Your hair was styled in a bun, emphasizing your dark tinted lips from this new lipstick Amelie insisted you buy.

Most people would get the first impression that you were one of the socialites, a child from one of the affluent families even. But you were a lot more remarkable than that, having inborn talent in the arts that you specialized over your youth and rising to the top without any parental help.

“Thank you to everyone for their endless support towards the magnificent collections of each artist present. As for mine, I am grateful to rechannel my creative side by taking a break. Rather than romanticizing overworking our bones to the core, there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back from the pressure. Being alive is a blessing, realizing further how our youth won’t stay with us forever. Being away from the boisterous cities, I found relaxation in the countryside of Provence.”

Your lips quirked into a grin as every single memory during that time reeled in your head like a movie. “The beauty of Provence cannot be simply put in words. The muses I’ve encountered were more than lovely, especially the man behind the Poetic Rose. With that, I sincerely thank everyone from my bottom of my heart and I hope to continue to support me in the years to come.”

The applause roared once you stepped down the platform, shaking hands with every esteemed guest with more gratitude as they praised you. These days, socializing with them was a lot easier. You’ve even taken more initiative to greet people first before they do, conversing with them easily about anything.

Key definitely noticed that as you toured him around your section, holding his nth glass of wine for the night.

“You, Madame (Y/N), transformed into a social butterfly.” He nudged your shoulder, smirking once he got a better view of his favorite painting from you. “I guess that’s the thing when you’re in love.”

“I beg your pardon?”

With this free hand, he motioned it up and down at the painting in front of you. “The Poetic Rose is none other than the youngest son of the Jeong family, whom I’ve met through his older sister, Krystal.”

“Am I really the only one who doesn’t know him?!” You stressed, jokingly. Key was elated to capture you in his trap, the changes of your personality too evident in his eyes. Figuring it out that it was love took a while, but being acquainted with Krystal, she’s the one who told him that her younger brother was in love with a painter in Provence. Do the math.

“I’ve met him through his older sister, one of my highly favored clients. He’s not much of a socialite like her, so I don’t really blame you for that.”

Searching for a waiter to refill your wine glasses, a surprise emerged the both of you.

“Madame Krystal, you’re absolutely stunning.” Key complimented her, giving the engaged heiress of Jeong Tea Inc. kisses on the cheek as respect. Her recent engagement to Kim Donghyun, her childhood sweetheart and also the heir of Kim Couture, was the talk of the town.

They arrived at the event together, drawing the attention of everyone in the room earlier. Now, he was speaking to a few influential socialites he made a deal with this week about the art collections present.

“Key, you never fail to look fantastic,” She remarked positively, poking his necktie before placing her undivided attention on you. “So you must be (Y/N) (Y/L/N). You’re beyond bewildering in that gown.”

“Flattered to hear that, Madame Krystal. Such a pleasure to meet you.”

The three of you chatted as if you were the only people there. From art, passion, and love, pride filled in your chest when you toured your collection. It was like walking down memory lane for her, adding out how she used to climb the peach tree with her younger brother during their childhood. Once her eyes laid on Poetic Rose, she took her time admiring it.

“My younger brother grew up well. That’s all I could ever hope for as his only older sister.” She paused, noticing how silent you became when you stared at the painting along with her. She observed the passion lit in your eyes, yet there was longing behind it by the way your lips pouted briefly. “You must really love him, do you?”

“I do, truly. After meeting him, not only was I boosted with so much ideas, but my heart embraced him for what and who he is in this universe.” You professed confidently, earning an approving smile from Krystal.

“If that’s how you feel, why not tell him that yourself?”

Her fingers gestured you to turn around. Stood in a grey suit with his brown hair slicked back, it was like seeing a completely new person. A handsome one though. His fashion in the countryside heavily differed from his fashion in the cities. So sophisticated and refined, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairytale.

Your fairytale.

“Jaehyun.”

It’s like everything stopped once he sprinted towards you, pulling you off your feet for a snug hug. Your arms threw themselves on his neck by instinct, not wasting a single second in his grasp. Your nose inhaled the woody scent of his cologne, something more formal than his usual fruity scent.

The smell of aftershave in his jaw couldn’t go ignored either, assuming that he must have had plans to go out tonight. Nonetheless, you squealed as if you were back in Provence, giggling at his boldness. Once he put you down, neither of you could get your hands off each other.

“What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you’d be in Paris!” Clutching your waist, you gazed at him with doe-like eyes, instilling confusion.

“J’ai voulu te surprendre, my chérie.” (I wanted to surprise you, my darling.)

He chuckled, pushing some straying strands of your hair behind your ear. His eyes evoked so much endearment towards this elegant look you prepared, making his heart race as if he were in the gardens of his manor again.

Hearing his petname for you again attacked your heart every time no matter how much time passed, he lifted your chin high. Jaehyun urged himself to kiss you senseless right there, leaning lower. And yes, you anticipated it by how your eyes instantly closed.

Only if it weren’t for Krystal to clear her throat, obviously ruining the mood. Flinching away from your sensual lover, you rubbed the nape of your neck. Towards an heiress like her, it must’ve been unprofessional.

“Couldn’t you at least wait until I left, younger brother?” Her fingers flicked Jaehyun’s forehead, a teasing trick they used to do as kids. Even if she was a lot shorter now, it didn’t mean the impact was weak. He cursed under his breath, covering his forehead.

Stifling your laughter was a failure, crinkling your eyes to unleash your emotions. So this is what their sibling dynamic was like?

“Now excuse me, older sister. You didn’t tell me you were visiting the exhibit after my birthday dinner with our parents?” He crossed his arms, exchanging a judgmental look. For his sake, he wanted to maintain his pride. “All you said after dinner was that you were going straight home with your fiancé after all the alcohol mother gave you because it made you lightheaded.”

“Well, you know Key and his persuasiveness. He insisted I attend this event last minute because all the collections were amazing.” She explained, shedding a subtle glance at you. “Plus, it’s an excuse to finally meet this lovely girl you raved so much through your letters.”

Jaehyun kept his family life private, so this piece of information was new to you. The unpredicted way the fluttering feeling drew in your stomach, all you could do was smile from the flattery.

“He spoke about me to you?”

“More than speak, my dear. He practically professed his love for you, asking me advice on how to court a girl, make them smile, etcetera. You’re the first girl he’s been this affectionate with, and I completely understand now.” She patted your shoulder, hopeful. She had such a strong older sister vibe, reminding you of your older siblings back home. “You’re a clever, talented woman. I look forward to seeing you more often.”

As you nodded in approval, she turned towards her brother with her recurring teasing look. “Yah, Jaehyun. You better take care of her. If she ever sheds a tear because of you, I’m hunting you down in the gardens.”

“Harsh of you, Krystal.” He planted his hand on his chest, feigning pain. “But no worries. Having you and mother around me kept me well-mannered towards women growing up.”

Playfulness aside, Krystal felt honored towards her younger brother. Men these days maintained their sexist beliefs and rudeness, especially those who doubted her high position in the family business once her father stepped down. Nowadays, it’s men like Jaehyun who could really challenge the patriarchy and make women pursue a lot more than being limited as a housewife.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now please excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

Krystal waltzed her way out without tripping from her slight intoxication, which Jaehyun worried about earlier. But anyway, that left him alone with you. Filled with so many questions, you didn’t know where to start.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Paris? Why didn’t you acknowledge my birthday wishes to you? Why aren’t you answering my calls and letters?” You blurted without wasting a breath, weren’t trying to come off as needy, but it became peculiar when he was contacting you like usual.

You pushed off thinking of the worst scenarios, not wanting it to ruin your drive and your emotions either. Yet you trusted Jaehyun enough to know he wasn’t the type of person either.

“Okay slow down, ma chérie.” His hands maneuvered for you to stop for a bit. “Ask me one by one and I’ll give you a solid answer for each while we roam around.”

He arrived in Paris last week, which was initially for work. Then his birthday clashing was a coincidence. It would be too lonely to go home and celebrate his special day alone, so he extended. But again, it’s his work that caused his abrupt contact.

When you were too busy delving into the success of recovering your inspiration, he also found his spur to write again too. Day and night, his mind kept him tedious with an endless trail of thoughts and words. Overall, he finalized it then brought the end product to the same publishing house where his books in the past went through.

In fact, he decided to publish them specifically today on his birthday. The only day in his itinerary he planned, where after publishing, he’d hang out with his friends, have dinner with his family then run off to reunite with you.

“I didn’t intend to make you feel like a second choice, so please forgive me for that, ma chérie.”

“All is forgiven, Jaehyun.” You held both his hands, kissing them tenderly out of habit. “I’m overjoyed that you rekindled your creative side again.”

You were so understanding and empathetic, and Jaehyun aimed to act that way too. He learned so much from you as his friend before being his lover. Quickly enough, you’re both back to his portrait in the center. Like a critic, he narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. Tapping his chin with his finger,

“This man in Poetic Rose, he’s quite dashing.” He commented with conceit, walking closer to it to view it better. “His freckles are on point, his dimples and dazzling eyes too. Why exactly is he described as a Poetic Rose?”

“Well sir,” You stood beside him, imitating his actions. “This man here always spoke so eloquently, like he had a very poetic approach on life. He reminded me also of a rose by his rosy tinted cheeks and his beauty. He was alluring inside and out.”

“Is he your favorite muse?”

“I never quoted him as a muse because he’s more than that. Muses can be replaced once they no longer serve purpose towards the artist. Though with him, he’s the never-ending flame that I want to keep for the rest of time."

You held on to his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. The apparent reddening of his ears proved that he was flustered, yet you spoke no lies.

“Joyeux anniversaire, ma flamme.” (Happy birthday, my flame.)

“Merci beaucoup, ma chérie.” (Thank you, my darling.)

Something about his new release piqued your attention so you brought it up again.

“So tell me about your new book.”

“Let me show you instead.” Inside the blazer, there was an inner pocket that sealed a small hardbound book. Taking it out, he handed it over to you. “This is your copy.”

The cover of the book had an illustration of two young adults running down the fields under the bright sun, with the title written in cursive and placed in the center.

“L’Été de 1957.” (The Summer of 1957.)

Like a child who received a new gift in the mail, you flipped the book open. Seeing the table of contents and credits to other important people involved in the process, there was a detailed dedication right before the starting chapter. It’s an unexpected page, noticing that he never put anything like this in his last works.

“Pour ma chérie, qui a peint les couleurs manquantes de ma vie.” (For my darling, who painted the missing colors of my life.)

Although Jaehyun planned to write about the couples he met in the countryside, he chose to change his perspective. Instead, he based this new book on your summer romance, installing more original characters who made your romance blossom more.

“I was once so engaged in listening to people’s love stories, hung up on what they felt.” He expounded, pacing around the floor whilst you skimmed through the pages. There were black and white photos from your adventures too to wrap the reader further in the story.

“While I was struggling to find the next story, I realized late that my story with you was a perfect choice. When I fell in love with you, it’s like I didn’t have to fret anymore about anything. Everything slowly yet surely aligned into place for me. Like how we found inspiration in each other.”

A poetic speaker meant having a poetic, wise mind. You kept an open mind whenever Jaehyun shared his thoughts on life with you, an intimate time that didn’t require using your bodies. Whether you were stargazing or drinking wine by his patio, his soulful personality never changed.

“So I recapped every single memory we had and compiled them,” He resumed, taking a closer step towards yours. His warm hands grasped your waist again, catching a glimpse of your astonished face. Mostly, towards your lips that he missed feeling against his.

“This book expressed my own take on love this time, the one I want to grow in.”

You’d care less if you dropped the book and your coat right there, your major desire to kiss him again was driving your senses to the edge of a cliff. Nothing could’ve braced yourself the second you fervently collided your lips with his. It didn’t feel like you were in this exhibit, but somewhere back in his mansion engulfed in each other’s presence.

Your legs almost melted by your daring move, if it weren’t for Jaehyun’s arm moving upwards to your back to stabilize you more. Your body tingled with goosebumps due to his relaxing fingers all over your body. His tongue caved in your lips, and you couldn’t ban its access.

Such an explicit sight, it felt forbidden as you were inches away from the public crowd. Yet it was the least of your worries if they made a big fuss over it. Jaehyun was here again with you, and that was more valuable to you. He savored every trace of your touches, taking his delicate time with you. No past birthday could defeat this, especially when it’s the first one to celebrate with you. The first of many.

As much you wanted to keep this up for hours, your lungs started feeling constricted of air so your lips timidly let go. Though your hands couldn’t, your overwhelmed eyes couldn’t shift away from the heart-stopping view of your lover. Wherein even after such a fearless session, his eyes fused with love and need with his plumper lips.

“Everything about Provence, especially you, that’s the life I want.” You confessed this concealed secret that’s revolved your head for a while now. Yet its certainty was true.

“Are you sure, ma chérie? What about work?” As an artist, he believed you should stay where everything is accessible. Yet as his woman, he wanted you to follow your heart. Jaehyun didn’t want you to choose or struggle.

“I’ve grown out from the idea that the city life was the only life meant of an artist like me.” You replied, confident enough to discuss it after deep thought. “Cities like Paris hold exciting, vigorous flames that will have you clinging on to them. But then, they’ll eventually die the longer you stay. You get burned in the process too. However, I stand by what I said earlier. I found an endless flame when I met and began loving you, Jaehyun. It doesn’t sting at all; it illuminates strongly every living day.”

Urging him to lower his stance with your fingers, you stated one last phrase. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

“If that’s the case,” Jaehyun acknowledged, sticking his arm out for you. “Let’s get out of here.”

Astounded expressions crowded the socialites in the event as they watched the both of you exit together. If the news of Krystal and Donghyun weren’t crazy enough, some journalists figured the mysterious man behind The Poetic Rose and spread it like wildfire.

How was the youngest son of the Jeong family turned renowned romance novel author connected to the impressive, up-and-coming painter from London?

What really went down in Provence?

“How can you miss out on the signs? Did you not see them share a kiss earlier?” Key protested to those who weren’t approving whatever relationship you guys had. He loved his tea but hated those who simply were money hungry. Wanting a chance to be a part of the rich family, only to fish them out of their riches sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the winter season didn’t stop any of you from roaming the streets of Paris. Moments like these were a preview of the future you’ve envisioned with Jaehyun. Youthful, free, and fiery, a love between two artists created more magic not just in their crafts but to those around them.

Promenading a street overlooking the Seine River, Jaehyun took out a smaller instant camera from his pocket and took a candid shot of you. Stunned, you slapped his chest with your bag.

“Hey! Just how many more things are hidden in your blazer?”

“Just my wallet and a few condoms. Why’d you ask?” He raised a suggestive brow, feigning good intentions.

You hummed, faking your deep thought mindset. “At this rate, I don’t think we’ll make it back to my apartment alive.”

Jaehyun tugged you by your coat, his lips hovering your ear to whisper. “If we call a cab right now, I can finger you in the backseat.”

You chuckled at his vulgar idea, but it seemed ideal. You loved the thrill of getting caught or having someone overhearing you two, just like him. Besides, his fingers don’t match up to yours when you touch yourself alone in your apartment. You bat your eyelashes, giving in.

“Deal.”

6 ans plus tard (1964)

Summer returned, the sun strongly smiling down to the plentiful flowers at your family garden. By the patio of your home, your canvas was already laid by the easel stand. Shades of yellow were applied first to symbolize the brightness of the day, following the outline of your desired scenery for this piece.

Dipping the brush in water to change colors, you took another glance at the breezy sky. Light blue with clouds resembling soft pillows, you inhaled gently as your brush faintly stroked the canvas again.

Your hair was tied in a bun, meaning that you’re in for a busy session. But a more soothing one as the jazz music flowed from the vinyl player inside. Stress was the last thing you needed right now.

“What’s madame artiste up to right now?” Your husband piped in from behind, placing down a tray of tea and crackers. With some top buttons of his white top left unattended, you glimpsed on his toned chest when he leaned down. But you mustn’t pry whilst working, even when temptation was calling your name repeatedly.

“The summer sunshine healed me of my discomfort, so I think it’s about time I painted again.” You chewed on the snack, looking back and forth to the view. As enchanting as all the flowers you and him planted over the years grew, you’re more amused by a little boy strolling around it with his magnifying glass and tiny wooden basket with his furry puppy by his side.

His tiny legs often troubled the two of you because he enjoyed spending time with nature. Only God knows what he found in the garden this time.

“Adrien est explorer encore. Devrais-je lui dire qu’il change de place, ma chérie?” (Adrien is exploring again. Should I tell him to change places, my darling?) Jaehyun cautiously asked, not wanting his 3 year old son to impair your perspective.

“Non,” (No,) You held on to his hand, kissing it sweetly. Although you peeved any unnecessary details found in your scenery in the past, Adrien was an exception. As his mother, it’s hard to say no to him unless necessary.

“Il est un garçon curieux, alors il devrait explorer et flâner où il veut.” (He’s a curious boy, so he should explore and wander wherever he wants.)

Life ever since you returned to the countryside shifted into something more precious than you imagined. From moving places constantly, you found a home to settle in for good. A home with overflowing love and inspiration. A home within Jeong Jaehyun.

Recently, you halted your work-related activities in Paris and came home because you were heavily homesick. It even affected your health as a whole. So you made adjustments with your schedules, postponing appearances to events to next year.

On the plus side, you could be more active as a mother to Adrien. It felt like you burdened Jaehyun to take care of Adrien most of the time because he mainly worked from home, wherein important people who wanted to meet him would have to fly out to the countryside.

Back and forth to Paris, your presence towards Adrien often lacked. Here came your biggest fear, which was Adrien forgetting you. But Jaehyun told you over and over again that it wasn’t the case. As he listened to every wrenching thought you had, but he’d combat it with heartfelt words of reassurance so you wouldn’t overanalyze things.

He vowed to love and take care of you when times get hard, and he will continue doing so.

Remember when you said how his mansion felt too big?

It no longer did after getting married.

It gave more room to grow and breathe more life into it. When Adrien was born, he was the prime reflection of your and Jaehyun’s love. He mirrored his father’s physical traits but with a daring personality like yours. A perfect mixture, the world worked amazingly to bring a boy like him into your life.

“Maman! Papa!” Adrien bolted to where you and Jaehyun stood. From the clothes he wore, it’s very much clear that his father was in charge of it whilst you slept in the entire morning. Suspenders, capri shorts, a white shirt, and a red beret, he deserved his title as Jaehyun’s mini-me.

Jaehyun swelled with pride and love for his only son, peeking over what he brought to show and tell you both. “Oh Adrien, what do you have for us today?”

In his basket, there were 3 sunflowers stuck out from the edge. It’s been a while since you’ve seen some in full bloom, lowering your stance to get a more vivid view. He took them out to hand them to you and your husband.

One flower for Jaehyun and two for you. You let out a gasp, scrunching your brows to the center. He always gave one of each item to you and Jaehyun, never more or less.

“Ooh, deux fleurs pour Maman. Pourquoi, Rien?” (Ooh, two flowers for Mama. Why, Rien?) Jaehyun let his nickname out for his lips while you grasped his small hand.

“Well, I heard from Olivier next door that on his birthday, he gave extra flowers to his mother so he could have another sibling. And it worked!” He spoke so innocently, yet it hitched a choke from Jaehyun’s chest. Your eyes widened from disbelief. The information he collected due to his curiosity, no boundaries truly.

“Le mois prochain, c’est mon anniversaire. Je me demandais si je peux avoir un frère ou sœur comme Olivier? Tu es toujours occupée, comme Papa. Je ne veux plus être seul, alors je veux une amie aussi.” (It’s my birthday next month, and I was wondering if I can have a sibling like Olivier? You are always busy, like Papa. I don’t want to be alone anymore, so I want a friend too.)

You exchanged looks with Jaehyun, not knowing how exactly to respond. Although you and Jaehyun did agree that you wanted more than one child when you were younger, neither of you brought it up again since your careers were always loaded with plans.

Adrien was a surprise child actually, conceived on the night where you and Jaehyun celebrated after L’Été de 1957 was announced to be the best-selling romance novel of the decade in the country.

In Paris at his family home, where his parents brought out all their prized liquor, the two of you drank the entire night away to the point Krystal and Donghyun had to push you away from each other from your public affections because their children were present.

But it didn’t stop you two once you reached his bedroom, far away from everything and everyone. And you’ll never change it.

“Oh, Rien,” You eased in, consoling him. “Je suis désolé. Mais c’est franchement une grande demande, n'est-ce pas?” (I am sorry. But that’s quite a big request, right?)

“Mom and I will think about it first, okay? Another kid is a big responsibility, and you’ll be their older brother. That’s another important job, can you do it well?”

“Yes, I can, Papa!” He beamed with glee, his covered head patted by his father after. As you placed the sunflowers beside your palette, Adrien then proceeded to ask you if he could paint with you like old times.

Never you refuse especially with his sparkling round eyes and chubby face that makes you want to squish every time.

As you lifted his light body to sit on your lap, you placed your brush between his stubby fingers and carefully aimed in whatever angle seemed fit so the painting process would run smoothly and perfectly. He let out sounds of amazement when the strokes get bigger, jumping slightly too because the picture became more vivid. You’d smile and coo at him, commending whenever he followed instructions well. As his mother, you only encouraged your child in whatever they want to excel in.

Adrien was the child of two artists, so it was only natural that he had an artistic side in his veins.

Too caught up in your fun, hearing the automatic shutter of the camera from your side was delayed. The source was none other than Jaehyun hiding behind his camera. Jaehyun’s heart soared at the heavenly view of the most important people in his life, wanting to treasure the moment as a lovely memory.

“Hey!” You shouted, placing down the messy brush by the palette. “Je suis très laid!” (I am very ugly!)

“Shh! Tu est rayonnant, ma chérie. Papa est juste, Rien?” (Shh! You are glowing, my darling. Papa is right, Rien?)

Jaehyun politely quizzed the peppy boy, nodding excitedly. His dimples deeply showed up, the main trait he claimed from his father.

“Oui, papa! Maman est toujours belle!” (Yes, papa! Mama is always beautiful!)

He exclaimed, pecking your cheek numerously. You squealed, attacking him with tickles and kisses back. His shouts of delight, then he was suddenly carried by your tall husband in the air like he was flying in the sky. Adrien enjoyed that motion highly, ending up on Jaehyun’s shoulders shortly after to play by the garden again.

“Go paint. I’ll take care of him now.” Jaehyun persuaded, roaming through the long rows of flowers in full bloom. Though seconds after adding some strokes to your piece, you let down your hair, put a hat and sandals on, and ran to the cute duo to join them.

And that’s how your family spent the entire afternoon. By the garden, running around and taking photos and short videos from Jaehyun’s camera. Freezing these valuable memories, this was truly the life you loved so much.

After your break, you could convince the company you worked at that you’d prefer fewer trips to Paris and stay in the countryside longer. How badly you’ve wanted to hold your exhibits here instead. Plus like Jaehyun, let influential people visit you. You’ve already made a big name for yourself now, so that should be valid enough.

Dinner time passed by quickly too, eventually putting Adrien to a smooth slumber as you massaged the roots of his soft hair while Jaehyun sang him a lullaby. This was your joint parenting technique with him since he was a newborn, and it worked quickly as lightning.

You redressed into your silk nightgown after bringing your canvas to the master bedroom, opening the balcony doors to invite the cool breeze in. You tweaked some bits of your painting, including a silhouette of your small family. Regarding where to place it, probably by the living room as it matched the theme.

“What a spectacular day, don’t you think, ma chérie?” Jaehyun conversed, admiring the calm movements of your brush. He noticed a quirky smile grace your lips.

“It’s been a long time since we had quality time like that with Rien. He’s a feisty ball of energy these days.” You replied with a nostalgic daze. “It’s so crazy how one day, he was still crawling to us. Now, he could outrun the both of us.”

“Comme le temps passe vite, hmm?” (How time flies fast, hmm?) Nodding, nothing braced for what your husband had in mind. You almost dropped your brush mid-way. Jaehyun’s lips impatiently devoured your neck, his huge hands fondling your breasts. Violently throwing your head back against his chest, a needy moan parted your lips.

“Jae-” His touches reaching south to where you desired him highly, dampening hastily as your legs naturally spread apart. Rushed exhales, “À quoi tu penses maintenant?” (What are you thinking about right now?)

“Rien se sent seul,” (Rien feels alone,) His hot breath whispered against your ear, his fingers dangerously trailing your thin panties up and down. With your hands tightly clutching on his bicep,

“Alors, donnons-lui une amie.” (We should give him a friend.)

Ever since Adrien mentioned such a daring topic, it hasn’t left Jaehyun’s mind the whole day. After seeing you in utter bliss with your son earlier, he found you so majestic and radiant. It’s a different kind of happiness, especially for parents.

Now you went on hiatus, he thought that it was the right time to have another. He enjoyed his younger years with Krystal, and he wanted Adrien to experience it too. 3 years was quite a wait, and it seemed ideal to try again.

From his nude chest, you flipped around to intensely clash his lips with yours. Draping your arms behind his neck, Jaehyun lifted your entire figure from the chair. His hands gripping on your butt, he delicately lowered you down your bed.

Drowning into his sensual kisses with his hands all over you, this could prolong for hours. Reddening love marks started to resurface whilst your fingers tugged on the drawstring of his pajama pants. Jaehyun’s fingers dove under the fabric of your panties, his index finger rubbing figure 8s the sensitive bundle of nerves.

You struggled to swallow your moans, not wanting Rien to hear it. You wouldn’t want to repeat history, covering it as Jaehyun massaging you after a hard day.

“I know you want one too, ma chérie.” His fingers began to drape down the straps of your gown, presenting your breasts in its full, perky view. But before his lips could suck on your erect nipples, you parted momentarily from him and got up on your feet. Pulling up your straps again, Jaehyun simply laid down but he wasn’t pleased from how you left him hanging.

“Où vas-tu, ma chérie?” (Where are you going, sweetheart?)

He was growing impatient. You were never to interrupt such a sexy atmosphere ever.

From one of your drawers in your vanity table, an important, half-opened envelope was hidden. You were supposed to give it tomorrow but now seemed like a perfect time. Reading it as soon one of the maids handed it to you gave you the jitters, but in a positive way. Sitting back down on the edge of your bed, you exhilaratingly passed it to your husband.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” (What is this?)

“Ouvre-le.” (Open it.)

Jaehyun slowly opened the edges and once he took out the contents. Reading it thoroughly, he couldn’t believe it as his jaw dropped, pacing from the letter and you back and forth.

“Vraiment, ma chérie?” (Really, my darling?)

It was from a doctor you visited in Paris a few days before you left, who confirmed just exactly what caused your health to go feeble suddenly. You already had one certain suspicion, which you addressed in your leave of absence letter. Amelié, who finally got the position as the head, couldn’t believe her ears and insisted you take all the time off you needed.

“On dirait que Adrien a reçu son cadeau d'anniversaire en avance.” (It looks like Adrien received his birthday gift early.)

Overall, it turned out the headaches and repeated vomiting you mistook as motion sickness from traveling was a surprise hello to your second child.

A girl specifically, thanks to the blood test she recommended.

“Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

“Montre moi combien tu m’aimes, Jaehyun.” (Show me how much you love me, Jaehyun.)

The whole night through, the two of you vigorously celebrated with the moonlight from the windows and a few scented candles set in the room. Wet kisses left on your collarbone, words of devotion exchanged, holding his hand as he groaned from heartily thrusting in you, the number of moans from your lips overlapped with the vinyl playing in the room. The intimacy between you two increased, almost as if you made love for the first time again all those years ago.

Excluding being drenched from the rain.

Once the two of you grew tired, Jaehyun lied down beside you. Wrapping one arm around, one hand trailed down your naked skin again. His wedding band flashed your eyes, reminding you of the commitment you promised each other. For better, and for worse.

Jaehyun promised to love you endlessly as a woman and his wife, and it didn’t cease when you became the mother of his children. He respected how strong you are, physically and mentally. He helped you in any way he could as you endured the struggling process.

At the end of the day, his family was his biggest priority. More than ever now, you needed him as you go through the pregnancy phases again. Specifically, his index finger lingered on your stomach. There was no bump or other signs of showing, except for that glow he complimented you earlier on.

“We met and fell in love over the summer, got married in summer, had Adrien mid-summer, and now found out about our daughter at the start of summer.” He smiled, blessed at all the good he’s received during this time.

“The summer gods must adore us.” Your vacant hand with your wedding band topped his. To love and to cherish. “Ils m'ont amené à toi.” (They brought me to you.)

His power on you was simply addicting, as if your early twenties revisited you. You straddled himself once again, your fingers caressing his face sweetly. When it reached his lips, he placed longing kisses there and pulled you closer again for another kiss on your lips. In between, you mumbled in a silvery tone,

“Then they led us to say I do. Pour toujours et à jamais.”

891 notes · View notes

ichorizaki · 4 years ago

Text

part of your world—s.d.

꒰ ❛ genre ❜ ꒱ — fluff. just, pure fluff

꒰ ❛ pairing ❜ ꒱ — timeskip!sawamura daichi x f!reader

꒰ ❛ warnings ❜ ꒱ — uhhh some curse words and teeth-rotting fluff, asahi’s terrible fashion taste

꒰ ❛ word count ❜ ꒱ — 2.7k

˚ ༘ˀˀ ꒰‧⁺ a text from sol — ✎ˀ !!! my first req!!! ily ily hehe i had so much fun with this; i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it! thank you so much for being patient, @ceo-of-daichi huhu

-`,✎ synopsis! ; ♡ disneyland is just as magical as anyone dreamed for it to be and more.

One of the things that you love about Sawamura Daichi was how he calculated different factors to make sure that his intended outcome was accurate and to his satisfaction. Maybe it was the way his dark brows furrowed in concentration as he mapped out the plans, or perhaps it was in the way he had that small grin that boasted pride when he was done. You didn't know why he was planning so intently for a quick weekend trip to Disneyland Tokyo, but you didn’t quite care because it made for the perfect setting for you to pop the million-dollar question. While you would love to have the trip be just the two of you, you required an audience and moral support, which was why you had Sugawara Kōshi happily laying down in the backseat of the rented car and Azumane Asahi waiting for your arrival at his condominium complex at Ginza, Tokyo.

“Dai, how much further from Tokyo are we? I wanna ride the rollercoasters!” Kōshi complained from the backseat, propping himself up on his elbows. It was a miracle that both you and your boyfriend had heard him over the booming stereo that blasted the Disney playlist curated specially for the trip. He noticed that Daichi had his hand gripping your thigh where it was exposed by your denim shorts and made a gagging noise. “I thought I wasn’t gonna third-wheel.”

“We’re not even making out, you drama queen,” Daichi snorts. His eyes drifted from the rearview mirror to the GPS he was following on his phone next to the steering wheel. “We’re about fifteen minutes from the checkpoint.”

“Finally. Fifteen minutes more and I won’t be the only third-wheel.” You laughed at his comment as he went back to laying down in the backseat, scrolling through his phone and singing along to the songs. In his impatience, you knew it was excitement. Partially for Disneyland, but you knew the real reason behind it: the small velvet box sitting in your Kanken bag that sat by your feet.

Kōshi has been your partner in crime ever since your Karasuno days. You knew he had your back when it came to anything that consisted of the element of surprise, as you had his. You’ve said it a thousand times and you’ll say it again: the Karasuno VBC should be glad that you weren’t one of the managers. Otherwise, you were sure that their productivity would fall drastically.

Feeling your boyfriend’s calloused hand give your thigh a slight squeeze dragged your eyes from your phone screen to his beautiful face. You raised your eyes in question before he nudged his chin towards what lay beyond the glass windows, eyes fixated on the road. You followed his gaze and a small gasp of surprise left your lips.

It was by no means your first time in Tokyo but it never fails to take your breath away every time you near the border. Silver buildings line the landscape, blindingly glinting as they reflected the meridian sun. Billboard signs were but a blur of colours as Daichi drove past. You could practically smell the metallic scent of the metropolitan metal forest.

“Kōshi! Look!” You cried out, the palms of your hands flat against the glass along with your cheek as you tried to get closer to the scenery in the confines of the car. The second you passed the checkpoint and were cleared, the excitement was blatantly obvious in the way it seemed to send jitters down your spine. “Ah, I can’t wait to see ‘Sahi. I’m so glad he agreed to come out of his shell and spend time with us.”

“Right?” Kōshi got up from his position to squeeze his torso in between your seat and Daichi’s. “Man, I can’t wait to go feral at Disneyland and sleep for free in a downgraded hotel.” Daichi couldn’t help but laugh at the statement that his friend had made in reference to Asahi’s place. He had offered his condominium as accommodation for the night. You guessed that he was tired of being so lonely in such a spacious living space. The last time you checked, you were sure that he had two guest rooms which was perfect for the three of you.

Daichi continued driving into the city, easily finding his way to Asahi’s condominium complex. He was waiting there, scrolling through his phone in what could easily be the most tourist-y getup. He didn’t notice the vehicle pull up before him, which prompted you to wind your window down to call for him. Kōshi mirrored your actions, calling for him by his favourite nickname since high school.

“Oi, Negative Beardy!” He giggled as the bigger man looked up from his phone. His hair was cropped short, his previous peach fuzz now a well-groomed beard. He got up from his seat and you couldn’t help but notice the neon green fanny pack standing out exceptionally from his ensemble. You didn’t hold back the laughter and neither did your boyfriend as the clumsy man slid into the backseat next to Kōshi, the apples of his tanned cheeks a bright pink.

“Five months and the first thing you do is tease me . . .” Asahi sighed.

“How can we not when you look like a tourist?” Daichi countered as he began to drive out of the complex. “For a fashion designer, you sure do have a terrible sense.”

“Yeah, ‘Sahi,” you chimed in. “Isn’t the neon green fanny pack a little overkill?”

“Huh? Then where am I gonna put my wallet and phone on rides?” The three of you laughed it off, leaving a resigned Asahi shaking his head. Years may have passed and there may have been distance among the four of you but the chemistry was still there.

The drive from Ginza to Urayasu was about twenty minutes, but time seemed to fly by when you’re having fun because the next thing you know, the four of you were climbing out of the car with entry tickets in hand and standing in line. It was late into the season of spring and you could smell it distinctly in the air. The breeze was nice and chilly against where your skin was exposed as the sun cast a mighty glow upon the citizens of Tokyo, excitement buzzing in your veins like static electricity as you bounced back and forth on the balls of your feet.

Kōshi was the only other person who was being loud about his excitement, running as soon as he was granted entry into the magical grounds of Disneyland. You bounded after him, your voice disappearing into the large expanse of space as you screamed out loud.

“Y/N! People are staring, you idiot,” Daichi called out after you, taking your hand in his as soon as he caught up. You gave him a cheeky grin and wink along with a finger gun with your free hand. Now that you were finally at Disneyland, all you had to do was wait for the opportunity to make this fine man yours for the rest of your life. Kōshi gasped when he saw your linked hands and immediately turned to look at Asahi who tucked his hands behind his back in response.

The four of you started off at World Bazaar, taking a tour on the omnibus around the plaza before deciding to go in hard and strong at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Adventureland. Needless to say, Asahi was the only one who emerged trembling like a leaf. You felt like a high school student once again, spending time with your best friends and your crush in what appeared to be a fantasy-like wonderland. Your laughter filled the air as screams and children’s excitement harmonised along.

Regardless of where you ventured in the theme park, you were smiling and laughing and running around like a child with Kōshi as Asahi and Daichi both looked on. The former was visibly embarrassed by the commotion that the both of you were causing while the latter simply bemused by how happy you were. Hell, simply ‘happy’ didn’t cut it. You were in absolute childlike ecstasy as you pulled him along to the different rides and exhibitions, asking him to take your picture with Daisy Duck or Peter Pan or some character whose name he had forgotten. He was completely enthralled by you and knowing that you were his simply sent his mind reeling and his heart thumping against his ribcage as he fondled with the navy blue box nestled in the pocket of his bermuda shorts.

To say that you were nervous was an understatement. You were about to ask the man you love if he wanted to spend the rest of his natural life with you. You kept telling yourself that you had no reason to be nervous, that no matter what his answer was, you’d respect it. It was only natural that you were restless, right? The adrenaline that flowed through your veins was keeping you on your toes at every exhibit, show, ride, and parade that the four of you spectated with bright, eager smiles.

It was only when the stunning blue of the sky began to mix with swirls of salmon pink and golden melting through fluffy whites were the four of you sitting on one of the benches outside Cinderella’s castle. Families of both locals and tourists had ice cream crêpes in hand as they strolled languigly. You had an ice pop in hand, sharing it with Daichi as he sat next to you whilst cooling himself with the electric handheld fan that you had brought along.

Kōshi was staring dead into your eyes, his silver eyebrows furrowing just the slightest bit as he nudged his chin not-so-subtly to an inattentive Daichi. You scowled silently back at him, wordlessly telling him that it probably wasn’t the right time. Probably. But then he went ahead and gave you a smug look that called you a coward for chickening out whenever the opportunity presented itself by neatly dropping into your laps.

He wasn’t wrong. You had the perfect opportunity to propose just about an hour ago during one of the parades at Fantasyland. Mickey had pulled you in for a dance on the road, and after your little grooving session, you had dragged your boyfriend who was reticent but never tried to hide the fond smile on his face. Poor Kōshi had wasted a good percentage of his battery filming several almost-proposals only for you to chicken out at the last second. You were sure that you weren’t going to hear the end of it if you didn’t get down on one knee to propose in the next hour.

“Do you still want the ice pop?” Daichi asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. You turned to him, shaking your head. Now’s the time, you told yourself. No more backing out. You were going to ask this man to be your partner in life and that was final. How could you not? You’ve known this man close to two decades. He had been by your side the whole time, through the ups and downs, never once letting go of you even when you told him to. To you, he looked no different than he did when you first met him at the shy blossoming age of 15. He bulked a little and sure, there were smile lines and some wrinkles, but that was it. He’s still the same Sawamura Daichi that you fell in love with. “My love, is everything okay? Is there something on my face?”

“Huh?” You blinked. Crap, were you staring at him too obviously? You quickly told him that no, there wasn’t anything on his face other than absolute beauty, to which his cheeks flushed red. Kōshi was staring at you—you knew it from the glaring burning on the side of your face—and you finally reached your arm behind you where your bag was, nervously trying to take the violet box from the confines of the small pocket. You heard Kōshi whisper-yell a not-so-subtle “Yes!” as he fumbled around to fish his phone out.

Daichi’s ochre brown eyes never left your face as he watched you get up from the bench to sink down onto one knee before him. You felt your heart stammering in a jittery, shaking, quaking panic as your cheeks burned beet red. He was patient, waiting and watching you slowly rest your hands over your propped knee. Only then did you realise that the words that you had painstakingly memorised were beginning to disappear from your mind like a drawing in the sand erased up by waves.

“Daichi,” you began. There’s no going back now. “I never thought I’d ever find someone who’s my best friend and lover. I wouldn’t say that you’re my saviour or some shit cause that’s really cringey.” You briefly paused, swallowing the lump in your throat as you tried your best to fight back the tears. Why did you have to get emotional now? You cleared your throat, “Um. Listen. I’m in love with you. I had a script and I forgot what were the specific words on it, but I know this for sure: I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to watch you grow old and have kids who are gonna have kids, who are then gonna have kids, and then we’ll be sitting on rocking chairs at the patio of our house in the countryside, watching the sunset.

“I– fuck, this is embarrassing. But, yeah. I love you, and I’m just here to complete the final objective. I’ve taken your jackets, your firsts, and your heart, and I think it’s time I take your last name.” From the corner of your eyes, you noticed there were a few people standing by to watch. Some of them were obviously tourists and the fact alone made your entire face flush pink. Your eyes were trained on Daichi’s handsome face as he let a lone tear escape before quickly wiping it away and sniffling. He had that smile on his face—the very one that made your heart throb and sing hallelujah—and you couldn’t help but smile too as you revealed the golden ring seated intricately in a sea of white silk of the velvet box that you were holding. “So whaddya say, Dai?”

The second he got down on one knee and took out an identical velvet box from the pocket of his shorts, you let out a loud groan, throwing your head back to stop the tears from flowing freely down your face. You heard the spectators cheer and laugh, and also Kōshi screaming right behind you. Your teeth abused your bottom lip when you returned your tear-filled gaze to him, arms going limp by your sides. You refused to believe this was happening. It was the last thing that you had expected from Daichi, but life was full of surprises, wasn’t it?

“I don’t know, Y/N,” he mused. The corner of his lip curled upward into a sly smirk but the amount of love brimming in his eyes told a different story entirely. “What do you think?” By then, you had tears raining as you folded your feet underneath you so you could sit down and process everything. Even then, you were bawling your eyes out, holding his calloused hands in yours as he heartily laughed, kissing your tears away and pushing your hair out of your face.

“I think I wanna marry the fuck out of you, Dai.” Your shoulders trembled as your heart sang a euphoric tune that you never thought you’d be able to achieve. His bare, warm arms wrapped around you to guide you to sit down on the bench. He took his time wiping your tears and putting the ring on your finger before he did the same for himself.

“Tsk, babe, there are children here.” His teasing chides fell on deaf ears as Asahi and Kōshi joined the both of you, congratulations and teasing filling the atmosphere. You didn’t care that there were children there. Disneyland is one hell of a magical place, and you were just beyond thankful it turned all of your dreams into a reality.

#sawamura daichi #sawamura daichi x reader #haikyuu x reader #sawamura daichi x you #haikyuu fic #hq #꒰⚡️꒱ ⨾ zeus’ thunderbolt #bbthots

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whichwaytowonderlandep · 4 years ago

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Evermore | Ch. 1

Pairings: (Yoongi/Reader)

Genre: Romance, Angst

Words: 3,638

Tags: Beauty and The Beast AU, Modern au, eventual smut, drug mentions (sort of)

Series: The Disney Series

Chapter One

Your hand flew out of the sheets, flying across the side of the bed blindly before you finally made contact with the annoying device that had decided to wake you up at the ungodly hour of six in the afternoon. Too early for you.

You let out a loud groan, feeling slightly buzzed as the hangover from last night comes at you in full force. The sounds of the cars running and the people having fun outside of your apartment building filtered into your small and run down apartment.

You don’t remember much of last night, having completely checked out of your body as the night progressed, you continued to work the streets until the ungodly hour of three in the morning.

You get up from your bed, bones cracking as you smack your dry lips together. One of your hands comes up from under the covers as you push your tangled hair out of your face. The warm air coming from the fan in the corner doing little to stop you from sweating like hell while you slept during the day.

You knew your roommate must’ve been here during the day by the leftover weed smell that continued to linger in the air coming from the kitchen. You ignore it, already having been used to the smell before you move to the bathroom.

Your eyes instantly meet your unruly hair as you really take a look at yourself, seeing all the makeup from last night still on your face — smudged and not at all pleasant looking.

You decide to get ready for the night, taking a long cold shower as the knots that had formed under all that stress and that hard as a rock bed wasn’t helping make matters any better.

The heavy metal music and the sound of cars honking filling in the silence as you got ready in the sluttiest clothing you could find in the shared closet you and your roommate, Olivia had. You had promised her to finally join her tonight, after weeks of asking you finally agreed to join her and maybe make some money on the side while you were at it.

A tight, black dress that landed too far from your knee but that still left something to the imagination. Your makeup was done heavy — black eyeshadow and eyeliner, as well as dark red lipstick coloring your lips as you made your way out of your apartment… through your window.

It’s not that your door didn’t work well, it was the people behind said door that you were wanting to avoid. Your rent was due soon and your front door neighbor had this thing about grabbing your ass every time he saw you. So, climbing out of a three story apartment window and into your fire escape seemed like the safer choice of the two at the moment.

You make your way down the street, heels clicking loudly as your hips sway side to side. The dirty streets of the city were filled with late night party goers, drug addicts looking to score and ladies of the night looking to make a quick buck. Your smile flirts with the man you pass, throwing small waves at the ones who almost break their neck to get a glimpse of your ass. You break out in a giggle as one of them trips over his friends.

Your hair bounces on your shoulders as you quickly make it down the street, catching sight of your friend’s bright purple hair. “Oli!” You shout her name as you stand a few meters away from her, waving your arms around as you try to get her attention from the other side of the street.

Olivia Alvarez was an old friend from the days before you became a college drop out — her following you right along. What mostly attracted you to her was her loud as fuck personality and her will to give less fucks in any situation. “I’ll talk to you later baby, my girl is here.” She pats the guy on the ass, startling him slightly before moving to wrap her hands around you as you ran towards her.

“I haven’t seen you since yesterday!” You exclaim, hugging her tightly. You let go of her as you wrap a hand around her shoulders. “Where have you been, buddy?”

“Oh you know…” Oli wiggles her eyebrows, making an action zip her lips and throwing the key away. “A lady never reveals her conquests.” She whips her hair around as she wraps her arm around your waist. Her height making it possible for her to lay her head on your shoulder with no problems — leading the both of you to stand at the corner of the street.

“Manny was looking for you again last night” you say, watching her smile quickly disappear from her lips. “Told him you left the country… again.”

“Yeah, well next time you see him, tell him that I died.” Oli ‘s heavy Argentinian accent coming out as memories of him come to mind. “And that my body was cremated, that you scatter my ashes into the ocean so that I may find my way back home and blah blah blah”

You chuckle at her dramatic ways, finally separating from her as the catcalling around the two of you becomes even more noticeable. “You’ll be fine, just avoid him for a couple of more days and he’ll get bored… eventually.”

“So what are we doing tonight?” You change the subject quickly, trying to keep the mood a happier one.

“We are going to hit a couple of clubs, meet some new friends and have the best fucking time if our lives” Oli counts each one of them on her fingers, reaching into her jacket’s pocket and pulling a small plastic bag of different colored pills.

Your smile only wavers slightly as she pulls two of them out, offering one of them to you before shoving the other one into her mouth.

You eye the one in your hand, not sure how taking random drugs is going to get you through the night without making a plethora of horrible decisions. It would sure as hell make it a whole lot easier. “Come on (Y/N)” Oli says in a mocking manner, “Live a little!”

You smile, a slight grimace on your lips before taking the pill into your mouth.

Right, (Y/N)... it’s time to live a little. — you think to yourself, already regretting what was going to happen tonight.

Min Yoongi couldn’t be even more than happy to get the hell out of that party. If it could even be called a party. His fingers twirl around the emerald ring on his left hand. His face showing no emotion as he took another long sip of his watered down tequila — he had no plans on getting drunk tonight, but as the night went on he was going to quickly change his mind. His black hair crazily moving to the California breeze as he leans on the glass railing overlooking the bright city lights.

All he wanted to do was to go back to his hotel room and take a nice long and well deserved nap. But no, he had to stay here in the middle of a city where he knew absolutely nobody. Where he was only asked by his company to appear for appearances sake.

“Hey grumpy!” A loud voice startles him as a taller body crashes into his. Hoseok’s blinding smile moves to the corner of his eyes, a hard pat on his back. “What the hell are you doing out here when the girls are all inside?”

He would have almost forgotten about Hoseok’s presence if it wasn’t for the way he would constantly come outside and check up on him every couple of minutes.

“You’re missing out, man!” Hoseok continues as Yoongi gives him an uninterested glare before moving his gaze back to the city. “Why don’t you just come back inside, I might even have the right girl for you.” THe younger man chuckles.

“Not interested” Yoongi grumbles, already knowing where this was going. He had seen it all before, the parties, the glamour, the celebrities — hell, he has lived in the spotlight most of his life and there was nothing he had grown to hate more. He drinks what was left in his glass, hoping that the younger male would finally take the hint. Unfortunately, that was still not the case.

“Oh stop being such a grump! I know you used to like to party!” Hoseok whines as he leans over the railing, trying to get Yoongi to meet his eyes. “I want my best bro back”

“You know, I’m doing just fine with this bottle for myself” Yoongi points to the bottle sitting on the ground beside him. “I was also having a great ass time, so why not let me continue doing that?” With a grim smile, Yoongi looks back at the scenery in front of him.

Hoseok gives him one last smile before wrapping his arm around the giggling girl beside him. He had always known Yoongi to be the biggest grump he had ever met — nothing mean that he said was ever taken to heart. Hoseok, even after everything they’ve been through, would still consider him one of his best friends.

Hoseok lets out a deep sigh as he realizes the older man isn’t really in the mood to party so he reluctantly takes his keys out of his jacket, placing them on the flat railing before taking his leave.”Don’t scratch it” Hoseok yells back before disappearing from the patio and into the lively atmosphere.

Yoongi takes one look at them, his tongue pushing against his cheek as he places the bottle on the metal railing with a thunk, grabbing onto the keys before he makes his way down and through the backyard — possibly avoiding every person he possibly could.

His mind was slightly buzzed from the alcohol, nose red from the cold and his body feeling only slightly heavy, and yet, nothing was stopping him from climbing into the front seat of Hoseok’s car and pulling off into the dark road.

You’re extremely sweaty, a little bit hot and definitely feeling like you might pass out any second. At the same time... you felt euphoric, high on life and you would admit a little bit horny. Olivia and you had found yourself gaining free entry to one of the nearby clubs, stepping onto the dance floor as soon as the two of you arrived. You had some idea of what Oli might have given you, making a note to ask her tomorrow if she had any more.

The strobing lights made you dizzy and the vibrations coming from the surrounding speakers were beginning to give you a heavy migraine. You stop dancing as you feel someone pull at your hand, looking back with your fuzzy vision you see Olivia’s wild hair in your present view. You could hear her saying something, although it sounded like nothing but gibberish to you.

You don’t know what she said, but your hazy mind was able to put two and two together as you saw her smirk at you before turning around and grabbing onto some random guy’s arm. She has found a client for tonight and from here on out you were flying solo.

You’re no longer paying attention to her as you see her making her way out of the club, instead your eyes start scanning the rest of the barely lit club. As a high-end escort, Olivia knew the clubs where all the rich, married and very lonely trophy husbands and CEOs liked to hang out and relax. It was her hunting ground.

The men in her life didn’t last very long but from the moment they met her, they could only assume they were done for. Once she had her claws on him she wouldn’t let them go until she got bored or she got a large sum of money from them. Olivia gets bored very easily.

You hadn’t been okay with the idea when she had first suggested you joined her while she worked, knowing rent was due next week and you barely had enough food to last you the next few days. So, you took her up on her offer. To let her teach you her ways of manipulation.

You lick at your dry lips, feeling lost and alone as you no longer have someone familiar around you. You push your hair back as you step off to the side, your body starting to feel sore as you move towards the crowded bar. You try to find an empty spot, looking as the poor bartender gets pulled in all directions — the idea that you would possibly get a drunk any time soon is long gone as you unwrap your jacket from your waist and head towards the exit.

The fresh air hits you with full force as your body cools down. You could still hear the loud music thumping from inside the club as you move through the empty alleyway. Your mind is still a little fuzzy as you put on your jacket, getting the last of your cigarettes from the inside of your jacket.

You stumble out of the alleyway, fighting to make your lighter work as the wind starts to pick up as you step onto the street. You groan out loud, shaking the lighter in your hands as if that would make it magically work. “Stupid thing better work, I just bought it last week!” ‘

You weren’t really paying attention as you kept on walking, the migraine you had back at the club making its presence known. You were not looking at your surroundings, or at the empty and wet street as your boots slap against the puddles and you were certainly not aware of the very bright lights coming down the road at a very alarming speed.

Yoongi looks up at the road, the bright red jacket shining as the headlights of the car he was driving hit you. His foot slams down on the brakes, his heart beating a mile a minute before the care fortunately stops only inches from your body. He did not need a criminal record.

Your startled eyes meet his as you drop your lighter to the cold, wet asphalt with a clink. It would be a lie if you said that you didn’t almost pee your pants. After the initial shock wears off, you feel relieved and then, you feel only anger. It could be the drugs talking or it could be the alcohol that made you act way out of character.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! You almost ran me over!” You angrily yelled as you slam your hands against the hood of the very expensive-looking car. Hair falling all over your face as you try to take through the tinted windows, trying to get a look at the culprit’s face. You stumble around, your boots not helping out the matter.

You didn’t have to wait long before the man stepped out of the vehicle, anger apparent on his face as he made his way to the front of the car. “You didn’t scratch it, did you?” He ignores you as his eyes scan the hood, looking for any kind of scratches. “Are you serious right now? You could’ve killed me and you’re worried about your fucking car?!”

He lets out a sigh of relief as he makes his motives there are no scratches on the car. “Key word, almost.” he mumbles, not sparing you a glance as he gets back in his car.

“Uh, no you dipshit. I could have died.” You continue on, following him to his window —smacking your hands on it as you try to get his attention again. It seems as if you succeeded as he rolls the window down all the way.

“Please don’t touch the window, I don’t want it to get filthy” The man says as he looks at you up and down with nothing but a bored expression plastered on his face.

“Way to be rude, asshole” You mumble, leaning against the car. Your head leaning towards the window as you try to maintain your balance— your stomach starts to feel kind of funny, but the feeling of anger is still surpassing anything else that you could possibly be feeling.

“I could be splattered in front of your car and you only car if your precious car doesn’t have a scratch on it.” You continue mumble, “It’s exactly how people like you are ruining our country!” There it is again, that funny feeling in your stomach.

“You mean drug-addicted prostitutes like you aren’t?” Yoongi finally looks your way, an eyebrow raises as he gives you a skeptical look. He knew he was judging you without even knowing you but he was stressed enough as it is and you were the closest thing he could take his frustrations on you. Some stranger he might never get to see again.

He can tell by the way your eyes widen and your mouth opens in a little gasp that he had offended you, he could feel guilt bubbling up in his chest as he realizes that he offended you deeply. He doesn’t let you see he feels that way as his face and demeanor becomes cold again— pushing the button to close his window, cutting your words as you continue cursing him out.

You continue to tap on the window as you hear the sound of a revving engine. The rude motherfucker thinks he can get away with anything just because he has money. The migraine and the feeling you had in your stomach is something that you can no longer keep pushing down and as you throw up the little food you had managed to eat that day onto the side of his very slick and very clean car you knew that you had fucked up. You smirk as he parks the car once more, wiping at your lips. You take a step back as you watch him angrily get out of the car with eyebrows furrowed and disgust clearly showing on his face.

You don’t get to live in the moment for long as your vision becomes blurry and your eyes catch only the glimpse of the headlights as your world becomes dark and you hit the ground with a loud thud.

Yoongi instantly turns around, his eyes searching for your body before he finds you passed out in the middle of the road. “For fuck’s sake…” He mumbles angrily to himself. For once, he was glad that he got lost on a road with little to no traffic at all. He takes one more look at the vomit on the ground, feeling queasy at the sight of it. He skips over it, careful to not get it on his very expensive shoes as he squats down next to your body.

“Hey, stupid...Wake up.” Yoongi says as he nudges your shoulder, hearing soft snores coming from under a mountain of hair. He pushes you fully on your back, your hair falling back onto the wet concrete as he sees the peaceful look on your face -- along with some of the vomit still present on your chin. “Why does shit like this always happen to me?” Yoongi has an inquisitive look on his face as he looks around his surroundings, the cold air making his breath visible in front of him as he notices no one around the surrounding area. He could easily leave you right where you were, get in his car and just get the hell out of there. Another part of him is telling him to at least move you to the sidewalk, to the ‘nice’ and ‘comfortable looking garbage so that you at least don’t get used as a speed bump.

And yet, something in his consciousness tells him that he was human not too long ago and while you were rude to him… he couldn’t just leave you to rot in the middle of nowhere. He had no idea where you had appeared from and as he gently patted the pockets of your jacket he could tell you didn’t have a cellphone or anything he could call your loved ones with. He could always call the police, but he’s sure he wouldn’t be able to explain the scene in front of him or how long they would take to actually get there.

“Mom…” He hears you mumble in your deep sleep.

“Hey..Wake up. You can’t stay here…” Yoongi tries one more time and as you offer no more words, he finally makes up his mind. He unbuttons his silk jacket, moving to place it on your legs before he moves his arms beneath your knees and your shoulders. “Damn, could you be any heavier?” He complains, adjusting you as best he could in your arms before moving back towards his vehicle. He struggles with opening the back door as he tries to not drop you, he ends up using his leg as he hooks his foot onto the handle and struggles to open it. Succeeding after a few minutes, finally placing you into the back seat. He steps away, making sure all of your limbs were inside the car before he slams the door— hoping that it would wake you up and you could go on your merry way, but as he watches your unmoving body still sleeping in his back seat he knows that it was a futile attempt.

“Fucking…..” He grumbles in annoyance as he skips over the vomit on the asphalt, getting into his car and driving off.

Masterlist>>

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dogboyzen · 4 years ago

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Summer activities w/ the RFA + Saeran & V

Hi hi!! This is my first post here and my first time writing one of these!! Feel free to leave feedback or requests as well :)) I’m super excited to be here and I hope u enjoy!! <3

Yoosung Kim

•you had to drag him off his computer at the start of the summer

•but now he’s LOVES going outside and doing stuff with you

•he comes up with fun little road trips for you 2!!

•definitely loves the amusement park and will drag you on rides all day

•he also really likes the beach but the sun tires him out easily

•but him being tired doesn’t stop the fun!! This boy loves doing anything, anywhere with you

•sometimes you both need some time to recooperate energy, so you watch those coming of age summer movies on the off days

•In fact yoosung loves those movies!! He’s a sucker for clique but happy endings :))

•summer is his favourite season and as long as your with him, he doesn’t care what you 2 do!!

Zen / Hyun Ryu

•lots.of.sefies!!

•no matter where you 2 are, he loves taking photos of your adventures together and he loves to show you off !

•this man is all for the beach

•but if one guy looks at you the wrong way in a bikini he will make sure the guy knows your taken

•zen will definitely bitch about being in the sun too long cause it could ruin his skin

•comes up with super romantic but simple date ideas

•going on picnics together became a regular thing for you 2!!

•he suggested going to the amusement park with you but when he instantly saw how big the rides were he nearly shit himself

•but when he saw how excited you were to go on them, he sucked it up and came with you on them

•he ended up loving them and by the end of the day you both were exhausted from rides

•zen loves being in your company no matter where it is and made the most of the summer with you!!

•by the end of the summer, his storage was nearly filled with photos though

Jaehee Kang

•Jaehee usually would rather stay around town than going out on crazy trips

•but Jaehee loves going on roadtrips with you!!

•going in the car while listening to music and having small conversations was very relaxing for her

•you can bet your summer was filled with baking and trying out crazy recipes

•when you both couldn’t sleep, you’d do some 3am baking while having deep conversations on the kitchen floor

•she loves going hiking with you!!

•so you 2 ended up camping for a few days :))

•it was a bit of a disaster as it was both of your first times camping, but it certainly was super fun!

•Jaehee loved going on cute dates in the park w/ you, where you both would find a quiet place to watch the sunset together

•you both would go to the beach late at night and go swimming at sunset

•it was a very relaxing first summer w/ her and you 2 already had made plans for next summer too!!

Jumin Han

•you can guarantee Jumin would plan something expensive vacation for you both

•it was a blast!! You 2 went to Hawaii and explored the island together

•you decided to take Jumin to an amusement park!!

•when you told him about it, he didn’t understand as he could easily rent out the place for the day for you 2 calm down Jumin not everything needs to be so extra

•when you got there, he didn’t know where to go as he’s never been to a place like this before

•when you took him on a rollarcoaster, he wasn’t too big of a fan, but enjoyed seeing you smile

•so you guys went on a few smaller ones together

•Jumin would find really cute restaurants with an outside patio to go to w/ you!!

•Jumin would take you on dates on his boat since Elizabeth the 3rd could come and you’d end up spending the day there

•you 2 would dance together in front of the moonlight before heading home

•Jumin loves being in your presence so the summer was spent together, doing a variety of things

•it was the best summer of your lives since you spent it together, and you both couldn’t wait for the future summers to come :))

707 / Luciel / Saeyoung Choi

•‘MC wake up, wake up, we need to get ready for the amusement park’

•‘Saeyoung it’s 5 in the morning let me sleep”

•this boy was excited to go anywhere and planned something super fun almost everyday with you!!

•he didn’t get to experience a lot of things during his childhood so the summer was spent living out his childhood fantasies!!

•he LOVED the amusement, like yoosung

•would try to go on every ride with you

•by the end of the day you both were exsuated, arms full of stuffed animals, won from the carnival games which he was literally a pro at

•it was 7am one morning and you woke up to water get splashed on your face, it was a waterballoon.

•you, Vanderwood and Saeran all looked pissed off coming out of your rooms, to see what the hell happened

•it took no less than 10 seconds to realize this was one of Saeyoungs pranks

•and as soon as you realized that, Saeyoung popped up from behind the couch and hit Saeran square in the face with a waterballoon

•if Saeran wasn’t already pissed, now he was, and 30 minutes, 130 waterballoons, and 4 soaked adults later, the waterballoon fight was over

•this was just one of the many pranks Saeyoung pulled this summer, but you eventually started to get in on them with Saeyoung!!

•you both had such an exciting summer together, and Saeyoung was bummed it was over :((

•but that doesn’t mean the fun is over!! Saeyoung had already started to plan next summer to be even crazier with you!!!

V / Jihyun Kim

•if you thought Zen took a lot of photos, wait til you see the amount V took

•he took his camera everywhere so he could capture the fun moments he had with you!!

•he wasn’t a big fan of commercial attractions, but rather more relaxing trips

•you 2 went camping together, by the lake for 2 weeks!!

•you loved to help V by modeling for his photos! So you both would do adorable photoshoots together!!

•you guys were literally a living aesthetic

•this man would work so hard on coming up with the cutest dates for you guys!!

•you 2 would go on a small vacation together to a private beach 3 hours away!!

•you 2 would play in the water and every chance he got, he couldn’t stop telling you how beautiful you looked god this man is literally an angel wtf

•On the days you stayed at home, you 2 would cuddle together while watching movies

•your summer was spent together surrounded by relaxing scenery

•it was the first time since he left Rika, he realized that they were never meant to be together and you were always the one for him

•when he told you this your heart melted someone give this man a hug

Saeran

•it took a few days to convince him to leave the house and do stuff

•Saeyoung convinced him to go to an amusement park and he refused at first but seeing as you seemed excited to go, he caved and went

•he never liked crowds but nothing mattered as long as you were with him! He didn’t want to admit it, but he was having the time of his life there

•he wasn’t the biggest fan of rollarcoasters but enjoyed the smaller ones, and he was surprisingly good at carnival games, much like his brother

•he would watched a kid fall in line and laughed ‘shhh Saeran they are looking please’

•he was determined to try 50 flavours of icecream this summer, and it’s safe to say you guys doubled that goal

•no matter where you went, you would always find an icecream shop and you 2 would try all the new flavours

•your local icecream parlor knew you 2 by name, at the end of the summer

•you guys would go for cute walks in your community garden together and when it got late, you 2 would stargaze together!!

•Saeran loves watching the stars, and being with you made everything better!

•you 2 went on a lot of cute dates!!

•he surprisingly enjoyed the beach a lot but preferred to find a more private one where there was less people

•by the end of the summer he came a lot out of his comfort zone and even though he didn’t admit it, you knew he couldn’t wait to do some of the same things next summer!!

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roundtheworldrambles · 5 years ago

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Sydney, Australia

Day 103 – Melbourne to Sydney

Hannah and I went to visit the Melbourne Zoo in the morning before my flight to Sydney that afternoon. As Hannah was working in marketing in their head office, she was able to get us in for free, and acted as my complimentary tour guide! Although I had already see a number of Australian animals in the wild, the zoo was a terrific place to see the rarer specifies - including a platypus!

Melbourne Zoo Reunions with Hannah

Catching an Uber up to the Airport, I boarded my afternoon flight to Sydney – getting in just on time to celebrate New Years Eve! I arrived at my friend Emma’s home in Double Bay around 7pm – with just enough time to get ready before people began to arrive for their New Years party. I had a great time meeting all of Emma’s Australian friends, playing games, and celebrating the final hours of 2017. As the suburb of Double Bay is located on the south side of Sydney’s impressive harbour, we all left the party shortly before midnight to walk down the water, finding the perfect spot to catch Sydney’s world-famous NYE fireworks display. The streets were packed with other people, the entire city coming together to celebrate! This will always be a memorable New Years Eve for me – the fireworks were more impressive than I could have possibly imagined, and the festive spirit in the city was absolutely contagious! We returned to the party after the ball dropped, continuing our party – in true Aussie style – into the wee hours of the morning!

NYE in Sydney!

Day 104 - Sydney

After much revelry the night before, we were slow to get moving in the morning! After cleaning up from the party, we headed out to Bondi Beach with Emma, her boyfriend Ryan, and their friends Allie, Sarah, Rhys, Andrea and Damien. We tucked into a delicious brunch on the leafy courtyard of Bondi Hardware, before heading down to the beach to enjoy the sunshine. Walking along the boardwalk, it seemed as though all of Sydney had the same idea. Thousands of people were gathered along the sweeping white-sand beach, splashing in the waves and surfing offshore. It was a perfect, picturesque new years day!

Bondi Beach

In the evening, we grabbed Thai food back in Double Bay and watched multiple episodes of Bondi Surf Rescue – the reality show featuring the famous lifeguards from Bondi Beach!

Day 105 - Sydney

Emma and I hopped on a small harbor ferry in the morning in Double Bay, heading into the CBD of Sydney. Nearing Circular Quay, the Sydney Harbour bridge and the white sails of the iconic Opera House were just as striking as I remembered. We spent the day enjoying the sunshine, walking around the Botanical Gardens and the Opera House, before sharing a pitcher of Aperol Spritz at the famous Opera Bar. Catching the ferry back to Double Bay, we joined Ryan and a group of friends for drinks and dinner at The Golden Sheaf, a picturesque music pub and garden bar near Emma’s apartment.

Sydney Opera House

Day 106 – Sydney

As Emma returned to work, her friend Andrea – a fellow Canadian and UWO grad – met up with me to complete the Spit Bridge to Manly walk. A spectacular 10 km coastal walk weaving through the bays of Northern Sydney, we spent a terrific day walking along inner harbor beaches and through native bushland, taking in the panoramic ocean views, complete with countless white sailboats bobbing in the sheltered turquoise waters.

Spit to Manly Hike

Arriving at Manly in the late afternoon, we wandered along the Manly Corso before grabbing a bite to eat and drink to share on the beach. Manly had a terrific number of galleries with Aboriginal Art, where I was lucky to find a piece of art I loved! The complex symbology and icons depicted in the dot work of Aboriginal Art is truly fascinating, with the styles varying dramatically from region to region. The black and white piece of art I selected was representative of birthing circles, and the support that women provide to each other.

Double Bay

In the early evening, we boarded the Manly Ferry to return to Sydney. This famous green and yellow ferry has been operating for over 100 years between Manly and Circular Quay, sailing for 30 minutes with spectacular harbor and ocean views. We sat above deck, taking in the breathtaking scenery – a perfect, relaxing end to the day.

Day 107 – Sydney

Emma had to return to work this morning, so I headed out to complete another urban coastal hike, the famous Bondi to Coogee surfside walk. Winding around the clifftops south of Bondi Beach, I walked past the iconic Icebergs pool, and the surf breaks around Tamarama and Bronte. The cliffs along the walk were chiseled into intricate patterns by the powerful surf below. Rounding the bends along the trail into more sheltered coves, I came across several sandy beaches, packed with sun-seekers, beach towels and umbrellas. The natural beauty of the coastline was stunning, and I could easily see the appeal of living in this incredible city.

Icebergs Pool

I reached the end of the trail at Coogee mid day, and enjoyed a patio drink at Coogee Pavillion before heading back into the city. My wonderful friend Emma had booked me in for a haircut that afternoon in Paddington – knowing that I was long overdue after months of backpacking! With my fresh chop – I headed out to meet her and Ryan at Charlie Parker’s, a speakeasy bar in Merivale, before tucking into dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.

Bondi to Coogee Hike

Day 108 – Sydney

I spent this day relaxing and working on trip planning for the next legs of my trip - in Byron Bay and New Zealand! I returned to Bondi Beach and holed up in a coffee shop for most of the day, taking a break to wander along the boardwalk and pop into seaside galleries and shops. Not a bad place to get some life-admin done!

After Emma was off work, I met up with her near Circular Quay for a drink in the Rocks before we hopped on another harbor ferry over to Balmain, to meet my friend Nat, who had moved back to Sydney from Vancouver. We enjoyed a drink (or several…) at the Balmain Hotel, a quirky neighbourhood pub, and spent the evening catching up.

Day 109 – Sydney

My final day in Sydney did not disappoint! Emma and I shook off our mini hangovers with a morning yoga class in Bondi Beach, before gathering our bathing suits and beverages to head down to the Double Bay Marina. It was the birthday of Emma’s friend Nikki, and she had rented out a catamaran sailboat for the day. We spent the rest of the afternoon cruising along the shoreline of Sydney Harbour, swimming in the brilliant blue water, and enjoying drinks, music and good company in the sunshine. It was the perfect way to end my final day in Sydney.

Sailing the Sydney Harbour

#australia

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prettywordsyouleft · 6 years ago

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Sanctuary

Summary: Life was too stressful and when you returned home for a break, you found yourself entering the forest you had spent most of your childhood within, looking for sanctuary.

Characters: Moonbin x reader

Genre: supernatural au / fantasy / fairy au / fluff

A/N: Another bias, another birthday! Ever since watching All Night I’ve been imagining Moonbin as an impish fairy and so I decided to write him as one!

Word count: 3823

You hadn’t visited in some time.

As a child, you had grown up near a forest and you loved walking through the land of varying hues of green, playing hide-and-seek with your siblings, and when older, simply plucking out a book from your shelf and setting off to read in a world of serenity. You often felt as if your books came to life more whenever you read within the forest and soon you believed the woods were a sanctuary from everyday life. A world of its own that you could escape into whenever the stresses of school and family were too much.

But as you moved into adulthood, you went to the city to study and got a job there too. It wasn’t as easy to go to the mystical woods anymore, and soon you were dealing with stresses like everyone else did. You lived for caffeine and you lacked sleep as most functioning humans did. You rolled out of bed and off to classes day in and out, whilst filling the night with endless part-time jobs to make sure you could pay your rent on time.

How you managed to study enough was a mystery, though the dark circles under your eyes were a tell-tale sign of what you gave up in order to most nights.

You couldn’t remember when you did anything for fun, and when you finally had a break long enough to head home, you decided to take a week’s rest. To let your mother smother you in her attentive nagging and feed you the home-cooked meals you hadn’t tasted in forever. You planned to laze about the house and do absolutely nothing, in contrast to doing absolutely everything in the city.

Being home was nostalgic. You had missed the simplicity of the countryside, and the slower pace where the sun dictated what you did with your day. And despite it shining brightly for the first two days of your time back home, you had spent it indoors, catching up on much-needed sleep, and just lazing around as you had hoped to. By the third day however, you were feeling restless. Your body was accustomed to always being on the go, and you decided to go for a run. It felt good to pound down the quiet country lane whilst listening to your music, singing out loud at points because no one was around. You took a break when you noticed an entrance to the woods beside you. It had been so long since you had entered and you hesitated for some reason, as if you didn’t have permission to wander in like the free-spirited child you had once been.

“It’s just a forest,” you told yourself, shaking your head at your nonsense and jogged into the dense greenery.

The air was different once you were in far enough and you sucked in deep breaths to truly inhale the pine scent. It felt like a home you hadn’t visited in some time. You let out a laugh, surprising yourself with how light you felt afterwards. You wandered for about an hour, mesmerised with how things had changed in some areas, and others were still the same. You found the tree you always chose as your favourite spot to lay upon as you read. You almost regretted as you sat down on it, that you hadn’t brought something to read today.

And then your smart-watch on your wrist starting beeping, sounding foreign within this environment. You looked down at it and noticed you had a missed call from your mother. It surprised you that you got signal so deep within the forest and with a sigh, you hauled yourself off the tree and back out the way you had come in, unaware of the eyes watching your departure forlornly.

The next morning you rose with renewed anticipation. You had been distracted ever since you got home yesterday, feeling compelled to turn back and go into the woods again. As you laid in bed that night, you decided you would return better prepared today.

After dressing in your active clothes, you grabbed a small backpack and filled it with items you would need. A book from your shelf was the last thing to be placed in with the assorted snacks and a drink bottle, and you put your earbuds on as you turned on some music outside your home.

You started with a run again, just like the day before, but today you ran with purpose. You didn’t stop running even when you entered the forest again, leaping over the fallen trunks and other debris as you went. If anyone were to have been watching, you imagined them to see you much like a deer frolicking, there was so much joy within your steps. And when you reached your favourite spot, you patted the tree trunk fondly before you sat down on it.

“Now, for the best part of my day,” you proclaimed to the forest, slipping your watch off your wrist and your earbuds out of your ears. Every piece of technology that had accompanied you into your sanctuary was put away in your bag. You didn’t want the outside world to interrupt you, instead, you wished to get lost in a tale you had read many times over.

It seemed fitting to read about fairies and elves in this scenery and you were instantly hooked in reading the book. You moved around at points to get comfortable again, and you spoke out your moments of questioning or laughed when it was needed. You stopped to eat your lunch, mindfully popping each part in your mouth and focusing on the texture and taste. You felt intoxicated by the freedom and the quiet. You wondered if you could forgo leaving when it was time to return to reality altogether on Sunday. There was something magical about this place and no money or a successful career could compare.

After lunch, you returned to your book, getting lost within it again. When you finished it, you were disappointed you hadn’t brought anything else with you for the day to read. You had believed you wouldn’t even get through half the book given how little you had read lately outside of textbooks. Now you were pouting, looking around yourself for something to do.

A stream of sunshine had started hitting the tree earlier on as the afternoon sun infiltrated through the canopy above. You had been enjoying basking in the sun and decided to lay back down, feeling yourself grow sleepy under its warmth.

“I’ll just take a small nap and then head back home,” you murmured out-loud, closing your eyes and drifting off into a deep slumber.

When you stirred, you weren’t on the tree anymore. The scent had changed around you and you inhaled deeply, confused by the floral fragrance that hit you immediately. You opened your eyes and blinked rapidly.

You were still near the tree but instead now rested upon a bed of flowers. At first, you were stunned that something so beautiful could exist. You stared around yourself in wonder, at the drastic change of your once monochrome of green now being various hues of pinks, purples and yellows.

And then you put rationale into the situation. You were still dreaming.

“No, you’re awake,” a voice said then, and you let out a shriek, not noticing the pink-haired person until he had spoken. He turned to look at you over his shoulder and grinned.

You had never seen someone so captivating before.

“Why thank you,” he continued, and you shook your head in confusion at how he was answering your thoughts when you hadn’t spoken out loud. He nodded once. “Ah, I’m a fairy.”

“Fairies don’t read minds, and further, you just told me I was awake. I’m definitely still dreaming,” you told him, sitting up and blinking at your clothing. Before you had been wearing your active clothes but now you adorned a simple beige dress made with thick yet comfortable cotton. You smiled. “See, I’m totally dreaming.”

“Call it as you must, but I cannot lie. Surely this book here told you that much,” he mentioned with a sly smile, holding up your novel. You soon realised that he was rummaging through your belongings and you leapt up, letting out a startled cry.

“What are you doing?!”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Going through your bag.”

“Yes, I know that but you can’t just go through my things!” You threw your hands up in exasperation. “Those are mine.”

“And this forest is mine yet you came in without asking for my permission,” he countered, giving a little shrug before holding up your earbuds in confusion. “What do these do? You had them in when you came in earlier but I couldn’t understand their purpose. Why would you want to block the sounds of the world out?”

You stared at him incredulously, trying ever so hard to ignore how handsome he was. He was still crouched by your things, yet you could tell he was tall and slender, and he had an air about him that was graceful. Although he sported candy pink hair, you felt he suited it immensely, and it brought out the golden glow of his skin. He smirked. “Yes, I know I’m beautiful, but I asked you about these things here.”

You rolled your eyes heavily and grabbed your earbuds out of his grasp. “They don’t block out sounds, they play music.”

“Music?” he repeated, frowning. “But where is the instrument?”

You giggled involuntarily. “You use your phone to play it.”

“Phone?” He glanced around himself, looking lost. “What is that?”

You reached down into the neat pile of your belongings he had made and held up the device. He took it from you and flipped it over carefully. His eyes then landed back on yours. “This is not an instrument.”

“How long have you lived here?” you asked in amusement, shaking your head at his lack of knowledge. Pulling the device out of his grip, you almost dropped it when he answered.

“Eighty years, I believe.”

“I thought you said fairies can’t lie,” you told him once recovered and he nodded.

“I can’t. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because you look the same age as me and I’m no where near thirty yet.”

“I think I should take that as a compliment, you’re saying I look good for my age.” He completely disregarded your gaze you shot him and pointed at the phone. “How does this makes music?”

“It doesn’t make it, look let me show you and you’ll understand.” You unlocked the phone and he flinched at the small bubble sound it made and then gasped as your home screen appeared.

“Is it magic?!” You ignored his wonder and went into your music app, pressing play on the song you had been listening to before you turned it off. He flinched again as you moved an earbud close to him. Tentatively, he placed it into his ear and then noisily gasped. “How does it play this?!”

You turned it off and he blinked rapidly. “It’s what we humans use to listen to music these days.”

“Ah, you acknowledge I’m not human,” he said gleefully and you rolled your eyes again. “I get it; it’s been a long time since you visited this forest, Y/N. You’ve forgotten all about the magic that kept you coming back as a child.”

You glanced up at him, aghast. “This isn’t funny. How do you know my name?”

“Because you used to sing it out all the time as a child when you played here.”

You wanted to refute it, but there was something genuine in his chocolate brown eyes. He was smiling again at your gaze and you looked away. “I don’t know your name.”

“Moonbin.” You looked at him again at his easy introduction and then to his ears. He laughed but allowed you to further examine him as if he appreciated your continued gaze. He even angled himself so you could look at him side on. “Satisfied now?”

“So, you’re a fairy?” Moonbin nodded. “Who came to this forest eighty years ago, and has been here this whole time, yet I’ve never seen you once, why?”

“You have too,” he refuted with a melodic laugh and you wondered why it sounded familiar. He grinned. “When you played hide-and-seek as a child, you once found me instead.”

You tried to remember and gasped when you saw a child with similar pink hair within the hollow of a trunk in your memory. You snapped your focus up to his. “I wasn’t a child.”

“You looked like one.”

“My appearance changes on my mood,” he admitted. “Sometimes when I feel young at heart, I play in the forest like a child. But most of the time, I look like this. See, you think I’m handsome.”

“I think you have a bit of an ego,” you muttered and Moonbin chuckled.

“Most fairies do.”

“So how does this work then?” you wondered and he looked at you, puzzled. You wondered why he wasn’t reading your mind anymore.

“Ah, you’re not openly letting your thoughts out. Normally I can hear them as if you spoke them aloud if you’re actively thinking them. But right now, you’re only sharing your confusion at me not knowing what you’re thinking.”

He sounded too logical and your brain started to hurt. You sighed. “How did the forest suddenly fill with flowers?”

“It’s like this all the time for me,” he answered, gesturing to the beauty that surrounded you both. “It blooms year round.”

“It’s always green,” you corrected and Moonbin pouted. “So I’m asking how it’s not green for me anymore.”

“Being an adult has made you lose your wonder, Y/N.”

“Don’t remind me,” you agreed and Moonbin grinned. “And stop smiling, it’s too dazzling.”

“I’ll try my best to damper it down,” he told you in a small voice but you could tell he was pleased with how you reacted to him. “I guess, my world and your world don’t always meet up. To you, it’s green, to me it’s not.”

“How am I here?”

“You called out to me,” he answered simply as if you should’ve realised this already. You blinked slowly. You didn’t recall saying anything after resting back to nap. Moonbin groaned exasperatedly. “As you fell asleep, you wished not to return back to the city and stay here forever instead. You called out for a sanctuary and so I allowed you in here.”

“So I am dreaming.”

“But you really are not,” he confirmed, sighing at your refusal to believe him. “If you were asleep then you’d be still laying there, not talking with me.”

You went to refute him again but you felt like it was pointless. Moonbin seemed to have an answer for everything in this strange environment. He smirked. “I do.”

“Okay, so how do I leave?” you asked, bending down to retrieve your things hastily. You knew it had to be getting later in the day and your parents would be worried about you if you didn’t return home in time for dinner.

Moonbin, however, became sullen. “Why don’t you want to stay?”

“Because I have people waiting on me.”

“What about me?” he asked and you stopped moving, glancing up into his sombre expression. “I’ve been here all this time waiting for you and you only returned now. Can’t you stay a little longer? Please?”

In any other situation, you would have run away. Moonbin was a stranger. A very attractive one but still he was someone you didn’t know. The longer you stared at him, the more you felt as if your initial thought was wrong. You had seen these eyes far too many times as a child. It slowly dawned on you that he was no stranger at all to you.

“What if I return tomorrow? Will you let me in again?” you asked and Moonbin chewed on his bottom lip in hesitation. You smiled at him and gently reached out to hold onto his lower arm. He looked at your grasp and then back at your face. “I’m not saying this to escape you.”

“You remember me.”

“Kind of,” you admitted and Moonbin smiled at you so much that you thought your knees were going to give way. He gripped onto you with a laugh and shot you a wink. Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“Okay, but on one condition,” he mentioned, and you looked up at him expectantly. “You allow me to walk you home.”

You nodded and together you packed up your belongings, your bag now seemed out of place against your dress. You looked at it again and then at Moonbin who grew sheepish. “It’s the dress you once wore when younger. I liked it on you, so in my world, it’s what you wear.”

“I guess that makes sense,” you replied, though you weren’t sure any of this would make sense when you stepped out of the forest. Yet for now, you were at ease in his company.

You walked side by side slowly until you reached the forest edge. You went to step out but Moonbin grabbed you, shaking his head. “I can’t leave. I’m bound to this place.”

“Bound?”

“All fairies are placed somewhere, to fulfil their duty of protecting the flora and fauna in their jurisdiction. I guess you could say I have a job. Like you.”

“Sounds like a lonely one,” you admitted and he diverted his gaze.

“There aren’t many children left in this area, and adults rarely come in.”

You felt a pang of familiarity. Although you were surrounded by people in the city, it wasn’t down to it being out of want. You were merely another person in a sea of humans there. You were only talked to if you were needed, and friends only existed to fulfil study sessions and the odd night out at the local club. You stepped back from the edge of the forest and instead turned to walk along the edge of it beside him. Moonbin smiled brightly.

Conversation was easy when you established that connection. He told you of the trees and their changes, and you told him what the city was like. He seemed in awe, much like you were of his world. Both wanting what you couldn’t have. Somewhere, perhaps when you stumbled over a tree branch, Moonbin had grabbed a hold of your hand. And he still held it within his now, swinging your linked arms loosely in the evening breeze. You liked the feeling and found yourself staring up at the tall man often, little smiles playing on his lips whenever he caught you. He was strangely addicting and you wanted to keep staring at him forever.

You could tell you were nearing your home as Moonbin’s feet began to drag. He didn’t say anything about it and you allowed the change in pace, your own feet reluctant to step out and make you decide if this was all a hazy dream or not. Eventually, you both stopped at a cluster of trees and he let out a heavy sigh. “I wish I could walk you to your door but this is as far as I can go.”

“I’m glad you walked me this far,” you told him honestly and Moonbin smiled, looking down at your still linked hands. You followed his gaze, sighing softly at the need to let go.

“I don’t want to let go either. I trust you though; I know you’ll remember me now.”

“You reckon?” you asked, not quite trusting in yourself. Moonbin nodded firmly and you smiled. “I promise I’ll come back every day until I have to leave.”

“I’d like that, Y/N.” Bending down, he plucked a purple flower from the floor bed of the forest and then tucked it behind your ear. “A little something to make sure you come back.”

You were stunned as he gently caressed your cheek before letting his hand fall away from your face and without thinking about it, you stretched up to plant your lips over his briefly. You pulled back in shock, embarrassment flooding you both. You coughed before you explained yourself. “I figured I should leave you something too.”

Moonbin raised his hands to hide his flushed cheeks. “I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight now.”

“I better go.”

“I can wait,” he assured you as you stepped back. “I’ll wait.”

“I’ll be back,” you repeated as you slowly walked backwards, not wanting to let him out of your sight. It was funny to go from wondering how you got into such a world, to not wanting to leave it at all. But when you turned to climb up onto the road, you blinked several times, feeling yourself to be coming out of a daze. Looking around yourself, you wondered where all the flowers and the calm air had gone, and when you couldn’t spot Moonbin anywhere, you were certain you had dreamed it all.

Slowly walking up to the house, you looked dejectedly at your active clothes and felt the coldness that consumed you. Had it been chilly all day? You had been warm within the forest.

“There you are, I’ve rung you twice!” your mother chortled as you stepped inside and you sighed heavily, placing a smile upon your face as you tried to shake off your lingering dream. It felt too real. Moonbin seemed so vivid within your mind still.

“Were you in the forest again?” your Dad asked as you sat at the table and you nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. “You must have worked up an appetite wandering around in there.”

“Yes, you should have come home earlier. Look at you; you’re covered in moss on your back. And where did you find this?” She plucked something out of your hair and you gasped when you saw the purple flower, a smile crossing your face as you remembered his words. A little something to make sure you come back. You parents stared at you with concern for a moment and then continued on with their constant stream of chatter.

After dinner, you excused yourself to your room, placing down your things before taking a shower. Once ready for bed, you went over to your window where you had left the flower earlier. Picking it up, you glanced out into the night sky and over to the forest edge. You searched deep within the dense trees for something to show you that Moonbin was still out there. But you couldn’t find anything. Looking down at the flower you held though, it gave you promise that what you had experienced all afternoon wasn’t a dream at all. You smiled, staring back out to the forest again.

Somewhere in there, Moonbin was waiting for you.

And you couldn’t wait to return.

_________________

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jenomark · 6 years ago

Text

Floor Plan

○Pairing: Jungwoo x Reader (Female) ○Other Members/Characters- X ○Genre- fluff ○Warnings: a kiss ○Word count: 2,666

→Summary: You’re moving into your very first apartment! The night before you’re set to move in, Jungwoo goes with you to check the place out. Conversations start and soon enough you’re questioning your place in the world and your relationship with Jungwoo.

______________________________________________________________

Moving out on your own is scary. You thought you would be prepared enough to take the final step alone, but you’ve been feeling unsure of yourself, lately. This world is big, and although you think you know what kind of person you are, you’re not sure where you belong.

“You know, you’re the only person who offered to help me.” you said.

Jungwoo adjusted the box he was carrying. “I’m not surprised. Your other friends are always too busy for you.”

His words stung. These days, your old university friends didn’t pick up your phone calls, or they sent one-word texts as a reply.

Lol

Yea

Sorry

You told yourself it’s because they are busy finding their own place in your post-university life. Your mother told you when you were a child that this day would come.

People move on, she said. You can’t keep people. You have to let them go.

And you would have accepted this as fate and kept going on your path, but their pictures with each other were always on social media. You didn’t know what you were supposed to think about it , just that it hurt to never be invited anywhere.

“I’m sorry, “ Jungwoo said. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“No. It’s okay.”

Shifting the box into one of his hands, he rubbed his thumb against your cheek with the other and gave you a smile that showed his two front teeth.

“Really,” you said. “It’s okay. I wish they would tell me what I did wrong, or at least let me go instead of letting me beg for friendship.”

“Is that what you want?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” you said. “I feel like they’re all laughing behind my back whenever they hang out without me. I’m forever that loser picked last in gym class. Like, were we never friends? Did I daydream all those years? Some of them were there for me at my worst times and they’ve even met my family. I should probably stop asking to hang out. I’m doing this to myself, aren’t I?”

“Not necessarily,” Jungwoo said. “You have a kind heart.”

“I would forgive them so easily,” you said. “I had plans for this milestone in my life. I was going to invite them over to my first apartment and we would play games and get drunk. There would be housewarming gifts and chips. Things would be how they were always supposed to be. I guess that makes me a fool.”

“ I don’t think it makes you a fool.”

“You’re just feeling bad for me.”

You stopped in front of the door to your new home and placed the box you were carrying at your feet. Jungwoo did the same, albeit comically. As you placed the key in the lock, he looked up and down the narrow hallways.

“ Why did we come here at night?” he asked. “This place gives me the creeps. Is this how I die? I hate horror movies.”

“I need to make sure I have everything all mapped out for when we come tomorrow with my things.” you said.

“More plans,” Jungwoo said. “Unsurprising.”

You opened the front door. It felt like the two of you were standing in front of a walk-in freezer it was so cold. Jungwoo poked his head inside the darkness and let out a dramatic sigh.

“Maybe having plans can be a good thing.” he said.

You stepped inside the dark apartment and dragged your box in behind you. You pulled out a few candles and lit them with a lighter, placing them around the apartment.

“Your electricity doesn’t work?” he asked, hovering in the doorway.

“No,” you said. “My dad is coming tomorrow with his friend to fix it. I talked to the guy renting out these places and he was going to send an electrician, but my dad is weird about those things. He would rather do it himself. I think it’s his way of showing me loves me.”

You placed the lighter on the counter and motioned for Jungwoo to come inside. He grabbed the box and took three steps in before he stopped.

“I’m scared.” he said.

“But I lit candles.”

Sensing your eagerness, Jungwoo let his face relax into a smile. He put his box next to your box (they’re hugging! he said) and looked around at the candlelight making shapes against the wall.

“ It’s …..homey.” he said.

“I know it’s small.”

“It’s a shoe box”

“And there is no working lights right now.”

“We’re going to die any minute.”

“But it's my first place and it was really close to my job.”

“Are you happy?”

“I think so?”

“Well, that’s all that matters,” he said. “ Now, let’s eat.”

Jungwoo plopped himself onto the hardwood floors and hugged his knees to his chest. You shut the front door and sat yourself across from him. As you were taking containers out of a bag, he watched you intently.

“Is there something wrong?” you asked.

“No. Nothing's wrong.”

“You’re looking at me weird.”

“I’m just happy I came.”

You handed Jungwoo his cheeseburger and wondered how you had managed to find someone like him at the right time. When you left school, you were a little aimless. You moved back in with your parents and tried your hardest to get into the job market. Every day you took the train into the city to “beat the pavement” as your dad put it. With the interviews and the frustrations piling up and the stress threatening to break you, you spent the train ride home encased in your own misery.

“Do you remember the day we met?” you asked him.

“How could I forget?” Jungwoo said, licking cheese off his thumb. “It was the best day of my life.”

You didn’t see him at first, but he said he saw you. When you pressed him for more details, he told you he’d never seen someone look so sad. It wasn’t the first time he had seen you, either. He would spend his commute thinking about how he could make you smile, but he kept to himself because he was shy and didn’t want you to make you uncomfortable.

“What was my general appeal? I can tell you what yours was. You have a perfect smile. I can tell people trust you easily. ” you said

“You looked lonely”

Your face fell. “Is that it?”

“How many times do I have to tell this story? You know I love you.”

“Until I feel less bad about myself.”

Jungwoo laughed. “Is this the story we’ll tell our kids?”

“Oh, definitely.”

The story started off the same: it was nighttime. Jungwoo, who always said you met around quarter to 8 at night, was wrong. You knew the right time because you had looked at your phone beforehand and that is when you noticed him sitting across the aisle, on the opposite side. It was 9:13 p.m. He was wearing a dark denim jacket and his hair was dyed copper (a mistake, he had said ). It’s not that you were attracted to him, because attraction meant a lot of things to you, it’s just that he stood out. Usually, people on the train blurred past like the scenery outside of the window, but Jungwoo sat motionless. He was pretty, and his legs were so long they bumped into the train table. His eyelashes were thick, his lips full and pouty. He was beautiful.

“Do you know that when the train stopped, I really thought we were going to die?” Jungwoo said.

“You cried! I had never seen anyone react like that.”

The train had stopped, jerking you both a little. There was no one else in the train car but the two of you, so all you could look at was each other. When it came to a full stop, Jungwoo moved from his seat and sat across from you without saying anything. You had never seen anyone move like that. Jungwoo moved so delicately that you were mesmerized.

“I was terrified,” he said. “I was on that train every day and it had never stopped like that. And it was dark. And raining.I thought for sure a mass murderer was going to come out from the shadows with an axe.”

You giggled at the memory. He had looked like a child sitting across from you. His bottom lip stuck out like he was going to burst into tears and his eyes grew wide. You didn’t know what to do, so you offered him your hand. It was something your mother did for you when you were young to soothe you.

“I’m really affectionate. I liked it.” he said.

Both of you sat in the darkness of the apartment, chewing your food in silence. Jungwoo gazed out of the lone window in what was meant to be your living room. The view was of the brick building next to it.

“We never found out what happened.” you said.

When Jungwoo brought his attention back to you, he got this odd look on his face. You knew his expressions well enough to know that he was thinking hard about something. The two of you weren’t dating. You had never entertained the idea. You hung out occasionally when you were both free. He would call you up and ask you out to lunch. You would text him to see how he was doing. There were moments that made your heart swell, when you would meet up again on the train whenever your new work schedule allowed it. Now that you lived within walking distance, you were not looking forward to seeing him less. Life without Jungwoo seemed like a life you didn’t want to live at all.

“Is everything okay?” you asked.

“It is,” he said, shoving a fry into his mouth. “Let’s not talk about the past. Let’s talk about the future.”

Jungwoo stood up and paced around your living room. You loved when he was chaotic like this. He enjoyed making people laugh, whether it made him look like an idiot, or he brought you in on the joke. He had a way of speaking that made you listen, that made you feel good on the inside. He bounced when he walked, his hands moved animatedly, and his face lit up when he had a brilliant idea.

“There is no bedroom in this place?” he asked.

“There is not. My bed will be somewhere in this room.”

“This place is hardly big enough for a mouse,” Jungwoo said. He made mouse ears with his fingers and tilted his head. “Where do you plan on putting it?”

“ I was thinking by the window, but now that I’m looking at it, I’m not so sure.”

“What if…” he said “ We put it right here.”

He stood in the spot where you were going to put your couch. You shook your head no. That spot was a place where a couch should go and nothing else.

“Close your eyes and imagine it,” he said.

“If I close my eyes, how can I imagine it?”

Jungwoo walked over to you, grabbed your hands and pulled you to your feet. You almost stumbled over onto him, but he set you right. Jungwoo always set you right.

“Close your eyes and no peeking.”

You did as you were told. There was something about Jungwoo that made you see life a little differently. When you told your mother about him, she asked if the pair of you were dating. When you said no, she seemed surprised. There was never any plan to date, and although the thought invaded your mind often, you were just going to be friends.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

“Don’t look!”

You heard his shuffling feet all around you. By the sounds of it, you could tell he was digging around in the boxes you brought. The only thing inside was a few kitchen utensils and dish towels. Truth is, you don’t own much furniture or any appliances. You were moving into this apartment without a clue of what really went into surviving your own first place. You read in an article somewhere that people living on their own sometimes forget simple things like sugar and dryer sheets. You made a list somewhere of what you would need to buy once you were settled.

“Can I look now?” you asked.

A whoosh of air hit you as Jungwoo came up behind you . He was so close you could feel his breath on the back of your neck.

“Just wait.” he whispered.

Jungwoo brought his hands up to your eyes and covered them. This was the first time his hands touched you since that day on the train. Back then, it was easy for you to let him touch you because you could control it. His hands were soft and warm. Feeling his skin on yours now gave you a feeling of loss that scared you.

“ Don’t think too much about it,” he said. “If you overthink, you’ll ruin it.”

“Okay.”

“I want you to just really imagine it. Forget your plans.” he said. His voice was close to your ear and it brought shivers down your back.

“Okay.” you said again.

When Jungwoo removed his hands, it took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the scene. Nothing had changed in the room: It was still bare and cold and small. When you looked down at the floor, Jungwoo squealed in delight. He moved in front of you and waved his hands in the air like he was a salesman.

“The bed could go here. It’s perfect. It would tie the room together.” he said.

On the floor, spoons, forks and knives were laid out in a rectangle to mimic the size of your bed. He had folded his jacket into a makeshift pillow and placed it at the head of the bed.

“Can you see it?” he asked. “The vision.”

Jungwoo stepped inside the “bed” and laid down on the floor, placing his head on the pillow. He patted the floor next to him. You didn’t join him. Instead, you walked around the perimeter and tried hard to think about it.

“I’m not sure…”

“About me, or the bed?”

His words made you stop in place. Jungwoo smiled his two-teeth smile as a way to break the tension in the room, but it was still pulling you to shreds. Quietly, you stepped over the silverware barrier and laid down beside him. The two of you looked up at the ceiling, heads inches apart on the pillow.

“What do you think would happen if you stopped being in control?” he asked. “ If you stopped trying to get people to like you, if you stopped doing things the way you think they should be done, and if you finally did all the things you wanted to do? Don’t think about it. Answer truthfully and honestly.”

Jungwoo turned on his side and rested his head in his hand . He was so close to your face you could turn your cheek and your lips would be on his lips. It didn’t occur to you how much you wouldn’t mind kissing him until then.

“I think ….”

“Wrong. Try again.”

You always avoided the topic of you and Jungwoo, feigning disbelief when someone suggested you should date. Maybe there were a lot of reasons you didn’t understand for doing that, but the one that sticks out to you most is that you never expected him.

“My world would implode.” you said.

“Only small parts of it.”

You turned your head. You pressed your lips against his lips softly. The kiss was exactly how you thought it would be and also nothing like you thought it would be. You didn’t know if you would ever be able to stop being who you are, but you knew that if you wanted to, you had a perfect place to start.

#jungwoo #nct #jungwoo fanfiction #nct fanfiction #kim jungwoo #nct u #nct 127 #nct dream

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madelainesvixens · 6 years ago

Note

50&67 Sweetvee

Please continue to sent requests from this list of prompt!

50. “You told me you loved me so why did you go away?”

67. “Love terrifies me.”

In a small town like Riverdale, news travelled fast. Especially news concerning a certain Serpent being back in town.

Veronica sat with Betty in a booth at Pop’s, sipping their milkshakes and gushing over Betty’s big rock on her finger. “I can’t believe Jughead Jones proposed to you. I recall him saying marriage was superficial a few years ago.”

“Well, he changed his mind.”

“Obviously. Have you seen that rock?! I’m impressed.” A blush coated Betty’s cheeks, accompanying her giddy smile. “So, what’s the plans for the big day?” Veronica asked, already planning the whole event in her head. She was so excited for Betty.

“We want a chill wedding, nothing grand. Just our best friends and close family.”

Although they were best friends, the two girls had polar opposite ideas of a dream wedding. Veronica was all about a royal-like wedding while Betty prefered an intimate reception.

Veronica pulled a face of disapproval. “It’s your big day, Betty. You can’t settle for a small reception. Here, I’ll call Miranda, she’s the best wedding planner in New York. She’ll make all your dreams come true.”

Betty hummed, knowing Veronica won’t quit it until she agreed on hiring that wedding planner and took a sip of her vanilla milkshake. “My mom and FP are throwing a small engagement party for us on Saturday. I expect you to be there.”

“Of course, B. I wouldn’t miss it.” Betty’s phone buzzed on the table and she reached out, reading the message. “Is it lover boy?” Veronica asked, arching an eyebrow.

Betty shook her head. “No. It’s Toni saying there’s gonna be some late-additions to the guestlist.”

“Is Archie back from California?” The hope and excitement in Veronica’s voice could lead to think she still had feelings for the ginger man but, don’t be fooled. They were over.

“No, Archie unfortunately can’t make it. Jug’s pretty upset his best friend isn’t there,” she explained. “Al least he’ll have Fangs and Sweet Pea.”

“Wait. Sweet Pea is in town?!” Veronica repeated, eyebrows narrowing and jaw clenching at the thought of her ex-boyfriend.

Betty’s green eyes widen, realizing she shouldn’t have said that. “Oh shit.” Before she could say anything else, Veronica bolted from her seat, coat and handbag in her arms, and hurried out the door. “V, wait!”

Ignoring Betty bombarding her phone with text messages and missed calls, Veronica headed to the Wyrm, knowing if Sweet Pea was back in town, he’d be there. He always spends his Friday nights at the Serpent bar.

It was a good thing André was waiting for the girls in the parking lot or else she would’ve had to walk all the way across Southside in her Louboutins. André stopped the car in front of the rundown bar and Veronica got out, heels clicking on the pavement.

As expected, her arrival made a few heads turn, clearly standing out of the lot with her handbag worth ten times their rent. And, that’s without counting the rest of her designer clothes.

Ignoring the dirty stares from elderly Serpents, she pushed the heavy door open, scrunching her nose as the vapors of cheap alcohol and smoke filled her nostrils. It was quite a drastic change of scenery from her fancy New York clubs.

Veronica looked around, scanning the bar for a tall Serpent, walking with a confident step once she spotted him at the bar, having a laugh with the bartender. If only he knew what was coming for him…

“Back in town I see. If I were you, I’d watch my back,” Veronica said, loud and clear, as she crossed the room. “Who knows, you might’ve made it to Daddy’s List. He’s very eye for an eye…more so when it concerns his daughter.”

Kept to secrecy, no one knew who’s names were on that infamous list of Hiram’s. All Veronica knew was that whoever was on that list never got to live long after their name was inked down on the paper.

After witnessing Veronica cry for days, confined in her bedroom, she wouldn’t be surprised if her father had put the name of the man who was responsible for the tears in her beautiful eyes on said list. She was his darling daughter after all, he wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty for her.

At the sound of her voice, Sweet Pea whirled around, finger tightly wrapped grasping his glass of whiskey. “Veronica.”

“Save your saliva. I’m not finished.” It wasn’t often a Northsider dared talking like that to a Serpent so, naturally, heads turned, watching the scene unfold. “Being the Serpent King’s right hand must’ve gotten to your head but, lucky for you, I’m here to knock you off your pedestal. You tactik to lure people with your Chuck Bass-esque paroles might’ve worked and successfully fooled me into thinking you were a good person despite the double headed snake on your back but, as Daddy would say, everyone’s true colors shows eventually: you’re just a spineless coward, Sweet Pea.”

Whistles were heard in the room and Sweet Pea felt uncomfortable. He knew he had hurt Veronica - and he hated himself for it - but she didn’t need to take out their dirty laundry in front of everyone.

“Will you please quiet down?” Sweet Pea hissed, lowering his head to her level.

She huffed, giving him attitude. “I don’t have any orders to take from you.”

“Then, let’s go somewhere more…private. I don’t fancy everyone in this bar hearing our conversation.”

Knowing it would be empty, Sweet Pea took her hand and pulled her into FP’s office. To his surprise, she didn’t put a fit and followed.

Sweet Pea closed the door behind them and, when he turned around to face Veronica, he was met by angry fists jabbing at the his chest. The Serpent let her hit him, cashing the hits without blocking the hits or fighting back. He deserved it, every hits.

Once she was done, Veronica curled her fingers over the lapels of his jacket, pulling herself together before shoving him, back hitting the door.

Months have passed since Sweet Pea skipped town without warnings yet, it felt like it was yesterday. Seeing him tonight re-opened an old wound that felt ten times more painful than the day she realized the Serpent had left.

When he had left, she thought he had the intentions of never coming back but, he did and didn’t bother giving her a ring. It was as if he never knew her, never cared about her, never loved her.

“Anything to say for your defence?” Veronica asked, arching an eyebrow as she waited for his answer, arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m sorr-’‘he started but she cut him off.

”No. Say anything but that. A mediocre apology won’t excuse you for the pain you caused me, Sweet Pea.“

Sweet Pea looked down, not knowing what to say. Unlike his friends, he wasn’t good with words - he was better with his fists. He didn’t have Jughead’s writer brain nor Toni’s quick wit. If Veronica was expecting some grand apologies from him, she better take a seat - and grab a snack.

”You told me you loved me so why did you go away?“ Tears filled her eyes. ’’D-did you even mean it?” she asked with so much agony in her voice.

Seeing the hurt in her dark irises, Sweet Pea spoke up. He had made her cry enough already. “Of course I did. Why the fuck would I have told you that if I didn’t?”

“I don’t know!” she snapped, hands in the air. “You completely vanished from the surface of the earth right after saying those three words. It leaves to interpretations…”

“I love you so fucking much, this is why I left Riverdale. You mean more to me than any other person and that scares the shit out of me. I’ve never felt this way before and it terrifies me, love terrifies me.”

“I thought snakes weren’t afraid of anything,” she said, putting up a front.

In response, Sweet Pea scoffed. “We’re not emotionless warrior robots, Veronica. We- I know I pretend to be one but, I’m not. I have feelings and I have no idea how to deal with them. To me, love is like falling into the empty: you don’t know what you’re gonna get at the end and you have zero control over anything. That’s fucking terrifying for me. I thought I could do it - loving you -but, as I laid in my bed that night, I got the jitters and I didn’t have the heart to break up with you so I packed a bag, got on my bike and left with Fangs.”

The Serpent walked a few steps, crossing the distance between them and got hold of Veronica’s hands. Her heart jumped as their hands touched, a familiar feeling filling her stomach. “I thought it would hurt less to erase myself from your life but, clearly, I was wrong…”

“Careful there or else you’re gonna start battling first place with my ex-boyfriend in the dumb decision departement.”

A light laugh escaped his lips. “Leaving you was the dumbest decision I’ve ever made. I-I love you, Veronica. I love you so fucking much-”

Tears filled her eyes again and she shook her head, twisting her hands free from Sweet Pea’s hold. “I can’t…” she said, her voice thick with sorrow and melancholy.

She was hurt and he just couldn’t expect her to be okay after hearing him out. Even if it took him a lot or courage to say those three little words again.

A part of Veronica wanted to let Sweet Pea in again despite the lengthy emotional breakdown and months of utter sadness because, although he broke her heart, it still beat for him and that’s why it was so difficult to forgive him. While another chance could be the best thing she’s ever done, it could also backfire on her and end with a broken heart - again. Standing this close to her, she wanted nothing more than to hug him, feel his strong body under hers and never let go.

Her thoughts were cut short when someone knocked at the door, asking why the hell it was locked. FP. Sweet Pea went to the door, unlocked it and opened it ajar. “We’ll be out in a minute, Boss,” he assured the man. “We needed a quiet place to talk.”

FP raised an eyebrow, peaking in and seeing Veronica Lodge. He locked eyes with the young Serpent. “No funny business in here, kids.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The door closed again and they were back to being just the two of them.

Returning his attention to Veronica, it hit Sweet Pea how fucking beautiful and hot his ex-girlfriend was. She was always beautiful but, with her stronger jaw and fuller looking breast - or maybe it was a push up bra? - she was- wow. Or, maybe he felt like this because the last time he saw her was two years ago.

“Want a picture? It lasts longer.”

Her snarky comment made him chuckle. “No need. I have plenty in my phone.” Veronica’s face twisted into disgust. Oh shit. “I didn’t- That’s not- Ugh, I meant I kept all our photos on my phone so could look at them whenever I missed you.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I’m in love with you, Veronica! Fucking hell, how many times do I need to say it for you to believe me?”

His change of tone made her jump a little, not expecting his voice to raise. “I…”

Sighing, Sweet Pea’s male instincts took over and he walked over to Veronica, pressing their lips together, cupping her jaw tenderly. As his lips touched hers, she forgets her months of moping and crying and she kissed Sweet Pea back. It only lasted for a few seconds before she found her head again and pushed the Serpent away a little bit more roughly than intended.

“What the fuck?”

“No, I meant: what the fuck,” she clarified, fisting the collar of his tee shirt to pull him down to her level before kissing him.

Decrypting her coded thoughts, Sweet Pea grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto FP’s desk, stepping between her legs as they deepened the kiss, hands wandering everywhere on their bodies.

In true Veronica and Sweet Pea fashion, kisses turned into making out and - although Sweet Pea had promised FP they weren’t going to have sex - or anything of the nature - in his office, hormones took over and jackets and tops found home on the floor as lips were pressed on skin and moans filled the room.

Taking his lips off Veronica, Sweet Pea spoke up. “I truly hadn’t planned to come back but Jones’s getting married and Fangs insisted we come so…”

“Remind me to thank him later.” She locked their lips again, hungry for him. “…Or tomorrow.”

#sweet vee #sweet pea #sweet pea x veronica #veronica x sweet pea #sweet vee prompts #veronica lodge #riverdale prompts #riverdale prompt

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adotblog · 7 years ago

Text

The One Who Always Made The Grade - Chapter 1

Pairing: LMM x Reader

Warnings: none?! Wait, did I write this??

Notes: Lin is workshopping ‘Heights while subbing at a college. Reader (a post-grad) is assigned as his TA. There are a thousand ‘Heights references, obviously and my Shakespeare geek is showing again. Started with a prompt (thank you, lovely lady), and now a 5-part monster.

I couldn’t think of a title, so...!

Words: 2872

Tags: @alexanderusnavilindelahamilton

——————————————————

You groan as you run your fingers through your hair. The room has been silent for half an hour or so as you both worked. You look over at the professor, then up at the clock. There are still another 15 papers to grade. He eyes the stack of essays. “We need more coffee.”, he says. “Definitely. I’ll go to Joe’s, Mr Miranda”, you say, getting up from the desk. “Please stop calling me that,”, he cringes “You’re not my student, Y/N”. “Sorry...Lin”, you say with a smile as you grab your bag and head for the door.

—————————————————

“He missed the point entirely?”, Lin asks, putting down his pen and looking across the desk you’re sharing. You have your head in your hands as you grumble. Lin laughs “Didn’t quite catch that, Y/N”. You straighten up and exhale with a loud sigh. Still you can’t stop your frustration leaking into your voice. “He’s lifted the entire quote, right to ‘I will be horribly in love with her’...and he just basically says ‘Benedick realises that to win, he must be more in love than her’”.

Lin grins, amused by your derision of his student’s work. “What would you have written?”, he asks.

You throw your hands in the air. “Maybe, just MAYBE, I’d have mentioned that there’s nuance there-that the actor can decide whether Benedick is newly introduced to the idea of loving Beatrice in this moment or that he could reveal that he’s always been in love with her, but in denial, for so many reasons-both sensible and foolish. Honestly, that’s high school Shakespeare-and he doesn’t get it?”. You stand and pace as you continue.

“MAYBE, I’d have realised that that isn’t even the best quote to focus on-that this play, this amazing play- which he clearly hasn’t read properly- has so many truly magical passages.”. You spin on your heel “Write about ‘I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?’- the stark beauty of the abrupt admission. Write about Benedick saying he ‘cannot woo in festival terms’, contrast their private, informal love with Claudio and...what?”. You stop-Lin is watching you, leaning back in his chair, arms folded and a goofy smile on his face. He shakes his head. “Nothing. I love your passion.”, he says simply.

“Well...The kid is butchering my favourite play, damnit.”, you sulk as you sit down. “You’re going to make a great teacher”, he says warmly, shocking you into a small smile. “Here, you mark this one”, he says as he hands you a different student’s paper. “She gets it”, he winks.

A little embarrassed now, you hand him the offending paper. “It’s probably not that bad, I…”, you mumble. “Oh I’m sure it is”, Lin says “Damn kid never listens to a word I say.”.

——————————————————

You check the clock- 10:30. These late night grading sessions have become a habit over the last few weeks. It’s perfect because this part of campus is so quiet at night-just professors who’ve holed away in their offices, the occasional grad student in search of a computer. Mostly it’s just you and Lin, and mostly you’re grading.

You also talk a lot. Sure, about literature. Or at least that’s how it started. Now it’s sometimes movies, or music, even campus gossip occasionally. He’s excitable like a puppy-boundless energy...until his caffeine runs out, anyway.

You look over at Lin now. His brow is furrowed as he squints at his email, clearly displeased at the content.

“Lin?”. “Yeaaaahhh.”, he answers distractedly. “How come you aren’t tenured somewhere?”, you ask. “You’re great, students really work for you...most of them anyway… how come you’re just doing this one semester?”. Lin sits back in his chair. “This isn’t my life’s work.”, he shrugs. You deliberately leave a silence for him to fill. He does. “I’m a writer...a playwright actually. At least, as soon as someone puts one of my musicals on, I will be I guess…”. He looks embarrassed.

“I love musicals. Wow, I’m going to be able to say I knew you when…!”, you say. He’s surprised by your reaction, and grins. “I hope I get good enough that you can…”, he says. “Anyway, I need to balance temp work to give me time to write, with earning money to pay the bills-that’s why I just sub.”. He looks a little weighted down by the admission, it’s clearly something he’s having to struggle with-ambition and failure, uncertainty. There’s no doubt in your mind that he’ll succeed.

“Make me a promise right now.”, you say impulsively, getting to your feet. He looks up at you as you stick your hand out across the desk. “I get tickets to opening night when you get to Broadway.”. He stands too, a slow smile creeping to his face. “Deal.”, he says softly. You return the smile, suddenly acutely aware that you’re effectively holding his hand. And neither of you has let go yet. You can’t be sure but you think you see his gaze flick down to your lips before he releases your hand, his expression awkward.

——————————————————

An instant message alert pings at your terminal.

Lin: These tests are a hot MESS. Are you free after hours?

Y/N: I finish at 5, can be with you by 6?

Lin: You’re sure? Don’t want to keep you.

Y/N: I’m sure. Bring coffee as payment.

Lin: Deal.

It’s just before 6 when you track him down to the rehearsal room at the very back of the building. “What the…?”, you question as you throw your bag on a chair. “I know. French department’s being fumigated, a bunch of them are camped out in our normal room.”, he complains.

You stand in the middle of the room, assessing the layout. Beaten old upright piano in the corner and a million plastic chairs. No desk, no whiteboard. “Aha!”, you exclaim as you dash across the room to the curtained off area. “What?”, Lin asks, having watched you the whole time. “Behind the curtain, there’s always a folding table.”, you say. “How can you possibly know that?”, he laughs. “Didn’t you ever do community theatre? There’s always a table so they can have committee meetings and feel important.”.

You pull back the curtain with a dramatic flourish. Puppet theatre. Wooden benches. Random bits of scenery. Trestle table. “Score!”, you yell and begin to manhandle it out of the recess. Lin runs to your aid, grabbing the other end. You walk it to the middle of the room where you do battle with the folding legs, both falling about laughing, and eventually get it standing. You pull over two chairs and start unpacking papers from the plastic crate Lin’s brought.

“Huh.”, Lin says as he sits down and opens his laptop. “What?”. You stack papers between you. “We’ve never been on the same side before.”, he says, looking over at your chair. “Umm, of the table. Desk.”, he adds and hands you a coffee. You smile as you take your seat next to him. “Always on your side, Lin”, you joke.

——————————————————-

You push open the door with your butt and reverse into the room with your coffee tray. Lin’s at the piano and plays clown entrance music as you struggle to keep the cups and bags from falling. “Cut that out or no cookies for you!”, you chastise. He comes to take the cups from you and places them atop the piano. He sits back at the keyboard. “I fancied a musical interlude for our coffee break”, he says.

“Like...karaoke?” you ask. “Ha, maybe. What’s your favourite musical?”. You unwrap the cookies as you answer. “Rent. No, Les Mis. No, Rent. Ugh, don’t make me choose things.”. He plays the intro to “A Heart Full Of Love” And you give him a death stare. “NO. Also, eww I’m not Cosette!”, he laughs as he keeps playing. “You’re Eponine?!”. You posture next to the piano. “Duh, I’m Enjolras!”. He laughs so hard he has to stop playing, nearly falling off the stool. You hand him a cookie. “So, cut to the chase.”, you say. He cocks his head to the side. “Lin, you’re at the piano, you clearly want to play me something from your musical”, you tease. “Get on with it.”. You lean your elbow on the top of the piano as he pretends to be outraged.

“Yeah you’re right.”, he concedes after approximately two seconds. He bites the cookie then hands it back to you. He chews super fast, hurriedly takes a sip of coffee and then says “This is called ‘In The Heights’”. He plays a bouncy melody on the keys. “I can’t sit still at all tonight…”.

He plays like someone living the melody. He inhabits the song, it’s just an extension of him. The song, by the way, is utterly charming. It’s a ballad, clearly a love song, but upbeat. It really feels like Lin. Halfway through the verse he looks you in the eye. “So take these dreams

And sing them back to me”.

You weren’t expecting to react to what he was going to sing. But as you hold his gaze and listen to the lyrics and he sings “Please come back to me”, you swallow thickly, wetness gathering at the corner of your eye. He hits the final chord of the song and for a second he just stares at the keys. He’s clearly in the emotion of it and it takes a second for him to slip back into himself. “Uhhh. It needs some more work and..”, he shuffles on the bench.

“Lin, it was beautiful.”, you say, aware there’s a catch in your voice. “You wrote that? You really wrote that?”. He smiles “Yeah.”. “Do you realise how good it is? I...I really am gonna see you on Broadway one day!”, you say excitedly. He smiles and gets up from the bench, heading back to the table/desk. “Break’s over”, he smiles. You chase after him. “No! I need to hear more! Do they get together?! Are they happy? Did you break them up?!”

——————————————————

From that day, you never go back to the old room. Instead you always use the rehearsal room for grading and lesson planning. You always plan a coffee break and it always happens at the piano.

You always ask Lin to play something he’s written. He always does-he is a natural show-off after all. You love everything he plays, he’s a genuine talent and his songs easily stick in your head so you find yourself humming snippets even when he’s not around.

——————————————————

“I believe Ms Y/L/N might have some thoughts on that”, Lin says from the whiteboard. Your head snaps up as all the students turn to look at you. Lin grins and beckons you to the front of class. You make your way through the desks, hoping the look you’re giving him accurately conveys your feelings about being put on the spot.

“Much Ado is an infinitely better love story than Romeo and Juliet...Go!”, he says and gestures like a starting pistol, jumping out of the way to give you the floor. You sigh. “Alright. I hope you’re writing this down I’m gonna test you later. First: Beatrice.”.

——————————————————-

“That was...unexpected!”, you scold him later. “Ahh, I’m sorry-but I knew you’d make the case so well”, he grins. You fold your arms. “You had them enthralled.”, he says, more serious now. You begrudgingly thank him “Don’t spring that on me again, though”, you say. “Couldn’t if I wanted to”, Lin says as he packs his messenger bag. “That was our last class together.”.

Oh. Right. He’s a sub, he won’t be back next semester...you’ll be someone else’s TA. You feel a little pang of you don’t know what. “But hey, we’ve gotta get through finals first”, Lin grimaces. “Oh god. Do you have a plan?”, you ask. Lin gets out his diary and you talk through when you can go over the content of the test and then grade it. “We need to post results early that Monday morning so really we need to work through the weekend-can you do that?”, he asks. “Sure. The rehearsal room?”, you ask. “Well, that room seems to be perpetually empty other than for you and me, so yeah.”, Lin chuckles. “I’ll bring the snacks!”, you say happily.

——————————————————

And so, two weeks later, it’s Saturday night and you’re both cross legged on the floor in front of 30 papers. You’ve laid them all out, trying to sift them into piles of great, good, not great and terrible. Lin sighs. “Honestly, Y/N, if you have somewhere to be-just go. Saturday nights should not be spent like this.”, he grumbles.

“Nah it’s fine.”, you shrug. The truth is you like his company. You look forward to your musical coffee breaks. “Then at least let me buy takeout or something.”, he says. “Lin I literally brought every snack there is, stop procrastinating.”, you say.

“Ugh, fine. How long til we said we’d take a break?”, he asks. “Half an hour-can you manage that?”, you ask sarcastically. He sticks out his tongue before going back to work. Exactly 29 minutes later he jumps up and runs to the bag of snacks you’ve brought. He throws you some gummy bears and rips open a bag of pretzels on his way to the piano.

“Alright what’ll it be tonight?”, he asks, playing a few chords. “Something by you”, you say through a mouthful of gummy bears. “You always say that. I ain’t your performing monkey!”, he jokes. “Please, you live for an audience-you’re everyone’s performing monkey!”, you laugh. He gasps. “How dare you. Ok this one is called Hundreds of stories-but it’s not finished yet.”.

He starts singing a tale of a guy looking for his place in the world. The theme is fairly unremarkable but his lyrics…”memories like dyin’ embers From a dream I can’t remember” strikes you so hard that you miss the next couple of lines. You can easily imagine how an actor will bring these songs to life on stage.

When he finishes you clap. He grins as he grabs another handful of pretzels. “Loved it”, you say. “It’s gonna be an amazing musical, Lin”. “I hope so”, he says. “Hey you should come next time we present it!”, he says excitedly. “I’d love that! Can I sing along?”, you joke. “Absolutely not! You couldn’t anyway…?”, Lin says. “Oh yeah?”, you clear your throat, make a big show of straightening your posture and looking out over the rehearsal room before singing “This is my street, my childhood esquina…”. You only know the first four lines or so but when you turn back to Lin he is grinning ear to ear.

“How’d you remember that?!”, he asks. “Lin you played me it twice and it’s been my ear worm for a month. It’s GENIUS.”, you declare. Lin looks both embarrassed and pleased. “Thank you.”. There’s an awkward pause. “I should go get coffee”, he says and trots over to the door.

——————————————————

“Agreed?”, you ask, as you both stand in front of the stacks of papers. He takes one last look. “Agreed!”, he says. “Yes!”, you holler. Lin leaps up and down, whooping, then throws his arms around you in a celebratory hug. It only lasts a second before he breaks away and starts piling the papers into his crate, but it takes you longer than that shake yourself back to his conversation. “...and honestly, they’re a good bunch of kids”, he’s saying. You nod and smile.

“Oh! Lin, I forgot I got a favour to ask you.”, you remember. “Sure, What?”. “Umm, well I’m applying for a couple of jobs here-night school teaching, that kind of thing….”. “Y/N, that’s great! You’d be great at that!”, he interrupts excitedly. You smile. “I just wondered if maybe you would give me a reference?”.

“Of course!”, he says “gimme your phone.”. You hand him your phone and he adds his number. “Just call me when you need something.”, he says. “Great, thank you!”, you say in relief. “No problem. Honestly, it’s been great working with you. You deserve to get a good position next year.”, he says warmly. You place your phone back in your pocket with a smile.

Lin picks up the crate as you check around to make sure you haven’t left anything. “That’s it.”. “Thanks for everything, Y/N”, he calls as he heads for the door. You stay rooted to the spot, a strange pit of disappointment in your belly that you don’t quite understand. “Wait, Y/N?”, Lin calls back through the door. “Yeah?”, you shout. He comes back into the room, balancing the box in the doorway. “Call me in a minute and hang up, so that I have your number too.”, he says with a small smile. You return the smile. “Sure.”. “Bye.”.

A few minutes later, as you head to your apartment, you call him and hang up after three rings. As you throw yourself down on your bed, your phone lights up.

Lin: Thanks. See ya around, Y/N.

See ya around.

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#lin x reader #lin manuel imagine #lin manuel x reader #hamilcast imagine #hamilcast x reader #hamilcast rpf #rpf #fanfiction

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travelonlinetipsofficial · 3 years ago

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8 Reasons to Visit Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

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8 Reasons to Visit Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is known for its small towns surrounded by wide swaths of thick forests that in the late summer are swallowed in heavy early morning fog coupled with winding dirt roads—you can literally count the number of cars you pass on one hand. While it may sound like the perfect setting for Stephen King’s next chilling novel, The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is also home to a diversity of natural beauty untouched by humans.

Places to Visit in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

I won’t lie, Michigan’s UP wasn’t always on my travel list. I had heard about its flawless beauty but as a vegan, I thought I would starve in a land that prides itself on its hunting prowess. Dining amongst horned and furry trophies just didn’t appeal to me.

But then our travel lives changed. We began switching out jaunts across the pond for staycations and the allure of mineral-stained cliffs and turquoise waters beckoned me to Northern Michigan. I’m glad they did. I was in awe of the beauty that had been beneath my nose all these years.

Even if you’re not an avid outdoorsman wanting to connect with Mother Nature, I promise, you too, will be in awe of its amazing scenery. Need more convincing? Check out these 8 reasons to visit Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Marvel at Michigan’s largest waterfall, Tahquamenon Falls

Whether you visit in the warmth of summer, in the midst of autumn’s kaleidoscope of colors, or during winter’s chilling wonderland where trees are perfectly covered in a blanket of lush white snow, a visit to Michigan’s largest waterfall is a must! Located in the second largest park, Tahquamenon Falls State Park houses two powerful waterfalls-the Upper and Lower falls. Nicknamed “The Rootbeer Falls” by locals, the falls have an unusual brown tinge to the water thanks to cedar tannins that have made their way into the water. Nothing to be concerned about but it creates an interesting color to the flowing falls that you’re sure not to forget!

Tips for visiting Tahquamenon Falls

Most flock to the Upper Falls first, but if Tahquamenon isn’t your final destination, I would stop at the Lower Falls and then continue to the Upper Falls because Google will most likely have you continue your travels south along 123.

At the Lower Falls consider renting a rowboat for $7 a person or $20 per boat to get an up-close view. If you’d rather stay on land there are a myriad of hiking and biking trails, including a short trail with a ½ mile jaunt to scenic overlooks and a 13-mile Rivermouth Trail. Whatever your choice there is plenty of room to explore! And, if you want to stay a little longer, consider renting a rustic or modern campsite.

Enjoy one of four National Lakeshores in the United States, Pictured Rocks

Best known for its wildly rugged cliffs that look as though someone unleashed a toddler with a paintbrush, The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a must-see destination in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The lakeshore stretches 42-miles from Munising to Grand Marais and offers visitors the opportunity to explore over 100 miles of trails, 12 miles of pristine white sand beaches with Caribbean blue waters, multiple sand dunes, an array of flora and fauna (including black bears!), and so much more.

You may be wondering what caused the painted cliffs of the National Lakeshore? The cliffs’ coloring actually comes from deposits of iron, copper, manganese, and limonite that, when mixed with the groundwater running down the face of the cliffs, creates exotic coloring of orange, white, red, blue, and green. The end result has become one of the most photographed spots in the UP because of its unique beauty.

Cliff dive in Presque Isle State Park

Not to be confused with Presque Isle in Pennsylvania (always Google it with Marquette in the search), this 323-acre park is located just outside downtown Marquette. The park looks as though it has truly been untouched by man, and to some degree, that’s true, thanks to Fredrick Law Olmsted. Olmstead is known for his involvement in designing New York City’s Central Park and in the late 1800s, he made a visit to Marquette to advise the city on how to utilize Presque Isle. His advice was simple, “don’t touch it.” Over 100 years later his advice is still being followed.

Visitors can take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and hike through the park’s many trails or consider biking the 2-mile Peter White Drive loop, which circles the entire park and takes visitors through canopies of fragrant pines and skinny birch trees. Every once in a while, the forest breaks to reveal Lake Superior.

But, the number one reason visitors flock here in the summer is to tackle their fear of heights and jump from the park’s 10-15 ft. black rock cliffs and cool off in Lake Superior. To find this special place, head to the northern tip of the park where, in the heat of summer, you’ll see cars lined up along the road. A small parking lot is also available.

Even if you don’t want to take the plunge, it’s fun to watch others hesitate, re-consider, and ultimately jump into the emerald waters.

Enjoy lunch in the UP’s largest town, Marquette

After exploring Presque Isle Park, head back into the charming college town, Marquette. With just over 20,000 people it clocks in as the UP’s largest town and one of the few places in the UP where you can enjoy the charismatic small-town vibe and shop at well-known stores to stock up on creature comforts.

The town offers a great mix of dining from greasy pizza to dishes sourced entirely from local Michigan farms. My suggestion is don’t miss The Bodega, this LGBTQ-women-owned restaurant sources almost its entire menu from local Michigan farms and prepares everything from scratch, daily. Dining here is a treat! The menu is well marked for vegan and gluten-free dishes, making it the prime spot to experience the fresh flavors of Michigan for all its diners. I also suggest you try the sweet potato-filled Que Pasa tacos.

Where to stay in Marquette – Landmark Inn is a lovely boutique style historic inn that is located downtown Marquette.

Hike or bike until you just can’t go anymore

If you love to work up a sweat and get your heart pumping, then the UP is the place for you! Michigan is well on its way to being known as a “Trails State,” with thousands of hiking and biking trails that weave through heavily wooded forests and snake along sandstone cliffs on Lake Superior.

Bike to Munising or Grand Island

If you want to clip in and explore the terrain with two wheels, head to Munising! The city has been hard at work creating a variety of trailheads to entice bikers to saddle up. The trails are all located within easy reach of downtown Munising but the track you don’t want to miss is on Grand Island. Hop on the Grand Island Ferry for $20 and get ready for rustic wilderness and 40 miles of trails to explore. The trails range in difficulty but if you’re looking for a scenic work-out then hit the island’s 20-mile 2-lane perimeter track.

For those of us who’d rather stick to exploring with our own two feet, there are an endless array of trail options that range in difficulty, many come with Instagram-worthy views, waterfalls, and hidden beaches! A few spots not to miss include The Chapel Loop Trail in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sugarloaf Mountain in Marquette, and The Lake of Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains.

Kayak in Lake Superior’s Caribbean blue waters

Lake Superior’s emerald and turquoise waters beckon visitors to jump on in! Not only is it a fun activity but it’s the best way to view the mammoth Pictured Rocks.

For seasoned kayakers, you can bring your own and get paddling, but if you don’t own a kayak or are maybe unsure of your paddling prowess, consider joining a guided tour. The guided tours in Pictured Rocks take paddlers by many gorgeous sites like Bridalveil Falls, Chapel Rock, Kissing Rock, and Lovers Leap Arch, among others. The tours are leisurely paced and take anywhere from 2 – 6 hours.

If you’re paddling on your own be sure to keep an eye on the small craft water advisories as Lake Superior can become choppy quickly! If that happens, take off from Sandpoint Beach and paddle to Grand Island. The waters are sheltered around the island creating a smooth ride and Grand Island has great painted cliffs too.

Capture beautiful views from Sugarloaf Mountain

If you want a breath-taking view but don’t really want to spend hours hiking to find it, then head to Sugarloaf Mountain. The trailhead is located just a few minutes outside of downtown Marquette. There are two trail options, easy and difficult, but to be honest, they both take about 15-20 minutes and require a fair amount of stair-climbing. It’s worth it once you make it to the top, you’re rewarded with unobstructed views. On a clear day, you’ll be able to see Lake Superior, Marquette, Presque Isle Park, and Little Presque Isle as well as Hogsback Mountain and the large swath of forest between Marquette and Big Bay. ?

It’s a great spot to enjoy the changing fall colors too.

End your day with spectacular sunsets

For most city-dwellers, sunsets are obstructed by buildings, power lines, and more making it difficult to get a clear view of the pink and orange sun-soaked sky. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is filled with countless miles of wide-open sky and sea, making it the perfect place to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.

A few great spots to enjoy the view include Sandpoint Beach in Munising, Grand Sable Dunes in Pictured Rocks, Brockway Mountain Drive in Copper Harbor, and White Fish Point in Paradise.

These are 8 amazing reasons to visit the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. If you are looking for adventure, outdoors and a great food scene, be sure to add Michigan to your travel list.