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7-wonders · 5 years ago

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Everything All At Once

Summary: Summers are supposed to be fun, not stressful. Whatever deity is pulling the strings in your life never got that memo, apparently.

Word Count: 3651

A/N: Sorry for how long it’s taken me to post this! Life has been crazy lately. Enjoy, and if you did I would love if you left a like, comment, or reblogged!

The process of moving, while normally quite stressful, is made simple with magic on your side. Boxes are packed according to room in a matter of minutes, dirty floors are cleaned with a glance, and the need for a moving truck is eliminated when items can just be transmuted to your new home. Even dealing with the bigger pieces of furniture that you no longer need, such as your bed and the couch, is an easy task when your new Antichrist roommate can just snap his fingers and send them to a thrift store in need. That last act is done much to Michael’s chagrin, who presents the admittedly tempting option of dropping them on your enemies. In mere hours, your once-full apartment is now completely empty. You’d be lying, however, if you said you were going to miss it. If anything, you’ll miss the certain sentimental value that your first apartment holds within its walls, but the cons of this place (a shower that never heats up, testy thermostat, that one time there was a family of mice living under your kitchen sink, and so much more) far outweigh any pros that could convince you to stay.

Adjusting to living with Michael full-time, however, proves to be the main challenge of your move. Just redecorating your room caused his face to turn a sickly shade of white, horrified that the once-pristine black and silver color scheme has been taken over by tapestries and fairy lights. It was especially painful for him to comply with your request to remove the large pentagram on one of the walls, but you suspect he did it because he doesn’t want to make you mad. He’s already aware of just how monumental a concession of living with him was, and he would rather not push his luck. Your new living arrangement, though, is going to be the only victory you give him if you have anything to say about it.

“No school for three months, then?” Michael had asked when you were hanging clothes up in your closet.

“Thankfully.”

“So I suppose I’ll be seeing a lot more of you since you won’t be darting in and out between classes.” His tone was all too hopeful, and you hid a smirk at the meaning that he wasn't doing a good job of hiding.

“Well yeah, when I’m not working.” You weren’t looking at him, but you knew that his jaw was clenched tightly.

“Why would you be working? You’re aware of how much money I have at my disposal; there’s no logical reason why you need to have a job.”

“How else am I going to pay you rent?” He breathed in harshly through his nose, and you buried your face is a shirt to keep from laughing.

“Excuse me? You--you don’t have to pay me rent, (Y/N), you’re my wife.”

“You’re letting me live with you, it’s the least I could do.”

“If,” Michael stopped, choosing his words carefully, “if that’s what you would like to do, then I suppose I cannot stop you.”

“Thank you!” you said cheerfully, going back to the task at hand while humming a song that had been stuck in your head.

It’s not like you’re that determined to keep paying rent now that you live with Michael. In fact, if this was any other person and not the Antichrist insisting that you don’t need to pay to live on their property, you would happily oblige. With Michael, though, things have to be made a little difficult for him. Ever since the contract negotiations during your first weekend at what you’ve come to refer to as Langdon Manor, you had remained adamant that nothing would change just because you were now bonded in unholy matrimony. For the most part, that has remained the case. It’s also just fun to see how mad you can make him before he needs to go be alone in his office, but that’s besides the point.

Nannying, although not glamorous work, pays better than any other job you’ve had. Getting to look after cute children is also a plus, and they keep you busy enough where there’s never a dull moment. The two kids that you nanny, sisters Maggie and Sarah, love going to the pool and playing make believe. They play so well together that you often find yourself just reading a book and keeping an eye on them while they decide to run a daycare or start a school. Easy work, even if the hours are sometimes less than ideal. Their parents, a doctor and a police officer, work odd hours and have a penchant for date nights on Fridays, which is often their only time off without the kids. It’s not an inconvenience to you; extra hours equal extra money, and the girls go to sleep early enough that you can just watch videos on your phone until they arrive home.

The only one who has a problem with your hours is Michael, of course. You’ve suspected since the house party three weeks ago that he’s been trying to figure out how to ask you out on another date, but obstacles have managed to shake up any plans he may have. He’s not the most subtle, asking you on every Wednesday what your plans are for Friday while trying too hard to look like he’s not invested in your answer. By this week, your third straight Friday date night shift, he’s over it.

“But tomorrow you don’t work, right?” Michael asks from the speakerphone. Your phone is resting on the kitchen counter, the girls in the living room while you make a dinner of chicken and rice for everybody.

“Nope,” you say, leaning back to make sure the girls are still watching their movie instead of beating each other over the head.

“We’re having a movie night tomorrow.”

The tone of finality in Michael’s voice makes you laugh. “A movie night? Michael, have you ever even seen a movie before?”

“Yes, (Y/N), I have seen a movie before.” You can almost hear how he’s rolling his eyes right now. “You can pick the movies, and I’ll worry about the snacks?”

“No. Knowing you, your snacks will be something like pickled eyeballs washed down with a tall glass of ice cold blood. I’ll be the one in charge of snacks.” You can’t resist slipping a joke in there, and Michael sighs heavily.

“Fine. I’ll see you when you get home?”

“Yep, bye.” You hang up the phone curtly when the oven beeps, more focused on pulling the chicken out than crafting a sincere goodbye.

Turning around to put the pan down so you can slice the chicken, it’s not at all surprising to see the girls sitting at the table and staring at you. The two love to eavesdrop, especially when it comes to people talking on the phone.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Sarah asks, her blonde curls bouncing in her ponytails.

“No, he’s not, and you shouldn’t be listening in on other people’s conversations.” It’s impossible to be serious, and a smile plays on your lips as you dish up three plates and put them on the table.

Right as everybody starts to eat, Sarah gasps and bolts up from her chair. “I forgot Aunt Stephanie!” You look at Maggie for an answer as Sarah runs off, but the older girl just rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

“Do you have an aunt coming over? Your mom didn’t tell me anyone else was going to be here tonight,” you ask.

“No, it’s a picture that Sarah keeps in her room, sometimes she likes to have it with her.” Sarah comes back as Maggie explains her sister’s actions, clutching a framed photograph to her chest. Setting it down next to her, you see the senior portrait of a smiling blonde girl staring back at you. Her hair is crimped in some places and straight in others, reminding you of the 90s, and she’s wearing classic goth makeup.

“She’s pretty,” you compliment, smiling as Sarah digs in.

“She’s up in Heaven, so we never met her,” Sarah replies in that easygoing tone that all young children use to reveal information in.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you say awkwardly, not really sure how to respond.

“Dad hardly knew her, either,” Maggie retorts. “He was little when she was killed.”

“Your aunt was killed?”

Maggie nods, smirking since she knows something you don’t (ten year olds are going to be the death of you), “uh huh, she died in that school shooting, the one at Westfield High School?”

“Well, at least you get to hear some neat things about her from your family.”

The girls both nod and go back to eating their food, but you just stare down at your full plate, pushing the food around with your fork as your hands shake imperceptibly. Like a puzzle, the pieces all click together. You nanny for the Boggs family, the patriarch of which had a sister named Stephanie, who was killed in the Westfield High massacre. The massacre that was perpetrated by the unwilling sperm donor from which Michael sprung, Tate Langdon. Everybody knows about the infamous Westfield shooting in the way that everybody knows about Columbine or Sandy Hook. You just didn’t know that the family of one of the victims was now employing you.

It’s something that sticks with you long after the girls have gone to bed, and even as you drive home after their parents (the Boggs’, you remind yourself) arrive back from their date. Whether Tate was influenced by the Devil or not, he is still ultimately responsible for the choices that he made. This legacy, the dark thoughts and the murders and the horrible things, extends far beyond Michael. Tate may consider Michael to be the penultimate evil, one who he could never be associated with, but it’s true when they say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Michael’s still awake when you get home, having gotten in the habit of waiting up for you since you still lived at your old apartment and he would wait for your text to let him know you had made it safely. He’s sitting in the main living room (of which there are three), reading a book and petting your cat, who’s curled up peacefully on his lap. You toss your shoes and bag in your room before sitting down next to him, picking up your now-disgruntled cat and cuddling her to your chest.

“What are you reading?” you ask him, not able to see the cover that’s obscured by his hands.

“One of those Harry Potter books you told me to read. I must say, I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.”

“Goblet of Fire, that’s a good one. I’m glad you like it.”

Michael marks his place in the book, setting it down next to him before giving you his full attention. “How was your day at work?”

“It was...okay?” Michael frowns slightly, not pleased with that answer.

“Did something happen? Did the children finally act out with their parents gone?”

“No, it’s nothing like that, it’s just--something they said,” you trail off, picking the skin around your thumbnail instead.

“What did a ten-year-old and a six-year-old say to you that rattled you this much?”

“There’s no easy way to say this, especially when you’re looking at me with those eyes,” you mutter, looking up at him. “Their aunt, I guess, was killed in a school shooting. The Westfield High one?”

Michael looks at you seriously, your recollection of the girls’ words obviously catching him off-guard. “And that got you thinking--” “Not in a bad way or anything, you know I don’t blame you at all for Tate’s sins. It just...got me thinking, I guess.”

“About how much fate must hate us?” Michael laughs bitterly.

“Tate,” you ignore Michael’s last comment, too lost in your thoughts, “loves acting like he had nothing to do with you and that you two couldn’t be more different when, in reality, you’re more alike than he cares to admit. I mean, he shot up a goddamn high school and set his stepfather on fire years before you were born. It really should not have surprised him that he fathered the Antichrist, whether it was willingly or not.”

“I wouldn’t shoot high schoolers, that’s far too messy.”

“I know that, but what I’m trying to get at is that everything, in some sick and twisted way, all comes back to you. I can’t even go to work now without being reminded of you and the carnage that the Langdon name has wrought upon the world. The same name that I carry now too, I guess.” You laugh bitterly at your misfortune, knowing that you can never escape Michael wherever you go.

“You’re being too introspective for your own good tonight, (Y/N). You need to breathe, okay?” Michael takes your hands and forces you to focus on him, making you realize that you’re barely huffing out shaky breaths. “Like you said, you don’t blame me for Tate’s sins. While I have done bad things, they are all to serve a greater purpose. Tate--he was just a dumb kid who hated the world and wanted to kill people in an attempt to feel something.”

You stare at him, repeating Michael’s movements and taking deep breaths while trying to calm down. You’re not sure why this has freaked you out so much: maybe it’s because you’re married to the sire of this mass shooter, or it could be concerns that any future children that you may have with Michael (God forbid that ever happens) would carry a bit of that darkness in their souls.

“We’re having an impromptu movie night tonight,” Michael says suddenly.

“Why not wait until tomorrow?” Maybe it was a distraction tactic, but it certainly did its job.

“You’re too worked up to sleep, and I worry about you being alone with these dark thoughts swirling in your mind. You need something to take your mind off of it.”

“But we don’t even have snacks.”

“Go check in the kitchen, the staff tends to overstock it with food I would never eat. I’ll pick the movie. Put on some clothes to watch a movie,” the thought of sweatpants calls your name at that, “and meet back here in ten?”

You nod, running your hands over your feverish cheeks before standing up and walking towards your room. As you throw on your favorite sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants, you can’t stop thinking about your outburst. The knowledge that you were babysitting the nieces of one of Tate’s victims shouldn’t have messed you up like it did, and maybe it’s just you being overly paranoid. Whatever the reason, you’re more than eager to find some candy and popcorn and eat enough sugar to make your thoughts go numb.

There’s plenty of candy hidden on one of the shelves of the staff pantry, and you leave an apologetic note explaining that there was an emergency and promising to restock tomorrow. The popcorn selections are endless, and you end up popping two bags when you can’t decide. Carrying the goodies back to the living room, you see that the lights are dimmed and there’s a nest of pillows and blankets on the couch. The movie’s already cued up on the television, and you smile at the familiar music playing through the speakers.

“Sorcerer’s Stone?” you ask, sitting down next to Michael and pulling a blanket over your lap.

“I’ve never seen the movie before, and since I already finished the book I want to see which one I like better,” Michael explains sheepishly, stealing some popcorn from you and pressing ‘play’ on the remote.

It’s easy to get lost in the magic of Hogwarts, even though Michael keeps making snide comments about how he doesn’t need a wand to do more impressive magic than that. You let them slide, not too bothered about it when you constantly point out differences between the book and the movie. You both finish the first movie strong, albeit with a lack of snacks, and eagerly pop in the second to continue the marathon.

Throughout the course of the movie, you had inched closer to each other ever so slowly. Using the excuse of forgetting to move back after stealing a snack, or having to move in order to have an equal amount of blankets, results in the most awkward move you’ve ever seen someone pull. Michael, under the guise of shifting to get more comfortable, tries to sneakily slide his arm around your shoulders. You notice the ploy almost immediately, and smirk at him when he thinks he’s pulled it off.

“Really? What teen movies have you been watching lately?”

“You knew?” Michael asks, withdrawing his arm from where it’s sitting around your shoulders.

“Michael, that’s one of the oldest tricks in the book. Of course I knew.”

“Sorry,” he mumbles, cheeks bright red as he looks back at the screen.

“Just because I called you out on it doesn’t mean that I’m not fine with it.” You’re not sure where this sudden streak of bravery came from, but you’re going to take it and run with it. Grabbing his hand, you place it in the previous position of being draped over your shoulders. Leaning into Michael’s side, your head rests on his chest as your eyes go back to the movie. “This good?”

“Yeah, this is--it’s fine,” Michael’s voice comes out at a higher pitch than normal, and you bite your lip to keep from laughing.

It’s a lot more difficult to continue watching the movie as the night wears on, and you find yourself more focused on just trying to keep your eyes open than on how Harry and his friends are going to figure out what’s petrifying the students. Michael can tell that you’re on the verge of sleep, nudging you gently every time you start to nod off. “I’m up,” you’ll always reply, “just resting my eyes for a sec.” It’s amusing, and he would send you to bed were you not so adamant that you’re completely awake.

“(Y/N)?” Michael calls gently, your tired eyes flickering up to him.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think that...well, do you think that you could ever, uh, like me?”

“I do like you, dumbass. Why else do you think I’m sitting here watching movies with you?”

“I know you like me as a friend, but I mean--could you ever see yourself thinking of me as something more?”

“Is this because of what I said earlier, about your legacy?”

“Yes and no. This is something that has been on my mind for quite some time.” You’re awake now, and you sit up and pull yourself out of his embrace.

“Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“I’d rather we discuss it now,” Michael says carefully, knowing that you’re starting to get stand-offish. “(Y/N), you’re very aware of my feelings for you and that I believe what my father has told me about the two of us. I just want to know--I deserve to know how you feel about me.”

“Do you even know how hard it was for me to trust you after you kidnapped me?” you ask, standing up and clicking the TV off. Michael stands up with you, making sure you don’t run off before he’s gotten some answers.

“I thought we were over that by now!”

“We are, but--”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“The issue is that you’ve been in love with me from the moment you first saw me, and I don’t even know if I can let myself have romantic feelings for the fucking Antichrist!” The anger in Michael’s eyes is extinguished, replaced with a crushing sadness.

“You told me that you didn’t blame me for how I was born,” he says quietly. You bite your lip, realizing you just hit him in his weak spot.

“I don’t, Michael, but you’ve also done a lot of bad things, you’re doing bad things, and you’ll continue to do bad things.”

“I would never do those bad things to you. Everything I do is to benefit the plan that my father has.”

“But what if one day his plan changes and you have to kill me?” you shake your head, wrapping your arms around yourself to protect against the sudden chill in the air. “You can make all of the excuses you want, but at the end of the day you’re still the Devil’s son, murdering and plotting the end of the world.”

You should have stopped long before this, but the words just won’t stop flowing out of you now that you’ve spilled them. Michael runs his hand down his jaw, nodding slowly. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

He’s thrown you off, and you’re sure it’s obvious that he has. “What?” You’re expecting him to yell, throw things, and maybe slap you again. Instead, he’s eerily calm.

“I asked for you to be honest, and you were, so thank you.” He turns to leave, his movements stilting and robotic.

“Michael,” you reach for him, unsure of what you should do.

“Get some sleep, you’ve had a long day.” Michael smiles weakly at you, his hand resting on the door frame. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You nod dumbly, mutely, unable to do anything but watch as he leaves. Suddenly, you’re entirely too aware of how he must have felt all the times he wounded you with only his words. It’s a bitter feeling, one that replaces the lingering sweet taste of candy with sour words you had spilled so recklessly. It’s a taste that won’t go away, long after brushing your teeth and falling asleep with the taste of salty tears on your tongue.

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dreamerfae · 5 years ago

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The Duke and His Duchess

Summary: Kaneki needs an heir to continue his bloodline but he'd rather choose a village girl over other ladies, and that would be Kirishima Touka.

Word Count: 11,000

Rating: M18

Genre: Alternate Universe

Notes: This story is situated in 19th Century, England, where men are higher than women in rank. Kaneki Ken is a duke, who lives in a huge mansion with his butler & best friend, Hide, and his servants. Touka is a normal village girl. Kaneki is black reaper personality and appearance here.

"Hide. Bring me the files from Yuil Village." Kaneki ordered and Hide quickly did so, putting the files onto the male's desk.

As Ken started reading the files, Hide stared at him quietly. "Aren't you gonna get an heir?"

His grey eyes shot up to meet Hide's with a glare. "What?"

"I mean, you're the heir to your father and the responsibility falls on your shoulders to create another heir after you. Want me to help you find a woman?" He asked casually.

Kaneki sighed. "You know I hate women, after what happened to my parents and Rize."

"I know. It's just..your dad will be sad if you don't do this. Take it as you're doing this for him?"

He stopped to ponder, eyes focusing on the documents on his desk. What his best friend said also made sense because he was already 25 and not getting younger, and needed an heir to continue the bloodline.

But he would be so worried. What if his son gets a mother who didn't love him like Ken's mother didn't? What if his son grew up and gets fooled by another woman, just like he was? There was one more thing to be worried about.

What if the child was a daughter? It'd mean that he had to mate with the woman once more to gain a boy heir and that would be the worst thing to happen to him--someone who sees women as the worst creatures on earth.

He weighed the pros and cons. The pros were that if he were to have an heir, the bloodline would be continued and his money wouldn't go to his useless cousin who barely does any shit in maintaining the land that they owned. His father would also be able to rest in peace, as Hide had mentioned.

The cons were that he had to embrace a woman he knew he would never love, and he would be disgusted in performing the act in conceiving a child. It would be utterly uncomfortable for him.

Gritting his teeth, he decided that the pros outweighed the cons and he had to ignore the disadvantages to reap better rewards. He was a businessman and the reward is always more important than the process.

"Fine. Find me a woman who fits these conditions: (1) she must be able to bear a child, (2) she must be pretty so our son will have our genes, (3) she must not be a money-grubber. You have 3 days to do this."

"Roger!"

3 days later, Hide returned with a stack of papers and dumped them on Kaneki's desk. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Hide puffed his chest out and had a stupid grin on his face. "I've done my job! Look through and let me know if you're interested in any of them!"

Flipping through the stack of papers, Kaneki only spent 1 second on each of them before moving onto the next. Within 2 minutes, he was done and threw everything into the dustbin. Hide gawked in horror before turning to his master. "Why'd you do that?! I spent my last 3 days finding those women!"

Kaneki gave a deadpanned expression. "Are you blind? They're all ugly. Find someone better."

Hide sulked. "Those are the women leftover from your conditions! How do you expect me to find anyone else who is the same as your position?"

"I said to find someone. I don't care who it is, be it royalty or commoner."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Hide walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Kaneki smiled, only Hide dared to treat him in this manner. If anyone else did, he'd fire them on the spot. But he'd always close one eye since Hide had always been by his side and never left even when his parents did.

Another few days later, Hide returned and dropped another stack of papers on the table. They seem lesser than the last time but better than none. Kaneki quickly scanned through them as he listened to Hide's words. "I searched the nearby villages and found some pretty girls. If you don't like any of them, I can't help you anymore, brother."

Tossing paper after paper into the dustbin, he ended up on the last piece of paper. It showed a female with short violet hair whose bangs covered half of her face and had blue eyes. He paused for a few seconds just scrutinizing the woman's face before looking up at his butler. "I decided. This woman."

"Oh, that one. I forgot to throw it away. She's no good."

Reaching over for the paper, Hide tried to take it but Kaneki refused to let it out of his hands. "Why is she no good?"

Hide sighed heavily. "You just had to choose the worst woman possible. She has a fiery temper and her family's quite poor so it'll mean she'd go for the money. Besides, she ain't pretty. Not my type. I prefer cheerful girls."

"I'm the one who's getting an heir, not you. I decide who's pretty or not." He snapped and stared at her photo. Having a fiery temper was no problem, he was quite good at controlling people but the money part was the problem. But if he didn't choose her now, he'd have no other choices. She also seemed to have quite the beautiful face, way better than all the other ladies he's seen.

He decided. He'll have her.

"Write her a letter and offer her an agreement where in exchange for her body, I'll give her this amount of money." Kaneki scribbled on a paper and held it up for Hide to see. The man nodded and rushed off.

The letter was delivered the next day and they waited, waited, waited but a reply never came. When Kaneki asked Hide whether it was really delivered to her directly by him, Hide had insisted that it was. They chose to wait another few days until he lost his patience and took his horse to go down to the village itself to find her.

He dismounted from his horse outside her house and knocked on the door. It soon opened and he was glad that it was her. Clearing his throat, he stared into her eyes and began, "I believe you received a letter from Duke Kaneki a week ago? May I ask why there isn't any reply yet?"

"Oh that? I thought it was a prank and threw it away." Touka said nonchalantly.

He felt his veins pop out in anger and tried to stop himself from lashing out at her. "I am Duke Kaneki and I wish to hear your answer. You need money, do you not? As I can see from your house—I mean, hut��and your torn and tattered clothes, I believe this deal won't be a disadvantage for you."

She chewed her lip as she pondered over his words. "How much did you say you'd pay me again?"

"$500 per day. If you're able to get pregnant within 2 weeks, I'll give you an extra $300."

$500 was 10 times of her wage per day. Even if she gave her 1000% at her current work, she would never be able to get that amount of money this duke was offering her. By the end of the week, she would get $3500 instead of her current $350.

One part of her was warning her not to sell her body like some prostitute, but another part of her was telling her to take the job because honestly, they needed the money. Although Ayato was working many jobs to help earn money to pay their house rent, food and for their father's treatment, it still wasn't enough. They needed so much more because their father's treatment was so expensive and they couldn't afford it.

"Deal. What do I have to do?"

He shook her hand and smiled. "You just need to lie on the bed and do nothing. I look forward to a good deal with you."

—

Kaneki suggested for her to stay at his mansion so that it would be more convenient for both of them. For her, it meant that she wouldn't need to go back and forth between both houses, and for him, so he can easily get access to her. Touka was hesitant at first, because it would mean that she wouldn't be able to take care of her father every day like before, but slowly got around to the idea when he mentioned that he would let her go back to her home anytime she wanted, as long as she returned by night.

She didn't know what to think of the guy, seeing as he never smiles, nor talk with emotion. He's never happy, sad, disappointed or angry. Just neutral. He almost seemed to maintain a certain distance from her when he explained the terms of their agreement.

"So what I'm offering in exchange for a child is the money I've mentioned earlier and your freedom as soon as the child is born. You would not need to stay here or take care of the child. It will be my responsibility. You can resume your life as per normal."

"I won't be able to see my child?" Touka asked.

"Of course I can't forbid you from doing so but please bear in mind that I intend to tell the public that you died in an accident somewhere to make it simpler, so after the child reaches a certain age, you can't see him anymore."

Another question popped in her mind. "What if it's a girl?"

"..then we will try until it's a boy. I will, of course, take care of her. You don't need to worry about that."

"Alright." For now, she didn't have any other questions and leaned back against the most comfortable armchair she has ever sat in. She stared down at the floor and wondered whether she was doing the right thing. She hasn't told her family anything about this either. There was still the thing about the scar behind her bangs. She was afraid of his reaction to it.

Kaneki leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands together. "I can see that you're still hesitating about this so please think about this carefully. You're not allowed to back out of this deal if you've decided to commit to it because it would mean that I've wasted my time in bed with you and my money. On the other hand, if you have decided on committing to this, I promise I will take care of everything. I will provide you shelter, food, new clothes, and a bedroom."

After a short 5 minutes of debating whether she should or should not do it, Touka decided to agree. He then quickly sent out instructions for her belongings to be moved into his house, arranged a bedroom and a bath for her. Though she was alone in the dining table, she ate the fanciest and most delicious dinner in her entire life and night soon fell.

She retired to her room and allowed the maid who was assigned to her to change her into the nightdress that Kaneki provided. It was a lacy midnight blue lingerie dress and translucent but thankfully it came with a robe and she held it close to her chest in an attempt to cover her exposed skin.

Settling down onto the bay window, she stared out at the bright moon through the large window panes and heard the door open and close. Without even turning, she knew it was him, from the strong scent of his cologne and menacing presence. Touka raised her head and locked eyes with his lifeless ones which seemed to have given up on everything.

Standing up, she attempted to remove his tie, but he stepped back and held up a hand to her. "Stop. Don't touch me. I have some rules I would like to go over before we start. First, you're not to wrap your arms around me or touch me in any way. Secondly, no kissing. Thirdly, I will not sleep in the same bed as you once we're done for the night."

Touka thought it was normal for men to want women to touch them while they're doing the deed but he was..abnormal. While she knew the third rule was reasonable since they weren't lovers, she didn't understand the first two. "And may I ask why you gave the first two rules?"

His eyes narrowed at her and suddenly his voice was louder. "Lastly, no asking any questions. None at all."

She wanted to call him out for being this rude to her because she could just walk out of this room at any time, but held it in. The money was a huge sum, one that she would never get even if she worked till she died and she needed it.

"Shall we get to it then?" He asked.

"Wait. I have one rule of my own."

His head tilted up. "Speak."

"You must promise to never lift my bangs or attempt to see what's behind them." She said, voice shaking.

He raised his brow. "Deal. Let's get started then."

"..okay."

Touka expected her first time to be done with passion and love. But it didn't happen. He roughly pushed her onto the bed, made her get on her knees and hands and took her from behind. The way he slammed into her without mercy, without even letting her rest for a second, brought tears to her eyes as the pain shot through her. She refused to let him see her cry and balled up the bedsheets in her hands.

Abiding by his rules, she did not make an effort to kiss nor touch him, and neither did he. It soon came to an end when she felt a foreign liquid fill her and he pulled out of her. She collapsed forward onto the bed and just laid there lifelessly. Her virginity was just taken like that and she knew she would never get it back.

At the corner of her eyes, Touka watched the male quickly put on his clothes before fishing something from his jacket. Throwing an envelope filled with money bills in front of her face, he stared down at her with no emotion whatsoever and said, "your payment." He then quit the room and slammed the door behind him.

She curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

—

Plopping down onto his own bed, Kaneki ran his hand through his sweat-filled black hair and frowned. Though she was trying to hide it, he could see that it was painful for her and she was crying. He berated himself for taking her like a beast would and not having done it more gently. He remembered how her face contorted in pain when he slammed into her, and how her fingers had curled into fists so tightly until they turned white.

He snapped out of his thoughts by shaking his head and headed to the bathroom for a bath.

—

The next morning, she didn't go down for breakfast. Even if she knew the food would be delicious, she had no appetite to eat. After last night with that monster, she didn't want to see his face nor hear his voice. He had treated her as if she were a prostitute, throwing her money and tossing her aside once the deed was done. Her hands closed into fists and she gritted her teeth.

If she had the opportunity, she wanted to give him a good punch. It wouldn't hurt him to treat her a little nicer. But she slowly uncurled her fists and closed her eyes. This was what she has chosen. Getting money by selling her body. She had to bear with it, and until she has given birth to his child, she would continue to receive this unfair treatment.

Kaneki visited her room again that night but instead of going to her immediately, he remained just behind the door he closed and only stared at her.

"What are you staring at. Let's get this over and done with." Touka mumbled.

He watched as she limped her way over to her bed and sat down on it. As he thought, he was too rough on her the previous night. He mentally pondered on whether he should do it gentler this time. What if she cries again?

The thought of seeing a woman's tears infuriated him because it was the exact same thing his previous lover did in an attempt to cheat him of his money. Women would do anything to get money on their hands, even if they had to cry or sell themselves, which Touka did the latter and he despises women for that.

But then he decided to test her. He would repeat the same thing the previous night and watch if she shows her tears to him or not. If she does, he would know that she's a woman who only wants the money. If she doesn't..she's probably someone who needs the money. There's another factor on which he could tell what kind of woman she was, but he would save it for later when he actually does it.

After the deed was done, he took the bills out of the envelope and threw them into the air. It was the other factor he would judge her on whether she was a money grubber. The notes flew all over the place before slowly landing on the floor. He then pretended to leave the room by opening and closing the door and quietly stood in a dark corner of the room to watch her actions.

Touka didn't make a move at first, only staring at the money on the floor and slowly got to her feet. She fell to the floor after taking only one step, her body still weak and sore, and she started picking up the money. Instead of doing the action happily like a woman who wanted and loved the money, she did in a way that seemed like she was so miserable even when the money was right in front of her. Tears brimmed in her eyes which dropped down her cheeks and onto the money.

After watching her take all of the money off the floor and cry herself to sleep, he concluded that she was not a woman who's sleeping with him because she wanted the money, but because she needed it. In other words, she may not be like Kamishiro Rize, his ex-lover, who cheated him of his money, making him hate women even more after what his mother did.

He might need to observe her further to gain a better understanding of her character, but for now, he decided he didn't need to keep his guard up so high now with her.

—

The next day, after dropping by her house to check on her father and pass them the money she earned, Touka returned to the mansion and decided to explore since she still had many hours left till nightfall. The mansion was huge, having over 20 rooms and she knew it would take her forever to finish walking the whole place.

Before she could start, she encountered Kaneki's butler, Hideyoshi Nagachika, who grinned at her. "Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon." She greeted.

A thought suddenly popped in her mind. If Hide is Kaneki's butler, then he must know plenty of things. "Can I ask you why Kaneki's such an asshole?"

Hide's eyes widened at the sudden question and he laughed until he started crying. "That's a nice question." His expression then turned into a serious one, which made her straighten up. "He had a very rough childhood and the bad memories of it stayed with him till today. Even if he's an asshole, bear with him. He's still hurt on the inside."

"What happened?"

"It's not in my place to tell you. I think it's best if you heard it from him yourself. Only if he's willing to. He refuses to do that but I believe if he does let someone into his heart, he would heal."

With that, Hide walked off, leaving Touka with a million questions in her head. But she tossed them to the back of his mind and her eyes zoomed in on the room with 2 doors. Opening the doors, she poked her head in the gap and peeked inside. It was the library. She sighed. She didn't like books. Nevertheless, she would take a walk around because she had nothing better to do anyway. Entering quietly, she closed the door behind her and walked by the huge shelves filled to the brim with books on both sides of her.

She scanned for a particular book but frowned when she only found business or literature related books. Walking to the end, she saw a walkway leading to the left and followed it. Soon, she encountered the devil himself, aka Kaneki Ken, who sat behind a desk with a mountain high of paperwork in front of him. He was so engrossed in his work, writing on and reading his papers that he didn't notice her.

Without noticing, she hit her foot into the bookshelf and let out a groan. His head shot up, his hand stopped writing and he narrowed his eyes at her. "How long have you been there? Who said you could come in?"

Touka winced from the burning sensation of her toe and looked at him. "I've been here in for 15 minutes or so. If you don't want me here, then I'll leave."

"No. You can stay."

She was surprised by his answer, to say the least. Then, she looked over the bookshelves in an attempt to find the book she wanted. Kaneki watched her sigh heavily and tilt her head down before continuing to write. "What book are you looking for?"

"A picture book." She answered. "But I see that you don't read picture books. The books here are all boring ones."

He shot her an incredulous look. "Of course. Picture books are for children. What book do you want? I'll tell my butler so he can buy it for you."

"..why are you doing this for me?" She asked.

"Since we are in a contract, I have the responsibility in taking care of your health, well-being, and desires."

"Well then... could I get 'The Ugly Duckling'?"

"Why that book?"

A sorrow-filled expression fell over her delicate features and her gaze softened, though sad. "It was the last book my mother read for me before she died."

"Does that book have anything to do with the condition you gave me?" He asked.

You must promise to never lift my bangs or attempt to see what's behind them.

She nodded, answering his question. "I have a horrible scar behind these bangs and it always scared people from my village away. She often read the book for me and told me that one day I would find someone who accepted my scar." She didn't know but she started talking more about her mother. "Then, when a fire broke out at my house, she took out everyone out of the house and got herself trapped inside. She broke her leg and I watched her die in that fire--" Touka realized that she was crying at this point and covered her mouth in an attempt to soften her sobs. She apologized and quickly turned to leave the room.

Kaneki remained in his seat and tapped his fingers on his desk. Seeing her cry gave him mixed feelings and he didn't know whether he should go to comfort her or ignore her. Then, he decided to hell with it as he cursed under his breath and stood up. Even if he tried to be a cold-hearted and a mean person to protect himself after what happened with his mother and ex-lover, the caring personality he had as a young man still remained in him.

Closing the bedroom door behind her, Touka threw herself onto the bed and cried into the mattress. Her mother had been such a big part of her life and to see her just pass away in front of her eyes was heartbreaking. Oh, how she missed her mother dearly.

She twitched at the sound of the door clicking open and close and she turned to look at Kaneki who stood beside her bed. It seemed as if he were mentally deciding on what to do as his eyes looked to the floor, darted up to her, then to the floor again. His knees dipped into the mattress and she soon found herself enveloped in his arms.

It's been a long time since he's ever embraced someone like this and he just realized that he didn't know how to comfort a person.

"...I'll be here."

Those 3 simple words were enough to throw away the initial shock Touka had from him hugging her and made her burst into tears, wrap her arms around his torso tightly and bury her face into his broad chest. They slowly lowered down onto the soft mattress, with Touka crying in Kaneki's arms until she fell asleep.

—

Touka awoke a few hours later and dragged herself to dinner after washing up her horrible face. She then sat at her dressing table whilst combing her hair and thought about how she should face Kaneki later at night. He had been so kind as to hold her as she wept earlier on, and she didn't know how to feel about that. He was an asshole but at that time, he was caring.

But she knew that his warm arms gave her the most comfort she's ever had in a very long time. The last was when her father held her, but he hasn't done that in a long time since he fell sick.

She waited and waited, but Kaneki never came to her bed.

Meanwhile, he was in his room, arms rested over the balcony's barrier and stared up at the full moon. His mind replayed how he held the weeping female in his arms, and how she had told him everything about her kind mother.

He then recalled how at one point when he was a young boy, his mother had truly loved him and treated him well. Back then, she often sat him in her lap and read storybooks to him. If he were to able to read a new word, she would grin widely and pat on him on the head, telling him that he did a good job. He closed his eyes and a rare smile graced his lips. He had to thank her for letting him remember something good about his mother.

The door clicked open and he turned to see Touka walking towards him. She stepped into the balcony, where he was and was soon only centimeters away from him. Looking up at him, her words got stuck in her throat as she saw how the moonlight reflected off his long eyelashes, making it shine and thought that it was beautiful how his grey eyes matched the large white moon, while his black hair matched the dark night sky behind him.

"Are we not...doing it today?" She asked softly.

His arm encircled her waist and pulled her flush against his body. With downcast eyes, he pressed his thumb against her soft lips. "You know, you shouldn't enter a man's room at night. He'll attack you."

She was entranced by his handsome features and the fact that he was giving her heart flutters as he ran his thumb across her lips, before cupping her cheek and twirling her hair in his fingers, that she couldn't find the words to say. Snapping out of her trance, she then snorted, to his amusement. "Our contract is that we sleep together at night. It's right that you attack me."

Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed her wrist, pulled her to his bed and threw her onto it before getting atop her. Her eyes went wide as she felt his hand go up her thigh, and one leg settling between hers. Kaneki lowered his head to suck the delicate skin of her neck and her chest after pulling down her robe.

"This is what it means to--" He pulled back and stopped at the sight of her fear-filled eyes. His aim was only to tease her so that she knew the dangers of enticing a male and scaring her was definitely not his intention.

Touka shoved him aside and ran out of his room. He was left alone and he stared down at the spot where she laid, feeling extremely guilty about what he did.

Slamming the door behind her, she felt her body warm and heart race at the memory of him touching her so intimately. While she knew that he was only demonstrating what he said, she was horrified at the fact that instead of feeling disgusted by his touch, she actually liked it and wanted him to continue.

But before it came to that, she had to separate from him. Willing for her crazy heart to calm down, she gripped the robe against her chest and took deep breaths. Kaneki didn't attempt to enter her room that night.

After that incident, Touka had tried to avoid Kaneki whenever possible. She never visited the library again and when she met him in the hallway, she would turn and run. Even at night where they were supposed to have their nightly activities, she would lock her door and not let him in.

Today was the 3rd day that she was doing this and Kaneki was irritated, annoyed—whatever emotion that was associated with anger—and couldn't stand it anymore. They had a contract and she was not fulfilling her part. So, he stomped to her door, banged on it with his fists and shouted, "open the door, dammit! It's been 3 days!"

From behind it, came an indignant shout.

"No!"

He gritted his teeth. "If you keep this up, I'll cancel the contract and you won't get any more money from me!"

Though it was a threat, he hoped that it wouldn't happen, as it would have wasted his time and money, he thought, pushing the idea of him actually enjoying her company far away from his logical mind. There was silence, then the door opened to reveal Touka with a frown. "Come in."

He stepped in and glared down at her, who looked away and seemed to be shrinking the longer he did so. She took a step backward and he followed with a step forward. Dropping his hand on her shoulder, her body flinched and he squeezed it tightly to prevent her from running away.

Through the thin cloth of the long dress he provided her, Kaneki could feel the warmth of her skin, which brought him back to that night where he touched her much more intimately than he usually did.

Despite his policy of never touching a woman like that again, he had done it to Touka. He wondered why he did that. Was wanting to warn her the only reason he did that or was there another reason? He was about to find out, as he pulled her to him by the waist and used the back of his hand to brush against her cheek.

Her cheeks turned red at his actions before her lovely blue eyes flickered up to his. "Are you going to repeat what you did 3 nights ago?" She asked.

His hand which has been playing with her hair paused and he smiled smugly. "Would you like me to?"

The female opened her mouth to answer but closed it, then opened it again. She seemed to have some difficulty in coming up with an answer and he decided to help her. Pushing her hair away from her neck, he kissed the sides of her neck and her hands on his chest turned into tiny fists. Her heart rate sped up as he pressed a kiss under her ear and inhaled her scent. "..You smell nice. Did you just have a bath?" He mumbled, lips moving to the other side of her neck.

Touka panted, body turning hot just like that night when he touched her but her shaking hands wouldn't let her push him away.

"W-why are you doing this? I thought you said you didn't want any physical contact between us. You told me on day 1!"

"Hmmm, yes I said that..." he murmured, one hand going down to cup her breast through her dress and the other hand squeezed her butt cheek. Touka moaned, pressing herself closer against him. He separated from her with a groan, feeling himself harden and took a good look at the female before him.

He recalled how the torn and tattered dress she had been wearing when they first met did not enhance her body, unlike this dress which he chose for her. This midnight blue dress showed off every single part of her beautiful body; from her slender shoulders and arms, her delightful cleavage, and the sexy curve of her hips.

Even if he swore to never fall for a woman's seduction again, he could not stop himself from being attracted to a woman's body and right now, he wanted to throw her onto the bed and do all kinds of things to her. He was still a man after all. He was met with her hand when he stepped towards her and he raised a brow. Her voice came out shaky, telling him that she was scared. "A-Answer my question."

Question? Ah.

"Did you know that you have a very sinful body? An attractive one that seduces a man? It's regrettable that I failed to notice earlier."

The grey eyes that roamed over her body were one of a predator's when they were deciding on which part of the prey to eat, and shivers went down her spine after realizing that he might just devour her.

"I-I did not ask for this body! Stay away!"

"And yet, it is this body that you have decided to use to earn money. Have you ever thought of earning more money by pleasing me?"

"What? No, don't be crazy! I'm not a prostitute!" She exclaimed.

He paused. "That's..unfortunate. But I will still expect you to uphold your part of the contract and sleep with me."

"Y-yes, I will. But it's still afternoon, isn't it? We only do it at night."

Kaneki looked to the clock that hung on the wall. It was nearing evening time. "It's going to be night. We only do it at night." He repeated her words with a smirk, pushing her down onto the bed.

"H-hey! Stop it!" Touka protested, but she couldn't form any more words after that as he pressed his hungry lips to hers.

—

Laying naked in bed after their vigorous yet sensual sex, he stared up at the ceiling as he came to a conclusion that he was attracted to her body, not her personality itself, and that's why he wanted to touch her. Definitely not because he was interested in her, nor because wanted to feel a female's soft and warm skin on his after many years. Definitely not.

He's usually very talkative after sex and he had forgotten that fact that he didn't think before opening his mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were a virgin before I bedded you?" He asked, cursing himself internally because he couldn't take back the question.

Touka froze in putting on her bra and looked down. "I didn't want your pity. I wanted to do this. Even though it's a shitty job and one that makes me feel shameless, I still needed the money."

"And why do you need so much money?"

She remained silent and continue putting on her clothes.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me." Kaneki sat up in bed and started pulling his clothes on as well.

The two clothed themselves in silence, with their backs facing one another.

"Hey, if I increase the number of times I do it with you, will I get more money?"

He blinked. "Of course."

From that day on, Touka jumped on him at every single chance she saw him since he promised that he would pay her by the number of times they do it. If she has sex with him once a day, she gets $500. If she has sex with him twice a day, she gets $1000. They have done it in the corridor, the bathroom, the library, and pretty much anywhere they run into each other. Though it makes her sore and extremely exhausted, the money she was paid was worth it.

Ironically, even though this contract was the one that made them have bad impressions of one another, it also served as an opportunity for them to bond, where after doing the deed, they lay in bed and talk about trivial things. Somewhere along the way, they started looking forward to spending time in each other's company.

After a week of interacting with Kaneki, Touka could tell that even though he acts tough and cold, he's actually a very nice and kind person deep down. It's in the way he treats animals kindly, and the way he talks and looks at her. The eyes which were once cold slowly warmed up and now, he smiles and laughs more often. She could also feel it in the way he caresses her cheek, kisses her skin and rests his hand protectively over her waist.

And she fell in love with him unknowingly.

In the short time he has spent with Touka, Kaneki was slowly opening up to her, talking to her about his work and some other stuff but he would never touch on the topic of his family. It seemed that she noticed and did not pursue the matter which he was grateful for. He enjoyed their time together because it helped relieve his daily work stress and the big hole of loneliness inside him—which he isn't aware of—and assumes that he likes her company because she's fun to be with and likes listening to her stories. Without knowing, he had developed feelings for her.

As he lay in bed with her one night, he's suddenly reminded of the fact that the time that they currently have will eventually disappear when she gets with his child. After it happens, they would separate, he would take the child, and she would return to her village and continue her life as per normal. The thought of it pierced his heart painfully and he wished for more time with her.

For now, he would cherish the remaining time left with her.

Until one fateful night, it happened.

It was when Touka decided that it was time for him to talk about his family. Unlike the last time she asked which made her stop when he got angry, this time she was persistent.

"You can tell me. Maybe I can find some way to help you." Touka said, cupping his cheek.

Kaneki's smile turned into a scowl and he jerked his head away. "You can't. Drop the subject."

She frowned. "Kaneki, I want to help you. I don't want you to be suffering with me not knowing a single thing. I need to know so I can help you. Please."

"I said drop it, Touka." He ordered menacingly but she didn't seem scared at all by his glare.

"Okay. I have a hard life—a tough life even, but I don't let it pull me down. But you are living in the past and not in the present nor the future. Whatever happened with your family is in the past, you need to let it go."

He ignored her words and left the bed to get dressed.

"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad!"

That is when the thread of his patience snapped and he's enraged. With a fiery gaze at her and the way his brows furrowed down, she could tell that he was angry. "Can't be that bad?! Who are you to assume you know everything about me and my family?! We've only known each other for 2 months and we've basically strangers!"

Looking at him, she could see him reverting to the asshole she met on day one. Instead of warm eyes, she saw hard and cold eyes. His voice also reverted to his old emotionless one, not his soothing one.

Kaneki was furious. He doesn't remember being this angry ever since the day his mother and ex-lover left him. But he didn't know that the next few sentences that come out of his mouth would hurt her feelings so deeply.

"You're just a prostitute who sleeps with people for money! You're nobody to me! And in case you didn't know, the past 2 months meant nothing to me! You were only a tool to get me an heir. If you understand, then get out!" He roared.

Touka raised her head, tears falling down her cheeks and a sorrowful smile hung from her lips. "Is that so?"

The male gaped in horror, eyes widening as he watched her futile attempts in wiping the tears that seemed to be falling non-stop. She put on her clothes quietly and then proceeded to pack up her luggage. Before she left the room, she glanced one last time back at him who still remained frozen at his spot.

"You know, I think I might have fallen in love with you in the 2 months we spent together. It's sad that it's come to this but I just want you to know that I love you. Goodbye, Kaneki."

With that, she walked out of that door and out of his life forever.

—

After calming himself down, Kaneki did some soul-searching and regretted immensely the words he spoke to her in his angered state. Why, when he knew she needed the money for a reason, and yet still used that to hurt her? For the first time ever, he saw himself as an asshole and a horrible person.

—

Touka returned home in tears and when her brother and father asked the reason, she would shake her head and say that it's nothing. As soon as she reached her room, she tossed her bag to the floor and dropped herself onto her tiny bed. The tears in her eyes seeped into the sheets, and she didn't stop weeping until she fell asleep.

“Look, I don’t know what you said or did to Ms Kirishima, but I know it’s definitely your fault.” Hide said, pouring the earl grey tea into a teacup before placing it down onto Kaneki’s desk. The male who had been covering his face with his hand for the past hour finally looked up at his butler with a glare.

“How would you know?”

“I’m your best friend and butler. Of course I know how hurtful you are with your words and sometimes you say things that you don’t even mean. Now what did you say to her? Let’s see if I can help you.” Hide asked.

Kaneki told him everything and watched his best friend’s face turn from neutral to horror. Grabbing a nearby book, Hide threw it at Kaneki, who narrowly avoided it as the book hit the window behind him with a loud thump. “Why’d you do that? I’m still your master!”

The blonde-haired male sighed heavily and slapped his hand on his face. “You’re freaking stupid, did you know that?! Why did you have to say that to her even when you know she needed the money? I feel sorry for her man, she was only trying to help you!”

“I was angry, alright? I regret it now.” Kaneki mumbled.

“So are you planning to just sit here and wait for her to come back to you? ‘Cause that’s definitely not happening.”

“I know! I’m thinking!”

“You’re damn hopeless, you know that? For the time being, put away your damn ego or pride or whatever you have, and go apologize to her. While you’re at it, do it with a bouquet of flowers.” Hide placed a hand on Ken’s shoulder and smiled, though it was a sad one. “Don’t run away from your past. I’m pretty sure part of her is angry and sad because you wouldn’t open up to her. Try doing it. It might make you feel better.”

Hide left the room, saying that he’d help him get the flowers while he used the time to think of the words to say to Touka when he met her. Kaneki bit his lower lip and squeezed his hands into fists. He didn’t know whether he was ready to tell her the truth.

But Hide was right. Apologizing came first, everything came after.

Gathering his courage and his flowers, Kaneki found himself in front of her house and swallowed. Raising his hand and knocking on the door, he held his breath as he heard footsteps then a loud ‘coming!’ from the person.

The person who opened was Touka again, thankfully, and she immediately slammed the door in his face before he could say anything. He thumped on the door with his fist, shouting her name and peeked into the house through the window beside the door. “Touka, please open up! I’m here to apologize!”

Throwing a glare his way, she walked up to him on the other side of the window and his heart soared when he thought that she’d open the door for him, but even the small hope was dashed as she pulled the curtains across the window. She did the same to every window and he had no choice but to leave the flowers on the ground outside her house and took his leave. He decided that he’d come by again tomorrow.

After watching him leave, Touka finally opened the door and frowned at the bouquet of roses outside. She picked it up and looked at the card attached to it. The card displayed the words ‘I’m sorry’ with an unhappy face beside it. She dumped the card into the bin first and hesitated to throw the roses. They did nothing wrong, she thought, as she brought them into the house and put them into a vase.

The next day, Kaneki returned with another type of flower and knocked on the door. She looked through the peek hole on the door and sighed heavily. Him again.

“Go away!” She yelled.

“I only want to talk.” He pleaded. “Please let me in.”

“No.”

And that was the last answer out of her for that day.

So, Kaneki continued visiting her house every single day without fail and it came to a point when she didn’t even bother to go to the door when she hears a knock. And every day, he would leave behind a different bouquet of flowers with the card attached to it.

This continued for 2 weeks until Ayato was so sick and tired of the house turning into a flower shop and told her to throw some of them out because he was allergic to flowers.

One day, when Kaneki was on the way to Touka’s house again, he happened to see someone—he assumes that is a doctor, judging from the white coat and bag full of medical supplies—exit the house with Touka following behind.

“Doctor, please treat my father! If he continues without medication, he’ll die! As for the money, I promise I’ll come up with it!”

The doctor shook his head with a frown. “I collect the money before I start treatment. If you do not have it, I will not treat your father.”

As the doctor turned to leave, Touka had to go down on her knees and hands. “Please! I beg you! I’ll do anything!” She begged.

To his dismay, the male ignored her and left. He watched her slowly stand up, grabbed the hem of her dress and bit her lower lip. The tears that fell down her cheeks pained his heart. So this was the reason why she needed so much money. Her father was ill, and it had to be a grave one if the doctor needed to collect money before treatment.

He gathered whatever money he had and ran up to her. “Here, use this for your father’s treatment.”

Touka slapped his hand away with a scowl and he could see pure hatred in her eyes when she looked at him. “I don’t need your money and pity. Go away.”

“Touka...”

She slammed the door behind her and after leaving the flowers outside her house, he returned to his mansion and ordered for his family doctor. The following day, another doctor visited her, one of which she has never seen before and knew that he didn’t belong to the village. He told her that he was here to treat her father and when she asked about the payment, he only smiled at her and informed her that he was already paid for her services.

She glanced back worriedly at her father who seemed to be getting weaker day by day and allowed the doctor in. Kaneki smiled as he watched from afar and took his leave.

As soon as the treatment was done for the day, the doctor would take his leave. This time, out of curiosity, Touka followed him, only to find the doctor receiving a stack of money bills from Kaneki.

Anger boiled within her. How dare he try to curry favor with her by doing this?! She almost walked up to scold him but couldn’t find it in herself to do it. It’s been 3 weeks since her father started receiving treatment and though he was still bedridden, his health was so much better than before. She also knew that if she refused Kaneki’s help, no other doctor would help them because they didn’t have the money to pay.

Though pissed, she’d bear with this, for her father.

At that time, she started feeling ill. She would wake up earlier in the mornings to vomit but nothing would come out and she would often have weird food cravings throughout the day. Her friend, Yoriko, who was still training to be a doctor, did a check-up for her and concluded that she was 2 months with child.

Now alone in her room, Touka rubbed a hand over her belly which was starting to show and didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry because she carried the child of the man she loved but didn’t have the financial means to take care of the child.

Being busy from making meals, doing housework and taking care of her father, Touka barely had time to think about Kaneki. The only time when she did was at night before she slept. She would lay in bed, stare up at the ceiling and think about the time where they’d lie in bed together, just kissing and talking about the most boring things, with his arms wrapped around her and lips on her head.

Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine that, and the tears just fell from her eyes without her noticing. He may be a rotten asshole, but she loved him and missed him dearly.

Being separated from Touka for months has taken a toll on Kaneki’s body. He hasn’t been able to sleep well and often found himself hallucinating about how she was in front of him in times when he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Hide had to feed him sleeping pills to make him sleep, and even so, he would always wake up in the middle of the night and walk around the house looking for her.

As a result, he gained large bags under his eyes, sunken cheeks and lost his appetite. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms and kiss those soft lips of hers. He decided that if he got her to forgive him, he would make sure that he would never ever let her go again.

“Have you realized why you’re behaving like this?” Hide asked one day and Kaneki snapped out of his daydream.

“What?”

“Haven’t you noticed that you also acted this way when Rize left you?”

He blinked once, then cocked his side to the side in confusion. “Yes? But it’s got nothing to do with Touka.”

The blonde-haired male sighed. “I swear it’s been too long since you’ve experienced this emotion. I’m telling you that you are in love with her!”

He stared blankly at his butler. “I…am?”

“Dammit, yes! You want her back because you miss her, because she makes you happy and because you can’t live without her!”

It took him a solid minute to let the fact sink in before his eyes widened and he stood up, startling Hide. “Yes, I love her!”

“Jesus! Then do something more than giving her flowers to get her back! Ambush her, kidnap her, do whatever you gotta do to make her forgive you! Do I have to spoon feed you everything?”

Kaneki placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder with a smile. “Thank you.”

Hide’s jaw dropped open. It’s been years since he’s even spoken those 2 words.

Listening to Hide’s advice, Kaneki decided to ambush her. He heard from the doctor that Touka will be going for a walk with her family today and waited for her at her village park. He sat on the bench, planning out what he wanted to say while holding a bouquet of roses and quickly stood up when he saw them approaching his way.

Walking towards them, Touka noticed him and frowned. He took it as a good sign that she didn’t ask them to walk the other direction. He stopped in front of the family and while Ayato and Arata stared at him confusion, Touka’s gaze was deadly.

“Touka, can we talk for a bit? Please?” Kaneki pleaded.

She looked to her father who nodded, giving her permission and she went with him to another quieter part of the park. Making sure to stand a certain distance away from him, she glared at him and pointed an accusing index finger at him. “First things first, how dare you assign a doctor to tend to my father even after I’ve refused your money? I made it very clear that I didn’t need your money and pity.”

“I only wanted to help you. If I knew your father was sick, I would have given you more money during the contract.”

“That would mean you’re pitying me. I don’t want or need it, especially from you.”

“Touka, I—” He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away, to his disappointment. He withdrew his hand and looked at her. “I’m sorry for doing that secretly. I only wanted to make it up to you. And I’m so sorry for what I said that night. Although this sounds like an excuse, I was angry at that time at you prying into my matters and I said things that shouldn’t have been said and hurt you. I know you were just trying to help me, and I pushed you away. For that, I’m sorry. I’m willing to do anything you ask of me and tell you everything about my past as long as you would forgive me.”

She could tell from the look in his pleading eyes that he was speaking the truth, but she didn’t want to forgive him yet. It’d be too easy.

“Do you know how hurt I was when you said that to me? Aside from the prostitute thing, what I was really upset about was when you said that the time we spent together meant nothing to you.” She breathed, willing herself not to cry. “Even if it was a short 2 months, it meant something to me because I fell in love with you.”

He closed his eyes painfully. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“What was I to you? A tool? A prostitute? A sex buddy?”

Kaneki grabbed her by the waist and cupped her cheeks. “You are everything to me. My world. My universe. After you left, I regretted so much of what I did and said. Touka, I promise that if you forgive me, I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”

She shook her head. “That’s not enough. I need to hear those 3 words from you.”

He hesitated. The last time he said those words to Kamishiro Rize had caused him a lifetime of misery and resentment towards women.

Touka shoved him away and mumbled. “You’re not worth my time if you can’t even say the words.” She turned her back to him and he panicked. Now or never?

Now! He never ever wants to experience the feeling of despair and misery again. He needs her back.

“I love you!” He shouted. “I love you, Kirishima Touka!”

Tears brimmed in her eyes and she spun around, ran towards him and tackled him with a hug. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for those words!”

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered, “I’m sorry I made you wait so long. Please give me another chance to love you.”

She nodded in tears.

When Kaneki asked for her to move back into the house with him, Touka didn’t want to because she wanted to spend time with her father now that he’s finally better and able to go outside. He wanted to respect her wishes and so, suggested for her to go to his house only twice or thrice a week. Though he wished to see her more often, he had promised to do anything for her after all.

Tonight was the first time in 2 months that she’s visited his house. After enjoying a delicious dinner at the large dining table with one another, they went to a room at the end of the hallway. It’s where they keep their old paintings. Kaneki unlocked the door with a key and held Touka’s hand. “I want to show you something. It’s about why I hate women so much.”

The serious expression on his face told her that this was something he did not share with others often and that it wasn’t a happy story. Before they entered the room, she pulled him down for a kiss and cupped his cheeks. “It’ll be okay.”

He flashed her a weak smile.

The room was barely maintained and extremely dusty, from the amount of coughing and sneezing they did when they entered, and he brought her to the corner of the room where a large painting covered by a piece of white cloth laid against the wall. Grabbing the cloth, he removed it to reveal a family of three, a black-haired male on the left, a black-haired female on the right, and in the middle was a small boy who resembled Kaneki.

“The male is my father, the female is my mother, and the child is me.”

“Mama! Read me a storybook!” Young Kaneki exclaimed, showing her a book.

His kind-hearted mother patted the boy on his head with a smile. “Sure, darling.”

She used to be nice and kind towards him. When he reached the age of 8 years, his mother started distancing herself from him and sometimes would look at him with disgust evident on her face, mumbling how he grew to look a lot of like his father. At 8 years old, he didn’t understand why his mother said those words and days after he asked his father why, he heard them arguing.

Fearing loud noises and shouting as a child, he hid in his room and covered his ears. Even so, he could hear the words they yelled at one another.

“What do you mean you married me for my money?!” His father shouted.

“I mean what I said. You were rich and stupid enough to fall for my seduction! I only wanted your money!”

His father seemed to pause in his words before his voice went soft. “Are you saying that our feelings were never once mutual? That I was the only one who loved you?”

“That’s right.”

From then on, Ken never saw his parents together. Eventually, they divorced, with his mother taking some of their money and abandoned Ken and Katsuo* by moving out of the house. He watched his father go from the energetic man he was, to a depressed man who barely even looked like he was living anymore. He then fell ill and passed away when Ken was only 12.

*Katsuo is Ken’s father’s name in this story.

At his father’s funeral and mourning period, his mother never once came to visit. His grief turned into hatred towards his mother. While he blamed her for everything, he also hated himself for being the one who started it by telling his father what his mother said.

“That isn’t all. While I was recovering from the pain, I became a young man aged 20 and fell in love with the wrong woman. Her name was Kamishiro Rize and I made the same mistake as my father. Soon after we got married, she told me lies about how her parents were sick and cried in front of me, begging me for money. Once I gave her the money, she disappeared the next day and I never saw her again. I swore off women after that.” He squeezed her hand.

“Oh, Kaneki.” She cupped his cheeks and gazed into his sorrowful eyes. “I promise I won’t do that to you. I won’t abandon you nor will I cheat you for your money.”

Kaneki placed his hand over hers. “I know, I trust you, Touka. But I’m afraid of the same thing happening again. I don’t want to ever experience that pain again.”

The female kissed him, and he pulled her close by the waist, hands shaking. “I belong to you, and you belong to me. I will never leave you for as long as I live, till death we do part.” She whispered.

“You did leave me 2 months ago though.”

“Seriously? That was your fault!” She chided, pinching his cheek.

He grinned and leaned his forehead against hers.

That night, they made love as if this was the first time they were doing this, and Kaneki took his time to carve his feelings for her in every kiss and caress. It was soon over, and they lay sated in each other’s arms.

Staring at the male who panted to regain his lost breath, Touka decided that it was the right time to tell him. “I’m pregnant.”

He froze then turned to her. “How long?”

“2 months.”

“...why didn’t you tell me before we went to bed?!” He quickly got up and touched her belly. “Did I hurt you? Is our child okay?”

Touka giggled, running her hand through his black hair. “Both the child and I are fine.”

Eyes crinkling from his grin, he moved up to kiss her and push the stray strands of her hair to the back. “I’m going to be a father. Thank you.”

“You won’t..take the child and throw me away right? That was our deal from the start.” She asked, some part of her still afraid of him forcefully separating her from the child.

“What? No, of course not! We’ll raise him or her together.”

He took the box off the bedside table and opened it. He hoped that his endless practices of proposing would be able to get a 'Yes' from her. “Touka, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”

The female sat up, clutching the blankets close to her chest. “You won’t be asking me to do that if you see my face scar.”

“It wouldn’t change my feelings for you.” He reached for her bangs to push them away, but she stopped him from doing so. He sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll just tell you that I’ve already seen it.”

Her eyes widened and almost popped out of its sockets. “When?!”

“Once I saw it when you were asleep. Your bangs didn’t cover your scar. Though it surprised me at first, I didn’t find it disgusting or revolting. You still looked the same to me and I still love you.” Kaneki cupped her cheeks and tears filled her eyes.

“Y-You really mean that? Damn it, I’ve been crying too much recently, damn pregnancy hormones!” She sobbed, wiping her tears away as they fell continuously.

“I do,” he replied, thumbs wiping the tears away while laughing. “Will you marry me now?”

"Yes!"

Mom, you were right. I found someone who loves me for who I am.

The couple got married with Arata’s blessing and Touka moved into Kaneki’s house soon after. Despite the next 10 months being extremely hectic, with Touka’s frequent morning sicknesses, back pain, and swollen feet, Kaneki still thought of her as beautiful because throughout the pregnancy, she glowed and was very happy.

Their child then came into the world after a long 8 hours labor, and it was a girl. Kaneki kissed his wife’s sweaty forehead to thank her for a job well done and the two watched their baby daughter fuss in her mother’s arms.

“A girl… Her name will be Ichika.” The exhausted mother breathed.

“Yeah. She looks like you.” The new father smiled.

“Are you disappointed that it wasn’t a boy?” She asked and he shook his head.

“I will be happy with whatever child you give me, my Duchess.” He grinned.

Another 2 years later, Touka gave birth to a son and his name is Kou. The family of 4, together with Ayato and Arata, lived happily ever after.

#touken #kanetou #kaneki ken #kirishima touka #touka kirishima #ken kaneki #tokyo ghoul #tg #tokyo ghoul re #tgre #faewrites

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deweloperzy4l · 4 years ago

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kuwaiti-kid · 4 years ago

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3 Things You Need to Do to Protect Your Side Hustles

Does it seem to you like everyone's talking about side hustles these days?

Side hustles 2020. How to make money in a side hustle. Side hustles you can do from home. These are some of the headlines I've seen.

We've jumped into the fray here at Your Money Geek the writing is about how to start a side hustle, the different types of side hustles, side hustles that generate passive income, and many other versions of the story.

I'm not suggesting that's a bad thing. Creating multiple streams of income from side hustles is the ticket to financial freedom for those willing to jump into the action.

What concerns me about the side hustle discussion is what's left out of it. I've not seen a single post about how to protect the income generated from the side hustle.

How does the IRS tax it?

How should I claim it? Should I set up a separate entity?

Do a sole proprietorship?

What are the liabilities associated with the side hustle?

Can I be sued? If so, how can I limit my liability?

In this post, we're going to dive into some of these questions. We'll offer some thoughts on how to keep more of what you earn through your side business.

What is a Side Hustle?

Let's start with a definition of what a side hustle is. For the record, I dislike the term side hustle. I'm not sure where it started. Perhaps it's been around for decades. I don't know.

To me, the term side hustle sounds a bit shady. When you think of a hustler, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it someone who works hard and hustles to get ahead? Or does it represent someone a bit shady? You know, like, “that dude hustled me out of a hundred bucks.” For me, it's the ladder definition. Getting hustled is not something anyone wants to admit has happened to them. Perhaps I'm showing my age or my cynical side.

In its most basic form, it's any income produced outside of your regular job. It may be a part-time job. It may be owning rental properties. Maybe it means being an Uber driver or a Wall-Mart greeter. Whatever the means to produce additional income the popular (and accepted) term for it is the side hustle.

Even busy people get into side hustles.

Side Hustles 2020

As you might expect, side hustles come in many shapes and sizes. Below is a list of ten ideas that may offer some help if you're considering a side hustle. These are in no particular order, and there are dozens of others we could list.

Blogging – Probably the number one way that Millennials start their side businesses. With over 2,000 blogs on personal finance out there, you'll find course after course on how to make money blogging. Be careful. Blogging is hard. Making money at it is even harder. That doesn't stop bloggers from peddling their courses, eBooks, and such to generate some income.

Selling on eBay – Many people make decent money selling items on eBay. It takes some work, but those who stick with it make good money.

Driving for Uber – If you own a car, you can make some extra money driving for Uber. Getting started is pretty straightforward. Like any side gig, there are pros and cons.

Airbnb – Do you own a home? If so, it's a potential asset to get some side income by renting it out via Airbnb. You can rent the entire house or a room — your choice.

Mystery shopping – Many companies will pay you to go into the store or shop online and share your experience.

Dog walking – Pretty self-explanatory.

House-sitting – Staying at someone's house while they travel. That can be a week's vacation, several months, or even longer.

Get a part-time job – Going old school here. Plain and simple, go find a part-time job doing something you like.

Passive income

Real estate – One of the more popular side hustles and one that's written about the most. Investors buy single-family homes or condos and rent them out to tenants. Another popular option is crowdfunded real estate. DiversyFund and Fundrise are two we've written about.

Dividend investing – Another topic that's written about a lot is using high dividend-paying stocks to generate passive, tax-favored income. Qualified dividends have favorable tax rates from the IRS. A lot of blogs focus their writing on teaching people how to do invest in dividend-paying stocks.

Whether income is active or passive depends on many factors. My advice is to investigate those things very carefully before starting.

Side hustles 2020 – Protecting Your Income

Alright. You've selected your side hustle, and you're generating some income. From what does that income need protected? For one thing, taxes. Another oft-overlooked risk is being sued. Making sure you understand how both of these things place risk on your income is essential before starting your side hustle.

We'll look at each one separately.

Taxes

The IRS taxes income. Period. Whether it's passive or active determines the tax rate. Here's how the income works in most cases. The entity from which the income comes issues a 1099 tax form to the recipient of that income. There are numerous types of 1099's issued depending on the source of the income. If the income comes from dividends, you'll receive a 1099-DIV. When the income is from interest income, you receive a 1099-INT. If it doesn't fall into any specific category, the catch-all form is the 1099-MISC. The majority of the income generated from side hustles comes in the form of a 1099-MISC.

In contrast, income from an employer comes in the form of a W2. What's the difference? A big one. In a W2 income, the employer withholds taxes from your paycheck and sends it to the IRS on your behalf. How much they withhold depends on your income.

In addition to Federal taxes, they withhold taxes for your state as well. Finally, there are FICA (Federal Insurance Contribution Act) taxes. That's tax withheld for Social Security and Medicare. In W2 income, employers withhold 6.20% of the first 132,900. The employer pays the other 6.20%. Additionally, there is a tax for Medicare. The Medicare tax has no upper-income limit. You will pay a tax of 1.45% of all income. Incomes over $200,000 ($250,000 if married) pay an additional 0.9% tax.

Self-Employment Tax

Guess who's responsible for these taxes if you get 1099 income? You guessed it, you are. It's critical to understand this when thinking about generating additional income. If you expect your total tax bill for 2019 to be over $1,000, the IRS requires you to pay estimated quarterly taxes.

FICA taxes are killer when self-employed. Remember, on W2 income, The employer withholds 6.20% and pays the other 6.20% of the FICA tax. They also withhold the Medicare tax. Total that up, and that's 15.3%! If you fail to pay your estimated taxes, the penalties and interest are killers.

Suffice it to say neglecting the taxes on side income can cost you a lot of money.

Liability

The second major issue that can derail your side hustles is getting sued. Liability can ruin your day in a hurry. Why would someone want to sue you? It doesn't take much. Here are some examples.

Let's say you own rental properties. You have a sidewalk in need of repair that you haven't gotten around to fixing. Someone comes to the house, trips on the raised concrete, and breaks their arm. Or worse. At the very least, you will be responsible for the medical bills for the individual. Assuming you have a decent homeowners insurance policy, you should be okay. Then an attorney from Dewey Cheatem and How finds the injured party. They convince them they should sue.

Rest assured, they want much more than your medical bills paid. They want damages over and above that. Homeowners policies have a maximum liability for these lawsuits. Being underinsured could be very costly. Almost any of the side hustles listed above come with liability.

Blogging risks

Blogging seems like a low-risk venture at first glance. For the most part, it is. In the personal finance space, it may not be. Why?

Most personal finance bloggers write about investing, saving money, spending, and other of these types of topics. Most of them give investment advice to their readers. The vast majority have no formal training in investment management, financial planning, or many other topics they write about. Most of them have a disclaimer saying they aren't giving investment or professional advice. Fair enough.

Let's say you have an article (one of the hundreds of them) about investing in the three-fund portfolio from Vanguard. You read that this is one of the most straightforward, least expensive portfolios that cover the entire market. For the most part, that's true. So you invest in the three fund cure-all portfolio during this one of the longest-running bull markets and go about your business. Then it happens. A 2008 type of financial crisis rears its ugly head again. This time it's worse. The U.S. and international stock markets drop more than 50%.

Hold on! No one told you about the risk? You thought this portfolio was the be all do all of investing. You feel cheated. Another partner from Dewey Cheatem and How calls you. He gets you fired up about the dereliction of duty of that untrained, opinionated, mouthy blogger who convinced you that portfolio was the best thing ever created. And now you've lost more than 50% of your money. Yes, you actually did lose that money because, in the heat of the crisis, you sold everything. YIKES! That's an attorney's dream scenario.

Far fetched? Maybe. Do you want to risk it? Probably not. There are ways to mitigate these risks.

Lowering Liability Risk

I'll give you three things to consider to help protect your side hustle income.

Pay attention to taxes – If you're a do it yourself tax person, be sure to dive into your software or the IRS website to understand how your side income will be taxed. It's best to do this BEFORE you start. Waiting until the year is over and taxes are due is not a good plan. You can manage taxes. But you have to understand how your income gets taxed to deal with it.

Choose the right business entity – Setting up your side business as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) can limit your personal liability. They're relatively inexpensive to start. An LLC shelters your personal assets from lawsuits. Though nothing is foolproof, this layer of protection makes it much harder. You can have a one-person LLC. No need to overcomplicate it.

Have adequate and the right kind of liability insurance – Back to the rental property example, if someone gets hurt on one of your properties, having an umbrella liability policy provides an extra layer of financial protection. Umbrellas policies add additional insurance over and above the home owner's policy. They are usually relatively inexpensive and well worth the money. If you're a blogger, consider a business insurance policy that includes liability coverage. There is even coverage available specific to bloggers. Though relatively new, it speaks to the proliferation of bloggers and the potential liabilities they face.

Final thoughts

Does all of this talk about lawsuits, taxes, and liability make you want never to start a side hustle? It shouldn't. And I'll grant you that the examples I used would fall into the category of extreme. But isn't that always the case with lawsuits? Attorney's live for situations where they can set a precedent and get the big payout.

The steps I've outlined here to protect yourself are pretty simple. An LLC is relatively inexpensive to start. Liability insurance is cheap too.

I'd say the biggest and most complicated issue to deal with for side hustles 2019 is taxes. It's essential to understand the type of income you will receive in your side business. Understanding and planning for that in advance will save you potentially big money and hassles in the future.

So, by all means, start your favorite side hustle. Find something you like and have at it. Throw caution to the wind to get it started. That is except when it comes to taxes. Protect yourself and your income from liability. Do the three things suggestion – pay attention to taxes, think about your business entity and get liability protection – and you'll be on your way.

Success is right around the corner.

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charllieeldridge · 5 years ago

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Living in Munich: A Guide For Digital Nomads

With charming cobblestone streets, lively beer gardens, and centuries of Bavarian culture, Munich is one of Europe’s hidden gems. This liberal city welcomes foreigners with open arms, which makes it an ideal place for expats, freelancers, and digital nomads. This is a great city to work and travel.

After traveling around Europe by myself for eight months, I finally settled down in Bavaria’s high-tech capital in the summer of 2017. Even as a freelance writer with absolutely no knowledge of the German language, I found that living in Munich was much easier than expected.

Between the expansive expat community and the plethora of co-working options, Munich is an excellent destination to live as a digital nomad. While it may not be one of the cheaper European destinations, it offers excellent value for money, and there are still bargains to be had.

In this article, I’ll cover everything about living in Munich — from visiting the city’s top attractions and restaurants, to the cost of living in Munich and finding accommodation.

Cost of Living in Munich

For Europe, Munich can be cheaper than destinations like London, Paris, and Amsterdam. On the other hand, it has seen significant growth over the last few decades and has transformed from a small farming town to an international city filled with major corporations and businesses. For this reason, Munich is widely considered the most expensive city in Germany.

Despite Munich’s expensive reputation, you can still find good deals on accommodation, food, and travel.

Munich Accommodation Costs

For Germany, Munich has a high cost of living, especially when it comes to flats and housing. If you’re looking for a private studio or one-bedroom unit within the city center, you can expect to pay around 1000€-1500€ ($1,100 – $1,650) each month, including utilities. Sharing a flat is cheaper, and can cost anywhere from 400€-1000€ ($440 – $1,100) per month.

In Germany, apartments and homes are rented either “warm” or “cold”. If you opt for a warm apartment, this means that utilities will be included in your rental rate. If you choose a cold apartment, your utilities will be extra. Always read the contract thoroughly to know what you are responsible to pay for.

Furnished apartments will also cost more than if you rent the flat empty or “cold”. On the other hand, furnished “warm” apartments are easier for short term visitors, expats, and digital nomads.

The cost of Munich accommodation also depends on the included amenities. Higher floors, balconies, and washing machines can increase the cost of the rent. It’s also important to note that some Munich apartments do not come with basic kitchen appliances. If you have to provide your own cabinetry, fridge, and appliances, then you should consider the additional costs for rent.

Cost of Living in Munich: Groceries and Restaurants

Compared to the UK and the USA, fresh groceries and produce are far cheaper in Munich. Here’s an example of the prices you can expect when shopping in a grocery store or market.

Loaf of bread: 1.35€ ($1.50)

Local cheese: 4.30€ ($4.75)

12 eggs: 2.30€ ($2.55)

Bottle of wine: 5.00€ ($5.50)

Bottle of beer: 1.17€ ($1.30)

1kg chicken breast: 4.00€ ($4.40)

You can save a lot of money by cooking your own food instead of eating in restaurants. However, you should definitely splurge on restaurants every once in a while. Munich has thousands of mouthwatering culinary options. There’s anything from cheap doner kebabs to Michelin restaurants — and everything in between. On average, you can expect to pay the following prices in restaurants:

3-course meal for two people at a mid-range restaurant: 60€ ($66)

Fast food meal with drink: 6€ ($6.60)

.5 liter of local beer: 3.50€ ($3.90)

Bottle of wine: 18€ ($19.90)

Bottle of water: 3€ ($3.30)

You can also find cheap drinks throughout the city, in one of the many bars, nightclubs, or beer gardens. Of course, there are expensive lounges that serve craft cocktails for 13-15€ ($14.35 – $16.60), but you can still drink for cheap if you know where to look.

Cocktail in a mid-range bar: 7€ ($7.75)

Cocktail in an expensive bar: 14€ ($15.50)

.5 liter of beer in beer garden: 3.50€ ($3.90)

1 liter of beer during Oktoberfest: 12€ ($13.25)

Glass of wine in a mid-range bar: 6€ ($6.60)

Cost of Living in Munich: Transportation

Germany is known for having some of the most efficient methods of transportation in Europe, and Munich is no exception. For public transport, you can choose between the underground subway, overground subway, tram, or bus. If you buy a ticket for the public transportation system, you can use it on any of the trains, trams, or buses in Munich.

Single ticket (1 zone) : 2.90€ ($3.20)

Day ticket: 6.70€ ($7.40)

Monthly ticket: 55.20€ ($61)

If you prefer something more private, then taxis and Ubers are also available. Munich also has several rideshare options for driving in the city, including DriveNow and Car2Go. You can also rent bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, and Vespa scooters by the minute.

Best Neighbourhoods in Munich

If you’re planning on living in Munich, you’ll first need to decide where in the city you want to live. Here are my recommendations for the best neighborhoods in Munich.

Altstadt

Munich’s old medieval town, Altstadt, is the beating heart of the city. Located near Marienplatz, Munich Main Station, and Karlsplatz Stachus, Altstadt is filled with old-world charm and character. It’s also home to Munich’s town hall, a lively square surrounded by restaurants, cafes, and shopping centers.

However, Altstadt tends to be more touristy than other neighborhoods. For that reason, the cost of living (including accommodation, food costs, and other expenses) might be more expensive.

On the other hand, being in the middle of the city means you’re never more than a short tram or subway ride to other parts of Munich. Altstadt is the ideal jumping-off point for exploring the best attractions that Munich has to offer.

Schwabing

Once considered the bohemian and artistic hub of Munich, Schwabing is a lively neighborhood for both locals and expats. It’s a great location if you want to experience authentic local life while in Germany. From Schwabing, you’re just a 10-minute ride to the city’s top attractions, like Altstadt, English Garden, and Olympia Park.

Schwabing is also home to some of the city’s best shops and restaurants. You’ll find everything from independent boutique shops, big-name department stores, and tons of gourmet dining options for every taste.

Price-wise, Schwabing tends to be one of the most expensive residential areas in Munich. But due to its proximity to the city’s universities, it’s also possible to find affordable flats or shared housing.

I live in Schwabing and I love it because it’s a good mixture of restaurants, bars and cafes. It’s also quieter than most neighborhoods, but everything is within walking distance right out your front door! And I’m only 5 minutes from the city center and main station.

Maxvorstadt

Located just above the Altstadt is Maxvorstadt, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Munich. The area is home to the city’s two most prominent universities, Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität and the Technical University of Munich. For this reason, Maxvorstadt is popular with students and young locals.

You’ll also find the Pinakotheken, or museum district, in Maxvorstadt. Not to mention, the area is teeming with affordable cafes, international restaurants, and alternative boutique shops.

Due to the neighborhood’s small size, there are fewer housing opportunities available. But if you’re able to snag a room or flat, you’ll be in one of the trendiest and liveliest districts of Munich.

Haidhausen

Located across the Isar River, Haidhausen is a quaint neighborhood with some of the most affluent townhouses and flats in the city. There are multitudes of restaurants, cafes, and shops within walking distance. Haidhausen is also home to the Gasteig, a concert venue and event hall for Munich’s Philharmonic Orchestra.

If you’re looking for nightclubs and lounges, Haidhausen is also a good choice. Although it’s not as busy as other nightlife areas like Aldtstadt or Schwabing, Haidhausen does have some of the largest and most popular clubs in Munich.

Although you’re located on the other side of the river, you’re still within walking distance of the city center. Not to mention, you’re also just a stone’s throw away from the East Station, Munich’s second busiest train station.

☞ SEE ALSO: The Pros and Cons of Working Online as a Digital Nomad

Co-working Spaces in Munich

Munich is an innovative city full of start-ups, international companies, and large-scale businesses. For this reason, it’s relatively easy to find a shared co-working space. Depending on your budget and preferred amenities, there are several co-working spots to choose from.

MATES – With two offices in Munich’s city center, MATES is a modern and intimate co-working space for all types of digital nomads. They offer hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly passes. MATES also hosts a variety of networking events, such as professional speed dating, throughout the month. And as a bonus, you can take advantage of the state-of-the-art espresso machine on site.

WeWork – Although it may cost more than other offices in Munich, WeWork is a reliable co-working space. You can choose between a private office, a dedicated desk, or hot desk for your workspace. Both of their dog-friendly locations are located in the middle of the city and provide high-speed wifi, meeting rooms, and phone booths, as well as monthly networking events

Werk1 – Located across the Isar River on the Eastern side of Munich, Werk1 is a budget-friendly option for a co-working office. They have a silent space (for workers who need some peace and quiet), as well as a communication space (for those who would like to brainstorm with others). There’s even an on-site cafe where you can indulge in delicious pastries and freshly-brewed coffee.

☞ SEE ALSO: 7 Best Jobs For Digital Nomads – Get Paid With These Remote Careers

Finding Munich Accommodation

Whether you’re looking for short term or long term accommodation, there are several sites to help you find the right flat.

ImmobilienScout24 – As Munich’s most popular rental sites, Immobilibilien Scout 24 has thousands of furnished and unfurnished flats to lease. Browse by neighborhood, number of rooms, and desired price to find your next apartment in Munich.

WG Gesucht – WG Gesucht is your go-to website for finding shared accommodation in Munich. You can find long term or short term rentals in a shared room, flat, or house throughout the city. As you browse through “wanted ads,” you can apply for listings looking for new flatmates and tenants.

Facebook Groups – One of the best options for finding accommodation in Munich is by browsing Facebook Groups. There are dozens of groups to choose from, and you’ll find up-to-the-minute posts on rentals and available flats. You can even post your own profile to let others know you’re in the market for a new place to live.

Of course, you can always search on Airbnb.

Top Things to Do in Munich

Munich has something for everyone and caters specifically to foodies, history buffs, creative artists, and even party-goers. When living in Munich, you’ll have plenty of time to explore some of the many attractions and events that happen around the city. However, don’t miss the opportunity to check out the following top things to do.

Viktualienmarkt

Located in the center of Munich’s Old Town (or Altstadt), Viktualienmarkt is buzzing at every hour of the day. It’s the oldest market in the city and attracts both tourists as well as locals. Here, you can shop for fresh produce, sample a variety of local delicacies, or relax with a pint of cold, crisp, German beer.

The market is open every day, but the best time to visit is in the early morning or around lunch, when most of the food stalls are open. Viktualienmarkt is also a great place to pick up souvenirs for family back home. You can find cured meats, homemade honey, aromatic spices, and of course, tons and tons of mustard!

English Garden

Did you know that Munich’s English Garden park is larger than New York City’s Central Park? Built in the 18th-century, this lush oasis stretches through the middle of the city and is an excellent location for sunbathing, picnics, and sports games.

As one of the world’s largest urban parks, the English Garden is an outdoor lover’s paradise. There’s a Japanese tea house, lakes for boating, several beer gardens and restaurants, and even a river for surfing! That’s right, you can watch amateur and professional surfers ride the waves at the Eisbachwelle, a stream on the southern tip of the park.

Nymphenburg Palace

Built in the 17th-century, Nymphenburg Palace is a beautiful example of German Baroque architecture. This ornate palace sits in the middle of the 200-hectare park, complete with waterfalls, gardens, and other royal villas.

The wings of the main pavilion also contain different museums, such as Carriage Museum, Porcelain Museum, and Museum of Man and Nature. And if you prefer to be outside, the Palace gardens are perfect for sunbathing and relaxing in the summer.

Hofbräuhaus

No trip to Munich would be complete without visiting one of the many breweries — or as the German’s say, bräuhaus. Hofbräuhaus is one of the most famous breweries located right in the middle of Old Town. Here, you can try a traditional German lager and dine on specialties like sausages, fried pork knuckles, and roasted chicken.

During the evenings, Hofbräuhaus comes alive with live Bavarian music. You can also find locals (dressed up in traditional lederhosen and dirndls) that come to dance and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere.

Olympia Park

Take a step back in time to the 1972 Summer Olympics with a walk through Munich’s Olympia Park. Located in the Northern part of the city, Olympia Park is home to Olympic Stadium, the city’s main sports and events hall. For the best birds-eye view of Munich, take a ride up the Olympic Tower for unobstructed views of the park and city center.

The park also hosts a variety of events throughout the year, such as Tollwood Festival, Summerfest, and Open Air Concerts.

WiFi and SIM Cards in Munich

Staying connected while traveling through Germany is easier than ever. Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased at most mobile phone service stores, such as O2, Vodaphone, and Deutsche Telekom. SIM cards can also be found in grocery stores and drug stores. Just make sure your smartphone is “unlocked” so you can insert an international SIM card.

Best of all, most SIM card plans allow free roaming in the EU and EEA. That means your German data and voice plan will work throughout other countries in the EU.

WiFi is also readily available throughout Munich. Most shopping centers, restaurants, and cafes provide Wifi access codes and passwords to their customers. Keep in mind that Germans refer to WiFi as WLAN, so don’t be confused if you see this word written down.

Best Restaurants in Munich

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Munich is home to a variety of mouth-watering restaurants and culinary options. Not only will you find plenty of traditional German restaurants, but you’ll also have tons of delicious Asian, Turkish, Italian, and American restaurants at your fingertips. When living in Munich, there’s no shortage of amazing restaurants.

Although you’ll likely find delectable dishes no matter where you eat in Munich, here are a few of my favorite restaurants:

Augustiner Keller – Home to one of Munich’s most famous beer gardens, Augustiner Keller is an excellent option for the Bavarian atmosphere. Inside the historic beer hall, you’ll have the opportunity to dine on classic dishes like roasted pork knuckle, currywurst, and schnitzel. During the summer months, I recommend stepping outside to their beautiful garden, where you can wash down your meal with a refreshing stein of Augustiner lager.

Gaststätte FAUN – This modern take on a traditional Bavarian pub attracts a mainly local crowd interested in strong beers and hearty food. Not only will you find traditional German dishes, but FAUN also serves up delicious international cuisine like chili con carne, bacon cheeseburgers, and curry soup.

60 Secondi Pizza Napoletana – With Italy just around the corner, it’s easy to see why Munich is home to authentic Italian restaurants. At 60 Secondi Pizza Napoletana, you can indulge in traditional Naples pizza, cooked fresh in the on-site pizza oven. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with their Pizza Nutella, a sweet pizza topped with banana, strawberries, and other German candies.

TÜRKITCH Köfte & Kebap – For the best kebab in Munich (and quite possibly in all of Germany), head to Türkitch. This take-away dining establishment serves meat, vegetarian, and vegan dishes using only the freshest ingredients and herbs. Don’t be surprised if the queue is long. But trust me, it’s definitely worth the wait!

Transportation in Munich

Germans are known for their efficient transportation system, and Munich is no exception. You can reach almost any part of the city by using the U-Bahn (train), tram, or bus system. Even if you don’t read or speak German, you’ll have no problem navigating around the city.

The public transportation network is centered around the Munich central station, otherwise known as Hauptbahnhof. Located in the heart of Munich, Hauptbahnhof is connected to most stops around the city, including the airport. It’s also the main station for taking long-distance trains to other cities in Germany, as well as outside the country.

Public transportation tickets can be purchased at the station stops, on the buses and trams, and even though the MVG mobile app. Best of all, tickets can be bought and used for all methods of transportation. That means you don’t need to buy a specific ticket for the bus or tram — the same ticket works on everything.

It’s also important to validate your ticket before entering the train, bus, or tram. Munich transportation is based on an honor system; there are no turnstiles or security checks before entering the train. However, disguised security officers can check your ticket at any time, and if you didn’t validate your ticket beforehand, you’ll be slapped with a 60€ fine.

Obtaining a Visa for Germany

Depending on your citizenship, you may be required to obtain a visa before entering Germany.

US and Canadian citizens do not need to have a visa before entering Germany or any of the participating Schengen countries. Once you arrive in Germany, you’ll be allowed to stay for up to 90 days.

If you plan to stay longer than three months, you will need to obtain a long-term visa. This could be a student visa, Blue card work visa, or language school visa. You can check the exact requirements for obtaining a long-term visa with the Munich Foreign Office Authorities.

When you apply for your long-term visa, there are some requirements that you must have. Generally speaking, all long-term visa holders need sufficient health insurance coverage and funds to support themselves in Germany. You will also need to register where you’re living with the Bürgerbüro, or registration office.

British citizens can currently stay in Germany for up to 90 days without a visa. However, Brexit might impact how British citizens can enter Germany in the future. Specific details will be released once Brexit has been finalized.

If you meet the requirements, you could also look into obtaining a working holiday visa for Germany here.

Pros and Cons of Living in Munich

Personally speaking, living in Munich has been one of the best experiences of my life. But just like any other country, there are some advantages and disadvantages to living abroad.

Pros of Living in Munich

English is spoken in most restaurants, hotels, and shops in the city

Amazing and efficient public transportation system

Clean buildings and streets

A diverse selection of food and restaurants

Fun, lively nightlife and beer culture

Modern and international co-working spaces

Close to beautiful mountains, lakes, parks

Great expat community

Close proximity to Austra, Switzerland, France, and Italy

Extremely safe for solo travelers, families, and women

Cons of Living in Munich

Expensive rent, petrol, eating and drinking out

Difficult to find an apartment

Cold, dark, and often snowy winters

Can be challenging to make German friends

Hard to understand rules and bureaucracy

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a clean, safe, and modern city to work as a digital nomad, then look no further than Munich. Not only can you immerse yourself in German culture, but you’ll also be close to some of the best cities and countries around Europe. Give it a try, you never know living in Munich might just steal your heart — like it did mine.

Note: All images in this article are courtesy of Shutterstock.com.

The post Living in Munich: A Guide For Digital Nomads appeared first on Goats On The Road.

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noordinarytravel · 6 years ago

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Hotel vs Vacation Rental......a Few Things to Consider to Help You Decide

If you are like me and like to travel, you figure out where you are going to go and then you look for accommodations. There are a lot of options available out there for your accommodations but sometimes having a lot to choose from can be overwhelming. Trendy hotels, grand resorts, quaint and romantic B&Bs………..which one is the best option? I used to stay exclusively in hotels, even when traveling alone, until about seven or eight years ago. Now I take time to consider ALL of my options.

Vacation rentals can be a shared room, a private room in someone’s home, or it can be an entire apartment, condo, or home. I have never rented a shared or private room so I cannot attest to the pros and cons of those. Instead I will tell you about renting an entire unit whether it be just for you or your entire family.

Depending on the type of trip you are planning, the duration of your trip, and the size of your group, a vacation rental (i.e. AirBnB, HomeAway, etc.) may work better for you than a hotel. If you have never rented a vacation home or if you are resistant to the idea, I have a few items listed below for you to consider.

More Privacy

I love enjoying a cup of soul soothing coffee out on my patio or balcony in my pajamas every morning when I travel. I love laying in a hammock with a book in the evenings, swaying ever so gently as I read and maybe even dozing off a bit after long day of sightseeing. The problem is I don’t feel comfortable doing that if I have neighbors out on their balcony just 10 feet away.

Not only that, I don’t like having people close enough to me that they can possibly hear me and hubby through the walls. I mean……who doesn’t enjoy a little travel hanky panky, right? I certainly don’t want to hear someone else engaged in “activity,” their kids screaming and crying, or the TV at 100 decibels. You get my drift.

Even if you rent an apartment, having the entire unit to yourself still gives your more privacy than a hotel room. It also makes you feel more at home but in an exciting new location. The downside is that almost all of the apartments we have rented did not have daily housekeeping so, if that is important to you, don’t give up on renting a hotel room. You also don’t get the benefit of a hotel concierge.

More Amenities

I like vacation rentals because we enjoy the amenities that are not typically available at a hotel. Ok so wifi is nothing to brag these days about since most (if not all) hotels offer wifi for free or for a nominal fee. Going beyond wifi though………what about a fireplace, laundry facilities, a full kitchen, or a pool?

We always look for vacation rentals with laundry facilities, especially for our extended vacations. We pack four or five outfits, throw some laundry pods and dryer sheets in a ziploc bag, and do laundry as needed. That allows us to pack a little lighter, have fewer bags to worry about, and minimize our bag fees at the airport. Our oldest child travels in a wheelchair so handing fewer bags is better for us. I am done trying to push a wheelchair, carry a bag over my shoulder, plus drag a roller bag behind me. It is way too exhausting and just not necessary.

More Space

The nice thing about vacation rentals is that you can look for a space that fits your group size. Multiple bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, ample dining space for a group, and larger living areas are all possible with a vacation rental.

When you begin your search, filter by specifying the minimum number of beds, bedrooms, and bathrooms you need. You will then get a list of only the rental units that match your criteria. You will eliminate wasting time looking through pages and pages of rental units and be able to focus on just the ones that meet your needs.

Spending time together is so important to us on our trips. Our younger two kids are in college and they will one day be too busy with their own lives to travel with Mom and Dad. Having a space that allows us to be together to create precious memories is a priority for me.

A More Authentic Experience

This one is absolutely based on personal preference. My family I prefer to stay outside of the super touristy areas and find a place so that we can “live like the locals.” We believe it gives us a less commercialized, more authentic experience overall compared to staying in a hotel or resort in the touristy areas. Of course we sometimes stay in resorts in our target destination but, more often than not, we choose something that is a short drive away.

By staying outside the touristy area, we experience more than what is seen in postcards and travel guides, we are less likely to be victims of tourist targeted crimes like pickpockets and purse snatchers, and grocery store and restaurant prices tend to be a little lower as well.

Price Point

This part may not be as relevant to single travelers or couples as it is for families and groups. If you are traveling with a group that will require more than two hotel rooms, a vacation rental can be a very affordable option for you.

When we went to Greece last year, we rented a three bedroom - three bathroom condo for approximately $200 USD per night. With our kids being adults now, we would need at least two hotel rooms which would have run $150+ per room per night for the same quality and caliber as the condo we rented. The condo allowed us to have enough bedrooms and living space that we didn’t have split up into separate rooms. It gave us more time together as a family and we had wifi, a full kitchen, laundry facilities, and 180 degrees of ocean view (every room had its own balcony!).

Yes I am a travel consultant but my family and I still travel with a budget in mind. Vacation rentals save us money and allow us to stay on track financially so we can use our hard earned money for great travel experiences.

Unique Units

Did you know that you can have some really cool experiences by seeking out unique vacation rentals? Houseboats, treehouses, yurts, RVs…..…whatever it is that strikes your fancy, you may very well find it in your destination of choice.

Some gal pals and I went on a girls’ trip a few years ago and rented a sweet three bedroom, two bathroom houseboat with a rooftop deck and bar in Ft. Lauderdale. We had such a great time on that deck watching the sunset while having some cocktails! Sure we could have had a similar experience in a hotel but this was so much better!

The Extras

My last point today is about the "extras” you may have available to you. What do I mean by extras? When looking for a beach house, we found many units that have kayaks available free of charge. Some had jet skis and fishing gear we could rent by the day, and one houseboat owner even offered to take the houseboat out for an evening excursion. We were not allowed to take it out on our own but he was happy to do it if we wanted an evening cruise.

In Cuba, our hosts had a menu available for us if we wanted them to cook for us, offered to arrange taxis, and even helped us find a church to whom we donated hygiene and school supplies for their orphanage. Yes, some hotels may offer some of those services but my experience has been that they charge a lot more than vacation rental home owners.

You Have a Choice to Make

Regardless of whether you choose to stay in a hotel or a vacation rental home, PLEASE read the fine print and reviews. Don’t just look at the overall review score either. Look for the reviews that are bad and find out why they rated the unit poorly. Oftentimes I find information that is critical for us. For example, listings may not be clear about not having an elevator for a 4th floor unit or they may have limited hours for check in. Having a child with cerebral palsy, a 4th floor walk up would be a real challenge. Read, read, read those reviews!

The great thing about travel is you have several ways to make each of your trips stand out. You don’t have to do the same thing you have always done, and you don’t have to do the same thing everyone else is doing. With so many options available, there is something to fit most budgets and preferences. If you are new to AirBnB, join and use my code to get a $40 off of your first stay.

2019 is just a couple of days away. I hope one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get out more and have fun!

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theokbrowne · 6 years ago

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Seminar Lead Generation – This is how you get listings

Seminar lead generation. No, not lead generation seminars. We’re talking about using a seminar to get listings and make connections here.

First, are you done pulling your hair out and screaming obscenities about the current state of the real estate market?

Good.

It’s time to act and it’s time to fight back

Let the other agents in your market beat up the FSBOs and expireds. For just a little extra work, go after homeowners who are considering selling and definitely want to hear from you.

Attract these needles in the current market-haystack with a spectacular, brilliant, best-ever home seller seminar.

Yes, it takes some time to organize and plan for a seminar. Once you have all the processes in place, however, it becomes easier and you’ll find yourself holding series of these things – and listing like a maniac.

Name that seminar

Headlines matter. Blog post titles matter. And, so does whatever it is you choose to call your seller seminar.

One successful seminar-holding agent suggests that you consider the biggest pain point for local homeowners when trying to come up with a name.

In the current market the most obvious pain point is that, although they aren’t worried about selling their current home, thinking of having to join the hordes of other homebuyers when shopping for their next home keeps them awake at night.

So, skip the basic “Joe Smith Realty Home Selling Seminar” and go for something a bit more specific, such as “

“FREE Home Seller Seminar: How to Sell your Home and Buy Another in this Crazy Market”

The when and where of seminar lead generation

We know a California agent who, as a newbie, held her first open house on a Sunday, not realizing that the city’s beloved pro football team was vying in a home-game NFC Championship.

And, if that wasn’t bad enough, it was the weekend of a very popular local festival.

Open house attendees?

Zero.

Check your city’s event calendar and, if you aren’t an avid pro-sports fan, check the TV listings to ensure that nothing huge is happening before choosing the date for your seminar.

Then, you’ll need to find a location. It’s tempting to choose your office, because it’s free. But, do that and you’ll give off the perception that you’re trying to sell something.

Yes, you are trying to sell something, but the last thing you want to do is come off as overtly salesy. Look for a place that’s less intimidating to attendees. Somewhere in the community where everyone will feel comfortable.

Agents we’ve spoken with use a variety of venues for their seminar lead generation event:

Hotel conference rooms

Local library

Private dining room in a restaurant

School multi-purpose room

Enter “meeting space for rent in [name of your town]” into your favorite search engine and see what pops up.

Partner up

Take a tip from your colleagues who’ve had great success with seminars for buyers and include guest speakers at your seller seminar.

Ask your favorite lender, title rep, home inspector and stager to speak and offer to include their marketing literature in the take-away packet.

Topics of interests to sellers that they might want to address:

Lender: Should I buy my next home before selling this one, or should I sell first?

Title rep: What should I expect at closing? Should I order a preliminary title report before placing my home on the market?

Home inspector: What does a home inspection involve? Do I have to be home when you inspect? What if the report reveals problems in my home?

Stager: Do all homes need staging? Can’t most homebuyers see beyond my stuff? How much more money can I expect to make off the sale if my home is staged?

Each of these partners most likely has a list of questions they most frequently field, so they can use those to put together their presentations.

Design your presentation and script (if you need one)

First, come up with a seminar agenda. Outline the topics you want to cover, what your guest speakers will talk about and how long you expect each element to take.

Some of the topics we’ve seen other agents use for seminar lead generation include:

Current market condition

Should you buy your next home before selling your current home?

How to stage the home to appeal to its most likely buyer

How to choose a listing agent and what to expect from the agent

Their role in the sale process

Ways to increase the value of the home

How to deal with buyers’ contingencies and requests for repairs and concessions

Once you understand all the various components of seminar lead generation you can draft your presentation accordingly, timing it so that the seminar doesn’t run overly long.

Speaking of time, NAR offers an excellent timeline for seminar preparation. Another valuable resource is the “4 Step Guide for Successful Homebuyer Seminars” that can easily be adapted for seller seminars.

The invite

Now it’s time to put all those brilliant ideas you’ll be sharing into a compelling advertising piece.

Let potential attendees know what they can expect to learn during the seminar, from the pros and cons of a pre-sale home inspection and how to choose a listing agent to the steps required to prepare the home for the market.

Ask your guest speakers to offer some incentives to put in your handouts, such as a complimentary CMA compiled by none other than you, coupons for a free credit report or discount on mortgage settlement charges from the mortgage guy or gal or a complimentary staging consultation (if you don’t offer free staging) from the home stager and use these in your advertising.

Use the ads on your blog and website, in your newsletter, as part of your drip email or snail mail campaign and, naturally, on social media.

Your call to action should be a compelling invitation to register for the seminar.

Don’t be salesy

The goal of this seminar lead generation strategy should be, of course, to get listings. But, that doesn’t mean you should beat the folks up with a sales pitch. Be natural, be a resource that is offering genuine value.

The subtle approach, if done right, will show off your expertise in the market and help attendees get to know, like and trust you.

And that is how you win listings

Have more money than time?

Lucky you.

If the whole seminar lead generation planning process is just more than you can take on right now, consider hiring a pro. Check out White Glove Workshops. No, we don’t get a kickback from them. It’s the only company we could find that provides real estate seminar planning.

Let us know how your seminar goes!

Ready for a real estate website that works as hard as you do? Learn more about LeadSites.

Looking for even more lead gen ideas? Check out these 53 tips to get more leads!

Create this seller’s guide, and start getting more seller leads today:

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The post Seminar Lead Generation – This is how you get listings appeared first on Easy Agent Pro.

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dyernews · 7 years ago

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A Guide to Making 2018 Your Best Financial Year Yet

It’s probably something you tell yourself every January: “This will be the year I finally get my finances in order.” If that’s the case you’re certainly not alone. Last year over 30% of Americans said that their New Year’s Resolution was to “spend less and save more.”

The problem with resolutions like “spend less and save more” is how vague they are. In order to achieve your goals you need an actual gameplan. So if you really want to make 2018 the year you stop living paycheck to paycheck, bid adieu to your debt, and ultimately master your money, here is a guide to turning your resolution into a reality!

Building Your 2018 Budget

Before you can get to work paying off your debt or building up your savings you must first create a solid budget to lead you on the way. Having a budget in place will not only open your eyes to how much you spend on unnecessary things but will also help hold you accountable and on track toward achieving your goals. That’s why it’s a great idea to get the work out of the way now and make sure you have your budget in place for the new year.

Getting Started

The first step in creating any budget it to analyze your current spending. After all, how can you make changes if you don’t know what to work on? Typically it’s a good idea to look at your last three months of spending as a starting point. Be sure to grab all of your credit card statements, debit card transaction logs, pay stubs, utility bills, and whatever else you need to calculate exactly how much you made, how much you spent, and where that money went to.

Once you have all the needed documents, you’ll want to make a list of what categories your spending falls into. For example “entertainment” could be a single category or you could divide it up into “movies” “dining” and others if you wanted. The goal with this is to understand what you spend your money on and where you can make cuts. Also don’t forget to include your essentials such as rent, a mortgage, car payments, utilities, and other important bills. Jim Wang at Wallet Hacks has a great guide on and a worksheet for setting up and following a budget.

With your categories decided on, add up all of your spending in each area for a given month. Then do the same for the other months you have data for so that you can arrive at an overall average. Repeat this for each category until you’ve accounted for all of your monthly spending. After that it’s time to look at what those numbers mean.

50/30/20 Rule

Now that you know where your money goes to it’s time assess where it could be better spent. If you’re like many Americans you may be able to “afford” your current lifestyle but leave little room for error. That’s where the 50/30/20 rule comes in.

The 50/30/20 rule states that no more than half of your income should go toward essentials such as housing, utilities, food, insurance, and other items that you absolutely must pay. Then the 20% refers to how much you should be saving, including emergency funds, retirement, and everyday savings accounts. This leaves you with only 30% of your income to spread across your various other categories. As a result you may learn very quickly that your current budget (or lack thereof) needs a major overhaul.

While that may seem straightforward enough, one common question is what category paying down existing debt falls under. The answer: it’s really up to you. While some experts say you can include debt payments in your 20%, it may be worth finding places to cut back in your “30%” categories and use the money for debt repayment instead.

Lastly don’t forget about bills that may only come quarterly or annually that you may not have factored into your budget. To help account for this you can divide the amount by 12 (or however many months it takes before the next bill comes) and set that money aside each month. Similarly keep in mind that electricity bills and the like are subject to fluctuate from month to month. It’s usually a good idea to figure out what the highest amount will be for the year and use that number for your monthly budget. That way you won’t get caught off guard during an expensive month.

Making Adjustments

You’ve probably been told over and over again about how important it is to stick to your budget. While that’s certainly true, one thing that not many people discuss is that it’s okay to make adjustments to your budget down the road. In fact it will likely become necessary to do so.

There are several factors that could lead you to reevaluate your budget including a raise, a new job, or just a change in preference. Say, for example, that your business moves to a new office closer to your home — you may decide to move some of your gas budget to entertainment or another category. Plus as I mentioned it is always a good idea to save more if you can, so don’t stop looking for opportunities to stash your cash.

Using Apps

One way to help keep yourself on budget is to try one a numerous mobile apps that are built for the task. The most popular option in this category is Mint — a free app that will give you a variety of insights and tools to monitor and control your spending. To get started with Mint, you’ll want to link your various savings, checking, credit card, and other accounts. This will allow the app to not only categorize your spending but also send you customized alerts when you’re reaching your limit. Overall this can be a great option for managing your finances and keeping you on track to meet your New Year’s goals.

Paying Down Your Debt

With your budget in place now comes the hard part: tackling your debts once and for all. Whether it’s credit card debt, student loan debt, or another type of outstanding balance, now is the time to at least start chipping away at what you owe, if not completely erasing it by 2018. But first you need a plan of attack.

Choosing a Method

Looking at your debt as a whole can be a pretty overwhelming experience. Because of this you may not even know where to get started as you attempt to pay it all off. Luckily there are several different methods of tackling your debt, each with their own pros and cons.

First you should consider what your biggest goals are when it comes to killing off your debt. Do you want to see progress and celebrate small wins? Do you want to “stop the bleeding” and save as much money on interest as possible? Or do you want to start improving your credit score right away as you pay down your balances?

If you’re most interested in seeing progress and celebrating victories, it may be a good idea to pay off your smaller debts first (while still making minimum payments on your other balances, of course). This way you’ll be able to enjoy the satisfaction of defeating one balance while gearing up to face your next foe. Unfortunately this may result in you spending extra on interest and it may take a little bit longer to pay off overall. But, if it keeps you motivated, then it’s likely worth it.

On the other hand, for those who want to save as much as possible, consider paying off the card with the highest interest rate first (and, again, paying minimums on the rest). Often times this will mean paying off your credit card balances before moving onto loans and student debt, which typically carry lower rates. If your high-interest cards are also the ones with the big balances, it may be frustrating at first but just think about how much money you’re wasting on interest — hopefully that will be enough to keep you going.

Lastly, if you want to begin repairing your credit scores, you may want to start paying down credit cards that are close to maxing out. Credit utilization makes up a major portion of your credit scores and so, by bringing each of your balances down below 30%, you’ll help bring up your scores. If there are some cards that are closer to hitting their limit than others, you can start by making a major payment to those. After that you can make payments on them in whatever manner you see fit, perhaps splitting your monthly allotment evenly between them. Again this could take some time to get through but, with any luck, you’ll start to see improvements in your credit scores along the way.

The Debt Consolidation Option

Another method for tackling your debt is obtaining a consolidation loan. Simply put this means that you take out a personal loan in order to pay off your credit card balances and make a single monthly payment on your loan instead. So why might this be a good idea?

The first reason that people consolidate their debt is because they may be able to get a better interest rate than their credit cards offer. Another reason is that many find the “one monthly payment” idea to be simple and provide them a clear pathway out of debt. Finally consolidation could also have an effect on your credit scores since you’ll be freeing up a lot of your revolving credit.

With all of that said there are some downsides to consolidation. For one, most lenders will charge you what’s known as an origination fee. This money is a percentage of your loan and is essentially a payment for their services that comes out of your initial loan. So, if you applied for a $10,000 loan that had a 2% origination fee, you would make payments on the $10,000 balance but only be given $9,800.

As mentioned consolidation can often result in a lower interest rate than you’re currently paying. Unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Depending on your current credit scores — and when you factor in the origination fee — you may find that consolidation just doesn’t make financial sense for you. However it may be worth considering again as you start to make progress on your debt and as your scores improve. You can learn more about debt consolidation loans here.

How to Stay Out of Debt

While getting out of a debt is a great feeling, sadly all too many people start to fall back into the traps that landed them in trouble in the first place! To avoid letting this happen to you, there are a few things you should consider.

One of the most important tools for preventing debt is an emergency fund. An emergency fund is a collection of savings that will help through tough financial times such as the loss of a job, a major illness, or other unforeseeable issues. It’s recommended that you stash away enough to cover three to six months of essential bills just in case. Additionally you might also want to maintain a “rainy day fund” which can be used to cover unexpected expenses of a less serious nature such as car repair, new appliances, etc.

Of course, in order to stay out of debt, your habits are what really need to change. However, contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean swearing off credit cards entirely. Instead you should switch up your approach to credit.

Most people think of credit cards as a tool for purchasing items they can’t afford up front, which is exactly why they end up in debt. Cards should instead be used as a tool to show creditors that you’re a responsible borrower. That is to say that you should pay off your credit card balance in full every month going forward and never buy anything on your card that you couldn’t afford to buy in cash. By sticking to this way of thinking you’ll not only help keep yourself out of debt but should also see a major improvement in your credit scores.

Making the Most of Your Money

A funny thing happens when you create a budget and pay off your debt: suddenly you’re in charge. This means that your money now works for you instead of the other way around. By taking proper advantage of this, you’ll be able to save even more money.

Investing and Retirement Savings

Now that you’re in charge of your money you can stop worrying about your day to day financial needs and start planning for the future. Naturally this includes focusing on retirement and ensuring that you have enough saved for when you leave the workforce.

If you’re not already doing so, one of the best ways to boost your retirement savings is to contribute to a 401(k) plan through your employer. Not only do 401(k)s make it easy to save money automatically and without much pain, but they could also mean some free money for you. That’s because several employers offer a certain amount of matching funds and perhaps even profit sharing on 401(k) contributions. While the terms of matching will vary, this often means you can earn a couple of extra percentage points on your savings. Keep in mind that, while you’re entitled to retain all of your contributions should you leave your current company, matching contributions and profit sharing may be subject to vesting, meaning you need to stay with the company for a set amount of time before that money is yours. For answers to questions about your employer’s 401(k), it’s best to speak with whoever is in charge of the plan at your company.

In addition to your 401(k) it’s a good idea to have your own, personal retirement account. This typically means opening an IRA (individual retirement account), which can be invested in money markets, stocks, bonds, etc. While most IRAs opened through a bank or other financial firm have limits on what types of investments you can make, there are now self-directed IRAs that allow you to explore alternative investments and other opportunities, while also enjoying the tax benefits of retirement accounts. Finally you should also consider a Roth IRA, which allows you to pay taxes on your contributions up front. The benefit here is that you’ll then be able to make tax-free withdrawals from your account after you’ve reached retirement age.

Credit Card Rewards

As we discussed earlier, credit cards can be a tool for good and not just a source of debt. In fact, once your credit scores improve, you may even be eligible to start being rewarded for using certain cards. There is no shortage of rewards credit cards out there and determining which one is best will depend on your spending as well as your interests.

One of the most popular options for a rewards card is one that offers you cash back on your purchases. Some cards may give you a flat rate on all of your purchases regardless of what the item is while others may offer better percentages in certain categories like gas or dining. Because of this it’s a good idea to take a closer look at your spending to see which one will ultimately save you the most.

Other rewards cards work on a points system rather than a straight cash back amount. Typically this structure is associated with travel cards that earn you frequent flier miles. Travel cards can either be branded with a certain company or be more generic, leaving you the choice to embrace loyalty or freedom. Earning travel rewards from credit cards has become almost a cottage industry. If travel is one of your interests this guide is an excellent place to learn about building your travel points.

If and when you do decide to jump into the world of rewards credit cards, there are a couple of things to watch out for. First some cards do charge an annual fee, meaning you’ll have to pay upwards of $100 per year in order to use the card and earn rewards. Even if they waive this fee for the first year, keep in mind that it will come around in subsequent years and that canceling a card may hurt your credit scores. You should also consider the other perks a card offers beyond miles or cash back, including loyalty status, no foreign transaction fees, concierge service, etc. In some cases these perks may put one card ahead of another one that might initially look better on the surface. For reference, our contributor Kyle Burbank initially decided on a Discover It Card because of the additional perks it offered him and his wife but has since been enjoying the new Uber Visa card as well.

Despite whatever failed attempts you’ve made in the past, 2018 can be the year that you turn your finances around. However the key to success is having a strong plan in place. Before the new year arrives, set yourself up for success by building a proper budget, mapping a way out of debt, and preparing to enjoy the perks that come with mastering your money. Here’s to 2018 being the best financial year of your life.

The post A Guide to Making 2018 Your Best Financial Year Yet appeared first on Dyer News.

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