#i have a jar of just pieces of my braces that broke off during my youth | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sweater-daddiesdumbdork · 5 years ago

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i just watched this video of chris drunk during an interview and omg he is the cutest bean ever😍 so here comes another request, chris is out, drinking with friends and he calls you because he is clingy with you more so when drunk and he is just spilling everything, how much he loves you and the whole wedding vows and promises and then he comes home but doesn’t recognize you and he is like ‘no, i don’t wike you, i have a girlfriend’😂 i know very specific but omg i’m so in love with him💕

Babes, he is the Sweetest cutest drunk man ever, if its the video where he goes on about how hes not a tap dancer, but lets lay claim to that fame, cause why the hell not. XD haha. I loved trying to picture what he would do. And absolutely he would get so gushy for his girl, needing to tell her how much he loved her. Awww. Love this one, thank you so much!

“God I need a break”

Chris’s arm slung over his eyes as he tipped his head back, taking a deep chest raising breath. You glanced up from your seat across the room, watching him from over your book. A frown playing on your lips at the sight of him being so tensed and stressed out. Everything about him right now was taunt and rigid. And with a sigh he moved back into a sit, leaning over his documents spread on the coffee table. Setting your book aside, you grabbed your phone and headed into the kitchen, pulling up a group chat with all of Chris’s closest friends.

‘Hey what you guys all doing tonight?’ You chewed your lip a bit waiting. They were rather quick though, sending you a quick fire replies.

‘Nothing!’

‘Staying home on the couch watching trash tv’

‘Suggestions?’

‘Whats up Buttercup?’ Last one came from Scott, he started giving you teasing nicknames simply cause you were practically his sister in law at this point.

‘Chris desperately needs a night out with all of you, and wont ask for it himself. Help him (and me) out?’

You peeked back out of the room, to see Dodger huffing at Chris with a ball in his mouth, shoving into his lap. Chris absently with a flick of the wrist tossed it across the room. The fact he wouldnt even look up, but the crease deepened in his forehead as his eyes scanned the words, rubbing his chin let you know he needed this. He kept up like that, his beard you adored so much was gonna be rubbed off. Come on guys, you thought. It was then you heard the ping, and it popped up on your screen.

‘Say no more, we will take care of it’

They were the best. Seconds later Chris’s phone started buzzing, rattling across the coffee table, jarring him at the noise. It was persistent, as he reached to grasp it, going through the ‘Buddy, Julios, 8 pm tonight!’ messages, Scott sending a private one later ‘Picking you up tonight’ Leaving it so Chris didnt have to worry about driving.

“Y/N, the guys want to go out tonight... “ He pushed off the sofa and went in search of you, finding you standing at the kitchen counter, selecting an apple out of the fruit bowl and start slicing it up. “Hmm, whats that Chris?” You ask while coring your fruit, asting as if you didnt know what he was gonna ask.

“Guys want to go out tonight, you want to come? They are apparently not taking im to busy as an answer. Scotts driving.”

You act surprised, and give a shake of the head. “No, Im gonna stay home tonight. Working on a work project, and I want to finish it up.” You gather your fruit in a bowl and come around to reach him. “But I will leave the porch light on for you Handsome.” You lean up as if to kiss him and when he went to meet you, you stuff an apple in his mouth, grinning as you pluck up another piece and snip of the tip of it.

“Just dont forget your keys cause I will be sleeping.” You smirk, after swallowing, moving to go around him. He wasnt about to let you get away though, catching you around your hips and pulling you in close, using his beard to tickle your neck. “Oh I know you had something to do with this Baby!”

You are laughing and squealing, denying your guilt as you try to escape. “No way! It wasnt--- CHRIS!” he was relentless though and chased you into the livingroom once you broke free, already he was starting to relax more.

That night, you did as you promised and left the porch light on, making sure the door was locked and headed into the bathroom to brush your teeth. Your phone sat nearby, and right in the middle of you scrubbing for those pearly whites, Chris’s ring tone popped up, the phone lighting up the picture of the three of you. Picking it up, you had to chuckle at the message.

‘Baby, I miss you so much. What are you doing? Do you miss me yet.(sad face sad face heart)’

You typed out ‘Brushing my teeth and heading to bed. Sounds like your having a good time. (wink)’

It wasnt even seconds before you got another one, this time it was ‘But do you MISS me?’ Yea he was tipsy, he always got a bit needy once he had some liquor in him.

‘Yes, course I do. Sleeping all alone is tough without you to cuddle up with.’ You knew that would make him smile. Snapping off the light, you go into the bedroom and turn down the bed, setting about doing the rest of your nightly routine when it pings again. This time there is a video, which you move to sit up against the headboard, hitting play.

It starts out all wonky, like Chris didnt have the camera still, and then it turns to him, at an odd angle, he must not be holding it high enough, and hes shouting over the music. “Y/N, I couldnt type anymore, the keys are to small.” he lifts it higher and you can see the others in the background, goofing off and shouting at him to return to the party, he waves them off and steps away further, away from the music, so you can hear him properly now. “I just wanted to tell you how much I fucking love you. Oh so much baby.” He rubs his face quickly, you can tell what hes saying is important to him, something that hes kept for a while, but finally had to get it out. Whenever he gets emotional, he rubs and touches his face. “I just need you always in my life, and I know you will tell me not to be silly, but listen. I love you so much, I just need to tell you. When we get married, im writing my own vows, your worth so much baby, I cant wait to make you all mine. I still need to go buy that ring though. How do I open up reminders?” His finger slammed down on the phone and its here he accidentally hit send, making you laugh hard enough that tears start streaming down your face.

It was no hidden fact that Chris wanted to tie the knot, he had mentioned it several times, so you couldnt wait to show this to him to see that flush rise up his cheeks and him shrugging as if he confessed some big secret. “Dont pay attention to that, I have to do it right!” Little did he know that you didnt even need the ring. If he just asked, you would in a heartbeat agree. But as he said, he wanted to do it right, and you were fine with waiting for him to be ready.

You send a message to Scott. ‘Please bring Chris home safe, hes so liquored!’ Which Scott just sent back a laughing emoji, clearly amused with his brother. It went quiet, and you pull the blankets up, falling asleep shortly after.

It was a couple hours later when you heard Dodger shuffle out of the bedroom and give a soft bark. Chris must be home, you thought as you rolled to get up, and wearing nothing but his oversized tee, you pad out to see where he was. Ahh, the kitchen. On the counter was several bags of what looked like taco bell, and he was rummaging for something. You lean in the doorway and say his name “Chris, honey, what are you looking for?”

From in the fridge he remarks “more cheese, I need more cheese” Between his legs, Dodger also has his head stuck in the fridge, the two of them quite the pair. You open a cupboard and take out some nacho cheese, unscrewing the top for Chris. In this state of mind, you didnt want him to try for himself. “Here Handsome, I got you a jar.” He turned suddenly, half tripping over Dodger as he went for the bag of tacos, and dumping out a pile of food. “Your the best... “ drizzling cheese all over his taco and taking a big bite, he gave what could only be described as a dirty moan, his eyes rolling back. “This is the best, besides Y/N’s tacos. I miss my baby”

“Im right here” You state, but he ignores you, going back to his taco. While hes eating, you go back to lock the door, pick up his shoes, and leave the rest of his chaos for the morning.

Getting back, you see hes left behind his meal, and with a roll of your eyes you pick that up to. He would make it up to you tomorrow. You would be sure of it. Heading towards the bedroom, you saw him collapsed on the bed, groaning. You bite your lip to keep from laughing, going to set on your side of the bed. “Chris, do you want to get undressed?”

His eyes slanted open as he looked up at you, and he groaned, turning away. “Go away, wheres Y/N?”

Well this was a first for you, your hand touches Chris’s back. “Baby, its me.”

He shifted once more to turn on his side facing away from you, muttering “I dont wike it, Stop, go away, your not Y/N”

“Chris?” You move to lean over him, your hand braced on his shoulder for leverage to glance over his half sleeping form, and he half slapped at your hand touching him, grumbling into his pillow. “Stop, I dont wike it. Wheres Y/N?” It wasnt often Chris resorted back to placing his W’s in place of the L’s.

You pull back and study him a moment, getting your phone and texting Scott.

‘How much did you guys give Chris?’

‘Oh honey, that boy is out of commission when I dropped him off at home. He should be passed out by now.’

No shit Scott, you think. Setting your phone aside. Chris has shifted again, to his back, and gives a smile seeing you and sighing. “Y/N is so beautiful, I cant wait till we have all the babies. Little Y/N all over the place.”

You pat his chest and lay down next to him. “Yes sir, all the babies, and Chris can change all the dirty diapers, and car pool them back and forth to soccer camp.”

He loped an arm around you and cuddled you in close to him, humming. “Yup. Tell Y/N that when she comes home that I miss her.”

“Oh of course, she will be very happy to see your home safe.”

That made him smile and he buried his face in your hair. Within minutes he started snoring softly, and you moved his arm from over your chest to settle at your waist. Finally you to drift off for the night.

The next morning came to you waking up first, bleary eyed, Chris came into focus, having moved during the night. Now he was on his back, head tipped back into the pillows, and mouth wide open. You were pretty tempted to take a picture, but before you could move, he slung an arm around you and twisted to his side, muttering against your shoulder.

“What Handsome?”

“I want... to die. Ugh” He lifted his head enough to rub the sleep out of his eyes and rubbed his chin against your neck, resettling himself against you. “How bad was I?”

Your hand comes up to card your fingers through his hair, light and gentle, he started humming softly at the soothing feeling.

“Well... You insisted on eating tacos, left a whirlwind of stuff in our livingroom, and you didnt remember who I was.” That shot his head up, in confusion.

“What?”

“Yea, you were convinced I was another woman and everytime I tried to like touch you to make sure you were okay, You brush me off and demand to know where I was.” You giggled softly at the memory, and he dropped his head groaning.

“Shit baby Im so sorry if I was an ass.”

“No no, you werent. It was more like you just wanted to see me, and you werent gonna accept another woman. It was kind of cute. You kept saying I dont wike it whenever i touched you. Oh and you um... sent me a video.”

He grumbled against your shoulder. “Course I did... I dont even want to know what was on it.”

You bring your hand to slide down the back of his neck, to his shoulders and rub along his upper back. “Well, it was all good stuff Chris. It was about how much you missed me, and loved me, then there was talks about a wedding ring.” Again he groaned against you, lifting his head up.

“Listen Y/N, when I said all that... “ He started and you cupped your hand over his mouth.

“Stop Babes, you were drunk. You really dont have to say anything. It was a cute video, and thats all I took it for.”

His eyes flashed in a touch of relief, another less sure woman might have been hurt at her mans relief, but you knew better. Chris was a man who ‘wanted to do it right’. You tilted your head up and nuzzled your nose against his. “How about you jump in the shower, and I will go make us a hangover cure?”

“And whats that?”

“Why more alcohol of course.”

He seemed to ponder a bit on your offer, and rolled to sit up, stretching. “Your on baby. Can you stay in my shirt though?” His blue eyes darkened in desire. “Cause your so fucken sexy in my clothes and I have plans for us later.”

You move to get off the bed, cupping his face once you stand and kiss his lips playfully. “Of course” As you turn to leave, his hand snaps playfully across your bare ass, and you smirk leaving the room.

Party is just getting started now.

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mochalattea · 4 years ago

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It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything.. but I’ve “come home” to dl again recently, and in reviewing some of the stuff I’d written in the past, I wanted to write a response to something I wrote a few years ago.. as choppy as it is, I’m trying to get my creative gears turning again.

Winter whipped up around her, in violent gusts of relentless snow and ice that pelted her frigid body. She’d gotten her wish: to succumb to the cold and watch the inky black figure of the being accompanying her vanish in the white-grey distance. Her fingers curled weakly in her gloves, feeling hot enough to burst under the pressure and cold. The storm quieted in her ears as her senses dulled and eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.

There was hardly any reaction at all when a tall creature encroached on the tree-lined path. A faint flickering up of her eyes came when she sensed it, but over the rim of her glasses with her consciousness already slipping, she couldn’t make out the long white hair which elegantly whisked around. Nor could she see the golden eyes that were so inhuman. No—this entity shrouded in billowing maroon robes was hardly perceived at all. A mildly intrigued snap of his fingers sounded and got carried off by the winds; lost, now. He disappeared just as inexplicably, leaving her stuck in time, slumbering through the storm.

❈

There was no dawn, nor midday, nor dusk, nor night when she awoke to the oddly gentle sound of glass—ice?—shattering. The snow and ice that built up on her back weighed on her, now that it was no longer suspended over her in a delicate, timeless cocoon. There was only stormy winter and ambiguous white-grey that blurred the division of land and sky.

When she looked up, it appeared that there were eyes in the sky. Dozens of single, unpaired gold eyes blinking at different intervals; what would have been surrounding skin and eyelid blended in with the expanse of cloud. Fear jolted through her spine as these eyes began squeezing shut and popping, audibly, until the illusion broke and sky returned to normal. Dizzied and repulsed by the sight, she coughed hard enough to expel blackened bile, rolling slightly from her front onto her side, and gasped against the cold snow as the snow that had encased her crumbled off of her.

Her clothing crunched as she moved, stiff like cardboard with the slightest bit of give. She had no sense of the time that had passed. Had it been moments? Her brain reeled wildly. Days? That’s impossible. Years? Even more so. Suddenly, it came back to her—those fading memories of a black coat drifting over the banks, being peppered with white snow, freshly falling. Her stomach churned again, and she wretched once more, but nothing except strings of saliva came up this time. Tears pricked her eyes. Terror gripped her, as hot as an iron pressed into the small of her back.

…I don’t want to fade away and disappear!

Shakily, she began to move. Her fingers stung, ballooned and swollen from the conditions that they were dumb, and hardly braced against the ground beneath her as she struggled to rise to her feet. The trees shuddered; sheets of snow collapsed from branches and landed thickly on the banks below. The howling of the winds were sick laughter. The bare branches chattered against one another in the wind, mocking her.

❈

It was unclear how long she ran in the winter. The winds hushed her cries, muting her until her voice was hoarse and dry. So thoroughly oppressed by the weather, it played with her relentlessly. Frost creeped into the bridge of her nose and tears froze on her cheeks as quickly as they fell from her eyes.

At last she stumbled upon her destination and threw herself against the heavy oak door, the closest one she happened across, up an abundance of stairs. A newly installed one that must have been a renovation completed during her undetermined absence. Her arms were paralyzed and uselessly fell to her sides. Again and again, she hurled her shoulder against the door, uncaring as to how bruised and battered she became, until it opened, and in through the doorway she fell.

It is a wordless encounter. She only sees the fine tailored dress pants and polished shoes before black begins to eat at her vision.

Reiji’s eyes fix on her. His lips press into a thin line. He gives a wry laugh, bending down to clutch the collar of her jacket and drag her up on her knees. “Oh? I see. So on the brink of expiration, you thought of nothing other than returning to my side.” His voice is measured, but the words sound unmistakably barbed to her ears. They are neither whispered nor hissed.

The door shuts firmly, hitting her feet in the area it sweeps across. She doesn’t flinch.

His hands worm their way under her armpits and lift her until her feet dangle freely with no ground beneath them. He chuckles against her ear, nose pressing through her hair—matted from the wind and overgrown since she’d last been in his presence. Fear, too, was something the cold has numbed her to.

“Did you think this would please me? I know not whether to praise you for returning to your senses,” his nails dig through the layers of fabric nearest to her flesh, “or to wring your neck the rest of the way myself.” He drops her. “I have absolutely no need for an expired vessel.”

Her legs fold in on themselves and she collapses under her own weight. She pools onto the now-wet carpet of his study. She breathes choppily, still unable to muster words, but finds the sights and smells familiar comforts that make her weep. Reiji leaves, going into an adjacent room after muttering that her reaction was so undeniably human, giving her time to collect herself some. The study is blurry through her tears, but she can tell it is much like she remembers it. A fire burns in the fireplace.

“Stand on your feet and come along, you unbecoming thing.” He stoops some once he returns and helps her along to the bathroom. The process of shedding her winter wear is a painful one, and he scolds her, speaking of the very real possibility of the fabric bringing her skin off with it. Perseverance prevents this, and a new set of dry clothes are swapped out for the wet and weathered ones. The warm knits crunch faintly as he brings them around her shoulders, the threads not used to being stretched after sitting unworn for so long. Reiji removes her glasses, polishing them with a square from his pocket before placing them back on her face.

He next sets about working through her hair. “Well, I suppose even at its best your hair tangled easily, but this…” Starting at the crown of her hair is futile, and so he changes tactics, swiftly bringing the comb through the matted ends. He speaks few words otherwise, aside from the reminder for her to keep her head up, occasionally slipping his gloved hand under her jaw to level her head as it tips forward from fatigue. Once he finishes and can see her hair cascade in limp waves past her shoulder blades, halfway down her back, he readies the scissors.

Locks of her hair fall in coils onto the floor. Slowly, her head feels lighter as her former hairstyle is restored, the ends of her hair narrowly kissing her shoulders. She’s shaking, from the cold and exhaustion, as he brings his fingers down the short length of her hair and curls the side pieces in to frame her face.

“It is finished,” he says, “your appearance is as it should be.” His smile is somewhat pleased—but who’s to say that it’s more of a matter of admiring his own handiwork or the final result itself. He ushers her back into the study and into his armchair as he retreats back into the bathroom.

❈

The fire is warm, almost too much so, as she finds herself sitting more at an angle to protect her legs from the immediate heat coming off of the hearth.

She looks around the room, languidly surprised at its abnormal state of disarray. Books are off of the shelves and sit in thick piles. Skimming some of the titles on the spines, she recalls them as having been recent additions to his ever-growing collection not too long ago, yet now they are in need of repair. She averts her gaze, not wishing to question how much time has passed and how it’s even possible that it’s been long enough for her to witness such decay. At Reiji’s desk are more books at various stages of being restored and rebound. Stained pages being aligned and pressed between wooden blocks, ready for glue to be applied. Another book has a threaded needle sitting atop of it, ready to be bound by hand. There’s paper and card used to stabilize covers, and odd bottles and jars of glue.

Still finding her at a loss for words upon his return, he accepts her silence. It’s a return to normalcy. Before, he’d grown accustomed to her company. Something about it is nostalgic to him. He readies another kettle of water so that he can remove the glue from the loose pages soaking in a shallow container on a side table.

Once the kettle starts whistling and he removes it from the burner heating it. A nice aroma fills the room as his tea steeps. After he tends to his work, using the rest of the boiled water on the pages needing glue removed, he turns towards her and starts across the room, cup and saucer in hand. “The temperature is less than ideal for drinking, so I no longer need it. You, however, will not protest to drinking it, I trust? Your tolerance for hot beverages was always quite low.”

“You didn’t have to go to the trouble…” Her first words.

He sighs. “Good grief, must you make me repeat myself?” He sets it down on the table beside her chair. “You have increased my workload plenty with your reappearance. This is simply not allowing my previous efforts to go to waste, understood?”

She nods meekly.

“Speak of your gratitude in a way that is acceptable. Open your mouth; use your voice.”

She thanks him, taking the cup and saucer to her lap before bringing the cup to her lips.

“Very good,” he praises. He swiftly returns to his desk again, beginning to handle the wet papers and scrape the seams clean.

❈

Time passes. After she’s had her fill of warm tea, she begins to doze, and finds herself slouching in her chair. She’s never out for very long, and once she’s up again, she watches how he is always switching tasks, seeming to make quick work of the array of books that are repairs in progress. He pulls thread through perforated pages in slow, strong motions. She nods off again.

Eventually he finds himself at a standstill, waiting for glue to set, letting wet paper dry, and weighing down a leather cover that he retouched the gold lettering of. Only then does he bring his attention back to her, still seated in the chair he set her in. He notices that some colour has returned to her cheeks. Her lips and eyelids are no longer an icy purple either.

He saunters over, bringing himself to her level. “Well, how are you feeling? Your condition looks noticeably improved. Come now, sit up properly. You are a lady, after all.”

She’s easily coaxed into shifting in her seat once his words stir her.

He’s so close to her now; the hand she’s had on the armrest is where his falls to, covering it delicately. “Your temperature, now…” He brings his other hand to her hair, smoothing down the back of her head so that her forehead presses against his, and his fingers and palm settle against her neck. “…Could be improved.”

She musters a half smile.

His voice falls to a whisper; softer, gentler. The tone she was hoping he’d greet her with. “Warm yourself soon, for cold blood is as unappetizing as cold tea.”

#mocha's musings #mocha masterpiece #it's been a while.. reiji..#this doesn't hold a candle to what i used to be able to do.. but it's a start

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jaeminlore · 8 years ago

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Healing // Lee Jeno

spinoff to this

the prompt: could you imagine healer!jeno treating you after you tripped and scraped your knee bc he wasn’t looking where he was walking (he was too immersed in a medical textbook) and bumped into you etc etc

words: 1981

category: fluff

warning: heart attack mention, blood mention

author note: war flashbacks to when my anons all attacked me with fluffy thoughts abt healer jeno. this is for you guys.

- destinee

All his life, Jeno had been obsessed with the art of healing. The thought that a few rare plants mashed together and boiled could literally stop a person from dying was so amazing to him. When he was old enough to go to a trading school, he didn’t choose knight training like every other twelve-year-old. He chose healing.

He wanted to become someone others could look up to. Someone who could take care of others and make them feel happy and safe. So, as the only student who chose healing, he worked directly under the castle’s healer, Mr. Kim.

Mr. Kim was Jeno’s biggest inspiration. He had taken care of the king and queen, and had even delivered the crown prince. He had stopped a plague from starting by simply reversing it and having the entire kingdom drink a special blend of tea for weeks. He was amazing. Filled with knowledge of all kinds, he knew which plant you were talking about even if all you could do was give him the shape. All the information was formatted into his brain like a second instinct. Jeno wanted the knowledge of Mr. Kim.

To get this, Mr. Kim told Jeno that all he had to do was read. Read, study, and memorize until it felt like he was going to explode from all the information he was learning. Also, repetition was key. He was to be quizzed weekly on the things he had studied, all while retaining the practical information Mr. Kim had given him. For three years, Jeno had worked his hardest without giving up once. This is what he set out to do, and he was going to do it no matter how hard it got. People were depending on him.

Especially when Jeno turned sixteen, for Mr. Kim suffered a heart attack and died instantly. There was nothing to do, and no way to save him. Jeno, as the only healer left in the kingdom, was put in charge and given the title of the new castle healer.

He had no time to grieve, really. That was okay, since Jeno really didn’t want time to catch up with him and find him sobbing in a corner. Instead, he threw himself into studying even more. Any time he wasn’t helping someone, he was studying. One of his current obsessions was finding a common way to prevent sudden heart attacks. If there was a way he could make a tea blend to give to hardworking adults that would heal their hearts, he was going to find it. He was going to use every piece of information Mr. Kim had left with him. He was going to make his old mentor proud.

Jeno was lonely sometimes. His parents lived far away in the village, and he didn’t see them as often as he would’ve liked to. He had friends, a group of boys ranging in the highest rank of a prince to the lowest rank of a servant. There were seven of them, all loyal to each other as friends. Prince Jaemin was perhaps Jeno’s closest friend. The prince himself was lonely, as many people heard the rumors of him leaving a mysterious lover behind in the village.

Jeno and Jaemin leaned on each other a lot during their eighteenth year. Jaemin came to the Jeno’s clinic to escape the realities of royalty, and Jeno was able to study for a while as the prince labeled vials and stocked shelves.

Jeno never stopped studying. He never stopped finding new ways to invent news potions and pastes in an attempt to make his own medicine for heart attacks. So far, he had only succeeded in accidentally turning his tongue purple. How that happened, he had no idea. Still, he kept working towards his ultimate goal. This usually meant he could be found walking around the castle, his nose in a book filled with medical terminologies not even the king could understand.

You were a lady-in-waiting with a restless heart. Your mother wanted you to be the future queen, so you were never allowed outside of the castle. You were barely allowed in the courtyards, to be honest. With all of your lessons and fittings, you had no time to go off and do your own thing like the people you always read about.

Adventure novels were your favorites. Stories of men and women who refused to let anyone boss them around. Instead, they broke away from the norm and went off to fight battles much bigger than themselves. You wished to become one of those people. As soon as you were eighteen, you were going to move to the village without a word to your mother. You were going to live life without expectations and duties. Perhaps you would become a fishermen, or a shop owner. Perhaps you would go back to school and become a knight.

It was the weekend, and your mother had slept in. That was how you found yourself prancing around the court barefoot, your hair unbrushed and looking anything but ladylike. You greeted all of the officials and servants with happy greetings as you danced by, feeling the freedom that the wind offered you. You weren’t paying attention to anyone, which was perhaps the reason you were bumped into from behind. You were pushed to the floor, a stinging pain creeping up your legs as your knees hit the stone ground.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. I was reading and I didn’t see you. Are you okay?”

You pushed yourself into a sitting position and looked at the person who had pushed you. Suddenly, it was as if the wind had been knocked from your lungs. He was handsome. Not quite in the way the prince was, with playful glances and bouncy steps. No, this was a softer type of beautiful, and you found yourself liking it so much more.

He offered you a hand, which you took, stumbling a bit. You then pulled up your skirts and looked at down to see blood running down your legs slowly. “Well that can’t be good…” you said casually.

The boy let out a laugh at your unbothered voice. He simply gestured for you to put your skirts down. “Follow me. I’ll get you cleaned up.”

You followed, not quite sure who this strange boy was. Nevertheless, when he smiled at you, you felt he could be trusted. “Who are you anyways?”

“Oh, I’m Jeno.” He offered his arm to you, since you were struggling to walk. “I’m the castle’s healer.”

“Really? I thought it was a man named Mr. Kim.”

“It was.” Jeno scratched the back of his neck nervously as the two of you walked towards his clinic. “He passed away a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, patting his arm in consolation. “That must’ve been hard on you.”

“It was, but over the years it’s gotten better.” Jeno pulled you into his clinic, toward the small bed nestled behind a heavy curtain. It was the bed Jeno had slept in for years, but it also served as the only bed in the clinic. If there was a patient, Jeno slept on the floor. He helped you sit on the bed, since it hurt to use your legs. “I’m still so sorry about this.”

“It’s okay,” you smiled at him. “It was an accident.” You lifted your skirts above your knees, and Jeno looked away, his cheeks slightly pink.

“Then, I’ll go get some paste that’ll close it up in no time. How does that sound?” Jeno offered you a shy glance.

“Sounds great,” you said. “However, you should hurry. Once my mother finds out that I snuck out, she’ll kill me.”

“Are you a lady-in-waiting?” Jeno looked surprised. “I’ve never seen you around before.”

“I’m usually busy with lessons, and my mother doesn’t like it when I go around the courtyards. She says it’ll give me ideas.”

“What ideas?” Jeno asked as he searched through the many shelves lining his walls. He finally extracted a jar of light green paste. “Here it is!”

“You know, she wants me to marry the prince. I don’t want to marry him. The usual lady-in -waiting drama.”

“You shouldn’t have to marry someone you don’t want to. Besides, Jaemin doesn’t want a lady-in-waiting.”

“Tell my mom that,” you said.

He bent down in front of you and extracted some paste using a wooden tongue depressor. “By the way, this might hurt so I’m sorry if it stings. It’s the skin pulling itself together.”

You nodded and braced your hands on his shoulders as he spread the paste across your wounded knees. The pain hurt just as bad as the actual scrape, and you felt tears sting the corner of your eyes. “Why does it hurt so bad?” you hissed.

Jeno grimaced. “I need to work in the formula, don’t I? It works, though. Also, when is the last time your trimmed your nails? Because the depth they are reaching in my skin is amazing.”

You released your grip. “Sorry. Although, it’s your fault for making such a painful remedy.”

“You can hold my other hand,” Jeno offered, reaching his hand toward you.

You took it without complaint, squeezing it as he applied the paste to the other knee. He apologized again, feeling his hand lose circulation from how tightly you were squeezing it.

“It’s okay,” you squeaked. “I’m not good with pain in the first place so maybe your paste isn’t so bad.”

“Oh, your pain tolerance is low.” Jeno frowned, “I should make a pill for that. Maybe a little taffy that will give you a better pain tolerance.”

“Maybe you should,” you agreed as he brought out a roll bandages and began to wrap it around your knees.

“By tomorrow morning, there won’t even be a scar,” he said, proudly pinning the bandages in place.

“Thanks,” you said. “I should be able to hide it from my mom until then. So, I don’t need to return for a checkup?”

Jeno looked down, a soft smile on his lips. “No. But you’re always free to come back and see me if you want. You know, the prince comes here to get away from his responsibilities. I wouldn’t mind it if you did as well.”

Your blush matched his as you climbed off the table. “I might just have to take you up on that offer, Jeno. Now, what do I pay you?”

“Hmm?” Jeno was too absorbed in the excitement of you returning, that he almost hadn’t heard your question. “Oh! No need to pay me!”

You frowned. “Well, I shouldn’t get healing for free. How about this?”

“How about wha—” Jeno stopped mid-sentence as you leaned forward and planted a kiss on his left cheek. “—Oh, yeah, that type of payment is okay, I suppose.”

You giggled. “I thought it would be. I’ll try to come by tomorrow and you can tell me about all those weird terms in your book.”

“Oh, you don’t want to hear about those,” he said.

“I do,” you insisted. “Trust me. I want to learn more about you and what goes on in your head.”

“Really?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

Jeno shrugged, “No one really cares about my studies. They all ignore me and say I should’ve been a knight.”

“If you had become a knight, who would’ve taken care of me?” you asked innocently.

Jeno smiled. “You’re right.”

“Keep working hard, Jeno. I believe in you. I’ll bring lunch tomorrow so don’t eat too much beforehand, okay?” You began to leave, satisfied with his short nod.

“Wait!” he stopped you.

When you turned to face him, he smiled brightly, his eyes turning into crescents. “Is it like a date?”

You looked down bashfully, “Yeah. It’s a date.”

~the end~

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