#i saw that a new baker was hired at the same store the only other baker works at so thats good

[florida3exclamationpoints]

Obligatory 9am work rant

[bobowho]

baking with strawberries and sunshine (m)

→ pairing: byun baekhyun x reader

→ word count: 21k

→ genre: bakery au, pastry chef!baekhyun, college student!y/n, fluff, angst, smut

→ warnings: smut, slight angst, mentions of toxic relationships

→ playlist

→ summary: y/n started working at a small bakery stocked with sugary items, but never expected the sweetest thing in the world to be her boss’s smile.

→ link to ao3

The sugary aroma of freshly baked lemon macaroons was first of all, too sweet for y/n’s taste, and so overwhelming that y/n could barely focus on the paper she was trying to finish. She was sitting at a small table in a secluded corner of the bakery. y/n had been a regular ever since she discovered the place, one and a half months ago at the beginning of the semester. The interior had soft tones of ivory with gold accents, matching the warm mood of the store.

Eyebrows furrowing in frustration, she closed her laptop and pulled out her headphones from her ears, loud music quickly dimming away, and instead gentle notes of smooth jazz played in the background of the store. The struggle with writer’s block was painstakingly real.

y/n approached the counter for some coffee to help her focus. She stood about two feet away to examine the menu while the part timer working the register awkwardly waited for her to finish. From freshly squeezed grapefruit juice to a warm cup of cappuccino, the menu listed a slew of options.

“Sehun! Can you watch the oven for me?” A frantic voice came out from the back of the store, and a face popped out from the doorway between the kitchen and the counter.

y/n eyes shot towards the source of the noise and saw a man with a dark brown fringe, puppy eyes, and a slight pout begging Sehun to watch whatever he was baking at the moment. 

His eyes wandered to y/n for a moment before realizing Sehun was about to receive an order, and he made a small O with his mouth in an endearing way before pulling his head back into the kitchen. 

“What can I get for you?” Sehun asked. 

Thinking about the quick interaction between Sehun and the other guy, y/n turned her eyes to Sehun and ordered an iced americano with an extra shot — something to wake her up. 

The next day, y/n returned to the bakery, inhaled sweet fumes of pastries and bread, and sat at her usual corner so she could type away while constantly checking her word count to see how close she was to finishing her paper. She went to go order a coffee like always, but a sign caught her eye this time. 

Now hiring!

Part-time 

If interested, please call for the manager.

y/n was in need of a job. She was a college student terribly in debt and had almost missed the deadline for last month’s rent. The offer seemed enticing.

“Are you interested?” Someone interrupted. y/n looked up and saw the same guy yesterday with the puppy eyes, except this time he was smiling and they were in crescents. 

y/n, startled by his sudden presence, stammered out the only answer that seemed adequate. “Yes..? I—“

The man’s eyes lit up at the answer and he clapped in excitement.

“Great! We’ve been looking for someone to work the shifts Sehun can’t. Oh, I’m Baekhyun, by the way.” He introduced himself to y/n cheerily. “I own this bakery! I do the managing and most of the baking. Sehun helps me here and there… Here! Here’s the application.” Baekhyun pulled out a piece of paper from behind the counter and shoved it into y/n’s hands as if she would change her mind if he didn't act fast enough.

y/n, still recovering from the quick turn of events, nodded and quickly said, “Nice to meet you Baekhyun. I’m y/n. But can I order a coffee?”

“Oh, of course, y/n. What would you like?” Baekhyun lightly grinned and waited for y/n’s answer.

Only if y/n knew she would meet the love of her life at a bakery with a boss who had the personality of sunshine and a loving pair of hands that made everything he touched sweet.

“Holy fuck, y/n.” Sehun lightly exclaimed as he watched a plume of white smoke come out of the oven as soon as y/n opened it. 

y/n let out a cough before running out of the kitchen to get fresher air. Her first day at work had started off with a great first impression. 

Sehun followed y/n out of the store and let out a sigh. “All you had to do was watch. The. Damn. Cookies.”

y/n shamefully looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry. I got distracted checking to make sure I counted the stock of french brioche correctly and—“

y/n saw Baekhyun walk towards them from down the street, hands full of paper bags. The bakery needed extra flour and powdered sugar, so Baekhyun had gone out earlier to get some from the grocery store. 

“Guys, don’t just stand there and help me take these bags! My arms feel like they’re going to fall out!” Baekhyun yelled from afar. 

Sehun and y/n hurried towards Baekhyun and each grabbed the items from his arms. Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief as he let go of a few of the bags. 

“Hey Baekhyun, the batch of chocolate chips—” Sehun started to explain the situation, but Baekhyun stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air as they got closer to the bakery. 

“Do I smell burnt cookies?” Baekhyun asked.

y/n cringed. “Yeah, I was supposed to be checking on them but they ended up burning…” She waited for Baekhyun to scold her for doing so poorly on her first day of work, but Baekhyun just nodded and walked into the bakery, no longer smelling sweet like it used to. A heavy scent of bitterly burnt cookies hit everyone’s noses, making them scrunch up.

Baekhyun and y/n went into the kitchen while Sehun went to keep the store’s door open to let in some fresh air. 

Baekhyun saw neatly round, black circles on the baking tray and closed his eyes in disappointment. y/n was usually not the type to cry but she couldn’t help the tears forming in her eyes. She hated disappointing people, especially not her new boss, Baekhyun. 

“I’m so sorry.” y/n sincerely apologized. “If you need any help baking these again, let me know. I promise not to make the same mistake.”

Baekhyun turned away from the ugly batch of cookies to look at y/n, only to be surprised to see her teary eyed and clearly upset at the situation. Baekhyun’s eyes widened at the sight of tears rolling down y/n’s face.

“y/n, it’s fine.” Baekhyun assured her. “We all make mistakes. And it’s only your first day! I promise you’ll get better over time.”

y/n still didn’t feel any better about the fact that Baekhyun would have to bake a whole new batch just because she couldn’t watch the time. It was the stupidest mistake she could’ve made.

Baekhyun reached out a hand to wipe away a tear on y/n’s cheek with the back of his finger. “Here, let me get you some tissues.” He quickly fetched a box of tissues and handed it to y/n, who was calming down now. 

“How about you start setting up the tables in the store once you feel ready, okay? Again, y/n, it’s no big deal. I can just bake it again in no time! Bam! It’ll be ready to go once the store opens for the day. Other than the cookies, you’re doing a great job for your first day.” Baekhyun lightly smiled at y/n and gave her a slight nudge on the shoulder as if it could cheer her up. 

y/n nodded. She didn’t understand why she felt so upset at messing up. Maybe, she just wanted to be perfect on her first day,

The rest of her shift went smoothly, and when y/n returned home after classes there was a text from Baekhyun: 

[good job today! sehun and i are both happy to have you working with us. see you tomorrow!!] 

y/n couldn’t help but smile at the cheeriness in the text. It made her evening slightly better.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” y/n asked the guy anxiously fidgeting in front of the counter.

He stared at y/n for a few moments before saying, “Can I have a…latte.” He wore a tattered dark hoodie and nervously bit at his lip. y/n noticed he had been coming quite often to the bakery lately. 

y/n wondered what he was so nervous for but she smiled and said, “Sure thing. I’ll have it out in a few moments.”

The guy grabbed his drink and stiffly sat down at a nearby table. y/n could feel his eyes glancing up to catch a glimpse of her once every few minutes. She didn’t appreciate him checking her out which made her a bit uncomfortable — but a customer was a customer.

It was only y/n’s fifth day at work, but she already felt like it had been weeks. She’d already become strangely used to the morning sunlight streaming in through the windows, the addicting smell of cookies and pastries, and Baekhyun’s quiet humming as he busily worked in the kitchen. She breathed in the scent of freshly-baked brownies, the scent getting stronger and stronger as Baekhyun carried the tray out towards the counter.

Baekhyun. He was almost painfully adorable-looking today, with his dark hair neatly combed against his forehead and his cheeks slightly flushed from the heat of the oven. He was wearing a neat white button-down and navy blue slacks, complemented with his baker’s apron.

“Want to try one?” Baekhyun asked, placing the brownies out on the display shelf.

y/n had eaten breakfast before coming in for her shift, but she didn’t know if it could be possible to say no to Baekhyun with his puppy-like eyes. “Sure,” she replied.

He handed her a brownie, and y/n took a bite. The chewy texture and taste of warm chocolate was perfect. It was quite literally one of the best brownies she had ever tasted.

“Holy shit, that’s so good.” she blurted out, before mentally scolding herself. She wasn’t sure if Baekhyun thought it was entirely professional to swear at work.

She was pleased to hear Baekhyun’s soft chuckle. “Thank you, I’ve been perfecting that recipe ever since I opened this bakery.”

y/n looked over to see Baekhyun smiling down at her. She found herself suddenly wondering how old this man was. He looked barely older than her, and she was still a college student. He definitely looked like he could even be younger than some of the boys she’d seen on campus. Most of the boys her age acted like they could barely iron their own clothes, let alone own their own business.

“I hope this doesn’t come across as weird,” she said carefully, “but you look awfully young to be owning your own business.”

Baekhyun let out another light laugh, his puppy eyes crinkling at the corners. “Don’t worry, I get that a lot.”

“I don’t really think of myself as young, I’m twenty-five. I actually dropped out of college halfway through my second year,” he explained. “I had a huge fight with my family over it. I come from a not super well-off family, and they always wanted me to study something like finance or accounting, so I could get a stable job after I graduated — but it was always my dream to open my own bakery.”

y/n was taken aback by his response. She didn’t expect him to open up about his personal reasons for opening the bakery. She couldn’t help but admire that Baekhyun chased after his dream in exchange with stability.

“I worked multiple jobs for a few years after I dropped out, so I could save up to start this bakery. It was a bit rough at first, but the last year has been amazing. I even have some regulars now. Plus, It's been great to work with Sehun. And you now, of course.” He nudged at her side with a wink.

y/n couldn’t imagine being so passionate about something that she’d be willing to risk so much for it. She liked her psychology major at school, but not so much that she felt like it was her dream. “I wish I had something I was passionate about like that.”

Baekhyun gave her a grim smile. “I’ve learned that most people don’t find it. I see my friends from college sometimes, and some aren’t completely satisfied with their office jobs. I guess I’m just lucky that I get to do what I love for a living.”

y/n watched Baekhyun’s warm brown eyes shift through uncertainty, rejection, and accomplishment after years of hard work. She knew he’d been through pain and desolation that she could not even begin to understand. y/n wished she could’ve been there for him, supported him through all his highs and lows.

Baekhyun soon left her to bake another batch of brownies. She examined the bakery closely and saw how dear the small shop was to Baekhyun. Every inch, every corner came from countless hours working day and night to afford this place. The bakery was his everything. 

A week passed, and y/n had somehow managed to not set the entire bakery on fire. There was a lot to learn, and by the end of the week y/n’s head was aching with the number of drinks and pastry recipes she’d had to memorize. y/n was in the fall semester of her last year at university and soon found herself running from class to class, only to rush to work right after. The only thing that kept her from completely exploding of stress and exhaustion was that she got to see Baekhyun and his energizing smile every time she went in for her shift.

It was a chilly Thursday morning in October. The bakery was having a lull in the usual morning rush of customers. y/n stared outside the window at the leaves in shades of red and brown clinging onto their branches, as a gust of wind flew through the streets. The air around her smelled like fall — pumpkin spice and pecan pies. Cliché, but there wasn’t any other way to describe it.

“You know, Baekhyun’s kinda weird around you,” Sehun blurted suddenly while drying espresso cups with a dishcloth. He sent a quick glance in y/n’s direction, a smirk on his face. 

“What?”

“I’ve been friends with Baekhyun for a long time, and I’ve worked here for almost a year. Trust me, if I had burnt an entire batch of cookies on my first day, Baekhyun would’ve yelled at me for sure,” Sehun said confidently, turning to look y/n with a pointed look on his face. y/n nervously wiped her palm on her apron.

y/n didn’t know what to say. Baekhyun had been extremely nice to her all week, giving her only smiles and encouragement at every mistake. She had just assumed that Baekhyun was a naturally nice and patient person.

“I’m sure that’s just because you’re friends with him.” y/n managed, avoiding Sehun’s gaze.

Sehun cocked his head to the side as if in deep thought. “Maybe,” he conceded, “I do wonder why he’s so nice to you, though. He isn’t usually like this around other people. I guess the last time he acted this way was when he met his ex.”

“I—” y/n started to say, only to be interrupted by the chime of the door as it opened. Baekhyun walked in, carrying bags of coffee beans. His dark hair gleamed in the late morning light. He offered a puppy dog smile at the both of them.

“Good morning!” he said brightly, setting an armful of coffee bags down on the counter. Sehun suddenly bolted upright at the sight of his boss. Baekhyun’s appearance on a late Thursday morning usually meant that Sehun’s opening shift was over.

“That’s my cue to leave,” Sehun announced, taking off his apron and gathering his things.

“You’re not even going to say hi to me?” Baekhyun placed his hand on his chest, feigning hurt.

“I’ve got class in ten minutes!” Sehun yelled, running out the door. The door chimed again as Sehun slammed it behind him. Baekhyun stared after him, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I swear that kid thinks I’m just his friend, not his boss.”

y/n found a flush suddenly rising to her cheeks, thinking of what Sehun had said earlier. Baekhyun had been nice — maybe too nice — to her for the past week. He hadn’t said a single mean thing after she repeatedly messed up coffee orders and pastry recipes. That had been the only reason why working in this bakery had been bearable for her, when her schedule was jam-packed and exams were drawing uncomfortably close.

She spared a glance in his direction. Baekhyun was opening a bag of coffee beans, pouring the coffee beans into the espresso machine. He is awfully adorable, y/n mused. His hair was slightly ruffled from the wind outside, his eyes concentrated on the coffee bag as he carefully tipped it into the espresso machine. If she looked closer, she could see a tiny mole above the corner of his mouth. She wondered what it would be like to kiss—

Stop, he’s your boss, y/n mentally scolded herself. This job was important to her, and she didn’t want to jeopardize it by forming a stupid crush on her boss. Besides, everyone knew what a terrible idea it was to date someone you work with, let alone your boss.

“You’re being quiet today,” Baekhyun commented.

“Huh?” y/n turned to see Baekhyun standing right next to her by the counter. He was staring at her with a curious look in his eyes and a slight smile on his lips. He was awfully close to her. She prayed he hadn’t noticed the blush creeping up on her cheeks.

“I guess I’m a little tired. I’ve been really busy this week,” y/n said awkwardly. 

The door chimed as a customer walked in. y/n silently thanked the gods as the customer ordered a cappuccino.

y/n made her way over to the fridge, pouring a cup of milk before absentmindedly placing the cup under the milk steamer, turning it on. She didn’t notice when Baekhyun strode over to the milk steamer to stand beside her and looked down at the cup.

“Uh,” Baekhyun said, “that’s not how you foam milk.”

y/n felt herself flush again. She couldn’t believe she had made another mistake over something so simple. After working at this bakery for a week, she couldn’t even foam milk properly. y/n really must be the worst employee any bakery has ever seen. 

Before y/n could apologize, Baekhyun spoke. “Don’t apologize. It’s my fault for not teaching you properly. I thought I had gone over everything with the drinks already, but I forgot I didn’t teach you how to use the steamer.”

He reached out his hand to rest over y/n’s hand that was holding the cup. He guided her hand slightly downwards, so that the tip of the steaming wand was submerged in the milk. He murmured instructions, his face inches away from hers. She stared at the steamer as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, trying desperately not to think of the softness of his hand against hers, or the feel of his breath against her ear. She could feel her heart pound against her ribcage. Get it together, she told herself, he’s your boss.

“See how fluffy the milk became? That’s some quality foam you can use in a cappuccino,” Baekhyun declared, seemingly unaware of y/n’s panic beside him.

His hand lingered on hers for just a second after the milk finished frothing, his thumb softly grazing the back of her hand like a feather. He pulled away reluctantly.

“Now you’ll be able to make any drink that needs foamed milk!” Baekhyun said with a smile. She wondered how he managed to be so cheery all the time, despite her utter incompetence at her job. 

“Thank you,” she managed. “I know I haven’t, uh, been the best at this job. You’ve been so supportive and nice to me, even though I don’t probably deserve it. I just want to say thank you for that.”

“You don’t have to thank me. There’s a lot on your plate right now. Trust me, I know how hard it is to work a job as a student. You’ll know everything by heart soon, don’t worry. I believe in you!” Baekhyun looked at her sincerely. From this close, she could see his soft brown eyes speckled with darker shades of brown. They were like a warm pool of hot chocolate in the soft morning light.

y/n and Baekhyun were interrupted in their little moment by the bakery’s door chiming open again.

As Baekhyun walked over to take the order, y/n found her mind wandering back to what Sehun had said earlier.

He was right. Baekhyun was nice to her — to the point that it made her feel a little guilty. No guy had ever treated her this well, lest a guy who was supposed to be her boss. The last time he acted like this was when he met his ex, Sehun had said. y/n suspected that Sehun had been messing around, but she couldn’t help but wonder. 

For a second, she let herself think of a universe where this sweet, adorable pastry chef could ever have feelings for her. She knew it was probably impossible — these fairytale, rom-com type romances were unrealistic and tended to never happen to her. She also knew that she should be trying hard to not develop an irreversible crush on her boss right now. It was hard not to, but for just a second, she could risk falling into a daydream.

Later that day, y/n rushed from one end of the counter to another, busily getting the bakery ready for closing. Baekhyun had left a few hours ago, giving y/n a thumbs-up and smile, saying that he trusted her to do a great job. The bakery was quiet except for the sound of giant coffee jugs emptying into the sink and the soft jazz music playing in the background as y/n worked. There was only one customer still remaining in the bakery, a man sitting at a table, staring down at his phone.

y/n glanced up out of the big window that looked out onto the dark streets. The sun had started setting earlier as the weather turned colder, and the sky was deepening from a shade of navy blue into pitch black. She freely hummed to the music playing in the background as she wiped down the counter. She looked up at the clock behind the counter, marking 9PM. It was closing time.

The man sitting at the table was still hunched down, looking at his phone. y/n awkwardly cleared her throat.

“Um, excuse me…but the bakery is closing right now.”

The man turned his head. He looked slightly older than y/n, but still young. His overgrown dark hair fell slightly into his eyes as he blinked at her with a slight blush on his cheeks. He wore an oversized black hoodie and black skinny jeans. She recognized him as the guy who had been visiting the bakery so often.

“Oh, okay. I’ll leave, then.” he said, barely a whisper. He got up, pushed the chair in, and left.

As the door closed shut, y/n let out the breath she had been holding in unknowingly. She was always a bit nervous when she was by herself during a night shift, with a single customer in the bakery. Especially if the customer was a man sitting by himself.

y/n finished up her job, double checking everything before she gathered her things and locked the bakery door behind her. The sun had completely set, the sky black and only lit by the streetlamps lining the narrow street. The bakery was on a small street near the main campus of her university, only a few blocks away from her apartment.

She clutched her canvas bag to her side as she began making her way down the street. She walked about a block or so before she noticed a man following behind her. She slightly turned her head and saw the same man who had just left the bakery.

A panic rose in her stomach. The man had left the bakery several minutes before, long enough that he should’ve been long gone from this street. He must’ve waited outside until I was done, she thought. She felt another bubble of fear rise up inside her. She was reminded of countless stories about her friends, being followed by men late at night in the city streets, having to call someone to pick them up out of fear or even call the cops.

She looked back again as she turned a corner. The man was still following her. He looked terrifying in the dark, his face completely hidden under the shadow of his hoodie and his fast strides threatening to catch up to her any second. 

y/n reached for her phone in her bag, frantically thinking of people she could call. Most of her friends lived on the other side of campus, and they would take at least fifteen minutes to walk over to her. She helplessly raked through her brain, thinking of people she knew that lived near her. Then she remembered Baekhyun three days ago, mentioning that he lived a block away from the bakery and didn’t need to take the bus when Sehun complained about the crowded bus ride from his apartment.

She dialed his number without thinking twice.

“y/n?” Baekhyun’s voice rang out after a few moments. “Are you heading home now? How was your closing shift? You probably did great, so don’t even—”

“Where are you right now? Are you close yet?” y/n spoke louder than usual, making sure the man trailing behind her could clearly hear. She wondered if her voice sounded as nervous on the phone as she was feeling on the inside. She spared another glance backwards to see the man still walking behind her, less than half a block away from her.

“y/n? What do you mean? I’m—”

“It’s like, so dark out. Please don’t be late picking me up like last time.”

“...where are you, y/n?” Baekhyun’s voice, deep in concern, answered over the phone.

“Our usual spot. Like a block away from the bakery.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in two minutes.”

Two minutes? y/n was sure he was at least five minutes away if he was lucky. She stopped underneath a streetlamp and heard the footsteps from behind cease. She crossed her arms and thought about the pepper spray she had left back in a drawer in her bedroom. She remembered her dad giving it to her before leaving for college and making her promise him that she would carry it. Never did y/n think something like this would actually happen. 

A minute had passed. The footsteps resumed unexpectedly and began to approach her. y/n’s heart raced even faster. She didn’t dare look behind her. Instead, she reached inside her pocket to fish out her apartment key. She recalled reading somewhere that keys could be wedged between the fingers and used for self defense.

“y/n!” Before she could pull a move on her stalker, she heard Baekhyun call out her name and looked down the street, watching him running as fast as he could, strands of hair flopping against his forehead. She barely recognized him in his hoodie and sweatpants, his hair damp as if he had just stepped out of the shower.

The stalker was clearly surprised by the sudden interference. y/n could see him slowly back away in her peripheral vision.

As Baekhyun approached, y/n couldn’t help but feel relieved to see his face. His features became clearer when he arrived under the yellow toned streetlamp. He grabbed y/n by the arms as soon as he was close enough to reach for her.

“Baby, did you wait long? I’m so sorry.” Baekhyun leaned down to look at y/n’s face and pouted his lips to express how bad he felt about being late when in fact, it had taken him only a few minutes to get to y/n from his apartment.

Baekhyun then put his arms around her, squeezing her body close against his, and y/n could feel his heart pounding against his chest. The smell of fabric softener mixed with strawberry-scented body wash engulfed y/n as half of her face got buried in Baekhyun’s hoodie.

Was Baekhyun trying to act like her boyfriend?

“Baekhyun, you don’t have to—”

Baekhyun lowered his face next to y/n’s and quietly whispered just for them to hear. “I called the police. They’re going to be here any minute.”

He raised his voice again. “Let’s get you home. I missed you all day! I’ll give you a lot of kisses to make up for it.”

y/n turned her head a little to the side to look at the street behind her. The stalker was walking away from them quickly, disappearing behind a corner. y/n felt her body relax a little when she could no longer see him anymore.

Baekhyun’s arms remained tight around her, even as the street became silent and they could no longer hear the footsteps of the stalker behind them. y/n could feel the brush of his hands against her back as she buried her face in his shoulder.

Now y/n’s heartbeat was louder than Baekhyun’s. It was thrumming in her ears and she became worried that Baekhyun could hear it too. 

“I think you can let me go now.” y/n muttered, her voice muffled by the fabric of Baekhyun’s hoodie.

“I can feel you shaking, y/n.” Baekhyun quietly said. 

y/n raised her hand that had been hanging limply by her side. She saw it tremble against the dim glow of the streetlamps beside her.

Cue the police, sirens came blaring down the street, but y/n was sure the sound of her heartbeat was louder.

After a short interrogation by the police on the incident, y/n and Baekhyun silently climbed up the stairs of her three-story walkup. He had insisted that he at least walk her home, seeing how pale and shaky she had been after the incident.

When y/n and Baekhyun arrived at her door, y/n awkwardly pulled out her apartment key. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Baekhyun carefully asked.

y/n nodded hesitantly to assure him, “It’s late. You should head home too.”, but she wasn’t actually okay. She was scared. Her hand was still shaking and she could barely manage to fit her key through the keyhole.

“Okay,” he said hesitantly, “if you need anything, let me know.” He pulled his lips into a slight grin and waited for y/n to get into her apartment.

She stepped in and lingered for a moment before turning back around. “Actually…can you stay for a little bit? I don’t think I can handle being alone right now.” 

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows at the sudden change of heart. He nodded and said, “Of course.”

y/n instantly regretted her decision as soon as they both stepped into her apartment. She saw a million things in disarray. She quickly snatched up a stray bra on the couch before throwing it under a pillow before Baekhyun could see. 

Baekhyun didn’t seem to notice the state of her apartment. His gaze remained on her pale face as he reached over and grabbed a knitted blanket, haphazardly thrown over her couch. He walked over and wrapped it around her shoulders like a shawl.

“I’ll stay in your living room. Is that okay?” Baekhyun sat down on the floor at the base of the couch. 

“Yeah.” y/n answered before heading into her bedroom to get ready to wash and take a shower. 

y/n stepped out of the shower and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. She could smell something sweet wafting down the hallway leading to the living room. It reminded her of the bakery, but not quite.

“I hope you don’t mind that I used your kettle. I saw a pack of hot chocolate lying on your counter and I figured you could use a cup.” Baekhyun held up a mug, steam rolling off into the air. The air filled with her favorite chocolate scent.

y/n sat down on the opposite side and relished the warmth of the cup of hot chocolate in her palms. She sipped on the warm, sugary drink. 

“Thank you so much, for everything.” she said after a long, comfortable silence. She glanced over the mug at his face, still scrunched up with concern.

He waited until y/n fished her cup. “You should sleep now.”

y/n nodded in agreement. “You can go home if you would like.”

Baekhyun just lightly smiled and waved at her to go sleep in her bedroom. “I can sleep on the couch. Goodnight, y/n.”

y/n climbed into bed and pulled her covers up to her chin. There was no way y/n was sleeping with Baekhyun in her living room. As comfortable as Baekhyun made y/n feel, his presence made her nervous, but not in a bad way. The more she thought about it, the harder it was to sleep. Finally, after much contemplation, y/n pulled out her phone and called Baekhyun for the second time that night.

He answered after a few seconds. “Hello?”

“I can’t sleep.”

Baekhyun hummed before saying, “Okay, what do you need. A lullaby?”

y/n thought he was joking, but Baekhyun patiently waited for her response.

“Sure..? You aren’t joking, are you.”

“It’s up to you.” Baekhyun answered.

“Do you want to come in?” y/n heard a knock on the door shortly and watched Baekhyun walk in. She took a hand and patted the empty space next to her on the bed, indicating for Baekhyun to sit down. She felt the side of the bed sink as he settled on top of the blanket.

Baekhyun had a beautifully soft voice that waved through the air like the smell of freshly made brownies. Something about it made y/n’s heart swell. He effortlessly made y/n start to feel sleepy with the gentle tone of his voice. y/n clung onto every note as she fell deeper into sleep, Baekhyun’s sweet lullaby dimming into a distant melody in the background. y/n couldn’t remember if she felt a hand, just as soft as his song, delicately stroking her hair until she fell asleep. 

y/n woke up with a start. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the sunlight pouring in through her curtains. Her head swarmed with the memories of the previous night, of Baekhyun’s arm around hers, of Baekhyun’s presence in her bedroom. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She craned her head up at the side of the bed Baekhyun had been laying on the night before. It was empty. He must’ve left after she fell asleep.

Then she wondered why she had woken up without the sound of her alarm blaring in her ear.

Crap, crap, I slept through my alarm, she thought in panic. She had worked the closing shift the night before, so it must be Friday. Shit, my morning shift.

She flailed her arms out of the mound of blankets she was buried under and grabbed her phone on the nightstand. It was 7:30AM, thirty minutes after the beginning of her usual morning shift. She let out a curse again as she scrolled through her messages, expecting a series of texts from Baekhyun demanding of her whereabouts. She was only met with a single text from him:

[are you coming in for your shift today? if not, i got it covered.]

y/n was not about to miss her shift, especially when she had inconvenienced Baekhyun so much the night before. She hurriedly hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She shoved a toothbrush in her mouth, washed her face, and ungracefully pulled on a pair of jeans. She decided the worn down white t-shirt she had on overnight was good enough for work. 

As she opened the door to bolt down to the bakery, she remembered she still had her toothbrush wedged between her teeth. She ran back inside with her shoes still on her feet and quickly washed the foamy toothpaste out of her mouth. 

y/n arrived at the bakery two minutes before the clock hit 8:00 AM, the opening time. Heavy breaths left her lungs from speed walking down the street and trying not to run into busy pedestrians at the same time. 

“...you stayed?! Baekhyun, are you kidding me.” Sehun’s aggravated voice could be heard as soon as y/n entered the store.

“Listen, Sehun. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I left as soon as—” Baekhyun was seemingly trying to calm Sehun down.

y/n interrupted their conversation with a greeting, “Good morning! I’m so sorry I’m late. I got here as fast as I could.”

Sehun glared at y/n. On the other hand, Baekhyun looked happy to see her. 

“y/n! So glad you could make it. Did you sleep well?” Baekhyun asked while y/n grabbed her apron from behind the counter. 

With a hushed voice, y/n responded, “Yeah, thank you so much. I’ll make last night up to you somehow.” She was scared Sehun might overhear their conversation. 

She waited for Baekhyun’s response, but he just stared at her, a slight frown forming on his face. 

“Baekhyun? Is something wrong?”

“Hold on,” Baekhyun murmured. He then reached out a hand towards her, y/n flinching slightly at the motion. He rubbed his thumb across the corner of her mouth, wiping away a streak of dry toothpaste. 

“You got toothpaste right there.” Baekhyun held up his hand for y/n to see and smiled mischievously. 

“Oh.” y/n couldn’t help but slightly get red in embarrassment. 

She glanced behind Baekhyun to see Sehun standing behind them. Sehun met her eyes and pretended to gag.

Her day went by surprisingly quickly. Her mind occasionally wandered from the stalker to the thought of Baekhyun’s hand in her hair last night and on her mouth this morning, but she was able to push it out of the way as she tied her hair and greeted a customer walking into the bakery. 

At the end of her shift, y/n quickly headed back home. She sat down at her desk to get a little bit of studying done for her upcoming exams. She was walking over to her kitchen for her second cup of coffee of the day when she took a look outside her apartment window. The sun was already setting over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of bright pink and orange. 

It was her friend’s birthday, and she was planning to go out tonight, finally a break from school and work. y/n changed into a mini skirt and a warm navy sweater, so that she wouldn’t freeze to death on a fall night. 

y/n arrived at the bar where her friend had booked a room for a party and was met with an excited harmony of greetings and a slam of a hug from the birthday girl, Joohyun. 

“y/n! You finally escaped from work!” Joohyun exclaimed. 

y/n smiled and took in a shot of tequila someone just handed her. The bitter tang made her wince, but Joohyun was right. She decided to let loose for the night. 

After a few more shots in, y/n was ready to go home. She could not pay any attention to any of the conversations that were going on during the party. The music was too loud in her eardrums and the lighting made everything harder to see. y/n’s senses were failing her. 

Suddenly, someone called for her.

She turned towards Joohyun who eagerly opened her mouth, “How is your love life? Seulgi over here got cheated on last month. Yerim just started dating like yesterday. Seungwan is getting fucked left and right. I’m…single as fuck!” Joohyun giggled, clearly drunk. “What about you, y/n? Let me in on the tea.”

y/n wondered if she had any romantic interests right now. She was too high on the alcohol to think before she spoke.

“Hmmm, I think…I find this one guy kinda cute,” y/n felt her face flush, as if it wasn’t red enough already. 

“Oh my, who is it?!” Joohyun nearly squealed and brought the attention of others.

y/n didn’t know if it was okay to talk about how she was lowkey hitting on her boss, but it was too late now. “My boss.”

A hushed gasp left Joohyun’s lips. “The guy at the bakery? With the cutest fucking eyes? Oh my goodness, you do realize, like, half the girls on campus think he’s cute too, right?”

y/n was slightly shocked at the news, but after all, the bakery was just right outside campus so most of their customers were college students.  

“I didn’t realize…” y/n stopped for a few seconds before asking, “Do you think he has a girlfriend right now?” y/n doubted it, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he did. 

Joohyun shrugged and let out another set of giggles. “Please get with him. You guys would be so cute together. Maybe you can convince him to give me free brownies. They’re so good.”

y/n blushed at the thought and downed a shot of lemon flavored vodka that bit at the back of her throat. 

Later that night, y/n was startled by the sound of her doorbell. She stumbled towards the door, puzzled. Her friends usually didn’t randomly pop into her apartment without earlier notice, and she wasn’t expecting any packages this late into the night. Each step got harder and harder to balance on — she was not in the right state of mind to greet guests at the moment.

She stood on tiptoes to look out the peephole. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized it was Baekhyun.

She quickly shimmied her skirt to its original position so she wouldn’t scare Baekhyun by flashing him, and combed through her hair with her hands a few times. She opened the door to reveal a concerned Baekhyun shifting anxiously on his feet. A look of relief washed over his face when he saw y/n, but returned to looking worried when he saw how disheveled she was. 

“Baekhyun? What are you doing here?” y/n asked groggily, although she was more than happy in his presence. She noticed he was hugging a large picnic basket. 

Baekhyun looked at y/n with puppy eyes. Cute, cute, cute., y/n thought.

“I wanted to make sure you got home safely, but you weren’t answering your phone.”

y/n’s heart stupidly fluttered at the fact that Baekhyun was worried for her. “I just went out for the night. Friend’s birthday.” 

She pointed at the picnic basket Baekhyun was holding so dearly. “What’s that?”

Baekhyun grinned shyly. “I…I didn’t want to come empty handed if you were home, so I brought a few things.” His smile widened when she met his eyes, his eyes crinkling into endearing crescent shapes again. Even though she was surprised by his sudden appearance, she couldn’t help but return his smile.

“I figured you might miss being around so many pastries tomorrow, since you have the day off.” Baekhyun said. He opened the picnic basket to reveal an arrangement of cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and every other pastry y/n could ever dream of.

y/n gasped. “Baekhyun, you didn’t have to—”

“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” Baekhyun said firmly. “Can I come in?”

“O-of course.” y/n opened the door wider, taking the picnic basket from him to set down on her dining table. y/n could still feel the booze making her feel like she was floating, but at this point she wasn’t sure if it was Baekhyun or alcohol that was making her head feel dizzy and heart rate elevated. 

Baekhyun walked into her living room, standing in the space he had been in less than 24 hours ago. He looked strangely at home, standing in the middle of her still-messy apartment. 

“I’m going to miss having you around tomorrow.” he said.

“Oh, it’s only a day. I’m sure Sehun will keep you company.” Of course, y/n knew that wasn’t the real reason he’d showed up to her house with a picnic basket. He was worried about her. She had been in bad shape last night, pale and shaking in Baekhyun’s arms even as the police crowded around them. She had barely managed to fall asleep, only able to drift off to the sound of Baekhyun’s soft singing voice.

y/n still couldn’t fathom why anyone, especially someone as attractive as Baekhyun, would care so much about her. She’d never had a guy treat her so well, to the point he would show up at her door with a giant basket full of sweet pastries just to cheer her up. The thought of Baekhyun, carefully gathering each pastry at his bakery to pack into this picnic basket, made her heart ache. She suddenly felt a sting in her eyes and an urge to tear up. Don’t, she warned herself. She had cried in front of him once, and that was already far too many times.

Unfazed by y/n’s sudden silence, Baekhyun casually started talking about what had happened at the bakery after her shift.

“You won’t believe what happened after you left today. Sehun completely messed up the ingredients for the pound cake recipe. I told him it’s three cups of flour, like, five times, but guess what he did. He only added one! I swear, he does it on purpose to spite me sometimes. Then he has the audacity to blame the whole thing on me…”

Baekhyun’s voice faded out into a soft hum in y/n’s ears as she was suddenly overcome with thoughts of Baekhyun that she had pushed to the back of her mind all day. Thoughts of the soft touch of his hand against her back as he held her close to him, the gentle pressure of his fingers as they stroked her hair, his impossibly sweet voice, lulling her to sleep, rushed to the forefront of her mind. The scent of fresh laundry and strawberries that waved through the air with Baekhyun’s every movement didn’t help, either.

“...and then, if that hadn’t been enough, he has the nerve to accidentally spill the bowl of egg yolk on the floor. I almost slipped on it and fell straight on my face in front of everyone. I’m this close to firing this kid, I swear. I would’ve fired him a long time ago if he wasn’t such a good friend.” Baekhyun continued to speak, oblivious to y/n getting more and more flustered by the second.

“Anyways, enough about me and Sehun. How was your day? I see you’ve been studying.” Baekhyun gestured at the huge pile of notebooks and papers that had gathered on top of her small desk by the window.

He looked so lovable in that moment, standing there in her apartment with his hair casually ruffled. His eyes glimmered as he gazed down at her, his lips twisting up to form another smile that made y/n’s stomach fill with butterflies. He was so close, close enough that she could see the tiny mole in the corner of his mouth once again. If she looked closer, she could see another one on the apple of his cheek. She wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. 

Before she could even comprehend what she was doing, she was reaching up on her tiptoes, placing her palms on the sides of his cheeks. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Baekhyun made a surprised noise in response. The comforting scent of fabric softener and strawberries became even stronger when she kissed him, but she could smell something sharp and sweeter…was it cinnamon? y/n kissed Baekhyun for a moment longer to make sure, and he let her, holding her arms to keep her there.

When y/n realized what she was doing, she pulled back, breaking their kiss. 

“Shit, shit, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that—” she stammered. She couldn’t believe she had the balls to kiss her boss out of pure impulse. She kept her eyes fixated on her feet in embarrassment. When she gathered the courage to look at Baekhyun, she was surprised to find that his face was shaded in a bright shade of pink, the color that she was expecting her own face to be. He was looking at y/n with a confused look on his face. 

“Uh, I should probably head home,” he said nervously. y/n could see his gaze slightly waver. “I hope you like the pastries…I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Baekhyun rushed across her living room before she could say anything. He shut the door behind him and he was gone.

y/n cringed as she heard her door close shut. Guilt and shame built inside her. She had thought her feelings for Baekhyun had been just a harmless crush, something that she could get over in a few weeks if she tried. She hadn’t expected herself to actually make a move, let alone try to kiss him. How was she going to face him on Monday?

She trudged to her bedroom, flopped down on her bed, and buried her head in her pillow. y/n couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about her lips eagerly pressed against Baekhyun's. She let out a groan. The lingering scent of fabric softener, strawberries, and pastries…Baekhyun was making her feel lightheaded.

A week had gone by, with neither Baekhyun nor y/n willing to talk about the kiss. Only short, formal conversations were exchanged between the two. In fact, Baekhyun seemed to avoid her at all costs, his face turning scarlet whenever she was around and refusing to make eye contact. He shied away from every possible interaction with her. 

Baekhyun also seemed to be making an unusually large amount of mistakes around the bakery in the past week. Spilling drinks all over himself had become a daily occurrence, to the point where Sehun stood by with a mop in his hand every time Baekhyun received a drink order. A few days ago, he had knocked over an entire tray of freshly made eclairs onto the ground. Sehun walked on to the scene and saw a horrifying mess of custard and pastries. He shook his head in disappointment.

“Baekhyun. You’re making rookie mistakes I don’t even make anymore.” Sehun harshly commented. “Is something up? Last time you were this unfocused was when Mina broke up with you.” 

y/n was pretty sure the mistakes he’d been making all week had something to do with the fact that she had kissed him. She felt extreme guilt in the pit of her stomach. He probably felt so uncomfortable around her, but he was too nice to fire her or even say a single word about it. 

One afternoon, as she reached the bakery, she could hear Sehun’s incredulous voice ringing out from the propped open door. “She kissed you?”

y/n flushed. They were talking about her. She heard a furious shushing noise from Baekhyun.

“What the fuck, Baekhyun? When did this happen?”

“Like, a week ago?”

“And you didn’t think to tell me? I fucking knew something happened between you guys! You’ve been acting like a complete idiot around her all week. You know how nauseating it is for me to watch you guys make heart eyes at each other all day, only for you to not make a single move?” Sehun sounded exasperated. “I swear to god, if you spill another drink because you’re too busy staring at her, I’m going to quit—”

Sehun stopped talking once he saw y/n walk through the door. Baekhyun looked up, his face turning the usual shade of pink when he saw her.

“Hi,” she said nervously.

“Good afternoon.” Baekhyun said, his hair falling slightly into his eyes as he looked back down at his hands. Sehun took a look at y/n, then at Baekhyun, before letting out an annoyed groan.

“y/n, get your ass over here. I need help in the kitchen.” Sehun announced, making his way into the kitchen without another word.

y/n gave Baekhyun an awkward smile before she followed Sehun into the kitchen. Sehun was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a frown on his face.

“What do you need help with?” she asked.

“Our boss is in love with you, fix it.” Sehun said too casually.

“What?”

“I’m just kidding, I don’t actually know if he’s in love with you yet. He definitely likes you, though.” Sehun said, sparing a glance out the kitchen door to look at Baekhyun. “He’s been acting like a dumbass all week. Because of you.” Sehun pointed a finger at her.

y/n’s head spun. She doubted that Baekhyun even had an ounce of feelings for her, but she remembered that Sehun had known Baekhyun for far longer than she had. If Baekhyun had feelings for her, even by a slim chance, then surely Sehun would know. She felt a sliver of hope rise in her chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she muttered, but Sehun gave her an incredulous look.

“I pretend I don’t give a shit ninety percent of the time, but Baekhyun is one of my oldest friends. He had a really bad breakup a couple years ago, and he hasn’t been the same ever since. I don’t think he’s had a single girlfriend since then. I just—” Sehun trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. “I care about him, okay? I want him to find someone, so if you’re the one he’s into, then I wish you would give him a chance. That’s all. Not that you have to, of course. I completely understand if you don't. He can be a shithead sometimes.” 

“What are you guys doing in there?” Baekhyun’s voice sounded from the counter.

“Just think about it.” Sehun sighed before walking over to the register, leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen, more confused than ever.

The rest of the shift went by swimmingly. Sehun left a couple hours later to head to class, giving her a knowing look before heading out. y/n felt both anticipation and nervousness at the thought of being alone with Baekhyun. The bakery was completely empty, save for a couple sitting in a secluded booth in the back.

Baekhyun was in the kitchen, staring at a batch of cookies that was almost ready to come out of the oven. You should at least talk to him, y/n told herself words of encouragement. Despite what Sehun had said, y/n wasn’t entirely sure that Baekhyun actually liked her romantically. After all, he hadn’t kissed her back that night. That’s because you pulled away before he could even do anything, reasoned a small voice in her mind. She shook the thought away. She couldn’t make any assumptions before she talked to him. The last thing she wanted to do was make him uncomfortable.

She slowly made her way into the kitchen. “Um, can I talk to you?” she asked.

Baekhyun looked up and nodded. He looked absolutely adorable, as he usually did, with his hair slightly ruffled right above his dark eyebrows and his light blue button-down slightly wrinkled under his apron.

“Hey, I realized we haven’t been able to talk to each other recently.” y/n cringed as she said. “And I bet it’s because I, uh, kissed you that night when you came to my apartment. I just wanted to say sorry again, that was so unprofessional of me, and I shouldn’t have done that. I really like working here, so I hope you don’t fire me or anything, but if you want to, I completely understand.” 

Baekhyun looked completely dumbfounded. He stared at her with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open a little.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been avoiding me all week! You barely talk to me, even when it’s only the two of us here, and you wouldn’t even look at me! I…I just feel like I’ve made you feel so uncomfortable, with, you know, what I did. I’m so sorry. If you want to pretend it never happened, that’s fine with me. I just wanted to apologize—” y/n nervously kept rambling on and on, fearing what was to come next. Her face was a bright red by now, she was sure of it. She wiped her palm on her jeans, wondering if the rising heat of the room was because of the oven, or if it was just her imagination.

Baekhyun shifted a few steps closer to her. y/n could barely manage to look up at him. 

“Why in the world would I fire you? I love having you here, you never have to worry about that.” he said sincerely. “And besides, I don’t want to pretend it never happened.”

“W-what?” she could only manage to say.

Baekhyun was getting noticeably red. “I said, I don’t want to pretend it never happened.” 

y/n’s brain ceased to work. They stood in silence as she struggled to comprehend what Baekhyun had just said.

“Can we kiss again, or was that a one time thing?” he asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. 

Baekhyun nervously bit the bottom of his lip, his mole more apparent above his mouth now, reminding y/n of that night again. y/n’s heart was doing jumping jacks in her chest. No, she wouldn’t mind kissing Baekhyun a few more times. 

“Yes,” she answered, “we can kiss again.”

He closed the gap between them in seconds. He reached out to gently cup her face in his hands, his brown eyes boring into hers. He craned his head down to lightly brush his lips against hers. y/n held her breath as Baekhyun shifted slightly to fit her lips better. His hands trailed down from her face, coming to rest on her sides. She felt herself sigh against his mouth as she stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, feeling his soft lips against her.

He tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping across her lips and parting her mouth. She thought she heard something ring in the background, but she forgot about it instantly when she lightly bit at Baekhyun’s bottom lip, and he let out a quiet moan in the back of his throat.

“I think the cookies are burning,” y/n managed to say between a mess of their lips when the room started to fill up with smoke. Baekhyun reluctantly pulled back, his hands still gently gripping her sides.

“Oh, no.” he groaned, burying his face in the nook where y/n’s neck and shoulder met. He opened the oven, letting a gush of smoke blow out. 

“Reminds me of your first day here.” Baekhyun commented playfully.

“I was surprised you didn’t fire me on the spot.” y/n cringed.

“You were too cute to fire over some burnt cookies.” He gave her a shy smile before taking the cookies out. They were burnt to a crisp once again. At least this time it wasn’t all her fault.

y/n had just plopped down onto her couch after a long day at school when her phone started ringing. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies when she saw the name Baekhyun flashing on her phone screen.

“Hi, Baekhyun,” y/n answered.

“y/n, are you free this weekend?” Baekhyun asked.

y/n thought about her schedule for a few seconds before answering. “Hm, I don’t have a whole lot to do. I just finished this big assignment today, thank god.”

“Great! Well…” Baekhyun hesitated. “Would you like to come over? I can make us dinner, maybe watch a movie…”

“I would love to!” y/n said a little too enthusiastically, a silly smile taking over her face.

“Does Saturday at seven sound good?”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed, trying to imagine Baekhyun with the same goofy smile on his face. Her heart warmed at the thought.

“It’s a date.” he added before hanging up. y/n’s breath caught in her throat. She tried her very best to not squeal with excitement like a teenager.

The rest of the week seemed to pass by in a blur as she counted the days to her date with Baekhyun. Before she knew it, she was nervously standing in front of Baekhyun’s door, waiting for him to answer. It’s only Baekhyun, she told herself reassuringly, you literally see him every other day.

y/n’s heart still did flips in her chest when Baekhyun answered the door, inviting her in with a sunny smile. He looked handsome as usual, with his hair styled and a baby blue sweater comfortably hugging his lean figure. His apartment was small but cozy, not much bigger than hers. Soft browns and blues adorned parts of the apartment. She could see touches of his personality around the place, from a framed photo of him with Sehun and two other guys, to a colorful apron hanging on a hook by the kitchen. y/n hadn’t realized that Baekhyun’s apartment would smell exactly how he did, except the fragrance of strawberries stood out more intensely over the smell of fresh laundry.

She walked in a little further to be met with a table with two plates of roasted steak and vegetables, softly lit by candlelights.

“I hope you like the menu.” Baekhyun commented. There was no way y/n wasn’t going to like the menu — she already knew she was going to love everything Baekhyun cooked.

“Wow, Baekhyun. This looks really good.” y/n complimented him as he pulled out a chair for her. She sat down, admiring not only the food, but also the beautifully set table with a small floral centerpiece. 

“I would make an amazing house-husband.” Baekhyun said with a wink, making her chuckle.

“Shall we dig in?” y/n asked, fork and knife ready in her hands. 

Baekhyun nodded. He waited for y/n to cut a small piece of her steak and put it in her mouth. 

“Is it good?” Baekhyun looked at y/n, anxiously waiting for an answer.

“I haven’t even started chewing,” y/n said, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Oh.” Baekhyun’s face reddened as he realized hadn’t given her the chance to fully taste her food before asking. 

After a few moments, y/n’s eyes widened at the tenderness of the steak. It was seasoned perfectly, too. “It’s delicious,” she complemented, “maybe you should’ve opened a restaurant instead of a bakery.”

“I learned how to cook from my grandma,” Baekhyun explained, “she lives in Gangwon-do! I visit her every now and then.”

This was y/n’s first time hearing about Baekhyun’s family. She listened with curiosity. 

“She makes amazing Korean dishes, but I swear she can cook the best steak. She can do Chinese, Japanese, Italian…the list goes on. My personal favorite is her soybean paste stew.” 

y/n watched Baekhyun get lost in the thought of his grandmother and her cooking. It was sort of endearing and y/n could imagine Baekhyun adorably waiting at the dinner table for his grandmother to bring out delicious plates of his favorite food. “Wow, I can only imagine.”

“You should come with me to visit her sometime.” Baekhyun commented casually.

y/n’s heart stirred as she wondered what that could mean for them. 

The meal went by pleasantly, filled with soft laughter and conversation. Baekhyun fondly mentioned how he had known Sehun for years, and y/n’s eyes sparkled in interest; she had always wondered how he and Sehun had become so close.

“You and Sehun seem really close — close considering you guys work together, I mean.”

Baekhyun nodded. “We grew up together back when I lived with my grandma. My parents were busy working 24/7, so they thought it would be better to have her take care of me. Sehun lived next door to our place until I had to move out for college, so I guess it was natural that we grew close.”

y/n had no clue that their relationship went far back. “What about now? How is he working for you?”

Baekhyun grinned as he reminisced about the past. “Ah, I visited my grandma one year and he was still living next door, freshly out of high school. He was about to head off to college in the city, so I asked him to come work in my bakery as a part timer. He said no at first, of course, but he caved in after I bribed him with a few cups of his favorite chocolate bubble tea.”

y/n giggled at the image of Sehun grumpily agreeing to work for Baekhyun as he sipped on the drink. 

“What about you, y/n?” Baekhyun asked as he forked a piece of asparagus.

“Me?”

“I feel like I’ve been only talking about myself.” Baekhyun pointed out. “Do you have any close friends?”

Joohyun’s face immediately surfaced to y/n’s mind. “Joohyun! We’ve been friends since high school. We ended up at the same college together, although I don’t see her that often. She’s an art history major, and I’m studying psychology, so we don’t have that many chances to see each other on campus. We’re both so busy these days.”

“I know how that feels,” Baekhyun said wistfully, “my two best friends from high school — Chanyeol and Kyungsoo — work in different cities, so I find that it’s hard to see them. I should call them to catch up sometime…they might tell me to fuck off, though.”

As Baekhyun and y/n worked through their meal, y/n found out that Baekhyun’s ultimate goal was to open a chain of bakeries across the country.

“It’s unrealistic — the bakery only started doing well about a year ago, so I don’t want to jinx it or anything. Not a lot of people make it in this business. But it’s my dream.” Baekhyun said, looking a bit flustered. 

y/n reached out and placed her hand over his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, I know you can do it.” she told him. 

Baekhyun gave her a warm look, his eyes gleaming in the soft glow of the candles.

They conversed non-stop through the rest of their dinner, discussing what the best dessert at the bakery was, how Sehun never trusted her with the oven anymore, and whether y/n was ever going to manage to learn the meticulous task of latte art. When their plates emptied and stomachs were satisfied, they made their way over to the blue velvet couch in his living room. 

“Rom-com? Or horror?” Baekhyun held up two DVD cases for y/n to see.

“Who uses DVDs these days?” y/n jokingly remarked. “Doesn’t everyone use Netflix? Or Hulu?”

Baekhyun grumbled that he liked the manual labor of playing a DVD. He inserted the rom-com into his DVD player and settled on the couch beside her. He scooted closer to drape his arm around y/n’s shoulders. She fit perfectly in his embrace and snuggled into him, tucking her face into the side of his chest. His hands started playing with her hair and she giggled softly. Cuddling with Baekhyun was nice. She indulged in the scent of him, the usual aroma of fresh laundry and strawberries. 

“I’m so glad you started working for us at the bakery.” Baekhyun said in a tentative tone.

The following gap of silence told y/n that Baekhyun had something more to say, but was careful with being too upfront about his feelings. y/n craned her neck and kissed Baekhyun boldly on the lips. His eyes widened slightly and his cheeks flushed at her assertiveness. “I’m glad that I met you.” she told him.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that…I like you,” Baekhyun mumbled, face still red, “this sounds selfish, but I like having you in my life. I keep getting a bit flustered when you’re around — you make me feel like I’m having a crush, like I’m in high school again.”

Baekhyun buried his face in his hand in embarrassment. y/n’s lips tugged into a heartwarming smile at Baekhyun’s confession.

y/n felt an urge to tease him for being so straightforward with her. “Is that all?” she asked.

Baekhyun lifted his head out of his hand to see y/n eagerly waiting for a response. “I-I’ve been feeling this way ever since you started working at the bakery. I just can’t seem to take my eyes off of you. At first, I thought it was because I was worried that you might make a mistake and hurt yourself — but then I started searching for you even when it wasn’t your shift. It’s okay if you don’t feel as strongly as I do, but I just wanted to make my feelings clear—”

y/n stopped his words with another kiss, this time longer. “I feel the same way, Baekhyun.”

y/n could’ve sworn that Baekhyun’s smile when she pulled away was bright enough to rival the sun.

The next morning, y/n walked to the bakery with an elated bounce in her step. The sun shone down beamingly onto the pretty autumn day, bright foliage lining the sidewalk. Whether the world actually looked beautiful that day, or if it just looked extra beautiful to her because of her happy mood, she did not know.

“Hi, y/n.” Baekhyun beamed and waved when y/n walked in, his face a light shade of pink. She saw Sehun standing besides him, rolling his eyes.

“Good morning!” y/n waved back with a smile on her face. Baekhyun seemed to be in a sunny mood today. He was softly humming along to a pop song playing in the background as he expertly made a caramel macchiato. Thankfully, he didn’t spill it this time, even with y/n around. 

“You guys seem cheery today.” Sehun noted, raising his eyebrows suspiciously. Baekhyun gave him an innocent smile as he handed the drink to a customer.

y/n’s shift passed by normally, everything the same as usual save for Baekhyun’s occasional glances and crescent-shaped smiles in her direction. Due to the upcoming midterms week, there were more students than usual pouring through the door of the bakery, grabbing a cup of coffee before they headed off to the nearby library.

There was finally a little break around lunchtime, when the flow of customers seemed to cease. The bakery was empty for the first time that day. y/n and Baekhyun stood by the register while Sehun went in the kitchen to ice a cake in chocolate ganache.

She turned to her right to see Baekhyun standing next to her, his head cocked to the side to look at y/n. He grinned and proceeded to plant a kiss on her cheek. “How’s your day going, love?” 

y/n blushed and shared a wide smile with Baekhyun. “I’m a little tired, but everything is going well! I managed to serve an iced latte in under three minutes today. Are you proud of me?”

Baekhyun booped y/n’s nose with his forefinger. “Yes, I am so proud.”

y/n let out a yawn. She had stayed up nearly all night after her date, trying to finish her assignments and study for her exam. The memory of Baekhyun had kept her in a good mood all morning despite her tiredness, but she felt the exhaustion finally settling into her body after the rush of customers.

“I’ll make you a coffee,” Baekhyun said, noticing her yawn. He made his way over to the espresso machine.

He was about to press the button on the machine when she walked over to wrap her arms around his waist from behind. She buried her face in his broad back, his frame lean but firm against her. She gently tickled his stomach and he let out a quiet laugh.

“Thank you,” she said softly, breathing in his scent.

“Oh my god, can you guys stop having sex in front of me?!” Sehun exclaimed. y/n and Baekhyun sprang apart, their faces scarlet. Sehun had just come out of the kitchen cautiously carrying a three-layer chocolate cake.

“We were just—” Baekhyun began, but Sehun interrupted.

“I will not stand being the third wheel of this bakery.” Sehun huffed, placing the cake down on the counter. He glared at them.

Baekhyun gave Sehun an annoyed look. “You know I’m the owner of this bakery, right? I make the rules.”

“Oh, so when I decide to wear sandals to work, I’m being unprofessional, but you guys can have a makeout session behind the register and it’s completely fine?” Sehun said angrily. 

y/n couldn’t help but giggle at Sehun’s reaction. He gave off the vibe of a little kid being annoyed at his parents for being affectionate to each other. 

“Aw, Sehun, are you sad that we don’t give you hugs?” y/n pouted, walking over to Sehun with her arms outstretched.

“No way. We are coworkers.” Sehun said coldly, running away to avoid her. y/n and Baekhyun laughed.

Their laughter was cut short when the door chimed and a young woman walked in. Baekhyun’s lips turned into a flat line.

She was tall, a couple inches taller than y/n maybe, and thin. Her hair was long and bleached blonde, tumbling down her shoulders in loose waves. She took no time to stride straight over to the register, where Baekhyun was standing, frozen in place. Her high heels clicked noisily against the wood flooring of the bakery. She looked at Baekhyun with an unreadable look on her face.

Sehun quietly cursed under his breath.

“Hi, Baekhyun.” she finally said after a prolonged silence, her voice hesitant.

“Mina,” Baekhyun breathed, “what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said, glancing over at y/n and Sehun, “maybe in private.”

Baekhyun stood, unblinking, still as a statue. His face was blank as he silently walked over to Mina. They sat down in a booth near the back of the bakery.

Once they were out of earshot, y/n turned to Sehun. He looked just as frozen as Baekhyun had been.

“Who’s that?” she asked, but she felt she already knew the answer.

“That’s Baekhyun’s ex, Mina, the one I told you about.” Sehun explained, eyes ladened in worry. “They met in college and dated for a little over two years. They went through a really bad breakup a few years ago and no one knows why. All I know is that he gets extremely agitated whenever someone brings her up. I have no idea why she’s here, he hasn’t seen her for years. She moved to another city not long after they broke up. For all I know, she’s a cold-hearted bitch.”

y/n nodded. She looked over at the booth where Baekhyun and Mina were talking in hushed voices. They sat across from each other, deep in conversation. Baekhyun had a bitter, almost chilling look on his face. 

“They were really serious. I remember they were even talking about getting married at one point. She better not be here trying to get back together with him or anything. He was heartbroken after they broke up.” Sehun followed y/n’s gaze to look suspiciously at Mina. It was times like this when y/n realized that beneath Sehun’s bratty persona, he actually cared about Baekhyun a lot. “She left him to be miserable on his own. If she’s trying to get him back, she better watch her back.”

Mina left after about twenty minutes. Baekhyun came back to the register, running his hand through his hair distractedly. He had a pained look on his face.

“What did she want?” Sehun asked, his arms crossed disapprovingly.

“I-it’s nothing for you to worry about.” Baekhyun said, barely making eye contact. “Sehun, can you take the closing shift today?”

“What? Why?”

“Something came up.” Baekhyun gave Sehun a look that seemed to mean something to Sehun. Sehun’s eyes softened. “Please?”

“Fine.” Sehun grumbled. y/n was surprised that Sehun agreed with little convincing. Sehun would’ve normally put up a fight, requiring Baekhyun to bribe him in some way.

Baekhyun was silent for the rest of the shift. y/n and Sehun walked on eggshells around him, careful not to say anything about Mina. They could tell her visit had put a lot on his mind. Baekhyun merely nodded or shook his head whenever he was asked something, and repeatedly stared out the window, deep in thought. 

“Hey Baekhyun, is everything okay?” y/n asked hesitantly.

Baekhyun looked at y/n and weakly smiled. “Yeah.”

y/n waited for Baekhyun to start talking about what was on his mind. “Mina, the girl that just came here, is my ex, if you couldn’t already tell.” He let out a heavy sigh before continuing. “We were pretty serious. Almost got married…but it didn’t work out. I don’t know why she suddenly showed up today. I really don’t want anything to do with her anymore.”

y/n appreciated his honesty, but didn’t know what to say.

“I’ll tell you more later if you want.” Baekhyun shared another smile with y/n when he sensed a bit of awkwardness between them. 

y/n tried not to think too much about what had happened with Baekhyun and Mina. She found it unsettling that Mina had visited him out of the blue, but she figured that Baekhyun would talk to her about it when he was ready. Still unnerved from the incident with Mina, y/n left the bakery around midafternoon, heading to the library to get a little studying done before her evening class.

Baekhyun had no idea why Mina had randomly popped into his bakery without warning, and asked him to meet her at a Italian restaurant with three Michelin stars halfway across town. He let out an annoyed sigh as he turned the steering wheel of his car to pull into a small parking lot. He would’ve much preferred to be back at his bakery at that moment. He already felt bad about forcing Sehun to work the closing shift.

Mina was already sitting down at a table by the window. Her face lit up when she saw him. Baekhyun internally groaned, and made his way over to the table.

“I was surprised you said yes to this dinner,” Mina chirped.

Baekhyun pulled out his chair and sat down hastily. “I’m not going to stay for long. Ten minutes and I have to go back to work.”

Mina raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you have two people working for you now?”

“What do you want?” Baekhyun was not going to entertain her.

Conveniently for Mina, a waiter interrupted them with two plates of carbonara. Mina gave the waiter a small thank you when he placed the plates in front of her and Baekhyun.

“I got carbonara, your favorite.”

Baekhyun stared at Mina in disbelief. “Can you please tell me why you invited me to dinner so we can part ways?” 

Mina sighed. “I’m getting married, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun held his breath. He did not expect to hear that at all. 

“Congratulations. I bet he will treat you well.” Baekhyun said flatly.

Mina took a sip of her wine and eyed the ring on her left hand. She held it up for Baekhyun to see, a perfectly cut diamond glimmering in all angles. “Quite frankly, I don’t want this.”

“It’s a pretty ring.” Baekhyun commented.

Mina let out a dry laugh. “I missed you, Baekhyun.”

As if the night wasn’t already a series of surprising events, this comment was by far the worst one yet. Baekhyun deeply sighed in agony. Mina had left him to be lonely and heartbroken when he was in one of his darkest times. He couldn’t possibly understand how she managed to shamelessly act like nothing had happened between them.

“What the fuck are you saying, Mina? We broke up a long time ago. You’re getting married.” Baekhyun’s voice rose. “I’m also taken.” 

Mina grabbed Baekhyun’s hand across the table. “I won’t marry him if you’re willing to give us another chance. I can break the engagement if we get back together, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s jaw clenched at the offer. Mina hadn’t been like this when they first started dating. She was selfless, kind, and did what was best for those she loved. He saw nothing but a shell of her former self in front of him now. 

He ripped his hand out from under hers. “Look, we were over once you decided I wasn’t good enough for you.” He took a moment before continuing to say, “I’m sorry that you’ve gotten yourself in a loveless marriage and you had to stoop this low. You weren’t like this before. What happened?”

“I love Junmyeon, I really do. It’s just…it’s just that I can’t marry him, without knowing what things could’ve been like between us if we had never broken up.” she said, her voice slightly trembling.

Baekhyun let out a bitter, humorless laugh. “You wanted nothing to do with me back when I was just a broke college dropout, remember? Now you see that my bakery is doing well, and all the sudden, you want back in my life?”

Baekhyun immediately worried that he was being a bit too harsh when he saw how Mina looked taken aback by his words.

“I regret how things ended between us more than anything in my life, Baekhyun—” she started to say.

Then his phone started ringing. Baekhyun gave a quick glance to the caller ID before answering. “Hello?”

His eyes widened and shot out of his chair. “I’m on my way.”

Without a single word to Mina, Baekhyun rushed out of the restaurant. 

y/n had called Baekhyun, telling him that the stalker showed up again. She had been surprised by Baekhyun’s response over the phone; she hadn’t expected him to drop everything he was doing and make his way to her immediately. y/n fidgeted nervously as she waited for him to show up.

By the time y/n saw Baekhyun running into the lobby of the building, the police had already gotten there and dragged the stalker away. A small crowd gathered around the police and y/n, who was being asked questions by a police officer. Baekhyun looked panicked when he saw an ambulance and a few paramedics on the scene. He pushed past the crowd and rushed to y/n, taking her hand into his. His eyes searched her face, desperate to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

“Are you okay?” He was panting a little from having run across campus. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, really. I just got a little bit scratched on my wrists. An ambulance was called just in case.” y/n was quick to assure Baekhyun, but at y/n’s words, Baekhyun gently lifted her hand to examine her wrists, slightly red and bruised. His eyes looked worried and a little glassy, like he was about to tear up. 

“What happened exactly?” he asked.

y/n slowly explained what had happened. She had noticed someone following her after class. When she turned the corner into an empty hallway, the stalker grabbed her by the wrists, slamming her onto the wall. y/n fought back, trying to escape his grip, but before she could scream for help, he pressed his palm over her mouth. Thankfully, after a few moments of kicking and yelling into the stalker’s hand, a student passing by noticed the scene and immediately called the police.

“Apparently he’s actually in my class, but he’s been following me around campus and to the bakery. The police arrested him.” she explained, squeezing Baekhyun into a hug. She didn’t want him to be so concerned when he didn’t have to be. She was just glad that the police had finally caught the stalker.

Baekhyun, one hand on the back of y/n’s head, tightened his other arm around her back and mumbled, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if…if he had…”

“Shh,” y/n shushed Baekhyun who was trembling more than she was now. “I’m fine, Baekhyun.” She pulled back to look at Baekhyun's eyes to reassure him and stood her tiptoes to give him a small kiss on the lips. She didn’t feel him relax against her as he usually did. His expression was still stiff, even stiffer than it had been back at the bakery.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, confused. Was he still upset about what had happened with Mina? 

Baekhyun scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Let’s talk about this in the car.” he said.

Baekhyun led her to the police officer that had been talking to y/n to make sure they could leave. They walked in silence with their hands intertwined to where Baekhyun’s car had been parked across campus.

She climbed into the passenger seat. Baekhyun placed his hands on the steering wheel without turning on the ignition. She could see a deep frown creasing his forehead. His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” y/n asked carefully.

“I’m fine. I’m not the one that just got attacked, y/n. Don’t worry about me,” he replied, but his shaky voice and white knuckles said otherwise.

“Can I ask you something?” 

Baekhyun nodded without looking at her. 

“Why did you ask Sehun to take the closing shift?” she asked. She could hear Baekhyun draw in a sharp breath and shift his grip on the steering wheel.

Before he could reply, his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, and the screen briefly flashed in her direction. Mina, it was hard to ignore the four white letters stark against it’s dark background. y/n’s stomach churned uncomfortably.

“Hello?” he answered curtly. She could hear Mina’s voice on the other line. She sounded worried.

“Something came up and I had to leave,” he said, “everything’s fine. No, there’s no need to stop by my place. I’m fine. Please, I don’t want to see you again, okay?”

Baekhyun hung up after a few moments. He let out a heavy sigh, leaning his head back against the headrest of his car. Neither of them spoke for a while.

“Was that Mina?” y/n asked, her voice barely audible. Baekhyun flinched at the sound of her name.

“Yes.” he said darkly.

“Oh,” was all that y/n could manage to say.

Something came up and I had to leave, he had said. y/n couldn’t help but feel a worrying question gnawing at the back of her head. She knew she wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew the answer. “Were you with her when I called you?”

Baekhyun looked blankly at his hands on the steering wheel. “Yes,” he finally said after a moment of hesitation. “I was having dinner with her.”

y/n felt an unbearable sting in her chest as her suspicion proved to be true. She knew Mina had wanted to talk to him back at the bakery. She had gotten the impression that Baekhyun wasn’t pleased about her visit, but she didn’t think that Baekhyun would want to see Mina again.

“I…I wish you would’ve told me,” she said quietly. She didn’t want to start a fight, she really didn’t. Besides, it wasn’t like she and Baekhyun had agreed to become exclusive or anything. But she couldn’t help but be a little upset at the fact that he had agreed to have dinner with Mina without telling her.

“I’m sorry.” he apologized, meeting her eyes for the first time in a while. They were still a bit glassy and red, staring at her sadly.

y/n wasn’t only upset with Baekhyun, but she was also upset at herself for getting involved in this situation in the first place. She didn’t want to be stuck in the middle between them, between a relationship that had lasted far longer than the amount of time she’d even known Baekhyun.

Baekhyun studied her face. “I should tell you about what happened in the past.” he said. y/n nodded, and he started to tell the history between him and Mina.

“I met Mina in my first year of college. She was a few years older than me. She had everything already figured out — what kind of job she wanted to have, what kind of life she wanted for herself — and I was just lost. I found some comfort in that she was so secure with herself because I wasn’t at the time. Everything seemed great at first. I’d never dated anyone seriously until that point, so I had no idea what to even expect out of a relationship, but I thought I was in love with her.

“Then right before our two-year anniversary, she started talking about marriage. Dropping hints about wedding dresses and engagement rings and all that. I definitely wasn’t ready to get married, I had no idea what I was even doing with my life. She was so disappointed when I didn’t propose on our anniversary.

“That was when I told her that I was going to drop out of college. I had felt like I was living a lie during my entire time there. I didn’t care about my major at all, and the thought of working in an office made me miserable. The only dream I’ve ever had in my life was to open my own bakery. I had expected her to at least be supportive of my dream. I thought she at least loved me that much.” Baekhyun hung his head and looked down at his lap bitterly. y/n’s heart ached at the look on his face. Baekhyun let out a sigh and continued on.

“She basically told me that my dream would never come true, that I would never save enough money to even come close to opening a bakery. She said even if I somehow managed to open a bakery, it would go out of business in months. She begged me to stay in college and study finance, said her family would never accept a husband with an unrealistic dream and no security blanket. She said we could get married when I graduated and got a job.

“I refused. I had already lost sight of my dream for twenty years. I wasn’t going to do it any longer. When she realized I wasn’t going to change my mind, she broke up with me. She got a job offer in a different city and moved away. I hadn’t seen her again since then…until today.”

Baekhyun’s eyes were full of tears now. y/n’s heart broke for him as a drop escaped, streaking down his cheek. She automatically reached out to take his hand in hers. The soft sound of his sniffle and the tremble of his hands told her only a fraction of the heartbreak that Baekhyun had experienced. There was nothing she could say that could undo what had happened to him. All she could do was hold his hand, and be there for him.

Baekhyun’s shoulders shook as he let out a quiet sob. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cry…you’ve been through enough today. Watching me cry is probably the last thing you want to do.”

“Don’t ever apologize for showing your emotions.” y/n told him, gripping his hand tighter.

y/n finally understood why Baekhyun had been so shaken by Mina’s sudden appearance. Mina had taken his heart, smashed it, and left before he could even pick up the broken pieces. For her to show up out of the blue, acting like nothing had happened, y/n could tell why Baekhyun had been so upset. 

“She asked me to have dinner with her when she came to the bakery. I said yes, thinking I would finally get closure. I thought she would finally apologize for the terrible things she’d said. I should’ve told you then, I’m sorry.” he said through his quiet whimpers. “Instead, she told me she’s getting married. She asked me to take her back. She told me she wouldn’t marry her fiancé if I gave her another chance.”

y/n sat, frozen in shock. She couldn’t quite believe her ears. Anger rose in her chest. How could Mina be so selfish?

“I said no, of course, but I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that she thinks so little of me, that she would think I’d jump at the chance to get back together with her, after all that she did…”

y/n leaned across the console of the car to wrap her arms around his shoulders. He buried his face against her neck, letting his tears freely fall now. y/n didn’t mind that her shirt was wet with his tears, she just wanted to take away all the pain in his heart. She brushed her hands against the broad expanse of his back, rubbing gentle circles. Her heart broke for him again at the sound of his broken sobs.

y/n couldn’t help but feel an uneasiness rising from the pit of her stomach. She thought that she had found what she had been looking for the past twenty-two years of her life, in Baekhyun — but the doubts that the appearance of Mina had sowed in her grew after listening to Baekhyun. She couldn’t tell if he still had feelings for Mina or not. More importantly, y/n didn’t know if she could be there for Baekhyun. She had no idea if she could be the one to fix what Mina had broken in him.

y/n wondered if she was just being selfish. Yes, she liked Baekhyun a lot, but she wasn’t sure if now was the best time to jump into a relationship with him when he was still healing from his last heartbreak. Everything about it felt overwhelming now. y/n genuinely appreciated Baekhyun’s honesty, but at the same time, she felt distant from him. Baekhyun’s story had made her realize how little she actually knew about him. She had no idea of who he was in the past, and hearing the truth felt like a burden. Could she be the one to fix his heart? 

y/n wasn’t sure if Baekhyun was what she was looking for in a relationship anymore.

She slowly pulled back from Baekhyun’s arms when his sobs died down, replaced by soft sniffles. “I-I need some time to process this.” she said tentatively.

Baekhyun blinked, his eyes swollen red and his cheeks tear streaked. “What?” The sight of Baekhyun in tears made y/n’s heart ache.

“I’m sorry…I really hate to do this, Baekhyun. But I don’t know if I can do whatever this is between us. I need time to think, and I think you do, too.” Her own eyes stung, filling up with tears of their own. She couldn’t bear to look at him. She felt sick. What she was doing was selfish; she was trying to protect herself because she feared commitment to Baekhyun.

When she finally braced herself to look up at him, his eyes were red-rimmed, shimmering with tears. “...I understand.” he said in a breathy voice. 

Eventually, y/n silently got out of the car and ignored how much she regretted her decision to leave Baekhyun all alone. She hurriedly ran across campus and back to her apartment. She only managed to fall asleep that night when her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

y/n requested the rest of the week off, claiming that she needed time to study for her exams. She hadn’t been entirely lying; she desperately needed to study. But that reason paled in comparison to her compulsive need to avoid Baekhyun at all costs.

Thinking of Baekhyun clouded her heart with so many emotions that she couldn’t even begin to process. She had felt so cruel, leaving him behind in his car with tears falling down his cheeks, when he had poured his heart out in front of her just moments before. It was as if he had taken his heart out of its carefully guarded cage and handed it to her, only for her to abandon it. Her chest filled with guilt just thinking about it. The reasonable, practical side of her heart, however, told her that they both needed time on their own to collect their thoughts before making rash decisions.

The week passed by uneventfully with y/n spending most of her time in either class or the library. She tried her very best to push away every thought of Baekhyun. She was walking to class one day when she received a text from Joohyun, asking her if she wanted to have dinner. She brightened at the chance to see her friend. She was desperately in need of a distraction.

y/n walked into a dimly lit restaurant that apparently served the best gourmet burgers in town. Joohyun animatedly waved her over to their table.

“Joohyun, how’s it going?” y/n asked as she hung her coat on the chair. 

Joohyun rubbed her stomach and complained, “I’m so goddamn hungry. Let’s order.”

By the time their food was served, they were deep into conversation about their lives. y/n had expected Joohyun, who loved to gossip, to hit her with the relationship question — and she wasn’t wrong.

“So…any updates about you and the cute baker boss?” Joohyun smiled slyly and wiggled her eyebrows.

y/n nearly choked on her food. “W-we aren’t together.”

Disappointment took over Joohyun’s face. “Are you serious? I told you guys would make a cute couple! Really, nothing happened?” Joohyun pressed for answers.

“We did kiss.” y/n finally admitted. 

Joohyun giggled in excitement. “Oh my, tell me all the details! Just once? There's no way you only managed to kiss that cute boy only once.”

y/n explained to her a rough sketch of what had happened, but wasn’t sure if she should include the detail about their time away from each other. “We…aren’t exactly on good terms right now.”

Joohyun, who was listening attentively, slammed her palm on the table. Her mug of beer made a little splash at the force. “What? How could you not be on good terms right now?” 

y/n internally cringed. “I know. Everything seemed to be going well until his ex showed up.”

“His ex?” Joohyun’s eyes widened. “I hate a man with a messy past.”

“It’s not that messy.” y/n wondered. Was it really?

Joohyun shook her head in disapproval. “So, you guys are on a break right now?”

y/n nodded bitterly and sipped on her mug of beer, halfway empty now. 

“You shied away from commitment, right,” Joohyun said almost conclusively. “I know you.”

y/n nodded again, but this time hung her head and said, “I don’t know what to do. I really like him, but do I have it in me to commit to all sides of him? He seemed like he’s so bright and easy-going all the time. I had no idea about his past and how heartbroken he was. I don’t know if I can be the one to support him, even through all his dark times. What if I hurt him too? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that I broke his heart, even just a little bit.”

“Aw, y/n.” Joohyun picked up y/n’s hand and made y/n meet eyes with her. “You have a good heart. You should know that. I’m sure your relationship with him will have its ups and downs — as all relationships do.”

y/n felt her eyes tear up. Joohyun’s assurance was exactly what she had been looking for. She needed the courage to commit to Baekhyun, give her all to him and promise to love him with her whole heart. 

“I’m usually not the one to say cheesy shit like this — but follow your heart, y/n. You overthink sometimes.” Joohyun smiled warmly at y/n. “I’ve never heard you talk about someone like this before, y/n. It sounds like you care about him a lot.”

y/n thanked Joohyun for her advice and gave her a long hug before they parted ways. y/n stared emptily after Joohyun as her friend rushed to the nearby subway station.

y/n clutched her coat tighter around herself in the cold nighttime air. She was in a part of town that she rarely frequented, surrounded by shops and restaurants she’d never seen before. She walked around aimlessly until her feet came to rest before a small bakery sandwiched between a Chinese restaurant and a bookstore. 

It was late, but there were still cookies, cakes and different pastries displayed on the shelf. y/n could smell the addicting, sweet scent of baked goods when she stepped closer. The inside of the bakery seemed so warm and inviting; y/n desperately wanted to go inside.

An employee popped out of the back room and jogged over to the register. y/n felt a bitter pang in her chest when she realized he wasn’t Baekhyun. She had strangely expected him to be Baekhyun, despite the fact that this wasn’t his bakery, plus she was in a completely different part of the city. She realized that she had come to permanently associate the concept of bakeries with Baekhyun.

A group of customers walked in and the employee greeted them with a welcoming smile. y/n quickly walked away before his smile could remind her of Baekhyun, too.

y/n was sitting on her couch on a lazy evening, sipping a cup of earl grey tea as she watched dry leaves fall off the branches outside in a slow transition from fall to winter. After a long day at school, she was about to turn on the TV when her doorbell rang.

She considered who could be visiting her this late. Something in the back of her mind wished it was Baekhyun behind the door, all smiles and sunshine, but she remembered a package that she had ordered earlier in the week. She looked out her peephole expecting a delivery man and nearly gasped. Baekhyun was fidgeting nervously on her doormat. 

She opened her door to reveal a slightly disheveled Baekhyun, wearing a rumpled sweater and light-wash jeans. Despite everything that had happened, she couldn’t help but be glad to see him. “Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” he said, tense, “I-I wanted to talk to you. Is that okay? If you’re not ready, I can leave—”

“It’s okay, Baekhyun. Come in.” She opened the door wider so he could walk in.

Baekhyun awkwardly shuffled to her living room to stand in front of her TV. 

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked as she closed the door behind her. 

Baekhyun chewed on his bottom lip nervously. “I just wanted to say, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more honest with you, and I definitely should’ve figured everything out before I started anything with you.” he said, scratching the back of his neck. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Baekhyun.”

“I thought I had gotten over the whole Mina thing a long time ago, but obviously I was wrong. I know this now; Mina didn’t want me. She wanted the nostalgia, the life that she thinks she could’ve had with me if we hadn’t broken up. But I don’t even want to think about that, because I wouldn’t have met you.”

“I wasn’t upset about you getting over Mina.” y/n clarified. “Now that I think of it, you made it quite clear that you didn’t have feelings for her anymore. I’ve thought about us a lot in the past week, and I want to apologize. I was scared of commitment—”

“I scared you off, didn’t I,” Baekhyun murmured. “I can’t promise you that I’m completely healed from what happened all those years ago. I understand if you don’t want to be with me because of that — but I would regret it forever if I didn’t at least tell you how I feel. I want to be with you. You’ve been on my mind all week, and it drove me crazy that I wasn’t seeing you everyday at the bakery. I missed you.”

Baekhyun’s eyes desperately searched for hers. The bright, sincere look in his eyes was asking her to say something, anything at all. 

“I want to be with you, too.” y/n said, her voice clear and sure.

Baekhyun let out a huge sigh of relief. She couldn’t help but smile at his quick change in expression.

“I missed you too, Baekhyun,” y/n confessed. “I’m so sorry I left you all alone in the car. I really should’ve been there for you. I-I was being selfish. I can’t imagine not having you in my life anymore, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun nodded. “It’s okay. I understand how you could have felt that way. I can handle my own emotions, too. I don’t want to burden you.”

“No, no, you’re never a burden to me, Baekhyun,” y/n shook her head. “I’m going to be here for you from now on.”

Baekhyun’s face flushed and broke into a radiant smile. y/n’s heart soared.

He crossed the small space between them and cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to press his lips against hers. She let out a soft noise in surprise, and melted into the kiss. It had been far too long since he had kissed her like this. She gently placed her hands on his back, pulling him closer to her. She could feel him smile against her lips.

“You have no idea how much I’ve been waiting to hear that.” he mumbled, pulling back a little bit.

She shut him up by kissing him again.

Two months later

It was already the season to dress in thick woolen coats with pockets deep enough for Baekhyun to hide dessert to surprise y/n with. He occasionally pulled out carefully packaged brownies or sugar cookies and watched y/n’s delighted reaction in satisfaction. His gifts didn’t stop with the baked goods; Baekhyun once showed up in a blue knitted scarf and gifted an identical pair for y/n to match with him. 

y/n gripped Baekhyun’s hand tightly and half-dragged him towards the snow-covered cabin. Snowflakes were falling around them softly, resting on the tops of their heads and shoulders before quickly melting away. 

y/n suppressed a laugh when Baekhyun let out another whine. “I told you I didn’t want to go!” he complained, flailing his other arm as y/n dragged him away. He pouted when she looked back at him — she almost gave in at his puppy-like eyes. 

“We came all this way, Baekhyun,” she said firmly, “now let’s go inside, I’m freezing.”

When Baekhyun received the official invitation to Mina’s wedding two months ago, he had been strongly against going. He crossed his arms, claiming that he never wanted to see her face again. Strangely enough, y/n found herself convincing Baekhyun to attend the wedding with her. 

“You’ll finally get the closure you’ve wanted if you go and congratulate her, Baekhyun.” y/n had said to Baekhyun, who was fuming at the notion of seeing Mina again.

“It’s fine if you really don’t want to go. But I won’t be able to show her that you’re mine.” y/n had said with a wink. This seemed to cheer Baekhyun up a little bit, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes.

y/n and Baekhyun entered the cabin, handing their coats to the coat checker. y/n was wearing a light pink silk dress that stopped a few inches below her knees, her hair falling down her back in soft waves. She had made sure to look presentable and had spent hours deciding on her dress. Baekhyun looked at her appreciatively, blushing when she met his eyes.

The cabin was completely decked out in Christmas decorations, every wall space covered in wreaths and fairy lights. Even the air smelled like Christmas — the aroma of gingerbread cookies and pine cones filling the entire venue. Huge A-framed windows looked out at the snowy mountains around them.

y/n clapped excitedly. “I love Christmas weddings!” She shot Baekhyun a warning glance before he could let out another grumble.

The ceremony was breathtaking, y/n admitted. The wedding hall was decorated in a flourish of pink toned flowers. The window behind the altar gave a clear view into the open sky as the sun set beautifully behind the mountains. Mina wore an elegant white gown decorated with lace flowers and crystals that made the dress twinkle as she walked down the aisle to her soon-to-be husband. The groom, Junmyeon, looked just as elegant in his tuxedo. He stood at the altar in a perfect posture, beaming at his bride. 

y/n glanced over at Baekhyun when Mina and Junmyeon began exchanging vows. She had felt a twinge of worry that Baekhyun might not actually enjoy the wedding. However, he was smiling lightly, eyes content at the sight of the newlywed couple. He looked genuinely happy for them.

The banquet hall on the other end of the cabin slowly filled up with people for the reception. Thousands of fairy lights hung across the walls, twinkling like stars that whimsically complemented the darkening sky outside. Baekhyun’s eyes lit up when he saw two twenty-something year old men walking towards them. y/n recognized them as the guys from the framed photo in Baekhyun’s apartment.

“Is that Byun Baekhyun I see?” a tall, gangly man with noticeably pointy ears yelled, approaching them with a big grin on his face.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun exclaimed animatedly. Chanyeol captured Baekhyun in a bear hug, squeezing him as tight as he could. Baekhyun tapped his friend’s back. “Chanyeol, my dude, I can’t breathe.”

Chanyeol released him with a deep, rumbling laugh. A shorter man with big round eyes and heart-shaped lips approached Baekhyun, giving Baekhyun a hug as well. He gave y/n a much calmer impression compared to Chanyeol, who was shaking with laughter.

“It’s so good to see you, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said as the shorter man let go. Kyungsoo’s eyes moved to y/n, who had been standing next to Baekhyun. He gave her a curious look.

“Guys, this is my girlfriend, y/n. y/n, these are my friends, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun introduced, a proud smile on his face. y/n felt warmth rise in her stomach at the phrase my girlfriend. It had already been over a month since they'd made their relationship official, but she still felt butterflies whenever he said those words.

“You’re y/n? The y/n? The girl Baekhyun has been talking nonstop about for the past two months?” Chanyeol teased. Baekhyun groaned and covered his face in his hands, his face flushed red.

“Chanyeol, please. Make a good first impression for y/n.” Baekhyun complained.

“Yes, I’m y/n. It’s so nice to meet you guys.” y/n said, smiling at Baekhyun’s embarrassment. His rosy cheeks were beyond cute when he was embarrassed.

“We’re both so glad that Baekhyun finally found someone. You guys make a cute couple, I must say.” Kyungsoo sincerely commented.

“Get ready, y/n, because I’m going to tell you so many embarrassing stories about Baekhyun. Has he told you about the time he got stuck—” Chanyeol started, but Baekhyun made a strangled noise and punched Chanyeol lightly on the arm. Chanyeol overreacted by grabbing himself and scrunching his face in feigned pain.

“Oh, stop it. I didn’t even punch you that hard.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“He got stuck inside a porta potty once,” Kyungsoo quietly whispered to y/n while Chanyeol and Baekhyun quarreled over who had started ‘it’.

The four of them enjoyed their food at a banquet table together. Chanyeol was in the middle of telling a story about the time Baekhyun accidentally shaved off his eyebrows in middle school. Baekhyun had given up on trying to make Chanyeol shut up.

“I had no idea the blade was double sided!” Baekhyun objected, causing Chanyeol to snort and double over the table. y/n laughed as she imagined a younger Baekhyun without eyebrows.

Guests began to walk up to Mina and Junmyeon one by one to congratulate them one last time before heading out. Baekhyun eyed the happy couple who stood across the room hand in hand. Mina was standing with Junmyeon, a bright smile on her face. She chuckled when Junmyeon leaned down to whisper something to her.

“Do you want to go talk to her?” y/n asked quietly in Baekhyun’s ear.

“Only if you come with me,” he murmured.

y/n and Baekhyun excused themselves, saying their goodbyes to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. y/n wrapped her arm around Baekhyun’s and made their way towards Mina and Junmyeon. 

Mina’s smile faded ever so slightly when she saw Baekhyun and y/n approaching them. She said something to Junmyeon, prompting him to walk away and give them some privacy.

“Congratulations, Mina.” Baekhyun greeted her with a genuine smile.

“Baekhyun, I didn’t think you would come,” Mina said, looking flustered. She glanced at y/n standing next to him. “I-isn’t she the girl that works for you at the bakery?”

“Yes, she’s also my girlfriend.” Baekhyun replied. y/n felt an arm wrap around her waist. Mina showed little to no reaction other than a slight widening of the eyes. y/n felt satisfaction settle inside her as she heard the phrase again. My girlfriend. 

“I do remember you saying that you were taken,” Mina said, an awkward smile lingering on her lips. She turned her eyes to y/n. “It’s nice to meet you, y/n. I assume you know who I am.”

y/n nodded once wordlessly.

Baekhyun cleared his throat once and said, “Despite everything that’s happened between us, I still want you to be happy. I hope you are, with Junmyeon.”

“I am,” she said quietly, “thank you, Baekhyun.”

“Goodbye, Mina.” Baekhyun gave her a curt nod before moving to walk away. 

“Wait, Baekhyun—” Mina blurted, stopping Baekhyun in his tracks. He turned to look at her.

“I-I’m sorry. For how I treated you all those years ago. You didn’t deserve that, and I know it’s too late to apologize now — but I still want you to know.” Mina looked down at the hem of her dress before continuing her apology. “You’re a great guy. I hope you find happiness, too.” 

“Don’t worry,” Baekhyun said, “I found happiness with her.” His arm tightened around y/n’s waist, pulling her closer to his side.

y/n watched Baekhyun smile at Mina, his face the most peaceful y/n had ever seen. He slid his hand into y/n’s and pulled them away. All Mina could do was stare after the couple as they walked out of the venue until they were out of sight.

y/n comfortably settled into the white sheets of the bed, relaxing after a long day of hauling herself around on a pair of high heels. She soon felt the pressure of Baekhyun sinking down beside her. It was too late for them to make the three-hour drive back to their city after the reception, so Baekhyun had booked a hotel room for the two of them. She rolled over on her side to look at Baekhyun, who was laying on his back, his face at ease. y/n blushed slightly at the sight of his bare chest; he was only dressed in a pair of sweatpants.

Shifting through the crack of the curtains, moonlight illuminated Baekhyun’s skin into a healthy glow. 

“Thank you.” Baekhyun softly whispered. He met his eyes with y/n.

“For what?” y/n asked. 

“For everything. I don’t think I’ve been this happy in a long time.” Baekhyun moved closer to kiss her briefly on the lips. “And I’m so glad you’re the one to make me feel this way.”

y/n gave him a small smile and raised a hand to stroke his hair. Without saying a word, she lovingly kissed him again in response, silently letting him know that she felt the same way. Everything he did, from his endearing smiles to little pouts whenever he messed up the icing, and every way he looked, from a neatly dressed pastry chef to a mess of soft brown hair and dark puppy eyes — all of Baekhyun made y/n fall harder for him.

She deepened the kiss, pressing her lips harder against Baekhyun’s mouth. She felt warmth gather in the pit of her stomach. Baekhyun swiped his tongue against her lips, allowing him to push his tongue inside to meet hers. Baekhyun placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling their bodies as close as possible. She could feel the heat of his body firm against hers. 

Their breaths became heavier as they continued kissing. She let out a moan when she felt Baekhyun instinctively grind his hips against hers. His hands gripped her waist and moved her so that she was straddling his hips. She bent down to capture his lips again in a messy kiss, their tongues moving against each other sloppily. She rolled her hips against him as they kissed, searching for friction that sent chills down her back. 

She felt his hand slide up the hem of her pajama shirt, gently brushing the soft skin of her stomach. A shiver ran down her entire body. She reached down to pull her shirt over her head. Baekhyun pulled back slightly to stare at her, his breaths shallow and his pupils dilated. His hands wandered down her sides. The way Baekhyun touched her, like she was the most precious thing in the world, made her a million times more sensitive. Every time his hands traveled to a new place, she had to cut back a gasp. 

Baekhyun kissed the side of her jaw, and down the column of her neck. He harshly sucked on a tender point at the base of her throat, his mouth leaving angry, red marks all over her neck. Baekhyun’s hands started kneading her breasts, and she let out another moan. Pleased with her reaction, he ducked his head to take her breast into his mouth. She lightly moaned as she felt his tongue flick against her nipple.

“B-Baekhyun,” she called out shakily.

“Mmm?” he replied, his voice muffled against her skin.

“I need you.”

Baekhyun’s mouth released her breast with a pop, and the sudden onset of cold air made her shudder. He looked to meet her lustful eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she breathed out.

Baekhyun kissed her lips again, exhaling a soft moan as he did. His hand slowly trailed down from her chest to rest between her thighs, brushing against her stomach on the way. She felt goosebumps rise on her skin as he gently shoved his hand inside her pajama shorts to rub her against her underwear. y/n let out a sudden moan, surprised at the pressure in which Baekhyun began rubbing her. His index and middle fingers began moving in a languid back and forth motion. y/n rested her forehead against Baekhyun’s shoulder as she whimpered, already getting lightheaded. Baekhyun let out a soft sigh in response and pushed her underwear down. Baekhyun slid a finger across y/n’s wetness before he started rubbing her clit in circular motions. He eased his two fingers inside her and started to slowly pump them back and forth.

At the direct contact of Baekhyun’s fingers inside her heat, y/n lost control of her moans. She felt embarrassed at the sounds that came out from her lips and rang across the small hotel room. She closed her eyes and bit her lip.

“Look at me, love.” Baekhyun demanded. y/n forced her eyes open and saw Baekhyun, who had a dark look in his eyes, craving for more.

Baekhyun’s hand moved faster in and out of y/n. “Does that feel good?” he asked, voice hoarse. 

“Oh my god, yes,” she managed to say between her moans.

Baekhyun gently flipped them over so that he was leaning above her, his arms resting on either side of her face. As he leaned down to kiss her, he slid off his sweatpants leaving only his underwear on. y/n broke from the kiss, staring at the hardness in his underwear, painfully straining against the fabric. She slowly let her hand wander down from his shoulder and splayed it against his stomach. She played with the hem of his underwear before pulling it down and wrapping her hand around his hardened cock. y/n moved her hand in a steady up and down motion, adding more pressure at the tip. She watched Baekhyun come undone by her touch.

“Go a little faster, sweetheart.” Baekhyun said in a hurried whisper. 

y/n responded by moving her hand faster in a circular motion. Baekhyun let out a quiet noise in the back of his throat, further igniting the flame that was burning inside her stomach.

“I need you inside me,” she said, her voice unsteady.

Baekhyun reached for his wallet on the side table next to the bed and fished out a condom with one hand. He ripped the plastic open and rolled the condom onto his length. He took no time to gently move her hand away from his cock and line himself up at her entrance, pausing for a moment before looking into her desperate eyes. He sank down into her, letting out a soft moan. Her head leaned back into the pillow in pleasure, making space for Baekhyun to tilt his head down and suck on her neck. She let out high-pitched moans as he started to move faster, his hand reaching out to hold onto the headboard of the bed.

“Fuck, Baekhyun.” y/n cried out. Baekhyun thrusted harder into her at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. He pounded in and out of her, gaining a moan from y/n with each thrust. She brought her hands to his shoulders and raked her fingernails down his broad back.

Baekhyun’s decreasing steadiness and grunts indicated that he was close. y/n felt like she was going to explode, but it wasn’t enough. She took Baekhyun’s hand to her clit and looked into his eyes, begging him for more. Baekhyun got the message and started rubbing intensely, causing y/n to melt into a puddle under his hand. Even as Baekhyun moved roughly, there was an undeniable sense of affection from him, his eyes gazing at her lovingly. 

“Baby, you feel so good,” he murmured.

A few moments later, there was a sudden burst of pent up energy, her back arching off the bed and legs shaking as she came. Her vision blurred as she clenched her eyes and loud moans spilled out of her lips. She called out for Baekhyun, barely making out her own words through her release. He slammed her into a few more times before reaching his own climax.

They collapsed down onto the bed together, chests rising and falling from their harsh breaths. She turned to the side to look at Baekhyun. His skin glistened with sweat, and he looked back at her, dazed. 

The world seemed to stop when Baekhyun said the next words. “I love you,” Baekhyun whispered softly, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind y/n’s ear. The soft brown in his eyes glimmered for a moment before he leaned in to close his lips around hers.

When they broke apart, y/n whispered back, “I love you too, Baekhyun.” making his face break out into a sweet smile that reminded her of nothing but sunshine, and strangely, strawberries, too.

The cold December air hurt y/n’s lungs as she skipped down the snowy sidewalk that led to the bakery. She ducked her head through the door, inhaling a mixed aroma of cookies, cakes, and macaroons. A smile sprung on her face as she made eye contact with Sehun, who was working the register.

“What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to work today.” Sehun asked, surprised to see her.

“I just wanted to visit my favorite bakery employee,” she said innocently, walking over to ruffle Sehun’s hair. Sehun rolled his eyes.

“You’re here to visit your goddamn boyfriend, and you know it.” Sehun deadpanned.

y/n laughed brightly. “I’m here to see you too, Sehun!” She scanned the bakery — it was unusually empty today with most college students having left for winter break. “Where’s Baekhyun?”

Sehun rolled his eyes again. “He’s in the kitchen.”

y/n walked into the kitchen and was met with Baekhyun bent over a tray of cookies. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, his teeth gently digging into his bottom lip as he carefully squeezed icing onto a cookie. He looked up and beamed when he saw y/n walk in.

“Hi, love,” he said, placing the icing bag down on the counter, “what are you doing here?”

“Hi,” she replied, walking over to give him a hug, “I got bored sitting around the apartment so I decided to come visit.”

Baekhyun leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “Good. I was getting bored with icing these cookies, too.”

y/n looked down at what he had been working on and gasped. “You know sugar cookies are my favorite.” she said, a blissful smile on her face.

Baekhyun picked up the cookie he’d been icing and tipped it into y/n’s mouth. She chewed, delighting in the sweet flavor of her favorite dessert.

“It’s delicious,” she complimented, “you should try some.”

He leaned in to kiss her again, this time more eagerly. His lips curved against the slope of her mouth, his tongue moving past her lips. She suppressed a moan into a soft sigh and gripped his shoulder as he pressed harder against her mouth.

“Mm, but I’d rather have you for dessert.” Baekhyun broke off from her lips and shamelessly murmured into y/n’s ear, making her face heat up instantly.

They reluctantly pulled back when they heard Sehun’s grumpy yell from outside.

“You guys better not be having sex in there!”

[heartbreakgrill]

Circles; Harry Styles

a/n: welcome to a new mini-series! Probably wont be more than 3 parts, but we’ll see! I watched This is Us and got major inspiration. Enjoy!

description: in which your visit the bakery you frequented as a child and run into an old face to stir up forgotten flirtations.

It was a bitterly cold day in Holmes Chapel, the wind whipping wildly across the fields and through the small town streets. You were dressed for the weather, peacoat collar flicked upwards to protect your neck from the chill. Sure, you probably looked like a psychopath with your eyes and part of your forehead the only bits of skin visible to any passerby. But, you didn’t care.

You were used to the cold weather, having just flown home from London, where it was already pouring buckets of freezing rain. At least here the air was dry. However normalized cold weather was, however, your body was obviously still affected thanks to being a warm-blooded mammal with thin layers of skin, easily frost bitten and frozen.

You licked your lips, having gone chapped from the chill, as you turned a street corner. Up ahead was your favorite bakery, one you frequented a lot before you moved to London for university. It had been two years since youd been home, having left as soon as you graduated secondary school. Of course, a certain someone had worked there whenever it began to be your favorite place, but after he left, it was simply because of the sweet elderly women and the delicious treats.

Now, you were back in town for two weeks, on winter break, before heading over to New York to visit a friend from university. You had been aching for a chocolate chip muffin from your favorite bakers for nearly two years now. When you walked in, the smell of the baked goods made your knees weak. A grin indented your face as you began to take off your scarf, earmuffs, hat, and mittens.

Sharon, the loveliest of them all, spotted you from her spot behind the counter, where she was counting cash. “Oh, my Lord! [Y/N]?!”

You stuffed your things into either pocket of your coat, feeling the warmth of the store when the door shut softly. “Hiya!” You waved as you stepped towards the glass displays.

“Laurie! Sue! [Y/N]’s here!” She rounded the counter, arms open for you. She was much shorter than you, so you bent at the waist slightly to hug her shoulders. It was the same routine with Laurie and Sue. They gushed over you, your hair, you smile, your height!

“You look so grown! So old! My heart!” Sue twirled a lock of your hair around her fingers, eyeing the color. “Did you dye it?”

“No, Sue, dont worry,” you sat at your table, in the back by the window. “It’s just damp because I got a shower this morning.”

“Oh,” Sue nodded firmly.

They took seats around you, ready to question you all about your life for the past two years. Laurie began with, “How’s uni?”

You smiled, reminiscing the good times youd made in London, “So wonderful. I absolutely love the city. Its busy and it rains a lot, but I love it.”

“Have you made any friends?” Sharon held lightly to your hand, her wrinkled skin soft and warm against your frozen fingers. “I know you expressed your concern with that whenever you left us.”

“Yeah, actually,” you squeezed, “I’m here for two weeks then heading over to New York to visit her. She was my roommate my first year, and now were renting an apartment together.”

“Oh, lovely,” Sue commented.

This continued for a few minutes, the questions and answers rolling back and forth between the four of you like waves. That was until a loud beep and holler came from the kitchen area. Sue stood quickly, muttering someone’s name and shuffling back to the kitchen.

“You hire somebody else?” It was your turn to ask, giggling lightly at her silly run.

Laurie shook her head, “No, love, it’s Harry.”

You blushed deeply, the name like a trigger to set off leftover butterflies from pubsecent you. “What?”

Sharon flinched, throwing her hands up, “Oh! Of course! We forgot to tell you!”

Laurie sighed, “Oh, yes! Harry’s here, love! He has a break from tour and he decided to visit us! Imagine, us being prioritized by a superstar!”

Sharon set a hand over her heart, smiling so sweetly, you wondered if the baked goods were seasoned with sugar or her love. “Whatta sweetheart.”

Your hands became clammy, and you removed them from the table to run them down your jeans. Laurie stood, noticing you running your hands through your hair and over your face. “Pretty,” she winked before moving to the counter, “How’s a vanilla hot cocoa and muffin sound, love?”

“G-good,” you choked, eyes flickering between her, Sharon, and the door that led to the kitchen.

Sue’s voice came into the room, louder as she came into view. “I’m sure you two would like to get acquainted again. Consider it a ten minute break like how you used to! When you’d insist I let you go when she came in. Aw!”

She grinned over at you, your eyes moving from hers to- Harry. Taller, handsome, older, curlier hair that was more controlled than it used to be. His face noticeably flushed, pupils dilated from the light- you- and his lips quirked open. You grinned, facial features experiencing the same flirts.

You stood from your chair, feeling the girl’s eyes on you although they tried to make themselves look busy. He took a few steps towards you, fingers raking through his dark brown curls.

“Wow,” he breathed, eyes widening once he realized he voiced his thoughts. “I mean, uh, hi?”

“Hey,” you chomped onto your bottom lip, withholding giggles at his maneurisms. Your hands stretched out in front of you, unsure of whether you should hug him or shake hands. You waved, “How are you?”

“I’m...okay,” he hesitated, and as your eyes let themselves flicker over his face, you noticed the bags under his eyes. “You?”

“Yeah, okay, um,” you stepped to the side and gestured to your table, “wanna sit? Catch up?”

“Sure, yeah, apparently I have a break, so,” Harry tugged his apron over his neck and balled it up. He sat down across from you as Laurie placed your muffin and drink down in front of you.

You shakily grabbed the fork, nervous under his watch, “So, how’s the superstar life?”

He chuckled, “Oh! Can’t I just be Harry for a day.”

You knew his joke held underlying meaning, so you shrugged and chided, “I never said I was a fan. Just curious as to how it’s going.”

“So, you’re not a fan?” Harry propped an elbow on the table and cradled his chin in it.

You swallowed bits of the muffin, “I dont listen often. I know your singles, of course, and that one- uh, what’s it called, ‘Same Mistakes.” Gotta admit I cried over a boy to that song once.”

“Ah, so there’s boys in your life?” Harry quirked a brow.

You blushed lightly, taking a chance as you held eye contact, “Not presently, no. But, over the past few years, yes, Ive seen a few lads.”

“Are London boys better than what we’ve got to offer?” He continued.

“Nah, I prefer homegrown boys,” you giggled before asking, “Are there any girls chasing after your heart?”

“Oh, millions,” he urged a laugh from you. “But, like you said, I’m single as of right now.”

You sipped some of your cocoa, face scrunching when your tongue faced the immense heat, “Ah. Uh, sorry-“

Harry giggled at the expression on your face, causing you to grin in return. He bit his lip and leaned back in his chair, “How long are you in town for?”

“Two weeks, you?”

“The same.”

“Nice,” you nodded. “So, since we both have a lot of time on our hands, do you maybe wanna-?”

“Lunch tomorrow? We always such a blossoming friendship within these walls, but never really saw each other outside of ‘em. I never liked it,” Harry admitted.

You pursed your lips, thinking back to your high school years, “Well, you were pretty popular, Harry. The cute, curly-headed boy who could sing, had nice teeth, and baked? Gosh, you were like the boy who killed girls.”

He chortled at the reference, “Cute, huh? You were pretty popular. Straight-A’s, sickly sweet, a gorgeous smile even with your braces and awfully done eyeliner.”

“Harry Styles, are you backhandedly flirting with me?” You pressed a hand to your chest in mock shock, “Just because youre famous doesnt mean your suddenly able to walk all over me!”

“I’m just glad youre finally able to call out my flirting.” He glanced at the watch on his wrist and noticed his ten-minutes were up. Of course, he could have stayed, but where’s the drama in that? “Ill swing by at noon to get you. See ya.”

Your mouth fell open in genuine shock as he turned into the kitchen. “Finally able...? What?”

“Shut your mouth, you’ll catch flies,” Sharon slid into the seat across from you.

Laurie stood behind her, “Two years, sweetie, two years of relentless flirting and neither of you ever made a move.”

“If something doesnt happen within the next two weeks, I might just drop dead from exhaustion, love,” Sue admitted, swinging a dish towel over her shoulder.

“Well, I guess I better get home and find an outfit.”

[whatcouldgowrong-ohthat]

Hi! I saw you had request open, so I was wondering if you could write Bucky reacting to overhearing someone tell his starving artist friend that their work doesn't mean anything? It can be in head canon style or an actual fic, whichever you prefer. Thank you!

The Artist and the Baker

Pairing: baker!Bucky x artist!Reader

Word Count: 2601 words

Warnings: This is fluff. Mutual pining, that sorta thing, guys.

A/N: I honestly really love this request especially with everything going on. I think it’s very common for people to take artists and creators for granted and I have certainly been on the receiving end of that treatment. 

I hope you like this. It was fun to make, but I’m sorry if it wasn’t quite what you were looking for.

-.-.-.-

Becca’s Needs for the Soul – a two story creation that was well-loved and adored by anyone who passed through the splatter painted door. Most people never understood the name, not even her brother, Bucky. Until Rebecca asked him to co-own and start working at the establishment. His little sister, always full of dramatics, had created something for everybody.

It was a coffee shop and a bakery.

A bookstore and a gallery.

They even had nights where people came in to perform music, standup, anything the heart desired. There were other days where artists from around would come and paint, sometimes provide lessons for kids, and other days there was simply nothing but quiet.

It took no time for Rebecca’s little hole in the wall to become one of the community’s favorites. Especially when her brother and his two friends came on. They had gotten it down to a science really.

Rebecca would come in, organizing the bookstore, managing everything behind the scenes, and setting up any special events that would come up. Whenever it was time to decorate the store for holidays? Or even something seasonal that came to mind? She spent even more time out with the customers instead of behind the scenes.

And when she brought in her brother and two hunks to keep people company? It was a genius plan on her part. Especially when female customers spiked. But she would never admit that maybe that had been a smidgen of the plan all along. No, her real reasoning was for the boys. They needed something simple after returning from their second and final tour.

So she stuck two of them behind the counter. Her older brother often spent most days tucked back in the kitchen creating God knows what, but it always smelled wonderful. Any time he came out of his little hole, it was usually to help man the register while Sam slacked because he was flirting with too many customers.

But that was to be expected when Sam was the coffee guy. He was always creating new Holiday specials, deciding the best coffee beans for purchase, and trying something different. No one ever knew what it would be, but normally the smell of coffee and something filled the store.

And Steve? Well, he was one of the store’s more popular artists. He didn’t “officially” work for them, but he spent enough time there where people started nicknaming him the “curator”. He was the one who usually brought in new artists.

That was how Y/N had become part of their little group.

She was a photographer, but Bucky would always say it was more than that. For those who hired her, she found a way to make sure they were comfortable in front of the camera. Y/N always said she understood being nervous because of her own curvy figure, but Bucky just saw how she glowed. And her work that she put here? It wasn’t just portraits or landscapes. She had a way of combining paint and photos to create a way of reminding the world that imagination and reality were always linked. While Sam and Steve teased her for focusing on events to pay the bills, Bucky was the one who asked about which works she had planned.

With a smile and paint in her hair or staining her nails, she would tell him. Her eyes would sparkle with excitement that could only come from being an artist. She was so animated with her words, hands flying about and often looking like she belonged in some sort of cartoon. Her cheeks would always flush when she would realize how fast she was talking or how much louder she spoke.

But he never minded.

He liked having a friend who got so excited about her work. It was a different sort of excitement than Steve. The blonde was always smiling and had that same spark, but he was infinitely calmer compared to Y/N. Their artwork matched their personalities. Steve’s were extravagant and beautiful pencil sketches of people – raw and honest and revealing something that no one else could see but him. Y/N’s were stunning and extraordinary paint and photos – raw in a way that reminded the world to see what they were missing.

Their creations often balanced the walls of Rebecca’s shop. At least they did during the times Steve’s work wasn’t flying off the walls. It was that popularity that had him drawing at the shop. He often invited Y/N, telling her that people not only wanted to buy their work, but they wanted to watch their creativity.

Still, her best work came from the privacy of her own home.

Every week she brought in something new. Something special.

And today was no different.

The rules for artists selling their work were simple. They decided the prices. They worked the transactions. The shop itself provided a place to see the work, but took no percentage. They didn’t interfere.

These were unspoken rules that everyone managed to follow because…well, it made sense.

Until this guy – arrogant and irritating and looking to buy art. Sam had nicknamed him “Sweater vest.”

He had come in like any other day, ordering some tea before complaining that it was “too hot” and “too watered down”. It made Sam’s blood boil not because it was a complaint, but because it was the same order and same complaint every time. And every time, it was those complaints that kept him from tipping anything.

Even if he finished his tea and stuck around for a couple hours every damn time, admiring the artwork, fingering through books, but never buying anything other than his “not good enough” tea.

Sam’s too-big smile was still in place as he watched Sweater vest take a seat next to Y/N’s newest work. Both men glanced at the painting, but for entirely different reasons. Sam did because he couldn’t wait for Bucky to see it. Sweater vest did because today was going to be his first official purchase. And Sam hated that the artwork on the wall had to go to -

“Sweater vest is back.” Sam spat as the kitchen door closed behind him.

Bucky looked up, setting down the dozen cookies that had just come out of the oven. He knew exactly which customer Sam was griping about, always finding it entertaining that someone had managed to get under his skin. “And?”

“And he’s buying Y/N’s new painting,” Sam harrumphed, leaning against the nearest counter as Bucky started decorating a cake.

Bucky paused when he heard that, cursing when he messed up the piping. Setting the instrument aside, he carefully wiped away his mistake and glanced at Sam. Oh, he wanted to wipe that smug smirk off his face. “You’re point?”

“Nothing. I’m just surprised you haven’t gone and looked at it yet.”

“I’ve been a little busy,” Bucky said, gesturing to the creations that covered the counters.

Sam bit his tongue, barely able to hide his laugh. So that’s why there was so much flour on Bucky’s cheeks and in his hair. “Trade ya.”

“Your hands are too shaky. You’d screw these up.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever, but – “

Sam’s sentence died on his lips when he heard shouting coming from the front. Bucky glanced up, ears recognizing Y/N’s voice. The two men shared a look, muttering, “Sweater vest,” before rushing out of the kitchen.

Y/N’s new painting was off the wall and at her feet, tucked behind her as if she was a mama bear protecting her cub. They’d never seen Y/N angry before. Passionate, sure, but never angry. Anger was something she never seemed to reach.

Until today.

“The painting is decent, but it doesn’t mean anything. And I’m not paying three hundred bucks for something that has no meaning.”

“Then why the fuck did you waste my time asking about it?”

“Because I thought you would come to your senses and accept a more reasonable offer.”

“And what do you think would be a reasonable offer?”

“Fifty sounds more than reasonable. And I would be doing you a favor with my connections.”

“Fifty bucks and exposure?”

Bucky and Sam moved fast, knowing that tone of venom and irritation. Sam grabbed the painting, moving it out of the way as Y/N launched herself at Sweater vest, ready to tear him a new one. Bucky wrapped his arm around her waist, putting himself between her and the idiot. “Y/N, breathe…”

“Let me tell you this,” Y/N snapped at Sweater vest, pointing at him around Bucky’s arm. “I would rather never sell another piece of work than listen to your drivel for another moment!”

Sam placed a hand on her arm, tugging her back. “Y/N, let’s go to the kitchen,” he told her, talking to her as if she was a small child that needed to be calmed. He steered her behind the counter as he assured her, “Bucky just finished making some cookies. I’m sure we can steal a couple while he takes out the trash.” Sam glanced over his shoulder, giving Bucky a thumbs up of encouragement.

While Y/N might be completely oblivious to Bucky’s feelings for her, Sam was far from it. And he was completely sure that Bucky would have no problem fixing this situation. He just wished he had a camera to record everything.

Maybe he could borrow the security footage from Rebecca’s cameras.

When the kitchen door closed again, Bucky turned to Sweater vest. He straightened, coming to his full height and towering over the man. It seemed his large build was a firm reminder that Rebecca had ex-military working here because Sweater vest calmed rather quickly.

“I’m so sorry for disturbing the establishment. Artists tend to be a little soft-hearted when it comes to critiques.”

“Not if the critique is asked for,” Bucky told him, taking a step forward as Sweater vest took a step back. Though everyone had avoided looking at Y/N’s and Sweater vest’s argument, all eyes were curiously watching the baker that was often far more quiet than he was now. “Y/N is one of our favorite artists. Her work and company are always welcome in our establishment.”

“O – Our? I thought this shop was owned by a woman…a Ms. Rebecca Barnes.”

“It’s co-owned,” Bucky assured him, offering his best customer service smile.

“By…?”

“Her brother.” He held out his hand. “James Barnes.”

Sweater vest swallowed thickly, throat bobbing nervously as he took Bucky’s hand. The strength in Bucky’s handshake was enough to make him wince, barely able to withhold a cry of pain. Bucky’s other hand, a heavy and metal prosthetic, squeezed his shoulder and earned a cringe.

“While Becca’s Needs for the Soul is open to anyone, we take great pride in reminding our artists that this is their community first and foremost. So you? Are banned.”

Another step and Sweater vest was stumbling through the front door, his shoulder and hand released. “I – “

“Have a nice day.”

The door clanged shut with a ring from the bell. Bucky watched Sweater vest recover, smoothing himself out and making himself presentable once again before he turned and walked away. Bucky shook his head, turning back to the rest of the shop. They all stared at him as if he had grown a second head, never having seen Bucky so outspoken or protective before.

“Show’s over.” Everyone looked back at Sam who was standing in the kitchen doorway. It seemed that was all that was needed for everyone to go back to what they were doing. Sam grinned, asking, “So I could’ve had Sweater vest banned weeks ago if I just…”

“Shut up.” Bucky walked back to Y/N’s painting, picking it up and finally looking at it for the first time. He was…shocked.

It was a full painting – Y/N’s first.

The person was solid black, a shadow with only their eyes visible to the viewer. What he guessed was blue watercolor filled the subject’s irises. Around the person’s outline, breaking through its barrier – endless skies, constellations, galaxies – all messy and brilliant and bold. The paint was thicker, heavier there. He could make out every thick stroke of the person’s figure, of the world around it. Deeper blues, yellows, purples, greens – colors no one would expect to see from a night sky…were there. It was fathomless, endless, and the longer he looked, the more he found something new. She wasn’t connecting the mind, but the eyes, the soul, to the rest of the world.

And that idiot had the balls to say there was no meaning to this?

“I wonder who her inspiration was,” Sam teased, leaning against the counter as Bucky looked over his shoulder.

Bucky stayed silent, hanging the painting back where it belonged. Instead of commenting or over thinking it, he went back into the kitchen. There, sitting on the counter, was Y/N with a cup of coffee and a couple cookies. An apologetic smile curled her lips as she set the plate and mug down.

“Thank you for…that,” she finished lamely, gesturing to the door.

Bucky shrugged. “It’s no problem. You’re my friend.”

Y/N smiled hearing that. She had always wondered if Bucky looked at her as a friend and hearing that he did, it made her heart flutter in a weird sort of way. “Do you…need me to go?”

He shook his head, already returning to the cake he was decorating. The sooner he finished it, the sooner he could put it out to sell. He stood close to her; his eyes focused intently on his creation as Y/N watched him. She loved seeing him in his element. Though he would never admit it, his own creations were art. He poured so much of himself and his love in each dessert.

And it was adorable. But friends didn’t say things like that, so Y/N stayed silent. She was content with this, happy.

Silence fell so easily between them. There was a level of comfort in this moment that couldn’t be replicated by her friendships with Sam or Steve or Rebecca. It was Bucky being Bucky and Y/N being Y/N. Exactly what the other needed.

And neither had any sort of idea that Sam and Steve were watching them through the kitchen door.

Sam looked over at Steve, returning to the register as Steve went to his proper side of the counter. “Think either of them will ever admit it?”

Steve glanced at the glass case that held all of Bucky’s sweets. The first one was a customer-favorite at the shop. A creation that was made of fresh fruit and sweets – something that Bucky had spent all night making the day after he met Y/N. His eyes then shifted to Y/N’s painting, knowing very well who inspired what he believed to be her best creation. Shrugging, he leaned on the counter. “Out loud? Probably not. But there’s always a weird sort of meaning that comes from an artist’s work. They’ll figure it out eventually.”

Sam glanced back at the kitchen when he heard Bucky laugh. No doubt Y/N had done something. “Well, I hope they hurry it up. It’s getting to be a damn romantic comedy around here. And not one of the good ones.”

Steve laughed. Though he’d never admit it out loud, there was a bit of truth to Sam’s words. There always was.

[mywonuderful]

Not So Cold-Hearted Pt.7

Summary: Y/N, a member of a popular newly debut girl group and Wonwoo has what some may call a relationship with emotional ambivalent. Will their relationship remain cold-blooded or will they finally come to an agreement and become something more?

Pairing: Jeon Wonwoo x Reader

masterlist

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“Why’d you take out her wallet?” Wonwoo asked as they headed back to their down. You were in the middle of a conversation with some of the members when Minghao quietly tippy-toed over your bag and took out your wallet to place it under a cushion. He then excused himself to head back to his room when you saw Wonwoo give him a weird look but brushed it aside since your conversation was more interesting. As you were about to leave, Minghao was about to come down when he heard your conversation with Wonwoo as he ran back into his room to grab his jacket before hopping down the stairs to escort you out.  “Guess you found out.” Minghao hummed, making Wonwoo even more confused. “So what’s the reason?” the curious man asked again, waiting for an explanation as Minghao looked up towards the night sky and let out a sigh as he breath condensed into a cloud. “All the members and I know well enough that you didn’t mean to say those things to Y/N. We know you care about her.” Minghao glanced over his shoulder to see that Wonwoo’s expression soften as he started kicking around rocks as they walked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. That’s how I normally act.” Wonwoo stated when Minghao placed a hand on his shoulder. “Both of you are really dear to me and both of you have a lot of similarities but it’s sad to see that either of you realize or acknowledge it. If this keeps up, one of you guys is going to end up exploding.” 

“What do you mean by expl-” “C’mon, its getting cold.” Minghao cuts Wonwoo off by grabbing his arm, pulling him into their dorm. As everyone headed towards the rooms to rest, Wonwoo was sitting on his bed, back resting against his headboard as he read through his novel when Minghao’s words started circulating his mind making him read the same paragraph for the past couple of minutes. 

“Wo, did Y/N forget her wallet?” Seungcheol picks up your wallet under the cushion. Wonwoo who was watching someone on the TV turns to glance at the wallet before shrugging his shoulder before returning his attention back to the screen. “They just left so you still run out to give it to her.” Seungcheol hands Wonwoo the wallet as he stares at it blankly. “What am I suppose to do with this?” Wonwoo places your wallet on the table, not caring when the rest of the members started gathering around the living room.

“Her and I have similarities? Similarities my ass.” Wonwoo scoff as he mumbled. He lets out a long sigh before placing his book on his nightstand and taking off his glasses.

****

You woke up the next morning, feeling more energetic than usual when your phone started vibrating frantically. You reached over to our nightstand to grab your phone. You turned it on when you saw that you received 10 miss calls from your manager. Shooting up, you quickly called him back. 

“Hello?” “I was about to head up to the dorm to check up on you.” “I just woke up. Is there something wrong?” “Not really... You don’t have any solo activities, right?” “Sadly.” “Hurry and get ready. Meet me at the location I sent you.” You were about to ask your manager what’s with the rush when he ended the call. You pondered about what your manager has in mind for you as you jumped off your bed and excitedly got ready. After cleaning up your face and applying some simple and natural makeup, you hummed as you dancing around in front of your closet, deciding what to wear. You decided to go for something simple yet suitable for the weather so you went for a light washed cropped mom jeans, a loose white blouse and a long brown jacket. You placed on your contacts and slipped on some flat as you headed out the door. As you walked down the stairs of your dorm, you dug inside your bag to find a mask but couldn’t find any. You quickly walked back up the stairs when you got a text message from your manager to hurry up. You inputted the address on the maps and it said that it’ll take around 15 minutes to walk there. Letting out a sigh, you prayed that no one will notice you. 

Fortunately, you got there without too many people recognizing you. Feeling a little disappointed, the scent of coffee beans pushed away your disappointment as you walked down the small street of various cafes. Memories started playing as you remembered your favorite coffee store at the end of the street when you see your manager standing in front of the store. Jogging to your manager with a wide smile on your face, he glances up to your and gives you a double take. “I’ve never seen you smile this widely and naturally in a long time.” He teased as you let out a chuckle and give him a playful punch. You and your members are really close your manager because of our close age, making him quite young compared to other managers. When your group first met him, everyone thought they were mistaken because of how young and good looking he was. Next thing you know, your group started getting attention, but it was for your manager. This brought the connection closer to your manager and the members as you guys would tease him about the past about how everyone mistaken him as an idol. “So what’s the reason we’re here today?” you asked with anticipation. “So I’ve heard the this is your favorite cafe spot.” “Or so you know is what you meant. Remember all those times I told you to help me buy coffee and pastries from here?” You state, admiring the endless trays of pastries displayed alongside the windows. “Yeah, I still can’t believe I’m taking orders from someone younger than me. Plus all those times when I got yelled at for sneaking you pastries when you were dieting.” He teased, making you pout. “Anyways, they’re expecting you so let’s head on in.” He opened to door for you as you entered. The familiar scent of coffee fills your nose as you took a deep breath, closing your eyes from how much memories this brings back.

“Well well if it isn’t Y/N from Eunoia! We’ve been eagerly expecting you!” The cafe manager greets us along with his wife. You smiled and bowed. “Expecting me...?” You mumbled as you scanned around as everything remained the same. “The cafe here was recently hiring new employees and Y/N here so happens to love your cafe so much” my manager places a hand on my shoulder “Ah yes, we’ve heard! Your manager used to buy a bunch of pastries back in the day. You must be the person who he told him to come.” The wife gives our manager a ‘secretive’ wink, when you turned around, giving him a glare before turning back to the couple, chuckling as you felt your cheeks heat up.  “Anyways, we reached out to your manager, to see if their was anyone interested in working here and to our surprise, we’re greeted with the infamous, Y/N! We absolutely love your group.” the husband blushes and smiles are you shook your head, waving your hands as your face started turning more red and red. “No no, that’s too much. I’d love to work here. It’s an honor to be able to work for such a passionate couple who but in so much work.” You smiled widely as the couple bowed as a thank you. “Well then, when can you start working?” The wife’s voice was filled with excitement  “I can start today.” The couple happily nodded as they went to the back to get you a uniform and prepare things.  “I better be getting free pastries and coffee in return.” Your manager bent down and whispers as you turned around to smack his shoulder. He pretended to be hurt before smirking. You bowed to thank him once more before he left to pick up your members from their activities. The wife called you inside to the staff room. Heading on over, you couldn’t wait to tell Minghao about how you finally had something to do.

“This is the only extra uniform we have. I’m sorry if this doesn’t fit you.” the wife hands you a oversized apron. “Is there any dress code I have to follow?” You asked as you tied a knot behind your back. “Hmm... I’ve never been asked that before... I guess whatever you find comfortable and flexible?” The wife laughs as you mentally took note and nodded. She brought you to the locker area where the staff placed their belongings, but it only consist of two lockers. “This will be your locker, dear.” You placed in your purse and closed the locker as you looked at the other locker beside yours. “Oh, that’s just another employee. We don’t normally hire employees so we don’t find the need to have that many lockers.” The wife caught your eyes as she explains. You let out a soft ‘oh’ and nodded along as you brought you to the front. The husband was cleaning the coffee machine as he turned back to see you.

“That apron seems a little too big on you.” He laughs as you smiled in return. “I’ll alter it for you when you finish your shift today.” he started explaining the simple tasks you have to do like restocking pastries, serving methods, wiping down the counters and tables and so forth. “Right, I forgot to ask, do you have any barista or baking experiences?” The wife asks. “I’ve taken a few barista classes in the past. But I’m more confident in my baking.” you explained as the wife pouted and the husband cheered, leaving you confused. “Well, that’ll mean that I can spend more time with her if you think about it because I can teach her.” The wife thinks out loud as her husband shakes his head, making you more confused. “Oh, sorry to confuse you Y/N. I’m a baker and she’s a barista.” The husband explains. “That’s amazing.” you sweetly smiled at their interactions. Seeing them interact so sweetly made you want to live your life with someone like that. As the husband headed back in to start baking pastries for the day, the wife taught you how to make some simple drinks. “Miss, is this correct?” you pointed at the button to click to start the coffee machine. “You can just call me Mrs. Bosa” She patted you on the shoulder. She carried on with her quick teachings until she glanced at the clock, clasping her hands. “Guess, it’s time to open up!” She cheered as she opened the doors and carried out a sign as you started to restock the trays, sniffing the buttery and sweet aroma along the way. “Mrs. Bosa, when does the other staff work?” You asked as you carried the trays back to the kitchen. “The other staff? Hmm I think he should be here anything soon.” She took a look at her watch. “Hopefully the both of you can get along. He’s been working by himself for this whole time so we thought that hiring another staff will allow him to talk more.” She offered you a drink as you told her what you’d like. “That’s nice.” You hummed as you watched her make the drink when the door suddenly chimed, as footsteps were heard. You had your back facing the entrance since you were cleaning up the coffee machine

"Ah, there he is!” The wife exclaimed. Turning around, you bowed to greet the person. “Hello, welcome to Espresso Love Caf-” “Y/N...?” you heard a low husky voice as you looked up and meet a pair of eyes who belonged to no other than Wonwoo “Wonwoo...?” Your eyes widen once you registered who it really was as he had somewhat a surprised expression as well.

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[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales Reboot Reviews: The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!

Fenton faces some of his greatest challenges yet: Gizmoduck’s soaring popularity and the possiblity of amour...  oh and the return of his arch enemy but that’s a standard tuesday for a superhero. It’s a Date, don’t let him trick you noooo, under the cut. 

I have to admit something first: I WAS going to cover the other two fentoncentric episodes before I got to this one, as a build up to this weekends episode. The problem though was I realized that this week’s episode is, via word of god, going to cover WHY Gyro hates Fenton , and thus I really can’t dig into Gyro’s behavior in both eps, especially Who Is Gizmoduck? where despite his rational fears of having funding cut, he’s still an uttershithead to fenton and I feel it’d be better served if I waited a little and did the ep sometime after saturday.  So with that bit of expostion you probably didn’t need out of the way: Dangerous Chemistry! This one is a personal faviorite of mine, to the point that when I was bored a week or two ago I watched this one just for fun, and probably will again. That’s not why i’m reviewing it: even if I hadn’t I would rewatch it and planned to for the ones I was going to review, it’s just dumb luck. And part of that is Fenton is one of my faviortes: Lin Manuel Miranda really brings his a game to the character, and the crew really fleshed him out, making him a really likeable, fun, and relatable awkward dork. Another reason is one that should be obvious if you saw my comics reviews when I in vain tried to review each dawn of x comic on a weekly basis before throwing up my hands at the sheer volume: I fucking love super heroes, and Who is Gizmoduck and this very episode are very good superhero stories that still fit well into the ducktales universe, as is the darkwing debut “The Duck Knight Returns!”. And finally the episode also has Huey in a major role and I love my red boy. So with all that stuff out of the way I can dive into the ep itself.  This one, as you probably know but I do like me my context, takes place in the second half of season. While Fenton did show up earlier for fellow instant classic “The 87 Cent Solution!”, he’s otherwise been absent this season. My honest theroy is, rather than Lin being busy, which while he sure as hell is he still squeezes the show in, it’s more a simple fact that season 2 is pretty damn stuffed: looking back at the episode count almost EVERY ONE ties into one of the major arcs of the season (Della’s journey home/struggle to fit into her kids life/ the moonvasion, glomgold’s bet with scrooge and louie inc), and those that don’t either bring in major new characters like the Cablleros or Drake, or touch on previous arcs: Last Christmas! touching on Dewey missing his mom while she’s still missing. Lena’s episodes bringing her back to the world of the living/introducing her sister, and then resolving her fear of magica for now and revealing where Magica’s been, and this ep checking in on fenton. There was just a LOT to do and get through, and Gandra was really the only time sesntive thing Fenton wise they had to absolutley do this season. So while it sucks, I do understand why they did it this way,  I do see why and hold no ill will over it.  And to the crew’s credit they used the fact Fenton had been absent cleverly and had a valid reason why we hadn’t seen him outside of one breif apperance: he’s busy. Simple as that. He’s been superheroing all this time: when we catch up with him he’s outright called burnt out by a c-list weather villian who looks like dr.doofnschmritz but lacks his awkward charm. He even uses the same pun twice. It’s also logical: his literal JOB is to be a superhero, it’s what he’s paid for, and given Duckberg seems ground zero for lunatics, it’s only natural ther’es a bakers dozens with techno gimmicks and costumes floating around trying to beat him up. He’s naturally exausted and i’ts made worse by two factors: His alter ego being all over the news, so even when h’es off work he can’t escape work, and being unable to do science.  And both are clever delimas: a lot of the usual superhero issues are non existant for fenton: while he’s bad at hiding his identity, the only person he really has to hide from is his mom, who we later learn at the end of the season already knows and has come around to it. His job isn’t in remote jeapordy because Gizmoduck IS the job, while he still has full acess to a lab to do the science work he’s always wanted. But he’s starting to see the price for doing the right thing: He’s spent so much time as Gizmoduck.. Fenton has nothing of his own. No time to do science, only two friends, and as a result is exausted and burnt out and yearning for a break.  So thankfully he’s taking one, and in another use of “time has moved on a bit because we didn’t have time for Fenton this season” he and Huey have gone from superhero and biggest fan to best friends. But I let it slide, partly because again the season is overstuffed dand i’ll likelky delve into that more when I get to this seasons arcs at some point, and mainly beause the two have a great dynamic: Huey is supportive, just wants his friend to be okay, and meshes with fenton perfectly: Their both big nerds who people tend ot ignore who get overly excited about science. But Hueys more openly confident while Fenton clearly lacks it at times. It’s a nice eb and flow I hope to see more of. 

HE and Huey are hanging out to do science and stuff, with webby tagging along because why not, and I absolutly love the gag of gizmoduck passing by, Webby not noticing at all and only finding out Fenton and Gizmoduck are the same person because Huey makes a rather big deal abotu the fact Gizmoduck just passed by and Webby is really smart and likes solving shit.  So we quickly get the rest of our setup: At the elctronics store, Fenton has a meet cute (which the juinor woodchuck guidebook of course has an entry on. ) with Gandra Dee, played by guest acress Jameela Jamil, better known from the good place and being the only one to point out “hey emil hirsch beat the shit out of the woman what the fuck” when quinten Tarantino cast him in the otherwise amazing film “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”, who does a great job here. The two have some romantic tension as she calls fenton a suit and what not, he fires back he is good at sceincing and they schedule what may or may not be a date... with Fenton unaware that Gandra is a spy hired by mark beaks to get the gizmoduck passowrd and use her nanites merged with gizmotech to boost his strength. As you do.  The resulting episode is really damn good: Starting in the obvious place, Fenton and Gandra have a reall good dynamic: besides the obvious oppsoites attract thing: the modernized nerutoic nerd and the rebllious scientest there’s the nice contrast in who they work for: Sure Fenton works for a billionare who DOES use some of his and gyro’s work for fairly self serving things (and I didn't realize the universal solvant was a rosa thing first time around, I learned it between viewings, but it’s a nice mythology gag), but it’s been shown as far back as the pilot that’s he’s more than willing ot help all of duckberg, even if it makes a profit. WHy WOULD he stop gyro or fenton’s research for any reason? He funnels a ton of money into them simply beause he knows for every dozen failures something useful will come out of it and at most simply wants more treasure hunting gear, stuff both can whip up easily and for Fenton to spend most of his time as defender of the city, something Fenton wanted anyway. He’s a good boss... while the billionares Gandra’s working with, Bradford as we learned later and beaks in this episode.. are self serving scumbags who only want innovation for world domination and personal validation. By refusing to have ties with or trust anybody or put in the legwork to find an employer who would give her mostly freedom, she wants complete freedomf or her work in exchange for taking money from truly awful people. She’s no freer than fenton is and her hypcoricy is obvious, without making the character terrible in any way. As the kingpin once said in spiderman the animated series “the best strings are invisble”. While Gandra is well aware of who she’s working for she refuses to see the irony or the possible harm in her actions , and it’ll be intresting to see where her charcter goes from ehre.  As for Beaks, he’s a FAR better threat here than in the past episodes: I didn’t MIND him being a joke villian, though I was horribly disapointed, and he will likely be super dated eventually... but here it finds a nice ballance: While he’s still a whiny manchild, the breaking into the lab sequence is utterly delightful and shows that he’s NOT harmless. He’s at his best, like glomgold, when he’s either off to the side comedic relief, or a mixture of genuinely threatining and utterly moronic. His drinking 80 pounds of senstive chemicals turns him into the hulk and the resulting fight scnees are great, as is his confusion upon taking huey and webby hostage “I have your kids.. I think.. I don’t know how this family works” and his cries of “whose the looser now coach dad” are both funny and offerd our first peak into why he’s so screwed up. And his defeat while rediculous is clever, using his love of fame and his phone against him. Overall a much better showing than the past that so far has kept up into season 3: even if his plan backfired there and was for goofy reasons, it was here too, it only fell apart because he hired someone who hated him and underestiamated how much he’d pissed off graves last time. 

As for Fenton himself, the episod eis a great showcase, besides the before issues his manuvering around both the obvious date the kids set up for him (more on that in a second), and his genuine chemsitry and contrast with gandra are a delight.. as his his dad’s lesuire suit. On top of that the scenes wher ehe chews gandra out are a great bit of acting from Lin manuel Miranda, the hurt and fury in his voice coming through great.  To finish it out Huey is a delight this episode, showing himself to be a suprisingly good romantic for his age, serously violet won the lottery with this one, and while overenthsastic, i’ts still sweet and his friendship with fenton is genuinely heartwarming, as is what has to be the best line of the episode besides the beaks one above Huey: Fenton’s going to be devistated! Webby: (Annoyed) Or kidnapped by spies! Huey: (Dead serious) TWO BAD THINGS COULD HAPPENS! It’s a sweet dyanmic overall and the cherry on top of an utterly fantastic episode. Hopefully the momentum keeps up going into saturday. Until then, later days. Speaking of which.. WHY ISN’T THE WEEKENDERS ON DISNEY PLUS. God I shouldn’t be able to keep thinking of shows that are missing. Anyways, once again later days.  P.S. I almost forgot Launchpads great bit listing off all his exes and confriming that he’s probably bi. It was great. 

[three-drink-amy]

Sweet Creature

chapter one - chapter two

Chapter Three

Claire rushed into Jamie’s apartment, running a bit late. “I’m here!” she called. Jamie peeked out from his kitchen. “Sorry, I know I said I’d be up in five but then I got a call I had to take.” 

Jamie shrugged. “No worries. Tis just me,” he reminded with a grin. “Is everything alright?” 

Claire settled herself on a stool at his kitchen island. “Yeah. Something just happened at the bakery today.” 

Jamie turned back from the stove to look at her. “Well dinna keep me waiting.” 

Claire chuckled as she walked over and grabbed a bottle off his wine rack. She opened it, pouring both of them a glass. “So a man walked in to the shop today. He said he and his wife live in Edinburgh but come to Glasgow all the time and have fallen in love with my bakery.” 

“Rightfully so,” Jamie offered. 

Claire smiled before continuing. “Basically, they want to bring Sassenach Sweets to Edinburgh.” 

Jamie turned around and gaped at her. “They want ye to expand to a different city?” Claire nodded. “That’s incredible!” 

Claire shrugged. “I guess. I put them in touch with my lawyers. I don’t know what the process would take or even be like.” 

“Ye’ve already opened a second store. The one here,” Jamie reminded. 

“No, I know that. But this is different. I wouldn’t be able to drop in on the day to day like I do here,” Claire explained. “I’m interested in it, I just want to be sure of the details.” 

“Well, while we wait to hear the details, I still think we should celebrate this,” Jamie insisted. 

He turned from the stove and raised his wine glass in the air, fixing her with a meaningful look. With a nod in her direction, she followed suit. “To a brilliant baker, a sublime Sassenach, and a wonderful woman.” 

Claire fought the urge to roll her eyes. “You’re doing too much.” 

He shook his head with a broad grin. “Nah. To one of my favorite people in the entire world, and...” Claire grinned as she realized the next thing he was going to say. “...the best investment I’ve ever made.” He watched her, an intense look in his eye. “I’m so verra proud of ye, Claire.” 

Claire tried hard to fight the tears springing in her eyes. “Thank you,” she choked out before taking a long drink of her wine. Jamie wound around the island and pulled her into a hug. Breaking away after a bit, Claire shook her head. “Okay, you know I’m uncomfortable with praise. Change the subject.” She sat back down with a laugh and Jamie walked back to the stove. “How’s your work going?” 

“Tis fine,” he said with a shrug. “Actually though, there’s an event on Friday. I dinna particularly want to go but I ken they expect me there. How would ye feel about joining me?” he asked, a nervous look on his face. “John should be there as well.” 

Claire watched him for a moment. “Is this just your way of trying to introduce me to Annalise?” 

“Och, no,” Jamie denied. “No, I believe I’m finished wi’ that.” 

“Are you?” Claire asked, her curiosity piqued. “Why’s that?” 

“I just dinna think she’s interested. At first John and I thought she might just be playing hard to get, but I think she’s just genuinely disinterested. The last thing I’d want to do is come off as creepy or rude. So I’m giving up on it,” he explained. 

“Well that’s probably for the best. Don’t want anyone to have an uncomfortable work place.” 

Jamie turned to look at her. “Exactly.” He took down two plates and scooped pasta onto both of them. Putting one down in front of her, he pushed the question again. “So will ye come?” 

She didn’t particularly want to spend her Friday evening with a bunch of nose-in-the-air investment bankers, but she did want to spend it with Jamie. With a shrug, she agreed before taking a bite of her dinner. 

Friday, Claire was putting the finishing touches on her look before meeting Jamie at the party. Her curls were tamed and pinned half back. She wore a red cocktail dress that she knew showed off her best assets. The neckline cut down but not too far as to look indecent for the party. Giving herself another once over, she recognized that she looked damn good. A voice in her head said she was trying to use this look to grab Jamie’s attention now that he’d given up on Annalise. 

Throwing on some reasonably high heels, she grabbed her purse and walked out the door. It may just be a work party for Jamie, but Claire was determined to have a good time. At least he’d asked her to go and not to cater it. 

She parked near the hall where Jamie told her to meet him. Attempting more of a walk and less of a strut, she headed toward Jamie. He was looking down at his phone but glanced up when she called his name. His eyes went wide as he took in her appearance. She wasn’t mad as he looked her up and down. “Damn, Sassenach.” 

“Too much?” she asked, running a hand down her dress. 

Jamie stepped closer to her. “No’ at all. Ye look great! I just...I suppose it’s been a while since I’ve seen ye in anything but jeans and a bakery T-shirt.” 

Claire laughed, throwing her head back. “Way to call me lazy. I guess I ran with the opportunity to look nice for a change.” 

Jamie put his arm around her shoulders, starting to steer her inside. “I’d say ye look more than just nice.” 

Claire smiled up at him, thanking him quietly. As they walked inside, she couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. Maybe it was working. 

They walked in and got drinks, milling around by the bar before Jamie was pulled into any obligatory conversations. They weren’t there five minutes before John spotted them and ran over. “Claire! I didn’t realize you’d be here.” 

“Jamie invited me.” 

“Well yeah, I figured that one out. It’s good to see you,” John commented. “And to see this outfit. You look great!” 

Claire smiled broadly at him. “Well thank you. But you know, it’s only been a few weeks since I last saw you.” 

“Oh yes, I know. My boyfriend is trying to diet and he told me he’d be able to smell sweets on my breath, so I’ve had to stay away,” he explained, looking down sadly. 

“Well the next time he decides to cheat on his diet, I expect a visit.” 

John laughed, grabbing Claire’s arm. “Like I’d go anywhere else!” 

They chatted with John for a while before Jamie and John both begrudgingly decided they needed to go talk to others. Their boss was a hard man to impress and both of them were trying to. Jamie brought Claire along with him, showing her off, throwing conversation topics to her, and also using her as an excuse to get away from others. It worked pretty well. 

Claire was standing at the bar, grabbing another drink for both of them when a woman approached. “Hi,” Claire said. 

“Hello,” the woman replied. From just the one word, Claire could pick up the strong French accent. She must be Annalise. “I haven’t seen you here before. Do you work here?” 

Claire laughed politely. “Oh goodness no. I just came with Jamie Fraser.” 

“Oh, I didn’t realize...” the woman said, a strange look on her face. 

As if he heard his name in conversation, Jamie walked over to Claire’s side. “What’s taking so long wi’ those drinks, Sassenach?” 

She turned to see as he noticed Annalise was there. The one thing Claire hated about Jamie was that he could mask his feelings so well. She could never tell what he was thinking unless he wanted her to. And right now, she was dying to know what he was thinking. “Aha. I see ye met the new hire. Claire, this is Annalise. Annalise, Claire is the one who made all the delicious pastries we had a few weeks back.” 

Annalise’s eyes snapped over to Claire, a look of excitement on her face. “That was you?” she asked. “My goodness, those were delicious! And your croissants! They made me feel like I was back in Paris!” 

“Wow, thank you!” Claire said, laying a hand on her chest. “That means so much.” 

“I’ve been by your bakery a few times since then because it was all too good!” 

“Did you? Which one?” Claire asked. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had met Annalise without realizing it. She was always at the original shop, even if she wasn’t doing the baking or serving herself. When she could get her hands messy, she would, but running the business pulled her away from it sometimes. 

“Oh I believe I went to the one on the east side of town,” the woman replied. 

“Ah, yes, that’s our newer one,” Claire explained. “I was lucky just a couple of years ago to open a second location. I tend to stay near the original location. It’s become my happy place,” Claire told with a smile. 

She had no idea why she was sharing so much with this woman she just met. The same woman who until this week, Claire thought Jamie was still pursuing. Claire glanced over at Jamie to have him help her stop talking. The look he was giving her nearly did the job. He expression radiated pride and admiration. Claire shook her head, looking back at Annalise. “Anyway, you should stop by the original shop. It’s just near the town center. I could maybe throw in a croissant for free.” Claire bit her tongue before she continued. “You know, anything for a friend of Jamie’s.” Claire wrapped her arm around Jamie’s waist. He wasn’t hers and it was wrong to feel possessive of him, but she couldn’t help herself. 

Music began to play louder from the front of the room as the band started to play dancing music. “Claire, would ye care for a dance?” Jamie asked, finishing his whisky. 

Without sparing a glance for the other woman, Claire nodded. “But of course.” 

They walked over to the dance floor and Jamie pulled her close to him, taking one of her hands in his and the other finding her waist. Claire laid her free hand on his shoulder as he started to sway them. “Are ye having a good time?” Jamie asked, glancing down at her. 

Claire looked up and met his blue eyes. “Surprisingly, yes, I am. What was the occasion again?” 

“I dinna ken, honestly,” Jamie said with a chuckle. “They just announce these things and we dinna have much option. I think it’s St. Germain’s way of making us squirm.” 

Claire laughed. “I could see that from him. He’s, uh...an interesting man.” 

Jamie burst out laughing at her statement, his hand tightening on her waist. “That’s an understatement for sure.” 

“Do you ever feel tempted to tell him you could buy your way to his position?” Claire asked in a low voice, her mouth close to his ear. 

Jamie pulled back and looked at her. “I’ll admit the thought has crossed my mind. But no. I dinna want the man to ken that about me.” 

“You don’t think he already knows?” Claire asked. 

“I dinna air it out. If someone looks me up and finds the article, I suppose that’s one thing. But I willna go around waving it about,” Jamie answered. “And I think he’d treat me differently if he kent it. But he doesna.” 

“That seems like sound logic,” Claire admitted. She chuckled to herself. 

“What?” 

“It’s just funny to me that you’re so secretive with the people you know here,” she explained. “You’ve never been that way with me. We just tell each other everything.” 

Jamie grinned, pulling her closer again. “Aye, but that’s just the way it’s always been wi’ us. I wasna that way wi’ Geillis, even when she wasna the devil.” 

“So you’re saying I’m special?” Claire pressed. She didn’t know what had gotten into her that night. 

Jamie glanced down at her, holding her gaze. “Aye, ye are special.” 

The look he was giving her was too intense. She broke eye contact and looked back toward the room. The first thing she noticed was Annalise looking in their direction, pure fury in her eyes. Claire swallowed harshly, unconsciously curling in closer to Jamie. 

But that look from her stayed in Claire’s mind. The rest of the evening, no matter where they were in the room, Claire noticed Annalise watching them. When they chatted with coworkers, refreshed drinks, or danced more, if Claire glanced the woman’s way, she still watched them. And her face still held the same irritation it had before. Claire couldn’t help but wonder if it was jealousy. 

That thought snapped her out of her head and made her glance over at Jamie. He was laughing at something a coworker said. “Jamie, can I speak to you for a moment?” 

Jamie looked over at her, confused and surprised by her request. He sputtered out his agreement and followed her into the hall. “What’s up, Sassenach?” 

Claire stopped, turning on him. She stepped close so she didn’t have to speak loudly. “Did you only bring me here tonight to make Annalise jealous?” 

Jamie started at her. “What?” 

“Just tell me.” 

“Claire, no. Of course not. I told ye I was done trying to win her over,” Jamie insisted. “Why do ye think I’d do that?” 

“I don’t know, because she’s been watching us all night, looking fairly jealous and irritated that you aren’t alone,” Claire informed him. “At least that’s how I read her expression.” 

For a split second, excitement crossed his face before he schooled his expression again. “I promise ye, I’d never do such a thing. Especially not to ye. Ye really think I’d use ye like that?” 

Claire swallowed, taking a step back. “No. Not if I really thought about it.” 

Jamie put his hands on her shoulders, dipping his head slightly to meet her eye level. “I brought ye here because I thought we’d have a good time. I was.” 

Claire looked down at her feet, shame heating her face. “I was too.” 

“Well how about we leave? We can go get those pancakes ye like at that all night diner,” Jamie suggested. 

“We don’t have to leave your work party. You came here for a reason,” Claire replied, feeling guilty for starting this conversation. 

“Nah, I’ve been here plenty long,” Jamie insisted. “Let’s go. Now I’m starting to want pancakes.” 

Jamie didn’t even go back to say goodbye to his coworkers. They grabbed their coats and left the hall. There wasn’t much conversation as Claire drove them to the diner. 

They both ordered a large stack of pancakes once they got there. It started to feel like it had in uni. When either of them were stressed or just needed a break from something, they went to a diner. They were actually sitting in the exact booth they’d sat in when Jamie encouraged Claire to quit med school. 

Claire couldn’t help but worry that she’d shown too much of her hand that evening. Her feelings for Jamie had always been kept close to her chest, never risking that she’d have to acknowledge them. Especially to him. The night she’d told Joe had been a bad night. They’d both tanked important tests and had gotten very drunk. And that’s when she’d blurted her biggest secret. To this day, Joe was the only person she’d ever actually told. Others might have guessed, but he was the only one who knew for certain. 

Thankfully, Jamie didn’t mention anything. He never brought up her accusations and never talked about Annalise. Instead, they just discussed their days, Jamie’s family, Joe, and anything that felt worth talking about. Every so often, the two of them had an evening or an afternoon that felt like recalibrating their friendship. Even when they didn’t know they needed to. That’s what the trip to the diner was in that moment. 

As they got back to their building, Jamie dropped Claire off at her door. “Thanks again for coming wi’ me, Sassenach.” 

Claire stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug. “Anytime. You know you only have to ask.” 

Jamie kissed her head before stepping back from her. “And that’s one of the reasons why I love ye.” 

Claire let out a fake laugh before quickly bidding him goodnight. She closed the door and leaned against it, whispering to herself. “I love you, too.”

Next chapter

[pangtasias-atelier]

That bakery AU story with Keaton and Kaden absolutely fucks, so let's add the other 2 fluffy boys to Corrins collection of feedees with a sequel of that involving Ranulf and Yarne pretty please!

I don't know why but all the beast FE are great for weight gain stuff.

Also, thank you so much! The Kaden&Keaton bakery was my favorite prompt so far! And this one also ended up being a lot longer than I expected.

Corrin’s daily routine is pretty fixed.

Wake up early, begin baking, bring back some for Kaden and Keaton. (It was more around a lot) Head back to the bakery to open and then take breaks to check up on Kaden and Keaton. Rinse and repeat.

His bakery was becoming a community fan favorite as more and more people kept coming back. Each time just a little bit bigger, Corrin was ashamed of it but he loved it. So now he could comfortably keep the bakery closed every Sunday and focus on Kaden and Keaton.

He stopped renting our from his old place and chose to move in with Kaden and Keaton, the two had pooled in their money to somehow buy a whole house. On the edges of the city, it was a great deal which Corrin was thankful for.

But even with a day off, the bakery was becoming a huge chore for just himself. He needed help and soon. So it was on one Saturday that he posted a help wanted sign on his bakery.

—-

Yarne sighs as he stretches his back out on a park bench after another failed interview. Despite his glowing resume, most places seemed to never call him back. Probably ‘cause I’m a taguel, Yarne ruefully thinks. And those that did call him, found his conversational skills a bit lacking.

“I’m a cook. It’s not like I need to talk to others.” Yarne mutters into his hands. He always had a fear of public speaking but he needed a job. Putting his panic on hold, Yarne checks his phone when it vibrates.

Checking the notification, he smiles when he sees a new job listing for a bakery. Seeing that interviewing in store would be faster, especially with the bakery two blocks away, Yarne sighs before heading to the location. Maybe he’ll be lucky this time.

—-

Corrin wipes the counter while there’s downtime. He finally has a lull in customers after a nearly packed store since the morning.

He jumps to alert when he hears the telltale jingle of a customer.

“Hello, I’ll help you by the counter.” Corrin pauses when he sees bunny ears on his customer. Taguel are exceedingly rare. And this one is extremely adorable despite the fact he looks like he wants to run away.

“Oh, h-hi.” Yarne clasps his hands in front of him. “I saw that there is an opening and I wanted to speak to the manager.” Yarne asks.

Corrin smiles as he sees such a quick response. “I’m the owner, Corrin. Pleasure to meet you.” Corrin smiles as he sees the prospective employee.

“I’m so sorry, I thought-” Yarne stutters as Corrin interrupts him.

“It’s okay. Do you have a resume?” Yarne smiles at Corrin’s lack of care of his noticeable features, his ears, tail and abundant hair ignored. Yarne produces his resume from his folder, the paper still crisp after his failed interview earlier.

“This is impressive!” Corrin compliments, reading Yarne’s years of experience. And cute to top it off.

“Thank you.” Yarner nervously says. He lets out a sigh of relief upon Corrin’s next question.

“When can you start?”

—-

Yarne may not be the best cashier, but he’s an amazing baker Corrin finds out. He’s helped create new goods. Corrin finds it adorable seeing the taguel’s obsession with carrots, but the customers love it, so there’s no harm.

Trying new recipes includes a lot of taste testing, and while Kaden and Keaton were always happy to participate, they happily gobbled everything. So Yarne ended up trying a lot of his creations before deciding they were good enough and then having customers try them.

All that taste testing was showing up on Yarne. Yarne followed Corrin’s recipes to a t and he took to using Corrin’s secret ingredient as well. Though Yarne didn’t really understand what it was for, he just knew that it made everything taste better.

It seemed to have the same effect on Yarne as it did to Kaden and Keaton, Yarne’s body clinging to every ounce of weight. Yarne was evenly distributed, he would be slightly more apple shaped, Corrin could predict. He already got his uniform in a larger size. An embarassing event for him, and a hot event for Corrin.

They always had leftover bread, so Yarne was allowed to take some home. Corrin only deemed it fair that Yarne be compensated as much as he could be, business was positively booming and his life was much easier with an extra hand.

Yarne at first took nothing, then he grabbed a bit before taking a near dozen home each day.

—-

“Yarne?” Corrin walks to the backroom, Yarne currently washing dishes and utensils from the mornings bake. Corrin gets a good look at Yarne’s plush size, up another uniform size.

“Yes, Corrin?” Yarne asks as he washes the dishes, struggling to wash off some persistent starch.

“I’m going to need you to watch over the store for a bit.” Yarner barely avoids dropping the glass bowl as he fumbles with it. He jams to the water off as he stares at Corrin.

“I- um- I don’t th-”

“I will be two blocks away. If anything happens, don’t hesitate or worry to call me.” Yarne swallows as he tries to calm his nerves. “You’ll be paid extra of course. And don’t worry what happens, I know I’m asking a lot from you.” Corrin calms Yarne down.

“Okay…” Yarne says, his brain already regretting that decision.

“Thank you so much.” Corrin pats Yarne who turns bright red. “Don’t forget to call me if anything happens. You’ll do great.”

Yarne heads to the front of the store and sighs when he sees no one. He waves goodbye to Corrin. He doesn’t miss the bundle of boxes he’s carrying in his hands.

Standing at attention, Yarne waits for any customer. He’s thankful that Corrin was at least nice enough to put him charge after lunch hour.

The half hour nearly over, Yarne smiles as he cleans the counter. He was worried over nothing.

Cheering when he hears the bell ring, he greets Corrin. “Hey Co-” Yarne’s words get stuck when he sees it’s not Corrin. Instead it’s a cat, the person’s eyes both different colors.

“I heard there was a job for cashier.” The stranger says as he leans against the counter, looking up at Yarne.

“Uh, yes. Let me call the owner.” Dialing Corrin Yarne mentally cheers when Corrin picks up right away concerned about him. “Everything is under control. But, there’s someone asking about the cashier position.” Yarne pulls away the phone when he hears Corrin yell, saying he’ll be there soon.

“He says he’ll be here soon.”

“Thanks. Guess I found a good employer that’ll hire beasts like us.” Yarne blushes at the cat’s directness. “I’m Ranulf.”

—-

“Thanks for stopping by!” Ranulf waves goodbye as he leans against the counter, his moobs squishing against his flabby arms. “Hey boss.” Ranulf waves as Corrin enters from the backroom.

“Hey Ranulf.” Corrin greets back.

Today was the third week of Ranulf’s job and Yarne’s fifth week. Corrin couldn’t ask for better employees, they were great at their job and the two were nice to each other. And they were cute to boot.

Corrin could see that Ranulf took to the take home extra rule much more than Yarne. Ranulf was already sporting a beginner’s belly and the overall chub to go with it.

Done baking, Yarne also comes out the backroom. He sits down as he wipes the sweat. Ranulf notices the way that Corrin looks at him and Yarne. His coworker had gone up a size since he started.

Corrin adjusts the bread and deserts on display when Ranulf calls him.

“Hey boss?”

“Yeah Ranulf?”

“How’re you still single?” Ranulf smiles when it garners a reaction from both Corrin and Yarne. Corrin nearly hits his head as he stands back up, blushing.

“I’m not single.” Corrin quickly responds. Ranulf doesn’t miss the way Yarne lightly frowns, and truth be told he’s a bit upset too.

“That’s a shame. Why don’t you ever bring him around?” Doesn’t mean he won’t continue teasing his boss.

“It’s more of an open relationship with them.” Ranulf tries to register what Corrin was said. He wasn’t expecting his boss to be like that.

Yarne blushes from Corrin’s straightforwardness.

“Open as in, all of you, or individual?” Ranulf questions some more. Yarne stammers upon Ranulf’s question.

“Th-that’s awfully personal!” Yarne blushes.

“I’ve been in open relationships before. I wouldn’t mind trying out another one.” Ranulf winks at Corrin, the intent clear. Corrin turns as red as his eyes.

“Could be either. ” Corrin blushes. “I need some air. You two can close for today.” Corrin tosses the keys to Yarne and escapes.

“Now you know to not give up easily.” Ranulf chastises as he closes the display case.

“You have no shame…” Yarne says, his hands on his ears.

“C'mon, you think he’s cute too. So help me clean up. The usual rush will start in a bit.”

The two prepare for the rush and once the stores usual operating hours end, they both take home two boxes of goods for themselves.

—-

Corrin sighs as he lies in bed. Most days off are peaceful but he couldn’t help but think about what Ranulf said. He does like him and Yarne. And he has talked it over with Kaden and Keaton and they’re okay with it.

But two boyfriends already felt excessive. To have four! The thoughts always bring a smile and a blush to his face but still. He needs to think about it.

—-

About a month goes by after Ranulf’s inquiry. Ranulf had the decency to let it go, Yarne was too embarrassed to bring it back up, and Corrin was still trying to decide.

That decision kept getting harder and harder as he saw his two employees getting bigger.

Yarne seemed to eat his feelings away, more and more goods ended up going to his house at the end of each day. The secret ingredient’s effects far more potent on beasts than humans, Yarne ballooned out. Baking was becoming harder now, it was tiring for the growing taguel.

Corrin wasn’t sure but he felt as if Ranulf was always looking at him. And whenever he looked his way, he’d see Ranulf devouring a snack when there were no customers present.

The backroom was not made with the intent of heavier set people getting there; Yarne’s body is closing the gap between the doorway and himself. And he’s closing it fast. Corrin wasn’t sure but he assumed Yarne was getting near 500. Yarne now has to tuck in his shirt to stop his stomach from showing. His shirt conforms to his stomach, the U shape present standing or waddling.

Ranulf looks like he just made it to the 400’s. Like Yarne, Ranulf’s fat shifted across relatively equally, but unlike Yarne, Ranulf is a tad bit more pear shaped. His chunky ass is seated on a chair by the register. Despite his size, Ranulf seems to get bolder, more and more compliments showered on Corrin.

Standing was becoming an issue for the two of them.

“You come up with a decision or something?” Ranulf asks Corrin.

“Hmm?” Corrin tilts his head, unsure of the question.

“So are you open or not? You’ve been starring at me and Yarne for a long time.” Hearing his name, Yarne waddles to the front, his thighs brushing against the door.

Corrin turns red, not expecting this so soon. “I’m open to another relationship.” Corrin says, his face red. “With both of you.”

Yarne nearly chokes on air; Ranulf smiles, a tint of red on his cheeks.

“I knew you’d make the right choice.” Ranulf waddles and flips the sign to close. He grabs Corrin and Yarne and leads them to the back room. He sits Yarne down and grabs a chair for himself.

“What’re-” Yarne asks Ranulf only to be interrupted by a cake brought to his lips.

“You’ve been wanting to feed us since you met us huh? Well, I’m waiting.” Ranulf leans back into his chair as Corrin brings a slice to his face as well.

Yarne blushes as he chews. Whatever words he has planned get ruined by more sweets fed to him.

“You like it too, just look at you.” Ranulf says to Yarne, looking at his fat body. “And so do I. See, this benefits all three of us.”

Corrin nods his head as he feeds them both. He wonders how he’ll find other employees once Yarne and Ranulf become immobile. But that thought fades away as he savors right now.

[friendshipcampaign]

Session Recap 6/1/19: Knife to Meat You

Squall gave the party a list of potential individuals to contact in their investigation -- either because they might have information, or might be suspects. It named a rival merchant named Banquin Andriolo, who dealt in swords of lower quality and envied Quest her success, as well as a former customer named Renya Fountenay who had knowingly bought a cursed blade and been angry when she hadn’t been able to break the enchantment herself.  Squall also made reference to a Watch officer named Poppy Longmarch who had disapproved of their business.

She also gave them a loose timeline of her time in the city since Quest disappeared. She’d last seen her on the 7th of Blomhath (the current month). On the 9th, too ill to keep searching herself, she hired a private investigator named Eckjeth Siek by printing an ad in the city’s proclamation sheets. On the 15th she’d had her altercation at the watchhouse and also fended off the first attack at her old lodgings, an inn called the Dove’s Tail. A second attack occurred just a day later, on the 16th of Blomhath, led by what seemed to be the same mercenaries even after she’d moved to a new room. The final attack, with the constructs, had come the night of the 18th -- right before the party arrived -- and prompted her to move across the city even in violation of curfew in order to seek safety.

As Squall spoke of the attacks, Voski reached out to offer her a Cure Wounds spell. The aarakocra accepted and used her talons to unwrap her bandage. She explained that she had seen constructs like the smaller spider-like one that had entered her room around the city before. They were typically used to deliver messages or do small tasks that individuals wanted to keep discreet, so that they could deny being present if put under the effects of a Truth spell. Apparently there were rumors they were starting to take on more sinister work.

She also explained that in the wake of the Abyssal breach, the marketplace was currently in ruins. Apparently it had broken through on the 31st of Plomés (the month before last), preceded by a plague of laughter, which had caused people to collapse in the street before it gave way to the monsters below. In the days since, the city had struggled to purge demons from its streets, and the weather had been strange and cursed, with sporadic rains of blood and acid and insects falling thickly from the sky. Quest and Squall had only come to the city because of the particular sale with her old client Winstanus, and had intended to make this a short stay. When asked if she thought there was anything else important, Squall insisted that Quest should have had more than enough time to return to the inn before curfew.

Before the party left, Squall asked the party not to use her name in public or to let anyone know where she was staying. The party discussed their own options for lodgings, but the three who’d been to the city before didn’t have any ideas. Ditto mentioned the place she’d stayed before was too small for all of them, Erwyn didn’t have any ideas at all, and Voski said the places she’d stayed before would be “too expensive.” They decided to ask Kenska if she knew of anywhere that was still somewhat secure, and she recommended the Fox and Hellhound, which was located across the city on Keeper’s Row and was far from the site of the incursion.

Leaving the poorer part of town, the party passed through the open part of the city that was currently filled with temporary structures, alongside walls that had been erected around the exclusion zone. There was standing water -- likely from the river, which had burst its banks -- near the elephant statue that Ditto had mentioned, which was decorated with eye and wing motifs. A crack in the ground stretched towards it, but seemingly stopped at the statue itself, which was a little lopsided but in one piece. A temporary watchhouse stood nearby, with people who seemed to be workers and clerics going in and out.

From there they headed towards the north wall of the city, where it was evident that the craftsman’s corridor had been hit hard by the Abyssal breach. The entirety of Bread Row, the area the bakers were concentrated in, fell behind the exclusion wall, along with portions of the arcanists’ shops on Mage’s Row, the tailors on Needle Row, and the blacksmiths and armorers on Blood Row.

The Fox & Hellhound itself did prove to be fairly sturdy-looking for an inn. Inside, the party was greeted by a goliath man named Ben in a nice waistcoat, who had tattoos of little tankards of ale and other things that spoke to his experience as a tavern owner. They paid for two adjacent rooms for a week, plus meals, which cost seventeen gold that Ditto covered herself without second thought. Voski--still introducing herself as Kasia--asked about security measures in the inn, under the guise of hoping for privacy while workshopping some performing material in the room. Ben replied that the inn had a contract with some magic users who could place a Silence spell and other protective wards around the room for an additional fee. 

The quality of the rooms turned out to be surprisingly nice. On getting inside, Kriv opened up the demiplane so that Ditto could stow Mynskay away. Erwyn also placed the Abyssal scroll they’d picked up from the Morkorth’s lair inside to keep it hidden away. Before the party headed out, Voski touched up some of her makeup, adding a slightly different sheen to her scales -- apparently, Kasia was a gold dragonborn.

“You look very shiny!” Ditto commented.

“I always do, but thank you,” Kasia replied.

The party headed out to see Linda the butcher, passing through some of the weapon-seller stalls on Blood Row on the way in the hopes of finding Banquin Andriolo. However, it turned out that the exclusion zone cut through the address Squall had given them, and whatever remained of Banquin’s stall was behind the wall on the side where the portal had formed.

As the party passed through the center of town again, they saw a strange little creature hanging around the market that at first looked something like a pigeon, but revealed itself to be a quasit with more bat-like wings and little hands. It snatched a roll from a haggard-looking person selling them, then spat ice at her when she tried to shoo it. Kriv kicked the quasit and it cursed at him in Abyssal, prompting him to let lightning gather around his teeth until it skittered away.

“More of us are coming,” it chittered in Abyssal, so only Erwyn understood it. “You won’t dare kick us then!”

The shopkeeper thanked Kriv and offered him a roll, before mentioning that there was a bounty for dead demons at the watch house. The watch offered payment for anyone bringing in demonic remains (or, it the body dissolved before it could be brought in as proof, for submitting to a truth spell and testifying to killing one). She also mentioned that there were some anti-demon people who had been called in to help deal with the situation, who wore patches with a symbol of a double-headed ouroboros and a dagger on them. Erwyn seemed nervous at their mention. Voski thanked the woman and purchased a loaf from her, tipping a couple extra copper.

Linda the butcher’s shop was easy to find once they reached the Butcher’s Quarter. Inside, there was a smaller amount of stock on display than in many stores, though it did seem to be kept chilled by cold spells. Linda herself was a shortish (for her race) orc woman with buzzed hair and mithril caps on her tusks. She seemed to be mostly a specialty butcher. Voski asked if she had any bones to sell, saying she was thinking of making a stock. This confused Erwyn greatly, who didn’t realize she actually intended to buy them for Squall, until Voski explained when Linda went to fetch them. The orc reappeared a moment later with a nice assortment and she selected some wyvern bones. She tipped an extra silver piece.

Ditto described Quest to Linda and asked if she’d seen her. The orc woman seemed hesitant to disclose anything, as customer privacy was important to her, but Ditto explained they were just trying to help find her. Linda said she’d had a couple people come talk to her about Quest already. She mentioned a half-elf, likely the private investigator, Eckjeth, though she’d mostly just tried to sell her some junk before leaving. She confirmed that Quest had come in the night of the 7th, cheerful and joking. The two of them had talked a little about the sword at the guildhouse before she went on her way, nothing seeming all that suspicious. She’d had to stay at her own shop close to curfew to help out another customer with limited hours they could visit, so she hadn’t seen Quest after that. Linda said that the other person who’d come and asked about quest was a half-orc watch officer, named Marrash, who she’d never seen before but who didn’t seem to be taking the investigation super seriously.

Erwyn asked Linda a little more about the sword at the guildhouse, and she said that it apparently spoke psychically to those who tried to handle it, though it seemed dissatisfied with any so far who presented themselves as its wielder and would burn their hands when they tried. Apparently it had been discovered by a lizardfolk priest down at the Low Temple, who had started having visions that lead her to a tomb. The sword had been moved to the guildhouse for safekeeping, and would be brought to the upcoming Guildhall Gala. 

Voski asked a little more about the private investigator and what she’d tried to sell when she’d stopped by. Apparently they were small tinctures of some kind, which she’d claimed were magical as well as a great business opportunity. Linda also said it had been hard to get her to leave.

The party then started to head towards the Guildhouse, which was nearby, to continue their investigation. Amaranth kept her eyes open for beggar’s marks on the way, noting symbols for “magical defenses” and “off-limits” outside Linda’s shop, as well as several for “good for handouts” and the symbol for “kind owner” outside of another one in the Quarter whose sign was just a picture of a big knife. She also noticed many symbols in the shape of a black triangle with three eyes inside of it, many quickly drawn and scattered all throughout the city. One even seemed to be half-carved into a wall. She asked Ditto if she recognized them, but the gnome didn’t know what they were. Kriv asked Ditto if he could have the Rhymer’s Ring at that point and started to attune to it.

Inside the main hall of the Guildhouse there was a fancy cage with a smug-looking rooster inside, the remnants of a large candle (the “timepiece” used to keep the hours of Candling, Wick’s End, and Cock’s Crow in the city), and the supposedly divine longsword they’d been hearing about. It was covered in feather motifs and had a crossguard shaped like wings, with large gems shaped like eyes in the hilt and pommel. Even without a detection spell, it felt super magical.

Amaranth went and tried to poke at the rooster through the bars of its cage and it started puffing up at her, making angry chicken noises before pecking her finger. A nearby guard asked her to please not bother the rooster, whose name was apparently Roderick III. She pressed him with questions about the bird, trying her best to act interested in the answers, and gestured for the others to snoop around as she provided a distraction. Voski sauntered over and asked a different guard about the sword and was told a similar story to what the party had heard thus far, with the added information that when discovered it had asked to be brought out into the light to bring order and truth to the city. 

Kriv eventually joined Voski and asked about the tomb as well. Apparently it was now cordoned off, but at the time of its excavation the sword had been found lying atop a sarcophagus inside. The cleric who’d had the visions leading them to it was apparently not a follower of any specific deity, and more devoted to the general concepts of gods, good, and order. Voski asked the guard if she’d tried to take hold of the sword herself and the guard said no.

While talking about the state of the city, the guard mentioned that they knew there had been some meeting from people outside of the city over philanthropic efforts to help with finances during reconstruction. In particular they spoke of a goliath woman accompanied by a large construct, veined with gold, who had been to the guildhouse several times for meetings with some of the guildmasters as well as the mayor and Watch. Apparently once she’d come specifically to see the sword and had looked at it for a few moments, laughed, and then gone about her business. In parting, Kriv asked the guard’s name, which turned out to be Clouden Greaves.

As the group left the Guildhall, Ditto mentioned that she was interested in checking in on someone she’d known when she lived in the city before, who had a shop in the Butcher’s Quarter. She lead them to the shop with the sign that bore the insignia of a large knife. Inside at the counter was a large, mechanical construct with a bladed hand, cutting meat. When he turned his face to look at Ditto, he stopped and unscrewed his meat cleaver to replace it with a hand attachment. She greeted him enthusiastically, visibly excited to see him, and said she was glad to see that he was okay. While he spoke in a monotone voice, it was clear he was glad to see her as well, and he asked if she’d acquired more names since they last spoke.

Ditto turned to the party and introduced her friend as Knife, telling him the rest of their names -- before pausing at Voski, who again gave her own as Kasia.

“That’s a rad name!” Amaranth said to Knife.

“Thank you. My creator gave it to me before he died,” Knife said, before adding, “I was not involved.”

“So, how did you two meat?” Voski asked. “Get it?”

Though Knife’s face was an expressionless mask, it was clear he had a sense of humor, and a series of monotone laughs followed.

“Kasia, you are very funny.” he said.

“I am,” she replied.

Knife explained that Ditto and her friend used to come through and he would give them meat, though he would pretend that they were stealing from him because it made them feel better. He told Ditto that he had something for her. He said the person who had entrusted it to him had said she would lay many curses on him if he didn’t get it to Ditto, and while he didn’t think she had that power, he felt for many reasons that he should fulfill the duty. 

Reaching into an area reserved for storage, Knife pulled out two old packages and gave them to Ditto, saying he had been told that, unlike other humanoids, goblins didn’t like to be interred with items of sentimental value, but preferred that they be given to others as marks of their importance. He added that the one who’d given him the packages had also said to tell Ditto that she didn’t blame her for leaving, though she probably wouldn’t believe it. The gnome started to tear up, and Knife patted her shoulder comfortingly.

[angioponder]

Maid Wars: Hott Butts, Cold Maids (2/9)

Fandom: VIXX & BTS (Multi-fandom with BTOB & B1A4 Ensemble)

Genre/Warnings: humor, crack, fluff Word count: 2492w

author’s note:  also on AO3 | follow the story #maid wars au finally posting the collab with @thinking_toes (twt) and i! so this has been two years in the making. we were just talking in the kitchen about this shit and it was so entertaining that we decided to take notes and… welp here we are. this was a JOURNEY. we hope you enjoy reading this multi-fandom kpop fic as much as we enjoyed building this world. happy reading~

Summary: Taehyung heard from his friend, Jimin, that they were hiring and he REALLY needed a job.

Walking down the small alleyway, folder clutched tightly in one hand, a waxy hand-drawn map from Jimin in the other, Taehyung made his way into the tiny shop with hopes of working soon. He hadn’t noticed it before, though he had walked through this area many times while visiting his favorite toy shop. It was sandwiched between the back of a laundromat and what looked to be an abandoned figurine store. Taehyung took a deep breath and choked slightly on the smell. Why was a coffee shop allowed to throw their trash out the front? He supposed it was part of the charm. The peeling paint, the claustrophobic tightness of the street, the sudden quietness from the bustling, well-populated streets. Like a river rock that looks boring and simple, but when you open it there are gems on the inside, colorful and shiny. He opened the door carefully and poked his head in. The inside did not reveal a hidden gem like you might find from a river rock. The walls were bare of any color, wallpaper having torn in some places. It felt slightly cold, with the somber buzzing of some overhead fans. It was different from what Jimin had described, but Taehyung thought the somber chic theme could work. He found it especially odd that customers walked right into the kitchen. He scanned the room quickly until his eyes landed on a tall, silver-haired man who was standing there with a stoic and serious expression on his side-profile.

“So hot,” Taehyung whispered to himself. The man turned sharply to look at him, his stony face melting away into utter confusion before returning to his previous appearance.

“Get in here,” hot guy said, voice rich like hot chocolate. “And use the front door next time, will you?”

“Front door? Wait, what? Me?” Blubbering mess he was, he did as he was told and did nothing else, frozen from intimidation. Hot guy raised his eyebrow at him.

“Well? What are you standing around for? You want something to eat or what?”

Taehyung, unable to speak, ungracefully shoved the sweaty folder towards the gorgeous man. He took the stained folder gingerly and didn’t make any indications that he was going to open it.

“Uh.” Hot guy’s shoulders turned rigid, eyebrows furrowing even deeper and ears growing redder by the second. Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut in fear and figured he needed to blurt out something, anything because he thought the man in front of him was going to explode in anger.

“I-um-wantoworkhere-ifthat’sok?”

There was no reply. Taehyung hesitantly opened one of his eyes to peek and see if he made things worse but on the contrary. He was met with widened eyes that looked, despite hard furrowed eyebrows, soft? And all the redness Taehyung saw from earlier was looking to be very concentrated on smooth cheeks. Was hot-serious guy…blushing?

“Oh! Oh, thank goodness you’re not a customer. Oh, that was close.” He gave a relieved sigh and cupped his own face with one of his hands. “Yeah, yeah sure. I’ll ask the boss. Why don’t you take a seat?” He motioned towards the front of the house, with tables for customers, and walked away with Taehyung’s hopes for the new PS4 pinched between his fingers.

Puzzled by the sudden change in behavior, Taehyung rapidly shook his head back and forth. He couldn’t ponder the subject for very long anyway since he was arrested by a great view of the ass attached to the man disappearing into another room.

“Working here would be my best idea yet,” Taehyung whispered to himself.

He almost immediately took it back when said boss came out of the kitchen with the most sour looking face he’d ever seen anyone wear. Except for his mom’s kitten when it was bath time. He was tall, brooding and extremely intimidating so when he first spoke, Taehyung was very surprised by the feathery sweetness in his voice when he said:

“I’m the owner, Taekwoon. When can you start?”

“U-um…Now?”

“Good. This is Ravi, our manager. He will train you. Taehyung, right?”

“Yessir”

“Go change. Ravi will take care of you.”

He looked over and saw hot-mentor-guy Ravi smiling gently at him. Yup, best decision ever. If all the guys looked like that here, summer would definitely be worth it. As Taehyung followed his new hot-ass mentor to the lockers, he vaguely wondered where Jimin was.

————-　❈��————-

Yoongi comes in a little late for his shift, with sleepy eyes and the signs of a pillow on his soft mint green hair. He stops short when he sees a new guy. He is dressed in the uniform, with crisp black slacks, a tucked white ruffle shirt and a black tie, but Yoongi is sure he has never seen someone this smiley in this shop before. Maybe only that time Wonshik smacked the cup of tea in front of his first actual customer so hard he actually spilled half of the drink and apologized profusely to the customer. She was quite gracious about it, and he gave her a charming smile, which immediately made her leave and never come back. She’d been a regular customer too. But then again, charm is not what their customers are looking for. In many ways, his job suited him perfectly, when he had no charms to speak of and he could get paid to be bitchy in customer service.

The Golden Boys are nowhere to be seen, so he assumes carpooling to work now means they stop for food at every single convenience store on the way there, nevermind that they work at a place that makes food. Yoongi does, however, go to the lockers to change into his work uniform and finds that the new guy is following him. Yoongi makes his taciturn introduction with a frown and a small nod before turning back to get ready.

“Hi, I’m Taehyung! You work here too?” Yoongi just stares, still too sleepy to attempt human interaction, but it doesn’t seem to matter, because Taehyung chatters happily away. “Anyway, I’m so excited, I only started working today. I’m so scared of messing up…the boss looks so scary.” Yoongi snorts and Taehyung finally stops to look at him. “What did you say your name was?”

“Yoongi. My maid name is Suga, though, so don’t call me by my real name while I’m on the clock.”

“OOOOH, do I get a maid name too? Ravi never told me about that.”

“Ravi is Wonshik’s maid name. We all have one, except for the boss. Jungkook, Kookie. Sanghyuk, Hyuk. They’re the Golden Boys. Don’t go near them.” It was great advice, except Taehyung was deep in thought, trying to come up with his maid name.

“I guess I can just be V, like the guy from that graphic novel…do you know it, Yoongi?”

“That’s lame.”

“You’re right. I should give it a cuter meaning. Oh! Maybe V because of how adorable I look when I do this.” Taehyung holds up his hands doing peace signs and puffs his cheeks like a squirrel.

Yoongi doesn’t react to him but manages a slow, sleepy blink.

“Let's go, V. We can snag something from the kitchen before we open if we sneak now that Taek is busy.”

“Kay!”

As the new kid skips happily away, Yoongi wonders how this guy even got hired. Just. How.

————-　❈　————-

“I don’t understand, Yoongi,” Taehyung pouted at him, fiddling with the ruffled ends of his dress shirt. “The customers didn’t seem to like my wiggly butt dances.”

Wonshik stopped typing up orders on the digital monitor to guardedly raise his hand in the air. “I kinda liked them.” At the same time, he wonders if he forgot to mention something to the kid…ah, it will come back.

“Ditto. And keep doing that nose thing,” Sanghyuk smirked at Jungkook. “I could sense Hongbin’s puny little hands scrunching in sync when you do. An impressive skill, that,” he chortled.

Taehyung leaned over to Yoongi and asked who Hongbin was. He answered by shaking his head, to which Taehyung mouthed he’s dead?! but it went unseen by the rest, so he left it at that, not wanting to disturb the peace of the deceased.

“We could use it for The Operation. Shit’s gold,” Jungkook said wagging his eyes in Sanghyuk’s direction as he passed carrying five trays of dishes effortlessly out of the kitchen.

“What nose thing?” Taehyung’s face wrinkled in confusion.

“That. Stop that.”

“Nonsense, Yoongi! It’s an asset we need!” Sanghyuk followed quickly after Jungkook with his own multiple trays of beverages.

Everyone was too loud. The sheer increase in volume in the kitchen from all the yelling back and forth was getting on Yoongi’s nerves. Before he could lose it, he went back to stuffing some warm bread into a basket for his table but then remembered being annoyed was actually a good state to be in as a server here.

“But, but Jimin told me the customers would love it. I even tried shooting hearts out of my armpits for comedic effect. See?” Yoongi looked at him, unimpressed, as Taehyung recreated his cute shenanigans.

“What a winner, this one,” he mumbled sarcastically under his breath pointing his thumb in Taehyung’s direction. “Did you train the new guy at all, Wonshik?”

“I am your manag —,”

“And who’s Jimin?” Yoongi interrupted Wonshik’s burst of fragile confidence and glanced pointedly at Taehyung.  

“Your baker?” Taehyung pulled out his phone to show Yoongi his screensaver. He glanced over casually to humor the new kid and did a double-take. “You know, pale skin, rose gold hair, he’s about yea high, got thighs that’ll crush the sides of your hea—”

At that, Yoongi slapped his hand first over Taehyung’s screen, then over Taehyung’s face, pursing his lips with wide eyes, before briskly walking off looking faintly alarmed. As he disappeared towards the front of house, Wonshik came over and looked to satiate his curiosity only to come across Taehyung’s semi-naked BFF on the screen, which only generated more confusion since it had always been Taekwoon handling the food for the most part.

“This Jimin guy definitely doesn’t work here,” Wonshik says nonchalantly, clearly unaffected. “If he’s at a maid cafe too, then he’s probably at Hakyeon’s Little Kawaii Service Cafe across the street.”

Taehyung’s eyes bulged out dramatically at the realization that he just might have applied for work at the wrong place. It made sense. The dull decor. The outfits. The blank faces. Jimin was going think he bailed out on their Summer Adventure Together. Oh, Jimin. No wonder he hadn’t seen him at all. He would have to tell him about it later over the phone and beg to be forgiven. Taehyung stared at Wonshik and thought of all the hot men that he currently worked with. Surely there was no harm in staying. He’d still get paid no matter where he was. Jimin would forgive him, especially if he could see what his co-workers looked like. With his phone still out, he snapped a quick picture of Wonshik. Wonshik opened his mouth to protest, but Taehyung blurted out it’s my life insurance, and quickly scurried away to the opposite, safe, end of the kitchen to send the picture to Jimin, along with his apology essay.

Amidst Taehyung’s confusing statement, Wonshik eyed him suspiciously with the intention to pursue and question him when someone entered the kitchen.

“Hey, Wonshik.” The greeting came from a deep-voiced beauty walking towards them. The subtle drift from the window blew his dark locks away from his perfectly structured face. His skin shone lightly, like a woman on those skin care commercials, and Taehyung could swear his warm gaze was melting the butter off the croissants he was supposed to be serving right now. He moved in slow motion, and Taehyung’s heart skipped a beat, time slowing down so he could take in every detail of this hunkofaman.

Wonshik was taken by surprise by the sudden entrance, so all he could manage was a raspy, "hey, Hongbin," before the gorgeous supermodel turned to him with a tilted head.

Taehyung looked back and forth between Wonshik and Hongbin, noting that his manager too looked absolutely dazed.

“Oh,” Taehyung said in awe. “You’re Hongbin. I get it now. You died and came back to save me. Like Gandalf.”

Before Hongbin could respond, there was another quick sound of a phone camera shutter.

————-　❈　————- 

“Taetae! I thought you were planning to come hand in your application today! I told you I’ve already put in a good word for you, so don’t fret so much about the interview. Our Summer Adventure Together awaits! The PS4 is going to be farther out of reach the more you wait, you know?”

“Jimin, listen, don’t be mad…but I got hired at the cafe right across the street from you instead.” There was a gasp. “J-Jimin? You there?” There was a beat of silence.

“You traitor! You left me!”

“No-no, it was an honest mistake!”

“Deserted and abandoned by my best friend!”

“Chim, please! I know we talked about working in the same place for summer, but I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear!”

“I’m playin’. Work is work. Broke college student life, yada-yada. It would have been nice to work together, but we can still get a PS4, right? How’d you manage to mess our locations up, huh?”

“Well…the map you drew for me was kinda unclear.”

“I worked hard on that map! Took me three days to make that for you!”

“It was smudged with unicorn glitter frosting.”

“I suppose you could say I worked hard on that map quite literally…But I used a good quality baking sheet!”

“Okay, I’m glad you’re not super mad, because I actually have something to show you. I sent you some pics. You see them yet?”

“Tae, all I saw was a five-minute scroll of what looked like a dissertation on our friendship. I didn’t get to the pics. You don’t have another weird mole, right? Don’t send it to my mom this time, please. There’s no need to scar her further.”

“No, Jimin! Wait…she didn’t like my elephant mole? Aw, but…No! Focus! It’s my coworkers. Chim, they are so hot. Like, all of them. But I guess I didn’t need to send the pictures if you forgave me so easily.”

“Who said you were forgive—WOW. Yeah, okay. They’re hot. You’re on paparazzi duty now, Tae.”

“Yes. Hot. But on the floor, they’re all kinda…serious. It’s weird. This place is nothing like how you described your coffee shop. No one reacts to my cuteness like you said, and the decor is drab. They need some serious reality TV show to help remodel.”

“Hmm. Remember Seokjin and Jaehwan? I bet I could get them over there before their shift and help out. They are unhealthily obsessed with those redecorating shows; they’d probably love to get their hands on a project.”

————-———————-—————————-———————-——————— 

THE FATE OF TAEKWOON’S CAFE RESTS IN SEOKJIN AND JAEHWAN’S HANDS. WILL ALL BE SAVED? IS THERE EVEN SOMETHING to SAVE? WHAT DID WONSHIK’S TRAINING EVEN CONSIST OF? WILL JIMIN’S NAKED TORSO BECOME A PERMANENT FIXTURE IN THE MIND OF A MIN YOONGI? WILL TAEHYUNG BE ABLE TO CONCENTR—DAT ASS THO! (Tae, pls let the authors finish their rhetoric narrative, thank you)

… TUNE IN AGAIN NEXT WEDNESDAY ON ANOTHER EPISODE OF… MAID WARS!

[thatwritingho]

Momento Mori

Chapter 2

Setting up a meeting with Olive Axworthy was proving to be much more of a challenge than Charles had expected. She had rejected all of his phone calls by the third ring, and was ignoring any letters sent by mail. At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if she was throwing them out unopened. No one in their right mind would willing turn down working for Dethklok, especially in such close proximity to the members as she would be, so she must not have listened to his voicemails or read any of the invitations for an interview at all.

Her evasion had put a wrench in his plans, any other credible doctor he could have hired and had on the job a week ago.

Charles sighed as another attempted phone call went to voicemail. That settles it then. He’d just have to go in person.

.

It had been a long, hard day for Olive. The coworker scheduled to come in as her replacement had called in, something about his kid having the flu, and there had been a rather large pileup on the interstate leaving quite a few dead, so what should have been a typical 8 hour shift in the morgue had turned into a 14 hour shift as she was the only one there.

To top it off, she had been getting calls from an unidentified phone number at least twice a day for the past week, leaving her voicemails she hadn’t got around to listening to, and she was pretty sure the same one responsible for the calls was the one sending her a letter in the mail from an undisclosed address every single day.

And now, she was being followed.

A large, beefy man in all black had been tailing her for the past two days everywhere she went, and it was really starting to piss her off. Couldn’t these fuckers get the hint that she wasnt interested in whatever they wanted to use her for?

The next phone call she received, she would answer and give them a piece of her mind.

Organizations, societies, various private interest groups, and wealthy assholes all with questionable agendas frequently sought her out, seeing her as an easy acquisition what with her current employer. They expected her to pounce at the opportunity to work for somewhere “more esteemed” as they liked to put it.

But time and again, she had shot down all offers. Didn’t they realize that if she wanted to work for someone like that, she would use the connections she already had?

Idiots, all of them.

They hadn’t all taken ‘no’ as an answer, but none had been quite so persistent as this current pursuer.

With one last glance over her shoulder, she quickly unlocked the door to her building, nearly running face first into her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Baker.

“Whoah there, honey, keep your eyes forward when you walk!”

Olive placed a hand over her racing heart, giving the widow an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, sorry. Just had a long day, thought I saw someone I knew out there,” she glanced behind her one more time, but the mysterious stalker was no where to be seen, “Did you remember your key this time, Mrs. Baker?”

The old womans face fell, and she gave Olive a sheepish smile.

“Oh dear…”

This was a daily occurrence with Mrs. Baker, who’s memory wasn’t the best.

“Its ok, I’ll buzz you in when you get back. How long will you be?”

“Oh, I can’t imagine being gone more than a half hour, just running to the store!” The old woman put a wrinkled hand on Olive’s shoulder. “Thank you, dearie.”

“It"s no problem. Be careful, there’s creeps out tonight!”

Mrs. Baker’s face crinkled as she scrunched her nose, “When is there not?”

They both laughed and parted ways, Olive’s boots making the old staircase creak in protest as she tromped her way up the three flights. Yelling and music could be heard coming from her various neighbors as she ascended, as well as the smell of both cigarettes and weed despite the building being No Smoking. It was a typical, lively Friday night, but all she wanted was a fat joint, a frozen pizza, a shower, and to crawl into bed and be dead to the world for the next few hours.

Her body ached, her head was pounding, and she was so hangry she was ready to punch a hole in the wall.

After fighting the lock on her front door(her landlord still hadn’t gotten around to getting that replaced), Olive slammed the old wood behind her, clicking all 5 deadbolts into place, as well as the chain lock. She turned the knob on the old oven to preheat for her pizza, and stripped out of her nasty, smelly work clothes on her way to the bathroom for a well needed scrub.

.

The shiny, brand new rental car stuck out like a sore thumb in front of the dingey Brooklyn apartment building, and many passerby were staring at the man in a suit standing next to it. Charles had to double and triple check the adress, as this was not where he had expected someone of her talent and access to wealth to be living. Alas, it was correct, and he turned to the Klokateer who had driven him.

“Stay here, this won’t take long.”

“Yes, sir.”

Charles approached the listing and buzzer system on the outside of the brick building, scanning over the names until he found her, pressing her button and hoping she would answer. He knew she was home, he had had her followed to be sure, of course, but with the way she had avoided contact so far, he was skeptical that she would let him in.

The sound of a buzz and the door unlocking after only a few moments wait startled him, and he straightened his tie as he pushed open the squeaky door, making sure it shut fully behind him before making his way up the creaky stairs to the 3rd floor.

.

Olive had just barely had time to shower, change into an oversized Cattle Decapitation tshirt and a pair of yoga shorts, and throw her pizza in the oven when the buzzer ran.

“Oh, Mrs. Baker, what’re you going to do when I’m not here anymore?”

With a sigh, she pressed the button to open the front door without a second thought, plopping down on her couch and grabbing her tray from the coffee table, skillfully rolling herself a joint of indica to hopefully help her sleep. She had been having trouble getting a decent night’s rest as of late, mind plagued by nightmares she couldn’t remember upon waking.

It’s probably a good idea to run some diagnostics���

The curt knock at her front door made her jump in alarm, nearly knocking the rolling tray off her lap as she shot up to a standing position, eyeing the door warily. She had not been expecting company.

Shit. The stalker.

Damn, why didn’t I use the intercom to check to see if it was really Mrs. Baker?

Socked feet tiptoed silently over to the door, hearing enhanced for any slight sound that could alert her to the person’s identify. After all, it could just be Mrs. Baker after all, coming up to ask her something or another, or bring her cookies, or thank her for letting her in.

Yeah, I’m being too paranoid. I’m sure it’s just Mrs. Baker...

Despite her attempts to reassure herself, her heart continued to pound as she leaned in to check the peephole.

Thankfully, it wasn’t the stalker, at least, but it was no Mrs. Baker, either. Before her door stood a brunette man sporting glasses, a briefcase, and what she could tell was an Armani suit even through the shitty lens.

Oh, great… Better go ahead and get this over with.

.

Charles was a bit surprised at the sound of multiple locks undoing, he hadn’t even heard her footsteps approach the door, which seemed impossible with such old, squeaky hardwood flooring. He barely had time to push up his glasses and straighten his tie once more before the door cracked open just enough to allow for a tan face and mass of pink hair to be seen, chain lock still in place.

“Can I help you?”

“Olive Axworthy, yes?”

Dark eyes narrowed, pouty lips turning down into a scowl. “What do you want?”

Charles cleared his throat. This was going to be more difficult than he anticipated.

“My name is Charles Foster Offdensen, CFO and manager of Dethklok. May I come in?”

Her face morphed into one of confusion, but she took his offered business card, he didn’t miss the spark of curiosity flash across her eyes, and she closed the door without a word, opening it fully a moment later after removing the chain.

.

“This is a, ah, lovely place you got here.”

The man, Charles Foster Offdensen, eyed her apartment with well hidden disdain, despite his attempt at a compliment.

“Sure. So, what exactly are you doing here? Unannounced, at that.”

He fixed his eyes on the petite woman before him, even given his own short stature, he still towered over her five-foot-nothing figure.

“Well, I wouldn’t have had to come unannounced, if you had answered any of my calls or responded to my invitations. Did you even listen to any of the voicemail I left?”

“No, sorry.” Olive’s eyes held no remorse despite her words.

The man sighed, “I thought not. This is by no means how I had wanted to conduct your interview, but it will do I suppose.”

Her face melted into once of quiet rage and disbelief.

“Excuse me?”

Who the fuck does this guy think he is?

“I, ah, have an offer for you. An employment offer. To be the members of Dethklok’s personal physician.”

A few moments passed of utter silence as she stared at him in bewilderment.

“Um, sorry, but what? Did I hear you properly? You do know I’m a mortician, right?”

Charles seemed unfazed, happy that the bristly woman hadn’t kicked him out of her apartment yet.

“Yes, well, I’ve looked through your history, and in spite of your current position, I find you to be a perfect candidate for this role. The, ah, only candidate, in fact.”

“You can’t be serious. I’m sure there’s plenty of people more qualified than I am.”

At this Charles shook his head, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Sorry to say, but coming here’s been a waste of your time. I’m obviously not who you need, and I’m not even looking for a new job,” She turned around at the sound of an oven ding, waving a hand over her shoulder in dismissal.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, buddy.”

Charles was undeterred, standing his ground and making no move for the door.

“I would make it worth your while. The yearly salary would be in the triple digits.”

A scoff was his only reply as she grabbed an oven mitt, removing her dinner from the oven as if he wasn’t even there.

“At least let me inform you of what the position entails.”

She turned back toward him with a roll of her eyes, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms, leveling him with an dull expression.

“Ok, I’ll humor you, man. Go ahead and tell me all about how wonderful an opportunity it is, how it’s going to change my life and grow my crops and clear my skin and make all my problems evaporate into thin air. But do finish before my pizza gets cold, yeah?”

The man cleared his throat, “Well, I can’t promise all of that, but if you’re having skin issues, we do employ a wonderful dermatologist who would be at your disposal should you so choose.”

Dark eyes widened, blinking owlishly at him as her face morphed into a small smirk.

“You’re funny, dude. But I don’t have all night.”

“Right. Like I said, the position is for a personal physician to Dethklok’s members. But this is a bit more advanced than just being an on-call doctor. You would be required to be present at all events, concerts, appearances, as well as living at Mordhaus, free of charge, of course, and stay in close proximity to the band at all times to provide both preventative care and as insurance in case the unexpected were to happen, along with your typical check ups and tests. This includes being present for all band meetings, recording sessions, and any general, ah, excursions the boys might partake in. While living at Mordhaus, you would have access to all amenities there, within reason, of course. And as I said, you would be well compensated for your efforts.”

Charles finished his schpiel confidently, staring down the shocked woman who’s mouth was agape, body more relaxed and less guarded as she processed the information.

Dethklok. This guy really hand selected her to work with Dethklok. And so closely with them, too! She had to stop her inner fangirl from getting too excited at the prospect, and she hooped it didn’t show through to her expression.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re saying you want me to be, like, a body guard, but, like, against health conditions instead of attackers? Did I hear that right?”

“That’s one way to put it, I suppose.”

“And this is a serious offer? Like, do they really want this?” Olive was understandably in disbelief, after all…

What kind of rich asshats need an ever-present doctor at their disposal?

It was an utterly ridiculous request.

“Well, I wouldn’t say the band wants this, per say, but it is in their best interest and they have agreed to give it a shot. Which is what I’m asking of you. Just a two week trial, to see if you’re a good fit for the boy’s needs.”

Charles walked into the kitchenette, setting his Maxwell Scott briefcase down on the counter and popping open the latch, pulling out a stack of paperwork and a gold and black Montblanc pen.

“I’ve taken the liberty of drawing up a contract for your trial run, give it a read over and sleep on it. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

He handed the papers to the stunned girl, then gathered up his belongings and headed for the door, stopping halfway to turn back to her.

“And do make sure to answer my call this time. I’d rather not have to make another special trip.”

With that, he was gone, leaving as quickly and unexpectedly as he had arrived. Olive glanced to the contract in her hands, skimming over the first page. This seemed legit. What the fuck. This was insane. Absolutely, utterly, comically insane.

But not as insane as the fact that she was seriously considering it.

With a heavy, long suffering groan, she carefully placed the papers on the counter, she needed to eat before she could deal with reading business jargon. Turning back to her untouched pizza, she nearly cried in frustration to find it was cold.

God damn it, what an asshole.

.

Charles, now comfortably back in his office the following day, was pleasantly surprised when Olive answered the phone, and after only two rings at that. Before he had the chance to greet her, he was interrupted, and a smile of satisfaction stole across his face at her words.

“Alright, man, as much as I wish I could turn you down to wipe that shit eating grin off your face that I’m sure you’re gonna have after this, I can’t. Good job, man, you convinced me. When do I start?”

.

Alright, chapter two! I actually finished it when I said I would, too! Fucking unbelievable, I stg. Let’s see if I can keep this up and post chapter 3 tomorrow! Olive will be introduced to the band!

[grapevynerendezvous]

Cream - Fresh Cream

Cream came about in the summer of 1966, recording their first album, Fresh Cream, from August to November, which was then released in the U.K in December. An altered version of it was released on Atco Records in the U.S. in January 1967. The difference in the versions was that the American version included I Feel Free as opposed to Spoonful on the UK record. In the U.K. the album topped out on the charts at No.6 while in the U.S. Billboard Top 200 it reached No.39. I Feel Free was released in the UK at the same time as the album, hitting No. 11 on the Album Top 40. Prior to this, another non-album song, Wrapping Paper, was the actual first single for the band. It was backed by Cat’s Squirrel, which did end up on the Fresh Cream album. The single, only released in the U.K., reached No.34 on their Top 40. Spoonful was a single off the album in the U.K., with the song split on two sides, failing to make the charts. I Feel Free was the only single released in the U.S. It came later, but failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100, cresting at No,116.

The idea to develop a new band belonged to drummer Ginger Baker. He had grown tired of playing drums with the Graham Bond Organisation. After going to see Eric Clapton play blues guitar with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Baker ended up giving Clapton a ride home. Ginger proposed that Eric join him in forming a band to which he readily agreed with but with one condition, that they include bassist Jack Bruce. According to Clapton, “Baker was so surprised at the suggestion that he almost crashed the car”. Eric had played with Bruce on a few occasions. They met when Bruce played with The Bluesbreakers in late 1965. They had played a live gig and John Mayall had it recorded and hoped it could be his second album which didn’t happen due to poor recording quality, They had also briefly been a part of a band of studio musicians called Powerhouse and did some recording. Steve Winwood and Paul Jones rounded out that group. During that period Jack Bruce was in the band Manfred Mann and was bassist on their hit single, Pretty Flamingo. Clapton wanted to do something ongoing with Jack after they had played together. Baker and Bruce had also played together when they were two of the co-founders of the Graham Bond Organisation. That had not gone well as they were notorious for quarreling and finally Baker had fired Bruce from the band. Bruce kept showing up until he “was driven away from the band after Baker threatened him at knifepoint”, according to Jack’s interview with John Tobler and Peter Frame. In forming Cream Baker envisioned a collaborative effort with everyone contributing to the music. He and Bruce did try to put their differences aside. As they were organizing and preparing for their first performances, which took place at the end of July ’66, they decided that Jack Bruce would be the lead vocalist with Eric Clapton, who was timid about singing at that time, doing occasional harmonizing. Clapton eventually came around to doing lead vocal on some songs, beginning with Four Until Late on Fresh Cream.

Cream was “the first top group to truly exploit the power trio format” per Richie Unterberger, and also wrote that they “could be viewed as the first rock supergroup to become superstars, although none of the three members were that well-known when the band formed in mid-1966”. The name Cream arose  because Baker, Clapton and Bruce were considered the “cream of the crop’” of blues and jazz musicians in the British music scene. They were all considered to be incredible virtuoso instrumentalists. Baker and Bruce were relatively unknown in the wider music arena while “Clapton had the biggest reputation in England. He was all but unknown in the US, having left the Yardbirds before For Your Love hit the American Top Ten”, according to Richie Unterberger in his AllMusic biography of Cream. At first referred to as The Cream, the decision to settle on just Cream coincided with the release of Fresh Cream.

It is interesting to note that Eric Clapton, known as a blues purist, left the The Yardbirds because he didn’t like the commercial direction they were going when they released their first single, For Your Love. John Mayall gladly hired him to play in his band and Clapton continued to make a significant impact in the blues world with The Bluesbreakers. However, he left after the one album together, looking for a less controlling situation and not long after joined up with what became Cream. While the band was definitely blues-based to begin with, other things worked their way in rather quickly. Courtesy of Jack Bruce’s abilities spanning blues, rock and jazz, the band became a unit that would stretch the boundaries of what those genres meant, and play more powerfully and louder than any band up to that time. According to a Colin Fleming article in Rolling Stone, Jack Bruce said, “I thought of Cream as sort of a jazz band, only we never told Eric he was really Ornette Coleman”. Ultimately Cream took its’ place as a band that lead the way toward improvised jams, and on to psychedelic, hard rock and proto-metal styles. While not overly commercial (except in comparably few instances) Cream went beyond merely being a blues-based band. The notable jams that have been recorded with them in places like Winterland and The Fillmore reflected what had occurred in San Francisco with bands like The Grateful Dead during the Acid Tests and beyond. However, as Fleming describes it, “The connection between the mighty beast that was the Cream and the LSD-laced West Coast “softer” bands might seem a tenuous one, but Cream was teaching bands how to think onstage, how to improvise”. While their sometimes “bloated blues jams” were negatively criticized because of their flashiness, virtuosity and showmanship, lacking taste and focus, according to Unterberger, there is no doubt that they laid “the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s”. Meanwhile there is evidence in their studio recorded tracks that they were capable of producing interesting melodic music, in contrast with what happened in their live performances.

I first heard of Cream in spring of 1967. A friend of mine and I went to South Lake Tahoe CA for a training seminar put on by an organization we were in together. We drove to the event in his car,, talking together and listening to a lot of music. It was the first time I ever listened to Radio X and Wolfman Jack. My friend told me about a great new band from England called Cream and spoke of Eric Clapton and the others, none of which I had ever heard about before. Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce were totally unknowns to me while I was familiar with Clapton only because I heard his playing on the first Bluesbreakers album at the record store I would go to. While I didn’t end up getting that record until quite a bit later, the fact that the band and the albums title included “featuring Eric Clapton” was etched in my mind. I didn’t know about his connection with The Yardbirds until later. It wasn’t long after that I started hearing the only cut from Fresh Cream that got airplay on local radio, I’m So Glad. I always assumed it was a single, but as it turned out it was an early example of an album cut being played on top forty stations. As the rest of the decade unfolded this became a more common practice despite the normally tight format of those type of stations. I never got to see Cream perform live, but I have seen Eric Clapton in some of his eventual projects. Jack Bruce went onto a solo career as well as playing with other bands  Ginger Baker was busy with various other band projects as well, but I never saw either Bruce or Baker perform.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_(band)#Formation_(1966)

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/how-cream-defined-the-rock-power-trio-190712/

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cream-mn0000112462/biography

A combination that includes songs that appeared on both the original UK and US records plus additional tracks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1xQRagjuwg

LP33

[btextswriting]

KNACK FOR THIS {part 2 of SWEET HEART}

Me?! You asked incredulously as Jin nodded. What? But we only met and I … I’m not a good baker! You tried to form excuses, but the way that Jin was staring at you just made your knees continue to wobble.

Well I was hoping you would work more in the media area. He replied and you gave him a surprised look. My grandparents were never very good with it, and I just thought since you seem to be more comfortable with technology. He said as he looked over at your purse, your laptop bursting out of it and your phone clutched in your hand, with a chuckle. I just thought maybe you could help us a little more with getting put on the map. But if you don’t want to ---

He trailed off and you stood there frozen for a moment. Here was an opportunity to work on something you never had and maybe even help this beautiful man succeed.

Alright. You murmured. Okay, I’ll do it. You said more surely and Jin smiled widely.

Great! He exclaimed and took one of the little cakes, popped it into his mouth. He made a look that made you giggle.

Something wrong? You asked and he shook his head.

I think this needs more frosting. He murmured and you shook your head.

Oh god no! Don’t drowned it with frosting, this is like the perfect cake to pair with a cup of coffee. You replied and Jin looked at you, then stood up and walked behind the counter.

Well, let’s see about that. He murmured, turning on the coffee pot, the smell of java filled the air and you could feel your mind relax. As he quickly finished up the two cups of coffee, he handed you a mug. Clink. He said as he gently tapped your mug against his own and you smiled. The warm liquid was just what the doctor order, it was an amazing feeling of clarity, that only coffee could bring. Then he placed a little cake in front of you, as he put the other in his mouth.  MMM! He exclaimed and you laughed as you took a bit of half the small cake. Savoring the bust of flavors it was a nice mixture of everything. You sighed.

See? Perfect. You murmured and Jin nodded.

You have a knack for that kind of thing. He replied and you laughed.

What? Pairing cake and coffee? You asked and he nodded.

That’s simple, but something that could be cool is if you made something like this with maybe a specialty coffee brew. You started to get into your blog mode and Jin watched as you began to brainstorm. Oh, or maybe having a coffee pairing board and then a tea one with different cakes. Hmm, but people like to have choices, so maybe letting the customers choose the cakes themselves. You mumbled and Jin leaned back in his chair and laughed.

Wow, you definitely have a lot of ideas. He chuckled and took the empty plate away as you continued to sip on your coffee trying to hide your embarrassment. What did you do that you got let go? He asked and you tsked.

Could you word that to not make it sound like I got fired? You asked and he raised an eyebrow.

But didn’t you get fired? He asked and you pursed your lips.

That’s a moot point. You mumbled and Jin laughed. I worked as an assistant to an asinine creature of a boss for Glutton’s Guide to the Galaxy. You replied and Jin tilted his head.

Interesting. Namjoon owns that blog. He replied and you looked up at him quickly.

What?! You exclaimed and Jin laughed.

Yea, he started it while we were in culinary school. Well while I was in culinary school, he dropped out and got a business degree. Jin explained and you shook your head.

Welp, I’m now his former employee. You told Jin and he smiled.

And you are now MY current employee. He said and you nodded.

I guess I am. You responded with a nod.

Good, so you can clean up the kitchen since you’re such a good employee. He said and you laughed.

Good joke! You laughed but then you saw Jin’s serious face. Wait, you’re serious? You asked and Jin stood up and handed you the mop.

Mhm, don’t forget to lock up when you leave. There’s an extra key in the register for you. He replied and walked out of the storefront.

Where are you going?! You asked and he stopped.

I’m telling my grandparents how I fixed the issue of their café! He explained and waved, walking away. You watched him stop suddenly and thought this had all been a strange joke, when he turned around and ran to the door. OH! And be here at 9am tomorrow morning, I want to talk menu options with you! With that he was gone yet again, trotting down the street without a care in the world. You looked around, it was like he had left a mess in his wake.

At least I can think this stuff through. You mumbled to yourself. As you thought through the morning, nothing seemed to make sense, it all happened so quickly that you were trying to keep up. Somehow, you had talked to a hot guy, gotten yourself fired, gotten hired by the same hot guy you talked to earlier, and eaten amazing cake. Finishing up the last of the cleaning you opened the register and found a key inside. Picking it up, you placed it on your trusty key ring and walked to the front of the store. Locking it up, you began your walk home.

You walked into your small, one room apartment. It was comfy and cozy, your kitchen was painted a pale blue and was your favorite part of the entire place, while the rest of your apartment was a muted gray with pillows and various trinkets becoming accents around the apartment. You shed your shoes and purse as your walked into your bedroom, washing your face and throwing your hair up into a bun, you opened your laptop. Opening a new document, you began to brainstorm your ideas for the café, you could already see the beautiful smile on Jin’s face as you continued to type out the various plans.

Bright and early at 9am. You thought. This is the start of a whole new chapter. And with that you turned the lights off.

[mclennunf]

Mclennon in a coffee shop au?

lovely! im sorry it isn’t too long, but here it is. to the anon who sent the other one shot request, im working on it now :) pls enjoy

17 year old Paul McCartney worked as barista at the local Liverpool coffee shop, just to help his father out with bills and all that. Paul was a good kid, always got the best grades in his classes. Paul was one of the only baristas that worked at that coffee shop due to lack of employees, so he worked double, and sometimes even triple shifts. Paul truly didn’t mind though, he enjoyed the company of the customers and he had a weird passion for making coffees and lattes. His boss, Brian, wasn’t usually in the shop. He was a very busy man who usually was tending to his chain of record stores, the coffee shop was just a side job. But today, he was in the coffee shop. This caused Paul to wonder what was going on. “Morning, Paul.” Brian greeted. “Good morning, Mr. Epstein.” Paul greeted back as he washed a few cups, to keep busy as it truly was not that busy that morning. “I wanted to tell you that I’ve finally hired a new baker.” Brian smiled, turning his head to the door. Paul watched as a relatively tall, auburn haired boy who couldn’t have been much older than Paul walked into the coffee shop.

Paul had never been more floored by someone’s appearance in his life. This boy was absolutely gorgeous, and Paul couldn’t believe it. Paul caught himself staring and looked back down at his dirty task. “Paul, this is John. John, this is my best barista, Paul.” Brian introduced them. “I’d shake yer hand but, ugh,” Paul nodded down toward the soapy water. “Nice t'meet ye.” John responded with a thick, very noticeable accent. “I suppose I’ll leave you be. I’ve done most of John’s training already, Paul. He knows the menu.” Brian told his youngest but most trusted employee. “Yes, sir.” Paul smiled as he began drying his hands. John disappeared into the kitchen, and Brian disappeared from the coffee shop all together. Paul slowly walked back into the kitchen and saw John, already elbows deep in his work. “It’s not busy today, I wouldn’t over bake anything.” Paul instructed. John only nodded, still focused in whatever he had been making.

The next few shifts that Paul had, he had been working with John. He noticed that John was a man of very few words, and he liked to keep himself busy. He over baked a lot, which bothered Paul. He hated to see Brian’s resources go to waste. “What do you do with all these left overs, anyway?” Paul finally asked as he locked the door to the coffee shop, John standing close behind him with a box of pastries. “I take them to the children’s homeless center.” John said, almost too quietly. “Really?” Paul said, surprised by the answer. “Don’t sound so shocked.” John said, his expression not changing. “I just didn’t peg you for that type of guy, I suppose.” Paul said as they began walking away from the coffee shop. “I used to live there. Feel like I owe ‘em, y'know?” John finally looked at Paul, and the look of those eyes sent shivers down Paul’s spine. “Want me to walk you home?” John asked, brushing his arm against Paul’s. Paul could only nod.

After every shift for the following weeks, John would walk Paul home and continue on to the children’s homeless shelter. Paul was unsure, but he felt as though he was falling for the deep, mysterious baker that Brian had hired. One particular night, the coffee shop was unusually busy. There were regular customers, and some Paul had never seen before. A lump grew in Paul’s throat the moment he saw his ex boyfriend, Ben, walk in and sit down by himself. The man was an abusive jerk, who had no problem tossing Paul around. He knew Paul worked there, too. Paul was expecting a ruckus. “What can I get for you?” Paul asked Ben, hoping he wouldn’t say anything too rude or nasty. “Black coffee. Figured you’d remember that. I’ll take a special side order for later though.” Ben said, slapping at Paul’s arse as Paul began to walk away. Paul closed his eyes for a moment to recoup, and walked back behind the counter. Little did Paul know, John had been watching the whole thing as he restocked the shelves with fresh biscuits. As John walked passed Paul, he stopped and got close to his ear. “If there’s trouble, you come get me.” John whispered, trying to seem nonchalant about it. Paul smiled and nodded.

“Here’s your coffee. Anything else I can get you?” Paul asked Ben, placing the hot beverage down and trying to be as polite as possible. Ben took a sip. “This is fucking garbage, McCartney.” Ben spat the coffee out on the floor. “I-I’m so sorry, I’ll make you another,” Paul became flustered as he reached for the cup, and Ben was quick to react by slapping the cup out of his hands, causing the hot drink to fly all over Paul’s arm. “AH!” Paul yelped as he fell back, cupping his now burning arm. Before Paul could blink, John had Ben picked up by the collar and was carrying him out the front door of the coffee shop. “Stay away from here, and stay the hell away from him.” Paul over heard before the door shut behind John. When John reentered, everybody in the coffee shop was staring at him. But Paul was nowhere to be seen. John quickly retreated back to the kitchen, where Paul had his arm stuck under cold water. All of the customers collectively made the decision to leave, and one even left a note saying they loved Paul’s service, they’d definitely be back and he didn’t deserve that at all, which made Paul smile when he found it.

John didn’t ask whether or not Paul was okay, he just stood close beside him by the sink and rubbed the small of his back softly and slowly. Paul didn’t want to cry in front of John, but the mix of his emotions and the pain of his arm made it hard to fight the tears back. He kept his eyes closed, hoping that would help. Unfortunately, it didn’t. One single tear escaped Paul’s eye, but much to Paul’s surprise, John quickly wiped it off his cheek for him. Paul finally pulled his arm out from under the cold water and dried it on a dish towel. “Ex?” John finally broke the silence between them. “How’d you know?” Paul asked, pouring himself and John a coffee. “I saw him smack your arse.” John observed, thanking him for the coffee as well. There it was, John knew Paul was gay. “Don’t sweat it, Paul. My ex was the same, right aresehole he was.” John reassured Paul, making sure he heard his use of the male pronoun. Paul grinned to himself.

John shoved his coffee aside and leaned over the table toward Paul. He cupped his cheek and planted a passionate kiss right on his lips. At first, Paul was shocked and unsure. But after a moment, Paul sank into the kiss and stood up as well, pushing himself closer into the older baker. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment Brian introduced me to you.” John mumbled as he broke the kiss. “Me too.” Paul could barely speak, the kiss was just that good.

[blackkudos]

August Wilson

August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, 

The Pittsburgh Cycle

, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Each is set in a different decade, depicting the comic and tragic aspects of the African-American experience in the 20th century.

Childhood

Wilson's maternal grandmother walked from North Carolina to Pennsylvania in search of a better life. Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel, Jr. in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fourth of six children, to Sudeten-German immigrant baker/pastry cook, Frederick August Kittel, Sr. and Daisy Wilson, an African-American cleaning woman, from North Carolina. Wilson's mother raised the children alone until he was five in a two-room apartment above a grocery store at 1727 Bedford Avenue; his father was mostly absent from his childhood. Wilson would go on to write under his mother's surname. The economically depressed neighborhood where he was raised was inhabited predominantly by black Americans and Jewish and Italian immigrants. Wilson's mother divorced his father and married David Bedford in the 1950s, and the family moved from the Hill District to the then predominantly white working-class neighborhood of Hazelwood, where they encountered racial hostility; bricks were thrown through a window at their new home. They were soon forced out of their house and on to their next home.

In 1959 Wilson was one of fourteen African-American students at the Central Catholic High School, where he dropped out after one year. He then attended Connelley Vocational High School, but found the curriculum unchallenging. He dropped out of Gladstone High School in the 10th grade in 1960 after his teacher accused him of plagiarizing a 20-page paper he wrote on Napoleon I of France. Wilson hid his decision from his mother because he did not want to disappoint her. At the age of 16 he began working menial jobs, where he met a wide variety of people on whom some of his later characters were based, such as Sam in The Janitor (1985).

Wilson made such extensive use of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to educate himself that it later awarded him an honorary high school diploma, the only diploma it has ever bestowed. Wilson, who had learned to read at the age of four, began reading black writers at the library when he was 12 and spent the remainder of his teen years educating himself through the books of Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, and others.

Career

Wilson knew that he wanted to be a writer, but this created tension with his mother, who wanted him to become a lawyer. She forced him to leave the family home and he enlisted in the United States Army for a three-year stint in 1962, but left after one year and went back to working various odd jobs as a porter, short-order cook, gardener, and dishwasher.

Frederick August Kittel, Jr. changed his name to August Wilson to honor his mother after his father's death in 1965. That same year he discovered the blues as sung by Bessie Smith, and he bought a stolen typewriter for $10, which he would often pawn when money was tight. At 20 he decided he was a poet and submitted his poetry to such magazines as Harper's. He began to write in bars, the local cigar store and cafes, longhand on table napkins and on yellow notepads, absorbing the voices and characters around him. He liked to write on cafe napkins because, he said, it freed him up and made him less self-conscious as a writer. He would then gather the notes and type them up at home. Gifted with a talent for catching dialect and accents, Wilson had an "astonishing memory," which he put to full use during his career. He slowly learned not to censor the language he heard when incorporating it into his work.

Malcolm X's voice would influence his life and work (such as The Ground on Which I Stand, 1996). Both the Nation of Islam and the Black Power spoke to him regarding self-sufficiency, self-defense and self-determination, and he appreciated the origin myths that Elijah Muhammad supported. In 1969 Wilson married Brenda Burton, a Muslim, and Wilson converted to Islam in order to sustain the marriage. He and Brenda had one daughter, Sakina Ansari-Wilson, and divorced in 1972.

In 1968, he co-founded the Black Horizon Theater in the Hill District of Pittsburgh along with his friend Rob Penny. Wilson's first play,Recycling, was performed for audiences in small theaters, schools and public housing community centers for 50 cents a ticket. Among these early efforts was Jitney, which he revised more than two decades later as part of his 10-play cycle on 20th-century Pittsburgh. He had no directing experience. He recalled: "Someone had looked around and said, 'Who’s going to be the director?' I said, 'I will.' I said that because I knew my way around the library. So I went to look for a book on how to direct a play. I found one called The Fundamentals of Play Directing and checked it out."

In 1976 Vernell Lillie, who had founded the Kuntu Repertory Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh two years earlier, directed Wilson'sThe Homecoming. That same year Wilson saw Sizwe Banzi is Dead at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, his first professional play. Wilson, Penny, and poet Maisha Baton also started the Kuntu Writers Workshop to bring African-American writers together and to assist them in publication and production. Both organizations are still active.

In 1978 Wilson moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, at the suggestion of his friend director Claude Purdy, who helped him secure a job writing educational scripts for the Science Museum of Minnesota. In 1980 he received a fellowship for The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. He quit the Museum in 1981, but continued writing plays. For three years, he was a part-time cook for the Little Brothers of the Poor. Wilson had a long association with the Penumbra Theatre Company of St Paul, which gave the premieres of some Wilson plays. Fullerton Street which has been unproduced and unpublished, was written in 1980. It follows the Joe Louis/Billy Conn fight in 1940 and the loss of values attendant on the Great Migration to the urban North.

In 1987, Saint Paul's mayor George Latimer named May 27 "August Wilson Day." He was honored because he was the only person to both come from Minnesota and win a Pulitzer Prize.

In 1990 Wilson left St Paul after getting divorced and moved to Seattle. There he would develop a relationship with Seattle Repertory Theatre, which would become the only theater in the country to produce all of the works in his ten-play cycle and his one-man showHow I Learned What I Learned.

Although he was a writer dedicated to writing for theater, a Hollywood studio proposed filming Wilson's play Fences. He insisted that a black director be hired for the film, saying: "I declined a white director not on the basis of race but on the basis of culture. White directors are not qualified for the job. The job requires someone who shares the specifics of the culture of black Americans." The film remained unmade until 2016, when a film adaptation directed by Denzel Washington and starring Washington and Viola Davis began filming.

Wilson received many honorary degrees, including an honorary Doctor of Humanities from the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as a member of the University's Board of Trustees from 1992 until 1995.

Wilson maintained a strong voice in the progress and development of the (then) contemporary black theater, undoubtedly taking influences from the examples of his youth, such as those displayed during the Black Arts Movement. One of the most notable examples of Wilson’s strong opinions and critiques of what was black theater’s state in the ’90’s, was the “On Cultural Power: The August Wilson/Robert Brustein Discussion”—being just one of the times where Wilson spoke plainly for the progression of black theater. Here, Wilson engages in a fairly heated discussion with Robert Brustein. As with all debate neither truly came out ‘right’, however both played a hand in calling attention to a huge issue, and shedding light on how poor of a state the form was in. Undeniably, Wilson left an everlasting imprint on Black Theater's development.

Work

Wilson's best known plays are Fences (1985) (which won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award), The Piano Lesson (1990) (a Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

Wilson stated that he was most influenced by "the four Bs": blues music, the Argentine novelist and poet Jorge Luis Borges, the playwright Amiri Baraka and the painter Romare Bearden. He went on to add writers Ed Bullins and James Baldwin to the list. He noted: "From Borges, those wonderful gaucho stories from which I learned that you can be specific as to a time and place and culture and still have the work resonate with the universal themes of love, honor, duty, betrayal, etc. From Amiri Baraka, I learned that all art is political, although I don't write political plays. From Romare Bearden I learned that the fullness and richness of everyday life can be rendered without compromise or sentimentality." He valued Bullins and Baldwin for their honest representations of everyday life.

Like Bearden, Wilson worked with collage techniques in writing: "I try to make my plays the equal of his canvases. In creating plays I often use the image of a stewing pot in which I toss various things that I’m going to make use of—a black cat, a garden, a bicycle, a man with a scar on his face, a pregnant woman, a man with a gun." On the meaning of his work Wilson stated "I once wrote this short story called 'The Best Blues Singer in the World,' and it went like this— “The streets that Balboa walked were his own private ocean, and Balboa was drowning.” End of story. That says it all. Nothing else to say. I’ve been rewriting that same story over and over again. All my plays are rewriting that same story."

The 

Pittsburgh Cycle

Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, also often referred to as his Century Cycle, consists of ten plays—nine of which are set in Pittsburgh's Hill District (the other being set in Chicago), an African-American neighborhood that takes on a mythic literary significance like Thomas Hardy's Wessex, William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, or Irish playwright Brian Friel's Ballybeg. The plays are each set in a different decade and aim to sketch the Black experience in the 20th century and "raise consciousness through theater” and echo "the poetry in the everyday language of black America". He was fascinated by the power of theater as a medium where a community at large could come together to bear witness to events and currents unfolding.

Wilson noted:

"I think my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans," he told The Paris Review. "For instance, in Fences they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman's life is affected by the same things – love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives."

Although the plays of the cycle are not strictly connected to the degree of a serial story, some characters appear (at various ages) in more than one of the cycle's plays. Children of characters in earlier plays may appear in later plays. The character most frequently mentioned in the cycle is Aunt Ester, a "washer of souls". She is reported to be 285 years old in Gem of the Ocean, which takes place in her home at 1839 Wylie Avenue, and 322 in Two Trains Running. She dies in 1985, during the events of King Hedley II. Much of the action of Radio Golf revolves around the plan to demolish and redevelop that house, some years after her death. The plays often include an apparently mentally impaired oracular character (different in each play)—for example, Hedley Sr. in Seven Guitars, Gabriel in Fences or Hambone in Two Trains Running.

Chicago’s Goodman Theatre was the first theater in the world to produce the entire 10-play cycle, spanning from 1986 to 2007. Two of the Goodman’s productions—Seven Guitars and Gem of the Ocean—were world premieres. Israel Hicks produced the entire 10-play cycle from 1990 to 2009 for the Denver Center Theatre Company. Geva Theatre Center produced all 10 plays in decade order from 2007 to 2011 as August Wilson's American Century. The Huntington Theatre Company of Boston has produced all 10 plays, finishing in 2012. During Wilson's life he worked closely with The Huntington to produce the later plays. Pittsburgh Public Theater was the first theater company in Pittsburgh to produce the entire Century Cycle, including the world premiere of King Hedley II to open the O'Reilly Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh.

TAG - The Actors' Group, in Honolulu, Hawaii, produced all 10 plays in the cycle starting in 2004 with Two Trains Running and culminating in 2015 with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. All shows were Hawaii premieres, all were extremely successful at the box office and garnered many local theatre awards for the actors and the organization.

Two years before his death in 2005, August Wilson wrote and performed an unpublished one-man play entitled How I Learned What I Learned about the power of art and the power of possibility. Recently produced at New York's Signature Theatre and directed by Todd Kreidler, Wilson's friend and protégé, How I Learned explores his days as a struggling young writer in Pittsburgh's Hill District and how the neighborhood and its people inspired his amazing cycle of plays about the African-American experience.

Personal life

Wilson was married three times. His first marriage was to Brenda Burton from 1969 to 1972. They had one daughter, Sakina Ansari, born 1970. In 1981 he married Judy Oliver, a social worker; they divorced in 1990. He married again in 1994 and was survived by his third wife, costume designer, Constanza Romero, whom he met on the set of The Piano Lesson. They had a daughter, Azula Carmen Wilson. Wilson was also survived by siblings Freda Ellis, Linda Jean Kittel, Donna Conley, Barbara Jean Wilson, Edwin Kittel and Richard Kittel.

Wilson reported that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer in June 2005 and been given three to five months to live. He died on October 2, 2005, at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, and was interred at Greenwood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, on October 8, 2005, aged 60.

Legacy

The childhood home of Wilson and his six siblings, at 1727 Bedford Avenue in Pittsburgh was declared a historic landmark by the State of Pennsylvania on May 30, 2007. On February 26, 2008, Pittsburgh City Council placed the house on the List of City of Pittsburgh historic designations. On April 30, 2013, the August Wilson House was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In Pittsburgh, there is an August Wilson Center for African American Culture.

On October 16, 2005, fourteen days after Wilson's death, the Virginia Theatre in New York City's Broadway Theater District was renamed the August Wilson Theatre. It is the first Broadway theatre to bear the name of an African-American.

In Seattle, WA along the south side of the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the vacated Republican Street between Warren Avenue N. and 2nd Avenue N. on the Seattle Center grounds has been renamed August Wilson Way.

Honors and awards

1986: Whiting Award for Drama

1987: Pulitzer Prize for Drama – Fences

1987: Tony Award for Best Play – Fences

1987: Outer Critics Circle Award – Fences

1987: Artist of the Year by Chicago Tribune

1988: Literary Lion Award from the New York Public Library

1988: New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play – Joe Turner's Come and Gone

1990: Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts and Distinguished Pennsylvania Artists

1990: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play – The Piano Lesson

1990: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play – The Piano Lesson

1990: New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play – The Piano Lesson

1990: Pulitzer Prize for Drama – The Piano Lesson

1991: Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame award

1991: St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates

1992: American Theatre Critics' Association Award – Two Trains Running

1992: New York Drama Critics Circle Citation for Best American Play – Two Trains Running

1992: Clarence Muse Award

1996: New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play – Seven Guitars

1999: National Humanities Medal

2000: New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play – Jitney

2000: Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play – Jitney

2002: Olivier Award for Best new Play – Jitney

2004: The 10th Annual Heinz Award in Arts and Humanities

2004: The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Freedom of Speech Award

2005: Make Shift Award at the U.S. Confederation of Play Writers

2006: American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Plays

Recycle (1973)

Black Bart and the Sacred Hills (1977)

Fullerton Street (1980)

Jitney (1982)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984)

Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1984)

Fences (1987)

The Homecoming (1989)

The Coldest Day of the Year (1989)

The Piano Lesson (1990)

Two Trains Running (1991)

Seven Guitars (1995)

King Hedley II (1999)

How I Learned What I Learned (2002)

Gem of the Ocean (2003)

Radio Golf (2005)

Wikipedia

[mousedetective]

Sweets For My Sweet (An “A Thousand Different Lives” Story)

So I’m switching back to old posting format because I’ll be including to Ko-Fi link and I know AO3 has rules about stuff like that, and my AO3 links on these posts will be worded differently. But yes, you’ll still get the complete fic on Tumblr still.

This fic is another belated Christmas present for @awinterbornrose with her favorite ship from me, Sherlock Holmes/Amy Pond. I tweaked the prompt slightly ("I used to be the best baker in the neighbourhood but then you showed up at Mrs Appleby’s 80th birthday with a stack of brownies which almost gave me an orgasm my honour is at stake and I’m going all out for the next event" from this list) but I like it and I hope you do too. And in case you want to try the recipes mentioned and not go to te AO3 page, here you go:

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies with Dulce de Leche | Samoa Brownies

Sweets For My Sweet - After a chance encounter at Mrs. Appleby’s 80th birthday party, Amy begins getting recipes from the only person she’s met that makes better brownies than her. After going a long while without seeing him again, she takes matters into her own hands to track him down again and offer him a proposition he would be foolish to refuse.

Relationship: Sherlock Holmes/Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

Characters: Amy Pond, Sherlock Holmes

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Letters, Recipes, Bakery, Baker Amy, baker sherlock, One-Sided Attraction, Brownies, Cunning Plans, Accountant Sherlock, Pre-Relationship, Beginning Of A Partnership

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The bastard had waltzed into Mrs. Appleby’s 80th birthday party and acted all apologetic and sorry that he had nothing more to give then a plate of confections. The conniving, scheming wretch had acted like the plate of brownies were nothing special, just something he’d whipped up from a box mix, and instead, they’d been the type of brownies that made her nearly melt into an ooey gooey puddle on the floor. They’d made her nearly moan in delight and really, she’d been tempted to wrap a few in a napkin and take a few home when she wanted to remember what a really good shag was like.

The nerve of Mr.Sherlock Holmes. She was the best baker in the neighborhood! Her! Amelia Jessica Pond! Her bakery had won bloody awards!

She had slipped one of the bloody brownies in her handbag and took it home, taking a few nibbles to find out how he had done it. Not to replicate the recipe; oh, no, she never wanted to be called a thief. But her brownies were never so moist, so light and fluffy, and if she could just figure out his secret, she’d be all set. She’d have the best bloody brownies in the whole of London, and the extra business would be worth its weight in cake flour.

Mark her words, she’d figure it out.

---

The envelope was slipped into her mail slot aside on top of the morning post, with not writing on it of any sort. She was balancing the package the postman had left outside which she was hoping was her new stand mixer on her hip, and bending over could either be bad for her health or bad for the mixer, so after a moment she set it down and picked up the envelope. On the back, it was sealed in wax, and the seal was a baker’s hat. That was rather amusing, and she grinned slightly at it as she ran her fingernail underneath to lift it up. Inside she saw a letter, folded over twice, and she pulled it out.

“To the intriguing Ms. Pond,

The brownies are known as Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies with Dulce de Leche. A friend of mine in the States sent the recipe before posting it on her website to see if I could convert it easily to British standards. The secret ingredient is cayenne pepper. I doubt she would mind if you made a version for your store.

S. Holmes.

Underneath was a recipe, and she smiled as she read it before heading towards her kitchen, completely forgetting about her package or the mail on her floor. It was time to bake.

---

Soon other recipes arrived, every so often, always in a plain white envelope sealed with a baker’s hat wax seal, all added underneath letters addressed to “the intriguing Ms. Pond” and all signed “S. Holmes.” She started incorporating each recipe he sent to her into her weekly specials, moving some towards her more regular treats, and she found business picking up quickly. Soon she was having to hire more staff because there was a queue at the door before she even opened in the morning.

And yet she didn’t see him around the neighborhood much. She would bring treats to parties, usually ones he had sent her recipes for, but he wouldn’t come, and she felt herself disheartened each time she went to an event hoping to see him and not catching even a glimpse. She would ask if anyone saw him, knew where he was, but everyone shook their head. No one knew.

So she resolved to find out.

---

It took some time, but eventually she found out he didn’t even

live

in London. He was an accountant in Leadworth, working in a shoppe owned by his family and, from all accounts, not very happy. He’d come to Mrs. Appleby’s party because she’d been his favourite teacher in primary school, encouraging him to try his hand at the culinary arts before his family made clear he was to join them in the family business.

And so she formed her plan.

Of all the recipes he had sent her the best was the Samoa Brownie, so named because it used the same ingredients in the Samoa Girl Scout cookie in the States, he said, and he had gotten the idea from a copycat cookie recipe he’d found. The secret ingredients in the brownie were instant coffee granules, he said, and she had to agree that it was ingenious. She was sure she could convince his family he was much better as a baker than an accountant if they could just taste one.

She went to the shoppe in Leadworth with a covered plate in her hand. She recognized Mr. Holmes right away, and he looked up in surprise. “Ms. Pond,” he said quietly.

“Mr. Holmes,” she replied with a smile. She set the plate on his desk and took off the cover. “My best sellers. I thought your family might want to try one?”

“It won’t do any good,” he said with a wry smile. “They’re on diets.”

She hadn’t even considered that. “Damn.” She paused, and then picked one of the brownies up. “Come with me.”

“What?” he asked surprised.

“Come with me to London. Work in my shoppe. Room with me in my flat. Get the hell out of this village and do what you were meant to do.” She broke the brownie in half and moved one half towards him. “Become my partner. I need you.”

“You...need me?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes. Very much.”

“You don’t know me, though,” he said.

She gave him a warm smile, popping the brownie in his slightly open mouth. “I know enough to know I want to.”

He chewed and then grinned. “Alright. You have a deal.”

“Good,” she said before popping her own half in her mouth. This was exactly what she wanted, and she couldn’t wait to see what happened.

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