#i think i'll try to get as much art done or started before the year ends idk if i do i might just stream or something i'm not sure lol

[midnightlavenderimp]

Macaque as Emily from the corpse bride could be good!

With Wukong as Victor

mac: "i think my costume is accurate."

wukong already pushing mac into the ground: "not accurate enough."

sorry it took me so long orz

[comicaurora]

Hey, sorry if you’ve been asked this before, but I have ADHD and I’ve been following your comic for years and just now have started to write my own comic (partially because you really inspired me). But I’m really struggling with staying on the project even when it’s boring and getting myself to work on it in the first place. Do you have any tips on how to keep your brain invested or just to make yourself do the work at all?

I have excellent news, I literally just figured out something really important about this.

So when you're an ADHD kiddo or otherwise have difficulty staying on task in a structured environment where Task is the Priority, the main way people try to MAKE you stay on task is by removing your access to anything that is not The Task. No phone, no TV, no doodling, no going outside, etc. In practice, this just makes us miserable because it takes the boredom that's always simmering around a 2 or 3 and cranks it all the way up to 11. In the same way that you would have difficulty staying on task if you were in physical pain, this crushing existential monotony makes it very difficult to work. The work might get done simply because you have no other options, but it will not be done quickly or well, and it will take a while to recover from how much it hurt.

What I realized earlier this week is I caught myself doing this to myself. I had 42 pages of background colors to do, and I thought to myself "this sounds really tedious, but I suppose I have nothing better I can do." And I realized what I'd just thought, and got very alarmed.

Because back when I was an ADHD kiddo imprisoned by school scheduling and a million little factors that keep children immobile and restrained, I couldn't stop thinking about how big and exciting the world was, and how much I wanted to be anywhere but here. When I was feeling really crushed in I'd pick a random spot on the maps on my wall and just imagine being there instead of my bedroom. This was the impetus behind almost all of my creative energy. I've said it before - anything is a prison if you can't leave, and being in a prison makes it easy to imagine how amazing things could be outside of it. Aurora's initial worldbuilding was forged in the crucible of fifth grade misery. My enthusiasm for art and my creative drive are inextricable from my sense of wonder and yearning for excitement in the real world. Not escapism, but appreciation. Wonders unimaginable are out there, and I gain just as much joy seeking them out as I do conjuring them up in my head and sharing them with all of you.

So now that I'm a grown-up with actual freedom in every way I've been able to get, the idea that I was staying on task by making myself believe the world was small and not worth seeing was extremely alarming. It could keep me on task for an afternoon, but at the cost of slowly extinguishing the thing that made me want to make art in the first place - the hunger to experience and draw inspiration from all the myriad complexities in the world.

So what I've been doing is I've been purposefully and intentionally taking excursions whenever I catch myself thinking "I could take a break but it wouldn't be worth it, it's the same outdoors as always, I'll be uncomfy and unproductive and tired." Because that is never true. Every time I've put down the stylus and gone out, I've been renewed in one way or another, and when I come back to comfort fully recharged I get a lot of shit done. Because it is easier to work on anything if you remember why you wanted to make it in the first place, and it is self-defeating misery to just lock yourself in with it and tell yourself you're a bad person if you can't get it done.

I honestly don't know how widely applicable this is. I have worse wanderlust than anyone I know, so for me this has always been modeled as imprisonment vs freedom. I've also been extremely lucky to find myself in a profession that lets me set my own pace on literally everything I do. But I genuinely believe that when it comes to making art with ADHD, you need to give yourself freedom to move laterally, not just in the direction of obvious forward progress. We don't think linearly in any other part of our lives - art is no different.

[psi-hate]

alright, this really, really sucks but i have an unfortunate update that occurred regarding my recent living situation.

not to get into too much detail for the sake of my friend's privacy, but she and her fiance offered to take me in after i was suddenly on the verge of homelessness this february. i accepted their offer and moved in thanks to everyone's support, and for the last few months, i felt comfortable and capable in getting myself together for the first time in years.

however, despite what i assumed were all positive developments, things started getting a lot more complicated. i become exposed to the treatment and stress my friend has been suffering from her fiance over many years, from being spied on via tracking apps, in-house cameras, a ridiculous jealousy complex and all sorts of other personal issues.

her friends and i have been supporting her over the years, but i didn't realize how bad it was until i started to be subjected to it as well.

my friend decided to break up with her fiance last week, finally standing up for herself but still wanting to remain friends and live as normally as they could, they still had the house and their cats and such. her now ex-fiance hasn't taken kindly to this and has been pretty passively hostile towards us, and has started to take it out on me.

she started stalking my tumblr to find things to get mad at, and checking the cameras when i leave my room. i've not felt comfortable to leave my room in well over a week other than to get some food or use the bathroom in the middle of the night, the tension has been a nightmare.

my friend and i decided we needed to move out, especially me since i'm technically not a tenant and we suspect she's going to call the police on me to get me out of here. my friend will be going to her parents at a later point, but i unfortunately need to leave within a couple weeks as i've already been "indirectly" threatened.

this is sort of a nightmare, and i feel so horrible things turned out this way for my friend. i tried my best, but this feels out of my control. trying to keep the peace has only made things worse, and we think it's best for me to book it before i get blind-sighted.

i suspect if her ex-fiance sees this, she'll retaliate, but at this point i've already made my peace with that.

unfortunately, i won't be able to bring much of my stuff with me, i only have enough money for a ticket to move in with another close friend as an emergency.

i don't have enough to buy any checked bags for most my belongings, especially my desktop pc, so once i move i'm very likely going to not be able to do my art or anything until i can afford a laptop eventually. i'm really sorry to those waiting on any commissions, i'll try my best to get them done before i move. i feel so horrible about this.

if anyone is able to help, i'd really appreciate it. even just a reblog is more than i can really ask. i hesitate to make this request because i feel like i just asked for it only for it to all be wasted once this exploded in my face. but i've been encouraged to reach out, and i apologize if this is too much. my ko-fi:

thank you so much for supporting me so far. i don't want to disappoint anyone anymore. i am so scared but i still want to keep trying.

[phantomarine]

Clam's Quick Tips for Starting Your Very First Webcomic

Howdy! Here are the three bits of advice I tend to give people who ask me about getting into webcomic-making. Maybe they can help you jump into the fray with a little less fear.

1) Make Your First Chapter a Pilot Episode

You will be told by webcomic veterans to start with a short, simple comic idea first - which is wise - but if all you can think about is your big magnum opus, then you might as well hop in, right? Otherwise you'll just be glancing back at the other cooler project forever.

But if you can't start with a small simple story, start on a small, simple part of that larger story. Your first chapter should be a snapshot of the main conflict - show us a simple scene with few characters, ease us in slowly, keep things clear and focus on emotion/impact/clarity. Get the audience to care by offering something easily digested, but full of promise.

Once you're done with that 'pilot' chapter, and you're feeling more comfortable with the whole comic process, you can open the gates and show us the larger world. At that point, you'll be way more ready.

2) Simplify Your Art Style For Your Own Sanity

Always try to make your webcomic's art style as simple as possible - the standard rule is to use only 75% of your artistic skill for every comic page you make. Otherwise you will burn out quickly and terribly.

But you also need to be PROUD of your art style. If you're really feeling itchy, add a couple bells and whistles to your style so you can look at the finished page and say "Yeah, looks cool." You'll find the right balance the more you draw.

Also, don't be afraid to change your art style as you go along. Ultimate consistency is often impossible in webcomics anyway - so embrace your desire to try new things, streamline your work, whatever you feel needs to happen to be happiest. Sometimes the coolest part of reading a webcomic is noticing that style change - so don't hesitate to embrace it!

3) Resist the Reboot! RESIST!

The curse/blessing of drawing the same things over and over is that you'll inevitably get better at drawing those things. The trouble comes when you look back at old stuff and start thinking "Damn, I could draw that way better now."

You must recognize that this feeling never goes away. Not after a hundred pages. Not after three hundred. Not after a thousand.

I think everyone should be allowed one soft reboot for their first webcomic. Redraw some panels that bother you. Change up some dialogue if it doesn't make sense with your new story ideas. Do maintenance, basically. One of the beauties of webcomics is that they can be easily edited, without reprinting a whole book or remaking a whole game.

But if the ultimate purpose of a webcomic is to tell a story, then constant reboots will just be retelling the same story - slightly better each time, but the same at its core. We've heard it before. Most audiences would rather you save your strength and just keep going, rather than circling back year after year and going "Wait wait wait! I'll do it better this time."

Reboot early, not often, and only when you absolutely must! You're a storyteller, and you're constantly getting better at telling your story. Don't be ashamed of it - look back how much ground you've covered, and keep walking!

---

That's a good start. Happy webcomicking - don't be afraid to jump in, but be prepared to learn a lot very quickly. And if this advice doesn't work for you or adhere to how you did it, that's absolutely fine - webcomics are diverse by nature, and so are their creation processes. Feel out what works best for you, and good luck!

[mind-intheclouds342]

Do it for them - Co-captain reader x Curly

Previous - Part 10 - Next

Daisuke: "Do you need anything else? I can give you my cookies if you like."

You were sitting in the bathroom, hugging your legs, your body trembling, you had a bucket of hot water and a cup to wet your body with it.

Daisuke was keeping you company outside, sitting and making small talk, trying to cheer you up.

Your body was covered in red marks from the number of times you had rubbed the sponge against your skin.

"It's not necessary"

Daisuke: "It wasn't your fault"

"I should have launched him into space when I had the chance."

Daisuke: "Like among us?"

His comment was so strange that you couldn't help but laugh for a second; it had caught you completely off guard.

"Exactly"

Daisuke: "Would you feel better if we do it now? Let's say he went out to fix the ship and got lost in space by accident!"

You kept laughing at his words, it made you happy to have him with you.

"Thank you for making me company"

You couldn't see him, but you were sure he was smiling with pride.

Daisuke: "Hey... he... you are not... You know...?"

That question brought you back to reality, looking at your body and sighing.

"No, I can't get pregnant Daisuke, don't worry about it."

Daisuke: "Anya told me everything and... I felt horrible... Useless... Maybe I could have done something and-"

"No one could do anything, it's not our fault for trusting people, the only one to blame here is Jimmy."

You finished rinsing off with water so you could go out and get dressed.

When he saw you leave, he got up from the ground to walk by your side.

Daisuke: "Are you going to launch him into space?"

"If you keep bringing up that idea, I'm going to give in to temptation."

You smiled at him to go check how the ship's trajectory was going; according to the calculations, there were only two weeks left to reach the station.

Daisuke: "What are you going to do when we get back home?"

"Well... I think I'm officially going to retire from space jobs... Maybe I'll dedicate myself to being a housewife during the day as a cover and a mobster at night to make money."

Daisuke: "Come on, tell me the truuuth" he said, laughing and pulling your arm.

"Well... I haven't thought it through yet, I've worked my whole life here, and now that they're going to fire us, I..."

Daisuke: "What would you like to do?"

You looked at him somewhat confused, as if you hadn't quite understood his question.

Daisuke: "You know! What did you dream you would be when you were little?"

"You're going to think it's stupid."

Daisuke: "Nooo! Of course not! I wanted to be a firefighter when I was little, but then I wanted to go to art school, although my parents didn't like that idea much at first - and when I couldn't get in, they got me this."

"....I wanted... to be a pastry chef"

Daisuke: "Seriously?? That's awesome! You should start trying when we get back!"

"Maybe I'll give it a chance..."

You stopped in front of the nursery and gave Daisuke a look to say goodbye to him before going inside of that room.

You went straight to sit next to Curly.

"I already know"

Those were your only words, and immediately he started to gasp, trying to speak to you but nothing came out of his mouth.

"I told you, for years, that man was a jerk, that he would only bring you trouble. You had to see his atrocities to believe it, didn't you? It had to hurt you for you to realize... You didn't listen to me, or to Anya... Now you'll have that on your conscience for the rest of your life." 

You closed your eyes for a moment to avoid seeing him, but you could hear their sobs.

"I hope you have learned because... if something like this happens again... You can forget about me forever."

You lowered your head until you gently rested it on his chest.

"I forgive you... Because you have forgiven me when I have done horrible things... I forgive you... Because it's not your fault wanting to see the good in everyone but..." 

You raised your gaze to look directly at his face.

"You can't make everyone happy, you'll always have to choose someone... Now you... Who do you choose?"

You were surprised when you felt his arm on your back, as if he were trying to hug you tightly, assuring you that he would always choose you.

[mainstreamangel]

IMPERFECT FOR YOU

P. Bueckers x Singer!Fem!Reader

Summary: You always write songs. Paige wants to write one for you though. She shares how she sees you. How you see her for more than an uprising basketball phenomena.

Genre: Fluff

Warning(s): First person pov (this actually pains me to write in first person but for the sake of the fic, it must be done.), mentions of death

A/N: Shorter fic because it's late and I feel like I'm just mindlessly typing at this point. Like a zombie or something idk

WC: 1.6k

My girl, come take my hand. Throw your guitar and your clothes in the back seat.

"Ready to go?" I asked her.

She and I have been dating for as long as I can remember. Alright, maybe it was only like 5 years. But still that's a long time! She had just had her big break about 2 years ago with her hit song, We can't be friends (Wait for your love). I was so proud of her it was insane.

Every time a reporter would ask about us, I would always bring her up. It didn't matter if a reporter only asked about my career and basketball, I would still bring her up.

"Yeah, thanks. I know it must be a burden to drive me places after my shows. I seriously can just have my manager call us a ride." She smiled apologetically.

"No need, plus it's more private that way. I get to spend time with my superstar girlfriend after her amazing shows."

"You're also a superstar."

"Not as super as you my star."

"Ha. Ha." She laughed sarcastically.

I started to pull out of the parking lot and drove us back to the hotel.

"Babe, there was a fan here tonight. She was a mother. She said her son was lost to cancer and that he loved my music." My girl said sadly.

I gave her a sad look before letting her continue.

"Sometimes it hurts hearing people's stories like that but it's also rewarding to know that I brought them comfort in drastic measures you know?" She looked out the window.

"Yeah, you're pretty amazing though. I think anyone would be happy to let you comfort them through your work." I replied, not taking my eyes off the road.

"You're going to be alright, I'm here." I assured.

My love, they don't understand. But I'll hold your hurt in the box here beside me.

"You're very special to me P. I just hope you know that."

"I do, ma. I do."

How could we know, we'd rearrange all the cosmos?

Even in times that we didn't agree, we still worked it out. Because we were- are a team and we aren't supposed to be against each other. I wrote my girl a song and I had just finished it tonight. I was going to share it with her after dinner. I want to let her know that her works inspire me to create my own art for her.

"You can't be serious. Do you think we'll really be alright? I mean I'll be gone for games and you're going on tour. We'll never see each other."

"I have to do this. Paige, we're never going to always be together. It's just how our careers work. But we're a team and we know each other. We'll get through this. Plus I'll come see your games as much as I can while on tour and I know you would do the same for me. We'll be alright, babe."

Paige sighed. "I trust your judgement, ma."

We crashed and we burned. Now I just can't go where you don't go.

You kept your promise and you attended one of her games nearby and wore her jersey proudly as you cheered. You loved your girl and she had such raw talent. You two were a formidable duo and the world was never going to be ready for an ultimate power couple such as yourselves.

There were many cameras and reporters trying to get a bit of your time but you pushed them away. You were here for your girl and not the public. You kindly declined another reporter before they shot their question anyways.

"How do you two deal with your imperfections? Your bond is so strong it seems like you two are always perfect, to each other in and out of the public eye."

You smiled before leaning in.

"We're not perfect but we always have each other's back. Even when it seems like we could be against each other, we always come back around and figure it out together."

And usually I'm, fucked up, anxious, too much. But I'll love you like you need me to.

Paige was sitting with her teammates. The game was tougher than she had anticipated and she was really in her head. She played with the ends of her hair in her signature braided ponytail, scanning the room. She couldn't meet your eye and it made her deflate a bit.

"Looking for someone?" You smirked.

Her head whipped around and she stood up before pullng you into a hug.

"You made it."

"Always will, P."

Imperfect for you.

I always knew that my girl would bring me out of situations where my emotions could get the best of me. I mean being under the constant watchful eye of the media, it brings a toll to the person. There is no one I can share that experience with better than her. She understands what I mean better than anyone and she knows best how to get me out of my head.

Before her, I would always get tempered and while my friends and teammates tried their best to help me like she does, it just wasn't the same. But when she did it, it worked better than any medication I could ever take.

She could do the same things as my friends when they tried, but hers would just be more effective because well, I was in love with her.

I'm still in love with her.

Messy, completely distressed. But I'm not like that since I met you.

"You okay, P?" She asked me.

"Yeah, just thinking about us."

"Hope it's good things."

"You bet."

Imperfect for you.

It was late and we just got back to the hotel. Not many places were open so we decided to order room service. The clock on the nightstand read 11:54 P.M.

"I am exhausted." She laughed, pulling her shoes off.

"I bet, I could never have a profession like you. Walking around for hours, singing and dancing."

"You're literally a basketball player."

"And?"

She shook her head at me and laughed. I pulled her in and gave her a sweet kiss.

Let's go tonight, 'cause there's just a few seconds left 'til tomorrow.

The door let out a soft knock and I pulled away, opening the door.

We have all that we need, let's leave our baggage and wine at the table.

"Your wine, ma'am." The person said, handing me a bottle of expensive wine.

"I didn't order this." I started.

"Yes she did, thank you." My girl smiled behind me, taking the bottle and closing the door swiftly.

"We didn't-"

"Who cares? Free bottle of wine." She popped the cork and took a swig of the bottle before offering it to me.

I laughed and took a gulp myself.

How could we know, that this was a happy disaster?

"Babe I wrote a song for you, about us." I said nervously.

She smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"You didn't have to do that. Will you share it with me? It's alright if not. I know it takes a lot of courage to say that you even wrote one."

"No, I want to share it with you, its about us and importantly it's for you. You inspired me like you inspire so many fans." I smiled, pulling away and grabbing the piece of paper that has the lyrics.

I grabbed my phone and started to play the melody I came up with on Garage Band.

"Garage Band?" She laughed.

"Had to make do, stop." I laughed too.

I'm glad we crashed and burned. I'll never forget when you told me. You said, "Usually, I'm fucked up, anxious, too much. But I'll love you like you need me to. Imperfect for you. Messy, completely distressed, But I'm not like that since I met you".

I sang softly, timing the music just right. Tears welled up in her eyes and she took my hands in hers and swayed us softly as I continued to sing as best as I could.

How could we know, we'd make the bad stuff delightful? I'm glad we crashed and burned. I know we'll be there for each other, when we're feeling fucked up, anxious, too much. But I'll love you like you need me to. Imperfect for you. Messy, completely distressed, But I'm not like that since I met you. Imperfect for you.

I finished the song and she pulled me into a soft passionate kiss.

"You're so sweet babe." She muttered against my lips.

"You make me this way, ma." I sighed softly with a smile.

Fucked up, anxious, too much. Like you need me to.

"I can see a music career in your future babe." She released herself from my grip and picked up the phone to order real food.

The wine had buzzed me a bit and I smiled sheepishly.

Imperfect for you.

"I think basketball is really what I'm good at. I think I'm going to leave that to you."

"Well let me know if you change your mind, but honestly? I like having a soft sappy basketball girlfriend. She's tall but so so in love with me."

Messy, completely distressed. Not like that since I met you.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too. Now hurry I'm literally starving."

"I'm working on it P."

"Maybe you should work on something else huh? And it's not your new album." I hinted with a smirk.

She lightly hit my arm and I let out a fake groan.

"That hurt!" I whined.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. Dirty girl." She laughed.

"I love you." I pouted.

"I love you, too. Hello? Yes, I'd like to order room service for me and my girlfriend..."

Imperfect for you.

[oddinary4bts]

Be With You | ch 4

☆summary: who knew that the hot guy you've been paired with for a class project is also a kind soul? Certainly not you, and you feel yourself falling even though you know you shouldn't. Will it be your demise, or will it all work out in the end?

☆pairing: Choi San x female!reader

☆rating: 18+ (minors DNI, this chapter contains mature content)

☆genre: slow burn strangers to lovers, college!au, smut, angst and fluff

☆warnings: the wine and cheese, alcohol, cursing, mentions of smoking cigarettes, jealousy, vague mentions of a toxic relationship, mentions of throwing up, san's somewhat of a flirty shit, explicit content: nipple play, grinding, oral sex (female receiving), jerking off

☆word count: 15.7k

☆series masterpost

☆add yourself to the taglist here

☆a/n: I'm really really excited for y'all to read this chapter, it's one of my favourites :) and thank you to @moonleeai for your amazing work as my beta reader, I love you and am forever thankful for you <3

☆☆☆☆☆

Cold snowflakes Withered down Until you bloom As a spring flower I'll be with you

Be With You, Ateez (english translation)

☆☆☆☆☆

Friday, October 4

“No but seriously,” Sydney whines, and you throw her a look over your shoulder.

You’re getting ready at your place for the wine and cheese tonight, makeup scattered all over the bathroom’s counter as you both try to make yourselves look presentable.

Sydney’s been complaining ever since you told her that Yunho wasn’t over because he was getting ready with his date. What you failed to mention is that his date is Honjoong, his friend, and that he in fact does not have a real date.

It’s been worth Sydney’s little tantrum, if you have to be honest.

“What?” you let out as you apply white eye shadow to the inner corners of your two eyes, before pulling away from the mirror to make sure you haven’t messed up.

Sydney is sitting on the toilet, scrolling through her phone - she’s never been the kind to put a lot of makeup on, and she’s already done with her eyeliner. And though you wish you had her talent when it comes to applying eyeliner, you’ve always been one to go overboard when it comes to makeup.

You believe it’s an art, one that you’ve started enjoying more and more as the years go by. Come to think of it, it might be one of the reasons why you like the wine and cheese so much - it allows you to let your creativity loose, and your makeup has always been wild for the event.

“I’m just surprised he would go with a date,” Sydney mumbles. “Like a week and a half after he confessed to me.”

You force your lips to remain in a straight line despite the smile that wants to grow on them. “What’s wrong with that?”

“I don’t know.” She sighs dramatically, putting her phone away. “Don’t you think it’s weird?”

You have her right where you want her to be, and you won’t be the one to take her out of her misery. Not when it’s clear proof of Sydney’s reciprocated feelings for your brother, even though she doesn’t realize it yet.

It’s all part of the masterplan, as you and San have started to refer to it.

The thought of San makes butterflies dance in your stomach, and this time you can’t stop the soft smile that grows on your lips.

“Not really, no,” you reply to your friend, shrugging your shoulders. “I told you he wasn’t going to be hung over you for long.”

“But a week and a half!” Sydney exclaims. “That’s really short.”

“That’s Yunho for you.”

Sydney makes a noncommittal sound, going fully silent as she stares at the ground. You busy yourself with rubbing your makeup brush on the inside of your palm, trying to get rid of as much white pigment as you can. You throw your best friend a look as you do so, but then focus on getting a light grey eye shadow on the rest of your eyelids. You follow that with black on the outer corner, and then you blend it all with another makeup brush before adding a bit of glitter over it.

“And that’s after you left me alone with him last Monday!” Sydney complains all of a sudden, the betrayal she felt evident in her tone. “It was so awkward.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t,” you carefully say. “Yun said you guys just talked a bit.”

Sydney says. “I guess.”

“Then what’s so bad about it?” As your best friend stays silent, you look at her with a knowing smile on your lips. “Are you jealous?”

“Oh my God, what the fuck?” she lets out. “No, why would I even be?”

You snort, facing the mirror again as you grab liquid black eyeliner from your makeup pouch. “You’re blushing.”

“You are the most insufferable being on this entire planet,” Sydney deadpans, and you burst out laughing.

“I think we can both agree that Yunho is worse.”

There’s a silence, long enough that you meet Sydney's gaze. She’s looking at you with an amused smile on her lips, and your laughter erupts at the same time as hers does.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she agrees.

And that is that. Sydney grabs her phone again, letting you finish your makeup, and then you move to your hair, though you go for something much simpler for that.

Indeed, you only tie back the front strands of your hair, adding a light beige bow behind your head to complete the look, and then you turn towards Sydney, spreading your arms.

“Ta-da!” you let out.

She looks at you, eyes sparkling appreciatively. “I love it.”

You thank her, and then you put your makeup away, going back to your room to put your dress on. Sydney puts hers on in the bathroom, so you find yourself alone for a moment, and you immediately grab your phone to see if San texted you.

Obviously he has, and you smile, nose scrunching up, as you read his messages.

[6:00 pm] San: can’t wait to see ur dress [6:01 pm] San: hope it’ll fit with what i’m wearing

He told you yesterday that he was going to wear an all black outfit - black dress pants and dress shirt - and though you’re aware it might slightly clash with your dress, you don’t mind.

Yes, you’ve agreed to go to the wine and cheese together, but it’s not like you’re going together together. Indeed, you’re just meeting there, and you assume you’ll be mingling with his friends - Wooyoung, and two guys called Yeosang and Jongho - so you don’t think it matters that your outfits might clash. That the navy blue of your short satin dress might not fit with the black of his outfit.

[6:36 pm] San: where are uuuu [6:57 pm] San: damn ur makeup has to be insane for u to take this long to reply

You laugh at his last message, replying to it with the emoji with its hand over its mouth, its cheeks pink. You’re slipping out of the clothes you got ready in when your phone buzzes, and you glance at the screen.

[7:09 pm] San: that’s all u have to say? (emoji looking up) [7:09 pm] San: u were gone so long

You roll your eyes, opening your text thread with him.

[7:10 pm] You: missed me?

He sends the emoji looking up again, and you laugh, throwing your phone on the bed as you walk to your closet, pulling the dress out of it. It doesn’t take you long before you’ve put it on, and you take a moment to marvel at the softness of it, your hands grazing the fabric.

You went a little fancy for a college event where you’re risking to get wine on your dress, but you don’t care. 

There’s nothing like getting dressed up after all.

When you’ve finished getting dressed, you spray your favourite perfume on the inside of your wrists, dabbing it on your neck, and right before you’re about to put the perfume away, you decide to spray some between your breasts, too.

Just in case. Not that you think San will get near there but… he did say multiple times that he wanted you to come sleep over after. Which is why you’ve packed a tote bag with everything that you need in case you do sleep over, and you grab it before leaving your room, meeting with Sydney in the living room.

She looks amazing. She always does, but her dress hugs her body and curves perfectly, and you don’t blame your brother for being a goner when it comes to her - she carries herself with a simple beauty and elegance that always makes her shine in a room, whether she realizes it or not.

“Can you help tie my dress?” you ask.

She nods, walking towards you as you drop your tote bag on the floor. “What the fuck kind of dress is this?”

You burst out laughing. “You need to…” you trail off, reaching for the straps behind you. “Tie these together. And then the other four together.”

“That’s… complicated.” Her deadpan tone makes you laugh again, though you stand still as her fingers deftly tie the straps like you’ve told her to. She then steps in front of you, offering her back to you as she pulls her hair over her shoulder. “Need you to zip this up.”

You do so, making sure to hook the top part together, and then you slap Sydney’s ass, making her yelp in surprise. “All ready,” you tell her.

She glares at you over her shoulder, and then walks back to where she was sitting when you got out of your bedroom so that she can grab her purse and her phone. 

“Should we call an Uber?” she asks.

“Do you want to eat something first?”

You’re not surprised when she agrees, nodding her head forcefully. You giggle at the sight, and then you make your way to the kitchen along with her so that you can reheat some leftovers in the microwave. You eat quickly, and Sydney calls the Uber while you’re brushing your teeth after. You apply some lip tint and gloss as you wait for the Uber to get here, and then you run down the stairs, Sydney on your heels, your tote bag in one hand and your coat in the other.

“How the fuck can you run with high heels on?” Sydney grits through her teeth as you wait for her at the bottom of the stairs, putting your coat on.

“Skills, baby.”

She rolls her eyes, and then she reaches the ground floor, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

You’re outside a few seconds later, the weather autumnal again - the ground is wet from the previous rain, puddles scattered on the road, and the streetlights aid the eerie gloom of the fall evening.

“Where’s the Uber?” you ask, glancing at Sydney over your shoulder as she looks at her phone.

“It’s a white Honda Accord,” she says, and you get closer to the street, eyeing the two sides. 

It doesn’t take you long before you locate the car, and then you’re heading towards it, climbing into the back seat after having made sure that the license plate is the correct one. The driver confirms with Sydney that you are heading to a certain address, and Sydney gives him the go with a nod of her head and a polite smile.

The drive isn’t too long, though it takes you away from campus, closer to downtown. You end up stuck in traffic for a bit, and you text back and forth with Sydney, not wanting to talk because you don’t want the driver to hear your conversation.

It’s mostly Sydney saying once again how embarrassed she is that she was worrying about Yunho when he’s already moved on, and you do feel bad for lying to her then.

If only she knew that Yunho has still been moping around, heartbroken as he is. But you don’t tell her - you’ll let her figure it out on her own. Hopefully she’ll talk to him tonight, and though you and San aren’t quite sure how to make sure that works out in a crowded event like the wine and cheese, you’re happy you have San to help.

Twenty-five minutes later, you finally reach the venue, and you thank the driver before getting out of the car. People are gathered out front, some of them smoking cigarettes while others seem to be waiting for someone, and you smile at those you recognize, even saying hello to Nayeon when you walk past her.

To think that she is San’s ex…

He hasn’t told you more about his relationship with her. Honestly, you haven’t really tried to learn more either, especially considering that it’s three years in the past anyway.

A cold gust of wind catches in the lapels of your unzipped coat, lifting the skirt of your dress, and you quickly put it down, trotting up the stairs that lead to the venue. Sydney is right behind you, and soon enough, you’re surrounded by the warm embrace of the indoors, finding yourself in the hall of the museum where the wine and cheese is held this year.

You make your way towards the coat check, following the crowd and, to your surprise and Sydney’s dismay, Yunho is already there, smiling at you and waving awkwardly.

“You look surprisingly good for a loser,” Yunho says to you as a greeting, and you give him the middle finger while he turns towards Sydney. He freezes then, gulping once, and you roll your eyes as you move towards the girl taking care of the coat check.

You take off your coat, handing it to her along with your tote bag, and then Sydney pulls on your arm, leaning in to whisper in your ear.

“Where’s his date?” she whisper-shouts.

You shrug. “You can ask him.”

And before she can say anything else, you slip away, your phone in hand as you head towards your brother. Hongjoong is standing beside him now, and you smile at him. “Hey!” you greet him. 

He smiles back, moving closer to give you a friendly hug. You hug him back, eyes locked with his as you pull away.

But then an arm wraps around your shoulders, and you’re pulled into someone’s side, a startled yelp escaping your lips. You look to the side, your gaze meeting that of San, and you feel blood rushing to your cheeks.

“What are you doing, dumbass?” you ask as you elbow him in the ribs to get him off you. 

He laughs, rubbing his side as he faces you, a wide grin on his lips. “Hey, Y/n.”

You glance to the side, all too aware that your brother and Hongjoong are watching the scene unfold. “Hey.”

There’s an awkward silence as you meet San’s gaze again, though his eyes don’t linger on yours long. Indeed, he looks you up and down, mouth falling open as his smile fades away. It takes him a moment to meet your gaze again, and he does so with a sparkle to his irises that makes you feel like the whole world is spinning around you, with only San in focus in front of you.

“You look beautiful,” he compliments you, pink dusting his cheeks. “Damn.”

The curse word makes you giggle, and you feel like slapping yourself at the embarrassing sound. “Thanks,” you say, cheeks still burning. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

He smirks, slightly shaking his head, and then he looks away. “Nice to see you again, Yunho.”

You almost stumble when San leaves your orbit to dap your brother up, the rest of the scene coming back into focus. Your throat feels dry, and you try to swallow as you turn to face them again. Sydney is next to you - when did she get there? - and she hooks her arm with yours, trying to pull you away.

“Wait,” you let out.

She cocks an eyebrow, and you awkwardly motion to San who’s now talking to your brother. “Oh.”

You nod, and then you stand there as you wait for San to face you again. You’re relieved when he turns towards you, dimples showing, and says, “Should we go inside?”

“Sure.” You pull Sydney with you, and you’re not surprised when Yunho and Hongjoong fall into step with you, though they don’t try to talk to you.

The venue is beautiful. The museum’s ceilings are high, and white drapes are decorating the walls, making it look straight out of a fantasy. Or maybe the large crystal chandelier is what makes it look so enchanting as light refracts around it, creating a kaleidoscope that almost seems like it’s dancing in time with the music. There is a bar in one corner with a white, illuminated wall behind, numerous bottles of alcohol waiting for someone to ask for a drink on shelves in front of the wall. Two guys in suits are taking the party-goers’ orders, while other waiters are walking around the room, some with bottles of wine and others with food.

“Do you want to have something to eat?” San asks you and Sydney as one of the waiters walks past you with a tray of something that looks like meatballs. 

“We ate before we got here,” Sydney admits.

“Isn’t the point of this to have free food?” Yunho intervenes, and you feel Sydney stiffen next to you.

“If you want to not eat enough and get fucked up after, I guess,” you say even though you’re probably the only one here that’s not planning to drink.

San throws you an amused look. “I don’t think eating before helps with an open-bar.”

“It doesn’t.” This time, it’s Hongjoong speaking, and you remember just how drunk he’d gotten last year. 

Yunho had needed your help to bring Honjoong back to the dorms, and it had been quite an adventure.

“Well then, should we get drinks?” San asks.

The group agrees to his suggestion, and that’s how you find yourself heading towards the bar, Sydney still clinging to you for dear life. San talks with Yunho and Hongjoong while you linger behind with your best friend, yet you listen in to their conversation, mostly because Sydney is completely silent next to you.

That’s how you find out that San and Hongjoong attended the same high school, though Hongjoong is a year older than him. They were on the same baseball team, but they both stopped playing the second they got to college.

The thought of San in the typical, tight pants that baseball players wear sends your mind into a frenzy, but Sydney is quick to bring you back to Earth.

“Are we going to stay with them all night?” she mutters through her teeth.

You shrug, glancing at the boys to make sure they can’t hear you. “It’s up to you. San and I did agree that we were coming here together, so…”

“Wait,” Sydney lets out a little louder than necessary. 

San throws you a quizzical look, but you shrug, and he goes back to his conversation with Yunho and Hongjoong. 

“You didn’t tell me you were going together,” Sydney says, and she wiggles her eyebrows at you. “Shit’s getting serious.”

“Bitch, stop,” you playfully scold, rolling your eyes. “It’s not that serious.”

“Right.” The word is disbelieving, but you don’t reply anything as you can tell she has more to say. “Why didn’t he come get ready at your place with us, then?”

“He was with his friends,” you admit. “Wooyoung and Yeosang. Someone called Jongho, too, I think?”

“Don’t know them,” Sydney says, and then she falls silent as Yunho turns towards you.

“Syd, what do you want to drink?”

You meet San’s gaze as he also faces you, a soft smile on his lips. He’s already holding a glass of red wine, and he takes a sip of it as Sydney remains silent, clearly trying to figure out what she’ll drink.

“Do they have ciders?”

The barman winces slightly. “Sorry, we don’t. But if you prefer drinks, I can make you a mojito or a Sex on the Beach.”

Sydney ponders for a few seconds, and you spy blush creeping on her cheeks as she remains the center of attention of your little group. “I’ll have a Sex on the Beach, please.”

The barman nods, smiling at your friend, and then he busies himself with making the drink. There’s an awkward silence, but it fades the second Wooyoung appears, throwing an arm around Hongjoong’s shoulders.

“Long time no see,” he says, far louder than necessary considering that the only music playing is that of a small band on the stage in a corner.

They’re playing jazz much like they did the previous years, and you already can’t wait for the DJ to get here.

“I literally saw you yesterday,” Hongjoong deadpans.

Wooyoung lets him go, and then he looks towards you. “Hey, Y/n. You look amazing.”

You only then notice the girl standing behind Wooyoung, especially as he gently pulls on her arm to have her step forward. She’s pretty, her features dainty, and she shyly smiles as Wooyoung introduces her as his date, Kassie.

All you remember as she also orders something to drink is that San had something with her sister, and you wonder if the sister is somewhere nearby, though you’d rather not her step into your little group.

You’re of the jealous type. You’ve always been, and it’s one of the reasons why your only relationship was so toxic - not that you want to think about it.

You end up parting with Hongjoong and Yunho a moment later as they let you know that their other friend, Seonghwa, has gotten here. They leave with a wave over their shoulder, and Sydney visibly relaxes next to you once they’re away from you, enough so that she finally lets go of your arm. 

The second she does so, San comes closer to you, nudging you with an elbow to attract your attention. You’ve moved away from the bar now, and when you look up, you can see the chandelier behind his head. It encases him like an aura, like he’s an angel come from heaven, and your heart skips a beat at the sight.

“You really look amazing,” San says, not loud enough for your other friends to hear. 

You’ve been joined by Yeosang and Jongho too, and they’ve been chatting up with Sydney, effectively distracting her.

“Thank you,” you reply, a light blush dusting your cheeks. “You really look good too.”

He grins. “Not as much as you, but I’ll take the compliment.” He pauses, his eyes going from one of yours to the other a few times. “Close your eyes?”

You just look at him, confused. “What?”

“Close your eyes so that I can see your makeup better, idiot.”

“Did you just call me an idiot?”

Your tone is teasing, a smirk teasing the corners of your mouth, and San looks up at the ceiling. “You’re annoying. Let me just see the makeup.”

You laugh, though you finally obey, closing your eyes. You think he’s leaning closer - hell, you feel the warmth of his body, and all of your senses go wild. But then he’s leaning away, and cold surrounds you.

“I love the makeup. I didn’t know you were so skilled.”

The compliment makes you smile wide. “I love doing my makeup,” you admit. “I know I don’t really do it for college, but in events like this one, I really can’t help myself.”

San listens to you with a soft curve upwards to his lips. “You’re adorable.”

You slap his arm gently. “Stop complimenting me,” you grumble.

“Right, I forgot how awkward you get with compliments.”

You narrow your gaze to glare at him, and he takes a sip of his red wine, winking at you. He then raises his glass, eyeing you with an eyebrow cocked. “Do you want to taste?”

“Wine?” you ask, surprised by the sudden request.

“If you want to,” he quickly adds. “You really don’t have to, I just thought you might want to give it a try.”

“I’ve had wine before,” you reveal. “And it did not go well.”

San’s gaze widens, right when Sydney jumps into the conversation. “She threw up on herself.”

You did. It was during the summer between high school and college, before you’d stopped drinking. Your parents and Sydney’s parents had a dinner, and they opened way too many wine bottles while they ate. Even though you were still young, your parents have always been open to alcohol, preferring that you drink in a safe environment, which you definitely did that night.

But the parents all went to bed early, and you continued drinking with Sydney, Yunho and Mingi, Yunho’s then best friend, and it definitely did not end well for you.

“No way.” San’s disbelief makes you laugh, and you lightly push him. “I don’t believe it.”

“Wait, I probably still have pictures of the amount of wine we drank,” Sydney says, and then she grabs her phone from the pocket in her dress, opening it and heading to the pictures.

“Please ignore her,” you tell San.

“Nu-uh.” He throws you a look. “You really think I’d miss an opportunity to see what you look like plastered?”

You slap his chest, and he just bursts out laughing as Wooyoung moves closer.

“I want to see that too,” Wooyoung says, winking at you.

“You’re annoying.”

“Oh, he so is,” Kassie chimes in, and it’s your turn to burst out laughing.

Wooyoung glares at the both of you. “Why does everyone think I’m annoying?”

Kassie tugs on his hand, and he looks at her as she smiles softly. “Because you are. But we love you like that.”

He seems unconvinced, but he doesn’t say it, only glaring at her. She pecks his lips, and his frown falls to be replaced with a small smile. You give them privacy, focusing on Sydney’s phone as she holds it up to show the picture she was looking for.

“Here you go,” she says. 

San lets out an impressed whistle. “No way you guys drank that alone.”

“Yunho and Mingi were there too,” Sydney informs him, and she swipes to show a picture of you with the boys.

You widen your gaze at the sight, your heart dropping to your ass. Mostly because you’re sprawled on Mingi, and he’s holding you tight, smiling in that way only drunk people know to.

“Damn, you look pretty comfortable with Mingi,” San states.

You wonder if it’s a hint of jealousy that you can perceive in his tone. And if only he knew…

But you’re not ready to tell him about that story. Not when it involves telling him about your ex, who you really don’t want to be thinking of at all.

“Yeah well,” you say. “Grew up with him. It was us four growing up, you know?”

He nods, though he sounds unconvinced. Sydney seems to notice the shift in San’s mood, because she immediately says, “This is Y/n right before she got sick.”

That piques San’s curiosity, and he looks at your friend’s phone again.

As Sydney keeps showing pictures to San, and even Wooyoung, of that night, you end up talking to Kassie. She’s nice, though she’s shier than you imagined Wooyoung’s type to be.

She tells you all about her major in arts, and then she mentions her twin, and her eyes glide to San as she does so. You stiffen somewhat, but then San glances at you, dimples on his cheeks, and you think it’s okay.

Who cares if he fucked other people before even meeting you?

The evening slowly unfolds, Sydney thankfully putting her phone away shortly after that. There’s a presentation by the people that are financing the event, and you end up standing between San and Sydney as you listen, at the back of the crowd that gathered near the stage. 

San’s fingers brush the back of your hand as the woman on the stage is saying something about gifts that they’ll be giving away during the evening, and you look at him.

He’s smiling softly, and he says, “I hope you don’t mind that Syd showed me those pictures,” he whispers, slightly leaning closer to you to make sure you hear him.

You purse your lips, smiling wryly. “Ah, it’s fine. I’ll just have to show you my collection of pictures of her drunk off her ass.” He chuckles, and then you add, “There are advantages to always being the sober friend.”

“I can imagine.”

The conversation dies naturally then, and you both listen to the presentation until San leans closer again, his breath fanning on the side of your face.

“Are you coming to sleep over tonight?”

You feel heat climbing up your neck and to your cheeks. “Will you be nice if I do so?”

He pouts, eyes narrowing. “I’m always nice.”

You have a vague recollection of him joking that he was mean that first evening when you hung out at his place, but you don’t mention it. Because you’ve seen who San is now, or at least how he is with you.

And he doesn’t have a single mean bone in his body. Or at least none that you’ve seen.

“Right,” you say teasingly.

That makes the pout go away, though the frown lingers. “Sometimes, I wonder how you manage to be so annoying yet so cute.”

Your mouth falls open as you let out a small, disbelieving laugh. It’s a little too loud, and the girl in front of you turns to look at you. You whisper an apology, and then you meet San’s gaze. He’s got a shit-eating grin on his lips, and you have half a thought to slap it away.

“Yeah, never mind, you are not nice.”

It’s his time to fake offense, and he folds his arms on his chest, pout back on his lips. He’s adorable, and you just push him playfully. You don’t have time to talk more as the presentation ends, and the lights suddenly dim, replaced by lighting that would seem more suiting for a club than a museum.

Not that you would complain. Because it means the DJ is coming, and it’s the part of the evening you’ve been waiting for the most.

Unfortunately for you, you have to wait longer before the DJ arrives. It’s fine though - you end up taking pictures with Sydney at the photo booth, while San takes some with his friends. It’s fun, made of friendship that blossoms far too easily, and you end up taking pictures with the whole group, San’s arm wrapping around you as he tickles your side right in time with the photographer taking a picture.

“I hate you,” you grumble as he bursts out laughing.

He shrugs his shoulders, and then rubs your back. “My bad.”

“You’re not sorry, don’t pretend like you are.”

He doesn’t say anything to that, just offers you a dimpled grin, and then you’re walking away from the photo booth. His hand lingers on the small of your back, and though you try not to focus on it, your skin tingles where he’s touching you, warmth flushing through you.

Maybe that’s why he manages to steer you away from the group, leading you towards the bar so that he can get a refill of wine. He grabs a drink for you - a virgin Sex on the Beach - and then he offers it to you. You clink glasses, taking a long sip of your fruity beverage, and then you move away from the bar, just enough for people to be able to order. 

It’s then that the DJ finally starts his set, and your heart leaps in excitement at the music that fills the room, hinting at revelry, and perhaps even at a hint of bad decisions.

“I know I’ve already said it,” San starts, and you’re all too aware of the way he glances down your frame, “but your dress is so beautiful.”

You gently pat it. “It’s real satin! Or at least I think it is.” You grab his hand, bringing it to your stomach. “See how soft it is.”

He laughs lightly as his fingers gently caress your stomach. “Yeah, I noticed earlier. It must have been expensive.”

You wince - obviously it was, but it’s not like you’re going to admit that to him.

You’re saved by Kassie stopping next to you. Or at least you think it is Kassie. But then you realize the dress is not the same colour, and the voice is different as the girl says, “Hey San.”

He smiles softly, and you’re taken aback by the sight of that smile directed to someone else than you. Not that you think you’re the only one that deserves it - it’s just strange when you’ve been the receiver of it so much recently.

“Hey Kate.”

There’s an awkward silence as her eyes trail to you, and then she smiles. You wonder if it’s as territorial as you imagine it to be, and you just widen your gaze slightly. “And you are?” she asks, tone unimpressed.

What a bitch.

“That’s Y/n,” San says, and you’re surprised when he steps next to you, wrapping his arm around your waist. “We’re in the same major.”

Kate looks down at San’s hand where it rests on your hip, and she cocks an eyebrow. “Nice.” She moves closer to him, and you just stand there awkwardly as she leans in to speak in his ear.

Though you were excited about the music earlier, you hate it a bit now, if only because it doesn’t allow you to hear what she says. But you feel San stiffen, and then he scoffs, before looking at her.

“No thanks,” he says, and then he’s leading you away.

You wait until you’re out of earshot, which thankfully doesn’t take long considering the music, and then you ask, “What did she want?”

You don’t even hide the bite in your tone. You don’t have to - the interaction felt condescending from start to finish, even though it didn’t last more than a minute.

“Nothing important,” San brushes it off. “She’s weird.”

You nod, and his arm drops from around your waist as he takes a big sip of his drink. You cock an eyebrow at the sight, letting out a small laugh.

“Someone’s planning to get drunk tonight.”

The teasing in your voice brings San - your San, the one you’ve been hanging out with for the last two weeks - to you, and San smirks. “Not too much, right? Have to be able to take care of you tonight.”

You chuckle, shaking your head. “You’re insufferable. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

He moves fast - suddenly, San is in front of you, hand on your waist again. His head hangs low, close to your ear, and he says, “I kind of feel like it’s my turn to give you something, mmh? It’s a little unfair that you didn’t come that night.”

You didn’t expect that. Never could have guessed that San would suddenly become his flirty self again, but you’re not going to complain. Not when you feel like you’re the center of his attention and right now, you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Is that so?” you ask, voice low.

He nods, and your breath itches in your throat as his lips tease at the skin under your ear, though he doesn’t kiss. No, he only ghosts his lips on your skin, nose nudging the side of your face, and then he pulls away.

“Definitely.” He takes another sip of his glass of wine, eyes never leaving yours. “I need to know what you taste like.”

You almost choke on your saliva at the words, and you smirk, looking at him through your lashes. “We’ll see if you deserve it.”

He narrows his gaze, and the flirtiness fades away to be replaced by the pout you’ve become accustomed to. “You are annoying.”

You shrug your shoulders. “You like it.”

He chuckles, tilting his head to the side, and then his gaze drops to the floor. He doesn’t answer anything, just busies himself with drinking another sip of wine, and then he looks around, scanning the room to see if any of your friends are nearby.

Or at least that’s what you assume it is. Because a second later, he says, “Do you want to stay here? Or to go back with the others.”

“We can stay here for a little,” you suggest. “Unless you want to go.”

“Nah, tonight’s about you.” He offers you a wink that just makes you roll your eyes. “Do you want to dance?”

You take a sip, shrugging your shoulders. “Show me your moves, Choi San.”

And he does. He does, and you don’t know what you expected, but it definitely wasn’t this. 

It wasn’t his body moving fluidly in time with the music, so much so that you feel like a stiff robot next to him, even though you took dancing classes growing up. There’s just something about the way he moves like he owns the beat that makes your blood heat up in your veins, especially as he leads you, his free hand finding yours to bring it to his shoulder. He dances close to you, his head hanging low, and you feel the warmth of his body wrapping around you, so much so that you feel hot.

Or maybe you’re hot because of the way his hand finds the naked skin of your back, caressing you ever so slightly.

“You dance a lot?” San asks, voice low and huskier than you’ve ever heard it be.

Your throat dries out, your body naturally reacting to San’s charm.

“Not that much,” you reply. “But I took classes growing up.”

He pulls you closer, his hand resting flat on your back. “I can tell.”

Your hand is flat on his chest now, and you take a deep breath, trying to calm the wild beats of your heart. “What about you?”

He chuckles. “What about me?”

“You dance a lot?”

To your surprise, San spins you around, one hand on your hip as he pulls you flush against his body. “I have to admit I was on a dance crew during high school,” he admits.

You’re surprised - you didn’t think he’d have time for something other than baseball.

“I can tell,” you echo his previous words, and he laughs lightly.

“This is easy, though.”

You agree with him. You just have to sway your hips to the beat, which you manage to do almost effortlessly. Or maybe it’s only effortless because San’s hand on your hips guides you expertly.

You’re grinding on him. You’re fucking grinding on Choi San, and you can’t bring yourself to care.

He spins you around again, and he’s so close you’d only need to tilt your head back to be able to press your lips on his. But you resist, loving the chase, the game of push and pull between you and him. 

You know he loves it too. Especially as he rests his forehead on yours, and you breathe the same air for a time.

“Shouldn’t we put our drinks away?” you murmur.

“Afraid to cause a mess?” His words are teasing, and you playfully slap his chest.

“I don’t want you to ruin my dress with your wine.”

He laughs, pulling away. To your surprise, he gulps down the rest of his wine, offering you a wink as he finishes. “Better?”

You imitate him, chugging your mocktail, and he chuckles as he grabs the empty glass from your hands, bringing it a few steps away to a table already littered with empty glasses. He’s back next to you a few seconds later, and he offers you a grin.

“One day,” he lets out. “And only if you want, I’d like to have a drink with you.”

Your gaze widens - you haven’t drank since Frosh week three years ago, and you don’t really think you’ll drink again.

“That likely won’t happen,” you answer as his hands find your waist, and yours his shoulders. 

He shrugs. “That’s okay. But if you ever want to drink, I’ll make sure to drink with you.”

It’s sweet, the way he says it. It makes your heart flutter in your chest again, and all you can do is softly smile at him. His eyes fall to to your mouth, and then it’s just you and him on the dancefloor, like everybody else suddenly disappeared, leaving you in a bubble outside of time for just you and him to enjoy.

“Shit,” he curses softly, and then he chuckles. You wonder if the blush on his cheeks is due to alcohol, or if it’s due to the words that fall from his mouth next. “Can I kiss you?”

You don’t answer with words. Instead, your hands move up to cup his cheeks, and then you’re pulling him down. He follows your lead, and your eyes flutter close as his breath ghosts your lips, his mouth following. 

The kiss is barely there. It’s more a graze of his lips, and it feels like time is slowly stretching, or maybe coming to a halt. Especially as he pulls back just enough for your gazes to connect, and then everything rushes forwards, and he’s kissing you.

You taste wine on his lips. And you taste him, and it’s more than you imagined it could be. 

His kiss is better than the most inebriating alcohol. Maybe because it’s him, and though the music and the crowd feel infinitely distant, you’re aware he’s kissing you in public. For everyone to see. 

It excites you more than you’d care to admit, your heart racing in your chest as you kiss him back. 

San tilts his head to the side, deepening the initial kiss. It’s languid, his lips dancing along with yours with the same beautiful fluidity that conducts his body. And though it’s early in the evening still, and you haven’t spent time with your friends yet, the kiss makes you want to leave, makes you want to indulge in Choi San.

San’s tongue teases your bottom lip, and you allow him entry, sighing softly as his hands on your waist tighten their grip ever so slightly. You meet his tongue with yours, and it’s his turn to sigh as you taste even more of him. 

Fuck, is all you’re able to think as one of his hands shifts to your back so that he can pull you ever so closer. You snake your arms around his neck, one hand getting lost in the hair at the back of his head, and you slightly pull at the soft strands, though you’re surprised when San pulls away.

He doesn’t stay away for too long. Indeed, he tilts his head to the other side, and then he’s kissing you again, and you think this might be it.

This might be the best kiss you’ve ever had.

Suddenly, something collides with your side, and your lips disconnect as you stumble, though San’s firm grip on you helps you to stay up. You look to the side to see a guy that immediately starts apologizing, his gaze widened as he looks between the two of you. His friends are laughing behind him, and it becomes evident that one of them pushed him, most likely so that he could interrupt your moment with San.

“It’s okay,” San tells the guy as he flushes so deep red you feel bad for him. “Just be careful.”

The guy nods, adding one last apology before he turns towards his friends, cursing them loud enough for you to hear, and for San to let out a soft chuckle.

“What’s funny?” you ask teasingly as your hands return to the front of his body, resting flatly on his chest. 

San meets your gaze, his eyes so warm you think you feel their heat as they bore into your own gaze. “Nothing.” He glances at your lips, and then his eyes go wide as they move up to yours again. “I think I might have ruined your lipstick.”

One look at his lips informs you that he indeed has some lip tint, or rather just the gloss you put over it, smattered on his mouth, and you laugh as you reach up, wiping it off with your thumbs.

“There you go,” you tell him. 

He smiles, dimples appearing on his cheeks. “What about you?”

You tap his chest, taking a step back. “I’ll go fix it in the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”

His lips jut out in a small pout at the perspective of you leaving - or at least that’s what you think it is - but he doesn’t stop you when you turn around, heading towards the entrance.

You think you remember seeing a bathroom in the hall, though you’re not too sure about it. 

You walk out of the dimly lit room and into the bright hall, slightly squinting your eyes as they adjust to the luminosity. You can’t help but glance over your shoulder, your lips tingling as you can still feel San’s kiss, and you almost let out a small giggle as you head to the right, where you can see a line of girls outside of what you correctly assumed was a bathroom.

It takes longer than you thought it would to make it out of the bathroom - you’d decided to pee since you made your way there anyway - and you return to the museum proper, where the music is still loud, the beat inviting. 

You glance around, searching for San, though he somehow doesn’t seem to be near the entrance anymore. So you walk in, following the wall, your eyes scanning the crowd looking for him. But it seems like he disappeared, and you end up finding Sydney with Yunho, Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Wooyoung, and Sydney immediately hooks her arm with yours as you stop next to them.

“Did you know that they’re friends?” she asks, clearly sounding intoxicated, as she motions between Wooyoung and Hongjoong. “Apparently, they all went to the same high school.”

You let out a small laugh. “Yes. They said so earlier.”

She narrows her gaze, and then shrugs her shoulders. You meet Wooyoung’s gaze, cocking an eyebrow at him as you notice Kassie isn’t there.

“Where’s your girlfriend?” you ask.

He winces dramatically, gaze widening. “She is not my girlfriend.” He lets out a laugh, especially as Hongjoong rolls his eyes at him. “What! It’s true, we are definitely not dating.”

“Maybe you should let her know that,” Hongjoong says. “She looks like she’s into you a little more than you think.”

Wooyoung shrugs. “Can’t blame her, I’m the whole package.”

Everyone laughs as Hongjoong punches Wooyoung in the shoulder while Wooyoung looks far too proud of his joke, and then the conversation shifts to other subjects, soon involving the need to grab something to drink. 

Your group heads to the bar, and you and Sydney linger behind as she pulls on your arm, making sure you’re not too close to the guys. You feel her gaze boring into the side of your face, your profile burning, and you figure out she found the truth about Yunho’s date, or lack thereof.

“You lied to me.”

Her words are confirmation, and you laugh innocently.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you say, winking at her.

“You’re impossible,” she grumbles under her breath. “Do you know how embarrassing it was to ask him where his date was?”

“To be fair, he did come here with Hongjoong.” You stifle a laugh at Sydney’s unimpressed look. “I never said the date was a girl.”

“Hongjoong is not his date.”

“Semantics.”

Sydney groans, but you only pull her towards the bar, where the boys are already ordering. You both order after them - this time, you choose the virgin mojito - and then you move away from the bar, heading closer to the dance floor.

The rhythm gets the best of your group, and you soon find yourselves dancing along to the beat, Wooyoung pulling off moves that make you think he probably was on the same dance crew as San. He confirms it a little while later, when you walk off the dance floor to put your empty drinks away, and then he pulls you back to the dance floor even though you complain that your feet hurt.

“Shh,” Wooyoung says in your face, his finger on your mouth to shush you, and you push him away as he laughs. “I saw you and San kissing earlier.”

The revelation takes you by surprise, your throat drying out. “Oh?”

“It was pretty early in the evening for a kiss, don’t you think?”

He says it with a shit-eating smile and a wink, and you only roll your eyes at him as Sydney stops next to you.

“Hey, didn’t you say you and San were sort of coming here together?” she asks.

Something in her tone makes you frown, but Wooyoung speaks before you can. 

“They were literally kissing earlier. We were just speaking about that.”

You push him playfully, before glancing at Sydney. “I guess so? Do you know where he is?”

Her lips are pulled in a tight line, and she points somewhere in the crowd. You follow the direction, and you notice San as he dances awkwardly, his eyes scanning the crowd.

You also notice Kate in front of him, and Kassie next to them. 

But your gaze lingers on San and Kate - he looks uncomfortable, his hands lifted in the air as if to make sure he’s not touching her, and he pulls his head away when she moves even closer. You’ve never seen him looking so awkward, and you’d feel bad for him if jealousy didn’t strike deep the second she leans in and presses a kiss on his neck.

San reacts quickly. He stops trying to be respectful, pushing her away, and she stumbles into someone. You can almost hear her offended yelp, but all you can focus is the red lipstick on San’s neck.

He looks right at you then, meeting your gaze through the crowd, and his mouth falls open. It only worsens when Kate glances your way, and she grabs San’s wrist, pulling on it to get his attention. He briefly glances at her, long enough for her to say something to him, but you’ve seen enough.

You have no interest in seeing anything else happening between San and the girl he used to hook up with. So you turn around, ignore the way Wooyoung tries to stop you, instead storming towards the entrance.

You walk fast - you don’t know what the look on your face is, but the crowd parts to let you pass, and you make it to the hall in record time, immediately heading to the coat check. Because you need to go, need to leave before your emotions get the best of you and you go in there and tell Kate off.

As if you have any claim on San. 

You hate jealousy. Hate the person that it turns you into, that it turned you into in the past. It’s never really worked out right, and you don’t want anyone to witness it, especially not San.

“Y/n, wait!” San’s voice says behind you, so loud that most people in the hall turn to look in your direction.

San’s fingers wrap around your wrist, and you turn around to shrug him off gently. “Please let me go.”

“Let me explain.”

You don’t even look at him for longer than a heartbeat - you don’t want to see the lipstick stain on his neck - as you storm towards the coat check. The girl behind it watches you arriving with fear in her eyes, and you hand her your ticket.

“Can I get my stuff, please?” you ask.

She nods, glancing at San who stops next to you as she grabs the ticket from your extended hand. San puts his ticket on the counter, and then he faces you as the girl just stands there awkwardly. 

“She cornered me and said I owed her a dance,” San says.

“I was looking for you when I came out of the bathroom and couldn’t find you,” you throw at him like an accusation, your jealousy getting the best of you.

“Yeosang and Jongho pulled me outside with them and we were out for a lot longer than I thought we would.”

You haven’t noticed the girl leave with your ticket, but she comes back with your coat and your tote bag, handing the two to you. You grab them as the girl looks between San and his own ticket on the counter, clearly unsure of what to do.

“And then I was with Nayeon in the hall,” San continues, ignoring the girl, his eyes set on you. “We talked. I even told her about you.”

“There isn’t really anything to tell, is it?” 

San clenches his jaw, eyes shutting. “I kissed you earlier because you’re the only one I’ve been thinking of ever since you came over that Sunday evening,” he admits, and the revelation strikes deep, so much so that you barely hear his next words. “I was seeing Kate before, and she said I owed her a dance because she came to pick me up after a party at the beginning of the semester. We were hooking up then, but I ended things with her even before you came over.”

You watch him, not surprised to hear his confirmation that they were hooking up, as Wooyoung made it clear previously.

“And?” you let out.

“And so she said I owed her a dance,” he explains. “But it really was nothing. I’m sorry you had to see it.”

“San…” you trail off, glancing at the girl that now has San’s jacket in her hands. 

She hands it to him, and he takes it, thanking her with an awkward smile.

“Have a good evening,” the girl says, and she retreats between the coat racks, clearly trying to avoid the conversation you’re having with San.

“It really was nothing,” he repeats. “Please believe me.”

“It’s just…” You sigh, your mind filling with memories of your ex, of the toxicity of the relationship.

Of always having to be on your guard, not knowing what move he’d pull next.

“I don’t do relationships,” you carefully say. “And this is one of the reasons why.”

San looks distraught, standing in front of you. Apologetic too, and you wish you’d never seen him dancing with Kate.

“We don’t have to do a relationship,” San quickly replies. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.” 

His words clang to you, and you take a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before letting it out. San just waits patiently, clearly sensing that you need to think for a moment, which you do as you stand there in front of him.

But you don’t know what to tell him. Don’t know what words he wants you to say, what sentence would make the most sense for him. All you know is that you’re afraid you’ll get hurt, afraid you’ll fuck up the project.

Most of all, you’re afraid you’re not ready to date despite the fact that you’ve been single for three years now.

“I really don’t know what to tell you,” you carefully say. You worry at your lower lip, pulling on some dry skin enough for you to taste blood. “Seeing you with her was weird.”

“It will never happen again,” he reassures you. “I promise.”

He’s more serious than you’ve ever seen him and that, most of all, is the reason why you fold.

You just hope you won’t regret it later.

“We can be exclusive, we can be nothing,” he adds. “Like I said, I’ll be whatever you want me to be. Even if it’s just a friend.”

“San.”

“I’m serious!”

A smile tickles the corners of your lips, and San’s eyes drop to it, lighting up at the sight. “Let’s go to yours.”

“Let me just…” His words die as he steps closer to you, his free hand finding your waist. He pulls you in, holds you close, and then he kisses your forehead. The peck is featherlight, barely even there, yet fireworks ignite in your chest even as he takes a step back. “I apologize, I really do. I’ll block Kate everywhere if that can reassure you.”

You chuckle, your nerves finally easing in your chest as he grabs your hand, his thumb swiping on the back of it. “You don’t have to.”

“I’m still sorry.” He smirks, and then adds, “I didn’t expect you to get jealous, though.”

Your mouth falls open, and then you’re walking away, though you have to stifle a laugh.

“Wait, no, it’s a joke!” San says behind you, and he jogs to you.

“You’re annoying.”

He winces slightly. “I know. Sorry.”

You don’t reply anything, instead putting your coat on. You quickly send a text to Sydney to let her know that you’re heading to San’s place with him, and then you focus on the man in front of you, now also clad in his jacket.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous,” he says when you meet his gaze.

“Oh my God!”

But laughter escapes the confines of your chest, and you laugh along with him as he grabs your hand, pulling you towards the door. 

The evening outside isn’t as cold as you’d expected it to be, perhaps because they’ve been saying that the next few days will be uncharacteristically warm - it’s a relief after the few cold and rainy days you’ve had.

San guides you down the stairs, glancing at you as people rush up to the doors next to you, their laughter and drunken words loud in the night. Though you reckon this part of the city never really sleeps, as it’s closer to all the clubs and bars and fancy restaurants, so it doesn’t really matter if they’re being loud.

“You’re sure you want to come over to mine?” San asks, meeting your gaze as you stop at the bottom of the stairs.

You pull your tote bag off your shoulder, showing him the contents. “I brought stuff to sleep over,” you reveal, and he grins at the sight. “But I think I’ll let you sleep on the couch.”

“What!” he yelps, and then narrows his gaze. “In my own home?”

“You deserve it.”

He pouts, though he doesn’t contradict you, instead grabbing his phone and ordering an Uber. You wait as a breeze lifts, carrying the scent of the drying puddles from the rain earlier today, and you look up at the sky to see the moon lighting up the clouds as they slowly drift across the vast expanse of darkness over your head.

San follows your line of gaze, and then his eyes drop to your profile. You throw him a glance, and he softly smiles.

“Will you call me annoying if I apologize again?” he asks, his dimples showing on his cheeks.

“Maybe.” You tap your chin with a finger, and then add, “Actually, I think I need to hear it again.”

“I’m sorry,” he immediately says, facing you. “Please forgive me.”

“What if I don’t?” It’s said in a teasing tone, your shyness from the beginning of the evening completely forgotten now.

“Then I would be deeply wounded.”

You offer him a devilish smirk, and then say, “Womp womp.”

San bursts out laughing, the sound loud and clear and beautiful in the late evening, though it’s pretty much early night now. Indeed, midnight has come to pass, and you can hardly believe how fast the time passed tonight.

The Uber stops in front of the two of you before you say anything else, and San checks the license plate before opening the door for you. You thank him, and he just smiles as you get in, scooting over to the middle seat so that he can sit next to you.

You almost make it to the seat behind the driver, but you stop in the middle, wanting to be close to San. If only so that you can prove to yourself that, despite his words said, you truly are the one he wants to be with.

You’re indeed a very jealous person, always have been - perhaps that is why your reaction was so strong to seeing him with Kate even though you’re not in a relationship with him. It was one of the issues with your ex, and you’re surprised it resurfaced tonight with San.

You haven’t felt jealous in years now, and you definitely did not expect to get jealous about San so early in… whatever it is that you and Choi San are doing.

Your mind is plagued with similar thoughts all the way to San’s apartment, and even some more as you make your way inside. But the second the door opens and Byeol comes trotting to you, meowing softly, you figure it’d be best for you to let it go.

You want to enjoy your evening, after all.

San picks his cat up, planting a peck on the top of her head as she immediately tries to escape. You chuckle at the sight, greeting her as you pat her head, which makes San laugh. He then lets the cat go as you take off your heels, sighing in relief the second your feet are flat on the floor again.

“Shit,” you curse under your breath at the sudden light pain in the arch of your right foot. It’s like you did some wrong move, the muscles tensed and cramping.

“You okay?” San asks as he rids himself of his dress shoes, straightening to take off his coat. 

You nod. “Yeah, just my feet hurt because of the heels.”

He glances at your shoes, nodding in understanding. “I don’t know how you managed to keep those on all night, but I have to admit you looked beautiful in them.”

The compliment makes you blush lightly, and you let out an awkward thank you as San puts his coat away in the closet by the door, grabbing a hanger for yours.

You give him your jacket, and then you walk into the apartment, following Byeol as she meows all the way to the couch. She jumps on it, throwing you a glance, but you don’t dare sit next to her.

Not when those short claws of hers could make a number out of your dress. 

“I love you, Byeol, but I can’t afford you scratching my dress,” you tell her as you scratch the top of her head.

San’s followed you in, and he says, “Do you want to change?”

“I probably should,” you reply. “But I’d like to take a shower? If you don’t mind.”

“No, of course not. As much as I love that dress on you, it looks expensive enough that I’d hate to have to buy a new one if Byeol ruined it.”

You snort, and then you’re following San to the bathroom, your tote bag in hand. He gets a towel and a washcloth for you, and then he shows you how to turn on the shower. 

“Thank you,” you say once he straightens, offering you a dimpled smile. “I’ll take it over from here.”

He nods once, but he doesn’t move, just watching you as you put your tote bag on the counter. You throw him a look to find him looking at you with a soft look on his features.

“I’m glad you came over,” he admits. “I really thought I fucked things up for a moment there.”

You purse your lips, leaning against the counter. “Well…” You shrug your shoulders, looking for words to say. “I guess you almost did. But you clearly didn’t look comfortable, and I have to admit I overreacted a little considering we’re not…”

“Nah, don’t say that,” he interjects before you can finish your sentence. “You did not overreact. It was an understandable reaction considering I kissed you before.”

“But it was a lot,” you insist. “I’m sorry.”

San takes a step closer to you, grabbing your hand. He looks taller, which you reckon is probably because you’re leaning against the counter, and you have to tilt your head back to meet his gaze. “Don’t apologize,” he says. “Please don’t. Your feelings are valid.”

Oh how you’d wish your ex would have told you that instead of all the gaslight.

“Thank you,” you whisper. “For saying that.”

His dimples flash on his cheeks. “Of course. I would have had the same reaction if the roles were reversed, so I totally get it. I was hoping I’d be able to get rid of Kate before I went to find you again. Which was really stupid of me considering we were all in the same room anyway and there was a high chance you could see me, but I have to admit the wine has been messing with my head a bit. Or at least it was then.”

“Is that why you’re flushed red?” you ask, mischief laced in your tone.

He is. He’s been ever since you stormed away from the dancefloor back at the museum, though the redness has slightly lessened now.

“You will find out that I get red all the time when I drink,” he says with a light chuckle. “So yeah, definitely.”

There’s a moment of silence, and your senses zero in on the way he’s still holding your hand, gently rubbing the back of your palm. It’s a soothing gesture, and you feel yourself tugging on his hand.

“What?” he lets out.

“Kiss me?”

You don’t know where the request comes from. Only that you want him more than you’d dare admit, and that you’re afraid he’ll reject you.

But he doesn’t. He obviously doesn’t, your gravity too strong, and he presses his lips on yours, sighing softly as your eyes flutter close. The kiss is dangerously soft, filled with the affection that’s already started to blossom between the two of you, and San gently pushes you towards the sink, making you climb on it. 

It’s a precarious position, but you wrap your legs around his waist, and his hands shift to your lower back, though they stay respectfully away from your ass. He deepens the kiss then, tilting his head to one side as you tilt yours to the other, and his lips move against yours with more intent.

It’s languid, wet, if only because his tongue teases your lower lip, and you moan softly. He takes it as an opportunity to explore your mouth, and the kiss becomes more, fire suddenly unleashed the same way it is when lightning strikes.

Maybe it’s the way you slightly tug on the hair on the back of his head. Maybe it’s the way your legs tighten around him, pressing his bulge against your pussy. Maybe it’s the way he stops pretending that he doesn’t want to touch you, and one of his hands moves down to cup your ass, and he grips at the flesh of it, grunting in your mouth.

You don’t know what first ignites the spark. All you know is that it catches fire, and your fingers find the front of San’s dress shirt, making quick work of unbuttoning it. You push it off his shoulders, and he steps back just long enough to take it fully off, letting the fabric drop to the floor before he’s kissing you again.

It’s not soft anymore. It’s wild, and it fills your entire being with desire for the man in front of you, so much so that you moan when he grinds into you, his bulge no longer soft.

“San,” you breathe out as he moves to your neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses down the column of your throat. He nips at your skin, and you hiss in pleasure, hands lost in his hair.

“Can I get you out of your dress?” he asks against your neck.

You nod, and he helps you down from the sink. He stops you from turning around by kissing you again, his tongue swiping at yours, and then he’s spinning you around, leaving you heaving, chest going up and down in quick succession.

Your gazes meet in the mirror. His sharp eyes see through you, and though you aren’t naked yet, you feel naked, and it has blush creeping on your cheeks. Even more so as his gaze drops to your back, and his fingers gently graze your skin as he starts to make work of the knots on your dress.

And though it takes him a moment to figure out how to undo the knots, he’s soon pulling on the straps, and you feel the dress slowly getting loose. You find yourself holding your breath, still looking at his face while he’s solely focused on your back with a slight pout on his lips. 

He stops for a moment when he’s done, his fingers lingering on your back. It’s like time has stopped, and then he slowly lifts his gaze to yours, and you gulp as his hands move up, pushing your dress off.

It falls softly, slowly, like a feather. It pools around your ankles, the satin soft, and it leaves you with your nipples perked from the sudden rush of cold air on your skin. But his eyes remain on yours as you stand there, almost fully naked, cheeks burning from being in such a vulnerable position with him for the first time.

But he makes it easy. Especially as he wraps his arms around you, his hands on your breasts as he gently kneads the flesh, and then pinches your nipples. Your mouth falls open at the feeling, and you throw your head back, resting it on his shoulder.

“You are…” he trails off, his warm breath ghosting the side of your face. “So beautiful.”

You meet his gaze as he rolls your nipples between two fingers, and your eyes drop to his lips. He’s kissing you again a second later, and it emboldens you, gives you the courage that you needed to turn around and face him. He barely leaves your mouth for more than a second, and then you’re softly moaning as he chooses to dip his head in the crook of your necks, lightly sucking on your skin. 

“San…” you say again, like it’s the last word you know.

And tonight, you think maybe it is.

“Do you want to stop?” he asks, trailing his lips up your neck. 

Goosebumps erupt on all of your skin, your core feeling warm, and you take a deep breath.

“I…” you let out, glancing at the shower. “I wanted to shower.”

He chuckles, brushing a strand of hair that’s escaped from your bow behind your ear. “I’ll leave you to it.”

You nod, and then your eyes travel down his frame. It’s quick, but it’s the first time you’ve seen him without a shirt on, and it’s a sight to behold. Your heartbeat picks up its pace in your chest, your throat dries out, and you look up as if startled, meeting his gaze.

He’s smirking, clearly knowing what path your mind travelled on as you were looking at him. You’d feel embarrassed if you weren’t keenly aware that you’re also mostly naked, and that he can see your body too.

And he looks down at your breasts, his eyes turning darker, hands reaching for your waist so that he can pull you closer. You stumble in his embrace, so close your nipples brush his warm skin, and then his lips are on yours again for a languid kiss that leaves your mind reeling.

Yet he pulls away far too soon, pecking your forehead, and then he’s taking a few steps back. He’s hard - you can see the imprint of his dick in the fabric of his pants - and your breath hitches in your throat.

“I’ll wait for you on the couch, m’kay?” he says.

You gulp, wetting your lips. “I…” You let out a small chuckle, and then add, “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

He smiles, dimples showing. “Take your time. We have all night.”

His words sound like a promise, one that makes your blood boil in your veins. And he’s gone after that, shutting the door behind him. You eye his discarded shirt on the ground, picking it up along with your dress to put them next to the sink. Your heart is still beating wildly, and you take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror.

Your lips are swollen. You haven’t even kissed that much, yet your lips are swollen by the intensity of the moment shared, and you lift your hand, touching your bottom lip. You can still feel San’s mouth on yours, can still taste him on your tongue, and it’s enough to make goosebumps raise all over your arms.

You take a deep breath, yet a smile rushes to your lips as your chest fills with warmth, butterflies scattering all over your stomach. 

You’ve kissed San tonight. Multiple times. And each time felt better than the previous - you can’t wait for your next kiss. For what awaits after that.

Will he hold you close till the morning sun?

Your shower is short. You’ve brought your soap with you, but you put your hair up in a bun so that you don’t wet it, and you’re out of the shower in five minutes, putting your PJ shorts and t-shirt on. You take the time to take off your makeup though, doing the necessary steps of your skincare routine and brushing your teeth before you exit the bathroom, a rush of anticipation welling up in you.

You find San on the couch, clad in a black sweater, his cat on his lap. He smiles at the sight of you, his cheeks still a little flushed red, and he looks so… cosy like this, so comfortable that all you want to do is cuddle up to him.

Maybe you’ll be the one to hold him until the sun rises, after all.

“Feeling refreshed?” he asks as he pets Byeol. 

You near him, the cat’s purring becoming louder as you finally sit next to San. “Yeah, thank you.”

He just keeps on smiling, and then he looks down at his cat, slightly patting her head. “Love you, Byeol, but you’re going to have to get off my lap.”

He has to push her off, and she resists for a time until she finally gives in, jumping on the floor and trotting away. It makes you chuckle, though the sound doesn’t last too long as San’s fingers brush your arm.

“Am I crazy for thinking that you look even better right now?”

He seems taken aback by his own question, and you cock an eyebrow, laughing softly. “Are you saying I got all glammed up for nothing tonight?”

“No!” he immediately lets out, a little louder than necessary. It makes the both of you laugh, and then he adds, “No, you looked amazing. I honestly can’t wrap my head around it.”

You roll your eyes, the compliment bringing a light blush to your cheeks. “Stop.”

“I’m serious!” he insists. He tugs on your wrist to gain your attention, only speaking again when you meet his gaze. “You’ll have to wear that dress again. I don’t care how complicated it is to put on or take off, I just need to see you in it again.”

You snort. “Only if I see you in a full suit.”

“A full suit?” He ponders for a few times, eyebrows slightly furrowed as if he’s going through a mental catalog. “I think my only full suit is still at my mom’s house.”

“Then your loss!”

He narrows his eyes, lips jutting out in a small pout. He’s adorable, always, and you have to look away from him to stop your heart from bursting in your chest.

“You are annoying,” he complains in a whine.

You smirk. “Is that why you invited me over?”

He sighs, slightly shaking his head, but then he lets the conversation go, admitting defeat. Instead of arguing more, he gets up, offering you a hand.

“Come, let’s get something to eat before going to bed.”

You grab his hand, letting him pull you up. He takes it as an opportunity to pull you closer again, and he pecks your forehead while you look up at him, pink dusting your cheeks.

“Are you hungry?” he asks as you remain in his warm embrace.

“Not really,” you admit. “I brushed my teeth too but, by all means, grab something to eat if you’re hungry.”

He nods, and this time he kisses the top of your head before pulling away to walk to the kitchen. He ends up reheating some leftovers, and he eats them at the counter while you sit next to him, laughing at Byeol that keeps trying to jump on the counter, only for San to push her off.

After that, San takes a quick shower while you wait for him on the couch, watching some Youtube videos of a streamer San claims to be funny. You agree with him - you keep bursting out laughing as you watch the guy play Dress to Impress, though every time he screams, you feel bad for San’s neighbours.

You can only hope that they can’t hear the TV.

“Ready to go to bed?” San asks once he finally walks out of the bathroom.

You glance his way, your mind entirely emptying at the sight of him in only a pair of grey joggers. You choke on your saliva, clearing your throat as your gaze widens, and you do your best not to eye him up and down like you did earlier.

“Huh, yeah. Yes, of course,” you say, stuttering more than anything.

It makes San laugh, but he doesn’t question your sanity, only leading you to his bedroom. 

The bed is made this time around, the dark covers inviting, and San lets go of your hand to go close the curtains, throwing you a look over his shoulder. You’re standing three steps into his room, not knowing what side of the bed you should choose.

Does he prefer the right side of the bed, or the left?

San smiles softly, walking back towards you once the curtains are closed. There’s only a small lamp on his bedside table, and the light is dim, turning his skin to honey. He reaches you, the softness lingering on his features, and he grabs your hand with one hand, the other one moving up to brush a strand of hair behind your ear.

“Everything okay?” he whispers.

You look up, meeting his gaze. His eyes shine from within, with something akin to a gentle spring warmth. It’s softer than cashmere, and deeper than the ocean - you think you’re falling forward, and San catches you.

He catches you with the way his eyes scan your features, concern creasing his brow. It smoothes out when you reach up, a finger shyly tracing his jaw. And when you talk, telling him that everything is okay, his features melt in joy you think you’ve only ever read about in books.

“Why are you so shy all of a sudden?” he teases, his hand slowly falling.

“You’re…” you trail off. “You have a really nice body.”

The compliment comes out of nowhere, and it clearly takes San aback. He laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners, and then he pulls you closer, wrapping his arms around your shoulders in a tight embrace. He presses a kiss on the top of your head, and then says, “I’m glad you think so. I worked on it so hard for you.”

You snort against the warm skin of his chest, your arms snaking around his waist. “For me?”

He nods vigorously. “Just for you.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”

He chuckles, and then he pulls away, a finger coming up to tilt your head back. It’s gentle, the way he touches you like you’re porcelain, and the second your gazes connect, you feel like maybe you were meant to be here tonight.

Maybe the stars aligned in your skies for you to be standing here with Choi San.

He leans in, and your gaze flits from his gaze to his mouth, up until the proximity makes you shut your eyes instinctively. His soft lips brush yours tentatively, and you chase his mouth when he makes to move back. He takes it as a cue to truly kiss you, and you sigh at the firm press of his lips, your hands shifting so that you’re holding his waist.

Though it starts gentle, electricity soon bursts between the two of you as you tease his bottom lip with your tongue. His hand shifts to the back of your head, holding you tight, while his other hand pulls at the hem of your shirt, his fingers reaching for your skin. The second he touches your waist, something explodes in you, all the pent-up tension from before the shower returning, and you push him towards the bed.

San sits when the back of his knees collides with the side of the bed, looking up at you. His lips glisten in the light as they slightly part on a short inhale. He holds your hips, and you bite at your lower lip, tilting your head to the side as you hold his gaze, not shying from the intensity behind his pupils.

“I kind of want you tonight,” you say.

He gulps, wetting his lips. “Yeah?”

You nod, climbing on his lap, and you push him until he’s lying back. You hover over him, your hair cascading on one side as you lean closer, stealing a languid kiss. His hands tighten on your hips while yours explore the skin of his chest and his defined muscles, before one of them goes up to settle around his neck like a makeshift necklace.

You don’t choke him, yet San pushes you down on him as he presses up, grinding into you. The sudden friction makes your core go molten, and you straighten, sitting on his dick.

You circle your hips, scanning his features for his reaction. His eyebrows furrow slightly and he takes a deep breath, and you feel his Adam’s apple bob under the palm of your hand as he swallows. You repeat the motion, loving the way pleasure fills his gaze, and he lightly grunts on the third swipe of your hips.

“You like that?” you ask him.

He smirks, his usual cocky self coming back to the surface. “I’d like it a lot more without the clothes, but I guess we have to start slow, mmh?”

You chuckle and, in a rush of confidence, you take off your shirt, throwing it to the side. San’s gaze widens as his eyes dip to your chest, watching you as you cup your breasts, pinching your nipples.

“Is that better?” you ask, wetting your lips.

“Fuck,” he grunts, and he sits up, wrapping his arm around your waist as he finds your mouth in a heated kiss. 

You moan in his mouth, grinding on the bulge in his pants again. He’s getting harder with every passing second, and he sucks on your lower lip, teasing you with his teeth.

“I want to eat you out,” he breathes out against your mouth. “Want to taste you.”

His words turn you on as his head dips to your neck. His teeth tease the skin, and then he lightly sucks the spot beneath your ear. It’s not hard enough to leave a hickey, yet it makes a mess of your panties, especially as he grinds up into you again.

“Most of all,” he adds in a whisper, “I want to know what you sound like when you come.”

You let out another breathy sound, though it’s cut short as San flips you around, laying you on your back while he climbs on top of you. You just look at him with a widened gaze, surprised by the sudden show of strength, but the second he’s pressing his lips on yours, you forget all about it, melting into the kiss.

The kiss is wild. The kiss is heat like a burning sun, wild like a cheetah running at 200 mph. The kiss empties your mind of everything but him, and you revel in it. Revel in him, revel in the way he grinds into you almost instinctively, as if he can’t get enough of you even through the barrier separating you.

“Shit,” he curses as he pulls away, his breath ragged. “There’s something about you…”

He never completes the sentence, instead going to nibble on your jaw, and then to leave a trail of hot kisses down your neck. It doesn’t take long for him to reach your collarbone, and his tongue teases your skin momentarily before he goes even lower, finding your breasts.

Your nipples are perked high, partly from the lust clouding your blood, but also from the way his chest was rubbing against yours just a moment ago. He gives a lick to one of them, his hand closing on your other breast so that he can lightly pinch the nipple there. It makes you moan lightly, and you become all too aware of how your panties are clinging to your wet heat. It’s uncomfortable, yet the way he sucks on your nipple next makes you forget all about it, your mind zeroing in on his tongue swirling on your skin. 

San’s teeth lightly pinch your nipple, and your back arches so that you can press your breast into his mouth, chasing more sensations. He chuckles manly against you before he pulls away just enough to meet your gaze. His hair, previously styled perfectly, hangs in his eyes, though his stare still reveals all the lust he’s feeling for you right now.

“You like that?” he asks.

All you can do is let out a small moan as he pinches your nipple, a little harder this time around. The light pain moves through your body, travelling down your spine before it shoots straight to your core, and your walls tighten around nothing.

San smirks, and then his head dips down to your breast. He gives one last lick to your nipple before he starts going down your frame, leaving goosebumps behind as his lips graze over the sensitive skin of your belly. He stops when he reaches your PJ shorts, pressing a kiss right over the band of the clothing. 

“Can I take these off?”

His words barely register - you feel yourself nodding vigorously more than you realize you’re doing the motion, and San just lets out a small, amused laugh that surprisingly seems out of place considering the heat of the moment. Yet it doesn’t deter him nor you, and a second later, his fingers start undoing the knot that holds your PJ shorts up.

Soon, the knot comes undone, and San starts slowly pulling the fabric off your body, his gaze finding yours. You barely dare to blink, afraid he’ll disappear, and your breath catches in your throat once he finally takes the shorts off, dropping them on the floor at the foot of his bed.

He holds your gaze for a little longer as he climbs up your body again, though he stops with his face between your legs, right above your core. You feel his proximity, and your hips make to reach up, as if that will somehow give you some much needed pressure. Obviously, San notices your movement, and he only smirks, tilting his head to the side.

“Want something from me?” he teases.

You chuckle, somehow awkwardly, as your cheeks burn, your eyes drifting away to move to the ceiling. “I see you’re a tease.”

“Isn’t that more fun?”

You think it is, though you much prefer when you’re the one doing the teasing. San doesn’t give you time to answer, not as he lets out a sound you’d consider animalistic at the sight of the wet fabric of your panties clinging to your pussy.

“Shit,” he curses. “You’re already so wet.” He gives a lap at your clothed center as if to confirm, then adding, “You always get this wet?”

“Only for you,” you purr.

“Fuck.” He pushes your panties aside, eyeing your pussy. “What a fucking good girl.”

He doesn’t leave you time to react before his tongue dives between your folds, teasing your hole. You moan, his name leaving your lips as he licks up to your clit, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves.

“Taste so fucking good,” he praises.

You moan again as he sucks on your clit, but then he’s pulling away, a smirk on his lips. You just look down at him, your heart beating out of your chest as you find him shifting to the side, one of his hands disappearing in his sweatpants. But then he’s on your pussy again, lapping up your juices with so much intent that you can’t formulate any coherent thoughts. All you can think about is the way you know you’ll come harder than you’ve ever come before.

San is good with his tongue. Insanely good, so much so that you think he’ll ruin other men for you. Especially as he manages to slip a finger inside of you, timing his ministrations on your clit to that of his digit. It makes you grow dizzy, grow oversensitive, and though your thighs try to close around his head, San doesn’t budge.

He keeps eating you out, with just the right amount of pressure to slowly guide you towards your high. Your walls clench around his finger, a clear sign that you’re getting close, and he adds another finger, curling them to find the nutty spot inside of you.

“San,” you moan out loud, not caring that he lives in an apartment and that his neighbours could very well hear you. 

All you care about is the orgasm you slowly feel building up inside of you. The pressure increases exponentially, yet it doesn’t come just yet. No, your climax teases you much like San was teasing you earlier, and you shut your eyes, trying to focus on that and that only.

San grunts against your pussy, the vibrations shooting deep inside of you. They find the knot holding your orgasm back, unfolding it until you climax, your entire body reaching a high of pleasure you didn’t even think possible.

The waves of the orgasm come one after the other as San keeps fucking you with his fingers, his tongue coaxing wave after wave out of you. You come for so long you think you might die by the time the high recedes, leaving you so fucked out you can barely open your eyes.

When you do, it’s to find San licking at his fingers, his eyes already on you.

“That felt good?” he asks.

Your eyes shut again, a lazy smile growing on your lips. “Holy shit.”

He chuckles. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He pecks your cheek, and then you feel his mattress shifting as he gets up. You open one eye, trying to catch sight of him, but he’s standing with his back turned to you.

“Want you,” you say through the bliss your brain is currently swimming in.

He doesn’t move for a time, and then he laughs. It sounds strange, yet you’re too fucked out to be able to say anything, so you just frown as he glances over his shoulder.

“This will be embarrassing, but I actually came.” 

The words don’t register, but then your gaze widens as the dots connect. “Wait, what?”

He turns around, and you don’t miss the dark wet spot on his joggers. You prop yourself up on your elbows, the frown still on your features as you stare at the spot.

“Don’t look at it like that,” he says, hiding it from view. “You were just so fucking hot.”

“San.”

“And I was jerking off, and then you came and I just couldn’t stop myself in time.”

“Oh my God.”

He winces, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry?”

You laugh in disbelief, laying back down on the bed. “Nah, you’re good. I just…” You lose your train of thoughts from the bliss your mind is still swimming in, and San just waits patiently, his lips jutting out in a small pout. “I would have given you something in return.”

“No need for that,” he replies with a chuckle, his cheeks pink. “We’ll have plenty of time for that later.”

“Oh yeah?” you tease, a smirk making its way to your lips.

San just winks at you before leaving his room, heading to the bathroom. You hear him cleaning himself quickly, and he comes back in only a pair of clean underwear, holding a wet washcloth for you. You wipe yourself, thanking him.

“You should also probably go to the bathroom,” he says as you hand him the washcloth back. 

You whine, rolling on your belly as you hide your face in the covers. But then San slaps your ass lightly, and you let out a surprised yelp.

“What was that for?”

He laughs. “Couldn’t help myself. You have a really nice ass.”

His words make you blush. “Thank you, thank you.”

He remains silent this time around, and you feel the mattress shift as he moves. You turn your head to the side, watching him as he lies down next to you, smiling softly. You mirror the smile, holding his gaze for a moment.

He’s beautiful. You’ve always been aware of it, but the light flush of his cheeks paints him beautifully, giving him an almost surreal feel. That, and the way his dark hair looks disheveled transforms him into the kind of man you think you’d only ever see in paintings. Yet he is real, so real, and the thought makes your heart beat just a little quicker in your chest.

“You really should go,” he murmurs, and your eyes drop to his lips.

You pout, though you know he has a point. So you force yourself to get up, missing the softness of his sheets as you make your way to the bathroom, coming back just a minute later. He’s moved underneath the covers, and he opens them for you to slide in, which you gladly do.

His arms wrap around you, his embrace warm as you settle against his chest, listening to his heart. It’s beating steadily, and you wonder if the beat is echoed by that of your own heart.

If you’ve synced up like you imagine lovers do.

It’s a scary thought - though you haven’t known him for long, Choi San has been weaving his way into your heart. All you can hope for is that he doesn’t break you in the end.

Prev | Next

☆☆☆☆☆

am i the only one soft af for this couple? let me know what you think about this chapter!

All rights reserved to @/oddinary4bts, 2024. Do not copy, repost or translate.

[sweetbans29]

Teach Me: The Art of You (THE END) - PB

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Reader

Previous Part

Summary: You and Paige have been best friends for the last 6 years. You trust her completely. And it is because of that trust that you ask her a rather forward question. AKA - You ask Paige to teach you.

Warnings: mature, like mature - mature

Word Count: 3.2k

Sweetbans Masterlist & Teach Me Masterlist

AN: Here we go...for the last time 🫠

Paige's lips met yours for what feels like the first time in forever. The kiss starts off gentle - her hands cupping your face as your hands rest on her chest. You can taste the saltiness of both of your tears mixed in with her lips.

You pull away, resting your forehead on hers.

"Can we go to bed?" You ask.

"Of course," Paige says and helps you up from the couch. The two of you make your way to her room. You crawl in her bed and open your arms to her. She looks down at you with the biggest smile and finds her place in your arms.

"Never wanna sleep without you again," Paige whispers into you.

"You never have to, B," you say and kiss the top of your head.

Over the next few weeks, life goes back to normal - well mostly normal except for the fact that you and Paige have actually started dating. No more having to restrict touches or steel glances. Paige was free to show the world she has been and will always be completely in love with you.

The regular season is coming to a close as the team prepares for March Madness. You alongside the other coaches are spending a lot more time reviewing film and watching other teams. Paige isn't a fan of how much time you are spending in the office but can't be mad that you, without fail, come home to her.

The team decides to go out for one last hurrah before they lock in and decide to do it at their favorite bar. Everyone is over at your apartment getting ready for your fun night out. You are in your room finishing getting ready as Paige is lying on your bed and scrolling through her phone. When she sees you are almost done she gets up.

"Mmmm ready?" She asks as she comes behind you snaking her arms around your waist. Her head finds its place on your shoulder as she looks at you through the mirror.

"Yep!" You say. "It's been so long since I've been out, long overdue."

Paige would be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking about you. Ever since the two of you officially got together the lessons had stopped. She didn't mind the fact that they stopped but each day kept getting progressively harder for her to keep her hands off of you.

"S'not the only thing overdue," Paige says as she moves your hair to one side of your neck and begins to leave a trail of kisses down the other.

You sigh, leaning back into her and letting her grace your skin with her lips. She holds you firm against her front as she makes a meal out of your neck. One of your hands rests on top of hers while the other comes up and holds her head in place on your neck.

"No marks," you moan as she sucks on your sweet spot.

"Gonna show them your mine," she breathes out sucking a little harder, her teeth grazing your skin.

You try to move away from her but she isn't having any of that.

"B, no marks," you say again. "I'll show them whose I am another way, trust."

She kisses down to your shoulder. "And how do you plan on doing that?" Paige asks.

"Well, you will just have to wait and find out," you say, your eyes struggling to stay open. "But won't have to if I'm all marked up."

Paige immediately removes her lips from your skin and you want to whine but know you are the one who stopped your girl in the first place. You look at her through your mirror and take in how beautiful she is. Your eyes trace every feature of her face.

Paige feels your gave and her cheeks begin to brighten.

"Why are you staring at me like that, ma?" She asks and hides behind you. You found it to be incredibly cute when she would get nervous around you even after knowing you for years.

"Can't you just let me admire my girlfriend," you say and turn around to face her. She no longer has a place to hide. Your eyes burn into her skin. "Stunning."

"Yo, you two ready or what?" You hear one of the girls yell and you respond.

"Ready, B?" You ask.

"Could just stay here," she says. You laugh.

"Ya right, come on B," you say grabbing her hand and leading her out of your room.

The team heads to the bar. Once you are through the door Paige grabs drinks for the two of you. When she comes back you down half of it in the first sip.

"Woo, slow down there. It's not going anywhere," Paige says, grabbing the glass from your hand.

"Hey!" You say, your hand reaching for the glass she just stole from you.

"Let the girl have some fun," Azzi says. "She has been working her ass off for us."

Paige looks betrayed that Azzi chose your side over hers. Azzi grabs the drink from Paige's hand and gives it back to you.

"Woooow, I see who the favorite it," Paige says.

"I have always been Azzi's favorite," you say and lean over to the curly-haired girl and away from Paige.

"As long as I am your favorite, we won't have any issues," Paige says grabbing your hand and intertwining her fingers with yours.

"Well..." both you and Azzi say at the same time. The look on Paige's face practically has you and Azzi laughing on the floor.

You pull Paige into a hug, moving your head to whisper perfectly in her ear.

"Don't worry, B - you know you're my favorite. Always have been, always will be," you say as you bring your tongue to the shell of her ear. A move you have learned riles her up faster than most.

Paige jerks away knowing it is way too soon to be leading you out of the bar. She wants to enjoy hanging out with the team before taking you home. She gives you a warning look and you just smile up at her and take another sip of your drink, a smaller sip than the first one.

You both spend time with the team, enjoying each other's company. You are three drinks in when you start dancing with some of the girls. All of which are letting loose and having a good time. Moving your body to the music, you raise your arms and sway your hips. It doesn't take you long to find your girl leaning against the bar watching you dance. You smile at her and make your way over.

"Dance with me B," you say grabbing her hand. She puts her finished drink on the bar and follows you to the middle of the dance floor.

You face her and wrap your arms around her neck, connecting your bodies and moving to the rhythm of the music. Her hands rest on your hips as she looks down at where your bodies connect.

You turn around, making sure her hands stay planted on your hips. Your arms go up in the air again as you begin to grind on her. You hear her let out the lightest gasp as you bend over. When you come up again, you move her hands to rest on your boobs. She gives them a squeeze before running her hands down your stomach, bringing your shirt slightly higher than it already is. Your hips never stoping.

One of your hands comes to cup the back of her head, guiding it to yours as you turn your face to the side meeting your lips together. The kiss is sloppy and rushed, filled with lingering hints of alcohol from your drinks. You turn to face her cup her cheek.

Your tongues fight for dominance, Paige desperate to win.

Before she can, you break the kiss and begin down her neck like she had done in your room. You pay attention to all right places causing the blonde to throw her head back. Your free hand toying with the string at her waistband.

"Take me home," you whisper in her ear.

Before you know it you are being pulled out of the bar. Paige storms past the team, your hand firmly in hers as she makes a beeline to the door.

"Where are you two going?" Evina yells.

"Evina, just enjoy your drink. We all know where they are going," Azzi says sipping her drink.

Paige has you back at your apartment in no time. The second the door shuts she has you pushed up against it. Before her lips connect with yours, you put a hand on her chest.

"What?" She asks until she sees your next move.

You push her back, taking your shoes off in the process, and have her walking backwards all the way to the couch. You push her to sit down as you ever so slowly move on top of her, straddling her.

She watches you in awe as your hands come to her torso, moving your hands up under her shirt. You lean down and plant a kiss on her shoulder.

"Imma need a little more than that, ma," she says, her breath already rigid. Paige has never been a fan of slow - all the hookups she has had have been quick and straight to the point. But as she was teaching you, she slowed down to match your speed. Now though, now she feels like she has made a mistake as she is eager to get to the finish.

"What's the rush babe?" You ask. "Plan on taking my time, still new to this ya know."

You bring your lips to kiss all along her collarbone. She leans her head back against the couch and lets you work. Your hands move to cup her breasts under her shirt and she removes it for you.

Your lips find their way to one of her nipples, swirling your tongue around it and sucking it lightly. Removing your lips from her skin, you cup both of them and kneed them.

"I love these," you say as you continue to massage your girls chest.

"All yours, ma," Paige's voice husky as she struggles to get the words out. You smile.

You kiss down her stomach, peppering kisses over the waistband of her pants. You hook your fingers in her waistband and look up at her for approval.

"Fuck ya, ma," she says as she lifts her hips up and you pull her pants down.

She is now watching your every move as your hands rub up and down her thighs and your lips sprinkle little kisses along the inner more sensitive parts of her legs. She spreads them for you as you park yourself on your knees in front of her.

Your trail of kisses makes its way to the bottom of the last piece of fabric separating you from where she wants you most. You begin to kiss over them, inching closer to her center. When you finally get to the place Paige has been patiently waiting for your lips to meet, she jolts forward.

You look up at her and kiss it again.

"So sensitive baby," you tease her as your hands bring her boxers down. She watches your every move anticipating the next. Never in a million years would she expect you to be the first to please her, she always imagined her pleasing you first. Yet here you are, on your knees just for her.

"May I?" You ask, your eyes trained on her center. Paige doesn't trust her voice and nods vigorously.

"Need to hear you babe," you tease her again. "Can't forget the rules now."

"Fuck the rules," she says and you take that as a green light.

You spread her legs even further apart as your tongue licks a strip of her. The moan she lets out is ungodly. One of her hands is placed on the back of your head while the other shoots its way to cover her mouth. You kiss her bundle of nerves and begin to work.

"Fuck ma, so good. So so good," she mutters as you work on her. One of your hands comes up to massage her left breast. You pick up the speed as moans fall freely from her mouth.

"Just like that, YES, oh fuck," her words coming out in breathy strings. "Close," Paige yells, not able to think of any other words.

You slow your movements to a stop and Paige whines. You look up at her with raised eyebrows as she looks down at you with furrowed ones. She watches you as you bring two of your fingers into your mouth sucking on them. She bites her lip as she watches you - anticipating your next move.

You brush over her sensitive bundle of nerves and her hips jerk forward, begging to be touched again.

You smile as you slowly line your fingers at her entrance. You kiss her thigh as your fingers enter her. Paige moans your name and you watch her in awe. All you want to do is make her feel good.

Your fingers work in her as your begin to suck on her center again. Paige is fisting the couch as she lets out moans left and right.

"Don't stop. Please don't stop," she moans as her back arches off the couch pushing her core closer to you. You work her through her high as she repeatedly says your name.

When she slumps against the couch, you remove your fingers and begin to kiss back up her stomach.

"That was so hot," you say as you kiss her lips.

"You are so hot," she says breathlessly. Her hand coming to cup your face and kissing you again. She tugs at your shirt and you break the kiss, allowing her to remove your shirt.

Paige stands and tells you to jump, which you gladly do, and wrap your legs around her waist. She immediately establishes dominance in the kiss as she walks you to her room. She lays you on the bed and in one swoop has your shorts off. You stare at her with your mouth agape and she just smirks down at you.

Paige crawls over you, causing you to squirm, and comes to kiss you. Your hands come to cup her breasts as she hovers over you. She breaks the kiss and laughs.

"What?" You ask.

She looks down at your hands on her chest and you feel yourself blush, immediately removing them.

"Don't stop," she says shifting her weight to bring your hands back to them. "Touch them, kiss them, suck them as much as you want - I meant it when I said they're all yours."

You smile and bite your lip.

"Never thought you would be a boob girl," she says chuckling, lowering herself to kiss you again. She kisses down your neck leaving all the marks in the world.

"Just yours, you say. "S'cute and little."

"Hey!" Paige jokes but you just pull her back to you. Your hand s come to claw at her back as you stifle moans whenever she finds a particularly sensitive spot.

She kisses down your stomach and grabs the waistband of your intimates, pulling them down with her teeth. You watch her as intently as she watched you just ten minutes ago.

Her lips meet your inner thighs as she hooks her arms around your legs to spread them and grab your ass.

"I've been dreaming about this forever," she says as kisses closer to your center. "How you would look spread out on my bed." You moan at her words and buck your hips craving any sort of friction.

"How you taste," she says as her tongue finds your center. She then goes to work making you feel good. You are a moaning mess as she is now the one feasting on you.

She slows down, removing her lips from your skin uses her thumb to keep a rhythm.

"Open up for me, ma," she says bringing two of her fingers up to your lips. You obey and welcome them in, swirling your tongue around them.

"Good girl," she says as she removes them, sinking down to where she just previously was. Her fingers begin to work in you as her lips attach to you once again.

"Paige," you moan. "Yes, Paige. PAIGE."

You are releasing in no time. Body twitching as you ride out your high. She removes her fingers from you but Paige doesn't stop. Her tongue keeps working on your overstimulated center. Your hands come to her head as your thighs close around her head.

"Paige!" You scream but she keeps going. She doesn't care if you suffocate her - hearing your moans and tasting you has her on a whole new high she never wants to come down from.

"Paige! Ahhh!" You are now trying to pull her head from you. She is relentless. Before you know it you are on cloud 9 once again.

After your ride your second high you fall back against the bed. Paige finally removes herself and lays next to you.

"Holy shit," you say breathless.

Paige laughs and pulls you into her side.

"Babe, we are just getting started," she says and begins to kiss your shoulder.

Your relationship with Paige grows. The two of you continue your time at UConn and are now known as a couple but will always be best friends first.

The two of you walk side by side into Paige's multiple injuries - you being there every step of her recovery and keeping her sane when she feels like she is going crazy. Encouraging her to work on her mental game and not rush the healing process, knowing she wants to get back on the court as soon as possible. You keep her grounded.

Side by side when she decides to stay at UConn for a fifth year - which Geno gladly accepts and knows you would be staying on the coaching staff. He hires you full-time after you graduate but knows you will be going wherever Paige gets drafted.

Side by side when she carries the team back to the final four and then to the championship. Although if anyone were to ask you, and they did, you would say you played a major part in getting them back to the championship. Ultimately winning it all.

Side by side when Paige goes to the draft and gets drafted to the WNBA - moving to a new city and beginning life outside of Storrs.

Side by side when she asks you to marry her, with your dad's permission of course. Letting you plan the wedding of your dreams which really only included her. She watches as you plan the perfect day for both of you and always makes sure that she is okay with your decisions.

Side by side in life. When you tell people about your story, Paige tells them that the two of you have been together since before high school. She likes to say she knew you were the one for her when you walked into the gym during summer training before freshman year. This always gets you to roll your eyes, knowing she actually didn't like you until the end of freshman year but you let her tell the story her way. And you do, you always let her tell your story her way because it never ceases to amaze you how her eyes light up even brighter each time.

You look at Paige and you know. Know that there is no one else on this earth who is a better fit for you. No one who could ever love you better or be better for you than she. You know when you are side by side with her, you have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about because it's Paige. And to you, Paige is your home.

AN: WE DID IT BAN-FAM! WE DID IT! Let me know how you feel about this whole journey, I would genuinely love to know. And as always, thank you for the love and support 💙

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Jack Howl - Night Sky Chiffon Vignette

What's with that weird rule?

[Library – Entrance Hall]

Riddle: Now then, Deuce, let's get to it. Would you paint the walls with the colors of the night sky?

Deuce: Yes, sir, Housewarden!

Riddle: Once those preparations are completed, we'll use the wall as a night sky backdrop and set a multitude of lanterns aloft.

Kalim/Jack/Deuce: Yeah! / Yes, sir!

Jack: Okay, time to draw the picture of lanterns flying in the night sky.

Jack: For now, I have to figure out where the lanterns'll go. If I base it off the dimensions of the picture we're working off of…

Deuce: What are you doing, Jack? Why're you striking a weird pose with your thumbs and index fingers like that?

Jack: I ain't striking a pose! I'm trying to get an image of the whole picture by squaring it up.

Jack: If I do this, it'll be easier to figure out what size the lanterns should be drawn on the wall.

Jack: And that's how I realized…

Jack: All that dark blue you threw on the wall is painted a lot more vertical than the example we have to go off of.

Riddle: Indeed. I took that into account and make little marks where each lantern should be drawn.

Riddle: Could you draw an alight lantern at each of those little marks?

Jack: Right.

Jack: The paint colors I have here right now is red, blue, pink, yellow, and…

Jack: I guess I'll need orange if I'm going to draw some lanterns. I'll mix the red and yellow paint together.

[mixes paint]

Jack: That should be good enough. I'll start drawing the lanterns with yellow first…

[paint, paint]

Jack: Then I'll put on a layer of orange that I just made… Hey, that actually came out pretty good.

Riddle: You're right. The flame of the candle burning in the center of the lantern is shown well by the gradation you gave it.

Riddle: You've got some talent here. I had no idea you were so good at art.

Jack: Oh, no, I'm not good at it at all. All I really did was just scribble around with my siblings when I was a kid.

Jack: I more preferred to outside and move around, so I haven't really drawn much outside of my classes.

Riddle: You say you're not good at all… but I think you've done a good job.

Jack: Well, that's… probably because I've seen a bunch of lanterns before.

Jack: Not the ones that fly through the air, but I'm more talking about the ones that you'd use to go camping with.

Jack: When I was a kid, I'd find the flickering flames a little mesmerizing…

Jack: So I kinda just colored it like how I felt it was in my memories of back then.

Riddle: I see. So your observational skills are to thank for this completed picture, then.

Riddle: They do say that looking at the real object you are depicting leads to a good rough sketch of the subject… I feel as though I've learned something new.

Jack: The Princess of the Tower must've seen those strange lights flying in the sky once a year every year on her birthday...

Jack: And used those observations to draw them like this on the wall. All the while, she's curious as to what those lights were.

Riddle: Indeed. Even while she had been locked up in the tower, I'm sure she allowed her imagination to keep growing.

Riddle: And that is something that is absolutely essential to a competent mage. We cannot allow ourselves to become complacent.

Jack: Right. Our imagination abilities should be getting a good workout by thinking of how the princess acted, or what she saw.

Jack: I ain't gonna leave anything half-done. Everything'll get done just as…

Jack: Hm? What just hit my cheek…? HEY, WHAT'S WITH THIS PAINT!?

Kalim: 'Kay, I'm gonna draw a lantern with this color next!

[splat]

Jack: Kalim-senpai, you're using too much paint! Plus, you're waving your hands around too much…

Jack: You were the one who just splattered paint on me, weren't you!?

Kalim: Eh, did the paint hit you!? Sorry, sorry!

Riddle: I am relieved that I thought to use protection magic before we started painting. This library was in danger of becoming covered in paint…

Jack: I don't really want to get paint on this uniform. I guess I'll work a little further away from Kalim-senpai.

Jack: Hmm, where's the next mark Riddle-senpai put up…? Ah, here it is. I'll draw a lantern here.

Jack: This little yellow dot looks like a paint splatter. Guess I'll paint over with the base blue color to fix that.

[paint, paint]

Deuce: …Hey, Jack! Did you just paint over the stuff I just drew!?

Jack: I was just gettin' rid of the paint splatter. Nothing worth getting upset about.

Deuce: That wasn't a paint splatter, it was there to show how the light's glinting!

Deuce: Plus, if you're gonna paint over something on the wall, you gotta use a bigger array of colors than what was originally there.

Jack: What's with that weird rule? Is that one of your Queen of Hearts' laws?

Jack: Besides, I'm gonna be painting a lantern that's got more than 3 colors. That should be enough, right?

Deuce: …Fine, then. Guess I'll go work over there.

Jack: Huh, he backed down pretty quickly. He was spouting all that nonsense of spray painting the walls earlier, too…

Jack: I feel like it's way too easy to imagine him doing something way too ridiculous.

Jack: Geez. Why's he gotta start talkin' bout stuff that only makes sense to a couple people?

[paint, paint]

Jack: Alright, that's the last lantern painted.

Riddle: It seems as though the number of the lanterns, as well as their placement have been painted according to the drawing. I'd like to think that it comes quite close to the reference, but…

Kalim: Don'tcha think the painting's a little boring?

Riddle: I don't think there's any reason to make it too extravagant. However, I do also feel as though there's something missing.

Deuce: Oh yeah, Jack did say something about how the wall art was a little too long compared to the drawing in the book.

Deuce: Maybe that means the margins are a little off...?

Deuce: I'm more worried that it doesn't look like a painting of lanterns flying through the night sky.

Deuce: More like… It feels it like the streetlights when I'm riding a blastcycle at night, or the lights from oncoming cars.

Kalim: I mean, the Princess didn't know the lights flying in the sky were lanterns, and just drew what she saw, right?

Deuce: Right… Then I guess this painting is good.

[Jack thinks]

Jack: No, wait, I have an idea.

[Library – Entrance Hall]

Deuce: Right… Then I guess this painting is good.

[Jack thinks]

Jack: No, wait, I have an idea.

Kalim/Deuce/Riddle: What idea?

Jack: Yeah, so, I'm gonna draw a mountain at the bottom of the painting.

Jack: I'll take blue and yellow, and then mix this paint together… Alright. Now I just gotta draw near the bottom of the painting…

[paint, paint]

Jack: …How's that?

Riddle/Deuce/Kalim: WOOOOOOAH!!

Deuce: The lights are flying. Before you added that, they just looked like streetlights and headlights to me!

Kalim: Yeah! The lanterns are really flying in the air! That's amazing, Jack!

Kalim: The mountain's a pretty dark and boring color… But because of that, the lantern's lights look even more brighter!

Deuce: Yeah, I see it now that you mention it… I think I can definitely understand why the Princess of the Tower would've longed to see them.

Jack: You guys are laying it on way too thick. All I did was kinda draw what felt like a mountain line and colored it in.

Deuce: Don't get all shy on us, c'mon. But man, it's really strange.

Deuce: The lantern's lights weren't touched at all… So why do the lanterns actually look like lanterns now?

Riddle: That's because we now have the added information that those lights are higher in the sky than the mountain line.

Riddle: In what we had depicted prior to this, there was no context clues to inform us that the dark blue portion of the drawing was the sky.

Riddle: That's why Deuce could see streetlights, or headlights.

Riddle: After all, abstract art can be viewed differently based on the person.

Jack: …I get it. Everyone understands that mountains are large, tall objects that are firmly on the ground.

Jack: So that's why just by drawing a mountain, we can conclude that the dark blue area is the sky, and that those lights are flying.

Deuce: Huh, what, you drew that without knowing that?

Jack: It's not like I get art or anything.

Jack: For me, it was just that I'm used to seeing scenery that's got mountains in the background. Whenever I look up at the sky, they're just always there in my field of vision…

Jack: So I just thought that maybe the reason why our painting felt like it was missing something was because it needed mountains, is all.

Riddle: Ah yes, you have mentioned that you come from the Shaftlands.

Riddle: That region is rather mountainous. This could only have been conceived by someone who sees mountainous landscapes on a more familiar basis.

Riddle: You also drew the light of the lanterns quite well. I marvel at your powers of observation, Jack.

Riddle: Perhaps I would do well to spend more time looking into things that are not just textbooks and reference books.

Kalim: Hey, Jack. You got any more good ideas?

Kalim: It's already lookin' so much better than before! So let's try and make it even more awesome!

Jack: Any more ideas…? Hmm, what if we drew trees on the mountain?

Jack: The colors'll be darker, 'cause it'll be more in the shadows, but I think that'll brighten the lighter colors more.

Kalim: Okay. Then I'll draw some trees around here.

Deuce: I'll draw them over here.

Riddle: I'll do the same here. Since Jack drew the mountain, we should pitch in and draw all the trees.

Riddle: Kalim, Deuce. Let us finalize this drawing with this.

Kalim/Deuce: Yeah! / Yes, sir!

[paint, paint]

Jack: …Looks like I got nothing to do, now. Guess I'll start putting away the paint we used up.

[clatter, clatter]

Jack: …......

[FLASHBACK]

Kalim: Yeah! The lanterns are really flying in the air! That's amazing, Jack!

[FLASHBACK]

Deuce: Yeah, I see it now that you mention it… I think I can definitely understand why the Princess of the Tower would've longed to see them.

[FLASHBACK]

Riddle: You also drew the light of the lanterns quite well. I marvel at your powers of observation, Jack.

Jack: Never thought there'd come the day I'd be getting showered in compliments just for drawing something.

Jack: …Right! Let's keep this up, and find our way out of here!

Requested by @farfalla049.

[nakedbibi333]

The Art of Returning: Coming Back to the Law

Well, it sure has been a while! The thing about me and this blog is that it's more of an archive for you guys (and myself as well) and I just log in when I feel like there is something new or relevant I want to share.

Anyway! Today I felt the urge to make a post about the idea of "falling off." I mostly want to address these kinds of questions/predicaments: "What do I do when I stop practicing the law?" and "What do I do when I stop believing in the law?"

It's happened more times than I'd care to admit in these past two years since I stopped posting regularly. I find that I'll have a lot of success and then I get comfortable there and stop being responsible with my routine. Then, by losing my routine, I slowly allow my senses and the outer world to dictate my state, and then you know how that goes...

Either way, it doesn't exactly matter how it happens, it only matters that we can get back on it and return to the place where we were before.

It's crazy how much reacting to (and living primarily in) the physical world affects your mental state. In my experience, it gets more and more negative if you're not aware of it, and soon enough, you become a pessimist, and you're constantly manifesting unlucky and negative aspects into your life. The great thing about this, though, is that you can change it. You are never stuck in a state. Whether the state is negative or positive, it is not immovable or unchangeable. Whatever you are experiencing, hearing, or seeing in your physical world is just a reflection of your state. So, since you have lost your belief in the law, you'll start to see more people criticizing and belittling people who do believe in the law. Maybe you will see more "failure" stories, and you may see more negativity in general surrounding the law. This does not mean that those things are true. They are simply what your self is reflecting onto your outer reality based on your self-concept. It may feel difficult to leave this state, but it's as simple as deciding you believe in the law again. You can just as easily return to that state of faith, trust, and power you had occupied before you stopped practicing. And I know this because I have done it myself. You will always have another excuse, another reason, and another fear that will keep you in this limited state. Just let go and return to that feeling.

For some people, I'm sure it's just as easy as intending to return to your desired state. That isn't my own personal experience, though. It can take some convincing. I approach this by re-learning everything I knew before. I need to first place myself in a calm mindful state (which is easier than immediately placing myself in a state of full, confident belief in the law) and start to consume my favorite content. I read Neville Goddard's Lectures and books, listen to Edward Art's YouTube channel, and read his main series, and then I begin to test the law. This is the best way to build belief in the law. Just test it with things that don't matter. Most people like to manifest seeing a specific color insect, getting free food, or finding a dollar on the street, but I approach testing differently before I do that. Instead of saying that I want to see a green car and then waiting to see it in my life, I just start to notice my surroundings. I'll begin to see that the thing I dreamed about the night before ended up happening, that something I was thinking about was brought up in conversation without my initiation, or that something I wanted to do is now planned by someone in my life. These things, which are not deliberately manifested by me, increase my belief in the law because I recognized that I did not even have to try to make things happen for my imagination to show me the truth in the law of assumption. Only then will I start deliberately manifesting because I feel much more confident that it will happen.

With this process, I have been able to go from a negative, unlucky, unfaithful person, to a fulfilled, lucky, and positive person within days (or sometimes hours depending on my own willingness to change). Just know that even the best of us struggle to stay on top of this way of life all the time. Remember there is very little effort in this process. It's really a letting go of your old self and allowing yourself to be open and receptive to the law again.

Hope you guys are doing well! See you again soon ♡

[hotwe]

Tax Season Commissions!

Hi everyone! It's that special time of year again! Time to pay the IRS so they don't come gank me, along with yet another surgery for my cat son (another mass removal but it's just a lil one on his gums so don't worry about him he'll be fine once it's gone however this still will cost over 1k lmaoooo) and with the other expenses- mainly finally getting prints and additional stickers made- this year's goal is around $3k!

Interested? ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ↓ clicky! ↓

Here is the plan to try and reduce strain to keep hotwe projects from being neglected for 4-5 months!

I will offer traditional hand drawn commissions! The price for these is generally lower because there is no color to contend with!

Some original hotwe art (that I had been saving for the artbook kickstarter lol) will also be for sale. Tumblr crowd you wouldn't be familiar with these pieces since they're on patreon only$1forallrewardsalsosometimesforfreejustsaying but I'll make a post showing what's available.

Livestreaming is likely! Either streaming commission work which is always fun or ??? Whatever needed for your viewing pleasure I suppose! I'd collect tips/donos here from anyone who wanted to toss a penny my way rather than get a commission.

Prints pre-orders are possible, I'm still figuring that out!

How to get a commission:

(and this time I am going to explain everything fully lol)

Start by sending me an email [ contact.hotwe@gmail ] with a description of what you'd like to have done! You can tell me as much or as little as you like because I will be asking follow up questions regardless!

Commission prices are based 100% on what is being asked for and vary greatly! Once I know enough about what you're looking to get, I will give you an estimate for the price! It can go up or down a bit from there as additional information is given, specifically if you forgot to mention something or if I get more detail about something and realize it wont be as labor intensive as expected.

Do not worry if you have a budget, I will work with it! Changing things like how much is in frame and whether there is color, what kind of background if any, etc, can reduce the price a lot! Even if your piece can't be done within your budget, a sketch is only $45!

The sketch option is your request, in color (unless you don't want color!), with just the flat fee of $45. The caveat is I spend an hour and a half on it only!

I know what you're thinking, but no! With sketches, I won't double the time by doubling the price because that wouldn't be worth it for you at all. I make the most progress on a piece in that first 1.5 hours, then after that it takes a long time- like 10 hours- before any significant improvement happens to the piece. Working on your sketch for 3 hours would hardly look better than 1.5 hours, so let's save your money. iusuallygooverthe1.5hoursanywaysbecauseiamafoolandicannotbesaved

Do not worry about asking for something and finding my price is higher than your budget- you are not insulting me!!! Don't feel shy about a budget either; art is a luxury I can't even afford for myself lmao and I do want my stuff to be accessible to people in my position. Also I like to work with budgets but I am not going to undersell my work, so don't feel like you are doing me a disservice! I've been doing this stuff for a long time so I know how to wiggle around for everyone's benefit. So just shoot your shot!

For hand drawn commissions, it's much the same process as digital ones! Let me know what you are looking for, and if you have a preference on size as well. Generally, a hand drawn piece will be a bit cheaper because I don't have to agonize over color, but depending on factors like size and detail it could also ramp up quickly. However, I don't intend to take on anything particularly intensive, since hand drawn pieces are meant to reduce my commissions work time this year, not add to it!

I mean, technically I could do color, I have the pencils... but at what cost... like spiritually I mean...

Payment! I send invoices through paypal (unfortunately) and I do accept payment plans! My rule is that to protect myself, I work up to what I have been paid. So if I have been paid half the price, I stop when I have done half of the work until I am paid further.

Because of this, the payment time frame is going to be smaller this time since I'm trying to not be working for half a year. Usually I prefer the months to not exceed the first digit of the price (i.e. $100 per month at least) but this time it's going to have a 4 month cut off.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in your email! I'm always down to chat, negotiate, and goof!

Thank you guys!

[l0vegl0wsinthedark]

Draw Drarry Badly Challenge 2025

*

I did it! I DID IT! HERE IS MY ENTRY!

This is based on an idea given to me by @m4g0rtz ❤️

Thank you for reminding me how much I enjoy sucking at art @julcheninred ❤️

*

Title: THE INEXORABLE APPROACH OF THE DAY aka WHY SHOULD BRIDES HAVE ALL THE FUN aka DRACO MALFOY GETS WHAT HE WANTS (including Harry Potter (who is hopelessly smitten))

*ominous music*

"All right, darling," said Draco. "Today we get our MOSTE IMPORTANTE wedding shopping done. Are you ready to start?"

"I'm ready to finish," said Harry.

"Excellent. First things first. Bloomers."

"What."

"Bloomers, darling. Satin bloomers."

"Is that a sex thing?"

"Harry. No. We'll wear them atop our stockings."

"Sto-?"

"Come along now."

"I think pink is your true colour, my love," said Draco sincerely.

"I don't want to wear frilly undershorts."

"Bloomers, darling. And we have to."

"Why."

"Tradition!"

"I don't think anyone will know if we don't wear these."

"Of course they will! The elders always check under the grooms' robes before the ceremony."

"The elders do what?!"

"Next up: our wedding robes! Aren't you excited?!"

"NO."

"You look wonderful, darling!" gushed Draco.

"All this frill. Why?"

"Tradition!"

"Why are we on fire," asked Harry.

"In-built sparklers!"

"We're on fire."

"It's magic! Honestly, Harry! You're still such a Muggle sometimes."

"These colours... I don't even know where to start.

"Eye-catching, yes?!"

"They're all going to have a stroke."

"We're going to stand out!"

"Yes, outside Mungo's, while our guests are admitted for a collective stroke."

"Yes, these are perfect! Next: our custom made boots!"

"Shit."

"Yes! That's the spirit!"

"What do you think?" asked Draco. "I thought we'd both go with green. You know... For your eyes, and my Hogwarts house!"

"...there are flowers on mine."

"Real ones! Charmed to stay fresh forever!"

"Flowers. On my shoes."

"Beautiful, aren't they? They were Longbottom's idea!"

"I never thought I'd kill Neville some day, but here we are."

"What do you think of mine?"

"They have feathers on them."

"Peacock feathers, darling. Because I'm a Malfoy."

"Why can't I have feathers?!"

"Because you get flowers."

"Why do we need to put anything on them?! They're SHOES."

"Tradition, Harry. Stop yelling!"

"I'm not--"

"Next: HATS!"

"Now you're yelling."

"Aaahh! I've waited 30 years to try on my wedding hat!" said Draco.

"Why do they have curtains."

"They're veils, darling."

"I can't see."

"I'll hold your hand, see?"

"I don't want to wear this cone-curtain contraption on my head."

"Well, you have to."

"Why?!"

"TRADITION!" bellowed Draco.

"I DON'T W--"

"NEXT: OUR NECKLACES!"

"NOOO!"

"Emeralds for me. Rubies for you, darling."

"..."

"This is pure, solid gold."

"..."

"You love them so much that you're speechless?! Well done, me!"

*silent choking noises"

(BONUS:)

"All right. Now we take our best men to get them their bloomers. Blaise is meeting us there. Call Weasley and give me the phonic."

"..."

"Give me that. Weasley, it's me, Draco Lucius Malfoy. Come get fitted for your lace bloomers at once!"

~fini~

[gadriezmannsgirl]

Heyyy I have a request can you do one that gavi and her are eating something in his car and she’s wearing his hoodie and she accidentally stains it and she panics because when something similar happend with her ex he yelled at her

Food Stains are a Work of Art - P.G6

Summary: You mess up one of your boyfriend's hoodies and that has you worried

You were laughing at your boyfriend's antics, he was often very shy; yes but not with you, he loved acting like a fool for you and having confidence with you (after almost a two year relationship) his goofy side never left. You loved it because it meant a smiley Pablo and you loved his beautiful smile since he wears a frown everyday.

"I can't believe she did that" You said shaking your head while grabbing his watter bottle and drinking some from it

"I know, it was crazy. She started singing and dancing to Envolver out of nowhere, she probably was wanting to get Mario's attention"

"There are better ways" You shook your head "Or maybe she was trying to get your attention" You hinted softly with a smile

"The only one I want to randomly sing and dance to Envolver is you, preciosa" He smiled "In fact, you don't need to sing or dance to get my attention since you always have it"

"Such a charmer, you are" You smiled pinching his cheek

"Cállate, que así me quieres" (Shut up, you love me like that) You smiled grabbing his hand that was on your thigh to kiss it softly

"I do" You jokingly bite one of his fingers "But you don't love me so much since you are leaving me die out of hunger"

"McDonald's sounds good?"

"What about your diet?"

"You won't rat me out, right?"

"I don't know"

"I'll buy you a double cheese and double meat burguer with extra fries if you don't"

"You think I'm that easy to buy?" You scoff "Please" You shake your head side to side "Can you add a dulce de leche ice cream?" Pablo laughs

"Will you give me a kiss?"

"Of course"

"Then done" You nod satisfied watching how Pablo turns into the drive through, his hand squeezing your tight once in a while.

You play with the hoodie strings of the white hoodie you stole from your boyfriend and with his hand. It was relaxing for you lacing your fingers through his over and over again.

Being so into your thoughts but you realized when Pablo took his hand away from yours and you went to protest but then when you saw the food you shut up and helped him with it.

"Gracias" (Thank you) He said softly before getting out of the drive thru "Let's go to the beach?" You nod

"De verdad que me encanta como piensas, Pabs" (I really like how you think, Pabs) He smiles lifting your hand to kiss it

And that's how you got to the beach, eating burguers and laughing like crazy at each other.

"No, wait no" You tried to say with your mouth full of Coca-Cola but then Pablo did a funny face and it went down your nose, making Pablo crack up in laughter as you froze after coughing.

You looked down at his hoodie and froze, a big ketchup and Coca-Cola stain was decorating the front of the piece of clothing. Panic went inside your head.

You've gone through this situation before and it didn't ended up good. You were already thinking of the amount of chlorine, detergent, softener and soap you were going to use to make the stain go away.

Or at least, hope to make it go away.

"What's wrong?" You heard Pablo said

"Nothing- I just- I-" You started shaking your head

"What?"

"I-"

"You..."

"I messed up your hoodie" You said softly not looking into his eyes, you didn't wanted to, you didn't wanted to see the anger in them.

"What?"

"I got food stain on your hoodie, Pabs. I'm so sorry. I promise I will wash this very well-Ugh god! I shouldn't have eaten with your hoodie on if I knew this could happen, I'll buy you a new one!! Don't worry about it, I can-"

"Slow down your horse" Gavi said shaking his head "You will not buy nor wash anything, it's just a hoodie"

"It was your favorite hoodie tho"

"So?"

"I stained it! You have every right to be mad at me by that"

"No, I don't. It's just a small mistake, nothing too big. Okay?"

"But-"

"No buts. It's just a hoodie, it's not a big deal. I can buy us another one and done"

"No"

"Señorita, para" (Missy, stop) Pablo said shaking his head "Why so worried about a simple hoodie?"

"That was your favorite hoodie! I messed it up!"

"You didn't! And stop it! I don't know what happened before but you don't need to worry about a damn hoodie stain. I won't get mad at you, love. I'll love it even more because it has good memories" Pablo said as you shake your head

"My ex didn't liked whenever I stained his clothes"

"Well, your ex's an asshole and I'm not him. I don't care about a simple thing like a hoodie" He grabbed some ketchup and put it on his finger, staining his hoodie with it

"Pablo!"

"Food stains are a work of art. You should know that" He smiled softly "But on the other hand, the good news are that we match now"

°°° °°° °°° °°°

Taglist: @gaviypedrisbride @stuckinaf4nfiction @elijahslover @azzpenswrld @http-isabela

[vividraft]

I love you and all your colors...

⇢ ˗ˏˋ gn!artist!reader x childe / modern-ish au? /angst little to no comfort

⇢ ˗ˏˋ summary: Childe had fought hard to make you love your talent for painting, but during just one argument, it all slipped away

⇢ ˗ˏˋ important notes: this is a repost from my old account (@/rainstops), and the ending is like,, really rushed

⇢ ˗ˏˋ a/n: if people ask for it, i might write a part two or so...

old post masterlist tba !

you had these scars on your hands, and you hated them. no one knew where they came from except for your boyfriend, childe. he has caressed your hands so many times, and told you before, that he doesn't mind the crescent shaped marks on your hand. 

he knew you used to press your nails into your palm so hard, that they started to bleed. you’re an artist, and always wanted to do something with your talent, yet your parents were more than just unsupportive of your dreams. they started suggesting that you put your free time in something other than your ‘little doodles’. 

yet their words grew harsher and harsher over the years you lived. 

Whenever you were once again told that you're useless, and that your paintings don't look any different from those compared to a five year old, your hands would start bleeding again. 

maybe you would've given it all up, if it wasn't for your, at that time, friend childe. he was your rock, your support in all of this. 

How many times had you texted him late in the evening and asked him if you could stay over at his place? How many times had he cleaned out the wounds on your palms? 

He helped you move out of your parents house, into your current shared apartment, and helped you be comfortable drawing again. 

Yet even with all of his support, you grew protective of your work. you barely told anyone about what you did, and was afraid of taking criticism. 

one person you were not afraid of though. you were never too afraid to ask childe for his opinion on your recent piece. you were never too afraid to turn around the canvas, and show him what you had done with your time. 

and everytime again, he was proud of you. He peppered your face with kisses, and told you what he especially liked. 

and over the years, even your so much hated scars started to fade. 

Apparently his job has started to take a lot more from his energy though. 

he never said that, but you just assume that that is the reason for his lack of response to your proudly painted canvas.

nowadays you never got more from him, other than a simple ‘i like it’, or even just a hum of approval. 

and it got you thinking, if you would stop showing him what you had done, would he care enough to ask? 

so that's what you did. 

The next day when he came home from work, you didn't ask if you could show him what you had painted. you simply greeted him with a warm dinner, and a kiss on the lips. you hadn't mentioned your art for the whole day. 

but still, while lying in bed, your thoughts told you that he was probably just exhausted, and that he might have forgotten, but tomorrow he will surely ask you about it!

he never asked you about anything. 

Was he really that forgetful? a week had passed, and you just wanted to show him one piece, that took you significantly long. 

“babe, i have something to show you!”, the excitement not fading even though childe had forgotten what you spent the majority of your time with. 

“Sure what is it?”, your boyfriend didn't even look up from his dinner, but that was okay! He was probably just really hungry. 

"I'll get it!”

you quickly ran to your room, and grabbed the beautifully painted canvas. 

yet childes reaction was as little as the hope you had left for any sign that you two were not drifting apart. 

“oh, that's cool babe”

thats cool?

you felt your heart clench, when you realized that's all he had to say. Still, you weren't ready to give up yet. 

“what do you like about it?”, what were you even trying. 

childe took another look at the painting, and then at you. 

“I don't know, it looks pretty though”, you quietly looked away. 

“Okay, thanks for your feedback, I’ll be heading to sleep now”, you smiled, but the hole in your heart was growing by the second.

“alright good night babe”

The bed felt cold. you hugged your own body, trying to keep yourself warm, yet the cold sheets you were lying between made you shiver. 

you could no longer blame childes dismissive act on his work, and him being so exhausted. What could have changed your boyfriend so much, that he was no longer the person that made you feel so safe? A tear rolled down your cheek, onto your pillow. 

When you woke up that morning, childe was not there. you assumed he must have headed to work earlier than usually. 

you forced yourself out of bed, ignoring how heavy your body felt on your legs. That was when a specific thought came to mind. maybe you should start showing your boyfriend your drawings without him having to ask. and maybe, just maybe, he would start being excited to see them again. 

you don't remember what made you come to this conclusion. maybe desperation for the love you used to feel everyday, which had now left your life as quick as it had appeared. 

so that's what you did. everyday you had proudly presented your boyfriend your drawings which you had put minute after minute and hour after hour of your days into. longing for his love and attention back you were ready to do anything. 

probably if you had told anyone how you felt, and what you were doing, they would have called you desperate. 

but no one could expect from you to give up the love that had saved you over and over again. no one could expect that you would give up the only person who was there for you in your hardest and happiest times. 

so youre not giving up yet. 

even though childes lack of enthusiasm remained the same, you were glad he was at least not shaming you for your hobby like your parents used to. you don't know how you would react if he were to act that way, but it was childe you were talking about. 

you were convinced he could never even act that way. 

but how long could you still continue this? everyday where you presented your work to him, and he would just react with a disinterested ‘nice’, felt like a weakening punch in the gut. 

this wasn’t working. maybe you should just talk to him about his lack of a reaction to your hobby and your work. the work which he used to love so much. 

so maybe that was the right thing to do.

when he came home from that specific day at work, you had shown him a drawing which was especially big. you had put so much work into it, you barely took a break the whole day to make sure it was finished before he came home. 

maybe you were going to get a bigger reaction out of him this time. 

“looks great babe”

he didn’t even look at it. 

What were you doing wrong? 

“childe, you didn’t even look at it”, maybe you really needed to talk to him. 

“huh?”, seriously? did he even care? has he never even listened to you?

“childe you don’t even care about my drawings like you used to, do you?”, suddenly he got up from his chair. and you put down your drawing, leaning it against the wall. 

childe rubbed his face.

“you know [name], I’m really tired, can we discuss this some other time?”, you had told yourself for so long that he was just tired, but was that even true?

“childe you’ve been tired for months now. don’t get me wrong, i can't even begin to imagine how exhausting your job must be, but I don’t even really feel like you acknowledge me, other than eating the food i cook for you”

you had to try really hard for this to not turn into an argument. emphasis on tried, because childe was not willing to listen to you. it felt like he was never going to be listening to you, and you needed to get that out of your system. maybe this wouldn't be the best time to tell him, but was it ever going to be the best time?

“I understand that you might be tired, but just tell me what happened? why are you being like this?”, your tone remained calm, yet your muscles tensed up.

“All I am asking of you is the attention that you used to give me. i understand that you can be tired when coming home from work, that's not something i'm denying, but-”

“Look, [name], do you really want to know?”, his tone was a lot harsher than yours, and it made a shiver travel up your spine. 

you took a second, but nodded and gave him a hum. 

“you know that while i am going out to work, and let you stay here all day, all you do is paint and draw. you know that there are so many things that you could spend your time with, but instead you waste your day just holding a paintbrush all day”, childe words were absolutely taking you apart. whether that was his intention or not, that's what he had achieved. 

When you two first moved into the apartment, you had told him that you would go find a job, but he insisted that you should stay home. if he had anything to say, or if he had wished for you to get a job, he could have said so, couldn't he? 

“childe if you had wanted me to get a job, you could have said so. i would have started looking for someth-”

“you're missing the point! I am saying that you keep wasting all your time, and then expect me to praise you for it! your stupid drawings are just a huge waste of your days! Every single day I come home and you remind me of how much you waste your time! Do you seriously think that I could be proud of you for that?!” 

Maybe trying to confront him today wasn't such a good idea, yet this felt like it was a really long time coming. 

when you blinked, you found little tears collected in the corners of your eyes. Yet even when they fell childe didn't notice. He kept ranting on and on about things he had already said. 

while he kept talking and talking, your nails had found your palms once again. an old habit you had wished to finally be rid off. 

the memories came flooding back of your parents shouting at you for the same thing, your boyfriend was shouting at you right now. the same boyfriend that first safed you of the mental torture your parents put you through. the same boyfriend who would cut your nails for you, so the wounds wouldn't be so bad. the same boyfriend who had praised you for your talent. 

the stupid thing about this was that childe isn't actually mad about you wasting your day. he wasn't even able to put an exact finger on it. you could blame it on him being exhausted from work, and needing to take out his exhaustion somewhere, or maybe he was mad about not spending enough time with you. maybe he was mad at himself for not giving you enough attention, but the hurtful things have been said, and there was nothing he could do to take them back. 

when childe finally looked at you after ranting for a good minute, his heart dropped to his stomach and maybe even further. 

there you were standing, sniffling, looking down at your feet while your nails were digging into the soft flesh of your palms. your face was wet from your tears, and your hand only reached up to wipe them away, and then to return into a tight fist. 

“i understand, I hic i will draw less, and find better things to do”

childe often found himself wishing to be able to turn back the time, but never had he prayed so hard for being able to take back his words. 

“w-wait, [name] i-”, childe felt like all the words and apologies he could have given you were knocked out of his brain in an instant, and he panicked when you wanted to walk past him to leave the room. 

although the worst thing was that you were pressing your nails so hard into your palms again, to a point where you were bleeding from the amount of pressure you were releasing. childe felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. the habit of yours that he was fighting so hard to get rid off, had returned. it had returned because of him. 

“[name] please i don't know why i said that, i was just- maybe i was just tired from work, although i cant blame it on that-”, childe frantically took your hands into his, yet your nails already had your blood on them.

childe felt like a world in front of his eyes fell apart. the bad habit of yours that he tried fighting for so long, was close to returning. He was the one who tore your scars back open, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

“[name], [name] please- I didn't mean to say these things, please”, all childe could do was beg and repeat your name over and over as he felt his eyes water. 

he frantically held your hands, and let you to a chair, to sit down. tears were still repeatedly staining your face, and childe had rushed off to get some bandages for your hands. 

childe rushed back and almost fell down onto his knees in front of you. 

“please just let me-”, childe proceeded to clean your wounds a little, and then bandage up your hand. while he was handling your hand, you didn't move or talk one bit. other than quiet sniffles, you just let childe do what he needed to do. in the meantime, your head hung low and your eyes haven't stopped staring at that one spot on your leg. 

you didn't know how to feel. How could you? the one person you believed you could turn to, whenever your parents were rude to you, has done the same thing you were so afraid of happening again. and why? because of stress at work? because he had a bad day? 

“[name] i know you're mad, just please- please say anything”, childe pleaded with you. 

“I’m not mad”, you replied and your voice broke. you weren't even sure if that was true. you were more hurt than angry, but then again you were also just confused. 

“it's late… Can I go to bed?”, why were you asking him? 

“of course- anything you want, I’ll sleep on the couch for tonight”, you were both crying and overwhelmed by emotions. 

you nodded and headed up the stairs to the room you and childe usually shared. a million thoughts flooded your mind, but for some reason your chest felt so empty. 

the person you usually relied on when you felt this way, was now the cause of your feelings. Who were you supposed to turn to? 

then another thought filled your head. What if your parents were right all along? maybe you should have done anything else but waste your life painting stupid pictures. 

you cried yourself to sleep that night. 

and even after you woke up, you could feel the daggers that were sent through your heart. 

you opened the door to your room. “childe?”, you called out, your voice being utterly shaky. 

was he at work? 

when you opened the door to your art room, you didn't expect childe to be sitting in the middle of your paintings. you couldn't read the expression which was resting on his face. 

what childe hadn't realized was that these paintings were small pieces of your soul. every single one of the paintings were thoughts and feelings that you couldnt find the words for, so instead you found the colors for your unspoken feelings. childe has never wished for anything as much as he has wished that he paid more attention to you.

“childe…?”, your voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and his head shot towards the door. 

“oh- sorry i was just… well uh, do you need anything?”, childe stammered, getting up from his sitting position. 

“I was just looking for you… why are you here?”, your voice remained quiet and shaky. 

“i was just… looking at all your work that i had missed… and all the time… well uh- if you want me to leave i'll go-”

“its… it's okay i just wanted to see where you were” with those words you turned around, about to leave the room. 

“wait-! [name] I… I’m sorry, I don't know what to say to let you know how bad i feel-”

“childe i know”, his face was met with the sight of a sad smile on your face. 

“w-what can I do to make you feel better? I’ll do anything- please”

“I don't know, honestly…”, a shaky sigh escaped your lungs. 

“please… know that i love you [name], more than anything”

“i… love you too”

[gemapples]

my new year's artwork won't be done until tomorrow, but i at least wanted to make a little post celebrating it before it turns! see you in 2025 ❤️

going into a personal ramble about my year under the cut. im mostly just talking to the void but feel free to read if you want!

this year has been. wow. if i had to put the definition of an emotional rollercoaster it would be this year for me

so much happened, yet so much DIDN'T happen simultaneously?? i don't really know how to think tbh 😭 i think above all i'm relieved it's over and i get to (hopefully) have a fresh start again

i got a lot accomplished this year. i graduated and got a degree which is a huge thing!!! i went for and accomplished lot of difficult things i had to do that i wouldn't even think about considering last year, and i feel my mental health has been beyond improved from it. last year i took note of how i consistently put myself in a box to make others happy, and i noticed i significantly improved in regards to how i see myself and made sure to put my own health first. there's still MUCH more to work on, god, and i've still been struggling with it, but i've been taking steps and that's all that matters to me. i want to continue taking better care of myself next year

on the downside though.. a bunch of personal stuff i had no control over happened in july and to put it in a way, i was scared for my life. it's settled now, and even got better, but i haven't been that terrified in a very long time. it was so difficult for me to cope with and i'm very grateful it's not something to worry about anymore, but i would be lying if i said i wasn't scared for what horrific event next year will bring for me. i noticed the past few years, something awful happened that made me seriously question, doubt or even straight up hating myself :') and i'm not looking forward to experiencing that again next year in the slightest. but at least, i'll try to get better at it

i've felt pretty disappointed and unhappy with my art this year as well, for whatever reason. it was mentioned to me that it could just be burnout (i HAVE been drawing more consistently than i ever have throughout this year, especially due to college, which makes sense) but whatever i try to do experimental-wise, i just can't be happy with it. i think the major reason is the way i've been shading, because i might be instinctively holding myself back. i don't want my art to be too eyestrainy or give people headaches by looking at it obviously, but i feel like as a result i've been making my art feel too "muddy" for my liking. so! i decided one of my new years resolutions will be to be way more spontaneous with the way i use colors and try not to put that box on myself. one thing i can say is, i tried a Lot of new things with art this year, including working on complex backgrounds, putting in way more effort into pieces enough to be full illustrations, etc etc. and i hope to break a ton more boundaries next year too. regardless, i can't thank you enough for your continued support. it seriously means a ton to me. i know i repeat myself a lot but i always mean it

hopefully 2025 will bring us more kirby too! we haven't had a full year without a new kirby game since 2021, and even then forgotten land got revealed! so i get the feeling something HUGE is coming. also looking forward to pokemon legends z-a too (im insane over it). and the hypothetical manager magolor plush. <- copium.

thanks for reading, and i hope 2025 is a fun, enjoyable year. hopefully it'll be nice to us

~ mac ❤️

[unofficial-underfell]

Hey guys, I've been thinking about making this post for a long time and I think its finally time I do so. After realizing that some of my last work was done over a year ago, I don't think I can really ignore it anymore. While I haven't quite thrown in the towel on this quite yet, it's pretty evident to me and I'm sure to everyone who still follows this blog that my fervor for the project has drastically decreased. And has been kind of dead for a while. The comic has not been a priority to me, or posting online much at all actually. I did some soul searching and found that I'd started relying on outside approval for my art instead of doing art for the sake of wanting to tell a story and express myself throughout my work. I have limited energy and depression and sometimes it feels like i get such little progress done even though it takes all of my energy. While I'm trying to go to the gym more and build better habits my energy levels and mood still have a lot to be desired, and I'd rather use the limited energy I have to work on something I'm more passionate about.

I've been trying to grow my skills and absorb more stories and I've moved around a lot and started to listen to what I really felt, and I found that a lot of the art I want to focus on deals with heavier and more mature topics. I do love this story, and all of the characters and I feel like I could make a really clever subversion of what is expected from an Underfell comic. But I feel like in these uncertain times with the world and with all of the stuff going on right now, I'd like to use my energy to work on stories that hit closer to the things that I feel are important. So that's why I've not been posting much.

I'm working on a book, and I've actually got quite a lot of progress done on it, but because of all the horror stories online about people stealing author's original works, I'm kind of holding off on publishing any chapters before I can copyright the first draft of the novel. So my online activity will still be pretty scarce for a bit, though I'll still post occasionally on my @cosmicpixel01 account. I'll try better to not be so radio silent though lol. Even if that means I'll post something boring about my dog or books I'm reading just so everyone knows I'm still alive.

I don't want to call it quits on the story. But I also feel like you guys have been kept waiting to see what happens for a really long time, and that makes me feel so guilty. I will try to finish up the pages I have in the works, and I'm probably going to switch to a different format that is some drawings, some writing to finish the story. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to finish it the way I intended for you guys, even with all of the support and kind words and even the fanart that I've kept in a folder on my desktop. I am letting a lot of you down, but I feel like the radio silence is probably more irresponsible than just going out and saying something. And I'm sorry I've kept you all waiting for a not-so-happy update on the blog.

I hope that some of you will continue to follow me for some of my other exploits and see whatever other things I have going on, but I understand that you all followed me for Undertale so I don't want you to feel any sort of guilt if you decide not to. I'm just happy you all supported me for so long.

I'll try to work on this blog again soon, and if anyone has any questions, my asks are open, though I'll probably keep the asks private. Until then I hope everyone stays safe out there. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

-Avery