#i would cook more but we didn’t get to do groceries properly beforehand and i can’t leave the house

[goldennika]

living alone is just a series of chores you have to do over and over and over again

[resident-rats]

👀 If you’re still taking requests from the prompt list, does #24 strike anything creatively in you? Literally any pairing. And if not it’s totally cool. -residentthot

On it 🫡 (Sorry for such a delay, it’s for chreon btw)

Prompt: “I never knew you liked being spanked.”

Words: 1654

[18+ under the the cut]

Pulling into the driveway, Leon and Chris sat for a moment. Bags piled across the backseat, neither making the first move to enter their house.

“Feel like we’ve forgotten something.” Leon said, glancing behind at the groceries.

“Wouldn’t put it past us.” And with that, Chris unclipped his belt, opening the drivers side door. “C’mon, not going back for anything now.”

Together they managed. Lifting everything inside, items in various degrees of being put away. There was no specific order. They were mostly quiet, too tired to make meaningful conversation. Only thing Leon particularly wanted was dinner. And luckily, it wasn’t his turn to cook.

A list had been made beforehand. Though naturally it was forgotten. Remaining pinned to the refrigerator. It wasn’t like either had a bad memory, still leaving with more items than needed - that was just how grocery shopping went. But something still felt glaringly obvious.

For the first time since getting home, Leon looked at the list. Properly looked.

“Ah shit.” Of course.

“What?” Chris turning with a can of something in his hand.

“Know what we forgot,” Giving the man one of those looks. “The milk.” Because it always was the fucking milk wasn’t it?

He watched as Chris’ face dropped in realisation, reading the list for himself.

“Well, it was your job to remember the list. You can go get it tomorrow.” Said rather playfully, smiling as he looked to Leon.

“Hey, c’mon that’s not fair!”

“That’s not very professional now is it?”

“Okay but-”

Though the man had already grabbed a tea towel, twirling it before smacking it into Leon’s ass. It wasn’t necessarily the action which cut off the sentence, more so the noise which Leon made. Which came out perhaps a little too enthusiastic.

That was then followed by a silence which felt way too prominent.

“Never knew you liked being spanked.” Chris halfheartedly laughed to himself.

Leon would have said something witty in return, something to shut him up, if it weren’t for the blush darkening his cheeks.

“Oh my god, you do.” The sight capturing Chris’ attention, words said almost in disbelief, leaning against the island in total amusement.

“Shut up.” Leon all too aware of how warm his neck felt, how flushed he presumably looked.

“No, no, you’re not getting off that easy,” Putting the shopping away had been long forgotten. “We’ve been together how long now? And you’ve never told me you like to be spanked.”

The embarrassment only set in further.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Spoke with a soft hint of hurt as a massive hand came to cradle Leon’s jaw. A gesture of reassurance and a way to keep eye contact.

“Just never came up.” Half mumbled. Watching as Chris just smiled.

Suddenly there was breath against Leon’s ear, the man’s body close.

“Guess we should make up for lost time then?” Words flowing straight into Leon, like everything around them stopped. Cock showing more than a little interest.

That was what took them down that path anyway. The one which lead to Chris sat on their bed, with Leon stark naked sprawled over his lap.

Leon could already feel how he leaked against Chris and nothing had even happened, the anticipation killing him. Could practically feel the blood rushing through his veins.

The palm of Chris’ hand came to rest against Leon’s ass, soothing light circles into it. Muscles already twitching. Waiting.

“Want you to count for me, okay?”

Leon just nodded, eager and dumb. Too aware of how his cock lay trapped between them both.

“Good.” Fingers squeezing the tender flesh, before withdrawing his hand all together.

Allowing his eyes to fall closed, Leon awaited.

And like that there was a smack. A blunt force as he was struck straight across the ass, quick to be followed by the escape of a pleased sound.

It hurt, a sharp sting bleeding into his skin, but fuck it also felt good. Resulting in his cock drooling more. Unable to help whatever small whimpers were released.

Again, Chris’ hand ran over the area. Careful. Calming the nerves with his gentle touch.

“One.” Leon got out, with only a slight shake to his breath. The word appeasing Chris.

“That’s good,” Hand still exploring. “Should’ve told me this sooner baby.”

“S-sorry.”

“Shhh, don’t apologise. Sure you’ll make it up to me, yeah?”

And just like that, the hand was gone. Leon’s ass left raw and wanting.

Fuck, he desperately needed more. Trying to relax and control the unsteady breaths. Helplessly ignoring the throb between his thighs.

And there it was, the second strike. More forceful than the last. Or at least it felt that way. The area already sensitive after the first, Leon could feel the way heat rose under his skin.

A moan, a proper one, punching it’s way from Leon’s stomach. Brows furrowed as it happened. Another spike of endorphins. Jesus it really shouldn’t have felt so good, but it did, it really did. Brain already growing clouded. And it was only the second hit.

“Two.”

More blood flowing south. Body slackening over Chris’ legs as he allowed himself to sink into the feeling.

“So beautiful like this.” Lying there listening to how Chris spoke. “Not keeping anything else from me?”

It took a second for Leon’s reply.

“No, promise.” Voice heavy.

“Better not be lying now?”

“I- I promise. Really.”

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

He knew it was coming, but he still missed the hand when it left. Loving how the fingers had kneaded him afterwards, how they sent small jolts of pleasure to his cock.

“Settle a bit, yeah?”

Apparently it wasn’t just Leon’s mind which had grown restless.

“That’s it, that’s a good boy. Control yourself.” The praise bringing comfort.

The weight of Leon’s excitement hung in the air. Trying to be as patient as possible. Ass up, a slight tremble in his legs.

“Really weren’t lying when you said you liked this were you?”

Leon opened his mouth to reply, but then it came. Chris’ palm coming down. It was more than tactical. The noise pulled from Leon was lewd, and loud. Very loud. Causing a love hate relationship with his cock. Loving the feeling, wanting more of it. But hating how the pain was just present enough to stifle his orgasm.

It hurt, the sharp sensation rocketing through the area. While simultaneously providing a stress relief of sorts. Knowing he could be vulnerable around the man and he’d be taken care of.

“Fuck.” Uselessly whined as he tried to bring himself back to the room.

“Doesn’t sound like a number to me.” Judging by Chris’ voice he was enjoying it. Leon’s pleasure more than evident.

“Three.”

“There we go.” Again rubbing his cheeks, though the hand was quick to drop. Squeezing the area below Leon’s ass. Engulfing it, fingers getting a firm hold. “Need to remember numbers now don’t we?” And he didn’t let go. Only applying more of that blunt pressure.

Leon couldn’t help the squirming. Not that he was uncomfortable, but doing everything not to cum then and there. Like every point of contact with the man was heightened.

“Chris - ah fuck - Chris I’m gonna- Chris please-” Not particularly caring how pathetic he came across.

At that Chris let go.

“Already?” Smiling through the word.

The cold air flooding the abandoned area.

“Chris please.”

“Not yet.” Fingers back to caressing the curve of his asscheek. “Two more, how about that? Sound fair?”

By then Leon was happy to take whatever he could get.

“Y-yeah, anything, please.”

Only two more. Leon could do that.

“Good.”

The impact of the fourth shifted Leon’s body a bit. Smacking clean into him. A hiss, as Leon tried to bite back whatever noise his throat urged him to make. Brain already soft and fuzzy. The pain and pleasure both intermingling. Cock aching, the dull yet deep kind of pulsing that was impossible to ignore.

“Fuck, you’re so good like this. Wish you could see yourself.”

Really Leon wouldn’t have been surprised if a handprint had been left behind. Basking in the relief of afterwards.

“Think you can touch yourself? Can you do that for me?” The question puncturing the haze.

Wordlessly, Leon reached beneath him, fingers curling around his own cock. Careful not to tug too hard, knowing it’d send him over.

“That’s good, just like that baby.”

To which Leon could only whimper in response.

“One more, okay?” Sounding so gentle. “Let’s see if you can cum for me okay? Think you can?”

Lazily Leon nodded, essentially almost there already.

“Good.” Chris’ free hand briefly tracing the edge of his face. But it was short lived. Again, Leon found himself waiting. Needing. Cock twitching. Almost there. All of it feeling so intimate. Allowing every thought to leave, left with only whatever sensation his body brought.

Chris’ palm struck again. Hard. The strong thwack was the only thing to be heard. And just like that, it happened. Body tensing in an involuntary manner. Not so much the pain, but more so the mental shift which sent him over. Cock sliding into his fist.

Afterwards Chris would have to wash his jeans. Cum soaking into them, as Leon lay there needy and unable to do anything. Each spurt somehow better than the last. Feeling wrung dry until the last few drops dribbled over weak fingers.

Throughout it Chris never stopped massaging the area. Hands not leaving once. Voice filled with nothing but praise and reassurance.

Eventually Leon relaxed, too exhausted to move.

“You did well.”

“Mhm.” Was all Leon hummed. Barely registering the words.

“Really well.”

Suddenly there was something cold. Though too out of it to turn around and look, but soon coming to the realisation it was Chris applying cream. Swirling it over the reddened skin.

“Still need you walking tomorrow.” Chris joked, as the action continued. “You gotta get milk.”

Like that was fucking happening.

For this ask game!!

[jingabitch]

An Arrangement for Convenience ch.9

Summary: It’s ridiculous that girl groups aren’t allowed to date, and are kept under such strict lock and key that they can’t satisfy their desires. Enter Ha-eun, YG’s solution to the problem.

Pairings: ot4 x oc

Warnings: oral sex (f receiving) | sex work | rimming | slight D/s | phone sex | mentions of sweat kink

A/N: Wrote this a while back and posted on ao3; reposting here because I want to be more active on this platform. 

Series index

It was a couple more weeks before the girls were scheduled to go home, and by the end of it, Ha-eun had gotten so many dirty phone calls and sent so many risque pictures that the secret service agent assigned to tap her phone was probably either scarred for life or had chafed his dick. She kind of hoped it was the latter. It was certainly a nicer thought than someone being traumatised by her and the girls.

Who knew they were so kinky?

It wasn’t just Jennie; Jisoo had demanded pictures of her in the cute romper she’d bought her the day she’d worn it to school, then made her hide in the handicapped stall while she called her and made her take off the romper and cum on her fingers. A little something in the morning to help her get through the day, Jisoo had breezily said when Ha-eun asked why she was calling her at this time.

Ha-eun couldn’t object to that, knowing that it was difficult for Jisoo to do things in the morning unless she was properly woken up with an orgasm. Besides, she had known that Jisoo would have some type of reaction to the romper, which was adorable and made her look younger than she really was, especially when paired with the sneakers and braids she’d done her hair in that day.

The white lingerie she’d worn under it had been a little bonus for the older girl. When she’d sent her the picture after she was done of her licking her fingers off, the lace bra and panties very visible in the picture, Jisoo had called her a tease.

She was, but she was good at it, and God knows the girls seemed to like it.

Still, she missed them. Even the PG texts she got from them, cute pictures and videos of whatever they were doing or eating, or an item that made them think of her, made her smile. It was nice to know that she was constantly on their minds, even if it was just as friends. There wasn’t necessarily anything romantic about it; she just genuinely liked them. They were such sweet girls - when they weren’t being mean to her, of course, but since it turned her on like nothing else had before, she supposed she couldn’t bear too much of a grudge.

Jennie was the one to return to Seoul first, and Ha-eun was excited beyond bearing. She had something special planned for each of them, of course, because phone sex was surprisingly a very useful tool for coaxing their secret kinks out of them, but it had been so long since she’d had any real life action. This was probably the longest she’d gone since she’d started having sex, and she was so ready for the dry spell to end. She’d gone into sex work to begin with because she liked having sex, so having no actual sex while also being the best paid she’d ever been in her life was very confusing for her.

It wasn’t like she was complaining - the bills for Hanbin’s treatment were starting to come in, and the numbers would have stressed her out enough to need medical care herself if not for the paychecks she was also getting from YG.

Part of her worried about what Hanbin would say if he found out how she was paying for his treatment, but thankfully, for the time being he was too sick to give it much thought, which gave her a little bit of time to think of a cover story. She felt a little bad about having to lie to him, but as accepting as he’d been of her in the past, being bisexual was a very different kettle of fish from being a sex worker.

She sighed as she stood at the kitchen counter in the girls’ dorm, chopping up the ingredients she needed to make soybean stew for the older girl when she came back. She was planning to cook the stew beforehand so it would heat up quickly when they wanted to eat, since this was only the second part of the surprise she had planned for Jennie’s return.

(No prizes for guessing what the first part was.)

She’d also brought some of the side dishes she had at home. She’d learned how to cook simple dishes like the stew she was preparing now and when her brother arrived, she’d done most of the cooking, but surprisingly he’d become quite the savant in the kitchen and was preparing way more elaborate and delicious dishes than she’d ever been able to achieve. Her heart warmed a little as she thought of her brother, who’d picked up the new hobby because he had run out of things to do at home, and had been ecstatic to find that the home delivery culture in Seoul included delivery of groceries.

In fact, the fridge was so full of his experiments these days that she had to bring some over, lest things start to go bad.

Throwing the pork, soybean paste and the chilli flakes into the earthenware pot, she sauteed it over the stove until it was cooked before adding the broth and other ingredients, smiling at the fragrant aroma starting to waft through the apartment.

She was done before she knew it and covered the pot with a lid, leaving it on the stove to reheat when they were hungry later, before moving on to the other part of her surprise.

Humming, she drifted back to the bag she’d dumped carelessly over the couch and fished out the collar, buckling it around her neck and twisting it so that the pink bell rested over the hollow of her throat. Checking her phone, she saw that the manager had texted her, letting her know that the car was pulling up to the apartment building.

Grinning like a fool, she quickly stripped out of her clothes, running over to the front door gracelessly and falling to her knees in a rush. Excitement made her limbs shaky as she put the end of the leash between her teeth, waiting with bated breath for Jennie to enter the apartment.

She didn’t have to wait long. Jennie was unlocking the door in less than a minute, eager to get home. Her manager had been acting weird ever since he’d come to pick her up at the airport, and she was glad to be away from him, even if it was strange that he hadn’t even offered to help her with her bags, driving off as quickly as possible once she got everything out of the car.

With a little sigh, she opened the front door and entered the apartment, toeing her shoes off before taking the step out of the doorway and pushing open the second door to the apartment. She wasn’t expecting anyone to be there, knowing that she was the first of the four girls to return to Seoul, and was already thinking about what she could order to eat. She’d missed Korean food while she was away.

Given her distraction, it took her way too long to realise that Ha-eun was kneeling, completely sans clothing, in front of her. Not that the other girl made it easy, just watching her quietly, eyes gleaming in amusement and anticipation.

When she did finally see the younger girl, looking up at her with her leash caught between her teeth, she sucked in a breath. Her hand fell from the handle of her luggage as she made her way over to where Ha-eun was kneeling, her breath starting to come out in excited pants as she looked up at Jennie.

“What are you doing here, sweet thing?” Jennie asked, taking the leash from Ha-eun and using it to pull her up slightly as she bent down to kiss her.

“I missed you so much, mistress,” Ha-eun murmured as she craned her neck eagerly to meet the kiss, her mouth slightly open so that Jennie could slide her tongue into her mouth while the older girl’s long hair fell around their faces like a curtain.

“You’re such a pretty slut,” Jennie cooed when she finally detached herself from Ha-eun, breathing hard from the kiss that had started soft and slow but turned filthy and deep before long.

Instead of responding verbally, Ha-eun just stared up at the other girl, her pupils dilated with arousal as she ran her tongue along her bottom lip, licking up the string of saliva that connected them. She hummed happily as she did so, relishing the taste.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Jennie asked, her brow quirked sardonically. Ha-eun, deep enough in subspace to not react to the slightly mocking tone, just nodded as she sank her teeth into her lip.

“You just taste really good, mistress,” she confessed breathily, shuffling forwards slightly and resting her chin on Jennie’s denim-clad thigh as she looked up at her, her adoration written clearly across her face.

“Yeah?” Jennie smiled down at Ha-eun, smoothing her hair behind her ear.

“Mhm, let me show you how much I like it?” Ha-eun asked sweetly, moving her hands up the length of Jennie’s legs to hook her fingers in the belt loops of her jeans.

A moment of hesitation, then Jennie was pulling Ha-eun’s hands away from her, the confident, almost condescending expression she wore when she was in her dom space melting away into a tentative, almost panicked look. “No, baby, you don’t have to, I just got off a long-haul flight and-”

Ha-eun smiled and cut off Jennie’s fussing by pressing a soft kiss to her denim-clad crotch. “I don’t mind, unnie, really,” she said, slipping out of subspace to reassure the older girl. “I mean, if you’re uncomfortable that’s totally fine too,” she rushed to add. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.” She reached up to hold Jennie’s hands, pulling them away from her face and pressing gentle kisses to her knuckles.

Understanding what game Ha-eun was trying to play now, Jennie petted her head tenderly, letting her know that she appreciated it even as she cooed, “You’re such a dirty, needy slut, aren’t you? So desperate for your mistress’ pussy you don’t even care that I’ve just spent ten hours on a plane, hmm?”

The slavish excitement in Ha-eun’s eyes gave her away as she nodded frantically, nuzzling into the space between Jennie’s legs.

“Such a worthless, stupid whore, it’s a good thing you’re cute,” Jennie said coldly, catching Ha-eun’s chin in one hand as she held her face still, pressing her thumb into her mouth, the pad of her finger against her tongue as her bottom lip was pushed almost painfully into her teeth. Ha-eun whined wordlessly, attempting to close her lips around Jennie’s finger so that she could suck on it.

“You like that, huh, baby? It’s been difficult for you, with your mistress being gone?”

Ha-eun nodded, pouting slightly around Jennie’s thumb.

“Poor thing, come show me how much you missed me, then,” Jennie invited, and Ha-eun’s eyes lit up as she quickly undid the button on Jennie’s jeans, tugging the zipper down and then pulling the denim down her legs. Not expecting this surprise to be waiting for her when she got home, Jennie had worn an unsexy and comfortable pair of black panties, but that hardly mattered to the younger girl as she moaned, so eager that she basically faceplanted into Jennie’s crotch, mouthing at her clit over the fabric.

Jennie spread her legs a little wider, allowing herself to enjoy the stimulation for a second, before she drew away, causing Ha-eun to whimper.

“Don’t worry, pet,” she soothed, carding her fingers through Ha-eun’s long, silky hair. “Don’t you want to taste it directly?” she prompted, and Ha-eun’s eyes lit up.

“R-really? Can I?” Ha-eun breathed, looking for all the world like Christmas had come early this year, almost squirming in her enthusiasm.

With a small smile, like a queen offering some small favour to a subject, she nodded, and Ha-eun hooked her fingers in the waistband of her panties and drew them down slowly, her eyes wide with awe. Jennie quickly pulled the Chanel sweatshirt she was wearing over her head and dropped it on the floor, uncaring that the shirt probably cost more than Ha-eun’s rent.

“You’re so pretty, mistress,” Ha-eun said softly, making Jennie preen as she unhooked her bra and threw it carelessly away, looking back down at where the younger girl was kneeling in front of her, looking up and biting her lip. Smirking, Jennie fisted her hand in Ha-eun’s hair and pulled her head slightly closer to her pussy.

“Show me how pretty you think I am then,” she suggested with a coy smile.

Ha-eun’s slightly smug smile was thankfully concealed by Jennie’s pussy landing on the lower half of her face, because the dom would have given her hell otherwise. She couldn’t help it, though. Try as she might to act like she was unaffected, the eagerness with which Jennie had manhandled Ha-eun gave away her excitement.

Not that she could blame her. Three weeks was a very long time to be away, and she’d missed the older girl too. Closing her eyes, she gorged herself on Jennie, feasting so enthusiastically that she had to catch herself on the wall to keep from losing her balance. Leaning against the wall by the doorway, Jennie’s head tipped back as she moaned. Without missing a beat, Ha-eun promptly urged Jennie’s leg up and over her shoulder, giving her more access to her core.

“Mmf, fuck, I missed your tongue,” Jennie sighed, stroking Ha-eun’s hair back from her forehead where it had fallen as the kneeling girl ate her out. Her tongue slid between her slippery folds and stroking all the way up to her clit, which she sucked into her mouth. For her part, Jennie used the increased leverage of her leg draped over her shoulder and down her back to pull her further into her pussy.

“God, fuck, you’re such a nasty little whore, aren’t you? So desperate for pussy you don’t even care that I haven’t showered, do you like how it tastes?” The filth pours from Jennie as Ha-eun’s industrious tongue shreds at her brain-to-mouth filter. Not that it’s a problem - in fact, Ha-eun would probably be saying equally filthy things back if her own mouth wasn’t otherwise occupied. Instead, she tried to communicate her thoughts wordlessly, whimpering and groaning into Jennie’s soft, hot flesh.

I do like it, I love it, she thought, looking up at the older girl with wide eyes, thoroughly enjoying the way Jennie’s breasts heaved with every breath she took.

It didn’t take long, of course, between how long it had been and the excitement of trying this new kink out, before Jennie was loudly gasping out her orgasm as she creamed all over Ha-eun’s face and tongue. Her eyes shining with happiness, Ha-eun diligently lapped at Jennie, helping her work through her orgasm, until she sagged against the wall. With a giggle, Ha-eun detached herself and pressed a sweet kiss onto Jennie’s pubic mound.

“You’re too good to me,” Jennie said softly, still breathing hard, as she pulled Ha-eun into a standing position.

“No, you’ve been working so hard recently, you deserved the treat,” Ha-eun giggled, resting her cheek on the older girl’s shoulder as her arms wrapped around her waist.

“Still, you deserve a treat for being such a sweet little thing,” Jennie insisted, turning them so that Ha-eun now had her back against the wall, as the rapper’s fingers slid down her body to her pussy.

“Mm, thank you for the offer, unnie, but - ah,” Ha-eun winced as she reached down to grab Jennie’s wrist and stop her from sliding her fingers into her. “Not with those nails you’re not.” Pulling her hand away from her core and lifting it so she could take a good look at the other girl’s hand, she turned it this way and that to admire the manicure. As impractical as it was for fingering her, she had to admit that the manicurist who’d done Jennie’s nails had really gone above and beyond, the long oval nails painted with a shiny bokeh design with rhinestones completing the design.

Pouting, Jennie slid closer, pressing their bodies together as she kissed Ha-eun softly and sweetly, so different from the demanding, harsh kisses they’d shared earlier. “I want to make you feel good too,” she sulked, pulling away slightly and catching Ha-eun’s wrist before dragging her through the apartment to her bedroom.

“It’s okay, you can owe me this one time,” Ha-eun tried to console the older girl, although her heart squeezed a little as she did so. It was just so rare for clients to care about her pleasure, unless of course they were into kinks like overstimulation or edging, and even then her pleasure was more a byproduct of theirs. It made her feel like she was overflowing with affection for Jennie, and she wondered absently if the other girl knew how dangerous she was.

Somehow the thought didn’t sit right with Jennie, though, and she frowned, though Ha-eun couldn’t see it. She wanted Ha-eun to enjoy sex with her, and more than that, there was a sense of power and satisfaction she got from getting her off, feeling her shudder and writhe and moan and know that all of it was because of her.

Sometimes she even thought that she would gladly give up being an idol if it meant she could spend the rest of her life just bringing Ha-eun to orgasm over and over again, and wasn’t that a scary thought. The irony was almost too much to bear - Ha-eun had come into their lives to make it easier for them to cope with the stresses of being idols, and here Jennie was flirting with the idea of giving up being an idol. She didn’t think she would actually do it, but still.

To distract herself from the somewhat strange turn her thoughts had taken, Jennie stopped before her bed, pulling Ha-eun forward by her wrist so she fell onto the bed facefirst, letting out a surprised grunt as her body made impact.

She got her balance and flipped over just in time to see Jennie plant a hand on the mattress next to her as she got onto the bed, hovering over her prone form. Giggling, Ha-eun reached up to loop her arms around Jennie’s neck, pulling her down till she collapsed over her body. It knocked the air out of both of them, but they didn’t quite mind as they exchanged slow, leisurely kisses.

“Mm, I can taste myself on your tongue,” Jennie moaned as she detached herself from Ha-eun’s mouth and started kissing her way down her jaw. Ha-eun, unable to help herself, tilted her head slightly to give the other girl more room to nip at her neck, occasionally biting hard enough that the pain sent a jolt right through her body to her pussy.

“You’re so pretty,” Ha-eun sighed, her hands coming up to cradle Jennie’s face, stroking her cheek with her thumb as she kissed her way down her chest. Jennie looked up with a devilish smirk before closing her teeth around a nipple, causing Ha-eun to give a small shriek as her body came half-off the bed. Frowning now, Jennie pressed her back firmly into the mattress.

“I didn’t say you could move,” she reprimanded as she turned her attention to the other nipple, making sure to give it the same treatment before she continued moving slowly down her smooth, soft belly.

“I - oh, are you sure you want to do that? You don’t have to, really,” Ha-eun started fussing, reaching down to grab Jennie’s face to prevent her from her goal.

Jennie frowned. “You do it for us all the time, what’s the big deal?”

Unexpectedly, Ha-eun flushed. “I just… I mean, a client’s never…” Suddenly shy, she stammered out the hesitant answer, hoping that Jennie would get it without her having to spell it out in so many words.

Jennie gaped at her. “No, really?”

Ha-eun shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance when she was really so embarrassed now she wondered if it would be too weird if she just crawled under the mattress and stayed there for a couple of hours. “I, it’s just… you know, I like to make my clients’ pleasure the priority, and this is kind of one-sided…”

Jennie rolled her eyes, leaning down to suck Ha-eun’s clit into her mouth and eliciting a loud gasp from the younger girl as she arched her back.

“Sweetie, I can assure you that this is definitely not one-sided. Your clients are missing out, you taste so nice,” she commented, licking her lips.

“Ex-clients,” Ha-eun corrected in a breathless voice.

“That’s right, ex-clients,” Jennie said with a gleam in her eyes as she bent her head back down to her task.

She wasn’t the most talented at it - Ha-eun figured it was her first time eating pussy - but she did have a pretty good idea of how the basics worked, drawing from her experiences being eaten out, and between that and the gasped instructions that Ha-eun managed to throw out, it was enough to get the younger girl to orgasm.

When Ha-eun’s world stopped spinning, she looked down to see Jennie resting her chin on her lower belly, grinning at her smugly. The lower half of her face was liberally coated in Ha-eun’s juices, and she realised with a jolt why the girls all seemed to like it when they saw how they’d messed her face. It was an intensely erotic experience.

Smiling back at Jennie, Ha-eun carded a hand through her long, silky hair. “Thank you, unnie,” she said sweetly, trying to convey how appreciative she was about how nice Jennie had been to her.

“It’s no problem, sweetie. But…”

Ha-eun quirked a brow, feeling like she knew what was coming next, based on the way Jennie was squirming slightly and biting her lip.

“Getting you off got me more than a little turned on,” Jennie confessed, and Ha-eun giggled.

“Well, why don’t you come up here and we’ll see what we can do about that,” she suggested, interlocking her fingers with Jennie’s and tugging on her hand gently.

Jennie sat up quickly, intrigued. “Yeah?” she asked.

Biting her lip, Ha-eun nodded. “Yeah, come sit on my face, please, mistress?”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Jennie cooed as she crawled up, planting a knee on either side of Ha-eun’s face as she started to lower herself onto her mouth.

“Wait,” Ha-eun said hurriedly, causing Jennie to freeze.

“Is everything okay, baby?”

“Yeah, just… turn around?”

“Turn around? But then my ass will be… oh,” Jennie trailed off as the realization hit, aided along by Ha-eun’s raised brow. Smirking, she readjusted herself. Whatever they were paying the escort, it certainly wasn’t enough, she thought absently as she lowered herself again, appreciating Ha-eun stroking her ass with her thumbs to let her know that it was okay. Did escorts get annual bonuses? She would need to look into that, she wondered as she started to rock back and forth gently on Ha-eun’s face.

Her movements pushed Ha-eun’s face deeper into her ass, not that the younger girl was complaining as she found her nose pressed against Jennie’s asshole as her pussy settled over her mouth. Because, let’s be real, how many people would kill to be buried in Jennie’s ass right now? Hell, Ha-eun would have done it for free, probably. The money was really just the icing on the cake, she thought as she opened her mouth and started licking.

“Mm, that feels nice, sweetie. Do you like that? Being smothered under my ass? You do, don’t you. I can feel your nose on my asshole, you filthy slut. You like how it smells? It’s all sweaty and stinky, just for you, baby, aren’t you a lucky thing.” Jennie’s penchant for dirty talk was in full swing as she raised herself slightly so that Ha-eun could take a breath before she was slamming herself back down on her sub’s face.

This time, though, she positioned her ass over Ha-eun’s mouth, so the younger girl’s lips were pressing right up against her asshole. A thrill shot down her spine as she took in the new sensation, so dirty, so sexy, so powerful. She’d performed for audiences of thousands before, but not even the feeling she’d had while singing at Coachella could compare to this.

It was made all the better by how enthusiastically Ha-eun was responding, moaning as she kissed and licked her asshole, sounding for all the world like there was nowhere else she’d rather be. Jennie’s hand slid down to her clit, which felt like it was on fire.

“Yes, that’s it, you dirty girl, worship my asshole,” she hissed. “You’re such a dirty, pathetic whore, you know that? You don’t even deserve this, do you know how many people would kill to be where you are right now?”

Ha-eun moaned in response, licking Jennie’s ass fervently. It was warm and sticky, and she could taste the salt of her sweat and that musky, distinct flavour that ass tended to have, and she loved it.

“That’s right, you dumb slut, you’d better appreciate having my ass in your face,” Jennie spat out, her hand rubbing her clit frantically. Ha-eun was alternating between rubbing the flat of her tongue against her ass and drawing little circles around it, enjoying the feel of it fluttering against her face.

“Mm, fuck, put your fucking tongue in it,” Jennie ordered breathlessly, then cried out when Ha-eun did just that, stiffening her tongue and probing gently at her asshole. She was barely able to get the tip of her tongue in before it clenched hard, trapping her there, but she just stroked Jennie’s hip soothingly until the older girl slowly relaxed a little more, allowing her to drive a little more of her tongue up her rectum.

“Yes, shit, fuck, oh my God, your fucking tongue is in my asshole, that’s so fucking dirty. You like making out with my butt, whore? You know what comes out of there, don’t you, and you still kiss it so sweetly, aren’t you pathetic,” she gasped as she frigged herself to the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced in her life, groaning loudly as she came to the feeling of Ha-eun moaning into her asshole.

When she was done, she pitched herself onto the bed bonelessly, unable to do more than lie there, trembling. Ha-eun sat up, pushing Jennie’s legs out of the way as she turned to look at the older girl.

“You okay there, unnie?” Ha-eun asked cautiously, observing Jennie’s fucked out expression. The older girl just nodded into the sheets, her eyes closed.

“All right, glad you enjoyed,” she said, patting her flank as she started to move off the bed.

“Nooo,” Jennie whined, grabbing Ha-eun’s wrist and tugging weakly. By now Ha-eun was attuned to the other girl, though, and knew what she wanted, smiling as she lay down next to her and let her snuggle close, trapping her between the wall and the rapper’s body.

Smiling, Ha-eun stroked Jennie’s back as they drifted into a well-deserved nap.

When Jennie woke up again, she was ravenous, and shook Ha-eun awake. “I’m going to order some food, do you want anything?” she asked the younger girl when she cracked an eye open.

Ha-eun yawned and sat up. “Oh, I made some food, I’ll go heat it up,” she said groggily as she stumbled off the bed.

“Wait, you - what?” Confused, Jennie trailed after her, standing at the kitchen counter and watching her flit around the kitchen, lighting the stove to reheat the soybean stew and pulling various Tupperware containers out of the fridge and popping them into the microwave.

“Can you keep an eye on these, unnie? I want to brush my teeth,” Ha-eun asked, and when Jennie nodded, still a little shell shocked, Ha-eun smiled and went off to the bathroom.

When she re-emerged all minty fresh, Ha-eun helped Jennie set the table, arranging the side dishes in the middle and scooping out the freshly made rice (none of that instant trash tonight, thank you very much) from the rice cooker. Once the stew was bubbling merrily on the pot, she brought it to the dining table.

“This tastes amazing, thank you, Ha-eun-ah,” Jennie moaned around a spoonful of soup, and Ha-eun grinned back at her.

“I’m glad you like it! I know you missed Korean food while you were away and I wanted to surprise you.”

“You sure did,” Jennie murmured, flushing slightly at the memory of what had transpired earlier.

Ha-eun giggled. “I just wanted to let you know how much I missed you, unnie,” she said playfully, grabbing a piece of kimchi and putting it in her mouth with a bit of rice.

“I missed you too, sweetie,” Jennie said, smiling softly at the other girl. This picture of casual domesticity, more than anything else, was making her heart do strange things in her chest. The sex was great and all, but it was part of Ha-eun’s job scope, after all, and the girls had been assured that she was very good at her job before she’d been hired. They sure hadn’t exaggerated, and Jennie was grateful once again that YG spared no expense when it came to keeping Blackpink happy and healthy.

It was just… how cute Ha-eun was when she wasn’t engaged in any lewd acts with the girls that was making things really confusing for her. And it wasn’t just her - Jisoo had confided in her during one of their late night calls that she was concerned she was starting to like their escort a little bit too much, and she was pretty sure the maknaes had already thrown caution to the wind.

There was no one else they could turn to, though. If they told Ha-eun, she might just quit, and the management would definitely replace her if they ever caught wind of what was happening. They just had to figure this out by themselves.

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Can you make a headcanon with one of the twins dating a Muslim girl?? I’ve never seen anyone write about before and I’d like to read it

- Even though she doesn't wear a hijab, Grayson is very supportive of her religious beliefs. As she said:"Just because I'm not wearing it now doesn't mean I won't decide to later on."

- He has a LOT of questions about many things she does in the day, he is sometimes confused if it's something to do with her religion or her personality.

- She says 'Subhanallah' more times a day then he can count, noticing she uses it especially when she's shocked by something, even more so if it's an unpleasant thing.

- She greets people other muslims with Es-selamu 'alejkum and after explaining it means Peace upon you, he made en effort to learn how to say it properly too.

- She prays five times a day, each time taking abdest, which she explained is washing certain body parts as a way to purify, clean herself before standing in front of Allah and covers her body. He had made sure she has a place to do her prayer in peace where no one bothers her, although he does take a peak at her every now and then, curious about it, but he never enters.

- He isn't that happy when she wants to go to a mosque, scared someone crazy might attack her or even commit a heinous crime because mosques have been a target as of late.

- He's learned the hard way not to walk around half naked or touch her when she's trying to prolong her abdest, because:"You bring up impure thoughts, Dolan and that means I lose my abdest!"

- He reads up on Islam on his own as well, finding out she's not supposed to be dating a non muslim and even worse, he's not supposed to be even alone in a room with her let alone touch her.

"The first is true because it often leads to raising non muslim children which is 'unacceptable' and the other is...basically when we marry, every touch of any kind that is affectionate will be like a good deed. If you do any of those things beforehand, they will not count once you're married and the actual sexual act before marriage would be a sin just as it is in Christianity."

- But Grayson felt really bad about the first one, knowing she might have issues with her family over accepting him.

"We can raise our kids as Muslims!" To which she smiled, kissing his cheek:"We will cross that bridge when we get to it. Don't worry about my family, because they only care if you treat me right."

- Once Ramadan comes and she starts fasting in the scorching L.A. heat, he's absolutely fully into worry mode. While he can't force her to not fast, he can sure as hell make her good, sustainable food for iftar and suhur.

- He does eventually starts fasting himself just to show her support, but also because he found out there are a lot of health benefits.

- There are so many customs to get right once Eid comes around, especially since he goes with her back home to be with her family and he can't afford to mess up anything.

- He barely even touched her around her family, only holding her hand on occasion and he kissed her temple once, not knowing her father was near.

- Lucky for him her father liked his daughter happy more than anything else and he saw how happy Grayson made her. In fact, he made sure Grayson knew he was accepted and welcome in their home.

- But the other Eid is when Grayson felt like he might throw up, despite understanding the symbolism of the animal sacrifice.

"My dad likes to do it himself with a prayer, knowing it's halal for sure. Once the animal is dead, skinned, the meat is divided into three equal parts. One third you have to keep, one you have to give to the poor and one half to those who can't afford to do the sacrifice themselves."

- And while he knows it helps feet the poor, he can't stomach being near when the sacrifice takes place and barely when the meat is divided and packed. To be fair, she can barely handle the first part herself and usually stays inside with her boyfriend.

- Grayson is absolutely flabberhasted about the fact that the Muslim new year is never at the same time and neither are Eids. He has an app to follow everything.

- It took him a bit to get used to the fact she always buys stuff on Muslim New Year's.

"Basic groceries before nightfall will bring you prosperity for the next year."

- She actually loves Halloween.

"It's dress up, eat stuff, scare people kind of a holiday and I love it."

- She's with him other holidays too, because she wants him to be happy, but it forced Lisa to cook everything with care so no pig meat or fat is in contact with the food.

- Hell, he stopped buying such products the moment she moved into their house.

- They're waiting until marriage for sex.

"I can't think of a greater gift for my husband than the one of my virginity. It means I believed we'd find each other, that I waited for him as long as it took and that our relationship was so strong that we could survive without sex."

- Sometimes Grayson thinks he'll die, but he knows she's worth it.

- "Holy shit, I didn't know muslims invented so many things!" And his research led him to discover many of the things muslims invented but were later taken and presented as someone else's findings.

- He learned to take abdest too, to read the Quran to find answers to some of his questions, not wanting to bother her all the time, finding that killing one innocent man is equal to killing all mankind and saving one innocent life is like saving the whole world which greatly differs from what the media preaches in the anti muslim segments, but also that the first words were instructing to write, read and learn.

- He can't help but smile, his heart swelling when he hears her whisper her prayers in bed before falling asleep because she claims it keeps them safe in their dreams.

- Whenever possible, he will make things easy for her. After all, he respects and loves her enough to learn more of her religion and culture because she definitely knew a lot about his considering his religion is in all the media.

Since I'm a Muslim, this may have been a bit personalized, but it still stands 🤷‍♀️

Tags: @accalialionheart @fallinginlove-16 @xalayx @heyits-claire @dolandolll @godlydolans @dolanstwintuesday @peacedolantwins

[your-iron-lung]

Mixed Up 24 | Spirit of the Radio |

Chapter Word Count: 6870

Pairings: Zoro/Sanji

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Chapter Warnings: Strong Language

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 , 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Next Chapter: 25

The biggest point of discussion that occurred after Nami arrived was not, surprisingly, about whether or not Zoro would take care of his injury properly on his own, but instead revolved around whether or not he would be okay enough to play at the student recital the next day.  

Nami seemed convinced that he shouldn’t, afraid of worsening his eye by over-exerting the muscles in his face somehow during the performance. Zoro insisted he’d be fine, and when the two asked Sanji his opinion on the matter, he knew better than to take one side over the other. He remained impartial to their disagreement as they ate, taking both of their points into careful consideration.

“It’s not like I fucked up one of my hands,” Zoro had said as he tipped his bowl against his lips to slurp the broth up noisily. “I’ll just pop a few painkillers beforehand and be fine. We already promised Tony; it’d break the kid’s heart to back out now.”

“Well what about the Tralalaw show on Sunday?” she’d asked then, guiding her spoon through the soup with an air of distraction about her. “There’s no way you’re still thinking of going to that.”

Their disagreement had exploded from there and they’d argued over that for a long while. It started civilized, but had eventually degraded to the point where they’d begun to shout and call each other names. Sanji wanted to intervene, but felt it was something that needed to be resolved between them. Zoro’s main point of arguing stemmed from the supposed pact they’d made that revolved around him going to the show ‘come hell or high water’, but Nami didn’t seem to want to hear it.

“This is different,” she’d stressed around a mouthful of sandwich. “You know how rough their shows can get; you’re already hurt badly enough as it is, why risk making it worse?”

“Because I already bought a ticket, mom. Whether you ‘allow’ me to go or not, I’m going to be there even if I have to drive myself and overdose on Oxycodone to do it,” Zoro snarled, daring her to challenge him further on the matter. “It’s the biggest show of the year and I’m not gonna miss it because some asshole cut up my fucking face.”

A line had been crossed; even Sanji had realized that. Instead of retaliating, Nami had only stared at him, full of an icy rage that threatened to burst before she abruptly pushed the rest of her unfinished food away from her. Clearly pissed, she’d bitterly thanked Sanji for the meal and left curtly without another word to gather the things she’d left in Zoro’s apartment.

“That was too far,” Sanji said, though he was beginning to come to terms with the fact that he didn’t have to take Nami’s side on everything.

Zoro had only shrugged, saying, “Had to let her know I was serious.”

He hadn’t stuck around much longer after that, having felt recovered enough to climb the three flights of stairs he couldn’t earlier. To his credit, though, he did offer to help Sanji with the clean up before following Nami upstairs, where their argument surely must have continued. Sanji didn’t hear Nami return down the stairs for quite some time after.

With everything said and done, he then spent the rest of his day alone.

When he’d finally finished washing all the dishes they’d used, he made a list of things he needed to restock on the next time he went grocery shopping, texted Nami to ask what time the Solstice recital started, and then killed time the only way he knew how: by studying up on various recipes and other cooking techniques he had not yet mastered.

By the day’s end, he’d completely forgotten to listen to the song Zoro had recommended him.

Then it was Saturday, and the thought that it was Saturday never occurred to him. The Solstice recital started in the early afternoon, allowing Sanji plenty of time to sleep in, shower, and groom himself before he drove into the downtown area. Knowing that the recital was a casual event meant he could dress down a bit, saving him time on figuring out what to wear. He settled for a nice button down and some high-waisted jeans that he could tuck the shirt into, knowing full well how many looks he was going to attract. He loved this particular look because it highlighted just how long his legs were, and today he felt like showing off. Today, he felt good.

Checking his look out in the bathroom mirror, he was pleased with how attractive he looked and deemed himself ready to leave. Pulling on his long coat, he checked his phone one last time before he walked out the door, locking his apartment behind him.

Sanji was in high spirits as he got into his car, even though Zoro hadn’t technically invited him to come by. Still, the recital was a public event, and he had no issue with admitting that he was excited to see him play, as he had yet to see him perform live in a semi-professional environment with a band. It was something he’d wanted to see for a while; watching Youtube videos of past Mugiwara Menace shows couldn’t contest with witnessing a live performance first hand.

He kept the radio station tuned to the same one that had played one of their songs before in hopes that they’d play another one for him to discover. As he travelled though, the only music they played was by musicians he’d never heard of before, and the Mugiwara Menace did not make a repeat appearance on the airwaves.

Parking was hard to find as he drove closer to the store, but he saw Zoro’s motorcycle parked by the sidewalk’s bicycle rack and Nami’s truck along the road and knew they were already inside. The turnout at the store when he finally did show up was much larger than he’d originally thought it would be, though it was mostly comprised of young kids eager to show off to their friends and family. He didn’t see Nami or Zoro as he walked in despite having seen their vehicles, and immediately felt out of place as he joined up with the crowd, lingering towards the back.

The stage was still being set up, with Franky’s employees struggling to stack a large amplifier over top of another one. There were several rows of fold out chairs set up in sections in front of the stage, and as he took off his coat to drape it over the back of one in the last row, he earned several appreciative glances from a few women. Unable to help himself, he returned a few of the looks with a smile he knew was seductive that turned a few faces red; it felt good to look good. He couldn’t help but wonder what Zoro’s reaction was going to be when they finally did meet up.

As he took his seat, he pulled out his phone and sent Nami a text that read, ‘I’m here, where are you guys?’ and resumed looking around the store to see if he’d perhaps missed them somewhere. It was then he felt someone’s hand clasp his shoulder. He looked up, half-expecting it to be Zoro and instead found himself staring into the broadly grinning face of Franky.

“Hey bro! Glad you could make it out!” he said as Sanji slipped his phone away and returned the smile.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he replied as Franky pulled out a chair for himself and sat down beside him. “Brook told me I should come, I think.”

“Aw yeah, way to go Brook!” Franky laughed and put up his feet on the vacant chair in front of him to tilt his seat back, balancing meticulously on the rear legs. “Looking for your squad?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I texted Nami and told her I was here already but haven’t seen her yet.” Again, he let his eyes rove around the store in an attempt to locate them. “Have you seen them?”

“Ah, yeah, her and Zoro are in the back giving his kid one last pep talk before we get this show rolling,” Franky said, turning his attention towards the stage where a few of his technicians were now setting up a drum kit for the show’s use. “Poor Tony’s more nervous than a deer at a shooting range. But don’t worry, they’ll be out soon; show’s gonna start in a hot minute.”

“I’d be nervous too, with a turn out like this,” Sanji said, gazing once more at the decent sized crowd of people that had showed up.

“One day you will be, if you keep up with the lessons.” Franky turned and shot him a grin. “Speaking of, Brook told me you missed yours this week.”

“Oh. Guess I did,” he said. He hadn’t actually forgotten, but with Zoro in the hospital, he didn’t think he’d still be expected to come in while his instructor was incapacitated. At the very least, he hadn’t received a call or an email about what he was supposed to have done.

“All good bro, Brook’ll get it rescheduled for ya, but you missed the chance to learn with me! I was covering all Zoro’s lessons while he was out, but I guess you didn’t get the memo on that one eh?”

Franky laughed and almost let his chair fall completely backwards. He quickly righted it with the grace of a man who has made the same mistake several times before by swinging his thick arms to counter-act the momentum until he stabilized himself.

“No, I guess I didn’t,” Sanji mused, trying not to laugh outright at Franky’s antics. His energy was infectious though, and it was hard not to.

“Hey man, it’s cool, probably our fault you didn’t,” he said, his energy calming down to a level that was a little more socially acceptable after he almost took a spill. “Brook’s a great coordinator, but sometimes the technology we use outsmarts him. But hey, lookie lookie who it is.”

Pointing towards the back of the room behind the stage, Sanji saw that Zoro and Nami were walking out of the lessons hallway with a small boy wearing a pink top hat. Zoro had his hand on the kid’s shoulder, supportively guiding him towards the seating area. When he saw them, Franky sat up, letting his seat fall forward onto the front legs with a grunt.

Franky waved to grab their attention, whereupon Zoro released Tony’s shoulder and handed the kid the little guitar case he’d been carrying for him. He leaned down to say something to him then, which garnered a nervous smile from Tony. They parted ways, with Tony hurriedly walking towards where his grandmother was and Zoro and Nami meeting up with Sanji and Franky.

“Hey guys,” Nami said, smiling and giving a small wave as she walked up. Sanji greeted her with a smile and nod in return.

“How’s lil Tony holding up?” Franky asked.

Zoro and Nami shared a slight grimace between them.

“He’s…. more or less okay. Just got some pre-performance anxiety, you know.”

“Poor kid,” Franky said with a dramatic sigh. “Ain’t easy being a natural talent at his age; lotta people have eyes on you.”

The solemn way he’d spoken implied that he was speaking from experience. It was a hard burden to carry, Sanji knew, as he too had been affected by the pressure of being a talented cook as a child. Franky stood up then and put his hands on his hips, smiling proudly at all the people gathered in his humble store before any of them could dwell on it for too long. Sanji spared a quick look at Zoro to see how he was doing, and found that the oaf was actually looking at him. There was a dopey sort of look on the guitarist’s face that Sanji attributed to the fact that he was probably rolling off of the pain pills he’d said he was going to take before they started playing.

His hair had also been restored to its bright green state and there was no longer any trace of his natural hair color to be seen.

Zoro maintained the eye contact even as Sanji looked away hurriedly.

“Well, time to get this bad boy started; looks like Mozu and Kiwi have finished up,” Franky said, attracting everyone’s attention by clapping his hands together He turned towards Zoro and Nami and asked, “You guys ready?”

Nami nodded, a playful look in her eye as she said, “Let’s do it!”

“Super! See you after this is all over pal, hope you enjoy the show,” Franky said to Sanji before walking away, heading towards the stage where a microphone and stand had been set up.

“Good luck guys,” Sanji said, smiling warmly up at Nami as she, too, began to take her leave.

“Should be saying that to the students,” she laughed before turning away and making her way to the front.

Zoro lingered behind for a moment, even as Franky tapped on the microphone to get his audience’s attention.

“What?” Sanji asked, crossing one of his legs over the other.

“Did uh,” Zoro began, but faltered. He had clearly been looking at Sanji’s legs, and had to clear his throat and look away to continue. “Did you happen to listen to the song?”

“What so- Oh, uh, no, I forgot,” Sanji said, torn between feeling guilty and pleased by the fact that his clothing choices had worked the way he’d wanted them to. “Though I wouldn’t have if you’d just let me listen to it yesterday.”

Zoro’s lips twitched into a slight frown, an unreadable expression on his face that registered as slight disappointment. An apology was on the tip of Sanji’s tongue when Zoro walked away without another word, joining Nami, Brook, and Franky on the stage by the microphone. The guilty feeling completely outweighed everything else he felt now, but he did his best not to become consumed by it.

“Hey everyone! Before we start, I just wanna take the time to thank everyone for making it out here today to watch our students show off the talent they’ve been working super hard to refine over the course of this year,” Franky announced, speaking warmly into the microphone. He paused to allow the audience their moment to applaud him, and then continued. “They’ve worked hard under the care of our instructors, who will join them on stage to perform a song of their choosing that’ll exemplify their growth. So without further ado, let’s begin!���

Sanji clapped along with the crowd, impressed with the level of professionalism Franky displayed when he’d only ever goofed around with him before. He’d initially had his doubts about how a man like Franky could own a store, but they were quelled now by his speech. Everyone involved in the production looked happy to be there, as both Brook and Nami had large smiles on their faces, but Zoro still had that half frown stuck on his as he left the stage to be replaced by the first of Brook’s students.

They were an older kid who was learning the fiddle, and played some sort of jaunty tune with Brook’s accompaniment. The speakers carried the song throughout the store, filling it with a lively atmosphere that had more than a few people dancing along to it in their seats. When the song was done, the student bowed off and another one of Brook’s kids took his place. They were doing the recital in batches so the mentors wouldn’t have to keep leaving and coming back to the stage.

For the most part, the kids performing played really well. Every once in a while one would slip up, but they bounced back from their errors with a red face and relative ease. Their talent was being put on full display in an environment that was receiving them well with great encouragement; Franky and his establishment had gone to great lengths to ensure that that would be the outcome.

Occasionally Brook would take a seat behind the drum kit to play along with a kid on guitar, and once or twice he even sang to great applause. It made Sanji wonder if anyone in the audience ever thought to make the connection between Brook and his old alias of The Soul King, as he sounded much the same as he did when he was active. If anything, though, they probably thought of him as a wonderful impersonator.

It took an hour for all of Brook’s students to have their allotted stage time and play through their music. The songs each of them performed ranged from classical music to instrumental renditions of popular rock songs, and every one of them was finished to a round of applause. When the last of his students finally left the stage, Brook went with them, inviting Franky to take the stage once again to congratulate them all on their performances and to introduce the next grouping.

What Sanji had wanted to see all along was finally about to happen.

When Zoro took the stage, he walked with a sort of surly swagger, slipping the white bass that had been left on the stage for him out of its stand and across his chest. An air of arrogance surrounded him as he tuned it, but to his credit, he had sort of dressed up for the occasion and wasn’t wearing much of his usual punk attire. At some point after returning home he’d found three more safety pins to line his ear with, and for some reason, Sanji found that to be comforting, as though Zoro had reclaimed some part of himself that had been lost with his hospitalization and eye.

His first kid stepped on stage, and immediately Sanji noticed a difference in age when comparing Brook’s students to Zoro’s. Brook’s set had been kids of a younger talent, whose parents had probably been told at some point that learning a classical instrument would benefit their child’s development somehow. Zoro’s students were noticeably older; preteens and teenagers who wanted to learn something that would annoy their parents and impress their friends.

They were guitarists who had picked up on some of the punk attitude Zoro had rubbed off on them and bassists who admired their instructor’s talents and sought him out because of his professional career. Occasionally Nami would join them on stage to play a song that sounded better with a three part ensemble, but not once did he open his mouth to sing until that little boy Sanji had seen him with earlier hesitantly took the stage.

The poor kid’s knees were practically knocking into each other as he carefully placed his guitar’s strap across his shoulders and plugged into the amp. Nami, sitting behind the drum kit, threw the boy a supportive thumb’s up which seemed to strengthen his resolve a bit.

Taking his place at the microphone, Zoro looked distant and a little pissed. His eye hovered over the audience, staring more at the back wall than he was at the people filling the rows of seats; the painkillers must have been wearing off.

“Tony and I have been practicing this song for a few weeks now,” he said, and broke the stoic way he was looking out to grin at the kid nervously tuning his guitar. “And even though he’s been coming here for like, two years now, this is the first time we’ve conned him into performing in the end of year recital. We’re all very proud of him.”

Tony’s face took on a furious hue of embarrassment, generating some laughter from the crowd. He said something in response that couldn’t be heard as he wiggled around uncomfortably, but made Zoro chuckle.

“Anyway, the song he picked to play is called ‘The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis’ and we hope you like it as much as he does.”

He stepped away from the microphone then and backed up to say something to Nami, who nodded. She began to clap her drumsticks together to start a countdown, and on the count of three they began to play.

Tony was far more impressive than Sanji realized a kid that young could be. He started off strong, playing the opening rift with great ease and composure, the earlier set of nerves that had been affecting him now gone.

The bass line was steady and fast, being powered on by Nami’s drumming as she set the pace for the song. And then, oh, then, Zoro began to sing.

“Well there is only one reason I stop in this place; let me stress that it ain’t the cuisine-”

The way he was singing seemed refrained, making his voice sound different from the way he sang on the songs he recorded with the Mugiwara. It was, in a way, a little cleaner than it usually was; less like he was singing with a handful of gravel in his mouth and more like he had an actual voice. Sanji understood then that this wasn’t a performance for his benefit, but was instead holding back in order to let Tony shine.

When the fuck had Zoro gotten so damn considerate? Perhaps he always had been, and Sanji just hadn’t noticed it till now.

“She’s- the- prettiest waitress in Memphis, and I think she’s flirting with me-”

For a kid as young as Tony was, the amount of dexterity he had in his fingers was beginning to make Sanji jealous. They were moving so precisely even though he had his eyes closed the entire time, hitting every chord and note he was supposed to without needing to double check his finger placement. His expertise with the guitar was highlighted beautifully by Zoro and Nami, who were each doing their best to support him.

What Nami had told Sanji shortly after meeting him rang true regardless; Zoro definitely did sound better when he was plugged in.

The song held true to its steady, consistent rhythms as it progressed, moving through the first and second chorus until it got to the guitar solo, where Tony’s talent was truly put to the test. Looking at the faces of some of the other people in the crowd, Sanji could see that even many of them were just as stunned as he was by how good this kid was.

The solo itself didn’t necessarily fit the tone of the rest of the song, but was played so well that it didn’t matter. Tony’s fingers roamed the fretboard with practiced ease, hitting notes in a pattern that created a favorable melody that Sanji found his body trying to sway to. On and on it went, fingers roving up and down the neck as Tony held a strained sort of look on his face that showed just how hard he was concentrating. And then it was over, with the three of them finishing the song to much applause after the final chorus was finished.

“Thank you,” Zoro said, smiling and speaking a little breathlessly into the mic.

He ruffled Tony’s head as the kid took a bow, knocking his hat to the floor. Tony’s face when he righted after picking his hat up harbored a pleased smile that stretched from ear to ear as he unplugged his guitar with a slight burst of static and left the stage.

Zoro himself held a satisfied smile as well, and Sanji could feel his heartrate pick up when the punk’s gaze looked out over the audience and landed on him for a moment. This time, Sanji didn’t break eye contact until Zoro had to turn away to walk off the stage. Franky took his place, and commenced with his closing speech to wrap up the event.

“Huge thank you to everyone who came out today to support our young up-and-coming super stars, and an even bigger thank you to those who performed! You’ve all been super!”

With his short speech finished, the crowd began to disperse. Family members went to congratulate their kin and Franky for hosting the event, while Zoro, Nami, and Brook hovered around the stage area, talking amongst themselves and anyone who came up to thank and speak with them.

He sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do until Nami made eye contact with him and beckoned him to join their group. Gathering up his coat, Sanji stood up and made his way over, straightening out his shirt as he went.

“Ah! Mr. Vinsmoke! So pleased to see you again!” Brook exclaimed, greeting him with a broad smile and bringing him into their conversation, which seemed to have been about whose kid had done the best.

“You can call me Sanji,” he said with a half-smile, shifting his weight so he stood primarily with a lean, hip cocked to the side and holding his coat politely in his arms before him.

“Well! Mr. Sanji, how did you enjoy the recital? We showcased many young talents tonight, I do dare to think!”

“Yeah, they were awesome,” he agreed, and then gestured to the three of them standing there. “You guys were, too. That was really cool to watch.”

With the recital now over, most of the store’s main floor had thinned out considerably. Some people still lingered about in the rows of seats chatting amongst themselves, but for the most part a majority of the crowd that had been there was now gone. No longer restricted to his hosting responsibilities, Franky shook hands with one of his patrons and then joined them by the stage.

“What a great turn out! You guys were super!”

“The kids were the super ones, Franky,” Zoro said, though he did look incredibly pleased with himself. Leaning his back against the stage, he had a content look upon his face that eased some of the naturally hard angles of his profile, giving him a more youthful appearance.

“Yeah, but you guys were super too! We should go out for drinks tonight to celebrate a job well done!”

“You buying?” Nami asked, a sly look coming over her at the possibility of free drinks.

“Sure, I’ll buy us all a round; you guys deserve it!” Franky almost shouted, unable to keep his enthusiasm in check.

“Just a single round?” Nami pouted. “Didn’t we do super well though?”

“Don’t I pay you enough to buy your own drinks?” Franky responded good-naturedly, laughing when Nami shook her head no. “Fine, two rounds on me then!”  

Nami let out a little cheer at that and turned to Sanji, saying, “You come too; it’ll be fun with all of us together.”

“Quit inviting him to everything we do,” Zoro complained loudly, letting out a sound of exasperation. “This is supposed to be a reward, not a punishment.”

At that, everyone in the circle booed him. Brook and Franky instantly rallied to Sanji’s side, each of them clapping one of their hands onto his shoulder in solidarity.

“Sanji’s a great guy from what I’ve seen!” Franky attested, shaking him a little as he spoke for emphasis. “He absolutely deserves to come celebrate with us!”

“He hasn’t done anything worth celebrating,” Zoro drawled, but it was evident to Sanji now that he was only complaining for the sake of complaining. There was no fight in his voice or posture, and his lips were drawn up into a slight smirk.

“He’s taking lessons! He is learning something new, and that in and of itself is something worthy of celebration!” Brook said fiercely, shaking Sanji’s other shoulder.

“Alright, alright, he can come, whatever, just quit shaking him like a baby or you’ll break him,” Zoro said, laughing now at the sight of Sanji being rattled so carelessly between them.

They both immediately stopped shaking in favour of cheering, and he wasn’t sure who it was, but one of them initiated a group hug that he suddenly found himself being roped into. He tried to pull himself out of it, but their grip over him was too strong. They held him in place as Nami brought Zoro in, all of them hugging in an awkward huddle before they finally all let go.

“Same old place?” Nami asked once they were all standing on their own again.

“Same old place,” Franky confirmed. “Same old time.”

“What’s the same old place?” Sanji asked, looking to Nami for some insight into the situation.

“We go to Blueno’s Bar usually, since its close by and the owner knows Franky pretty well,” she elaborated. “Sometimes we hang out there after work.”

“And the same old time?”

“We usually close the store at 9:30, but we’re closing early tonight, right Franky?”

Again she turned that sly charm upon him, fluttering her lashes a bit in an attempt to get him to agree. Checking the clock on his phone, Sanji saw that it was only 4, which would mean he had quite a few hours to kill before they all went drinking if that was the case.

Franky frowned, but appeared to be contemplating her request.

“I mean, I guess; none of you guys have any lessons today because of the recital anyway,” he mused, scratching his cleft chin in thought. “Doubt anyone’s gonna come in wanting to buy a guitar that late on a Saturday anyway. We can get outta here by 6.”

“Yes!” Nami exclaimed, and even Zoro seemed pretty thrilled about being let off early, despite the fact that the only thing he had to do while working was give lessons.

“I’ll go tell the rest of the family,” Franky said, beginning to take leave of their group. “So meet up at Blueno’s at 6:15 for your free drinks.”

Brook chuckled and shook his head, delighted by the turn of events. As he too was about to step away, he seemed to remember something and turned back.

“Oh! Before I forget, Sanji, would you like to reschedule the lesson you missed last week?” he said, speaking to him with an inquisitive look.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he said, quirking his brow at Zoro. “Are you going back to work so soon?”

“Like I said before, it’s not like I broke my hand or my wrist or anything; I can still play and teach with one eye,” Zoro scoffed, holding his hands up for mock inspection. “You all just saw me play for an hour fine.”

“And how many painkillers did you have to take in order to do that?” Nami chastised with a frown. Zoro didn’t answer, and instead rolled his eye.

“Whatever,” he said dismissively, taking leave of their group to hop back on stage and collect his guitar. “I’m resuming my lessons ASAP, so schedule him for whenever you can, Brook.”

Nami sighed, but Brook nodded.

“Will do, Zoro. Now, if you would be so kind as to follow me, Sanji, and we’ll get that sorted out for you.”

“I’ll be up front when you’re done,” Nami said as Sanji followed Brook away and into the lesson’s hallway where his office was.

They rescheduled his next lesson for Tuesday at the same time he’d been set for previously. Brook apologized for not sending him the notification that stated Franky would be covering Zoro’s lessons, and Sanji once again found himself almost unable to believe that he was talking to the Soul King. Brook was just so humble and polite that it was hard to believe he had once been a rock star of incredible fame. His attention was once again drawn to the photograph of Brook and Jimi Hendrix together, when a thought occurred to him.

“Would you uh, ever be opposed to maybe signing something for me?” Sanji asked, trying not to look as awkward as he felt. “Like, as the Soul King?”

Brook looked up from his computer with a surprised look, his fingers halting over the keyboard mid-stroke.

“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be worth much,” he replied with a light laugh. Despite his joking nature, he seemed confused by the request.

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to sell it, it’s just, uh.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Christmas is coming up and the old geezer has all your records so I thought it’d be cool if I got something signed for him.”

Cocking his head to the side, Brook merely stared at him for a few seconds before bursting out into what was perhaps one of the most obnoxious laughs Sanji had ever heard.

“Of course! What a thoughtful young man you are; I can see why everyone speaks so highly of you!”

“Maybe not everyone,” he replied quietly.

A small, relieved smile appeared on Sanji’s face as he thanked him though, promising to come by with an album he could sign as a gift he could give to Zeff for the holiday. He had to start thinking about what to gift his new friends as well at some point, but would deal with that later as Brook got his rescheduled lesson into the system. With everything taken care of, Sanji returned to the main area of Super-Star! Guitars and met up with Nami, who, along with Zoro, had resumed her usual perch at the front desk.

“Looks like I’ll be seeing you Tuesday and Thursday next week,” Sanji said to Zoro, who groaned and spun himself around in Nami’s chair.

Despite how it seemed like he was annoying him, Sanji was glad to see that Zoro’s disposition hadn’t changed much with the loss of his eye. Any other normal person, himself included, he supposed, may have become depressed over the loss of such a vital part of the body, but Zoro really didn’t seem to care. He carried on as he normally would have; his resentment of Sanji included.

“Can’t fuckin’ wait,” he grumbled, though as he turned away Nami caught a slight smile trying to force its way out.

“Well lads, since we have some time to kill, want to run over the game plan for tomorrow?” Nami proposed, grabbing a pen and a piece of printer paper.

“Why, what’s tomorrow?” Sanji asked.

“I swear you have the memory of a goldfish or some shit,” Zoro said, spinning back around to fix Sanji with a look that betrayed his annoyance.

Sanji opened his mouth in an attempt to argue back, but was shushed immediately by Nami before he could say anything.

“Nope! We are not doing this in public. The Tralalaw show is tomorrow, remember?” Sanji’s mouth formed an ‘O’ as recognition dawned across his face. “Yeah, so, we should probably work out some of the finer details in advance.”

“Anything you say, my sweet! You’re so smart for thinking ahead!”

Looking around for a place to sit, he was dismayed to find that Zoro was occupying the only chair behind the desk. He settled for half-sitting on the ledge of the desk beside Nami, who was beginning to write on the paper. At the top, she wrote in big, bold letters: ‘TRALALAW PLANS’.

“Ok, so first things first: Sanji, you gonna ride with us?”

“There’s no room,” Zoro said abruptly, now twisting himself lazily around with his feet.

“He can ride in the back with you,” she said. “It’ll fit two.”

“Oh, are you driving the truck?” Sanji asked, to which Nami nodded. “Well, if you’re being gracious enough to drive us all, then who would I be to refuse the ride?”

“Alright,” Nami said, smiling. She made a bullet point on the page and wrote down ‘carpooling’ beside it. “The next order of business is deciding when to leave. The doors open at 7 and the opening act starts at 8, so I was thinking if we left at 3, we could make it to the Hazard by 4 and that should give us plenty of time to-”

“Why so early?” Sanji couldn’t help but interrupt. “We’ve already got tickets, so shouldn’t we be okay showing up somewhere closer to 7?”

He could tell by the way Nami’s face slowly fell that he had said something obviously wrong. She raised her eyebrows as she slowly turned to share a look with Zoro, her eyes lingering on Sanji before they caught up with the direction she was facing.

“Um,” she began, but stalled due to her bewilderment. “It’s… standing room only, you know? We have to get there early to camp the line so we can be up on the stage. Have you… ever been to a live show before?”

Sanji could feel his face flushing with the embarrassment of unknowing and tried to suppress it as best he could. A bit reluctantly, he ended up shaking his head. Evidently, he was experiencing a lot of firsts with this new group of friends.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Ah, that explains it,” she said, stepping forward to punch Zoro in the shoulder when he began snickering. “So, the thing is, when a show is general admission, you wanna get there as early as possible so you can get the best viewpoint, which is dead center right at the front of the stage. In order to do that, we have to show up a few hours in advance and camp the line so we can get in first and secure a spot.”

“Right, makes sense,” Sanji said, trying to play off his embarrassment coolly. Zoro still had a smug smirk plastered across his face though, making it difficult. There was nothing more he wanted to do in that moment than to kick that look right off the bastard’s face. “So, you’ll pick us up at the apartment at 3 then?”

“Not too early for you, is it? Got some really important day plans to attend to?”

Zoro uttered an ugly cackle, throwing his head back and spinning himself in his seat until his back was turned on them. Apparently the pain pills were not entirely done affecting him yet. Beside him, Nami shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she too had laughed a little bit.

“Just ignore the idiot,” she said, and made a dash underneath the ‘carpooling’ bullet point that detailed the time they had decided to leave at. “But yeah, be ready by 3. And be sure to wear something really warm, because it’s going to be cold riding in the back.”

“If he can handle it, then I surely can as well,” he said, focusing what was left of his good mood on Nami.

“You two can share the blanket in the tool box, too.”

With Zoro’s back still turned to them, Nami took the opportunity to throw in a wink with her suggestion. Flustered, Sanji had to look away.

“Speaking of dressing warmly,” he said, immediately switching the subject. “What should I wear? That is to say, I don’t exactly dress like a punk.”

Here he opened his arms and gestured to his current outfit, which didn’t fit his perception of how a ‘punk’ would dress at a show that was reputedly going to be the ‘best one of the year’. Zoro spun back around and gave him a once over, prompting Sanji to close his arms and cover himself with his coat.

“It doesn’t matter what you wear,” Zoro said, resting his head so far back on the chair’s back that he was looking up at the ceiling. “If you’re afraid of looking like a poser or some shit, don’t be; it’s the jackasses who think punk has a uniform that are the posers. Wear whatever the fuck you want.”

“Inspiring,” Sanji said blankly, trying to maintain his façade of nonchalance.

Zoro’s head snapped up on his neck to fix him with a beady squint before it fell back onto the seat cushion.

Truth be told, what Zoro had said did help to put his mind at ease. There was a part of him that was afraid of showing up to the show and being called out for not looking the part. The insecurities he felt only reinforced the idea that this wasn’t his place, and that the styles and music and attitudes he was dabbling in would eventually come to reject him on that basis. He wasn’t a punk, and doubted he ever would be; not on their level.

“If you’re really worried about it, you can wear one of Zoro’s jackets,” Nami said. “But it’s like he said, there’s no wrong way to look at these things. If anyone tries to give you shit for it just beat them up. They’ll learn.”

She reached out and touched his arm, and his unease resettled into a nagging sense of insecurity he’d carry with him in the back of his mind until he was at the show. He didn’t want to let it root in too deeply, and instead focused on looking forward to the night of drinking he had with the friends he’d made who were allowing him this glimpse into their lives.

Eventually though, his free trial would expire and he would have to make a decision regarding his level of commitment to being their friend.

[embracingmybraces]

Saturday: Behold, a photo of me awkwardly smiling with my new temporary upper essix retainer and trying to test if I was in the frame.

Post-Bone Graft Update: Detailed Version

This is sort of a two week update while my video exports, but technically tomorrow is the official day. I have a love/hate relationship with uploading videos... I can’t believe a 10 minute video takes 5hrs to encode. I can’t guarantee it’ll be uploaded anytime soon and this was filmed on Saturday, but while I sort that out, this will be about my experience with the surgery, healing, lessons I’ve learned (tips/self-esteem), and updates from my prosthodontist and orthodontist.

This will also sum up my vlog from last week.

For those of you who are new, I have a missing front tooth and I got bone taken from my chin (in between my teeth and lips) to be placed in the gap on my upper arch. This video explains it all.

PHOTOS will be added later on.

SURGERY PREPARATIONS

My surgery was at 8am on Tuesday, May 9th.

The day before, I picked up my medication which included 7 pills: antibiotics, several pain killers, and decadron (for swelling?) which I took 2 hours before my surgery. I was advised not to eat or drink anything 8 hours prior to, so I used as very little water to wash down the pills. God, they almost got stuck in my throat.

I took public transit by myself to my prosthodontist’s office, which was an hour away. I remembered feeling a bit out of it on my way there, which I’d blame on the medication but it helped with being less nervous (jokes, I was still very nervous).

I was advised to wear a short sleeved T-shirt going in and no face makeup. They then outfitted me with this scrub to protect my clothing and I had to wear a hair net. I was also given mouthwash beforehand.

SEDATION – I had a separate doctor, who specialized in sedation, come in. He asked to what degree did I want to be “sedated”. Ultimately, sedation affects your memory, but I did not want to be awake at all, so I asked him to put me right out haha.

The insertion of the IV was definitely the most unpleasant for me.

I’ve never had blood work done, but I’ve had flu shots and lots of local anaesthesia done, so I didn’t think it’d be an issue. However, I was pretty nervous and I just reminded myself to take deep breaths while I felt the needle go into my vein. The pinch wasn’t bad but the thought and feeling of the needle’s presence and having it taped was what bothered me the most and I might have shed a fear tear drops...

The medication then got screwed into my IV and I just remembered feeling calmer as time passed and before long, the needle didn’t feel like anything and I eventually dosed off (I don’t even remember when I did).

SURGERY – I wasn’t awake for any of it. No recollection. I just remembered waking up and noticing everyone was cleaning up around me and that I had the IV removed beforehand was band-aided up on my hand and the inner bend of my arm. No pain either. I just knew my lips were numb because I couldn’t close it properly and I was given gauze for my upper and bottom lips.

Getting up, I was a bit disoriented and needed assistance but only momentarily.

Afterwards, I was given an envelope of medication (same kinds that I took before the surgery) and my parents drove us home.

FIRST 24 HRS – The sedation didn’t really affect me all day like I was told. I did ice my chin immediately and it took a while before my upper lip felt “normal” (e.g., when the numbness wears off and your lip no longer closes funny).

It did take me 2 hours to eat my food because I couldn’t open my mouth wide and the rest of my face just felt very swollen. I stopped bleeding shortly after and didn’t need to use gauze for the rest of the healing.

Sleeping on an elevated pillow helped but my face did feel very “heavy” whenever I would bend down.

Lots of salt water rinses as I couldn’t brush my teeth.

HEALING – Generally, I didn’t have much facial mobility for the whole week+ I couldn’t open my mouth wide or smile and laugh as it pulled on the sutures. I described it as my face being very “stiff”. No drinking from straws or exercising, at all.

My bottom lip was numb and tingly until maybe 1.5 weeks in. Smiling naturally occurs around the same time frame. I still can’t frown or pout though - I blame that on the sutures. But, I can do double chins for Snapchat 8)

My bottom teeth has no feeling currently and this will last a maximum of 6 months before the feeling returns.

Currently, I still find it a bit straining to naturally close my lips. Perhaps after the stitches are taken out it may get better. A few pieces of the stitches did come out this week.

Expect to book off 1 week from any activities or work, unless you don’t mind going out with a swollen face. I could work on my computer, edit videos, make food, walk in the mall and take public transit later in the week. 

 SWELLING – It was definitely got worse on the 4-5th day, but after that it gradually went down.

MEDICATION – I have to take antibiotics until they are finished. I did not take the extra strength pain killer, but I did continue to take pain killers consecutively after each meal for the next three days and on and off throughout the week for good measure/peace of mind.

BRUISING – I believe my face showed visible bruises on both sides near my lips on the 5th day and gradually got more prominent before it went away I’d say, close to 4 days later.

Where I had my IV also bruised. The one on my hand hurt when pressed, but my face and inner arm was fine.

PAIN – Not really “painful” or excruciating per say, but it felt like I had a canker sore on my bottom lip if I didn’t take my painkillers and it was just uncomfortable... Much like how it feels when you get your braces tightened and your teeth are “sore”.

On and off I may feel light headed if I exert too much energy, so I kept myself hydrated and lounged around to resolve that. In the vlog, cooking was probably the most labour intensive thing I did.

RETAINER – Yeah, I didn’t wear it the whole week :S I’m not sure what could’ve been done differently. Yes, the fake tooth on my retainer was altered to not touch the gums but I had forgotten to check until later in the week. For some reason I didn’t think they did anything to it? 

The post-surgery care sheet said not to wear any prosthetics as it may affect the healing. That being said, my orthodontist also said it might not have been good to wear it as my gums would be quite swollen and that I should’ve made an appointment earlier a few days after the surgery to get a new temporary fitted.

My teeth did close in a bit into my gap, so my hawley retainer is tight but I didn’t want to force it in while the stitches were still tender.

I got a new temporary essix retainer on Thursday, May 18th with resin added as the “fake tooth” which isn’t the best craftsmanship... The colour does not match at all and it sticks out slightly so I look like I have a buck tooth.

It holds my teeth for now, so I can’t complain too much. It did cost $50. More add ons to my bill :( BUT now I have two matching pairs, two essix (upper and lower), and the same for hawley. At least now, from far it doesn’t look like I still have braces on as it’s just a clear tray.

ALSO, IF ANYONE HAD A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR RETAINER, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I feel like we could all learn from this.

DIET – LOTS OF FRUIT/SMOOTHIES/VEGETABLES/SOFT PROTEIN. 

Kale and Lentil Curry Soup. Congee. Scrambled eggs. I had Pork Bone soup and Korean side dishes, the spiciness was not a problem. Baked fish, sweet potato, cereal... sautéed greens, soggy bread.

Tbh I ate more solids later in the week as I could still chew with my back teeth. Anything in small pieces. After the first week, you can even attempt lightly toasted bread but just be careful and allow yourself the extra time to chew.

TIPS

IF YOU HAVE A RETAINER, MAKE SURE YOU GET THAT SITUATION SORTED OUT FIRST.

Drink lots of water!

Grocery shop before! Look up recipes for soft foods, soups, etc. have fruit to puree so you can still have nutritious food while you are healing. No ice cream or much junk food for me (other than cereal)

A blender in any form is your best friend :) or be patient and cut into smaller pieces. Of course, this depends on where your surgery site is.

Mason jars or tupperware to portion your food also helps

Have movies to watch, low energy activities to do, or friends who you won’t mind to see your swollen face. It helps the time pass.

Boil an egg with the shell on, wrap it in a cloth, and rub it on your bruise to help it heal faster

MOST IMPORTANT LESSON LEARNED –

COMMUNICATE! COORDINATE! With those who are in charge of your braces/surgery. Write down concerns you have as you will forget something important and ASK AWAY. Or write down instructions too! I won’t blame anyone for the retainer situation, as we are all human and sometimes little details get forgotten, but sometimes these are also crucial and it might be best to take matters into your own hands. If your orthodontist or prosthodontist does not coordinate with each other, you should remind them to or initiate it (which I didn’t). The more clarity you have, the less miscommunication or misunderstandings there are and it will cost you less if you don’t have to fix things. I am glad that my prosthodontist’s office called to check on me for the first few days, as I was also able to ask them questions right then.

SELF-ESTEEM – I had my retainer in probably 90% of the time these past 4 months since I’ve had my braces off. I loved how ‘normal’ I looked with a full set of teeth, and I would only take out my retainer when I am eating, but sometimes I felt reluctant to do so with friends who I am not close with or in front of strangers. By myself in a restaurant, I didn’t care so much. Oddly enough, I still feel self conscious, despite having a gap for 3 years... but back then I had all this hardware to hide behind. Note: I will do a video/post on this topic soon! But this week+, living without my retainer made me get used to how I look au natural. I also couldn’t wear makeup, so that helped too! In fact, going outside without my retainer, I probably look like I got into a bad fist fight with my bruises and lost a tooth in the process hahah. But whatever, I embraced it. My friends embraced it.  In short, people may look confused, but it wasn’t a big deal. I had to explain to my co-workers what was happening but afterwards they were very understanding. 

Thank you so much for making it here - please continue to send me your questions and comments :) I love reading them.

Until next time!

Thursday, May 25th - PROSTHODONTIST FOLLOW UP (for real this time)

Saturday, June 3rd - ORTHODONTIST RETAINER CHECK UP