#i'm rotating keyboards so my hands are doing okay!

[bettsfic]

this has been the longest month of my life. i wrote 153,600 words this month. that's a raw count so it includes my trash docs and also my craft essay a day posts. and 112k of it is on an original novel that i hope to god is actually publishable. (the sixth manuscript is the charm? right? right??)

i'm not exactly sure i'm proud of this, considering i'm not really sleeping or eating well. or taking care of myself at all. or making enough money to live. so i can't say i recommend it.

anyway i'm hoping to get back to my craft essay a day posts once i fix my sleep schedule. and i'm also hoping to get back to organic chemistry soon too.

EDIT: the deep irony here is that in my autism assessment, "varied interests" was cited as one of the major reasons i didn't receive my diagnosis.

[theashemarie]

Hi Ashe, love your stuff. You mentioned finding a typing layout that won't lead to long term strain? I'm primed to face similar wrist-related injuries in my future, and I was curious if you'd be willing to share? (No pressure if not!)

Okay, this got really long so I'm gonna append it under a read more for everyone's sake.

tldr; arm and hand angle while typing are very important. also stretching!! additionally, paying very close attention to how you use your wrists in all aspects of your life, not just while typing.

It's been a while since I rehashed this, but just for the sake of everyone who wasn't here in 2020: one major reason I stopped writing and posting Pearlina fanfic was because I had repetitive strain injuries in both of my wrists and had to basically stop writing for a year.

My writing speed is high; I'm not saying this to brag, just to illustrate. My WPM is 90 and I can do 2k words in an hour on a good day. Because I was so inspired, I was writing a lot and I was writing quickly, and, as a result, I basically injured myself badly enough to get my ass benched for a full calendar year.

Of course, you can do this to yourself if you have a slower writing speed. Listen to your body! If you wrist hurts, stop.

This time around, I've been troubleshooting. I have three keyboards: a mechanical, a split mechanical (a keyboard that's basically two big pieces, cut right down the middle), and one of my most behated Apple butterfly switch monstrosities. I've slowly rotated between the three as my wrist pain has gotten worse.

Wrist alignment matters. I write at work when I'm not busy, and I realized that I don't end up in pain there. Why? The keyboard is angled down and the travel distance between the keys is very low.

Unfortunately, I've discovered that my ideal typing setup to avoid strain is to use the awful Apple keyboard with very little travel distance between the keys. Because of the butterfly switches, I don't have to press down hard on the keys either. I miss my thonky click clack keyboards every day, but since switching, I've had more days without pain than I have in a while. I also got a new desk that sits lower so my arms are at a natural resting position.

I still have to take whole days where I can't use a keyboard. It's a struggle, but it's getting better. I've also realized that my left wrist, which is the one most prone to strain, is the one that I use to prop myself up with the most, like when I brush my teeth or get up off the couch. It's def worth paying attention to when you're not sitting at your desk.

Of course, stretch, stretch, stretch! Also, it can't hurt to get a 2 pound weight and do some strengthening exercises. This is not medical advice, but my doctor told me to grip the weight and lift it using just my wrist. This will strengthen the tendon that runs through the wrist and make it less prone to strain.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[rred-gaze]

Sorry if this is kind of a bother but frankly I'm genuinely quite curious what your thoughts are on Yesod, or like, personal hcs and such! ( Mostly curious since some of your other posts with Verg were very silly! And frankly it's just nice to hear ppl rant abt their fav characters n such )

oh!!! dw i like asks, esp about characters i like :] i made a LONGGG list of hcs for him when he was my #1 blorbo that i added to over the years, i’ll put that and some general thoughts under the cut

headcanons:

-transmasc he/they. super gay also

-can say fuck. chooses not to.

-he’d probably tug at his clothes when he’s nervous (gloves, turtleneck, tie)

-malkuth is his friend! (and taller than him i decide the heights now)

-ROLAND IS HIS FRIEND

-he seems to like moons (moon the the bottom of the department in lob corp, in his ruina symbol, you can see a moon from his platform)

-(based on the moon thing) likes astronomy :)

EDIT: i have learned that in actual kabbalah yesod is known to be the sephirah of lunar consciousness so i think that connection to his character is really cool

-takes good care of his hair it would be silky and sofd <3

-if he ever had long hair he’d put it in a ponytail (turned out to be true: see beta designs in the artbook)

-lob corp yesod would have to wear long gloves if he was ever forced to wear short sleeved shirts

-gets cold easier than others (i know he was a Cube so he wasn’t actually wearing them but a turtleneck under a suit?? if he doesn’t get cold easily he’d be melting :( if it were sleeveless it’d be a bit better but still)

-the sephirot robot forms only have one eye. yesods was on the left. his bangs in ruina are on the right. most of his hair minus the bangs look pretty much the same length so this implies he grew his bangs out on purpose. what if he couldn’t get used to having two again. also he has no depth perception

-got that high intelligence low wisdom. can recite 60 digits of pi but doesn’t know what a handshake is

-what if he has fangs. like a v. like a vip. like a vi

-he likes shiny things...like an crow....give him a coin......

-wakes up at the asscrack of dawn

-you seen his floor? that man likes vaporwave. and also lights in general, i think

-likes tea (also turned out to be true? he’s drinkin some in that one credits cg)

-probably has a small plant in his office, likes gardening a little

-leaves you on read

-clicks his pen when he’s focused, doesn’t notice until someone tells him to stop

-doesn’t really like soda but thinks sprite is okay

-he smells like lavender i think

-doesn’t like when people make a big deal out of his birthday but he appreciates gifts and the like nonetheless

-gets bad caffeine jitters

-he’s a flirty drunk and gets extremely embarrassed about that when he sobers up

-uncomfortable in large groups, he gets overwhelmed if he’s around a lot of people for too long

-hovers around the people he’s closest to if he’s forced to be around a lot of people

-focuses the best if he’s by himself

-malkuth and yesod are siblings because i like them. this also makes elijah and gabriel’s deaths more sad

-yesod can do hair, he learned how to braid because elijah liked having their hair braided when they were younger

-i rotate them being twins and yesod being a natural brunette in my head sometimes

-if he were a snake he’d be a mangrove pit viper or lavender albino king snake i think

-he likes looking out the big tech sciences window to relax

-has a lot of scars across his body from scratching, i personally think he should’ve had his hand scars in ruina

-good with computers but complete shit at video games. he’d know the Lore to games he likes but absolutely cannot play them.

-likes the sound of computer fans and keyboards

-he’s totally autistic

self indulgent

-he seems like he’d get really flustered if you showed him any sort of affection, ESPECIALLY in public. hug him and he short circuits and dies

-if you ever managed to befriend him he seems kinda calming to be around when he’s not pissy. kinda guy you’d sit out in the balcony with in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep in a comfortable silence. might show you constellations if you wanted

-covers his face when he blushes

-would get super red when he’s embarrassed, tries to avoid people and hides away in his office

-touch starved but can’t ask for affection to save his life

-i think he’d show affection with little things yk. puts a blanket on you when you pass out on your desk. he’d probably try to cover it up with professionalism though. like “i noticed you haven’t eaten, think about how that’ll affect your work performance” instead of “eat something i’m worried about you”

-might also just sit near or lean on you

-if he likes you enough he’d be softer and more forgiving

-i personally tend to assign my character fixations flowers for some reason,,,he gets hyssops :) hydrangeas and lavender also make me think about he

jumbled thoughts:

part of the reason i like him so much is because i tend to have a thing for cold/stoic characters who are soft on the inside. yesod is only cold and sharp-tongued because he needs to be in order to succeed in lob corps environment. he doesn’t want to get attached to people. he cares so much that he couldn’t allow himself to feel anything at all, esp in an environment where he’s trying so fucking hard to reduce deaths by setting rules and keeping order but people die every day regardless. not only that, but his job was to destroy information that could potentially save those same people. he gets MAD if you let his employees die because he cares about them.

i also used to try and spread my rolsod agenda all the time, i think their relationship is fun

oh yeah and he’s totally OCD-coded. one thing i’ve always liked about projmoon media is how great their representation of mental illness is. both because it feels very accurate and real and a lot of horror media will just drop in a mentally ill person and go “ooo scary mentally ill person being scary bc they’re mentally ill oooo” but the horror aspect in lob corp is focused more on the horrible things that caused him to act that way. he became obsessed with rules and safety because elijah broke the rules and tested the cogito on herself, leading to her slow and painful death.

just a couple things i find cute about him:

-i know the viper nickname is supposed to be threatening but i think snakes are cute and so is he

-robot form <3

-that hair tuft

-HIS SMILE!!!!!

-his voice is hot okay byey

i don’t talk about yesod as much anymore because i can only have so many men at the forefront of my mind but make no mistake i still adore him

[mareenavee]

Tag 7 People You'd Like to Know Better!

AH catching up on tag games :3 Thank you to @boethiahspillowbook for tagging me in this!! (Here's their answers!) I haven't done a non-writing one in some time now so I figured -- why not? Tagging: @paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @thana-topsy, @thequeenofthewinter, @kookaburra1701, @gilgamish, and @archangelsunited and, even though it's more than 7 people, YOU. Yep, tag me back if you do this one. :>

I suppose the rules are just babble about the questions asked herein!

Last song: What the Water Gave Me - the demo version by Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine is my favorite band ever, ever. So lots of their music is on pretty much all of my playlists. I was listening to my favorites list while I was writing yesterday and that's the one that cropped up last.

Currently watching: TV? Shows? I don't know her. I actually don't make much time for tv at all. I will catch a couple shows a year but they have to be really compelling for me to want to spend the time on that.

Currently reading: OOh a good time to share a few of the open fanfics I'm in the middle of right now! First four tabs but I have something like 14 or 15 open right now I rotate through. Hollow Men by @thana-topsy Gathering Souls by @paraparadigm and @polypolymorph Serious Mistakes by @changelingsandothernonsense In The Midst of Winter by @thequeenofthewinter I am also still reading The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by SA Chakraborty, which is admittedly fun and excellent, but I'm on a fanfic kick right now. My friends are fricken phenomenal authors, to be perfectly honest. And how often can you jump on discord and keyboard smash with your favorite authors about your favorite stories? This is why fandom can be so much fun when it's not being weird. :>

Current obsession: ...I'm a fanfic writer, what do you think my obsession is?

Okay, fine, TES is obvious. I can share a couple other things I suppose. :>

First is hand binding sketchbooks!

This is an older one but still a fave because it turned out super pretty :D It's a watercolor sketchbook I made for my friend.

idk there's just something super relaxing about not having to think once the entire project is set up and it's down to sewing the signatures together. Huge fan of the zen of making these and even though I don't personally need more sketchbooks I will often just make one for the hell of it. I'm also learning how to do case binding but it's messier than this.

The other is fountain pens! I don't do layout posts anymore like I used to, but I can still share some of them -- I use the inks in artwork all the time and anything I write on paper is usually done in fountain pens. My favorite ones to use right now are TWSBI Ecos -- specifically a white and rose gold one :> My favorite ink is LAMY Dark Violet but it's discontinued...so I am sparing with that one lol

Here's some old aesthetic posts I used to do for fun.

Anyway yes. That's all I've got for now. This was funnnnn LOL so I mean, yeah feel free to tag yourself if I didn't tag you! I'd love to see everyone else's other hobbies.

[sunflowersoonyoung]

honeyed | jinho

w.c ↠ 2.5k

pairing↠ jinho x fem! reader

genre/s ↠ smut (light bondage, overstimulation, fem!oral), incubus! jinho, soft dom! jinho, supernatural au!, office au!

description ↠ falling asleep at work leads to an oddly realistic dream about your hot boss Jinho

warning/s ↠ suggestive themes, supernatural themes

a/n ↠ wow okay can you tell that jinho is my ptg bias. I seriously thirsted over him in this oneshot. this is one of my favourite smuts I've written here! I wrote it carefully and reread it three times so I'm proud of it :)

tags ↠ @prismwon

-

Anxiety washed over you from head to toe, rising with each passing second. You clasped a trembling hand to your chest to feel your heart fluttering against your ribcage.

Taking a deep breath, you steeled yourself before pushing open the glass door to work.

The publishing office was bright with mellow, natural lighting, an open room dotted with large desks cluttered with stationary. Some of your coworkers had already arrived and had busied themselves with various tasks - bustling distractedly around the room.

“G-Good morning, everyone!”

You tried to announce your presence as boldly as you could; despite this, barely anyone bothered to even glance in your direction. You swallowed nervously and made a bee-line for your desk.

New to the workforce and fresh from University, acclimatising had been a difficult journey. No one was willing to sacrifice any precious time to help you - or even welcome you, for that matter. You felt utterly ostracised by the team. They had all apparently established their clique, and you were not invited.

The one exception had been the lead editor: Jo Jinho, your boss and the office eye candy.

“Good morning, (F/n).”

As if reading your thoughts, Jinho’s melodic voice drifted over your shoulder. You swallowed, feeling sweat prickle your armpits in response to his presence.

“You look bright today. I hope you’re making good progress on that manuscript.”

You pivoted in your chair to face him, in turn becoming stricken by his gaze. There was something unusual about Jinho, something that had successfully hypnotised many of your coworkers, including yourself.

He was impossible to resist. From his handsome exterior to his pleasant interior, he was genuinely mesmerising - like the sunrise in the morning after a cold night.

“Y-Yes, thank you,” you stammered, forcing a polite smile. Jinho’s smile in response was a thousand watts bright, his creased eyes just as radiant.

He was gone just as quickly as he had appeared, interacting with everyone else on the path to his desk. Your nerves melted from your taut muscles, and you breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thankful that Jinho had moved on. Being beneath his attention was too challenging to handle. You withdrew your laptop from your bag and made a start on work for the day.

Unfortunately, your concentration was coming through like a sputtering hose. You were not yet accustomed to working in a room with ten other people and limited silence.

Your attention drifted around the office. You observed conversations, watching as a young girl was scolded; a middle-aged man answered the phone with a frustrated visage.

You could not help but become drawn to Jinho.

He was hovering over someone’s shoulder - Seunghee, you vaguely remembered her name to be. Girls in the editing team tended to ask him for help suspiciously frequently. It was apparent they all simply longed after Jinho’s presence.

Admittedly, it was tempting. In that position, you could feel his breath against your ear.

You quickly became absorbed in observing him. It was not just his pretty features. His expressions were genuine, his explanations clear and concise. Fully believing you were free to admire him, you forgot your surroundings and lost yourself.

Abruptly, Jinho’s gaze shifted from Seunghee’s work to you. It was such a subtle shift that you almost failed to notice it. Electricity shot across your skin upon realisation, heat blossoming from your ears to your cheeks.

Though it was too late, you looked back to your computer screen. Out of the corner of your eyes, you could see him grinning. That cruel image worsened your embarrassment.

As your mind buzzed with thoughts of Jinho’s grin, you struggled to return your focus to the manuscript as much as you tried. You huffed frustratedly.

“Everything okay, (F/n)?”

You wondered with horror if he intended to make things more difficult. Your humiliation should have been apparent, and yet here he was, standing directly behind you with a hand resting on the back of your chair.

“Y-Yes,” you responded, refusing to tear your eyes from your laptop. You could hear your voice quaking.

His palm settled on your desk, confining you. It was no longer possible to pretend he wasn’t there. His face was far too close for you to deal with.

“Really? Hmm,” He hummed, “There must be some other reason you were staring at me then.”

You could not even begin to imagine how crimson your face was. Was Jinho teasing you? It certainly felt like it.

He snorted faintly, withdrawing. On the edge of your vision, you could see him smiling broadly.

-

After getting very little work done for the rest of the afternoon, you opted to stay behind and work overtime. The manuscript was due tomorrow evening, after all.

The office buzz began to fade, gradually declining till the room was entirely quiet. The only thing disconnecting the silence was the sound of fingers against keyboards.

You decided to take a short break as your fatigue began to increase. Shadows from the night sky crept across the floor. Usually, you liked to be fed and warm at home by this time. Your eyelids were heavy, your thoughts sluggish and tired.

It was only you and Jinho remaining at this stage. You had managed to keep your thoughts away from him until now. He was wrapped up in his work; his face blank with concentration. Sighing, you ignored him and returned to your own business.

The words on your laptop screen began to blend with each passing second. You squinted, blinking rapidly to counter the weariness that was dousing you like warm water. You had never been so tired at work - it was as if you were being dragged down by an invisible force, and nothing you did could stop it. It was a similar sensation to having too much alcohol.

Before you knew it, your head had lulled onto the cold desk, crumpling the papers in front of you.

-

Alarm overwhelmed your thoughts as you lifted your head from your desk.

You could not believe you had fallen asleep at work. Rubbing your eyes, you looked towards Jinho’s desk in panic, hoping to apologise and then flee. Relief washed over you - his chair was empty. Perhaps he had gone home.

Strangely enough, the room was hazy. Instead of its usual white light, it was rose-tinted and clouded. It did not look familiar to you.

“You fell asleep? How cute.”

You blinked, and Jinho seemed to appear directly beside you, seated on the table with one leg crossed over the other. He was admiring you, cupping his cheek whilst wearing an affectionate smile.

It took a moment for you to react; your head was abnormally thick, so your thoughts were slow, but once you realised what was happening, you became flustered.

“Your face tells me everything - your expressions are so honest. It’s adorable.”

Jinho leapt smoothly to his feet, circling you to place his hands on the back of your swivel chair and then rotating you till you were facing him. You could do nothing, frozen with anticipation and unsure what to expect next.

He leant in closely, leaning on the armrests, and you held your breath. His nose was close enough to brush against yours, yet his expression was unchanged - still as sweet as usual.

“Why don’t you let me make you feel good?” He hummed. His gaze was direct, and you swooned inwardly when you finally met it. In contrast to his soft nature, his eyes were hard. You tried to swallow but your throat had gone dry.

“Wh-what if someone sees?” You stammered shyly.

Jinho chuckled, his eyes crinkling in amusement, “no one will see. I promise.”

He placed his hands on your knees, maintaining eye contact as he rubbed reassuringly. He pushed his hands up your thighs, catching the fabric of your skirt and baring your thighs to the air. You could not look away, dizzyingly mesmerised by him. Your head was getting light and hot.

Finally, Jinho kissed you. It was a shallow, chaste kiss that tasted of vanilla and made you feel as if you were melting into the chair.

You could not split your concentration between the kiss and the way his warm palms rubbed against your thighs. The combination was causing a spike of burning excitement to prickle between your legs.

He parted from you with a soft pop and offered you a hand. You were too flustered and weak-kneed to stand steadily, but it hardly mattered - Jinho did not make you stand for long.

“Let me taste you, gorgeous.”

Jinho was simultaneously gentle and firm as he guided you to his desk, carelessly sweeping it clear. You gasped when he spun you around, essentially folding you over the surface. The varnished wood was cold through the thin fabric of your shirt, momentarily sobering you to reality.

With your ass in the air, he hitched up your skirt to reveal your underpants. You were uneasy about the fact that you could not see what he was doing.

“Hands behind your back, please.”

This was Jinho’s first true order.

The way his voice dropped a few notes sent chills down your spine, goosebumps travelling across your skin. You were trembling as you obeyed, swallowing a nervous squeak when he loosely wrapped fabric around your wrists, tying them together.

“I’m not punishing you, sweet. It’s just some extra fun for you,” Jinho reassured. Admittedly you were both anxious and aroused by his decision to tie you up. It made your heart pound fast against your ribcage.

With you properly restrained, Jinho determined that it was time to begin his ministrations.

His fingers ran up and down your slit through your underwear before hooking the fabric and drawing it aside. You strained against your bonds and arched your back when he made direct contact with your pussy. It was only a subtle touch, and yet pleasure was already rippling across your body.

“That feels good, doesn’t it?”

Jinho’s voice was dripping with honey, and yet his fingers were cruel. He grazed your clit with his fingertip and then dragged his finger back down between your lips and teased your entrance with slight pressure, and then repeated this process.

He was not entirely giving in to you, and you were becoming so sensitive that tears of desperation were beginning to sting your eyes.

“J-Jinho .... please,” you pleaded, feeling helpless - frantic for more.

“Please, what?” He hummed in response, “Tell me what to do, sweet, and I’ll do it. Use your words.”

Despite being dazed and overwhelmed, you still managed to respond, albeit in a small voice, “I-I want your lips and your fingers.”

“Of course, sweet.”

He pressed his thumb directly to your clitoris, and you gasped, toes curling. He languidly rolled his thumb, observing you whilst cleverly allowing your pleasure to build. Your focus honed in on his touches, no longer paying attention to the noises passing through your lips.

“The more I touch you, the prettier noises you make,” Jinho commented.

Abruptly, he filled you up with his forefinger. Your breath hitched in your throat, hardly expecting him to make that leap.

You cried out when his lips sucked in your clitoris, gradually fucking you with his finger. He eased you into a swift orgasm, pressing fluttering kisses to the backs of your thighs while you trembled.

“Good girl~. One more time?”

Before you could respond, Jinho had added a second finger and was pistoning them inside of you much quicker than earlier. You were incredibly wet thanks to your orgasm, and he seemed to be using that to his advantage.

His tongue teased your swollen clit, and you sobbed, “I-I’m too sensitive!” Seemingly uncaring, Jinho dragged you into a second, far more intense orgasm that had your legs thrashing and drool spilling out onto the desk.

Your ears were ringing, but you could hear Jinho chuckling as he removed himself.

“Was that too much?” He mused, cleaning his fingers with his mouth, “Can you take any more?”

You were still an empty shell, electricity and heat clinging to your skin mingled with a sheen of sweat. His hands smoothed over your ass cheeks, a comforting action that made your heart soften. You twisted around to look at him dazedly.

Jinho was just as gorgeous as ever, though he had lost some of his neatness. The restraint around your wrist was apparently his necktie, which was missing, and he had undone his button-up shirt to reveal a sliver of his flawless chest. He combed his fingers through his hair, gleaming at you proudly.

“The look on your face tells me you want more,” he purred, rolling his hips against your backside. You mewled and rocked backwards, feeling his hard cock straining through his pants. You had never been so delirious, hungry to feel every inch of him.

“Ho~ such an insatiable girl,” Jinho unzipped his pants, sliding the tip of his cock over your slick folds. Even that simple action felt incredible.

“Oh, my God.”

Jinho filled you up, stuffing you in one lazy stroke. You were so full, your pussy throbbing delightfully around him.

“Please,” you begged, wanting nothing more than for him to fuck you, “Jinho-ah, please.” He scoffed in response before giving in to your desires.

The way he fucked you was utterly sadistic in contrast to his sweet nature. He was relentless in the way his hips slammed against yours, no longer offering you any mercy. You were defenceless to him, only able to dig your nails into your palm whilst bracing yourself.

“So tight,” he groaned, hanging his head back in bliss.

He angled his hips upwards, the head of his cock meeting a sweet spot. You started contracting around him, the pleasure in the pit of your belly peaking.

“I’m gonna-,” you managed to slur out before you came hard, so hard that stars speckled behind your clenched eyes. You practically ascended into the ceiling, losing all sense of Jinho’s thrusts and anything else around you.

Ink drowned your vision as you passed out.

-

“(F/n)?”

Your head was weighty as you lifted it, heat throbbing between your legs in response to the vivid dream you had just woken from.

Jinho was peering down at you, his hand warm on your shoulder.

“You should go home if you’re so tired,” he sighed, wearing a concerned expression. You were in shock, simply unable to process that what had just occurred had been entirely in your head. You could still feel his thickness inside you, still feel the intense climax he had given you.

“Are you okay? You look flushed,” Jinho cocked his head, the worry growing on his face. You waved your hand dismissively.

“I-I’m fine. I should go home.”

He hovered nearby as you packed away your laptop, silently observing you. You were ready to leave when he finally broke the silence.

“Let’s do that again,” Jinho suggested innocently, his smile no different from his usual one, “you’re so cute when you beg.”

[takingcourage]

Hi. Ik I'm shameless since you released just 3 days ago a new story of them, but do you think you have the time and the inspiration to write one more heart-melting story starring Cassian x Kellen ? It doesn't need to have major plot or anything, only major cotton candy fluff that makes you smile and go "aww", heh ☺️🍭 It's nothing if your schedule is too busy now and you can't do it, but I needed to try since I miss them so much and I love their dynamic as you write it 💕

Oh my goodness! Thank you for loving them so much, @secretsaladbouquet​.    : )  I promise I do have more WIPs for this pairing on the way -- they’ve just been coming along slowly and June has been a crazy month for me. In the meantime, here’s a little something set between Volumes I and II. 

_____

“As you can see, these numbers indicate an upward trend in...”

Hands poised over her laptop keyboard, Kellen had a perfect view of the screen on her smart watch. As it lit with a notification, all interest in the topic of their meeting dissipated. Messages (1)

Surely she could be forgiven for her state of distraction. After spending the better part of the summer working jobs that had her on her feet and out of doors for most of the day, the transition back to an office desk job was proving a little tricky.

“...toward reaching our clients’ longterm goals, despite being in the middle of a financial....”

Her eyes slid back down to her wrist as the screen lit again. Messages (2)

Beyond the change in work environment, having devices again had taken some getting used to. Going weeks without a smartphone had definitely done a number to her psyche. 

“...implementing this new system means...”

Discreetly bringing her hands to her lap, Kellen rotated the watch in a half circle. Before placing her fingers back on the keys, she checked the notification bar one final time. Messages (6)

Catching Harika’s eye across the table, Kellen had to bite down on her cheek to suppress a smile. Who was she kidding? There was one reason she’d been insanely distracted during this first week back at work, and one reason only: Cassian.

Harika inclined her head toward the hall outside with a jolt that was anything but subtle. Shaking her head in response, Kellen shifted her gaze back to the front of the room. Feeling the stares of colleagues on either side of the conference table, she trained her eyes on the speaker. Only five more minutes.

When she finally reached the relative privacy of her office, her first action was to retrieved her phone from the side drawer. Propping her hip against the corner, Kellen thumbed in her password and skimmed her notifications. As she’d suspected, Cassian was responsible for all six of the messages that had been blowing up her phone. 

Afternoon, love. I hope your meeting’s going okay.

I’m just leaving the doctor’s and wanted to get you an update.

Everything’s healing and looking good.

But that’s not all.

I’ve been cleared to go without bandages.

😉

Based on his chosen emoji, he’d clearly paid attention to her recurring complaint that she “never saw him naked anymore.” The spark kindling in her belly was testament to how excited she was to put that era behind them. 

Beyond her flickering desire, however, was something more constant: the warmth of affection. She’d been so lucky to find a man who listened to her, even when she was being ridiculous. Cassian made her feel more valued -- more cherished -- than anyone in her life had before. Sometimes she couldn’t quite believe the way he cared for her, so guileless and unassuming. The deep physical attraction was just an exceptionally wonderful bonus. 

Lips kinking up in an indulgent smirk, she sent back her reply. As if I needed any more reason to look forward to the weekend... I’m headed your way now. 

Gathering up her few belongings, Kellen hoisted her briefcase over her shoulder and headed for the door. As she stepped into the hall, she had to rock back on her heels to avoid running into Harika. 

“You’re getting out of here in a hurry. Big plans for the weekend?”

There was no use arguing; the smug expression plastered across her face was a dead giveaway. “I’m on my way to see Cassian.” 

“Yes!” she shrieked, blessedly keeping the volume to a minimum. “No wonder you couldn’t focus in that meeting. I want to hear all the details Monday.” 

With a snicker at the other woman’s presumption, Kellen offered a goodbye and continued on her way. 

Not too long after, she walked along another hallway, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of how quickly the once-foreign building had become familiar. It hadn’t even been a month since they’d come back from Nantucket, yet she’d already lost track of how many times she’d been over to Cassian’s for the night. 

Her own empty apartment no longer held the same appeal.

He’d given her a key to his place shortly after they’d gotten back to Boston, but she still hadn’t had an occasion to use it. Every time she showed up, he welcomed her in before she could even unzip the pocket that held it.

She didn’t even bother disguising her laugh as his door flung wide yet again.  

Quickening her pace, she made it into his arms seconds later. “I’m so happy it’s the weekend,” she murmured in his ear, feeling all tension leave her body as his hold tightened. 

“No happier than I am. It still feels strange to go so long without seeing ya. I got used to having you around through the day.” 

Sighing her agreement, she combed a hand through his curls. “This has been one of the longest weeks of my life. I love my job, but getting back to the grind has been way harder than I expected.” 

“It’ll be second nature again in no time,” he promised, letting her go with a final squeeze.

“Of course it will.” A sly smile stole across her lips as she followed him into the apartment. “And I have your abs to console me in the meanwhile.” 

Chuckling, Cassian pulled the door shut behind her. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist them.” Once they were both inside, he rolled up the lower half of his shirt for her inspection. 

After dropping her bag beside her, Kellen’s curious fingers spanned the his ribcage. Taut skin quivered beneath her touch, the muscles contracting as she slipped down from his ribs to his stomach. One, two, three, four... she counted silently, mouthing the syllables close enough for him feel her breath. 

With a quizzical brow, he reached out a hand and tucked it under her chin, tilting her face up to his. “What’re you doing down there?”

“Making sure they’re all here!” 

Above her, Cassian bellowed with laughter. “Satisfied?” he asked when her counting stopped moments later. 

Biting her lip, she flashed him a saucy look. “I’m getting there.” Winding her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a kiss. The heat of his still-exposed stomach filtered through her thin blouse and set her skin on fire. 

“Trust me, Cassian. I’ve had nowhere near enough of you.” Somehow, she was beginning to doubt she ever would. 

_____ I hope it made you smile and go “aww.” : ) Feel free to drop by with requests anytime. I don’t promise to respond right away, but I do love receiving them. 

[taethereal]

Hello!! owo I'm the 500th follower and I thought I could come request something with vhope + "I'm going to need you to put on some underwear before you say anything else."

The lead-up to exams week hasbeen absolutely exhausting for Hoseok. He’s still got two papers to write inbetween practicing for his final dance assessment, not counting the actualtests he needs to study for. The common room has become his fortress, booksstacked up beside the couch, papers strewn across the coffee table, variousabandoned cans of cold coffee tucked between cushions and hidden under snackwrappers. He perches precariously in the middle of all of it, fingers peckingat his laptop as he works on a composition for his modern arts class. It’smind-numbing but he seems to be making progress.

He’s so engrossed, he doesn’thear the wet footsteps slapping down the hall until it’s too late.

Until his incredibly attractive,insanely oblivious roommate is standing five feet away from him, buck naked.

“Hyung, I’ve figured it out!”Taehyung shouts, hands tugging wildly at his dripping wet hair.

Hoseok stumbles over his words,his brain preoccupied with controlling his eyes and keeping them at arespectable height. “Uhm- You’re uh.. what?”

Taehyung throws his arms up. “Mythesis! I was in the shower and it just… people say you do your best thinkingin the shower and I never believed it but it’s totally true!” He’s agitated,hopping back and forth from foot to foot and there’s a wet sort of slappingsound with each motion. Hoseok averts his eyes entirely, gaze burning a hole inthe recliner to Taehyung’s right.

“That’s great, Tae, I’m reallyhappy for you.” Hoseok works very hard to keep his voice steady and his eyestrained on the loose thread on the seam of the recliner. He should fix that.Definitely should fix that thread and not look over to where Taehyung isstanding, wet and tan and really, really excited about this thesis thing.

Shit.

He glances and luckily Taehyungis distracted, but he glances for just a second and his cheeks burn and hismouth goes dry and-

“Listen, let me just bounce thisoff of you and see what you think, okay?” Taehyung says excitedly, moving tosit on the arm of the recliner that Hoseok was trying so hard to focus onbefore but is now an entirely unsafe place to look. “So I was reading thispaper by Dr. Kim, that guy I always talk about who spent a year with the penguinsin Antarctica, you remember?”

Hoseok misses his cue to speakbecause he’s staring so hard at the ‘shift’ key on his keyboard that theletters have jumbled all together and he feels dizzy. Definitely because of thekeyboard, not because of the way Taehyung is straddling the arm of the chair,staring straight at him while being undeniably nude. And still sort of shimmerywith moisture from the shower. And, like, really nude.

“Okay… well, anyways,” Taehyungsays suspiciously and Hoseok becomes instantly more vigilant, going so far asto pretend to type, even if he’s just pressing the ‘h’ key over and over. “So Istarted thinking about his theories on penguin social structure and it just cameto me! It’s a circle!”

Taehyung illustrates by jumpingto his feet and spinning in a slow circle. Like a rotating bakery display. Allthe appetizing goodies on exhibit.

“Is this real life?” Hoseokmumbles under his breath as he scrubs at his eyes. Maybe he fell asleep andthis is all just a dream.

“Of course it’s real!” Taehyunganswers his rhetorical question. He huffs and props a foot up on the coffeetable and leans over like Hoseok is about to get a serious lecture on the livesand times of goddamn penguins. It’s too much: absolutely, positively, too much.

“Tae?” Hoseok squeaks. “I wouldlove to hear all about this – really I would – but could you please put somepants on first?”

Taehyung glances down and, forthe first time in this conversation, seems to notice his state of undress. Hethen promptly seems to dismiss it. “Penguins have no qualms about nudity,” hemumbles as he stalks off down the hallway.

Despite the absolute absurdity ofthat statement, Hoseok can’t help but watch him go.