#like i have 'almost total shade' and 'lots of sun' options but nothing that will take those PLUS the stupid heat even with watering

[xcziel]

i think i have given up on the yard now

there are things planted and we'll see what we'll see, but from everything i've read stuff will either die in the 110F heat or later on in a winter freeze so further $ invested may be a waste

and the only solution is to keep everything as potted-and-mobile or indoor plants

there's already been issues with ants and gnats so the impetus to leave them outside and then bring them in later is now very low

so maybe i will just have a lot of indoor plants - at least i can take them with me when i go

the one pothos is at least VERY enthusiastic and all the greenery is *so* fucking mentally soothing

... i just really want to buy so many more plants and i *have* to stop

[extravaguk]

pairing: jungkook x reader

summary: But above all things, the last thing you expected to happen when you came back was to show your tits and get pierced by none other than motherfucking Jeon Jungkook.

Jeon Jungkook. Guk. Gukkie. Jeongukkie.

wordcount: 15k

genre: summer!au, ex high school classmaters, kinda frenemies to lovers, tattoo artist!&piercing artist!jungkook, popular!reader

rated: m (fluff - smut - angst)

warnings: you broke jungkook's heart you bitch!! , oral sex (m&f), protected sex (shocking tbh), CL as your bestie it doesnt get better than that! idk i dont wanna spoil too much

author's note: fucking finally dude!! i've been writing this since february but school was kicking my ass. now that i finished my exams and mercury is in gemini i was able to finish it. if you read this, i hope you enjoy it!

Inkphoria

You've been standing outside the shop re-reading the word for fifteen minutes, although it definitely feels like it has been longer. You're gripping the flyer too tightly, rumpling the paper in your hand until you're pretty much sure it's ruined. It's the first day of June, and it's already too hot. The sun and humid weather are causing beads of sweat to form in your hairline and your white tank top to stick to your skin. Your jean shorts didn't feel this uncomfortable a few hours ago and you're sure the heat is causing your mascara to transfer to your eyelids and lower lashline. You've never needed a slushie and a smoke this bad in forever, even if you knew the later would make your parents lose their shit.

Inkphoria

You read it again. Your brain is trying to guess what font its written in, an excuse to try to steady your heart beat until your nerves ease a little and you can finally gather the courage to step into the damn shop. You've noticed a few people passing by giving you strange looks because maybe it hasn't been fifteen minutes. Perhaps you've been unmoving like an idiot in the middle of the street for longer than you want to admit.

Chaelin's voice echoes inside your head.

'Its not that much of a big deal. It's not even that painful, trust me.'

You wish you could trust your best friend, but your best friend is also the same woman who assured you Cats was the movie of the year. Yes, not 'Cats: The Musical'. 'Cats', the movie.

'And this could be a great start to get out of your comfort zone and start living your life exactly the way you want to, not the way people expect you to. Not the way your family wants you to, not the way Adam wanted you to.'

But although her credibility could sometimes be questionable - like that time she also told you she'd tried marmite and 'honestly, it's not as bad as people make it out to be'-, you also didn't trust anybody in this world as much as you trusted her. She had always been your entire support system, the only one around you who never sugarcoated, who always treated you as an equal, who was always there for you to help you discover yourself and, at the same time, remind you of who you were.

'And it's gonna look so hot, too.'

That's it. Sticking the wrinkled flyer on your back pocket, your feet finally start moving. It doesn't take longer than three strides and you're pushing open the door.

The first thing you notice is that, thankfully, the shop is empty. The second thing you notice is the bright sky blue walls, a green undertone peaking through. Your eyes scan nervously the interior. Frames with tattoo designs and people modeling other different designs decorate the walls, some skateboards also hanging from the ceiling. A few plants in the corner, and two leather couches on either side of the room. Your scanning stops on the counter, where a girl with short, platinium hair and -what you guess is- the eighty percent of her body inked. Face included. She's been looking at you, a smirk tugging at her lips. Her tone is amused when she speaks

"Hi." she says. "You can come closer, you know? We don't bite."

Great. As if you couldn't feel more out of place, apparently you also couldn't look more out of place.

"Sorry." you gulp as you walk forward. "It's my first time doing anything like this."

She laughs this time, but it's not mean. It's not mocking, thank God, and the smile she sends you is as warm as the weather, friendly, luckily helping you calm down a bit. "A virgin, huh? JK's gonna love this." your eyes jump in surprise, but she's fast to wave her hands in front of you. "Just a joke. So, first time getting a tattoo. You have something in mind, honey?"

"Um, no. Not a tattoo. Not yet, I think." you wet your lips, regretting not reaplying chapstick before stepping inside. "A piercing."

"Oh! Cool!" she claps her hands, too excited for your own taste, pulling from under the counter a catalogue. "So, where will it be? Cartilogue? Nose? A lot of people are getting their septums pierced right now, though, so you might-"

"Nipples. Like, one of them."

Her gaze finds yours in surprise, although her face swiftly transforms again into an amiable expression. "Now, that's badass. Alright!" she skims through the pages of the catalogue until she finds the nipple piercing collection. You scratch your head before wiping your forehead sweat-free. "You can pick either barbells or hoops, although barbells heal faster and they don't move around as much. There's different kinds of metal, too. Gold or platinium. If your skin is sensitive, I recommend titanium. It's hypoallergenic and not as problematic."

The blonde keeps talking as you nod your head, a smile making its way into your face while silently thanking her for her easygoing personality. It quickly makes you feel comfortable and stupid for being so terrified of doing this.

Once you decide, settle on the cost and sign the papers, she stands up from the stool she'd been sitting on. "Ok, I'll go tell my coworker. He's been sketching tattoos all morning, it's time he gets to work!" she laughs, but suddenly your smile banishes and your throat shuts down.

"He?" your alarmed tone halts her motions and she looks back at your frightened expression.

He? A he is going to pierce your nipple? You're about to let a random stranger, a HE, see and touch one of your boobs and then pierce a needle through one of your nipples?

"Oh, baby, don't worry. I'd do it myself if I knew how to, but I only do tattoos. Most of our staff are on summer vacation so it's mostly just him and I. If you don't feel comfortable, which is totally understandable, you can wait until september when Minzy comes back and she can do it for you." It's her turn to scratch the back of her head as she adds: "but trust me, we're professionals. He's not a creep or anything like that. He's been doing this for a long time. He won't cross any boundaries."

September? You won't even be here in september. Fuck.

Sure, you could do it when you move back into the city. But this summer was supossed to be the summer. You already decided after your breakup with Adam that there would be no trace of the old you. That it was time to push yourself, to do the things that you've always wanted to do, unapologetically. To find the new you, the real you. To stop being scared.

So after going through you options for a few seconds and taking a deep breath, you make up your mind.

"It's fine. I can do it."

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"JK, sweetheart!"

Jungkook is finishing drawing a Chinese dragon when Mijoo opens the door without knocking. Again. He puts the pen down, rubbing his eyes. It's monday, a slow monday, not much work, and he had hoped it would stay that way until closing time. It's summer and Jungkook hates summer. He hates the heat, he hates being drenched in sweat, and he hates the fact that he can do nothing about it. Because working in the summer is terrible. Summer makes him lazy, makes him want to bathe in a tub full of iced water and not get out until he turns into a raisin and october comes. It makes him irritable. Summer makes him annoyed by people -like Mijoo, even if he loves her to death- and himself.

"I got a girl here who wants a nipple piercing, her first piercing by the way, so get your shit ready and bla bla bla. Straight titanium barbell. Also, don't flirt and don't be creepy. She almost ran away when I told her a male was going to be touching and piercing her tit, be mindful of that. She's too cute, if you want to get her number you should wait until it's done. I think that's it. I'll bring her in in a minute."

Mijoo leaves as fast as she talks, but Jungkook is already used to it. He's already used to the headaches her mouth causes too. He sighs before standing up, tying his too-long raven hair into the best bun he can manage. He washes his hands, sets the table up, sits on the chair and puts the gloves on. He's too busy sterilizing the jewerly when Mijoo comes back with you.

"Alright, my babies. I'll leave you to it." she turns to you. "He'll explain everything, from how the process will be to how to take care of it after it's done." she leaves before saying bye, closing the door behind her, and then he finally turns to you.

Your eyes meet and suddenly everything stops. He almost drops the sterilizing machine, his whole body tensing, going into panic mode as he recognizes you immediatly. His hands shake.

Of course he does. Of course he recognizes his high school crush. The too goody two shoes, too pretentious and too rich, too good for everybody and, most importantly, 'too good for Jeon Jungkook' girl of his high school dreams. Of course he recognizes the girl he had confessed his stupid crush to when he was sixteen. Of course he recognizes the girl who rejected and broke his young and foolish heart when he was a dumb teenager.

It doesn't matter that six years have passed ever since. He still knows every lock of your hair like the palm of his hand. He still remembers the shape of your lips and the exact shade of your eyes. He can still identify the body he fantasized about -and jacked off to- when he was a hormonal teen, now filled in all the right places. Now a grown woman.

Just one look at you after years and years of pining is enough to almost make him faint. And grow a boner under his jeans.

And by the look on your face, your eyes wide and your mouth agape, you recognize him as well.

Dammit.

He schools his features and clears his throat. Forces his body to relax and compose himself, because he's not a teenager anymore. He's also a grown man, who has matured, who now has much more experience with women than he did back then. He had already embarrased himself enough when he was sixteen to be doing it all over again. You're just another attractive girl in a sea of attractive women.

He turns to you. You still haven't said anything. Neither has he.

"Um, you can sit on the table." he manages, motioning to the set up in front of him. He watches you taking doubtful steps until you're sitting down, your eyes avoiding his gaze. He almost forgot you were here to get pierced. Holy shit, you were here to get pierced. To get your nipple pierced.

You're a professional, Jungkook. You can do this, Jungkook. You've seen boobs before, Jungkook. You've pierced nipples before, Jungkook.

Clearing his throat again and forcing his hands to stay by his side, he speaks. "The... The top." your gaze finds his, like a puppy about to get scolded. You look at your top, realization dawning on you. "You don't have to take it off. You can just pull it down."

So you do, pulling the straps of the white tank top down and dragging the fabric down with trembling fingers. No bra. Jungkook gulps as your breasts comes into vision. As perfect as he had imagined years ago. His cock twitches. Round, full, perky and so damn inviting he has to hold himself back from latching onto one nipple with his mouth around it and swirling his tongue over the nub until you're a pretty, moaning, little mess on his piercing tabl-

He closes his eyes for just a second before reminding himself to act like the 23 year old Jungkook he's tried so hard to become. The confident, assured Jungkook he is.

"Okay, this is how it'll go. First I'll clean it and scrub it to get rid of any bacteria." he's so glad he hasn't stuttered yet. 23 year old Jungkook doesn't stutter like 17 year old Jungkook. He's also glad he can pick the alcohol bottle and the surgical scrub without trembling. When he faces you again, you're watching his motions with your lip caught between your teeth. That has him swallowing the lump in his throat.

Making eye contact with him again, you take a deep breath and offer a small nod, so he gets to work. He can show you and himself he's a grown man. A grown man who can pierce a nipple without appearing like it's the first time he's seen a boob in his life. The sooner he does it, the sooner it's over.

Jungkook wets the paper towel with alcohol before carefully wiping over your nub with it. Your back arches, probably from the cold feeling, he guesses. He rubs it a few times before throwing it in the trash can nearby. He avoids looking at how enticing the soft peak is salluting him when he reaches for the marker. He doesn't say anything when he dots it with it, jaw clenched and his dick painfully stiff.

"Lay back." his voice low as he commands, turning away to get the clamp. When he slides closer, he tries to ignore the view: you, with your hair sprawled and your sweaty, shiny skin and your eyes focused on the cieling, nipple fully erect, like the star of one of his most erotic dreams. He extends his free gloved hand before he can stop himself, fingers carefully working the nub until he's sure it's painfully hard. Almost as hard as he is.

You gasp, your back arching again. He stills and looks at you, your cheeks flushed pink. Probably from the heat, he guesses again. Or at least that's what he tells himself. He can't stop himself from wondering how responsive would you be in a different setting, most likely his bed while his teeth play with your breast and his cock dives into-

"You okay?" he studies your face, your eyes not meeting his and instead still focusing on the white ceiling.

"Mhm." you reply with a small voice.

"Relax, alright? It'll be over soon." his voice is as gentle as he can, his fingers mindlessly caressing your breast to try to soothe your nerves. Or maybe it's just because he's a selfish bastard. Whatever it is, he forces himself to bring the clamp to your nipple, securing it around it.

"Take a few deep breaths. This will only take a second of pain and then it will go away." He misses the way your mouth falls open, but he doesn't miss the way your eyes squeeze tight as the needle goes in.

"Ah!" he definitely doesn't miss that either. He goes rigid for a second, because that didn't fucking sound like a cry of painfulness. It's breathy, and whiny, not too loud and, for fucks sake, if that's how you sound when you're getting fucked, he swears to God-

He feels your heartbeat under his hands when he puts the barbell in and then the bandage over it. He takes a look at you, chest moving up and down. And then you take a look at him and what he sees is almost enough to take you right there.

Reddened cheeks, drops of sweat framing your face and those eyes glazed with something he's seen too much in the women he's fucked throughout his life. They're half lidded, mascara adorning your long lashes and almost smudged, looking right through him.

"Jungkook..." and your voice, as you say his name -acknowledging him for the first time since you stepped into his shop, for the first time since you were sixteen-, it's hoarse, almost inaudible, like you just came all over his-

He's on his feet in an instant like he's been burned. "It may bleed for the first week, and it can be really sore. The swelling will eventually come down." he's quickly tidying up the table, a bottle in his hand that he hands to you without looking directly. "Wash it gently with this soap and warm water once per day. Don't touch it. Wear a comfortable...bra. If it gets crusty, clean it with saline. Not alcohol or any other thing you might clean a wound with. The soap I just gave you or saline. Nothing else."

He's pacing around the room as he takes his gloves off and throws them in the trash bin, too agressively maybe, then he keeps rambling, like he's hurriedly trying to make you leave as soon as possible. "Avoid pools and the sea. It takes about six months to a year to heal, so don't... don't touch it, don't play with it or..." he clears his throat, "don't let anyone else play with it. And if it gets infected, come back immediately and I'll take a look at it." which he honestly hopes it won't happen. When he faces you, your top is back on and you're getting off the table.

"Alright, um...I'll do that." clearing your throat, your hand gripping the doorknob. "Thank you."

But right before you can exit the room, Jungkook says your name.

"_____." when you turn around to face him, it takes a few seconds for him to make eye contact from across the room. "It was good to see you."

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"Let me see!"

It's the first thing Chaelin says when she opens the door to her appartment. It's on the second floor, small enough to compare it to most expensive appartments you'd stayed in throughout your life, but big enough for Chaelin, her cat and her -impressive- collection of acrylic nail kits and pairs of high heels. It's also big enough for her to offer you the only guest room until summer is over so you didn't have to, one, stay at your parents' place, and two, find an appartment in a short period of time for a short period of time.

When you left years ago, you did so with the thought of 'never looking back'. You never really expected to return here, of all places. Maybe visit your best friend for a weekend at most, have dinner with your parents on a saturday and then go back to the new life you'd made for yourself on a sunday.

But that was before you'd caught Adam cheating.

Tale as old as time: childhood sweethearts get engaged, move in together, son of a bitch sleeps with the assistand he told his girlfriend not to worry about, and then the brokenhearted girl packs her bags and leaves the cheating bastard begging for her to come back.

You'd be lying if you said you were surprised.

Throughout your life, you'd learned to expect many things, regardless of being sheltered and babied by your family since you were born. Watched too much Maury and Dr.Phil. Too much Gossip Girl to know what the deal with life really is.

So, thankfully, you'd only shed a few tears, mostly because your ego and self steem were slightly triggered. You'd realize long before that your feelings for Adam started to disappear once he popped the question and you said yes. Your love story began as teenagers but soon after graduating, the two of you went on different paths: you'd matured, grown into your twenties while he got stuck at 17 and never stopped acting as such.

So yeah, whatever, break ups are hard. But they're not as hard when the love is gone and the sole reason to stay with your partner is to please your parents. You were also right when you expected your mom to tell you to 'forgive and forget' because 'those things just happen, it's not a big deal, honey'.

But above all things, the last thing you expected to happen when you came back was to show your tits and get pierced by none other than motherfucking Jeon Jungkook.

Jeon Jungkook. Guk. Gukkie. Jeongukkie.

The lanky nerd with braces, glasses and an anime obsession much bigger than his hentai obsession, which is saying a lot. The shy, awkward classmate who'd stuttered his undying crush for you when you were just kids. That one who you had rudely rejected like the bitch you used to be in high school.

But my God, Jeon Jungkook was anything but a kid now.

You were shocked. You were gagged. Couldn't seem to fathom what was happening and what your eyes were seeing. It took you a while to close your mouth when you realized JK was Guk. Gukkie. Jeongukkie.

With messy black hair, a smoldering gaze free of glasses, piercings adorning both ears, and his right eyebrow,, the braces long gone showing perfectly straight - but still bunny like- teeth. The clothes he wore were loose, all black, but it was impossible not to notice the muscles of his back and arms, covered with tattoos from his hands to his forearms. You'd bet there were more of them underneath the fabric.

It was awkward at first. You didn't know what to do, or what to say. Didn't know if he rememberd you. So you chose to stay quiet while your body chose to react like it had never been in the presence of an attractive young man in it's entire life.

And oh, did it react.

He was reluctant, his old timid demeanor peeking through his newly adopted persona. But as soon as those hands came in contact with your skin, your whole body was lit on fire. Like you were 16 and losing your virginity over again and it was the first time a dude touched your boobs.

There shouldn't have been anything erotic about it -besides the fact that your entire breasts were exposed-, it should've been just a professional procedure. But those gloved fingers touched and pinched and suddenly you were too aware of Jeon Jungkook and the way you were starting to sweat profously, not due to the heat of the season.

You tried to distract yourself by looking at the cieling and not at his gorgeous face. Tried to avoid thinking about Jeon Jungkook and how his mouth would feel wrapped around you. Tried not to think about the way your panties were a second skin to your folds, and how tempted you were to grind your hips until you recieved some sort of friction with the jean fabric of your shorts. You wonder if he noticed you squeezing your thighs together. You hope not.

And then the needle happened. You never thought of yourself as a particularly kinky person. Sex with Adam was boring for the most part and you'd lost your libido for a long time. Stopped thinking about sex altogether. But the pain. The pain mixed with his hand rubbing soothing circles on your breast and his voice, as sweet as honey, guiding you through it. It made you reconsider a lot of things you'd once dismissed as 'weird' or 'deviant'

You swear you almost came right on his table.

And then your eyes connected, you made the mistake of calling his name like a satisfied woman who still needed more, and it was all gone. He stood up like a scared cat, gave you a bunch of explanations about the aftercare that you barely grasped without even looking at you and pretty much rushed you to leave.

So you walked, all the way from the tattoo parlor to Chaelin's appartment, mortified, and completely humilliated.

"Are you gonna let me see or not?" your friend says expectantly as you finally sit down after chugging a glass of iced water. You sigh, placing the glass on the table before carefully pulling down your top. "Oh my God, it looks so cool!" she gasps and you can't help a smile while she studies it in amazement. "Did it hurt?"

"Um, I guess." you keep out the part where you almost orgasmed, obviously, stopping her hand from touching when she reaches towards you. "Wait, no. He said something about not touching it for like six months or a year, I don't remember."

At that, Chaelin's eyebrows quirk up. "He? It was a he? Was he cute, at least?"

"You won't believe this..." looking away for a few seconds, you take a deep breath. "It was Jeon Jungkook."

There's a pause, a silence that fills the room when Chaelin's jaw drops. "Jeon Jungkook...pierced your nipple?"

You close your eyes, bracing yourself for what you're a hundred percent sure is coming.

"Ha..." there it is. "Ha ha..." you still know there's more. "Ha ha ha..."

Chaelin laughs hysterically for about God knows how long, while you keep drinking your glass of water unfaced, your mind drifting back to Guk. Gukkie. Jeongukkie, his tattoos and his stupid gloved hands.

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You know he's here.

Everything was cool, you were doing alright, having a great time with your vodka sprite in hand and your cute white bikini on. Chaelin was by your side, the guys were excited to have you back and thankfully, you'd avoided most questions about Adam and they'd avoided digging too deep into the topic. You'd sunbathed the whole afternoon, kept away from the water like he'd told you and ate the Hawaiian pizza Yoongi insisted on ordering despite Namjoon's and Jimin's complaints.

It's at night, when you're a little tipsy and your cheeks are flushed, that you feel it. You'd barely noticed Taehyung disappearing to let in a new guest.

You don't see him, but you feel him.

You're sitting on the pool tile steps, legs dangling and the water baely reaching your belly to make sure it doesn't touch your very sensitive and newly pierced nipple. Your back is facing the sliding glass doors of Hoseok's house, but the moment you hear his voice, smooth but animated as he converses with Taehyung, your body wakes up immediately, back straightening, goosebumps forming on your arms and nipples tightening against the fabric of your two piece.

You don't turn around, instead opting for downing the remaining of your drink and coming to the realization that, of course, Taehyung, social butterfly who'd always got along with everybody and remained friends with most people from high school, still keeps in touch with Jungkook.

You ignore him when he enters the pool, still peering from the corner of your eyes while pretending to be engaged in Chaelin's and Jihyo's conversation. Your mind sabotages you by taking you to that day a week ago at the tattoo parlor.

To the warmth of his hand, to the few strands of hair that his small ponytail couldn't keep together, to the way his eyes focused on such an intimate part of your body, to the endless ink decorating his skin, to-

Great. Now your bottoms are wet and not due to the water.

You don't miss Chaelin supressing a laugh and her not so subtle elbowing. You glance at her in warning and try to keep calm for the next fifteen minutes until Jin proposes moving to the living room to watch a movie.

"I'm gonna stay here for a little longer, guys." you say, after clearing your throat. You needed some time to gather yourself before being in a confined space with Jungkook.

"Are you sure?" Jin stops by your side to place a hand on your shoulder as everybody starts exiting the pool. "It's Mean Girls! You love Mean Girls! You never miss a minute of Mean Girls!"

Rolling your eyes, you wave him dismissively. "I know every dialogue on Mean Girls like the back of my hand, I think I'll be alright, Jin."

When everybody finally leaves, you take a deep breath, covering your face with your hands in an attempt to get him out of your head. Damn Jeon Jungkook and his irresisitble glow up.

"You okay?"

The unexpected voice startles you, a gasp finding its way out of your mouth and causing you to jump on your seat, heartbeat erratic as you instantly recognize who it belongs to. Your hand grasps your chest as if that would do anything to protect yourself against him.

"Shit, don't do that!" you say, the words almost getting stuck in your throat as you see him approaching you, still submerged in the pool. The more he nears you, the less water depth there is and the more visible his torso comes into view. Wich was exactly what you'd been avoiding.

Because Jeon Jungkook was ripped, as you'd imagined when you first encountered him.

Broad shoulders and strong biceps and chiseled abs and veiny forearms. Drenched hair, a full sleeve of tattoos and water dripping from delicious tan skin and all just so very hard. That paired up with a loopsided smile that does nothing but make you shudder.

"Sorry." he doesn't sound apologetic at all when he says that, the smirk adorning his features telling. "You just seemed a little off." you advert your gaze when he pushes his hair back.

"I'm fine, just...just wanted to be by myself."

"Oh" Jungkook's smile disappears. "I can leave, if you want me t-"

"No!" you're not sure where that comes from and neither does he, judging by the look on his face when your eyes find his. Eyebrows raised and mouth slightly parted, he's as surprised as you and there's an awkward silence for a few seconds. "Um, you don't have to. I mean, it's not my house, you can do whatever you want." you sniff and tame your voice, trying to seem cool and collected like you didn't just practically beg him not to go.

Ironic, considering this was exactly what you had been fearing for the past thirty minutes.

And then he smiles. A knowing smile. A smile that says 'you just totally checked me out and now you don't want me to leave'. A smile that you would have never associated with Jeon Jungkook of all people years ago. A smile that makes you want to look away but still keeps you in place.

"Sure." he says, closing the space between the two of you slowly but still leaving enough distance. "So, how's it going?"

You clear your throat, head high and determined not to let this man, or any man for that matter, turn you into a trembling mess. You're still you and you're not easily shaken by the opposite sex. Or at least that's what you helplessly chant in your head.

"Everything's cool. I'm on summer vacation now," a little white lie, "so I decided to-"

"The piercing." he says, the smile never leaving his face. "I meant how's the piercing."

"The pier- right." you almost miss the step he takes forward, all too aware of his height over yours but thankful for the centimeters that being propped on the stairs added to yours. "It's-" you almost, almost miss his knee touching your knee and him slightly separating your legs with his own inch by inch. Or how your thighs open unvoluntarely to welcome him in and how you can barely find coherent words to speak. "It's doing-" or the way his smile disappears and is instead focusing his dark stare fully onto yours.

"It's doing well." you finally say in a whisper, not being able to bring yourself to be louder.

He hums. "May I see it?" Jungkook wets his lips with the tip of his tongue and the action and his voice is enough to make you nod your head, bewitched.

His movements are unhurried, his hand coming up to tentatively come in contact with the flesh of your clavicle. His fingers skim through your skin upwards, his touch is feather-like when it wraps around your throat. You pant, and he stops but he doesn't move away, his eyes still focused on yours, studying you, daring you to pull back, to tell him to back off. But just a simple touch of his and you're fully under his control. It reminds you too much of the day you got that damn piercing.

Your lips are parted and for a moment he stays just like that. His body so close to yours but not close enough, and his hand slightly gripping your neck. Your pussy clenches around nothing and you can't wrap your head around the fact that something so simple sets your entire being alive and leaves you aching.

Then, as slow as he started, his hand travels from the front of your neck to the back, pushing your hair aside to carefully untie the straps of your bikini. He breathes through his nostrils, doesn't make a sound. He seems so collected it's starting to annoy you.

Instead, your breathing is ragged when the top falls down, exposing both your breasts to him. That's when he removes his eyes from yours and his jaw clenches. Your nipples perk up under his gaze, like they remember him and the effect he had on them just a week ago. You're at least glad you're not the only one affected but he seems to be a master at keeping it under wraps.

Then, his hand moves again, leaving goosebumps on your skin as it goes south. Jungkook takes his time, so deliberate you want to scream, until he's cupping your pierced breast, keeping away from the nipple just like he'd advised you a few days prior. You can't look away from his face, from his eyes observing you like you're a full course meal and he's been starving for days. You feel drops of water falling from his hair to your thighs, his thumb caressing your skin so delicately as it faintly nears your still tender nipple. Just nearing it, never touching it.

"Beautiful." his murmur is almost imperceptible and for a moment you think you've imagined it. Your back arches on its own, breast pushed against the palm of his hand, almost like your body is begging him to come closer, to touch you more, to feel you all over. He meets your eyes briefly, gauging your reaction, before going back to your chest. Suddenly, the grip on your breast tightens, fingers ever so softly squeezing your flesh. From your throat comes a mewl, your eyes shut and your legs close around his waist.

"Jungkook, please..." you whisper when you open your eyes. He looks at you, unvertainty written all over his face, lips bruised as if he had been biting on them too hard, gaze as glassy as yours. And just like that, the spell is broken. He blinks and his expression changes completely. Lips forming a straight line and jaw tight. His hand retracts, fixing your bikini top over your breasts before tying it around your neck like it originally was. Meanwhile your eyebrows crunch in confusion. But when you're about to start asking questions, he clears his throat.

"It's healing okay." he steps back, avoiding your eyes. "I'll see you inside."

Jungkook leaves the pool like nothing happened.

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Jungkook is fiddling, fixing the position of his glasses and combing through his straight hair with shaky hands, habits he's tried so hard to get rid of in his sixteen years of existence but still finds impossible to.

He can't help it. He's always been like this: the quiet and awkward kid in class who sits in the back, a misunderstood puppy in a sea of stronger dog breeds that could eat him alive. An outcast. Too geeky for his own good. Notebokes full of Dragon Ball doodles on the margins of the pages, the shelves in his room stacked with Marvel figurines, and a closet filled with outdated clothes that he has been inheriting from his older brother.

He has never been the type to stand out, always being overlooked by people like he's invisible. He doesn't mind though. He'd much rather be ignored than getting picked on by bullies like he used to in elementary school.

He never gets invited to parties. Ever. He's a nobody who barely speaks, and when he does he either stutters or manages to embarrass himself in one way or another. He's seen the look on people's faces when they look at him. Their eyes seem to scream 'weirdo' everytime he gets acknowledged.

So obviously the only reason he was invited to this particular party had a first and last name: Kim Taehyung. The only kid in Jungkook's entire life who didn't look at him in a funny way, the only kid who took the time to entangle in a random conversation with him after class and who seemed geniune enough to make Jungkook feel comfortable.

He's not sure how it happened, since Taehyung mostly hangs out with the cool kids. But somehow it did, and now Jungkook is uncomfortably standing in a living room full of drunk teens, looking directly at you.

You, the one girl Jungkook had been pining on for God knows how long. You, who are obviously too pretty, too popular, and way out of his league. You, with your plaid skirt and your polo shirt and those legs that never seem to end. You, who are sitting with your friends in a couch, drink in hand and visibly tipsy. And yet, he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone pull of the 'drunk-rosy-cheek' look better than you.

He can hear your laugh through the music and he already thinks it sounds better than whoever is playing in the background.

"Come on, Gukkie! Her friends are leaving and she's all by herself now! It's your chance" Taehyung's obviously drunk too because it took Jungkook a while to decypher his exact words. He'd disappeared for a while and now that he's back, he's pushing Jungkook in your direction.

"This was a mistake, Taehyung." Jungkook shakes his hair and steps back, quickly glancing at the front door to prepare his escape. But his new friend's grip on his hoodie keeps him in place.

"Guk, listen. The only thing you have to do, is walk up to her, and say 'hey I think you're, like, really pretty. Just letting you know. Bye!' That's it. Jung- Dude, Guk, seriously, look at me." Taehyung grabs Jungkook's cheeks, squishing them between his hands and forceing him to face him. "You've been crushing hard on her for years, my man. We're graduating and you won't see each other again. What's the worst thing that can happen? Getting rejected?"

Jungkook's eyebrows draw together. "Um, yeah?"

"Exactly! Getting rejected is not the end of the world, bro! It just means keep trying on other girls!" Taehyung releases his hold on Jungkook's cheeks. "I just think you're going to regret not telling your crush she's your crush. Who knows? Maybe in the future you two will get married."

Jungkook snickers, muttering a 'yeah right' under his breath. Still, he can't help the smile that Taehyung's words always seem to pull out of him.

"Now," Taehyung playfully slaps Jungkook before turning him in your direction again. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

"Okay," Mijoo's voice slices through Jungkook's memories. She's sitting on Jungkook's desk, munching on her brownies and looking at her coworker expectantly. "And then what?"

He sighs, running a hand through his hair, sits back on his chair, already feeling the effects of Mijoo's baked goods. "And then I walked up to her, like a damn fool, stutter and all. And I say:" he clears his throat, making an effort to do his best teenage Gukkie impression."'Hey, _____, um, so, I think you're beautiful and I've had a crush on you since seventh grade, haha, just wanted to let you know.'"

Mijoo rolls her eyes, still chewing. "And then what?"

"And then she looked me up and down, giggled, fucking giggled, Mijoo, and said 'Who are you, again?'" Mijoo gasps and Jungkook closes his eyes, trying to force that recollecion out of his head.

"What a bitch." she can't help but laugh before apologizing. Jungkook merely shrugs his shoulders and takes another bite of his brownie. "She didn't say anything else?"

"She said something along the lines of:" he clears his throat again, this time, doing an impression of you. "'That's sweet and all but, you and I... we're not the same. And I have a boyfriend, so...' She said that like I didn't know, like I wasn't aware of the school's it couple! Like I was dumb!"

Mijoo nods. "And now you want to fuck her even more than you did in high school."

"I- No! Well, yes. Fuck, of course I want to sleep with her! But I just... can't."

"Why not?"

"Did you hear anything about what I just told you or were you too concentrated trying to get high?"

It's Mijoo's turn to roll her eyes. "I heard everything you just told me. I just don't understand what the problem is. You two were sixteen. Sure, she was a bitch about it, but Lord knows I've been a bitch my entire life and now I'm not anymore." Jungkook raises an eyebrow at that. "Okay, sometimes I can be nice. But the point is..." Mijoo finishes her piece of brownie before getting off of Jungkook's desk. "It's been, what? Nine? Ten years? People change, JK. You're the best example of that. You want to fuck her and she obviously wants to fuck you too. You're both adults." she wipes her hands on her shorts. "I think it's time you fulfill that high school fantasy of yours."

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You've made up your mind.

And by you, it means Chaelin has made up your mind.

It didn't take long to convince you though. That last interaction with Jungkook cause too many emotions stirring within you. It left you hot, it left you bothered, it left you confused. Sure, it also left you a little bit embarrassed like the first time, but above everything else, that interaction with Jungkook left you absolutely livid.

Because who the fuck did Jeon Jungkook, formerly known as Guk, Gukkie, Jungukkie, and currently known as JK, think he was to come near you, speed your heart rate's up, and then runaway like that?

You've spent days thinking about it. About that face, about that body, about those hands and- shit. You're doing it again.

You've spent days trying to push those intrusive thoughts. Spent days trying to bury what happened. You've spent days trying to keep quiet, not telling anyone about it and just wishing that stupid spark of desire simply went away.

But it has just been simply unavoidable. You haven't been able to ignore the sleepless nights with your brain drifting back to that night and forbidding your hand from slipping under your panties. Or the excessive amount of time during the day where images of him suddenly popped in your head and wouldn't go away, even with you squeezing your thighs to try to make the ache go away.

So you ended up ranting and ranting and ranting to the only person you could confide on, who is obviously your best friend. Your best friend, who's too smart for her own good and knows you too well for your liking. Because apparently your moodiness and snappy remarks couldn't go unnoticed.

And after explaining the fiasco over a bottle of wine -and minutes of endless laughing on Chaelin's part because, again, it's Gukkie you two were talking about and, according to her, this was "the most karmic thing I've ever seen"-, she gave you the best advice an older sister could ever give.

"Fuck him."

"I know right? Fuck him!"

"No. I mean, fuck him."

And now here you are. Right inside that room you stepped in weeks ago, confronting the man in question with the same confidence that has always distinguished you from others and trying to act like the fluttering inside your belly wasn't nauseauting.

"A date."

"Yes."

"You want to go on a date with me." this wouldn't be so hard if Jungkook didn't look so delectable in a plain white t-shirt and ripped jeans. You cross your arms over your chest, doing your best to not look down at the exposed skin of a man who obviously worked out a lot and apparently, never skipped leg day. "What's the catch?"

He's sitting on his chair, back resting comfortably and legs spread, narrowing his eyes at you and probably wondering why the girl at the front desk let you in without an appointment. Also, probably wondering if there was a catch to all of this.

"There's no catch. I just want to go to the fair this weekend. I'll ask Taehyung for your number and text you the date and the exact place we'll be meeting. Unless..." your quirk one of your eyebrows. "Unless you're already planning on how you'll chicken out this time."

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Of course, Jungkook says yes to going on a date with his high school crush but spends the following days overthinking every single thing.

He can't help but feel like it's kinda sketchy. What if you're planning your vendetta on him? What if you don't even show up and he ends up there looking like a damn idiot? What if you hate him and are just messing up with him? What if that incident in high school is going to repeat itself?

"If she doesn't show up, you simply move on and never speak to her again. It's that simple. She can't have that much power over you to cry about something like that." Mijoo had said that same day she let you in the tattoo parlor after you'd asked to see Jungkook. Jungkook's coworker hadn't even question you and just motioned you to Jungkook's room with a knowing smile on her face. Later that day, Jungkook had scolded her about it and she'd simply shrugged.

He considers cancelling, eyes reading the 'won't be able to make it, sorry (sad face emoji)' over and over again and fingers hovering over the send button so many times he's lost count. But then he remembers that comment of yours about him chickening out and Jungkook starts seeing red.

How couldn't you understand he's just terrified of you rejecting him one more time? Sure, Jungkook is now an adult who doesn't get butthurt over stuff like that. He's experienced too much after graduating from high school and he's a much stronger individual than his fragile self back was back then.

But something about you just makes him feel so... weak.

He still finds it impossible to concieve where he got the courage to approach you like that at Taehyung's pool, or how he brought himself to touch you for longer than a minute without coming in his pants. He'd enjoyed it too much. Allowing him to see you so exposed, just for him. He'd be so tempted to kiss you right there and then, to run his hands up and down your thighs and fully wrap your legs around him to let you known how much you'd affected him. Once you called his name, it was like he'd finally snapped out of it and backed away like he'd been burned by you. He spent the next twenty minutes trying to keep himself from pulling down his pants and jerking off in his friend's bathroom.

It's terrible. Because he feels like the teenager he used to be when you're around. Shy, insecure and overall a mess. You showing up in his life after so many years and now apparenly being interested in him seems like a dream that he's not sure he wants to keep being in or wake up from before it's too late and he falls back into that tumoltuous longing that will inevitably end up in heartbreak. His heartbreak.

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It's saturday night, he's standing by himself in the crowded fair at the spot. You're fifteen minutes late and he's already about to turn back and dip out. He feels too awkward and the nerves are eating him alive.

You're not going to show up. You're not going to show up and now he feels and looks even dumber than the time he told you he was crushing on you. You're not even going to show up and now he's going to come back home, get drunk by himself and curse your name for-

"Hey!" he turns around to the sound of your voice and sees you running towards him. "Sorry I'm late! I couldn't find my phone and spent like thirty minutes looking for it. Turns out, Sharon Stone, was taking a nap on top of it and I didn't even notice."

"Sharon Stone?"

"Chaelin's cat."

To be honest, he's too surprised to process your explanation right away. He might also be a little speechless because that sky blue sundress looks too good on your skin and your eyelashes are so long, framing your beautiful eyes, and your lips are all glossy and kisseable that it takes him a while to find his own voice.

He clears his throat. "It's alright." scratching the back of his head, he momentarely adverts his gaze from you in an attempt to not get distracted by how soft your hair looks and how much he wants to wrap it around his hands in a ponytail. "Um, where do you want to go first?"

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Almost an hour and a half later, when the sun has already disappeared and you're both surrounded by colorful lights, Jungkook decides to buy the both of you hot dogs and a drink and you both settle down on a bench.

You've been walking all over the fair, going from booth to booth, playing any game in sight Jungkook dared you to -he obviously had a competitive streak-: from the ballon and dart games, to the shooting games, to the bumping cars, to the ball-in-basket one. To say you were having fun was an understatement.

You'd almost regretted setting the date up. You were sure he wouldn't even show up and if he did, you were scared of how awkward things could get between the two of you. And if things were awkward, you were sure it would only take less than thirty minutes for the both of you to part ways and never talk again about such failure of a date.

To your surprise, none of that happened.

The conversation was flowing, both of you acting like you were strangers on their first date getting to know each other, which, to be fair, that's exactly what it felt like. There was a slight banter, teasing each other when one of you lost in whatever game you were playing while the other was obviously winning. There were laughs and a funny feeling in your tummy whenever you'd walk side by side and his arm brushed yours.

There was no stiffness on his shoulders, no mention of the past or your previous encounters, no acknowledgement of the blatant sexual tension you'd experienced before, not an ounce of avoidance whenever your eyes met his and he was even sure of himself enough to place a hand on your lower back or briefly interwine your fingers with his to guide you through the mass of people.

It felt like you'd both unspokenly agreed on making each other feel comfortable enough to have a good time.

"I didn't think you were going to show up, to be honest." you suddenly say, taking a sip of your strawberry juice and thankful to finally let your feet rest for a while.

Jungkook looks at you, hot dog mid air and eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline. "You didn't think I was going to show up? I didn't think you were going to show up." you simply shrug, lowering your gaze seepishly, the beginning of a smile on both your faces. He surprises you by tilting your head in his direction with his forefinger. You watch him watching you, a little dazed, a little lost in how his dark hair messily falls over his forehead and his equally dark eyes study your face, his thumb swiping over your lower lip. "You um... There was ketchup right there." he lies.

"Oh" you say, feeling your face heating up. "Thanks. Red doesn't really match this dress." you manage a smile and tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear.

At that, he eyes your dress for a moment, mouth slightly ajar. He's debating on whether or not to say something but you beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, by the way."

"For being late? I already told you it's fin-"

"No." you shake your head. "For... that time when we were young and I was such a concieted brat." you say, looking away , trying to find anything else that's not his pretty face. "I thought I was a queen bee back then. I was annoying and rude, specially to you. I..." you lick your lips. The cherry glittery gloss was already gone. "I thought it was cute, what you said. There was no reason for me to act like that. I know this doesn't make anything right but..." when you turn to face him again, there's still the same expression on his face. "I'm sorry."

A few seconds go by before it's him who's shaking his head. "It's okay. It was a long time ago, anyway." he smiles at you, although it doesn't reach his eyes and seems sorta forced. You sigh, and he takes your hand. "Let's go to the ferris wheel."

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tell you're tense. You're sitting right beside him in the ferris cabin, your back is all straight, you're facing forward and he believes you haven't blinked for what feels like an eternity. He thinks it has everything to do with your conversation a few minutes ago. You were probably not content with his response but what could Jungkook do? There was really no point in apologizing for something that happened years ago, but at the same time, he didn't want to hold anything against you like a resentful asshole because it was really not who he was. But there was still a little bit of stingyness inside of him and he didn't know how to make it go away.

At the end of the day, here you were, on a date with him that you'd asked for, getting along and asking questions about him and laughing at his jokes and trying to start all over again.

But then the ferris wheel starts moving, and he finally understands why you look so uncomfortable.

It's the way you immediately grip his forearm, nails digging in his skin and he swears he hears the smallest gasp forcing itself out your throat.

"Are you... scared?" he tentatively asks.

You say nothing for a while, not moving an inch. He would laugh if you didn't look so pained about it.

"I don't like small confined spaces nor rollercoasters." you finally say through gritted teeth.

"It's not really that small and ferris wheels are not rollercoasters. " your nails dig deeper and he winces. "Okay, okay. You don't like small confined spaces nor rollercoasters, and that includes ferris wheels. So why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I've never liked ferris wheels but you seemed excited about it, so..."

There's a silence after that in the environment, neither of you exactly sure of what to say or how to act. Until Jungkook moves one of his hands hands until it's resting on the one who's holding onto him for dear life, fingers caressing yours. The warmth of his hand spreads through yours and although it's almost July and you can already feel your sweaty back staining your dress, it's oddly comforting. What's more comforting even, is him twisting his body towards you and talking with the calmest and most soothing tone you've ever heard.

"Look at me." you do instantly, unwillingly, and kinda wish you hadn't. It's almost as if your body will do anything he says without question. Like he has some sort of power over it to just react however he wants. His eyes bore into yours and suddenly the cab doesn't seem so suffocating. "It's just you and me right now. We're not even on a ferris wheel." the corners of his mouth turn slowly upwards. You zone out the environment, suddenly too aware of him and how close he is and how loud the beating of your heart is to your own ears.

"Jungkook."

You swallow the knot in the back of your throat when he removes his hand from yours. It almost makes you protest, - now realizing you've losened the tight grip on his arm- , before it craddles your face, keeping you in place while bringing his body closer.

"You have to stop saying my name like that."

With his thigh touching your thigh, your whole demeanor melts. When he leans closer, and you feel his breath fanning over your lips, your eyes shut closed.

"Tell me I can-" he starts to say.

"Yes." you finish for him. He doesn't doubt on closing the distance between you two. His lips touch yours and your body shakes in excitement. It's just him lightly skimming your lips with his but it's already too much and at the same time, not enough. It has you deepening it, yourself moving closer when he kisses you again. It has you relaxing against him, the tenseness prior disappearing and making you arch your back when his tongue asks for permission.

But it's exactly then, the moment you open your lips to him, that has you losing your mind.

The sparks fly, traveling from your head to your toes and then settling on the pit of your stomach as soon as the kiss starts to turn desperate and rough. When he nibbles your lips with his teeth, it makes you mewl and whine and your nipples tight against the cotton of your dress. It makes the metal barbell to feel uncomfortable, slightly painful. And when he goes back to being messy and filthy with his tongue tangled with yours, your thighs close on their own.

He forces himself to pull his hand back and bring it down, finding the parting of yd opening them for him. "Wait," you say, your fingers wrapping around his forearm as you try to catch your breath."The ferris-" he shuts you up with another kiss.

"We're not on a ferris wheel." he reminds you, a soft whisper against your mouth. And for whatever reason, you believe him.

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"He fingered you on the ferris wheel."

"Yes."

"And you came before the ride was over."

You take a small sip of wine, your eyes focusing on the TV where a rerun of the Golden Girls is playing, although, to be fair, lately you haven't been able to pay much attention to anything else but a certain brunet with doe eyes and kisseable lips. "Yes."

She hums, stealing a handful of popcorn from the bowl between your thighs.

"How long did it took? Like five minutes?"

There's a pause in which you clench your jaw, your fingers twitching around the glass in your hand, and then you answer. "Probably less."

There's another pause, and then-

"Ha...Ha ha...Ha ha ha-"

You let her laugh. It's okay. You knew you had it coming.

Chaelin knows the pillow you throw right at her face is also something she had coming.

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It's not that you're mad.

Jungkook and you had a great time on that fair date, he made you laugh, bought hot dogs and drinks for the two of you and got you off inside the cab of a ferris wheel on record time with those magical, long fingers of his. Technically, there shouldn't be anything to be angry about.

Except it's been a week and you can't stop thinking about him, about wanting more, and about those words that he left you with after the ferris wheel ride ended, when you had tried to return the favor.

'Next time, maybe.'

And there hasn't been a next time.

The thought of texting him or giving him a call to ask for another date is persistent in your mind. It remains while you do the laundry or wash the dishes, while you shower, while you eat or while you spend your days at the beach with Chaelin. There's always the incessant desire to reach out towards your phone, unlock it and dial his number to beg for more.

But you'd never been one to beg, so you resist the urge everytime that feeling starts to creep up on you and it washes over you like a wave. You silence your phone and try to concentrate on making the most out of your summer.

It's one random night, when you're tiredly dragging your feet across Chaelin's apartment's carpet, yawning and ready to succumb to a well needed slumber, that you see your phone screen's lighting up with a message.

Your heart pathetically leaps inside your chest when you read his name.

'you free on saturday?'

You wish you could say you ghosted him, ignored his text and moved on with your life until it was him who begged you for another date. But the truth is you opened it in a matter of seconds and typed 'i'm free, why?' back in a rush with trembling fingers.

So now you're on the passanger seat of his car while he sits on the driver seat, the first saturday night of July, like he's Danny Zuko and you're Sandy Olsson, watching a vintage movie in a drive-in theater which plot you don't give a shit about, even if Jungkook's date plan idea made something inside of you churn with adoration.

And the only reason why you don't give a single damn about the movie playing in front of your eyes, is because you're hot. Way too hot. And the reason and cause is none other than the boy-now-turned-man sitting on your left.

You barely exchanged words when he picked you up, just rode in silence until you got to your destination and you bet he can feel as well as you do the tension in the air.

You've surveyed him a few times from the corner of his eye, noticing him fiddling with the rings around his fingers and shifting in his seat from time to time. And if the sight of his fingers bring memories that you've tried to bury to keep yourself from lunching towards him, a brief glance at his forearms, adorned with ink drawn through his golden flesh -doing a poor job at concieling the veins running underneath- and his skin-tight jeans wrapping those muscled thighs of his is enough to have you be the one squirming in your seat.

A woman can only endure so much, and you come to that realization thirty minutes into the movie.

"I want to suck your cock." you say, a stern expression on your face as you turn your body in his direction.

Jungkook frozes as your voice slides over him. It takes him a couple seconds to look at you, shock widening his eyes and parting his lips.

"Huh?" he manages, his grip on the steering wheel turning his knuckles white.

Without separating your gaze from his, you gather your hair and tie it in a ponytail with the hair tie previously around your wrist. You don't miss the quick glance he sneaks into the curvature of your neck and the valley between your breasts.

Inching forward, closing in on him, you place one of your hands on top of his thigh, the action making his whole body tense. "____..." he whispers your name in a warning that doesn't sound convincing even in his own ears.

You smile, your eyes never wavering from his as your hand inches upwards, slowly caressing over the fabric of his jeans until you finally come across what you were looking for.

His hand flies to your wrist, stilling your movements. "____, this is not-". He starts, but his voice gets stuck inside his throat when you palm his undoubtly growing erection.

"Shh." your shaky breath fans over his cheek and you force yourself on your knees on the passanger seat in a more comortable possition to stop the trembling to reach them.

You fumble with the belt holding his pants in place, then with the button and finally with the zipper. He helps you by lifting his hips to pull his jeans and boxers to his thighs and you have to bite back a mixture between a gasp and a moan at the sight below you. You haven't even seen Jeon Jungkook naked all the way, but the mere sight of his hard cock with pre-cum glistening on his crown is probably the sexiest thing you've ever had the pleasure of appreciating.

It gets sexier when you wrap your hand around the base and his body melts in the driver seat, throwing his head back with his eyes shut. It gets even sexier when you finally lower your head, swirling your tongue over the head before finally engulfing him fully in the wet warmth of your mouth.

"Shit." his voice is tight, uneven as his hand loosely grips your ponytail, as if careful not to accidentally hurt you and break the glorious moment.

Although you wouldn't mind at all. Because the moment your hands are on him, and your tongue is on his shaft, that's the only thing you care about. Your belly is twisting, an undeniable wet spot on your panties as the fabric sticks to your folds, and the more you suck Jungkook, the more you want from him. His earthy taste is addicting and the soft little whimpers he occasionally can't prevent himself from are making you want to milk him until he can't take it no more. There's this desire within you to whorship him and his cock like you had been dreaming for the past weeks.

"This is s-so fucking h-hot." he rasps between ragged breaths, the bobbing of your head, sliding up and down his dick as your hand works the centimeters your mouth can't take is about to make him faint.

"Getting a blowjob?" you joke, your throat starting to feel sore as you kiss his leaking tip.

"N-no." he draws in a rough breath when you take him all of him again. "You giving me a blowjob... T-the f-fact that anyone c-could see us..." he darts a quick glance at your body, your ass up in the air and your dress sliding down, almost exposing you completely. "The fact that-ah! Shit..." he squeezes his eyes when he feels a glob of your spit lubricating him.

There's a sudden need to make you feel the same, to touch your skin and have you shaking the same way you have him. So one of his hands travels from your spine, to your perked ass, finally dragging the cotton of your dress to allow himself to see your thin white panties. "The fact that anyone could see you l-like this," he murmurs, regaining a little bit of control when he squeezes one of your cheeks. "letting t-them see you s-sucking my cock and..." he smirks when he feels you gasping around him, his fingers trapped between your thighs and pushing them inside your heat easily "and letting them see me fingering this pretty little pussy."

Soon after that he's cumming in your mouth while you're cumming around his fingers.

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At first, it's mostly on weekends when you see each other. Weekends of stolen kisses and soft sighs and whispering against each other's lips. Then weekends turn to week days, sitting on grass while sipping on refreshing beverages, drawing each other laughs, elbows touching as you walk around the park side by side because the both of you are too scared to interwine your fingers together.

Jungkook feels content like this: sitting on the sand with you between his thighs, admiring the sunset while nuzzing your neck and inhaling your scent every now. He likes waching you enoying your strawberry ice cream, almost forgetting the chocolate chip one already melting in his hand.

"If you were an ice cream flavor,which one would you be?" you ask him, relaxing against his chest.

"Rocky road."

"Why?"

He shrugs behind you. "Everyone likes rocky road."

You hum, playfully rolling your eyes. "What about me? Which ice cream flavor would I be?"

"Lemon sherbet, in the summer."

"Lemon sherbet? Out of all of the flavours out there, you're rocky road and I'm lemon sherbet?"

"Lemon sherbet, in the summer." he corrects.

"Okay, fine. Why?"

"You're boring and basic."

You gasp, trying to feign outrage but not being able to repress the laugh that escapes your throat. You elbow him, his laugh mixing with yours while taking the time to wrap his arms around your form, the breeze blowing your hair allowing him a spot between your neck and your shoulder. "You're boring and basic, but once you have a taste..." he presses a small kiss on your skin, causing the tiny hairs on the nape of your neck to rise. "Once you have a taste, specially on the hottest day in the middle of summer, you can't stop tasting and licking until there's no more lemon sherbet left."

You suck in on a breath when he craddles your jaw to face him. "It's been my favourite flavor since I was a kid." he kisses you immediately after, his lips swallowing the small whimper now stuck in your throat.

You close your eyes as his tongue opens your mouth, arousal blasting your insides and something much, much deeper that you fear to even name shredding your chest.

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The beginning of august comes faster then you two realize, but what you both do realize is how hard it's becoming to stay away from each other.

It's been thirty days of dates happening almost everyday, sharing high school memories and anecdotes of the time you spent away from each other. Hours of getting to know each other and opening up to each other. From failed relationships to new friendships. Of park dates walking side by side and fingers now interwined because you both realized one day that, fuck it.

It's difficult to sleep when you realize you're starting to catch serious feelings for somebody who was just supposed to be a fling. It's hard to sleep when his face, his voice and his touch and thoughts of missing him when you don't see each other start haunting you at night.

It's hard for Jungkook to focus on work when you're everything that's occupying his mind. Because he has a hundred sketches to make but he's too busy thinking about the hundred different sketches he would make of you.

It's hard not to send him a goodnight text, just like it's hard for him not to reply in a matter of seconds, almost as if he was already waiting to recieve it.

Jungkook thinks of you at night. Of how pretty and absolutely perfect you are for him. Of the taste of your lips, the way your hair feels between his fingers, or the flush on your cheeks when he makes you cum as droplets of sweat accumulate between your breasts. He thinks about your voice. He also thinks about the amount of hours left to be able to listen to it again.

But mostly he thinks about how ridiculous this situation is. Because he was stupidly crushing on you when you were only teenagers, daydreaming about a chance with you. And now his crush is long gone and he's starting to realize that he's falling, and falling fast.

You, too, think of Jungkook at night. Of his ability to bring a smile out of you, to soothe you with just a few words and filling your belly excitement, happiness and feelings you're sure you've never felt before.

Jungkook's managed to imprint himself in your dreams, and you, in his.

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Getting drunk with Jungkook is fun and messy.

It's fun because he lets loose, he stutters a lot like he used to do when he was a teenager and he makes you laugh louder than ever before. It's messy because he has no control over his hands as they explore your body, clumsily taking your clothes off as his mouth laps at the breast he's allowed to touch.

He's more forceful and dominating too, pinning your hands above your head, and commanding you to keep them right there, on the pillows of his bed. When you rebel against it, your fingers finding the hard planes of his chest, he pulls away from you and places them back where he left them. "Don't make me tie you up." he threatens, and your body shudders beneath him.

He sucks, and bites and leaves marks all over your skin, grunting in response to your moans. Creating a path of kisses from your lips to your stomach, his shoulders separating your knees, opening you up only for him. And thankfully, when you reach down to tug at the strands of hair framing his face, he lets you, because he knows you need something to hold on to the moment his tongue eats you up. He leaves his fingertrips on your thighs as he keeps you in place, not allowing you to runaway. Just forcing you to take it as he takes from you.

And when you cum, he doesn't back away. He keeps sucking, and licking and punishing you with his mouth until you're cumming over and ove again, screaming and begging for his cock.

Having Jungkook over you, both completely naked, skin to skin and only sweat in between is more than you could've ever fantazised about. He slurls your name when he puts the condom on. He would do anything to feel you raw, but he also knows he wouldn't be able to last a minute. The sight of you spread open, with your cheeks darkened by a crimson blush and your hair tangled all over his pillow is a picture he wants to keep forever.

He enters you when you call his name, your voice dripping with need. He stretches your warm and wet felsh, slowly easing himself into you at first, until he's fully inside and your bodies are completely in union. A shiver runs down Jungkook's spine when he looks at your contorted face in pleasure, your lips forming an 'O' and your pussy clenching around him.

"Oh, my God." you moan into the dark of Jungkook's room, and even then, he can clearly appreciate every curve of your body lifting off the mattress to connect with his. He lowers himself on his elbows on either side of your head, caging you in and capturing your mouth with his.

"I know, baby." he murmurs. It's hot, in the middle of August but suddenly Jungkook doesn't hate summer as much as he used to. Not with you sharing the heat with him. "It's way beyond what I could ever imagine." You nod hurriedly against his lips, your arms finding their way around his neck as he starts rocking in and out of you.

"It's too good." you cry, when he hits a particular spot that has you rolling your eyes in bliss and gripping his waist tighter with your legs against you. Your fingers thread through his hair, not bothered by the beads of sweat gathered on the nape of his neck.

"Too good..." he agrees, not missing the shiver that's shaking your own frame when he picks up his speed. "You have no idea what I would do t-to fucking feel you with n-no barriers between us," his movements become frantic as his hips slap against yours, his jaw clenched as he keeps talking, "to s-stuff you full of my c-cum over and over again until it won't stop d-dripping."

Jungkook's voice against your ear has you trembling and your orgasm nearing closer, your nails scratching down his back as his thrusts overpower your form. "Would you like that?" he asks with his voice strangled.

"Y-yes. Anything y-you want."

"You'd take all of my cum like a good cum-slut?"

You hate the fact that that's what makes you come undone. The twisting and knotting in the pit of your stomach finally snapping until you're holding on to him like you never want to let him go and he's following soon after.

Because if Guk, Gukkie, Jengukkie was not only able to make you come in less than a few minutes with his fingers or his tongue, but he was also able to make you cum instantly just by calling you a good cum-slut, that means you're fucked. Like, really, really fucked.

≿━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━≾

There's a knot in Jungkook's stomach and a suffocating grip around his vocal chords as he caresses your skin. The sun is rising in the distance with the first rays of light entering his room through the window. Your shamphoo is intoxicating him, numbing him and enticing him to bury his nose in the tangled curls pressing against his chest. Your arm is thrown across his stomach, your breathing leavig goosebumps all over his body.

"It's too early. Go back to sleep." you mumble against his heart. He wonders if you can feel it dangerously speeding up.

"I can't." he says, voice struggling to stay balanced. "I have to tell you something."

You hum in response, sleep still interwined with your body, your arm tightening around him. You sigh in content, expecting him to elaborate.

He wets his suddenly dry lips. "I don't want this to end. In fact, ____.... I want more. Need more."

"Jungkook..." your whole body goes rigid right away, untanglling your bodies from each other and sitting up on the mattress.

"No, listen to me." he mimicks your movements, rapidly grabbing your hands to make you look at him. His eyes are expressive, a mixture of fear and hope swirling in his dark irises. "I wake up everyday, and you're the first thing I think of. I go on about my day, and I keep thinking about you, wondering what you're doing and counting down the hours until I get to see you again. I spend every night dreaming about you, and when we'e together, the only thing I can think about is how I wish I could stop time so I don't have to say bye to you the next morning. ____, I-"

"Jungkook, stop please." you shake your head, pushing away from him and in desperate need of air. You press a hand against your chest, beating back the throb of pain while the other curls in a tight fist, the feeling of your fingernails digging into your palm less painful than the ache inside your heart. "This... This wasn't supossed to happen, Jungkook." you start pacing around the room, as if trying to find an exit while avoiding his gaze. "This was just a summer fling. That's all it was, I'm supposed to come back to the city in two weeks and-"

"A summer fling?" a sardonic sneer comes out of him. "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening again..." he mumbles to himself before rising from the bed. You stop immediately, a shiver quaking through you as his impressive frame intimidates His eyebrows are drawn together and his dark eyes are void of any prior emotion. "You're going back to the city in two weeks? And you didn't care to tell me until now, after I just spilled my guts to you?"

You eyes fill up with uncomfortable tears, reaching one arm towards him. "Jung-"

He flinches, taking one step back. "A summer fling is all I mean to you?"

"Ju- "

"Look me in the eyes, right now, and tell me that's all I mean to you. A summer fling." panic crawls up your throat. There's the need within you to confirm, to stare into his beautiful and stern eyes and tell him that, yes, that's all he is to you. But you've never been a good liar. So nothing comes out. You opt for wrapping your ams around yourself wishing they were his and lowering your eyes to the ground. "I think... I think you should leave."

Those are the last words he says to you, and the last thing you see when you turn around one more time after gathering your clothes, is his back as he looks out the window.

You allow yourself to cry the exact moment you step into Chaelin's apartment. Your friend is sitting on the couch, bowl of cereal in hand and a fresh cup of coffee sitting on the livingroom's table.

"Hey, you're early tod- Baby, what's wrong?"

"Please, don't laugh."

That morning, you lay down for hours on the couch with your head on Chaelin's lap while she softly brushes your hair as you cry, hiccup, fight through the pain in your heart and relate to her as best as you can the latest events.

She doesn't laugh at all.

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"She'll come back." Mijoo's slurred words do nothing to put Jungkook's state at ease that night. He simply shrugs, fingers clenching at his sides, frowing into his drink before gulping down the bitter taste of vodka in one shot. "Seriously, I think she's just afraid. My ex was the same."

"Comparing her to your ex is not the analogy you think it is."

"Ugh, shut up. Things didn't work with my ex because she was a bitch." Jungkook gives Mijoo a pointed look which she responds to by rolling her eyes and sipping on her rum coke. "Your girl is not a bitch. She used to be a bitch. What she did this morning was bitchy, but, like I said, she's just being a pussy. If she only wanted sex with you, she wouldn't have been doing couple stuff with you the entire summer."

"Whatever. I don't care." he lies and Mijoo knows he's lying but decides to drop the subject fo now.

≿━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━≾

"We can't keep spending our days smoking weed." Chaelin speaks over Blanche's voice on the TV.

"I know. I'm just sad."

"You have to come back and tell him how you feel."

"I know."

There's a beat of silence before your friend kicks your thigh with her feet.

"I know and I will." you mumble through red eyes and smoke clouds.

≿━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━≾

It's September first and it doesn't feel like Jungkook's birthday at all. He's been trying to focus on his work, alternating between isolating in full hermit mode and hanging out with friends to drink away his sorrow. The days have gone by and before he could realize it, he woke up today with over twenty text messages wishing him a happy day and a throbbing hangover.

He dresses up on autopilot. First a cotton shirt, then a pair of jeans and lastly, his Nike's. He doesn't bother tying his sneakers just like he doesn't bother taking a shower. He smokes a cigarette for breakfast, the death stick making him feel nauseaus on an empty stomach. And then he goes to work.

He's been repeating the same routing for the past weeks and he's not thinking of changing it, not even on his bithday.

He spends hours drawing, tattooing and drawing some more between yawns. He ignores texts an phone calls and simply waits until the day is over to go home, go to bed and forget about the fact that you're probably on your way to the city and that he hasn't crossed your mind not even once.

≿━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━༺❀༻━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━≾

Inkphoria.

You've been standing outside the shop re-reading the word for fifteen minutes, although it definitely feels like it has been longer. You're gripping cup of ice cream as it melts down your fingers the more you wait. The shop is already empty and it's starting to darken out side, and still you're so hot. Your shorts are heavy and your tank top is sticking to your skin. You didn't even bother to put on any make, although your eyebags definitely needed some concieling and your lashes some dimension to hide the fact that you'd been crying for the last few days.

'You're crazy about him.'

Chaelin's voice echoes inside your head.

You've lost count of how many times your best friend has given your advice, or simply encouraged you to do something you've been too scared to try.

'And he's cazy about you too.'

Chaelin might be wrong about marmite and the movie Cats, but she's definitely now wrong about anything regarding your and Jungkook.

That's it. You briefly close your eyes, inhale a deep breath then release it slowly. You start walking. It doesn't take longer than three strides and you're pushing the door open.

The tattoed blonde looks up from the counter the second you come into view. She smiles at the distance between you two. "You can come closer. I won't bite."

You clear your throat, stalking closer to her. "Is he-"

"He's in the back." she replies before you can finish you question. You close your mouth, clear your throat and nod your head.

"Thanks, Mijoo." she gives you a small wink, her smile easing your nerves like she had three months ago.

She watches you disappear. She shakes he head, her smile meeting her eyes. "I told him so."

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Jungkook ignores the knock on his door at first. It's almost ten and the parlor is about to close. He just has to finish this last fucking sketch so he can grab his shit and go the fuck ho-

Knock knock.

He growls, exhasperation cursing through him. He runs a hand through his messy pile of hair, his rings tangling between the strands, making him wince in pain. "Come in." he grunts under his breath. The door opens. "Mijoo, I really have to finish-"

He stops dead in his tracks as soon as he sees you.

"Hey." you say after a moment of hesitation.

"Hey." he replies and although there's something inside, deep in his chest, shouting at him to stand up, run up to you and kiss your face while he tells you how beautiful you look right now and how happy he is to see that you're still here, he decides against it. "Listen, ____, I'm pretty busy-"

"No, you listen to me." you cut him off abruptly. He looks taken aback and is already opening his mouth to say something, but you're not having it. "Please, just... Let me talk."

Silence looms between the two of you for a while, a staring contest defying each other to back down. When you take one step inside and close the door behind you, he sighs and leans back against his chair.

You move towards him slowly, your lip caught between your lip going through your mind for the speech you'd been preparing the last few days. Your hands are sticky due to the the sugary treat liquifying in your hand. "I know there's no reason you should give me another chance after rejecting you in high school, and there's definitely no reason why you should forgive me for the way I shut you out a few weeks ago. You've been confessing your feelings to me since we were teenagers, and now it's my turn to tell you exactly how I feel about you."

"Jungkook, the truth is... I like you so much. I like you more than I've ever liked anyone. Ever. I said this was just a summer fling, and I was lying. I was lying because there's no way a simple summer fling could make me feel the way you do. There's no way a simple summer fling could make me want not just summer with you, but also fall and winter, and spring and every summer that comes next."

You hadn't realize when your eyes filling up with tears until the sight of him starts blurrying in front of you. His fingers reach yours, his thumb comforting on your skin. "____, it's okay-"

"I'm not done yet." you sniffle, gathering enough courage to continue. "I brought you a lemon sherbet because you said it was your favourite. But you also implied I was your favourite, and I want to keep being you favourite, but now it's already melted and-"

The corners of Jungkook's lips start pulling upward as he tugs you towards him, his heart loudly jumping inside his chest. "Shhh, come here."

He takes the ice cream from your hand and places it on his desk. Then he's helping you onto his lap, your head tucked under his chin and your arms wapping on their own around his neck.

He doesn't care about your sticky fingers or the wet stains of your tears in his shirt. The only thing he cares about is the fact that you're right there, letting him engulf your frame and drown in the scent and warmth he'd misses so much.

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The first day of June has Jungkook sweating and wishing for a haircut. Jungkook usually hates summer. He hates the fact that he has to shower at least twice a day, and the fact that the heat is almost unbearable to sleep in and also the fact that he's easily sunburnt.

This year, however, Jungkook likes summer a little bit more.

"Excuse me, miss. Do you have an appointment?" it's the fact that you're starting to wear those summer dresses he loves so much, and the fact that your skin glows under the sun like glitter, and also the fact that he can lick ice cream off of it whenever he desires.

"I am the appointment." your giggle is almost childlike, playing with Jungkook's heart strings. You shut the door behind you, nearing him. You also seem to always have that flush on your cheeks. Although he likes to think part of it is due to him. He doesn't say anything else as he puts his pencil down and instead turns around in the chair to have you immediately on top of his thighs.

Yeah, he also likes the path your lips trace from his cheek, to his jaw, ending at the juncture between his neck and his shoulder. It still makes his body quaver to this day.

"Let me see." he murmurs against you forhear, his hand already working on unbottoning the front of your dress.

"Mijoo hasn't left yet." you whisper back, your smile impossible to supress and the faint whimper impossible to hide when his fingers expose your breast and tug at the titanium barbell adorning the already hardened nub.

Jungkook loves knowing he was the one to do that, and also the only one to play with it. He doesn't hesitate when he dips his head. "As if we'd ever cared about that." he adds, wrapping your sole point in his mouth.

He fucks you on his studio table with your legs around his waist and his tongue playing with both your breasts, the tattoo sketches long forgotten, scattered on the floor as he whispers against your flesh something that sounds a lot like 'I love you'.

[ao3komorii]

Tangling with the Lifeguard (Pool Party Sett/Reader)

The Pool Party Sett story is done! I’ve gone with a beach!AU sort of setting where league races exist in a modern-day beach sort of place. Also sorry to any MF or Syndra mains, they don’t really come out the best in this xD Hope you enjoy, and as always, there is a smut warning for the end!

---

The sun was shining high in the sky, crystalline waters lapping against the shore as beachgoers took advantage of the perfect summer day. Taking in the scene from your place in the shade of a tree on the border between the beach and parking lot, you let a smile grace your lips as you mused on just how much this place seemed to not change, even after so many years.

The last time you had set foot on this beach, you had been twelve years old, full of excitement and unaware of the harsh realities of the adult world. Your parents had brought you here for that summer, now thirteen years ago, the beautiful beach an unforgettable experience. You had left after that summer with treasured memories, and a new friend, that same friend the very reason why you had returned to Port Navori beach after so long.

Taliyah had been the same age as you, with fairly lax parents who let her roam the beach by herself, even as the small twelve-year-old she had been. You had bonded instantly, spending almost every day together, and keeping in touch through letters, and later emails and text messages.

You had long said that you had wanted to come back and visit the lively beach town, but the timing hadn’t been right, not until this year.

You were done all your schooling, and had quit your high-stress, low-pay job, and as Taliyah had said on your last phone call, you had no reason not to visit. Her parents had been travelling the world since they retired, so you would have her house all to yourselves.

In your absence, Taliyah had become a fairly accomplished surfer in the local scene, working at an ice cream shop on the beach to support her expensive pursuits. She had been so insistent that you couldn’t find yourself able to refuse her offer; work in the ice cream shop with her in the day, and then spend the rest of your time catching up with each other. You had missed your friend dearly, and had accepted the offer without a second thought.

And now here you were, waiting at the beach’s edge for Taliyah to show up. She had told you to dress for the beach, sounding casual as was her usual, so you had worn a swimsuit with a short, flowy shoulderless dress on overtop. Unwilling to look like a lobster by day’s end, you had carefully layered yourself with sunscreen, and now all you needed was for your friend to get here already. Just when you were about to get out your phone to text her, an excited call of your name had you re-stowing the phone in your bag and looking back to see your friend bounding across the parking lot towards you.

Taliyah, dressed in a two-piece water suit and carrying a tropical-flower-print surfboard, came to a stop before you, leaning her surfboard against a tree to free her arms to tackle you in a hug.

“You’re finally here!” she grinned, surprising you with the strength of her hug. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“So what’s first?” you asked as you pulled back from the hug.

Taliyah hummed. “I guess I’ll show you the shop.”

You followed her onto the beach, recognizing the small bright blue building from the pictures she had sent you before. Taliyah took you around the back, fishing a key out of her pocket before unlocking the door and leading you into the small room.

There were large tubs of ice cream in the middle of the room, the walls lined with containers of various toppings and machines. On the back wall from you were two windows, glossy menus pasted to the doors that would display out when they were opened. Upon walking closer to the menu signs, you noticed something.

“Hey, it says we open at nine, but it’s ten-thirty…”

“It’s fine,” Taliyah replied with a shrug. “The owners are pretty chill. If anyone complains, I’ll just tell them I had to train the new employee.”

You playfully rolled your eyes. Sometimes you really envied Taliyah’s ability to be so carefree. Her calm energy was a big help for you, having got advice from her on numerous occasions over the years.

Taliyah came over to where you were, eyes flitting boredly to the menu boards before turning her attention back to you. “So I’m thinking we get you taking orders while I make them.”

“Works for me,” you agreed. It certainly sounded easier than figuring out what a poro float was supposed to be. You never knew ice cream stands had such fancy options now, used to the simple menus of ice cream cones and bars back at the shops in your hometown.

You were about to open the order windows when you were stopped by a rustling noise from the back of the store. You turned to see Taliyah digging in a cardboard box in the back corner, pulling out some folded-up fabric that was the same sky blue as the stand.

“Didn’t think you’d get away without an embarrassing uniform, did you?” Taliyah teased, tossing some of her fabric pile your way.

You caught the bundle, unfolding it to find an apron with Poro Palace Frozen Treats in pink bubble letters, little white fuzzy animals dotting the apron. There was an accompanying blue visor hat that looked like something out of a kid’s store. You reluctantly slipped both items of clothing on, looking back to find that Taliyah had done the same.

“Stylish, huh?” she smirked, striking a modelesque pose.

“We look like we work at an amusement park, Tali,” you laughed.

“Feels like it sometimes with all the annoying kids that come by,” she replied. “Okay, you can open it up now.”

Taliyah settled herself down in a chair in front of the section of ice cream tubs, and you reluctantly turned to unlatch and open the windows, unsure of exactly what you were getting yourself into.

The small room lit up with the outside sunlight streaming in from your window to outside, the immediate glare of the sun making you wish you had worn sunglasses.

Almost immediately, the masses were upon you. You noticed a woman with several children in tow who perked up as she laid eyes on you, striding over to you with her children right behind her, pushing each other as they scrambled to be the first one to get over to you.

You heard Taliyah groan behind you. “Get the pen ready. They always have the most annoying orders.”

You rose an eyebrow, but picked up the pen and notepad that sat beside the cash register as the woman came to a stop before you.

“You know, I’ve been waiting for an hour already. You young girls don’t know how hard it is for mothers,” the woman complained, not letting you get a word in edgewise. “Alright, tell her what you want.”

“I want a brownie sundae!” a small boy with blue hair who clearly intended to make full use of his outdoor voice shouted. “But with cotton candy ice cream and pop rocks and I want only blue candies!”

“Uh…” The kid was talking too fast for you to write, but luckily Taliyah had your back, a got it ringing out from behind you.

You weren’t sure how you had managed to get their orders out before they melted, messing up their total several times before Taliyah had to come and help you out. With a last snide look and a fistful of blue napkins, the mother and her little terrors left the stand at last.

“She’s the worst,” Taliyah said, bringing your weary gaze her way as she cleaned off an ice cream scoop. “I accidentally put one red candy in that kid’s sundae once and he screamed until I remade the whole thing!”

You winced. “Feels like we got off easy today.”

“Yeah,” Taliyah agreed. “Helps that they order the same thing every time, so I’ve got some practice.”

“Are they all this bad?” you asked, turning away from the window after seeing no potential customers nearby.

“Not all of them,” she replied with a strained smile. “I swear the heat just brings the jerk out in some of the people here.”

Speaking of jerks… your conversation was interrupted by an impatient-sounding throat clearing noise from behind you. You whirled around to see a redheaded woman with heart-shaped sunglasses and a revealing swimsuit leaning against your counter. She was staring at you like you were gum she had stepped in, flipping some hair over her shoulder when she knew she had your attention.

“Five cherry snowballs,” she said, dropping a few coins on your counter, some of which bounced and hit the floor. “To the red umbrella, thanks ice cream girl.”

Without any further interaction, she turned on her heel and strutted away, hips swinging as she went, leaving you wondering what had just happened.

You slowly turned back to face Taliyah again. “Um, do we usually deliver?”

“Nope,” she answered. “Not to people like that anyways.”

“But…” you protested weakly. You knew Taliyah got away with a lot here, but you didn’t want her to lose her job because some rude girl complained to her bosses. “I’ll just take them over and next time I’ll just say we don’t deliver.”

“Still tempted to put rocks in their snowballs,” Taliyah joked as she set about piling the scoops of red ice.

Soon you had a tray with five cherry syrup-coated piles of shaved ice in little plastic bowls with accompanying little plastic spoons stuck in the side of the dishes.

“I’ll be right back,” you said, heading past Taliyah to the back door, opening it to find yourself back out in the mid-morning heat.

The sand still felt uncomfortably hot underfoot, even with your flip flops on. With how hot it was out, these would have to be delivered as soon as possible to not be a puddle by the time they were eaten. Your only problem was that you had no idea where to go.

The redhead had said that she would be at the red umbrella, but of course nothing at this ice cream stand would be that easy. Standing just outside the hut, you were treated to a veritable rainbow of colored beach umbrellas. You counted at least ten red ones scattered across the beach, none particularly standing out to you. You didn’t have many options, and were forced to go with the most tedious one; checking every red umbrella until you found the girl and her group.

The first umbrella had been a bust, as had the next five. The sixth had led to a sweaty old man who told you that you were just in time to help him sunscreen his back. By the time you had hurriedly fled from that creep, it had been about five minutes of searching, the snowballs on your tray looking considerably droopier than they had been when you had left the shop.

You stared down at the tray of melting treats, unsure of what to do now. Should you go back and have Taliyah remake the snowballs? Try a few more umbrellas and hope you got lucky? You really hadn’t been anticipating this much stress when you had agreed to work here with Taliyah for the summer.

You frowned at the now-more-water-than-ice treats, your decision made. You couldn’t serve these, not as melted as they were. You would go back and help remake them and see if Taliyah had any insight as to which red umbrella was the right one. You turned around to head back to the stand, only to trip on your overheating flip flops and fall forward with a cry.

You had closed your eyes with a flinch as you fell, but opened them with a start as you heard a grunt from right in front of you. Looking up from your position in the burning sand, you felt like your heart was going to stop in your chest.

Standing before you was the most attractive guy you had ever laid eyes on, with fire red hair and a pair of black animal ears that looked soft to the touch. He was dressed in a tight pair of swim shorts, a lightweight red jacket tied around his waist. He had a flower lei around his neck, but that was the only thing that he wore on his top half, his insanely-well-built torso on full display, a torso you realized with horror was currently splattered with red syrup and shaved ice.

You looked from the hot guy to the ground, the sand around you speckled with plastic cups, spoons and napkins, your tray turned upside down in the sand. You slowly risked a gaze back up, only to see the guy staring down at you from behind his pink-tinted sunglasses as a clump of ice fell from his stomach to the sand just in front of your hands.

Embarrassment forced you to spring up, grabbing some stray napkins from the ground and dabbing them against the mess of syrup and ice on the man’s abdomen.

“I’m so sorry, I–” You looked up from your apologizing to see the man silently staring at you, your hand freezing in place as you realized that you were basically feeling this guy up through the napkins, the realization making your cheeks burn with shame and embarrassment.

“I’m really sorry!” you cried out, pulling your hands back. He still hadn’t said anything, and you realized that you couldn’t just stand here like an idiot, your flight instinct kicking in as you reached down to grab your tray before moving around the man and fleeing in the direction of the ice cream stand.

“Hey, wait!”

The man tried to grab your arm as you passed, but you were faster in your embarrassment-fueled retreat, and soon the hot stranger was far behind you. You didn’t stop running until you were back at the shop, the empty sand-logged tray clutched tightly to your chest, your heartbeat pounding in your ears as you shut the door, making eye contact with a confused Taliyah.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, getting up to approach you when you didn’t respond. “Talk to me. What happened? If that snob said anything to you–”

“No, no, she didn’t,” you replied weakly, sinking to the floor with your back against the door. “I didn’t even get to her.”

“Then what happened?” she pressed, bringing you a glass of water and prying the tray from your hands at last.

She ushered you to your feet and down into her chair, taking a seat on one of the counters. You took a deep breath, taking a sip of the water before recounting the events of the past ten minutes to Taliyah, who listened silently.

“…I didn’t know what to do, so I just ran,” you finished, setting your water down to bury your face in your hands.

“It’s no big deal,” Taliyah replied gently. “Everyone has embarrassed themselves in front of someone. Remember that time I tripped over my board in front of that group of tourists?”

“I covered him in cherry syrup, Tali,” you groaned. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“It’s your first day,” she stressed. “You’re bound to mess some things up.”

She stood up, returning to the shaved ice machine. “Now how about we remake those snowballs and then I’ll–”

Taliyah had frozen in place, a plastic cup in her hand as she stared straight ahead.

“Tali?” you questioned, standing up. “Are you–”

“That guy you dumped the snowballs on,” she quickly interrupted. “Did he have majorly cut abs and animal ears?”

“Uh, why?” You felt a jolt of fear shoot up your spine as you followed her gaze to see the man from earlier currently approaching the shop, well-defined abdomen now minus the sticky mess you had spilt all over him. “Oh god, it’s him!”

You and Taliyah exchange wide-eyed glances before you dove down out of sight, hiding behind the tubs of ice cream like they were a fortress.

“Please get rid of him!” you begged. “I’ll do whatever you want, I just can’t face him!”

You heard Taliyah sigh. “Fine, but this means you’re coming stone hunting with me tonight.”

You agreed immediately, even if the prospect wasn’t overwhelmingly appealing. Taliyah was always eager to add to her collection of shiny stones, but was so picky that it often took hours to find just one stone that met her standards. But right now you were so desperate that you would have promised her anything just to make the angry hot guy go away.

From your position behind the ice cream tubs, you could only hear Taliyah’s voice clearly, the general noise of the beach preventing you from hearing what the furry-eared man was saying. You wanted to peek out from your hiding spot, but found yourself chickening out. You really didn’t need him catching sight of you and making Taliyah’s job even harder.

You had gotten so in your own head with panic that you had completely tuned out of your surroundings until a hand waved in front of your face and you realized Taliyah was crouching in front of you, calling your name.

“You okay?” she asked worriedly.

“Is he gone?” you replied quietly.

“Yeah, he’s gone,” she confirmed, standing up and grabbing your forearms to pull you up with her. “Now help me remake those snowballs and then I’ll fill you in.”

You bit your lip as you scooped shaved ice into a row of plastic cups as Taliyah readied the cherry syrup. Soon you had five pristine-looking snowballs on your slightly-sandy tray, the sight of them bringing you back to your moment of collision with the cute guy.

The tray was snatched from your field of vision by Taliyah, who headed over to the rear door. “Be back in a few. Try not to freak out too much while I’m gone.”

And then the door was closed and you were left alone. Looking over at the order window, you decided that you were probably safer to just resume your position behind the ice cream tubs, unwilling to risk being out in the open in case the guy decided to come back.

While she was gone, you couldn’t help but fret over exactly what had been said between your best friend and the mysterious hot guy. She didn’t seem to be upset, so clearly their conversation hadn’t been that intense. Or maybe it had; Taliyah was a fairly relaxed person, so it would be difficult for a random angry customer to really get to her. But that didn’t quite make sense either; if he had yelled at her, you would have heard it over the noise of the beachgoers. All you were doing was overthinking yourself to death, exactly what Taliyah had told you not to do.

And it was there you remained until Taliyah returned, closing the door behind her and placing the serving tray in the sink before she turned her attention to you at last.

“Calm down, it’s fine… I think,” she said.

“You think?”

“Well he didn’t seem mad,” she explained. “He asked if a girl that looked like you worked here and I said you went home sick. Said he’d come back another time.”

“Another–” Oh god. Was he really so angry that he was willing to come back just for the chance to yell at you?

“I can see you freaking out,” Taliyah scolded. “Don’t. You’re fine. Musclehead or not, he’s not going to kill you just because you spilled shaved ice on him.”

She was probably right; hot shirtless guys on the beach likely had more important things to do than yelling at clumsy ice cream shop workers. By tomorrow, he would probably forget you ever existed, and you could go back to enjoying your time working alongside your best friend.

 The rock collecting that night had been long and boring, at least for you. Taliyah hadn’t found any rocks she liked enough to take home, only ending the search after she had found some sea glass that she had deemed acceptable to add to her collection. You could only hope that you wouldn’t owe her any more favors any time soon, unsure if you could survive another late night rock hunt.

The next morning, you entered the shop alongside Taliyah, who put her bag down and began to set up the day’s supplies. Considering it was ten minutes past opening time and Taliyah had insisted that she didn’t need help setting up, you decided that you might as well just open the order window for the day, hoping that mom and her group of demon kids wouldn’t be waiting out there, only to unlatch the widows and see something arguably worse.

The window had only been open a peek, but it was enough for you to see the large figure of the man from yesterday standing ten feet or so from your shop, his back facing you as he stared out at the beach. In your brief glimpse, you also noticed that the jacket wrapped around his waist had a white plus sign in a circle as well as the word lifeguard in white blocky letters above it. Oh god, of course you had gone and pissed off a lifeguard on your first day here.

You shut the barely-open windows with a too-loud slam that made you wince before you quickly locked them again and rushed over to Taliyah.

“Tali, he’s here again!” you hissed.

“Huh?” she replied, pausing her task of refilling a container of sprinkles. “Muscle guy?”

You nodded frantically and Taliyah frowned, putting the sprinkles down and approaching the order window herself. You watched as she opened the window ever so slightly, peering out for a few seconds before closing it back up.

“Well… can’t say I was expecting him to actually come back,” she said evenly.

“What do I even do?” you asked, staring at the order windows like they would burst open at any second and reveal you to the clearly-determined lifeguard. “He’s a lifeguard, Tali! What if he bans me from the beach?”

She rolled her eyes in response. “He can’t just ban you from the beach. Lifeguards don’t have that much power. If they did, I would’ve been banned a long time ago for all the times I’ve surfed after hours.”

“Then what does he want with me?” you asked, looking away from the window.

Taliyah shrugged. “You’d have to ask him that.”

“But what if I… don’t?” you replied weakly. “He’ll give up eventually, right?”

“I mean, maybe?” she said. “But it might be easier to deal with him now and get it over with.”

You saw her point, but it wasn’t her that was being pursued by a tall, muscly lifeguard with a vengeance!

Taliyah clearly caught the reluctance on your face and sighed. “Fine, I’ll switch with you for today. Now let’s go over how to make the basic stuff before we open.”

True to her word, Taliyah had allowed you to hide in the back making orders, telling the lifeguard guy that you were off today. You watched him walk away from behind the shaved ice machine, hoping that your ordeal was finally over, but your hopes were quickly dashed the next day as you went to open the store again, only to see the same broad back facing you from just outside the shop.

Taliyah had reluctantly agreed to switch again that day, and the day after. But by day four, even the promise of helping her scavenge for rocks again wouldn’t get her to agree to switch.

You closed the window again, turning to Taliyah with pleading eyes, but she was having none of it.

“It’s been four days,” she said, arms crossed. “Clearly he’s not giving up. You should just see what he wants.”

“But…” The thought still terrified you. You knew you deserved to be yelled at for what you had done, but it was made that much worse by the fact that the subject of your plight was just about the hottest guy you had ever seen.

Taliyah shook her head at you. “Okay, but I’m not doing orders again today, so if you want to keep hiding from him, we’ll have to move onto plan B.”

Plan B, as it turned out, was a mascot suit of sorts; three fluffy poros stacked on top of each other like a snowman. A poro each made up your upper and lower body, the last poro being the head of the costume. You looked incredibly awkward, the arms and legs of the costume hairy and tipped with little brown claws. You were momentarily stunned by the sheer lengths you were going to just to avoid this guy, but you were already in the costume, so you reasoned that you might as well follow through with it now.

Taliyah put the costume’s head on you and your world was plunged largely into darkness, minus the mesh one-way view out of the top poro’s eyes. You were helped to the back door, some fliers for the store shoved into your hands.

Taliyah helped you walk out front, and you were pretty quickly swarmed by kids. You couldn’t see the lifeguard guy, but the relief that coursed through you was short-lived, swallowed by the immediate explosion of business brought on by your costume.

One thing you hadn’t considered in your haste was the heat. You weren’t sure if it was the costume or if today was hotter than usual, but very quickly you found yourself becoming a sweaty mess under the weight of the dense, furry costume.

The longer you were in the costume, the worse you felt, but you were determined to stick this out. So you handed out fliers and posed for photos with children while Taliyah ran the stand.

You wished that you could wipe the sweat from your face, but you weren’t sure if you could even reach up to remove the costume’s head yourself due to the awkward shape of the costume. So you endured the ever-increasing heat, only feeling wearier as the time ticked by.

You waved goodbye to a group of kids as they left with their ice cream cones, the sweltering heat really bearing down on you. As you went to turn and head back to the stand to ask Taliyah to help get the head off, a wave of dizziness crashed over you. You took one step towards the stand, and then another, and then it all went dark as you felt yourself falling forward, too weak to stop your descent to the ground.

 You woke up with a heavy head, feeling foggy with confusion. The last thing you remembered, you had been heading back to the stand…

Immediately, you realized that you weren’t at the ice cream stand, and you weren’t wearing the poro suit, or even your beach dress. Sitting up in the cot you laid in, you found that you were wearing only your swimsuit.

As you sat up, a blue ice pack that you hadn’t realized was there fell from your forehead and into your lap. Picking it up, the pack only feeling slightly cold, you turned to look around the room, still unsure what exactly was going on.

You were in a room of some sort, guessing it was afternoon by the minute amount of light filtering into the room, even through the closed curtains. There was a fan gently whirring above your head, but otherwise the room was silent.

There was another cot beside yours, and a table nearby with a few red first aid kits stacked on it, some bandages messily spilling out of one of them. There was a sign pulled over the door, the side facing you reading come on in, we’re open.

You got up from the bed, shuddering with disgust when you noticed just how sweaty your whole body was. The bed squeaked as you got up from it, your knees hitting a bedside table between the cots that you hadn’t noticed had been there. On the small table was a glass of water, as well as a white fan that was emblazoned with what looked to be a group of cats waterskiing.

You picked up the fan, letting out a small laugh at the silly-looking cartoon cats on the fan. It looked like something you could win at a carnival booth.

“If you can laugh, then I guess you’re feelin’ alright.”

A deep voice from behind you made you jump, fingers fumbling the fan, which fell onto the floor with a clatter that was only made louder in the quiet room. You turned to look behind you, only to fall off the cot in shock when you saw the very lifeguard you had been trying so hard to avoid standing in the doorway of a small office you hadn’t noticed was there.

“Hey, careful!” He quickly crossed the room to squat down in front of you, taking your elbow and helping you back up onto the cot. You were too stunned to resist and found yourself falling into his chest as a wave of dizziness hit you.

“You okay?” he asked, and you tried to nod, but your head was spinning too much to focus. “Hey, hold still.”

He placed his hands on your shoulders, keeping you steady against him until you were able to regain your focus. When he was satisfied with your condition, he pulled back, releasing your shoulders and instead reaching out for the glass of water on the table next to you.

“Drink,” he instructed, handing you the cup before standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

He stared at you for a moment before finally turning back and heading into the office at the back of the room.

You watched him go, feeling on edge, but complied, bringing the glass up to your lips and taking a long drink. The last thing you wanted to do was give this guy more reason to be upset with you. You were surprised at just how refreshing the water felt, and you had soon downed the entire glass, placing it back on the table when you were done.

“Alright, lay back down,” the lifeguard instructed as he returned.

“What?” you replied. What was he going to do to you? How had you even got here? Where was Taliyah?

He stopped before you, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked down at your shaky, terrified form. “Are you–”

“I’m sorry!” you exclaimed, bowing your head. “I didn’t mean to spill the snowballs on you! If you need to yell at me, go ahead. I’m sorry I didn’t just come out sooner and–”

It had occurred to you mid-ramble that he had yet to say anything, and you cut off your babbling, slowly looking up to find him staring at you with what you could only describe as a bewildered look on his face.

He blinked. “Is that why–”

“I’m so sorry!” you interrupted, bowing your head again. “If you want to ban me from the beach, I get it!”

“Ban ya from the beach?” he replied with a bark of laughter. “The only thing I wanted to do was get your number.”

“My… what?” You had to be hallucinating. There was no way he had just said that.

“Lay down first,” he spoke sternly, and you complied, still feeling stunned by his words.

Once you were laid down, he picked something up from the bed, which you recognized as another ice pack. He placed it on your forehead, the cool pack immediately flooding you with a feeling of relief. Closing your eyes, you let out a tired sigh, suddenly feeling fatigued.

“Get some rest, princess. We’ll talk when you’re up again.”

You took his advice, the cooling from the ice pack lulling you back to sleep, your eyelids too heavy to keep open.

When you woke up again, you felt infinitely better, your head clearer and body feeling less overheated. The ice pack on your forehead was room temperature, and it was now dark outside. There was a light illuminating your left side as you sat up in bed, turning to see the office in the back with its light on.

The cot squeaked under you, which was responded to by the squeak of a chair from inside the office, the red-haired lifeguard emerging from the office and approaching your bedside.

“Feelin’ any better?” he asked, and you nodded, biting your lip nervously. “Got you some more water.”

You looked over to the bedside table to see the water cup refilled and took hold of it, grateful to have something to focus on other than the intimidatingly muscular man before you.

You drank the entire glass before you forced yourself to finally address the situation before you. “Um… why am I here?”

“You passed out,” he replied bluntly, taking a seat on the cot next to yours. “Overheated yourself in that rat costume.”

“They’re not rats, they’re poros,” you replied, unsure of what to say.

He let out a huff of laughter. “Poros that important to you that you’re willin’ to fry yourself for ‘em?”

“No, that was…” you trailed off. Well, you might as well just admit it. If he had gone out of his way to care for you after you had passed out like an idiot, then he deserved the truth. “I was avoiding you. I was scared you were going to yell at me. My friend didn’t want to keep covering for me at the window so I decided to wear that stupid poro costume.”

“So that’s what that was about,” he replied. “And here I thought you were avoidin’ me ‘cuz you weren’t interested. Gave up on gettin’ your number and then got news that someone passed out from heat stroke.”

You were still having a hard time comprehending the asking for your number part, so you instead chose to focus on the other half. “Heat stroke?”

“Not sure what you expected, wearin’ that costume in this heat,” he said. “Can’t say nobody’s ever been afraid of me before, but giving themself heat stroke just to avoid me is a new one.”

He sounded somewhat self-deprecating, and you immediately felt bad. You had clearly misjudged him, and realized that he hadn���t even mentioned the snowball incident himself.

You forced yourself to meet his eyes, even with as awkward as you were currently felt. “I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble, and for spilling snowballs all over you. I’m just really sorry.”

He laughed. “Ain’t nothin’ for you to apologize for. I’ve had worse get on me since I started workin’ here, and usually it ain’t from a cute girl.”

You tensed in your seat, tearing your gaze from his to look down at your feet, your cheeks feeling warm.

“Hey, don’t go overheatin’ yourself again,” he scolded, standing up from the bed. “If you’re not interested, that’s fine, but I think it’s best if I take ya home. Don’t need your friend yellin’ at me again if you pass out on the way back.”

As much as you wanted to deny his assertion of you being not interested, you couldn’t muster up the courage, so you instead quietly accepted his offer of help. You would have to ask Taliyah what he had meant when you got back.

It was surprisingly cold on the beach at night, the icy breeze sending shivers along your skin. You stared out at the dark ocean waves, entranced by the water crashing against the sand, when your focus was broken by some soft fabric being laid over your shoulders.

You turned to look over your shoulder to see Sett just behind you on the steps of the lifeguard office, the jacket that was usually around his waist now laying on your shoulders.

He caught your curious look and raised an eyebrow. “You nearly cooked yourself to death today, I ain’t about to let you freeze yourself to death now.”

“Thanks,” you replied quietly, reaching a hand up to keep the jacket around your shoulders.

Your feet met the soft sand as you followed Sett towards the parking lot. The beach was totally empty, an odd contrast to how things were in the daytime. It felt weird to actually see the shape of the landscape unobscured by giant beach umbrellas and a sea of bodies. You only looked away from the empty scene when you realized that you had left the sand, and Sett was staring expectantly at you.

“…what?” you asked, getting the feeling that he had said something that you had missed.

“Which way?” he repeated with a quick glance at the street ahead of you.

“Oh right,” you replied. “My friend lives on Sandstone Way.”

Sett’s ears perked up. “By that tacky souvenir shop?”

“Yeah,” you laughed. “Right by there.”

You giggled at Sett’s assessment; you had noticed the eye-hurtingly brightly painted store when Taliyah had walked you to her house from the train station. She had rolled her eyes at the store as you surveyed the display of t-shirts with embarrassing designs on them, stating that sometimes they got some good rocks in, but it wasn’t worth the amount of tourists always asking for directions when she was walking around the neighborhood.

Looking over at Sett out of the corner of your eye, you were struggling to think of anything to say. He was dressed in just his sandals and shorts, his sunglasses forgone and giving you a clear look at his golden eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.

“So this your first summer here?” Sett asked, breaking the brief silence as you walked side by side. “I know I’d remember you if I’d seen ya before.”

“I was here for a summer when I was a kid,” you answered. “But everything looks so different now. Maybe I just saw this place differently when I was a kid.”

“Nah,” he dismissed. “It never used to be this busy here. Tourists bring money to this place, but it means it’s always loud around here.”

The conversation was slowly helping you feel more comfortable with the intimidatingly handsome lifeguard. You felt dumb for putting so much energy into avoiding him.

“So have you always lived here?” you asked.

“Born and raised,” he answered with a grin that you couldn’t help but feel looked a little sad. “Ma used to work at the boating shop… and the laundromat… and the candy store.”

“All at the same time?” you asked incredulously.

Sett shrugged. “Didn’t have much of a choice. Pa ran off on us when I was a kid, and it wasn’t like anyone would hire a fatherless runt to work for them.”

“Sounds like it was hard,” you replied. “Did you ever find out where he went?”

“For his sake, I’d better not,” Sett sneered. “I heard ma cry missin’ that scumbag more times than I can count. There ain’t a family here for that bastard to come back to.”

“How is your mom doing?” you asked as you turned onto Sandstone Way, passing by the tacky tourist shop, the flashy paint on the walls too bright even at night.

“She’s doin’ good,” he answered, finally looking happy with a satisfied smile. “Got her to quit her jobs when I started workin’ enough to pay the bills.”

“You’re a good son,” you complimented him. “She’s lucky to have you.”

You smiled at him, coming to a stop before Taliyah’s house. “Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me back.”

“Take care of yourself,” he said. “I don’t wanna see you passin’ out again.”

“I’ll try not to,” you replied. “No more poro costumes for me.”

“On that topic,” he purred, leaning closer to you. “You never gave me an answer.”

“An answer?” you squeaked, flustered by his sudden closeness.

“I’ve been tryin’ to get your number for days now,” he replied, and you did your best to supress a shiver from running up your spine. Was this real life?

You wet your lips with your tongue nervously, unable to miss how Sett’s sharp eyes watched the movement.

“I, um, I don’t have my phone on me,” you said, immediately realizing how dumb you sounded. You didn’t need your phone on you to tell him your number! You hastily made to amend your statement. “…but if you come by the stand tomorrow, I’ll give it to you!”

“Oh?” Sett’s grin was wide, gold eyes flashing dangerously. “I s’pose I could find some time to stop by. See you then, sweetheart.”

Sett turned to walk away, but you stopped him with a call of his name. “Wait, your jacket–”

“Keep it for the night,” Sett replied. “I’ll get it from you tomorrow.”

You reluctantly agreed, stunned silent by his bold flirting, his jacket sitting warm on your shoulders as you watched him walk away. You stared at his broad back until he was out of sight, only then turning to head inside, knowing Taliyah would be waiting.

 The next morning she was still on you as you spent some extra time getting ready.

“I still can’t believe he gave you his jacket,” she teased with a grin. “I mean, I figured he was probably into you, but–”

“You what?” you replied as you paused styling your hair.

“I kept telling you to talk to him,” she replied. “No guy like that is going to wait outside your work for days in a row just to yell at you for spilling ice on him. But I didn’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

“I just feel so stupid giving myself heat stroke just go avoid him,” you lamented.

“Yeah,” Taliyah frowned. “If I had realized it was that hot out, I never would’ve let you go out in that thing.”

“It’s my own fault for being so dumb,” you insisted.

“But hey, it all worked out, didn’t it?” Taliyah grinned as she slipped on her water shoes. “You’ve got a hot lifeguard coming to visit you at work today.”

“Don’t remind me. I’m still super nervous,” you said, adjusting your beach dress over your most flattering swimsuit.

“You’ll be fine,” Taliyah replied. “He’s clearly super into you. You should’ve seen him when you passed out yesterday.”

“What?” You had been so tired last night that you had only told her the basics before crashing for the night, completely forgetting to ask her what had happened yesterday.

“Someone got him when you collapsed,” she told you. “You should’ve seen his face when he pulled off the poro head and saw it was you inside the costume! I tried to come with, but he told me he’d handle it. I maaay have threatened his life if anything happened to you, but just a little.”

You laughed. So that’s what Sett had been referring to.

Taliyah came up from behind you as you stared at your appearance in the mirror, resting her chin on your shoulder and meeting your eyes in the mirror. “Relax, you look great. Fuzzy ear boy isn’t gonna know what hit him!”

“Fuzzy ear–” you sputtered, laughing at Taliyah’s choice of words. “I guess his ears do look pretty fuzzy.”

“Well if he lets you pet them, tell me how soft they are!” she teased, pulling back from you to grab her bag. “Now let’s go. You’ve got a boy to meet!”

You somehow felt even more nervous today than you had the few days you had spent avoiding Sett. You were still having a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that a guy that looked like he had walked straight out of a fireman’s calendar was coming to your little beachfront ice cream stand for the sole purpose of getting your phone number. And his jacket, which was folded neatly on the countertop beside you.

You weren’t exactly sure when he was going to come. Usually, he would be there waiting outside in the morning before you opened, but all you had opened up to today was a sparsely-populated beachfront, no handsome lifeguards to be seen. By two in the afternoon, your anxiety had begun to get the better of you.

“Stop pacing,” Taliyah scolded you. “He’ll be here.”

“But what if he decided not to?” you said, taking a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. “What if this was just a joke?”

“Then I’ll go kick his butt,” she responded plainly. “He’ll come. Relax.”

You were about to reply, when a ding of the service bell at the order window had you spinning around, ready to take an order, only for the words to die on your lips when you laid eyes on the well-muscled lifeguard with the fuzzy black ears just outside the order window, sending a grin your way.

“Here to pick up my order,” he said, leaning an arm against the window.

“Your… order?” you replied, too entranced by his appearance to properly make use of your brain.

“A pretty girl promised me her number if I came by,” he replied, looking down at you through his sunglasses.

“I… right… I…” You turned back quickly to see Taliyah staring expectantly at you, mouthing the word number at you. Right.

With slightly shaky hands, you reached for the small notepad at the front counter, taking that and a pen in hand and trying not to focus on the fact that Sett was watching you as you began to write.

Double-checking that the number was right, you handed the paper to him, your fingers touching as he took it from you. Remembering about your other promise, you reached over to grab the lifeguard jacket from the counter beside you. You went to hand him his jacket, surprised when he didn’t take it from you.

“What time do you get off?” he asked, and you answered a quiet six. “Give it back to me then.”

With a short wave and a grin, Sett made a show of stowing the phone number in his pocket before sauntering off and leaving you standing there slack-jawed.

“See? Was that so hard?” Taliyah called from her seat at the ice machine. “Now you just have to keep it together for your date.”

“I don’t know if I can,” you said, leaning back against the counter.

“You did last night, didn’t you?” she countered. “He’s just a guy. A really hot guy, but still. Don’t freak yourself out. You deserve a nice guy. It’s just a bonus that he has more abs than spiders have legs!”

You let out an amused huff. Taliyah was right, as she always was. You needed to get over yourself and let yourself have a good time tonight.”

But for now, you had customers to deal with. You and Taliyah let out a shared groan as you saw the nightmare mom and her army of brats heading towards you. You both returned to your posts, hoping their overly-complicated orders would be right on the first try this time.

 Taliyah let out a yawn, stretching her arms high above her head before beginning the process of cleaning up for the day. After the last customer left, you hastily closed the order window, not wanting to give anyone the chance to come and beg about how it was only five minutes past closing and they’ve been wanting a banana split all day. You had learned your lesson from that mistake on day two.

Once the order windows were closed and locked, you joined Taliyah at the side counter, helping to return all the different containers of toppings to their rightful places. You found your hands moving slower, your nerves slowing you down in order to prolong the inevitable.

Taliyah eventually got tired of your pitiful attempt at stalling for time and gently removed the container of blue sprinkles from your grasp. “Just go, I’ll finish up here.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, and Taliyah sent you an unimpressed look. “Okay, fine, I’m going, I’m going.”

“I hope you know I expect all the details later!” she grinned as you made your way to the door, hesitating with your hand on the door handle for only a moment before opening the door.

It was mercifully less warm outside today than it had been yesterday, not to mention that you were also minus a heavy mascot costume. Yesterday hadn’t ended too badly for you, but you would still prefer to not end today in a hospital if you exacerbated your current heat-sensitive state.

You weren’t sure if you preferred if Sett was already there, or if you got there first to wait for him; neither option seemed to abate your nerves. But of course, the lifeguard was prompt as always, leaning against one of the beams that held up the awning above the order window.

You didn’t think you had been making much noise walking along the sand, but he seemed to hear you, turning to face you with a grin as you approached.

“Ready?” he asked as you came to a stop before him, tucking some of your hair behind your ear in an effort to keep your cool.

“Yeah,” you answered, impressed that your voice hadn’t come out squeaky with how nervous you were.

“Good,” he replied, before his grin turned teasing. “Was half expectin’ ya to come on our date in that rat costume.”

“Poro!” you corrected again, trying not to get flustered by his mention of this being a date. You weren’t sure what else it would be, but you couldn’t help the butterflies that fluttered in your stomach when he had acknowledged the obvious.

He surprised you by taking your hand, pulling you along with him as you tried desperately not to stumble and fall into the sand.

The beach crowd was beginning to thin out, people heading home or to one of the many beachfront restaurants nearby. Watching as a kid packed up his sand toys, you wondered if one of those restaurants was where you were headed as well. Sett hadn’t told you anything about what the plan was, and you found yourself curious when he led you to the bright white lifeguard office.

At first, you had thought that maybe he had forgotten something, at least until you followed him into the small building to see what looked to be the table that had previously held all the first aid kits, now decked out in a soft-looking purple picnic blanket. On top of the makeshift picnic table was a spread of various tasty-looking finger foods, the scene completed by two chairs pulled up to the table, cushions with a starfish pattern placed on the seats.

You were perhaps too dumbfounded by the sight, as you snapped out of it to Sett calling your name, looking over at him to see him looking surprisingly tense. You should probably say something, you realized.

“It looks great,” you said, meaning every word as you looked over the table. “Are those cabbage rolls?”

“Ma helped me make ‘em,” Sett explained, looking bashful for the first time since you had met him as he raised an arm to scratch at the back of his neck. “Helped me with all of this, actually. Never done anythin’ like this before.”

“You mean a picnic?” you asked curiously.

Sett chuckled. “Picnics. Dates. Not a lotta women ‘round here who wanted anythin’ to do with a fatherless half-breed.”

You had a hard time believing that; you had noticed several mothers checking him out as they packed their family’s stuff to leave the beach. But the hint of something sad in his eyes made you reconsider. You had no memory of seeing someone like him that summer you had spent here, but it wasn’t like that was a surprise to you. You and Taliyah had been in your own little world at that time, only ever spending time with each other.

“Well I’m excited to try your cooking,” you said, figuring a change of subject was for the best.

Sett grinned as he sat down. “Should be decent. Haven’t poisoned anyone since high school.”

Your eyes widened, hand freezing on its path to grab a cabbage roll, startled eyes darting to his.

Sett let out a bark of laughter at your alarmed face. “Relax. Wouldn’t poison ya. Maybe those kids that keep swimmin’ into the boating zone, but not you.”

“Thanks… I think?” you replied, biting your lip as you stared down at the cabbage rolls, weighing your options.

“Wasn’t real poison anyways,” he scoffed, taking some rolls from himself. “Not my fault sugar and salt look the same.”

You laughed, grabbing some food for yourself at last. “I suppose they kinda do.”

“Ma didn’t wanna hurt my feelings, but I knew when I tried some myself,” he explained.

“It was nice of her to try,” you offered.

“Too nice,” he said. “Ma is always too nice. Never said anythin’ bad about my old man, even after what he did. Had to work three jobs for years because of that bastard, but not a word.”

“Well I’m sure she’s glad she has you,” you commented. “Even if you give her food poisoning sometimes.”

“Once,” he corrected, taking a bite. “Learned my lesson the first time.”

You followed his lead, finding the food to be entirely poison-free, and actually the best home-cooked meal you had eaten in a long time. The conversation moved to swapping work stories, and you were unsurprised to find out that the mother and her the demon children had been a thorn in Sett’s side as well.

“They really buried sleeping sunbathers in sand?”

“Five times in a day one time,” Sett grouchily confirmed. “Last time Braum went to handle it. Said I would bury those little assholes under the sand if I had to go yell at them one more time.”

You sympathized with his pain. You felt lucky that you had only experienced the tip of the annoyingness iceberg with that group of little terrors.

“Braum?” you inquired as you both left the lifeguard office, the beach now fully dark.

“Fellow lifeguard,” he answered, nonchalantly taking your hand in his as you made your way off the beach. “Bald, giant moustache, even bigger than me. Better at the whole gentle-but-firm thing than I am.”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen him before. He comes by for poro pops sometimes,” you said, mind drawing a picture of the surprisingly friendly man in the small purple swim bottoms with a weakness for poro-shaped ice pops. “So are you the head lifeguard then?”

Sett considered your question. “Guess I am the boss of ‘em. All of the other lifeguards are always comin’ at me with problems to solve. The extra pay doesn’t hurt either if I wanna keep momma from feelin’ like she has to work.”

“Say thank you to her from me for the dinner. It was really good,” you said as you passed by the familiar tacky souvenir shop.

“She’ll be happy to hear it,” he replied with a soft smile that made your heart thump in your chest. “I know she wishes she had more to cook for than just me.”

You both came to a stop before Taliyah’s house, and you sneakily glanced over just to make sure Taliyah wasn’t peeking out from a window, which she wasn’t. You turned your focus back to Sett, only to find him closer than he had just been. How was he so good at sneaking up on you?

A large hand came up to cup your jaw, thumb brushing against your cheek, and your face was tilted up towards Sett’s. You were glad it was dark out, because otherwise you knew your reddening cheeks would be obvious.

“Still afraid of me?” he asked, voice low, lips so close to yours that you could make out a small scar that crossed over his bottom lip.

“No,” you answered, making no move to pull away as you stared up into his eyes. “Not unless I was about to taste your high school cooking.”

“Smart,” he replied with a smirk. “But I’m talkin’ about right now, because if you don’t turn and run into that house, I’m gonna kiss you.”

Your bag almost tumbled from your grasp, but you held fast as you stared at Sett, whose own had already become half-lidded. You had no words to describe how much you didn’t want to run right now, so you didn’t use any, instead angling your face further upwards, trying to make your willingness abundantly clear.

With a grin, he leaned down and kissed you.

Pulling back slightly, he dove back in, his other hand coming to your waist to pull you against him. You happily leant into him, your hands on his firm chest.

When he pulled back again, you opened your eyes at last, feeling almost as dizzy as right before you had passed out from heat stroke.

Sett looked content, and you were only hoping you looked half as composed as he did right now. He leaned back in to give you one more peck before pulling back from you entirely, the cold from the air outside immediately apparent as soon as you were minus his warm hands against your skin.

“Think I’ll stop by tomorrow,” he said. “Been cravin’ a cherry snowball for some reason lately.”

 Sett was a man of his word, you learned, though you were less happy to see him the next day when he asked if he could order a cherry snowball served like last time, and then laughed as you had proceeded to sputter like a broken machine.

His visits became daily, sometimes bringing Braum with him, who continued to surprise you with the sheer amount of poro pops he was able to consume in one sitting. Quite a few nights a week, you had found yourself all around Port Navori with the half-Vastayan lifeguard. You were surprised at how supportive Taliyah was being, considering you had originally come here to spend time with her.

“Gives me more time to surf,” she answered with a shrug when you had asked her. “And maybe that boyfriend of yours can convince you to stay here after the summer is over.”

“Boyfriend?” you yelped, and Taliyah raised an eyebrow.

“You aren’t? I thought he would have made it official by now. It’s been over two weeks… have you guys even done it?”

“Taliyah!” you scolded her, switching back to professional mode as a group of people approached the stand.

As you helped prepare their orders, you couldn’t help but think about what she had said. You and Sett had kissed quite a lot actually, but he had yet to do more than that. But it was far too embarrassing a subject for you to have the confidence to broach, so you had resolved yourself to just be content with things as they were.

It was just your luck that right then was when Sett had decided to make his daily visit to the stand, approaching the counter as the other group left.

Taliyah apparently wasn’t done pestering you for the day as she sped to meet him at the counter before you could get there yourself.

“Hey!” she greeted Sett with a sly smile as you stood frozen behind her, nervous about her motivations. “You’re on your break, right?”

Sett raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“Well,” she said, in the voice you knew meant that she wanted something. “There’s a surfing contest I entered, and it’s almost my turn and it won’t even take that long and–”

“Tali!” you interrupted, rushing over to the counter.

“All I need is an hour,” Taliyah insisted, before pulling you beside her at the counter. “And she needs some help while I’m gone since lunchtime is when most of the people come by.”

“I’m fine, I–”

“I’m in,” Sett cut in, eyeing you with almost palpable smugness.

“Awesome!” Taliyah replied, immediately shucking her apron and hat onto the floor in her haste to get out the door. “Have fun, see you after I win!”

“Taliyah!”

Your call of her name fell on deaf ears as she already had her board and was out the door, leaving you standing at the counter with Sett still leaning against the counter.

Sett reached up to pull his sunglasses off, tucking them into his packet, his golden eyes fully uncovered and sparkling with mischief, the sight alone making you feel weary.

“Well? You gonna invite me in?” he asked. “Not sure I’d fit through the window.”

You scrambled to meet him at the back door, not wanting him to try and get into the shop through the order window that was less wide than he was. It was a strange feeling to open the back door of the shop to a guy that was almost too tall for the doorway, and another thing entirely to try and corral him into behaving as you tried to keep the ice cream stand functioning while Taliyah was gone.

“Aren’t lifeguards supposed to set a good example for others?” you huffed, wiping ice from your apron. At least he hadn’t made things truly equal and put cherry syrup on the ball of shaved ice he had pressed against your neck.

“Not when I’m off the clock,” he answered. “Besides, it’s my once in a lifetime chance to see what workin’ one of these is like.”

It would definitely be only one time if you had anything to say about it. If the almost-hour with him here had taught you anything, it was that Sett was not cut out to work in an ice cream shop.

The scoops of ice cream he doled out were easily twice the size of the ones Taliyah did, which made for happy customers, but a less happy bottom line if he was here for more than an hour. He was also lacking Taliyah’s patience, and you were forced to sideline him when an especially picky middle-aged woman came by who insisted you remake her smoothie four times until it had an acceptable pH level. The woman’s complaints had miraculously stopped the moment Sett had approached the window himself, becoming so invested in flirting with the handsome lifeguard that she had snatched her next smoothie attempt from you without complaint, not even glancing your way as she batted her eyes at him, only leaving when he excused himself with an excuse of needing to make more orders.

You approached Sett to check on him and found yourself pulled down into his lap as he leaned back in the chair.

Huffing, he pulled you against him, nuzzling against your neck. “Don’t know how you deal with that. Couldn’t pay me to make her damn smoothie one more time.”

“You get used to it,” you replied. “Don’t you deal with worse as a lifeguard?”

“Yeah,” he grunted. “But nothin’ sayin’ I gotta be nice when I deal with ‘em.”

“That’s true,” you laughed.

“If anyone complains, they can go somewhere else. Ain’t another beach within a hundred miles as well-run as this one,” he bragged, kissing at your neck.

As much as you were enjoying his sudden affection, you knew time was running low until Taliyah would return. You made to pull back to tell Sett that, but were instead pulled into a kiss that took you a few breathless moments to find the strength to escape.

“This Friday,” he murmured, face inches from yours. “There’s a party at the pool. You should come with me.”

You had heard about the exclusive pool parties on this beach from Taliyah, but hadn’t expected to ever get an invite. The pool, which was at the far end of the beach from the ice cream stand, was as exclusive as it got. Gated with walls so high that you couldn’t see in, it was the membership-only place to be for all of the elite in the beach town of Port Navori.

“Is that… okay?” you asked hesitantly.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he countered, and you didn’t really have an answer. “It’ll be fine. Come. Have some people I wanna introduce ya to.”

The door burst open at the same time as you nodded your agreement, revealing Taliyah clutching both her dripping board as well as a shiny blue ribbon.

“You won?” you asked, trying to disentangle yourself from Sett, who reluctantly let you up.

“Easily!” Taliyah gloated. “Nobody else stood a chance. So how were things here?”

“The money ain’t worth the drama of this place,” Sett griped.

Taliyah laughed. “Smoothie lady come back with a vengeance?”

“I’ll take kids buryin’ sunbathers up to their ears over this any day,” he replied with a grimace, standing up and stretching.

At his mention of ears, Taliyah had brought both hands up to her own head about where Sett’s were on his head, and you quickly waved at her to cut it out before he saw. Thankfully she did, but you could tell that you were going to get asked if you had pet his ears yet as soon as his fuzzy ears were out of earshot.

“I’ll text ya the time when I know it,” Sett said, giving you a quick kiss on the head and a two-fingered salute to Taliyah before heading out the back door.

“So?” Taliyah asked, pulling the chair up to the ice cream station after she had stashed her prize ribbon in her bag. “Are they as soft as they look?”

“I didn’t pet them,” you answered.

“It’s been over two weeks!” she complained. “Has he at least asked you to be his girlfriend yet?”

You shook your head. “He did invite me to a pool party with him on Friday at that fancy pool.”

“Really?” Taliyah responded, eyes wide. “You have to tell me what it’s like! I mean, I’ve seen satellite photos, but it’s not the same…”

“I’ll probably be too nervous to remember any of it,” you grumbled.

“This is your chance!” Taliyah encouraged. “By Friday it’ll be three weeks. You need to ask him if he sees you as his girlfriend or not.”

You reeled back, waves of anticipatory anxiety rolling over you. “I don’t want to scare him off. What if this is just casual to him and I’m too dumb to see it?”

“Then you’ll know,” she replied. “I know you. It’ll eat you up if you put this much energy into a guy without knowing how he feels about you. So ask. If he says no, then at least you’ll have an entire store’s worth of ice cream to drown yourself in after!”

Taliyah was right. She was always right. You knew that you couldn’t keep whatever this was up without knowing where you stood with him. The more time you spent with Sett, the more you wanted, and if he intended to keep things casual, you would rather know sooner so you could make an informed decision.

So that would be the plan then. Go to the party, have a good time (and get some photos of the pool for Taliyah) and then ask Sett about the state of your relationship. Sounded easy in theory. You could only hope you could muster up the courage to go through with the plan when the time came.

 After hearing that the party was to start at four, Taliyah had gone all out, closing the stand at two so she could help you get ready to impress the snobs. You hadn’t put up too much of a fight, happy to have her help and her company, as your nerves only climbed higher the closer it got to four o’clock.

“You’ll be fine,” Taliyah said as she styled your hair. “You’ll only feel worse if you don’t get an answer from him. And with how good you’ll look at the party, he won’t be able to say no!”

“Thanks, Tali,” you replied gratefully. “I promise I’ll get you a bunch of photos of the pool. And whatever else you want.”

“What I want is for you to stay here for good,” she said. “So really I’m just doing myself a favor by helping you. This place has been a hundred times more bearable since you’ve been here, and I want it to stay that way.”

“Still,” you persisted. “I feel bad that you’re going to so much trouble. If you want anything, just let me know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Taliyah dismissed with a wave of her hand. “You should get going, don’t wanna be late to the fancy pool party.”

She practically shoved you out the door, and then you were alone, walking down the mostly-empty sidewalk. As you walked along the street, you couldn’t help but dwell on the possibilities. What would happen at the party? What would Sett say?

If he told you that he wasn’t looking for anything serious, what would you do? It was hard to have an answer for until you were in the moment, since a lot of it would depend on what Sett’s answer would be.

You walked through the parking lot, and then onto the beach, passing by kids building sandcastles and games of beach volleyball as you walked towards the end of the beach where the pool was. As you made your way to the fancier end of the beach, you began to notice the differences that marked the split between here and the side of the beach that you were usually on.

The shops on this side of the beach were much fancier, the sand littered with designer beach chairs and umbrellas. It was crazy just how different two ends of one beach could be.

The pool was noticeable from a great distance, or at least the wall white walls that surrounded it were. At least you weren’t going to get lost and miss the party entirely.

You approached the pristine white stairs that led from the beach up to the pool entrance, equal parts excited and apprehensive. The entrance was an open doorway, covered by a deep blue curtain and guarded by a muscled bouncer in white. The sight alone was intimidating; why hadn’t you just asked Sett to meet you beforehand?

You plastered a reluctant smile on your face before approaching the man. “Hi, I–”

“Name,” he interrupted, not looking up from his clipboard, sunglasses too dark for you to see his eyes.

Well it wasn’t like you hadn’t expected some level of standoffishness from the elite side of the beach. Keeping your smile up, you told him your name, waiting the prerequisite few moments for him to leaf through the list.

He seemed to have found what he was looking for, as his hand with the clipboard went to his side and he moved over to the curtain, pulling it to one side to allow you to enter. He had said nothing further, but seemed to be staring in your direction, so you took that as your cue and walked towards the now-open entryway and into the pool.

The entryway led into a hallway with pristine white walls, soft lighting hanging overhead. You could begin to hear chatter as you got closer to the end of the hallway, exiting into an explosion of sight and sound.

The pool was huge, and there seemed to be an intricate gold pattern on the tiles at the bottom. The pool was surrounded by lounge chairs and umbrellas, tropical foliage bordering the inner walls around the pool.

There were people all over, in and out of the pool. There was also a bar in the center which seemed to be very popular, as many people were carrying around intricate-looking cocktails.

More than the scenery or the people, your eyes were scanning the area for Sett. You checked your phone again to make sure, finding that it was the time he had told you to be here for. Maybe he was just running late or…

Your rising concern was broken up by the tap of designer wedges on the granite heading your way. You looked up from your phone to see two girls heading towards you, one of which you realized you had seen before.

The stuck-up redhead that had been the reason you had been out on the beach to spill the snowball on Sett in the first place was striding towards you, not a hair out of place underneath her likely-expensive sun hat. At her side was a lilac-haired woman in a swimsuit with a plunging neckline that was color blocked with various shades of purple. Together they made quite a striking pair, but your previous encounter with the redhead had you wishing that Sett would get here soon to save you from the impending conversation.

“Look, Sarah,” the purple-haired one sneered as they came to a stop before you. “So eager to pretend she’s one of us that she rushed right over.”

You took a step back, but that only seemed to embolden them.

Sarah lowered her sunglasses, staring at you like you were in her way. “Sad when they don’t know their place, Syndra.”

“Sett invited me here,” you replied defensively.

The women exchanged a pointed look before Sarah raised an eyebrow at you, a hand on her hip. “You ever think about why that was?”

“What?” you replied, unsure of what she was getting at.

“She doesn’t get it,” Syndra said with a cruel undertone in her voice that unnerved you.

“Look around,” Sarah said sharply. “Really look. Do half the people here look like they belong?”

You looked around, not sure what you were supposed to be seeing. A man with a hook-nose sat at the pool bar, flanked by women in skimpy bikinis. A humanoid form that seemed to be made of water conversed poolside with a large purple man in a ratty straw hat who was holding a ukulele. What were you supposed to be noticing?

“Sett is too nice to break it to you, so the job falls to me,” Sarah said with a smirk. “This is our annual loser fest. Charity case race. Bring-a-freak-to-work-day.”

“Pig party,” Syndra supplied.

“Yeah, pig party,” Sarah repeated, noticing your confused look. “Don’t know what that is? Poor thing.”

“I don’t–”

“It’s pretty simple,” Sarah interrupted. “We take half the summer to find the biggest freak we can, and then we bring them all together and crown a winner, and by the looks of you, Sett is really going for the top prize.”

You gasped, eyes wide, suddenly feeling like you were going to be sick.

“Aw, you really thought he liked you, huh?” Syndra mocked with fake sweetness.

“He didn’t… he never…” you stammered, clutching your bag to your chest.

“Well duh,” Sarah replied haughtily. “He wanted to win. Do you tell a pig when it’s about to become bacon?”

“What is meaning of this?” Braum accused, storming up to your group. “I have not heard of such a thing!”

“Need-to-know, Braum,” Syndra dismissed.

“And you didn’t need to know,” Sarah added.

You felt numb. This whole time… is that why Sett wouldn’t ask you to be his girlfriend? Why he never did more than kiss you? All this time, he had just seen you as a prize pig for an ugly date contest? It all made sense now, why he had been so desperate to get your number. He had never liked you… it had all been one sick joke. You should’ve known; nobody as attractive as Sett would ever see you as anything but a freak. And was too cowardly to come and tell you the truth to your face.

“Look, she’s crying,” Syndra taunted. “Don’t cry! Soon you’ll be queen pig!”

You couldn’t do this. You couldn’t stay here with all these people who saw you as less than human as your heart was breaking into pieces. You were so, so stupid, now wanting nothing more than to cry in peace. So you did, turning and running as fast as your legs would take you out of this awful place.

“Bye, piggy! We’ll ship you the ribbon!”

You heard Braum shout your name, as well as the cruel laughter of the women, but you didn’t stop running. Not when you got to the beach, nor the parking lot or the tacky souvenir shop, the sayings on the gaudy shirts too blurry to read through your tears. Your feet didn’t stop until you were at the doorstep to Taliyah’s home, out of breath, tears running down your cheeks.

The door opened, Taliyah’s face appearing in the doorway. “Hey, did you forget– wait, what happened?”

 “Settrigh, stay still!”

Sett frowned, but did as his momma requested, allowing her to tie the ends of his hair after she had finished arranging it. He loved his ma dearly, but he really didn’t have time for her to redo his hair ten times right now.

It was getting way too close to the start time he had given you, and with how nervous of a person you were, he had intended to be on time, but that was before his mother had discovered the reason why he was cutting their visit short today.

Ma was aware that he had been seeing someone, had been ever since Sett had needed help making food for their first date.

“You do intend to let me meet her, Settrigh?” she asked, stepping back once she had fixed his hair to her satisfaction.

“Yes, ma,” he answered, standing up from the chair.

He wasn’t exactly surprised by his momma’s eagerness, considering this was the first girl he had ever dated, let alone considered introducing to her. This world was shallow; he had learned that early in life, which may be why he found himself so drawn to a girl who had put her all into having nothing to do with him. You broke up the monotony in this busy beach town and gave him something to look forward to other than seeing his ma for the first time in a long time.

Sett knew he was working on a time limit. You had mentioned that you had planned on only visiting Port Navori for the summer, and the summer was half over already, which meant his chances to convince you to stay were also halved, which is where tonight came in.

He had been taking things slow, not wanting to come on too strong and scare you off like he had watched happen to many a beachfront pick-up artist. He had been unwilling to rush things and lose you, but the slip of the calendar into August had forced his hand.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit apprehensive as to how today would end. How would you take him asking you to be girlfriend? He could only hope that he hadn’t misread you entirely.

He didn’t go to the pool parties often, but it seemed like a good way for him to introduce you to his friends, as they didn’t often all gather outside of those parties. He knew you would likely feel out of place, but Braum would be there, and he intended to stick by your side the entire time. And then after the party, if things went well, then maybe he would end the night with you as his girlfriend, but the party would be the first step.

As he left his ma’s house, he found his mind turning to the party. If you were wearing that red swimsuit you had worn last week, then it was going to be a difficult night for his self-control. His desire to take things slow had really taken a hit then, his only saving grace being ma’s lecture on being a gentleman pounding in his head as he tried not to look at how your chest was half-busting out of your top as you leaned over to pick a thread off of his glove. You were really too hot for your own good, which made him all the more eager to see you.

He knew he was running late, the party having started at least ten minutes earlier. It wasn’t his style to be late, but he was also pretty helpless to defy his ma. He only hoped that you hadn’t given up on him and left.

He took the shortest route possible, which included a short trek through some bushes that left him more leafy than he would’ve liked, but it was all forgotten when he spotted the stairs that led up to the pool entrance.

He was able to bypass the doorman who was only half as big as he was and seemed to be wary of interacting with him, stepping out of the way as Sett approached. He pushed past the curtain, hurried steps heading down the hallway. You hadn’t been waiting outside, so clearly you had been able to get in. He tried to fight back the excited grin that wanted to take over his face, but it was a losing battle as he entered the pool area, eyes immediately scanning the area for you.

“Your cruelty is unimaginable!” Braum’s booming voice carried easily through the air. “That girl has done nothing to be deserving of such treatment!”

What had Braum so worked up? Generally he was an easy guy to get along with, easily Sett’s most tolerable co-lifeguard. Not much phased him, which was a little concerning. But Sett had other priorities, the most important being locating you.

You weren’t in the pool, and didn’t seem to be sitting in any of the chairs. Maybe you had gone to the bathroom and would be right back–

“Well how else was she supposed to know Sett is too good for her? She clearly wasn’t going to see reality without a little help.”

Sett’s ears perked up, his attention snagged by the mention of his name, but especially by the latter half of the sentence. He turned around to see Sarah Fortune with Syndra at her side, who had her arms crossed and looked bored. In front of them was Braum, looking more irate than Sett had ever seen him.

“What’s this about?” Sett asked in a warning tone as he approached, the fur of his ears standing on end, leaving him feeling like he wasn’t going to like where this was headed.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Sarah dismissed, flipping her hair behind her shoulder with a flick of her head. “We just showed a daydreaming little clout chaser the way out.”

Sett’s eyebrow rose. “A what?”

“Your ice cream girl,” Braum cut in. “These two have told her that this is a party for pigs. They have told her that you intend to bring her here to win ugly contest, and then she had run off.”

“What?” Sett growled dangerously, but the two women remained nonplussed.

“We did you a favor,” Syndra stressed. “If we get a reputation of letting just anyone in, then we’ll lose all status as members of the ruling class of the food chain. So we decided to throw this little pig party to make you come back to your senses.”

“You’re one of us, Sett,” Sarah added. “This pool doesn’t have room for little nobodies who don’t know their place.”

“Rather be a nobody than whatever the hell this is,” Sett snarled angrily, the full knowledge of the truth turning his bad feeling to a mix of simmering fury at the two women, and worry for you. He hated himself for being late and allowing this to happen to you. “Save your concern and don’t talk to me again.”

“But we were–” Syndra started, but Sett wasn’t in the mood.

“If you even look at her again, you’ll have me to deal with. And unlike that girl you just bullied outta here, I ain’t so nice.”

With that, Sett turned on his heel and stormed towards the exit to go do his best to fix this mess.

Braum quickly followed behind him. “My friend, I am sorry I could not stop them in time.”

“Ain’t your fault,” Sett replied. “Wish I’d have known. Gotta go see if she’ll even talk to me at this point.”

“I wish you luck,” Braum said as exited the hallway and emerged out into the sunny late afternoon.

Sett parted from Braum, taking the stairs two at a time as he surveyed the area, trying to see if he could catch sight of you. He quickly crossed the sand, making a beeline for the ice cream stand, even if it seemed like a longshot. He passed by a group of kids throwing sand on an older man sleeping on a towel, but ignored it and kept going. If anything was on fire, Braum could put it out. Sett’s sole focus right now was finding you and hoping you’d let him explain himself.

His chest felt heavy with anger and regret. How could he have let this happen? He hadn’t realized how cruel those women could be, and it had led to them making you believe he thought you were some freak he was using for convenience, which could not be farther from the truth.

Seeing those two talk about you like you were a pariah had brought him right back to when he was younger, to what he had endured at the hands of people just like Syndra and Sarah. People who had ostracized him, did their best to make him feel like he didn’t have a place here. Sett-the-beast-boy-bastard; the words had haunted him for a long time.

He had grown tough in response to the years of bullying, but you hadn’t. This was your first exposure to how awful this place could be. He and ma had dealt with it for years after pa ran off; he had nearly gotten expelled from school after a particularly bad fight with a kid that had made one too many nasty comments about his ma to his face.

Sett stopped, letting out a frustrated sigh as he saw the large closed sign on the front windows of the ice cream shop. So that was a bust. Without giving the store a second look, he continued on towards the rocks and then up to the parking lot.

There was only one other place to try. Chest tight, Sett followed the same path he had the night of your first date, the same path he took every time he walked you home. The walk there was one long blur, his feet unable to stop moving until the familiar house was in sight. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sett approached the front door, rapping his knuckles against the wood. When no answer came, he tried again, and after a few moments, the door opened to reveal Taliyah, who glared once she caught sight of him.

“What do you want?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Is she here? I need to talk to her,” Sett said, urgency bleeding into his voice.

Taliyah sighed, stepping outside and closing the door behind her. “You’re lucky I’m even talking to you after this. You don’t deserve to talk to her if that’s how you let your friends treat her.”

“They ain’t my friends,” Sett argued. “If I’d have known they were gonna pull that shit–”

A sly smile lifted the corner of Taliyah’s lips. “Good answer. If you had said anything else, then I’d be slamming the door in your face right about now.”

“Then can I–”

“Talk to her?” Taliyah interrupted. “Nope. Not a good idea.”

Sett’s face must have taken on a darker quality, because Taliyah retreated back a step, raising her hands in the air in mock surrender. “Relax, tough guy. I didn’t mean it like that. But she’s a little too upset to talk to you right now.”

The information only made Sett feel worse. He wanted so badly to talk to you, to do what he had wanted to do before this mess had happened and make you his girlfriend. You had never felt farther away than you did right now.

“Give me some time to calm her down. I can get her to be at the pier at seven, then the rest is up to you,” she said, levelling him with a stern look. “I know this wasn’t your fault. That’s the only reason I’m giving you a chance. She really likes you, so try not to make her feel any worse than she already does. Bye.”

And then Taliyah was gone, retreating back into the house and leaving Sett standing on the doorstep.

 “Brought you some water,” Taliyah announced as she entered the room, glass in hand.

“Who was at the door?” you asked.

She shrugged. “Someone looking for my dad. Told them he’s not here.”

You nodded. It was probably too much to hope that it would be Sett. You winced as you thought his name. You hated how much you wanted to see him, someone who had used you to win some popular kid ugly date contest.

So it had all been a lie then? All the things he had told you about his life, his family? Every time he had kissed you, was he picturing kissing one of those girls instead? Is this really what popular people did for fun? You felt stupid for falling for it, for falling for him. You were so stupid.

With some prompting from Taliyah, you took a sip of the water. After she had made sure you had drank the whole glass, she sat down next to you, taking the glass from you and setting it down on the bedside table.

“I should have known,” you croaked.

“Known that popular girls are bitchy? Maybe,” she responded.

“That it was too good to be true,” you corrected.

“You’re acting like you’re eighty,” she scolded. “There are other guys out there. Ones who don’t have shitty friends.”

“Yeah, I know,” you replied. “But I really liked him. And I didn’t even get to pet his stupid fuzzy ears.”

“Well if you’re joking, then you must be doing okay,” she said. “How about we go do something to take your mind off of things?”

You frowned, and she rolled her eyes. “Not right this second. I’ll give you until six-thirty to get yourself ready to go.”

Taliyah got up off the bed and headed towards the door. “I’m not gonna let your night be ruined because of a couple of snobs.”

She closed the door, leaving you alone with your thoughts again. You laid back on the bed, intent on taking some time before you got ready to just veg out. As much as the notion of going out didn’t excite you right now, it was probably better than being a mopey mess all night. There would be other guys; it was just a shame that you had liked this one so much.

Two hours later, you were walking down the street with Taliyah. Your getting ready to go had consisted of washing your face of all the smeared makeup from your crying, brushing your hair into a semi-decent state and then watching dumb cat videos on your phone until you felt like you didn’t want to crawl in a hole and die.

Taliyah had assured you that you didn’t look bad, which you might have believed if you hadn’t seen yourself in the mirror as you were leaving, but at this point you were beyond caring about how you looked right now.

Taliyah had refused to tell you where she was taking you, and so you were forced to follow her down the familiar path towards the beach, unsure of where it was you were being led. Part of you was worried that you might run into Sett, but then the more rational side of you took over; he was likely back at that pool, partying it up with those girls and lamenting that you had run off before he could win his ugly date prize. It was crazy to realize just how flawed your judgment had been.

You had expected to be walking onto the beach, as it was where you two usually spent most of your time, but Taliyah didn’t go to the parking lot, instead heading towards the rockier section of the beach. You hadn’t been over here before, only vaguely aware of the area as a prime fishing location, bait shops and the like lining the street across from this part of the beachfront.

She took you past the fishing spots, down to near the end of the beach, where there was a small pier that went about thirty feet out into the sea. Like most of the beach at this time on a weekday, the pier was empty, most of the fishermen also having headed out with their day’s catches.

Taliyah led you down the pier to the small bench at the end of it, pushing you to sit down. When she didn’t do the same, you looked up at her, confused.

“I’ll be right back,” she said. “I’m gonna go grab something to help cheer you up. You just enjoy the view for a bit.”

You decided to follow her advice, staring out at the water. There wasn’t much to see other than some boats in the far distance and some buoys bobbing in the water that marked the swimming section from the boating section.

It was kind of nice in a way, the calm waters helping you to relax as you watched the waves roll in and out. You stayed like that for a while as you allowed yourself to zone out until you began to wonder how much time had passed. Pulling out your phone, you saw that it had been almost twenty minutes, and yet there was no sign of Taliyah as you looked around.

You had assumed that she went to get you two some food, which likely was still the case. Some of the places here tended to have rather large dinnertime crowds, so a twenty minute plus wait wasn’t exactly unusual. You had no idea where she had gone, so all you could do was wait. If she wasn’t back by seven, you would just text her and ask what was up.

You let yourself be taken in again by the rolling waves as you continued to wait, trying to recall what kinds of restaurants there were on the beachfront. It couldn’t be that fish and chips place; Taliyah had spent a full half hour last week complaining about how stale their food was. Or the taco place, since it had been closed for renovations for the past week. You had been trying to think of a third option when your concentration was broken by someone taking a seat next to you on the bench.

You looked over, expecting to see Taliyah back with some food, but instead nearly jolted off of the bench when next to you was the very man you were out here trying to forget.

Just seeing him when you were feeling so pathetic sent a jolt of you weren’t sure what up your spine, your flight instincts screaming at you as you made to stand up, only to be stopped by a firm grip on your wrist.

“I know you don’t wanna see my face right now,” Sett said. “But I can explain.”

“Explain what?” you replied meekly. “Those girls explained enough.”

“I haven’t,” he insisted. “Just listen for a minute. Then you can leave, or punch me, whatever you want.”

You took a look around, still not seeing Taliyah anywhere. You weren’t sure what he could have to say that would make much of a difference, but you sat back down, and he let go of your wrist.

You turned reluctantly to face Sett, waiting for him to talk first.

“Never told ‘em to do somethin’ like that,” he said gruffly. “Didn’t even know about it ‘til I got there and you weren’t there.”

“But they said…” you started, taking a breath to keep yourself calm as you prepared to recount the hurtful words. “They said you were only spending time with me so you could win their whole ugly date contest.”

Sett’s eyes narrowed, the skin of his knuckles tightening on his curling fists. “First I’ve heard of it. Ain’t no way you’d ever place in an ugly contest anyways.”

His words threw you. “Wait, so you don’t think I’m ugly?”

He snorted, a grin playing at his lips. “Well I was plannin’ on askin’ you to be my girlfriend after the party, so nah, I don’t think you’re ugly.”

“You–” you gasped, pulse skyrocketing. This was not how you expected this conversation to go. You were half convinced you were experiencing auditory hallucinations until Sett reached over, pulling you into his side.

“This is my fault,” he spoke lowly. “If I hadn’t been late, I’d have been there to stop that from happening.”

“What happened when you got there?” you asked quietly.

“Braum told me what happened, then those two tried tellin’ me they did it for my sake,” he growled. “I thought I was used to seein’ through bullies from how I grew up. Doesn’t matter now, they won’t be botherin’ you anymore unless they wanna find out why momma says I got her temper.”

“Why were you late anyways?” you asked.

He groaned, leaning his head back against the bench. Even with the sun mostly set, you could clearly see a pink tone to his cheeks.

“What is it?” you pressed, curious about why the intimidating lifeguard was suddenly being so shy.

He let out a long sigh, finally meeting your eyes. “Ma was doin’ my hair.”

You looked him over, realizing that his hair did seem to be tied differently today. The only thing that looked the same was his ears, just as fluffy as they always looked. You could almost hear Taliyah’s voice screaming in your head to pet them. Speaking of Taliyah…

“Taliyah!” you gasped, trying to extract yourself from Sett’s grip, but failing. If Taliyah was to come and see you here with the guy she had taken you out to forget about… “My friend, she’ll be back any second and–”

Sett laughed, and you were immediately left with the feeling that you were missing something.

“She ain’t comin’ back,” he said amusedly. “I’ve got you all to myself for the night… if that’s what you want.”

“Taliyah set me up?” you breathed, not having suspected a thing.

“I asked her to,” Sett explained. “Wasn’t about to let you go ‘cuz of some shallow assholes.”

Taliyah was much sneakier than you had given her credit for, you realized, but you couldn’t bring yourself to mind right now. Though that didn’t mean you weren’t hungry, your previous stress melting away and removing the only distraction from your empty stomach.

“So,” you hummed. “Are you still going to ask me to be your girlfriend?”

You still had no idea what would happen by the end of the summer, but you really wanted this. You wanted him.

“Yeah, was plannin’ on it.”

 You had thought about it all the way back to Sett’s house. Was it really for the best to go back to your city when the summer was over? Back to your parents’ house to find an equally demanding and unfulfilling job?

The more you thought about it, the more you wanted to stay. Taliyah was here, Sett was here, and other than your brief nasty encounter at the pool earlier, this summer had been the best one you’d had in a long time.

Sett seemed intent on giving you more reasons to stay as he was on you pretty much as soon as you entered his house. You had been standing in the entryway, looking at a picture of what must have been Sett and his mother when he caught you off guard, picking you up from behind.

You yelped, turning your head back to face him just in time for him to dart forward to snatch a kiss.

“You’ll have time to look around later,” he said as he walked down the hall, nudging a door open with his shoulder and then taking you into what looked to be his bedroom.

Once again, you were scarcely granted a look around before Sett had overtaken your attention yet again. You were swiftly carried over and deposited on the bed, Sett eagerly caging your body down against the sheets with his own.

“I wanted to go slow,” he said against your ear. “Didn’t wanna mess things up. But that’s not what you want, is it?”

“No,” you gasped as he snaked a hand under your dress, and then under your swimsuit bottoms. “I… I want…”

“This?” he inquired, thumb brushing against your clit, causing you to jolt against him with a breathy moan. “Waited a long time to hear that.”

Seeking more room to work, Sett pulled back to reach down and pull down your swimsuit bottoms, tossing them to the side. You watched with reddening cheeks as he returned his attention to you, head disappearing under your dress next.

His first lick against your pussy felt back-archingly good, but you didn’t have a lot of room to move with Sett’s hands holding your lower half in place. His tongue felt slightly rough, bringing pricks of pleasure-pain along its path.

Closing your eyes tight, you tried not to squirm, but it was difficult as Sett’s tongue prodded inside you before moving back to sucking at your clit. It felt good, almost too good, but you found yourself wanting more than his mouth against you.

“Sett,” you moaned. “Please…”

You weren’t sure if he got the message until you reached down to grasp at one of his hands. He pulled back from you, wiping one forearm against the wet lower half of his face as he sat back. His position on his knees on the bed allowed you a good look at the decently-sized bulge in the front of his tight swim shorts.

Sett caught your eyes, reaching one hand down to cup his cock through his shorts. “All you, sweetheart. Still think I think you’re ugly?”

You somehow managed to shake your head, speechless from his ardent display of his body. Sett seemed to bask in just how speechless he had made you, a sexy grin overtaking his face as he stared down at you.

“Couldn’t ask for more than this,” he said. “But if you want more…”

He was such a tease. With a burning face, you relented.

“Could you just put it in me please?” you asked, too shy to make eye contact.

“Can do,” he replied, and you could easily hear the smug satisfaction in his voice.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sett stood up from the bed to pull his shorts off, wincing slightly when he pulled the tight fabric over his painfully-hard cock. Tossing the shorts to the floor, his attention quickly returned to you.

Giving his cock a few slow strokes, he watched you sit up on the bed. Feeling a burst in confidence from his display, you reached down to the hem of your dress’ skirt before pulling it up and off your body, Sett’s hungry gold eyes unable to look away from you as you moved onto your swimsuit top.

Once your top was off, Sett struck, pulling you towards him. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he pulled you onto his lap, reaching around to your front to cup your breasts as his mouth went straight to your neck. His hands were warm against the sensitive skin of your breasts, rolling your nipples under his thumbs as his teeth scraped against a sensitive spot on your neck.

You felt his hard cock under you and shifted yourself against it, Sett letting out a deep groan in response. You could feel how wet you were, but this wasn’t enough. You needed to fuck him, needed this building tension to come to a satisfying end for you both.

You turned in his lap, looping your arms around his neck and leaning down to kiss him. Sett was happy to meet tongues with you, one hand resting on your ass until you pulled back from the kiss.

You met eyes with Sett, who began to help you lift yourself up, lining up his cock with his other hand. When he brought you back down onto him, you both sighed as you were fully seated on his cock at last.

“Nothin’ else would feel as good as you,” Sett groaned as he began to help you move and up and then back down onto him. “Never wanted any girl as bad as I want you.”

You were much less coherent, moaning out his name as your hands grasped against his chest. With a further burst of confidence, you reached a hand up to his ear, running your fingers along the fur and enjoying the resulting groan, the next upward thrust of his hips hitting even better into you. Maybe you would leave this out at Taliyah’s interrogation later.

“There,” you moaned as he shifted you in his lap, his cock hitting even deeper inside you. “Right there, Sett.”

“You’re so tight,” he groaned, pulling you down into a rough kiss as he held you close, thrusting up into you as you eagerly moved along with him, needing to make this gorgeous man under you cum.

Sett came first, stilling for a moment before pulling you slightly back to put a finger to your clit, letting you cling to him as you followed him over the edge.

Once you had both come back down from the clouds, you were set back gently on the bed so Sett could run off to grab a cloth to clean you up with. You watched him leave the room, still having a hard time comprehending just how you had ended up this situation.

You definitely had some phone calls to make tomorrow. Your parents would be surprised, but you would probably focus on the Taliyah part rather than the new boyfriend part of your reasoning. Taliyah would be overjoyed for sure; you’d have to thank her for her meddling when you saw her.

As Sett returned, you realized something.

“Wait, is your mom home?” you asked in horror. You hadn’t made any effort to be quiet during sex, forgetting about his mother until he re-entered the room.

Sett laughed at your mortified face. “I don’t live with ma, so no.”

“Oh god,” you breathed in relief. “I was worried I was too…”

“She ain’t here,” he replied as he joined you on the bed, handing you the cloth he had grabbed. “You can be as loud as you want.”

You dropped the cloth, burying your head in your hands, Sett’s amused laughter ringing in your ears as you tried to content with just what you had signed yourself up for.

[scienceisfood]

OKAY. I MADE IT AND NOW I'M DONE.

Total time spent waiting: 9 hours.

Saturday: from 2pm-8pm we waited 6 hours in line. Benefit of this time was we were in the building shade for most of it, and by the time we entered sunlight it was beginning to set. Met lots of fans and fun cosplays. We just barely missed out on food by the time we made it to the building front. By this point I thought "I'm coming back tomorrow really early to get food"

Got three drinks first. They all come in kitty cups with boba straws.

Heatsflamesman: I normally don't like spicy but you could hardly taste any. Very refreshing white peach tea flavor which was nice after waiting in line.

Sea tea: delicate sweet with salty foam. I really liked it! A wonderful treat.

Sans soda: a soda. It was good but mostly refreshing from waiting.

Here I took photos of the area and ordered the special event merchandise since I flew in and I'm getting everything I can, dang it.

The next day: we arrived two hours before opening and waited another hour past that to enter. The sun was a deadly laser but we brought umbrellas. It was still hot. (And our place in line was next to dog poop ew 😫)

Made it in and ordered everything else we could.

Cinnamon butterscotch pie: cute and small. I almost didn't get it but my spouse was instant since we already waited a total of 9 hours so all or nothing, damnit.

Starfet: very adorable. Very sweet. Like sugar and cool whip but I mean what else would you expect from mettaton.

It turns out even though the promotional images were in hot cups, the coffee items were all iced, no option otherwise. That was weird.

Determination: good, simple, sweet. In a kitty cup.

Gyftmas: disappointing, kind of. I understand completely they were slammed but not only was it iced instead of hot, the sprinkles were not the same as the images and kind of a downer. But I still bought it and paid a good tip because they were very nice and doing their best.

Toriel milk: Aesthetically pleasing. I love taro but taro is always sweet and adding maple only makes it sweeter. Suddenly my spouse guessed the flavor even though I already told him. "It tastes like buttered popcorn jellybeans" he spoke aloud. Suddenly, that was all I could taste. Guhgjvhbjng

Was it a lot of waiting? Yes. Was there a lot missing? Yes. Did I not wait once but twice regardless? Also yes.

Just being around people who like Undertale. Seeing chalk art. Hearing people in the background watching undertale themed TikTok videos. Having random people take pictures of the line. One car came by blasting Megalovania. I heard the people next to me talking about their favorite characters and fan theories. A surprising number of people who hadn't personally played the game but loved all the fan content. There were a lot of kids with parents and we talked with both of them. Everyone was really cool.

[gaiuswrites]

King of Cups || Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Fool

Archive: ao3 | masterlist | six

Pairing: Din Djarin x fem!Reader

Summary: It all spills over.

Word count: 8.8k~

Rating: Explicit

Warnings/tags: SMUT (WE MADE IT FOLKS), thigh riding, fingering/hand job, very brief breathplay/choking, cum eating¿? Angst/emo shit (I'm so sorry i have no self control)

Notes: HI FRIENDS, wow it's been a minute. Sorry for the massive delay. For anyone wishing to start KOC, now would be the perfectly spicy chapter to do so! This chapter was Herculean. idk why. Love you guys, enjoy! x (gif credit : @djarinsgf)

“Maker,” you bemoan, shielding your face from the heavy beat of the suns.

You’ve known warmth—you were raised in warmth. This is beyond it.

It’s not just warm, it’s sweltering. The heat is oppressive, congealing the air to mist; you can barely see through it what with the sweat running into your eyes. Tall, craggy dunes line the valley of desert, trapping the planet’s hot pulse within their walls. Your steps crunch along the dry, pebbled earth as you swat at the gnats buzzing in ribbons around your head.

A muffled gurgle sounds from behind you and you slow to a halt, boots gritting into the cracked top soil.

“You doing alright back there, Munch?” you ask, craning your head to the child nestled into the carrier fashioned onto your back. A green ear pokes free from the top, and you can see the jewel of his black eyes peering at you through the gauzy cloth you draped over it. He grunts, and you give a small shrug—shifting the pack by the straps, eliciting a giggle out of him. “We can always turn back, okay? I’m not going to be mad.” Another noise, a happy coo this time, and you shimmy your shoulders again, jostling the bag playfully.

“Well, you just let me know.”

Your conversations usually unfold this way. They leave much to be desired, but you’d like to think you understand one another—in fact, you probably understand the kid more than you understand his dad.

You’ve grown close with him, you’ll be the first to admit it. You’re attached to each other. The little one has been your constant companion for these months and in some ways, you suppose he takes care of you just the same as you take care of him. The chamber of space can be lonely; it’s cold and unkindly reflective, stranding you to the echoed chain of your thoughts—but when he tugs at your hair or slobbers spittle down the front of him or crawls up into your lap to nestle into your tunic, it feels like you belong there—there on the Crest, streaming through the galaxy.

And maybe, simply, it feels good to do right by a child—as if you could make up for it somehow, within yourself. To do better than you were given.

Squinting, you raise your wrist to check the coordinates on your comm and shade a hand over the screen, blocking the glare cast onto the display. “Almost there,” you mumble, resuming your stride as you begin the last leg of the trek to the settlement you and Mando discussed that morning.

“What?” he asked, planted some paces away from you.

You hummed a curious note, glancing to him.

“What is it?”

You were trying to be small all morning—shrunken and shy, avoiding the thought and avoiding him all together. You quieted yourself, as if to not take up space, but the attempt was fruitless; of course he picked up on it – you get good at reading people on the job, he’d said – and of course he called you out on your behavior. You took a big gulp of your caf, gaze flickering down—increasingly more and more invested in the scuffs marked into the table you sat at.

“Dala,” he said pointedly, arms folding over the breadth of his chest.

Shit. Who did you think you were fooling? Playing possum with a Mandalorian?

Worrying your lip, you stood. You couldn’t bear to look up at him, just looming there across the table from you, so you paced around the deck as you rambled. “Okay, so you know how I’m still connected to the RRM channels? Well, I’ve been checking the message boards and I—there’s a settlement here out in the Wastes. It’s small and new and they’re looking for volunteers and—”

You whistled in a breath. Fuck it.

“And I want to help.”

Like the toggle of a switch, you went from having a career—having a purpose—to having nothing. And all your gratitude for the transport he’s offering couldn’t fill that empty lull that’s settled inside you.

“Would you be comfortable with letting me take the kid? I know I’m probably asking a lot—and I will fully respect whatever you decide—but I can keep him by me the whole time, I swear, I just—” You shook your head, pinching your eyes shut before sighing, “I need to be doing something. Anything.”

There was a long pause. You scratched at the torn skin around your cuticle, nervously searching the pitch of his wordless visor. He didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t even twitch.

“That’s fine,” he finally remarked, graveled.

You blinked, taken aback at his agreement, and all at once your fidgeting ceased and a bright grin broke out over your features in its place.

It nearly brought him to his knees.

“Wait, seriously?” you asked, bouncing on the balls of your feet and he nodded, a subtle tilt to his helm. “Maker, thank you,” you exclaimed, and without thinking you flew towards him, flinging your arms around his neck and sealing yourself to his armored frame. His arms escaped out from his chest in surprise, suspended and stiff, before falling measuredly to his sides. You could’ve been imagining it, but you swore you heard the distinct grit of his teeth grinding together under his helmet.

“Really Mando,” you beamed, pulling back to lay your eyes on him, to let him see the earnest there: you have no idea how much this means to me. “Thank you.”

You gave his shoulders a squeeze, thumbs brushing along the scratchy fabric of his cape before tearing yourself away. Swiping up your mug of caf, you wound down the corridor - airy, buoyant - back to your makeshift quarters to prepare for your outing. It took him another minute just to get his damn feet to move from the spot on the durasteel you welded him to.

Din told you to be safe.

You smiled, and promised you would.

You left the Crest before him and it was strange, surreal. For the first time, you stood in each other’s shoes, leaving Din there on his own while you set off into the world. He watched you go—you and his boy—watched you walk away into some great unknown without him.

And he didn’t like it.

He soured, somewhere in the deep of him—within that pit he called a gut, he twisted sick.

Your feet hit the ramp, dull and tinny, and it sounded like goodbye—it sounded like you leaving. It’s what it will look like when time and fate touch, and inevitability catches up with him. It’s what it will look like when he takes you home. You’ll walk out of his life, down that same ramp, and your steps will echo those same beats. You won’t look back.

And Din, with all his strength, all his unshakeable resolve—Din will let you go.

///

The encampment is settled into the shadow of a cliffside, seeking respite there from the blazing suns, the taupe of the canvas shanties camouflaging into the arid landscape. Some crawl their gaze up as you enter the village, and you offer them smiles they do not return. Others do not acknowledge your presence at all— unstirred as your footsteps sound past, their heads bound heavy towards the earth. It’s not long before a decisive voice cuts through the hush that’s claimed the settlement.

“Are you with the RRM?”

You turn and are greeted by a woman ducking out of a tent—the grey of her woven tunic browned with sand, heat collecting in her black, coiled hair.

“Yes, I’m with the Movement.” It’s not a total lie. Sure, you’re on leave, but that doesn’t discount you completely. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.

With a sharp exhale like a prayer of relief, she makes her way towards you. “Where’s the rest of your division?” Her eyes narrow discerningly, flitting behind you as if expecting to spot the rear of your party trickling in.

“It’s, uh—it’s just me,” you confess, pressing your lips together in a thin smile.

She rakes a hand over her hair, over her face. The skin around her knuckles is split, the beds of her nails chalked with days of unwashed grime. “Alright,” she concedes begrudgingly, without any better option presented. “And who is this?” She nods to the child, emerging from the pack and staring curiously at her.

“This is—” You take a moment to consider it—consider the secrecy around the child, the bounties, the life on the lam. Less is more, you decide. Again, it’s not a total lie. “I’m babysitting.”

The kid grunts an emphatic patu.

You both share a look—a quirk of her dark brow, an apologetic heft of your shoulder—and she sighs. “Well, I’ll take all the help I can get,” she quips dryly with a wave of her hand, leading you into the settlement.

///

She’s coarse, this woman—Arlaani, she told you—matronly and effective. She has a calculating gaze and powerful shoulders that she holds steady as she shows you through the camp. There are lines around her eyes, carved into the curves of her mouth. She knows what you know—what all women learn: sometimes you must be hard in order to keep others soft.

You walk shoulder to shoulder, matching her long strides with your own.

“The Black Sun has taken the southern hemisphere; their numbers have only grown since the Battle of Yavin. Pirates, mercenaries, spice runners—they’ve ransacked one half of the planet and have the officials of the other half in their pocket,” she scowls. “They have stolen our land, our homes—we’re moisture farmers, mechanics, mothers and fathers. We are simple people and we have been forgotten by our government—by those who vowed to represent us, protect us.” Arlaani draws in a long breath. “We’re on our own out here in the Wastes.”

You survey the area; the lifeless ocean of rock and sand, the few scattered trees that have died on their feet—roots withering bone dry in the suns. “Why settle here if it’s so uninhabitable?”

She huffs a humorless laugh. “Because, it’s uninhabitable,” Arlaani explains. “No one robs a beggar. There is nothing in the Wastes the Black Sun wants.”

There are no buildings, no structures; the whole area is undeveloped and raw. Tents are dotted sporadically in clusters, crates of supplies and water canteens stationed every other one. Children dawdle idly, tired and overheated, leaning against boxes and posts—their bellies distended and skin parched taut. Flies land on their shins, on their cheeks. They do not go to shoo them away.

“The Movement supplied those for us when we landed,” she comments, nodding to the crates. “That was two months ago.”

“No one has come back to check on you since?” you ask, brows notching together.

She shakes her head solemnly, jaw set rigid. “Our little ones go hungry, our elders are sick with red fever. We will run out of water before the week is through,” Arlaani says before she turns to you, holding your gaze—the seriousness evident in the stone of her eyes. “I thank the gods you are here.” She presses a palm to your shoulder. You feel the weight of it, the weight of her—of the lives she carries on her back.

“I thank the gods.”

///

You stop by each tent delivering what little food and medicine you brought with you from the Crest, and after each encounter—the people so grateful, so weary—your mind strays further and further to Mando.

Din, you scold yourself. Not Mando, Din. Din Djarin.

You still can’t bring yourself to say it.

He spent that whole fateful day nearly two weeks ago bristling at the very sight of you, going out of his way to limp to the other side of the ship just to ignore you better, only to do you in for one final head spin and give you his name.

Two weeks, and you still haven’t said it. There’s no other excuse: plainly - pitifully - you’re scared. You’re scared he regrets it.

Because how horrible of a truth would it be? To be offered something out of carelessness or guilt; to be the product of pity, or even worse, a mistake that cannot be unmade, cannot be rectified. He can’t take his name back, can’t unspeak it any more than you can unhear it, and this fear, picking at you like an old scab—it’s so painfully human, so terribly universal:

what if I’m not worth it?

And isn’t it easier to neglect the answer, then it is to ask the question.

So you’ve buried his name for both of your sakes, keeping it somewhere secret and private, there to garner dust in the quiet of your mind.

You’re brushing through the draped entrance of a tent when you spot him: a small boy hiding behind a supply crate, the top of his dusted head poking out over the ledge. You catch him peering at you, and he ducks down shyly. A honeyed grin blooms across your face.

“I think we’re being watched Munch,” you coo. The little ball of robes blinks up at you from your arms, earning his nickname tenfold as he crams his mouth with a flakey cracker. “You want to say hi?” He hums in response and you crouch, letting him wiggle free from you to toddle over to the other child. With small steps, he eventually makes it over to the other and immediately, without hesitation or provocation, extends one of his crackers to him.

Your heart swells until it bursts, proud and beautiful in your chest.

Munch leads him out from behind the box, the two boys shuffling slowly through the dirt back to you. He can’t quite meet your eyes—his gaze lands somewhere around your chin, your collarbone, and you fold forward, bent at the knees to meet his height.

“Do you have a name, sweetheart?” you ask kindly.

He nods, nibbling quietly on the cracker, and you breathe out a chuckle. “Not much of a talker, huh? I can respect that,” you say, eyes crinkling fondly with a smile. “Well if you want to tell me, you can—or not. That’s okay, too.”

He nods again, and you fish out more salty treats from the sleeve in your pack, gently handing them to the other—a gesture he nervously accepts, dirty fingers trembling as he plucks them from your open palm. This boy is precious—sweet faced and cherubic, he must not be a cycle over the age of seven.

And the realization comes so suddenly that it blindsides you—struck by it, there between your lungs: Din was his age when it happened—when life happened to him. When this could have happened to him.

You can’t help but think of it—think of him and everything he told you that night he came bleeding through the Razor Crest. You can’t stop imagining him; Din as a little boy tucked away, his people—his parents—decimated overhead. He is a Mandalorian by proxy. Displaced from his home, from his past, saved by a sect with an affinity for orphans—to protect those who cannot protect themselves. The irony of it all is not lost on you:

Din is a refugee too.

You see him in this boy, and in all the faces here—in every set of eyes, young and old alike. Each are individual - idiosyncratic - but they each wear the same qualifiers. The same exhaustion. They each fight the same tired battle, leaving them with identical sets of marks.

Does Din? If you were to see him, truly see him, would you find them there? You’ve seen the scars he’s earned from being a Mandalorian.

You wonder if he has any from simply being a man.

Pushing yourself to stand upright, you cradle Munch back into your chest, his teensy claws riddling your shirt, and offer the boy your hand—outstretched in front of you.

He’s cautious. Too cautious for a boy so young, for a child who should know nothing but abundant love and fearless imagination. He shouldn’t have had to learn this lesson: that some hands should not be taken, that some people should not be trusted. He studies you, hesitant but hopeful, and you smile softly—cycles of hard-won patience and empathy curving the corners of your lips.

He lays his small hand in your own. You walk on together.

///

The day blows by like hot desert wind, chafing at your skin. Minutes have ripened to hours—morning has crawled to midday.

The three of you finish your rounds— distributing rations throughout the camp, pitching tents, taking stock of the dwindling supplies for you to relay to the Movement once you return to the Crest and have access to your holopad.

It’s then that you notice Arlaani again. She’s speaking in hushed tones with another man, the both of them hunched over a large carton. You see the concern ticked clearly along the man’s jaw, the dread grooved into her brow, her crossed arms. With a frown, you plop the child down onto a nearby petrified log and the other boy joins, hopping up next to him, all too happy to get off his feet. You tell them not to wander off— a kiss to Munch’s forehead, a ruffle of the boy’s hair— before making your way to the couple.

“Hey,” you call, jogging over. “Is everything alright?”

Arlaani wheels around as you approach. It hasn’t been long since you’ve seen her, but somehow she looks older. Hollowed, drained— like there’s less and less in her. “It’s the water,” she grits out, “sand mites have gotten to the crates, to the canteens.” She tosses you one of the flasks. It’s littered with holes, porous and leaking— the remnants of water splashing out of the orifices bitten into the sides.

Arlaani dives through the crate, rifling through the supplies. She’s tense, upset, her voice is rife with it. “They’re all like this. Ruined, fucking—” She heaves out a hissed exhale and props herself up on the edge of the box, neck bowed between her shoulder blades. “This was the last of it, and now—now…”

The man tries his best - how do you comfort marble? - as he places an arm around her, his thumb drawing patterns there, reassuring and calm but she wants nothing of it; she gruffly shrugs it off as if stung, weaseling out of his hold. “I can’t— I need to think,” Arlaani bristles, as she paces away from the settlement, receding deeper into the Wastes.

“I’m sorry,” he stutters, “I have- I have to—” His eyes follow her shrinking form, worry apparent in the shape of them. It’s so obvious. He’s terrified of that woman—probably loves her, too.

“Go,” you say, and with a knowing expression, he turns and trots after her.

Heavy footed, heavy hearted, you trudge back to find the children exactly where you left them. Once there, you collapse to the hard ground, dust and dirt puffing up as you recline onto the log. Your palms run over the earth—scooping up sand and rock and letting it slip through the cracks of your fingers, gaze trained out onto the encampment—the people milling about, the miasma of helplessness stifling the air.

This isn’t enough. You’re not doing enough— these impermanent little nothings, your measly good deeds. It’s not going to matter. They’ll be bones by the time the next wave of volunteers rolls through. They’ll be grain.

You need to do something that lasts, that outlives you when you leave.

You glance over to the kid and his new friend, their little legs swinging off the edge of the trunk, heels thumping against the old wood. They look to you, two pairs of big eyes—crackers in their tiny fists.

“You boys ever dig a well?”

///|||///

The suns roast into his beskar, blistering him from the inside out.

The day has been long and it’s only half over. It took him longer than it should have to gather himself— his fob, his rifle, his fucking head—and depart the Crest. Longer than it should have to hunt the bounty here—some marauder scum who’s number is up and luck has run out. Longer than it should have to set up his sniper’s nest, sculpted into the mountainside.

Din is distracted, has been all day— has been since you left.

He can’t stop feeling you. Your warmth pushing against his chest, your arms looping around his neck, the heat of your palms searing through his flight suit. Din can smell you on him still— like citrus and moss, you cling to his cowl from where you buried your head.

It’s intolerable. It feels like an infection with how it’s been building, how this has spread— slowly but surely rearing to an unignorable head. Serpentine and insidious as it crept through him, this growing affliction— this morbid curiosity that spoiled like rotting stonefruit into infatuation— slipping along his bones and organs, blemishing Din in faint little licks— imperceptible to the naked eye but there all the same.

How did this happen? How did he become this?

You’ve been more relaxed now, bolder in some ways. Transparent. Sometimes, you’ll touch his arm as you walk by him or sweep your hair from your neck when you sit by his side in the cockpit, star shine on your jaw. You’re quick with a laugh, lips pulling back into a pretty grin. He’s even caught you staring at him, there out of the corner of his eye—from where he steals those same glances under the safety of his helm.

He spied you once, just a glimpse of your backside, padding quietly away from the shower with only your underwear on, drops of water tracking down your spine. It was brief, you were fast—you must have forgotten your shirt in your bunk—but he had to lock himself in his quarters and fuck his hand before he could even think about piloting the Crest into the stratosphere.

Din is a lot of things, but he isn’t daft. A part of him knows. A part of him is aware that you are two very human people with very human needs—and that you’ve been ignoring these primal aches with premeditated dereliction for months now.

And you can only dance around each other so long before one of you snaps.

And Maker, he’s so desperate to be rid of you—to get you out of his fucking system; to let him sleep without dreaming of you, to let him wake without plunging into his briefs and jerking himself off. You are everywhere. In his ship, in his galley, in his thoughts. He has no privacy, he has no sanctity— he has no idea how you have managed to worm yourself so deep into every living part of him. Others have tried and they have failed, and you— you did it in your sleep. From that very first fucking night, curled up in his chair, gore and ash stained tunic rising with your slumbered breathing. You snored.

You fucking snored.

And now you’re killing him— just as the suns above, you are blistering him from the inside out.

His level-headedness has all but evaporated. He’s peeved. Not only is Din distracted, but he's angry— has been since he plodded up this damn hill, waiting for his quarry to pass through the ravine between the valley of mountains—because instead of performing his job, he’s consumed with you. All of you.

He kneels, flattening himself against the rocky sand— your hands, so small and soft against him— and unclips the rifle from the strap on his back—how good you’d feel on his skin—he aligns his sights— the weight of your breasts in his palms—

His helmeted head clunks to the ground and he loses his aim, a frustrated growl emanating out from him. Focus, Mando. Fucking focus.

Din reorients his crosshair, training it on the gang of pirates in the gorge below. They lean haphazardly over their speeders, their cargo nets packed full with different wares and spices, jeering loudly and chugging from the jugs of spotchka they undoubtedly looted earlier that afternoon. He inspects the rabble, searching for his target and—those pretty lips that smile so easy for him, stretched around his length.

Fuck. He pinches his eyes shut.

You whispering husky into his ear as you ride him, you bent over the pilot’s chair begging for his cock, you sprawled out over the deck while he laps at your sweet cunt.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck— he can’t do this. He can’t fucking do this. You’re everywhere everywhere everywhere— you buffer his vision, his senses, his sight. He’s blinded with you. You’re blinding him.

With an infuriated heave he shoves himself off the ridge of the dune, bounty-less, and reverses his course back to the Crest—heart beating furious and bloody against his ribs.

///

The settlers surround the trench, peering down at you as you work. Hours ago, when you originally proposed this idea to Arlaani, they insisted on helping— to which of course, you insisted they didn’t. And so they watch— the refugees, Din’s foundling, the nameless boy— mangling their hands restlessly, animated with an inkling of that all too lethal substance long sought after by those of all species and creeds: hope.

You sink the shovel into the dry earth and your muscles burn with the effort—the skin on your palms stings from the rough grate of the wooden dowel and the yawn of your back strains as you pitch forward.

You’ve missed this.

You’ve been so distracted. You’ve grown comfortable in your routines, you’ve let yourself go listless—living in blissful ignorance—all because of a metal man in his metal ship with the most impossible and darling child you’ve ever known. All because your body reacts at the very sight of him, all because your belly flips when he speaks, that modulated purr rumbling loose from his beskar, all because, because—

You like him.

You wish you didn’t—you hardly know why you do—but you’ve soaked your fingers enough times in your rack to realize that this thing residing within you burns.

You can’t even see his face, and you don’t have to. His presence alone— that raw, vacuous energy that surges from him—it’s addicting. It's engulfing. It makes you whimper into the night, massaging your pearled clit as your other hand muffles your moans and you come over and over and over again, chasing after the fantasy you so dangerously harbor for this man. The man who’s piloting you back to Coruscant—the man who sleeps just down the hall.

But that isn’t real. That’s not real life— that’s not your life. This is real—the fuchsia of the setting suns blazing through the horizon, the sweat on your brow. You’ve missed this— Maker, you need this. Working with your hands, making an impact. You’re wanted here and kriff, does that not feel so unabashedly right. To be wanted. To be important.

Your back groans, the sinew woven over your spine aching in protest and you know, without a doubt, you’ll feel this for the next week. Half of you dreads it—being cooped up and sore, lactic acid compacting your joints— while the other excites at the prospect; the memory of a good deed lasting long after it’s finished. That reminder always there, always present: see, there’s still hope in the galaxy. We can still do good. There’s goodness where you look for it.

You fling dirt over your shoulder as you burrow lower and lower. With each shove, the soil changes hue, changes density—the striations darker, more definitive. It’s less dry now, thicker too—turning from sand to clay the deeper you dig. Again, you drive the spade into the sod with a taxed grunt, when you hear a distinct, wet squish.

You pause, stilling your shovel in the dirt. Everything - everyone - freezes.

Adrenaline thrums through you as you drop to your knees, using your hands to brush away loose silt piled atop the loamy floor, excavating what lies beneath.

Prayers and hollers erupt above you and you lurch your focus up to the sound, a feverish grin plastered to your face. The little boy jostles the child excitedly, and his green talons rumple the other’s tattered tunic. Your head falls back, cushioned by the dirt wall and you laugh - gargled, relieved - as water begins to seep through the tired ground.

Bubbling up, bubbling up—unearthing.

///

The promise of ridding yourself of your soiled clothes was the singular thought that fueled your trek back to the Crest. Every inch of you was filthy, caked in dried mud and gritty sand and you wanted nothing more than to strip from those dirty layers and melt into your bedroll. The kid, that lucky little bugger, had passed right out; sun drunk from his long day, he’d slept the entirety of the return trip—stirring only once when you placed him in the hover pram and sealed it shut.

Your bones are worn. Your tissue, your tendons— every little scrap that keeps you stitched together craves sleep. You reckon you should feel miserable, what with the tell-tale stiffness already burdening your spine and the fresh callus from the shovel’s handle reddening your palm.

But you’re not miserable, not even close. No, you’re happy—you’re glowing; fulfilled and serene, humming as you wash your pants in the basin, kneading at the sopping fabric. You wring out the article, shaking free the excess droplets before draping it on a metal rung overhead. You peel off your shirt and bra band next, leaving you only in your underwear as you plop them into the bowl and begin to scrub at the stains, concentrating on a particularly dirty patch at the sleeve.

The grating mechanics of the Crest’s great jaw unhinging sends your stomach bounding frantic to your lungs.

Kriff—shit shit shit, he’s back early.

Clutching onto your modesty, you cover your breasts and scramble to your quarters, quickly shimming a loose tunic over your head. Its hem barely covers the curve of your ass and you tug long at the cloth before peeking cautiously from the doorway and tiptoeing out of your room.

“Hey,” you warble, rounding a corner as solid feet pound up the ramp—you can feel their reverberations in the floor under your own. You pad into the galley, pulling at your shirt as you go, to tidy up the washing you left unattended. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you so—”

You falter.

He’s there at the mouth of the ship, the ramp drawing slowly up behind him and he’s fuming; you can practically see the steam lifting from his armor and his breathing is labored—chest rising, plummeting violently. You both stand immobilized on opposite sides of the hull—you, bare-legged and exposed and Din, all but anonymous under the steeled fury of his armor. Finally, the sound dampens, ship shuddering as she seals shut—sealing you in—and the leather of his fist creaks in the silence hanging dense like smoke around you.

“Mando...?”

He doesn’t grace you with a response. Instead he begins to stalk forward, stripping weapon after weapon from himself with every thundering step—rifle, blaster, vibroblade—he sloughs it all, metal clanging against metal as they clatter to the deck.

“Hey, what’s wrong-”

He’s not stopping. Fuck, he’s getting closer and closer and instinctually you back up—staggering until you’re pressed against the bulkhead—his broad frame crowding you until all you see is the silver polish of his beskar. You jolt when his hands fly up and slam into the wall behind you, framing either side of your head, fencing you between his forearms. Your lips part, wide-eyed and confused, and you gulp around the nervous lump threatening your voice.

“Do you have any idea,” he seethes, “what you do to me?”

“W-What-” Your stammering is cut short as he slots his thigh between your legs and you have to tilt your chin to meet his visor, a gasp finding itself on your tongue.

“Strutting around my ship, putting your hands on me, that kriffing smile…” Din ruts his knee into your heat, and you’re practically hoisted onto your toes. Your core pulses against the blunt pressure, blood racing to the throb at your center.

Maker, you could fucking faint.

“Do you know how long I’ve thought about this—about you?” His voice is tar black—smooth like obsidian—and you succumb to it. You can’t speak; any and all language evaporating from the forefront of your mind, because he’s everywhere. He’s inescapable and smothering and his scent floods over you, intoxicatingly wild—like iron and sand and something dangerous. Something heady, carnal.

“Is this what you want?” he hisses.

You’ve gone dumb. You’ve imagined this, you’ve dreamt of this, but now it’s actually happening—here, in the flesh, it’s finally happening and you’re trembling with the reality of it. All you can muster is a shaky nod, tongue darting out over your lip.

“Tell me,” he orders, scanning your face behind the guise of his helm. You feel his gaze rove over your eyes, your cheek—fanning across your lips.

Your breath hitches.

“Yes,” you whisper, “yes I want this.“

It’s all it takes.

Din is rougher than he means to be. He wears this as he wears his armor, plating the soft parts of himself he doesn’t want anyone touching. He doesn’t know anything else. He doesn’t know how to be anyone else but this.

He grabs a handful of your waist, rooting you still as he rolls his thigh against you. You inhale an airy noise, grappling onto his other arm stationed by your head and you bite your lip, sucking it into your mouth. Your cunt spasms for him as he presses up into your mound, fightless against the groan that seeps through you.

“You like that?” he pants. ”You like fucking my thigh?”

Din manhandles your hips, his hold on you vicious as he rocks you back and forth on his plated leg, your clit catching on the cold edge of his thigh guard with each motion. It sends hot sparks down your spine and you trap a moan behind your teeth, letting the sound rumble there before you swallow it. His hand weaves up from your waist, the drag of his glove setting fire to your skin as he passes over the swell of your clothed breast, and you arch into his palm as he swipes a thumb over a nipple. “You want more?”

He splays his large hand, groping at your plump flesh, and pinches your nipple hard until it pebbles through your shirt. With each sharp twist, his intention becomes clearer: it won’t be enough to skate by on moans alone.

“I asked you a question.”

Din slides his other hand to the small of your back, drawing you flush to his front, and you can feel him— the outline of his firm length twitching under his flight suit against your hip. He cranes over you, intimidating and menacing and achingly devious. The panel of his visor has never looked darker.

“Use your words, dala,” he husks.

You should be embarrassed by this—by your need made evident through the soaked lining of your underwear—but you aren’t. The heat that stipples your cheeks isn’t born from shame, it’s sprung from lust—pure and primal—and you can’t afford to give it any further consideration because all there is is this man wrenching sounds from you like an animal— and he’s scarcely even touched you yet.

“Your fingers,” you whimper, “I want your hands."

He learned this lesson within those first weeks—relearns it every fucking day. You could ask him for anything - everything - and he would oblige.

He can’t say no to you.

He shifts out from between you, hooking into the elastic of your panties and tears them down your thighs to rest just above your knees, the spread of your legs keeping them from dropping to your ankles.

Patiently - tortuously - he scrapes up your legs, leaving embers in his wake as he trails higher  higher  higher to where you need him most. You’re shivering—nerve endings fried and frayed—and every atom inside you hums with anticipation, with unbridled impulse.

The orange tips of his gloves dimple your inner thighs - squeezing, massaging - before he tilts his helmet, angling himself to see you better, and paws your swollen lips apart.

Your pussy is drooling for him.

He moans something indecipherable— a curse in Mando’a—at the sight of you glistening for him under the dimmed lights like this, and immediately you buck your pelvis to him, hungry for his touch—and the pathetic noises babbling out of you prove too much for him to bear.

“Fuck this,” he snarls, ripping a glove off and tossing it aside, “I need to feel you.”

Your eyes have dilated with want, blackened as you watch Din retrace his bare hand—that gorgeous thing you’ve never seen, only ever fantasized about—back to your heat and slowly - so fucking slowly - pass a finger through your slit.

You throw your head back, knocking against the durasteel. The mewl that escapes you is inhuman.

He’s so warm. His tan skin is molten—it’s like he brought the sun in with him, as if he’s burning that star straight into your sex. You’re slippery with arousal; you can feel how glossed you are, you don’t have to look. You can hear it—hear the obscene squelches he’s stroking from your seam.

“Maker, you’re - shit - you’re wet,” he groans loudly, reveling in the way you pitch your hips—seeking his warmth, his friction. He’s been toying with you, drawing patterns along your pussy and playing with your puffy folds, but he hasn’t even come close to your clit. You know it’s no accident. Din is methodical in all things, he doesn’t make mistakes. This is a decision—it’s intentional. You think, perhaps, he’s looking to break you—some sort of retribution for these months you’ve spent swimming in circles around each other—and you think, perhaps, you’d let him.

That you’d like it.

When Din grants you mercy, finally gliding his index along your neglected bundle of nerves, reflexively you fist into his cowl, knuckles going pale.

“Stars-” you exclaim—just like that.

He handles your body like he does one of his pistols - practiced, unparalleled - encircling your clit with precision, his finger on your trigger—blinding, perfect agony swiveled into your sweet cleft.

When he pushes himself inside you, all the oxygen gets punched out of your lungs.

“Fuck, and so tight,” Din growls, bending at the knuckle to curl over that spongy spot of your walls that makes you gape, makes your brain go slack. Your arms scamper around his pauldrons, nails scraping sharp over beskar. The heel of his hand presses into your clit and you grind against him, each roll of your hips pleading a filthy please please please as you chase after the orgasm he’s baiting you with.

He responds to that, bourboned praise dripping smug from his smirk. “Fuck, look at you, so desperate—gonna cum for me already?”

You don’t have the wherewithal to formulate a response. He’s fit another finger into you, fucking up into you hard—fucking you exactly how you need him to. It feels like you are about to shatter right there on your feet. It’s almost unbearable, this mounting tension that’s climbing within you. You’ve been so starved for this, so deprived of a kind touch and a good fuck, and within no time at all he’s coaxing you to the ledge of your release.

“Mando,” you sob, entwining your fingers into his cape, grinding grinding grinding into his palm when suddenly, without warning, his ministrations cease—that burning coil abating to a simmer. You let out a rasped pant, collapsing forward onto his shoulder— your climax ripped away from you at the last, pivotal second.

Your eyes are screwed shut, you don’t see the movement—you can only feel it once it’s already there: the bounty hunter’s glove grating over your neck. You sputter out a gasp as he forces your jaw up to align with the chill of his visor, trapped in the unrelenting strength of his grasp. Your eyes clamber around the chrome boxing you in, gulping back the fear coalescing in your mouth.

“You say my name,” he gravels. “You say my name when I’m inside you.”

Your cunt spasms around the fingers still seated within you—aching for movement, aching to cum—and your lower lip quivers as he leers. “I gave it to you—say it,” he commands.

For a fleeting moment, in the remaining rational corner of your brain, it occurs to you that you’re terrified—that there may be no going back once you speak it. There’s no unmaking this choice. Like a door—a door that swings both ways—once it is cracked ajar, it cannot be closed again. Because you know yourself, you loathe to admit it, but you know his name will crumble you; that you will bend—that you will want to give and give and give to him— and still, despite, you lay onto the handle and fling that door wide open.

“Din.”

“Fuck,” he seethes. His reaction is visceral—the whole of him stiffens, leathered pads of his fingertips searing into your throat. “Again.”

“Din,” you whine as he rocks his fingers into your walls.

He moans, wanton and guttural, at the way his name tumbles from you like velvet. “Good girl—fuck, that’s good.”

He vanishes from your neck, bringing his hand down to cup his cock bulging painfully against the fabric there and your gaze snaps to it, saliva pooling in the well of your mouth. You slither your hand down his breast plate, over the paneling of his flight suit, trailing south until it lands on the hide of his glove. You stop, waiting there - breathless - until he nods curtly.

His hand falls away. You mold your palm to his length.

“Din,” you give freely, high-pitched and girly, and his cock brays under your hand. Fuck, he’s big—you can feel his mass through his pants and your pussy flutters around his fingers moving deliciously lazy inside you. Your eyes latch onto his, the brown of them hidden somewhere under the helm, and you can feel his own bore into you, weighing leaden there—

before you both simultaneously rupture.

Din’s fingers slip out of you to fiddle with the hem of his pants, unbuttoning in a clumsy flourish until he springs free with a groan of relief.

Maker.

He’s fucking divine—long and veined, with a patch of dark curls padding around the base of him. Din weeps for you already, frustrated and pent up from the confines of his restraints, beads of arousal dappling his head. He hisses as you swipe a digit over his cock, smearing his precum down the silken slope of him. You’re transfixed—the both of you staring as you wrap your hand around his shaft and he shudders, keening in to your touch.

“Mm, fuck you’re soft- kriff-”

Din dwarfs you—you barely fit around his girth—and he can’t help but buck into your palm as you begin to move in tandem. Din flicks at your clit, mirroring your pace as you get each other off. It’s awkward and lewd and perfect—both of you, a tapestry of woven limbs and sweat and you pump him harder and harder, choking his cock with your fist. You fuck him raw, the dry drag of your satin hand ripping curses from his mouth.

“Fuck, dala,” he pants, “I-I’m not—” I’m not gonna last. His words are snuffed out as you circle your wrist and brush a thumb over his leaking tip, forcing him to shiver. He doesn’t have to finish his thought, you understand plenty well. You’re dancing along that same precipice, flirting with the fall.

“Stars, yes,” you plead. Fuck, you want him to cum— you need him to. You need to make him feel good, to let him know that you’re here - you’re right here - and that he means more to you than you care to admit; that you want him—have since you first laid eyes on him, since he rescued you, since he took you back to the Crest and gave you the last of his bacta to heal all your splintered bits. That he deserves this—with all that he’s done for you, all that he’s doing for you—

with all that he his.

“Din—please.” Fuck, you don’t even know what you’re asking for—more of him, all of him—and a groan tears through his modulator at the sound of you begging his name—like he’s wounded, like it pains him to hear you say it.

It’s a race now—the two of you hurdling headlong towards this terrible, messy collision. You’re both sloppy—wet sounds and slaps of skin—as you stumble closer to the brink of release. He’s been rendered incoherent, chiseled down to the basest of grunts and broken words you don’t recognize. His thumb finds a devastating pressure on your swollen nub and your legs begin to vibrate, nearly unable to stand on your own two feet with how fucking perfectly he’s working your pussy.

This thing inside you feels giant - monstrous - and that slow wave that’s been building and building and cresting is here, upon you. You’re trapped in the barrel of it, and it’s going to crash at any moment and sweep you out to sea. Drown you—happily, gladly. “I’m - oh fuck—"

“That’s it, good girl,” he praises, tightening his circles on your clit. “Cum for me, cum on my hand-”

A crack of lightening streaks up your middle, the whole of you shaking as your orgasm rushes through, a sputtering cry let loose into the ship. You feel yourself gush, dripping past his thickness stuffing you full, dripping down your inner thighs. Din pulls out from you and you whimper at the loss—his absence leaving you gaping, leaving you bereft. You’re siphoning down air, dizzy from your release, when he raises his hand, glistening with your fluids, and traces your bottom lip—asking for entrance.

Fuck.

You part for him, eager and pliant, and he snakes two fingers inside—tasting your own tang and the leather residue left there, stamped into the whirls of his fingerprints. Your tongue swirls around them, laving him clean, and you drag over the ridges of his shaft— still hard and throbbing and waiting in your grasp. He bobs his fingers in your mouth, matching you thrust for thrust, and you let out a depraved little moan, humming around him, and all Din can do is watch.

Watch as he disappears between your lips—his skin pulling and catching on your plush flesh— watch as you suck on them, watch as he practically fucks your throat. And Maker, you take him so fucking well, letting him do what he pleases with your all too supple body.

He can’t even begin to imagine what his cock would look like—what it would feel like nestled in the hot cavern of your mouth, hollowing your cheeks to suck him like hard candy. Din doesn’t let himself—can’t. If he did, fuck, that’d be it. He’d be done for. He knows he’d cum in a flash and he wants to make this last—to hold on to this - onto you - for as long as he can, allow himself this singular concession. The only time, he convinces himself, the last time.

He won’t think about you again.

He won’t think about you again.

He won’t think about you again.

You quicken your rhythm and Din bucks wildly into your palm, his seizing and twitching alerting you to how close he is. He slides from your mouth, a string of saliva trailing along after as he clasps onto the back of your neck.

“I’m gonna cum, I’m—” Din knots into your hair, gripping you rough, panting frantic. “Fuck. Fuck, dala— cyare-”

With a hoarse shout, he slams his gloved fist into the durasteel and spills over himself in hot, thick pumps, spurts shooting out to splatter on your tunic, on his flight suit, on your knuckles. You ease him through it, his cum glazing down his cock before you slow to a languid stroke, his seed sticky under your palm. You’re panting, the both of you, spent noises reverberating ugly and loud against the metal sidings.

Din sinks his helmet to your forehead while you catch your breath, his cold beskar kissing your flushed skin—the density of it comforting, grounding. Your eyes teeter shut and you let yourself lean into him, a dazed grin tugging at your wet lips. This is— nice; so much gentler than the pace he drove not minutes before. Head to head, his hand buried in your hair, your arm slung over his hulking shoulders; your fingers thread into the askew fabric behind his neck to discover a sliver of skin treasured away underneath. You trace there - lightly, whispered - earning a fizzle of static sent whirring through his vocoder.

“Fuck,” Din mumbles, before unweaving himself and separating from you. Your legs have gone useless and rubbery—you almost face plant forward without him there— and by the time you blink open, he’s already tucked himself into his pants and picked up his glove, slotting it over those skilled fingers that had just filled you to the brim. He turns back round to find you staring at him through the haze of your afterglow, eyes glassy and fucked out; your fluids dribbling down towards your underwear still bunched above your knees, hair tangled with sweat and saliva and cum—his and yours.

You look wrecked—disheveled. You’re so fucking pretty it makes Din want to scream.

He picks up a stray rag from a crate and offers it to you, before silently sliding your panties back up to your hips in one dexterous swipe. He lingers there but for a moment, savoring the touch of you—grazing a digit into the crease of your hip. You’re rendered mute— your brain can hardly string a sentence together— but finally you manage, your voice weak when you find it again.

“Thank you,” you croak, wiping away the traces of him off your knuckles, and you smile coquettish, delirious. “That was… that was, uhm—I really enjoyed that.”

A quiet beat slogs by.

And then, everything  shifts.

Din’s hand descends from your waist, holstering it to his side, and he moves away. He moves away from you.

You can feel it immediately—like a gust of chilled wind, the change in the air nips at you. Din’s armor is anything but warm—his presence, his aura, anything but inviting—but now, he seems farther from you than ever before, his visor tempered and steely.

You know him. You know this man. You’ve travelled with him, you’ve mended his ills, you’ve taken care of his son, you’ve spoken his name, you’ve laid prints on his skin and deeper still—

And here, before you, Din is white noise. Indiscernible. Unreadable.

Nervously, you twiddle with the frayed edge of the stained cloth, worrying your cheek. You swear, just for a second, that you see him inch towards you— you think you sense him, some part of him, breaching the chasm that’s formed between you. But it’s only a trick of the lowlight—a trick of your cruel heart, winged and errant beneath your ribs, misconstruing your thoughts to fancy.

Because he doesn’t. He doesn’t come to you like you want. He doesn’t touch you again, he doesn’t hold you like you need.

It feels like you’re withering—your legs too bare, your tunic too short, hair too mussed, eyes too bleary—everything feels wrong now, misplaced. “Din,” you start, you try—you try to keep attached to this tether, to this thin strand you’ve sewn between your bodies, but he shrinks back. He severs it. He is as you first met him. Rigid. Distant. A Mandalorian bounty hunter— the best in the parsec. He is as he was months ago, when you were strangers.

When you were nothing.

“I—” He silences himself, teeth clenching shut around the unspoken sentiment you so long to hear, and instead takes another step backwards. Farther away. Farther from you.

He stands straighter, impossibly taller, and you feel

small.

“Goodnight,” Din gives, his voice shrouded and cloaked by his modulator. He pivots on his heel, retreating into the depths of the Crest and leaves you there, the ghost of his hands on your neck, on your breasts, in your heat— still tingling from where they haunt you. Exhausted, you thud back into the bulkhead, unfocused and unseeing.

“Goodnight Din,” you murmur, but it falls upon deaf ears. He’s gone, and the empty hull swallows your words—burying them.

taggies:

@girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @pedros-mustache @miranhas-art @djarrex @bookloverfilmoholic @keeper0fthestars @misguidedandbeguiled @bookishofalder @helmet-comes-off @grumpymuffinmama @niiight-dreamerrrr @spideysimpossiblegirl @janebby @greatcircle79 @djarinsbeskar @sammysdaisy @whataperfectwasteoftime @mandobloggin @silver-streaked-wings

[fresh-bag-of-ham]

ok let’s talk SUNSCREEN

SO the UV filters available in the US can at this point be considered truly terrible. One of the main reasons you’re supposed to reapply sunscreen every two hours is that many of the filters we use are destroyed by the very UV radiation they are designed to block. Killed in the line of duty, thank you for your sacrifice, etc. Counterpoint: sunscreen is gross and reapplying it every two hours is the worst. I am not doing that. Fortunately, Europe and Japan/Korea have been much quicker to approve newly developed more stable UV filters for use and at this point they have some really good ones. They also have much better UVA protection, both because of the better filters available and better labeling regulations.

A quick simplified summary: UVB causes sunburns, is directly absorbed by DNA strands which causes the mutations that lead to skin cancer, SPF measures protection against this only. UVA does more generic damage, creates free radicals associated with aging, wrinkles, collagen loss, pigmentation, etc. etc., but can also contribute to immunosuppression and therefore skin cancer. It’s more complex than this obviously but that’s not really the point of this post.

My sunscreen criteria: I hate wearing sunscreen. However, Accutane + sun = an extremely bad time. My ideal sunscreen is something that doesn’t feel disgusting to wear so I will wear it regularly in the first place (i.e. dry-touch), something I ideally don’t have to reapply super often under normal daily use (i.e. photostable UV filters, water-resistant when necessary), and has maximum protection. As long as I’m wearing it, I also want as much UVA protection as I can find, without compromising the former criteria.

Note: The sunscreens I tried are almost all chemical UV filters and several are loaded with alcohol, so if that upsets your skin then proceed with caution/ask me for a specific rec!

Note 2: All of these are SPF50+ (the highest rating allowed in the EU (meaning they tested at at least SPF60) unless otherwise specified *cough*Supergoop*cough*)

Best Face: Kao Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence (x)

Best feel, best protection, best price point. This gets recommended everywhere for a reason. Bit of a silicone feel on the face. No white cast. Smells like alcohol at first. Really, really quality daily face sunscreen. Water resistant. Caveat that because of the alcohol I would make sure to throw a layer of moisturizer on beforehand to make sure I’m not totally drying myself out.

Also make sure you get the name exactly right, there’s a blah blah Watery Gel that’s totally different consistency, totally different filters, etc. etc. It has to be Watery Essence.

Best Body: Eucerin Sun Sensitive Protect Dry Touch Sun Gel-Cream (x)

This was a sleeper hit, so shout-out to Eucerin for the greatest body sunscreen I’ve ever tried. This stuff is SO protective and dries SO. DAMN. DRY. Zero grease somehow, feels like nothing. It’s even water resistant. I tried a couple LRP body sunscreens but they honestly aren’t worth mentioning. Eucerin or bust babey!

More Face Sunscreens:

I’ve also tried all top five sunscreens from this Stylevana listicle of Asian face SPF (x). The thing about face sunscreens that they’ve started doing is loading them up with silicones and acrylate polymers, which leaves a silicone-y feel on your skin like a makeup primer. As far as I can tell from poking through various patents, these polymers are doing a few things in the formula: a) emulsifying/stabilizing the newer/bigger UV filter molecules, and creating an occlusive layer over the UV filter molecules on the skin to a) improve water resistance and b) reduce eye stingy-ness. At first I thought I wanted to avoid these seemingly unnecessary additives but considering their function, these are all features I want/need in a face sunscreen so we’re living with them.

1. Shiseido - Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Skincare Milk: really good, sliiight white cast but absolutely no streaks, more like a foundation just a hair too light for my skin tone. However I can’t imagine buying this because #2 on the list is better and 1/3 the price. Medium silicone feel. Something I’d probably only break out for when I went to an outdoor summer wedding.

2. Kao - Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence: I have already sung its praises.

3. MISSHA - All Around Safe Block Essence Sun Milk: closest to a US milky/greasy sunscreen experience here, though very fluid and still absorbs nicely. No silicone feel. Not a bad choice but nothing special.

4. Canmake - Mermaid Skin Gel UV: probably second favorite after Biore. Similar, bit less of a silicone feel. I’ve gotten red a couple times using this though, possibly because less silicone feel = no layer of protection against sweat/physically rubbing off? I bet this would be perfect under makeup though, it’s super light.

5. COSRX - Aloe Soothing Sun Cream: SO moisturizing, almost a dewy feel that sits on your skin and never dries. I wanted to love her, but unfortunately she is so loaded with the aforementioned polymers that when you reapply/put the appropriate amount on to begin with, it completely gums up and pills and you lose all protection. Also definitely not water resistant. Probably my top pick for a winter daily face sunscreen that I wouldn’t ever be worrying about reapplying though.

Other Contenders:

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid (x) and Bioderma Photoderm Max Milk (x)

These two bad boys have the highest rated UVA protection currently on the market, 46 PPD for La Roche-Posay and 42 PPD for Bioderma. The LRP is extremely watery (technically alcohol-y) and comes in a teeny bottle(though same size as a lot of these I guess) but it is The Best UVA protection money can buy. The texture is really nice too, and feels super water resistant. If I’m outside sweating or on the water in the summer, this is going on my face. I've also seen it on sale multiple times since I’ve started researching sunscreens (because it’s extremely popular) so you can definitely find it in the $0.30/mL-or-less tier if you keep an eye out.

This Bioderma is cheaper and also extremely protective (thanks Helena @bronyraurmp3 for the rec!) but unfortunately it stung both my and Mr T’s eyes like a BITCH. Extremely unpleasant experiences for both of us. TBH if I’m out in midday sun, swimming or kayaking or something, I’m gonna be wearing a long-sleeved UPF rashguard to protect my arms and upper body and not worrying too much about whatever cheap greasy sunscreen I put on my legs. This Bioderma stuff would be going on my neck, ears, and hands though bc it’s super water resistant.

Eucerin Sun Sensitive Protect Mattifying Fluid : bit of a white cast, really slippy texture going on and nice dry touch texture when it dried down, but drying down took foreeever. Probably really nice if you’re sensitive and pale.

Eucerin Sun Oil Control Gel-Cream Dry Touch : VERY matte and dry-touch, would have loved it if I hadn’t gotten burned using it (doesn’t have all the newest most stable UV filters). Approaching the expensive end of things too, but would be a lovely option if you really prioritize non-greasiness and don’t need the premium protection? Mr T really liked using it on his bald head lol.

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF40 (US): This is recommended many places but it has to be a joke that people are actually paying Shiseido Anessa prices for old American UV filter selection, only SPF 40, and no UVA rating to speak of, right??? (ok they do have a PA+++ rating meaning a PPD of 8-16, so. this is acceptable.) I did not test this one but damn wtf. The texture is probably nice though and it looks perfectly sheer in the photos on their website, so maybe as a last resort for darker skintones that show a white cast with everything else? At that price tho... you do you but damn.

Jigott Snail UV Sun Block : This had good reviews on Yesstyle but it sucked. White streaks, bad.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF60 (US): Another in the outdoor-wedding only price range. There’s a tinted and a non-tinted mineral version and I ended up mixing them together to get a shade that looked pretty good on me, but needing two bottles for that puts it in the extremely ridiculous price category. Really slippy nice texture that takes a bit to dry but dries down perfectly matte. I guess the person who wants to shell out for a high end all-mineral tinted sunscreen exists somewhere out there but I would bet there are many nice cheaper mineral options out there that I haven’t tried.

And that’s it! For EU sunscreens, I was able to order them on caretobeauty.com, and Japanese/Korean ones from yesstyle.com or stylevana.com, though I had to go to eBay for the Biore and Anessa. I ordered some Biore from a seller on Amazon but they shipped from Japan and I think they got taken by customs because the last known location on the tracking info is Chicago, so finding a seller in the US that has already imported them seems like a good idea (vendor lullabellabeauty on eBay worked great for me, fwiw, I will definitely order my Biore from there in the future).

If you have specific questions about any of these, or if you have any recs you think I should try, hmu! You will be shocked I’m sure to hear I have a whole sunscreen database at this point.

[juminly]

Chasing The Sun

Summary: The story of how you fell in love with the Devil King’s right hand, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Tags: Canon-Divergent, Fluff.  *Matchup written for the lovely @kamesama​ , I hope you enjoy your love story with your suitor. 

How on Earth were you able to just sit like that in front of the Devil King? What in the name of the seven heavens and eight hells were you thinking, sitting with your arms crossed and a nonchalant look on your face before the man who was on the quest of ruling all of Japan?

Not only did you suddenly appear in Azuchi, creating a ruckus in the gardens of Lord Nobunaga’s castle, looking for what you called “a cellphone” and “a police station” but you were also giving these grown men a piece of your mind while they looked at you incredulously. 

You obviously thought that you were in some sort of play or the universe was pulling some prank on you. Was there something even called time travel?

After taking in your surroundings, everyone was speaking in Japanese and you were somehow able to understand them and speak the language too. Not perfectly, but enough to get by and find yourself before the man that all of Japan feared the most.

Was this a curse or blessing? You looked around you to find the most heartachingly handsome men that were apparently warlords and they were sitting around you in what they called the Council Room. They were:

Bewildered by what you had to say. So… after much explanation from your end and getting some clarity from the panicked Hideyoshi who had been rambling to his Lord (and dropping lots of hints that helped you get to the conclusion of where and when you were), you claim to be from the future?

Either utterly amused or baffled by your behaviour and demeanour before their Lord.

Nobu’s crimson eyes were locked on you with a faint smirk drawn on his lips, Hideyoshi was obviously mortified and had been silenced by a simple “enough” from his Lord, Mitsuhide was snickering joined by Masamune who was trying to muffle his chuckles and Ieyasu rolling his eyes at them for acting like young boys. Mitsunari though? The angel was looking at you like a cat with big wide curious eyes that just wanted to know (play) with you.

The most impressive thing about the whole situation: you were so composed when facing someone with a commanding presence, not even flinching under his studious and heavy gaze. Nobu couldn’t help but be impressed and thought that you would be entertaining to keep by his side.Same shit, different day when it comes to the Devil King. If something entertained him, he would keep it around until he deemed it of no use to him (or that’s what you would think).

Seeing how unfazed you are and how you met him with a passive gaze that challenged something within him. Nobunaga decided to make a bet with you: become a Sengoku woman within less than a month and he will help you find a way home and back to your time. If you didn’t, then you would have to stay in the Sengoku Era and wed him.

First thought: What the actual….

Second thought: This man did have the power to do something like that. Thinking over your non-existing options, you would just have to agree.

Who would even want to marry a man like him? Nothing about him but his appearance was alluring to you in that moment, even though something inside did tell you that he would be more than able to show you a good time but you just pushed that thought to the back of your mind.

The golden-haired annoying beauty, Hideyoshi dared to open his mouth to protest… and being the mischievous Devil King that he was, Nobu put Hide in charge of you and you were officially under his patronage, tutelage or whatever you wanted to call it but from what you’ve seen, you definitely thought that the Sengoku Era was not for you… and most probably, a big nightmare that you were just waiting to wake up from.

While Hideyoshi and even you wanted to protest (yet again), the man called an end to the meeting and winked at you, wishing you good luck.

You weren’t going to be able to become a Sengoku woman, nor were you interested in becoming one, to be completely honest, but you needed a guide. But... Why… Why did it have to be him?

Living in a mansion with a man as fussy as him was going to be a huge headache. By the way he acted, he seemed to possibly be a clean-freak and the super organized micromanager type about everything in his life. But when you arrived at his mansion, you were surprised to be greeted by a swarm of smiles and simply… so much feel-good vibes.

It was hard to pinpoint it but there was this aura that surrounded the warlord, or more like, the ambience would change when he was around. You noticed it even when you followed him through the streets of Azuchi while on the way to his mansion. However, it was still your first day in Azuchi, you would have more time to figure things out later after you’ve had some much needed sleep.  

He had the maids prepare the second largest room in his castle, with a hot bath and almost a dozen of kimonos, yukatas of all colours for you to choose from. You didn’t need all of this, anything would do but someone was going over and above… For someone who was so reluctant to have you stay with him and was awfully disgruntled about the prospect of you marrying his Lord, you did not expect to have such a warm welcome into what would become your new home.

In order to get things on track and yeet you out of the Sengoku Era as soon as possible, you woke up to the soft knock on your door and the sound of a man clearing his throat. Not only were you greeted by the sight of the gorgeous man entering your room with the rays of sunlight shining through your window making his hair look like actual tresses of gold and his bright smile, making you feel a weird fuzzy feeling in your chest as he set your breakfast tray before you. What did you deserve to be spoiled like this? It honestly felt like you had woken up in a reverse-harem maid cafe that was actually a bed and breakfast hotel?

Your thoughts completely mislead you. Hideyoshi was taking you through a schedule that he had prepared for you in order to get you accustomed to the current times and its needs. It was a rotation where you spent a day with one warlord every day, acquiring whatever knowledge you could from all of them. Medicine with Ieyasu, History with Mitsunari, Culinary Arts with Masamune, Japanese Language and Art of Dance with Mitsuhide, Horse-back riding with Nobunaga. Etiquette with Hideyoshi.

Cue: your first fight. You butted heads and made his life a living hell. As peaceful and respectful as he tried to be during your discussion with him, you argued with him until he lost his breath and his face turned a bright shade of red (that was surprisingly adorable but you didn’t really care for that in that moment) because you wouldn’t let him dictate things for you. It was YOUR way or no way at all. Nobody else had the right to manage your time for you. That was up to you and you alone and you wouldn’t let some beautiful man change that. He had to concede… not for you, but for his own sanity and for Nobu’s sake. That’s what he told himself at least, but you had the first win. The first to many more to come.

After sorting that out, Hideyoshi took it upon himself to take you on a tour around Azuchi, showing you all the best places to get whatever you needed, even introducing you to every single merchant and townsperson wherever you want. How did he even remember the name of all of these people?

He was… the town’s busybody? No. You could not even find the best word to describe how he was because there were way too many words that you could use, but not one of them would be enough. Anyway, let’s get your thoughts back on track. Not only do all the women, young and old, fawn over him but he was so well-loved because of his good deeds.

His objective was only to show you around before conducting your first lesson with him for the day but you were saved by an old lady that owned a cute little teashop who happened to ask him for help. That was weird. How could someone ask something so menial of a warlord?

Upon pulling both you and him by the hand inside her shop, she went on and on about how she loved his company as he reminded her of her son that she had lost in a war. There was this look in the warlord’s eye that didn’t go unnoticed but you just put a mental note on it. It seemed like Hideyoshi felt indebted to her somehow? And you! Well, you were so warm and nice to the teahouse owner that she took a liking to you and began spoiling you with every type of dango and sweet that her teahouse and Azuchi had to offer.

Four words: Sugar overload + sugar rush.

While you were chatting with the teahouse owner, Hideyoshi had been gently giving you instructions on how to sit, how to eat, how to hold different utensils and what gestures to use when people say certain things. He included all these comments so smoothly in the discussion that by the time you were done eating, your lesson had ended. As Hideyoshi announced that, telling you that “you did very well, all the treats you ate were well-deserved”, he gave you a bright smile and winked at you, which totally, totally did nothing to your heart.

He suggested to the teahouse owner if you could fill in, in his place, since you got along pretty well together and the old lady was almost ecstatic, taking you in her arms out of impulse and thanking you for agreeing to help her. Looks like you had no choice.

For a brief moment, Hideyoshi just stared at you before bursting into jolly laughter. You looked like a child so high on sugar, you were basically radiating energy and there was a spring in your step that you didn’t even have before. He took you by the hand and began running, looking back at you and shouting “Faster!! Time is of the essence. We’re going to chase the sun!” What he was saying made absolutely no sense but you found yourself giggling under your breath, running beside him until you reached the stables, he jumped on his steed and pulled you behind him. “Hold me as tight as you can. Don’t worry, I’m not fragile.” he joked as he clicked his tongue and you flew with the wind, beyond the bounds of Azuchi. 

You smiled and looked up at the sky, letting the breeze tickle your skin and your hair flying around you. As you inhaled deeply, you couldn’t help but rejoice in the smell of fresh air and sandalwood… Hideyoshi. So rich and sweet, it made you dreamily sigh without even realizing. When you suddenly came to a stop, Hideyoshi’s warm voice reached your ears and pulled you out of your daydream. He was showing you the sunset as it fell behind Azuchi castle, the colours of dusk blending with the fading flames of the sun that shines over the town that would become your home. 

As you were slowly coming down from your high and before you fell asleep on the warlord’s shoulder, you made him promise you to show you the sunrise and he gladly agreed to do so.

The next few days were quite busy for you. Following the schedule that you had set for yourself, you visited the teahouse of the old lady before your classes with “the warlord of the day”, as you called it. you went to help around the old lady, as Hideyoshi had promised on your behalf and began to understand him more, know even more about him without even having to ask any questions. You were also able to reach your own conclusions, after heaps of townspeople swarmed the old lady’s humble teahouse, talking about their different encounters with the Devil King’s right-hand man. 

The old lady loved him so much, saw so much in him and was so willing to gush about him as if he were her own son. He was charming…. Incredibly and unbelievably so. Just a simple glance at him and people were beaming at him. He came from the lower class, but you had no idea. He had this humility in his smile even though the way he held himself was graceful and his tone, the words that so eloquently spilled out of those lips of his would never indicate that he grew up as anything other than a nobleman (which made you like him even more).

By the end of the week, the teahouse owner no longer was in need of your services since her daughter, who had been sick, was feeling all better and ready to help around. (Hideyoshi didn’t even tell you but your experience in the teahouse was part of your on-ground training and he didn’t even need to give you more lessons, yet he chose to so he could spend more time with you)

After your first round of so-called lessons with all the warlords, Nobunaga held a banquet in your honour, his own questionable way of formalizing the bet and challenge between you. You weren’t entirely sure whether he was mocking you, testing you or just playing mind games with you but that didn’t stop you from having your own fun. As everyone drank themselves into oblivion and upon discovering that you did not indulge in any type of liquid courage, Masamune had dedicated his night to stuffing your mouth with all the delicacies imaginable, sweet, sour, savoury and even bittersweet. The man was a masterchef genius (that Gordon Ramsay would definitely envy and admire but that’s a discussion for another time/day) and didn’t even mind.

In the corner of the room, your eyes reluctantly yet instinctively crawled to cast a quick look on Hideyoshi. A quick glance wouldn’t be enough to appreciate the sight before your eyes. The Adonis of Azuchi was seated languidly like a beautiful courtesan, intoxicated as she nursed her sake while prattling to others in a banquet. His emerald kimono slid down one shoulder, along with his white haori, slowly and teasingly exposing more of his bare skin,  his chest was almost fully on display, his lips glistening with remnants of sake as the inebriant seeped and coursed in his veins. This was an image that you would have trouble getting out of your head, not that you wanted to. He was utterly breathtaking, the way his lashes fluttered over his cheeks, his eyes slowly falling shut then opening lazily as he fought to stay awake.

Whenever one of his retainers came to take him back to his castle, he moaned and refused to let anyone touch him except for you. All the warlords began chuckling as Hideyoshi gladly let you embrace him in your arms, holding him up with the help of his retainers as he mumbled about sweet nothings that made your heart flutter. “Your hair looks so silky and beautiful, Kame… Would you ever let me touch it or maybe even brush it for you? You smell exquisite, not even the cherry blossoms of Kyoto could rival how sweet your scent is…” His face was dusted in pink from the sake but yours turned red for different reasons. You couldn’t wait to plop him down in his room and get away from him. You could no longer feel your face with him being around you.

As the days went by, you found yourself growing more accustomed to your routine and starting to actually like your life in Azuchi. Yeah, there probably wasn’t any technology around but you still managed to occupy yourself most of the time. Thanks to the fussy warlord who spouted so much nonsense when he was drunk.

One night, he was out drinking with the other warlords after a Council Meeting. You had absolutely no idea what it was about but it seemed like things were stirring up in a nearby area and action would have to be taken soon. That was none of your business so you spent the writing while staring up at the moon, the silver light invading your room as you wallowed in the dark pits of your mind.

As he came back from his night out, he tried to sneak, not too sneakily into your room. As he stood before your sliding door, he could hear your muffled sniffles and cries. Acting completely on impulse, Hideyoshi slid the door open, rushing to you, the fear of anything bad befalling you crushing his heart. As he kneeled before you, your cheeks were tinted in a deep shade of red, your eyes puffy as you sobbed helpless. In his drunken state, his eyes darted everywhere to check if you could possibly be injured, but there was no sign of anything.

Even as you protested meekly, Hideyoshi pulled you into his arms, holding your waist tightly and one of his arms around your shoulder, keeping you safe and secure in his embrace, letting your tears dampen his kimono while he caressed your hair softly with one hand, and the other rubbing soothing circles on the small of your back.

“It’s okay if you do not want to tell me what is on your mind. But do you mind if I say a few things myself? Yes? Okay, good. Well… I wanted to let you know that I’m happy that it was you that came from the future and not another young man or woman. I am pleased that a bright woman such as yourself made her way back through time to be with me… I mean with us, in Azuchi. You’re talented and you learn things quickly… only when you put your mind to it, obviously.” That earns a small laugh from both of you. “But I want you to promise me something. Please. If you ever feel like this again, and you wouldn’t mind me being around you… Call for me. Light a candle and place it in front of your door and I’ll be here with you in a heartbeat.”

Whenever you did light a candle, he came through with his promise. He only spoke if you wanted him to, he listened to your rambling, wiping the tears trickling down your cheeks and kissing your temples whenever he felt the need to say something but held himself back. He didn’t like to see you say such self-depreciative things but he wanted to let you know, through his actions, that he was prepared to shoulder all your burdens with you and wash away all those insecurities, if you would let him, showering with words of comfort that were only based on true facts and hints of how he truly felt about you.

After that night, he never lets himself drink and be around you when he does. Especially after sneaking into your room, he wasn’t sure what he was capable of or what he would do in an intoxicated state. He made it a rule and let all the warlords know that if he’s drinking, he’s staying with one of them.

He would scold you for staying up so late at night but he secretly liked to see you actually enjoying yourself. He would sometimes invite himself in your room and ask you about the things that you drew and what you enjoyed writing, his eyes narrowing with avid interest and curiosity to learn more about your time. He knew the right questions to ask you in order to unlock the “rambling” button in you and the warlord would be so pleased to be able to get you to speak to him so openly, looking so animated with excitement brimming from your voice. At that point, he no longer exuded this air of distrust, especially after seeing that you truly knew nothing about the Sengoku Era.

He often ended up falling asleep while hanging with you. It was easy to find yourself admiring his masculine beauty. His expression was so soft and vulnerable, without the usual crease between his brows caused by his constant micromanaging. His schedule was crazy busy but he still managed to find the time to hangout with you, pick you up and drop you off from each lesson of the day. It only made sense that he would be so exhausted. If he didn’t take good care of himself, you would at least try to do so, repay him for his kindness but also, try to make his life easier. Somehow.

During one of your late-night chats, you both got pretty hungry and decided to treat yourself to something. What exactly? Well… messing around the kitchen with Hideyoshi was so much fun but neither of you were good enough cooks to make anything that could be more than just… edible. Masamune would have a heart-attack if he saw what you were doing but thanking the heavens, he wasn’t around. Hideyoshi got intimately acquainted with your peculiar taste in food on that fateful night, blinking through tears as he tried to eat the odd creation that you had both made. At first, he thought he would be appalled but after a few bites taken out of courtesy to you,  he actually started to like it. Thus, the beginning of “Kame and Yoshi” late-night cook-offs to come.

The more you got used to each other, the more you teased one another. You weren’t entirely sure if you should call him “Hide” or “Yoshi” but you noticed how he would get boyishly flustered when you called him “Yoshi”, it just stuck and became your thing. It wasn’t necessarily a nickname given out of affection (or that was what you told yourself) but more of an expression of a blooming friendship. On another hand, he absolutely loved trying to find ways to make you blush, your cheeks reminding him of apples and, truth be told: he wanted to playfully bite them so much.

One day, you completely lost your shit on Hideyoshi for asking the maids to arrange your room since it was a complete mess. Little did you know, Hideyoshi had informed them maids to clean the entire castle spotless, but admittedly forgot to tell them to stay away from yours, fully knowing how you did not like anyone touching your things. He didn’t say anything to defend himself, standing completely silent and absorbing the frustration that radiated from you with the grace that he was known for. You refused to talk to him after that or even look at him. It was an invasion of your privacy and Hideyoshi believed that you had all the right to feel the way you did.

Wanting to be as far away from his castle as possible, you hiked your way up a hill to find some peace in the loneliness that nature had to offer. You spent a few hours just drawing/writing, letting off some of the pent up steam. It was much needed since you were able to clear your thoughts while breathing some fresh air. Looking at the broad horizons before you, you couldn’t help but think of the light brunet who made you feel so frustrated yet did everything possible to make you happy. Something in the back of your mind told you that it was all because he wanted you out of Azuchi and this era. But you were gravely mistaken.

Relying on your non-Sengoku era street-smart ability was not the wisest move. You had no idea where you were even though your surroundings were very familiar. After going in circles for what seemed like hours (40 minutes), you did manage to find your way back to Azuchi just in the nick of time! Being true to yourself, you know you had a lesson with the Devil King for some horse-back riding, still wondering why he even bothered spending time with you.

Who was the one waiting for you at the stables? None other than the handsome man that you were avoiding. His head was lowered in apology and he begged you to let him make it up to you. And he did, big time! You rode to a nearby village that was around 45 minutes away and they were holding a festival! There were fireworks, food stands and game booths and you ate almost everything that caught your eye, competitively played against Yoshi in most games before you saw the light of dawn appear. Have you been out for so long? Your pleasant outing ended yet again, with another chase of the sun.

You didn’t necessarily apologize for your behaviour the next day but he heard the maids whispering about you spending all night trying to make food, stuff that they didn’t even understand and his heart did melt at the thought. You were fussy about it and not having the same materials of the future, making the process much harder for you. Your go-to place to relax was on the top of that same hill where you had been sulking. He obviously tried to look for you and found you there, just watching the sunset. He smiled softly at you and you raised a brow at him with an unspoken “what’s up with you? what do you want?” But he said nothing, just sitting by your side, enjoying just being near. And you did the same. 

The more time, you go out to the city where he is supposed to be spending time with you, you get a bit flustered as to how every single person in town is trying to steal his attention from you. Various scenarios would occur but you would mainly stop even following him and go your separate way. Why did you even do that when the voice in your head told you that you wanted to be near him? (smh) Being the gentleman that he is, he’ll come find you and hold your hand, frowning at you. “What do you think you’re doing? If you’re planning on running away from me, then I guess I’ll have to find a way to keep you by my side.” He squeezed your hand, the top of his cheekbones blushing slightly as he pulled you closer to him, whisking your way through the alleys to wherever the sun would take you.

Being so close to him... felt natural.

One night before Hideyoshi had to travel, under Nobu’s orders, you and the warlord rode your steeds to a nearby river where you had a small picnic and spent the night stargazing. As you rambled on and on about what you knew of the stars and constellations, he gently pressed a finger to your lips. “I’m going to Kyoto at dawn. Things might get bad but I’m going to make sure that everything will be under control. I don’t want you to worry. Just wait for me and… as long as you are, I’ll be okay. Now.. Please... no word of this. Tell me more…”

His voice sounded as empty and lonely as you felt when he was away. Only 2 days had passed and you felt like something was missing. You went on with your day as if nothing was different yet the stinging feeling in your heart told you otherwise. Who were you lying to?

6 days later: He was finally coming home!!

You didn’t even realize that you laughed as a few tears fell the moment you saw Hideyoshi when he came back from whatever skirmish he was dealing with. Cuts, bruises and bandages everywhere. He even needed a few soldiers to carry him since he could barely move on his own! The words escaped your mouth without even knowing before you turned your back on him and rushed to the castle to prepare his room for him. 

You said something along the lines of (it was all so blurry so you weren’t even sure anymore): “Are you dense? I literally just had to hear about what you’ve done and that’s absolutely not acceptable. You’re always keeping your eyes on me and you don’t think you owe me just a small heads-up about your own buffoonery?”

You glared at Nobunaga and basically hissed at him. “This is all your fault. I was going to lose him because of you!”(little did you know, your small outburst made Nobunaga happy, especially after seeing the look on his right hand’s face.)

When he finally settled in and was laying on his futon, you kneeled beside him and brushed his hair away from his face, locking your eyes with his golden ones, a serious and intense look painted over your features.

You: You look like shit, Yoshi. I knew you were going to do some reckless shit. I was hoping you’d prove me wrong but here you are.

Hideyoshi: Watch that mouth, young lady.

You: You think you’re in a position to chastise me, Yoshi? You stopped giving me lessons days ago.

Hideyoshi: That doesn’t mean that you’ve learned your lesson, Kame.

You: Those are big words for a man that can barely lift himself off his futon. So much for promising to go chase the sun when you got back.

Hideyoshi: Hngh… I feel bad enough about that. I’ll make it up to you but please, do not tease me.

You: Mhm… what are you going to do if I don’t, Yoshi?

Hideyoshi: I did have something in mind… Come here.

Gently cradling the side of your face with one hand, his thumb softly rubbed over your rosy cheek as he groaned while lifting himself from the futon, a soft smile gracing his lips as you met him halfway in a tender kiss, filled with so much love and reverence. As you broke the kiss and tried to look away, he snaked his hand to your nape, threading his fingers through your hair and pulling you back to him as his back hit the floor, joyful sighs filling the silence of his room as you both finally allowed the love between you to flow freely.

Hideyoshi can get so uptight about things, nobody even bothers to question him because he’s a stubborn mother hen and once he puts his mind to something there is no changing his mind. Except when it came to you, so the other warlords would often try to get their way with things by attempting to use you against your lover. Unfortunately for them, you were a mischievous minx and instead of helping them, you made things worse by making it known to Hideyoshi, in one way or another what their true intentions were. Masamune loved you for your playful nature and Mitsuhide thought that your skills could be put to better use (don’t tell Hideyoshi or he’ll literally lose his mind).

He will say “I love you” as many times as he needs to for you to believe him. He’s the type of man that would say it in the morning and before going to sleep, even if you were having an argument, he always wanted you to remember that he did. Considering that he could die in the battlefield any day, he wanted to make sure that he had absolutely no regrets when it came to you. He would express his love to you in his gestures, with his actions and wait patiently for you to say the same to him, only when you want. He feels it in the way you tease him, the way you touch him.

His kisses are usually tender and soft like a light summer breeze eliciting the faintest shivers in your body. He usually would cradle your face and trace your cheeks or the column of your neck, a pleasant tingling sensation tickling your skin as he poured all his devotion for you in the soft whispers of his lips against yours. When things tend to get a bit more heated between you, he lets his hands roam to hold the small of your back and press your against him, his tongue licking between your lips, coaxing you to open up for him (always the gentleman, he needs to get some sort of permission from you before doing anything, out of fear of overstepping or upsetting you). 

He would often pray to the heavens that you’re tall enough so that he doesn’t have to lean too much to meet your lips. His other hand would either be at your nape or the back of your head, fingers through your hair, the heat of passion taking over him and the taste of you is so irresistible, he doesn’t want to give you the chance to break the kiss. 

He didn’t even blink an eye when you both sat before the Devil King to tell him that your challenge was off. Whether you won or lost, it didn’t really matter. Hideyoshi was the only man you could ever be with and the prospect of even possibly marrying another was not acceptable. Not for you or for Hideyoshi. Nobunaga simply stared at the both of you, seeing how Yoshi sat there, unwavering before his Lord, unaffected by the possible severity of the situation if things were to go south. 

He respects your time and your own space, fully trusting you now that you were knowledgeable enough to know the do and don'ts of the Sengoku Era. He just urges you,.. no, begs you not to stay out late at night unless he, the warlords or any of his retainers are with you. Azuchi was a safe city but there were still ruffians lurking in the night. He didn’t want to take a chance when it came to you.

He gets way too flustered at any public display of affection but he’s a man that gets easily jealous so he likes to make sure that everyone knows that you’re taken. He would usually just walk around while holding your hand, linking your fingers together or with an arm around your shoulders, kissing your temple or your crown. 

He loves sporting the love bites you’ve marked on his skin and doesn’t even try to hide them, even if you both get teased about them, your lover just beaming with happiness and pride. Whenever he feels like your hands are too cold, he would pull you into a bear hug and let you wrap your arm around his waist, under his kimono, so that his body heat and the fabric could help you warm up a bit better.

If you ever thought of pressing a kiss to his neck (which you’ve obviously done before), your lover would chew on his lip out of embarrassment while his cheeks turned into cherry tomatoes. He would obviously try to mask his shyness with a mock angry tone as he calls your name in admonishment. Looking into your eyes, he saw that glint of mirth in you and that beautiful smirk that he would very gladly wipe off once you returned to the castle.

Little gestures he does to express his affection for you and things he loves: he loves brushing your hair and smelling it, he loves biting your cheek playfully whenever you blush. Whenever you’re chilling with him and he starts teasing you, you bite him and he chuckles. He actually loves it when you do.

He absolutely loves sleeping next to you. Period. But especially having you koala-cuddle him because he’s your human heater. Knowing how cold you are by nature, he asked you to light a candle to place it in front of your door (just like when you are feeling down), so that you can both cuddle and sleep together. He doesn’t like to be intrusive and invite himself into your bed, although he does, on occasion because a relationship goes both ways and it would be wrong just to rely on you to initiate things. The most important thing was consent. As long as he had that, nothing else mattered.

Oh boy, if he wakes up with morning wood, Yoshi gets flustered as hell, especially if you’re awake. He’d excuse himself with the most boyish and embarrassed chuckle and rush out of your room or to his bathroom (depending on where you were both sleeping). If you were lucky enough to be in his room, you would hear a symphony of unadulterated moans and muffled grunts that only made you wonder what the future held for you when you became even more intimate with one another.

Sometimes, when you’re lying beneath him, and let him shower you with kisses and love bites, he worships you as he is completely devoted to you, whispers against your skin, over and over again.

“I want to make you mine, I want you to be mine, I want to claim you and let everyone know that you have chosen me to be your lover, to be your partner, to be the one you share everything with. As much as I would’ve hated to admit it before, I don’t feel an ounce of remorse for what I have discovered in you. I love you… You are my everything and nobody could ever change that. Whether you decide to stay in Azuchi or return to your time…  I’ll always be with you. Take me with you.”

[groovybaybee]

Greener - II

Greener - I

(4.2k)

cw: mentions of abuse (not this chapter and nothing too intense but better safe than sorry) also alcohol consumption

There are moments in life that conjure up intense emotion any time you think about them. Happy or sad, whenever your mind flicks through its rolodex of memories and lands on it, you feel that moment come to life. You brain must have logged every detail of that time and packed it away in the back of your brain for you to stumble upon later down the road. Your mind takes you back to that moment and brings your senses along with it. My mother always reaches for these moments in times of strife, dipping her hand into a lucky dip of ‘happy places’ and allowing the sensation to wash over her. Her favourite is a family holiday to Spain, sipping ice-cold drinks as we swung our legs in the chilly waters of the pool below us.

 Not all the moments I remember are so positive, but I feel them just as strongly. Instead, I created my own ‘happy place’ to escape to whenever I felt overwhelmed.

 I stand, waist-deep, in warm water. Waves lap around me, hugging and kissing my naked skin as I breathe gently under the moonlight. The sky above me is clear and an audience of stars shine down on me. I bare my soul to the universe and feel love and appreciation in return. The night sky watches over me as I let my eyes close, leaning my head back, chin high. My shoulders relax more than they ever have as a warm but refreshing breeze wraps around me, hugging me tightly. I hear trees rustle somewhere behind me, whispering sweet sentences to one another as the sand beneath my feet reaches my ankles, anchoring me securely to the world, grounding and protecting me from floating away.

 I let my eyes open and I am back in my kitchen. No gentle breezes or salty air. Just my kitchen, with its colourful, mismatching crockery and photographs blu-tacked to the wall. However, there is a clear change in the room since the time I shut my eyes tightly, my chest feels looser, my throat no longer feels as though it is closing, and my breathing has slowed drastically.

 Raising my phone from my side, I return to the source of my sudden panic.

A news article, forwarded from my manager, Jim, a simple ‘Didn’t know you were dating’ preceded the link to the website. Of course, he was joking, not realising the stress I was about to feel.

 Quickly clicking the link, I remind myself to breathe deep and slow as I am redirected to a webpage.

 BACK ON THE HORSE? HARRY STYLES SPOTTED GETTING CLOSE WITH MYSTERY WOMAN

Hunky heartthrob, Harry Styles, caught canoodling outside hot Los Angeles restaurant, Spago. Despite reportedly having only split with model ex-girlfriend, Camille Rowe, a mere two months ago, the pop sensation was witnessed cosying up to a new woman.

 I am skim-reading at this point, desperate to get to the end with some shred of mental stability. My eyes land on the articles singular piece of ‘evidence’, a video taken from across the street. It begins with Harry and I talking and laughing outside the restaurant, follows us as we migrate closer to one another, my head thrown back in laughter before we are nearly pressed together. I had not realised quite how close we had gotten. The video ends when Harry and I are blocked from view, Harry’s car obstructing the camera’s line of sight. No one would be able to tell we did not kiss. My stomach squeezes uncomfortably as I read the video’s caption.

 Keep it in your pants guys!

 It is all a little dramatic. A small part of me wants to laugh at the way this has all been exaggerated and made into a big deal. That amusement fizzles as I continue to read the article, pausing after reading the final line.

 All this has us wondering, has Harry really moved on so quickly?

 Good question.

 Quickly replying to my manager, I send the words ‘Blind date’, before glancing at the comments beneath the article.

 Big mistake.

 Despite the article not naming me directly, not something I am shocked or offended by as Harry is clearly the more famous of the two of us, the comment section of the webpage has not mirrored the same unawareness. Almost every comment mentions me by name, the majority questioning how we even know each other.

 I allow myself to be sucked into the vortex of curiosity, taking in every opinion possible. Many of the replies to the news make it clear that they do not know who I am, and therefore that is reason enough for me to be nowhere near Harry. A lot of comments debate whether or not Harry has fully dealt with his breakup, suggesting that this was a PR move to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I make the mistake of googling her.

 Well I don’t think the jealousy tactic is likely to be effective.

 She is stunning. A French model. Could I be more of a cliched parallel to her? I try not to compare the two of us, however, a few comments bring attention to the bloat of my stomach and it becomes very difficult not to feel vulnerable after that. It was a blind date. Harry and I were set up. That is the only reason he would ever look at me twice.

 But he wants to see me again.

 I cling to that thought and close the webpage on my phone, pocketing it and deciding fresh air is what I need. Stepping through the patio doors of my house, I peek out into the sunshine, letting the warm rays soak into me instantly. The small house is built on a hill, the garden demonstrating this the most as it is split into two grassy tiers. I walk up the concrete steps until I reach the patio furniture at the top. Sitting myself on one of the wooden chairs, I take a second to appreciate the view; the back of my house shaded by the incline of the hill which allows me to peer over the top of my roof and look out at the hills. As a kid, I had pictured living somewhere warm enough for palm trees, now I am able to watch them arc in the wind.

 I did this, and this is far more important than a few words. I am alive, I am good, and I am kind.

 Pressing my toes into the soft, cool grass beneath me, I slip my phone out of my pocket and compose a text.

 Sat in my garden and I reckon the view would be fun to paint, fancy it?

 The soft yellowy horizon gives me a sense of security as the evening creeps in. There is so much beauty in the world and I am glad I took the time to sit out here rather than obsessing over some meaningless gossip. It will all blow over and people will either forget about us or realise that we are not actually together. A small smirk tugs at my lips as I imagine pinning this on Lucy and using it as an excuse to get a free drink out of her.

 My phone vibrates twice against the wooden table.

 I love that idea. Tomorrow work? (I’ll bring wine) – Harry

 I cannot help but grin at the small screen, quickly typing a reply.

 4pm? Catch the last of the sun that way. Also you don’t have to keep signing off!

 Only a few seconds after placing my phone back down on the table, I have to pick it back up to read his latest message.

 Sounds perfect. It’s harder to stop than you’d think – Harry

 Giggling at him, I lock my phone and set it down, excitement pooling in the bottom of my stomach. This time tomorrow Harry will be sat beside me, paint-covered and maybe a little bit tipsy. I make a quick mental note to go shopping for food to line our stomachs, not wanting to let him be exposed to my drunken self just yet.

 I spend the next day getting my house presentable, or at least as tidy as possible despite the numerous large, brown boxes which clutter my living room. I also spend the day doing errands, shopping for food and drinks Harry might like (probably going a bit overboard and buying enough options for five people rather than two), and picking up some art supplies for the two of us.

 Once home, I unpack the groceries, setting some of them out on plates and dishes, making an attempt at a charcuterie board I had seen on Pinterest the night before. Setting up the area we would be spending the most time in, I move the two small canvases I purchased earlier outside, along with paints and brushes and cups of water for rinsing. It seems a little bit amateur, but I do not have time to dwell as Harry texts me that he is just leaving his house and will be here in half an hour.

 Dashing back inside, I take the speediest shower of my life just to freshen up and rinse the day away. Chastising myself for my lack of planning ahead, I smear on a touch of makeup and quickly style my hair. I am still pulling on a pair of dungarees, clipping the straps into place, when I open the front door.

 “Hi,” I greet breathlessly.

 Harry is already smiling when I meet his gaze, looking down at me with an infectious grin. I allow myself a second to drink him in. Obviously, he is dressed more casually than two days ago, dressed in a simple but figure-hugging black t-shirt, a golden chain peeking out from underneath. Alongside them, he is wearing a pair of brown, straight-leg corduroy trousers. He looks good. It should not surprise me, but it does anyway.

 “Hi,” he offers brightly.

 Stepping aside to let him enter, I try not to check him out, mentally telling myself that I am still not certain where he stands re us kissing each other’s faces off. Probably for the best to err on the side of caution.

 Closing the door behind him, I walk us through the living room and to the adjoining kitchen, feeling a tad embarrassed by my decorating style. Splashes of colour litter the house, the walls are mostly covered in photographs, interesting drawings and potted plants.

 “When did you move in?” Harry asks, noticing the stack of boxes. My heart pangs slightly at the question but I try not to let the dread within shine through.

 “Few months now, I’m just terrible at unpacking,” It is not a total lie, so I do not feel totally bad about it. There is, however, a small part of me that resents not being completely honest with him about why a certain box remains closed and sealed. “I might have gone overboard with snacks, so please eat anything you want,” I tell him when we reach the kitchen and he sees the spread I had laid out.

 Suddenly, it all feels like too much and heat prickles my cheeks in embarrassment as I watch Harry eye the full countertops. I had bought far too much and probably seem incredibly eager. Bread touched three types of meat, touched three types of cheese, touched olives, touched sundried tomatoes. There was another plate full of fruit, washed and sliced and displayed daintily in concentric circles. Then there was the bags of crisps, pretzels, biscuits, and chocolate buttons. This was enough for a family picnic, not a light grazing, and definitely too much for a second date. If that is even what I could call this.

 “This is amazing,” Harry utters quietly, and I almost do not hear him, my internal monologue reprimanding me so severely it almost overpowers him. He turns back towards me, gazing at me softly, his face a beautiful light pink. “Feel bad for contributing so little now,” he says, a gentle teasing lilt to his voice which makes me smile, a breathy and grateful laugh falling from my lips.

 “Trust me, your contribution is the most valuable,” I say, stretching up into a cupboard to grab two wine glasses.

 We manage to carry a disproportionate amount of food outside, giggling as we stacked our arms high until I could barely see over the top of my pile. Once outside, we settle on the wooden chairs and Harry pours us each a glass of merlot.

 “Matches your hair,” he muses, smirking as he hands the glass to me.

 “Never heard that one before,” I tease, trying to ignore the voice in my head questioning if he thinks the colour is ugly.

 Harry settles back in his chair, looking out across the hills and valleys before speaking again, “This was a good idea,”

 “Yeah, the view is the main reason I bought the house to be honest,” I mumble into my wine glass.

 There are a few moments of silence. It is not particularly uncomfortable, but I decide that we could use some music. I dash inside to grab a speaker and connect my phone to it.

 “Can I leave it up to you?” I ask, holding out my unlocked phone for him to take, “I’m indecisive.”

 He lets out a chuckle, muttering a soft, “Sure.”

 Taking the phone from my hand, our fingers brush momentarily, and I have to remind myself that I am not in the middle of a romcom. I feel my cheeks redden at the interaction and quickly turn to my canvas. Placing the wooden end of my paintbrush in my mouth as I scan over the paints in between the two of us. The soft opening notes of The Chain begin to play, mingling with the warm breeze that swirls lightly around the garden.

 “Listen to the wind blow,” I sing under my breath, unable to hold myself back.

 From the corner of my eye, I see Harry picking up his own brush, dipping into a little bit of blue paint and brushing across his own canvas. I dip my brush back into the yellowy orange colour I had been mixing and paint the outline of my house. It is messy and a little childlike, but I am having a good time. Harry and I both begin to relax as we paint, singing along, and doing embarrassingly enthusiastic seated dance moves when the guitar solo plays.

 “I love Fleetwood Mac so so much,” I admit gleefully, catching my breath as I giggle and take a sip of my wine.

 “Me too,” Harry replies, a bright smile pairing with beautifully pinkened cheeks.

 “What’s your favourite song?” I ask happily, popping a raspberry into my mouth.

 Harry pauses for a moment, lowering his brush and giving the question some good thought. He makes it impossible not to admire him, watching as his brows furrow ever so slightly, lips puckering temporarily as his brain ticks over.

 “I always come back to Songbird,” he tells me, looking up at me and nodding to himself. His eyes look so bright when they catch the light, reflecting into mine. I almost have to look away.

 “It’s a beautiful song,” I admit softly, my voice quieter than either of us had expected, suddenly nervous again to be in his presence and having a conversation which means so much to me.

 “What’s yours?” Harry asks, his gaze not wavering for even a second. He is undeniably intimidating, not even due to his status in the world, but simply being beside him feels as though I have won some sort of contest. There is something in his general being that makes me feel both small and powerful all at once. Simultaneously, I cannot believe that he is here in my garden when he could be anywhere else with anyone else, nor can I believe the way he is looking at me, observing me with such delicate looks that it appears he is afraid of scaring me away.

 “Storms,” I blurt out. Taking a second to collect my thoughts, I explain, “Skies the Limit is my go-to, but Storms made me feel when I felt numb.”

 Realising that I have most definitely overshared, I quickly dip my brush in the nearest colour and spread it across the top of my canvas, accidentally painting the sky pink.

 “I think that’s really special,” Harry utters softly, his gaze still on me as I pretend to be focused on my painting and not the spectacular man beside me, or the way his eyes feel on the side of my face. “I want to make music like that, you know?” he says, turning back to the view ahead of us and finishing off his own skyline.

 “I think you have,” I confess, feeling his eyes back on me in an instant. I force myself to turn to meet his gaze, urging some sense of bravery to course through my veins. When our eyes meet, he is looking at me like water in the desert, some sort of miracle before him that his brain does not fully believe. His mouth opens, pauses, then closes again. A second later, a smile pulls at his lips.

 “I like your pink sky,” he tells me, grinning brightly, not breaking away to look at the canvas in front of me.

 I laugh, “Started as a mistake but I think I prefer it like this,” I admit, pursing my lips as I take a long look at my painting.  

 “I like the way your mind works,” Harry says, smirking when I turn to him with knitted eyebrows, “I feel like you’re so bright and full of joy. Just walking through your house felt like I’ve known you years… I don’t know if that sounds mental.”

 He looks at me cautiously, afraid he has revealed too much, and maybe he has, but I enjoy it more than I could even tell him. I like his perception of me. No matter what happens, how much he comes to learn and dislike about me, at this moment he likes me. And, oh boy, do I like him.

 The thought of kissing him pops into my head, bold and illuminated in neon. I let it pass, determined not to ruin the moment. Instead, I look at him, and he looks right back. We share a brief period of peace, the sun on our faces with a light wind blowing between us.

 “Oh!” We both exclaim enthusiastically as What Makes You Think You’re the One plays on the shuffle. Smirking at our joint reaction, we turn back to our paintings.

 For the next hour or so we fully relax into our little world, grooving along as we paint. There is a real sense of calm throughout the space, even the birds in the trees seem to chirp softer, almost as though they were part of our garden party.

 The only moment in which there is a break in the bubble of tranquillity is when Harry desperately reaches for a strawberry, stopping himself whenever his hand, covered in a rainbow of paints, gets close. Impossible to tear my eyes away, I watch him for a moment, a delicate smirk on my lips as he attempts to approach the task from a multitude of angles. He lets out a small sigh and I decide that it is my duty to intervene.

 “Need a hand there?” I ask, failing to hold back a giggle as I pluck a strawberry from the plate with paint-free fingers.

 “Thanks. Can you-- You could… Thanks,” Harry stammers while I hesitate as I raise the fruit to his face, temporarily feeling awkward about feeding a man I barely know.

 I quickly get over myself and lift the berry to his lips, already somewhat parted. Taking the fruit into his mouth whole, his lips graze my fingertips ever so lightly. Our eyes lock the second it happens.

 Things start to move slowly. My hand lowers into my lap. Harry chews the fruit and swallows, his tongue poking out to catch a stray bead of juice that had escaped from his lips to the corner of his mouth.

 No way are you letting yourself be turned on by this. So cliché.

 Despite the mental chastisement, I find myself drawn to Harry. The need to feel his lips on my own is overwhelming me. Every second spent not knowing whether he is a good kisser feels like torture, my mind in agony.

 It appears that he feels the same way, gaze hesitating over my parted lips, hopefully not focusing on my clear breathlessness. Our bodies seem to be migrating towards one another, some unknown gravitational pull guiding our chests together until out faces are almost touching. I feel his breath on my cheek and quickly I worry that mine does not smell as good.

 Why did you eat that slice of manchego?

 Surely, he won’t want to kiss me anymore. He must not have noticed yet. But he will, and I will be humiliated. Better to stop now, while for some reason he actually is not appalled by the thought of kissing you. Why does he want to kiss me anyway? He could kiss anyone he wanted. He could have anyone he wanted. It is probably the wine.

 The wine has probably stained your teeth as well. God you’re a mess.

 I stop dead in my tracks. Swiftly, I pull away from him. It is harder than I had expected, his cologne sucking me in so that it feels like I have to stop breathing in order to separate from him.

 “Sorry,” I mumble.

 I cannot look at him. Unable to face the reality of the situation and see his bemused, beautiful face. I would only want to kiss him if I did look up at him, so instead I fidget with the hem of my sleeve, nails picking away at the firm stitching.

 “I’m sorry,” Harry says, his voice is so quiet that it hurts my heart to hear him so small and dejected, especially since I was the cause.

 We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity. I can feel his gaze on me, soft and apologetic, but I am still unable to bring myself to make eye contact.

 “I’d be happy just being your friend,” I tell him.

 It is a lie. Partially, anyway. Of course, I would love to be his friend, but I also want to kiss him all over and have heart-to-hearts in the early hours of the morning. I want to hear about his first kiss, find out his favourite sweets and his happy place. I wonder if he is there now, desperately trying to escape the awkward bubble of tension surrounding us.

 “Yeah, I shouldn’t have assumed… I’m sorry.” Is all he says.

 “No,” I pipe up, a well of guilt forming in my stomach as I regard his sunken features, “It’s not you...”

 “It’s not you, it’s me?” Harry says with a quirk of a smile.

 I let out a breathy chuckle and we finally meet each other’s eyes and understand. It’s all alright.

 We keep painting. By the time the sun starts to set and the water for our brushes turns a murky grey, I have finished mine and sit teasing Harry as he adds the finishing touches to his own.

 “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Harry counters with a grin as he adds a sweep of dark red to his canvas.

 “Better be some painting,” I mutter into my wine glass.

 “Okay!” Harry exclaims excitedly, “She’s done. Ready for the reveal?”

 “Yes,” I laugh at his question, as if I have not been waiting to share for twenty minutes.

 Harry had insisted that our final products should be a surprise for the other, so for the last hour we painted in secrecy, occasionally peering out from behind our canvases to try and sneak a peek at the other’s.

 When we angle our paintings towards one another, the difference in our styles is clear. Mine is bright with exaggerated shapes, almost cartoonish. Meanwhile Harry’s painting is more true to life, a meta portrayal of the view, two little figures of him and me seen from behind at the bottom of the canvas.

 “I love it,” I tell him, the picture bringing a grin to my face as I observed the tiny version of myself; a little blob of shoulders and messy hair.

 “I’m calling it ‘Friendzone’.” he tells me, a wicked smirk on his lips.

 “Hey!” I whine with a gently nudge to his arm, however, the bout of laughter he has elicited really weakens my protest.

 Harry helps me clear up the garden before he leaves, carefully carrying his precious painting out with him. After bidding me a sweet goodnight, leaving no doubt in my mind that he had a nice time today, I finish cleaning up. As I am washing the two wine glasses, I peer over at my painting, smiling as I remembered Harry’s comments about my pink sky. Maybe being just his friend would be easy after all.

masterlist

[danyka-fendyr]

Absence of Good - 10

Chapter 10: 126 Kisses

Alright everybody I’m back! Finals are over and I’m officially free to write as much as I want until I can get a job. Hopefully that will be soon, but it’s not looking great. This chapter things sort of slow down and our heroes get the chance to relax for a minute. I figured they deserved it after their last case. Also this is just really fun for me.

Taglist:  @dreamwritesimagines @rhabakoli @alwaysadreamingoptimist

AoG Taglist:  @pancakefancake @prettyboyspenerrr @youreasnack @alioop3818 @newtslatte @rathersuspiciousbumblebee @andiebeaword @stalker83005 @lotties-journey-abroad

Wordcount: 2.5k

Warnings: None! This is all fluff. If you aren’t scared of a little making out, you’re safe here.

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ― Jane Austen

           Trying to decide what your favorite thing about Spencer was was like trying to decide what flavor to pick at a Baskin-Robbins in hell, the options stretching to infinity. His lips, his brain, his hair, his really terrible but also really cute jokes, his hands, his magic tricks. There were a lot of options. There were so many options.

Right now though, the lips were taking it in a landslide.

“Do you really think,” you gasped, “that now is a good time for this?”

Spencer didn’t look up from where he was diligently making his way down your neck, fingers tracing little circles into the space of skin between your blouse and your slacks. You were in a supply closet, which felt very, extremely, incredibly high school, although admittedly you had never actually done anything that edgy in high school. That being said, if you were going to act like high schoolers you thought making out in a library was a much sexier choice and should probably involve fewer mops.

“Can’t wait,” he mumbled, pulling you just that little bit closer to him.

“Can’t wait 30 minutes till we’re off the clock?”

You laughed at him, but he swallowed it with a kiss, making you far too breathless to laugh anymore.

“This is our first full day of work back since the case where I didn’t see you for a full week. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but I forget nothing, and I remember every. Agonizing. Moment.” He punctuated the words with kisses.

“I remember,” you breathed out, kissing the corner of his mouth. “I also remember that despite that, we like our jobs. We would like to keep our jobs. Which is why this is a bad idea.”

You stepped away, disentangling yourself with more restraint than you had probably ever exercised before. 30 minutes. 30 more minutes of paperwork. 30 more minutes of explaining to some desk jockey how to put a man in handcuffs. Then you were free.

You gave him one last kiss, just as a reward for the fact that you were miraculously managing to walk away from this.

“Meet me at the library after work.”

You reasoned you deserved to indulge your childish fantasies if you were going to be a responsible adult right now.

Before he could kiss you again and make you rethink your decision, you slipped out of the supply closet, straightening your shirt as you went. You stopped to check your appearance in the bathroom mirror, touched up your lipstick a little, then went back to work hoping nobody would notice your pupils were still dilated. The only person truly likely to notice that, however, was Spencer, and you didn’t have to worry about him. All you had to worry about were these forms.

The next half hour of your life was grueling. You had been literally tortured before and somehow, this seemed worse than that. You would have said it was impossible for anything to be worse than that, but now you knew better. It was simply improbable.

Finally, it ended. You let Spencer leave first, because clearly you were the one showing restraint today. He booked it out of the building, but you, on the other hand, took your time packing up. Stopped to chat with Emily, figuring she would be a safe bet considering she was either oblivious to your relationship or just so good at hiding her emotions she would never give away knowledge of it. You valued that in her as a friend. Her ability to not call you on your blatant lies when she knew the truth was better kept a secret.

You kept the conversation brief and lighthearted, and soon you were out the door too. You were aware Spencer knew your favorite library because he had confessed to you that the moment he knew he was in love with you was when you told him you even had a favorite library and that it was your happy place. You couldn’t help the fact that not only was it superior to all other libraries, but it was also superior to all other locations in general.

You wasted no time getting inside once you were there, scanning the shelves for him, and…there he was, freaking out some librarians with the speed at which he was reading. Was that the book you thought it was?

“Is that my favorite book?”

Spencer looked up, face forming a smile before his eyes even registered that it was you who had approached him.

“Yeah. You mentioned you liked it so I thought I should read it.”

“I think you’re concerning the librarians, my love. You’re going to put them out of a job.”

He blushed, and you assumed he was feigning modesty, but he quickly made the real reason for his sudden intense interest in the same page clear.

“My love?” His voice cracked softly. “We use nicknames now?”

Your face turned shades to match his. “Only if you want to.”

Wow, the books were fascinating. In fact, you could stare at them all day. Just look at bindings and never move or speak again ever for the rest of your life.

“Yeah, I do. I think it’s cute. Sweetheart.”

You stared down at your shoes, toes curling inside of them. Something about the way he said it made you go all melty inside. You definitely liked that.

“Okay, well,” you said, clearing your throat. “Considering you’re about 75% of the way through the greatest novel of all time, I have to ask. What do you think?”

“Well, I’ll admit it’s not my usual taste, but the author is certainly talented. I mean, the parallelism between certain characters, the perfect use of narrative tension, it’s all very well done. You have excellent taste.”

“And you’re not just lying because you like making out with me?” You teased.

“Well I do like making out with you.” Spencer grinned slyly. “But no. I never lie about books. Literature is sacred.”

“Agreed.” You nodded.

“That being said, I hardly think this counts as a holy place,” Spencer said, his voice dipping lower so that only you could hear, “so I think we can defile it guilt free.”

You were about to agree when you caught sight of the new arrivals shelf over his shoulder.

“Oh my gosh I’ve been trying to get my hands on that forever but I was too cheap to buy it!”

You shove past him, disregarding any apologies that might have been necessary. Not that he would require them. He had been ignoring you for books for the past week. He totally owed you.

“Can I read it first?” He asked, just as fascinated.

“Absolutely not.”

“But I’ll read it faster!”

“You’re not even done with the book you have now, slowpoke. Catch up with the big kids then you can read.”

You snatched the book of the shelf, holding it close to your chest. Spencer, meanwhile, appeared to have finished the book. You really hated him sometimes.

“Done. Now can I read it first?” He raised an eyebrow at you in challenge.

“Fine. But you owe me 126 kisses.”

“I’ll remember that.”

You snorted, not taking him literally as he took the book out of your hands and you paused to admire the architecture. Part of the reason this library was your favorite was that it was multiple stories. Books upon books not only stacked over shelves but over floors of a building. Multiple stories in multiple stories, if you wanted to be witty about it. The large glass windows in the front allowed plenty of light in, and you liked to bathe in sun pools while curled up with your books. You never liked to just be in and out of a library. One had to take time to bask in a library, to appreciate its unique atmosphere, to perhaps soak up the knowledge of its books through osmosis. Libraries were both underappreciated and important.

“Can you walk and read at the same time?” You asked.

“Of course I can, what kind of question is that?”

“Then follow me. I’m taking you to my favorite reading nook.”

You wound up the stairs, Spencer in tow, hardly glancing up from the book to see where he was going. You wondered if his genius brain came with hyperdeveloped peripheral vision.

The sun dappled blue carpet of the steps lead you to the second floor, coming to a spiraling stop across the room from your favorite spot. You made a bee line for it, sinking down into the plush curve of the couch. It wasn’t particularly busy on this floor of the library at this time of night, since this was where they kept most of the more obscure research literature. This floor was more geared towards the serious scholars, while the first floor was designed for university students and casual readers. You enjoyed all three categories of reading, yet another reason this location was so optimal.

“C’mon.”

You gestured for Spencer to join you, and he easily flopped down next to you, leaning into your side. He looped an arm around you, passing you the book with his free hand.

“Done?” You asked.

“Done,” he confirmed. “It’s kind of dead in here, isn’t it?”

“This is their slow day. We’re almost guaranteed not to be interrupted up here right now. Part of why I like it. I like to read in peace. There’s probably some research papers up here you’d like.”

You idly flipped open the pages of the book, ready to relax and read for an hour or two. Spencer had other ideas though.

“Guaranteed not to be interrupted, huh?” He said, nose slipping into your hair as he whispered the words low in your ear.

“Baby, I’m trying to read,” you whined.

That was the wrong choice of words. His hand slipped from your shoulder to your waist, pivoting you to face him as his fingers dug into the soft flesh that curved over your obliques.

“Have I mentioned that I really love the nicknames?”

He didn’t give you a chance to answer before his mouth was on yours, and you were abruptly incapable of rational thought. No unsubs, no paper filing, and certainly no books. The room could have been on fire and you probably wouldn’t have noticed seeing as it already felt like you were on fire with the warm skim of his hands against your skin.

“Maybe I should have just taken you home,” he said, already a little breathless. “As nice as this couch is, yours is more comfortable, and you look very good in a t-shirt.”

“And jeans?”

A mindless comment, a meaningless clarification as your head spun.

“No. No jeans.”

He went back to your throat, which seemed to be his favorite spot. You inhaled sharply, fingers curling into the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Besides, I still owe you 126 kisses.” You felt him smile into your skin saying it.

Oh, he was enjoying himself entirely too much.

Still, you couldn’t stop yourself from saying, “Yes, please.”

You heard him muttering under his breath as he kissed your neck, and your brows furrowed in confusion. After a moment, you realized. He was counting. You would have laughed if it wasn’t actually a little bit sexy.

Were you actually going to do this? Were you seriously making out with your boyfriend in a library? A public library, no less? The answer was no, and not because you didn’t want to.

A librarian hovered one shelf away, looking like she really didn’t want to have to come interrupt you but would if you continued. You sighed, pulling away from Spencer.

“I was wrong earlier. We are officially being interrupted. Let’s leave before we terrorize the poor librarians any further, shall we?”

You couldn’t hide your slight disappointment. It had been a long day and you deserved 126 kisses from your boyfriend. Alas, it was not to be.

Spencer was undaunted. “Guess this means I get to take you back to your place.”

“Guess it does,” you said, leading the charge back downstairs.

You ran your library card, checking out the book, before breezing out the door. You knew Spencer had walked here just like you knew he typically took the subway to work. Just as well. Meant you wouldn’t have to be separated on the drive back to your house.

“By the way, I’m investing in some t-shirts for you,” you said as you climbed into the driver’s side of your car.

He followed, sitting passenger side.

“Is there something wrong with my shirts?” Spencer frowned slightly.

“No, of course not. I love the way you dress. However, I want some oversized t-shirts.”

“I’m not following,” he said.

“It’s simple. I buy you t-shirts, let you keep them for like, a month, and then gradually steal them all from you.”

He laughed. “Why not just buy yourself t-shirts that are too big?”

“Because then they won’t smell like you.”

“I would say I’m not sure I fully understand you but actually I’ve been realizing since we got back that I’m sort of obsessed with the smell of your perfume. It would kind of linger in the air after you dropped off my coffees on that last case and that alone could keep me going for hours.”

“Really?” You kept your eyes on the road, diligently avoiding eye contact, suddenly shy.

“Really. You smell so good, all the time. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Well I shower on a regular basis, just for a starting point,” you teased.

“Did you know that some experts say you actually shouldn’t shower every day? Apparently occasionally taking a break allows your skin to rebuild the natural oils it needs to be healthy. So while it doesn’t hurt you to shower every day, it can also be beneficial to skip sometimes.”

“I’m making a mental note of that for our next case. ‘Unsub has read same studies Spencer has. Took them too far.’”

You were rewarded with another of his laughs just as you pulled into your driveway. You took a moment to appreciate it, the sound light and happy. It was nice to hear him so relaxed after the case you had just gotten off. You were quickly overcome by the urge to kiss him.

He lead you inside, the two of you practically tripping over each other in your haste. You had never unlocked a door so fast a day before in your life.

You kicked off your shoes in the hallway, and Spencer followed suit, mismatched socks making an endearing appearance.

“I’ll be right back,” you said, heading in the direction of your bedroom.

“Where are you going?”

“To change into a t-shirt. And no pants.”

Spencer smiled to himself, settling down on your couch, fully prepared to wait as long as it took. He had 114 kisses to bestow upon you in a t-shirt. A t-shirt, and no pants.

 “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

― Robert A. Heinlein

[medeafive]

Blood and Stone -05

Masterpost

"I know it sounds weird," she remarks. "But it almost seemed like he felt bad about it."

Fury sits there, watching her with one eye, not moving, not reacting. "It's weird because that's just what vampires do, bite others," she explains. "But still. And not in a suave acting way, kinda clumsy actually. He seemed really uncomfortable."

"Okay." Fury takes out a cigarette. "But most of all, we have more time, right?"

She nods. "I don't know how long, though. Or what to do with that time."

"There's only two options." He leans back. "Either you get him to our side or you kill him. That easy. And it's going to be your call."

"Our side?" she questions. "He's still a vampire. What's he supposed to do on our side?"

"Lie about us to Schmidt so we can continue undisturbed," Fury suggests. "Help us take out the Castle. You know what, Schmidt is probably going to come after us one way or the other, so we could really use that. We're still probably all going to die but might be worth it, if we can get enough of them."

"That's crazy," she points out as someone knocks on the door.

"Living in a world with these creatures is crazy," Fury returns. "Yes?"

"Hi everyone," Tony remarks, ripping the door open. "Just letting you know Brucey and I have a tentative theory that might potentially maybe work. That's all. Thought you'd want to know."

"Theory about what?" Natasha questions.

"About how to turn a vampire back into a human," Tony replies self-evidently. "Don't you know that? Oh, right, you never attend dinner."

"And how do you test your wobbly good-for-nothing theory?" Fury probes.

"Oh yeah, we need vampire blood," Tony adds. "That would be great. Uncontaminated by silver, otherwise it's worthless."

"How are we supposed to get you clean vampire blood?" Natasha asks back. "Really. Am I supposed to ask him for a blood donation?"

"You'll figure something out, Romanoff," Tony replies confidently and pulls the door. "Okay, that's it. Bye."

The door slams shut. Fury rolls his eye. "I swear to God, if he weren't so brilliant…"

  "Your black cloak- we really should give him a name," Tony says. "Steve. Let's call him Steve."

"Steve?!" Pepper repeats in horror. "Why Steve? Let's call him Mister Rosenkranz, like my horrible biology teacher. No offence, Bruce."

"Dracula," Clint suggests sourly.

"I see you're all taking this very seriously," Natasha remarks.

"Nosferatu," Sam adds. "Or Varney."

"Wilson, that sounds utterly ridiculous," Tony remarks. "Even worse than Steve."

"You don't know Varney the Vampire?" Sam questions. "Man, you're really lacking in Victorian era gothic horror stories."

"He didn't give you a name?" Bruce asks.

Natasha snorts, filling her bowl with soup again. "I don't think he knows his name."

"Come on," Sam remarks. "Don't make me feel bad for him."

"The Winter Soldier," Pepper suggests. "Because he looks like he froze to death. And because Natasha believes he was actually an American POW."

A moment of silence. "Pep, my dear cupcake," Tony says. "You always have the best ideas."

Pepper snorts. "It's easy to do better than Steve ."

"But he's out of town, right?" Clint asks. "As far as we know."

"Didn't say when exactly he was going, but yeah, around now," Natasha confirms. "Made me promise to stay safe, too. Sound familiar?"

"Oh my God!" Tony exclaims. "Nope. I don't wanna hear that gross weird super creepy monster flirting."

"Look, she's of no use to him when she's dead," Sam argues. "Or to anyone, for that matter. I think you're reading too much into that."

"Right before that, he admitted he's at fault for everything going to shit," Natasha adds. "Just something to keep in mind."

"We shouldn't forget about Schmidt," Fury reminds her. "But yes."

  She goes on two more patrols with Pepper where nothing happens, really. They don't cross the river again. Not to placate anyone, just because they don't feel like experiencing that again. Doesn't do much good either. The castle guards kill undesired vampire fledglings in their territory, too.

The new recruit arrives some day. Natasha misses her at first. Pepper takes her out to familiarize herself with the city. Natasha is kinda disappointed she missed them, but there will be another opportunity. Learning the city takes a few weeks.

When she hears their chittering, returning just before the sun goes down, she realizes she has been just sitting there waiting for them. As if she has nothing better to do. But she has nothing better to do. She jumps up to appear busy somehow, something in the kitchen, open a cupboard- "Oh, there she is," Pepper's friendly voice says. "Natasha Romanoff. She's a tracker as well."

A blonde woman emerges, pretty but quite unremarkable. Natasha turns as if surprised. "Oh, hey. I'm Sharon. So you're the one from Russia."

Natasha extends a hand awkwardly. "And you're from Munich."

"Britain, actually, family-wise," Sharon specifies. "But they needed a tracker in Munich, so I spent some time there. And now I'm needed here, it seems."

It occurs to her that this might be her replacement, should the thing with the black cloak go wrong. Does Fury actually trust her? "I think we can use anyone," Pepper replies. "As I told you, the Castle alone is at least 30 plus some hunting parties. And the black cloak."

"Oh, right." Sharon leans on the kitchen counter, watching Natasha rummage awkwardly through the cutlery drawer. "Fury told me. So you really talked to him."

Natasha snorts loudly. "Guy's an asshole."

"Huh," Sharon remarks. "That sounds remarkably human."

Oh great, that one too. "Monsters can be assholes, too. Don't discriminate."

Sharon laughs. "Okay, okay. Well, it's very intriguing anyway. I guess we could learn a lot from that."

"Or we could all die," Natasha suggests sourly, inwardly beating herself up because she can't just have a nice normal conversation.

"We're going to work it out," Pepper says. "Anyway, I guess we should check whether you have everything in your room."

"Yeah, good idea," Sharon agrees, pushing up. "See you, Natasha. Nice to meet you."

  She waits in an abandoned club where from 1990 on, they played rock music until the vampires came. The posters are still on the wall, though the red leather is ripped and torn. It's windowless for the most part, but the vampire still finds her.

She has brought a beer, just because. "Do I really smell that strongly?"

He shrugs, sitting down across from her. "I'm used to looking for you. Anything special about this place, for you?"

"I wasn't even in this city before the virus," she reminds him. "No. But it seems you don't want to talk to me when other people are around, so I figured here was safe."

"I don't want them shooting at me," he replies.

"No, I told them," she explains. "They're not excited but I don't think they'd try to kill you upfront."

He scoffs. "Yeah, sure. And they totally believe you, right?"

She bares her teeth, forcing him to do the same. "Can you blame them? So, you got more time?"

"Yeah," he confirms, looking around with interest. "Two moons. But he doesn't want to wait more than that."

That's actually a lot. "Did it hurt asking?"

"No," he replies. "You just have to agree in the next two months."

"No intention of doing that," she replies.

"No, it's really only two months," he repeats. "Then it's you or your friends again. You're not getting out of that."

She bares her teeth again. "You won't kill my friends."

"Yes, I will," he returns.

"No, you won't," she returns. "I won't agree and you won't kill them. That's just how it is."

He leans back, studying her. "Did that hurt?" she asks.

"No," he replies. "I guess- I don't know."

"So you lied to him that I was maybe still going to decide," she remarks. "And now you're thinking about disobeying his direct order, and none of that does anything to you."

"It's not comfortable," he admits. "But… yeah, I guess. I can't say I really believed… man, you are stubborn."

"Ain't seen nothing yet," she comments. "Beer?"

"No, thanks," he replies. "Alcohol tastes weird to me."

"But you do drink," she points out. "Only blood? What about food?"

"Is this an interrogation?" he asks. "Drinking yes, though only blood and water, but no eating."

"So the output of your body is only liquid, not solid," she remarks. "Right?"

He looks amused. "If you wanna know that exactly… yeah, I piss, but I don't take shits. Though I don't see why you care."

"Just curious," she replies. "What about breathing? You do breathe."

"I need air to talk," he explains. "Without talking, I breathe less frequently, maybe two or three times an hour, never really measured. But I still need air."

"So I could drown a vampire," she suggests. "Or smother him."

He snorts. "If you smother him for half an hour, yeah, I guess."

"You know what, let's try that," she replies, pulling out a watch. "You hold your breath, I stop the time."

"But then I can't talk," he reminds her. "You really want us to sit around quietly for a solid twenty to thirty minutes?"

"Yes," she repeats.

He rolls his white eyes. "Fine. Say when."

She looks at the clock. "Okay. Just a little- now."

All scientific curiosity aside, this turns out to be a bad idea as soon as she looks up. He's staring at her. She can look at the watch briefly, she can look around briefly, but mostly, she really can just stare back, and that's awkward as hell.

From close up, he looks a lot more human. She can see the grey in his white eyes that might once have been blue or green. His skin looks less solid white, more shades, she can see veins and blood shining through his cheeks. Somehow, he has more of an expression up close. She clears her throat and checks the watch. Oh, great, that's barely a minute.

She can see that he was handsome once, chiseled jaw, cheekbones, the soft curve of his lips that is now distorted by the fangs. She really wonders who he was. Before. There's a vulnerability there, too, in how his eyes occasionally flit down and away but always return. Her lips open but she has nothing to say. Man. She takes the beer and jugs some.

He's watching her, she's watching him. She checks the watch again. His eyes must have been pretty, too. Maybe he was a real heartthrob, before the war. Before they made him this. She feels anger.

Three minutes. Another sip of beer. She's actually not particularly fond of beer, of the taste. With vodka, you can disinfect pretty solidly, just alcohol, no frill, but beer has none of that. She opens her mouth to tell him but having a one-sided conversation again would only make it more awkward. After she told him her life story last time. So she stares at him again.

She's beginning to like his face. Sometimes, he looks annoying, arrogant, cold but not right now, quite the opposite. Now he looks like a person, with flaws, vulnerabilities, all of that. With personality. She could climb deeper and deeper into that. Her hand comes up to place a fingertip on his cheek, cool, like a stone, but-

His facial expression turns to amused but she's in too deep already, putting another finger on his cheek, really, it feels cold and hard at first but once she keeps it there for a second, his skin grows warmer to her touch, more and more, until she can't tell the difference anymore. She presses her palm to his cheek, cupping it, but that's really too much, so she sorta half draws back. "Just- just wanted to know what it felt like." Which would be more believable if she would take all of her fingers away but she doesn't want to, feels like she has to rip them away, rubs them with the other hand. They don't feel colder than before, and she's hot all over. "Feels- feels cold. But warms to the- to the touch, I guess."

He still looks smug but she can also see the open vulnerability in his eyes now. "Weird," she feels obliged to add, a little more distance between them in every sense, and his eyes startle slightly.

She rubs her hand still, picking up the bottle of beer again. Man. She's hot. "Come on," he says. "I wanna know what your skin feels like, too."

This is so godforsakenly awkward. She startles slightly when his cold fingers touch her hand, then her cheek, but again, they warm up very quickly to her temperature, which is way too high. He looks intrigued, leaning towards her, fingertips trailing over her cheek. "When was the last time you touched a human?" she breathes.

He frowns, fingers still working on her cheek. "Those twelve people I turned, I guess. Your skin is so warm, it feels like I'm welded to it, like I can't remove-"

"Careful," she interrupts, because she remembers he has claws.

He pulls the fingers back briefly but goes right back to work, whole palm cupping her cheek. She sighs involuntarily at the coldness that is gone almost immediately. His body reacts to hers. "Boy," he mutters with his beautiful mouth. "You smell good."

That should ring the alarm bells but it doesn't, she's stuck in his eyes, his hand, his face, even his voice. He strokes her cheek, his fingers feeling softer now, indistinguishable from a human hand. She can stare at him while his pretty eyes watch her cheek. She licks her lips unconsciously. His nostrils flare.

His elbow knocks against the beer bottle and she's too slow, they both startle when it shatters to pieces on the floor, shards of glass and liquid splattering around. It stinks immediately. She stares down, trying to get out of the trance. No glass stuck in her leg. No blood. Good. Her left cheek still burns.

"Oh sorry," his voice says. "Think I cut you."

She touches her cheek, dazed, looks at her fingers. Oh. Blood. Wait. Fuck. Blood. She scrambles for something to cover, tissue, band aid, she can't run around smelling like this- "Don't worry," he says, licking over his claw. "Mhm. You still taste of vampire blood."

She presses a tissue to the scratch on her cheek. It's really just a little bit of blood. A little bit of blood is enough to get you killed, though. "So that doesn't affect you either. The smell of blood."

"No, it does," he replies. "But I'm not hungry. Don't worry, I'm not going to jump you."

"Did you kill someone?" she asks. "Recently?"

"I drank from someone," he explains. "But I didn't kill him. I don't have to suck them dry."

"So you're just running around like a giant mosquito," she remarks.

He snorts. "If you wanna call it that. I should get you home though, not safe running around alone with a cut."

"I need vampire blood," she interrupts, pulling out a vial. "Couldn't get by any over the last weeks."

He looks at the glass vial critically. "You know you shouldn't do that. No one knows what the side effects are."

"You don't tell me what to do," she returns, uncorking the vial. "Come on. Just a little."

He sighs, pressing a sharp claw into one finger, holding it over the vial, dark blood dripping down. "You're really reckless."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," she remarks, checking the tissue. Not bleeding much anymore. "Do I still smell that good?"

"Wasn't talking about your blood," he replies, squeezing the digit so more blood drips down. "You give off other smells, too. Sweat and all that. Right now, I mostly smell the bloody tissue."

"My sweat smells good?" she questions.

"Your smell changes all the time," he explains. "Based on how you feel. It's the skin and the sweat and the blood and- it's complex, I don't really know how to describe it."

"So you can read my thoughts," she states.

He snorts, squeezing the finger again. "Definitely can't read your thoughts. It's really not psychic. You can tell how people feel based on how they look, I can tell based on how they smell. Scared. Most of the time, they're scared. Fear smells pretty strongly."

"That's enough, thanks," she says, corking the vial and putting it away. "So some emotions smell stronger than others?"

"Yeah," he agrees, licking over the cut in his own finger. "Adrenaline smells pretty strongly, too. I guess those are the main ones. Obviously, humans don't tend to experience the full range of emotions in my presence, so maybe that skews it."

She spits into the tissue, rubbing it over the cut again. "Sounds more like hormones or pheromones or whatever. Okay, I think we should go."

"The beer smells pretty strongly, too," he remarks, getting up. "I'll walk you home."

That sounds utterly ridiculous but she'll allow it. Before she has a hunting party on her back. She leaves the beer bottle but makes sure to take the tissue and the vial. They walk through the tunnel-like hall, down the stairs. "Remember when you bled all over Old Town Square?" he asks.

She bares her teeth, forcing him to do the same. "You mean when you almost murdered me?"

"I didn't- Could you stop doing that?" he complains. "That's really uncomfortable."

She bares her teeth again. "Why? Don't like being reminded that you're a monster?"

"Just let me talk," he says, forcing the instinctual reaction down. "Really."

"Okay, fine," she relents. "Yes. Remember very well."

"I think every vampire in this town knows your smell by now," he remarks. "So really, you can just drop that bloody tissue in the trash."

She stops. "Wait. You're telling me every vampire in this town knows how to find me?"

He snorts. "You think I follow you around because I'm bored and your life is oh so interesting?"

"No need to get mean," she returns. "Also, you just slept for 50 years, if I remember correctly, so don't talk to me about boring ."

"Not 50 years on end, but yeah," he replies. "Point taken. What I'm saying is, if you don't want to get hurt, forget about the tissue and instead don't get on the Malá Strana again."

"I don't take advice from you," she reminds him. "Or I would already be a bloodthirsty monster with fangs."

He sighs. "Oh right. Because nothing can be easy with you."

  "That should be enough, right?" she asks, dangling the vial. Bruce takes it with clear surprise.

"Don't tell me you made a blood pact with that monster," Tony remarks, pointing vaguely at her face without looking up. "Yeah, thanks. The centrifuge first, right?"

"Shut up, I just didn't see that branch," she returns. "It's fine. Got home safe."

"I can take a look at it," Bruce offers, filling the blood from the vial into smaller vials. "Just a second."

"No, really, just a scratch," she repeats, crossing her arms. "So? Is it working?"

"What?" Tony asks incredulously. "You want a result right now? Don't make me laugh, Romanoff."

She rolls her eyes, turning impatiently. "Fine. I'll go to bed now."

  She's just gearing up to go out a few days later when she notices Tony unfurling on the sofa like a really lazy cat. "Mhm. Oh hey. So, I should tell you, despite our infinite wisdom, the theory didn't quite pan out. But we still have vampire blood, so we can continue working on that."

She breathes out. "Oh. Okay."

"You didn't really expect everything to go right on the first try ," Tony remarks incredulously. "This is a really complex problem. We're years from coming even close to understanding what the fuck is going on with these monsters."

"No, no, I get that," Natasha replies unconvincingly. "Sure. You're right. I'll just, I'll just head out."

"You're not on shift," Tony points out. "Aren't you, you know, on your period? Pep said… Sure you should go out?"

She breathes out again. "It's going to be fine, Tony. Really." And she flees the tower again.

[selenelavellan]

It’s summer, and it’s way too hot to close the windows. Sound travels. For Dirthalene

Window AU

This wasn’t quite as fluffy as it was meant to be, my apologies for that.

Dirthamen and Falon’din(mentioned) are @feynites

TW For Abuse and Blood

The apartment next to Selene’s spendsmost of the year empty.

It’s a perk, really. It means there’sno one banging on the wall, that she can feel less self consciousabout singing along to her music, that there’s no awkward greetingsor questions when she’s fumbling through her keys half asleep after along bus ride home from work.

Which is why when her neighbor decidesto actually use the apartment, she’s less than thrilled.

Why they chose to move in the middle ofa city wide heat wave, she doesn’t understand. It’s a nice apartmentbuilding, known for its security measures and centralized location,but the A/C units leave a lot to be desired. Honestly, if she had thechance to be nearly anywhere else, she’d take it in a heartbeat.

Several weeks pass without her actuallyseeing her neighbor, though.

In fact,  if it weren’t for the beepingof their microwave around dinner every night, or the low drone oftheir Netflix documentaries she’s living vicariously through, sheprobably wouldn’t have even noticed their presence.

It’s hard to miss the night theirbrother comes to visit, though.

She realizes something is wrong whenshe walks into her apartment and nearly jumps out of her skin at theloud ‘THUD’ of something smashing into their shared wall. Most of thewords are hard to make out through her closed window, so she opens itquickly (definitely just for airflow in the heat though, certainlynot to spy on her mysterious neighbor) and manages to make out“Brother, please calm down-” before she sees a collection of blurays go flying out the window. She ducks back into her own apartment,back pressed against the wall in hopes that her spying hasn’t goneand gotten her noticed.

How do normal people handle situationslike these?

Should she call someone?

'Help, police, someone is throwingmy neighbors movies into the parking lot….?’

She feels a familiar tingling in theair and chances another glance out the window in time to see atelevision floating in mid-air and being carefully pulled backinside.

Her neighbor must be a mage, then.

Probably safer not to call in thatcase. If they’re in hiding, or an apostate, or even just unlucky,they could be carted away.

Her nails drum against the windowframe, as she contemplates her options. It’s none of her business,technically. A domestic dispute, not something to get involved inunnecessarily.

She slides down the wall and onto thefloor, wincing at the familiar sound of a fist hitting flesh.

It sends her back to her own house,when she was young. Living in the Val Royeaux alienage with her birthparents, being punished for her fathers products not selling. For notbeing able to sell her mothers flowers quickly enough, for not beingstrong enough to help support them.

For not being able to hide the bruises,when the bard found her.

Selene lets out a long breath, tryingto calm herself down as she recalls Anyu, who had taken her from herhome without hesitation. Had brought her into her own family, andhushed any complaints from Selenes birth parents with a handful ofgold pieces.

The kindest sort of kidnapping, shesupposes, though she knows she had been lucky.

…Her neighbor is probably too old tobe kidnapped, by any means.

She contemplates calling Anyu, now. Shewould know what to do, could tell Selene how to help her neighborwithout escalating the situation.

…Would probably remind Selene shecould always go back to work with her in Orlais, too.

Selene leaves her cell phone in herpocket; if she can hear her neighbor, they’d likely hear heron the phone too, and that would almost definitely make things worse.

The violent sounds seem to have ceased;whatever fighting was happening seems to have finally stopped, andafter a moment she hears her neighbors door open and slam closed,followed by a set of footsteps moving past her own door and down thestairs.

Ok.

Ok, that’s either a very good sign, ora very very bad one, right?

She debates her options again, finallystanding up off of the floor and taking her purse off of hershoulder. Slowly, she leans back out the window and looks down at thepile of destruction in the parking lot.

Her neighbors microwave seems to havebeen a victim of the carnage.

Biting down on her bottom lip, shequickly sticks the lasagna she had prepped this morning into theoven. They always made their dinner in the microwave, so it’s notweird if she just…wants to make sure they have dinner, right?

Her legs are moving already though,crawling out through her window. Years of being taught how to scaletowers in Val Royeaux finally have a positive use, she thinks wrylyas her bare feet land on the cold stone of her neighbors balcony.

She inhales sharply when she sees them;curled in on themselves on the floor, blood pouring out of their noseand a dark bruise forming on their left cheek while they take shallowbreaths.

Selene doesn’t bother to introduceherself or announce her presence, just helps herself into theirkitchen and dampens a handful of paper towels. She snags a pillow offof their couch on the way back, carefully rolling them onto theirback and settling their head atop it while she pinches the bridge oftheir nose and begins wiping away the blood dripping down the lengthof their face.

This close, she can make out theirfeatures more clearly. Traditionally masculine, with dark hair and asquare jawline. Elven ears and soft cheekbones that are turning aworrisome shade of purple as time continues to pass. Eventually theireyes open, one significantly more swollen than the other. They blinkseveral times, seemingly trying to bring her into focus. Probably adifficult task, given the position of the sun in the window behindher.

“…Are you an angel?” He managesto ask. Only, with her hand still pinching the bridge of his nose andhis face still injured, it comes out rather more slurred and nasallythan he likely meant for.

Selene snorts.

“No, just your neighbor.”

“Why are you here?”

“I heard some…worrisome noises, andwanted to check on you.”

“You do not know me.”

“I know it looks like you got beatenup in your own home,” Selene shrugs. “No one really deserves that,but I’ve been told I’ve got a bleeding heart so maybe I’m biased. Doyou want me to leave?”

He seems to take a moment to consider,before shaking his head no.

“Good,” She decides. She pulls overa box of tissues from his coffee table and hands him one so that hecan work on slowing his own bloody nose for now. “Do you have afirst aid kit?”

He nods with a slight wince and directsher into his bathroom where she finds a fully stocked kit. She takesthe time to rub some salves into his skin, going as carefully as shecan to avoid worsening his injuries. She presses gently at his chestover his shirt, frowning when it seems as though a few ribs may beinjured. He assures it isn’t anything serious, and she opts not topush the matter right now. It takes a long stretch of time to relievethe worst of it without using her own magic, but with nothing lifethreatening it doesn’t seem worth risking just yet.

Finally, she hears the oven begin tobeep from her own apartment. She taps his shoulder three times,lightly, and invites him over for dinner.

He looks at her strangely when shecrawls back out his window, though.

“I thought you had claimed to be myneighbor?”

“Yeah, just next door.”

“Is there…something wrong with thehallway?”

Selene blinks, before giving him asheepish smile and pulling herself back inside.

“Nope. Nope, probably not. I just-ha,you know how it is. Old habits and all that.”

“It is a habit to crawl throughwindows?”

“Only when the person on the otherside is as attractive as you,” She slips with a wink, falling backinto old tricks. When someone calls you out, flattery is the fastestway to allay suspicions after all. But he’s not a mark, she doesn’thave marks anymore she berates herself.

It’s not a total lie, though.

He is very handsome.

She changes topics as they step out hisfront door and in through hers, trying for something more casual. Sheasks about one of the animals she had heard mentioned in one of hisdocumentaries a few nights ago, and that seems to get him engaging ina long conversation while she cuts and serves the lasagna. He evenrelaxes through dinner as she asks questions and shares her ownknowledge of related subjects.

It’s when she’s finally clearing awaythe plates that he begins to look around her apartment in earnest.

“You do not have a television?” heasks as she is rinsing off the dinnerware.

“Not yet,” she admits. “Thisplace isn’t cheap. My parents are helping with rent and utilities alittle while I look for a job with better pay, but I don’t likeasking them for money for extras. I’m saving up though! The goal isto be able to sustain myself by the end of the year, but my skill setis uh…not in demand here. I’m tutoring out at the university fornow, to get ends to meet, but it’s not really a permanent position.Most of the furniture in here is used, or stuff from my parentshouse.”

“You are Orlesian?”

“Are you one of those Fereldans whothink that’s a dirty word?” Selene teases. “I grew up around ValRoyeaux, yeah. But there’s not a lot of ’Orlesian’ elves, ifyou know what I mean.”

“I have nothing personal againstOrlais,” he shrugs “I spent much of my youth being tutored inTevinter, or traveling as needed by my family.”

Selene blinks in surprise, turning backto look at her neighbor “You were in Tevinter?”

“Is that so shocking?”

“I…yeah? I mean you’re…” shegestures towards the points of her ears “They’re not really knownfor being great to elves, there. Pretty much the opposite.”

“My family is very wealthy,” Heexplains. “Many of our business contacts are in Minrathous, andthey are much less strict about mage rights and the advancement ofmagical knowledge than most of Fereldan.”

Selene clicks her tongue. “Ah. Well,that’ll do it then. Never mind.”

“Are you a mage?”

She bites down on her bottom lip. It’sstrange, almost. To be asked so openly. Anyu and Kaze were alwayssupportive of her abilities, but the importance of not alerting thetemplars that she possessed magic was drilled into her from an earlyage. The circles are cold, and unforgiving, and even with the bardicskill set, escape would be near impossible.

She lets out the breath stuck in herthroat and admits with a soft “Yes,” and lets the topic diethere.

He shifts uncomfortably for a momentbefore his attention seems to be arrested by the mask hanging on herwall. Polished and cleaned, still as beautiful as the day Anyu hadgifted it to her. Decorated with a crescent moon and the appearanceof falling stars in gleaming golds and silver.

Her trademark.

“Do you collect masks?” herneighbor asks.

Selene shakes her head. “No. I onlyhave the one. It was a gift, from my mother.”

“It is very lovely,” he notes.

“Dangerous things often are.”

He nods slowly in agreement after amoment, and Selene offers to help him clean up his apartment in anattempt to ease some of the tension in the room. He accepts, and therest of the evening is spent cleaning up glass shards and takingbloodstains out of his carpet.

By the end of it, she is very tired andready to go to sleep before her early morning routine needs to start.“If you ever need help, just let me know. Yell, or knock on thewall or my door or something, alright?” She says with one hand onhis door knob.

He pauses, stock still in the middle ofhis living room.

“I do not think it will benecessary…” he starts, but Selene slowly lowers her face at himin a 'really’ sort of way and he seems to correcthimself. “…but I will be sure to do so if I feel it is needed.Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” She assures him,before saying her good nights and heading back to her own apartment.

She stares at the popcorn ceiling androtating fan while she lies in bed, as her exhaustion starts to overtake her and wonders,for a moment, what her neighbors name might be.

[taycofftoadventure]

Utah Park Road Trip

What a year. I’ve taken a hiatus from the blog during 2020 for obvious reasons: pandemic travel is a challenge and not encouraged. It was hard to decide whether to venture out at all frankly. But after a a new gig, I desperately needed a getaway- so we took a week-long road trip to Utah. Our goal was to try to avoid people and get into nature. I’m so grateful for the escape. In the end, my soul really needed to go. Needed the break. Needed the change of scenery. I’ve gotten a lot of folks asking me what we did, where we went, so I decided to dust off the blog and share with folks our itinerary. 

We traveled with surface cleaner, our masks, etc. We took precautions where appropriate. It wasn’t always easy, but I felt relatively safe. We stayed in hotels and cabins- camping is totally an option, but traveling in August meant very hot weather and we wanted the AC. But every place we went had camping options if that is more your speed. Also many of the places we stayed, we could enter the room from an external door. It felt safer generally than riding an elevator or being in narrow hotel halls. We also didn’t have maid service during our stays to limit who was in the room. But I encourage everyone to be smart about whatever they chose to do. It’s hard to control all elements. We did the best we could.

You may wonder why we went to Springdale and THEN Bryce and THEN back to Zion- well, cost (the Lodge in the park was cheaper midweek) and avoiding people. We aimed to hit the Narrows hike on a Wednesday- which was less crowded.

Day 1 and 2 - Springdale, UT

We drove from LA. We opted not to stop in Vegas because they have a lot of coronavirus cases. Without traffic, it’s a six hour or so drive to beautiful Springdale, UT- the gateway to Zion National Park. We stayed at the Majestic View Lodge at the edge of town for two nights. Springdale itself is a gem in the canyon between red rock cliffs towering above.

Zion National Park has a shuttle service with limited tickets to access certain portions of the park (**check for their policies regularly/they changed during our planning and we almost didn’t score tickets). But there are some sites that don’t require a shuttle. We hit those first. After a breakfast at Deep Creek Coffee (really good/we went twice!), we ventured up the scenic drive of the park. Surrounded by giants, we pulled off and took photos as we headed to our first hike on the Canyon Overlook Trail. It’s a moderately challenging hike, but not long. You can do it rather quickly, but we definitely stopped to take many a photo. You’re rewarded with quite a view. Some portion of the trail was narrow- so bring your mask (always bring your mask). After, we cooled down at the hotel pool until it got busier. 

Before dinner, we rode bikes through Springdale to the Pa’rus Trail (paved so it’s not hard to bike). It was mighty glorious as the sun set below The Watchman. The grill at the Majestic View Lodge did have really good ribeye for take-out. 

Day 3-5 Bryce Canyon National Park

The next day, we headed to Bryce National Park for two nights. What a special place. Powerful hoodoos dot the canyon. I felt like I was immersed in a giant sand castle. It was hot when we went. There was no water in the canyon, so take more water than you think you need if you plan to hike beyond the rim. 

Our first hike was the Navajo Trail to the Peekaboo Loop and then up iconic Wall Street. It’s strenuous. If you want something lighter, do just Navajo Trail- but even that has dramatic elevation gain. Also, you have the challenge of Bryce’s naturally high elevation. The most common medical issues folks have in Bryce are elevation related problems. The number two problem; ankle issues (so wear supportive shoes) because the trails are steep. Despite being hard, it was JAW-DROPPINGLY beautiful. No photos need a filter. Go slow, take breaks, take photos, and stay hydrated. 

The next day we woke up early and hit The Fairyland Loop. It’s the longest hike in the park, but you’ll have no issues social distancing. Bring lots of water and lunch- but it’s not as hard as Peekaboo/Navajo. Go early to avoid midday sun. We started at Sunrise point and did it counter clockwise. We liked this for a few reasons- our climb back out of the canyon was shaded by an occasional tree and the last two miles of the hike was the much easier Rim Trail in the hotter part of the day (which does have some climbing itself, but at least you’re almost to your car by the end)... and also I loved ending the hike near the General Store for a little lemonade and fruit. 

Closer to sunset, we checked out Rainbow Point and Natural Bridge. If you skip Peekaboo, Bryce Point will give you a taste of what you missed from above. 

The town of Bryce itself was only established ten years ago. Not too much there. We grabbed picnic/breakfast food in Springdale and then got take out in Tropic for dinners. Stone Hearth Grille was delicious and beautifully situated- I can tell it would be a great place to eat in when this pandemic is over.  IDK Barbecue was also really tasty. 

The last morning in Bryce we hit the Queens Garden Trail- the most popular trail. But you can see why, it’s not-to-be-missed gorgeous and it’s the “easiest” trail into the canyon (and by easiest, I still mean it’s steep). We opted to hit it on a Tuesday and found it wasn’t too hard to avoid folks. I did wear my mask more (i really dig my Variant Malibu mask btw). 

Day 6-8 Zion National Park

After the hike, we headed back to Zion. On this stretch, we stayed at Zion Lodge in a cabin at the Xanterra run hotel in the park. It was worth it because you get a drive-on into the park where only shuttles can go and it’s great to be in the midst of the action (the only caveat is, you can only drive as far as the lodge). There’s also the bonus reality that if you stay at the lodge, the shuttle times are irrelevant, They let you on whenever, you just need a ticket for the day. Alternatively, you can ride uphill to the Narrows by bike.

We rode the shuttle once to go to the famous Narrows hike. We were very much rewarded for our early morning- there were very uncrowded stretches. What a colossally special experience. Almost religious- I felt like I was in a giant natural cathedral. The early morning light gifted us with such dynamic and extraordinary sights. I’ll never forget them. Besides snacks and water, I highly recommend a hiking pole and neoprene socks. Just buy them ahead of time- but you can rent them in town for the same cost. We were glad to just get started early and not have to deal with rentals. The rocks are slippery so mind your step. I also felt the current made it more precarious.  Be sure to check the water quality and for flash flood warnings. Levels were low, but due to little rain there was a bacterial overgrowth harmful to humans and animals. So sadly, we couldn’t submerge (or ingest)- but I felt it was shallow enough to maintain safety. Avoid the algae mats. 

As we wrapped up the hike six hours later, more people hit the trail- the mask was up and this was the most congested I felt all trip! But the ranger at the end of the hike said that actually, this was nothing compared to pre-covid. People used to wait hours for a shuttle... so thanks pandemic, we didn’t wait long. 

In the evenings, we gazed at the Milky Way on the green lawn filled with deer and tried to spy meteors showering by (well, more like a trickle- we saw two between us) and hung out on our cabin porch drinking wine and playing cards. Staying in the park was peaceful. 

Additionally, some of the popular hikes are an easy stroll from the lodge. It would have been possible to avoid the shuttle altogether if we weren’t intending to do the Narrows. We walked on an evening stroll up the trail to the Grotto picnic area where the Angel’s Landing Hike begins (the top is closed at present for Covid). Across the street from the lodge is the trailhead for the Emerald Pools. We would have made the trek but the pools are apparently very low right now. Some things for us to check out next time!

Day 9-11 Sundance, UT

After Zion, we headed north for two nights in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City. I was craving green and trees for sure. We stayed at the Sundance Resort but if you’re looking to save some coin, there’s plenty of camping off the narrow mountain Alpine Scenic Byway. The mountain pass is closed in the winter, but right now it’s dotted with gorgeous still-snow dusted peaks and the largest Aspen grove I’ve ever seen.

There were a lot of hikes in the area, but in the warm heat of the summer, we opted for Stewart Falls. There are a few access points- if you don’t stay at Sundance, there is a trailhead in Aspen Grove. If you stay at the resort, you get a free ski-lift ticket (or you can buy one). We took the scenic chalet to Ray’s Summit  (you can go further up to the top for a cold beverage and what-looked-like-delicious nachos). From Ray’s Summit, you can hike a lovely but sometimes steep trail down to the falls. We then took the trail back to our lodging from the falls. Google maps was helpful in navigating the narrow trails. 

We did shell out for the zip line tour which boasts one of the longest rides in the US. It was exhilarating. You fly from peak to peak and down the mountain. Definitely grab a bottle of water to take with you- it took us about 2 hours to do it all... but can take up to 3. Luckily our group was just the two of us, so it went pretty fast and I was thankful to not have to wait for anyone. 

The food at Sundance was excellent with lots of outdoor seating and picnic tables- so it’s easy to get a fine dining meal and a swell spot to eat it in. Everything from the breakfast sandwich to the salmon to the pork chops was really good. 

Day 12-13 St. George, UT

On our way back to Los Angeles, we drove back south again and stayed in St. George- not far outside of Zion. We stayed at a lovely renovated hotel Inn of the Cliff- bonus points for beautiful view and pool. Pro-tip, if you want the pool ALL to yourself, Sunday morning seemed to be the winner (because I think the community is all at church). Also for breakfast, skip the long lines and go to Tia’s Artesian Bakery. We picked up some delectable food ahead of the drive home.

In the end, I was so grateful for this trip. It felt incredibly long (even though it was just weekend to weekend). Getting into nature, surrounded by awesome views, and testing my body- but also having down-time- felt crucial to getting the rejuvenation I needed. On long, popular hike days, we rose early- but almost every other day, we slept in. The balance felt right. We were grateful to pack a cooler and have snacks and cold drinks on long drives or hot days. 

Travel safe. Stay healthy. Take care of your spirit. Go find nature.

Photos by Zach Lupetin and Taylor Coffman

[wizardwritings]

You Again

YOU AGAIN PT. 1

Overview: After graduating from law school in New York, you were offered a job at one of the best firms in London. Once there, you bumped into Draco Malfoy, your former best friend and former boyfriend. But almost eight years have passed, and you’re in for the surprise of a lifetime. (Muggle/Modern AU)

Word Count: About 2,200.

Warning(s): Some swearing.

Note: This is loosely inspired by the movie You Again and Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now.” The fic will be around 10 parts in total. Stay tuned! :)

Tag List: If you want to be tagged in this series, either comment or reblog saying you want to be added to the list. Those who ask me through my ask box will be ignored.

To say you were shocked to be back in London was an understatement.

After graduating from Columbia Law School, you expected to stay where your network was strong and self-built. Still, with cutthroat graduates all looking to partner with the best firms in New York, you knew your only options were to stand out or to get out.

You just never thought the option you’d choose would be the latter.

It wasn’t that you weren’t able to get a position at Skadden. In all honesty, if that’s what you wanted, you wouldn’t have let anything stop you. But it wasn’t. Not necessarily, at least.

What you did want was the best opportunity possible. And if it took a move back to London to secure a high-paying job in one of the world’s top ranking firms, then so be it.

Clifford Chance, here I come.

And so, there you were. Back where it all started: wandering the streets of London. The summer day was dry and warm, the sun hidden behind a layer of clouds. As soon as you settled into a hotel, the first thing you did wasn’t alert your family, but rather get something to drink.

Or more particularly, a coffee. A coffee from your favorite café, Busy Bean, to be exact.

As you sat in a booth, sipping on your latte, you heard a familiar name being called out.

“Caffè Americano for Draco!” a barista called.

Your eyes shut. It couldn’t be...

“Thank you, Linda.”

Your gaze followed the back of his head. With his blond hair almost bordering on white, there was no doubt in your mind this was Draco Malfoy. He definitely wasn’t the first person you wanted to see the day you returned to London, but there he was, in all his glory.

Not that you should’ve been surprised, though. Busy Bean used to be your go to spot with Draco--as best friends and as significant others. Still, you didn’t expect him to come regularly after your not so mutual break up. At the time, you were young and selfish and scared to admit that you were falling in love.

So you did what you knew best. You ran.

But now you were back, realizing just how much the world enjoys its cruel irony.

When Draco turned around, his eyes immediately met yours, catching you staring. You coughed once, taking a drink from your cup and averting your gaze.

“Y/N?” His voice was a mixture of shock and amusement.

You focused your attention back on him, taking in his appearance. A small smile made its way across your face, noticing how he had filled out since you last saw him. He looked taller and more self-assured, and though you weren’t on the best terms, it still made you happy to know he was doing well.

What remained unchanged, however, was the slight tiredness in his eyes and the ever-present smirk on his face.

“Draco,” you greeted, motioning him over.  

When he took a seat in front of you, the same butterflies in your stomach from your first date with him returned. The only difference was that you were two adults that would most likely never date again. You had to keep your composure.

“How have you been?”

You both chuckled when you realized you asked the same question at the same time.

“You first,” said Draco, cupping his fingers around the circumference of his drink. “New York must’ve been hard to adjust to, correct?”

“Took a while,” you agreed, giving him a slight shrug. “But I grew to love it after seven years. In all honesty, I feel more like an outsider here than New York now.”

He gave you a look of surprise, leaning forward on his forearms. “Like it better than London, do you reckon?”

You took another sip from your latte before shaking your head. “They’re almost incomparable, really.”

Draco raised an eyebrow in question.

“London is...my childhood,” you said with a sigh. “It’s where I grew up--what I’m used to. I know this place like the back of my hand.”

“And New York?”

“New York is like a breath of fresh air on a hot day.” You pursed your lips. “Though, admittedly, there’s not a lot of fresh air to be found in the city. But, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

When he didn’t reply, you drummed your fingers on the table, feeling the urge to explain.

“Here, everyone knows me because of my parents. ‘Oh, you’re Y/F/N’s daughter? The CEO of UBM? You must be so proud!’” you said in a mocking tone. “In New York, the only way people know me is for my accomplishments. I can make a name for myself there.”

“You do look happier,” Draco said quietly. His eyes gave you a once over. “You have almost a glow to you you’ve never had here.”

Now it was your turn to stay silent, the only indication you heard him was a slight blush on your face.

“But now you’re back.” He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”

You sighed. “Mind over heart.”

A forlorn smile played on Draco’s face. “I see your motto hasn’t changed.”

You winced slightly. That motto was a major catalyst in your thought process of breaking up with him. And both of you knew it.

“It hasn’t.” Looking past his shoulder, you continued, “A better opportunity was presented here than in New York. I couldn’t let my pride get the best of me.”

But now, saying it out loud, you weren’t sure if you were confident in your choice.

“But enough about me,” you rushed out. “How have you been?”

Draco made eye contact with you, not wanting to drop the subject quite yet. Eventually, he sighed, breaking his gaze.

“I’ve been alright.”

“How descriptive.”

This earned small chuckle from him as he half-heartedly rolled his eyes.

You two soon fell into an easy conversation, talking about everything and nothing and all that fell between. It was almost as if nothing had changed--except for the fact the you were both painfully aware of how much more attractive the other had gotten.

You felt like you could talk to him for hours and, when you checked your phone, you noticed that you had.

“Oh, shit,” you murmured, almost jumping out of your seat. “It’s getting late, Draco. I better go unpack my things in the hotel.”

“Hotel?” He stood along with you, cold coffee in hand. “Not going to your parents house?”

“Not yet.” Tossing your empty latte in a trash bin, you wiped your palms on your skirt. “They actually don’t know I’m here yet.”

You brushed off his look of confusion with an innocent smile.

“I wanted some time to reflect,” you paused, looking at him sternly, “and you won’t be the one to ruin that, okay?”

A single laugh escaped Draco’s mouth as you nudged him with your shoulder. “Okay.”

You walked out of the café with him, keeping an eye out for a taxi. As selfish as it was, you wanted to stay in his presence for hours on end, just like the old times.

“So,” you drawled, walking toward the street. “It was nice talking to you again.”

“Almost like nothing’s changed,” he said with a nod.

You spotted a black cab cruising by and stuck your arm out. The taxi came to a stop a few feet away from you.

“Guess it’s time for me to go.” You shrugged, not quite wanting to leave. Still, you walked toward the car.

“Wait!”

You turned around.

Draco’s cheeks were tinged a light shade of pink. “I don’t think I have you number.”

“I had to change it when I moved to New York and again now that I moved back,” you supplied, exchanging phones with him. Before giving it back, you took a quick picture of yourself, smiling with your face pressed against an unaware Draco.

Once he noticed, his mouth turned up into a grin, a slight, yet stark, contrast from his usual smirk. After taking a contact picture of himself, his face pursed into an exaggerated smoulder, Draco handed you your phone back.

“Ma’am, are you ready?” the taxi driver called, getting impatient. So used to the aggressive New York cabbies, you were shocked the driver hadn’t already left you in the dust.

Draco waved the taxi driver off, apologizing for the inconvenience.

You glared at him. “And how am I supposed to get to my hotel now?”

He met your gaze with raised eyebrows. “I’ll drive you, of course.”

“You don’t have to--”

Draco cut you off with a stern look. “What kind of best friend would I be to leave you in the London streets?”

Best friend. It took all your willpower not to smile at his words. Best friend. Even after all you two have been through--or rather, the shit that seemed to accompany you and, by the transitive property, him--he still considered you his best friend.

You never knew how much you wanted to hear him say those words until they actually came out of his mouth.

“I never thought I’d miss you this much,” you replied absentmindedly. Your eyes widened, realizing what you had just said. Law school graduate or not, Draco Malfoy always got you to bring your guards down. Just like the old times. “I miss it-- Not you you. I just meant I miss talking to you. Not that I--”

Draco cut you off, enveloping you in a hug.

“I missed you, too, Y/N,” he murmured, face pressed against your hair. “I missed you so damn much.”

Your face flamed and you were glad it wasn’t in his view. “I’m here now,” you said softly, aware of how he ran his hand up and down you shirt-clad back.

The two of you pulled away, sharing a small smile as Draco offered you his arm. You made your way to his car, a slick, black Corvette that just screamed Malfoy.

“Of course,” you snorted, smiling despite yourself as you took a seat. Running your hand across the leather, you couldn’t help but whistle. “This is one fucking hot ride, Malfoy.”

Starting the engine, he put on his shades with a smirk. “I know.”

After a car ride filled with off-key renditions of Elton John’s hit singles, Draco pulled up in front of the hotel you were staying at.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you?”

You gave him a flat look. “It’s a five-star hotel, Draco. Not Bates Motel. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” he said, putting his arms up in mock surrender. Still, he remained parked, making no move to drive away.

When you made it into the hotel and up to your room, your phone buzzed with a text from a Draco with three green hearts next to his name. You smirked.

Are you safe in your room?

Yes, Dad, you texted back, peering out your window only to catch a glimpse of a wall. Now drive home. And be safe.

Okay, Mum.

You shook your head, smiling as you placed your phone on the television stand. Pulling out your journal, you jotted down a few highlights from your first day back in London.

Once you finished, you reckoned Draco had made it back home by now.

Drove home safely?

It had been a tradition since the both of you started driving. After one of you dropped the other off, you would make sure the other’s drive home was safe. Old habits die hard.

In perfect condition, of course.

Satisfied, you tossed your phone onto the bed, deciding to order room service. If there was one thing you needed this very moment, it was food.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur, filled with the overindulgence of junk and overrated sitcoms. By the time you were ready for bed, you found your phone somewhere in the sheets. Placing your head on a pillow, you noticed you received a text from Draco not too long ago.

Have a goodnight, Y/N.

You too, Malfoy. :)

You turned your phone to silent, placing it on the nightstand. You tried to sleep, but once you saw your phone screen light up with a notification, you just about jumped out of bed to grab it like a primary schooler with a crush.

I’ll see you Friday. ;) x

You stomach filled with giddiness at that little sentence. There were some friends you just loved to text. Draco was one of them. Still, as you thought on it, you didn’t recall making any plans for the week.

What’s Friday?

Why…your welcome back dinner, of course. I just planned it. I’ve invited a few of your secondary school friends. Harry, Ron, and them.

Uncertainty ran through you. Your friends never got along with Draco’s in school. You tried to convince him that this wasn’t necessary--you’d catch up with them on your own time--but he was insistent. You rolled your eyes at his obstinance, thinking that, if he wanted to, he could’ve made a great lawyer.

The dinner is planned and you’re going to love it. Don’t even try to get out of it, Y/L/N. I know where you live.

Huffing slightly, you tried to come up with an excuse. But with your work not starting until the end of summer, you knew you had nothing else to do. You yawned, your eyes feeling tired from staring at your phone screen for so long.

Fine, then. :P I’ll see you Friday, Malfoy. Goodnight. xx

Sweet dreams, darling.

And as you placed your phone on the nightstand, you couldn’t help but fall asleep with a smile on your face.

What do you think “the surprise of a lifetime” is? Answer here or in the comments!

If you’re familiar with the movie, You Again it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. It’s not a plot twist, really. It’s just when the real drama starts. ;) So brace yourselves.

P.S If anyone is willing to make me a graphic for a “You Again” Masterlist, please contact me. I’d be so so grateful!

MASTERLIST

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[gaysaeki]

(kpop) fanmeet/concert tips!

I generally join a lot of Facebook groups revolving around a Kpop event and see tons of people asking the same thing over and over again, I generally have pretty good preparation when attending one and thought I’d share my recommendations! Mind you, these are from my personal experience and not some sort of mandatory guide you should follow so please don’t feel like I’m demanding you to do these things - just trying to help with some pointers!

What is okay to bring:

Bags/purses and small backpacks. This may vary from venue to venue depending on security, but the biggest bag I’ve brought and was allowed to have was an itabag (pictured below).

Your fandom lightstick or a glow stick if you can’t afford the former

SOMETIMES a fan sign. Depending on the size, security may not let you bring it in if it’s large or incredibly bright and will ask you to return it to your car or leave it outside, a lot of the times, signs are trashed by convention center staff because their job is to keep the venue clean. A modest size would be about the size of a binder when opened flat. 

What is not okay:

Cameras - Your phone camera is fine, sometimes a venue will discourage you from using even those but there’s honestly too many people not listening for staff to try and stop you. However, DSLR/point and shoot cameras (anything with a lens that can extend/zoom) will generally not be allowed. Fansites tend to get away with this sort of thing though by breaking down their cameras and hiding them on their person. 

Water bottles - Totally fine to have with you in line, however when you start passing through security, they will make you toss it. I have a small hack roundabout with this because I think it’s dumb to have to pay $5 for a water bottle inside the venue but I won’t share it on this post

Food/snacks - Some exceptions are made, but high probability that you will be asked to trash it as well

Anything that can be a threat to yourself or those around you - I sometimes forget I carry a knife/tazer/pepperspray all in one. Sometimes it passes through security other times I get busted. You will be in a safe area surrounded by people so there’s no need to carry this sort of thing as long as you either stay in a group or have an uber come for you from the venue. 

Recommended things to have:

A portable battery/phone charger pack (or two)

Earphones

Something to drink and snack on if you’re in line for awhile

Both cash and card for (merch may take both, but venue parking will ask for cash)

Your ticket

A few items of make up for touch ups if you decide to wear any

Cold weather: 

Air-activated hand warmers. They can be bought in any convenience store for a few dollars and usually comes in a pack of two or more depending on which one you have. They claim to last 10 hours and I’ve never had to use one that long to test the theory but they will definitely do the trick

A few layers of clothing, you can always strip down if it’s not so bad out. Please don’t be afraid you’ll look dumb, I’ve seen a lot of fans pass out/get very ill because they were worried about their appearance

Gloves help a ton! Usually when I have gloves but want to use my phone, I also bring a stylus

A disposable one dollar rain poncho. Almost every event I attend it rains, and if it doesn’t, you can always use it later. There’s nothing worse than waiting in line for hours at a time in the freezing cold, and lo and behold, RAIN DOWNFALL.

Hot weather:

Freeze a few bottles of water and bring them with you in a plastic bag, this will keep you hydrated and cool. This can work with any other liquid you want to use instead though water is probably the best option 

An umbrella/sun parasol also helps a ton to keep the sun off of you. There will be small areas of shade but more than likely it’ll already be overloaded with other fans trying to avoid the sun

SUNBLOCK ( and bug spray/mosquito repellent) 

A small handheld fan also does wonders, bonus points if it’s one with a mister (be sure to check if the mist part works - a lot of retail stores sell wonky ones that don’t serve their function)

Dress comfortably, chances are you’ll be in line for hours. With this being said, I don’t quite recommend a full face of makeup until an hour or so before doors open unless you’ve got a hell of a make up stay spray.

Check the weather on the day of the event, you may want the rain poncho here as well if you’d rather not have the umbrella 

Pre-planning:

I highly recommend using Facebook to network, as there are usually groups dedicated to that specific event and quite a few locals will be in it. Generally FB has all the latest updates and often times there will be people creating Kakao/Line group chats to befriend fellow fans or meet up at the venue.

Please don’t let batteries sit in your lightstick. Some of you will say ‘well I’ve left batteries in mine for months and nothing’s wrong’, good for you, but nothing wrong with being safe than sorry. Many people have said the batteries have melted inside of the lightstick so it stopped working, or the batteries ran out even though the lightstick was rarely in use, etc. Just bring the batteries outside of your lightstick, as well as some extra ones in case it dies during the concert.

If you’re coming from out of town/state, secure a hotel that is within reasonable distance from the venue. There are always people coming from far away looking for roommates. If none of you have a car, Uberpool is an option. AirBnb is also a cheaper option. If you’re not picky, I actually have a strong preference for staying in Motel6′s because they’re cheap, usually conveniently located and though lacking basic amenities, is still a bed and that’s all I need. 

If you have a car and are choosing to drive to the venue, expect to pay anywhere from $15-35 for parking. There can be other places to park but it all varies from location to location. It’s best to ask any locals for this sort of info as well as food-wise and attractions if you’re also going to sight see. 

Always try to get a ticket from the official site that’s selling tickets for that venue. Don’t give up if the tier you want sells out! There’s usually people on various social media sites trying to sell extra tickets or their own,just be patient and people will be trying to sell like crazy. However, scammers are on the rise right now, only ever pay through Paypal Goods & Services so your money is protected, if the seller tries to coerce you into paying another way, this is a strong sign they will rip you off and run off with the money and you will not get a refund. The fee from Goods and services is a very small price to pay in comparison to the hundreds of dollars you’ll lose otherwise. Always keep screenshots and ask people often if you’re not confident in the purchase, as scammers will often steal other people’s photos and send it to you passing it off as their own.

Many fans will try to meet the artists at the airport which is a hit or miss thing, it’s great you like them enough to want to see them as much as you can and to welcome them to town, but they’re tired. Be respectful and follow security’s instructions. Don’t mob them.

Waiting in line:

Depending on the tier you have, the time you want to get to the venue will vary.

If you have a pit ticket, the earlier you come, the better but it’s not guaranteed because people cut like crazy and push. The longest I’ve waited for a concert was Exo, where we arrived at 5am and there were about 100 people camped in front of us, and we were let in at 8pm. We got barricade because we ran. To gauge the best time, it’s best you ask the group when people in your same tier would recommend to arrive. I always aim for before noon if I have pit even if the concert is at 8.  If you have a lesser tier and it’s seated, you can honestly come whenever you like. 

If you are P1 and P2, chances are you have a perk. This can be a group photo, a fan sign, or a hitouch. You will be sent an email from whoever brought the group to that location of what time you should be there to pick up your wristband. This wristband lets staff know you have a perk and some priority. If you can’t make it in time, no worries, there will be another table inside the doors that have staff that have wristbands for you. 

MAKE FRIENDS IN LINE - almost always the people around you will be friendly, you’re all here for the same reason after all. This is so that you have people that can save your spot in line and vice versa should you decide you want to make a food run/use the restroom. This will also just give you a way to pass the time and network. 

Because you’ll be in line for so long, I HIGHLY recommend you eat before you come with a few snacks for the wait. The line will be intense, but it’s not worth fainting because you didn’t take care of yourself. Drinking to stay hydrated is also important, but I like to ration water because I don’t want to use the restroom often because you don’t ever know where a restroom is and if a company will just let you randomly use their restroom (unless it’s fast food or a big retail store). Sometimes the venue security will let you in to use the venue restroom but less than half the concerts I attend let us do this. 

If you come early enough, fans that are generous enough to make things may give you free or cheap fanmade keepsakes. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these things. They can be anything from prints, bias hearts to even water. They only make so much so it’s not guaranteed you’ll get something but it’s one of my favorite things when attending an event because I’m a scrapbooker, I like to have something small and flat to put into my travel journal. Often times there will be  a group of fans that volunteer to hand out fanmade banners and/or colored bags to put over your lightstick if there’s an ocean project. I always have more than I can carry so I like to bring a larger bag.

Concert time!

You can buy merch before and after the concert. Cash or card is accepted but be aware that the lines after the concert will be long and you will be cut often by people playing dumb.

Be prepared to stand even more during the concert (this is why I like to sit in line for as long as possible), even though there will be seats, fans will stand for the entire duration of the concert, the only exceptions would be during the beginning when people are coming in, and VCRs. 

There’s almost always a snapchat filter! Fans have paid for this filter to become a real thing so it’s great to appreciate and use it!

Inside will be a concession stand, however it will be pricey but definitely worth to have something to wet your throat because you will scream a lot

Concerts generally last an hour and a half to two hours. I typically leave venues around 11, 11:30pm at the latest after my perk when there’s yet another crazy line.

PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF THE FANS AROUND YOU AND DON’T HOLD UP YOUR SIGN/BANNER HIGH/FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. You are obstructing someone’s view, you do not deserve to be there any more than the people around you so be courteous. If someone is doing this to you, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking the problematic person to lower their lightstick/banner.

For the love of god, please don’t throw anything at the artists. This is dangerous for the idols, the fans, staff, etc. You’ll compromise what would have  been a good thing by doing this.

If you have a perk, you will not be allowed to record it. Staff will confiscate your phone if they see it when you go up for your photo or hitouch. Some organizers may record their perks but not many do. 

After concert:

Your perk will go super fast because the idols have a ton of people they have to get through as quickly as they can. You can try to talk to them but staff will yell. I literally accepted that my Seventeen hitouch was way shorter than my KARD hitouch and you can tell just how bad that is. Since this is the case, my absolute recommendation is to make eye contact, this makes the hitouch feel longer and that there’s a connection. I know it may feel awkward and uncomfortable but this is what I find always makes a hitouch last longer in my head.

Guilty of this, I am. I van-wait, quite a few others do as well. Fans will wait outside the doors after the concert where vans come to retrieve the idols. Security will set boundaries, please follow them. When the idols come out, do not mob them or the vans which sounds like such basic knowledge, but I have seen way too many fangirls rush through, slam themselves against the van as it pulls off, bang on the windows, follow the van from all directions (Even from the front of the vehicle). This is terrifying just to watch from outside, imagine how it is for the idols who are stuck inside and moving away from the windows because of how aggressive people are being. This is for everyone’s safety. 

Just cheer for them, tell them thank you. They often cannot accept gifts so don’t try to sweet-talk a staff member into giving them one for you unless it was pre-established that gifts are okay.

If you are parked a ways away from the venue, please try to find someone that is walking in the same direction and go with them. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for bearing with me on this super long read, but I tried to cover every aspect I could remember with as much detail as I can so people would know what to expect. I hope this was of help to people!

[capdesignyyrz112-blog]

The Only Guide for Personalised Hats

Baseball caps have actually withstood much more low and high than a Prince track. Just believe, the favored headwear for adolescent horrors of the nineties is also the celeb disguise of option, as well as a campaign-trail fixture for a specific אישה Mr President with a particular dubious motto. Yet credit scores where credit's due.

Just without the Burberry checks or guarantees of achievement-- two things that happened way after the baseball cap's birth in 1860. First worn by amateur baseball group the Brooklyn Excelsiors, the beginning papa was initially made to secure gamers' eyes from the sunlight. That required a long-peaked cap-- a big departure from the Peaky Blinders designs of the era-- with a button to the crown.

Because that preliminary crowning achievement, the baseball cap has actually been utilized by different developers, subcultures and also the armed forces, with United States submarine pressures donning a red model for some officers. For private citizens nonetheless, the item still requires implementation with army accuracy."The key to a baseball cap is maintaining it tidy and also simple, with little to no branding and absolutely nothing also loud," claims Alexander Mc Calla, stylist at .

More About Personalised Caps

The 10-Second Trick For Make Your Own Cap

courtesy/ katie buckleitner Also if you're not the most significant hat user, there are lots of distinct shapes as well as posh brand names available for you! Intend to amp up your fall lewk? Try a newsboy cap. Scheduling that beachside retreat? Def go with an elegant straw hat. As well as simply attempting to remain cozy this winter months? You'll require a knit beanie.

Right here, 20 brand names-- from dramatic styles to useful ones-- that must get on your radar if they aren't currently. Ad - Continue Reading Below 1 Lisianthus Belt Buckle Fedora Hat Lisianthus amazon.com $16.45 This Amazon brand is v prominent (this certain hat has virtually 1,500 testimonials!) which's because it offers quality styles-- fedora and straw styles alike-- at an in fact budget-friendly cost.

2 Brixton Margot Baker Young boy Cap BRIXTON nordstrom.com $27.60 Opportunities are you have actually become aware of this chain store staple, and also for great factor. Its hats are very adorable and also placed a contemporary spin on standard designs, similar to this textured weaved one with a different costs. 3 Hat Attack Leopard Beret Hat Assault revolve.com $46.00 Hat Attack is a terrific go-to brand for fashion-forward silhouettes, like this trendy leopard-print beret.

Some Known Details About Mens Designer Hats

From driving caps to feathered felt hats, it'll right away give any kind of 'fit a retro yet posh flair. 5 Lanzom Floppy Panama Hat Belt Clasp Woollen Fedora Hat Into wool ones with details around the band? Choose a design from Lanzom, similar to this pink one with a fastening. And also if you're not into the color, the brand makes hats in almost every shade you can possibly imagine (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, however it's a LOT).

(Innovation is wild, right?) Complete your autumn outfit with one of his 'gram-worthy hats, such as this fire-engine red one. 7 Raffaello Bettini Pamela Hat Raffaello Bettini shopbop.com $120.00 Family-run service Raffaello Bettini has actually been around since 1938 as well as is based in Tuscany. True to its Italian origins, you can totally imagine yourself relaxing on the Amalfi Shore (or at least your neighborhood pool) in among its styles-- take this canyon purple check one.

It features elevated woollen berets, similar to this red one, fedoras, boaters, baker young boy hats, you call it-- and all listed below $80 on Nordstrom. 9 Wallaroo Hat Business Sydney Sunlight Hat Wallaroo Hat Business amazon.com $42.00 The Australian tag is all about integrating sun defense with snappy when it concerns its straw hats.

The 9-Minute Rule for Personalized Hats

10 Gigi Burris Twelve O'clock At Night Ete Gingham Cotton-Trimmed Straw Sunhat Gigi Burris net-a-porter. com $350.00 Gigi Burris' accessories are most definitely around-- in the very best possible means!-- if you're looking to make a declaration. I mean, just absorb this remarkably large straw hat. 11 Absence of Shade Unisex The Zulu II Standard Woollen Fedora Absence of Color amazon.com $119.00 Comparable to Wallaroo Hat Firm, Absence of Shade is one more Aussie tag that generates a variety of raised hats in all the shades you can potentially desire.

is into fedoras. 12 Albertus Swanepoel Bleached Wool Beanie Albertus Swanepoel modaoperandi.com $125.00 Albertus Swanpoel is a South African milliner based in New york city whose hat styles have actually also been included significant path shows like Alexander Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, as well as Carolina Herrera among others. This two-toned beanie will certainly go with twice the colors in your storage room! 13 Janessa Leone Mattie Angler Hat Janessa Leoné amazon.com $78.00 Janessa Leoné provides hats (and also even bags!) which have actually become a favorite amongst the celeb and influencer set; plus, all her products, similar to this burgundy velvet design, are made in the USA.

[inspirationsandlove-blog]

So if you guys didn’t already know I am still new to the Fort Collins area. I moved here in the middle of February this year, and that’s not the best time to go exploring with out the proper gear. I also got a pretty time-consuming job in the early spring. So I haven’t gotten the chance to check out the surrounding hiking as much as I would like. But I have managed to squeeze in a few here and there, and the few I did go on I learned quite a bit from. Coming from the high tundra-esk climate of Estes Park, CO to Fort Collins (although they are only an hour drive apart) has shown me a lot of WHERE you hike depicts HOW you hike. Heres Some of the tips and tricks I have learned in these adventures.

The first thing I learned, and I can never stress this enough, is know your terrain. Where are you hiking to? How hot is it going to be that day and is your trail going to have shade on it? Are you encountering any water? How much elevation are you gaining? How many miles are you going one way/round trip? What is the best route for you to take? Don’t get me wrong, part of the adventure is to just go and see where the trail takes you. But at the same time you don’t want to make yourself miserable or put yourself in danger when it could have been easily avoided by just looking at a map or reading a quick trail summary. By getting a feel for what you’re in for, you also get a better idea on what to take with you. Fort Collins area is a great place to encounter all sorts of terrain. I discovered the hard way a few times that what worked really well on one adventure, didn’t quite work out on the next one.

Fort Collins, CO

The best example I can use for this is foot wear. Fort Collins is at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and when I say rocky mountains I mean big freaking boulders and stone faces. But there are also a ton of beautiful lakes, ponds, and streams in and around the area. So are you going to need some sandals that can handle water and not get destroyed? Or is it time to break out the hiking boots so you don’t mangle your peds and get to romp around like a wild thing? Another thing to think about is how hot it is going to be that day and what socks (if any) you are going to choose. I always, always, always go for wool of some form. Having backpacker parents I learned early that cotton, particularly on your feet, is a quick way to have a bad day. Now you may be thinking wool is a cold weather sock, nope. There are all kinds of thicknesses of wool socks and different breathability’s now! Wool is one of the best moisture wicking fabrics out there believe it or not. True we have all of these new high-tech fabrics now that are designed to get rid of stick and ick, but for me personally some of the classics can’t be beat.

Horse Tooth Rock Fort Collins, CO Hiking Horse Tooth Trail to Horse Tooth Rock

Lily Lake Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO

I also discovered when summer rolls around, Fort Collins goes from pretty cold to really hot very quickly. So its early mornings if you want to get out to any distant destinations and not fry yourself. But no matter when you leave (unless your crazy and like to start at 2 in the morning and be done by 8 AM) you’re going to encounter some sun and heat. So what do we do to make ourselves a little less miserable under the hot rays? Find some shade! Best feeling in the world is collapsing under a tree or a rocky ledge to get out of the sun for a few minutes. So pick a hike where you know you’ve got some cover. But if that’s not an option, learn how to bring shade with you. Sun hats, as goofy as some of them may look, are totally worth it when its mid day and your blasting past people who look like they’re from a desert scene in the movies with their shirts wrapped around their heads for some kind of coverage. Keeping your head cool will cool down your whole body and make everything a little more enjoyable. I even go as far as to dunk my hat, and head in water if it’s available to keep myself cool.

The other part of dealing with the sun is keeping your skin safe from burning. Being a white girl I have had my fair share of sun burns. Some of them bad enough I was almost hospitalized! I’ve always wanted to have a nice tan, but going about it totally bare skinned did more harm then it was worth most of the time. Sunscreen has become an essential part of my hiking gear, no matter the weather or time of year. I’ve especially taken to the easier spray on variety of sunscreen, however some people are against the chemicals that can be found in some sunscreens. If this is the case a few of my hiking friends have recommended to me the use of organic sunscreens and/or light weight sun protective clothing. Like I mentioned earlier there have been many new improvements on fabrics and their properties specifically for being outdoors.

Probably one of the most difficult challenges I’m learning to hike with is humidity. Unfortunately I’m still not quite used to this one yet. So far the only tips I’ve been able to figure out are to pick a trail where humidity isn’t going to be such a taxing factor, like the higher altitude hikes (although these present their own challenges), or trails with more shade and better chance for a light breeze. Linking back to why I love sun screen so much is because on humid days, clothes get sweaty and sticky. Personally, I can’t stand that feeling. So for me the less clothes or lighter clothes I have to wear, the better! Also like I mentioned earlier, keeping your head cool and covered helps a great deal with how your body copes with the environment, humidity included! Humidity isn’t visible, but it can be just a dangerous as the sun rays, where is all your sweat coming from? Whatever liquids you have in your body. Dehydration can be caused from sweating too much, and believe me, that is not a good time. Dehydration can cause all kinds of serious issues, from sun and heat stroke, to your body completely shutting down. My all time favorite piece of hiking gear that I use every single day is my water bottles, always full and ready to go! And with so many fun colors, styles, and ways to customize them how can you resist having an awesome collection! Make sure you are always sipping on some kind of hydration when you are out on the trail. Gatorade and other sports drinks are great (I prefer them after a hike to restock on electrolytes), along with fun drink mixes to keep things interesting, but nothing works quite like good old H₂O to keep your system running at peak performance!

The Hiking Hut, Estes Park, CO

Lumpy Ridge, Estes Park, CO Bouldering in Lumpy Ridge

So far so good on my hikes here in the Fort Collins area, I’ve had a great time exploring all of the great trails there are and can’t wait to check out more! Did I leave anything out? Do you have something to add? Do you have something you would like to see on my blog? Please let me know in a comment! I would love nothing more than to hear from my fellow explorers!

Hiking in Fort Collins, CO So if you guys didn't already know I am still new to the Fort Collins area. I moved here in the middle of February this year, and that's not the best time to go exploring with out the proper gear.