#little hand nibs are still made today!

[crookedtines]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the hand nib is in fact pointing its index finger. Though considering the number of you that interpreted it otherwise, it would probably still be effective at offending your friends from across the table.

Personally, I like to think of it as a little wizard hand that draws at your command.

I finally took the time to photograph my vintage dip pen nib collection, and I need to share with you all how wonderful and diverse their designs are.

These two are my favorite. Just look at them! One of them is named Gorille and the other Mephisto, but to me they're little pumpkins.

And of course you gotta love the Pinocchio nib. You get to write with the nose of a tiny guy! Just not something you get to do anymore.

[staretes]

it's dark in the fortress of meropide.

the duke’s office is quiet, the silence only broken by the soft snores of the man sleeping at the desk. half filled papers and letters are strewn around wriothesley, who is slumped on the table surface, fountain pen still loosely clutched in his grip.

wriothesley doesn't usually drown himself in work, but on certain days he finds himself dealing with maison gestion’s stringent documents, recording each clockwork meka assembled in the production zone. on those days, both of you forgo your usual night routine, and you always head to his office to keep him company as he works.

but today, it appears exhaustion has taken hold of him, and he drifted off to sleep in the middle of work.

you cautiously make your way to his desk, treading with light steps, careful not to make a sound. 

his desk is a mess. you quietly sort the papers as your lover snores away beside you. before long, neat little piles of paper form in front of you. 

you gently pry the fountain pen from his loose grip. the pen is old, and sometimes ink refuses to flow from its nib. you remember telling him so, and bought him a new one to use at his desk. a sleek black body with his name engraved on it in silver.  funnily enough though, that pen never even made it into his office. instead, it sits on the table next to his side of the bed. 

with the desk in front of you tidied, you take wriothesley's jacket, hung over the back of his chair, and cover his sleeping form.

now that everything's settled, you ought to take your leave. you will see him again in the morning. 

you pause. unless…

your bet with sigewinne is still on. 

you pull a sheet of stickers from your pocket. before long, a grumpy monsieur neuvillette has decorated your lover's shoulder. 

you should have stopped there, really, but neuvillette looked so lonely without anyone to accompany him.

running out of flat space to comfortably stick stickers on, you make a daring move. a pleading melusine, right on his cheek. 

its hard to say you felt a little guilty, especially as the grin on your face grew wider and wider as you pasted more stickers on your partner's gorgeous face. a proud-faced bunny here, a sobbing kitten there, and ooh this one has hearts on it how could you not….

before long, the entire sheet of stickers had been plastered onto wriothesley's face. 

at this point, your shoulders are shaking with silent laughter. your palm is pressed to your lips as your other hand reaches over to his eyes to brush his hair away-

and suddenly you find the sky blue irises of the duke staring into yours.

“just what are you up to, darling?”

[thewitcheswitch89]

Ghostober 2024

by @kroas-adtam

Read on AO3 or Wattpad

My marks on you

Biting / Marking

Terzo x Female reader

Smut 18 +

Summary: Just a bit of marking and biting. And terzo becomes your canvas…

"Terzo...What are you doing?", you chuckled. As he went down on you. you laid on the bed both naked, as he starts to slowly sink his teeth in your neck

"Making a claim on you, I'm not one to share", he whispers and continues to leave hickeys on your skin. "All mine"

You hummed as he , moves further down your Body. His hands moved to your thighs positioning himself there, after spreading them. He lowerd his head and nibbed at the delicate skin of your breasts. Which made your Whimper. He grinning against your.

„ You sound so beautiful!“, he mumbled. „ I need to hear more!“.

His hand gave your thighs a gentle squeeze, as he moved down your neck, lower over your Collarbone, your breatst to your stomach leaving a trail of hickesy there. Terzo looked up at his work with a satisfyed grin, licking his lips.

„ So beautiful, amore!“, he growld. „ And all mine!“

Your fingers grabbed his hair, moaning as he sucked in the skin between your breasts. The muxture of slight pain and pleasure clouded your mind. You looked down at him. Admiring the way , he enjoyd marking you as his.

Finaly he stopped, and looked up at you with a smile. His hands on your thighs gently rubbing them.

„ You look so good with my marks on you!“, he said and traced his fingers over the love bites.

You hummed and an idea popped in to your head. So you took his shoulders and made him come up to you.

„lay down on the bed!“, you grinned.

Terzo raised an eyebrow, but hummed in response, letting you push him onto the bed and laid down  Curiosity in his eyes.

„ WHat are you planning, Amore?“, he chuckled.

„on your stomach!“, you commanded.

Terzo chuckled again, but di das you told him  „ Youre so bossy today!“ he rumbled.

You grinned and sat down on his lower back.

„im going to use YOU as my canvas now!“. And yu leand down, starting to leaving hickeys on his shoulder. Making sure they apper in a shape of a heart later. A soft moan escaped terzos lips.

„ You marking me now?Hm!“, he mumbled. You licked over the red hickeys you just left. Admiring your work.

„ Come…look at it , love!“, you stood up, took his hands and guided him to a nearby mirror on the wall. „ look!“, you said, slightly proud of yourself.

He looked in the mirror over is shoulder and a mischevious grin spreaded on his lips.

„ You marked me quite a lot, amore!“, he grinned.

„ You have my heart now on your skin!“, you smiled, pressing your body against his. Terzo wrapping his arms around your waist. Still looking in the mirror.

„ I already have your heart…But i supose…i have it twice now!“, he said and looked down on you.

"Are you happy with your work, amore?" he smiled.

" Yes...!" you bit your lip and looked up at him before leaning in and kissing him.

He hummed against your lips, his hands on your waist, pulling you closer to him. He pulled away after a few moments and grinned down at you. "What a naughty little minx you are."

You wrapped your arms around his neck. And led him back to the bed. "Oh, I plan to be very naughty!"

He was pushed back onto the bed, following you as you led him. He chuckled and looked up at you, the grin still on his face.

"Oh, do you now? And what naughty things do you plan to do to me, my amore?"

" You will see," you whispered and crashed your lips against his again, wrapping your legs around his waist.

He kissed you back, his hands going to your hips and holding them tightly. He grunted softly and pulled you closer. Terzo  pulled away from the kiss for a moment. "You're such a tease.", he growld.

He leaned in again, nipping at your lower lip, his hands pulling you even closer.. "You make it hard for me to resist you, amore.", he whispered in your ear

" Do not resist...please, I need you!" you whispered into his ear, biting his earlobe.

A shudder went through you, followed by a low moan. He pulled you closer, his hips bucking up against you.

"You're going to drive me crazy if you keep this up.", he growld.

You wrapped your legs around him tighter. His tip stroked against your entrance.

Terzo moaned against your shoulder, the feeling of you wrapping your legs tighter around him making him even more desperate. His hands were still on your hips, his thumbs tracing your hipbones.

"You're such a tease...you better take responsibility." And with that he slammed into you. Which made you scream. He grunted and gripped your hips tightly, his hands almost digging into your skin.

"You're going to drive me crazy," he panted, biting his lip.

He started to move his hips slowly, his grip on your hips not loosening. He leaned down to bury his face in your shoulder, muffling a low moan. His hands squeezed your hips as he began to move faster, soft pants and grunts. Terzo lifted his head from your shoulder and looked down at you, his eyes slightly hazy with lust. "You look so good like that."

" Ahh Terzo..." you moaned, taking his lips in a heated kiss, your nails digging into his back.

He returned the kiss, his tongue slipping into your mouth. He moaned softly, one hand moving up to grab your wrists, pinning them to the sheets.

"You're so needy," he broke the kiss and gasped slightly, a grin forming on his face again, his hands still holding your wrists down against the sheets.

"Do you like being pinned like this, love?"

" Yes!" you moaned as he moved roughly against you.

He chuckled and bit his lip. He started to move a little faster and rougher, holding both your wrists down with one hand, his other hand gripping your hip.

"What a naughty little thing you are."

You arched your back and moaned...squeezing your eyes shut as you scratched his back, leaving more marks. He grunted again, his grip on your wrists tightening slightly. He pulled you closer to him, his hips moving roughly against you. He let out a soft moan.

"You're so good."

He moved a little more roughly, his breath coming out in pants against your skin. His grip on your wrists and hips was tight as he pinned you to the bed.

"You're mine...all my love."

" Yes...all yours!" you cried out, pulling him closer, feeling the pleasure building inside of you.

He let out a soft humming sound, bringing his head closer to your ear and moving his hips harder against you.

"That's right...my good girl," he panted into your ear, his voice gruff with lust. "Say my name."

"Terzo...you feel so good!" you cried, more needy now.

He grunted against your ear, a grin forming on his lips again. He moved faster, his hips grinding against you.

"You want me that bad, love? Tell me how much you want me.", he urged.

" Ahhh...so much....don't stop...!" you started to move with him.

He grunted, his hips still moving against you. He buried his face in your neck, leaving little love bites on your skin, his breathing becoming more uneven. "You're so needy...I love it."

He let go of your wrists and moved his hand to your hair, tangling his fingers in it and pulling lightly, giving himself better access to your neck.

He continued to move against you, his grip on your hair and hips tightening as he bit down on a sensitive spot on your neck, sucking on it. You felt yourself getting closer and closer to your release.

He continued to bite and suck on your neck, leaving more marks and hickeys. His hips moved against you, faster and rougher, his grip on your hair and hips tightening even more.

He could tell you were close and he kept going, his lips against your ear.

"Don't hold back, amore," he grunted.

He continued to move his hips against you, a low moan escaping him as he continued to leave love bites and hickeys on your neck. He moved a little rougher because he knew you were getting closer.

"I want to hear you amore," he whispered in your ear, his breath hot against your skin.

And you gave him what he wanted. You were a moaning mess under him, gripping his back and leaving sloppy kisses on his neck. Terzo moaned as you left your own marks on him. He kept moving against you. He let out a low moan as he felt your hands scratch his back, enjoying every moment.

"You're so good," he said into your ear, his hands moving down to your hips again.

He leaned down and bit down on your neck and it was all you needed to push you over the edge.

 When he felt you tighten around him, he moaned against your skin, his hands tightening on your hips again.

"That's it, amore!" he panted.

Terzo buried his head in your shoulder as he tipped over the edge, his body shaking against yours. He let out a low moan, his grip on your hips tightening even more.

He stayed like that for a moment, his body pressed against yours, his breathing uneven, still coming down from his release. Slowly he began to lift his head from your shoulder, a small grin on his face as he looked down at you. He moved a hand up to your face, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from your face as he spoke.

"You're so perfect amore...all marked up...and perfect!" he chuckled softly, looking down at himself, seeing all the marks you had left on him. He seemed proud and pleased.

"You've really marked me, my love. Now everyone will know I'm taken".

[munsonownsmyass]

Werewolf!Quinn McKenna x reader

Summary: When you move in with your boyfriend, you have a surprise for him.

Warnings: Just some fluff, kisses and allusions of smut.

Notes: This is my contribution for week 2 of The Moon in May writing challenge. I chose the word "Den" and played around with it. First time writing a piece alone for Quinn. It's short and silly, but sweet 🙈🩷

“Just one more load and then we’re done.” You breathe out, putting down the heavy box. One bad thing about books? They are awful to move.

“I count two.”

“Two?” You look at Quinn confused, until you see the lewd expression on his face. “Let’s just get our stuff moved first and then we can worry about your load.”

You grin when you hear the soft rumble in his chest. One of his strong hands lands on your hip as the other cups your cheek, his eyes finding yours.

“You really shouldn’t keep the big bad wolf waiting.” He growls, trying to sound intimidating, but you just laugh and kiss him, before moving around him to one of the boxes behind him. “I feel like you don’t really appreciate my powers. I’m a beast.”

“Oh, I know.” You wink, blushing at the memory of just how wild he could be and how good he always made you feel. Quinn smirks when he picks up the slight increase in your pulse.

“Still thinking about last night?” He hums with a cocky grin, closing the distance between you, his eyes never leaving yours. “I did notice you walking a little funny today.”

You don’t even answer, just punch him lightly on the arm, making him laugh. As frustrating as he can be at times, his boyish charm always makes you smile. There’s just something about Quinn and that sass that you can’t resist. “I hate you.” You smile as you throw your arms around him, kissing him passionately.

“Nah, darlin’.” He breathes out between kisses, pushing you against the stack of boxes. “You love me.”

“Maybe a smidge.” You giggle as he nibs at your neck. Quinn press against you and you feel his hard length. As hard as it is, you have to resist and push him away. You need to finish moving the stuff tonight.

“Fine.” He mutters against your skin, before he moves away.

“Could you go alone? I have something I want to do here.” You say softly, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Oh yeah? Does it involve you being naked on the bed when I return?”

“No.” You giggle, kissing him softly. “I’m gonna order us some dinner. But-” you draw out the word, your hand softly caressing his chest, “-I’ve heard your new roommate tends to get frisky after a few glasses of wine.”

He growls as he nibbles softly at your neck, one hand pulling you closer to him, while the other dips into your back pocket to get the keys. “I’ll pick up a bottle on the way.”

“Awesome. See you later, baby.”

With Quinn out of the door, you quickly order some food before walking over to one of the boxes. You had ordered something for Quinn weeks ago and you couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

“Sorry it took so long, darlin’. Your neighbor talks so much I almost wanted to-” He stops when he sees the living room. You’ve moved around some boxes and made a little impromptu dining table out of one of the big boxes. Several boxes are open, paper spread on the floor, as you’ve frantically searched for wine glasses and some candles. But it was worth it, making the first dinner in your shared home special.

Quinn was the first guy you’ve ever dared dream of a future with, so when he asked you to move in together, it was a no-brainer. Because of Quinn being a werewolf, you had found a cozy house on the outskirts of the city, right next to the forest. There would be plenty of room there for him to roam around.

Quinn walks into the living room, putting down the box in his hands. You’re not in the living room, but he can hear you shuffling some stuff around in his office. Opening the door, he startles you as you throw the pillow you have in hand down on the ground. You walk over to him and take his hands.

“I have a surprise for you.” You say eagerly, pulling him further into the office before pointing to the plush bed before you. When you saw it, you knew you had to buy it. A human dog bed, extremely comfortable and soft. You thought the idea of a dog bed to a werewolf was hilarious and couldn’t wait to see what Quinn thought about it.

“A dog bed?” He frowns, looking at the huge plush bed on the floor. “Darlin’, I’m a werewolf, not a fucking dog.” He lets go of your hand, squatting down and running his hand over the soft surface, before looking at you. “So what’s next? You wanna put me on a leash?”

“Shit, I’m so sorry. I saw this on Amazon and I thought the idea was funny.” You almost cry, fearing you’ve ruined everything. All you wanted was to make a little joke and now he seemed mad at you. Quinn senses your distress and is by your side in an instant, cupping your cheeks gently.

“Honey, I’m not mad.” He gives you a sweet kiss before pulling you into a hug. “But you know I’m not a poodle, right?”

“I know. ” You grin, holding him tightly. “You’re way cooler than a poodle.”

“Cool? I’m a regular Charlie B. Barkin, babe.”

“Who?” You question, pushing away from him and you’re met by Quinn’s horrified face.

“Were you born in a cave? How have you never seen ‘All Dogs go to Heaven?’”

“I’m more of a Disney girl.” You shrug with a smile, but the smile fades as you look to the dog bed. “Look, Quinn, I’m sorry. I’ll get rid of it and-”

“Hey, hey.” He interrupts you, raising your gaze to his with a finger under your chin. “No, let’s keep it. It looks cozy and besides, then you’ll have somewhere to put me to in timeout when I’m bad.”

He laughs softly and you can’t help but huff out a little laugh too. The idea of Quinn sulking in a dog bed is priceless.

“When is dinner gonna be here?”

You fish you phone out of your back pocket and look at the time. “About 20 minutes, why?”

“Just thought we should consecrate it.” He nods towards the dog bed, turning you around so he presses you towards it. “See if it’s as comfortable as it looks.”

He kisses you softly before laying you down on the bed, instantly attacking your neck with kisses, one hand moving down your side to the hem of your dress. You feel him harden as he grinds into your core, making you moan out his name.

Turns out the bed was very comfortable. The rest of the evening you snuggled in the dog bed, eating your pizza before turning in for the night. You often found Quinn napping in it and it never ceased to make you smile.

No pressure tags, cause I dont know who likes Quinn (besides Ericca 😆❤️): @mindidjarin @itwasthereaminuteago @albatrossandivys @mattmurdocksscars @pedrito-friskito @hlkwrites @lavenderursa @yarrystyleeza

[contreparry]

Hello from dadwc! I am absolutely obsessed with "touching foreheads" - feel free to use any characters you please! I just love the image! ^_^

Absolutely! Here's some Vivienne and Bastien for @dadrunkwriting, because I wanted to write some more Vivienne today.

She missed the little things.

Skyhold was certainly not up to Vivienne's standards, though she saw some marked improvements over the course of several months. For one thing the tea service was almost something she would serve to guests she liked. But Vivienne was no stranger to lack of luxury. One simply did what they could with what they had available to them. Roughing it was not a hardship.

But time away from Bastien, especially now, was... difficult.

Saying farewell stung more than Vivienne cared to admit. She had grown soft in ways she hadn't anticipated, to have indulged in a goodbye with a man who had slipped into a coma as he fought an illness that, as far as healers (Mage and mundane) could tell was incurable. A terrible foe, old age, but it was no poison that could be expunged with an antidote. If it was Vivienne would have brewed it months ago. But no. All she could do was say her farewells and leave for the frozen wasteland the Inquisition set themselves up in.

She lingered at Bastien's bedside the day she left. The sun hadn't risen over the horizon yet, but the skies were grey and tinged pale orange. Bastien slept peacefully, and Vivienne was glad that the latest draught she concocted could give him that much before she left. Vivienne sat, and the mattress dipped under her weight.

What could be said that she hadn't already told him a hundred times over the years? Vivienne leaned forward, pressed her forehead against Bastien's, and sighed.

"Do try and stay out of trouble, my dear," she joked, for it was the only thing she could think to tell him. If she closed her eyes she could imagine Bastien's wry smile, could hear his mild laugh. Her heart had his response engraved upon it.

"Trouble is what I live for, my darling. Trouble and you," he would tease. Bastien was a romantic at heart, something Vivienne never would have called herself until they met.

Those were the little things Vivienne missed. She missed the certainty of Bastien. She heard of soldiers who, having lost a body part (an arm, a leg, hands, feet, and other various appendages), swore that they still felt that part of them once it was gone, attached yet not. Phantom limb, they called it, and for Vivienne Bastien's absence from her side was a chillingly similar sensation. Once they met he was always there, a clever mind and cunning player who knew what she needed before she spoke.

He would have much to say about Skyhold, Vivienne knew, and little of it complimentary. But he would have liked it, the roughness, the fragility of what was being done here. An interesting experiment, he might have said in public. A daring adventure, he would have told her when they were alone. He would have hated the baked goods- too sweet for his palate. He would never lodge a complaint to the cook over the matter- one nobleman can endure an overly sweetened pastry, Vivienne darling. It shan't kill me.

And it wouldn't have. Time was doing its dreadful work instead. Vivienne nibbled at a pastry- flakey, filled with apricot jam, almost up to her standards- and set about composing a letter to Bastien's wife. Friends they were not, but circumstances made for strange allies, and wife and mistress had come to a more graceful accord now that Bastien was faltering.

Love was a common factor between them. Love and respect. That was enough to get on with things. Vivienne picked up a pen, dipped the nib into her inkpot, and began to write.

[gwently]

2023 part 2?

So fountain pens. While I really got into them in 2022, it was not my first foray into them. My first pen was a gift from an online friend way back in...2017? For my birthday. It was a Pilot Metropolitan and I immediately fucked it up, spilled ink everywhere. I was too dumb to look up how to properly fill it, though i am sure I messed up the nib as well. Since it was a gift it stayed in my room for several years until I threw it out one day, for a reason that cannot be remembered. We laughed at my incompetence and she wasn't angry, so that birthday managed to be memorable.

I don't even know what sparked my current interest in fountain pens. Think I was looking at ink drawings? and remembered these things existed and well I am firmly down the hole. I brought a lot of pens last year, trying out different filling methods or nib sizes, going for cool colours, you name it. Having disposable income for the first time and not knowing what to do with it may be a factor. Sure, I definitely do not need that many pens, but don't judge me. I sure as hell don't judge that one person who tosses in random kanji in their name or bio that is probably google translated, because to them Japanese is a fun aesthetic, not a language used and enjoyed by real people.

I mostly got the reckless spending out of my system, while there are many different inks and pens I still want to try out there's only so many I can use short term, so now the focus is on getting use of what I have and maybe selling/giving away a few. Improving my handwriting and learning cursive properly are also goals of mine, as it is very awkward trying to write a signature and only being able to make the l and t in my last name look pretty, a thing I only know from diving into the bottom of my memory containing a mental image of my mother's handwriting that can no longer be replicated.

Journaling! Right that's the main reason why I use my pens now. I've always written things down on random scrap sheets of paper as little reminders or to do lists — a habit that happens more often due to my grandmother's influence in recent years — so getting a proper journal only made sense. With fountain pens certain inks or nibs respond better on good paper, so that means I also invested in some notebooks. You can quickly see how this hobby can become a money sink if you really wanted to. Thankfully after trying out Rhodia and feeling dissatisfied, Maruman (a japanese brand) stopped my search for paper that suited what I like. I prefer spiral/ring notebooks the most so it was a double win, similar to [insert fighting game reference 0 people reading this would understand]

I lost my train of thought but it's okay, no one will read this. Here's a pen I brought in...(checks amazon purchases) October.

(yes that is my hand, those aren't scratches it's lint)

The very famous and popular Pilot Custom 823, with a broad nib. It is a vacuum filler — one of my fav methods of filling — and managed to grab it while yen was very, very low so it was around $192 with tax, when normally it would cost me around $220-280. My most expensive pen and probably will be for a very long time. It's funny cause when I first brought it I was like damn. This is kinda mid. Like when you watch that super popular anime that's airing, only to be bewildered at what all the hype is about. Now it's one of my favourite writers, the gold nib has a softness that is fairly unique, making writing with it a breeze as it floats over paper. Sometimes you just need to sleep on things. If it wasn't for the cost I would consider getting a second one, the amber colourway in particular is gorgeous.

Right now though I am interested in vintage pens, there is definitely something nice about holding something older than my grandparents and looking up it's history, and the time period around it.

(Not my image, credit goes to redeempens/will vintage on reddit) Today I got myself a WASP Clipper in this marvelous brown/gold pattern that is commonly called "circuit board" by collectors. It's a "lever filler", a filling method mostly absent from modern pens.

WASP is a sub-brand by famous pen manufacturer Sheaffer. WASP stands for "W.A. Sheaffer Pen", because why bother with subtlety. This pen was made sometime during the 1930s, cool stuff. Usually pens this old have the risk of having it's ink sac disintegrated, so you would have to repair it yourself or get someone to do it for you. Thankfully the pen I grabbed was already restored, so now I'm waiting on my package of ink to come in the mail to test this bad boy out.

Uhh okay this post was long so bye! This is barely 2023 related but that's what happens when you don't plan things out in advance. Here's a song from an album I've been listening to lately, Spirit World Field Guide by Aesop Rock

[powpowhammer]

I've mostly been reblogging Nibposting only with tags, but as @thenib draws to an on-its-own-terms-as-much-as-possible-given-the-circumstances close, I wanted to say how much I've enjoyed and learned from everyone participating in it over these past years. I was a founding Kickstarter, Inkwell subscriber, turbo ultra with extra cheese member et cetera, and got a number of my friends to sign up after seeing the magazine and so on. I've treasured every moment of it.

In my opinion, sequential art--the ten-dollar word for good old comix--is the best way to learn about something. And to think about something. And there's a strong case to be made that it's the best way to tell a certain kind of story, too. There are struggles and joys I never would've considered without the watchful eye and deft pens of Nib cartoonists, who I have just realized could have been called Niblings this whole time. Seeing the artists and writers enter and graduate from the political cartooning stable (Matt, I have your books. Looking forward to your future work!) as well as evolve as people like Pokemon reaching their stronger stages (Mattie L graduating into a certified hottie!) made me realize that it's been a movement and I've been here the whole time. I think it would take too long and be even more boring if I just kept naming names, but please trust me when I say that if you contributed to The Nib, I became your fan (or preened smugly as an already-fan). Every single person made me think and laugh.

The Nib ain't just millennial comic upstarts, neither. It really made me feel like it was a link in the chain when long-suffering old hands like Tom Tomorrow (if you see this, Tom, between me and my father we own all your collections!) and Ward Sutton (new Sutton Impact collection when?!) joined the crew. You even got Keef Knight, the one comic artist I'd trust to be able to moonwalk on command! And of course there's the star-studded webcomicker roster of contributors that makes you point and go "Hey, I know that guy!". And a special shoutout to Rob Rogers, who I watched the PPG dump like a foolish knave in a cautionary fable killing their golden goose. (Rob, my relatives STILL love getting those greeting cards you did that they stock in every jiggle. I hope you get royalties for those. And I love your book!) When I saw that he had strips up on The Nib I did a little dance. The Nib provided a brief country for old (not just old!) men (not just men!).

There's a pretty cogent piece of (cynical, perhaps accurate) criticism that political cartooning on the left is an inherently doomed effort, like talk radio. (We are always pouring one out for Air America.) That a medium that by its nature cannot communicate deep nuance and benefits from superficial appeal will be doomed when trying to advocate for a deeply nuanced tent in a world with deeply nuanced problems. Much easier to draw a dinosaur labeled TAXES (or DEBT) and call it a day, like the somehow-collecting-a-paycheck hacks in your racist uncle's favorite rag. But for a long time (longer than Air America, ha!) The Nib made it work, and by howdy. They got the nuance in there! The Internet (and its infinite canvas, thank you Scott McCloud for burrowing into my brain like an antlion) allowed for long-form comicking that pried open issues to their guts and took us to new places. And told even funnier jokes.

I think a whole new cohort of people around the world have become aware of the power of cartooning to send a message, to advocate, to educate, and of course to entertain even when nothing seems particularly funny. There were times when I needed the relatable-millennial-problems comics even more than the reminders-that-the-world-is-bonkers-not-me comics. And The Nib was happy to supply plenty of both. I will be following EVERYONE'S careers with... great interest.

I guess I'll let legendary @daygloayhole Ben Passmore's last panel for the site sign us off.

The Nib closes today, September 1, 2023. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

(Thank you for everything.)

Here it is‚ the last comic for The Nib. Thanks for reading all these years!

[purplebirdsees]

Warm-up: Whatever - Part 2

part 1 / part 3

Mom was usually the one to do the groceries, mostly because she was always at home, while I’d be tagging along to help her carry the bags because I was the eldest who was also always at home. She told me once in a run that dad was the one who would always accompany her, that he’d be just like me, quiet, yet attentive to her every word. Back then I was a baby, and mom was still in her old job as a secretary of a government agency, the one she keeps on cursing on and on for firing her for having ‘conflicting schedules’ because she was constantly pregnant. I can’t help but notice her eyes be filled with a passion, that it would look significantly bigger and brighter as she’d recall the people she talked to, the people she helped, and the people she befriended. As she’d look back at her grocery list, however, she’d squint with a dull look, as if thinking about it too much would hurt. 4

As fun as my mother’s grocery run stories were, sometimes, it just feels nice to be able to focus solely on the ‘grocery’ part.

Dad handed me the shopping basket and the list of supplies, then placed his hand on my shoulder. My shoulders involuntary tensed up, as he flicked the back earlobe with his thumb. He does this all the time, said that it’s a habit at this point because back when I was a baby, I was a really messy eater and would get milk all over my head, which included the back of my ears. He said whenever he’d clean that spot, I’d always laugh. Up until now he’d always do it, and sure, if I was still three years old and was in a bad temper, maybe I’d let out a little giggle. At that time, it kinda just made me want to cringe, not just because of the story, but because my ears are sensitive. I don’t want to tell him that, though; besides, he’d just laugh at me, saying something along the lines of ‘it’s never failed me once, so why should I bother?’

My first stop was the pen isle. The multitude of colored pens and markers were hard to not look at, and although I knew exactly what to buy, which were the cheap, black ones that were always sold 15 pieces a box, it wouldn’t hurt to try out a few others, right?

The first thing that I grabbed was the pens that everyone in my class seems to have.5 I’ve tried it before in school; a classmate told me to write their notes because they broke their index and middle finger, and insisted I use their pen. It had a needle-like nib, which was extremely prone to bending. It wasn’t really useless if it did bend, but it was annoying to change your wrist’s position just to be able to write anything. That was one of the reason why mom didn’t want me to buy one, not to mention the price of one was enough to buy each for all my brothers the one, cheap pen brand that she preferred.

I wrote my name on the test writing paper. The pen glided on the paper smoothly, just like how I remembered it. They were unlike the bulky, cheap pens that always felt a little too slippery when I wrote, and most of the time I write fast, which would result to sloppy handrwiting. This made my handwriting feel like I was mature, without the wobbliness the cheap pens did. I could also write smaller because of the nib, which would help a lot in saving up notebook space. Overall, this pen made my usual handwriting look good, impressive even in my eyes. I want one, I really want it, but… 6

‘Not today Tsuzuru, okay?’ I could almost feel her hand wrap around mine that was clutching the pen. ‘One day, I promise. One day.’

I placed back the pen on the rack. I took a deep breath, then released it, hoping that the heavy feeling in my chest would let go of me. Today wasn’t that day, unfortunately... unsurprisingly...

At the corner of my eye, I was a figure enter the isle. I placed back the pen then moved to the other side, which had a whole section of the ones I was supposed to be buying; unsurprisingly, they were on sale too. Well, there goes the fun, I thought, as I tried to casually pick up the black cardboard box and inspected if it had dents, pretending I was here all this time. I bet that guy was going to buy that pen, like everyone else is. Everyone else… but me.

Each second I spent looking for dents, the more the weight of my feelings in my chest slowly felt lighter... This one looks fine enough. Four more boxes and I can go find—

Pffft.

I stopped, mid-way returning a box that had a dent in one of the corners, then turned my head around to where the noise was. I think, and I’m pretty sure it came from the person who just arrived, which surprisingly was a kid, probably younger than me based from their height. Was he… I checked the back of my shirt and pants if there was a weird looking stain or had something stuck to it. It was clean, as much as I looked. Maybe it was something their companion, or guardian by the looks of it, said? I shook it off, placing back the box.

… Somehow, though, it didn’t feel like that was the case. I blinked hard, as my heartbeat slowly rose from a steady rhythm to an abnormal pace. What was I doing again? I looked at my had. Box, right. Uhm… dents. Dents. Dents… it looks okay, I think. I grabbed one and oh god, why did that have to fall—grab, quick. Look for dents… okay… none… I think…?

Pshhhhh, hahahaha.

One, two, three… six. Okay, okay. I bent my head down as I headed out the isle. I could feel the kid’s eyes on me, and I didn’t want to look because I knew what kind of face he was making. That is, if he was looking at me, and… just don’t look, don’t look, don’t look, don’t—

Hmpfffffffhfhfhfhfh…!

Out of pure reflex, my neck involuntarily turned my head to the side, my eyes going straight to where the kid’s face was. Which was, in fact his eyes that were staring straight into mine. The tips of his mouth looked like they were touching his ears, and inside was a full display shiny, silver braces. For one mere second I felt my heartbeat at my ears as a very sharp jab of pain jolted my chest. Look away, I thought, but at that second I couldn’t, not with his eyes glaring right at me, as if his gaze held enough power with whatever emotion was in his wide eyes that they were almost telekinetic.

A soft ding came from the store’s speakers, like a snap of a finger finally breaking me free from hypnosis. I turned my head, let out a cough, and ran as quickly as I can out of that isle—that, that kid—and ran as quickly to the folders section.

---

4 [tsz] irrelevant info; if possible remove/revise maybe focus more on the grocery part and less on anything else

5 fuck I remember those pens tsuzuru I have a few spare u can have some if u want bud dw they give us those pens for free trust

6 [tsz] 50/50 abt this desc its not good but not bad

part 1 part 3

[besotted-eros]

Nooner

Eren x Reader

18+

Content: unprotected sex, dry humping, degradation, horny Eren in a suit

He's been hard for you.

 All fucking day. 

The way your body looked so soft in the morning light, how your hands had lingered on him as he tried to pull away. The neck of your shirt had dropped, revealing your alluring breasts. And you had turned away from him, letting him see how your shorts rode up, highlighting the perfect curve of your ass.

He went to work with those images of you. Uncomfortably having to shift his shaft against his leg, hiding behind a desk or chair. He disappeared into the bathroom a couple of times, to do nothing more than squeeze his bulge while he leaned against the sink, taking deep breaths and thinking about you. He had loosened his tie already, and now he shrugged off his blazer. But nothing helped soothe the wildfire blazing under his skin. He knew the only balm would be you.

And then he checked his phone. You had sent him a picture. Sitting in one of his sweaters on the bed you shared, legs tucked neatly under you as you smiled up at the camera.

Eren bit back a low groan that snaked its way from the pit of his stomach. No matter how many times he had you, just seeing your face reignited his need. What about you got him this addicted? Whatever it was, he needed another hit.

So he left work, mumbling something about an early lunch to stressed colleagues. He sped home, long fingers tapping against the steering wheel. The raging heat in his pants was growing with every inch he got closer to you, and by the time he pulled into the driveway he was grinding against his hand, stifling moans with a bite of his lip.

He stumbled into the house, face a bright red. You weren't on the couch, not in the kitchen. He finds you in the bedroom, still sitting so sweetly as though you're waiting for him. Before you have a chance to express your surprise he was upon you, his mouth attaching to yours as his hands brazenly groped you over your sweater.

"E-eren?" You gasped as he pulled away, planting kisses along your jaw and down your neck. He was sloppy, bruising you with his want. Nipping you with his sharp teeth. It made you flush with pleasure, pulled moans from your mouth as he yanked up the sweater, exposing your breasts to the air. Eren groaned in appreciation when he saw them, taking a moment to admire how they moved when he pressed into you, how your nipples hardened quickly into pert nibs. His head dipped down to take one into his mouth, emerald eyes staring up at you as he flicked his tongue over it. When you whimpered he was encouraged, sucking lewdly until he was satisfied, and moving to the next one. Your fingers buried in his dark hair, tugging at the satin locks as his strong hands pushed your legs apart, pressing his palm against your silk clad pussy.

You even wore his favourite underwear today. Fuck.

Eren pushed you back into the bed, crawling on-top of you as he pressed his need against your mound.

"See what I gotta deal with?" He growled as he kissed you, taking your lip between his teeth. His eyes were glazed over as he ground himself into you, bucking his hips. His clothed dick was rubbing you in ways that made you breathless, bumping against your clit and teasing your lips through your panties. You scrabbled at the bed, feeling his cock strain against the fabric. "All fucking day. Because of you. Whose gonna take care of that, huh?" He undid his belt with one hand while he busied himself with your breasts once more, softly biting the flesh until you were shivering. "Tell me baby, whose gonna take care of that?"

"M-me." You gasped as he violently pulled down your panties, eyes locked onto your wet slit.

"Fuck yeah. You're gonna take care of me so good aren't you baby?" He purred, fisting his cock while he admired your pussy. His thumb rubbed over your clit contemplativly, making your back arch. "So ready, so soon." He fucked into his hand while he played with you, running his finger over your desperate hole, back up to stroke around your clit. He was throbbing, cock leaking pre-cum as he watched you twitch and whine. But he couldn't tease you forever.

With nothing but a quiet "fuck" he slid into you, spreading your wet walls to fit his shaft like a glove. Your hands came up to grip at his shoulders as you gasped, eyes springing open to stare at him. You could barely recognize the usually stoic and well put together man above you. His hair was falling loose, his jaw slack. The only thing on his mind was how he was pounding into you.

"fuck yeah, so fucking wet. All that for me?" He growled, burying his face in your neck as his hips snapped into yours over and over. There was no softness, no grace to how he fucked you. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of your thighs as he pushed further in, making you cry out with pleasure. The sounds drove him even more mad, making him grasps at your breast and pinch your nipple while his rhythm increased.

"Gonna fuck you so good, fuck you like a little whore." He groaned, feeling the way you tightened around him at the name. It made him grab your legs, straightening as he bent you in half. You could do nothing but grab at the sheets while he leered down at you, grinning at the sloppy wet sounds that come from your connection.

"Like that? You like that huh?" He asked, slapping your ass and making your eyes roll back. He hissed at the sight, feeling the familiar throb in his balls grow. "That's it. Gonna fucking cum for me whore? Making me think about you all day, making me so fucking desperate for you..." He pushed your knees further as he spoke, words punctuated with deep strokes. "Wanted you so bad, wanted you so fucking bad. Your pussy is s-so fucking good y/n." Eren threw his headback, growls of pleasure making his chest heave. His abs rolled as he reached his climax, and the sight of him, the feel of him throbbing deep in you, pushed you off a cliff of your own.

He pumped you full, and delighted in the feeling of it dripping over his shaft. Eren let go of your legs, falling onto the bed beside you and pulling you against him. He hummed with pleasure, kissing the top of your head as you found your place in his arms.

"Early lunch?" You asked, trying to catch your breath. He chuckled as his hand slid from your waist, moving downwards to slide across your warmth.

"Gonna call in sick."

[queenshelby]

The Policeman’s Daughter – Part Four

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Reader

Warning: Mention of Assault and Sexual Abuse, Mention of Suicide, Murder, Fluff, Slow Burn Smut, Drugs

Words: 2,878

Please comment, like and share. Your engagement is important to me.

Tommy’s Residence, Birmingham, 18 September 1924

‘Mr Shelby, shall we prepare breakfast?’ Francis asked as you and Tommy stumbled into the house at around 9 o’clock in the morning, your clothes covered in mud and dirt and your hair messy.

‘What?’ Tommy said, still laughing about the incident near the pond.

‘Breakfast Mr Shelby?’ Francis asked with a smile, seeing Tommy laugh for the first time since Grace’s passing.

‘We will have breakfast at 10 o’clock, eh?’ Tommy asked, looking at you. You nodded, smiling at Tommy as you did.

‘Thank you, Francis’ Tommy said before pulling a few leaves out from your hair which had been caught there earlier.

‘You’re welcome Mr Shelby’ Francis said before informing Tommy that his sister had picked up Charles at 8 o’clock to take him to the fair as she had promised.

After your brief encounter with Francis, you and Tommy made your way upstairs and quickly undressed before you shared a bath together.

‘I am not sure if we both fit in here?’ you said as you watched Tommy sink into the bathtub.

‘We will. Common’ he grinned and you breathed deeply for a few seconds as you stepped into the tub before reclining back, easing your torso into the welcoming embrace of the lavender scented water and against Tommy’s chest.

Tommy quickly moved the hair out of your face and over to one side before gently giving your neck a kiss.

‘I never quite met anyone like you’ Tommy chuckled, taking desire in your gypsy roots and your shy beauty.

‘Nor have I met anyone quite like you Tommy’ you said as you nudged your face against his nose gently, wanting him to continue kissing your neck.

He chuckled quickly at your eagerness and continued to plant small kisses and nibs across your neck while wrapping his arms and legs around you.

His hands eventually bushed over your breasts, rubbing and kneading them and Tommy could feel your hard, bullet like nipples in the palm of his hand.

‘Hmm Tommy’ you moaned as he gently tweaked them and rolled them between his thumbs and forefingers. The pleasure was intense, and your body was crying out for more.

You were squirming back against Tommy and he released your left breast and reached down in between your legs.

His fingers parted your lips before moving to your clit, gently rubbing it.

‘Oh Tommy’ you moaned as your arousal was intense and you once again lost yourself to Tommy’s touch.

‘I want you to cum for me Love’ Tommy whispered as, suddenly he slipped two fingers into your wet entrance.

‘So fucking wet inside, eh’ Tommy smirked satisfied and it wasn’t long until you felt a huge orgasm approaching.

Your eyes were closed as you engulfed in the pleasure Tommy was giving you with his thrusting fingers, right against your g-spot.

‘Fuck, Tommy’ you moaned as, finally, you climaxed and your walls contracted around Tommy’s fingers.

‘That’s it Love, cum on my fingers’ Tommy groaned and so you did, hard and fast, legs shaking while Tommy held you in place.

After a minute or two when you finally came down from your high, you could still feel the tingling sensation everywhere while Tommy washed your body gently with a bar of soap.

‘Hmm, thank you’ you moaned, opening your eyes as your body was covered in soap which is when, suddenly, you heard a knock on the door.

‘Telephone Mr Shelby. It’s your brother Arthur. Apparently, it is urgent’ Francis said and Tommy responded with a short ‘fuck’ before getting up and out of the bath quickly.

***

Following Tommy’s telephone call, you met him in the dining room to have breakfast before spending the remainder of the day in the stables with the horses and reading while Tommy had to attend to some urgent business matters.

You kept pondering on about what it was that he did for work. He owned several factories in Birmingham but constantly seemed to encounter trouble of some sort.

Over the course of the day, you had also realised that he owned several guns and weapons. But why, you didn’t know.

‘I am sorry that I only got to spend half of the day with you’ Tommy said when he eventually joined you in the reading room at around 7 o’clock that day. ‘No more business for today’ he then promised you.

‘It’s fine Tommy, really’ you said as he sat down next to you and you were quick to cup his face and draw him close for a kiss.

But it wasn’t just one kiss you were sharing. You and Tommy were kissing for a good fifteen minutes, each round growing more fierce and desperate than the last. It was good, but it wasn’t enough. You wanted more, even more than the night before.

‘Tommy?’ you said quietly in between the very heated and passionate kisses.

‘Yes Love’ he whispered while caressing your face as his deep blue eyes looked deeply into yours.

‘I want to feel you. All of you’ you then said while reaching immediately for the zipper of his pants. You never felt so wanton, so eager to be with someone. As if a dam broke somewhere inside you, carrying you away with its tide.

‘Slow down Love, we’ve got time’ he said, grinning at you.

‘Let’s go upstairs, eh?’ he then suggested and you nodded eagerly before following him to the bedroom.

As soon as you reached the bedroom, Tommy walked you back to his bed, unbuttoning the shirt of his that you were wearing and then leaving you in nothing but your panties.

‘Tommy, I want you so badly’ you whispered before doing the same to the shirt that he was wearing, leaving him wearing nothing but his suit pants.

‘Nice and slow, eh’ Tommy said, slowing you down again as you both climbed onto the bed together.

Within seconds, his warm body was a comfortable weight atop yours and you wrapped your legs around his hips and held him closer to you, sighing in contentment as he kissed your neck and shoulders. Your heart felt full, almost to the point of bursting out of your chest with sheer joy.

He kissed your cheek, your jaw and then descended down to your throat. A startled gasp escaped you when he kissed a particularly sensitive region. His lips quirked into a devilish grin as he spent more time on that place, licking and nibbling and eliciting small gasps from you.

Holding your chin, he made you look up at him. His eyes sincere, full of love and understanding.

‘You’re beautiful and I am a very lucky man’ he then said simply, and just like that, a sense of peace and calm replaced your sense of nervousness.

Tommy then leaned down and kissed you once more before continuing on. ‘If anything makes you uncomfortable, tell me, and I’ll stop’ he reassured you.

You nodded gratefully and he drew another lingering kiss from your lips and then kissed your sternum, down to your cleavage and your bare breasts.

His warm hands made your breath catch as they caressed the sensitive underside, hefting your breasts and worshipping them slowly. Your insides clenched with pleasure as he rubbed your hardened nubs, rubbing and rolling them over before bringing his lips down onto them.

‘Oh’ you gasped as Tommy’s wet tongue flicked over your flesh.

Your eyelids shut down as you took in the sensory overload of your two nipples being stimulated simultaneously. You never noticed his other hand moving down onto the crotch of your panties and you jerked as his tentative fingers rubbed your slit through my moist underwear.

As Tommy was stimulating you, you finally seized the opportunity to unbuckle his belt and pull his pants and undergarments down his legs at one go before he could protest. His cock jumped up, freed at last and you held the warm throbbing flesh with your hand, marveling at its warmth and inherent pulsating beat.

‘I need you inside of me Tommy’ you whispered, caressing his face as you did.

Tommy kicked his legs to work his pants down all the way as you continued to stroke him gently and when they were down around his ankles he grabbed your legs behind the knees gently. After he pushed down your panties, throwing them onto the floor besides the bed, he lifted your legs up and spread them apart, allowing him to line himself up with your entrance.

‘Are you sure about this Love?’ Tommy asked again quietly and you nodded in the affirmative as your hips rocked up against him, teasing him.

Tommy let out a gentle groan as he felt your wetness on the tip of his cock and began to slide his length over the lips of your sex gently.

After his tip had been lubricated enough, he gently pushed inside you a little, spreading your lips, before withdrawing again.

‘Tommy’ you moaned, desperate for more, but he was determined to take it slow, pushing in a little deeper as he entered you again.  

He pushed down a little further with each thrust, wetting its length with each stroke until, finally, he was buried all the way inside you.

‘Oh god’ you moaned and Tommy could clearly feel the wet heat that was enveloping his cock as he slowly began to slide in and out of you with deep but slow thrusts.

You wrapped your arms around Tommy and pulled him up for a passionate kiss and you lay like that, joined at the hips while you furiously kissed, tongues fighting for supremacy and breathing like you had both run a race.

Tommy then began to pull out until only the head of his cock remained in you and then slowly pushed back in again. Slow deep strokes, savoring the feelings of being joined together with you. The warm, wet friction was overwhelming. As he slowly stroked in and out of you tight pussy he began to slide his hips from side to side. Each stroke in and out was a change in direction, the head of his cock sliding across different areas of your mound, stimulating you in new and different ways.

‘Yes Tommy, fuck’ you began to scream as he continued to make love to you. Bucking up your hips, you indicated for him to go faster, to take you harder.

With several loud groans, Tommy continued to pound in and out of you, picking up the pace at your urging. You felt incredibly tight around his cock and he struggled to hold back much longer, having wanted to feel you for so long.

You could tell he was close and the thought of Tommy filling you with his warm cum drove you wild, sending you closer and closer to your own orgasm.

‘Come in me Tommy. I want to feel you come inside me’ you begged and Tommy pounded deep into you and grunted with each thrust.

‘Fuck yes’ you moaned again as he picked up speed and, just as he did, you couldn’t hold back any longer.

While screaming his name for all to hear, your walls contracted around him while your legs began to shake uncontrollably.

‘Oh god yes Tommy’ you cried, tears of joy running down your face, as your orgasm washed over you hard and fast and unlike anything else you had ever felt.

Your arousal and watching you come undone beneath him caused to Tommy to groan loudly. He could feel his balls tightening and knew the end was at hand.

‘Fuck Y/N’ he groaned as he felt the first spurt of cum shooting out the end of his cock. With that, he slammed himself as deep into your pussy as he could and held himself tightly against you and rocked from side to side.

‘Tommy’ you moaned, feeling Tommy’s cum fill you as he held himself tight against you, never wanting to pull out.

‘You feel so fucking good’ Tommy groaned again as you milked the last drop from him with your tight walls.

‘I want you to stay inside me forever Tommy’ you whispered before pulling him close for another kiss and, after a little while, his cock began to soften and he pushed himself tighter still against you to delay the inevitable while continuing to kiss you deeply.

After sharing deep passionate kisses for a few minutes, his shriveled cock slid out of you and your mixed fluids began to leak from your wet slit.

It felt incredible, knowing that you had united in the way you did.

Tommy eventually rolled of you and, while laying side by side you continued to kiss and caress each other while your breathing slowly returned to normal.

Tommy then kissed across your breast and slipped your nipple into his mouth and flicked his tongue across it while he ran his hand across your body and down over your mound.

‘Oh my god Tommy’ you said in disbelieve as you reached down in between his legs as well, realising that his cock was hardening again.

‘That’s what you do to me Love’ Tommy grinned as, all of a sudden, he heard a car pull up in the driveway.

He jumped up quickly, put on his pants before reaching for the gun he left inside the chest of draws in the bedroom.

‘Tommy?’ you asked with concern but, just as you did, he put the gun back down, realising that it was his aunt Polly and her son Michael who were coming into the house.

‘Sorry Love. We will have to continue this later, eh’ Tommy said, causing you to pout.

‘I will make it up to you’ Tommy then grinned before pressing his lips onto yours once more for a quick but passionate kiss.

‘After you are done with business, you better going fuck me all night long Mr Shelby’ you said with determination just before Tommy left the bedroom.

‘That can be arranged’ he winked as he walked out of the door.

‘We’ve got a problem’ Polly said as soon as Tommy walked into the office on the lower floor of his house where Michael and Polly were already waiting for him.

‘This better be urgent as I am fucking busy, eh’ Tommy growled as he sat down, unbothered by the fact that he was still half naked, wearing nothing but his suit pants.

‘Here are the names and addresses of the three men who went to London. They report to a said Major James Y/LN, living at 132 Downing Lane, Birmingham. He also is in London at the moment’ Polly explained.

‘Fuck’ Tommy said as he realised that the man in charge was your father.

‘Do you know what he wants?’ Tommy then asked, swallowing harshly when he did.

‘See you hang and us in jail I would say’ Polly said as she threw a stack of papers onto Tommy’s desk with file notes from a source Michael had in London.

‘We can take him out, but we need to do it tonight Tom. We have men in London who can do it’ Michael then suggested while Tommy started to look through the papers.

‘No’ Tommy then said, causing Polly to shout and argue.

‘Tommy, he will hang you, probably us too. We have the chance to take him tonight. We need to do this’ Polly argued.

‘No Pol. I will deal with it, eh’ Tommy responded angrily.

‘It’s because of her, isn’t it? You are fucking her, aren’t you? Michael has told me about the security guards at the address and the payoffs’ Polly said, causing Tommy to sigh.

‘She’s got nothing to do with any of this Pol’ Tommy growled.

‘Well, it wouldn’t be the first time you fall for a fucking spy, now would it Tommy?’ Polly growled harshly, thinking back at when Tommy got involved with Grace.

‘I said I fucking deal with it, Pol’ Tommy shouted and it was at this point that Polly got even more upset and angry.

‘If you don’t, I will and if I have to kill them both, then so be it. I am not losing my son over this. You’ve got one week Tommy’ Polly said before telling Michael that it was time to go.

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@l0tsofpennies @trolleydolly @avonlady1985 @chrisevanshoeee @daydreamingnymph @fookingshelby

[pep-the-artemis]

 on route, I would pass my fathers study, most days he was in meeting at this time so I dare not bother him with a greeting like before; within the library halls, I was consigned to retrieve a scholarly book for my studies; I was after to detour down a flight of stairs, avoiding the bar where were Beatrice convened with a glass of wine and any guests not invited to fathers meetings; the library shelves, brightly illuminated by the sun passing through the ceilings stained windows overhead, embraced me in a warm butterfly of delights—in which I pull out ’Metamorphoses’; enraptured, I was to walk back to my desk and be seated as my Mistress uploaded the relevant information; I would read the requested tales as she scribed a series of open questions; working together, I’d interpret and be examined on the tales for the next ninety minutes; finished, I was to return the book before returning to my bed chambers to begin awaiting my Mistress who was walking over to the library in search of a curriculum book for my studies (today she picked a book on Ancient Victorian History); while my Mistress uploaded the relevant information (scribing a set of open questions alongside), I would read the requested chapter; we’d then discuss the notions of the common Victorian, of which ultimately led there barbaric yet revolutionary developments—much to (I imagine) there protest, they still partook in slavery as we do today except they did it in subtle methods while we today forge slave in steel and call it justified; gratified, I was to return the book to the library but not before stopping in front of fathers study and asking through the door if he wished to join me on afternoon tea—to which I would leave receiving no response; after, I was to be groomed and dressed; on days which permitted it, I was to enjoy afternoon tea on the balcony else I would sit at my desk as the servants brought the sandwiches, cakes, and scones; I was not to dine alone, my Mistress sat beside and we’d practise etiquette while I dined on the treats; at the end, I was to excuse myself to the restroom to clean myself of any smears and mentally prepare for the task of embroidery—an awful activity; granted the end product is a delight, I cannot find any mild enjoyment of the process, resulting in my productivity being slow and end products uninspired; fortunately, embroidery was specifically a mondays activity and barely lasts a full hour so gave ample time for the discussion of poetry in the interim after; my Mistress always made the point to display my most recent embroidery up on my wall after we finished—there was never anything noteworthy about them though, the little droplets of blood from my mistakes hid well in the bushel of flowers; on occasions my mistress wished to pose me a challenge, she would send me down to the libraries balcony to recreate a segment of the paned artistry; Revelation 12:7–10, a grandiose battle between the vain and wise angels, as God hid in his tower; if not already present, I was to walk over to the library too pick up any literary book for my practise (today I picked ‘The Modern Prometheus’); my return was to be met by my expensive set of quills, laid out neatly, ready for my lesson in calligraphic penmanship; you, the reader, can see clearly—these lessons did me little good; unlike my father, I never had the steadiness of hand to curate beauty; even if gifted with the work of an impoverished mind, he could make it read like a sonnet; I was just born unfortunate enough to be gifted my mothers penmanship; this task of scribing the novel would often last an hour though, on many days, last longer���being delayed by the snapping of a nib or spilling of ink; on completion, my Mistress would call for a servant, “bring along a bowl of warm water and cloth so that she can wash away the black mess, smeared across her hands”; “Dulcis puella, atramentum habes in torquem tunicam—ne mater tua videre”;

My Entry into the One Sentence Challenge.

this shall be posted in four parts as it is too long to fit in a single post, the first three shall be the sentence and the fourth shall be an explanation of its existence and creation.

This is an extract from one of my fan fictions but it can easily be read in isolation.

Extract from AutoMemoriam

On monday's, I am too be awoken at nine, groomed then dressed—sitting at my desk ready for breakfast: two slices of sourdough, butter, figs, apricots, honey, and a square of dark chocolate, served with a glass of almond milk; when I finish, a servant is to come to clear away my plate while I was to wash my face and hands (using the large copper bowl provided) before I was assisted in putting on my shoes—I was to journey to the library; passing my fathers study I would: greet him a good morning through the door, pause, then continue walking—not hearing a reply; further along my way, I am too pass by (but not enter) the bar where the tender stood contentedly polishing the glasses, freshly cleaned from the night before; within the library halls, I was consigned to retrieve a scholarly book for my studies; the ill lit shelves encased me in a dark damp chrysalis of information, in which I eventually pull out a book of astronomy; starry eyed, I was to walk back to my desk and be seated as my Mistress uploaded the relevant information; I would read the requested pages as she scribed a series of open questions; working together, I’d examine and be challenge on the text for the next two hours; I was free to ask for support and was given ample, allowing me to feel satisfied when I am sent to take the book and return it, seeing my mother (Beatrice) along the journey whom I’d pay no greeting instead passing by ready to practise my violin;; to aid in the back problems which emerged from my sitting at the desk for extended periods, I was permitted the luxury of sitting on the floor through all stages of practise which included the preparatory work of wiping down, cleaning, and tuning my violin; ready, I would request a song (classical only as to not to disturb the ears of my parents and/or guests) and my Mistress would display the specific notes in time and I’d performed in tandem, occasionally stopping to take advice and instruction; I’d continue playing, upwards of an hour or until my fingers bled—disabling me (over time I have mastered a certain flicking action to initiate bleeding on command which came in very useful); if I was to finish music early as so often I did, I was permitted to discuss, perform, and write poetry while downstairs the preparations for lunch were well underway; marking the end of the frivolities, my Mistress would stand aside as I cleaned my bed chambers; I was to be groomed then redressed, sitting at my desk ready for lunch: soup (chicken and potato) with two bread rolls, a knob of butter and a square of dark chocolate; when I finish, a servant is to come to clear away my plate while I was to wash my face and hands using the large copper bowl provided, drying myself with a flannel cloth; on certain days, if the weather permitted, I would instead (after being groomed and redressed, this time adored with sturdier shoes) walk over through manor down the front staircase; in passing my fathers study, I would greet him through the door in passing; at the bottom of the staircase I was to take a box wrapped in satin cloth from an awaiting servant—from there, I was to enter the garden; I was not permitted to play sports or climb trees; I was permitted only to: walk along the designated path, observe the flower gardens, smell the flowers, and if permitted—paint the flowers; at the precipice lay a bench too which I was to sit and eat my lunch in the satin wrapped box; finished, I was to wipe my hands and face on the satin cloth before returning back to my room, greeting my father in passing through the door once more; in my room, I’d place the box neatly down on my desk and sit in silence until a servant was to clear away my plate while I was assisted in changing my shoes—I was to journey to the library;

[julyarchives]

Come With Me || (M)

Your boyfriend Wooseok tries to convince you to move in with him with a very compelling argument.

→ A/n: Wooseok x Female Reader

→ Genre: Smut

→ Words:  2.2K

→ Contains: female receiving oral; squirting; fingering; male masturbation

→ A/n: This was very interesting to write and we just love good Wooseok smut, so we hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it! Special thanks to the awesome blog that requested this story, @lyswoowife! 🥰😉

It was the third time that week you had a very flustered Wooseok dropping by your shared place with an acquaintance. He'd show up, stay with you for a few hours, have some cuddles, and make out involved, and then he'd leave, looking a bit disappointed even if you invited him to stay over.

Today was no different, only this time you invited him over. Your roommate left for the weekend and you had the apartment all to yourself, so why not share with your cute loving boy. Wooseok showed up with a small bag of clothes and the same distressed look as usual lately. You cheerfully kissed him and he tossed his bag on the couch in order to hold you. Tiptoeing to kiss him was usually annoying but his bright smile as you pulled back struggling to stay up made it worth it.

"So, what's the plan?", he asked, following you into the living room.

"I thought we should catch up on the series from last week. We're getting behind their releases", you said, still holding his hand.

Wooseok nodded and pulled you close for a quick kiss before letting go and sitting on the carpet to have access to your computer on the center table. You got comfortable on the small couch and he sat back on the floor, back to the couch and arms holding the leg you had down.

You stayed that way for about an hour, only talking to point out things on the screen. Your fingers found their way to his hair, playing with it gently, a smile forming on your lips when you felt him sigh and lean into your touch, his grip on your leg tightening. The screen showed a couple sharing a laugh before getting into their home and so the sitcom went on. You heard Wooseok whispering a choked "fuck it" and turning abruptly. Your fingers fell from his hair when he turned enough to kneel in front of you, almost sitting back on his heels.

"I want you to move in with me", he was out of breath, eyes wide and he rushed out the words in a clear spur of confidence.

"I- what?", you sat up straight, legs dangling from the couch now. Wooseok took it as an invitation to move in between them, his hands resting on your thighs.

"Think about it, Y/N", he was breathing heavily, nervous, and you felt it too. The question was too sudden. "We work so well together and I don't want to keep having to drop you off after a great day".

"Is that why you've been acting weird lately?", you couldn't help but ask, "because you wanted to ask me to move in with you?".

"Yeah, you know how good I am at taking initiative", Wooseok chuckled, planting a small kiss on your arm, guiding your hands to his hair before dropping them to your thighs again. You opened your mouth to say something back but he adjusted himself to be straighter, his hands now traveling up and down your thighs. "Before you answer, let me convince you, Y/N".

He had a small smile on his lips, his eyes looking at you up and down, even if it took a few more seconds where his hands were caressing your thighs. Stopping abruptly at his request, you sat forward, making his hands go closer to the top of your thighs. His hands gripped it a bit harder as if on instinct and he bit his lips.

"Not quite how I imagined myself asking you but on my knees in front of you is better than what I planned".

"You had a plan to convince me to move in with you?", you raised an eyebrow at him, smiling at his antics.

"Hm, I did. But instead of saying a bunch of things, maybe I can show you my appreciation for you".

You watched him smile smugly at you, even if you were sure he was still nervous about his request. Your hands moved to his cheeks, knowing full well how his mind worked and therefore knowing what he wanted right now. Wooseok leaned in for a kiss, which you complied eagerly. It was as sweet as it was desperate, his lips urgent against yours and you couldn't help giving him small nibs on his bottom lip.

He groaned lightly and his hands started wandering, squeezing all over you and feeling you slowly. You bit your lip at the sight of his face, a concentrated look on his face as if he wanted to memorize the feeling of you. When his hands found your chest, you moaned, his hands almost covering your breasts from how big his hands are. His thumbs played with your nipples hurriedly and you dragged him for another kiss.

He didn't stop there and quickly moved his right hand to your clothed core, fingers moving teasingly at your slit, not exactly rubbing it but applying enough pressure to get you wet way too quick. You whined against his lips and you felt his proud smirk, his other hand gripping more firmly on your breast. Suddenly Wooseok dropped his head, kissing your neck and even leaving small hickeys, trailing down to where his hand was before quickly lowering your shirt so your breasts were exposed to him. His mouth continued to kiss your chest until it got to your nipples, licking and sucking at them eagerly, taking turns at each one.

The hand on your core rubbed down harder, making you feel more of the friction to which your hips bucked up on the couch on instinct. Wooseok looked up to you with a sleazy smile, exposing how his tongue was working on your buds and you moaned, watching intently.

"If I put my fingers inside your panties, how wet will I feel you right now?"

"What's - oh, what's gotten into you?", you tried to ask but he applied more pressure on you and you almost lost track.

"Humour me, baby. Answer me", Wooseok hummed but watched you intently, as if trusting the boundaries of his newfound confidence.

"So wet", you said breathlessly. He took this time to press his forehead against yours and you noticed how his breathing was as irregular as yours. "Want you to feel it for yourself".

Cursing under his breath, Wooseok wasted no time in detaching himself from you and pulling your shorts and panties down at once, letting it pool at your feet. While you moved a bit to quick them out of your ankles, you noticed him palming himself against his somewhat loose jeans and groaning low on his throat.

When you were completely free from your clothing below your waist, he placed his hands against your knees and motioned for you to open your legs, not once forcing nor manhandling you. Ever the sweetheart, you thought with a smile. You opened it even if a little shy and his reaction was worth it, Wooseok gasped and hurriedly placed a finger on your slit, moving it up and down slowly to gather your juices in it. His eyes were deep and it was your turn to gasp when he placed the finger on his lips, sucking it and humming.

He moved fast and you could only brace yourself against the couch before his mouth was on your folds, kissing it and giving it small teasing licks. You whined and tugged lightly at his hair, a silent plea for him to not tease. Thankfully Wooseok got the message and started to suck at your clit, his tongue occasionally licking at your folds. His finger moved to your entrance and you gasped, his ministrations making you desperate for his finger.

"P-please", you said brokenly. You looked down and he was staring at you, licking his lips, "I need your fingers in me, please".

"Anything for you", he looked smug and it only made him more attractive.

He went back down on you with more vigor, tongue now tracing delicious patterns on your clit while his finger slid inside of you with no resistance. Wooseok moved it for a bit before taking his finger out completely. He sucked hard on you at the same time he placed two fingers inside of you, moving them in an intense rhythm.

You were a mess and couldn't keep quiet, all the while saying how good it feels and cursing under your breath. Of all the times you two shared a moment like that, this was different, way more intense and you were loving it. Soon enough you could feel a wave of intense pleasure coming up and you warned him, only getting more fervorous sucks and licks in return. You came with a shout and bucking against his mouth, riding your high on his mouth, tongue, and fingers.

Wooseok didn't stop his ministrations, letting you use him for your own pleasure. When you came down from your high, he was still at it and you shimmied, trying to get away from him.

"I'm sensitive", you giggled even if it was still pleasurable.

"Is it hurting?", Wooseok looked up at you, your juices coating his mouth and chin. You motioned 'no' and he hummed, his fingers never stopping. "Can you do one more for me?". His question took you off guard and you nodded before you could process it.

Smiling, he went straight back to business, mouth now gently licking and sucking your pussy while he timidly inserted one more finger inside of you. He crooked his fingers up slightly and your body felt a strong electric wave. You moaned loudly, gasping and gripping his hair hard. Wooseok moaned against you at that and you heard fumbling noises. Looking down, you could see he managed to free his dick from his pants and was currently jerking himself off while eating you out and fingering you.

The image was a bonus to the amazing pleasure you felt, your body was tingling and you couldn't keep your eyes open for much longer. His fingers were long and hit your g spot perfectly on each thrust and you were already seeing white. It almost felt like you never came down from your high, your orgasm picking up from where you thought it ended and you knew you'd cum soon. Your body was acting on its own, hips now almost face fucking Wooseok while his hand on his dick sped up, he was clearly getting off on you losing control on his mouth and fingers.

Suddenly it was all too much, your body started trembling hard, your hips moving widely and it felt like you were about to pee but only you knew it wasn't that. The small part of your mind that still worked perfectly shouted at you to let go and you did, orgasming a second time but this time way stronger than last time.

You could almost see your juices flowing down more, dripping a bit from his face and onto the floor while you came desperately. Wooseok moved back to watch your cum drip from you for what seemed like endlessly. He shouted a curse and came as well, his fingers at were inside of you now moving against the big amount of cum running down from your pussy.

The silence that followed was not awkward at all. You were shocked by what happened and apparently so was Wooseok. He cleaned his hands on his jeans and tucked himself back into his pants. Getting up, he blew you a kiss from a distance and you wondered if he wouldn't kiss you because of the mess you made out of his face. He vanished from sight and you heard the bathroom sink running and the sounds of washing, confirming your theory. Wooseok came back a few moments afterward with a clean and damp towel, cleaning you gently and trying to clean the couch you ruined. You laughed weakly when he frowned at it because it was clearly stained.

"Ok, here's the plan: tell your roommate I got too excited playing some game and dropped a whole cart of juice on the couch. Deal?", he said in a conspiratory way and you two giggled.

"Come here, silly", you opened your arms for him and he held you, back to his position kneeling on the floor.

"So… I made you squirt, huh", he looked down at you with a smirk and you laughed out loud.

"Oh god, don't let this get to your head", you affectionately kissed him on the lips. "But yeah, holy shit, baby, that was amazing".

"You know, we can do that every day if you move in with me…", Wooseok looked at you almost innocently despite everything that happened so far.

"I knew my answer before you tried to convince me but am I glad I waited to see what you were going to do", you laughed and got up, adjusting your clothes before taking his hand so he could stand up.

"Oh? And you're gonna tell me your answer?", Wooseok smiled at you in an anxious way and your heart clenched.

"Of course I'll move in with you, silly!", you almost jumped into his arms, holding him too tight.

His answer came in the form of kisses. He kissed your mouth, your nose, your cheeks, everywhere he could find. You giggled and he laughed delighted.

"Now, how do I know you'll keep your promise and that this wasn't just luck?", you smirked at him.

"Hm", Wooseok looked at you in fake thinking and you already started to move him backward towards your bedroom. "I guess we'll have to try again".

[20moonchild21]

𝗦𝗲𝗵𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵𝘁 [𝗯𝘁𝘀]

⇉ 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 18

[pairings]

JK x female!oc, Bunny!JK x human!female!oc, Jin x female!oc, Leopard!Jin x human!female!oc, Jimin x female!oc, white Tiger!Jimin x human!female!oc, Taehyung x female!oc, black Tiger!Taehyung x human!female!oc, Hobi x female!oc, Fox!Hobi x human!female!oc, Namjoon x female!oc, Wolf!Namjoon x human!female!oc, JK x Jin x Jimin x Taehyung x Hobi x Namjoon x female!oc

[warnings]

abusive past

[words]

4.2k

[author]

I am so glad to finally add Namjoon fully to the story. I just love him so much.

Like always, I can only recommend you to check out @starlightauroras-main story Inferiority Complex. It’s super cute and exciting to read. But recently, I found another Hybrid!reader story from @secretbangtnn. I definitely will stay excited for Until I bleed out! I hope so will you!

By the way, did you stream Butter? I have to admit that I was shocked when I saw JK‘s eyebrow piercing 😂 How did you like the song? Me personally, I love it. I also love to watch the behind the scenes videos. The boys put so much passion and effort in everything they do, it’s just amazing.

Stay healthy and safe!

Mꨄ

[chapter 17 ||| chapter 19]

Today had been an eventful day. Hope had finally been able to get Jimin’s and Taehyung’s adoption papers, so both of them could live with her officially. In that occasion, thy all had gathered together at the kitchen table in the evening, each boy with a glass of orange juice and Hope with a glass of sparkling wine.

“Okay, guys. I wanna say something.” Hope announced, as she stood up from her chair. “As you know, today we officially welcome Taehyung and Jimin in our family and I want to use this occasion to say a few words. You guys turned my life upside down ever since I met you, but I never regretted anything. I want to thank you, Jin and Jungkook, that you trusted me enough to stay and that you gave Taehyung and Jimin a chance to live here even though it was hard for you. I also want to thank Jimin and Taehyung for giving us the chance to show you that we are good people. And of course Hobi, thank you for always being so positive and funny. I – I really do love you guys.”

Jungkook was the first one who was standing up from his chair and walked towards the girl. He wrapped his arms around her smaller body, before he pressed a short kiss onto her lips. Time has already passed since their first kiss in the park and by now, it was no longer a big deal for them to share some small kisses in front of the others from time to time.

The small shade of red on her cheeks increased when Jimin was the next one to hug her tightly, before he pressed a longer kiss onto her cheek. The white tiger was still more carefully when it came to kissing in front of the others, but Hope didn’t mind at all. She gave him a small kiss back and let go of him.

Jin also came to give her a hug. The older boy was still hesitating to kiss her but instead, he wrapped his long tail tightly around both of their bodies.

“Ehm.” Hope pulled away from the leopard when Taehyung cleared his throat. “I also want to say something.”

Jin rubbed his head one last time over the girl’s neck, before he walked back towards his chair. All 5 people were now expectingly at the black tiger, who had stood up from his chair. The room fell silence for a few seconds, while he was looking for the right words to start.

“I – I don’t really know how to start.” He admitted, scratching his neck with his left hand. “I – I want to apologize to all of you. I gave all of you a hard time, even though you all were nothing but nice to me and my brother. Jungkook and Jin, I thank you for letting us stay with you even though I have not always been nice to you, and Jimin, I am sorry that I made you choose between me and the others. You were just trying to make new friends and be nice, but I gave you feelings of guilty all the times for doing so. I am sorry for that.”

Before Taehyung even had the chance to finish properly, Jimin had already stood up threw himself into his brother’s arms. Hope knew what hard times Jimin had went through. She had found him crying a few times, desperate and helpless because he had not known what to do anymore.

The girl watched as Jungkook stood up and walked over to the two tigers, before he wrapped his arms around the smaller one. He his nose against the white tiger’s fluffy hair and whispered something into it.

It had not been unnoticed by Hope how close all the boys were, despite all the troubles they had at first. Especially Jimin, who had wrapped everyone around his fingers with his sweet personality.

Hope loved to watched the three younger ones joking around together and with each other. She loved to watch Jin and Jimin cooking together in the evenings, and she loved to watch them interacting with Hobi as if they had known him for years.

“Hope.” The girl gasped when she felt Jin wrapping his arms around her from behind, before he placed his chin into her right shoulder. “You were snoozing out again.”

A shiver an down the girl’s spine when she felt the boy’s breath tickling her ear. She knew that by now, it was impossible to hide her redden cheeks every time one of the boys was hugging or kissing her. Even if you could, they would probably hear her heart beat with their extra senses. Hope sometimes had the feeling that they were enjoying those moments where she was struggling to hide her emotions.

Like a few days ago, when she had been sitting on the sofa, watching TV like usually. Hope had been laying between Taehyung’s legs with her back against his chest and her head laying on his shoulder. The black tiger had his tail wrapped around the both of them and his arms on her waist, before he had begun to rub his head against the sensitive skin of Hope’s neck after a while.

It had not felt uncomfortable at all. All the others boys had scented her before, so she was kind of used to it, but Taehyung also loved to tease. After some time, he had begun to bump not only his cheek but also his nose and lips against her skin. If that had not been enough, he had even let his teeth nibbing at her ear from time to time which had make the girl gasp sometimes. Taehyung had only chuckled, and also some of the other boys had seemed to enjoy that scene.

She sometimes wished that her body would not be some obvious, but deep down inside, those feelings were some of the most beautiful she had ever felt, and sometimes it made her wonder, if that was how love was supposed to feel like?

Namjoon laid wide awake in his bed this night. It was one of those days his mind keep racing and racing with thoughts, letting him no chance to find some sleep. A glance at the clock showed his that it was close to midnight, making him groan in frustration.

His room was only enlighten by the small lamp on his nightstand, and when he had looked over towards the clock, his eyes had also fell onto the small, square shaped object laying peacefully on the small desk. That girl – Hope – or rather her Hybrid had given him the small book.

Hope. A feeling he had not been feeling in a very long time. Since he could remember, he had been on his own out there, and at first, he didn’t mind at all. In his mind, there were several smaller pieces of memories when he was a child. Like all Hybrids, he had been bred and living in a laboratory a little bit outside if Seoul.

Being locked in a small cell, he had early been taught that in this world no one was truly caring for each other. Those scientist had only got him out when they had needed to make some new experiences with him. During those times, when Namjoon had felt nothing but pain and betraying, he had started distracting himself by taking in every small piece of information he could pick up and focus on that.

He had often read over those giant posters on the wall, showing off different anatomies of different kind of living beings. Quickly, he had figured out how a huma’s and Hybrid’s body was working, where every single bone was placed or where the different veins were running along. Somehow, he even had caught a glimpse on some Hybrid’s files that had been laying around on the desk that had been telling him for which purpose he had been there.

At first, it had hurt him that he only was a testing object for human to find out how sensitive his instincts were working during different circumstances, but then, that ever had been the only truth in his life. One day, he had accidentally overheard a conversation of two scientists talking about how the testing series would be stop soon and they would needed to get rid of all the participating Hybrids.

He had not known what that meant, but a few days later, he had been dragged out of his cell and brought to a large airplane. Those people had told him that they would fly to America to take place at an auction, but it had only been a large lie. They locket him up and drove into a small forest near the airport, and when night had been come, they had thrown him out of the car like he was just a pile of garbage, before driving away.

Still locket in the cage, the small and confused wolf had waited desperately, hoping that someone would come and pick him up from that cold place, but it had never happened. In the moment he had realized his situation, he had promised himself to never trust anyone again in this world. Luckily for him, he was smart and had been teaching himself enough to survive all by himself in the forest.

For several years, he had been able to hide until one day, he had been too careless while hunting. A hunter had spotted him and immediately had called the police to lock him up again.

Namjoon closed his eyes tightly when the memory of him being teased to the ground by a police officer. He had never meant to hurt anyone, but in that situation, he had not known what to do anymore. The emotions where running wild inside the now older wolf. It took him everything to keep himself under control right now and to not let the emotions take over his body.

Of course he was not stupid. He knew that after that incident there would be no chance for him to win his upcoming court date. Hybrids were absolutely not worthing anything to those creatures calling themselves human. They won’t ever let him win. They would lock him up again or even worse, they would put him to sleep for being dangerous. It was hopeless.

Hope. There was that name again. Laura had brought that small, blond haired girl up a few days ago. Another face that he had met, and another face that would be gone withing the following days. He knew it. He had seen it.

Laura had often brought some people with her in the past. Lawyers, psychologists, judges…but none of them had got him to talk. They all had given up on him without even trying, so why trusting that new girl now? He tried to convince himself that she was like anyone else, but something – a small little voice inside his head – was telling him that something about her was special.

Was it the tone of her voice that had caught his attention from the first moment she had been talking or rather the words she had been using? Or maybe her round, brown eyes that looked so innocent and trustworthy? Or the fact that she already had adopted 5 Hybrids that seemed to have a good life with her? Namjoon couldn’t tell at all.

Suddenly, he wondered how the small girl’s home must look like. Living with 5 other people, she must had a big apartment or even a house. But maybe all of her Hybrids had to live in one room or even in cadges. A shiver ran down his spine while thinking about this. She had not sounded like she would be cruel to them, but then, she was human. No one could tell what was really going on in her head.

He closed his eyes and thought about the past days instead and like the past minutes, his mind was occupied with thinking about that new girl. Somehow, Hope had convinced Laura to let him go outside for the first time in weeks. His heart had been beating so fast when he had felt the sun beams filling up his skin with warmth and energy. The white, clean room he had to spend his days in had been making him sick over the last weeks.

Hope had been with him all the times. She had not been talking much, but despite their lack of conversation it had never felt uncomfortable. In fact, Namjoon enjoyed those moments with, because it was the only time of the day he could escape his clean, white prison without anyone bombarding him with questions or even treatments.

He didn’t want to recognize it, but deep down inside he somehow had the feeling that his life was about to take a big turn. It was a feeling deep inside his guts that were suddenly telling him so. Whether it would turn out for good or bad he couldn’t tell yet.

Days after days went by since Hope had started working, and slowly, her boys and her had developed some kind of a routine to pass the day. But even thought her life had become a little bit harder and more stressful Hope had always made sure to not loose any time with her roommates. She would often try new recipes with Jin, or she would listen to different music with Jimin while talking about random things that came into their minds.

Even the relationship to Taehyung had become closer and closer. He now was like a peaceful house cat, always wanting to cuddle with someone which she thought was adorable. He was a good boy with good intentions, just like Hobi. The Fox had completely warmed up to all the boys and her by now, and he even had found his passion for dancing and music just like Jimin and Jungkook.

Speaking about the Bunny, Jungkook had been behaving all mystery again over the past days. Gladly not in a bad way, but he had often been in his room lately, stating that he had something important to do. He even refused to play video games with Tae a few times which was indeed pretty strange for him, because he usually would never miss a the chance to win against the black tiger.

When Hope had asked the boys about his latest behaviour, they all had just smiled, telling her that she would need to wait for the Bunny to show her himself.

“Movie night!” Hobi playfully yelled, as he let himself fall down onto the big mattress in the middle of the living room where Jungkook, Jimin and Tae were already waiting.

Since Hope was working eight hours a day, they all had agreed that one night of the week would be their joined movie night. On that occasion, they had placed a large mattress in front of the TV and had thrown all cushions they had found in the apartment onto that mattress.

The younger boys had already chooses the movie when Jin and Hope plopped onto the mattress with a large bowl of popcorn in their hands. As soon as the girl’s bum hit the soft fabric, the bowl suddenly was taken out of her hands by Jimin, and two strong arms were placing themselves around her upper body from behind.

Tae had pulled the smaller girl closer towards himself, before he nuzzled his nose into the sensitive skin of her neck, causing her to yelp slightly.

“Tae – “ She giggles when his hot breath tickled her skin.

Of course, the black Tiger didn’t stop. He just kept pulling her closer until it was almost impossible for her to escape his grip but not in an uncomfortable way. Hope always enjoed those gestures of physical affection that made her feel loved and home. Happily, Hope leant back against Tae’s chest, making him nuzzling his nose closer into her neck, spreading his scent over skin.

They stayed in that position for a little while longer, enjoying the movie that was playing on the big TV screen when suddenly Jimin started moving from the other side of the mattress. He pushed himself away from Jin’s arm and started crawling over the other boys towards his brother and the girl. Hope was just about to open her arms for the smaller tiger to cuddle up to her, but from one to the other second Taehyung suddenly shot up from his laying position. He pulled himself and the girl up, pulling his arms closer around her body and away from his brother, flashing him his sharp fangs and growling loudly.

Jimin on the other hand had jumped away with an enormous speed, before his ears shot up hight in the ear and his fangs showing up behind his lips as well.

“Taehyung!” Hope squealed in shock, as she watched Tae’s sharp fangs from the corner of her eyes, trying to break free from his strong grip. “What are you doing. Jimin, stop! Stop growling at each other!”

Slowly, she felt the arms that were squeezing her loosing up around her torso. Quickly, Hope turned around to look at Taehyung in shock. The black tiger had stopped growling and was now looking up at the girl again with innocent eyes. When she looked around her shoulder at Jimin, she saw him also looking around with big eyes again.

“I am sorry.” The younger tiger whispered, as he reached his arms out and pulled Hope into his embrace again, making her wrap her arms around his shoulders. Though she was not scared of Taehyung, having seen his sharp teeth reminded her of how powerful those boys were compared to her after all. “I – I didn’t mean to scare you. It was a primary instinct, I couldn’t control it. You just smelled so good…like me – I – Jimin – I am sorry.”

He gave one last kiss towards the girl’s forehead, before he carefully pushed her off of his lap and crawled over towards his brother, who was still pouting with his arms crossed above his chest. Hope watched in amusement, how Jimin tried to not gave in to his brother’s apologize, but when Taehyung pulled him into a tight hug and whispered something into his ear, Jimin quickly forgave him.

“That was scary.” Hope joked, as she placed her head on Jin’s chest, not wanting to interrupt the two tigers.

Jin just hummed in response, before he pushed his nose into the girl’s hair, while his younger brother laid his head into Hope’s lap.

“You sometimes make it difficult to share you between us, Hope.” The oldest boy suddenly mumbled into her hair. “Especially, when your body smells so pure. It’s literally calling for us to spread our scent over you.”

His words caused a heavy shade of red over Hope’s cheeks. She knew that the boys could always smell her scent, but she didn’t know that they really adored her scent that much.

“P – Pure?” She eventually stuttered.

“Hmmm.” Jungkook purred, as the girl’s hand drove over the base of his sensitive ears. “There is no other scent over you beside your own, because you never had a boyfriend before.”

“Y – You guys can smell that?” The girl’s voice was now holding a tone of confusedness and embarrassment, making Jungkook and Jin chuckle.

“When you are close to someone for a very long time, that person’s scent will cover your own scent, signalling for others that you are taken.” The youngest one continued. “Your scent isn’t covered by another one. Well, beside one of our scents since we are spending a lot of time together.”

Our of instinct, Hope wanted to lift the collar of her shirt to prove whether Jungkook was telling the truth or not. But to her disappointment, her nose was far from smelling a foreign scent on her body.

“Do I smell like all of you?” She innocently asked, before sinking her shirt that she was still holding in her hands.

“Depends on who you had physical contact with.” This time, it was Tae who spoke. “Right now, Jin’s scent would cover mine. The only way to have all our scents cover you would be to – well – mate with us.”

When he finished the sentence, he winked his eyebrows up two time, making the girl blush even more. Of course, she knew what he meant. Jimin had told her about mating and marking once they had talked.

Not wanting to extend that conversation, she turned her still blushing face away from the smirking black tiger and leant her head against Jin shoulder, who was also holding a small smirk on his lips.

Of course, she wasn’t stupid. She had noticed the way the boys had been talking and acting around her, noticed how they would use any chance to hug her tightly and rub their face against her neck, making her blush every time. Sometimes, she wondered, if this was how finding one’s mate was supposed to feel like. Especially, when she remembered the kisses she had already shared with Jimin and Jungkook and that made her heart race always again.

A movement in the corner of her eyes ripped her out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times, before she turner her head, watching Hobi shifting closer towards the trio. He fiddles with his finger for a few seconds, before he looked up at the girl with his deep brown eyes.

“Are you actually making any progress with that wolf in your company?” He shyly asked, laying his fluffy tail onto Jungkook’s upper body.

Hope sighed heavily. She would love to tell him that the were making big steps forward, but she couldn’t. Namjoon was still as closed as the first day they had met. The both of them would meet up almost every day, leaving the clean, white interrogation room and taking a long walk through the small park area. Every time in silence.

Normally, Hope would give him all time to open up all by himself, but unfortunately, his court day was getting closer and closer. Almost three weeks had past since she had met the tall boy, leaving only one week before she would defend him in front of the judge.

“To be honest, we are not making much progress.” She sadly said, sinking her gaze onto Jungkook’s floppy ears in her lap. “I mean, he seems to be much more comfortable around me by now, but his court day is coming up in only one week, and I still have nothing to defend him. I wish he would just open up to me.”

By now, all 5 boys were looking at the girl with sad eyes and hanging ears, while Hope was still crawling Jungkook’s fluffy hair, deeply absorbed in her thoughts again. She wanted to help Namjoon so badly. She tried to give him time and room, she tried to tell him stories about her childhood, hoping that he would tell her something about him too, but it had failed every time.

“What happens if he won’t talk to you.” Jimin whispered from the other side of the matrass.

“If he won’t tell me what exactly happened, I can’t proof that he is innocent.” She replied after a few seconds of silence. “I can’t proof that it wasn’t his fault he reacted this way, and then he is guilty. They will either lock him away forever, or if the judge thinks that he is too dangerous, they will – they will put him to – to s –“

She couldn’t finish her sentence and she didn’t need to. The boys knew what she wanted to say. When Hope had calmed down after a few minutes, she started talking again.

“But don’t worry.” She reached out her left hand to Hobi and her right hand to Jimin, squeezing their larger hands. “I won’t let this happen, okay? I will get him out there. Somehow.”

The room fell silence for another time this evening. The boys all knew what the wolf Hybrid was going though, because they all had went through the same. They also knew that Hope was serious when she said that she would do anything to help Namjoon, they really knew. But the were powerless. There was nothing they could do to help Hope or Namjoon.

“What if you would bring him here for once.” Jin suddenly suggested, making everyone’s head shot around.

“What?” Hope asked a little bit confused, pushing herself off his chest to look properly at the oldest boy.

“Well, he clearly lost his trust in human.” The Leopards continued. “But maybe he would talk to you, once he saw that there are still people who are fighting seriously for him.”

“He is right.” Hobi’s ears shot up highly, eyes sparkling with excitement. “We could show him how we are living here and that he can trust you.”

“We could show him our rooms – “

“ – and we could make him something delicious to eat – “

“ – or we listen to some music with him together – “

The boys were talking all at once now, bringing up all kinds of ideas to convince Namjoon to cooperate. It made the girl speechless and proud when she saw how eager the boys were to help the wolf Hybrid.

“You guys would really do that for him?”

[Inspirations ||| Recommendations]

@starlightauroras-writes

@wishesunderthestars

@agustdakasuga

@ditttiii

@angelicyoongie

[setsuntamew]

Today it's time for "paper reviews with Killian" aka using fountain pens has made me utterly pretentious about what paper is in my notebooks. And since my favorite paper, Tomoe River, was discontinued at the end of 2021, I've been desperately searching for a replacement.

Which has lead me here! Endless Recorder is probably my favorite notebook on the market right now. The original uses 68gsm white Tomoe River paper, available in dot grid, square grid, lined, or blank- with a table of contents and numbered pages for all but the blank version. It's hard back with a buttery smooth cover, available in 5 different colors, and has two bookmarks inside. I prefer lined notebooks, which is much harder to find (compared to blank or dot grid) when it comes to Tomoe River paper, and they're just really well made notebooks.

BUT since the paper is getting discontinued, they switched to a new paper- 80gsm Regalia paper. Everything else is the same, but I'm very hesitant about change >_> The fountain pen community has touted Cosmo Air Light as a great replacement for Tomoe River, so I tried it...and absolutely hated it. So I've been very nervous about my favorite notebooks changing. Let's move on before I admit just how many of the originals I've hoarded...

New on the left, original on the right

The covers look pretty much the same - save for a font change - but the width is the first real sign that something's different. 80gsm paper is thicker than 68gsm, so the new Recorder is a bit heftier than the original. Same two bookmarks, though!

Original on the left, new on the right

The inside of the covers look almost identical, except for more small font changes. The ink seems more saturated as well, though I wasn't sure if that was just the lighting.

Original on the top, new on the bottom

The ink is definitely more saturated on the new paper. I'm not sure if it's because of the way the paper is made - I never promised to understand the science behind paper - but I do know it looks nice.

Original on the top, new on the bottom

The page numbers and lines are nice and crisp in both, and once again more saturated in the new version.

Original on the left, new on the right

And now, the actual important part: how does it write? I tested it with two pens & inks. The dark blue is shimmery with very little variation in color while the muted mint looks a bit different depending on how saturated it is. The pictures don't quite capture it (probably because I used my phone camera for all of this), though I can still talk about it.

For the most part, the new one behaved very similarly!! It's got just a bit more tooth than Tomoe River, though most papers do; TR is just incredibly smooth. The new paper is also wetter, somehow. I was using a broad nib in both pens, and while my TWSBI 580 is pretty juicy, it was particularly so on the Regalia paper. I'm not complaining, though- I like broad lines that show off as many dimensions of my inks as possible. It does mean that ink takes longer to dry- though part of the smearing also came from my sweaty hands. It was really hot the day I worked on this, and the air conditioning isn't working right in my house ><

So, I'm left-handed, which means I usually rest my hands on the paper in weird ways to avoid smearing wet ink. I've found that paper can hold onto oils from the skin and interfere with how ink lays on the page, and the amount it happens depends on the paper. It usually isn't that noticeable on Tomoe River paper, except in very dark inks (with obvious spots missing from words) and very light inks (where words can be much harder to read due to less ink being put down). My biggest issue with Cosmo Air Light was how prevalent this was. It was inescapable; it felt like if I even breathed on the paper, it would misbehave. Any time I want to use it, I have to rest my hand on a separate sheet of paper or risk angering the paper.

As for Endless Recorder's new paper, I am delighted to find that it doesn't seem affect it at all. I made sure to press my hand against the paper and write over it, and it doesn't mess with the ink in the slightest. It seems like such a small thing, but to me, it matters a lot.

Overall, I'm still fussy about having to change, but I'm looking forward to using Regalia paper more regularly- I just have to finish my current notebook. After that, I'm using my brand new Endless Recorder, and I'm hopeful it'll bring me just as much joy as the original.

Endless Recorder can be found on Endless Stationary, as well as many fountain pen friendly stationary stores. Their website currently has both the original and new version, but they won't be restocking the Tomoe River version once their current stock runs out.

[kpop-zone]

Change of Mind pt.3 | Mina

CEO!AU | meet messy | “You confuse me.” 

Wordcount: 10,451

Part 1 Part 2

“I don’t care how busy he is! Get him on the phone and clear things up!”

Mina huffed into the phone before hanging up in annoyance. There was nothing worse than unreliable business partners.

Could this day get any worse?

The answer was yes. Just when Mina was about to take a sip of her steaming hot coffee to calm her nerves, someone ran into her full force, making her spill her beverage all over herself.

“Are you serious??”

She yelled exasperated, looking down on her beautiful blouse that looked like she had crawled through the mud with it now. The person who had run into her mumbled some apologies, but Mina didn’t even listen. She was so done with unreliable people.

“Do you know how expensive this shirt is?! You shouldn’t make other people pay for your obvious incapability to manage life.”

Desperately, Mina tried to clean her shirt with a napkin; she didn’t really have time to get changed, but she could impossibly attend all the meetings today with a stained shirt. It was truly always the same kind of people that made her life harder. Maybe it was unfair to take out all her pinned-up anger on that poor soul in front of her right now, but this incident had made Mina lose all sense of rationality.

“A diligent and decent person wouldn’t have to run anywhere. That’s what differentiates the successful from the scum. I would-“

She was about to give the person another piece of her mind when she finally averted her gaze from her blouse to look at her opponent, causing her to stop abruptly. Not only did that person look like a beaten puppy drowning in guilt, but also turned out to be the most stunning person that Mina had ever seen in her life. In awe, Mina shamelessly scanned your body, knowing that you were too speechless to stop her anyways. Everything about you was simply perfect. Therefore, Mina took her sweet time studying every detail of your body until her eyes met yours again. Your face was suddenly flushed, and it was obvious that her intense gaze was making you nervous. Mina, however, enjoyed seeing you this flustered, wherefore she decided to torture you a bit longer before clearing her throat.

“Aren’t you late to something?”

She asked, remembering that you had been running somewhere before bumping into her and she didn’t want to be the reason for you to be even later. A shocked gasp escaped your throat like you had totally forgotten about your appointment, causing Mina to giggle. You had to be really clumsy, but somehow that made you even more attractive.

“Um...I- yes. I- your shirt.”

You stuttered while rummaging your bag for your purse. Your gesture showed that you had manners and Mina liked that, but she didn’t want to have your money; you looked like you needed it more than she did. Therefore, she rested her hand on top of yours to stop you, causing you to look at her with wide eyes.

“Go.”

Mina ordered with a stern face in order to nib any backtalk in the bud. And her strategy worked. With a slightly bewildered face, you bowed hastily before rushing off.

Curious about where you would go, Mina decided to not go her way yet, but to look after you, realizing to her delight that you were entering her company.

Were you working for her?

Having the urge to know more about you, Mina quickly followed you, but waited a little at the side when she saw that you were talking to the receptionist. As soon as you were picked up by another employee, Mina rushed to the counter.

“Who was the person that you were just talking to and what is their business here?”

She cut straight to the point, much to the confusion of the receptionist.

“What- oh my god, Ms. Myoui!”

When her subordinate realized who was standing in front of her, she leaped to her feet in lightning speed and started searching for the demanded information.

“That was...um...Y/N L/N. One of the applicants for the open position in Mr. Gwan’s team in the sales department.”

When Mina heard this new piece of information, she almost squealed in joy. So you could indeed be working for her soon which meant that she had the chance to see you again.

“Thank you.”

Hastily, Mina thanked the receptionist before rushing to the elevator to pay the sales department a visit. Of course, it was Mr. Gwan’s decision who he wanted to have in his team, but maybe a recommendation of hers would help him to make his decision...

As soon the elevator door opened on the ninth floor, a murmur went through the sales department, causing Mina to smirk in amusement. It was always the same. She was well respected in her company, maybe even feared by some. But she didn’t mind. She enjoyed the nervous glances and the dignified bows of her subordinates. Therefore, she strutted down the hallway with her head held high, knowing fully well that all the team leaders were having a little mental breakdown right now, wondering whether they had messed something up. If they only knew that Mina couldn’t care less about their work right now...

Without any detours, she walked straight to the conference room where your job interview was happening and pressed her ear against the door. She just wanted to know whether you needed her help to get the job or whether you were doing fine by yourself. But instead of hearing a professional conversation, Mina heard something that made her blood boil.

“Who do you think you are? Do you think I’m only waiting for you? And then you appear here looking like that?”

She heard a man, who she assumed to be Mr. Gwan, yelling, causing an inexplicable fire to light inside of her. Mina knew that she shouldn’t be affected by this. You were a complete stranger and she should not get involved in affairs that weren’t in her field of duty. But for some reason the thought of someone yelling at you made her lose her cool. Without knocking, Mina teared open the door to the conference room and stormed inside.

“Is that how you deal with all of our applicants? Do you think that’s good publicity for my company? My god, you must have been raised by animals. Your incompetence is truly astonishing.”

She yelled without a warning, causing Mr. Gwan and you to look at her in shock. Immediately, Mina got lost in your helpless puppy dog eyes again and she completely ignored Mr. Gwan’s useless babbling. Something about you just sparked an incredible urge to protect you inside of her. If you could make everyone feel this way, Mina had no trouble believing that you had the whole world whipped for you.

Mr. Gwan kept going on and on until Mina had enough of his annoying voice and interrupted him rudely.

“Well, I don’t really have time for your irrelevant babbling. For your sake, however, I hope that you will quickly fill this position with the right person. Otherwise...well, I think I will not be having any use for you.”

The dumbfounded expression on Mr. Gwan’s face conjured a smile to Mina’s lips and she had to refrain herself from laughing. She was sure that this poor man had gotten her hint and would make the right decision regarding you. Therefore, she turned around wordlessly and left the room with a victorious smirk on her face. Her job was done here. Instead of instantly making her way to the long-overdue appointment of hers though, Mina decided to wait in front of the room. She assumed that the meeting probably wouldn’t even take fifteen minutes and she wanted to talk with you one last time for today. Gladly, her assumption turned out to be right and the door to the conference room opened ten minutes later.

You stepped out of the room, looking like you had had the worst day of your life and Mina had to hold herself back from pulling you into her arms. Instead, she went for a more professional and appropriate approach.

“Congratulations.”

Mina exclaimed happily, causing you to flinch. Only now you seemed to have realized that you weren’t alone in the hallway and turned around with a confused expression on your face. Once you saw her, you tensed up again and Mina didn’t know whether she found it adorable that you still got so flustered around her or irritating that you seemed to be almost scared of her.

“I- thank you. It’s just-“

You stuttered and Mina looked at you expectantly. This would be the first time that you would communicate a coherent sentence with her. But once again, your courage left you and you stared at her helplessly. Therefore, Mina calmly got closer to you in hopes that she could show you that there wasn’t just this loud, aggressive side to her that she had already demonstrated you twice today.

“It’s just what?”

She chuckled, encouraging you to finish your sentence.

“It’s just...I don’t understand why you’re doing this for me. You confuse me.”

Your sudden confession came unexpected, but Mina liked your straightforwardness. But judging by the expression on your face, you hadn’t planned to be so blunt, causing her to laugh.

“You’ll figure it out soon.”

Mina answered mysteriously, wondering whether you had truly no idea yet why she was being so nice to you. It wasn’t like she made her attraction towards you a secret. But to give you another hint, she stepped closer to you, managing to bring her own heartbeat to an unhealthy frequency. It would be so easy to close the gap now, but Mina wasn’t so sure whether you were ready yet. Therefore, she decided that she had teased you enough for the day.

“Anyways, see you Monday.”

Nonchalantly, Mina stepped away from you again and gave you a cheeky wink before turning around and strutting away while stifling a laugh.

Oh you were so adorable, she couldn’t even wait for your next encounter.

---

But unfortunately, the day of your next encounter was tainted by an unpleasant incident beforehand. Like any logical human being would have done, Mina had of course arranged your relocation to her floor. Mr. Gwan was clearly a bad team leader and she didn’t like her current assistant anyways. Therefore, it was only plausible to make you her new assistant. Unfortunately, there was an array of people who thought differently about that.

Mina had already noticed the day of the job interview that people were whispering more behind her back than usual but after she had ordered her assistant to move to the sales department, the rumor mill exploded. It needed a while till the rumors ended up on the top floor, but as Mina made her way to her first meeting of the week on Monday, she got a taste of what her employees were saying about her.

“So I’ve heard you hired a new assistant. Rumors have it that they are more than just you’re assistant though. Who are they? A relative? A fling?”

Mr. Jeon, a high-ranking board member, smirked as he sat down next to Mina at the conference table. His question surprised her; she hadn’t thought that the news would carry quite that fast. But Mina didn’t let her surprise show, calmly she faced him and feigned a lack of knowledge.

“You should know by now that most rumors are just the product of too much fantasy. I simply didn’t get along with my assistant and needed a new one.”

Mina lied with a fake smile on her lips, but the arrogant expression on Mr. Jeon’s face told her that he wasn’t done interrogating her yet.

“Sure...Is that why you yelled at a senior employee of ours and -how should I say- stole his new recruit? Come on, you can be honest with me. I won’t judge, I know that assistants can be quite...tempting. It would be totally normal if one of them made you weak.”

Disgusted, Mina’s gaze fell on the wedding ring on his finger and she had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She hated that people were associating her with someone like him.

“I yelled at the employee because he was out of line. And I didn’t steal his recruit. This is my company, I can’t steal what’s already mine.”

She said sharply and Mr. Jeon’s grin faltered.

“Yes of course. It was obvious that all those rumors were just made up.”

He quickly uttered and Mina had to distract herself with the documents in front of her, because otherwise she would have to tell him how much his spinelessness disgusted her.

But despite knowing that Mr. Jeon was nothing but a blithering idiot, Mina couldn’t manage to ignore his remarks. They were stuck in her brain and during the whole meeting, his words bothered her. For one, she didn’t want her whole company to talk badly about you. You hadn’t even started working yet, but everyone still knew your name by now. But above all, there was one word that Mina hated more than any other. A word that instantly caused her to fly off the handle if people used it to describe her. Weak. Mina knew that she wouldn’t be so bothered by Mr. Jeon’s words if she didn’t secretly think that there was some truth to them.

Were you making her weak?

Mina couldn’t say in good conscience that all her actions in the past week had been right. She shouldn’t have compromised a good senior employee like Mr. Gwon and she definitely shouldn’t have transferred her assistant to the sales department without a warning. Those decisions weren’t made after thorough consideration and in favor of her company like she usually did; they resulted from a selfish desire. With every minute that Mina sat in that conference room, she got more upset about herself. How could she have acted so recklessly? If she had only been more considerate, the whole company wouldn’t be talking about her love life right now.

Mina was so lost in her thoughts that she only realized that the meeting had ended when she was the last person remaining in the room. Quickly, she packed all her stuff while cursing when she realized that her next meeting would start in less than two minutes. Annoyed, she ran to the next room. You were really bringing her nothing but trouble. She had to focus on her company again. If she could, she would even rewind to the day of the job interview and make everything undone. But that was just wishful thinking now. Nevertheless, there were other measures that she could take: she had to cleanse her mind from you. Therefore, she tried to clear her mind before sitting down at the head of the table at her next meeting, intending to pay better attention this time around. Her good resolution was put to the test, however, when the door to the conference room suddenly flew open to reveal you.

The root of all the chaos in her life right now.

Like the first time, her heart immediately started fluttering when your eyes met; especially when you waved at her awkwardly. You were such a dork. Mina could have sat there forever, just looking at you, but when she felt the gazes of the other participants of the meeting on her, she got reminded of the annoying rumors that were circulating in the company and her expression changed quickly. Instead of flashing you a wide gummy smile like she wanted to, Mina rolled her eyes, feigning to be a ruthless boss.

She needed to nib those rumors in the bud.

The look on your face, however, caused Mina to regret her decision in an instant. You looked so confused and she wished to be able to apologize to you. But that wouldn’t be fair. She had to stop with all that hot and cold treatment. Her company came before everything else. Therefore, she needed to focus again and if that was only possible by cutting you off, she needed to show you the cold shoulder for now.

A task that turned out to be harder than she had thought.

Your little insecure glances throughout the whole meeting didn’t go unnoticed by her, even if she forbade herself to stare at you. It was pure torture. Mina would love nothing more than to flash you a smile or to give you an encouraging thumbs up to tell you that you were doing fine for your first day. But the eyes of the others were glued on her today. Even when the meeting was over and the two of you made your way to her office on the top floor. All the assistants whispered behind your back, causing you to insecurely scan your surroundings. You were clearly uncomfortable, and this was all her fault. She needed to make it up to you; even if her good intentions would be absolutely invisible to you.

Throughout the week, Mina could see how your frustration grew with every day. She was punishing you with ignorance and criticism, no matter how accurately you were working. It was cruel and hurting Mina probably exactly as much as it was hurting you, but she told herself that you would thank her in the end. Nevertheless, she had never been looking forward to the end of the week like this week. Only one more meeting and she could send you home and recover from this horrible week. She would be in dire need of a breather after this meeting. Not only because of you, but also because this meeting was essential for the future of this company. If she could close this deal, no recession in this world could bring her down. She would rise above all the competition. Therefore, she was equally looking forward to this meeting as she was also dreading it. Nervously, she had paced about in her office before strutting to the conference room, pretending to be confident.

“Mr. Park, I’m glad that you could make it.”

With a wide smile on her face and an extended hand, Mina approached the older CEO and bowed to him politely while shaking his hand.

“Shall we?”

She pointed towards the conference room where everyone took a seat around the table. It didn’t take long till you entered the room as well and headed straight for the guests.

“Good morning. Is there anything that I can get you?”

You asked politely with a soft smile and Mina felt how a bit of her nervousness disappeared. Maybe you were causing her to make crazy decisions, but she couldn’t deny the calmness that she felt around you either. That was as long as everyone behaved around you, which Mina couldn’t really say right now. The way all those conceited prigs were rudely spitting out their orders without showing any sign of gratitude was causing this certain familiar irritation to crawl out of the dark inside of Mina. But you handled the situation with grace, so she took a deep breath and tried to let it go. This was neither the place nor time to make a scene; this customer was really important. Therefore, she pushed all the thoughts about you to the very back of her head and started the meeting with her eyes on the price: walking out of this room with a closed deal today.

If just everyone had been as focused as her...

Unfortunately, it seemed like the Mr. Park really wanted to test her patience though.

“Why isn’t my coffee iced?”

He snapped at you, when you returned to the conference room and placed his order in front of him. Irritated, Mina looked up from her notes in front of her, feeling like someone had just dropped a matchstick into an oil drum inside of her. Her grasp automatically tightened around the pen that she was holding, and her eyes darkened.

“I-iced? Because you ordered a hot cappuccino…”

You stuttered and Mina could hear how you were struggling to stay polite.

“I did not. Go get me a new one. Iced. I hope you’re able to keep that simple order in mind this time.”

Mr. Park rudely shoved the cup into your hands and Mina needed to physically bite her tongue in order to stop herself from stepping in. She could taste blood in her mouth and she quickly averted her gaze from the scene in front of her. The company comes first, she told herself in her head over and over again in a desperate attempt to bring her heartrate down. Only when she heard the door of the conference room being opened and closed, she dared to look up again, seeing that you had left the room.

“It’s so hard to get competent assistants these days...”

Mr. Park scoffed and the other men at the table agreed with him, but not Mina. He could be glad that she didn’t just rip his head off; she surely wouldn’t suck up to him just to please him. Therefore, she simply cleared her throat to catch the attention of the others and continued with her presentation.

“Where were we? Ah right, the targets of our partnership.”

Mina smiled, ready to focus on the benefits that Mr. Park brought to the table again, although they were harder to see with every minute that passed. There was barely a sentence that she could finish before Mr. Park interrupted her with a stupid comment. Maybe Mina could have endured them better if there wasn’t a flame already flickering inside of her, but it was increasingly hard for her to keep her cool. Your appearance was just the final straw to make her explode.

You walked into the room with a fake smile on your lips and the coffee that Mr. Park definitely didn’t deserve. It was hard for Mina to listen to another one of his dumb remarks while observing you in the corner of her eye, but she tried her best to stay focus. That was until a really unfortunate event caused her breath to catch in her throat.

“YA!”

Mr. Park yelled after you had spilled his coffee all over him. Deserved, Mina thought to herself while feigning to be shocked although she was actually trying her hardest not to laugh. Her amusement, however, disappeared a second later when Mr. Park leaped to his feet in order to yell at you.

“You incompetent idiot! What is wrong with you?! Did you just spill the coffee all over me to get back at me?? Do you know who I am? I’m going to make you pay for this, you ungrateful scumbag!”

The company comes first, the company comes first, the company comes first, the com- how dare this asshole?!

Mina had tried her hardest to keep her cool for the sake of her company, but enough was enough. No one, absolutely no one was allowed to yell at you. Anger replaced every single bit of rationality in her body and she leaped to her feet while slamming her hand on the table.

“Out.”

Was the only word she managed to choke out without absolutely losing her temper. But no one moved and Mr. Park even had the audacity to smirk victoriously. Did he think that she had meant you? In that case, she had to make herself clearer...

“I said out! The deal is off the table. My company doesn’t make deals with petty tyrants like you.”

She yelled now, unable to keep her emotions in check. The jaws of everyone in the room dropped and Mina would have probably laughed if her anger weren’t still consuming her completely.

“Excuse me?”

Mr. Park stuttered and Mina was starting to lose her patience. She couldn’t stand to see this man a second longer.

“Out.”

She growled and this time, Mr. Park seemed to have gotten the hint. In disbelief, he scoffed and looked at his associates before straightening out his stained suit.

“Very well. But don’t think that these ties can ever be mended. I’m going to make sure that you’re going to regret this.”

He stated arrogantly and it took everything from Mina not to jump across the table to grab him by his collar and to throw him out of the building herself. Making her regret this? He didn’t have that kind of power, if any Mina would make him regret ever having lived. Breathlessly, she supported herself on the table after Mr. Park and his associates had left the room as it hit Mina what she had just done. Even if Mr. Park was the biggest asshole on this planet, the deal with his company would have still been huge. But that chance was gone forever now, and Mina couldn’t believe that she had robbed her company of it just because of you.

“This is all your fault.”

She hissed angrily before finally looking at you.

“This was a million-dollar deal. Damn it.”

You flinched in shock when she swept the portfolio off the table, making her regret her action in an instant.

“I-I’m sorry.”

You stuttered and Mina chuckled bitterly.

“Oh thank you, that makes everything better.”

She exclaimed cynically, although she knew that it wasn’t fair to let her anger out on you. None of this was actually your fault.

“Of course not. I’m sorry, I will get my stuff.”

You mumbled in defeat, causing Mina’s heart to break. Get your stuff? Were you still not able to see that she was willing to sacrifice everything in order to have you in her life?

With slouched shoulders, you walked to the door and Mina knew that she should let you go. You were turning everything upside down. But she couldn’t let you slip out of that door and out of her life. Not after everything that she had already given up for you. Therefore, she quickly chased after you and grabbed your arm just as you wanted to press down the door handle. With a strong pull, she managed to spin you around, causing you to helplessly stumble into her arms. Once again, Mina instantly got lost in your eyes and she didn’t waste another second before grabbing your neck and crashing her lips into yours. She had wanted to do this since your first encounter. Starving for your taste, she ran her tongue over your bottom lip and finally you seemed to wake up. Hesitantly, you granted her access and Mina had to suppress the urge to hum into the kiss. She had kissed so many people in her life, but never had she ever felt so high before. Your taste was addicting, and she wished that she could keep standing there with you forever. But this was a highly frequented room; anyone could walk in here any second, so Mina pulled away reluctantly. Despite the risk, however, she couldn’t get herself to step away from you. Her hands kept cupping your face and she gently stroked your cheeks with her thumbs while letting this feeling of comfort wash over her as she got lost in her eyes. How did you manage to make her feel so many things in just a split second? Desperately, Mina sighed before resting her forehead against yours.

“What am I supposed to do with you? You drive me crazy.”

---

Mina’s words were causing you to chuckle. You were driving her crazy? What were you supposed to say? Gently, you put your finger underneath her chin and pushed it up to make her look at you.

“Well...you could stop pushing me away. Because you are driving me crazy too.”

You replied and Mina sheepishly hid her head in the crook of your neck.

“I’m sorry.”

She mumbled against your skin and you laughed.

“It’s ok, now that I know that you like me too, your behavior is more bearable.”

Your statement caused Mina’s head to shoot up and she looked at you in disbelief.

“You only know now that I like you?? I made it so obvious!”

She gasped and you held up your hands defensively.

“You didn’t talk to me for one whole week and when you did, you yelled at me! How should I have known?”

You argued, remembering how this week would have been the worst of your entire life if Mina hadn’t just made it up to you.

“Ok...if you say it like that, I see where you’re coming from.”

Mina said innocently and you shook your head in amusement. You liked this kind of interactions between the two of you a lot better.

“Yeah you should definitely make it up to me.”

A light smirk tugged on the corner of your lip as you stepped closer again and Mina mirrored your expression in anticipation. Just when you were about to lean in for another kiss though, the door of the conference room suddenly swung open and Mina jumped away from you as if you were toxic. Completely oblivious to what was going on, a man entered, seeming to be fuming in anger.

“Is it true? Is it true that the deal with the Park corporation is off the table?”

The man’s voice cracked, and Mina avoided his gaze before reluctantly walking closer to him.

“Yes, it’s true. Mr. Park was highly uncooperative.”

She answered calmly, but the man looked like she had just said the most ridiculous thing on the planet.

“Uncooperative?? It was your job to make him cooperative! Do you know how much this deal would have meant for this company?”

It was cruel to watch Mina getting scolded for something that you had messed up, but you felt like it wasn’t your place to step in.

“Mr. Jeon, please calm down. Let’s go to my office.”

Mina stayed professional and gestured towards the door whereat Mr. Jeon sighed and left the room. Helplessly, you stood there, looking at Mina who flashed you an apologetic gaze before stepping into the hallway as well, leaving you alone in the conference room. Since meeting Mina, you felt like you were living in an alternate universe; everything seemed to be way too crazy to be real. But today was a step in the right direction. At least you knew now that you weren’t delusional. Mina truly liked you and seemed to be just as helpless as you. It was high time that you sorted things out with each other. Maybe the two of you could use the weekend to meet outside of work and talk about everything. Therefore, you followed the two board members to the top floor and sat down at your desk in front of Mina’s office, waiting for a chance to talk with the CEO. Through the glass walls, you could see that Mr. Jeon and Mina were discussing agitatedly for almost an hour before they eventually seemed to have come to an agreement. While glaring at you angrily, Mr. Jeon left Mina’s office and disappeared in another one further down the hallway. Mina, on the other hand, tiredly sat behind her desk and stared into the void.

Maybe you could cheer her up by asking her out...

Therefore, you took a deep breath and walked over to her office. You knocked shortly before letting yourself in without waiting for an answer.

“Hey.”

You greeted Mina shyly, but she only gifted you with a short glance. Instead, she turned her attention to some papers on her desk and started to rustle with them busily.

“Um...I was wondering whether you had some time to talk?”

You piped up while awkwardly shifting your weight from one foot to the other.

“No.”

Mina simply replied without bothering to look up from her desk. Dumbfounded, you stared at her, not knowing how to react to her sudden coldness.

“Maybe later?”

You tried your luck once more, but you ran against a wall.

“No, I’m busy.”

It seemed like you had accidentally traveled back in time. Instead of talking with the woman that had kissed you senseless in the conference room earlier, you were faced with the old Mina again that punished you with ignorance for one whole week. Your headache instantly returned again, and you stumbled out of the office in pure disbelief. How could one single person have that many mood swings? Exhausted by the events of the day, you plopped down on your chair and pretended to work on some papers that Mina had given you this morning, while replaying the kiss in your head over and over again. All the emotions that Mina had put in it, couldn’t have been fake, right? You martyred your brain for almost an hour until a movement in the corner of your eye ripped you from your line of thought. It was Mina who finally left her office.

“You can leave early today, Y/N. See you on Monday.”

She said emotionlessly while walking by, leaving you even more confused than before. You didn’t even have the chance to talk back before she was already gone. For at least fifteen minutes, you simply stared down the empty hallway while trying to make sense of Mina before packing up your stuff in slow-motion. Usually, you wouldn’t have minded a long weekend, but under these circumstances, you dreaded it. A bad feeling was beginning to spread in your guts.

What if the kiss hadn’t changed anything? What if everything would stay the same?

---

Mina felt like punching herself as she rushed down the hallway. She was playing a cruel game with you; she was painfully aware of that. But she couldn’t stop. You were somehow messing with the chemicals in her brain and cutting you out of her life wasn’t an option anymore. But at the same time, she had responsibility for her company and Mr. Jeon had just made it clear to her what would happen if she didn’t fulfill her duties. Yes, she was the CEO of this company, but if the shareholders would work together, they could still remove her from her position. It was maddening and she needed time to think. Therefore, she had sent you home early. She couldn’t stand to be around you a second longer and to be reminded of the highly unpleasant talk with Mr. Jeon. You probably already had a whiplash from her mood swings, and she needed to use this weekend to come up with a solution.

But no matter how hard Mina martyred her brain, she couldn’t find one. Before she knew it, the weekend was over, she was sitting in her office again and you were driving her insane, just by looking at some papers. Half of the morning was wasted already because Mina hadn’t been able to concentrate. Instead, she had been staring at you. The way you knitted your brow when you concentrated was extremely adorable and the moment you bit your lip while filling out some form, Mina knew that she had to do something about her desire. Not wasting another second, she leaped to her feet and strutted to your desk.

“I need your help.”

Without waiting for your answer, Mina walked to the copy room, hearing how you followed her hectically. The moment you had entered the room, she slammed the door shut before pressing you against one of the photocopiers to your surprise. Utter confusion was written all over your face, so Mina decided to give short shrift. Just like the first time, she simply pressed her lips on yours, trying to let you know how much she wanted you even if she couldn’t always show it to you. She hadn’t been so sure whether you would forgive her after she had sent you home on Friday, but to her delight, your lips soon started to move in sync with hers causing her to sigh into the kiss. She had missed you tremendously, even if she only hadn’t seen you for two days. But apparently, you were feeling the same. Needily, you were pulling her closer even though there wasn’t even space for a single piece of paper between the two of you. Mina couldn’t help but to smile into the kiss while teasing you by pulling away several times, only to have you leaning forward to capture her lips again. It seemed like you were two magnets that simply belonged together, but unfortunately the knowledge that there was probably already another client of hers waiting in her office was annoyingly pinching her and Mina had to pull away despite the overwhelming attraction.

“I have an appointment.”

She whispered while softly stroking the outlines of your jaw.

“Skip it.”

You grinned, causing her to chuckle. She was very tempted to agree to your offer, but she knew that she couldn’t. The only thing that she could offer you right now were fleeting and secret moments like this. Her duties as CEO still came before you.

“I can’t.”

After pressing another kiss on your lips, she pushed herself off you and fixed her clothes.

“It’s a very important meeting. Oh and I need you to print the documents that I’ve sent you per mail.”

Sheepishly, Mina smiled at you, knowing that her timing was terrible right now, but you didn’t seem to mind.

“Yes, ma’am.”

You saluted dorkily, causing her to laugh before turning around to leave the room.

Maybe it wasn’t much that she could give you, but she would make sure to make those times worthwhile... and plenty. Mina just couldn’t help herself. You simply looked so kissable when you typed away on your computer or prepped her for one of her million meetings. So, in the following weeks it became a habit that Mina abducted you to an empty room whenever no one was around to express her affection even when she had to show you the cold shoulder most of the time. Because as soon as other people were around, Mina pretended to be your ruthless superior who mercilessly bossed you around. It was hard to be mean to you, but it was a necessary evil to prove all the people wrong that had spread rumors about the two of you. And Mina’s plan seemed to work. After a few weeks, no one whispered behind your back anymore and Mr. Jeon stopped eyeing you suspiciously. Mina even had to stop herself from becoming cocky and acting foolish again due to the naivety of everyone else. It had almost been too easy to find a solution to her problems...almost. Because what Mina hadn’t considered in her perfect plan were your feelings. You had played your part in her scheme so perfectly until you suddenly didn’t anymore one day...

---

People bumped into you left and right, but you didn’t care. Despite being an obstacle in the busy stream of employees that were trying to get to their workplace on time, you didn’t pick up your pace. Your initial euphoria about your new job was long gone and by now you just dreaded to go to work. You were so tired of Mina’s games. Even if her little ambushes had managed to help you get over her otherwise rough behavior, they simply weren’t enough anymore. You wanted to be more than just her little secret during her five-minute breaks between two meetings. Or maybe you would even be able to bear the secrecy if she wouldn’t grumble at you because of every little mistake. But the combination of both was just slowly killing you. Therefore, you took your time every morning to get to work. You knew that Mina would discover your daily tardiness one day, but she yelled at you anyways, so why should you bother?

Like always, you arrived five minutes late and barely managed to plop down on your chair before Mina rushed past your desk.

“Y/N, did you print the documents that I asked you for yesterday? Bring them to my meeting.”

She demanded before disappearing in her office, only to storm out of it again a second later to get to her meeting on time. You, on the other hand, weren’t prepared to go there yet, because horrified, you realized that you hadn’t printed the demanded documents yesterday. You remembered that Mina had asked you for them five minutes before your finishing time and you had simply waved her request off. Little had you known that she needed them so soon. In lightning speed, you opened the attachment of her last mail from the day before and hit the ‘print’ button. To your dismay, however, it seemed like the document was 100 pages long and with every second that passed you knew that your death inched closer. On wobbly legs you eventually ran to the conference room, managing to arrive only a minute after the official start. Relieved, you sighed silently when you entered the room and heard that Mina was still making small talk with the other participants of the meeting. Unfortunately, though, your happiness didn’t last long.

“Are you incapable of telling the time?”

You didn’t need to look at Mina to know that she was staring at you with one of her terrifying gazes that seemed to be able to set you on fire. With your head hanging low, you put down the documents in front of her and lightly bowed to her.

“I’m really sorry. It will never ha-“

Before you were able to finish your apology, Mina cut you short.

“I’m so tired of your sloppy work! Everyone would be grateful to have your job and you allow yourself to play games? I gave you this opportunity and I can take it from you again if I want to. I should have known better. You have been unreliable from the start.”

She scoffed and your head snapped up. Somehow Mina’s comment suddenly caused your blood to seethe. You were unreliable? You had never asked her to get you this job and you had done all your work diligently despite her antics. In order to be close to her, you endured everything silently and were willing to put your own needs below hers. But now you were beginning to ask yourself if it was all worth it. Did she even appreciate you? Because right now it didn’t sound like it. If there were so many people who would be grateful to be in your shoes, you shouldn’t be selfish, right? While tightly clenching your fist to stop yourself from making a scene, you bowed deeply before firmly looking into her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I will not upset you again.”

You stated emotionlessly before turning around and leaving the room. You would indeed never upset her again. But neither would you ever reward her with your presence again.

Furious, you stormed to your desk where you paced up and down the hallway. Could you really quit? You had dreamed about working in this company for ages. Besides, you also depended on the salary and you weren’t so sure whether you would immediately find a new job. Frustrated, you plopped down on your chair and weighted your options. Should you swallow your pride, or should you risk becoming homeless? It was a tough decision but in the end, you knew that only one of those options would come into question. You could no one longer knuckle under to Mina; not if you still wanted to be able to look at yourself in the mirror. Therefore, you quickly packed up all your stuff, hoping that you could disappear before Mina would be back.

Unfortunately, however, you were just halfway down the hallway when the elevator door opened and your soon to be ex-boss stepped out. When she spotted you, she quickly looked around to make sure that no one was around before approaching you with a smirk on her face. As soon as she noticed the box with all your belongings in your hands though, she started frowning.

“What are you doing, Y/N?”

She asked with concern resonating in her voice.

“I’m done.”

You spat out, wanting to simply walk past her, but she grabbed your wrist to stop you.

“What do you mean?”

Genuine confusion reflected in her eyes and you wondered how she could still be so clueless. Did she really not know how wrong her little games were?

“I quit. This job and whatever this is between us. I’m tired of you and your games.”

With a strong arm movement, you ripped yourself free of her grasp and rushed to the elevator that was still on your floor. As the doors slowly closed, you could see that Mina was staring at you with an open mouth in utter disbelief and you almost felt sorry for her. But then you remembered that exactly this weakness for her soft side had gotten you in this trouble in the first place and you quickly pulled away your hand that reflexively wanted to stop the door from closing. Instead, you pressed the button for the ground floor and averted your eyes from Mina before you could change your mind. This rollercoaster ride needed to end now.

---

Mina felt like she was stuck in a bad dream when she watched you stepping into the elevator. She had truly thought that the two of you were doing fine and those news were hitting her like a truck. The moment your words had left your lips, her heart had stopped beating and her whole body was frozen ever since. Only when the display above the elevator showed a red 1, the stinging pain in Mina’s chest slowly started to spread in her body and managed to rip her out of her trance.

You were gone.

Indecisively, Mina turned in circles while grasping her hair, not knowing whether she should chase after you or act like a CEO. Why did everything always seem to come down to the conflict between her love for you and her responsibility for her company?

“Ah Ms. Myoui, I was just on my way to you. Do you have a minute?”

Mr. Jeon’s voice caused Mina to jump in shock. Dumbfounded, she turned around and saw that he was standing in the door of his office with a smug smile playing on his lips. Her gaze immediately darted back to the elevator where her heart was telling her to go.

“I-I have to...”

She stuttered, pointing to the elevator, but Mr. Jeon cut her short.

“Please, it’s important.”

He countered, causing Mina to sigh in defeat. She had sworn to him that she would never let her feelings interfere with the success of this company again. Therefore, she reluctantly followed him into his office where she listened to his babbling with only half an ear. Your words just played in her head over and over again.

I quit. This job and whatever this is between us. I’m tired of you and your games.

Only after hearing your words Mina had realized that she had never officially asked you to be hers or taken you out on a real date. In hindsight, she couldn’t believe how selfish she had been. Had she really dared to martyr you every single day without giving you anything in return? Without noticing, Mina huffed loudly, causing Mr. Jeon to stop his monologue and to look at her in confusion.

“I’m sorry, please continue. I was just thinking about...a client.”

Mina lied and Mr. Jeon eyed her suspiciously.

“It’s ok, I don’t want to steal any more of your precious time. And we can continue talking tonight. You’re coming, right?”

He asked and Mina stared at him for several seconds, trying to remember what he was referring to until she remembered the red cross in her calendar that was labeled ‘Annual Business Partner Gala’. This time the loud huff that slipped past her lips was directed at Mr. Jeon who looked at her offended, but Mina didn’t care. She really had better things to do tonight. But of course, she couldn’t just skip the gala. She was the face of the company and her business partners expected her to give a speech that would assure them that Myoui Holdings was still yielding the money that they expected. Therefore, Mina put on a fake smile and looked at Mr. Jeon.

“Of course, I’ll be there.”

She assured him before leaping to her feet and leaving his office, not being in the mood to pretend any longer to be listening to his unimportant babbling.

With her thoughts racing through her brain like on a racetrack, Mina made her way to her own office. As she passed your desk, however, her movements halted, and she looked at your seat with regret tugging at her heartstrings. If she hadn’t been so selfish you would still be sitting there. She just had made it too easy for herself and now karma was making her pay for it. With every second that she was standing there, it became harder for her to breathe, because it cost her every bit of strength in her body to suppress the tears that were threatening to spill. Maybe she had missed her chance to make you know how much you meant to her, but she herself was painfully aware of that fact which made it unbearable to stare at your empty desk. Therefore, Mina did what she had promised Mr. Jeon not to do and let her feelings get the better of her. Although you had left her several sticky notes on her desk that were telling her what she still had to do today, she couldn’t manage to free her thoughts from you. So in order to prevent having a breakdown in front of all the board members of her company, she grabbed her belongings and rushed out of her office.

She needed to put distance between her and this mess.

The car ride to her apartment didn’t take long but it seemed like it lasted hours. Even if her driver was obliged not to spill anything that happened in the car, Mina didn’t want to cry in front of him. It would absolutely ruin her reputation. Therefore, she held back her tears until her key card unlocked her door and she could finally stumble into her safe space. The hours that followed were a blur. Mina knew that she had to be calm and composed again for the gala tonight, so she tried to let out all her bottled-up emotions, resulting in a tearful breakdown.

What was she supposed to do about you? Was it selfish of her again to want you back?

Not only her brain and her heart seemed to disagree on the answer to this question. No, her heart alone seemed to be torn too. On the one hand, it told her to give in to her love for you. She didn’t want to live without you. She wanted to make it up to you and show you that she could do better. But on the other hand, the same love told her to stay away. Didn’t you deserve someone who treated you better? Even if she would stop with the secrecy and the blowups, she still wouldn’t have a lot of time for you. Her company demanded a lot of time from her and she wasn’t sure if you were willing to endure that. The dilemma was killing her, so Mina was almost glad when it was time to get ready for the gala and she could distract herself. Although it was hard to ignore her problems when her puffy face demanded almost twice the amount of makeup that she usually needed and to make things worse, even her dress reminded her of you, because she had chosen it specifically for you to impress you. Tears immediately started to pool in Mina’s eyes when she looked at herself in the mirror and she quickly rushed to her wardrobe to search for another dress. One that wouldn’t remind her of her failure throughout the whole night.

Just as Mina was about to make a terrible mess out of her closet though, the sound of her doorbell caused her to head to snap to the side.

“Y/N?”

She whispered absentmindedly before stumbling out of her room and to the front door. Maybe you were here to take the decision that was tearing her apart off her plate. Full of hope, Mina swung open the door, only to feel her heart break all over again when she stood face to face with her guest. Another guest than she had expected.

“Are you ready?”

Seongmin asked with a bored expression and Mina huffed in disappointment. She had totally forgotten about him. Business partners liked to see that their partner was doing well- both in business as well as in their private lives. Therefore, Mina had started to take her old school friend Seongmin to official events. For some reason, a single, successful woman apparently didn’t fit into the norm of the world that she was operating in. So she faked to be in a relationship with Seongmin to fulfill their stereotypes. It was degrading and Mina didn’t know why she allowed the board members and business partners to have so much power over her.

“What am I even doing?”

She sighed frustrated, causing Seongmin to look at her in confusion.

Was this really the life that she wanted to live? Did she really want the be the board members’ and business partners’ puppet? Mina’s gaze fell on the dress that she was wearing, and she wondered whether the two of you would still be together if she hadn’t allowed the opinions of others to mess with her head.

“You are getting ready for the gala. Where you are going with me. Your date.”

Seongmin answered hesitantly, still not being able to make sense of Mina’s weird behavior. His words caused her to look at him and she suddenly felt how her annoyance took control over her. Your date. This was just wrong. She shouldn’t have to fake a relationship to please others. And even more so, she shouldn’t have to hide her real one. She could be a good CEO and a good girlfriend. Maybe it had taken her a while, but finally Mina knew what the right thing was to do.

“No, you’re not my date. I already have one.”

She replied before rushing back into her apartment to grab her shoes and her purse. When she came back to the front door, Seongmin was still standing there dumbfounded and she quickly pressed a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you for coming, Seongmin. But I don’t need your services tonight. You can go home.”

Mina smiled before running to the elevator. Her newfound determination suddenly washed away the lethargy from before and a wave of energy was electrifying her whole body. In lightning speed, she made her way to her car while calling the head of HR in hopes that the poor devil was still working.

“Ms. Myoui?”

He picked up the phone with uncertainty resonating in his voice, but Mina cut straight to the point, not having time for any explanations.

“Jinyoung, hi! Listen you have to do me a favor.”

She panted into the phone breathlessly while speeding out of the underground garage.

“You need to get me the address of an employee. The name is Y/N L/N.”

Jinyoung was audibly confused by Mina’s request and voiced concerns about confidentiality. But after repeating her request a second time in the sharp tone that made all her employees bow down to her, Mina could hear how Jinyoung typed something on his computer before sending her the address via text message.

“You are the best! Thank you!”

Without losing any more time, Mina hung up the phone and fed the address to her GPS that spit out the supposed shortest route to your apartment in return. Unfortunately, though, this time of day was not the best to drive from one part of the city to the other and Mina groaned loudly when she saw the time of arrival. Nevertheless, she didn’t let this little setback get her down and used the time that she was stuck in traffic to practice her apology in the rearview mirror instead. As soon as she was standing in front of your door, however, all her practice appeared to be useless. What if you didn’t want her back? She couldn’t resent you for that. The way that she had treated you in the past weeks had been absolutely unacceptable.

“Maybe I should come back another day?”

Mina mumbled to herself, remembering that she had learned in her years as CEO to never enter a negotiation unprepared. What were her arguments to convince you to take her back? What were her counterarguments for your accusations that you surely wouldn’t spare her? Before Mina could come up with a fitting strategy, however, the door to your apartment suddenly swung open and she found herself face-to-face with you. The moment your eyes met hers, your jaw dropped, and you stared at her with wide eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

You gasped, not seeming to have expected her in front of your door. Dumbfounded by your sudden presence, Mina opened and closed her mouth wordlessly in search for the right thing to say. Apologies weren’t her strong suit. Her reputation as ruthless and unapologetic CEO had gotten her where she was now. She wasn’t good at showing her vulnerable side. Therefore, before she knew it, her instincts took over and told her that there was only one applicable strategy right now: Offense is the best defense.

“I’m picking you up. We’re going on a date.”

Mina stated determined with her head held high, causing you to frown in confusion.

“No, we’re not.”

You scoffed, looking slightly offended. But Mina held her course.

“Yes, you are.”

She countered before brushing past you in order to walk into your apartment. For a second, she was disoriented in the unfamiliar surrounding but then she spotted her target and headed straight for your bedroom.

“W-wha... Do I get a say in this?”

You stuttered perplexed while watching how Mina rummaged your closet for something pretty for you to wear tonight.

“No.”

Mina simply answered as she pulled out a shirt that had looked like a perfect fit at first glance. But now that she was holding it in front of you, she didn’t really think that it highlighted your features that well, so she wanted to put it back into the closet. Before she could turn away from you again though, the utter look of disbelief in your face caused her to halt her movements.  Maybe this wasn’t the right strategy to demonstrate you that she was more than just a cold tyrant... How could she make the same mistakes over and over again? Disappointed in herself, Mina sighed before turning to you in order to switch her strategy.

“Of course, you have a say in this. But...I would appreciate it very much if you’d let me take you out on a date. I know I’ve behaved like the biggest asshole in the past weeks and I’m really, really sorry about that. But I know that I can do better. I think I forgot how to function like a normal human being over the years while making the company my top priority. But I don’t want to live like that anymore. I want to make you my priority too. You have made me so happy in the past weeks and I want to make you happy in return too from now on.”

She explained, trying to take off the cold and unapproachable mask that she had gotten so used to wearing in the past years.

“And how is that supposed to work? I know how much this company means to you...”

You countered, sounding sad and angry at the same time.

“You’re right, it means a lot to me and I will not lie and tell you that I will be a prefect girlfriend. Because I won’t. I will spend a lot of time in the company and I will not give you the attention that you deserve at all time. But I promise that I will never let my work life interfere with my private life again like I did before. I allowed the board members to have way too much power over me. But I don’t care what they are saying. I have a right to be with the person I love and...that’s you.”

Once again, you looked like you had just seen a ghost and Mina sheepishly turned her gaze to the floor because she felt way too vulnerable right now to stand the silence that followed her confession.

“I really can’t believe you. I’ve never met someone who has that many mood swings. You confuse me!”

You huffed frustrated and Mina slouched her shoulders.

“I’ve just decided to wish you to hell and now you come around, being all cute again and making my heart flutter.”

Angrily, you crossed your arms, but your words gave Mina hope and she looked at you expectantly.

“One. I give you one more chance to change my mind.”

You held your pointer finger up in the air and Mina squealed in joy, but you nudged her chest threateningly, causing her to contain herself again.

“I’m serious Mina. If you treat me unfairly one more time or if I feel that you will always choose the company over me, I’ll quit for real.”

Mina instantly nodded in agreement, knowing that she was completely undeserving of this chance.

“I promise, I’ll be better.”

She whispered as tears were choking her up. This relationship was far too precious to her; she would make sure not to mess it up this time. Maybe it would still take her some time to let all her guards down, but she was willing to let you take the lead. Insecurely, she looked at you, waiting for you to make the next call, afraid that she might patronize you again.

“Come here...”

You sighed eventually while opening your arms and Mina didn’t waste a second before crashing her body into yours. A few tears of joy rolled down her cheeks as she buried her head in the crook of your neck and savored the feeling of comfort that instantly washed over her again.

She would make sure to repay you forever for your change of mind.

[saphirered]

Hello! What do you think it would be like if Essek had a fire genasi S/o, like they're normal really calm and collected unlike most fire genasi but the times they do get really general angry it's like watching a volcano erupt! (Maybe they got angry cause Essek got hurt by someone?) Thank you!

Essek is so caught up in his work he doesn’t even hear you enter his laboratory. Papers are strewn about, books opened, some flat, some propped agains anything and everything for better readability. The sound of the metal nib of a fine pen moving across paper, the only constant in the room besides the occasional mutter to himself.

You knock on the door. No response. You call out his name. Nothing. You think whatever Essek’s working on must be very important to have him be so unaware of his surroundings. You notice Essek’s in his robe, shoes and a shirt given the mostly exposed lower arms. Did he not get dressed in the morning? Or did he simply never go to sleep? You’re not sure. Could be both. Could be either.

Since he’s not responding you simply approach. You place a hand on his shoulder, slide it down over his chest as you kiss his temple. You look over the pages out in front of him as he slowly becomes aware of your presence, leaning into your kiss.

“What are you up to?” You ask softly recognising some of the spells as the schematics of healing magic and to a lesser extend regeneration. Essek must have noticed your confusion as he quickly pulls from your grasp, begins to gather the papers and pile them together, closing the books as he goes.

“Nothing of importance. I did not hear you enter.” Essek gets up leaning against the desk and faces you with a smile reaching for you and pulling you closer to the point you no longer have visual on any of the papers and books. He’s definitely hiding something.

“I knocked, and called your name. You seemed to be pretty caught up in whatever you were working on.” You try to look past him but the moment you do his hand finds its way to your cheek brushing his thumb over it lovingly.

“My apologies. Shall we go somewhere else? I think I’ve been crammed up in this study long enough for today. Perhaps some fresh air will suit us both?” Essek suggest with a somewhat nervous laugh. You smile back at him and give him a kiss. If he’s not going to talk, you’ll find out yourself and you’re prepared to use whatever you can to get to the bottom of this.

Reaching for the stack of papers behind him once they are securely in your grasp you break the kiss taking several steps back and leaf through the notes before he can get to you. So not just healing magic… herbology, physiology and anatomy, manual healing, treating injuries, medicine, recipes for concoctions, ointments and potions to cure anything from bruises to broken bones, wounds and burns.

“Why the sudden interest in the art of healing?” You frown as the pages are snatched from your grasp and the drow holds them behind his back with an unreadable expression, head held high; the same one he uses whenever he’s dealing with any kind of official and none casual business.

“A sudden interest. I found myself with time to spare and decided to spend it learning until your return. And since you’re here, there’s no need to continue.” You notice the nervous smile break through again leaving you more leery of Essek. If he’s gonna play this game you’ll play along but last you remembered chess is a two player game and you’re not about to be tricked into making a certain move by the wizard.

“You misunderstand. I’m not judging your ‘sudden interest’ nor questioning your reasonings for wishing to study healing. However, last I remember you were the one to tell me healing magic is not exactly within your capabilities. I’m just curious.” You take a step closer to Essek and he steps back. You take another and close enough to the desk he puts the stack of paper back where it was before he steps back in towards you.

“There are some very capable healers among my friends and you are an exceptional one. I simply wish to learn the deeper meanings to the abilities they have at their fingertips and gain a better understanding of it.” You smile at him innocently. Such a liar. Such. A. Liar. Half truth if we’re being technical but deception nonetheless.

“Well then, I would leave you to your studies but I have missed you, Essek.” You kiss his cheek snaking one arm around his waist. You can see the panic in his eyes. Normally he’d happily indulge, return your affections without even a second of doubt. He pulls the robe around his torso a little closer as your free hand dances up his chest and over his shoulder.

The moment you reach his shoulder he grits his teeth, jaw tightening holding back a a whimper or a gasp as his entire posture freezes up. You quickly remove your hand and look at him worried. Essek gives you a look of defeat as you put a bit more space between the two of you, allowing you to move freely.

“Essek…” You all but threaten as you reach for the neckline of the robe. He has half the mind to stop you but refrains from doing so with a sigh as you push the fabric aside.

His shoulder and upper arm seem very much bruised, the bone slightly out of place. Seeing it continues over the top of his shoulder you turn him around inspecting his back too. Two deep cuts, luckily no longer bleeding mare the back of his shoulder. The injuries agitated, left untreated. Essek sighs deeply as you gasp at the sight.

“What happened?” You go over the outline of the open wounds, careful not to touch.

“Let’s just say the Martinet Daleth did not appreciate my comments on his personal relations very much.” Essek grits his teeth as you accidentally brush over a particularly painful area. You bite your lower lip keeping yourself from making a snarky remark but can’t prevent yourself from feeling the threads of control slip. How could he have done something so stupid? He’s aware how powerful those people are, not only that, in the position he is in, being less than friendly will not do him well in any circumstance when he doesn’t have any leverage anymore.

“Have you gone mad?!” That may have come out a little less… calm than you had hoped it would. Deciding to focus on the now and not all the things you may want to say, shout or scream, or actions you may want to take, you instead focus on healing the worst. You make sure the wounds are clean before they close up, reset the bone in the right position and allow the bruises to fade.

As your magic sets in and begins to work its wonders Essek lets out a breath of relief, rubbing at his priorly injured shoulder testing its movability. Nothing remains of the injuries and you’re able to contain the fire feel burning within your chest and throat. You take a few deep breaths as Essek thanks you.

Brushing Essek off, knowing the way well enough, you head for the component pantry. Essek follows behind you calling after you but out of fear of blowing up in his face you keep going and ignore him. You go over the shelves grabbing jars and vials as you go. You had to channel your anger somewhere so if this was going to be it, then so it be.

You had worked very hard to keep your own fury contained when it arose. You’re usually calm and collected even in the most dire of situations, but when someone comes for your friends, let alone lover, you will put the burning fires of the Nine Hells to shame, living up to the ‘hell hath no fury’ expression. It’s also a side you prefer to keep away from your loved ones if it can be avoided.

Normally a few deep breaths, counting to ten and another few deep breaths would do. In the rare cases that didn’t work you’d try occupying yourself with something else entirely. But now… you’re slipping. You can feel the rage burning within, so to the components you turn.

You pick up another vial inspecting it and Essek interrupts placing himself between you and your already gathered components.

“I don’t know what you’re planning but please, don’t do anything you’ll come to regret.” Essek practically begs. He takes the vial from your hand but drops it immediately, hissing in pain. The vial shatters as he waves his hand as if to cool it down. You push past him, gather the components and throw them into a sack as you leave the pantry. Essek quickly follows behind still clutching his hand to cool it down.

“Where are you going?” You stop, put on the most composed look you can and turn around to face him.

“I’m going to murder the leader of an infamous order of magic users. Now if you will excuse me, enjoy the rest of your day.” Words like poison. No more anger, just pure unrestrained hatred. You turn back around and continue your way towards the front door. You clench your fists feeling the burning heat gather within your palms.

“Don’t do anything stupid! You’ll get yourself killed!” Essek shouts after you but you keep walking. He calls your name. “Do not do anything stupid!” He repeats. You stop in your tracks feeling as if something inside of you just snaps. The last thread of your composure perhaps.

“Don’t do anything stupid? Anything stupid he says!” You throw your hands in the air.

“Like how you didn’t do anything completely and utterly stupid when you did what you did? How you lied to so many people, were the one responsible for so many terrible things. Or how you made choices ignoring the consequences of your actions?” You shout back, the ground beneath your feet’s temperature starts rising to the point where you are scorching the fine carpet beneath. Admittedly, your words are a low blow.

“You know what I meant!” Essek retorts getting closer to you, his frustrations also clear.

“Oh, I know what you meant but let’s no longer pretend you’re the only one you care about suffering from the consequences of your actions. Can you for just a moment just open your eyes and realise you have so many people around you who love you and would go to the ends of the earth for you. Can you just understand that when someone hurts you and threatens your livelihood, your life, that maybe that doesn’t sit well with me?” Unclenching your fists embers drift to the floor leaving more holes in the carpet.

“Why do you have to be so stupid!” Scorching heat radiates in the hallway as a brief rush of flame passes through the space like burning oil. Essek is quick enough to float and avoid the fire, but you watch it spread.

Essek’s face softens as he quickly puts the fire out. He goes to place his hand on your arm but feeling the heat of your skin before even making contact, he’s forced to refrain and his hand falls back to the side. He’s never seen you quite so driven by hatred and anger. It scares him in a way. He’s not afraid of you. He trusts you. But he is afraid that letting you go off on your own so driven by those negative emotions, allowing them to fester and grow, will not do anyone good, least of all you. He worries for your wellbeing, just like you have for his plenty of times before.

“I know I may have a hard time coming to terms with others’ affections towards me and may have made some stupid decisions but I beg of you, please, do not walk into a lions’ den unprepared carrying bait around your neck.” While the fury still burns in your eyes and your skin is still much hotter to the touch than it should be Essek is able to grasp your hand without burning himself.

“I must ask you to refrain from brutally murdering the Martinet… for now. His time will come, just as those who are loyal to him. Just not yet.” Essek strokes your cheek as your eyes soften, expression saddening.

“They hurt you still.” The words come out almost like a cry of frustration and sadness. Whether that be because of what had happened to Essek or from losing control like that you’re not one hundred percent sure but you guess the latter.

“They did, and I assume they will be a thorn in my side just a bit longer but, if that means I’ll have you at my side to eventually deal with them, I feel more comfortable for it, no matter how much I would love to see you set their pretentious ship ablaze, in retaliation, you yourself said, calculated moves are a necessity, especially now.” Essek had already made his peace with this, he only hopes you would see the same. Wrapping your arms around him hiding your face in his chest you compose yourself in a silent thank you as he returns your embrace, holding you until you pull back enough to see his face.

“I’m so sorry.” You whisper looking at the scorch marks all over. “I didn’t mean to… I never-”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Everyone breaks at some point. You’ve been there for me plenty of times. I’m glad I get to return the favour, regardless of the circumstances.” Essek looks around already mentally making a list of what to get replaced and what to get repaired.

“You can be quite intimidating in your fury.” He smiles at you and you raise an eyebrow.

“I guess…” You feel regretful for the damages done.

“I might have use for that in the future if you’d be willing.” You give Essek a look of disapproval.

“What? I would love to see you do this, in some other places with less than friendly people, who you’ve already deemed deserving of your wrath.” Essek laughs.

“So I can repay you for this? I can do that. But only in the most dire situations.” You poke an accusing finger at his chest laughing with him. You give him quick kiss.

“At least it was not my library, or the study.” Essek sighs as you gawk and swat his arm jokingly.

“Rude! But yes. Because I can see you being the one in a fiery rage should anyone ever damage your precious books.”