#pre-breakfast snacks

[gameo-archive]

"Straydenation shoutout plus Starbucks shenanigans 😂"

Brisbane Supernova, an Australian convention was recently, and a bunch of Straydenation got together one of the days, so thank you to you guys and Dead Boy Detectives as a whole for bringing us together. Thank you for making this the best November there's been in a long time.

What’s your favourite early morning pre-breakfast snack recommendations? Need ideas for when I'm up that early.

A brief primer on Straydenation.

[abirddogmoment]

i have a fish for the weekend 🐟

[psychiclaceration]

don't they know that i am alone in this bed house and head? don't they know she never fixes this but at least she makes me forget?? smh

[the-faramir]

Kitsune Meals

Food is very important to a kitsune, who will strive to eat several meals throughout the day such as:

Pre-Breakfast Snack (whatever's sitting around because breakfast is taking too long to prepare)

Breakfast (a hearty meal to start the day, meats, eggs, fruits, and breads)

Second Breakfast (coffee, pastries, sausages)

Elevenses (tea or coffee with biscuits/cookies)

Brunch (a combination of all food types, usually with eggs, sometimes with booze)

Luncheon (the hearty midday meal, can involve big sandwiches)

Afternoon Tea (tea, savory sandwiches, sweet cakes)

Dinner (typically meat, potatoes, and vegetables)

Supper (a light meal, usually a bowl of soup)

Fourthmeal (crunchy, chewy, cheesy, melty)

Midnight Snack (once again, whatever's sitting around)

Of course, in-between-meal snacks are always welcome.

[autistic-shaiapouf]

Trying out that "no buy 2025" I've seen people talking about and recalling how much I saved in november after the hurricane blew up my car and starting to feel confident

[from-the-stars-to-the-moon]

OOOR WAS IT GOD WHO CHOKES IN THEEESE SITUATIONS, RUNNING LATE?? OH NO HE CALLED INNNNN-

ORR WAS IT GOD WHO CHOKES IN THESE SITUATIONS, RUNNING LATE? OH NO HE CALLED IN~

The hospice is a relaxing weekend getaway where you’re a cut above all the rest- (slight beat drop)(cue the headbops)

Sick and sad patients on first name basis with all the top physiciaaaaaannnssssss…

BUM BUM BUM BUM BUM BUM BADABUM-

(BEAT DROP)(CUE THE DANCING)

PRESCRIBED PILLSSSS

[hiyapandanurse]

The verse of Nails for Breakfast Tacks for Snacks is actually what my brain sounds like

[bangjiazheng]

Banana Benefits 🍌 – The Ultimate Energy Booster

Banana Benefits 🍌 – The Ultimate Energy Booster

Bananas are not only delicious but packed with essential nutrients that make them a fantastic daily snack or breakfast option. Here’s why bananas are worth adding to your diet : Key Benefits : Rich in Potassium : Supports heart health and helps regulate blood pressure. Great Energy Source : The natural sugars and carbs give a quick energy boost, perfect for pre or post workout High in Fiber : Supports digestion and keeps you feeling full. Mood Enhancer : Contains tryptophan, which can help improve mood and reduce stress. Nutrition Facts (per medium banana) : Calories: ~105 Potassium: 422 mg Vitamin C: 17% of the Daily Value (DV) Vitamin B6: 22% of the DV Magnesium: 8% of the DV Fiber: 3g Whether in smoothies, on top of yogurt, or as a quick snack, bananas are an all around winner for health and taste 🍌

BananaBenefits #HealthyEating #NutrientRich

[gojosprettyprincess]

TOJI N MEGUMI’S SWEET GIRLFRIEND!!!

Tw - Cheating, breeding kink, forbidden relationship. Megumi is 20 n reader is a bit older, Brief Toji x reader. Not proofread

★彡

Imagine Megumi walking around the house shirtless, exposing every inch of his skin from his hips up, His smooth skin glistening under the warn-toned light as he walked into the kitchen for a snack but then Toji spots the fresh series of red, angry lines scattered across his upper back. He’s not dumb, he’s a grown man in his early 40s, he’s basically an expert at that shit considering the fact that he has them too. He knows exactly what it is and what caused it.

He starts teasing Megumi about it, about how his boring, grumpy ass is actually getting some pussy—not knowing that the pussy he’s getting is his sweet little girlfriend’s while he’s away on missions, absolutely oblivious to what happens between his son and girlfriend while he’s not there. The harsh markings from your sharp manicured nails mauling his son’s toned back as he fucked your slutty brains out and digs his cock deep into your insides while giving you one of the best dicking of your life, right on top of you and Toji’s bed.

–––

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the same sweet girlfriend of his that wakes up at 5am sharp to make breakfast and see him off to his 3-day mission just to have his son’s throbbing hard dick nestled deep into your greedy cunt—stuffing you full to the brim while his tip nudges against the deepest part of your pussy just a few hours later.

Megumi was three years younger than you, never had a girlfriend before and you felt bad for the poor boy and was soo tired and annoyed of having to keep buying new panties since the old ones were used to wrap around his preverted cock to jerk off, staining it with his seed instead of doing you and his father’s laundry so you had to find a way to deal with it…

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the same sweet girlfriend he calls every evening while he's away to make sure you’re alright and if you’ve eaten dinner, not knowing that his son is eating dinner right now—behind you, on this knees as his rough hands spreads your soft cheeks apart, nose pressed deep into your creamy folds while he sucks on your twitching little clit with fervor and intensity, sending waves of pleasure radiating through your body.

Your juices drips down his chin disgustingly as he devours you like a homeless man eating his favorite meal for the first time in years, groaning vibrantly against your twitching core as he tastes your sweet pussy—desperately lapping up every bit of pussy juice he can suck out of you, making you audibly stutter but Toji doesn’t question it, maybe you’re just tired and miss him too much or something. You bit your lips, moving a hand down to push Megumi’s eager face further into your horny pussy as you teasingly wiggled your cheeks in his face. Your eyes roll back when you felt Megumi’s sly tongue dragging flat against your asshole, licking a long stripe at the fluttery hole before attempting to pry it open with the tip of his tongue, “Mmm, don’t worry baby I’m fine—just have a sore throat that’s all” you reassumed your older boyfriend on the other end, reasoning why you’re making odd noises.

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the same sweet girlfriend he calls Megumi for—to check up and make sure you’re safe and okay. After all, while Toji is away, Megumi is the man of the house, not knowing that you’re on your knees as they speak, both hands digging into his muscular legs for stability as he fucks his thick cock deep into your skull, his leaking tip oozing with pre-cum, dripping at the back of your throat as you look up at him with pleading eyes as your mascara mixed with tears drips down your pretty face while he just smiles down at you darkly—reassuring Toji that his girlfriend is well taken care of.

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the same sweet girlfriend who he promises to breed, babbling about how much he wants to give Megumi a sibling and watch your belly swell with his kid as he’s pounding you deep and hard in full Nelson, his huge tip nudging against your bruised cervix, brutally splitting apart your cunt while whispering into your ear. “Hah—fuckkk doll, your tight pussy is swallowing my dick so good, fuckk imagine if I fill you up and breed this pretty little pussy with my seed, How does that sound darling? Wanna give lonely Megumi a sibling to take care of?” He questions your fucked out self as he licks away the trail of salty tears lingering on your face. Not knowing that Megumi is just like him. Their minds are sooo alike. “Shitshitshit—such a good little horny slut, this pussy’s taking my cock sooo well baby. Whaddya say we make old man Toji a grandpa? Fuck he wouldn’t even have a clue it’s not his” he laughs into your ears as he licks your earlobe while drilling his swollen cock into your soppy cunt from behind, against the kitchen counter just 20 minutes before toji gets home.

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the same sweet girlfriend who gets her sweet cunt and tight asshole stuffed full with his son’s seed almost every other day. Megumi would brutally fucked your tight pussy against the bathroom sink while he’s taking a nap, your panties bearly hanging around the sides of your ankles as Megumi manhandles your body back onto his cock—forcing you to meet his thrust halfway as he pounds it into you, he's so girthy and big, definitely not as big as Toji’s but it’s definitely a lot more stiff and eager, his tip bullyingly grazes against your g-spot as you cried out, making him grunt before quickly slapping a hand over your mouth to shut you up. “Can’t a nasty whore shut the fuck up? Or do you want him to wake up and see you creaming on his son’s cock? Is that what you want? Such a cock-hungry little slut.”

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the same sweet girlfriend that he buys sexy lingerie for, to wear and model them for him and he finishes off the show by ripping them to shreds off of you and fucking you into a brainless whore—but like father, like son, Megumi does the exact same when he’s not there. It’s like they both think alike when it comes to certain things—that being sex. No wonder sometimes some of them tend to go “missing” leading him to buy you even more for his son Megumi to fuck you in. He loves seeing you all dolled up with your matching pink panties and bra. It makes both of them absolutely feral.

જ⁀➴ The “pussy” he’s getting is from the adoring girlfriend who he fucks absolutely stupid and good, to the point where your toes curled as your eyes roll back to your skull—a moaning mess as he forces out orgasms after orgasms out to you till the whole mattress is drenched and soaked with cum. The only (downside?) would be Megumi hearing everything from the next room, brows furred together has he angrily fist fuck his pulsating cock, imagining he was the one drilling deep into you instead. The next day he’d corner you while your sitting on the couch and manhandle your body so you’ll be face down and ass up—stuffing three thick, long fingers into your tight asshole, stretching it apart while he snakes his tongue deep into your hungry pussy—exploring your insides. Your asshole taking in his fingers with pure pleasure as you buckle your hips back onto his face, like a whore—eagered for more.

[vrystalius]

Not saying “I love you“ back to the Squid game men.

How will they react if you don‘t say it back? In what scenario would they not say it back to you?

Pairing: The Recruiter, Thanos, Nam-gyu, Dae-ho, Gi-hun, In-ho x gn!reader

Summary: Them not saying “I love you“, their reaction to you not saying “I love you“

Genre: fluff, a lil bit of angst sprinkled on top

If you’re interested, here’s more fluff! Calling the Squid Game men some weird petnames and their reaction to it!

(Pre-Squid game)

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

Gong Yoo // The Recruiter // The Salesman

♡— Him not saying I love you…

It barely ever happens, really. He adores everything about you, from your face, voice, body and the ground you walk on; that man is ready to worship you like a devoted follower would to the most merciful goddess. Therefor he would always be aware of how to make your day a little better, even if it‘s just a small “I love you” or a gentle kiss here and there.

The first thing you hear from him in the morning is a groggy voice mumbling a small “Good morning love...” into your ear while warm kisses were trailed down your back.

While standing in the kitchen and searching the fridge for any signs of a tasty breakfast, a small “I love you, I‘ll be back later!“ would echo slightly through the apartment as the front door closed.

Once, he did forget to say his usual I love you on the way out. He thought about how he possibly could forget? You‘re probably overthinking everything now and think what you might‘ve done wrong or do to offend him. You didn‘t, though! He was just too caught up in perfecting his appearance because his damn hair refused to obey and submit to his meticulous styling.

The poor man was almost scared to come home. As some sort of peace offering, he bought some of your favorite take-out food alongside some dessert, flowers and a new bracelet he thought you might like. Anything to try and make you know that he does really love you.

“Apologies, it completely slipped my mind. It will never happen again my sunshine. I love you.”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

♡— You not saying I love you back…

His face may be neutral and his expressions calculated but his features soften up immensely when you show even an ounce of affection. His smirk shifts into a dreamy smile, the crinkles around his mouth shifting and becoming bigger, his eyes twinkling just a little. He just can’t suppress when you even look at him.

Your kisses and words energise him, gift him life, so whenever you don’t give him that little boost of dopamine, he gets visibly more tense in a way.

The silence that followed after his usual “I love you my darling, I’ll be back later!” was almost eerie to him. He stuck his head back into the kitchen to check if you even heard him. You glanced back at him for a moment and gave your husband a dismissive head nod. So you did hear him?

Silently, he left the apartment and went on with his usual day during that time of the year. For some reason, today he is especially looking forward to slap his elders for loosing a damn children’s game. His face remained neutral and had his usual smirk on his face, but deep inside, he’s offended, confused, worried, stressed; all the negative emotions someone can feel after their spouse doesn’t reincorporate ones affection.

Do you want a divorce? Because hell no, he’d never let you go no matter how hard you

But once he got a little text message on his phone that read a simple: “Need cuddles in bed later pls. Got some snacks too. Love you.”, all of his worries washed away in an instant. You probably were still too sleepy to answer this morning.

A smile spread over his face as he thought about slipping into your arms tonight. Isn’t it ridiculous how he melt like putty in your hands?

“You forgot something this morning and it did worry me a lot. But it doesn’t matter, it’s silly anyway.”

Thanos // Su-bong // Player 230

♡— Him not saying I love you…

It’s actually quite rare to hear Thanos say “I love you” word for word. He still feels awkward committing himself to the relationship you have and those three magic words feel so heavy on his tongue, so he’ll rephrase them to suit his level of comfort. “Love ya”, “Thanos loves you” and “Me too” are his ways to dodge the action to reincorporate those sweets words you shower him with.

Thanos only really says “I love you” if you two are alone, sober and you holding him in your arms. To be cradled by someone he admires, cares and loves so much makes him want to cry for some reason, but he suppresses those emotions and instead buries his face in your shoulder as your hand soothingly runs up and down his back.

Those are the times you hear a small “I love you…” being mumbled against your warm skin.

So quiet it’s almost unnoticeable, yet it was there. You know Su-bong needs time to get used to everything, so you’ll settle with a small audio message-rap in reply to your usual “I love you” text message.

“Back to the kitty ‘cause she kinda pretty, I can’t stop looking at her ti- ti- ti-face.. Anyways, thinking of you babygirl. Iloveyatoo.” (You barely caught him saying this the way how quietly he mumbled it into the mic)

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

♡— You not saying I love you back…

It’s fine. It’s cool. You don’t have to reassure him every day that you love him, it’s totally fine. You still love him like you did the day before.

It causes a deep panic inside of Thanos when you don’t give him his usual “I love you” text in the morning after he had woken up. He kept checking his phone like a madman, while he was brushing his teeth, peeking his arm and head out of the shower in the middle of shampooing, staring at his text messages while microwaving himself an convenience store meal. Nothing.

Not wanting to reach out first and appear clingy, he decided to write you like he is not having a full blown eternal panic attack. A small voice message here, a picture of his food there, a selfie from the bottom to show off his double chin, anything really.

You replied like normal but still, his eyes searched for the three key words. I. Love. You.

Thanos doesn’t want to admit to himself or to anyone for that matter that your calls, texts, hell, you coming over is like the most addictive drug to him. And he had his share of all kinds of colourful drugs.

His foot was nervously tapping the ground while his finger kept ringing your poor doorbell until you were forced to answer. He gave you a close look up and down, his lips formed into a pout of sorts.

“You okay? You didn’t text me you love me this morning. It’s totally cool and all but like… do you want to break up with me or something?”

Nam-gyu // Player 124

♡— Him not saying I love you…

Similar to Thanos, at first, Nam-gyu barely ever told you how much he loved you, liked you even. He just assumed you already knew and his actions were enough. A small side hug there and ruffling your hair here had to be enough for the rest of the week anyway.

He is guarded, afraid of commitment and to be frank in belief that you’re using him for the longest of time. Maybe you’re just “dating” him to get access to high-end drugs, all kinds of clubs or whatever else reason there is there to date him but for love.

You had to say those three magic words first for him to get comfortable with the thought that you are actually just want to date and love him. It came to him in the middle of a night shift at a random club he was supposed to promote. A moment of enlightenment.

Nam-gyu hid in a bathroom stall with his phone and ignored whatever the couple was doing next door, writing you a whole paragraph about what he was thinking, feeling, before deleting everything again because he thought he’d come off as some kind of pussy if he’d sent that.

His first time telling you how much he loved you was at your place. A casual evening watching some random movie you picked out while being arms deep in a bag of chips and dressed like a homeless person, Nam-gyu was staring up at you as if you were the most beautiful person in the universe even during this ungraceful moment of yours, admiring you in silence until finally…

“I love you.”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

♡— You not saying I love you…

Did he fuck up again? Do or say something wrong? Don’t you love him anymore? Was there someone else?? His thoughts go ballistic as he stared at the screen of his phone with a deadpan-expression, trying to shake the crippling fear and nervousness off while looking nonchalant.

Nam-gyu’s finger kept hovering over the call button to check on you in case something happened because there could be a whole other person talking to him by how there were no affirmations at all.

He doesn’t want to appear clingy or too attached to you as that may scare you off or even disgust you, so Nam-gyu’s casually mention that one time you didn’t say “I love you” while fidgeting with his ring, trying to appear indifferent about it while intensely watching your facial expression shift to try and detect if you’re lying about your reasoning or not.

Your boyfriend is afraid to not be good enough, too much, too little. Your little affirmations give him reassurance, every day a little more until he’s full convinced that you do really, really love him.

“Hey, uhhh. Did you forget anything today?… No? You sure? Mkay.”

Dae-ho // Player 388

♡— Him not saying I love you…

Never happens. Either he is dead and not able to reply to you or already said it multiple times throughout the day. Dae-ho has separation anxiety and gets nervous when he doesn’t have you in line of his sight or not around him in general, that’s why he always tells you how much he loves you whenever he can.

Off to the bathroom? I love you. Bringing the trash out? I love you. Getting dressed? You’re gorgeous and I love you. You could be simply existing and Dae-ho would bury his face in your neck and mumble a soft I love you into your warm skin, his lips planting a soft kiss here and there.

Dae-ho is just a little scared about saying his usual affirmation in front of his family, mostly his father. He’s a very affectionate and physical man but he still wants to look like the tough-marine-son his dad wants to see.

His sisters know better though, they see how their brother’s eyes twinkle in delight when you help his mom out in the kitchen with the dinner.

He does make it up to you after coming home though. Your boyfriend will stuff the leftovers his mom gave him into the microwave and usher to you made yourself comfortable on the couch while he makes some preparations to completely pamper you for the rest of the evening.

Sometimes Dae-ho’ll even try to flirt a little but he’s still a little awkward in that department.

“Hey, do you want some snacks with that? A drink? O-Or am I enough of a snack…?”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

♡— You not saying I love you…

Every time Dae-ho tells you that he loves you, you always reply with equal enthusiasm. How could you not? That golden retriever of a man gets that almost childish smile of his whenever you kiss his cheek or just tell him that he looks handsome today.

Once, you tested how he’d react when you don’t give him his hourly dose of dopamine by deflecting or ignoring his touches.

As his arms securely snaked around your waist and gently pulled you against his torso, you paid him no mind and continued to stir the ramen in the food container. He watched the noodles move in circles and gave your waist a gentle poke, trying to pull your attention to him. Dae-ho’s eyes slowly dimmed and the edges of his smile turned downwards.

The silence made him seriously nervous. You could feel his rapidly increasing heartbeat drum against your back.

“Hey… is everything okay? Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry. Can you talk to me?…”

Gi-hun // Player 456 (post s1)

♡— Him not saying I love you…

Gi-hun always reassures you of his love, even during arguments. He wants you to know that he cherishes and loves you for the rest of his life and that you are his everything. Whenever he doesn’t say I love you, something must’ve happened.

He has been missing for a whole week and you had no idea where your boyfriend went. Gi-hun didn’t leave a note, a voice mail, no nothing!

And after he returned and suddenly began giving you expensive gifts, the same boyfriend that used to ask you for money to get himself an convenience store dinner, now began buying you new headphones, bracelet and whatever else you even eyed.

It was nice, sure, but you were more worried about his mental state. He was paranoid and quiet, kept checking his whole body for some kind of tracker and barely ever spoke what was on his mind. Gi-hun began having panic attacks and you were barely able to leave his side because of how terrified he was to leave you alone.

He barely touched you, gave you kisses or affection. He changed after whatever happened during that week he went missing.

While running your fingers through his hair, trying to make him fall asleep after being awake for two days straight, he sleepily stared up at you through his dyed-red hair. His voice was quiet, broken almost.

“I’m sorry. Please… know that I love you. I love you so much.. Don’t leave me, please… please...”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

♡— You not saying I love you back…

Your boyfriend called out to you but you didn’t quite hear what he said, so you replied with an “yeah!” and just hoped that that’s an appropriate response to whatever he tried to tell or ask you. It wasn’t.

Gi-hun stood there for a couple of moments, waiting on your reply to yelling “I love you!” across the whole apartment. When nothing came, he didn’t call out to you again. You were probably busy with something or don’t want him with your right now, he gets that.

Later though, thoughts of self-doubt began to cook up inside his mind. As he bit all his nails to shreds he overthought about how you had enough of him now. Maybe you are falling out of love now after how the death games fucked up his mind and body. You’re surely fed up with his paranoia and secretive behaviour, how much he has been obsession over finding a weird salesman. Surely.

The metallic taste that spread inside his mouth after biting the skin surrounding his nails began to open and bleed finally pulled Gi-hun out of his self-destructive thoughts that continued to circle like a toy train. Picking up his throwaway phone and choosing the one contact he saved on every single burner phone he had as “Reason to smile ❤️” and pressing the call button.

“Gi-hun? What’s wrong?” Your voice forced a small smile to form on his face. He hesitated

“Hey. Just wanted to ask if I should bring some take out home tonight. That’s all.”

In-ho // The Frontman // Player 001

♡— Him not saying I love you…

It’s purely just to tease you. When bored, In-ho will make you his greatest entertainment.

He likes making you annoyed and flustered, so he’ll intentionally ignore you just to make you react and pout at him adorably while he was trying so hard to keep his stone cold face and not break into a shit-eating grin and maybe even pull on your cheek to make you whine even more.

In-ho adores your whole being and cherishes all of your affections, so he’ll let himself get showered in them any tome he can.

Expect you to he cuddled up on his lap while he was leaning back in the leather chair, mumbling a complaint about how you covered his whole face in kisses but managed to miss the bridge of his nose. He will not allow you to move off his lap until you covered his whole face in kisses again as compensation for that mistake of yours.

So, In-ho’ll intentionally not give you affection so you pay even more attention to him. He is like a cat in that way weirdly enough.

Once you finally break his facade, the flood gates will open and you will be showered, bathed, drowned in his affection, physical and verbal.

“Fine. I’ll say it just because you’ve been so good to me today. I love you, my dearest, lovely darling.”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳

♡— You not saying I love you back…

In-ho has a dedicated frequency on his walkie-talkie for you, so he can call in and ask you to come to his office for a kiss that cannot wait, to inform you that he is in the bedroom and retiring for the day or just to tell you that he loves you randomly throughout the day.

Of course, you’d always reply back with your own gadget, but to pay back his infinite teasing he has done to you, you decided to ignore him the way he sometimes does to you. Payback.

Your husband called into your frequency. “Dove, are you free right now? Come to my office, I miss you.” and so your game begins. You simply ignored his request and continued getting comfortable in your bed and all the sheets surrounding you, grinning to yourself as you awaited the next time In-ho calls in again, for which you don’t have to wait long for.

“Darling, I am waiting. Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?” Your grin widened as you heard how impatient he was slowly getting with the lack of your response. “I can see you in the bedroom.” That one caught you off guard. Did he install cameras in your shared bedroom??

Almost on cue, your bedroom door opened, revealing the masked Frontman. His shoulders were tense and you could feel his intense state through the mask. You stared back, not expecting how quickly your husband would cave in and visit you himself. Innocently, you batted your lashes at him.

In-ho slipped his mask off and carelessly tossed it on the nightstand. “Why are you ignoring me? Are you upset or just moody?” Unimpressed, you silently glared at him. He gave you an equally uninterested look and leaned down to your face to give you a small peck on your cheek. “Not enough. More.”

A chuckle escaped his lips as his lips cracked into a smile.

“Demanding, aren’t we? Fine. As you wish.”

💠

Author’s note. Thank you for reading <3

Watch me announce that I’m going to post In-ho’s yandere profile and proceed to get hit with the most ungodly group-assignment in Chemistry. Anyways, take this as an apology! Had to write a little fluff for them since the only thing I’m finding is smut 🙏😭 I’m not complaining but this fluff prompt came to me like a truck during a class of mine. It was originally inspired by this post and I made a similar one before for the Demon Slayer hashira. Check it out if you’re interested!!

Anyways, make sure to EAT, SLEEP and DRINK enough!!

Take care of yourselves <33

[stevesgother]

Chalkboard Hearts - S.H

Pairing - KindergartenTeacher!Steve Harrington x Fem!Mom!Reader

WC - 4.3k

Contains - strangers to friends to lovers, slowburn, so much fluff, teacher!steve and mom!reader. No descriptions are given of reader or abbey, other than that abbey has curly hair, steve and reader are the same age (about 24-25), set early-mid 90's

AN - i don’t write for kids often so i hope this reads well and is realistic. i don’t have a clear end for this series in mind, so i’m gonna keep writing it for as long as y’all want it :) feel free to send requests for blurbs for this AU if you so wish and as always, thank you - emma

“Moooooom,”

You hear a tiny voice whisper in your ear. Most mornings started this way, if not all of them. Whoever said getting children out of bed in the morning was difficult had clearly never met Abbey. Every day you peeled your tired eyes open to see the miniature version of them staring back at you, the only difference being they were much wider, and lacking the distinct fog of leftover sleep.

Today her hair was sticking up in all different directions; frizzy curls here and tangled knots there. Your daughter takes after you in many ways, one being that she’s an active sleeper and it shows when she wakes up. Her bed was always disheveled; embroidered blankets strewn across her bedroom floor and little red lines indented in her cheeks where they had been smushed against her pillow.

“Mornin’ Ab,” you say, voice gravelly with disuse. “Have you made your bed yet?” you eye her suspiciously.

You know she hasn’t and she confirms as much when she spins on her heel and dashes for her room down the hall. Truthfully, you couldn’t care less if her bed was made or not, it was merely a guise to buy you a few extra minutes of peace and quiet each morning.

︵୨୧︵

When she doesn’t reappear, you assume she’s gotten distracted and decide to make your way downstairs to scrounge for something to eat. You never ate breakfast before you had Abbey; either for lack of time or because the smell of food so early in the morning made you nauseous. Eating three meals a day was just one bullet point on the long, running list of changes in your routine since becoming a mother.

Two bowls of Frosted Flakes were set out on the table after deciding there was no time for anything more nutritious.

“Abbey!” You call, “Breakfast!” 

You hear the sounds of sniffling and small feet padding on hardwood as she enters the kitchen– pouting. You try not to gape at the utter monstrosity of an outfit she's put on. She whines, “I don’t know what I want to wear!”

You sense a meltdown coming already, on today of all days. Pre-school was easy, as Abbey was a fairly agreeable kid. Or at least she used to be. Lately it felt like you had to battle her about anything and everything. 

“You look so beautiful, Ab!” you reassure her, attempting to deescalate the impending tantrum. She has on pink corduroy pants and a frilly forest green blouse. For accessories she’s sporting a chunky plastic necklace that definitely came with a dress-up kit, along with a tutu. You have no idea where the tutu came from.

Eventually she decides not to fight you, at least not on her outfit. However, as she climbs into the kitchen chair, she scowls down at the soggy cereal in front of her and asks in the most darling tone she can muster,

“Can I have Scooby fruit snacks instead?”

“How about I pack some in your lunchbox today and you can eat them at snack time?” you try to barter.

Sneaking a glance at the clock, it mocks you with its unforgiving hands– you’re going to be late and your daughter will have skipped supposedly the most important meal of the day. Some mother you are.

“But I want them right now!” Her petite fists bang against the wooden table and she’s a heap of dramatics wriggling in her chair.

“Hey, what did we talk about? Yelling is not nice, even when we’re frustrated. Right?” She acknowledges you with a teary nod along with more crying and petulant moaning that can be heard as you run to the bathroom and grab a hairbrush with two bows. When you return, she’s still moping over her breakfast, but taking bites nonetheless. A win is a win.

You begin detangling the mess of knots and snarls at the back of her head. “Ouch, Mommy!” she cries when you try to comb through a particularly tangled section.

You place one of your hands over the crown of her head like a claw in a poor attempt at keeping her from squirming, “The more you move the longer it takes, sweetheart,” 

“Hmph.” she pouts, folding her arms over her chest. When all is said and done, your daughter has her hair parted and tied into two high pigtails, secured with little pink bows, and you’re rushing her out of the front door with haste.

︵୨୧︵

In all the hubbub, you realize you’ve barely gotten yourself ready. Reaching over to buckle Abbey into her carseat, she asks,

“When can I sit up front with you?”

“When you’re this many,” You hold out both your hands to display all ten fingers.

She mimics you with her own smaller fingers, “Ten?”

“That’s right!” You smack a kiss on the crown of her head as you pull back, she smells like her strawberry scented shampoo.

“Watch your feetsies,” you warn and she tucks her legs unnecessarily far into her chest as you close the door. 

The ride is filled with the usual nonsensical ramblings of a five-year-old. She beams back at you through the rearview mirror, eyes sparkling and nodding fervently when you ask if she’s excited to make some new friends today. Your social butterfly, the complete antithesis of you. 

The elementary school is only a few miles from your home, and before you know it you’re circling a crowded parking lot and preparing to drop your only child off for her first day of kindergarten. The rush of emotions you feel are indecipherable, something like a mix of somberness, excitement, relief, and anxiety.

As you walk towards the front of the building, you’re surrounded by dozens of kids aged five through twelve greeting their teachers and saying ‘Hello’ to friends they haven’t seen all summer. The teachers are holding laminated signs that indicate their name and what grade they teach; thank God for that. Abbey’s little fist squeezes around your index finger and you can tell she’s becoming nervous, despite her previous unbridled anticipation.

“Hey, it’s okay,” You assure, “Look, I think that’s your teacher right there,” you point towards a tall, brunette man standing near the double doors.

A shy smile tugs at the corners of her lips when she sees the teacher in question. He’s dressed in a striped button-down shirt and khakis, with a lanyard dangling from his front pocket; the typical teacher attire.The sign he’s holding reads, ‘Mr. Harrington’ and just below that, ‘Kindergarten’ with a little cartoon apple printed next to his name. He looks young compared to the rest of the staff, closer to your own age. This must be his first year teaching.

As you approach him, Abbey treks in front, eager to meet him. Her backpack is adorned with sparkly butterflies and it covers nearly her entire torso; bumping the backs of her knees with every step she takes.

The man crouches down to her level and greets her, “Hey there,” he offers a warm smile, “what’s your name?”

“Abbey,” she says timidly, twiddling her fingers and flashing a toothy grin at him. She doesn’t bother with her last name, honestly you’re not positive that she even knows it.

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Abbey,” he holds a gentle hand out for her to shake and she does so hesitantly, “My name’s Mr. Harrington, and I’m going to be your teacher this year. How does that sound?” The way he’s so patient and attentive with her stirs something within you that you haven’t felt in years, but he’s a teacher, for goodness sake. He looks up then, locking eyes with you and rising back to his full height.

This time, it’s your turn to shake his hand. “I’m Steve.”  He flashes you a smile directly out of a Colgate ad and you hope you’re not blushing as much as you feel like you are.

You must look nervous because he immediately assures you that Abbey’s in good hands this year. “We’re having an open house tonight, I hope to see you both there,”

You glance at your daughter, “What’d you think, Ab? That sound fun?”

“Yes!” She squeals and almost falls over from the weight of her backpack.

“Okay then,” With that, you crouch down to give Abbey one final hug. It’s clear that she’s itching to go socialize with the other kids, so you try not to delay her with your sappiness.

“Be good today, okay?” you give her a tight squeeze and a smacking kiss on her little cheek, “I’ll be back to get you at two-forty-five.”

“What will the clock say?” She asks inquisitively. Her favorite question.

“It’ll say ‘two-four-five’,” She nods in understanding, “But I bet you’ll be having so much fun that you won’t even remember to look.”

She’s already on her way to the door when she calls, “Love you, mommy!” and blows you a kiss with her lips puckered. You blow her one back and fight the tears threatening to surface. When did she get so big?

A pang of insecurity settles in your chest when you chance a look around and see all the children accompanied by two parents. You begin the walk back to your sedan before the thought has a chance to fester.

︵୨୧︵

Six hours goes by alarmingly fast when it’s spent running around your house in a frenzy, trying to catch up on all the cleaning you aren��t able to do when there’s a rampant five-year-old on the loose, making a brand new mess where you just cleaned an old one.

Before you can even register the time has passed, it's two o’clock and you need to pick Abbey up in a mere forty five minutes. Looking around your house, you feel satisfied with the progress you were able to make on tidying and call it a day.

This time, you decide to try and appear more presentable before visiting the school, and firmly remind yourself that it has nothing to do with how flustered your daughter’s kindergarten teacher makes you. By the time you’re dressed and have pulled your hair up into a halfway decent top knot; it’s time to go.

︵୨୧︵

The line for pickup wraps around the front of the building, aided by crossing guards and supervised by a few teachers. Twenty minutes into waiting, you regret not having gotten here a little sooner. ‘Tomorrow’ you think. Soon, you catch sight of two little pigtails bobbing up and down as your Abbey skips over to you, grinning ear to ear while Steve watches from the doors she just exited.

“Mommy!” she shouts as she bounds towards you. You place the car in park and run around to greet her.

“Hi, Bug!” you exclaim as you bend at the waist to pick her up. She gives you a tight squeeze around the neck, and you catch a split second of Steve’s gaze over her shoulder before he’s disappearing back inside the school

Plopping her as gently as possible into her carseat and fastening the straps over her chest, her mouth is already moving a mile a minute– absolutely ecstatic to tell you all about the activities she got up to while you were gone.

“What is ‘open house’ ?” she asks, kicking her feet like she can’t possibly contain all the excitement inside her little body.

“It’s just a chance for all the mommies and daddies to meet your teachers,” you explain, “And you get to show me around your new school, fun right?”

Her face lights up like a christmas tree at the prospect, “Are we gonna go?!”

“Yes, but first we have to eat dinner. What sounds good?”

Without missing a beat, she yells a little too loudly, “McDonalds!”

You want to say yes, of course you do, but your shifts at the ER barely cover the minimum of your living expenses. Your resolve begins to crumble, however, when she looks at you with those saucer-round eyes, and her bottom lip juts out in the most precious pout. Who knew she could be so harmlessly manipulative?

“I don’t know, Ab. I think we have some chicken nuggets in the freezer at home, though,” you say, with an air of hopefulness that she might accept the compromise.

“Not the same,” she whines, “Please, Mommy! I’ll be extra extra good please–”

And with that, it’s over.

“Okay! Okay, fine,” you feign annoyance through a smile, “We’ll stop on the way home,”

You can still hear her squeals of excitement when you close the door and walk around to the driver's seat.

︵୨୧︵

Abbey dresses a little more cohesively for the open house than she did this morning. This time she’s clad in a thrifted pair of overalls overtop a little purple blouse. She leads you, hand in hand, inside the school like she knows exactly where she’s going– despite only having spent six hours here.

Steve’s classroom looks exactly how you’d expect. The walls are a light, mint green and it’s as if a character from Sesame Street threw up all over it. Abbey leads you to a reading nook in the corner of the room, surrounded by books and complete with several bean bag chairs, and proclaims this is her favorite spot. She shows you where her desk is– right in the very front of the classroom– and on it, a laminated sticker with her first and last name sits neatly near the top. The walls are lined with colorful letters in alphabetical order, accompanied with numbers just underneath them.

“Abbey!” you hear a familiar voice call, “I’m glad you and your mom could make it!” turning to you then, “I’m actually not sure I ever caught your name,” he chuckles awkwardly, clearly embarrassed by the fact that he doesn’t know it yet.

“Oh, it’s–” and before you get the chance to tell him, Abbey pipes up and tells him your first and last name with a confidence that she certainly didn’t have when it came to her own introduction this morning. You’re relieved that she feels so comfortable around him already.

He repeats your name back to you and holds out his hand for you to shake, “It’s nice to meet you,” You pay no mind to the way your heart beats a little faster in its cage at the sound of your name on his lips. His palm is surprisingly soft when you grasp it in your own.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” you grant him a polite smile, “Abbey could not stop talking about you on the way home,” you pinch her side, teasing, and she giggles in that contagious way that kids do.

“Is that so?” he feigns surprise when he looks at her.

“Nooo!” her giggles amplify as she becomes increasingly bashful.

He crouches down to meet her at eye-level, exactly like he did this morning, “Well, that’s a shame, because I think you might be one of my favorite students,”

Now, she’s a heap of laughter and has a blush spreading from the apple of her cheeks to the tips of her ears. You can’t help but feel enamored by how great he is with children, silently wondering if he comes from a big family, or if he has a child of his own.

“Did you introduce your mom to Nibbles?” he asks her when her laughing mostly subsides.

She gasps like she can’t believe she would’ve forgotten such a thing, then she hauls you by the arm over to a tiny cage on a table, presumably for an even tinier animal.

“Mommy, look! This is Nibbles,” She’s peering between the metal bars of the enclosure and encouraging you to do the same, when you lean in closer you see a small, tan gerbil sleeping in a little nest of bedding.

“He’s our friend and he helps us learn, so we have to be very careful with him,” she tells you with a sudden seriousness that's amusing to see displayed on such a young face. It’s obvious she’s parroting Steve.

You turn to see Steve observing from a few feet behind you, both hands shoved in his pockets, “I didn’t think teachers actually had class pets,” you breathe a huff of laughter.

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckles with you, “I brought him from home, actually. Figured he could use some socialization. With dozens of children.” he informs you sarcastically. God, he’s funny too.

“Wouldn’t have pegged you to be a hamster guy,” you tease.

“He’s a gerbil, first of all,”

“Right, sorry, my bad,” you smirk.

“No time for a dog, I guess,” he shrugs, “thought I could use the company,” he’s clearly still bantering, but there’s an underlying melancholy in his tone that you can’t quite place. Before you can think about it for longer than a second, an impatient five-year-old is tugging on your arm and begging to show you the library.

“Okay, alright,” you laugh, “better get to it, the library awaits,” you shoot him an apologetic look for having cut the conversation short. You feel less guilty, however, when you see more parents and children start to funnel into the classroom, busying him in yours and Abbey’s absence.

“See ya, “ he waves. 

“Bye, Mr. Harrington!” Abbey yells, already halfway down the hall. 

︵୨୧︵

In the library you have to shush Abbey several times, much to her dismay.

“We use our inside voices in the library, Ab,” you remind her for the fifth time. She frowns but it’s temporary when she spots her favorite section: the picture books. Abbey is ahead of a kindergarten reading level now, and it's one of her favorite hobbies, but you can still never go wrong with a good picture book.

You’re about to follow her when you hear someone call your name. 

You turn, “Stephanie?” you ask, puzzled.

“Oh my gosh! It’s been forever!” an old friend from your shared high school, Stephanie, pulls you into an unreciprocated bear hug. Squeezing and swaying back and forth for an awkward amount of time.

“Hey,” you draw out the last syllable and try to paint your voice with a nostalgic excitement, “How have you been?” you ask, even though you’re sure you’d rather be shot than continue this conversation.

You don’t know if you could really call Stephanie a ‘friend’, or if you ever could. The only reason she even knew your name being the shared, piranha-esq social circle you both ran in years ago. She reminded you of your past– who you used to be– someone who you’re not particularly proud of.

“Oh, I've been just fine!” She gestures wildly with manicured nails. Her lips are overlined and her hair is still damaged from bleaching and too many perms. Evidently, not a lot has changed. You ponder if she’s still the mean girl she always was underneath all that makeup, or if at some point in your adolescence she decided to mature.

“Todd and I just bought a house over on Maplewood, are you familiar?”

“Oh, no, not really– my daughter and I live across town,” You don’t like how ashamed you feel, “I’ve heard it’s beautiful over there, though,” you attempt to smile but it doesn’t reach your eyes.

“That was your daughter?” She’s trying not to sound taken aback and failing, “With–?”

“Yes,” Your teeth grit ever so slightly. You hate that she won’t say his name, as if speaking it into existence would somehow break you. Like you’re fragile.

“I was terribly sorry to hear about what happened, Hon,” Her sudden sympathetic tone irritates you, whether it’s genuine or not. You don’t need pity, especially not from Stephanie Nettles.

“It’s okay, Steph, really,” losing patience by the second, nothing about it was okay. “It was a long time ago, Abbey and I are doing fine,” you assure her.

“Oh,” she fawns as she presses her bony hands against her chest above her heart, “Can I meet her? Would you mind?" Her tone is saccharine sweet. You figure it can’t hurt, but when you turn around to retrieve Abbey, she’s not where you left her. The spot on the rug that she was previously occupying is empty and her book is abandoned on the floor.

“Abbey?!” Calling a little too loudly for the setting you’re in but you can’t bring yourself to care. You search row after row, it’s not a big library, and after every shelf you’re expecting her to be there– browsing novels and you’ll feel silly for overreacting.

But that doesn’t happen, and you realize with mild panic that she definitely left the library; somehow without you noticing. You suppose this is the safest place for her to go missing, but the thought doesn’t soothe you for long as you still have no idea where your daughter could be.

Stephanie is staring at you with concern, but still making no effort to help you locate Abbey. You don’t speak and neither does she as you rush out of the room and begin to pace the halls, still calling out for her. You check the bathrooms by the gym, a couple of empty classrooms that aren’t locked– she’s not there either.

When you’ve checked every available room and potential hiding spot in the near vicinity and still see no trace of her, that’s when the real dread sets in. What if she’d wandered outside and been taken? Or worse, there had been an accident and she’s hurt? She could be miles from here by now, she could be–

“I think this might belong to you,” a mellow voice rings out.

Steve and Abbey walk leisurely towards you, hand in hand. A complete contrast to the frazzled mess of anxiety you are right now. You hurl yourself in their direction and wrap Abbey up in a hug, lifting her off her feet.

“Oh my God, Abbey,” normally you’d be fuming at her for wandering off like that when you know that she knows better, but you can’t feel anything other than relief in the moment.

“Found her on the swings,” Steve continues, “Isn’t that right?”

Your relief does eventually morph to frustration, “You know better, Abbey Jane. Don’t stray off like that again. Do you understand?”

She succumbs to her guilt and you can tell her short-lived freedom has lost its novelty. “I’m sorry, mommy,” her little eyes well with tears. “The other kids were going to the swings, I wanted to go,” she pouts.

“We could’ve gone, baby, but you have to ask first, okay?”

Her meek response is muffled in the crook of your neck, “Okay,”

She’s still sniffling into your shoulder when you remember Steve is there, and your surroundings come back into focus.

“Thank you for finding her, Steve–”

“--His name is Mr. Harrington, mom,” she corrects like she can’t believe you’d embarrass her like that by calling her teacher the wrong name.

“--Mr. Harrington,” you stifle a laugh for your daughter's sake, sending him a knowing look.

He returns the expression, “Anytime,” he smiles, sweet . “Think that's enough scaring your mom for today, huh?”

Instead of acknowledging with words, she simply nods her head, eyes glued to the floor, ashamed.

“I think someones getting sleepy, might be time to head home,” you drag a gentle hand down her back soothingly.

“Will you carry me?” she asks too adorably to say no, despite her being ever-so-slightly too big for it. Grunting as you pick her up, you say, “Thanks, again,”

“No need,” he ruffles Abbey’s head lightly as you pass, “See you tomorrow, right?”

“See you,” her eyelids are heavy already. You make your way back to the car slowly but surely, arms growing more numb with every step.

︵୨୧︵

Abbey manages to bargain a bath out of you and four books before bedtime instead of the usual two. How you ever say no to her, you’re not sure. By the time you finally tuck her in, it's well past nine o’clock.

“Did you have a good day today?” You ask as you bend down to kiss her forehead.

“Yes, Mr. Harrington is my favorite teacher,” she proclaims drowsily.

“He’s your only teacher, Ab,” You snicker.

“But he’s still my favorite,” she replies in the same cadence one would say ‘Duh’.

“Well, I guess you’ll have to go to sleep super fast tonight so you can see him sooner, right?”

You can practically see the lightbulb turn on above her head like she’s just had a groundbreaking revelation and nods fervently. You tuck her in tight on both sides, and give her a kiss on each of her cheeks and once more to her forehead for good measure.

“Love you, Abbey girl,” you tell her on your way out, “Goodnight,”

“Goodnight, mommy,” she says wearily from underneath her princess bedsheets.

The door closes with a soft click and you make your way to the living room. You never had the chance to ask Stephanie what she was doing at the school– from what you knew, she didn’t have any children. Perhaps she was a teacher. It didn’t matter as long as you didn’t have to interact with her again.

As you lounged on your old sectional, you couldn't help your mind wandering back to thoughts of Steve. You wanted to know more about him. Where he came from, what made him want to work with kids, why he needed a gerbil to keep him company. Distantly, you imagined what he was like outside of an elementary school setting. You hoped one day you’d find out.

He was Abbey’s teacher, sure, but what was the harm in a little crush?

taglist - @soulxiez

divider credit to @/strangergraphics

[rowanhoney]

Oh OHHHHH I’ve drank sm tea I feel wonderful

[cloudwisp]

𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐨 · (𝐡𝐢𝐬) 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤

contents: fluff. early twenties + first year of marriage. found family. gojo’s entire day shifts when you forget to wear your wedding ring. 900 wc.

“Eehh—?” You can faintly hear the noise Satoru let out coming from your shared bedroom, and you know he’d approach you about the situation sooner or later. You remain seated in bated breath as he stands with rounded shoulders before your dresser, cerulean hues staring down at your jewelry ceramic tray. And unmistakably there sits a wedding band with a large gemstone glinting at him under the warmth of the golden rays filtering through the curtains. He had a strong feeling there was a reason for his off-morning and this must’ve been it.

A noticeable pout rests on his lower lip and his hands are shoved in the pockets of his sorcerer’s uniform as he slowly climbs down the stairs. You glance over your shoulder from the couch with Tsumiki seated with her legs folded under her while you finish off her braid, and he looks like a kicked puppy the closer he treads. With a small pat on the young girl’s head, you send her to find her brother in his bedroom for breakfast.

“Oh good morning, baby. Why the long face, hm?” You shift your body toward him with an unperturbed smile, but Satoru sulks where he settles on the couch beside you in a manspread. “I’m almost certain I didn’t forget your morning kisses this time, even gave you more than plenty to last the day. Might I add the extra five or was it fifteen minutes of cuddling you so insisted on.” You tease with a gentle poke to his cheek, but nothing seems to be budging him and you think something terrible has happened. Though your husband’s jutted pout is adorable enough to maintain a lighthearted mood.

“No, but you did forget something.” Satoru sighs with a small shake of his head, letting on a weight of seriousness that makes you breathe out a curious ‘oh?’ at what that could be. With a tilt of your head, you watch his movements as he reveals the wedding ring he proposed to you with from the depths of his pocket. He twirls the silver band between his fingers and relief washes over you because you genuinely thought you had done something grave. “Found it on your jewelry dish. Don’t forget to wear it, princess.”

“Ah, so that's what’s bothering you.” You soften as your head leans against him with your arm looping around his, your left hand coming up so he can slip it back onto your finger. He does so with delicate care, and you offer him an explanation of taking it off before showering while he went for a run because you were afraid it'd fall down into the drain and forgot to put it back on. With having two pre-teenagers taken under both your wings, it’s easy to neglect these small details but you have noted to be more mindful next time.

Satoru hums with a chaste kiss on your forehead, intertwining your fingers together in a sweet hold as his thumb brushes against your skin. “Just don’t want anyone else to think you’re up for grabs. It’s not me who gets all the attention when we’re out together, you know.” He can perfectly recall those encounters where not only random strangers would make advances on you, but also cute grannies wanting to set you up with their grandson. He’s gone for one minute to collect your favorite snacks and you’re not how he left you when he returns.

“Oh Satoru, you still haven’t gotten over that yet? It happened two or three times and I think they were just being polite.” Satoru knew you would say that but allows you to have your own beliefs as you reach over to playfully pinch his cheek with a soft laugh. But you suppose it’s endearing seeing him jealous over something that happened years ago when he has nothing to worry about. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Hmm, that’s an easy one. Never let me go?” He answers with a quickness that causes your heart to flutter, and sure enough he’s reverting back to being your lovable and charming husband. “Besides, having a beautiful and hot wife means that I have to protect and take care of what’s mine.” And he means more than fending off idiots trying to get your number, but also from being potentially targeted by cursed users because you’re someone of great importance to the Gojo clan leader.

“There’s a much better way to handle that. I could just let everyone know I’m happily married to the best guy ever.” Satoru doesn’t hide the smug look overtaking his features before nuzzling his face into your neck and pressing light kisses on your pulse point.

“Heh, flattery won’t get you off the hook.” He drags you impossibly close with his large hand wrapped around your hip. His onslaught of kisses continues up along your face and you both fall back on the cushions of the couch as he revels in your giggles. After a moment, Satoru meets your gaze again and sweeps strands of hair away to see more of you. “And I love seeing that ring on your finger. Reminds me of something real special between us and that you chose to be with me.”

“I meant what I said earlier, by the way.” You gently take his hand cradling your face and place it over your chest with an earnest squeeze. “You are the best husband I could ever ask for. Love you, baby.” Satoru leans down to capture your lips sweetly at first, then chases after its softness for little pecks and murmurs how much he loves you back. And from the bottom of the steps of the staircase are the Fushiguro siblings sharing a knowing glance before entering the room to help with breakfast.

꒰ note ᰔ satoru always wears his wedding band on his finger and around his neck when he’s fighting against cursed spirits. ꒱

[witherby]

Human!Damian x Mer!Reader

Damian, one of the newest employees at Gotham Aquarium, forms a fast bond with its only mer inhabitant.

Content includes: Fluff, pre-relationship, language barrier

You crack an eye open when you feel movement in the water. The rhythmic swish, swish, swish coaxes you from the bed of seaweed you were curled up in and you drift to the source of the disturbance in your habitat.

Surfacing, your gills flex and twitch briefly as you adjust to breathing air, and you chirp at the creature perched on the lip of your tank, one hand still swishing the water. His vibrant, green eyes and small smile never fail to make you happy.

"Good morning, Princess," the creature — Damian is his name, your mind supplies — greets you warmly. He lifts up a bucket with your breakfast, and you trill and reach for it eagerly, webbed fingers curling around the metal and brushing against his own, dry digits briefly. "You've got two shows today. The usual one at noon, and then a private birthday party this evening. These money-hungry cretins refused to listen when I told them it would disrupt your routine and irritate you, but they don't care. I apologize in advance."

You click and whistle at him as you shovel a fistful of eel into your mouth, chewing happily. It was difficult to understand the land creature, but you weren't terribly upset. You got the gist — something different was happening today. When different things happened, you tended to get more snacks, especially if you huffed and fussed a bit, so it was fine. You hope Damian will stick around and play after you finish your meal.

"Good job, Princess," the land creature says when you show him the empty bucket. You know what those words mean, and you preen and coo giddily. You like the title he calls you, too. "Princess" is not your primary identifier; it's not what the other land creatures call you, only Damian. He calls you something different, which feels special. You like that you're special to him, because he's your favorite handler and therefore special to you.

You slip under the water briefly to wet your gills, then break the surface again with a flick of your long, iridescent tail and reach for him, chirping. Damian gives you a considering look, head slightly tilted like he wants to hop into the tank with you, but ultimately pulls away and rises. You croon sadly after him, slapping the water.

"Later," he says, "I promise. We'll play later, when there's time. Right now, the tours are about to start. You know that."

You chuff. You do know that. It's almost Attention Time, which means more land creatures walk through strange tunnels that cut through the bottom of your large habitat to stare at you, and you get to stare back. If you do enough tricks, you even get snacks and toys. You like the attention; you're a beautiful mer and deserve to be admired, but you wish the creatures would actually come into the water instead of the large, weird tunnels you can't reach.

Slipping under the surface again, your tail propels you towards the larger section of your enclosure, where the tunnels are, and you don't have to wait much longer before the first group of land creatures comes through to admire you. To your endless delight, Damian is leading them. The other caretakers know that you're the most active when he's the one guiding the tours, so you make sure to do all the flips and twirls you've been taught for him.

When you catch his eye, Damian smiles a little again, just for you, and you trill with joy.

-----

Thanks for reading! Reblogs encourage me to write more!

[alexaloraetheris]

On the subject of being your own zookeeper, I've been trying it out and it WORKS. One of the obvious ways is to ask 'Have I watered/fed/medicated the beast?' and take care of those needs, and it's great, but another thing I haven't seen mentioned is the Stressors.

So, being a bio grad student, means I also know actual zoologists and zookeepers. And talking with one blew my third eye open. One of the questions the zookeeper always, ALWAYS needs to keep an eye on is 'What is stressing the beast out, and how can I remove it?'

In human terms, it's basically 'This thing is causing me a minor amount of stress, but stress is cumulative, so how many small stressors can I remove so the Big Stress doesn't drain so much of my energy?'

Say you're stressing about an exam/interview/visitors. There's ways to prepare for that, but before you get to that point you also need to look out for small stressors that add to the overall feeling of stress, and the goal is to reduce them FIRST.

Example: You have a big test and it's the day you need to take it. You are already baseline anxious about taking it, and the goal here is to stress as little as possible on the way to school.

You can't eat breakfast because you're late/nauseous? Keep small energy bars in your purse, snack on the way. Gives you a bit of sugar for your brain, doesn't take up time and always on hand. Haven't had time for coffee? Caffeine pills/espresso chocolates. It's cold/raining? Ditch your sneakers and wear rain boots and a warm coat, worry about fashion later. I even carry around a foldable cushion so I can sit while I wait for the bus without freeting my butt off. Haven't had time to brush your teeth? Gum, mints, breath fresheners. Nervous? Fidget toys. Worried about losing an umbrella? Get one of those plastic sleeves so you can put it in your purse even if it's wet. Too damn hot? Mini fan, or even a folding paper fan. Noise level grating on your nerves? Silicone earplugs, or noise-cancelling earbuds/headphones. (I have a big purse I carry all this stuff in so I don't forget, a blessing with ADHD)

Things like that. Small things to mitigate the microstressors so you arrive to your destinations with as little misery as possible.

Apply that to the rest of your life. You have to eat vegetables for your health but you hate them so damn much? Find a way to prepare them in a way that doesn't make you gag. I just throw a bag of frozen pre-chopped veggies in the pan and then throw in spices I like. If I can taste the vegetables in my veggie stir-fry, I haven't seasoned them enough.

Make little medicine bag, the size of your palm. I carry nasal degongestant spray, ibuprofen, eye drops, mini bug spray, a pad and a tampon, a few alcohol wipes and hand cream. Those tiny tester tubes of hand cream? A godsend. Adjust to your needs.

I hate washing dishes. Back hurts and my skin literally peels off my hands from the dryness. Get a bar stool and sit, wear WELL FITTED dish gloves. I got those that go all the way up my elbows in S size and now my kitchen doesn't look like a disaster.

Vacuuming is a pain? Handheld vacuum cleaner you can push around for 15 minutes every day. Expensive? Get a broom and a good dustpan. I emphasize GOOD because it does make a difference. Back hurts if you bend over? Get the dustpan with a long handle.

It's amazing how much difference it makes. Neutralize Murphy's law. A bunch of small stuff going wrong will absolutely tank your energy you need for the big stuff.

TL;DR Identify the things that cause you daily stress, find easy ways to neutralize them. Save your energy for the big stuff. There is nothing noble in suffering. Take care of your zoo animal.

And if you need it, ask for help. Zookeepers often work in pairs.

[ilovebabygirls]

KANG DAE-HO HEADCANONS . boyfriend

pairing — kang dae-ho × female reader

tags — second person point of view | sfw headcanons | fluff | a bit of angst | pre-game timeline

warnings — not proofread | english is not my first language! | use of lowercase intended | stealing | vandalism | blood | injuries

word count — 8,1k words

last updated — 28/01/2025

requested by @literallypinkie

MEETING

YOU worked the night shift at a local grocery store. everything was much cheaper there than in hypermarkets and supermarkets in the area. many broke students, single parents, or even older folks with crumbs instead of an actual retirement plan would shop here. it was affordable and consistent with their income.

DAE-HO was a regular. one of the only persons who did not fit the usual customer criteria. he did not seem young enough to be a student and did not appear to be a dad with what he bought (mostly ramen, some snacks, fruits and frozen fruits, frozen food, protein yoghurts, milk and energy drinks that could give anyone a heart attack).

HE was always very polite. forever a smile on his face and something nice to say about the day. after paying, dae-ho always had some words of encouragement to give you for the rest of your shift seeing how exhausted you seemed. he would then take a seat at one of the tables displaced outside for customers and eat one of his ramen playing a game on his phone or watching a series.

LITTLE by little, pure politeness turned into small conversations by the cash register. these small conversations turned into taking your breaks with him where you got to know each other a bit more profoundly. these hangouts eventually turned into dae-ho waiting by the tables until you clocked out of work to walk you home. he claimed it was not safe for you to be alone so late at night.

EVENTUALLY, he asked for your phone number after another night walking you home. the two of you stared intensively into each other's eyes, waiting for the other to say something or make a move. he let out a small chuckle and said he should probably get going as the last bus to his street would probably arrive soon. you nodded pressing your lips together as you opened the door of your apartment building waving him goodbye. as you entered and walked to the elevator you heard your name being called out and immediately turned around seeing dae-ho holding the door open his mouth slightly open, his breath caught in his throat.

"could i get your phone number— or your instagram if you have one? any is fine, really..." he blurted out quickly. "we could hang out outside of work, you know... that would be great." he finished relaxing his shoulders.

YOUR eyes widened at the sudden outburst and you stood in place for a few seconds before widely smiling and heading to the building entrance, your phone in hand. "yeah, sure. i'd love that, actually!" you answered cheerfully.

ONCE you exchanged contacts, you gave him a sudden hug and walked back to your elevator. dae-ho waited until you entered the elevator to let out a long breath he did not know he was holding. he put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and headed to the bus stop, stupidly grinning.

AS for you, once you got home, you dropped your bag on the floor and started to jump up and down excitedly.

THAT WAS WHEN A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP BEGAN TO BLOSSOM

FRIENDSHIP

THE day right after you exchanged your contacts, dae-ho texted you a simple "hey ;)" when he was taking his breakfast. he feared you had only agreed the previous day to get him off your back as if you had not been talking for a month before he finally made a move.

DAE-HO was anxious the whole morning, checking his phone every thirty minutes to see if you had answered him. each time, nothing. not even left on read. delivered. at least, he was not blocked, he would reassure himself. he even convinced himself if you did not answer at all if would change his routine to find a new convenience store to shop at, not wanting to make you feel uncomfortable and appear like one of those creepy men his sisters had told him about whose actions he witnessed himself a couple of times.

SECONDS felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours as he waited for this specific notification. he had to put his phone away, screen facing the table otherwise he would not be able to concentrate on the task he was supposed to be doing. he was getting weird looks from his coworkers, more than the usual glances. he could not care less as when his phone rang he rushed to the device, unlocked it and read your message stretching a smile back to his features.

"hii~! sorry for the late answer, i woke up late and then had to go to the bank. how are you doing? hope to see you tonight! :)"

DAE-HO was conflicted on whether to answer back right away and perhaps look desperate or to refrain and risk making you feel like he previously did. especially since he had already opened the text message, meaning he would be leaving on 'read'. he believed it would be rather rude of him and chose to answer right away.

"no problem! don't be sorry, it's normal! you have a life lol. i was wondering if you were up to hang out this saturday afternoon before you go to work?"

SURPRISINGLY, your answer was quick to come. "i'm up for that! do you have something specific in mind? because i know this place where you can eat and play arcades. if you're thinking of something else, it's fine. i just want to spend some time with you, anyways." your text read, making his heart explode in his chest.

DAE-HO agreed to your idea. you planned when to meet up and you gave him the address. the two of you were so looking forward to that day that you would talk about which games you would want to try out the most, who would be better at what (already very competitive), what food you would like to try, and if there were any prize to win at that place. Overall, you were very enthusiastic.

SINCE THAT DAY, THE TWO OF YOU HAVE BEEN INSEPARABLE EVER SINCE

DAE-HO and you have created a secret handshake you did every time you had to part ways. it is rather complicated and involves the entire body. going from a simple high-five to crossing your arms together and going in circles to finish with a chest bump. despite, the long and tiresome handshake, you still hug each other afterwards before going to your own whereabouts.

DAE-HO knows girl talk. he has mastered it. he might be even better at it than you. he had lots of practice being the youngest of four sisters. because of that, he loves gossiping. the two of you have a gossip session once a week where you tell each other all the drama that happened either between your coworkers, customers at your place of work or even things you have heard from absolute strangers. the gossiping session cannot be on facetime. it has to be face-to-face with snacks, a hot drink, and a warm blanket. it usually takes place at your apartment since it is slightly bigger than his studio apartment.

"so, you remember my coworker dae-jung, the old guy who has been dating that young secretary, eun-yeong?" dae-ho asked as you grabbed a handful of m&m's and began to organise them by colour. you let out a short hum to affirm you did know these people. "it was already a crazy age gap but i found out something even crazier. he is already married!" the man revealed as your eyes widened.

"how long has he been married?" you wondered hurriedly. "i have no idea. but, it's not the only thing about this whole situation. his wife found out about the affair with my coworker, eun-yeong, who, by the way, did not know she was the other woman, and she made a huge scene in front of my work building." you stopped organising your snacks, dae-ho having your full attention on him as you almost did not breathe waiting for the end of his story. "dae-jung literally begged her to stop and eventually she told him she wanted a divorce." dae-ho revealed. you were not surprised by this woman's decision, you were glad he got what was coming for him.

"is that all?" you wondered finally eating one of the chocolate in your hand. "nope." dae-ho continued, a wide grin plastered on his face. "so, they got divorced and dae-jung still stayed in a relationship with eun-yeong, however, my company has a strict policy on cheating, i didn't even know it was a thing, and because it caused too much drama within the company and apparently it could have a negative impact on our reputation. i don't really care if I'm being honest, but obviously, my boss does." the man nodded taking a sip of his beverage before resuming his story. "they fired dae-jung." he said as you cheered a little bit causing him to chuckle.

WHAT he was about to tell you next was mind-blowing. "eun-yeong was pregnant, and yes i used past tense. do you want to know why? because she got an abortion without telling him. he was fuming! he began to harass her, and she filed a restraining order which he did not respect and was eventually arrested!"

"it's crazy!!" "yeah, i know it's crazy!!" you both yelled out.

YOU never tell each other something wild that occurred through text, opting for a teaser text message instead :

"oh my god dude, you'll never believe what just happened!! i can't wait to tell you this weekend!!!"

DAE-HO hates all of your exes. you could be in the wrong during a previous argument you are describing to your friend, he would still find all the excuses in the book and side with you. you could have burned down your ex's house and in his eyes you would still be justified.

"i don't care, that person forgot your birthday and made it seem like it was your fault. you had every right to throw that vase at them!" he justified an expression of distaste on his face.

DAE-HO is a k-pop girl group stan. his favourite bands are girl's generation, mamamoo and twice. the two of you went to one of twice concerts in seoul and he was chosen during the random dance section where a person from the audience is shown on the big screen. he danced to 'yes or yes' with the light stick in his hand and you dying of laughter on the right corner of the screen. thankfully, some people had recorded it.

WHEN you eat together, despite it being totally platonic, you share your food. when one of you would buy a bag of chips, both of your hands could be found in it. an ice-cream? going from one hand to the other's hand. an apple? dae-ho, would use his strength to split it into two equal parts. dae-ho loves to share anything, to be honest. surely because of his childhood. he was pushed to share everything from food to toys and rarely had anything new just for him. it was almost second nature for him to share his food with you.

DAE-HO is the type to hold the fork in front of your mouth and ask you to open it to feed you. at first, you were flustered by his actions as he insisted that you taste his meal, clueless to the implications beyond friendship. he would then open his mouth without a word and make a sound for you to also feed him some of your meal. as time went on, you were not flustered to do it anymore, going as far as eating from the same cutlery without a care in the world. however, people would think you were a couple and would tell you how cute you looked together. at first, you would correct them quickly, a blush creeping its way onto dae-ho's cheeks. eventually, you gave up and simply thanked the person for the compliment. also, it was not as unpleasant as the two of you tried to convince the other.

"why do they think we're a couple? it's so annoying." you complained, rolling your eyes, and taking a bite of your chocolate-covered fruit salad. dae-ho nodded in agreement, giggling.

"right, that would be so gross." he replied, passing a hand through his hair, and avoiding eye contact.

"yeah, it's not like that between us..." you lied, unaware of the sad glance dae-ho threw your way before going back to his churros.

HE taught you how to play gonggi and now every choice has to be made over a game of gonggi. what film you would be watching tonight? a game of gonggi. which take-out place you are going to order from? a round of gonggi. who would be the first one to take a shower? gonggi, gonggi, gonggi and gonggi again. at first, you were not the best at the game, getting frustrated all the time, wondering if you could swap for a game of 'paper, scissors, stone'. dae-ho was adamant it had to be gonggi. The outcome was still the same, resulting in nearly all decisions being in dae-ho's favour. however, as months passed by, you got better at it, almost as good as dae-ho and now he had real competition.

DESPITE not being in a romantic relationship and affirming your relationship is platonic with a capital 'p', you give dae-ho so many nicknames ranging from "handsome" to "sexy" which started as a joke when the two of you were walking around hi=ongdae and this group of young girls who were partying made their way towards and began to flirt with dae-ho. he used you as a shield stating you were his girlfriend and the girls took the hint and left.

"so, how about we go home, sexy?" you mimicked one of the girls' voice. "shut up." he retorted amused walking as far away from you as possible as you had to chase after him.

FIRST DATE

IT was a mess. nothing, and when i say nothing, i mean it, went according to plan. from asking you out to the actual date.

YOU had been friends for about seven months by now, and everything was perfect between the two of you. boundaries were respected, you had a lot of fun together, you were there for each other when you were not feeling well and you would tell each other literally everything (too much information does not exist in this friendship, in your case it should be called tell me immediately).

HIS feelings for you grew gradually but skyrocketed the night prior when he spent the night at your apartment. nothing out of the ordinary, a usual gossip session, you watching a film and then some videos on youtube, you ordered take-out and eventually ended up in your bed. for the first four months of your friendship, dae-ho had categorically refused to sleep in the same bed as you, claiming he did not want to make you uncomfortable. you had to drag him by the arm affirming you wanted him to sleep in the same otherwise it did not feel like an actual sleepover. he gave in when he felt how comfortable your mattress was in comparison to your couch.

IT was past midnight and the two of you were exhausted. you were on your phone, scrolling through tiktok and you were showing dae-ho silly memes to make him giggle while he was trying to fight sleep. you noticed his eyelids close and open suddenly, as his face relaxed and tensed up quickly to give himself some adrenaline to stay awake.

"you know, you can go to sleep. you don't have to stay awake for me. if it's for the memes, i can just send them to you." you joked as you put your phone down on your stomach. dae-ho was already lying down on his side, all of his hair up in a ponytail and looked up at you. he did not try to argue as his speech was beginning to be incoherent due to fatigue. dae-ho pulled the blanket over his shoulders and made himself more comfortable. barely a few minutes later, soft snores could be heard from the young man.

SLEEP caught up to you ultimately and you lay down next to dae-ho who was already deep in slumber. you faced your back towards him and tugged on the blanket to get your fair share of warmth. when you were finally comfortable enough you unexpectedly felt a strong arm sneak around your waist and a body clung to your back. your breath was caught in your throat. dae-ho and you were not reticent to display affection to one another, but cuddling in bed was new. you did not want to wake up him since he was exhausted but you knew that pushing his arm away would do it. you were lacking a strategic plan when dae-ho's grip on you tightened. you felt your cheeks heat up, you and an oven could be twins at this point. his face was buried deep in the back of your neck. you could feel his soft breathing giving you goosebumps. ultimately, you gave up overthinking and fell asleep in this position.

OBVIOUSLY, you were woken up the next day by a startled dae-ho who jumped away from your sleeping frame and was profusely apologising. you dismissed his concerns with a sloppy wave of the hand as you were drowsy and told him it was alright. after all the two of you were that close, it would have happened one way or another. yet, he apologised one last time as he got up from the bed, stormed out of the bedroom and you went back to lie down face first on your pillow.

DAE-HO headed to the kitchen wondering if he ruined your friendship (that man overthinks everything). he decided he would make up for his mistake and prepare breakfast for you. you ended up waking up, sitting on the edge of your bed for a minute before staring blankly at the wall before you motivated yourself and got up, put on a random sweater and left the room as the smell of warm food filled your nostrils. you reached your destination and came face-to-face with an endearing sight. dae-ho in his baggy shorts and a green shirt in front of the stove making eggs. in the living room, the table was already set with two cups of tea, a few toast with jam and butter on the side, rice and kimchi. you took a few steps towards your friend, a grin creeping onto your face and greeted him. dae-ho turned around and greeted you back, surprised that you went for a friendly hug. he genuinely assumed your next interaction would be awkward, but nothing seemed to be bugging you.

"how did you sleep, handsome?" you asked leaning against the cheap counter. dae-ho cocked an eyebrow, glancing at you before setting back his gaze on the nearly burnt omelette. he quickly grabbed the frying pan handle and placed the omelette on top of the one he cooked when you were still enjoying the warmth of your now empty bed.

"i slept well... i think." he murmured awkwardly as you frowned at his response.

"you were snoring the whole night, i would have hoped you at least slept well." you laughed in an attempt to lighten up the mood, but the growing tension only rose as dae-ho remained quiet. you shifted your weight at the usual cheerful man's unexpected indifference. if only you knew how many thoughts were racing through his mind. dae-ho was overheating.

"i'm going to go to the living room... tell me if you need any help with that. thanks, by the way." you finished before leaving the kitchen, flopping onto your couch waiting for dae-ho and the eggs.

WHEN dae-ho finally came into the living room and began to place some eggs into your plate without saying a word, you pondered on how to bring up what happened. he would not do it himself, too embarrassed by the situation, and you could not stand the heavy silence in the room.

"so... are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room or pretend you didn't cuddle me to sleep?" you began shoving egg in your mouth nervously. dae-ho choked on his tea and coughed harshly feeling himself pass out. he was just being dramatic. you went to pat him on the back a bit to help him with his coughing and sat back down waiting for his reaction.

"i'm so sorry, i don't what came over me. it was an accident, i was sleeping after all. it won't happen again. that's why i told i should sleep on the couch!" he was frantic barely making eye contact as what stopped his rant was your laugh. he was quiet for a moment before ranting. "why are laughing at me? can't you see i'm panicking right now?!" he retorted pointing his chopsticks at you as you clutched your stomach, your lungs out of oxygen from laughing too much. you were even crying a little bit at dae-ho's helpless attitude.

"i already told you not to apologise, dae-ho." you managed to say after breathing a couple of times after his outburst and your cackling. "if anything... i kind of enjoyed it." you admitted, looking at the now flustered dae-ho. "did you?" you risked asking. it was the first since you woke up that dae-ho made eye contact, his mouth slightly ajar, thinking of an appropriate way to answer. eventually, he opted for honesty. "i did..." he responded timidly.

YOU beamed, his answer encouraging you to continue on this path. "i hadn't slept that well in a while. we should cuddle more often, don't you think?" you attempted some flirting to test the water. you did not comprehend which sort of confidence possessed you, but you were not about to complain. dae-ho's only answer was a quick hum, his mouth full of kimchi. the rest of the breakfast was quiet, however, not the same silence as before. this one was light, full of unanswered inquiries regarding the next trajectory of your friendship.

ONCE you finished breakfast, you lazily cleared the table as dae-ho insisted on cleaning the dishes. you reminded him that he prepared breakfast and that he should just go relax, you would take care of it (as much as you did not want to). as you heard the sound of water falling, you understood dae-ho was taking a shower. you had some time to contemplate your relationship with dae-ho. the two of you, as much as you loved to deny it, did act like a couple. apart from sleeping in the same bed, you would send each other a good morning and good night text every day without missing a beat, you would facetime each other every day, and he would still shop at the convenience store you worked at, though now, he would even pick you up after your shift late at night, even if he had nothing to buy. nothing casual about that. you had to find out.

AS you heard the water stop and the door open, your heartbeat quickened. you focused your attention on the utensil you were scrubbing harshly with a sponge. dae-ho made his way to the kitchen. his hair was damp and untied. he was wearing grey sweatpants and a green hoodie. he stayed by the doorframe as your movement became a little bit more clumsy, dropping a plate resulting in a loud clinking from the impact. wincing, you were almost done with the cleaning and dae-ho was still by the door. you raised your head and your gaze fell onto the man. it felt like time stopped. he was angelic. at least to you. to anyone else he was just a guy, but to you, he was so much more and it took that long to realise.

"have you ever thought of more? i mean... between us?" you gathered all the courage you had and asked, already bracing yourself for rejection. dae-ho's eyebrows rose as his mouth turned into an oval shape, no words coming out. you took it as a sign to continue. "we've known each other for a while now, and— unless i'm being delusional, wouldn't be surprising." you chuckled humorlessly as you looked away from your friend who slowly made his way towards you. "moving on, as i was saying, i think I've been kind of lying to myself. you see, i actually enjoy when people think we're a couple and i enjoy your company more than i should and— what i'm trying to say is, do you want to go out with me? as in a date."

DAE-HO was now only a step away from you, and you were still not looking at him. he sighed. "i was the one supposed to ask you out!" he complained groaning dissipating any remaining trace of tension. you were about to talk again when he went on a tirade. "i've been planning for three months now. i swear, you ruined everything. don't take it the wrong way! i had written this whole speech and listed all these reasons why we should date!" he explained looking up at the ceiling, his eyes firmly shut.

"you could have just asked." you chimed in and he looked at you dumbfounded.

"no way. i wasn't going to ask you out with some half-assed proposition. you deserve better than that." he said which melted your heart. he had been preparing this with his sisters, knowing they would be of great help to make something thoughtful and personal to you. "to be honest, the day i asked for your number was not only in a friendly way, but i am so glad you're my friend so i never tried to make a move. and here you beat me up to it."

YOU stared at him like he held the moon, smirking at his confession. "if you want, you can ask me now. without the whole speech, i guess, you can still be the one asking though?" you proposed and dae-ho calmed down. he cleared his throat, and let out a long sigh, as if the answer to his next question was not obvious.

"would you go on a date with me?" he sweetly asked and you threw your arm around his neck telling him you would love to as his arms made their way around you naturally.

IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN PERFECT BUT YOU CHERISHED IT NONETHELESS

BETWEEN your confession and the actual date, dae-ho and you did not know how to ask around each other. if affection was not shy, now it seemed mandatory. you could not keep your hands off each other, whether it was a hand on a shoulder or interlocking your arms together walking down the street. as for the cuddling in bed (not only in bed, on your couch too), you two would deliberately do it this time, no more waking up startled, and you even initiated it, dae-ho happily complying.

DAE-HO organised everything. you tried to get him to let you organise together, but he claimed he should be the one spoiling you and as a gentleman, he would do so. he quickly realised most of your nights out were somehow dates. you would go to the cinema, constantly eat out, go to bars together, stay out late in parks, and have picnics. he was out of ideas and money, being in debt (which you were not aware of).

HE picked you up from work on a friday evening. you had asked your boss to change your schedule to go on this date instead of working your night shift. however, things ended up more complicated as when he arrived he found you still in your uniform jacked yet dressed nicer than usual (surely the outfit you had picked out for the date), sitting on the pavement, a scowl on your face. when you saw him, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hand and a confused look on his face, you sighed and got up grabbing the bouquet.

"i'm sorry. the person who was supposed to replace me had an emergency with her kid. something about fire. i don't know. we will have to postpone..." you explained upset. dae-ho was not about to let one obstacle ruin the evening, as disappointed as he was.

"it's okay. i will wait." he said walking towards the tables outside the store. you followed after him frowning. "you realise i still have three hours left until we close." you added for him to understand he would be certainly bored out of his mind if he stayed. "i know." he persisted as a matter of fact.

YOU nodded and told him you had to go back inside to rearrange an aisle and that he could call you if he needed anything. saying you were disappointed was an understatement, you were mad at your coworker but you also had to be tolerant she was a single mother with a low income. you were just a girl in her twenties without many responsibilities but paying rent and finding her place in life (not that easy either). you had been looking forward to that date with dae-ho the entire week. fantasizing about how romantic it would be, and maybe even kissing him at the end of the night. now, your expectations were crushed as you had to work. as you walked around the store, kicking an empty box that once contained multiple tubes of spicy mayonnaise, the bell by the door rang as dae-ho entered. he glanced around the artificially lit room until his eyes set on you.

"i was thinking, maybe we could have our date here." he proposed and you stared at him like he had grown a second head. he cleared his throat and continued to explain his train of thoughts. "i had reserved a table at this place we talked about a few months ago and since you're here we won't be able to be there. so, we should at least enjoy our night, here." he finished as one of the lights flickered. "as unpleasant as it can be..." he added jokingly.

YOU were not very on board with his idea, yet you caved as your boss was not here and you really wanted to spend the night with dae-ho.

DAE-HO spent the whole shift following you and moving things around the store. you even went fishing out a uniform jacket for him so he could fully immerse himself. you showed him how to use the cash register, and you told him about how some of the items were soon to expire but your boss changed the date and still put them up for sale. you showed him the tiny storehouse which was literally just huge piles of cardboard boxes sitting outside of the shop. you had him carry boxes in and out of the building and he was more than eager to show his strength, showing off and flexing his biceps like a bodybuilder. he would do anything to simply listen to the sound of your giggles. he never minded being perceived as silly by strangers (unlike the approval he profoundly craved from his father) if it meant having your genuine attention on him. during your break, you hid behind the cash register as there were not any customers, and honestly, if there were any, you would rather dismiss them than do your what you were hired for.

THE last hour of your shift was, to say the least, unprofessional. dae-ho and you would make ridiculous faces at the cameras and flip them off. you would run up and down the aisle, pushing a cart while he was sitting in it. you would eat snacks and throw the wrapper around. you just wished your boss, if he found out, would see the humour in it and not ban dae-ho or fire you (you abhorred the job but needed it desperately).

ONCE your shift concluded, you threw your hideous jacket as well as the one you lent dae-ho in your locker, not caring to lock it before running out of the store to join dae-ho. he grabbed your hand and the two of you headed to han river to appreciate the rest of your night. he walked you back to your apartment and you suggested he could spend the night there, as you did not want the date to end. both of you sat on the couch in a relaxing silence, staring at each other. dae-ho darting between your eyes and your lips. he slowly approached you, placed his large hand on your cheek.

"is this okay with you?" he murmured. you felt his hot breath on your lips. by way of a response, you captured his lips in a tender kiss your hands delicately holding his neck.

A CHANGE OF PLAN DOES NOT MEAN FAILURE FOR OUR LOVEBIRDS

RELATIONSHIP

DAE-HO was rather awkward at the beginning of your romantic relationship. unaware of how to act. he still felt like you were his best friend, which felt incredible. however, now he could unapologetically hold your hand when hanging out, kiss you whenever he desired, and hold you close to him during a film session. you had to reassure him that whatever he would do would make you the happiest woman in the world.

DAE-HO is the type of man to give you his sports shoes if your feet hurt. You would be wearing heels and the next moment shoes way too big for you. dae-ho would hold your heels in his hand. however, the sensation of the cold ground under his feet bothered him and would end up wearing your heels. noticing how amused you were by the sight, he would begin to strut and exaggeratedly pose like victoria's secret models (going as far as holding your handbag).

DAE-HO cannot spend one day without seeing you (which at first could have been interpreted as emotional dependence). he updates you on every little thing he does. obviously, he does not expect you to answer everything as, in less than an hour, you could receive around a hundred text messages (varying from funny videos to simple questions). after work or a date, one of you sleeps at the other's apartment. the first time you visited dae-ho's studio apartment, he was rather apprehensive. the lack of space with the sofa bed taking most of the space, the pile of clothes in the corner, his television placed on a white plastic table and the small broken fridge filled with unhealthy drinks and protein yoghurts (indeed most of his meals were taken at the grocery store you worked at).

DAE-HO'S wallpaper is a picture taken at a photo booth. in the top picture, he was kissing your cheek delicately. in the second one, you were kissing his face making sure your lipstick would leave a stain as a toothy smile tugged at his lips. in the third picture, you chose to pull a foolish face. in the last one, he grabbed you by the waist and kissed you, his hair concealing a part of his face as your eyes widened by the impulsive action.

DAE-HO'S way of telling you he loved you was a tad different. the two of you casually expressed the love you held for the other during your friendship. he wanted you to truly understand his feelings for you.

"i have completely lost myself to you. i am so in love with you." he blurted out one day. his confession had you spill some tears of happiness down your cheeks as you shared his sentiments.

DAE-HO will carry all the grocery bags or shopping bags on the way home. no matter how heavy they are. he does not want you to lift a finger. clearly, you do not mind as his biceps naturally flexes. he caught you countless times goggling at them. his ego is boosted. from time to time, he will taunt you, commenting that, with the way you stare him down, clothes are useless on him.

DAE-HO insists you give him a show every time you purchase new clothes. he will hype you up as you enter the living room. his compliments are over the top, yet, sincere. he will ask you to turn around to show him the back and pretend to fan himself from how stunning you look in this attire.

DAE-HO is the type of boyfriend who lets you customise him. he is not into fashion, therefore, any advice or opinion you gave him was taken into consideration. his style got so much better once you started dating. you think he should wear a certain piece of clothing? he will wear it the next day. you tell him a certain colour brings him out of his shell? now he has ten more clothes in this colour. you buy him a new hoodie? he will be seen parading with it for months. moreover, he loves matching outfits (as cringy as they can be) and jewellery. dae-ho would even go as far as suggesting getting a matching tattoo. you managed to dissuade him.

DAE-HO is the type of boyfriend who lets you do his makeup. he knows how joyful and excited you get. furthermore, his four older sisters would often use him as a walking mannequin (there are many pictures of him as early as the age of two all dressed up in oversized feminine clothes, messy makeup all over his chubby face as outside of the frame one of his sisters is still applying a heavy layer of blue eyeshadow).

DAE-HO also lets you braid his hair. it soothes him as he closes his eyes enjoying the sensation of the comb through his hair. scratching his calms in the right spots. once, you noticed how dae-ho and the 'hyperpigmentation' meme looked alike and decided to give him the same haircut as in the drawing. adding some dark red blush to your masterpiece, you posted it online with his consent. it went viral.

DAE-HO is fully prepared for that time of the month. he knows what you need to ease the cramps, he does not let you get out of bed unless it is to relieve yourself or take a warm shower to relax. when you are done, he ushers you back to bed with his hand softly pushing your back. dae-ho would make sure you were comfortably reclined on some pillows and would position your blanket up to your chin. dae-ho would head to the kitchen, and boil some water in a kettle to make some ginger honey tea to ease the cramps and warm you up. he has the heating pad ready with the tea.

DAE-HO would put on your favourite film, series or cartoon and snuggle you. nevertheless, if you prefer to have some space for whatever reason (the discomfort from your period or only needed personal space), he is out of the bedroom, still checking on you every now and then. he learnt how to deal with mood swings and pre-menstrual syndrome with his sisters, walking on eggshells around them during their cycle (with four sisters, either he was lucky and they had their period around the same time, or each one week of the month).

"babe, if you need anything you can scream my name." he said, his head creeping out of the door frame as you groaned contorting your body to find a position where the cramps were minimal.

DAE-HO knows what pads with wings are! he would go to your local grocery store in a rush to get them for you as well as buy your comfort food. this entire week is focused on you and your comfort. dae-ho just wants to pamper you.

DAE-HO takes pictures of everything, you included. his gallery is full of candid pictures of you and selfies taken together. you with a face mask on, you sleeping, watching television, doing your makeup, in a café, at the grocery store, in a playground at night or playing bowling. everything and anything. he believes you are the most gorgeous woman in the universe and he has to capture your beauty.

IT took dae-ho a while before he allowed himself to be fully vulnerable with you. he wanted to show you his manly side. his protective side. the marine in him. how his father expected him to appear. however, he was nowhere near a macho man, too kind and thoughtful. dae-ho was tender and could not conceal the adoration he held for you. it would be criminal. when he revealed the reason for his enlistment to the marines, it was during a panic attack after a nightmare. you were sleeping soundly. dae-ho had his knees pressed to his chest and struggled to breathe as he felt his chest tighten. he was pulled at his hair harshly (a tactic to feel physical pain instead of emotional pain). he tried to be quiet but his incessant rocking back and forth shook the mattress and awakened you from your slumber.

"baby, are you okay?" you softly asked, cautiously placing your hand on his shoulder. he tensed up and slowly looked up at you. his lips quivered and he burst into tears.

IT took a few moments before he managed to compose himself. his face was buried into your neck, and his hands were clutching at your shirt as soothed him. his body was spasming as dae-ho hiccuped between sobs. he was broken. you handed him some tissues to blow his nose and dry his tears. you grabbed him a glass of cold water and caressed his back as he gulped down the whole drink.

"you can tell me anything dae-ho." you doubled down as you offered him a faint grin. he knew he could trust you. he trusted you with his life. that is when he disclosed everything from his experience in the marines to his father's abuse as well as his mother's submission to the man of the house. how he was a very sheltered kid. how resentful of him his father had grown. how he was forced to join the marines, to make his father proud once in his life. how dae-ho had stopped trying to get his father's acceptance a long time ago and had not heard from him in years. his experience as a marine traumatised. he did not go into details to preserve you from the horror of the military.

YOU were flabbergasted. how could a parent abject his child to such treatment? his baby?

"don't ever hide anything from me, dae-ho. i'm here for you. i love you. i will help you. you're safe with me." you comforted, leaning to give a tender kiss on his forehead. he eventually fell asleep to the sound of your heartbeat.

YOUR LOVER WAS AN OPEN BOOK, OR SO YOU THOUGHT

DAE-HO kept his debt a secret for the entirety of your friendship. as time went on, loan sharks were tenacious and borderline stalking him, cornering dae-ho in dark alleyways. he could not keep his financial burden a secret for long. you find out the hard way, it was an evening without any news from your boyfriend. you had sent him multiple text messages and all were left on 'delivered'. you were getting increasingly anxious, assuming the worst-case scenarios. however, you were not ready for the reality.

YOU heard the front door open and groans from a man. dae-ho. you rushed to him and noticed blood on his face. you were freaking out. you had no first aid kit in the bathroom, unprepared for severe injuries. you had to act quick. you hesitantly grabbed him by the arm and stepped towards your kitchen sink. you seized a washing cloth and socked it in cold water before shakily tapping the fabric onto the open wound on his forehead as he winced. dae-ho was painfully silent. you knew you had to speak up. why was he unreachable for so long? why was he covered in blood? was it his or someone else's? thoughts kept churning around in your head.

"dae-ho... what happened?" you asked, holding his chin up to get a better look at his injury. thankfully, it did not seem too bad.

"i wasn't fully honest with you..." he admitted, grabbing your wrist and carefully placing it down. and then ensued your first serious argument.

DAE-HO despises arguments. the two of you rarely argued as he was helpful around the apartment (which is the bare minimum obviously) and considerate. but when you do, it is mostly over his debt and his insecurities. you keep on telling him he is the one for you and that his debt does not change the man he is, but he is certain you deserve someone who had their life together, not some guy in his late twenties who was a burden. each time, you reassured him by telling him you would always be by his side, through thick and thin. the hardship and obstacles thrown your way could never make you drift apart from the love of your life. furthermore, he is the first one to apologise, no matter what the topic of the argument is, loathing the tense atmosphere in the apartment afterwards.

DAE-HO wants to provide for you (like a "real man" as his father would say). now that you were aware of his financial situation, you insisted on quality time over gifts and spending money on frivolous things. prior to this revelation, dae-ho would get you a small bouquet of flowers on each date, would insist on winning you a prize at these scammers' stands at fun fairs, and would insist on paying most things despite his bank account being in the red.

DAE-HO is not the jealous type. he is very secure in his relationship with you. nevertheless, he would go to battles to defend you. once he got into a fight with a drunk man. the man in his forties had the great idea to follow the two of you and make inappropriate remarks about your body. the man called you derogatory terms that you kept ignoring until he attempted to touch you. dae-ho was quick to intervene. at first, dae-ho was polite with the stranger and firmly demanded for him to leave you alone. instead, the stranger did the opposite and in his drunken state began to attack your boyfriend. bad idea. dae-ho snuck his arm around your waist and walked faster to get away from trouble. the stranger brutally pushed dae-ho and, instinctively and pumped with adrenaline, the ex-marine threw a punch the stranger right in his face, knocking him out cold. dae-ho shook his hand as the impact from the punch hurt his hand, holding his hand up into a fist against his mouth with his eyes shut tightly.

"that was hot." you bluntly stated as you walked away from the scene?

DAE-HO loves to make plans with you for the future. late at night, you would be cuddling in bed and he would bring up how he wanted a big family. growing up in a big family made him want to have one of his own, desiring to be a loving father, unlike the one he had. he is already very good with children. he would make funny faces to try and make kids he encountered outside laugh. he is such a girl dad. gushing about how cute your future daughter would look in her toddler clothes, already picturing himself wearing a tight plastic tiara, seated on a tiny chair and playing pretend with his little girl who would be wearing a princess dress and glitter makeup messily applied on her chubby features. at the end of the day, he understands it would be up to you how many children you would have, if any. after all, you were the one who would go through the body transformations to give birth (one of his sisters was child-free, he was slightly educated on that matter).

DAE-HO wants to marry you. he does not have the money, but he finds himself roaming around jewellery shops, goggling at engagement rings, imagining himself one knee down in front of you making his proposal. for now, he would make paper rings and gift them to you as a token of his unconditional love for you.