#quick edit fo today

[buckandbobbyweek]

FAQ

What is Buck and Bobby week?

This is a week dedicated to Buck and Bobby from 911 and celebrating their father-son relationship. While a popular relationship, it's not a relationship that people often write about. So, with this event, we make sure there are plenty of new fic for us Buck & Bobby lovers!

What is the schedule?

Today (January 4th) the poll to vote for which month to fo Buck & Bobby week went up and goes for 7 days.

After there will be a poll to determine which week it will be, also running for 7 days.

Once we have a date, I will start working on a form where you can submit prompts and share this. This will be open for around a month. Less depending on how much time is left until the chosen date.

Once the form is closed, I will make a new form where you can vote for your favorite prompts. In the end we need 21 word/trope prompts (example: hugs, navy seal buck, hurt/comfort) and 10 sentence prompts (example: "did you steal my hoodie?", "what do you think you're doing?", "have you eaten yet?")

Depending on how many prompts and the results of votes, there could be a third form with the winning prompts to narrow it down more.

Then I'll make a post with the winning prompts and you can start writing!

And then we'll have Buck and Bobby week :)

Are there any rules?

AI is NOT allowed. Use of AI will end with your posts removed from the AO3 collection and being blocked on Tumblr. AI is theft.

This is to celebrate the father-son relationship between Buck and Bobby, NOT romantically. Romantic fics between them will not be included or reposted.

No abuse or SA taking place between Buck and Bobby. You can for other characters, but PLEASE tag accordingly! Use warning in both the warning section and the tags. I also recommend putting these warnings in an author's note and while posting on Tumblr. These are topics a lot of people want to avoid.

If a fic includes bashing of other characters, please tag accordingly as well. And, obviously, no Buck or Bobby bashing. (It would be preferable no bashing at all, but I'm not going to forbid or restrict you from writing it if you want to.)

No stealing, duh

I can't think of anything else, I try not to limit things. If you have a suggestion, let me know.

Do I have to sign up?

Nope. You can just post when it's time. Of course it's fun to let people know you're participating, but that's completely your own choice.

Can I be anonymous?

Sure! I do have to say a lot of people avoid anonymous fics because a lot of times they're very triggering or hateful to people. But if you don't feel comfortable using a username, it's a great way to still share your work. And I'm sure plenty of people still read anonymous fics.

Do I have to do all days?

Nope. While that is the most fun, if there's only one day you have time or inspiration for, that's amazing as well. You can skip days you don't want to do. It's completely up to you.

Is it limited to fics?

It's not! You can use any form of creativity. Think of:

Art

Playlist

Video edit

Picture edit

Moodboard

Podfic

Poetry

Anything else creative you can think of.

Is there a minimum or maximum word count?

Nope. No restrictions here either. This means you can also submit snippets. Or a full on novel with 100k+ words. Every number is allowed :)

How do I get it into the AO3 collection?

The collection isn't created yet and will be around a month before the event. Once it's created you can find the option 'post to collections / challenges' right underneath 'associations'. In this you search for the name, which I'll post on here once it's created. Once your fic is posted it'll be added to the collection.

I've never posted on AO3 before and don't know how.

I'm planning on making a quick tutorial soon, either on here or on @911buddieweek in which I'll explain the meanings of each parts, like ratings and warnings and the most used meanings behind them. Keep an eye out! If you want to know before I post, you can send me a message.

I have a different question

Don't be afraid to send an ask or message! I'll try to get back to you ASAP. I don't have tumblr notifications on, but I'm chronically online so I'll hopefully see it quickly. (I do like in Europe so if you're not European we might have a different timezone. But you can send it any time you want and I'll see it when I wake up.)

I hope this is enough info! And I'm very excited :)

[taruchinator]

🎉 General Audiences

🎉 1.9k Words

🎉 For the @twewysecretsanta event!

Shibuya was hosting its very first Pride Parade, and it was doing so in style!

With his feelings affirmed and orientation determined thanks to his sister, Beat had decided to join the group today on a personal mission.

Finding out if Neku was interested in guys.

A little something I forgot to post for my giftee Eddie on the @twewysecretsanta spring edition!

I decided to incorporate the theme of Pride for obvious reasons, plus I thought the prompt was vague enough to have enough wiggle room for something like this. Also love giving my HCs for character's sexualities!

Hope you all like it! 💗

“Damn, dawg. They really went all out on this, huh?”

“You can say that again.”

The duo of legendary players stared in awe at the display around them, taking in their surroundings as they walked side by side down the street.

Everything seemed to have been passed over a giant paintbrush, bringing out all colors of the rainbow in various forms— posters and banners on lamp posts, food stalls by the usual restaurants now serving strangely colorful samples, not to mention the large groups of people wearing clothing that sported all sorts of logos that Beat had only recently learned the names of.

Shibuya was hosting its very first Pride Parade, and it was doing so in style.

Some months after saving the city and returning to their regular lives in the RG, the Reaper's Game survivors had been hanging out as often as they could, catching up on the time that'd been lost. This also included their new friend group of The Wicked Twisters, which brought a new meaning of chaos to their everyday life whenever they spent time together.

And on one such occasion, Fret had almost instantly jumped out of his seat in excitement as he waved his phone around for everyone to see. It was an advertisement for the Pride Parade that was planned to be hosted the first weekend of June, and the brunet was quick to try and convince his friends to have them all go together.

It didn't take long for most people to agree.

Including none other than Beat himself.

As part of getting back into the rhythm of things, the blond started going through different aspects of his life that he'd never considered before. School, self-care and even relationships, with this last one being of particular interest.

Beat had never dated before. Not because he didn't find people attractive, but mostly because at the time of his teenage years he was more focused on taking care of Rhyme. And later, fell into the death game that consumed him for the following three years.

It wasn't until recently that he started contemplating his love life. Or rather, lack thereof.

“So, Rindo says that Fret and Shoka wanted to check a shop by Spain Hill on their way over…” Neku slows his pace as he looks at the group message on his phone. He then turns to Beat with a soft smile and nods ahead of them. “I say it's safe to say we can start without them. It might be a while.”

The blond could feel a flush going through his cheeks at the expression. He hated how that smile rendered him speechless. “F-Fo' sho! Can get some food fo' the others while we at it!”

With a nod of agreement from the redhead, the duo resumed their walking through the streets, and Beat could only sigh to himself with sweaty palms against his pants.

His crush on Neku had come to a surprise to him, and was something he'd only accepted about a month ago.

In preparation for attending the parade, Rhyme explained to him the meaning behind the different flags of gender identities and sexualities that he wasn't aware of. Of course they couldn't cover everything since there were just so many, but there was a particular one that stuck with him while scrolling through the website his sister and him were at.

Pansexual— the attraction towards all people regardless of their gender identity.

Beat felt like this definition encompassed him the best, since he truly didn't care for things such as gender and simply found people to be either attractive or not. But most of all, he came to the realization that he cared mostly for someone's personality and traits rather than anything else.

And his mind instantly drifted towards the boy he'd been searching for so long in the UG.

The skater boy would've never considered Neku as a potential romantic partner in the past— he was selfish, arrogant, closed off from the world, and overall only cared about himself. If anything, who would even want to date someone like that?

But that was before he got to know the real Neku Sakuraba. The guy who was loyal to the bitter end. The guy who would never give up on you even if you gave up on yourself. The guy who was now probably the nicest person Beat had ever met in his life.

And so with his feelings affirmed and orientation determined, Beat had decided to join the group today on a personal mission.

Finding out if Neku was interested in guys.

If the redhead was anything like him, he probably never stopped to consider his sexuality before. For all Beat knew, the other could be as straight as a ruler. He did care an awful lot for Shiki during their time in the game and wanted to do everything in his power to save her. Anyone on the outside looking in would rightfully assume that the two were an item.

Of course, their friends knew this wasn't the case. But that didn't stop the possibility from being there.

This parade was the perfect way to ease into the conversation without it coming out of nowhere. He'd hoped he could slide the question in while they were all looking at the stands with the rest of the group, but now with it just being the two of them, his previous confidence was starting to dwindle.

“How do ya even ask this sorta stuff, man?” Beat began fiddling with the hem of his hoodie while trying to come up with a new plan. He couldn't just outright ask, since Neku would definitely find it suspicious. But with no one there to support him, he wasn't sure where to begin.

He was never a ‘touchy feely’ kind of guy to begin with.

“Hey Beat! Check it out!” Neku's voice resonated against his ears bringing him back to reality, only to find that they'd somehow walked all the way to O-East without him even noticing.

His companion was standing over a particular stall filled to the brim with what appeared to be pins. The salesperson behind the counter merely smiled. “Welcome! Please, feel free to take a look! We also offer discounts the more you buy!”

Beat walked over to take a closer look, and was pleasantly surprised at what was staring back at him.

These were indeed pins, but nothing like the ones they were used to back in the Reaper's Game. They seemed more like badges that one could place on their clothing or backpacks. And each one featured a different flag, along with its iconic set of colors and different puns or phrases that had the blond chuckling before he could stop himself.

“Figured we could snag a couple of these for the others as a gift. They aren't that expensive anyway.” Neku started sifting through the pile and set a couple to the side. Bisexual; for Rindo and Shoka. Lesbian; for Shiki. Aromantic and Asexual; for Rhyme and Nagi respectively. And gay; for Fret.

Starting to look into his own pile, Beat was pleased to find the now familiar set of pink, yellow and blue on a particular pin. He snickered at the phrase printed on it.

‘Pansexual Pirate: Likes all kinds of booty!’

Turning to his friend after hearing the laugh, Neku chuckled alongside him while reading the comical inscription. “That sounds like you alright.”

Beat was about to retort with fake indignation, only to find Neku roaming through his pockets, most definitely ready to pay for the pins they'd selected. But the blond could only count seven, including his own. Which meant Neku was missing. “Yo, Phones! Ain't chu gonna get one, man?”

The redhead stopped midway through pulling out his wallet, and proceeded to give him a sheepish grin in return. “It's fine, I don't really need one. Besides, I didn't bring that much cash with me, so I'd rather spend it on the other stores with everyone else!”

“Is he sayin' that for reals or…?” Beat's mind instantly went to the worst possible outcome. Perhaps his gut feeling was right, and Neku was indeed only interested in girls. A fear that he thought could be true, but he still didn't wanna give up hope, at least until now.

“Actually, young man!” The cheery voice of the salesperson interrupted their conversation, the sweet smile never leaving their face as they gestured towards the stall once again. “Your purchase qualifies you for a free pin! So please, I insist that you take one!”

Both Beat and Neku stared wide eyed for a moment, but the redhead was quick to get back on his feet as he grinned at the salesperson. “Well, thank you. Guess I can't refuse a freebie.”

At that, Neku started sorting through the pile again, but this time Beat's eyes were glued on him the entire time. Could fate be on his side?

It didn't take long for the legendary player to find his desired pin and add it with the rest of them, paying in full and receiving a paper bag with the goodies protected inside. He reached his hand, and pulled out what he was looking for.

Various tones of greens and blues with a singular white stripe in the middle, along with a funny phrase of its own—

‘Come to the gayside! We have rainbows!’

Before he could stop himself, Beat was already shouting in both joy and disbelief. “You into dudes?!”

His face immediately flushed as he realized what he'd said, even after slapping his hand against his mouth as if that could take it back. Neku was startled, but suddenly chuckled and smiled in that way that had Beat's stomach doing backflips. “Um, yeah! I thought everyone knew! Guess I was wrong about that?”

Then suddenly, the smile on the redhead's lips melted into something softer as he looked at his best friend. “Although to be honest, I have a very specific criteria for my perfect guy.”

Letting curiosity get the best of him, the blond lowered the hand that was covering his mouth and tried regaining any dignity he had left with a smirk in the other's direction. “Yeah? And what would that be?”

Seeming pleased that Beat was playing along, Neku started casually placing the pin on his fleece jacket. “Well for starters, the guy has to be funny. I can't be stuck with someone who can't make me laugh. Also these are personal preferences, but I'd say I'm pretty into blond skaters who love their siblings more than anything else…”

The description only quickened the other's heartbeat in anticipation. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give it a shot. “What about dudes who got stuck in a Reaper's Game and maybe became a Reaper once or twice?”

Neku chuckled at that, and reached into the paper bag to pull out Beat's pansexual pin. He approached the taller teen and started fixing it into his skull hoodie, the smile never leaving his lips even when Beat stiffened under his touch. And as quick as lightning and as light as a feather, the redhead's lips brushed against the blond's cheek in a gentle kiss. “Especially those.”

Pink spread across Beat's entire face, yet he could honestly care less as he let the grin on his face take over.

By the time the duo reached their friends, cheers erupted within the group as they saw them hand in hand, smiling and blushing as they tried their best to keep up with everyone's inquiries.

He'd never experienced a Pride Parade before. But if this one was anything to go by, Beat could guarantee that he'd be looking forward to the many more to come, surrounded by the people he cared about most in the whole world.

And in his book, there was nothing better than that.

✧ TWITTER ✧ INSTAGRAM ✧ AO3 ✧

✧ WATTPAD ✧ KO-FI ✧

[fastenoffyal]

With only 5 more days left in the 5th Fasten Off Yarnalong we would like to introduce our special 5TH EDITION CELEBRATION PRIZE!

One winner will receive 5 patterns of their choice by 5 different participating designers. Each 2024 submitted FOYAL finished project counts as an entry for this celebration prize. 

If you haven’t submitted anything yet, there’s 5 days left for some stitching. The database is filled with small items if you need a quick project or just want to up your chances by submitting more FOs. 

We will announce this magnificent prize on all our social media platforms today as well. Share with your friends to give them a chance to win!

[nailsalonbookingsoftware]

Effortlessly Simplify Your Hair Salon Operations with MioSalon: The Best Hair Salon Appointment Software for Streamlined Success

Below, we’ll dive into the features that make MioSalon a top choice for hair salon owners and how it can help you build a better, more organized salon business.

Efficient Appointment Management with Hair Salon Scheduling Software

One of the main struggles for salon owners is managing multiple client bookings without overlaps or missed slots. MioSalon’s hair salon scheduling software is crafted to handle complex schedules effortlessly. With its intuitive interface, you can quickly view, edit, and manage all upcoming appointments in one central place.

Avoid Double Bookings: MioSalon helps prevent double bookings by automatically marking out slots that are already taken, so clients can only pick from available times.

Adjust Schedules Easily: If a stylist is unavailable or a client needs to reschedule, you can make changes instantly without losing track.

Get a Full-Day View: View your entire day at a glance with MioSalon’s calendar, making it easy to see what’s next and stay prepared for each client.

With MioSalon, your salon can save time on managing appointments, giving you more opportunities to focus on clients and deliver high-quality services.

Simple & Convenient Booking with Hair Salon Appointment Software

Modern customers expect convenience, and that’s exactly what MioSalon’s hair salon appointment software provides. By offering flexible appointment booking options, MioSalon ensures your clients can schedule their visits with ease.

24/7 Booking Access: Clients can book their slots even after hours, allowing them to choose a time that works best for them without the need to call.

Reduce Waiting Time: Because appointments are pre-set, you can better plan each stylist’s schedule, helping reduce client wait times.

Track Booking Trends: MioSalon provides valuable data on peak booking hours and client preferences, helping you tailor your services to meet demand.

This convenient feature ensures that you and your clients always know what’s next, keeping your salon organized and increasing client satisfaction.

Streamlined Scheduling with Hair Salon Booking Software

One of the biggest benefits of MioSalon is its hair salon booking software, which enables clients to book their preferred times without calling in. By shifting to an online booking system, your salon can manage client flow much more efficiently.

Automatic Time Blocking: The software ensures that only free slots are shown to clients, so your calendar remains accurate.

Eliminate No-Shows: Clients receive automatic reminders before their appointments, reducing the chance of no-shows.

Enhance Client Experience: Give clients the freedom to book when it suits them, creating a positive impression even before they walk through your door.

This system helps you keep track of all bookings, manage time effectively, and avoid the stress of coordinating with clients over the phone.

Enhance Client Convenience with a Hair Salon Online Booking System

With MioSalon’s hair salon online booking system, you’re offering your clients a modern and convenient way to make appointments. Not only does this improve their experience, but it also simplifies your salon operations.

Easy Access for Clients: An online booking system allows clients to book directly through your website, providing a seamless experience.

Stay Connected: Clients can access their booking details and even reschedule if needed, giving them flexibility.

Strengthen Brand Loyalty: Clients love the ease of an online booking option, and they’re more likely to return to your salon knowing it’s quick and easy to make a future appointment.

This online booking feature is crucial in today’s world, where clients want flexibility and convenience. By offering online booking, MioSalon helps build your reputation as a modern, client-focused salon.

Automate Appointments with an Online Booking System for Hairdressers

For salon owners, time is everything. With an online booking system for hairdressers like MioSalon, you can reduce time spent on the phone and let the software take care of appointment scheduling for you.

Real-Time Booking Updates: MioSalon’s system instantly reflects any bookings or cancellations, so you have a clear, up-to-date schedule.

Reduce Administrative Work: Automated appointment confirmations and reminders free up time for your team to focus on what they do best—providing great services.

Improve Staff Efficiency: By knowing exactly when each stylist is booked, you can allocate resources better and ensure smooth workflow.

This online booking system for hairdressers is designed to make your operations easier, freeing up time and letting you deliver a top-notch client experience.

Keep Clients Informed with Automatic Reminders

In addition to managing appointments and bookings, MioSalon also offers automated reminders—a simple but effective feature to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

Minimize Missed Appointments: Automated reminders are sent directly to clients via email or SMS, reminding them of their upcoming bookings.

Customized Reminder Settings: Set reminders to go out at specific intervals before the appointment (e.g., a day before or an hour before), ensuring clients have plenty of time to confirm.

Keep a Steady Flow: Fewer missed appointments mean your salon operates smoothly, with fewer empty slots that could have been booked.

Automated reminders not only save time but also help keep your schedule full, which means more consistent revenue for your business.

Benefits of Using MioSalon for Your Hair Salon

MioSalon is more than just a scheduling tool—it’s a complete solution for hair salons looking to improve efficiency and client satisfaction. Here’s how MioSalon can make a difference for your business:

Increased Client Satisfaction: With online booking, easy appointment changes, and reminders, your clients feel more in control of their experience.

Improved Organization: A centralized scheduling system means less stress for you and your team, as all appointments and client details are in one place.

Enhanced Revenue Opportunities: By reducing no-shows, filling more slots, and understanding client trends, you’ll have more chances to grow your business.

Boosted Staff Productivity: Spend less time on admin tasks and more time focusing on delivering excellent client service.

MioSalon brings all these benefits to your salon with an easy-to-use platform designed to save time, reduce stress, and keep clients coming back.

Why MioSalon Is the Right Choice for Hair Salon Owners

If you’re a hair salon owner looking for a reliable way to handle appointments, manage client expectations, and run a smooth operation, MioSalon is the answer. The features we’ve covered, from hair salon scheduling software to an online booking system for hairdressers, make MioSalon the perfect partner in growing your business.

Not only will it simplify your day-to-day work, but it will also enhance the client experience. So, if you want to reduce missed appointments, increase bookings, and give your clients a better experience, it’s time to consider MioSalon for your hair salon.

With MioSalon’s all-in-one platform, you’re not just managing a salon—you’re building a brand that clients will love and keep coming back to.

[salonsoftwarebenny]

Effortlessly Simplify Your Hair Salon Operations with MioSalon: The Best Hair Salon Appointment Software for Streamlined Success

Below, we’ll dive into the features that make MioSalon a top choice for hair salon owners and how it can help you build a better, more organized salon business.

Efficient Appointment Management with Hair Salon Scheduling Software

One of the main struggles for salon owners is managing multiple client bookings without overlaps or missed slots. MioSalon’s hair salon scheduling software is crafted to handle complex schedules effortlessly. With its intuitive interface, you can quickly view, edit, and manage all upcoming appointments in one central place.

Avoid Double Bookings: MioSalon helps prevent double bookings by automatically marking out slots that are already taken, so clients can only pick from available times.

Adjust Schedules Easily: If a stylist is unavailable or a client needs to reschedule, you can make changes instantly without losing track.

Get a Full-Day View: View your entire day at a glance with MioSalon’s calendar, making it easy to see what’s next and stay prepared for each client.

With MioSalon, your salon can save time on managing appointments, giving you more opportunities to focus on clients and deliver high-quality services.

Simple & Convenient Booking with Hair Salon Appointment Software

Modern customers expect convenience, and that’s exactly what MioSalon’s hair salon appointment software provides. By offering flexible appointment booking options, MioSalon ensures your clients can schedule their visits with ease.

24/7 Booking Access: Clients can book their slots even after hours, allowing them to choose a time that works best for them without the need to call.

Reduce Waiting Time: Because appointments are pre-set, you can better plan each stylist’s schedule, helping reduce client wait times.

Track Booking Trends: MioSalon provides valuable data on peak booking hours and client preferences, helping you tailor your services to meet demand.

This convenient feature ensures that you and your clients always know what’s next, keeping your salon organized and increasing client satisfaction.

Streamlined Scheduling with Hair Salon Booking Software

One of the biggest benefits of MioSalon is its hair salon booking software, which enables clients to book their preferred times without calling in. By shifting to an online booking system, your salon can manage client flow much more efficiently.

Automatic Time Blocking: The software ensures that only free slots are shown to clients, so your calendar remains accurate.

Eliminate No-Shows: Clients receive automatic reminders before their appointments, reducing the chance of no-shows.

Enhance Client Experience: Give clients the freedom to book when it suits them, creating a positive impression even before they walk through your door.

This system helps you keep track of all bookings, manage time effectively, and avoid the stress of coordinating with clients over the phone.

Enhance Client Convenience with a Hair Salon Online Booking System

With MioSalon’s hair salon online booking system, you’re offering your clients a modern and convenient way to make appointments. Not only does this improve their experience, but it also simplifies your salon operations.

Easy Access for Clients: An online booking system allows clients to book directly through your website, providing a seamless experience.

Stay Connected: Clients can access their booking details and even reschedule if needed, giving them flexibility.

Strengthen Brand Loyalty: Clients love the ease of an online booking option, and they’re more likely to return to your salon knowing it’s quick and easy to make a future appointment.

This online booking feature is crucial in today’s world, where clients want flexibility and convenience. By offering online booking, MioSalon helps build your reputation as a modern, client-focused salon.

Automate Appointments with an Online Booking System for Hairdressers

For salon owners, time is everything. With an online booking system for hairdressers like MioSalon, you can reduce time spent on the phone and let the software take care of appointment scheduling for you.

Real-Time Booking Updates: MioSalon’s system instantly reflects any bookings or cancellations, so you have a clear, up-to-date schedule.

Reduce Administrative Work: Automated appointment confirmations and reminders free up time for your team to focus on what they do best—providing great services.

Improve Staff Efficiency: By knowing exactly when each stylist is booked, you can allocate resources better and ensure smooth workflow.

This online booking system for hairdressers is designed to make your operations easier, freeing up time and letting you deliver a top-notch client experience.

Keep Clients Informed with Automatic Reminders

In addition to managing appointments and bookings, MioSalon also offers automated reminders—a simple but effective feature to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

Minimize Missed Appointments: Automated reminders are sent directly to clients via email or SMS, reminding them of their upcoming bookings.

Customized Reminder Settings: Set reminders to go out at specific intervals before the appointment (e.g., a day before or an hour before), ensuring clients have plenty of time to confirm.

Keep a Steady Flow: Fewer missed appointments mean your salon operates smoothly, with fewer empty slots that could have been booked.

Automated reminders not only save time but also help keep your schedule full, which means more consistent revenue for your business.

Benefits of Using MioSalon for Your Hair Salon

MioSalon is more than just a scheduling tool—it’s a complete solution for hair salons looking to improve efficiency and client satisfaction. Here’s how MioSalon can make a difference for your business:

Increased Client Satisfaction: With online booking, easy appointment changes, and reminders, your clients feel more in control of their experience.

Improved Organization: A centralized scheduling system means less stress for you and your team, as all appointments and client details are in one place.

Enhanced Revenue Opportunities: By reducing no-shows, filling more slots, and understanding client trends, you’ll have more chances to grow your business.

Boosted Staff Productivity: Spend less time on admin tasks and more time focusing on delivering excellent client service.

MioSalon brings all these benefits to your salon with an easy-to-use platform designed to save time, reduce stress, and keep clients coming back.

Why MioSalon Is the Right Choice for Hair Salon Owners

If you’re a hair salon owner looking for a reliable way to handle appointments, manage client expectations, and run a smooth operation, MioSalon is the answer. The features we’ve covered, from hair salon scheduling software to an online booking system for hairdressers, make MioSalon the perfect partner in growing your business.

Not only will it simplify your day-to-day work, but it will also enhance the client experience. So, if you want to reduce missed appointments, increase bookings, and give your clients a better experience, it’s time to consider MioSalon for your hair salon.

With MioSalon’s all-in-one platform, you’re not just managing a salon—you’re building a brand that clients will love and keep coming back to.

[masood8686]

“10 Essential Tools Every Graphic Designer Should Know”

Graphic design is an exciting and creative field, but to succeed, you need the right tools to bring your ideas to life. Today, there are countless graphic design tools available, each with unique features to help you create stunning visuals. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer, mastering a few essential tools will make a big difference in the quality of your work and your efficiency. Here are 10 essential tools every graphic designer should know to help you create professional designs.

1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most widely used graphic design tools, especially for image editing and manipulation. It’s ideal for tasks like photo retouching, creating digital artwork, and designing web graphics. With powerful features like layers, filters, and masks, Photoshop allows designers to create detailed and dynamic designs.

Best for: Photo editing, digital painting, and graphic design.

2. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based design tool used to create logos, icons, illustrations, and more. Unlike Photoshop, which is raster-based, Illustrator allows you to create scalable graphics that can be resized without losing quality. This makes it perfect for designs that need to look sharp at any size, from business cards to billboards.

Best for: Logo design, vector art, and illustrations.

3. Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a layout design software commonly used for creating print and digital publications like magazines, brochures, and eBooks. It has features for managing text, images, and layouts, making it essential for designers working on multi-page documents.

Best for: Print design, magazines, and digital publications.

4. Canva

Canva is a user-friendly online tool that’s great for beginners and experienced designers alike. With a drag-and-drop interface, it offers pre-made templates for social media posts, presentations, posters, and more. Canva’s vast library of elements and easy-to-use features make it perfect for quick projects and professional-looking designs.

Best for: Social media graphics, presentations, and quick design projects.

5. Sketch

Sketch is a vector-based design tool focused on UI and UX design, specifically for web and mobile applications. It’s popular among designers for its intuitive interface and robust prototyping tools. While it’s only available on Mac, Sketch is widely used in the industry for creating wireframes, website layouts, and interactive prototypes.

Best for: UI/UX design, wireframing, and web design.

6. Figma

Figma is a cloud-based design tool that’s also geared toward UI and UX design. It allows for real-time collaboration, making it perfect for design teams working on web and mobile projects. With features for creating prototypes and conducting user testing, Figma is quickly becoming a favorite for product and web designers.

Best for: Collaborative design, UI/UX, and prototyping.

7. CorelDRAW

CorelDRAW is another vector-based design tool known for its powerful features and versatility. It’s commonly used for logo design, illustration, and print layouts. CorelDRAW has a user-friendly interface and a variety of tools for creating intricate vector graphics, making it popular among professional designers.

Best for: Vector illustrations, logo design, and print projects.

8. Procreate

Procreate is an iPad-exclusive app that’s a favorite among digital artists and illustrators. It offers a wide range of brushes and drawing tools, along with an intuitive touch interface. Procreate is ideal for sketching, digital painting, and creating detailed illustrations on the go.

Best for: Digital illustration, sketching, and painting.

9. Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is a vector graphic design tool known for its affordability and high performance. It’s often considered a solid alternative to Adobe Illustrator, with features for both vector and raster design. Affinity Designer is highly versatile and suitable for everything from logos to UI designs.

Best for: Vector design, logo design, and illustration.

10. InVision

InVision is a digital design and prototyping tool aimed at helping designers create interactive prototypes for websites and mobile apps. It offers features like feedback, version control, and live collaboration, making it ideal for design teams. InVision also integrates with other design tools like Sketch and Photoshop, streamlining the workflow for UI/UX designers.

Best for: Prototyping, UI/UX design, and collaborative design projects.

Why These Tools Are Essential

Each of these tools has a specific purpose, and mastering them can open up a world of creative possibilities. From Adobe’s powerful suite to user-friendly platforms like Canva, these tools allow designers to create everything from simple graphics to complex multi-page layouts and interactive prototypes. Knowing which tool to use for each project can save you time, improve your workflow, and help you produce professional-quality designs.

Learn Graphic Design with Web Training Academy in Hyderabad

If you’re excited about learning to use these essential tools, Web Training Academy in Hyderabad offers one of the best graphic design courses around. Here’s what you can expect from the course:

Hands-On Training: Gain practical experience with tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more.

Expert Instructors: Learn from experienced professionals who know the ins and outs of these tools and can guide you to use them effectively.

Updated Curriculum: The course covers the latest design trends and techniques, ensuring you’re well-equipped for the industry.

Portfolio Building: Work on real-world projects and build a portfolio that showcases your skills and creativity with these essential tools.

Whether you’re a beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, Web Training Academy’s graphic design course will give you the foundation you need to succeed in the design world. Ready to start your journey? Enroll today at Web Training Academy in Hyderabad and master the tools that will bring your creative ideas to life!

With the right tools in your arsenal, you can create impressive designs that stand out and captivate your audience. By learning these essential graphic design tools, you’ll be ready to tackle any design project and elevate your creative work to the next level

[sajuseoblog]

Unlock the Power of Efficiency with Online PDF Tools

In today’s fast-paced digital world, efficiency and convenience are paramount. For many professionals and individuals alike, managing and manipulating PDF documents efficiently can significantly streamline workflows and enhance productivity. Enter the realm of online PDF tools — a suite of powerful, user-friendly solutions that cater to a multitude of PDF-related needs. Here’s why online PDF tools are essential for anyone who deals with documents regularly.

Why Choose Online PDF Tools?

1. Accessibility from Anywhere

One of the most compelling advantages of online PDF tools is their accessibility. Whether you’re in the office, at home, or on the go, these tools are available right at your fingertips. As long as you have an internet connection, you can access, edit, and manage your PDF files from any device — be it a computer, tablet, or smartphone. This flexibility ensures that you can stay productive and handle important documents regardless of your location.

2. No Software Installation Required

Unlike traditional PDF software that requires installation and often comes with hefty system requirements, online PDF tools operate directly in your web browser. This means you can avoid the hassle of downloading and installing software, saving valuable storage space and time. Additionally, many online PDF tools offer free versions with basic functionalities, making them an economical choice for occasional users.

3. Versatility and Functionality

Online PDF tools offer a wide range of functionalities that can cater to various needs:

Conversion: Easily convert PDFs to other formats like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and vice versa. This is particularly useful for editing or repurposing content without losing formatting. -Editing: Modify text, images, and links within your PDFs. Add annotations, highlights, and comments to make collaborative work more effective. Compression: Reduce the file size of your PDFs to facilitate easier sharing and quicker uploads without compromising quality. -Merging and Splitting: Combine multiple PDF documents into a single file or split a large document into smaller, more manageable sections. Security: Protect your documents with password encryption and redaction to ensure sensitive information remains confidential.

4. User-Friendly Interfaces

Most online PDF tools are designed with user-friendliness in mind. With intuitive interfaces and simple navigation, even users with minimal technical expertise can perform complex tasks effortlessly. Many tools offer drag-and-drop functionality, making operations like uploading and rearranging files straightforward.

5. Collaboration Made Easy

Online PDF tools often include features that enhance collaboration. Shared links, comment sections, and collaborative editing options allow multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously. This is particularly beneficial for teams working remotely or individuals needing to review and finalize documents together.

How to Get Started with Online PDF Tools

Getting started with online PDF tools is incredibly simple. Here’s a quick guide:

1. Choose the Right Tool**: Depending on your needs, select an online PDF tool that offers the features you require. Popular options include Smallpdf, Adobe Acrobat Online, PDFescape, and ILovePDF. 2. Upload Your Document: Visit the tool’s website and upload your PDF file. Most tools support drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to get started.

3. Perform Your Tasks: Use the available features to convert, edit, compress, or manage your PDF as needed.

4. **Download or Share**: Once you’re done, download the updated PDF to your device or share it directly via a link if the tool supports sharing options.

Conclusion

Online PDF tools have revolutionized how we handle PDF documents, offering unprecedented convenience and functionality. By embracing these tools, you can optimize your document management processes, enhance productivity, and focus on what truly matters. Whether you need to convert, edit, or secure your PDFs, the right online PDF tool can make all the difference. Explore the vast array of options available and discover how these tools can transform the way you work with PDF files.

[sticksnsocks]

the final exam

[thefanficmonster]

Interesting Encounters

Corpse Husband *& Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Paranoia and Fear of Invasion of Privacy

Genre: FLUFF, Humor, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Corpse has an interesting run-in with his regular delivery girl, having the chance to talk to her for the first time despite her having been delivering to his door for months. It’s a big step in overcoming his anxiety and paranoia when talking to strangers.

Requested by Anon. Hi darling! Thank you so much for your wonderful request! Hope you come across the final product of your request and give it a read and if so I hope you like it! Sorry for the wait, I hope it was worth it though! Love, Vy ❤

It’s a regular Monday morning, close to 10AM and Corpse’s face is practically glued to the sound editing app he’s downloaded, playing around with some cool effects to add to his voice in the background of the new song he’s been working on. He hasn’t been able to sleep a wink thanks to the immense excitement, not that he would’ve been able to regardless, but the tune and the lines have been stuck in his head all throughout the weekend and he knows they’ll be bothering him until he turns them into something other people will be able to listen and give an opinion on as well. So far he’s done plenty of work but there’s plenty more to go until it’s done. He’s at that point he usually needs feedback and wants to ask for it but would rather not to avoid either too harsh judgement or fake praise.

He slides the headset off, deciding to take a break for the sake of his sanity before he drives himself to insanity with the intensity of his focus on this new piece. His brain just so conveniently sends him a reminder that his groceries are probably waiting for him outside the door. He has, as of the last half a year or so, had someone deliver his groceries to him to avoid trips to the grocery store with both the whole pandemic situation and the growth of following which translates to growth of the risk of him getting recognized. That’s the main reason - and maybe the only one - as to why he doesn’t interact with the people who deliver to him either. He always gives his delivery person the instruction to leave whatever he’s ordered at the doorstep and if it’s not takeout to not even ring the doorbell. 

That being said, the deliverer of his groceries doesn’t ring the doorbell to give him the kind reminder to be responsible, but luckily he hasn’t forgotten to collect them yet in the six months he’s been practicing this delivery technique.

Going to the front door and looking out of the peephole, he confirms there are several full plastic bags waiting to be picked up on the mat. With the person who brought them not in sight, Corpse unlocks the door and steps out to bring in the groceries for the week. Taking them to the kitchen, he unpacks the goods in the three bags. At first glance he would’ve been fooled, seeing as how it seems that all he has ordered is there. But, each Monday, he receives exactly four bags of groceries. One is missing. He rolls his eyes thinking he didn’t see it outside and left it there while he was hurriedly collecting the rest so he gets up to go grab it real quick.

While in the meantime...

Y/N looks through the remainder of bags in her minivan, making a route in her head for what roads and shortcuts she can take to deliver the last of the groceries to the respective homes they need to be taken to. Upon looking through them, however, she sees a bag labeled ‘MM’ that she uses short for ‘Mystery Man’, aka the guy who never opens the door to greet her whenever she delivers him anything. She works for several delivery services such as takeout, groceries, clothes even and has delivered to that apartment hundreds of times but has never met the resident, giving her the right to call him Mystery Man, aka ‘MM’.

“Ah, shit.“ She mumbles under her breath, realizing she failed to grab the fourth bag when on her way up to MM’s apartment.

Coming to terms with the fact that she’ll have to lose another five minutes going back up to his floor, she grabs the bag and takes off running back inside the building and up the stairs, deciding it would be quicker than taking the elevator.

Just as she arrives to the floor, heading straight for the door, it opens, freezing her in her tracks as her eyebrows shoot up.  At the doorstep stands a guy with an eye patch who looks more surprised and maybe even a little terrified than her. Taking in that Mystery Man is not such a mystery anymore, she returns to her professionalism, remaining at a distance and outstretching the hand holding the bag towards him.

“Sorry, forgot to drop this one off as well, I’m a bit all over the place today.“ She says in her most professional voice.

Corpse too regains his composure and takes the handed bag from Y/N gloved hand. Before he can think twice about it he says, “Thanks, uh...”

“Y/N.“ She says, “I’ve delivered to you countless times, it’s funny you don’t know my name but it’s to be expected since I’ve never seen you. This would be a good time to tell me your name so I don’t have to call you Mystery Man anymore.“ She laughs, cutting her own laughter off barely a second later when she realizes what she’s said, “Oh, fucking shit...”

Corpse chuckles, clear amusement in the sound, “Mystery Man? Interesting, interesting. If I ever become a superhero I’ll make sure to pick that name.” He fails to even pay mind to the fact that he’s spoken a lot more than he’d usually feel comfortable with.

Y/N laughs a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, “Yeah, sorry about that. I promise to come up with a better one if you’re not willing to tell me your real one. Like....Pirate, for example?” she suggests, raising her shoulders.

He can’t help but let out a laugh, “You’d be surprised, but my name is not so far from your mark. It’s, um....” He’s not looking forward to the judgmental look or the questions he might receive in response to his statement but he succumbs to the expected disappointment, “My name’s Corpse.”

Surprisingly, she just smiles - a smile he cannot see due to the surgical mask she’s wearing but the crinkle at the corners of her eyes gives it away. “Cool! Well, I better get going then.”

Just as she turns to head for the elevator this time, seeing as she’s still out of breath from the run up the stairs, Corpse gets an idea he’d probably not be too fond of if he gave himself time to think it over. Which is exactly why he didn’t.

“Hey!“ He calls after her, gaining her attention immediately, causing her to turn around, “You got a minute? I need a little help with something...“

Y/N’s eyebrows raise a little, a moment before she shrugs her shoulders, “Meh, I’m already behind schedule, what’s an extra minute gonna do?” And just like that, they strut their way back towards his apartment.

He can’t help but chuckle, taking the opportunity to crack a joke, “This is how people often get killed. You don’t just walk into a stranger’s apartment like that.”

She scoffs as she passes the threshold, “Believe it or not, you can learn a lot about a person based on the groceries they buy. And trust me buddy, you’re not a murderer.” Earning herself a laugh and a nod with that remark, she continues, “You do appear to be an artist with all the cheap food you’re buying though.”

Corpse laughs yet again, a hint of nervousness is sensed in his laugh this time around though, “Yeah, well, I don’t know if you’re still gonna call me an artist when you hear this song I’ve been working on. Not even out of the box yet.”

Y/N stops in her tracks, “Well, well, well, aren’t I honored to be one of the lucky people hearing this before its release.”

“The first hearing it before its release.“ He corrects her with a pointed look, not missing the excitement that arose in her eyes.

“Let’s hear it then!“

Of all the friendship stories that exist, no one can say this ain’t a unique one.

@maat-the-prescriptive  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @itsminniekat  @hacker-ghost  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams @solowheein  @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01  @buddyemily   @the-albino-lioness  @stardream14  @gdhdkfnn  @nomadicgypsyy  @preciousskye  @fluffysuicideunicornsworld  @o-kaelin  @manacharlotte  @awkward-youtube-trash  @lolalee24  @bonky-beerns  @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian  @strawbrinkofdeath  @teenloves  @tams0527  @browneyespinkhair  @starstruckllamapuppy  @daisychains012  @y0ulooked  @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life  @jula-pauline  @melodykitty  @just-that-bi-girl  @crazybutconfidentaf  @lowellshade @alphakees  @bellero  @weallneednamjesus  @starryhanji  @boiled-onionrings  @husherstan  @fockingwhore  @melaningoddessthings  @prettypastelpetals  @haleypearce  @godwhyamiawkward  @y-napotat  @daisychainyoonmin  @little-miss-rebel3  @free-wheelin-bi-sexual  @redmoon261 @darkacademic2  @wiseflamingoqueen  @into-the-end  @namikhai-i  @nastiablr  @thelittleplantlover  @mirktuan  @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny  @vintagegothlover  @easygoingtheatre  @itsrandombooklover  @miiaivi  @emmybaybee  @befourgolden  @jjk-is-my-shit  @eternalteaaars  @spacebadgerx  @princesslunalight  @acequinn14  @samm48  @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa  @fo-love  @marishimomura-blog  @therealglenncoco  @cinnamonbun332  @killtherandomness  @sanshinexxxsan  @fee-btheweeb  @press-lay  @cathleenpotgieter16  @jazzydoesstuff  @moonlxghtbay  @forestrain2000  @hyunjinhugs  @blood-of-fandoms  @lovellylies  @ukiyolixx  @simpforhpcharacters  @chrisdylan17  @parkerjisung  @pedernille  @theodonyous  @wineandionysus  @malfoystilinskii05  @morbid-x  @coryisagee  @jessewa26  @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365  @raeanneinwonderland  @indecisive-empanada  @gluttonypalace  @loriane2503  @btsiguess-kpop  @khaoticbunny  @lucidlycactus  @smiithys  @rottenroyalebooks  @kpopgirlbtssvt  @fangirl-tc27  @fr0z3n-1  @notmesimpingfortechno  @shotarosleftpinky  @kunoi-chan  @idk-whats-wrong-with-me  @yikeroonie  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @poetry-and-tea  @ama-do-writing-stuff  @wishbonewolf  @emeraldxhope  @t0xick1tty  @kusuinko  @speakyourselfloveyourself  @sophia902103  @lo-manburg  @classsykittykat  @dmgama  @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee  @btsiguess-kpop  @akaashi-baby  @gun-jong-simp  @geschichtenfee  @yerapotato-wp  @browneyedgirl365  @thysagclub  @sparklycloudnight  @helloatomicshadow  @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal  @lucy-bunny17  @aaliyahh0  @katluckybear  @boyleanti  @straybids  @franchesca-791  @cosmicstorm19  @averyisbackinthetrashcan  @aomi-nabi  @xlanawriter  @allensimpsforcorpse  @sunnyrae-cessh  @ladykxxx08  @meowiemari  @renupf  @booklover76  @sra-verissimo  @beatrhizn  @blueberrystigma  @beatrhizn  @chicken-taco-burrito  @scorpios-echos

[dharma-divine]

Recording In Progress

Happy Holidays, besties! I haven't posted in a while (been working on some super exciting projects ;-)), so here's a quick one shot to get me back in the groove!

Thank you @gardenvanfleet for helping me edit, ilysm <3

Pairing: Jake x (Female) Reader

Word Count: ~5,000

WARNINGS: 18+!!! Explicit sexual content

Summary: Joining the boys for a prolonged practice session, your boredom leads you to make a move Jake, sneaking away with him into a vacant recording booth.

“Yeah, that’s good,” you hear Jake murmur to no one in particular, his voice traveling from across the spacious room of the studio.

You flick your eyes from your twiddling thumbs to watch as he leans over in his chair, reaching over the guitar rested in his lap to grab a pencil and jot something down in the notebook in front of him. A freshly lit cigarette hangs from his mouth, his lips pursed around it as he takes a long drag.

Your eyes linger on him for a moment, before glancing over to each of the three other boys scattered across the room. They’ve been practicing for hours, trying to get as much work done as possible before you all head home for holiday break. You happily joined their practice after Jake extended an invite this morning, shooting you a text while you were in line for your morning coffee. You’re always so excited to see them work on their music — to see their amazing talents come to life.

You arrived at the studio around noon with a drink carrier full of coffee cups, dispersing them to each of the boys. They’re alone today, their manager and other co-writers out for the holidays already. It’s just the five of you, sitting around in the live room, various instruments and equipment sprawled out as they work on their own expertise.

You put your coffee cup to your lips and cringe at the cold liquid that hits your tongue. You check the clock on your phone, and it reads a quarter till three. You sigh.

The first few hours were exciting, but you are admittedly getting bored as the afternoon lulls by. You’ve been here longer than you ever have in past visits, long enough to have lunch delivered, the empty pizza boxes now stacked on the ottoman of the couch you're lounged on.

You’re thoroughly impressed by how focused the boys are, even this late in the day, the mixture of instruments and Josh’s vocals still filling the aural space. You know you could leave whenever you’d like, but you don’t want to be rude. Plus, your favorite part of joining their practice sessions is always going out for drinks afterwards, and you do not want to miss the invite for that.

Your eyes go back to Jake, watching as he takes the cigarette from his lips between two fingers, a cloud of smoke promptly billowing from his mouth. They’re not supposed to be smoking in here of course, but they always do when they’re alone. You can still smell the hint of weed lingering in their air from Josh’s joint he had lit much earlier.

Jake places the cigarette back in his mouth and continues working intently at his beloved acoustic. You’ll never get tired of watching him play, entirely enthralled in the way the muscles in his arm flex with every thrum of its strings, and how his fingers curve to press firmly into the fretboard. You love how he licks his lips when he’s super concentrated, his eyes full of thought as he immerses himself in his music. You usually refrain from letting your thoughts wander too far, but with your painful boredom, you can’t help it now.

There’s always been something between you and Jake, but neither of you have had the courage to act on it. Everyone around you has clearly caught on to it though, his brothers constantly making jokes about the two of you being a couple. You admittedly fantasize about being his girlfriend, about following them on tour and experiencing the glamorous side of rockstar life firsthand, but something always stops you from making the commitment. Perhaps you’re scared that it won’t be as exciting as you dream it to be, and that being around Jake for more than just the time that he’s home will make the spark you have with him dim, or worse, you’ll fuck up and lose the friendship that you’ve spent so long building.

Or, maybe it’s because you like the idea of letting this tension simmer for as long as possible, because it isn’t like you’ve never caught on to how his eyes linger on you too, and how his husky voice goes soft and sweet when he speaks to you. He seems just as hesitant to pursue something, if not more so, as you are, which only adds to your nerves. But the tension is bound to spill over eventually, and you see it happening soon.

You didn’t want to hover over him the entire time and be a distraction, so you made yourself comfortable on the couch, a book and a spare notepad that you’re using to doodle beside you, just for when you got tired of scrolling through your phone.

But even the notebook has bored you now. You continue to stare at him, your cheeks growing warm as you watch his thick, calloused fingers work their magic.

You’re so entranced by him, aimlessly chewing at the end of your fingernail as you rake up his body, that you flinch when he suddenly stops playing. You fix your wandering eyes to find him staring right back at you, his eyebrow raised, a smirk curving the side of his full lips. You feel your face flush even warmer at the fact that you’ve been caught.

You bite at your lip to try to hide a flustered smile, but you know it’s not hidden. You pick up the notebook and pencil from your side, flipping it open to draw random doodles as you try your hardest to calm your clambering heartbeat.

You know your attempt at being aloof is making you look even guiltier.

To your relief though, the strumming starts again, and after a while you dare to glance back up at him. His head is down, but you can tell by the way his grin perks up again that he’s watching you from his peripherals.

You consider going back to keeping yourself busy, to ignore the teasing, but you decide to finally gather the courage and do something about your yearning desire for him.

You get up from the couch and quietly pad over to Jake. He lifts his head when he notices you approaching, halting the strings with a spread hand.

“Hey,” he smiles, a playful giggle skirting his voice as he bends down to extinguish his cigarette in his ashtray out of courtesy, though he knows you don’t mind the smell.

“Hi,” you reply sweetly, pulling over a nearby chair and positioning it next to him. “How’s it going?”

“Great,” he breathes, looking down at his fingers as they tap against the hollow curve of the guitar’s body. “We’ll probably be wrapping up soon.”

He seems just as nervous as you feel, but his eyes begin to rake up your frame, eventually meeting your gaze again. A smirk forms his lips, his eyelids low with amusement.

“I saw you watching me over there, I was waiting for you to come over here.”

“Oh, were you?” you smile, tilting your head bashfully.

“Mhm,” he hums.

You’re tired of dancing around your intentions with him. You glance over your shoulder at his brothers and Danny, who are all still working intently at their respective instruments, before leaning in close enough to Jake that you hear him take in a sharp breath.

“I was just watching your hands…” you remark, running one of yours gently up the neck of his guitar, feeling the ribbed texture of the strings glide against your fingers.

He raises his eyebrows, catching on to your deviance, looking past you to give a glance at his bandmates also.

“Yeah, you like that?” he quips when he confirms that they’re preoccupied.

You catch his eyes dart to your mouth for a moment, something he always does when he’s being flirtatious.

His hand meets yours at the base of the guitar’s neck, turning it over as an invitation for you to touch it. You take it into yours, feeling the soft, warm flesh of his palm.

“I do,” you answer, twisting his wrist so you can splay your fingers flat against his and compare sizes.

They extend just past the tips of yours, but the width of them are clearly much fuller, his knuckles peeking from the sides.

“Guitar players amaze me,” you continue playing coy. “How you move so quickly, and precisely…”

You slide your fingers back down his palm, continuing to study its features.

“You must be really good at –”

You only pretend to be surprised by the slip of thought, though you still feel yourself blush when you look up to catch his reaction.

His brows raise again, and he swipes his tongue between his lips. You glance down at them, knowing he’s watching you do so. They’re so full, and plump, and pink. You want to kiss them, but you don’t.

Not here, not yet.

“What was that?” he asks, clearly riveted by your boldness.

“Oh, nothing,” you bluff, suddenly letting go of his hand. “It’s nothing. Anyway, what song were you-”

“No, no,” he prides, and you stifle a giggle when he laces his fingers around the leg of your chair, its feet squeaking against the wood as he pulls you closer to him. “What were you going to say?”

You hold your breath for a moment, trying to decide how you want to pursue.

You decide to grab his hand again from the chair leg, lifting it gingerly and placing it against the expanse of your thigh, his touch warm over the fabric of your leggings.

“I just think those fingers can work more than just a guitar,” you lean in to whisper in his ear as you guide him further up your leg, until he’s gripping the side of your hip. “They’d probably feel so good in between my–”

You’re scared you’ve overstepped your boundaries when Jake suddenly jumps out of his seat, his guitar nearly crashing to the floor if not for the strap looped around his back. The clammer causes his bandmates to look up from their concentration, quizzical expressions on all of their faces.

“I- uh,” Jake stutters, looking down at you as you try to stifle a laugh.

Only you can see the bulge in his jeans, pressed against the back of the guitar that’s still laced around him.

“I left my Les Paul in one of the booths, can- can you help me look for it?” he asks you desperately, his cheeks bright red.

His eyes tell you to go along with it, so you do, even though you know his explanation is far from convincing as the other boys eye you suspiciously.

“Please, like you’d be careless enough to do that,” Sam scoffs, shaking his head from where he’s lounged by the riser.

“About time,” you think you hear Danny mumble from behind the drum kit, followed by both of their cackles.

“I cannot believe you would do something so careless,” Josh scolds facetiously, standing up from his seat on the rug and waving his hand dramatically towards the door. “You two better hurry, I’d hate for something to happen to it.”

“Yeah, actually now that you mention it…” you chime, lifting from your seat and walking towards the studio door. “I think I saw it down the hall…”

“Fuck all of you,” Jake rolls his eyes, being sure to face away from his bandmates as he slides off his guitar and props it against his chair.

He scolds you through gritted teeth once he’s caught up with you, but his eyes dance with excitement.

“Especially you.”

You think you hear Josh say something else, but you don’t catch it as you open the door and pull Jake into the vacant hall, pushing him to the wall once it’s shut.

“You made me look ridiculous,” Jake chides through a blushed smile.

His hands are hesitant to rest at your waist.

“I made you?” you repeat, running your fingers around his wrists and up his forearms. “I didn’t make you do anything. You made it a scene.”

You look up at him through the wispy fan of your lashes, batting them innocently when you can tell he doesn’t have a rebuttal. “But you know, I really like you, Jake.”

He just smiles at you for a moment, seeming relieved to finally hear your confession.

“I like you too,” he answers as he scans your face, and you hear his breath hitch when you lean in closer to him. “I just, I didn’t think you’d be interested in something more…”

“Yeah,” you interrupt as you take a strand of his hair and push it behind his ear. “I’ve thought about it a lot, and I think I do.”

Your hand travels down the length of his hair and onto the bare chest that peeks between his open shirt. His skin is warm, and you can feel the thud of his frantic heartbeat. Yours is going just as fast, but you try to suppress your nerves. You’ve obviously taken the reins here, and you want to keep the momentum going.

“Can I kiss you?” you ask, your fingers wandering up from his chest to his neck, wrapping around its nape.

“You don’t have to ask me that,” he answers, honey dripping from his voice as he pulls you into him, your lips pressing together.

The kiss starts soft, but quickly grows deep and passionate. You can taste the cigarette on his tongue as it laps against yours, and you moan as he squeezes at your hips. He pulls away.

“If you’re gonna make noise, maybe we should go somewhere to contain it…” he smirks, before grabbing your hand to lead you down the empty hall.

The entire building is empty except for the rest of the boys you just left, but you like his idea anyway. Jake opens the door to one of the recording studios a few doors down, guiding you in with an arm laced around your waist. You pull him in with you, blindly reaching for his face once he closes the door behind him. You backpedal, your lips locked, until your ass runs into the control panel that protrudes from the opposite wall. You accidentally hit one of the buttons when you brace yourself against it, and a sharp ringing comes from the speaker above you, causing you to jump. Jake chuckles, reaching past you to flick a switch, and the noise abruptly stops.

“Sorry,” you say, glancing down at the expanse of knobs and buttons, not knowing what a single one means.

“Don’t worry about it,” he assures, his teeth glowing in the soft purple light coming from the panel. “Nothing’s set up in here anyway.”

He lifts you off the board and walks over to the door of the isolation booth, pulling it open and guiding you in.

“But this should be more comfortable.”

You find a large leather loveseat in the center of the booth, a singular mic stand pushed over to the side with some other cases and gear. As your eyes begin to adjust with the darkness, you see that the walls are covered in a plush looking foam.

“Much better,” you grin, and you can tell by the way the reverb of your voice instantly dies that there’s no way anyone will hear you in here.

You pull Jake back into you, your lips locking once again as you begin to fumble with his belt. Once it’s unlooped and you’ve undone his fly, your hand sinks down to rub him through the fabric of his boxers.

“Is this okay?” you ask as you drop to your knees in front of him.

“It’s perfect,” he answers, his words laced with a smile.

He runs his hand through your hair as you finally pull him free, his length rock-hard and throbbing from being constricted since you were in the live room.

“I bet that feels good, doesn’t it?” you remark as you stroke him.

He gives only a moan as a response, his arm reaching back to brace himself against the chair behind him.

“You can sit down, Jakey,” you purr as you push against his hips, letting him fall into the seat. “Relax, let me do the work.”

You hear him chuckle as you continue to stroke him, slicking your hand in your own spit so he glides with ease against the skin of your palm.

His fingers rake deeper through your hair when you lean in closer to him, your lips hovering just over the tip of his head. You bat your eyes up at him for a few moments, reveling in the power trip of having him so vulnerable. You press a gentle kiss against his head, and begin trailing the kisses all along his shaft, your tongue licking a stripe back up his length once you’ve reached the base.

You finally sink him further past your lips, a breathy moan escaping him as he plummets down your throat. You bob along his length a few times, sending him deeper until he threatens your gag reflex. You pause for a moment when your lips manage to touch his base, your eyes pricking with tears, though the discomfort is worth it when you glance up to his bottom lip pulled between his teeth, his eyelids fluttering with pleasure. You finally slide him out with a lewd slurp, a silver string of saliva left between you. You wipe your lips clean with your thumb, your other hand continuing along his slickend shaft.

“This feels incredible,” he pants through strained breaths.

You decide to give your throat a break for a moment by swirling your tongue around his head, tasting the precum that’s started to dribble from it, before sucking him a few more times just to hear his desperate, pathetic moans.

“Come here, now,” he eventually tries to command as you feel him begin to pulsate in your mouth, but he still sounds so submissive with the way his breaths envelope each word.

“Are you sure?” you enchant, batting your lashes at him. “I haven’t made you come yet.”

“Please,” he implores, and you smile at his desperation, snaking up his body and planting yourself on his bare lap.

He places wet kisses on your neck once he can reach it, hooking his fingers underneath your sweater, your arms lifting over your head so he can swiftly pull it off. His lips move to lock onto your collarbone once it’s discarded onto the floor, and you take no time to reach behind you to unhook your bra, your skin prickling with goosebumps once it’s gone too. You massage your freed breasts, pinching at your perked nipples. Jake’s hands follow suit, cupping them gently. You lace your fingers through his hair as he bends down to kiss one, sucking at your nipple.

“Keep doing that,” you moan softly, the tingly sensation traveling to between your thighs.

You can feel his hard length through your leggings. The chair is wide enough for you to straddle your folded legs on either side of him, your hips grinding against his length. You push down harder when he moans against your skin.

“Please, just take these off,” Jake prides, sliding his fingers under your waistband.

You promptly lift off of him, standing up to push them, along with your soaked panties, down your legs as he works to unbutton the rest of his shirt. You remain standing in front of him, your fully naked body being a surprise once his eyes meet you again.

“You’re stunning,” he blushes, reaching out to grab your hand once his shirt hits the floor.

You expect to fall back into his lap, but you’re caught off guard when he stands too, pushing you into the chair instead.

He’s the one to crouch in front of you now, your mouth agape as he grabs your knees, spreading your legs open and kneeling between them.

“You wanted to see what else my fingers can do, didn’t you?” he asks with a raise of his eyebrow.

He reaches forward to laces his hand around the side of your neck to pull you forward, using his middle and ring fingers of his opposite hand to coax your lips apart.

“Open up.”

You moan as he slips his fingers into your mouth, the lingering metallic taste of guitar strings hitting your tongue.

He pulls them from your pursed lips once they’re coated, keeping your gaze as his hand lingers down to your heat. He just barely brushes against you at first, making you shiver. You buck your hips towards him, desperate for more, but he pulls his hand away.

“Two can play at this game, princess,” he teases, the pet name warming your cheeks.

You have to stifle a whine, stubborn to keep the dominance, but you melt when he finally does touch you again. His fingertips twirl against your swollen clit, massaging the bud between two of them as your chest heaves.

You fall back into the seat, and he follows, lifting himself off the floor so he can kiss you and give his wrist the right angle to finally push a finger into your entrance. You moan into his mouth, glancing down as the digit pumps in and out of you. He uses his free hand to pull your hips to the edge of the cushion before working another one in, your legs draped over his shoulders as he picks up pace. Your wetness squelches against him in the otherwise silent space, your body folded into him in a way that would be uncomfortable if his fingers weren’t fucking you senseless.

You let out another hopeless moan as you feel your core tightening, gripping the arms of the chair as you brace yourself for your climax. It crashes into you, every muscle in your body clenching in a series of shudders as you cry out, your nails digging into the leather. You go limp as the waves die, practically sliding out of the seat, but Jake catches before you can hit the floor.

He maneuvers your body so he can sit back down into the chair, with you once again in his lap.

“Are you ready for more?” he asks as your breathing steadies, and you smirk, turning so you can face him.

“Absolutely, I am.”

“I don’t have a condom,” he adds as you begin to make yourself comfortable again. “I clearly wasn’t expecting to be doing this here.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you whisper into his ear, placing a gentle kiss just underneath it. “I want to feel all of you.”

You continue where you left off with him, your now bare, throbbing heat grinding against him. You reach down and guide him through your slit, sliding him along to tease yourself. Your skin tingles with the craving for another orgasm, and your teeth sink down into his bottom lip and you finally push his head into your entrance. You slowly lower yourself onto him, your legs folded, knees pressed against his hips. You place your hand against the back of the seat to steady yourself as you begin riding yourself along his length, your breasts bouncing as the motion picks up speed, the skin of your thighs slapping lewdly against his. Your moans stagger each time you land, and he bends forward to kiss at your breasts, squeezing at the other. You lift your hands from the chair to use his shoulders to brace yourself instead, your nails pressing into his skin. You savor the feeling of having your bodies connected, reveling in the release of all tension that was built between the two of you for so long.

Sweat is dripping down your body as you feel your core tightening again, and you struggle to maintain your rhythm, a string of expletives escaping your mouth as it falls apart. Jake pulls you towards him, your face falling into the crook of his neck as he takes the lead, sending deep thrusts into you.

“I’m gonna come again,” you announce, clamping your eyes together as the pressure continues to build, your forehead pressed into his shoulder.

“Me too,” you hear him breathe. “Should I-?”

“No,” you cut, promptly lifting your head to face him.

You appreciate his willingness to pull out, but you don’t want to kill the momentum. Your hand laces around the side of his jaw, tipping his chin back so his ravishing eyes are forced to look at you, his mouth slated open as he continues his thrusts.

“Don’t.”

It hits you just as you get the word out, jolts of pleasure coursing through your every muscle. Jake’s thrusts halt entirely a moment later as he reaches his peak, and you feel him fill you up, wetness seeping down your thighs. You rock your hips into him to savor the moment, riding out your highs before lifting off of him and slumping back into his lap.

“This chair is fucked,” you joke once your desperate breaths have steadied, feeling how wet the cushion is against your thighs.

“Yeah,” Jake breathes, running a hand through his hair as he cradles you with his other. “We should go find a towel or something.”

You agree, though you don’t think just a towel will save it, your shaky legs struggling to balance your weight as you climb off of him. You search for your clothes in the dark, pulling each garment back on as Jake looks for his.

He’s the first one to leave the isolation booth, padding over to the door to the hallway. The bright light casts a glow into the dark room as he gently pulls it open and walks through, but he pauses under its frame.

“What?” you ask nervously as you quickly pull on your sweater and catch up to him, scared that perhaps his manager just showed up and caught the two of you.

“Was that on the whole time?” he asks as he points up to the ceiling above the door.

You look up to see the ‘RECORDING’ sign lit in its red glow.

“No, I don’t think so. What does that mean, though?” you ask as Jake walks back over to the sound panel inside, sitting in the office chair that’s pushed in front of it. “I thought the mic wasn’t set up.”

He doesn’t say anything back, but when he switches on one of the buttons on the panel, you’re given all the answers you need.

It’s a bit muffled and distant, but you hear the familiar sounds of your own moans and screams, relayed from just a few moments ago through the speaker above you.

“No fucking way,” you breathe, your cheeks burning hot as you cup a hand over your mouth.

You quickly shut the door behind you, flicking a switch beside it that turns on the dim overhead light, Jake getting comfortable as he continues messing with the buttons. A few clicks later, the sounds come from the opposite speaker, this time much clearer, and much louder.

Jake spins around in his chair to face you, his expression beaming.

“It was on,” he grins. “It was fucking on. You must’ve switched it on when you bumped into it earlier, and I didn’t notice. I only heard the reverb from the amp.”

You blush at the fateful mishap, the moans still spilling from the speakers. You trust him enough to know he wouldn’t knowingly record you without your permission, but you can see the impish glimmer in his eyes as he continues listening to it.

“Are you gonna delete it?” you ask, even though you already know the answer.

“No,” he says, but his eyes widen when he quickly decides to correct himself. “I mean, not unless you want me to.”

“No, it’s okay,” you assure, though you slit your eyes at him suspiciously. “What are you going to do with it, though?”

He pauses, his cheeks turning pink.

“I mean, I can distort it a bit,” he explains. “And make it not so obvious that it’s, you know, sex sounds…”

He swivels back to face the panel, turning a knob that makes the sound go down several octaves, the deep tone making your chest vibrate. He turns another which adds a raspiness to it, your moans sounding more like a garish guitar riff than anything now.

You grin as he continues playing with it, quickly accepting the fact that you won’t be meeting the rest of the boys for drinks tonight. You make a mental note to have dinner delivered here for the two of you eventually — and to perhaps stop by the pharmacy on the way home, feeling the contingent wetness between your legs threaten to spill as you remain standing.

“Well, be sure to add me to the credits of your next album then,” you jest, pulling the door open to go search for something to clean up the mess still left in the booth.

“I’m excited to hear my musical debut.”

[blueprint-han]

soothing — lee felix.

pairing — felix x (gn) reader

genre — fluff.

word count — 1.9 K

warnings — the reader has hair long enough to braid, other than that, 

note — husband felix brain go bzz bzz <3

“Whoa—” Felix immediately lifts his coffee cup into his hands when you plop down headfirst on the sofa right next to him, groaning in relief as the soft couch fabric surrounds and engulfs you. You throw your bag onto the floor, squirming your way out of your coat before doing the same with it. Felix giggles, the motions you’re adopting to try and not move from the couch but still get yourself a bit more free looking way too funny to the other person.

Your hair is out of it’s ponytail that Felix had surely seen you leave in, and completely disheveled, as though to prove how tired you truly are. Placing his coffee cup on the center table, he scoots closer to your sprawled out figure on the couch, biting his lip to hold back his laugh, but failing to do so.

“Hello to you too, welcome back!” He says all happy and smiley, which you can clearly hear in his tone. His voice instantly brings you some calm, and you sigh, pulling yourself out of your comfortable position to give Felix what seemed like the most adorable expression your husband had ever seen. Your shoulders are slouched yet they seem stiff, as though you’ve been housing tension in them all day. There’s a pout on your face, directed towards Felix for indirectly making fun of your actions, but he knows it’s not serious.

“Hey, I’ve had a terrible day today. Cut me some slack.”

“I can see that,” Felix points out, reaching out to push away the hair that falls over your face and restricts your eyesight. Your eyes immediately flutter shut, and you lean into his touch, almost landing headfirst in front of Felix’s lap if he hadn’t started giggling again in that awfully serotonin-inducing tone and propped his hand against your forehead.

“There, there. Why don’t you go to our room and sleep for a while, hm? We’ll order takeout today, if that makes you feel better.”

Mm, yes. Pizza. Comfort Food.

“That sounds good…” You smile dizzily, still resting the weight of your head against Felix’s hand. Then, you open your eyes, meeting his soft ones and let yourself admire the beauty of your husband for two seconds. He’s been growing his hair long nowadays, and that long hair is tied into a neat ponytail behind him. His smile is as bright as ever. It’s the kind of smile that makes you want to cry and tear up, but also makes your heart flutter whenever it’s directed at you, or literally anything.

His eyes twinkle when they meet yours, and you let your eyes trail over the freckles littering his skin and nose. He’d still be in his makeup most of the times when you’d get home, so this sight is definitely an invited one. You had to admit — to you, there was nothing more beautiful than Felix’s beauty without any makeup, or filter, or editing. He was best when he was himself, his smiley, cute, adorable self. The only one who could make you feel calm without even doing anything, the only person who could make everything seem better with just the smallest gesture.

The only person who made your heart flutter the way it did right now.

You breath in before leaning closer to him, giving him an expression he knew very well. Even after two years of marriage, he could still never not melt whenever you gave him puppy eyes, or whenever you tried to act cute for him to give you something.

“Okay, I know that look-” Felix shakes his head and laughs heartily, leaning toward you too and squishing your cheeks. 

“Pleaseeeeee~” You drag, scrunching up your face in the way you knew your husband would give in to your advances. “I’m tired and plus you petting my hair whenever I fall asleep on your lap is very soothing.”

“Okay, but only on one condition — you go change and freshen up before that.” Felix points to your formal clothing, and you huff in disapproval. “Not going to lie, you smell- kinda.” He makes that cute scrunchy face that you can’t help but malfunction over, even though he’d just teased you.

“Alright, fine.” You roll your eyes playfully, getting off the couch and slouching your way to your shared room, letting yourself change and wash your face. It does make you feel a lot less tense and relieved, but all in all, more excited to fall asleep on your husband’s lap. His touch is always gentle, like a violin bow sliding off it’s strings to produce gentle, calming music.

When you come back, Felix has already cleaned up the couch, the blanket that was sprawled on it now neatly spread for you to tuck yourself into. Obviously, this wasn’t your first time falling asleep with Felix on the couch — it happened more often than one would think it would, to the point where Felix insisted there always be a pillow and a blanket on the couch. The pillow is placed against his lap, and he’s already finished his coffee up and scrolling through his phone.

When he feels your head softly land against his lap, he smiles to himself, placing his phone away and immediately tangling his fingers into your hair as you pull the blanket on top of you, tucking it under your chin and snuggling yourself all warm and cozy against him.

“There, doesn’t that feel a lot better than slithering around in your work clothes?” Felix asks, placing another hand on your thigh to rub small circles into it. 

“Yeah, it really does.”

When Felix starts running his hands through your hair and drawing soothing patterns on it, your whole body immediately feels like it’s melting into the couch. The warmth from the blanket combined with the magic his hands possessed was enough to push you into a deep slumber, until a question pops up in your brain, and halts your train to slumberland.

“When was the last time you braided my hair?” you ask, any signs of your sleep vanished all of a sudden.

“Huh- that’s sudden.”

“Just something that I remembered.”

“Hmm, I guess it was in the early time of our marriage? I don’t remember doing your hair after that, to be honest.”

“Ooh!” You perk up, turning to meet Felix’s gaze. “Why don’t you do it now? I’ll get the comb! One second-” 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Felix pushes you back onto his lap, smiling brightly at your eagerness. “What happened to hey I’ve had a terrible day and I'm tired?”

“Like I said, your hands in my hair is always soothing, plus, my hair's a mess and braiding it would be better.” You push his hand away, running over to your room to fetch the comb before scurrying back to him. You sit down at the couch in front of Felix, pushing the comb into his hand and facing forward.

Felix smiles fondly at you, his heart pounding at your excitement for something so small. He’s lucky to have such a wife, really. A person who knows him truly, a person who loves him for who he truly is on the inside, and a person who can always find happiness with him in the smallest things.

As for you? You’ve lucky to have such a husband. Such a bright, outgoing, empathetic person. You’ve been really blessed to have someone as pure hearted, kind and lovely as him. You’ve been blessed to be the woman he finds his happiness with.

“Okay…” He runs the comb through your hair, and owing to its effect, instantly, your eyes flutter close when he places his hand on top of your head. There was something so exquisite about his touch, it was so soothing. It was like a soft feather running against your skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake but always led you to feel relaxed. 

Once Felix has smoothed down your hair, he begins braiding it, and you're already half asleep at this point. It’s like a warm cocoon of love and pure adoration for each other is surrounding the both of you, lulling you into the blissful intimacy of just being with each other and sharing this comfortable silence.

You can hear Felix’s laugh and it pulls you out of your trance. You then realise that you’re almost close to falling asleep on Felix’s knee — clearly, you were still sleepy regardless of your excitement.

“Y/N, you’re leaning to the side.”

“Didn’t I say your hands were soothing?”

Felix blushes. He still can’t help but feel shy of your reaction to his touch even after so long, especially when you’re so direct and open about it. He ignores the heat rising up to his cheeks, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your hair and forehead before combing through it again and gathering your hair into a ponytail.

“Okay, just stay straight until the first two plaits, and then you can sleep.”

“Mmmm, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep myself up for so long though. This feels nice…”

“Y/N, come on!” Felix slaps your shoulder slightly, feeling himself blush even more. Of course, you can’t see him because you’re facing forward, but you can sense the overly chirpy, bright tone he’s speaking in. You’d be the first to know about your husband that he gets very shy when he’s praised for anything.

“Okay, okay fine. But do it quickly.”

Felix hums in reply before running his hands through your hair one more time, gently crossing the sections of hair over each other over and over again. The room is filled with a soft, quiet comfortable silence — one that Felix loves a lot. He wants nothing more than such soft and pretty moments, such lovin moments with his wife.

As he braids, your body leans more and more to his knee, and by the time he’s done, your cheek is pressed cutely against his thigh, your eyes closed shut in slumber. He quickly ties the end with a hair tie, and silently stares at your calm figure snoozing on his knee.

“So cute…” He thinks, not being able to hold back his smile as he lets himself admire your sleeping figure for a quick moment, before mischievously poking your cheek.

You whine at the intrusion, squirming around and you’re almost about to fall asleep again if it isn’t for your husband being a little shit, poking at your cheek again.

“What is it?” You whine louder this time.

“You’re gonna sprain your neck.” Felix says as a matter-of-fact.

“Ugh, okay fine… you’re gonna have to give me more of your ramen for disturbing me.” You pout, lifting yourself up before crawling into the blankets and lying down on Felix’s lap again.

“Hey! Who’s the one who ignored their sleep and got their poor husband to braid their hair?”

“You say that like you weren’t just blushing two minutes ago, sunshine.”

Felix has no words for that, and ends up stuttering. You giggle in victory, tucking yourself into the blanket once again before fluttering your eyes close. You bask in the calmness of the surroundings, letting yourself revel in the feeling of warmth that seeps through you.

Except, one thing’s missing.

“Hey!” You call, snapping your husband out of his admiring gaze. He doesn’t know when he got so engrossed into admiring your beauty, but nonetheless, he can’t stop himself from feeling warm internally when you pout once again. 

“Your hands.” You rub your head against where it’s rested against his thigh, a frown on your face due to the lack of, to quote you, soothingness.

So cute, Felix thinks again in awe, tangling his fingers into your hair before finally, finally watching you drift off to sleep peacefully.

networks: @inkidz​ @kpopscape​ @kdiarynet​ @fluffyskzclub​ @destinyverse​ @skzwritersclub​ @kwritersworld​ @lovesick-net​

taglist: @cafejjunie​ @sleepylixie​ ​ @coco-riki​ ​ @stayndays​ ​ @yutassecretheaven​ ​ @lost-midnight-flower​ ​ @p2q3r4​ @anskiie​ ​ @happiestgirlontheeastcoast @cuddlychrisbang @orphic-chan​

[haikyuu-bf-scenarios]

Bokuto Kotaro: Second Encounter

First Meeting

i finally left my job at a restaurant which was very stressful so now i have much more time and i finally made my way back to my haikyuu fixation. im gonna try my hardest to knock a few of these out in quick succession

*edited*

“no more stolen hoodies?” Kuroo

“you are not who i want to see ever again, cat bastard”

“youre so mean to me you know that?”

“what do you want from me, Kuroo?”

“would you be nicer if it was Bo asking you?”

“i want to break you in half”

the rest of the class continued on in a similar manner

once the class had ended you tried to speed out of there and away from him

but the cheeky fuck followed you

when he caught up - 

which didnt take long bc of his stupid long legs -

he threw an arm over your shoulder and stirred you in the opposite direction as you were going

“what the hell are you doing? i want to go back to my dorm, thank you very much”

“well you seemed so interested in volleyball the other day i thought id bring you to practice with me today”

“ah no nonono!”

you start pushing against him trying to turn away but he just pulled you closer making escape impossible

“oh whats the big deal! i was under the impression that you loved volleyball”

“you are such an asshole! you know that?” you continued to struggle but you were already being pulled into the gym

“i hate you kuroo, i hate you sooooo much”

“whats wrong with volleyball?”

“nothing i just dont want to-”

“woah arent you the person who took my hoodie?” a very excited, very familiar voice yelled

and it shut you right up

“what are you doing here, are you gonna watch us play?!”

“yes they are. they practically begged me to come today, what with their huge-”

you jabbed your elbow into Kuroo’s side

“i told you its not like that, cat bastard”

Kuroo held his side groaning “duly noted, ah”

he clapped his hand on your shoulders and shoved you onto a bleacher

“how bout you just sit there before i regret bringing you here anymore than i do already”

“hey youre the one that forced me here”

he waved you off as he walked away to get changed

“wow you piss him off almost as much as i do”

“hmm, not as much as he pisses me off”

you started to pull your computer from your bag

if you were gonna be here for the next few hours may as well get some work done

“youre doing homework?”

“uh yeah? Kuroo kinda forced me here so i might as well”

“i thought you came to watch practice?”

you looked at him and felt all of your resolve soften

he just looked so sweet and innocent, you felt like you were breaking his heart

you answered him with what you hoped was a sweet smile, “ah, he kind of just grabbed me without asking. i’ll probably end up watching you play anyways, my focus isnt the best”

“Bokuto, lets go!” one of his teammates called for him to join their practice

“ah, i have to go now but hey, if you happen to space out just focus on me instead!”

‘is he, is he flirting with me???’

“yeah, sure...” you muttered dazed but he was already jogging onto the court

“Bokuto’s too dumb to consciously flirt with someone”

“excuse me?” you turned to Kuroo, who had just come from the locker room, “what is that supposed to mean??”

“it means dont take it the wrong way, (l/n), hes very oblivious”

you were going to respond but he had already moved away from the bleachers leaving you to scoff to yourself

‘what a dick’

you finally opened your computer to begin your work for your psych class

‘when that cat bastard inevitably needs help with this essay, hes gonna have to go somewhere else for help’

the team had finally stopped a while later for a small break

by that point you had given up on trying to write that essay

the noise from the boys (the balls and the arguing and the yelling) had kept you from focusing very well

not to mention watching Bokuto play was,,,, engaging to say the least

as the boys dispersed, him and Kuroo made their way to you, having set their stuff next to you at a previous water break

“so you finally gave up, huh, (l/n)?”

“shut up, Kuroo, yall are loud. itd be hard for anyone to concentrate”

“excuses, excuses” he teased, sitting down on the floor to your left

“besides watching you guys play is actually pretty cool”

to your right, however, Bokuto pulled off his gym shirt before starting to chug his water

“not to mention very,,,, distracting” that came much breathier than you would have liked

‘no one should be allowed to look that good without a shirt on, fuck’

“wow, Bo, very brave stripping in front of our company”

“huh?” he looked down at you two like he hadnt just done exactly that

when he laid eyes on you he started to apologize, realizing what was going on

“im sorry, im sorry, ill put it back on!”

you chuckled along with the rest of the team, feeling glad that you werent the one being teased for once, but also slightly bad

“its chill, Bokuto, I know you must be hot from playing so much”

he stopped himself from throwing the shirt back on, “really? thanks!”

“besides you could always consider this repayment for seeing (y/n) topless the other day”

“Kuroo Tetsurou, you shut your whore mouth!!”

this queued a bombardment of questions from the rest of the team

which Kuroo gladly explained, with an occasional kick in the knee from you when he started to tell it wrong

“ah Kuroo, you’re an awful person” Bokuto whined

“thank you!” your exclamation caused another ripple of snickers

the team engaged themselves into a different conversation while you gazed at Bokuto

“here,” you snatched Kuroo’s towel from him, completely ignoring his protests, “why dont you use this instead, no point in making your shirt even more sweaty”

you tossed it to Bokuto so he wouldnt have to use his recently discarded shirt

“thank you!”

Kuroo flicked your shin bringing your attention toward him

“hey that was mine”

“yeah, and?”

“and, what am i supposed to use now??”

“use your shirt, or maybe your jacket”

“you absolutely suck you know that”

“not as much as you”

he couldnt reply bc their coach called them back to practice

he gave you one last glare before running to his coach with Bokuto not far behind him

when practice finally came to a close the boys collected their stuff and walked out the door with you

once the cold air hit you hugged yourself, trying to bring some warmth back

“are you cold, (y/n)?”

Bokuto always made the cutest face in your everyones opinion

“yeah a little bit, i wasnt expecting to be out this late so i dont have a jacket or anything”

“here,” he reached into his bag an pulled out his volleyball hoodie, “you can wear this”

“you sure, wont you be cold then”

“nah, im still pumped from those matches!”

ah, im too tired for his endless energy right now

“how can you still have so much energy, Bo”

“i don know,” he shrugged, “but here wear it”

he shoved it into your hands, you set your stuff down before pulling it on

yup, just as nice and warm as you remember it being 

you shoved your hands in the front pouch as you continued walking

once you got to the point where you either go to the south dorms or the north dorms Kuroo said his goodbyes

“see ya, im ready to pass out”

“see ya, man”

“deuces, cat bastard” you snuck in

he gave you slick smirk, oh he wasnt done fucking with you just yet

“yeah, yeah, just make sure you make it inside before you two decide to start making-”

“dont you dare finish that sentence!”

he jogged away laughing before you could hit him

you huffed in annoyance as you turned back to Bokuto

“shall we continue?”

“you two dont get along very well, do you?”

“me and Kuroo? eh, we get along, as long as he keeps his mouth shut”

you added and an inaudible “fucking cat bastard” 

“hmm”

the rest of the trip was oddly silent for Bokuto’s personality, you assume its because the fatigue has finally caught up to him

although he did make the effort to drop you off at your dorm room

he didnt ask for his hoodie back, however

oh well, yours for now :p

masterlist

[dherzogblog]

The Birth of The Daily Show: 25 Years of Fake News and Moments of Zen

It was July of 1995 and I had left MTV to become President of Comedy Central. It was the basic cable equivalent of going from the NY Yankees to an expansion team. I was on the job just two weeks when I received a call from Brillstein Grey the high powered managers of Bill Maher, host of one of the networks few original programs, "Politically Incorrect". We were informed Bill and his show would leave the network when his contract expired in 12 months. It was a done deal. Bill wanted to take his show to the "big leagues" at ABC where he would follow Night Line. Comedy Central was left jilted. Terrible news for a network still trying to establish itself. We had a year to figure out how to replace him and the clock was ticking. So began the path to The Daily Show.

It was very much a fledgling Comedy Central I joined, available in barely 35 million homes, desperately seeking an identity and an audience. It was just over three years old, born into a shot gun wedding that joined two struggling and competing comedy networks, HBO’s Comedy Channel and Viacom’s HA!, Watching them both stumble out of the gate, the cable operators forced them to merge, telling them: "We only need one comedy channel, you guys figure it out”. After some contentious negotiations the new channel was born and the red headed step child of MTV and HBO set out to find the pop culture zeitgeist its parents had already expertly navigated. The network had yet to define itself. The programming consisted mainly of old stand up specials from the likes of Gallagher (never underestimate the appeal of a man smashing watermelons), a hodgepodge of licensed movies (“The God’s Must be Crazy and The Cheech and Chong trilogy were mainstays) and Benny Hill reruns. The networks biggest hit by far was the UK import “Absolutely Fabulous”, better know as “AbFab”. Comedy Central boasted a handful of original shows, including the wonderfully sublime "SquiggleVision" of “Dr. Katz”, the sketch comedy "Exit 57" (starring the then unknown Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert) and of course Maher’s "Politically Incorrect". In retrospect I don’t think Bill got enough credit for pioneering the idea of political comedy on mainstream TV. Back then he was the only one doing it.

Politically Incorrect performed just fine, but got more critical attention than ratings. It was a panel show, and I had something a bit different in mind to replace it. I knew we needed a flagship, a network home base, something akin to ESPN's Sports Center where viewers could go at the end of a the day for our comedic take on everything that happened in the last 24 hours….."a daily show". I had broad idea for it in my head. I would describe it as part "Weekend Update", part Howard Stern, with a dash of "The Today Show" on drugs complete with a bare boned format to keep costs low so we could actually afford to produce it. We could open with the headlines covering the day's events (our version of a monologue), followed by a guest segment (we wouldn't need to write jokes...only questions!), and finish with a taped piece. Simple, right? We just needed someone to help flesh out our vision.

Comedy Central was a a second tier cable channel then and considered a bit of a joke (no pun intended). It had minuscule ratings, no heat and even less money to spend. Producers were not lining up to work with there. Eileen Katz ran programming for the channel and the two of us began pitching this idea to every producer who would listen. One of the first people we approached was Madeleine Smithberg, an ex Letterman producer and had overseen "The Jon Stewart Show" for us at MTV. We thought she was perfect for the role. “You can’t do this, you can’t afford this, you don't have the stomach for this, it will never work ” Madeliene said when we met with her. We could not convince her to take the gig. Ok then....we moved on. The problem was we heard that same refrain from everybody. No one wanted the job. So after weeks being turned down by literally EVERYONE, I said to Eileen: “We have to go back to Madeleine and convince her to do this with us"!

Part our pitch to her was we would go directly to series. There would be no pilot. The show was guaranteed to go on air. We had decided this show was our to be our destiny and we had to figure it out come hell or high water. As a 24 hour comedy channel, if we couldn't figure out a way to be funny and fresh every day...what good were we? We told Madeliene we were committed to putting the show on the air and keeping it there till we got it right (for at least a year anyway). That, plus some gentle arm twisting got her to sign on. Shortly after that, Lizz Winstead did too.

Madleiene and Lizz very quickly landed on their inspired notion of developing the show and format as a news parody. It brought an immediate focus and a point of view to the process . All of the sudden things started to take shape and coming to life. Great ideas started flowing fast and furious while an amazing collection of funny and talented began to come on board. Madeliene and Lizz were off to the races. Now all we needed was a host.

The prime time version of ESPN's Sports Center was hosted by Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann back then and it was must see cable TV. But I had recently started to notice another guy hosting the show's late night edition. He was funny, with a snarky delivery reminiscent of Dennis Miller. His name was Craig Kilborn. On the phone with CAA agent Jeff Jacobs one day, I asked if he knew happened to know who repped him? “I do" he said. "We just signed him”. Within days he was in my office along with Madeleine, Lizz, and Eileen who were all a bit skeptical about the tall blond guy with the frat boy vibes sitting across from them. After opening the meeting with a few off color comments that would probably get him cancelled today (an early warning sign fo sure), Craig ultimately won them over and we had our host.

FUN FAC#1: Minutes after the news of Craig's hiring went public, Keith Olberman's agent called me directly to ask why we hadn't considered hiring him?

Ok, we had a host and producers...but what to call it? After sifting through dozens of ideas for a title, Madeleine called me one day and said, "I think we should just call it what we've been calling it all along...."The Daily Show". As we approached our launch date we taped practice shows and took them out to focus groups to get real life feedback. The groups hated it.... I mean with a red hot hate. They hated Craig, the format, the jokes, everything. We were crushed and dejectedly looked around at the room at one another. "Now what?" “Either they’re wrong, or we are". I said I think they are...but it doesn’t matter, we're doing this!" We never looked back.

The show took off quickly garnering some quick buzz and attention, we felt like we had crashed the party. Well, sort of. We had no shortage of fun, growing pains and drama along the way. The Daily Show version 1.0 was about to unravel. In a December 1997 magazine interview Craig made some truly offensive and inappropriate remarks about Lizz and female members of the staff. Whether it was poor attempt at humor or just plain misogynist (or both) is beyond the point. It was all wrong, very wrong. Craig was suspended for a week without pay. Lizz left the show. In the moment I chose to protect the show and its talent more so than Lizz. That was wrong too. It's more than cringe worthy looking back now, and I regret not making some better decisions then. My loyalty to our host was later "rewarded" when in the Spring of 1998 Kilborn's team, a la Bill Maher, unceremoniously informed us he had signed a deal to follow Letterman on CBS when his contract expired at the end of the year. No discussion, a done deal. Comedy Central jilted again. Like Maher, Kilborn wanted his shot at the network big leagues and we had a little over six months to figure out how to replace him. We all know how that chapter ended. That search would eventually reunite us with Jon Stewart who along with The Daily Show took Comedy Central and basic cable to the "the big leagues" on their own terms, redefining late night comedy in the process The rest, as they say, is "Fake News" history.

Fun Fact #2: before approaching Jon (who I did not originally think would be interested) I initially offered the job to a chunkier, largely unknown Jimmy Kimmel, fresh off his co hosting duties on "Win Ben Stein's Money" ...only to have him turn us down.

My fascination with late night began as a kid. I remember how exciting it was to stay up to sneak a peek at the Carson monologue and watch him do spit takes with his chummy Hollywood guests. Later on I also loved the heady adult conversation Dick Cavett would have with everyone from Sly Stone to Groucho Marx. But it was the comedic revolution of Saturday night Live in 1975, followed by Letterman's game changing show in 1981 that truly established late night as the coolest place on the television landscape. I could only dream of one day being part of it.

25 years on, I couldn’t be more proud of The Daily Show and its legacy. Those days helping build it alongside Madeleine, Lizz, Eileen and the team were among the most satisfying (and fun) experiences I have ever had. It was thrilling to take a shot at the late night landscape and try and make our mark, especially when no one thought we could.

I am prouder still of what Trevor Noah and his staff have achieved since they took the hand off from Jon, evolving and growing the show through a new voice and lens. I think my personal "Moment Of Zen" will last as long as Trevor remains behind the desk, allowing me to selfishly boast of having hired every host this award winning and culture defining franchise has ever had.

25 years later. it remains as relevant as ever, a bona fide late night institution, standing shoulder to shoulder with all the great shows that inspired us to start.

[namjoonspiration]

Saudade

Pairing: Jimin x reader

Summary: After your parents died, you are the sole heiress to a booming electrical company, and your grandmother has put you to the task of making connections. Although, Park Jimin didn’t seem all too happy to see you.

Word count: 16.8k

Rating: M

Genre: fluff, angst, 1920s AU, non-idol AU

Warnings/Tags: Short, non-descriptive mentions of parental death and miscarriage (i.e. no gore or graphic material); so much angst; mentions of amnesia, apathy and heartbreak; lots and lots of kisses. It’s not really a hardcore story. I purposefully tried to keep my story from being too heavy.

Author’s note: This is my first BTS fanfiction, so please go easy on me. I tried my best at editing, so I apologize or any blaring grammatical errors or word misusage. If you liked it, please leave a comment or a heart. It’ll help me continue forward with my other projects 🥺👉🏻👈🏻Enjoy!

Masterlist

You were the picture of perfect togetherness. Your grandmother had made sure of it. You must present yourself as the rightful heiress to the family fortune if you are to be accepted by these people. Rightful heiress? You’re the only heiress. These people can be quick to judge. No, really? The thought hadn’t crossed your mind all day. The maids had entered your room before the crack of dawn to get you ready for battle for a brunch that wouldn’t start for another several hours.

White satin T-strap shoes with crystal embellishments adorn your feet, which stand in a precise parallel position. White gloves fit perfectly to your fingers, hands fold neatly right over left, which hold your soft pink Chanel purse. Your loose, straight-fit dress of a matching color falls below your knees. Underneath are the ungodly itchy flesh-tone tights that you had despised since you bought them. Your hair, which is painstakingly curled and styled into a bob to the give the illusion of the short trendy hairstyle nowadays, was half-hidden under a white cloche hat. Pearls--all of which tapped with every step into the mansion of magnificent grandeur--adorned your ears, neck, and wrists.

It was hard to focus your eyes on anything in this place. At any point, dark rich colors of purple, red and dark brown jumped out to blind you, making you feel as though the sun didn’t come out this morning. Portraits upon portraits of the family line the walls, along with countless gold plaques. Oddly shaped awards and random busts perch on pedestals. Clearly the people who owned this house--the Parks--were not shy about displaying their achievements in the industry and within their family. But then again, who lived in the East Isles and didn’t have the main entrance of their home brag about their elite status for them?

You didn’t. Yes, because you weren’t a narcissist. You were also “new money.” Your family hadn’t been in the electrical business for generations...  People seem to forget it’s still a relatively new thing.

To be honest, you didn’t really care you were here. The pomp and circumstance didn’t make your heart jump or your fists clench. In fact, nothing these days invoked much emotion from you. You’re not sure when you started feeling that way and why it was so prevalent. Maybe it was after your parents passed away a couple years ago. Your grandmother came to live with you to help you transition into your new life. You had asked her repeatedly how your parents died, but she never could bring herself to tell the story. You mourned your parent of course, but after a while, you just stopped feeling most emotion.

So, as you walk behind your grandmother--who was talking to Mrs. Park presumably--you wondered about the food you might get to eat. If anything brought you real satisfaction and pleasure from living this lifestyle, it was the meals. However, you don’t think scarfing down food will win you any points with these people today. Your job was to network today, make connections to build your way up in the world, or so your grandmother had put it. Once again, you didn’t care, but your grandmother very much. did. So, you decided that you would do your best for her. Your apathy may get you most days, but you know in your mind without a doubt that doing this for your grandmother would make her happy, thus should make you happy. Even if you didn’t feel it.

Hopefully, Hwasa, your life-long best friend, is here. She should be. After all, her family doesn’t own the largest portion of the country’s textile industry for nothing. She was always best dressed and loved getting a kick out of the other ladies gawking at her perfectly stitched clothes that were ahead of the trends.

“Y/n,” your grandmother calls, waving at you come forward to her side. You obey, and the butler opens the door, announcing your arrival. Good lord... You felt like fresh meat being served to the wolves. But, of course, the scene before you is masqueraded in pastel colors, silk furniture, glimmering flute glasses, and smiling faces to make the whole situation seem less grotesque than it felt.

You survey the room to find most eyes on you. Ladies piled around the couches in front of the open floor-to-ceiling windows had stopped chattering and sipping their tea. More of them clustered in small groups had stopped their conversation as well, some even daring to give you looks of disapproval. However, there were some that might as well have been deaf to the announcement, much to your gratitude. Young children still run around the room or played their games on the lawn just outside the open French doors. Old men continue with their odious laughter and cigar smoking. Even the young men don’t spare you more than a glance or two.

Except for one.

A young man with dark blond hair dressed in a dark blue suit, gently cradling a flute in his ringed hand. Perhaps more striking than his blue-gray eyes are his full pink lips, which were slightly parted to reveal one slightly crooked tooth in an otherwise perfect row of white teeth. You have never seen a man with a face such as his. But what is even odder is the way his eyes shone as he looks at you.

You tilt your head slightly, holding his stare. What a weird way to look at a stranger.

Your curiosity about his strange behavior only goes so far. Suddenly, the brightness on his face is gone, replaced with a deep frown and a scowl aimed towards his shoes.

So much for trying to appear approachable and “make connections.” You had not learned anyone’s names yet, and it was already going south.

Your grandmother tugs on your arm, steering you over to the ladies surrounding the couches. Then the introductions and small talk begin. You only had enough motivation to explain the premise of your family business and some future projects and contribute to some of the minor gossip being shared. You didn’t want to be doing this at all, but your grandmother had put in so much effort today to make sure this went swimmingly. She was also putting up with it so you and she could continue to live comfortably.

Every so often, you survey the room again. After almost two hours into this, the men have filed out, probably to have a crack at the gaming tables, and the children have been laid down for their afternoon naps. You thought you even needed a nap yourself. Or maybe it was the conversation. In any case, you excuse yourself to freshen up.

Once outside the room, you take a deep breath, inhaling the air free of heavy perfume and bad breath. You wonder around the seemingly endless hallways, looking at the paintings and occasional pieces of art. Anything to delay going back to the gathering.

Then, you hear harsh. whispering. Slowly, careful of the noise from your shoes against the floor, you approach the voices and peer around the corner.

To your surprise, it’s your best friend. She is talking furiously with a man, whose back is almost completely facing you, his hand propping himself against the wall not too far from her.

“Hwasa?” You call, stepping out completely from the corner. She jumps at her name, and the man stiffens. She looks over the man’s shoulder in your direction and smiles brightly at you.

“Y/n, is that you?” She steps around the man and greets you with a hug. “It’s so wonderful to see you! It has. been way too long.” You relish in the brief happiness you best friend’s hug gives you. Then, your smile falls. She notices when she pulls away and follows your line of vision.

He is looking directly at you. The young man who actually isn’t happy to see you after all. “I must be interrupting something,” you state blatantly. “You know, Hwasa if you wanted to be intimate with the son of the house, you should have demanded he take you to a less-traveled part of the home.”

They both look at you in surprise, and it’s enough to make you cringe. “How did you know he was the son?” Hwasa asks.

“The paintings.” You look around the hallways, twirling your finger. “Kind of obvious.” Hwasa lets out a laugh. The son breathes out a sigh--not sure if it’s relief or something else--and then chuckles to himself. “What’s so funny?” He stops but doesn’t respond. “Hwasa, your man is very rude.”

She smiles sweetly and laughs off your comment, “Oh, he’s not mine. I’m way above his standards. And I don’t like men who can’t bother to be polite and introduce himself properly to a new friend,” she hisses in his direction. “Come on, let’s have a proper introduction.” She grabs your hand to lead you closer to the man. “Y/n, this is Park Jimin. His family is in the metal industry--”

“Old family steel,” you mutter, but both fo them apparently hearing it.

Jimin looks at you curiously, “How’d you figure that? The paintings?”

You shrug, “I just knew that. Maybe it somehow came across my vision when I was admiring all the participation trophies at the door,” you say, with probably a little too much sarcasm. His eyebrows rose, and you saw Hwasa try to hold in a giggle. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Park.” I think. “I’ll just leave now, so you two can finish your private conversation.”

Hwasa stops you, her mood cheery again. Probably to mask the shocked and confused feelings coming from Mr. Park. “It’s alright, y/n. I need to do my pleasantries with those in the sitting room. Why don’t you get to know Jimin more? I find him to be one of the more tolerable ones in this lot. I’ll see you later.”

Once Hwasa is gone, you continue to look around the hallway, but Mr. Park is just staring at you as if he’s trying to figure you out. You notice he’s somewhat taller than you, his sun-kissed skin looking even deeper in color in this oddly lit hallway.

“Are you mind-reading skills working?”

He is caught off guard. “What?”

“I was wondering if you had discovered anything about me while you were burning holes into my head.”

He scoffs. “You’re awfully blunt.”

You simply shrug again. The emotionless part of you felt dominating today, so his comments and strange looks don’t affect you. You think back to Hwasa’s bright personality and heart-warming interaction when she greeted you. It sparked some brief brightness in your stoic heart, but only briefly.

He clears his throat, trying to fill some of the awkward silence that has blanketed the atmosphere. You look at him expectantly. He raises his eyebrows in response. “Y/n, may I ask you something?”

“Please address me as Miss Y/l/n as we’ve only just met.” You’re quick to speak. He shifts awkwardly on his feet. You soften your tone. “But go ahead.”

“Would you like to have dinner this Friday?”

“Dinner? Are you asking me on a date, Mr. Park?” You are taken back. What an incredulous question. And he had commented you were the blunt one...

“Uh...” He trails off, confusion rippling across his face. “Yes, I am.”

“Mr. Park, may I ask you something?” You don’t even give him the chance to nod. “When I first arrived, you seemed very unhappy, and dare I say, disgusted, at my presence, and now you’re asking me to have dinner with you?” It seems that Mr. Park is giving you quite the first impression as you feel anger start to flare in your chest.

His eyes widen in panic. “No, y/n--I mean Miss Y/l/n. Please do not misunderstand my earlier interaction.”

“Misunderstand? How could I have possibly misunderstood you when you looked directly at me and appeared as if I insulted you?” You fire back.

“I apologize. It was not like that. You just reminded me of someone who broke my heart.” He rushes out in a hurry to redeem himself. Well, it didn’t seem clear to him that he failed until a few moments later when he squeezed his eyes shut and palmed his forehead.

You practically gawk at him. “I’ll give you the effort of trying to save yourself Mr. Park, but I will not give you a second chance to redeem yourself over dinner.” And with that, you walk off, heels clicking against the mahogany floors.

What a spoiled boy. He’s probably never had a woman reject him before. It brought you satisfaction that you were probably the first. Never has a man looked at you with such distaste and then try to woo you with dinner. You don’t know what he wants from you, but he wasn’t going to get it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the gathering stretched into the late hours of the afternoon. You didn’t see Mr. Park or his parents for the rest of the day. Hwasa grabs you before leaving the party, telling you to meet her for lunch Friday on Brouton Street.

And you do, and it turns into more of a shopping spree than a lunch date. Not that you were complaining. You never complained when it came to shopping and trying on the latest fashion trends out of Europe. You stepped out of probably the thirteenth ship you’ve visited today when you notice it was already two pm, and you still haven’t eaten lunch yet. You were waiting outside the shop while Hwasa was paying for her new bracelet.

You survey the bustling street, thinking about what you wanted for lunch when you spot a pair of men that seem to have all the ladies giggling to themselves and their friends. Even wives are looking twice, much to the discomfort of their husbands who definitely noticed, but weren’t immune to looking a second time as well. As they got closer to you, your vision focuses.

Mr. Park.

You couldn’t resist rolling your eyes at the name. What a surprise. Next to him is a dark-haired young man you didn’t know. They were dressed to the nines, complete with hats and walking sticks--more for fashion rather than function.

They spot you, and the young man gives you a big, boxy smile and a wave. Your eyebrows shoot up, and you look around to make sure he wasn’t waving to someone else. By the time you stop looking around, they’ve approached you. The strange young man seems ecstatic to see you while Mr. Park looks embarrassed. Serves him right.

“Hello, Miss y/n.” The young man greets you enthusiastically.

You blink. “I’m sorry, have we met before?” And why didn’t you greet me formally, you wonder. You glance towards Mr. Park. His lips are pressed, hand tightening on your walking stick.

The young man laughs charmingly, but somewhat nervous. “Oh, right. It’s just... my friend, Jimin, here mentioned you!”

“Did he?” You smile, sweetly. Almost too sweetly. Mr. Park’s jaw clenches. “How did you know what I looked like?” You inquire further for the fun of it.

Mr. Park quickly cuts in. “I--we saw you b-back there,” he gestures down the sidewalk. “I said, oh that’s y/n--Miss y/l/n. We met the other day...” He looks anywhere else but at you in the eyes. You narrow your gaze at him.

The store’s door opens with the ring of a bell, and Hwasa joins you. “Taehyung! It’s so good to see you again.” She gives him a quick hug. You notice some of the other women walking around you are gawking or giving her death stares. “I hope your time in Paris was spent well. Have you met my best friend, Miss y/l/n? She’s new to town. Her parents made quite the fortune in the electrical sciences, and she is their sole heir. Y/n,” she gently wraps her arm around yours, “this is Kim Taehyung, a true artist. He has his own exhibit in Paris to display his work. He also dabbles a bit in photography.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim.” You smile.

“Please call me Taehyung. Mr. Kim is my father,” he laughs, showing off that boxy grin of his again. You have to admit he’s a very charismatic person.

“Alright, but please address me as Miss y/l/n for the time being. I understand Jimin may not have told you my last name, but I would hate to see his rudeness rub off on your seemingly polished character.” You tack on a smile at the end, hoping Mr. Park feels the jab.

Indeed, he does. Mr. Park sputters, muttering “polished” under his breath like it was the last word he’d use to describe Taehyung. You ignore him.

“Yes, Miss y/l/n.”

Hwasa interjects, “Well, y/n and I are famished. Would you both care to join us for a late lunch?”  Before you could protest, Taehyung agrees enthusiastically. Hwasa takes his arm, leading the way back up the street. You pout. You wanted to eat with your best friend only, who you haven’t seen in forever. Mr. Park notices your sad expression and offers his arm to you. You simply look down, tightening your grip on your bags before following Taehyung and Hwasa.

Jimin rubs his face in frustration, watching you walk away without a second glance. He can’t keep tiptoeing around you. He made himself a royal fool and an ass last week at the gathering. He needed to fix this if he wanted to get closer to you.

Mr. Park catches up to your side. “Miss y/l/n,” he speaks politely.

“Yes?” You offer.

“I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I apologize if you find my behavior to be untoward. I was not very good at expressing myself the other day, and it bothers me greatly that you would think that I find you unpleasant when I really don’t.”

You consider his words. The apology was genuine, you know that. You also. know that he found you pretty. Or at least Hwasa had told you as much. You complained to her earlier about Mr. Park’s behavior at his. house. She had laughed, claiming it was because he found you attractive. You were confused as to what made her say that. She explained that you were all he could ask about before you found them in the hallway.

You didn’t know what to say. Hwasa wouldn’t lie to you. It certainly made your heart flutter that Mr. Park, an uncommonly handsome man--discounting his behavior--would find you attractive. You can’t say you didn’t stand in front of the mirror for a while after that figuring out what he liked about your appearance. In the end, you credited his odd behavior with the fact he found you pretty. While that did not excuse his rudeness, his present apology has rerouted the course of your thoughts. He genuinely seemed like he was trying to make amends.

“Alright, Mr. Park. I forgive you. I understand that sometimes introductions and first impressions can go awry. Especially if the man finds the woman astonishingly pretty and charming.” You gently fiddle with your diamond earring.

“Pretty?” he asks, chuckling.

You stop walking and turn towards him, “Do you not find me so?” Your tone is accusatory.

He looks a bit panicked. “No. I mean, yes. I--” You take a step closer.

“You what, Mr. Park?” You ask, looking into his blue-gray eyes, which are traveling all across your face before landing back to your eyes. Your brain has already started to take back every meaning you put to his apology.

“I think you’re more than pretty.” He finally breathes out, tension slipping from his shoulders.

Your heart pounds so heavily against your chest, your composure slips. A blush rises to your cheeks, partly from relief and partly from embarrassment. “I apologize,” you say, suddenly your voice much softer.

He didn’t seem to hear it. Instead, he smiles, eyes twinkling. “I think you’re very beautiful, Miss. y/l/n.” Oh, your mind blanks momentarily. Now you felt like the fool. Your cheeks become hotter, pulse racing faster. He said it with such nakedness. He didn’t beat around the bush about it or tease you into guessing how you looked in his eyes. You lay a hand on your cheek, surprised at the heat. Hopefully he would think it’s the weather. It has been unusually warm lately. Your flustered state is clearly evident. Mr. Park grins cutely at you. While your head is still swimming, trying to process the abrupt change in your interaction, he gently takes your shopping bags from you before shifting it to hold in his hand that holds the walking stick. He offers his arm again, “Shall we catch up with Taehyung and Miss Hwasa?”

Your eyes snap to his. Your cheeks are still flushed, lips parted.

Jimin thinks it’s the most beautiful sight he’s seen.

Suddenly, as if you fell into a drunk stupor but without the disorientation and wild behavior, you feel warm and… fuzzy, like you were covered in a soft blanket. You haven’t felt this kind of happy feeling in what seemed like forever. And he does look incredibly cute with the way he was smiling at you.

Returning the sentiment, you take his arm. The muscles hiding underneath his peach colored suit jacket felt strong in your hands.

You two leisurely stroll, having lost Hwasa and Taehyung after they turned the street corner.

“Do you know where we are eating?”

“This little French restaurant between Main and Central. Le Lacroix Pâtissier.”

He hums contently, “I love their almond croissants and apple tartlets.”

“Really? Those are my favorite dishes! Are those your favorite?”

He shakes his head. “But I had a friend who insisted I try them once, and I ended up really liking them.”

You were pleased. “You have good taste, Mr. Park.”

“Please, address me as Jimin.”

Your smile to yourself. “Okay, Jimin. Since we are moving onto a first name basis, you may address me as y/n.”

He repeats your name. It rolled softly off his tongue. You like how it sounds very much coming from him. And you, without knowing it, tightly your hold on his arm, leaning more into his solid form as you continue to the restaurant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that Friday, you meet Jimin every week for several weeks at the same restaurant. First Taehyung and Hwasa joined you—you insisted Hwasa come with you to keep you from making a fool of yourself in front of Jimin—but after about two weeks, they claimed other commitments. However, you didn’t mind at that point. You grew really comfortable with Jimin. You talked about everything together—your favorite dishes and restaurants in town, your families and their businesses (okay, those were brief topics of discussion), your interests (you found out you both like dancing, upon which he offered to take you to a dance club sometime), your future plans… Of those, which then led course into deeper topics—marriage and love.

It was a strange conversation, and it wasn’t brought up during lunch. He actually had invited you over to his estate for tea and a meal of any foods that you could want—more of a change of scenery decision if anything. You were concerned that your favorite food might not be so favorite if you kept eating it for several weeks on end.

Following the delicious meal, he suggested a light walk outside. He led you out of the back of the mansion to the small private beach. You both kicked your shoes off, walking in the sand, letting the fine, white grains sift over your toes. You two strolled side by side, enjoying the sun’s warm on your faces, the summer air and each other’s company.

Then, Jimin had asks the question. “Has your grandmother proposed that you marry anyone yet?”

You shake your head, laughing to yourself. “My grandmother wouldn’t put that out there. At least not yet. I think she thinks it would be too soon after the accident.”

Jimin turns sharply towards you, concerning etching lines into his handsome face. “Accident?”

You nod sadly. “Yes. My grandmother told me I fell down the stairs several months ago, and I hit my head. She said it had frightened everyone we knew. She was concerned about my recovery from it all. I don’t think I’ll get married until life returns to normal,” you trial off. “But, actually… I don’t really know what normal is anymore. Not after the accident. It’s like I woke up in the completely different world, and I don’t know what I’m doing. There’s always this awkwardness I can’t get past. It’s like I’m walking on eggshells.”

You weren’t sure why you were telling Jimin all this, but you knew you could tell him, and he wouldn’t make fun of you for it. He wasn’t that kind of person. He seemed very open with you, so you supposed that in your heart, you could be vulnerable with him too.

After the silence became too long, you looked up from your feet and saw Jimin wiping at his eyes. “Jimin, are you crying?” You lay a hand on his arm to stop him from walking any further, and step in front of him. He bows his head lower, and you crane your neck to the side to try to see his face. After a few moments, he breathes in deeply, bringing his head up. He looks at you with eyes, pink and puffy from rubbing at them, and a slight upturn of his lips accompanied by a chuckle.

“The sand and salt keep getting in my eyes. That’s all.”

“Would you like to go back inside?” He shook his head. “Are you sure?”

“No, no, I’m alright. I’m sure I’ll be okay now.” He smiles at you, attempting to reassure you. He blinked away the redness in his eyes. Besides, you look too beautiful in the setting sun for us to leave, was what he wanted to add.

You return his smile. Then, you’re just staring at each other, taking in the colors the evening sky paints on your skins and in your eyes. Then, you ask him, “What about you, Park Jimin? Has your mother arranged you to marry anyone?”

“She did once, to the daughter of a man who owned a successful old railroad company.” He admits.

“Are you still to marry her?”

“No,” he hurriedly states. “I didn’t want to from the start. I eventually pushed it off enough that they let it go. They said they couldn’t wait around forever.”

“Why didn’t you want to? I’d assume a business like that would pile onto your wealth, and she couldn’t have been that hideous.” You inwardly cringe. Why would you try to reason with him?

He laughs, almost bitterly. “You wound me, y/n. To think that I would think about money and looks to be the top priority in finding a wife.” You open your mouth to assure him you don’t think so lowly of him, but he beats you to it. “But I know that’s not like that. You merely considering the things we have to think about in our world. And I know that’s not how you truly think either. I know you wouldn’t marry for money.” You hadn’t realized how close he was until he was gazing intently into your eyes.

“Then what would I marry for?” A soft, curious question.

“Love.” There is no hesitation in his response. He believes it whole-heartedly. Then, he pulls away. “Just as I once tried to do.” He reaches down in the sand, picking up a shell.

You didn’t expect that. “What happened to her?” Jimin’s jaw clenches and unclenches, but not in anger. This was really difficult for him. You suddenly regret asking about it.

Then, he says, “She left. And I haven’t heard from or seen her since three months after I proposed to her.”

“Why would she leave?”

He shook his head, “I don’t think she had a say in leaving, and so she left quietly.” He gently brushes the grains of sand from the shell, exposing its pure white and rose color.

“I’m so sorry, Jimin,” you say after several moments of silence. I’d never imagined that something so horrible could happen to two people in love.”

He rakes a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t matter anymore though. What is done is done, and I can only move forward to find that love again. Except this time, I’m never letting it escape from me so easily.” He sounds resolute, so sure of himself and you can’t help but admire him. He smiles, holding the bonnet shell out to you.

You accept it gratefully, pleased with the small gift. Glancing at Jimin, you see his cheeks have turned pink. Your mouth curves into a smile. You take his hand in both of yours, the shell pressed between your palm and his. His skin feels smooth, and although his hands are smaller than the average, they feel no less strong and comforting. You squeeze his hand lightly in comfort. The bonnet shell imprints a small circle in each of your hands, serving as a little promise of your connection with him. “You’re a good man, Park Jimin. And I hope you find what you’re looking for.” He smiles at you sweetly. But to his unhappiness, you let go of his hand much sooner than he thought you would. However, it didn’t take long before you realized how much you missed it too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You don’t see Jimin for the next week and a half. He left to accompany his father out West for several days to learn more about the family business. When he mentioned it, you couldn’t help but pout, which he immediately felt guilty about. He told you that he’d very much make up for the missed Friday lunch tenfold. He promised the next Friday lunch you two would have all the food, chatter and enjoyment as a month’s worth of lunches. Upon this, you giggled and said you would expect nothing less.

During the days he was out of town, you quickly grew to miss his company. After only missing one lunch, you quickly realized how much more time in the week you wanted to spend with him. Those lunches on Fridays, along with the regular community gatherings, just weren’t enough. You wanted to see him every day. He brought brightness back into your days, made you feel warmth and happiness again. And when he talks with you about the hard stuff in life and is so honest with you, it’s like he’s filling in the empty spots in your life. Where your lifestyle of material and money is only the surface of your being, Jimin looks deeper and sees you as the person you are. He never wants to talk about business or money. He always wants to know about you. And you can’t ignore the way your heart flutters when you’re answering one of those many questions about yourself and you catch him so content listening to you.

He would relax in his chair, head slightly tilted to the side, lips turned up in a pleasant smile, his eyes gleaming with interest and admiration. Never once would he look away from you when you spoke. You always had his undivided attention. And the more and more you think about, you love it. His caring heart towards you, his kind words and gentle soul, the ability to be open around him.

But it was also more than that.

You like Jimin so much that you feel you’ve known each other longer than four months. It feels like a lifetime that you’ve known him.

You told Hwasa about it one afternoon while painting in the sunroom of your home, unsure what it meant. She merely giggled at you and said, “Y/n, you’re falling in love. And you know it, too.” You did know in your heart, but you couldn’t help but feel the shock of it all. But also, the doubt given your circumstances.

“But Hwasa, how do I know what love feels like? I feel empty most of the time. I don’t even know if I can know what love is.”

Hwasa stopped you right there, “I know where this is coming from, but you don’t have to you worry about that. No one knows what love feels like until it hits them. Besides, you just told me that Jimin makes you so happy and you miss him so much when he’s not here. Trust me, don’t think I don’t see the moping you’ve done for the past couple days. That’s emotion. You’re feeling everything for him with your heart, and there’s no reason to doubt that, no matter what.” And that was why you loved your best friend so much. She was a grounding force and always has been since the accident. Always a level-headed thinker and confident woman. A true role-model. You gave her the biggest hug, thankful for her friendship. Without her, you thought you would have reasoned yourself out of your love for Jimin.

Finally, after said week and a half, you are walking with Hwasa and your grandmother in The Grand Hotel for a large gathering of all the affluent families in the East Isles.

Of course, you and all the other ladies wouldn’t be in the same room as the men. Instead, the women would be drinking tea, tasting little cakes, gossiping and playing a few rounds of light-hearted card playing while the men ate their hearts out and smoked cigars while testing their gambling skills. They would talk of business, family dealings, blah, blah, blah.

Just as the last of everyone was filing into their respective places, you were trailing behind Hwasa and your grandmother to the tearoom. Then you felt a hand grasp your arm.

You gasp, whipping around to see Jimin with a playful look on his face. Your face breaks into the biggest smile, and he pulls you into an empty hallway in the hotel. When he let go of your hand, you pull him into a hug. “I missed you, Jimin.”

He hugs you back with equal the comfort and emotion, his strong arms pulling you tightly to him. “I missed you as well.” He pulls away and that’s when you noticed his disheveled state.

“Oh, my goodness. Jimin, did you just come from the train station? Your collar isn’t even straight.” You grasp the edges and aid him in fixing it.

“I apologize for the long trip, but it gave me enough time to think about how I’m going to make up for it.” He smirks lightheartedly.

“Oh, really? How?” You asked curiously, smile creeping up on your face. You finish with his collar and brush your hands down his shoulders and arms to smooth out the wrinkles in his jacket.

“We’re going on a picnic tomorrow at the best place in the East Isles. I’ll pick you up tomorrow from your house around lunch time.” He looks hopeful about the idea, but you can’t help but figure from the confidence he exudes that he already knows you’ll agree.

You bite your lip to prevent from smiling too much like a fool. “Okay! That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait.” You dare yourself and kiss his cheek quickly. You’re about to dash off before he could see your face turn scarlet, but he catches your wrist.

He slides his fingers down to grasp yours before bringing the back of your hand to his lips. They press a soft kiss there. He keeps his eyes on you, and your heart won’t stop fluttering. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he smiled at you in farewell.

You practically skipped to the tea hall.

Once there, you sit with Hwasa at a table with four other finely dressed girls. “Oh, good you’re here y/n. We were just about to start.” She hands you a little stack of cards. All of you begin shuffling and laying out cards onto the table as the game begins.

The red-haired girl dressed in a powdery blue color directly across from you seems smug. Hwasa notices it too. “Something you would like to say Florence?” You remark.

She shrugs her shoulders, but the smirk doesn’t leave her face. “I think I’ll be married by spring.”

“Oh! I suppose congratulations are in order then. Who’s the lucky man?” The petite girl at the end of the table chimes in.

“None other than Park Jimin, of course.” Your blood turns to cold steel in your veins. It takes every effort for you not to reveal too much of yourself. Hwasa stiffens next to you. “What other man is there to marry?” Florence has turned her attention directly to you, eyes flashing with spite. Your eyes narrow only enough that she would notice. What was she going on about? Did she know about the time you were spending with Jimin?

Thankfully, being the well-versed girl Hwasa is in social graces, she merely laughs. “Florence, you are funny. Park Jimin has not committed himself to a woman since he was rumored to be in love with someone almost two years ago.” You felt your head swim. Did Hwasa know about Jimin’s lost love too? She was pretty close with Taehyung, who was close with Jimin. Maybe she only knew the rumor. Regardless, your heated rage turns cold, remembering how devastated Jimin looked talking about her.

“Doesn’t matter,” Florence sneers. “Clearly she is long gone. Or maybe she never existed in the first place. I heard a rumor he was using that as an excuse to get out of his previous arranged marriage anyway.”

Hwasa raises her eyebrows, her gaze scrutinizing. “And now you’re saying you’ve magically brought Park Jimin out of his despair and you two are hopelessly in love?” Hwasa harshly fingered the edges of her cards.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She replies with bittersweet venom. “Try not to get jealous, Hwasa. I’m sure Taehyung will propose to you when he finally impresses your father with a fortune earned from his artistic talents. Although I don’t know how long that will take. I heard his exhibit caught on fire last month, torching most of his work. A shame he will have to start over…” Your eyes snapped to Hwasa. She hadn’t told you about the fire. Nor did she ever mention just how close her and Taehyung were.

“Florence,” Hwasa tosses her cards on the table, the paper landing with a smack on the polished wood. “I need you to get your head out of your ass for a minute and listen carefully to what I have to say.” You are shocked at her choice of words. Some women at the table behind you glare in Hwasa’s direction, but she ignores them. “Firstly, Taehyung and I are not getting married. We are close friends.” Florence falsely pouts. “Secondly, Taehyung has more talent and grace in his pinky finger than you have in your entire body and then some. So, I suggest you shut that trap of yours before you wake up and find every single one of your father’s department stores foreclosed.” Florence’s face was the perfect cross of fear and royal anger. With that, Hwasa straightens her spine and stands up. “If you are confused about what I said, I hope you figure it out because I won’t be repeating myself.” Her red-painted lips are set in a deep frown, most of her rage having left her. She heads for the door, her shoes clacking loudly from her firm steps on the marble floor. Most of the women in the room have paused their games to watch her leave, some even going as far to disapprove of her sour attitude.

“Poor Hwasa. She’ll die an old maid if she keeps that attitude.” Florence remarks with unrestrained smugness. You are ready to slap her into next week for her treatment of your best friend. It’s time she gets a reality check.

“I don’t think you should be wasting your time worrying about the wrong person,” you say coolly.

She scoffs, “Is that right, y/n? If I shouldn’t be worrying about Hwasa, who should I be worried about?”

“Yourself, obviously. I forgot that you can’t put two and two together. I’ll remember next time to spell it out directly for you.”

“Get to the point,” she hisses.

You lay your cards down and fold your hands neatly on the table. “My point is you’re not marrying Jimin. Not in the spring, not in the year, not in your lifetime.” Florence’s face nearly matches her hair color. “In fact, I dare say Jimin doesn’t even know that you are planning to ask him for his hand.”

“I won’t be the one asking, you stupid girl. By the time I’m done with him, he’ll be begging me to marry him.”

You force a smile. “If you insist. I’ll just give him a fair warning about his eminent doom tomorrow during our picnic date.” Florence’s expression twists into surprise. “Oh, and while we’re on the topic of you, I’ll mention how I accidently walked in on you and—what was his name?” You tap a finger thoughtfully to your chin. “John Withers!” You snap your fingers. “You two were in quite the predicament at his sister’s birthday a few months ago. Petting parties and dancing tongues and all that.” Florence gapes at you like a fish, her face overtaken with terror. The other girls looked at her in shock.

Caught in a lie.

You smirk. Your work here was done. Gathering your purse, you send a wink her way before strutting out of the tea hall. You knew you had hundreds of eyes on you, including your grandmother’s. You know you’re going to owe here an explanation later. Everyone in the room probably heard what you said about you and Jimin, but you could care less. You never had such pleasure in telling someone off.

You find Hwasa standing outside in the hotel courtyard smoking a cigarette. She sees the look on your face as you approach, and she grins wickedly. “What did you do?”

“I may have called her out on her lie and mentioned me spending time with Jimin. You should have been in there. Her face was priceless.”

“That’s my girl,” she takes another drag from her cigarette. “Want one? Special edition tobacco. Tae got them for me in France.”

You consider it, eyeing the delicately arranged rolls in the silver case. “Sure. I think I’ve earned it.” Hwasa laughs, handing you a roll and helping you light it. You feel your body release all the rage and spite with each pull. As you eye the cigarette in your fingers, you can’t help but think about what was said about Hwasa and Taehyung’s relationship. They were awfully close, and you had to admit the idea of them marrying had come across your mind sometimes. You had no idea about Taehyung’s finances or career, or even that his relationship with Hwasa was enough to warrant her father’s attention. You couldn’t help but feel bad for Hwasa; however, at the same time, you knew she’d test her father’s patience to its limits. She’d refuse every single marriage he’d set until he gave up. It didn’t matter if she didn’t marry. She had an older brother who would inherit the family business and take over. You wonder if this was a part of her plan. Even if she and Taehyung didn’t marry, they would be lifelong companions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“She said that?” Jimin yells over the vroom of the engine. He throws his head back and laughs. “I’ve never heard such a lie before. I was the one who first caught her and John Withers together. They were having a petting party in the back of his car during a party a few years ago.”

“Really?” You yell back, holding onto your hat. “That’s so disgusting! I’ve seen him before, and he’s so greasy looking.” You make a face of sheer disgust, making Jimin laugh even harder.

“Yeah, he is! But, y/n, are you sure she wasn’t just saying something like that to get a rouse out of you?” He inquires, one hand relaxing on the steering well as he drives. “From what you’ve told me how she acts towards you it seems that way.”

“I have no idea! I really don’t know what the whole point of that conversation was,” you laugh. “Even if she was, I don’t care. I like you a lot Jimin, and I wasn’t about to let some girl try and spread false rumors about you.” You look out the car, trying to hide your blushing cheeks.

“Y/n,” he calls you. You turned your head, looking over your sunglasses at him, with your hand resting against your cheek. You answer with a small hum. Between the road and you, he spent as much time as he could gazing at you. Despite his own pair of dark sunglasses, you could still see joy twinkling in his eyes. “I like you a lot too,” he finally says. It did nothing to slow your racing heart or help you cool down, but you didn’t care. Not with the way he could barely keep his eyes off you.

You bite you lip, barely suppressing a huge smile. You lean back in your seat, gazing up at the blue June sky. It was a perfect day for your picnic with Jimin. Not a cloud in sight. A slight breeze blowing through every now and again to relieve you of the sun’s beating rays. The tall grass fields dotted with white and yellow flowers made soft hushing sounds with the wind.

Soon, you and Jimin arrive at the place he promised was the most beautiful place in the East Isles. And it was beyond beautiful. Jimin opens your door and takes you hand to help you out of the car. He was pleased to see your expression of awe as you took in the scene in front of you.

Flowers of all colors poke through the grass—a luscious green carpet—and lead to a small, crystal clear river. The water flows gently after soft brown rocks and into a pond at the end. Birds chirp, some of them chasing each other in the air before perching on the delicate branches of nearby trees. You think this is heaven.

Jimin grabs a large basket and blanket from the car. You seemed entranced by the scenery, and he giggles at your reaction. He slides his fingers down the back of your hand, breaking you from your trance, and threads them with yours. He leads you further into the grass to a perfect spot partially shaded by foliage. He expertly unfolds a thick blanket onto the grass and unpacks the basket, pulling out plates of all your favorite foods and wine. You kick off your shoes and sit down on the blanket, fixing your skirt to neatly cover your legs.

“I didn’t know what you wanted to eat, so I just had everything made that I know you like,” he smiles sheepishly.

“You must have been taking notes after our meals.”

“That and I feel like I know you well enough that if I had to guess out of these foods is your favorite I could.”

“Really?” You challenge, chewing on some grapes. “Which one then?”

“The cheese Danish,” he states without hesitation.

“Nothing else?”

“No, just the pastry itself. Even if you were in a new place with the most fantastic patisseries in the world, you would always go with a cheese Danish.” He replies with such confidence. He knew you so well.

You smile in delight. “I see your mind-reading skills have improved Park Jimin,” you tease, grabbing the cheese Danish from its plate and taking a huge bite out of it. Jimin laughs at your expression when some of cheese falls out of the pastry due to your aggressive eating and you try to catch it. He hands you a cloth napkin to wipe your hands.

“You’re going to spoil lunch!” he joked. “I have proper lunch dishes to eat before dessert. Glazed salmon with a spring mix salad and raspberry walnut dressing?” he offers.

“Yes please,” you grab the plate excitedly, your mouth watering at the sight of such a delicious looking lunch. You and Jimin eat through the first dish with ease, both admitting to each other that you each had skipped breakfast this morning in order to eat lots of food during your picnic. Then, you finally got to eat your cheese Danish, savoring every bite. After your stomachs were nearly full, you both drank wine, nibbling on an assortment of grapes, cheese and buttery crackers. You and he moved to the bank of the river, letting the water move soothingly over your feet. Conversation flowed with ease, discussing literally about everything that popped into your mind or led from one topic to another. Somehow you had gotten from topics like how you had a green thumb as a child and how you would be upset every time the birds ate the seeds you freshly planted to Jimin helping a man fix his car when in broke in the middle of downtown the other day. The man offered Jimin to take one of the puppies his dog gave birth too recently as a thank you.

“And you didn’t pick one?” You ask, surprised.

He laughs. “No, I said I didn’t need a puppy.”

“What about me? I wanted a puppy,” you deadpan.

Jimin’s face morphs into bewilderment. “You’ve never said to me that you wanted a puppy!”

You giggle at his reaction, putting a hand on his arm. “I’m teasing you, Jimin. I don’t expect you to think of me all the time.”

“But I do think about you all time. I should have picked one.” He rubs a hand over his face in frustration and regret.

“Jimin, it’s okay! I was only giving you a hard time.” You push his hand out of the way from his face and gently brush away the hair that had fallen into his eyes.

He watches your face as you focus on fixing his hair. Then his eyes slide to the hat on your head. He hates how you covered your hair with that ridiculous accessory. He knew about your voluminous curls that were pinned and restrained to the current trend. It made him unhappy.

He pulls your hat from your head and tossed away somewhere in the grass. “Jimin, what are you…” you trail off as he begins to pull the pins from under your hair. Somehow, he knew where each one was, as if he’d done it a million times.

As he removes each pin and your hair falls over your shoulders, he keeps his eyes on your face, gazing into the mesmerizing dark caramel color of your eyes. A blush paints your cheekbones. Slowly, you become your real self—the one that Jimin knew so well, but you had forgotten about.

When the last pin was removed, Jimin smiled lovingly at you. “I like your hair down. You shouldn’t wear it up so much. I love your curly hair. It kind of reminds me of one of the puppies I saw.”

“It had soft curly hair like mine?”

“Yes. The man said they were called Lagotto Romagnolo dogs. Ironically, they’re an Italian breed, but I only found that out after I said to the man, they sounded like a type of pasta dish.” Jimin explains, and you laugh softly. Comfortable silence fell upon the atmosphere. The sun warms your back, and the trickle of the river soothes you into an almost sleepy state. You turn your head and lay it on Jimin’s shoulder.

You sit there like that for several minutes, watching nature go about its day, sipping on your wine. Your wine glass then becomes empty, and you say as much. Jimin said he would get you some more, gently laying a kiss against your hair. Any relaxation you felt from the wine dissipates and your nerves spark. You lift your head up, and Jimin swoops in for a kiss on the cheek. He smiles cleverly, grabbing your wine glass from your hand before getting up to fill it with more wine. You couldn’t help tracking him with your gaze. From your sitting position, you finally get a good view of his body, particularly his backside. It’s a nice backside, you thought to yourself. As if he felt your eyes on him, he glances over his shoulder and totally catches you checking him out. He winks at you, and you shyly shift your gaze to the river.

Suddenly, your head feels so fuzzy. Your mind drifts, like you’re falling into a dream. You rub the heel of your palm against your temple, squeezing your eyes shut. When the sensation passes, you open them again, gazing back into the water.

Then, a dream comes to you, and it’s such a vivid dream.

You and Jimin are in the river, splashing water at each other. He wraps his arms around your waist. Pulling you to his naked chest, he spins you in circles in the water.

The sensation in your head turns into a pounding, and you gasp at the pain. You lay your hand against your forehead, your skin feeling hot. You feel your pulse beating against the side of your neck. You twist in your seat, craning to see Jimin. He’s putting the cork back in the bottle. He looks up and smiles sweetly at you.

Another dream flashes before your eyes. You see the bodies of a man and a woman locked in a passionate embrace, kissing and holding tightly to each other. Underneath the woman is a familiar blanket and patch of wildflowers.

Then, it’s gone and so it the pain. Jimin’s face with creased with concern. He jogs over, abandoning the wine glasses. He kneels in front of you. “Y/n, what’s wrong? You look hurt.” He searches your face, your arms, your legs, your torso. But he finds nothing wrong with you.

That was because nothing was wrong.

You were remembering. Everything.

You pull Jimin in for a kiss, and your world bursts into a kaleidoscope of memories.

All of them were so vivid.

Your parents. How your father’s electrical business took flight. The money and the new lifestyle that came with it. Hwasa and the dance clubs. The parties and gatherings for tea. And then Jimin—he was in most of them.

The first time you met him, almost five years ago, similar to the situation months age when you “first met” him at his estate, being presented as new money. Except he never looked away from you when you walked in the room. He looked at you with the gleam in his eye like he does now, as if he’d fallen in love with you right then. And you too had found it difficult to look away. He was so handsome. Dressed in a black suit, with the pants so perfectly fitted that it made his legs look unbelievably long. His hair was styled to expose his beautiful face to the world. It was much darker back then, making his blue-gray eyes even more striking.

You had met him every chance you got. You were both inseparable. He was always so polite and sweet. Then, one night he confessed to you under the moonlight at the architectural park downtown and gave you the best kiss of your life. You secretly met up for picnics and boat rides, soaking in the luxurious things in life together, making happy memories. And you fell deeply in love. You had even gone to this place—the meadow with the crystal river. Jimin insisted taking a swim, immediately stripping down. You were worried someone might catch you, but he owned this land and assured you that no one would disturb you two. You looked away when he removed all his clothes before entering the water, and you insisted Jimin do the same. And he did. You remember the exhilaration thrumming in your bones when you removed the last of your undergarments. Never in your life had you imagined that you would be walking in a meadow and swimming in a river stark naked, much less in front of a man you weren’t married too.

When you got in the water, it was chilly, and you had said as much. Jimin had offered to warm you with a suggestive smirk. You had felt boneless at the thought but decided to tease him instead. You smiled mischievously before splashing him with water. Thus, a water battle ensued, and he ended up capturing you in his arms and tickled you to death. After admitting that you teased him on purpose, he finally stopped tickling you and insisted he just hold you in the water. He wrapped his arms around your waist, and you rested your head on his solid chest. He pulled you around the pond, humming and laying the occasional kiss on your head. You complained that you were getting too cold and hopped out of the water onto the picnic blanket.

You flopped down on your back, smiling up at the sky. Jimin laid down next to you on his side, head propped up on his hand so he could look at you. Water droplets fell from the ends of his dark wet hair and collected on his skin. You turned your head towards him and offered a soft smile. You reached your hand closest to him and brushed it soothingly on his forehead, pushing his hair from his eyes, which were slowly taking in your body. His eyes had grown darker with passion each passing second. Eyes locked on yours, he placed his hand over your heart, feeling the fast racing of it. Jimin saw your expression change, more reflective of his. “Jimin.” Your hand moved to his full lips, stroking the bottom one with the pad of your finger. “Please.” He leaned forward, kissing you passionately. Jimin conveyed his love with every touch.

Your one and only true love.

You feel your soul rush back into your present body, pulling away from Jimin. You were breathless and panting. His eyebrows are scrunched together in worry, eyes bright with fear “Jimin, I remember. I remember everything,” you rush out.

A million emotions flash across his face—happiness, sadness, confusion, fear, joy, pain, relief, but love outshines all of them. Tears form in his eyes that quickly fall down his cheeks. You feel your own tears on your face.

He cups your face in his bands, thumbs wiping away the tears. “What are you feeling? Tell me.” He speaks so softly, and it breaks your heart.

“Everything. I remember everything that I couldn’t from when my father’s company succeeded until now. I can’t explain it. I remembered things. I didn’t feel like I had any gaps in my memory before. It’s like I couldn’t remember that I was missing memories of you, my parents and my friends.

“I… I didn’t just fall down the steps, did I?” You ask. He shakes his head gravely. “I was in a car accident.” And as you explain the details, you see it clearly in your mind’s eye.

You were driving home with parents after a weekend getaway to the coast. Your dad was stressed and needed to get out of the city. After the weekend was over, you were riding in the car with your parents back into the city. Your dad was driving the car over the bridge when another car smashed into your family’s vehicle. Everything happened so quickly, you don’t remember seeing your parents. All you remember was falling so far, so fast and then hitting the ground before blacking out. Then, you woke up in the hospital with your grandmother by your side surrounded by doctors.

“My parents died that night, didn’t they?” Your voice cracks with the question.

Jimin frowns deeply. “I’m so sorry, y/n.”

“I already knew they were dead, but not how they died or when.” Then, you see their faces in your mind. “Mom… Dad…” you sob, covering your mouth to prevent from crying out. The full force of the loss hits you. Jimin quickly situates you into his hold, grounding you while you grieve for your parents.

You remember the family meals and time you spent together; the happiness on dad’s face when the business took off; the times when your parents got on your nerves, and now you wish you hadn’t argued with them so harshly; all the times you had mom-daughter and dad-daughter conversations. It all ended too soon.

You’re not sure how long you cried before you finally calmed down. Jimin was rocking you gently, cheek against the top of your head. The sun had started to go down. Jimin finally speaks, his voice forlorn.

“I went and saw you in the hospital. I heard what happened the next day. I hadn’t seen or heard from you. I called your house so many times, but no one answered. So, I went over there, and your staff had gotten a call from the police. They said your parents had died in the crash. I grieved for them.

“But you had managed to survive. Somehow by some miracle, you landed on a wooden platform not too far below the bridge. I thought they were going to say you fell in the icy water and that they wouldn’t find you. They took you to hospital, and you were unconscious.

“I visited you every day. I brought you your favorite flowers. I held your hand and told you everything I loved about you. And that I wanted you to wake up so badly so I can hear your voice and fully convince myself that you were still here. You didn’t wake up for almost a month. When you did, I was on my way to see you. I heard your voice from down the hallway. I was so excited. Finally, I could hear your voice again and kiss you. But, as I got to the door, the doctors had been explaining your condition to your grandmother.

“You suffered a serious brain injury and had amnesia. They assessed you couldn’t remember what happened in the last two or three years with other long-term memories having been forgotten. They found you could no longer associate emotions with most of your memories anymore. After the doctors left, you had already fallen back asleep. Your grandmother saw me and stopped me at the door. She knew that I had heard everything, and she insisted that I stop visiting. You hadn’t asked for me, and that based on the doctor’s evaluation, it was unlikely you remembered me at all. I didn’t know what to do. I thought I should have been in there, trying to help you remember, but your grandmother forbade it. And, in the end, she was right.

“You had just gone through so much, a lot of it you didn’t remember. You didn’t need me, someone you would have thought was a stranger, to come in and try to convince you that we were in love. It wouldn’t have brought you back. I wanted you to love me, not because I told you, you did, but because you do. I wanted to give you the chance to discover love again. Whether it was with me or not.

“It killed me to see you walk into my house again, several months after the accident, and reintroduce yourself and everyone pretend as if they didn’t know what a wonderful person you are. That day a couple months ago, when I had seen you… It was like seeing you again for the very first time. Then I was reminded I had lost you, but you were still here, not knowing that you still had me in the palm of your hand.” He softly circles his fingertips on your palm. “Besides,” he smiles ruefully, “what would you have done if I came up to you and said I was your fiancé?”

You hiccup from your tears, “Fiancé?”

Jimin swallows thickly, nodding. “Yes. I had proposed to you that Christmas. We were in the sitting room in front of the tree. We were just sitting there. You were looking at the candles and ornaments on the tree, commenting how pretty they were and that you’d want Christmas to be this beautiful and peaceful in your own house one day. When you said that, it made the ring that I had kept in my pocket for weeks feel heavier, and my heart was racing so fast I thought you would have thought something was wrong. But nothing was wrong. I was with the most beautiful, kind, intelligent woman in the world, and I wanted nothing more than to be in the future she was talking about. So, I got down on one knee and asked you, y/n y/l/n, to marry me—to allow me the honor of cherishing you every single day until our last.”

“And I said, ‘Yes, I will marry you.’” You sob, but it’s happy tears.

“And I kissed you and told you I would never leave your side ever, no matter what came our way. I guess I just hadn’t imagined that, that something would come so quick and with so much loss.”

You looked deep into his eyes, soothingly caressing the side of his face. “I’m here now Jimin. And I promise I’ll never leave you again.” You had forgotten the most beautiful moments in life—your memories of your parents, Hwasa, and Jimin—but you didn’t know that you had. And ever so slowly, Jimin was bringing you back to him.

However, despite your promising words, he was holding back something. He got choked up again, fresh tears shining in his eyes. He let out a shuttering breath, “Y/n, there’s something else about those months leading up to the accident.”

You trembled, anxiety lighting every nerve. “What is it?”

He covered your hand on his face with his and wiped at his eyes with his other hand. It took him a few moments to gather himself to say it, and it came as a shock—

“You were pregnant.”

Your world stilled and began to spin. “I was pregnant…” You repeat it quietly to yourself. Your mind spun into the kaleidoscope of memories again. You remember you hadn’t asked for your napkins at the beginning of the new year. You remember telling your mom about your missed cycles and explaining to her that you and Jimin had already been together before. You hadn’t told Jimin yet because you didn’t want to tell him until you saw a doctor and said it was official. And you and she were going to tell your father about it, but he was so stressed when he got home. That was the Friday of the weekend getaway. You both decided that you would tell him together when you got back home on Sunday you when he was in a better mood. Except that never happened.

“The doctor had said you were 12 weeks along. It made sense. After I proposed to you that night, we made love, but we decided not to use protection that time. I was so excited I didn’t think to ask if you were taking a contraceptive medicine. I assumed you were, so I didn’t think about it. You didn’t even show at all during those 12 weeks. The only way the doctors found out was because you miscarried. The trauma from the accident was too much for your body, so the baby…” Jimin couldn’t say it, breaking down into sobs. It was still too much for him to talk about.

And for you. You began to cry as well. “I’m sorry, Jimin that I couldn’t protect our baby.”

Jimin hushed you immediately, looking deep into your eyes. “This wasn’t your fault, y/n. You have to know that and believe that. I would never blame you for what happened. I’m not upset that you didn’t tell me because you weren’t ready to yet. And that’s okay. I mourn our son or daughter every day, and I still love them as much as when I found out they had existed and as if they were here.”

You cried for the loss of your parents and the pain your grandmother felt of losing her son and daughter-in-law. You cried for your unborn baby. You cried for Jimin, who had to hold in everything he knew and felt so you could figure out who you were again. He could have told you he was your fiancé but didn’t because he wanted you to love him and accept his love without controlling your heart.

“I know we’ll never be the same people before the car crash, but that doesn’t matter. I would go to the ends of the Earth for you, y/n. And if that meant we would have to start over and fall in love all over again, I would do it a million and ten times more. I was reminded of things about you that I had forgotten that I shouldn’t have and the little things in the experiences that we have together that made me love you all the more. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Jimin. Even when I couldn’t remember anything, I was falling in love with you.” He kisses you passionately, quickly muttering about he waited so long to hear you say those words again. Your faces are warm and wet with tears. You each kiss them away on the other’s face until they are gone. “I don’t have enough words to describe how incredibly patient and loving you are with me. You didn’t deserve to go through all of this.”

“Neither did you. We just know now that our love has conquered all. It has transcended tragedy, doubt, heartbreak and stolen memories. You’re mine, and I’m yours; and I’m never letting you go again.” You kiss each other sweetly, the pain of the past melting away with each press of your lips. Neither him nor you were sure how long you stayed perched in his lap just brushing kisses across each other’s lips and whispering promises.

“You know,” you start, brushing his hair from his eyes, “there’s no way I’m letting you leave me tonight to go to your too-far away house. You’re going to go to sleep with me in my bed tonight, and the night after, and the night after, and—”

He interrupts you with a laugh, his eyes squishing into cute crescent moons. “That sounds like a fine idea.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After quickly shoving the picnic basket and blanket into the car, you and Jimin drove to house. It was nearly 9 o’clock at night. You had been gone practically the entire day. You wondered if your grandmother was worried.

Thankfully, when you tiptoe through the house, your hand holding Jimin’s, the only person you encounter is Hwasa, who had been staying with you the past couple days ever since she got in a fight with her parents. She sees your intertwined hands and says, “Finally you two confessed your feelings. I was concerned I was going to lose my bet with Tae. Although, y/n, I would keep the noise level down, your grandmother is sleeping—”

You didn’t even give her the chance to finish before you pull her into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you, Hwasa. For being the greatest friend ever.” Hwasa returns the hug. She looks over your shoulder at Jimin, who simply winks at her. Even in the dark of the night, you and Jimin appeared radiant. “We have so much to talk about, Hwasa. But let’s do it tomorrow morning over breakfast.”

She beams at you, finally understanding what was going on. “I’ll be up bright and early. You two get some sleep, and I’ll phone Tae in the morning to bring some extra clothes for your guest. Goodnight, you two.” She exits the corridor, her silk kimono floating behind her like an extra shadow.

Once in your room, you and Jimin collapse on your bed. The only sound was the delicate chorus chirped by the crickets out in the garden by your window. You gaze at each other, listening to the other’s breathing, until you both fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Jimin meet your grandmother and Hwasa in the seating room the next morning. Taehyung had stopped by briefly to drop off Jimin’s clothes. He said he gave the excuse to his parents that Jimin was stayed the night at his house after a much-too-fun game of pool. The staff had laid out extra breakfast and tea per your grandmother’s request. There was a lot that needed to be said before life could move forward.

Your grandmother and Hwasa explain the whole point of the plan they had set when it was discovered you had amnesia. It was very similar to why Jimin agreed to go along with it. It was to let you rediscover yourself and grow into a new person that fit the life that you knew. Nothing would have been more miserable than being told who you were and what you had to do. It was difficult getting the community around you to agree to it, but in the end, most felt awful about the terrible ordeal you’d been through. Everyone loved your parents, who were honest and hardworking, so they decided that if pretending to meet you again for the first time was the best way to help you recover it would be so. Thus, began your new journey.

You talk through the difficulties you had. The emptiness and loss of emotion that came with the “gap” memories your brain had created to lessen the trauma. This world hadn’t felt real to you in most aspects until you had more interaction with your best friends and lover. Even though your head had forgotten your memories with them, your heart had known them. And you were so grateful you had Hwasa, Jimin and Taehyung to anchor you back. You can’t say that you desperately wish to turn back the clock to change the events that happened. Firstly, that would be futile and a waste of energy. Second, although your parents have passed on from this world and entered paradise, you know you will see them again someday. You’re happy that your memories came back and you have those to remember them by.

This whole journey has only grown your love and appreciation for every moment and person in your life.

After many hugs and tears with Hwasa and your grandmother, Jimin politely asks if he could have a moment alone with you. Hwasa walks arm-in-arm with her out of the room, beginning to chat away about Paris. Before leaving, Hwasa looks over her shoulder and smiles at you both. You smile back at her, pink coloring your cheeks.

Jimin stands from his chair and holds his hand out to you. You take it, him helping you to your feet. He gazes at you, seeming focused and determined. You grow a little shy, and giggle. “Quite the morning, right? Probably one of the most eventful breakfasts in my life.”

“Yes, I think so too,” he states, but sounding only half-present. He’s engrossed in memorizing the features of your face, and the brightness that is radiating from you after just rediscovering who you were. He thinks that you only get more beautiful with each passing day.

He presses a kiss to your cheek with plush lips, the softness of it drawing a light gasp from you. His lips move closer to your’s, pressing another kiss to your cheek, but firmer this time. His steady hands come up to hold your waist. You tilt your head towards his, your lips brushing his as they come in for a third kiss. You’ll never get used to this. The passion with which Jimin shows you, even with the most delicate of touches. Your hands slide from his shoulders to around his neck, pulling him closer.

When Jimin breaks the kiss, he buries his face in the crook of your neck, holding you as close as he can. You lay your hand against his, fingers gently stroking through his hair in comfort. It occurs to you for a second that he might not believe that you’re really here, that you remember everything about your love for him. “Jimin, I promise I’ll never go far away again. I’ll stay so close by your side you’ll start to think you’ve got a second shadow.” You whisper to him. He chuckles against your neck. You feel him relax against you, his weight growing heavier in your arms.  Then, he’s letting go of you, sinking to the ground.

To get on one knee.

“I know you won’t, y/n. And I promise I won’t be the only one who thinks they have a second shadow.” He smiles at you endearingly.

You laugh at the turn-around of the joke, but you feel hot tears already prickling at your eyes. Happy tears.

“You’ve already heard most of what I’ve wanted to say for so long, so I’ll keep it short and get to what I’ve really wanted to do since you came back into my life. Y/n… Life had thrown us a huge curveball, but we made it out on the other side. Never did I imagine that when I met you again that I would mess up so badly,” he tells you, and you laugh at the memory. “I was just so in love with you, and I didn’t know how to act around you without wanting to convey my love. And then, you called me rude and refused dinner, and even though you were made, you were so beautiful when you were. Of course, that didn’t help me get my thoughts straight because I was so head over heels for you. Then, the next opportunity came to make it right, and I knew I couldn’t miss my shot to be around you again. I’m so glad I didn’t because I know you’re the only person in this entire world that makes me feel the way you do. And, if you’ll allow me again to honor and cherish you for the rest of eternity…”

He reaches into his pocket to pull out a velvet box, not once taking his eyes off of you. Jimin opens the lid to reveal the diamond ring that once made a home on your left hand. Details of his first proposal to you rush in for a moment. Between that memory and the present, Jimin still looks very nervous, albeit in an endearing way, but wears all of his love for you on his sleeve.

“Will you marry me, y/n?” The tears finally escape his eyes as he asks you for the second time, one of the most beautiful questions in life.

“Yes, Jimin. Always.” You sink to your knees in front of him, hands reaching to pull Jimin in for a passionate kiss. He wraps you against him tightly, dropping the velvet box to the floor. You both kiss for what seems like forever between the two of you until you hear a very Hwasa-like cheer from outside the door. You and Jimin, pull away laughing.

He takes the ring out of the box and slips it on your engagement finger. He marvels at it, “You make this ring ten times more radiant,” he grins cutely, earning another laugh from you. “I’m serious! When I was picking one out, I was concerned that I’d never find one that matched your bright spirit, and then I realized that it was impossible. No diamond or gem will ever shine brighter than you.” He lovingly pinches your cheek.

You pinch his in return. “You’re so cheesy. I love it,” you smile at him and kiss him again. “Let’s get married next week. I don’t want to wait too long. I think we’ve done enough waiting.”

“I couldn’t agree more. I’ve already got the best place in mind for our honeymoon.”

“Really? Where’s that?”

He smiles knowingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are married on the following Tuesday, only five days after Jimin’s proposal. The news of your marriage had hit the papers the next day, thanks to the Parks who were finally happy to see him finally getting married. Between Mrs. Park and your grandmother, everything from flowers to food and cake to wedding favors was planned to perfection. Hwasa called in every favor from the best dress designers in the city to create the most beautiful gown imaginable. It was very necessary, she explained when you had said you only needed a simple gown. And she was right. Because when you walked out of the church on Jimin’s arm on that bright sunny day in June, you looked like royalty in the photos. Many citizens in the city were excited to finally see a big wedding happen again. They cheered and tossed flower petals when you and Jimin descended the church steps to head to the car for reception.

The next morning, you and Jimin left home together when the sun rose for your honeymoon. You briefly rode to the airport, where you and Jimin boarded a small plane. You asked him repeatedly where he was taking you, but he would simply grin and kiss your hand. He was probably much more excited than you, if that was even possible. You felt as if you’d been on a high for the past week since the proposal. Life couldn’t have been any better.

But, of course, it got even better.

When Jimin said you both had finally arrived, you are pleasantly surprised.

Santa Bella Island.

You’d heard about it before from friends and family. Crystal clear, blue waters with warm, white sand speckled with seashells. Pleasant summer weather that was a tad hot during the peak of the day but left a gentle breeze by the time the sun fell in a cascade of pinks, oranges, and purples. The sunrises were even better.

You stood against the threshold of your private villa, drinking in the morning sun as it started to peek from the ocean’s horizon. You sipped quietly on a cup of tea, letting the sun’s early rays warm your skin. Jimin was still sleeping on the bed, body wrapped around the sheets, which were sufficiently wrinkled from last night’s late activities. You giggled to yourself, fingering the silk of your robe.

It was so perfectly peaceful here. Birds chirped happily as they began their morning songs. The waves lapped softly on the sand. The palm trees swayed with ease. Jimin was snoring softly on the bed, his cheek squished against the pillow and lips parted. You couldn’t believe that you get a whole month of this with your husband.

Husband. You smile to yourself. That will never get old. It brings warmth to your cheeks every time you think about it. You murmur the word to yourself, testing out how it rolls off your tongue. It was so strange to say, yet it was the most natural thing in the world.

Your husband must have heard you. Caught up in the sunrise, you’d only heard soft footfalls against the wood floor that signaled Jimin’s wakefulness. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling your back to rest against his bare chest. His head rests on your shoulder, tilted to nuzzle against the side of your neck. “Good morning, my lovely wife,” and he places small kisses along there.

“Good morning, my darling husband. Did you sleep well?” Your free hand comes up to stroke his hair.

“I did,” he murmurs against your hair. He reaches over your shoulder to take the cup from you and set it on the table. He wraps both arms around your waist from behind you, fingers massaging your skin through the silk of the robe. “Although, I was hoping I would get the chance to wake you up in a very husband-like kind of way,” he says coyly. You giggle, biting your lip. You hold your left hand closer to your face.

The two white diamond rings—for your engagement and wedding—glitter perfectly in the morning sun. You marvel at the striking beauty of them.

“My forever is with you y/n.” Your husband whispers in your ear.

“You’re my forever Jimin.”

[thefanficmonster]

Sweet Tooth

Corpse Husband x Asian Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Tooth-rotting (😉) Fluff, Humor, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Corpse isn’t one to have a big preference or craving for sweet, sugary treats. In fact, he’d even go as far as to say he’s not at all a fan of candy. Well, much to his yet to be known delight, his partner Y/N takes that as a personal challenge.

Requested by Anon. Hi dear! Thank you so much for your lovely request! So sorry it’s taken me so long to write and post it but here it finally is and I hope you come across it and read it despite the long time that’s passed. If you do, I hope you enjoy it! Love, Vy ❤ 

“Hey guys! Welcome back to my channel!“ Y/N gives the camera a wave and blows it a quick kiss with their lips stretched in a delighted grin. They clap their hands together, turning to look at their guest who’s sitting in a chair on their right, his face covered with a sticker in the final cut of the video that their viewers have the opportunity of watching. “Ok, before we address the elephant in the room, I’m gonna ask the elephant himself not to move his head too much cause this is already gonna take a long time to edit, the last thing I need is to animate that sticker over your face to follow your movement.“

“Got it, babe.“ A deep voice replies obediently, earning an approving hum in response. However, just as Y/N’s about to turn to face the camera again, the mysterious - ok, not THAT mysterious - guest leans down and plants a kiss on their cheek.

“Brat!“ They squeal as they turn to glare at the person with narrowed eyes. He doesn’t appear bothered at all, chuckling as he wraps his arms around them in an attempt to soften them up. Sadly, his tries fall through as they proceed to ignore his affection instead of reciprocating it for the sake of being petty, “Everyone, this is my boyfriend Corpse.“

“Hello, I am hand.“ Corpse says, slowly waving his hand at the camera, “I shall be your entertainment tonight.“

“Oh this is no entertainment, I have a point to prove here.“ Y/N argues, breaking free from his arms before they bend down to pick up one of the two boxes that are resting by their feet. “You see, Corpse and I got in a bit of a scrap last night...“ they trail off, distracted by the contents of the box that’s now resting on their lap.

“I didn’t think me admitting to not liking sweet stuff would provoke such a dramatic reaction from Y/N but here we are.“ He interferes, lifting a finger in the air as though that will help him be heard better or would protect him in case his partner decided to go off at him.

Y/N just ignores his input yet again, continuing to address the camera, aka their audience, “So as you guys may or may not know, my mom’s Korean and my dad’s Japanese. Since they live in their respective countries for work purposes, that means I’m always one phone call - and a little bit of a wait - away from Korean and Japanese snacks at all times. I’m a person who constantly has a snack by their side so you can bet I make that phone call often. However, about a week ago, I made that call specifically for candy, the brands I was obsessed with as a kid. I don’t know what came over me but I think it was my fortuneteller sense kicking in because this mister over here decided to CASUALLY bring up the fact that he doesn’t like candy.” They turn to glare at him before continuing, “Anyways, so luckily, the package arrived only recently so I haven’t had the time to tear open all the candy and eat it all by myself as I was planning to. That being said, today I’ll be in introducing Corpse to the world of Japanese and Korean candy - a tighter circle of it, to be specific: the candy I grew up with.” They finally turn to Corpse again, the look on their face significantly different and a lot more pleasant compared to the one they gave him a bit ago. “So, how are you feeling, babe? Are you excited?”

Although the man’s face is blocked to the viewers, Y/N can still see him and they are pretty damn close to bursting out in a fit of laughter.  “I don’t know how to feel, actually. I know you have peculiar taste so it’s either gonna be a fun experience or I’m gonna very displeased with what you’ll have me try.“

Y/N rolls their eyes, “Trust me, you won’t be.” They put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, only half humoring his nervousness, “You’ll only be trying six on camera, but my parents sent a ton more which you’ll be able to try later, ok? It was really hard for me to pick only six favorites by I don’t need this video crossing the twenty minute mark.”

With a heavy-hearted sigh, Corpse finally brings himself to rip the band-aid off and get this adventure started. “Ok cool, but don’t surprise me with anything, please. Show me what you had in mind to have me try so I can, you know, prepare myself.”

Y/N, who was busy taking out packets of candy just a moment ago suddenly stops in their movements to give him a look of disbelief, “You know none of these are poisonous, right? Like, I’m not trying to kill you or anything. There’s no cyanide, no rat poison...”

His laughter cuts them off, wrapping his arm around them and pulling them closer again, “I’m messing with you, babe. What you got for me?” He says, placing a quick kiss to their temple while sneaking a peek at the packaging of the candies they’re holding right now.

Wiggling a little looser in his grip, they first show him the three items before turning them to the camera, “These are from my mom, she sent them from Korea and they are triggering a massive wave of nostalgia right now, not gonna lie.” They giggle, adjusting the brightness a little so the products can be seen properly, “Ok so first we have the long biscuit sticks that come in many flavors but I asked for my favorite - green tea flavored, that is. Then we have Pumpkin Monaca which are probably one of my most favorite sweet treats of all time. I think you’re gonna really like them. And lastly from Korea we have these butter waffles which I used to eat for breakfast when I was running late for school - which happened often.”

Corpse snorts, “That doesn’t surprise me.”

His remark is overlooked as Y/N continues, now taking out three packets from the other package, “Now we’re moving on to my dad’s box. He didn’t disappoint either: we have soda-flavored jelly beans; Black Thunder chocolate bars which you’re only gonna steal one of because the rest are MINE; and last but definitely not least we have some classic milk candies.” Setting those down as well, they turn to Corpse yet again, this time giving his a mischievous smile that’s promising him trouble, “So, Mr. Corpse Husband, after this introduction, are you prepared to have your entire opinion o sweet food changed? And more importantly, are you prepared to develop an addiction to these treats?”

Corpse nods confidently, “Oh, I’m very prepared, thank you. Let’s just get on with it.”

Needless to say: boy, was he not as prepared as he thought he was.

It goes without saying Y/N proved their point and took the win today.

@maat-the-prescriptive  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @itsminniekat  @hacker-ghost  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams @solowheein  @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01  @buddyemily   @the-albino-lioness  @stardream14  @gdhdkfnn  @nomadicgypsyy  @preciousskye  @fluffysuicideunicornsworld  @o-kaelin  @manacharlotte  @awkward-youtube-trash  @lolalee24  @bonky-beerns  @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian  @strawbrinkofdeath  @teenloves  @tams0527  @browneyespinkhair  @starstruckllamapuppy  @daisychains012  @y0ulooked  @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life  @jula-pauline  @melodykitty  @just-that-bi-girl  @crazybutconfidentaf  @lowellshade @alphakees  @bellero  @weallneednamjesus  @starryhanji  @boiled-onionrings  @husherstan  @fockingwhore  @melaningoddessthings  @prettypastelpetals  @haleypearce  @godwhyamiawkward  @y-napotat  @daisychainyoonmin  @little-miss-rebel3  @free-wheelin-bi-sexual  @redmoon261 @darkacademic2  @wiseflamingoqueen  @into-the-end  @namikhai-i  @nastiablr  @thelittleplantlover  @mirktuan  @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny  @vintagegothlover  @easygoingtheatre  @itsrandombooklover  @miiaivi  @emmybaybee  @befourgolden  @jjk-is-my-shit  @eternalteaaars  @spacebadgerx  @princesslunalight  @acequinn14  @samm48  @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa  @fo-love  @marishimomura-blog  @therealglenncoco  @cinnamonbun332  @killtherandomness  @sanshinexxxsan  @fee-btheweeb  @press-lay  @cathleenpotgieter16  @jazzydoesstuff  @moonlxghtbay  @forestrain2000  @hyunjinhugs  @blood-of-fandoms  @lovellylies  @ukiyolixx  @simpforhpcharacters  @chrisdylan17  @parkerjisung  @pedernille  @theodonyous  @wineandionysus  @malfoystilinskii05  @morbid-x  @coryisagee  @jessewa26  @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365  @raeanneinwonderland  @indecisive-empanada  @gluttonypalace  @loriane2503  @btsiguess-kpop  @khaoticbunny  @lucidlycactus  @smiithys  @rottenroyalebooks  @kpopgirlbtssvt  @fangirl-tc27  @fr0z3n-1  @notmesimpingfortechno  @shotarosleftpinky  @kunoi-chan  @idk-whats-wrong-with-me  @yikeroonie  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @poetry-and-tea  @ama-do-writing-stuff  @wishbonewolf  @emeraldxhope  @t0xick1tty  @kusuinko  @speakyourselfloveyourself  @sophia902103  @lo-manburg  @classsykittykat  @dmgama  @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee  @btsiguess-kpop  @akaashi-baby  @gun-jong-simp  @geschichtenfee  @yerapotato-wp  @browneyedgirl365  @thysagclub  @sparklycloudnight  @helloatomicshadow  @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal  @lucy-bunny17  @aaliyahh0  @katluckybear  @boyleanti  @straybids  @franchesca-791  @cosmicstorm19  @averyisbackinthetrashcan  @aomi-nabi  @xlanawriter  @allensimpsforcorpse  @sunnyrae-cessh  @ladykxxx08  @meowiemari

[sativaasiren]

Pairing: HawksxReader

Genre: hurt/angst

Summary: The dark side to dating a pro hero, and the secrets that divide. Reader has to find the courage to leave a one sideded relationship with Hawks. Inspired by “Tolerate it” by Taylor Swift.

Notes: This came to me one night so I had to get it all out while I remembered it. Might edit the story later and add more detail if I find it’s not fleshed out enough. For best effect, listen to “Tolerate It” by Taylor Swift while reading this fic!

————————————————————

*I sit and watch you reading with your head low. I wake and watch you breathing with your eyes closed. I sit and watch you.*

(Y/N) was up late, writing furiously with reckless abandon. Things were probably illegible and impossible to read but she didn’t care. She had to get things on paper now while the feelings were spilling out. It was finally time.

*I notice everything you do or don’t do. You’re so much older and wiser and I..*

(Y/N) closed her eyes and thought back to all the memories, both wonderful and painful, trying to piece together how her loving relationship with everyone’s favorite #2 Pro Hero Hawks had soured into a resentful mess. She had been thinking about leaving for months, but today felt right. It was time.

(Y/N) chewed the skin off her lower lip while she started to share her side to their story with him through the letter on the desk. He was asleep in the other room, passed out on the small couch in their bedroom, and it gave her the chance to process in the silence.

*I wait by the door like I’m just a kid. Use my best colors for your portrait. Lay the table with the fancy shit. And watch you tolerate it. *

It wasn’t always this way. Keigo tried at first. He was always fond of big romantic gestures and small acts of servitude when he got home from a mission. You were always relieved when he came home safely, even if it was covered in bandages and hardly able to walk.

Hawks loved you in the best way he could, but it was not something he could maintain. He was not equipped to have a long term meaningful connection with another person, he didn’t even know how. Over time, he wouldn’t come home with flowers after a large mission away, he came home with a limp wave and headed straight for bed silently.

(Y/N) squeezed her hands into fists, forcing her tears back from spilling onto the paper. If she let herself feel too much, she wouldn’t be able to stop and she would be damned before letting him see evidence of your love on this letter. He can’t know you’re fighting the urge to stay. A bad relationship with Keigo was better than the bile that rose in your throat at the idea of seeing him with another woman, even if it might be too late for that.

Hawks seemed done with you too. You knew he had to be feeling the same as you. He never touched you anymore, not even when you tried to initiate some late night sex as a melatonin replacement. (Y/N) would spend her time at work and her time at home spent alone panicking. Was he with someone else? Why was he never home? He didn’t kiss me goodbye this time, is he coming back?

*If it’s all in my head, tell me now. Tell me I’ve got it wrong somehow. I know my love should be celebrated. But you tolerate it. *

(Y/N) had really gone above and beyond to win Keigo’s affection, playing hard to get and rebuffing his early advances. You had met him completely by chance. You had been running late on your way to work and jogging wasn’t fast enough to get you there on time. You took a sharp right into the alley between an old house and a quick mart. You should have been paying attention to where you were headed but had taken a brief glance down at your feet. It was just long enough for you to collide head-first into someone. The man grunted and took a fumbled step backwards.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m running so late!”. (Y/N) brushed at her soft blouse to push off any dust that might have gathered from the collision.

“Would you want a lift?” His voice struck a chord within her chest, resonating inside of her, but it was only a second before she connected the voice to the man. “You’re Hawks”.

He chuckled at your very astute observation. “I am. Do you want a lift?”

Who were you to say no to a ride with a pro hero and the fan favorite one at that? He wasn’t so bad to look at, but you had kept your gaze off of him. You knew once you started staring, you’d never stop. “Yeah, I’ll need one if I want to be on time”

Hawks didn’t wait for you to second guess your decision, he scooped you into his arms and jumped into the air. You suppressed a small scream in your throat. The scene in front of you caught your attention completely, the sky had never looked so beautiful before. The world felt small below you. You looked up to see Hawks laughing at your reaction. You were wearing all your emotions on your face and he loved every second of it. You were so beautiful with the wind in your hair and he wanted to make you smile. Hawks clutched on tighter and spun you through a loop. You grabbed the front of his jacket tightly and squeezed your eye shut and he kept laughing. Hawks started to descend. “Tell me which building is yours” he shouted over the wind.

You feebly pointed to the dark gray building on the corner. A small office that focused on finance, it was a simple job that paid your bills. Hawks lowered slowly to the ground and set you on the cement sidewalk. “Here we are!” Hawks was beaming at you, ignorant to the gathering fans scrambling to get a picture, entirely enraptured by you. “I gotta go but maybe I could give you another ride sometime, kid. See you around”. He saluted you with two fingers to the temple and headed boldly into the crowd. You stood still, watching him fade from view. Your heart was pounding, from the flying, you told yourself. Just the flying. You ran inside for work, couldn’t get another ride if you lost this job now could you?

Hawks met you outside of your office every single day that week, waiting for the chance to fly you home. You managed to refuse every day this week but your resilience was fading. How could anyone say no to him? He melted the hearts of every woman he spoke to and you were no exception. His goofy grin, the snarky comments, he seEmed so carefree and perfect. You punched out of your shift and headed for the front door, sure enough, he was waiting for you.

“Need a ride, kid?” He leaned forward with his hands in his pockets, watching your every movement keenly.

“I’m not sure. Do I?” You loved messing with him. You felt powerful, knowing that a refusal was uncommon in his daily life. He needed to be knocked down a few pegs and you were overjoyed to do it.

“I think maybe you do. It’s getting dark out and you shouldn’t be walking these streets alone.”

You pretended to be weighing out the options and once you felt you had toyed with him enough, you agreed. Hawks walked over and scooped you into his arms once again. All you could smell was his cologne and his warmth was so distracting. This time; you were more focused on him than the sky. He noticed. “You’re gonna have to tell me where you live, if that’s okay with you”.

You rolled your eyes and shouted the street address, resisting the urge to lie and get more time with him by giving a fake address. He nodded without looking down at you and made his way across town. After a few minutes, the ride was coming to an end. Your house was within eyesight and you secretly begged him to stay. Hawks headed down to the balcony on your place and gently landed next to the small white patio set. “Here were are. I’m going to have to start charging you cab fare , kid”

You gently smacked his chest as you got out of his grasp and regained your sense of motion. “Cab fare? If you start charging me, I’m going to want more than a one way ride”.

Hawks exhaled through his nose and leaned in toward your face. “What do you want?”

You reached out and grabbed the sides of his face, gently caressing his cheek with the pad of your thumb. “What’s on the table?”.

Hawks returned the gesture by pulling your waist into his and kissing you softly on the lips. You pulled him into the kiss harder, tugging on the back of his head. He almost tasted sweet. His hands pawed at your hips through your clothing, taking your shape in. “That.”

That was almost 2 years ago now. It all seems so vivid and fresh in your memory. You’ve had Keigo on the same beautiful pedestal the entire relationship, the only art piece in your soul museum. He was everything. You made sure he knew that he was everything.

Keigo would leave on missions for 2-3 weeks at a time but you cleaned the house and kept things orderly for his return. You had stocked the house to the brim his favorite foods, bought small tokens of love that reminded you of him, and always made a hot meal hoping that today would be the day he came home.

As time passed, his enthusiasm for you faded. He looked almost sad to see you as his only welcome party after a particularly brutal battle. He was keeping secrets and Keigo knew that if he got close to you again, they would be found out. He’d rather come home to the girl he fell out of love with than to no one at all. Every mission had a hidden conquest, a one night stand, a warm body. He lost track of all the women and sometimes men he would bury his sorrow into. Nothing could fill the void in his heart, it had been there for so long, there was no fixing it. Hawks didn’t know how to fully love anyone including himself. He imitated those around him but it was fake. Hawks faked everything to match those around him. Blend in, do what they do, and maybe the feelings will follow.

You suspected he was hiding things. It took a lot of work to get a two sided conversation out of him. He was lying, even on points that didn’t need to be lied about. Losing track of what you knew and didn’t know, and hedging his bets.

“Do you even miss me when you’re gone doing God knows what?”

The words slipped out of your mouth before you had a chance to plot out where you wanted this statement to go.

Hawks looked up at you from across the room and returned his gaze to the warm coffee in his hands, still steaming. “Only sometimes”

You thought you could handle this but you couldn’t. You stormed out and rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind you. Sliding down onto your knees and clutching the marble countertop, you crumbled.

*I greet you with a battle hero’s welcome. I take your indiscretions all in good fun. I sit and listen. I polish plates until they gleam and glisten*

(Y/N) scribbled on the edge of the paper, trying to get the ink working again. The words kept coming and coming.

*I know my love should be celebrated. But you tolerate it.*

Hawks didn’t make it public knowledge but he drank, a lot. He would put on a big goofy grin and make jokes but they would start to get more pointed with every drink that followed. When he returned home from his last mission, he was already wavering and hammered. Keigo grabbed the doorframe to help himself inside and made his way to the couch. He didn’t even acknowledge you, nor the dinner you had set waiting for him.

“Keigo, I made dinner if you’re hungry?” You tried to ignore the foul smell of alcohol coming from him when he walked past you. It bothered you but you didn’t have the strength to fight today. You missed him. Why were you still missing him?

“I’m only home for a few minutes before i’m going back out. I have plans”. You grabbed at your wrist, holding back choice words and jealous thoughts. You didn’t want to scare him off.

“Oh okay, I was hoping to spend time with you today. Maybe later then?”

Keigo didn’t reply, just exhaled loudly. He knew you were being a regular girlfriend, but it bothered him. He was tired of this game they were playing, it had been going on for too long. Hawks sat up when his phone started to buzz on the coffee table. He snagged it up and looked at the message lightning fast and made his way back to the front door.

You shakily reached out towards his back and retracted your hand before he saw. “I love you, Keigo. Please be safe”

Keigo slowly smiled at you and replied with his usual comment. “Love you too, kid. I’ll see ya later”

*While you were out building other worlds, where was I? Where’s that man who’d throw blankets over my barbed wire? I made you my temple, my mural, my sky. Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life. *

This routine had gone on for months, and you were complicit. It hurt less to know that Hawks wasn’t in love with you anymore and stayed with him than it would be to leave him behind. Keigo was everything to you. He was your protector, your knight, your hero, and he wanted to retire. You were selling yourself for a few pieces of silver and it was finally enough.

*Drawing hearts in the byline. Always taking up too much space or time. You assume I'm fine, but what would you do if I*

You were going to run out of paper soon. You hadn’t planned well enough for this sudden rush of passionate communication. Your feelings perfectly wrapped in a bow. You also knew that time was running short, he would need to wake soon for work and you wanted to be gone by then.

*I break free and leave us in ruins? Took this dagger in me and removed it? Gain the weight of you then lose it. Believe me, I could do it.*

Over the last 2 weeks, you had methodically packed up your things from your shared living space and brought it to the new one you started renting in secret. If Keigo could have secrets, so could you. All that remains were the straggling belongings you saved to keep up appearances but they’re all in the suitcase now. It was time.

*If it's all in my head tell me now. Tell me I've got it wrong somehow. I know my love should be celebrated. But you tolerate it*

(Y/N) dropped the pen softly onto the desk, leaving it with the scattered letter, and retreated from the room. She turned the corner towards the front door where her suitcase waited but hesitated. She wanted to say goodbye one last time. (Y/N) padded silently down to the bedroom at the end of the hall and slunk into the room. The tears she had been holding back this whole night came pouring out. Her courage was going to break. She clenched her fists and whispered softly “I love you, Keigo. Please be safe”. (Y/N) backed out of the room and returned to the door.

“Love you too, Kid. I’ll see ya later”. Keigo whispered to the empty room, wide awake. She was gone, and he was alone.

*I sit and watch you*