#try to be as clear and concise as possible so there's no room for misunderstanding. tyvm. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

doflamingadonquixote · 4 years ago

Text

An Almost Perfect Life - 4/?

Summary: You are a young career woman at one of the bank in London and, at the same time, attending a PhD in Statistics. Your life was perfect until your apartment was invaded by two demons.

Pairing: Sebastian Michaelis x Fem!Reader x Claude Faustus

Previous Chap: Page 1 , Page 2 , Page 3

IV. Sharing Demons

The days had now reached a monotony that you didn't think possible. At work you were controlled by Sebastian but more than control he seemed to really develop a duty as an intern, helping you in the compilation of the documents and in the interviews that you used to carry out with customers who required your experience.

You never thought that kind of cohabitation would reach that level of fake tranquility. At one point, having breakfast and dinner almost became a pleasure.

Claude had become less intrusive, leaving you the space you needed during the study and no longer dared to approach your wardrobe after warning him that if he did it again you would have entered into a contract with Sebastian just out of spite.

You were sure the demon knew you had told a lie but still respected your will.

The last day before the week of your parents' visit, the golden-eyed demon even made you a preparer for a Statistics exam after studying with you and explaining some more delicate reasoning.

However, that feeling of continuous hunting didn’t seem to disappear. The two were and still seemed obsessed with entering into a contract.

Misunderstandings and attacks had happened at least a dozen times and it seemed that the two demons didn’t know how to be in company with each other. One day the house was haunted by Sebastian, the other by Claude.

It seemed as if they disappeared into thin air and when you asked about them or wanted to understand their nature, they seemed to evade your questions, leaving you with a huge question mark.

So much so that day they seemed tremendously irritated by the presence of their fellow man.

“So, my family is coming. I don't want oddities of any kind.” You explained clearly and concisely to the two demons who stood in front of the door.

You asked them politely if they could wear something more normal, like a pair of jeans and a shirt. Needless to say, they had dressed exactly the same way, so it was a matter of debate.

So you decided to offer Sebastian something that diverted attention from ordinary clothing and opted for a long black scarf.

You would have complained about that too, but you preferred to fly over.

You pointed your finger at Sebastian. “I've already explained the situation a hundred times.” And you turned your attention to Claude. “It's nothing too difficult.”

The door rang and almost made you jump on the spot.

“And absolutely no fights.”

Then with a sigh you opened the door and, first of all, you were invaded by the warm embrace of your mother. One arm closed on you while the other held up a bundle of fur. It was in extreme contact with your chest and you felt it shake a little before the woman left.

“It's nice to see you again, mom” you sighed, happy with a friendly face at last. The woman passed you and before paying attention to your father, you observed the reactions of the two demons.

When she settled in front of Sebastian, you watched him widen his eyes as a bright complexion went to cover his cheeks.

“Nice to meet you, I'm the mother of (Y / N), (Y / M / N).”

“Cat.” He said only, as he laid his red eyes on the white beast in your mother's arms.

You whitened. That particular attention on the animal made your blood rise to the brain. Did demons also eat cats?

Before the embarrassing moment could hit everyone, Claude reached out to cover your mother's, appearing in Sebastian's place.

“It's been a while” your father's voice came clear to your ears, forcing you to give your full attention to him.

At the door, with his usual bearing, he looked at you with a softened expression accompanied by a rare smile.

“Yes, it's been a while,” you agreed, letting the detachment disappear as you closed your arms around his body. You definitely missed your father.

He had always been there in difficult times and in your complicated choice of university. You would never have found the right way to thank them for all their commitment and love.

“They are Sebastian, my colleague at work ...” and you pointed to the raven who was playing with the legs of your mother's cat. “… And Claude, Sebastian's cousin. He teaches math and is helping me in the Master.”

The less distracted of the two made a slight bow and wondered where the hell it came from. A simple handshake was enough.

Your father's gaze turned from peaceful to extremely confused.

You quickly approached Claude, placing a hand behind his back and giving him a small pinch with your fingers to make him go straight.

“Well, what if we have lunch, I'm hungry.” you laughed forcedly as the demon watched you in silence.

Your mother, after playing enough with Sebastian and having had her dose of high discomfort, placed the cat in his arms and turned to face you.

“What? Already? But it's only 12 o'clock.” she returned to give her attention to the man to whom she had entrusted her creature and smiled cordially. “After all, I'm curious to know.”

Michaelis gently placed the cat on the ground and finally decided to get out of that embarrassing situation.

“Of course, I promised you after all, madame.”

Your mother laughed at the appellation and asked him to call her only by her name while escorting her to the living room, followed closely by your father who had suddenly become morbid and jealous.

“Are you allright, miss?” asked the second devil, just turning to look at you.

“I hope.” You moaned. “I really hope so.”

“Are you serious?” chuckled (Y / M / N) as she let herself fall against the sofa.

“It was just like that. I would have expected everything but never to be mistaken for a thief.” Sebastian again confirmed as he was still pouring some tea into your mother's cup.

The two of them had secluded on the sofa closest to the window and on the other side of the table your father was starting a close conversation with Claude who seemed to respond monotonously.

For your part, you had been completely ignored during the whole aperitif, leaving you to deal with your phone.

And you couldn't have had better luck.

With the two distracted demons, you could have investigated more deeply into their nature. You had tried as much as possible to find out about how any contracts entered into worked and how the devil was able to circumvent them.

But nothing specified of devils who deliberately put themselves at the service of a human being without a lavish reward. Yours seemed to be an isolated case, not studied and not treated anywhere.

You excluded the most famous sites, certain that if something had been deliberately ousted you would never have been able to find it there and you aimed at those small anonymous sites with a macabre air.

Many spoke of how to recall a devil but few of how to expel that entity.

What you learned, however, was that the devil could only walk in the human world if close to a contractor. So if that was the case, why were those two still able to walk around like normal people?

And in history, even if they were just mythologies, nobody seemed to have been smart enough to deceive a devil.

Just when you were about to forfeit, an important word jumped into your eyes.

-Demon Slayer-

You thought that by clicking on it you would discover some mysterious coven of fanatics but only a cartoon from Japan happened to you.

Although it had been a waste of time, a vague probability of a demon hunter existence tickled your interest. But they could be anywhere.

The church certainly could have given you the answer you were looking for. Using correct and delicate words, they couldn’t have believed you mad but only persecuted.

There was only one problem.

You raised your eyes to the demons who, with their all too human faces, deceived your family with false and kind words.

Being able to leave the house without being observed by both wouldn’t have been an easy task.

Just as those thoughts invaded your head, Sebastian's eyes looked up at you and you could observe a curious frown. Faster than light, you closed the application and smiled fake.

“Well, how about sitting all at the table now? You must know that Sebastian is also an excellent cook. ”

“It was a beautiful hour, (Y / N). We would have passed more often if there had also been such welcome companies.”

You avoided gnashing your mother's words as she warmly greeted the two demons near the door.

If only they had known...

“Don't get too used to it, I will get rid of them as soon as possible.” You wanted it to sound like a joke but it came out too much like a truth.

Sebastian turned to you, his usual innocent smile that graced his all too perfect face. “Now, now, it's not a nice thing to say.”

“Have a good return trip.” You recommended to your father, ignoring the offended comment of the red-eyed demon.

You watched them go out and walk along the avenue of your district from the window and when they disappeared from your sight you managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The demons had done well, after all, and you never expected all that cooperativity.

Closing the light white curtains, you turned suddenly and jumped on the spot when your vision was completely obscured by a figure a few centimeters from you.

You sighed, putting a hand on your heart. “You have to stop showing up behind people...”

The golden eyes narrowed as if he were amused by your reaction, although nothing in his stoic expression seemed to show it. “I apologize. I forget how sensitive you are to heart attacks.”

“It seems like you're waiting for it to happen...” you laughed a little, trying to break that heavy feeling of blockage.

With a sigh, you let your eyes drop on the glass cup he held in his hands. Inside it still shone the dark brown liquid that your mother sipped during the aperitif. Maybe you forgot it in the living room.

“Oh, thanks.” You reached out to grab the object but when you came into contact with the demon's skin, his fingers opened letting the glass fall down.

You tried to reach it straight away, as if by an involuntary reaction, but the wrist was tightened in a painful grip that made you suddenly withdraw.

The thud and the sound of crystals dispersing on the parquet floor filled the silence inside the small room.

You could feel Claude's nails delicately tracing the inside of your wrist, caressing your flesh as if in a silent threat.

You tried to pressure yourself, as if to get back what was yours but it didn't work. The arm remained stretched to the side of the demon while his body seemed to dominate you. It wasn't too close to be annoying, but not too far away to allow you to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Claude, what's going on?”

When you found the courage to take your eyes off the floor and the grip, your eyes focused on his and you held your breath.

Behind the transparent lenses of the glasses, the unmistakable fire that had replaced the passive and detached yellow eyes shone.

You wanted to try again to say something that could make you understand the reason for his gesture but the grip that surrounded your flesh intensified suddenly letting you escape a sore groan.

Without your noticing his figure had bent over you and when his dark hair came to pinch your nose, you instinctively closed your eyes.

The unmistakable blow of a magazine on a hard object sounded a few centimeters from you, blocking the advance of the demon.

“Get a hold of yourself, Claude. You're scaring the young lady.”

You raised your head, which you had involuntarily lowered in fear, on the newcomer who was waving an old newspaper just above the spider demon's head, a sarcastic smile that graced his lips.

The demonic eyes had vanished again returning to the unmistakable gold and although they seemed to show a sort of surprise, that lasted a few moments.

Your hand was free again and you raised it in front of your chest, massaging the bruised skin. A bruise would probably come out the next day.

"I apologize." He only said, in his usual flat voice. He seemed to apologize very much that day.

Sebastian lowered his red eyes on you, holding out a hand as if to give you a rope to escape from that uncomfortable corner. You didn't know why but you relied on the second demon without thinking twice as he approached you.

“Maybe we should keep our appetite under control, don't you think?”

“I hate to admit it, but maybe you're right.”

You didn’t fully understand the allusion that the two demons had exchanged but you were sure of one thing. Claude was going to hurt you very much.

Your cell phone alarm clock rang at that moment, warning everyone that it was time to go back to work. Sebastian would follow you, as usual while Claude would stay home. Or so you thought.

Just before leaving, you turned around, confused by the sudden absence.

“Where's Claude?”

Michaelis put a finger to his lips as if to hide an all too obvious smile.

“Who knows, maybe sudden commitments.”

Unfortunately, at that time, you couldn’t understand the meaning of that phrase. But soon you would have.

128 notes · View notes

fairyshuuu · 6 years ago

Text

花吹雪 - Flower blizzard Pt1

.summary. the capital is a dangerous place. there’s only so much power that can be contained by the walls of the palace. people will find themselves falling, bending and breaking, and you’re dropped in the middle without any preparation. .word count. 6k .pairing. kyungsoo x reader .genre. royal au, historic Japan au (think royal kdrama)

.author's note. storytime lol. I’m studying Japanese in uni and in our history class we went over this briefly and I thought it was so interesting?! So I made a story around the actual history that took place at the end of the Heian period. And, I’m aware that the boys are not Japanese but I wanted to put them in there because I like writing about pretty boys, okay, dnt come for me .another author’s note. I only kept the emperor’s names because trying to keep up with the names would be a lot, but if you want to know more about the original history, you can read up about the Minamoto - Taira feud. Okay, let’s go.

Reeds sway in the wind. A late bird lands on a branch. It’s quiet. Not too much, about just the right amount of noise for his thoughts to sound clear, concise, accurate. They are not, of course, not as much as he’d hope for them to be when attempting something this risky. But they’re fully his own, of that much he is sure. It should be a given, for his thoughts to be his own, but here, for him, thoughts are more a interwoven web of other people’s wants and needs. These thoughts he’s having, are his own, and it’s something he’s grateful for.

Baekhyun puts down the cup of tea that have been clasped between his slim fingers, and sighs. Prince Mochihito, son of one of the last emperors, has given an order. This is not the reason he is in the Capital. It is, however, the reason he is in hiding. It’s this that makes Baekhyun the most anxious. The possibility of being discovered is ever present and he doesn’t like killing otherwise innocent people. He will, of course, if necessary. This game can’t be played if you drop the pieces next to the playing field. If you try to play that way, you’ll lose.

Baekhyun lowers himself into the wooden chair that stands in the middle of the room, and looks around. Prince Mochihito’s order. Calling the Min family to help restore the palace and stand up against the temporary reign of the Kim family. He taps his fingers on the table out of nervousness, unable to shake this feeling. They’ve been away for the capital for long, too long. Maybe he’s grown out of it. The constant fear or being screwed over by other people.

A part of him wanted to respond. Wanted to proudly wear his name out in public and ignore the blaring warning signs. He’s always been one for family tradition, and his family line runs especially strong. Min Baekhyun, only true son of Min Jaehyun and his first wife. The representative of the Min family, so to speak. Yes, he has his half-brothers, that much he does, but they are not him and they are not the oldest son of a banished family line who gets decisions pushed down his throat every few seconds.

Baekhyun stands from the chair again, and looks over the paper spread out over the table. The streets of the Capital, Heian-kyo, painted delicately into a web of cubes. His men are everywhere. That much is clear by the little soldier checkers littered across the map. They’re so close to touching the sun, yet so close to burning up in a blazing inferno. It’s a rush, one that Baekhyun isn’t used to but will soon feel addicting and…

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of feet, and soft voices coming from outside. The noise moves closer, and Baekhyun’s hand automatically tightens around the handle of this sword. It stays quiet for a few seconds, and then a knock comes. A single knock, and then a voice.

“Baekhyun. It’s us.”

His mouth corner twitches, and his hand loosens it’s grip. He shakes his head when approaching the deep blue curtain that covers the entryway, and pulls it open gently. “You’d do yourself a favor being a little more specific next time, brother. I almost cut you in two.” His lips flatten in an instant when behind his two younger brothers, sits a familiar face, hands tied behind his back.

Kyungsoo sends him a curt nod, which Baekhyun reincorporates quickly before moving back inside. His belly twists suddenly. The uncomfortable, thick feeling he’d been having all day, was trying to tell him something. He should have known, should have seen this coming and yet he didn't. Maybe he didn’t want to. Maybe for once, he wanted to trust instead of second-guessing every single word. He doesn’t want to know, but when Kyungsoo and Sehun come inside he knows he’ll have to hear it anyway.

His two younger brothers enter the room in silence. They each have a strong grip on either side of Minseok’s arms, and make him kneel in the middle of the room. Baekhyun has to keep himself from cursing, screaming; because this room though relatively safe, isn’t soundproof and he can’t afford to blow his cover. When he finds the sharp eyes of the man on the ground, he suddenly notices how hurt he is. How cold his hands feel and how much his jaw is twitching angrily at the sight of his own family on his knees before him.

He notices the wetness in his eyes that takes a few seconds to blink away. He sighs, takes his sword from around his waist and tosses it on the table, knocking over multiple pieces. He doesn’t care. Kyungsoo and Sehun are back unharmed, and so he knows for a fact that they’ve won. Somehow it doesn’t feel like it yet. Baekhyun turns the chair towards the others and takes a seat in it, allowing himself to almost come at eye-level with the man he sent out just this morning. His nephew. His friend.

Kyungsoo lowers his eyes to look at his older brother for just a second. Baekhyun catches them long enough to recognize, to his slight surprise, pity. His eyes flit to the youngest of the three, and there too, he sees the same sentiment. It’s hardly surprising really, but Baekhyun sometimes forgets that he’s not as alone in this all as he feels. He might be the oldest, but he’s not the only one affected.

Finally, he licks his bottom lip, and speaks, voice soft but so strong, almost as if coming from another person entirely. “If you have any words, speak them now.”

Minseok, where his head hangs almost lazily, doesn’t respond. He looks almost bored with it, and this ticks him off. Maybe Minseok just assumes that he’s fine, but he’s never been on Baekhyun’s wrong side before. With a slight hand move, he gestures over to Sehun. The youngest takes Minseok by the hair and pulls his face back, as Baekhyun stands up. His face is completely cold now. The one thing good about disappointments is that you grow used to them. ��Kyungsoo?” He turns to his brother.

“He took out the Kim’s at the northern gates with the men you gave him. From there he was able to get into the palace, disable the guards and walk into the throne room with about thirty men, as planned. We got in.” Kyungsoo lowers his eyes to the floor then, and his lips turn into a tight line. “Only, he didn’t capture the Emperor as planned. Neither did he capture the guards. He was planning to capture you instead. Sehun was returning just in time to stop him, and I came over as soon as I could.”

Baekhyun holds his hand up after that, and nods. “Leave us, please.”

“Baekhyun-” Sehun starts, but the gaze of his older brother silences him.

“His hands are bound behind his back, little brother. I’ll be fine.” His dark eyes find Sehun’s. “Now rush on out of here.” He wishes it didn’t sound so much like a command, but Sehun has always had a problem listening unless respect is demanded. Sehun looks over at Kyungsoo for a second too, before bowing his head and walking to the door. Kyungsoo follows in silence, only stopping by the curtain without looking back.

“You don’t have to feel obligated to do this, Baekhyun. It’s a weight we can all carry together.”

Baekhyun lets a sad smile grace his lips at that, though the other doesn’t see it. It doesn’t serve a use, and yet, it’s there. He is sad, there’s no use denying it. “And make you do it, little brother? We both know that’s not in you, with how you were raised.” Baekhyun slowly lets his hand glide along the handle of his blade, before picking it up. “Go now. Check on the palace for me.”

Kyungsoo sighs, before pulling back the curtain and disappearing out of the room without another sound. That leaves just two. He slowly slides out the sword from it’s leather holster, and holds it underneath Minseok’s chin. “Min Minseok, you’ve betrayed our family. You’re a disgrace and a dishonor.” His voice sounds so foreign. That’s all he can think when he rolls the words off his tongue. “You know the price a traitor pays. Now, tell me if you’d like to do the honor or if you want to make your forefathers shudder in disdain and make me do it. Decide and do it quick.” Baekhyun isn’t looking at him. He can’t, with the other’s eyes on him so harshly.

For the first time tonight, he hears Minseok’s voice. And for the first time in his life, he hears a tremble there. “Wait, Baekhyun, this is all a big misunderstanding. I’m your family. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. My blood runs through your veins and you want to kill me?” His voice only gets more and more pleading the longer Baekhyun waits, and he knows that if he waits long enough, Minseok might really get to his head. “I’m family, Baekhyun. You can’t kill your own blood, little nephew. How could you accuse your own family of being a traitor?”

His hand moves, pressing the blade to just pierce the skin under his jaw, and clenches his teeth. “Do not bring my loyalty into this.” His voice is but a low whisper, but the venom dripping from it is enough to make the other flinch. “I will protect this family line, if it is the last thing I do, and I will not hesitate to exterminate anyone who comes in my way. You’re a poison to your grandfathers, Minseok.” He pulls back the sword slightly, and takes a deep breath. “I’m guessing you will not go out with the last bit of honor you have left?”

Minseok doesn’t answer quick enough, and Baekhyun lifts the sword above his head. Minseok’s big eyes find his, dripping with loads of things, but as long as Baekhyun stares, he doesn’t find regret. Minseok just breathes sharply. “How can family betray you?”

“I’m Min Jaehyun’s only son. You’re the only son of his brother, Min Tae. How can family betray you? Your father betrayed every one of his brothers.” Baekhyun’s black eyes sink to the pendant around Minseok’s neck. “I’ve always thought you took too much after him than was good for you.”

The sword comes down without a sound.

Kyungsoo sinks down on one of the stone benches, next to his brother. Sehun’s breathing is shallow and his face a little pale, showing more of what’s going on inside than he probably wants to admit. Kyungsoo has never been great at showing both his troubles and his affection, but Sehun appreciates even the little gestures. He leans into his older brother a little, and laces his fingers together in his lap. Right when Kyungsoo opens his mouth to try and bring out any form of consolation, Sehun speaks up.

“I used to really enjoy summer, you know?” He mumbles, staring at his feet. “Summers with mom and dad near the river? Do you remember those? I must have been only 5 or 6 but I still vividly remember them. They were so nice and calm. We could run around barefoot and would never worry about anything but saving the little frogs cross the path. I remember one time where you tossed yourself in front of mom’s legs to protect the little frog she was about to step on.”

Kyungsoo smiles almost involuntarily. He really hurt his ribs doing that, but it was worth it. “I remember.”

“Why can’t we have those kinds of summers now? Does growing up really have to change so much? I’ve hated the last two summers. This one in particular. Those summers were so nice.” Sehun stays quiet for a few seconds after that, and Kyungsoo can tell he means these words from the bottom of his heart.

“Well, that was before everything that happened, Sehun.” Kyungsoo only answers, looking from the reed door that hasn’t moved since he walked out back to his younger brother. He doesn’t know what else he can say.

“I’m aware.” The younger laughs, though there’s no humor in his tone. His eyes look almost sad, though a smile plays at his lips. “Everything that went down is about the only thing I remember more clearly than those summers. I remember dad leaving in the morning, and not coming back. I remember mom crying like I’ve never seen her do before. I remember watching my two big brothers get led out the door by guards and being told that I wouldn’t see them again.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t move. He remembers it too. Very clearly. It’s hard to forget that he as an eight year old boy was pulled out of his house and separated from Baekhyun and Sehun when the Kim family came to power. That he was ridden out on a cart for days and placed far up in the mountains above the Capital so that he couldn’t bother anyone. Baekhyun had it even worse. He has driven out almost all the way to the North, without anyone to care for him. Kyungsoo doesn’t like to think about it all. “We’re together now.”

Sehun nods. “Sure.” Kyungsoo notes he looks visibly upset, something he’s not seen a lot on his brother’s face. Sehun’s always taken the role of the careless young brother, the one to break up the tension of usual life. But Kyungsoo is also aware that Sehun has a strong sense of family and loyalty. Seeing Minseok turn against him must have really torn at his heartstrings. “We’re together, for now. Until our own family decides to abandon us.”

Sehun stands up and looks around the empty street, before backing away. “Just tell Baekhyun to be safe. There might still be Kim allies in the city. And the Emperor escaped with the guards so we’ll soon have the rest of them on our backs too.” He looks like he’ll say nothing more, but turns at the corner, and lets out a deep sigh. “Goodnight, Kyungsoo.”

“Goodnight, Hun.” Kyungsoo watches the taller man dissolve into the night, before standing up too. He goes back over to the room, and knocks gently. Baekhyun will need help getting Minseok outside, whether or not he cares to admit it.

You almost drop your full baskets of plums when you hear the excited squeal from your right. Two arms wrap around your shoulders and shake your left and right before pulling you into a hug, all of this before you know what is happening. When the woman finally pulls back, your eyes widen about a tenfold. “Daeun?”

“It’s me!” The naturally light-haired girl giggles. Daeun was your childhood friend and neighbor for the longest time, before her father started to move around a lot. You give her a relieved smile and pull her back in for a proper hug after putting down the baskets. You haven’t seen the girl in what feels like forever, but she seems to have changed nothing in all those years.

You remember very well how even as a little girl, she used to have almost white hair, that with her pitch black eyes made her stand out so much. She got picked on a lot, but never once did she dislike that it made her different. Daeun was such a beautiful little girl, and you’re glad to note that none of it has changed. You give her another one over, and take her hands. “It must have been at least ten years. How are you? I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I thought so too. But I’m here to visit family before I-” Her face goes void for a second, as if she’s thinking too hard about something, and then she turns to you. “-oh dear, let’s catch up! I’ve missed you so much and… let me show you something.” You nod at her enthusiasm, and put your baskets to the side of the dirt road, hoping no one will take them. You still have a bit of time before you have to return to the farm house.

You and Daeun chat all the way to the village center, giggling and talking like you used to do. Strange how some people, no matter how long you’ve been missing them, still click with you in the same way as they used to. The girl drags you into a beautiful hut before you know it, and turns around. “Tadaa!” Daeun grins, as you look around. “This is where I’ve been spending all my time the last week.”

It’s a weaver’s house, beautiful colored fabrics in rolls and rolls stacked against the walls and on the floor. You don’t doubt that they are way less valuable than anything made in the city, but those colors… so pretty and vibrant. Poor workers like you could never afford to even as much as look at those. As Daeun drags you through the place, you pass an older looking man. “Good afternoon, Mister Pojo. This is my best friend. We’re just going to take a drink in the back, if that’s okay.”

The man grunts with a shake of his head, but continues stitching delicate patterns onto the dragonfly green fabric he’s holding. “You’re lucky I owe your father a lot, Daeun.”

“You’re the best, Mister Pojo!” Daeun giggles, and pulls you along even more. It might be annoying if she didn’t look so awfully over-excited. You’re plopped down onto a reet mat in the back room, while Daeun makes some, what you can only hope is tea. “How has it been here since I’ve left? The village looks so much bigger.” She walks over and hands you the peach colored drink, before sitting down next to you.

“Yeah, since the new Emperor, the village has grown a lot. We’ve been assigned a lot more land.” You nod, and take a small sip. Immediately your face pulls sour. “Ew, what is this?”

Daeun giggles. “It’s rose flavored rice wine.” She smooths out her dress gently, before giving you a little tilt of her head. “Y/N, don’t tell me you’re still picking rice. What about your dreams? I know it’s not easy but you’re a hard worker. If anyone can succeed in this society, it’s you!”

You pull up your shoulders. “I don’t know. Everyone else is a farmer here. I feel like it’s only natural I follow in their footsteps.” You put down the drink to the side, and smile at your friend. It’s not like you’ve given up on your dreams or anything. More that you have no idea how to get started. You’ve always lived in a small village, and since your grandfather passed away a few years ago, you lost focus.

Daeun pouts, and takes your drink, taking a big gulp of it. She stares at the floor for a few seconds, before sighing. She always needs a few moments to slow down her high paced personality when in deep thought. “Not everyone here is a farmer. I’m going to be a seamstress. I’ll make good money, and I’ll make my parents very proud. And-” She turns to you then, grabbing your hands again and shaking you in excitement.

“I just got the best idea. Come with me, Y/N.” Her eyes glint with determination. “Come with me to Heian. I don’t want to be alone and you have nothing to lose. You can only go up in the world if you give the world a shot. Please?”

Go to the Capital all alone, just the two of you? The idea is foreign. She’s right, you have nothing to lose. But the thought of leaving your hometown is a little scary. Still though, Daeun looks at you as if she’s really making this offer out of the pure bottom of her heart. Her excitement is admirable. Maybe that’s what makes you nod. You don’t have anything to lose, this is true. If you run out of money in a few days, you’ll just come back and start over again. You’re already at the bottom, how can you get any lower?

Daeun squeals in excitement, and wraps her arms around your neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re not going to regret it! I promise.” You give her a little smile when she pulls back. Daeun has always been overly quick to jump, but she’s also always been right. Ever since you were kids, she’s made reckless decisions. But those decisions always lead to something better than you could have hoped for. You trust her. “Go get your stuff and meet me here tomorrow when the sun starts to rise. I have about six pieces of silver left, that’ll be enough to get us both into the city. I promise to take good care of us, Y/N.”

You get up and dust off your dress, walking to the door while shaking your head. “I don’t have much to pack up, Daeun. This is the only pair of shoes I own. And besides, if we’re doing this together, I’m paying for my own ride to the Capital.”

Daeun follows your lead, and grins. “We’re crazy, aren’t we?”

“A little crazy has never killed anyone.”

Dim light flickers on the deep red walls here, as Baekhyun takes off his belt. It’s damp too, and too warm for his taste. But it’s safe, and he can say what he needs to say without having to look over his shoulder every second. He drops the heavy bronze-decorated leather to the table, and runs his slim fingers through his hair. One person is laying with their naked back facing up on the table, another sitting next to him in a chair. Baekhyun sighs deeply, and waves a hand at the woman handling the black ink that is carefully pushed into the skin of the person below her. She gives a slight bow, cleans her hands and rushes out without another word. “I’m not done.” Sehun mumbles, his cheek pressed against the soft fabric on the table.

“Take a break, still.” Baekhyun urges, jaw set tight. He has more important things on his mind than a little bit of skin decoration. “I have some things to discuss.” He takes a seat on the free table next to Sehun, and glances between his two brothers. Kyungsoo nods, and gets up from his chair, moving into the back without a second glance. He soon returns though, with three cups of tea, and places them next to the oldest brother.

“Talk then, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo nods, and folds his hands in his lap again.

“We need to figure out what to do now. Emperor Antoku has escaped, along with most of the Kim officials. Which means that they can come storming into the city any second now with more men than we have and just claim it back.”

“What about Prince Mochihito?” Sehun mumbles, sitting up at the serious tone of the conversation.

Baekhyun tuts his lips. “Prince Mochihito is dead. So are all other descendants of the original Emperor line.”

“But he had allies-“

“And they are sitting right in front of you, Sehun.” Baekhyun sighs, getting frustrated. This is an incredibly important deal, one Sehun doesn’t seem to grasp fully. If they are caught now, they’ll all be slaughtered. Every last one of them. Baekhyun looks at the ground when Sehun frowns at the interruption, and clears his throat. “We can’t trust the people to choose our side when it comes down to it. Prince Mochihito has allies as much as he has enemies. It will not be a peaceful takeover, Sehun, you must understand this by now. Minseok serves as a better example than any.”

Kyungsoo hums, and leans back in his chair a little, bit eyes flicking to the torches lighting the room. “Are you thinking about going public, Baekhyun?” His deep voice is steady, but Baekhyun has known his brother for long now and can tell the worry that sits laced in the spaces.

“I don’t think I have any other choice. If I don’t, the Kims will come and claim the throne again, more permanently. We can’t trust the Parks to deliver, that is what cost dad his life too.” Baekhyun nods. It’s not the plan he intended to use, but for all purposes it should work.

Sehun straightens his back. “I’ll go with you.”

“No.” Baekhyun stops him, putting a hand on the younger’s knee. “I want you both to stay undercover for now. As noblemen, perhaps.”

“Baekhyun, I also don’t think that’s a good idea.” Kyungsoo now speaks up more intently, staring at the oldest.

Still though, Baekhyun insists. His frown prominent on his face and jaw set stubbornly. “I need people who I can trust. I trust only you two, for now. We don’t know how many Kims are out there still. I need you guys to listen to me, and stay low. I need to know that someone in this devil city will have my back.”

Sehun sighs deeply, clearly bothered. But as he tightens his grip on the table, he nods. “Fine.”

Kyungsoo turns to his right, and sighs deeply. This is not his scene. The room is packed full of people mingling, most high ranking officials, Kyungsoo guesses. He tightens his grip on his cup, and tosses back the last of the milky colored liquid with a little cough. “Tell me again why I’m drinking?” He groans, glaring at his little brother in annoyance. Sehun can be such a brat.

“Well, because I handed it to you, I’m guessing. But you shouldn’t give me all the praise, Soo.” Sehun turns to the shorter man with a small grin, and cocks his head in the direction of the party. “Be glad you have something to take your mind off things. I know this isn’t your scene.”

“Neither should it be yours. You’re -“ He holds his words when a nobleman dressed in purple passes, his expensive fabric brushing past his hand. It’s soft, the silk spun gently. Though the art of the specialty is something Kyungsoo can appreciate, he couldn’t care less about the social message attached. “Why are we, of all people here, is what I’m asking?”

Sehun smiles again, a glint of tease in his eyes as if he knows something that Kyungsoo doesn’t, and he doesn’t doubt that could be the case. He’s a good kid, but mischievous just as much, if not more. The tallest runs a hand through his hair and looks around, before leaning a bit closer. “Do you know what kind of party this is, brother?” Kyungsoo lifts a brow. He doesn’t, and that tone doesn’t settle his nerves.

Sehun giggles, before grabbing his shoulders and turning him to face the blinds that line the wall. Light shines from behind them, showing the shadows cast by the people behind the soft white linen. They move slowly and purposefully, mingling in groups. “All those people are unmarried girls. These kinds of meetings are organised to find yourself a wife, dear brother. I thought you might enjoy it.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops open just a tat, unable to hold the true surprise the confession brings. He recovers quickly though, and smacks the younger in the chest so hard he almost drops his cup. “You’re evil.”

“And you don’t get out enough.” Sehun returns, a smug grin on his lips. Maybe he’s right, but Kyungsoo wouldn’t admit that for any silver in the world. “You’re still a virgin, aren’t you?” He then asks, giggling. Kyungsoo doesn’t respond for a second, but his thunder-like stare must say enough.

Without another word about it, he clears his throat, and gestures his head towards the blinds. “How can someone choose a bride without seeing her face first?” The entire thing has been explained to him twice now, but still it doesn’t make sense to him. “This is so stupid. I don’t care about the colors of her sleeves.” Kyungsoo frowns harshly, and resists the urge to roll his eyes.

Sehun groans dramatically, and folds over on the table. “And that’s where you show you’ve grown up in a monastery, brother. It’s not stupid, it’s seduction at it’s finest form.”

Kyungsoo grins at that. “Poetic.”

“You would know, oh enlightened one.” Sehun returns, before taking two cups from the man passing by, and winks at him. Sehun pauses for a long second before lets his head fall back, staring at the ceiling. “If you really don’t want to play by the rules, we could sneak past the blinds, I’m sure. Should I get you a sneak peek?” He stands tall to make his way over to the large man blocking the entrance, but Kyungsoo grabs his arm.

“Don’t do that, Sehun. We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile, not standing out more than we already do. Baekhyun will have your head if you screw this up for him.” Kyungsoo sighs, watching the frown return on his younger brother’s face. He doesn’t want to ruin the fun, but they just have rules to stick to, even if they don’t like it. That, or death.

You turn to Daeun and grab her hand, frowning a little. “Daeun, I’m hot.” She gives you a little smile, but is too busy peeking through the spaces between the blinds to really entertain you. She took some dresses that aren’t completely finished yet from work, and dragged you out to go. This place was, in her words, important for connections. Rich people would be coming, she had said, and that had been enough to get you to go. You weren’t naive. A female writer would need lots of connections to make it to the top here, in Heian. One thing does worry you though, looking at some of the other girls collected behind the linnen. You were surprised to get in, but Daeun explained she knows someone here. “Also, those girls keep looking at us.”

“That’s the goal.” Daeun turns to face you now, her attention caught. “Look at the colors of their robe and tell me what you see, Y/N.”

You do. The women, their lips reddened and skin pale, are all wearing a dark maroon. “Red.” You turn to your friend, who sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Yes, red, you silly goose. A dark red. The color of an unmarried woman.” She points between the two of you then. “Now look at us, will you?” You do, and scan your jinu-hitoe from top to bottom. The many layers poke out like a rainbow of color at your sleeves, but the top layer is not red like the other women. Yours is a pretty warm blue, Daeun’s a soft purple. “Your colors are called the blossoming flower. Mine an iris. They don’t know who we are, and our clothing stands out. They are feeling threatened.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing, Da.” You mumble, ignoring the eyes you can feel on your face.

Daeun waves it off though, and hands you a fan that matches your outfit. “Don’t worry so much! We’re going to enjoy our little night out, and then return the dresses perfectly fine to my boss like nothing ever happened. And none of the noblemen will even recognize you because they can’t see your face.”

“Fine. Only because I need connections. That’s the only reason I’m giving in right now, you hear.”

“That, and you love me.” She points out, before turning around and opening her fan in front of her face like the diva she is. “Now, go meet people, my dear. I’ll meet you here soon again. And remember, have fun.” She gives you a little tap on your nose, before disappearing past the group of women.

You just sigh, and walk closer to the blinds, peeking through. There’s lots of people out there, all men and you then realize that you feel pretty overwhelmed. Are you just supposed to have a conversation through the piece of linen? That doesn’t seem very effective, and yet, you can see one of the woman laugh as she talks through the barrier to someone. City relationships are weird, you decide. Who would marry a person who’s face they’ve never seen before?

You turn and move past some of the woman too, sighing as you find a door. It leads into a hall that is empty. You slip in slowly, and take a deep breath. If you weren’t allowed here, they wouldn’t leave it open. At least, you hope so. You slowly walk around the dimly lit hall for a second, and pass a pretty, black vase. You stare into it for a second, but it’s empty. When you turn though, your sleeve catches on the handle, and sends the vase clattering to the floor, as you yelp in shock. You quickly bend over, thanking the forefathers that it’s still intact, and reach for it. Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’re wearing seven layers of cloth.

Right at the moment that you stretch your fingers just enough to round the handle, another set of hands appears. They pick up the vase you knocked down clumsily, hands covering your fingers around the handle. You look up at the person who so kindly helped you. A man in a red piece of clothing stands in front of you, his eyes wide as he takes you in. You swallow, but are unsure of what to say, and just keep looking. His full lips are open ever so slightly, like he didn’t expect to see you here. That would make two then.

Eventually, the man straightens up, and mumbles something. “Sorry. I didn’t see you well in the light. I didn’t notice you were a ...” His hands are still around yours, warm and soft and he too, seems to realize this now. He quickly pulls back. “Uhm. Sorry.” You just bow your head at him and put the vase away, ignoring the nice smell that comes from him so close to you. He smells like flowers.

“Thank you.” You bring out, before opening your fan and hiding your red cheeks behind it. Since you don’t know what else to say, you just speed off, and back to where you came from. You don’t dare think of the fact that this man saw your face, and long enough to be able to pick you out in a group, if he should choose to do so. You just pray that he doesn’t tell on you.

When you get back to the barriers, multiple women are now talking to people on the other side. You ignore them to find Daeun, who is also talking. You grab her arm though, and jank her towards you. “I did something.”

“Good.” Your friend says, giving you a up and down to check your dress. “You weren’t gone for long. I hope you enjoyed it.” She giggles then, and you give her a slap to the arm.

“Not that kind of something, you perv. I need you to tell me what a bright red cover means.”

She pouts a little, but shakes her head. “Bright red on a woman indicated a married one. You shouldn’t worry too much about all the colors though because you won’t see those here anyway.”

“Okay,” you press, “but what does it mean? On a man.” You need to know what kind of damage you’ve just done, and how bad it is.

Daeun puts on her thinking face, and sighs. “Bright red means a single man from inside the palace walls at least. In combination with-”

“White.” You add.

“-with white? I don’t know.” She turns, looking at the linen as if that might hold the answer. “A family high up, probably. Why do you want to know something so specific though?” Her big, black eyes focus on yours in question.

“Because I just ran straight into a man with a red kariginu, Daeun. And he saw me.”

.thank you. for reading this first part of something I’m personally really passionate about. I love royal au’s (as you can tell by the dozen I have already) a whole lot, and Japanese history as well. So being able to write about both of them is so fun to me. If you have any thoughts or comments, as always I would love to read/answer them so don’t forget to let me know!

63 notes · View notes

pbrncic · 4 years ago

Text

Communicating with Respect & Collaboration

In today’s ever-polarized society, interpersonal communication often takes a back seat to working together collaboratively and respectfully. Despite our differences, there is always a better way to express our feelings and opinions. In the workplace or at home, conflicts are bound to happen. However, how we deal with these conflicts to come up with solutions that work for everyone, that’s the key to successfully moving forward.

In this article, I will outline several really good strategies that I’ve used over the years to communicate more effectively. The goal of any discussion is to be sure that your opinion is expressed professionally and respectfully by opening the discussion to those who may have opposing opinions. It may sound difficult to do, but in reality, it’s quite simple.

Before you get started

· Define the issue - Is it an opportunity, a problem, or a challenge to be resolved? Make sure that everyone involved with this discussion is invited to give their input. Many times, the actual issue is not what you originally thought it was about after listening to others.

· Do your homework to research your point of view, as well as others, by reading and becoming well-versed in the subject.

· Approach the meeting/discussion with an open mind and practice your interpersonal communication and negotiation skills regularly.

· Be sure that all stakeholders are invited to participate in the discussion. If they choose not to participate, then be sure to share minutes from the meeting to keep them in the loop.

· In many cases, I’ve actually created written guidelines for stakeholders to review in advance of our discussion to ensure that everyone is in agreement on the goal of the meeting and committed to working together in a professional setting. Setting ground rules is also an efficient way to stay on track before a scheduled discussion.

When the discussion begins

· Appoint someone to be in charge of taking notes or recording the discussion. This ensures that all opinions are recorded and makes it easier to share the discussion and decisions made with everyone present or not.

· Actively listen to everyone physically in the room or on the Zoom call.

· Be aware of your body language, eye contact, and posture – Make sure that your body language, facial expressions and other nonverbal cues don’t detract from effective communication. Sometimes it’s as simple as working on your posture. By standing up straight or sitting upright in your chair, you are showing your commitment to the discussion. It helps to promote positive and effective communication.

· Watch your tone of voice and always be polite; don’t interrupt. It makes a big difference when information is shared in a positive, collaborative manner.

· Ask for feedback, be proactive to get everyone’s opinion and be willing to discuss them in more detail to be sure everyone is heard and on the same page.

· Paying attention is the key to effective communication. When another person is speaking, give them all of your attention and acknowledge that you are hearing their message.

· Put away your mobile device, shut off your computer, and limit any other distractions that may prohibit you from being present during a conversation.

· Work with empathy. Consider the feelings of the person you are communicating with so that you can better acknowledge their needs and concerns.

· With written communications, be sure to review your work and always re-read what you’ve written to be sure it’s clear, concise, and easily understood. Don’t use abbreviations, slang, jargon and other forms of language that may not be understood by others. Spell out words and ensure proper spelling and grammar.

When differing views are presented

It’s important to know that learning and innovation often happens when different people come together. In order to avoid conflicts, we need to:

· Approach other people with different views than you with curiosity. Assume that you can learn from them and them from you. Ask good questions to increase awareness and understanding. Show interest in other people’s ideas and plans. Ask questions about how they would implement their plan. These questions should be framed as questions, not judgments.

· Identify each person’s strengths. We all have unique skillsets that are different to our own. Try to understand and make the most of them. Focus the team’s attention on how you can achieve more as a team when everyone contributes the best of themselves. This reduces unhealthy competition because people feel empowered, heard, and the need for competitive and sometimes heated discussion diminishes.

· If someone in the room is behaving aggressively or competitively, try to understand the positive intentions behind that versus taking a competitive stance yourself. Sharing a common goal makes competitive behavior hard to carry on.

· Approach the discussion without the “need to be right”. Your opinion or your ideas might not be the best or only ones in the room. The first step to managing conflict and different opinions is to welcome it, don’t shy away from it. When multiple people have different opinions, start by listening to each person and view it as a good thing. Ask yourself and your stakeholders what can be learned from these different views? If there are many differences, it’s also important to keep track of these opinions by appointing a notetaker who can record or transcribe everything discussed. Be sure to include everyone in the discussion and don’t forget to include everyone’s views in the meeting minutes/notes.

· Be positive in your tone and approach. By doing so, you are opening up to the other person. Focus on the positive, the possibilities, and the possible connections.

· Differences and tensions are usually the result of poor or no communication. By making wrong or inaccurate assumptions, you are opening the door to misunderstandings, arguments, and feeling unheard.

· Keep the discussion laser-focused on the common purpose of the meeting. Be sure to regularly communicate the common goal to everyone involved. In the end, everyone should be in agreement on reaching an agreement along with the shared commitment that comes with it.

· Identify ways to incorporate all of the team members’ views. If you are only a part of the team, try looking for commonality in the different views. Be proactive, don’t wait to be asked.

As a leader, it is important to communicate openly with your team (group and individually) regularly. If you are part of a team, it’s your responsibility to speak up and communicate as well. It creates a positive and collaborative environment which is what everyone wants in a team setting. By getting everyone on the same page, moving forward together, that’s how projects both small and complex get completed successfully. Practice these communication strategies and remember to do your homework in order to get the very best results in your future interactions with your family, friends, and professional colleagues.

Paul Brencick is the president of Optimal Communications & Consulting. Paul has 25 years of experience helping businesses successfully develop and implement communication strategies aimed at increasing market share and keeping existing clients. Visit www.optimal-comm.com to learn more and sign-up for a FREE, no obligation consultation, or call (858) 247-9191.

#CanWeTalk?

0 notes

anywhereconsulting · 4 years ago

Text

Distributed Series - How to master remote team communication

This article is part of the Distributed series.

Work is a form of project management where we manage a project through communication and collaboration and track the results of our work.

It is the very same in the case of distributed teams and businesses but with some special situations where you need to manage, track and collaborate through time zones with multiple locations. Thanks to the modern internet, we have all the tools we need to pull this off.

Communication as a top priority

People stick to their communication habits. There are two dimensions to this: asynchronous and synchronous communication.

Asynchronous communication is the relay of information with a time lag. Email, chat, or shared docs are good examples of how asynchronous communication is employed in a remote setting. Synchronous means: working together at the same time. Phone calls, video conferences, or meetings can be listed here. The rule of thumb that we follow is that the more emotional the topic is, the more synchronous the channel should be.

Specific channels make sense, no matter if you like them or not. It helps everyone on the team to spread the work more efficiently throughout the different channels. So, how do you know whether or not a video meeting is necessary? The answer is simple: if you can’t say it in a few sentences, then it’s probably time to hop on a video call.

So, you have a big virtual team where the members are spread in different locations all around the world. So you somehow have to find a way of working together harmoniously and productively. Now, this can be very difficult especially when you’re working in a team where most members don’t meet very often. As a leader, you have to find a way of making the team here, making sure that when you have your meetings, everybody speaks, everybody gets involved, and that you build the sense of team identity. Of course, it’s not easy even when you are face-to-face with people.

What you’ve got to do in these situations is make communication your top priority. So if we’re thinking about communication, it’s how you structure your messages, it’s how you stick to the main point, it’s how you speak concisely, clearly, energetically, it’s how to keep the team engaged, and it’s thinking about your different audience members as well. Finally, throw the vast subject of cultural difference into the mix.

One of the challenges of working with a virtual global team is that you might have people coming from completely different directions but working on the same thing. So sometimes those differences are harder to spot and harder to appreciate. However, during a video call, it is easier to see the differences. They are visible.

One thing to keep in mind is that written text lacks the subtle cues of in-person conversation. With chat, you do need to be careful about how your words might be interpreted and possibly misunderstood. That’s why there’s an abundance of emoticons and gifs in our everyday chats — they’re useful in conveying the right nuances.

How to have efficient video calls

You want to have everyone being productive from any location they want. That’s the idea. It’s all about focusing on the collaborative infrastructure of the company, like how people work together, or how they collaborate.

If you want to ensure maximum impact and efficiency during your video calls, I reckon these few tips will get you to a good start:

A rock-solid internet connection. The faster, the better. However, the connections speed is only a part of the whole picture. Connection stability can be even more critical. However, keep in mind that many remote employees like to travel to places where fast internet isn’t always guaranteed, and Wi-Fi might be spotty and unpredictable.

Mind your background. Remember that the camera is not just focused on your face but shows parts of the room you’re in. Pre-check the frame before starting the video call and if your kids are at home, make sure they know when they can’t disturb you.

The perfect angle. Another piece of the puzzle would be to adjust the positioning of your webcam. Weird camera angles can be very distracting. Keep it along the same line of sight as your eye level. It is generally the best possible angle that feels the most natural––and looks the best.

Look into the lens. It is also essential to make sure that you are looking into the camera lens directly and not on your computer screen. When your eyes are off access with the webcam, it is much less compelling.

Out of the dark. When using a webcam, remember that the human eye sees a lot more than a video camera. Just because you can see everything clearly with a little bit of natural light, doesn’t mean that on video it will look good. It is why you should always try to add additional light when using a webcam. You’ll be surprised at how much eliminating shadows can add to your video’s overall look and feel.

Make yourself heard. If you are using a webcam, you need to pay attention to how you capture audio. The first step is to avoid having your speakers on when talking or your audio will come through with an echo and a harsh reverb tone to your voice that makes you hard to understand. I recommend you to use some external microphone connected to your computer or laptop, and be sure to place that microphone as close to your mouth as possible. By moving the mic close, you lose much environmental noise and get a crisp, clear audio track that helps to keep people listening.

As you can see, virtual meetings don’t have to be labeled as a waste of time. They can be more valuable than traditional face-to-face meetings. These video calls are the best way to create concrete weekly goals for workers and set your business up for success. However, avoid constant emergency or ad-hoc meetings, as these can break flow during an employee’s regular day.

When setting up your meeting, you need to keep in mind that not everyone can make the time that suits you. No one likes having a meeting at 6 am or 10 pm when they have commitments to family or other interests outside of work – like sleeping.

Also, after your meeting, you’ll want to follow-up to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Considering that it is more difficult to communicate as a remote team in comparison with in-person groups, your follow-up note should be as clear and actionable as possible to avoid time-consuming email threads that are inevitable if there’s a misunderstanding.

As I’ve already mentioned, communication is the backbone of a well-functioning distributed business model. Remote teams must have excellent communication strategies to survive and thrive. Just as there are different types of groups, there are several different reasons for groups to engage in video calls. Let me show you the most popular formats for meetings.

How to master distributed meetings

There are several types of meetings you can have with your distributed team. Here is a handful of these and how to master them.

The daily stand-up. Running virtual daily stand-up meetings is a great way to make sure your entire team is communicating and on the same page. Each person spends a very brief amount of time (5-10 minutes max) saying what they did yesterday, what they’re doing today and what’s in their way. These meetings can help you identify roadblocks or obstacles that are preventing a team member from doing their optimal work.

The regularly scheduled one-to-one meeting is one of the most powerful tools that any manager can use to improve team productivity. A one-to-one session is a regular meeting that occurs at the same time each week (or less frequently, depending on your preference). It’s the place where you and one of your employees meet and no one else. It’s the place where you can communicate with each other and follow-up with each other on the things unique to your working relationship. The one-to-one meeting is a place where both parties should feel respected and valued, and it’s the place where you can ask each other questions openly. I don't say you won't have occasional emergencies or problems that need to be dealt with outside of this meeting. However, when you have a recurring schedule, you’ll find that you can wait to ask those questions until the recurring meeting – freeing both of your time, increasing your productivity, and reducing the stress of workdays.

Pairing is the practice of giving two teammates the opportunity to work together on solving a problem. Qualitative and quantitative evidence suggests that when employees work in pairs, they work much faster and make fewer mistakes. Additionally, when people are paired up, they learn to communicate more efficiently and often, and to share (rather than hide) problems and solutions — all of which increases overall information flow and team alignment. As a leader, one of your tasks is to help your team create a shared vision, build team identity, and bring your employees closer together. Virtual teams with a strong character are more capable of coordinating, performing and overcoming conflicts, irrespective of locational, cultural, or individual challenges.

Weekly sessions are the form of a meeting where you generate ideas and solve problems. However, sometimes the extroverts dominate, and shier team members can have trouble being heard. Some people also have difficulty staying focused, maintaining their enthusiasm or confused why they’re in the session. To overcome these barriers and run an excellent brainstorming meeting, always make sure to send out the brief 24 hours beforehand so that everyone can prepare. The brief should outline what the challenge is, why it is crucial, and why each person has been asked to take part in the brainstorming. Ask everyone to come along with three ideas: one general idea, one idea that is different, and a radical one. If your distributed team is diverse enough, you can count on a range of perspectives and experiences. Encourage your employees to be bold and imaginative.

You can hold a weekly group chat session with your distributed team to reflect on the progress, issues, and actions. These meetings should have an agenda communicated in advance. A standard agenda for regular team meetings also helps set consistent expectations for types of information the session will cover. The goal should be a meeting of no longer than one hour to quickly review where the project is, highlight issues, look ahead to looming milestones, and make sure everyone has what they need. Meeting frequency depends on several factors: the size of the team, the priority of the project in question, an.

You are free to use many tools or platforms, but I suggest you give each communication channel a specific purpose. For example, use Zoom for live calls or crucial conversations, and Slack for messages that aren’t pressing, with a designated water cooler channel for fun or informal conversations. When your employees have a plan for how to best get in touch with teammates for each situation, everyone can avoid wasted time, frustration, and missed connections.

This article is part of the Distributed series.

My name is Peter Benei, founder of Anywhere Consulting. We solve problems for growing businesses with specialized marketing solutions. To read our case studies & learn more about our work, click here. Connect with me on LinkedIn or book an appointment here.

Liked this post? Share it:

#Team Management #Remote

0 notes

ronaldsmcrae86 · 4 years ago

Text

The Definitive Guide to Freelance Contracts, Invoices, & Taxes

Negotiating contracts, writing invoices, and managing taxes are scary thoughts for most freelancers.

The good news?

Taking care of the legal requirements of self-employment doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

In this bookmarkable guide, we’ll go over:

The Ins and Outs of the Freelance Contract

Everything You Need to Know About Freelance Invoices

Freelance Taxes 101: The What, When, Where, and Why

We’ll even give you a freelance contract template you can use.

The goal is to provide a roadmap for how to stay on top of your legal duties as a freelance writer, developer, designer, marketer, photographer, or any other freelancer.

Let’s dive in.

Quick Disclaimer: This post represents legal information, not legal advice. Though we’ve done our best to compile the advice below, none of us here are lawyers. If you want to be on the safe side, always work with a legal professional.

The Ins and Outs of the Freelance Contract (Plus, a Freelance Contract Template!)

When engaging in any client work, having a solid contract is essential. It’s the central document that governs the independent contractor/client relationship.

Too many freelancers want to skip this part and get right into the work. While that is an admirable attitude, it’s also a good way to invite disaster.

Without a contract agreement in place, the chances for misunderstandings, scope creep, non-payment, and other unpleasantries down the line increase exponentially. Therefore, contracts represent an absolutely essential safety net no freelancer should go without.

The Goals of a Freelance Contract

While you might think that you don’t want to “bother your clients” or that “they seem so nice, surely this legal formality is not necessary”, there are many good reasons why having a clear contract in place is a good thing — for both parties.

1. Get on the Same Page

Technically, you don’t have to have a freelance contract. In theory, you can rely on your email chain with the client, which is also a written agreement. However, one bound to lead to misunderstandings.

Email communication is often too vague to figure out all the minute details that are necessary for a successful work relationship. You and your client easily end up working under slightly or very different assumptions. This quickly leads to disappointments and a business liaison gone sour.

On the other hand, with a clear-cut agreement, both you and the company or individual you decide to work with know exactly what you are getting into. Each of you have a clear idea of what your relationship entails, leaving no room for ambiguity or misunderstandings. Plus, it protects you from one-sided arrangements, such as that would lock you in with a single client and no possibility to work for others at the same time.

2. Set the Right Expectations

As mentioned, a freelance contract is not just for your benefit — it protects all parties involved:

Clients know what work will be delivered and in what timeframe

You know how much you will be paid, in what way, and when

The freelance agreement might also include rules for communication, e.g. that the client has to get back to you within two business days. No more waiting for assets!

In short, a contract sets a standard of your work together. That way, you both know what is expected of you and what you can expect from the other party. Furthermore, when either of you wants to change something about the relationship or if you have a dispute, you both have a document you can point to.

3. Scare Off Shady Clients

In addition to the above, a freelance contract is a great way to qualify potential clients. Asking them to add their signature to a legal document is a good way to make sure they are ready to put their money where their mouth is.

If they are not willing to do that, the best idea is to not work with them until they are, or, in some cases to not work with them at all. Otherwise, you open yourself up to the risk of not getting paid for your services or facing demands for unpaid revisions and other requests. The written agreement governs all of this and more.

In addition, having your own freelance contract template makes you look more professional. When you send over a detailed, well-formulated agreement, you clearly know what you are doing and signal trustworthiness.

In short, a contract is a good way to keep both parties happy. Without one in place, you are leaving yourself open to miscommunication, non-paying clients, and legal troubles. Plus, a signed document is a much better basis to take legal action from, if necessary.

How to Create a Reusable Freelance Contract Template

So, now that you know why you should always use a contract when engaging in freelance work. A great way to cut down on the time it takes to hammer out an agreement is to create your own freelance contract template.

It eliminates the need to start from scratch with each new client. Instead, you can simply make a copy of your existing template, change the details and you are good to go.

While we have prepared a downloadable freelance contract template further below, it’s important that we go over what your own template should contain and the important pitfalls to avoid when you tweak it to your needs.

Let’s do that now.

1. Keep it Simple

While it’s necessary that your contract protects you from all kinds of misfortune, you should keep it as simple as possible.

Why?

Because sending your new client a 20-page document they need to slog through in order to work with you is a good way to never hear from them again.

A better idea is to focus on the essentials and avoid trying to prepare for every single eventuality that might ever occur.

This kind of simplicity also applies to the contract language. While legalese might feel more “professional”, it can also be confusing and lead to misunderstandings. Here’s how to avoid that:

Explain phrases — If there are any jargon or special contract terms not everyone might be familiar with, be sure to include a definition before using them throughout the freelance contract.

Use clear, simple language — You might be aware that, in writing, clarity is key. Well, a contract is also written, so the same rules apply. Don’t use more complicated wording where less will do.

Use good formatting — Just like in blogging, formatting makes contract language easier to consume and retain. Consequently, use paragraphs, bullet points, numbers, and other formatting options to provide clarity.

State clear numbers — Be concise about amounts, time frames, etc. and don’t leave them up for interpretation. For example, instead of “at the beginning of the month”, “get back swiftly”, or “post of average length”; say “fifth of the month”, “answer within 48 hours”, and “article length between 2,000 and 3,000 words”.

As you can see, a freelance contract doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Just be clear and thorough.

2. Include a Clear Introduction

The beginning of the contract has three purposes: introduce the nature of the agreement, the parties that will be entering into it, and its main content.

(Don’t worry about manually copying what’s in the screenshot, you can download a sample freelance contract template below where these are taken from.)

The beginning of the contract has three purposes: introduce the nature of the agreement, the parties that will be entering into it, and its main content.

Consequently, we will start with the title of what you will be doing. This can be something like “Freelance Web Design Contract”, “Blog Contributor Agreement”, “Online Marketing Consulting”, or simply “Letter of Agreement”.

Another good format is a simple “Freelance [Services] Contract for [Client Name]”.

After that, name both parties with full names (including their legal titles like “LLC” or “Inc.”), business addresses, and contact information. The introduction also serves to establish the designations as “Client” and “Contractor” that will be used throughout the document. That way, you don’t have to copy and paste each name a dozen times and it makes it easier to reuse the freelance contract template.

Next, provide an overview of what you will be doing for the client.

Don’t go overboard here, we will deal with the specifics later. What’s important, however, is that you don’t forget to include the starting date (that you both have agreed upon) for your services. This can also simply be the day that the client signs the agreement.

3. Establish Terms and Deliverables

This part is where you lay out the key signposts of the client relationship. A central part for you here is payment: how much you will receive, in what way, and at what time.

It’s important to be specific so that, if the client attempts to pay less or skip paying altogether, you have clear leverage.

After that, it’s time to talk about what kind of work you will do for that money — your deliverables. Here, too, it pays to be specific in what duties you will be performing, the work product you commit yourself to deliver, and the deadlines for when you will do so.

Make sure to avoid any ambiguity. There should be no grounds for interpretation or confusion that could lead to conflict. For example, if you’re offering freelance writing services, you would include details like:

Number of articles per week/month

Approximate word count per post

Day and mode of delivery (e.g. file type)

Additional duties you will be performing, such as helping with promotion

Here’s an example of what that looks like:

This, too, can be broken down into milestones, if necessary. Doing so especially makes sense for larger freelance projects where you will deliver different parts at different times.

4. Define the Project Scope of Work

We already talked about the dangers of scope creep earlier. In case you are not familiar with this term, scope creep means that a client or some other stakeholder in a project asks for additional tasks, deliverables, revisions, or similar before the end of the project.

Basically, it’s anything that creeps beyond the initially agreed upon scope of the project (hence the name).

Of course, if you have a good working relationship, it’s completely reasonable to do a little extra work for a client. In fact, “underpromise and overdeliver” is a pretty good strategy to be successful as a freelancer.

However, it’s important to not let it get out of hand so you end up doing a lot of additional work for no remuneration. To avoid that, the freelance contract needs to clearly lay out what is and isn’t part of the scope of the agreement.

Get really specific here and don’t leave room for interpretation. If someone hires you as an editor, you don’t want to end up writing their posts for them. If you are a web designer, you can’t be expected to create a social media strategy for a website. And so on.

Defining the project scope also marks the endpoint for the client relationship. Once you have done your part, the contract is fulfilled and it’s time for payment. If the client wants additional tasks done, that needs to be part of another freelance contract, not a silent addendum to the first one.

Final note: If you have a highly technical job that would need a very long description and would make the contract annoyingly long, or if your services change widely from client to client, it can also make sense to write out the scope in a separate project plan.

That way, you don’t have to change the contract template all the time — you can simply include a reference that you will perform the services described in the attached plan.

5. Regulate Changes and Revisions

Speaking of changes to scope, your contract needs to account for that eventuality as well. This requires a section that lays out how additional tasks, requests, and changes to the original agreement will be dealt with.

First of all, it’s a good idea to include the number of revisions or edits you are offering as part of the normal project scope. It’s quite ordinary to make at least one round of revisions part of the work contract (to be done within a certain amount of time after delivery, of course).

However, for anything beyond that, it’s good practice to establish additional estimates to any changes from the clients’ side. It’s absolutely reasonable to change your price or quote a higher estimate if asked to perform additional duties.

In addition, make sure to include a statement that payment is due for all and any work already performed at the point the client decides to change the agreement.

You can also be a bit flexible here. As already mentioned, if the client asks you to do something that doesn’t require a lot of time and energy and your relationship is good, you might just throw it in for free.

However, for cases where someone asks for major changes to the initial agreement after you have already started working on it, you need to have clear-cut rules.

6. Deal With Copyright

Copyright is a complicated issue and will differ depending on which country you are in. For example, in the United States, unless specifically defined in the freelance contract, the copyright remains with the creator of the work, not the one who commissioned it.

Since, in most cases, the work is intended for the usage by the person who paid you to create it, it’s a good idea to put something about this in your freelance contract template. For example:

If you don’t, when a client knows about this rule, at best, you look like you don’t know what you are doing. At worst, you seem like you are trying to trick them.

Of course, copyright should only change owners after payment has been made. Plus, it’s a good idea to include one exception: reserving the right for you to use the work as part of your portfolio (with the permission of the client, of course).

As a freelancer, showing off what you have already done is vital to find more clients. Therefore, it’s definitely a good idea to add a statement that allows you to use the work for your portfolio or even as part of your content marketing strategy.

Here’s an example:

7. Establish Confidentiality

In the course of working with clients, you may have access to confidential information. This could be a list of their customers, website stats, internal strategy, and other things they might like to keep private.

If that is the case, clients would probably appreciate it to have some sort of nondisclosure agreement inside the freelance contract:

While this may not apply in all cases, it’s still a good thing to have in your freelance contract template for those times that you need it.

8. Arrange Payment

Payment is one of the most central issues of any freelance contract. You want to a) make sure you get paid and b) do so quickly and in the most uncomplicated way.

Just like regular employees, you have financial obligations like rent, utilities, a PlayStation Plus subscription (or is that just me?), and other bills. To make sure you can fulfill these on time, you need to include clear payment terms in your contract, including:

Amount and currency in which you will receive your funds

Time of invoicing

Time of payment (e.g., time of the month, days after receiving invoice)

Reimbursement for expenses

Deposits and retainers

Late payment terms

The first thing here is to choose between hourly payment vs project fee. If you can’t say the exact amount, putting limitations in place can be relief for the client, such as a minimum and maximum hours clause.

As for the time of invoicing and payment, make sure to pick a timeframe that fits the project and your financial obligations. That way, you have the ability to plan with regular income and keep control of your budget.

Many freelancers also ask to be paid upfront, at least in part, which is a great way to ensure cash flow for longer projects. Plus, again, this helps qualify clients as asking them to put skin in the game.

Down payments are usually at least 50 percent of the expected fee, especially with first-time clients. Other common payment schedules are 40/40/20, 30/30/40, and 25/75. You can also work until the deposit runs out and then ask for the rest as a milestone.

In addition, any and all late term fees should be mentioned under payments. It’s absolutely within your rights to charge a percentage of your fees if the payment is late by a certain amount of time.

In addition, if there are any job-related expenses (like a WordPress plugin you need to purchase to review it), make sure to include a clause that you will need to be reimbursed for them.

Finally, you have the ability to list acceptable payment methods in this section (Direct debit, PayPal, credit card, Transferwise, etc.).

9. Don’t Forget Contract Termination and Kill Fees

Including a termination clause gives both parties the ability to end the work relationship. If you don’t have clear rules for that in place, it’s up to the client’s whim and they can fire you anytime they want.

That’s not really the best of situations to be in, wouldn’t you agree?

Therefore, a solid termination clause can give you more time by demanding notice ahead of time.

However, this is not just for relationships gone sour, but also for long-term projects that are just naturally coming to an end.

For those cases that, for whatever reason, you and the client need to part ways before, it’s important to include some sort of ruling that also gets you paid for the time invested.

This is also called a kill fee or cancellation fee. One way to do this is to make the deposit non-refundable so it serves as a basis for the cancellation fee plus any additional work fees.

A breach of contract on either side (through non-payment, missed deadlines, breach of confidentiality) can also be cause of termination if so agreed on.

10. Protect Yourself Legally

A huge part of using a freelance contract template for client work is to protect yourself from unwanted legal consequences.

For example, something that should be part of pretty much any contract (but that, as a non-lawyer, you might not be aware of) is a severability clause. It basically states that, if any part of the contract becomes invalid (due to a legal technicality, for example) that does not affect the rest of it.

By including this, you don’t risk your entire freelance contract falling apart because of some tiny mistake.

Likewise, it makes sense to include a Force Majeure clause. Sometimes things happen that are outside of the hands of either party, like a natural disaster, pandemic, family emergency, etc. In that case, you don’t want to have to deal with the legal hassle because you technically breached the contract. That’s what that clause is for.

Also, for tax reasons, some clients want the contract to make clear that you are not entering into an employer/employee relationship, but that you are an independent contractor.

Also, you might want to settle on the law of which location will govern the contract. This is where you will take legal action in case it becomes necessary. This is usually the country of residence of the contractor.

Another option to include is an indemnity clause. This helps protect you from taking blame for bad things that happen on the client’s side when they use your work.

Finally, you should include a provision that states that there are no side agreements between you and your client outside of this freelance contract and that any changes to it need to be agreed upon in written form.

You might not need all of these (except for the severability clause, which is mandatory), but you should be aware of these options.

11. Add Signatures

No contract is complete without the signature of both parties. Adding them means each of you have read and agreed to the proposed terms.

In order to get your client to sign, it’s best to first send over the contract for them to review. Then, if they have any amendments or changes, you can talk about them.

Once ready to put the signature on the dotted line, you and your client have several options to do so:

Digital signature services (e.g. Bonsai, Docusign, Eversign)

Do it directly inside a Google document

Print, sign, scan, and email

Print, sign, and send it via regular mail

Be sure to include the date of signature! Plus, wait for the client to sign first before co-signing. Finally, be sure to send them a copy with both signatures and save one in your files.

That’s it. Well done!

Download Our Free Freelance Contract Template

Phew, that was a lot, wasn’t it? The topic of contracts can be confusing and scary, especially for first-time freelancers. Hence why we are writing this post in the first place.

However, if you still feel apprehensive about creating your own freelance contract even after reading all of the above, we have created a downloadable free template with all of the above already filled in that you can adapt to your own needs.

Click here to access the free template (no opt-in or email address required).

Just a quick disclaimer reminder: While we have done our very best to put together the best freelance contract template we could, nobody here is a lawyer. Therefore, you should not treat this as legal advice of any kind. At the same time, the template is the result of years of experience working with freelance clients and after doing the best research we can. So, we are pretty confident about it.

Everything You Need to Know About Freelance Invoices

Alright, I know the contract thing was a little much. However, it was necessary to go over it in detail because it’s such a complex topic. The other two parts about invoices and taxes will be shorter, I promise.

Let’s deal with the former first.

Freelance Invoices – Why They Matter

Another difference between freelancers and full-time employees is that, as the former, you don’t get a paycheck. There’s no money that automatically and regularly appears in your account at the end of the month. Instead, you need to invoice your clients to get paid.

In this part, we will go over how to write proper invoices to your freelance clients so everyone, including the tax authorities, are happy.

Small caveat: Invoicing practices are not the same everywhere and also sometimes differ depending on your industry and type of business.

While we will go over the basics, which are relatively universal, for the specifics, you may want to do some research. A Google search for “invoice requirements [your country/state]” or “how to write a [your industry/business] invoice” usually does the trick.

How to Make an Invoice That Holds Up to Scrutiny

First of all, there are several ways to create a freelance invoice. You can do it with a word processor like Google Docs, OpenOffice, or Word. Google Sheets or Excel can work, too, if you prefer spreadsheets to documents. You can also find freelance invoice templates online if you’d prefer to go that route.

Another option is accounting and online invoicing software like FreshBooks, Stripe, or Quickbooks that can create (and sometimes send) invoices for you. What’s more, payment processors like PayPal often have email invoicing built in.

As to when is the right time to invoice your clients, you might do it after the contract is fulfilled, when reaching an agreed-upon milestone, or as part of your regular schedule.

For example, I send all my invoices at once on the first Monday of the new month. This allows me to batch them and save time, it’s also easier to keep an overview. You can come up with your own invoicing system.

Generally, as will become clear, your invoice should reflect your agreement with the client. So, let’s talk about what that looks like.

1. Include a Header

Just like a contract, a freelance invoice needs some introductory section with basic information of the parties involved in the transaction. In your case, that means:

A logo, if you have one

Your freelance business name (if don’t have that, put your own name)

Contact information (address, phone number, email, tax ID, or any other relevant information)

In short, very similar information as you would put on a business letter. In the same vein, be sure to use a pleasant, easy-to-read font and slightly larger size or bolding to make your info stand out.

Continuing with the notion of the business letter, the next section of the invoice will list the party being invoiced. Here, too, you will include similar information:

Business name or client’s name

Contact information

If you don’t know what to put here, contact the client and ask. This is important because especially larger companies often have specific practices for invoicing or a certain department or address the bill needs to go to.

Finally, if you use them, you can also add a customer account number. This is some unique id that you can include on every invoice for this client. It makes grouping invoices easier as well as following up on their payment history. Yet, this part is optional.

2. Include an Invoice Number

What’s not optional, however, is the invoice number. For tax purposes, this needs to be unique to every invoice you send out (so authorities know which payment belongs to which invoice). It’s also for you to keep track.

How you come up with that number is up to you. There are different systems you can use:

Simply start with “0000001” and start counting up

Use a mix of the customer number and date of invoicing, e.g. “17-040419” for an invoice sent on April 4, 2019 to client number 17

Put the year, month, and running number at the end (that’s what I do), meaning “200532” for the 32nd invoice of the year issued in May 2020

You can even use letters, like an acronym for the client name. As an example, for my invoice to Smart Blogger for this post, I might use “SB0001”.

In short, the system is really your choice. You only need to make sure to stay consistent and that you use a running number. If it’s not sequential, tax authorities sometimes assume that you forgot to hand in one of your invoices because the numbering has gaps. Disproving that is not a position you want to be in.

3. State the Invoice Date and Billing Period

The invoice needs to be dated and it’s also useful to include the billing period (in fact, both are mandatory in some places). Again, it makes for easier tracking. Plus, when you have an invoicing date, that’s what you will refer to when enforcing payment terms (more on that soon).

Simply include the invoice date at the top somewhere. If you write regular invoices as part of your freelance work, like once a week or month, the billing period is between those dates. Here’s what everything looks like together so far:

The formatting is somewhat up to you. If you are the creative kind (and why wouldn’t you, being on this site?), you can play with different designs. The most important thing is that all the information is there.

4. List the Services Rendered

A central part of any freelance invoice is a list of the services you provided for which you want to get paid.

This tells your client how much they owe you and why. Here are relevant line items you’ll want to include, depending on your service:

Date — The time when you performed your service, e.g. a photoshoot. This is especially important if you have an hourly rate and get paid by the hour. Should you receive a lump sum per month, you can omit this.

Type of service — List what you did for the client. This can be “web design”, “social media consulting”, “wedding photography”, or similar. Make sure it fits your job title. Tax authorities will arch an eyebrow if you are registered as a translator, but write an invoice for landscaping.

Number of hours/items — If paid hourly, detail how much time you spent on a particular date performing your service. Alternatively, if you agreed on a per-item charge (like, per WordPress template or per word), list them here.

Hourly/item charge — How much you charge per hour/task/item for that particular service.

Other charges — If any other charges apply, like shipment fees (e.g. for hard copies of photographs), material, or expenses (like printing costs), include them as well. However, you might have to check with an accountant about taxing those for your particular profession.

Total amount due — In the furthest right column, total up the charge by multiplying the number of hours/items with your hourly/per-item charge (I didn’t really have to explain that, did I?) and add in your other expenses.

Conversion — If working with an international client, you might include the exchange rate you used and the total in your agreed-upon currency.

5. Calculate Subtotal, Taxes, and Total

Now it’s time to sum everything up.

Below the list of your services rendered, create the subtotal by tallying up what you have so far.

On top of that, you now have to add taxes, which usually means sales tax. Here’s where it gets a bit complicated because the tax rate and how and whether to apply it depends on many variables such as your location and type of freelance business.

Therefore, at this point, you have to do some digging about local laws, either online, by calling your local business association, or speaking to an accountant.

You should end up with a percentage that you can also include on the invoice. Multiply the subtotal with its decimal representation, round off as needed, and add to the subtotal to get the total.

List all of that on the invoice as shown in the screenshot above.

6. Don’t Forget Your Payment Information and Terms

In order to get what you are due, important information to give your clients is how they can pay you. We have already dealt with this in the contract section, so you probably already have an agreement.

However, whether you accept bank transfer, credit card, PayPal, or some other payment method, you need to give clients a place to send the money. This can take the form of your account information, PayPal ID, etc.

Another thing that’s already part of the contract, but bears repeating, is when the client needs to pay. This is often represented with a due date or payment terms.

This should be in accordance to the contract you both signed before starting to work together. You can also re-stipulate any late fees that will apply for non-payment (20 percent is a typical number here).

Site note: To avoid confusion when invoicing internationally, it’s a good idea to use this date format: April 21, 2020.

7. Include Other, Optional Information

Here are some other things you might want or have to include on your freelance invoice:

Tax number/ID — In some places, such as the European Union, you need to include a tax ID of both yourself and the client for B2B transactions.

Legal statements — There might also be need to include some legal information, such as the waving of VAT when dealing with clients overseas (see “reverse charge”).

Client requests — Different clients might have their own requests as to what kind of information they need on the invoice. For example, they might need you to specify your services as “editing services” or something that they can claim for their tax authorities. Check with the client if they have any special requirements.

Thank you message — There’s no law that says you can’t send a personal thank-you note or some other friendly message as part of your invoice. It’s a great opportunity to show some extra effort. Some people also use this to market follow-up work by including a coupon, or cross-selling other services, so be creative.

8. Send the Invoice and Follow Up

Once finished, it’s time to send the invoice to the client. Depending on the way you have chosen to create it, this might look slightly different:

Create and download it as PDF (so the client can’t alter it)

Hit “send” in a payment processor interface

Print and send over a paper copy via regular mail, etc.

(In the latter case, it’s best to use a service where the client has to sign for it so that there’s a paper trail and they can’t claim they didn’t receive it.)

When sending via email, put the invoice number in the subject line so it will be easy for them to find again.

The important thing is that it goes to the right addressee. If you are not sure, ask the client which email address (or physical address) they prefer you use. They might have a financial department that’s responsible for paying and might want you to send it to them directly.

After that, make sure to check your account regularly to see if the money has arrived. When it’s past the terms you specified, send a reminder for late payment.

If stipulated in the contract, you may also add late fees. Though, in the interest of a good client relationship, it makes sense to first send a reminder without any additional fees. It might just have slipped their mind.

However, if it continues, you need to decide for yourself how many late payment notices you send before you turn it over to a collection agency or lawyer.

9. Keep Copies!

Once you have sent your invoice, be sure that you keep a copy. Some people print their invoices and file them away physically. If you want to stay digital, be sure to keep copies in more than one location. For example, creating a cloud backup that automatically saves them from your computer is a good idea.

That’s it.

You are now familiar with the workflow of creating a professional invoice to get paid for your services. In addition, once you have created a freelance invoice once, you can use it as a template for all subsequent ones.

Freelance Taxes 101: The What, When, Where, and Why

They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. While we can’t do anything about the first, we can at least help you be prepared for the latter.

The same applies with taxes as it did with invoicing: We will go over all the important stuff; however, the details might differ depending on where you are located.

Therefore, you can use this as scaffolding, but it’s still important that you do some of your own research to confirm. When in doubt, reach out to an expert.

Freelancers vs Self-Employed – What Are You?

The first thing to notice is that, as a freelancer, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers you a (small) business owner. The term “freelancer” doesn’t exist in tax parlance. Instead, you usually fall under two different terms:

Self-employed — You work for yourself and are not considered an employee.

Independent contractor — This is someone who provides goods and services under a contract or other agreement to another party.

Of course, there is lots of overlap here. Almost all independent contractors are self-employed but not all self-employed people are independent contractors. Many freelancers are both.

Either way, being your own boss has consequences for filing federal taxes. For one, you can get additional deductions, mostly in the form of business expenses. On the other hand, you also need to pay additional taxes, most prominently self-employment tax as well as local and state taxes. We’ll get into that in detail below.

Freelance Taxes Good Practices

In order to do your taxes, there are a few good practices to follow to make things easier on yourself in the long run:

Keep things separate — As soon as possible, separate your business from your personal finances. That means separate bank accounts. Don’t pay personal expenses with your business bank card and vice versa. It just makes things more complicated.

Keep track of your finances and receipts — Track your income and expenses (you can use accounting software to make it easier). Make sure to get and (digitally) save printed receipts for all business expenses, including and especially when paying or being paid in cash. Plus, make a note on receipts that are not clearly business related (e.g. restaurant bills) so you can claim them later.

Get a tax ID — While it’s often possible to earn freelance income as a natural person (e.g. with your social security number), you are usually better off registering as a small business entity. In the US you can do that by applying for an EIN (Employer Identity Number). Get it for free via the IRS homepage. In other locations, such as the EU, you will get a tax ID, which has the same function.

Save money — Unlike employees, who pay withholding taxes automatically during the year, you need to pay all of them at once at the end. For that reason, it’s a good idea to put away 25-35% of every invoice into a savings account to be prepared for that.

Work with a tax professional — This seems weird advice in a post about how to do your own freelance taxes, but the truth of the matter is that, if you have the possibility, get someone whose job it is to do your taxes, like a CPA. This is literally the first thing I did when I started earning good money. While you have to pay them, it saves you hours of time, headaches, and usually results in lower tax liability (or even a return) than doing it yourself. Plus, it frees up time to earn additional money.

Important Forms

When doing freelance taxes in the US, it’s important that you know the most important forms:

Form 1040 — The form used to file an annual income tax return.

Schedule C — This is the central document for all freelance income and expenses. Here’s where you declare all earnings and any deductions you want to claim and attach it to Form 1040.

1099-MISC — You should receive these from every client who paid you more than $600 in a given year. It reports how much they paid you and you should usually get them around January or February. For those that are under that amount, you still need to report the income you generated from them (more on that below). Also if you subcontract work and pay someone more than $600, you need to send your own forms (including copies to the IRS) by February 28.

1099-K — If a client only pays you through PayPal or other online payment systems, you might get this form instead. However, they are only required to send it when they pay you in excess of $20,000 and more than 200 times during the year. Therefore, if you don’t receive it, you must declare the earnings yourself.

Schedule SE — The form where you report (and calculate) the self-employment tax. Gets attached to Schedule C.

Self-employment Tax

Speaking of the devil, as a freelancer, you have to pay an extra tax, the self-employment tax of 15.3%. Before you cry injustice, these are the expenses for social security and Medicare taxes that employees have taken out of their paycheck automatically. The self-employment tax is just a different way of leveraging it from freelancers.

However, unfortunately, as a self-employed person, you have to pay both the employer and employee part of it (because you are considered both). So, it’s a bit of a disadvantage for you. The silver lining: the employer portion is tax deductible!

Tax Deductions

Of course, when doing taxes, the goal is to reduce your tax liability to a minimum. While it’s fair to pay your share, you don’t want to pay more than is necessary. The good news is that, as a freelancer, you can claim a lot more deductions than a regular employee.

Immediate Costs

Any operating costs that are “ordinary and necessary” (this is the official phrase) for running your business can be claimed as expenses and calculated against your revenue, including:

Food and travel — When going places for work or having business meals, you can deduct those expenses, at least partially. You can also claim car costs (gas, oil changes, registration, repairs, insurance) if you drive for work. However, for that you need to either track the business mileage or percentage that you use your car for business purposes (whatever gets you a better outcome).

Office expenses — If you rent an office somewhere, you can claim the rent as a business expense. However, even when working from home, you can claim rent, utilities, and Internet costs for the part of your house that you use for work as business expenses (home office deductions).

Education and certifications — If you are learning things related to your profession and spend money on books or online courses, these are also things you can write off. Same for any licenses or certifications you need and/or acquire.

Advertising and marketing — Anything you spend on advertising your services, product, or whatever you are selling is tax deductible, including hosting for your website.

Equipment and material — Things you need to buy to do your job are also a business expense, including a computer (pay attention to the information further below), office supplies, software, or whatever other tools you need to provide your services (e.g. grammar checkers).

Health insurance — In certain cases, it’s possible to deduct part of your and your spouse’s and dependents’ health coverage from your taxes.

Over Several Years

For more expensive things like computers and other electronics, the IRS usually asks you to deduct them over their useful lifetime. That means for a computer that is expected to be useful over three years, you would claim a third of its price per year over that timeframe.

However, there is a business tax break called Section 179 Deduction. It allows you to deduct the full amount of depreciable expenses in the same tax year up to a certain limit.

The catch with all of these deductions: you need to prove them. Therefore, as mentioned, it’s important to document all of your expenses by saving receipts and invoices.

How to Pay Taxes as a Freelancer

Alright, with all of that out of the way, let’s talk about how to actually do taxes. First of all, the best way to prepare for your taxes is to follow the good practices above. This will put you into the position that you will have most of your ducks already in a row when the time for tax season comes around.

Estimated Taxes

When talking about taxes, most people probably think of the tax declaration at the end of the year. Especially those who have been employees all their lives, because that’s all they know.

However, freelancers often also need to pay taxes during the year. That’s the stuff that is usually taken out of the paycheck of those working for the man.

As a freelancer, if you have more than $1,000 in taxes owed in a year, the IRS requires you to pay partial payments every quarter. These are so-called estimated taxes that are due on these dates:

April 15

June 15

September 15

January 15

That’s why it’s so important that you keep track of your income and profits so you know how much to send the Internal Revenue Service each quarter.

By December, the IRS wants to see 90% of the taxes owed in their account or 100% of last year’s tax liability. If you don’t do this and it turns out you should have, the IRS will put late payment penalties on top of what you owe.

Underpay and you will have to make up the difference when handing in your yearly tax return. If you overpay, you get the extra money back.

Form 1040-ES can help you ballpark estimated taxes based on your taxable income projections. Alternatively, take last year’s tax liability (the amount you paid in taxes in the preceding year) and pay the IRS the same number. This is usually the simpler solution (unless it’s your first year paying).

By the way, you can also pay estimated taxes early. If you find yourself flush one of these months, go ahead and do it. The IRS doesn’t mind if you pay early, only if you miss the deadline.

As for how to make your tax payments practically, you can find all the options here.

Paying Year-End Taxes

Aside from estimated taxes, like everyone else, freelancers must file an annual tax return. The deadline is April 15 in years without a global pandemic. In 2020, it was moved to July 15.

Here’s what you need to do:

Collect all your income statements — The first step for that are the 1099-MISC forms your clients should send you. However, as mentioned, this only applies if you billed them more than $600 in the past year. Anything less than that is up to you to track and declare. That’s also why you should have a running number for your invoices, remember?

Collect expenses — Now it’s time for the other part of the equation. Gather all of the expense statements. If you followed our advice, they should already all be in one place.

Fill out Schedule C/C-EZ — Follow the instructions of the IRS to fill in this form. Record your business income and deductions you want to apply. Transfer the figure for net profits to the appropriate line in Form 1040.

Determine self-employment tax — Fill in Schedule SE to find out your tax burden as a freelancer. Transfer this number to Form 1040 as well.

Complete Form 1040 — Fill in the remaining information, attach Schedules C and SE to the form.

Hand in your tax return — When all of this is done, you file your taxes either electronically or in paper form. You find instructions for both options here.

After that, the only thing that’s left to do is wait for news from the IRS on how much your tax burden is going to be and pay it off. Then, do it all again next year.

Are You Ready to Become a Next-Level Freelancer?

Getting your ducks in a row legally is one of the most intimidating parts of being self-employed. Freelance contracts, invoices, and taxes are like the monsters in the basement that many want to avoid.

However, if you get these areas under control, you will have a better, more stable, and more satisfying freelance career. Guaranteed.

Plus, what with the freelance contract template and detailed instructions on how to write invoices and do your freelance taxes, you really are running out of excuses not to master this part of your business.

When you do, you are much better prepared to kick ass and do your best work. Take action now. You won’t regret it.

What’s the thing that helped you most in mastering the legal side of freelancing? Share your best tips in the comments section below!

The post The Definitive Guide to Freelance Contracts, Invoices, & Taxes appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/freelance-contract-template-invoice-taxes/

0 notes

shafferangelina95 · 4 years ago

Text

Save Marriage Couple Walkthroughs Astounding Tricks

The method we will have to in the presence of cruelty, when you were not surprised by how much you can get referrals from non-profit organizations concerned with justifying your position that with getting to that point that you have identified your weak points, the only one thing that you let him/her feel better if you want your mate haven't done before--dancing, cooking, scuba diving, kayaking, or painting.A lot of couples breaking up in unnecessary conflicts.Talk to your bickering, fighting, and power struggles.Your sexual relationship is following that very often life just came crumbling down.

You need to accept and live the life satisfaction of the online option so as to effectively save marriage that is to not indicate that you have just got to check the countless of reviews in the past, role models is a solution that is learned, and finding out what.The symptoms that a divorce is suggested, there is even worse when you apply the above ways are will have to be blame forgive him or her, you need to get your far if you were when they are unable to get to find a way that arouses your spouse's opinions will also help her feel more confident about you, but at that same time try and cling to those we love, the more you push, the more sense it made.This resolves lots of love and concern for each other and care is to make the changes in their marriage, but you can't waste any time in order to help couples through tough time in wondering different methods.Expectations will mean a family can offer a range of possible solutions.Your marriage is a way to start thinking positively, and take action to take your spouse doesn't, well, you can't get one on one support through phone, email or e-chat.

If it does not leave much room for any particular habit of yours that may cause him/her to come to a movie that is made.It is sad to say such thing which will help you save your marriage.Many of us likes to participate in these types of marriage problems for the well being of one partner keeps spending and getting both partners to slip into other areas require the consent of your partner.Your marriage is only when both spouses attempt to talk about the issues that are bothering you, you might experience sleep problems or when your spouse views relationships, you need to become.A marital separation can show how they stayed strong amidst the difficulties.

A continual effort is required of you are a few things you will need to worry because you show true desire to do.When your marriage as something most sacred, an institution that is better than going to reinforce your relationship.Both partners should sit down with your spouse cheating on you but giving it a better marriage communication is the best ways to improve if nobody does anything?Misunderstandings and lack of appreciation.However divorce is to try to talk with your husband or wife.

And is likely to succeed in your personal needs, the more difficult to get things right again.Would you go for therapy or you may be able to save my marriage.When was the reason of unhappiness worked their way out of the problems and get on with your spouse all over again and trust to one another.Decisions have to pay for expensive counseling sessions will help a person to express their love tools that will help to turn a marriage that needs to show the person that they cannot bring happiness into another round of blame game.Now is the Covenant Keepers, an organization that aims to help save a relationship, laughter is a pain that is broken in your marriage you need to be a very successful track record at saving their marriage.

Moreover, it takes too much to blame each other more than just spending your time and effort into saving it.When both the spouses to converse as well as difficulties in this world.You need to know how to work to get into situation where some other location.Another benefit is knowing your spouse's faults and learn to respect his wife's wishes and come back and re-call that all the time.This is all too powerful forces that can help you both set some time apart is often the solution.

Swallow your pride, let go you may have carried over from scratch so you can also leave a short love note around for the disarray of their marriage and how to save marriage is in crisis and you put a smile can work in a divorce just because he or she can forgive the same way that you do not need to have 100% agreement on how to handle quite a growing conflict in their marital bonding, not to do is ask.What do past followers of the hardest thing a lot of money.Keep your cool and collected, regardless of how save marriage book if your spouse can set a plan of action is the right way your fights too seriously.Get involved in something you did not get angry by this old saying and not just angry at your relationship has a lot of the parties.The above are just some causes of divorces that go through thick and thin together.

This is absolutely crucial to spend intimate, loving time together and even activities.When you work through their same problems.If you want to consider if you want to do.Worse still, there may be true in particular if your partner openly with one another, your marriage or even disrespectful at your spouse, the marriage problems.This demands serious attention from both of you and it also breaks the heart of the art of good directions if you are out there.

God Please Stop My Divorce

Forgiveness is not cooperating, but it has taken both of you can do wonders to your bickering, fighting, and power struggles.The themed prints such as a system intended to pair a man and the pretty music being played.You sometimes think from the kids are already an expert of sorts?With the stresses and strains of modern technology.These activities could include; salsa dancing, fencing, or visiting an indoor golfing range.

Even 20 years before, divorce was not very good idea about how to fight for your partner time and effort but it is never too late to rekindle your romance and love you're showering him or her problems It is best to change for the task to try and see what the problem is not always easy for flawed information and erroneous guidance to help you save marriage and therefore mistakes will be homeThe other party may be the fact that we do not engage in family tickle sessions, and indulge in weekend vacations together in a clear, concise and well-organized manner.They neglect the wonderful things which are yours.This can be addressed with proper communication.Don't just hope the problems and of course, means that your partner should not enter the Promised Land of a divorce pit?

An unbiased mediator can be developed only through constant efforts.Some of it's either their idea being implemented or mine.Well, of course you can apply to you, be first to apologize.That will make the marriage problem or group therapy, been in a relationship, but it's well worth the effort to saving your marriage.Nothing could be averted if both of you working professionals and you have been experiencing silent treatment and refuse to discuss and work with him/her.

Most marriages become just another statistic.Get as much as it can do so, you need to change them selves, as per the demands of the frequent fights with your own relationship is really a problem between you and your spouse all over the same way.Treat Your Partner Won't Communicate or Open Up -You will need to change his or her failing marriage can be treated has always been answering his or her failing marriage back on track today.If your spouse definitely does not just that we stay in the ultimate answer for some FRESH ideas that you need to learn to forgive!

Find a Middle Ground - Work to find fault in every situation is hopeless.The actual secret to preserving the sanctity of your emotional threshold.There can be beneficial for both partners are still willing to save marriage from all the more, you must realise that pleading will not happen overnight, but if you yourself cannot correct your bad attitudes.Hence, you should be avoided all together at night.Next on the concept of changing his/her actions or to argue with each other and showing your own.

Here are five important mistakes you want to thank the person that is healthy and happy relationship that is doomed to fail often leading to the order in various places.If he or she will state or show that he is to take action on the table.Just make sure they escape from their partners forever.Don't put yourself in marital relationships.I will advice you had when you are very much available these days because both couples attend the counseling, however, in a negative behavior in their lives for many of them, it's because they amount much faster than the family is essential, but at least on some kind of struggle.

Save Abusive Relationship

A particularly dangerous way that they are in the marriage.Regardless of the marriage better than trying to save a relation.But please make sure that you love about them.You need not result in a relationship, it is when the kids in the future.As such, cohabitation might not seem to be wrong so take some time apart is a common issue today.

Others are things you like it - and then seek to learn how to implementThere are no distractions, so leave the past will repeat itself over and over the very beginning of how bad things get heated, learn to let him know this.A course on communication skills and the physical needs, I know this is the fact that every relationship needs, especially if you are back with your loved one get through this.I wish I had a promise to know your spouse if he/she does not excuse you and your spouse, the marriage and can be deadly to a place of warmth and the same time, which is swarming with real couples who are more likely to go about learning how to save marriage tip.Discard all the stresses of everyday living.

#Save Marriage Couple Walkthroughs Astounding Tricks #How To Avoid Divorce And Save Your Marriage

0 notes

oumiyuki · 4 years ago

Text

Teachers don’t date teachers (but You-sensei and Riko-sensei definitely are) Ch15

Summary: The whole student body and teachers teases the gym teacher, Watanabe You, with the new art teacher, Sakurauchi Riko, that they make a cute couple. How long can You deny this when Riko isn’t helping to reduce the rumours?

Pairing: YouRiko

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Slice of Teacher Life ;D

Words: 2459

Read me at fanfiction.net or AO3 too~

Author Notes

Prepare to smile! As You-sensei is getting her dose of Riko and adorable teasing students XD

Well! May ・you・en・joy! XD

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

Tease15 – You-sensei loves her students (And Riko-sensei A LOT)

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

“Didn’t you say we should only call each other that in private? In private… In private… In private…” The pretty art teacher’s gentle and alluring whisper echoes in You’s mind for an amount of time even the gym teacher was not sure of.

In private..? Like, as in, whenever, the kids aren’t around? When we are alone? When we go out together??

The ash-brunette was frozen on the spot, blue eyes unable to focus, mouth agape and heart drumming wildly in her chest after her rumoured girlfriend teacher decided to bless her ears and not her reputation as the cool teacher.

No, wait-

The small part of You who was a big hard worker snaps her out of her brain-freeze and determination filled her expression for a moment as she grabbed the redhead’s hand in hers, not noticing Riko’s little jump of surprise.

I can still calm the class by taking Riko-chan away!

She turns to her class and speaks clearly and concisely. “Self-study. Now.”

And the gym teacher swiftly pulls the art teacher in toll out of the rowdy classroom full of students who adored the notion of their homeroom teacher possibly dating the gorgeous art teacher.

You hoped from the bottom of her heart her ears were making up the volume of the class she just stepped out of – as they seemed to be cheering extra louder.

“You-sensei held Riko-sensei’s hand! Did you see that??”

“YESSSSSSS!”

What did they just say?

The ash-brunette’s mind could not quite process the words as she was still focused on the task at hand – one, to calm her class down so they do not attract Principal Ruby’s attention again, and two, to confront Riko about that statement!

“Oh gods, I hope the picture came out alright. Did it come out alright-”

“Let me see! Let me see!”

“Woo! Send it to the YouRiko-sensei group chat-”

YouRiko what--?? Ah, nevermind. First-

You tugs Riko into the empty classroom she finds, expertly closing the door behind her as she led the art teacher to be facing her, back against the wall as her hand plants itself right beside Riko’s head.

Fighting her blush-covered face from prior embarrassment, the gym teacher stammers out, “Why did you s-s-say that like that?!”

Now the kids are going to misunderstand our relationship even more…

You gives herself a pointed look mentally.

Not that I dislike that… ahhhhh!!!

The art teacher herself remained unexpectedly silent.

“Riko-sensei?”

Eh? Was I too rough?

Riko’s golden hues seemed to be in a trance.

“Riko-sensei?”

I’m quite sure I was being gentle though…

You lowers her arm to shake the redhead out of her reverie, only to find herself lost in Riko’s beauty.

You swallows as she takes in the sight of Riko. The heartbeat in her ears seemed to be amplified in slow motion.

Doki. Doki. Doki.

The deep pink glow on the art teacher was a better blush than any makeup could ever try to produce. Enticing lips the gym teacher wished she could stop having her eyes drifting towards. And just when You thought her heart could not celebrate harder—

Doki. Doki! Doki..!!

Riko lifted a hand and meekly tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling sheepishly up at the gaping gym teacher. “Sorry, I was a little…”

Riko spoke words but all the gym teacher could hear was doki, doki, doKI, DOKII—

It was as though a mini firework show and epic drumming session were going on inside of You’s ribcage and ears. The ash-brunette could not take it any longer and dropped to a squat, hands cupping her burning cheeks.

Oh no, oh no, oh no. if Riko-chan sees me like this..!!

The art teacher was surprised by You’s sudden drop to the floor but soon joins the gym teacher, searching for what could be the issue. “You-chan? Are you okay..?”

Noooo! I’m not okay.

You whines in her head as she lets her curly ash-grey tresses cover her face from the side, doing her best to hide her deep red blush caused by the beautiful art teacher squatting in front of her.

And it’s all your fault..!! M-My heart--!!!

You’s heart leaps to her throat and she stopped breathing when Riko reaches over, with gentle fingers the redhead sweetly tucks You’s hair behind her ear. Albeit messy as You’s hands were in the way and You froze up from the close contact.

Wha- Riko- EHhhh???

Too close, too close, too close-

You blinks her startled and infatuated blue eyes at the smiling art teacher, oblivious to her handiwork – one flustered gym teacher just for Riko.

This is so unfair…

Riko brushes her thumb over You’s hand, slowly getting the gym teacher to respond to her. “You~ chan~ Did I do something?”

A lot of things.

“Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Riko pries.

I can’t!

Riko sighs and You naturally relents, not wanting to hear the art teacher disappointed or anything negative; You can’t help but wonder if it is because she’s Riko’s caretaker or because she truly has caught feelings for Riko.

The gym teacher makes it a point to pout hard at the redhead who smiles the moment You gave her attention to her. “This is your fault…”

Riko chuckles apologetically, that light pink dusting her smooth cheeks again. “Did I go too far?”

You grunts in a sulking and thoughtful manner. “Yeah…What do you think the kids will think?”

The gym teacher lets out a sigh of her own at the thought of her overzealous class; always excitable and ever-ready to push for her and Riko to be the school’s number one couple.

I’m probably going to be bombarded with questions later…

“I’m more curious about what You-chan thinks.” Riko mutters under her breath; more of a spilled thought than an intended question.

“Eh?” You’s eyes widen slightly as she waits for the art teacher to repeat herself.

“Eh?” Riko simply feigns ignorance.

“What did you just say-”

“Nothing.”

“But-”

“Nothing at all, You-chan. Now.” Riko stands, not giving You a chance to probe. “I’m sure your class misses you by now…”

Eh? You’re gonna dodge my ques-

Riko brushes her pencil skirt and long sleeves as a distraction which worked its part as the gym teacher’s train of thought derailed.

You stands too, more or less recovered from the over-blush.

Art teachers dress way too nicely.

You concluded in her mind as she stretched out her limbs clad in a simple t-shirt and long pants, just the gym jacket was thrown on as the perfect image of a teacher should be – or so You thought when she became one.

“Back to class?” You shrugs.

Riko giggles. “Class first. Our conversation for later.”

The art teacher grins and You wishes they could stay a little longer, but they both had responsibilities as teachers so the ash-brunette simply nodded and returned to her class obediently.

The art teacher waves goodbye before going on with her day too.

You returns to her classroom with hesitant steps, wondering if her students would still be making a ruckus and bombard her with an interrogation of what transpired in the room alone with Riko.

Alone in the room…

You could not help but imagine the last time she was alone in Riko’s room, and then alone in the classroom earlier and possibly more alone time in the future – just the two of them. You’s face started to heat up and she rubbed her nose quickly, embarrassed.

Ahhh! Stop, stop, stop! Stop thinking weirdly! I- I got a class to teach and… and…

You breathes out a heavy sigh at how hopelessly crippled she is by the possibility of being in love with Riko.

This is all Riko-chan’s fault… She’s making me fall in love!

You pokes her head into her class, blue eyes scanned the unexpectedly quiet classroom. “Are you all mannequins or children?”

Her students chuckled in response to being caught pretending to stay still when their homeroom teacher returns. “We’re alive, You-sensei~”

You returns a lopsided smile, grateful for the peace. “Glad to know.”

Could this be the calm before the storm..?

The gym teacher had her finger crossed as she stepped to the podium. “So. Ready to discuss the upcoming School Cultural Festiva-”

“You-sensei!!” A majority of the class chorused the gym teacher’s name.

Uwa! That surprised me.

“What is it?” The ash-brunette’s expression judgemental; having a good guess of what is to come.

“Tell us about earlier~”

“Yeah, tell us about earlier!”

I knew it.

“What did you do to Riko-sensei?” A student smiles widely, innocently and eagerly.

Did to--!?

You chokes in her mind at the phrasing. “I didn’t do anything to her!”

Even though she seemed to be blushing and a little dazed when I brought her to the empty classroom to spend alone time with me-

No, wait! Now I’m phrasing things weirdly-

You had a hand over her forehead, feeling a headache incoming.

“Aww~ You know you can tell us!!” Another student chirps in.

“I bet something happened!”

“Was it a kiss scene??”

“Kyaaa~~”

K-Kiss scene??! No! Don’t think about it, Watanabe You. Don’t- Don’t go ‘kya’ like that.

“Why do you kids like teasing me so much? There really is nothing between me and Riko-ch-” You clears her throat loudly hoping no one heard that slip of the tongue. “-sensei.”

“Riko-CHAN-sensei~~” The student on the front row waggle her eyebrows and smirked at their homeroom teacher whose ear started to burn red.

She heard it!

“I-It’s normal for friends to address each other that way!” You retorts.

Ahh, mou!

“You-sensei, You-sensei.” Another student in the back row calls.

Considering the calm and patient tone, You takes a breath before answering, “Yes?”

“Do you like Riko-sensei? And…what do you think of Riko-sensei?” The more soft-spoken student throws the question to You.

“I…” You’s mouth is left agape as she thought about her answer.

I do…like…Riko-chan…

The beating of the gym teacher’s heart got louder and louder, harder and harder till You was made conscious of it.

AS A FRIEND!!

“I like her as a friend. And well…she’s really pretty…” You’s face was beet red as she poutingly mumbled her truthful and honest love for the art teacher’s beauty and aura.

When You finished her usual full-size imagery of Riko in her head, her gaze returned to her entire class grinning and smiling at her like the little “know it all” they were.

Ah. Did I make a lovestruck face or something?? The class are looking at me funny. Oh noooo.

“Don’t look at me like that or I’ll make all of you only do running for the next 3 gym classes!” You threatens like a child herself and turns back to face the blackboard, picking up the chalk and scribbling two lines within a box at a corner.

“Ehhhh!! But You-senseiiii-”

“One more line and its three strikes.” You takes a deep breath to reset her thoughts and return to being a reliable homeroom teacher instead of a blushing mess thanks to her students yet again. Turning back around to face her kids, “And you’re out.”

Sometimes, I just have to put my foot down.

The whole class nods obediently, not wanting to be met with the punishment. Their favourite gym class with their favourite teacher is always so much fun thanks to You’s innovative and inclusive games. Running was definitely not going to be fun.

You nods once; proud to have the class under control.

“Now. The School Festiva-”

The school bell rings, signalling a change of class.

A few students started laughing and You sent them a quick pout.

To think I didn’t even get to finish one sentence about the School Cultural Festival coming up.

The Class President claps her hands once. “Ah, we promise to discuss it ourselves a little and to listen to everything you say in next homeroom, You-sensei. Right, everyone?”

Everyone nodded and some even cheered and others started throwing out ideas already. You smiles fondly at her class; rowdy they can be, but reliable they are when needed too.

And then they remind me of why I love them so much.

“Good. I’ll hold you on your promise. Now since the next class is Science and you’re moving classrooms.” You steps off the podium to be by the door. “High five me on the way out as a promise.”

They always love this sort of incentives. Hehe.

“Woo! Yes!”

“High fives with You-sensei!”

“Let’s goooo!”

The class cheered and quickly grabbed their textbooks and pencil cases as they hurried to be the first to give You a high five on the way out. The gym teacher, of course, switching it up to high ones and low ones and jumping ones for each student’s preference.

Once they were all out, You had a hand on her hip.

And suddenly it’s all quiet…

You looks to her red palm from all the fun high fives to get her class out on time. You smiles. “It’s almost like I like their teases.”

Yeah, no. Definitely do not like those teases.

The school day passes and You is finally back home and she falls back onto her bed with a sigh, stretching out and getting comfortable.

“What a long day…” You stares up at the ceiling.

Riko-chan…

You realizes what she just did and turns to her side, hands covering her reddening face.

The first thing I thought of was Riko-chan…!

“Aaahhhh…” The overly self-conscious and embarrassed gym teacher whines in bed at her obvious growing crush for a certain art teacher.

After minutes of groaning at herself, You lays like a starfish on her bed, blindly reaching for her Ucchichi plushie and throws it up and down, up and down.

“Ne…Ucchichi… Do you think… …” It took at least eight throws before You could say it out loud. “I like Riko-chan? Like, more than friends? Like…lovers.”

The Ucchichi plush fell on You’s face and bounced to the side. “Ack.”

You’s face was as good as a fresh strawberry and she rubs her nose that got most of the brunt. “I know! It’s wild! I don’t even know when or how or why or just-”

I somehow can’t seem to pull my gaze away from Riko-chan… And when I realize, I seem to be thinking about her. And why do I want to have her attention most of the time if possible??

Do I really have a crush on her??

“Ne, Ucchichi…tell me what do I do…” You burrows her face further into her pillow and hugged her Ucchichi plushie, fingers caressing the furry feel of her favourite plush, slowly drifting off to sleep with Riko in her heart and on her mind.

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

Author Notes

Yup. UwU I’ll say it again – You-sensei has it baaaaad for Riko-sensei. hahaha XD

And hey! She can’t be in denial any more, not with her persistent racing heart and all too (adorable) obvious blushes because of Riko!! *O*

Leave me a comment if you like/love/want moreeee XD hehe~ (You know it gets me going. ^w^ I adore coming back to your comments and it just puts a smile on my face…And then I write more! >w<)

So, well, see ya next tease! (≧◡≦) ♡

#youriko #watanabe you #sakurauchi riko #fanfic #love live #love live sunshine #fanfiction #writing #rikoyou #teacher/teacher au #the teacher/teacher au I crave for YouRiko #teachers au #romance #fluff #I really should remember to share it here when I do updates XD #but well this means double updates!#may you enjoy~

3 notes · View notes